#[ ... okay that came entirely from me and not Takeo ] | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dessiekarma · 5 years ago

Text

My Harem is Entirely Bad Boy Types (Kirisaki Daiichi x Reader) Pt. 5

Chapter 5: Is This Seriously Her Type?!

“Would you stop already?” Hanamiya breathed out in a huff as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

“What the hell? Stop what?” (Y/N) asked throwing her hands up in the air.

“Stop flaunting yourself around like that! Yosen’s team is going to be here and I don’t need them all over you.”

(Y/N) crossed her arms under her chest and turned away stubbornly.

“Like hell am I gonna let you tell me what to wear! Besides you told me I need to wear the Kiridai colours during matches but yet didn’t want me in one of your jerseys so what was I supposed to do?”

“Probably not go out and get a cheerleading outfit.” Hara said looking her up and down for the 100th time already,

“It’s not a cheerleader outfit! It’s a jersey that actually fits me and a matching skirt! Which reminds me, I got this made too!” (Y/N) unhooked Mako from her back and taking him out of his sling the team saw his own little uniform. It was impractical but surprisingly cute of her.

“When the hell is that stupid project of yours over? It doesn’t really make much sense, Japan has one of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy.” Seto rambled on as he worked on his handles.

“Once the new school year starts in April.”

“Ugh don’t even talk about it! She gets weirdly emotional when you mention it!” Hara exclaimed, taking a break from practicing lay-ups.

“We’ve had him for so long! How could you not have gotten attached?!”

While those two bickered like an old married couple Hanamiya’s ears perked up at the sound of arguing right outside the gym doors.

“She’s never going to love you like I did!”

“Good! I don’t want anyone to love me like you! Because you only love me when it’s convenient for you! You only love me when I’ve stopped loving you back! I’m done running in circles with you, Mei!”

“You don’t even know her! You think because of that team you play with that you know real manipulation, you think you got her right where you want her but it’s the other way around! And I will prove it to you!”

That last sentence was high and loud enough to carry across the gym into the three previously unaware sets of ears.

Before they could react, Yamazaki came stomping into the gym, slamming the door behind him.

“Fucking bitch!” He called out in frustration before loosening his tie, tossing his school jacket to the side and marching into the locker room to change.

“Is Yamazaki okay?” (Y/N) asked, suddenly very concerned.

“Yeah, it’s just his psycho bitch of an ex.” Hanamiya commented with a sigh, not prepared to deal with the fuckery he knew that girl would cause.

“Was she that bad?”

“She was the worst.” Hara said lowkey adjusting the uniform on his baby. “I’ve known Zaki since elementary school, he’d never been a push ever. But during our first year at KiriDai, he started dating Mei and he would just let her walk all over him. It was honestly pathetic. When Caps started looking seriously into forming a good team I thought being in basketball would be pretty cool so I invited Zaki to try out with me. Figured it would give him some independence from her.”

“And that one stupid decision nearly got both your asses kicked off the team.” Seto reminded, feeling a headache come on from the sheer memory.

“Everyday we’d have to hear her either fawning over him or on us for working him too hard. We had to make a rule of nobody off team being allowed in the gym during practice without prior approval.” Hanamiya said aiming to take a shot before looking into (Y/N)’s eyes deeply. “In fact, you were the first one to break that rule.”

(Y/N) blinked at her captain’s words. When she first showed up months ago she wasn’t entirely sure why Hara was so against her being seen by Hanamiya. She unknowingly, could have landed him in some trouble with his team.

What was most present in her mind right now was the sheer fact of how easy it was to join. Any issues she’d had were with her boyfriend, not the guys and surprisingly not Hanamiya. Sure, he’d pulled his bullshit on her but only for a moment before he came to invite her to be a part of his team. Knowing what she knew now on top of everything else, there’s no way it should have been so simple.

“She would break up with him as a manipulation thing, which is no doubt why you caught his attention to quickly. He can relate.” Hara said scoring a three-point shot. “The last time they broke up she said she wanted to find someone better. I guess she didn’t and now she’s angry that he might have.”

“Might have what?”

“Found someone better.”

“…What, you don’t mean me, do you?”

“Believe it or not but Zaki has been after you for months.”

“Yeah I know. I just don’t necessarily see myself as ‘someone better’.”

“Wait wait wait, you know?” Seto asked with a surprised look on his face.

“Of course, I do! What, you think I’m some kind of oblivious idiot?”

“Then you know why she threw her milk on you that one time right?”

“…That was her?”

“Yup and clearly she sees you as the thing that’s keeping Yamazaki from taking her back. Whatever you had going on with her in middle school is only ten times worse now.” Hanamiya said checking the time on the gym clock.

“Maybe if you finally moved on and started dating someone else you would prove to her you were no threat.” Hara said coming up behind her placing a large hand on her hip, the other playing with the hem of her skirt. “Or we can pretend? Have some fun?”

(Y/N) paid him no mind, even ignoring his touch creeping to inch up her skirt. She appeared deep in thought for a moment only to finally give her signature bright smile.

“You’re right! I should try to start dating again! Actually dating, not whatever is going through your little perverted mind.” (Y/N) teased, smirking to herself as Hara finally took her silence as an okay and finally ran his hand up her thigh.

“You and these goddamn shorts!” He said watching the girl jump as an audible slap of his hand against her thigh echoed through the gym.

“Seriously? Hara stop harassing the poor girl.” Hanamiya sighed rubbing at his temples.

“Should we come back at another time?” A rather tall Chinese guy said taking in the image of Hara with his hands practically all the way up (Y/N)’s backside.

(Y/N) noticed the male’s Yosen jacket right away and suddenly remembered something very important. Slapping Hara’s hands away with a red face, the girl walked up to Hanamiya with a concerned look on her face.

“Captain, Furuhashi never showed up.”

Glancing at his phone, Hanamiya looked concerned for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“We’ll deal with him later, besides it’s just a scrimmage. We’re gonna go ahead and let the second string play this one.”

Out of the corner of her eye (Y/N) saw the rest of Yosen’s team come striding in. Instantly her eyes practically sparkled at the sight before her.

“Sorry, but our coach wanted me to let you know she would be unable to make it today.” A black-haired boy with a beauty mark under his eye, said with a polite smile.

“Hello, handsome.” (Y/N) mumbled under her breath, straightening out her hair and skirt before walking in an almost trance-like state towards the team.

The members of Yosen groaned at yet another fangirl falling head over heels for Himuro. It happened all the time but it didn’t mean they were any less annoyed by it at this point.

Himuro felt a small hand touch his shoulder gently and was prepared to give a polite decline only to be surprised at the force of her moving him out of the way.

“Excuse me.”

Both teams’ members had their jaws drop as she walked practically through Himuro to get to none other than Okamura. The gorilla of a man stood there with a frozen confused face.

(Y/N) smiled at him sweetly before tugging on the bottom of his jacket.

“Your legs must be so tired.” She commented sweetly fidgeting with his jacket zipper.

“Umm why would they be?”

“Because you’ve been running through my mind all day!”

“W-what!?”

“I’ll be your Yamato if you’ll be my Takeo and we can make this OUR Love Story!” (Y/N) said suddenly wrapping her arms around the tall male’s waist. His face grew insanely red and his entire body began to tremble.

“Now that’s just mean!” Fukui laughed as he saw the disbelief and almost hopeful look in his captain’s eyes. “We’d heard that KiriDai had a girl on their team and we figured she’d have to be a bit of a bitch. But come on, you didn’t have to bust out this manipulation on the poor guy. He’s not really even captain anymore.”

“She’s not a bitch just an idiot otaku. (Y/N), get off the guy!” Hanamiya tried to call off the lovestruck girl, shooting Hara a glare for ever suggesting the girl try dating.

“No, no she’s fine!” Okamura called out immediately placing his large hands gently on her shoulders. “So uhh your name’s (Y/N)? That’s really beautiful.”

“Hmmm? Why is that girl squeezing Okamura?” A lazy childish voice came into the gym.

(Y/N) turned her attention away from the apple of her eye only for her jaw to drop. Sure, she’d more or less known of each member of the generation and while she had seen most of them play a game, having this one so close was a whole different ballgame.

“I don’t know what you guys are feeding him, but he is too damn big!”

She had since let go of Okamura and was staring at Murasakibara in awe. He was annoyed pretty quickly at both her intense staring and the freakshow treatment he was receiving.

“Alright, enough harassing the opposite team.” Hara said attempting to drag his friend back to the bleachers.

Now focusing on the actual basketball players, one thing caught their entire team’s attention. And that was a small child being held delicately in the lilac male’s hands.

“One of you has a kid? I guess that’s not surprising for the personality type but isn’t this like a prestigious school or something?” Fukui asked trying to get a better peek at the infant.

“Would it perhaps be why the team suddenly added a female manager?” Liu pondered aloud.

“I, for one, believe I would make a great stepdad! We wouldn’t even have to tell anyone I wasn’t the father!” Okamura said quickly which earned an almost pained expression from (Y/N). That look quickly vanished and with a sigh she gave a genuine looking smile.

“Mako is a project of mine. He’s a doll! So, maybe not a stepfather…but you can definitely be my daddy-”

“Ugh that guy can’t seriously be your type, can he?” Seto interrupted with a look of disbelief on his face.

“Be nice!” (Y/N) scolded with a pout.

“Besides, should you of all people be judging someone by their looks?” Yamazaki retorted finally emerging from the locker room, looking like he’d blown off all the steam he needed.

“Ouch, Zaki what’s the damage?” Hara asked casually slinging an arm over (Y/N)’s shoulder, not so casually asserting his dominance over the opposing team.

“It’s just been a bad day, are we gonna play or what?”

“Or what, it would seem. Furu isn’t here and none of us can get to him so we’re going to let the first year’s play. Matsumoto, you lead them okay?” Hanamiya called out to a group of rather surprised looking boys.

“We definitely don’t need to be adding in our aces either.” Himuro said thinking more to himself than speaking to anyone. “I suppose we will throw in a few of our first years to play.

“Can I still have the food you brought for the team?” Yamazaki asked (Y/N), already rifling through her bag.

“Swear, I’m just a mobile food pantry for you guys. Fine, I suppose my children can come get their after-school snacks.” (Y/N) mocked, taking the bag away from her friend and pushing past the healthy sports food for the junk food she had hidden all the way to the bottom.

As she handed them out to both her first- and second-string team, she was suddenly aware of a looming presence hovering over her shoulder. Turning around she came face to torso with none other than Yosen’s ace.

He wasn’t saying much of anything just sort of hanging around her awkwardly. One arm hung limply at his side and the other was balancing a horde of his own snacks. His stare was more yearning than it was expectant and (Y/N) smiled to herself a bit.

Aomine never really talked much about his Teiko team except to talk shit. So, if there was anything she knew about Murasakibara it was that he was childish, none too bright, and loved nothing more than to eat.

Reaching deeply into the bag she produced a bag of limited edition flavoured chips and handed them off to him. He seemed genuinely surprised and almost didn’t even lift a hand to grab them at first, sure she would tug them out of his grasp as soon as he tried.

She jiggled the bag at him almost like an owner calling a cat for supper. And just like a feline, the tall male pounced at his opportunity for more snacks.

Flipping the bag over and over in his hands he was relieved to see they were normal junkfood chips and not the healthy crap his team tried getting him to eat before the game. He didn’t care what they said, baked chips were NOT the same as normal fried ones. The girl smiled at him and was about to turn away before he grabbed her wrist.

“Who sent you?” He asked in a serious tone, causing (Y/N) to look on in confusion. “Was it God? Did God send you with snacks?”

“Alright Atsushi-kun, let’s go sit on our side of the bleachers.” Himuro urged the tall male along murmuring apologies to the bewildered girl.

“Muro-chin who is she?”

“She’s Kirisaki Daiichi’s manager. Now eat your chips.”

“I want a manager.” The male stated before popping open his bag.

“Wow there’s actually chips in the bag! I thought she’d have filled it with spiders or something!” Fukui exclaimed watching his tall teammate lift one to his mouth.

“These are the best chips I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”

“I want to try one!” The ash-blonde exclaimed ready to grab one, only to have the bag suddenly held feet over his head.

“Touch them and you’ll lose a finger.”

~~~~~

“This turned out to be a fairly interesting game.” Himuro panted as he spoke to Hanamiya who simply nodded in response.

As it turned out KiriDai’s second string had gotten much better and were not only holding their own but actually winning against Yosen. Of course, as this continued Yosen started subbing in some of their first string players and KiriDai followed suit.

All having been somewhat surprised when Hanamiya instructed them not to bother wasting their energy with foul play. Still they could follow orders and the game had been surprisingly clean, save for some vulgar language from KiriDai.

“Alright everyone, body checks! Do we have any cuts and bruises? Broken limbs? Internal bleeding?” Fukui called out to everyone who played the game which only earned him a few death glares from the opposing team. “Oh come on! You guys are known for that kind of thing. I’m surprised we were able to play a normal game.”

“Yeah well we didn’t need any tricks to beat you.” Hara said chugging a water bottle.

“Only by one point and we had a few players unavailable.” Liu motioned towards Okamura who had all his attention focused on (Y/N) giving him attention.

Murasakibara was on the other side of the girl, pouting. He’d taken it pretty hard that Hanamiya wasn’t willing to “give him” (Y/N) to take back to Yosen with him.

“Good game.” Himuro complimented the team again. “I look forward to playing an actual game with you really soon. Come on Atsushi. Okamura, we need to head back.

“Ne Muro-chin ask the one with the eyebrows again.” Murasakibara said pushing Himuro towards the team coach, ignoring the look of wrath on Hanamiya’s face.

“(Y/N) doesn’t belong to him. We can’t just force her to come to Yosen. When we get back, we’ll look into getting a manager okay?”

“I don’t want any manager, I want this one. She gets me!”

(Y/N) laughed as they dragged the tall male out of the gym before turning back to Okamura. Smiling at him she held out her hand and he looked at it questioningly.

“Give me your phone and I can give you my number! Call me once you get back to Akita. I would really like to go out with you sometime. Maybe I can make my way out there.”

“W-what? You mean you still want to talk to me after today?” Okamura asked genuinely surprised, he figured she was more or less just jerking him around for fun and was sadly fine with that.

“Of course!” The girl smiled widely not missing the scowling and disgusted faces of some of her teammates. She waved at the tall man as he followed his team out of the gym.

“Hey girl, I told you to start dating someone not just anyone!” Hara said slinging his arm around her waist, fingers tapping along her ribcage under her breast.

“Hey hands to yourself! He was cute! I’m glad you guys didn’t decide to maim him for a simple scrimmage.”

“That was a bit strange of you, captain.” Matsumoto commented, secretly grateful he could play a normal game. “Why though?”

Hanamiya shrugged and wiped his brow. He looked to be debating something over in his head before sighing heavily.

“The Headmaster may or may not be watching our team a little more closely. Honestly, you can only give so many injuries before people start asking questions.”

The team grew gravely quiet. It’d been something they had anticipated for a long time but never thought would actually happen. Sure, for now they were just being kept under watch, but it let them know that one more incident would most likely lead to a disband. And they didn’t know how to handle that information, they were a team built upon those dirty antics.

“It’s no big deal, we can do spider-web without the rough play. Emotional and mental manipulation works just as well.” Hanamiya said trying to get his team’s nerves back down.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes at that but did look slightly concerned at the realization that the team was being looked at under a microscope. She’d honestly wondered why she hadn’t had to call her team out on any foul play this game.

“He mentioned it to me before today’s scrimmage. I was waiting until Furuhashi got here but god only knows where the hell he is.”

“I think he powered his phone off. I haven’t heard from him all weekend, I don’t even think he came to school today.” Yamazaki stated after having tried dialing him for the fifth time.

“Is he okay?” (Y/N) asked in concern.

“He’s fine, probably just got roped into something with his parents. I swear his mom still picks his clothes out for him.” Hara mocked with a small laugh.

“Ahh shit! I forgot I needed to pick up a new outfit for that stupid black-tie interhigh formal. Now that we’re being watched, I guess we have to go.” (Y/N) said slapping her forehead and suddenly shooting off a quick text.

“Holl up!” Hanamiya placed his palm over her phone and lowered it to look directly in the girl’s eyes. “What the actual hell are you talking about with a formal?”

“Each year the wealthier schools hold an interhigh formal for their athletes. Apparently Kirisaki Daiichi’s basketball team has been invited every year but never attended. The golf and swim team usually make it out there, though.”

“I’ve literally never heard of that in my life.” Seto mumbled running a hand through his hair.

“Probably in the big stacks of paperwork we would throw out.” Hanamiya sighed closing his eyes in annoyance. Times like this reminded him of exactly why they had needed a manager to begin with. “But if we never go why the hell should we this year?”

“Well because now the Headmaster is watching us. If we make an appearance as a respectable team and exchange a few niceties, I’m sure it can at least in some points in our favour.”

Hanamiya closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose before pressing his hands together. Opening his eyes quickly with an exhale he pointed his hands at the girl firmly.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

“I mean there’s no way in hell we’re going to that.”

“(Y/N)’s not wrong though.” Hara spoke up, looking as if he had actually been thinking everything through. “What’s it going to kill us to sit in a room full of people and pretend we’re normal? You gotta force that shit every day in class, what’s a couple more hours?”

“I agree with (Y/N) on this one.” Yamazaki nodded in response.

“You agree with her on everything! Look if you guys wanna go be with a bunch of silver-spoon cocky sons of bitches then be my guest. But tell them your captain can’t make it.” Hanamiya spat out quickly with a tone of finality.

“That’s fine.” (Y/N)’s concerned face suddenly melted into one of understanding. “It’s not your thing and none of us are gonna force you to go. We can totally go and rep our KiriDai pride without you! On that note, do any of you boys wanna accompany me to the mall?”

“Why the mall? It’s supposed to be a formal event, you should get your dress from a fancy boutique or something.” Hanamiya commented receiving raised eyebrows from the guys. “If she’s going to be ‘repping’ MY team she better not go looking like shit!”

“The mall’s cheaper! So, anyone wanna go?”

“I’m too tired, sorry.” Seto said stifling a yawn.

“Awww I want to go but my older brother came down from uni and we’re going to dinner!” Yamazaki whined at having to miss an opportunity alone with (Y/N).

“I don’t go to the mall.” Hanamiya grumbled. “It’s too noisy and crowded.”

“And since we won today, I have a celebratory session with someone.” Hara said clicking away on his phone.

“Slut.” Yamazaki teased with a grin.

“Hot girl?” (Y/N) asked scurrying next to him to try and peek a glance on his phone.

“All my girls are hot.” Hara responded cockily showing the girl his many attractive Instagram followers. This of course, earning a groan from the guys and he was sure a eyeroll or disgusted noise from (Y/N). To his surprise she held her hand up for a high-five which he gave unsurely.

“Hell yeah!”

“That’s not the reaction most people, let alone girls, have to hearing about Hara’s habits.” Seto responded with an amused grin.

“Well I mean is it consensual?”

“Of course!”

“Do they enjoy it?”

“I’m not one to disappoint.”

“Are they okay with it being a benefits only thing?”

“They all vaguely know about each other and are chill about it.”

“Then he’s ticked all the boxes! Let the boy have his fun!” (Y/N) said scrolling through his friendlist with interest.

“You’re so fucking weird!” Hara said with a large grin, placing his palm on the girl’s head and messing her hair around.

The lavender-haired male was beginning to admit something to himself. He’d been less than happy when (Y/N) joined the basketball team and even months later she was just some hot body attached to an annoying nag. But he has to say, he’d found himself growing rather fond of her…she was a cool girl.

“Oh my phone’s ringing!” (Y/N) said, pulling away from Hara’s affectionate gesture. “Maybe it’s Okamura! Oh…” The girl’s face grew serious as she answered. “Hey Furu! Where were you? The game with Yosen already ended and we’d been trying to call and- Wait what? Furu you need to speak up I didn’t catch tha…You’re what?”

The team placed all their attention on (Y/N) as she looked at them with concern.

