#[ but when it comes down to it ryuto still cares about his friends ]

[mugunghwc]

    Though his expression remains deadpan, a snort would still elicit past his throat, which if nothing else, signified his incredulity rather than his irritation. “Funny. I could say the same about you, Hana-san,” Ryuto dryly states, yet despite the polite way he addresses her, it’s clear his tone lacked much respect; in fact, it sounded more like he was patronizing her, which served as a complete, clear contrast from the angelic boy he pretended to be while their parents were around. Why, if they were at a party, he would act as if he adored her the way a younger brother might, but once they were alone, his personality would take on a more nastier edge.

     “Far more than you, evidently. And for what it’s worth, at least I’m not the one who is in constant denial over what I know to be true deep down inside… though, as daft as you are, I’m sure you still possess enough intelligence to not need a reminder of how many times Han-san has rejected you,” Ryuto goes on to drawl. Coming from him, however, it doesn’t sound like he was calling her smart at all. “What, did you expect me to kiss the very ground you walk on like everyone else who happens to enable your behaviour? Perhaps for once in your life, you should get over yourself.”

     Sure enough, he’ll then shake his head… disappointed, but not particularly surprised; after all, if it’s one thing he manages to learn about Hana, it’s that she’s awfully obstinate. “A pity. Had you asked nicely, I would have set you up with someone far more desirable than Han-san.” …Was he jesting at this point? Truth be told, it was really hard to tell, but if nothing else, Ryuto was certainly not taking this conversation as seriously as Hana was.

     she would like to say that she didn’t understand why he bothered to treat her as if he had an ounce of respect towards her, but unfortunately, she did: to play pretences, to sell this idea that he was somehow this angelic version of himself rather than the obnoxious prick that he was while it was just the two of them. hana only feigned to tolerate him in their parents’ presence—never going so far as acting as if they were close. she wasn’t as much of a hypocrite as he was ( or at least, she had deluded herself into thinking that ), hiding behind a mask that convinced everyone except for her. eyes were rolled at the mention of such a title.

      “do you really not know what’s to mind your own business?!” seriously, WHY DID HE CARE—other than to try to poke fun at her. she wasn’t even complaining to him to warrant such a comment, & yet, he just felt the need to share his thoughts. as if she cared. “nobody asked for your opinion, ryuto.” there was no honorary that she’d feel comfortable using while addressing this piece of ... her annoyance growing by the second. “you should start taking your own advice.” if someone needed to get over themselves, it was him. hana was this close to slapping him, until something he said made her burst out into laughter. it was loud & powerful, although sardonic as well. the kind of laughter that came from a place of mockery.

     “AHAHAHAHA! please, are you even listening to yourself?!” it just further proved her previous point. “‘far more desirable’? are you out of your mind?” it sounded far too absurd for her to take him seriously. despite still being quite irritated, her amusement showed in her expression. “first of all, i don’t need you to set me up with one of your little friends.” talk about patronising. “& secondly, nobody can top han. he’s handsome, smart, a true gentleman... he knows how to do business, which is why my dad trusts him.” her arms crossed, opting for a more defensive stance when it came to this subject. even if they were not together, hana sure acted like it when it came to his defence. his number one groupie. “just because you have heard of him, doesn’t mean you know anything of substance.”

[causalitylinked]

Like I had mentioned before to Rae, not much really rattles Ryuto... but after watching many true crime videos, I realize that on the off chance someone he cares about happens to go missing, he will just be beside himself with worry (especially if they happen to be a woman, because they’re far more prone to violence than men).

Seriously, though, this boy would literally spend many sleepless nights, researching their whereabouts and expending all the available resource just to find them. At some point too, he will likely admonish the police for being ‘useless’ and will snap at another person for telling him to rest, because in his eyes, he doesn’t have the ‘luxury of sleeping’ when they could be in trouble

...On top of that, he doesn’t trust the police to do jack shit, so being around him would be mental anguish, because on one hand, you can tell he’s agonizing over their disappearance, but on the other hand, he’s hell bent on finding out just what happened to them, to the point where it would negatively affect his physical health.

Normally, though, Ryuto goes to bed at a reasonable hour and is the type to always be sufficiently rested and is nowhere near as stubborn as Sonia, so you know something is wrong if he deviates from his regular routine or refuses to take care of himself.

On the off chance they’re ever found, though, he might not hug them but will admit for once he’s ‘immensely relieved’ with brows remaining drooped... then afterwards, you can bet he’s installing a tracking device on their phone or their belongings just in case they were to ever get kidnapped or something, due to how the disappearance would have traumatized him so much, he can no longer rest easy if they insist on going home alone.

