#Prompt: Fairy Tales

[gregorovitch-adler]

Fairy Tale

Crowley was coming to meet Aziraphale at the book shop, so Aziraphale decided to arrange the books in a different order in the meantime.

Arranging books had been part of his daily routine for ages now.

Aziraphale stopped in his tracks when he got his hands on a thin copy of Rapunzel.

He knitted his brow. That was not the kind of books he read or kept in the shop. He decided to open it.

A page was dog-eared in the book. Definitely not his habit when he would sit down to read. In fact, that was one of his biggest pet peeves!

Aziraphale subconsciously ran his finger on the folded corner of the page in an attempt to fix it.

That was when it dawned on him - the book had to have been Crowley's.

Crowley was the only one (apart from Aziraphale himself) who was allowed in the shop - especially during broad daylight when the shop sign very clearly said 'Closed'.

Aziraphale did remember Crowley folding a corner of random pages a couple of times.

Crowley never came off to Aziraphale as someone who would like to read fairy tales, though. Or anything, in general.

Perhaps Rapunzel was Crowley's "guilty pleasure" as the human beings around them called it.

Aziraphale smiled at the cover of the book, feeling amused and fond.

He was not going to let Crowley hear the end of it for a long time.

**

Prompt: Fairy tales by @fluff-cember

Tags: @lisbeth-kk @helloliriels @jamielovesjam @gaylilsherlock @keirgreeneyes @topsyturvy-turtely @totallysilvergirl @peanitbear , etc.

[ate-the-wordsmith]

Der Wald ist dicht. Man sieht kaum fünf Meter weit. Grüne Blätter und Buschwerk sind stellenweise so undurchdringlich, dass Thorsten sich wundert, wie Sebastian hier durch kann. Und doch eilt er unbeirrt weiter. In der Ferne ist leises Wolfsgeheul zu hören.

[huxloween]

Huxloween 2024, Day 6

The prompt for October 6 is Fairy Tale. 

Post to your own blog and tag us with #huxloween and @huxloween,  submit your work directly to the Huxloween blog, or @ us or use #huxloween on Twitter and Bluesky!

View all the Huxloween 2024 prompts here. 

Universal Ask Box

Huxloween 2024 AO3 collection

[fuckyeahhiccannamonth]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Frozen (Disney Movies), Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Shrek (Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Anna (Disney)/Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Anna (Disney) & Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Characters: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Anna (Disney), Puss in Boots (Shrek), Archie (Tales of Arcadia) Additional Tags: Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Hiccanna Month 2023 (Disney/How To Train Your Dragon), Hiccup is Alice, Anna is the Mad Hatter, Alternate Universe - Alice in Wonderland Fusion, And You Were There setup, romance is there if you squint - Freeform, College Student Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Series: Part 1 of Hiccanna Month 2023 Summary:

Hiccanna Month, Week 2: Fantasy AUs Day 2: Fairy-Tale

One second, Hiccup is studying for a test that counts for ten percent of his grade. And the next, he finds himself in an unusual world. Along with an unusually intriguing woman with the biggest hat, he's ever seen. The only question: How is he going to get out of it?

***

@lovestrucklyuniverse‘s prompt for Hiccanna Month: Week 2, Day 2: Fairy tales! This Alice in Wonderland AU was an absolute blast to read, and I loved loved loooooved having Hiccup as Alice and Anna as the Mad Hatter!!! Makes perfect sense to have Hiccup as the tired logician who gets frustrated when the fantasy world he’s dropped into doesn’t make any sense, and Anna as the zany, offbeat fantasy world resident who manages to win him over, despite her weirdness XD Stay tuned for purple grass, a reptile-centric tea party, fictional beverages that frustrate me with their lack of availability in my nearest grocery store, weird creatures doing their best to be helpful, and Anna being a shameless fashion atrocity for 3,104 words straight!

[gravitysoda]

nothing but sea foam, in the end

[calmbigdipper]

Finally completed twt user herasphases’s prompt for @hkvthm-action! They requested a The Little Mermaid AU with Prince!Kaveh and Merman!Alhaitham ~

[anne-chloe]

Imagine : You have just been kidnapped by Peter and his Lost Boys, but they’ve bit off more than they can chew with your modern attitude

“What is she yelling about now?” Peter asks while approaching his loitering boys, the distant yells of your voice infiltrating the main camp.

