#I understand sometimes japanese clothing brands use broken english

[gingerbreadfrosting]

エンジェルブルー ナカムラくん 120cm デニム スカート

[yoongiwillforgiveme]

Just Give Me a Reason: Pt 1

Here’s the first part of a new Yoongi series I plan to work on for the rest of the year. It’s a slow burn and it’s all written from my oc’s pov. I hope you like it and stick around to find out how this story ends.

So yeah, get ready. We’re going Marty.

July 2014

L.A.

After spending the last 8 months on the road I was finally back home, the world tour to promote my last album broke all kind of records; it was a hit, #1 everything, professionally it was a good year.

At this point I was used to having my face plastered everywhere, to everyone knowing my name. 

With becoming a huge star came the fame, the money, recognition and endless possibilities for my career. A very strong fan base that did nothing but shower me with love and support every single day, I’m aware I live a very blessed life, I don’t take it for granted.

But for all the good things I had to pay a price. To embrace the ugly side of stardom. The hate, the stalking, the public scrutiny, the lack of privacy.

“Y/N fiancé caught cheating on her with mysterious woman while she’s away on tour just a month after engagement announcement”

It’s like he wanted to get caught. You don’t just take your side piece to The Nice Guy and hope not to get photographed by the dozen paparazzi waiting outside. It was a matter of minutes until it was all over the internet. 

I’ve been cheated on before, but this time it was done very publicly and very shamelessly.

Oh boy, ain’t it fun having to answer that phone call from your publicist asking if you want to release a statement on how your man couldn’t keep it in his pants and now you’re single. Yeah, good times. 

And then I had to delete 34 pictures of us on Instagram that sure seemed like 1000 since now they were only a painful reminder of what no longer was. Of what it never was. More than one year of my life was a complete lie, he played me and I let it happen. I gave him my heart and turns out all he cared about was how much money he could get from being with me. It made sense that he didn’t care about being caught cheating after scoring 3 big deals with brands I got him in contact with. 

Tired of being hurt I promised myself I would not even consider dating for a very long time, I learned my lesson, I’d be damned if I ever gave my heart to another guy ever again. I wasn’t even sure I had one anymore. Right now it felt broken beyond repair.

I woke up relatively early, I rolled on my back and stare at the ceiling going through the downfall of my last relationship once again for the 50th time this week.

I force myself to get up and get ready. One day at a time, that’s my new mantra, that’s how I’m surviving this hell.

Today I had plans to meet hip hop legend Warren G. He had been friends with my manager for several years so the label always made sure to get him VIP tickets for his daughter who was a huge fan whenever he requested them.

So last week, the day of the last concert here in L.A. I was talking to him backstage after taking pictures with him and his younger daughter and he told me about this asian boy band he was working with. Some sort of reality show for what I heard.

“There’s so many of them. All talented and very young, they seem genuinely excited to be here in L.A.” 

He also mentioned he was shooting their music video and how he wanted them to get girls to be part of it. To give it a more hip hop feel, but he was a bit worried because on top of not being fluent in English they were very shy.

He then invited me to the shooting to check ‘em out “If the girls don’t show up at least you could help me out and invite some of your friends, we really need girls for this video” 

He chuckled loudly and after I agreed to it we said our goodbyes and I continued to meet people backstage, putting on my best fake smile, I continued to pretend I wasn’t dying on the inside. The show must go on y/n.

After making a quick stop at Starbucks to get everyone coffee and other drinks my driver pulled up at the mansion where part of the shooting would take place.

I wanted to have a nice gesture with the boys and mostly their entourage since I didn’t know if they would find it rude that I was dropping by without their actual invitation, I didn’t even know if Warren had told them I was coming.

There were lots of people there, all part of their staff I assume. Cameramen recording everything, a couple women holding hand fans were standing next to the makeup station. Several men running around taking care of this and that, some of them glued to their phones talking in Japanese? I don’t know, but some of them looked at me funny, not knowing who I was, I wasn’t offended by it at all but it was intimidating. Luckily the guy at the door recognized me and was escorting me to where Warren was.

All the staff bowed politely as we were passing by and I noticed the women whispering and giggling to each other after I waved at them and said hello in a little voice that sounded nothing like me.  

“Well look who’s here boys, do you know y/n y/l/n?” I heard Warren say as I was making my way outside to the pool area where several young boys and even more staff were.

