#and I’m just gonna say it - i don’t get the hype for the firefighter guy.. meh

[willkimurashat]

Friends, are you feeling any of the islanders so far?😕 are we all kinda burnt out cuz we had so many seasons at this point and none of the islanders feel new/original/unique anymore, it’s just the social butterfly girl and the himbo boy who loves his nan, or is it just me and you lovelies are actually super excited for any these?👀

[kaunis-sielu]

Locked In

You honestly don’t know what happened. You went to open your door to run out to your car when the door handle had come off in your hand. You’d stared down at it, dumbfounded, before attempting to pull the door open.

It doesn’t move. You try again, shaking the door and when it still doesn’t move you drop your head to the door with a loud groan. Now you’re going to have to call your super to get the hell out of here.

Of course when you call Drax is out of town. He does promise to fix the door when he gets back but when you ask what the hell you’re supposed to do until then he doesn’t really give you an answer.

“Drax, I can’t stay in here all weekend!” You tell him throwing your weight against the door. It doesn’t budge but you bounce back off it.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you. Call the fire department I guess.” He offers then you hear a female voice say something and he turns his attention back to you, “I have to go.” He says then hangs up.

So you do what he says and call the fire department. You don’t bother with 9-1-1 and instead look up the number for the building online. It rings twice before a deep voice answers.

“Fire House 178?” A deep voice answers and you feel it in your gut.

“Hi, um, I think this is the right fire house, if it’s not let me know. I’m in the Milano apartments? Over on 19th?”

“This is the right fire house. Is this an emergency?”

“No, I’m locked in my apartment.” You tell him and there’s silence on the other end before the voice says,

“I’m sorry, you’re locked in your apartment?”

“Yes. My super is out of town and he said to call you guys. The door handle literally fell off in my hand.”

“Okay, what apartment are you in?”

“A14.”

“We’ll send a team over.” He assures you and sure enough five minutes later a firetruck rolls up in front of your building. A group of firefighters get out, there are six of them and you never really bought into the hype of firefighters being hot but for a second you’re not sure that these guys aren’t actually models. The five men come jogging over and you head for your door. There’s a knock then a bright blue eye looks into the hole where your door handle once fit.

“Hi there, I’m Bucky. You the one that called?”

“I am.” You can’t help but laugh, “This is insane.”

“So Cap is gonna come around to the window and work the door from that side. You okay with that?”

“He’s a?”

“Alpha. Unmated but you’ve got nothin’ to worry about ‘Mega.”

“Okay,” You tell him, he gives you an awkward little nod and then his eye disappears from the door. You can hear a quick conversation then you hear a pair of boots walk away and then there’s a soft tap on your window. When you turn you’re stunned by the man standing there. He’s tall and brunet with these sea foam eyes that when they meet yours seem to light up. A slow smile graces his features and you’re fairly certain you’ve stopped breathing for a second, but you’re able to pull yourself out of it and make your way to the window. You unlock the windows and the Alpha smiles up at you.

“Hi.” He says softly, “I’m Steve.”

“Hi.” You respond before telling him your name.

“You okay with me coming into your space Omega?” He asks and a tingle races up your spine.

“Just you?”

“Just me.” You nod and he lifts an axe into view and places it gently inside your apartment against the wall. He then hefts himself into your apartment and when he’s standing directly in front of you you can’t help but stare up at him.

“Cap you in?” A voice calls from the door and you both startle, he gives you a little lopsided grin then picks up the axe and makes his way to the door.

“Yea Buck.” He calls back and he makes his way over to the door, “Doll you have any tools in here? I’d rather try to lift the door off than destroy it.”

“I don’t.” You tell him and he looks over his shoulder at you, god he’s a gorgeous Alpha.

“Alright, Buck we’re going to have to bust it open. You and Sam ready?”

“Yea.” A voice calls back, this one doesn’t sound familiar so you assume that it’s Sam.

“Okay Doll, you’re gonna wanna stay back behind me okay?” He says and you hear the sound of movement on the other side of the door.

“Strike!” The following boom causes you to squeak in surprise, “strike!” They continue this a few more times, then you hear, “Drive!” And there are several repeated blows then “stop!” There’s a crack of splintering wood and Steve steps forward to place his axe against the door frame.

“Clear?” He calls and after an affirmation Steve glances back at you, “Stay back okay?”

“Okay.” You agree watching as he lines the axe up and hits the door twice before it cracks lowly and two hands appear from the other side of the door and it’s pulled down.

Overall the whole thing takes just over a minute.

“Damn. That’s the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen.” The third firefighter, says looking at your door.

“What?” You ask making your way over to your front door while Steve talks softly with the one that you assume is Bucky. You don’t know many people with eyes that blue.

“It’s like the lock just broke off inside the door. I’ve never seen something like this happen.” He tells you attempting to pull the deadbolt out of the side of the door.

“Maybe I can get it. My fingers are smaller?” You offer and he steps aside to let you try. You’re able to almost get a grasp on it but even your smaller hands are too big.

“Maybe a magnet?” He offers and you nod as you feel Steve move closer to you. You’re so aware of where he is in your space. He doesn’t say anything but when Sam glances up at him some communication must pass between the two and Sam smirks then follows Bucky out of the apartment.

You sigh softly looking at the door, what in the world are you supposed to do now?

“You have a safe place stay?” Steve asks gently and you turn and look up at him.

“Um, yes?”

“That’s not very reassuring Omega.” He murmurs taking another small step into your space and you can’t help the shiver the runs down your spine at his proximity.

“It depends on if my friend is in heat or not.”

“Can you find out? I’m not really comfortable with you stayin’ here without a door with that Alpha right next door.”

“Who?”

“Dark haired guy.”

“Brock is an Alpha? He told me he was a Beta and if I ever needed help to let him know.”

“Definitely not a Beta.” Steve says with a frown. You text Monica and when she texts back three fire emoji you know that you’re out of luck. You glance up at Steve and he gives you a knowing look.

“She’s in heat.” You’re going to have to find an Omega only hotel and it’s going to cost so much and now you’re stressing out. “Shit.” You mutter.

“I might have a solution.” He offers, “come stay at the fire station.” You blink up at him in surprise, he gives you a soft little smile.

“I,” you don’t know what to say, “Can you even do that?”

“Yea. What do you say Honey? You wanna come stay at the station?” You don’t really have a reason not to so you risk a glance up at him and nod.

“I’ll come stay with you.”

Tag list:

@foxyjwls007 @andahugaroundtheneck @also-fangirlinsweden @pagina16ps @princesssterek @valsworldofcreativity @dumblani @inkedaztec @loving-life-my-way @animegirlgeeky @shinycupcakebaker @eralen @sophham @gh0stgurl @wonderlandfandomkingdom @patzammit @abschaffer2 @capsiclesdoll @killcomet @sass-masterkittenmama @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory

[datleggy]

i’m not sure if this is a good prompt but i’d love to see something based off of jealous eddie in the new episode. established relationship with buck reassuring him about how he and taylor are just good friends. maybe getting together with a first kiss. i love all your work, but don’t feel like you need to write this if it doesn’t spark anything. thank you!

so i haven’t had a chance to watch the new episode yet, but i’ve seen gifs of jealous!eddie and it’s given me life lmao so here we go 

Taylor is at the station...again. And that’s fine. Totally fine, Eddie tells himself over and over in his head, as he watches Buck moon over the reporter. 

A week ago Eddie was content with his life and everyone’s place in it. Or so he thought, until he realized exactly why he was so bothered by Taylors presence at the station. All thanks to Chimney and his extraordinarily large mouth. 

Eddie huffs, annoyed just thinking about it. He’d been in the locker room after a long shift, and Buck had run in and changed faster than lightning, barely taking the time to tie his shoelaces. Eddie had asked if he wanted to come over and grab a beer, maybe play some video games with him and Christopher, but Buck had politely declined. “Sorry man, I’ve got plans with Taylor, she’s waiting outside for me. I’ll see you guys Monday! Bye!” He’d waved and sped out of the station before Eddie could so much as think of an appropriate response. 

Chim had laughed and said something that had most definitely struck a nerve, whether he’d intended it to or not. “Hey, cheer up, there’s other fish in the sea.” 

And Eddie had thought in that instance: But I don’t want anyone else. 

The very next day he’d broken things off with Ana. She’d been more confused than anything, initially, wondering if maybe she’d done something wrong, which had prompted Eddie to spill his guts to her about these decidedly romantic feelings he’s been harboring for his best friend. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize, not until last night, or I wouldn’t have dragged you into this, I just--” He’d tried to explain, tongue tied and at a loss. Ana was perfect, after all. Intelligent, a self possessed woman with ambition, good humor; she got along just swell with Christopher, and she was gorgeous to boot. But... 

“Hey,” Ana had taken one of his hands into her own and squeezed gently, comfortingly. “So...this sucks. Because I really do like you Edmundo. A lot. But I am glad you were able to sort your feelings out. I know--especially growing up in a Hispanic household--how difficult it can be to come to that kind of conclusion. Have you...told him, yet?” 

Eddie had shaken his head no, “Um, actually? You’re the first person I’ve told.” 

That had come as a huge surprise to Ana, who, though heartbroken, had still offered a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on, in the future. 

Now, a week later, Eddie still hasn’t said a single word of this to anyone else. Not to Hen or Chim, not to his Captain--though sometimes the way Bobby looks over at him makes Eddie think the man knows something--and most definitely not to Buck himself. 

Instead, he departs from the crew, shoulders stiff, irritation spiking, and makes his way to the bunks. Which is where Buck finds him a few minutes later, sulking. 

“You ok?” 

Eddie’s head swivels towards the entrance and he can’t help but frown at the tall figure standing there. It’s all Bucks fault, with the way his hair goes poofy with strawberry curls when it’s humid outside and those dumb contagious too-wide smiles of his and that look on his face when he gets hyped whenever he gets a chance to share any of the million factoids he’s learned--all of it makes Eddie want to rush up to him and kiss his stupid face. 

“Eddie?” And suddenly said face is right in front of his, just inches away, and Buck is waving a concerned hand in front of him. “Earth to Eddie, you alright?” 

Eddie blinks and quickly backs away, nearly falling off the other side of the bed, if not for the fact that Buck springs into action, one long arm going around Eddie’s back and holding him upright.

Now they’re impossibly close and Buck is staring at him all wide eyed and breathing kind of funny and Eddie is swaying forward ever so slightly, not breaking eye contact. He’s not sure what it is he’s doing, except that his hand is now caressing the side of Buck’s face and Buck is leaning into it and Eddie's tilting his head to the side and then their lips are meeting at the middle and Eddie can only describe the feeling as sparks of electricity bursting in his chest.

It's only when they finally pull away that reality comes crashing back down around Eddie and white hot panic sets in. "Shit! Shit, I'm sorry. I--that wasn't supposed to--I mean--" he covers his face with the hand that had been cradling Buck's cheek not five seconds ago and it's warm and butterflies flutter around in his belly.

Buck sits back on the bunk and clears his throat, "Um, I thought you and Ana were..."

Eddie looks up instantly, "No, no, we broke it off last week. Or, I guess I did..."

Buck nods. "Oh."

Eddie slides his sweaty palms across his pants and looks away, nervous. "I didn't mean to kiss you." Not when he knows Buck is dating Taylor. Not when she's literally in the other fucking room. Jesus Christ what is he even doing?

If Eddie were looking he would see the hurt that flashes across Buck's face for a split second before he's able to school his expression. "Right. Yeah." He lets out a faint impression of his usually boisterous laughter. "Who wants to be a rebound, right?" And then he's up and gone.

There's a tension hanging in the air between Buck and Eddie after the incident and no matter how badly Eddie tries to pretend it's not there it lingers.

It's Friday night when Eddie rallies and asks Buck out for a beer. Christopher is at his aunt's for the night and it's been a while since the last time they hung out together, just the two of them, so he figures it’s worth a shot. 

He’s in the middle of asking Buck to go to a bar with him when who but none other than Taylor pops out from behind Buck, making the two of them jump. She tilts her head back and laughs at their expressions of surprise and Eddie wants to gag at how impeccably pretty she is with all that long red hair and those pumps on her feet that make her legs look like they go for miles. 

“I got bored of waiting for you in the lot, c’mon, happy hour’s almost over.” she bumps her shoulder into his playfully and Eddie watches heartbroken as Buck gives her one of his charming megawatt grins. Taylor notices him staring and smiles politely. “Hey firefighter Diaz, didn’t see you there--we’re gonna’ hit Bahama Mama, you should come with us.” 

Eddie tries to decline the invite but Taylor is relentless and despite his protests, he finds himself at the counter, ordering drinks next to Taylor, fifteen minutes later. He hates small talk, and apparently so does Taylor, because the moment Buck steps away to go to the restroom she turns to Eddie with her razor sharp stare and says, “So I heard you kissed Buck the other day and tried to do a little take back, huh?” 

