#I am also starving for cherry blossom tea.

[sunb0ts]

very cool and silly adding to the ever growing list of drink preferences/recommendations from mutuals and oomfs

[sweet-taiyaki]

Cherry Blossoms in the Spring 🌸 (Part 3)

Pairing: ProHero! Katsuki Bakugo (Dynamight) x ProHero!Reader (she/her)

Featuring: All Might, Deku, Eijiro Kirishima, Denki Kaminari, Hanta Sero, Mina Ashido, Shoto Todoroki

Word Count: 3.4k

Synopsis: After your encounter with All Might, you felt like you need more training to become a better hero. Bakugo’s agency takes you in, but things go not as planned. 

Quirk: Telekinesis: Levitate any object by mental force. Her blue horn glows when she uses her quirk to enhance mental capacity. 

Warnings: Mentions of blood

“Hey, kid,” Toshinori said. “No need to be alarmed. It’s just a little blood.”

“I’ll get those punks that did this to you. How can people be so insensitive,” I helped him up.

“No one really knows me anymore. After I retired, a lot of people were devastated, but once they saw young Deku and young Dynamight, they know that they are safe. That’s what really matters. The combination of justice and peace has been recognized by the Japanese Hero Billboard Chart making them the top two. But I also heard that you are in the top ten, young Aura.”

Was I dreaming? The Symbol of Peace knows me. “I want to protect people and have people rely on me. Like they did with you, All Might,” I said tearing up.

“Your hero work is pretty spectacular, and it shows that you have compassion and trust for the protection of the people. But you can’t hide in the shadows anymore. People need to know who you are, and you have to break out of your introvertive shell. I know you can protect people, but show the people that you do. That’s how more people will trust you. You are not alone. Heroes all over would be willing to help you. We build each other up to fight crime. We are here for you,” All Might smiled. I felt alone, but after this conversation with All Might, I don’t feel so lonely anymore. His head continued to bleed.

“All Might, I have to get you to a hospital.” I carried him to the nearest hospital. Not only was he frail, but he was also shaking. I told the ER doctors what happened, and they took him away into a room. I couldn’t go in since I was not a relative of his. I sat in the waiting room, awaiting what they had to say. My curiosity grew larger, and I started to panic in the chair. If only I could have stopped those thugs, I could have saved All Might. I saw Kirishima with an elderly woman with the same head injury. “Kirishima,” I yelled for him.

“(Y/N), what are you doing here. Help me with this lady,” he said. I helped the woman on a stretcher as Kirishima told the ER doctors what happened. It was almost the same situation as All Might. “Damn thugs tried to assault this dear lady. Thankfully, Bakugo caught up to them and brought them to justice. But what are you doing here,” he asked.

I started crying. It’s my fault All Might is here. And the fact that he could possibly die, I feel his blood is on my hands. “Hey, hey now, (Y/N). It’s okay. I’ll help you through this,” he hugged me as I cried into his chest.

“I—I—It’s—A—All Might,” I said through my tears. “Some brats threw him to the ground and beat him up. I aided to All Might, but they could still be out there assaulting other people. It’s all my fault that they got away. I—I couldn’t protect him.” Kirishima’s eyes widened as I mentioned All Might. Bakugo slowly walked into the waiting room to see Kirishima and I.

“(Y/N), what happened,” Bakugo said. After explaining what I witnessed with All Might. Bakugo’s heart dropped. He called a lot of people to be here to wait for the results of All Might. Deku came in with tears in his eyes. We all thought the worst. “Who were those idiots? What did they look like, (Y/N),” Bakugo said.

“There was four of them. They looked like they were in their upper teens. Were they the same as the ones that jumped the elderly lady,” I asked.

“I assume so,” he said. “I put four thugs in jail, but knowing that they also did this to All Might, I could stretch their sentence for assaulting the Symbol of Peace. I’ll kill them myself,” he said angrily.

After about a half hour, the ER doctor came out. “(Y/N),” he said. I went up to him to hear about All Might. “Yagi is stable. The bleeding has stopped, and I suggest that he stays in our care until he makes a full recovery.” I look back to Deku and Bakugo and nodded to them, assuring them that he is okay.

“Thank you, doctor. Is he able to see anyone,” I asked.

“He only wants to see Deku at this time,” the doctor said. Deku’s ears raised and he slowly walked to All Might’s room. All the heroes started to leave when they found out that All Might was okay. Bakugo and I stayed behind to know what he said to Deku. I kept fiddling with my hands with anxiety as we sat in silence.

“It’s okay, (Y/N),” Bakugo said putting his hand on mine. “We caught the guys, and All Might is okay. There’s no need to beat yourself up further.”

“I thought I could do better. I want to save and protect people, but I also want to bring the thugs and villains to justice,” I said.

“Kirishima and I are a team to do both of those things. It’s a lot for one person to do both. You should come over and train at our agency with us. We’ll make you stronger and support you with any fight,” he said. After what All Might said about coming out of the shadows, maybe joining a team would help my fighting style and protect people.

“Yes,” I said. “I think I could use the training. Thank you, Bakugo.” I got up as Deku came out of the room. I saw All Might smile with a thumbs up before his door closed. “Will he be okay,” I asked.

“Yeah,” Deku said. “He should be good as new in a few days. His strong spirit won’t let this incident hurt him.” We all left the hospital.

“Hey, blue horn. Tomorrow morning, we’ll train,” Bakugo said.

“Right,” I replied. He smirked as he walked the other way.

……………………………………………………………………

7 am

I arrived at Bakugo’s agency and was greeted by the secretary, Mio. “Welcome, Aura. We’ve been expecting you,” she says. She hands me paperwork to ensure my safety consent due to their proprietary equipment. I signed it and she was staring at me.

“Take a picture, Mio. It lasts longer,” Bakugo said turning the corner. He was wearing casual clothes, quite baggy and comfortable. He looked at my paperwork then back at me. “You’re early, you idiot.”

“To be fair, I didn’t receive a certain time. When do you usually train?”

“8 am, usually. You normally wake up this early?”

“Well, I went for a run this morning before I came,” I said.

“You must be hungry,” Bakugo said putting on a jacket. “Let’s grab something to eat.” He walks out and I turn back to Mio.

“Would you like something? I can bring something back,” I asked her.

“A pastry would be nice,” she said.

“Of course, I’ll be back.” I followed Bakugo. We walked through the streets and he immediately got recognized.

“You’re amazing Dynamight! He’s so handsome! The way you blasted that villain was amazing!” He was annoyed with the crowd, but he knew he had to deal with it considering he is the number one hero.

“A lot of people admire you,” I said softly.

“Tch,” he said. We arrived at the bakery for pastries, fruit, and tea.

“Dynamight, what can I get for you,” the cashier said.

“Y’know next to me is the number six hero. I think you should show her some respect,” he said to her. The cashier looked at me then back to Bakugo.

“I apologize Dynamight. What can I get for the both of you,” she said.

“The pastry, tea, and fruit package, please,” Bakugo said. The cashier nodded and cashed him out.

“I could have pitched in,” I said.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Bakugo said. “This is for my agency and I needed an extra hand.”

“Oh,” I whispered.

“C’mon, I’m not that heartless. Would you like anything else,” he smirked.

“No, this is great for everyone.” We walked back to the agency and met in Arena Gamma. Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, and Ashido were there.

“Morning, (Y/N). Good to see you,” Kirishima said as Bakugo and I set down the food and drinks.

“Ugh, I’m starving. Thanks, Bakugo. You should do this more often,” Kaminari said.

“It’s not often that we have a guest. (Y/N) will be training with us today. Later, we’ll patrol the city,” Bakugo said. Everyone started to eat and drink, but I didn’t see Mio. I saved her a pastry, a cup of fruit and a cup of tea and walked up to her at the front desk.

“Hey Mio. I don’t understand why you can’t join us, but I brought you this,” I handed her the goodies.

“Oh thank you, (Y/N). I’m just a civilian. I don’t really affiliate with hero work, even if it’s a breakfast meeting,” she said.

“Your safety is important, but you should at least be included. I hope you like working here.”

“I do,” she said. “I wish I was appreciated more, but I know the heroes have a lot to handle. I handle the paperwork, marketing, internships, and media with this agency. Sometimes it’s a lot, but I like what I do.”

“You do a wonderful job,” I smiled.

“Thank you, (Y/N) and thank you for the pastry.” I return to Arena Gamma and everyone is changing into their hero suit. We walk to the arena. It’s an open space with windows. I would think there would be weights or machines to help with our strength.

“Uh, where’s all the equipment,” I said.

“We don’t train like that,” Sero said.

“Today, we’re doing close combat against each other,” Kirishima said.

“W—What?”

Mio was at the live board controlling who would be going up against each other. First, it was Ashido and Kirishima, then Sero and Kaminari, then Bakugo and me. I watched the fights as they didn’t hold back on their quirks and fighting skills. There was a recovery center onsite just in case someone was severely hurt. Kirishima hardened his body to protect himself from Mina’s acid and threw it back to her. Kaminari tried to electrify Sero with his tape to help his current, but ended up dumbing himself. Sero exited the arena and looked at me. “You’re up, newbie,” he said.

I was up against the number one hero. We entered the arena simultaneously. “On your marks,” Mio said over the intercom.

“Don’t hold back, newbie. I expect to beat you at your best,” Bakugo said. The start horn goes off and Bakugo charges at me. We take a few punches from each other then he began to charge his gauntlets. My blue horn starts to glow.

AP SHOT!

