#BUT YOU STILL HAD TO MAKE YOUR OWN OTO FOR THEM

[drawingeveryutau]

Sobbing, head in my hands...... Why do Macne Papa and the Cocos not have fucking oto files... tHEY WERE SOLD FOR MONEY, AND THEY DIDN'T COME WITH FUCKING OTO FILES.

[tessenpai]

Kono Oto Tomare! Chapter 135 Scans and Rough TL

Disclaimer: Please DO NOT use this translation to make your own TL of the chapter!! The KOT TL group works very hard to give you the most accurate translation, that does as much justice to the original script as possible. This is a ROUGH translation. That means is faulty and there must be mistakes in certain places. This is just for impatient people like myself to get a grasp on what is going on in the chapter! You can REFERENCE my TL if you want to discuss the chapter but never USE it as it was your own.

Scans: https://nicomanga.com/read-kono-oto-tomare-raw-chapter-135.html

Page 1

Chapter Title: #135 Celeste Blue

Side text: An overwhelming performance...!!

Page 2

*Thunderous clapping*

Page 3

*Thunderous clapping*

Judge Tatsumi [thoughts]: ...Unbeliavable... From here on...

Judge Kurokawa [thoughts]: ...The first place has already been decided.

Page 4

*No text*

Page 5

Chika: ..Ahhh... haha...

Page 6

Chika: I wanna play, already...

Takezou: Yeah.

Page 7

Kifune-sensei: Good job, everyone! Explendid! That was your best performance yet!

Miran: Really...

Imari: The heck!?

Imari: Wait, hold on. Why are you crying?

Miran: --un.

Imari: Eh?

Page 8

Miran: I had so much fun...

Page 9

Miran: Ugh----... I didn't...

Miran: I didn't know

Miran: That music could be this much fun...

Page 10

Imari: Wai- What? Stop that, now...

Page 11

Imari: Whaaaat!?

Imari: Hey, what's with you two!!? Don't cry!

Luka: It's just, I'm so happy.

Luka: I also had so much fun...!!

Luka: It was the happiest moment ever!!!

Page 12

Luka: Thank you, guys.

Imari: ...Why are you doing this----...

Imari: I also had fu-

Organizer: Ichiei High, please do not stand behind and head to the exit, please.

Kifune-sensei: Oh, my apologies. We are leaving now.

Imari: Flush

Kio: Pfff

Page 13

Kio: Ahahaha

Imari: Kio!

Kio: I'm sorry, the timing is just so...

Imari: Shut up, shut up! If you want to laugh at me, just do it!

Kio: ...Not at all. We are all feeling the same way, surely.

Tougo: Yeah, I also had fun. The most ever.

Page 14

*No text*

Page 15

*No text*

Page 16

Komaki: --san

Komaki: Tsukaji-san!

Tsukaji: Ah-

Tsukaji: ---Wha!? What!?

Komaki: Geez, why are you spacing out like that...

Tsukaji: Right, sorry... The performance was just so incredible...

Komaki: Yes, it truly felt like a whole different level, didn't it? Even I was moved.

Tsukaji[thoughts]: Up until now, Ichiei's performances have given a strong impression of 'a collection of talent' overpowering others ‘through sheer force’, but…

Page 17

Tsukaji[thoughts]: Today's performance combined the talents of every member into an overwhelming work of art..!!

Tsukaji [thoughts]: So Ichiei brought this kind of performance...

Komaki: I feel sorry for the next school---

Komaki: Isn't it super hard to go after a performance like that? It feels like everyone has already decided who will be the winner!

Komaki: There are so many people leaving the venue, too--

Page 18

Komaki: If it was me, I absolutely wouldn't want to play now...

Tsukaji: ...

Tsukaji: ...Well--- I kind of thought the same thing. But that's not right, we gotta be careful.

Komaki: Eh?

Tsukaji: We don't know anything about this kids, yet with such little information, we make all sorts of assumptions and judgements.

Tsukaji: We pity them or critize them. That kind of thing...

Tsukaji: I thought I'd reflected after the Tokise incident.

Tsukaji: But I still did it unconciously.

Page 19

Tsukaji: There are many toughts, feelings and journeys unknown to everyone else.

Tsukaji: Every school, and every person has them.

Tsukaji: Huh---!? Why are you suddenly saying something so obvious?

Tsukaji: My words just bounce off your head, don't they?

Page 20

Announcer: We will now take a 10 minute break—

Suzuka: Alright, let’s start moving

Takezou: Yes!

Mittsu: Uoooohhh it’s finally here!!

Sane: Aaaaah, let’s gooo!!

Kouta: Wowowowooow

Atsumu: *Exhale*

Natsu: …You okay?

Atsumu: Yeah!

Page 21

Sen-chan: Break a leg

Chika: !

Mittsu: Ah

Page 22

Mittsu: Tetsuki!

Tetsuki: You’re going already?

Mittsu: Yeah… My heart’s gonna burst off my chest

Tetsuki: Do your best.

Mittsu: Thanks—…

Mittsu: Woah

Same [thoughts]: Eh? Wha- Uzuki? Why’s Uzuki with them? Huh? Is it ok for me make fun of this?

Chika: Wait, what kind of weird ass combination is this?

Tetsuki: Haha

Takezou [thoughts]: He made fun

Hiro[thoughts]: He made fun

Page 23

Isaki: Come on, don’t worry about the small details. Just make sure to deliver your sound to Uzuki with all you got!

Chika: Is this your doing?

Chika: Well, but you did come after all, huh?

Chika: Make sure to open your ears wide and listen well to—…

Page 24

*No text*

Page 25

*No text just Collective gasp*

Page 26

*No text*

Page 27

*No text just my internal screaming*

Page 28

Natsu: Uhh, Senpai, there’s people behind you…

Chika: Aah, my bad…

Tetsuki: He totally froze up, didn’t he?

Isaki: It’s fine, it’s fine.

Page 29

Satowa: …—————

Satowa: …

Page 30

Satowa: …That person just now…

Chika: Aaaah—

Chika: …My father

Sane: What!!? Chika’s dad came?

Mittsu: Seriously?

Chika: It caught me off guard too.

Chika: We haven’t met in a long time.

Chika: More like, we cut off all ties with each other.

Page 31

Satowa: But he came to listen…

Satowa: All the way to Hokkaido.

Page 32

Chika: …You see, I…

Chika: Don’t have a single good memory of him.

Chika: And not for one second did I wish for him to come listen to our performance…

Chika: …And yet.

Satowa: ?

Page 33

*No Text*

Page 34

*No text*

Page 35

*No text*

Page 36

Suzuka: You guys, we’re going to be late for the load-in!

Kota: Oops, gotta hurry!

Side text: The father’s feelings were shown not through words, but through actions. Now it’s time for Chika to respond through sound—!

—-Kono Oto Tomare! will continue in the next issue!—-

[hermesserpent-stuff]

wrote a little ahead for road trip

there is child abuse refenced and chains

spoilers and mispellings galore

Gambit twist and bites at the person trying to remove the ring rom his grasp. The anger is foreign. Not his. And he knows he can soothe it. He just needs a moment oto sort through the foreign emotions and his own. He curls into a ball around his bleeding arms and breathes deeply. He ignores everything accept the screaming anger that is underlaced with so much pain. Pain that echoes what he had felt once, while stuck in Moscow. In that room. With chains. It feels like something is pulling on those memories and he lets them flow, letting calm swirl through his mind. He is no longer there. So he can see it through eyes not bursting with pain. The rage slowly fades to whimpering sadness. 

Remy stands in a empty black space, full to the brim with darkness. A little girl kneels before him, neck chained to the floor and hands holding the ring. Her clothes speak of ancient times and the chains creak with rust of over a thousand years. 

Remy sits down and uses his powers to knock away the chains. He touches her arms and orange eyes meet his own red. 

“They made me make this. Or kill my little brother. It has all my… rage. All I ever wanted was to be… free.”

She whispers, her voice echoing out. It is not english, but his mind understands it all the same. Her neck is rubbed red from bindings and her clothing is filthy.

“Desole petite. Desole.”

He opens his arms, ignoring the ring. He would much rather bring comfort to a hurt child than gain a prize. The girl is hesitant and then wraps around him.

“Iv been stuck here. A piece of me stuck to this world. Can you please help me be free?”

“I will do my best petite. Close your eyes. Let me comfort you.”

He whispers back and holds her close. He lets his mind drift to the love of his brother and papa. It was harder to see how papa loved him now that Remy had aged. But he is certain that papa still does. The memories make it easy to fill himself with positive emotions and press them into the little girl. She sighs slightly and pulls on them. Taking. And Remy willingly gives. 

The darkness around them starts to bleach to grey and she leans back. She presses the ring to his hands and curls his fingers around it. 

“Dont let anyone wear this. It is a horrid thing I had to make. It is safe to you, bur no other. I dont want to kill anymore. But I dont know how to stop.”

She whispers.

“I will keep you with me petite, until all the pain I can soothe is gone.”

She smiles at him, a sad little thing that seems to have gone unused for too long. He presses a kiss to her forehead and then is awake. He is in Wolverine’s lap in the back of the van as it bounces down the road. Wolverine is pulling glass out of his arm and licking at the wounds caused by the explosion and the resultling glass. Remy’s hand is still in a white knuckle fist around the ring, but it feels friendlier now. He takes adeep shuddering breath and he can hear Sabretooth shift in the drivers seat.

“You good cub?! You went kind of catatonic. Runt went full feral panic.”

“Im… okay. Need to… String…”

Wearing a stolen ring brazenly on his finger is not the best of ideas. His words come out slurred as he finds himself mentally exausted from extering his empathy. Hetries to shift away from wolverine and gets growled at and held tighter in response.

“Whats- whats wrong with him?

“Hes full feral right now. Human words arent really going to be a thing for a bit. Runt’s running on instinct. And as soon as we get some were safe enough to nest, he is going to pin you. And Ill help him. You need to heal.”

Sabretooth sounds… pissed? Worried? Remy’s head lulls to the side and rests on Wolverine’s collar bone. The feral sniffs his hair, chuffs, and then licks it. Remy makes a face but is too tired and feels to much like jelly to fight the feral. 

“Mmmphh. Ring’s… dont touch it. Dont put it on.  Its safe for me now. Maiiss not you. Oui? Comprendre? I no let you touch, if’n you do you die.”

He tries to make sure none of those words slur. 

Sabretooth meets his eyes through the mirror. There is a pregnant pause.

“Fine. but youre explaining this later.”

“Oui.”

Remy slurs. He slowly opens his left hand which is now a little burnt and slips the ring on his right pointer just for now. He feels something tapping from within his shields but leaves it be for now. It is very weak. He shifts a little to be more comfortable in wolverines hold and then drops to sleep.

[gx-gameon]

More about Jaden growing up with Yugi and the DM crew

He doesn’t have favorites in his family but he has different relationships with each of them.

Yugi

is his Dad and his hero.

The king of game!

The one who saved him from the orphanage.

He’s also super kind and teaches Jaden how to take care of himself and his friends.

Seto

is his Oto-san.

He’s more strict, way more strict than Dad. But he obviously cares for Jaden.

He’s so protective and isn’t great at showing his emotions.

But he loves hard and deep. He’d rip the moon from the sky if Jaden, Yugi, or Mokuba asked.

Jaden likes superhero’s? And he really loves the Elemental hero cards? But theirs only four of them, and they’re super weak? That won’t do. He reaches out to Pegasus about making more hero cards.

At first he tries to make them a private collection just for Jaden but Yugi finds out and scolds him. He can’t give Jaden his own archetype! (Especially when Jaden already made his own) so the cards are realeased to the public. But you best believe Seto got three copies of every Hero card for his son.

The Destiny hero’s infuriate him. “How come that kid (Aster Phoenix) gets his own private set of hero’s but our son can’t, Yugi?”

In actually he feels a lot of guilt over sending Jaden’s cards to space. Jaden doesn’t remember, but they found the records of it. Seto sent Jaden’s soul monster and defender (neo spacians and Yubel) to space and has been trying to get them back ever since. Until he can get his son’s cards back to him the least he can do is make sure Jaden has cards he can trust. (His idea, not Jaden’s or Yugi’s)

He couldn’t imagine someone sending his blue eyes away from him forever. He has the records of Jaden’s powers lashing out after they took Yubel from him. (He needs to get those cards back for his son)

Atem

Atem adores Jaden. And Jaden adores his uncle Atem.

Atem has always dotted on Jaden. He’s truly grateful for this second chance at life and the opportunity to be part of Yugi’s family.

He’s also very protective of Yugi and his son. Yugi and their friends fought so hard for the world. They deserve to have a peaceful life now. And Atem will defend them the same way they defended and helped him.

Once they find out about Jaden’s powers and blocked memories, Atem becomes even more protective then he was before.

He feels a lot of camaraderie with Jaden. Not just the missing memories, but also the shadow powers. Though Jaden’s comes from the Gentle Darkness and Arems from his time wilding the millennium items.

