#and the last time ryuu saw him was the day before the murder....and then that photo. bro 😨

[estellan0vella]

The Legend of The Cursed Tempest - Suguru Geto AU Word Count: 9.8K Content Warnings: murder, blood, violence, death Masterlist for Eras AU

You walk through the town in the commoner clothes that make your skin itch but hide your true heritage from the other people you reside with. As far as they are concerned, you are an orphan who found her way to the town with hopes of a better life, not a noblewoman on the run from your and your husband-to-be's families. Every day, you live in fear that someone might see through your disguise, but you have managed to stay hidden so far.

The town is bustling with activity, merchants shouting their wares and children playing in the streets. You blend into the crowd, keeping your head down, when suddenly, a cry of alarm pierces the air. You look up to see the infamous pirate ship "Cursed Tempest" approaching the harbour, its black sails billowing ominously.

As your eyes dart around, you spot pirates harassing a young merchant woman. You dart forward, keeping the hood of your cloak up before you push one of the pirates back. 

"Leave her be!" you snap, helping the woman to her feet. "Is it not enough you're about to pillage our town?"

The pirate you pushed turns to you, surprise flickering across his face before it twists into a sneer. He grabs your arm, yanking you closer. "And who might you be to give orders?" he growls.

You glare at the man before the palm of your hand connects with his face. His sneer deepens as he tightens his grip on your arm, clearly unfazed by the stinging slap you delivered. You can feel the eyes of the townsfolk on you, a mixture of fear and curiosity in their gazes. The young merchant woman scurries away, her thanks barely a whisper as she disappears into the crowd.

"Feisty, aren't you?" the pirate sneers, his breath hot against your face. "We'll see how long that lasts."

Before you can retort, a commanding voice cuts through the chaos. "Enough, Ryuu."

The pirate releases you instantly, and you stumble back, catching your balance just in time to see a tall figure approaching. He moves with an air of authority, his dark hair tied back, a few loose strands framing his striking face. His eyes are sharp, assessing you with an intensity that makes your heart race.

"Captain Geto," Ryuu mutters, stepping back respectfully. "She was—"

"I saw," Suguru Geto interrupts, his gaze never leaving yours. "And I'm curious. Who is this bold woman who dares to challenge my crew?"

"Just a concerned citizen," you reply, dodging his outreaching hand as he goes to push back the hood of your cloak. "Do not touch me."

Geto's eyebrows lift slightly in surprise, and then he chuckles, a deep, rich sound that sends a shiver down your spine. "Feisty indeed," he murmurs, withdrawing his hand. "Most people in this town would rather cower than confront a pirate. You are... different."

You glare at him, refusing to be intimidated. "Leave us in peace. Haven't you done enough harm to other port towns?"

He tilts his head, considering your words. "Perhaps. But harm is a pirate's trade, is it not?" His smile fades, replaced by a look of genuine curiosity. "What are you hiding under that hood, I wonder?"

You pull the hood tighter, every instinct screaming at you to run, but your feet remain rooted to the spot. "Nothing that concerns you, pirate."

Geto takes a step closer, his eyes narrowing as he tries to peer into the shadow of your cloak. "I think it does concern me. You're hiding something, and I intend to find out what."

Desperation claws at your chest as you take a step back, but his presence is overwhelming, a dark tide threatening to pull you under. "I am no one of interest," you insist, your voice wavering slightly despite your best efforts.

"Everyone is of interest to someone," he counters smoothly. "And you, my dear, have certainly piqued mine."

With a final, defiant glare, you turn on your heel and blend into the crowd, your heart pounding in your chest. You can feel his eyes on you as you weave through the townspeople, the heat of his gaze like a physical touch. Every step you take feels like a battle, but you force yourself to move, to get as far away from him as possible.

As you disappear into the alleyways, the noise of the market fading behind you, you know that Suguru Geto will not forget you. And though you escaped his immediate grasp, you can sense that this encounter is only the beginning of a dangerous game. One that you may not be able to avoid forever.

You hurry through the narrow streets, your mind racing. You need a plan, a way to protect yourself from the prying eyes of the pirate captain. The safety of your disguise feels more fragile than ever, and the stakes are higher than you ever imagined.

You enter the small room you rent and begin to throw your belongings into your bag. Your hands tremble as you move swiftly, knowing that staying here is no longer an option. The encounter with Suguru Geto has shattered the illusion of safety you've clung to for so long.

You glance at the jewellery in the bottom of the bag, the precious pieces that once adorned you as a noblewoman. They are your lifeline now, the means by which you sustain yourself. Each gem represents a fragment of the life you fled, a life filled with opulence and suffocating expectations.

As you hastily pack, you can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia and regret. You were supposed to marry into a powerful family, to live a life of comfort and privilege. But the weight of that future was unbearable, and you chose freedom over security, even if that meant living as a commoner, hiding your true identity.

You pause for a moment, clutching a delicate necklace with a sapphire pendant. It was a gift from your mother, a reminder of home. You consider leaving it behind, but the thought of parting with it feels like severing your last tie to your past. With a sigh, you tuck it carefully into a hidden pocket of your cloak.

A knock at the door startles you, and you freeze, heart pounding. Could it be Geto already? You move quietly to the window, peering out to see who it is. To your relief, it's the young merchant woman you helped earlier.

You open the door just enough to speak. "What is it?"

She looks around nervously before answering. "I wanted to thank you again for what you did. I also came to warn you. The pirate captain, he's asking around about you."

Your stomach drops. "Did you tell him anything?"

"No," she replies quickly. "But others might not be so loyal. You need to leave, and soon."

You nod, already knowing this. "Thank you. Stay safe."

She gives you a sympathetic look before hurrying away. You close the door and return to your packing with renewed urgency. Your mind races with possibilities. Where can you go? How far do you need to run to escape Geto's reach?

As you finish packing, a plan begins to form. There's a small port town to the north, one that isn't frequented by pirates. It's a risky move, but staying here is even riskier. You know the journey will be arduous, but it's your best chance at remaining hidden.

With your bag slung over your shoulder and the hood of your cloak pulled low, you slip out of your room and into the night. The streets are quiet, the chaos of the day replaced by an eerie calm. You stick to the shadows of the alleyways, using the cover of the night to shield you. 

"And where would you be going at this time of night?" A voice asks and you turn to see Geto standing at the end of the alleyway. 

You freeze, your heart thudding loudly in your chest. Suguru Geto stands at the end of the alleyway, his silhouette framed by the dim light of a distant lantern. His presence is both commanding and menacing, and you can feel his eyes boring into you.

"Where would you be going at this time of night?" he repeats, taking a step closer. His voice is smooth, but there's an edge to it that sends a chill down your spine.

You swallow hard, forcing yourself to remain calm. "None of your concern," you reply, your voice steady despite the fear coursing through you. "I have no business with pirates."

He raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by your defiance. "A brave statement for someone so eager to flee. You must be hiding something very interesting."

You take a step back, your mind racing for a way out. The alleyway is narrow, and with Geto blocking the only exit, escape seems impossible. Desperation claws at you, but you refuse to let it show.

"I have nothing of interest to you," you insist, tightening your grip on your bag. "Leave me be."

Geto smirks, closing the distance between you with a few leisurely strides. "Oh, but you see, you've piqued my curiosity. And I always follow my curiosities to their end."

Panic rises in your chest, but you force yourself to think. Your only chance is to catch him off guard, to find a way to slip past him. You shift your weight slightly, preparing to make a sudden move.

But Geto is faster than you anticipated. In a swift motion, he grabs your arm, pulling you close. "Now, now," he murmurs, his grip firm but not painful. "No need for that. I just want to talk."

You glare up at him, defiance blazing in your eyes. "I have nothing to say to you."

"What are you running from?" he hums, his voice low and almost soothing. "Not me, you don't fear me. You fear something else."

"Are you quite finished?" you sigh, quirking an eyebrow, trying to maintain a facade of nonchalance.

"Not at all," he murmurs, his eyes locking onto yours with a relentless intensity. "You see, I have a knack for finding out secrets. And yours, my dear, is particularly intriguing."

You take a deep breath, trying to steady your racing heart. "There are no secrets here, just a woman trying to live her life."

He chuckles softly, the sound sending a shiver down your spine. "Living in the shadows, hiding under a cloak, evading questions... that's not living. That's surviving."

You narrow your eyes at him, pulling your arm free from his grasp. "And what would you know about it? You're a pirate, living by taking what you want, no consequences, no fear."

Geto's smile fades slightly, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. "You're right. I take what I want. And right now, I want answers."

"Well, this is the first time you can't take something you want," You retort. "How does that feel, pirate?"

For a moment, there's a tense silence between you, the air thick with challenge and unresolved tension. Then, to your surprise, Geto laughs. It's a low, rich sound that reverberates through the narrow alleyway.

"Intriguing," he murmurs, his eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "It's not often someone stands up to me like this. I admire your spirit, Yuna."

The use of the false name you gave him earlier sends a jolt through you, a reminder of the precarious situation you're in. You straighten, lifting your chin defiantly. "I'm not afraid of you, Geto. And I won't give you what you want."

He steps closer, his presence overwhelming. "Fearless and stubborn," he says, his voice low and almost admiring. "But everyone has a breaking point."

You refuse to back down, holding his gaze. "And I suppose you think you'll find mine?"

His smile returns, but it's different now—darker, more dangerous. "I don't just think, Yuna. I know."

The way he says your name, even the false one, sends a chill down your spine. You take a step back, your heart pounding. "You won't get anything from me."

"Perhaps not tonight," he concedes, his tone light but his eyes still sharp. "But the night is long, and the world is small. I'll be seeing you again, Yuna."

With that, he turns and walks away, leaving you standing in the alley, your pulse racing and your mind whirling. The encounter has shaken you more than you care to admit, but it has also steeled your resolve. Suguru Geto may be relentless, but so are you.

You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to focus. There's no time to dwell on the pirate captain's ominous words. You need to leave before he or his crew have a chance to track you down again. Clutching your bag tightly, you slip out of the alley and into the shadows, heading toward the northern road.

A week passes in the new port town, and you slowly fall into the routine you had in the previous town. The initial anxiety of being found by Geto begins to fade as you immerse yourself in the daily hustle and bustle.

You spend your days at the markets, carefully selecting the right people to sell your gems to. Each transaction is a delicate dance, ensuring you get a fair price without drawing too much attention to yourself. The jewellery you once wore as a symbol of your noble heritage now serves as your means of survival.

One morning, as you stroll through the market, you spot a familiar face among the crowd. The young merchant woman you had helped in the previous town stands at a stall, examining a piece of fabric. You freeze, your heart skipping a beat. Does she recognize you? Has she been followed?

You approach her cautiously, trying to appear casual. "Excuse me, miss," you say softly, your eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. "Do you remember me?"

The woman looks up, her eyes widening in surprise. "Yuna! I didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I," you reply, glancing around nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to leave the last town," she explains, lowering her voice. "The pirates... they were causing too much trouble. I thought I might find some peace here. I'm Mei by the way"

"I have the same goal," You reply, adjusting the hood of your cloak. 

"They're looking for you," Mei says. "I told them you intended to go south but someone witnessed a cloaked figure on the northern road"

Your heart skips a beat at her words. "I appreciate you trying to mislead them," you say, glancing around to ensure no one is listening. "But if they know I went north, they'll be here soon enough."

She nods, her expression serious. "I figured you should know. You need to be careful."

"I always am," you reply, though the truth is, your nerves are frayed, and the constant running is taking its toll.

"Do you have a plan?" She asks, her concern evident.

"I'm working on it," you say, though the words feel hollow. You can't keep running forever, and the thought of constantly looking over your shoulder is exhausting.

She looks around before lowering her voice further. "There's a ship leaving tonight, bound for a port far from here. I can help you get on it."

"Okay," you nod, considering the offer. "How much?"

Mei shakes her head. "Nothing. Consider it repayment for helping me before. I owe you that much."

You hesitate, the weight of her generosity pressing on you. "Thank you, Mei. I appreciate it more than you know."

She gives you a small, reassuring smile. "It's the least I can do. Meet me at the docks an hour after sundown. I'll make sure you get on that ship."

You nod, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety. The plan is risky, but staying here is no longer an option. "I'll be there."

As you part ways, you hurry back to your small room to pack the few belongings you have left. The thought of finally putting some distance between yourself and Geto brings a flicker of hope, but you know the journey ahead will be fraught with danger.

As the sun sets, you make your way to the docks, your cloak pulled tightly around you. The streets are quieter now, the usual bustle of the market replaced by the occasional murmur of people heading home or to the local taverns. You stick to the shadows, avoiding any prying eyes.

When you arrive at the docks, you spot Mei waiting near a small cargo ship. She waves you over, her expression tense but determined. "This is it," she whispers. "The captain owes me a favour. He'll take you as far as the port after next."

"Thank you," you say, your voice filled with genuine gratitude. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"Just stay safe," Mei replies, her eyes glistening with emotion. "And maybe one day, we'll meet again under better circumstances."

You nod, giving her hand a squeeze before turning towards the ship. The captain, a burly man with a grizzled beard, gives you a curt nod as you approach. "Get on board quickly," he mutters. "We set sail in a few minutes."

You follow his instructions, slipping onto the ship and finding a small, cramped space below deck. The sound of the crew preparing to leave and the creak of the ship as it sways in the water fill your ears. You take a deep breath, hoping this journey will finally bring you the peace you seek.

As the ship pulls away from the dock, you feel a mix of relief and apprehension. The night air is cool, and you wrap your cloak tighter around yourself, trying to stave off the chill. You know that leaving this town is only the first step in a much longer journey.

Two days pass on the ship and you're beginning to regret your choices. The crew members spend their free moments leering at you and the Captain is no better. You have foresworn sleep in order to keep yourself safe. 

As night falls, you stand at the bow of the ship, watching the wide expanse of the sea under the moonlight. Footsteps sound behind you and you stiffen but do not move. 

"I know who you are," The Captain murmurs as he stands next to you and your eyes widen. "The runaway Lady. Your betrothed is paying a hefty sum for your safe return and I intend to collect"

The tension on the ship is palpable as you stand frozen at the bow, the captain's revelation still echoing in your ears. Your hand tightens around the hilt of your concealed dagger, ready to defend yourself if necessary.

"I think not," you reply, your voice steady despite the rising panic. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll let me go."

Before the captain can respond, the shout of "PIRATES!" from the lookout draws everyone's attention. The crew scrambles into action, the chaos of the impending attack giving you a momentary reprieve.

You glance out over the water and see the dark silhouette of a ship approaching rapidly. The black sails billowing in the moonlight are unmistakable—it's the Cursed Tempest. Your heart races as you realize that Geto has found you once again, maybe unintentionally. 

You turn to the captain, who is barking orders at his men. "Let me go now," you say, your voice urgent.

He sneers at you, his greed evident. "I'm not letting you go. You're worth too much."

With no other options, you draw your dagger, the blade glinting in the moonlight. "Then I'll make sure you regret it."

Before the captain can react, you slash at him, the blade cutting through his shirt and grazing his skin. He stumbles back with a curse, his hand going to the wound before he lunges for you. You yelp as you and the captain go tumbling down the steps. 

Fortune favours you and you land on top of the captain. Before he can make a noise, you raise the blade and plunge it into his chest. The captain's eyes widen in shock, his body convulsing beneath you before going still. You scramble to your feet, breathless and shaking, the dagger still clutched in your hand. 

Blood stains your clothes, but there's no time to dwell on it. The chaos around you is deafening, the clashing of swords and the cries of battle blending into a cacophony of violence.

You glance around, desperate for a way out. The Cursed Tempest's pirates are overwhelming the crew, and you know it's only a matter of time before Geto finds you on the ship as his crew is notorious for killing every soul on board. 

As you look around, your eyes lock on the bow and the murky waters below. You mutter a quiet prayer before beginning to sprint towards the bow, dodging the captain's corpse and hurrying up the steps, clutching your skirts in your hand. 

But before you can leap over the edge of the ship, arms wrap around your waist and pull you away. You grip your dagger tightly before plunging it into your captor's arm, making him yell and stumble back, releasing you. 

You barely register the pirate's yell as you break free from his grasp. Your heart pounds in your chest, adrenaline surging through your veins. Without hesitation, you turn and sprint for the bow once more, the edge of the ship your only hope of escape.

But before you can reach it, another set of hands grabs you, this time stronger and more determined. You twist around, dagger at the ready, only to find yourself face to face with Suguru Geto. His grip is ironclad, and his eyes bore into yours.

"What a pleasant surprise," He grins down at you. 

"Let me go," you hiss, trying to sound more confident than you feel.

"Was the captain your handy work?" He asks you, looking at the blood staining your clothes and hands. 

You meet his gaze defiantly, refusing to show any fear. "Yes," you reply, your voice steady despite the turmoil within. "He tried to stop me."

Geto's grin widens, his amusement clear. "Impressive," he says, almost approvingly. "But it changes nothing. You belong to me now."

Anger flares within you, and you struggle against his grip. "I belong to no one," you spit out, pulling out of his arms.

As you turn to face him, the hood of your cloak falls down and Geto's eyebrows rise. His eyes rake over you as he runs his tongue over his teeth. 

"I see why you hide under the cloak," He says. "A young woman that looks like you shouldn't travel alone"

You roll your eyes at his flattery, turning and picking up the bag of your belongings you had dropped during the fight with the Captain. 

"If you jump overboard, I'll come in after you but then you'll have to deal with me being irate at the inconvenience," Geto says. 

"I'm not going to jump," You mutter, making sure your jewels are still in the bag. "I figure if I'm stuck with you until you get bored, I might as well have my own clothes and belongings"

Geto watches you with a bemused expression as you gather your things. "Smart girl," he says, nodding appreciatively. "You value your possessions. That's good. It means you have something to lose."

"Touch my belongings and I'll cut your fingers off," You snap. 

Geto's grin widens, clearly entertained by your defiance. "Let me give you a piece of advice: threats are only effective if you can back them up."

You motion to your blood-stained clothing and then the captain's body. "I told him he'd regret it if he didn't let me go and look at that, he regrets it. I keep my promises"

Geto's amusement doesn't falter as he regards you, his eyes gleaming with a mix of intrigue and admiration. "You certainly do," he concedes, a hint of respect in his voice. "But there's a difference between a captain and a pirate. You may have caught him off guard, but you won't catch me so easily."

You tighten your grip on your belongings, refusing to show any sign of weakness. "I'm not afraid of you," you say, though your heart pounds in your chest.

"Nor should you be," Geto replies smoothly. "Fear is a wasted emotion. But respect, that's another matter entirely."

You meet his gaze defiantly, unwilling to let him see any vulnerability. "I'll show you respect when you earn it."

His grin widens, a glint of challenge in his eyes. "Spoken like a true survivor. I think we'll get along just fine, you and I. Come along, I'll give you a tour of the Cursed Tempest"

"Oh joy," You say dully as you walk across the wooden plank between the two ships.

Geto tilts his head to the side, watching your impeccable balance and posture before he shakes the plank of wood. His eyebrows rise as you continue walking with ease, entirely nonplussed by his actions as you step down onto the Cursed Tempest.

Geto chuckles at your lack of reaction, clearly amused by your composure. "Impressive," he remarks, falling into step beside you as you navigate the deck of the Cursed Tempest. "Most commoners usually fall off. Noble women usually have good balance though"

He watches as you hum nonchalantly but your gaze shifts away from him. "I suppose I'm a commoner blessed with good balance"

"Sure, sure," Geto nods, noticing the dark rings under your eyes. "Christ, when was the last time you slept?"

"Hmm," You stifle a yawn. "Two days ago? No three? I don't know. Sleeping on that ship was not a safe option"

"So you managed to kill a grown man on next to no energy reserves?" Geto asks with amusement lacing his tone. 

"I have many talents," You reply with a shrug, rubbing your hands together so the dried blood begins to flake off your skin.

Geto's eyebrows rise in appreciation. "Apparently so," he remarks, his tone a mix of admiration and curiosity. "But even the most talented need rest."

You shake your head, the exhaustion evident in your movements. "I'll sleep when I feel safe."

"Well, you're on the Cursed Tempest now," Geto says, gesturing around.

"Not by will," You retort. 

Geto chuckles softly. "True," he concedes, "but it's still an improvement from where you were. And believe it or not, I do have some standards. My crew knows better than to mess with someone under my protection."

You glance at him sceptically. "Protection? And what do you get out of this, Geto?"

He meets your gaze steadily, a smirk playing on his lips. "Consider it a mutually beneficial arrangement. I get the satisfaction of unravelling your mysteries, and you get a safe place to rest and gather your strength."

You hesitate, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on you. Finally, you nod. "Fine. But I won't hesitate to defend myself if anyone crosses the line."

"Understood," Geto replies, still amused. "Come, I'll show you to your quarters."

You follow him across the deck, your steps unsteady but determined. The crew watches curiously, but no one approaches or speaks. Geto leads you to a small cabin, opening the door and gesturing for you to enter.

The room is small but clean, with a narrow bed against one wall and a small porthole letting in the soft glow of moonlight. You step inside, taking in the modest but private space. Turning to Geto, you nod in acknowledgement.

"Thank you," you say, your voice soft but sincere.

He nods, his expression serious. "Get some rest, Yuna. There's water in here for you to clean the blood from your hands"

 You glance at the small basin of water and the cloth next to it, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks," you repeat, your voice even softer.

Geto lingers for a moment, his eyes studying your face. "We'll talk more in the morning," he says finally. "Sleep well, Yuna."

With that, he steps back, closing the door behind him. You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding, the tension in your shoulders slowly easing. You move to the basin, dipping the cloth in the cool water and gently scrubbing the dried blood from your hands. The repetitive motion is oddly soothing, and as the water turns pink, you feel some of the weight lift from your chest.

Once your hands are clean, you splash some water on your face, feeling the grime of the past few days wash away. You dry off with the cloth and turn to the narrow bed. The mattress is thin and the blanket rough, but it's more than you've had in days.

You lie down, the exhaustion seeping into your bones. For the first time in a long while, you feel a semblance of safety. The gentle rocking of the ship lulls you into a deep, dreamless sleep.

You wake to the soft light of dawn filtering through the porthole. For a moment, you forget where you are, disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. Then the events of the past days come rushing back, and you sit up, groaning as your muscles protest.

The small room is still quiet, and you take a moment to gather your thoughts. You know you can't let your guard down completely, but for now, you're grateful for the rest and the temporary reprieve from danger.

You pull your corset strings tightly, tying the laces before you pull on a clean dress. You sigh as you lace up your heeled boots before pulling part of your hair back and tying it with a ribbon.

As you step out of the cabin, the ship is already bustling with activity. The crew members are busy with their tasks, but you can feel their curious glances directed at you. Determined not to show any signs of discomfort, you lift your chin and make your way across the deck.

You spot Geto at the helm, speaking with his first mate. He catches sight of you and waves you over. "Morning, Yuna," he greets you, his tone surprisingly warm. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough," you reply, stopping a few feet away from him. "Why am I here?"

"I told you, I want to know your secrets," He shrugs.

"So I got abducted because you want to know my secrets?" You quirk an eyebrow as you lean against the railing.

"Pretty much, you intrigue me and believe me, that rarely happens," Geto replies. 

"Say I tell you my secrets," You begin as the wind whips your face. "What do I get in return?"

"What would you want in return?" 

"I want your word that you'll take me somewhere far from here," You say. "Far out of the reach of the Royal Navy"

"Oh?" Geto's eyebrow quirks at the little insight you drop. "Are you a criminal?"