~~~~~

Furuhashi sat bouncing his leg in the middle of the ramen shop waiting for his teammates to show up. He pushed aside the second bowl of ramen he’d gone through.

Apparently, he was a nervous eater. He’d never known as, before this day, he’d never been this nervous. His motto had always been to go with the flow, but this situation was never something he was prepared for.

“Furu!” (Y/N) called out as she raced into the ramen shop and slid into the booth across from him.

The young man looked at her with his usual blank eyes before looking away and signaling for he waitress to bring him another bowl.

“Where are the guys?”

“They’re coming in. We all walked together but at some point, before I even knew it, I was running.”

He huffed a small chuckle out his nose before giving her a barely-there smile.

“Don’t do that to me right now, don’t be nice to me or I may just never go back.”

“Furu, what happened?” Hara spoke up as he and the guys made their way inside and sat in the booth as well.

“I’m getting married.” The male said as nonchalantly as if he was talking about school assignments.

“What?” The rest team burst out.

“Her name is Yui and she lives in Osaka. We both have parental permission so we will be married shortly after graduation.” The male deadpanned taking a sip of water.

“That’s only a year away!” (Y/N) exclaimed fiddling her hands back and forth.

“Wait now, slow down. You’ve talked to me about this before.” Seto said putting a hand up trying to process all the information at once. “I thought your mother was going to let you decide.”

“My stepfather is ill. He likely won’t make it another five years and that would leave me in charge. I had a month to choose from seven options and I never got around to it. Yui’s parents proposed the arrangement and since I was well past the deadline, my parents took up the offer. I can decline of course but then I give up my inheritance and family name.”

“Why the hell wouldn’t you choose then!? At least that way you would have some say over this big important part of your life!” Yamazaki frantically called out, clearly distressed for his teammate.

“Because he naively thought that holding it off long enough would make his mother drop the whole thing.” Hanamiya answered for him, trying not to look too invested in the situation.

“Hanamiya!” (Y/N) scolded, clearly not happy with the guys putting any blame on the victim at hand.

“No, he’s right. I had this false hope that she would give up on the idea and allow me to take over the company as I am. I figured that because she’d been married for love once she might understand.”

“Yeah but that was what? One out of four?” Hara asked wondering how his level-headed friend could have completely misjudged his own mother.

“Do you actually care about marrying for love?”

All the guys turned to (Y/N) with raised brows and faces quite taken aback. While her voice was still nurturing and understanding, that question wasn’t expected.

“Isn’t that what everyone wants?”

“No, it’s what everyone has been told they should want. Some people want stability, and some want to fulfill obligations. Love is nice but not everyone needs it. Do you even care about not loving her or is there something else here?”

Furuhashi felt his heart in the back of his throat. How a girl who barely knew him could read him was almost uncomfortable. He’d always been taught to mask his emotions, that anything less than a poker face was weakness but to (Y/N) he might as well be an open book.

“You don’t seem to be the type in favour of arranged marriage.” He remarked to (Y/N) who quipped back instantly.

“And you don’t seem to be the type that’s waiting on your true love. Is something wrong with this girl in particular?”

“Is she like basketball?” Seto asked, confusing the whole table. Clearly Furuhashi understood as he averted his eyes. “You told me there was no particular reason you ended up in basketball. You just knew you were going to join something your mother didn’t know about, and this happened to be it. You don’t actually care about who she is, loving her or not. You’re saying no just because your mother said yes.”

(Y/N) sat there taking in the information. Furu was rebelling. That’s why he didn’t choose from his several options and that’s why he was so against this mystery girl from Osaka. It wasn’t about who she was, it was about his family making the decision for him.

“I got to know her this weekend. She’s levelheaded and nonconfrontational. I was supposed to accompany her back to Osaka tonight and head back to Tokyo Thursday morning, but I told her I had a prior engagement. She was completely understanding and agreed not to mention it to my parents.”

“Do you have a picture of her?” Hara asked, honestly curious about Yui.

Furuhashi opened his phone and scrolled around Instagram for a bit before stopping on an image of a smiling girl in a school uniform. He pointed to the left most girl and watched his phone be passed around.

Each of them took their turn looking at the image. (Y/N) almost found herself smiling at the picture. The girl was cute with heavy blunt bangs cutting across her forehead and a sharp bob framing her rounded face. Her eyes were large and sparkling with a smile reflecting brighter than the one on her lips.

“What the hell? She sounds perfectly normal and she’s at least a solid 7.5!” Hara exclaimed holding the phone close to his face.

“I know. My mother surprisingly found an overall perfect match for me. She’s none of the things I was afraid of when I accepted a long time ago that this was the way things would be. Above all else the union would be an amazing move for our company.”

“Then what exactly is the problem?” Hanamiya asked raising a thick brow at his teammate.

“I was so sure my mother and stepfather would pick someone horrible. Someone way too old or way too young. A girl who was hideous inside and out. A complete bitch would have been perfect. Because then it would have been easy.”

“What would have been easy?” (Y/N) asked, really trying to understand what Furuhashi was feeling.

“Telling my mother no. I’ve always done exactly what she asked of me and this was supposed to be the first time I actually stood my ground and didn’t allow her to make these terrible choices for me. Only now the problem is that its not terrible. If I tell her no now, I’m not standing my ground, I’m just being a brat.”

So, there it all was. Furuhashi had held out for hope that this would be his one opportunity to make a choice for himself and not let his mother decide something so big for him. He’d been hoping he could put his foot down on a bad choice, but it didn’t work out that way. Yui was the perfect fit for him, there was nothing to complain about but that wasn’t the point.

“What are you going to do for now? Your parents expect you to be in Osaka for the next few days.” Hanamiya asked reminding his friend of the whole he’d dug himself into.

“I don’t k-”

“He can stay with me.” (Y/N) said quickly and firmly, once again taking everyone at the table aback.

“You’re a girl, that’s not appropriate for me to-”

“I don’t care. I have the guest house entirely to myself and the spare bedroom in it isn’t used. You said it once before, your mother doesn’t know me. I’m something that’s only yours, let me be your friend and help you out.”

Furuhashi almost rejected her offer again. Who was her family exactly? Would they not be angry? If anyone found out would it hurt his reputation or hers? But if she was willing to take that risk…

“Okay.”

~~~~~

“I didn’t think we were gonna make a pitstop first.” Furuhashi said with the first true smile he’d had on his face all weekend.

“Well as much as I wanted to help, I really needed to get this done too.” (Y/N) said adjusting the straps on a floor length black gown. “You should look for what you’re going to wear too.”

“Do I really have to go to that thing?”

“No, but I’d like for you to. Hanamiya isn’t and I don’t want to go alone, so I was really hoping all you guys would try.”

“Why do you like spending time with all of us?” Furuhashi asked resting his chin in his palm. “Someone like you should never be able to mesh with guys like us so well. How do you do it?”

(Y/N) didn’t seem at all surprised by his question and instead seemed deep in thought.

“Because guys like you are never all bad. And great guys are never all good. Take my ex for example, people who don’t know him would probably say he’s nothing short of an angel.”

This earned a deep scoff from the male and a grin from (Y/N).

“And that’s my point, you know the worst parts of him and have that impression of him. Just because you guys give off a bad impression doesn’t mean you’re nothing but bad. Every negative trait can be seen in a positive light. Rude bluntness is just being a straight shooter. Sarcastic ass comments are a hilarious sense of humour. It’s all perspective and I choose for my cup to be half full.”

“I’ve always disliked the half cup analogy. If I had a full cup and chose to drink half, it would be half full. If someone handed it to me that way, I’d see it as half empty.”

“Going back to the things that are out of your control. Can I be 100% honest with you right now?” (Y/N) asked sitting down beside the male on the couch in the fitting room.

“Sure.”

“I would never advise you to do something you don’t want to do. Nobody should be forced to do something like that.”

Furuhashi was surprised as she held her palm out for him to take her hand. Squeezing it tightly, she turned to face him head on and look him dead in the eyes.

“But Kojiro, don’t let anyone control your decision. Let it come from you and not out of obligation or spite. If you turn down the marriage only because your mother suggested, then you’re still letting her control you. Make a choice that leaves no room for resentment. Not towards Yui and not towards yourself.”

“Myself?”

“You mentioned earlier how she would be good for the company. That’s your future and I know its something that is very important to you. If you pass up that opportunity, I hope you don’t regret it. I really do believe you’ll find the best choice for you.” (Y/N) said rubbing her palm over his back comfortingly before standing back up “I’m gonna go find more dresses to try on!”

Furuhashi simply nodded at her as she quickly disappeared into the dressing room and emerged back out in her KiriDai uniform, running back out into the department store.

She’d used his first name. She really did care about him as a person, not just saying what was socially acceptable to say. Any other person would have told him not to go through with a marriage that wasn’t rooted in love. But she was real with him and that’s all he could have hoped for.

(Y/N) sized up a few different choices in her hands. If she was being honest, it wasn’t just for appearances that she wanted to go to the formal. Wealthy schools usually meant wealthy students and that could only mean more business opportunity for her.

She’d never been permitted to go to such prestigious events but now that there was nobody to stop her, she figured she wanted to make the best impression possible.

“Did you need any help dear?” A sweet voice chimed from behind the girl.

Turning her head quickly, (Y/N) was met with a very short and petite older woman. She was smiling widely at the girl before she smacked her fist onto her open palm excitedly.

“I know something that would look great with your complexion! May I show you?” The woman said almost giddy.

“Sure.” (Y/N) said a little taken aback by the woman’s enthusiasm, which she seemed to read as she directed her through the racks of clothes.

“Sorry dear! Not many people come in here looking for such fancy dresses and I do love playing dress up! I only have a son, so I don’t get to do anything like this outside of work!”

“Oh don’t apologize for being friendly! Though they have such nice men’s clothes here as well, who says you can’t dress your son up?”

“He does! Haha that kid would bite my head off if I tried!” The woman chuckled though her smile dimmed slightly. “Besides, that boy is always so busy, I hardly see him. Off studying and playing basketball.”

“Oh? Does he play for his primary school?” (Y/N) asked as the woman flipped through the racks of dresses.

“Hmm? No dear, highschool! My boy is about to be a third year.”

(Y/N) seemed a little shocked at hearing that but instead chose to smile. The woman looked far too young to even have a child in middle school let alone someone her age. But that was neither her business nor a definite conclusion. Perhaps she looked really good for her age.

“That’s just like me! What school does he play for? I may know him!” (Y/N) asked trying to avoid any awkward silences.

She could see a definite change in the woman’s demeanor. Almost as if she didn’t want to tell her and was trying to think of a way out.

“Umm Kirisaki Daiichi.”

“No way!? I go there!” (Y/N) suddenly studied the woman a little harder but a flicker to her name tag suddenly answered any questions. “Oh are…are you Hanamiya Makoto’s mom?”

The woman turned sharply to face her and seemed only to grow more horrified as the two made eye contact.

“Why the look? Has Makoto done something to you?” The woman stammered out rubbing her temples in the same manner her son did. “You knew the name right away, should I be worried about that? If he did something, I will pay for it or fix it or anything jus-”

“No no no, ma’am! Please, I didn’t mean to make any expression, I was just stunned is all. You look nothing like him. I’m the manager for the basketball team at KiriDai, by the way.”

She saw the woman deflate in relief, though her hands never stopped wringing.

“(Y/N), correct!? Oh that’s such a relief! My son talks about you all the time, though please don’t ever tell him I said that!” The woman was suddenly smiling widely again as she appeared to be taking in the weary teen’s appearance. “You’ve been good for that team, you know?”

“Oh?”

“Good for my son, at least. He’s seemed less high strung lately.”

“I don’t think I can take any credit for that. I just bring the team food and do paperwork.”

“No, I see the difference. You bring you, and that’s enough. Kindness is contagious and I sure hope my boy catches some.”

“Since I’ve met Makoto, he’s given me a purpose and place to be within Kirisaki Daiichi and that’s the kindest thing anyone could have ever done for me.”

(Y/N) could swear the woman looked ready to burst into tears but she burst into a smile instead.

“I’m so glad! Well now I really shouldn’t be holding you up chatting away about my little monster! Here’s the dress! What do you think?”

(Y/N) scrutinized the gown in the woman’s hands. Looking it up and down once more she nodded her head and accepted it.

“I think it will be perfect! I’m going to try it on!”

“Oh dear…before you go could I…could I ask two favours of you?”

“Umm of course.”

“Don’t tell Makoto you saw me here. He doesn’t like his friends knowing about me or where I work. I would hate for him to become upset with me. I don’t want him to feel embarrassed.”

The teen almost refuted her statement but decided it was best to keep her mouth shut and nod in agreement.

“And the other favour?”

~~~~~

“Awww why hasn’t Okamura texted me!?” (Y/N) pouted throwing herself down in the middle of the gym. “Did I come on too strong?”

“Yes,” Hanamiya responded nudging her with his foot, to try and get her off the court. “but I doubt that is the reason you haven’t heard from him.”

“It’s only been a day, maybe he’s busy.” Seto offered, throwing himself on the floor beside her. Hanamiya threw his hands up in exasperation before deciding to settle for half court today.

“Or maybe it’s just because you’re ugly?” Hara quipped as he fastened the diaper on Mako securely.

“Ugly? Bitch where?!” (Y/N) said motioning to her own face in an overly conceited manner.

“If anyone thinks (Y/N) is ugly they should get their eyes checked!” Yamazaki called out only to be met with a subtle glare from Hara.

The orange haired boy mouthed a quick genuine ‘sorry’ that didn’t go unnoticed by (Y/N). Still she chooses to ignore it as she arched her back off the ground to stretch.

“Ugh no big deal if he doesn’t keep in contact. He was cute but it’s not like I was in love with him or anything. He reminded me of Takeo Gouda but maybe I shouldn’t be using anime as a guide for dating.”

“Good morning.” Furuhashi’s voice called out as he entered the gym.

“Where were you, I thought you and (Y/N) were gonna ride the train to school together?” Hanamiya asked wondering how the girl got there a whole hour earlier.

“Well we were supposed to but Furuhashi wanted to prove he could do it on his own.” (Y/N) said with a laugh.

“I made it here, didn’t I?” He responded with a small smirk.

“How was it staying with (Y/N)? Is her room cute? Is her house big? What does she wear to sleep?” Yamazaki asked shooting off a million questions.

“Wow, I’m literally right here.” (Y/N) said motioning to all of herself.

“It was nice, she had me up pretty late….” The male gave a small smirk that instantly had (Y/N) shooting him a warning look. “Talking about my situation of course. So, I called Yui this morning and figured out what I’m going to do.”

“You’re gonna tell your mom to fuck off?” Hara asked now sitting on the floor beside Seto and the manager.

“Yui and I decided that as of right now there’s no good reason why we shouldn’t get married.”

“What!?” Everyone other than (Y/N) exclaimed loudly.

“Right now, a union would only be beneficial and we both seem to get along rather well. We agreed we would have a loose engagement and push the marriage back until after college.”

“A loose engagement?” Seto asked curiously.

“Simply, if a better opportunity pops up elsewhere…we’d like the other to take it. Whether that be a financial opportunity or an emotional one. To put it shortly if we decide we wouldn’t work out or one of us falls in love with someone, the other will call it off.”

“An engagement with no commitments? Huh that’s kind of an oxymoron.” Yamazaki mused aloud.

“If it works out then great. However, she’s a cute girl, I’m almost certain she will find someone to fall in love with.” Furuhashi said with a smile.

“Or you could.” Hara offered.

Furuhashi felt his eyes drift to (Y/N), who had gotten off the floor and was cheering on Hanamiya as he swished his 7th shot. Too fast for the boys to notice, a glimmer of amusement flickered in those usually dead eyes.