Devin looks to Peter and shrugs his shoulders, his confused expression mirroring Pans. “Something about… a message?” Devin repeats, unsure if he had even translated your words correctly. None of the boys were accustomed to the native tongue you spoke so fluently in.

“A message?” Peter echoes, his brow arching. “I shall find out what message it is that she has.”

Peter soon appears at the base of the tree, where two bamboo cages hang like trophies in the air. He tugs at a thick rope and begins lowering the cage downwards, ensuring it wouldn’t suddenly drop and harm the hostage inside: you.

He releases the rope and saunters over, a small whistle tune passing his lips as his shadow looms over your face.

You seem to perk up, but your momentary delight morphs into frustration. “About time!” You scoff loudly, waving your hand like a madwoman. In your hand you grip a device unknown to Peter, it’s metallic and sleek looking, otherworldly.

“I am told you have a message…” Peter starts slowly, deliberately drawing out his words to increase the fearful tension you should surely feel. But he is once again surprised as you do not react the way he desired.

“I want to send a message,” you correct, using your pointer finger to gesture to your phone. “There isn’t any signal here. What network does Neverland provide?”

Peter blinks rapidly. He understood almost every word you said individually, but all together they sounded far too much like gibberish. He knew, of course, that the other worlds had evolved over the years, but generally speaking he was able to make a connection with potential lost boys. You, on the other hand were something entirely new.

“Neverland does not support your modern lifestyle,” Peter explains flatly. He approaches the cage until he was leaning on the bars, his fingers wrapping around the bamboo until he swore it would snap between his fingers.

Bizarrely, you sigh and tuck your phone into your pocket before leaning as close as possible to Peter. “Count yourself lucky, magic-boy, or else I’d be calling the police immediately on your ass for kidnapping me.”

And it was with that strange threat that Peter realised how interesting you were as a hostage. Certainly more fascinating than the rest. In fact, you were such a curious being that Peter was debating whether or not he’d release you back to your world once he had gotten what he achieved.

Because who would lose a magnificent source of entertainment like you?

[nemesyaaa]

AND I SAID " ROMEO TAKE ME SOMEWHERE WE CAN BE ALONE."

AND MY DADDY SAID " STAY AWAY FROM JULIET. "

“ I TALKED TO YOUR DAD, GO PICK OUT A WHITE DRESS. IT'S A LOVE STORY, BABY, JUST SAY "YES. ”

🌹 it was a tragedy but you were already hooked. if you die for me, i would die for you, as he always murmurs in your ears.

romeo!jj who knelt down for you the first time he saw you in that rose garden, on one of his knee, dressed in his shining silver armor. he was a fallen prince that reached for his sinned princess.

romeo!jj who complimented your sublime, long dress, a gift from your father, but who wanted to see you without it.

romeo!jj who helped you lace up your corset, but had to refrain from touching you in front of your servants every time your breasts bounced above the cleavage.

romeo!jj who helped you undo your dress, sliding the threads through his hands, while kissing your skin every time he undid a lace.

romeo!jj who liked to irritate your father because he was young and arrogant. romeo!jj who showed up at balls where he is not invited, drinks from the cup of wine of your dad before throwing it on the ground, and sneaking among the guests to find you. you. the woman he seeks and wants. romeo!jj who kicked out all the dance partners you had, just because he was the only one who can make you dance.

romeo!jj who fighting your father with his precious sword in front of everyone, while making you dance. he was meticulous, his blade never touched you.

romeo!jj who may loose the fight but will end up finding you on your balcony later while you wait for him in the light of the moon.

romeo!jj who kissed you passionately, with the love you deserved. romeo!jj who was all dirty after a long battle, messy sweaty hair that smell victory, bruises on his pretty young face, and blood but who refused to be far away from you.

you were his juliet to whom he wrote love letters with ink stains but you loved to smell his scent in every word.

romeo!jj who was not a music lover but such a fan of hearing you play the harp late at night.

you had tried to teach him but his hands were always somewhere other than on the tiny fragile ropes.

romeo!jj who forced you to leave your prison while your parents slept to take you to have fun. you threw yourself off the balcony and he caught you in his arms. but often complained about the size of your dress. sometimes, jj fantasized about seeing his princess in silver armor.

