#Kusanagi Shouichi

[tarashima]

I was craving rarepair food yesterday, so I made rarepair food ♥

[nanoseven-art]

Drew this lovely scene for Tarashima's Big Bang fic, Break the path and walk alone 😌

[merryfortune]

Mistletoe Memento

Written for the Winter Holiday Bingo

Prompts provided by @sweetspicybingo

Prompt: Mistletoe

Title: Mistletoe Memento

Ship: Hotdogshipping | Shoichi/Yusaku 

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,051

Warnings: None

Tags: Age Difference, Fluff, First Kiss, Christmas

   “Oh, did you put that up?” Yusaku asked, blinking.

   Normally, he would have started this conversation with a “Hello, how are you?” but seeing the teeny tiny anomaly pinned, with a shiny red ribbon, to Shoichi’s food truck was enough to shock out even Yusaku’s most common decencies. 

   “Kind of.” Shoichi replied as he leaned out over the counter to greet Yusaku. “I hung it up, yes, but I didn’t buy it or anything. Some girl from the visitor information centre was going around and handing out mistletoe as a tourist promotion. She was giving it out to any business who’d give her the time of day.”

   “That’s… nice?” Yusaku guessed.

   “Yeah.” Shoichi agreed, equally as half-heartedly. Then made more conversation as he pushed a damp rag over his counter, pretending to do work. “Honestly, I just said yes because I felt bad for her. I saw her get turned around from two different places across the plaza.”

   “That’s nice of you.” Yusaku agreed.

   “I try.” Shoichi guessed. “Like, I dunno if eating hot dogs is an overly romantic thing to do on a date but hey. It looks nice and in the spirit of things.”

   “Yeah.” Yusaku murmured.

   Then, with that, the usual course of their platitudes resumed. They asked each other about their day, half yelling at one another as Yusaku came around the side of the van. His shift was about to begin and it basically began as soon as he stowed his school bag to the side.

   He put on his apron over his school uniform and that was that. They put all chatter aside in taking orders, of which they began to pick up. Lots of people were out and about despite the chilly, December weather. It was absolutely going to snow later, they could all feel it in the air and in their bones. There was simply that cool shimmer and a dark cloud that prophesied it.

   Now, despite hot dogs not being the most romantic food to pair with a date, the mistletoe still attracted plenty of attention as Shoichi and Yusaku took their sales. It was oddly to see, between the singles and the fries, the occasional couple who saw the sprig of mistletoe conjoined to the truck and taking full advantage. It was truly in the mood of how much of a couples’ holiday Christmas was.

   Even if Christmas wasn’t until tomorrow.

   As the afternoon wore on, turning into the evening and then night, Yusaku was thoroughly exhausted by the end of it. Easily one of the busiest periods he had ever worked. He didn’t envy Shoichi who had been manning the stations all day by himself. The till was practically bursting at the seams and they were out of their most common toppings, too, like cheese and onions. It was impressive how much the crowd had eaten and that made the turn all the more jarring when a cast of thousands turned into a cast of none.

   It was a bit after eleven when the crowd had thinned and didn’t seem likely to pick up again. Shoichi doubted that the clubs were going to be popping much on Christmas Eve and he could typically bet on drunk people wanting hot dogs after singing, dancing, and drinking the night away but probably not tonight. So, he gave the signal for him and Yusaku could pack it up. 

   “I’ll drive you home Yusaku.” Shoichi said.

   “Thanks, Kusanagi-san.” Yusaku said.

   They brought the awning down and turned the grille off. The weather, after so long of staying steady, began to powder just as Shoichi battened down the last hatch. He encouraged Yusaku into the front of the van where Shoichi blasted the heater and Yusaku sat happily in the front seat with him. They drove off and into a light, glittering snow, no less. 

   Shoichi drove safely through slow traffic. It was pretty congested and so, he and Yusaku got through quite a few songs on the radio together - and some adverts, too. It was the usual mix of top forty pop songs with some carols mixed in. The former was Shoichi’s jam, Yusaku wasn’t a music person but he liked to see Shoichi enjoy himself as he made like a dag and sang out loud to the radio, belting it out.

   Cheerful company really did shorten the miles. Not that Yusaku’s apartment was all that far away to begin with. It was walking distance except when it snowed.

   “We’re here.” Shoichi said.

   He parked out front in the kerbside. A small pile of snow crunched underneath the wheel of the van. Outside Yusaku’s flat, Ai had turned on the porch light ahead of time. The light twinkled a soft yellow. Shoichi used the auto function in his console to open the door on the passenger side for Yusaku but used the handle for himself. They disembarked together.

   “Brr, it's cold when the heater’s not on.” Yusaku complained as he stepped outside the van with Shoichi.

   “You stay rugged up, yeah?” Shoichi said.

   “I will. Promise.” Yusaku said.

   They hovered awkwardly at the front of the van and something caught Yusaku’s eye. It was sleek and shiny and red. The ribbon. It was still plastered to the side of the van and Shoichi turned his head to meet where Yusaku was staring - albeit caught off guard.