“Yeah, maybe I could.”

~~~~~

“How could you forget your phone charger in your gym locker?” Liu asked as the tall former captain bounced impatiently as he waited for the doors to the gym to be unlocked.

“Nobody ever calls so I just forgot, and my phone is so outdated nobody has a charger that fit! What if she thinks I’m not interested?” Okamura practically whined to his teammates.

“Well she’s plenty interested in you, so I doubt that’s going to be a problem.” Himuro said with an amused smile.

“I still say she’s up to something!” Fukui added before seeing the doors to the gym open and feeling the burst of air as Okamura went barging in.

Quite curious of what would happen the team followed the man into the locker rooms and watched him practically bust the lock off it. Quicker than lightening he shot off a text message to the girl of his dreams.

“She’s gonna ghost you.” The blonde said in a sing-song tone.

The tall male was about to respond when a ding from his phone pulled all his attention.

The poor oaf never saw it coming, with his trembling hands and awkwardly small phone his fingers fumbled.

He tried to catch it in time but without warning his chance with a cute girl quite literally slipped from his grasp. The phone clattered to the floor, shattering its screen and coming apart in several pieces.

The whole team stood staring at the gadget broken beyond repair. Okamura breathed in deeply before slamming his locker.

“I’m heading back to Tokyo!”

“We don’t have any more funds for a ticket back!”

“Then I’m walking!”

“It’s an 8-hour drive!”

70 notes · View notes

rk-silverknight · 6 years ago

Text

Prompt:Regret

It was a simple request from the other, something that M-21 himself did a double take when the other voiced it out initially thinking he misheard but once he heard it again clearly his only thoughts were that it was a silly and funny request. He understood where the other was coming from though, if there was just the tiniest faintest bit of memory that was returning M-21 would do the same and grasp it like a life line.

M-24 himself had told him that he doesn’t remember anything concrete from his past but there are occasions when his body goes on autopilot, perhaps muscle memory or something else entirely. M-21 was happy for him that was the best that could happen to any of them, but he also cursed himself even more for not being able to get anything back for himself, he was nothing but a blank canvas in the end. His memories began when he woke up in one of the testing tube like containers until now, and even though he’s no longer submerged underwater or whatever the solution they were in was, he was still a dog attached by it’s leash who was tied to that terrible organization, Union. A place where both the last surviving members of the ‘M Series’ wanted to cut ties with and gain their freedom, but it was impossible in their broken and weakened state. They had to rely on Crombel to survive, for now. Still they would play it smart and continue to honor the promise they made to their fallen allies.

“Call me brother from now on.”

It was a request that M-21 had all the intention of granting, one that he wanted to do in order to show M-24 how important of a friend he was, but the day he had decided to do it was the last time he saw his colleague alive. It was the day that Jake and Marie attacked them, the day he lost his most closest friend and the day he was granted a new home with Frankenstein and Raizel. M-21 at first wasn’t sure why M-24 wanted him to use ‘brother’, but his thought was that if it was important to M-24 than it was important to him as well. He didn’t have anything to grasp onto besides making sure that they both survived the hell they were thrown into, though sadly he failed and he was the last one standing.

He was alone in his room, dinner was over as well as their chores being done, something that although M-21 hated initially he had grown to like. It meant being clean, adopting this part of a normal life that he and the others yearned for years ago, though it saddens him to think that he was the only one to achieve it. “I wonder how it would be if all eight of us survived?” he mused, “Who would be the one to clean the dishes and the table, would any of us even be able to cook?” He had a feeling M-24 would be the peacemaker of whatever place they would’ve called home, he was the big guy that others usually saw as scary but one with a big soft and caring heart. Though he could be wrong, after all it was M-24 who told him in his last moments that the one with a soft heart was actually him, he can’t really see it but he accepted it in the end, they were words that came from M-24 after all.

He was here living in a lavish home now, having a great job that although it came with the occasional fights here and there and shredding of his attire he liked it. He loved being around the others, to be in their company and even though he wasn’t much of a social butterfly he loved to hear their chatter and their laugh. It made M-21 feel alive after all, though M-24′s request would still echo in his mind, if only he had done it sooner M-24 wouldn’t have left the world without him calling him ‘brother’. It was one of M-21′s biggest regrets. He himself didn’t know the meaning of such a word, but from what he had been able to observe at work with siblings themselves he can see how important they were to one another. The older always looking out for the younger one and making sure they were okay, to guide them and help them when the other needed assistance. The younger looking up to the older, wanting to be like them and maybe even better, but just being by their side was more than enough since they were their role-model in the end. Is that how it is with siblings, even if not related by blood?

Takeo and Tao were like siblings to M-21, but he wasn’t sure if he can call them ‘brothers’, not yet, he feels that it’s not something he deserves to call them. It was too big and important of a word to just voice it out like that, but he wasn’t sure. He regrets not calling M-24 a brother before he passed, but he feels foolish for even thinking about calling ‘Mark’ brother when he had them all fooled. M-21 was just so happy when he saw whom he thought ‘M-24′ was that he didn’t see anything amiss, but because of his blindness and carelessness it almost cost him the lives of his new family. Another regret of his that he can’t shake away, and although he’s certain the others don’t hold it against him it’s something he can’t forget or forgive himself for..

When he’s ready he’ll call them his siblings, his brothers, at least out loud. In his mind and soul they are his family, a family he cherishes and cares for greatly. They all mean the world to him and as long as he’s with them, whether he finds his own name of not in the end, M-21 feels that he will be able to move on. The fight with Union isn’t over yet, but he wants to cherish the moments he has with his new family and the opportunity at life that he along with the other M-Series fought so hard for. Something that although initially he hated himself for since it’s something he doesn’t feels he deserves, he will live it to the max as much as possible and cherish each moment.

“I have many regrets in life that I cannot take back, but I can at least work on my present and be the best person I can be. I’m not perfect, not by a long shot, but I’m still going forward. It’s better than being tied to a group that plays with others lives. I now have my freedom, my own free will, and I have my friends and family that I can lean on. We were so alone back then, we only had one another, but now I have other’s whom I want to continue living for and create more memories with. I have regrets, but I will try to live the best I can so I no longer have any more.”

#{drabble}#NoblesseFixIt #[it's something I have been meaning to write for a while. the 'brother' part so I hope this kkinda fits to the prompt? if not meh enjoy ^^#[thank you <3]#Noblesse

21 notes · View notes

akaashiikeiijis · 7 years ago

Text

If Koutarou had to admit one flaw in his career (and he had very few of those of course), it was that he couldn’t take the silence. It was ironic, considering his job required stealth but the waiting and hiding made it hard. Like right now, he was pressed against a wall waiting for his target to walk by.

The corridor was as silent as a catacomb save for the wall clock ticking like a bomb timer (and Koutarou wasn’t so thrilled about those). The elegant music of the ball didn’t seem to reach the far end of the manor which was a shame. The silence seemed to drown him and he tried his very best not to tap his feet.

He was supposed to be coming out of the powder room, as his target would enter the corridor. He would then ask her about the way back and grin sheepishly. His target was bound to come because she had ‘lost’ her ring. It had slipped from her slender fingers, probably because she hadn’t eaten due to the stress of her position. A lady had politely mentioned she thought she had seen something glimmer under the faint hallway lights as she made her way to the powder room.

Of course, the ring was with Koutarou, who had inconspicuously taken her ring off while kissing her fingers in greeting. He would politely ask her why she looked so distraught and she would mention the ring. He would produce it from his coat pocket and show the ring. She would be grateful and she would insist on escorting him back to the ball. Koutarou would take that time in asking about her late husband and if business was going well. If everything went according to plan, he would get the necessary information he needed for his mission with an exchange of a few words.

It would normally be hard to get the lady to talk, but Koutarou had been told that it was hard to refuse him an answer. Plus, he was confident with his charms.

He stiffened as the familiar tread of heels echoed in the hallway. He adjusted his coat, fixed his tie and ran a hand over his hair. He took out a napkin and pretended to wipe his hands. He paused and looked around bewildered before allowing his eyes to find his target and smiled warmly.

The woman was in her late fifties, her hair dyed in a ruby red, heavy eye makeup and she wore an elegant black dress. She had stopped in her tracks and bowed her head a bit.

“Takahashi-san.” Koutarou said as he stuffed his napkin in the inner pocket of his coat. “Um, I think I’ve lost my way. Where did I come from?”

“A forgetful one aren’t you Hideki-san?” Takahashi chuckled.

“Ah I should work on my memory.” Koutarou grinned sheepishly. He waited for her to guide him. Takahashi Aimi was known to be a kind and lovely women from her friends and reports by those who observed her. But right now, Koutarou felt uneasy. The clocked ticked, its sound seeming to bounce off the walls and Koutarou genuinely began to wonder if it was some time bomb.

“I’m not the best for information.” Takahashi said, straightening her back and smiled knowingly. She resembled an adder ready to strike and Koutarou was her target.

“I just need ‘information’ to get back to the main hall.” Koutarou replied, keeping his easy grin. Inside his mind, he produced a mental map of the mansion. There was a window in the powder room; if he was cornered, he would make a run. He would keep the act of being oblivious to the situation till the very end. But he knew it would probably not work. There seemed to be a variable that he hadn’t considered.

That Takahashi Aimi probably knew who he was.

“I’m pretty sure you have other intentions Bokuto-san.”

Koutarou let out a chuckle. This was bad. His identity was Hideki Takeo, no one except Kiyoko was supposed to know of his identity in the entire mansion.

Kiyoko wasn’t a traitor, he knew that much. Which meant that he had been tracked. By some lackey of Takahashi Aimi? Or the suspected new ‘boss’ of the black-market trade? He chose the latter.

“Right, so does this mean that I must provide information?” he grinned, adrenaline rushing. He could hear someone else walking in, careful steps.

“Oh, I’m not interested.” Aimi twirled a lock of her hair, stepping aside for the new person. “But this gentleman may want something out from you.”

Koutarou raised his eyes to the man and swallowed. The man was tall and though his frame looked slender, Koutarou could tell by his stance that he was strong. He seemed to adjust the cuffs of his suit before studying Koutarou with an intensity that made Koutarou involuntarily shudder.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it.” Aimi smirked and stepped close to Koutarou. “It was time the old man passed away. Keep the ring as a keepsake.”

Koutarou’s eyes widened. He was certainly not prepared for this outcome. He didn’t bother turning after Takahashi. It was a failed mission. All he could decipher was that Aimi was the new boss. But that too would require an extensive research to present it to his seniors. He groaned and threw a dirty look at the stranger.

It frustrated him even more that he didn’t know who this person really was.

“What do you want?” he muttered.

“You should do something about your hair Bokuto-san.” The stranger replied, seeming to ignore Koutarou’s bad mood. “You stand out. It took Takahashi-san only a glance to realize who you were. And it took me quite some time to convince her that you weren’t an important spy. Just an immature starter.”

Koutarou curled his fingers into a fist. He had to be calm, he heard Kuroo’s voice in his mind echo. Make best of the situation.

“I think you’re the amateur here.” He started but the stranger pressed a finger to his lips.

“Trust me when I tell you this Bokuto-san. I know an amateur when I see one.” He walked leisurely towards Koutarou. “Please follow me.”

“And what if I don’t?” Koutarou folded his arms.

“Then we have a problem.” The man murmured. His face was only inches away from Koutarou’s. Under the faint lighting of the hallway, Koutarou noticed an eyelash on the other’s cheek and willed his entire being to not brush it off. The stranger was attractive, his dark curls framed his face and the light tan made his dark blue eyes stand out.

If the man attacked him, Koutarou could easily throw him off. But the stranger seemed more careful, as if he didn’t want them to be found out like this. More cautious and calculating. Koutarou couldn’t read him. He jerked away as the man tried to cup his face.

“Okay, um personal space? Did you reveal my identity to Takahashi-san to uh get on with me? Because you could have hit me up after my mission.” Koutarou held his hands up.

The man rolled his eyes and huffed. “I was intrigued. You have strange eyes.” He jerked his head to the side, indicating that something was behind Koutarou.

Koutarou turned around slightly and noticed a towering man at the end of the corridor.

“Sure, you can see them up close.” He held his hands out and the stranger stepped closer and cupped his face.

Koutarou felt his cheeks growing warm and he hoped that the stranger didn’t notice.

“Gold.” The stranger whispered before closing in the space, his lips close to Koutarou’s and for a fleeting moment Koutarou thought ‘oh my god he’s going to kiss me.’

But instead of a kiss the stranger whispered harshly, “We need to get out. The lady will be waiting. We’re being pursued. And discard the ring, it records whatever you say.” He pulled away, wiping his lips as if he had really kissed Koutarou.

The scuffle of feet confirmed that the stranger’s voice had been heard through the ring or whatever it was. Koutarou threw the ring and followed the stranger through the hallways.

They broke into a run, Koutarou looked back and saw that they were pursued by two big burly men. He could throw them off, but considering they were inside the Takahashi mansion, it wouldn’t be wise to be caught up. He glared at the stranger’s back. It irked him that he had no idea about the stranger’s identity. He definitely wasn’t on the guest list for tonight. And yet he had to follow him.

They halted in front of the main ballroom and the stranger brushed his suit jacket and adjusted his tie before mixing into the crowd. Koutarou ducked his head and searched for Kiyoko among the crowd. The men were coming closer and Koutarou knew others would be joining them soon. Someone patted his shoulder and he turned, ready to strike but paused when the stranger stood instead of some lackey.

“Come.” He grabbed Koutarou’s hand and weaved in through the crowd.

There was a yell and they both quickened their pace to the main entrance.

“Wait, I need to find-.”

“She’s outside waiting for us.” The stranger replied.

Koutarou nodded, dumbfounded. Somehow this person had taken control of the mission, his mission, and he felt like some ragdoll thrown here and there. They were a few feet away when a gunshot echoed in the room followed with shrieks and gasps drowning out the music.

“We have an issue.” The stranger said and Koutarou realized that four more men stood in their way to the exit.

Koutarou grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Well, that’s not much of an issue.”

The stranger quirked his eyebrow in question and Koutarou let out a laugh as he grabbed a silver tray from a server, shattering the glasses and throwing it at one of the men. It hit one who stumbled back, clutching his nose and staggering. Koutarou used it as a distraction to close the distance and punched the other man and kicked him to the side.

“A show off.” The stranger commented, wiping his hands as the other two men collapsed on the floor.

“You’re not bad as one either.” Koutarou shrugged. “You up for a drink after this?”

“Let’s focus on not getting killed first.” The stranger said and Koutarou yelped as a bullet grazed his cheek.

“Shit.” Koutarou muttered as his cheek stung. The two men from before were coming close. If worse came, he’d have to take out his gun.

A car revved and Kiyoko yelled, “Get in!”

The stranger and Koutarou glanced at each other before running to the car, ducking their heads to avoid being shot. Koutarou hardly got into the passenger seat when Kiyoko drove. The door slammed against Koutarou’s shoulder and he rubbed on it frowning.

“Are you normally this slow?”

Koutarou rolled his eyes, ignoring the stranger’s jab.

“Shimizu-chan, who is this?” Koutarou pointed at the back seat with his thumb, refusing to look at him.

Kiyoko looked straight ahead, “His name is Akaashi Keiji. He isn’t a threat to us. Kuroo-san will brief you on it later.”

“Was he supposed to be part of this mission?” Koutarou growled. There was no way Kuroo would do anything this rash. The entire mission had been a failure.

“Takahashi-san had figured out that you intended to question her. After all, her husband’s death wasn’t some heart failure. She was the rightful heir to her father’s business and smuggling trade.” Akaashi replied calmly. “She intended to kill you off in that hallway.”

“Right.” Koutarou huffed.

“The information was relayed after we left Bokuto-san.” Kiyoko said, glancing at Koutarou for a moment before resuming her gaze on the road. “Akaashi-san was nearby, and considering signals are unreliable in this area, there were too many risks involved.”

“Fine.” Koutarou muttered, rubbing at his shoulder again. “Just…leave it for later.”

“We’re not being trailed.” Akaashi noted.

“Because we’re still not an important intelligence service in some people’s minds.” Kiyoko replied. “We’ll be returning to our hotel for now. Then tomorrow morning we have to catch our train and return to the safe house.”

Koutarou shut his eyes and willed to even shut out the night’s events. He would tackle them tomorrow. And find out who exactly Akaashi Keiji was.

#during my long ass anxiety of being active anywhere #remember the time i was obsessed over bkak in suits??#yeah i still couldnt escape that so the spy au began forming in my mind #ehhh a drabble #i have a huge plot in mind but meh i cant find the time to make it proper #khair #bokuaka #the otp #writing #shush fuzzy #spy au #ITS NOT PROOF READ SO DONT @ ME #haikyuu!!#fic

8 notes · View notes

medea10 · 7 years ago

Text

Medea’s Anime & Game Superlative of 2017

Time to do the annual list I do once a year acknowledging the anime and games I played this year. So that means if an anime came out in like...1979, as long as I watched it this year, it counts for my list. Let’s get started! First Fandom of 2017: Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga I started Blue Exorcist back in 2013 and fell in love with the story instantly. However, I often wondered what came after the whole finally confronting Satan story of the anime. Don’t spoil it for me, I’m not caught up with the manga yet. So when they announced this anime was going to come back, I was all ready to watch Rin and Yukio in action. Despite the many reservations I had with this particular season, I was so excited for this season early this year and couldn’t wait for the latest episode to air each week. I am satisfied to hear back-stories from some of the minor characters like Bon, Shima, and Konekomaru. And of course any moment when Rin is about to punch someone in the face is always satisfying to watch! Rin grows quite a bit in this season so this season wasn't a complete waste. Plus Bryce Papenbrook slays it as Rin and we get another awesome song by UVERworld. Favorite Main Character of 2017: Oscar François de Jarjeyes (Rose of Versailles)