you had tried to push him away dozens of times, but it never worked because he was stronger than you at this game. romeo!jj wanted you, and even if he had to have the world against him , it didn't matter, because he would let this world burn for his only love.

romeo!jj who fought duels with all his rivals, and who took pleasure in capturing you whenever he could. he had a big white horse and took you for rides. sometimes he dreamed of being an evil prince and kidnapping you, and locking you in a giant tower. but you were too beautiful in his eyes to be hidden from the world.

you were his juliet, the one to whom he revealed his scars, to whom he let see his weaknesses, his true nature, weak and sensitive.

you were his juliet and he agreed to cry in front of you because of his father.

you were his juliet, a sin. but he was in love. no matter how much hell tormented him, he would descend there for your beautiful eyes.

he was your romeo, and he taught you how to use the sword, one hand on your waist, and another on his weapon. romeo!jj who had engraved the initials of your name on his blade.

he made you a soldier capable of fighting, but you remained his princess who would never be able to kill anyone. but you didn't have to worry, that was his favorite part. fighting for you.

he was dressed to kill every person that pissed you, and make him jealous, and you were dressed to be his favorite pure and soft angel. and in the future, his perfect wife.

romeo!jj who knew how much your families hated each other but couldn't stay away from you for more than five minutes. romeo!jj who planned to run away with you.

romeo!jj who knelt in front of you one day, “will you marry me ?” with the most precious ring in his hand. romeo!jj who had found nothing better than to make you cry on your birthday with his surprise. romeo!jj who wanted nothing more than for you to be his.

even if your father humiliated him yesterday because a capulet would never marry a montague. that the blood of your family was superior to others. that he would never have you.

there had been another fight between the two. he never gave up, even when your father placed a blade against his throat, forcing jj to go on his knees. you begged your father to not kill him. while you cried your heart out, jj's blood stained your dress, he whispered in your ear.

“ already in tears for me? i didn't fuck you well yet. don't be a crybaby, princess. your romeo will not die tonight. ”

you wanted to hit him. but you smiled at him when he got up.

but you knew that his own father had also beaten him for this betrayal and shame that was your love for each other.

“ my father is going to kill you.” you said with a soft voice, your fingers stucked in his blonde curls, while he was on his knees, his hands on your waist covered by your big princess dress. and his eyes all over you.

“you are the only one capable of killing me. and you've already done it a million times.”

“ don't die, jj. i forbid you. you think you can conquer everything like achilles, but you will die because of your ego. you are young and i still need you."

" you trust me ? "

"my father is a monster. he won't be afraid to kill you."

" are you afraid of dying with me?"

“nothing scares me more than dying without you., jj. ”

but you had let yourself be blinded by love and happiness, you could never have known, neither you nor jj, that it was the last time you kissed his cold and bruised lips.

and the saddest part was that you died without knowing where your romeo was. you had both been consumed.

you had forgotten god, and you had been punished with jj for that.

credits to @daddldee for the dividers <33 moodboards was made by me. and i'm proud fr 😭 yes, it's inspired by love story/white horse by taylor swift, dont ask me why 😔 i dont think it's really angst but yes, both jj and reader die at the end💀

[laurasimonsdaughter]

I just noticed a recurring motif among these Sicilian fairy tales that is so incredibly well-suited for fanfic:

A princess sees a handsome young man (usually a prince in disguise) making eyes at her in the marketplace and begs her father the king to make him a royal servant, because he is so beautiful.

The king complies, because he's too fond of her to say no, and makes the hero a stable boy or gardener.

The princess now suddenly spends much more time out riding or requesting flowers, and then tells her father that the new servant is far too good for outside work and must become a servant in the castle.

The king complies, but soon enough the princess requests that the new manservant is made her personal page. By now the king is getting very nervous, but he still can't say no to his daughter.

The princess and the page manage to keep up the charade a little longer before the princess goes to the king and outright demands to let her marry her favourite.

The king gives the hero three "impossible tasks" that are meant to kill him, but naturally he accomplishes them all through trickery or supernatural intervention and the clandestine lovers get their way.

The pining, the flirting, the sneaking around, the devotion— do you see my vision?

[shy-raccoon]

Person A is a commoner locked in a tower. Who has no hope they will ever be rescued because they don't have the land, money, or status to be worth rescuing.

Person B is one of the few truly good knights who applies the code of chivalry to more than just the nobility.