   “Oh, uh, the mistletoe. It's still there.” Shoichi said. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

   He sounded like he was lying. Not out of malice, merely nonchalant. Like he was just trying to make things less awkward. Only thing was, it wasn’t working. They had both copped more than above average number of kisses today from different couples amid the sea of the general public. On the forehead, on the cheek, on the lips. The mistletoe had been a hit and it would be lying to say otherwise.

  “And we’re both standing under it.” Yusaku pointed out.

   “Next to it, more like.” Shoichi said.

   “It's tradition, you know.” Yusaku said.

   “Yes, Yusaku, I know.” Shoichi retorted.

   He sounded huffy but that didn’t fetter Yusaku. His eyes were uniquely and unusually naive. Hopeful. 

   “Please.” Yusaku quietly insisted.

   “Only because it's tradition.” Shoichi said.

   Though only because it was tradition felt - and looked - like a whole lot more. They both knew that there was a budding, mutual attraction between each other. Like a spear and shield, like the best of friends, or even like tomato sauce on a frankfurter, they went together perfectly. 

   Yusaku placed one hand on Shoichi’s breast and his other was enveloped by Shoichi’s palm. It was guided to Shoichi’s hip and for a moment, they were in a pause like a position zero in a dance. It was awkward. Yet it was oh so sweet. 

   Yusaku had to go on his tip-toes, just slightly and Shoichi held his hand firmer. They were all on their lovely lonesome on the street corner, just the streetlamp and the mistletoe to observe as they inched closer and closer until finally. They kissed,

   The cold swirled around them with the beautiful snowdrift. The light twinkled behind them and it was utterly cliche but it truly was magical. It was everything that they had both dreamed for longer than they should have that it would be. Neither could deny the mutual pining between them, soft and ever present but always unspoken. 

   Every wrong making a right as they kissed. He was too young, he was too old, they were just acquaintances brought together by something horrible and yet. The feelings that they had for one another that existed in the negative space between the sharp edges of their entwined pasts were precious and irreplaceable. 

   The feel of Yusaku's lips, the scratch of Shoichi’s beard. Little, tiny sensations by the thousands all built up to make six seconds feel like they could last an eternity. It was their first kiss, as a couple, not that they were but for now it felt as though were, and Yusaku’s first kiss as an individual and to him, what a wonderful kiss it was.

   He relished every sensation. The feeling of Shoichi’s breath and the way his own hitched as he marvelled in these precious six seconds of the kiss. His heart didn’t race but Yusaku became all too aware of it as he felt the throb of Shoichi’s pulse in his lips as they shared in this mutual intimacy.

   It was almost regretful but they did break it off. Tradition didn’t state how long the kiss had to last and they both knew that if it lasted any longer, it would be inadvisable. Yet, Shoichi didn’t let go of Yusaku’s hand that had been on his hip as it slipped back. So, together, they stood on the street’s corner holding hands.

   “Sleep tight tonight, Yusaku.” Shoichi said. “Stay warm. And I’ll see you in the new year, yeah?”

   “Yeah…” Yusaku murmured. 

   Shoichi squeezed Yusaku's hand and then finally let go. Yusaku nodded and he was already going to miss the sensation - the weight and the warmth - of Shoichi’s hand on his own. He stepped aside awkwardly and Shoichi glanced at the mistletoe. 

   “Do you want to keep it?” Shoichi asked as he reached for it.

   His fingers grazed the shiny, red ribbon, he played with the dangles and traced along the shape of the tiny, white bulbs that made up the flower of the mistletoe. It looked cheap because of its mass-made origins and oddly out of place against the off-yellow of the truck’s outer shell but there was such fondness in his voice for it.

   “Like a memento?” Yusaku asked.

   “Yeah, like a memento.” Shoichi replied.

   “I’d like that.” Yusaku said.

   “I’m glad.” Shoichi murmured.

   The mistletoe had been sticky-taped in place, of all things, with a scrunched up bundle behind the main head of the flower. He gently coaxed it off the truck and then tore off the sticky tape. Shoichi took these small actions purposefully and then met Yusaku’s eyes before entrusting him with the little souvenir of a tradition.

   “Thanks.” Yusaku said as he covered it with his fingers, wanting to hide it and squirrel it away.

   “You enjoy the holidays, yeah, enjoy some days off from school and work, you hear.” Shoichi said.

   Yusaku nodded and made a small noise. He wasn’t sure how much enjoyment he would get from pining for Shoichi but they had different schedules. Different family commitments. That sort of thing. 

   “Okay, now get inside already, don’t wait for me and don’t catch your death either.” Shoichi worried for him.

   “Alright, alright, see you later, Ku-Kusanagi-san.” Yusaku said and his voice cracked as he spoke his most valued companion’s name. Not in a bad way, just a teenage boy way.

   Shoichi chuckled at his expense and the cold wind blew. It hurried them both along as the idea of lingering toyed with them. It was awkward and bittersweet but that’s just how saying goodbye - even temporarily - went as they turned their backs on one another.

   Yusaku heard the kerchunk of the truck's door opening and his heart leapt to his throat. Now or never. It wasn't as good as an I love you or a confession but the words that got caught in his throat were just as good to release his feelings.  His chest felt tight as his lips quirked into an unnatural position: a smile. A genuine and whole-hearted smile that was ear to ear and had his eyes crinkling.

