#and if you want more answers you'll have to ask me directly. or meditate on it yourself.

[blindrapture]

july 30 and 31.

so, let's talk about the seventh cipher.

in earlier drafts, this was The Easy Final Level of the Realm King, a much simpler trek through a snowy environment. there were 8 challenges, ranging from "eat a pot noodle" to "play this song on the clarinet," a silly variety of challenges that fit more in line with cipher 6. and there were 5 mini-fights, mainly being the four bikers. a lot of that log was just Having To Walk Big Distances, and so it stretched across two logs. the final boss, on July 31, was just... The Realm King, a big blue guy who sat on a throne and was defended by waves of golden knights. again, more in keeping with cipher 6.

it was like this because I was still not in the right place to write Rapture. I had just returned home to England, in December 2011, returned back to my parents after trying to run away, after that blew up in my face. I came to Rapture because it kept me busy. and while this was at least more creative than the original San Francisco, it was absolutely anticlimactic. and I did at least turn that into a strength: I played on this being an easy final level, a real type of video game trope that usually is not intentional. I played on the strangeness of this for the protagonists, and I turned it into characterisation for this big mythical "Rapture" itself: Rapture gave us an easy final level because Rapture wants these ciphers done. admittedly I am not unhappy with that idea. (it's in keeping with MOTHER 3, in fact. a lot of the interesting ways Rapture plays with video game expectations pretty much comes from MOTHER 3-- when it doesn't come from secretcity. seriously, oh my god play MOTHER 3. it is so worth it. one of the greatest video games ever made.)

but this isn't 2011 anymore. this is 2024. this is Rapture's eighth draft. this is a new Act 2, this is DJay writing at age 29, showing what he-- I-- can do. since early in the rewrite process, a theme has been emerging: "I have to do it right this time, I have to put the work in and make a long story much denser." while I had forgotten about just how empty San Francisco was, I was very conscious of the seventh cipher and the opportunity it presented. to write a new cipher log... god, I've been dreaming of that all throughout my most unproductive years.

so.

I did the work. I put the work in. I took a few days to write this. I think I did two days per log? my first day was pure planning. my first day was this:

I planned out the level, making a map. had to stretch it across two sets of pages, but here I've arranged it so it lines up.

in the July 30th log, we start at the very top-right. we see the destination across the sea of lava, and have to travel our way around the bay and round up to the castle. the july 31st log takes place entirely in the castle on the top page.

a lot of this came rather naturally, as I was inspired by the map design of Elden Ring, how progression feels so driven by the arc of the coastline even when you're exploring these landmasses atop massive cliffs. and I was especially inspired by the layout of Castle Stormveil, which is incredibly imposing on the outside but quite based on a realistic castle inside. all I really had to do was draw a coastline and find the best place to put a defendable castle; the rest came from that.

then I just had to write it.

I was keeping the 8 challenges and the 5 fights. I was keeping the general snow-kingdom aesthetic. making the challenges and fights more cohesive was a matter of finding a unifying Scheme, and for that I chose to base them on Buddhist concepts. the 8 challenges loosely represent the Noble Eightfold Path, and the 5 fights are based on the Five Hindrances. the hardest part here was writing Jordan and Donnie's little Socratic reasonings for the eightfold riddles, though once they enter the castle the riddles are replaced with direct and immediate challenges of staying mindful in an atmosphere of extreme horror, repulsion, and despair.

I quite enjoyed fleshing out the lore here, giving the kingdom its own implied backstory, the tale of a world that could not defend against the Rapture. but of course, the Rapture is different for every world, so we can't even use this world to predict what our Rapture will be.

one of the most important steps in all of this planning turned out to be the simplest. I didn't want this guy to be called "the Realm King" this time. I was prepared to spend a while coming up with a whole new name, but naturally my first instinct was to flip the name around. King Realm? ....King Real? it's a simple name. almost feels trite, something out of a fairy tale. but something about it cut right through my core and spoke to something I wanted to bring out of Rapture this time around. I don't see it as a fairy tale name. I see it as intimidating and holy. this story has something to do with the many different "realities," the relativity of "real." a King gets to enforce a reality on his kingdom. a King enforces it because a King believes in it, that is an important part of how power works on those within the system. this King Real is not a bad guy. in fact, we end up feeling a lot of sympathy for him and his people. but Rapture is not a story where the good guys are named The Good Guys and the bad guys are named The Bad Guys. Rapture is a moral tale, maybe even moralist, but it's excruciatingly modern. it's maybe the "tale" part that's most modern. Rapture is a modern kind of tale. or, really it's ancient. it's an epic. but it's an epic translated into modern techniques. a post-Ulysses epic that is not waiting for readers to catch up with what that means. so. he's called King Real because he was named by a tradition that is not our tradition. if it sounds like a fairy tale name to us, we're still struggling to understand the implications of relativity. ....it's hard to put all this into words right now. but I felt it all in me when I saw the name "King Real."

I wrote the July 31st log while listening to music from the DOOM 2016 soundtrack on repeat. that also feels important. Doom is embedded in my subconscious by now. the original Doom, and the existence of the franchise. this is.. admittedly a really rich subject, ripe for rambles that directly connect to Rapture. just, we absolutely would not have Rapture without Doom. I think even the naming conventions are relevant here. my story's full name is OGTRIB, but I refer to it colloquially as "Rapture." there's even a section of story, currently nebulous, called "Final Rapture," which is absolutely a reference to Final Doom. Rapture and Doom. it's no accident. or, at most, it's a happy accident. why? what similarities do they have? what is it I got out of the Doom games? other than a love affair with midi rock music and the sensibilities of open source communities. a comfort in first-person video games, a love of mazes. firm confirmation that one must face injustice with the stubbornness of a shotgun. I dunno. that's something that'll take a lifetime of interpretation to work out.

/////////////////////

then there's the "other half" of this log, really more like the last fifth of it. I will say a lot less about this section, because this is the beginning of something Rapture will take a long time exploring.

the A-plot has moved out of the ciphers and into what comes next.

Guitar Hero is involved now.

and we finally meet Bones... as well as Fentzy and Danny? in earlier drafts, we actually met Fentzy and Danny way earlier. we met Danny on July 4th, the end of Act 1, and we met Fentzy on July 5th, the start of Act 2. the decision to move their introduction here, towards the very end of Act 2, was significant. it changed many things about Act 2 and basically facillitated the heavy rewrite to begin with. we needed more time with just Jordan and Donnie. that was worth it. but now we have the full party.

who is Fentzy? who is Danny? who is Bones? how will the kids all get along now? these are important questions!

you'll have to wait and see. :3

see you tomorrow.

[charmedreincarnation]

hi i’m sorry for this small rant. i really hope you reply to it because i’m spiralling so bad. i have been listening to v powerful luckiest girl and get all your desires instantly forced subs and i had two really bad days and overall my life feels so shit and i feel like nobody gives a shit about me feel left out with my friends and am really regretting some past choices i have made as in subjects i chose to study. why do subs not work on me ever? i detach but subs just don’t work for me idk what should i do i want to enter the void and live my better/dream life but i keep failing and i’m so spiraling so hard rn. i am not even seeing small success i can’t even manifest my acne away or to grow a few inches how will i enter the void and magically change my life entirely. please help me out. how do i manifest or enter the void as soon as i can. i am being delululu living in 4d but yes ik if i am truly living in the end i shouldn’t have doubts but it’s been so many months when will i see results in my 3d. manifestion should be instant right. i’m sorry for my negativity i hope you have a great day

Hi love! I feel like any of this could be answered in another ask, but you seem really worried, so I'm going to answer it anyway!

First and foremost, you are allowed to have doubts. Just because you have doubts doesn't mean you're producing those thoughts. From a psychological perspective (which aligns with LOA), our thoughts are not entirely our own. This is a scientific truth, whether you believe in LOA or not. Scientists say that our thoughts are influenced by external factors such as our environment, upbringing, and the thoughts of others. Sound familiar? They also claim that we have the power to change our thoughts and create our own reality by consciously choosing the thoughts we entertain. So, just know that you're going to have doubts until the end, but as long as you categorize them as random thoughts and not your own beliefs, they don't matter! For example, if someone dressed as Chucky the doll jump-scared you and you started having "scary" thoughts about it, that doesn't mean you actually believe Chucky is real and coming to get you. You have psychological responses to certain things that have been ingrained and coded in you for a while now. What LOA does is help us intercept these false messages and reframe them as "useless" instead of messages we encode in our mind and assumption.

I've always been interested in psychology and neurology, and even though it doesn't directly relate to your question, it's important to mention that you do have a brain, and your brain is wired to act in certain ways. Once you're aware of why you're acting and believing certain things, it becomes way easier to understand that the 3D world is malleable. I really suggest reading books by authors like Joe Dispenza so you can understand yourself better. Also, watching YouTubers who explain anxiety and reading self-help books can provide helpful ways to manage your own anxiety.

The second thing is, if you don't believe in subliminals, I don't know why people do this, but if you don't have faith in something or assume it doesn't work for you, just use something you have a little faith in. For example, maybe you're more logical. You can read about brain waves and then listen to binaural beats for anxiety,manifesting, and faith. Have faith in it, because you'll understand and know that those waves genuinely change your brain's alignment. That's just one example, but subliminals are not the only type of audios out there. There are many other methods to explore.

Also, meditation is very helpful. Not just to reach the void, but do you know how many conscious thoughts we have in a day? On average, it is estimated that a person has around 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. These thoughts can range from conscious, deliberate thoughts to automatic, repetitive thoughts. That doesn't even include the number of unconscious thoughts we have, which is probably 100k+. You constantly have these little things running around in your head, trying to keep you alive, keeping you repeating the same thought patterns, beliefs, and assumptions. You can't consciously control them most of the time, but your brain and mind are working overtime 24/7. It's not your fault, so that's why meditation can help you. Not just to reach the void, though you can tap into that using some form of meditation as well, but to clear your mind and then it’s there it will be better to affirm and believe you can do whatever you desire. If you're not truly embodying the desired state, which you're not because you sent this ask, do you think a few measly affirmations can counteract the hundreds of thousands of thoughts you've been having every day since birth, most of which you don't even know exist? Affirmations do work, but trust me, I've been where you're at and worse. This is not the state to solely rely on "miracle affirmations" because you won't believe them, and when something doesn't happen, you'll just want to give up and confirmation bias will make you subconsciously think, "Well, see? I knew it. It isn’t real" But in reality, your mind is just looking for proof to align with your negative beliefs.

I know you say you haven't manifested anything, but can you really think back to something you thought was a "coincidence" or something you didn't really ask for but it just appeared? We usually brush those off as just the world at play or a small world, but nope, that was you. Maybe you don't have clear skin or whatever your desire may be, but as you probably know, that's because you've put it on a pedestal compared to all the other "small" but great things you've manifested

I know you probably wanted me to tell you exactly what to do, but I genuinely don't know you the way you know yourself - your own self, mind, and behaviors. You know best, fr! I could have said anything I've said before, like imagination is the real reality, the 3D being malleable, if you can see and feel it you can manifest it, try SATs or lucid dreaming lalala. But I've learned that you know what you have to do. Sit and meditate to learn about yourself and your mind, and why you think what you think. What past experiences do you still hold onto, reliving them in your mind and creating assumptions that no longer serve you? They can still affect you, we are humans and emotions cling to us like bees to honey, and that's okay. But we need to start moving those experiences into the past and start creating with what we are now, which is the present. Any given moment is a time to say, 'Okay, this doesn't serve me anymore, and this does. I don't want this life anymore, I want this type of life,' and consciously start creating with those desires instead.

Acknowledge your doubts, they're just doubts, and they're really just an extension of life factors that have been slowly consuming your mind. You may have them, but as a god, do you have them? No. But as a human, you are influenced by them, and who cares? You know who you are and your power now, so if you disregard them, work around them. But I can't tell you what to do because I'm not you! I wholeheartedly believe that you will get through this because I have as well and the lows are just apart of your journey as the success as corny as it sounds. But when you do succeed I promise you’ll back to this movement and just be very happy you didn’t give up despite how hard it was 💝

[khaire-traveler]

Hi! Sorry to bother you, you can delete this ask if it will overwhelming somehow.

How do I become a good follower? Whenever I see posts about paganism and/or polytheism on the internet, it's people talking about receiving signs, how their Deities talked to them, how they feel them, and I don't get any of that and it makes me feel really bad.

Maybe there are some kind of exercises or something else to experience what all other people do? Do you have any advice?

Thank you, if you will answer this ask.

Hey, Nonny, thank you for your patience!

Most of the time, people on the Internet are exaggerating or wording things in a very casual way (when in reality, it looked a lot different or took a lot more work to figure out). Honestly, the best thing you can do for yourself - as a follower or even as a person - is try not to compare yourself to others. Practices vary wildly from each other, and what works for one person may not actually work for you anyway. Maybe your happiness will be found through other means.

Nonny, you're not doing anything wrong by not receiving/interpreting signs or whatnot. You're not a bad follower for not catching onto such things. I'm certain your deities wouldn't dislike you over something like that. It's also likely that they do send you signs, but you aren't used to interpreting them yet. Or maybe they're waiting for you to ask for signs! You're more than welcome to simply ask directly. I promise they're not as scary as some people make them out to be.

As for things you can do to practice, I'm honestly not sure. I'll try to provide some suggestions anyway, though. You could try deity meditations where you focus on the thought of a deity for awhile, maybe listening to peaceful music that reminds you of them. You could try identifying the "energy" of offerings you've given them, as those are likely to have the deity's energy on them. You could light a candle in honor of that deity and ask for them to increase the strength of their energy/presence while closing your eyes and attempting to focus on it. I'd recommend looking at my pinned post in the Deities & Entities section. I have a lot of more useful information there, most likely.

But I'll be honest and say that sometimes people are just headblind - meaning you can't really feel anything spiritually at all. There's nothing wrong with it if you are. I'm not saying that's an issue for you, by the way, but I think it's important to acknowledge the possibility.

I do also want to say that "talking with deities" is a very common thing I see on sites like TikTok, though, and I strongly advise you to 1. not listen to a damn thing you see on TikTok and 2. be extremely skeptical of the experiences people are willing to share online. Oftentimes, and I hate to say it, people tend to post such things for the attention they get. Either that, or when they say they "talked" to a deity, they really mean that they sat down and did divination or had a meditation. I say these things to make it clear that many of the things you'll see online are not 100% true to the way it actually happened. Sometimes people just make shit up, too; I see that happening constantly, especially on PaganTok and WitchTok. I cannot stress enough that you don't go there for genuine information. In fact, I highly recommend trying to read books on such topics rather than Google them or read about them online; that's where you'll find the best information!

