#and we KNOW that serizawa on some level knew that he was being used. he was hurt too

[sordidpsychick]

Angel Numbers

3 - UFO

Angel’s first day on the job, rat problems, stovetop popcorn, and cheesy romance movies.

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Content: Reigen/Fem!OC, MDNI, eventual NSFW, I am cringe but I am free, self-indulgent, perv Reigen, human experimentation, OC can see ghosts, chubby OC

5k words

In the morning, once the two of them had gotten up and eaten breakfast, Angel stepped out of the bathroom after a long, silent while; wearing the nicer pair of jeans, her blue sweater, and her buckle-ups. “Okay.” She gives Reigen a thumbs-up. “I’m ready to leave.” There was a twinge of nervousness from her, but she seemed to be copying Reigen somewhat in the realm of bold confidence.

“Great!” Reigen said as he stood and finished buttoning the sleeve of his blazer. He caught onto her nerves as he looked at her and walked over to her, setting a hand on her shoulder. “Relax, you’ll be fine. I've heard the boss is pretty chill,” he said with a wink. He walked past the bathroom and to the front door where his hand hovered over the lock before remembering something. “Right! Listen, since you came from a… hospital and all, everything around you was probably pretty isolated and sanitary, right? I was thinking last night and realized; when we’re on the streets you’re probably pretty susceptible to colds and stuff.” He walked into the kitchen and rummaged through a drawer before pulling out a thin medical mask. “Figured you should wear it on the streets just to be safe.” This might be one of my better lies, I will say. This one makes sense on multiple levels. She will never suspect a thing.

“Oh, right.” Angel nods in immediate understanding, taking the mask when it’s handed to her. She slips it on, white fabric covering her nose and mouth. Strangely enough, it looks pretty cute on her. Maybe it’s the new hair or maybe it’s that she looks like she’s bundling up for winter with it. It was getting colder and colder the more autumn drew to a close. “I’m used to wearing these, so it’s kind of comforting, actually.” She smiles, eyes squinting. 

“Good, well maybe we will buy some more on our way back,” said Reigen as he held open the door, waiting until she stepped out to lock it behind them both with a key. “Also, just so you know, I have someone else who works in the office with me; a man by the name of Serizawa. He is a little awkward at first, but he will help you with any questions around the office whenever I'm away.” 

The two of them began to walk down flights of stairs before reaching the ground floor and approaching the street.

“Serizawa…” Angel echoes Reigen, repeating the name under her breath a couple of times. She follows Reigen, shoes tapping on the cement. 

—

“I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Angel.” The man named ‘Serizawa’ was currently bent into a deep bow before the newest employee of Spirits and Such. 

“I-it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Angel speaks with an equal amount of awkwardness as Serizawa, opting for an improper wave of her hand. She wasn’t quite used to being bowed to like this… even though she knew it was proper manners. 

“If… you don’t mind me asking, how did you and Reigen meet?” The dark-haired man rises to his full height, itching at his cheek as he avoids eye contact with Angel, who does the same. 

Let's hope she doesn't realize that because I lied this once, I lie about everything. Besides, I only lie for people’s benefit. That makes it less harmful right? “I met Angel at an international psychic convention. Angel can see ghosts, but as far as she knows that's pretty much it. We got to talking and she seemed like a good fit for our office so I gave her an offer. She accepted, obviously.” Reigen placed a warm hand across her upper back as he spoke about her, smiling down at her while occasionally looking up at Serizawa. 

Angel stiffens, glancing at Reigen out of the corner of her eye. 

“Oh, is that so?” Serizawa smiles, obviously fooled. “Well, I look forward to working with you.”

“Y-you too,” Angel responds, beginning to sweat. The second time she looks at Reigen it’s a glare. 

“Here, let me show you around,” Serizawa says, not noticing the way Angel squints at Reigen before turning her back and joining his side in the mini-office tour. 

Reigen watches her go, stomach churning from her glare. She didn’t like that? Why didn’t she like that? I thought she would have wanted me to lie. She doesn’t even want me or Mob to know the full truth about her, why would she want me to tell a complete stranger that I picked up an escapee from an experimental institution in the woods and brought her to my place, then offered her a job? I thought she would want to try and live past all that or something. Reigen took a seat at his desk and let out a sigh, opening his computer to look busy as his thoughts wandered.

Angel fell into a rhythm in the office surprisingly well. Serizawa took most of the calls for the day, showing her the ropes with the phone and filing system. She was great at filing, great at organizing, and great at scheduling. The only thing she lacked was her skills in answering the phone and successfully holding a conversation. The last few attempts ended in Serizawa gingerly reclaiming the phone while Angel sat beside him, shoulders tensed and face red with embarrassment. 

When the sun began to sag on the horizon, Mob showed up wearing his middle school uniform. “Hello master, hello Serizawa, hello Angel.” 

“You know Shigeo, you can just greet everyone all at once.” Dimple comes floating in after him. 

“Good afternoon you two.” Angel waves from the office’s couch, where she is currently sitting with a laptop on her lap. 

“Good afternoon,” greets Serizawa.

“Hey Mob! Great to see ya,” Reigen said as he swiveled in his chair to look at Mob. His ankle rested on the top of the opposite knee and his hands were neatly folded together and resting on his stomach. “We have a light schedule today, just one client with reports of mysterious noises in her basement. I suspect it's just rats but we should check it out just to be sure.”

“Rats, huh? Got it.” Mob nods and looks from Reigen to Angel and Serizawa. “How have things been?” His question is directed at Angel. 

“Good.” She smiles. “Serizawa has been showing me the ropes. It’s a little nerve-wracking but I’m already having fun, so I’m sure I’ll get used to the harder parts.” Angel sets the laptop aside to stand and stretch.

“Well.” Dimple hums. “It’s good that you’re settling in.” Mob nods in agreement. 

“Master, I know you said it’s most likely that the client has rats—so it’ll probably be a quick fix—but should we bring Angel and Serizawa along?” It was clear why Mob was asking. He was nervous about leaving Angel alone in the case that someone might be tracking her. Serizawa would be able to handle it in such a case, but he didn’t know Angel’s true circumstances.

Reigen leaned back in his chair, scowling up at the ceiling as he rubbed his chin in thought. “Hmm, you are right… plus it would be good for her to see all aspects of everyone’s job anyway. And since it probably won’t be that dangerous.” He shrugged. “I don't see why not.” Great thinking Mob. Reigen stood and pointed to Angel, tilting his head to the side. “You ready?” He asked.

“Yes.” Angel leans down to shut the laptop, brushing her sweater off and tucking a section into the waistband of her jeans. The facemask which sat under her chin during most of her time in the office was pulled back up over her nose in preparation. 

—

The client’s basement was dark and damp. Those who had phones had their flashlights on. They weren’t very strong and only projected light about two feet in front of them. Angel walked between Reigen and Serizawa with Mob trailing a little behind. She was tense, eyes darting around in the dark. 

Just as the client had said; there was a strange rattling up ahead, like little feet on metal.

“I do sense something,” says Mob, Serizawa nodding in agreement.

Something brushes past their ankles, small, and chittering. It's a rat. The thing scampers into the darkness ahead.

Reigen stifled a scream as the rat ran in between both his feet and towards the source of the noise. “Whatever it is, it seems pretty powerless if I can’t sense it,” he said with a small sniffle, wiping the tip of his nose with his finger. He kept one hand calmly in his pocket, the other holding his small black flip phone. He squinted as the thing they were walking towards finally came in contact with the dim edge of their combined light. Reigen winced. “Please don’t be a giant rat,” he whined as he hesitantly drew closer.

Another rat ran past and this time it was accompanied by Angel lurching forward strangely. She seems to stop herself, shoe coming down on the concrete with a loud smack that echoes in the space. 

Everything is silent except for the slow-building sound of chittering. The sound distorts and then, with a nervous ‘uhh’ from Serizawa, their flashlights meet the shape of a giant rat sitting on top of a metal garbage can. Its form looks gelatinous and purple and its eyes glow a sickly yellow.

“It’s a spirit!” Mob points. 

“Yeah, a greedy one at that. It’s sucking the life out of all the little ones,” adds Dimple.

Reigen is too busy trying to hold back his lunch to notice Angel’s odd footwork, stepping backward from the spirit. He covered his mouth as he turned to look at Mob and Serizawa. “All yours-!” He said as he stepped back, looking like he was going to hurl.

“Reigen!” Angel notices immediately, pushing him back towards a support beam while Mob and Serizawa take care of the spirit “I didn’t know you get queasy around rats,” she speaks casually while flashing light and dying rat screams fill the air behind them.

Reigen leaned an arm up against the beam, leaning down and facing the ground. “Euhg… I-I usually am not,” he said, taking a small breath. “But there’s-so many of them,” he said with a small quiver at a particular screech from a rat behind them. He took another deep breath and then straightened up. “Im fine.” He adjusted his blazer and slowly turned around.

Angel’s hand breezes down Reigen’s spine in a comforting motion, barely there, and gone before even a moment. 

“All done, master!” Mob and Serizawa turn around. The giant rat is no longer there. Instead, just a pile of dust and little rat footprints.

“There’s still a rat problem,” reports Serizawa. “But the spirit is gone.” He brushes dust off his suit and re-adjusts his tie.

“Thank you to you both. I'll inform the client to put out poison to get the rest of them. Why don't you all secure us a way home while I handle the client?” Reigen said, looking particularly eager to leave the stuffy basement.

“I’ll call a cab,” says Serizawa, pulling his phone from his pocket as they all head towards the basement stairs.

—

Serizawa left the office an hour early once they’d returned. He had night classes—Reigen explained—and Mob had studying to do, so it was just him and Angel for the remaining hours of the evening. Angel sat quietly on the couch, typing on the work laptop. 

She had a habit of chewing her lip and sliding her tongue against the corner of her mouth while she typed. Her typing was slow, too. It was clear she’d never learned the keyboard—or if she had—not much. But she was adept at reading. She read fast and thorough and so far, not a single spelling error was made on any documents or schedules that she’d written up. 

The office is quiet except for the sound of the ticking clock and typing, which comes to a pause. Fabric rustles and the laptop slides to the cushion beside Angel’s lap. She stands, nearing Reigen’s desk with curious eyes. As if afraid to break the quiet, she speaks softly. “Is there… a place where I can get some water?” She asks. 

He nods and points to the short hall where the door to the office is. To the side, a single burner stove with a sink attached to its side, and the office’s bathroom.

“There is a sink you can use. Cups are in the cabinet above it. Just rinse it out when you are done,” he said as he finished typing something on his computer and changed tabs with a click of his pointer on the keypad.

Angel nods quietly, disappearing into the hall. Distantly, the glass clinks and the sink runs. It's silent for a moment again before the water runs once more and Angel returns, shoes tapping on the tiled floor. The light of the dying sun that comes through the window behind her casts a long shadow over Reigen as she comes to stand in front of his desk once more. A full glass of water in hand, stray droplets dripping from its side—she sets it in front of him. “I haven’t seen you drink anything all day.” Something flickers in her shadow, only there when one isn’t looking.

Reigen opened his mouth to protest until he realized that she was correct. He had not even had tea. He grabbed the glass, tilting it back and slowly chugging the whole thing. “Ahh… I think I’m all done catching up on things,” he said as he shut the top of his computer closed and stood from his roller chair.

They walked home. It wasn't far and the air wasn’t too chilly. Soon, though, they’d have to be catching a cab home every night when winter really rolled in. 

“Mob and Serizawa took care of that spirit fast,” Angel comments, looking up at the sky and the sparkling city lights. Her voice is muffled behind her facemask. “And Mob is just a kid. It’s impressive. You must be a really good mentor, Reigen.” She swings her head to look at Reigen.