"No," You shake your head. "I'm worse"

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"I'm a woman with a quick mind," You reply. "That is my sin. I am a woman who outsmarted the Navy"

Geto's eyes widen slightly, genuine surprise flickering across his face before he quickly regains his composure. "Impressive," he murmurs, his tone laced with admiration. "Outsmarting the Navy is no small feat. Especially for a woman in your position."

You hold his gaze, determination in your eyes. "I had no choice. My betrothed is a captain in the Royal Navy. He's influential, ruthless, and will stop at nothing to control me. Marrying him would have meant the end of my freedom."

Geto leans against the railing beside you, his expression thoughtful. "I see. And now he's using his power to hunt you down."

"Yes," you reply, your voice steady. "That's why I need to disappear completely. As long as he has any hope of finding me, he won't stop."

Geto nods slowly, understanding the gravity of your situation. "Alright," he says finally. "I give you my word. I'll help you disappear, far from the reach of the Royal Navy. But I want the full story"

"Oh also," You begin. "Next port town, I need some suitable clothes. Dresses and heeled boots aren't great on a ship"

Geto's lips curve into a faint smile at your request. "Consider it done," he says, his tone reassuring. "I'll have someone make arrangements for you in the next port town. It's a shame you spent so long hiding your face, you're quite the exquisite gem"

You roll your eyes in response to the pirate captain's attempts to flatter you, not even offering him a polite smile as you stare out at the ocean.

The next port town is huge, a well-known area for merchants and because there are merchant ships, it's a beacon for pirates who loot and pillage to their hearts' content. You side-eye the pirate Geto had stuck you with for the day. A lanky man with snow-white hair and bright blue eyes by the name of Satoru. 

"Smile princess," Satoru nudges you. "You look so miserable all of the time"

"Ah yes," You roll your eyes, accepting his hand to help you get off of the ship. "Let's see, I am here against my will, your Captain is obsessed with knowing my secrets and now I am stuck. Spending the day with you"

"You're getting free clothes," Satoru shrugs. "And I am a delight to be around"

"You drink too much rum," You mutter. 

"And you don't drink enough," He jibes, nudging you. 

"I like to keep my wits and smarts," You retort as Satoru pushes open the door to the tailors. "Though I suppose you lack both when you're not inebriated so it makes no difference for you"

"Ouch, you're mean," Satoru grins. 

"I know," 

"No one move," Satoru calls with a wide, boyish grin on his face as his hand rests on his cutlass. "I need some clothes making for the lovely lady next to me. By order of Captain Suguru Geto"

The tailor's shop falls silent as you and Satoru enter, the occupants eyeing you warily. Satoru's grin remains in place as he glances around, clearly enjoying the reaction his presence elicits.

You step forward, your posture regal despite the circumstances. "I need practical clothing for life aboard a ship," you say, your voice soft. "And quickly."

The tailor, a middle-aged woman with keen eyes, nods quickly. "Of course, miss," she replies, her hands already measuring you with quick efficiency. "We'll have everything ready for you within the hour."

You glance at Satoru, who is still smirking. "Satisfied?" you ask dryly.

"Very," he replies, leaning against the counter. "See, it's not so bad. You'll have new clothes in no time, and then you can stop complaining about your dresses."

You roll your eyes but remain silent, allowing the tailor to take your measurements. As she works, you can't help but think about your conversation with Geto. His promise to help you disappear weighs heavily on your mind, and you know you'll need to trust him if you're going to escape the clutches of the Royal Navy.

Back on the Cursed Tempest, you find Geto waiting for you on the deck. He's leaning against the railing, his expression unreadable as he watches the activity around him. As you approach, he straightens, his eyes locking onto yours.

"Enjoy your excursion?" he asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"It was tolerable," you reply, holding up the bundle of clothes the tailor had hastily prepared for you. "Thank you for arranging this."

He nods, his gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than necessary. "You're welcome, Yuna. Now, let's hear some more of your story"

"Naoya Zenin," You say and Geto's eyebrows fly up at the name. "That's who I was set to wed. A monster of a man. So I ran"

"So what's your real name?" Geto asks and you shake your head.

"A name has power," You say. "Power I don't trust you with yet"

Geto's eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn't press further. Instead, he nods in understanding. "Fair enough," he says, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. "You've given me enough to start with."

You cross your arms, eyeing him warily. "What about your secrets, Geto? What's your story?"

His smile widens, and for a moment, he looks almost boyish. "Ah, but that's not how this works. I'm the captain here. My secrets stay with me."

You roll your eyes, turning away to find your cabin. "Typical."

As you walk away, you hear him chuckle behind you. "Once you're changed, come back up to the deck. We're having a party tonight."

"Sure," you mutter, descending the steps and entering your cabin. You shove the chair under the door handle, ensuring no one can enter without your permission before you begin to change.

Tight black trousers hug your legs, emphasizing your form, and are topped with a pair of knee-high black boots that click softly against the wooden floor as you move. You pull on a white blouse, snug around your chest, and roll your eyes in annoyance as you tug on the black corset over it, tightening it to accentuate your figure. You adjust the laces, making sure the fit is just right.

The transformation feels almost empowering. You glance at your reflection in the small mirror, a smirk playing on your lips. The clothes fit perfectly, giving you a sense of control you haven't felt in a while. You consider tying your hair back with a ribbon but instead, you leave it to fall freely, framing your face and adding a touch of wildness to your look.

You take a deep breath, feeling a sense of readiness wash over you. This is a new chapter, and you intend to face it head-on. Stepping out of your cabin, you make your way back up to the deck, your boots clicking against the wooden steps with each confident stride.

As you emerge, the deck is already alive with activity. The crew is bustling about, setting up tables laden with food and drink, stringing up lanterns that cast a warm, inviting glow over the scene. The sound of laughter and music fills the air, creating an atmosphere of celebration and camaraderie.

Geto spots you immediately, his eyes lighting up with a mix of surprise and admiration as he takes in your new attire. He pushes away from where he had been leaning against the railing, making his way toward you with an easy, confident stride.

"Well, look at you," he says, his voice filled with genuine appreciation. "Those clothes suit you."

You roll your eyes, though a small part of you can't help but feel a flush of satisfaction at his compliment. "Enjoying yourself, Captain?"

"Always," he replies with a grin. "Come, let me introduce you to the crew properly."

You follow him through the throng of pirates, feeling their curious gazes as they take in your transformed appearance. Geto leads you to a group gathered around a table, the crew members nodding in greeting as you approach.

"This is Yuna," Geto announces, his arm gesturing grandly. "She'll be with us for a while."

One of the crew members, a burly man with a thick beard, grins at you. "Welcome, Yuna. Don't let Geto boss you around too much."

"I'll do my best," you reply with a polite smile.

Geto chuckles, slinging an arm around your shoulders. "Don't worry, she's already got me wrapped around her finger. She's quite the formidable woman."

You feel a mix of irritation and amusement at his words but let it slide, focusing on the atmosphere around you. The night is lively, filled with music, laughter, and the occasional cheer as someone wins a round of cards.

As the evening progresses, you find yourself relaxing, the tension in your shoulders easing. Geto stays close, introducing you to various crew members and ensuring you're never without a drink or something to eat. Despite his earlier bravado, he's surprisingly attentive, making sure you're comfortable.

At one point, he pulls you aside, away from the noise and bustle. "Having fun?" he asks, his tone genuine.

You nod, taking a sip of your drink. "More than I expected, honestly."

He smiles, his gaze softening. "Good. You deserve to enjoy yourself, Yuna. You're safe here."

For a moment, you allow yourself to believe him. The warmth of the lanterns, the sound of the sea, and the camaraderie of the crew create a bubble of safety and comfort that you haven't felt in a long time.

"So," he continues, leaning against the railing, "what did you think of the crew?"

You glance back at the rowdy group, a small smile tugging at your lips. "They're... interesting. In a good way."

He laughs, nodding. "They're a good bunch. Loyal to a fault. And now, they're loyal to you, too."

You raise an eyebrow, sceptical. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," he affirms. "I've told them you're under my protection. They won't let anything happen to you."

You look into his eyes, searching for any sign of deceit. But all you find is sincerity. "Why are you doing this, Geto? Really?"

He meets your gaze steadily, his expression earnest. "Because I see something in you, Yuna. Strength, resilience. And because I want to help you. No ulterior motives."

You nod slowly, feeling a strange sense of relief. "Thank you," you say softly.

He smiles, his hand brushing against yours. "You're welcome."

The night wears on, and as the party continues, you find yourself drawn into the camaraderie of the crew. Laughter and music fill the air, and for the first time in a long while, you feel a sense of belonging.

And through it all, Geto remains by your side, a steady presence in the chaos. As the night deepens and the stars twinkle overhead, you can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, you've found a place where you can be safe.

As the days turn into weeks, you find yourself settling into life on the Cursed Tempest. The crew quickly accepts you as one of their own, and Geto's protection ensures that you're treated with respect. Despite the initial uncertainty, you begin to feel a sense of belonging, a feeling that grows stronger each day.

Geto is a constant presence, his easy charm and genuine kindness drawing you in. You spend your days helping with various tasks on the ship, learning the ropes—literally and figuratively—and your nights are often spent in quiet conversation with Geto, sharing stories and laughter under the stars.

One evening, as the sun sets in a blaze of orange and pink, Geto finds you on the deck, gazing out at the horizon. He leans against the railing beside you, his shoulder brushing yours.

"You're quiet tonight," he remarks, his voice gentle.

You shrug, a small smile playing on your lips. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"About how different my life is now. How different it could have been if I hadn't run into you."

He turns to you, his expression serious. "Do you regret it?"

You shake your head, meeting his gaze. "No. Not for a second."

A smile tugs at his lips, and he reaches out, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. The touch is intimate, sending a shiver down your spine. "I'm glad to hear that."

You take a deep breath, the words you've been holding back for days finally spilling out. "Geto, I've been meaning to tell you something."

He raises an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eye. "Oh? Should I be worried?"

You laugh softly, shaking your head. "No, nothing like that. It's just... I've realized something. Being here, with you and the crew, it's the first time I've felt safe in a long time. The first time I've felt like I belong somewhere."

His expression softens, and he takes your hand in his. "Yuna, you do belong here. With us. With me."

Your heart skips a beat at his words, the sincerity in his voice making your chest tighten. "Thank you, Geto. For giving me this chance."

He steps closer, his hand still holding yours. "It's not just a chance, Yuna. It's a choice. And I'm glad you chose to be here. With me."

The air between you is charged with unspoken words, the connection between you growing stronger with each passing moment. You can see the longing in his eyes, a reflection of your own feelings.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Geto leans in, his gaze never leaving yours. Your breath hitches as he closes the distance, his lips brushing against yours in a tender, tentative kiss. The world seems to fade away, the only thing that matters is the warmth of his touch, the softness of his lips.

When he pulls back, his eyes search yours, seeking reassurance. "Is this okay?"

You nod, your heart pounding in your chest. "Yes. It's more than okay."

He smiles, the relief evident on his face. "Good. Because I don't want to rush you, Yuna. I want this to be right."

"Call me Y/N," You murmur. 

Geto's smile widens, his eyes lighting up with warmth. "Y/N," he repeats, the name rolling off his tongue as if it were always meant to. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

You blush, the sincerity in his words making your heart flutter. "Thank you, Suguru."

He leans in again, this time more confident, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that is both tender and passionate. You melt into him, your hands finding their way to his shoulders as you lose yourself in the moment.

The months fly by, and by now, everyone in the port towns and on the Cursed Tempest knows that you're Geto's woman, making you untouchable. Satoru becomes a close confidant, a pest at times but a pest with a heart of gold.

You smile, leaning against the railings of the ship as you look out at the sea. A ship in the distance makes you squint, leaning forward to get a better look at the sails. The large emblem on the sails makes your heart stop and a strangled gasp escapes your lips.

"What is it?" Suguru approaches you, concern evident in his eyes.

"That's his ship," you murmur, fear creeping into your voice. "Naoya's ship. If he finds out that I am on this ship—"

Suguru's expression hardens. "We'll handle this, Y/N. We won't let him take you."

You nod, but the anxiety gnawing at your insides doesn't dissipate. The ship grows closer, and before long, the clash of steel and the roar of battle fill the air as Naoya and his crew board the Cursed Tempest.

In the midst of the chaos, you find yourself face-to-face with Naoya. The sight of him, with his cruel eyes and twisted grin, sends a shiver down your spine. He lunges at you, and you react on instinct, ramming your dagger into his shoulder before ripping it out and kicking him in the side. He staggers but quickly regains his footing, his face splitting into a menacing grin.

"I have been searching all over for you," he says, his voice dripping with malice. "And I find you living a life of piracy? I am surprised."

"Your fight is with me, Naoya, not him," you say, your eyes flicking to Suguru before you look back to Naoya.

Naoya sneers, "Oh, I think I'll make him suffer too. It'll be more fun that way."

Before you can react, Naoya lunges at Suguru, their swords clashing with a deafening ring. Suguru fights back fiercely, but Naoya's sheer ruthlessness gives him an edge. You watch in horror as Naoya lands a brutal blow, knocking Suguru to the ground.

"No!" you scream, rushing to Suguru's side. But Naoya is relentless. He grabs you by the hair, dragging you away from Suguru and throwing you to the ground.

Pain blinds you as Naoya rams a small knife into your eye, and you shriek, the agony searing through you. Desperation fuels you as you strain your arm out to the side, stretching until your fingers wrap around the hilt of your dagger. With a swift motion, you ram the blade into the side of Naoya's head. His eyes widen in surprise as blood begins to spray over your face.

You gag, pushing Naoya away from you, wiping at your mouth as your left eye throbs in agony, blood pouring from the socket as you rip the blade out. Naoya's body collapses, lifeless, at your feet.

Suguru, regaining his strength, rushes to your side. "Y/N, oh God, Y/N," he murmurs, his hands trembling as he tries to assess your injury.

"I'll be okay," you gasp, though the pain is nearly unbearable. "We need to make sure the rest of his crew is dealt with."

Suguru nods, his jaw set with determination. "Satoru!" he calls out. "Finish off the rest of them!"

Satoru, his face smeared with blood and sweat, nods with a manic grin and rallies the crew, pushing back Naoya's men with renewed ferocity. As the battle rages on, Suguru gently cradles you in his arms. "We need to get you to Shoko," he says. 

You manage a weak smile. "Just... just make sure they don't win."

"They won't," he vows, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "I promise you, Y/N. They won't."

The crew of the Cursed Tempest fights with everything they have, and gradually, the tide of the battle turns in their favour. Naoya's men, seeing their leader fall, lose their resolve and begin to retreat.

Suguru carries you down to the infirmary where Shoko, the ship's healer, is already waiting, her expression serious as she takes in the sight of your injury. "Lay her down here," she instructs, pointing to a cot in the corner.

Suguru gently places you down, his hand lingering on yours. "She needs help, Shoko. Please."

Shoko nods, her face grim but determined. "I'll do everything I can," She moves quickly, gathering her tools and beginning to work on your eye. 

As the pain flares up again, you squeeze Suguru's hand, finding solace in his presence. He stays by your side, his eyes never leaving yours, whispering reassurances and promises that you cling to like a lifeline.

As Shoko begins her work, the sting of antiseptic and the precision of her tools are a stark contrast to the chaos of battle that still echoes in your mind. Suguru's hand remains intertwined with yours, his touch grounding you amidst the pain and uncertainty.

"I'm sorry, Y/N," Shoko murmurs solemnly after assessing the damage. "The eye is unsalvageable."

You feel a wave of numbness wash over you at her words, the reality sinking in slowly. Despite the pain, you manage a nod, steeling yourself against the loss. Suguru's grip on your hand tightens slightly, his silent support giving you strength.

Shoko continues her work diligently, cleaning and dressing the wound to prevent infection. The process is agonizing, each movement sending spikes of pain through your skull. Through it all, Suguru stays close, his presence a constant comfort.

As Shoko finishes up, she steps back with a sigh of relief. "It's done," she says softly, her expression sympathetic. "You'll need time to heal, but you're strong, Y/N. You'll get through this."

You muster a weak smile, though the weight of the loss is heavy. "Thank you, Shoko," you whisper, grateful for her skill and compassion.

Suguru leans in closer, brushing a strand of hair from your face. "You're incredible, Y/N," he murmurs, his voice filled with admiration and love. "We'll get through this together."

You lean into his touch, drawing strength from his unwavering presence. "Together," you repeat, the word a promise between you.

Months pass, and the Cursed Tempest becomes your sanctuary and battleground, a place where you've carved out a new identity. The left side of your face is now adorned with an eyepatch, a constant reminder of the battle with Naoya. The crew treats you with a mixture of respect and wariness, knowing full well the fierceness that lies beneath your calm exterior. And through it all, Suguru remains by your side, his love and support unwavering.

One evening, as the sun sets in a blaze of orange and pink, you find yourself once again leaning against the railings of the ship, the cool sea breeze ruffling your hair as you toy with the necklace around your neck, the jewels shining in the light of the setting sun. Suguru approaches, his presence as comforting as ever.

"How are you feeling today?" he asks, his eyes searching yours.

You offer him a small smile. "Better. It's still strange, having only one eye, but I'm adapting."

He nods, slipping an arm around your waist. "You're stronger than anyone I know, Y/N. You've been through so much, and yet here you are."

You lean into him, drawing comfort from his warmth. "I couldn't have done it without you, Suguru. You've been my anchor."

He tilts your chin up, his eyes locking onto yours. "And you're my everything, Y/N. We're a team. Always."

Just then, Satoru's voice breaks through the tender moment. "Hey lovebirds, get a room!" He saunters over, a playful grin on his face.

You chuckle, shaking your head. "Jealous, Satoru?"

"Me? Never," he replies, his grin widening. "Just making sure you two don't forget the rest of us exist."

Suguru laughs, giving Satoru a light shove. "We could never forget you, even if we tried."

"Come drink with us and be merry!" Satoru calls.

As the three of you head toward the gathering of crew members, the atmosphere is one of camaraderie and celebration. The sky is a deep indigo now, stars beginning to twinkle overhead. Lanterns cast a warm glow over the deck, illuminating the faces of your fellow pirates, who cheer as you join them.

Suguru keeps a protective arm around your waist, and you lean into his side, grateful for his presence. Satoru hands you a tankard of ale, grinning. "To surviving another day on the high seas!" he toasts, raising his drink.

The crew echoes his sentiment, tankards clinking together in a symphony of survival and unity. You take a sip, the bitter liquid a reminder of both the hardships and the triumphs you've experienced. You glance around at your comrades, their faces illuminated by the flickering light, and feel a surge of pride. These people have become your family, and this ship, your home.

As the night wears on, stories and laughter fill the air. Satoru, ever the entertainer, recounts tales of your adventures, embellishing them with dramatic flair. "And then, Y/N, with just one eye, took down Naoya Zenin! A true pirate queen if ever there was one!" he declares, his voice booming.

You roll your eye, but can't help the smile that tugs at your lips. "You're exaggerating again, Satoru."

He winks, unfazed. "Only slightly. You were magnificent."

Suguru squeezes your hand, his eyes filled with admiration. "He's right, you know. You are magnificent."

Blushing, you look down at your tankard. "It was a team effort. I couldn't have done it without all of you."

The crew cheers, raising their drinks once more in acknowledgment of your words. In this moment, the bond you share with them feels unbreakable, a testament to the trials you've overcome together.

As the night deepens and the revelry continues, you find a quieter spot on the deck, away from the noise. Suguru follows, his presence a comforting shadow. You sit on a crate, looking out at the dark, endless ocean, the gentle rocking of the ship soothing your thoughts.

Suguru sits beside you, his hand finding yours. "Thinking about the future?"

You nod, your mind a whirl of possibilities. "Yes. About what comes next. About us."

He turns to face you, his expression earnest. "Whatever comes, we face it together. You and me, Y/N. We've made it this far, and we'll keep going."

You smile, the warmth of his words seeping into your soul. "Together," you repeat, the promise echoing in your heart.

The sea stretches out before you, a vast expanse of unknowns. But with Suguru by your side, you feel ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead. The Cursed Tempest, your ship, your home, sails on into the night, carrying you toward new adventures, new battles, and new dreams. And through it all, you know you'll never be alone. 

"Captain Suguru Geto and Lady Y/N L/N," the tour guide announces to the group of museum visitors, her voice carrying a note of reverence as she stands before a grand portrait. The painting depicts a tall man with raven black hair and piercing purple eyes, standing proudly beside a beautiful woman with an eyepatch covering one of her eyes. The couple's regal bearing is evident, their figures exuding strength and determination.

The guide smiles warmly, gesturing to the portrait. "This is one of our most treasured pieces, depicting two of the most legendary figures in pirate history. Their story is one of adventure, resilience, and enduring love."

She leads the group closer, her voice dropping slightly as she begins the tale. "Lady Y/N L/N was not always a pirate queen. Born into nobility, she was set to wed a man named Naoya Zenin, a cruel and ruthless individual. Fearing for her safety and unwilling to be trapped in such a life, she made the daring decision to run away. Disguising herself as a commoner, she sought refuge in the bustling port towns, living a life of anonymity and hardship."

The visitors listen intently, their eyes on the portrait as the guide continues. "Y/N's beauty and grace did not go unnoticed, even in her new life. However, it was her strength and resilience that truly captivated Captain Suguru Geto, the feared and revered leader of the pirate ship, the Cursed Tempest. Geto, known for his sharp intellect and unyielding will, saw something extraordinary in Y/N. Despite her efforts to remain hidden, their paths crossed in the most unexpected of circumstances."

She pauses, allowing the story to sink in before continuing. "Geto's fascination with Y/N was immediate and profound. He recognized in her a kindred spirit, someone who had also chosen a life of defiance against a world that sought to control them. But their story did not start entirely happy. He took her onto his ship after attacking a merchant ship she was aboard"

The guide continues, her voice tinged with emotion. "Despite the chaos and bloodshed of the raid, Geto saw potential in Y/N after she killed the Captain of the merchant ship. He offered her a choice: join his crew or be left to fend for herself. Y/N, with no other viable options and a burning desire to escape her past, reluctantly agreed."

The visitors are silent, absorbed in the unfolding drama. "At first, Y/N was wary of Geto and his crew. She kept to herself, learning the ways of the pirates and proving her worth through her skills and resilience. Over time, the initial distrust began to fade, replaced by a growing respect and camaraderie."

"Geto, too, found himself increasingly drawn to Y/N. Her strength, intelligence, and unyielding spirit matched his own, and it wasn't long before their mutual admiration blossomed into something deeper."

The guide smiles softly, her eyes reflecting the depth of the tale. "Together, they led the Cursed Tempest to new heights, becoming legends in their own right. Their love story, forged in the fires of adversity, became a beacon of hope and defiance for those who dared to dream of a life free from tyranny."

