#If you hadn't guessed she has a thing for imps

[deathinfeathers]

.

[thewertsearch]

Ayy, it's another zero grist recipe!

The SORD..... also cost zero grist, but it was in a different denomination. Is there a difference between these recipes, or are they equivalent?

Maybe you need to have seen the grist denomination in question. Perhaps, if she hadn't encountered that gem before, Jade would be looking at an unusable question-mark recipe.

Loving the goggles on the Duttle. Truly, he is gazing into his own soul.

Anyway, we've finally finished all four alchemy sessions! That's a serious milestone - and a bittersweet one, because it might mean we're done with alchemy for good.

Oh, pack it in, Ampora.

Destroyed in five messages flat.

CA: lets not get distracted by your sad league of suitors and their flushed desperations CA: im offerin you the edge here CA: in your rivvalry wwith the other female

I never expected Eridan to endear himself to me this Act, but I am mildly impressed that he's actually more of a prick when talking to the humans.

CA: wwevve got the same abstratus CA: and i dont need this thing anymore CA: since i became more powwerful than you could evver imagine as a mighty wwizard of wwhite science

Presumably he's using needlekind now, like our other spellcaster.

Where did he get needlekind, actually? None of the other trolls use it, which I guess implies he picked it up from an Underling, like John did with bunnykind. If this game has been holding out on showing us magic-wielding Imps, I'm going to be pissed.

So Eridan is a 'wizard of science', which makes it sound like he's wielding his wand in defiance of magic. Perhaps he's channeling his skepticism into some sort of antimagic, which might actually become a problem. Sburb - no matter what anyone else says - runs on magic.

[ashplayz]

Agent One and Two (from helluva boss) x reader (my au) angsty!

Warnings:

Cussing, mentions of murder. (obviously I mean it's helluva boss) kinda spoilers. abuse

Agent One and Agent Two, operatives from the human realm, the face's of the lesser known demon hunting agency; D.H.O.R.K.S. had incredible dumb luck when they had captured Blitz and Moxxie and that ended in fucking disaster. And while most of I. M. P Believed that that their business dealing with the agents was done there was someone else that wasn't so sure. Y/n a worker at I. M. P had heard about what happened and found the fact that the human government was after them somewhat troubling. She hadn't been there when Loona and Millie went to save Blitz and Moxxie but she had heard that quite a lot of bat-shitery went down and she had a bunch that that meant they had something on them that they could use against them in the future and while nobody else in I. M. P seemed at all worried about that. Y/n decided to pay a visit to D.H.O.R.K.S. to tie up any loose ends.

Upon sneaking into the agency Y/n found herself receiving a nasty shock from behind and waking up tied to a chair she figured this is exactly the kind of thing Blitz and Moxxie had to deal with when they were captured. Y/n wasn't worried however she had told I. M. P where she was going and they'd come in guns blazing at the first sign of trouble. She had to admit that while there were certain instances where she had very little respect for anyone in I. M. P she thought it was pretty cool how much each of them care for each other heck they even care for her when she's in shit.

Eventually the agents came in, normally people in hell would find humans to be lowsome and gross in most instances Y/n couldn't help but smirk due to how attractive they both were compared to most humans. "Ah so you're finally awake" the blonde agent said, approaching her. "We're going to get some answers from you hell spawns one way or another" the male agent said, shining the interrogation light directly in her eyes to which she groaned, shutting her eyes "Jesus! It's kinda hard to tell you shit when I'm disoriented from having that shit directly in my eyes!" She snapped. The agents looked at each other then turned off the light. "You know you really didn't have to go this far to get answers you could have just asked." Y/n said, still smirking. Again the agents exchanged looks. "Who do you work for?" The male agent asked. "Think you already met him. He's the dick head in the tacky suit. He's a total jackass. Ring any bells?" She asked. "So he's the one in charge?" Male agent asked. "I mean. I guess he started our company and he's our boss but I wouldn't really say he's in charge of anything in his life he's a fucking mess." Y/n said with a chuckle.

"What exactly is your 'business'? Why are you demon scum killing humans all over?" The male agent asked. "Isn't it obvious? We're hit men. We get hired by rando dick heads that die and end up in hell, to take care of their unfinished business by killing anyone who screwed them over while they were alive." Y/n said. "How did you get from our world from the afterlife?" The blonde agent asked. Y/n rolled her eyes. "Because our boss is screwing some shity demon prince that has the task of basically being in charge of the stars, he has access to the human world in order to fulfill his duties via a book. And our boss fuckes him in order to be able to use his book so we can do our job." Y/n said. The agents looked grossed out and y/n found that hilarious. "Is this him?" The blonde agent said, showing her a picture of stolas. "Yep, but I wouldn't fuck around and find out if I were you two. It's one thing to mess with imps and sinners its another thing to fuck with demon royalty. I'm sure you remember what happened last time you tangoed with that horny bird fuck" Y/n said. The agents exchanged grim looks. They certainly did and they were both plagued by nightmares by the events of what happened on a nightly basis.

"What exactly are you?" The male agent asked. "I'm a sinner. Those two you captured earlier are known as imps. They were born in hell, I on the other hand died and ended up in that shit hole." Y/n said praying they wouldn't ask about her death because they did not need to know that she killed herself. Even the others at I. M. P don't know that. "Why do you have ears and a tail like that wolf girl?" The blonde agent asked. "Because some sinners get a corresponding animal based on how they died. (This next part is just because it's convenient to the plot. I know it's bullshit but she's the same animal of a type of red wolf that can kill itself. I know that's not a thing but it's helluva boss do you really expect it to be logical.) Just then the blonde agent touched her tail. "Hey! As attractive as you two may be for humans. I wouldn't go around touching you two without your permission. So hands to yourself" y/n said pulling her tail away. "Attractive?" The blonde agent asked. Don't pay any attention to that, she's probably just trying to mess with us like their boss." The male agent said.

"Oh trust me. I'm nothing like that red jackass. And I certainly wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. Now look, I told you two what you wanted to know. The others know I'm here and they'll no doubt be here soon and I'm sure you remember what happened last time you messed with I. M. P so I'd suggest you two suits let me go before those pretty faces of yours get ruined." Y/n said with a flirtatious yet sincere tone. Leaving the agents slightly agitated yet flustered as hell. They begrudgingly untied her, her smirk returning. "Thank you. You know I'm always down to tell you what you need to know if we meet again, there's no need to tie me up in the future I wouldn't run from such pretty little things anyways" y/n said flirtatiously brushing her tail against them both. When I tell you that these two were beet red. 🤭 She was quite amused by how easily flustered the two were she could have continued to flirt with them all day just to see the expressions on their face's.

The male agent attempted to remain stoic, however he could tell how amused she was by his failure to do so. The blonde agent however, found it hard to resist her charm, her face going red whenever her soft tail brushed against her. She was captivated by her sharp e/c eyes and the way she effortlessly twirled a lock of her h/c hair around her finger. She hated herself for her lapse in judgment; she knew they were just filthy demons after all..