Atem always shows Jaden little magic tricks and uses his powers to play with Jaden. Even being duel spirits to life. Jaden can’t see spirits until his entrance exam but he grew up with someone who could. So he doesn’t feel like he’s going crazy when he starts seeing and hearing spirits.

Atem wanted to try and unblock Jaden’s powers but Yugi had been worried. His boy was so young and what happens if his powers lash out again. He doesn’t want Jaden to blame himself if anyone gets hurt because he’s a little kid who had a tantrum. Atem agrees but still works with Jaden. His powers will unlock one day. It’s best he’s prepared and knows that he doesn’t have to fear himself. Yugi agrees, Atem would never go against Yugi’s will.

Joey

Don’t tell the others but… Joey is Jaden’s favorite uncle. (Mainly don’t tell Seto, Atem, or Mokuba)

Joey is so fun for Jaden. He’s silly and energetic and matches Jaden’s energy.

He duels Jaden and it’s so fun. Seto can’t bring himself to go easy on any one. Yugi and Atem go easy on him, but they won’t give him the game, he learns a lot from all three, but Joey? Joey’s crazy.

Joey will pick up booster packs and they will make random decks and duel. Just for fun. Just to learn. Just for fun. Yes your deck is your heart, but theirs a lot to learn from quickly cobbling together a deck.

When Jaden’s older, Joey is the first one to break out his real deck on him (well besides Seto, who knows no chill) when Jaden beats Joey’s real deck for the first time he’s so pumped, and so is Joey. His littlest buddy is an amazing duelist!

Joey is so laid back. He loves dueling and he’s serious about it. But he remembers it’s a game. It’s fun. Something Seto’s never been good at. Atem struggles with (trauma) Yugi knows but his deck is almost unbeatable. All three of them love the game for the strategy, Joey’s here for fun and chaos. Yes he’s strategic but he also chaotic and a risk taker.

Jaden takes after him in a lot of ways. Jaden love’s strategy to, he’s learned form the best. But at duel academy? If he was like either of his father’s his identical would be blown so fast. So it’s a good thing he takes after Joey. No one thinks the prince of games to be a laid back slacker. But he learned from the best, Joey. (If Seto ever heard that statement he’d set the city on fire.

[professionallydeadinside]

Day 7: Post train

Day 7 of @bullettrainpromptweek!! Last day :( But this was super fun to do!

“And he still isn’t home! He hasn’t even answered my texts. What if something happened to him?” Yuichi was pacing a dent in his carpet, his legs burned but he needed to keep moving or he was sure he’d collapse.

Lemon, who Yuichi had invited over the second Wataru had gone past curfew, was letting Yuichi rant.

“His friends have phones, don’t they? Wataru would call if something happened, wouldn’t he? Maybe he got kidnapped. I’m going to call the school.”

Lemon stood up and stopped his boyfriend from getting his phone, gently holding him by his arms.

“Yuichi, he’s probably just at something that ran late. I don’t think he’s hurt or anything.”

“But what if he is? What if something happens and I’m too late? What if-“

“Woah! That’s a lot of what if’s, love.” Yuichi slumped and found himself breathing heavily. Lemon tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

“You’re all caught up in the maybes that you’re not thinking about this situation more accurately. Like what Thomas said, he said that “fear is the killer of the mind”.”

Yuichi chuckled.

“I don’t think Thomas said that.”

“Still.” Lemon smiled. “Wataru has been training with Tangerine and I think just being around Ladybug gives him some type of dumb luck. He’s a smart kid. He knows how to defend himself.”

Lemon could tell his boyfriend was still uncertain. He sat down on the couch. His hold on Yuichi’s arms moved to grasp his hands. Lemon gave them a tight squeeze.

“Yuichi, trust me.”

Yuichi nodded and let himself get pulled down to the couch, half sitting on Lemon. Lemon repositioned the both of them so they laid on as if they were going to sleep. Yuichi felt his breathing still, their shared warmth pulling his heart out of the pit it’d fallen into.

“See? Not too bad waiting, is it?” Lemon asked quietly.

Yuichi made a little noise, finding himself unwilling to leave the comfortable intimacy they’d created. He moved his head so his ear was pressed against Lemon’s chest. The low thrum of his heart reverberated through him, Yuichi’s own heart beating in sync.

Yuichi felt his eyelids grow heavy.

—————

“Oto-san! I’m sorry I’m late! I just lost track of time and my phone died and- oh?” Wataru noticed Lemon’s shoes at the front door. Cautiously, Wataru peeked into the living room.

“Mr. Lemon?”

Wataru saw Lemon casually sprawled on the couch. He was using the T.V. turned all the way down and waved Wataru in when the boy hesitated in the doorframe. Yuichi was still sound asleep on top of Lemon.

“Hey kid!” Lemon stage whispered. “Be quiet when you set your stuff down.”

Wataru heeded his advice and gingerly set his bag on the dinner table, taking off the coat he was wearing and draping it over the back of his chair. He snickered at first seeing his father so carelessly asleep. That feeling was quickly replaced with guilt as he realized probably why his father was so tired.

“I’m sor-“

“I calmed him down for you.” Lemon cut him off. “But you better do any homework you have before telling him you’re home.”

“Okay! Thank you and….sorry.”

“I don’t care, kid.” Lemon waved away Wataru’s apology. “Just buy a phone charger or you’re gonna make your old man go grey sooner than he already is.”

Wataru smiled and nodded enthusiastically. He rummaged through his backpack to lay out his completed homework and went to go upstairs, pausing before he left.

“Thanks Lemon!”

Lemon chuckled, trying to keep his laughter shallow so as to not rock Yuichi awake.

“Don’t mention it, kid.”

[thatsneakymedic]

October Writing Challenge Day 2 Stitches

"So let me get this straight. You ignored my warnings and you have not been keeping the stitches from getting wet and now it has gotten infected to the point that you have now developed gangrene. I DID warn you to keep that area from getting wet with water for long periods of time..."

Kabuto shakes his head as he pinches the bridge of his nose, "And to make matters worst, you went to a goddamn hot spring because you were so stressed out from staying in bed all day and you wanted to relax? And you're shocked that scarring has gotten infected from that?"

The pale trembling, shirtless Oto nin who was wincing in pain on his surgical site on his lower stomach laid on the surgical bed.

Around the stitched up opening, rather painful looking lymph nodes were close to the stitch site, inflammation, pus, and a rotting smell leaked from it. And while Kabuto is already used to such smells, it still made his stomach turn at the sight of the rather unsightly area.

"Fucking hell, just how long were you submerged into that water to begin with?!" Kabuto exclaimed while reaching over to get one of his medical masks to cover his nose with.

"... I may have passed out. But I did cover it with a plastic bad and some duct tape! I swear! Though it still came off when I woke up. Just please! I don't want to suffer anymore from this!" The Oto nin whined as he cringed and winced in pain.

"Fine... I'll see what I can do for you. But if it's too infected, I might have to suggest bed rest for months till the infection is under control. Of course, that would come out of your pocket money since I'm not doing this for free, and because of your reckless actions. I spent enough time taking care of you when I should've been by Lord Orochimaru's side. How would you make this up to me then?" Kabuto glared at them with his glasses shining ominously.

"Please." The man pleaded weakly, and Kabuto sighed irritably. Despite his role as a doctor, even his own patience can reach it's limits. Especially when the Oto nin before him was well known to get himself into so much trouble that could be avoided if they had listened. He then puts on the medical gloves as the man lays down as he shuts his eyes tight. Thankful that someone as patient as Kabuto would help him whenever he's in a fix like this and will always be there to treat him since that's what doctors are supposed to do after all. Doctors are obligated to treat and cure people after all no matter how obnoxious and stupid their patients are!

Almost as if he could read his mind, Kabuto's lips then curve into a mysterious smile.

Guess they won't be missing their ability to hear after this procedure...

@lunyraartistry

[im-captain-basch]

Lanky, your second rival for the Pokemon Trainer AU

Gamers of all demographics, I now present to you............ them

Lanky is a kind-hearted if goofy soul who has been wandering Unova alone for a couple of years now. Only slightly older than Diddy and Dixie, he befriends them a few months before the beginning of the story when he ventured into Aspertia City on a whim and encountered them in the park. He aspires to make people happy, but sometimes his antics cause a bit more chaos than good.

Lanky is a Unova native who, as a small child, was placed under the care of Unova’s own Team Void by his much older brother for reasons that aren’t quite clear. It’s thought this was why he tries to find ways to make others happy.

His team consists of:

Creampuff (Igglybuff, male, Quirky nature)

Clapper (Popplio, male, Jolly nature)

Chester (Patrat, female, Impish nature)

Valeria (Vullaby, female, Relaxed nature)

Oto (Palpitoad, male, Bold nature)

Enzi (Scraggy, male, Rash nature)

Some additional fun facts:

-Lanky in the AU is one of few characters who have absolutely no trainer basis, even generic or protag ones. This is because I’m kind of free-handing his character for the AU. You’ll see why when both his brother and Team Void get introduced further.

-He is also one of three characters who I had to draw designs for twice, but the only one whose redesign was because I just didn’t like it as opposed to my computer imploding itself.

-He tried to physically attend one of the two trainers schools in the region, but his young age at the time compared to everyone else as well as his brother’s hands being tied up with his own duties led to him mostly learning about becoming a trainer through online means and by watching others.

-Creampuff was a gift from his brother after he started roaming Unova.

-Some people are wary of Lanky, but still polite to him, because of his status as a ward of Team Void. He’s genuinely harmless, but understands people’s concerns.

[fruitanddarkness]

The fury contained within the Princesses body caused her cheeks to become flushed and raise her body temperature... perhaps because of that, she was able to notice that this room was suddenly becoming colder. Her obi now even giving off a hiss like a defensive serpent. • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · Yet. Time seemed to slow as the younger Oni picked up a change in his tone. A shift in his focus; which only meant one thing... Was Doma actually upset with her?

That.. was shocking to say the least. The last time Daki could remember actually seeing him in such a state, was when that woman fled from the temple with her child years ago. Some of her own fury was quelled; replaced out of the sheer shock of knowing her words seemed to finally do something to him..! The painted demoness exhaled.. calming her sashes visibly as they slowed their irritated movements. For as shocked as she was... it was a dangerous transgression to actually get under the frigid skin of the creature who heralded this temple. While the Princess did not prostrate herself, her aggressive stance settled into a more calm and casual posture as the conflicting taste of pride in herself for bringing him to such a state mingled with a sense of imminent danger should she misstep. Ume realized at that moment, she might have overstepped a boundary. One that could very well make this entire exchange... unpleasant. Moreso than the typical gaslighting and word twisting she had built up a resistance to.

"No. I never said that." Slayers at that level, she knew they were insects. But even insects have a way of scurrying away. Spreading their little words and coming back with more. Even if numbers didn't make a difference, they needed to be taken care of before they could return to their wretched home. That was a lesson she learned from her dear father figure; do not let even one escape. For that one will surely spoil any plans for the future... Even so, a little gratitude with no strings attached would be nice; she couldn't deny that in her heart.

• —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

"Oto-san. If I wasn't grateful to you, I wouldn't continue to patrol this place of my own free will or bring you back women from Yoshiwara who I know you'd like to have here as followers. I wouldn't continue to come to family meals as I do..."

That request to have those meals made so many years ago.. it came from the Princess's lips herself. Upon hearing that their Lord would be relocating her and her brother to The Entertainment District to act as his eyes and ears to such a lively hub of information... as elated as she was, it meant she would have to leave this place that served as her home for decades. Even though she would be with Gyutaro, there was... something here. Something that she wanted to keep.. the word, family, seemed to fit. 'Oto-san. When I go.. can I still come back? Can we still share meals together?'

• —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · Where...where did those innocent requests go? When did these memories suddenly start to Ume hurt so deeply?

"...I'm sick of you twisting my words. Turning what accomplishments I do have to my name, into something you shame me for or refuse to acknowledge me for them! And then tell me to stay off of the battlefield when all I want to do is become stronger..! How can I possibly do that if I don't fight or devour humans? Tell me. If everything you say you do is out of love for me; for your precious daughter.. then why does it make me feel so-

The Upper Six froze for a few moments as her words that dripped with honesty were cut off. Slowly...Daki covered her mouth as she noticed at that moment her beautiful emerald and crimson hues found themselves threatening to overflow with emotion. Unable to bring herself to say the word that threatened her own sanity... and she knew she had already said too much.

• —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Useless.

Ever expanding, the prisms within their eyes stilled upon the slithering obi, rattling like a snake's tail as it could barely contain its charge. Rage? It was thinly veiled on her features, as well. Slumped on a pillow, toying idly with a human eyeball between his fingers, the frozen lotus had been staring at the ceiling without much of an expression.