A string of “oh”, “oh my god” and more astonished expressions in their language followed, some of them covered their blushing faces and excited grins. It was cute, it made me remember when I was coming up and was left strarstruck more than once meeting famous celebrities for the very first time.

“Hi everyone, I’m y/n. Sorry for crashing your shooting but this gentleman right there invited me over and I couldn’t say no.” I said bashfully still a bit shy about the situation.

“This is, oh my god, I can’t believe this. You are y/n, a very famous star and you came to watch us shoot our video. Thank you very much” The tallest kid with blonde hair said, and after quickly whispering something to the rest of the boys they all bowed at the same time.

“Dul, set. Annyeong Haseyo Bangtan Sonyeondan imnida!”

The same boy introduced himself as Rap Monster, later I found out his real name was Namjoon. He was the only one fluent in English as far as I could tell; I was also informed he was the leader of their group and a rapper.

The kid next to him looked very young, not older than 14, I barely heard his name because he spoke to me while looking at his feet the entire time. Jungkook, the youngest one, he was actually 17 and I was dumbfounded to find out they were all actually a lot older than what I thought they were. Their small frames, innocent eyes, baby faces and shy demeanor made them look way younger.

I tried memorizing their names and faces but it was proving to be a bit tricky to tell them apart for the first half hour.

So Jimin was the one the one with the flirty eyes wearing a snapback and the muscle shirt. V, real name Taehyung I could immediately tell apart from the others, he reminded me of my cousin with those innocent curious eyes.

Jin was the older one, serious, extremely polite, he was the one wearing a plaid red shirt and had reddish hair. Jungkook was the baby of the group and he looked like he wanted to run and hide everytime he saw me, very shy kid. He was the only one wearing a jacket wrapped around his waist.

Namjoon was the only one who spoke English, no brainer there. J-Hope, real name Hoseok had the bubbliest personality, he was the kind of person that makes everyone around them smile. A very special aura, I could tell he was born to be a star the minute I saw him.

Suga, real name Yoongi, was wearing a long sleeved shirt, the crispy white of the clothing made him stand out and I thought his stage name was cute, I could also tell him apart with ease from the start. 

Their staff urged them to sing for me and it was amazing. I was blown away when I watched some of their performances on youtube while they were shooting a scene where Jimin seemed to want to punch Namjoon in the face after he stole his thunder and started getting closer to the video girl. It was hilarious to watch.

This group was no joke, their performances were crazy. They could sing and dance without missing a beat. Warren G wasn’t joking when he said I’d like to meet them, I’m a sucker for new talent and everyone knows that.

“Is this your first time in L.A.? How are you liking it so far?” I asked Suga who was standing a couple feet away from me with V and one of member of their staff.

“uhmmm… yes, first time in L.A., We love it.” I could tell they were very shy and self conscious about their English, I tried not to make too many complicated questions or talk too fast so they could understand what I was saying, the translator was there as well so the conversation flowed better than I hoped so. V was the more talkative one, teaching me some Korean words and asking for me to teach them some English phrases.

Suga was just standing there, nodding sometimes but not saying much, I could tell he was actively listening though. He was just more reserved I guess.

They only excused themselves when they were called for their shot. After talking to the other guys in between their takes I decided it was time to go, I didn’t want to overstay my welcome.

“Keep working hard guys, I know with your talent you’ll go far. And consider me another one of your fans from now on. I hope I can catch one of your concerts when I visit Korea in the future”

Namjoon did most of the talking, thanking me for the kind words and for coming over to meet them.

“Noona you don’t have, but we’re having a concert here in L.A. next week if you want to come see us, we’d love to have you there right guys?” They all nodded enthusiastically and I told them I would definitely come to support them. 

After I gave one of his managers my assistant’s number so he could send her all the information I said my goodbyes and left, unknowingly setting in motion a series of events that would change my life forever. 

[nashvilletonihon]

There’s No Race, There’s Only A Runner. Just Keep One Foot In Front Of The Other...

Hey guys. It’s been a few days (ok, maybe a little bit more than that) since I last posted anything. To be honest, I don’t have much to tell. I’ve been at my high schools for two weeks now and have actually taught less than a handful of times. This upcoming week is the Cultural Festival, so both Amino and Kumihama have been focused on preparing for that. This means there are shortened classes and varied schedules depending on rehearsal times. Cultural Festival is a school wide event that requires the students to all participate in various activities. At Amino, the First Years are required to perform in a play. The second years are required to sing and the Third Years are required to dance. There are also food stalls, games and activities that the teachers can buy tickets to. (I have one for a Japanese tea booth I plan on visiting on Wednesday.) At Kumihama, all of the students chose to perform in different plays depending on their homerooms. There is a general atmosphere of excitement and anticipation filling the hallways and classrooms at both schools and I am 100% ready to see all of the students hard work and effort come to fruition. We just have to hope against hope the typhoon doesn’t ruin everything.

