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wisteriamoons · 5 years ago

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Pinky Promise

So I see a lot of au’s where Kotoha lives, but stays with Douma and never sees the carnage he causes.

So, this oneshot kinda explores what would happen if Kotoha escaped unscathed that night. If she had stayed on the road, running till daybreak. Unknowingly missing the human village, instead running even further to a specific house.

What if, Kotoha Hashibira, became a Demon Slayer?

Words: 1821

Through all the abuse and manipulation, from the deepest parts of her memory, she knows she’ll never forget one thing. What had occurred on April 22nd.

The delivery lasted hours, but through the pain and tears, she won’t remember it as a bad thing.

No, not even close.

She’ll remember it as the day it changed her.

At a mere seventeen banking on eighteen girl, she had married young, desperate for a family. Her family had been killed by what the locals thought was a bear, and Kotoha Hashibira found herself all alone.

She made one error, unfortunately, and that was marrying too quickly. Too fast. The man seemed so perfect and loving, and while his mother was stern and icy, he seemed wonderful.

That quickly changed, however.

She found it hopeless to escape, not finding a way to run. But nine months into the marriage, she gave birth. She cried tears of joy, finding her son to have little to no attributes from his father.

“Inosuke,” she whispered. “My little Inosuke.”

He gave her a reason to keep going, to stay hopeful and face the horrors of the day with a brave face.

And then she remembers the night she did escape.

With only the clothes on her back, she had managed to wrap Inosuke’s favorite blanket around him. The night was treacherous, winter just settling in and snow caking the ground like powder. But no matter how cold it got, no matter how tired she was, she kept running with her one-month-old son in her arms.

She remembered hearing about a paradise, a place where you could escape to when you had nowhere else.

That was her other error.

Douma was a wonderful host. She saw the magic he performed personally, as he healed her from her partial blindness, her scars, everything she had accumulated. He called her beautiful. He treated her like a goddess.

She stayed.

She didn’t realize how much of a trophy Douma saw her as. And as she sang, took care of her son, sat side-by-side with Douma, made people happy. She didn’t know the real horrors of the cult she had found herself in. She only had unconfirmed suspicions filtered out by her own bias. People were disappearing, but Douma said they left for brighter pastures. Why would she have any reason to not believe him, when he took her and her son in from the cold?

The suspicions grew, no matter how much she thought otherwise. The feeling in her gut made her feel more uneasy as the days wore on.

The stench was pungent, nauseating, revolting.

She had awoken, taking Inosuke in her arms to look for the source. Perhaps someone hunted? Yes, yes, that had to be the--

“Oh, Kotoha, you weren’t supposed to see this,” Douma said smoothly, wiping the blood from his lips. Kotoha stood, heart palpitating, hyperventilation threatening to begin. On the ground was an acquaintance, the friendly Aki, dead in a puddle of her own blood.

“You…” Kotoha breathes in, stomach churning. “You monster!”

“Kotoha, listen to me, my b--”

“I will have none of it! You spouted nothing but horrible lies! You planned to eat me! You planned to eat Inosuke! Fiend! You awful, awful man!”

Kotoha didn’t listen to what Douma had to say next. She ran once more, with only the clothes on her back.

She had fallen for another man’s tricks again. Not only putting herself in danger, but Inosuke, too. Tears threatened to build.

“I’m so sorry, Inosuke. I’m sorry mommy’s stupid! I always make mistakes, I always go the wrong way! Sorry, I’m so sorry… I’m your mother, I need to keep it together.”

Inosuke just babbled, only knowing his mother was upset, but not of the danger that followed behind. She ran and ran until day broke just behind the trees. She hadn’t realized she lost Douma hours ago.

“Please, pleasepleaseplease, I can’t lose my son,” Kotoha cries to herself, holding him closer to her chest. “I can’t die!”

The first house she saw she practically flung herself at it, banging at the gate with a terrified fist.

“Please! Please, oh please let us in! Please! We’re being chased by a cannibal!” Kotoha wails, slamming her fist faster. “Please, open up!”

It was met with succession.

An old woman opened the gate, and Kotoha ran inside, the woman closing the gate behind her. The old woman had long graying hair, soft blue eyes and a purple kimono.

“A cannibal?” the old woman questions as Kotoha dashes up the steps of the Japanese house.

“Ye-yes, I just saw him eat another with my own eyes, oh goodness please let us stay at least the night.”

The old woman took pity on her, and let her inside.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but that wasn’t a cannibal. You probably saw the workings of a demon.”

“A… a what?” Kotoha asks, panting as the adrenaline wears off. The woman guides her over into the kitchen, having her sit at the kotatsu. Kotoha refuses to put Inosuke down, so she keeps him close to her. The woman starts brewing some tea, placing the kettle over the fire.

“A demon. You don’t know where you are, child?”

Kotoha shakes her head slowly. Inosuke snoozes in her arms.

“You’re in a Wisteria House. The crest you saw out front marks this place as a sanctuary for demon hunters, from the Demon Slayer Corps. I usually only provide to demon hunters, but considering you were being chased by a demon, I hold no problem taking you in for a while.”

Kotoha feels tears build up in her eyes, and she bows her head.

“Thank you so much. But, what is a demon?”

“A demon is someone that has been infected by a demon’s blood and turned into a blood-thirsty monster. They’re usually unintelligent, only looking for, well…”

Kotoha nods, sniffling.

“This demon wasn’t unintelligent though.”

The old woman frowns.

“Oh my… I’m glad I let you in.”

The old woman doesn’t elaborate, which Kotoha is quite thankful for. All she wanted to focus on was Inosuke.

“If you only provide for free for demon hunters, then I’m willing to work here,” Kotoha speaks quietly.

“Are you sure? It’s a lot of hard work, plus you have a babe.”

“I don’t want to be a burden. Inosuke is very well-behaved for a one month old, he’s so sweet to me.” Kotoha beams down at her son, kissing his forehead. The woman hums.

“Well, I’m Himari. What is your name, child?”

“Kotoha. Thank you again for taking us in.” Kotoha bows her head once more, which Himari replicates.

For the next few weeks, Himari helped Kotoha settle in along with Inosuke. Kotoha had been right about one thing; Inosuke was surprisingly well-behaved for a baby. He slept through the night, never made a real fuss even when he was hungry or his diaper needed changing. He seemed to really love silk and velvet, the birds chirping in the morning, books, a boar plush his mother made, and hearing his mother sing their special song.

“Pinky promise, pinky promise, such small hands you have~”

It warms Himari’s heart, hearing her sing it when it was bedtime for Inosuke. The lyrics changed almost every night, but every word was meaningful.

Kotoha learned more of the Wisteria Houses, and Himari herself. Himari was going to turn sixty-three soon, but had the energy of a twenty-year-old. All her immediate family lived far away, but her extended family was large. So large, Wisteria Houses basically spanned the whole country. It was fascinating.

About a month into Kotoha’s stay, a group of demon slayers led by the Flame Pillar came to stay at the Wisteria House.

“Mr. Rengoku, may I ask you something?” Kotoha asks before bed. Shinjuro Rengoku gives the woman a curious look as he wipes his blade down with a cloth. “I’m curious as to what demon slaying is like, can you tell me about it?”

Shinjuro was surprised that she wanted to know in the first place. After all, she looked like a gentle nadeshiko; she even reminded him of his wife. But he answered her question anyway; if she wanted to know, he wasn’t going to discriminate against her for it.

“It’s hard, you may have to leave home for months at a time, and there’s a large possibility you can die.”

“Then why did you join, Mr. Rengoku?”

Shinjuro pauses.

“My family goes generations back for Flame Breathing, but I also found it’d be worth it to save people and keep them from the dark.”

Kotoha listens intently, her usual kind face into more of an unreadable expression.

Shinjuro wouldn’t find out until years later why she asked. Himari found out immediately, after the group went to sleep.

“Himari, I want to learn how to be a demon slayer.”

The old woman nearly drops her pot of water, looking at Kotoha incredulously.

“Koto-- why?”

Kotoha glares at the wood of the kotatsu.

“I’m sick and tired of being a defenseless woman who doesn’t know what she’s doing. I want to be able to protect my son and make a world where he doesn’t have to be scared to go out at night. I want to be stronger, I want to help people.”

Himari looks at Kotoha, her incredulous look fading.

“Are you sure, Kotoha? Demons are dangerous, I’ve especially heard the Final Selection is ruthless; you’re either alive or you’re dead when you come out.”

Kotoha gazes at the bassinet which holds a sleeping Inosuke.

“I’ll take my time. And I know it’ll be hard, much harder than anything I’ve faced. But it’ll be worth it.”

Himari stares silently at Kotoha, and then gives a weak smile.

“I know someone who can teach you, then. I’m willing to also help take care of Inosuke, too.”

Kotoha looks at Himari, smiling as tears stream down her eyes.

“Thank you, Himari. Thank you so much.”

This is where it all began.

Kotoha stands outside of the Wisteria House, looking much different, more older. She now had the Demon Slayer Corps uniform on, a long blue haori with light yellow bell patterns decorating it. Every step she took, the actual bells sewn into a red bracelet on her left wrist tinkled softly. She opens the gate, a smile on her face. She’d be getting her Nichirin blade soon.

“Mama!” Inosuke cries. She had been gone for only a week, but for five year old Inosuke, it felt like forever. The small boy runs over to her, and she crouches as she hugs him close, stroking his hair.

Himari watches from the porch, smiling proudly at the mother and son.

“I told you I’d be back, my little dragonfly,” Kotoha laughs, kissing his forehead. “I pinky promised it, after all.”

This is where it all began.

For the Bell Pillar, Kotoha Hashibira.

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kotoha hashibira #inosuke hashibira #kotoha lives au #kny kotoha #kny inosuke #also i refuse to believe kotoha kept her husbands last name #so her last name is hashibira #kny spoilers #calling this the pinky promise au so #pinky promise au #kitty writes

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iamalivenow · 5 years ago

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The date isn't anything to write home about.

They go to a bar, it's shitty and Angel complains the entire time, the bear is lukewarm which is in itself a crime Aki can't do anything about, and they end up commiserating outside while he smokes the last cigarette in his pack because it's that kind of day and it's not even six yet. The fact that he was 'polity' asked to smoke outside despite how filthy and empty that bar was is truly a testament to- to something.

“It's whatever.” Angel says in that drone of his, sitting on the sidewalk as it starts to drizzle. Neither of them have an umbrella but with a sigh, one of Angel's wings lifts up to cover him from the wet. And only him.

“You say that about everything.”

“A lot of things are whatever.”

Aki takes a long drag. He doesn't remember why he let Power talk him into this- or why he continued to agree that this was a good idea when Denji joined in. Probably because he didn't think Angel would agree. And then he did and, well. Now he's getting rained on.

“Why'd you-" He waves his free hand in the air. "Agree?”

“To come out with you?” The feathers spread just far enough that he can just make out an eye, staring at him judgmentally. Aki nods. “It's what we always do. Walk around and complain.”

“And they say romance is dead.”

“If you wanted romance you could have bothered Violence for it.”

“He likes Kobeni.”

“As long as we're on the same page that you came to the wrong thing for that, he can like who ever he wants.”

“Is that how you see yourself?” Aki ashes the cigarette with his toe and then squats down beside him. “A thing?”

“Sure.” Angel inches away, Aki chooses to see it as an act of consideration and not anything else. Because date, and all. “I can be your friend, if you want. Just don't expect a lot.”

“Believe me, I don't.” A few feathers prod at his side. He wonders for a second if the feathers will do the same thing to him if it wasn't for the jacket and the button down and the under shirt. “Do you want to go back now?”

“Whatever you want.”

What do you want- Aki already knows the answer. He really doesn't expect Angel to give him anything else to work with. Angel agreeing to spend time with him on his own volition is already an achievement.

“We can watch a movie.” Aki offers because he wants Angel to get at least something out of it.

“Sure.”

“Come on then.” Angel gets up with a grown, and frowns. It suits him, just like every other facial expression. “I would carry you, if I could.”

That's met with silence so Aki just starts walking. The nearest theater isn't that far, three or four blocks, and if he gets there a little quicker he could get the tickets and give Angel less time to wait around.

