#I'm thinking she liked the Villain of the story; So the dark water spirit

[kakusu-shipping]

I have a really funny concept for an Azula reverse self ship (because I can't make a regular self insert work with her), and I'm trying to decide if it'd be funnier to make her a History RPF girlie or if the reason Zuko had to sit through Ember Island player's butchering Love Amongst the Dragons was because Azula had a massive crush on one of the characters and DEMANDED they went to see it every year.

[wilcze-kudly]

If worked for the team who made Avatar TloK. How would you rewrite TloK?

To be completely honest, rewriting tlok wouldn't fix all it's issues. Tlok just needed to have longer seasons, an actually established amount of seasons so they weren't pressured to make every single season a complete story for fear of not getting more time.

But let's say, hypothetically that I murdered mr Crabs or whoever is in charge of Nickelodeon and removed any studio meddling from the show.

My perfect world would include:

More filler episodes that focus on a singular character. Think Sokka's Master or the Painted Lady. The Krew are all fascinating characters with a lot of potential, however, due to the runtime of the show, their storylines are rushed... or completely nonexistent. Give me more details of Mako and Bolin's childhood. Show me emore of Asami struggling with her father's arrest.

I'd try to cut down on the westernisation of the show. I can see why these foreign aspects slipped in, since the closer the Avatarverse inches to our modern times, the more blurred the lines become. At least to my whiteass. I'd try to lean towards silkpunk, rather than the much more west based steampunk. It would be a fascinating endeavour to imagine what a world with mostly eastern influences would look like.

I'd make Vaatu the overarching villain/final boss of the story... it would require a bit of moving around of the timeline but I think I'd structure it as: Red Lotus> Kuvira> Amon> Vaatu. However I'd blur the timeline more. Make Amon a background threat in the eariler seasons, only for him to rise in popularity and power after people see what benders like Kuvira are capable of, for example.

This would also allow for certain villains to become redeemed or at least helpful in some way, later on. Mayhaps Amon and Kuvira team with the Krew to defeat Vaatu in some way.

Also, instead of destroying Vaatu completely, I'm leaning towards Korra absorbing him, in a way. Yes Vaatu is a dark spirit, but 'darker' urges are necessary for humans' survival and happiness. Korra embodies the duality of man very well. I think it would be a fascinating idea to see the Avatar become the embodiment of both light and darkness.

In general, making Vaatu and Raava more morally ambiguous, rather than the simple good spirit/bad spirit thing they had in the og show would be a fascinating concept.

I'd do my best to pull away from the show's original centerist narrative. Have Korra learn from the villains and make active changes to the world, showing her growth as an Avatar and person. Perhaps she's reluctant to see the Red Lotus' point of view at the beginning of the show, but sympathises with Amon at the tail end of the story.

Make the entire Krew queer. And talk about queerness more, in general. Have the characters have open conversations about queerness in their respective enviornments and cultures. Tlok already has a very queer undertone to it, even before korrasami became canon, but touching on this subject more overtly would provide great opportunity for characterisation and worldbuilding.

Have the story span several years. Watch the Krew grow up. Tlok works very well as a coming of age story even in its original form. Have Vaatu and his darkness and chaos symbolise the uncharted waters of maturity at the end of teenagedom. This especially works if Korra merges or accepts him like i suggested.

There... that's some basics. I think that most of my criticisms of the show could mostly be solved if the studio wasn't being a bitch but well. We can't have nice things, can we?

I took a while to answer this ask because it was genuinely such an interesting, but overwhelming question.

Also now I have wayy too many ideas about a potential tlok rewrite, so feel free to ask me about that if you want to hear me ramble.

[badpanduhmemes]

So, to take a break from thinking about how Shen will survive having survived the end of the Second movie, because every person in Gongmen City wants his head. I want to ramble about The Chameleon Arc in All is Conspiracy, because Tai Lung, Kai, and Shen will all interact with her... separately.

As fun as the four of them in a room together would be, it's not going to be a thing in this fic. So here are plot points and headcanons, I guess??? Here is a ramble.

TLDR: Tai Lung betrays her Kai straight up tries to kill her on sight Shen says mean things to her, and her hatred for him gets personal

So, for clarification, Chameleon takes over China. She does what both Kai and Shen failed to do, so things get ugly really fast.

That might be important context for this ramble? I'm not sure.

Tai Lung and Chameleon:

Straight away I'm still hazy about these two. He doesn't like her. He doesn't like what she's done to him or other villainous masters. He's not super thrilled about being back. He sticks around for a few different reasons. On some level, he's still not completely over the Dragon Warrior thing, but more than that, he doesn't like what she might do to innocent people or anyone else, especially when meets people bold enough to resist her, and observant enough to see through her disguises.

At some point she takes over the Valley of Peace. Shifu gets kidnapped, which is where Tai Lung drops any pretense of loyalty and actively turns against her.

He goes out of his way to rescue Shifu, which is how he will eventually run into the Furious Five.

Kai and Chameleon:

The Chameleon I think views Kai as a big enough threat to actively try to send him back to the Spirit Realm, once she claims his powers, and he is having none of it. He hates her. Hates everything about her. Not even a snowflake's chance in a forest fire of these two getting along. And she is afraid of him. Given the opportunity he will demolish her legacy until she's not even a footnote in the history books. Oh no. The Beast of Vengeance is going to attempt to live up to all of his names.

Yeah, this one is kind of vague, because there is nothing but animosity here, and I don't know what else to add, until I have a better idea of what that means.

Shen and Chameleon: Excuse me while I go laugh like a villain, in some dark little corner. By this point in the story, Shen is... still himself, but maybe slightly more reliable. No. He's still a trash fire. He just happens to be Gongmen City's trash fire who at this point has made a career out of lighting other people lives on fire, and while no one likes him, it hasn't been all bad, so people begrudgingly barely tolerate him.

He's like a splinter. A really uncomfortable splinter no one has a pair of tweezers fine enough to remove, so everyone uncomfortably lives with the fact he exists. And no one's happy about it, including him, so it's perfect.

So naturally he and The Chameleon get along about as well as oil and water. Things are said. Things are done. Knives are thrown. It's a mess that results in Shen being thrown in a cage.

But in the ensuing conflict Shen has made himself the most dislikable person ever, and The Chameleon decides he needs to suffer, because he hit a nerve.

TLDR: Tai Lung betrays her Kai straight up tries to kill her on sight Shen is mean to her and somehow pays the heaviest price for it???

[zablionsea]

I went on the tangent in the shower of trying to decide what Puzzle & Dragons Z teams NOISZ characters would have. So… yeah?

(NOISZ Ignition and re:||VERSE spoilers ahead)

(Puzzle & Dragons Z main story and post-game spoilers ahead)

Remora

(Leader) Stormy Sea Dragon, Levia (Water) - Levia is a recommended lead for defensive mono-Water teams. Why a defensive (basically) mono-Water team, though? Besides the fact that it fit Guivre Chimera well? After what happened with Stornel, Remora has to be cautious. Considering the devastating consequences for upsetting Gaius or Arietta too much, she can't afford to act ethically until the end of re:||VERSE. She has to prioritize her survival over doing what she feels is right. So, I think a defensive team fits well for that reason.

Dark Blue Skydragon, Nirai Kanai (Water) - A Skydragon given life by cursed technology and filled with hatred? Hmmm, that kinda reminds me of Void Beasts.

Guivre Chimera (Water) - I hope it's obvious why I'm giving Remora, the character who transforms into a chimera when you fight her, the chimera monster.

Death Scissors (Water) - Death Scissors was used by Team Paradox members, and Antiphon gives me a Team Paradox vibe. Plus, we've already got a few water monsters going on here, so why not complete the mono-Water defensive team?

Guardian Dragon, Avalon Drake (Wood) - Avalon Drake, formerly protecting the Skydragons, was defeated and manipulated by the Dragon King Avalon. In this evolved form, it was forced to absorb energy from Orbs extracted from the earth. The process of obtaining these Orbs destroyed the lands greatly. The Orbs granted Avalon Drake twice its former power, but it broke its spirit. Being manipulated around by a defeat and forced to hurt people? That sounds familiar…

Its lack of synergy with the other monsters on the team? Of course, that just happened to be that way, but it could represent the conflict between wanting to help her friends and being under blackmail.

Beyond

Beyond seems like the kind of person to try to have a well-balanced team (like, 5-color) and then pick what monsters based on personal preference.

(Leader) Mui-Mui (Flame) - Beyond is the character associated with Dancer Style, which is an assistive style meant to help those who struggle with timing the shot/shield inputs or pressing buttons repetitively for long periods of time. Mui-Mui's skill shows you how to make combos, providing somewhat equivalent assistance.

Tree Dragon, Kukunochi (Wood) - Morigon, one of its preevolutions, is described as having a big appetite (note Beyond's seemingly infinite metabolism and love for sweets). It's a bit of a daydreamer but very reliable, like how Beyond, according to the re:||VERSE art/lyrics book, is a bit naturally silly but shows a colder, tougher side of her personality in tricky situations. Kukunochi is a kind monster, seeking to uphold peace in the woods and bring new life wherever it goes. Beyond wants to bring peace to her and Arietta's chaotic lives.

Deep-Sea Dragon, Abyss (Water) - Another True Dragon whose preevolution is described as kind-hearted in some way. Abyss is rather reclusive, living far out of reach of any human being. This reminds me of the RE:||PARATION ending of re:||VERSE, in which Beyond becomes extremely isolated, shutting people out for days at a time, and even for someone she cares dearly like Remora, shuts her out occasionally too. (As well, Abyss pairs nicely with Remora's Levia, I think. The two are, like, halfway to being considered a couple. They deserve matching monsters at that point.)

Viciousdragon Helheim (Dark) - This monster is very frequently used by Dogma, the leader of Team Paradox, the villainous organization of Puzzle & Dragons Z. It turns out that Dogma was ultimately being manipulated by Enigma, who uses what Dogma set up to seize power and return to his role as the Dragon King Avalon. Although, he was separated from his body long ago and inhabits a different form.

I feel like that has some parallels to Beyond's getting manipulated by Alpha in the form of Arietta's body and being so insistent upon her goals that she didn't realize something was wrong until far too late.

Dark Shining Divinegon (Light/Dark) - Representing Beyond's tragic, misguided heroism in Ignition and re:||VERSE. Someone whose light that pierces through the endless darkness has been steered into darkness itself. Beyond, so desperate to help her sister achieve her dreams, put their lives in danger. And desperate again to right that tragedy, followed a heartless, callous being without even realizing the sister she loved so much was no longer in control.

(or, instead of Divinegon) Life Skydragon, Zerclea (Light/Light) - I think it fits well with re:||BIRTH. Plus, it pairs nicely with Arkvelza. I can't have Zerclea in the same team as Divinegon because that's not allowed in PaDZ.

Arietta

Although her color scheme works great with mono-Fire, I'm actually going to have to go with mono-Dark for a few reasons.

(Leader) Dark Night Skydragon, Elysium (Dark) - Elysium's skill grants a turn of invincibility, which reminds me a lot of Arietta's Crash Style. Plus, she fits well with a few other dark monsters. Dark Elysium's lead skill multiplies attack for Dark monsters, being attack-oriented like Arietta's Mega Style. Dark Elysium was created with terrible technology, like the Void Beasts. Arietta was the one who insisted on using the NOISZ Beast technology on Noise Beasts, after all.