Eddie wants to glare at her and tell her to mind her business but this is her business, and he’s the one in the wrong here, not Taylor, and so instead of lashing out he bites his tongue and apologizes. 

Taylor blinks. “What? Why are you saying that to me? It’s Buck you should be apologizing to. I’m not the one who’s heart you’re playing games with.” she snaps. 

“What? What are you talking about? Look, I’m trying to say sorry here--I kissed him in the heat of the moment, and I want to say I wasn’t thinking straight but the truth is I’ve been in love with him for longer than I can admit but I know you two are dating and I know I overstepped, that wasn’t my intention at all so I just--” 

“We’re not dating...” 

Startled, Eddie turns around to face Buck, who’s standing behind him, having heard a good portion of that conversation. “What.” 

“Is that why you said that? That you didn’t mean to kiss me? Because you thought Taylor and I were going out?” Buck can’t help but sound hopeful, gulping when it takes Eddie a moment to answer. 

“You’re really not dating?” Eddie breathes out. 

Buck shakes his head. “We’re just friends.” 

It’s quiet for a moment before Taylor decides to break the silence. “So...I’m gonna go get us another round and let you two geniuses figure this out.” 

As soon as she’s out of ear shot Buck sits down across from Eddie and both men try to speak simultaneously. “Oh, sorry, no, you go first.” Buck insists. 

Eddie twiddles his thumbs and bites his lip. “How much of that did you hear, exactly?” 

Buck’s heart pounds in his chest like a drum. “Uh, I think I walked up to the part where you told her you’re in love...with me? And for the record, I--you know, I--” Buck stumbles over his confession. “I’m in love with you. Too.” 

“Jesus, Buck,” Eddie leans over the table precariously and holds Bucks face in his hands, not giving a damn about the fact that they’re in a crowded bar. “Are you serious?” 

Buck nods softly and the scruff of his five o’clock shadow gently scratches the palms of his hand and Eddie can’t get over how much he likes that feeling. He could hold Buck like this forever. “Can I kiss you?” 

“Please.” Eddie lets Buck take the lead this time, digs his hands into those blonde curls as Buck twists a hand in his shirt and pulls him even closer. 

Taylor finds them making out like teenagers in the corner of the bar twenty minutes later and pats herself on the back for a job well done. It’s about time those two idiots figured it out. 

.

a/n anon i loved ur prompt <3 thanku! 

[agentmarymargaretskitz]

So... I was kinda disappointed with Buck Begins... NOT ENTIRELY. Just...

Major spoilers ahead. You should definitely watch the episode before reading my complaints... because I have a lot of them, and you shouldn't have the negative thoughts going into it...

But I'm gonna start with the good stuff.

The Buckley Siblings are everything to me. I love their relationship, and watching Buck grow up with Maddie protecting him? *chef's kiss* Perfection.

Buck being a daredevil because it was the only time that he got positive attention from his parents as a child? Absolutely heartbreaking and I hate his parents for *so much* for that.

Maddie doing whatever she could to help her baby brother, even when she was terrified and probably knew how bad it was going to get? I love her with my whole heart.

And I absolutely love the way they highlighted their relationship and how important Maddie is to Buck.

The moment when the team comes in to help Buck and save him and the other person? Cinematic excellence, I applaud them for that scene. His team loves him and will always have his back, and he *knows* that now.

And now for my grievances and where I think they missed the target...

It focused on Maddie too much for a "Buck Begins" episode. I get that she's a huge part of his life and that she would be in the childhood flashbacks, but even once Buck was out on his own, all we got to see were the postcards (with handwriting that did not look At All like Buck's handwriting, might I add) and the one scene of Buck bartending in Peru where he decided to move to LA and become a firefighter.

We already basically got a Maddie Begins episode, when Doug came back and kidnapped her. I didn't need another one. (I love Maddie and I loved the flashbacks, but... it just should have focused more on Buck. It was his episode, after all.)

We should have gotten to actually *see* what Buck did with his life before he made it to LA. They could have shown Maddie receiving a postcard, then done a montage with a shot of Buck writing one of the postcards. That montage focused more on Maddie than it did on Buck, which kind of frustrated me.

And then in present day? They made such a big deal about the family secret, and it just fizzled out. Like it didn't matter anymore. And I honestly don't see them doing much more with it, unless (God forbid) in a later season the Madney baby gets leukemia or something and Buck is a perfect match to save his niece. (Actually I could see them doing that and I would definitely cry. That would maybe give them a pass with this plot thread.)

Then with the factory fire? Idk, it didn't feel intense enough for me. NOT that I wanted Buck to horribly suffer more, but... Eddie being buried alive in his episode was So Much More Intense. Chimney's episode happened while he was literally bleeding nearly to death. I was hoping for more.

And maybe it has something to do with the lack of reaction from the entire team when the building exploded. Not only did we not see Eddie panic, even briefly, about Buck being trapped, we didn't see Bobby or Chimney of Hen panic either! Bobby sees Buck as a son, this is basically canon now. And Chimney and Hen see him as their little brother.

The exploding ladder truck and the tsunami both felt way more intense for Buck than the factory fire in this episode.

And then to top it off, NOBODY GAVE BUCK A HUG AFTER THR FACTORY FIRE! And Eddie and Chimney weren't even there by the ambulance! Like, what the fuck? Yes, Bobby, Athena, and Hen told him what he needed to hear, but they all should have been there! Supporting him! Where were they???

Also, they missed the perfect opportunity to casually make Buck canonically bisexual. Instead of meeting a girl who taught him how to surf, he could have met a guy. Then things didn't work out, just like they didn't with the girl.

UGH, these writers! They're either *really* amazing or *really* miss the important stuff... there was so much potential, and they just wasted it!

Anyway, enough of my ranting. I did enjoy the episode, but it was definitely not the best Begins episode in my opinion.

What are your thoughts? I clearly have too many.

-Quarantine Anon

So I just finished watching. Spoilers beneath the cut

So here’s what I knew going into this- everyone was going wild with theories and ideas and great fics of what was going to play out. Which is great. But I do think it got hyped up because of that.

The flashbacks to the Buckley childhood hurt so much. Margaret seemed to take it out on Evan so much because in her eyes- he failed her by not saving Daniel. BEGONE, Margaret! You can’t put that on your child if your own plan was to use the child to save a sibling and then deem him not deserving of love because of nature and genetics. But Maddie and Buck? I love a pair of siblings while being in agony over the hells they’ve walked through.

The use of ‘So Far’ and the team helping him? Poetic cinema. I felt so many emotions and had a bit of a cry.

I actually liked the postcards. I think if they had gone to film all of what he did, it would have gotten jammed packed. The bartender was stated in canon, so that felt worthy of a flashback (and oh wow, that was not the revelation I needed that I try to know cool things to impress cute people. Buck is not straight, I don’t care what anyone says). Plus, with Covid-19, I bet there would be some filming issues. Also, it felt the ups and downs in Buck’s postcards paralleled Maddie’s injuries from Doug. They were both lost thinking they were living, except they weren’t. It was all about survival. And the worst part is that sometimes, you will lull yourself into a sense that survival=living when that’s not the case. That’s what happened to the Buckleys I think.

We don’t know what’s to come, but the family secret might come up again in therapy. Which they better freaking continue and not drop like the Flash did.

On the factory fire- I think we hyped it up more than we expected. Eddie Begins and Chimney Begins were really serious episodes with their lives on the line. And I think about Buck talking about giving up after he gets out. He wasn’t going into this fire with a clear head. I think he saw himself as the replacement baby still who couldn’t ever live up, who couldn’t do things right. He wouldn’t leave despite ordered because that was showing Saleh he didn’t matter. To Buck, he did. He gets being left behind and in those situations, you’d rather someone else be happier and fine while you take the impact. Like the world would keep turning and everyone would be fine (eventually) after you left it.

The ladder truck and tsunami were physical pain. The factory fire was emotional pain. (which reminds me, I need to make a post about the element symbolism in Begins episodes)

If we didn’t see a hug in the episode, then we write the fic for it. Missing scenes can be created ;) Not to mention they’ve all still got work to get done on the scene. After events like that, I think everyone needed time to process it.

I get bisexual vibes off Buck big time in this episode. And I think there is repression and closeting that comes into play here. Your parents are constantly disappointed in you, so why disappoint them further? Bury it down deep and deeper who you really are. It was the attention-seeking that would work out for him. Also, bisexuality is more than one. You identify as bi and your partner uses she/her? Bi. Partner uses he/his? BI. Partner uses them/they? Still bi. (Also, how much do we know about the postcards he wrote. Maybe he didn’t give her the full story. There’s only so much room in a postcard and she was the one person in the world who still believed in him. Was he afraid to disappoint her?)

Overall, I did enjoy the episode. Eddie Begins always holds a special place in my heart as the first ever episode of 911 I saw enough of to get me interested in the show. The thing is that I can’t pit the Begins episodes against each other. They all show a journey in some way. 

Hopefully this was coherant enough and I’m sorry for my little bisexual rant.

[bellakitse]

The Last of the Romantics

Michelle has a history of setting Carlos up with the worse guys possible, she swears this time it's different.

* “Tell me about him,” he says resigned, knowing he’s been played by the way Michelle instantly perks up.

“He’s one of the new members at the 126,” she starts with a grin. “And Carlos, he’s so pretty.”

30 days of Tarlos - Day 3

Inspired by @lauraperfectinsanity prompt here

There is a bright devious smile on Michelle’s face when Carlos sits down across from her for their lunch. It’s familiar, and it sends a chill down his spine when paired with her earlier message to him that he just had to meet her for lunch.

“No,” he says as he puts his plate on the table.

“You haven’t even heard what I have to say,” she complains.

“Yeah, because we haven’t been friends for over seven years,” he says sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he squeezes lime juice over his carnitas tacos. “Not like I don’t know your ‘I found the perfect guy for you this time, Carlos, really’ face.”

He raises a brow at her, daring her to prove him wrong, and Michelle frowns back at him, pouting for all of ten seconds before she’s smiling again all cheery.

“Fine, you’re right,” she starts, holding up a hand when he starts to groan. “But this time, I did find the perfect guy for you, so stop giving me that face.”

Carlos looks at her for a moment, and she locks eyes with him, staring back in a battle of wills.

“That’s what you said about Robert Greene,” he says, pleased when Michelle makes a face at the name.

“He – “ she starts, ready to argue.

“Was in a cult,” he says, not giving her the chance.

“Okay so maybe – “

“Then there was that EMT acquaintance of yours, Joe?” he says like he doesn’t remember the weirdo. “With the extreme medical kink he wanted to take into the bedroom.”

“He was gross,” she admits with a shudder.

“Michael,” he continues with emphasis. “Who I still say was a drug mule and wanted to use me as an alibi.”

Michelle lets out a huff, rolling her eyes at him. “Do you have a point, Carlos?”

“My point,” he says back with as much attitude as she’s giving him. “Is that when you find the ‘perfect guy’ for me, he ends up being a weirdo, a creep, or a criminal. I love you, Michelle, but you suck at matchmaking.”

Michelle’s shoulders drop, making him feel bad instantly. He tries hard not to cave, he knows from too many bad dates – not just the three men he mentioned – that Michelle’s taste in men for him is awful. Still, he’s never been good at saying no to his friend, so with a deep sigh, he gives in.

“Tell me about him,” he says resigned, knowing he’s been played by the way Michelle instantly perks up.

“He’s one of the new members at the 126,” she starts with a grin. “And Carlos, he’s so pretty.”

Carlos listens to his friend as she sings the praises of this new guy, the Captain’s son, himself a firefighter, handsome, and friendly, according to her. And although Michelle’s track record is horrible, he finds himself agreeing to stop by the firehouse some evening for dinner to meet the guy.

֍֍֍

 There isn’t a chance for the dinner until two weeks later; his schedule gets insane as they work on a string of home invasions. Before they lost the original 126, he used to come to the firehouse all the time. They were his friends; it wasn’t easy to go back after losing them, but as he walks into the house, so different from before, he lets out the breath he’s been holding as he finds an entirely different place. It makes it easier to be there.

“Reyes!” he hears someone shout out, and he finds himself smiling as he looks up to find Judd Ryder on top of one of the trucks with another firefighter, his back to him.

“Hey, Judd,” he greets his friend with a wave as he walks towards him.

Judd climbs down from the rig, a broad smile on his face that Carlos hasn’t seen in a while. He gives him a back-slapping hug, knocking the air out of him for a moment. Over Judd’s shoulder, he sees that his friend’s crew member has also climbed down the truck, a smirk on his face as Judd hugs him tight.