Just then a portal opened up and revealed that same wolf girl they had seen earlier. "Y/n did those shit head agents kidnap you too?" Loona asked, not bothering to look up from her phone as she stepped through the portal. Y/n and Loona had an interesting relationship. They had mutual respect for one another at least pretty sure the only reason Loona tolerated her is because she was also a wolf. "Eh no big deal happens all the time" y/n said half speaking the truth it wasn't the first time she was tied up like that but it was under very different and dark circumstances. Loona looked up at her. "Thought you said you were coming here to 'tie up loose ends' from when the dumbasses got themselves captured by those tuxedo wearing fucks. Wouldn't that mean you know killing them?" Loona asked. In turn Y/n let out a low warning growl that definitely confused loona. "Y/n cleared her throat "Change of plans." Y/n said standing between the agents and Loona. "Why the fuck are you protecting those two?" Loona asked. Y/n looked back at the agents who were just as surprised at the fact that she was defending them as Loona was. "Guess you could say they grew on me" y/n said looking back at Loona who was still confused but gave a shrug. The two of them made their way back through the portal. Before one of the agents called out "Your name's Y/n?" The blonde agent asked. Y/n smiled. " Yeah. I'll see you around agent one and two" she said before the portal closed.

(Time skip)

As fate would have it they did in fact run into her again they had been trying to capture a succubus that had been seen on the surface when she showed up. "You two really don't wanna get involved with a succubus. Trust me you'll wake up naked with your self esteem missing." Y/n said. Both agents were shocked to see her again. Truth be told neither of them had been able to get her out of their heads since the last time they met even dispie the animosity towards all things demonic that they claimed to have. but this time, she was hurt. As try as they may they couldn't bring themselves to ignore her pain even when she seemed to think it wasn't a big deal. They snuck her into the agency so no other agents saw her and they tended to her wounds and sheltered her from whatever had caused her harm. They asked what had caused it but she refused to say anything. They couldn't help but notice that she was.. Scared.. After a while she called someone from I. M. P to come take her back and bid the agents fair well. Without flirting with them in the slightest. It was then that the agents realized that they might have accidentally fallen for a demon. But fate has a cruel sense of humor..

Because weeks had gone by. Agent one and two had already had a talk about how they both fell for her and how they already had a lot of care for each other that could be romantic after all. They didn't know when they would see her again but they never imagined it would have happened the way it did. It was a quiet night with no notable activity.. That is until a portal opened up right in their office and who other to fall out of that portal than Y/n.. but she was hurt extremely so.. Worse than the last time. It looked like someone just beat her to death.. She fell to the ground coughing up blood. Someone could be heard yelling as the portal closed. The agents who had been drinking coffee both dropped their mugs and they shattered on the floor. They were both horrified. They both rushed over to her she was too disoriented and in too much pain to hear anything they were saying or to know what they were doing. She passed out a bloody mess on the floor. When she did finally wake up she was clean and bandaged up she heard talking outside the room she was in. She got up and made her way out of the room despite the pain. Only to see the agents sitting on a couch with grim expressions and looked like they were fighting back tears.. "What do you think happened to her..?" The blonde agent asked.. The male agent grimaced.. "I don't know.." He said.. "Do you think she's gonna be okay?" The blonde agent asked..

"It's not like I can die twice," y/n said gently, leaning against the door. They both stood up quickly relieved that she was okay. "I don't see why you two care so much" y/n said. The agents exchanged looks they couldn't bring themselves to tell her how they really felt.. As much as they asked what happened to her she still refused to say anything. Insisting that it wasn't something they needed to worry about. Y/n asked to borrow one of their phones so she could call someone to come get her. She called blitz but he said he was busy spying on Millie and Moxxie and that stolas had the book anyways and since he needed a date to get into Ozzies he asked stolas. He said he'd send stolas to get you first and made an off hand suggestion that maybe she could bring the agents to Ozzies. Considering they're obsessed with demons and the fact that everyone in I. M. P thought y/n and the agents were dating. Y/n begrudgingly said she'd ask them before hanging up. "Heyy how would you two like to see what hells like for a night? My boss is headed to a demon club and wants me to take you two. I mean you like demons right?" Agent two looked at agent one excitedly. They both agreed and Stolas soon showed up to pick up Y/n. Stolas was able to give them demon disguises and agent two was super excited. Y/n changed into something more appropriate for Ozzies and the agents were a blushing mess.

Once they all showed up at Ozzies Stolas and blitz went in together and y/n walked with an agent at both sides. Before they could go in one of the bouncers started hitting on Y/n. So agent one put his hand on her shoulder. They then went in and sat down and the agents were both so in awe about everything, Y/n however was noticeably on edge. It was understandable given what she had just gone through. Her uneasiness made the agents worried. Agent two tried to ease the tension "so is this like a date?" Agent two asked. "I thought you two hated demons." Y/n said with a slight teasing tone. "Are you two even in a relationship?" Y/n asked. "Well… we could-" agent one started saying before he was cut off by Moxxie performing his song for Millie and everything that happens after that. Btw they both thought Moxie's song was adorable.

(Time skip to after all the bull shit that went down with blitz and Stolas at Ozzies.)

Moxxie and Millie had seen that y/n was badly hurt and the agents learned that this happened a lot at first again y/n refused to say anything. But with even blitz coming at her on it she finally broke down and the agents and the others learned the painful truth. That she had killed herself to escape her abuser but that same man wound up in hell and made it his mission to torment her for all eternity. He was literally torturing her.. All of I. M. P got involved and went to go show him what it was like to be tortured. Leaving Y/n alone with the agents they stood by her side providing moral and physical support. It wasn't long until the agents spilled their guts about how they really feel about her and why she said she reciprocated their feelings. It was gonna take a bit for her to be comfortable in the relationship after everything she went through. It was ironic because the agent had sworn to hate all demons, and yet, they couldn't deny the affection they had grown for Y/n. They had seen her at her most vulnerable, and it had made them see her not as a demon, but as someone who had a heart that beat much like their own.

Their relationship was complicated and filled with danger from both sides as they still hunted other demons and well she worked for I. M. P so it wasn't a surprise that it was something that could get messy. And there was the whole she lives in hell and they were on the surface factor too. But despite everything both the agents had enough love in their hearts for her to always make it work and she had enough love for the both of them. In the heart of Hell's underworld, amidst the chaos and the strife, they had found something unique, something precious. They had found love. They had all found each other. And in the end, that was all that mattered. <3

[latibulater]

When Rusty is eleven, his father sits him down in the living room and tells him there will be a new baby soon. A lady friend of Jonas will be dropping off a brother for Rusty and hadn't the boy talked about wanting a playmate? It was true; Rusty was always asking for friends. This wasn't what he had meant.

He watched on as a room near his was converted from a guest bedroom into a nursery. H.E.L.P.eR. constantly whizzed by, claws full of baby clothes, formula, or toys. Rusty stared as Uncle Gentleman and Uncle Action helped his dad move out the queen-sized bed and spare workout equipment, before moving a crib and large bookshelf into the room.

"Are you alright, Master Rusty?"

"Kano! Don't sneak up on me like that!" He complained, but calmed down when the man's large hand ruffled his hair. Kano sat down at the table next to the boy and ate some cereal out of the box. "Aren't you going to help Pops?"

"They have it well in hand," said Kano. "You seem down and out."

Rusty crossed his arms. "What? No. It's just weird to see Pops not working on any new science project, or going out on the X-1 for a mission."

Kano ate some more cereal and swallowed before saying, "Yes, he rarely stays in one place. But, I heard he was like this when you were born."

"Really?"

"Yes, I was not yet...a part of Team Venture, but I've heard stories from Gentleman and Action Man of his late nights obsessing over what to name you and what books to buy."

"Oh," Rusty said surprised. "That's....that's really nice. I guess I never imagined Pops doing stuff like that for me." Kano sighed and took his glasses off to clean them. He was quiet before putting them back on. He placed a hand of Rusty's thin shoulder for a second.

