#I have forsaken my boy I forgot how silly he is

[pizza-feverdream]

Sometimes you draw something really silly and then forget about it and then find it again and it’s the best thing ever

[metalkitty21]

Investigations 2 thoughts

Finished Investigations 2 last night! (Forgot to do this so here we are a day late) OH. MY. GOD. I genuinely think it is one, of not my favourite ace attorney game. It's so bloody good. Returning characters are just as good as they were, somehow the cameos are even better. AND THE NEW CHARACTERS??? (I'll get to them) Wooooo boy.

Case rankings are: Turnabout for the Ages (AAI2-5) A Turnabout Forsaken (AAI2-4) Turnabout Legacy (AAI2-3) Turnabout Trigger (AAI2-1) The Captive Turnabout (AA2-2)

Detailed spoilers undercut! All characters (apart from Sebastian) will use the official names!

Captive Turnabout was far from a weak case, although I do think it is the weakness due to having a couple weak characters compared to Turnabout Trigger where it has fewer character who are all very good and strong. Knight being the victim was a very good choice, and so was the introduction of Fender, Seb, and Gavelle. Laguarde isn't the weakest villain, I'd still say it's Knight, but I personally enjoyed Knight's character a lot more than Laguarde, despite her larger role in the whole over arcing story. I think the case is weaken by Carcerato and Sahwit. Carcerato isn't the most memorable character nor is he that impactful. While Sahwit's return was definitely fun, he didn't particularly add much to the case.

Turnabout Trigger is an incredible introduction case. All of its new characters (Tabby, Knight, Wang) are all great for their own reason and the story of the case itself is also great. I like how we refer back to the first game about the solving of the Yatagarasu and how it doesn't feel disconnected completely from the first game. Tabby is a fun and silly character who I wasn't expected to actually get tied into the plot itself. Wang is a great set up for everything that happens with him in case five and both size of him are very enjoyable. Knight, while still the weakest villain of the game, I don't feel like it harms the case too much as his character makes up for his weaker motive compared to the others in the game. Seeing De Killer is also extremely fun, especially considering his later appearances as well.

If I was ranking this on which case gave me the most emotional gut punches this case wins by a landslide and CASE 5 EXISTS. Turnabout Legacy is an emotional rollercoaster of a case. Slipping back and forth between the Edgeworths is super fun as you go in with insight from the past/future which makes the case really fun to piece together with all but one amazing characters and the return of my king TYRELL BADD ALL PRAISE THE TALL DETECTIVE MAN. Eddie is just has fun here, if not more so when he's younger. Him eating the paper is a fun gag and getting to see the development of his and Judy's relationship is so enjoyable to me there are lovers. As previously said, all the characters (minus one) are great. Judy is adorable, pretty, and a minor villain which I think aa needs more of. Samson is a loveable dork despite how little he has appearance wise. Gusto is a fuck of a man but a great villain, and getting to see Badd and Manfred in the past is great and I could ask for nothing else. The photos Eddie has, as well as him having both Gregory's hat and coat, AS WELL as every time Gregory mentions Miles in the past tears me to shreds and I'm so confident this games hates me.

Turnabout Forsaken once again BROKE. ME. Not only do you have Kay being a sweetheart because SHE REMEMBERS NOTHING, you have the heart break of Franzy's and Gumshoe's reactions, as well as the heart wrench of Seb's reaction to his father. WHO IS A MASSIVE BASTARD. Excelsius is an amazing villain, and both his breakdown and sprite work make him so much better. While the case itself isn't necessarily complex, you still have that struggle against a powerful figure without it being drawn out like what happened with Alba. Gavèlle in this case is FANTASTIC, but she somehow only manages to get better thanks to case 5. Seeing Ema once again is amazing, same with Lotta. The scene with Kay getting her memories back is so heartwarming and also gut wrenching this game needs to leave my guts alone.

YET SOMEHOW CASE FIVE ENDS UP EVEN BETTER??? It has a grand total of two kidnappings, and 3 murders to solve, AS WELL AS CONNECTING BACK TO EVERY OTHER CASE IN THE FUCKING GAME. Lang finally making his appearance again big time with the death of his president and the backstory reveal except SIKE THE PRESIDENT'S BEEN DEAD FOR 12 YEARS HAHAHAH SOLVE HIS MURDER NOW. Shaun is a loveable little brat and only gets better when Mama Bear Gavèlle shows up to scold him for being disrespectful and the spirit of her hugging him is everything to me. The conclusion of Sebastian's story is GLORIOUS and once again is boosted by amazing sprite work. Speaking of sprite work SIMEON FUCKING SAINT BEING THE BIG BAD. YOU GOT YOUR FULBRIGHT MOMEMT @cactours ARE YOU HAPPY. Ahem. Simeon was a character I had very much enjoyed solely from case two. I made the link of him being Gusto's son the second you find Knight's things and see the PH on his ring, but didn't except him to be behind EVERYTHING. His switch up is amazing, his sprites are all brilliant, him mimicking Edgeworth, his breakdown, his father I mean Kanis coming to rescue him when De Killer comes to kill him is also incredibly sweet. Also death by hot air balloon is a new one. Very creative Simmy 10/10.

[i-am-just-a-kiddo]

10 characters

tagged by @talays-portkey ❤ I chose 10 characters from 10 different things that I consumed this year and liked.  I’m gonna say a few things about each and try to keep it short. 

tagging @intyalote, @the-cloud-whisperer, @not-saying-revolution-but, @cortue, @isabellaofparma, @sassyassassy. Have fun, there’s no rules!

continues under the cut: 

Sean /Not Me: The Series (2021)

Not Me, as a whole, breaks me in the best ways possible. And Sean - he’s just everything to me. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful character arcs you can give me is having a character find a few more reasons to live. Make them start cherishing their life as a thing that should be protected and you have me on the floor sobbing. And Sean is this to me - comfort and pain wrapped in one person.

Jim Jimenez /Our Flag Means Death (2022)

Do you know how hard it is to choose only one character from this damn show? I love them all so much, with my entire heart. But Jim is my special kid okay. It truly hits diffently, seeing them having their own arc in this silly little show, being just as silly with their crewmates, but also being badass and cool off the side and also having such a precious friends to lovers romance alongside everything. My beloved. 

Ayukawa Ryuuji “Yuka”/ Blue Period (2021)

This anime wrecked me, everything about Yuka wrecked me. Their story made me cry for two hours straight and unlocked something in my brain. I don’t know how to explain. 

Shen Yi /Under The Skin (2022)

With everything happening this year, I almost forgot I watched this show, but everytime I remember it, I’m so incredibly fond. It’s rare to watch a crime show that feels comforting, but this one does it! And I attribute a lot of it to this lovely protagonist, because he is so warm, sensitive and charismatic. I loved watching Shen Yi and going through all these cases from his point of view. He just feels like such a comforting presence and honestly, more protagonists should have this characteristic. Let them be gentle!! 

Guillermo de la Cruz/ What We Do in the Shadows (2019-?)

As someone on this hellsite put it - he’s the most character ever. Last week I finally caught up with the new season and I’m all here for Guillermo’s emancipation arc! Fuck it up son!!!! I’m cheering you on, keep doing your hot girl shit!

Vegas Theerapanyakul & Pete / Kinnporsche: La Forte (2022)

Yes I’m cheating again but what are you gonna do about it. I couldn’t choose between these two because I find them both equally as engaging and interesting. If you’ve been following me - you know. You know the insanity I feel for these two. Who would’ve thought comfort is stored in the toxic BDSM couple. Emotional support fucked up men. Truly on the top of the list for this year.

Striga /Castlevania (2017-2021)

Listen it doesn’t need much - give me a queer muscly lady with a huge sword and the coolest action sequence of the series and you have me sold. My actual favourite is Alucard, but I feel like we, as a society, should appreciate love and go crazy over Striga a bit more. Like, she’s right there!!

Lucifer Morningstar /The Sandman (2022)

I just think they’re neat. Once again a show full of wonderful, beautiful characters, but Lucifer simply lives in my mind rentfree. @ netflix I beg, please renew this show so we can get the sequel with Lucifer going apeshit. I’m on my knees. 

Wen Ning / The Untamed (2019)

Sooooooooo I’ve been rewatching this curse of a show for the past week while lying sick in bed with covid and. AND. After three years the pain truly does not get better. Once again, I did not know who to choose for this - every single character in this god forsaken show deserves their own spot. But I somehow ended up on my darling, my boy, my favourite Ghost General. His story arc fucks me up so badly every time and yet it is one of the most beautifully tragic things. He’s a red thread, pulled through the entire story, and it makes my heart bleed. (and yes @the-cloud-whisperer​, I’m gonna come back to you soon and finally scream with you properly)

👑 Louis de Pointe du Lac / Interview With the Vampire (2022-?)

2022 has not ended yet but I know this guy takes the crown. I’ve been a fan of the Vampire Chronicles since I was 15 and finally. FINALLY. I get what I fucking deserve. And FINALLY here is a Louis that I adore - one that is charismatic, one that feels raw and real, and one I can finally love and be invested in. This show truly made me fall in love with his character when before that, he always paled in my affection to Lestat. He always kinda bored me in the books and the movie adaptation. As my friend put it: we all want to be Lestat but actually we are all Louis. But here is he at last, my highest quality blorbo: Louis de Pointe du Lac, resident disaster man full of existential despair, wrath and love. This show is all I’ve been thinking about and I will not apologise. 

[vamp-geekz]

Benny x Ethan Idol AU

  it was sometime in the afternoon I was in a hotel one of the 5 star ones that have a pool on the balcony. i was chilling out just kind of laying on the ground next to the pool listening to a podcast a old paranormal case some were in Mexico. my love for the paranormal never went away even after my song blew up back when I was 13. the day i left my grandma back in New York to travel with my agent was the day i left my true self. and now I'm some kind of teenage heart-throb. Benny the biggest music artist since Harry Styles. 

“Boss?” i looked over to see Erica holding a clip bored and some papers. “How many times must i say this. Call me Benny or Ben.” she looked flustered “Ah yes sorry si- Benny.” she looked like she was fumbling with her phone “what’s up? is it another Fan meet and greet?” she scrolled on her phone for a second before answering:

 “something like that.. See a old friend of mine from another side of state reached out to me about  a artist she knows. the artist goes by ‘Morgan’ and they are a realistic abstract artist. They are apparently a fan of your music and she was asking me if you had a plan for your next album cover.” i looked at Erica as if i was unsure of what to think. “well can i see this artists work???” She searched through her phone once again pulling up a painting of a boy with blond hair. the painting was huge and had a abstract feel as it was covered in bright colors almost splattered all over the canvas. “I- i love it i would love to meet this artist!” 

Erica beamed “oh thank god you said yes because if you didn't i would have to have brought up the fact that there was a lot of different paranormal experiences in the town they live in.” i looked at her with a spark in my eye. “WAIT DO THEY LIVE IN WHITE CHAPLE!?!?!” Erica smiled “yes they do” i felt the smile grow on my face. 

the town of White Chapple is a huge paranormal hot spot that only a few paranormal investigators dare to go. there are mentions of werewolves, undead animals, odd sicknesses, grave robbers, living dolls made of plastic, and the thing that the town is truly known for Vampires. i almost couldn't contain my excitement. “you will have to stay in the only hotel there unless your willing to stay with my friend and me.” i looked at Erica and gave her a smile “that's ok! do you have the artists number? “I can ask Sarah if she has there number.” 

a few hours after I talked to Erica about the artist i got a text attached to a number. with the message attached to said “this is Morgan's number they know who you are and apparently they promised Sarah they wouldn't completely freak out.” I smiled at the text and added the number to my contacts before heading to bed.                 

i rolled out of the huge bed. it was way to big for just me. it actually kind of made me feel alone. i stood up rubbing my eyes as i looked at my phone. a text from “Morgan” i looked at my phone.