❝ Of course you killed them. ❞ Wannabes. Her own words, but Dōma's pointed tone would bring her attention to the contradiction there. She could deal with any lesser rank of the Corps with ease. Was that something to boast over? Or did she think their Master would keep rewarding her, when her achievements would remain so miniscule? Truly she couldn't be that stupid, to where she hadn't realized how mercurial that man's whims were. And yet she was drunk on his praise, flaunting it as if it were an achievement. One failure would suffice for Lord Muzan to cripple her with those same hands that had held her face so affectionately. Dōma, at least, for all his vices, had never been arbitrary. Of all the demons she would come to meet, he would have been the only one to ever tell her the truth; that she was still just a spy. The Lord's eye in the human world. But, alas, this one had always been desperate to prove herself. And yet—

What I do is not for you. Not anymore.

A pregnant pause. Upper Two's fiddling with the remains ceased, pupil pinched between his claws and held up in the light. This human had possessed brown irises, a dark shade like wet soil. But, for once, the demon's focus wasn't on that. As much as he wanted to ignore it, there was something else; something... bothersome.

In his time as their father, Dōma had tolerated several things. Daki's ugly temper, the loudness of her tantrums. Gyutaro's insatiable appetite. Their joined messy eating. Their lack of manners. The way every little screw up they ever had growing up would always be blamed on them and them alone, as it was their call to bring these two within the collective. Perhaps, Upper Two had been spared the disgrace of, say, his direct subordinate. The ones Akaza turned never seemed to last as long despite their prowess. In Dōma's humble opinion, that was mostly because he chose them based on skill and not character. In the Lord Founder's view, it was only expected that those who had lived horrible lives riddled with suffering and hatred should live on as demons. And because these siblings held such potential, he had agreed to tolerate all those aforementioned things.

But patience has its limits.

❝ Let me ask you something. Since you feel so wronged by my words. ❞ He made to sit up, slowly, the eye in his grip flicked away to the floor, where it could roll until it met her toe. There was that tranquility to his tone; not the kind she would be familiar with. It was soft, and quiet, and almost childlike; yet his cadence carried the frost that had begun to creep across the room.❝ Do you think... your actions tonight are worthy of praise from me? Do you think I should be thankful towards you? ❞

[amjustagirl]

Chapter 4: catching fire 

chapters: 4 / 15  pairing: miya osamu x f! reader  genre: romance, angst, fluff, inarizaki shenanigans  wc: 5.1k summary: miya osamu does not dare set fire to his heart. it burns anyway. 

(prev / next) 

You spent your whole life learning to be lonely but Miya Osamu turns everything inside out, upside down. He’d apologised to you that morning, knocking knees as you sat on the sidewalk, devouring the onigiris he brought you. 

“For assumin’ things”, he says - “though to be clear - I really wasn’t lookin’ down on your job. I don’t see anythin’ wrong with working at a combini. It’s a good, honest job. I ain’t gonna judge you if you’re okay with it.”

“But you still think it’s a waste.” 

He rolls his shoulders, stretching them languidly. “Can ya blame me?” he’d asked. “I’ve never seen anyone just step in and run a service like that before. It looked like you could make onigiris in your sleep!” 

You tuck your hair behind your ear, tilting your chin down in an attempt to curl in on yourself. “I mean - as I said, I was kinda trained for it.”

“Mm.” 

And though this is usually a topic that’ll make you clam up, scuttling back into your shell, because Osamu just hums in response, leaning back on his hands as if to leave you enough space to change the subject if you so choose, you decide to peek out of your cave, take one step into the sun. 

“My dad used to own a sushi restaurant”, you explain. “What you’re renting from me - that used to be my family’s restaurant. I trained there ever since I could hold a knife - I’m not even sure I was older than five but they wanted me to have a head start.” 

“Why can’t I play with the other kids?” you ask your mother in earshot of your father. “Why do I have to help out at the store all day? I don’t wanna make sushi like Oto-san. I wanna go out and play?” 

You’re thrown out by your ear, ordered to squat by the trashcans under the scorching sun until you learn how to behave like you’re meant to. 

To be seen, not heard. 

To exercise your nimble fingers, not your loud mouth. 

To be a good, dutiful daughter, a sad consolation prize to the glaring lack of a son.  

You scoff softly. “‘I was supposed to take over when my dad passed but then I realised I couldn’t. ‘Twas too much.”

“Hmm”, is all Osamu has to say. But when you glance up at him, his face is devoid of any judgement. 

“Hmm?” 

He tips his head back, squinting against the sun’s glare. 

“Everyone expected me to go pro, play volleyball full time”, he says as your eyebrows jump up in surprise. “M’ not boastin’ or anythin’ - but I was pretty damn good at it. Went to nationals, got picked for a couple of training camps here and there. ‘Tsumu - he’s my twin, you haven’t met him yet, but he’s a pain in the ass, so it’s a good thing you haven’t - anyway. Yeah - so ‘Tsumu was convinced that we’d take on the world together, smash our way onto the national team, go to the Olympics, bring home a gold or two.” 

"What happened?" 

A snort. 

"Though that was all I was trained to do - " like you, the subtext implied - "I didn't wanna do it. Pissed 'Tsumu off so much we got into a fistfight - nearly got suspended but our captain intervened. In the end, Tsumu and I decided that we'll see who's had the happier life when we die." 

“So who’s ahead as of now?”

Another soft snort. "It's definitely gonna be me. Don’t listen to what Tsumu says." 

You’re sure his brother would vociferously dispute that, but fortunately, he's not around to press his case. "So you're saying you're like me?" you ask. 

"I wouldn't dare. Not when you're far more talented a chef than I am", Osamu jokes. But when you roll your eyes skywards, his expression turns serious. 

"All I'm sayin' is nothing matters as long as you're happy with your life."

He doesn't ask the unspoken question - whether you are happy. It's a good thing he doesn't, because you're not sure whether you can even respond. But you figure you've probably reached your quota of opening your gut to allow your heart a moment in the sun, you don't give him a chance. So you elbow him, teasingly asking if he's seriously out of onigiri already when he promised you a big breakfast.

"Greedy guts", he chuckles, climbing to his feet. "C'mon. I'll feed you all the onigiri you can eat." Then, tapping his chin mock-thoughtfully, he adds - "on one condition." 

You raise a brow. "What?" 

"If you have time, would you teach me how to cook?" 

"Miya-san, you're literally a chef" you point out patiently. 

"I never went to any of those fancy culinary schools and now I've got a real life sushi chef who's dropped into my lap. Can ya blame me for wantin' to take advantage of that?" 

"Free flow onigiris all day?" 

"I'll throw in all the barley tea and pork bone soup you can drink."

For the first time in forever, you throw your head back to laugh openly, without restraint. "Deal", you answer, doubling over when he shows his appreciation by curtseying to you. 

If you consider your life frozen in place after your parents died, meeting Miya Osamu sparks a chemical reaction, lighting a fire that starts to tear through your life. The first kiss of warmth against bare skin and you start to awaken from your long hibernation, brushing off the white fleece of snow to turn your face towards the embrace of the sun.

Since it’s no longer a secret that you’re well-versed in the food business and with Osamu’s blessing (though he tries to argue that if you’re going to be helping out, he should actually be paying you a wage - you just stare and refuse to hear any further from him) you feel more at ease slipping into Onigiri Miya’s kitchen to help out as and when you please.

You’d missed working rice with your hands, the satisfaction that comes with creating good, unpretentious food that feeds and nurtures. At first you’re just glad not to be shunned by his crew, trying your best to be a help and not a hindrance, an extra pair of hands willing to do whatever’s thrown at you, but they exceed your expectations by accepting you easily as one of them.

Suzuki-san, the matriarch of Onigiri Miya’s staff, dotes on you to no end. She nags at you incessantly, always greeting you with various iterations about whether you’ve eaten, and whether what you’ve eaten is enough. ‘Suzuki-san’, you always answer patiently, ‘I probably eat far too much’. Not that you’ve ever managed to convince her, because she always insists you sit down and eat. Sometimes you get away with diverting her attention to Miyamura-kun because he deserves more mothering, being so far away from his family, you point out to Osamu when he pokes fun at you for using the shy younger boy as a shield.

He’s not so amused when Morita and Ishida start dancing attention on you. “We’re just teasing”, the duo cries when they try to ask you out for coffee - jokingly, you’re sure because firstly - they’re much younger than you, fresh in their twenties, and secondly - why would anyone ask you out anyways, so Osamu really doesn’t have to worry about you feeling pestered, you don’t mind their boyish antics much.

“They’re being twats”, he states flatly. “If they bother you too much, I’ll deal with them.”

Morita and Ishida do call you pretty lady in jest, you’re sure, but they’re fun to be around, jokes ricocheting off the walls of the kitchen, and they actually look out for you, snapping at customers are a little less polite to you. So you like them, and Osamu eases off when you reassure him.  

“It’s kinda nice being around them”, you muse. “It’s like having a set of twin brothers growing up - though I’m not sure I’d have survived that.”

Osamu snorts. “Twins are terrors. My whole family can attest to that.”

Miya Osamu, you soon realise, doesn’t just have a tight knit family at work. You meet his twin brother Atsumu when he sticks his head into the store to holler for his brother, stopping short when you inform him politely that Osamu’s out for a delivery.

“You’re new” he peers at you. “Definitely haven’t seen you around before.”

You stumble through your explanation that you’re really just his landlady but you’re just interested in honing your rusty kitchen skills so here you are. You much prefer Osamu’s smile to that of his twin’s, because Atsumu smirks at you as you fumble through your explanation, a cheshire grin that you suspect is at your expense.

“Everyone’ll tell you I’m definitely the better lookin’ one of us two, but ‘Samu really isn’t too bad himself, don’t tell him I said that though or he won’t make me food anymore - he can be real touchy sometimes - he’s an all-round scrub, but he can be cool despite all of that - ”

“You do realise you’re identical twins, right?”

“Miya-san”, you bow, greeting the woman you mistook for Osamu’s wife the first time you met him. 

“Darlin’, light o’ my life, mother of my children-”

“-To my eternal regret”

Kaiyo grins at you even as she grapples with her husband who’s clinging on to her and complaining about her jab imitating a strangely vocal, oversized limpet. Once freed of Atsumu, who sulks in a corner, she playfully scolds you to call her by her name instead of Miya-san, 'especially since there’re enough Miyas to start a volleyball team. You’re momentarily confused when she starts berating Atsumu for sellin’ Osamu wrongly, is that really the best you could’ve come up with - but she corrals you into a seat, offering you mochi that she brought for Osamu - yet another weakness of yours.

“I’m trying to convince you that I’m actually friendly and NOT scary as these idiots might claim.”

You murmur that you’re sure she’s definitely not intimidating at all (though if you’re being honest, her intensity takes a little getting used to) and she smiles triumphantly at her husband, though he just reaches over to pinch her nose. 

“Shoo - you’re a nuisance -” 

It’s a little funny to watch Atsumu traipse off to find Osamu in the back, tail between his legs. 

Kaiyo continues, unruffled. “I hear you’ve been helping out around Onigiri Miya - that’s so nice of you! ‘Specially since I know ‘Samu’s always drowning in work, and he’s mentioned you’ve helped so much!”

You tuck your hair behind the shell of your ear. “He has?” you mumble, cheeks burning hot.

“He has!” Kaiyo chirps, her smile stretching out into a self-satisfied grin. ‘Anyway, enough of these men - tell me more about yourself! I hear you used to run a sushi restaurant! That’s amazing!”

The wave of self consciousness crashes against the rocks when you explain that you’re really just a worker at 7/11, flooding across you when you find out Kaiyo is a high-powered forensic accountant, working in one of those tall, glass buildings downtown. Sometimes you wonder if things had been different - if you weren’t told that your sole purpose in life was to take over your family’s business, maybe you would’ve had the chance to explore something other than wielding a kitchen knife - perhaps, perhaps, like Kaiyo, perhaps you might’ve gone to university, fallen in love, had a family. Though you figure it’s probably pointless to mull over what could’ve been, what might’ve been, because you’re you.

Life deals you the cards, you stick to that.

But that wave recedes almost immediately when she doesn’t show any sign of confusion or judgement, acknowledging you as a ‘working girl, earning your keep, just like her!’ It recedes even further, the precursor to the full-blown tsunami that’s about to sweep through your life (Miya Kaiyo, after all, is a force of nature to be reckoned with), when she perks up as you mention the name of your family’s restaurant, clapping her hands together when it turns out that your family used to purchase their kitchen knives from hers - you yourself grew up with the heft of the Nakayama family’s knives, so it’s no wonder it’s so easy for you to acclimatise to Osamu’s kitchen, since he too uses their knives.

“See! Fate decreed that we’re meant to be friends!” Kaiyo exclaims.

Right at that moment, Osamu walks in, eyes narrowing as he notices the proximity between you and his irrepressible sister in law, ears pricking up as he overhears her comment.

“Be less desperate for female friendship”, he deadpans, scuttling when she swipes at him playfully, ducking into the kitchen to escape her imminent wrath.