“It’s been a while, kid,” Judd says as he pulls back, smiles still firmly in place. “What brings you by?”

“Michelle,” he answers, rolling his eyes. “She invited me to dinner to meet the new crew,” he says meaningfully and knows Judd understands by the way his eyes light up with amusement. He’s known Judd and his wife Grace almost as long as he’s known Michelle; as a result, Judd has had a front-row seat to Michelle’s matchmaking for years.

“Ah,” he says knowingly. “Well then, allow me to introduce you to my boy here,” Judd turns to his friend with a smirk. “Pretty sure he’s who Michelle wants you to meet. This is TK Strand, TK; this is Carlos Reyes from the APD.”

Carlos locks eyes with the man his friend is introducing to him and quickly concludes that Michelle sold him short when describing him. She said he was handsome, but TK Strand is so much more than that. He’s downright gorgeous, with beautiful bottle-green eyes, soft-looking brown hair, and a face that leaves Carlos a little stunned as he stares back. The rest of him, dressed in a fitted grey Austin Fire shirt and black work pants, is downright drool-worthy.

“Yeah,” TK says with a nod of his head. “Captain Blake has mentioned you once or twice,” a slow-building grin crossing his kissable mouth. “Or maybe a dozen times, she seems to think we’d hit it off.”

Carlos cringes at the laughter he hears in TK’s voice. Damn it, Michelle.

“So, tell me why you’re the perfect guy for me,” TK continues bluntly, the smirk on his face is as sexy as it is annoying.

Carlos’ eyes go wide as he chokes on his own saliva. “Excuse me?” he asks, his voice higher than he would like.

TK holds up his hands in front of him, giving him a shrug that just draws his attention to his nice-looking arms in that tight shirt of his. “Hey, that’s what Michelle said,” he tells him, and Carlos can feel his face go red with embarrassment. He glares at Judd when the older man chuckles at his expense.

“I’m gonna go check on dinner,” Judd says, taking a few steps away, barely hiding his continued amusement. “You’re lucky Reyes, Strickland is cooking tonight, and he’s really good. Almost as good as you. So stick around.”

He turns away, heading for the kitchen, leaving Carlos with a grinning TK.

“Please tell me she didn’t say that,” he begs once they’re alone. “Please.”

“Sorry,” TK answers, wrinkling his nose adorably, and Carlos has to bite down on his lip to keep from whimpering at just how cute he is.

“She didn’t out and out say it, but she also hasn’t been subtle about it at all, and I know a matchmaking scheme when I hear one,” TK grins again before slowly looking him up and down. “She’s been telling me about your many, many attributes.”

“Fuck me,” Carlos groans, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Take me out on a date first, and then we’ll see about that,” TK answers easily, and Carlos finds himself staring at the handsome guy in front of him with eyes wide as saucers.

“Are you serious?” he asks after he collects his tongue off the ground.

TK smiles at him again, a little shy for someone who just suggested they might sleep together, and Carlos is weirdly charmed by the contradiction.

“Michelle made you sound like a dream,” he confesses. “And you look like a walking, wet dream,” he flirts, brazen again.

It makes Carlos dizzy with excitement as he tries to stay on his toes and keep up.

“Michelle is my best friend; she likes to hype me up,” he tells him. He likes TK already, he’s more than willing to take him on a date and see if this electricity he feels between them can be the start of something, but he doesn’t want the guy to go in with unrealistic expectations. “I would love to take you out, but you need to know I’m just a regular guy, I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

TK’s expression turns gentle at his words; his green eyes are soft and kind.

“If even a third of what she told me about you is true,” he starts to say softly. “Then there’s no way I’ll be disappointed.”

Carlos smiles back at him; he feels himself humming with anticipation. “How does Friday sound then? Dinner?”

“Friday works,” TK grins back at him happily. “Now come on, you didn’t just come to meet me, and Judd wasn’t kidding, Paul’s food is fantastic,” he tells him.

Proving that he’s not done surprising him, TK holds out his hand to him.

He stares at it for a moment before taking it, letting out a small gasp at the way his body lights up when he and TK touch. The amazed look TK gives him back tells him he’s not the only one who felt it.

It’s that feeling, the touch of TK’s hand, and the prospect of Friday and with any hope, many Fridays to come, that keeps him from rolling his eyes when he and TK walk into the kitchen, and he locks eyes with a smirking Michelle.

If she finally hit a home run on the matchmaking – and he thinks as he looks at TK only to find his eyes already on him that maybe she has – he’ll let her be smug forever.

[meeko-mar]

Ok I just thought of this. 

This is a further, further thought about my Kidnapped Deku Theory, about the captivity of Izuku, as well as the FUNCTION such an event would serve in his story. Surprise influence from a different Anime(movie) plays into my thought on this. 

Now. Imma just preface this with: Part of me hopes I'm wrong about this, cause I like Compress and I don't want him to die yet.

But here we go.

So, Deku gets kidnapped, and somehow, the whole group, (probably minus Machia) escapes.

They bunker down in some hidden location. Shigaraki is way too depleted to physically do anything about stealing OFA at this particular point, so for now they just restrain Izuku where they can keep a close eye on him until shiggy gains enough strength . Izuku is desperately tired as well and cannot even hope of fighting back yet. So sit in captivity he does. And he observes.

And now here's where the whole thing of "Izuku needs to realize that the villains need saving too" thing comes into play,

Compress is SUPER injured. And unless one of them has some pretty adept med skills, it's unlikely that he'll get proper medical treatment for his wounds. So...barring anyone coming up with sudden healing Quirks, be it Shigaraki Or Izuku, it's likely that Compress will die. 

Izuku is going to have a front row seat to the league as they lose, and mourn the loss of their friend.

Like I said I kinda don't want compress to die, but if his death has a purpose, aside from the escape of Shigaraki, maybe it's a step towards humanizing the League to Izuku. Up until this point, to him, they have been a nefarious, one-dimensional entity who has done nothing but terrorize his class and caused mayhem and death.

And nooo, this definitely ain't gonna erase any of that terrible shit they’ve done, or want to do, and he sure as hell ain’t gonna become their friend, but seeing some more relatable  moments and seeing that even these guys are a found family and mourn each other's losses and that they sacrifice for one another too. It's gonna give him something more to think about in the big picture(and maybe make him realize some of the flaws in their Hero Society)

And, even though Izuku has chosen the profession of Hero, it doesn’t mean that he’d witness Compress’s death and be happy about it. He’s not the type to sit there and say “GOOD, you all deserve it, one less villain in the world!” (that’s Bakugou’s thing, after all) Izuku is a naturally kind and empathetic person. He can understand death and loss, and even though he cannot agree with their methods of rage, murder and destruction, he could come to understand some of the more nuanced roots of it. He wants Villains to face justice for their crimes, but he’s never been the type to actually wish death upon them (even when he’s trash-talking them while emulating Bakugou’s style). 

((not to diverge too far, but I think the same goes for his understanding of Touya, he can grasp that Enji Todoroki was an absolute shit-heel to his kids/wife. He has a concept of abuse and how that had affected Shoto, and has in fact snapped back at Enji himself back at the sports fest when he really didn’t have to or even have the place for it, BUT It still doesn’t change the fact that Dabi was so far out of line in trying to murder his own brother that yes, Izuku is still super justified in what he said to Dabi instead of stopping mid-battle and trying to work it out with him. Like I said before, this ain’t that type of Talk-no-Jutsu anime. BUT I DIGRESS, BACK TO OUR TOPIC))

Like I said before and will say again til I’m blue in the face, Izuku’s understanding and developing vision of this world is more nuanced than that, and this is basically a slow-burn. He’s still young and learning, and he just needs those perspectives and experiences to edge in to his pre-conceived and admittedly exclusionary notions of heroism and society.

Secondly, Toga is also going to be mourning the death of Twice, who was killed at the hands of a hero that Izuku has worked with/admired himself. She’s going to have her own issues with Izuku and she may get the chance to have a more extended conversation with him, not like how the convo with Ochako was so stunted because Ochako was trying to apprehend Toga and was full of anger and adrenaline...Izuku in this situation will probably have no other option than to hear her out entirely. Assuming she’s not trying to stab him or suck his blood while she’s doing so. 

The third thing that could affect him and his outlook, is that Izuku has already seen AFO’s manipulative tendencies over Tomura in the Quirk “dimension”, so he even has that to think about as well...potentially more, if Shiggy gets to try stealing OFA again. So there’s also that, which I think Hori is going to expand on later no matter what, arguably there was that one panel already that showed Izuku try to run towards Tomura as if to save him(not sure if that was what was happening, but we shall see).

Izuku may find himself in the den with villains, but he may see more pieces to the puzzle, and it might be the perspective he needs to truly become the world's next symbol of hope.  

OKAY ADDED CONTEXT TIME. I suddenly realized where I think I got this particular vision. 

If you have seen the Studio Trigger movie, PROMARE, there is a scene where the plucky protagonist, Galo, finds where a group of the Burnish are hiding, and the Deuteragonist, and Burnish leader, Lio knocks him out and ties him up. (without being too spoilery, the Burnish are people who have sometimes uncontrolled bursts of flames that have a habit of causing much destruction and death)

From here, Galo witnesses how they take care of each other even when the public image of the Burnish is a harsh and fearful one of rigid oppressionand dehumanization. He sees that they need to eat to survive, and most importantly, he witnesses one of their number perish after being a victim of many human experiments, and he sees them try to save that person, and then mourn, before they all leave. Additionally, Lio explains to him what the Burnish experience is actually like, as opposed to the narrative that is out there surrounding them, that Galo knows.

Now, Galo wasn’t exactly hateful against the Burnish people to begin with, but due to his job being a firefighter(an occupation in this world that is super Hype, kind of like Heroes in BNHA), his lot in life runs opposed to them by nature. He serves to protect others from the chaos that the Burnish people (mostly unintentionally) bring about...(also a bit like the Hero society.)

But this scene, set in a cave, with him restrained and with no option but to observe, serves to humanize the Burnish people, which obviously serves as the catalyst to the rest of Galo’s development and his choices later to stand up and help Lio.

BTW, PROMARE is an absolutely EXCELLENT movie and I highly recommend it...my hubby and I only just now got to watch it one of the first nights we were stuck at home sick. We slept on this the first year or two it was out, but it’s really good.

And as I was typing this and looking at a Meta video on YT about PROMARE it clicked that I must have gotten a little brain worm from this scene. Sorry if this got too far out of BNHA, and I didn’t share anything very spoilery.

So, RETURNING TO DEKU, and long story short: what would be the point of Deku getting kidnapped, especially at this time when the Villains have faced loss with Twice, and are quite likely to face it again if Compress dies from his wounds??

I think it’d be very very similar to this Promare scene, and would serve...almost the same function. Again, he’s not gonna become friends with the villains, and they are not going to turn to the Hero side, either. And it bears stressing, it doesn’t erase or condone or change Deku’s opinion on any of their criminal actions. Of which, there are many.

But it’d force Izuku into a different perspective, and he might learn a bit about at least some of their past, and their reasons for villainy... If they feel like explaining any of that to Izuku. It’s going to build on that foundation that his fight with Gentle and La Brava built. (Y’all, I love Gentle and his fight with Deku was important, if I’m reading these breadcrumbs right)

Anyway, this was super long, hopefully wasn’t too hard to follow, But my Kidnapped Deku Theory just keeps growing-- H E L P. 

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

Drunk Punch Love: Chapter 4

Pairing: FemShep and Garrus Vakarian (Shakarian)

Rating: PG-13 (with some tossed F-bombs)

Summary: Their awkward, badass journey through saving the galaxy and accidentally falling in love

Chapter 4: Drunken Heroes

After all her damned talk of avoiding booze forever, here she was, taking her whole crew to get wasted at a bar.

To give herself credit, this was 100% about letting her friends blow off steam before they headed to Virmire, not about her. She didn't even have any plans to drink, just play babysitter and have some fun with them. After all they'd done for the mission, they deserved some shore leave.

Anya almost wished she could be as hyped as Ash was. The soldier kept talking about how she was itching for a good Citadel blue cocktail mixed with classic Russian Vodka. Kept on saying she'd call it "The Shepard".

She stuck back, watching Ash drag Tali, Ash, Joker, Liara, Kaidan, and Garrus to the bartender. The only one left was her favorite cranky Krogan, an old man among youths. But he already knew that without her pointing that out. He chuckled low next to her, "You look like a mother Varren with her pups."

"What, do I look like I'm gonna eat them?"

Wrex grumbled with distaste, but Anya felt pretty satisfied, annoying him. "Varren are dedicated to their young. And so are you, Mother Shepard."

Anya nearly gagged at the thought. Her, a mom? Hardly. She was just a pathetic lonely soldier who had friends for the first time in a long time. A hard mission does that to people; it bonds them. "I'd prefer you never call me that again."