This past month has been one of the most difficult of my life. I’ve been very open and honest about my struggles regarding moving to and living in Japan. This week was especially hard because I was not feeling well, school and classes did NOT go how I had imagined them and I was incredibly emotional and homesick. (For those of you following the saga that is my sleep schedule, I wish I could inform you that it’s getting better....but it’s not.) I thought maybe a run would combat the stress and anxiety I that I was feeling, so Wednesday night I did just that. In 90 degree weather and at least 1,000% humidity I put on my running clothes, laced up the new sneakers I bought (because I FINALLY found a pair in my size) and just...ran. I didn’t have a set destination. All I knew was that I needed to run away from my emotions. (Spoiler alert: They caught up with me later.) As I was aimlessly running, I stumbled upon a park a short distance from my apartment. Curious, I decided to take a little detour to see what it had to offer. Turns out there were a few tennis courts, a small lake, a really, really nice baseball field and some nature trails heading up a “mountain” toward one side the stadium. 

Feeling adventurous, I decided to explore one of the trails. I quickly realized how out of shape I am as I began to climb the almost vertical stairs. Huffing and puffing I hauled myself up this mountainside. With each step I took I became more and more emotional. I kept thinking about how classes that day had been a total bust. The students sat there. Stone faced. Silent. They just stared at me like I had grown a second head as I attempted to introduce myself. The more I tried to make it exciting, engaging and fun, the more they refused to participate. You want to talk about feeling judged? Stand in front of a classroom full of 30 high schoolers who want nothing to do with you and what you have to say. 

(It ain’t fun.)

Wheezing and panting, my mind filled with failures of the day, I finally reached the top of the mountain. Exhausted, stressed, anxious and downright fed up, I sat down next to a small, run down temple and cried. 

“What am I doing here? Why did I leave the great life I had in America for this? The students don’t care. I can’t understand anyone. I’m alone and I miss my family. I miss Preston so much. Does he miss me like I miss him? I miss going to movies with him. Feeling his arms around me in bear a hug. God, what I wouldn’t do for a hug. From anyone. I could still be working at a really great job right now back in the States and having the time of my life with my friends. Instead, I’m here. I don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like such a failure. This is too hard and I honestly don’t know if I have anything left to give. It’s only been a month but it feels like a lifetime. I want off this roller coaster. Please. I just want to go home.”

I cried until I thought I couldn’t cry anymore. (I did the next day while on the phone with my mom.) I sat there next to that temple with snot, sweat and tears running down my face and felt so, hopeless. To have so many things beyond my control is new for me and I hate it. I knew this was going to be hard but I had no idea it was going to be THIS hard. I know by now that I must sound like a broken record when it comes to this. “Yes Rachel, we get it. It’s hard but god bless, pull up your big girl panties and DO something about it.” Or maybe that’s just what I would tell myself from the outside looking in. And I promise you all that I am. I’m studying Japanese like it’s a dying language, saying yes to every offer that involves hanging out, grabbing food or exploring, getting involved in after school activities like Kendo and attempting to stay as busy as possible to keep my mind off of the crippling doubt and anxiety ridden thoughts I’m having.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. 

That being said, I’m a firm believer that the universe gives you exactly what you need precisely when you need it. Enter Kate and Jess on a rainy Thursday evening. A few days earlier, Leah (my predecessor) had reached out and informed me that last year an older Japanese couple, Kumi and Masani Yoshida, had invited some of the JETs over to their house for a weekly dinner. The wife used to be a JTE at Amino (my base school) and apparently their bread is famous among the Kyotango AET’s who have had the pleasure of attending one of these gatherings. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to go. I had just finished bawling on the phone to my mom when I got the message that they were outside my apartment. I quickly splashed some cold water on my face, slipped my sneakers on and walked outside. No make-up. Messy hair. Sweaty and sick looking. “Sorry I look like death warmed over.” I mumbled. “Not at all. You look great.” Kate replied with a smile. (Already being much nicer than I deserved.) “Would you like to follow us so that you know how to get there the next time?” Not feeling particularly social, I quickly agreed and got in my car. 20 minutes later we had arrived at an adorable Japanese home with two of the kindest people waiting for us inside. (I dare someone to find an unkind person in Japan.) 