Black Wizard (Dark) - Black Wizard is a sorcerer who has, according to legend, given his heart to darkness. Arietta, in a sense, did that by making a deal with the devil through working with Alpha to try and break the cycle of death that came with trying to fix her and Beyond's corruption.

Anubisis (Dark) - Enigma uses this monster. Enigma has some parallels with Arietta in terms of their roles in the narrative. Also, its skill deals 4,444 damage. Haha, funny STARLIVHT number. And Arietta's the person that recruited them in NOISZ SL. Anubisis is the Producer theory confirmed/j.

Drawn Joker (Dark) - It has a mischievous look to it that fits Arietta's playful and impulsive personality well. (I would also like to add “Arietta is Joker character” theory as a justification for this)

Lightning Dark Tiamat (Dark/Light) - Representing Arietta's redemption arc in re:||VERSE. She's someone who's done terrible, horrific things who's now trying to correct those mistakes. A light finally breaking through a sea of seemingly never-ending darkness. Plus, a Dark orb changer is an essential member of a mono-Dark team. It's no good not to have enough Orbs to clear. You need those for damage and skill points.

(or, instead of Tiamat) Death Skydragon, Arkvelza (Dark/Dark) - Pairs nicely with Zerclea, which I think Beyond has. Arkvelza's skill lowers foes HP by a set percentage. But I mainly picked Arkvelza for theming. I can't have Arkvelza in the same team as Tiamat because that's not allowed in PaDZ.

Leader Monsters Only

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough ideas to make full teams for these folks. My apologies.

Stornel

Dimensional Guardian, Hellgate (Wood) - Stornel's soul guards one of the NOISZ's most powerful secrets: imprinting souls. He acts as both the gateway and guardian of imprinting, similar to how Hellgate is both a portal and monster.

or

Immortal Dragon, Cursed Wyrm (Dark) - It's a deceased dragon who was reanimated by dark magic and trapped in the shell of its body. “Now I'm trapped inside this shell, the world has turned to black around me” as Stornel might say in Quicksilver, I suppose.

Sora

Phoenix Knight, Homura (Flame) - It goes on with its blue flames? Yeah, sounds like Sora in his beast form.

Or

Garuda (Flame) - A very powerful phoenix that requires the rarest evolution material in the game (Ifrit Chip).

[chubbyferaligatr]

I saw a post that @foximator-blog made showing their fire Imaginators and thought maybe I would show the Imaginators I've made :3... I hope this doesn't make you feel like I'm stealing your idea, just thought it would be a fun thing to try

This imaginator is based off myself

Name: Natalie

Catchphrase: the wind feeds the fire!

Gender: female

Element: fire

Battle Class: bowslinger

Species: human

Senseis: Wolfgang, Buckshot

Personality/Story: Natalie has autism which makes it a little hard for her to understand some things but she is strong and brave with a caring heart of gold and has managed to make some villains see the error of their ways just with her kind and gentle words, Her bow is powered by a real dragons fire breath. Sometimes she gets scared from the loud noises and fighting but her Senseis and friends are there to help when needed

Likes: playing piano, drawing, hanging out with Dr Krankcase and watching him work on inventions, translucent colourful things, sleeping, making people laugh

Dislikes: when people tell lies, bullies, (she thinks they are annoying idiots) tacos, (they make her feel sick) people yelling, (it scares her sometimes)

This one is based off my actual guardian angel

Name: Dingo Allens

Catchphrase: the winters from above!

Gender: male

Element: water

Battle Class: knight

Species: angel

Senseis: Wildstorm, Ambush

Personality/Story: Dingo is very understanding and protective but can also be a jokester at times and enjoys a good laugh. he is also Natalie's guardian angel so he's always there to keep the bad sprits away when she sleeps. Despite being listed as a water element Dingo actually has ice powers and used his ice breath to create his sword, he was also born in heaven

Likes: singing, making things and changing outfits with his ice power, flying around the academy with Sonic Boom and Whirlwind, annoying villains, (he finds it funny when they get angry and try to charge at him but he flies out of reach)

Dislikes: people pulling at his wings, (sometimes kids will grab ahold of his feathers and pull on them which really hurts him, good thing he can make his wings disappear and reappear whenever) spicy food

Name: Eugene Clamentine

Catchphrase: are you willing to make a trade?

Gender: male

Element: magic

Battle Class: sentinel

Species: velociraptor

Senseis: Ember, Hood Sickle

Personality/Story: Eugene can be rude and controlling at times but he has a soft side for his friends, he is also a tradesmen and has many things in his possession, he is willing to give you what you need for something in return of course but sometimes he can be particularly nasty and trick people into getting him hard to find artifacts only to use his magic to teleport them to who knows where. Eugene may be a mean man but he can be very nice and gentlemanly... When he wants to be

Likes: jewels and other priceless things, playing pranks with Flare Wolf, his friends, (especially because they care even if he is rude) fighting, scaring trolls with his power so they will pull his trade cart for him

Dislikes: being betrayed by the people he's trading, (some find a way to trick him back) pie, mabu, (he thinks they're stupid creatures) villains,

Name: Sparky

Catchphrase: i got your back!

Gender: male

Element: tech

Battle Class: smasher

Species: crocodile

Senseis: Chopscotch, Pain-Yatta

Personality/Story: Sparky is always calm and collected and a quick thinker, he's also a blacksmith and makes weapons, armour and occasionally limbs for those who lost theirs. Sparky lost his arms in battle and had his friend Eugene help build his robo arms with his magic, he is also brave and fearful of losing his friends and is willing to protect them with his life. He's also good friends with Sprocket and thought he would make his weapon similar to hers

Likes: training with his Senseis, making weapons, relaxing in the academy lounge, hanging out with Eugene, (sometimes he bonks him on the head if he is being really nasty)

Dislikes: Wolfgang, (he tries to annoy Sparky by grabbing his tail or messing with his mechanical arms but ends up getting hit with a giant wrench) chompies, water, (he hates the fact that he can't swim anymore)

Name: Zora

Catchphrase: life's a gift!

Gender: female

Element: light

Battle Class: sorcerer

Species: robot dragon

Senseis: Golden Queen, Mysticat

Personality/Story: Zora is wise and gentle and can sometimes see the future in her dreams, she is a robot similar to Gearshift but has the soul of a green feather dragon fused within which brought her back to life. She loves to meditate and decorate her room with colourful fairy lights, before Zora was a robot/dragon hybrid she was a loud and destructive green feather dragon. She loved playing around with other dragons and was quite careless with her actions, But one day her carelessness got her caught in the crossfire of a dragon battle and sadly passed before anyone could save her. Some dragons brought her to Master Eon and he helped their friend by transferring her soul into a spare robot Dr Krankcase had in his workshop, Zora was brought back to life but now with a quiet, none destructive and more careful personality

Likes: eating, meditation, Dr Krankcase and Eon, (for bringing her back to life) visiting her dragon friends, lava, ( her body is lava proof so she loves playing with it)

Dislikes: battles, (her friends try to help her with her fear of battle by fighting along side her) her room being messy, being distracted

Name: Leodora

Catchphrase: hear me roar!

Gender: female

Element: dark

Battle Class: brawler

Species: faun

Senseis: Crash Bandicoot, King Pen

Personality/Story: fauns are usually born to be of the life or earth element but when Leodora was born the other fauns were shocked to find out she was a dark element and some thought it was a sign of evil while others thought it was a miracle. When fauns become teenagers they get to choose an animal spirit to gain their power, some animal spirits are good and some are bad, as expected the teen fauns chose a good spirit like a bird, Fox etc although Leodora was usually sort of friendly and kind she liked to misbehave at times and wandered off to the bad sprits area. For some reason she was drawn to the lion spirit which is one of the evilest spirits and also hard to control. A elder faun saw her walking towards it and reached out to stop her but it was to late and she was already being surrounded with its power. The elder faun stared at her in amazement as she looked at him now with glowing red eyes and had managed to control the spirit, now she is a Skylander and is still learning new abilities but her favourite is her all mighty lion roar.

Likes: scaring and defeating villains with her load roar, running really fast, learning, winning roaring competitions with wildstorm,

Dislikes: Zora, (Zora and Leodora are like rivals and manage to turn anything into a fight or competition) when people are too bossy, fruit cake

[vannahfanfics]

Wounds

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Characters: Mirajane Strauss, Laxus Dreyar

Hi, everyone! Hoping to sneak in an event or two for @ftguildevents​' Slayers' Week! This story is for the Day 1 Prompt "Scars." Enjoy! 

As rain plummeted from the cloud-choked night sky by the buckets, Laxus Dreyar hobbled up to the Fairy Tail guild. His clothes were torn to shreds, and blood leaked from dozens of gashes littering his body. They ranged in size from cat scratches to massive, gaping wounds deep to the fat. The blood dripped down his dark clothes to drop into the water puddled ankle-deep in the streets before disappearing into wispy pink clouds. Water streamed down his face in rivulets from his drenched blonde hair that slicked to his head, which hung low, chin nearly touching his chest as he shambled wearily up to the building. Laxus' boots clunked against the damp wood of the guild steps as he slowly climbed them one laborious movement at a time. 

The windows were dark save for the reflection of the street lamps on the marbled glass panes. That was to be expected, considering it was nearing midnight, and most of the guild members had retired to their beds. The door released a gravelly groan of protest when Laxus pushed it open. The howling wind sprayed raindrops over the welcome mat and wood flooring; Laxus' blood discolored them as well when he staggered over the threshold. 

"Fuck," he cursed softly under his breath as a particularly deep wound in his left thigh blazed with fiery pain. He just barely stumbled to the closest table, and collapsed with an agonized groan against the cold wood. He lay there with his cheek pressed against the grainy surface, one eye screwed up in pain. Get up, Laxus. This is nothing! he insisted. His body ached too much to comply, so he continued to slump there, feeling the hot, sticky blood dribble down his calf. 

Suddenly, the dismal gloom fled with the oncoming of a soft yellow light. Laxus lolled his head to see Mirajane holding up an oil lamp and hurrying over from the bar. A smear of blood marred the tabletop as he lifted his head to blink blearily at the white-haired woman. Tutting under her breath, she set the oil lamp down, casting them both in its warm creamy glow, and drank in his disheveled appearance. 

"Oh, Laxus…"

"It's nothing," he gruffed. His body contradicted him; as he moved to straighten up, the gash under his seventh rib sent his intercostals spasming, making him cry out and resume hunching over the table. Mirajane's dainty hands slid onto his broad shoulder as she leaned over him. "I'm… fine…" he lied weakly. Mirajane pursed her lips. 

"You are most certainly not fine! You're bleeding everywhere!" she whined loudly, and he smirked despite himself. Spirited as ever… "Stay right here. I'm going to get the first-aid kit," she instructed, already walking back towards her counter. Laxus did as bid; there was nothing for it. If he attempted to leave, Mirajane would just drag him back- maybe even in one of her sadistic devil forms. He shuddered just imagining it. No, he definitely preferred to continue bleeding on the furniture, thank you very much. 

Mirajane's clacking heels announced her return. She eased into the space beside him, blank-faced as she flipped open the plastic case that contained an assortment of bandages, cotton balls, and packets of ointment and antiseptic. She also had brought a needle and roll of twine, and damp rags. Laxus watched her coat one of the cloths with hydrogen peroxide. Her movements were much too practiced. 