As I mentioned in my superlative list last year, Rose of Versailles was an anime I didn’t expect to get into, but enjoyed nevertheless. And as I continued watching this year, I was severely hooked on the main character, Oscar. I know Oscar is indeed a fictional character in a story that’s based on actual history. Which makes me wonder if history would be any different if Oscar truly existed? I felt for this woman, especially in those last 10 episodes of the series. Oscar is one of the toughest females in anime history with her attacks during the French Revolution and the turmoil she went through in her love life. I was rooting for her to succeed throughout the entire series. All the way up to standing up against the French Army, she does it all! Favorite Villain of 2017: Frieza (Dragon Ball Super) Why do I love the biggest assholes in the Dragon Ball series? I don’t know. Out of all the villains in this series, Frieza was my favorite. Despite during the Z series where it literally takes him around 10 episodes to try and blow up a simple planet! With Dragon Ball Super, he’s still pure evil! He ends up resurrected more than once (thanks a lot Goku). However, I really wish that he would have gotten more of an evil streak during this Universe Competition saga. I know he can’t kill anybody or he’d be disqualified, but he could do a little more other than just stand on a pirch and laugh at the pitiful fighters. But when he’s fighting the Saiyans (including other universe Saiyans like Cabba), he’s ruthless! Anyone else hoping to see him take on Jiren in the coming episodes? Favorite Video Game Character of 2017: Lillie (Pokemon Ultra Moon) Lillie, you’ve done it again! And you are THIS close to becoming my favorite in the anime (except I’m still a Lana fangirl). With the Ultra Sun/Moon games, Lillie definitely shows hutzpah in her actions. She goes to great lengths in order to save the pokemon Cosmog and would even go through dangerous situations in order to save her own mother (who verbally disowned her). What’s even better with these new games is that in the post-game, Lillie actually battles with a pokemon. AND IT’S FROM THE CLEFABLE LINE! Lillie actually battles alongside you with a Clefairy. If it means I get to fight against that genital wart, Faba with this little lady by my side, I am very satisfied! This is awesome! I’m glad we get this extra bit in these games since the previous version had Lillie traveling and we don’t see her after defeating the league. Favorite Game of 2017: Miitopia …It’s my own fault for getting hooked on Tomodachi Life back in 2014. Ever since then, I’ve been having so much fun with these Mii games. And Miitopia was no exception! Guys, it was either this game or one of the Freemium games the Japanese throw my way. But since I don't feel like getting into Idol Hell with Love Live, I'm going with the miis again. As for this game, I got to add my favorite characters of anime (like Tracey Sketchit), favorite characters on sitcoms, favorite celebrities, and all sorts of others to fight an evil Dark Lord. Better yet, this game doesn’t care in terms of gender. You can be a boy character and be a princess. You can make two men lovers! Plus browsing through all the miis there are was amusing. I can’t tell you how many Guy Fieri’s and Rick Sanchez’s I’ve seen come through my game. Plus, I had a lot of fun trying to kill Donald Trump and Celine Dion. These are the people I despise, deal with it. The one downside was having your face stolen and having it put on something absurd like a rock, a mouse, or a turkey’s ASS! WHY WOULD YOU ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN?! Favorite Het Couple of 2017: Takeo Gouda x Rinko Yamato (My Love Story) THIS WAS SO ADORABLE! These two, together, the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen! I can’t believe it has taken me so long to watch this series. So this series revolves around a very, very, very, if the mother wasn't a former pro-wrestler, she would have split in half giving birth to him large high school freshman named Takeo falling in love with this petite girl named Yamato. I was amazed to find that they both confessed their feelings for each other so early in the series. And then have the rest of the series dedicated to their relationship blossoming! I know they’re only high school students, but seeing them do the simplest of things like holding hands or going on a date is downright adorable to see them do. Yamato sees past Takeo’s large exterior and sees that he is a sweet boy. I want this couple to thrive well into old age! Long live this ship! Favorite Yuri Couple of 2017: Ymir x Christa/Historia (Attack on Titan: Season 2) This year there were several Yuri couples that caught my eye (including couples from Love Live and Miss Kobayashi). But the one that stood out the most came from Attack on Titan’s second season. In the first season, I really never paid attention to Ymir x Christa. I think I was busy screaming out, “HOLY SHIT, THOSE ARE SOME FUCKED UP LOOKING TITANS!” When the chibi middle school spin-off came along, they laid it on kinda thick, especially on Ymir’s end. But this season is where it all came out. Particularly in the episode Historia! In this episode, we get a touching flashback of the two girls surviving in the harsh winter climate. Ymir did a lot in order to protect Christa, even exposing her giant secret. Both girls cared about each other enough so to confide in each other their dark secrets. I know this ship might die down when season 3 airs next July, but as for this season, we got plenty of this, and I couldn’t be any happier. Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2017: Grell Sutcliff x Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic) Here I am again with this one-sided ship. Call it a long-time guilty pleasure. Okay, I’ll be honest. I didn’t watch that many anime this year where I was enthralled with two boys. Not like last year when Yuri on Ice aired! I almost gave a pity throwaway to Ash x Kiawe from Pokemon: Sun & Moon. But one thing I do remember and liked was when I went to the screening of Black Butler’s Book of the Atlantic. Because with Black Butler, you never know when a certain reaper in red is going to come swinging a chainsaw! And as I said before, this ship is heavily one-sided as Grell always wants Sebastian (either to make love to him or kill him…or both) and Sebastian finds him annoying and dodges his advances. But my fangirly heart still loves this ship. Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve put this ship on my superlative list. Not even a boat-load of zombies can keep Grell away from his Sebas-chan! Eight years later and I still squeal anytime I see that! Fandom That You Didn’t Expect To Get Into: Sakura Quest In April this year, I picked a completely random anime that was brand new to start. I had no idea what it was about, I just jumped right into it. And what I found was a quaint story about a young girl who becomes queen of a very rural town. There are many fine animes that delve into the concept of living in a small, rural town and the colorful characters that live there. And honestly, I’m just glad that it didn’t end up with the people murdering each other (like Shiki or Higurashi). Instead, we get the main character Yoshino take part as the role of queen of the small kingdom. And with the help of four other girls from the town, they were able to bring life into their little town. I enjoyed many of these characters and fell in love with many of their back-stories. From Maki striving to be an actress to Ririko breaking out of her shell! Kadota wanting to make-up for his past mistakes he made in his youth, to Yoshino deciding on her future! Even though Yoshino wasn't too fond of the small village scene, she quickly adapted and learned that small towns like Manoyama can be just as fulfilling as big cities like Tokyo. Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Attack on Titan *singing incoherent Japanese gibberish* YEAGER! I didn’t think I was going to get into the Attack on Titan hype train this year as big as I did. Especially since it’s been 4 years since the previous season aired. Buckle up bitches! Despite this being only 12 episodes, this season was truly memorable and gave us MANY, MANY, MANY revelations. However most of that was from minor characters. Now this season did come with some irritating things. Like Levi and Jean being pushed to the side. Eren is like a hostage for what feels like half the season. And Mikasa turned into so much of a yandere, I think Yuno Gasai pissed herself. But aside from my nitpicky things, I really enjoyed this season of Attack on Titan. Not just with this season, but catching up with the manga as well. Because I’m not waiting until 2018 to learn about giant monkey man titan! Add to that, a bomb-ass opening theme by Linked Horizon, Eren fighting the armored and colossal titan, and Ymir x Christa, this was one hell of a season. Can’t wait for July 2018! Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon This is something I’m currently watching…and boy is it crazy! I almost gave it to Mr. Osomatsu again, but then I see busty dragon ladies! Imagine if you will, opening your front door and finding a humungus dragon standing at your door step. You are either in an anime, stoned off your ass, still drunk, or this is just a dream. Well in this case it’s an anime…and Miss Kobayashi might have been hungover when she met Tohru. And because it’s an anime, why not have this dragon transform into a busty girl? Thanks Japan! And living with Tohru and the rest of the dragons is anything but simple. Since Tohru is going to be Kobayashi’s maid, she’ll have to cook (by she’s going to cut off her tail and cook it for her master), clean (by licking Kobayashi’s clothes with her tongue), and protect the home from intruders (by blowing any and all intruders to oblivion). Yeah, this anime is wacky with not only Tohru, but the other mythical creatures like Kanna, Fafnir, Elma, and one of animes BIGGEST PAIRS OF TITS I’VE EVER SEEN Lucoa. Last Fandom of 2017: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Third Plate The third season of Food Wars is by far the BEST thing to air for Fall 2017 animes. Not just I think so, but friends and co-workers of mine agree. Fans of the show were finally treated to meeting rest of Totsuki Academy’s Elite Ten. Not only that, but learn a great deal of one of this anime’s most hated characters (as to why we hate her). As Totsuki is drenched in tradition, we see this tradition break by an uprising as an exiled member of Totsuki emerges and ends up taking over the academy. This leading to mass changes in curriculum with the students and the Shokugeki in danger of no longer existing! To which Soma Yukihira says, “Hold my beer. It’s time to cook.” Okay, he doesn’t exactly say that, but he definitely takes on the establishment (including several Elite Ten members) in order to protect his friends and colleagues of the school. And let’s not forget what this show also contains! FOOD ORGASMS! I will admit that the later seasons have toned down a bit on the food orgasms that’s shown. But when it does happen, it’s almost other-worldly due to who’s cooking the food. I would love to eat any of that food that they cook on this show…I just don’t want my clothes to rip off me while the food molests me both ways.

7 notes · View notes

jujywrites · 7 years ago

Text

[present-me note: omg i forgot about this ship XD)

@portraitofa-girl you asked for fic about Suna and I had two ideas that I came up with. Here’s the first one! hope you like >3< written without thinking much, as promised *sweats*

“Sunakawa…kun.”

“Hmm? Ah, Saijou-san. How are you?”

It was a pleasant Saturday. Takeo and Yamato were watching a movie. Suna, deciding it would be a waste to read indoors, had brought a book to the park. He set the book down next to him on the bench when Mariya Saijou greeted him.

“I’m well. Thank you.” Saijou held herself tightly, and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I wanted to thank you. For the other day. When I was… upset.” Her cheeks flushed, but she managed to glance at him.

He nodded. “Of course.”

“So I brought you this.” She thrust out her hands, holding a small box of chocolates.

He blinked at them. “That’s very kind of you, but you didn’t–”

“They’re store bought,” she said quickly, “but I thought, most people like chocolate and I wanted to do something so please–”

He took the box and placed it next to his book. “Thank you,” he said, with the ghost of a smile. “I’ll enjoy them.”

She bowed deeply, then turned and started walking away.

Suna watched her go.

****

They met several times over the next few weeks, and each time Suna didn’t say what he really wanted to.

****

“Sunakawa-kun!”

Another pleasant Saturday, the same bench, the next book.

”Hello, Saijou-san.”

She was smiling, holding a book, and she’d run over to him. “This is for you.”

He took the book carefully, examining the front and back covers. Warmth brewed in his chest.

“I know you like that series, and I thought maybe you didn’t have the newest one, but if you do I can send it back–”

“No, I don’t have it.” He looked up at her, and he smiled, truly, and then he said, “Would you–”

And she said at the same time, “Can I–”

And they both stopped, Saijou laughing. “Sunakawa-kun, your face is red.”

“…Oh?” He coughed, quietly, and then said, “Saijou-san, would you like to go to the cafe with me?”

She nodded vigorously, looking down at her shoes. “Yes. Yes, I would. C-C-Can I call you M-Makoto-kun?”

The warmth in his chest expanded. He stifled a laugh with another cough. “Yes. I’d… like that.”

“You– You can call me Mariya if you want,” she said, a little too loudly.

“Mariya,” he breathed, and then put a hand to his mouth, eyes wide. “I… I’m sorry. I don’t know if I–”

“That’s okay,” she squeaked, her entire face now a brilliant pink. “You don’t have to right away! Please enjoy the book, Makoto-kun!”

She turned and ran.

“M-Mariya-san!”

She stopped. Looked over her shoulder.

“Tomorrow.” He stood from the bench, took a few steps toward her. “Would you like to go to the cafe tomorrow?”

“Ah, of course.” She turned to face him, smiling again. “And– and next week, there’s a movie playing that I‘d like to see, and I…”

“I’ll come with you.”

“O-Okay!” Her still pink face flushed a shade deeper, and the words tumbled from her mouth. “You can ask Takeo-kun and Yamato-san to join us, if you’d like. I’ll see you later!” And she took off running before he could reply.

Suna watched until her could no longer see her. Then he looked down at the book he hadn’t realized he still held. He walked back to the bench, sat down, and slowly, gently, opened the book.

He began to read.

#Ore Monogatari #Suna x Saijou #JujYwrites

12 notes · View notes

earl-of-221b · 7 years ago

Text

Tagged by @laryna6 to say what I’m working on/ have been working on/ should probably stop procrastinating on

1) supernatural fic

I’ve been working on this one supernatural fic (working title ‘Tripwire’) that has three arcs (I think.) It’s a destiel fic. I’ve only written one arc in about half a year last year and haven’t done anything with it since. First chapter deals with how Cas meets Dean in random circumstances. By second chapter, there’s a big time skip wherein Dean wakes up with no memory and Cas has already fallen in love with him.

The following chapter, it goes straight back to where chapter one ends off. And then goes back to the timeskip next chapter. Yeah - both timelines are running concurrently - past Dean meeting Cas for the first time and getting into shit, and then present Dean not understanding why this Castiel cares about him so much and trying to figure out what happened. The timelines get closer and closer together (reveal/back up information at the same time) to the point where it converges - Dean loses his memory/Dean is about to find out why he lost his memory. The end of timeline one should fit immediately to the beginning of timeline 2, chapter 2. So it’s a pretty different structure I’m trying out, instead of just spamming flashbacks like in Monster lol.

The actual story I might be a little cliched - Cas is in a Shadowy Organisation, has been indoctrinated into it his entire life, has Super Spy Powers. Goes into a fancy black tie event To Kill A Man. Meets Dean, a guy who stole a suit and snuck into the party For Funsies. Things happen and Bad Guys mistakes Dean for Cas, kidnaps wrong guy.

(CUE TIME SKIP.)

Dean wakes up. There is a bullet hole in him. Apparently, he’s officially dead on paper. His brother has finished law school. Mysterious guy Cas nurses him back to health and then leaves. Bad Guys are (still) after him, though he has no idea why. Tries to find Cas, while Cas is shooting down people who try to catch him. (violence! action movie vibes!! cliches, probably!) (I’m actually really proud with the concurrent timelines but not sure if I have the motivation to do the full three arcs....) (There’s 14 chapters but I haven’t worked on it in months and months.)

2) Noblesse time travel.

An entire year and only three chapters to show for it: That Noblesse Time travel fic I said I was going to do. I have the ideas but not the motivation ugh.

Three main storylines:

1 - For Reasons Not That Important, Just An Excuse To Do The Premise - Rai goes back the past to find a Frankenstein who has not yet met him. A Frankenstein who is hunting nobles and mutants. (HOly shoot I just got the idea to add Tesamu in this omg maybe I should.......get on that.....)

2 - Tao, M-21 and Takeo wind up in Lukedonia. Like near a thousand years ago. When Franken and Rai are living together, but not bonded. Frankenstein is very suspicious of them. (Actually....this might be a little ‘parent trap’ ish if I can pull it off hahahahaha.)

3 - Frankenstein goes to the future, where he meets Regis and Seira grown up. In the future, there is no Noblesse.

Then the characters start time jumping to each other’s timelines before going back to present day.

3) Rurouni Kenshin and Shakespeare fic

Gosh this could have been good if I wasn’t such a fuck. I’m four chapters into this Rurouni Kenshin fic. Except, it’s Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and I named it “Twelfth Knight.” !!!

(Also probably blatant indulgent fic but fight me.) It’s a crime mystery. Kenshin and Kaoru (married) and co. go back to Kyoto because Saitou told them to Come See This Shit. Which is - a lot of murders that were definitely done by Kenshin’s Hiten Mitsurugi ryu, because Saitou knows his rival’s style too well.

Meanwhile in The Past, a hardened samurai woman- an onnabugeisha - is searching for her disciple who ran away. A thing happens and she ends up in Kenshin and co’s present.

Meanwhile Hiko Seijuro has also come across these clearly-Hiten-mitsurugi-murders. So. Because there are only two living practitioners of the Mitsurugi ryu, and Kenshin and Saitou know that it’s not Kenshin who lives in Tokyo, they think Hiko Seijuro did the murders. Hiko Seijuro, who hasn’t had to kill anyone in years, thinks it’s Kenshin who’s gone awol. They try to track each other down.

The samurai woman, of course, turns out to be the third Hiten Mitsurugi user. But she came from the past. Making her the twelfth heir of the style. Meaning she was the master of Hiko Seijuro 13 - she’s Hiko Seijuro 12. Who is looking for her missing kid disciple in Meji era 1880, wherein he would be 40+ years old. Thus, “Twelfth Knight!”

Based on Shakespeare’s best comedy imo

4) “embers, smog, cinder, ella.” About Cinderella. And the demon who lives in the walls of the house she cleans.

Exactly how it sounds. Everyone treats Cinderella like a servant. The demon that lives in the old wood of her family’s country home sees everything. The role of the fairy god mother is given to Mr. Demon, who never shows up, but is always there, watching, lurking, helping Cinderella clean the house and get to the ball. Never really planned on posting lol purely aesthetic and indulgent XD, a character study more than a fic. I named it.

5) “A Magnolia Rides to War” Mulan character piece

Don’t know if I’m going to post this lol not really a fic. Totally for my own indulgence. Just a character study - full of oodles and oodles of pretty metaphors and purple prose. Magnolia flower is the eng translation of ‘mulan.’

6) An Unadmitted Defeat

Ah yes, one day I decided to, you know. Rewrite the entirely of the Lotus Lantern myth. (???) This was so spontaneous I don’t know hahaha.

About the story of Chen Xiang, a young boy who lived in mostly mountain isolation with his loving parents. One day, family he didn’t know he had rocks up. It turns out his parents were trying to raise him away from celestial gods and magic, because his Uncle is the Heavenly Law Enforcer, Erlang Shen. Who quickly destroys their house, steal’s his mother Sanseng Mu’s powerful Lotus Lantern weapon, and traps her under a mountain after a big fight.

Chen Xiang learns this happened because he is a demigod - his dad was human and mum was a goddess. Human-god intermarriage is outlawed and Chen Xiang is a Heretic. After stealing back the Lantern and escaping from Erlang Shen’s cold fifth layer palace, Chen Xiang has one singular objective: Save Mum. To save Mum, he has to defeat God Erlang Shen, who has never lost a fight in recorded history.

But just because he never lost a fight doesn’t mean he’s won every single one. Who is the person Erlang Shen could not win? -- Heavenly rebel, Sun Wukong, who is just what Chen Xiang needs.

8) Two and Three

Character piece on the Yang twins before their heavenly fallout - goddess Sanseng Mu and Erlang Shen.

7) Who is the Monster

Of course, my long running Noblesse fic!! A rift comes between Frankenstein and Raizel when an enemy from Frankenstein’s past comes back to enact a grand plan.

(minor spoilers - First adopted child is terribly jealous and mad at adopted father’s new partner and new adopted children, thinks dad deserves better, so does most logical thing - destroy everything he loves.)

8) A man with no mother

An ongoing naruto fic.....that I have not updated for a long time :(

An excuse for Kakashi to hang out with Kushina and get motherly vibes from her. Minato, Konoha’s best, goes missing. Kushina goes out of retirement to go Find Him. Outside the KOnoha boarders, she finds young ANBU Kakashi, who has broken rank to also go Find Him. Hijinks ensue.

(One of the early fics looking back now I’m a little...eugh...but I will try -- try-- to finish it.)

Tagging: @kurasaika, @daylight-star, @qdeanna, @pizza-with-me-okay, @whiteplum

#I write very random things #I wrote who is the monster to fill a gap in noblesse fic #and then it changed into a Franken/Rai fic #for the better #I wrote unadmitted defeat out of spontaneous passion #and then those prose-only character pieces #Cinderella and best friend demon #Mulan #for Indulgence #planned the Kenshin fic so carefully but now I don't know how to go about it sigh #supernatural fic I'm losing motivation but I already wrote 14 chapters #tell me about your works in progress :)#writing

6 notes · View notes

pandora-twists · 8 years ago

Text

Ofcourse anon ^^ Brace yourself as I only need a reason to ramble XD

Rai really is too reserved. I remember having a few conversations on tumbler at the start of this arc on how Rai looking out for the children was more out of duty than care, as opposed to Frankenstein. Because he shows so little emotions its really hard to guess. Let me see if i can find any again: Here is some of it. But now this far in current arc, esp after 444, its clear he values his children much more than I thought. Rai has just been so desperate, and cute this arc trying to save M21, I really grew to admire their relationship.

For Rai, I think even before the first moment he had actually interacted with M-21, he has already had his heart softened towards him. Can we forget the Frankenstein would have killed M-21 if it wasn’t for Rai? One of the reason for this instant consideration is that, back then, M21 and M24 were the first modified he had come across (after Frankenstein), and their pitiful abandoned existence that didn’t really have a home anywhere, neither human, nor Nobles nor any other species would accept them, saddened him greatly. After them, there was so many modified one after the other the novelty wore off lol.

And then, the more he came to realize M21s trauma and just how damaged he truly is, the more he started caring for him. All very gradually, and quietly. While we saw Frankenstein’s care and each moment outwardly, with Rai it happened inwardly enough to even ignore if one isn’t looking carefully. Then M21 had stepped in to protect him from the Elders is definitely one of the highlight of M21s interaction with Rai, and it genuinely warmed his heart. He hasn’t have this kind of individual interaction with any of their other child. Rai has come to defend him by words more than once too, one when he was beating himself over KSA, and one when he asked for Mark’s awakening, and there may have been others. Then Franky and him actually discussed his mental/emotional health before deciding that they should get his comrades name from Crombel. All this has been a privilege not bestowed upon any other child, partly because they don’t need it.

The whole Mark saga infact, raised Rai’s worry for him 200% I think, by now, M21 is Rai’s favorite kid hands down imo. He also seems to remind him of Frankenstein in his unruly days, a much milder Frankenstein so there’s that plus point.