[beybladefanfictions]

L-Drago’s Return - Chapter 1

(Description: Sequel to Ryuga's Return. Read that first or you're going to be extremely confused. Five months have passed since L-Drago’s disappearance and Ryuga has gotten used to his new life without his Beyblade. However, he discovers that there might be a way to get L-Drago back after all…)

(Thank you to Wattpad User *insert name here* for giving me many of the ideas for this fic. It wouldn't have been possible without them. Go check out their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryugasama20/)

Ryuga's POV

“Oh, too bad.” Kenta placed a familiar card on the floor. “Two new cards for you, Ryuga.” He cast a glance at his friend, smirking triumphantly.

Ryuga glared at him. “Why you little…”

Beside him, Madoka and Gingka giggled, hiding their own cards behind their hands. Ryuga let out a sigh, drawing two new cards. That made five total. With his turn skipped over, it was Madoka’s turn.

“Oh, what do you know?” She placed her final card down on top of the pile. “I win again!”

Kenta and Gingka groaned in unison. Madoka just chuckled and stood up, going to grab her laptop from nearby.

“You always win,” Gingka muttered, shuffling his hand of cards.

“Either her or Kenta,” Ryuga added, rolling his eyes.

Kenta chuckled into his hand. “It’s not our fault we’re so good.”

“Play for second place?” Gingka asked, casting a glance at Ryuga and Kenta.

“Sure.” Kenta nodded.

Madoka sat back on the floor with the rest of them, gazing at her laptop. Her attention seemed to be fixed on it all day. Ryuga gazed at everyone's cards. Gingka had about a dozen, Kenta had three cards, and Ryuga himself had five cards. He gazed at his deck, smiling. Gingka and Kenta played two normal cards, keeping the colour green. *Perfect for my plan.* Ryuga placed a reverse card down.

“Your turn again,” he nodded to Kenta.

“Uh… thanks, Ryuga.” Kenta put down a yellow card, the same number as the past card.

“Uno!” Kenta and Gingka shouted in unison.

“Ha! You draw six!” Gingka exclaimed, pointing at Kenta accusingly.

“No!” Kenta snapped back. “We said it at the exact same time! That doesn’t count.”

“I agree,” Madoka replied with a nod. “Carry on as normal.”

“Humph." Gingka placed another card down on the pile.

Ryuga smirked, “Activate trap card.” He placed a ‘plus four’ card down on top of the pile.

Kenta let out a gasp. “How could you use my own catchphrase against me?!” he exclaimed, placing his hand on his forehead.

“It’s not even your catchphrase,” Gingka chuckled as Kenta drew his cards.

“Whose catchphrase is it?” Madoka asked, tilting her head to the side.

Ryuga, Gingka, and Kenta all glanced at her then turned to each other with wide eyes. Gingka smiled and shrugged.

“What colour?” he asked, glancing at Ryuga.

Ryuga glanced at his cards. “Red.”

Kenta let out a groan, sinking to the ground. “Dangit! That’s the one colour I don’t have!”

“I’d say ‘sorry,’ but I’m not,” Ryuga smirked as he spoke. “You had that coming.”

Kenta sat up, glaring at him. “Oh, I am so getting back at you!”

Ryuga just smiled. Uno was like Beyblade in a way: you showed no mercy, even to your friends. The three of them continued the game for a while before Ryuga placed his final card on the pile.

“Dangit,” Kenta grunted, glaring at the ground.

“Well, at least I beat you two,” Ryuga replied with a shrug.

“Yeah, yeah.” Gingka turned to Kenta. “Well, Kenta, looks like it’s just us. Wanna keep going?”

Kenta had a dangerous look on his face. His smirk was wider than a valley and he was struggling to hold back his giggles.

“Kenta, wha-”

Kenta slapped a card onto the pile. “Skip your turn!” He began slamming more cards down on the ground in rapid succession. “Skip again, skip, reverse to me, oh, draw two cards. UNO!” He held up his final card in two fingers. “DRAW! MONSTER CARD!” He slammed the final card onto the pile: a seven.

Gingka was shivering, staring at Kenta with eyes the size of dinner plates.

“Wha- what just happened?” Madoka asked, her wide eyes fixed on the scene.

Ryuga snorted with laughter. “Good job getting destroyed, Gingka.”

“Ah- ah-” Gingka’s eye twitched. He shook his head clear, shivering as he swept the cards into a stack. “I think that’s enough Uno for today,” he replied with a nervous chuckle.

“What's next for game night?” Kenta asked, his gaze shifting between the others.