"Let me see your leg," she ordered. Laxus obeyed, but hissed in pain as he shifted to present his left leg to her. She stretched it out over her lap and used a pair of scissors to snip the blood-soaked fabric of his pants away from the gaping cut in the meat of his thigh. "This is going to hurt," she warned before pressing the rag down hard into the wound. Laxus jolted and yelled a series of unflattering expletives. The blue fabric of the cloth flooded purple as his blood soaked deep into the fibers; as Mirajane staunched the wound, however, the flow gradually ceased. She tossed the blood-soaked towel aside to press another in its place. Much less blood stained the fabric this time. "You're lucky it missed the artery, or you'd be dead." 

"Lucky me." 

Mirajane's eyes were chips of ice as she glared out of the corners of her eyes at him. He squirmed uncomfortably in the face of her venom. She's angry… He winced as she pushed harder on the rag, and he wasn't sure if it was because she needed to apply pressure or if it was revenge for his apathy. Her eyes fixated on the deep wound hidden beneath her hands, which were smeared with blood too. Seeing her bottom lip quiver, he exhaled deeply through his nose. 

She finally pulled the damp rag away. The wound was clean, showing the lacerated muscle tissue. She stoically took the needle and nylon thread, as well as a syringe of anesthesia. Laxus winced when she plunged the needle into his thigh, feeling the stinging lidocaine and epinephrine pulse through the meat. She poked at his leg a few times and, when he didn't react, regarded it to be numb. She began sewing up the wound, winding the thread through the gap to pull the muscle fibers and skin together. When she was tying off the knot, he decided perhaps he should say something, as the silence was driving him mad.

"Mira, I-"

"Don't do that!" she snapped, throwing the twine and needle aside then grabbing the bandages. She unwound them and yanked up Laxus’ leg with no care at all, making him grunt. Her eyes flickered to him, and then her body relaxed as she forced the tension out of it. "You don't get to do that," she murmured and began gently winding the bandages around his thigh. It was awkward, as she had to dip in below the fabric of his pants. He watched her with a sour taste blooming on his tongue, because tears were beginning to glimmer on her white lashes. "You don't get to just waltz in here all bloody and beat up for me to fix you. One day, I might not be able to, and what then? What then, Laxus?" His lips drew into a thin line. One of the tears dropped from her chin to drop down into the wound. The salt stung, but her words stung more. 

She sighed deeply and tied off the bandage, then tiredly gestured to his chest. "Take off your shirt…" Laxus complied, grimacing as he reached over his back to tug the garment up. It caught on his biceps, smudging it with more blood; the friction made his wounds scream. The gash in his ribs was particularly vocal, making him lock up and hold the shirt above his head. Mirajane tutted and reached up to gently ease it the rest of the way. It dropped to the floor, and her hands dropped to his pectorals. Her fingers skated over the many abrasions and small cuts decorating his chiseled muscles. 

"Blade magic," he explained as she counted the wounds, one by one. "Some asshole from a Dark Guild-" 

"I'm well aware. I read the request," Mirajane quipped tartly. She retrieved a cotton ball and doused it in antiseptic, then began dabbing it over the various wounds. "It was asinine for you to go alone. Why didn't you take the others?" Laxus wrinkled his nose at her blatant chiding and leaned back on his hands. 

"I didn't think it was necessary."

"Mhmm, and look where that foolishness has landed you," came her haughty retort. Laxus flinched as she pressed on one of the deeper nicks unnecessarily hard. "You've come a long way, Laxus, but you're still pigheadedly reckless," she breathed forlornly. Her hands faltered to drop into her lap, and she stared at her blood-smudged palms with fresh tears brimming in her eyes.

"Mira," he sighed again, and she didn't interrupt him this time. He shifted uncomfortably as guilt began to prickle his heart with sharp little needles. Begrudged as he was to admit, it was unwise of him to challenge such a villain alone. Mirajane usually was the one to patch him up after his… misadventures, so she had seen him in such a sorry state time and time again. She had never scolded him so fiercely before, nor had she been so openly melancholy. Grimacing, he reached up to sweep a swathe of her snow-white hair behind her ear. "... Forgive me. I've hurt you."

She nodded, her throat constricting as she swallowed down a sob. She pressed her cheek into his large, rough-skinned hand, and the feeling of her soft skin rubbing the hard callouses sent shockwaves pulsing through his nerves. Tears dripped from her eyes, and he swept the ones running down her right cheek away with his thumb. Mirajane hardly ever cried, and the fact that this episode was his fault sent cold guilt flushing through his nerves. 

"You're damn right," she exhaled shakily. The angry flush in her cheeks and her wobbling bottom lip betrayed her tough façade. Her hand rose to enclose around the one cupping her face, and Laxus was surprised to feel her fingers quivering. She fluttered her eyelashes a few times to dislodge the clinging dewdrops of salty water before looking at him intently. "Laxus, I know we've been ignoring this… thing between us, but I can't any longer. Not when you keep doing this to yourself," she sniffed in agony. His gaze followed her other hand as it ghosted not over his current wounds, but the scars that joined them on the landscape of his body. "Not when we're like this…" 

Laxus wasn't fool enough to be ignorant of what she spoke of. An understood attraction had existed between them for some time now- ironically borne of nights like this, when the dragon-slayer had stumbled in bloody and beaten, and Mirajane played the doting yet stern nurse. The guild walls had borne witness to many a deep conversation in the early hours of the morning. The two of them were privy to secrets and fears and doubts no one else in the world knew. Laxus had always been emotionally constipated and found difficulty in expressing his innermost feelings. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure what he was feeling, and usually, that made him angry. Still, Laxus knew enough to know that he loved Mirajane. 

Yes. Laxus loved Mirajane. He loved how beautiful she was, inside and out; her radiant smile and gorgeous winter-snow hair and bright eyes were but a window to the beautiful soul within. He loved how she could flip a switch and become feisty and powerful and domineering. He loved her motherly tendencies and fierce loyalty to the guild. Mirajane was, through and through, a fantastic person. 

So he hated himself because of that. Mirajane loved him enough to wait in the guild until the wee hours of the night when he went on missions to see when he would come straggling in. She loved him enough to tend to his wounds, wind him head-to-toe in bandages, and only say a few chiding words. She loved him enough to hold her tongue until the moment she burst. 

How could Laxus not see that he was breaking her heart because of that love?

She woefully buried her face in her hands. "I can't live with loving you while I'm wondering if this is the last time I'll ever see you alive," she sobbed. Her slim shoulders shook as she cried petulantly. Watching her sob made every scar that marred Laxus’ body begin to burn like the first moment the wounds had been inflicted. They had hurt then, but Laxus had been remiss to consider something important. 

How could Laxus not see that every wound inflicted upon himself was yet another scar on Mirajane's already scarred heart?

Laxus exhaled and leaned forward- the best he could with his leg still propped and his rib wound still oozing blood- to wrap his arms around Mirajane. He hugged her to his chest, burying his face into her scalp and running his fingers through her rivers of snow-white hair. She pressed her nose into his sternum with a low, mournful whine and wrapped her arms around the circumference of his torso, her hands splaying over his deltoids as she pressed every inch of herself possible against him. 

"I'm sorry, Mira. I'm so sorry." She sniffed miserably and turned so that her cheek pressed against his chest. She wiped at her eyes with the heel of her palm, but neglected to respond. Frowning, he pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head. "I'll do better. I promise."

"You'd better," she huffed while defiantly puffing out her cheeks, "or next time, you'll be nursing the wounds I give you." Laxus dryly laughed and buried his face further into her hair, inhaling her vanilla coffee scent. 

"Yeah," he smirked. "Sure thing." 

With a deep breath, she pulled away from him, shaking out her long hair before drawing it behind her shoulders. 

"All right. Let's take care of this last cut," Mirajane smiled warmly and set to staunching the wound. She had to lean close to get the proper leverage, her head hovering just underneath his. Laxus stared at her a moment, then slipped a hand underneath her chin to slowly tilt her head back. Her mouth parted into a ring shape, about to ask what he was doing, but he swallowed her words by sealing their lips together. She sighed slightly into the kiss, pressing against him and moving her mouth in tandem with his. He rubbed his free hand up and down her forearm. Goosebumps rose in his wake as his touch made her hair stand on end. When he pulled away, still pinching the end of her chin between his thumb and forefinger, her eyelashes fluttered several times. A pink haze rose to her cheeks. 

"Don't think that gets you off the hook," she huffed and looked down at the wound. She pressed hard against it again, for the surprise kiss had relaxed her muscles. "I'm still mad at you."

"But you still love me?" He asked smugly and propped his elbow on the table. She huffed and applied more pressure, making him growl. She then smiled tenderly, and her gaze flickered to his face. 

"Of course I do… even if you're the most reckless idiot in the world." 

"Hey," he complained indignantly, "I can think of a handful of people more worthy of that title."

"You'll have to prove it to me," she shrugged cockily and smirked back down at the cut. Laxus snorted, but leaned in to press another chaste kiss to her lips. 

"Fine, fine…" He twinged when she pushed on the wound again. Obviously, she desired a more convincing answer. "I promise! Gah! Just stop hurtin' me, damn woman." She giggled mischievously and stuck out her tongue. 

"Can't help it. I am a sadist, you know." He rolled his eyes and relaxed against the table as she prepared to stitch the wound shut. Smiling, he watched her work through one cracked eye. 

Unlike all times before, Mirajane had a serene smile on her face as she patched him up. 

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork​ @searchfortheonepiece​

[disasterganes]

do you mind going further on the "bryke is trash" point? i may have liked a:tla and thought a:tlok had issues, but i feel like i'm missing info or haven't thought about certain things critically enough.

i will definitely do my best -- full disclosure it’s been years since i’ve come into Close Contact™ w/ k*rra, so feel free to take with a grain of salt. it’s just my opinion, and it’s a heightened opinion because i was B I G into the fandom & show when it was dropping. i had a friend group formed through atla / k*rra before it launched, it was a real cornerstone of my online life so of course i took its bad writing way more personally than a more casual fan. i also can’t watch a show as a show? i’ve done too much work (undergrad & graduate) in writing & narrative studies, so i can Only See Story -- when it falls apart, i can’t get past it. 

behind the scenes, atla likely triumphed because it was a team effort, and a bit of a first effort. not that these people hadn’t written before -- but part of what k*rra suffers from is the “how do we level up” problem that is typically answered (esp by white male writers) with make it darker. atla shone because it didn’t need to darken its tone in order to convey a more serious story -- it had room to breathe and a gentler humor that never really felt malicious in the way lok would feel malicious at times. atla was content to be what it was -- lok was always trying to be grittier than it had to be, given how well atla conveyed its difficult themes with a lighter hand. 

anyway! two parts: shitty writing, & racism. 

abandoning its premise 

my biggest pet peeve is when a show sets up something -- and doesn’t deliver. it’s why i noped out literally s1. (and, of course, kept up quietly from the sidelines bc once i start something i’m physically incapable of letting it go. but emotionally i was gone.) in its first two episodes, lok had incredible worldbuilding. it was beautiful! well drawn! interesting! organic to the world atla built! there were problems introduced that were new and different from atla. atla read a lot like a sprawling, classic hero’s quest. falter, then triumph. lok was more intricate. in its first two episodes, it posed a question: how do you navigate heroism in a world where heroism has been redefined? how do you balance staying true to yourself and allowing yourself to grow, under the scrutiny of the “celebrity” of avatardom? and how do you perform as an avatar, the person meant to keep the balance of the spirit world, when the mortal world is out of balance? this could have been four series’ worth of content. there was enough rich, complex worldbuilding in the first episode to sustain four seasons of a show. 

and then they just -- forgot about it. it was set dressing, and every half a season they artificially upped the stakes. nothing was organic to the world or the story. it was all some -- contrived plot. the conflict between benders and nonbenders could have been really interesting and then it was just -- black and white. here and gone. k*rra’s too brash and bratty to understand! and nonbenders don’t matter anyway! let’s forget about this plot and skip to some !! uh !! political upheaval! and then like! assassins and genocide or smth!! haha yeah big fights! 

it was so shallow, and that’s not how the show started. in the first seven episodes, i thought i’d called the overarching. i thought the show would spend however much time it had (initially, bryke said they were only doing two seasons to “focus on a tight story” and, like a fool, i believed that this wasn’t just a cash grab :/) setting up this story: k*rra will unlock her full potential when she realizes that it’s not just the spirit world that needs an avatar, but the mortal world as well. 

that’s it! that’s all you need! it’s a similar premise to atla but it expands atla. i distinctly remember the quote from one of those s1 episodes, where a nonbender says, “but you’re our avatar too.” that’s it. that’s the show. you have a show!! you have equalists, you have a bender-centric world, you have progress at the expense of those that can’t fit this new world’s design -- and then the equalists are all fake and we’re going to just brute force a solution and move onto the next crisis. 