"No promises."

"What do you even do at a bar?"

While Wrex barely reacted, she knew his was peering at her with confusion. "I drink, just like everyone else."

"I can't picture it."

"Well if you need a picture, I'll be over there, drinking ryncol. I'll tell the waitress you're buying." Wrex patted her back and walked off without any confirmation.

Under her breath, Anya grumbled, "I mean, I am buying, but you could've asked..." She just shook her head and accepted the inordinate amount of credits she was about to lose on that tab. But at least, when she turned to look back at the bar, her entire crew seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ash was being the leader of the pack. Liara was sticking closing, admiring the entertainment, and Tali looked like she was roped into being her wingman.

Garrus, of course, was the one in some sort of arm wrestle with Kaidan while Joker egged them on. Who knew what the hell that was about.

Shepard just nabbed a glass of water and joined Liara in watching Ash try to flirt with guys and/or flirt with them for Tali, who seemed far less interested. She noticed T'Soni stiffened up a little the second she sat down, but she tried to ignore it. "Everyone looks like they're having a good time, huh?"

"Absolutely. I've never seen Gunnery Chief Willaims so loud. Not outside of a firefight, at least."

Though she didn't mean to, every time she sat down next to her crew, she turned full Commander mode. And Liara's somber mood was a prime target. "I know you said you were doing better, but how are you really holding up?"

Staring down at her glass, Liara kept on looking at the liquid in it like it would say something profound to her. Anya remembered that look; probably a little too well. "Worse than I expected. Benezia and I weren't close for a long time. I knew losing her would be hard but not like... this. I feel like a fundamental part of me is now being washed away a little more every day and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Anya normally wasn't one for opening up deep, old wounds, but she couldn't just let Liara sit there, haunted and alone, on their last night of peace before the storm. She was very deliberate in putting her palm gently on Liara's shoulder and not her hand. "After Akuze, I used to have a drinking problem. Or lack of drinking problem. I'd used to come here, buy the drink my squad used to always get, and stared down into it until the bar was empty and I was kicked out. It was like I was trying to find meaning to fill that empty space in me. But nothing really fills it. You just find other things that give you meaning and eventually they motivate you more than the emptiness does."

Before Shepard could react, Liara put her own hand on hers and was giving her this sweet smile. "Thank you, Shepard."

Anya pulled her hand away and scooted an inch or two back, trying to diffuse any cute moment Liara might've thought they were having. "I'm here to help anytime. That's what friends do."

After she said that, Anya didn't want to look up and cringe at the disappointment painted on Liara's face. It already fucked her up inside. But when she did finally look up, she felt a lot more weird feelings than she meant to.

Sure, there was Liara's conflicted face, but past her ear Anya could see the boy band of Joker, Garrus, and Kaidan sitting around a table and laughing. Well, they were, but then a female turian walked up and looked at Garrus like he was a snack.

Not that she fully disagreed but that wasn't the damn point.

While she didn't mean to go comatose, and she was pretty sure Liara might've said something, she felt like everything blacked out except him. And he was doing that awkward smiling thing, and she could tell he was flustered, and she could tell the turian was hitting on him. And where the bro in her was happy for him, that fucked up part of her that woke itself up on a Noveria bar had its eyes wide open and was screaming.

Before she could make any expressions that made her make a fool of herself, and so she didn't have to look at it anymore, Anya went to staring down into the glass of water in front of her.

"By the goddess, how did I not notice?"

Shepard shook her head and gave Liara her best clueless look. Oh boy, how she didn't want her to be noticing what she thought she might have noticed. ANya asked, "Notice what?"

Even though there was this sadness in her eyes, there was also clarity. Liara said it so plainly that it hurt, "You have feelings for Garrus."

Anya covered Liara's mouth with her hand and closed her eyes, like if she wished it hard enough she'd wake up and this nightmare would be over and no one would know her dumb, dirty little secret. "No, nope, I don't. You saw nothing."

"And your cheeks are even getting red. I never-"

Giving up, because clearly her cover-up skills were piss poor, Shepard just held her hands and tried not to look too desperate. It was embarrassing enough. "Please don't talk about it. He doesn't feel the same way and it doesn't matter. You're all my friends and we're on a mission and that's what we need to focus on."

Liara frowned, but didn't seem too keen to pry. "I won't make you talk more, mostly because I feel embarrassed for chasing after you now, but if you need to talk, I'm here."

If Anya was in peak Commander mode, she'd stay shut up, let it end at that, but after so much time keeping it to herself and feeling so frustrated, and now seeing him get looked at like that by some attractive turian... Well, maybe she'd be better off not keeping it inside. "He's my best friend, Liara. It complicates everything."

"Clearly people think that complication is worth it. And here I was, hoping it was me."

"I'm sorry, Liara."

"It matters more to me that you stay my friend."

Of all the stupid things tonight, that made her smile. Even under all the "getting caught looking at Garrus" embarrassment. "That's what matters to me, too. And not just with you, with him."

"I can understand that."

Anya winced and kept her eyes down, not wanting to look at Garrus, knowing he probably was flirting back. He had every right and... And, well, it wasn't like he owed her anything. They said it didn't happen, she was just a squishy human, and they'd just stay friends, right? "So, I'd just prefer we talk about other things to distact me from saying anything dumb about Garrus Vakarian-"

"Somebody saying my name?"

Startled, Anya jumped in her chair and almost fell off. Liara started giggling like the funniest shit just happened, but hearing him pop up behind he was so unfair. More unfair was the fact she noticed his hand was holding her chair straight. Anya just sunk down into it, real low, and tried to hope that Saren would take her down with him. At least it was an honorable death.

Lucky for Shepard, Liara winked at her and saved her ass. "We were wondering who won the arm wrestling, you or Lieutenant Alenko. The Commander was betting on you, even though I said Kaidan would win."

"You wound me, Liara."

Trying to act casual, Anya raised an eyebrow. "So who won, then?"

Garrus scratched the back of his neck and admitted, "Okay, fine, Alenko won. But only because he's a dirty cheat and used biotics."

She didn't know what it was about his wounded pride, but it helped unwind all the knots she'd put herself in. Anya patted his shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, you're still my number one turian."

"He's not a turian and I'm your only turian. That statement means nothing, but sure, thanks, Shep."

Watching him scowl at her, like nothing was weird or wrong, it made her laugh in a way that vibrated throughout her entire body. But maybe she also didn't want to admit how much it warmed her up, knowing he turned the flirting turian down and came over here to her.

After she got out her nerves and laughed like that, the rest of the night was a fun blur. The crew started sharing embarrassing stories of first kisses and first posts, and they all danced and Tali made fun of her for being terrible. Garrus was the only one who gave her a wink during that, because he knew her actual skills. Not like she was going to tondue at a club, though. And then later they even got Wrex to join in on an argument on who had the wildest battle scars. No surprise, the Krogan won. But Joker's surgery scars almost gave him a run for his money.

That night, she was the one helping carry Ash back to the Normandy while everyone else was walking or stumbling in front of them. Everyone enjoyed themselves, but Ash was definitely the one that hit the booze the hardest.

But Anya didn't mind too much. She saw how Ash made everyone smile and brought them together. The spitfire would be a great leader someday, once she got more experience under her belt.

Leaning into her shoulder, the Gunnery Chief started to mumble. "We're going to save the galaxy, Shep. I'll get to be a hero. The Williams name is gonna go down in history for great reasons this time."

Anya held onto Ash's side, tight, and said, "You're going to be a great hero, Ash. Probably a better one than me. You don't have the baggage weighing you down."

When Ash laughed, it bubbled through her body and almost shoved them too close to the railing. Garrus gave her a look, like asking if she wanted help, but Anya shook her head. She and captain realism didn't need to burst Ash's hopefulness here. It was honestly kind of nice to hear someone talk about the future like this. Ash wasn't thinking about dying; just about the good she'd do.

How could Anya not admire that?

"I'm gonna have a tough time beating you, Shep, but I'll do my best."

"You better. Second human Spectre, Ashely Williams, Sounds good, right?"

Ash was still so wobbly. Anya wasn't quite sure she'd remember any of this in the morning. That only made it so much easier to compliment her. "Don't get crazy, Commander." She rolled her eyes in a very exaggerated way, but then hiccuped so hard some of her hair fell out of her bun. "But yeah, it kinda does sound good."

"Well, let's get back on the Normandy and make you a hero, Ash." When she finished carrying Ash onto the ship, she kept on seeing the drunk cadet she used to be, laughing with her friends anytime they got shore leave, all swapping stories on how they'd become heroes. None of them would've ever guessed Anya'd get it because they all died. She'd gained honor in an awful, horrible way. But she hoped Ash could become someone great by her side, instead.

That was one of the few things she'd enjoy seeing, at the end of all this.

///

Author's Note:

Thanks so much for reading, and double thanks to my lovely patrons:

Danyell Jones

Amy Connolly

If you'd like to support my work, please go check out my patreon: patreon.com/gracejordan

I also write original stories and am trying to build a community of fandom lovers on writing sites, in Discord, and (in the future) on Twitch :) any help is appreciated

[sadisticsmiles]

Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 14

The Alliance of Thirteen

             It was the afternoon a few days later inside Le Renard Noir. It was an inauspicious day for the guys due to the heat coming into the city. The air conditioner was on full blast, but like every blazing wave arriving before summer, there was not enough cool air for their exhaustion and heavy pants to go away. The sweat dripping from their bodies was what regulated their bodies from the thermal flow.

           Hiro slumped down in his seat in front of the bar counter with his arms stretched out on it while his eyes were closed. "Ugh..." He felt like he was going to pass out soon. "It's... so hot... We're practically dying from the heat...!"

           Riki looked at the youngest member of the team. He was sitting on a seat around the side of the wooden counter and attempted not to complain about the hot atmosphere. "If we're gonna die from the heat anyway, I'd rather fall onto Mitsuki's boobs since they can wrap me into a marshmallow heaven. You guys can dive into the ocean if you can't take the heat wave."

           Kenshi closed his eyes and sweat-dropped. "...I'd prefer shaved ice in a bowl, which Boss is making for us but... If that's what you want to have instead, Riki, I won't say anything about it. I'm just hungry right now, so I'm still waiting like everyone else. Water's nice and all, but let's have some without a salty taste, okay?"

           "Gross," Takuto cracked a comment at the leader of the Black Foxes. "I can't believe you would talk about your wife's chest at a time like this, Riki. She's not a pillow for your convenience during hot weather. And seriously, marshmallows?" His expression and tone of voice became monotone. "How cliché can you be? You're making fun of Mitsuki that way, so don't say anything further about them, will you? You know, you can be pretty insensitive, seeing as it's been part of your personality even before you met her." A smirk appeared on his face. "You should've stopped nine years ago, yet you’re still going on with the perverted remarks? Man, you're not as mature as a lot of people think. All the other women who glance at you would be disappointed if they heard you, not counting magicians of course." His indifferent facial appearance came back in an instant.

           Riki reconsidered what the programmer told him about his wife, and pondered about everything else before he spoke. "You've got a point there. When I think about it, everything about her is more like mochi to the touch." He shook his head. "No, wait. Her skin's a lot softer than that, and she feels nice, too." A confident smile formed on his visage. "I don't know if I should say this or not, but every part of her relaxes me. Hugging her is great, but I also like having her on me when we're together, especially when we're on the bed."

           At that moment, all eyes (Takuto, Kenshi's, Hiro, and Sayuri's) turned towards Mitsuki, who was indeed standing behind her husband with a sweet smile and her large eyes were opened. She was holding onto a few grocery bags in her left hand, and another set in her right one. Kenshi's eyes widened; Hiro's perked up as he kept laying his head down on his folded arms; Sayuri had her reserved and calm expression from before. As for Takuto, he was just... Well, a lot like Sayuri.

           "Uh, Riki?" Takuto asked, averting his gaze towards the former government official.

           Riki did not lose his smile. "Yeah?"

           Instead of telling him that Mitsuki was behind him, the hacker simply answered with a, "You shouldn't have said that." He glanced at the dark purple-haired magician.

Besides, he thought, she's right behind you.

           Riki blinked once and turned his head around to his left, finally seeing his cute yet beautiful wife. He smiled awkwardly. "...Hi there, Mitsuki."

           "...Riki, we need to have a chat about this at home." Mitsuki had closed her eyes when she told her husband that. But her smile was still etched onto her face like a tattoo on a person's body. "Thanks to what you said about me, I'll let you know the details about tonight's mission later before we go on it."

           Riki's eyes widened; he was flabbergasted at the last sentence. "What? A mission? Can't we talk about it now?"

           "No." There was Mitsuki's faint smile again before she turned around to leave.