“‘Samu’s annoying”, Kaiyo grouses, but still she doesn’t relinquish her hold on your hand. “But ignore him! I know I probably sound desperate - but I do want to be friends, if you’d like! It’s hard to make friends when you’re an adult. I only moved to Osaka for university and then spent most of my twenties building a career and taking care of my family, and then my best friend married one of ‘Tsumu’s friends and moved all the way to rural Hyogo -”

Atsumu guffaws. “Yer not allowed to complain about it, you literally dumped Ichika into Shinsuke’s lap -”

“So if you’d like to exchange numbers, we can hang out together, when we’re free if you like”, Kaiyo continues, undeterred despite her husband’s interjection. “We are going to be firm friends, I’m sure of it!”

Friends…?

You never knew what to talk to your classmates about when you were in school. Shared topics of conversation eluded you when you spent all your time at your father’s restaurant, learning to slice fish and wash rice instead of participating in after school club activities or watching anime. You were not pretty as a child, awkward in the way teenagers are wont to be, and there’s nothing particularly outstanding about you that’d make your peers give you a chance.

“You want to be friends?” your voice trails off. Confusion keeps striking you, despite the proverbial saying that lightning never strikes twice, but the Miya clan seems intent on defying all odds. “With me?”

Kaiyo grins, fishing your phone from your hand. “Of course”, she replies, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, though it’s far from obvious to you.

“Why?” you ask, still stunned.

She peers at you. Noticing your unease, she takes a step back to grant you a little more space, the curve of her mouth soft.

“Why wouldn’t I want to know you?” she answers.

You don’t have an answer to that. So even though you’re still reeling from the unexpectedness of the universe dropping two separate individuals seeking out your friendship in the span of a few months, you start reciting your number.  

“Fair warning, I’m a really boring person”, you say as she types it down, a wide smile on her face. “I’m not sure I’ll be fun to hang out with.”

“Anyone who ‘Samu decides to befriend will definitely be interesting enough for me”, she replies. “Unless you’re offering him an endless supply of free food, because that man will be friends for food -”

“I hear my name bein’ mentioned, and not in a good way.”

“Kaiyo’s bullyin’ you for once”, Atsumu crows, flapping his arms in delight. “Serve ya right.”

Osamu leaps at his brother, trapping him in a headlock and Kaiyo just laughs at the chaos, a merry, silvery sound that glistens in the light, making Atsumu completely surrender to his brother just so he can gaze at her, utterly besotted, a sailor lost to his siren’s call.

“You and Atsumu are very cute together”, you tell Kaiyo when she does drag you out for coffee on a weekend, Shoma cuddled on her lap like a content raccoon, stealing bites of her cake. “He seems like a good husband.”

“He does, doesn’t he”, she hums, sipping at her cup. “‘Samu and my brothers are pretty hard on him, but I think he’s pretty decent. We’re okay now, at least.”

Kaiyo calling their marriage decent seems a little like an understatement. Atsumu dances attention on her constantly, doling out sappy nicknames without shame - the light of his eyes, his lodestar, all of which both she and Osamu dissolve into laughter over. On Kaiyo’s part, she doles out affection and light teasing to Atsumu in equal parts, offering kisses whilst simultaneously poking fun at his antics. It’s clear they work as a team, taking turns pop by Onigiri Miya to pick up their children from Osamu’s care.

To love and be loved is such a beautiful, rare thing.

You’ve hardly seen it in your parents’ own marriage. Sharing a bed, speaking to each other only about the restaurant, pouring every waking hour into the business instead of each other - you’re pretty sure that does not qualify as a healthy, loving marriage. Perhaps, perhaps you might’ve been more interested in going out to find happiness with a partner of your own if you had Kaiyo and Atsumu as a role model instead.  

It’s funny though, because Osamu doesn’t seem to think so, scoffing. “You wouldn’t think so if you’d seen them together about a decade ago”, he says. “‘Tsumu’s a twat, and Kaiyo has a bad habit of listening to her marshmallow of a heart too much. It’s a miracle their kids have turned out somewhat sane.”

You’ve been around both Miya children from time to time, and they definitely do not strike you as completely normal. Shino’s loud like her father, who just seems to egg her on, taking pride in everything she does, whether volleyball related or not (look, did you hear Shin-chan actually PASSED English this semester? She’s got her brains from her ma, that’s f’sure) and it’s uncanny to be around Shoma, because a five year old shouldn’t be so quiet and serious, his watchful eyes following you around the restaurant as you teach Osamu the finer tricks to slicing and dicing fish, confusing you to no end.

“Could you show me that again?” Osamu says, tongue sticking out in concentration as you show him the techniques your father taught you to score fish.

You reach over to shift his grip on his knife. “You need to cut through the flesh more quickly”, you instruct, but obligingly give another demonstration again.

There’s a soft tug to the leg of your jeans.

You look down to find Shoma bouncing on his heels, not much taller than your knees. Osamu just chuckles and lifts him up to a stool. “You need to talk so people actually know what you want”, he admonishes his nephew gently, the little boy gesturing at the knife.

“Wanna try”, Shoma says, cheeks pink, insistent on being included.

“You can also try sayin’ please and thank you”, Osamu adds.

“Please and thank you”, the little boy parrots, gazing intently at the knife.

There’s a frisson of uneasiness when Osamu reassures you that it’s fine to let the little boy try, handing the full chef’s knife over to him with just a reminder not to chop your finger off, Sho-chan, your ma’ll kick my ass. He’s your age when you started helping around the store, resentful at being torn from the playground, from being separate from your friends.

But Miya Shoma clearly is eager to learn his uncle’s trade of his own volition, and handles the knife with all the concentration you’d expect of a child thrice his age, so you remind yourself he isn’t you. He has a choice. He isn’t forced to be in the kitchen or be ordered to go to bed without dinner. He’s clearly happy to be in his uncle’s kitchen where he’s loved and pampered with all the snacks and cuddles his little heart might desire.

He is not you.

(the ghosts that haunt you start to fade, melting away from the firelight)

“You’re good with kids”, you hum when Shoma produces neat, even slices of salmon, astonishing you but not his proud uncle, who fistbumps him and takes pictures for his adoring parents.

“Shin-chan practically grew up in the store cos ‘Tsumu was off chasing sporting glory, and Sho-chan likes hangin’ around here more than at daycare cos there’s more food and people going around. And they’re good kids anyway, so it’s no trouble to have them around”, Osamu says off-hand, throwing together a quick snack of salmon and rice for Shoma, evidently hungry from the way he’s tugging at his uncle’s sleeve.

A tight knit family then, you conclude, with nary a crack to be found between them. You watch as Atsumu takes turns with Kaiyo to visit the store everyday to pick up Shoma, Shino in tow after volleyball practice, the little family gathering together some weekday nights to share a late dinner with Osamu who tries to pretend he resents his twin’s presence by telling him his onigiris were definitely not made with love while surreptitiously presenting Kaiyo with extras for tomorrow, cos ‘Tsumu has a game and he always performs better with some fatty tuna inside of him. The brothers heckle each other, tease Kaiyo and let the children run riot all over the shop.

Osamu keeps trying to corner Kaiyo before she drags you out for meals, though you somehow suspect he comes off the worse in each encounter, slinking back to the kitchen as she carries you off triumphantly, a hint of her husband’s trademark smirk firmly on her face.

“Don’t let Kaiyo talk you into nonsense, yeah?” - is all Osamu says when you ask him what exactly is going on. Atsumu only shrugs, but looks as if butter won’t melt in his mouth when he motions to you that he doesn’t know anything, though he also tells you to blink twice if you’re bein’ forced into anythin’, yeah?

Which really does NOT give you any confidence or comfort, but you do like Kaiyo, and you can’t discern any wisp of meanness or malice about her.

“‘Samu’s just concerned that I’m bullying you - but I’m not, am I?” Kaiyo protests when you ask her about it. 

Far from it, you assure her - because it’s true, she’s warm and funny and generous and tells you funny little anecdotes about her family (Shoma swallowed a fish bone when we were visiting ‘Tsumu in Tokyo, so we had to rush him to office, but the worst part of it all was that ‘Tsumu somehow got it into his head that it’d be a good idea to dump Shino on Ushiwaka his CAPTAIN who was about to go on a blind date) and colleagues (they were having an impromptu shuffleboard party after audit season with staples and a broom! Which is fun and all but what if a client walked past?! Those idiots - though I won the tournament anyway HA).

If this is what a friendship is like, you decide you really quite like it.

Speaking of friends - you seem to have another candidate waiting in line.

“Are you hungry, Kombu-chan?”

The cat meows at you in response. It’s a silly question, you admit, since she’s polished off the usual tuna can and dried food you’ve taken to feeding her after each shift with feline aplomb, though you can’t figure out why she’s still following you from work. The ugly green of your uniform is distinctive in the sea of dull blue and brown and grey and black in a city of suits, so perhaps she’s just blindly following familiarity, but it turns out that she’s just intent on following you home.

Your mother would have screamed the house down if a cat or any animal for that matter even dared to darken the doorway of her immaculately kept apartment, but she’s not here to protest, even if her bones are probably rattling in its urn right now. But it’s your home now, three bedrooms too large for a single occupant, so what’s another to you?  

Just chalk it up to another instance of the universe sending a soul your way.

“You’re probably lonely then”, you say to her as she roosts on your sofa, imperiously surveying her new kingdom. Like me, you’d wanted to add, the words on the very tip of your tongue, but you don’t say them because it’s not true, at least not any more.  

“I don’t know how to take care of a cat”, you pronounce over the phone to Osamu. “But I have a cat now.”

“Congrats”, he says dryly over the commotion of people calling out for more onigiris, the crackle and sizzle of the grill. “Go google what to do.”

But he does turn up at your place that night with cat litter and a tray and a feeding bowl before crouching before Kombu-chan to solemnly greet her, offering her highness his lowly fingers to sniff at before she decides him worthy enough to be her temporary throne.

“She likes you! You’re her friend now!” you clap your hands, laughing when he complains about not being able to get up and pee.  

You know Kombu–chan’s latched on to Osamu because he feeds her on the sly, bringing her bits of fish from the restaurant when he pops by to bring you food, when he tells you that walking you home from the combini is just part of a much needed  break from the restaurant. And now it’s his turn to fall head over heels for the cat, popping over with treats as an excuse to see her, snorting when she bats at his hands to signal her displeasure that he’s not brought more treats.

“We’re friends now, I guess”, he answers, but you can tell he’s only feigning reluctance from the way he coos and boops his nose against Kombu-chan’s pink, pert one.  

The universe knows what it’s doing, you decide. Kombu-chan with all her funny little habits of following you about your morning ablutions, sunbathing on the window ledge with one eye open to watch the parrot in your neighbour’s home - it all brings you such quiet joy. Her fur is soft, you discover, when she deigns to allow you to pat her, and she purrs, the noise rumbling through your body as she treats your belly as her personal heating pad.

She’s the last class you take in unlearning your lessons in loneliness.

Your heart is frozen beneath layers and layers of deep snow, tucked away behind snowbanks, but without you realising it, it starts to melt from the warmth that actual human (or feline) connection brings you, sweeping aside the blankets of white you’ve chosen to swaddle yourself in. Icy rivers thaw out into a rushing stream, icicles fall from the trees.

wake up dear heart, it’s almost spring.

Now there’s someone to greet tadaima to when you kick off your shoes in the genkan, chat with as you whip up a meal for yourself (there was the meanest customer today who kept trying to trick me into giving him more change), someone to cuddle with on cool nights. And though you’ve never dared to ask life for too much, you’ve learnt to be greedy, you want to ask for a little more. You want someone to respond with okaerie instead of a meow, someone to trade stories about with his bad day (ridiculous customers complaining about onigiris having too much rice, perhaps), something a little larger and broader to cuddle with on cool nights.

One step at a time.

You’ve only just tasted sunshine for the first time in years, you need to build up your strength and stamina for the long journey forward. But over a third beer and the umpteenth plate of fried chicken Kaiyo ordered, after hearing about the family trip back to the Miya ancestral home in Hyogo that she has planned for Obon, you admit in between a drunken ramble about how thankful you are for her friendship, that you don’t have any family yourself, and that sometimes, despite being used to being alone, you wish for the universe to take pity on you and send someone your way.

In your drunken fog, you recall being thankful that she doesn’t patronise you with her pity, letting yourself be pulled into a tight hug, murmuring platitudes that you don’t quite remember before she calls it a night and flags a cab to send you home. The next time you see her, however, she ambushes you with apologies that - she’d invite you to join them on their trip, “but we’re visiting Atsumu’s witch of a grandmother, and I wouldn’t wish her upon anyone”, Kaiyo explains apologetically.

“I was just being silly”, you frantically say, trying to explain that you weren’t trying to garner any sympathy or an invite to their family outings. You’re a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, and you curse your loose tongue. “I would never - I mean, please! It’s your family holiday, I have Kombu-chan now! Please don’t worry about me - please enjoy your trip! I’m sure it’ll be nice, despite um - the grandmother in law.”