... what ?? what put the nail in the coffin for me was when the gang or crew whatever the fuck they were (spoiler alert: they were nothing, none of them liked or cared about each other) were being aided by a homeless community or w/e and b*lin jokes about a “wise and noble hobo.” this orphan. who grew up homeless. and has built himself up from nothing with his only family left. is not utilized by the writers to comment on the epidemic of poverty, homelessness, and very thinly veiled racism / ableism (another spoiler alert: don’t expect white dudes to write a coherent metaphor for a real world issue). this was the opportunity for actual depth and even darkness -- below the glittering world of republic city is a serious problem that “”””defeating the fire lord”””” won’t solve. this is a mature and complex story, and it was never ever explored. in fact, in s2 that rich dude asks b*lin if he’s “ever seen the arena at night.” and b*lin says no. the, uh, the arena he lived in bc he was homeless and crushed under the wheel of this new society. 

what ,, the fuck ,, bryke. 

it’s the problem where a writer is constantly trying to outdo themselves -- and they sacrifice the story they could have had. the actually mature one. it’s a problem of thinking fight scenes and a villain Bigger and Badder than the last constitutes grittiness or maturity or w/e. (spoiler alert again: it doesn’t.) 

torturing k*rra 

atla was a story about raising a*ng up. lok was a story abt breaking k*rra down. 

shitty writing is one thing. racist writing is another. from the fucking moment she’s on screen, k*rra is told that she’s too much -- she’s too confident, she’s too loud, she’s too stubborn. and maybe she’s confident, loud, and stubborn, but the narrative does nothing but punish her for this. 

a*ng is a flawed character. a*ng runs away from his responsibility and, subsequently, the fire nation takes over the entirety of the known world. do i blame a*ng for this? absolutely not. and neither does the narrative -- not in a way that counts. people in the story do, but does the narrative beat him bloody? no. the narrative gives him friends. the narrative gives him room to make mistakes and then apologize for them. the narrative lets him learn without making his failures into something that he is literally tortured over. he struggles, but in his worst and most dire situations -- his friends are there. when he dies, it’s not shown in all of its gory details, and in a beautiful, quiet scene, k*tara heals him with spirit water. they stay by his side, and a*ng is given love, care, and support. 

k*rra is constantly, viscerally tortured on screen. k*rra is blamed, threatened, abandoned, poisoned, and temporarily disabled. k*rra is treated like a punching bag in direct response to her supposed “flaws.” we know this to be true because she “learns” from these moments of being violated, abused, and tortured -- the narrative tells us that she had to go through hell, on her own, in order to “learn humility.” 

why did k*rra, a brown girl, need to learn humility? when did she ever come across as someone who couldn’t learn, given the kind of time and space that a*ng had? why were her lessons literally beaten into her, while a*ng’s were simply a process of trial and error, with his friends at his side every single step of the way? 

people will always argue that it’s not so bad, that it’s not necessary to be as gentle with k*rra. but tell that to young brown girls watching this incredible, smart, kind, strong brown heroine get physically and mentally assaulted and broken down in order to properly “serve and save the world.” that shit? that shit’s traumatizing. k*rra is treated like garbage by m*ka, by as*mi, and by the entire world -- she is killed and tortured and isolated, and she is still expected to be grateful for what little she’s given by the end of the series. 

i hate that k*rrasami is praised so highly. because it uses the lesbian card (which i carry as a member) to reinforce some really disgusting colorism and, quite frankly, shitty ass writing. bryke can’t write without a team. end of story. 

that shit!! does NOT fly with me !!! 

[kairi-chan]

Hellooo... so uhhh... do you ship ot3 BoruSaraMitsu? If you do, do you have a small fic for this particular shipper's heart and desires? I'm just really curious tho sorry in advance. Thank you veryyy much for reading this humble ask :D

Title: Fairy Tales

Rating: K

Genre: Friendship / Humor

Beta read by: @sandpancakecat

A/N: Not shippy as you have expected, darling. Definitely not small also, at 3,574 words. But definitely fluffy and funny friendship shenanigans. 

Dedicated to the people who always screamat me for not sleeping, eating, and taking care of myself. Thank you for alwaysbeing there for me and coming to my aid. It’s been a bad week for us, but we always stay present for each other and I’m so thankful for that. I’ve been writing this fic for nearly 2 weeks, all for you @shikastemari @lazymilkshakecolor @double–u :) 

Genin babies!

—

He tookin a ragged breath and gripped on tighter to his sword. The knight’s blond hairstuck on to his forehead, as sweat ran down his temples. The sight before himseemed akin to a nightmare. The tall grey walls were in shambles, and brightorange flames licked at the torn crests and flags, bearing the sigil of hishouse. He could not believe his eyes. As a boy, he thought his home to beimpregnable, but now, it was all starting to crumble and break, much like hisheart and spirits.

Theknight swallowed, seeking relief from a thirst he hadn’t noticed, but his mouthwas dry, and he found no reprieve. Hesitantly, he took a step forward, hisboots crunching the gravel under his feet. He did not want to look down, as hefeared he may see someone he knew lifeless on the ground. There was one personon his mind who he wished to see–to save–and hoped with all his heart thatthey were okay.

“Myprincess…” he uttered.

Sarada leaned in closer, her nose nearlybrushing the page as she continued to read. She was finally getting to the good parts! The slight romance in the bookwas well written, but far too slow paced. And the dilemma the knight had justdidn’t seem strong enough to drive the kind of character development that heneeded. The dragon’s story was interesting enough, and she liked the hint ofmagic that was sprinkled around the plot.

Unconsciously, she pushed her glasses back upthe bridge of her nose and forced herself to zone out the rest of theworld–meaning her two teammates who were playing soccer outside in herbackyard. They had finished training with Konohamaru fairly early, and Mitsukiand Boruto wanted to wait for Sasuke and Sakura to come home for more training.As for Sarada, she had been training well before the sun was up and wanted to usethis time to relax. Due to their time spent together, Sarada learned how totolerate Boruto and Mitsuki’s loud roughhousing.

For a moment, she looked outside the windowand spotted the two boys having fun, kicking a ball back and forth. It seemedthey were really getting into it, as she could sense with every round, theywere pumping more and more chakra to their legs. She shook her head from sideto side disapprovingly, making a bet to herself that someone was bound to gethurt if they get too carried away.

“Boys…” she muttered and then shrugged. Sheshifted her position on the couch in such a way that she faced the open windowa little more, in order to catch the cool spring breeze coming through. Shesmiled to herself and appreciated how the odds seemed to have been in her favorto read today.

Theknight lifted his gaze to the tower, to see a light shining within. Hopesparked within his heart, sending a wave of bravery and adrenaline through hisbody. He lifted his sword and his shield, preparing himself for anything as hedared to open the tall wooden door. What lay behind could have been anything.Looters? Bandits? The evil mage who created the dragons, or it worse–it couldhave been the beast itself.

The doorcreaked and echoed as the knight pushed it open, cautious for anything thatmight come to attack. The hall was dark, but the smell of burnt flesh and smokefilled his nostrils, unsettling him with every step he took. All his senseswere in overdrive. Despite the dying flames at the corners of the room, he feltcold and heard the sound of dripping water.

Howstrange… the knight thought.

A lowrumble started to echo, and slowly got louder and louder to a roar until itshook the ground, his body, and his resolve. Out of the white smoke, a pair ofbright yellow eyes revealed itself, and a forked tongue came forward, followedby a hiss.

Was thisthe same beast? The blood-curdling roar earlier seemed like it came from anotherworldly creature, but what presented itself before him was a largeserpentine creature with yellow eyes and white scales. It looked majestic bututterly villainous.

For amoment, the knight felt his knees shake before the creature. He wanted to runand save himself. However, before he could, the images of his princess flashedbefore his memory. Her sweet smile, and melodious laugh. With one, raggedbreath, he stilled himself and made a decision. He was going to fight, not onlyfor her but for his whole clan. His father, mother, sister…

Theknight gritted his teeth. He would do this—go all out for them. He couldn’t letthem down! Wordlessly, he widened his stance, raised his shield to cover hisbody, and lifted his eyes as well as his sword towards the beast. With one bigbreath, he opened his mouth and yelled as he ran towards the beast.

“AAAAAAAH!”

“SARADAAAAAA!”

“Huh?” The next thing she knew, the soccerball hit her right between the eyes and knocked her off the sofa.

.

.

.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Sarada’s head hurt, and there was a burningsensation on her forehead.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, yaknow?”

The noise was making her head hurt even more.Her brows knitted together and her mouth twisted as she tried to open her eyes.

A different voice floated towards her, calmer,this time. “Sarada, can you hear me?”

She grumbled out something incoherent as shetried to sit up and open her eyes. Her world was a blur, and it took her awhile to realize that she wasn’t wearing her glasses as she rubbed at her eyes.Before her, there were two blobs of color. One was blond, black and pink, theother blue and white. “Where are my glasses?”

No one responded for a few seconds andstarted to feel a little annoyed. “Do I really have to look for them myself?”

“Well… umm…” Boruto had a hard time speaking,for some reason.

Mitsuki lifted her palms up in the air andplaced down to plastic items on it. She didn’t need to have perfect vision toknow what was in her hands. Her glasses were snapped in half, the glass crackedand a chunk was missing. Her vision went from blurry blobs of color to nothingbut red.

Justgreat!

She let out a shout of frustration. “I’m goingto kill you!”

“I said I was sorry!” Boruto jumped up to his feet, genuinely afraid for hislife. Sarada with perfect vision was one thing, but a blind one? She could go on crushing and making craters aimlesslyand still harm her target. “I didn’tmean it I swear!”

She sniffed, and Boruto stopped yelling. Helooked down at her and felt horrible. It looked like she was going to cry. Hehated it when she cried.