Frankenstein/M21 had always been one of my most favorite parts of Noblesse. Frankenstein started getting soft towards M21 very early on like Rai. The first moment where he noticed that hey this kid is not bad, was when M-21 had called him to warn him about Jake and Mary in S1, and Frankenstein was like,isn't it a bit too kind of you to tell me everything in detail? This was when he gave them the safe house address to hide if they want.

The scene after M24s death, when M-21 had told them causally how all of the 100 M series died on him. The first time i read this scene I thought Franky expressions were him evaluating if this guy is telling the truth or not. Now I think he was like what poor kid. Master we have managed to pick up a really unfortunate puppy. Rai was clearly hurting for M21 far back then too. But saving the kids in DA-5 arc was definitely what sealed his worth in Frankenstein eyes. He would not have blamed him if he had chosen otherwise I’m sure, it was a very tough situation M21 was in, but he exceeded his expectations there.

Also spoiler alert ahead if you aren't upto date with the canon unreleased chapter.

I was quite disappointed with the fact that it was RK5, not Frankenstein or Rai who saved him from the crazy Green werewolf. I'd been musing so many ways he could be saved this arc by either one of them the entire last year and hugged to death and what not. Then came RK 5 to take all the glory. I've now grown to like this development for various reason now, but it took a couple weeks to come to terms with -_-

M-21s is a cute lil baby. He should be allowed to talk however he likes XD Frankenstein and Rai knows he needs this freedom to acquire some measure of self-worth and value. So yes, they let him. M-21 genuinely tries hard to be respectful to Frankenstein too. Most of the times he has been blunt or rude were extreme circumstances, like when he snapped him out of darkspear influence during Frank/Rajak, or when he was arguing about Mark authenticity or letting him awaken. M21 will dare not disrespect Frankenstein deliberately, Franky’s too scary for that.

Also I think atleast initially, M-21, not Tao, was meant to be the one who can be upfront with Frankenstein and snap him out of a moment of weaknesses, but this particular relationship point hasn't really been used again after Rajaks fight as far as I can remember. Maybe when/if its Frankenstein's arc with his old student Tasume then it will be utilized again. I'd very much like to see it again.

And M-21 is their first child. Ofcourse he is special ^^ Okay its probably my bias speaking too, but M-21 is hands down the most troublesome of their kids. 4th and 5th arcs issues are direct results of his actions, Rai even has to go to sleep in 5th due to his comrade’s saga, so yeah they are well aware that this child needs extra attention. Plus there's the fact that M-21 is the most traumatized of their kids and arguably has suffered the worst in life (can we deny that he still gets the worst of all, like how many times has he been stabbed by now?) Which means that they are hands down the most worried about him = more blankets to wrap him in = more protection = more space in their worried minds and hearts ^^

Though every child has their own special place too, Seira is probably Frankenstein's favorite due to her helping him in household work and bc of how obedient she is. Tao is Frank 2, so he is obviously special. Takeo and Regis are the most normal of them, and as such the most easily to be ignored by Frankenstein, unfortunately or fortunately for them.

I do not think Rai knows anymore about his heart other than that it is of a werewolf. If he knew anymore, he would have revealed to Frankenstein atleast by now. Though, it could be that its Ashleens and Rai will eventually figure it out… even in this arc, dare we hope.

I would LOVE if Crombel does something like this. Infact, before this arc I was very sure this is exactly what’s going to happen triggering the start of the end of Crombel and M21s comrades name or heart owners saga. But then came this arc, and this kidnapping of M-21 had been so heavy and long, and pretty much everything he didn’t want to happen has happened with him already as a hostage, which lessens the chances of another kidnapping.

Then again, children have been kidnapped some 3-4 times now? by comparison M21 is only at his 2nd yet. So maybe he'll get taken once more before the end? It’ll be hard to summon that much worry by household this time and M21 will feel like shit for getting abducted yet again, so I don’t know how authors will manage to make it fresh. Crombel has been a villain since the start though, he needs to live upto his hype in any case so he better do something for once.

Also anon I don't know if you’re into fan fictions, but there are some really good ones who explore some nice Crombel/M21 in such setting. Over the top of my head there's these 3 where Crombel takes him back. if you hadn't read them yet, I'm sure you'll really enjoy these and i'll provide more food for thought:

I am Tao

Would You Kindly

3600

And please barge in whenever you like. I love talking about Noblesse ^^

#noblesse #m21 #frankenstein #discussion

87 notes · View notes

rk2-sharpshooter · 7 years ago

Text

@techtao continued from here;;

『 THE SOUND WAS ONE THAT 』 Takeo was so familiar with that, if he weren’t so well-trained to react immediately to any signs of danger or abnormality, he might have just continued sifting through the shopping bag full of his latest purchases.

Did he have a choice? Takeo sighed, and folded up the new jacket he had gotten while Tao was in his electronics shop. Back into the bag it went, because it didn’t look like he was going to have the chance to try it on for a while now. They’d have to stash their things up on one of the rooftops on their way to the spot Tao pinpointed.

❝ Let’s go. You have a location? ❞ He glanced at the phone in Tao’s hand — that was Tao, always ready for any emergency that might arise.

If it was just a matter of a shooting, and nothing to do with the Union or any other higher powers, then Tao and Takeo would be more than capable of dealing with it themselves. Even if they were only two out of five of the deadly DA-5 team, it was indisputable that the both of them were formidable opponents against any human, and very much a threat when working side by side.

#techtao #threading #(post da-5)#[ bang bang bang lET'S GO ]#[ you have nothing to fear with your oppa here ]#[ ... okay that came entirely from me and not Takeo ]

0 notes

courage-a-word-of-justice · 7 years ago

Text

Still need votes for this.

7O3X 1

As you can kinda tell from these notes, I love random trivia, so this was a hype show ever since I found out about it. Then again, I never thought a quiz anime would exist in the first place prior to the announcement of this.

Okay, question 1 – why exactly did some Japanese staff member saddle this show with a name that doesn’t match the Japanese title at all? So long as you know O is a correct answer, you’re fine…

I love how they’ve styled the credits to be like a Q and A. That really works in the show’s favour.

Headband girl’s name is Mari Fukami, right? How does she pose her legs like that?!

For some reason, I like Shiki’s name in the Western order more…

Interesting how Kuroda stands out more than Shiki, knowing anime tropes.

I’m not entirely up to snuff on Japan’s nuclear stuff, but the Descartes saying is fairly well known and I got it. The thing about quiz shows is that you have to want to play along, which I’m not getting just yet, but this is just the setup stage so I’ll keep going. Sahara…The Metamorphosis (I love transformation fiction, so to get a question about Metamorphosis so early on basically means you’ve won me over, LOL)…I think the deeper this goes, the more cliché it may seem, but I like it. Especially because I remember helping out at the library a lot (plus free pizza as a result…haha).

The books Shiki passes by include “The World of Literature You Don’t Know” and a parody of that Arukeyo Otome thing by Masaaki Yuasa that was released recently (which is based on a novel). Specifically, the name of the 7O3X version of the book is “The Morning is Short, Walk On Girl” (to use the sentence pattern of the original).

Ah, now Shiki’s a kiddo that gets me! I’ve never been too sociable to people and before I got too deep with the internet, it was just me and books, and as a result I specialised in everything English (bar writing, which I was average at). However, by the time I was 13, I lost my skills in English to essays. My love of anime made its resurgence around then so I suspect if I were still a book nerd, I wouldn’t be where I am today…

Okay, I think someone on the ‘net warned me about the panty shot. It’s a good thing Shiki is clearly uncomfortable with it…yeah. Moving on.

That club with the skirts really is disturbing, but I couldn’t help laughing like the brunette in front of Shiki.

Gakuto really made a great first impression. It wowed me. Unfortunately, the quiz show he referenced doesn’t exist, according to Google-sensei…”High School Quiz Show” apparently does, though.

I think there are specialised makers of those buzzers, Shiki. Or you could order them online or something, your call.

Please stop with the panty shot references…but sticking “April” in English really doesn’t make this question work out for me. So, to answer in Japanese, it would be shigatsu.

There are 50 stars on the American flag, right?…Yep. It wasn’t a trick question – buzzing in too fast can be a liability, so make sure you listen to the entire question before you answer!

I’d actually guess Gakuto is going to ask for “the nation with the most people”…Darnit! Oh well, I knew that one before the other guy buzzed in. Interesting how there’s Vatican Miracle Examiner this season though.

I suck at anticipating questions, but I’m good at answering like Shiki. “Et tu, Brute?” is said by Julius Caesar.

The guy to Mari’s left just seems to be fooling around. I’d know that sort of guy anywhere…*frowning face*

I don’t know about this “I fell in love” one…By the way, the text is here. That reveals the author is Dazai and Das Gemeine actually starts with “Back then, each day was the end of my life.” “I fell in love” comes after that.

Kaijou High School? Is this foreshadowing for a later opponent? Like, say, Mikuriya Chisato?

Stop it with the panty shot reference! Argh!

Wait, there’s a silhouette there in one of the circles. The long hair and colour of the circle indicates it’s most likely a girl, but probably one the staff want to keep secret…Interesting.

I’m kind of ambivalent, as this was one of 4 major hype shows for me. The number of panty shot references means they may refer to the event again in subsequent episodes, and fanservice has killed shows for me in the past. However, I’m slowly getting the hang of this quiz bowl stuff, even if I can’t always get in before the answer, and I know the emphasis is on quizzes, so I’ll give it another ep.

Saiyuki Reload Blast 1

Apparently, you don’t need to know much to get into Saiyuki so *shrugs* I’m gonna try it.

I think a more literal version of this ep title is “Sudden Storm”. “Squall” implies power as much as immediacy…

This reeks of DN Angel (late 90s/early 2000s) style, and I like it! Plus I’ve heard of the dragon/Jeep from other people who’ve talked about the series (notably there was an article on CR that convinced me to watch this and it mentioned the dragon), so…that was actually no biggie. Camera blood spatter is a bit questionable, though…

I have weird tastes in humour, as you might know from Kado. Therefore, when the woman appeared at the window, I laughed myself silly…

Shangri-la is China, so it’s natural that west China is different to east China. Kind of like how western America and eastern America are different…

I dunno why Gojyo is a water sprite, but that “diarrhoea sprite” thing is funny.

Gahh! That blonde (Sanzo) is too hot for me! No wonder people put characters on dakimakura, this guy looks right at home on one.

Well, I dunno what I just got myself into, but that was some good stuff! Next ep, please! (Plus, Granrodeo and Luck Life, the same duo of artists on Bungou Stray Dogs. That’s gotta be a good sign, right?)

Oh great, I left the ep running and it turns out there’s an after credits segment. Tsukigakirei’s after credits extras didn’t quite work for me, but since I laughed so much at the main show, this shouldn’t hurt, right?

G-Guh! The dragon can write calligraphy?! With its feet?! At least the joke works in Japanese and English…

That baldness joke works for me, considering I know Sanzo’s a priest…welp, if you get a lil’ background knowledge, it seems like you can conquer almost anything Saiyuki, and who knows what places it’ll take me in the future, eh?

Konbini Kareshi 1

I’m here for the VA talent, if nothing else. Nishiyama’s (Atsushi of Boueibu) getting a lot of side roles lately, which is great!

That running sequence took a good minute and a half, which is the same length as the OP. I almost noped out of there because that kind of thing is only compelling for about 10 seconds for me.

There’s something that’s a hybrid of Sagrada Reset, Denpa Kyoushi and Tsukigakirei here…which means it’ll probably get a low to medium rating, if anything. I can normally peg what sort of rating a show will get by its first episode,because shows tend to be consistent about what they do.

Interesting to note they don’t use shigatsu here.

The picture book is “The Mermaid Prince” (<- update: “The Merfolk Prince” is a better translation, so my bad). It was pretty obvious by the swimming sequence in the OP that at least one of these guys is a swimmer, or at least a PE nut (as some of the other things on his table suggest).<br>

I’ve never seen a younger brother be a morning person and the one to wake up a sibling. It’s always an imouto or a mother…

Wasn’t this straight romance, and not Hitorijime My Hero romance? Towa really has that bromance thing going on for him, the way Suna and Takeo (Ore Monogatari) do.

CS I think is a reference to BS Japan, one of the TV stations that shows Boueibu. Update: It’s actually highly likely to be CS-TBS, which shows the show. By the by, Nishiyama is Miki.

The red keion announcement vaguely pisses me off simply because I know that’s the light music club. I’ve seen small snippets of K-On, and while it wasn’t enough to warrant marking episodes off, catchy songs aren’t enough to keep me coming back.

This first meeting seems a little hamfisted for some reason I can’t put my finger on. However, it’s great Miki’s getting a lot of lines right here, although it’s still a side role…

The background scenery is beautiful in this show…

Here we go again…(basically, I have a very low opinion of this show, just as I suspected I would have).

I’ve got the volume on to evaluate Nishiyama, but the high-pitched teasing voice Towa just used is not natural at all. It would’ve worked better in his normal voice.

I get why the girls are fangirling over books, but I didn’t get who Michael Ende was until “The Neverending Story” came up, haha.

Glasses girl (Mami, right?) is reading something called “Glasses Man”, haha.

There’s a lot of voiceover here, as if the anime staff don’t quite care about their show enough to animate lip flaps.

As soon as she stepped on his foot and he didn’t give chase, that’s when I realised I didn’t quite care about these people. The pacing in this show, during critical moments, is just too awkward, that’s why…

Well, that was subpar. It has an opportunity to get better next ep, but I don’t care to stick around enough. However, there’s an interesting thing in the ED – there’s credits for scripting “Merfolk Prince”, meaning that may show up in a later ep. This ED sounds Coldplay-turned-Japanese, which is cool.

Knight’s & Magic 1

If you didn’t notice already, I’ve become so complacent with the premieres, this is my biggest season so far. If I finish watching every first ep I intend to watch as of the count I did for this commentary, I’d have 17 documented (7 more than on my hype list) because I have time, plus I’m relying on ANN to find me the good stuff this time.

What’s with that apostrophe in the title? As someone who likes their grammar to be correct, I just don’t like it.

I get the appeal of programming as an IT nerd, but it’s an acquired taste, plus it doesn’t have much payoff when you get frustrated at problems within your own code because it’s all a bunch of words and punctuation anyway.

Oh, it’s that effect where you-letterboxing! That’s what I was thinking of! (Reminds me of Erased.) Also, the ambient light is nice here, but the angled letterboxing is just plain weird.

CGI…bugs? That’s a pretty bad choice for monsters, IMHO.

ANN people have commented Erni’s past went too fast and I agree. Also, it’s just cliché after cliché with this show, ain’t it? Including the need to kabedon a girl.

Why does red eyed girl look like Atsushi of Bungou Stray Dogs? Plus, the wear on the mechas is nice.

Not every man – or every woman or other kind of person – dreams of robots, y’know?

“Trandorkis.” That’s the worst name I’ve ever heard in a while, and not just because it has “dork” in it, mind you.

Well, the look is shiny, bright and appealing and I can see this having a niche appeal to those who like giant robots. However, the backstory was too fast and Erni is way too OP for this world, so I’m dropping it.

Chronos Ruler 1

I’m familiar with only the first one or two chapters of the source material, so I was surprised this got adapted to anime…considering it’s a Taiwanese creator on a Jump manga though, it was kinda inevitable these days with all the Chinese coproductions.

That was a pretty interesting intro, even if it seemed like I’d watched the PV instead.

The battle there was good but a lil’ rotoscopy…hmph.

The colour scheme’s a lil’ dark…it’s a bit worrying, because Chronos Ruler normally has some pretty bright colours. I don’t want this to come off as a completely edgelord work like Big Order. I don’t seem to recall this dog though…

I’m pretty sure I don’t remember the forced humour spot, either, though it’s not as bad as, say, Bungou, where the director is known for his distinctive style of humour. Then again, my memory on this stuff is kinda vague.

This thing is starting to show cracks in its façade. Some of the movements are stiff and the CGI, while integreated well, doesn’t quite work with the 2D (although that’s shown up since the battle with the Horologue). “Cabalet” really adds to the cracks.

Every time Kiri speaks, I think of Kunikida (Bungou), so Victo is Dazai.

Adding the music to the show really adds another crack. There is absolutely no singing going on in this one singing scene.

Cue bad time puns. Puns are one of my specialties, y’know, so I don’t mind ‘em. Why else would I run LOL Yeah Shinichi, eh?

Victo, you remind me so much of +Anima’s Senri…and that’s just beautiful. Not many shows remind me of that. To anyone reading this, if you can get your hands on the old Tokyopop releases, +Anima is a gorgeous series, so go read it!

If Victo’s cards can fire at Mach 10, then he can’t beat Koro-sensei, LOL. (Ouch.)

Kids, don’t wear your hats inside. That’s an etiquette thing you should never forget, okay?

That was…strangely a much better premiere than I expected a Chinese part-production to be like! It’s better than the bunch of premieres I’ve tackled already and since good premieres are scarce, I’m taking it!

Update: Here’s another sign that doesn’t bode well for this show – it’s got the same director as Chaos Dragon (Masato Matsune), which I dropped after 2 eps. Chaos Dragon is known to be the epitome of road apples around the internet…

18if 1

18if was initially the only thing guaranteed to be out of Amazon’s greedy hands, so it’s great to see something so visually exciting ifnally be here for me. I know it’s based on a mobile game, which tend to be bad, but…c’mon, I’m struggling to find a good lineup here with what’s basically the death of Kaito x Ansa (it debuted on the 12th, but still hasn’t come CR’s way). Katsugeki’s good though, so at least that’s a lock for the commentary…

Quick –is this thing meant to be fully English? Or is this just Funimation being annoying?

Oh no, what a horrible first impression! Someone who speaks from their *erhem* and a chicken, aka cock…*muffles laughter* How dirty of me to even suggest it, but…well, it’s what we’re working with here.

The more I watch, the more confused I get.

Couldn’t Haruto have run towards the door? Or is this one of those non-lucid dreams?

This 16 frame simultaneous animation doesn’t quite work for me, but it’s an interesting hallmark of this anime.

Katsumi’s a Looney Toons Cat, sort of kind of…

The production values are mostly quite good, but unfortunately Haruto looks eyesearingly bad and I still can’t quite grasp the narrative thread of this show…

I just realised I completely didn’t care about Haruto getting his arm chopped off, not only because this is a dream world where anything can happen, but because heck, that arm drop wasn’t dramatic in the least.

“Anything can happen in this world”, eh? Including headphones being sliced off with a head, it seems.

Wait, so Yuko’s from his school? Haruto, please don’t encourage Yuko to skip school, as cool as that is.

Okay, I can see this becoming a harem crossed with The Royal Tutor…which would pretty much make this the Monogatari series. Unfortunately, because I still can’t quite detect what’s happened narrative-wise and the production values aren’t as great as they seem at first glance, I’m dropping this.

Boku no Hero Academia 27

Finally, we get out of that pool of mediocrity to get to the good stuff. Let’s go!

This new amazarashi OP is…great! Absolutely great match for this show…but as a musical choice for me, it’s kinda dull.

This old man is great humour-wise, but man, he’s basically Speed of Sound Sonic as an old geezer, LOL. The vibes between “little bro” and “big bro” are just too much.

Gran Torino really is a great old guy, basically Yoda, LOL (I had to make the comparison because even though I’ve never seen Star Wars, Horikoshi’s a fan). He can see weakness just from watching Deku on TV, which is what every great mentor should be able to do, right?

What makes movement flexible? Belief in one’s own strength and no fear for repercussions (not quite in the way Deku’s doing right now, but rather going all out all the time without having a subconscious fear drag you down). Also of course exercise and youth works in your favour.

Deku likes katsudon, LOL. No wonder he’s basically Yuri Katsuki’s little bro as well as Saitama’s, hahaha.

Best Jeanist is basically Aoyama gone pro (I’ll say ouch for Bakugou in advance).

Oh! Uwabami! I know she came from Oumagadoki Zoo, so it’s nice to see her animated!

Gahaha, Gran Torino is such a Mr Miyagi (even though I’ve never seen the original Karate Kid).

“Omazan”, LOL! This ep just keeps getting better and better!

Gahaha, I just made a comparison of Yuri Katsuki to Deku, and suddenly here come the food metaphors. This show became superhero!YOI with better comedy, and that’s just even more fantabulous than before.

This fairy tale AU, I dig it. Unfortunately, Mercy (@mercysorrows) spoilt prince!Shouto for me, but yes, this AU is just as great as the ep itself. Kaminari looks great in this, although I’m disappointed I couldn’t see Tokoyami. What a great twist at the end though, for it to be 1-A’s festival album…is that foreshadowing for a later arc, perhaps? (The All Might fire is both a fitting and a sad analogy, because All Might’s force is literally Deku’s sword and shield and All Might’s presence is what makes Deku a hero, yet it suggests Toshinori’s time as a buff man is limited…*feels all sad inside*)