Dinner was entirely vegetarian, comprised of dishes like noodles, rice and vegetables all grown in and harvested from their personal garden. AND THE BREAD. (I would 100% die for that bread.) The Yoshida’s didn’t even seem to mind that I was mostly speaking in English, too tired to try to work out what I wanted to say in Japanese. Kate and Jess have been in Japan for five years now and did most of the translating for me and the Yoshida’s in return. I was maybe a little more candid than I should have been upon first meeting them about how lonely and miserable I was. (Keeping in mind that I had my incredibly gracious hosts sitting right next to me.) I told them mostly everything. How isolating the countryside is, especially when you’re a Prefectural JET because you don’t get the luxury of meeting all the Municipal AET’s at the Board of Education almost every week. I talked to them about how sad and homesick I was and how I didn’t know if I had it in me to last an entire year. They both listened with patience and responded with kindness. Kate told me about how she went through the same feelings and emotions when she arrived. Her situation was a little different from mine because she wasn’t a JET at that point and had no job to work at or school to attend. “I was home for 10 hours a day, by myself. It was awful.” she confided in me. “But don’t worry. We’ll make sure you’re not alone anymore.” I almost started crying at the dinner table. 

As the meal began to wind down, we made plans to return again the next week. This time Kumi invited us to come earlier than 6:45 so that Kate and I could help her cook dinner if we wanted. It’s a fantastic opportunity to expand my Japanese recipe book and authentic dish making skills, so of course I adamantly agreed. Laden with leftovers and some brand new towels (the Japanese love giving gifts) I slipped on my outside shoes as Kate informed me that Kumi is well versed in the art of tying and wearing 着物 kimono and that there is a festival dedicated to kimono is October. I was immediately invited and have plans to attend with Kate and Kumi if our schedules allow. Kate and Jess also made plans to pick me up the next morning to show me around Kyotango, take me to the grocery store so that they could help me with any questions I might have regarding labels and food items and to basically let me know that living in the countryside isn’t a death sentence. (However much it might feel like one at times.)

So this morning, we did all of that. It may have been raining but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we bought locally grown veggies and homemade bread at a cute café down the street from where I live, drove along the coastline for some of the most gorgeous views I’ve ever seen and a place that I definitely plan on taking my family and Preston when they come to visit next year. We grabbed a delicious lunch of ramen at the mall where I do some of my grocery shopping and capped off the afternoon with a trip to this tucker away liquor store next to the train station where I can find all of my favorite American whiskeys and spirits for half the price. Places I never would have known about if Kate and Jess hadn’t taken time out of their Saturday to drive around and show me. I am forever indebted to them and their kindness. We already have plans to go hiking once the weather cools down for good and to go to the 温泉 onsen (Japanese bath/hot spring) for some girl relaxation time when school gets to be too much. I laughed and smiled more today than I have all week. Most importantly though, I didn’t feel judged for the way I’ve been feeling. Here they are five years later with no plans to leave and a potential house in the works. Life’s funny, ain’t it?

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I have no idea what the next 11 months will bring. (Except maybe tears. And most certainly memories.) What I do know is that I am slowly surrounding myself with a group of wonderful, kind, caring, gentle, patient and genuine human beings who make each unknown day a little bit easier to manage. It makes me excited to introduce my family and boyfriend to them. To show my loved ones the people who have become so dear and so close to me. My network of support and a safety net when walking the tightrope gets to be a tad too scary. 

I’m one fortunate gal, I tell you what. I haven’t given up just yet, and I’ll keep puttin’ one foot in front of the other.

- レイチェル (Rachel)

[thewitchandthebeasthimself]

The Witch and The Beast Himself: Chapter 3

I woke up to find myself laying in bed in what appeared to be in the bedroom of my new apartment. The walls were bare, the sunlight shining in from the windows through the white blinds. There was an extra bathroom in my bedroom like I had requested. My clothes from last night were still on and I had a massive headache from the spell I performed last night.

“Ughhhh,” I said aloud in English. “My head. I hope Shizuo’s okay.”