The explosion engulfed the entire room. The smoke disappears to reveal that I put a force field around me. I send an invisible fist to Bakugo through the smoke. He falls to the ground. My glow is almost blinding as my telekinetic field grows larger. I’ve never tried this wide of distance before. He charged at me and flung his sweat at me. There was a brief moment where we looked in each other’s eyes of determination. Both of our faces were content and soft, but I was back in battle mode. My force field caught his sweat and I threw it back to him, causing him to blow himself up. After the smoke dissipated, I saw Bakugo, motionless. I ran over to him.

“Bakugo,” I yelled. I felt his torso to see if there were injuries. He flinched when I touched his left side. I closed my eyes as I healed his internal bleeding. His eyes flutter open. “Are you alright?”

“What? So you can heal too,” he said annoyed.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, but something came over me. I’m sorry,” I said.

“You are powerful. The look in your eye makes you determined, but I am better than that,” he barked as he walked away. I walked back to the observing room.

“That was amazing, (Y/N),” Kirishima yelled. Bakugo walked in and the room got silent.

“We’re not finished,” he said. He got close to my face. “I’m not done with you. I will beat you. You got that?” I got even closer to his face.

“I’ll meet you in the arena,” I said in his face and walked away. His eyebrows shot up.

“Are you turned on or is it just me,” Kaminari broke the ice.

“Shut up, dunce face,” Bakugo barked. “I will win this fight.” We enter the arena. His eyes look more determined in this round than the last. I charge at him and he dodged his way to get behind me. He punched me in the back, but I got up instantly. My horn started to glow. I closed my eyes to perceive the area around me. I could hear Bakugo about to punch me when I take all of his limbs and hold him in the air. He struggles to reach his gauntlet. “Tch, you don’t know that I’ve been storing my sweat this whole time. HOWITZER IMPACT!” I was thrown across the arena with his explosion. My ears rang so loudly. The smoke disappeared and Bakugo came over. He started talking to me, but I couldn’t hear anything. His face got soft. I know he didn’t want to hurt me, but he wanted to win. And he did.

“I can’t hear anything, but you win,” I said getting up. I was about to exit the arena when I saw Bakugo grab my arm. His voice was fant, but I believe he said that he wanted to get me to the recovery center to get my ears checked.

We arrive at the doctor’s office and the doctor told Bakugo that I have temporary hearing loss due to his quirk. He turns to me, and attempts to hold my hands. I flinch away. I was scared of him. If I trained more with him, would my hearing be lost completely? I couldn’t help but tear up with anxiety. My thoughts clouded my mind since it was the only voices I could hear. I left the doctor’s office with Bakugo and started to walk home.

…………………………………………………………………..................

A few days later, my hearing came back. I took a break from hero work since most of my power is being aware of my surroundings. I felt useless, but I’m glad I have my hearing back. I decided to go for a walk through the park near my apartment. The park was filled with cherry blossom trees and rivers. I walked along the river, watching the fish dance in the water. Cherry blossoms were blooming on the trees. Some would cascade in the water. It was so pretty and so calm. I love it here.

I saw a wave of ice in the distance appear out of nowhere. Shoto. I ran close to the scene to assist Shoto if he needed help. He was fighting a villain with a water quirk. There was snow and ice everywhere. Shoto eventually froze the villain and helped the police take him in. “I’ll melt the ice when you have him restrained for questioning,” he said. He looked over to me and walked over.

“Hey. You’re number six. I’m Shoto. I heard what happened. I should have warned you to go over to Bakugo’s agency. Some interns that went there completely lost their hearing, which is why everyone that trains there signs a consent form. You should consider yourself lucky. Thankfully, you have your hearing back. Here’s my card, I can help you train properly, if you’d like. Deku visits sometimes as well.”

“Thank you, Shoto,” I said. “It means a lot that you want to help me grow.”

“Hey, I know you are quiet, like me. But you have a powerful quirk and your actions are sometimes louder than words,” he slightly smiled.

“Shoto, the police need you,” an officer said.

“I’ll be around, Aura,” Shoto winked.

A group of girls next to me were lovestruck over Shoto. “Isn’t he the hottest thing you’ve ever seen? He’s so amazing! I love him!” I rolled my eyes and left the scene.

…………………………………………………………………………

I began to walk home when I saw Bakugo walking in my direction with Kaminari. I hid in an alleyway to avoid talking to them, but that drew more attention to me since they thought I could be a thug. Dammit. I suspended myself in the air, but my glow was pretty bright. When they turned the corner, they knew it was me.

“(Y/N),” Bakugo said softly. I lowered myself to greet them.

“Hi guys,” I said.

“Where have you been? I miss you. I enjoy training with you, but after Bakugo’s rampage, I could see why you don’t want to come back,” Kaminari said.

“Shut up. I feel bad enough,” Bakugo said to Kaminari. “(Y/N), I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you,” he turned to me.

“But you needed to win. You’re number one. Heroes win, even if it’s training,” I gritted my teeth.

“You didn’t deserve to lose your hearing,” he said. His face was soft. He seemed genuinely concerned for me.

“Yeah, I didn’t,” I barked.

“Hey, wait, if you didn’t come at me so hard, I would have won the first time and this conversation wouldn’t have happened, you idiot,” he retaliated.

“Uh, I’m gonna go before you start fighting again. I’ll see you back at the agency, Bakugo. Bye, (Y/N)! Miss you,” Kaminari left. Bakugo and I exchanged annoyed looks.

“I offered you help to make you stronger, but I didn’t think you would beat me, which is why I had to put you in your place. I got distracted by your eyes in the first fight,” Bakugo said.

“I’m sorry that I remind you of a girl you previously fell in love with. I’m not her, Bakugo. I want to save and protect people and bring villains to justice,” I said.

“You can’t do it alone, (Y/N). Believe me, I tried to get these extras off my back, but I learned that they helped me to where I am today. Let me help you.” There was a moment of silence between us. I sighed.

“Follow me, I have to show you something,” I said to him. I took him to the park with the cherry blossoms.

“What is this place? I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.

“I don’t live too far from here, but I come here to relax and organize my thoughts. Isn’t it pretty,” I asked. Bakugo looks over to me admiring the cherry blossoms.

“Yeah, it is something,” he said. We sat by the river and watched the cherry blossoms float on the water. “Hey, you wanna know a secret?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Kirishima sleeps with a teddy bear,” he laughed.

“Aww,” I said. “But he is a teddy bear, so it makes sense.”

“Sero cries at romantic movies,” he laughed even harder.

“Oh please, I bet you do too,” I said.

“No way,” Bakugo barked. “That crap is so fabricated.” I pushed him lightly, but he ended up losing his balance and fell into the river. “You are so dead!” He pulled me into the water and I start to laugh. His angry expression goes away when he saw me laugh. We get out of the water and sat on a bench as we air dried ourselves.

“You want to know a secret about me,” I asked.

“Tch, sure,” he said.

“I’m an orphan. I lost my parents to a villain when I was six. I’ve pretty much been alone since, but then I attended Shiketsu High. My motivation to be a hero came from my parent’s death. I wanted to help families be reunited with their loved ones. That’s why I became a hero,” I said. Bakugo smiled.

“That’s amazing. I also have a secret,” he said softly. “I don’t compare you to Takara. You are powerful and you have a beautiful soul, which is why I like you.” I blush. He has a crush on me? The cherry blossoms blow through the wind onto the river as we look into each other’s eyes. Bakugo then gets up.

“I have to go, but I’d love to see you again,” he said.

“You know where to find me,” I said. He smiled then walked away.

Part 4

[misskimtaemin]

Meet The Mins 1: Picnic Bliss

Summary: Background on the relationship between Y/N and Yoongi. They spend a romantic afternoon together. Yoongi may be planning a surprise for Y/N. ☁️

WK: 1.3k

^^^What would you do if Yoongi looked at you like that??? ^^^

Your boyfriend of 3 (almost 4) years was an extremely busy man and with BTS’s comeback right around the corner, it was typical of him to spend late nights at BigHit making sure that every last detail of the upcoming album was perfect. During these times, you made sure to be there for Yoongi, but also give him the space he needed to get his work done. You knew how much of a perfectionist he was, never wanting to disappoint you or ARMY.

It didn't bother you that Yoongi was a workaholic, you knew that much when you both started your relationship. That was the good thing. You were beyond aware of what you were getting yourself into and you were an independent person. Yoongi needed that out of a partner. He also needed a person to bring him back down to reality when he doubted himself, and a person to encourage him when he hit a roadblock in his creative process. Sometimes, he would work himself into a corner and shut everyone out, but you were there to whip his ass into shape anytime that happened. For Yoongi, you were that perfect person.

Usually during comeback season, he would get an early start and be at work by 6am so you were used to waking up without the warmth of his arms wrapped around your waist and his chest pressed to your back. You weren't bothered though because every night, you would fall asleep in each other's arms, and that's all you needed.

When you woke up this morning, just like any other day, you lazily shuffled your hand around your nightstand in search of your phone. You checked all of the usual apps; the weather, your email, twitter, then checked your daily morning text from Yoongi. “Look to your left babe. Love you.”  Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his message. You were used to reading his typical “I love you” every morning.

When you turned your head to the left you saw a little note with your name scrawled on it in Yoongi’s sloppy handwriting and a single rose. “Meet me at our park at 11:30. I love you so much jagi.” For a moment, you were confused, still slightly groggy from just waking up. But then it hit you, it was your anniversary this week and that park was your special place. You reminisced on your first date there with Yoongi all those years ago. It was close to comeback season then, so he chose a place close to BigHit because he had to go back to work afterwards. A giddy feeling arose in your stomach as you pondered what surprise Yoongi had in store for you today.

Feeling a new sense of excitement taking over, you hopped out of bed and rushed to get ready. After your shower was the hard part. “What the hell do I wear?” you sighed outloud to yourself. You decided on a simple black sundress that fit your curves with a denim jacket and some sandals. Checking your phone, you still had two hours before you had to leave so you did some chores around your shared apartment until it was time to go.