           Riki got up from his seat and followed after her. "Wait! Mitsuki!"

           After they exited the restaurant, Takuji walked in. Smiling in a friendly manner, he added, "Well, they seem to be having a good time from what I heard down the street. Love sure is surprising when it comes to a human man and female magician, unlike how Asuka and I are both magicians. It must be the most splendid thing ever to hear a guy say debauched things every day."

           Kenshi tilted his head to his left. "Does that make male magicians like yourself pure or somethin'? It sounds like you guys don’t really… you know,” his face was flushed in embarrassment, “take part in stuff like that.” Then the firefighter gulped, letting his eyes move to his right without a head motion. “…”

           The mint-haired young man continued to smile and closed his periwinkle eyes. “You can say we’re more decent than you would believe. Then again, it’s not like we don’t have any knowledge about the things that are done in private. You don’t have to get so nervous about erotic topics, though. Besides,” he raised his right forearm up, “from what my employees have said—and most of them are otakus—adult visual novels for ages eighteen and up are all the hype now, especially… Hehe.” His laugh was unanticipated for Kenshi and Hiro, as the latter raised his head up and the both of them were puzzled. “Gal games."1

           Hiro's eyes widened. "You mean the type of visual novels targeted towards males? The ones that have mainly female characters in them with a few—even a very limited amount of male characters to add to them, right?" He quickly understood what the editorial department CEO meant. "There are some anime adaptions based on them, which have gotten pretty popular during our current century. From the beginning—one of my favorite series, Da Capo2, one of the most lighthearted series with some drama in it, which makes it a must play/watch. I really ship Junichi and Nemu, despite the relationship they have. Teehee." Hiro giggled. "Sorry, Sakura!" He stuck his tongue out slightly in a teasing manner, giving a wink from his left eye. There's also To Heart, Kanon, Air, along with some others." He stopped for a second before continuing. "Oh. But I wish Ina☆Koi3 had an anime adaption so I could listen to the music and compare the soundtrack to the visual novel! The artist makes the characters so cute, and I just adore the opening so much! I even have the Ina☆Koi fandisk, and I can't wait for the next gal game to come out! Go, Swirlpool!4 And we can't forget about Nursery Rhyme and Itsuka, Todoku, Ano Sora ni. by Lump of Sugar,5 either!" Hiro's face lit up with an air of rising euphoria. The subject of galge added fuel to his elated fire and gave Takuto, Kenshi, and Sayuri something to say about what he told them.

           "So," Takuto paused, "you'’re a closet fan of gal games. What else do we not know about you, Hiro? By the looks of it, you seem to play a heck lot of them. Is this how you expanded your knowledge of females, and..." He blushed, quivering in his own thermal energy. "...what happens between a man and a woman? Just so you know, I'm not c-curious about that!!" His expression was now furious as he kept his flustered facial expression. "You hear me?!"

           A cat smile appeared on the college student's visage. "Well, I do love the H-scenes if they're steamy enough. The seiyuus also have to appeal to my sense of hearing as well, you know. Before ever continuing an eroge of any kind, the characters' voices are important. For example, if any of the girls have voices that are too high, too low, too quiet, too annoying, etc., they just throw the entire game off." He seemed as though he were scolding someone with his VN lecture. "I mean, what's the point of selling a galge if the characters have inadequate voices? It's a waste of hiring those seiyuus if their pitches aren't perfect! No matter how great a company's reputation is for their works, they shouldn't hire just ANYONE; there needs to be a sense of moderation when it comes to picking the correct person to voice a girl or guy in a visual novel! Second, the plot should be consistent to the description given by the staff. When things get peculiar in a gal game, players don't have much of an interest in it, even if they do play through to the end. Art is essential, too. The character designs and backgrounds are the best when drawn to fit a fictional setting. They also establish the mood and atmosphere of the game, and—" Hiro smirked. "—I'm very picky when it comes to my hobby, so if I get a VN that doesn't match my criteria, I stop playing and I'll throw it away afterward. If I feel like it, I'll just sue some companies for making a rip-off in the first place. Or I'll wait until something happens. In truth, I go to this website where I can request something, and if I get a reply accepting my request, it gets done in a short amount of time. I don't believe miracles can easily exist, but to me, that website gave me some I'll never forget."

           Takuto's eyes narrowed in a nonchalant way. "Thanks for ranting, you 2-D women loving maniac. You're even worse than a co-worker of mine when it comes to visual novels. Anyway, how is it that you have them at your place? You never seemed to have a geeky vibe during all these years."

           "Kenny bought them for me," Hiro replied without another thought.

           "Huh?" Takuto was confused while still having an uninterested expression on his face.

           Sayuri blinked four times with her archetypal quiet state on her face. "Kenshi bought inappropriate games for you? When was this?"

           "During my senior year of junior high," Hiro casually answered. "I was fourteen back then. Speaking of which you and Rina were also the same age as me, weren't you, Sayuri?"

           The orange-haired magician nodded. "Affirmative. But…I can’t imagine you as the type of person who would play adult-oriented games, Hiro. It doesn’t suit your image. In addition, you were at a very young age when you started, so…” She gaze downward, then looked up. “…this means you’re a rule breaker. In other words, some sort of rebel. I do not comprehend since I never knew about this side of you before now. Perhaps I do not know your true self, after all.”

           “Um…” Hiro was having difficulty coming up with his next words. It felt like he was beginning to have some trouble after he had realized his own feelings towards the young woman. At the same time his heart palpitated, and he knew he was blushing. “I-I guess you have a point there, Sayuri. Maybe I shouldn’t have put Kenny through an ordeal like that, but you know, I was trying to l-learn more about different parts of Japan’s subculture because it’s my home country.”

           On no…! he shouted in his thoughts. I can’t speak normally to Sayuri! What do I do?! Ah, it’s getting hot in here! My body can’t take this any longer. Someone help me…!

           At that moment, he could feel himself becoming dizzy—dizzier with each second passing by. His body swayed back and forth, and from side to side, until he flopped down gradually onto the counter he had laid on earlier. His eyes were closed and he was slowly breathing.

           “Hiro!” Sayuri, Kenshi, and Takuto shouted in concern; Takuji, on the other hand, was a little surprised at what had occurred.

           Kenshi placed his right hand on Hiro’s back. His expression was serious and focused. “He’s still alive… He probably got overheated from the heat pouring in from the outside. We should let him rest upstairs in his room.”

           Takuto shot a cool and relaxed glance at the firefighter. ”It’s also hot in the bedrooms. We let the windows open to give some light in them, remember? If we take him to his bed, he’ll feel the blaze scorching his posterior body region. What good will that do, Kenny? We need to cool him down and hydrate him.”

           Sayuri was frantic. She was uncertain as to what she could to do help Hiro regain his senses, but came closer to the youth’s right. She placed her left hand on Hiro’s face, and her right hand on top of his head. She also had a worried and sad look on her visage. “Hiro…” Regardless of the time and place, she allowed her wings to shoot out, compelling Takuto and Kenshi to move back from their seats as a result. Then, Sayuri’s radiant wings began to flap, sending moderately cool winds inside Le Renard Noir.

           The spiky-haired brunet’s eyes slightly widened as astonishment displayed on him.

           Sayuri… he thought. She truly and honestly cares about Hiro. Is it because they knew each other before everyone in the Black Foxes met her? Or, Kenshi sensed an undesirable sensation brimming in his chest, specifically where his heart was, is it something… more? Did their friendship grow while I wasn’t aware of anything that may have happened between them lately? What if… they’ve fallen in love with each another? What am I supposed to do about the likelihood of the two of them developing feelings for the other? Do I… let them know about my own feelings, or do I leave the option of never letting Sayuri know how I feel about her?

           Takuto lowered his eyes at Kenshi and whispered. “Oi, Kenny. You’re letting it show on your face. What if Hiro had seen you? Still, he is unconscious for the time being, but you should hide your feelings a little. You never know what can happen when facts and knowledge are spread around. That’s why you might as well keep yourself composed until this is all over.”

           Kenshi’s flustered expression was transparent enough for anyone to read him as he whispered back. “I-I know, Takuto! G-Geez. What’s with you these days? You’ve been bringing up strange things whenever we talk.”

           An amused look was on Takuji’s face.

           I wonder if I should do anything while I’m here, he thought. I haven’t interfered on my own accord, but it looks like another interesting banter is going on. Sayuri’s paying Hiro Sarashina her undivided attention, while Kenshi Inagaki is anxious about being near them. Hmm. Takuto appears to be the type to observe and take notice on what’s going on. As expected from Rina’s former boyfriend. He’s become a renowned figure for some time now. Not that I’m ready to tell that to him, though. It’d be better if he found out later. The question is: Will the magicians outside of Neon such as myself be able to be of help to this world, which is full of humans—whether they’re corrupt at heart or sincere enough to gain a magician’s trust—and survive through to the end of the approaching fates we’ll have to confront? Hahaha, this is getting corny for someone like me when the results aren’t even given out by none other than…

           The mint-haired magician took out something from his magic pocket, pulling out something from his home in Neon. What was revealed in his hand was a clear drink with what seemed to be small, shredded coconut shavings (?) with something else that looked like mini assorted multi-colored jelly fillings in it. The liquid and tiny solids that were like floating tapioca balls lying internally in the Collins glass as were both vivid and breathtaking to the human eye. Maybe not only to humans. Either way, it was spectacular as it existed only in Neon, the world of magicians. With that said, Takuji walked forward and teleported to where he was behind the counter, setting the beverage in front of the unconscious art student.

           “Come on, wake up now,” he smiled. “You should be fine after getting that fresh breeze. Plus, I’ll be getting some pizza done soon, so take a gulp out of my wife’s blend, Hiro. Sayuri has to leave soon, anyway, so hurry and wake up already.”

           “Mm…” Hiro stirred a bit but slowly opened his eyes as if he had just been shook by Atsumu in the morning for breakfast. He blinked once and looked at the winged magician’s visage. “Sayuri?” He sure did look sleepy. “Did you fan me?”

           Sayuri nodded with her concerned expression still on her face. “You should drink what Takuji brought for now. I have to do make some runs in the Human World until tonight. Takuji will relay the detail of tonight's mission later on."

           Hiro nodded as a reply. "Be careful, okay? Even though you're not a thief and you're occupied with your own goals and objectives, I still think of you as a part of the Black Foxes. Everyone does. No only you, but Takuji and every other magician who are good at heart. When I think about it, we wouldn't be where we are without you guys."

           Kenshi chuckled. "That's true. Saionji may have been the first one we encountered thanks to Riki for falling for her at first sight, but she didn't become a member until years later after Rina's arrival. I guess you guys have plenty of tasks to finish while you're here on Earth, huh? Must be taking a long time since we have far more people than Neon, albeit how large your world is compared to ours. There’re too many sinister people out there to get rid of, but what you guys decide to do with them is up to you, and we'll support your decision, even if it's the worst-case scenario."

           Takuto frowned. "Maybe what we need is for more magicians to act as undercover police agents, seeing as the authorities don't do a lot. While we can't precisely will a rapid change to happen and lower our diverse populations by a number of death penalties on criminals, we'll just have to wait for an era where very few people plot against the good."

           Atsumu and Rina came out of the kitchen shortly after, with the wavy-haired brunet carrying a tray that had glass bowls of shaved ice with different flavors in them; Rina had a few glasses full of drinks on a separate tray. They may have been late, but better that than not showing up.

           "Well we certainly heard a lot, didn't we?" Atsumu grinned broadly. "Yet, the development of events was really intriguing. I felt bad for Riki, but Hiro's rant on visual novels was great, too." He set the bowls on the counter in front of the guys, giving Hiro some 'special treatment' for passing out moments ago. Sayuri glanced at this kind gesture and vanished when Hiro stared at the shaved ice that finally arrived.

           After the winged magician was out of sight, Rina smiled gently and placed Kenshi and Takuto's drinks in front of them. Atsumu took the tray the Magician of Power carried and went back into the cooking area to put them away, before coming back. Takuji had already gone inside to start on the pizza for the group, happily placing the small, circular, and flattened dough in the oven. Then, he adjusted the settings on the machine.

           Takuto glanced at his ex-girlfriend and asked, "Were you even in the kitchen while we were talking about all this stuff? I mean, before the complaints on the weather today?"

           As Rina kept standing behind the counter, the smile on her face did not go away. "No. I was resting at home. I thought I'd stay there until I was well enough to come back here."

           The hacker of the Black Foxes scooted over to his right and patted the seat he previously sat on. "Take a seat."

           Rina's entire expression became softer and she instantly teleported behind the stool Takuto's hand was on. In response, the latter took his hand off, placing it on the counter next to his bowl of light green shaved ice. The blonde magician took her seat and a fuzzy and warm sensation sprung from her chest.