Inspiration seems to strike Kaiyo, and she stares at you with an irrepressible spark in her eyes.

“Actually”, she says, tapping briskly on her phone, “if you do have a week off in fall, sometime in late September, you should join all of us on our trip to Hyogo! My best friend - and Atsumu’s high school captain - they’re married, I set them up, y’see - anyway, they always invite all their close friends up to stay on their farm, they have a guesthouse that’ll house the lot of us, and you should join us! Keep ‘Samu company, we always joke that he should bring a friend.”

“I couldn’t possibly”, you try to dissuade her, but she refuses to hear a no for an answer, proving to be as obstinate as her son - yet another thing he inherits from her ma, Atsumu laughs when you tell him about Shoma’s progress as your little kitchen helper, and his wife’s bullheaded insistence to drag you along for the trip.

“Just go along with it”, he says. “Enjoy the free trip! Who knows what it might bring.”

So you pack your bags for a brief weekend trip and arrange for a cat sitter for Kombu-chan (thankfully, your next door neighbour has a fondness for cats) as the heat of August finally wanes and cools into September, the slow burn of the trees from green into simmering shades of yellow and gold, the world catching fire.  

a/n: just some slice of life fluff, hope y’all enjoy it! 

[xlysaaa]

Ahhhhhh

Ok, so this might become a bit of a long post. After reading the latest Kono oto Tomare! chapter, i just have to get these feelings off my chest. It'll be random & full ramblings.

i put some panels of chapter 105 but also from 99.5 in this post.

-> lot of spoilers, so read at your own risk <-

this wont be a review or something. I just want to ramble and scream.

First of all, Chikas father . . .

I have literally no fucking words for this sorry excuse of a father! seeing this flashback made me wanna puke my fucking guts out on the floor.

how much do you have to sink as a human being to make YOUR VERY OWN CHILD think this?

What kind of human scum do you have become to tell to YOUR VERY OWN SON " It's hell. Ever since you were born, Its always been hell." ?! What kind of heartless huge shit being do you have to be to treat your very own son like he's the worst, like he isnt worth of human affection or care?!

While Chika was scared & uncomfortable, because he punched someone for the first time to defend himself, instead of talking about it the father looked at him like he was dirt.

When Chika went to the Takaokas that day in Chapter 99.5, he brought back come of the selfmade cake from Tetsukis mum, because he wanted to share it with his father, he thought he could make him happy.

look at this adorable sweet baby bean? how dare you make him cry. ༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽

Imagine a little smiling chika hoping his father would come back early from work to share this delicious cake with him. . . and THEN! imagine the father telling chika in his drunk state all those horrible things, while chika still cares for his father and put a blanket on him to keep him warm. Only for the faher to say ".. I cant bringt myself to love you."

We read in the latest chapter that his mother left with another man, chika cant even remember her face, because he was 2 years old. If its because of the dad, why wouldnt she take chika with her? i dont care whatever her business is, she is as much to blame as this human trash called father. There were so many moments were i had to pause for a bit cause these scenes were too heartbreaking.

Of course Chika would never treasure himself when never once did his father! How should he know how to hold himself dear, when his father never did?

I cant find even the words to describe, what i'm feeling. I feel so sick to my stomach.

I'm so glad that he had his grandpa who cherished him and gave Chika affection. He always encouraged Chika. "Hey, Chika. Dont give up on yourself" & showed him the Koto. He & Tetsuki literally pulled Chika out of the deep darkness & showed him light.

Look Chika, they're all waiting for you! T____T

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

When Tetsuki transfered into Chikas class, a boy told him that he shouldnt get involved with chika because he's a loner & he's trouble. He said "Instead you can be friend with us" to which Tetsuki replied "Thanks. But no thanks." IN YO FACE YOU SHITTY BULLY CHILD.

Anyways, after school the boy & his friends planed to isolate Tetsuki & bully him . . welp, these boys forget chika "LAME. You guys are super lame." and off they go :'D thank to these shitty children ⬇️

a wonderful unbreakable friendship started! They became best friends who were inseparable. /chikas adorable blush q.q sweet baby bean!!!

When Chika had an argument with his father & left the house, he was bullied by middles schoolers & fought. . . it was then when they started to slowly fall apart.. Chika started to avoid Tetsuki & isolated himself again. Even when Tetsuki tried to ask what happened or tried to help him, Chika would only say "Its got nothing to do with you, do dont butt in." Tetsuki blamed himself "If only I had been there the first time Chika had fought. Maybe we could've run. Maybe we could've feigned defeat. Anything so he didnt have to deal with their attention. Any maybe he would still be . . ." He missed his best friend & was worried what would happen to Chika if he keeps going on like this..

Tetsuki was told by the teacher that his mother had an accident & needs surgery. He's waiting anxious in the hospital, hoping for the best, trying to keep the worst case thoughts away . . thats when Chika comes running into the hospital he was worried!

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS SIMPLY PERFECTION, I CANT!!! ૮₍ ꒦꒳꒦ ₎ა❤

When Tetsukis dad said to Chika that he heard a lot about him from his wife & thanked him for supporting Tetsuki, he asked about his wounds & if they hurt. . thats when Tetsuki learns the reason, why chika kept his distance from him. He didnt want to involve him or put him in danger. "E-Everything's fine! I'm not hanging out with Tetsuki anymore, nobody's seen us together, nobody knows we're friends or anything. I would never drag him into my problems. Never."

Takaoka-papa is as wonderful as Takaoka-mama, jesus the Takaoka family is a bunch of lovely human beings, help me!!!

BONUS:

WHY ARE THEY SO DAMN WONDERFUL??/Tetsuki is so happy for chika *ugly sobbing deluxe*

I'm so glad that that he had Tetsuki right beside him, i dont wanna imagine what would have happened to Chika without his support & affection.

For me, they have one of the most wonderful & most strongest bond ever. I love their friendship so much, seriously i could probably write an essay about them & would never be able go stop. 🥺❤❤❤

Chika went through so much already, he fought his way through life, suffered, so NOW! Let him finally become happy!

Ufff, i didnt mean to make it THIS long.. but there's so much to say about this manga & the relationships chika made or the persons met.ヾ( இ⌓இ)ﾉﾞ

[doppopoppo]

Colorful Sounds

|| Iketeru Daily Drabble ||

|| Warnings: Implied death, angst ||

|| Iketeru • GN!Reader ||

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*💚

“When she died, she took my favorite sound with her. My sound disappeared too. The sound I fell in love with is no longer here anymore.”

~Iketeru Daga

I used to feel full with what I had in my life already. Working with the others at Together with Maman. But now I feel empty, starving to find something to satisfy my craving. Our sounds used to create beautiful melodies. It blended so well, harmonizing with one another. Sounding greater than any symphonic I’ve ever heard.

The once lively and lit Tokyo has become a nuisance. The noisy lives of others seem to drown out the beautiful, earthy sounds.

Your laugh captivated my heart. Your smile warms my soul. The twinkle in your eyes mirrored the ones in mine. The way you spoke is always trapped in the conversation, diminishing any chance for me to zone out. I gave you my utmost attention.

I’ve lost all this now. Even sitting in Kumatanis living room feels boring. It felt cold and painful. My best friend's company didn’t bring the much needed comfort I wanted right now. When the warmth left your body, mine went with it. That is, until a warm hand gave me several pats on my head.

“You’ve found your calling on your own when you joined Together with Maman. Then you found a duet with Y/N. With her colors grayed, aren’t you still here to keep them alive and pigmented? Shouldn’t you go out and find another sound to fill the void in you.” Kumatani stared into my eyes.

Though the last thing he said was a question, it sounded more like a statement. My eyes widened, maybe he was right. I was still living, even if you aren’t here anymore. I’m walking proof you once walked the soil and hair flowing with the wind. I’ll keep your memories alive and filled with color. I won’t let your sound come to an end, Y/N.

“Thank you, Kuma.” I smiled to myself, “I needed to hear that.” For once, the sound of something felt melodious to my ears.

Author’s Note:

Ive recently started watching Mashiro no Oto, finally lol. And I was inspired by the first few words exchanged by Setsu and his older brother. Reminded me of Iketeru so I quickly wrote this up. I’m not the best at angst nor description, trying to write poeticly isn’t my thing. I tried! I have to start somewhere so here it is 💚 it probably might not even make sense-

Enjoy!

[tessenpai]

Kono Oto Tomare Chapter 125 Scans and Rough TL

Disclaimer: Please DO NOT use this translation to make your own TL of the chapter!! The KOT TL group works very hard to give you the most accurate translation, that does as much justice to the original script as possible. This is a ROUGH translation. That means is faulty and there must be mistakes in certain places. This is just for impatient people like myself to get a grasp on what is going on in the chapter! You can REFERENCE my TL if you want to discuss the chapter but never USE it as it was your own.

Scans:

Page 1

Uzuki: Um, here.

Uzuki: The transportation and food expenses.

Isaki: Huh? I'm not accepting money from a child. Get that out of my face.

Chapter Title: Chibana's Song

Uzuki: Because... I'm a... child...

Isaki: You're a naive little shit no matter how you slice it.

Uzuki: Little shit...

Side text: The child that still doesn't know love...

Page 2

Isaki: In this kind of moment a "Thanks for the food" is more than enough.

Uzuki: ...Thanks for the food...

Isaki: Very good.

Isaki: Well then, I will see you here at 9AM tomorrow.

Tetsuki: Cough- Cough

Tetsuki: Wh----

Uzuki: ...

Page 3

Isaki: Don't you dare run away.

Uzuki: She wouldn't take it...

Uzuki [thoughts]: Just like Chika. Chika's aunt.

Isaki [memory]: You're a naive little shit.

Page 4

Uzuki: Munch munch

Isaki: Will you look at that, you ate everything.

Isaki: Atta boy.

Page 5

Uzuki [thoughts]: It has been a long time since I finished a meal.

Uzuki [thoughts]: It... had flavor

Uzuki [thoughts]: ---A family restaurant

Uzuki: You didn't have to be family to go in...

Uzuki [thoughts]: Even something like that

Uzuki [thoughts]: I-

Page 6

Isaki: "You're going too far". You're thinking that, aren't you, Takaoka-kun?

Tetsuki: Well, honestly, I'm not that kind so I believe that leaving him alone would be fine.

Isaki: Ahaha, thought so.

Tetsuki: ---but

Tetsuki: The adults around me gave me an incredibly blessed environment to grow up in.

Page 7

Tetsuki: It was given to receive love from my parents.

Tetsuki: To be scolded and admonished.

Tetsuki: The back that served as an example was always in front of me.

Tetsuki: The hand that supported me and taught me to believe in myself.

Tetsuki: I know that I have so many choices.

Tetsuki: I am who I am because of that support.

Page 8

Tetsuki: Without that foundation

Tetsuki: I do believe it's pretty hard to climb up from the bottom by yourself.

Tetsuki: So the fact that you offered him a helping hand is---

Isaki: Eeeeeeeeeh, that's so grown up---...

Isaki: Takaoka-kun, are you truly a student?

Tetsuki: Huh...

Isaki: I'm very sorry, but is really not that deep.

Isaki: I simply wanted to watch Uzuki's defeated face next to me.

Tetsuki: Eh?

Page 9

Isaki: Nah, I'm just half-joking

Tetsuki [thoughts]: Meaning half of that was true...

Isaki: When it comes to music, it doesn't reach everyone equally.

Isaki: When I saw Uzuki today

Isaki: It just made me think

Isaki: "Ah, if this kid, in the state he is in, were to listen to Chika and de rest's performance..."

Page 10

Isaki: "He might just drown in despair"

Isaki: That's not what Chika wanted, right?

Isaki: Ah, I'm not saying I don't trust in their performance, ok!? I do believe in them but--

Tetsuki: I understand Please look forward.

Isaki: Well, it's not like it would make a huge difference if he listens with someone else.

Isaki: He might be just fine listening on his own, but

Page 11

Isaki: I just don't want Chika to regret calling him.

Isaki: Well, in short, this is my ego talking.

Tetsuki: I see.

Isaki: "I see"?

Isaki: Takaoka-kun, aren't you getting a little bit too comfortable with me?

Tetsuki: Hahaha

Isaki: I'm gonna take you for a ride now

Tetsuki: I'm very sorry.

Isaki: Oh, it's already 4PM.

Isaki: We had lunch at midday, didn't we?

Tetsuki: That's right...

Isaki: Then Chika and the others must be...

Page 12

Isaki: About to end the first day.

Page 13

Sign: Osaka Prefecture. Chibana Girl High School.

Song: "Higurashi" (Evening Cicada) written by Nakanoshima Kinnichi.

Page 14

Atsumu [thoughts]: It's Yamada style... I can't help but feel some kind of kinship.

Atsumu [thoughts]: The name "Higurashi"(Cicada) really evokes the summer---...

Page 15

Satowa[thoughts]: Rain shower...

Page 16

Takezou [Thoughts]: Woah, the sound is so good.