Morgan: So is this the real thing or is Sarah trying troll me to make me cry again? 

Benny: No this is the real thing Haha.. how often dose she do that?  

i replied like a hour later and i kind of felt bad but i got  text back actually really fast as if They were just looking at there phone this whole time. Erica did say that they were a fan. 

Morgan: Way to often. 

Benny: Well yes it is really me! and i absolutely love your artwork its absolutely stunning. 

Morgan: gdjkskbgjdsg THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

I don't know why this reaction made me so happy it was just adorable... i found myself really wanting to get to know this person. maybe i just haven't found very many real people in my life or maybe there was just something pulling me toward this one person. 

days went by and we were talking non stop over text. they have a little sister that is a big inspiration to the different flowers present in there art work. other then my  music they listen to a lot of punk rock and some softer music. they were real and i felt like i had known them for ever. 

i let myself smile and walk onto stage for my last show in this city. I've done this show over 100 times at this point but this one seemed so incredibly long and when i finally got of the stage the first thing i wanted to do was call Morgan. this was our first time on a face time call infact this was my first time seeing there face. for a split second i thought of what they might look like. i didn't settle on anything as to not get my hopes up. and as soon as i walked into my hotel room i wiped out my phone and texted them. 

Benny: ok i can call right now i just got out of my show. 

Morgan: oh yeah ok give me a second!

i gave it a few mins and then i saw my phone ring. my heart skipped a beat as i saw the face time call show up on my phone screen i almost felt like a little kid who just got a new game for no reason at all. and when i answered the phone i was greeted with soft brown eyes and a extremely handsome smile.  “its you its really you!” his voice was soft and sounded almost loving. “Yeah I'm the real thing silly” 

he seemed stunned to be talking to me and Honestly there have been a lot of times that i forgot i was some kind of star myself. we talked all night and made a plan about when i come to stay. it was gonna be a bit of a vacation for me and he was gonna let me stay in his apartment with his sister so i wouldn't have to stay in the shit hotel. he told me his full name was Ethan Morgan and uses his last name as his artist name. he told me about his plans for his life and a big dream that he has always had. 

we shared interests in the paranormal and he happed to know his fair share of vampire facts. we are both huge dorks at heart and it was a instant connection that we had. and the days leading up to meeting him felt like years. 

when the day came that we jumped on the road Erica seemed so much happier then normal. “Thank you so much Ben! its been so long since I've seen her” Erica smiled all big at me in a dorky kind of way and i smiled back Ethan taking over my thoughts.  I wasn’t even thinking about how hungry I was or how long the drive will be. After about a hour on the road we stopped at a truck stop. i of cores could not leave the car for the god forsaken fam that had been place apon my head like a crown years ago. 

 i feel asleep in the car and woke up to Erica shaking me awake. we had just entered the town of white chapel. it was underwhelming as Ethan said it would be. But i tell you what it was cute unlike a lot of the big city's that i had been in before.

we went to meet Ethan and Sahara at the small coffee shop that i think just happened to be the only one in the town. We sat down and i was shaking i think Erica could tell because she taped my shoulder when the small boy walked in. this was no fan meet and great, he made me way to happy. 

i stood up and darted across the room to take the smaller boy into my arms. my heart pounding out of my chest when the small painter wrapped his arms around me. at that moment i felt somethin.. it was a feeling of being complete even if it was just for a second i could tell that it was warm and it felt safe... i felt safe with him in my arms.

i pulled away from the hug i truly never wanted it to end. his hand rested on my hips and my arms rested on his shoulders. Time truly did stop at that moment. I looked into his eyes and I saw my happiness. I saw the other half that I have been missing for my entire life.

And I think he saw the same thing. Because the soon soon as I pulled away from that hug I naturally started to lean in. It was not expected to me and I don’t think it was expected to him. But for a moment we shared a kiss one that truly completed me. And I don’t understand why.

💕This is an authors note because I’ve been working on this for way too long I’m posting this tonight because I’m not sure if I want to continue if you guys can let me know if you want to continuation I’m posting a book on Wattpad with all ive my Benny x Ethan story’s💕

[spiltscribbles]

omg hi i don't know if i was able to send my request to you cos my wifi sucks but could you write "things you said while I cried in your arms" and/or "things you said when you thought I was asleep" for alex and henry? :) loved your last one so much!!

~Notes: I’m so sorry I never posted this here my love🥺 But I hope you enjoy this!!!  A REBLOG IS WORTH A thouSANd STARS!

.-

Things You Said  |  Prompts Closed

.-

When Henry was being brought up— back before his father’s abrupt death and before he understood the sadness in his mother’s eyes and before the very act of attending family dinners had begun to feel like crossing into enemy territory— the Fox Mountchristen Windsors would spend their summers in the family estate, Mertylewood, in northern Hampshire. Back then Henry had thunk the manner there was a Neverland of sorts, otherworldly and magical and totally untouched by the underhanded dealings and suffocating sophistication required by the life of a royal.

Mertylewood was wide and sweeping, with boundless rooms with air that always smelt like a cocktail of  hickory and bonfires and the gossamer his mother had always favored. It was surrounded  by green pastures and flower meadows for miles, divorced completely from  any of the uneasiness back home, and Henry had always relished in the anonymity of it all. A respite from a life composed of expectations, doused in the ever appraising public eye,  and strung together by the looming threat  of the responsibility to the family name.  It was the closest thing to home he’s ever known.

Mertylewood was the place where his mother taught him how to knit, their hands folded into one another’s and her long arms encircling his narrow frame. It was where Phillip stopped being such a god forsaken wanker all the god damn time and taught him how to aim while shooting with his bow and arrows. It’s where Beatrice looked lightest, most carefree, where she forgot about the judgmental glances by the gaggle of tube sock wearing, nasally sounding girls she claims are her friends. It was where she and Henry would stay up all night long listening to her favorite records, and painting their nails ridiculous colors and laughing for absolutely no reason at all. But most importantly, Mertylewood was the one place where none of the cameras or tabloids  or reporters got even a slice of their family, including  Henry’s father, his hero. His father who always told Henry that while Arthur might’ve been in the movie business, Henry was the brightest star of them all. His father who loved them all so thoroughly that Henry could never forget it, even when the shine to his smile or precise shade of blue to his eyes began to fade. His father who spent the afternoons in Mertylewood with Henry riding their horses and chasing the sunlight. Afternoons where Henry felt like time would never end.

Their favorite spot to stop and rest  was a tiny alcove on the cusp of the property, right where the trees met the mouth of the river, and where the sunlight refracted against the tree tops and sod  to make them look like they were ablaze. Henry had thought that it was something magical, something that could never be replicated. He knows now, a decade and a half removed, that he was wrong. He sees the same blaze in Alex Claremont Diaz’s chestnut eyes whenever he’s determined, excited for a challenge even if it’s something as stupid as a staring contest that he refuses for Henry to win. He thinks Alex is the personification of that wonderment Henry had once  felt as a naive boy, and is blown away by him all over again.

“Oy! I saw that!” Alex suddenly crows, leaping up from his seat on their sofa in the Brownstone Henry had bought to start their lives together, topping it off with some ridiculous dance from some ridiculous app that in all seriousness Alex shouldn’t even have considering that it was created  by a hostile government literally spying on it’s users. “You blinked Henryson! I win!”

“I did not do anything of the sort!” Henry reproves with no real heat, too busy trying not to gaze  longingly at Alex’s swinging hips in those sweatpants.

God it’s so fucking unfair that his boyfriend is so hot, and even more unfair that Henry is so God damn weak for him.

“Ah c’mon sour patch,” Alex pretends to  croon, beginning to pepper sloppy kisses down the column of Henry’s neck, unwittingly making it so Henry arches up towards him. “I know it’s not really part of you royals’ MO, but a deal is a deal.”

“Says the first son of a nation which rebelled over some taxes,” Henry scoffs, can’t help the snicker that bubbles out or the dazed way he feels over the gleam in Alex’s eyes.

“Spare me babe, you love it when I’m a rebel,” Alex goads, far too cheeky and far too endearing all at once. He’s a living contradiction that Henry would spend an eon trying to figure out, but for now, Henry momentarily loses all thought when Alex, the sneak,  slips a sly hand into his shirt, and swipes his fingers against bare skin— a whisper, a promise for something more.

Henry has fallen for a bastard, God save the queen.

“I promise I’ll make it worth your trouble,” Alex pretends to  croon, presses an open mouth kiss to Henry’s own. In turn, henry only responds by swinging his head back and willing himself not to get all heated like he were some fucking schoolboy with his first crush over being a fully fledged adult lounging around in his home with his fucking fiance of all people. His annoying ass, smug as all get out fiance, but his fiancé all the same.

“I took’r out to shit last time!” Henry grouses, greedily pulls Alex back closer when he starts to detach himself.

“I seem to remember that you offered last time,” Alex says with a pointed hiking to his dark brow, dips down to trade another snog like he couldn’t help it, as if he felt a fraction for what Henry felt for him. “And then you lost this time around, so.”

“I’m not use to all this manual labor while i’m in America,” Henry tries for broke,  immediately regrets the quip when he sees the way it makes Alex’s entire countenance go smug and his button nose turn up in such a shrewd fashion that it inspires a whole slew of maddening emotions to chorus within him, ninety percent of which being that he’d really like to get Alex naked. Nine percent wanting to kiss him so hard that it falls off, and the remaining one percent being a mental note to text June about some face masks for him to get rid of the blackheads speckled around  there.

“Shut it Alexander,” Henry opts to  say, faux aggrieved as he slips out of his embrace and picks up Eleanor’s leash. “I’ll take her out if you just promise not to speak out loud any of the various innuendos you’ve surely devised in that cryptic place you call a brain.”

“Rude.” Alex sniffs.

“I reckon that’s a deal?” Henry presses.

“You run a hard bargain,” Alex nods, unflinching and far too  serious. Truly,  Henry must be completely off his rocker considering that he’s not only helplessly in love with this boy, but he’s been lost on him since before he could remember. Sometimes his chest feels like it’s going to burst with the love he feels for him, knows that he can be shit at showing it, quieter than Alex’s grand gestures and loud proclamations, but Alex knows. Alex knows how the love Henry holds for him runs deeper than all the oceans, and more expansive than this galaxy. He knows that Henry considers him his person, that what he feels for Alex is unparalleled by any other, insurmountable in its daunting expanse but what keepsHenry grounded nonetheless. And that’s the most important part out of all of this.

“I’ll make you some tea for when you guys get back,” Alex offers, grin a supernova that Henry had once been terrified to burn against.

“If I end up dead in a gutter and the local news reports that I was a decent man, you promise to get me one of the nicer candles for my wake, won’t you? The one’s with a wooden wick?” Henry asks, only partly kidding.

“Don’t be silly babe,” Alex laughs, mock magnanimous. “With those cheekbones? You’d never end up on local news, primetime would be fools not to plaster that pretty face all over!”

Henry frowns before pecking a kiss to the corner of his lips.

“I’m so glad I’ve got such a strong support system at home Alexander.”

“You know it baby.”