"Your father..."Rusty watched with wide eyes as the strong man struggled with the shape of his phrasing. "Dr. Venture is a very passionate man," Kano settled on. "He saw, and still does see, you as his greatest project. One that required much start-up care, but needs less now that you are up and running. Does that make sense?"

"And this baby...will be the newest greatest project?" Rusty asked tentatively. Kano waved his hands frantically.

"No, no, no, see, ah shit, what is the right translation- Master Rusty, please understand," Kano said. "The new child, he is unplanned. You will always be your father's first born, his chosen child. Not that your father won't care for the new baby, no in fact he could have sent the child to the orphanage, but he didn't, because he is...he is a good man."

Rusty couldn't believe his ears. "The baby would have gone to the orphanage? Why?"

Kano blanched and looked up at the ceiling. "You see, um, well, the mother-"

A hand clamped down on Rusty's shoulder. "The tramp won't be in the picture for much longer," Uncle Gentleman said. "Soon as she pops out the bugger and gives him to Jonas, she'll be leaving."

"But why?" Rusty asked.

"She's a whore," his uncle explained, tapping his cane on the kitchen tile. "Completely unfit to be a mother, honestly the best thing she's done is tell Jonas instead of fishing it out with a wire."

He tried to the visual but it made Rusty nauseous. "If she's so awful, why did Pops make a baby with her?" Kano's face scrunched up, discomfited, but Gentleman easily explained.

"A man has to spread his wild oats, boy, you'll understand once you start growing some hair on your chest. A man can't always be picky about what field he's sowing either. I wouldn't worry about it too hard, laddie, you'll have plenty more to worry about once the little imp arrives."

Rusty frowned into his cereal.

"Oh, buck up, Thad," Uncle Gentleman clapped him on the back and walked away to the refrigerator. He opened the door, saying, "Being an older brother is supposed to be quite the privilege."

"It is," Kano quietly asserted.

Gentleman complained, "Why certainly, all my older brothers were privileged," swinging a pitcher of lemonade around. CLANK: it was set down on the counter. "Always getting me in trouble or taking my chores money," the man grumbled. The man poured himself a drink and did not continue speaking, reminiscing only to himself. Kano leaned into close the conversation.

"It is a privilege to be an older brother, but it also will come with its own challenges and puzzles. It will be your hardest and longest adventure, but brothers can become the best of friends. Plus," Kano smiled, "once the little one is a little older, the two of you together can team up on your father. Maybe force him to listen you."

Rusty giggled at the idea of him and a tinier Thaddeus hanging off Jonas,. Together they could convince him to set down his tools and listen to a show on the radio. It'd be nice having a literal brother-in-arms. One thought struck Rusty's brain and made him freeze.

"I won't have to change any diapers, will I?"

[chaifootsteps]

To be a little bit fair to that duncandonut person, I don't think they're intending to be outright malicious. I saw a different post that they put in the crit tags linking to a video that called everybody who criticized the deaf imp kid scene a bunch of horrible ableists, which is pretty yikes on its own, but somebody in the replies pointed out to them that pretty much none of the kinds of people being discussed in that video were the people who use the tumblr crit tags. (In the video it was all people yelling dumb things like "Why are kids in hell" or "Why does deafness exist in hell", stuff from people who clearly hadn't watched the show.) Anywho, once it was pointed out to them that the people here's main issue with it was actually the fact of a child attending an overtly sexual adult event, they acknowledged that argument as valid and clarified in the tags that they only meant for the post to be addressed towards the ableist haters.

They are on the spectrum and say they have a lot of trouble with reading tone (I am also on the spectrum and have similar issues, so I can relate to some degree) so I think that might be part of the problem, here. The fact that Vivzie has drawn underage bestiality isn't the SOLE problem here, it's that the fandom AGGRESSIVELY shuts down any criticism of people who've engaged in similar content despite Viv having clearly done so as well. It's the hypocrisy of saying "Clearly your opinion means nothing because you did [insert thing Vivzie has also done here]!" Like, it's literally a non-argument because you're shooting yourself in the foot with your own blatant hypocrisy.

I can't stomach underage or bestiality ships, but I've engaged in other kinds of horrible ship content myself, like sexual/physical abuse ships, and I know that's stuff other people, people who might be into the stuff that I can't stomach, might not be able to stomach, either. Literally, it's not the fact that the content exists that's the problem, it is the HYPOCRISY in how people address it. (Although, in Viv's case, I do think there's an issue there in how she presents her "problematic" content, as we have seen with how she writes Stolitz and puts ANY blame of toxicity completely on Blitz even though Stolas is the way more toxic one, so I do have trouble making the same kind of excuses for her as I would for the people around here, since her real-life views seem very inserted into her creations, but what can ya do).

Hopefully I've explained this all in a way that somewhat makes sense. I guess my main point is that it seems more like the Duncandonut person was not considering things from any other point of view before making that post. It didn't seem outright malicious, mostly just rash and poorly thought out. (Although making "callouts" of that kind of nature, ESPECIALLY with something like an outright false underage fetish accusation, never seems particularly "well-intentioned", by any means.)

Yeah, I don't think they're malicious. I've met people in the Vivzie fandom who I'm reasonably sure would kill me if they thought they could get away with it, but they're not one of them.

[hypersomniaaboutsleeping]

💫 FROM NARUTO TO BORUTO FANFICTION💫 #6

Official name: Unexpected

Only here on En here. From author personally.

There are five days left before the start of school..

He could fool around, watch TV, play with your sister.. Yes, all this has already been redone, and Himawari just left to look for a suitable teacher who crossed paths with the Hyuga clan, who will be able to unlock her potential.

And this means that almost the whole family will not be there, and Boruto flatly refused to go.

And, frankly, he regretted that he had quarreled with his father again.

It's important for their family.

"So what should I do now? Sarada, I think, is already busy, so she hasn't answered since morning.. Does Mitsuki use gadgets at all? I hardly found a kettle at their house! And the numbers in any case, no .."

Boruto lazily stretched.. There wasn't much choice left.

-.. "THE MARTIAL ARTS CENTER IS CLOSED FOR REPAIRS"? Until the fifteenth?! Came the second time called..

- USARATONKACHI GET OUT OF THE WAY!

He wouldn't even have realized who bumped into him at the same second if only one person hadn't called him like that..

..And of course, both of them rumbled right into a nearby grocery cart.

- WHAT THE HELL HAS COME OVER YOU!

- RUN, YOU IDIOT!

Menma jumped up, offering his hand. He looked like a disheveled, oddly enough, imp.

Boruto got up on his own, dusted himself off, and later noticed the chase.. He did not think anymore, but rushed after the topic.

As it turned out, Uzumaki was not the only one who could jump on roofs.

Uchiha-Uzumaki only grunted contentedly in the jump, catching up.

It looked like they were about to break away from the chase, and Menma was quite stretched in a smile...

...It turned out that he did it early, slipping on the tiles of someone else's very decent house. Someone's curious head popped out..

- What's interesting there?

- It's nothing Mom! - There was a hasty rattling of a spoon.

- Well, stand there, you little weasel!

Hearing a familiar voice after these two, Boruto had no difficulty guessing who Menma's pursuers were.

- Iruka, Kakashi-sensei, I have nothing to do with it!

- Then why are we running? - Hatake didn't seem tired of the chase at all. He just stared menacingly.

And here's Iruka.. Give me from above to catch my breath in this world, and not the other..(No wonder Kakashi called him an old man not so long ago)

- Why did you freeze, you knocked over the cart with me!