But yeah, this is what I have to say: deities love us for who we are, not for someone we wish we were. They love us for the person we actually are, and in my experience, they enjoy it when we are ourselves in our worship. They tend to support authenticity. Instead of trying to be someone else, focus on who you already are, and the many strengths and talents that you may not even be aware of yet. Maybe you're amazing at different types of divination! Maybe you're fantastic at dream interpretation! May you're a wiz at bird identification (something I see a lot for deity signs)! Focus on learning more about yourself and less about others. You are talented, worthy, and powerful in your own way. And it's a beautiful thing to be you, to be who you are.

I hope this helped, Nonny! Please take care, and I wish you the best on your newfound journey. Have a good day/night. 🧡

[sorryalittlelost]

When you don't have signs from your deity

I noticed that a lot of people are struggling with receiving no signs from their deities. On top of that, here it feels like everybody has them...

TW: I mention therapy, food related practices and ed, so be aware

So, here's my post from a person, who receive no signs! Yet I'm fully capable of working with Gods and Angels. Not receiving signs doesn't make you broken or doesn't even mean deities don't reach to you.

In my exact experience, my deities know that even if they give signs I'm blind as a newborn kitten to all of them. Due to that, there's other ways to understand that you received messages back. For me, it's an inner felling.

My deities approach me directly, I can feel it with my whole body. Their presence, their emotions, are they coming/connecting to me with peace or torture. Here some tips to help you develop this skill (if I may call it like this):

-Meditation. The most common of all. The best one for you in this situation is grounding, any that direct your energy or simply the one to calm your spirit. Yet meditation doesn't suit everyone, so you can start small or even skip this part. Especially than your worship is not about direct communication.

-Journaling. I learned this trick during my therapy, but it was really useful with feeling and energy awareness. Take your time daily or once in few days to go through your feeling you had today. Right down the events, your feelings and how your feelings effected your body and mind. Don't forget to check on what you're feeling in the moment as well.

-Appetite control. This one helped me the most. Appetite control is when every once in a while you check on your body's level of hunger. You ask yourself "Am I hungry? Why am I hungry? Am I full? What exactly do I want?" It's hard at first, especially when you have ed like me, but you'll learn with time and it will make you more aware with your entire body and not only your appetite.

Outside of this practice, you can use taro card, pendulum or whatever you use when you need answers and directly ask if there's any deity trying to reach out or answering your prays.

There're few more practice but they are too dangerous and if you're struggling with defense, energy-awareness and any other skills you need to learn as a beginner, please don't do this practice.

Sometimes signs can be very confusing and complicated. Same deities will feel with different intense through your work. But you'll learn this all with time.

I hope I was helpful! Stay safe

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 8 - Crimson Knight

"So... Did you find anything?" Kisara could hear Satoru's bored voice next to her. For the past two hours, she has been attempting to meditate under the tree in Bodh Gaya where Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha, supposedly achieved his awakening. "Sort of." she nodded her head, seemingly absent-minded. "I found that reciting Mantras repeatedly actually does help in calming my anxieties, for the most part." she explained. "And... Truth be told, it has been nothing but a delight, listening to the monks' chanting." she smiled, turning her gaze to her beloved. "I have come to respect Buddhism for what it is. I might not be an avid practitioner of any religion, but I can appreciate the Sutras." "That's about as much as you'll get, if you ask me." Kisara agreed with his comment. "At least the traveling we've done helped a little." he hummed, absent-mindedly playing with her hair. "If only I could also get some damn peace." "Ah, don't tell me - Yasuoka sent MORE cases your way?" by the grimace on his face, it must be a positive answer. "I turned off the phone. I couldn't stand all that annoying ringing anymore. How am I supposed to relax if I keep getting piled under mountains of cases?" he grumbled lowly. "Well! If it's just some detective cases, then I suppose I can lend a hand to my beautifully stressed out boyfriend!" she smirked up at him, only for Mashita to plant his palm over her face, stopping her from reacting altogether. "Shut up, you little menace." he chuckled, grateful that his girlfriend was so brave and loving that she'd step on her fears of ghosts, just to aid him in his reckless detective work. "I will take you on that offer though."

Their traveling vacation was a much needed break that kept their minds away from all the mess they've had to go through during the Death Mark situation, where their lives were directly on the line, and they almost died so many times. Nightmares still plague them, yet they find comfort within each other's embrace. Kisara saw the worst out of the ghost-situation, and experienced even worse;

Since then, she kept trying out various methods of keeping afloat through all the mess she's been through; Yet nothing compares to being disconnected from reality through the bliss of traveling. What's more, she even got around to visiting her parents in Italy, and told her all they've been gone through - What a way to introduce your boyfriend to your family.

Still, her mother apologised profusely for allowing her little baby to be put to such risks - Alas, her grandpa was right - In spite of his fanaticism, there was no person with more connection than him, in the family. With his wealth and status, Kisara could do anything she wanted, without facing and repercussions; And she was a docile child to begin with, she was never a bother to anyone.

Thus, when she said she saw pretty horses in the countryside, her grandpa bought her the horse with the colour coat she wished, and taught her how to ride to perfection. When she read a manga about a priestess who could exorcise demons by using her spiritual powers on her arrows, he taught her archery. When she became fascinated by the Sengoku era warlords, her grandpa had the royal blacksmith force fitting armor and weapons in the colour scheme and banners of the warlord she loved most, Oda Nobunaga, and thus she became Kisara Shogun.

With a promise from man to man, from Satoru to Kisara's father, sealed with a manly handshake, the man promised to keep her safe, as he's done so far; And her father thanked him dearly for not giving up on her, despite her tumultuous family mess, and the many death-dealings with the ghosts. Though the father promised to make sure Mashita's name is cleared of all charges and suspicions throughout the law enforcement network, Satoru, albeit grateful, wasn't quite sure if he'd trade this hilariously messy and adventurous faux career that paid him so little, over the constant stress and hatred he went through daily in that snake pit.

Regardless, their vacation was soon over, and after two years honey moon, Kisara and Satoru returned home; Though he kept his apartment as more or less a work office, he was more than happy to live in the comfort of her penthouse - And more, her loving embrace. He had to admit, but one night spent away from her was almost... Unnatural. Even his home felt empty, cold and lonely without her around, as if the cinders of her fire-kissed hair were the sole source of warmth for his frozen heart.

After a lot of pestering from Yasuoka and her clients coming their way, Mashita showed his girlfriend the case file, and agreed to barge in Yashiki's house and get him into this mess. Surely, after two years of doing nothing but research on the Mary doll, he'd be extra bored, right? Nothing like a new life-threatening ghost to spice things up!

The ex-detective knocked on the door, and much to their surprise, it was none other than sweet Moe who opened. "Moe!" Kisara exclaimed the girl's name, as they both grinned and hugged each other. After Yashiki was able to escape the curse, all the Death Mark bearers gathered together for a little Survive-Party, and it was then that the two girlies met up, and hit it off immediately.

Though the red head was much older, Moe looked up to her and was eager to hear all of her stories that she missed. Since she was working at a Supernatural Magazine as a writer and what not, Kisara was more than happy to tell her details and help her write up articles - And thus, she became the protagonist known as the 'Crimson Knight', as Mashita wittingly came up with that nickname, half as a praise, and half as a tease. The Japanese word for 'Knight' was 'KiShi', and she has both characters in her name, so what better way to call herself, considering the selfless way she threw herself in harms way so many times?

"We're coming in." Satoru called out, being the first to step in and letting the two girls catch up with each other, or whatever they wanted to do. As soon as he entered the main hall, he also noticed the other kid from the Hanahiko case - Tsukasa, was it? The stiff smart-ass. "Hey, what's all this? When did you start a daycare?" he joked, seeing the two kids.

"Miss Kisara, why are you guys here?" the girl asked, a cheerful grin on her face. "Did you come to see us?" 

"I wish that were the case!" Kisara joked, though Mashita, instead, gave an annoyed shake of his head and tsk'ed at the two children. "I'm the one asking why you're here." he sneered a little. "Damn, we're going in circles now."

"Lighten up, 'Toru! It's good to see them again." Kisara patted his shoulder lightly.

"Miss Kisara is right - Don't lie, Mr. Mashita! I know you're happy to see us. You're always hiding your feelings!" Kisara couldn't help but laugh at Moe's straightforward remarks - And how true they were. "Oh, but what a huge coincidence!  We've got everyone from the Hanahiko case back together again! This is totally destiny!"

"Everyone, huh? Hm... In that case, one person - No, one being is missing." Mashita had a snarky smirk on his face.

"So, why are you here?" Yashiki finally speaks.

"I have something to ask you first." Satoru's smile was frozen cold, yet dripping with the most lethal poison. "Yashiki... You told that fortune teller about my office, didn't you?"

"Towako Yasuoka?" Yashiki asked. "Yeah, it might have come up while I was talking to her about Mary." he nodded his head cluelessly. 

Thus, Mashita glared harshly at his partner. "Why'd you have to go and do that? Now I'm drowning under investigation requests." Yashiki was totally clueless. 

"Are you a private investigator, Mr. Mashita?" Moe asks, her eyes shining brightly. "Wow! I guess you'd be pretty good at that. Oh! If you get an interesting job, bring me along with you."

"And this is exactly why it's annoying." the man huffs. 

"I only told her about your office - What's wrong with that?" Kazuo finally asks. "Getting job requests is good, isn't it?"

"It depends on WHAT the request is about." Satoru grumbles. "The one I just got... Is the worst." he ends with a sigh. "It's your fault that this happened. So, Yashiki - I'm going to have you help me."

"Help you?!" Yashiki stammered in bewilderment. "W-Wait a minute, what are we talking about here?"

"Can't you guess based on the context? I believe he's telling you he wants your help with a detective job." Tsukasa bluntly explained.

"Wow. I can't really picture him working as a private detective, though." Moe giggled cutely. "Now, if he were to investigate a supernatural phenomenon, that would be per--" she abruptly stopped herself, as if she realised the truth behind the investigation. "Wait, don't tell me... This worst request ever that you got..."

"You've got it. We suspect a spirit might be involved." Kisara nodded solemnly.

Mashita began to explain the rumours he was told by Lady Yasuoka about the case of the Little Red Riding Hood, about how people disappeared once they entered the Love Hotel, Masquerade, in K City - Supposedly, only on rainy days, there's this girl wearing a red hood, and she stands by the road like she's trying to get customers; Everyone who accepts her offer ends up disappearing.

Yet here comes the peculiarity of this case - The missing ones do get eventually found, however, their heads are so messed up they cannot even remember their own names.  What's worse, some end up dying in the hospital, while others jump in front of trains out of madness.

One man, apparently, saw this girl in a red raincoat and decided to chat her up; Though as soon as he approached her, she started whispering to him. Apparently, the man got so creeped out that he bolted out of there immediately. It was only the next day that he realised that, although it wasn't raining that badly, she was the only person completely soaked from head to toe, which was quite an oddity for him... Only for him to strongly suspect that... The raincoat was, in fact... Soaked with blood.

"I'm sorry, but I must say, that sounds like a simple ghost story." Tsukasa was the first to speak, seemingly not touched or impressed in the slightest. What a strong and level-headed kid! Good for him. "The rainy shopping district and the red raincoat... Rather suspicious."

"It's enough to get me concerned." Mashita ignored the child. "I'll leave the rest to you, Yashiki."

"What?!" Yashiki gasped. "No, you're coming with me. It's your case, not mine." the man was absolutely flabbergast at the nerve of his friend.

"I'm bogged down with my other cases, I don't have time to spare." Mashita shrugged his shoulders. "It's your fault the old lady passed it to me, so you need to take responsibility."

"Come on, you can help him out a little - I'll help too! The editorial department might have some info on a case like this - And your investigation needs an assistant, right?" Moe chimed in immediately.

"Did you learn nothing from last time, Miss Moe?" Tsukasa sighed at her innocent death-wish.

"Don't work yourself up. It's more likely that it's just a lie." Mashita shrugged once again, dismissing the claims. "A bunch of it sounds like it was made up. That's why it's such a pain to have an absurd request like this brought to me."

"Well, better safe than sorry, right?" Kisara stretched a little. "I'll go investigate too, see if I pick up on any spiritual residue or what not."

"Cool! Then, we better get rea--" Moe was immediately shut down by the older man.

"Sorry, Moe, you can't come with us. I won't put any of you in harm's way. Kisara and I can handle this." Yashiki spoke up.

"Don't worry, Moe, I'll keep you updated in great detail. Besides, we still need someone like you to investigate rumours, right? Your skills are valuable outside of the crime scene." Kisara placed her hand on Moe's shoulder, reassuring the girl.

"I don't really like seeing you do all the work and getting in danger all that time... But if that's how I can help best, then that's what I'll do. Only this time, thought!" her cheerful and energetic demeanour was brought back once again.

Mashita ripped out a paper from his notebook and handed Yashiki the address of the Love Hotel; Apparently, it's all but abandoned by now, and their meeting was at 8PM the following night. The old lady said she'd call in help, so it's probably a scheduling thing - Not even Satoru knew for sure why the specific date, but oh well, trivial details. 

Just as the detective put his arm around his girlfriend to leave the mansion and return home, he rushes back inside; It was far too late to late two children wander around by themselves, so he offered to drive them both back home. What a thoughtful man - A true and righteous policeman through and through, even in spite of all the sarcasm and snarkiness.

"Satoru." Kisara called out to her boyfriend, the next morning, hopped on the kitchen counter and drinking her coffee. As soon as the man entered the room, his hair all disheveled as always, he couldn't help but smile a little, taking the coffee mug from her hand, and slumping on the comfortable chair. 

"Morning to you too, beautiful." he muttered, looking at the gorgeous lady; Her long red hair was a mess, and the short pink lingerie pyjamas. He will never tire of looking at her - What a sight for sore eyes.

"What is Masquerade?" Satoru couldn't help but raise a quizzical eyebrow at her, not understanding the question at all.

"The... Love Hotel...? The address of our little ghostie...?" he dragged out his words with confusion.

"Yeah - What is it?" Kisara realised he wasn't understanding the question. "What the hell is a Love Hotel?"