   Yusaku quickly twisted around and with a rosy face, he announced, "Merry Christmas, Shoichi. See you next year."

   Shoichi smiled and gave him a signal through the glass that he had been heard loud and clear. That's all Yusaku needed to be happy. More than happy, even, beyond happy. He then faced forward and heard the engine rumble, he opened the door where Ai and Roboppi  greeted him. Shoichi drove off so he could return home to Jin. 

   The tradition of the mistletoe was a secret for only them. He held onto the mistletoe a little tighter in secret, cherishing the feeling of the leaves and stem digging into his palm. But maybe next Christmas, when Yusaku was just that tiny bit older, it wouldn't be just tradition when they kissed by the mistletoe. 

[veiledlinks-vn]

GGs: #3 Round Reveal

Hello, hello, hello! Thank you to everyone who participated in the third round of the Guessing Games! It really makes me excited to everyone having fun with it :D Anyway, more people guessed it right this time. Sadly, we can only have one winner, and that's @celepom! Congratulations, Sally :D I'll be sending the prize to you via DMs as soon as this post is up!

For everyone else, here is the reveal: The identity for the third and final exclusive love interest is...Kusanagi-san!!!

Kusanagi-san is the exclusive love interest for Ryouken's route for VL, which I happily dubbed Patronshipping since there so far haven't been a consensus for their shipping name. As I mentioned above, this concludes the series of rounds for the LIs of VL. Once again, thank you everyone who participated. ;w;

As always, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news on VL, keep an eye out on the blog. Thank you! <3

[tarashima]

I absolutely adored it, thank you thank you thank you. Please let this be the start of more Ina-fics, there's a severe lack of those in the world ❤️❤️❤️

The Neko Christmas Miracle

Pairing: Shoichi Kusanagi x Ryoken Kogami

Summary: It’s Christmas time and Kusanagi is taking Ryoken out on a very special date. He hopes things go as planned and that Ryoken will have a miraculous time with a couple of fluffy little helpers.

Merry Christmas @tarashima! I’m your Secret Santa in our Discord server.

I went all out on this present. It’s both art and a fanfic. This is the first time I made a fanfic so I hope you like it.

It was a cold day in Den City, with temperatures reaching freezing and snow blanketing the streets. Appropriate weather for Christmas time and to spend it with loved ones. Normally Kusanagi would spend his holidays with his younger brother Jin, but this year, he’s doing something different. Wanting Jin to get used to civilian life again after the ordeal with Bohman, Kusanagi arranged for Jin to spend time with Yusaku and Takeru for the holidays. It was for the best; Jin needed to create new joyful memories and the best way to do that was to spend time with friends and Kusanagi knows that Yusaku and Takeru are up to the task to make it happen. With Jin taken care of, Kusanagi can now focus on the person sitting right next to him in the passenger seat in his hotdog truck - Ryoken.

“Alright, where is this special place you wanted to show me,” Ryoken asked.

“You’ll see when we get there. If I told you now, that would ruin the surprise,” Kusanagi answered. Kusanagi was driving and he was close to the destination at hand.

“Hoh, a surprise you say? Now I’m really interested to see where we’re going,” Ryoken responded.

Kusanagi slightly shuddered when he hear Ryoken say that. He quickly calmed himself down when he realized he was still driving. At first, Kusanagi thought that Yusaku and the others were exaggerating about Ryoken’s voice having a certain hold on them, but after spending some time with the young man himself, Kusanagi too found himself enchanted by that voice.

As soon as he relaxed, Kusanagi quickly pulled into the parking lot of the establishment he wanted to take Ryoken to.

You can do this Shoichi. It’s now or never. Kusanagi thought.

This date had to go smoothly. With Yusaku’s help, Kusanagi asked Spectre various questions about what Ryoken liked and wanted feedback on ideas he thought would be best. Kusanagi always wondered why Spectre went by his avatar name and never hid real name, but from what Yusaku told him, that is something Spectre would reveal to only those who he felt he can truly trust. Since Yusaku has an understanding with Spectre on account of their shared past experiences, it was easy for him to act as a mediator for the two men, and eventually the plan for the date was established.

“Alright, we’re here,” Kusanagi said, “now let’s inside before the snow starts to pick up again and we end up like snowmen.”

“Was that an attempt at joking?” Ryoken asked. “It sounds a bit cheesy.”

“You’re right. Sorry about that. Hehehe.”

Kusanagi couldn’t help but laugh nervously. He was worried that he may made himself look foolish in front of Ryoken but then he heard a slight chuckle. That made his ears perk up and Kusanagi lifted his head up to see Ryoken trying to hold back his laughter.

“It’s fine. It might have been cheesy, but it was funny in a very sweet way,” Ryoken responded. “Now, can you lead the way to this special place you wanted to take me?”

Kusanagi was happy seeing Ryoken in good spirits and with seeing the man laugh, Kusanagi held out his hand and replied, “Take my hand and I’ll show you the way.”