Her hands were up, hiding her face. “I wasjust getting to the good parts…”

Mitsuki looked around and found a discardedbook on the floor. He flipped it open and scanned the page. “Were you readingthis?”

She didn’t look his way but she nodded herhead.

“What part were you in?” Mitsuki asked.

“Just when the knight was about to attack thedragon.”

“A knight?”Boruto’s voice lifted and his eyes lit up.

“Dragon?” Mitsuki gave Boruto a look and asmile grew on his face.

The blond boy grinned cheekily and nodded.Without a word, the two boys hoisted Sarada up and sat her back down on thesofa. She protested, but her complaints fell on deaf ears.

“Just sit down, we’ll read the rest out toyou, okay?” Boruto grinned and sat down on the center table, facing her.

Mitsuki nodded and sat down next to Boruto. Heopened the page and found where Sarada had left off. “We’ll take turns.”

“I’ll read out the knight’s parts!” Heannounced valiantly.

“And I the dragon.”Mitsuki’s emphasis on the last word sent chills down Sarada’s back. It was toofitting.

“Okay, fine.” She pouted. “But don’t thinkthis will make me forget that you kicked a ball at my face!”

“Alright, alright.” Boruto grinned. “I’ll buyyou an iced caramel macchiato later, okay?”

Sarada grinned victoriously and hugged apillow to her chest, wishing the throbbing on her forehead would stop. It wasdifferent reading the book herself, but she thought having it read out loudwould be fun, too. Like listening to an audiobook.

Boruto cleared his throat and tried to alterhis voice to go deeper, giving it a more dramatic flair. “The knight ranforward, wielding his weapon at the dragon. The beast snarled and lungedforward, trying to crush the knight. But he dodged and took the opportunity tostrike the beast, but was far too quick!”

Mitsuki took the book and read, “Theserpent-like creature slithered farther, gauging the knight from a distance.Perhaps it had slain a lot of warriors, but never was he faced with such avaliant foe. His forked tongue came darting out, and a low hissssing sound started to fill the hall.”

He then handed the book over to Boruto whogrinned, “You’re pretty good at this, Mitsuki!”

The boy grinned, and was about to respond butwas hushed by Sarada who demanded they stop chatting and keep reading. Borutopouted, and held one side of the book, letting Mitsuki hold the other side.They scootched closer together, and Boruto resumed his reading.

“The knight shook, feeling the fear creep upto chest once again but he stood firm!”Boruto jumped up and held his fist up in the air, pretending to be holding asword. “He raised his sword and resolve filled his blue eyes. I will not lose!” He ran into thekitchen and a few pots and pans crashed together, as he spoke. “I will do thisfor my family!” More clattering happened in the kitchen and Sarada and Mitsukitried to take a look at what he was doing.

“What are you doing?” Sarada demanded, but shegot no response from Boruto. 

Boruto came running back into the living room,a pasta strainer on his head, one hand holding on to a ladle and his other handgripped a pot cover, using it as a shield.

Mitsuki grinned and approached him, taking thebook from his clumsy hold, as he tried to balance it out with the ladle. Hetook in Boruto’s appearance once more and read from the book aloud, “The dragonstood taller,” as he read, Mitsuki’s posture straightened, and slowly, hislimbs started to elongate and his voice got deeper, “Hissssssing its tongue out at the knight, yellow eyes glinted withmalice and challenge.”

The two boys stood facing each other for a fewseconds, pausing for dramatic flair. The top of Mitsuki’s head was nearlytouching the ceiling, and Boruto’s eyes shone with determination, fullyabsorbing the role of the knight. He held up the lid to cover his chest andlifted the ladle overhead, poised to strike.

“Do your worse, you foul beast!” Boruto wasadlibbing now, as Mitsuki had dropped the book to the ground. The boys werereally getting into their role play, completely forgetting that they weresupposed to be reading it out to Sarada.

“AAAAAAAAAH!” Boruto shouted and ran towardsMitsuki, swinging the ladle from side to side. Mitsuki evaded his strikes withfluid, serpentine motions. He struck back, extending his arm and a pair ofwhite snakes flew out of his sleeve.

Boruto rolled to the right to dodge, legshitting the side table, knocking over some of the frames. The lampshade shookand the glass tingled as the table wobbled.

“What are you doing?” Sarada shrieked. Perhapsthe boys forgot, she may have been blind without her glasses, but she certainlywasn’t deaf. The ruckus they were making inside her home was starting to makeher panic. Her Mama and Papa would be home any minute! What would they say ifthe place was a mess? She tried to stand from the couch but fell back on thethrow pillows as Mitsuki darted for Boruto, knocking her over.

“You’ll pay for all of this, Dragon!” Borutoshouted. He pumped chakra to hisfeet as he planned to launch himself at Mitsuki as the final blow.

Mitsuki coiled in on himself, looking atstriking Boruto head on, as well.

They stared each other down, and then, struck.    

.

.

.

Sasuke and Sakura approached their home,carrying bags full of grocery for dinner. Their conversation was cut when theyheard something crash and break inside.

“What was that?” Concern shone in her eyes.

He opened his mouth to share his inference ashe opened the door but was cut off yet again when a loud shout and anothercrash echoed. It sounded like…

“Oh my god.” Sakura dropped the bags on thefloor, hurriedly removed her shoes and rushed inside.

The scene before her was horrible. Her livingroom was in ruins. The picture frames were all over the floor, knocked off thetables. The rug was in disarray and some of the throw pillows had been cutopen, the white stuffing bursting through. The lampshade lay forgotten on thefloor, a crack on the shade and the bulb.

“What happened?” She demanded.

Mitsuki had his serpents wound around Boruto’smidsection, holding his left arm down while his right hand held the ladle up.It clunked on the ground as soon as he saw Sakura. Sarada, on the other hand,was on the floor, groping around for what Sakura guessed were her brokenglasses to her left.

“Mama?” Sarada looked her way and squinted.

“H-hey there… Auntie Sakura… Y-you’re lookingas pretty as always, ya know?” Boruto laughed nervously.

The vein in her forehead throbbed. If Borutothought that he was going to get away with this by flattering her, he waswrong. Sakura was usually very kind and patient to the genins, but ruining herliving room was seriously pushing it.

“Sakura.” Her husband stood beside her,looking her way first, before slowly scanning the living room. If Sasuke wasshocked, he showed no signs of it on his face. His dark gaze landed on hisstudent and Mitsuki, looking at them from head to toe, and then back up again.Sasuke quirked a brow up, wordlessly commanding the boys to explain themselves.

Mitsuki retracted his snakes, setting Borutoback on his feet, the pasta strainer fell from his head, clattering down on thefloor. The loud sound made Boruto ground his teeth, bracing himself as well forthe scolding he was going to receive. Sasuke beating him at training was badenough, but Auntie Sakura’s scolding was legendary.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips “Well?”

Mitsuki was usually blissfully unaware aboutthings like these, but the hard look in Sakura’s eyes was enough to make himrealize they were in trouble.

The living room was silent, but oddly enough,it wasn’t the boys with their explaining that cut through, it was Sarada’svoice.

“Mama, Papa…” her voice was small andapologetic. “Boruto and Mitsuki were helping me.”

“Helping you?” Sakura echoed. “With what?”

“Reading my book…” Sarada explained. “You see…umm…” she opened her palms and revealed to them her broken glasses. “I wasalready at the good parts, and I just wanted to know what happened next soBoruto and Mitsuki decided to read it to me.”

Sakura pursed her lips. She wasn’t exactlyconvinced, and there was also the topic of how her glasses broke in the firstplace. Her instinct was to scold the three of them, but the way her daughterlooked so apologetic and Boruto looked like a struck puppy, made her lose herresolve. She sighed. “What am I going to do with the three of you?” A smallsmile on her face.

Sasuke smirked. “The two boys will clean upthis mess, of course.”

Mitsuki and Boruto looked at him,disbelievingly. Was that it? This was their only punishment?

“And then do laps around the Uchiha groundsuntil they can no longer run,” Sasuke added.

Boruto groaned but was relieved that was allthe punishment they were going to receive.

“Perhaps you should take Sarada to get a newpair of glasses, darling.” Sakura turned to him. “I’ll stay here and watch theboys.”

Sasuke smirked. “Aa.”

Father and daughter set out to the clinic,with Sasuke holding on to Sarada’s hand, carefully guiding her so she won’ttrip. Sakura, Mitsuki, and Boruto stayed behind, trying to salvage what theycould.

Sakura stood and gave a sermon as the two boysswept and segregated the broken pieces of decor and furniture. Mitsuki seemedto have taken it better, not saying a word, but Boruto kept a stubbornexpression on his face, his lower lip jutting out.

“Do you have something to say, Boruto?” Sakuraasked. Her tone wasn’t harsh, or cold, not even the usual reprimanding tonemothers take on. It was light, but it was clear as day that she wasn’t messingaround, either.

He stopped sweeping but his head still hunglow. Slowly, he looked at her. That stubborn look on his face was slowlystarting to melt and his lower lip shook.

The poor boy really was sorry, she could seethat. But she also wanted to hear something else from him.

“I didn’t mean to, auntie Sakura.” The way hisvoice cracked made her see him in another light, and she felt like she waslooking at his younger self, back when he was a toddler and covered in mud,scolded at for coming into the kitchen and getting the floor dirty. Sakura’sface softened, she really didn’t have the heart to stay angry at him.

“I’m sorry, we got carried away…” he loweredhis gaze, too embarrassed to keep looking at her.

Mitsuki silently watched the exchange. Hecontemplated if he should apologize as well but decided to wait for Sakura’sresponse first.

“I know you didn’t mean it, Boruto.” Sakurasmiled. “And I’m not angry. I just wanted to hear you apologize.”

Boruto snapped his gaze at her, tears poolingat the corner of his eyes, a smile slowly forming on his face.

Sakura grinned at him and then smirked. “Butdon’t think Hinata isn’t going to hear about this.”

That smile on Boruto’s face melted and wasreplaced by a look of horror. Not even all the gods in the sky could save himfrom his mother’s wrath.

.

.

.

Sarada came back home with her father, wearinga pair of temporary glasses until Karin could send her a new pair. She wasworried the entire time that her Mama might have been too hard on herteammates. Sarada felt sorry for them, even if this was technically theirfault. They were only trying to help.

“Don’t worry, Sarada,” Sasuke comforted her.“Sakura’s scary but she has a kind heart.”

She giggled at that, although she knew deepdown it was true.

Once they reached home, she could smell foodand heard lively chatter. Mitsuki was setting the table, and Boruto wasbringing the dishes over to the table.

“Welcome home,” Mitsuki greeted them both.

“Just in time!” Sakura grinned. “Dinner isready.”

The five of them sat down and enjoyed theirmeal. Her papa was right, Sarada had nothing to worry about. Boruto alsowhispered to her that her mama was scary, but he was relieved that she let themoff the hook.

“I’m in for it when I get home, though.”Boruto groaned, making Sarada and Mitsuki laugh.

After they had finished dinner, the three ofthem went back to the living room, Boruto and Mitsuki promised they would readto her, and they did.

Althoughthe knight did not slay the dragon, he was able to take the princess andescape. For now, he would consider this as a success, as he did not lose sightof what was more important—the precious people in his life. He could slay thedragon another day, but he would not risk the life of his love for his prideand revenge.

“Sounds like he has his priorities right,”Mitsuki commented.