Vatican Kiseki Chousakan 1

This one actually seems like it has some promise, and because I was a Detective Conan fan a few years back I’m a sucker for any new seasonal mystery series. By the way, let’s just call this “The Vatican Anime” and leave it at that, okay?

“This story is a work of fiction…” – The Vatican’s real, though, right? By the way, “succor” is, according to Google-sensei, “assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.”

The shaky camera doesn’t quite do it for me…There was similar stuff for Chronos Ruler, only that time they overdid their spinning.

I thought the door was an elevator, that’s how deceiving that doorbell was. Sheesh though, Hiraga looks like the dude from 91 Days when he’s tired (which is not a compliment!).

The Game of Angels and Demons seems to be reversi or something, Google doesn’t give me anything good on it.

*points at undressed Hiraga* Unnecessary, but wowee. Me likey.

“I’m the one who came up with the game.” – Oh, that explains why I had no proper hits on it…*sighs*

Biometrics? I thought we were in the 91 Days era, or at least another period in the past. Turns out we’re in the present (or somewhere very close to it).

Comparison to Youkai Apato here – both shows take care to state the obvious, but well…they’ve all got a good dose of (at least somewhat good looking) bishies, so I can live with that.

Okay, wait…they show Mexico on the map, but Google just keeps getting me hits for New Mexico (slightly off from the shown section of America) when I look for “aliens America 1945”, and Roswell was 1947 so uh…this really is a work of fiction, after all.

The most widespread religion where I am is Christianity, so it was optional for me to take RE back in the day. I’m not too familiar with Catholics (although there should be some if I bother to look for them), but…this smacks so much of my old RE classes yet doesn’t give me the same nostalgia as the recent Saiyuki did. Maybe it’s the cracks of subparness and the stating the obvious that are doing this.

This Jacob guy looks brainwashed. More than the other procession of priests we’ve just been introduced to, at least.

Bad CGI…then again, I keep these gripes because even Chronos Ruler does better than this and because Kado is its precedent.

“…follow the way like a little child would.”

So the show finally shows some promise! Why did it only start pulling out its big guns now? Probably lazy writing…

I know the AB negative blood is rare, but couldn’t there be someone else with that blood type around the Church? It’s not impossible, y’know?

Can someone verify the correctness of the Italian in this email?

I think we met Johannes already, so…it seems like this show has a propensity to introduce the viewer to a person twice over. That works when things are like Detective Conan (one story spread over 3 eps) but doesn’t work for 1 ep.

I get a sense of feeling of blasphemy from you guys (Hiraga and Nicolas) too, although I’ve pointed out my reasoning.

It’s a good thing it seems like the staff went out to the Vatican to get something that looks realistic, eh?

Wait, is Lauren a man?! Oh my…Also, from my version of the video (from Hidive/Sentai) I get the feeling the next ep preview got blended into the ED. Or was that just time constraints?

Wait, there’s a Horror Bunko? If I knew a Horror Bunko existed, why haven’t they started adapting stuff from it until now? I think people have been complaining about the lack of good horror works in anime…(Oh, I could probably answer my own question there – horror isn’t that popular in Japan itself. It’s popular in the West though…)

All in all, it’s not quite as Scooby-Doo as some people have pegged it to be, but not inspiring enough to continue.

Katsugeki 2

I’m pretty scarce on choice, so I’m doing what was previously never ever done before – I’m picking up one of my worst rankers (Hina Logi) to have a second look at. Mind you, we’ve had an overall stinker of a season so far.

(insert “Come at me, bro!” joke for Tonbokiri)

Huh, interesting – I’ve used female pronouns for the saniwa due to the female VA, but now that I properly listen to them, they do seem more like a dude. Does that mean that Touken Ranbu is specifically trying to go for a larger audience than just fangirls? Of course, for the fangirls, there’s Hanamaru, but Katsugeki’s way better.

Okay, Mutsu. 6 bullets is overkill, calm your gun-totin’ farm. Mutsu’s much like the typical anime protag and while he’s an alright sword, I never have been able to understand the appeal behind him. Maybe he’s for the people who like muscular bishies…? Tonbokiri and Yamabushi probably do that better than him…

LOL, these two. However, just comparing their stats, Kane-san edges over Mutsu a bit for everything aside from range…and that’s only because most swords have a short range.

When you talk about Tonbokiri, you often hear the legend, so it’s no surprise to hear it here. I’m just not good with sorting these swords chronologically though, so…Tonbikiri comes from the age of Nobunaga no Shinobi, huh? Interesting.

Daifuku.

The reason Mutsu carries a gun is because Ryoma Sakamoto was around during the dying days of the age of swords.

It’s kinda hard to hear what Mutsu’s saying from the way he talks, but the hot pot is specifically a nabe.

Noting that Tonbokiri’s ben out about 50 times, this saniwa really is a rookie and this era is probably the second or third map. Yagen isn’t too rare though, so he’s probably the biggest veteran here in regards to this saniwa. However, Mutsu’s number means that this saniwa’s starter wasn’t him…who was it, then?

Mutsu’s statement about daifuku is a pun on the fact “daifuku” means “great luck” as well as being a name for this mochi-like item.

Mutsu, weren’t you going to eat…?

What even is a Historical Restraining Force? Is that the group the saniwa is part of?…My bad, they just explained it.

One of the things that make Touken Ranbu so great is the propensity of it to go from battle action to serious drama or poignant melancholy at the drop of a hat.

This ED…was an odd choice, but has a nice singer. I realised the shots of people I don’t recognise show the swords when they were…y’know, swords. I still love the style of the next ep preview though (it’s even got the same BGM as the game!) and as expected, the citadel at the end of the ED is gorgeous.

Hina Logi 2

Good anime are scarce this season and magical girl shows that can be put through the commentary are scarcer, so…here we are.

“Rice Balls Over Flowers” is hana yori dango. Plus, hina means chick and since chicks are cute, I guess that’s where the aesthetic of the show comes from.

Someone likes the Osomatsu-san ED aesthetic, it seems.

How can you walk and not notice those breasts??? That’s exactly why I didn’t want to pick up this show again.

A qipao is a type of Chinese dress, the sort that normally has a slit up the leg and a skirt that doesn’t quite go to the knees.

Interesting, they’ve incorporated the panda hair accessories into the Trance.

For some reason, the production values here are quite nice, meaning either luck and Logic sells well in Japan or Bushiroad put a lot of their funding behind this…it’s probably a case of both.

She wants to stay with Nina, but unless she was either bored or maltreated at her home castle (which I don’t think was the case) I don’t really get Lion’s motivations…

Well, it actually was a rice ball (onigiri)! Geez, these puns…

Nina needing a logical answer is of course appropriate for a show based off Luck and Logic, LOL.

I seem to remember this Veronica lady from the original, which is funny, because I don’t remember Nina and Luck and Logic was very forgettable…

*tries to sneak away* Gratuitous boob shot? On a high schooler? Yeah, nah.

“small little town” – Small and little are the same thing though…

Trying to entice the lolicons with this ED is not good, y’know.

There really seems to be something hinted about Kagura-sensei, y’know?

I’ve termed this season “the race to the bottom”, but it was interesting to actually pull out a low ranker and give it a second chance. While I’m still not into Hina Logi as a whole and I gave it a 30 first time around, it’s probably better than that stinker Konbini Kareshi.

Hina Logi 3

*shakes head* Only in anime would someone ride a rocket like this. Only in anime.

I can’t see what Lion’s pointing to…

I am screaming profanities at my screen and shaking my head. Only in anime would a plotline like this happen. Only in anime!

I kinda understand Lion’s plight, since my dad used to go to my school to help out every now and again or have parent teacher interviews. Of course, that was when I was much younger, so…yeah. I think the staff are trying to get more younger girls involved in this by bringing in a “sexy dad”, but my tastes don’t skew that way.

Oh, now I understand Lion, but I still don’t get Mahiro, Yayoi, Karin or Karen.

Doesn’t spasibo mean “thank you” in Russian?…Yep. So Liones (country) is based on Russia, then.

Oh gosh, it’s one of those “There are two trains” questions…they bore me to death so much (and I can never solve them!) that as much as I like solving anime board questions, I’ll pass on this one.

The subber at CR decided to put their sub out of the way at the expense of being able to read the question. However, not being able to read the sub of the dialogue is a major problem! So I have absolutely no idea what the teacher was saying during the time she had that math problem up! (Also, that Foreigner question would depend on if you defeated the monster on impact or took extra time to properly defeat it.)

When there’s that screen with the four visuals on it, there’s a girl with a horned hoodie. I recognise her from the original series, but I don’t remember her name.

Here’s something on ezhiki, although there also appears to be a cookie variant.

Little kids always want their own independence, to the point where running away is one of those things most kids do, but then they come back. I don’t think I ever ran away from home, though. I was always too busy with studies and piano to run away…

I know these eyecatch-style screens are meant to be funny, but still…I never laugh at them…isn’t that sad for a show that wants to be a funny slice of life/fantasy…thing?

Last time I saw a bear in anime, it was Armed Girls Machiavellism…

Why would you ever need a bear repelling machine???

Who’s Belle?…Oh yeah, Belle is the squirrel.

Dasvidanya = goodbye. I’ve learnt more Russian because of anime than I ever would have without it (I read the entirety of Crime and Punishment thanks to that gorgeous Fyodor in Bungou Stray Dogs, y’know).

#simulcast commentary #katsugeki touken ranbu #chronos ruler #boku no hero academia #hina logi: from luck & logic #knight's & magic #18if #vatican kiseki chousakan #saiyuki reload blast #konbini kareshi #chesarka watches boku no hero academia #7o3x: fastest finger first #Chesarka watches Saiyuki RB #Chesarka watches Katsugeki

0 notes

darkicedragon · 4 years ago

Text

Fanfic: Imposter [Part 40]

Fandom: Noblesse Summary: Tao gathers more information. Notes: Among Us AU! :D Rating: G Genre: Sci-fi Word count: 635 Total word count: 37,208 Status: Work in progress First part | Previous part | Next part M-21 frowned at Tao. "What?" "Can you tell me where all the vents go?" Tao repeated, his stylus hovering over the map displayed on his pad, which was balanced on his knees, rather than laid on the table in front of him.

That's what he thought Tao said. "Why do you want to know?" "I like having as much info as I can get!" Tao said as he twirled the stylus between his fingers. "It'd be useful - if there's a breech, I'll know what places are connected if depressurisation happens." It sounded like a good idea... Tao watched him, an expectant smile on his face. "Are you going to use it to try and find me?" M-21 said instead, because that had to be the main reason Tao was asking. Tao laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, it'd be helpful knowing where you are, heh. I won't use this info to stalk ya though. I'm just an info hoarder." "It's saved our lives a few times," Takeo added. Hnng. "...Fine," M-21 said with a sigh. He didn't use the vents to hide that often - when he wanted to be left alone, he went to Muzaka. Hardly anyone went there. "Thank youuu!" Tao said, clapping his hands in front of him. * Tao poured over the map once Em left, running his finger over the vent paths. It was an entire system under their nose, and they weren't connected to each other. Disjointed, just like the base. No wonder he couldn't keep track of where Em was, and it wasn't just a problem with his camera angles. Okay, fine. It was a little problem with his camera angles, because most of them weren't on screen, and the one that was, was close enough to the door that if Tao looked over a second too late, he would think Em had came in on foot. Not that he needed to see exactly where Em came out now - he wasn't looking for a killer anymore. Still. Tao felt better having the information out in front of him. * Tao hummed, tapping the edge of his pad. As much as everything else on the base was outdated junk, the tracker's software was the most current of the lot of them. No surprise there, since they brought it in with them, rather than the trackers being kept on the base. They still had to interface with the biometrics software here though, and that left them nice and open. Exploitable. The trackers were tied to their biorhythms so if they went past their usual range, the trackers took notice. Even kept a recording of it. He'd died on the surgery table before Frankenstein brought him back... It hadn't deactivated the tracker, and he either hadn't been dead long enough, or it activated again when Frankenstein saved his life. Keeping track of how close they'd come to death... Was that something to check on their health, a hidden factor the Union considered when sending them to work on a ship? The only way he'd find out was if he asked the recruiters, and that wasn't going to happen. Anyway. He'd found where he could sever the connection to the biometrics reader and that should about do it. He hadn't tested it in case he set something off, but it seemed simple enough. Disconnect from the reader so it wasn't aware they were out of their supposed range and that should be it. For an extra measure, he could force shutdown them too, so their trackers couldn't be pinged or give out a signal to track. He could poke around a little later, see what else was stored inside the trackers. But until then, he needed some food.

#noblesse #fanfic #noblesse/among us au #m21 #tao #takeo

1 note · View note

mystical-flute · 3 years ago

Text

Uncharted Waters (chapter 9)

AO3 || Ko-fi

Panic surged through her veins as she burst into the emergency room. She hadn’t managed to get much out of Aunt Kumi over the phone, so she had no idea why Yugi was even here.

“Reika!”

“Téa, Duke, What the hell is going on?” she asked as Téa launched herself into her arms. “Are you okay? Duke?”

“We’re fine,” Duke replied, his face white with fear. “There was a fire… Yugi got caught up in it.”

Reika carefully led Téa back to her seat, then sat down next to her with a frown. “A fire? At school?”

“No, Yugi got swindled by someone pretending to be psychic. He stole the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi chased after him,” Téa explained. “And there was a duel and somehow the warehouse they were in got set on fire. Joey and Tristan said the guy looked like Bandit Keith…”

“Where are Joey and Tristan?”

“They’re being checked over by the doctors. They ran into the fire trying to find Yugi.”

“The doctors said the room was getting crowded, so Téa and I decided to wait out here for you,” Duke explained.

She gave them a weak smile. “Thanks, you two. That means a lot to me.”

“Reika, what have I told you about your posture?”

The new voice had her taking a deep breath and straightening her back as she rose to her feet and forced a smile. “Uncle Takeo. How did you get to Domino so quickly?”

Takeo brushed a piece of fuzz off his suit jacket, then slicked back his hair. “I came back with your grandfather and Kumi. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“I’m sorry the surprise was ruined. It has been quite some time since the five of us were in the same city.” Why weren’t you here when grandpa was in a coma?

“I apologize for that. The government doesn’t run on its own, unfortunately,” Takeo replied, peering around her and looking at the teens. “And you two are?”

“We’re friends of Yugi’s. I’m Téa, and this is Duke.”

“Ah, yes. Yugi mentioned making friends. That’s good. He’ll need them for networking when he becomes an adult and stops with all this dueling nonsense.”

Reika saw Téa’s foot nudge into Duke’s as his hands clenched at Takeo’s words.

If Takeo noticed the sudden tension with the teenagers, he didn’t bother commenting on it, instead turning back to Reika.

“Your grades?”

“Dean’s List.”

Takeo’s brow raised, questioning.

“Academic distinction, Uncle Takeo. I’m surprised grandpa or Aunt Kumi didn’t tell you. I got my grades a few days ago.”

“I’m afraid we were quite busy this weekend. It didn’t come up.”

“Right. Well. Everything is going just as you would hope.”

“I would have hoped to hear that you were transferring to Domino University, or somewhere in Tokyo.”

She couldn't stop herself from laughing. “You’ll never hear that because I don’t want to stay In Japan for school.”

“What about Mr. Kaiba?”

“Long-distance relationships work out all the time.”

“Takeo,” came Grandpa’s voice. “Go sit with Yugi. I’d like a word with Reika if you don’t mind.”

Takeo blinked as if forgetting where they were for a moment. “Yes, father.”

“Mr. Muto, I don’t mean any offense, but your son is kind of an asshole,” Duke said after Takeo disappeared behind the doors to the emergency room.

“Duke!” Téa admonished.

“I’m serious! How did Yugi come from that?”

Grandpa sighed. “I’m afraid Takeo has taken it upon himself to ensure success for the Muto name after Genji disappeared. He was always the more serious of the two. In his heart, he’s doing what he thinks is right, and what he thinks is right for the family… even if that doesn’t always align with the rest of us.”

Reika resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“At any rate, the two of you can go see Joey and Tristan now. The doctors have cleared them for release,” Grandpa said.

“Thanks Mr. Muto!” Téa said, her bright smile back as she and Duke rushed into the emergency room.

Reika exhaled slowly. “What did you want to talk about, Gramps?”

Grandpa led her to a small lounge area. “Your aunt and uncle would like to get to know Seto better. We discussed having a family dinner with him.”

Oh no.

Reika had fought off Marines and bounty hunters. She had trudged through a blizzard and took a sled up a dangerous mountain in an attempt to find a doctor for Nami. She had faced death dozens of times.

But the thing that was making her palms sweat with fear was the thought of Seto Kaiba joining her family for dinner.

All she could think to say was “why?”

“Because he’s… someone you care about,” Grandpa replied. “And he’s been in your life for so long already, and we hardly know anything about him.”

“You just want to make sure he isn’t going to hurt me.”

“You’re my granddaughter, is that not my job?”

I can take care of myself! “I know, I know… I’m sorry, it’s just… Kumi got so angry about me going to the museum with Seto and Takeo suddenly showing up, I just don’t feel like they trust me enough to make decisions for myself.” They shouldn’t.

“If it helps, Mokuba is more than welcome to join him.”

It shouldn’t have made her feel better, but she felt more relaxed at the thought. “This isn’t going to go away until they get their big family dinner, is it?”

“I’m afraid not.”

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll call him. Set something up. How long is Takeo going to be in town?”

“A week. We were going to do it tonight, but with Yugi…”

Her eyebrows shot up. ��So this was supposed to be an ambush? Jeez, Gramps!” I should have just stayed in Eturn.

“I was going to warn you before we got the call. Takeo thought that it would be easier to - ”

“Uncle Takeo is an idiot if he thinks he can get the CEO of a multi-billion yen corporation to just - ”

“Reika,” Grandpa’s voice was uncharacteristically firm. “Just call Seto.”

She swallowed back everything else she wanted to say as she pulled out her phone. “Yes, Gramps.”

-----

“Heyyyy Seto.”

Seto was on edge as soon as she drew out the greeting. Reika never did that.

“What is it?” he frowned at the noise in the background, the sound of a cart wheeling by did not go unnoticed. “Where are you?”

“The hospital. Yugi got caught in a fire during a duel at one of the warehouses downtown. Joey and Tristan too, but Yugi got the worst of it.”

He gripped the phone tighter. “Wha - ”

“But that’s not what I called you about.”

Seto’s frown deepened. That wasn’t what he expected. Yugi being in the hospital was probably weighing heavily enough on her mind. What else would trump something like -

“Uncle Takeo is in town. He and Aunt Kumi want to have dinner to get to know you and Mokuba.”

Oh.

A part of him had expected this. Roland and Fuguta had offered advice to him once they’d heard about the relationship. One such piece had been having a good relationship with her family, and considering the rocky start that had gotten off to, a dinner seemed like a logical step.

He heaved out a sigh. “When?”

“Grandpa said they were planning for tonight.”

Seto swore under his breath, prompting a confused look from Mokuba, which he waved away as he glanced at the clock. “Is Yugi going to be discharged tonight?”

“They’re waiting for one last test to come back, but he should be.”

Seto pressed his lips together, taking a slow, deep breath. “Mokuba and I will bring food to the game shop. I can’t imagine your aunt and uncle will have time to cook after Yugi is released from the hospital.”

That prompted an alarmed look from Mokuba.

Reika was silent for a moment. “Are you sure?”

He smirked. “Do I ever second-guess myself?”

He could almost hear her roll her eyes. “No, you don’t. I’ll let them know. How’s seven-thirty sound?”

It was four-thirty now. It wouldn’t give the chefs as much time as they normally would like, but this was out of his hands. “We’ll see you then.”

“What’s going on, Seto?” Mokuba asked as soon as he ended the call.

“We’re going to Reika’s for dinner tonight,” he said, already texting the head chef to alert her to the change of plans.

“Really? So it’s gonna be us, Reika, Yugi, Mr. Muto and Mrs. Muto?”

“And Yugi’s father.”

“Yugi has a dad? What’s he like?”

In truth, Seto couldn’t remember Reika talking about her uncle all that often, except to roll her eyes. “I know he works for the government in Tokyo and doesn’t come here often. That’s about all Reika has mentioned.”

Which probably did not bode well.

“What about Yugi?” Mokuba asked as Seto swept his belongings into his briefcase and switched his computer off.

“He was in a fire at a warehouse while dueling. He will be fine.” He wasn’t entirely sure when Mokuba had decided that he wanted to become friends with Yugi and his ilk, but he supposed it was a good thing, if he were to make a good impression on Reika’s family.

He didn’t particularly care about them, but he would play nice to get them off her back.

“You nervous?” Mokuba asked as they got in the limo.

“Of course not.”

“You’re tapping your knee. You usually only do that when you’re stressed.”