Ryoken took Kusanagi’s hand, and the two of them walked towards their destination. It was a small western style building and it was crowded by a lot of people looking at the display windows. Ryoken was surprised to see so many people crowding the windows and wondered what has captured the attention of these people. When the two men got closer, that was when Ryoken saw what has ensnared the masses - cats. There were so many cats by the windows, some playing, some sleeping, and others basking in the attention of their human admirers.

Ryoken quickly turned his head towards Kusanagi and asked, “Is this a cat cafe? Is that where we’re going for our date?!”

Kusanagi felt the excitement in Ryoken’s voice and answered,” Correct. I heard from Yusaku and Spectre that you love cats, but you always had difficulty trying to play with them, so I figured you can try at this place. I’ve been here with Jin many times and the kitties here are super friendly. They always snuggle up to Jin whenever we come here.”

“I always loved cats. I find them so enchanting and I would try to play with them, but for some reason they never approach me,” Ryoken said. “I’m forced to watch them from afar, but I would love for the chance to hold them even for a moment.”

Ryoken felt a bit embarrassed admitting that fact to Kusanagi. For as long as he can remember, Ryoken adored cats and tried everything to get their attention, yet every attempt ended in disaster. He always needed Spectre’s assistance when it came to playing with the elusive felines, but they ended up playing with Spectre instead.

“Well, today may be your lucky day. These are the friendliest kitties in town, so you may get your wish. It’s Christmas time and usually there are always miracles going around. This may be your chance so take it,” Kusanagi said.

Ryoken couldn’t help but grin when he heard Kusanagi say that, so the two of them entered the cat cafe.

Inside the cat cafe, there were various tables and booths decorated with various Christmas ornaments. On the walls, there were a plethora of perches for the cats to lay down. Towards the end of the cafe, there were a few doors that led to additional interior rooms usually reserved for private sessions. In front was the hostess and serval maids greeting the patrons.

“Hello, welcome to Cafe Neko Carnival, home to the friendliest felines in all of Den City,” the hostess began. “Oh Kusanagi, welcome back. It’s been a while since you came last time. Isn’t Jin coming today?”

“Nice to see you again Kaya,” Kusanagi replied. “Not this time; Jin is spending time with some friends today. I’m here with my very special guest today. Did you receive my reservation with my requests?”

“Give me a moment to check,” Kaya answered while checking her tablet. “Ah yes, here it is, one private table with our sweetest cats. Right this way gentlemen.”

The hostess, Kaya, led the two men to one of the interior rooms in the back of the cafe. Kaya was dressed in a long, green maid kimono and her black hair was in a single braid. She opened the door to the back room and inside were several cats lounging around. As soon as the cats saw Kusanagi, they all darted towards him as if to greet him.

“Hi everyone, how have you been? It’s been a while hasn’t it,” Kusanagi asked the various felines approaching him. Most of the cats gave a few chirps or small meows as if to answer the man.

“It looks like they missed you Kusanagi,” Kaya said. “May I take your jackets while you make yourselves comfortable?”

“Sure thank you, Kaya,” Kusanagi answered as he handed her his brown jacket. “Ryoken, hand your jacket to Kaya. Uh, Ryoken?”

Kusanagi turned around when Ryoken didn’t answer and stopped to see the sight in front of him. Ryoken was crouching down with a look of adoration on his face. The man was entranced seeing the various cats staring to surround him. He hesitantly reached his hand out to see if any one of the cats would come near him, but most of them kept their distance. Ryoken started to look dejected when most of the cats started to walk away, and that made Kusanagi panic for a moment.

Oh no. This is bad. I took Ryoken out for a nice cafe date to meet the cats and it’s already falling apart. Is it over before it began? Kusanagi thought.

Just as Kusanagi was about to reach out to Ryoken, there was the sound of a little mew behind them. The two men turned around and saw a small, green eyed gray cat staring right at Ryoken. The cat’s eyes met Ryoken’s light blue eyes and they two stared at one another for what felt like an eternity. Soon the cat walked right up to Ryoken and attempted to paw at the man, as if to ask him to play with him. Ryoken’s eyes lit up and he flashed a warm smile as he held out his arms to embrace the cat, who happily jumped into the man’s arms. It was quite the sight to behold, and Kusanagi couldn’t help but smile seeing such a wholesome moment.

As much as he wanted to stare at Ryoken forever, Kusanagi remembered where they were and cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, Ryoken. The nice hostess would like to take our jackets. You don’t mind that, right,” Kusanagi asked.

“Oh, you’re right. Sorry, I got distracted. I couldn’t help but stare at these beauties before me and I’m just so happy right now,” Ryoken responded. “Umm, you wouldn’t mind holding this little one for me would you Kusanagi,” Ryoken asked while holding up the cat.

“Sure thing,” Kusanagi replied.

Ryoken handed his white jacket to Kaya while she sat the men at the table and handed them their menus. After handing the cat back to Ryoken, Kusanagi proceeded to order the holiday special for the two of them and the hostess took their orders and left the two alone with the cats.

Without the jackets, the two men saw what each of them were wearing.Ryoken was wearing a simple red sweater with black pants whereas Kusanagi was wearing a similar looking green sweater with blue pants.