I got up to go to the bathroom. Instead I stumbled over something huge on the floor. I looked down to see Shizuo lying on the ground, startled awake by me tripping on him. He still had his clothes on from last night, battered and bloody from the damage he took the night before. His sunglasses were folded up on the ground beside him.

“Huh? Shizuo? What are you doing here?” I asked in Japanese, a bit startled. I hope he didn't hear me worrying aloud about him.  “You were knocked out after you did that thing to me last night so I stayed over to make sure you alright,” he said, sitting up from the floor. “Thanks for that by the way, I feel really great. I still want to kick those guy’s asses for that shit though.”

“Why did that happen?” I asked, sitting down on the ground with him.

“Those Blood Diamond bastards have been trying to kill me for weeks, I still don't understand why this keeps happening but I want to get to the bottom of it. I bet that flea bag’s behind it.”

“Izaya?” I asked.

“Yeah that scumbag,” he said. “I saw him give you something.”

“Oh,” I reached into my pocket and pulled out Izaya’s card. “I had told him I was here looking for someone then he gave me this card with his number on it.”

“Throw that away,” Shizuo said. “You don't want to get involved with that flea. He's bad news. He's always got his nose in someone’s business for his own benefit and messes with people’s heads for fun. He's always tried to frame me for the shit he’s involved in but his plans never work out the way he wants them to.”

“Yeah I knew there was something weird about him. Kyouhei told me to stay away from him too.”

“Yeah you should.” he sighed. “I guess i’m not any better, I’m known in this city for wreaking havoc everywhere I go.”

“You don't seem as bad as you think. You brought me here and kept an eye on me.” i said, putting a hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

“Psh, you were the one that saved my ass, I don't think I could ever repay you for what you did for me.” he said.

“... I think you can.”

“Hmm?” he asked, confused.

“How about we… um...  go out sometime? I don't have to start work for a couple of days and I would like to see you more.” I said, stunned by my own words.

I can't believe I just asked him out without a problem, I thought. Back in Salem this was a huge problem for me or I’d find myself waiting on the guy for too long until he found another girl and blew me off. This could end badly.

He smiled at me. “Yeah that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I’d like to see more of you too.”

“Really?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah why not? You seem like an alright person yourself.” he said. I felt his energy change to a warm, vibrant, and confident feeling.

“Great!” I said. I can't believe that actually worked.

Feeling a bit better about myself I stood up and stretched my limbs. “Um I hope you won't think it's weird or anything but would you mind sitting here with me for a bit? I'm brand new here and I’d really enjoy your company.”

“Fine with me.” he stood up and looked at himself in the long mirror next to my bed. He tousled his hair around, saying, “Ugh I look like shit. My clothes are ruined.”

“If everything is how I requested when I arrived I should have a washer and dryer in my kitchen,” I said. “I’ll put a pot of coffee on for us while you get your clothes cleaned up.”

“Okay,” he said. He undid his bow tie and began pulling off his worn out and bloody bartender uniform piece by piece right in front of me.

Oh my god, he's getting better and better everytime I see him, I thought. Before he could see me watching him I spotted my suitcase next to my new dresser and walked over to it to find a t-shirt and some comfortable shorts. I walked out of the bedroom and spotted the wide open kitchen next to the living room. I walked into it and changed into the clothes I picked out. I grabbed up my clothes off the floor and threw them into the washing machine next to my kitchen counter.

I was grateful that my apartment came fully furnished after everything that's happened on my first day in Ikebukuro. There was a little bag of coffee next to the coffee maker and a “Thank you” basket from the apartment complex full of treats, food, and bottled water to get me through my first day here.

I played with my magic a little bit by using my energy like a pair of hands to pour some coffee in the coffee maker, pour a bottled water into the water slot of the coffee maker, then pressed the button to begin brewing it.

He came out of my bedroom in a t-shirt he had on underneath his bartender uniform and his dress pants to throw his clothes in with mine. I just couldn't stop staring at him. Despite his immense strength he didn't have a whole lot of muscle or a six pack, but he wasn't thin either. He had more of an athletic and toned body.

He sat down on the couch in the living room looking at me so I sat down next to him while we waited for the coffee to brew.

“I haven't gotten your name yet.” he said.

“It’s (your name),” I said.

“Great to finally put a name to your face. So what's this thing about you being a witch?” he asked me. Then he seemed to be a little embarrassed and said, “Sorry, if you don't mind me asking.”