.-

When Henry had been six and Beatrice a fresh ten year’s old their parents had taken them to see a peculiar show on Westend which featured odd musical numbers, a Mary Poppins like nanny, and a set of twins whom were able to read one another’s minds. Henry was so very confused by the whole ordeal, but Beatrice was downright ebullient over it. She had spent that entire spring trying to train  them to learn how to do the very same. Predictably, it was a spring full of scraped knees and random bruises and a twisted ankle. But sometimes, once in a blue moon, their connection is so clairvoyant that Henry privately thinks that somehow Beatrice’s persistence had somehow forged the bond out of sheer force of will.

Exhibit A, while Henry walks down the brisk streets of the city— or well, less walking and more being dragged by the ninety pound Labrador he and Alex had adopted nearly a year ago now— he feels his phone buzz, and when he opens it he finds a message from Beatrice. Just a short phrase coupled with a photograph that punches the air right out of him.

B: Sometimes I miss it

The attachment is a picture of the five of them, Henry and Beatrice with Phillip and their parents, on Mertylewood’s veranda. The photograph was taken on a day where the light shimmered, making it so Henry and their mother’s golden hair shone right through. Henry and his siblings were in matching trousers and tops, while his parents were caught mid laugh. It looked like what you’d see plastered all over the trashy magazine covers that were obsessed with their family to a morbid degree.

Henry remembers the precise moment the photograph was taken. Remembers how his father spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out the camera settings so that it would take an automatic shot. Remembers Phillip and Beatrice bickering about a butterfly she had caught and he had let go free. Henry remembers his mother carding a ginger hand through his tousled hair, the both of them always having been more reserved than the others and sharing the trait like a lifeline in the chaos of it all. Henry remembers how after they had finally gotten a good collection for their grandmother to sift through in the midst of deciding which would make it on that year’s Christmas collage for the paper, Arthur had tossed Henry on his shoulder, and slung an arm around Catherine’s hip and beckoned the two oldest along for them to go out for sundaes and eat them by the peer.

It’s one of the last truly happy memories Henry has before his father’s diagnosis, a snapshot of resplendence that would never last.

He isn’t sure how long he’s been staring down at his phone, doesn’t notice that time had passed until he finally feels the salty droplets cascading down and splashing against the screen. And shit, it’s been over an hour since he’s left. It was only meant to be a walk around the block for Eleanor to stretch out her legs before bed. Damn it, Alex is probably worried sick.

With a shuttering breath, Henry slowly shuts off his phone, looks up to find that he recognizes the apartment complex they’ve stumbled in front of, miraculously only five minutes away from his and Alex’s place.

“Thank Jesus,” Henry mutters before softly tugging Eleanor away from a hydrant and making the trek back home, stomach twisted up in knots over how Alex must feel.

His suspicions are confirmed when the pair of them make it back home and are greeted by the sight of a peeved off looking  Alex, only clad in his pajama bottoms and a frown.

“You could’ve called,” he says, bends down to ruffle a hand into an excited Eleanor’s fur.

“I know.” Henry says, utterly apologetic.

“Dude I thought you really were gonna end up needing that fucking candle,” Alex tells him.

“I— I’m sorry.”

Henry’s not sure if it was the stutter he let out just then, or if he finally had gotten close enough for Alex to spot the wetness tracing down his cheeks, but almost immediately Alex’s expression goes stunned, then confused, followed by angry until it lands on something painfully contrite.

“Baby,” he says in a hush, and the open way that word comes out of him— pleading and hurt and wanting all at once— is enough for a new round of tears to flood Henry’s eyes and for his body to begin trembling while his heart  lodges up into his rapidly shutting throat.

Henry thanks his every star that he’s got Alex. That he has someone he can trust so implicitly, so thoroughly that he isn’t afraid when his brain shuts off and he just falls into his fiancé’s embrace, plunging his face into the juncture of Alex’s head and shoulder and just sobs, let’s the sadness just swallow him whole and lets himself remember his father and remember his family and remember when everything had been so effortless.

Somehow, seamlessly, Alex carts him and their pup indoors, helps Henry shed himself of his jacket and shoes before pressing him down onto their bed, and wraps him up into his favorite blanket. Henry absently knows that when Alex leaves him to his solitude it’s because he has to make sure Eleanor is taken care of and has to shut down everything around the house, but that doesn’t stop Henry’s  yearning for him, nor does it stop him for feeling so painstakingly alone.

When Alex comes back it’s with a glass of water, and a bowl of fruit, and a cup of hot coco because he knows that’s what Beatrice makes him whenever Henry is feeling especially sad. Henry wonders if Alex knows it’s an old tradition started by their father whenever their mother had gotten the same way. He’d like to tell him, but feels so very tired that he can’t fathom moving his lips to form around the words, resolves to explain it another day.

“You’re back,” Henry says, hates how desperate he sounds, wishes he weren’t so very inept.

“I love you,” Alex answers, his smile still so fucking bright and his hands so soft as he climbs into bed with him, props Henry’s head on his chest and kisses the line where his hair begins.

Henry starts to cry all over again, and Alex only repeats the affirmation, moves to telling him funny stories of when he and June were younger when that doesn’t work, and then starts to rant about his hellish constitutional law professor because he knows that Henry wants nothing more than a distraction.

Tomorrow Henry will show him the photograph, and Alex will understand  because he knows Mertylewood, hell he’s spent a handful of weeks over there. Then Henry will tell him more stories in exchange for the ones Alex had given him tonight. Then Henry will explain the hot chocolate thing and Alex will listen and laugh and nod and kiss Henry in all the right parts. And Henry will just fall in love with him all over again. Tomorrow Alex will ask if they could have their wedding in Mertylewood because he wants Henry to be reminded of that happiness always, and also because he thinks it’ll act as some sort of tribute to Arthur. Henry won’t say yes right away but he’ll think it, and it will be better, because Alex always makes it better. But for now it doesn’t have to be better, and Henry is so thankful he understands that.

“I really love you Henry, you know that?” Alex asks hours later when the tears have dried away and they’re doing nothing but mapping out the patches of skin on one another’s bodies— reverent  and unhurried and just because they need to be touching one another.

Henry wants to make a joke, thinks that on any other night he’d retort with a playful barb without a second thought, but he can’t make himself do so tonight, it all feels too raw, too real, too fragile.

“I love you  Alexander,” he says instead, cuddles closer to him. “For forever and a day.”

“Forever and a day.” Alex confirms and they fall asleep like that,  tangled in forever and one another and all their tomorrows.

.-

Buy Me A Coffee?💜

[harmonyandco]

-----TRIGGER WARNING: INCEST -----

Wizards are nothing if not stupid and that’s why a half blood from a poor family was able to bend them to his will, when he styled himself a new name - Lord Voldemort.

Even the great Albus Dumbledore was unaware of the power of a Horcrux. Ginny Weasley was possessed by one for nearly a year and though Potter had managed to slay his precious basilisk, destroy his diary - the old fool and the stupid boy forgot one simple thing - he, Lord Voldemort, was unable to complete the transfer of the life force of that silly little girl to acquire a body of his own two years ago but he had sunk his hooks deep within her and they weren’t destroyed. Now he was back and with access to Potter’s blood and his mind no less, able to pillage and plunder through the boy’s head at will able to learn how Potter had accidentally found his diary but both he and Dumbledore none the wiser about the effects of the possession of the young witch.

The fools who had assumed he would be defeated would never know that he has a spy of his own amongst the order.

No one suspected him or his subtle influence and vast influence being the reason why the chit was suddenly able to bag Potter out of the blue. He has had to be so careful, so subtle about these things - guiding her to the book that would help her ensnare and bewitch Potter slipping him potions and using spells. It was going perfect, so perfectly well he was impressed by his own ingenuity until the boy played the noble hero and vanished one day - the day he was sure his servants would capture him from the girl’s home no less on her brother’s wedding.

He knows Potter is up to something but it’s no good since the only two he trusted with the knowledge were gone with him too. Potter didn’t even trust the girl who he was dating with something so important and it irked and infuriated him. Had Dumbledore guided those three to help Potter harness, gain a power that he, Lord Voldemort, doesn’t know? The prophesied tool of his destruction? He had to know, he wanted to know!

The fates smiled down on him again - he had access to the young fool - the girl’s older brother! He had abandoned Potter and the mudblood and now he was here at Shell Cottage, at the home of Bill and Fleur Weasley, where he would use the girl to lure the information out of him.

He sees the boy is left alone, shunned and forsaken for his abandonment by his own family and wants to laugh at them. Loyal to Potter more than their own blood, oh this will be easy too easy he thinks but he’s wrong for the girl tried to be sympathetic, concerned, caring and loving, supportive even to cajole the information out of him but to no avail. The boy’s lips were glued shut on the mysterious quest he was on with Potter, until days ago.

He knows he doesn’t have a lot of time for the charade is to be kept up and the girl will have to go back to school when the holidays are over, he must have the information soon and that’s what propelled him to make the girl approach the boy once again at night, alone and lonely as he lay in his room.

The door opened and the girl hears him before she sets her eyes on him - he is moaning, dreaming about the mudblood and he knew what he had to do.

The girl climbs the bed and onto the boy’s body - her lips on his skin and her hands down his trousers and inside his boxers and on his organ, hard in her hand now. He awakens when he feels a hot mouth on him, taking him inside itself and jerks up as the girl kisses him to shut him up.

“Shh Ron, I know.. I know you want her and dream of her… I am alone and lonely too and frustrated, so frustrated all by myself. I never got to this point with Harry you see… all we did is snog some but Dean and Michael and oh Cormac, they, they would please me, so, so much - with their hands and their mouths and oh their dicks! I miss all of that Ron you see I miss it so much. The slide of a dick within me, of lips sucking my teats and hands on my ass so much. Harry didn’t value either you or me… and neither does Hermione. They think they’re better than us so why should we suffer? Come on Ron I know what you want I am willing, give it to me and I can give it to you. I can make you feel good Ron… don’t you want to feel good?”

The boy is hard in her hands and her naked breasts are within his reach and he is lonely and pathetic and he is easy to use from that point on.

It took 3 nights, two days and all the orifices and experience the whore had to offer to make him spill.

Potter and the mudblood knew about he made Horcruxes. They were out searching for them and hunting them - starving and clueless. The old fool had left them nothing but a suicidal mission.

Five months later Lord Voldemort would be defeated on the second of May in a war that would go down in history and become the stuff of legends.

A war which Ginny Weasley wouldn’t participate in because she was heavily pregnant.

Harry would never get together with her again.

Hermione would never kiss Ron Weasley for upon their return to Hogwarts, Luna Lovegood would inform him of his younger sister’s pregnancy; by congratulating Harry upon his supposed impending fatherhood who’d go on to declare in a moment of shock he was still a virgin and hence couldn’t have fathered Ginny’s child.

The news would shock Ron enough to make him stay distracted throughout the battle causing him to lose an eye and limb in the end.

Four months later Ginny would give birth to a pair of twins - a boy and a girl and her silence regarding the paternity of her children would be moot since the mediwitch who would assist with her delivery would run a paternity test spell on her babies upon Molly Weasley’s insistence and instructions for Molly knew her daughter couldn’t have been impregnated by Harry who was out on his mission when she must have conceived.

A shocked clan of Weasleys would find the truth in front of Harry and Hermione, who just so happened to be at St. Mungo’s to meet their mindhealer and stumbled across the redheads in their path.

The knowledge would add to their issues going forward in therapy and Molly would make Ron Weasley admit he was seduced by Ginny Weasley during their Christmas holidays.

It would be discovered the girl was still under the shade of Lord Voldemort even after all this time and her promiscuous nature had transmitted an as of yet untreated STD specific to magicals only; introduced in her system by one Cormac McLaggen two weeks prior to getting pregnant.

Ron would be detected with the same STD later on upon inspection.