It was finally 11:15 so you grabbed your bag and headed out your front door to start your walk to the park. The song that Yoongi wrote for your anniversary last year played through your headphones on repeat as you enjoyed the tender breeze, softly caressing your cheeks. When you finally reached the park entrance, you saw Yoongi waiting for you with his headphones in and his head nodding slightly, probably listening to one of the new songs for the comeback to make sure it was perfect . When his eyes locked with yours, his signature gummy smile spread across his face melting your heart, even after almost 4 years.

“Hey Min” you said before placing a gentle peck on his lips.

“Hi jagi, I see you found my note” Yoongi said, his smile plastering itself back on his face.

“I sure did! What do you have planned for us today?” you asked as he interlocked his fingers with yours as you took to the path.

“Remember our first date almost 4 years ago? Well, I was thinking we could try to recreate it but make it a little better, ya know?. I’ve been incredibly busy with this comeback and I know we haven't spent as much time together lately because of it.” You thought back to your awkward first date and how restrained Yoongi was. You thought it was cute that he was more on the reserved side, not sure then if it was just his nerves or his true personality. You soon learned that he’s just the strong and silent type.

“That sounds like fun babe! I know you’re busy, Yoongs, and I appreciate everything you do for us. Don’t stress too much because I understand. Plus, our anniversary is this friday so we’ll officially celebrate then”

At your words, Yoongi tightened his grip on your hand and cleared his throat.

“About that Y/N…” you could hear the nerves in his voice. “Our manager scheduled us for a last minute TV broadcast on Friday night. I'm so sorry, but I don't think I can make it to dinner then. That's part of the reason why I wanted to do something special with you today. Of course I'll make it up to you, please don't be mad.’’ He spoke so fast that it took you a second to process what he said.

“Oh…..ok” were the only words you could squeeze out. Of course you weren’t mad. It’s not like Yoongi had any control over the situation, especially during comeback season with the crazy amount of promotions the group was doing. You would have been lying if you said you weren’t slightly disappointed though.

“Im sorry Y/N, I really am”

“It’s ok Yoongs, I know it’s not your fault. Sure I'm a little disappointed but we can celebrate our anniversary another day”

At that, you two had made it to the spot where you had your first picnic together as a couple. You gasped as your eyes fell upon the extravagant setup that Yoongi must’ve spent a lot of time on. He had a large blanket spread out under an unbloomed cherry blossom tree (it wasn’t cherry blossom season yet) covered in rose petals and small tea lights. In one corner of the blanket, there was a black picture frame with a picture of you two from your first date. In another corner sat the picnic basket and a cooler.

“Wow Yoongs it looks just like our first date! Much more romantic though” you said with a chuckle. Yoongi loved you dearly even though he wasn't always the most outwardly affectionate person. You could tell that he had put in a sincere effort to do something out of the ordinary for you and you loved it.

“I’m glad you like it, jagi” Yoongi said with a slight blush creeping up on his cheeks. Being the romantic guy had him feeling a little out of his comfort zone.

“I love it babe and I love you Min Yoongi. Now let’s eat, I’m starving!”

In the picnic basket, Yoongi had packed both of your favorite foods. Of course he included lamb skewers (because he can’t live without them), mandu (because you can’t live without them), and all different types of kimbap.

The both of you spent the rest of the picnic reliving old memories and saying sweet nothings to one another as you enjoyed the long needed couple time. For you, this moment could have been frozen in time as it was perfect in every way. For Yoongi, this moment only solidified his strong feelings for you. As he gazed into your loving eyes he couldn't help but wonder how he was so lucky. You were blissfully unaware of the surprise that he had waiting for you at the end of the week. Yoongi on the other hand, was full of nerves yet ever optimistic for the future that you two would hopefully share together.

[lilcherryblossomsaki-blog]

No, Thank you

A light gust of wind entered through the window. It was chilly, as it was early spring, the bittersweet aroma of a single freshly blooming cherry blossom tree right outside the window accompanying the close sounds of the big city. The air reached a strand of hair, and another, and another, waving around the long, blonde hair of a young girl, sitting on her bed. Or, at the very least, she was told it was blonde.

The door squeaked as it opened, light, but determined footsteps entering the room. “Madame Éléonore, your tea.” The voice was soft, yet unimaginably elegant. “Merci beaucoup, Claude”, the girl quickly responded, “hand me it, s’il te plaît”. She reached out her hands, and Claude placed the cup in her hands. “Your father wishes to speak to you later, Madame Éléonore.” The voice went silent, and the very same footsteps from before went back to where they came from, the door being closed with the exact same squeaks, merely backward. The girl sipped her tea. It was Chai tea with soy milk, brown sugar, and just a hunch of cinnamon. It was very sweet, yet had its own way of not being too sweet.

She emptied the cup, and, against all laws of etiquette, simply set it down on her bed, before standing up and moving toward the window. Reaching it, she leaned outside and took a deep breath. The smog of the city mixed into the fragrance of the sakura tree, as it was around the time most factories began to work, not to mention traffic and the like. Sirens could be heard not too far away, gunshots in the distance, a lonely dog barking down the street, searching for its long lost owner. Éléonore remained at the window for a while. She seemed displeased by what was outside, but the air in her room had become stuffy overnight, so allowing it to flow was not a bad idea.

After a while, somebody knocked on her door, and the same smooth voice from before sounded through the wood. “It is time to see your father now.” Éléonore turned away from the window and held onto  the side of her bed. “I’m coming.” She encountered the door, opening it and stepping outside, where Claude awaited her, laying a hand on her back and leading her down the hallway, into her father’s office.

She could quickly tell the room was filled with people, mostly older men, around her parents’ age. They were arguing, their voices loud, echoing through the room. “...but we need to drive them out..” “..we can’t it would be against our philosophy..” “..many of our own people are starving..” “crime rates!” “What about Italy?” They all shouted over each other, making it impossible to clearly make out a single full sentence, nor the flow of the conversation itself. Éléonore, led by Claude, moved next to her father, behind his desk, and sat on a chair that was suited to her size perfectly.

Her father raised his voice. “Enough! We shall discuss this issue further in the coming days. I have more business to attend to.” Silenced by the strong command, the horde of men neared the exit of the room, grumbling, their footsteps loud and angry, as if they had wanted to continue on for hours. Claude also left the room, his hand reluctantly leaving her back, but soon to be replaced by a much stronger, bigger hand, resting on her shoulder. “My dear, I know it is not easy, but you will need to learn how to rule over a Duché sooner or later. You will be overseeing the people’s personal requests with me today, and afterward, I may have a more uplifting message for you, I am merely waiting for final confirmation on.” “Alright, father.” The girl agreed as if agreement was necessary. In reality, she had no say in this, both her and her father were aware of this, and it reflected in her tone.

“Send the first one in!” he shouted through the door, and soon after, the door opened quietly, and a rather obnoxious scent entered the room. It smelled of dung and dirt, clearly a farmer. “What do you wish to discuss today?” her father spoke calmly. “My name is Marcel Deran, Sir, and our community of farmers is in danger. More and more often, out convoys get ambushed and raided, we lose the entire earnings from selling those wares, we become poorer and poorer, many of us are sick, but we cannot pay for doctors or medicine. If we could only get some protection, maybe a few policemen, the convoys generally only go back and forth twice per day…” The man’s voice sounded shaky and desperate, yet he spoke with hope, it was anchored deep into his tone. Her father responded quickly. “We are having problems with crime like never before, our entire police force is on their feet 24 hours a day. That said, this is a problem, agriculture makes up a big part of our Duché’s culture. I will see what I can do, and send a messenger your way as soon as I can.” “Thank you so much, votre Altesse!”

And as such, as quickly as he came, the farmer had left, only the first of many people to come. A mother in tears, requiring expensive treatment from foreign places for her child to survive, a young man seeking shelter for himself and his younger brother after his father had died trying to defend a woman being harassed on the street, and his employer taking over the house to make up for lost work force. Many people, many woes. The girl simply sat there expressionlessly, not a single word crossing her lips.

After what felt like way too many hours, her father finally sighed, his chair squeaking slightly as he leaned back. “That was the last one for today. Mon Dieu, this country is in a horrible state. Now, for better news.” The door opened, and quick, flying footsteps rushed in, dropped some paper onto the desk, and left as quickly as they entered. “Ah, here it is. Éléonore, ma chère, I just got confirmation that our country’s most proficient doctors can indeed restore your eyesight! Isn’t that magnifique? You could finally see again!”

For the first time in forever, the young girl turned her head toward the person speaking to her. Her eyelids opened, her irides close to nonexistent, her pupils big, but glassy, the entirety of her eyes almost seeming like they were greyed out.

“No, thank you, father. In a world like this, I do not wish to see.”

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 003 [Not A Bad Person]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂ Backward

Word Count: 2,840 ☁

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Cut into pieces, Looking for a reason. Throw me a line and bring me back home.” I Prevail, “Lifelines”〉

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My hand tugged at the handcuffs but they didn’t budge. It was tight enough to prevent my hand from slipping through, but it wasn’t painful. Still, I felt angry as hell waking up to be handcuffed to a damn bed. And not even a comfortable bed. I was still in my shredded clothes, too, which I guess was a good thing. I tried to summon that fire again to burn through the metal, but I couldn’t get it to work.

At least my body doesn’t hurt anymore. The bruises are gone, too.

With a groan, I fell back onto the bed, glaring out the window. The sky was a baby blue without a cloud in sight. If I had to guess, I’d say it was about ten-thirty in the morning. What kind of nurse’s office doesn’t have a damn clock?

The door slid open and the small woman stepped inside, carrying some folded clothes in her arms. “I have some clothes for you to change into, deary.”