“What are the odds that we would wear similar outfits,” Ryoken asked.

“Pretty hight actually. I asked Spectre for advice on what to wear for the occasion. I wanted to make sure everything went well and he gave me a ton of advice to make it happen,” Kusanagi answered.

“I see. You can always count on Spectre for planning anything perfectly. But how were you able to make plans with Spectre’s help? He rarely does that for anyone he isn’t that close with.”

“I admit I had a little help with Yusaku. He helped make the arrangements for us to make the plans. I’m amazed at how Yusaku and Spectre are able to get along whenever you are involved.”

“Hehe. Those two always go to great lengths for me. I’m lucky to have both of them in my life and especially lucky to have them help you too.”

The two men couldn’t help but smile as they talked about the people in their lives. In the meantime, the two of them were playing with the cats while waiting for their orders. The gray cat Ryoken met earlier stayed with him, perching herself upon his lap. Ryoken was petting and holding the little one’s paws the whole time, finally getting the opportunity to play with the elusive being he has admired for so long. A sweet smile appeared on the young man’s face, and Kusanagi stared the whole time at the lovely sight, while trying to play with all of the other cats that kept approaching him, especially the little orange one named Ritsuka that has made her way to his lap.

“Your orders are ready sirs,” a pink haired maid said as she approached the men with a dining cart. The maid was dressed in a long yellow maid kimono with her hair in two twin tails and she placed the orders in front of the men. It was two raspberry flavored coffees and a triple berry roll cake in the shape of a Yule log.

“Thank you for the order Aria,” Kusanagi said.

“My pleasure. It’s always nice having you visit us. The cats simply adore you and always try to play with you. All of that attention brings out a lot of customers that we had to set up these reservations now. The demand is that high to see our precious felines,” Aria responded.

Aria looked toward the man Kusanagi was with and she was surprised to see the little gray cat with Ryoken.

“Oh my, I’ve never seen Jeanne take such a liking to anyone before. She’s usually very shy and has difficulty approaching anyone. Sir, you must have that special something that had Jeanne appear to you. It’s a miracle to see Jeanne so happy,” Aria said.

“Are you serious,” Ryoken asked. “But she seemed so sweet when she got close to me.”

“It’s true sir, I’ve never seen Jeanne do that with anyone else before. I guess what they say about cats are true - you don’t pick the cat, the cat picks you,” Aria answered.

Once she finished setting the table, Aria left the room and the men started to enjoy their meal together. The coffee had a sweetness from the raspberries thar was balanced out by the coffee’s natural bitterness, making it a perfect blend of flavor. The roll cake was made out of vanilla but with the various berries used, the flavors went from simple to complex thanks to the rich buttercream used to fuse the ingredients together.

The two men finished their holiday treat and proceeded to play with the cats. Kusanagi was scratching the back of Ritsuka’s head whereas Ryoken was scratching Jeanne’s chin until she started purring. Hearing the sound of Jeanne purring made Ryoken’s heart skip a beat - it was the very first time a cat was genuinely happy with him and that filled him with so much joy.

“This is the most fun I had in ages,” Ryoken said.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I have a few other things planned for the afternoon. If we hurry, we can reach the next destination early,” Kusanagi said.

“If you don’t mind, can we stay a bit longer? I really want to get to know Jeanne here a bit more,” Ryoken asked.

Ryoken looked at Kusanagi with pleading eyes. He really wanted to spend more time with the cat in his arms.

Unable to say no to such a face, Kusanagi replied, “you know what, sure thing. Take your time and enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you so much, Shoichi!” Ryoken exclaimed.

There was a moment of silence between the two. After that Ryoken’s and Kusanagi’s faces turned bright red. Ryoken just called Kusanagi by his first name - it was something he never done before.

“Sorry!” Ryoken exclaimed. “Your name just came out! I won’t call you by that -“

“It’s fine! You just caught me by surprise! I didn’t mind it at all. In fact, I actually liked that you called me by my first name. It felt really nice,” Kusanagi blurted out.

“Really it’s okay?”

“It is. I mean we are dating now, so isn’t it natural we are on a first name basis?”

Ryoken’s eyes widened when Kusanagi asked that question. Dating? Right, that is what they are doing now. They’ve been close to each other for a while and started going out. So it’s not an issue that they call each other by their first names.

Ryoken let out a sigh of relief and then said, “you’re right, that is natural when dating. Thank you, Shoichi.”

“Anytime Ryoken,” Kusanagi responded. “Oh Ryoken, one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Merry Christmas, love,” Kusanagi said in a sweet caring voice.

Hearing that, Ryoken simply replied, “Merry Christmas, Shoichi.”

[yugiohspride]

Can you do Kolter with the gay flag?

Sorry there's only two but I couldn't find many renders

[ygobigbang-archive]

Break the path and walk alone...