Satoru's eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly, flabbergast at her question - Before placing down the coffee mug to start laughing. "You canNOT be asking that." he hasn't had that much fun in a while.

"You're not answering my question, you little jerk. Don't laugh at my ignorance." she pouted, only for the man to get up and step in front of her, his palms placed on either side of her, his face dangerously close to her own.

"A Love Hotel is a depraved place where dead beats who can't get out of their parents' basements take their equally dead beat one night stand for a little bit of naughty action." the look on her face was worth millions.

"There are buildings created for THAT purpose?!" Mashita smirked at her shock, nodding slightly. "How pathetic!" she huffed. "Have they no shame? Everyone knows what they're doing, from the time you enter the building, to the second you exit on the street. Isn't that degrading?"

Mashita shrugged, a cheshire grin on his face. "Shameless, huh?" he purred, embracing the girl. "Granted, I'm pretty sure everyone is aware of what we are doing - After all, we have been rather close for the past two years now."

"Now, now, don't make me feel embarrassed. Normal people don't look at a couple and instantly think with their minds in the gutter." Kisara blushed softly, though she couldn't help but be amused by the man.

"Well, you might have to pick my mind from the gutter. I can't help but think shameless thoughts whenever I look at you." his hot breath on her neck made her wrap her arms around his neck lazily, pulling him closer.

"Guess we're having a late morning again, aren't we, Mr. Officer~?" she giggled, getting picked up with ease; As always, the muscles on his arms flexed so beautifully, and his face was as Godly beautiful as always. If the Heavens wanted a Beauty Deity, it would be him.

"How could I resist?" he hummed, kissing her. "Though that precious coffee of yours is going to get cold. Are you going to cry about it?"

"I love you more than coffee." they both chuckled at the silly gag about her other-worldly love for coffee.

Come late evening, Kisara was doing her make up in the vanity mirror; Mashita put on his coat and got behind her, placing a kiss on her temple. "Let's go, Princess. Don't wanna be late." She smiled, and applying her favourite red lipstick, she put on her black trench coat and went to the car.

As always, Satoru opened her door, and she sat in the driver's seat; Her beautiful hand over the stirring wheel, with those long nails, painted a pretty pearl pink with gold glitter, and the gold jewellery adorning her slender fingers and her wrist - What a luxurious woman, elegant without even trying. It was truly an honour being by her side.

At 8PM sharp, the trio waiting near the Love Hotel heard the familiar resounding click of Kisara's heeled boots against the pavement; Turning their gaze towards them, the Doctor and the Detective were hand-in-hand, looking high-class glam. They looked to be made for each other. Mashita's messy black hair contrasted Kisara's well-groomed scarlet locks so well; Their light coloured eyes almost looked as if they were soulbound and sharing a telepathic connection that only they could understand; And those fox-like expressions on their faces, knowing smirks as though they knew all of your darkest secrets, kept for blackmail.  All that, under the same umbrella. How unnerving.

"Got a lot of free time to stand around, I see. Playtime's over." the man had an empty smile on his face. 

"Mashita? What are you doing here?" Yashiki was flabbergast at seeing the detective who was, allegedly, far too busy to join them.

"This case is a request from a client - I came here to make sure you showed up." he cheekily replied.

"Jerk. What, planning on observing us, are you?" why was that damn annoying Hiroo here also? "What if we didn't show up?"

"One of you IS a no-show, in fact." he pointed out, allowing Yashiki to explain that the idol girl, Ai, couldn't make it because her manager caught her in her attempt to sneak out. 

While Daimon was finishing his phone call, the five people went inside a dirty smoking area, where Mashita and Hasashi both indulge in a stress-drag. As Hiroo was sipping from her drink, evidently complaining about the rain, the detective explained that the Masquerade hotel closed down about a year prior, and though the definite reason was unclear, they were thinking it might be because the owner went missing... Just like in the rumours. 

Though the scientist lady spoke out her idea that the whole case was just a typical case of the owner just up and vanishing, Mashita ignored her altogether, going on about the prime gossips some publications came up with, regarding the story; Though it only lasted for so little, before everyone forgot about it. Considering the red district is crime syndicate turf, they likely applied some pressure to keep things under wrap. 

The detective waved his cigarette towards the Hotel vis-a-vis from their little shelter, explaining that the gossip was contemporary with the rumours of the Red Riding Hood stories - Masquerade seems to be the center of everything.

While everyone was focused on something else, Kisara turned to the table to grab one more sip of her drink, only to let out a small of terror, her eyes fixated on the corner of the room, just between the vending machines and Hiroo. At once, everyone averted her attention to the red head, but it was only Yashiki who understood her horror.

"What was that for?" Mashita looked at his girlfriend with concern, realising that petrified expression she made only when it concerned spiritual activity. Subtle signs of hyperventilation were beginning to pick up.

"H-Hey, Hiroo... Behind you..." Kazuo gulped, staring straight at the grinning ghost wrapped in that red raincoat.

"Huh? What? Did you get scared by a moth or what?" the scientist was as non-chalant as ever. "Nothing's here." she says, looking behind her, puzzled.

"S-Sorry..." Yashiki dragged the neck of his shirt a little. "I think... My eyes were playing tricks on me."

"On both of us?!" Kisara snapped at him. "Say it loud and clear - We both saw the ghosts."

"Wh-What...?" Hiroo gaped at the other woman.

"That's more than concerning." Satoru muttered, squeezing her shoulder. "Can you handle this?"

"Of course I can." her voice turned solemn quickly, her eyes averting towards the Hotel. "However... I'm getting the feeling that our little ghostie is... Just about as tragic and vengeful as Shu Xian."

Mashita cringed, remembering the Kannon Soldier and the way she affected Kisara, close to bringing her to madness. "Guess this just became my main case." he muttered to himself.

"You've got enough work on your plate as it is, Satoru. I can handle this with Yashiki." but the stubborn man only shook his head.

"I promised your dad I'll keep you safe. If you say this is a ghost case, I can't, in good faith, let you do this by yourself. Who knows what would happen if you'd get possessed again?" the girl sighed, hanging her head.

"I think... It's going to be a crazy case." Kisara said, leaning back on the bench.

In that moment, Daimon hung up his phone and explained he has an emergency at the hospital and he has to leave. "So the only one left is the science freak. That's... Concerning." Mashita shook his head in disappointment. He, like Kisara, cannot stand Madoka and her insufferable personality. 

"What?! What did you just say?!" she was so offended. "That how you treat people helping you out?!"

Paying no mind to Hiroo's violent outburst, Mashita calmly looks at his watch. "It's time. Enough gossip, let's go." with an arm around his partner's waist, the duo went first inside the dusty hotel.

"Wh-What...?! What a jerk!" they could still hear Madoka's hissy fit, making them both chuckle satisfied.

The air was chilly inside Masquerade, but the atmosphere was even creepier than they imagined. Their footsteps echo loudly against the exquisitely detailed marble floor. Truth be told, although she was petrified out of her mind and trying to convince herself the underground shelter was a far tougher experience - The scientist did raise a good point; It might be just a year since it closed down, but it's not even half as damaged and vandalised as your usual abandoned building... Despite the entrance doors being unlocked. How peculiar.

Agreeing to investigate just about the whole place, every nook and cranny, for any piece of info that might help understand what's going on. Still, a Love Hotel owned by a crime gang... Kisara was sure that even her boyfriend suspected the place might have been run as more of a brothel, than a simple hotel. And if that is true, well... Some pimping and abuse might be in the middle. 

Somewhere on the board, they noticed pictures of every guest room available - How luxurious. On the desk, they found an emergency key ring on the receptionist's desk - Might as well use it on the emergency exit door. As Hiroo went ahead to try the key on the door, Kisara was drawn to the shelf, where she saw a picture titled 'Masquerade Wife', depicting a masked woman wearing a wedding gown. For a second there, she cringed, remembering Hanayome. She might want to get married and wear a pretty dress, but if she sees one more tragic bride, she might as well quit her dreams.

As if reading her mind, Mashita guided her towards the stairs, and the first thing they see on the second floor is, in fact, a painting of yet another Masquerade Wife, yet this time, she is gazing at a man. "Enough of this bride thing. I'm getting the creeps." she shuddered lightly.

They split in two groups to cover more ground in lesser time - Mashita and Hasashi went inside the room on the left; Here, they see a rather creepy Venetian mask with the typical elongated nose, hanging on the wall. Whether or not they were hung there to match the Hotel's vibe, it was rather creepy; Though it would make even more sense, if it were to protect the client's identity. The power cord and the phone line have both been strategically cut, so they cannot be used. Under the door, there is a piece of paper, but Satoru alone cannot lift the bed, and he doubts Kisara's strength will help much, so he'll have to ask Yashiki for help later. 

Weirdly enough, the bed had only a mattress and no sheets; Perhaps they were taken off to sell or use elsewhere? Granted, a mattress has to be more expensive than some sheets. Still, Satoru shifted it around to look underneath, and found a clue - A notebook called 'Mask Guestbook 202'.  That's a great start!  Opening it, they saw writing that encouraged the guests to write about their 'sweeeet sweeeeeet time' spent together. Every single page was filled top to bottom with lewd, suggestive comments. 

Though they read the guestbook entries together, neither of the two could digest the vulgar description of all sexual acts. Kisara, more than anything, was so disgusted she had to step away from the book. Mashita, though only skimming through the pages, managed to get to the last entry, which was a gold mine in terms of information.

'This is bad! Sa... might've ratted us out! There're rumours that she tattled to the teach and said she's going to the fuzz! This is so so so bad! What should...'

Horrifically enough, the two came to the conclusion that schoolgirl prostitution must have been going on about the rooms of this place; And though the girl in the entry seemed a willing participant, it sounded as though she was panicked over being told on to some teacher by one of her friends. How horrific and very illegal. Kisara's fears were more or less proven true, and Mashita could only pray she wouldn't touch anything that would traumatise her even more than she already is. He doubts any amount of Heart Sutra chants would heal her.

Lastly, they searched the bathroom; The mirror was stained with dust, but still in perfect shape, and same with the slimy shower. This bathroom was absolutely useless in terms of information.

On the room on the right, where Yashiki and Hiroo went to investigate, the layout was the same; The very same creepy Venetian mask hanging on the red wallpaper, the mattress had no sheets - But there was no phone here, and iron bars were covering the window.

Next to the bed, there was a wooden chest - But it was locked. Through the small creak close to the top, Kazuo noticed a spring stopper; Simply put, if he had something thin, he'd be able to break the clasp and open it. 

Meeting back in the hall, the two teams briefly explain what they've encountered, and try the elevator - Only, pressing the button repeatedly does nothing. So, the next best thing was to go to the 3rd floor by climbing the stairs.  On one wall, they notice an object with an iron cover, some kind of an electrical device.

The team going in the left room found a spoon stained black by the bed-side table, and a wallet, similarly stained black, in the bathroom by the toilet - Inside of it, there was a credit card, and nothing more. The stains on the card that make the name of the owner unable to be read... Look an awful lot like old blood stains.

The room on the right, however, made Kisara almost feel weak to her knees and collapse; It looked like a prison cell or a dungeon, not a bedroom. In a corner, there was a torture device - A Spanish donkey. The girl shivered, quickly shuffling her feet away from that ominous thing, only to find herself in the middle of the room. Not good. Not good at all.  On the wall, inside a glass case, were hanging whips and ropes - They looked weirdly cheap and frail.

The worst part about it, Mashita realised, was the red head's trembling as she stared with terror at the unnatural space along the wall, between the two lamps. It had a faint stain that gave proof of something likely once hanging there. "Kisara." Mashita almost scowled in anger addressed to him, seeing his own girlfriend flinching at his voice. "Don't touch it." he brought her out of the room. "You don't have to touch anything. We can solve this without you getting involved like that." she merely nodded, trying to control her shivers.

Here, the elevator doesn't move either, unfortunately. However, as the two were ready to go to the room on the left and see what Yashiki and Hiroo were up to, they noticed them coming up from the 2nd floor. Apparently, Kazuo was able to open the wooden chest with the help of the credit card he found - And inside, there was the Guestbook from room 201 and a battery operated Mini Massager.

Just like the previous guestbook, the last entry had concludent evidence. 'Something's up. The fuzz hasn't come. Did ...ko really tattle? Mr. N... is acting normally, too. Sa... hasn't been to school recently.'

So the question stood... Why hasn't this reported? Her friend wanted to rat them out... But Mr. N, possibly the teacher, was acting normal... Wait, was the teacher a regular to this place? That would be awful - Was he an accomplice to this mess? Goodness...

At that very same time, a loud sound coming from the room on the left startled them half to death. Just when they thought everything was settled... They heard a voice. "S...I....R...." Yashiki was the first to turn around and flash his light, but there was nothing except the door to the emergency staircase.

As the four were looking around at each other, more confused than anything, the metal door screeched, and before them appeared the school girl wearing the red raincoat. "Th-There she is...!" Hiroo stuttered, petrified out of her mind, only to immediately change her stance. "Wait... She's human! That ghost story w-was an utter lie!"

"Hiroo, shh! Be quiet, I can hear something." Yashiki immediately shushed the noisy woman.

True enough, a slithering whisper of a voice sneaks up on them. "I knew it... I'm so glad I trusted you, Sir." the girl in the raincoat spoke to them... Kisara could hear it, thanks to her spirituality, and the two men could hear her too, being confused for the trusted teacher she saw them us... The only one perpetually puzzled was Hiroo, who was neither of those. "I knew... I knew it... I knew you'd come... But, sir... Who is... That woman....?" the girl asked, pointing towards... Madoka? Interesting; Regardless, there didn't seem to be hatred in her voice, only sorrow, regret, and something akin to a quiet plea. "I'm going to make sure...." make sure of... What, exactly...? "Sir, do you come to places like this... Very often...?" Mashita was shocked at what was happening before him; He stole a quick glance to his girlfriend and towards his work partner; They both seemed to be making an active effort of calming down. 

Sir, she called him... A person she respects... Suddenly, Mashita recalls the conversation he had earlier that day, when Kisara oh so innocently asked about this kind of place, and it clicked - What if she saw him as the teacher she trusted enough to report this mess? Then, he should reply accordingly. "I come here with my wife." Satoru spoke confidently, bringing the red head into a tight embrace.

"Yes... Of course..." she muttered softly. "Hey, sir... Could you tell me, please? Another teacher told me that... I'm heartless and don't treasure my friends... But if something's wrong, then it's wrong." was it about reporting this illegal dealing? "What am I supposed to do? Which is more important - Friends, or what's right?" that question seemed a little to close for comfort for the detective.