The movie is also nothing to write home about. He's grateful, partially, that Angel is the way he is, and that there's not a lot of effort he has to put into this partnership. He doesn't know if Angel likes him- well- Angel likes him exactly well enough to spend time with outside of work, and that's basically a marriage proposal.

“Why did you ask me out?” Angel's voice is soft. The credits just started rolling and half of the theater is still crying. Some sappy romance- Aki's never been the type.

“I don't know.” What's the point of asking someone out if you're only doing it to see if they say yet to you? “I wanted to get out of the house.”

“But why with me? Don't I have enough of your time?”

Is that-

Was that-

Aki smiles, despite the horror of it all.

“Who else am I supposed to give it to?” Angel shrugs and watches the normal people mill about, the other couples in the room making out as the lights slowly filter back on. “I thought you were pretty.”

“A lot of people thought I was pretty.” And they're both aware of exactly how that ended.

“Maybe I just like your company.” Aki really doesn't know when he went from constant irritation to enjoy the few moments outside of work with him. Angel wore him down probably. Just like everyone else in his life.

“Maybe.” That's as close to satisfying as it's going to get. “Were you expecting me to do that to you?” He points to the other couple- the man and the woman still kissing.

“I mean, there are dumber ways to die.” A fact he's unfortunately intimately familiar with, considering his two absolute idiot roommates.

“I'm glad we can ideate together.” Angel curls his hand around Aki's elbow. He's hot to the touch- almost painfully so, but he guesses that makes some sort of sense. “A true friendship.”

He says everything so dryly, Aki has no idea if he's making a joke or not.

“Here.” He pulls out a handkerchief, an old one he dug out of his meager storage that a girl gave him back in high school. What was she up to? Probably not making out with a devil in a movie theater. Who's really winning? “If you want to copy them.”

“Like a funeral shroud?”

“Sure.” That's what it is anyway, “Here.” He unfolds it and presses it flat against Angel's face. The devil goes very, very still. “Can I?”

“Obviously.” He leans down and presses his lips against the cloth. It's thin, and Angel's heat bleeds through it easily enough. It's almost like kissing a normal person. It's almost fine. Almost normal. What he imagines a first kiss is supposed to be like. Chaste and short.

“Well?” He asks when he pulls back, fabric bunched in his hand now.

“Humans get excited about that?” Middling to low- he understands. “That's what Chainsaw goes on about?”

“He's an idiot, you shouldn't listen to him.”

“Still.”

“There are different versions. More tongue usually. But that's not really an option here.”

“Right.” They leave the theater in relative silence. It's raining down harder now. Angel uncurls his wing and keeps both of them out of the rain now. Sweet of him. “I still don't understand why you did this.”

“Did you hate it?”

“No.” The answer comes quickly, quicker than anything else he's said all night. “There are others.”

“I don't want to spend time with others.” That much is definitely true. Even Mikami feels like someone so far removed at this point. “Humans are confusing.” Aki tells him, as if that's any kind of an answer, but Angel takes it, mulls it over for a while.

“Give me the handkerchief.”

Aki does, without argument, before it's being pressed against his forehead, and then Angel is kissing him back. He sees it before it's actually happening, Future's little gift to him, that he gets to experience it twice. He wants to touch him, despite it all. Dip him into a real kiss and tangle his fingers in his hair. But, he'd die. So.

So maybe next time.

#niche content posting #chainsaw man #writing #full fic

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aki-draws-things · 5 years ago

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Hi aki... how about a tycutio love story?

Reveal yourself, oh sweet anon who actually made me write 1.2k words of pure fluff!!!

Let this world love you for that! 💖💖💖

(no, it's okay if you don't want to, don't worry 💖)

That's not a complete love story, just like... The beginning, a single moment of pure fluffiness and discovering. I hope it's fine nevertheless.

And now, behold! Lady Catastrophe writes fluff!!

***

Falling in love during a party he sneaked in wasn't, of course, in mercutio's plans for the night. Except he did, and he fell hard.

He knew tybalt Capulet, everyone in Verona knew tybalt. Best swordsman in the city, cold blooded, always ready to fight and never backing off. Being so close friend with the two Montague boys mercutio met him a fair number of times too. Except...

That wasn't tybalt. Well, no, of course it was him, and yet he wasn't, in some ways. Mercutio couldn't explain it.

He stood there, in a corner of the hall, surveying it in search of potential threats, in red clothes and gold embroidery, a stiletto secured at his hip, finely engraved. Mercutio couldn't look away. Because his clothes were too rich and precious to give him full liberty in movements, - and maybe a bit too tight in the right places. Were his arms always that muscular? He wondered before realizing his own thoughts. - and his hair braided with meticulous precision in the most elaborate hairstyle mercutio ever saw on him. Not even the shadow of a beard or a hair out of place. And damn, he did look beautiful, and mercutio couldn't take his eyes away. It was impossible, and he was sure other noticed him, how could they not? Was he to stand in the middle of that party every eyes would be set on him, men, women, no exceptions. Instead he was in a corner, away from the lights, away from the people, looking annoyed beyond measure.

"is everyone too scared of you to ask you for a dance?" words left his mouth before he could stop himself, his feet led him to tybalt and he leaned in the wall next to him, somehow he didn't look so surprised.

"and you really had to drag those blue spots right here, in the middle of a party, without even thinking of giving them a costume or something?" there was, strangely enough, little animosity in his words, like the two Montagues weren't completely unwelcome, maybe because they were just dancing around without causing too much trouble. - well, save for Romeo tripping on a long dress. But that was Romeo. He could trip over his feet and notice only when he was face down on the floor. -

"they have masks. Like everyone."

Tybalt looked slightly at him and sighed. A mask when you're proudly showing your best blue dress does little to hide you.

"I don't dance. Not really."

"don't like it? Or maybe... Oh! - mercutio theatrically gasped. - you don't know how to. So it exist! Something the great tybalt Capulet doesn't know."

"why are you there, escalus?"

Mercutio froze. He had started talking to him because he wanted to invite him to dance, because he wanted to be close to him, physically close, because he wanted to see him shine under the lights as they spun around the hall. Instead he ended up taunting him, made him angry. - anger too was strangely beautiful in that moment. His eyes shone so brightly. -

"dance with me. One dance, then I'll leave, and they will too. - he looked back at his friends and shook his head, stiffening a laugh. - before Romeo embarrass himself even more."

"I don't --" he started, but mercutio took his hand, gently.

"I'll guide. Just follow me, just this once."

He had to drag him at first, he repositioned his arms and held his hand, just slightly. Then he started with some simple steps, enough to make him follow and catch a bit of the rhythm.

For someone who didn't know how to dance he was strangely graceful, Mercutio moved a little closer, his hand on tybalt's back tightening the grip just one bit. He spun him and for a moment the world stopped for him. Never, never before he saw him, he realized, because if he did, if he truly did, he would have noticed all those details he was seeing now. If he did see him, truly, he would've realized much sooner he was going to love him. Feud be damned. That was an angel dancing before him; who said, after all, angels don't wield a sword?

The music stopped and the strange enchantment lift, quickly tybalt slipped away from the ball floor and back to his hiding corner, a light blush on his cheek as he caught a glimpse of people around them looking at them. At him.

"will you keep your word, now? You had your dance..." mercutio almost refused.

He took his face in the hands, tybalt felt heat rising again at that, he kissed him. Briefly, quick. Sweet. Tybalt tasted sweet, like those lemon cakes he was sure he saw somewhere around during the evening.

He took a step back, almost immediately realizing what he did and ready to flee before tybalt could thing of plunging his stiletto right in his heart. Instead tybalt stopped him, he cocked his head, a veil of strange innocence clouding him. Or maybe mercutio had been blinded by him so much and tybalt was using that in his favor. He was doomed either way.

"are you trying to run away, now, escalus? So bold one moment, and yet so coward the very next. - was he mocking him? - are you running away without even taking back this sin you laid on me?"

Sin? Mercutio thought confused for a moment. Ah! The kiss, of cour--- wait. He was mocking him, wasn't he? Or maybe he was drunk. But he didn't look drunk, Mercutio was almost sure he didn't even see him drink more of a glass. He couldn't be drunk. He was definitely taunting him in the most innocent way a man could. Flirting. Tybalt. Flirting with him and not the other way. Tybalt was --

He kissed him. Slow kind, taking time to actually taste mercutio. Time to leave him breathless and flustered.

"what now? - he whispered when he found his voice again, eyes never leaving tybalt's lips. What? What this enemy of his closest companions was doing to him? - now that I have my sin back, what?"

Tybalt smiled, opened the mouth to answer but how mercutio would never know. He stifled a laugh and mercutio for once cursed his friends.

"now you save your tall friend who spilled wine on my aunt." mercutio turned, blushed violently, hid a laugh himself, because poor romeo trying to fix his mess before lord Capulet could see him was, indeed a bit funny.

Then, the idea! because he was doomed anyway by then. Taken by the Capulet, tied to him by innocence and a bit of malice maybe. - he still wondered how tybalt could appear so innocent in that moment when innocence was nowhere near him all the other times they met. -

He kissed him. Again, quickly, almost taking him by surprise.

"keep it. Keep it so I'll have to return reclaim it."

"I want to come too next time." juliet pouted, her small hands playing in her cousin's hair. "it sounds fun. Dancing all night and... Have you danced, tybalt?"

He almost denied. But mercutio's hand on his lower back, holding him close, his breath against his cheek. His lips.

He smiled.

"maybe..."

#Tycutio #Fluffiest fluff ever seen on this blog #I can't believe it!#Look! It has a happy ending #No one dies or gets hurt or sick or anything #Just our babies being sickenly sweet #And kinda emulatinting the meeting of R&J #Tybalt was the one reading her all those love books #And somehow manage to look absolutely innocent and angelic #And still be feared #Romeo et juliette #Retj #Fanfic #Aki writes #You all thank this anon. It's them who made it possible

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dorky-bird · 5 years ago

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Gift for the Exchange!

Note: Hey Aki! I’m not sure if you ever finished mine, but I thought what the hell and decided to post it anyway. You asked for Shinsou angst and told me to just be creative, and maybe that was a mistake since it ended up being 2,357 words. But I hope you enjoy it and that it’s good enough, I’m not exactly the best writer <3 @akimiithewriter @bnhanewyearsfanfictionexchange

Triggers(Please read all just in case!): mention of verbal abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, mention of neglect, mention of stealing, successful suicide attempt, main character death, overdose, pills, self-harm, blood, cliff hanger (kinda)

“Goodbye.”

Hitoshi was used to being ignored. It was either be ignored or be yelled at and hit. He’d much rather the first option, even if it meant not talking to people for days on end. He was used to be alone. People in his school either tossed him aside as the creepy emo kid who never talked or was too afraid to speak to him directly. There were very few in the last year that gave him a chance, though they were also verbally abusive. They always had some kind of backhanded comment to make about him or his quirk. It was always the same, he knew nothing different.

Though when he got to U.A. it... Semi-changed for the better. He was being talked to in general studies more, even if most still did avoid answering his questions, even teachers. He hadn’t ever done anything with his quirk, but he was still treated as a hazard. As a threat.

Then there was the sports festival, his chance to finally do something with himself, to be in the hero course and be the hero he had always dreamed of becoming. And he lost.

Though, It wasn’t all bad.

After his loss during the sports festival, he was talked to more. People saying how great he did, people congratulating him for making it that far. He was happy for once, though he didn’t let it show. He didn’t want to lose that persona he had kept up this year.

The only time his mood dropped since then was when he needed to go “home”. Back to his foster home, to his foster parents. He didn’t want to… but, it’s not like he had anywhere else to go unless he wanted to live on the streets. Sometimes he felt like that may be a better option to living with the she-witch and behemoth.

Every day, he took his sweet time getting back to that house, making stops every once in a while to look in shops even though he didn’t have a lot of money. The only money he got was when he stole it from his foster parents, and he had to in order to get some kind of meal every couple of days. Otherwise, he wouldn’t eat at all. They indirectly made him a criminal and he hated that.

Every day, it was beating after beating, yell after yell, and comment after comment. The happier he seemed when he got home, the worst they made it for him. They were actively trying to break him, and he could tell. They had fun messing with his mind, telling him he was worthless. They enjoyed hurting his head and body. They must get some kind of sick pleasure out of torturing him this way.