I stared at her blankly, lifting my cuffed hand as far as I could before letting it drop, the metal clanking. She set the clothes on the side of the be before pulling a key from her pocket and unlocking the cuff around my wrist. I sat up, flexing my fingers and rolling my wrist. It was red from where the metal had dug into my skin.

I watched her as she hopped into the desk chair and started to write in a pad of paper. She didn’t seem at all worried about me attacking her or trying to escape. Not that I ever would attack an elderly person unless they attacked me first.

I slid off the bed, turning my back to her as I slid the jacket off and pulled the t-shirt over my head, throwing them on the bed.

“What an interesting tattoo,” she commented.

I could feel her eyes on my back and I quickly tugged the grey shirt down. “Interesting, sure.”

“Do you regret getting it?”

“I didn’t get it,” I muttered, tugging off my jeans. “Gramps tried to convince me that I was born with it, but who the fuck is born with a dragon on their back? He was obviously trying to protect my shitty parents. It wasn’t bad enough that they dropped a kid off on an old man, they also had to scar my body with that damn thing.” I angrily shoved my legs into the navy blue pants.

She didn’t comment on what I said, turning her head toward the door. “You can come in now,”

The door slid open and the skeletal blonde walked in, his eyes on the ground. Behind him was… is that a fucking rat wearing clothes? My lip curled up, eyes narrowed. The thing was walking on two legs. It even has shoes on! Wait, is it smiling at me?

“Am I a rat? Am I a bear? No, I’m principal Nezu!” the thing spoke, it’s arms spread out as it smiled.

You’re clearly a fucking rat. Is this what taking drugs feel like?

He sat on the stool, the blonde squatting beside him like a dog. “You must be pretty confused, so we’d like to ease your concerns.”

“You handcuffed me to a fucking bed,” I stated, blandly.

Blondie shifted. “You did attack me and try to escape, young Jen.”

My eyes narrowed at him, but I knew he was right.

The rat tapped his cheek with a paw. “Let’s see, where shall we begin? Ah yes. This world is different from the one you were raised in.”

No shit. Rats don’t fucking talk and wear clothes where I come from. “So what you’re saying is – I’m in a different world right now?”

“Precisely! In your worlds, quirks don’t exist, right?”

“Quirks… Blondie mentioned that, too, but I still don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Quirks are powers that are possessed by most of the population! Eighty percent, to be exact. Quirks begin to manifest around the age of four.” He held up a paw. “There are three types – emitter, transformation, and mutant. Your quirk falls under the emitter category.

“My quirk… I don’t have a quirk.” I scowled, folding my arms. “I’m not from this world. You said so yourself.”

“You were,” Blondie muttered under his breath.

“What?” My eyes narrowed at him, but he just turned his gaze to the ground.

“If you need proof,” The rat motioned toward the woman, who pulled out an x-ray and held it up. “As you can see, you only have one joint in your pinkie toe. This is true for all people with a quirk!”

“You don’t seem to be familiar with your quirk, deary.” The woman commented, setting down the x-ray. “Tell me, when did your quirk first manifest?”

I shifted my weight. “You mean like… the first time the… fire appeared?” She nodded and I looked away. It felt silly to admit it, like a child with an overactive imagination. I scratched my cheek and cleared my throat, my voice low. “Yesterday…”

All three of them looked at me in surprise.

“That should be proof enough,” I scowled. “You said quirks always manifest at age four. I’m seventeen. It was clearly a… a fluke or freak event or some shit!”

The woman hopped off her chair and approached me, smiling up at me. “May I see your wrist?” Reluctantly, I held my arm out toward her. Her small hands unwrapped the bandage from my wrist and my eyes widened.

My birthmark is… gone? No, it’s still there but it has almost completely faded, almost invisible against my pale skin. The outline was glowing like the ember circle on a cigarette. “The hell…”

“Do you know what this is?”

“It’s a… a birthmark…” But I was beginning to wonder about that now. Do birthmarks typically fade?

“It’s a seal,” she said. “No doubt the work of someone’s quirk.”

“A seal?” My brow furrowed. “What, like flex tape?” She gave me a confused look and I looked away, scratching my cheek. Guess that doesn’t exist here in this world.

“Someone used their quirk to seal your own,” She clarified.

“Your power is strong,” Blondie commented. “And it’s been slowly building for a long time.”

“Imagine a pot of rice!” The rat smiled. “The seal is the lid, keeping the contents safe inside. Their quirk might possibly get weaker over time, and meanwhile, the pot is slowly getting hotter and hotter on the inside. I imagine some event triggered a high emotional response, which flipped the heat onto high. The sudden change in temperature is too much for the lid to contain and boom, the lid pops off!”

The fuck kinda long-winded metaphor is that?

“Since you have nowhere to go, you will be living with All Might,” he motioned toward the blonde, who stood up at the mention.

You’ve got to be kidding me. This guy looks like he could croak at any moment. Gramps is the only damn person I’ll look after! His bloody face flashed in my mind but I quickly shook my head. No, he isn’t dead. That old man is as tough as nails, there’s no way he’s dead.

Blondie cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go, young Jen?”

“Like I have a choice,” I muttered, heading for the door.

“Try not to worry too much,” The rat hopped down, his paws behind his back as he smiled up at me. “Everything will reveal itself when the time is right.”

My eyes narrowed. This damn rat definitely knows more than he’s letting on. Blondie put his hand on my shoulder and I thought about shoving him away, but his hand was warm and comforting.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

I stepped into the apartment, my arms folded over my chest since these stupid pants don’t have pockets. I kicked my sneakers off and followed Blondie into the kitchen.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, starting to make some tea.

“Starving,” I headed for the fridge, tugging it open. My eye twitched. “Empty…”

He sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head. “I just moved in…”

“Sure, sure.” I slammed the door with a sigh. “Can you order a pizza or somethin’?”

“Any special requests?”

“Pepperoni and chicken?”

He nodded, handing me a cup of steaming tea. I reluctantly took it, the ceramic warm against my palm. I hate hot tea, but it was better than nothing, I guess. I didn’t want to waste it, either, since he went through the trouble of making it. I stepped into the living room, sitting on the couch and blowing on it to cool it off. So much had happened in the past day and a half, and I still wasn’t entirely sure what is real and what’s not. It certainly feels real, but I’ve had a few dreams like that in the past.

I would wake up, dazed and confused before waking up Gramps to validate my existence. He would sit me down at the kitchen table, listening to me ramble on about my dream while he made tea. He knew I hated hot tea, so he would always let it cool before pouring it over ice. Then he would reassure me that it was just a dream. We’d sit and talk until the sun shone through the kitchen window.

He would turn his attention to the morning sky and smile sadly, recalling a far off memory. I had asked him multiple times about what it was, but he would just pat my head and say that it didn’t matter because it was in the past. And as he gazed out at the start of the morning, he would always repeat the same thing each time, “Every day the sun rises is a gift, kitten. No matter what hardships you face in the future, you must always approach every day like it is your last.”

After that, we’d sit in silence for a bit, his words hanging in the air like cherry blossom petals floating on the wind.

My head fell back against the couch, my eyes staring out the window. Gramps… Tears sprang to my eyes but I quickly wiped them away. Now is not the time for tears. I can cry when I’m back in my own world, telling Gramps about all of this damn craziness.

Blondie stepped into the living room, tea in one hand and phone in the other. “It should be here in twenty minutes,”

“Twenty?” I repeated in surprise. “It takes thirty to forty minutes back home.”

“Well, most people have quirks relevant to their job.” He sat down beside me, taking a gulp of tea.

“Is there a pizza quirk?” I sat up, turning my body toward him as I took a small sip of my own tea. “Wait, wait, is there a taco quirk? Oh my god, that would be amazing.”

“There are a lot of quirks that haven’t been registered, and I personally don’t know every single registered quirk.” He paused, thoughtfully. “Lunch Rush is a pro hero whose quirk is cooking based.”

“So heroes, huh? That’s a real thing here?”

“Yes. Being a pro hero is what a lot of young people strive for. Everyone has their own reason for wanting to become a hero.”

“What’s your reason?” I paused, scanning his frail body. “Or are you not a hero?”

Blondie sat the cup on the coffee table and stood up. His body expanded, filling out the baggy clothes he wore. My eyes widened and I leaned forward.

“Oi, you were that one guy, the one with the guy whose face was fucking on fire.”

He nodded, turning his large body toward me with a bright smile. He looked like he was auditioning for a fucking Crest commercial. “I am All Might, the symbol of peace. You asked what my reasoning is to be a hero? My reasoning is simple, young Jen. I am a hero to protect those unable to protect themselves.”

Damn, he really seems pretty cool right now…

Smoke started to rise from his body and with a puff of smoke, he was back to his skeletal form, coughing up blood into his hand. And now he doesn’t seem so cool anymore…

I was about to question him when a knock sounded on the door and he went to open it.

I grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. The news was playing, how boring. I was about to change the channel when a picture showed up on the screen. It was that lizard bitch that tried to use me as a hostage. I hummed, increasing the volume as I rested my chin in the palm of my hand.

“Takeshi Hironaka, villain name Lizardo, was wanted in connection to several robberies across the Tokyo area. According to onlookers, he was corned by pro hero number one, All Might, and pro hero number two, Endeavor, when an unknown girl jumped between them.”

Bitch, I didn’t fucking jump between them, I fell between them… wait that sounds worse.

“The girl was quickly captured by Hironaka, but not for long. Witnesses claim that the girl used her quirk to light him on fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There are currently no leads to her identity or whereabouts.”

The remote fell from my hand, clattering across the wooden floor and muting the TV. He… He’s dead? I killed him? My eyes widened and I could feel my body starting to shake as my emotions rose. I fucking killed someone.