[apricity-writes]

Part of Your World

My brain made a connection between Ariel and Aloy so this is my submission for this month's Kotaloy Elysium prompt! I was hoping to also have a fic written as well, but alas, the writing braincells did not align.

So you get the sketch that sparked the whole idea, and hopefully I'll be able to bring both a polished work and finished fic to life eventually for all of you to enjoy ♡♡♡

[geraskierfanficprompts]

Prompt #2

There is not NEARLY enough Rapunzel AU fanfics. I'm thinking of mighty witcher Geralt coming across a lone, tall, moss, ivy, and lavender covered tower out in the woods, and being surprised to find a young man imprisoned there. I love the idea that instead of paintings like Disney's Rapunzel used to fill up her time and tower, that instead he sings and makes songs, so there's like.. Lyrics and sheet music scribbled onto the walls.

♡!Optional addons!♡ • Geralt is tracking down an evil infamous mage, of whom turns out to be the captor of this gorgeous musician he found

• Jaskier has blonde hair until it's cut like in Tangled, to call back to his Dandelion roots (hah.. Roots... Like hair... and dandelions..) • We could go the Disney's Tangled route and have there be a lost Prince Julian that Jaskier just so happens to resemble (and secretly is)

• Perhaps Jaskier is physically bound there by magic or chains, Or perhaps he's there out of nothing more than guilt, shame, and/or fear toward the person keeping him there • Perhaps Jaskier is a painter in this universe, and above all, wants to see real buttercups, dandelions, etc, out in the wild, for they don't grow near his tower, and the best he can get is his own paintings of their descriptions in books.

• Maybe if we feel more adventurous, Jaskier could be part harpy, kept in a mage's tower in a birdcage, kept for his magical hair activated by his magical singing (Ooh, this gives me more bird jaskier ideas.. You might see those soon)

• Or perhaps, after Blaviken, a witcher is sealed away in a tower, only for some dumbass (affectionate) struggling bard to stroll across and think it a perfect shelter from the oncoming rain.

[fate-magical-girls]

Beetle King Comp Part II

I am and always will be COMPLETELY NORMAL ABOUT @homunculus-argument's Beetle King prompt.

Since I've done more snippets since then, I figure I should update this. Everything in a (as I see it) chronological order.

Aftermath of an assassination Armor Chancellor Traytor Catching feelings Castle staff University lecture (new) Hobbies Perfume Foreign relations Negotiation New courtiers (new) Dresses Nephews Doubts Epidemic (new) Anti-Monarchist Revolutionaries (new)

Other people's snippets

@stele3's original Snippets Engagement Wedding First night Coronation Arrangement Love is strange Infodump House crest Daggers Murder plans Charity Borders Solutions Children

Other prompts I think go with this one

Watching her sleep (new) The wolf knights Lord Burlesk and Lady Plaitonique Queen's bathwater "I like my men the way I like my bugs" Pen pals Folktale Well-behaved beetle The worst assassin Arranging marriages Fractured Tales of the Royal Family (One, Two, Three)

[thescrapwitch]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Elrond Peredhel & Elros Tar-Minyatur & Maglor Characters: Maglor (Tolkien), Elrond Peredhel, Elros Tar-Minyatur Additional Tags: Horror, Kidnap Dads, kidnap fam, fairy tale inspired horror Summary:

Separated from Maedhros and the rest of their forces during a storm, Maglor and the twins take shelter in a strange house run by an old woman. But, as warm as everything may first appear, something sinister lurks beneath the floorboards. Something hungry.

Good thing Maglor has experience being a monster.

@tolkienhorrorweek

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I know you've retold these before, but if you want to do one in the form of a flash fiction... My request would be The Goose Girl or Twelve Dancing Princesses.

I've pondered over a few possibilities for this prompt. This morning, I came up with an idea for a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling that had me bolting out of bed to start writing. I don't know how to end the story, but I like the setup, so for the sake of sharing something, I thought I'd at least share what I have here.

*

The Unseen Soldier

Edmund slipped through the city streets, nimbly dodging around the people who couldn't see him. His pay jingled in his pocket--a gift from a generous shoemaker who'd been grateful for the invisible help--but no one heard. No one looked his way. No one ever did.

At the corner sat a ragged beggar child. Edmund was careful with his money now--he could never be sure of getting more--but he dropped the largest of his coins in her tin cup. She looked up--astonished at the miracle, confused when she couldn't see her benefactor--but didn't meet his gaze.