Artist: @nanoseven-art Full version here

Writer:  @tarashima Status: Complete Rating: Teen and up Characters: Fujiki Yuusaku, Ai (VRAINS), Dr Kougami Ship(s): Kusanagi Shouichi/Kougami Ryouken Content Warnings: mentioned of child abuse and kidnapping, emotional manipulation, non-explicit mentions of suicide Summary: Kusanagi wants to find the truth for the sake of his brother and Yuusaku. Ryouken wants to fulfil his father’s mission. But from the day they met as children and until they met once more as adults, a middle ground try to emerge, ignoring their current stances on opposite sides. The fruits of attraction couldn’t have had any worse timing with their maturing, as the present catches up with the parallel road Kusanagi and Ryouken have built for themselves. Now, they have to either defend as well rebuild the damages, or accept its destruction for the sake of saving the world.

This is a canon-divergent fic of season 1 of VRAINS, where events don’t necessarily play out in the same order, or have been tweaked slightly to fit a new narrative.

Available on AO3

[vrains-shiplist]

Here's proof of patronshipping, Kusanagi Shouichi x Kougami Ryouken twitter dot com/XxTarashimaxX/status/1493411368078295042?t=BzOJLI-Y5szkV8VVIQTPTA&s=19

Accepted. It’ll be added to the list shortly.

-Mod Akira

[disistien]

just waiting for the stickers to arrive now and they'll be up on my shop soon!!

[yenphungnguyenqndk]

Yusaku and Kusanagi - Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS - EP 23

[baddyzarc]

is anyone gonna talk about dis

[tarashima]

What a wicked game we play, to make me feel this way What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you...

[itsashowtime]

Huh!? Nobody told me you two would be in Pokemon!

[ruikamo]

vrainsweek 3

The prompt was “Happy Hot Dog Day”. Dub Kusanagi is offended.

[veiledlinks-vn]

I like these character sheets you put together for the love interests, but I have a question; are those the ONLY expressions we'll see or are they more like advanced displayables that can be combined in any way you want? I'm making VNs for fun as well and still haven't got around to understand how displayables work.

Hello from one creator to another! I'm always glad to see more people making VNs! Have you published anything by chance?

Now to answer your question, no, those aren't the only expressions. All the sprites are layered images that I can put together to make many more expressions than what I can show in a character sheet. And playing a director and see what expressions look the best for a certain dialogue can be hilarious (and emotional) at times. I highly recommend learning about them, it's definitely not as hard as it can look :D

Since I've already revealed Kusanagi, have a small taste of his image folder:

[bonebreakjack]

What’s a little sickness between family? Chapter 1

Yusaku overworks himself trying to find his wayward family, and it may just send everyone down a different path then intended...

Yusaku groaned, his body ached from the illness that infected him. How could he have let this happen? He took his medications on time, and sure his diet wasn’t the best but he survived this long on it anyway!

(Never mind the fact he had been spending all his waking hours finding Ai and Roboppy, even forgoing days of sleep and sometimes food in case he missed his chance.)  

Rolling over he tried to get comfortable, withholding a whimper as skin prickled like it was drenched in an icy lake. He tried to call for Roboppy only to cut himself off with a curse.

There’s no one else to call out for in this empty house, only him.

He tried not to think about how he had spent days on end looking for them after they announced they were going to end humanity. Or how strange it was to see them with bodies of strangers. and still look so familiar. How he ached to hear them speak because he wished it was towards him, instead of at them.

Yusaku never realized how empty this little apartment would feel without them. He knew Ai would eventually leave, he had his own home to go to, his own family. But then it was ravaged to the ground and they lost the Ignis.

Roboppy had left too, Yusaku felt that was equally a failure on his part for not being able to provide a home worth staying in. He couldn't save the Ignis, wasn't able to stop Lightning. Couldn’t express how he feels, and stop being so damaged to show he cared about them.

Why would they stay when Yusaku can't even do that?

Coughing violently into his blanket he tried not to whine from feeling as if he was tasting blood. His throat rough and raw from what he was he starting to suspect is an infection.

Feeling the haziness of sleep, he allowed sweet darkness to take him.

-

Fingers were threading through his hair gently and softly, as if he were fragile, whoever it was, they were softly whispering with someone else. Feeling the large male hand, he assumed it was Kusanagi having gone to check on him.

He leaned into the touch causing Kusanagi to flinch. He isn't surprised. He isn’t used to Yusaku showing or wanting affection, but his battered immune system also lowered his brains ability to function. He cant- he cant pretend he's as okay as he tries to be.

Yusaku didn't want to be alone right now.

He will just use the excuse that he's sick and wasn't in the right mind as he crawled into Kusanagi’s lap. The petting stopped for a bit but resumed much more sure and firm.

If Kusanagi is here, Takeru must be too. He noticed they had been in communication more often after Flame died. Yusaku cursed many times he felt too broken to help his friend grieve. He tried but it felt awkward, forced. Like he was acting instead of grieving with him.

A second hand came to rest on his forehead, and he wishes he had the strength to open his eyes. To at least reassure them he was going to be fine.

He wondered why Kusanangi wasn’t with Jin right now though, wasn’t it the middle of the day? This was his usual time to visit his brother. And Takeru would be in the Dojo learning to fight.

Why are they suddenly here? How did they know?

Whatever happened he was at least happy they had came. He wasn’t comfortable expressing his emotions even after all that has happened. But being remembered despite being left behind so often left him feeling warm.