"Of course what's right is more important." Satoru found himself blurting - Friends come and go, but you won't forgive yourself for living with the knowledge of illegal dealings that you could have prevented.

The girl remained quiet, save for a gentle nod of her head. "Tell me one more thing, please." she said.  "When people are selling and buying bad things... Then who's in the wrong?" 

"Both are in the wrong." Mashita answered, sure of his answer. The ghost seemed pleased, and her ominous aura dissipated.

"I'm so happy... You're really him..." the ghostie sighed in relief. "All the immoral people died." under her hood, and through the darkness, peered the schoolgirl's twisted smile. In one turn, the girl in the red raincoat disappeared into the stairway.

Although for the longest time Satoru could feel Kisara's soft shivering as he held onto her, just like that, he couldn't feel her any longer. "SAYAKO-CHAN!" she found herself yelling out a name she's never heard in her life, and her spiritual instincts took over her body and brain, driving her into overload as she ran after the ghost.

"What the hell was that about?!" Madoka was frowning deeply, glaring at the metal door that was just slammed shut. "Why are you two just standing there, with your mouths wide open? Are you that dumb that you can't act?" she huffed, rushing after the doctress.

"I swear - If she got possessed again, I'm going to lose it." Satoru sneered under his breath and hurrying towards the stairs, followed by his partner in work - They went up the stairs, only to realise... They were still on the 3rd floor? How... Peculiar. 

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Yashiki gulped, flashing the light on the number 3 of the floor.

"I'm so done with this ghostly bullshit." the detective grumbled, rushing towards the 2nd floor, but the outcome was the same.

"If we're stuck on the 3rd floor... Reckon Kisara and Hiroo are also here?" Yashiki's words made sense, in a ghostly way. 

The two tried one more time to change floors, but instead of escaping the 3rd floor, they found Hiroo on the ground, thankfully just unconscious. Yashiki decided to look after her while Mashita looked for his girlfriend around the only two available rooms.

The brunet barged into the room on the left - How peculiar, it was covered in webs everywhere. Yashiki didn't mention anything of this. Could it have happened after the ghost encounter? If so... Could the ghost have anything to do with... Spiders? If that was the case, he feared Kisara losing her mind. If there was one thing she was afraid of, it was spiders. It was almost comical - A girl her age and size, unafraid even faced with monstrous ghosts, fighting against them so brazenly - Only to shriek like a little girl and jump in his arms, at the sight of the littlest spider of cockroach. Hilarious, yes - But definitely not now.

The bathroom door was gently opened, and much to his surprise, Kisara stepped towards him, seemingly unharmed by anything. "Kisara...?" though she looked fine, her eyes were glazed over and seemed unfocused. "Hey, can you hear me? Or do I have to slap you awake again?" concerned, Satoru makes his way in front of her, only to stop dead in his tracks as he sees her slowly stripping her clothes off, in the most sensual way imaginable - All while holding sultry eye contact.

What the hell was going on...? Mashita was confused beyond belief - Yes, Kisara was cheeky with him, and had no shame in flirting, but she'd never put off something as crudely shameless like this. Her pride was bigger than the milky way, there's no way she'd stay uncovered around so much spider web, let alone show off her sexy black lingerie in a place like this. That girl was the most pillow princess he's ever known; Not only she'd not even stand close to a dirty and dusty mattress, but she'd be disgusted by a place where so many lecherous bastards committed lewd things.

And yet, there she was, with that vixen smirk of her, grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him back on the mattress before climbing on his lap; Her hands were placed gingerly over his chest, carefully unbuttoning his shirt as she bit her bottom lip; She was attractive as always - The most endearing woman he's ever met - But not only she wouldn't be caught dead on top of him - She wouldn't be so unbothered with so much web stuck to her back. 

"I was waiting for you... For so long..." she giggled sweetly. "I've been thinking about you the whole day... I missed your hands on my skin..." she leans down, whispering in his ear as she gets comfortable sitting on his waist. "Don't you want me, Satoru...? Don't you crave me, as much as I long for you...?" don't ask such difficult questions, damn it, Mashita thought to himself, trying to find a way to snap her out of it. "Come on, Master, don't hold back." she quickly grabbed his hands, placing them over her bosom. "Look at me - Tell me I am the only one you love - And take me. I am all yours, Master."

"Damn it, woman, where's your shame..." Satoru sneered, realising the ghost from earlier was tormenting him with more questions. How annoying.

"B-But...!" Kisara whimpered, making those puppy eyes that he could never resist. "But I want you, Master...! I need you! I need you more tha--" before she could finish her pouting, her fingers crumpled up his shirt tightly, getting stuck in a violent fit of coughs. "C-Can't... Breathe... D-Damn it..." her head was hung, and though her long her was draping most of her uncovered body, Satoru could see tears of resistance prickling at the corner of her eyes. "Webs... Please... My back..." she pleaded desperately. She was snapping in and out of her own consciousness.

The instant Mashita got a good grip on her body, he could feel her feeling lax in his arms. "D-Don't you need me anymore...? I... I can't... I can't live without you... I have everything in life... I made it all myself... But I cannot... I cannot win... The gamble of love... So... You can't... You can't leave me... Please... Tell me you still need me..." those cries were tugging on all of Mashita's heartstrings in all the most painful ways possible. He terribly hoped Kisara won't be remembering any of this, because he couldn't imagine the shame she'd feel, saying all these things.

"You are my partner, Kisara. I will always need and depend on you." Mashita's voice was softed than before. "Now get it together - I need you now. I can't do this case without you."

Instead of an answer, Kisara let out a shrill laugh that echoed through the room - Did he make the wrong choice? Did he say something wrong?  Sneering, Mashita ripped apart the webs sticking to her back, and the girl collapsed as if fainted, in his arms. He quickly checked for her vitals - She was perfectly fine, thankfully.

"Kisara." he shook her desperately. "Kisara, wake up already." for a good two to three minutes, Mashita tried every thing he could think of, from shaking her, to slapping her face, and kissing her. Finally, the red head slowly opened her eyes, as if waking up from a sweet sleep. "Finally. Gave me quite the scare." the man exhaled deeply.

"Satoru...?" the girl mewled softly. "What...? What is going on...?" she asked so innocently, not realising what she was wearing. "Why is it so cold...?"

"Have you thought, perhaps, it was cold because you're half-naked?" that comment startled her so badly that she almost jolted off the bed - Were it not for him holding her tightly, she'd have been on the dusty, cold ground.

"What... What happened...? Why...?" she gulped, trying to calm herself down in some way or another.

"You got possessed by the ghost. Made you seduce me and all that." despite his own grimace, he tried hard to keep the atmosphere light, as to not to get her to panic more. "If I knew you were so bold, I'd have let you do the work sometimes too."

"... How awful..." still shaky, Kisara gets some help to dress from the detective. "I... I don't know what happened. I heard a name - Sayako - And then... I don't know." she looked distraught. "Can we go home for now, please? I'm exhausted."

"I had no intention to spend one more minute in this hell hole after what happened." after fixing her clothes and her, Mashita opened the door for her; Daimon was there, helping Yashiki hold an unconscious Hiroo on his back.

"What's going on...?" Kisara frowned in shock, looking at the scientist girl.

"No clue. We found her like this." Mashita muttered. "Glad you're strong enough to snap out of it." Kisara only shook her head, getting the imagine of Madoka and what happened in that room out of her head. 

"I'm glad you're here, Daimon. Let's get out of here." the doctors nodded at each other.

With some help, Yashiki got Hiroo in the ambulance and Daimon took her to the hospital, where he'd take care of her the whole night. Yashiki went to his mansion, angry by the outcome and allowing Hiroo to get in that state, only to notice Christie and Suzu visiting him.

Mashita and Hasashi returned home, where they took a quick shower and drank a hot tea for comfort. The girl nestled comfortably in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'm getting involved from tomorrow on." she found herself speaking. "But it's the last time."

"Why...?" Satoru looked at her incredulous.

"Because of the same thing that happened with Shu Xian." Kisara explained. "An innocent girl who didn't deserve any of the torture she went through." she went on. "I... I don't know what happened, but... If she was involved in this prostitution madness... And the gang found out she wanted to rat them out for having schoolgirls..." she needn't say any more of that, for he understood all that was left unspoken.

"You're going to end up killing yourself if you continue this way." he sighed, holding her tighter.

"If not the visions... Those bloody spiders sure will." she shuddered softly at the mere thought of those disgusting things.

"We'll bring her peace, okay? And after that, we're done with ghosts." she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. No more tragic ghosts."

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[hwanchaesong]

Hiiii

I've always been so fascinated by your writing and I saw you're taking requests for the song prompt thing haha

I was wondering if you could do Yeosang with Polaroid Love (Enhypen) & All About You (Ateez). It could be fluff with a little suggestive (like sweet suggestive if that makes sense lol) if not go for all fluff!

I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you for giving us such wonderful content. You're awesome. 💫

a/n: hey~ thank you so much, i rlly appreciate your words 😭 and here's your request, sorry it took a while. i hope you like it tho 🍀 @dreamtof0rget 💚

👤:ATEEZ Kang Yeosang

📼: Polaroid Love - ENHYPEN / All About You - ATEEZ

genre & warnings: fluff, suggestive, cursing, romcom, strangers to lovers au

word count: 761

for anyone who wants to, don't be shy and send me asks based on Prompts Request Song Version. Thank you so much!

Yeosang is not one to be bothered by his surroundings, not even his chaotic friends can break his calm shell that he built up over the years.

No, he does meditate or anything, he's just a moderate person that can control his emotions so that he won't embarrass himself in public.

Though his patience was tested by the deities one day when he was on the bus, a girl who is in front of him at least 5 seats away is minding her own business, but the white strand that sticks out from her head is directly affecting him.

He wants to pull it out, but wouldn't it be weird to approach you and say, 'Hey! I am a stranger and please don't mind me while I take that white hair out of your scalp because it's distracting me!'

Only one step away from him doing that, thankfully, he sighed in relief when you got off the bus in the next stop.

The next time he encountered his second dilemma was when he was inside a café, the girl in front of him was taking too long to decide on what to order.

"Um, what if.." her voice drawled out, further ticking Yeosang off.

He took a deep breath, 'Five more minutes.'

Next 6 minutes and he's up.

He barged in between you and the cashier, "Two iced americano and two honey glazed donuts as well."

You were shocked to say the least, not expecting someone to be that rude to interject during a special transaction, (yes it is important for you because it's your first time entering a café like ever, no judgement here please.)

"Hey! Y-"

His glare shut you up, not having it in you to continue speaking when God himself is staring right at you.

"It's taking too damn long."

You blinked, "What?"

"Your order. Don't worry, I'll pay and you'll not regret it."

You truly did not.

The man is weird, sarcastic yet kind. Offering you to sit with him when you realized that almost all tables are occupied.

He sat right across from you and you couldn't help but examine his features.

So fucking handsome.

It's unbelievable, his tall nose, sharp jawline, pretty eyes, and the mark in his left eye that was kissed by the angels. If there is one word to describe him, it would be 'ethereal.' His beauty is out of this world.

He had the chance to check you out as well, then he noticed that same white hair from the bus.

"It's you!"

Maybe it really was destiny's plan to let the two of you meet.

The way his eyes moved over to you and somehow observed something so miniscule like a strand of your hair.

Your silky, pretty hair that his hands are running through right now.

"Say," Yeosang started, "do you believe in fate?"

You looked up at him from your comfortable position in his arms, a questioning look on your face as you tried to answer his question.

"Maybe?" your voice trailed off, before hugging him tighter and kissing his cheeks, cooing when a blush bloomed on his face at your display of affection.

It endeared you so much, how affected he is even if you give him the smallest sentiment on earth. It makes you feel special, knowing that he appreciates you so much for him to act that way.

"In the end, I'd always be thankful for it, because it led me to you."

A soft smile appeared on your lips as you stared at him, all these years until the end, you will never get tired of this view.

"You're doing it again again. Take a picture, will ya? It lasts longer."

You shrieked when he tackled you down on the mattress, kissing you passionately and when he pulled away, something in his eyes shone.

"I want to make love to you."

He whispered against your lips, the trust you have in him is absolute, thus, you have no qualms about giving yourself to him.

He took you that night, swearing upon his life that he'll marry you and take care of you until his last breath.

Cherishing every moment of your skin with his, touching every part of your curves and engraving your angelic moans in his brain.

At the end of the day, maybe all his efforts of being a pacifist was never in vain because it made his flight to love easier.

Through space and the moon, around the universe, swerving in between planets and stars, everything is all about you.

[imtryingmybeskar]

Part 14 of Fugitive. Quite a bit of deviance from what has gone before. Much plot, many darkness.

18+, 12k words.

"Cyar'ika...please..." A cruel smile curved your lips as you heard the Mandalorian's plaintive cries. They soothed your tormented soul like a balm after so many years of being denied. "You cannot do this. Please. Listen to me." The seemingly sourceless orange light splayed across his beskar like an oil slick fire.

You frowned and advanced on him, hissing. "I cannot? You do not tell me what I can and cannot do." As you reached him, he fell to his knees, the T shape of his visor fixed on your face.

"Please do not make me do this, cyar'ika," he begged as you heard the click of his blaster cocking.

"You think you'll...what? Shoot me? Kill me?" your words were icily mocking as you tore the blaster from his grasp and hurled it away without ever laying a finger on it. "You cannot kill me. You cannot harm me. As you say, I am your beloved. You love me." As you spoke you lifted the helmet from his head and dropped it on to the dusty black earth next to him as you looked down into his face. His nose and mouth were leaking blood and his lip was puffy and bruised. "As well you should," you added, bending down to stroke your hand through the hair at the back of his head and grabbing a fistful roughly. You planted a bruising kiss on his mouth and his lip split anew, the iron sweetness of him coating your own lips. His eyes were huge and staring, but his fear was being tempered with anger now. That too was as it should be.

"I love you. Not...this. Whatever this is. This is wrong." Bestowing another smile upon him, you released his hair and brought your hand around to cup his chin instead, speaking so softly and so, so dangerously.

"Wrong, Mand'alor? Are you quite sure about that?"