Reigen smiled and looked up towards the sky. “I find that letting Mob explore his power on his own is the best teaching method for him. I've only ever had to step in to help him deal the last blow once or twice.” Reigen’s gaze turned down toward Angel as they rounded a street corner. “I'm proud of Mob and how far he has grown as a person and as an esper.” Reigen sounded honest, which he did most of the time, but for once he felt honest too. It was the truth; he really was proud of Mob and how much he had changed since their first encounter.

Angel hums out a happy sound, folding her arms behind her back. “I’m sort of jealous of that mentor-student relationship. I think, when I was younger, I could’ve benefited from that.” She nods. “Being like I am.” Her hands unfold, instead raising to play with her honey-brown hair. “I’m not like you guys—I mean, my only ability is that I can see spirits—but I wish I had someone that could’ve taught me how to… deal with it. You know, something better than running and hiding.”

Reigen winces slightly. He felt bad that she was seeking some sort of reassurance, an amount of relatability, something. Lying about something so personal could harm her if she ever found out. No, I need to be careful with this one. “Discovering that on your own must have been scary, I am sorry,” he said as his hand moved to rest on the back of his neck. Reigen was, for once, unsure what else to say.

Ever sharp, Angel deflects the situation and buries her words. “Oh, it’s alright. I’m not sixteen anymore. It’s in the past.” Her short laugh is a little strained and following it is an awkward silence that's filled with nothing but the cool autumn breeze, the drone of cars, and the distantly twittering birds. 

When they make it to the apartment, Angel is first up the stairs, rocking back and forth before placing her temple on the wall, watching as Reigen gets his keys.

Reigen raises a brow at her behavior, finally breaking the silence. “Eager to go in?” He knew the answer, he was eager too. He quickly grabbed out his keys and began to file through key after key before finding the correct one. He unlocked the door with a click and stepped inside, holding it open for Angel as he jiggled his key back out. 

Angel closes her eyes and nods, slipping inside, unbuckling her shoes, and flicking on the light as she does. She sheds her mask on the coffee table and goes to rummage through their now-shared wardrobe. “I’ll be in the shower,” she mutters as she passes him in the hall, carrying a change of clothes to sleep in. “All that walking made me sweaty!” The bathroom door clicks shut.

Reigen stood in the doorway still, shutting it at nearly the same time Angel crossed the room and locked the bathroom door. 

Something was definitely up with her, right? She hasn’t acted this weird the whole time, surely not. 

Reigen sets his keys down on the small coffee table as he walks into the room and shrugs off his work attire, getting into a more comfortable outfit. Maybe we should watch a movie before bed, take her mind off things. She would like that, right? He walked into the kitchen after tossing his clothes in a small hamper and began to look around for food.

Bingo. Macaroni and cheese from a box with stovetop popcorn for the movie. It would put a smile on anyone’s face no matter how bad the day. He grabbed out a stovetop popcorn and set it aside for now, grabbing the only pot he had before filling it with water from the sink.

Twenty minutes later, Angel was swinging out of the bathroom and pacing past the kitchen in one of Reigen’s shirts and her underwear—this pair blue. “What’s that smell?” She calls, backtracking and peering into the kitchen with her damp hair sticking to her cheeks. “It smells good.”

“Good ol mac n’ cheese,” Reigen said as he turned and smiled over his shoulder. In one hand, the worn pot handle, in the other, a wooden spoon stirring a boiling pot of water and noodles. Over his shoulder was a towel where he occasionally wiped his hands or used to dab sweat.

Reigen clicked the stove off and set the pot aside, tilting it carefully to drain in the sink until no more water trickled out of the pot. He then grabbed a packet from the box and ripped it open, pouring out a golden powder that he called heaven. When the packet was up, he tossed it—along with the box—then gave it a quick stir until the yellowy-gold color was evenly distributed throughout the pot. “Tadaaa!” He exclaimed as he held the pot out to Angel so she could look inside.

“Wow! You’re a cook.” Angel peers into the pot and then leans away to give him a smiling round of applause. Licking her lips, she hums. “Now I’m starving. Hurry.” This smile is more teasing—playful. It wrinkles her nose as she rounds Reigen to push at his back, urging him to plate the food. 

Reigen smiles and sets the pot down, mindful of Angel’s movement behind him so he doesn't crash into her with the recently boiling pot. He grabs out two bowls and two forks and scoops an equal amount into each bowl. “I figured to celebrate your first day working for me, that we watch a movie?” He said as he glanced over himself to look over to Angel, grabbing her bowl and turning as he handed it to her.

Angel took the bowl while nodding excitedly. “I’d love that. What kind of movie were you thinking?” She toes over to the doorway, leaning up against it while waiting for Reigen. Hungry little animal—she’s already forking some into her mouth where she stands. 

He scoops up his own bowl and moves past her, setting the bowl and fork down on the coffee table as he slides to the entertainment center his TV was set on top of and browsed his slim movie selection. “I don’t have much.” He blushed and added, “Most of these are cheesy romance movies, th-they were left here by the previous tenants.” He cleared his throat and let out a nervous laugh. “But uh I have a few comedies too if you are into that sort of thing?” Honestly, though, I don't even know if she has ever read a book or seen a movie. Who knows how sheltered she was in that place? Reigen grabbed the basket containing his movies from the small shelf and brought them back to the couch, where he sat down so the two of them could look through them.

Angel plops down beside Reigen hard enough that it jostles him a little. The couch barely seats two, even less so when Angel sits the way she does; cross-legged with her bowl in the middle. “Do a romance. I like it when they’re a little cheesy.” She turns to look at him, fork in mouth. “Have you seen any of them?”

All of them, at least seven times each. “Just one, it was uh, pretty good I guess,” he said as he read the titles and pulled out the last one he had seen. It was about a guy whose video game crush came to life but was nothing like he expected and slowly learns to love her. Definitely cheesy.

“Let’s watch it, then.” Angel taps the cover with her fork, which had been licked clean only to return to the bowl moments later. “I wanna see what you see.” The sentence was said so softly it was like it almost wasn’t said at all. Like if one thought about it too much they’d forget the words. But Angel doesn’t act like she’d even said it. She only hums under her breath and reads the cover of the movie in his hand, slipping another spoonful of mac and cheese into her mouth.

“Alright,” Reigen said as his cheeks tinted a slight shade of pink, though moments later forgetting why. He set the container of DVD cases aside and powered on the TV and DVD player, eventually sliding in the disk and pressing play. He brought the remote over to the couch and grabbed his bowl, finally starting to eat as the movie began to play.

Halfway through, their empty bowls were stacked one on the other, forks touching within the topmost one. The daylight had all gone and now only the blue light of the television illuminated the room. Angel was watching intently, roped seamlessly into the building tension. The current scene was slow, though, and she seemed to relax a little in the lull of the pace. Her attention is broken, however, when the ‘pause’ screen appears. Curious, she looks at Reigen.

He wiggles the remote side to side in his fingers and smiles. “Still hungry?” He asks before leaning back a ways and uncrossing his legs. “Personally, I prefer my movies with popcorn,” he said as he set down the remote, not expecting a refusal from Angel from his prior experiences involving her and food.

“I’ve never had that before.” Angel brings her knees to her chest, leaning her cheek against the couch and facing him fully. “Let’s do it.” She grins, scooting off the couch and picking up the bowls. She was trying to be a little helpful, humming a little tune as she headed toward the kitchen with Reigen’s shirt fluttering just barely over the swell of her rear.

“I don't have a microwave so I have to make mine on the stove. I think you’ll enjoy watching,” he said as he got up and walked behind her, blushing at the sight of the sliver of her soft cheek that stuck out where the shirt fluttered and her underwear did not cover. Hold yourself together Reigen. She is your guest and employee. That's no way to look at a lady! He brushed past her once in the kitchen and grabbed a metallic container off the counter where he had left it earlier. He turned on the burner and placed it over. “It's kinda boring at first, but eventually, the heat will cause the kernels to expand and pop, forcing this foil here on top to rise! I always thought it made it look like some UFO.” He slowly began to shake the container over the heat as he spoke to Angel.

Angel follows behind, placing two hands on the nearby counter before hopping up and taking a seat there. “Really?” She laughs aloud, legs kicking and heels banging lightly on the cupboards below. “UFO popcorn. I’m excited.” Pale eyes flick from the container on the stove, to Reigen, and back again.

Reigen began to ask her questions about the movie as the two of them waited. Impressions on the main characters, if she liked their relationship or not, what she thought about the plot line. Finally, a kernel popped.

“Ah!” Reigen looked at the foil with excitement as it slowly began to rise, a chorus of pops building to a crescendo and echoing throughout the tiled kitchen. He smiled as he watched, like this brought him back to some fond memory.

Angel let out a playful little yelp, laughing as she covered her ears. “So loud!” She shouted overdramatically, legs kicking a bit faster. Her eyes flicked to him again, and then back to the swelling foil. “It does look like a UFO.” 

When it was finished popping, Angel leaned over it, breathing in heavily the smell of salt and butter. “How’re we gonna get the popcorn out? It’s like a big balloon.”

Reigen smiled, turning the stove off while setting the popcorn aside. “Easy, just like a balloon, we pop it,” he said with a wink as he grabbed a fork and a big bowl. “Would you like to do the honors?” He asked as he held the tinfoil over the bowl. “Just poke the top.”

Smiling, Angel takes the fork from Reigen’s fingers and leans over a little to give a short, quick jab to the top of the tin foil. Buttery steam rolls out and Angel licks her lips, mouth watering. “Smells good,” she comments, sliding off the counter to stand beside him. 

Reigen carefully peels the thin metal back, pulling back his fingers to shake and blow on occasionally as they burn in the steam. He finally gets it open enough to pour out into the large bowl. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she put one in her mouth.

“Looks cute, like little clouds.” Angel reaches into the bowl, plucking one buttered piece from the pile and popping it into her mouth. “Mmm!” Pale blue eyes sparkle with enjoyment. “Salty! That’s good stuff, Reigen.” Angel takes a greedy handful and, smiling playfully, hurries off to the couch once more.

Reigen smiles, color flushing his face at the mention of his name. He followed soon after and carefully sat down with the bowl, placing it between the two of them as he picked up the remote and pressed play.

As the scenes returned and the light of the television bathed them once more, Angel mumbled between crunching bites. “They’re cute, huh?” She looks at Reigen, wrinkling her nose. “Real cheesy. It’s perfect.”

He leaned back against the cheap cushioned sofa. “I guess you could say so,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Personally, I’m not a fan of the main character. But I guess he grows to be okay in the end. It's probably the point of the movie anyways.” He shrugged and crossed his ankles. “I guess what I am saying is that I think I could be a lot better than him.” Reigen sniffed pridefully as he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back onto the screen.

“Oh, really?” A playful, challenging voice asks from beside him. The popcorn bowl shifts as Angel grabs another fistful. “Mm’what makes you say that?” she speaks around a big bite.

“Well I mean come on? The main guy summons this beautiful woman of his dreams, then tries to just immediately come on to her. I just think that if I were in that position, I would realize that she is a person and that I can’t just force my love on her.” So Reigen was a man of flirtation and romance. “But I mean hey, maybe I wouldn’t be the right fit, who knows.” He sat back up and sighed passing the bowl to Angel signaling that she could have the rest.

“I think,” Angel begins as she re-adjusts, laying leg over long leg onto Reigen’s lap as she uses the armrest on her side like a backrest. “That you pulled that line from a woman's love magazine.” Her expression is smug as she pops some more popcorn into her mouth. Then, Angel squints. “But who knows? Maybe you really are… just that good of a guy.” Her heel nudges his mid-thigh playfully. 

Reigen turns red as he watches her feet carefully. “L-listen I-I think that's just the movie getting to your head,” he said as he tried to shyly squirm as far into the opposite side of the couch as he could. “Just…watch the rest of the movie,” he said pointing to the television with a small glare.