           Hiro took a bite of his grape-flavored shaved ice. The air between the past couple had spread to where he and Kenshi were. His eyes were closed by the time his spoon was in his mouth. "It's so cozy~. I wanna go to sleep but I need to eat this to get my stamina back. What should I do?"

           Kenshi sweat-dropped. "Keep eating your ice, Hiro. And don't forget about your drink. You already passed out once today, so rehydrate your body. We wouldn't want you to miss out on the mission."

           "Hai~!" The twenty-one-year-old youth obeyed and continued to eat at a moderate pace to avoid a so-called 'brain freeze' from happening. He also took a sip from the beverage Takuji took out for him, and his eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! This tastes really good! I suddenly feel refreshed and better than I usually do. It's like everything's so clear and bright, and I'm so positive. I... I'm feeling a lot of awesome emotions at once, it's surreal!"

           Kenshi's eye widened. "Woah, what's in that drink? Hiro's getting so energized! Are there... more gemstones? Wait." He paused. "How did I come to that conclusion?"

           "Because there are," Takuto and Rina said together.

           "Heh?" The firefighter was baffled.

           "That's correct~!" Takuji exclaimed mildly as he walked out from the kitchen, holding the small six-inch pizza that was divided into six pieces for everyone in Le Renard Noir. "Since la boisson was prepared in Neon, it's only natural to have gemstones in something like this, especially to rejuvenate oneself. To be honest, no magician has ever allowed a human to drink or eat something from Neon before. You're kinda lucky to have passed out when you did, otherwise I wouldn't have pulled this from my house." He explained further. "The benefit of our food and beverages is that you gain more than you would believe. Should your body be exposed to magic, so too will parts or even all of you begin to alter into a finer being. Anyway, let's eat." He took a slice of pizza from the top right corner and bit into the slice he was holding.

           Atsumu strolled into the dining area and took a glance over the mint-haired magician's shoulder. "Wow, the pizza smells better than the ones I bake, and it has a better air to it. I wonder what ingredients you used to prepare it. I think I'm about to drool from looking at it. You were making it so fast I could barely see a thing! Plus, there's the fact you were so blurry, I was getting dizzy from watching you do every single thing! Slow down, will you?" His shoulders slumped once he finished what he was saying.

           Takuji closed his eyes. "Not like I can help it, though. I am a magician after all. What I do depends on my being. My mood also comes into play, and how I'm feeling will influence the things I do. So, there's that."

           Takuto narrowed his eyes in stoic-like annoyance. "Give him a break yourself, Beardface. You were being too attentive on what he was doing to quicken what you had decided to do, and man were you gross just now. Magicians aren't like us most of the time. They're meant to be the perfect beings in their own way, but it doesn't mean perfection is key."

           Rina blinked. Is this really how Takuji is in the Human World? His demeanor is so different than what I anticipated.

           "At least there are different ways to consider the concept," the Magician of Power added to the conversation. "Still, we're supposedly known for being 'perfect' in others' eyes. We hear different comments about us, but what's been said shouldn't get in the way of what we do."

           "I'm starving, but that's pretty coolio," Hiro beamed. "Haha!" He took his slice of pizza from the bottom left side he was facing. "Perfect or not, you guys seem like it anyhow. That's what great about you all, and I'm glad you're here." Placing his pizza slice into his mouth, he was fully enjoying the taste with a blissful expression on his visage.

           Kenshi smiled lightheartedly. "Can't say I don't agree, but I like how even magicians have flaws to them. It makes me feel closer to you guys because we have some stuff in common, whether it's just a tiny portion or not. Who's to say we can't get along?" He took his slice and the first bite lifted his spirits up. "Wow! This tastes incredible, dude! Oh, man. I wish you would use ingredients from Neon every day to make food like this! Boss's cooking pales in comparison to yours, Takuji! Mm!" In a matter of seconds, the firefighter gobbled down the slice of pizza. "Think you can make some more? Having one slice and shaved ice with a cool drink to accompany a meal is definitely not enough to fill anyone's stomach—magician or human. I'm grateful enough to eat what you make. So, uh, thanks."

           "Hey!" Atsumu immediately flipped his head towards Kenshi; he was offended by the spiky-haired brunet's comments. "My cooking's not that bad! I try very hard to please everyone with the food I make!"

           "Well if you need some more food to fill your stomach, alright," Takuji opened his eyes and smiled casually. "We still have some time before nighttime comes for the mission to be initiated. I'll get some more for you guys and add some other food to the menu."

           "Awe—" Just as Kenshi was jubilantly answering, Hiro cut him off.

           "Yay!" The college student was glad as well to be able to get more food. "An all-you-can-eat buffet! Magic style!"

           "Looks like Hiro's happy," Takuto noted. "He's having so much fun eating, he won't care about becoming a glutton."

           Rina kept smiling faintly. "As long as he's content, he'll be going on the mission with us."

           "H-Hey..." Kenshi trailed off. He was a bit disappointed no one was paying attention to him.

           Atsumu sighed unhappily. "Now you know how I feel. Serves you right..."

           The two brunets were obviously in the same boat, but the restaurant owner was the one who had a more melancholy atmosphere to him. Of course, who would not be when their cooking gets insulted by someone they trust as a comrade? Either way, they were both hurt by their small group of friends gathered inside the place. In addition, it was going to be a while before they got over their depression and somewhat childish anguish.

  XXX

             It was already dark out during the early hours of the night. Inside Le Renard Noir, everyone was gathered for details on the mission; rather, it was a bit of a review.

           "Here's the plan for this mission," Takuji began. "Since we'll be going to this museum that was once a huge mansion for some wealthy aristocrats, Sayuri, Rina, Mitsuki-san, and I will knock all the 14K members guarding the exterior. That will give you guys a chance to go in, but there will also be some inside, so make use of your best combat abilities. Once you all (the Black Foxes) go in, Sayuri and I will round up all the members from outside and bring them to the police station, which has been upgraded to fit in more law breakers. They will face punishment, as did all the other criminals who have been caught, especially since the magicians from Neon came to the Human World. We do have a few friends who are now manning the prisons, so they'll place whatever judgment they choose on those fiends."

           Hiro raised his right hand. "Um..."

           Takuji kept smiling. "Yes?"

           "I think Kenny wants to say something," Hiro smirked, passing the speaking authority to the sniper.

           Kenshi had a solemn and conflicted expression on his face. "Well... Something came to mind just now about what you said. I was wondering..." He glanced at the mint-haired young man. "...are you... By 'placing punishment' on these people you've caught, does that mean that you'll... kill them for what they've done?"

           "You said it yourself that you would support whatever decisions are made. Thus, they're for the guys in charge of the stations aka prisons to decide," Takuji replied coldly. His expression matched his tone of voice. "You wouldn't care about what happens to those criminals, would you? When you think about your main objective, the reason for the Black Foxes' existence isn't to pity the villains who steal from or harass and harm others, but to bring a sense of peace and justice back to the ones who have been wronged. However, you guys mainly concentrate on artworks and other valuable things. If we don't concentrate on the mission tonight, we'll miss our chance of finding Nao-san."

           Kenshi nodded with a lowered head. "Yeah..." He looked up once more. "But... How are we supposed to do that? We don't know where she lives, so it'd be impossible to meet with her."

           Takuji grinned smugly. "It's actually simpler than you'd expect. This morning, Sayuri and I met with our advisor in the Human World about how we can get to her."

           "What?" Hiro's eyes were ready to pop out.

           Kenshi blinked. "Heh?"

           Takuto replied. "Well, it's not so surprising after what we've all been going through recently. Nao's a powerful magician and she's most likely to have concealed the location of her man's house with her magic. Rina's book was also unable to detect anything, so I'm pretty certain that thanks to the Human World's blockage against most of the magicians' powers, it might also be blocking other magicians' abilities to find one another—maybe even their books' knowledge."

           "However, there's a chance of locating any magician if there's a strong connection between two or more magicians," Rina announced. "It doesn't always work, so perhaps Nao-san set up a barrier after regaining her memories. Anyway, we should listen to Takuji's information since it'll prove to be a big help to us."

           Takuji's smug grin was still plastered on his visage. "As I was saying, we were told that a thief will appear inside the museum. Apparently, he has an interest in the Black Foxes, so he'll break in to catch your attention in tomorrow's news, but we'll have to prevent this from taking place. After all, we're trying to meet him tonight since he knows where Nao-san is. Thus, he'll be the key to finding her. We'll need to send two people to encounter him, so how about sending Hiro and Takuto?"

           Hiro's eyes widened again. "Huh? Me and Takkun?"

           "That's right," Takuji laughed menacingly. "He's going to break into a window from the top upper middle room on your left. Each of the left and right sides of the three stories have three rooms, so there's six for every layer of the house. Therefore, the total number of rooms equals eighteen. In order to successfully get to him in time, everyone else has to barge into the mansion and fight the 14K members before you two go inside. Sayuri and I will go in after we come back from delivering the ones that are knocked out. It shouldn't be so difficult with Rina and Mitsuki-san around. Besides, Swillving will be back in action with her dynamic powers and sharp blade. Make sure to speak with the guy, as well. We need to convince him to take us to Nao-san."

           Takuto said, "I'm not much of a speaker when it comes to a lot of people, but I'll see what I can do. Hiro's gonna have to back me up, anyway."

           "Ugh," Hiro frowned. "Takkun, you're so hopeless. What's the use of having Rina's book fused with your laptop if you're not going to do your part in this?"

           "It's not like it was for nothing," the hacker answered in his stoic voice. "I'll tell him some stuff, but don't forget that we're both going to speak to him."

           Sayuri, who had been staring at the sequence of events in the bar, said, "Let's go. We can't stay here forever."

           Atsumu nodded. "That's right. Justice needs to be done to those triad members. We can't let them get away with what they've done, whatever they may have been involved in. I'll be waiting here like always for you all to return safely so we can enjoy dinner together, no matter how late it is."

           Everyone else nodded and a white light signaled their teleportation and departure to the museum without allowing them to be caught by the 14K members.

  XXX

             With the four magicians' combined powers, the bountiful amount of men associated with the 14K triad were quickly put to sleep, and their bodies collapsed onto the ground.

           Riki gave a nod and stated, "It's show time!"

           The six members of the Black Foxes dashed in; Takuto and Hiro followed as the strategy had called for. With two bright lights—a vivid tangerine one representing Sayuri's powers and a medium sea green for Takuji, the two magicians of fate teleported themselves and the 14K members that were lying outside to the police station.

           Meanwhile inside the museum, the triad members were rapidly being beaten by Riki and Kenshi's martial art skills, while Mitsuki had summoned her weapon's spirit Swillving, a lovely and beautiful lady with long, sea green hair reaching to her feet and imperial red eyes. The weapon in the dark purple-haired magician's hands was a naginata and with each swing, there was a swift attack that hit a bundle of mafia members; Swillving used quick movements and was hard to perceive, hunting down the males in black suits before returning to her master's side. Rina had gone up ahead, leading the hacker and the youngest member of the Black Foxes upstairs after the other three. Once they were on the second floor, she joined the fighting and hit some of the 14K guys with generations of earth and crystals, sending forth many brown stones along with those crystals with an aesthetic nothing the planet could compare to.

           Mitsuki had already gone to the top and third floor, which was being handled by Takuji and Sayuri. The latter pair fought with a combination of thin glowing needle-like structures (Sayuri), and dark metal bits and pieces (Takuji). It took a mere matter of seconds for them to defeat the last group of 14K members. Shortly afterward, a resonating bright, white light surrounded the mansion and the mafia men, and the magicians of fate disappeared to imprison the new batch. Everyone else met on the uppermost floor, allowing Takuto and Hiro burst into the middle left room while the other four waited for their OK.

           Hiro shut the door behind him and the team's hacker to witness the male thief's arrival, which was in...

           3...2...1...

           The glass shattered as a man with purple hair wearing a black suit intruded into the luxurious room. Unlike what they had expected, Hiro and Takuto saw another figure with the male. The second person was in the purple-haired man's arms, and had long, silver hair. From the looks of it, there had to be a girl in the guy's arms.

           So he wasn't alone, Takuto remarked in his mind. He had his laptop in his left hand which was bent over to his side.

           But why is there a girl with him? Hiro questioned in his thoughts as he glanced at Takuto, who met his gaze.

           The light blond shrugged and they both looked back at the two in their far front.

           The purple-haired man had wavy hair and when he raised his head, he opened his eyes, revealing French beige eyes. When his gaze met the two Black Fox members', he was surprised. "..."