They took off again, sometimes overtaking each other, then running together.

- Actually, because of you!

- I didn't ask you to help me! You could have just disappeared! - And stuck out his tongue, turning into the already familiar street. To guess where exactly, it was not difficult ..

A second of delay... They catch both of them.

- I didn't expect your participation, Boruto. - Kakashi remarks with a bit of disappointment.

- Just like his father. And since he's not here, let's figure out the older sister, plowing for the benefit of the family of the second prankster. Aren't you ashamed? She's trying. Iruka continues.

Menma only tries to escape, which also ends unsuccessfully.

Boruto is still trying to prove that he was not involved in this. However, he is unlikely to be believed, he did it himself..

Ninja quickly get to the residence of the first, gallantly knocking.

- Kumiko-san, you're already home, aren't you? Your parodying offspring?

The door was unlocked. Other pairs of shoes appeared... That was the first thing Kakashi noticed. Alerted..

The water was running in the bathroom. Perhaps a polite thief? Although judging by the calmness..

A girl, barely dressed, appeared from the corridor.

- Menma, what have you done again?! And you're in league with him, as soon as you were left unattended? Don't you feel sorry for the heads?!

They were immediately pulled by the ears, scolded, and only then asked..

- What did these guys do? Not a robbery, I hope, or worse?

-K-Kumiko-sama, nothing too serious..

Iruka exchanged glances with Kakashi. They mentally said, "they will be punished even worse if we don't come up with something else," and changed their faces, building benevolent mentors.

- Let them fix what they've done. They painted the Hokage here, and ran away! Do you have a couple of buckets and rags? One for each, and let them drag themselves to wash through the whole block, to the former shine. - Umino came up with it quickly. - And here's what to do with the cart..

- What happened to the cart? Hijacking? Ruin?

- Rather the second. Unfortunately, you will have to deal with this, and we will.. We'll make sure they get there. They are already waiting for you on the square in front of the MAC.

- A...

- Martial Arts Center. You are similar to your brother, they will find out.

- I hear it again, only when I have to pay..

Mikoto wanted to say a few words to the instigator.. But he was already on the street, quickly turning around, but still taking buckets.

Boruto, if possible, began to be rightly indignant..

- Shut up, huh? Just help me not to carry these rags on myself. Otherwise I'll call Mitsuki, he's like a saint with you. He doesn't yell, he doesn't pretend to be stupid, he doesn't want to become a Hokage. - Menma snorted.

- What are these criteria, dobe!? I'm not stupid in any way and I'm not yelling. And in general, say thank you for helping.

- Fuck you. Follow me to the mountain, let's see how you concentrate the chakra! Maybe we can peel off your dad's face.. Or maybe he will come and admire the under-eyes, let him study fatherhood!

Uchiha-Uzumaki turned around. The eyebrow arched, the eyes narrowed..

- Did he leave yours for himself too?

- Yeah. But no one taught him to be a father. And yours is still trying, well, what can you do when you got married out of debt.

- YES, YOU FU....

For such words, Bo got really angry, starting to beat with rags, and Menma ran away.

However, running around with buckets is still a "pleasure".

In the meantime, one person was looking after them. And he was only upset.

- And who was chosen to be a jinchuriki..

..Menma listened. My insides ached - "you're missing, you're missing!", but there was nothing dangerous, except for the gloomy elderly caretaker of the pedestal.

- Why else can't we pass? The copying ninja together with the teacher sent us to wash our faces! Let's skip it, we won't fall down like some kind of youngsters!

- Why wash them?

She looked at them. At first with indifference.. Then her eyebrows arched in surprise, looking in the direction of the monuments..

- If you can walk on vertical surfaces, I will be glad not to look for equipment. You painted it yourself, and wash it yourself. It's not for an old woman to do this.

- We can. Give me the rags, Bo, you're out of breath like a locomotive!

Only when they had already descended (not without difficulty and possible slip) did the black-haired man not give the rag to a fellow in misfortune.

- Get down from here and go. You can say that I kicked you out, they'll take your word for it.

Uzumaki looked at him for a minute.. Then down..

...And flew back to the city. A couple of abrasions, of course, will remain, but..

"Is he really not as biting as he likes to show himself? Ugh, like Uncle Sasuke.. Maybe there is something good in you, little devil.."

He bought chips, mojito on the way.. And he went to Sarada's house. He can't sit alone, can he?

...When he heard the scream, he went to its source.

- Are you guys okay? Do you close the doors at all or do you like the guests so much?

Looked into the house..

[hazbincalifornia]

I know all the sins haven't been released just yet but if you had a guess who would be at least the most positive and somewhat healthy toward blitz if he had a relationship and well was pregnant too

I'd say Bee! She's very sweet with Tex, and clearly cares about the well-being of those in her domain. Plus, the idea of somewhat-squishy part-lava babies that glow is super adorable, as well as her showing him off to all of the party-goers and he gets to feel like he's adored by people other than her.

It's very possible that Belle would be good too, especially as she has the medical expertise. I can't really see him with Lucifer. I have a few aus where Mammon gets him pregnant actually but they're Not Good For Him. Satan could be decent but all we really know is that he's a hot dude, although he'd know imps better than anyone.

And… Ozzie might actually be alright, now that I think on it? I imagine he probably deals with pregnancy a decent amount as a pretty natural endpoint of Lust, and although strings-free fucking is more Lust's thing, wanting to be a parent isn't necessarily bad, especially as the pregnancy itself could be spun into kinky breeding stuff. I actually have toyed around with how Ozzie interacts with Blitz a bit in the Blitzfizz kid au, and like the thought they'd get along if shit hadn't gone so south.

Now I'm just imagining an au where Blitz ends up a dancer or something at Ozzie's and him and Fizz and Ozzie all end up a thing together, after their simmering resentment has Ozzie just shove them in a room together like 'deal with your UST, you're killing the vibes'. They end up with hatefucking that spirals down to a really bitter talk that manages to start some seeds of regrowth.

[the-tactician-magician]

Whoops this @flufftober2021 piece got away from me. It was originally going to be a Raphael/Bernadetta fic, but a conversation in a Discord server gave me brainworms, so here we are with yet another Claude fic. Also the ending is a bit rushed because I wanted to finish it, so sorry about that lmao.

Flufftober Day 15: Silly Traditions

Rated G, Mostly Claude & Golden Deer friendships, with a dash of Claude/F!Byleth and Hilda/Marianne, 2855 words

Braids were pretty popular in Almyra, among men and women and kids and adults alike. And why wouldn’t they be? They kept long hair out of one’s eyes, taught the fine motor skills needed to craft and shoot arrows, and gave a hectic family such as Claude’s a reason to sit down and enjoy some quiet bonding time. In fact, the braid that he wore right now was the same kind of braid his mother would pleat on lazy afternoons, nestled among blankets and pillows and blissfully ignorant of the world outside their room.

So Claude was surprised that hardly anyone wore braids in Fodlan. Out of all the students in the Officer’s Academy, only Marianne, Ingrid, Petra, and Claude himself had a braid. However, Marianne’s skinny braid over the top of her head barely counted one, and Petra’s long and luscious braid from Brigid was more indicative of her foreigner status, much like his own tiny braid. Which left Ingrid as the sole Fodlander with a braid that would fit right into Almyra, although Claude probably shouldn’t tell her that to her face.