Angel does. With a little shrug and a faint purse of her lips, her legs slide off of his and resume their crisscross.

The rest of the movie is watched in stark silence.

Previous | Next (coming soon)

[mineqishis]

serizawa and shou actually get along and are close to each other please stop saying otherwise :(

[star-going-supernova]

So. Madison Russell. Godzilla vs Kong. Welcome to my ted talk.

From a writing perspective, they totally wasted her character. She, Josh, and Bernie were almost exclusively used just as a method of showing the audience what was happening "behind the scenes" at Apex. Pouring the whiskey on the computer was about the only thing of note they did, and even that didn't do much. Mechagodzilla was only slightly hindered by it, and if they'd just written Kong and Godzilla differently in the fight scene, they could have skipped the whiskey part entirely. They could have done so much with having people "on the inside" but Monarch as a greater organization barely had any presence at all, which negated the need to have people on the inside. 

Maddie's steadfast insistence that Godzilla wasn't a bad guy at the beginning had so much potential, but it became the conspiracy thing instead. It felt less like she wanted to prove Godzilla wasn't turning against humans, and more like she and her new conspiracy friend wanted to crack open a shady organization, which was frustrating. If they wanted to depict her as someone who was forced to become competent at a young age, which was part of the serious, intense vibe I got from her, instead of the inexplicable personality shift, they should have showed her doing something to help. Getting in contact with her dad/Monarch, giving them evidence to begin a city wide evacuation outside the Apex Hong Kong HQ, messing something up or making it harder for the Apex people to get Mechagodzilla up and running—just, anything. 

The fact is, we had Maddie being very proactive in KotM. Stealing the ORCA was the game changer. Instead of taking that to the next level in GvK and giving her an opportunity to continue that aspect of her character—that is, being someone who refuses to sit by when she can do something to help, even if it’s dangerous—they rendered her obsolete. 

The movie wouldn't have significantly changed if you took her character out. If Bernie went by himself and ended up in Hong Kong, nothing would have changed, because Maddie didn't do anything of personal importance. She went from being an active character in KotM to being a passive one here, which are a pet peeve of mine. If you saw my post about what I liked and didn’t like about Godzilla (2014), that might sound very familiar.

It would also have made so much more sense if she developed a love for studying Titans instead of focusing on conspiracy theories. Plot-wise, it would have given her claim to her dad that Godzilla was being provoked more credence, and could’ve opened an interesting dialogue between them to reinforce that she knows what she’s talking about. Monarch was obviously still a big part of their lives, given that Mark had rejoined, so it would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Maddie to pursue a Titan-related future. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved Jia, and wouldn’t want to take her out of the movie or even diminish her presence in it. In fact, I think they should have focused on Jia, and only on Jia. 

Hear me out: Godzilla vs Kong should’ve been split in two. A Part 1 and Part 2 situation. 

For Part 1, we keep a lot of the GvK canon, especially the Kong-centric stuff. Include even more scenes showing us that he’s protective of Jia, don’t just have Dr. Andrews say that he is. Have him defend her from something dangerous, maybe even from some humans. Include their backstory, how he saved her during the storm. And start it even earlier, before Godzilla attacks Apex the first time. Keep the whole Hollow Earth plot, keep the fight scene in the ocean, keep the discovery of the temple and the axe.

And on the Godzilla side of things, start earlier on that as well. Keep the other Titans in, have humanity tentatively believing that a time of great peace is upon them. Their mere presence is restoring the planet. There was an emphasis of nature, particularly in relation to the Titans, in KotM that I really think they should have included more of in GvK to better tie the two movies together, if only they hadn’t swept all the other Titans under the rug. They wanted a movie about a fight, not about the Titans. So, undo that. Show us a little of what Mark does, do a sweep of the other KotM cast (cameos at the very least) to show how they and Monarch are working to uphold that peace post-Boston. I’d also have loved to see Boston itself, too, five years later. 

Instead of giving us a Generic High School scene, show Maddie learning about the Titans alongside the experts. Bring back the wonder and amazement she had when she saw Mothra for the first time, when she reached out and touched her. She’s second generation Monarch, make that mean something. When Maddie took the ORCA to Boston, she had a conviction. She couldn’t not have. She was there in part to lure Ghidorah in, but I can’t even pretend to believe her plan ended with that. She knew Godzilla would come. 

That sort of belief is hard to kill, and if death via Ghidorah wasn’t enough to scare her off, no way anything else in those five years afterwards did. Her belief that Godzilla is good survived to GvK, and should’ve been a main focal point of her character. Godzilla attacks Apex—she and every other Monarch person who has spent years studying the Titans knows something is up. 

Keep Mark’s character development regarding his opinions on Godzilla. He believes Maddie when she says something has to be wrong, not just because he trusts his daughter, but because he looked into Godzilla’s eyes and saw more than just an animal. 

They’re in Part 1 only minimally, just to establish their presence and how they feel about Godzilla destroying Apex. The focus is clearly on Jia and Kong’s side of events. 

Sorry, but I’m leaving Josh out and seriously dialing back Bernie’s role. Instead, the character we follow inside Apex is Ren Serizawa. We see his motivations, his ambitions, and he becomes a character with more than just a few lines. Does he resent Godzilla? Or does he resent his father, too? Serizawa’s sacrifice was willing, after all. He was no accidental casualty. 

Part 1 ends in the Hollow Earth, with Ghidorah taking control of Mechagodzilla on the surface. Alter the timeline just enough so that Godzilla has only just arrived to Hong Kong, and Kong’s still in the Hollow Earth. The final scene is Mechagodzilla emerging into the city as the sun rises. The post-credits scene is our KotM cast in the Argo, location unknown, watching a screen with Mechagodzilla on it. 

Part 2 begins with a reveal: Ren Serizawa isn’t dead. 

Backtrack. This part focuses more on the Godzilla side, and Monarch. It’ll have flashback scenes from the five years between KotM and now, showing exactly why Monarch as a whole firmly believes Godzilla is reacting to something instead of being anti-human all of a sudden. The Titans are not inherently malicious; destruction is a side effect of their size, no more, no less. He earned his title of King in KotM—make it mean more than just trying to make Kong “bow.” Make him a protector, a guardian. He’s nature’s balance. By definition, he must protect humans as well. 

What Monarch needs to figure out is this: what is he trying to protect them from? 

They investigate Apex in search of the answer, but knowing from past experience the sort of things Godzilla gets proactive about—the MUTOs, Ghidorah—Monarch mobilizes. They prepare for another fight, at Mark’s instructions. He witnessed both San Francisco and Boston firsthand, even if the former was from a civilian standpoint. 

Godzilla has more hunt scenes. He targets a second Apex lab after his ocean fight with Kong, telling Monarch that they’re on the right track. 

Maddie, being a minor and not dragged into the thick of things (yet), has to stay home. Remembering the podcast she sometimes listened to, when the topic was focused on the Titans, she tracks Bernie down, and he tells her about what he saw: the eye. 

The two of them go to the ruined Apex building and discover the eye is gone before getting caught. With Monarch currently breathing down their necks, they recognize Maddie to be Mark’s daughter and take her to Hong Kong. Sorry, Bernie, but that’s mostly as far as you’re involved. Timeline-wise, this is roughly when Kong puts the axe in the temple floor and Godzilla blasts a hole to the center of the earth. Monarch is following Godzilla, but they’re behind a bit thanks to the tunnel shortcuts. They’re still unaware that Maddie has been kidnapped and is en route to Hong Kong.

This is also when Mechagodzilla gains a life of its own. Walter Simmons is killed and Ren Serizawa becomes trapped in the link to Mechagodzilla, serving as the bridge between the robot and Ghidorah’s mind. Ghidorah is essentially controlling MG by controlling Ren, who is controlling MG. Make sense? He’s the puppeteer’s puppeteer. 

We reverse some things. Godzilla fights MG first, gets beat around but not as much as in GvK because he isn’t fresh out of a different fight. Kong returns to the surface through the tunnel Godzilla created, having carried the one remaining HEAV out himself, because Nathan Lind has never flown one before and doesn’t know how they work. Kong wants to protect Jia, and Ilene Andrews and Nathan Lind are very lucky that Jia likes them. 

Mechagodzilla sees Kong and takes off, and Kong decides now would be a great time to fight Godzilla, who’s having a pretty bad day. Monarch arrives, and half of them split off to follow MG while the rest stay to try and deescalate the situation. Other than Godzilla faring slightly less well, the fight goes mostly the same as in the movie, except for one big difference: one of the Monarch crafts pick up Jia and Co, and she’s able to get Kong’s attention from the back of an Osprey well enough to tell him to stop fighting. There’s a bigger threat out there, and Godzilla definitely needs to be okay enough to fight it. Either they work together, or they reschedule. 

She’s very stern about it, and though no one’s really sure what the two Titans decide on, they stop fighting. They leave together to go after Mechagodzilla, who is currently being slowed down by Mothra, because she deserves to be in this movie. The other Titans basically hinder Mechagodzilla as much as possible as it rampages, telling Godzilla where it is. Monarch finally figures out that it’s heading for the nearest entrance to the Hollow Earth, right around when they also figure out that Ghidorah is involved. With Dr. Andrews and Nathan Lind’s input, they theorize it intends to take more of the power source down there to further strengthen it. 

They do their best to clear the cities in its path, evacuating as many people as possible. It’s all they can do. As in the past, they must trust Godzilla to do the heavy lifting. Around the same time, an assistant tells Mark that some guy named Bernie called and is asking for him. This is how he finds out Maddie was taken to Apex’s Hong Kong location.

Meanwhile, the Apex guards and Maddie finally arrive to find the facility abandoned and damaged, MG gone, and Simmons dead. The guards more or less split, leaving her there alone. Maddie, being Maddie, goes deeper until she finally discovers Ghidorah’s skull and Ren Serizawa inside, trapped in his own head with Ghidorah. It’s killing him. 

He’s aware enough to have a conversation with her. They argue about the Titans. He wants Godzilla destroyed out of anger over his father’s preference for Titans, rather than his own son. 

(“You’re not the only one with ghosts!” she yells at him. “You’re not the only one who resents a parent for putting Titans ahead of you when you needed them!” He chokes out, “I do not resent my father—” “Coulda fooled me. Why else would you be spitting on his sacrifice like this? Who are you trying to help, huh? All the other kids out there who are losing their moms and dads because you let Ghidorah out? Sorry, mister, but the last time someone did that, your dad paid the price.”) 

Ren is getting worse. He’s going to die if he stays in the link much longer, but he can’t disconnect. Maddie, looking around, gets to work on something. The camera slowly pans around to show that there’s a second pilot seat, back-to-back with Ren’s. It would allow for seamless switching between pilots without MG ever not having someone at the controls. 

Even with the other Titans’ help, Godzilla and Kong are unable to stop MG from going through the tunnel and into the Hollow Earth. Monarch is unable to follow, because of the gravity issue. They’re both tired from the journey and their fight, especially Godzilla. This is their last chance. If Mechagodzilla reaches the power source, it’s all over. 

The fight doesn’t go in their favor. They’re both bad at working together, so their attacks are uncoordinated at best, actively hindering each other at worst. Kong gets flung off a mountain and MG pins Godzilla. Even thought he caught himself, Kong isn’t going to make it up in time to help him. 

Maddie puts on an identical pilot setup, and with Ren’s instructions, switches the link over to herself, freeing Ren. He collapses forward, immediately falling unconscious from the release of the strain. Fighting past the pain and overwhelming presence suddenly in her head, Maddie does what she does best: she causes Ghidorah problems. 

She screams, and it echoes like a roar through his skull. 

In the Hollow Earth, Mechagodzilla stumbles. 

It’s the beginning of the end. She can’t control it or even really stop Ghidorah, but she gets in his way as much as possible, giving Godzilla and Kong the edge they need to finally get their act together and use some teamwork to take Mechagodzilla down. They destroy it and return to the surface before parting on amicable terms. 