The children would be free however since the particular illness wouldn’t transmit to those underage and undeveloped.

News of Ginny having been unfaithful to him during the hunt with not one but two wizards would soon reach Harry who would find solace in his best friend Hermione.

The two would set off to Australia to recover her parents and discover love eventually.

Their marriage would take place four years later in a private ceremony attended only by family and selected friends none of whom bore the name Weasley.

[knivxsanddespair]

Chapter 1; The King.

"Daddy, Why am I staying here?"

Two left eyes was met with the child's, and he mustered up a smile somehow. "Sweetheart, Dad has to...attend to some people who are not very nice, and they want to do mean things to people in this land. That is something your old man does not want, in fact it's the last thing I want, for people and families getting hurt."

"Daddy, is it gonna take a while?"

Gosh, how he hated himself for lying like this, but what else can he tell his child? "It's only for a while, Hugo. I'll promise to be back with as soon as I'm done, okay?"

"Alright Daddy, I'll be a brave little boy till then."

"That's my boy!" A kiss on his forehead and a big ham leg was given in case he was hungry. Back to the order of business. He must confront her before she gets to him.

Like hell if that will ever happen, not on his watch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The long ascension upwards did not falter The Vader's motivation for purification one bit, step by step advancing towards her next victim in due time. Sounds of her foot tapping against the metal steps alarmed nobody else but the one sole inhabitant of the room.

The first thing he said was...

"You've finally waltzed in, Vader. It sure took you an eon to finally grace yourself with your presence. But, I have a feeling you aren't here for a family reunion. Go back home, you'll cause nothing but trouble up here."

Always keeping her icy assurance, The Vader said...

"Is that not what I did? Because here within, is indeed the cradle of my father. As much as you can expect, your guardians fell one by one. You are a King of a palace that continues to cease to exist."

Suprised, but not even the slightest taken aback, he asked...

"Why the hell did you whack the nation that I have rebuilt?"

That was easy for Vader to answer.

"Have you even for once, considered to be in this forsaken place to do the slightest, damndest thing? You have a role, being as the father to take care of him. That role, you have failed miserably. You are here, and your very reason of existence is why I must complete my sacred mission."

Continually barricading the speedy insults droned out from The Vaders pompous, pretentious monotone aristocrat-like tone in the battle of words between them, the King decided to tell it like it is, straight to her.

"I did this all for the kid. Don't you think I want my child to be happy?"

As if trying to keep a snide expression off her face, she countered his statement. "Well oh dear, how silly of us. All this effort to create one birthday party and we forgot who the birthday boy is."

That statement, that will not fly and go scot free as far as the King is concerned. "You're a real party pooper, you know that Vader? I ain't letting you lay one finger on the boy who brought us both into this world. Consider yourself whacked, today. And here is the closing statement, if this was some sort of parent-teacher meeting, you can count yourself to be the worst version of a Karen or a Linda there is."

"..."

"..."

"SAY THAT TO MY FACE, YOU TWO EYES ON THE LEFT HAVING, ANCIENT GREEK WITH CLAY SKIN STATUE LOOKING , NEW JERSEY ACCENT HAVING ELDRITCH ABOMINATION." For someone who doesn't have any emotion, that statement made Vader's blood boil.

"I would, but you covered half of your face. I wouldn't blame ya, I would too if I ever have this much ugly attitude in me."

"...I will enjoy swinging my bat violently on you, King Pitcher Fieldius."

[PURIFICATION IN PROGRESS]

(Welp, I promised @the-queen-of-zones I would write something for the swapped Batter and Vader Eloha au so check that picture out and give it some love if you haven't already! I hope you like it fam! Also don't mind me giving Batter a new name! OvO )

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Haytham Kenway

Being Charles Lee's daughter has its perks...but boy,does it also have its downsides...  The Templar lifestyle doesn't suit Y/N at all,so she chooses to spend her life locked away in her room,studying and tinkering with her inventions. I suppose it's quite peculiar to hear of a woman inventor in the 18th century...  But what does it matter?  As she fumbled around with the wires,trying to create light,a knock on the door got me back to reality,as the maid told the girl that her father was expecting her in the living room to dine with him.  This was a rather peculiar request,but she has no reason to decline.She quickly dressed in something more appropriate and left the room,putting on her mother's necklace.  Much to her surprise,he wasn't alone.  On his left,there was another man that looked rather intimidating,chatting freely.  Lee:Ah,Y/N,so glad to see you join us today.  Y/N:Don't act so surprised,it was you who requested it. Lee:*chuckles*Yes,well...I wanted to introduce you to Haytham Kenway,my right hand and probably the most intelligent man I know.  Y/N:Glad you had to mention the gender,for it's obvious I'm the smarter human in the room regardless of how you look at it.  Lee:Y/N,darling,please be respectful to your elders.  Y/N:Ah,yes,I forgot I was in a room full of fossils.Anything else I need to know?  Haytham:*smiles charmingly*Miss (L/N),it is my pleasure meeting you.  Raven:It is obviously yours,since mine it is not.  Throughout the lovely dialogue she had to exchange with the 'loveable' men,her father was horrified at her attitude,but from the mischievous glint in his eyes,it was clear that Kenway was rather intrigued.Sitting on his right,she continued reading her book and eat absent-minded,until her father comments again. 

Lee:Didn't I ask you not to wear that necklace?  Y/N:Unless you give me a proper reason,I won't take it off.It was my mother's.Don't disrespect her memory.  Lee:I know,but it goes against our Order rules.  Y/N:How many times do I have to remind you that I have nothing to do with your silly group of boy scouts?It's ridiculous and boring.  Lee:It brings peace and order to the population of this new country.  Y/N:Through manipulation and oppression,yes.And this country is much older than you believe,but obviously you,as a...'superior' being, wouldn't bother to consider the Natives as citizens.  Lee:That is a rather radical view on our beliefs,try not to be so one sided.  Y/N:Are you seriously trying to say I am the one who has to be more open-minded?Because as far as I remember, I am the inventor in this house,not you.  Lee:I wasn't trying to imply anything.You know very well I am fully supportive of your hobby.  Y/N:Hobby?More like full job,but sure.I feel like you're low-key underestimating me,but I will let that slide.  Haytham:Charlie,your daughter is rather lovely.I hope you wouldn't mind if I were to have an amicable chat with her.  Y/N:He wouldn't.I would.Have a lovely evening,I shall retreat to my chamber.  Lee:Already?Y/N,please,reconsider-  Haytham:Charlie,leave her be.She's old enough to do as she pleases.  Y/N:Finally,some rational words spoken in this room.Good evening. 

She rushed to her room and closed it,then went back to her creation. As soon as she met the two wires inside the small glass ball,small sparks flew,then a constant dim light illuminated the room,much to her excitement.  Just as she started cheering happily,she heard clapping.  In the doorway stood Haytham,leaning on the frame,looking interested and fascinated at the light in front of him.  Haytham:New world,new light,I see? Y/N:It's nothing new.It just needed a little push.  Haytham:And you are the one who did it.  Y/N:Well spotted,genius.  Haytham:Have you ever tried to sell your inventions?  Y/N:I've been selling them and the patterns to the Queen.I suppose that's one of the reasons why we were specifically sent on this God Forsaken land.  Haytham:The New World needs all the brilliant minds.  Y/N:Then it better find some new ones soon,for I cannot handle it alone.  Haytham:*chuckles*Such a small narcissist. 

But just as she was about to strike back a snarky comment,the thin glass ball exploded because of the heat.  Thankfully,she managed to shield her face soon enough,only getting her hand scratched. 

Y/N:OH,FOR FUCK'S SAKE!THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!CAN'T WE HAVE QUALITY THINGS ANYWHERE?!FUCKING AMERICA!  Haytham:Are you hurt?  Y/N:Physically,I'm fine.But my ego has been fatally wounded.  Haytham:Could have been much worse.Better be careful.  Y/N:Yes,whatever you say.Now,what's your purpose here,rudely interrupting my work?  Haytham:I just came for a little chat,but it seems like I came at the wrong time.  Y/N:It will always be the wrong time,if it is you.  Haytham:Have I done something to offend you?If so,my sincerest apologies,my lady.  Y/N:Your sole existence in this room makes your presence less enjoyable.  Haytham:*chuckles*Better be careful in the outside word.While I thoroughly enjoy your attitude,some may find it...less agreeable.  Y/N:Like your face?  Haytham:*smirks*Like your tongue.  Y/N:If this is how I go,then I'll die with achieving my long-life goal in life. Haytham:Annoying people to death?  Y/N:You catch on fast,congratulations,you have one more functioning neuron.You are 1% smarter than your average man.  Haytham:It was a pleasure,Lady L/N.  Raven:Goodbye,Kenway. 

Although it might seem like the girl hates his guts,his matching sass definitely piqued her interest,and unbeknownst to anyone,and especially not her own self,she was looking forward to their future encounter. 

 ###### 

Unfortunately for her,Lee was getting gradually fed up with her lack of mannerism,and made a 'shrewd' plot.  Requesting once again to dine together,he told her she was to marry a man of his choosing as soon as possible,or she'll lose her youth.  Obviously,the girl protested and tried everything in her power to get out of this folly,he silenced her with a slap,and made her go back to her room.  On her way there,she went past the same Kenway she once saw,but she was much too angry to pay him any mind.  He,in turn,was awfully confused,but much to his dismay,he too was forced to marry,due to certain circumstances,old promises and favours.  Marry Charles Lee's daughter. 

The day of their marriage was dull and passed  harder than a working day,and at night,after being told they have to consummate the marriage,the girl stood in the doorway,in her nightgown,trembling softly whilst staring hollowly at the bed in front of her.  He knew she was scared.  He knew this wasn't anything she wanted.  He knew he wanted her to be happy.  That's why he snapped his fingers in front of her and lead her to the kitchen,where he filled 2 glasses with alcohol. 

Y/N:I...don't really...  Haytham:You seem like you need it.Once in a lifetime doesn't hurt.  Y/N:Drunk men are disgusting and repulsing.I don't want to be like that.  Haytham:I'm the only one here.Don't worry,just trust in me.I care for you,despite everything that's been going on. 

With her breathe hitched in her throat and desperation burning in her heart,she gripped the glass,guilty,and she gulped the whole liquid in one go.  Haytham:Take it easy,you don't want to faint.  Y/N:I'm at that point in life where I couldn't care less.I'm going to need a lot of booze to handle this shit. Haytham:*refills glass*By all means,drink away your sorrows.  Y/N:Thanks... 

The whole night,Haytham only slowly sipped one glass,observing the pitiful girl sob her pain away,trying incoherently to speak and resting her head on the table.  After many glasses,she finally calmed down and fell asleep,and Mr.Kenway could only do one rational thing,and that was to carry the girl to the bed,tuck her in,then go sleep on the couch.  The next day,she woke up to the smell of pancakes and maple syrup coming from the kitchen.  Groggily,she got out of the bed and walked to the room,her head pounding from the hangover. There,she saw Haytham was cooking breakfast,and smiling gently,she hugged him from behind and rested her head on his back,muttering a soft greeting. 