Playmaker may be number 1 when it comes to duels….but Yusaku Fujiki always came second to the people in his life. To Ryoken, Kusanagi, even to Ai and Roboppy. Their lives and goals were more important than him.

He sounded bitter.

Right now he had no shame and lets them take care of him, maybe he can pretend he was first for somebody for once.

-

Ai didn’t stop when Yusaku drifted off into sleep again, content with just being the young man’s pillow, a source of comfort. The latex of the SOLtiS fingers was soft enough to pass for human skin, no wonder his Origin hadn’t woken up in a fuss and kicked his teeth in.

….Or could be the infection ravaging his body, and Yusaku being how he was, just clung to the nearest source of warmth like a leech. Nevermind anyone could have broken in with how carelessly he left the doors unlocked.

(Not that he had anything worth stealing, not much an orphan with no job could afford really )

In the background Ai could hear Roboppy berating Yusaku as they cleaned the little apartment, fussy like a hen. It brought back fond memories of when they used to live together as they would throw a fit when Yusaku got this way.

Only this was worse, cause Roboppy hadn’t been here to clean after him and alert any of his friends that he was ill. Cause Ai wasn’t here to tell him to stop being stubborn and allowed himself to be cared for.

Ai left him alone without a second glance back….

While back in the ruins of his home, Ai contemplated what he was going to do. Having survived while the others hadn't, hit him hard, and Ai wasn’t sure if he even wanted to keep processing . He kept trying to talk to Ghosts, do their jobs, try and carry on…

And he would have failed at it all, if not for Roboppy.

Roboppy became an unexpected saving grace, something he cherished already as his precious minion. Now they were a genuine friend helping him with his plans, Ai was wary at first but they tended to follow him without a second thought to much else.

Except.

Roboppy wasn’t always his minion, and they had a longer history with Yusaku then Ai was sure they would ever have with him. They would become melancholy when mentions of Yusaku or Playmaker came over the net. Getting looks of nostalgia and worry that even made Ai pause.

They couldn’t afford that weakness though. Yusaku would be without a doubt against them, is what he told Roboppy. He would never accept what they were doing and become their enemy.

Only that hadn’t happened.

Yusaku took himself out of the fight completely , instead devoting his time to trying to find them. It threw Ai off, he was so sure Yusaku would try to physically ‘knock sense’ into them. Or at least try and push them off their goals.

There wasn’t even an attempt.

And Ai isn’t sure what to do with that knowledge.

Parts curiosity and apprehension filled him as he and Roboppy used their SOLtiS bodies to scope out what he was doing. To figure out what his new goal was.

Only to find him as he is now, fever ridden, uncared for, and alone.

Where was Kusanagi? Surely he had enough time to at least call. Or Takeru? Doesn’t he make a point to barge into Yusaku’s life every chance he got? Why haven’t they come to see him?

Why is Yusaku alone?! Ai was so assured that because he had friends now that he could just leave him. He wouldn’t be alone, maybe even move out of this place into one of theirs?

He was an idiot, and so was Yusaku, the stubborn bastard probably never let it cross his mind to reach out to his friends. 

His big dumb idiot.

He left him all alone. 

“Roboppy...get his stuff, we’re leaving”Ai felt so assured for this, if Yusaku is going to be stubborn and his friends are going to neglect him. 

He may as well just take him, he’s free game now after all. 

Finders keepers~ 

Roboppy let out a whoop before freezing. “Where are we going to take him? We don’t have a physical place in the real world yet?” That didn’t stop his precious minion from collecting Yusaku’s stuff anyway with the diligence and care they had while still a maid bot. 

“I have a place in mind, temporary until we get a better one” 

Ai tried not to frown at how quickly Roboppy got everything together, letting himself believe it was simply their speed and not because Yusaku barely had anything they couldn’t carry. 

“Done~ Let’s go home!”Roboppy was practically floating as off all the melancholy had turned to vapor, they dotted over the sleeping teenager with a softness and joy. Ai carefully wrapped him  up in the thick blanket and carried him out of the gloomy house. They were going safe house he had gotten when he first realized he needed a place to store these bodies to charge. 

“Yes Roboppy let’s go home”

-

Takeru sighed heavily as he tried to calling Yusaku’s phone again, he hadn’t been picking up all day or yesterday. He knew that learning Ai and Roboppy were trying to destroy humanity hit him hard, hard enough to make him temporarily retire and devote it to trying to find them instead. 

He wouldn’t listen to sense, won’t take breaks at all. Takeru was at his wits end, if Yusaku wasn’t going to take care of himself he was just going to drag him out of his house and do it himself. 

Losing Flame hit him so hard but he tries to live a life that he would be proud of. It hurt, it felt like a gaping wound in his chest, never to recover. He lost his friend and a piece of himself. 

He believes they would meet again though. His grandfather was a strong believer in people's fates being tied together. And that if a bond was strong enough they could overcome even death and meet once again in another life. 

Takeru hopes he will meet Flame again, maybe not in this lifetime but another one. Free from the incident, free from Hanoi, free from Lightning. 

Maybe they could even be brothers… 

Takeru believes his fate had bounded with the other Lost children, but mostly with Yusaku. He clicked with him in a way he hadn’t been able to with anyone before, and Kiku, bless her, tried her best but it wasn’t what he needed. 