After too long, Mark arrives at Apex with a whole team of people. Ren Serizawa is found comatose but alive, and he’s quickly removed for medical attention. Though Maddie’s also alive, there’s something else clearly wrong. She’s still wired into the piloting gear, stiff and unseeing, as if she’s frozen. Her eyes are open but distant, pupils virtually gone from how constricted they are, and her jaw hangs open slightly. Despite how tense her body is, she’s limp. Nothing they do wakes her up, even after getting her out of the skull. 

They wheel her out on a gurney to where a handful of Ospreys landed, but as they leave the building and step out onto the roof, they find Godzilla has returned. He watches them, and he’s exactly as aware as Mark remembers. 

(“She tried to help you,” Mark calls out to him. No one knows exactly what happened in the Hollow Earth, during the fight, but the scene in Ghidorah’s skull was telling. “No, she—she did help you!” For the second time in her life, Maddie put herself in Ghidorah’s path and, ultimately, won. Only this time, her victory came with a price.) 

Godzilla snorts before leaning over the roof’s railing, moving toward the gurney. The humans all back away, even Mark, though he doesn’t go far. Spines humming, eyes flaring blue, Godzilla rumbles deeply. 

On the gurney, Maddie stirs. 

Later, much later, after Maddie and Jia have met—heaven help everyone else, honestly—they sit together on the edge of a pier over the ocean, Jia leaning comfortably against Maddie. It’s quiet. They’re alone, watching the sunset. A heavy footfall behind them, the feel of the vibration trembling through the wood, makes them turn around. Half concealed in the brush at the edge of the island’s foliage, Kong stands, facing them. 

They both wave before standing. They sign goodbye to each other, then part ways. As Maddie walks away to a waiting Osprey, we see behind her as Kong crouches to allow Jia to climb into his palm before vanishing into the forest. 

The Osprey takes off over the calm ocean. It has a different design than most, with a large door set in the side instead of at the back, more like an ordinary helicopter. It’s open as they go, Maddie secure inside as she stares out. A smile spreads across her face as jagged spines slowly breach the ocean’s surface, easily keeping pace with the Osprey, which lowers to be closer to the water.

For just a moment, in the fading light, Maddie’s eyes almost shine blue. The screen goes black to the sound of Godzilla’s roar.

[butterflyinthewell]

I’m going to tell you the story of why I love Godzilla.

When I say not to make fun of an autistic person’s special interests, I say it from a place of deep understanding and pain. For me, an autistic SpIn is like being in love, or (for the aro folks out there), it’s like being with your best friend ever and it just feels so comfortable and good.

Sooooo in January my dad mentions wanting to watch KOTM with me. Any excuse to watch KOTM is good, so of course I jumped on it. We watched Godzilla KOTM. It’s the movie I spent all of 2019 talking about from January to May. I got it for Christmas 2019 because mom knew I was going to want it as soon as the first roar hit the screen in the theater. (I took her to see it as a Mother’s Day gift, she liked it too.)

Lemme tell y’all something: when I was a young kid, my dad got me into Godzilla. Starting when I was around 5, he told me the stories of the movies he’d seen (the whole Showa era and Godzilla 1985). So I knew about Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Minya, MechaGodzilla, Gigan, Hedorah, Megalon, etc long before I ever saw them.

My dad said “these are important characters.”

Then he started renting the movies when he felt I was old enough to not be scared by them (age 7 in 1987) and pointed out who was who.

And my first ‘real meeting’ with Godzilla was the same as the people in 1954, when he popped his head over that hill and roared that haunting sound I never forgot, and I was hooked forever.

I loved it. I loved all of it. Dad warned me about the ending of the ‘54 movie, so I wasn’t surprised by it, but I still cried! He got me over it by showing the the rest of them, as if to go “see, he’s okay!” Then dad warned me that Godzilla was ‘the bad guy’ again in Godzilla 1985, but didn’t tell me how it ended. I was reaaaaally upset when he fell into that volcano. I probably cried about it for three days. That scream still hits something in my soul.

My favorite childhood Godzilla movie is Godzilla’s Revenge. It’s the first Godzilla movie I ever owned. I loved Ichiro’s dreams of making friends with Minya, outsmarting his kidnappers and standing up to his bullies. I even tried to pick up Monster Island using a little portable am/fm radio I had as a kid. It didn’t work, all I got was static, but I sure tried! 😋

I wanted to be an island lady like Saeko from Son of Godzilla who could call monsters for help. I wanted to be a cyborg like Katsura, except I would use MechaGodzilla to make friends with Godzilla instead of trying to hurt him.

Anyway...

Dad’s interest in Godzilla stuff kinda dropped away as the 90s hit and my autistic traits began to make me deviate more and more noticeably from my peers. I had seen all the Showa era movies, so he stopped telling stories because there weren’t any more to tell.

My love for Godzilla carried on into the Heisei era and beyond. Dad acted like I should “leave that crap behind” when I kept buying movies and talking about them to him. He didn’t want to watch them with me or look at pictures in the Godzilla Compendium I picked up.

I didn’t stop my enthusiasm for Godzilla, I just stopped sharing it with dad. I kept at it through high school. I sobbed over Godzilla vs Destroyah because I thought that was the end of the franchise, and I can’t even mention what happened to Godzilla in that movie. If you’ve seen it, you know.

In the year 1998 the rumblings for the ‘98 movie started around New Years, so of course I made noise about going to see it. Because GODZILLA, y’all!

Well, dad surprised me and took me to see Godzilla ‘98 when it came out. I had been bugging about going to see it and he kept giving me a hard no, then had me convinced we were going to a baseball game that night instead. I did nothing to disguise my boredom or hurt in the car, and it broke when we pulled up to the theater. Okay, he pulled a fast one on me and he said I did an emotional 180 spin, but it was worth it. (I still like that movie, but I don’t call that creature Godzilla. I call him Zilla or GINO instead.)

Literally right after that my dad would get mad if I talked about Godzilla. He griped that I was “so obsessed with that stupid monster” and that I needed to grow up. I was almost 18, and I had, just not the way HE wanted, I guess...

Godzilla 2000 came out. Dad grudgingly took mom and me to see it, and I finally got to live my dream of seeing a legit Toho Godzilla movie in theaters. I was yelling and clapping (as were other people) and just had a huge blast. In the car, he told me to knock it off when I talked excitedly about what I liked in the movie. He slapped down all talk of Godzilla.

I still continued to be a fan. When more Millennium era movies came out, I grabbed them when I saw them on the shelves. I got everything from Godzilla vs Megaguirus to Godzilla: Final Wars in a little Japanese shop my dad found near where he worked at the time. I was in my early 20s then. I also got some figurines from that store: a Heisei era Mothra, a Heisei era King Ghidorah and a Millenium era (Final Wars) Godzilla. Dad rolled his eyes when I walked out with them in my arms.

And so began his weird pattern of indulging my interest, but getting upset at me if I talked about it. I was discovering the online fandom at this point, so I had another outlet, but still, it used to be our thing, and his behavior really stung.

I only discovered there were more movies in the Millenium era becuse I happened across GMK on HBO and realized I didn’t recognize that Godzilla suit or the setting.

Then I missed the ending because of a very badly timed phone call. But I was like “omg more Godzilla movies...hey dad, can we go to that shop?” (And then I was like a dragon with treasure when I came home....)

I grabbed the two Kiryu movies first because a certain fanfic author in the fandom had written some Mechagodzilla fanfics where Kiryu (Kiryuu in her stories) was sentient and sexy af. The idea of the original Godzilla being brought back as a robot was amazing and that author basically took the idea and ran it to another level. She’s the reason I headcanon the 54 Gojira as Heisei Godzilla’s dad.

ANYWAY, I got all caught up on the Godzilla movies and blew up to a boiling fan girl froth when the 2014 movie got advertised.

I took mom to see that becuse dad’s Parkinson’s had advanced so far that he couldn’t go out much anymore. Mom likes Godzilla movies and sci-fi in general. While she’s not as into it as me, she enjoys them for the entertainment. We both liked G2014, so I got it for Christmas.

We watched it with dad as a family, he said it was okay.

Through 2016 and 2017 I was rattling on about Shin Godzilla. Got that as a late 37th birthday gift because it came out on dvd a few days after my actual birthday. I watched it for the first time with dad, and he complained the whole time and kind of ruined the experience for me, which pissed me off. HE was the one who wanted to watch it with me, now I wish I watched it alone instead.

2019 came, KOTM happened. So that brings me to sitting down to watch it with dad. I was excited see his reaction to the monsters he introduced me to in childhood realized with modern cgi effects and all. I love seeing things that remind me of happy times in my childhood, and I thought those memories were fond for him, too. So I watched, waiting for him to recognize Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah.

He said nothing when they came onscreen. I got engrossed in the movie and sort of forgot about it, but when it was over I bounced up and asked, “Wasn’t it cool to see the guys you told me stories about when I was 5?”

I thought back while I waited for him to answer. I thought back on the stories, the fun and the movies.

I thought back on how my love for this character has grown, and how in KOTM it was physically realized in that painful moment when Ishiro Serizawa looks up at Godzilla with such reverence and lays his hand on his snout. I feel like that was Dougherty telling all the fans he sees their love for Godzilla and gives them that one singular, intimate audience with the big guy through Serizawa. Because who wouldn’t want to give him a pat on the nose and thank him?

The director of KOTM understands what Godzilla means to the fans. He understands how they feel and what they want. In my mind he gave it in spades.

But my dad...

My dad, the man who taught me enough to get me into Godzilla forever, looked at me in the eyes and said, “I don’t remember any of it. They’re not that important anyway.”

“These are important characters.” Much younger dad said to much younger me.

“They’re not that important anyway.” Older modern day dad said to older modern day me.

I thought my heart had stopped and my soul fled through the floor. This franchise, these characters he brought to me with such enthusiasm, something that grew into a lifelong love, meant nothing to him. It was as if he gave me a diamond and later told me it was worthless glass to him. Godzilla was and still is a huge part of my life and who I am, and dad acted like this “us” thing I thought we bonded over during my childhood didn’t matter to him.

It’s almost like he expected me to take passing interest and then move on, but because I’m autistic and because I relate to Godzilla so much, my interest turned into love and respect for the character, what he represents and the messages he has sent throughout the years.

Part of who I am is shaped, literally, by Godzilla, something that started because my dad told me he existed. And in a sentence my dad took that root from my childhood and ripped it out because he decided it was a worthless weed.

It’s not my love for Godzilla that was ripped out. It’s the love I thought my dad felt for me when he was telling me all those stories and showing me the movies. I’m sharing this because I love Godzilla, because I love what he represents and means to me, and I thought my dad shared it with me for the same reason. This is a very autistic thing...I’m sure autistic readers can feel my love for Godzilla just by reading this.

I thought my dad did, too, once.

But no. There was no love at all like I thought there was, so I was not pouring my love into an ocean that still existed, I was throwing it into a black hole.

Dad didn’t care to remember Rodan, or Mothra, or King Ghidorah. He didn’t care to remember what all that meant to me during my childhood because he doesn’t and never has cared about my feelings.

He doesn’t care about my feelings.

He wants me to shut up about Godzilla.

I will not.

I love Godzilla. I don’t need dad’s approval anymore. I will turn 40 this year (2020) and there is no stopping what began 35 years ago. The plant that grew around the root dad planted is shaped like me now, and like Biollante I will keep blooming because Godzilla was my first love fandom-wise and that admiration and love for him stands on its own.

Dad no longer has a say.

But, my God, my dad has this remarkable ability to tell me something is important when I’m young and then claim it isn’t so many years later. He’s done it for a lot of things, but hearing him say Godzilla isn’t important after instilling his importance into me at a young age just...gutted me...and it gutted me as much as the time he asked me what I did to make kids bully me when I was being bullied as a teen.