Haytham:Ah,good morning,sunshine.  Y/N:The last thing I feel like is a sunshine,but sure.  Haytham:*chuckles*Good to see your sense of humour is back.At least you're the sad type of drunk.That's much easier to cope with,out of all the types.  Y/N:Well...that was embarrassing.  Haytham:A once in a lifetime experience,you couldn't miss it.  Y/N:I don't remember much from last night...and my head hurts...  Haytham:I heard caffeine helps with hangovers. Y/N:Is that why you drink it every morning?  Haytham:That,and to wake up.  Y/N:I suppose the idea of waking up and knowing you have to see my father isn't exactly the most exciting thought.  Haytham:I suppose your mother was rather gorgeous,for you sure as hell don't resemble him.  Y/N:She had soft red hair and forest green eyes...and a personality to match her fire.  Haytham:Are you sure your mother didn't have you alone?  Y/N:*shrugs*Biologically speaking,it's impossible,but who knows?She might as well have been the new Virgin Mary,and I'm her Messiah.  Haytham:Maybe that's why you're shining brighter than anyone.  Y/N:And that's why I'll die at 33.It's fine,in 12 more years I'll have lived well.Twice I ate a citrus and thrice a berry.  Haytham:*smirks*Better get ready soon,we have to leave for someplace nice  Y/N:*raises an eyebrow*Where are we going?  Haytham:Don't worry your pretty smart head over it.Oh,and,tomorrow your maid is going to come over.  Y/N:You're taking Claire in?  Haytham:Any lady needs a maid,doesn't she? 

Biting her lip,she returned to her room and got ready in haste,thinking over and over about the man she has to live with.  Perhaps she misjudged him because of her father's mistake.  Mayhaps... She ought to trust him more. 

 ----

And trust him she did,after the whole day he took her to the Apothecary to fill in her ingredients and liquids for her experiments,then went to a Science Conventions,where,to her surprise,Haytham brought her light-generating prototype,which got high praise from the physicists. 

 --- 

Days,weeks,months passed and as she enjoyed a hot bath,the sudden click of the door got her alert.

Looking at the reflection from the window,she saw Haytham with a gun to Claire's temple. 

Y/N:It's rather rude to disturb a lady's bath,don't you think?  Haytham:But is it rude to save her life?  Claire:My lady,please,there is a misunderstanding!  Y/N:*sighs*Honestly...You could at least fetch me my bathrobe.I don't fancy a one-sided naked conversation. 

Locking the door behind them,Haytham took the robe from the chair and handed it to me,then returned to the maid.  Raising from the water,the girl tied the robe around herself,put on her slippers,and turned to the duo,with a bright smile on her face. 

Y/N:Explain.  Claire:My lady,please,Mr.Kenway is trying to frame me!He's working with your father,I've overheard them!  Y/N:Oh~?Well that's lovely,isn't it.Betrayed by my own husband?  Claire:Yes,and I have proof!The poisons,my lady-  Haytham:Ridiculous...  Claire:I've found them in his room!Master Lee wanted to get rid of you,for not obeying his Templar order rules!  Y/N:Oh,I see...well that would make a lot of sense.He did tolerate me for 21 years,I'm surprised he didn't go senile.Wait,nevermind,scratch that.  Haytham:Amazing how you can still try an be funny when you were almost killed.  Y/N:My death won't inconvenience anyone,so why should I care much?  Claire:My lady,please,I've taken care of you since you were a child,do not say such morbid things!

The red-head blinked in annoyance and took the 3 small bottles from her maid,each holding a different poison.  Smirking,she took all 3 of them,examined each of them,then giggled. 

Y/N:Well,isn't this a hilarious turn of events...Can't say I wasn't expecting you to plot my death...But in such a cruel way...with my own poisons...  Haytham:*shaking his head*Don't be ridiculous-  Y/N:Shut up,Kenway.  Haytham:You are technically a Kenway too,since our Wedding.  Y/N:Oh,the joy.Jumping from one Templar home to another...didn't I say I didn't want to be bothered with your silly Order?You just can't seem to stop giving me problems. 

He tried to talk,but he was quickly silenced by the pissed off girl,who turned away,rubbing her forehead in annoyance.  Silence fell over the room,until the red-head's shoulders started shaking slightly,as she let soft sounds escape her mouth.  At first,they thought she was sobbing,to which the maid was trying to run and comfort her,but was quickly held back by the Grandmaster.  In fact,the girl was shaking,trying to stop her laughter.  With the biggest grin,she showed them the 3 bottles,and pointed in turn to each of them.  Y/N:We are 3 here,aren't we?All bound together by the threads of hope...Let's all drink a vial!This way,we'll have broken our fate!We'll be cheating the gods,and nobody will ever know who killed who!It's...the perfect crime!  Claire:My lady...you're scaring me...  Y/N:No need to be scared,love.It will all be over soon,I promise.There's no more sin in death.  Haytham:Great,my wife is insane,how lovely. Y/N:Shh!Say no more.Now,choose your own poison!Fast death,but horrible pain,moderate death time and moderate pain,or just a little pain,but a longer time until death?  Claire:*shaking*M-My lady...  Y/N:Exactly!I am your lady,and I order you to drink one of them!You too,Haytham!How was it?'Till death do us apart’?Then do it!DO IT! 

The maid shakily took the one with less pain,and Haytham took the one with moderate pain,leaving the robed girl with the quickest death.  With one smirk,she urged the other 2 to 'Cheer' with her,and bottoms up they did- The girl immediately fell to her knees,choking and coughing,much to the other 2's alarm...  Only to find her Laughing.  Y/N:I...can't...even...!EVEN!Should've seen your faces!Haaaa....!!  Claire:Wh-What is this...?  Y/N:*snorts*What,you think I'm stupid enough to drink my own arsenics?Please...  Claire:I...don't understand...  Y/N:Of course you don't,dumbass!I changed the liquids in the poison bottles recently!What we all drank was simply fruit juice!Thankfully,Haytham took the cherry one,and I got the orange one.Don't tell me you didn't realize...?  Haytham:*facepalms*So much show for a mummer's farçe...  Y/N:*smirks*Oh,please,it was hilarious.Oh,and,one more thing you got wrong,miss maid.You're the only one apart from me who has access in that room.Funny,since it's not exactly my house,right?  Claire:No way...  Y/N:I guess your skills are getting rusty.  Claire:No...way...I failed...no...No...NO....NO!! Y/N:Oh,come on,Claire,stop being so mad for no reason.Like, what are you gonna do?Stab me? 

In the blink of an eye,the maid threw of the Templar and jumped on the smaller girl,slashing her face with a small sleeve dagger. 

Claire:YOU KILLED HER,YOU TEMPLAR BITCH!IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!!  Y/N:KILLED WHO?!I NEVER KILLED ANYONE!  Claire:YOU KILLED YOUR MOTHER!IT WAS YOUR FAULT THAT LEE KILLED HER!THE MOMENT YOU WENT TO SNOOP AROUND IN HER ROOM AND FOUND HER NECKLACE...that's when she knew she was doomed...and Lee killed her...it's all your fault...YOUR FAULT!!You don't deserve to wear that necklace!  Y/N:It's not my fault!She gave it to me!I never knew she was an assassin!I didn't even know what the symbol meant until now!  Claire:Of course you didn't,you dumb,ignorant bitch!But Lee and his little puppets did!He killed his own wife!Executed in the very same room they made you!  Y/N:I...he said she died because of an experiment failure...I never...I...  Claire:Ignorant idiot!How could he tell his own little Templar daughter that he killed her beloved mother?!You'd have stayed as far away from his Order as you could!He wouldn't have been able to-  But just as she was about to end her line,a blade impaled her neck,spraying blood all over the girl below her. She fell limp on her past mistress,who just lay there,motionless,contemplating everything that's been happening in the last minute.  She knew Haytham wouldn't kill her...not like that...  But would he kill her if she was to go against his Order?  Could she really trust him...?  Haytham:Are you feeling okay?  Y/N:Do I look okay?  Haytham:Not so much.  Y/N:Well spotted. H Haytham:I wouldn't trust her if I were you.She was a filthy liar.  Y/N:But aren't we all...?Including you...? 

She brushed past her husband to go clean herself and change her clothes,then quickly left the house,going to the nearest forest to cool her head off. It was too much to take in.  She knew there was something off about the way her father acted about her mother's death,but she had been way too young to understand what it meant.  But now that she found out the truth,just before her almost-death experience,she wondered how much was truth and how much was lie from her attacker's words?  She herself pretended to almost die due to the fake poisons,but was it the same thing?  An innocent white lie and an act,opposed to real harm?  The room that had been her mother's old study had been locked since then,and if she was correct,the key that Claire held in her possession,the one she easily stole and hid in her robe pocket,is the key that holds the truth,hidden away for 15 years. And that's exactly what she's going to do. Even if it costs her life...  She'll risk it all.  For her mother. 

 --- 

Sneaking into her room from outside has been an easy task,since she used to sneak away all the time,but going to the 'Forbidden Area' was going to be quite a challenge.  Listening carefully to those in the house and the noises they made,she swiftly ran upstairs,unlocked the door,and locked it behind her,putting the key back in her pocket.  With all the dust,it was obvious nobody has entered since the incident. She opened the window and started snooping around every shelf,drawer and letter existent,and what she found...wasn't much,actually.  Then,she sat on the chair,put her hands on the desk,and started thinking. And thinking.  And thinking. If she was her mother...  Where'd she hide important information?  In the most obvious place,possibly.  But what was it? Without realizing,she knocked over a framed picture,and upon analysing it,she felt a tear drop on her cheek. It was a picture of her and her mother,on her 5th anniversary.  Gulping,she shakily took off the frame,and a letter fell from it.  "To my dearest Y/N"  Oh great... She anticipated her death...   Breaking the seal,she saw her mother's neat handwriting,and an Assassin necklace.

 "If you're reading this,I'm most likely dead.Whatever happens,please don't blame yourself,since it's my own fault for getting in this awful situation,but having you has been my greatest realization.  I know you are born in a Templar home,with a hidden Assassin (dead) mother,but if you can,please stay away from this war between the two factions. I once believed the two could work out their differences and unite against the greater evil,but I was dead wrong.  Please,for the love that you bear me,do NOT attempt revenge against your father,and go as farther away from him as you can. Do not let him take over your life.  You are free,my dear,please remain that way.  Do not be shackled by the chains of fate,like I've been.  I wish you the best of luck and a beautiful life ahead,full of happy and bright days,the ones that I never had the chance to live myself.  Please be happy,my love.  XXX  Your Mother."  Reading the letter hasn't been an easy task with the tears filling her eyes,but she managed,then put it back neatly inside the envelope,and pocketed it. 

-?-:Quite the emotional discourse,I assume? 

 Squealing in surprise,the girl looked behind her,and saw Haytham leaning on the window effortlessly.  She was scared.  Scared enough to leap from her seat and go to the room,fumbling to find the key and unlock the door. 

Haytham:Don't bother.If you go there,a worse evil will await you.  Y/N:How...?  Haytham:How did I know I'd find you here?The maid's words had quite the impact on you.It wasn't that difficult to imagine what your next move would be.  Y/N:Very well,then.Go ahead and kill me.Find a petty excuse and continue living your life tied down to this Order.  Haytham:Kill you?Oh,no,why would I kill you?  Y/N:Don't pretend to care...It'd be impossible.  Haytham:Believe what you want,but I'm not denying my care for you.  Y/N:Then why are you here?You want to turn me in?Convert me?  Haytham:*shakes his head*Silly girl...nothing of the sort.  Y/N:Then what do you want? Haytham:I realized that you don't know much about your husband.How about a short story? Y/N:Who did they kill? Haytham:The Templars killed my Assassin father.It was my fault,as well. Y/N:That's why you drink,then? Haytham:You should try it more often,mayhaps. Y/N:Don't jape like that...The taste is horrible. Haytham:*chuckles*Nobody drinks it for the taste,darling. Y/N:What do you propose,then?Carry on with our not-so-merry lives and drink ourselves to death? Haytham:How much of a pacifist are you,dear wife? Y/N:Not enough.Why? Haytham:*smirks*I think I know the best Wedding gift a husband could offer his wife. Y/N:That sounds oddly peculiar.Count me in.But can I really trust you? Haytham:I'm a Templar,what do you think? Y/N:*shrugs*Not much of a choice,is there? Haytham:That's the spirit~.