And it only got worse after he started getting closer with two teachers that weren’t even his teachers, Present Mic and Eraserhead. It got worse because he started to feel better and hang after school more often to train with Eraserhead and talk with Mic. He could tell that they were worried about him, but he kept telling them he was fine. ‘Nothing was going on at home,’ he insisted. ‘I fell down the stairs, I’ll be fine though, it’s just a couple bruises.’

All lies. What was he gonna do, tell his teachers the truth? That he was weak and let himself be hurt at “home”? No way. Never would he admit to that.

Eraser and Mic were worried. They worried about their student a lot. It wasn’t hard to tell that something more was going on. The way he acted screamed that he was being abused in some capacity. But they had no evidence other than the way he acted and bruises that commonly littered his arms. Though he always had an excuse and seemed to refuse any help. Their guts told them to act anyway, to get him out of there, but for some reason, they held back. They may have been wrong… maybe Shinsou was just clumsy, they hoped.

They should have done something.

______________________

Hitoshi lay on the tiled floor of the bathroom, his breathing labored and covered in blood and bruises. Another beating with sharped tounges by his foster parents, the people that were supposed to be taking care of him. It was worse than usual. He actually came home smiling. He had a good day until he back to the wretched house. He felt hopeless. Nobody cared about him, and if they said they did, they were probably lying.

He couldn’t move without spasming pain spreading through his body, but he moved into a seated position anyway, his knees curled to his chest as he winced from the pain. He needed to get up… he guessed.

He needed to get up just to do this all over again tomorrow. What was the point? He’d just go to school, feel happy, come back here, and make himself miserable again. It wasn’t fucking worth it anymore. He wasn’t worth it anymore.

“Dammit!” He shouted out, kicking the wooden cabinet that held the sink, tons of objects scattered across the floor due to the impact. He didn’t care. He didn’t fucking care anymore. He couldn’t make himself care anymore. He just couldn’t. It was all way too much.

He looked forward helplessly. He had no control. He wasn’t living anymore. He was just there. He buried his head into his knees, the pain spreading through his body now is almost addicting. He finally let himself sob. It was agonizing. The pain that coursed through his body was almost unbearable, but he didn’t care. He pulled at his own hair, scratched at his skin. He’d rather hurt himself than let them lay a hand on him anymore. It felt horrible, but it gave some kind of control. He just wanted to feel in control of his own life again.

He couldn’t hold back anymore. He just felt so done… He needed to get away. It’d been months of this without rest. He barely slept, he barely ate, he had constant bruises on his skin and no one was noticing! No one at school cared enough to see how he was suffering. Nobody cared!

He only looked up again when he felt something hit his foot. His lavender eyes snapped up to meet the little bottle that had rolled against his foot. A pill bottle.

It was a small bottle, though due to the rattling of the little orange container, there was a lot inside. He reached out his hand and picked it up. His movements were tentative and slow. The label read Oxycodone, he remembered it being a pain reliever of some kind. Maybe… maybe it could help him. Maybe he could stop feeling the pain. This could be his utter control. The one way he has control over his life.

He shakily opened the bottle and shook out two of the pills from the bottle.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

His whole body was shaking as he looked at the pills in his hand. One shallow, that’s all it would take. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore. He brought his hand to his mouth but hesitated. He couldn’t do this… not without…Not without some kind of explanation to the only two people he really cared about.

He put the pills down on the floor of the bathroom and stood up on aching legs to leave the room, coming back into the blood-soaked bathroom with a piece of paper and pen. He leaned against the wall with a shaky sigh before sinking down to sit down again. It was a few minutes of writing while trying not to make it look like chicken scratch, and crossing out things on the letter. If this was the last thing he was gonna say to them, he needed it to be perfect…

He finally finished the letter and sighed, folding the piece of paper in half and writing on the front, ‘To Eraserhead and Present Mic’. He then picked back up the pills that had been discarded on the floor.

And this time didn’t hesitate to swallow down all six of them.

______________________

A police officer walked down the street, coming up to a house with pale yellow wood on the outside and white shutters. The air was quiet and filled with dread as she held her hat in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. She took her time walking up the paved walkway of the quite house before she knocked on the door with a heavy heart.

There were muttering and footsteps from inside the home before the door opened and a very tired eccentric blond opened the door. Present Mic, or Yamada Hizashi, was out of his hero costume. A white t-shirt and yellow plaid PJ pants are what he wore instead of his usual gimmicky leather-clad outfit. His usual sky-high blond hair was down in a half up half down bun and he had glasses on his face. He looked like a normal person like this instead of a pro hero.

As soon as he saw her, his eyes lit up. “Ah, Yoko-san! What brings you here at 9 O’Clock in the morning?” He asked patiently with a smile.

Yoko didn’t smile back. “I have a letter for you and Eraserhead… and some bad news.” She said shakily. She couldn’t stand the fact that she would be the one to tell them. She had been working with the pair in the past year, and they had expressed their concern and worry for the boy… the boy that was now…

“...Do you mind coming in to tell us?” The hero said, now with a frown on his face as he opened the door a little wider for the police officer to step in. She agreed and stepped into the warm home. It was such a contrast to the bleakness of the outside morning, she almost wished she had denied the request. She felt as though the news she was about to tell the two would ruin the sanctity of this wonderful home for the two married hero’s.

On the couch was a just as tired-looking Eraserhead, or Aizawa Shouta. He didn’t look much different than when he did in-hero uniform except for his clothes. Same scruffy five o’clock shadow and mess of black long hair. He wore a black t-shirt and some godawful pink sweatpants. Did he put that on half-asleep or was that a conscious choice?

Yamada closed the door behind Yoko before heading to the couch to sit next to his sleepy husband. “Yoko-san, what is the news?” asked the blond, worry shining in his eyes. He was growing nervous.

Yoko took in a breath as she looked at the two heroes. “I’m afraid that a student of yours has… passed away.”

That was able to grab the attention of both the hero’s now. “Passed away?” The raven-haired hero asked, his usual monotone voice with a slight sense of disbelief. Yamada felt himself freeze and his hands start to shake.

“Who?” Yamada asked hesitantly.

Yoko felt herself tear up. “Shinsou Hitoshi. Suicide.” She said. It sounded resighted. Like she had to practice saying it the whole way here.

Both heroes found themselves unable to speak. Shinsou was… “There’s no way… This is got to be some kind of trick!” Yamada denied, looking on the verge of tears. There was no way that this was real. He couldn’t be…

Aizawa couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His student… His protege… The kid who he started seeing like a son to him killed himself. He was gone.

“You can deny all you want… but as I said before, you also have a letter.” She managed to get out without getting choked up. She held out the semi-crumbled up piece of folded paper to the two. “This is his suicide note. It was addressed to the two of you, so we thought it would be best for you two to read it first before anyone else.”

Yamada was too in shock to even move to grab it. Shinsou was… gone. Shinsou Hitoshi, the brightest kid in all of General Studies. The kid with a great future as a hero in front of him… gone. Tears rolled down the blond’s cheeks as he stared forward with a disbelieving look.

Aizawa reached up and grabbed the note from the police officer, trying and failing to hide the shake in his hands. He usually could keep himself composed, but this was a very different situation entirely. He placed a hand on his husband’s back, unsure of how to comfort him.

“We.. got to read it, Zashi.” He murmurs to his shell shocked husband, not even bothering to hide the slight tremor to his tone. Yamada blinked and slowly turned back to Aizawa, letting out a shaky breath and nodded.

Aizawa let out a shaky breath before he began reading the note from their student… Well, former student.

“Dear Aizawa-sensei and Mic-sensei,

I hope you were able to get this, in all honesty. Don’t trust the police much anymore to get shit done. Anyway, I wanted to say that I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be, that hero that you both somehow saw in me. And I’m sorry for doing this.

I just couldn’t keep going. Not with all the abuse that no one seemed to see happening every. Single. Day. I would wake up, be screamed at or slapped then go to school and feel happy for a little while, before going on and getting beaten and broken down for being happy. I’m done. I’m sorry.

I don’t know how you two thought I could be a hero… I mean, I couldn’t even stop or save myself, could I? What kind of hero gives up?

I don’t know… I just hope you two don’t take this too hard. I’m not worth crying about. See ya hopefully not soon. I wouldn’t want people I viewed as parents to die so soon after me.

Goodbye.”

#please read these #ive had to write this twice now #death tw #tw overdose #tw suicide #stealing #blood #abuse of all kinds #pills tw #hitoshi shinsou #shinsou hitoshi #bnha #mha shinsou #i cried while writing this #i'm so sorry

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maraudersandlily20 · 6 years ago

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Hey I am just sad because it seems like lately my friends are just ignoring me. Could you like to rant about your favourite people?

I’m sorry that you’re sad and I’m sorry about your friends. I would give you a BIG hug if I could! If you need anything ever, let me know!

(I am using this as an excuse to procrastinate my 10 page paper due on Tuesday. I mean, I’m 3 pages in, which is pretty impressive, and it’s due at midnight on Tuesday, so I’m not overly worried. Also I don’t care if the paper is good, which isn’t great. Anyway....)

Lets gush.

Now, I’m not sure what kind of gushing you want, because there are so many options on how to do this. So, here’s what I’ll do. I post little snippets of maybe memories or whatever. Here we go.

Egg ( @hpandtheprinter ): Loves sleeping with at least 3 blankets on top of her, has long slim fingers, and smells really really nice. Obnoxiously understanding and kinder than almost anyone I’ve ever met. When I wasn’t asleep on the plane ride home from Missouri, I was crying. I cried basically the whole time after I left. I love her very much.

Jay ( @siriussly-serious ): Never lets me forget how he feels about me and always makes sure I know how important I am and my opinions are to him. Cute and feisty and sweet. Once called me an “agel” instead of and angel, and I REFUSE to let it go.

Elliot ( @askpadfootsiriusblack ): Sends me pictures of his dog all the time. Is obsessed with literally every TV show I can think of because... that’s just how he is. Cute even when he’s annoyed at me. Finds dorky things he wants at our wedding, gonna be an amazing dad to both fur and human babies, is like a living meme. Literally one of the funniest people I know. Cute. Sometimes, all I can think about is 1-800-R-U-Slappin and I’m dead.

Jessica ( @mymischiefisnevermanaged ): My pineapple. Keeps sending me snapchats of her PASSING my university without actually stopping and coming to see me ever, which is fine but I’m bitter. Is taking me on a date to Evermore because she loves me. So cute and kind and dorky and wonderful. She is going to be an amazing teacher one day. I’m so proud of all of her things.

Nick ( @chaser-not-a-seeker ): My ginger soulmate. Funny and so sweet. Always tells me I’m beautiful and good and isn’t afraid to tell me that he loves me or thinks I’m a wonderful person. One time, he turned a silly straw into a cigarette and I still laugh about it. One of the best people I know, and that’s not an understatement.

There are literally so many other people that I could gush about. (Bella, Bux, Kit, Nicki, Jamie, Lucy, Anna, Ana, Jade, Meg, Carolina, Gabriella, Simon, Aky, Nani, Jay, Megan, Emily, Micky, Allison, Shan, Cody, Lydia, and at LEAST 600 more that I can’t name off the top of my head (because my mind is full of African Slave Ships currently.... 10 page paper and all that.)

I hope all of these people know HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM. I don’t think enough words would describe how much I adore them. But I want them to be happy and content and living their best lives forever and always. It’s good to surround yourself with good people who love you and cherish you and tell you they love you all the time. I am so happy to have these nerds. And I hope, nonny, that someday, you’ll be able to find good people who love you too!! Be safe. Let me know if I can do anything else.

LOVE YOU!!!!

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izumitate · 7 years ago

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missed the last train back to me&you

kurodai week day 2: post-breakup

I think this is the only kurodai fic I’ll ever write where they don’t eventually get together. :(

French vanilla with two teaspoons of sugar and a dash of cream, just the way Daichi likes it. Served in the same worn yellow mug that Kuroo used to always save for him whenever he was over.

(“It reminds me of you, that’s why,” Kuroo explains, smiling to himself as he dries the dishes Daichi hands over.

“Because it’s butter-colored?” Daichi teases, memorizing the way surprise settles in Kuroo’s eyes like a summer moth on a lantern before it flits away.