"I am not the-" But his denial of who he was drowned out by the gasp of pain he emitted as you flooded his mind with images. Of him sitting upon the throne in the royal palace of Mandalore, the Darksaber in one hand and his beskar spear in the other, the very picture of a warrior king. Of a war room filled with Jedi and Mandalorians alike, plotting and strategising their slaughter across the galaxy. Of legions upon legions of fanatical Mandalorians, loyal only to Din and cutting swathes through stormtroopers in a riotous orgy of blood and smoke...At this last you felt his mind rebel and struggle against yours, like a moth battering itself against a lamp. "No...," he managed to spit feebly.

"No?" you asked gently, your voice honeysweet and kindly as you withdrew from his mind and let him get his breath back. "But isn't it a glorious future? You and I working together to rid the galaxy of the vermin that plague it? I know you want to make them pay. For what they did to your child. For making you the Mand'alor in the first place. For Alzoc-" You knew what he was going to do before he did it. So predictable. His hand reached for your throat and closed around it as he stood, but you had already compensated your breathing and the gesture did little except excite you. His limbs were shaking with rage, as well as from his ordeal and you smiled sweetly at him. "You see?" you scraped out, "You do want this. We can set Mandalore aright again. Together. Husband of mine." His hand relaxed its grip a little, but his fingers were still around your neck. He swallowed as if something bitter were trying to force its way up his throat.

"The woman I married would never say such things, never force me to see such things. You are not my riduur." And suddenly his other blaster was in his left hand and pointing directly between your eyes.

You snarled at him, an animalistic noise of purest hatred, "You are weak, Mandalorian. You have betrayed your Creed countless times. And I know that you could never-" Suddenly the world went white, then dark, and you knew nothing more.

***

Seventy two hours earlier

***

"Din, you have to stop!" You were desperately trying not to giggle and encourage his behaviour. "I told you, either I do the ritual here or I go to my room in the Academy alone and do it."

"But mesh'la, how can I concentrate on anything else with you like this?" he said pleadingly as he gathered you into his arms.

"Like what?" you asked innocently, even though you knew perfectly well what. After you had taken shelter in the ship, you had set your robe and clothes to dry and sought out some fresh ones. Apparently you had gotten behind on laundry and had very little that was clean besides underwear, so had asked Din to borrow a spare undershirt and he had obliged. It wasn't often that you wore his clothes, but you loved having the scent of him so close to you all the time. The trouble was that you didn't have any clean spare trousers and now found yourself trying desperately to relax your mind and body when you could almost feel the heat of his gaze as he watched the bottom of his shirt grazing the tops of your thighs. "Would you prefer me naked?" That was the wrong thing to say. Or, possibly the right thing. Apparently the only thing more arousing to Din than you in his clothes was you out of them. He ground his erection against your stomach and kissed you.

"Always prefer you naked," he murmured against your lips.

"Are you going to make a liar out of me?" you asked, smiling. "I told Luke you made me a better Jedi. I also said we wouldn't be doing this here and yet..."

"And yet," he echoed, his nose stroking over your cheek. "Since you've already broken that promise once, would it be so terrible to do it again?"

"Absolutely," you answered. "But I can never resist you, Din Djarin. You know that."

Two hours later, you were finally sitting calmly and meditatively in front of a small bowl of water and a lit candle - the reflection of the candle upon the water helping to clear your mind and soothe your spirit. Recalling your meeting with Paz Vizsla, you went through each stage of what led to your anger at him, analysing and considering all possible angles to avoid a repeat of such behaviours in the future. At the core of it was your attachment to Din, your desire to never see him be hurt or damaged. You had to be mindful and better at managing your emotions surrounding him, else it would be increasingly easy to act that way again. The candle suddenly flickered although there was no draft that you could feel, and you could see a darkness swirl within the bowl. It...had to be a trick of the light. The bowl was white, there was nowhere that the darkness could be. Still, it was there and as you concentrated on it, you thought you heard a noise. A low level thrumming like machinery, but punctuated by the occasional voice calling, shouting in distress, screaming...

"Mesh'la?" Din's voice struck through your mind like an arrow, and his hand on your shoulder shook the dream from you instantly. "You fell asleep," he said needlessly, a smile playing about his lips. You looked down at the candle and bowl. The water was clear and ordinary, the candle not burned down by much. You couldn't have been asleep for more than twenty minutes. "Are you okay?" he asked when you didn't reply to him.

"Yes, fine. Just a strange dream. And apparently I'm more tired than I imagined." Din helped you to your feet. "Can we go back to the Academy? We need to speak with Luke again." His face took on a stony, annoyed countenance. "I know, I know. But we do have things to talk through. Not least the Council's discussion about you and I. Luke...he is a good man. Please trust me on this. And when you feel ready - if you feel ready - you can talk to me about whatever it is that has made you so...well you know." He nodded and looked into your eyes, his own softened and filling with love as he beheld your face.

"I do trust you. Of course I do. And I trust that what I need to tell you will not change us. Its just-" he swallowed thickly, "-its hard to say out loud after so long." Your arms came round his back to hold him close and you felt the understanding pass between you, strengthening you both individually and together.

Once your clothes had (mostly) dried, you got dressed and Din gave a low hum of approval when he saw that you were continuing to wear his undershirt. "You look far better in that than I do," he remarked and you kissed him happily before handing him his helmet. He held your hand on the approach back to the Academy, seeming to want to be as close to you as he could after your disagreement, even through his coverings. Just as you were about to enter through the main doors, Tolea came out to you.

"There you are," she smiled. "I've been looking all over. Luke said there is to be a "Council meeting" after the evening meal?" You could almost hear the quotation marks around 'Council Meeting'. "There's hardly a Council to speak of!" Her eyes fell to where yours and Din's hands met and she raised an eyebrow, more suggestive than questioning. You set about introducing your fiancé and your friend properly. He seemed inclined to trust her as when you gave his name as "Mando", he interjected with his real first name and held out his hand to clasp hers.

"So, a Mandalorian, hey?" she teased. "You always did have a thing for them!" Your eyes had gone wide at her words and you could feel the heat rise in your cheeks as you saw Din's helmet turn to face you in the periphery of your vision and heard what sounded like a laugh swiftly muffled by a cough.

"I did not have a "thing" for them," you spluttered indignantly. "I was just interested in the history of the Mandalorian Wars!"

"Yeah, yeah. But the armour helped, right?"

"Tolea!"

"Alright, I'll stop," she promised, her hand coming to pat your shoulder in a good-natured way. "I actually just wanted to see if you would come and spar with me? I'm a little rusty and it might be a good learning experience for the Padawans."

"I will, if you never mention the word 'Mandalorian' in front of me ever again," you joked. She bowed to you in a mockery of a solemn promise and turned away to walk you around the building to the outside exercise yard. Your cheeks were just beginning to cool when Din's faintly amused voice spoke softly to you.

"A "thing" hmmm?"

"Oh don't you start," you urged, holding up a warning finger toward him.

"Well....I can see it, that's all I'm saying." He paused briefly. "And there was that "thing" with Fett too." Apparently Tolea's hearing was excellent because at this she rounded on you, her face gleeful as you turned to Din, horrified.

"DIN!"

"Excuse me, what? Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter?! The one with the armour, yes? I just want to be clear!" Din's rumble of laughter at your face and Tolea's delight made your heart give a sudden squeeze. It had been so long since you had been with friends that you knew and trusted, and even though they were currently ribbing you mercilessly, you were so grateful to have them both in your life again. Your voice was teasing as you made your rejoinder.

"I'd be careful if I were you. You just asked me to spar and told me you were out of practice. Such a shame, what accidents can occur," you said breezily to Tolea. "As for you," you narrowed your eyes at Din and gently poked your finger at his breastplate, "Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?!" He laughed at your meaningless threats and caught your hands before pressing his helmet to your forehead for the briefest moment.

"I should not have taught you that one," he said softly. "I mean...I beg your pardon, verd." Tolea was looking between you both, a little bemused.

"I'm going to assume you said something disgustingly private and leave it at that," she ventured.

"Close. I was threatening to smack him in the face. That's kind of Mandalorian courting, isn't it?" you teased.

"Excuse me!" he exclaimed, ruffled. "I'll show you Mandalorian courting!....That...wasn't supposed to sound like that," he added in a slightly defeated tone as both you and Tolea roared with laughter. The good natured teasing between the three of you lasted until you were almost at the exercise ground.

"Okay," Tolea breathed. "We have to be calm and act like actual adults for the children now." She tried to make her face solemn, but giggled slightly when she caught your eye as you were trying to do the same thing. "I missed you," she said as she patted your shoulder again and the warmth of your friendship sloshed between you like a tropical ocean wave. You managed to collect yourselves enough to greet the children with a modicum of decorum. Din settled himself on the edges of the training ground, a little apart from the Padawans - you assumed so as not to distract them. It worked, for the most part, although eyes would occasionally stray to where he stood, monolith-like in his size and stillness.

"As some of you may know," Tolea began, gesturing at you, "we both trained together at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant before the Empire came. We have spent many years apart, but the bonds of kinship as Jedi remain strong, as well as the bonds of friendship." She smiled fondly at the Padawans in front of her. "We would often practice our Forms with each other and train together. Hopefully, our bonds will show through there as well, despite the time apart." She took up her initial stance opposite you, and you followed her lead. As she ignited her lightsaber, you blinked in surprise.

"Yellow? That's new." Tolea smiled.

"I lost my lightsaber that night but I rebuilt it when I came here. There is an ancient Temple not too far from here. I found an old and broken lightsaber within it and was able to rescue its crystal and purify it as my own. It felt like it was meant to be mine, even more than my old one, somehow."

"We shall see how it serves you," you replied with a smile. "I'll go easy on you and spare you the double blade, for now." Tolea tutted at you, but there was warmth in her eyes. You began by slowly demonstrating various aspects of the Forms and explaining how to incorporate Force abilities within some of these aspects, but after a while the joy of training with your friend again overtook the teaching somewhat. It was as if everything else fell away and for a brief time you were both ten years old again, with so few responsibilities, delighting in your new lightsabers and your abilities. Tolea was far less rusty than she had lead you to believe and before long the sweat was running down your back. When you came to a natural break, you begged a few minutes and she gladly acquiesced. It was at this point that you noticed that the number of people observing had swelled considerably. Master Kholi had come to join you with his group of students and was looking with approval at yourself and Tolea.

"This is good to see," he commented. "I myself was never very skilled with weapons. I was a Healer at the Temple and never had much time for them. I am glad the children can learn from such as yourselves." He glanced over to Din who was holding Grogu protectively, the child's back against his chest. "I see the Mandalorian seems more inclined to stay. This too is good. I will see you both at the meeting."

Tolea and yourself set to pairing the children up according to ability. There were practice sabers for the very youngest that were little more than padded sticks and these were distributed. With Din holding tight to Grogu there was an uneven number, so Tolea herself matched with Loro. As you approached Din and Grogu, you could hear his soft words spoken toward the child.

"...know everything about how to defend yourself. We will make sure of it. You will be a great warrior one day. Like your buir." With these last words, he raised his helmet to you, and you realised he wasn't talking about himself. A surge of pride and love roared through you and as you came to Grogu and kissed his head, he reached out to be held by you a while. You took him and cradled him in your arms, so that he could continue to observe the training going on around him and stepped backward a little so that your back was resting against the right side of Din's body. His hand came discreetly to the small of your back and stroked you softly. "You were amazing, cyar'ika," he said softy. "I pity the person who gets in your way."

You beamed at his praise. "Perhaps you could teach the children too. I don't think many of them know how to handle a blaster. I'll raise it at the meeting." You turned around to him and could see his helmet tipped questioningly at you. "I don't know what the others will say, but to me it seems silly to have an expert in weaponry here and not take advantage of it. Your lessons saved my life many a time."

"Teaching children? Do you really think I'm suitable for that?"

"Absolutely. Why wouldn't you be? I had never taught children before I came here. Just...be yourself." You looked across at the training yard at the students. "See, you already have a fan," you added, amused. Alikas was watching you and Din and when she saw you looking, she waved at you, the distraction causing her opponent to be able to knock her training saber out of her hand. She scowled at him, reached her hand out to raise it from the ground and retrieve it, and redoubled her efforts in sparring.

"That one reminds me of you," said Din, and you could hear the smile on his lips through the beskar. "Fierce and unafraid to speak her mind."

"And this one," you said, planting another kiss on Grogu's head, "Reminds me of you. Stubborn and very cute." He chuckled and reached out a finger for Grogu to grasp.

"Where do I sleep tonight?" he asked softly. "And where do you?"

"I think that will depend on what is discussed later. We will have the evening meal first, and then it will be the children's bedtime." At your words, Grogu turned his head toward you with a hopeful coo, and an image came unbidden to your mind. "I'm sure there will be eggs for you, little one," you assured him.

There were indeed eggs, along with fruit and meats and bread and vegetables and a type of savoury pastry you had never had before, but you took to well. The mood at the table was jovial and light, despite the fact that Luke was nowhere to be seen. Alikas displaced you by sitting next to Din before you could this time, and she and Grogu giggled happily together as they shared in their meal. Once Grogu had eaten his fill and was merely playing with his food, Din tasked her with watching him while he gathered a plate of his own to eat. The child nodded solemnly at the request and Tolea squeezed your arm in a silent promise that she would watch over both children. Just before he left, Din took a small silver ball out of a tiny pocket on his belt. Grogu babbled a long stream of happy nonsense and reached for it, using his power to take the ball from Din's hand. Din huffed a small laugh of contentment and stroked Grogu's head softly before picking up his plate. You led Din out of the dining hall and to the right, down one of the corridors of the quadrangle to one of the classrooms where he could eat his meal in peace. After removing his helmet and sitting down with his back to the door, he attacked the food with fervour, having had nothing since breakfast and once his immediate hunger was sated, he stared around at the pale blue walls surrounding him and the windows that looked over the grassy plains.

"Why do you have such a big space for so few?" he wondered aloud.

"Partly because we are hoping that we will not be so few in the near future," you smiled at him. "But also because this structure is part of something more ancient. Certain planets have more of a connection with the Force than others. Or at least, the Force flows more freely through them. This is such a place and is one of the reasons Luke chose to found the Academy here. Other Jedi came here before us and also settled. Some of their buildings survived and were in turn built upon. You paused, then said more softly, "I wish you could have seen the old Temple on Coruscant. It was a thousand times the size of this. The amount of times I got lost, even after having lived there for years...And it was so beautiful. Vaulted ceilings that were so high you could barely see them, or it felt that way. carvings and tapestries of Jedi past everywhere. And a serenity that permeated it. As soon as you walked in you felt more at peace with the galaxy." You only realised that you were staring out of the window, when Din took your hand. You had been looking at the plains but actually seeing the slanted sunbeams coming through the windows of the Temple and hitting the marble floors.