“He’s not dumb, unlike most main characters,”Sarada agreed.

“Are you kidding?” Boruto was so shocked histeammates would say that. “If he just went straight for the heart he could havedone both!”

“And risk knocking the tower over? Theprincess would have died!” Sarada argued.

The two of them bickered on a little more,with Mitsuki smiling, enjoying their banter, as per usual.

Sasuke and Sakura listened in the kitchen, asthey enjoyed a cup of tea. They looked at each other with soft gazes, genuinelyhappy that their daughter has made very good friends.

“Kind of reminds me us three, don’t youthink?” Sakura smiled.

Sasuke took a sip of his tea, hiding a smallsmile on his lips. “Aa.”

A/N: Thank you for reading! 

If you like what I write, please check out my #fanfiction tag, or check out my profile for links to my master post, FFnet, Ao3, Twitter, and Ko-Fi! 

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Thanks for your reviews, I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying! Forkannukkah will keep chugging along!

WARNING: Themes of depression and underage drinking. Also, Naru is "Molly" for those who grew up with the old DiC dub. (Similarly, next chapter "Makoto" is "Lita" from the DiC dub. I probably don't have to tell you this but... better than help when not needed than not help when needed!)

Act 3. Naru: Moving On

"I'm really worried about her."

Usagi could scarcely spare Ami a glance as they walked along the pavement, their schoolbags clutched in front of their legs and bumping up and down with the rhythm of their steps. This had been something she was avoiding thinking about lately. How could she live with herself? Her friend had been out "sick" for nearly a week, and she had barely even tried to visit her twice. It was simply easier to mentally check out and avoid the entire situation.

The fact that Naru Osaka had lost someone very dear to her was a very large part of what complicated matters. Just because she had no idea Masato Sanjouin was the same person as Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom didn't mean it was easy for Usagi to let the matter go. How could she care for him as if he were a real man? How could he have been an agent of evil, frequently sending monsters after herself and Rei and Ami, her close friends and fellow Sailor Senshi, and Naru never see it, never question why he was so evasive when she would attempt to get closer to him? It boggled her bun-headed brain.

"Me, too," was all she wound up saying as they walked. Then she sighed. "Do you want to come to Crown with me today?"

"The Game Center or Fruits?"

"Either one. Just… to relax for a little while."

Ami didn't exactly look thrilled with the idea. The reason was revealed a second later when she said, "I'm taking an extracurricular math course, hoping to improve my high school placement scores. And I need to study for tomorrow's assignment. Sorry."

"Oh."

"Why don't you go and see her? I'm sure once you do, you'll probably feel a lot better."

Frowning down at her shoes, she sighed and said, "You're right. Just, like… it's hard. He was the Enemy! How are we supposed to forget about that?"

"Believe me, it's hard for me, as well. And for Rei. But I can appreciate that to Naru-san, Nephrite was a completely different person. And maybe… she's the one who was right about him."

"You think so? I mean… I know he seemed really different at the end there, but like, if he's not around to put his money where his mouth is…" She squirmed uncomfortably. It was hard, since she always wanted to see the best in people. But when it came to the enemies of the Moon Kingdom, they had done so much widespread damage to humanity that was it was a lot more of an uphill battle for her to give them any second chances. Even in memoriam.

Ami had stopped walking. Usagi was about to cross the street when she noticed, wobbled for a second, then went down like a tonne of bricks. Rolling her eyes, Ami paced over and helped her up.

"Try not to think of this as being about Nephrite. Think of it as… Naru lost a friend. One you didn't know — considering that none of us knew him the way she did, he may as well be a separate person. Focus on Naru and what she's going through."

Nodding, Usagi looked sufficiently chagrined as she brushed off her knees. "You're right, I guess. I'm… yeah, I'll go over there right now."

"Good. That's the spirit."

"Thanks for the pep talk!" Then she dashed toward a side street that would take her to Naru's apartment.

                                                                ~ o ~

The room was dark when Usagi creaked open the door. Her mother had let her right in, hoping that she could help figure out why her daughter was "being unreasonable". Considering the only explanation Mrs. Osaka had was that she had an older friend who suddenly passed away and no more details than that, it wasn't that hard to understand why she had little empathy for her grieving daughter.

Second to the darkness, Usagi noticed the smell and her nose wrinkled. It was a little ripe in there. Not bad enough that she needed a gas mask, but she certainly couldn't see herself hanging around for very long. Unless her nose started to get used to it after a while.

"Naruuuu-chaaaan!" she called out cheerfully. This was one of the first times in her life she could remember having to do this as an act; normally, she really was in a good mood, but now she was feigning it for Naru's sake. "It's the weekend! Come play the new Sailor V at the Game Center!"

Her friend's matted red hair turned in her direction very slightly from where she sat curled in on herself, back against the headboard. The blanket was still draped over her knees, though it only looked as if she had sat up from where she was sleeping to put it there. The dark circles under her eyes told a very clear story of sleepless nights and crying. It only took a second for her face to turn away, back to the blinds drawn in front of the window.

"It's a gorgeous day!" Goose-stepping across the room, she pulled the blinds open, ignoring the slight grunt from the bed. Maybe it was a little selfish, but she also threw the window open so the wind could freshen the stale air.

"Ngh…"

Hopping back over to the bed, she sat on the edge of it and smiled at Naru. "Hey, I was also thinking — we're a little young, but maybe we if we went with Ami and Rei, we could all go to Okinawa or something! Wouldn't that be great? Beaches, stuffing ourselves with soba and tonkatsu, sightseeing?"

No response.

"Hmm… maybe we need to wait for the break; a weekend isn't long enough to really have fun. Well, what about going to the movies? Feels like forever since we saw a movie together."

Nothing. Her arms curled a little tighter around her knees, but her expression was just as dead and empty as it had been before. Usagi was trying not to let it affect her; she had sworn going in that her one mission was to cheer her up, and not to let the gloom spread in the other direction. That wasn't going to help anyone.

"Alright, we're going to the Game Center today, at least." No response, but she didn't expect one. So instead of trying to talk to her more, she started pulling her from the bed by the arm. "C'mon, let's go."

"Ugh…" Naru winced, and she was frowning, but she also wasn't fighting her.

Once down the hall, she pushed her into the bathroom and sat her on the toilet while she got the water running. Naru did get up and try to go back to her room once, but Usagi catching her arm was enough to get her to give up that fight instantly. Seemed that actually putting effort into something was even less desirable than being forced to bathe.

"You take care of this, and I'll go find some clean clothes," she ordered once the water was drawn. "And then we'll have a nice day out. Sound good?" No answer, of course. "Faaaabulous! Let's do it!"

Once she was out of the bathroom, having briefly stayed to watch Naru roll her eyes and start peeling off her shirt, Usagi could let her own smile drop. She felt awful. It was harder than she thought, maintaining a facade of cheeriness when all she wanted was to cry for her friend. Even if she didn't understand why she cared so much about the ex-villain, the last thing she wanted was for Naru to be in pain.

When she came back, she was at least satisfied to see her friend in the bath, though she didn't look any better otherwise. Usagi shoved her head underwater, which at least got her limbs flailing, then pulled her back up once her hair was good and damp.

"Usa-chan, what the HELL?!"

"Oh, so you don't have laryngitis?" Usagi laughed easily. "Good! Was kinda worried for a minute there." She received a grunt in response as she began to shampoo her, working the suds up into a lather.

"Shut up."

Shaking her head as she took a washbowl and collected some water, she said, "Sorry, I can't. If you won't say more than five words to me, then I gotta be the one to keep up the whole conversation." No reply, again, so she dumped the water over her head, rinsing away the shampoo. "Feels weird doing this in the tub instead of outside it. So Western."

"Sure."

"Naru… I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. Just didn't know what to say after you wouldn't talk to me last time." Silence. "Like, I wanted to think of something else to say, but…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay. Um… how have you been?" No reply as she handed her a washcloth. Naru only stared at it, so she put the bar of soap in the middle to help prompt her along. It worked; she sighed and started lathering it up. "Okay, um, I'm gonna get out of here. But if you take more than like, fifteen minutes, I'm coming back in to wash your butt for you."

"Usaaaa," she whined out in sheer frustration and annoyance. But finally, she looked over her shoulder at Usagi's expression for a few seconds before casting her teal eyes back down into the water. "Fine."

"Great! See you in a few!"

Once outside the bathroom, she moved off to the kitchen to dry off her arms. She hadn't wanted to hang around in there, since she could tell Naru was about at her wit's end with her.

"Were you able to get through to her?" Naru's mother asked when she followed her in there.

"Not really," Usagi sighed, leaning back against the counter. "But I got her to take a bath? Like, that's better than nothing, right?"

The woman sighed, and somehow even the sigh was elegant. Mayumi Osaka was a lot more glamorous than her daughter, wavy hair always short and sporty, yet perfectly crimped and soft-looking, wearing the jewellery pieces from her own shop that complemented her figure and features best. Usagi always wondered if that was why Naru kept her own sense of style rather simple; when your mother always looked almost too perfect, why try to compete?

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Yes, I understand this friend's death was a tragedy, but it's been a week now. She should at least be able to go back to school, come to dinner. I've had to leave her food at the door, and sometimes she doesn't even eat it…"

Usagi wasn't sure what to do. How does one go about comforting a grown-up? That was definitely nothing she had ever needed to do before. So she only shrugged and said, "Hey, she yelled at me when I dunked her head underwater to get it wet, so if she's strong enough to yell, I guess she's okay, right?'

"Suppose so. Anyway, thank you for trying." She flashed her a tight smile and moved off to check on her daughter.

                                                                ~ o ~

Half an hour later, Naru was dressed and in her room, sitting on her desk chair. Usagi had to cajole and prod her a little more to get her ready to leave, but she did it with few vocal complaints. Then they were on their way to Game Center Crown. She thought Naru really looked sweet with her blue-and-white-striped top and her khaki shorts, but she didn't seem to care either way.

"So!" she burst out with a huge smile. "What about a movie later? Like, the newest one from Ghibli? We could… go see that after the Game Center!"

Still nothing, but she was at least putting one foot in front of the other. After a few seconds, Usagi reached over to take her hand and began swinging it back and forth. She was pretty worried that she would fling her arm away, or at least dig her nails in to cause her slight pain, but no such thing occurred. She simply accepted the reality that she was going to be hanging out with her today.

Even if she didn't seem to like it much.

When they got to Crown, they walked into the Game Center with vastly different expressions. Usagi's remained hopeful, but Naru looked dead inside. She was hoping no one else would notice. It didn't take long for her to spot Ami and Rei crowded around a Sailor V machine, and she started leading the both of them over to it.

"Hey!" Ami said immediately, smiling sweetly at Naru. "It's good to see you!" Rei remained focused on her gameplay, of course; she had been bound and determined to get as good at the game as Ami was without even trying. She was already almost as good as Usagi, despite having played it far less.

"Rrrrgh! These stupid monsters are really gonna get it now!" Obviously not improving much today.

"Naru was looking a little pale, so I thought maybe she needed to get out for a while!" Usagi provided, feeling stupid for having to make a weird excuse. But she hoped that would be less weird than if she didn't make one, and Naru just stayed silent.

"Of course, of course." Ami seemed hesitant to pat her arm, but she made herself do it. There wasn't much reaction. "Would she like to play? I've got plenty of spare change…"

"She can hear just fine," Naru sighed, though she didn't look like she wanted to be talking. Even Rei looked up at that, a little concern in her gaze. "Just… don't like talking much right now."