“No! No, it’s- god, this is cheesy. It’s not butter-colored, you goof. It’s sunshine-colored. So, uh. That’s why.”

“That’s...really sweet, actually. You’re cute in unexpected ways, Tetsurou.” With careful hands Daichi picks up the sunshine mug, washing the soap bubbles away. When he passes it over, their fingers brush, and he glances down, hiding his flushed face by concentrating on scrubbing the next plate.)

The coffee is bittersweet.

Light splashes the kitchen table from the high skylight window the way it always did, but there’s a glass mobile hanging there now that catches the sunbeams and scatters them in rainbow shards across the room. Kuroo still takes the stool directly beneath the window, leaving the other one for Daichi, in the shade the way he likes it.

He had also hung Daichi’s coat on the hook farthest from the door, and put out the cream-filled biscuits they used to buy at the corner grocery for a mid-morning snack. They’re the kind of minutiae that he wouldn’t expect someone to know unless they had lived together for quite some time.

It’s not that Daichi is surprised Kuroo still remembers the little details after all these years. It’s just that it aches more than he expected, this reminder that they used to be more than what they are now.

That they used to be in love.

“So you’re still at the same university then?” Kuroo asks after Daichi puts his cup back on its coaster. Those are new: round little silicone things covered in abstract designs and noisy colors. It’s not an aesthetic Daichi would’ve expected to see in Kuroo’s home. Then again, it isn’t just his home anymore.

The blue checkered cotton hand towels in the bathroom. Bottles of sparkling water in the fridge. Frog slippers at the entryway. New chair, new carpet, new curtains. New bedsheets. New indentation on Daichi’s- no, on the other side of the bed.

Kuroo’s house belongs to two people now. Kuroo’s life belongs to two people now, and Daichi isn’t one of them. And it doesn’t hurt to know this, but there remains a hollow spot in Daichi’s heart reserved for the feelings he used to hold for Kuroo that can never be filled.

“Yeah, well, I’m just two years away from tenure and I like my colleagues and my tiny office, so I figured I might as well stick around. And professors get free coffee on Thursday mornings at the uni cafe, so there’s that too.”

Kuroo’s dreadful laugh is the same, all cackle and no panache, and it brings a smile to Daichi’s lips as easily as it ever did. He looks much the same as he did back in high school, in college, and after. Untamable hair, shrewd eyes, and the sweetest smile when the lights are low and sunrise still hours away.

“Sounds like you’ve got a good gig. The hospital caf is the literal worst; I wouldn’t eat there even if they paid me to. And they’re definitely not paying me to.”

“I hope you’re not skipping meals again.”

“Aw, you’re still a worrier, Daichi. Don’t worry, I bring homemade bentos now. No more skipping.”

“Oh! That’s great. Healthy and delicious.” God, Daichi feels like he’s stumbling over a conversation that should be easy, tongue-tied by a few implications that should have been obvious. Home-cooked lunch. That’s good. Kuroo spends so much time taking care of other people that he forgets about himself. It’s good he found someone who pays attention to him the way he deserves.

(“Shit, we’re so late,” Kuroo laughs as he shoves Daichi’s papers into his bag. With one hand he catches the umbrella that Daichi throws his way. Outside, the rain patters down in a spring shower, leaving droplets behind on every budding branch.

“Not if we catch the 6:10 train, we’re not. C’mon, let’s go, let’s go.” Daichi gets one foot into his shoe before Kuroo lets out a wail and backtracks into the house.

“Lunch, we forgot lunch!”

“Of course we did,” Daichi groans. He kicks his shoe off, accidentally flinging it into the door as he scrambles back inside as well. Their bags lie abandoned on the wooden floor.

They find a scavenger’s meal in their fridge: an apple for each of them, leftover soup and old rice, some scraps of sausage and boiled vegetables that they hurriedly scoop into a thermos. Daichi drops a sausage on the ground and Kuroo immediately bends down and crams it in his own mouth.

“Don’t waste food,” he admonishes Daichi, who’s laughing too hard to be able to properly clean the spot of sauce off the kitchen tiles.

“Don’t keep pressing snooze on the alarm clock!”

“That’s a different issue.”

“We have a lot of issues,” Daichi says as he hustles them out the door. “Like owning only one umbrella.”

“We’ll share, Daichi. It’s more romantic that way, eh?” Kuroo links his arm with Daichi’s as they head down the street, which becomes a liability when they start running to catch the train, umbrella almost flying out of Kuroo’s hand as they sprint down the sidewalk soaked by rain.)

“So,” Kuroo says almost bashfully once they’ve made the requisite amount of small talk before gossiping about the people they know for fifteen minutes. “You’re probably wondering why I called you here. Or you already know. I mean, of course you know; you’re smart, you must have pieced it together-”

“You’re rambling again, Tetsu,” and it’s unfair to sound as fond as he does, but he can’t help himself. “I received the invitation. It was lovely, by the way. You have better taste than I remembered.”

“No, I’m exactly the same,” Kuroo admits. “I had minimal input on the decor. Food and music were more my thing.”

“Oh, no. That’s even worse. Please spare us,” Daichi says in monotone, and Kuroo rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

“Sure, get your laughs in now, jerk. You won’t be laughing when I withhold cake from you.” Kuroo’s smile slips for a second into nervousness and he tugs at the cowlick on the back of his head. The one that appears when he showers before going to sleep, leaving his hair extra birdlike in the morning. “Which brings me to what I wanted to ask you. I know it’s not usually good form to invite your- um, your ex to your wedding, but we talked it over and...I mean, you and I are still friends, aren’t we?”

Friends, former rivals, former lovers. Something else.

“Of course we are, you dork,” Daichi says, shaking his head like Kuroo’s foolish for even asking.

It’s not that they’d been avoiding each other. It was just a consequence of growing older, Daichi presumed. They’d never had a falling out, or anything so dramatic. Their lives had just started to unwind from one another’s, each of them branching toward something incompatible with the other person’s growth, and sometimes, love stretches too distant to sustain itself.

“Right, and I know we dated, but that was ages ago, and I don’t want that to supercede the friendship we’ve always had. Aki and I discussed it already, and we’re okay with whatever happens, so I don’t want you to think there’s any awkwardness on our end, but I don’t want to pressure you either-”

“Kuroo,” Daichi has to say with gentle firmness, “it’s okay. You can ask your question.”

For the slightest of moments, it seems like Kuroo is going to say something else, his amber eyes caught on Daichi’s the way they used to when they were walking home from the bar and circling around each other in another silly argument over something trivial just for the thrill of the fight. But it passes just as quickly, and he rakes a hand through his bangs before nodding.

“Yeah, you know how I get when I’m anxious. Um, yeah, so I just wanted to ask you in person if you’d like to come to the wedding. With a plus one if you want, of course. I feel like we’ve fallen out of touch recently, and it felt too impersonal to start reaching out again over a piece of paper.” He glances down at the table, just a flicker of his eyes betraying his nerves, before he gathers the iron resolve Daichi has always known him to have and meeting Daichi’s gaze again.

Daichi had always admired that willpower, had come to love it. Some part of him still does, perhaps.

“I’d love to. I’m happy for you, Tetsurou,” Daichi says warmly, and the worst part is that it’s true. He really is happy that Kuroo could find the person he was meant to be with. “Aki seems wonderful, and I’m looking forward to the chance to finally meet.”

Kuroo still brightens with the same glow as he always did whenever receiving good news. “Yeah? That’s great! It’ll be awesome to have you there; Bokuto and the others will be stoked. I missed this – hanging out with you. It’s been too long.”

“Hey, we’ve both been busy. But you’re right, we could make more of an effort. How about after all the excitement from your honeymoon period dies down a little? We’ll get together with the old group.”

“Well, be careful who you invite. Some of them are lightweights in their old age now.”

“I think I’m more scared of the ones who can still party as hard as they used to,” Daichi says with a grin. Kuroo gives another awful laugh, and some uneven part of their relationship slips back into place where it should be, where it had always been.

(There’s no way they can see the meteor shower in Tokyo, but they climb up to the roof of their apartment anyway, hoping to catch silver dust glimpses streaking across the sky before blinking out of existence.

The night is already warm as it is, for an early summer day, but Daichi lies close to Kuroo anyway, their bare arms pressed right against each other on top of the blanket they’d thrown across the hard roof tile.

A few times, they sit up in excitement, thinking they’d caught a falling star, but it would almost always turn out to be a star of the city’s making instead: lamps and lights reflecting into the sky. Now, they’re just lying still, trading stories about what they used to think they could find in space when they were children.

“Tetsurou,” Daichi whispers, trying not to disturb the patterns of quiet and noise that mesh together to make the city ambience that surrounds them. Overhead, another fleeting sparkle of white vanishes before Daichi can even realize he saw it.

“Daichi,” Kuroo whispers back, squeezing his hand once. His eyes glow like autumn in the dark, more real than any light in the city. “What’s up?”

“I think...I think that I could stay here with you forever.”

Beneath the canvas of Tokyo’s lights, Kuroo leans over to kiss Daichi ever so softly at the corner of his mouth.

“I’d like that.”)

#kurodaiweek #kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #haikyuu!!#hq fic #post-breakup #my fic

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yugirl-with-dragons · 7 years ago

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OK SO FIRST OF ALL THANKS TO THE SUPER UBER TALENTED @aceyugiohdreamer WHO WROTE THIS AMAZING FANFIC. KY YOU’RE SO GREAT. The sketch is obv related to the fanfic below here, I HIGHLY suggest you to read and find out more details!!

[In the plot here, our dear gang (Yusei, human!Stardust, Aki, Jack, Crow, Archfiend- has already met Black Rose Dragon, but they haven’t found Divine yet. Hence, Yusei isn’t blind yet]

Lessons

Aki wasn’t sure why Black Rose had wanted to speak to her privately, or what about, but she didn’t hesitate at all to accept the invitation. With the way their last conversation had gone, she was frankly surprised the dragon had been interested in ever seeing her again at all, let alone so quickly.

But here they were, deep in Black Rose’s forest, an ancient dragon in her elegant human form and a young human witch, face to face.

Alone.

Aki deferred to her hostess and waited patiently for her to speak first.

Black Rose stared at her with arms crossed, her eyes not friendly, but not disdainful either. She seemed to be evaluating her in some way, though Aki had no idea by what measure or for what qualities. So, not knowing what she could do to better present herself, she simply stood still.

Finally Black Rose tilted her chin up slightly and commanded, “Tell me your name.”

Aki decided to not point out Black Rose’s rudeness. Getting fussy over her proud attitude would get them nowhere since she hadn’t earned the dragon’s respect yet. She would just have to accept it if she was going to see what this meeting was about.

“Aki,” she answered simply.

“Aki.”

Black vines began rising up like snakes from her hair, winding forward through the air. Aki held still, thinking she had no choice but to trust that Black Rose didn’t mean her harm. She had a feeling it might be disrespectful to flinch away from those vines, which were literally extensions of her body, and the last thing she needed was for Black Rose’s anger to flare up from an offence. So she let the vines come and feel around at her aura like a curious dog sniffing at a stranger.

“I haven’t met many witches over the years,” Black Rose said, her eyes narrowing somewhat in thought. “But I do sense something familiar in you. I suppose the magic that some of you humans have isn’t unlike that in us dragons.”

Aki started.

“What? You mean . . . you’re saying you can sense magic in me?”

“Why is that surprising? Didn’t you tell me yourself that you’re a witch?”

“Well yeah, but . . . that can’t be,” she said, shaking her head. “Divine . . . he . . . he took my magic from me. He took it, so, there’s no way you should be able sense it.”

“Hnh! What a stupid thing to say!” Black Rose scoffed haughtily. “If you’re like us, then your magic is a part of you, as integral as your bones or your blood. If he had taken all your magic, you would be dead. Just like how we dragons die when you humans steal our magic. Honestly, you don’t even know that much?”

“But I—I can’t feel anything! Not like I used to!” Aki insisted, feeling her emotions rise up. “The world feels dead to me! I can’t connect to anything, I can’t draw out the life and magic that used to come so easily to me. I feel like I’ve been cut off from everything, even myself—I’m not fully me anymore! It’s like you said, magic has always been a part of me, but I can’t . . . I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Hmph, well, that certainly sounds troublesome,” Black Rose huffed, shifting her weight onto one leg. “But the fact is, there is magic in you, just as surely as there is a heart beating and pumping blood. There’s no mistaking it—though, I suppose it does feel faint,” she conceded as the vines wandered along her limbs and body and hair.