She unlocked the door and together,they made their way to Charles Lee's study room. Knocking softly,Haytham entered and chatted with him idly,as the girl listened through the door. Soon,the door opened,and Kenway lead her inside,where her father was bound on his chair,struggling. Lee:What is the meaning of this?! Y/N:*raises an eyebrow*Good question...?Haytham? Haytham:This is my gift for you.Or rather,this-. He took of the Hidden Blade from his right wrist,then set it on her arm,carefully,and told her how to use it. Haytham:Use it well. Y/N:N-No way... Haytham:Yes,way. Y/N:Ken-way! Haytham:*chuckles*Kenway,indeed. Lee:Kenway!What is the meaning of this?! Haytham:The Templars destroyed another life,one of an innocent child.That's not how the Order works,Charlie.Your policy is old-fashioned,we're at the end of the 18th century,for pity's sake! Lee:What is this idiocy?!Have you been Brainwashed?!Idiot child,you ruin everything you touch! Y/N:Including you~? Lee:What-?!Don't speak such non-sense!Release me at once! Y/N:*smirks*Certainly~. She approached her father,then glanced at her weapon,raised it to his temple and- Swish The blade penetrated his skull,killing him. Retracting the blade,she looked at the corpse of her father with an odd satisfaction on her face,the took a step back,taking in everything that's been happening. Haytham:Not much time to waste,we should make up an excuse.I'm the new leader of the Templar Order,Grandmaster Kenway. Y/N:GrandFather Kenway,the modest one,I believe? Haytham:Power hungry,perhaps? Y/N:I should thank you,huh? Haytham:Mayhaps.If you wish. Y/N:You needed an excuse to kill him and take the power and have revenge. Haytham:That too. Y/N:Is there another reason that I'm missing? Haytham:Honestly,woman,I indirectly confessed my love for you,but you just brushed me off.That's not very polite,now,is it? Y/N:Maybe next time,you'll say it directly and under more...normal circumstances. Haytham:With the positions we're stuck into,normal is the last thing I'm expecting us to be. Y/N:True...Truce? Haytham:Truce. They shook hands,and unexpectedly,she hugged him tightly,muttering a small 'Thank you'. The Templar was completely took off guard,but retaliated with a kiss on her head,and a protective embrace. They didn't need any words or factions,only themselves and their feelings,no longer afraid to admit them. Templar or Assassin,both or none,it mattered naught anymore. They were together and there were no more thorns in their sides. They were free. Together. 

[ichiwashername-o]

Alright Ichi. How about having AHLA Paps and Sans do some Merciless Shipping :P

Happy to oblige :P

--

The plan was perfect.

And now all they had to do was wait. 

Sans and Papyrus were squirmier than normal this night,barely able to stay still as they counted down the minutes.  They pretended to be preoccupied with a largejigsaw puzzle while their father slaved away at the kitchen table.  He was buried in books and stacks of papers,going over report after report, re-reading diagrams and schematics andbluelines until his eye sockets bled.  Hehadn’t had a solid sleep in weeks, and it was taking its toll on him.  Something bad was going on at work but theirdad refused to talk about it.

> he reassuredevery night as he tucked them into bed.

Every morning he was up before the boys.  And Sans suspected some nights he didn’tsleep at all.  

He needed someone to talkto.

So the little skeletons came up with a plan, an ingenious, abrilliant plan!  They visited Grillby’sbar earlier that day for a late dinner (as their dad called them saying hewouldn’t be able to make it home on time) and there Papyrus and Sans loudlylamented their dear father’s troubles.  

Grillby mostly kept to himself but even he flickered aglance or two in their direction, his flames crackling uneasily.  And then Papyrus left the coup de gras: he “forgot” his red scarfat their table.  Oh, how Papyrus loved his scarf!  He didn’t go anywhere without it!

That combined with the eavesdropping assured that Grillbywould be paying them a visit very soon.

And then, quite suddenly, the doorbell rang.  Sans and Papyrus did their best to stifletheir squeals of excitement.  

Gaster looked up from his notes, harsh bags under his eyesand a withering look lingering in his faded pupils.  > hewondered out loud.

“I dunno!” Sans said, stifling a snicker.  “Why don’t you go answer it?”

>

“NOPE!” Papyrus said, tackling his brother.  “Stranger danger!  It could be ANYONE!”

With an annoyed sigh, Gaster rose from the table and shuffledto the door.  He pulled it open to revealnone other than Grillby standing in the doorway.  He held Papyrus’s scarf in his hand.

There was a moment’s hesitance.

> Gaster asked, his words finally comingto him.

“Your son left this at the bar,” Grillby said, holding outthe scarf.  “Thought I’d return it.”

Gaster turned and shot Papyrus a warning look.  >

“Sorry!” Papyrus offered.

“It’s no trouble,” Grillby assured hurriedly.  “I . . . I was just on my way home myself.”

>

Another pause.  

Gaster cleared his throat. >

“At this time of night?” Grillby smirked.  “You trying to break the record ofconsecutive days awake?  I’m sure thelast person who tried that went insane.”

>

“Didn’t one just blow a month ago?”

>

The two settled in the kitchen, Grillby casting a glance atthe mound of papers.  And soon the housewas filled with chatter as the two old friends reminisced.  Gaster ranted and raved about thefrustrations of work, finally, after weeks of silence.  Grillby countered with tales of the restaurantand in no time at all they were laughing. Sans and Papyrus watched on eagerly and with great anticipation.  

Their plan worked!

Grillby and Gaster knew each other for years, and it didn’ttake a genius to figure out their affection for one another was something morethan close kinship.  They showed theirlove in small minute ways, ways you had to look very carefully for.  A gentle touch of the arm, the way their eyesdanced with light, their body posture as they leaned towards each other,completely engrossed in what the other was saying.

There was something very there,and the little skeleton brothers could see it, clear as day.

They talked and talked and talked for hours, well into thedead of night and the boys finally saw their dad look like his old self again:smiling and happy.  In time Grillby hadto head home.  The bar would be openingearly tomorrow, after all.  Gaster sawhim to the door.

>

“The pleasure was mine,” Grillby assured with a warm crackleof flames.  He placed his hand on Gaster’sshoulder.  “Do me a favor and get a goodnight’s rest.  That insulator’s not goingto fix itself, you know.”

>

Gaster hesitated.  

The boys leaned forward. This was it!  They saw enoughsilly rom-coms to know what was coming next! This was the part they confessed their love and started kissing!

> He closed thedoor behind him.  But the look on hisface was bright and he gave a contented sigh.

Sans grinned.  Okay,not a kiss, but close enough!

“Awwww, missionfailed!” Papyrus whined as he threw himself on the floor.

Sans spun around.  “Whythe heck do you say that, bro?”

“CUZ THEY DIDN’T KISS!”

[vesperlionheart]

Under the Rabbit’s Moon 3

Part1

Sakura slept so long and so deep. Sometimes she slept for days. She was never beyond the point of being able to wake, but if someone didn’t disturb her she could sleep for almost a week at a time, just storing chakra in her seal. Others around her worried at first, but she always seemed stronger after a long rest. The longer the better, so they let her be.

“What do you dream about when you sleep that long?” Aoi the sentry asked her once.

“The beginning of the world, the end of it, and everything in between,” Sakura once answered before sleeping again.

No one asked her any more than that, but kept a reverent distance and respected her slumbering.

Another month after Tobirama and Sakura perked up at the sound beyond her hedge. She could feel a presence out there, and then there was another. She held her breath as she counted two different presences she almost recognized. As adults they had seemed so different, but the core of their essence remained the same.

“Nothing rouses you like the prospect of playing with children, does it?” another midwife asked her as she helped Sakura into a simple cotton yukata. “Why don’t you have you own?”

“Not as enjoyable and too much work. Besides, its more fun to steal others.”

Sakura pulled her hair up into a bun with her nails and pinned it into place with a wooden pick so simple she could have been a present for not the state of her skin and teeth. The bandages on her hands didn’t even slow her down anymore.

Madara and Hashirama were smart enough to work together in trying to dismantle her traps and genjutsu. They came closer than all the others, mostly because when one started to get trapped, the other would wake him and dispel that layer of illusion.

As a duo they were quite formidable. It was interesting to watch. What would have happened if they never broke their friendship? How much stronger could their empire be?

“There’s someone here with us.”

The tiny Madara was dour as he turned slowly and let his red eyes rove, searching for where she was hiding. She didn’t move when he zeroed in on her location and didn’t even bother to hide herself in the layers of the illusion anymore. She smiled wide when he found her and waved.

Madara cursed. “It’s a peasant.”

Hashirama pushed his friend aside and waved back. “Hello miss!”

Madara glared hard, likely not trusting her but not respecting her enough to consider her a threat. She was still a girl and the Uchiha were famous for their woman hating, traditionalism even in her time.

‘Uchiha never change, do they?’

Oh, this could be fun.

“What are you doing here. I don’t see any of your parents,” Sakura started. She smiled simply and tilted her head. “Are you lost?”

“You don’t look much older than either of us,” Madara sneered. “Who do you think you are?”

Hashirama huffed in good humored agitation. “Madara, don’t be a stick about it. She might be able to help.” He turned back to face her and smiled. “I’m Senju Hashirama. I was looking for a friend my brother made.”

Madara’s eyes flashed red in anger and he glared over at her before turning his burning glare onto his friend. “You idiot, she could tell on us now!”

“Tell what?” Sakura set her hands onto her hips. “Are you sneaking out or something without your parents knowing? That’s not such a big deal. Boys your age could get into a lot more trouble than that.”

“We’re not boys, we’re shi-no-bi.”

Madara huffed up, looking cuter than he meant to. It almost made her laugh. She had seen puppies more intimidating. Madara was on the cusp of adolescence. Puberty would be in a couple years, but for now he was still a cute big kid with cheeks round enough to pinch. She wanted to tease him even more.

“Sure, sure,” Sakura cooed, making her voice patronizing on purpose. It was too fun to watch them get worked up. Also, there was the fact that a part of her still hated Madara for getting used and setting into motion the chain of events that led to …that…that led to….

Her brain started to stall and Naruto was in her head, along with Sasuke and behind the stupid pair there was Kakashi reading his damn book. Sai was there too, as well as Yamato. Where were they, where was she?

Sakura turned suddenly, looking for her friends in the bushes between the trees, believing they had been there only seconds ago. She had heard their voices, she had felt them. She knew what it felt like when they were close and she could tell when she wasn’t alone. Sasuke was just being and ass and Naruto wanted to prank her.

‘They’re dead, snap out of it.’

Sakura stilled, staring away. The world came back into focus.

That was funny. It had been so long since she had another panic attack like that. What terrible timing too. She had meant to be having fun teasing the reincarnations that would one day be her teammates. Sasuke and Naruto were still watching her, but they weren’t Sasuke and Naruto. She blinked and they became new people. Madara and Hashirama were staring at her oddly. Hashirama looked worried while Madara looked grossed out.

“You okay, lady?” Hashirama asked first.

“She’s crazy,” Madara hissed in what was supposed to be a whisper to his friend, but came out too loud to be anything but intentionally rude.

“Oh, wow, I almost forgot about my chores. I think I was supposed to be doing laundry, but I lost my basket. I always get lost around these parts,” Sakura laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Silly me.”