           "Hyosuke, what's wrong?" The girl in his arms lifted her head to look at his face, soon following the direction of his gaze to her right. Unlike Hyosuke, she was not surprised to see Takuto and Hiro standing the room they were in. She had ruby red eyes and wore a dark midnight blue long sleeve blazer that was unbuttoned with a white button-down shirt underneath, a palatinate purple tie around her collar and a matching midnight blue miniskirt resembling a school uniform which was completed with black near-knee-length socks and a pair of brown loafers. She blinked and asked, "Are you... the Black Foxes...?"

 XXX

             With everyone including Sayuri and Takuji gathered within the room, they began to converse with Hyosuke and the silver-haired girl.

           "So you see," Hiro said before laughing. "Haha. How should we explain this? We were expecting only one person to come to this museum. It turns out there are two."

           Takuto seemed no different than he usually was with his aloofness. "We needed to meet you, anyway. There's a reason for this encounter tonight, but it looks like we should be asking both of you."

           Takuji closed his eyes and sweat-dropped. "Akio-sama sure did leave an important detail out, didn't he? To think Miyuki was also going to be here. What an interesting turn of events." He sighed, opening his eyes to gaze at the pair who came in from the window. "I must say, it is nice to see you again after three years or so."

           Miyuki, the silver-haired girl, placed her left hand on her hip. "Likewise, it's good to meet you again, Takuji." She looked at the others. "Although, it seems like I've seen a few more familiar faces. It looks like you've met up with a third of our group from high school. Including you and myself, it now makes two-thirds, instead of one." She lowered her eyes towards everyone on her right before glancing back at the mint-haired magician. "Moving on, what exactly did you guys come here for? It seems that it's something important, since you (Takuji) and Sayuri went to meet a member of the Juujouchi family to prevent us from making our way out of here. Well, you did save us some trouble in waiting for your (the Black Foxes) appearance, so thanks."

           "..." Sayuri was staring down at the floor. She looked as if there was something on her mind, and it was as though she were lost in thought.

           While Hiro did not see the orange-haired girl's expression, Kenshi did.

           Sayuri... he thought. It looks like she's having a hard time bringing Nao up, but I'm positive she wants to see her again. They did live together after all, but does Miyuki also have a connection to her? I'll have to do something, so here goes nothing.

           Without any hesitation, Kenshi stepped forward, displaying a stern expression on his visage. "Our plan's already changed, but look. The reason we came to confront you guys is because we believe that you can take us to Nao Aozora. We actually have some things to talk about, but we're likely to need to enlist her help on a battle we'll have to go through in the near future. Think you guys can do us a favor and let us meet her?"

           Takuto was not pleased, and had a wrathful look on his face. Plus, his eyebrows were drawn together. "Hey, Kenny! I was gonna do the talking before you said anything! And you left some parts out, you know!" He turned towards Hyosuke and Miyuki, and his expression quickly became indifferent. "Sorry, but Nao might be the key to defeating a certain woman. If so, the magicians residing in the Human World won't have to die from that woman's powers. I have a theory that Nao has a strategy to defeat her, so we HAVE to meet her and find out if she does have one. She may be a ray of hope for us, and for your..." He shifted his gaze from Hyosuke to Miyuki who was on the former's left.

           "Girlfriend," Hyosuke told the group. "Miyuki's my girlfriend. So uh, I have something to ask too." He stared intently at Takuto. "Do you also know about my brother?"

           "...Yeah." Takuto's reply came about a few seconds later after he had paused. "And we know about his relationship with Nao. There's a possibility he's being protected by her, and perhaps, she's using her magic to protect you two."

           Miyuki's eyes widened. "...Nao-san..." She lowered her eyes once more.

           Hyosuke smiled sadly. "Well my brother does hold the strongest love for Nao-san, even if he hasn't conveyed everything he feels towards her, and I've also sensed that Nao-san has been trying to do more than enough for everyone in the house, which includes our parents. Maybe there's more on her mind than my brother knows, so we'll take you guys to our home. Both of them are there right now, after all. It's a token of my thanks for letting me see you guys. From the looks of it, six of you are probably members of the Black Foxes." He turned around. "Stay behind us. We'll lead you there."

           "Sayuri," Miyuki called out to the orange-haired magician. "I'll explain things to you later." She turned around and stayed by her boyfriend's side.

           Sayuri was staring at Miyuki's back before averting her gaze down again. "..."

           Hiro glanced at her, but did not say anything. Surely, there were some things he and the others did not know. After observing the college student's concern for Sayuri, Takuto placed his right hand on and patted Hiro's back. Everyone faced the direction of the couple they had just met, and all five magicians emitted different vivid, glowing lights before the entire bunch teleported to the Kujo residence.

           After they got there, Hyosuke opened the door with a key and allowed Miyuki to go before him and the rest. Then, he shut the door behind them and looked at the others with a serious and intense gaze. The Black Foxes and magicians of fate knew immediately that they had to wait for the purple-haired man's signal before going into the living area.

           Hyosuke stepped into the living room which included the kitchen and dining furnishings. Miyuki, on the other hand, stayed behind with the other eight persons.

           With a broad grin on his pretty visage, Hyosuke announced, "Bro! Nao-san! I'm home! There are also some guests here to see you two! Especially Nao-san!"

           "Hyosuke?" His brother's eyes were slightly raised at seeing his younger brother after he came out from the kitchen. Then, he lowered his eyes, allowing them to return to his normal gaze. "Why are you alone? Where's Miyuki?"

           Hyosuke closed his mouth. "Um..."

           Nao relaxed her shoulders and breathed out. Then, she steadily opened her aquamarine eyes and turned her head to her right toward the Kujo brothers. "Ara. Hyosuke, you said you brought guests, didn't you? Miyuki’s with them, I suppose."

           "Y-Yeah," Hyosuke answered, sweat-dropping. "But uh... We brought eight of them with us." He glanced at the man with smokey topaz hair. "So, Taiga, try not to get too shocked, okay?"

           Unfortunately, the underground doctor was already astonished at hearing the amount of people who were in their home. "Eight?! Hyo, what's going on? Why did you two bring so many people into our house? If Mom and Dad were here right now, they'd be surprised, too." He then shouted, a chiding expression on his face. "What are you thinking bringing them in here?! We can't have them stay here at night!!"

           "C-Calm down, Taiga..." Hyosuke pleaded with a worried look. "They just want to talk with you two, alright? It's pretty important, too. There are other magicians along with the Black Foxes."

           "The Black Foxes?" Taiga frowned. "Don't tell me you actually met with them."

           Hyosuke laughed awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. We just happened to be in the same place tonight."

           Nao glanced at the dark hallway to her right where Hyosuke had entered from. "Miyuki, you all can come out now. It'll be fine. I'd like to speak with your guests as well, so feel free to come in and sit yourselves down."

           Miyuki, the Black Foxes, and the magicians of fate walked into the room. Nao was slightly surprised to see the magicians who had arrived with Hyosuke and Miyuki, but smiled shortly after. "It looks like we have some familiar faces," she noted in a kind voice. "Welcome."

           Though the members of the Black Foxes were seated, Sayuri and Takuji stood. Sayuri still seemed distant and somewhat depressed, causing the mint-haired magician to place his left hand on her back. However, there was still no sound response from her as she stared at the floor.

           Nao instantly saw her expression but glanced at the others. "What would you all come to talk about?"

           Riki frowned. "It's quite complicated, but I think you already know the situation the magicians here are in, Aozora. We need your help, and Takuto believes that you have a plan to defeat the woman who's trying to kill off the magicians on Earth. Sayuri's willing to put an end to her deeds, and it was thanks to her that we found out about what was really happening to the magicians on the planet. We also know that you were the one healing them not too long ago. Without your powers, I don't think any of the magicians can survive this fight against that woman. I'm sure you need help bringing her down, so will you please aid us in doing so? I know it may be selfish of us to ask for your cooperation, Aozora." He bowed in his seat across from Nao.

           Nao was slightly stunned by Riki's action, and so were Taiga, Hyosuke, Miyuki, and everyone else in the Kujo home.

           Then, the white-haired magician asked, "Do you all have any other reason to defeat her? I know who she is, but to think you would bow to me, Riki-san... It's so surprising, I don't know what else to tell you right now."

           Riki nodded. "I see. Then—"

           "There is another reason!" Sayuri exclaimed with a firm voice and determined facial expression.

           Everyone turned towards the orange-haired magician.

           "Sayuri?" Miyuki was puzzled when she heard her friend shout.

           Sayuri's eyes narrowed. "Ains... Three years ago, Ains was stolen. By none other than that woman."

           "...!" Rina's eyes widened.

           Everyone else's did as well, except for Taiga, Nao, Hyosuke, Miyuki, Takuji, and Mitsuki's when they heard what Sayuri told them.

           "No way..." Kenshi breathed.

           "Rina's weapon was stolen...?" Riki inquired.

           "But how?" Hiro asked. "Ains is such a powerful weapon that there shouldn't be any way of taking it away. Plus, Rina is..."

           Takuto's shock soon turned back to a nonchalant form and since he already had his laptop opened sitting on his lap, he looked back at the screen. Then, he searched for Rina's profile. "Though Ains shouldn't have been taken away from Rina, it seems like a lot went on."

           Rina swiftly turned her head toward her ex. "Takuto, why are you looking at my profile?!" By the sound of her voice, her great shock, and astonishment, it was as if she did not want him and most of the others to find something out.

           "What?" The hacker glanced at the blonde magician. "You're making a big deal out of it already. Am I not allowed to look through the information you gave me? We are partners, after all. Also, didn't you want to help me because of that?"

           Rina frowned. "I did but... Can't you wait a little before reading the rest?"

           Takuto's eyes lowered. "You don't seem like yourself. If you're not going to let me read on about you, what good will that do? Ains was taken from you, wasn't he? Don't you want him back since he's the entity residing in your sword?"

           "Listen to what I have to say," Sayuri commanded. "Not just me, but Rina as well. It's something that also links to what's happening to the magicians on Earth." She gazed at her best friend with staid eyes, but there was something in them as she pleaded, “I can’t do this without you, Rina… Takuji can’t, either.” At that point, her voice was breaking.

           The human men, Miyuki, and Rina were surprised to hear the vulnerability in the orange-haired magician’s voice.

Rina nodded in response. “Un.”

           Although Takuto wasn't displaying how puzzled he was, he decided to do what the female Magician of Fate said. So did the others.

           "It was an incident that took place at Rina's trial," Sayuri explained as her eyes narrowed. "Truthfully, it was bad timing that he was stolen. In fact, there's no doubt that woman waited for this all to happen."

  ~December 19, 2003~

             It was a winter day in Neon. Snow fell from the sky outside but the sky itself was clouded with a somewhat dark—yet mild, gray scene overshadowing the capital city. As it appeared, it was not a brilliant day for someone. It just so happened to be an unfortunate day for Rina. Rina Tokuhara.

 —The trial room somewhere in the palace—

             There was a circle in which several family members of the Eight Great Families were gathered around to survey the trial; some were missing. Those included Manjuki Saionji, the current head of the Saionji family; Nao Aozora’s parents, her cousin, and even a few members of the Juujouchi family were among the ones present. Despite not being a member of one of the Great Families, Sayuri was also with the crowd, concerned for Rina.

           The first queen and former princess of Neon was the “judge” of the trial, or at least the one in charge of it. She had long, French violet hair reaching the bottom of her feet and shoes, and topaz yellow eyes. She was also very beautiful and even had a magnificent outfit to contribute to her beauty and the judgment process. Her husband stood next to her left, and he was very handsome with his ultramarine hair and true blue eyes.

           "We are here today to commence the trial of Rina Tokuhara," the queen, whose name was Haonowa Suzushiro began. "Due to her engagement in a relationship with a human man during her stay in the Human World while under the age of eighteen, we have called her down here. Please note that she has not yet graduated from high school, and the man she has fallen in love with is currently twenty-one years of age as of this year, which adds the detail of an age gap of over three years. We have a rule that only permits the maximum age difference of one year, two months between a man and woman, the former of which is permitted to be the older one in the romantic relationship. It goes without saying that we do not allow any humans to be romantically involved with magicians, as well. As these rules have been broken by one of our own, it is unforgivable to let this go on. Yet, I must question the one at fault." She stared at Rina with a look without any warmth and compassion. "Do you, Rina, take responsibility and admit the truth?"

           Rina gazed into Queen Haonowa's eyes with a resolute look and said, "Yes. It's true that I have committed myself to being with Takuto. Thus, I chose to be with him, despite breaking the laws of this world full of magicians. I also know that we aren't close in terms of age, but I still wish to be with and see him. He has already severed the relationship between us, but I won't stop loving him because he is precious to me. Takuto is my most important treasure, whether we're apart from one another or not. I do not regret falling in love with him, even at the expense of my own life. Therefore, I do not mind if I am to be executed here in Gemstone Palace."