As the group moves on to the next exhibit, the guide lingers for a moment, her gaze resting on the portrait of the legendary couple. "Captain Suguru Geto and Lady Y/N L/N," she murmurs, "a testament to the power of love and the strength of the human spirit. And that ladies and gentlemen is the legend of the Cursed Tempest"

taglist- @sad-darksoul @lik0

[dinosaurtsukki]

haikyuu!! buzzfeed unsolved AU

OK THIS IS THE LAST BUZZFEED UNSOLVED RELATED HEADCANON SET I PROMISE 

[edit: check out the link at the bottom of the post for more buzzfeed unsolved au content :)]

hinata and kageyama:

90% of the show is them yelling and nobody watches it with earphones on

both of them believe in ghosts but that doesn't mean they want to see one

hinata will literally go to the bathroom five times before going to the spooky house and kageyama gets mad at him for it but there is Fear in his eyes

producer: 'were you scared?'

kageyama: 'pfft, no'

cameraman: *points camera down to show that kageyama's legs are shaking*

they also bring a shit ton of food with them when they stay the night at a place and they'll deadass be eating while talking about the history of the place

‘this house *crunch crunch* was built in *crunch crunch* 1972'

the producers tell them to stop bringing snacks but fans of the show love it

sometimes they'll shoot a mini mukbang video

SPICY, BARBECUE POTATO FRIES | Mukbang at the Waverly Hills Asylum'

hinata: *looking up how to do a seance on wikihow* it says we gotta offer some food for the spirit

kageyama: *spills the doritos he was eating on the table

*after 20 minutes*

kageyama: fuck this

hinata: *starts eating the doritos*

producer: ...

the ghosts: ..................the, audacity

tsukishima and yamaguchi

pretty much a ryan and shane duo right here

yamaguchi: we'll be visiting this place as part of our ongoing investigation on the question, are ghosts real?

tsukishima: *shakes head*

yamaguchi just wants to see the look of fear in tsukishima’s eyes at least once

yamaguchi: *hears a random thump sound* fUCk tSuKkI a gHoSt!!!

tsukishima: *sees a chair being tossed across the room* huh, the wind is pretty strong today

he likes to stick his head into attics to scare yamaguchi

yamaguchi always carries a water gun full of holy water

yamaguchi: i have holy water with me and i'm not afraid to use it! but i'm also sorry you had to die such a horrible death i hope you find peace soon

tsukishima: *walks into a basement that is supposedly a portal to hell* fuckin’ take me already

so many 'yamaguchi being an angel and tsukishima being a demon for 10 mins' video compilations 

daichi and sugawara

a very chaotic buzzfeed unsolved duo

suga, who is satan’s child himself, and daichi, who needs a raise

daichi: hello everyone! this is daichi,

sugawara: and suga

daichi: and you’re watching...

sugawara: jackass!!

daichi:...buzz...buzzfeed unsolved??

daichi started out being afraid of almost every place he had to walk into but after having to deal with the chaotic mess that is suga for an entire season, he no longer Feels Fear

this is because suga will deadass film a tiktok dance video no matter where he is

daichi: suga, someone was literally axe-murdered there

suga: *dancing along to ‘I’m a Savage’ or whatever that tiktok song is called*

daichi: *at cameraman* do you see what i have to deal with every day?’

suga is only genuinely scared by ghosts when his followers point out that a ghost was caught on camera in one of his tiktok videos

suga: *watching the video*

that was the end of suga’s tiktok career

tanaka and nishinoya:

another bunch of loud bois but they are much louder than kageyama and hinata

they’re very much into proving the existence of cryptids and are most known for that episode they spent hunting bigfoot by dressing up to look like bigfoot

tanaka: ‘you know that thing they do in cartoons where they stack on top of each other under a coat so they look like just one big guy?’

nishinoya: ‘ryuu i love you so fucking much’

other guy there who is also trying to catch bigfoot: oMg ItS bIgFooT *takes picture with the blurriest camera he could find*

both of them are very committed in their investigation of the supernatural and they’re very unconventional approaches

nishinoya: *lying on the ground in a creepy basement* EAT MY HEART DEMONS! WE’LL PUT THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE!

tanaka: *takes out a spirit board* *spells out O-M-A-E  W-A  M-O  S-H-I-N-D-E-I-R-U*

ghost: *spells out N-A-N-I*

tanaka and nishinoya: *screaming*

kuroo and kenma: 

kuroo deadass flirts with any ghost or demon they encounter and kenma would sleep over in a haunted asylum for ten bucks

kuroo: *sidles up to the infamous annabelle doll* hey there little lady, what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a locked, glass case with a ‘don’t touch’ sign like this?

kenma: kuroo, there’s a demon inside her

kuroo: well, i’m a bit of a demon myself

kenma: she attempted to choke a guy in his sleep

kuroo: oooh, choking. i can get behind that...

kenma: *looks at camera*

the demon in annabelle: d-daddy??

“kuroo flirting with demons and kenma looking at the camera for 5 minutes”

kuroo’s actually a huge fucking scaredy cat and kenma secretly tries to push him over the edge

kenma: *plays computer-generated screams of the damned on his phone*

kuroo: WHAT WAS THAT?

kenma: ...I didn’t hear anything *looks at the camera as if he was on the office and plays the sound again*

kuroo: i was too scared to close my eyes last night

kenma: i was actually able to catch a bunch of pokemon last night. who knew the winchester mansion is such a hotspot

producer: did you catch any evidence of ghosts?

kenma: ...i caught a gastly

bokuto and akaashi:

bokuto is a die-hard mothman fan and akaashi is emotionally involved in proving that ghosts exist he will stop at nothing

akaashi: all of the evidence on the shadow figures and orbs spotted in this place can only suggest one thing...

bokuto: mothman did it

akaashi: no

bokuto: yes

akaashi: mothman is literally five states away

bokuto: he has wings

during their individual investigations, akaashi has already foreseen how bokuto is going to react

producer: it’s been quiet for a while. do you think bokuto’s no longer scared?

akaashi: oh no. he should be screaming right about now...

bokuto, inside the haunted house: *screams and waves his flashlight around*

akaashi:  and then he’s gonna call for help

bokuto: AKAAAAAASHIIIIIIIIII

*few hours later*

bokuto: i saw my life flash before my eyes in there

akaashi: *muttering incoherently near his ‘evidence wall’ full of blurry pictures and red string*

bokuto: i must’ve stared into the abyss at one point

akaashi: this place is fucking haunted. can i go back? it’s for sale right?

ushijima and tendou:

ushijima’s knowledge of ghosts is based on hollywood movies and tendou has exorcised places just by vibing

ushijima: *brings out a pottery wheel* if there are any ghosts in here, you know what to do

he’s actually never watched Ghost he just knows That One Scene

tendou: *naruto-running through the goatman bridge with a go-pro strapped to his head* IT’S MY BRIDGE GOATMAN, IT’S MY BRIDGE!!!

the Goatman Himself: i’ve never felt so fucking scared in my entire fucking life

ushijima believes that chanting in latin will Summon the Ghosts and tendou takes full advantage of that

tendou: *handing ushijima a slip of paper* here, apparently this will summon a full-bodied apparition

ushijima: thanks *begins chanting*

producer, interviewing tendou to the side: okay, what did you make him read this time?

tendou: i typed out ‘let me eat your ass’ in latin on google translate and went from there

cameraman: *zooms in on ushijima chanting*

the ghost haunting the castle: *is confused in French*

in the end neither of them get evidence on ghosts

ushijima: well, we'll have better luck next time

tendou: maybe even revisit this place ?

the ghosts: i know i'm dead but this is the first time i've been scared for my life

[EDIT: for more buzzfeed unsolved au content written by me, check out The Search for the Mysterious Mothman, a headcanon set feat. bokuaka]

[therainroguefanfiction]

Frightful October ’21 🎃 #16 ~ Bookclub Psycho (Chiaki Ryou)

Genre: Fluff, Horror

Word Count: 3,304

Pairing: Reader x Chiaki

World: Water Polo Yankees / Suikyu Yankisu

Table of Contents

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

When class finally came to an end, you started to pack up your belongings, humming softly to yourself. Chiaki approached your desk, leaning his palms on the surface before leaning down to peck your lips, bringing a smile to your face.

"Your book club is today, right?"

"Yup."

He nodded, pulling the chain from around his neck, unclasping it before placing it around your neck. He did this every single time the two of you went separate ways, claiming it would protect you in his absence. You doubted it had that power, but the thought warmed your heart. "Text me when you get there, okay? As soon as practice ends, me and Miyaguchi will come get you and we can grab some food."

"Sounds good." You stood up, putting your bag over your shoulder. "I love you, Ryou."

His smile was bright as he leaned in again, claiming your lips. This kiss lasted a bit longer than the first, his thumb brushing across your cheek. "I love you, too, Y/N. See you soon."

You followed him to the door where Miyaguchi was waiting and he offered you a little wave before the two boys headed down the hall to head to practice. You headed in the opposite direction, feeling excited for this month's book meeting because you loved murder mysteries and also Halloween and this month's book was a mixture of both. You had finished the book in just two days, a new record for you, and you had a lot to say about it.

You breathed in deeply when you stepped outside, enjoying the brisk chill of Autumn. The world around you was alive with shades of orange and brown, leaves dancing on the breeze before finally hitting the ground, crunching beneath feet. There was just something so peaceful about this time of year and you loved it.

It felt as if nothing could go wrong.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

The book club was held at the college campus' gymnasium. Folding chairs were arranged in a large circle for the meeting and a long table sat off to the side, filled with various snacks and drinks. There was also a cooler sitting on the ground filled with ice and drinks. Most of the group had arrived already and were chatting excitedly with one another.

You approached the snack table first, snatching up a few of Yukiko's Halloween cookies - pumpkin spice with white chocolate chips - and a bottle of ice-cold water to wash it down. Naomi glanced up from the group she was sitting with and excused herself when she saw you. Her smile was bright as she approached you.

"Hey, glad to see you again." Naomi was a second year in university so she was often busy and, despite being friends with her, you really only saw her during these meetings.

You returned the smile, quickly chewing your cookie before answering. "Good to see you, too." Your eyes scanned the room, taking in the familiar faces and the new. "There seem to be more people than last month."

She nodded, moving closer to you as she started to motion toward the new people. "You see that boy with the white hair? He just moved here a week ago, name's Akito. Pretty cute, right? Sadly, he's got a girlfriend already. And that girl there with the pigtails is Yumi. She's pretty shy but really sweet. She's also a high schooler but she goes to Suiran. Oh oh, and that guy there, he wouldn't give me his real name, he just asked me to call him Ryuu. He's quite mysterious, doesn't offer much information about himself and keeps his sentences short. He's so gorgeous though, don't you think?"

Your eyes followed her finger as she pointed out each person and when she got to Ryuu, you couldn't help but stare. There was something... off about him. Maybe it was the black suit he wore, the jacket replaced by leather the same color. His hair was also black and shiny, the left side long enough that it completely covered half of his face. He sat alone, his chair pushed back so he was just outside the circle, one leg crossed over the other as his dark eyes observed the others. And then they snapped to you as if he could sense you staring at him. An uncomfortable feeling overcame you and you quickly tore your gaze away, focusing on old Yukiko-san as she gave her cookie recipe to Jane, a half-Japanese housewife, and mother of three.

"Ooo, he's looking at you!" Naomi teased, nudging you gently in the ribs. "Too bad you're taken. Break it to him gently." She paused for a moment before grinning. "Or don't. Maybe I can score points by comforting him!"

You chuckled at her antics, secretly hoping that he didn't approach you. You could still feel his eyes on you and it was making you feel uneasy.

Kuro-san clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention, waiting a moment for the chatter to die out before he spoke, a smile on his face. "Welcome everyone, old and new, to the Kaishin University book club! Last month, we assigned this book to read." He held up the small paperback book featuring a bloody Jack-o-Lantern and the words 'Jack-o-Killer' in bold above it. "I hope everyone was able to finish on time because it's time to discuss! For those who have just joined, feel free to skip this part if you don't want spoilers." He waited a moment but no one moved. "Perfect. If you'll all grab a seat, we can get started."

The group started to converge on the chairs, each person taking a seat. You and Naomi ended up sitting directly across from Ryuu, who was still staring at you. You tried to ignore it, but you were growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Now, who wants to begin?" Kuro-san smiled, looking around the group.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

The meeting ended an hour and a half later. Most of the group had left already, leaving behind only a few people who were finishing up their conversation or their snacks. Kuro-san was cleaning up, folding the chairs, and carrying them to the other side of the gym where the stage sat. His brow furrowed in pain and a soft grunt passed his lips every time he lifted one up. You knew he had a bad back so you hugged Naomi goodbye before heading over to him.

"If you'd like, I can finish cleaning up for you, Kuro-san."

"You're always too kind to me, Y/N-chan," he smiled gratefully at you. "I'll make sure to bring you something nice to snack on next month."

You brightened up. "Some chocolate chip cookies from your wife? She always makes them so soft and gooey."

"I'll let her know," he chuckled, patting your arm. "Just fold the chairs and set them against the stage. The table needs to be folded and put in in that side closet over there."

"Understood. Get home safe."

"You, too."

Kuro-san grabbed the cooler from the table before leaving the gymnasium with the rest of the group. You finished putting the chairs away first since that was the easiest job and then you moved on to the table. The rest of the snacks had been taken home by whoever had brought them, leaving behind paper plates, crumbs, and plastic wrap. You grabbed as much as you could, throwing them into the large bin before you took off the plastic tablecloth, carefully folding it and setting it aside so you could fold the table. There were brackets on the bottom that held it open and you had to fidget with the button to try and release the bracket but it still didn't budge.

"Need a hand?"

You cried out in surprise, bumping your head on the underside of the table. Your hand held your head as you stood up, feeling your skull throb from the impact. Standing directly behind you and uncomfortably close was Ryuu, a cocky smirk on his lips and his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket.

"Didn't mean to scare you."

You forced a smile, wishing he would step back to give you some room to breathe. "Oh, um, it's okay. Thank you for the offer, but I've got it."

"You don't seem to have it," he commented. His tone annoyed you.

"It's not my first time cleaning up, I can handle it."

"Okay." But he didn't make a move to step away from you.

You wanted to tell him to go home but you didn't want to be rude, especially since he was now part of the book club. You had never liked confrontation which is why Ryou was such a good match for you - he never hesitated to stick up for you when you couldn't bring yourself to do it. Thinking of him made you feel safe and you glanced at the clock on the wall. His practice should be ending soon and he'll be on his way to you. If Ryuu is still here, your boyfriend won't hesitate to tell him off. On instinct, your hand came up to cup the pendant on the chain.

Ryuu noticed this, his eyes flicking to the necklace before back to your face. "Are you going home alone? Let me take you. It's not safe to be out alone at night, especially during this time of year."

Why did that sound so threatening to you? Clearing your throat, you started to edge along the table to get away from him but he matched your steps easily with his long legs. "I've lived here my whole life, I know my way around just fine."

"Even so," he hummed, slapping his hands onto the table on either side of you, boxing you in. "No one can prepare when someone is intent on hurting them."

You glared at him, trying to hide your fear but you knew it was showing on your face as clear as day. "You're invading my space, please step back."

"What are you going to do if I say no?" He quirked a brow and, with the flick of his wrist, he produced a switchblade from his sleeve, the blade glinting under the bright lights of the gym. "No one can prepare when someone appears before them brandishing a blade. Some human beings experience fight or flight and in my experience, they usually run rather than take their chances. However..." he lifted the blade, gently running it across your cheek. The metal was cold against your skin and you held back a shiver. "Most people experience something else - they completely freeze up. These are my favorite victims. They make it so easy! So, let me ask you, Y/N." He leaned toward your ear, his hot breath fanning across your skin. "Which one are you?"

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

Chiaki scowled over his shoulder at his best friend, waiting at the top of the hill for him to catch up. "Will you hurry up, Miyaguchi? We're already late!"

Miyaguchi huffed, regretting how hard he had practiced because his legs were like jelly. "I'm doing my best!"

As soon as he reached the top of the hill, Chiaki took off again, half jogging the rest of the way down the street to the gymnasium. The doors were closed, the lights off, and you were nowhere in sight. He pulled out his phone and called you, listening for the chime of your phone that would lead him to you but the night remained silent, the full moon shining overhead. The phone continued to ring and ring until it eventually went to voicemail, prompting a frown from him. Not answering his calls wasn't like you at all, especially when you knew he was coming to pick you up. After trying the call again and getting the same result, he approached the door and gave it a tug sideways. It wasn't locked so it slid open easily, revealing the pitch-black room.

"Y/N?" he called out, his voice echoing. "You here?"

Silence answered him.

Miyaguchi peered around the doorway with a frown, feeling a bit scared by just how dark it was inside. "You told them we were coming, right?"

"Of course, I did," he muttered, feeling worry tugging at his heart. Where were you? Did you get tired of waiting and went home with one of your club members? That seemed like the likely option but he couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. "Miyaguchi, can you walk around and see if you can find anyone?"

"Yeah, sure." Miyaguchi was happy to get away from the scary gymnasium and would gladly take the chilly wind over the seemingly endless darkness inside.

Chiaki on the other hand wasn't the least bit bothered by the darkness if it meant he could find you. He flicked the flashlight on and stepped inside, sweeping the light from one side of the gym to the other. He saw the folded chairs neatly resting against the side of the stage and the snack table sitting a few feet away. And then he noticed your phone beneath the table. He had almost missed it but the light reflected off it just as he started to turn. He knew it was yours before he even picked it up and his fist clenched around the object tighter than he meant to.

"Y/N!" he yelled out, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. "Where are you, baby?"

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

You moved slowly, trying to wiggle your hands free of the thin yellow ropes that bound your wrists behind you. A piece of duct tape was placed over your mouth to muffle your sounds. Ryuu stood in front of the door, peering through the tiny crack he had made as Chiaki swept through the gym. Despite the darkness of the room, you could see the glint of the blade whenever the flashlight swept across the door. You were terrified that your boyfriend was going to open the door and get a knife to the gut. Ryuu certainly wasn't against using it - he had proved that when he sliced into your cheek and carved an R into the skin beneath your jaw. You were honestly terrified and just wanted to see your boyfriend's face one last time because you were sure you were going to die. At the very least, you would die so he could live.

You felt the rope give way, loosening up around your wrists and you paused, waiting to see if he had noticed but he didn't move. Whatever you planned to do, you needed to do it before he could hurt your boyfriend. You heard his steps getting closer as he called out your name, the light steady on the door. Surely he must see it cracked open and see the eye peering out, right? Time seemed to slow. His footsteps were so loud to you, easily overpowering the sound of your heart pounding in your ears. You glanced around, trying to find something you could use as a weapon but this storage closet was frustratingly bare, at least of anything that might do any damage to him.

"Y/N? Are you here? Baby, this isn't funny!" He stopped outside the door, reaching for the handle as Ryuu clenched the blade tighter, prepared to strike.

"Chiaki!" Miyaguchi came running into the gym with Naomi close behind, both of them breathing heavily from the run.

He paused, turning away from the door. "What, did you find her? Who's this?"

Naomi had gotten the gist of what was happening so she skipped the pleasantries and just told them her name. "Is Y/N really missing?"

"We can't find her," Chiaki frowned, gripping his phone tighter. "When did you see her last?"

Naomi's brow furrowed. "We were talking and then she saw Kuro-san struggling to put the chairs away. He was in an accident last year and has a bad back and she usually offers to help him. Most everyone had gone home by then..."

"Please think harder," Miyaguchi pleaded. "Did anyone stand out to you? Did you see anyone when you left?"

She was quiet for a moment before her eyes widened. "I was the last to leave, but... Ryuu's motorcycle was still in the parking lot. He doesn't live on campus."

Ryuu started to back away from the door, his jaw clenched. This is not how this was supposed to go! He hated it when things didn't go his way. He turned around to look at you and you decided it was time to act. With a battle cry, you lowered your body and rushed at him, your shoulder colliding with his lower ribs. The force sent both of you tumbling through the door and hitting the ground hard. Though winded, Ryuu was seeing red. The two of you fought for dominance but he won easily, slamming your back against the ground and raising the blade above you, aiming for your chest.

Naomi, Miyaguchi, and Chiaki were frozen in shock, staring at the scene as they tried to process what they were seeing.

Naomi was the first to react, releasing a loud gasp. "Ryuu!"

Chiaki rushed forward, anger flashing through his eyes. "Get your hands off of my fiancé!" His foot came into contact with the blade, sending it flying across the floor but Ryuu wasn't weak by no means. He jumped up and punched Chiaki in the stomach, causing the teen to clench his teeth in pain, but no way in hell was he going to let this psychopath get away with hurting you. They continued to exchange blows with neither showing any sign of backing down.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Miyaguchi fell to his knees beside you, his eyes wide as he looked at the wounds on your face and neck, still oozing blood but beginning to crust over.

But you couldn't focus on him and his concern. You forced yourself to your feet despite his insistence that you rest and you used the last of your strength to throw yourself at Ryuu, grabbing onto whatever you could to try and bring him down to the ground. He had been so focused on Chiaki that he had forgotten all about you and wasn't able to catch his balance when you grabbed him, sending both of you to the floor. Adrenaline coursed through your veins, mingling with anger as everything crashed down on you at once. You didn't even register the fact that you were punching him until arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you off of him. Your knuckles hurt and were bloody, just like his face. He lay on the ground unmoving, his nose broken and eye bruised.

"Baby, calm down," Chiaki said in your ear, his voice calming but it shook a little because of his nerves. "It's okay. You're okay."

You collapsed into his arms, your shoulders shaking as you held back tears, clinging to him as if he were your lifeline. "I thought... you were going to d-die," you sobbed, words muffled by his tank top.

He held you protectively, one hand resting on the back of your head as he shushed you. "I'm not going anywhere, Y/N. I'm right here, alive and well. I will never leave you."

You slowly lifted your head so you could look into his eyes, full of love and warmth for you. "Ryou..."

"Yes, love," he replied softly, bringing his hand to your cheek.

"Earlier, you... you called me your f-fiancé..."

A grin split across his lips and he nodded. "You've been my fiancé since the day we met. I knew immediately that I would spend the rest of my life here with you."

A fresh round of tears blurred your vision and you buried your face in his chest.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

[dkronpa]

Chapter 4: The Sky is Just a Skip Away ~Investigation~

//This did take longer than expect, and I apologise. I won’t lie and say that I expect to get through the trial quickly since I do go back to college but I will do my best to try and write when I can! As always, I hope you enjoy!

-Chapter 4 Deadly Life, Ultimate Romance Expert’s Talent Lab-

 Everyone eventually had gathered at the scene of the crime, unable to describe what they were seeing. Just earlier today I was talking with Kurohiko-san and now…that’s not even getting started on Asano-san. Asano-san? Dead? Who would even think of killing Asano-san? She never stopped thinking about what she could do for everyone, and Kurohiko-san was always available for emotional support whenever somebody needed it. Why…? Why them?

 “This is not good. Not in the slightest.” Kurosaki-san tipped his hat down. “Investigating two murders in one with the same amount of time for one murder? I don’t like these odds.”

 “I have to agree.” Sly-san crossed his arms. “Right off the bat, I have my own issues with this as well, but I can talk about that stuff at the trial. Speaking of which, he should be arriving now.”

 “Ah! You’d be right.” Monokuma popped up, pausing for a few moments. “…ah, no yells in terror. I’m gonna miss that guy, y’know? What a character. Oh well! Just how the killing game goes, right?” Monokuma chuckled, clearly not too beat up over the situation.

 “Hold on now, I have some questions to ask of you. After all, this is a completely different kind of investigation for us.” Kurosaki-san said.

 “Ah, yeah! This is the first time we’ve had to investigate two corpses! What’s the protocol for that?” Graves-san asked.

 “Protocol? I guess you mean who you guys are voting for in the trial. Y’see, in the class trial, I believe in ‘first come, first served’! Meaning the first corpse will be the one you’re voting on!” Monokuma said. The first corpse, huh? Then I guess first order of business will be discerning which corpse is that ‘first’.

 “I see…the first corpse.” Sly-san murmured it to himself.

 “But wow! Two key players in a row? Your investigation will be rough…but I’m here to make it a little lighter with our recurring sponsor! The Monokuma File! Don’t worry, both of your victims are there! So, happy investigating!” Monokuma disappeared. I looked around at everyone left. There’s eight of us. Half of our original total. A lot less people left to help with the investigation.

 “Right! We should decide who’ll stay behind to look after the crime scene!” Graves-san said, “I’m up for doing it this time around!”

 “No…I don’t want anyone else looking after this place.” Amaterasu-san growled.