Gingka looked through his stack of games. “Well, I brought Jenga, Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly…"

“Monopoly?! Kenta gasped, shuddering. “Why would you bring Monopoly?"

“Yeah, that sounds dangerous,” Madoka muttered, her eyes glued to her laptop screen.

Ryuga tilted his head to the side. “What's wrong with Monopoly?"

“That game is the worst," Kenta answered, his eyes narrowed at the game box. “I'm pretty sure people have killed each other over it.”

“Humans kill each other over everything,” Ryuga replied, rolling his eyes.

“Ha! True,” Madoka remarked, still not looking up from her screen.

“Hey, what's got you so interested in your laptop today?” Kenta asked, scooting toward her.

“Oh, uh…” Madoka pulled her laptop into her chest. “I've just been researching something. You guys might be interested, especially you, Ryuga.”

Ryuga bit his lip. *Why am I getting singled out?*

“What is it?” he asked.

“Yeah, show us.” Gingka scooted closer.

Madoka placed the screen on the ground where they could all see it. Kenta and Gingka leaned forward. Ryuga looked over Kenta’s small head to see the screen. On Madoka’s screen, was a symbol in the shape of a dragon’s head, an Asian dragon by the look of it. It looked a bit like L-Drago.

“It’s the symbol of an ancient civilization called the ‘Dragon Clan,’” Madoka explained, gesturing to the image.

“Dragon Clan?” Kenta and Gingka both turned to Ryuga.

“Yeah, that’s why the name caught my eye,” Madoka replied, scrolling down the page.

“Is this ‘Dragon Clan’ where you’re from Ryuga?” Gingka asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Ancient civilization,” Ryuga emphasized Madoka’s words, rolling his eyes. “I’m seventeen, not five thousand.”

Kenta smirked. “Could've fooled me.”

Ryuga lightly pushed Kenta over, who just giggled.

“Actually, Ryuga,” Madoka cut in sternly. “It's possible you could be a descendant of this Dragon Clan.” She pointed at her screen. “It says here that they specialized in dragon-type beys.”

“So?" Ryuga raised an eyebrow.

“Well, there are only a few Dragon beys,” Gingka cut in. He rested his finger on his chin. “L-Drago, Omega Dragonis, and the Jet Black Dragon, which the WBBA made.”

“Omega Dragonis?” Ryuga and Kenta asked in unison.

“Oh, that's Ryuto’s bey,” Gingka answered, “We met him on Mist Mountain.”

“Right! Ryuto! He looked a lot like you, Ryuga. It’s possible you’re both descendants of this ancient clan.” Madoka’s eyes were glowing. “That’s so cool!”

Ryuga shrugged. “It’s possible, I guess.”

“Still not convinced? Their leader was called a Dragon Emperor.”

“WHAT?!” Everyone gasped in unison.

Ryuga stiffened. *You are the Dragon Emperor, Ryuga.* Doji’s words echoed in his mind, making him shiver. *The Dragon Emperor is the only one who can control the forbidden bey, L-Drago.* Ryuga’s heart pounded a million kilometres an hour. He grunted, shaking his head in a vain attempt to escape his memories.

“All this time, I thought he made it up…” Ryuga murmured, struggling to keep his voice from trembling. “That must be why he sought me out. He knew somehow.”

*Doji never would have been able to use me to get to L-Drago if I weren’t the descendant of some ancient clan?! Is that what I’m hearing?!*

“What are you talking about?” Madoka asked, tilting her head to the side.

Gingka looked away, his eyes narrowed. “Doji…”

Ryuga stiffened. “I don't care about my past!” he snapped, glaring at his friends. “Madoka, why did you bring this up?!”

“You mean you don't see the connection?” Madoka asked, seemingly unfazed by his outburst. “Dragon Clan? L-Drago? They could be the original creators of L-Drago. They definitely had it at one point and it’s rumoured here that they may have created a backup of it.”

Ryuga’s eyes widened. “A backup of L-Drago?”

Over the past few months, Ryuga had grown accustomed to his life without L-Drago, and his longing for his bey had finally started to ease. Now, with those words, it came back like a boomerang to the heart. This was hope, genuine hope, that L-Drago could return after all, and Ryuga could return to his old life.

“Then you could get it back!” Kenta gasped, somehow speaking Ryuga’s thoughts aloud.

“It wouldn’t be exactly the same,” Madoka explained, casting a glance at Gingka. “It would probably be like how Gingka got Galaxy Pegasus.”

*So it would be the same in spirit, just built differently?!* Excitement continued to grow in his heart.