As you came back to yourself Din said softly, "It was your home. You've told me that it was before, but I've never really seen you speak of it as such until now. I'm sorry I cannot offer you a place like that to live."

"Don't. I just need you. The ship feels more like home with you in it than it ever did when I was alone." You stroked your hands over the stubble at his jaw as you spoke and he moved his cheek against your hand, almost burrowing into your touch. "I love you, Din. I don't tell you nearly enough." His eyes met yours and they were soft and warm with his matching adoration of you. You leaned forward to capture his lips with your own and as you did, heard a slightly embarrassed cough from the direction of the door. You raised your eyes to see Tolea standing there.

"Sorry," she grimaced. "Its just, the children are about to prepare for bed and I thought you might like to say goodnight." Din put his helmet back on and stood, gathering his plate and cutlery as he did so. "Here I'll take that," she offered. "You go."

Instead of sleeping in one room, the children were now divided into three dormitories, and Loro had his own little room to himself next door to the younglings. It was strange to see how much had changed in the relatively short time you had been away. Grogu shared a room with Alikas and a little boy called Dann. Even if Luke hadn't mentioned Tolea's biological children, you would have recognised those eyes anywhere. As you went to tuck the children in, Din hung back a little by the doorway, clearly still unsure as to whether he should be there. But when Grogu reached for him, he went immediately, stroking his fuzzy little head and covering him over with the blankets in his crib. "Goodnight, kid," he murmured. "Sweet dreams."

Din and you went your separate ways shortly afterward - he returned to the Haldon while you joined the other Jedi in Luke's study. Luke looked pensive and a little worried as you entered and he immediately asked you about the Mandalorian.

"He is troubled. Less by what we spoke of and more about something deeper, something from his past. He has not spoken to me about that yet, but he is also concerned about the alliance you spoke of. Din has no desire to be the Mand'alor. He obtained the Darksaber almost accidentally. He wishes a peaceful transition of power to the Mandalorian who does wish to rule." Tolea and Ka-Moon both looked a little confused about what you were saying, so you set to telling them an abridged version of what had befallen the day that Luke had taken Grogu. "We have plans to meet with Din's people. After that we will have a better idea of how to proceed. He does not want another civil war amongst the Mandalorians, especially since they are already so few. But the Mand'alor must be determined by combat. There seems to be no way to reconcile these things. An overt alliance with the Jedi at this time would muddy the political waters even further and bring undue attention upon us here," you concluded.

"I understand his reaction a little more now. And yet a reluctant ruler can sometimes be the better kind. He does not seek power for himself, or for its own sake. What about the one that wants the throne?"

"I know little about her, other than Din considers her honourable. I trust his judgement." Luke nodded, looking thoughtful again. Tolea piped up, a little hesitantly.

"I don't mean to detract from the seriousness of the situation, but if he did choose to take the throne does that mean you would be a...queen?" You smiled at her. It was a question that had passed through your mind but that you had paid little real attention to.

"I don't think it works that way. There is only one ruler of Mandalore. There are few shades of grey in their society. I think I would be viewed as his consort, but would wield no actual power. That's if we were married, of course." The unadorned mention of why you were here caused a slight tension in the room for a few seconds before it relaxed and released, the bubble burst by your simple words. No one seemed surprised by your declaration and your suspicion that the others had at least sensed the feelings between Din and yourself seemed to have been proven right. That was if Luke hadn't just told them both outright.

"I am personally unsure about the wisdom of doing away with such rules," Ka-Moon said, a little stiffly. "We all know where such attachment can lead."

"So much has changed," countered Tolea. "The dangers of allowing attachment to drive emotion are still present, but how can we be away from the rigours of Temple life for almost twenty years and then return to that life as if nothing were different?"

"We cannot," agreed Ka-Moon, "But nor should we let go of everything that made the Order what it was."

"I agree," Luke chimed in, "But we should find a new way forward. The Order fell in part because it was not responsive enough to change. I believe we need to be more flexible in how we operate, now that we are so few."

"Forgive me, but you were not there. I do not believe you have sufficient knowledge of how the Order used to be run to be able to criticise it in such a way."

"But we all were," you interjected, "And Yoda himself trained Luke, and I agree with him."

"You have a vested interest in this particular discussion," pointed out Ka-Moon gently. "I am not dismissing your view, only pointing out the circumstances surrounding it."

"Then I too must have a vested interest," said Tolea. "Since my children are here. Would you have us leave, Master Kholi? If we are adhering to the old ways, the children should not be in my presence." She sighed. "We cannot go back. We must build what we can."

"Bringing force sensitive younglings to be trained is far different than seeking marriage. The children are already here, we cannot deny them. We need to nurture them and their abilities. Ratifying marriage within the Order is new territory and possibly dangerous."

"The Mandalorian and I will continue to live as we have," you pointed out. "Whether we speak the words or not, he is my husband in my life, in my heart."

"So what difference does it make?" asked Ka-Moon.

"Precisely," you answered.

The debate stretched. Tea was made and drunk and made again. The light had almost totally failed and only a few streaks of pale green across the blue of the sky to the north showed where the sun had been by the time a decision was made. Ka-Moon was still not entirely happy, but had come around to the idea of forging a new path for the Jedi. Afterward he confessed that his own heart ached for a past love that he had been forced to give up in service of the Order and you understood his reluctance a little more. When you had suggested that he go and seek him, as you had Din, he gave a sad smile and shook his head. "He died fighting the Empire a long time ago. But I wish you and your Mandalorian much happiness in your life together." You were grateful for his kind words and told him as much.

"So...how do we go about this? I mean, can we do this here? Soon?"

Luke smiled a little at your eager impatience. "I don't see why not. If you can find somewhere you want to conduct the ceremony. What will the ceremony be, anyway?"

"I don't even know. There is a very brief Mandalorian ritual but as to what I am bringing, I just don't know. I would like to have you all there, though. My family in attendance and to witness." Tolea was overjoyed for you and hugged you close with tears starting in her eyes as she did so. As the meeting broke up, she caught your hand in her own.

"Come with me, I want to give you something." Curious, you followed her to her chambers - which were dark panelled but hung with beautifully woven and brightly coloured tapestries all over, giving the impression that you were walking into some sort of botanical garden. She rummaged around in a trunk at the end of her bed and finally emerged with a folded garment in her arms. "This was-" she began before her voice cracked. You stroked her shoulder, encouraging her to go on if she could. "This was the dress I was wearing when I met my husband. Well...he was never my husband under the law. He died before...But I was going to use it for my wedding dress as well. If you like it, I want you to wear it."

"Tolea I...that's so wonderful of you. Are you quite sure?" She nodded, sniffling a little.

"It was supposed to be a wedding dress. It should be a wedding dress," she said, simply. "Try it on, we'll see how it suits you and if we need to adjust it anywhere." You gently shook the dress out. It was long and flowing, made of some material that seemed to catch and hold the breeze within it, and a beautiful lavender colour that rippled as it undulated gently. Tolea helped you put it on and aside from some minor adjustments to the waist, and the sleeves being a little too long it fit almost perfectly. Her eyes welled up again a little as she took in the sight of you and you thanked her profusely as you embraced. "I can't believe I have my friend back and now you're getting married? It's so strange! Do you remember those nights we couldn't sleep and would talk about what it would be like to have a "normal" life? We never expected we would actually do it!"

"I remember both of us being giggly over Master Kenobi," you said, laughing. "We weren't exactly model Jedi, even back then!" Tolea laughed and rummaged in the trunk again, coming up with a small sewing kit.

"Let me just adjust this a little for you. It will be finished by tomorrow." She took her measurements and made her markings and you gave the dress back into her capable hands before putting on your usual clothes. "Go tell Din the good news," she smiled as she shooed you gently out of her room.

Even though the hour was late, Din had not closed up the ship, clearly expecting that you would indeed visit after your meeting. As you approached, you wondered why he had not come out to meet you, as the sensors in his helmet would have told him of your approach in good time. Reasoning that he had perhaps become weary of his beskar again and was hiding out in the ship, you all but ran up the incline of the entrance ramp, calling him as you did. He was not in the hold and there was no reply. You opened the door to the room you shared, but he was not there. You couldn't hear the shower running in the fresher either. The elation you had felt was souring to anxiety in your stomach as you climbed the ladder to the cockpit where you found Din's hulking form slouched in the pilot's chair, his helmet thrown carelessly to one side and his right arm dangling loosely over the armrest, the hilt of the Darksaber in his hand. He did not turn at the sound of your approach and a brief moment of terror seized your heart when you thought he might be unconscious, or worse.

"Din?" you called again as you came up to the back of the seat, and this time he stirred a little, though his eyes never left the view from the cockpit window. "Din, what's wrong?" you asked as you came to his side and touched his elbow. Finally, he dragged his gaze to you. His eyes were lit with the same wildness that you had seen when he had kissed you in the rain but it was wrong somehow, muted, dulled, and sickly. A thin trail of dark blood leaked from one nostril.

"I can hear it," he frowned, his words slightly slurred and coming slowly. "Is this what you hear? How can you bear it?"

"You can hear what, Din?" you asked, trying to keep your voice calm as you pressed the back of your hand to his head. His brow was both cold and slick with sweat.

"Everything," he panted. "Why can I hear it? I...I can feel it." His eyes grew suddenly wide and fearful, something you had never seen before and which chilled you to the bone.

"Din, you need to come with me," you said firmly. "You're unwell. Master Kholi will look over you and then you will be fine." This last part was more for your benefit than for his. There had only been one other time when he had acted in a similar way, long ago when you had first travelled with him, before you had ever known him fully. It had been such a silly mistake. As you had chased your quarry through a jungle landscape, he had tripped over a root and fallen headfirst into a bush. You had teased him mercilessly about it for the rest of the afternoon and all seemed well until the next morning. It transpired that as he had removed his beskar for the night, a thorn that had snagged on his clothing had scratched a jagged line onto his skin, its swift poison working its way through him as he slept. Even through his delirium he had managed to put his helmet back on before you found him. It had been his last rational thought for several days.

The beautiful depths of his eyes grew cloudy with confusion at your words. "But...you asked me. If I could feel it. And now I can."

"Its okay, kar'ta." you murmured soothingly to him. "Come with me, everything will be-" A thought struck you like a thunderbolt. "Din," you whispered haltingly, "Do you mean you can feel the Darksaber?" In reply he held the hilt limply up toward you, almost as an offering. It seemed to take all of his strength to make that simple movement. You gulped as you reached for it with trepidation, wanting to take the burden of it from Din, but not wanting you both to be afflicted with whatever it was that was happening. As your fingers closed around the hilt, a wave of sound and emotion hit you. Terror and abandonment and rage and screaming madness and the same thrumming that you had heard earlier as you had meditated, stronger this time and more defined as a heavy thumping the longer you held the hilt. As blackness crowded the edge of your vision, you dropped it to the floor of the ship. Din made tiny anguished noise at the sight and reached down weakly to grasp at it again. "No!" you exclaimed sharply as you pushed him gently but firmly back into his seat. "Leave it there!" You kicked the weapon away out of the reach of you both, the terrifying cacophony blasting through you for a second time as your boot connected with it. Din lay back into the pilot's chair, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if he couldn't quite get enough oxygen into him. Quickly, you used the communication array to contact Luke, silently offering a prayer of gratitude when he answered almost immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I sense-"

"Get Ka-Moon and come to the ship. Din is ill. Please hurry." Luke disconnected at once and you turned your attentions back to the man in front of you, kneeling down beside him and taking his gloved hand in yours while stroking the sweat soaked strands of his hair back from his forehead. "Kar'ta, they will be here soon and we will make you feel better, I promise. Can we take some of your beskar off? You might be more comfortable when they arrive." His attention seemed to have meandered back to the cockpit window. You stood and looked outside yourself, but could see only the darkness of the plains ahead. Only starlight existed out there to illuminate anything and it wasn't enough. Bending back to Din, you began to remove his pauldrons. He did nothing to stop you, but nor did he assist. You weren't entirely sure he was able to move to help, nor that he was even aware of what you were doing.

Your mind was turning furiously, trying to piece together what had happened. Clearly he had been well enough to get up the ladder to the cockpit in the first place, so this was a relatively new affliction. But you had been at the meeting for hours. Who knew how long he had been here in this state? The thought of him experiencing the torment you had heard and felt for that long made you choke back a sob that tried to make its way up your throat, and you forced your mind back to rationality with some difficulty. When you had been on Artorias and had begun teaching him about lightsaber forms, you had asked him if he could feel anything from the Darksaber, if the crystal within it spoke to him as your lightsaber crystal spoke to you. He had replied in the negative. What had changed? Location was the most obvious answer. This planet was strong with the Force. Was it possible that he had a degree of Force sensitivity but that it took a planet like this for it to be strong enough to be noticeable? Or was the Darksaber reacting differently and not Din himself? You had held the weapon previously and had felt nothing like what you had just experienced. As your mind whirred you were removing his thigh armour and this time he moved his legs up a little, you believed in an attempt to give you easier access to the fastenings. Your heart gave a hopeful leap at this and as you pulled the beskar away you cradled his face and looked into his eyes. They were still hazy, with pain or confusion you couldn't tell, but his attention was fixed on you now, and he held your gaze. Both of which you took to be good signs.

"Its okay Din, it will all be okay. I love you. I love you so much. We will make you better, I promise. I'm here with you and it will all be okay." You were babbling a stream of near-meaningless nonsense, for your own benefit as much as his. You heard Luke's voice and footsteps approach up the incline of the ramp and pressed your lips against Din's briefly, thinking (hoping?) you felt him try to reciprocate. You stroked his face softly before easing him forward from the headrest and placing his helmet back on his head, calling to the Jedi below as you did so.