“Young Jen, what’s -”

“I’m a murderer…”

His eyes flickered to the TV before he set the pizza down, turning the TV off. He sat in front of me on the coffee table, taking my hands into his. “Listen to me, young Jen.” While it is true that he died as a result of your quirk, it’s not your fault. Your power has been building for a long time. You’ve only just discovered it, it’s not your fault that you’re currently unable to control it.”

“I’m a murderer,” I repeated, staring blankly at our connected hands. My chest was hurting, that guy’s face flashing through my eyes every time I blinked.

His hand tightened around my own. “Look at me,”

I glanced up, meeting his soft blue eyes. They were beautiful up close, full of warmth and kindness. It felt like I was looking at Gramps…

“I will train you to control your quirk so that this will never happen again. You are not a bad person, Jen. I know you had no intention of killing that man. It was an accident.”

“At my school… before I fell through that weird-ass portal. I… I attacked someone.” I looked away. “Her name’s Skye. She’s been bullying me since we were kids, but… yesterday was different.” I pulled my hand away, resting my fingers on my neck. The skin no longer hurt, but as I recalled the memory, I could feel her calloused fingers digging into my skin. “She was choking me. I… I’m pretty sure she planned to kill me that day. I tried pushing her away and she screamed. The entire left side of her face had third-degree burns… I did that to her…”

“Was that the first time your quirk materialized?”

“As far as I know, yeah.”

“I see. Thinking that you’re going to die would definitely raise your emotions enough to break through the seal.”

I was quiet for a moment, my fingers playing with the pendant around my neck. It was a habit I had picked up whenever I got stressed out. Gramps always told me that it was a gift from my mom, so when I was a kid I tried throwing it away. Why would I want a gift from someone that had abandoned me and Gramps? But no matter what I did to it, the damn thing would always be around my neck again when I woke up. When he found out I was trying to get rid of it, he sat me down and told me that it was an important family heirloom that I needed to keep safe at all costs. I didn’t believe the story for a second, even as a child, but I respected his request.

“Hey, Blondie.”

He sweatdropped. “My name is Toshinori Yagi.”

I ignored him. “When I said that I’m not from this world, you said that I was. What did you mean by that?”

He cleared his throat as he stood up, heading into the kitchen. He returned with two plates, avoiding my eyes. “The pizza is going to get cold,”

“I deserve to know,” I scowled.

He put a slice on each plate before sliding one toward me. “I promise I will tell you, just not right now.”

I clicked my tongue in disapproval but decided to let it go for now. I would get my answers, but it could wait. Honestly, I just wanted to stuff my face with pizza and go to bed.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

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[daniaft]

Japan Trip (Part 1)

The first blog in April 2017, I like to share about my holiday in Japan last time.

Japan is a timeless place which fusion of modern and ancient era. We can see an old temple beside a high sophisticated building. People in here has (almost) no sleep time. As you can hear, Japan is known for high working hour. Most people like to work late. I heard from my friend who lives there, that sometimes people like chattered about their neighbor if they see the husband come home earlier than common office hour or when they do not use a working style (suit with shirt). Kinda scary for me and my husband because he uses to wear t-shirt and jeans to the office (maybe people will talking about him all the time if we live there. :p)

Japanese also seems very stylish. It is like seeing a fashion show on the road, people clothes are so neat, sleek and fashionable. I can assume appearance is very important for Japanese.

The reason why I go to Japan in April is because my husband want to see the cherry blossom or sakura blooming.

Yeap, based on the forecast in Japan, early April were full bloom for sakura in some cities.

Mostly, I always book hotel or flight for holiday 6 months earlier, but this time I booked only one and a half months earlier because this is an unplanned holiday. As we know, booking earlier will give us benefit like cheaper flight and also more availability of the place to stay.

Based on this, I like to share our itinerary and the cost, in case you are going to Japan next year when sakura is blooming. For arranging the itinerary, I used Trello app. It is make you easy in arranging the plan because you can make many cards and inside the card you can add list of your destination or things to do. You can check the detail explanation here http://blog.trello.com/all-a-board-plan-a-vacation-with-trello.

Let's started with the flight and accommodation (in SGD, Ringgit Malaysia, and Yen Japan currency).

First, I booked Malaysia Airlines round trip trough Traveloka because it is the cheapest tickets for 1-12 April 2017.  It cost $584.16/ adult and $441.68/ child (including meal and luggage 30 kg/person).

Second, for overnight in Malaysia, I booked trough Agoda and I booked apartment trough Homeaway and Airbnb for our stay in Japan because I liked to wash our clothes and cook for breakfast to reduce the cost. Also, hotel is more expensive for that limited space and facilities.

Malaysia

Since our flight was in the morning, I liked to find a place that near airport and have 3 beds. (Fyi, I had this holiday with my brother-in-law). Since hotel at Kuala Lumpur Int. Airport (terminal KLIA 1) was so expensive and didn't have a room with 3 beds and it required us to book 2 rooms, I decided to booked a hotel outside the airport but not too far. I decided to stay at Sri Enstek Hotel, it is 15 minutes away from KLIA. The cost for one night with 3 beds is $58.3 (plus booking fee $1.63). The hotel also provides airport transfer with RM 11/ person but you have to reserve first at the receptionist. In the morning, they also provides breakfast. Not kinda common hotel that provides variation menu, this hotel only provide fried rice, fried noodle and bread with jam. But it is enough for transit hotel. It also provides hot coffee and tea. The taste is not bad, enough to full your tummy. Go to KLIA at 7 am, and arrived there at 7.30 am. No traffic jam because according to the driver, the area is house complex of airport worker.

Please be remind that Malaysia Airlines has a long queue in the morning and they drop bag counter (for self-check in) still closed, so I should go to manual check-in. Fortunately, they had separated line queue for the passenger who travels with a baby.

Finally, I was on the plane, it takes 7 hours to Narita airport. Overall, I like the service, they provide 1x meal and 1x snack. Really enjoy and excited the journey.

Note:

Always spare time 2-4 hours at KLIA airport because of the check in and immigration queue sometimes very long. It takes 20 minutes-1 hours to queue. Some gates also need to be reached by aero train. So always spare time rather than late.

Never book budget airport Taxi if you bring luggage more than 3 bags. They tend to reject you. So you should ask for premium airport Taxi (it seems the same type of sedan of budget taxi, but don't know what is the different between it. Maybe it just extra cost for tourist with larger and many bags) and it cost only RM 50 meanwhile budget taxi cost RM 40 to Sri Enstek hotel.

Always prepared local currency where you are going to transit. You did not want to get lost or starving while your transit because you did not have some money right? But if you forget to change it, you can exchange it at the airport, there are some money changers but the rate is not as good as in your hometown.

If you want to use this airport taxi, you can find the booth near the out gate of the terminal and make a reservation. Please be remind that if you book above 12 am there will be additional midnight surcharge.

Always booking Agoda from mobile-app because it is cheaper than booking on the web browser and have an account because they will give you more discount and insider deal price.

Transit within more than 6 hours shall make you to taking your luggage and go trough immigration clearance. Please be prepared if you required having a transit visa.

(to be continued...)

[howterrifying]

+sherlolly because...mycroft is love

I think it's no surprise now to those of you who know me that I love Mycroft. This story is basically 90% Mycroft, or what I like to call 'Mycroft-centric', but set to a background of blossoming Sherlolly. It ended up Mycroft-centric because I've always had an issue with the way Mycroft was always made fun of regarding his weight and this rumoured love for cake. I got so fed up that I decided to write this to subvert all the things that had been said about him. I love Mycroft but I also particularly love writing Molly and Mycroft having a sort of real kindred affection for one another and a deep understanding between them. What can I say, they're my ultimate brOTP. :) Still has nice Sherlolly moments tho. So if you've come to read this, thank you so much! xx

:: CONTAINS SERIES FOUR SPOILERS ::

Hunger  ( also on FF.net and AO3 ) The cake place, as Sherlock had called it, was a simple cafe that Molly had picked for its low human traffic and of course, its delicious cake. The three of them, Molly, Sherlock and John, were halfway through their little birthday-do for the detective when John received a call from Mrs Hudson regarding little Rosie.