“Where can we find this ‘backup for L-Drago’?” Ryuga asked.

“I’m not sure,” Madoka admitted, gazing at her screen. “The Dragon Clan lived in very remote locations, far from civilization. I could do some digging, but it might take a while.”

“Please do!” Gingka cut in, putting an arm around Ryuga. “I want another chance to battle Ryuga!” Ryuga pushed Gingka off.

“Me too!” Kenta added, gazing at Ryuga with a determined smile. “We have a score to settle now!”

Ryuga couldn’t help but smile as well. *I could get back at him for the loss I suffered when I had the Jet Black Dragon!*

“Guys, don’t get your hopes up!” Madoka insisted, “It’s not for sure yet! I don’t know if I can even find any ruins of this city or if this backup for sure exists. It could just be a rumour.”

“Then let me know if you find anything,” Ryuga replied, dipping his head.

“I’ll do my best,” Madoka assured him.

There was a loud ringing sound out of nowhere. Gingka glanced at his phone.

“Oh, uh, my dad wants me home,” he informed, pulling the games he brought into a stack.

“Guess that’s the end of game night then…” Madoka replied, standing up.

“Same time next week?" Kenta gazed at the others with a hopeful smile.

“Yes!" Gingka exclaimed, nodding eagerly.

“Sure,” Madoka replied, dipping her head. The three of them gazed at Ryuga expectantly.

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“Great!” Kenta beamed. “Let’s go home! I bet dinner's ready by now.”

Ryuga dipped his head, following Gingka and Kenta out of the shop. Gingka however split from them quickly. *A new L-Drago?!* Ryuga couldn’t get the idea out of his mind. He thought he had accepted months ago that he couldn’t get L-Drago back. It seemed so final and impossible. Now, however, there was a real chance he could get it back. The void Beyblade had left behind in his life, while of course not fully gone, had begun to shrink. He enjoyed his new life, including his new home and friends. However, one thing constantly plagued his mind: *I've gone soft.* Ryuga didn't need friends or a place to stay in his old life, he was able to survive on his own. Not to mention, he had been the strongest blader.

Ryuga longed to prove that he was still as tough as he once was but he felt he had no way to prove that and his attachment to his friends kept him here indefinitely. Part of him found that humiliating. No one else seemed to care that he had been tamed like an animal in a zoo. *If I get L-Drago back, I can prove I'm not weak.* The idea inevitably got his hopes up. *Don't get your hopes up.* Madoka’s words seemed to taunt him. *Why would you tell me that if you didn’t want me to get my hopes up?!*

Kenta pushed the door to the house open. Ryuga followed him inside. Kenta's parents were both in the kitchen, cooking something Ryuga had never had by the smell of it.

“Hey, kiddos!” Kenta's dad greeted with a wave.

“How was your game night?” Kenta's mom asked.

“It was fun,” Kenta smirked triumphantly. “I beat everyone at Uno.”

“Yeah!” Kenta's dad held a hand up. “That's my boy!”

Kenta jumped up to high five him, the two of them cheering. *I won a few times too,* Ryuga thought, rolling his eyes. He sat on the couch with his phone. *I suppose I could do some research of my own on this 'Dragon Clan.'*

“Alright, food's ready!" Kenta's mother called, before Ryuga could look at much of anything.

*Guess I'll do it later,* he thought, placing his phone aside. On the table Kenta's mother placed yet another weird new food; Ryuga thought he would be used to seeing those by now. This time it was a bunch of misshapen fried… things.

“What are those?” Ryuga asked, sitting in his usual spot beside Kenta.

“It's pakora,” Kenta's mother answered. “An Indian food. Here, try it.” She handed him a piece.

Ryuga took it and ate it in one bite.

“Oh, I love these!” Kenta exclaimed, taking a handful from the tray.

“Well?” Kenta’s mom prompted, gazing hopefully at Ryuga. “Do you like it?”

Ryuga shrugged. “It's okay.” *A little bland.* He kept the second part to himself.

“Here. We made two batches.” Kenta's dad sat down, sliding a second tray onto the table. “These are spicier.”

Ryuga perked up at the word “spicier,” immediately taking one. He licked his lips.

“Thanks,” Ryuga replied, grabbing more.

Kenta's dad chuckled, turning to his wife. “Told you he'd like the spicy ones more,” he remarked, holding a hand up.

Kenta's mom let out a sigh, handing him a piece of yen. He took it with a smirk.

“Guess we should try cooking more Indian food,” Kenta’s dad remarked, pocketing the yen.