“You need help finding your things?” The Senju son looked ready to help, but it was Madara that reached out and pulled Hashiraman back. “Madara?”

“Don’t forget why we’re really here. This wasn’t a joy trip, we actually have work we need to get done. You said so yourself, you need to protect your brothers.” Madara’s eyes went hard. “You know I would do anything to keep my brother safe.”

Hashirama swallowed and nodded. “And me too. I would do anything for my brothers.”

“Keep them safe at any cost?”

“Of course.”

Madara turned his glare towards Sakura once more. “You there, peasant girl, tell us what you know about this area.”

Sakura pointed to herself and made her eyes go wide. “Me? You’re asking me for directions? I’m the worst with those. You’d get lost if I tried to tell you where to go.”

“We don’t want directions, stupid girl.” Madara almost stomped in his frustration. “There’s a powerful warrior in this area that casts powerful jutsu. We’ve come to investigate for ourselves. Are you too dumb or blind to notice, or are you keeping something from us?”

Hashirama laughed nervously, holding up his hands. “That came off a bit strong, Madara. Um miss,” he called out, turning his attention towards Sakura. “My friend is rude and he didn’t meant to say the things he said so poorly. We’re not wanting to make trouble, but we are here on mutual business. There is something off about this place and we want to make sure it’s safe. You have loved ones, yes? Maybe even family members?”

Sakura thought of Naruto when she looked at Hashirama, and Sasuke when she glanced over at Madara. ‘No, I don’t. All my loved ones are dead thanks to a thousand year old goddess that brought me back to this god forsaken era.’

“Yeah,” she lied. Sakura swallowed her guilt and fought to keep up the smile.    

“We’re looking out for them. So, you can understand why we’re out here at all and why my friend is being a bit more rude than he has a right to be.”

“Stop speaking for me like I’m not even here to hear it,” Madara hissed.

“Have you heard of people getting hurt around this area?” Sakura asked, fixing her wide eyed look back in place. “I’ve never seen anyone get hurt here or heard of anyone going missing from local areas. It’s pretty boring out here, but if it’s as dangerous as you say, then maybe people ought to move away.”

“That’s not the same thing,” Hashirama started to say. “It’s not that we’ve heard of anything dangerous happening, but there is a person with great power nearby and the world is at war with itself.”

“Not just your two families?” Sakura interjected, eyeing both boys critically.

Madara tensed in an instant, reaching for a small blade at his side. “I told you she’d tell on us. She knows who we are!”

It was funny, Sakura didn’t remember Madara being this extra when they fought. Sure, the guy was dramatic and long winded like one would expect of a super villain in a story, but as a child he was a little trigger happy with his kunai. Maybe she shouldn’t press his buttons any more than she already had, but it was just too much fun to tease him.

“You’re thinking way too highly of yourself,” Sakura sighed. “There are plenty of people who don’t even care about your stupid family feuds, other than to mock it over tea and laugh about how no one even knows what the bad blood is even about anymore.”

“You insult my family!”

Madara cried, fully brandishing his blade now. Hashirama squeaked in surprise but quickly rushed to hold his friend back. Madara struggled, but didn’t advance even when it looked like Sakura was willing to stay still and let him come at her.

“Stop it, Madara, she’s not a ninja, you’d slaughter her.”

“She knows too much, I don’t trust her.”

“You can’t kill her.”

“Why not?”

Madara looked wild with his hair flying in a mess around his face. He had taken life before, he was used to drawing blood. War had already made him aggressive. He was a child but he was already a killer.

Sakura felt a tickle at her toes and looked down to see a small white slug burrow out of the ground. Sakura reached down to pluck it out of the dirt and lift it to her eyes. The slug chirped in greeting before cooing out a string of sentences too soft for anyone other than Sakura to hear. A moment later, the slug became vapor on her finger, fading fast.  

Sakura turned her attention back to Madara and Hashirama who were talking quietly to each other. “You make up you mind on if you want to try and kill me or not?” she called out.

Madara was still glaring hard, red eyes spinning. Sakura felt her own third eye pulse in anticipation behind her cracked Yin seal. It wanted to play but she held it back. It would do no good to expend energy now.

“Please, miss, we can not let you spread the news of our sighting. You must swear to us you will not,” Hashirama said.

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I did, I suspect. Ah, but I can do something to change that.” She clapped her hands together, grinning. “I’ll show you my dirty laundry before I clean it. That way, you have one of my secrets, too!”

“Why the hell would anyone want to see an old lady’s dirty laundry?” Madara bit out.

“You said you wanted to see the powerful person who lived in this area, didn’t you?” Sakura teased, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

Before either boy could respond, she started to skip back in the direction of the genjutsu, passing right through it, dismantling parts of it as she went. She heard both boys following close behind, though couldn’t make out which one followed her first.

In a matter of seconds the innocent looking woodlands were pulling away to an open grassy field spotted with crude wood houses and several cultivated gardens. A handful of people were milling about in the open while a large white tent flapped in the breeze not far from where Sakura emerged from the hedges. There were a handful of people moving in and out of the tent.

“There’s my laundry, let me check to see how dirty it is before you follow me in,” Sakura hummed, striding over.

“Where is this place and how were you able to get in?” Hashirama asked in soft wonder. His eyes lingered a bit too long on the houses made out of crudely grown wood and she worried he recognized the art style.

“It’s just a little garden where people go who need healing. It’s a neutral zone, you could never get in unless you were let in or if you came in with a truly neutral heart. You two boys would have been out there forever, no thanks to your warring history. But it’s all good, you’re being watched well enough and I trust you won’t murder anyone on sight.” Sakura stopped walking, causing the other two boys to almost crash into her back. “Right?”

“No, of course not! It was never our-“

“No promises, if someone tries to knife me first I’ll lay em out,” Madara interjected, cutting his friend off.

Sakura hummed, turning around and folding her arms. “You’re not going to see the best part if you have an attitude like that. I’ll trow you out if you don’t swear to non violence while inside the sanctuary like all the others had to.”

“I don’t swear to anyone I don’t trust.” Madara pulled himself up to his full height, which was still a head shorter than Sakura and not that intimidating.

Sakura pulled herself up a little more, easily towering his stature. “I don’t trust you, kid, but I’m showing you a big secret that should earn enough trust for this request. No violence. Swear it now or find out what happens when you don’t.”

“Madara, we’re not here to fight.” Hashirama rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder and pat it once. “I’ll swear it.”

The Uchiha boy huffed in agitation, looking from his friend to Sakura, and then back to his friend again. “Fine! But I’ll defend myself if you jump me. I’ll not be the one who agitates anything around here.”

“You’re as safe as can be when you’re here with me,” Sakura said with a smile. “I’m trusting you with my secret, so trust me not to spread yours. Follow me inside.”

Sakura started to move towards the tent when a pair of men came out to pull the tent flap back for her and nod as she walked over the threshold. They eyed the two kids oddly, but didn’t question anything.

Inside the tent on a table were a pair of dark haired men in armor, bleeding heavily. Their eyes were closed, but one had veins around his eyes that still stood out in a way both boys recognized. Madara hissed and recoiled behind Hashirama.

“That one’s a Hyuga.”

“The other is a Inuzuka I think,” Hashirama said, eyeing the red tattoos on the man’s face. “They don’t like each other.”

“The Hyuga are scum that like no one,” Madara mumbled. “What is she doing with two ninja so badly hurt?”

Hashirama shrugged. “She said this was a place where people who are hurt would come for healing. Maybe there are doctors here who do that sort of thing.”

“For who? These ninja are enemies. Which one would be healed?”

Sakura ignored the boys and moved to the first man, pulling back his armor to see her slugs already eating away the dead skin and bacteria from his wounds. The Hyuga struggled, unconscious as he was when she reached for him. Sakura checked his forehead for any sort of seal and found none, relieving her of some worry. This one wasn’t going to turn into ash in her hands like Neji. Not this time.

Good, he was stable. She could take her time on this one if the other needed more immediate attention.

She moved to the man with the red marks on his face, thinking of Kiba. Sakura found the areas where the heaviest bruising was and noticed his ribs were broken and his heart was bruised. Something was leaking blood as well. It reminded her of injuries she had seen Lee suffering after a heavy spar with Neji, but never this severe. These were wounds meant to kill. This one was close to dying.

“Yeah, this one is in more danger,” Sakura said out loud, tying her hair up. She called for one of the nurses to prepare her some hot water but started healing right away. In the corner, both boys watched as he hands glowed green and seeped light right into the discolored skin. She stayed there for a while, pouring healing light into the body without altercation or hesitation.

“What are you doing?” Hashirama asked after a few minutes had passed.

“What do you think this looks like to you?” Sakura asked, honestly curious.

Had the boys ever seen someone heal with chakra before? Most who saw it for the first time were shocked and stupefied, but these boys were shinobi, they weren’t average people. They would at least recognize the chakra she was using and know it wasn’t magic.

“It looks like you’re investigating his body. Are you looking for clan secrets?” Madara asked, not caring about the state of the ninja.

“No, I’ve already done that and learned what I needed to learn. His heart is bruised and stretching. If it continues the heart could burst and he could die. I’m repairing the bruise on his heart first, before repairing his lungs. His bones will need a lot more time. I’ll get to them later.”

“How can you do that with chakra on another person?” Hashirama asked in wonder. “I’ve only ever heard of chakra doing that to the person it came from. My chakra heals me, but I can never help any of my brothers with it. How are you able to do that?”

“Sakura san are these boys allowed to be in here?” a woman entering the tent with more towels asked. She eyed the boys wearily, especially when Madara started to huff and puff himself up again.

“They are my friends and they requested they be here to see this,” Sakura answered, still pouring chakra into the man on the table in front of her.

“The children?”

“Yes.” Sakura’s voice was distracted as she looked further into the man with her sense of chakra.

His heart was starting to rapidly repair itself with new cells, a process that would have taken weeks, in a matter of minutes. Of course it would be closer to an hour when she felt his heart was strong enough to avoid rupture again, but still, it counted as a matter of minutes to anyone who cared.  

Sakura pushed herself to heal faster, to divide cells more fluidly, to progress the healing as best she could in as little time as possible. Subconsciously, her chakra started to tang with something new and she noticed in her healing there were also brand new cells coming to life. She was creating new cells for the damaged organ. She hadn’t meant to do that, but didn’t stop it once it started.

The new cells were strong and fast, like ones right out of a mother’s womb. They were the kind that could do anything and they were repairing the heart right now. There were voices around her, muffled and far off, but she couldn’t hear them and didn’t pay them any mind until the heart was finished. She started to pull away, but the tang of her chakra started to latch onto the bruised lungs and broken ribs. They were even faster on these things and Sakura had to actually struggle to pull herself away. She was making the man brand new and it was always a custom of hers to leave the patients to heal a bit on their own. She didn’t like making them stronger than her on the first day back.

Sakura pulled her chakra out of him and felt it seep back into her, pooling in her palms. Looking down, her chakra color was green for healing, but there were hues of aqua and shimmering blue she hadn’t seen before. She closed her hands and turned to face the Hyuga from before. She noticed that both boys were watching quietly from the corner, not saying anything even though she knew they must have been extremely bored.

“What did you do to that one?” Madara asked before anyone else could.

He was looking at the shinobi Sakura had just turned away from. Glancing back Sakura could make out a healthy color to the man’s cheeks, some relief in his expression, and a steadier breathing pattern. The man didn’t look to be in so much pain anymore. He looked almost at peace.

“Don’t interrupt the lady when she’s working,” the woman from before whispered to the two boys.