“It seems she’s running a fever,” said John, returning his phone to his pocket, “Sorry guys but I’d better dash.” After settling his share of the bill with Molly, John rushed out of the cafe and hopped into the first cab he could find. At this hour, the cafe really was quiet. Now that John had left, the number of patrons reduced from three to two. “So, how do you find this…cake place?” asked Molly, smirking slightly at him. “I appreciate the lack of humans,” answered the detective, “So you’ve chosen well again, Molly.” “Are you saying I’m not human, Sherlock?” Molly remarked in mock indignation. “No— No, no, I just meant—” “Relax, Sherlock,” said Molly with a laugh, “I know what you meant.” Sherlock smiled. Of course she would know what he meant. Sometimes, Sherlock was sure she knew him better than he did. He wanted to tell her he particularly appreciated the lack of humans because it meant there was nothing to disrupt his concentration on his time with her. Perhaps he would tell her another time. “I considered inviting Mycroft,” said Molly, taking a bite of cake. “It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Sherlock remarked swiftly. “Why? Would he spoil the mood of this invigorating party?” she said with a laugh. “In a way. For starters, there’d be no cake left,” said Sherlock, smirking as he sipped his coffee. “Food has always been my brother’s weakness. Molly stopped to ponder what Sherlock had said and something did not sit right with her. “Hang on.” Molly said, putting her fork down, “Are you implying Mycroft was greedy as a child?” “Well, obviously. I never imply.” said Sherlock. “You should’ve seen him then.” “I have, actually. He’s shown me pictures.” “Since when?” asked Sherlock, frowning slightly. “Your brother and I have a good friendship, Sherlock,” remarked Molly with a smile. “It’s what saved you that afternoon of your fall, you know?” “As you both never cease to remind me,” said Sherlock, rolling his eyes. “You never cease to forget,” Molly shot back. A tricky silence fell between them for a moment. Sherlock, sensing that he had been callous again with what was clearly a very serious subject matter, poured Molly a fresh cup of tea, intending it as a peace offering. He pushed it gingerly across the table to her, softening his expressions slightly to convey his apologies, causing Molly to laugh. “It’s fine,” she said, accepting the tea gratefully, “I am genuinely curious though, why would you say that about him? I cannot see Mycroft ever having been that way.” “Are you sure you saw the right photos? Because if you had, you would definitely see why,” explained Sherlock, “He was always eating, for as long as I can remember, guzzling everything like his life depended on it. I don’t even think he was hungry when he ate sometimes—” “Ah.” “What?” “You’re absolutely right there,” Molly remarked thoughtfully. “Sorry?” “That he wasn’t always hungry. And certainly not greedy,” continued Molly. “Do you know why he was, as you say, guzzling all the time, Sherlock?” Sherlock paused to look at her, trying to see where she was going with this question. He started thinking back on all his memories of Mycroft polishing food off his plate and constantly reaching for food. “What did your mummy always use to scold you about?” Molly asked quietly, as though coaxing the memory out of Sherlock. Sherlock blinked hard at the question that certainly was not hard at all. There were many answers to that, but what was Molly driving at? “The usual, I suppose. Not wiping my muddy wellies from when I would play pirates at the beach… Or dissecting any dead rats I’d find in the traps using her steak knives…” “You don’t remember, do you?” asked Molly, leaning forward with a curious gleam in her eyes. “Remember what?” “You see, Mycroft did such an excellent job you never got chided for it ever again.” This was a puzzling statement and the detective frowned in response. Knowing Molly was going to continue, Sherlock stayed quiet, knowing that now was not the time to act smart or make possibly inaccurate deductions. Clearly, there was something she knew, and he did not. “Look down at your plate. How many bites of cake have you had?” The detective followed her instructions and stared down at his plate. Depending on the angle one took to look at it, no one would have suspected the slice of cake had had a bite taken out of it. “I ate the cherry. And I had a corner of cake. I might have another bite, seeing as sugar is the only high I can afford now—” “And what would your mother say,” Molly interjected, “if she could see your plate now?”

Memories were a funny thing. Sometimes, they remained buried with no chance of recollection whatsoever. Yet, in some cases, they sprang back to the forefront of the mind once the right switch was turned on. The memory played in Sherlock’s head like a perfect piece of cinematography. All the sights and sounds and smells came rushing to him as he suddenly recalled one particular night at the family dinner table. He could not have been more than four years old, but Sherlock was brilliant after all and had a vast store of memories from a very early age. Dinner had been served and while he had been hungry after a full afternoon playing outside in the garden, he had refused to eat a single morsel of his food. Sherlock’s brilliance had a setback, and that was the frequent and immense sensory overloads he would experience. The great speed at which he processed things was directly proportional to the tremendous sensitivity he felt towards his environment. Suddenly, Sherlock was acutely aware of how repulsed he had felt that one evening at dinner; how the creamed spinach felt too wet; how the boiled potatoes were too yellow; and how the carrots and gravy seemed to merge into the same colour and it just did not feel right. In his attempt to make his food palatable and not disturb him so much, Sherlock had tried prodding at it, rearranging it, mixing the colours or mixing the textures to find a combination that did not send his hairs standing. Then, a huge sharp pain had interrupted his rearrangement of his dinner when Mummy tapped the edge of a wooden spoon against his tiny knuckles. In an equally sharp voice, she had asked him sternly why he had not taken a bite of his food and chided him for being fussy and for playing with his food. The rude shock of her harsh voice and the slight throb in his knuckles had caused tears to well up in the eyes of young Sherlock. He remembered the tears and the frustration behind them because he had truly been hungry at the time but simply could not bring himself to eat the food before him. Such a struggle was something Mycroft had also been all too familiar with. After all, were they not of the same make? An infinitely more brilliant mind like Mycroft’s had dealt with the same battle of his senses and how they affected his experience of life. Everything that had plagued Sherlock as a young genius had also affected him before, except now, with seven years ahead of his younger brother, Mycroft had learned to manage. Whether it was the noise, the people, the food, the scents - Mycroft had learnt to manage. As tears had continued to spill from Sherlock’s eyes, he did his best to obey his mother, not wanting to risk hearing her terribly hard voice or another rap to his knuckles. Reluctantly, Sherlock had begun lowering his fork into what he perceived as neon yellow flesh of the cut potatoes on his plate. However, just as the silver prongs were about to poke through the powdery cube of potato, Sherlock remembered seeing Mycroft deftly reaching over, switching plates with him. Sherlock had stared in shock at the empty plate in place of his, while Mycroft had begun quickly devouring what Sherlock could not.   “He couldn’t have been hungry…” Sherlock murmured as the memories continued playing in his head. Molly merely lowered her heard and smiled. She could tell he had ventured somewhere obscure in his Mind Palace and did not want to disrupt this particular trip down memory lane. Once dinner time had been over, Sherlock was starving but relieved that his brother had saved him. Mummy had seemed pleased that all her children had finished their meals and had cheerfully cleared their plates. Mycroft, knowing that his brother would have been absolutely ravenous by now, had stolen into the kitchen and nicked a few ginger nuts from Mummy’s cupboard. There you are, Sherlock, Mycroft had said to his little brother. Nice and dry, these. And I picked the least lumpy ones of the lot, just the way you like them.You mustn’t go to bed hungry. It seemed this first memory then triggered a whole deluge of similar incidents. All of a sudden, Sherlock remembered not wanting to eat the honey on toast at tea time one afternoon because the honey had not felt ‘ready’ and its colour was all wrong and so had refused to touch it. His piece of toast had gotten so cold that the honey spread on top of it had almost turned to glass. Again, Mycroft had swept in and grabbed the toast off his brother’s plate, leaving it empty before Mummy could return to the dining room, sparing Sherlock another shelling from her. In these memories, Mycroft was still always eating, always stealing biscuits and cake  and stuffing his face with tremendous speed and almost with a sense of desperation. Except, it was neither hunger nor greed which motivated those responses. “You’ve spoilt my appetite now, Molly…” muttered the detective, as his recollection of his childhood slowly began to clarify. “Because now you remember how much Mycroft loves you?” teased Molly. There came coughing and choking sounds as Sherlock reached for his coffee and took a big dramatic sip, as though it could wash the thought away. Molly suppressed a chuckle but continued to speak.

“I know it’s hard for you, but I just— could not sit idly by and have you think he was some greedy, food-obsessed child,” Molly began. “He merely wanted to protect you. And still does.” Sherlock raised a cynical eyebrow before taking another slow sip of his coffee. “Are you about to suggest I do something about this?” he asked, eyeing Molly suspiciously. “I know that look in your eyes.” “Well, you could just call him, tell him you love him,” joked Molly. “Are you trying to kill me?” asked Sherlock with a smirk. “Would it?” Molly asked swiftly in return. “Would it actually kill you?” Her question was a weighted one, and it made Sherlock sigh quietly. He picked his fork up and took another bite of cake, chewing it slowly and thoughtfully.