 “Huh? Are you saying you wanna do it by yourself? It’s always been at least 2 people keeping watch over the scene.” Okanaya-kun said. Amaterasu-san had a pained look on her face. The most emotion she had shown since we got here. It’s easy to forget, but she really cared about Kurohiko-san and Asano-san.

 “Is it alright to let Amaterasu-san look after the scene by herself this time?” Kirishima-san asked. “I-it’s just…it must be a tough situation for her…and we’ll all be coming in and out of here anyway! There’s no reason to worry, right? S-so…”

 “Rina-chan…” Amaterasu-san looked up, “thanks. I appreciate that. If you wanna leave anyone with me, I’ll accept Rina-chan.”

 “A-ah, is that so?” Kirishima-san smiled shyly as she filtered her hair between her fingers, “I don’t mind doing it. As long as I can help out somehow.”

 “C…can I stay as well?”

 “Yokozawa-kun?” Kirishima-san tilted her head. Yokozawa-san looked really pale, almost like he was gonna throw up.

 “I, uh…I just…this is a lot, so…I’m not sure I’m up for moving about much. S-sorry, I don’t think I could be much use outside of just watching over this place…” He apologised, holding his stomach almost in pain.

 Kirishima-san walked over to him and placed her hands on his cheeks, making him look into her eyes, “Please don’t apologise! This one will be hard for everyone, and we’ll all react differently! If you need anything, let me know! Even if it’s just a glass of water! I’ll run straight to the cafeteria and get some!”

 “K-Kirishima-san…”

 “I’m glad you’ve become so dependable, Mademoiselle Kirishima.” Kurosaki-san smiled a little.

 “Ah, is that so? That makes me happy to hear.” Kirishima-san giggled. “Okay. We need to do our best again to find the truth…so…let’s do it!”

 Everyone seemed really encouraged by Kirishima-san’s words. Which is good in a situation like this, the higher our morale is, the better. We have more work on our hands, another truth we need to find. I won’t let this go unsolved.

 ­Investigation Start!

 I opened up the Monokuma File to see what kind of information Monokuma provided this time. The first page was of Kurohiko-san, a pink splotch over his chest, around here his heart is. The next page was Asano-san, the pink splotch was located on her forehead. I scrolled to the next page.

 The victims are Doi Kurohiko and Mami Asano. Both bodies were found in the Ultimate Romance Expert’s Talent Lab. Both victims died within 5 minutes of each other from gunshot wounds after the night-time announcement.

 “Huh? Night-time?” I said out loud. “How late is it?”

 “What are you saying? The night-time announcement played a long time ago. Don’t you remember?” Kirishima-san asked.

 “A-ah…really?” I must’ve been so absorbed in what Amaterasu-san and I were doing that I didn’t even register it playing, “sorry, I’ve been distracted all day…guess I just didn’t remember.”

 “I don’t blame you. Everybody’s been really preoccupied today.” Kirishima-san let out a sigh.

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Monokuma File 4

Doi Kurohiko - Shot through the heart

Mami Asano - Shot through the head

Deaths occurred within minutes after night-time.

-

 Amaterasu-san was looking solemnly at Asano-san and Kurohiko-san, barely moving. She could be mistaken for a statue. “Why did this happen to them? It doesn’t make any sense…nobody hated them.”

“Amaterasu-san…” I looked for something to say to comfort her, but nothing came to me.

 “I’ll suck it up for now. I suppose you’re wondering about my alibi, right?”

 “Huh? You’re alibi?”

 “Well, we were separated for about an hour. You never realised how long you were gone?” Man, how out of it was I? “I suppose it makes sense after what we saw…I can tell you, but the problem is that if someone questions me, I can’t confirm anything without endangering the archive.”

 “So, you were just continuing your research during that time…you never left?” I asked.

 “Nope. I know it’s not really an alibi but it’s the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.” Amaterasu-san turned her attention back to the scene. I think I do believe Amaterasu-san. It’s true, there’s no evidence yet for me to believe her, but…I want to at least believe Amaterasu-san wouldn’t do this.

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Amaterasu-san’s Account

Amaterasu was in the archive during the murder, researching as much as she could even after Ryuu left for a walk.

-

 “It’s just awful, don’t you think?” Kirishima-san asked, a crestfallen look upon her face. “Asano-san was so kind, and Kurohiko-kun was just so wonderful to everyone…I hate this so much. We have to figure out what happened for their sakes.”

 “Of course. By the way, Kirishima-san. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but where were you today during the murder? I haven’t seen you all day.”

 “Ah! Right! I’ve been in my Talent Lab the whole day. The stress of the situation was getting to me, so I thought I could work through the worry. I stayed in my lab until the night-time announcement played. Then I headed to my room and was about to sleep, that’s when the body discovery announcement played.”

 “You left the building after the night-time announcement? Did anybody see you so we can confirm that?”

 Kirishima-san thought for a moment. She opened her mouth a little but seemed hesitant. “It’s just…the only person I remember seeing was…A-Asano-san…”

 “Huh? You saw Asano-san right after the night-time announcement?!”

 “W-we were just passing by each other! We just exchanged ‘hellos’ and went on our ways…thinking about it now, she must have been coming here and then…” Then she died…which means Kirishima-san is the last person to have seen Asano-san alive. It doesn’t look good for her, but there’s no way Kirishima-san’s the killer…

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Kirishima-san’s Account

She was in her Talent Lab until the night-time announcement before heading back to the dorms. As she was leaving, she ran into Asano as she was leaving, making her the last to see Asano alive.

-

 “Yokozawa-san?” I walked over to Yokozawa-san who was stuck, paled in the corner. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with watching over the scene? You don’t seem totally with it today.”

 “I’m sorry, it’s just…th-this is a lot to take in. Y’know, it’s just gotten progressive worse? Watanabe-san was our leader. Irunami-kun happened right in front of all of us, Shinko-kun died in such an awful way…a-and now two victims. If it gets worse, I dunno how I’ll be able to handle it.” He explained.

 “I understand. Your lab is just on the other side of the floor, right? Were you in there the whole time?”

 “Yeah. It’s like I told you yesterday, I was trying to figure out the wi-fi password. Still no luck, mind you. I haven’t left the lab until the body discovery announcement.” He said.

 “I see…wait, then you didn’t even hear the gunshots? Even though you were on the same floor.”

 “Gunshots…? Ah, right. That’s how they died…no, I didn’t hear anything. Which…I suppose is odd…it’s like…even if I was deep in work, I should’ve heard it, right?” Yokozawa-san started murmuring to himself.

 “Yokozawa-san?”

 “Sorry, my mind’s running…if I think of anything, I’ll let everyone know. For now, though…s-sorry, I’m totally at a loss.”

 “It’s fine. Don’t worry too much about it, we’ll need your help at the trial so try to focus on calming down. Deep breaths, alright?”

 “Y-yeah.” Yokozawa-san’s clearly in shock, even if he’s suspicious, this sort of shock can’t be faked. I’m not sure what to think…

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Yokozawa-san’s Account

He was working on trying to figure out the password for the Wi-fi the past day and hadn’t left his lab until the body discovery announcement. He never heard any of the gunshots.

-

 I finally turned my attention to the scene of the crime. Sly-san was investigating Asano-san’s body currently. I walked over to him, watching him dig into the various pockets in Asano-san dress. He sat back onto his knees and sighed.

 “Looking at her like this, she really did look like a doll. It’s sad. Lives like hers don’t deserve to be taken but fate is never fair, is it?”

 “No, it’s not.” I agreed. “Have you found anything of note?”

 “A few things, actually. I’ve still gotta check on Kurohiko’s body but as far as Asano goes, I’ll start with her body itself. Other than the obvious cause of death, she doesn’t have any external injuries. No sign of anything being ingested so I doubt she was poisoned or something. You can call someone else if you wanna double-confirm that. The bullet wound itself didn’t go all the way through her skull.”

 “So…what does that mean?”

 “Either there was a lot of distance between her and the shooter, or something was between them which would have slowed the bullet.” Sly-san clarified.

 “I see…”

 -

Truth Bullet Updated: Monokuma File 4

Mami Asano – Shot through the head, the bullet didn’t go all the way. No sign of her ingesting something beforehand or any other external injuries.

-

 “Asano-san had a gun…?” I nodded to the weapon clutched in her hand.

 “Yeah. It’s a revolver, and it’s missing one of its bullets. I’ll have a look into the bullets themselves later. Also, while I was searching her pockets I found this-“ He pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me “-some kind of note.” I unfold it and read out loud.

 “Meet me in my lab half an hour after night-time. It's very important we meet tonight so please don't be late." I said. That’s just a little before they were both killed… “Who do you think wrote this? Kurohiko-san? Since it does mention meeting in the sender’s lab…”

 “That seems like the most likely possibility, but it’s not signed so who knows?” If it was Kurohiko-san, why did he call Asano-san up here…? And right before the murder…?

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Note on Asano’s Body

"Meet me in my lab half an hour after night-time. It's very important we meet tonight so please don't be late."

Truth Bullet Added: Asano’s Gun

A revolver that's missing 1 bullet from its chamber.

-

 Sly-san cocked an eyebrow, “Nagata? You seem rather spaced out. It’s unlike you.”

 “H-huh? Do I? Sorry, I guess this is just a little jarring, is all. Don’t you think it’s odd there are two bodies in the first place?”

 “Of course, I do. If you kill two people, it only leaves more evidence behind. If anything, it’s a disadvantage to the culprit…though, I suppose…” Sly-san’s voice trailed off, “I suppose that’s a thought for the class trial. For now, I’ll keep going with my investigation.”

 “Yeah, thank you.” I nodded. I wonder what Sly-san’s thinking? He’s smart when it comes to the trials so hopefully, he’ll have some insight to what could have happened. Though, if there’s anybody’s theories I want to hear…it’s them. ”Do you know where Kurosaki-san went?”

 “Kurosaki? It looked like he was heading for the staircase. Maybe he’s thought of somewhere else linked to the crime?” He paused for a moment. “Hold on! Why are you asking me where that guy is?!”

 “I mean…you two are close aren’t-“

 “Do you wanna die?” He growled.

 “Wh- s-sorry! I just thought after that last trial!”

 “…that was a one-off, get it? That guy is trouble even I don’t want to get involved with more than necessary. If you’re smart, you’ll keep your distance. A good kid like you shouldn’t get close to dangerous people.”

 Sly-san…aren’t you a dangerous person?

 Shaking off that thought, I murmured an agreement and walked over to the divider in the centre of the room. There were two holes in the divider, not to mention that when we walked into the room the curtain on Asano-san’s side was drawn to hide her. I wonder why the room was set up like that? Also these holes…they must be bullet holes, right? I can’t imagine anything else causing them.

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Room Divider

Two bullet holes were found in the divider.

Truth Bullet Added: Room Setup

There was a divider set up in the middle of the room and a large curtain that could be drawn over to block out one half of the room

-

 Alright, I think until Sly-san has investigated Kurohiko-san’s body, that’s all to look at right now. It’ll be more efficient to hear the info from Sly-san later and look elsewhere. There are a few places I want to check out and a few people I still need to check in on. Now, where to check first…?

 -Chapter 4 Deadly Life, 4th Floor-

 When I reached the top floor, it was as I expected. That person was standing in front of their lab. “Yo yo, Ryuu!” Graves-san greeted.

 “Graves-san, what are you doing up here?” I asked.

 “Ah, well I thought maybe the weapons used in the murder might have come from my lab, you know? I thought it would be best to check it out just in case. I totally forgot about the lock system though.” She scratched the back of her head and stuck her tongue out. Right, I remember when I first investigated here, Graves-san mentioned that her lab had a passcode on the door.

 “So, there’s no sign of anything being taken?”

 “Nope! Everything is as expected, you wanna come in and check?” She offered.

 “Please. Not that I doubt you, just so I can confirm to everybody else later should they ask about it.” I said. Graves-san nodded and inputted the 6-digit code and the door slid open. Just like last time, the room was totally barren.

 “Gimme a sec!” She went around the lab using the various security measures. Ocular scanners, fingerprint scanners, passcodes, everything. Eventually, almost every panel of the floor, walls, and ceiling had flipped to reveal weapons, monitors, information on the students, I even saw a grappling hook gun which I thought only existed in spy movies, it was almost overwhelming to see it in its full glory, “How cool is all this stuff, huh?!” She cheered.

 “Graves-san, everything is locked behind some kind of security measure, right?”

 “Of course! Even if you could get the passcode for the front door, my guns are all locked behind an ocular scanner so nobody but me could access that! It’s one-hundred percent secure!” She promised. I see…so only Graves-san had access to the weapons in this lab.

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Ultimate Secret Agent’s Lab

The lab is locked up with a six-digit passcode only Graves-san knows. In addition, all the weapons are locked behind an ocular scanner.

-

 Graves-san put her hands on her hips and smirked, “if you’re satisfied, then is that all?”

 “One more thing. Did you see anything out of the ordinary or anything worth noting? Anything, no matter how little it might seem.” I asked. Graves-san fiddled with the her cap for a moment.

 “Oh! Junpei! I saw Junpei after night-time! When I was waiting by the fountain after the night-time announcement, I could see into Junpei’s lab window! His computer is right by the window, and I saw him around the time of the murder as well!” Graves-san said.

 “You saw Yokozawa-san? And you’re sure it was around the time of the murder?”

 “Definitely. I was at the fountain at around 10:40pm.” Graves-san confirmed.

 “Got it. I’ll keep it in mind.”

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Graves-san’s Account

Graves remembers seeing Yokozawa at the window of his research lab from the fountain at around 10:40pm.

-

 “Okay. I think that’s everything here, thanks for your help, Graves-san.”

 “No problemo, homeslice! Always happy to help.” When she said that, I almost paused. It wasn’t so long ago that she was saying she didn’t trust any of us. Just how inconsistent was Graves-san? I just don’t understand her at all…

 -Chapter 4 Deadly Life, Talent Building Exterior-

 When I left the building, I found Kurosaki-san and Okanaya-kun talking just off the path. Okanaya-kun spots me first, grimaces and then looks away. Kurosaki-san turns back to look at me and smiles. “Nagata-kyun! Have you come to finally confess your love?”

 “No, what are you two doing out here?” I asked.

 “Herr Okanaya and I wished to investigate the outside of the building just in case of any possible evidence the culprit might have disposed of.”

 “And?”

 “Unfortunately, nothing on the outside. Disappointing, really. However! I was snooping around the talents labs and did discover something interesting. I looked in Amaterasu-chan’s lab and found an opened box of firecrackers!”

 “Firecrackers?”

 “There were a few boxes, so they presumably came with the lab. Judging from the state of the box, only two were taken, but I still found it interesting.” Kurosaki-san said.

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Firecrackers

The Ultimate Thief lab came equipped with firecrackers. One of the boxes was opened and missing two firecrackers.

-

 “What a fuckin’ waste of time.” Okanaya-kun grumbled, he barged past me and went back inside the talent building. So, he’s still mad about then…dammit. I wanna make things right so badly, but if I tell him…

 “Trouble in paradise?” Kurosaki-san asked with a genuine concern.

 “We just had a fight. You don’t need to worry; I’ll talk to him about it.” I said, forcing a smile. Kurosaki-san let out a low hum and nodded once. Slowly. “A-anyway, what about you? I was actually hoping to get your thoughts on the case so far.”

 “My thoughts? Apologies, I don’t have any kind of thoughts to share at the moment.”

 “Huh, really? That’s…surprising. It always felt like you kind of knew what was happening. You really don’t have any ideas?”

 “Ahahaha, sorry to disappoint. In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting anybody to really try and kill. That’s why we organised the battle royal.”

 “Was that the thing I walked into before we heard those shots?”

 “Indeed. I, Mademoiselle Graves, Herr Okanaya, and Herr Knives all agreed to do something about this motive before it got too far. Since there was a two-victim limit, having four people meant we guaranteed a surviving witness no matter the outcome. We all knew time was of the essence, so we all agreed to meet at 11pm.”

 “11pm? That’s pretty late.”

 “It was, wasn’t it? Not that it mattered. We all ended up turning up early and simply waited for it to roll around to 11pm.” Kurosaki-san explained. “I was the last one to arrive. I got there around 10:50pm.”

 “I see…so you all have alibis for the murder then.”

 -

Truth Bullet Added: 4-Way Battle Royal

Kurosaki, Okanaya, Sly, and Graves all decided to fight each other to the death in order to prevent everyone from dying due to the motive. They agreed to meet at 11 though they all arrived early.

-

 “Thank you for talking with me, Kurosaki-san. I think it helped.”

 “I’m glad. I’ll need to work a little harder than usual in order to uncover this truth. So, I’ll be counting on you to help me out.”

 “You give me too much credit. I’m more or less just following your lead. Besides, everyone is pretty useful in their own ways. We’ll get through this class trial as a team, I’m sure.”

 Kurosaki-san just stared at me before smiling. “Oh, to have your attitude.”

 -Chapter 4 Deadly Life, Ultimate Romance Expert’s Talent Lab (2)-

 When I returned to the scene, Sly-san was hanging back at the wall. He must already be finished, but what caught my eye more was the slightly less pale Yokozawa-san talking to Kirishima-san. “Hey you two, what’s happening?”

 “Ah, we made an amazing discovery!” Kirishima-san exclaimed, “you know how Yokozawa-kun was talking about not being able to hear the gunshots earlier? Well, we tried this experiment! I went out into the hallways and yelled super loud. At the top of my lungs! But nobody in the room could hear a thing!”

 “Huh, is that true?”

 “Yeah. Kirishima-san got really curious when I told what I told you, and it sounds like the walls to this room at the very least are soundproof.” Soundproof walls…

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Sound Experiment

Kirishima-san yelled as loud as she could from the hallways but the people inside the Ultimate Romance Expert’s Lab couldn’t hear her at all.

-

 Thanking the two for the information, I walked over to Sly-san who stood up straight when I approached. “I finished my autopsy.” He stated.

 “…and?”

 “It’s odd, actually. The gun that Kurohiko is holding isn’t a real gun. It’s a BB gun, so it only shoots harmless pellets.”

 “What? So, Asano-san had a real revolver, but Kurohiko-san only has a BB gun?”

 “Not only that,” He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me, “I found this on Kurohiko’s person. Another note.” I unfolded the note and read it out loud.

 “I'm scared he's going to kill her, we need to put a stop to this before another trial can occur." I murmured the words once or twice more. “This is odd…it almost sounds like Asano-san and Kurohiko-san were planning to kill someone…”

 “I wonder who all those pronouns are referring to though. ‘He’, ‘Her’, ‘Us’. It’s full of questions.”

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Kurohiko’s Gun

The gun Kurohiko was found with was a BB gun that was modelled to look like a handgun.

Truth Bullet Added: Note on Kurohiko’s Body

"I'm scared he's going to kill her, we need to put a stop to this before another trial can occur."

-

 “I feel this got a lot more complicated,” I let out a sigh, “Also, I forgot to ask before but when we initially ran here, you went to check on your lab. Did you find anything?”

 “Actually, that ties into what we were just talking about. I looked around and found that three of my guns were missing. Two revolvers and one BB gun. Last time I checked that lab was just before the motive reveal so between then and now, those all were taken.”

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Ultimate Assassin’s Lab

Two revolvers and a BB gun went missing from the weapons wall sometime after the motive reveal.

-

 “Phew…that’s a lot of info.”

 “I’m still not done. A few things I noticed during my actual autopsy.”

 “Th-there’s still more?!”

 “When I investigated Kurohiko’s wound, I found that he was shot with a pistol. Not a revolver. Asano-san was shot with a revolver though. Not to mention when I checked out that divider, neither of the holes were high enough to have shot Kurohiko in the heart. Not to mention the holes were different sizes, if they’re indeed bullet holes then they’re two different calibres.”

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Sly-san’s Account

The bullet in Kurohiko's body came from a pistol whilst the one in Asano's came from a revolver

Truth Bullet Updated: Room Divider

Two bullet holes were found in the divider. According to Sly, neither bullet hole was the right height to have hit Doi in the heart and they were different calibres.

-

 “R-right…”

 “And finally-“

 “More, still?!”

 “It isn’t my fault you didn’t look hard enough this time around. Don’t get pissed off at me or I won’t share my info with you.” Sly-san said.

 “S-sorry…you were saying?”

 “I noticed it when looking at Asano-san’s body, but it seems there was some orange powder on her. In fact, when I looked around closely enough there were tiny specs of orange powder all around the room. You won’t notice it if you don’t look for it though. I’m lucky Asano’s dress is white, so it stood out and I knew to keep an eye out.”

 “Orange…powder? Weird, but okay then.”

 -

Truth Bullet Added: Orange Powder

Traces of an odd orange powder were found all around the crime scene, including on Asano’s body.

-

 ~Ding dong, Bing bong~

 “Is it time yet…? I feel like it’s time. Alright, time for you all to haul ass to the usual place! Don’t be late, got it?!” The monitor turned off.

 “Let’s go.” Was all Sly-san said before leaving the room.

 -Chapter 4 Deadly Life, Trial Grounds-

 When everybody gathered outside the elevator Kirishima-san kept looking around the room. “This…is this really everybody?”

 “Look at us. This is half of what we started off as originally.” Okanaya-kun noted.

 “If anything, I’m just glad to have made it to the top eight!” Graves-san giggled, “Seriously though, how much longer are we gonna have to continue this sort of formula? It gets kinda boring after a while.”

 “Must be nice to be able to get bored with this sort of stuff.” Sly-san said.

 “You’re saying you’re enjoying this? Wouldn’t it be better to find it boring than find it fun?” Graves-san questioned.

 “I’m not going to answer your dumb questions.”

 “Awww.” She pouted as the elevator doors opened, “ah, let’s do it.” She pumped herself before walking on.

 Okanaya-kun barely regarded me before walking onto the elevator, Kirishima-san looked between us with worry, “U-umm…” She fiddled with her hair before simply opting to walk onto the elevator.

 “So cold~” Kurosaki-san remarked as he followed suit, as well as Sly-san.

 Amaterasu-san had this determined look in her eyes, “I’m gonna put in a lot more effort this time around. I wanna get this bastard.” With that, she, Yokozawa-san and I all stepped into the elevator and it began to descend. I couldn’t help but take notice how, even though I had much more room in the elevator, it hadn’t become less suffocating to stand in. A tense place right before we all put our lives on the line.

 The elevator came to halt and revealed the new design to our trial ground. The walls were patterned with hot pink love hearts and white dollhouses alternating on the black wallpaper. We all moved to our podiums without Monokuma even commenting this time. God, have we seriously become to numb to this process that we don’t even need to have anything said to us?

 There were three new portraits. Three. Asano-san and Kurohiko-san were stand X’s, but Ishikawa-san’s portrait rather than any clever X, were numerous hands reaching out from the bottom of the picture frame. Without really looking at those we had lost, we prepared ourselves.

 Doi Kurohiko, The Ultimate Romance Expert. He was goofy and often came across as unreliable, but even so, he was one of the easiest to approach, almost like a big brother. He understood everybody’s emotions better than anybody else. He might have understood someone more than they understood themselves.

 Mami Asano, the Ultimate Living Doll. It almost seems cruel to have that be her title. When I first met Asano-san she had to be told to do anything including sleeping or eating, but she was learning and improving on herself to make her own decisions. She was just at the start of her journey of discovering herself…

Rina Kirishima

Yuuki Kurosaki

Doi Kurohiko

Saori Kibe

Amaterasu Hokama

But both of their lives were cut short.

Sly

Karma Graves

Junpei Yokozawa

Maemi Watanabe

Kobo Okanaya

Tomoe Hachi

Somebody here cut their lives short. And I can’t forgive that.