“Why is it always spicy food with you?” Kenta asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryuga shrugged, placing about ten pieces of pakora on a plate. Kenta smirked. “Is it because you’re Dragon Clan?”

Ryuga let out a sigh. “Kenta, it’s not funny.”

“Well, if you’re gonna make fun of me for being short, I might as well make fun of you for something too!” Kenta exclaimed, bristling with annoyance.

“What is Dragon Clan?” Kenta’s mom cut in.

Kenta turned to her with a smile. “Oh, it’s this ancient civilization Madoka’s researching. Ryuga’s totally one of their descendants.”

“How do you know?” Kenta’s dad asked, suddenly curious.

“We don’t,” Ryuga argued, turning to Kenta. “It’s just a theory.”

*I’m not telling the history enthusiast that I accidentally appropriated a title from some ancient civilization,* he thought, glaring at Kenta and hoping he would get the message.

“A theory with evidence!” Kenta insisted, his eyes narrowed as well.

“To be honest…" Kenta's dad spoke up, prompting them to turn to him. “I've never heard of this 'Dragon Clan' but I'm sure you could figure out for sure if you're one of their descendants with a DNA test and maybe a background check.”

Ryuga stiffened. “No thanks.”

Kenta's mom rolled her eyes. “Honey, he does not need to do a background check on himself.”

“Hey, you never know,” Kenta's dad replied with a shrug.

Ryuga shifted in place. Kenta's dad was silly sometimes but in this case, he was actually right. Ryuga didn't know a thing about his past and what he did know, he tried his best not to remember.

“Where are you from, Ryuga?” Kenta’s dad asked.

“Japan.”

“Ah- well, yeah bu- o-o-okay.” Kenta’s dad looked down at the table, looking somewhat ashamed.

Kenta’s mother chuckled. “Oh gosh, you broke him, Ryuga,” she remarked, resting a hand on her husband's shoulder.

Kenta giggled into his hand. Ryuga smiled. As everyone finished their dinner, they slowly began to go their separate ways. Kenta and his dad stayed at the table. Ryuga went to get his phone while Kenta’s mother went straight toward the fridge.

She let out a sigh. “Tamaki, Kenta, whichever one of you is stealing my chocolate, will you please come forward already? This is getting ridiculous.”

She held up the nearly empty box of chocolates, in which there were only two left. Ryuga tried not to smile.

“Honey, I'm telling you it's not me,” Kenta’s dad insisted, gently, “You would know.”

“And I swear I didn't either!” Kenta exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

“It has to be one of you…” Kenta's mom cast a glance at Ryuga.

“Don't look at me,” Ryuga replied, unplugging his phone. “I don't eat stuff that sweet.”

*Or at least I wouldn't have in my old life,* he added bitterly to himself.

“Yeah,” Kenta agreed, casting a glance at his dad. “It's probably dad.”

“Or it's no one,” Kenta's dad suggested, tilting his head to the side.

“I swear they're disappearing faster… Ugh, I must be going crazy.” Kenta's mom grabbed one of the two chocolates. “Well, I know for sure there's only one left so if it disappears, then I'll know for a fact someone's stealing them.” Her eyes narrowed at her husband. “I've got my eye on you, love.”

“Don't you always?” Kenta’s dad asked, with a smirk.

“Oh, ha, ha.” Kenta's mom rolled her eyes before the two of them shared a quick kiss.

“Ugh!” Kenta exclaimed.

Ryuga rolled his eyes, making his way toward the basement.

“Ryuga.” He stopped at the sounds of Kenta’s voice. “Wanna finish Yugioh?” he asked.

“Not tonight,” Ryuga replied, “I wanted to do some research.”

“Oh…” Kenta seemed a bit disappointed before smiling again. “Okay.”

“Research…” Kenta’s dad nodded, muttering to himself. “Yes, that sounds good…”

Everyone turned to him.

“What? I want to know about that ‘Dragon Clan’ Ryuga mentioned. So much new history to learn…” Kenta’s dad’s eyes were glowing.

Ryuga rolled his eyes. He made his way downstairs to his room, otherwise known as the basement. It still had plenty of space to walk around but along with a bed, there was also a bean bag and a dresser with a mirror on it. Ryuga sat on the bean bag with his phone. *Finally, I can research this…*

'The Dragon Clan, formerly known as the Highlanders, lived in the wild untamed regions of Japan. They specialized in Dragon-type beys, including the forbidden bey, L-Drago. It is rumoured they created this infamous bey, along with a backup, though this has yet to be confirmed. Their group slowly decreased over time, scattering to the far reaches of the globe far from civilization. A few of their descendants may still be around, using the dragon type beys of their ancestors.'