I got bullied because I’m autistic. I existed. He said it was my fault for being that way. I was a newly diagnosed teenager when he said that. It was 1995, ironically, the same year Godzilla vs Destroyah came out.

And I was an adult when he ripped at that root of Godzilla he planted in me.

Godzilla was the last part of my childhood that he hadn’t sunk his abuse into, but he finally did in January of 2020. Now there is no part of my life untouched by his emotionally abusive crap.

It shouldn’t hurt like this. I feel ridiculous to be hurt so deeply, but I can’t keep pretending that I’m not hurt by it anymore.

I will get over it. My absolute love and respect for Godzilla is something my dad can never destroy no matter how much he tries to shit talk about it. I’ve let him ruin so many things, but not Godzilla.

Godzilla will never be a trigger for me. He is an anti trigger. On this day of April 19, 2020, I’m realizing he is the protector my dad failed to be.

To all parents of autistic kids, be careful that you don’t belittle the things you said were important when they were young. Don’t introduce something that becomes a special interest, say it’s important and then belittle it when they grow up.

Even if you don’t think it’s important anymore now, even if you think it’s silly now, even if you didn’t know they were autistic at the time and would dive in like that, it may still be important to them.

It may become their safe place. It may become treasure.

Don’t try to destroy that safety. Don’t treat it like trash.

[aion-rsa]

Godzilla vs. Kong Writer Talks About Spending 8 Years in the MonsterVerse

https://ift.tt/3uiXJ5q

This article conatins spoilers for GODZILLA VS. KONG.

Aside from studios Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, and certain behind-the-scenes executives, the four MonsterVerse movies to date have embraced largely different creative and directorial visions for each outing. This includes the latest installment Godzilla vs. Kong. But even though all four movies have had different directors, somewhat different tones, and mostly different casts, one of a handful of constant names has been that of Max Borenstein.

Borenstein has had a writing credit on all four MonsterVerse movies, starting with penning the screenplay for 2014’s Godzilla. Since then he’s co-authored the screenplay for Kong: Skull Island (2017), gotten a story credit for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and is back to full screenplay credit (with Eric Pearson) on Godzilla vs. Kong.

Of course Hollywood screenwriting is a tricky field: many projects have multiple writers come and go during development, production and even post-production, with the issue of who wrote what and how they’re credited an often complex negotiation between producers, agents, and the Writers Guild. But Borenstein (whose other projects include executive producing the TV series Minority Report and The Terror Infamy) has legitimately had a hand in the evolution of the MonsterVerse since the start.

With Godzilla vs. Kong off to a–yes, we’re going to say it–roaring start at a still-reopening and recovering worldwide box office (including nearly $50 million in the U.S.) and streaming away on HBO Max as well, Den of Geek got on Zoom with Borenstein shortly before the movie’s launch to discuss the development of this fourth–and perhaps final?–entry, its relationship to the other films, and what these iconic monsters mean to new generations of fans.

Den of Geek: You’ve been involved in each of the films up to this point. What was the process for this one? How many iterations of the story were you involved in?

Max Borenstein: I’ve been involved in the franchise in different ways from the beginning. I helped with Godzilla, the first film. It was a kind of a rebuild of the script from brass tacks when Gareth Edwards came on board to direct, and we worked really closely together. And I stayed more or less on that movie from then through production.

It was in post-production on that, that the head of Legendary at the time, Thomas Tull, and Mary Parent–who was then a producer and is now running Legendary–and Alex Garcia, who’s the exec there who’s really been overseeing the whole franchise, first came to me and asked if I was interested in being involved in writing a Kong movie that would sort of bring Kong into that universe. For Thomas, who was really the big fan and the kind of driving force behind it, it was always about creating a universe where ultimately we can bring those two together, like the Avengers, in Godzilla vs. Kong.

So those were kind of the marching orders from the very beginning, at least for me, once it was clear that we to some extent had cracked the code on the new American version of Godzilla. And through the years, I was involved on and off in every one of these films, but Godzilla vs. Kong was the one where I at this point, had become part of the brain trust, so to speak.

How did Godzilla and Kong change from the previous films?

By this point it was clear we had done the groundwork in terms of filling out what these monsters were, how we envisioned Godzilla, what level of anthropomorphic attachment they had to people, and how unknowable our Godzilla was. There have been so many different Godzillas over time. So we developed that and we developed an idea of how our Kong fit into the spectrum of different King Kongs over time.

Really for me, the mandate of this film was: how do we finally allow Godzilla and Kong to carry their own movie? In the previous films, because we were sort of establishing them, we always had these human characters who were our way in, and they still are. But more and more in this film, Godzilla and Kong are the stars, and everybody else is a supporting character.

Is it a challenge to come up with interesting human characters, especially when you know that people are there to see the monsters fight?

Yeah, it is. It’s always a challenge. And I think one of the challenges of it is scale. It’s very different from the superhero franchises, because in superhero franchises, your characters are actual people who also have superpowers. But in the case of Godzilla and King Kong, particularly Godzilla and Kong in this iteration, you’re operating at a scale that’s not human. It’s societal, it’s global. When they do something, it has a much larger impact. It’s much harder to have a human character have too much agency with these creatures without stepping into inventing devices that control the creatures. We do some of that, but on some level, it becomes boring if people are just piloting these guys.

So the challenge is how do you create human characters that allow us to experience that while not taking too much of the spotlight? I think we honed more and more as we went forward, that if you see the human characters less as protagonists in the traditional sense and more as supporting characters in the stories of Godzilla and Kong, they become crucial in storytelling. They’re not carrying the movie, but they might be like Simon Pegg in the Mission: Impossible movies, where there’s charm and there’s humor, and there’s emotion that comes from those characters. But they’re not being asked to carry the movie in the way that a star would, because our stars are Godzilla and Kong.

Did you know early on that Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler would be coming back from Godzilla: King of the Monsters?

Yeah. By the time I came into this project, those kinds of bones were in place. It evolved somewhat, but we knew largely what the cast of characters was going to be. They were kind of Camp Godzilla, and then Camp Kong was the main characters, Alexander Skarsgård and Rebecca Hall, and those guys.

Read more

Movies

Godzilla vs. Kong: A Brief History of Mechagodzilla

By Don Kaye

Movies

Godzilla vs. Kong: Where The MonsterVerse Should Go Next

By David Crow

Was Mechagodzilla always the secret villain?

Well, it’s funny. Because like I said, a lot of the bones for this one were in place by the time I kind of came in, in terms of those decisions. But I had originally written Mechagodzilla into [Godzilla: King of the Monsters]. It was very similar in the sense of being an opportunity for the human characters to have some agency at the scale of the monsters, which is one of the hardest parts of these stories.

It was something I really quite liked, and ultimately [KOTM director] Mike Dougherty, as they were developing it, kind of put it aside. But I was really happy that we had brought it back in Godzilla vs. Kong, because it felt like one of the main challenges of Godzilla vs. Kong is neither Godzilla nor Kong is a villain. We’re rooting in different ways for each, we’re connected in different ways to each.

So it felt essential to have a third thing. Round one goes to Godzilla and round two goes to Kong. The question is in round three, rather than having one or the other win, how can we have the two of them develop a grudging respect for one another and go up against the third thing. Mechagodzilla felt like this perfect route into that.

It’s fun how you tied him back to King Ghidorah by using Ghidorah’s skull as a control panel.

Yeah, totally. It had different kind of evolutions and expansions as we went along and then contractions, but it was always those two characters, Serizawa and Simmons [the Apex Cybernetics scientist and CEO, played by Shun Oguri and Demián Bichir respectively], who both are interested in this idea of being able to act at the level and the scale of the creatures. But each has a very different kind of perspective on what they want to do with that power and how that can corrupt them. Ultimately it got slimmed down, but still I think retained its fundamental sort of core.

When it came to the final battle, was there any point where one of them was going to lose or was it always planned that both of them would survive?

No, neither Godzilla nor Kong were ever going to lose. There were different moments of how far we took it in terms of Kong taking a beating, but the two of them were always going to gang back up and work together.

Have there been discussions about what comes next? Do you have ideas for a fifth film?

There have definitely been ideas thrown around. I can’t say I’m appraised on the absolute latest right now, but I know that it’s all about this being the kind of Avengers moment and hopefully people respond and audiences will dig the way that we’ve kind of wrapped up this initial chapter of the Monsterverse.

What about a Monarch TV show where they would chase different monsters around the globe?

Again, I couldn’t speak to whether anything like that has been discussed, but that’s something I’ve always thought would be really fun. It would allow you to get into a different kind of storytelling in a different kind of scale that has a little bit more X-Files vibe within that universe. I’ve always thought that’d be cool.

Over the course of the four movies, what elements do you feel the most ownership of?

These are such collaborative endeavors, as are just movies of this scale in general, and in particular movies like this that are so reliant on what you’re building in post-production in terms of creatures and everything. But every now and then, in the actual writing, there’s some dialogue here and there that makes you think, “Oh, that was mine. I’m proud of that.” The “let them fight,” moment from Godzilla is one, and there are a couple of moments in this one, like when Rebecca Hall says, “Kong doesn’t bow to anyone.” Things like that are moments that I’m proud of that made it into the movie, because those are the kinds of moments of dialogue that you look forward to in a movie like this.

The thing that I’m proud of is what you feel when these two characters finally come together–the emotional investment, I think, that we’ve built. When you get to that moment at the end, when Godzilla and Kong square off, not as enemies, but as allies, it’s the kind of thing that I feel proud of because I think we’ve done a lot of work to get to a place where we’re invested in these two characters and we feel kind of thrilled at the fact that the two of them create this grudging alliance.

What are your feelings about the original King Kong vs. Godzilla?

I had watched it when we started working on this, and it’s super campy and fun and hopefully we did it justice. It’s one of those films that it felt a lot like playing with your toys on the floor where you take the two toys that don’t go together, and suddenly they’re together in the same story. I always thought that one of the best parts of that whole franchise is the playful quality of just taking Kong, who has nothing to do with that world, and throwing him in there. That’s why those films always captured my imagination in that way.

What do you think that these monsters represent nowadays?

I think they’re both vessels. Godzilla certainly over the course of the decades has been a vessel for, at times our fears — whether it be fears of nuclear annihilation initially, or environmental degradation, the anxieties of the moment have been sponged up by Godzilla in different iterations over the years. Certainly Kong has evolved from his earliest days of being kind of a somewhat problematic kind of colonialist metaphor for “the other,” and over time has become just an iconic beloved character.

When these characters take on this scale, there’s this philosophical term, “hyperobject,” which this philosopher Tim Morton talks about–something so large that it touches everything and everyone all the time. You can’t have any conversation about anything without kind of also talking about it. Climate change is one of those things that’s just ubiquitous and everywhere. So is the pandemic. There’s not a single moment of any day or a single thing we do right now where COVID isn’t having some kind of impact because it’s on a scale that touches everyone around the world.

So [Godzilla and Kong] reveal to us the fact that we’re all connected, which is easy to forget when we live in big glass skyscrapers and we ignore the other people around the world. Hyperobjects bring us into connection. Godzilla and Kong, creatures of this scale that can hop around the world and touch everyone haphazardly and create tumult and chaos, reveal that in our globalized world, we are all connected for better and for worse. To me, that’s really what this movie is kind of all about.

Godzilla vs. Kong is out in theaters and streaming now on HBO Max.

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3dDoPNV

[writing-radionoises]

afterlife

ship: background terumob and ritshou, implied seirei

genre: angst with a bittersweet ending

prompt: mob tries to cope with death and learns he's really bad at it

notes: autistic mob is canon because im autistic and i said so

--

Reigen was always good at reading people, me particularly.

He was better than Ritsu, who had lived his whole life around me, and better than Teru, who was arguably horrible at the task.