Mami Asano

Toson Shinko

Sadao Irunami

Tsukiko Ishikawa

Ryuu Nagata

I will find the culprit, no matter what. I’ll bring them to justice, because why should we have to become sacrifices for them? This class trial…begins!

[akagami-no-rae]

Wilant - ANS Week Day 6 - WOOD

The door to the pharmacy slid shut behind Ryuu and Obi. Ryuu was off to inspect the hothouses and Obi to escort him then surely sneak off and explore the rest of the strange new palace. Shirayuki couldn’t help herself from smiling. They’d made it to Wilant, she thought giddily

Akane suddenly spoke from behind her, “I’ll not have anyone with dyed hair working in this pharmacy.” It took Shirayuki a moment to realize that she was talking about her.

“My hair isn’t dyed, Chief, this is my natural color.”

Akane puffed her pipe and narrowed her eyes at Shirayuki.

“Alright,” she finally said with a cloud of smoke pouring from her mouth, “But if I see your roots growing in, so help me, I’ll make shaved heads a part of the dress code.”

“It’s real, I swear,” Shirayuki said nervously.

Akane walked away grumbling, “Kids today, with

their red-hair fads. Filling their heads with nonsense, no room for anything but vanity.”

Shirayuki waited until Akane shut the door to her office then hurried to open the window. The cool mountain air was bracing and the scent of pine needles filled her lungs. The pharmacy was on the ground floor of Wilant, just a view of the forest floor, unlike the library where she could see over the tops of the trees to the mountains.

The way the thick forest looked like night in the middle of the day filled her with excitement. She was finally here and with Ryuu who was preparing to become the head pharmacist and Zen who was to soon rule the north.

She had to keep up with them.

She turned from the window to the box of work left for her and she set to it with determination.

A few hours past and Shirayuki closed yet another folder she’d read through and turned to find its place on the shelf.

“Excuse me,” she heard someone say behind her, “Is now a bad time?”

“Oh!” Shirayuki spun to greet whoever spoke, “I didn’t hear you come in-“ An older woman with long platinum blonde hair stood by the door and Shirayuki felt she looked familiar somehow...

It struck her why in an instant.

Shirayuki bowed her head in a hurry and stuttered out a, “Your majesty.”

She had never met the Queen Mother, only seen her from a distance at Izana’s coronation. But It was undeniable, this woman shared strong resemblances with both the brothers.

Her sharp blue eyes smiled at her like Izana’s, “You must be the red-haired pharmacist, Shirayuki, that I’ve been hearing so much about.”

“I am Shirayuki,” she said, “though I cannot attest to what you’ve heard.”

She laughed like Zen. “Oh darling, don’t worry! All good things. Though I’ve heard you’re the modest type, so that’s probably of little comfort to you.”

Shirayuki set the folder she held aside to sort out later. “Is there something I can help you with, your Majesty?”

“Straight to the point,” Haruto commented, “Yes, actually, I’m here for some medicine.”

“I’ll fetch Chief Akane right away, then.” Shirayuki went to Akane’s office door and knocked before opening. “Chief Akane, her Majesty the Queen Mother is here.”

Akane who had been sitting at her desk looked up. “What’s that? Who? Haruto’s here?”

“Yes.” Shirayuki heard the voice from over her shoulder. she looked to see Haruto leaning against the door frame inches behind her. “Hi, Akane.”

“How’re you feeling, Haruto?”

“Tired,” Haruto answered, “Didn’t sleep much last night. I need more of that tonic.”

“You usually have someone fetch you your Shady Root, what brings you by?”

Haruto moved into the room, her hand fell onto Shirayuki’s shoulder as she stepped around her. “I haven’t seen you since my last checkup and I heard that you’re looking to retire soon.”

“You heard right,” Akane emptied her pipe into an ashtray, “Hana and I want to see Yuris Island again, it’s been her dream to move there.”

“That’s exciting,” Haruto said, “You aren’t leaving right away, are you?”

“Oh no,” Akane snickered stuffing her pipe again, “I still need to show these two kids how things are done around here. I didn’t spend thirty years building this place up to have a couple of babes send it to ruin.” She took her pipe between her teeth and eyed Shirayuki who stood awkwardly in the doorway. “Not to worry, though-“ she lit a match and puffed on her pipe until smoke poured from her lips, “-They’re fine pharmacists, cut their teeth with my student, Garrack, in Wistal and studied in Lyrias.”

Haruto looked over to Shirayuki and drawled, “So I’ve heard.”

“While they were there, she and the boy crossbred a non-toxic, species of Olin Maris.”

Haruto raised an eyebrow, “Olin Maris? That name sounds familiar...”

“It poisoned some people a couple years back-“ Akane began.

“Oh, that’s right!” Haruto exclaimed, “Sorry, I don’t remember all the technical terms, but yes, I know all about that incident and Miss Shirayuki’s role in resolving it.” She turned to Shirayuki again, “You did well. Apologies for not thanking you for it until now. My son reported many good things to me that week. He’s tough to impress. Well done.”

“That means a lot, your Majesty, but it wasn’t just me, Ryuu made the antidote, Suzu, Yuzuri, Kiri-“

Haruto put her hand up and smiled softly. “I’m aware of the details, Miss Shirayuki, but I wish to thank you personally at this moment.”

Shirayuki flushed and bowed her head again. “I’m happy I could help.”  

“Akane,” Haruto suddenly turned to address her, “Will Shirayuki be the one taking your place as the chief pharmacist?”

Shirayuki shook her head even though Haruto wasn’t looking at her anymore. “No, the boy will be,” said Akane slowly like she was only just starting to pay attention again after the volleying of pleasantries.

“I’m Ryuu’s assistant,” Shirayuki explained, “in fact, once we’re settled here I’m supposed to leave on a trip to convince northern lords to plant Olin Maris on their land.”

“Ah yes, I believe Izana mentioned that once.”

Izana seemed to have mentioned to the Queen a lot of things about her. What else did she know? Shirayuki wondered.

“I’ll be back in a couple of months, or more, if I’m successful,” Shirayuki finished.

“And I’m sure you will be,” Haruto offered, “Your lucky red won’t fail you now.” Shirayuki blinked, Zen had said something similar when they first met. It hadn’t felt very lucky at that moment, but now, looking back at everything that had happened because of it... “Not to give all the credit of your hard work to luck, dear, but you know what I mean.”

“Of course,“ Shirayuki smiled, “Thank you.”

“I understand that this Ryuu will be the Chief Pharmacist, but Miss Shirayuki, if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer a female as my primary physician.”

Shirayuki blinked again then stammered, “That’s understandable, your Majesty. Of course, it would be an honor.”

“Then it’s settled,” Haruto said placing her hands on her hips and turning to Akane. “Please see to it that Shirayuki is given my medical history to study. Sorry, dear,” she said aside to Shirayuki, “Unfortunately, it’s a long read, but you have until you return from your mission so there’s plenty of time.” Haruto walked back towards the door, “It was nice meeting you Miss Shirayuki,” she said as she brushed past Shirayuki. Suddenly Akane cleared her throat. “Oh! Nice catching up Akane!” Haruto said only pausing for a beat before continuing her exit, “Yuris really is lovely, I should try visiting it again myself sometime.”

“Haruto...” Akane called and punctuated it with the shake of a vial of white liquid, “Your Shady Root?” Haruto froze and laughed, “Yes! I need that! Thanks for reminding me, Akane.” Haruto returned to the office, took the vial, said her goodbyes again, then left.

“Don’t get too excited, Red,” Akane said startling Shirayuki who looked at her quizzically. Akane took a long drag of her pipe, “The woman is a hypochondriac, you’ll be giving her so many sugar pills you’ll think you spent years of your life studying just so you can run a candy store.”

“So that wasn’t-“ She felt her blood start to boil and a lecture about the ethics of giving patients placebos begin to form on her lips.

“The shady root? No, that’s real. She gets night terrors, bad ones.”

“Then, is a sleeping aid the best method? What about finding the root of her stress-”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that, Red.” Akane snapped, putting aside her pipe for the first time. “I tried what you’re talking about and I nearly killed her by doing it. She had been up for four days straight. She was in her room screaming bloody murder because of the visions her sleep-deprived mind were making her see. I just give her what she asks for now. The woman has been through enough.”

“I’m sorry,” Shirayuki said softly.

“It’s not your fault, you don’t know her patient history yet,” Akane fumbled with what sounded like some keys in a drawer in her desk. “It’s a touchy subject with me is all, don’t mind me.” She pulled out ten large, leather-bound folders with the name ‘Haruto Wisteria’ and a varying number of years scrawled across each cover.  

“She wasn’t joking when she said it be a long read,” Shirayuki laughed half-heartedly, then took the folders into her arms. “I promise to read through these, will I be able to ask you any questions I might have?”

Akane chuckled like she knew something Shirayuki didn’t, and she probably did, “Sure, anything for Haruto.”

The next morning, there was a knock at Shirayuki’s door just as she was about to leave. A valet of the Queen greeted her with a letter.

She accepted it, he bowed and took his leave. Shirayuki stepped out into the hall reading the letter in hand.

“What’s that, Miss?” Obi called as he came up the stairs. Shirayuki startled slightly, but relaxed when she saw it was Obi. Obi, Mitsuhide, Kiki and her’s rooms were all together again just like they had been in Wistal. She smiled at him, but it melted when she looked back down at her letter.

“I was invited to tea,” Shirayuki answered.

“Oh?” Obi leaned close to peer over her shoulder, “By whom?” She couldn’t find the words so she let him read for a moment, then his eyes rounded, “The Queen!?” he shouted.

“Please, don’t yell,” Shirayuki pleaded looking around for any eavesdropping maids, “I probably can’t even go. I just started at the pharmacy here, I can’t ask for an afternoon off already.”

Obi laughed, “You were invited to have tea with the Queen, who can say that?”

“It’s not so strange, we’re Zen’s friends.”

“But we weren’t invited, you were.”

Shirayuki felt her stomach knot tighten, “Y-you don’t think it’s about that do you?”

“What else would it be about?”

“Well, she did make me her physician last night.”

“Do patients and physicians usually have tea together?”

“I don’t think so, but her and Chief Akane seemed really familiar with each other.”

“Then maybe she just doesn’t like formalities and is trying to welcome you.”

Shirayuki breathed and felt the weight on her chest lighten. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry,” Obi smiled, “the Queen probably doesn’t even know about you and the Master.”

Shirayuki felt a sting behind her eyes. “Right.”

Shirayuki came to the room named Juniper at the time specified in the letter. It was easier to get out of work than she had thought it would be.  Akane even gave her a blend of tea leaves to bring with her. Shirayuki was grateful for the tin in her hands, it hadn’t occurred to her to bring a gift as thanks for the Queen’s generous invitation.

A servant opened the door for her and announced her entry. Shirayuki stepped through to an ornate room with large windows along the back wall that looked into one of the hothouses. Sunlight poured in and the smell of flowers was strong. To her surprise the Queen wasn’t alone waiting for her, three young women also sat at the table.

“Here she is,” Haruto said from her seat, “Ladies, I’d like you to meet Miss Shirayuki.”

The three rose and curtsied to Shirayuki as she approached. Shirayuki, a bit surprised by the sudden gesture did her best to return it, stumbling ever so slightly as she did. One of the young ladies noticed this and smirked slightly.

“Miss Shirayuki, I’d like you to meet Lady Sara-” she gestured to the young woman with olive skin and dark brown hair. “Lady Yui-” the one with black hair and large, round blue eyes, “-and Lady Himari,” a young lady with golden waves for hair and soft brown eyes; the one who had smirked at her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Shirayuki said as she took a seat. A butler poured her tea and she whispered her thanks to him.

“Your majesty,” Shirayuki said lifting the tin to Haruto, “This is for you, thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank you, Dear,” Haruto accepted the tin and passed it to a maid who stood by, “I’ll have this prepared the next time we meet.”

“If I’d had the time I would have prepared and brought the medicinal tea my research partners and I made in Lyrias.”

“Research partners in Lyrias?” Himari hummed and the other two put down their cups to listen.

“Miss Shirayuki is an accomplished pharmacist,” Haruto explained.

“I’ve always wanted to study in Lyrias, myself,” Sara said leaning in, “Tell us, what was it like?”

“Beautiful,” Shirayuki answered, “the library there has become one of my favorite places. There are-“

“A career woman,” Himari interrupted, and then punctuated the silence with a long sip of her tea, “I enjoy seeing the development of a middle class in Clarines. It’s very cosmopolitan. You must have worked hard to get to where you are.”

“I’ve done my best,” Shirayuki said, “Thank you, Lady Himari.”

Himari’s face was perfectly carved stone, her gaze a challenge.

“We’re so fortunate to have a talent like hers,” Haruto said unaffected by the room as she stirred honey into her tea, “She’ll be working in Wilant’s pharmacy once she completes an important political mission.”

“Mission?” Yui’s eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of her head, “Sounds so secret and important,” she lowered her voice, “Can you tell us more?”

“I wouldn’t call it a political mission,” Shirayuki waved her hands, “I’m just asking some of the northern lords for permission to plant Olin Maris on their land.”

“Isn’t that the plant that poisoned all those people in Lyrias a few years back?” Sara asked and Himari and Yui looked scandalized.

“Yes, but,” Shirayuki explained, “that’s what my research partners and I have been working on: making Olin Maris glow without poison.”

Sara nodded thoughtfully, Yui gasped, and Himari leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

“If you don’t think this will be a political mission,” Himari mused, “you’re in for a rude awakening.”

“Especially with the state the North has been in recently,” Sara said, “Why else do you think his majesty is marrying so far below his station?”

“Ha-Lady Haki?” said Shirayuki.

“She’s only a viscountess,” said Yui then she giggled, “How funny would it be if the princess was of higher birth than the queen?”

They were talking about Zen’s future wife. Shirayuki felt her throat tighten and stole a glance to the Queen who absently sipped her tea.

“Be quiet, Yui,” Sara said.

“You’re just hoping it means the prince will have to marry a baroness,” Yui teased, “Isn't that right, Baroness Gilva?”

Sara turned red and huffed in response.

“Her rank won’t be remembered once she’s Queen,” Himari said sitting up straight and proper, “All anyone will remember is that she is from the north.” Himari looked at Shirayuki pointedly.

“So King Izana’s marriage is political?” Shirayuki asked, never having questioned it before.

“Well, of course, it is!” Yui interjected.

“Very smart of him to draw it out,” Sara said, “keeps the attention to the hopeful future instead of the unfortunate present.”

“Once the wedding is over, there will be nothing left to look forward to,” said Yui, “Well, except for a baby.” Yui nudged Sara as she said this and Sara returned to her previous shade of crimson.

“There is still Prince Zen’s wedding,” Himari said, “It would be smart for him to choose a bride who has favor in the north as well. Though, things have been awfully quiet on that front.”

Another pointed look at Shirayuki, but Sara and Yui must have been looking at Haruto because she answered. “Don’t look at me, I’m just his mother. His brother’s been keeping him so busy that I’m sure Zen hasn’t had time to even consider marriage.”

The ladies nodded and glanced at each other with subtle smiles.

“I don't think that’s true.” Shirayuki said before she realized it, “Prince Zen is clever, he wouldn’t reveal his intentions before everything is placed. The last thing he wants is to be forced to make a move.”

Everyone at the table stared at her.

Yui nearly snorted, “But intentions to whom? He hasn’t met for a marriage interview in years.”

“Aside from that,” Himari added staring straight at Shirayuki, “There has been nothing but strange rumors around him. What do you-”

“-Speaking of rumors,” Sara interrupted, “is it true that his highness is in Wilant now? Is it true he’ll become the steward of the north?”

Haruto chuckled. “Yes, in fact-” she said just as the doors to the room opened.

The valet spoke, “Prince Zen Wisteria.”

“-I asked him to come by,” Haruto finished.

The ladies gasped and turned to see Zen enter the room.

Haruto stood and walked to him. “Zenny,” she greeted warmly.

The pet name sent Himari, Yui, Sara into a fit of giggles that there quickly stifled and stood. Zen looked horrified, glancing between his mother, the three young ladies, and lastly to Shirayuki who still sat in her seat looking over her shoulder at him.

Shirayuki was pulled out of the stunned silence by a coughing. She turned to see Himari urgently trying to tell her something with her glare. Stand up, she realized and she popped up immediately.

Haruto seeming to only just realize what she’d said covered her mouth and whispered, “Sorry.”

Zen tore his stare away from Shirayuki and addressed Haruto through clenched teeth. “Queen Mother.” He bowed and all the ladies curtsied, Shirayuki followed suit a beat behind.

Haruto cleared her throat then put her hand down. “Prince Zen,” she corrected, “there are some ladies here I’d like you to meet.”  

Zen glanced over the Sara, Yui, and Himari to Shirayuki, his brow quirked. “Mother,” he said stiffly looking back at her, “You said you had some reports for me to pick up.”

“Yes, yes,” Haruto waved, “But first, say hello to my guests: Lady Sara Gilva, Lady Yui Aster, Lady Himari Soto, and I’m sure you met Miss Shirayuki while in Wilant.”

Each girl curtsied as her name was called, Shirayuki simply bowed her head.

Zen bowed at his waist, “Good afternoon.” He stood and looked at Shirayuki and bowed again. “Lady Shirayuki.” The ladies and Haruto all looked surprised. Haruto recovered first, grabbing the side of her head, “Ah, Lady Shirayuki! I remember now, you had a title- thing-” she waved her hand trying to remember, “-friend of Tanbarun’s crown, correct? Sorry, you must have thought me so rude.”

“Not at all,” Shirayuki waved her hands in front of herself, “It’s so new to me, even I forget I have it. You don't have to call me-”

“Lady Shirayuki,” Zen said looking at her with hurt eyes, “Excuse me for interrupting, but it’s alright to remind others of your accomplishments when they forget.” He gave a pointed glance to Haruto.

Her pardons still hung on the tip of her tongue. He turned back smiled at her softly and she drew in a breath. “Zen,” she exhaled, a bare whisper.

“She’s too humble for her own good,” Haruto laughed.

“Mother,” Zen warned despite her good-natured tone. It reminded her of when he’d try to defend her from Obi’s teasing.

“Alright, alright,” Haruto surrendered and went to one of the flower vase covered tables and picked up a small stack of folders. She brought them back to him and handed them off. Zen tucked the folders under his arm and bowed to her again, “Queen mother.” He turned to the table of ladies, “Pleasure meeting you.” He turned to leave when-

“Come now, Zen, shake their hands.”

Zen looked at Haruto for a long moment. Her brow flicked up in unshaken expectation, he tipped his head in response. Yui and Sara had to stifle their giggles. The two hurried out from behind the table to meet him. He shook both their hands smiling and sincerely greeting them. Then Himari walked to him. She extended her hand, palm down, and waited for him. She wanted him to kiss it. Yui and Sara’s shock turned into sheer jealousy within seconds. Shirayuki felt a pang, but that was silly, she told herself. It’s okay, she wanted to say, but couldn’t. All she could do was watch.

Zen stared down at the back of her hand, it’d be extremely rude for him to reject it. Himari had made a calculated action that forced him to make a move.

Zen took Himari’s fingers in his and lifted her knuckles to brush against his lips. “Lady Himari,” he said with the same warm sincerity he gave the other two. Himari drew her hand back and smiled, pleased with herself.

Zen turned to Shirayuki and all eyes fell on her.

Shirayuki couldn’t move, her eyes fell to the floor. Zen came and stood before her, all she could see were his shoes. She lifted her hand slowly to shake, but instead of grasping it, he cupped the back of her hand with his own. She looked up at him, not sure what he was doing. He sat his folders aside on the table beside her and took her hand in both of his. His thumbs traced her palm and she watched his hooded eyes as he lifted her palm to his lips. He placed a kiss on the center of her hand.

A jolt shot up Shirayuki’s back. Zen, slowly, pulled away and closed her fingers over the place he left his heart. He held her hand closed, the two of them staring into each other’s eyes. Zen, his smile warm, sincere, and… different. It was a subtle difference, but undeniably just for her.

“My lady,” he said, “Never be afraid to correct any of them if they step over a line.”

Shirayuki nodded, “Well, I usually try to give someone at least one meeting before I start slapping sense into them.”

Zen chuckled, “We both know that’s not true.”

She laughed, “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Good,” Zen said giving her hand a squeeze. Shirayuki felt the tension she felt ever since she entered this room fade away.

Then she remembered where they were.

Her eyes darted over Zen’s shoulder to see Haruto watching with an amused smile- just like Izana, she thought.

Zen turned to face her, his hands still holding Shirayuki’s. “Thank you for introducing me to your lovely guests, but I have work to return to.”

“Are you certain you wouldn’t rather stay and join us?” Haruto mused walking back to her chair.

Zen brushed his thumb over Shirayuki’s knuckles one last time then let go to pick up his folders. “No, I’ll leave you all to your political planning and peace talks. I have soldiers not passing their physicals to deal with.”

Zen left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. She could almost swear she heard him yell Mitsuhide’s name. That made her smile. Shirayuki turned to Haruto who was watching the door with her amused smile.

Shirayuki asked confidently, “What did Izana tell you?”

The young ladies, eyes already rounded, giggled furiously. Shirayuki realized it was because she’d forgotten to use an honorific for the king. Haruto arched an eyebrow and considered Shirayuki from the corner of her eye, then shrugged and walked back to her seat.

“Izana? About you and Zen?” She sat and picked her tea up, “Not a word. Zen told me everything I know, just now.” She took a sip. “Everything else was just mother’s intuition.”

“I’m sure the rumors flying around had no influence over you,” Shirayuki said, colder than she intended, but Haruto had forced Zen’s hand. “They aren’t true, by the way. Zen-”

“Would never take a concubine,” Haruto finished, “He’s too sensitive, and you're too smart. Honestly, I was beginning to worry he’d never take a wife.”

Haruto laughed and looked to the young ladies who giggled like this was something they’d discussed before. The three took their seats again too, looking at Shirayuki with a new respect rather than the jealousy and anger Shirayuki had briefly feared.

“Yes, but Zen and I aren’t, he hasn’t,” she stammered a bit taken aback by the word wife.

“Zen’s serious, don’t you know?” Haruto asked.

“I do, he is and so am I, but-“

Himari spoke up, “I hope this political mission goes well for you.” She meant it too. All the things she’d said at the table earlier…

“As do I,” said Haruto with another sip of her tea and a quick smiling glance at Shirayuki. She put her empty cup down and stood. “Lady Shirayuki, these three young ladies are some of the most intelligent and shrewd I’ve met, I suggest you meet and have tea with them as often as you can before you leave on your mission. Learn everything you can from them.” Haruto eyed the three young ladies, “I’m trusting her to you.”

The three smiled and bowed their heads in response. Haruto squeezed Shirayuki’s shoulder and flashed her a final smile before leaving. Shirayuki suddenly felt like the world was spinning and returned to her chair to regain her sense of balance. She looked across to her three new allies. None smiled as brightly as Himari who leaned forward and said, “Let’s begin, shall we?”

[skiecas]

kagehina + kissing booth!

Kageyama was ninety percent sure he was going to kill someone. With his glare alone. Probably Hinata, the cheeky idiot, if he kept snapping his fingers at him like that and asking for more chaptstick.

The Karasuno High Cultural Festival had been in full swing for five hours now, and that was also the number of girls who had looked upon Kageyama’s murderous scowl and, with frightened squeaks, scurried past the volleyball club’s booth looking like they had just encountered a brush with death. So Kageyama had been booted off the front lines, demoted into being a damn chapstick-jockey for Hinata, who was drawing in a crowd like flies swarming to sugar water.

Why was Hinata so good at this kissing booth thing, anyway?