Edmund always noticed beggars now, after the one who'd cursed him. He'd been young and thoughtless then, newly released from the army with a pocket full of pay. A night in the tavern--celebrating the war's end--ate of most of it, and he stumbled into the streets at sunrise wondering how on earth he could make his money last.

He'd stumbled over the beggar woman, then pretended he didn't hear when she asked for a coin. He had none to spare; he had to look after himself.

Then she proved herself a fairy in disguise and pronounced his doom.

Because you have made yourself blind to the needs of others, this is your curse: to wander the world unseen until you give yourself entire to another.

An unbreakable curse, he'd found--a princess might marry a man sight unseen, but people of his own class liked to see their husbands before they wed.

So he wandered, scrounging where he could (never stealing--a fairy who cursed a man for ignoring a beggar would undoubtedly do much worse to a thief), sometimes doing odd jobs for men willing to arrange his hire and payment by letter. Doing unseen good where possible--at first in the hope that he might be observed by another fairy who'd reward him by lifting the curse, but then because he could--he could see the invisible problems, and give his help without shaming those who received it.

A hardscrabble, desperate life. Sometimes a satisfying one. But--more and more as the years went on--unbearably, unspeakably lonely.

The sun rose higher. The crowds increased. Edmund slipped into the doorway of an abandoned shop and considered waiting out the morning rush. Then he noticed that the entire crowd was drifting in one direction.

This was too much for an invisible man to resist. Edmund drifted at the rear of the crowd until the mass of people pooled around a fountain in the middle of a city square, where stood a royal messenger making a proclamation.

So declared the king: his daughters were wearing through their shoes every night, though the doors of their bedchamber were locked and bolted. The princes set upon the problem had all failed to solve the mystery. So the king decreed that any man who, in three nights' time, could solve the mystery of where the princesses went at night, could have his choice of one to wed.

The crowd gasped. Murmured. Chattered. Shared gossip and rumor. Wondered who'd be daft enough to take the challenge--princess or no, the men who'd tried to solve the mystery before had died.

But at the edge of the crowd, unseen by all, Edmund smiled.

He'd found the way to break his curse.

[fuedalreesespieces]

inukag week - day 3: bickering

the yakuza boyfriend

read on ao3!

.

.

.

He was what Eri had expected, but also not at all.  

The character called Inuyasha sat cross-legged in Kagome’s room, eying them all with suspicion. His shock of white hair was tied back in a soft blue bandana that contrasted strangely with the bright red clothes he wore. He’d answered their questions with curt responses that hardly surpassed a few syllables, staring at them like they were alien specimens all the while. His impatient yellow eyes darted back and forth between the girls, Kagome’s shaken form distributing tea around the room, and the window. 

So this is her boyfriend. Eri took a tentative sip of her tea. “So, Inuyasha...what school do you go to?” 

Before he could respond, Kagome cut in with, “He’s, um – a foreign exchange student! He goes to a school far away. In, um, Hokkaido.” 

“Oh, wow,” Yuka exclaimed. “That’s a four and a half hour train ride. What’re you doing here during the busy school year?” 

“I’m just helpin’ out her granddad.” 

“Aww,” Ayumi gushed. “That’s so sweet!” 

He blushed. “Uh...” 

Four and a half hour train ride? Exchange student? Eri gave Inuyasha a furtive glance. He hadn’t taken a single drink from his cup, and she noticed how long his nails were as they tapped restlessly on the ceramic rim. Sounds like a cover to me.   

In truth, while the other girls had mostly discarded of their previous yakuza notions, Eri still clung to them. There were too many items of contention that continued to make themselves known. She didn’t know a single school that would let him get away with that hair color and length (he’d claimed it was natural, but how could that be?) - nor those bright contacts, for that matter - unless there was an external factor at play.  

He even went by some sort of code name. Perhaps it was an indicator of rank? Regardless, she was certain that he was lying about at least one of his claims. Not that he had done much of the talking at all. 

She wouldn’t have cared so much if it weren’t for his dating Kagome. He seemed too nonchalant, and with all of the accusations Kagome had levied against him during their group WacDonald excursions, Eri was seeing two very different pictures. She just needed to make sure for certain that Kagome was happy and safe with him, and that he wouldn’t board the next four hour train to Sapporo the minute things got inconvenient.  