The next couple of hours were a nightmare whirlwind for you. Ka-Moon made his basic assessments of Din, but was hampered by the fact that you refused to allow him to take his helmet off. You had no idea what choice Din would make in this situation, given that Luke had already seen his face, but you were determined to err on the side of caution and to retain his dignity for him as far as possible. Din seemed to be able to move a little more as the minutes ticked by and eventually could stand, aided by a person on either side of him, though he seemed to have lost the ability to speak when you took the Darksaber from him. Getting him down the ladder was problematic to say the least. While his hands were still able to grip the rungs sufficiently, you ended up helping to physically move his legs while Luke was on standby to catch him, with the Force if necessary. Mercifully, there was a floating stretcher waiting in the hold and as you helped Din to lie back on to it, he groped for your hand and squeezed it when you gave it to him. It was a pitiful fraction of his usual strength, but it bolstered your courage and gave you hope in your heart. You ached for him, that people were witnessing his physical weakness and for the first and only time you hoped that his wits hadn't entirely returned, to spare him his shame. As you had appraised Luke of what you had experienced, he had wrapped the Darksaber in a thick woollen blanket that you had provided, taking care to only touch it with his gloved mechanical hand and looking grimly thoughtful as he did. Tolea was there to greet you at the door of the Academy again and she accompanied you all to the medical bay. Ka-Moon swore that he would not remove Din's helmet but requested that he be allowed a degree of peace to run his tests. You knew it was the best thing to do, but were also having trouble leaving Din's side. Much as you trusted in Ka-Moon's healing capabilities, you couldn't help but feel that somehow this was your fault and that by leaving Din alone you were compounding your mistake. Only when Din managed to breathe a shaky "Mesh'la" to you before stroking his thumb clumsily over your cheek did you feel he was recovered enough for you to be just outside the room. You kissed the top of his helmet and pressed your forehead against it before you left, accompanied by Tolea and Luke.

"What's happening? Did you feel anything from the Darksaber? How can I help him? What can I do?" you fired these questions in quick succession at Luke, your voice breaking on the last one. Tolea came to you and hugged you close.

"I have a theory," Luke began haltingly, "But its not complete...Tolea, tell me again what you saw when you went to the Temple." Tolea let you go and turned to face Luke, but before she did you saw the look of trepidatious realisation on her face.

"The Temple where you got your crystal?" you asked, frantically.

Luke nodded. "I don't know if you remember but just before you left to find Din, I mentioned that I thought I had found reference to an ancient temple nearby. When Tolea arrived she volunteered to go and find it if she could."

"There was something...bizarre about the place," Tolea said, her eyes a little distant. "The further in I explored the more untouched it looked. As if one day everyone had just flown away and left. I found a few useful things scattered around - datapads and the like. The only ruination I could see had been caused by the weather and so was mainly on the outside. Until I reached what looked like the meditation room. There were...bones in there. A lot of them. All jumbled up. And scorch marks from weapons on the walls. Its where I found the lightsaber that I took my crystal from. There were a few of them scattered around, but I was drawn to that one in particular..."

"Did you feel anything from the Temple?" you pressed. "Anything that might explain-" you broke off and gestured helplessly at the room behind you.

Tolea shook her head. "You were always the more perceptive of us," she answered. "I felt nothing but the sadness and emptiness of yet more death around me."

"I need to go there," you said instantly. "If it might help-" Luke held up a warding hand.

"I know its not what you want to hear," he cautioned, "But you must be patient. Do not rush in until we have more information." He spoke more loudly over you as you began to protest, "I know you want to feel like you are doing something. But he needs you here. Once he is back on his feet, you know he will follow you wherever you may go. And without knowing more about what has happened here, you might just be leading him into more danger." He was right, you knew he was right.

"So what can I do?" you whispered miserably.

"You can help me with my research. The Darksaber is a unique weapon in the galaxy as far as we know. And so much of its history is lost. We will start with information on its creator, Tarre Vizsla, and then-"

"Vizsla," you murmured. Luke looked at you, puzzled. "Vizsla was the name of the Mandalorian I met. The one I...lost my control with." Had it really only been the previous night that you and Din had been wrapped around each other in the magnificence of that bed? It seemed like weeks ago. "I knew I recognised the name, but I couldn't think why. I have read about Tarre Vizsla before. Do you think it is relevant?"

"At this point, I don't want to rule anything out," Luke said grimly.

"Can you spare a datapad? I don't want to move too far from here."

Luke's eyes and voice softened a little as he replied. "Of course," he said. "I'll upload everything I have been able to find out about this planet and the Darksaber and I'll bring it to you." Tolea was the one who actually brought you the datapad. She came to you twenty minutes after Luke had departed and she also brought along water, some fruit and a couple of large colourful patchwork cushions that you recognised as having been on her bed earlier.

"In case you want to be a little more comfortable," she explained as you gratefully accepted them. There were no chairs in the corridor and the toll of the day had begun to make itself known to you. "No news?" she enquired, her eyes flicking toward the medbay door. You shook your head wordlessly, not trusting yourself to speak at that moment. She brought you in for a hug again. "Everything will be okay," she soothed as she stroked your hair. "He is strong. He will be just fine."

"What do I-" your voice broke and you stopped to take deep breaths before continuing. "How do I tell Grogu?" you whispered miserably. "He's only just got Din back and now..." Tolea took your face in her hands and looked into your eyes.

"You won't need to tell Grogu anything because Din will be fine," she insisted. You nodded sadly and Tolea sat you down on one of the cushions, positioning herself on the other opposite you. "Can I ask something?" she spoke hesitantly and you nodded for her to continue. "What did he say to you in there? That word that made you come away." You felt your eyes well up and had some difficulty controlling the spasms of grief that passed across your face. "I'm sorry," Tolea apologised hurriedly. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's ok," you said, your voice a little wobblier than you would have liked. "It's Mando'a. He called me 'Mesh'la'. Its his name for me, when we're together. I don't think he's ever said it quite that publicly before. It means 'beautiful'." And for some reason, that was the word that broke the through the dam you had tried so hard to keep strong. Tears flooded down your face in a silent stream as Tolea held you against her shoulder, stroking over your back through your shuddering breaths.

Once you were calm, you insisted Tolea go to get some rest. It would already be a challenge to focus on the datapad in front of you, when Din was so close and yet so out of reach. You didn't want to hurt Tolea's feelings, but you did not want an additional distraction to your task. She left, but only once she had extracted a promise from you that you would call her if you needed her for anything. Once you settled back down on the cushions and began to read, you realised that much of Luke's research was more of a reminder of what you had already known than anything new. Tarre Visla had been the first Mandalorian to train as a Jedi on the Temple on Coruscant. He had created the Darksaber as a way to marry his Mandalorian and Jedi identities and it had later become a symbol of power among Mandalorians, Vizsla himself using the weapon while he was the Mand'alor. After he had died, the Jedi had brought the Darksaber back to the Temple and it had been kept there until members of House Vizsla had taken it back and used it to unite the Mandalorian clans. That had been during the fall of the Old Republic, over a thousand years ago and its history was shrouded in mystery for many centuries thereafter.

More interesting was what he had been able to discover about the Temple that lay not far to the East. It had been a Jedi stronghold towards the end of the Jedi-Sith wars, around the same time that Vizsla was alive, and although it was small it was apparently of some strategic importance to both sides. There were reports of frequent Sith attacks, all of which seemed to be successfully repelled by the Jedi stationed there. However, the last report that Luke had been able to find had some interesting details that caught your eye. The Sith that had attacked on this occasion were bolstered by a cell of highly trained fighters that had managed to withstand the Jedi offensives, even though they themselves were not Force users. And there was a mention of a "Hunter" that stalked the plains, picking off any unwary Jedi that strayed too far from the confines of the Temple. The very last line of this account was a desperate plea to Coruscant for extraction, with a warning that the Temple was now unviable and a line that sent a chill down your spine; "They did not conquer, they did not have to. They were always here. They will always be here."

As you pondered the implications of those words, the door behind you opened and Ka-Moon's kindly face looked down at you. "Come in," he invited, and you scrambled to your feet to do just that. Din was sitting up on one of the beds, his back to the wall and with one leg on the bed and one on the floor, as if he were about to attempt to walk. His remaining beskar, cape and gloves were piled on a chair near to the bed, but his helmet was on. "Don't let him do too much," Ka-Moon was saying as you made your way across the floor to Din. "He needs rest. I will be back shortly." You thanked him a little distractedly as he withdrew from the room, and then turned your attention fully to Din. He moved to take the helmet from his head and you gladly assisted him. He looked exhausted, but much more himself and you couldn't stop the tears that spilled from your eyes as you bent and kissed his lips tenderly.

"Kar'ta," you whispered, as you gathered him to your chest and pressed him close. "I was so worried. I thought...I thought I had lost you."

"Never," he replied, his voice a little raspy. "It will require more than that to take me from you, cyar'ika." You took his face in your hands and scanned him, even as he wiped the tears from your cheeks. There was no evidence of physical hurt to him, even his nose had stopped bleeding. His eyes were his own again and that pleased you more than anything.

"What happened?" you asked as you sat yourself on the bed, holding his hands in your own. "What do you remember?" He was shaking his head at the questions.

"Ka-Moon asked me the same and I will tell you what I told him. I went back to the ship to attend to my weapons and beskar while you were in your meeting. I did so and took a shower afterward. That is all I remember." You frowned.

"You don't remember getting dressed? Putting your beskar back on? Going to the cockpit?" He shook his head at each question as you fired them. "When do your memories return?"

"I have flashes but I don't know if they are real memories or not. I remember taking my helmet off but I don't remember why. I remember a voice. Not yours. But a woman's. And...other noises." He visibly shuddered and then pulled himself together. "The sky. The sky was on fire. I remember your face. You took some of my armour off. And you held my hand. I remember reaching out to touch your face. Then everything seemed to settle in my head but you weren't there anymore. I've felt more like myself again for half an hour or so."

"Do you remember what this woman you heard said?" He frowned, his eyes focused on the floor but not really seeing it.

"She wanted something from me. I don't know what. I can't remember what she said, but I remember her hatred. Its still in my mind, like a bad taste I can't get rid of." He shook his head as if to dislodge what he was feeling.

"Are you in pain?" you asked him gently.

"My head hurt. He gave me something for it." He paused. "What happened to me?" You explained the situation from your point of view. When you came to talk about the Darksaber, Din almost absent-mindedly groped behind his back to feel for it and you gently took his hand in yours again.

"Luke has it. It seems to be connected with what happened but we aren't sure how yet." As you continued with your story, the crease between his eyes deepened until he was fully frowning at your words. You made sure to skate lightly over how much assistance he had required from the ship to the medbay and he didn't seem much inclined to ask. Your story ended with what you had read on the datapad and your own conclusion that you had drawn. "I have to go to the Temple, to investigate."

"Mesh'la-" he began, warningly.

"No, Din. I have to go. I need to stop this ever happening to you again, and for that I need information."

"Then I come with you." He made as if to heave himself off the bed, but you halted his progression gently with one hand.

"You need rest right now. I will not be going any time soon. I still need to see if Luke has discovered anything new." Din reluctantly settled himself back against the wall. When you spoke again, you did so hesitantly, not wanting to make him relive his traumatic experience quite so soon, but also needing answers only he could provide. "I know you say you remember nothing," you began, "but you said to me that you could hear the Darksaber, that you could feel it. Do you recall taking it out? Or using it? Or anything unusual about it from this evening?" Din frowned again in concentration and you squeezed his hand to remind him that you were there and he was safe. He spoke haltingly when he replied.

"When I cleaned my weapons, I held the Darksaber and switched it on to check it was all in order. But I remember that clearly, there was no voice then, nothing was wrong. It was all as it should be. I think...the Darksaber was the way that the woman could speak to me. But I don't know why I think that, I just have a feeling."

"Trust your feelings," you urged. "And let me know if anything else comes back to you. But for now, you must rest." You moved to the other side of the bed to settle next to him. "I am here, kar'ta," you murmured, as he lay down on his side and faced you. You kissed his forehead and held him close and within no time at all his breathing was deep and even as he fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion. After you had moved carefully and quietly back out of the room, you found Ka-Moon and informed him of Din's helmetless and sleeping state, promising him you would return shortly. Then you made your way to Luke's study where you were not surprised to find Tolea assisting in the research he had promised.

"I couldn't sleep," she confessed. "Not when everyone else was awake and doing something." You nodded and squeezed her hand gratefully before sitting in a chair next to her and putting forward the theory that had started to come together in your mind.

"I think that the Darksaber was here on this planet before, a thousand years ago. There is a mention of what sounds very much like a mercenary band of Mandalorians in that information you gave me, Luke. And a reference to a Hunter picking off Jedi, which may also have been one of their number. If Mandalorians and the Sith were working together here, is it not possible that the Darksaber was...infused? With some kind of memory perhaps. If one of the Sith were that strong, could they have done such a thing? And now that the weapon is back here, the echoes of it are strong enough to reach out and try to connect with us. If Din has any Force sensitivity it would explain why he was affected so badly. With no training to shield him, his mental defences would be minimal. I know its not a perfect explanation, but I think it fits a lot of the pieces together."

Luke seemed to ponder what you had proffered in silence for a time. "I have heard of artifacts and weapons retaining an essence of their owners, if their owners were sufficiently powerful in life," he mused. "I am troubled greatly by all of this. Not just because of what has happened to Din, but for the future of the Academy. I thought I felt a darkness...somewhere. I thought it was the remnant of what had happened between you and Vizsla, but now I begin to suspect it is something more. I have had dreams here and there ever since Tolea got back from her exploration, and I should have paid them more attention." He slapped his mechanical hand on the desk, and rose to pace the room.

"When you held the Darksaber, did you feel anything from it?" you enquired.

"No. And that troubles me too. How could someone who is not Force sensitive as far as we know hear it and I not? Unless..." he trailed off and turned to you. "Unless whatever was possessing it had got what it wanted. If possession is the right word. There's still so much we don't know."

"Which is why I need to go," you insisted.

"I will go myself," Luke said. "You are too close to this. If something is targeting you or Din, you need to stay far away from there. And I will not go until I am sure I have learned all I can about this situation." He spoke more softly toward you. "Go to him. Its the best thing you can do right now. And if you can, get some rest. We will resume tomorrow morning."

"The children-" you began.

"The children will be fine," Tolea interjected calmly. "And there is no sense in worrying about them or Grogu right now. Din may well be fully recovered tomorrow. Give it a night and see." You looked between she and Luke, feeling somehow that they were ganging up on you, even though what they were saying was perfectly logical and, you suspected, the right thing to do. You nodded and rose to leave the study.

"Before you go," Luke added, "Could you make out any words in what you were hearing when you held the Darksaber? Anything that might help?"