“I think it’s the hair,” Ennoshita had mused, when he, along with Narita and Kinoshita, takoyaki and cotton candy in hand, had stopped by for a status report. “Girls find orange non-threatening. Reminds them of their childhood kittens, probably.”

“E-Ennoshita-san,” Kageyama had stuttered, hope bubbling in his voice. “Maybe you want to…?”

His senior had looked at him sympathetically, but was not any more inclined to take him up on the offer. “I did my time,” he reminded him.

The second-year trio had been the first to open the booth that morning, drawing in a steady amount of revenue during their two-hour shift. Tanaka and Nishinoya had taken over for the following two hours, and they had attracted nobody. It seemed to be a low blow for the two of them, even though no one else on the team had expected any different.

By the time Kageyama and Hinata had arrived to relieve them of their duties an hour ago, they were practically blue in the face from dejection. Kageyama had overheard them speaking in hushed tones as they wandered away to the boys’ bathroom together; Tanaka had swiped a lipstick from one of his female classmates, and they were discussing the believability of leaving a kiss mark on each other’s cheeks.

“Wait, but, we’re supposed to be kissing the girls,” he had heard Tanaka say. “Not the other way around.”

“Details, Ryuu!” Nishinoya had replied, flapping his hands as if that could bat away the very sense in his partner’s words.

Vaguely, Kageyama wondered whether they had gone through with their hair-brained scheme and whether anyone had believed them. Mostly, though, he wondered how much longer it was going to be before Tsukishima and Yamaguchi came to take over the booth for the last shift.

One hour, his watch was telling him. One excruatiating hour.

“Uh, hell-ooo?” Someone was suddenly snapping their fingers in his face. Hinata. He frowned up at the setter, cheeks flushed red but mostly from their time spent under the sun. “Earth to Kageyama-kun? Where’s my chapstick?”

Kageyama’s chest actually rumbled from the force of his growl. Oh, he’d give him his chapstick, all right…

Before he could shove the glossy tube down the middle blocker’s throat, however, a shy customer approached their booth, pigtails twirling around jittery fingers. Hinata immediately turned up his usual megawatt smile by at least a hundred notches, then leaned into the girl’s face.

“Can we help you?” he asked, cheerily.

She pinked. “Um, can I…?”

Coins jingled tellingly in her hands. Hinata eagerly held out their mason jar of coins—half-full, but it was their second of the day—and looked immensely pleased by the sound of metal clanging together as more were added to the pile. With a laugh, he leaned in to collide with the girl’s cheek for a sloppy kiss.

Kageyama stared. She was probably the hundredth girl of the hour. He hadn’t known there were so many girls at their school who wanted to be kissed by Hinata; in an hour alone, he had managed to match the entire morning’s earnings by himself, and there was no telling how much that number could expand in the next hour of their shift.

The third-years seemed especially pleased when they stopped by.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, this damned kissing booth had been Sugawara’s idea.

“Hey, we have such cute underclassmen this year, we should put them to good use,” he had laughed, in that way that suggested he had about a billion other reasons for this but he had settled on voicing the nicest one.

Hinata had raised his hand. “Will you be kissing, too?”

“Of course not, Hinata. We third-years will just be in charge of building the booth for you all. What’s the point of having cute underclassmen if we can’t pass off the degrading work to them, right?”

Daichi had prodded his head, though Sugawara ignored it.

Looking at them now, the way their vice-captain ruffled Hinata’s hair before planting a noisy kiss on their jar of coins, immensely pleased by their earnings, he wondered if Sugawara had predicted this. Maybe he’d known Hinata would be a magnet for girls, that his kisses would be like what sweet honey was to honeybees. Addicting.

“Nobody wants to be kissed by Kageyama,” Hinata told the third-years, muttering it behind a cupped hand as if they were conspiring. “So now he’s my bodyguard.”

Kageyama flicked the back his head, ignoring his outraged cry of “hey!” because, honestly, he could have done much worse. Sugawara caroled at them to play nice, squeezed Kageyama’s shoulder in a consoling manner, then gladly took off with Daichi and Asahi so the girl behind them could line up for her kiss.

“C-Could I get one on my forehead?” she requested.

Hinata beamed, then leaned in to do as asked. Completely unfazed.

Kageyama stared some more. What was it about him? Hinata wasn’t a kitten, he was a boy. An infuriating one with an ace-complex, with a penchant for serving into the back of people’s (Kageyama’s) heads. His hair always smelled like children’s shampoo and he always had plasters on his knees from all his spectacular falls.

And yet, something about him imbued the magnetic pull of attraction.

Even as this curious thought swirled through Kageyama’s mind, three giggly girls approached their booth. Hinata straightened as if preening his imaginary feathers, hand already curling around their mason jar.

Kageyama counted time. Twenty minutes. Just twenty more minutes.

Then one of the girls was pushed forward, objectively the bravest of the group, and she said, around shrieked laughter, “We’ll give you double if you"—giggle, squeal—"kiss Kageyama-kun on the cheek!”

Hinata and Kageyama simultaneously looked at each other, with mirrored faces of shock, then quickly looked away.

“What?” Kageyama growled, face shining plum red.

At the same time, Hinata laughed, “Sure!”

Kageyama snatched him by the back of his head, turned him forcefully so he would look into his storming eyes, and repeated it into his face. “What! Dumbass!”

“Do it for the team, Kageyama-kun,” Hinata chided him, attempting to pull the setter’s fingers from his hair. It was a useless notion; Kageyama had his hands so twisted in that nest of orange it seemed like he never planned to let go. “It’s just one kiss but for the price of two! Think of how happy Suga-san will be!”

“That’s not—you—Idiot Hinata!”

“We’ll give you triple!” another girl piped up, from the back of the group, pulling more coins out from her backpack. This set off another round of snorted laughter, before someone pooled the money all together and dumped it on their booth.

Hinata looked happily at the pile of coins. “Look at that, Kageyama! We can probably buy a new pump with all the money we get today! Aren’t you the one always complaining about deflated volleyballs?”

“I…”

Kageyama faltered, only for but a moment, thinking of his serve that had veered off into a random corner of the gym yesterday because the ball had been too soft to catch the angle of his wrist properly. They couldn’t defeat Seijou with shoddy serves like that.

That split second of hesitation was all Hinata needed. A tiny fist found the collar of Kageyama’s uniform, before he was bent unceremoniously at the waist and a pair of warm, mushy lips descended upon the apple of his cheek. The scent of children’s shampoo infiltrated his senses. He saw a spot of stars pepper across his vision. The flash of a cellphone camera went off. Shouldn’t the stars have appeared after the flash?

Hinata pulled away with a noisy sound, then beamed brightly into his face. “See!” he laughed. “That wasn’t too bad!”

His cheeks were flushed and crinkles had formed around his eyes from his smile and the gloss on his lips was slightly dulled from having rubbed off on Kageyama’s cheek. The sun reflecting behind him made him look bright and dazzling and happy. It occured to Kageyama, with a pang in his stomach, that this was what he looked like after he had kissed someone.

He could understand in that moment why so many girls at their school wanted to be kissed by Hinata.

Vaguely, he registered laughter as the girls scurried away, and Hinata cheerily called after them, “Tell your friends! I’ll kiss any part of Kageyama for any kind of price!”

The last fifteen minutes of their shift were also their busiest.

(It was just too bad the vice-principal shut them down).

[heartbreak-tm]

Best of Wives, Best of Women || Clarissa || Re: Mimori, Ryuu, Jojo

The worst part about cajoling Clarissa, or trying to make emotional appeals to her, is that it doesn’t work. She stares as unfeelingly as if someone was droning on about the weather.  Mimori, however, is about as close as she gets to feeling something. Disgust. Pity isn’t an emotion she inherently hates; people pitying her gets her all sorts of nice things, some days. But when she’s ripped the mask off, she doesn’t want it anymore. Not even from one of the few people here she actually likes.

It’d be like the mouse stopping to look up at the cat and ask about her day. The fish to the shark. The survivor to the mastermind. It sends fury through her veins, and she only stops it by looking at Mimori’s hands, taking a breath and closing her eyes to remember the last time they were in a room together.

1.

Swing.

2.

Swing.

3.

Swing.

Okay. She’s calm now. Her eyes open again.

“If he were here....well, I don’t think he’d agree with me, but I’m sure he’d get it. People are users, naturally, Mimori. There’s always something they want. Love is just another step to that. And Shinji still would rather sacrifice themself. For what? For the people they love? How does that not just seem like abandonment?”

She leans forward, hand on her knee to smile on her.

“What happened to me is not that rare. What happened to my mother is not that rare. The reverse is just as true, you know? You can love someone so much, and that selflessness will only get used against you.”

Clarissa smiles.

“I’m never lonely. I have friends. I have my brother. It’s a very particular kind of love I’m here to disprove.”

Clarissa has to do the same for Ryuu, when he speaks, only this time it’s not much of a memory. She pictures being back on the floor with his broken arm, but it’s just them. And she’s going just a little further. Ah, well. Making him angry back is just as easy – the fact that she won’t shut up is its own annoyance.

“Yeah. But I’m sure you know someone who’s not-so-living proof that it does. I’m something of an enthusiast for fun little murders. I like to theorize. I don’t usually go international, but some cases are just too interesting. And I’m not trying to say ‘ooooh the boyfriend did it’, but his boyfriend sure couldn’t fucking save him, could he?”

Perhaps it’s cruel. She’s a sister. She can only imagine the kind of hell she’d bring on somebody who talked about Adrien like that. Ah, well, he doesn’t have to answer her. She’s sure he won’t, because that’d just be a nice thing for her, and he won’t give her what she wants.

“You reconnected back in here. You think you’ve changed? You think once you get out into the real world all the problems that ruined you the first time won’t ruin you again?”

She looks at Guy, sniffs dismissively.

“I can’t think of anything more pathetic than crawling back to an ex. But sure, Ryuu, you’re welcome! It’s the ring that got damaged anyway, before you even met me. People say all the time ‘I’m better, I’ve changed, I won’t hurt you again, it was a mistake,’ like any of that means something. Like it’s true. And the people who fall for shit like that are even worse.”

She waits for the cackle to die down, blinks, and then makes a move to cover where Chuu's ears would be.

“Dude, there is so much demon clam in Hell.”

Clarissa sighs at Jojo, moving her hand back to her hip.

“I was loved. I was loved completely and totally. I have nothing to show for it but money and blood.”

She stares at him.

“No, I do know they died because of me. I had my motives and, frankly, I think I’m right. I was right from the very start – as soon as Lila blackmailed Hiro into it, I was right. I wanted to see pain, Johannes. I wanted to see death. That some of the people who died were people I liked? My friends? That means so very little.”

His question is the first thing that truly truly gets her, more than anything else. Not shock. Just sadness. Only for a moment, before that sadness is removed and replaced with anger.

“Fuck it. You all want my big sad villain motive? No, Johannes, I was raised by the most beautiful and lovely woman in the world. That was her in locket everyone found. My mother adored me. Adored my brother. Adored her family. Adored her husband. She was kindness and love personified. She forgave my father for so much, because she loved him.”

She smiles, bitterly.

“I always thought, surely, he loves me and my brother. Surely. I had memories of him holding me. Of him being a good dad to us both, when he wasn't working. When I was 18...my mom found out he was cheating. All the good she gave him. All she did for him. He wouldn’t have even been running Pulaski Industries if she hadn’t stepped aside for the man she loved. He took and he took and he took and then when she found out, when she found out he was cheating, when he was completely in the wrong...”

She laughs, full on laughs, at how fucking stupid this whole situation was.

“I was at practice. I was running late, and I called home. My dad told me to hurry back, but mom said it was okay. I told them to eat without me. When I got home...they were loading him into a cop car. They were wheeling my brother into an ambulance. They were....hehe. They were zipping my mom into a body bag.”

She smiled, so happy at the memory she was about to reveal to them.

“Five years. I waited. I bided my time. You saw that news article, right? That was me. Long-lasting poison, even made a show that afternoon of wiping a bit of soup off that thermos and licking my finger in front of the guard. Ate in front of them and my dad. Just had to make sure to take an antidote when I got clear of that place. And then I got clear out the country, a week later. And maybe they will figure out it was me, but I’ll be dead before they can connect the dots.”

[thelionshoarde]

For the prompt-a-thon I have a cheesy idea: What about Obi proposing to Shirayuki at the christmas tree? *-*

Uh. I would just like to say that I am not really a marriage person, but I did my best. Have a little angst with your cheese, tho?

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS PROMPT-A-THON, DAY 2

read here on ao3 if you prefer :3

“Hey,” said Shirayuki, tugging Obi to a stop on the busy sidewalk. Someone snarled something rude under their breath, bumping into Obi’s shoulder, and Obi tilted his head back, reminding himself to let it go. That a snide remark or left hook or clever pick pocketing rebuttal was not worth it, not anymore.

Instead, he ushered Shirayuki to the side, next to the storefront that had caught her eye. A bakery, full of many-tiered wedding cakes, exploding with iced roses and edible pearls. Obi eyed it, askance. For her part, Shirayuki merely raised a mittened hand up to rest against the window, the pom poms that dangled down catching on the intermittent breeze.

“You have zero situational awareness,” Obi chastised, resting his chin on the top of her head. The wool of her knit cap itched, but Obi ignored it. “Hey what?”

“Do you…”

“Honey,” Obi drawled, “if you want a cake we’ve got some sort of fudge monstrosity at home. I can bake it in a flash. No reason to go speechless with hunger. Though if you want iced flowers you’ll have to give me a day to practice, you know. I’m good, but I’m not a baking god.”

That got a laugh out of her. “You’re terrible at baking, don’t even. And – that’s not… Well. Hm.”

Standing there, laden down with bags of early Christmas shopping, the city a whirlwind of traffic, and chatter, bodies in bulging coats pressing all around, the sky as gray as the pavement – snow began to fall.

Obi jerked his head up, delighted, to watch it. Gentle, minuscule white flakes of biting cold to dust the rust red of Shirayuki’s hair where it spilled out from beneath her cap.

Then Shirayuki asked, “Have you ever thought about getting married?”

* * *

He needed – eggs. Right, eggs. And vegetable oil, probably. Sugar? Milk? Hot water?

Obi held the measuring cup in both hands, fingers slipping against the thick glass, and stared at the closed door of the refrigerator. Behind him, Shirayuki said gently, “The recipe is on the back of the box, Obi.”

“I know that,” he said. “I – yeah. I know. I was just thinking – pecans? Or walnuts? Which would you prefer? Maybe both? None? Coconut? I think we still have caramel drizzle somewhere. How about some caramel?”

She sighed. “Obi.”

“It’s just a question, Shirayuki,” Obi snapped, before he could stop himself.

In his chest his heart pounded, rabbit-fast. It still made his skin crawl, sometimes, fighting with her – but it was okay. They were past the point where he thought a fight meant the end. Were instead at a place where Obi could just get petty, and not feel like the world was closing in on him. Usually.

Obi set the measuring cup down onto the counter with a clatter, reaching for the pantry door, and the box of cake mix inside. “Just – let me make the cake,” he said into the cluttered shelves. “Please? Give me a bit, all right?”

He heard the shuffle of her stockinged feet on the floor. The hesitation at his back, barely enough space to keep from touching. He fought down a flinch, holding perfectly still, waiting, relieved when she didn’t touch. When she read the tensed lines of his body, maybe, or heard in his voice the things he was carefully holding in, and knew better than to push.

“Okay,” she agreed, and was gone.

When Obi heard the door to their bedroom shut, he let himself fall, hunched down between his knees, hands over the back of his head. It was just a question. Had he thought about getting married – had he thought about it – marriage – with Shirayuki –

He –

He hadn’t.

He hadn’t, but apparently she had. Shirayuki had thought about marriage, and him, at least enough to ask him about it. Which meant… What? That she wanted a proposal? That she wanted to tie the knot? Make it official? Happily ever after, and all that? Like he was – like he could –

Groaning, Obi squeezed his fingers into the tense muscles at the side of his neck, jaw working. His stomach felt like lead, like cement snakes weighing him down. The shopping bags were still on the floor by the entrance way, where they’d dropped them without care. Outside, snow fell, a languid flurry of silent white to blanket all the ugly things beneath.

It would have been nice to go outside, let each snowflake kiss his skin, his scars, numb him from the outside in. Hide him, at least for a time.

Instead he stood, grabbed the box of cake mix, and got back to baking.

* * *

When he opened the door it was two hours later, he’d burned the base of his thumb, and there was egg yolk on the ceiling.

Shirayuki was curled up in their bed beneath the throw Ryuu had knitted them last winter with Hana, their tortoiseshell monster, sprawled across her shins and purring like a finely tuned motor. Obi leaned against the door frame for a moment, hesitant to intrude. They looked peaceful, calm – a safe haven as pure and cleansing as the snow outside.

Shirayuki’s eyes flickered up to him from her book, and she crooked a timid smile his way. Obi saw the way her body language shifted open in welcome for him, reeling him in, instant and gratifying. Somehow, it dislodged his heart from his throat, allowed his feet to move again.

“Hey, there. Nothing exploded, so… one of your better ventures, I’d say.”

“You would think,” Obi agreed, grin just as crooked but far more sheepish. “And yet, I present to you – burnt, soggy fudge stuff. Your fork, milady.”

“Oh, my,” Shirayuki said, voice faint and face a curious puzzle of dismay and fondness. She took the plate and fork, setting her book aside. Hana opened one amber eye and twitched her tail before subsiding. Shirayuki prodded the cake, which oozed. “It looks…”

“Horrifying? Like an occult nightmare? Possibly Lovecraftian?”

“…delicious.”

Obi laughed, a sharp, wild thing. Shirayuki looked up at him from beneath her fringe, pleased, and Obi sat on the edge of the bed, taking the fork from her hand before she could quite dare be brave enough to try a bite. “Your stomach would murder you, and then me. Trust me – it tastes terrible.”

“You’ll get it right one of these days.” Setting the plate aside on her bedside table, she insisted, “You’re too good a cook to be this bad a baker, Obi. I have faith!”

“Mm,” Obi hummed, tilting the fork back and forth across his knuckles, watching the light shine along the tines, marred here and there with a touch of fudge. “You do. And –”

Shrirayuki’s fingers – tough with calluses, nails clipped short and painted a glittering purple, familiar and strong and kind – just brushed Obi’s wrist. A barely there graze of assurance. “You don’t have to answer,” she murmured. “You never have to answer, Obi. So long as I’m with you, I’m happy. You – us? We don’t have to –”

When the words tripped over his tongue Obi thought they would taste like acid, or scrape the inside of his mouth like metal – but in the end they were just words, and it was almost easy. “I never considered myself the marrying type, so I never really thought about it, no.”

This time, Shirayuki’s fingers hooked over and around, a gentle pressure rubbing against the vulnerable skin on the underside of his wrist. Her thumb curled around to form a circle, holding him. “What do you mean?”

He raised his free hand in the air, then dropped it, shrugging.

“You know me,” he joked, even knowing that she would be able to tell that he wasn’t. That she could read between the lines by now, after all these years, and would hear the truth even where Obi couldn’t help but try and hide it. “Bad boy through and through. Juvenile delinquent, felon. Scruffy and handsome, sure, but – not the type to stick around, or be – be kept, I guess.”

Did that make sense? He wasn’t so certain. But Shirayuki kept silent, waiting, so Obi kept going.

“It wasn’t a big deal. I mean, I never thought about marriage when I was younger because I never would have wanted it. Being tied down? Ha! And later… Well, I knew no one in their right mind would want to marry me,” he laughed, and tried to ignore the hollow echo in it, the way Shirayuki’s thumb dug in just slightly, in protest or kindness or empathy, Obi didn’ t know.

But it reminded him where the border of his skin was, and how he fit inside of it. His breathing steadied, and he explained, “I don’t think I ever bothered thinking about it again, to be honest. There never seemed to be any point.”

Eventually, when Obi was silent long enough that the words had settled, some of the tension easing out of his shoulders, Shirayuki tugged gently at his wrist.

Obi went to her, laying out on the edge of the bed atop the blanket, fork dropped carelessly to the floor, Hana a purring cocoon wiggling in between them. He kissed Shirayuki’s cheek, her eyebrow – she caught his lips, and held them, before pulling back. Hey eyes were green, clear and bright, and without expectation.

“Thank you for telling me,” she whispered.

Obi quirked his mouth, not quite a smile, but almost. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Sure.”

* * *

Three weeks later in Zen’s office Obi was pacing. “I can’t get it out of my head,” he admitted. “I mean – marriage? Me?”

“You,” Zen agreed, flipping through his planner, sounding distracted. “More surprising things have happened. Why shouldn’t you get married? Izana did. And I never thought I’d see the day.”

“This is true,” Obi realized. “Izana got married. Anything can happen. I should – Should I –?”

“Aha,” Zen cried, looking up finally and grinning as he caught Obi’s gaze. “Tomorrow at 4pm I’m free for an hour and forty-five minutes. Meet me out front, got it? Don’t be late!”

Obi blinked, pacing halted. But he still felt the nerves in his veins, bubbling like champagne, and his heart was a restless wandering thing, something that ceased to stay still now that it had a glimpse of a new horizon. “For what?” he asked, exasperated.

“Ring shopping,” Zen said.

“…What drugs are you on and why aren’t you sharing?”

Sighing, Zen leaned back in his stupidly plush leather chair, looking smart and mature and infuriating behind his desk. “Obi, I hate to break this to you, but – you haven’t stopped talking about this for weeks. So tell me, is it that you can’t stop thinking about it because it freaks you out? Or does it freak you out because you can’t stop thinking about how much you want to marry Shirayuki?”

Obi squinted, tilting his head. “Stop it,” he complained, hand clamping down on his shoulder and squeezing. “You resemble your brother far too much in this moment. This is unacceptable. I will not allow it! Where is the drunken asshole I once carried home on my back at three in the morning? Where is the idiot who took me to the hospital that time I –”

“We promised never to speak of that,” Zen interrupted, turning faintly green. “Also: don’t avoid the question, Obi. You deserve to be happy. And someone should make an honest man out of you. May as well be Shirayuki, since you’re stuck with her regardless. She’s not letting you go, in case you were under any delusion otherwise.”

“Ugh,” Obi said, a giddy warmth suffusing him in a way that was positively embarrassing. “You brute. Four tomorrow, then. I hope you’ll have your smelling salts on hand, because I’m going to swoon. It’s going to happen.”

* * *

Obi didn’t swoon, but he did have a mild panic attack when he found the perfect ring and realized, without any lingering shred of doubt: he wanted to be Shirayuki’s husband so badly it hurt.  

* * *

Christmas Eve was utterly cliche, but Obi was – something. Something impossible, and reckless, and overflowing. He was all sharp angles and weak knees and a heart that wouldn’t quit, beating and jumping and breaking at every sleepy smile, too-loud laugh, or casual touch that Shirayuki gifted him with.

He was going to ask her to marry him.

He was almost certain she would say yes.

It was funny, he thought. Trust wasn’t something he had ever come to naturally. It was a prickling, ferocious opponent, something that had hurt him more often than not. He had never expected to ask someone to marry him. Had never anticipated wanting to. Yet here he was, dressed up in a cable knit sweater, his nicest pair of jeans, and his fuzziest socks. Ring in his pocket, plan reformulating every half-second in his fevered brain.

Because he –

He trusted Shirayuki.

And he trusted their relationship. Had more faith than he’d ever known his entire life in this thing that they had built together, through every awkward misunderstanding, every halting, inching step forward, every bump in their path that they surmounted because it was worth it.

Whatever her answer, Obi knew he wasn’t going to – to ruin anything.

Everything was going to be all right.

Wiping his sweating palms on his thighs, he just wished that meant he was less nervous. “You ready for spiked eggnog and A Muppet’s Christmas Carol,” she called from the kitchen, sounding distracted.