After a brief silence, a horrible noise came from Rei's machine of squealing death. She suddenly whipped around with a muttered "Damn!" and tried to save her last life.

"See? I'm already bringing everybody down just being here. Sorry…"

"What?" Ami gasped, blinking in shock. "Oh, don't worry, you aren't bringing-"

Naru left so fast that Usagi didn't have a chance to snag her first. Barely glancing back at her other friends, she had to dash out afterward and chase her a few blocks before she caught up to her. Plenty of passerby gave startled cries or had to leap out of the way, but she couldn't spare them any concern when all of hers was focused on one person.

"Let me go, Usagi!"

"Why are you running? Come on, Rei didn't really care that she lost that game! We all care a lot more about you than about Sailor V!"

"I don't know why! I'm just…" Her hands came up to pull at her freshly-brushed hair as her eyes screwed down shut. "I don't care about anything anymore! Masato's gone! I couldn't save him, I couldn't… Sailor Moon had to help me, and she couldn't save him, either! And why did I have to fall for him if he was a bad guy? He never was to me, b-but Zoisite said… he used to work with them! Whoever they are! What's wrong with me?!"

They were both quiet for a moment, Naru quivering with the effort of trying to hold in such a huge explosion of some emotion or another that neither of them was sure what it would be. Tears were already pricking at the corners of Usagi's eyes, but she was determined not to be the "big baby" everyone thought she was this time.

"Naru… it's not you, there's… nothing wrong with you, okay? Oh my God, I'm so sorry you thought…"

"There is," she whispered when Usagi didn't finish her sentence right away. "I fell for the wrong guy! Like you kept acting like going out with that Mamoru creep was the worst idea in the world, but Masato was an actual killer! Wasn't he? I m-mean, I know you wouldn't know, but like, if he was friends with those crazy monster people…"

Biting her tongue so she wouldn't give anything away about her secret identity, she slid her arm tightly around Naru's shoulders and pulled her in close. She tried to pull away — actually fought back against the hug, and she felt a few tears spill over at that.

"Naru, I'm not trying to hurt you! C'mon, it's me! We've known each other our whole lives, right? You can just… anything you need to say, or yell at me, o-or whatever, I'm not going anywhere! Okay?"

"But I don't want you to stay! Makes it too hard to… to punish myself f-for ignoring your warnings!"

That took Usagi aback. "Warnings? What do you mean, 'punish'? You don't have to-"

"I remember what you said," she growled through her teeth. "About him being bad, a-and I didn't wanna see it, didn't wanna know anything like that about him because he was so glamorous and strong, handsome, and he was paying attention to me! B-but he was probably just using me…"

"I'm sorry, Naru! I wasn't… I just wanted to protect you, but like, I didn't know for sure he'd turn out to be a jerk, it was just… I mean, an older guy wanting to date a girl our age? Kinda fishy… but that isn't saying you're not worth it! Don't be ridiculous, I know you are!"

"How am I worth it? Me, who's got nothing goin' for her but… well, nothing! Lame hair, lame clothes, decent grades that won't get me in anywhere besides a junior college!"

With a slight laugh, she squeezed Naru a little more. "Like I'll even get in there. Seriously, don't sweat all this right now, okay? We have years before that even happens." Naru pulled to get away from her again, and she let her go this time. But when she felt herself being released, the other girl turned with a bleak expression.

"I'm sorry, Usa-chan. I really am… it's just too soon. My head's not right." Shaking it out, she whispered, "Can I come by tomorrow, maybe? I'll… if I'm not…"

"Yeah," she told her, so that she wouldn't have to keep trying to finish her sentence. "Sure, tomorrow. And Naru?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you. I hope you know that."

The other girl's cheeks began to get back some of their colour as she forced a slight smile. "You're sweet. Lying, but it's sweet. See ya."

"Later."

Even though being accused of lying felt awful, she forced herself not to respond to it. Naru was right; her mental state was the lowest it had ever been. This wasn't the 'real' Naru talking, but it some ways, it was the realest version of her she'd ever seen; her grief was dissolving her tatemae, that public politeness that most people used to hide their honne — their true feelings. But she also knew that the grief was changing her honne, warping it from the way Naru would normally be, her feelings and hopes and dreams. It was literally a broken heart. Only time could heal that, not just Usagi trying to cheer her up.

"Usagi?" When she turned back, she saw Naru was waving from a little further along the street. "You're a great friend! Me, not so much, but you are for sure! Okay?"

"Okay!" she called back. She wanted to argue with her, but had a feeling that would go nowhere fast. Might as well leave it for tomorrow.

                                                                ~ o ~

She didn't hear from Naru the next day. Luckily, their school was one of the ones that had a five-day schoolweek, so she didn't have to endure staring at Naru's empty seat again. Filling the day with manga-reading and hanging out with the Senshi helped distract her from worrying.

Sunday, she had just about given up on her, as well, but before dinner she heard the doorbell, and then her mother's voice calling for her. Sighing, she put down the Jump she had been flipping through without any true interest and clomped down the stairs to see if maybe Ami had dropped by to tutor her again.

Instead, it was Naru.

"Oh!" she found herself gasping. "What are you doing here?"

"Usagi, don't be rude," her mother muttered out the side of her mouth, one of her eyebrows twitching even as her polite smile remained in place.

"Thank you, Ikuko-san," Naru said with a very formal bow. Even though she was usually quite comfortable calling her "Auntie Ikuko" or "okaasan", since they grew up around each other so much, there was something different about her today. Usagi wasn't sure what it was, but she was wearing nice clothes and makeup, and her behaviour was very stiff. "I was wondering if I might borrow your daughter for the evening?"

The woman laughed, elbowing Usagi very gently. "Would you listen to Naru? She sounds like a boy asking you to dinner." That made Usagi grimace; she was definitely not looking forward to going through that in the future with her parents. Any mention of a boy sniffing around their daughter seemed to effortlessly send her dad into a frenzy.

"Well, I might not be a boy, but I am asking Usa-chan to dinner. To pay her back for trying to cheer me up Friday." Her smile was very shy, and she was still bowing a little, even if she had mostly straightened. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all! I'm just glad to hear that my daughter is doing something other than eating sweets and tormenting Shingo." At the words "doing something", Usagi was already turning to run upstairs and get her purse. That way, she could ignore any further teasing, and the laughter that followed.

Once away from the house, she asked Naru, "You really want to get me food? I mean, I'm not… y'know, I would have done that for you anytime, it's not something you need t-"

"I was a real wreck," she told her right away. "You put up with me, and I appreciate that. It wouldn't be right not to show you somehow instead of just saying 'thanks', so like… yeah, just let me?"

"Okay," she muttered, poking her index fingers into each other nervously. "Maybe just ice cream?"

"No way," she teased, holding up her hand to forestall her. "This is gonna be a big deal! Fancy dinner, then ice cream, and then maybe karaoke! Really wanna make up for lost time, y'know?"

"Cool! I mean, do you wanna go by a payphone and invite Ami? I know Rei would probably just drag us down-"

"Nah. This is about me and you, Usa-chan. Best friends forever."

Something about the way she said that made it feel more important than usual. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she looked at the smile on Naru's face, and felt one growing on her own. "Okay then, that's great, too! An 'old friends' day just for us."

"YES!" she shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Ain't nobody gonna stop us now!" Usagi giggled, and grabbed her arm so they could skip along down the road.

First, she took Usagi to a nice sushi restaurant. Not that Usagi liked sushi all that much, but she was flattered that Naru wanted to spend her pocket money on her like that. They talked about anime and manga, movies, boys; nothing of consequence. Basically, learning to be around each other again after a week of isolation. It was nice, even if a little strained in the beginning. They were just out of practice.

After that, Naru said they could head straight for the karaoke place and just order some sweets there, which was fine by Usagi. Really, anything her friend wanted at that point, she was more than willing to indulge her; maybe she needed the control. After losing her would-be boyfriend to circumstances she couldn't control, that made total sense.

"Let's go to that one," she said, pointing to a reasonably-priced place. "Their boxes are totally private; I'm not interested in anybody poking their nose in and making fun of my voice."

"But I like your voice!" Usagi reassured her. It earned her a wider smile. "But that's fine by me; I can't afford the higher-end places, either, and the cheap places are so scuzzy."

Giggling, she said, "Told you, I'm paying. Oh — you go in and book us the room." She handed her a decent-sized bill. "I'm gonna pop over there and get something."

Usagi followed her gaze and saw Naru meant a row of vending machines. It was true, there were high prices inside karaoke joints for everything, so if she got a drink or gum or whatever from those machines, it would help them save their money for desserts and more time in the room. "Roger! I won't fail you, sir!"

"You're a loon," she snorted as they split up.

Not long after, they were being shown to their box. Naru had been right, the door only had a small window in it with a curtain on the inside that could be drawn, instead of most of the door being frosted glass, or glass with a large emblem on it. Maybe she was afraid she would have another breakdown, and didn't want to risk the public display.

"Cozy," Usagi giggled as they looked around. For a few seconds, they just took in the room with its semi-comfortable orange couches, the cheerful white wallpaper with the multicoloured dots. Then Naru went to get some of the song catalogues from the tiny bookshelf so they could start flipping through to look for a song to choose.

"How about, um, 'Midnight Taxi'?" she suggested, pointing to the selection. "I love Miho's voice…"

"That one's so sad and gloomy," Usagi grumbled. Then hastily added, "O-oh, but if you want to sing it, I'm sure you'd sound great!"

Shaking her head, she said, "You're right, it's… gloomy. What about 'Mellow'? At least the music's a little more upbeat."

"Uh-huh! Yeah, sing 'Mellow'!"

So Naru did. Usagi wanted to order food, but she decided to just listen to her friend sing. No one would have faulted her for not wanting to do this where anyone else could witness it; her voice was sweet, but she definitely didn't have any kind of future as a pop idol. All the same, Usagi was content just to sit back and watch her friend lose herself in singing along with the lyrics on the screen. Way better that she do that than still be moping around.

Of course, the lyrics were just as lovelorn as those to "Midnight Taxi", but at least they went along with a happier beat. And she knew Naru probably needed the catharsis after everything she had been through with Nephrite.

After that, they discussed sweets, and Usagi sang the theme song to Yuyu Hakusho, which Naru teased her about but she didn't care. In fact, she continued to annoy her with the theme from Ranma ½, and was just about to move on to Hime-chan no Ribbon when Naru forcibly removed the microphone from her hands.

"Boooo!" she called out as she laughed and wrestled it away from her, stocking foot jammed into her neck to keep her away as she cradled the microphone against her chest. "Unfair, unfair! I just want to sing my songs!"

"All you like is stuff from anime!" They only struggled for another moment before Usagi gave up and flopped backward. Then they both had to take a few breaths, Naru giggling as she sat up. "Alright, you can sing it, but I want a turn first, okay?"

Pouting, she added, "Shouldn't have made fun of my songs if you wanted that!" But Naru was already flipping through one of the books, so she turned her attention to the menu. "Hmm… maybe just something small? Or we get this huge sundae, and split it!"

"Yeah, okay," Naru said absentmindedly. "I'm not that hungry after dinner, so whatever you want's fine."

"Or we could eat what you got from the machine. What was it, anyway?"