He didn’t mind the lack of braids though. Sure, some haughty nobles (Lorenz) scoffed at his strange hairdo, but most others didn’t comment upon it. If Claude had to hazard a guess, his many other peculiarities drew their attention away from his braid, leaving him free to keep it for as long as he liked. And he definitely planned to keep one of his few mementos from home for a good while longer.

But as it turned out, just because people didn’t talk about his braid didn’t mean they hadn't noticed it. Claude found that out one morning, before Teach arrived in their classroom to start the day. While the other Golden Deer milled about and chatted amiably, Hilda was trying to tie Marianne’s hair up in its usual hairdo, but couldn’t even make the tight braid needed to secure her bun in place. Claude thought that such a task would be easier for Hilda the fashionista, but the way her fingers flailed about and tossed blue tresses at Marianne’s face proved otherwise.

“I-I’m sorry for being a bother…” Marianne muttered to Hilda, eyes half-closed out of regret.

“You’re not a bother!” Hilda retorted. “Every girl has an off-day once in a while! Honestly, it’s incredible that you’re able to do all your hair by yourself! If I had even an ounce of your talent, I would be taking this world by storm! So I guess I ought to learn a thing or two from you, huh?”

She said that, yet she still fumbled about uselessly until she gave up and shot Claude a pleading look.

“Hey, Claude! You’re good with braids, right? Mind helping us out?”

Claude blinked, not understanding what Hilda said. It took him a few seconds for her words to finally register in his mind, but he still didn’t get why she was asking him of all people.

“What makes you think I’m good with braids?” He laughed out loud.

“Uh, cause you’re wearing one right now?” Hilda gestured to the right side of his face.

Claude laughed again as he gave said braid a twirl. “This old thing only takes like five minutes to make. It’s nothing like Marianne’s hairdo.”

“Yeah, but it’s still something.” Hilda pouted. “But if you won’t help us, then it looks like Marianne will have to suffer under her unruly hair until someone else takes pity on her.”

At that, Marianne’s gloomy expression somehow darkened further. As much as Claude wanted to prove a point to Hilda, he couldn’t do so at Marianne’s expense. A sigh escaped his lips as he got out of his chair and walked over.

“Fine. Looks like it’s up to me to save the day. Though I can’t copy your old hairstyle exactly, so I might have to improvise a bit. Is that alright?”

Marianne gave him a slight nod in response. She looked a bit happier already, which was all the motivation Claude needed to carry on.

To be honest, Claude wasn’t that great of a hair stylist. The only hair he ever braided, besides his own, belonged to his parents, and he eventually grew out of that too. So Claude had to rely on vague recollection of hairdos he had seen on other women, such as his half-sisters, cousins, and members of the royal court. Regardless, his fingers moved swiftly, following muscle memories he thought were long forgotten, sweeping and tucking Marianne’s soft blue locks until he came up with something respectable.

The end result, a pair of braids tied into a bun in the back, wasn’t anywhere close to Marianne’s usual style, nor was it as well done as the braids of his childhood. Yet Marianne thanked him with a small smile as she gingerly touched her new hairdo, and Hilda’s eyes sparkled so fiercely, they kind of scared Claude.

“Claude! Why were you being so modest before?! I bet you could make a killing at doing people’s hair if you weren’t already the next Duke Riegan!”

“It’s nothing special. Really.” Claude let out an airy laugh. “I bet you can become as good as me, or even better, if you make an effort to learn.”

“Yeah, but that takes time.” Hilda whined. “And that still won’t help me with my own hair. Hey, speaking of which, could you braid my hair too?”

Once again, Hilda’s words caught him off guard. Claude gave her a quizzical look, and Hilda fired back a cute, doe-eyed stare.

“But your hair looks fine. Do you want me to ruin it?”

“You aren’t going to ruin it, silly!” Hilda waved a hand to brush off his concern. “And I have to have braids to match my best friends!”

He thought that she just meant Marianne at first, but to his surprise, she gestured at Claude as well. She really did consider him a friend, huh? Even though she barely knew anything about him. Then again, it should’ve been obvious from how Hilda trusted Claude to fix Marianne’s hair, and now her own.

With a show of faith like this, how could Claude turn her down? He smiled and grabbed a strand of Hilda’s pink locks. “Alright. Do you want a braided bun like Marianne?”

“Nah. Give me some pigtails, like what I have right now. Except, you know, braided.”

“So much for trying something new.” Claude chuckled under his breath. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

Hilda laughed quietly alongside him, but he got to work anyway. He had to admit, there was a certain irony in giving a Goneril braids based off of his Almyran childhood, although it wasn’t like anyone besides him was going to notice. Still, he used this secret delight to guide his fingers through the repetitive motions once more. Once he was done, Claude flicked the pair of braids at Hilda’s face.

“All done. What do you think?”

“I think it looks great, but what do you think, Marianne?”

Hilda showed off her new and improved pigtails to Marianne, whose face brightened almost immediately. “You… I-I mean, they look very pretty.”

“Aw! Thanks, Marianne!” Hilda gave her hair one last flourish before letting them go. “And thanks to you too, Claude!”

In his humble opinion, it seemed like Hilda was more pleased about Marianne’s praise than her pigtails, but Claude couldn’t complain. He never could have imagined that someone besides his parents would be happy over his handwork. And he most certainly couldn’t have imagined that the other Golden Deer wanted to join in on the fun, yet a booming voice from the other side of the room proved him dead wrong.

“Hey, Claude! Can I get a braid too?” Raphael suddenly chimed in, nearly startling Claude out of his seat.

“But, uh, you don’t have much hair to work with?” Ignatz asked in an incredulous voice.

“That’s ok. There’s enough for me to figure something out.” Claude said.

“Hey, I got an idea!” Hilda piped up. “How about we all get braids from Claude?”

Her suggestion, as expected, produced quite the commotion throughout the classroom. Some people like Lysithea and Leonie just sighed and shook their heads. Others, like Ignatz, looked downright confused. And of course, Lorenz had plenty to say on the subject.

“My hair is already at the pinnacle of fashion! Experiment with your own hair if you must, but I will not allow Claude to sully perfection!”

“Oh, Lorenz, no.” Hilda struggled to hold back laughter. “Your hair is far from perfect. As the Golden Deer’s resident fashion expert, I say you’re the one that needs a makeover the most!”

Leonie, sensing an opportunity to bully Lorenz, changed her mind in an instant. “And shouldn’t we all match to show our, uh, unity? Point is, you don’t want to be left out!”

“Why, I-”

“Hey, if Lorenz doesn’t want a braid, that’s fine with me.” Claude interrupted Lorenz before he inadvertently started an argument. “I doubt that I’ll even get to him before Teach shows up.”

“Yeah, now that you mention it, where is the professor?” Raphael wondered out loud.

Lysithea scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you guys see the memo on the chalkboard? It says that she’s going to be at a meeting for most of the morning, and we’re supposed to be independently studying instead of goofing off.”

Claude glanced to the front of the room, where there was indeed a note from Byleth explaining her absence. Huh. He must have missed that. If he had known earlier, he would’ve spent the morning elsewhere instead of here. Then again, he supposed that braiding hair was also an acceptable alternative to classes…

He turned his attention back to his friends and shrugged. “Hey, we’re not goofing off. We’re engaging in some quality team building exercises. Or something to that effect.”

“And I bet your hair will look gorgeous after Claude works his magic on them!” Hilda exclaimed. “Pristine white and silky smooth hair like yours deserves something special, not that they don’t already look great!”