Ryuga rolled his eyes. *Great, a bunch of stuff I already knew. Real helpful.* He went through several different websites, not finding where specifically the Dragon Clan lived or anything about the backup of L-Drago. *Perhaps it is just a rumour…* Ryuga shook his head. *I have to keep trying. If there’s any way I can bring back L-Drago, any at all…* Ryuga let out a sigh. *Oh, who am I kidding? This is ridiculous. I thought I accepted months ago that I'm always just going to be a shadow of my former self!*

Ryuga glanced at the time on his phone. 7:43 pm. *This is going nowhere…* He stared at the twelve tabs of nothing he had open for a few moments. *Yeah, forget this. I’m getting that chocolate.*

Placing his phone aside, Ryuga made his way upstairs, making sure to keep his steps light. He slowly pushed the door open. All the lights in the main room were off, drowning the room in a still darkness. Ryuga stepped lightly into the kitchen. Making sure nothing moved in the dark, he grabbed the last chocolate out of the fridge.

“Aha!”

A light shone in Ryuga's face. He staggered back, dropping the chocolate as he shielded his eyes.

“Wait, Ryuga?!” It was Kenta's mother. She lowered the flashlight, flicking the light switch on. “You're the one who's been eating my chocolate?!”

Ryuga froze, just now registering the situation.

“No…” He picked the chocolate up off the floor.

“Woooow.” Kenta's mother covered her mouth as she chuckled. “You could've just asked instead of lying, you know.”

Ryuga looked away, his shame practically spearing him open. *This is almost as bad as that chopsticks fiasco!*

“Can I still have it then?” he muttered.

“Sure, sweetie. Guess I'll have to buy some for you too, then.”

“Mhm… thanks…” Ryuga started to walk away, eating the chocolate.

“Hey.” Ryuga froze, glancing back at Kenta’s mom as she spoke. “Next time just tell the truth. You should know better than to lie.” Her tone was stern, but still, she didn’t raise her voice.

Ryuga dipped his head. “Okay.” He turned and walked away.

[fulgadrome]

Muse Profile (For Mobile)

Name:

Aburame Fumio | 油女 文雄 | Typically Male, lit. Scholarly Child

Gender:

Cis Female

Orientation:

Bisexual

Date of Birth:

April 8

Height:

5.4 ft. (Genin), 5.8 ft. (Chuunin), 6.1 ft. (Jounin)

Zodiac:

Rooster

Ethnicity:

Japanese-Analogous

Chakra Type:

Primary Earth, Secondary Fire

Specializations:

Kikaichu no Jutsu, Advanced Insect Clones, Taijutsu

Residence:

Konohagakure no Sato

Occupation:

Shinobi, Amateur Photographer

BIOGRAPHY

"Yesterday, I had the rare opportunity to witness the cicadas emerge. They're a full year earlier than anticipated, so I thought to document the event... and while I readied my camera, one of the freshly-moulted adults was caught by a wasp. The struggle went on and on. It was all quite natural, but for some reason, I just can’t stop thinking about it…"

Ill-tempered and argumentative, Fumio’s default mood is a kind of contemplative irritation. While generally respectful to strangers, it doesn’t take much for a conversation with her to turn to from polite to formally-worded-but-quietly-furious. Not at all loud by nature, the best warning you’ll get that a squabble is about to escalate into a brawl is her expression: when she reaches critical yankī, you’re about to get punched. While her demeanor is just a stone’s throw from Aburame standard chill, she doesn’t quite have the inner calm to pull it off, and her stillness and quiet comes across as tense rather than tranquil.

Peel away the chitinous outer shell, and you’re left with a core of vulnerability. While Fumio’s poor social skills serve to isolate her, she stews in loneliness and often craves companionship. Agonizingly self-sabotaging, she scares away potential acquaintances, alienates family, and back talks her superiors. Understandably, this behavior hasn’t left her with many friends. Once you’ve braved the worst of her attitude and gotten to know her, however, her fumbling attempts to keep your friendship will land somewhere between pitiful and heartwarming. Expect gifts of home-cooked food, teary existentialist talks that last long into the night, and routine offers to rough up your enemies.

A surprisingly sensitive person, Fumio spends her down time practicing photography with her late mother’s camera, trying out new recipes, and tending to the hoard of potted plants she keeps inside her tiny apartment. As though trying to recapture the abundance of nature she lost when she moved out of the Aburame clan compound, she plasters the walls of her room with nature shots taken throughout the Land of Fire. In contrast to the haphazard décor, she fastidiously keeps the rest of her space tidy and organized, an inclination that also applies to her increasingly desperate attempts to tame her unruly hair. If she could smooth back the issues in her life with the same ease that she gels her hair into submission, she’d still have a mess on her hands, but at least there’d be the comforting illusion of control.