The smirk that came from Naru was a craftier one than she was expecting in response to a simple question like that. But she understood why when Naru reached into her purse and brought out…

"BEER?!"

"Shhh!" she hissed at her in warning, waving her other hand frantically. "Keep it down, willya?! It's just one!"

"But we're in junior high! I mean, I know nobody's gonna care that much, but I didn't think I'd try anything like that until high school!"

Already cracking open the can, coughing to cover the sound of the perforated metal seal being broken and the hiss of air, Naru set it down on the table and then fixed Usagi with an impatient stare. "Look. I've had a rough few days, and I'm tired of not experiencing anything. Just… don't be some kinda prude, okay? You don't have to have any, but if you rat me out-"

"I wasn't going to, geeze!" Though Usagi still had to keep glancing at the can. True, she had tried sake before once, at some party where her parents were having some, and that had been a few years ago. But it was only one sip; this was an entire can for Naru's little one-and-a-half meters. It seemed like a lot.

"Is this really going to make you uncomfortable?" She glanced at the can, frowning. "Crap, I already opened it…"

"N-no, it's fine," she assured her with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head. "Hey, maybe I'll try it! It's… something we can say we did today!"

After studying Usagi's face for a moment, making sure she was really going to be alright with this, Naru nodded. "Yeah. Just not to our parents." They shared a smile, and she knocked back a huge gulp. Then she made a face and set it down. "Ugh! Oh wow, that tastes weird!"

"Really?" She tried it, and made a similar face. "Eww, it's bitter! I thought it would taste more like Coca-Cola!"

"Why Coca-Cola?"

"Well, it's brown, isn't it?" Naru giggled, and Usagi smiled through her cheeks reddening. "Shut up!"

"Nope! Now all brown drinks are the same to Usagi! Beer is Coke, coffee is Coke!"

"HEY!"

Once they figured out what sweets to order, Naru suddenly had to figure out how to hide the beer. In the end, they just set it next to their bags and threw Naru's gauzy blue cardigan over the top of everything. The attendant who delivered their things never noticed. What they wound up getting was a large sundae, some french fries, a Pocari Sweat and, of course, a Coca-Cola. A little comparison verified that beer was definitely not anything like that.

"Oh, I'm so winded!" Naru breathed out as she flopped back on the couch. She was being a little silly; Usagi knew that it was because for every sip of the beer she'd taken, Naru took five or six. It was a touch disconcerting, but then again she didn't want to pass judgment. After all, she'd never lost a friend like this.

After a second's contemplation, she scooped up one of the last bites of sundae, already melting and gooey, and held the spoon up. "Hey, have some more of this."

"No thanks. I just wanna keep singing! Sing all night!"

"All night?! We didn't pay for that long!"

"So we'll pay more when the phone rings to tell us we gotta get out! C'mon!" She went up to punch in the numbers on the machine again, so she could belt out yet another old idol hit that Usagi barely knew. Even if it was a little annoying dealing with her like this, at least it was entertaining to watch.

After that song, Naru did at least munch on one of the cold fries while finishing off the can of beer. Apropos of nothing, she commented, "It's not so bad, once you get used to it."

"What? Oh, the beer?"

"Uh-huh." She let out a loud belch, then slapped both hands over her mouth, the beer can bouncing across the floor. By the time it came to a rest, she was completely red in the face. "Oh my GOD…"

To fill the following silence, Usagi laughed and patted her back. "It's alright, had to come out sometime!"

"Noooo, I sounded disgusting!" She bowed low, hair brushing Usagi's knee below the hem of her shorts. "Forgive me!"

"Oh, stop," she snorted, pushing at her shoulder. "It's not that big a deal."

Slowly, Naru slumped forward until her face was pushing into the knee below. "Mmm… your skin is so soft. Did you know about that? Well, of course — it's your skin! Just Naru being dumb again."

This left Usagi completely stunned. What the hell was she doing? Of course, she knew it wasn't completely Naru; it was the beer mixing with the grieving process. So eventually, she just petted over her hair and said, "My mom was right; you do act like a boy who wants to show me a good time. Now you're trying to get into my shorts."

"Oooh, somebody has a high opinion of herself," Naru joked, poking her in exactly the wrong spot due to Usagi having mentioned it. Its owner let out a puff of exasperated air. "Squishy!"

Both of her cheeks were blazing by now. "N-Naru, no! Stop that!" Another poke made her tingle all over, so she quickly snatched the wrist of the hand and held it away. "Why are you… I mean, do you need me to get you some water?"

"I'm fiiiiine."

"No, you're not. Like, if we weren't both girls, I'd think you were coming onto me."

One of Naru's shoulders shrugged. "So what if we're both girls?"

"NARU!"

That finally seemed to snap her out of her dazed, drunken rambling. Eyes widening, she sat back, blinking a few times before she stared up at Usagi. "Oh… oh no, that was probably weird, I didn't…" Both of her eyebrows knitted together. "What was I saying? What was I doing?"

"Y-you were getting a little handsy, yeah," she said, trying to laugh it off. Though she could still feel Naru's face against her leg. Not so much the finger going where no one else's finger had gone before; that was too brief and too bizarre for her to be able to hang onto it. Maybe her own mind was hazy from the few sips of beer in her own stomach.

"I'll go," Naru promised as she stood, then wobbled. "Ooh… oh, I'm…"

She began to tip to one side. Having to use her Sailor Moon instincts, Usagi snapped her arms out and managed to grasp Naru's body, then stood and rolled so that she effectively slung her friend into the seat she had just left, laying her across the sofa.

"AH!" she burst out.

"Are you alright?!" she demanded, leaning over her. "Let me get you some water! Yeah, that's-"

"Wait…" A hesitant hand reached up to brush over Usagi's neck. "I… I'm alright… thank you. You're saving me again. How do you do that? How do you always know just what I need?"

The colour rushed back into her cheeks, which must have looked so blotchy given how pale she was just before. Naru was acting even weirder than the "weird" she had already observed in her, but it was still better than a couple of days prior when she had been little better than a zombie. So all she whispered was, "I'm your best friend forever, right? It's my job to… do what I can."

"You'd probably make a great boyfriend. Too bad you ain't a boy."

"I thought you were the boy," she tried for with a slight smile. "Picking me up, wining and dining me. Getting me drunk and alone in a karaoke box."

"Stop it," she giggled softly, though it was still a touch more shy than usual. "I'm just trying to feel something again."

Heart breaking afresh, Usagi whispered, "I'm sorry, Naru. I want to help you feel, help your heart get better, I just… don't know how. But you can't give up, okay?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded that she had heard her. Then she breathed, "Help me feel…"

The kiss was almost a given in retrospect. Drunken and sloppy, and sweet, and frantic, and Usagi didn't know how to stop it. Her hands tried to push Naru back down, but the minute they wrapped around her shoulders, she couldn't do anything other than kiss back, to feel those soft lips sliding all around her own, the bitterness of beer lacing with the sweetness of ice cream. They both moaned at nearly the same moment, apparently deciding it wasn't yet time to break apart even though the voice in the back of Usagi's mind was screaming for her to consider the consequences. All she wanted was to let Naru do all the exploring she wanted.

Maybe they both wanted. Scary as that thought was.

By the time their mouths broke apart, they were on the floor between the sofa and the table, panting and flushed and bearing a light sheen of sweat. All concept of time was gone; it could have been seconds, or half an hour. Naru looked completely dazed, but definitely not displeased if the way her hands were clinging to her back was any indication.

"Usa-chan…" Her bottom lip trembled as their bodies slid over each other slightly, and Usagi felt a tingling that she'd only felt a handful of times before. This was a mistake. They weren't in the right state of mind to make wise decisions, and she was only going to make worse ones.

"Naru, I d-don't… I think we sh-"

"Usagi… m-move!"

Startled, Usagi jumped off of her just in time to stand back and let Naru rush to the trash can. It took her a moment, but she was able to stumble after her and pull back her hair so she could empty the contents of her stomach into the bin, feeling thoroughly chagrined. What she was worried might be a confession of love turned out to be impending vomit.

After they cleaned off Naru's mouth and she downed a little more Pocari to get rid of the taste, they got the call that their time was up. Rather than hanging around and dealing with the potential fallout of what they had just done, especially when they were still alone in a private space, they cleared out of the room, throwing the beer can away once outside. Then Usagi dragged her into a MOS Burger to get something quick and greasy that would hopefully help Naru feel less wobbly, based on advice she'd heard her father telling her little brother — even if it made her mother smack him on the shoulder for telling such a young boy things he shouldn't need to know for many more years.

"Thanks, Usagi-chan," she sighed as she walked, leaning on her shoulder while Usagi supported her around her waist. "I'm so embarrassed… I feel like the worst friend in the world."

"Don't be ridiculous. I know you've had… well, 'a rough week' is kind of an understatement."

"Yeah. But you were right, I gotta remember that I'm still here, and you guys are, too. And… and I'm gonna miss him for a long time, but that doesn't mean I quit living."

"Did I say all that?" she giggled. "Doesn't sound like me, sounds more like Ami or someone."

"You're a lot smarter than you act like you are," she teased, poking Usagi — this time in the stomach, thank goodness. "Anyway… I'm serious, thanks for trying to get me outta my funk."

Giggling, mostly from the poke, she said, "No problem. I mean, I'd say you moved on a little if you're already getting hammered and trying to make out with me!"

Though Usagi was laughing up a storm at that, Naru wasn't. Just smiling and clinging to her friend as they walked. Eventually, she breathed, "Yeah… pretty hilarious."

"Eh? I m-mean, um, not that the idea of it being you is hilarious! Just us, together… two girls, best friends… that's ridiculous. We'll both find men, won't we?"

"Maybe I'm done with men. Maybe now I just want an onee-sama to treat me right." When Usagi made a choking noise, she just squeezed her closer. "Okay, okay, you're right; that's stupid, calling you the older sister."

"Whew."

"I'm taller by a couple centimeters. Pretty sure that makes me the onee-sama."

And while Usagi was still trying to form any thoughts about that whatsoever, having been lulled into a false sense of relief and now trying to figure out where they actually stood, Naru stopped, leaned over and took her lips softly. But it was a much more chaste, brief, sober kiss than before… yet at the same time, even more flustering because it was planned, and purposeful, and patient. In the karaoke, she had been too shocked and slightly buzzed from the sips of beer to even know what to think, but now…

She didn't hate it.

"Anyway, thanks for a great first date," Naru whispered when she pulled away, eyes twinkling and voice rich with amusement. Was she kidding, or was she actually serious?

"I… I'm… we… I… Naru…"

"My thoughts exactly. Goodnight, imouto."

As Usagi watched her go dumbly, then made her own wandering way home, she couldn't help trying to figure out how she had gone from "best friend" to "little sister" in such a short period of time. Or how she had not only let Naru kiss her, but practically have been encouraging it by the end. And she wasn't sure whether or not this was an odd crush, a stupid grief-borne mistake, or something deeper. Something that was forbidden between two women, especially once they were older. A change in her relationship with her oldest friend that she couldn't have seen coming.

But one thing was for sure…

"No more beer!" she wound up telling Luna as she paced frantically around her room that night, watching the poor purple cat scamper out of the way so her tail wouldn't get stepped on. "Ever! Not even a drop, not for my whole life, I'm never having more beer again!"

                                                                THE END

                                                                [Next: Makoto!]