Takezou [thoughts]: There is a bitterness and depth to it.

Takezou[thoughts]: It harmonizes...

Natsu[thoughts]: Tsk It's good.

Page 17

Akira: It seems like Chibana always participates with a "Utamono (Lyrical)" song.

Mittsu: Lyrical!

Sane: Is that like the "Perversion of Water" performance you played, Akira-sensei?

Akira: You even remember the name of the song.

Sane: That's because it was a performance that changed everything for us by hearing the very first note.

Page 18

Akira: Thank you very much!

Natsu: If it's lyrical, does that mean there are parts where they sing to some lyrics?

Akira: I wouldn't call them that...

Akira: The song is challenging to sing because of its unique vocalization and verse arrangement.

Akira: In the performance, one note in the song has many elements packed into a single letter.

Akira: And above that, you have to do it while playing...

Sane: We could never...

Page 19

Chika: But if they always rank high, that means that...

Page 20

*No text*

Page 21

*No text*

Page 22

*No text*

Page 23

*No text*

Page 24

*No text*

Page 25

*No text*

Page 26

Akira[thoughts]: I've never heard singing express so much...

Tsukaji[thoughts]: As expected of their "Lyrical". A school that has always protected its spot at the top.

Tsukaji[thoughts]: As if it has been carefully passed down from generation to generation

Tsukaji[thoughts]: The thickness and depth of the sound and the colorful voices combined with it---.

Page 27

Tsukaji: The unique and incomparable Sound Of Chibana.

Page 28

Sfx: [Sound of cicadas]

Page 29

Sfx: Woaah

Sfx: Clap clap clap

Sfx: Waaaaah!

Page 30

Atsumu [sfx]: Drip drip

Natsu: Woah What is it?

Atsumu: It just kind of reminded me of my Grandpa.

Natsu: Well, it was a fine performance A shame tho.

Atsumu: Yeah!! I really liked it!!

Hiro: The singing was amazing wasn't it?

Takezou: Right? It was really surprising--

Sane: This is bad---...

Mittsu: I could hear the cicadas singing.

Kota: I'm tone-deaf so I'm so impressed---

Page 31

Chika [thoughts]: The koto, song, and sound... It was a song that really cherished every single one of them...

Chika[thoughts]: To people who have been accumulating these sounds. I wonder if I've made these people feel bad without my knowledge.

Chika[thoughts]: I thought I didn't care what other people thought about me, but---...

Chika [thoughts]: ....Ahh--....

Page 32

Chika[thoughts]: Dammit...

Takezou: ...Hey, Kudo-kun. The sound really lets everything out in the open.

Chika: Eh?

Takezou: Those people's true essence.

Satowa: !

Chika: Yeah...

Page 33

Takezou: I'm very much looking forward for them to listen to our performance

Chika:-----

Page 34

Chika: Yeah!

Satowa: Kudo, I'll give you these.

Chika: Eh?

Satowa: Candy that cheers you up.

Page 35

Chika: These are my favorites! How come you have them!?

Satowa: Ch- chance?

Hiro [thoughts]: Satowa-chan...

Narration: On the first day of the Koto Music Division of the Japanese Music Festival, the 32 schools finished their performances.

Side text: Even unvoiced thoughts will be conveyed.

---Kono Oto Tomare! will continue in the next issue---

[gx-gameon]

Oooh questions! Jesse and Spiritshipping in general! I want to hear about how that goes in your AU! (Also, as an additional, possible separate topic: Yubel? Whatever happens with them?) And now I show myself out before I ask about even more things

Ah spiritshipping my beloved.

Okay so, Jesse still doesn’t show up until season 3 (I wish he came earlier but alas we shall keep some of the time line)

When he and Jaden meet they instantly click. Jaden is the first person Jesse’s met who can see spirits as well. He’s instantly enamored. Jaden is kind and has a warm and welcoming personality. But he can also see Jesse’s family. Not only that but he talks to them, in front of other people! Jesse’s never met someone like that before.

Jaden wins him over even more in their duel. Talking to Jesse and his monsters in front of the whole student body. The respect that Jaden shows both his own cards and Jesse’s, as well as his joy in dueling. Jesse’s already in love he just doesn’t know it yet.

Jaden on the other hand, is thrilled to met another person who can see spirits. The only person who can at school is Chazz, but he hates it and refuses to acknowledge his spirits when they appear in public. Jaden’s grown up around Atem and his shadow magic. While he couldn’t see the spirits on his own until wing kuriboh popped out on his exam day, he always knew of the Spirit world. Atem could make them visible/physical and Yugi also has the gift though he’s not as trained as Atem is. So Jaden’s always been around people like this, but it’s awesome to have someone at school.

Dueling Jesse was amazing for him, he hasn’t had that much fun in a duel in a long time. Him and Jesse play well off of each other. So he invites Jesse back up to the roof to discuss their match, and that turns into inviting him back to his room for a sleep over and pretty soon the two are inseparable.

Now here’s the thing Jesse falls first Jaden falls harder.

Jaden’s doesn’t have a great grasp on romantic relationships. His dad and Oto-san should not be his example and yet they are. I’m a firm believer that Yugi and Seto skipped the fiancé stage. (This is why Jaden doesn’t recognize the word in season one) they dated for a while and then one day Kaiba looked at Yugi and said “I want to marry you.” And Yugi was like “I want to marry you to.” Thinking they were talking about getting engaged when Seto hits him with “right now. I want to marry you right now.” And they do get married that day. They are those sort of people

While they are very loving as a couple, Jaden has no idea how to start a relationship or how a normal relationship should be paced. Not a clue.

I don’t think Jaden realizes he’s in love with Jesse until with are in the duel spirit world.

But before that what he does recognize is that Jesse is the friend he’s always wanted. The kind of friend Auntie Téa is always talking about. The friendship he’s seen between his Dad and Uncle Joey. Someone who is always there for him, standing at his side.

Most of his friends stand behind him, he’s the protector and problem solver (Syrus, Hassleberry, Alexis, Blair, even Atticus) he’s never wanted this but it’s their expectation of him now after two years. There’s also a lot of hero worship that creates a divide between him and them. Or they stand in front of / above him (Zane, Aster, Chazz) not that they are protecting him but that they look down on him. He’s never had an equal.

Until Jesse. Jesse who is so supportive and is not only willing to stand with Jaden and help him with whatever mess he’s in, but he’s also willing to stand on his own and fix his own problems. (This applies to Jim and Axel to but it’s defiantly strongest with Jesse)

And it’s after his first duel with Axel. Where Axel ties Syrus up and hang him from a tree to make Jaden duel him. After Jesse takes initiative and rescue Syrus while Jaden Duels, that way Syrus is safe and Jaden doesn’t have to worry about him. That Jaden does something he hasn’t done in years. Something he wasn’t planing on doing until Graduation.

The next day is Jaden’s weekly call with his Dad. Normally his leaves his friends behind and takes the call privately, in the wood, on the roof, any where peaceful where he will be left alone. But this time he asks Jesse if he’d like to come with him. Mentions something about his Dad and Uncle being able to see Spirits to.

Jesse is thrilled. More people who can see spirits! And Jaden wants to introduce him to his family, which Jesse is oddly nervous and excited about. He really wants to make a good impression because he really likes Jaden and….oh oh He LIKES Jaden. This is the moment everything clicks for Jesse and suddenly this phone call is so important.

He’s not deaf. He can hear Syrus is grumbling as they walk away. Something about how Jaden never lets HIM sit in on his calls to his Dad. This is special, Jesse realizes. Not all of Jaden’s friends gets this privilege. (He doesn’t realize yet he’s the only one who’s gotten this privilege)

Once they have settled somewhere comfortable, probably the roof as it’s Jaden’s favorite spot, Jaden gets oddly nervous. And he looks at Jesse and tells him his Dad is kind of a Big deal and he hopes that this won’t change anything between them. (This is huge for Jaden. If Jesse decides to tell the whole school Jaden will never know peace again) and for a second he starts to doubt his decision. He doubts Jesse will tell but what if this changes things between them?

But Jesse just lays his hand on Jaden’s shoulder and says that whoever his dad is won’t change anything between them, because Jesse likes hanging out with Jaden. He’s friends with Jaden not his dad.

And it’s what Jaden needs to video call his Dad.

Jesse almost passes out when an over excited Yugi Muto, the king of games, answers the call asking Jaden if everything was okay since he was a little late to their call. (The past two years have made him anxious for his son’s safety at school, who can blame him)

Yugi’s shock when he sees that his son is not alone.

It’s very important to me that Jesse is the first friend that gets introduced to the DM cast

We will talk more about their relationship in the duel world and the dark world arc in another post

I’m sorry I didn’t get to Yubel. They’re coming I promise.

[thorin-is-a-cuddler]

Beach Rules

A/N: Paladins at the beach? Sure! Platonic everyone. This is Keith and Shiro centric. And there’s loads of tickling and simping, yay :D

„Is that…“

„No, it can’t be!!“

„Oh, but, but… guys, it’s…“

„A beach!“ Shiro stepped out of the castle, joining Pidge, Lance and Hunk on the surface of this vacation worthy planet with a disbelieving expression.

Allura followed, taking her helmet off and actually giving one of her rare honest smiles. „Yes, a beach. This is the planet of Basoria. 10 000 years ago, this planet has already been one of my favorite places to be. It seems incredible that the Galra haven’t taken over it. But since there are no intelligent beings on here, they probably didn’t see the point. It’s a save place. Coran and I wanted to offer you this. A day off at the beach. With everything you’ve already done, paladins, I am happy if I can give you something back.“

The three younger paladins shrieked happily, shouting their thanks as they took off running for the shore, shoes flying and jackets landing in the sand. Shiro turned his head to look at Allura with a smile. „This is amazing, Allura. I think you couldn’t have made them happier.“

Allura tilted her head and put a hand on Shiro’s left arm. „I was hoping you would enjoy this as well, Shiro. You have been working harder than anyone of us. You deserve a day’s rest.“

Shiro opened his mouth in surprise, a little overwhelmed by so much attention and a little lost for words. Fortunately Keith chose excatly this moment to step out between them, a grumpy expression on his face. „A beach?“ He asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously sceptical about something that involved such a big amount of fun.

Allura narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance, having hoped for a rather different reaction. „Yes, Keith. A beach. A place for relaxation and happiness. I’m glad to see that it disgusts you so much.“

Allura went to take off her armor inside the castle, mumbling intelligibly under her breath. Keith merely sniffed and shrugged as the princess moved away, crossing his arms over his chest and looking outside with a wary expression. Three cheerful paladins were splashing around in turquoise water. They were still dressed in t-shirts and pants, but didn’t seem to care a bit about the additional soaked weight. Keith had never seen them this outgoingly happy.

He felt a weight on his shoulder and saw that Shiro had put his hand on it, an encouraging smile on his face. „Go on, Keith. Don’t worry so much. I bet it’s fun out there. Give it a try.“

Keith tilted his head slightly and looked away, a little crease appearing between his eyebrows. „Hmmm. I don’t know, Shiro.“

The warm dark eyes of the older paladin changed, giving room for worry. This guy managed to catch up to everything. „What is it?“

Keith huffed and shook his head slightly, fond of Shiro being so perceptive, yet at the same time wishing he weren’t. „It’s just… I don’t know. I- I’ve never… well, I’ve never been to a beach before. My father and I never went on vacations, you know.“

Keith shuffled around slightly, trying to act as indifferent as he could, while he was actually dying from insecurity inside. He sent a tentative side glance in Shiro’s direction and saw the realization in his expression. Keith smiled and shielded his eyes against the sun.

„I think it’ll come naturally to you, Keith.“ Shiro said softly, making Keith look at him again in surprise. „All we have to do is go out there and… do the next best thing.“

Keith blinked at him, pretty unsure about this much spontaneousness. „And what would that be?“

Shiro put his finger on his lips thoughtfully, making Keith start to consider that maybe Shiro had just as little clue what to do at a beach as he had. His features softened a little at that impression. Where Shiro knew pretty much everything about him, there was little Keith knew about Shiro in connection to his past. Shiro kept most things locked away behind so many doors that walking through all of them could take years. Keith had barely managed to walk through the half of them.

He sighed deeply and slid out of his jacket, leaving it in the castle. „Let’s start by making ourselves more… beach ready.“ Keith made an awkward motion towards his t-shirt and then bent over to take off his shoes and roll up the legs of his pants.

Shiro smiled at that and copied Keith’s actions, stripping to his sleeveless muscle shirt and rolling his pants up as well. For a second he was insecure about the bulgy skin where his right shoulder merged into the metal arm. But then a sudden feeling took over him and made him forget about any insecurities. Was that… giddiness he felt in his stomach?

There suddenly was so much energy inside of him that he had to get rid off. He looked at Keith staggering around on one leg as he tried to keep the material of his pants rolled up on the other leg. And a grin spread out on his face.

He suddenly knew exactly what he had to do.