“Maybe you should practice,” said Molly with a gleam in her eyes. “Practice?” he asked. “Hello, Sherlock,” she began, smiling at him. “Uh, hello…Molly,” answered Sherlock instinctively but a little unsure. “I would do anything to protect you,” she declared, “Because I love you. Now, what would you say in return?” He glared at her incredulously, amazed at how she was able to say such words so easily. How did she make something so heavy appear so light and effortless? Sherlock shook his head and chuckled softly. “He would never say that to me, you do know that right?” said Sherlock with a laugh. “It’d kill him.” “That is true,” Molly replied, “But you never know, Sherlock. One day, you or Mycroft might find yourselves literally at gunpoint and you’ll wish you’d done something.” Sherlock paused to reflect on her words. He certainly could not deny that his memory of Mycroft had been incomplete, resulting in the present-day misjudgement of his brother. Mycroft had never been greedy, had never enjoyed the taste of honey, and would have never taken more than he was allowed to. It frightened Sherlock that he had gotten something so fundamentally wrong about his brother, about his own history. He shook away the even more terrifying thought that there might be more he could have missed about their childhood. Sherlock made a note not to delete things from his memory too impulsively anymore. “I think you’re right, Molly,” said Sherlock at last, looking up at her. Molly smiled and gestured to his plate. “You going to finish your cake then?” she asked. “Yes, I think I will,” Sherlock replied, smiling as he picked his fork up. — The air was cold and daylight had yet to break. Sherlock stood outside the large mahogany doors and waited. Right on schedule, the doors opened and out stepped Mycroft, decked head to toe in his black running gear and wearing a look of surprise on his face. “What are you doing here?” asked Mycroft, “Has something happened? And why are you in running clothes?” “Same reason you’re wearing them,” answered Sherlock. “What, you’re here for a jog? At five in the morning?” Mycroft exclaimed, still somewhat in shock at seeing his brother, “Aren’t you usually at the morgue trying to show off to Molly Hooper or something?” “She does the day shifts now,” Sherlock answered without missing a beat. “And then you take her out to dinner in the evenings?” joked Mycroft. “On occasion, yes,” Sherlock replied unflinchingly, secretly relishing the look of surprise in his brother’s eyes. “Well, good for you…and good luck to her,” said Mycroft, “Now, if you’ll excuse me—” “Mycroft.” “Yes, Sherlock, what?” Suddenly, Sherlock could not articulate why he had come to see his brother. Perhaps it had not been clear to him either, but after everything Molly had made him realise, he knew he had to do something. “Mind if I joined you?” he asked. “We won’t have to chat, will we?” said Mycroft, raising an eyebrow. “These grounds are quite large and I should like to concentrate on conserving energy for my run, if you don’t mind.” “No chatting, just running,” said Sherlock with a nod. “Then I don’t see why you can’t,” Mycroft replied, nodding in return. It had been a quiet run, the two brothers side by side as they made their way around Mycroft’s entire estate. They returned, panting slightly as they stepped into Mycroft’s equally palatial kitchen. The older Holmes brother opened his refrigerator where its only contents was a single glass decanter of freshly squeezed juice. He poured himself a glass, knowing his brother would not be interested in any. To his surprise, his brother came to join him, pouring himself a glass too. “I brought you something,” said Sherlock, after he had downed half the glass of juice thirstily. “Whatever for?” asked Mycroft with a laugh. “Here,” said Sherlock, tossing a dark brown packet to his brother. “What’s this?” asked Mycroft. “Breakfast,” said Sherlock. “They’re ginger nuts,” said Mycroft. “Exactly,” Sherlock said with a quick smile. “I used to have them for breakfast, remember?” Mycroft paused to look up at his brother carefully. His puzzled frown soon softened into a small, warm smile. Mycroft looked away and stared out of his kitchen window into the green of his estate. “The bacon looked like twigs, you’d said. And the eggs were like ‘monster eyes’,” Mycroft recalled wistfully, “You were so small and frail.” “And you were the opposite.” “Yes, I was,” said Mycroft. “Mycroft.” “Yes?” “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” Both brothers turned away, both unaccustomed to any such displays of emotion, but were smiling secretly in the knowledge that the other was not looking. Their silence was interrupted by the crackling sound of a plastic packet being opened. “Fancy a ginger nut?” asked Mycroft, holding one out in his hand. “For old times’ sake.” “Seeing as I haven’t had any breakfast…” answered Sherlock, taking the biscuit from his brother. “Yes, I will have one.” Mycroft reached into the packet and took one for himself too. The two brothers stood where they were in the kitchen, quietly crunching on their biscuits. “Remind me, will you, Sherlock?” Mycroft said, suddenly. “To do what?” he asked, gesturing for his brother to pass him another biscuit. “To thank Molly Hooper,” answered Mycroft, hunting for a ginger nut with a texture agreeable to his younger brother. “Of course.” “Maybe I’ll take her out to dinner,” joked Mycroft, eyeing his brother. Sherlock stared back icily at Mycroft, inciting a laugh from him.   “I jest,” said Mycroft, offering his brother another carefully selected biscuit. “I certainly hope you are.” “Well, I wouldn’t want to undo what’s she's managed to accomplish.” “Hmm. Yes.” Mycroft smiled as he put the packet of biscuits down and walked casually to the sink to wash his hands. As the sound of running water filled the quiet kitchen, Mycroft thought about everything that had transpired that morning and could not help but smirk to himself. When he was finished, he turned the tap off and the kitchen went quiet again. “That said, brother mine,” Mycroft remarked, sauntering over to dry his hands on a small towel, “While it’s taken you about thirty years to offer me biscuits, I don’t recommend you take the same amount of time regarding Molly Hooper.” “What, to offer her biscuits?” said Sherlock, scoffing slightly. Mycroft laughed. Sherlock really was the idiot. “I believe it is words you have to offer her,” Mycroft said with a knowing half-smile. “Say them while they still mean something to her.” “Are both of you trying to kill me?” Sherlock exclaimed. “Believe me when I say, Sherlock, that if you didn’t,” Mycroft explained, “That might kill you first.” “Are you speaking from experience?” asked Sherlock, scoffing. “Perhaps,” Mycroft answered coolly. Sherlock stared at his brother, perplexed at his words. What frame of reference did his brother have that he did not? Was there more that he had missed from their childhood? Their adolescence? “It was from my time at MI6,” said Mycroft, answering the question in his brother’s head, “I’ll tell you another time when you feel like we need another…breakfast.” “Hmm, yes.” “Now, please, just take my word for it and go,” said Mycroft, waving his little brother away. With a smirk, Sherlock stole one more ginger nut and turned to leave his brother’s colossal home. With his free hand, he took his mobile phone out and began to text. To his surprise, she had texted him first. How did it go? - M It was fine. - SH Oh, that’s wonderful then. - M Where are you now? - SH On my way to the Bart’s refectory, why? - M Mind if I joined you there? - SH What? For lunch? - M Yes. Lunch. - SH But you never eat. - M It seems I have to once in a while. - SH What made you change your mind? - M My brother said it might kill me if I didn’t. - SH He’s right, there. - M So, the refectory? - SH Yes. See you soon then. - M See you. x - SH !!!!! - M :) - SH

[chroniclesofamiddlechild]

THE DAY I WENT TO THE WRONG PAVILION: JAPAN DAY 8

today was going to be my only full day in kyoto and i had planned a lot of good stuff such as: going to the golden pavilion and then going to the ryoanji zen garden and then making my way to the north east side of kyoto to have a cup of green tea at nanzenj and then walk around gion and go back to eikan-do for the night time illuminations. quite an AGGRESSIVE plan that i BRACED myself for. BUT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. 

first of all, i left the hostel before 9am today. DIDNT SEE THE CUTE GUY in the olive green rain jacket. DIDNT SEE THE CUTE GUY THAT WORKS THERE EITHER. -.- before i left canada, today was the day that i planned to buy a bus and subway day pass, but since i was so successful with bussing the previous day, i opted to buy a bus pass to save some money. lol. so BEFORE i hopped on the bus to go to KINKAKU-JI (golden pavilion), i went to the convenience store to get a 500ML bottle of water and an onigri. the family mart was right outside the bus stop which was nice. so when i got on the bus, a few stops later, I NOTICED I WAS ON THE WRONG BUS -____-. so i got off AS SOON AS I COULD and went to a bus stop that would take me to the right place. luckily that bus was coming soon so i just waited and THEN HOPPED RIGHT ON :P. AND THEN THE BUS WENT OUT OF SERVICE SO EVERYONE HAD TO GET OFF. LIKE WTFFFFFFF -__- AND THIS BUS STOP WAS RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE FAMILY MART I HAD MY MORNING ONIGRI AT... WHICH MEANT THAT I WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE STREET WHEN I FIRST BOARDED THE BUS. anyways, so then i just went on the next bus, since it was the same bus number. THEN I HAD TO GET OFF SOMEWHERE TO TRANSFER, which i did. HOWEVER, i transferred to the WRONG BUS. the final bus that i was on had “ginkaku-ji” on it BUT I TOOK IT AS KINKAKU-JI because “g” and “k” are often interchangeable in asian countries. (i.e. eunkwang, the leader in btob, is sometimes referred to as eungwang. also another example is the guy from infinite - sometimes he is sunggyu and sometimes he is sungkyu.) but DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS ME! so i i just rode the bus leading to ginkaku-ji until i hit the destination. once i got off the bus, it was around 11am. it took me 2 hours to reach this place -_____-. and I DIDNT EVEN KNOW I WAS AT THE WRONG PAVILION UNTIL I WHATSAPPED A PICTURE TO MY FAMILY AND THEY NOTIFIED ME I WAS AT THE SILVER PAVILION AND NOT THE GOLDEN PAVILION. LIKE FML. SO MORAL OF THE STORY: GINKAKU AND KINKAKU ARE NOT THE SAME!!! 

but i still went inside the silver pavilion which was 500 yen. 

pretty leaves and trees, but the pavilion itself is a little underwhelming. like WHERE IS THE SILVER?! i think if you are tight on time in kyoto, this is somewhere you should skip. the trees/foilage is pretty but i cant imagine going to the silver pavilion when its not fall and when all the trees are green and boring. 

after leaving the silver pavilion, i walked along the philosopher’s path. during march and early april, the philosopher’s path is where all the cherry blossoms are. but during the fall the trees are a bit bare. its a little bit of a dreary path but i kinda liked it. 

there were a lot of cool shops along the path. i went into one and i bought this really pretty accordion style scrapbook. i dont plan to use it, but the cover is a cherry blossom design, and its just a nice souvenir. there were a lot of other cool sights along the path. a lot of old people painting and i saw some cute japanese girl wearing a beret practicing her flute. def the type of girl some of my guy friends would lust over haha. 

so after my leisurely stroll along the philosopher’s path, i decided to go to eikan-do in the day time instead of night time because I NEEDED TO BUY STUFF AKA GREEN TEA before THE SHOPS CLOSE since EVERYTHING CLOSES EARLY IN KYOTO. and I ALSO decided to not go to nanzen-ji because BY THE TIME THAT I FINISH NANZEN-JI AND EIKAN-DO then it’d be too late to go to kinkaku-ji (MY ACTUAL FIRST DESTINATION FOR THE DAY) and why go to kyoto if you dont go to the GOLDEN TEMPLE?!!?! 

so eikan-do is SO GORGEOUS. it is quite pricy at 1000 yen (around $13 CAD), but totally WORTH. when you walk in, its just a colossal of colours just hitting your eyes since the trees are red, orange and yellow. 

this is the entrance of eikan-do. pls take in all the TOURISTS there. x.x. with all the tourists, it was a little difficult to walk around and take pics but i managed. 

so fricking pretty. i dont know what that stone monument is and/or what it means, but i liked it. 