“Then,” Aki began, feeling her heart flutter—excited, anxious, desperate—“if I still have magic in me, how do I use it?”

She had to know! She had to know how to tap into whatever was left, how to be useful to Yusei!

Black Rose raised an eyebrow.

“How should I know?” she asked. “I’m not a master or a teacher or anything, I just know something obvious when I see it.”

Aki’s heart sank. She couldn’t even work up the energy to be annoyed with Black Rose, she was just too devastated by fallen hope.

Then Black Rose sighed.

“Though, it’s not just the magic I sense,” she added softly—so softly she might have even been talking to herself. “There’s something about it that’s . . . resonating.”

She had a confused look, her head tilted and eyes scrunched as she considered Aki like a puzzle.

“I don’t know why that would possibly be,” she muttered, as if being confronted with something confusing irritated her, or perhaps it was that the idea of feeling any connection to a human was repulsive. “But . . .”

She drew closer, her vines losing length as her hair consumed the excess. She was slightly taller than Aki and looked down into her eyes.

She had nice eyes, Black Rose had to admit to herself. Earthy. They looked rich enough for her roses to grow strong in. And the magic she could feel in her—the light vibrations of it meshing harmoniously into the great waves of her own enormous power—it had a sweet flavor. Like ripe, wild berries. Sweet with a little snap to it.

It felt like this tiny human was actually part of her forest. It made her . . .

Made her want to . . .

Help her grow.

Nourish her, like any other precious living thing whose life and vitality she protected here in her ward, whose presence she noticed, feeling when it was born and when it died like it was part of her own body—her own soul.

This Aki.

Aki, whose aura was the colors of changing autumn leaves.

It was like she was seamlessly becoming part of this place—or perhaps, more like, she had always been, by nature, but Black Rose was only now able to notice it. Now that she was open to feeling the way her presence resonated, like it belonged, rather than clashed.

Like that hotheaded blond and even his Archfiend companion—despite the one being a dragon, his vibrations were jarring against hers. She felt the discord in their natures, striking and sour.

Black Rose had rejected Aki automatically at first, without thinking or feeling, so perhaps it was no surprise it had taken her this long to notice. Now that she was considering her properly, she couldn’t help the feeling, which came as naturally for Aki as it did for any other plant she nourished.

She lifted a hand and gently caressed a lock of Aki’s hair between her fingers.

Vibrant, red hair—not unlike her own plumage.

“I like your hair,” she said at last.

Aki blinked, more than a little stunned.

“What?”

Black Rose exhaled sharply and dropped her hand.

“Never mind. Listen.”

She may have felt a natural desire to nurture this young, little sapling—even acknowledge to herself that she did—but that didn’t mean she would so quickly change her attitude.

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help you in your situation, but I suppose it would be pretty amazing of me to find a way, wouldn’t it?”

She smirked and gave her hair a quick flip before turning around.

“Yes, I think so,” she confirmed to herself. “It’s been quite a while since there was anything new for me to learn, so that might be interesting.”

Aki stared at Black Rose’s back—at all the sleek, thick hair that draped over it down to her hips—still feeling like something had happened just now and she had no idea what.

“Hey! Are you spacing out on me? What’s wrong with you?” Black Rose snapped, looking over her shoulder.

“What?”

“Move already! Come here—come with me. Jeez.”

Aki wasn’t about to refuse yet another invitation from Black Rose to get closer, so she sprinted forward to her side.

“Where are we going?” she asked as they continued on together.

“Just to a place with some particularly rich soil.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Why not? I like rich soil. It gives me good energy. And it smells nice.”

Well, Aki had no argument against that.

“Ah. I think so too,” she said thoughtfully, remembering back to all the gardening she had done at the house where she had lived with Divine.

“Of course you do.”

Aki thought Black Rose just meant it in the sense that of course her opinion was correct—how could a magnificent queen like her be wrong? She didn’t know she meant it in the sense of, You’re one of mine, of course you feel energy from rich earth.

After that, Aki wondered if she should try to make conversation—how long would it even take to get to the place anyway?

“Does this mean you have an idea?” she decided to ask.

“Hnh, well, I’m at least feeling motivated to experiment,” Black Rose answered, lifting her chin just a little.

Experiment, huh? Aki thought. Well, I guess that can’t be helped, how else are we going to find out anything?

“Are you nervous?” Black Rose looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Do you want to back out? You had better tell me now before I waste any time.”

“No, it’s fine,” Aki answered quickly. “This is just a little sudden, so I wasn’t expecting it. But I want to do this. I want your help.”

“Hm,” Black Rose hummed with approval then turned her eyes back forward. “Just so you know, I can’t guarantee there won’t be any pain. I’m just going to be trying out a few things, so if you’re really willing to do this, you should be prepared for anything—and for possibly nothing to come of it.”

Aki nodded, her chest going tight with resolution.

“Right. No guarantees. I’m still in.”

Black Rose glanced sideways, feeling the way her aura firmed up decisively, and smiled to herself, feeling approval again.

“Very good.”

“It’s only natural, right?” Aki asked without turning. “If I don’t have magic, I don’t feel whole. So of course I’d do anything to get it back.”

“Hm, yes, that would be natural,” Black Rose agreed. She would certainly do anything too if she found herself in a similar situation—and of course rip to pieces whoever would have done such a thing. Such a crime deserved instant death.

Hm, no, perhaps a slow, agonizing death, for daring to cross her so offensively.

In any case, there would be no forgiveness.

“And I’m sure your body is naturally longing to get it back.”

“I hope so. I know my heart is.”

“Well, let’s see what we can do, shall we?”

She pointed up ahead, and beyond another stretch of trees, through the cracks between their thick and crooked bodies, Aki could just make out what looked like a clearing with some kind of lake. The forest was dimmer than the world outside it because the canopy was so densely packed that little light managed to pass through, but when they reached the open area, Aki saw that light glittered on the surface of the lake, the ripples catching every little ray and casting it about playfully. It wasn’t a large lake by any means—possibly more of a pond—but it was clear and pretty. It was fed by a stream coming from ahead and led into another that continued off to the side. The sound of the running water made her skin feel cool, as if she had dropped her hand in it. Besides the stream, there wasn’t much other ambient noise—just leaves rustling occasionally, the snap of twigs. The space seemed deeply quiet and undisturbed.

“Here,” Black Rose said, stepping toward the water. Her hair began to stretch again into black vines and dug into the earth right at the edge. “This water is sourced from a mountain not too far from here. It’s quite pure and fresh since it runs straight from the mountain into my forest.”

Aki approached too and knelt down to watch the vines wriggle their way deeper into the earth. As they took root, Aki dipped her fingertips into the water. As she expected, it was quite cool. She waved her fingers back and forth a little, then pulled them out and flicked the excess water off.

“There are more creeks and rivers throughout the forest, but this one is the closest.”

She held out her hand to Aki and beckoned her with a few quick waves of her fingers. Aki took hold of her hand and stood up, and then Black Rose twisted her arm and used her other hand to push Aki’s long sleeve up her arm. She lightly ran her nail from Aki’s wrist to the crease in her elbow.

“Since I don’t know what you do and don’t know, I’ll just explain some things,” she announced. “First, there’s no particular spot in your body where magic resides, like an organ. It’s in every part of you, all over. Which means there’s no place to target in any of this. It could be that any part of your body will be as good as any other, or perhaps it might mean that your entire body will need to be affected all at once. Or maybe there is a trigger that I’m not aware of. Like I said, we’re just going to be experimenting, so starting off at least might be rather random attempts to get a reaction.”

Aki nodded.

“Ok. I understand.”

“Good. And just so you know, I’m being serious here. Don’t think I’m just playing around.”

“That hadn’t even crossed my mind.”

“Hnh, well good. Now, let’s see . . .”

She ran her nail back to Aki’s wrist from the inner elbow.

“This would probably be easier if you had roots,” she muttered to herself. “Hmm, how am I going to . . .”

Aki wasn’t exactly sure what she was thinking, but she kept quiet to let her concentrate.

“Hmm,” she hummed with her lips pursed and pushed to the side, then she mumbled, “I guess I’ll start off non-invasive.”

Aki wasn’t against that choice.

Black Rose put her palm against Aki’s while cupping the back of her hand in her other. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, and Aki watched as a kind of faint glow appeared around the vines that were rooted into the earth. Like sap, it traveled slowly up the length of the vines, into Black Rose’s hair, saturating the whole of it with a soft light. And then her hair rose, as if lifted by a breeze, though Aki felt none. And then her dress began to flutter, though it didn’t seem entirely like a dress—it looked like it was transforming into a collection of flower petals, deep red and thick.

Black Rose’s nails went black and sharpened as they extended slightly. And then finally, Aki saw the same glow appear within Black Rose’s hands, and then she felt it sink into her own. It was warm, comforting. And she felt it spread from there, as if it had gotten into her blood and was being circulated throughout her body. It was a gentle warmth, like the sensation of a hot drink filling her up on a cold day while the steam brushed against her face.

It was nice. Nostalgic, somehow, as if it connected to all the warm, cozy feelings she had ever had and brought them back like a vague memory without any actual image to go with it. It was just . . . nice. And made her smile.

She wouldn’t have minded soaking in that sensation for a while—it was a welcome reprieve from all the chaos and misery that was going on—but after a minute, all the light faded and the warmth receded with it, leaving her with a sudden chill that made her shiver.

Aki’s eyes also had to adjust a little to the sudden dimness. Once she could see Black Rose’s face clearly again, the dragon asked, “So? Is anything different?”

Aki paused for a moment to take a mental stock of her condition.

Then shook her head.

“No, I think I’m still the same.”

The space still felt too quiet and still from what she would expect of an earthy haven she knew was alive with running streams of life and magic.

“I see,” Black Rose said, not sounding too disappointed.

“Can I ask what you have in mind?”

“Hm? Oh, I just thought I’d try running some magic through you, to see if that would jolt what little you have left in you back to its full life. Like giving your body a refill to replace what was drained. But it looks like you weren’t able to hold onto it: it went in and then passed right out.”

“Hm, I see.”

“But, I can try again, go a little . . . deeper.”

“How do you mean?”

“When I feed the plants, they soak up the magic right into their inner bodies through their roots. They drink it like water or any other nutrient from the soil. It might be worth trying something like that with you.”

“I . . . see.”

“I’ll try to be careful,” Black Rose said, probably trying to sound reassuring but instead sounding rather cocky.

“Thanks.”

Black Rose looked carefully at her exposed arm again and hummed thoughtfully to herself, turning it over a few times and spreading her fingers and pressing into Aki’s palm with her thumb.

Eventually she just shrugged to herself.

“Well, here goes.”

Aki took in a deep breath in preparation for a vague “anything” that might come next.

She looked down at her hand, as did Black Rose, and saw that her nails had returned to their human style. But then the nail on her right first finger extended again, turning black as it did, and the way it transformed slowly and threateningly right next to Aki’s skin gave her an ominous feeling.

Black Rose set the sharp tip of her nail at a soft spot in Aki’s wrist, and the next second, slid it right into the flesh.

“Shhhhhhhit!” Aki hissed as blood pooled up around the nail.

Black Rose held her arm and hand firmly in place, because even though Aki tried not to struggle, that nail hurt, dammit! She clenched her jaw while the light reappeared—in the earth, the vines, Black Rose’s hair, even her eyes which were open this time, and her hands—and that warmth began washing through her.

Warmer this time.

Like summer sunlight shinning under her skin, threatening to burn if it stayed too long.

But she didn’t mind, because it distracted her from the pain in her wrist. The nail seemed little more than a tiny papercut in that moment, making it easier to hold still, especially when that warmth coaxed her muscles and mind to relax. But she tried to focus on it, now that she understood Black Rose’s intentions. She didn’t know if her own conscious will could have an effect, but it seemed better to try. So she set her mind on that flow of the magic as it coursed through her, tried to map out all the internal crevices it touched, tried to notice if there was anything, any part of her that responded with a life of its own rather than just passively allowing the magic to pass through.

A minute went by, and Aki felt disappointed when the warmth withdrew, leaving goosebumps in her skin against the cool forest air, but otherwise no substantial change in her body.