„Keith..“

Keith looked up in time to manage a very surprised yell, before a very strong arm wrapped around his middle and lifted him off the floor. „SHIRO WHAT ARE YOU-“

„I know what we have to do!“

Keith clawed his fingers into Shiro’s foreram, holding on to him tensely as the pilot started running with Keith dangling from his side, shaking him quite thoroughly. Despite that Keith almost sighed in relief as fresh air ruffled his hair and blew under his shirt, giving him goosebumps and drying his sweat. It felt like flying through the desert with Shiro all over again. The memory of their races untied a knot in Keith’s chest and he suddenly had to let out a laugh as Shiro readjusted his grip on him, lifting him even higher than he’d been before.

„Don’t drop me!!!“

Shiro’s smirk was audible in his words as he raised his voice as well. „Oh, I will drop you in a bit!“

Keith tensed up again and looked to where Shiro was headed. Pidge, Hunk and Lance in the water had noticed their approach by now, curious happy smiles on their faces as they got closer at a dizzying speed. The realization hit Keith and he started struggling, almost causing Shiro to drop him himself.

„NO YOU WILL NOT! DON’T YOU DARE! SHIRO!“

But Shiro wasn’t bothered by Keith’s defiance in the slightest. His soft laughter mixed with Keith’s gasps and yelps and put a warm feeling in his shaking stomach.

Keith’s struggles grew stronger the closer they got to the water, forcing Shiro to swing Keith’s in front of his chest to be able to hold him there with both his arms.

Keith’s fists drummed against Shiro’s forearms, as the pilot reached the shore and took a few steps into the water. How Shiro managed to stay strong enough to hold him like that with all his laughter was a freaking mystery to the paladin of the red lion. „Enough with the violence,“ Shiro chuckled, „Time to cool your head!“

Keith’s knees were pulled up to his chest and he was eagerly trying to keep himself in that pulled up position by wrapping his hands around Shiro’s head behind him and holding on. „I DON’T THINK SO!!“

„Oh, but you will let go,“ Shiro growled, a playful tone to his voice that made Keith’s stomach drop.

„YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!!“

„Ah, Keith, you really bring this upon yourself,“ Shiro chuckled and kept his metal arm wrapped around Keith’s middle, the other suddenly dangerously unoccupied and close to his side and ribs and this was when it clicked, but too late.

„SHIRO WAIT-“ Keith shouted out in panic, trying to pull himself up higher to get away, but it was to no use. Shiro’s fingers were already squeezing his side and making their way up and hell on earth, it tickled so much, Keith had never thought anything could tickle this much.

Any plans for holding back his giggles were diminished immediately, as he broke out into hysterical squeals and deep uncontrollable laughter, twitching around like a fish as Shiro’s fingers were crawling up his side, over his ribs and right in the center of his exposed armpit. He really meant to keep his hands behind Shiro’s head, pulling at his hair to keep from being dropped. But forget that, he couldn’t take this without fighting back. It felt like Shiro was tickling him with twenty fingers at least where he was only using five and it wasn’t fair and it led to Keith’s unavoidable fate.

„SHHIHIIHRO NOHOOO PLEEEHEHEHEASE!!“

„I won’t stop until you let go!!“

„BUT THEN YOU’LL DROOHOHOP MEE!!“

„Beach rules, Keith. You are obligated to have fun!“

One last arch in Shiro’s arm, then Keith couldn’t stand it anymore and he tore his arms down, trying to push Shiro’s assaulting hand as far away from his ticklish torso as possible, when it was already time for a dive in the waves of Basoria.

Keith shrieked, when Shiro’s arms suddenly stopped holding him, honest to God shrieked - as if he’d needed any more embarrassment in front of the others. The cold water caught him quite gently though. There were no burns at the impact of the water, there was no water shooting up his nose. There was just a nice feeling of floating around and having his hair fly around his head.

He welcomed the feeling happily. But only for a few seconds. Then his wish for revenge grew too strong and he speedily made his way back up to the surface. He managed to find a stand on the sandy underground, the water up to his chest where it had been up to Shiro’s waist.

Shiro. With narrowed eyes and wet hair clinging to his forehead he saw Shiro quickly making his way deeper into the water, looking over his shoulder, laughing breathlessly.

„OH YEAH YOU BETTER RUN!! JUST YOU WAIT TIL I GET YOU BACK!“

Shiro almost slipped from laughter at Keith’s bubbly attempts oto swim after him, completely out of breath, but fueled with the desire to give him a taste of his own medicine.

In the meantime Pidge was busy climbing on top of Hunk’s shoulders in her soaked shirt, where she held on to Hunk’s hair with one hand, pointing at Shiro with the other and letting out a war cry that would have scared away Galrans. „FUGITIVE ON THE RUN! GO GET HIM! AID OUR TORTURED FRIEND!!!“

Keith almost sunk under the surface from his surprised laughter. He hadn’t expected the others to come to help him. They liked to watch Shiro tickle him into madness during sparring matches rather comfortably. But this. Maybe this was also part of the beach rules. Everyone against the strongest one. It seemed like a good rule to Keith.

Shiro on the other hand was barely able to bring much more distance between himself and the others as panicked laughter started to slow him down. Lance was gaining on him, as Hunk grabbed Pidge from his shoulders and used all his strength to throw her in Shiro’s direction, getting her closer to him as well.

Shiro thought it clever apparently to change tactics and stopped swimming in the one direction to make his way in the other one now.

Keith had to chuckle as he heard Shiro’s breathless gasps for air get closer. Alright, if this was a fun time at the beach he was sold. Now they only had to catch him.

„YOU GUYS, THIS ISN’T FAIR!!“ Shiro shouted, smiling widely as Pidge and Lance were getting awfully close.

„BEACH RULES!!“ Keith yelled as he too was getting closer to Shiro who was trying to make his way to the shore to be able to run away. He’d be way too fast for the other paladins if he managed to reach it. They couldn’t let him get away.

„Oh no, you will NOT!!“ Lance exclaimed passionately as Shiro was stumbling to his feet in the ankle high water. The plue paladin took a large dive and actually managed to pull Shiro down with a splash. The two of them rolled over in the warm part of the water, Shiro breathless from laughter already while Lance was yelling almost as loud as Pidge had before.

„You did it, Lance!“ Keith cheered as he too got to his feet in the low water, throwing himself on top of the other two. Shiro groaned with laughter at the additional weight and tried to push the two of them off of him.

„Now, just wait a second, just wait…“ Another weight took away Shiro’s breath as Hunk dropped down on top of Keith, slowly but successfully building a sandwich.

„We have him! Do we have him?“ Hunk spluttered and looked at his two friends underneath himself. Keith held up a thumb, despite the lack of air.

„We’ve got him! You guys are the best!!“

Pidge arrived with a wide smile on her face and was a bit reluctant to putting herself on top of the three boys as well. She didn’t have to anyway. Instead she dropped down next to Shiro’s face and grinned at him evilly.

„Ha, you didn’t see that coming, did you?“

Shiro glared at her, still out of breath, but he just couldn’t keep it up and a soft, playful expression was back on his face again in no time. „I guess Voltron’s bond must be really strong already. Just don’t lose your head in the process…“

All four of them groaned inexplicably loud at this bad pun and Pidge felt no sympathy for him in the slightest as she told the other three to give him hell just for that. Even though he was pretty doomed in his current position. He couldn’t move out from underneath the three boys and all of them put their hands to good use some place on his tall upper body. Hunk was pinching his sides, as Keith worked his hands under his arms and Lance immediately used his position for good access to Shiro’s ribs.

Pidge was blessed with the picture of Shiro throwing his head back in ticklish agony, his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth opened in the brightest smile, as beautiful laughter was shooting out of him.

He couldn’t fight off six hands with just two and Keith enjoyed strongly making him laugh this hard, especially with the aid of his friends. He could tell that Shiro was very fine with them having their fun like this and it warmed Keith’s heart that Shiro was so selfless and soft in every situation. He looked at Shiro throwing his head from side to side, shaking with incessant giggles and trying to arch his back against the overwhelming sensations and he just knew that Shiro would never stop doing whatever it took to make him happy and have fun despite the times they were living in.

He knew that there was no „Voltron losing their head“. Shiro’s love was the starting point of all bonding among the paladins. He was the heart of the group.

Keith certainly knew that. And the others would at the very latest agree now that Shiro’s determination had managed to connect all paladins in having fun together.

[kishillaa]

SSM21 Day 19: Office

Sakura knocked on the door of the Otokage office, feeling anxious and nervous but excited at the same time. She feels like 2 years ago again, when she first land her feet on that very front door in that very village.

-

2 years ago

"Enter." A stoic, somehow oddly familiar voice responded to her knocking. She was a little anxious, not knowing who is behind that door. Kakashi has been very vague and sonewhat playful when he told her about her long-term mission in a village which supposed to be their enemy base.

"The Otokage has confirmed an alliance with Konoha." He said, from behind his hand which was folded together with his elbow propped up on the table.

"And who is he might I ask?" Was Sakura's respond.

"You'll know when you get there. Now off you go. I'll get some genin team to send your medical books that you might need when you're there." He said.

Not delaying any more time, Sakura squawk the door open and walk into the room with cautious, eyes train to the black mane of the Otokage head, staying alert. Here she is right into the ex-enemy's territory, offering help of which she couldn't care less of.

Clearing her throat she greets, "Otokage-sama." She bows her head, because her mother taught her to respect others and that's what she's doing.

At the sound of her voice, she heard the scribbling of pen on paper stopped.

"Is it... Sakura?" The hesitancy and confusion were lacing into the familiar voice causing Sakura to raise her head up quickly.

As she meets the kage's eyes, hers widen, "S-Sasuke—kun?"

The young man before her let go of the stationery in his hand, and lay back on the chair, "So they sent you huh, Sakura?"

Sakura bites her lips, throw her head to the side as she nods, "I didn't know you're the new Otokage. I—I thought y-you–" She couldn't finish her sentence.

Sakura return her gaze to Sasuke, a tear escaped her eyes as she stares at him, relieved.

Sasuke sighs, "Sakura." The way he pronounced the three syllabus of her name sounded so familiar, she yearns to hear more of it.

He rose up from his seat, taking a moment too long staring intently into the green of her eyes. "I apologise." He finally spoke, the sincerity was obvious from the look on his face and the shining of his mismatched eyes.

More tears cascade down her cheeks as Sakura sniffs, "You better be." She said, moving, running to the direction of Sasuke, roughly pull him closer and embrace him into her hug.

"Sakura, too–tight!" And she laughs, because after all this time, that sounded ridiculous.

"Alright, alright. Geez." Sakura said, pulled away from him, sniffing and wipe her tears before she beam up at him.

"I'm so happy you're all well and–" She pause as she really look at him. He is as handsome as ever–when was he not–but the obvious bags under his eyes, his more disheveled than usual hair and tired face, "You're not very well, are you?" She pressed, hands crossing over her chest.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, "I've literally no time for anything else now, Sakura."

"Of course you do. You're the Otokage. I'm sure you've been very busy, but I don't think it'll hurt you to rest up a while. When was the last time you showered?"

"I can't remember." He dismiss her unthinkable agitation and told her to seat for them to discuss her position in the village, "As you know, Kabuto went missing after the war, and so Sound has no proper medical expertise. We've built the hospital, currently ordering medical supplies and medicines. We have medical staffs, but only a handful they can do. They weren't train in medicine."

Sakura nodded, "That makes sense. So, what's your proposal?"

"Well, I asked for Konoha to send me medical expert to train my people as an exchange of an alliance. I didn't know they're sending you."

"Kakashi-sensei didn't tell me anything more to come here and stay for until the Otokage let me leave. He's really responsible sometimes but definitely not helping in this case. Did Naruto know you're the Otokage?" Sakura lets out a chuckle, "I'm sure he'll freak out if he knew."

"I went to Konoha myself last week to prepare the alliance papers with Kakashi, I met him too. You..weren't in the village that time."

Scurched her forehead in confusion, Sakura asked, "Really? Why didn't anyone say anything?"

"I'd like to keep my status as an Otokage a secret. This village isn't stable yet, I prefer it that way before my enemies knew about me and decided its a good opportunity to destroy it."

"Fair enough. So, how long do you need me here for?" Sakura asks, smiling.

"As long as you need. Like I said, these people aren't familiar with medical skills and also hospital management. For the time being, I would like you to see the hospital yourself, and see if there is something to fix and change. I had asked a contractor expertise in building to build the hospital a year ago, and are just currently doing the minor part of the back wing."

"I see. Well, you're lucky. I helped Tsunade-shisou handling the hospital sometimes, so I might know a little too many things about hospital management." She winks playfully at him making Sasuke lower his head, smirking.

"Good then."

-

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura calls out. She's been staying in Oto for few months now, and everything has been great. The hospital went from unmanageable to run as smoothly as Konoha's hospital does.

The trainee she's been training was unexceptionally fast learner, that she had foreseeing them undergoing their own surgery. Her current plan is to open up a medical course for those ninja who took interest in medical field.