Sakura waved them off before hovering over the Hyuga. “I’ve healed him as best I could without exhausting myself.”

Charging her hands with more green healing chakra, Sakura began to seal up the cuts that were now free of infection. She drew the skin back together, pieced it bit by bit, knit the cells back together and healed the open gashes across his chest. They looked like they had been caused by an animal; dog no doubt. This healing was a little more visible and the boys were captivated with the sight of it.

“That’s faster than mine,”  Hashirama whispered to Madara.

Sakura ignored their whispers and investigated the man’s left hand, noticing the discoloration. Bones in his hand had been broken. Those always took longer to heal and had to be treated carefully. Sakura swelled her chakra and let it fall into his hand, coiling around the shattered bones and piecing them back together. She stimulated the natural growth as best she could once she made sure it was sure to heal correctly, but left before it could be completely healed. He needed to do some of the healing on his own.

“What are you going to do to them when they wake up. They’re enemies. They’ll want to fight each other.”

“As long as they stay in my garden, they’re bound to a vow of honor.” Sakura looked to Madara before going on. “There are no clans here, there are no wars, and no one is allowed to bring those in here with them. You understand this in your heart because you are able to befriend a Senju.”

It was the first time she saw Madara blush so honestly. He didn’t try to hide it or deny it. He almost seemed proud of his ability to look past it all.

“Maybe there is a time where you will no longer be able to see as you are, with eyes unclouded by hate, but here is a place where I do not allow hate or war. If you need it, this will always be a safe place for those who seek it.”

“You mean for us, or…” Hashirama looked sideways at Madara and then back at Sakura. He swallowed. “What about our brothers, what about our fathers. They wouldn’t all agree to something like that.”

“Why do you think I hid this place so well in the beginning?” Sakura asked. “People who need it and people with peace in their hearts will have no trouble getting here. But invaders, warmongers, men with hate at their core will find no such garden.”

It was Hashirama who spoke next.

“You hid the garden.”

It wasn’t a question. Beside him, Madara stood a bit taller, a little less proud and a little more weary. How did he see her now, she wondered.

Sakura brushed off some dirt from her clothing and pretended she didn’t know what their tone of wonder was for. “It’s getting late and you both have families you should be getting back to. Tell them if you wish, I won’t send anyone away who needs healing, but don’t think this is a game or a joke you can manipulate as you see fit.”

[aerostoriesforyouall]

The Boy Gives Life &... (ep. 3 part 1)

Episode 3: My Dear Anjocornio

 - Have you separed the papers you don’t want to use, my princess? – says Juliana, putting a lot of papers that were already used or wasted in the living room table.

- Uh? Ah Almost there, ma – Julia had taken a lot of papers from the room dresser from her room. She was now holding a specific paper on her hands. It was a drawing she made of a little angel with unicorn horn. The girl thinks with herself while still separating the other papers – Damn, didn’t even remember him... Anjorn... heh, I was so silly for having na imaginary when I...

         She then notices something, and thinks while looking at the drawing:

- ...Could I...?

 - Hm... Yescan – says Charlie, who then approaches his hand to his friend’s head...

         Who flinches, backs off and says while blushed:

- What are you doing??

- It’smaginary... your head... need to touch head... – answers her friend.

- Ah... ok... go ahead then – she allows him to touch her head.

         At this moment, the two were on Charlie’s house, in his room. The room’s owner stops touching his friend’s forehead, and backs off.

         The paper with the drawing starts to tremble, which scares Julia, who lets it go, falling to the ground, and then, appears na aura...

         The aura dissipate, and we see the Anjorn, flying; he was just a little angel wearing a robe. He has wings, blonde hair, but in the central parto f the top of his head, there was an unicorn horn.

         He looks around, see Charlie... and then sees his real creator... he then says to her:

- Well well... Julia... how long... four years if I remember correctly...

- Hi Anjorn, it’s me, Juju, do you remember me? – says the girl.

- How could I forget this face of yours, eh? – the imaginary friend pull pinch the girl’s (face) cheeks, and when releasing her cheeks, he comments – You did grow up in all these years, didn’t you?

- Of course I did, I’m almost a big girl now, I even changed school now.

- Really...?

- Yes, really, I’m in the same school as this little guy there.

- Ah... I see...

- And look, you’re no longer only imaginary, he gave you life, and now you can go with me in sch...

- And what school do you study right now? – the angel-unicorn seemed to have interest on what was being said.

- Ah, it’s called Eraldine Marina, it’s a public school, next to that ice cream shop that...

- Do you know what were 4 year in the complete solitude, girl...? – the imaginary friend gained a serious expression. On his face...

- ...Eh...?

- 4 year... 4 long years, locked in your subconscience... stuck... – he looks with contempt into the little girl’s eyes – Forsaken... do you know how this was...?

- I uhh... I...

- Do you think I forgotten you...? You did forgot me, but I didn’t... I remember all the ice cream flavors you liked, all of the games you liked to play... I remember...

- I-I’m sorry, Anjorn, I d-I didn’t m...

- “Anjorn”... “ANJORN”! This name... I was not only forgotten, but forever I’ll have this stupid n-Wow! – the angel-unicorn dodges Charlie’s hand by flying higher – Do you think I’m a idiot, boy??

- Wait, Anjorn! Why? Why?? – asks Julia, feeling guilty and even scared – Please, forgive me, Anj...

- Don’t you call me by this stupid name ever again! – he dodges again another of Charlie’s tries, and pokes him in the eye, backing him off.

- Charlie! – says Julia in loud voice; and then talks again to the angel-unicorn – Why are you doing this??

- Are you guys ok?! – Sarah enters the room, and sees the situation; also seeing the little flying “thing”, and her son rubbing his eye – Charlie!

- Imok, ma... – he points to the little flying thing that he gave life – Hewasbad to Julia.

- Now you! – the mother runs toward Anjorn, who flies higher, almost making the woman trips. She then takes off her flip-flops, and starts jumping, trying to hit the flying being, who now just layed in the air.

- Ha, you can try all day to do that, I can fly to wherever I w... – PAFT! Sarah threw one of her flip-flops, hitting Anjorn in the face, making him hit his forehead in the ceiling. He scratches his head, and comments – Well, I should’ve seen that coming...

         He flies to the window.

- Wait! – says Julia, getting his attention – Why...? What are you going to do...?

- That’s easy, I’ll abandon you, just like you did to me – answers the “ex-imaginary friend”, flying away from the window while finishing – Goodbye, my creator, until never again.

         Silence...

         Julia then runs off and locks herself in the bathroom, trying to hide that she was crying...

- Julia! – says Charlie, who decides to go after his friend, but is stopped by his mother, who didn’t know well how to react, but did know that it wouldn’t be a good idea to talk to the little girl at the moment... her friend understands that - ...Julia...

           It’s the next day, a school day, and now, Julia and Charlie were on Juliana’s car, going to school; the little girl was hapilly talking to her friend:

- Ah, in the school before this one I was very popular, you can be sure that me and you will be very popular in this one too, and I say that because...

- It doesn’t even seems that my princess was sad in this weekend... – her mother thinks.

         The car stops in front of the school, the two kids get out, and say goodbye to the adults.

         Something opens the zipper of the girl’s bag, and Lacinho puts her head out, saying:

- Hell yeah, light, finally.

- Oh yeah, I forgot – Julia picks the doll up, and holds her – Shall we go, Charlie?

- Yes... – he agrees.

         They start walking in the school’s gate direction; and the more they approached, the more they noticed that something weird was going on with the students... a lot of them were using a long triangular paper hat; these talked to the others while holding papers with things written.

         Right when our both students were in front of the entrance, one of the strange students stops them, and says while reading his paper:

- Good day, do you know abou tour new savior?

- What? What the heck you’re talking ab... – says the doll, who then is interrupted by her owner...

         Who asks:

- “Savior”...? Uhh... could you show us this... savior...?

- Of course, follow me – this student take them to the schoolyard... where there was Anjorn, with one of those hats in his head, while being worshipped by a lot of the students that had these hats in their head as well – There, take a glance at the magnificent Anjohn; he has supernatural abilities that just a few have; but Anjohn is special, he has so many supernatural abilities that no one will ever reach his level; that’s why he is divine... hey! He will demonstrate his divine abilities!

         Anjorn had na empty bottle... he takes of the bottle cap, shake his hands, and “puts” the bottle cap inside the bottle by its underside.

         Everyone is impressed; with the exception of Julia and her doll, who already knew this magic trick.

- Charlie, don’t make a fool of yourself – says his friend – This is just a m...

- Well well, look at who has arrived – says the angel-unicorn, having his attention and the attention of all of his “subjects” to Julia – It’s her... this is the Julia who locked me in her head for 5 years... you know what to do, right, my followers...?

- Sure, sir! – the student that took them to the schoolyard imobilize the girl, and accidentally puts his arm in Lacinho’s mouth; who cannot react.

- Julia! – says Charlie in loud voice, worried. He punches the head of the student who immobilized his friend, knocking him out, making him release the girl.

- Oof, thanks, Charlie – says Julia, who then says to everbody – What he is doing is just a simple magic trick, even I know how t...

- It’s exactly how Anjohn said that she would say – some students comment, and then says as well – She indeed knows some divine abilities, and indeed will try to surpass poor Anjohn!

- Did you see, my followers, exactly as I said she would say, she wants to try to surpass me, and for that, will use dirty and dishonest tricks, so, shut her mouth, because...

- You are not gonna hurt her, you stupid! – says Charlie, coming forward, trying to protect his friend.

- Yeah! I’m with you, little guy! – says Lacinho, supporting Charlie

- Really now, you infidel... take a look at that then... – Anjorn do the illusion/magic trick of pretending he removed his thumb; which impresses and scares the boy a little – If you do anything agains us, I’ll do that to you and your friend.

         The little boy tries to think something to say, but do not find anything to say.

- Charlie, no! This is just a trick! – says Julia.

- Exactly that, Charlie – Lacinho adds to what her owner said, gets out of Julia’s hands, trying to get everyone’s attention – Guys! This flying thing is fooling you! This that he can do are just silly magic tricks! A lot of people can do it too!

- That’s what you call the divine abilities of Anjohn, and even if some plebeians know something, nobody knows as much as him, and never will – says one of the followers.

- Man, but how my supposedly “eeeviiiil” owner knows some of the “divine powers” that this “all-mighty” there knows? I bet ya that she knoiws as much as him, yer know – Lacinho questions them all.

- Oh really, little dollface...? – Anjorn then picks a card deck, and does the trick that looks like a card is being levitated; which is just you holding one of the back cards with your little finger and the index finger; giving the illusion the card is floating – Does she knows this one...?

- Lacinho, this trick I don’t know how to do; never seen that one... – Julia whispers to her doll.

         The bell for the classes rings; and while ringing, the doll thinks with herself:

- This is hella weird... how does that guy knows that many tricks...?

- Well, I need to go to not interfere the natural order of the classes – says the angel-unicorn, who completes – This time, I was merciful with her, but you guys know why, remember?

- “Because we must prove our value if she wants to do anything bad, and, according to your word and prophecy, we must not only stop this girl, but also paint her with gouache as well” – everyone of the followers chant simultaneously.

         Julia swallows hard of fear.

- This made no sense, man, what do you mean “prove our value”, and... – says Lacinho...

- Paint the doll as well, or tear her apart, if she also resists... don’t know, goodbye for now. – Anjorn interrupts her, and flies away.

         The followers then had paintbrushes in their hands... somewhere close, a pairo f slightly closed eyes face them all... without them even knowing...

         When the threatened students decide to get away from there, the student watching does that as well...

this story will continue in parts 2 and 3