“Its fine,” I said. “I am a witch from Salem, Massachusetts in the US. I've been doing this for practically as long as I can remember. I've studied and mastered different kinds of magic and learned to speak and write in Japanese fluently so that I could come here. My hometown is known for the infamous salem witch trials in the 1900's. You'd think there were tons of others like me living there but my parents and I are the only real witches left in Salem. Our powers scared a lot of people there and it might have even frightened myself at one point so I came here to start a new life where I could have friends that didn't know what I was. Except for you, of course.”

“Hmm, that's really… Interesting. But it's sad that people feared you and your family for it.” Shizuo remarked.

“Yeah i guess that's just how it had to be for me to get of there and explore more of what the world has to offer. I found a whole new side of the world that I had no idea existed.”

Shizuo smirked. “And then you met a monster like me.”

“No way! You're not a monster at all, trust me. I’ve seen actual beasts myself and you don't even compare to them.”

“Heh well thanks,” he said, feeling relieved.

“So what about you and your strength, if you don't mind me asking?” I asked.

“Well its just something that came with being me. As my name implies, I desire to live a quiet and peaceful life. I believe I am generally a calm person until someone pisses me off. That's when my strength shows and I find myself flinging giant objects at people, punching people into the sky, and pulling signs out of the ground to knock people out with. When I was little I had tried to throw a refrigerator at my little brother for eating my food.”

I laughed. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yep, that really happened. I’ve broken every single bone in my body since I've discovered this strength but it's made me come back stronger each time.”

“So that's how you survived being knocked in the head and shot in the back.” I said.

“Yeah they aren't the first to try something like that on me. Luckily I have Shinra to patch me up everytime it happens.”

“Mhm, who knows what would've happened if you didn't?”

“I don't know, I guess I wouldn't be here. People are so afraid of me here because of my power. I kinda wish it didn't have to be like that all the time. I just want to be SEEN like a normal person, to be loved like a normal person.”

“I know how you feel,” I said, inching a bit closer to him by turning my body towards him, leaning my arm on the back of the couch behind his head. “I wish people in my hometown weren't afraid of me because of what I can do.”

He looked at me with a wide smile on his face and peering into my eyes again.

Oh boy.

“I don't know what it is about you,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, pretending to be dumbfounded with a big smile on my face as well. I like where this is going now.

“You're just… different.”

“Well you're cute,” I blurted, then put my mouth on my hand.

“I'm.. What?” he played, following my lead. I could sense that he was also liking where this was going; his energy changed to an aroused sensation.

“I said.. You're cute.” I inched even closer to him, my face so close to his I could feel his breath on my neck and my jaw.

He inches himself even closer to me and wraps his arm around my waist and moving his hand up and down my waist. The feeling of his touch, his warm and alluring energy caused me to tingle in ecstasy all over. I couldn't think straight, my body shook to each of his movements, i could feel goosebumps rising all over me. My heart was skipping beats causing my own breathing to feel irregular.

“Are you okay?” he asked, noticing my tingling and breathing. He looked up and down slowly from my lips to my eyes.

“Yeah,” I said, catching my breath. “I just… I'm losing my train of thought. Intimacy is much more intense for a witch. Everything just feels so different.”

He leaned in closer, his face just mere inches away from mine. “Oh yeah? So how does this feel?” He ran his hand up my back, cradled the back on my head in his hand and pulled me in for a light kiss.

Fuck.

I lost myself to him and wrapped my arms around him, causing me to deepen the kiss. Sparks were flying in my head. My heart felt like it was gonna leap out of my chest. As we made out we played with each other's bodies, him running his hands down to my ass to pull me into his hard chest and me raking my fingers through his hair.

We pulled away just barely for me to answer his question, “It feels great.”

He lightly chuckled onto my lips before running both of his hands up my back, cradled me and pushed me down sideways so that I was lying on the couch and now beneath him. He moved my right leg aside so he could get between them and move up my body to my face to kiss me again. Before I knew it I had wrapped my arms around him to pull him into me and hiked one leg onto his hip. He wedges his tongue between my lips to open my mouth and began dancing it around my own tongue.  

We were stopped suddenly by the doorbell ringing. He pulled away from my face and looked at me curiously.

“Huh, wonder who that could be?” I said, also confused. He pulled away from me and sat up on the couch so that I could get up, straightening himself up. I did the same and straightened up my hair the best I could before I walked over to the door and opened it.

A girl with short black hair, glasses, a long black hooded dress and just as Erika said, huge breasts was standing at the door holding a box in her hands. Her energy felt oddly suppressed.