look at the colours! so gorgeoussss~ the key to having pics with no people in it is to take pics of random things, or just random small paths inside the temple. there is a pagoda inside this area, but when you go to the pagoda, you have to walk up some NARROW STEPS. i was EXTREMELY SCARED but i dont advise people with weak legs to walk up those steps. VERY NARROW and the STEPS ARE VERY SMALL!  that was the only thing beside the massive amount of tourists that i didn’t like. 

after eikan-do i was going to go to kinkaku. BUT ONCE AGAIN, I GOT LOST GOING TO KINKAKU. GODDAMN, i really HATE BUSSING. google maps IS SO UNCLEAR WITH WHERE THE BUS STOPS ARE. i think that part is a little inaccurate in kyoto. so i walked to some BUS STOP as per GOOGLE MAPS and then I TOOK THE BUS, AND IT LED ME BACK TO EIKAN-DO. like WTF?! so i asked the bus driver if i was on the wrong bus and he was like yeah, SO I GOT OFF. and then I JUST WALKED BACK TO WHERE I WENT to go on the WRONG bus, and then walked more to another BUS STOP and then FINALLY, I WAS ON THE RIGHT BUS. thankfully i DID NOT HAVE TO TRANSFER. so i just rode the bus until i hit the GOLDEN PAVILION. phew. PHEW. when i got off the bus stop, i was STARVED. there was a udon resto right outside the bus stop, but i looked it up and the google reviews didn’t look that good AND PLUS THERE WAS NO ONE INSIDE. but i had an okonimiyaki on a stick. i dont think it was particularly good since it was geared towards tourists, BUT I WAS JUST SO HUNGRY I DIDNT CARE. 

so after wolfing down that okonomiyaki on a stick, i entered the golden pavilion and realized HOW BIG THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THE TWO PAVILIONS. the golden pavilion is just SO GOLD. ITS GORGEOUS! 

i wish it was a less cloudy when i went so i could see the sun bouncing off the gold of the pavilion and then the reflection in the water would be prettier. but still, it was so pretty. NOW THATS A PAVILION. i walked around the whole pond just to get the pic at different angles. there were A BUNCH OF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. november is truly peak season for kyoto -.- . theres a few things to do after looking at the golden temple - there is a coin toss monument and some other souvenir shops. at most of the temples/shrines in japan, you can write down your wish and or get your fortune. i got my fortune for 100 yen from a machine. 

haha i was so happy when i got this fortune cos its SO GOOD!!!! BUT i dont think its very accurate because my luck has been quite poor since coming back from japan. but who am i to rely on a piece of paper from a machine to give me luck?! 

i spent around ~1 hour at the golden temple and by the time i was done walking around it was about 4:30pm. MY NEXT DESTINATION WAS TO GO TO GION FOR SOME ICECREAM AT GION KINANA. but AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. GETTING TO GION WAS NOOOO FUN. LIKE OMG I KEPT ON GOING TO THE WRONG BUS STOP AS PER GOOGLE MAPS. i had to ask around and the girls that i asked told me that i was at the wrong stop. -.- BUT WHEN i finally got on the RIGHT BUS AND IT WAS PACKED. SOO PACKED. SO THAT WAS VERY UNAMUSING. but luckily i got to transfer buses BUT WHEN I TRANSFERRED THE BUS, IT WAS JUST AS PACKED AND WAS PICKING UP EVEN MORE PEOPLE. SO I WAS EVEN MORE JAMMED. UGH. just thinking about it IS SO FRUSTRATING BECAUSE 1) I HATE BUSSING 2) I KEPT ON GOING ON THE WRONG BUS THE WHOLE DAY AND WASTED SO MUCH TIME BEING LOST 3) IM ON A SUPER PACKED LIKE SARDINES BUS. ughhhUGHHH. eventually I GOT TO GION. BUT WHEN I GOT THERE, it was just too late to see any geishas walking around :(. 

but when i got to gion, i noticed there were a lot of mainland chinese tourists. I SAW ONE OF THEM PICK THEIR NOSE WHEN CROSSING THE STREET. LIKE OMG...so gross. anyways, my main intention in gion was to go to gion kinana which is famous for their roasted soy bean ice cream. SO I FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS TO IT using google maps OF COURSE. and it led me to these dark alley ways in gion which was a little scary since it was night time. but google maps told me that i had reached my destination. i looked at my destination and i saw 7 GIRLS IN KIMONOS ENTER THE SHOP FOLLOWED BY 2 MEN IN SUITS. LIKE WTF? DID GOOGLE SEND ME TO SOME GEISHA HOUSE OR SOMETHING? I WAS SO CONFUSED and i WALKED AROUND to make sure that google was right and GOOGLE WAS RIGHT!! THAT WAS THE ICE CREAM SHOP. but when i got in, i noticed that the 7 girls in kimonos were not related to the 2 men in suits. they were each their own party. haha. PHEW. 

so at gion kinana, they make all their ice cream IN SHOP. i was FRICKING EXCITED and i ordered a taster of 3 flavours. there was a bunch of other items in the menu but I REALLY WANTED ICE CREAM!!!!

all of the orders come with their hojicha tea which really goes well with sweets. the ice cream flavours that i had were what was available for the day which was brown sugar, vanilla and roasted soy bean. i was so disappointed when they told me that i had vanilla because vanilla is such a BORING flavour, but it was pretty good. it wasnt too sweet and not too creamy which i liked. the roasted soy bean was BOMB tho :P. the one that i didn’t really like was the brown sugar. it just had a weird after taste. thankfully i ate that first and didn’t save it for last. that would have made me really sad. i think this shop is a MUST VISIT for kyoto! I WANT TO GO BACK and try more flavours of their ice cream and i wanted to try some of their parfaits too BUT I CAN ONLY EAT SO MUCH AS A PERSON. next time.. next time...

after gion kinana, i wanted to try some kyoto style sushi which i heard is pickled sushi. i went to izuju sushi which is famous of their kyoto style sushi, but it was PACKED. there was no way i was gonna be able to get in before closing and i was kinda full anyways so i just walked around. i wanted to find a container to hold some green tea leaves, but i couldnt find one that i liked and was of a size that i wanted. :( i also, walked past the mannequin restaurant, and was standing outside of the restaurant deliberating whether or not i should eat there. the restaurant only serves one type of dish which is the kyoto style okonomiyaki. i saw the chef make it but as i was looking inside the restaurant, looking RIGHT AT THE MANNEQUINS, I WAS STARTING TO GET REALLY SCARED. I WAS IMAGINING EATING MY FOOD, AND THEN THE MANNEQUINS STARTING TO MOVE. that thought really made me lose my appetite so i just left and walked more around gion. but the next time i go to kyoto and if im not by myself, i will DEF GO TO THIS RESTAURANT!! 

after walking around gion, i went back to kyoto station as i had to buy a bunch of stuff like TEA. getting back to kyoto station is EZ by bus because there are a bunch of buses for kyoto station. PHEW so i didn’t get lost getting there. when the bus dropped me off at the bus stop, you can see kyoto tower in the background which i recognized from an instagram pic of hyunsik’s. <3 aka i WAS WHERE HYUNSIK WAS <3 anyways, i went to kyoto station and i bought a lot of tea from nakamura toichi (aka matcha buckwheat noodle restaurant) and fukuguen. buying all that tea really took up a lot of time cos i had to buy for gifts and others. and i had to smell the tea too to make sure that i liked it. after buying a lot of tea, i went to daiso and this daiso was amazing. IT WAS SO BRIGHT AND CLEAN AND SPACIOUS!!! this daiso was outside kyoto station and it was at the mall that i went to the day before with uniqlo. i bought a lot of random things from daiso like cloth covers for bento boxes and instant miso soup. so fun fun, but to this date, i have not opened the cloth covers for the bent boxes and truthfully, i cant even remember where i put it... -_____- 

so after shopping for tea and other souvenirs I WAS STARVED. but the only thing that is opened past 9pm at kyoto station is ramen street. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO FIND RAMEN STREET! (you have to take the elevator at the south side of isetan.)ramen street is CRAZY. LIKE THE WHOLE FLOOR IS FILLED WITH RAMEN RESTAURANTS. i really didnt know what to get since everything looked the same to me EXCEPT ONE RESTAURANT, the tsukemen restaurant. i prefer tsukemen over ramen cos i just dont like submerged meats that much. most of the ramen restaurants on this floor required you to order from the machine. and most of the machines had an english option which was blessed. at this restaurant, i just ordered the small size of the tsukemen and i ordered gyoza too cos i was so starved. 

the gyoza was gyoza..pretty standard. but OMGZ. i love the tsukemen. the flavour of the broth was so strong, the noodles were JUST AL DENTE. SOO GOOD. the broth was PIPING HOT and it was STILL HOT even though i took so long to eat my noodles. ugh this is something im missing from japan. i had tsukemen in toronto recently, and it wasn’t comparable to this. :( i purposely ordered the small size, because i was hoping to try another ramen restaurant afterwards. but i COULDNT COS I WAS TOO FULL AND PLUS since i eat so slowly, by the time i was done, it was almost 10pm which was closing time. SO SAD. tried to be ambitious, but i failed :( 

after finishing my tsukemen, i went back to the hostel to pack my purchases since i was going to nagoya the next day. i washed up and just relaxed and then fell asleep. and if you are wondering, i did not SEE ANY OF THE CUTE GUYS. which was good cos acne attacks dont go away in one day. 

what i learned today: kinkaku and ginkaku are NOT THE SAME. G AND K ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE IN THIS SCENARIO. also, kyoto is a beautiful city and next time, i need to be in kyoto for longer. theres so much more i want to do there. 

high point: kinkaku-ji. so pretty. and im glad i still went even though i went to the wrong pavilion initially. 

low point: just the bussing. getting from one place to another was so difficult. it was also my fault cos i would get too anxious and i would just go on a bus without checking the numbers and asking around.