You shook your head slowly. "I don't think so. It was like a wall of sound. Of screaming in pain and anger and a weird thumping noise. But I should tell you something else that happened to me earlier." And you proceeded to inform him of your dream that you had had while meditating. "I don't know if its related, but the thumping kind of sounded the same and it seems like too much of a coincidence to not be linked."

"Agreed," Luke mused. "Go. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

As you made your way back to the medbay, your mind was spinning once again. It was logical that Luke be the one to investigate the Temple, but something didn't sit entirely comfortably within you at that notion. You couldn't identify why, but you had a deep feeling that you should be the one to sort this mess out. Din was the most important part of your life and you wanted to be sure that proper justice would be done for the hurt he had suffered. Not that you didn't trust Luke, but you felt that with your additional investment in the situation, perhaps you would be more motivated to get answers. There was a part of you that wanted to just go, leave, fly off in the Haldon and fix it now, now, now. But you resisted the impulse. Din needed you and he came first. When you re-entered the room, Ka-Moon seemed to be running some tests, Din was sat up on the bed, his face covered once again.

"Well, the good news is that you are in wonderful physical shape," he was telling Din as he removed a sensor from the end of his finger. "And if you say you feel fine there isn't much more I can do for you at the moment. I would perhaps ask that you remain here overnight..." He trailed off as Din shook his head.

"I don't like hospitals," he grunted. "I won't get any rest."

"I'll be with him," you told Ka-Moon. "We'll go to my chamber here so we will be close by if anything happens." He inclined his head at you in acquiescence and moved off. Din reached for you as you approached and you took his hand and helped him to his feet. He was quite steady and apparently didn't need to lean on you. "Do you feel okay?" you asked. He nodded, but kept hold of your hand as he gathered his belongings from the chair.

Your chambers had remained almost untouched since your departure many months before. The droids had been in to clean and air the room and fresh bedding had been put on, so it wasn't dusty or dank, but it did have that sense of being unlived in that places get after a time with no one moving around in them. You lit the lamp by your bed and its soft yellow light permeated the room. Din shut the door behind him and deposited his clothes and armour on top of your dressing table, topping it with his helmet and then taking some time to look around him. The space was sparsely furnished and decorated. Everything that had meant the most to you, you had taken along with you upon your departure. Not that there was much, even then. The walls were dark panelled, similar to the room Tolea inhabited and this gave the room a cocoon-like quality. Strip lights were embedded in the walls, but you chose to leave them unlit - right now you wanted to make the room as conducive to sleep as possible. Some hangings in purple, pink and blue decorated the wall behind your bed. Their colours had reminded you of sunset on Naboo and you had bought them on impulse some years before. You had rescued Tolea's cushions from outside of the medbay and you stacked them neatly next to Din's armour before moving to the window and closing the curtains.

"Wait," Din instructed before you could block out the outside world entirely. He came up behind you, slid his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder, nuzzling his cheek against yours as he did and pulling you flush against his body. "I want to see the view."

"You can see much more of it when its not the middle of the night, Din," you smiled.

"Perhaps I meant the other view," he murmured as his finger snagged on the neckline of his undershirt, hanging so much more loosely than your usual garments and giving him an eyeful of your cleavage. You smiled fondly at his persistence and impetuosity.

"You just had quite an ordeal. Is this really the first thing you want to do?" you asked, half expecting it to be a rhetorical question. He held you even tighter to him and you were astonished to feel his breath hitch a little behind you. You tried to turn to him, to see his face and take him in your arms, but he held you firmly against him.

"I...just need you, cyar'ika. I do not know what happened today and that scares me. That is twice I have been afraid today, and twice I have told you so. What is happening to me? I do not think this place...I do not think it is for the likes of me. Perhaps there is a reason that there were no other Mandalorian Jedi. Maybe these worlds are not supposed to mix in this way." It shocked you, the uncertainty in his voice. It was so unlike Din to sound unsure. Even when he had no idea what he was doing, he would plough on ahead and try until he got the result he wanted through sheer force of will and bloody mindedness.

"You have me, Din. Always," you reassured him and all at once you remembered that amidst all of the worry and trauma of the afternoon, you had still not given him the good news. You squeezed his arms tighter around you and turned your face toward him, your lips brushing lightly over the tip of his nose as you added "If you still want me forever."

You heard the initial confusion in his voice as he said "Of course, why would I-" and the sudden joy that infused his words as he realised what you meant. "We will marry? You will not have to leave the Order?" He turned you to him as he spoke and held your upper arms. You smiled your answer at him and his lips crashed excitedly against yours. "Can we-I mean...I still don't know if you have a ritual to follow. But I want to do this. Now, if we can."

"Right now?" He nodded and cradled your face in one of his hands.

"I need you," he repeated.

"Don't we need someone to officiate? A witness?"

"Usually the head of the Clan is the one to hear the vows. I am the head of the Clan. I am...well, I am head of all the Clans..." he trailed off In a slightly embarrassed way and then continued swiftly as his eyes darted back to you. "We can reaffirm in front of the Tribe when we see them. We can do whatever ritual you wish in front of your Order. But I have been without you as my riduur for long enough. Besides, I wish to look upon you with my own eyes when we are joined."

"Yes," you whispered joyfully. "Let's do this." His smile was like the sunrise as he leaned forward to kiss you softly.

"I must teach you the words first," he smiled. He did and you spoke them slowly together, promising unity in all things, to share your lives in love forever and to raise Grogu and any other children you might have as warriors and looking with love and devotion upon the other as you did. He kissed you again afterward, the beautiful swell of his lips tenderly caressing over yours, the promises that had fallen from them captured between you in unbreakable bonds.

"My riduur," you murmured as you pressed your cheek against his chest, hearing the thunder of his heartbeat and his arms encircling you. "My love."

That night you held him. He lay on your bed with his back to you, looking out over the inky blackness of the planet's nightscape. One hand was around his stomach and curling up to his chest, stroking over his marred skin, and the other was softly stroking his curls while you placed occasional chaste kisses across the top of his back and shoulders, inhaling the heady masculinity of his scent as you did so. Your leg was hooked over his, resting against the sturdy muscle of his thigh and he stroked you there softly, seeming to just want the reassurance of your proximity. Long after he fell asleep you remained awake, your mind still unable to settle after the trauma of the day and the exhilaration of finally being joined with Din in all ways. He stirred a little, a small grunt emanating from him as he twitched in his sleep. Perhaps he too was reliving what had happened. You sent soothing, calm, loving feelings toward him and held him closer and he settled again, breathing a deep sigh and muttering nonsense to himself. Just before the dawn quite made itself known, when the sky was still blue enough to see the stars you succumbed to your weariness, slipping into a dreamless, formless unconsciousness but safe in the knowledge that Din was with you, now and always.

[oftenderweapons]

Cold Nights - Hoseok

Pairing: Hoseok x reader (nicknamed Giggles)

Wordcount: 1.5k words

Genre: (hinted/mild) smut, fluff, lowkey angst

Rating: suggested 18+

Hiya! It’s Hobi’s turn! I have finally finished writing my dissertation, which is currently being checked by my professor. There might be some editing to do, but I’ll have to hand it in on Monday so I’ll feel more relaxed after that. Last step will be presenting it to a commission from my university that will give me my final grade. And then GRADUATION (supposedly November 4th)!

But let’s move on to more pleasant stuff! This fic is set a couple days after Hoseok’s Love Talk and it deals with Hobi’s feels for his Giggles. The end of this drabble is ideally the beginning of Hobi’s Wild Nights.

Word count: around 3k maybe, didn’t check 🤔

Here you can find my Masterlist

Enjoy!

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Hoseok stared at his feet.

He had just left your place and he felt messy.

Yoongi opened the door almost immediately. "Hey."

"Hey." He responded quietly.

"Are you busy? Is Kitten around?" He asked as he entered his apartment and took off his shoes.

"No, she's with Angel." He said.

"They're hanging out a lot together." He noticed. "If I were you I'd be worried."

"Who told you I'm not." Yoongi quipped, shaking his head with an exasperated laugh.

They both entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Beer or soju?"

Hoseok exhaled. "Beer."

"Cool." Actually, fuck. He silently grabbed two cans. Maybe he should directly go for all six of them. This conversation was about to get heavy. "Listen, I love talking about Kitten--"

"You love Kitten, full stop."

"I do, but that is not the point." Yoongi remarked. "What is going on?"

Hoseok laced his fingers together, placing them on the table. "I think you know by now but I'm seeing someone."

"As in dating or hallucinating?" Yoongi asked with a serious, concerned tone which made him even more hilarious.

Hoseok shook his head.

"Just kidding, go on." Yoongi said, happy that Hoseok was hiding a smile. He was glad he could instill some happiness even though he looked so lost.

"Giggles."

"Oh, is that your Kitten?" Yoongi asked. "I mean is she to you what Kitten is to me?" In the meanwhile he put two glasses and the drinks on the table.

Hoseok laid his forehead on the back of his hands. "I don't know. I think so?" He sat up straight again. "She's a masterpiece. Cute and kind and bright and so, so lovely."

"But?" Yoongi nagged. Usually this was the point when Hoseok said he didn't feel anything or that she was boring or that he needed something different.

Hoseok shook his head, laying down again. It was slightly hilarious. "No buts." He rose up again, skittish. "But maybe it's temporary and I'll grow bored or she'll get tired and maybe it's just too early to find out about buts and maybes."

Yoongi opened his bear and poured some as Hoseok merely mirrored his gestures without really thinking. "How long has this been going on with the two of you?"

"More or less... Three months?"

"Mh." Yoongi meditated. His arrangements were usually a few weeks, maybe a couple months. This was the point where his interest just disappeared. From here on it was all uncharted territory for him. That's why he looked so scared, Yoongi thought.

"I don't know if I've been — like — swept off my feet by the sex or if this is actually affection."

Yoongi pouted and nodded.

"I've never had someone like her, Yoongi. I've never felt this need to protect and just gush all over someone. I want to tell everyone about her. And then I want to keep her all to myself."

"Does she make you happy?" Yoongi asked.

"Yes." He didn't hesitate one second. "I've never felt my life so full. It just... It feels like I don't even have to try. Like she needs to be in my life for some reason because she makes it better."

"What do you expect from your ideal partner?" Yoongi asked taking another sip of beer.

Hoseok looked at the glass and drank too, reflecting on his answer. "I think other than love and respect, maybe... Peace? Serenity? Someone who can pick me up when I feel down? She's just... She's ticked all the damn boxes so far and I can't help but be continuously reminded of how fucking perfect she is." Hoseok scrunched his face. "If she's not the one, then I don't know who could possibly be."

"And I bet you haven't told her about this, huh?"

Hoseok let himself go, his elbows propped on the table, his head in his hands. "How could I? I don't even know what the fuck is going on.".

"You do know though."

"How can I, Yoongi? How can I ask that?" Hoseok raised his voice. "This started as sex, Yoongi. I'm not like you wrapping my emotions in gift paper and handing it to my partner whenever I start seeing someone new."

Yoongi stayed still, blinking.

"Sorry. I overreacted. I think I'm in panic mode." Hoseok frowned. "It's... I'm afraid she'll throw me away?"

"You should be having this conversation with Namjoon. Do you remember what he put himself through for that precise fear?" Yoongi poured all the beer left in his can. "I think you should tell her you want to be with her. Call it what you want. Maybe Kitten and I did it the traditional way, went on dates, did stuff together, said our "I love you"s and got together, but that's not the only way to do that. You know how it went with Joon and Vixen."

"They were dating too. Giggles and I are not like that."

"How did it happen?"

"Mickey's vet was on holiday during an emergency, I took him to the vet and she was the substitute. It sort of spiraled out of control."

"I wanna ask how, but I'm not sure I wanna know." Yoongi snickered.

"I asked her number, she gave it to me. Went to a sort of a date but things got kinky and we hit it off..." He slipped into silence.

"Hobi, I think you should just find the nerves to tell her you want more. I know it's scary as fuck and everything, but I'm pretty sure she's a sweet girl who'd love to be by your side."

"She is sweet." Hoseok said with dreamy eyes. "And caring, and loving and funny and so, so soft."

"Just ask her out already. Simply tell her 'Hey, you, I know we've been going at it like bunnies for months but do you wanna go out for dinner or whatever, see if we work as something more?" Yoongi resolved practically.

"Do you think she'll say yes?" Hoseok asked, a little anxious.

"I think the right way to approach this is, what happens if she says no?" Yoongi reasoned.

"I don't want to think about it."

"In my opinion she would just say 'thanks man, but I'm not interested' and you'd just keep fucking like bunnies."

"And what would I do with my feelings?" Hoseok asked, frowning at his empty glass.

Yoongi smiled bitterly. "I am not the greatest advisor with this but I'd say you either keep them on the low or let them go. If you can." He perched himself on the chair, bringing his knees to his chest. "Personally, if she said no, I would let go of her and find someone new. It hurts but usually you cannot kill feelings for someone. The more you go on, the more it hurts. But just talk it out with her, casually."

Hoseok nodded and stood up abruptly. "I can't keep living with the doubt. I can't go on like this. Gotta go. Thank you, Yoongi."

Hoseok dashed for the entryway, Yoongi at his heels. "Guess if it goes sour you'll text me for a drunk pity party?"

Hobi was already putting his shoes on. "Guess so." Left shoe.

"And if it goes well you'll just go AWOL for a couple hours?" Yoongi suggested.

"More like a couple days, but we'll see." Right shoe. He stood up, grabbing his coat. "Thanks a lot. You know you're the best friend in the world, right?"

Yoongi nodded with a soft smile. "You are, too. Good luck."

"Thanks, see you!" Hoseok sprinted out of the door.

Yoongi simply closed the door behind him, shaking his head with a smirk.

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"Hey." One sweaty, breathless Jung Hoseok stood at your door. His call had caught you by surprise: when you had picked up your phone he asked if you were home so he could stop by. You told him you had just arrived from your shift. And now you were at your doorstep, staring at each other.

"Hello." You said with a confused smile.

"I'm in love with you." He declared, still breathless, hunched down, standing with his knees bent and his hands propped on them for support.

You blinked a few times, asking yourself where all of this was coming from.

Fuck it. "I love you too." You said, ignoring the common sense and reason suggesting you asked an explaination for this.

He went wide-eyed with incredulity, standing up straight. Next thing you knew he was kissing you desperately, pushing you back in your apartment and closing the door with his foot. "I love you." He purred.

"I love you too, Hobi. I'm in love with you, baby."

He growled. "Bedroom. Now."