“Yep,” he called back, trying not to shiver with nerves.

For some reason he couldn’t look at her, as if seeing her in front of him would chase all his courage away, or knock him stupid. So he stayed standing in front of their Christmas tree, the bright multi-colored lights and goofy ornaments Obi could never resist buying, the shiny packages beneath. He rubbed his fingers against the ring in his pocket, and listened as Shirayuki set their glasses down on the coffee table.

Nothing fancy, he thought, trying to get his heart to calm down. Nothing impressive. Just honesty. Shirayuki would understand what this meant, what he was saying; and besides, he didn’t know if he could get through anything more than the most basic of questions – will you marry me? – without puking.

“Obi.” He heard her take a deep breath, like she was bracing for something, and a muffled thud. Her voice came again, insistent. “Obi, I have something to ask you.”

Right, Obi had to stop staring at the tree. He had something to ask her as well, after all. It was time. He could do this.

When he turned around, there was Shirayuki – knelt on the floor by one knee, a little red velvet box being turned nervously in her hands. And – oh. Oh, that was – that had to be –

A ring box, like the one in his pocket.

For just a second the whole world swam, vision dipping with the excited thrum of his pulse. Obi felt like he’d been kicked in the solar plexus, all the air rushing out of him at once and sending him reeling. She couldn’t – Was she actually –

“What are you–”

“Obi,” she started, and it was the tone she got when she was choked with nerves, but determined, and yet softer somehow, soft like the way she whispered to him at night in bed, when a nightmare woke him. “Obi, I–”

This was happening. Obi was being proposed to.

“Holy shit,” he whispered.

Maybe Obi should kneel, too, or pull her up from the floor? Do – something other than stand there like an idiot. The ring box was burning a hole in the pocket of his pants, and this was too much, too much. But somehow he couldn’t quite do anything at all, save stare, heart in his throat, waiting.

He hadn’t known how much he could want, how it could take him over and make him fragile, and how he would still feel perfectly safe, regardless.

Shirayuki took a deep breath, and met his eyes, steady and fierce, a little wet with the force of her emotions. Distantly, Obi realized his hands were trembling.

She said, “You can say no, Obi. We don’t need this. But I – I want you to know how much I love you. I wanted to show you with more than just – just words. That I have no intention of ever leaving you. That I absolutely think you’re the marrying type.” Pausing, she laughed a little, cheeks turning rosy. “I love you more than I ever knew was possible, you know? I just… I never really understood it, before. The idea of a single person changing the way you – you see things, how you think, you live. But now I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you. I don’t want to. I want – you, Obi. Only you. I want –”

She flicked the box open, revealing a gold band, beautiful and shining in the low light.

“Obi, will you marry me?”

He didn’t mean to, but he started laughing. A snorting, helpless kind of snigger that had him clamping a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. Shirayuki’s nervous, hopeful expression shifted into raw panic, and Obi went down onto his knees in front of her, graceless and eager, hands clutching at her forearms and forehead pressed to hers.

“Yes,” he gasped.

She whined, “Then why are you laughing.”

“It’s just,” Obi tried to calm the bubble of euphoria in his chest, and explained, helpless, “traditionally, aren’t I the one who’s supposed to propose? You even – on one knee, Shirayuki!”

“Well,” she said, grinning shyly. “Like I’m going to let something like that get in my way. I just… I wanted you to know that I choose you. Forever and always.”

“So you decided to put a ring on it?” Obi asked, laughing, and was glad this was private, glad this was just the two of them in the home they’d made together, because his voice was thick with emotion, eyes smarting with unshed tears, and his grin was so wide it almost hurt.

“I decided,” Shirayuki sniped, “on a symbol of my commitment to you, a – a promise. And a request, that you – that you will allow me the honor of marrying you, Obi. And – well, yes, basically. I decided to put a ring on it. Speaking of…” Shirayuki fumbled the ring from the box, holding it up towards him. Her eyes were wet, too, and shining, and beautiful. “May I?”

“You better,” Obi managed to squeeze out, throat tight. Both their hands were trembling a little, but Shirayuki managed to slide the ring onto Obi’s left hand, the band a snug, perfect fit. Tiny, tasteful diamonds flashed in the light, and Obi admired the way it looked, a physical claim, a declaration of intent.

Then Shirayuki took his hand in hers, and kissed the ring on his finger, a sweet, tender thing, and that was better, that was –

“I love you,” she whispered.

Obi had always, secretly, tried not to drown. Tried not to go so deep that he couldn’t survive it; but he’d fallen faster and deeper than he’d ever expected, a whole world opening up in front of him. One where he was wanted, and desired, and where Shirayuki had no intention of ever, ever letting him go, and wanted everyone to know it at a single glance. Wanted Obi to know it, that she trusted him as much as he did her, that they were in this together for the long haul.

He said, “I love you, too. In fact, I – I have something for you, as well.”

[claudeng80]

Murder In The Pharmacy 1: Listen

“You’re spending too long on your vowels. Try to be in a bit more of a hurry, cut them shorter.” Obi glanced down at Shirayuki’s lecture notes lying on the desk between them. “The study of liver diseases has long been locked in a cycle of errors in which the only measure of improvement is in how long it takes the patient to die.” His accent was perfect, Clarinese vowels in every word, but his face screwed up with distaste. “This is really depressing, miss. This is how you’re starting your talk?”

Shirayuki was supposed to repeat the sentence back to him, but he should have known she couldn’t leave criticism unanswered. “It makes my point clearly and succinctly. It’s hard to tell if treatment for liver problems is working or not. I’ll be summarizing the few methods we do have for assessing liver function and proposing others for further study.” She sat back in her chair grinning triumphantly, having scientifically demolished her bodyguard.

Obi was unmoved. “And you want to change your accent why, again?”

She’d come to him first thing that morning asking him to teach her how to not sound like a Tanbarun native anymore. “You shift how you speak all the time,” she’d pointed out. “I need to learn how to do that.”

He’d learned it as a survival skill, sounding like a local so people would be generous, sounding like a mark to make them trust him. He controlled it now, keeping his Clarinese from being perfect, cultivating the air of a trustworthy foreigner who’d been around for a very long time. She didn’t need that, she could be proud of where she came from.

She was the only one he let himself mimic, his words coming slower in her presence as he showed his respect for her through his imitation. The guards made fun of him when they caught him at it, but being more like her in just that one little way made him feel a little more worthy of the care she showed for him. It would be a shame for her to change.

The look on her face was too serious for him to make a joke. Her lips were tight as she watched the pages of her talk lying on the table, straightening them with a finger. “I overheard one of the visiting pharmacists complaining about Garrack inviting foreigners to speak. She said Clarinese medicine should be just for Clarinese citizens.” Looking up, she saw the disbelief in Obi’s eyes and held up her hands to forestall his argument. “I just don’t want Garrack to look bad, and I don’t want my accent to keep them from listening to me.”

The biannual medical conference had everyone on edge. Lyrias hummed with visitors, the pharmacy building the center of a hurricane of last-minute writing and stress. Suzu disappeared into the library for a full week, emerging with a speech draft that made no sense. Yuzuri dragged him out to Pavilion Street to eat a real meal before he tried to revise it, but he was still jumpy and prone to shouting. Kazaha went home early the last three days in tears, too upset to be trusted with medicine. Izuru was constantly trying to run six ways at once cleaning up after everyone both figuratively and literally. Only Ryuu showed no effects.

“They’ll listen to you because you know what you’re talking about,” Obi tried to argue, but Shirayuki set her jaw. She wanted to sound local. No way would she get it in a day, but there would be no telling her that. He sighed. Fine. “The study of liver diseases has long been locked,” he modeled again.

“You sound like Haruka,” she complained, and they exchanged grimaces. Fine, she could get north Clarinese instead. He repeated the phrase. “Now you sound like Mitsuhide. Why don’t you sound like yourself?”

“I’ve been following you around for the last five years, miss. I sound like you most of the time.”

“Oh.” She looked pleased at that, then brightened. “That explains why Yuzuri insisted you must be from Tanbarun too! How funny.”

“Are we chatting, or are we practicing?” People’s speculations about his origins was always a fun topic, but if she wasn’t going to take this seriously, she wasn’t going to get anywhere.

With a cheeky grin, she repeated the phrase back to him, sounding exactly like she always did. “Not quite, miss, watch my mouth.” Her grin dropped as she focused, and the tip of her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips. This is how he would be torturing himself today. “Study. More ahh and less uhh.” She repeated the ahh on an exhale, and it was all Obi could do to keep from biting his lip. “Long. Not so looong. Purse your lips more.” She pursed, and a braver man would lean forward and kiss her right on those beautiful lips. Because he was a loyal one, he corrected her instead. “Not that much, just a little more than you usually do.”

“The study-” Shirayuki started, then cut herself off at a scream from above. They both looked up at the ceiling, tense and waiting. The Lyrias pharmacy library rules didn’t insist on quiet, but disturbances were generally constrained to squabbles over equipment and books. Sometimes pranks went too far. But the level of banging and screaming coming from the upstairs concerned him. Shirayuki jumped to her feet, and Obi nearly trod on her heels as they ran for the stairs.

The woman pounding on the office door was a stranger to Obi, but Shirayuki went right to her, grabbing her arm to pull her back from the door. “Celine, what’s wrong?”

The woman’s fists were pink from pounding, her voice hoarse. “Enzo won’t open the door! He’s been in there alone for hours, and I’m afraid something’s happened to him!”

Obi found it gratifying that Shirayuki immediately looked to him for a solution. Maybe it was just because nobody else in the room came from a shady background, and yes, certainly he could pick the lock, but the quickest way to get in was also the easiest. He shifted the two women to the side, and with a single sharp kick, he smashed the door through its frame. An easy repair, and even if it came out of his salary, the look on Shirayuki’s face made it worthwhile. She looked both proud and impressed - she’d known he could do it but didn’t think it’d be so fast. Just what he’d been hoping for.

Celine, unimpressed by his kick, had run directly into the room and started shouting again. The man sitting at the desk had been alone in the room. He was also dead. “Don’t let her move the body, I’ll send someone for Lord Makiri,” Obi murmured to Shirayuki.

“Hurry back,” was all she asked, and there was no order from her lips he would ever be more eager to follow.

[turnaboutancestor]

DGS2 Case 4: Review and Thoughts

listen.  listen, okay. listen. i didn’t need this in my life. i didn’t....i didn’t need this

This case looks like it’s gonna be VERY strongly linked to Case 5, a la 5-4/5-5, so it is by nature going to be an incomplete summary. Please keep that in mind as you read.  If I’m missing anything, it may simply be because it didn’t leave a huge impression on me right now.  ALSO, when I do case 5, I am in NO WAY repeating anything I’ve wrote here outside of like. A sentence or two.

Review

Background: Professor

We learned a little more about the circumstances surrounding Professor--Asougi Genshin, who traveled to Japan as a detective.

First, his capture came only after Gregson was adamant on performing an autopsy on Klimt van Zieks, something that otherwise wouldn’t have been performed due to Klimt’s status as a noble and the taboo surrounding it.  However, the autopsy provided a valuable clue that let to Genshin’s arrest.  This autopsy was led by John H. Watson, and assisted by Mikotoba Yuujin and Courtney Simon (now Sithe).

Second, we know one more important detail about his trial.  Vortex was actually the prosecutor in charge of the case, but stepped down to allow Barok on the bench after he insisted.

Third, it’s become obvious that his escape from execution involved multiple individuals within Barkley Prison. Though Everyday Mitermont was the chief jailer at the time and signed off on his coffin being moved to Lowgate Cemetery, it doesn’t appear he was actually involved in the plan to free him.  Sithe, who watched over the execution and “confirmed” his death; and an unknown individual who nailed down the coffin, preventing Mitermont from doing the final check, are at least two of the co-conspirators for getting Genshin out.  It was Mitermont that felt the brunt of that, though, and he was fired from Barkley.

Finally, Genshin saved Barok’s life at one point.  Barok was often the target of criminals due to being Klimt’s brother.  When they were surrounded one night on a backstreet in London, Genshin protected Barok, his hand bloody after the fact.

Background: Mitermont

Everyday Mitermont is happily married to Anna Mitermont and has two children.  When he was fired from Barkley 10 years ago, he couldn’t bring himself to tell his family about it, and decided to find a new job. However, the economy was in a recession, and he was unable to find a new job.  As a result, he took on a disguise and created a new identity for himself as “Hugh Boone,” and began to sell stories on Lime Street.  Eventually, Gregson found him and began to use him, as noted below.

His wife approached Sherlock to ask that he look for him, as he had been missing for the past day.

Gregson sent Mitermont out to be a decoy with the “Red Headed League,” a small-time scam of Maurice and Marco, two European nobles. The two captured Mitermont, and then he discovered Gregson’s body at the shabby room he rented out, forcing him to go to court as a witness.  As a result, he was unable to contact his wife without risking revealing his secret.

Background: Tobias Gregson

After his role in the Professor case, he became known as a “legend” in Scotland Yard--but he also started taking on cases alone, and did so with secrecy.  In order to better hide his movements, he used Mitermont (who he found by chance one day disguised as “Hugh Boone”) by giving him his police ID and asking that Mitermont make a scene where he was directed to go by proclaiming that “Detective Gregson is hear to investigate!”  In exchange, Gregson paid Mitermont a surprising sum of money, which allowed him to continue his ruse.

As this went on, Gregson began to use the shabby room Mitermont rented out as his second “office”, and brought quite a few police documents with him.  An investigation of his office at the Yard also led to the discovery of a notebook with many names and dates in a list.

These documents all had one thing in common: the Death Bringer.

Background: The Death Bringer

10 years ago, Barok’s name became widely known after the Professor case was resolved. However, he lost his very next case: the head of a crime syndicate managed to go free.

He was killed by debris at a construction site 3 days later, and the “Death Bringer” was born.  Since then, Barok has only lost 16 trials, and 13 of those “Not Guilty” verdicts have eventually led to the defendants dying.

Barok wants to know the true identity of the Death Bringer more than anyone, and as such has been investigating ever since.  This has led him to a number of conclusions:

The “Death Bringer” is an organization, as many deaths would be impossible with only one culprit

They seem to have access to information only members of the police force could have

Tobias Gregson is a central figure, coming up with the plans on how to kill their targets

Ann Sasha, otherwise known to us as “Jezail Brett”, was an assassin who carried out many of the murders

The Crime as Currently Known

Barok, in his investigation of Gregson, found a note with an address and meeting time. He head to the location, and went into the room at 5pm.  His attention was immediately grabbed by the desk, but as he headed toward it, he suddenly heard a gunshot--or rather, a set of firecrackers tied to a candle as a makeshift “timer”.

Three witnesses head to the room upon hearing the “gunshot”. Mitermont opened the door first, knocking over the board of case information that had been placed by the door. This allowed Barok to finally get a glimpse of Gregson’s body. Another witness went to call for help, and found a patrolman.  Barok, without thinking, picked up the gun he saw on the ground, and it was in this state that the police found him.  He was immediately arrested and charged for Gregson’s murder.

There is, however, one important discrepancy: there is no “time of death” written on the autopsy report. This is because Maria Goulloyne, Sithe’s daughter, noted that the fish and chips inside Gregson’s coat had already started to mold despite his body being in “fresh” condition. This led her to conclude that the body was tampered with to produce a fake “time of death”, but Vortex ordered her to keep quiet on this and leave that part of the autopsy blank.

Other Pertinent Information

Gina eventually found Gregson’s missing suitcase using Toby.  Inside was a passport/ticket, good for a trip to France for one week from the date issued: the day before his body was found.  Something inside the case also likely made Toby react, as he immediately attacked Ryuu.

Asougi is the prosecutor for the case, due to strongly requesting Vortex that he be put on it.  He doesn’t seem to be quite following Vortex’s orders, however, as Asougi seems to have his own agenda with regards to Barok and the “Death Bringer”. He remains adamant that his father is not the Professor; he only found out he was labeled a murderer by a mysterious letter he received from England when he was younger.

Also, how Asougi made his trip to England despite his memory loss was made clear.  He woke up on the Alaclair and felt a strong desire to go to England because he felt there was something he had to do there.  He mixed with passengers and got off the ship at Hong Kong.  From here, two things were in his favor: his English skills allowed him to get a job aboard a cargo ship, and his knowledge of English law piqued Vortex’s interest when he arrived three months ago, leading to the latter taking in the former.

It was revealed, to just about everyone’s surprise, that Mikotoba Yuujin was actually Sherlock’s former partner.  Iris came to the conclusion that John Watson was her father after recognizing the handwriting on Klimt’s autopsy report as being the same as the handwritten case records she keeps in her trunk.  She saw Watson’s signature at the bottom, believing it was him that wrote the whole report.  As such, “John H. Watson” features as Sherlock’s partner in her stories.  In reality, Yuujin wrote the report as Watson’s assistant, and Watson simply signed off on it.  This makes Susato and Iris half-siblings, though we don’t yet know the circumstances behind Iris’s conception and birth, and Iris herself still isn’t aware Yuujin is her father.  Sherlock himself also promised not to tell Iris anything about her father until he was able to do so properly.

Speaking of Sherlock: upon hearing that Ann Sasha was involved, he immediately set out to send an emergency telegram to Japan. What that telegram was currently remains unknown.

And, as a bit of trivia: Asougi reveals that his sword, named “Karuma”, is a symbol of the Asougi family, which is well known for their sword techniques.  As it turns out, one of Genshin’s disciples took up the sword’s name as their family name....and as time passes, that will eventually lead to Karuma Gou (Manfred von Karma) and Karuma Mei (Franziska von Karma).

Thoughts

Do you see this wall of text. Do you!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!???!?!  I’M NOT EVEN SURE I GOT IT ALL DOWN BUT FFS, TAKUMI!!!

First off, the last segment of this case was an investigation...you don’t expect a case to end during a fuckin investigation.

Second, I feel like I closed my 3DS out of stress or some other emotional turmoil like. A lot. During this case.

Third, DID ANYONE THEORIZE THAT YUUJIN WAS ACTUALLY SHERLOCK’S PARTNER???

This case was remarkable, for more reasons than one. I kept getting thrown curveballs of all kinds, and I don’t expect that to stop as I head into case 5.  From Asougi as the prosecutor to our main detective being the culprit....from that same detective being under suspicion for being a pillar of the “Death Bringer” to Yuujin being Sherlock’s partner...from Barok being our defendant to Sherlock finally revealing how he faked Asougi’s death....there was a LOT that happened this case.

Obviously, though, there are still questions, and I have a few theories or ideas. 

First, Gina mentions that she couldn’t remember the last name in Gregson’s notebook, dated the day before Gregson’s murder, and that it didn’t seem English--I’m about 80% sure the Japanese judge and basically the REPRESENTATIVE for Japan at the forensics symposium, Jigoku Seishirou, is dead as hell. For a while I was CONVINCED he was actually the true Professor, and Genshin was innocent, but I’m not so sure about that anymore.

Second, though I’ve gone back and forth on how I feel about him the WHOLLLLEEEE game, I think Vortex has less-than-legal motives or desires. Getting Maria to hide her conclusions on Gregson’s time of death is too shady, and he seems to have a specific goal he wants out of Barok’s trial.

Third, I’m starting to think the four names on that disc were all related to the Professor case in some way or another. Gregson was the detective, Watson was the lead coroner on his final victim, Asougi is his son...that leaves Sasha, though, and I don’t know how she fits in. If it’s NOT the Professor case, then they’re related by the Death Bringer (Gregson as the planner, Sasha as the assassin, Watson and Asougi unknown), which is Fucking Terrifying.  Either way, I would not be surprised if the reason Sherlock faked Asougi’s death is related to this disc, whatever that connection might be.

Finally...I honestly have no idea how this is all gonna turn out. We’ve got two conventions fighting each other: our best friend’s father was accused or serial murder and sentenced to death, and he believes him innocent; our rival prosecutor is our client, and he lost his brother to murder and much of his normal life to a “curse”.  I want to fix both of them--I want them both to find real, true peace, but I hope it can be done in a way that doesn’t too heavily compromise what they’ve done or how they’ve felt up until this point.

Anyway

I’m ready to die (no I’m not)

[airisuwatoson]

Please explain everything that was brought up about Jezail and Asougi and John in case 3, especially Asougi, I really wanna know what's going on!

thanks for requesting! i also needed a little time to organize my thoughts

putting this under the read more because this is long

- jezail brett

after the incidents revolving around jezail brett, the japanese intelligence department tried to look into who she was. what they found was that “jezail brett”, in fact, does not exist anywhere in britain

the only things the intelligence department could find were that 1) her identity as an exchange student is an utter fake, meaning there was some strong force backing her; and that 2) her real name is “A. Sasha”, which is also the name that appeared in the morse code we learnt about in the very last moments of the previous game

speaking of the morse code, we also have...

- john watson

this is less about john and more about baskervilles, but eh, it’s the same since john was the one who wrote that one

according to susato, before she left for london, she was cleaning her father’s study and found the manuscript of “the hound of baskervilles” sitting on the table. she only got to read the title, since her father walked in and stopped her very quickly, prodding her on how much she saw. he told her to forget about it. that’s why, when susato heard sherlock and iris talk about baskervilles in the previous game, she couldn’t help but blurt it out.

later when she returned from london, susato tried to ask mikotoba again and again about the manuscript. however, not only does her father refuse to answer her, the manuscript went missing from the study.

- asougi kazuma

after the trial of jezail brett a. sasha’s murder, susato went to the detention center and asked mamemomi what he was trying to say about asougi in the defendant lobby. the reporter explained that after docking at hong kong, asougi was supposed to be sent to the japanese consulate there. however, his body never reached the consulate.

the japanese government hid this truth from the light of day. they erected a grave for him at the cape in his hometown, but there is no body there. mikotoba also knows about this, and they are still searching for his body.

ryuu can’t help but wonder, but susato tells him to stop thinking about the possibility that asougi is still alive. if asougi ultimately turned out to really be dead, then they’ll have to experience that hellish suffering again, after all.

however, they do discuss the circumstances revolving asougi’s demise. after asougi’s death on the ship, both ryuu and susato never got to see the corpse again. furthermore, sherlock was with susato and the ship’s crew when they discovered asougi’s corpse, and he was the one who examined him. if asougi really was alive, then sherlock had to have lied. susato retorts that sherlock had no reason to lie about asougi’s death, and ryuu agrees with this.

[lenin-it-to-win-it]

“I’m Here”

Summary: After escaping Poe’s book, Chuuya struggles- and fails- to come to terms with the fact that  Akutagawa has been killed.

Notes: HOLY SHIT ANGST ALERT, in case that summary didn’t clue you in. Normally, I try to keep my Chuuaku fics pretty light because Chuuya and Aku have suffered enough already, but I came up with this scenario after the latest chapter came out, and I just had to write this. Welcome to suffertown!

*****************************************************************************************************

I

It was summer.

Sun beat down on Yokohama with a ferocity that blurred the air, burning the city into submission. Sweat streaked Chuuya’s forehead, but he shivered. His mind had detached itself from his body, had sunk to some dark, unfathomable place where the physical sensation of heat was forgotten and feelings were dulled by distance. Chuuya stared at the ring in the palm of his hand, too numb even to cry.

He had meant to give it to Akutagawa weeks ago, once the guild had been defeated, but Akutagawa was so drained from his fight against Fitzgerald and brief encounter with Dazai that Chuuya didn’t want to risk overexciting him. There would be plenty of time to propose later, he thought, once Akutagawa was feeling better.

How stupid of Chuuya to forget that a mafioso’s “later” was a promise written on water.