He hadn’t even realized he was doing it, and forced his hand to be still. “I’m fine.”

Mokuba gave him a look, but dropped the subject. “Do you think Reika can play Once Upon a December for us tonight? She’s got a keyboard, doesn’t she?”

“Last I checked. You can ask her when we get there.”

Mokuba smiled. “I think this will be fun, Seto! We never get to eat dinner anywhere other than the Manor or restaurants or boring galas.”

Perhaps that should be something he changed. Was it right for Mokuba to not be able to eat dinner at a friend’s house? But on the other hand, if he did allow that, how could he be sure that Mokuba wouldn’t be poisoned by someone who hated him?

At least this food he would be able to trust, even if they weren’t eating it at home.

Three hours later, they arrived at Kame Games. Mokuba all but bolted out of the car in excitement, while Seto carefully picked up the pot of yakisoba and followed him into the shop. Roland was close behind with the spring rolls as they trudged up the stairs to the apartment, where he could hear low voices and music.

“Reika! We’re here!” Mokuba announced, knocking on the door.

Instead of Reika, a serious-looking man answered the door. If the tri-colored hair was anything to go by, this must have been Takeo Muto.

“Mr. Kaiba. Welcome. Please, come in.”

“You must be Takeo. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Seto said calmly, crossing the threshold and handing the pot to Kumi. “We brought spring rolls and yakisoba.”

“Where would you like them?” Roland asked as Takeo led them into the kitchen. “I’ll just set them down and leave you to your dinner.”

“Oh, nonsense. We have a spare seat for you!” Kumi said with a smile.

Roland stuttered out an agreement, taking a seat at the small table with its mismatched chairs. Only five of them looked like they came from the same set. The other three were folding chairs. The table didn’t have enough space for the eight chairs to fit comfortably, so three - including the one Roland had parked himself in - were at awkwardly placed angles. The dining area led out into the living room, which was stuffed with too-comfortable looking furniture and a TV. Photos decorated the walls and coffee tables.

It was a stark contrast from Kaiba Manor.

“The tea will be ready soon, why don’t you and your brother relax in the living room for a moment?” Kumi suggested.

Seto nodded, his throat suddenly dry as he found space next to Reika and kissed the back of her hand.

“It was really nice of you guys to bring dinner,” Yugi said. He looked exhausted, bandages covering his hands, and one on his cheek.

“Reika said you were in the hospital. How are you feeling?” Mokuba asked.

“I’m tired, but I’m glad to be home,” Yugi said. “I just can’t believe Bandit Keith joined a cult and ambushed me like that.”

Seto raised a brow. “The American duelist from Pegasus’ tournament?”

“Yeah, he tried to steal my puzzle and said he was a part of something called the Rare Hunters.”

So the Rare Hunters were already in Domino, before he’d even announced his tournament. Interesting. Very interesting.

“That’s stupid,” Mokuba said, frowning. “Your puzzle’s just a puzzle.”

Yugi laughed a little. “Yeah, I agree. It is pretty stupid.”

“Our tournament is going to be much better,” Mokuba said with a smirk.

“Mokuba,” Seto said sharply. “We were supposed to give Yugi the invitation first, remember?”

Mokuba reached into his vest and pulled out the invitation. “Oh. Oops. Here you go, Yugi.”

Seto noticed the way Takeo’s jaw twitched at the mention of a tournament, but luckily, Solomon spoke up first.

“Is that what those ‘Duel Disks’ I got this morning are for?”

“It is. I’ll have a demonstration with them tomorrow night,” he explained. “I expect you’ll be there, Yugi.”

“In the plaza, huh? Yeah, of course I’ll be there,” Yugi said with a smile. “Another tournament sounds like fun!”

“Are you sure you want to have one of those? Isn’t Duel Monsters just a silly card game?” Takeo finally found space to say.

Seto felt his jaw clench. Reika’s hand carefully squeezed against his thigh, forcing him to relax just slightly before speaking.

“While Duel Monsters is a card game, these tournaments are a way to keep my company and our technology on the cutting edge of greatness, Takeo,” he explained carefully. “The card game as a whole promotes international relations when politicians fail. It’s a… genius move played by Pegasus.”

He wanted to vomit after saying it, but Takeo’s gaze, while still critical, seemed to soften just slightly.

“Battle City is a way for duelists the world over to come together and celebrate a game we love,” Seto said. “And everyone wants a chance to duel the King of Games.”

God he hated that title. Hated that Yugi was the one to have that title.

“Will this tournament be safer?” Kumi suddenly asked. “I hated that I couldn’t get in touch with Yugi during Duelist Kingdom.”

“Battle City takes place here. Yugi will be able to come home whenever he needs,” Mokuba said with a wide grin, before his eyes moved to Solomon. “And you’ll be able to go watch duels too!”

Solomon’s eyes widened in delight.

“Well, I can’t wait!” Yugi piped up. “And I can’t wait to see what those Duel Disks do, Kaiba.”

“Remember, you can’t open the box until next week,” his eyes glanced over at Solomon, who had soured at the warning. “That’s when the tournament begins. We wouldn’t want to give our champion an unfair advantage, after all.”

“I wouldn’t feel right about having one,” Yugi said, looking at Solomon with uncharacteristically serious eyes.

Kumi cleared her throat. “The tea is ready if everyone wants to wash up for dinner. Here, Yugi, I’ll help you get settled in.”

Mokuba plopped into the seat next to Yugi, Seto next to Reika, and dinner was quiet, the earlier tension having dissipated.

“Reika?” Mokuba suddenly asked.

“Hm?”

“When we’re done with dinner, d’you think you can play Once Upon a December like you promised last time you were at the Manor?”

Solomon, Takeo, and Kumi all froze, but Reika simply shrugged. “Sure, if you help me move the keyboard out here. I keep it in my room.”

Mokuba grinned and nodded in agreement.

“Reika, I thought - ” Kumi began.

“All due respect, Kumi, if this is about Noah, Mokuba and I are aware of him,” Seto said. “Reika told me not long ago.”

“She did? I’m surprised… Gozaburo was so firm about that threat,” Kumi said, before shrugging. “But he’s gone now, so I suppose it makes sense she’d tell you. But still, she vowed never to play that song again after Noah’s accident.”

Seto looked at Reika, raising a brow.

“Anastasia was Noah’s favorite cartoon,” she explained. “We had a waltz set to Once Upon a December. We were supposed to perform it at a gala.”

He hated that his mind was doing it, but he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had Noah never died, and he and Mokuba got adopted anyway. Would he still have been a part of the “Young” program Gozaburo had started?

After dinner and dessert, while waiting for Reika and Mokuba to grab the keyboard, Seto picked up a photo that caught his eye.

A young Reika, and two people he could only assume were her parents. They were standing together in front of the shop, which had been decorated for Tanabata.

They wore their traditional yukata, and Seto couldn’t help but smile slightly when he noticed Reika was missing a tooth.

Genji looked almost like a clone of every other Muto man, tri-colored hair and violet eyes. Though, where Yugi and Solomon (and even Takeo, to lesser degree), had their hair in spikes, Genji’s was tied back into a ponytail that hung over his shoulder.

Miaka had wavy red hair, warm brown eyes that sat behind large, round glasses, and a smattering of freckles across her face, much like Reika.

They looked so happy, so normal, and it killed him to think it would all be taken from her.

“That was taken about two months before they disappeared,” Takeo said, the gruff, seriousness of his voice now gone.

Seto put the picture down. “I’m sorry. Is Genji older or younger than you?”

“Four years older. He’s the cool, relaxed older brother, but somehow, he had a brilliant mind for engineering and was a serious hard worker. I couldn’t understand how he could be so relaxed and yet still work so hard at the same time,” Takeo laughed softly.

“You would get along with him, Seto,” Solomon said. “I’m sure of it.”

“Hopefully I will have the chance to meet him,” Seto replied. It had been a decade though, so he knew the chances of that were extraordinarily slim.

“Mokuba, be careful with that,” Reika said softly as the two emerged from the hallway, Mokuba carrying the legs to the keyboard. “Put them in front of the chair.”

Mokuba did so, then plopped down on the couch next to Seto as Reika adjusted the keyboard and stand.

Reika sat at the keyboard like it was the world's most expensive piano, her fingers gliding over the keys as Mutos adults watched with a mix of pride and disbelief, and Yugi grinning like an idiot. Seto smirked as he wrapped an arm around Mokuba and exchanged a glance with Roland, who was giving him an approving smile.

He didn’t know why it felt so damn good.

“I had a lot of fun tonight, Seto!” Mokuba exclaimed when they were back in the safety of the limo. “We should do family dinners with them more often!”

Seto wasn’t quite sure how many of these he could take, so he simply acknowledged Mokuba with a grunt as his phone chirped.

I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to charm the least charming man in Japan.

I charm myself everyday.

Very funny.

For what it’s worth, I had a good conversation with Solomon and Takeo about your father.

Oh?

Yes. Solomon said he would have gotten along with me. I figure that’s the highest compliment you can give someone. Your father sounds like a good man.

You’ll meet him one day. I know it.

Come with me tomorrow to the plaza. I think you’ll enjoy what I have planned.

I’d love to.

The next night, they soared over Domino in his helicopter. He felt anticipation building as Reika stared out the window, taking pictures here and there.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked with a smirk.

A hum. “Is it that obvious?”

“Let’s just say you should never play poker against me.”

Reika rolled her eyes. “You should know that I don’t back down from a challenge, Mr. Kaiba.”

He smirked and kissed the back of her hand. God, he loved this woman.

“Mr. Kaiba, we’re ready for you.”

Seto nodded, grabbing the duel disk and sliding it on his wrist before pushing the door to the helicopter open and dropping onto the ladder below, ignoring Reika’s startled cry of his name.

He could see Yugi with the usual herd, plus Valentine. Good. Everything was going as it should.

“Don’t forget to register and pick up your duel disk. Exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins!” he shouted over the whirling blades above him.

One week.

One week until he reclaimed his title of the world’s best duelist.

#yugioh #fanfiction #uncharted waters

2 notes · View notes

cuban-feminist-that-gives-a-hoot · 8 years ago

Text

WARNING: Rambly nonsense!

I’m about to get pretty verbose, so it’s going under a read-more. But after waiting a good while, I’m ready to talk about this.

I’ve been waiting to make sure that I had some time watching Dictators Circus FINAL (DC FINAL from this point on) and its Behind the Scenes DVD over and over again before I put my thoughts into words, so here we go:

Let’s talk about the bad first because there’s really only one bad thing about DC FINAL that, well, upsets just about every Pierra out there. We all know what it is, but let’s get it out there for those that haven’t seen the concerts in some capacity.

Aiji was, for the most part, acting like a goddamn douchebag. His entire IDGAF attitude throughout it was, well, disheartening. You’d think that he’d have some fondness for the band that made him big, but NOPE! He has the expression like he stepped in some cat shit barefoot. He really did not like it all that much whenever Kirito got near him.

He was just whatever with Jun, but I think Aiji wouldn’t dare piss off the one other dude in the band that sided with him back in 2006. In fact, I really do think that if it wasn’t for Jun, Aiji wouldn’t have agreed to a reunion in the first place. He didn’t want to be there, plain and simple. It got to the point where I thought that the next time PIERROT decides they want to have a reunion and Aiji doesn’t want to do it, Kirito could always just ask Karyu to take Aiji’s spot. Of course, that’s a moot point since another one’s happening and Aiji’s on board with it. Here’s hoping he doesn’t act like an asshole this time around.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a musician’s ear, so I can’t tell this myself, but I do remember Polochon mentioning something of Aiji switching up chords to make Kirito sound off and overplaying to cover Kirito’s voice, which was then retaliated by Kohta overplaying his bass to cover Aiji’s guitar. I wish she had mentioned which song/s all of that had happened on.

I’m going to quote @ominous-musings here because she summed it up best when we were talking about Aiji and his ‘tude: “God, it's like he just showed up to a temp job to pick up a paycheck so he can pay his electric bill. That's how entirely uninterested Aiji is in this.”

Truer words have never been spoken about concerning Aiji and his performance on DC Final.

Luckily, that was the worst of the concert. On to the good stuff!

This band has never sounded as good as they do here. Eight years apart has not dulled their ability to perform together nor the songs at all. Listening to PIERROT is a comfort and I know that, for some, watching the concerts is difficult simply because we’re all reminded of the bad blood that happened and that it was a tearjerker killer for us.

THANKFULLY, DC Final is fantastic and I feel we can go back and look at the earlier concerts without feeling that pain anymore. I feel healed and rejuvenated watching it, knowing that it’s a far happier concert overall. Also, the few songs off of the Freeze album that were played gave me a better impression of these songs. Seriously, I think the Freeze album wouldn’t be considered to be meh if we got to hear the entire album live (Don’t get me wrong, Window is still my favorite track off of the album, but Pieces rose up the ranks thanks to the live performance).

Kirito was in great spirits, just all around happy and a bit spacey, like as though he’s in a dream that was thought to be impossible. Like, he’s still the same stubborn, gotta-have-it-his-way ass, but he’s mellower too. He’s more open with his emotions out there and, therefore, it makes for a much softer Kirito. It also makes for a nicer Kirito all around. Like, he tried, he tried really hard to be as nice to Aiji as possible. And that niceness may simply because he didn’t want to cause any more issues than there already were between him and Aiji. Like, Aiji made damn sure to not be near Kirito willingly. Kirito had to drag Aiji on the 2nd day into proper position for a traditional line-up at the end.

Kohta’s performance was fun and, not only that, a riot. His MC on the 2nd day was hilarious. Plus, I thought his clothes were rather cool. Just seeing that big, bright smile on his face was just sweet. He was just beaming and happy to see the family he grew up in back together again. And goddamnit, the reunion was worth it for that alone.

There’s not much to say about Takeo because Takeo goes out of his way to only be noticeable in one thing and one thing only: his drumming. It’s as solid and consistent as it has always been. One thing I will mention is how absolutely nervous he looked on the first day, just before getting on the stage (as shown in the Making of DVD). Poor darling, I wanted to give him a hug.

Finally, we’ve come to my ultimate bias, Jun. And holy shit, does that asshole ever age?! He’s forty-one during these concerts and he still looks like he could get carded at American bars. He looks younger than me and I’m thirty-one now. So not fair. Every last one of these folks talking about K-Poppers looking good and shit, well, get back to me when they’ve defied time in their forties, okay? And no, it’s not just the make-up. Jun could have no makeup on and he would STILL look twenty. He won the goddamn genetic lottery, complete with the fountain of youth built right in. For fuck’s sakes, he’s older than Gackt by a couple of months and Gackt is the one looking older than Jun.

(For those wondering why I didn’t say that about the others, it’s because the others don’t look two decades younger. They do look younger, but would you mistakenly think that Kirito, Aiji, Kohta, or Takeo as being under the age of 21? No? Didn’t think so.)

Also... I’m going to give a warning here that I’m about to go into shipper trash territory. This is the other reason why I put this under a cut.

*takes a deep breath* OMFG, KIRITO AND JUN HAVE FIXED SHIT BETWEEN THEM AND THEY’RE FRIENDS AGAIN. LOOK AT HOW FUCKING CUDDLY AND SMILEY THEY TOTALLY ARE AND OMFG, YOU WILL TAKE THIS GODDAMN SHIP FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS. THESE ASSHOLES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT SERIOUSLY LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN. *coughs*

Yeah, if nothing else came out of these concerts, it’s pretty much confirming that the two of them are friends again. Even during songs where cuddling isn’t necessary, Kirito was right up on Jun’s side often. Also, those fucking smiles they had. Like, damn. I legit cried during Last Letter, Birthday, and Super String Theory the first time I watched it because it killed my KiriJun shipper trash heart. I genuinely hope that, maybe someday, the two of them will work together to create new music, even if it isn’t in PIERROT (*insert dreams of a CELLCODE/CRims collaboration*).

So, now, here comes the question: Where to get this pain in the ass concert? Luckily, it’s relatively easy if you have the cash to get a physical copy. There are people on Yahoo!Japan auctioning this concert like it’s going out of style. I used Buyee to buy it out at the seller’s buy out price, but it is expensive. Expect to spend about $300 or so on average to get it (it may or may not include shipping, depending on how cheap it is).

#PIERROT #Kirito #Aiji #Jun #Kohta #Takeo #I'm putting this in the tags just in case: I did rip these concerts #but without losing the quality I can't shrink them to a more manageable size #believe me 9 and 10.5GB is a great improvement over 30+GB separately #check jpopsuki for it #I uploaded it and all of my other rips there too

0 notes

rk-silverknight · 7 years ago

Text

Farewell

*Here’ my small entry for the Noblesse10 event, hope you enjoy. Author’s notes at the end.*

Fighting and battle, it was something no one really ever willingly signs up for, but for the modified humans it was something that they couldn’t escape from entirely. It was dangerous and violent, unpredictable and lethal to the point that they knew at any moment everything would end, their lives could be taken in an instant and that would be it. Nothing more, it was a reality that they all knew and were willing to accept if fate had decided that it was time to go, after all war doesn’t differentiate from the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes.

He knew the time would come, he always knew, they had all accepted the fact that they would die in battle one day, he just hoped that it wouldn’t be like this but he has no regrets. His family would be safe in the end, they would all be able to go home and even if he couldn’t return with them he was happy that they would. This is for the best. He was careless, he knew he couldn’t take that oncoming blow unscathed, but there was no way he was going to let the others take it either. He had the advantage of having a werewolf’s heart, he would be able to survive, even if it meant only for a few more moments so it was the most logical choice in the end. Did I do the right thing? No, I know I did.

“M-21!”

He heard them, the shouts of his family members, of his companions, but the pain from the enemies attack that pierced through him was immense, though not something new, a heart that was not his from the beginning being pierced right away and although a natural born werewolf would be able to survive such an attack, he wasn’t one he was made. M-21 knew that and still he couldn't stop his body from pushing away his companions and taking the blow instead. His instincts were his driving force, no logical or tactical thought coming across his mind to think of a better solution or plan. He only had mere seconds to move and act fast, his heart wouldn’t allow another of his own to be hurt, not again. M-24 was attacked when they were separated during their first fight against their previous ‘owners’ and M-21 couldn’t be there to protect him, something that he has felt immensely guilty for, but this time he was ready and stronger, he was not going to waste this opportunity to protect his own. He wouldn’t allow it, not while he could still stand and fight, with power or no power.

In that instant as he saw the face of his attacker he also saw it, the black and purple of Dark Speak’s destructive force, being able to sense its power and wrath that matched that of its wielder, of their surrogate father and mentor. One that he fears he is the cause of and a part of him wanted to calm the other down, to tell him that it was okay and he was fine, but that was a flat out lie he knew would hurt the others more. He couldn’t do that to them not after this, still, he couldn’t help but smirk when he saw the Spear engulf the one who struck him, the look on their face as realization hit that this was their demise was more than enough to satisfy him.

“I told you didn’t I?” he muses, still being able to give his cocky smirk, “if you mess with one of us, you mess with us all, and in the end one way or another you will pay.” His opponent is then gone, being consumed entirely by the weapon, his support being taken along as well.

The next thing he knew M-21 was falling, his vision was already getting blurry and even though the werewolf heart, his heart, was working on overdrive to heal him and save him, he was too tired. There wasn’t enough time to recover, not all the injuries he had sustained at least. It’s okay, this is okay. he repeated in his mind as he awaited the impact from the fall but after several seconds later it never came. Instead warm arms caught him and as he opened his eyes to see who had reached him he was able to see red, those warm and gentle eyes that were so expressive and although M-21 was hoping that he was mistaken he knew that look, he’s seen it before after all although not aimed at him in the past. That look of sadness, of pain and hurt, a look he never wanted to be the cause of since Raizel was one who deserved happiness and freedom more than anyone. He had lived a long time yes, but he was trapped in a cage that took the shape of a manor, a life that didn’t allow him to enjoy it and the wonders that the world had to offer. Now here he was, no longer trapped in the manor and to be able to be free yet here he was holding him and M-21 himself being the cause of this sadness. He lifted his hand, and although it was bruised and bloodied he didn’t hesitate, he gently placed his hand next to the Noblesse’s face, a small smile on his features as he mustered enough strength, “Please don’t be sad Raizel, it’s okay, this is okay. I do not regret my choice, we all knew that there are consequences to our actions, we all knew that one day we may not return home but still we fight. We fight to protect the ones we care about and love, so even though this is now my time, I don’t regret anything.” his strength is fading, he knows this, he can feel it.