“Um good morning, sorry to bother you,” she said, bowing slightly and awkwardly to me. “Are you (your first and last name)?”

“Yep, you must be Anri!” I said, smiling at her. I held my hand out for her to shake. She looked down hesitantly at first but then smiled and accepted my handshake.

She chuckled a bit, “Erika must've told you about me.”

“Yeah, she did.” I said.

“Well umm she'd told me that you moved into the apartment next to mine and that we should be friends so I went out to the store and bought you a welcoming gift. Its just some snacks, I hope thats alright.” She handed me the box of what smelled like a mix of different cookie flavors.

“Oh, that's really sweet of you!” I said, accepting the box. “Thank you so much!”

“You're welcome, (your name). It was nice meeting you and I hope we can become friends.”

“Me too, you're really nice.” I said, smiling back at her.

She looked over both of her shoulders and said, “Well I have to go, I have some friends waiting on me.” she nodded her head at me. “See you later.”

“Okay thanks for the welcoming gift. Bye!”

As she turned away to walk down the steps I shut the door and locked it.

I turned to place the box of cookies on the kitchen counter. Our coffee had finished brewing a few minutes ago so I grabbed out two coffee mugs from the cabinet over the sink.

I turned to face Shizuo who was sitting up and waiting patiently.

“How do you like your coffee?” I asked.

“Black is fine,” he said. I showed off a bit by using my energy like a pair of hands again to pour some coffee into the two mugs. I energetically put the coffee pot back, picked up the mug and guided it over to him where I set it down in the coffee table in front of him.

“You could've just brought it to me,” he smirked.

“Aw come on, I wanted to show off a bit.” I laughed. I used my actual hands to rip up a couple packs of sugar and tore open a little cup of creamer to put into my coffee. I picked up my cup, walked over to the couch to sit next to him again.

We sat in silence for a second drinking our coffee before he spoke again.

“I've seen some crazy shit but I've never seen anyone use actual magic before,” he said. “And here you are, playing with it like its a toy. Its… its kind of cool actually.”

I giggled at his compliment, “Thanks a lot. I'm still surprised you haven't ran away from me after seeing what I can do.”

“No way in hell I’d run away from you now. I'm still surprised you haven't ran away from me yet after seeing what I can do.”

“Well I couldn't do that either.” I said. “You know, I came here also looking for a certain something but I found you instead. Was it fate that brought us together?”

“Maybe, but I'm not complaining,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and kissing me lightly on my temple. “What were you looking for here?”

“I heard that there was an Irish Urban legend called a dullahan living and working here like a human also in search of its head. I’m really curious about it and wanted to meet it.”

“Hmm, a dullahan, huh? I might know what you’re talking about.” he said. I could feel in his energy that he wasn’t lying.

“Wait, really?” I asked. “How? Where is it?”

“Remember my friend Shinra I told you about? His girlfriend Celty is actually the known as the Headless Rider here.”

My face lit up and I jumped in excitement, immediately understanding what he meant. “Well can I meet her?”

“Umm not yet.” he said. “The last I spoke to them Shinra said that she had taken a job outside of the city that’d probably take a few days. I could check on them later on for you and see if she’d made it back yet.”

“That’d be perfect!” I hugged him. “Thanks a lot, that is really cool of you, Shizuo.”

He chuckled a bit and looked at his phone. His sighed as his smile turned into a frown. “Hey, I have to go take care of something with my employer. Are you free tomorrow by chance? I’d love to take you out on that date I promised you.” He grabbed his sunglasses off the coffee table, put them on and began walking towards my front door.

“Yeah that sounds great!” I said, following him to let him out.. “Here, take my number.”

“Alright.” he punched in the number as I said it to him. “Thanks for the coffee by the way,” he winked at me, making me blush.

“Oh stop it!” I slapped him lightly on the arm.

He laughed at me, looked down at his phone, then looked back at me. “I’ll text you in a minute to make sure I have the right number. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you too.” I shut the door behind him and locked it.

Wow, this is just surreal. Ikebukuro is by far one of the most interesting and insane places I’ve ever been to, I thought as I finally got around to unpacking my suitcase and getting all of my stuff set up. I get to meet the dullahan within the first few days of being here. But most interesting of all I got to meet him. The supposed most dangerous man in the city is actually the most kind hearted and genuine man I’ve ever met. I really can’t wait to see more of him.