Reigen knew me better than anyone I knew. 

He could tell what percentage I was at before I could even spill the numbers.

Even though he was never as great as he said, and I had known he was a fraud for years, I do believe that somewhere deep down, Reigen did have an ability.

Reigen passed the year after I graduated high school, so I guess we'll never really know.

It was a couple months ago, but I'm still not strong enough to talk about it.

I'm struggling to live as an adult without him.

There's no one who can really understand my situation as much as he did.

Even though I love Ritsu and Teru dearly, and they're working hard to get in the level Reigen was once, they'll never be Reigen.

I'm never going to have a person like that again.

… Probably.

Before he passed, I used to text him when I was starting to get overwhelmed, about to meltdown, and he'd help me ground myself, keep it under wraps.

Sometimes he'd call, he had a comforting voice.

I find myself still texting his old number, I'm sure it goes to some random person now who didn't even know who Reigen was, but that doesn't stop me.

I apologize a lot in those messages.

Partially because it was my fault he passed.

Partially because I feel bad for dumping all my emotional baggage on the person actually receiving these.

I vent about my day, I scroll up and read our old conversations, I take pictures of things that remind me of him and send them.

… Part of me is half expecting him to respond.

Part of me is hoping he's gonna text back and say "Aw, what a cute puppy, Mob! Be sure to give it lots of pets for me!"

And then he doesn't.

I had a meltdown at his funeral, it was embarrassing.

Dimple didn't know what to do with me, Ritsu was trying to get everyone to settle down.

Teru tried to comfort me from afar.

I cried a lot that day.

I couldn't leave the house for weeks.

I got fired from my job because I hadn't come into work so long.

I stayed home alone, constantly at my limit.

100% loneliness.

100% sadness.

100% mourning.

I think the stages of grief work differently for me, I never had a denial, bargaining, or anger stage.

I jumped right into depression, head first.

I'm working my way out of it, though.

Reigen had no living family, but he had put me in his will, so I had gotten most of everything he ever owned. Ritsu tried to get me to get rid of it, but I was already attached to most of it.

So I kept most of his belongings.

Teru wasn't mad when most of our apartment was cluttered with Reigen's stuff, and I was stuck in the middle of the apartment, desperately trying to cope.

He organized it, framed pictures and put away books.

I still couldn't cope. But he insisted that was okay.

I readjusted my routine, trying to keep my lost father figure as far from my mind as possible, but he still forced his way in.

Today, Dimple insisted that I visit Reigen's grave for the first time in months. Ritsu said it was a bad idea, that it would only awaken more grieving, but… Maybe it could be the closure I needed.

The train was loud, so I had worn my ear defenders, and sat close to the window while I waited for my stop.

I felt like a middle schooler again, on my way to the Spirit and Consultation Office after school.

I wasn't, but it was a nice warm feeling to be reminded of. 

My stop came along, and I hopped off the train and headed towards the graveyard. It was autumn, the wind had just gotten chilly and the leaves started to fall. I slipped off my ear defenders and continued walking.

"Dimple," I asked, "Were you ever… Human? Or were you just always a spirit?"

Dimple looked back at me, I'm sure if he had shoulders he would shrug, "Don't really know, Shigeo. I've been like this for as long as I can remember, so I doubt I was ever human. Why?"

I looked down towards the ground, shoving my hands in my pockets, "Maybe… I've been too consumed by grief to think about this before, but I'm wondering if maybe… Reigen is a spirit now."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"I know but… It'd be a nice thought. To actually talk to him again instead of just… texting his old number like he's still there."

"Maybe so, but would it really feel any better to know he's stuck here instead of going into the afterlife?"

I fell silent again, Dimple might've been right, maybe I was selfish for wanting that.

I don't like the idea of him being stuck here forever.

What if he asks me to exorcise him? Would I be able to do it?

Would I… be able to live with killing him twice?

"Don't think about it too much, kid," Dimple reassured, "Think about something else, like… Oh, Serizawa's coming to town soon, isn't he?"

I nodded, "He is, he's going to take over the business, and probably move up here. He left to visit family for awhile… the grief was too much for him."

"And your brother is getting married soon, right?"

"I think so… I hope he and Shou don't feel like Teru and I are pressuring him since we're already married… Teru and I have just been together since middle school."

"Ah, I'm sure he doesn't feel like that, hey look! We're there," Dimple replied.

I looked up at the entry way gate, and headed on in.

I could feel the presence of many spirits, most of which were good meaning, as I moved down the aisles. I remembered which one was Reigen's, I'm not quite sure why I memorized that, as I came across the gravestone.

Reigen Arataka

1993-2025

A father to all,

A lover to one.

I remember Serizawa picking out that inscription, he confronted me about it before confirming it.

It was the first thing to make me smile during the week of Reigen's death.

I took a breath, looking down at the grave, and then getting on my knees.

The ground was cold, and I felt no presence here.

"Reigen…" I started, trying to collect myself, "I'm really sorry. About… everything. About the fight I got you involved in, the people I got you involved in with, not taking over the business like you wanted… I'm really sorry about that one, I should've done it, but it feels so… so… empty without you… Serizawa said he was gonna take it, though. I know he's gonna take good care of it, I'll work under him, too. Maybe someday… I'll let go enough to be able to do it? I don't know…"

I balled up the fabric of my jeans into my hands, trying to keep it together.

"I've been texting your old number, I'm having such a hard time living without you… I love Ritsu, and Teru, and Dimple but… I don't think there's a person in the world who could get me quite as well as you did. You taught me a lot of things, I'm not sure if I'd be the same person without you. Teru, as patient as he is, is probably tired of my mourning and constant depression. I had a meltdown at your funeral, I'm sorry about that, too, it was really embarrassing…"

I fell silent again, biting my tongue.

"I think… I'm happy about the moments we spent together, though. There could've been so much more, you died so young, but the ones we had… they make me pretty happy. A part of me, though, has been thinking about you on the afterlife. Wondering if you're a spirit and wondering… how much damage I can do with my powers. It was my fault you passed, my fault that many people passed and now I'm wondering… am I really a good person? Am I doing good enough? Will I ever… live up to what you thought of me?"

There's silence in the air as I feel the emotions build up once again.

75%.

"I'm really nothing without you, I'm so annoying to everyone because you're all I can talk about. I can't remember the last time I saw my parents, Serizawa left town for awhile, Teru's coping by overworking himself and here I am, crying to someone who isn't here anymore and can't do anything to help. Here I am, texting a dead person and still praying they'll text back and… And… I'm just…"

93%.

"I'm just so… fucking lonely, Reigen, I'm so fucking lonely."

There isn't a response. But I expected that. Nothing but the wind as I still pray to hear a familiar voice.

Just one more time, please.

Just one more hug.

"Hey, Mob!"

I lift my head up, and I'm met with a ghostly figure of someone I once knew.

"Still venting to me from the afterlife, huh?"

[simpleidiotpsychic]

Serizawa Week Ficlet #4: Future

@serizawaweek2019

Day 4: Future. Slight Serirei. Reigen reads Serizawa’s fortune. (A day late shhhh)

AO3 Link

Reigen was up to his usual antics.

Serizawa could only watch with mild amusement from his desk where he’d just finished his math homework and was now keeping out of the way while Reigen performed a… what was this? It wasn’t a seance. Oh right. He was prediting their customer’s future.

Reigen and the customer--a middle aged woman with a coral pink cardigan--were sitting across from each other in the center of the office, on plain straight-backed chairs. They were close enough that their knees almost touched, and Reigen currently had the woman’s hand rested in his, tracing her palm with a very energetic finger. She was blushing a little. He was always popular with the older ladies…

“I see, I see…” he was muttering to himself, scrutinizing her hand with a look of utmost gravity. He was wearing his black suit and tie today because their lineup of scheduled jobs had required an extra sense of austere theatrics. Reigen was all about presentation. He knew the sort of haircut Serizawa would need back when he first started here, although for the most part he left Serizawa to his own devices after that, and Reigen himself was pre-planned down to the last button sometimes, if it could eke out a few extra yen. If you looked carefully enough (which Serizawa had had a long time to do) you’d notice that Reigen’s dress shoes were actually quite old and banged up from running through a few adventures in their day. There was even the barest slit of a hole in the right one, where he was about ready to walk right out of his insole. But Reigen shined his shoes so meticulously, and kept his shoelaces so perfectly symmetrical, that customers never even gave them a second glance.

It was all sleight of hand. Reigen was a master.

He leaned forward a bit for dramatic effect (and because causing a middle aged woman’s heart to flutter could be good for business sometimes).

“This mark across your lifeline… It’s an ill omen,” he said seriously. She was absolutely entranced, leaning in too to latch onto his every word.

He always started with some bad news as a hook, but what Serizawa appreciated about Reigen’s “fortunetelling” was that he always foretold a happy ending.

“Your sons are at college… You miss them,” he said, with enough mystique that she completely forgot she’d told him that ten minutes ago. “I foresee a longer period of loneliness with your house empty… Ah, but wait!”

Here it came.

Reigen tapped the very middle of her palm with his finger in incredible earnestness.

“I see… You’re going to get… A gym membership!”

“A gym membership?” she repeated.

“Yes! Ah, it’s coming so clearly. Excuse me, sometimes the vibrations are just so high I get overwhelmed… Yes, a gym membership! You’re going to take this time for yourself to feel more energized and get reaquainted with your own health. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind, you understand, and forget to actually live life. But the stars foresee great renewal. Your husband should join too. You must take back the life that you set aside for parenthood and embrace selfishness! Yes yes, that is your fate.”

He let go of her hand with great circumstance and she immediately covered her chest in emotion.

“Oh… That sounds delightful, Reigen-sensei!” she said.

“Doesn’t it? Fate works in mysterious ways.”

He used the line Fate works in mysterious ways very often.

It was all a ruse, but Serizawa thought of it as a ruse with strange benefits. Reigen didn’t realize sometimes his own positive impact. He wasn’t hurting their customers with unnecessary fears or antagonism, and mostly just gave everyone helpful life advice. They came to him with money wanting to hear something in particular and he gave them that. In some ways it was better than an actual fortune, which no doubt would include just as much heartache as life itself did.

She offered him a tip which he graciously declined in a carefully calculated fashion just so that she would say “no no I insist!” and then he could accept it with extra benevolence, hoarding it very quickly into his pocket. She scheduled another appointment in a couple of months. If anything, Reigen was kind of like a therapist for some of these people.

He smiled radiantly and bowed her out of the door. Then he turned to Serizawa and the customer service smile immediately fell into his usual bland expression.

“What’s with that face?” Reigen asked.

Serizawa chuckled. He hadn’t realized it, but he was kind of smirking at Reigen. He shook his head. “You continue to impress,” he said, not without fondness.

“Sounds like you doubt your master’s abilities,” said Reigen, sitting back in one of those plain chairs in the center of the room, crossing one leg over the other, and thumbing through his money.

Reigen had never quite told Serizawa that he had no powers, at least not in so many words. Serizawa knew of course because he wasn’t stupid. And he had a feeling Reigen knew that he knew. But they still danced around it like this, like it was a joke between them now.

It was funny to think how terrified Serizawa was on his first day here and how long those nerves had lasted. Even now he could have high anxiety days, just waking up with some extra energy buzzing around in his gut, but he'd gotten so used to the daily routine of Spirits and Such that he could do his work even with his mind elsewhere. And Reigen… well, he was Reigen. Imagining being afraid of Reigen now was kind of hilarious.

He was as familiar as the routine, maybe moreso. Serizawa thought he could probably be with Reigen all the time and not mind it at all. That was a lot coming from someone who'd spent fifteen years barely socializing and still didn't have the highest stamina for it.

Serizawa stood, sliding his math notebook into his backpack leaning against his desk, and then circled around to approach Reigen's chair. In perfect sync, Reigen pulled out half the bills--already counted--and held them out for Serizawa.