“W-well I think it’s fine as it is. Who needs fancy hair, anyway?” Lysithea stammered out. Her sudden meekness, combined with the slight blush across her face, raised several flags in Claude’s mind, but like Lorenz, he wasn’t going to push the matter if she was at all hesitant.

“How about we just start with the actual volunteers?” He said instead as he strolled over to Raphael. His thick and sandy blond curls grew close to his scalp, providing quite a challenge, yet Claude dug his fingers into his hair and braided away.

Well, braid them as much as he could. Claude only managed to weave a few stubby braids that stuck out like little trees. Nonetheless, Raphael was immensely grateful for his makeover, and showed his appreciation with a big hug. At least he released Claude before he crushed his ribs though.

Next on the list was Ignatz, who volunteered himself after seeing how much his friend enjoyed his braids. Since his hair was longer, Claude was able to give him a braid in the back. For Leonie, whose hair was nearly as short as Raphael’s, Claude pleated a pair of tiny side braids over her temples. The once-reluctant Lysithea ultimately acquiesced when it became her turn, and got a lovely half-up, half-down braid. Hilda profusely complimented both Lysithea and Claude for a job well done, causing the former to blush some more.

Seeing most of his classmates in braids left a funny feeling in Claude’s heart. Because braids were so commonplace in Almyra, they also carried some cultural significance. Mainly, if someone allowed you to braid their hair, they basically considered you their close friend. After all, while their back faced towards you and your hands were on their head, you could easily choose to hurt someone instead of braiding their hair.

But not a lot of Almyrans allowed an outsider like Claude to braid their hair. Hardly anyone besides his parents, actually. And he was well aware that braiding hair didn’t mean anything in Fodlan, that people here didn’t think twice about this seemingly innocuous task. Yet the level of trust they displayed, as they placed their fate in Claude’s hands, was not lost on him. Their faith washed away his prior anxieties and put a smile on his face.

Even if he had to wait until Lorenz, the last unbraided Golden Deer, gave into peer pressure before making his move. He had to admit that it felt a bit awkward to touch the hair of his archnemesis, but the tension faded away when he gave him a short braid that was basically identical to his own, except it dangled on the right side of his face. Mostly because that was the best he could do with Lorenz’s hair, but also just to see his reaction.

“Claude!” Lorenz exclaimed, flabbergasted. “Is this a joke to you?”

“But it actually looks good on you!” Hilda laughed out. “Much better than whatever your old haircut was supposed to be!”

“Hmph. If you meant that as a compliment, it didn’t feel like one.”

“Well, uh, I think it looks nice…”

At Marianne’s words, Lorenz instantly softened his expression. Claude was admittedly a little disappointed at how quickly Lorenz got used to his braid, but he wouldn’t have had much time to enjoy his squirming anyway. Mere seconds after Lorenz settled down, the classroom doors opened up to reveal their professor at long last.

“Heya, Teach!” Claude said as he pulled his hand away from Lorenz. “What kept you?”

Byleth didn’t respond right away. She merely glanced from person to person, soaking in all of their newly woven braids. Her azure gaze ended on Claude and his unchanged hairstyle, which painted him as the apparent culprit behind this latest fad.

“I was at a meeting.” She stated plainly. “Why does everyone have braids now?”

“Well, it was actually Hilda’s idea, and-”

“Professor! You should get a braid from Claude too!” Hilda shouted, cutting Claude off mid-sentence.

Claude mentally groaned at her suggestion. It was one thing to braid the hair of his classmates. It was another thing entirely to give Teach a braid. She was already perfect as is, and the thought of sinking his hands in those wavy teal locks quickened his heart and filled him with a peculiar kind of dread. Besides, there was no way she would agree, right? Byleth used to be a mercenary, and mercenaries didn’t dabble in frivolities like braids-

“Sure.” Byleth agreed.

“Wait, hold on-”

He was interrupted yet again by Hilda’s delighted squeal. Through the high-pitched noise, Byleth continued on in a considerably more subdued tone.

“I would be satisfied with any braid you give me, but if I may make a request… I would like two braids, with pink and white ribbons.”

“Ribbons?” Claude repeated after her. Where on earth did this come from? He didn’t peg Byleth as someone with such girly tastes, but he didn’t have the heart to turn her down either…

“Oh! I got some ribbons right here!”

Hilda didn’t waste any time pulling the aforementioned ribbons out of her bag and plopping them in Claude’s hands. Everything was moving so fast, he could scarcely object, or protest, or question how or why this was even happening. All Claude could do was guide Byleth to a chair and braid her hair to her specifications.

Shit. He might’ve done too well, because when he was finished, Claude couldn’t look at Byleth without blushing. Her two braids, intertwined with Hilda’s ribbons, made her look cute. The Ashen Demon. Their stoic and formidable professor. Cute. And pretty, but mostly cute.

Predictably, Hilda kicked up a fuss about Byleth’s new hairstyle. Less predictably, some of the other Golden Deer joined in with their own opinions. Claude was trying very hard not to pay attention to all the praise, lest his burning cheeks betrayed him, but when Byleth glanced his way with her hands on her braids, he couldn’t help but perk up.

“Thank you, Claude.” She said softly. “I… like these a lot.”

Claude forced himself to smile through his blush. “You’re very welcome. And hey, if you ever want braids again, you can hit me up anytime.”

He wanted to smack himself the instant those words left his lips. He could barely control himself around Byleth when she had cute braids, and now he offered to prolong his own suffering by doing it again?!

Fortunately, Byleth didn’t notice how he flinched. She just took his words at face value, gave him a nod, and headed to the front of the classroom to begin their lessons. Though, as Claude’s blush died down and he scanned over everyone, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he braided people’s hair in the future. Not just Byleth’s, but all of the Golden Deer’s. He may not be in Almyra anymore, but when he was surrounded by a sea of braids, braids that he made, he felt a little less lonely and a lot more beloved.

[britishsass]

wings AU: the first actual mission the junior agents go on after dealing with maligula is basically an excuse to get them out of the motherlobe when the press Descends like a swarm of journalistic piranhas. there is an actual mission but it didnt really need all eight junior agents (interns, raz, and lili) AND their supervision. that was just for the submission Keep Them Away From The Press (so they dont troll them AGAIN). somehow they uncover a relatively big thing and come home with birds

(part 2 of that wings AU ask with the "keep them away from the press" mission) raz ran into a distant relative running a food truck who was concerned about his imped wings, morris had to be retrieved off a roof, norma accidentally burnt off her own eyebrow (again), amazingly the birds were adam's fault not sam's, sam learnt how to use a psychic power she hadn't known previously, gisu literally fell into the plot, lizzie got mobbed by excited small children, and lili was somehow the most on task

God, I love the idea that Lizzie just accidentally gets mobbed by small children. Reminds me of myself when I'm around my younger cousins-- Somehow they all swarm to me. I guess it's because I'm the only one who still makes an effort to play with them? But imagine her seeing these kids and telling them all a spooky ghost story about the winged demon that'll come to take your teeth if you don't behave....

On the other hand, Morris and Gisu on a roof just having a ball up there until they accidentally start rolling off (Morris accidentally hits Gisu, ending up with the two of them both on the same chair and screaming) and just slam through a roof and land in a heap on top of the bad guy without a clue what's going on. Morris just casually rolls off of them.

Adam and Sam were supposed to just do something normal and instead Adam ended up daring Sam to tell the birds to find the problem and instead they find an "Exotic Pets smuggling ring/auction" thing. They put on disguises as really high-class people and pretend that they fit in there before Sam gets a chance to talk to a tiger and makes a quick friend. Except Sam's in a suit and has a fake mustache while Adam is in a dress and makeup. No one comments on this. There was no reason they couldn't have Adam in a suit. Adam just likes dresses and Sam just wanted a fake mustache.