Before Eri could get on with the subtle questioning, Ayumi spoke up. After a few intervals of stagnant conversation with a frenzied Kagome, she shifted her starry gaze elsewhere. “Hey, Inuyasha?” 

Inuyasha kept that same puzzled expression, like he didn’t understand why she continued referring her attentions to him when there were three other people in the room to talk to. Any other guy might have been bashful, or even taken it up with stride, but Ayumi’s easygoing nature was lost on him.  

“Yeah?” 

“Why are you carrying a sword?” 

Eri paused, her eyebrows furrowing. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed before (well, she’d mostly been staring at his face) but there really was a sword strapped to his side. The scabbard was hidden by Inuyasha’s voluminous red sleeves, but from where she sat, it looked old and well-worn. 

Kagome choked on her tea when Inuyasha peered down at it. “’S my old man’s,” he confirmed. 

Eri's eyebrows arched. A sword passed down from father to son, huh? He was making this too easy for her.

Ayumi's voice broke through her train of thought. “Oh, like a prop or something?” 

“A prop?” he repeated. 

“You know, like in a play. Oh!” Her eyes glowed with recognition. “Is it the same prop you used during our school play? You know, when you brought out that super huge sword on Hojo?” 

“It’s called the Tessaiga,” he told them, and there was a twinkle of pride in his eyes. “Dunno why that Hojo kid was carrying around a wooden sword. As if it would do ‘im any good.” 

Eri could never forget that disastrous scene – Prince Pannacotta, Escargot Pudding, and what the crowd had dubbed the Sekihan Rogue. As much as she valued preparedness, Inuyasha’s unexpected intrusion had actually made the play so popular that they sold more tickets than any previous cultural festival the school had ever held. 

Yuka clasped her hands together. “Can we see it?” 

He grinned, pleased to get the opportunity. Before he could make a move, Kagome, who had been preparing to take another sip of her tea, said in the most irate tone imaginable: “Osuwari.” 

Immediately, Inuyasha crashed into the ground, hands flying into the air with ludicrous vigor. He held the position for an embarrassing moment, Kagome’s casual sips filling the otherwise pin drop silence, before sitting up and rubbing his chin fervently. Eri expected there to be a bruise, what with the speed and force he had dropped, but his skin was unblemished and he looked only mildly annoyed. 

“What’d you do that for?” 

“I know you weren’t about to demonstrate Tessaiga’s theatrical prowess in my room.” She lowered her teacup to the palm of her hand and gave him a chilling smile. “Right?” 

Like magic, the incredulous dip of Inuyasha’s mouth flattened into a shaky line. He almost looked nervous, but quickly pivoted so that only his forelocks were visible to Eri. Still, the blush on his face was evident, bright as his old fashioned clothes and just as misplaced on the tough-guy image she’d formed in her mind. Had he just bowed at a single word from Kagome’s lips?  

Furthermore, Eri couldn’t understand how Inuyasha could keep up with Kagome. That girl had the potential to be terrifying, but he matched her blow for blow when they argued - and sometimes won out with logic. The rest of the afternoon consisted of their bickering – something about twisted handlebars and broken pottery – but even when they fought, it was incredibly evident that the two were a couple. They cut into each other’s personal space like cars having a feud on the road. When another member of the group tried to steer them into vaguely peaceful territory, Kagome’s shoulders would brush against her boyfriend’s, and his head would tilt down against hers, holding her in place until an irrelevant detour in the conversation ignited their dormant arguments for the nth time. 

As the day drew to a close, Eri decided that she no longer quite saw him as the wayward caricature she’d envisioned – still a punk, though. He was dramatic (he probably just worked in theater) and blunt and the claws were still a questionable fashion choice, but she concluded he wasn't dangerous, at least to Kagome. She admitted that his occasional tenderness - from wrapping a solid arm around her shoulders to defending her from Yuka's obvious joking insults - had gotten to her. After everything that had transpired, she was convinced that Inuyasha’s involvement in the yakuza, or any gang for that matter, was next to none. That notion far too outlandish.  

She now had a new theory. Constant absences, unexplained sicknesses that never seemed to go away despite maintaining a sprightly disposition, and the ability to make someone like Inuyasha bow with a single word... 

(It was Kagome. Kagome was definitely part of the yakuza.)