Fumio’s life has largely been defined by two factors: loss, and abuses of power from authority figures. Often, she’s found, the two are intertwined. Her adoptive brother Tatsuma and cousin Torune, two children from a noble clan who ought to have been untouchable, were stolen away by ROOT. Her team placement and assigned Jounin instructor were sabotaged by a bitter teacher who was recovering from the death of his Uchiha fiancé. Her first Chuunin exam was punctuated by a near-death experience in which a medic attempted to force Fumio overdose on anesthesia, in revenge for having killed the medic’s brother in a traumatic struggle during the course of the third exam. These experiences have made Fumio suspicious, prickly, and defensive, but underneath the aggressive exterior is someone still trying to repair the damage.

Trying, however, is not always adequate.

OTHERS

ABURAME HISAYO - Fumio’s late mother, an accomplished photographer who specialized in portraiture. Fumio wears a pair of her old glasses until they’re broken during her first Chuunin exam. Elegant but sickly, Hisayo draped her thin body in layers, and fluttered around the clan compound like a fabric ghost. After conceiving Fumio out of wedlock, her mental state began to gently deteriorate as she developed unhealthy fixations on both her ex-lover

"that awful man left us, he left us, babydoll"

and daughter.

"let mama brush your pretty hair, oh, hopeless child, what would you ever do without me?"

Fumio prefers to remember Hisayo as nurturing and kind. For the most part, that's even true.

YUTA - Assigned to the same Genin team as Fumio and fully expected to flunk out of the program, Yuta is only marginally more competent at physical feats than the average civilian. What he lacks in strength, size, courage, and ability, however, he makes up in being extremely ornery… and also by being the user of a vestigial bloodline limit. Brought over as an infant from Hidden Mist by his father during the Bloodline purges, Yuta has little to no sense of patriotic loyalty to Konoha, believing strongly that the village used up his father as an expendable asset, leading to his death. He may not be wrong.

MAEDA RYUTO - Unlike Fumio and Yuta, the village had high hopes for Ryuto. Lauded as a genius, sponsored by the Yamanaka, Ryuto spent his early years apprenticing under a little-known perfumer and ended up inventing a chakra-effused genjutsu perfume. Believing his skills would be largely wasted in the field, his instructors planned for his failure (and subsequent induction into R&D) by placing him on Team Loser. As fate would have it, however, they tragically succeeded, ruining his career. Ryuto was cool with that, though. Ryuto, the sole serene team member, is honestly cool with most things.

ABURAME SHIASE - Probably one of the oldest people in the village, Shiase is one of those rare few individuals who might be called sages. Eyeless, grumpy, and wise, she rarely leaves the clan compound, electing to send one of the various youngsters she raises as a hobby to do her dark bidding. Typical kids would probably find her creepy—to the Aburame, she’s just Obaa-sama. After the death of Hisayo, Fumio and a handful of other Aburame orphans (or kids whose parents were on long-term missions) were taken under her wing. There are three things Shiase won’t abide: whining, messy hands, and poor kikaichu control. Obey her, or perish.

ABURAME KAZUE - Born in secret to Oda Noriko outside of the clan’s knowledge, Kazue spent much of her childhood as Oda Kazue. When her father Aburame Asahi died in battle against the Kyuubi, her mother elected to not inform his clan of her pregnancy. Perhaps after Asahi's death, she wanted a normal life for Kazue, or she simply couldn’t stand the idea of Kazue being given kikaichu. Regardless, when the Aburame found out, they immediately made Kazue their ward. Safe in Shiase’s care, Kazue looked on her hived cousins not with revulsion, but a consuming jealousy—this resentment eventually poisoned her relationship with Fumio, who once considered Kazue an elder sister, to Kazue's great shame. She now apprentices with Aburame florists. 

[ask-team-clst]

Noel Souris

 Gender: Male

Age: 17

Appearance:

Nationality: French/Italian

Hair color: Blond (Shaggy, and chin length)

Eye color: Blue

Skin color: Pale

Height: 5′6″

Weight: 108 lbs

Handedness: Right handed

Race: Mouse Faunus

Clothing: Noel wears a white army jacket, a yellow graffiti tee, black cargo pants and black, steel-toed boots. He also wears a pair of black and yellow headphones. Like many guitarists, he wears wristbands which he uses to hide spare picks. He wears his emblem on his headphones and one of his sweatbands.