[jafndaegur]

Noise of Rain | Chapter Two

Inside My Soul, I Hear You Calling

Sesskag

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

Sesshomaru’s brow arched and slowed his stride. The overwhelming stench of familiar hanyou approached at an alarmingly fast pace. His footsteps paused completely and he tried to sort the odd feelings that wormed in his chest. 

It had been a long time since he had last seen the little Shikon Jewel group. He didn't know the exact time—that was a human thing. But Rin had grown a bit, and the seasons had changed from the balmy to near-cold.

And all through that time he'd not heard a peep of Inuyasha or his group. It was as if they'd disappeared completely from the earth.

"M'Lord?" Rin called from her spot next to Jaken, her skippy step half-hearted.

Sesshomaru’s brow furrowed as the dirt road kicked up dust and the wind blustered about them.

If it wasn't for the scent of utter desperation and surprising lack of hostility—the daiyoukai would have drew his sword before a heart beat.

Face to face with the horrid truth, Sesshomaru watched with growing alarm as Inuyasha sunk to his knees the minute he landed. His forehead touched the ground and his hands rested palm down against the earth. His body heaved, breathless, and his voice rasped.

"Please," he wheezed. "Please Sesshomaru."

"Get up you stupid brat," Sesshomaru gripped the boy's collar and yanked him up.

Inuyasha sat back on his heels, displaying the full front of his face. Hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, dulled bronzed color to once belligerent glare, the half demon hardly looked recognizable with a characteristic face fallen to the world. No fight, no charge, the hanyou was a shell.

"Please Sesshomaru, you have to help us find—"

"I will do nothing if you continue to snivel, Inuyasha," he snarled.

"Sesshomaru, Kagome is gone." Inuyasha pressed on. "You, bastard, are literally our last chance. It's been...it's been too long. We've searched, and searched, and—"

Sesshomaru flexed his fingers, not appreciating the discomfort roiling in his belly. "Have you considered, little brother, that she may be dead? If significant time has passed, I doubt she's been on holiday." However even as he spoke these words, he felt angered and uncomfortable. The idea of the little miko being dead was not pleasing. 

Inuyasha stared, appalled.

Sesshomaru continued smoothly, eyes hooded and corners of his mouth tugged down. "But she is not as inept as you believe either. She can take care of herself. Unlike you she is not a child."

The smallest of sparks flitted through the hanyou's glower before it disappeared. His gaze swung to the side and grew laden with guilt. "Kikyo came back. Alive. Normal. The same time Kagome disappeared. We—I—started looking the moment we knew something happened."

"Hn." Sesshomaru doubted that his little brother started his search so soon. But the undead priestess being alive made things troubling. There was one way for her to regain her humanity… "What do you know?"

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "There were no signs of struggle. She didn't put up a fight, all of her things were neatly tucked away at our camp, she'd left while we were sleeping. There's no trace of her scent, Miroku has looked for her aura. It really is almost like…"

"So you have nothing useful then." Sesshomaru sneered. 

Inuyasha bared his fangs. "Look. I checked on the other side of the well. You know...where she lives."

Sesshomaru had the vaguest idea, not the exacts, but enough to follow. Not that he would say—especially to Inuyasha.

"Her scent is stale. Her family is worried. She hasn't been back home in a long long time."

Turning on his heel, the daiyoukai gave his attention to his steward. "Jaken. Take Rin and head north. Make camp there. This Sesshomaru will find you once this has blown over."

"M'lord!" The imp screeched, but whether it was in affirmation or indignation, Sesshomaru could care less. 

"Lord Sesshomaru, please find lady Kagome," Rin chirped out, her expression scrunched with worry.

He nodded and looked over her shoulder. "Where was the little priestess last?"

"We were somewhere unfamiliar. A mountain range to the west, we'd been going that way to find a shard. Maybe three days by foot from here. But we had to stop, there was a bad evil presence there."

He would start there then. He did not say goodbye. He did not promise anything. Sesshomaru flew off with a gust of wind in his wake, his mokomoko trailing behind him.

…

The little miko disappeared the same day that he and his group had passed through the area. Sesshomaru recognized their own path and the path that they had once taken as well. When they had crossed ways however and he had checked on them, something had been off about the girl.

He couldn't place what. But it was dark and alluring, a radiance quite different than her reiki but perhaps not as suiting. As he had observed it more with his youki, he couldn't find a word or placement for it. So he left it alone. The presence clearly was not harming her.

But if he'd said something that day, parted with a word, would she have still disappeared? Was that aura within her something he should have warned her about? Not that he cared.

His body phased through a surprising barrier guarding the mountain range. The energy seeped in anger, the strong hatred spread through mountain range was alarming. No pure evil aura, as far as he could tell, the only thing he detected was resentful energy.

He landed on a high outcropping, a bright yellow patch on the dark grey mountainside having caught him off guard. When he observed the area, he realized it was sheet upon sheet of yellow talismans. Not unlike the ones that the monk with Inuyasha used. But these...Sesshomaru’s nose wrinkled. These were written with blood.

We can't stop, Sesshomaru followed the trail of talismans leading him along the wall. The blood on the talismans, without a doubt, belonged to the miko. Their trace lured him with a tumultuous power drawing him closer and closer. We won't drop. 

He stood at the epicenter of the mountains, a steep crevice before him—it's maw stretched wide. How far it went down he couldn't guess. But he noted the strand of talismans that appeared from the dark depths and lined one on top of the other up the wall. Like a rope.

Sesshomaru lifted his brow with a disdained calculation. The only questions now, how did she end down there, and why all the bizarre talismans?

The bloody writing had darkened and faded, the smell faint and on its last legs of detectability. So Kagome hadn't been in these mountains for a while, his guess was she left around the tail end of the warm season. 

But where would she go—if not home or his brother?

A pulse surged through the air, a reverberation that rattled his teeth and caused his bones to shake with a single word. "Follow." Sesshomaru would not heed a command save his own, however after piecing apart the summons, he detected Naraku's aura and his brother's. So the spider had made a move. But the strange emulation of power was not his. It was new and foreign, something that had a strong tantalizing irregularity that beckoned him closer.

Light surrounded him and Sesshomaru sped in the direction of the scents, his blood rising in excitement—the overwhelming joy of a hunt starting to circulate through his veins. He appeared with gust and gale, his sword drawn. Except the the battlefield was not what he expected. 

Dead saimyosho littered the ground, along with various unidentifiable incarnations. They were not mutilated or in any way harmed. Just cold and prone. While Inuyasha and his group fought to disperse the miasma on ground level, the overwhelming sound of a fife echoed through the air in a haunting and lilting call above the dark cloud. There, at the center, were two forms. 

One was a figure dressed in a pale grey yukata and and dark green haori. Dark, inky hair wavered dangerously while fingers danced over the flute with ease. The music clawed through the air, while midnight tendrils danced around the figure in the sky. The flutist reverberated with overwhelming power and energy. 

Sesshomaru’s eyes widened.

No more smiles you fake.

As Sesshomaru sped closer, his heart pulsed violently as the song summoned his. Bright, glowing crimson eyes lured him in closer. His pulse raced in his veins.