But right now, work aside, she needs to take Sasuke out of the dreaded office of Otokage.

"Come in, Sakura."

Skipping into Sasuke's office, Sakura take a seat before her ex teammate , "Its been half a year, Sasuke-kun." She spoke.

"Hn."

"And you haven't ask me on a date." That somehow got his attention as Sasuke stops writing on the paper he's on. Cautiously, he looks up at her and lower his pen, putting it on his table.

He put his elbow on the table and prop his chin on his palm.

"Isn't that what you did, Sakura?"

Sakura crossed her hands over her chest, and look away from him, "That was years ago. I'd like to be the one being asked. Not that I'm not used to it by now, seeing how my charm has successfully attracted many of your people."

"I can see that." He frowns as he stares at her.

"And I turn each and every one of them down." She told.

"That makes sense. They are nothing compared to you." Sakura burst out laughing at the arrogant way Sasuke spoke of her.

"That's a little mean, Otokage-sama." She mocks, she knew he doesn't like it when she calls him that.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "What do you want, Sakura?"

A light blush appear on her cheeks at his question when she remember to what she was about to say, "I still only like you." She started, "I've always only loved you. I will wait as much as you want me to. But I feel bad turning everyone down. One of these days, I really will considering their offer, you know." She pauses, smiling almost sadly at him, "Have you think how long I've been waiting for you?"

He let out an almost exasperated sigh. "I'm no good, Sakura."

Chuckles humourlessly at what he said, Sakura look down at her hands, "I don't think perfect is what I look for in a person. Even when we were younger, Sasuke-kun, you're far from perfect. You're no good, either. But still, I loved you didn't I?"

She returns her eyes at him, "I've said this once to Naruto and I'm going to tell you too. When a girl truly falls in love, Sasuke-kun, her feelings won't change that easily."

Sakura went confused when Sasuke's expression morphed into a content relief one, as he let out a sigh while he close his eyes. After a moment, he smirks at her which makes Sakura even more bewildered, "You really annoying, aren't you?"

Sakura's eyes turn into slits at the familiar way Sasuke addresses her, "I really don't understand you calling me annoying all this time, Sasuke-kun. It really hurt me–" She stop mid sentence when something was tossed towards her. Clumsily catching it, Sakura asked, "What is this?"

"Marry me." Sakura's breath stuck in his throat at commanding of his voice asking for a marriage.

"W-What?" She looks at him, startled.

The tip of Sasuke's ears turn red as he looks away, "I don't do date."

Sakura blinks a few time at Sasuke before she turns to look at the crimson small jewellery box in her palm. She opens it.

At the sight of the ring inside, Sakura gasps. It was simple, with a silver band, and a white stone sculptured onto it but somehow so pretty, and so hers that Sakura's tears flow down her cheeks.

She looks up, "A-Are you sure, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke suddenly feels like the office suffocated him as he fix his shirt and nod, "Yes."

"Very, very sure?"

"I didn't carry the ring for this whole time for not being sure, Sakura. I was just afraid that you wouldn't agree to it ."

Sakura rose up from her seat infront of him, and move around to stand right before him. Sakura shoves the ring to his face, "Put it on me."

And that's what he did, slowly retrieve it off from kts place in the case and carefully slide it on Sakura's ring finger.

More tears make it way down her cheeks now that the ring is securedly place on her, "This looks perfect." She said, look up to Sasuke who looking at the ring with the same adoration.

"It suits you."

Sakura chuckles in her joyful tears, "It does, doesn't it?"

"You can stop crying." Sasuke frowns at Sakura's wetted face.

"I can't." She bark a laugh, "I'm so happy." She squeals and pull his neck towards her, hugging him so tightly that Sasuke groans.

"Too tight, Sakura."

Laughing, she let go of him, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She said as she send a smile his way.

Not able to refrain himself, Sasuke lowers his head down, angle it a little and kiss Sakura lightly on her lips.

Sakura was shocked, because Sasuke initiated an intimate touch of kissing. It shouldn't be real, but it is. So Sakura savour the moment as she deepen the kiss, pulling Sasuke closer by his neck and run her fingers through his hair. Sasuke surprised her again as he circle his lone arm around her waist, pulling her even closer.

The kiss start off soft but clumsy and almost sloppy–she suspected it was his first too–before it went a little rough, desperate but somehow passionate, as if trying to cover all the years between them.

Panting heavily as they pull away, Sasuke rests his forehead on top of Sakura's, "I apologise." He started, "For keeping you waiting."

Sakura breathed a laugh, "You better! God, I love you." She could feel his smile as he presses his lips on his forehead, right where she know her seal is placed.

"Did you really walking around with the ring with you?"

Sasuke scoffed loudly and let go of her, mumbling something remotely close to annoying.

-

That was a year ago. And right now, she was a nervous wreck, but excited. An excited nervous wreck.

"Come in."

Sakura walks into her husband office, "Anata." She calls out making him raised his head.

Pulling one if his eyebrows up in questioning manner, he asked, "What is it?"

"I have news." She said, biting her lips as she sit on the table right before him.

"News?" Sakura nodded, her hands fix the crumple fabrics of his shirt.

"About what?" He said, pulling her to him so she sits on his lap, his hand keep her head onto his chest. Sasuke lightly sniff the mixed smell of his wife's favourite shampoo and the smell of antiseptic. It's a weird combination, but he loves it.

Sakura was playing with the hem of his shirt, which alert him right away. Because that's her way of saying she's nervous.

He gently push her away to look her in the eyes, "What's this about, Sakura?"

"Naruto's going to be a godfather." She said, decided to not going straight to the point.

Sasuke frowns, "Who's having a child? Shikamaru?"

Sakura can't help the throaty laugh that makes it way out of her mouth at her confused husband, "No."

"Then?"

She takes Sasuke's hand from her side and put it on top of her abdomen, "We're having a child."

Sakura waits when Sasuke's eyes went wide as his expression become more confused. He turn rigid and stay still for a long moment before he blinks a few time and activate his eyes prowess, aiming it to her stomach. He gasped.

"You're pregnant."

"I am."

"I thought I saw something weird in your stomach before. Somekind of small chakra."

"You did?"

"I didn't think about it."

"That's great, Sasuke-kun. You can see her?"

"Her? It's a girl?"

"I'm not sure. But I feel like it's a girl."

"My family was male dominant."

Sakura makes a face, "It could be a girl too."

Sasuke nods, "I don't mind, boy or girl."

Sakura nods too, happy that her worry was for nothing because Sasuke is feeling happy, he looks content of the news and definitely looked nervous and excited just like she does, "Me too."

Sasuke place a kiss on Sakura's temple, "Thank you, Sakura."

She thinks, every good things happen in between them happen in this office.

[spacklefritz]

Shelter in the Storm

Fandom: Kono oto tomare!

Rating: T

Summary: Underneath the overhang of an abandoned storage house, Kudou and Houzuki seek shelter from the storm and they find that the rain itself can be a shelter. Post-Canon. Posted on AO3 here

A/N: They’re making out. That’s it. That’s the plot. Also this is the first I’ve written something like that. so there’s your disclaimer.

It was getting harder now. Harder to look away and not get caught. It was little things, her face in concentration when she was working on getting the music right. The sometimes stubborn set to her body when she didn’t want to admit something. She had gotten a lot better now, with being open, but sometimes that side of her remained and he’d couldn’t help but tease her, watch her stutter and try to hide. But Satowa’s blush would always give her away. A red that crept up her cheeks and spread downward. He had to stop himself, of course, from tracking how far down that flush went. But he couldn’t escape his dreams. Didn’t want to, at times, and now he had a new reason to hate mornings.

He shook his head, tying to clear his thoughts away. That path led to danger.

“It doesn’t look like the rain will let up soon.”

Her voice was soft but clear underneath the deluge of the rain. She sat beside him, hands around her knees, a light pink dusting her cheeks. Was it cold? Damn he should have thought about that before. They’d only just found shelter. He took off his jacket.

“Here.” He said, heat creeping up his neck and he turned his face away.

��Satowa blinked once. Twice. Her heart pounding loudly in her ears. He couldn’t just do that and look away. No. it was a good thing he looked away her face was probably extremely red right now. She pressed her hand to her cheek. It was burning. After four years of knowing him, she would think she would get a better grip on her emotions when it concerned Chika. They were on first a name basis. But no. Every kind act, every devasting look. Yes, like the one he gave her when he loaned her his jacket -she fitted her arms through the sleeves- it short circuited her brain. It just looked so warm. Kudo was a warm person. Gentle even when he was being brash, but that gaze. She wanted to reach out and touch it with her hands. That was strange, wasn’t it? Wanting to touch something intangible? Wanting to keep it for herself? She was seeing that gaze more often now, and each time her heart answered with a resounding thud, that seemed as it wanted to say mine.

She was getting greedy. This wasn’t good. She sunk herself further into his jacket. It smelled like him. Cut wood and a scent that was distinctly Chika. She wrapped it closer around herself, surrounding herself with him.

“I guess the day turned out fine after all.” She felt Chika shift beside her, she turned only to see him, eye wide looking like a deer in the headlights. Did she say that out loud?.

They were supposed to meet up with the Hiro-san, Takezou and the others from the Koto Club. They had planned an outing the year before last, when the third years graduated, and last year when their group had graduated. They wanted to do something again this year, when Yoshinaga and Momoya graduated, but everyone cancelled at the last minute, while both Chika and Satowa were at the meeting point. They had walked around for a bit, deciding to still make use of the day, when the downpour began.

“I-I only meant that -” Oh god what could she possibly say. “-That.” A soft chuff sounded from Chika. “Wait what are you doing?” It gave way to laughter and could the ground kindly swallow her up right now? She had almost ducked her head, but his eye got that soft look and the laughter died down. He turned his head sideways, head resting in folded arms upon his knees.

“Yeah, the day turned out great.” His eyes crinkled at the sides, gaze never leaving hers.

Her breath caught. Oh. Her hand reached out touch him, hovering right above that crinkle before she realised what she was doing. She breathed in. What was she doing? She moved to draw her hand away, slower than she had intended, but Chika’s hand caught around hers. Calluses rough against her fingers. He brought hand to his face. Fingertips marking their trek down to her hands to her wrist where it stayed. Thumbs absently running circles around her wrist bone.

Languid but restless, each scrape of his fingers against skin pulled at her, all the while it stoked a fire. Warming her from the inside. The rain continued to fall, drowning out all sounds and thought. Except for the sounds of their breathing. Blood rushed in her ears as she traced her fingers down to corner of his lips.

Time stopped. Her heart pounded. She brought her face to his.

 Chika was caught suspended in time. Frozen but to the feel her lips against his. And then all too suddenly it was pulled away.

Red-face Satowa looked up. Her body now turned towards him. She seemed to be trying to find the words something and he couldn’t help but think, had he been misreading the situation wrong all these years?

“I guess the day turned out fine after all.”

He took a deep breath. His hand reached out to cup her the back of neck. She shivered, her eyes closing as she leaned into his touch. “Satowa-san.” He stroked his thumb on the skin behind her ear. A sound escaped her, almost too soft to hear if he wasn’t so attuned to her in this moment. He swallowed hard. “May I kiss you.” She opened her eyes and he could see everything he wanted reflected in them.

She pulled him towards her, and that’s when he lost all thought. He was only aware of their lips meeting, once, and again. A gentle sip that gave way to more. And then nothing else but feel of her skin. So soft, how could she be so soft? Her fingers tugged at his hair and he let out a full body shudder. Threads of electricity ran up his spine extending outwards and he wanted more. More of their breaths entwined. More of her touch. More.

 “Chi-“ her breathing hitched as he kissed a particular spot on her neck. Teeth scraped, and she was feeling too much but not enough. Her thoughts only filled with him, and how she could get closer, chasing at this feeling. She wanted this. She moved one hand from his chest to the hem of his shirt. She wanted to feel skin. He let out a groan and the sound reverberated through her, pooling low at core. One hand pressed back against the wooden wall, needing an anchor, the other pulling him closer. She was losing herself in him, in the hand that cradled in head, in his mouth at hers, in the soft yet rough touch of his fingers at her waist. She was losing herself in him and she didn’t want to find a way out.

But reality intruded somewhere in the midst of it all, the sound of rain no longer cocooned them. Birds made their way out, noticing the rain had stopped. Their kisses - could something so all-consuming being considered mere kisses? – calmed and until they were but sweet touches and when they stopped, still they held on to each other. Heavy breaths making a music all on their own.

A soft kiss to her forehead and then he was looking at her, eyes turning a molten amber. Soft touches ran across her face. His hands telling her she was precious. Did he know he was precious too? She pressed another kiss to his lips. Soft and languid, she held his face, hoping her feelings were conveyed.

It took another couple of minutes until she was ready to let go, until they pulled themselves to right. Still, they weren’t fully apart. Their hands still entangled even as they caught the bus.

Separately, they each smiled to themselves. They were glad the rain had fallen.