"We have a safe," Serizawa pointed out, tucking his share in his pocket. He didn't count it a second time. Reigen was always a wizard with money, never a mistake to be had.

"Sometimes it's good to feel your paycheck weighing down your pocket," Reigen said, taking out his wallet to properly deposit his own now. "Appreciate the little things. Right?"

"It feels almost like I'm your customer now."

Reigen shot him a sharp grin.

"Want me to peer into your future?" he joked.

The old Serizawa would have laughed and graciously bowed away from this bluff, the submissive and perhaps even shy route.

The new Serizawa understood he was allowed to have fun sometimes and so rose to the challenge.

"Yes actually," he said, with the barest faux-serious smile and deposited himself in the chair opposite Reigen.

Reigen looked a little surprised but quickly recovered, shaking out his hands at the wrists as if in preparation.

"Alright then. I guess I'll give you the employee discount," he said, jumping back on track with the banter.

"How kind."

It was now something like an extension of their usual joke. I know you have no powers, and I'm teasing you for it. What will you do to show me up?

Reigen held out a hand and Serizawa laid his own hand on top of it, his knuckles settling into Reigen's palm. Reigen's touch was warm. Serizawa's hand was somewhat larger than his, particularly in the fingers, but Reigen cupped it easily as he brushed the heel of it with his other thumb.

"Hmmmmmm," Reigen said, staring down at the lines in Serizawa's hand with exaggerated contemplation.

Serizawa watched his face. Up close like this he couldn't help but notice the exact fall of his hair over his forehead, the ruminative pinch of his eyebrows. There was a stray eyelash on his cheek and Serizawa almost brushed it away just on instinct, as naturally as if it were his own, but he stopped himself.

He'd really grown a lot of confidence, hadn't he? But he suspected this level of comfort was something only possible with Reigen.

A little sheepish at his own daring, he averted his eyes down to his hand. He didn't usually look at his own hands much, but now he found himself noticing all the details he typically took for granted. His knuckles and the back of his hands down to the wrist were coated in fine black hair that was visible on the side on his thumb and disappeared past the bones of his wrist into his buttoned sleeve. He had a new wristwatch hugging his wrist, the small face actually turned to lay against his pulse because that was where he instinctively looked to check it. It had been a gift from Reigen actually, on his birthday. It was one of Serizawa's favorite possessions because it was one of the only gifts from a friend in his modest collection.

Yes, Reigen was absolutely a friend by now.

Reigen traced two fingers down the line across the very center of Serizawa's palm, his touch so feathery light it almost tickled.

"Your life line," Reigen said. "It's very long and steady."

It wasn't, really. It was short and cut off in a few places. Serizawa wasn't sure what that actually meant for his future, but he smiled warmly.

"Oh is it?"

"Yes," said Reigen confidently. "I foresee a lot of happiness in your future, and… hmmmm hang on, I've got some conflicting vibes."

"Of course, take your time."

"I see a lot of success." Reigen was looking very determinedly down at Serizawa's hand, avoiding his gaze, and that was Serizawa's cue that this joke had taken a turn into a brave patch of genuineness. Reigen stroked the side of his hand idly with his thumb as he spoke. It was nice… it was oddly gentle and calming. "There'll be some bullshit of course but I see someone who can handle it. And your career is going well… You must have a great boss."

Serizawa laughed, and it got kinda caught in his throat, where a bubble of giddiness had accumulated. He was so happy. Not just now, but in general. Sometimes it just hit him all at once, that reminder. How he was truly, deeply happy.

"Your money line looks great!" Serizawa wasn’t sure if real palmistry actually had a money line but it was one of Reigen’s favorites. "And your love line…"

Reigen faltered as he traced the line with his fingers. For too long. The touch of his fingertip tingled in a way that seemed to travel all the way up Serizawa’s arm, into the crook of his elbow. His eyes darted up to meet Serizawa's for a split moment, oddly shy, and then fell again. He suddenly laid his palm flat over Serizawa's instead, just holding his hand there for a moment. It was such an oddly tender gesture that Serizawa's heart did a weird sort of backflip.

"You'll be very happy, Serizawa," Reigen said with finality, his mouth twisting into a crooked little smile, almost in self deprecation.

Then he gave Serizawa's hand a few dismissive pats and let it go. He finally looked up again, all the secret softness he'd shown schooling carefully into humor again. "Don't make me a liar. Happiness means continued work."

A part of Serizawa kind of wanted to cry, from just how happy he was and so glad to have this man in his life. Instead he just laughed. It was all he could do.

"I'll do my best," he said, with a strangely tremulous sincerity in the promise.

"You always do."

[hacelee-mp100]

Okay finally got around to organizing my thoughts on Reigen MAX131 after hyperventilating for a good while

The yellow cover made the whole experience (reading session in bed with a friend, pounding on pillows and screaming together) like opening and popping a lemon-flavored candy in our mouths. Strong, saturated, and bright. It really was a rollercoaster, seeing all the new and changed dynamics between everyone, especially with Tome added to the party and bringing in a fresh perspective. We were in a sense rediscovering the characters we’ve gotten to know over the course of sixteen books, and Tome’s new perspective made it all the more like a short and sweet visit into their lives.

Onto my overall impression of the book: I really felt seen. It’s weird to have this feeling from a comic book, but the read was strangely personal. It may be because I could relate to a lot of the human tendencies mentioned in the book. There’s something comforting about private thoughts and tendencies being represented in a medium, and the story casually moving onto a different subject matter. It says that the thing you see yourself in is simply just one of many in a bustling collection of interesting components, not a bottomless pit you have to deal with on your own. Especially since the medium for this story is a simplified comic, it acted as a nice pull toward the surface.

Some of the ideas/private tendencies that I was surprised to see represented:

-Making a mental note to look things up when you get home

Roshuto and Jodo getting swept up by Reigen’s random coining—they both make a mental note to look things up in private instead of asking him outright.

-Looking at people as a character trope and thinking your life is different

Tome observing the girl with the bread. It was a hilarious opening by the way, and I loved how Reigen could fall in pace with Tome’s ranting ahaha Reigen and Tome have such an organic dynamic. It might have something to do with their observation skills/the way they relate to others. It’s also just hilarious to see them together (Tome slamming down a cup Drink this tea Reigen!!!)

-Realizing that you’d have to work hard to fit into a group conversation

Tome with her friends and letting the usual subjects of the group conversation take priority over what really sparks her interests.

-That awe in realizing that the people that you thought worked on a different level actually felt the same discrepancy

It turned out that Tome’s friends all had sth they were keeping locked away in a box. I could really relate when Tome asked her friend to reveal more of what really sparks fire in them. It’s that excitement from actually getting to know people and your world widening. Having the same interests isn’t what’s really important when it comes to connecting with people (though it is really cool when they do share your interests). It’s when you can see them as a subject similar to yours navigating these different levels that the connection really solidifies. And this whole process is so fun.

-+Awe and then the slight embarrassment that follows when you realize that you thought you were the only one feeling the discrepancy

Tome thinking: ‘why was I so full of myself’ after she has that talk with her friends.

- Your previous image of a person(formed by rumors and your assumptions) dissipating when you actually get to talk to the said person

Tome deciding to talk directly to Hoshida instead of talking behind his back. She got to hear the full story. We think that we can talk more honestly when the subject of the conversation isn’t present since we won’t have to keep up a social face, but this shows how we can get at the truth/the real story when we talk directly with people. Tome got to move on with the story and have more authentic experiences instead of remaining in her head/the rumors from her friend group.

A lot of these are tied to Tome’s perspective, and I’m glad that a young female character got some spotlight this time.

Also. I’m just really happy for Reigen. The book ends with the same scene he first appeared in (I, Reigen Arataka, will take on the task!). It’s a contrast from how Mob’s series used the ending scene (Mob laughing aloud for the first time), and I love how this emphasizes that Reigen’s change is more internal. It’s not really visible in the social face he keeps up, but his growth and change manifest in the way he interacts with people around him. There are still various things going on in his life, even with Mob away...there are people who stick around and people who just randomly walk in. He’s still a conman but he knows when to talk truthfully (he revealed himself to Tome when he saw that she was put in danger trying to take after him) and to accept the people who stick around (Dimple, Serizawa, Tome...more on Mob later). Oh, and I really liked how the spinoff rode off of Tome’s perspective; we were just making a visit into Reigen’s already stable (and changed) life. Just a visit, not a journey. This keeps with the theme of looking for special things within your realm without having to reach too far.

I was confused why Mob wasn’t getting screen time for a good way into the book but now I love how everything played out. While Tome’s perspective acted as a vehicle for us to get a look into Reigen’s life, Reigen’s relationship with Mob seems to have advanced without us having to check in. Their relationship has been running for longer than his relationship with Tome (which makes up most of what we get of him in the book), and it represents how there are more sides to Reigen. Reigen shares something very private and strong with Mob that doesn't need further validation in this spinoff.

This is too big for me to summarize on the spot, and I’ll have to mull over it in stretched periods of time to really get it...but their relationship really runs deep. The trust, the time spent together, and Mob already being familiar with all the ways Reigen could come out. (‘I told you not to call me out of the blue’, ‘...I wasn’t expecting compensation anyway,’ ‘Do you want ramen’).

P.186 I was dead AHHHH Mob!!!!!

And Reigen probably knew straight away that the Tayori wasn’t Mob (he doesn’t reach out to grab Tayori Mob’s hand when he just naturally grabs Mob’s later). Everything about their short interaction was natural and right aAHH they just belong with each other.

Okay, back to Tome: Tome’s main motivation seems to be to search for the real thing, the really interesting thing that’s supposed to be beyond her reach. It’s that interest in the unknown that drives her.

But then Dimple says: there are loads of things you don’t know about your own world. The only thing that draws you toward this side of the world (the spirit realm) is your false and shallow image of the ‘unknown’. For you it’s just a hobby. Keep it that way.

I loved the final message, with Tome turning her interests back to her surroundings and to things within her reach without giving up her ‘hobbies’. The final narration says that things are special on their own, that there’s no need to look further. They do require some seeking out, but they’re all within our realm and actions. The book seems like a friendly push toward action, reminding us to live in the moment instead of taking interest specifically in things that aren’t connected to our reality (I’m guilty of this). I felt both exposed and seen. This was such a fun read.

토메 시점으로 넘어가서 우리에게 보이는 레이겐이  ‘외로운/공허한 본인’ -> ‘재밌는 주변인’ 이렇게 바뀌는게 좋다. 레이겐 이미 성장했고 우리는 토메 시점에서 그걸 문득문득 보는 것 뿐.

그나저나 악령을 뒤돌아보게 하다니 미친놈 진짜 난놈이야 레이겐ㅋㅋㅋㅋ악령 둘이 싸움붙이깈ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ아 진짜 어케 이런놈이 다 있지.

아무튼 내가 느끼는 책의 메세지: 있는 그대로의 진짜의 것.

최근에 소중한 절친의 죽음을 경험했고 아직 받아들이는 중인데

이걸로 실감하는 것들 중 하나가 있는 그대로가 진짜라고. 진짜가 따로 있는게 아니라 모두다 진짜의 구성원이라고.

내 경험과 책을 깔끔하게 떼어서 생각할 수 없으니 책의 주제 의식이 어떻다고 단정지을 순 없지만 레이겐131을 읽으면서 내가 새로 받아들이는 이 관점을 다시 연상시키게 되었다. 진짜인것은 멀리서 찾을게 아니라 주변에서 행동으로 나를 찾아오는 이 순간순간에서 찾을 수 있다고. 뭐 이미 위에도 적었지만. 이 관점은 나에게 이 책을 선물해주고 침대에서 같이 읽어준 친구에게서도 배우는 관점이라서 이렇게 깊이 각인되는 것일수도. 레이겐 131 첫 독서 진짜 의미 있는 경험이었다. 개재밌음 진짜...