Thus—

The second figure at the epicenter was a writhing Naraku. His body trapped, quite appropriately, in a web of the dark inky tendrils produced by the melody of the fife. They twisted him and rendered him like a puppet, manipulating him like strings until a small but dazzling orb was produced from the hanyou. The orb. The Shikon Jewel. The figure fished the jewel back to themself—herself, Sesshomaru noticed as he grew closer. The scent of miasma no longer blocking it out with the growth of his proximity.

His eyes widened, the familiar smell bracing his senses. He hurried faster, shouting. Shouting what? A warning? A command? A plea? So unlike him.

But the darkness that warped Naraku into something unnatural, the darkness that she commandeered—it was unlike her.

She raised her arm to the air, the round and complete Shikon now clutched in her fingers.

—the hands of the clock that passed the twelve—

The resentful energy violently lashed through the air and into the jewel. In an instant it darkened. Time paused

—will pierce the starry sky,  as crimson eyes flashed to azure as the jewel dispersed into dark flecks of dust.

The woman stared at him as the pieces fluttered away, as Naraku howled angrily, as the world around them quieted.  

"You have a lot to explain," Sesshomaru growled, "Miko."

Her brow furrowed and lips pursed, her eyes screamed outragers drive me nuts. "Ah Sesshomaru. I've a hard time believing this is concern speaking. No offense."

His lips curled in distaste. 

"Hold that thought," she smiled sheepishly as the red steeped back into her eyes.

Outragers drive me nuts. 

The dark tendrils flashed into ravenous fury, attacking Naraku again without relent this time. Sesshomaru lurched forward, intent to prove that with his power and sword would be the demise of the spider.

She laughed as the resentful energy tore Naraku to pieces instead. She flashed the daiyoukai a girlish grin as the spider hanyou fell to the earth below. With a satisfied nod, she wiped her hands on the hem of her haori.

"Defeat Naraku, check. Shikon Jewel wished away? Check. Miasma gone to help them down there?" She gestured down to Inuyasha and her old friends below, now watching with disbelief as the poison cloud faded with the death of its creator. "Check."

He stared at Kagome with a narrowed wary gaze.

"How's that for just a shard detector?"

The raging howl of the underdog.

[hazbincalifornia]

If they spent all of Stolas’s birthday together maybe there was other games. Like after they talk more blitz asks what else Stolas has to do for a job, father tells him he’ll have to have a baby someday, an heir just in case and it scares him (cuz Stella scary) but maybe he’d be a good papa. Then they play a game of house basically. Blitz shoving a pillow in his suspenders and makes Stolas bring him a snack! Foreshadowing!

"Really? A baby?"

"Uh-huh." Stolas nodded from the seat by the window. "She looks mean though."

"Maybe she just takes bad pictures or something," Blitzo suggested, but Stolas hugged his knees.

"I don't think so..."

"Oh. Hmm." Blitzo seemed stumped by that. "Babies are kinda loud and wiggly and messy, but I like 'em okay. One'a the acrobats had a big tummy for a while and then she had a baby, so it's got something to do with it, I think."

Blitzo seemed smart in practical stuff, so Stolas didn't argue- besides, he'd seen some of the mommies wandering around the castle with rounded tummies, so it made sense.

"Hey, how about we play house?" Blitzo suggested, before looking around. "Er, castle?"

"Huh?" Stolas tilted his head with a soft coo.

"It's like playing at being grown-ups! Maybe it won't be as scary if you get practice. You be you, and I be, uh... who's she?"

"I don't know her name. Father didn't tell me yet."

"I can't be somebody if I don't know their name!" Blitzo tapped his chin. "I guess I'll still be me, then." His tail snagged a nearby pillow, hugging it to his chest. "Wow. All your stuff is really soft."

"I suppose." He hadn't ever thought about it before. Of course things were soft and comfortable, that was how they were supposed to be. For the first time, he noticed how some of Blitzo's horns were flaking- a sign of how he couldn't afford to have it polished, or just evidence that he was growing, the same as the places where Stolas's feathers didn't quite grow in even yet?

By the time he'd plucked out a feather to contemplate as he twirled it in his fingers, Blitzo had stuffed the pillow under his shirt, and used his tail to snatch the tip of the feather out of his hands before he tickled at Stolas's face with it. "Hey. You there, princey?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Stolas flushed as he blinked, scrubbing at his lower eyes. The imp's suspenders helped keep the pillow in place as Blitzo fell back on Stolas's bed.

"So, what do you gotta do to be a Papa?" He screwed up his mouth, sitting back up. "Uh... order people around. But it's just me in here."

Seeing Blitzo sitting on his bed made Stolas's flush worse. Nobody else his age that wasn't related to him had ever been in his room, and now this cute boy was just... sitting there, tail squirming against the silken sheets. Stolas couldn't help a brief flash of an image where his plushie had been replaced with Blitzo being hugged to his chest. He'd be warmer. "I could... um. I could do something nice for you, so you'd like me."

"Nah, that doesn't sound right either," Blitzo said with a wave of his hand.

"Well, I wanna be a nice father," Stolas said, looking around the room before seeing a small packet of candy on the dresser. He stretched up on the tips of his feet, fingertips straining before they caught the edge and he managed to pull it closer. "Giving people sweets is nice, right?"

"It's very nice," Blitzo agreed, eyes sparkling before a low growl made both of them freeze. He shrunk down a little into himself, the pillow looking even bigger across his tummy and chest as Stolas scrambled back up into the bed. "I just- I didn't have lunch before we got here, that's all."

"You can share mine," Stolas said as he offered over the packet of Honey Cubes with a smiling bee emblazed on the side. Blitzo tore the packet open and popped one in his mouth, eyes widening again.

"Oh, these are good!"

"Uh-huh, they're my favorites," Stolas said, muffling a giggle as Blitzo's cheeks puffed out while he rolled the candy around in his mouth to savor the taste before tipping the packet over his lips and eating the rest of them all at once.

"W'll, y've g't g'd t'ste," Blitzo mumbled through his mouthful of Cubes. "Th'nks."

"Oh, it's nothing!" Stolas said, scooting closer. "So I'm doing good?"

"Y're d'ing-" Blitzo swallowed. "Great," he finished, patting the pillow. "I'm sure she'll be lucky to have you."

Thinking of the girl in the picture made Stolas's mood sink, and he dropped his chin against Blitzo's pillow-tummy.

"Yeah... I want to do good and make Father proud, I just wish I could pick who I was with."

"Hey, don't squish the baby!" Blitzo said, and Stolas jolted back up.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Blitzo laughed. "Aw, it's okay. Pillow-babies are meant to be laid on anyway." He flicked at a stray feather on Stolas's head, and Stolas carefully set himself back down, arms curled around his head as he looked up at Blitzo. He had a smile that made Stolas's heart feel warm and goopy, and he couldn't remember being this close to anyone for this long except the butler. Blitzo pet his fingers through Stolas's head, seemingly fascinated by the texture. They were a little sweaty, but Stolas leaned into the touch as Blitzo spoke again. "If she's really mean, then I'll just have to come back and bop her for you."

"You'd really do that for me?"

"If I could find the time in my busy schedule, doing all kinds of boss-y things," Blitzo said. "Then you could run away to the circus with your baby and do prince-y tricks, and we can hang out all the time. You can do tricks, right?"

"I can eat almost a whole mouse in one swallow," Stolas offered. "And I can turn my head all the way around."

Blitzo stared at him for a moment before pushing his head down so it was muffled in the greasy-popcorn-sweat smell of Blitzo's shirt, and Stolas found himself laughing. "We'll work on it."