Emblem: A treble clef inside a laurel wreath.

Nightclothes: Band T-shirt and boxers

Personality: Personality wise, Noel is the quintessential bard, quick witted, persuasive, and very funny. He likes being at the center of everything and lives in the moment. So, he tends to get restless during lulls in activity and tries to stay busy to keep from getting too bored. An extrovert by nature, Noel enjoys socializing and always speaks his mind, but tends to ramble when nervous.

Past: TBA

Weapon Name: Cassandra

Class: Aura Reactive Combat Guitar (ARCG)

Type: Melee, Dust

Description: Cassandra is a cherry red electric guitar with a golden sun stamped onto it. This guitar has two different jacks; the first jack has a gold plate and is used for cables, the second jack has a silver plate and is used for specialized Dust capsules. The guitar’s body also transforms into a large, leaf-shaped blade for melee combat.

Fighting Style:

Melee: If forced into close quarters combat, Noel grabs Cassandra’s neck and uses it like a club relying on its solid construction and aura conductivity to cause blunt trauma. He can also cause internal damage to Grimm by stabbing the guitar body into them and playing.

Ranged: He typically uses his Semblance to turn his guitar into a sonic cannon. He also plugs Dust capsules into the secondary jack to saturate his Strings with Dust and give his attacks elemental properties.

Strengths: He has excellent hand-eye coordination and is capable of multi-tasking. While these seem like basic requirements for being a Huntsman, they do allow him to play his guitar while trying to fight Grimm. Incidentally, he’s also very acrobatic, and uses these skills to dodge incoming attacks.

Weaknesses: He lacks the stamina necessary for prolonged close quarters combat, thus he prefers to keep his enemies at a distance. Also, since his ranged combat skills depends on his ability to play, either fatigue or restraining his arms can keep him from fighting. His lack of real combat experience also can cause him to freeze at bad times.

Aura: Noel’s Aura takes the form of a warm, sunset-red glow.

Semblance: Noel’s Semblance is called Musagetes, which allows him to amplify and manipulate sound waves with his Aura, transforming them into concussive force. Depending on the type of Dust he uses with it, and what chords he plays, this energy can be manipulated in a multitude of ways, such as in the form of projectiles, floating mines, or barriers.

Relationships:

Pascal Souris: His mother and a former musician, while she still worries about Noel’s safety, she respects his decision to become a Huntsman.

Avent Souris: His twin sister who’s older than him by five minutes. Like her brother, she uses a combat guitar and they’re sort of rivals in this     regard. But, when it comes down to it, they’ll always back each other up.

Crona Longhorn: As partners, they get along pretty well. While he sometimes annoys her for practicing at 1:00 in the morning, he genuinely does respect her. Occasionally, he gives her lessons in art and music.

Brynne Calydon: They’re childhood friends that grew up together in Mistral. She saved him from some bullies as a kid and he sort of has a crush on her. Their fighting styles work well together, with Noel serving as a diversion.

Ryuto Murasaki: Despite some initial friction, Ryuto’s become like the older brother Noel never had. He teases Noel and bothers him from time to time. But, he occasionally gives him decent advice.

Model: Noel is based on the Greek god Apollo. One of the stories about him involved killing Python, his nemesis and dragon of Delphi.

His last name is reference to one to Apollo’s lesser-known roles as a plague god, which was referred to as Apollo Smintheus and commonly associated with mice.

His Semblance is named after one of Apollo’s other titles, which is a     reference to his role as leader of the Muses’ choirs.

His emblem contains a reference to one of Apollo’s symbols, the laurel wreath.

The fact that he’s part French is a reference to King Louis XIV, and his     strange obsession with Apollo.

His weapon is named for one of the women Apollo loved. He tried to seduce her with the gift of prophecy; she refused, and he cursed her so that no one would believe her predictions.

The guitar form is based on one of the most iconic electric guitars in Rock n’ Roll; the Gibson SG.

Name:

Noel is the French word for Christmas. According to Christian liturgy, white vestments and hangings are used during Christmas masses. Also, in popular culture, Christmas is usually associated with the colors red and green.

Souris is the French word for mouse.

Trivia:

His faunus trait is a pair of mouse ears

His mom sends him care packages through the mail, and he makes it a point to send thank you notes.

He wears his headphones everywhere, even when in his Beacon uniform. He typically forgets the vest and tie, and wears his shirt untucked.

He was born on Christmas, his sister was born on Christmas Eve.

His Semblance was based on Motochika’s charge attacks in the Samurai Warriors series.