           Sayuri's eyes widened with a mix of several emotions for her best friend. "Rina..."

           It was too sad to have to watch the Magician of Power she had a close bond with to receive the most severe punishment right in front of her eyes. Not only hers, but also Rina’s family's and the other Great Family members that were in place of “witnesses” and a jury.

           "So I see," Haonowa responded. "Very well, then. I shall inflict the execution penalty on you right here and now for breaking Neon's sacred laws. Tragic as your demise may be, you were a well-known and respected magician, as well as a member of the Tokuhara family. Why did it have to be you, I wonder? If this had not happened, you wouldn't have to be killed by my hand. However, I cannot allow any sentiment to get in the way of justice." She raised her right hand and was about to direct her attack on the blonde magician when suddenly...

           The sound of the double doors in the back of the room was heard. Someone had burst in; it was Kousuke Suzushiro. He had recently married his high school girlfriend months ago, and was now the current and third king of Neon. He had pure white hair, the clearest silver eyes, and wore a long, white button-down shirt and a pair of black pants with black dress socks and dress shoes. What's more was that he was also Haonowa's grandson.

           Everyone was either slightly surprised or composed and reserved. Queen Haonowa and her husband, however, did not have an alteration in their expressions.

           "Please reconsider this, Haonowa-san!" Kousuke pleaded as he walked forward ahead of where Rina stood. "If you kill Rina, you'll take her away from her parents. They'll no longer have their daughter, and will experience the same anguish as you and Minato-san did after Mother and Father died from the curse. You shouldn’t do something cruel as to take away another set of parent’s child, Haonowa-san. They shouldn't have to suffer like this!"

           Haonowa did not waver from hearing Kousuke's words. "Kousuke. This is what the law requires me to. Do you not understand that we as the people of this kingdom and world, are not supposed to break the laws for order must be maintained at all costs? Are you willing to disobey what has already been set for us? As the king of Neon, will you risk everything to save a guilty person from their own punishment?"

           "Haonowa-san, I cannot back down from what is right," Kousuke answered. "What you are doing will only accumulate something worse than what you and Minato-san've already gone through. You won't be able to forgive yourself if you do this. As Neon's current king, I want to spare you of becoming miserable over what you are about to do. Didn't you love Mother because she was the daughter you had given birth to years ago when things became peaceful for our world? Do you not think killing Rina would be similar to how Mother was taken away from this world? She's also a married couple's daughter. If she dies, you won't be able to face Shizune and Hajime’s family anymore. The bonds of our family and the Tokuhara's and Hachisachi’s will be forever broken. Do you truly want any of that to happen?"

           "..." Haonowa narrowed her eyes. She gave no reply to her grandson's question.

           Rina was not sure what she could do, but she was at least touched by hearing the white-haired king of the magicians stand up for her and her family. "Kousuke..."

           In turn, Kousuke turned around from his left side and smiled. "Don't worry, Rina. I'll make sure to save you, so you can get back together with the guy you're in love with. Trust me—" Suddenly, an excruciating pain took over his heart—his eyes widened for a few seconds and he collapsed onto the floor.

           Everyone's eyes also widened and they rushed to Kousuke's side. Rina hurried over, leaving her sword as to not cause any misleading scenarios. Haonowa and her husband, Minato, also ran towards their grandson's side. It was quite a frantic situation and as Kousuke was taken to his bedroom, a portal opened in the courtroom. With that, someone—a woman with long, black hair and red eyes came and went after Rina's sword: Ains. Her presence caught Sayuri's attention and she flew quickly towards the woman, but to no avail as she had been struck by the sword belonging to her best friend. The orange-haired magician barely managed to survive from an overwhelming attack filled with malice; as soon as Sayuri had been hit with Ains, the woman disappeared and closed her portal. Takuji had rushed to his partner's side shortly after noticing she had been ambushed.

           He rapidly teleported in a dash from where Kousuke was taken to recover to Sayuri. "Sayuri!" He held her body in his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Sayuri, stay with us! Asuka will heal you, so wait a bit, okay? I'm sorry we weren't paying attention, but I won't let you die!"

           Takuji's girlfriend [at the time], Asuka Suzushiro, knelt down by Sayuri's injured body and started to heal the wounds filled with blood. Her healing abilities gave off a bright purple glow. Sayuri fainted from the pain that was fading away and was soon taken out of the palace to the Aozora home to rest in her bedroom until she regained consciousness.

           For the most part, Rina was acquitted, and soon went back to her normal life. As a result of what had occurred, she had let go of returning to the Human World until years later. Sayuri had also went back to attending high school with her, Takuji, Miyuki, and their other schoolmates. Eventually, they all graduated and moved on with their lives. Thanks to Kousuke's intervention, Minato and Haonowa had altered the laws Rina broke after the trial. They now had given permission for some female magicians to fall in love with human males, and an age difference of seven years or less with some exceptions and abilities that had to be sacrificed, but the requirements for both partners to reach the age of eighteen and graduate from high school still remained.

             "As Takuto said, a lot of things had taken place after Ains was stolen by that woman," Rina added. "It may have been a careless mistake for me to leave my sword alone, but no one could afford to cause a conflict with the first rulers of the royal family in order to save my life from being executed. Kousuke interfered with the trial to do so, and because of him, we're all grateful.”

Sayuri continued. “I've been honing my powers, and Takuji's been doing the same, so we trained together. Consequently, my personality has changed from what it used to be like in order to become stronger for Rina's sake. At any rate, we still haven't been able to get Ains back from that woman."

           Takuji glanced at Sayuri and smiled. "You wouldn't believe how energetic and clumsy she used to be. Now, she's pretty similar to Takuto, aside from his short temper. Hehe." He laughed.

           "Is that true, Sayuri?" Hiro asked. Sayuri nodded as a response before glaring at her former training partner. "Oh, wow... So you really were cheerful back then! Just like the persona you had at the café."

           Sayuri frowned sternly. "When I was working there, it wasn't even close to how I used to be. After being hit by Ains and recovering from the attack, I gradually became how I am today. What has been lost cannot be restored so easily. That's what I've learned after getting injured to the point I couldn't move my body. After trying to get Ains back repeatedly, I got wounded again the night the owner of the café was in trouble, but it wasn't as aching as it was over three years ago."

           Hiro inquired further. "To do that, you'll also need more power, right? So we'll need Nao to do get to the goal."

           Takuto looked down at the floor. “That explains Rina’s powers weakening even though you were able to find a temporary solution to restore them before.”

           Sayuri nodded. "Even if Nao-san doesn't wish to cooperate with us, I'll sacrifice myself for Rina's sake. Ains should not be misused, but he's suffering because of that woman, and she is letting her partner wield him at the moment. Takuji and I can't do this alone, though. Since you said you'd come with me to this battlefield, I can't give up on this."

           "Sayuri..." Kenshi sniffed. He had tears in his eyes. "You're such a good friend...!"

           "You don't have to cry, Kenny," Takuto pointed out.

           "I-I'm not crying..." Kenshi retorted; then, he took a tissue from the box on the table and blew his nose. "I'm just getting sentimental, that's all."

           Takuto frowned nonchalantly. "Same thing in your case."

           Mitsuki looked down at her lap. "It wasn't until sometime after the trial ended that I received a call from Manjuki about what had happened. Because of that, I kept it a secret from you all, except for Riki." She looked at the hacker of the Black Foxes. "Takuto, I'm sorry for not telling you most of all about it. Though I knew you and Rina were suffering from the past, I couldn't bring myself to say anything."

           "I should apologize, too," Riki said. "I've watched over you for a long time, but it was hard to confront you about it. As time passed by, it grew more difficult to bring up. Sorry, Takuto."

           Takuto glanced at the eldest couple in the house. "It's not your fault. I was too rash about everything that happened between Rina and I. So, you guys don't need to apologize to me."

           Rina smiled softly as she gazed at her former lover. She glanced at Nao and said, "Nao-san. We can't let her (the woman) have her way here, or anywhere else. If our lives end, this world will no longer be protected by anyone. The people we care about won't be able to defend themselves against a being as strong as her, and we won't be around to help them. This must be dealt with no matter what, and we need you to save the universe we live in. Can you not give us an answer as to whether or not you'll lend us a hand?"

           Nao looked at Rina before shifting her gaze downward. "...Of course I know, but the amount of power to defeat her may push us past our limits. And yet, when I reflect back on how I came to be here, it reminds me that even I have a score to settle with her. As we're already being forced to face her sooner than I had anticipated, my answer..." She smiled contently. "...is yes." Then, she looked at everyone. "I give you all my hand in defeating this woman."

           "Nao..." Taiga, who had observed and heard the whole conversation, knew he could not stop his girlfriend from her decision. He walked over to her, and placed his left hand on the idol's corresponding shoulder.

           Nao looked up to meet the underground doctor's gaze. "Taiga..."

           He stared at the aquamarine eyes his lover had before shifting his eyes towards the Black Foxes. As he gazed into Riki's eyes, he told everyone in the living room, "I'll help as well."

           Riki's eyes widened. "Taiga..."

           "I'd rather not lose Nao to this fight," Taiga spoke in a composed manner. "Nor do I want to lose Hyosuke and Miyuki. They're my family, and the only ones I have left besides my parents. If they're going to cooperate with you guys, I'm going with them. Even so, I can't let go of them. You should already understand that feeling as the leader of the Black Foxes. Do what you can to protect your loved ones."

           Hyosuke's face lit up. "Bro..." He held Miyuki's right hand in his left.

           The silver-haired magician [who was taller than Mitsuki] gripped her boyfriend's hand. "So we have an alliance with everyone here."

           "Actually," Riki said, "we have another member of the Black Foxes waiting for us to get home. He's more or less the boss of the group, but he doesn't participate in and fight during our missions as much as he used to."

           Takuji smiled casually. "That makes thirteen of us in this alliance. Though, who would have thought everyone would gather like this? It really is the work of fate."

           "You say that a lot, Takuji," Miyuki uttered.

           The mint-haired magician glanced at Miyuki and kept on smiling. "Well, it's true. If Akio-sama hadn't pointed us in your direction, we wouldn't have reunited and met up like this."

           "Anyway, it's about time we head back," Riki stood up from his seat. "We shouldn't keep Boss waiting too much." He looked at Taiga and Nao to finish what he had to say to them. "Thanks. It really meant a lot to us. I'm glad you agreed to join us in this battle, Taiga, Aozora."

           Nao smiled back. "You should address me by my name, Riki-san. I feel insulted that you would call me by my surname."

           "Maybe another time," Riki replied. "I'm still not used to calling you by your given name. But rest assured, I don't actually hate you or anything. Really."

           "Wait." She held her right hand up and stared into the black-haired man’s eyes. "You and Mitsuki-san should at least know this before your departure." She glanced at Mitsuki. "Manjuki needs you two more than you both believe. She’s your family, after all."

           The dark purple-haired magician gazed attentively at Nao. “..”

           The Black Foxes and magicians of fate then left the Kujo residence and the sound of the door closing was soon heard. Hyosuke went to lock it.

           Nao looked up affectionately at Taiga, holding his left hand in hers, and putting her visage close to it. "Everything will be okay, Taiga. I'll protect you and everyone else."

           Taiga smiled back fondly at his girlfriend. "Yeah. I love you, Nao." As he leaned down to kiss her from where he was standing, they were soon interrupted by none other than Hyosuke, who had returned.

           "Whoa, don't start kissing here!" the purple-haired man shouted. "You're embarrassing me, Bro! And we haven't had dinner yet, so wait 'til after we're finished eating before you get to it!"

           Nao smiled at Hyosuke's reaction. "Ara, Hyosuke, you're back."

           "Nao-san, don't ignore me!" Hyosuke pouted.

           As Nao giggled, Taiga smiled and laughed.

           "Seriously, what's with you two?" Hyosuke asked. "You guys are so mean."

           Miyuki came out from the kitchen and tilted her head to her right. "? Hyosuke, come help me set the table."

           "Alright," was the purple-haired man's reply as he strolled toward his silver-haired girlfriend.

  XXX

 1)        Gal games are also known as bishoujo games/galge, whereas LLFTX is a counterpart; an otome game, or the portmanteau: otoge.

2)        Da Capo is a visual novel by Circus set on the fictional island of Hatsunejima and centers around the never wilting cherry blossom tree.

3)        Ina☆Koi is a gal game by Whirlpool, and is the company's first project.

4)        Swirlpool is my shout out to Whirlpool. They have a beautiful art style for the characters and backgrounds.

5)        Lump of Sugar is another visual novel company focusing on producing gal games. They also produced Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-, another one of their visual novels that has gotten an anime adaption in 2009. However, as this fanfic is set before that year, I did not include Tayutama. However, keep in mind that some of my shout outs do not match up with the fanfic’s timeline.