“Please continue to live Rai, please continue to smile, and even though I may no longer be by your side, don’t forget me, yeah? I know I was a handful, I was broken and torn thanks to the Union, but you and Frankenstein saved me. You gave me a home and family, you gave meaning to my life and for that I am grateful. I was no longer Union’s lapdog, I was M-21, a member of your family, part of RK, someone whom you all considered family and for that I will forever thank you both. So please, promise me that you will continue to live and smile today and for days to come, deal?” His vision was blurry once more, something he knew was inevitable, he was able to tell that a nod was given and that was more than enough to satisfy him. Raizel was a man of few words after all, but his actions spoke volumes.

His hand begins to fall, he had meant to remove it from the Noblesse’s face but his strength suddenly left him and it began to collapse but before it hit the ground someone else grabbed it. He turned to face a familiar blur of yellow and blue, “Frankenstein?” he questioned but he knew the answer. He couldn't clearly see his face but he was able to tell that it was him, there was something about his presence that although it was somewhat scary, Dark Spear being the culprit, his own aura and presence was warm and caring. Strict yes, but very caring and gentle.

“I’m reckless aren’t I?” he inquired, though he wasn’t really expecting an answer. He was glad that he got one, “The craziest one from all my kids alright, but that’s who you are. You wouldn’t be M-21 without that short temper and strong will.” M-21 smiled at that, he was glad that the others knew him enough to know what he’s thinking without having to explain anything. He can be cold and stoic to others outside of their home, but to his family he was easy to read like an open book. A trust that only M-24 had but it was now extended to all of the members of the household.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

He heard it, the beating of his heart. Damn his sharp senses, how he loathed them sometimes. They were great when it came to battle, being able to sniff out an enemy or an attack before it reached them, even being able to block others strike with the smallest hint be it through sound, smell or move. He could sense it, see it, and he was glad that he was able to use them to help his companions, but now he hated them, he hated that he could hear his own heartbeat slowing down, using the last of its strength to keep him alive even if it’s just a bit longer. He was losing consciousness, he knew he was but he didn’t want to close his eyes, not yet. He was aware that if he did then it would be the last time he closed them, that it would be his time to enter his own eternal slumber from where he would never awaken again, but still he wanted to spend time with them a bit more, just a few seconds longer.

In that silence, he was glad that everyone was there, he can smell their scents; tea, metal, gun powder, food, lavender, dish soap, books and ramen. All the scents that M-21 associated with their crazy home, with his young charge, they were all there. He couldn’t see them anymore, he couldn’t see their faces or meet their eyes but he knew they were there, they have always been there for him even when he had pushed them away more than once, they would remain by his side and not let him deal with problems on his own. He was a broken man, one whom he thinks didn’t deserve all this, one who had nothing to live for until he was given so much; a home, a family, a reason to move forward and to continue living a life. A new start. To live not only as M-21, the Union’s lap dog, but as M-21 who’s also member of their household and one the Raizel Knights. Crazy really, who would’ve thought that the once assassin whose hands were covered in so much blood, who did the dirty work for Union would become a threat to them, maybe not as great as he wished he could be but enough that he became a target. They may have beaten him this time, won this battle, but the war wasn’t over. He wouldn’t be a part of it anymore, but M-21 was more than certain that the others would win, they had to or else the innocents would pay with their lives and that is not something any of them were willing to let slide and go without punishment.

“Hey, promise me one thing you guys,” he began, his vision slowing being covered by black spots that he wish could be blinked away but any attempts being futile.

“What is it M, we’ll keep it, I swear on it!?” voiced their youngest RK member, he truthfully was amazing and talented. Someone who took care of them all and brought a smile to everyone's face with his crazy antics. He was certain that he and Takeo would be okay, they have each other, they all do. Modified humans and Nobles, all being able to live under one roof as calmly and peacefully as their personalities could let them. No matter how much he wanted to continue to stay with them he couldn’t, not anymore. It’s okay, it will all be okay.

“Kick their ass and beat the shit out of them, understand.” he received a mixture of, “Hell yeah”, “Don’t doubt us!”, “Without fail!” and that once more brought a smile to his face but also broke his heart. They were strong, they all were, but he could hear it intertwined with their voices. Sadness, pain, anger, frustration, loneliness, regret.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Thank you, all of you, for everything.” he began once more, he still had a bit of energy left, though his heart was telling him that it was a few minutes at best. Damn, so this is it isn’t it, oh well. At least it was a blast while it lasted, the best choice I made, and it’s all thanks to M-24.

“I’ll be leaving now, but don’t worry, I’ll be okay. I won’t be alone either so don’t worry about me. They're waiting for me, the other M-Series, I have kept them waiting too long, but now it is my time to join them.”

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“I leave with many great memories, happy and sad, but overall I lived a life with all of you.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“My family, I will miss you, but please continue to smile. Continue to live and to protect the innocents. Stop the Union so our tragic stories won’t repeat themselves, okay?”

Thump. Thump.

“Apologize to Kentas and Lunark for me too yeah? Tell them I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to our planned training. Maybe in another life though. Watch over yourselves and over the youngest member of our family. Please.” Tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t go back home and read that book with him. I hope he forgives me.

Thump.

“Farewell my family, I will never forget you.” Goodnight, until we meet again in our next life.

“Farewell child, we will meet again in another life perhaps and we will honor your last request. I as the Noblesse swear on it, are we in agreement everyone?”

“Yes Master.”

“Yes Sir Raizel.”

“Yes sir.”

“The war we will not lose, that I swear, and from now on we will have no more casualties.” Raizel handed Frankenstein the body of one of their three kids whom they took in that day. It was hard, it was so hard to not say something to calm the other, but Rai knew that M-21 wasn’t scared or terrified. It was as if he was at peace, now he would no longer be a target for the Union, he won’t ever be harmed. He can now rest eternally, something he deserved greatly after everything he had been put through.

“Frankenstein”

“Yes master.”

“Let’s take M-21 home, we must give him a proper farewell. Understood?”

“Yes master.” this was something that Frankenstein never wanted to do. It was the children's job to bury their parents when the time came, after all the parents are the ones who came first and pass down their knowledge and wisdom to the next generation until their last day, not the other way around. Never the other way around. He can see it, on the look his master gave him as he handed M-21 to him, a silent cry that he was heartbroken and wanted to cry even, but he couldn’t do that here. Not in front of the others, they both needed to be strong for their family, not to mention they need to be there for their youngest member yet, but later on in the private of their own rooms would they be able to mourn their loss.

He held M-21 closer, removing his coat to cover the other with it and try to cover the fatal wound. He really wished that his heart would save him this time life before, that he would be okay and within a weeks rest he could help their family with chores again and they would be training like crazy, he was mistaken. “I promise M, we will watch over everyone back home and we will beat our enemies.” We cannot, will not fail.

“For now, farewell child.”

**AN**:Okay here it is, I hope you like. I kept this a bit open only mentioning a few members by name and leaving clues here and there of others. Also as a side note because it may confuse others, since I do RP as M-21 myself I have an AU!verse where he takes in a young teen who somehow escaped the Union. M didn’t want to let him be on his own since he knows how merciless they can be and decided to take him in. Something he learned form Rai and Frankenstein, he wants to give him an actual life and new start so yes there are mentions of him as well that may be a bit confusing. I am a bad person for thinking this but there’s a part of me that feels, that even though M-21 has this heart and has been saved plenty of times I feel that one day it just won’t be enough. It has saved him, but maybe one day it won’t, and thus I feel this is something that would hurt so much to Rai and Frankenstein. The Nobles themselves enter their eternal sleep, though that is something they are ready for, but in a war where the humans just die. That;s a bit different, you know?? Anyways hope you enjoy in the end. ^^ I will make/write/try to draw other stuff too. :D

Don’t mind any misspelling or errors. Feel free to point them out though. :D

#Noblesse10 #{MunRamen}#{drabble}#[enjoy ^^.and sorry not sorry. :3]#[i am evil I know...somtimes...wait until you see the one with the Kertia Clan :D]#[i'm make a fluffy one in a bit to make up for this ^^]]#[...maybe...]]

24 notes · View notes

mystical-flute · 6 years ago

Text

Come Sail Away Chapter 12

Ao3 || Ko-fi?

Reika groaned softly, opening her eyes and lifting her head against the blinding sun's rays. Glancing around, she pushed herself up and took a few careful steps to get an idea of where she was.

Right outside the card shop… but something was wrong. For it supposedly being the middle of the day, Domino was awfully quiet. For a virtual world, this wasn't the same.

Which meant someone could easily spot her if she wasn't careful.

Pressing her ear to the back door of the game shop, she exhaled in relief when she didn't hear anything before slipping inside and up the stairs to her bedroom, dropping the cloak and mask on the floor and replacing it with the dark brown wig she wore to disguise herself for work and tucked her bracelet over her sleeve to conceal it from view.

"Miss Reika. What are you doing in this place?"

Reika's eyes widened, mind whirling. Ten minutes into this place and she'd already failed at stealth. But she was willing to try one more time…

She cleared her throat, swallowing before turning around slowly.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, sir. My name is Sakura," she said softly.

His eyes narrowed. "Don't play games, Reika. The moment you opened your bedroom door we knew you were here. I am surprised your hair is suddenly one color though."

"If you knew from the minute I opened my door that I was here, I'm sure you've figured out why I have a wig, Mr. Leichter."

"Those damn agents brought you here, didn't they?"

"I came here willingly."

That seemed to catch him off guard, his jaw dropping briefly before he put the stern façade back on. "What lies did they try to sell you, Reika? Once we get out of here, I'm sure Johnson will be able to end them in court."

Reika slipped the wig off, considering her options. "They didn't have to sell anything, Leichter. I saw it for myself. You lied to me. You all lied to me. Noah's alive, isn't he?"

"It wasn't supposed to be this way…" Leichter said, snapping his hands, making the black nothingness digitize to a Kaiba Corp boardroom, Leichter taking a seat at the head of the table and gesturing for her to sit. "You weren't supposed to find out until all of this was complete."

She remained standing, her gaze cold. "Find out that my best friend was alive and that my boyfriend, cousin and friends were dead?"

"We had no intentions to kill all of them…"

"Did you stop and think about what even killing one of them would do to me?" she asked. "You claim you care about me but between this and what happened at Duelist Kingdom… it makes a girl think."

Leichter raised a brow. "Of course I cared about you, Reika."

"But no longer, right? That's why you didn't bother to gives me the heads up about any of this?" she asked, sighing. "Where's Noah? I want to see him."

"Master Noah is occupied at the moment. But since you're here anyway, Miss Reika, why don't you fill me in on all of the adventures you've been on the past year or so?"

"It was just school, Leichter. Not all that interesting."

Leichter chuckled under his breath, snapping his fingers again. They were suddenly in Loguetown – the first town she'd been sent to on her mission for T.A.I.D.R. Reika felt the color drain from her face as she looked at him again.

"This doesn't look like school to me, Reika."

"Leichter…" she whispered, body beginning to tense.

"In fact… this doesn't look like anywhere on this planet. I think it looks like a whole different world entirely," Leichter hummed, stroking his jaw in mock contemplation. "It's strange that you have a memory of this place…"

"Get out of my head."

"You're the one that hooked yourself up to this world. But I get it now. You weren't just brought here by those agents… you are one of them."

Reika said nothing, watching as her past disguised form ran by.

Leichter clicked his tongue. "You poor thing. You have no idea how dangerous these people are, Reika."

"I don't care."

"You should. This is bigger than you and I combined. These world have been connected much longer than you ever could have thought. And certain people know how to take advantage of that," Leichter explained.

Reika's eyes widened slightly. "Kaiba Corp."

"Indeed. You're just like your mother, Reika. So perceptive… you really could have been brilliant on our side. It's just a shame you're not."

She shook her head. "Seeing how many innocent lives have been destroyed by the Marines. All of the chaos and destruction that was supposedly in the name of justice. And all in the name of Kaiba Corp."

"You keep going on and on about how much blood has been spilled. It's fair, I suppose, since we sold weapons to the World Government, but what I wonder…" Leichter trailed off as he stepped closer to her, taking her chin in his hand as he forced her to look up at him, "is how much blood is on your hands."

Reika tried to wrench her head out of his grip as she glared at him, but he held firm.

"You can't tell me you're some innocent flower that's never spilled a drop. Not with that look in your eyes."

Her head jerked, trying to get him to release her, again to no avail. "What do you want me to say? You've already read me like a book."

"I don't want you to say a thing, Miss Reika. I want you to go back to being that sweet, quiet little girl you used to be and let us do what's right. And at the end, we'll let you go. I promise."

She managed to get herself out of Leichter's grip, letting out a growl that turned into a bitter sort of laugh. "Keeping Noah locked in here for six years was the right thing? You're a monster!"

"It was for the best. He was so injured, you know. We needed to keep him safe…"

"He's fine now. What's stopping you from allowing him to go free?"

"With a face that no one remembers? Or a face that people believe died? People would ask questions, Miss Reika, you know that. Which is why we're giving him a brand new body. One you are very familiar with."

Her eyes widened, horror streaking across her face. "You can't."

"We can and we will. Oh, but don't be so upset. I'm sure Noah will be a better boyfriend to you than Seto Kaiba ever was."

"No…" she said firmly. "No!"

"This is the way it's going to be, Reika. And you, my dear girl… will be lost in your own memories until the time is right."

With a laugh cold enough to make her skin crawl, Leichter disappeared.

The background morphed to the home she shared with her parents before their disappearance.

"Reika, sweetheart! Can we talk to you for a moment?"

"Mom…" she whispered, gasping as her eight-year-old self was ripped out of her, dropped into the memory as her parents appeared in the doorway.

Her mother, only a hair taller than her, glasses perched on her nose and a kind smile. Looking at her mother now, Reika could see just how alike they really looked. The same nose, the same face shape, and Reika had inherited the upturned eyes her mother had instead of the normal Mutou-wide eyes. Miaka's dark-red hair hung gracefully over her shoulders.

On the other hand, there was her father, who had inherited seemingly all of the height the Mutou male side would ever have, standing a few inches taller than her mother. His longer, tri-colored hair was showing the early signs of fading, but his smile was the Mutou smile she had.

"Reika, your father and I are going on a trip," her mother said with a smile and taking a seat on her bed. "We're going to be gone for two weeks, and you'll be staying with Grandpa Solomon, okay?"

"Okay!" her eight-year-old memory said with a giggle. "Yugi and I can play with Grandpa's games!"

"That's right, my little butterfly!" Genji replied, sweeping Reika up into his arms. "And I heard that Grandpa just got some new games in too. You'll have a great time."

"Where are you going?" little Reika asked.

"We're going to Florida. It's for a conference for Mr. Kaiba," Miaka said. "We'll bring you back something really special. I promise."

Little Reika nodded and smiled. "Okay. I'll miss you."

Miaka smiled back and pressed her lips to little Reika's forehead, a touch that the current Reika was shocked to feel.

Her hand went to her forehead as the memory faded, still feeling the warmth of her mother's kiss as the Game Shop appeared.

Again, her eight year old self appeared, with a six year old Yugi. They were in the living room, cards and game pieces scattered throughout.

Solomon entered the room, pale, and flanked by Aunt Kumi and Uncle Takeo, who had equally pale faces.

"Kids, there's something you need to know…" Solomon started, Reika and Yugi sitting at his sides. "Reika, I'm sorry but… something happened when your parents were in Florida. They – they've gone missing."

Even ten years later, the words were a gut punch, and there was an identical cry from the past and the present as tears stung Reika's eyes.

"Are you happy, Leichter?!" she cried into the nothingness, a ghost in her own memories. "Is this what you wanted?" A sob wracked her body as she slid to the ground as the vision changed again, this time to Kaiba Manor's music room.

"My father is adopting two new children," Noah sneered. "One is our age. He plans to use him to challenge me. Me! Can you believe that?"

"It doesn't sound fair at all, Noah," her twelve year old self replied with a frown, shuffling the piano music on the stand. "What are you going to do?"

Noah frowned as he turned away from her and looked out the window. "There's nothing I can do. I'll just have to deal with it. I suppose it will make father look better, won't it? The media will have no choice but to see that he does have a heart."

Preteen Reika nodded. "I guess…"

"You don't sound convinced."

A sigh escaped her. "You're my best friend Noah but… Kaiba Corp deals with weapons. Wars. They've probably hurt a lot of people."

"That doesn't mean you think badly of me, right?"

"Of course I don't. You can't help what family you're born into."

"And those boys… they won't take my place?"

"Never."

Reika exhaled heavily and ran her fingers through the wig's strands. Well, she couldn't say she didn't fail on that promise.

The music room fell away, replaced by Gozaburo Kaiba's office.

"Mr. Kaiba? Mr. Leichter said you wanted to speak with me?" Preteen Reika asked as she opened the door.

"Sit down, Reika. There's something I need to discuss with you." When Reika was seated, he continued. "Noah was in a car accident this morning."

Reika watched her preteen form freeze in the chair. She remembered exactly what she was thinking during this conversation.

I don't want to lose Noah too. Not after Mom and Dad…

"He's gone, Reika."

"No he's not, you son of a bitch," she whispered as her preteen self broke down in tears. "If only we would have known the truth."

Gozaburo sighed. "I know. I'm devastated too. My wife is beside herself. I know how close the two of you were, so I will allow you to become friends with Seto and Mokuba."

"Who?" her younger self asked with a sniff.

"Did Noah not tell you? The boys I'm adopting."

"Oh. He – he told me, but he didn't tell me their names."

"Mm. Well in any case. You will still be allowed at the manor. But I want to make one thing clear. You will not, under any circumstance, tell them about Noah, do you understand me? One peep about him and you'll be cut off from Kaiba Corp."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba…" she'd replied as the room dissolved again.

On and on it continued, painful memory after painful memory, until finally, she was teleported to the Alabasta Kingdom and the battle that gave her the scar.

Already weakened from her earlier battle, she was really only providing backup for Usopp as he checked for any snipers as their captain fought against Crocodile.

"You okay? You can go rest if you want," Usopp had asked.

"I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle," she'd replied with a cocky grin.

Usopp grinned back at her. "Good. I'm counting on you to have my back."

"And you know I will. Now keep firing. We have to keep Luffy safe."

Everything else happened so quickly. A shadow had loomed over them. She had noticed it, Usopp hadn't. Crocodile had landed, eyes set on Usopp, but Reika was quicker.

"Usopp, get down!" she shouted, shoving the sniper out of the way inches before Crocodile's hook slashed across her back.

Watching yourself get stabbed is a weird thing. May only had seconds to decide what she'd do differently before Crocodile's hook made contact with her skin, a feeling that the present May felt as well, and the world around her became muted, the only thing she heard were identical screams that had come from the past and the present. Her knees became weak, and she felt herself beginning to fall to the ground before she felt an arm wrap around her to catch her.

Wait. An arm…? There hadn't been anyone here but her.

Weakly, Reika raised her head, and met the identical violet eyes of her cousin, wide in concern and horror.

As the world faded back to the Domino default, all she could think of to do was to let out a curse of "shit."

#yugioh #yugioh fanfiction #one piece #one piece fanfiction #it's a crossover y'all #yugi mutou #god usopp #gozaburo kaiba #fanfiction

0 notes