He needed someone like him, someone who knew his pain but had a goal in their life that kept pushing them forward. A passion to keep on living and face the future. 

That person was Yusaku and he thanked the stars that he got to meet him. 

But he became distant after Ai and Roboppy. A manic determination overcame him in a way that Kusanagi said reminded him of when he was searching for Hanoi. 

Takeru was scared for his friend. 

That fear kept rising as he refused to pick up his phone!

He had been busy the last three weeks making arrangements to stay longer and maybe finish school out in Den city, spend time with the friends he made here. Coincidentally enough that happened at the same time as the announcement. He tried to help when he could but he had to make sure he wouldn’t get kicked out of his apartment. 

And with this growing fear building in his heart….it may have cost him something to do it. 

Giving up Takeru dialed another number. 

“Kusanagi-san? Sorry to bother you but have you heard from Yusaku?”

-

Shouichi felt his stomach drop through the ground as he listened to Takeru, his brother leaning on his shoulder with a concerned look on his face.  The young man on the phone had called beforehand asking about if Yusaku called him these past few days or vise versa.

He told him no.

Shouichi knew how Yusaku got when he set himself on a new goal, it made him manic, obsessed. It was better to let him work through the initial burst and then heavily regulate him afterwards.

Only he hadn’t expected this to have lasted for weeks.

Takeru tried but Yusaku  wouldn’t budge on this, he claimed he was eating well and taking breaks(Read:Bullshit). That he could look after himself and had done so before. But now Takeru keeps calling and he won’t pick up at all.

Why the hell did they listen to him?

After Takeru assured him he would call after he went to check on Yusaku, Shouichi started to call him too. His brother had looked at him wary and scared with the frantic way he kept calling and recalling.

No answer.

Just as he was in the middle of his 13th call, her got another call coming to his phone. It was Takeru who was at Yusaku’s apartment building but he doesn’t know where the spare key is.

Getting the boy inside the apartment he and Jin had waited on held breath, their worry increasing.

“HE’S NOT HERE!”

Calm. Stay calm.

“He probably went out to get something to eat.”

Calm, logical.

“None of his stuff is here, Kusanagi! Everything was taken and cleaned…. except his phone ”

No.

No, please no.

NONONONONONONO-

“Big Brother, Did somebody take Fujiki?”Jin asked in a quiet scared voice, one that suggested that he wanted to run under a table and hide in case it was Lightning come back from the dead. As well as a silent fury to claw out the eyes of whoever took the person who helped him.

“I….”

Shouichi didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to jump the gun and say yes. But what other explanation could there be? That Yusaku just up and left? Where would he go with no money? Why would he go at all, when his friends were here in the city?

Even if he became distant he would never just leave. Where else, who else could he even turn to-

He felt his blood freeze, Takeru was still talking to him, so was Jin. But it didn't matter because something clicked into his head. It made too much sense but with how Yusaku was he didn’t think-he wouldn’t!

But the possibility was too strong, he couldn't just throw it away, not when they have to find him asap.

Ai and Roboppy.

Yusaku was damn near devastated when he learned of their plans, of learning that they were turning their back on humanity, on him. It-It was another betrayal, one that shook him so much he spent weeks trying to find them and not taking care of himself.

Would...would Yusaku leave them for the duo? Would he turn on humanity too just to have them back in his life?

Thinking logically, they are his only real family left. He had Roboppy since he was a child, and Ai is literally a part of him.

He looks at Jin who stopped talking and was looking at him pleadingly.

He knows he himself already done that for Jin….to the point where he was told to  exchange Yusaku’s life for him.

(He still regrets his actions, not his choices but his actions.)

(It doesn't take a genius to know what kind of message he sent to Yusaku that day)

Are they Yusaku’s Jin? Would he throw humanity under a bus to be with them?

Shouichi isn’t even sure he would blame Yusaku if he did.

There is also the other possibility, the duo may have just taken him. He wouldn’t put it past them to be honest, if there was a human they would ever want to spare, Yusaku was it.

Or worse, he could be the next sacrifice to show how far they were willing to go, to forego and kill their only human family. To show they weren’t messing around.

Somehow that makes it even worse, because they took him right under their noses. That made Shouichi mad enough to want to punch a wall, for being stupid, for not checking on Yusaku sooner!

“Takeru” He cut off the boy in mid rant about what he would do to whoever took Yusaku. Which was frankly creative and just a tiny bit disturbing, though considering he used to be a delinquent he was sure  Takeru was used to being creative.

He didn’t even know how Takeru knew half the things he said he could do with a baseball bat.

“We need to call the team, but most importantly Ryoken. They’re our best chance at finding Yusaku….as well as Ai and Roboppy” Shouichi felt firm again. He had a goal and now he had to see it through.

They were going to find the three of them, come Hell or High Water. Nothing was going to stop them from getting Yusaku back.

Shouichi tries not to think too hard on the possibilities of only finding his body, or him as their enemy. Remembering back to what Lightning did to Jin.....

Ai wouldn't do that to Yusaku......

Would he?