Something came up. Something always came up. Fyodor and those wretched rats, the destruction, the chaos, the missions upon missions upon missions that seemed tailor-made to keep Chuuya and Akutagawa apart.

Then the book.

Chuuya was stunned when he found out he had only been gone a few days when it felt as if he had been trapped inside the book for months, but he was relieved. If only a few days had passed, Akutagawa should be fine. That wasn’t enough time for him to have gotten seriously hurt, right?

Wrong.

Chuuya bit his lip to keep from crying out. Even alone, he didn’t want to admit weakness.

Wrong, wrong wrong. . .

Chuuya couldn’t remember the moment he found out. He didn’t remember who told him, or where, or what he had been doing before, the words they had used. He didn’t remember shaking his head, denying, laughing as tears streamed from his eyes then collapsing to the ground, sobbing, believing, letting the terrible truth sink in.

All he remembered was the last time he and Akutagwa had been together. Chuuya had to leave in the dead of the night for a mission, but Akutagawa had looked so soft and peaceful in sleep that Chuuya couldn’t bear to wake him up. Instead, he settled for giving Akutagawa a quick kiss on the forehead and leaving in silence. He never said goodbye.

What was the last thing he had said to Akutagawa? What were Akutagawa’s last words to him?

Chuuya dragged his hands through his hair, tearing out copper strands. The ring slipped through his fingertips and clattered on the ground. Chuuya didn’t bother picking it up. What did it matter now? Akutagawa was gone.

No, he wasn’t gone. Chuuya could admit as much to himself. “Gone” made it sound as if Akutagawa had merely decided to leave, but that wasn’t what happened. Akutagawa didn’t leave.

No.

Chuuya’s body suddenly went cold

He was murdered.

Akutagawa had been murdered, and Chuuya already knew the culprit.

The virus ability user. . .

Chuuya kneeled down and picked up the discarded ring, cradling it in the palm of his hand for a moment before clenching his hand into a fist and striding out of the room, bent on revenge. The cold metal of the ring dug into the flesh of his palm.

It was blazing hot outside.

II

It was winter.

That was how Corruption always felt to Chuuya, like winter.

A blizzard.

Cold and capricious winds dragged icicle claws into the bellies of storm clouds above until snow bled from their wounds. Silent snowdrifts swept through his mind like static as snowflakes struck the ground with cannon-fire bombast, falling in time to the distant pounding, thrumming, buzzing deep in the core of bones Chuuya could no longer feel. The wind shrieked as if it was wounded, roared as if angered, whimpered as if grieving.

Trapped in the icy embrace of Corruption, Chuuya felt nothing as his distant body laid waste to everything around it. He remembered nothing, not the heat of vengeance nor the warmth of love. Chuuya had dropped the wedding ring long ago. He had given himself over to the storm.

Then the storm ended, and Chuuya was instantly, crushingly aware of every searing pain, every bone-deep ache tormenting the body it appeared he still possessed after all. He gazed at his shattered surroundings through unseeing eyes, unable to make sense of the blood-splattered ruins of a place he did not know. Even as he tried to make his eyes focus, the world seemed to fade to white at the edges. A cold hand gripped Chuuya’s shoulder, causing him to scream in pain.

“Calm down, partner,” whispered a familiar voice. Long arms slipped beneath Chuuya’s knees and around his shoulders, lifting him into the air. “It’s over now.”

Chuuya couldn’t make out the details of his face, but he would have recognized that voice anywhere. “Dazai?” he hissed, struggling to speak through the tightness of his throat. Chuuya couldn’t tell if he had spoken or not; all he could hear was the pounding in his head. “Put me down! I don’t want you-” Chuuya gasped, tearing up as another wave of pain struck. Before he could break away from Dazai, Chuuya fell unconscious, as helpless in Dazai’s arms as he had been in the storm.

***

Dazai’s apartment was a wretched little place.

Chuuya sat on a worn-down couch, wrapped in a moth-eaten blanket, holding but not drinking a cup of pre-packaged bile Dazai insisted was tea, listening to him explain what had happened, a look of total impassivity on his usually expressive face.

“-and then I arrive to find everything destroyed, everyone dead, etcetera, etcetera. Of course, I predicted you’d go after him once you figured out what happened,” Dazai said with a hint of smugness.“So, naturally, I had to be there, too.” Dazai took a sip of tea, then smiled. “My Chuuya is so high-maintenance.”

Chuuya gripped the teacup almost hard enough to shatter it. “I’m not yours.”

Dazai seemed a little put out. “You could at least say thank you,” he huffed, drumming his abnormally long fingers on the rim of his teacup. “I did save your life, after all.”

“Thank you!?” Chuuya leapt to his feet, throwing his teacup to the ground. Almost as soon as he was standing, Chuuya lost his balance and collapsed back onto the couch. The seismic throbbing in his head mounted, beating back his thoughts the instant they began to form. Chuuya cradled his head in his hands, willing the pain to go away.

Dazai reached toward Chuuya’s face; Chuuya smacked his hand away. Weakened as he was, the slap could not have been very painful, but Dazai drew back his hand as if he had touched a hot stove. “I’m just trying to help you,” said Dazai, annoyed. “Chuuya, I can’t do anything for you if you’re just gonna keep pushing me awa-”

“I don’t want you do to anything for me!” Chuuya cried, digging his fingernails into Dazai’s hideous couch to keep himself from attempting to gouge Dazai’s eyes out. “I don’t want anything from you- you ruin everything you touch! You’re a monster!”

“Monster?” Dazai looked pained for a moment, but his genuine emotion was quickly masked by cold anger. “Last time I checked, I wasn’t the one who murdered for a living,” he said, his words as cool and clipped as flurries of snow whipped into a frenzy by the wind, stinging like shards of glass as they struck the skin.“You might not remember what you did to all those people while you were using Corruption, but I saw it, I remember. If you want to see a monster, Chuuya, I’d suggest looking in a mirror.”

Chuuya refused to take Dazai’s bait. “This isn’t about me, and this isn’t about those damn rats I killed either,” he growled. “This is about you, and what you did to Ryuu.”

Dazai furrowed his brow. “Akutagawa-kun? I didn’t kill him, and I assume you know that, since you set out to kill the man who did.”

“You can’t be this stupid!” Chuuya snapped. “Do you really think Ryuu would have gone on that mission if you weren’t the one sending him?”

“If I hadn’t sent him to catch the virus user, Mori-san would have,” Dazai replied with a shrug. “I figured at least with Atsushi-kun, he would have someone to watch his back.”

“You fucking idiot!” Chuuya was unable to keep a bit of hysterical laughter from bubbling up in his sandpaper throat. “You stupid motherfucker.” He gave one more manic giggle, then relapsed into rage once more. “Who do you think made Ryuu that way in the first place? Every mission he’went on, he went on because you made him.”

Dazai stared down at Chuuya with eyes carved from ice. “I made him stronger.”

“You made him broken!” Chuuya clenched his hands into fists, cutting his palms with the jagged edges of his fingernails. “You beat him, tortured him, made him need you. You shot him in the face! He was just a kid, Dazai! A fucking kid!”

“I don’t have to take this from you.” Dazai took a slow sip of tea. “A current mafioso has no right to lecture a former mafioso on right and wrong.”

“I’m not saying I haven’t done worse, but at least I have the common-fucking-decency to regret it!” Chuuya cried, eyes blazing. “If I treated a kid- hell, any subordinate, anybody under my care- the way you treated Ryuu, you can bet your ass it would keep me up at night. But you-” Chuuya savagely swiped at the tears stinging his eyes. “You’re proud of what you did, aren’t you, bastard? Even now that you’re Mr. New and Improved, strutting around that stupid agency of yours like you’re a changed man who serves the greater good-” Chuuya snorted with derision. “You’ll never apologize for what you did to Ryuu. He’s dead, and not only will you not admit that it’s your fault-” Chuuya sniffled, wiping his nose on Dazai’s blanket. “-but even if you did, it wouldn’t bother you. Not for a goddamn second.”

Chuuya stood, clutching the edge of the couch to steady himself, and began walking out of the room. He was still weakened by Corruption, and his vision swam, blurred by pain and tears, and every nerve in his body ached, but he would have walked ten thousand miles on a path of broken glass as long as it led away from Dazai, who made no effort to stop him.

Sooner or later, Chuuya found himself in Kouyou’s arms. She said nothing, but led him to bed, gave him a warm cup of proper tea, and stroked his hair until he managed to sink into a restless sleep haunted by terrible dreams.

Weeks passed as one nightmare faded into the next seemingly without end. Chuuya ate little and spoke less, only leaving bed when Kouyou made him. Even then, he didn’t leave the house, but only laid on the couch staring blankly at the ceiling.

Revenge had done nothing. Yelling at Dazai had done nothing. There was nothing Chuuya could do to bring Akutagawa back.

Tears pricked Chuuya’s eyes. Without Akutagawa, life was nothing.

Then, on a day like any other, Chuuya left bed of his own accord and informed Kouyou that he was leaving. “Business to attend to?” she asked, effortlessly keeping her tone nonchalant even as her eyes shone with relief.

“Close,” Chuuya replied. His voice held none of its former passion, but he was speaking. His eyes had not lost the appearance of being haunted. “I’m going to visit a friend of mine.”

III

It was fall.

Summer had given way to autumn, and the world was fading, already anticipating the arrival of winter with a prolonged exhalation. A chilly gust of wind rustled the dying leaves on the tree just outside the window, but Edogawa Ranpo was concerned by far more pressing matters.

Ranpo rolled his eyes. “I’m telling you for the last time, Poe, ‘sepulchered’ isn’t a word.”

Poe crossed his arms, sulking and staring down at the Scrabble board. “It’s called literary innovation, Ranpo-kun.”

“Literary innovation, my ass,” Ranpo retorted. “I don’t need my ultra-deduction to know that’s a load of-” A knock at the door cut Ranpo short.

Poe vaulted across the table, knocking over the Scrabble board, and darted into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. “I’m not here,” he called.

Ranpo shook his head, but there was a smile on his face. Athough the agency had more or less accepted Poe, he still insisted on hiding every time someone came to visit Ranpo, more out of shyness than necessity. However, in this case, the visitor wasn’t from the agency at all.

Ranpo raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Fancy Hat? What brings you here?”

Chuuya looked up at Ranpo with shadowed eyes, silent.

“You should sit down,” Ranpo said, linking arms with Chuuya and leading him into the living room. He let Chuuya have the softest chair and sat on the coffee table across from him, studying his face and waiting for him to speak.

Chuuya wrapped his arms around himself and stared at the ground. “It’s cold in here.” His voice was fainter than Ranpo remembered it, and he shivered despite the warmth of the room.

Ranpo shrugged off his pancho and draped it around Chuuya’s shoulders. “Does that help?”

Chuuya’s only response was a blank stare. Then, some light seemed to flicker on inside for a moment, and he nodded. “Thanks.” He slouched over so that his forehead was practically touching his knees, crumbling in on himself, as if his bones were turning to dust beneath his flesh.

“So, Nakahara-kun, any, um, reason you’re here?” Ranpo asked, scratching his head.

Ranpo and Chuuya had bonded in the time they had spent together in the book; they had to, in order to keep their sanity in Poe’s literary labyrinth, in that shifting world populated by unrealities. Chuuya had a passion and dedication Ranpo could admire, even if those qualities were often the cause of his greatest weaknesses, and the fiery young mafioso had in turn grown to respect Ranpo’s intelligence. Grudging respect had given way to a sort of comradeship over time, but Ranpo had not expected to see Chuuya again, particularly not with Chuuya looking as if he had just crawled out of his own grave.

“He’s dead.” The words came out of Chuuya’s mouth in a short, percussive burst that seemed to leave him breathless for a moment. “Ryuu.”

It took Ranpo a moment to realize Chuuya must have meant Akutagawa, the mafioso Dazai had paired up with Atsushi, the one who had been killed by the virus ability user. “You never mentioned him before,” Ranpo said in a feeble attempt to break the oppressive silence. “I didn’t realize you two knew eachother.”

Chuuya made an effort to lift his head and look Ranpo in the eyes. “I loved him.”

Ranpo felt his mouth go dry. “Oh. Yeah, that’s. . . that hurts.” Ranpo was at a loss; he had lost his parents before, and he understood the depth of pain and grief Chuuya must have felt, but he had no idea how to communicate any of this to Chuuya. “Sorry.”

“Remember in the book,” said Chuuya, abruptly flaring back to life. A manic gleam stole into his tear-swollen eyes. “Remember being surrounded by all those people?”

“Characters,” Ranpo corrected.

“They felt real, didn’t they?” Chuuya insisted, leaning forward so his face was inches for Ranpo, his fingers tigging into the plush arms of the chair. “Like real people? Remember? Remember how it felt after a while when one of them was murdered? Like a real death? Like a real world where real people lived and died?”

Ranpo felt a shudder of apprehension trail down his spine. “Nakahara-kun, I-”

As suddenly as the burst of energy had struck, it faded, and Chuuya sank back down into the chair, his eyes dulling like dying embers. “I miss it in there,” he whispered, allowing his eyes to close. “I felt lighter there. My head was quieter.”

He was talking about Corruption. Ranpo wasn’t sure what that had to do with Akutagawa dying, but, figuring Chuuya wanted to change the subject, decided to go along with it. “Well, I mean, you know it’s different with my ability,” said Ranpo with a shrug. “It sets me apart from everyone and makes it hard to connect, but it’s a part of me- without my ability, I’m lost. I don’t know who I am.”

“That’s it! That’s it exactly!” Chuuya eyes burned with manic fire. “I don’t know who I am without him! All the best parts of me were tied up in Ryuu, and now- a-and now-” Chuuya’s shivering had grown more intense until he shook so violently that the chair creaked and groaned in protest beneath him. “I don’t want to be who I am without him.” Chuuya stared up at Ranpo through haunted eyes. “Ranpo-kun, your friend, with the books, do you think he could-”

“No!” Ranpo exclaimed, horrified. “Nakahara-kun, you can’t be serious!”

“I can’t live without him,” Chuuya whispered, at last allowing his gathered tears to fall. “I can’t live knowing I failed him. I have to see him again! I need him! Ryuu!”

As Chuuya began to cry in earnest, Ranpo leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his friend’s shoulders. “Hey, don’t- it’ll be- I-” Everything Ranpo could think to say sounded hopelessly impotent in the face of Chuuya’s raw emotion, so he fell silent, holding Chuuya and hoping physical gestures alone would give him some kind of comfort.

Though the crying gradually slowed to a halt, Chuuya never lost the haunted look in his eyes. He ran out of tears; his pain was unending. “Ranpo-kun, look at me,” Chuuya breathed. “Can’t you see I’m not the same?”

Much as Ranpo hated to admit it, even to himself, Chuuya was right. The broken man before him bore little resemblance to the Chuuya he had known in the book. In the span of a few weeks, Chuuya seemed to have aged decades, to have lost the spark of passion that sustained him, that kept his eyes burning even in the darkness of life. The Chuuya Ranpo knew would have threatened and coerced and stopped at nothing to get what he wanted; this Chuuya wept and pleaded and seemed seconds from total surrender.  

What would happen to this Chuuya in the mafia? Without that guiding flare in his heart, the drive that carried him so far, how would he survive? Ranpo doubted the mafia would take kindly to this version of Chuuya; sure, they had tolerated him up to now, but sooner or later, they would try either to re-ignite his flame by imbuing him with a lust for vengenace or, should that prove unsuccessful, he could be found a liability and disposed of.

Ranpo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll talk to Poe.”

IV

It was spring.

A soft breeze rustled the trees, and pale flower petals descended through the air like angels cast out of heaven, spiralling toward the ground, toward ruin. Without knowing how he understood, Chuuya knew it would always be spring here. Never again would summer sear his soul, nor harsh winter air grate against Akutagawa’s fragile lungs; here, they could always be together, always at peace, always safe and always in love in this world of eternal spring.

When Chuuya lowered his gaze from the flowers above, he saw a dark figure standing alone where the trees began to thin out, staring at the edge of the sky as it faded into the sea. Akutagawa had always admired the ocean from afar although he despised the cacophony of crashing waves up close. As if on cue, Akutagwa turned around, offering Chuuya a soft smile. “I’ve been waiting for you, Nakahara-san,” he said, his voice a bit gentler than it had once been. “Don’t you want to come over here?”

Chuuya’s breath caught in his throat, and his heart began beating so suddenly and wildly that it felt as if it was beating for the first time. Tears clouded his eyes, but he swiped them away, desperate not to lose an ounce of clarity as he gazed at Akutagawa’s pale face, imbued with a look of peace it so rarely had in reality. “R-Ryuu-” Chuuya tried to smile but his lips were trembling. Despite his best attempts to keep himself from crying, tears started falling. “Oh, Ryuu!”

Akutagawa’s eyes widened as he took in Chuuya’s tears and he began moving toward Chuuya, not walking so much as gliding, like a ghost, but when he put his hands on Chuuya’s cheeks, they were every bit as cold and rough as Chuuya remembered. “Nakahara-san, what is it?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”

Chuuya shook his head. “I’m okay. I just-” Chuuya sucked in a deep breath. “-I was thinking about what would happen if you died.”

“Why would you think about that?” Akutagawa’s voice was tinged with annoyance, but his hands were gentle as they stroked Chuuya’s hair. Akutagawa sighed, wrapping his arms around Chuuya. “Well, no matter, Nakahara-san. I’m here.”

No, you’re not.

Chuuya managed a shaky smile, and he wrapped his arms around Akutagawa, pressing his face close to his bony chest and inhaling his familiar scent. “I know, baby. I know.”

[oniusagimaru]

[Akutagawa/Atsushi Fanfiction] Collide (2/?)

Title: Collide Pairings: Akutagawa/Atsushi, Akuatsu Author: Oniusagimaru Rating:  T Warnings: None Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters Summary: All it takes is one chance meeting and Atsushi’s life slowly becomes tangled up in Akutagawa Ryuunosuke’s. This has to be some kind of cosmic joke. A/N: AKUTAGAWA READY TO THROW HANDS

Atsushi has always tried his best to be a kind individual, especially since he knew what it was like to be treated unkindly. So as soon as he returned to school in the morning, the very first thing he did was thank Akutagawa for helping him…and he was completely ignored. Since it was an early class, he thought that maybe the other was too tired, so Atsushi attempted to thank him again during the afternoon class they shared.

He was promptly told to ‘fuck off’, and the glare that went along with those words really drove home that needed to stop while he was ahead. There clearly wasn’t a downside to cutting all ties with Akutagawa, so Atsushi did so without a second thought. After that point, whenever he saw the other around campus, he just felt annoyed. One time their eyes locked, and Atsushi was given the nastiest scowl ever, and it was then that he came to a simple conclusion:

He disliked Akutagawa Ryuunosuke.

Not because he’d been treated badly, but the other’s overall attitude just rubbed him the wrong way. There was no reason for one person to be so nasty to everyone, and the sheer mean-spiritedness of it all drove Atsushi up a wall. The only way to keep his sanity was to spend as much time away from Akutagawa as possible, so the three classes they shared together were pure torture. At least he got reprieves during Chuuya’s lessons (when the man wasn’t dealing with a massive hangover, his classes were engaging), and whenever he managed to find Tanizaki around campus so he could vent. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if the guy was a student or not, but at least he was a good listener.

Unfortunately, today is not one of those reprieve days. Atsushi feels nothing but frustration as he makes his way through the halls; not only had Akutagawa’s mere presence irked him, but today will be the third day in a row he’d have to work the last shift at his part-time job. The phone calls telling Kyouka that she’d once again have to eat dinner alone were never easy to make, and even if she says she’s fine, he knows she’s disappointed. Atsushi hates having to sacrifice time with her but hates that it’s necessary in order to keep a roof over their heads even more.

As he nears the building entrance, his eyes fall on a girl standing off to the side. What catches his attention is her attire; she’s wearing a high school uniform, which makes her stick out like a sore thumb on a college campus. She fiddles with her phone, which wouldn’t have bothered him if she didn’t look around nervously every time she took her eyes away from the screen. Each time someone passes by, she opens her mouth as if to say something, but would shut it as if reconsidering her actions. He knows he needs to head straight to work, but leaving someone who looks in distress just doesn’t sit right with him.

He slowly approaches, but the moment he calls out to get her attention, he stops dead in his track. Atsushi is sure he’s never seen this girl before, but the quick look she gives him is eerily familiar, so much so that he almost forgets his original reason for being there. He snaps out of it enough to make himself look less startled and more competent.

“Are you by chance lost?” he asks, and he’s thankful he isn’t given another one of those looks.

“Um…” she says, eyes moving between her phone and his face. “I’m waiting for my brother, but it’s been over an hour since he last texted me. He said he was in the library, so I thought maybe I’d see if he’s still there, but…”

“You don’t know where it is.”

She nods, a small blush creeping across her pale cheeks as she does so. Atsushi now understands her previous conflict; she’d been staring at her phone because her brother is potentially still in the library, and texting him might mess with his studying. This left her with two options; she could either stand here and let her nervousness eat away at her, or head to the library to check but potentially get herself lost, thus making her brother worry once he arrived here. They were tough choices, and Atsushi debates with himself about which she should choose.

Then he gets an idea.

“I could wait with you until he gets here, then you’d at least have someone to talk to,” he says, finding the solution to be best one.

If Kyouka was in the same situation, he’d want someone to keep her company. It’s a much better option than a her thinking a stranger like himself is leading her to god knows where, and even if Atsushi means no harm, he thinks the girl could still feel scared. She looks at him for a second or two before nodding, and she gives him as small smile as he stands next to her.

He tries to make small talk with her, like commenting on how cute the charm that hangs from her phone is, and how his little sister likes rabbits. She asks how old Kyouka is, and as soon as he says 14, she tells him there’s only a few years difference between them.

“I’m so nervous about her going to high school in two years, especially since the one she wants to attend isn’t close to where we live. She just wants to go there because the uniforms are cute,” he says with a sigh as he thinks back to the conversation he had with Kyouka.

“I said the same thing to my brother and he looked at me like I was crazy.”

They both laugh, and Atsushi is thankful there’s no awkwardness between them.

“Oh, I don’t think I got your name.”

“Akutagawa Gin.”

Atsushi’s blood runs cold.

“Get…away from her…”

This is it. This is the moment Atsushi is going to die. That low, threatening voice can only belong to one person, but he still looks in the direction of his soon to be executioner. He’d never actually seen pure rage on someone’s face, but as Akutagawa heads towards him, it’s the only way to describe the look on his face. He grabs the front of his shirt, and the wind is knocked out of Atsushi as his back is forced against the wall behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? I should beat you within an inch of your life-”

“Ryuu, stop!” he hears the girl yell, and Atsushi can’t help but notice that she sounds more angry than shocked. “He was keeping me company until you got here, and if you didn’t show up soon I was going to ask him to take me to the library to see if you were still studying. He was helping me!”

The murderous look in Akutagawa’s eyes seems to waver after a few moments, and the hand on the front of his shirt slowly beings to loosen. He doesn’t step away until his sister calls his name again, and Atsushi finally lets out a shaky breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in. Gin huffs and begins to scold her brother, saying that he should’ve at least texted her if he was going to be late. He’d never seen anyone just…tear into Akutagawa, and most amazing of all is that he’s just taking it. Atsushi can’t help but stare dumbly at the scene playing out in front of him.

Akutagawa mutters a ‘sorry’ to his sister, and Atsushi can’t help but notice the look on his face once he mentions he was speaking with Dazai. Before he could place it, the look is gone as quickly as it was there. Picking up her school bag, she holds it out towards her brother, and without any hesitation he takes it. He follows her as she heads for the door, but before getting too far Akutagawa stops to cast a look at Atsushi from over his shoulder.

“…Now we’re even.”