Although now the pain in her wrist grew much more noticeable again.

“Hm,” Black Rose said, taking her nail out of the wrist and its blood and waving her hand in front of Aki’s scrunched face. “No, you don’t feel any different. Ah!”

She looked down to see that some blood had spilled over the side of Aki’s wrist and onto her sleeve.

“Oops, excuse me.”

She lifted Aki’s wrist to her mouth and licked up all the blood—much to Aki’s surprise—before setting her lips against the wound and giving it a suck. Aki tried not to let out any sound of gagging, and then a second later Black Rose lifted her face to reveal the wrist completely healed, with no sign of a puncture at all.

“Thanks,” Aki said tightly.

“What’s with that face?” Black Rose asked curiously.

Oh, was some of the queasiness leaking out into her expression? She had tried to hold that in.

“Oh, uh . . . I guess I just didn’t know you . . . drink blood.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, sounding confused. “When things die, they go into the earth, don’t they? Flesh, bones, blood and all. I am the substance of the earth, it’s the nature of my being. So if the earth can eat such things, so can I.”

“Ah, I . . . see.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No—well, not really. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it so suddenly.”

“Hm, seems like there’s a lot you don’t know,” she observed condescendingly. “If you had a teacher, they didn’t do a very thorough job. You’re going to have to do a lot of learning on top of just trying to get your magic back.”

“I don’t mind learning,” Aki replied. “I want to know more. But your right, my teacher kept a lot of things from me.”

Black Rose didn’t miss the dark tone in Aki’s voice.

“Why?”

Aki’s eyes were hard.

“Because he was using me. He only wanted me to know what would be useful to him. He didn’t want me to know too much, that way he could turn on me when the time was right.”

Black Rose narrowed her eyes.

“Turn on you,” she repeated. “Does that mean . . . Are you saying your teacher . . . ?”

Aki nodded.

“Was Divine.”

Black Rose met that hard stare directly for a moment, feeling her vines twitch with displeasure.

“So,” she said softly, “he didn’t just steal your magic. He betrayed you.”

Aki nodded again.

“Yes. He took me in when I was very young and promised he would teach me how to control my magic. I trusted him. I relied on him for everything. And he did teach me a lot of things that helped me develop my skills, but . . .” Her free hand flexed at her side before curling into a fist. “All that time, he was making sure to keep me close by so that I’d be convenient for him, whenever he was ready to make his move.”

It wasn’t magic, but Black Rose could still sense the anger burning in Aki’s heart. How much more intense it would have been if she had had her magic to give it form! Black Rose’s anger was torrential wind and thorns—she found herself very interested to know what this witch’s was.

Deception, betrayal, stealing . . . this Divine was sounding more and more wicked the more she learned. And she couldn’t forgive anyone who would harm one of her own.

“It could very well be that the only way to get your magic back is to reclaim that which was originally yours in the first place,” Black Rose advised, and then her voice went low and serious. “But if there is another way, even if just a temporary one, I’ll help you find it.”

Aki’s anger lifted enough for her eyes to brighten with awe.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Black Rose nodded.

“Well, shall we try again?”

“Yes, let’s.”

A few more attempts were made, some less pleasant than others, but Aki bore it without complaint. She had entered into this willingly, and whatever she had to go through would be more than worth it if it restored her magic—in any capacity. But even if it didn’t, even if after everything she was still exactly as she had been, she was still happy that Black Rose would try to help her. That in itself was a gift, more than she would have expected after their first few encounters. It was hard to understand exactly what had changed in the dragon’s mind, but Aki wasn’t going to press. Whatever happened, she would let it bloom naturally.

“Hmm,” Black Rose hummed, holding her chin between her fingers. “I think I need a little break to think. I’ve run out of ideas for the moment.”

“Ok, that’s fine.”

“Come here.”

Black Rose snatched Aki by her wrist and tugged her along by the edge of the water until they arrived among a widespread, tangled mass of roots that belonged to a tree so big it probably would have taken ten people to wrap their outstretched arms around it completely. The roots were black and gnarled, rising up from the ground and curling back into it through the water, and Black Rose pulled Aki among them, climbing to the highest arches, and guided her to sit next to her on one so that they could look down at the water below their feet. Aki wished she could feel the energy from the tree, feel the texture of its life that flowed within rather than just the sturdy and rough exterior. She rubbed her hand back and forth over the root longingly. The tree was so beautiful, and she was missing the full experience of its character. She couldn’t help but feel her heart sink just a little.

“You know, I’ll give you some credit,” Black Rose said, leaning back a little so that her glossy hair hung loose behind her. “You’re actually taking this whole situation pretty well, considering how precious what you lost is.”

Aki smiled and leaned back too.

“Well, you didn’t see me when it happened,” she replied softly. “I was devastated. It felt like I had practically died. I didn’t handle it well then at all.”

“Hmph, well that’s no surprise, who wouldn’t be devastated by that? And of course you would feel like you had died. Considering how little magic there is in you, you quite literally almost did. But that’s why it’s surprising you’re in as good a condition as you are. Usually, I would expect such a drastic loss of magic to leave you incapacitated, possibly comatose. But physically, you seem to be doing fine. And even mentally, you seem to think pretty clearly. You haven’t succumbed to despair. So I’ll admit, I’m impressed.” Then she added with a narrow, sideways glance, “Don’t take that lightly, understand?”

Aki turned her head and nodded.

“Right, I won’t,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”

“Hm.”

Black Rose looked forward again, following the path of the stream until it disappeared among the trees. She thought for a moment, then without turning to Aki, she asked, “Tell me, what do you feel an affinity for?”

“Affinity,” Aki repeated.

“Yes. Everyone has something—maybe even several somethings—that they feel drawn to. Like it represents them in a way. Especially for those of us with magic. It almost always is related to the basic substance of our magic.”

Aki looked down at her lap for a moment.

“Hmm, I don’t think I ever thought about it too much before,” she began slowly. “But, I always liked being out in the garden. I liked taking care of everything there, monitoring their life, listening to them through the magic they had in their aura, learning what kinds of properties they had. I liked being around so much life.”

Black Rose laughed softly to herself.

“I knew it,” she whispered. “You really are one of mine.”

“What was that?” Aki asked.

But Black Rose waved her away.

“Nothing. So, you would say you feel an affinity for plants?”

“Generally, yes, I think so. But, I’d say I have a special affinity for anything that’s . . . a bit dangerous. Plants that are prickly or have thorns, or some kind of poison. Plants most people don’t want or avoid.”

Black Rose considered her for a moment, then held out a hand while a lock of her hair resting against her shoulder began winding up into the air as a vine. It circled around her arm like an affectionate snake all the way to her palm, while sharp thorns grew along its length in the opposite direction of her skin.

“I too feel drawn to such plants,” she said, her voice unusually kind. “If I won’t care for them, if I won’t love them, who else will?”

Aki watched for a moment in wonder as Black Rose stroked down the length of a particularly long thorn with her fingertip, then nodded.

“Exactly.”

All those years, she had wanted to show the same compassion Divine had shown her—had wanted to be as compassionate as he had been. He had inspired her deeply, engraving that desire in her heart to care for the unwanted, the unlovable.

Even though it had been a false lesson, a lie on his part, it still rang true to her. Even if he had been lying, her feelings had always been sincere. And she would be better than him. She would absolutely be better than him in every way.

“Tell me,” Black Rose said while watching her vine recede, winding backwards around her arm until it fell down as hair once again. “That Divine, when he was ‘teaching’ you, did he explain what the flow of your magic is? What you do when you’re connecting with the plants, communing with them?”

Aki blinked, rummaging through her memories for a moment to find such a lesson.

“No, I don’t think he did,” she answered. “I think, maybe . . . our styles of magic are a bit different. Because . . . I sometimes felt maybe there were some things he didn’t know. Things that seemed natural to me but he never mentioned.”

“Hm, well good,” Black Rose muttered contemptuously. “I would hate to think he could be of the same substance as me.”

Aki thought she hadn’t even known there were different substances when it came to magic, she had always assumed it was all the same, simply because she had never been told otherwise. But magic was apparently a thing with great variety, a great number of sources and attributes. Aki felt like her true education could finally begin—and she didn’t even have her magic to train with. What bitter irony.

“Well listen,” Black Rose continued. “I’ll explain how it works—for me and you. In essence, I’m redirecting magic from the earth through myself to where I want it to go. Normally, I do this to give extra life and vitality to whatever needs it—and since any single plant is so small, it’s no problem. The earth has plenty of magic in it to spare. It might be a different matter to try to heal an entire forest if it burned down, but I can’t be sure since I’ve never had to do something of that extent. Anyway, the point is that all of this redirection involves magic that is basically the same element. The earth, myself, the various plants—our life forces are very similar and we feed off of the same quality of magic.”

She looked at Aki directly.

“So, I would expect that when I direct magic from the earth and me into you that you would gain a similar vitalization that anything else I target does, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It certainly harmonizes with you, but it slips out quickly like water in a sieve. Now, though I can tell your magic is similar and that you are compatible in spirit to me, it might be that out bodies are too dissimilar for my magic to take root in you.”

After letting that idea sink in, Aki said softly, “I see.”

“That’s just a possibility that I’m thinking of based on how things have been going. It could also be based on the fact that the plants are not magic users in the same way we are. They have it in their life force, but it’s not like they have any consciousness, they only do what their nature enables them to do. We are different. We have consciousness, we can do more than just the basic functions natural to the design of our bodies. And that means that any individual’s magic is unique to them—it’s a natural part of their very soul and body. If I redirect magic from the earth to plants, it’s the same magic they feed off of anyway, but if I pour my magic into you, even if it’s of the same basic substance, it still isn’t the unique magic that is yours. So your body and soul don’t accept it fully.”

“Wow,” Aki breathed. “I had no idea it was like that. I didn’t learn that from Divine.”

“I seriously wonder what exactly you did learn,” Black Rose huffed. “But anyway, that is also why I don’t understand how this Divine can be stealing magic from others and actually be able to use it. Naturally, he shouldn’t. His body and soul should reject any magic that isn’t his own.”

“Well, from what I understand, he needs help from magic objects to channel it.”

Black Rose looked at her, then looked down with a thoughtful frown.

“Hm, that makes sense. If he tried to take in that kind of magic directly into himself on its own . . . I can’t imagine the result would go well. If their substances aren’t compatible, I would expect it to tear his body apart.” She grinned maliciously. “I’d like to see that.”

Aki agreed.

“Maybe if I can break whatever it is he has that’s keeping my magic under control in him, he’ll break apart too when my magic rushes back to me.”

Black Rose’s teeth seemed to grow a little sharper in her grin.

“Delightful.”

Then she rose to her feet and grabbed Aki by the arm. Before Aki could stand, a gust of wind rose around them, Black Rose’s dress began to bloom with large red petals, and soon there was a whole cloud of them that caught the wind like sails, and Black Rose pulled Aki in close so that she could carry her to the ground, floating gently down with the petals keeping them perfectly balanced. When they landed, the excess petals scattered in all directions while the smaller ones on her dress stayed in place.

It really wouldn’t have taken much time to climb down, but Aki had to admit that the dramatic flair had been rather exciting.

“I just had a thought,” Black Rose announced without making any visible acknowledgment that she had done anything out of the ordinary. She released Aki and used both hands to pluck just a few of the smallest petals from her body. Aki watched curiously as she did, and looked down at them as Black Rose held them out delicately in her palm while the rest of the petals recoiled and smoothly transitioned back into their dress form.

“Here,” she said.

Aki looked up to Black Rose’s eyes, then back down at the petals, and slowly, carefully, reached out to pick them up. These had come right from Black Rose’s body, there was something sacred in that she had to honor.

“Eat these.”

Aki’s eyes snapped back to hers again.

“What?”

Black Rose rolled her eyes.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I . . .”

“Are you going to refuse? When I gave you something of myself?” Black Rose asked challengingly with a raised eye brow.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Aki answered quickly. “I just . . . it did come from you. I’m just . . . honored, that’s all.”

Black Rose’s eyebrow lowered, and she looked down at Aki with an expression that was approving, but still haughty.

“As you should be. Now go on, eat.”

Aki looked at the petals again. She had never just eaten rose petals before. She had used them as ingredients in mixtures, but never just plain like this. She wondered what it would be like.

And then she wondered, was there a specific etiquette for eating flower petals?

She felt too silly to ask, so she just laid them on her tongue. They were soft, and their flavor was light at first, but as she continued chewing, it grew and eventually filled her senses so fully it felt like she was breathing in the scent of an entire rose garden.

When she finally swallowed, Black Rose nodded, then held out her hand again. It was empty this time, and Aki filled it with her own. Black Rose set her other hand on top, and then light and warmth began to flow from her body into Aki’s through the channel their hands created. It was so lovely, like being surrounded by roses in the summer sun. If Aki closed her eyes, she could picture it so clearly.

After a minute, the heavy flow of the magic stopped, but this time . . .

This time, there was something left behind.

Aki’s eyes widened just a little.

Black Rose smiled.

“Ah, there we go.”

Her hand passed in the air over Aki’s face, down her chest to her abdomen, while Aki felt something like candle lights glowing dimly in the inner depths of her self.

“Well, it’s not a solution,” Black Rose admitted setting her hands on her hips. “But it’s something, I guess.” Then she smirked. “Heh, it actually worked.”

She gave her head a little triumphant toss.

“What is this?” Aki asked, setting her hands on her abdomen, though the lights she felt weren’t anywhere specifically linked to her body. They were just . . . there, inside her.

“Like I said, our own magic is tied to our body and soul. So, I gave you a little piece of my body, so now the magic I’ve given you has a little anchor it can latch onto. I doubt it’ll stay inside you for very long, but as long as you’ve got a bit of me in you, you can carry a little bit of my magic, too.” She pursed her lips. “I’m sure that only works because we’re so compatible though. I wouldn’t want to try the same thing with any of those others.”

And then Aki realized it wasn’t just the lights inside her that she could feel. There was . . . there was light outside as well. Light and life and magic flowing through the millions and millions of earthen arteries right there in that one little space. It was faint, like the candle lights, but it was there! She could feel it!

She felt tears well in her eyes as her body vibrated with the joy of reuniting with something familiar, something necessary. And she turned toward the tree and its tangled web of black roots and reached out. She felt the hum of its life within the root—it was old, and against her senses, it felt like a rich, deep bass, making the hair on her neck rise.

Her heart couldn’t decide if it wanted to sing or scream or sob.

She suddenly whipped around from the tree and launched into Black Rose, wrapping her arms tight around her and squeezing. Her tears fell into her hair as she buried her eyes against her shoulder.

“Thank you!” she whispered, overcome with emotion.

Black Rose looked down at her, a little stunned to be touched so suddenly and with such familiarity.

“Well, like I said, it’s only temporary,” she said awkwardly, unable to decide if she was comfortable with the embrace or not.

Aki shook her head.

“I don’t care,” she insisted. “I needed to feel this! I needed to feel . . .”

She lifted her face, and Black Rose saw how bright her eyes shined, even in the dim light—how beautiful they were.

“You’ve given me hope,” Aki said, her voice breaking, and the tears ran heavy down her cheeks, past her smile.

Hope?

From her?

Black Rose had never felt hope, not since that day. She had only felt anger and hatred. How could someone like her be the source of hope for anyone?

But there it was, shining in Aki’s face, along with relief and joy and gratitude.

Black Rose stared, not knowing how to respond.

Finally Aki unwrapped her arms and wiped her eyes clear, still smiling. Black Rose watched as she breathed in deeply and tilted her head back while lifting her arms at her side, basking in the beauty of all the life she could once again feel all around her.

Yes, she had to get this back. She had to make her soul complete again. She had been so hopeless and devastated, but now, somehow, that had changed.

Now she felt determined.

This was a taste of what was waiting for her when they defeated Divine, when she and Yusei and Stardust and all the others finally had their victory. She would be restored in full, as would Stardust and any others that Divine had hurt, and Yusei would be acknowledged as the hero he was.

Yes, yes, she felt so much hope now! With just a little reminder of how it was supposed to be!

“Well,” Black Rose spoke up after a moment, still feeling uncertain about her own feelings, “why don’t we use this as an experiment and see how long this lasts? Then we can go from there.”

Aki lowered her head and, still smiling, still shining, looked at Black Rose and nodded.

“Ok, good idea.”

Black Rose didn’t even have it in her to give her usual snappy retort, “Of course it is,” because she just . . . had forgotten how beautiful someone could look when they shined with that much joy.

Just like . . . she always had.

Black Rose caught the lump in her throat before it went any higher and pushed it down, along with the sting in her eyes.

“Ehem, right, well, I’m done for now, so just let me know later.”

“Right.”

Black Rose forced herself to turn away and wander on her own away from that light.

It was just . . . too much for her.

Too much after being in darkness for so long.

——

“Oh, really?” Yusei asked softly after Aki had told him the story of her session with Black Rose. “That’s great, I’m glad you finally have someone who could tell you so much.”

“Yeah,” Aki murmured back. “Actually, I’m surprised she would, you know? It’s not like she’s one to open up to new people . . . or maybe any people.”

Yusei put a hand on hers. Everyone else was asleep in their camp space, but the two of them were sitting side by side on the soft forest floor against the trunk of a tree, and her hands were resting in her lap.

“You probably got through to her.”

Aki looked up from his hand to his eyes.

“She seems like she’s been lonely for a long time, and you were the right person to reach her heart.”

Aki looked down again, biting her bottom lip. Could she have really been something like that? Could she have been anything like what Yusei had been to her?

“I . . . I hope so,” she said under her breath. “I don’t want her to be alone . . . if she doesn’t really want to be.”

Yusei gave her hand a squeeze.

“If you do what feels right, if you just be yourself, you’ll be good for her, no matter what happens. You’ll let her see something good and honest and beautiful.”

Aki felt her stomach knot tightly and her chest burn. She couldn’t look at him at that moment, not after he had said something so touching, and sounded like it was such an easy thing for him to say.

No one had ever said something like that to her.

She stared hard at her hands—at his still on top of hers—and mumbled, “You’re saying . . . I can be like you.”

She heard him laugh quietly.

“You think I’m like that?”

She only glanced at him—caught the sight of his smile—before looking back down.

“You are like that,” she insisted. “You’re always honest, and yourself. Everything about you is good and . . . beautiful. You’re . . . the best person I’ve ever met.”

He didn’t say anything, but she could feel him looking at her.

And then it wasn’t just her chest that was burning. She felt it in her face too.

And in the rest of her.

It was rising up, an aura of warmth and light, like a halo around her body.

Yusei’s hand looked dark in contrast, and surprised, she pulled her hands away to look at her open palms.

“Aki?” he asked quietly. “Are you ok?”

She looked up to his eyes, which were somewhat concerned, but also shining with the glow reflected in them. She found herself staring for a moment, before a few tiny lights suddenly flickered in the air between them.

Aki blinked and shifted her gaze to the lights—to realize they were fireflies.

Yusei too shifted his gaze to them as they bounced and flickered around, whirling around Aki and her soft glow. Her face lit up—not just from the light, but from the wonder that bloomed in her heart. She lifted a hand, as if she couldn’t help herself, as if she wasn’t even thinking, and quickly several of the fireflies gathered around it.

“I can feel them too,” she murmured, a smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah?” he said, captivated by her expression more than anything else.

“Yeah,” she confirmed, slowly waving her hand through the air—first one way, then another, and the fireflies followed, their little bodies growing brighter and dimmer in waves. “They feel like buzzing.” She put her other hand over her chest. “In here.”

Yusei could only try to imagine what she was feeling, what the experience of her magic was like, but to him, seeing the way she experienced it was beautiful enough.

And then she rose to her feet, keeping her hand out in front of her as a beacon for the fireflies to dance around. And more were coming. He didn’t know where they all had been all this time until now, but wherever they had been, they must have felt her aura and been drawn to it immediately. Aki took a few steps, and she looked magical, with her own body emitting a soft, warm glow and what seemed like hundreds of tiny lights flickering excitedly as they spun around her, each in its own chosen pattern. She lifted both of her arms, and the fireflies moved with them, making way and then finding a new orbit around them.

Yusei heard her laugh to herself, watched her tilt her head back and spin on her feet freely in delight, and he felt a tight grip in his chest.

He was fighting for this.

This.

To bring this beauty and light and joy back to her.

This was her natural state, he felt, he knew. He couldn’t let her continue living emptied of this anymore. He felt his determination as naturally as he felt his awe.

To his mind, the fireflies looked like hundreds of shooting stars circling her, and she had become the sun, spinning and laughing as she lost herself in the magic that coursed through her.

Aki, he thought, feeling a buzz in his own head, too.

And then he felt something push up against the bottom of his chin, closing his mouth, which he hadn’t even realized was open.

He looked over, and there was Stardust, glancing sideways with a smirk while he kept holding two fingers under Yusei’s chin.

Yusei blinked. He hadn’t even noticed Stardust slip up beside him. Had he been that entranced?

Stardust raised an eyebrow, a silent, You ready to handle this yourself now? And Yusei nodded, with gratitude to his companion for having prevented such a face from being seen by anyone else.

So Stardust pulled his hand away and crossed his arms comfortably, and Yusei returned his gaze to Aki, who was holding one arm fully outstretched and drawing waves in the air as she rotated, creating a fluttering trail of fireflies behind her hand.

And yes, of course.

Of course he had been that entranced.

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bongaboi · 7 years ago

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Megumi Katou: 16th Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan

Good evening, Japan. Good evening, morning and afternoon, world. And a pleasant greetings to our friends in the American province-I meant, actually, state of Alabama. Our coalition that will be in government next year supports the policy and good deeds that will come from Mr. Senator-elect G. Douglas Jones. We extend our congratulations. *points* Nice work, sir. *laughter*

Anyway, I need to ask a question. How is everyone doing? *crowd roars* Let me try that again but from a more convincing angle. *creeps closer to microphone* How is everyone doing? *crowd roars louder* Sounds consistent, I can't complain. You know, months ago before I began this unique journey outside of my work with Blessing, I talked with my husband and soon to be your new First Saimoe Gentleman Tomoya Aki, or Tomo, as I call him, about platforms, what people stand for, only because I thought platforms were outdated shoes worn by youth of Shibuya Ward. *laughter* Or simply things you stand on to reach for dangerous household items. *laughter*

Then he looked at me and then to an invisible camera as if to say, what am I going to do with this young *laughter*, witty *laughter* innocent *laughter* maiden *laughter*...please, stop laughing this was real serious talk! *laughter* Ahhh, mou, carry on, as you were. *applause* No, as I was saying, he had a race that read, what I am going to do with this young witty innocent maiden that will be my wife to protect and satisfy until we turn to ashes several decades from now? *laughter*

I lifted Tomo's sweaty chin and whispered in his ear, "A lot." *laughter, applause* I seriously meant it, a lot. Fast forward to today in front of over 200,000 at this plaza where Comic Market is held and now the buzzwords, or hashtag—everyone likes to spam those things these days, it's like Pocky nowadays, just being curious—is #IToldYouSo. *crowd roars, applause*

If you guys do not know who I am by now even though I have been on this trail since early of this year and maybe far back, I will introduce myself. I am Megumi Katou of the Saekano Party, a member of the Blessing Software team and your Saimoe Prime Minister, I believe that is the 16th, sweet...*laughter*...for the 2018 Calendar Year, a pleasure to meet you. *applause* I don't do prepared speeches. To speak honest words from the heart is more important, and fairness to everyone and anyone will transform lives forever.

You're seeing this in the world today. Not just here in your own backyard in Japan, but elsewhere. One part of my platform that I will be promoting in addition to my duties of promoting Japanese pop culture and supporting the Imperial household with Korosensei is encouraging all women to take a stand against those who harm you. The #MeToo movement won TIME Person of the Year and therefore, it is an essential part of our agenda.

I am assembling my Cabinet, composed of members of my party, the Ansatsu Kyoushitsu Party and the SukaSuka Party as the Saekano Coalition to embrace and advocate the message that sexual harassment and crimes against women cannot be tolerated in this country or any self-respecting country in this dangerous world. The boys club culture in many trades is dying and we as the Saekano Coalition will ensure that fairness and respect of all genders is the rule. To those of you who challenge the new wave that continues to rise from the West to here in the East, we will defeat you like our Democratic allies in Alabama did to Roy Moore.

Another part of our agenda is supporting our national teams. This is a World Cup year and a Winter Olympics year coming up. I implore the men and women of this great country to support our national teams as they strive for greatness in winter sports and football. Our role as the bulwark of East Asian Strength will be showcased under our leadership and this is an initiative uniting both houses of the Saimoe Diet. We are all in to win, let us begin. I made a rhyme, see what I did there? *laughter* I appreciate you paying attention.

We come from different schools of thought and convictions, we of the Saimoe fold. But we must reach out across party lines to get work done, maybe even share some snacks and long gaming hours when there is nothing else to do. Of course, if it becomes a coed session, we may have problems. *winks* *laughter, applause, men get nosebleeds* Please clean up after yourselves, you whose noses are in poor shape, that's horrible from you! *laughter*

Going on to the point, I talked to Emilia and her right-hand mate Rem. They are two wonderful peers that I have respect for and admire. Their thoughts and platform have some aspect we may find a common ground on. From this, our Diet will have direction and purpose. Chtholly, who is busy doting on her husband Willem Kmetsch and could not be with us since she is enjoying her return from obscurity—spoiler alert, maybe? shhhh—*laughter, applause, cheers* Yeah, we're happy our mate's with us again.

Anyway, as I said, Chtholly Note Seniorious is a very mature peer for her age and believes in our platform and will do whatever is necessary to promote what is in the best interests of us and you. She is selfless and inspiring and is worthy of being your Speaker of the Saimoe Diet. She is also a good public speaker. Willem, a gentlemen in his own right has taught her well. I am excited to work with both of them as part of our coalition.

I don't need a tiara, nor does Korosensei need a scepter. We lead without any fancy jewelry, or thrones. We believes actions speak louder than words and taking the initiative is a whole lot better that being lazy with no job, no hope, and no purpose to live. As your Saimoe Prime Minister, I appeal to my voters, to those who did not vote for me, or anyone that did notice us until I actually spoke and had these words transcribed for archive....*takes a deep breath, speaks* It's Time To Go To Work!

*crowd roars, applaud*

Now I am not talking about, you know, enlisting in the military, going into really tough work like constructions, saving cats from trees or looking for people attacking others and punishing them broad daylight. What I look for are you, the voters, helping your community and making your family, your kin, the people you work for and with proud. You don't have to do too much, but you should never do to little. Make yourself useful. Our world's tough, but if we can do it and be Saimoe representives for one of the greatest nations on Earth, you'll do the same before you even know it.

And to all women out there, if you see something wrong regarding how the boss or co-worker, who may of the opposite gender *crowd goes ooooh!* or not *crowd goes aaaah!, laughter*, give them a nice slap on the face. *laughter* No, actually, be diplomatic and talk it out and remind them that times have changed, and harassing anyone at work or elsewhere is against the ideals of the new Saimoe Diet that will be coming to you in about less than three weeks time, as of this speech, which I didn't really...write, I just spoke because I had a lot off my chest, to be fair. I hope you understand.

In the end, you don't have to be assuming to be successful. You have to ride the tides of time on a platform everyone can believe in. And when I confided this conversation to Tomo before taking the podium, reminding him of this, he had tears in his eyes and said, "You're no longer a boring girlfriend. You're a Saimoe Prime Minister, the Saimoe Leader of the Free World, something no one will ever take from you, and you will make Japan proud...if you haven't already."

That's what he said to me, verbatim. I believe it because I love him. And I love you all. I want to thank our campaign team that helped me win one of the necklaces as well as the Tiara, our support staff across all the continents, the voters for your support of the Saimoe movement, and the anime industry for making fans smile worldwide. But last of all, I want to thank you for making me believe that being boring can make you amazing, so much that I have made them one and the same. This boring girlfriend turned loyal wife and partner dedicates this victory to your solidarity throughout this journey. I want you to enjoy it and come with us as we march into the new year.

*puts on savage sunglasses, crowd roars* I know I can't see anymore, and it's dark, but you know something? The future is so bright... *crowd responds, "we gotta wear shades!" applause* Hey, you took the words out of my mouth, so unfair! *laughter* Anyway, that is all from me. Thank you for your support, we won't let you down, and from all of us at the Saekano Coalition, we hope you have a wondeful week! God Bless America, God Bless The World, and May God Bless Japan! Good night! Thank you all!

-KATOU MEGUMI LEADER, SAEKANO COALITION 16TH SAIMOE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

youtube

#magic system #tu es fou #saimoe #saekano #Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata #megumi katou

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eludum-a · 7 years ago

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500 follower follow forever!

it happened. god knows why so many of you are here, but apparently you like what i do, so... well, thank you! to everyone! but this is a very informal follow forever meant specifically for people i speak to regularly/people i consider my friends/people i feel i owe something to. i haven’t done anything like this since the 100 follower mark, so please bear with me.

i felt like i needed to do this because, in the wise words of taako the wizard, “it doesn’t always have to be goof goof dildo. i’m traveling around with the boner squad and i never get to say... what i’m feeling! i have emotions!”

if you’re not here, please don’t feel like i don’t appreciate you! i only have the energy for so much love here in my body. if you’ve been inactive/are on hiatus, i might have missed you, and if we haven’t really talked a lot ooc, same thing applies.

(i have been working on this on and off for weeks. im so tired pls just let me be finished with it)

anyway, call outs below the cut!

@unsuspicious: cou, you send me so many baffling and strange images at all hours of the day. i had to lead up with this because where do you even get all those. anyway, you’re definitely the person i talk to the most every day, and it’s weird as shit to think that the last thing in tumblr messenger was me sending you the link to the discord channel. you’re a fantastic roleplayer when you actually roleplay and you’re fun to have around!

@hismalice: raz you are one of my favorite people on this god forsaken hell site and don’t ever forget that. if you need a reminder you can come back here and look at this and see this seal of approval, and also the mental image of me saying “no, fuck you” to your negative thoughts and then punching them in the face heaven slaying dragon fist style. if you ever wanna talk you know where to find me and it’s also ok if you don’t want to!! i’ll still be here regardless.

@cantalazarus: god bless the hinatatas, may they grow strong and powerful this year. amen. on a more real note: this is my official notice that i really appreciate you just... in general, as a person, even if im an asshole who has trouble with, like, Feelings and shit. so there’s that. same as with raz above, you obviously know where to find me whenever you wanna talk. and take as long as you need to recharge your batteries!! no rush

@mxssias: ALEX MY MAN... BOY... GUY! DUDE, PAL, WHATEVER. your naegi is LIT. i love the good good egg boy so much and you do him justice!! you don’t just focus on the lighter aspects of his character, but you recognize his various struggles as well! you’re also just a fun person to talk to and i’d love to do more naenami in the future of COURSE

@ayatsurii the sparkliest of cats! yo, sparkle, thank u for turning me on to pekonami because it’s so good and pure, and thank you also for trying to keep things from burning down in the chat when we get too rowdy (even if you’re not successful... we can’t be tamed). i look forward to future pekonami interactions!

@snappshot: sarah is wonderful at everything she does, sorry i dont make the rules. you’ve been around this blog for what feels like forever now?? first as mahiru (and your mahiru rly captured my heart) but also sayaka and kaede and your persona muses are equally wonderful! idk what i’d have done if you weren’t there to reassure me i was doing a good job. god bless sarah

@anemoia-avenoir / @ongakuvoices: rrrrrrrrIO! you’re lovely and you should know it. i know we don’t really talk much ooc but you definitely deserved a spot in here! your passion for your muses is incredible! your love for them shows in the details of your writing, and i know it can be frustrating sometimes to feel like you’re not good enough (believe me... i have been there many times), but believe me... you’re gonna do amazing things, i just know it.

@malchancevilain YOU STILL OWE ME 15 DOLLARS AND I AIM TO COLLECT, GREG GRIMALDIS. NO MATTER WHERE IN THE MULTIVERSE YOU ARE. ahem. we share a lot of common interests, watchy, and i really do love your luckgami, like, a lot. i love how different his background is without changing who he is fundamentally as a person, aka a snob

@shpionaz: *insert obligatory ‘like a boss’ joke here* ok now that we’ve gotten that over with,,, im so grateful i got a chance to play out the oumanami brotp interactions with you because that was on my wishlist almost as soon as i found out about their sprite similarities and we didn’t even have to try, it just happened. you’re first ouma in my heart forever and i can’t wait to do some things with your oc too!!

@gambogeish: it’s kind of ironic how i didn’t finish twewy until we became friends, when it was first gifted to me by my boyfriend... it’s probably just the difference in maturity/gaming ability from then to now, but ANYWAY: i am so glad to have met you. you’re one of the first people in the community i’ve really connected with, and you’re an awesome person who i’d love to roleplay with regardless of muse. i’ve got a virtual high five right here waiting for you. o/

@pseudxcode syd, god bless your chihiro, honestly. he’s such a sweet little guy and i love his interactions with chiaki! of course i’ve always been a fan of these two together (even when she’s NOT an AI created by him), because their talents complement each other so well! they’re good for each other. i’d love to see more chiaki & chihiro action, especially if it involves chiaki encouraging him and reassuring him that he’s not as weak as he thinks he is.

@kibcu / @krclowa we only recently started talking but you’re such a welcome addition to thotchat, liz! take that as you will. this one’s probably gonna be a bit short but im looking forward to platonic naenami interactions and ur sonia too! aunty nanami’s gonna babysit the hell out of those naegi kids (aka give them all smartphones and sit back and relax)

@synthxsizxr GOOD IDOL, BEST SISTER, AKI LOVES HER HARU even if she really doesnt understand the idol lifestyle like, at all. chi, you yourself are very sweet and kind, it’s wonderful having you here in this community! i hope you’re having a lot of fun with your talentswap chiaki and i hope

@relixum / @lxckyclovers: i hope you two don’t mind that i put you together here. i know you’ve been busy with school lately (good luck with that, by the way!!) but i didn’t want you to think i forgot about you! you guys make a mom/dad/parental unit so proud. you’re wonderful writers and i hope you find happiness wherever you go. *bob belcher voice* you’re my family and i love you but you’re terrible, you’re all terrible.

@tcndcrloins levi you’re the other constant presence in thotchat and you’re such a fun person to have around. you’re so welcoming and comfortable in a sense that i never feel like i’m bothering you, and thats a pretty incredibly accomplishment considering how often i convince myself im annoying. get those drafts done, i believe in you!!

@delinqueon avery, you were probably the first person within the community i talked to one on one, and thank god you approached me because at that point i never would have had the courage to speak up! your leon is such a delight to interact with and so are your other characters. one day you’ll get me back for making you read the bee movie script out loud for fifteen minutes.... one day

@betraycd last but not least, first i have to thank fin for my current editing software that i still have yet to figure out even 10% of ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but i’ll get there! fin, i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: i absolutely adore your souda, all of the time and effort you’ve put into his characterization and how you don’t ignore the uglier parts of his personality. he’s a lovely flawed boy and you really do him justice!

after word:

like any community with more than a few people, there have been ups and downs in the path few months. i wanted to add here as a general shout out that i have never felt so welcome and loved in a community that i originally would have thought would be more disjointed than what you might find on a forum. like, i’ve changed a lot thanks to you guys! i’ve been able to get over some of the hurdles of my social anxiety (i didnt jump over them so much as drag myself across the ground and painfully crawl over them) and i just... i feel good? i feel like people like me? there are still times where my anxiety insists i’m nothing but a useless burden, but i actually... feel like people enjoy having me around? holy shit!

i made some really cool new friends and got to know a different kind of roleplay community. im overall incredibly grateful for this wild and weird journey i’ve been on, and the journey certainly isn’t over by any means! i hope to keep seeing you guys around!

these words really arent even enough to express my gratitude. i havent been to some really dark places, but there for a while i felt like i was almost completely alone. i simply wasn’t connecting with other people like i wanted to. about 3-4 years ago i lost contact with (long story) my roleplay partners of 4 years and it wasn’t an easy thing to recover from, but i’m here now and it’s just... really good! incredible, even!

komussy

#[welcome to my christian minecraft server // ooc]#follow forever #it's 12:36 am and im posting this. fuck it #i'll reblog it again tomorrow #...later today

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