[ravenfirelair]

Review of Godzilla:king of the monsters.

SPOILERS ALERT!! SPOLIERS ALERT!! SPOILERS ALERT!! DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T LIKE SPOLIERS!

So yeah, I saw new Godzilla movies yesterday and wow, it was the most amazing Godzilla movie I have ever seen! I think the US finally got it right in creating a proper Godzilla movie! Don’t believe the snobby critics that are shitting on this movie! This movie is so worth seeing in theaters! There were a lot of little homages and hints to the Godzilla franchise in this movie aside from the four main monsters and just like people asked for; there was a lot more action and monster fighting in this movie. All the monster reveals are nicely done and give the grand entrance they all deserve, especially king ghidorah’s reveal.

The start on the movie is very good as it starts with the sound of godzilla’s footsteps getting louder and then his roar, which I thought was a nice touch and a little homage to the first godzilla movie. all the news updated looks on the monsters were great, I especially liked rodan’s and mothra’s. king ghidorah’s look was great, but did have a hint of looking like smrug from the hobbit movies. I did like they put more personality into the monsters, like how each of ghidorah’s had as their own personality and the right head was a little more the derpy one and the middle head was kind of tired of putting up with his shit. I liked how Godzilla interacted with the humans more, he was more aware of their existence and knew humans were a sentient alpha species like he is and at several points in the movie he does not attack the humans because he knows there are not the real threat to him. I liked some moments with rodan gave good expression, when him and mothra were fighting and he got stabbed by mothra’s stinger and had the expression of “well, I’m fucked.” And towards the end when he is revealed to be alive, approaches Godzilla and bows to him and Godzilla gives him the look of “yeah, you better bow to me, bitch”. And I did like how mothra was enveloped in this golden light in one part of the movie. One complaint I do have is that you don’t see much of the secondary monsters, rodan and mothra, as the movie mostly focuses on Godzilla and ghidorah, matter of fact mothra is probably shown the least out of the monsters, still she does play an important role for the little time she is on screen. This was one my worries from the beginning of seeing the trailer was that there be to many monsters in one movie and not enough screen time for each of them. Also burning Godzilla is in this! Yep, the huge dose of radiation he got from a nuclear bomb caused him to be critically overpowered with nuclear energy and caused his body to have a red glow to it, but instead of on the verge on death like in the Japanese movie, Godzilla uses to create a nuclear pulse shockwave that literally disintegrates king ghidorah.

This movie does explain better what the organization monarch is, it’s basically shield for giant monsters, its sole purpose is to contain and control or destroy giant monsters to protect the world from them.

The human characters in this movie were just okay enough, this movie does kind of suffer too many characters in one movie and a lot of the secondary characters don’t get enough screen time for you to care about them, but the main characters are okay enough to keep you interested in the story. This movie mostly focuses on the Russell family that lost a child in the first Godzilla attack from the 2014 movie. as time passes to five years later, the wife and daughter, emma and  Madison Russell join monarch to work on the device called the orca that can communicate with the monsters on a sound frequency level while their dad goes off to study natural wildlife.  Millie bobby brown’s as Madison russell is okay in this, her acting fits the role well enough. Ken watanabe as dr. ishiro serizawa is still good in this movie, there was one moment in the movie with ishiro that got to me, it was when he decides to sacrifice himself to place a nuclear bomb close to Godzilla to revive him knowing the massive amount of radiation from Godzilla will kill him and just before the bomb is about to go off, he touches Godzilla on the nose and saids “goodbye, old friend.”  I got kind of tearful at the scene. Charles dance from game of thrones is in this too as alan Jonah who is the leader of the eco-terrorist organization that trying to take monster DNA to try to create their own monsters to wipe out humanity to supposedly restore the natural order of the world. He’s not in the movie that much, so there is not much else to say about him.  

The only character a had a problem with is emma, her motivation and reasons behind what she was trying to do was a bit confusing, the death of her child causes to all her effort into this device that can communicate with monsters only to use it to unleash the monsters on the world to wipe out humanity thinking humans are just basically a virus to the planet and that the monster are the anti-bodies to restore natural balance to the world. But wouldn’t unleashing more monsters on to the world just cause more people to die? Then she goes to explain that the radiation from the monsters is kind of miracle grow fertilizer and we make all the plants on the earth grow back once humanity is wiped out and I’m like radiation doesn’t work like that.  So yeah, her science and logic behind her plan is kind of stupid.

One plot point I have some complaints with when the introduce the oxygen destroyer bomb, while the having it in there as small homage to the franhise is nice, the plan of using it in the movie is kind of pointless. The military just drops the bomb on Godzilla and ghidorah in hopes it will just kill them both, but the bomb doesn’t do its job and instead just kills all sea life in the gulf of mexico. The bomb severally weakens Godzilla, but doesn’t completely kill him, so yeah the bomb was kind of useless in this movie.  

The post credits scene is basically of alan Jonah with his eco-terrorist orginzation finds one of king ghidorah severed heads and plans to take it for himself, so that could leave open the possibility of mecha king ghidorah or some other monster that is half ghidorah to show up in future movies, which I really hope so because it open a lot more possibilities for this monsterverse to continue. Plus there were some hints throughout the credits that mothra and rodan might return too, so who knows where the future movies might lead.

So despite some characters not being fully fleshed out and some with confusing morals and some bullshit made up science logic, I enjoyed the movie very much. Of course, the main reason I wanted to see the movie was for the spectacle of the monster fights and you get a lot of that in this movie. so I highly recommend this movie for Godzilla fans and even if you’re not a godzilla fan and just want a fun action movie with a lot of monster action, such as movies like pacific rim and rampage, then this movie is more for you too. Just please go see this movie because critics are killing this movie and I don’t want this monsterverse to die.    

[rennarenofao3]

Thoughts on Hakuouki’s Sannan Keisuke

(with some observations on his relationships to/with the rest of the Shinsengumi) Based solely on Seasons 1 and 3

In the course of watching the series I���ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Sannan’s character, and about what his motivations might have been for joining the group. Please note that this is strictly my perspective on what I’ve seen so far, and also contains a bit of speculation about some things. I’ve tried to clean it up to make it a bit easier to read and less ‘stream of consciousness’ but I’m not sure how well I ended up succeeding in that.

(note that this contains some spoilers for the events of seasons 1 and 3 of the anime)

·         Sannan seems to be an outsider, even and perhaps especially noticeably so, among his fellow Shinsengumi, though a line from Hijikata in season three does indicate that he knew them while the group was still in Edo before coming to Kyoto. The man simply does not seem to fit in with the rest of the group. While he does appear to have loyalty to the group, and a respect for Kondou, his loyalty seems as if it may be less long standing and for somewhat different reasons than most of the other captains as he doesn’t seem to have known him as long or have quite the same perspective on Kondou. Could he have possibly decided to join in on their mission only shortly before the group left Edo to go to Kyoto?

·         He seems to be well educated, while also being strong despite his more scholarly nature, and is a reasonably skilled fighter. But unlike some of the other characters, he doesn’t necessarily seem eager to resolve things by, or involve himself in fights. And in fact he frequently acts as more of a peacekeeper, breaking up fights and attempting to mediate when a conflict is developing.  So it is unlikely that he would have joined the Roshigumi/Shinsengumi out of a desire to become embroiled in a never ending series of battles.

·         Fame or notoriety seems to be perhaps the most unlikely reason for Sannan to have joined the Roshigumi/Shinsengumi. In general Sannan seems to stick to the background of things, to the point where I imagine that he is all but invisible to anyone outside the group, considering how bold and colorful some of the others are. This ‘fading into the background’ could also be noted when his opinion gets virtually ignored later on when the group is debating on moving locations. (Kondou, who generally seems to try to please everyone, is essentially the only one who appears to give any validity to what Sannan says) Plus, when Sannan would have originally hooked up with the Roshigumi/Shinsengumi, the group was not yet famous.

·         Another potential reason for Sannan joining the Roshigumi/Shinsengumi is an agreement with or belief in the ideals and mission of the group. Given Sannan’s personality, and how strongly dedicated he is to them, I think that this probably stands the best chance of being the ‘why’. Sannan has given no indication of being the type to take action on a whim, especially when it could well be something he would end up dying for. He would carefully consider as many aspects as possible before choosing a path to take.

·         From here it should be taken into consideration who put forth the mission of the Shinsengumi. It seems like a lot of the time throughout the series Hijikata is more the driving force behind the Shinsengumi’s goals. To the point where Hijikata intends to eliminate Serizawa and place Kondou as the group’s sole top leader, even though Kondou doesn’t really seem to have any drive to act to take the leadership role. Along this same line of thought is that it seems a bit like Sannan is closer with Hijikata than Kondou. Usually most of his comments for running things seem more addressed to Hijikata, however that could simply be because Sannan is smart enough to recognize who is ‘really’ in charge. But overall, it seems possible that Hijikata himself, and perhaps his potential to actually accomplish the ideals of the group, might also have something to do with Sannan’s reason for joining.

·         Sannan’s reaction to Chizuru’s preparing a special meal for him after being injured is also interesting and perhaps is reflective of aspects of his background in terms of his home life and also touches on his being an outsider to the Shinsengumi. Could he have come from a background where ‘manly’ strength was highly valued, but given his less overtly masculine personality traits (quiet, scholarly, not seeking out fights/eager to show off physical prowess) was perhaps looked down on or seen as weak within his own family? Taking note of the way the Shinsengumi is very accepting of ‘warriors’ who might not ordinarily have been accepted as samurai this makes Sannan’s joining them more logical as it would give him the opportunity to become something that might have been expected of him but he was unable to fulfill to the satisfaction of others in the usual manner. This would also explain why Sannan was so profoundly upset by losing the use of his arm/ability to fight, since the Shinsengumi is a group of warriors and even though he did not fight often, not being able to fight at all makes him useless to the group and cuts off (in his mind) the reason he is allowed to be there, and his connection to the others entirely.

·         Sannan does also seem as if he may have some self-confidence issues as well, or at least seems to not view himself very highly at times. After he is injured Sannan’s opinion of himself seems to fall almost immediately, to the point where he is only able to bring himself to be around the others with Chizuru’s encouragement. In contrast if one of the others who is also more firmly integrated with the group had experience a similar injury, they probably would have laughed off it off a lot more, and even if (for example) food had been spilled it would have gotten turned into a joke by the others and probably have resulted in some horsing around. And even if Sannan had joined in with the group before Chizuru had made him special meals, such an incident would probably at least have been overlooked and not commented on. …So one wonders why Sannan seems so disproportionately ashamed of it potentially happening in the presence of the others.

·         An additional note on Sannan being an outsider even within the group. It seems like the others don’t really know how to relate to him. This is probably most obvious in the awkward silences that happen after Sannan is injured. When he is not around the others worry and talk about him, but as soon as he comes into the room the atmosphere freezes up. Rather than greet Sannan, and overall act normally, everyone just falls silent after a few brief comments. And it is doubtful that Sannan would have minded if they had said more to him, or simply overlooked his being injured, in fact it probably would have helped him feel more a part of the group/better about himself. Especially the joking around, for as much as Sannan comes across on the surface as being very solemn, he has a sense of humor, that may not actually be that far removed from that of the others. An example of this is during the scene where Chizuru is first brought to the group and Shinpachi, and Sanosuke, are teasing Heisuke. In contrast to Hijikata and Kondou reacting with annoyance/upset at their behavior, Sannan is sitting there watching with this tiny amused smile on his face.

·         However in spite of the others not really knowing how to relate to him, Sannan cares deeply for them. Possibly to a level equaling that of Hijikata, even though his means of ‘looking out for’ the group differs. He also seems to have a good understanding of each of their personalities. Aspects of Sannan’s affection for the others can be seen in the incident mentioned above, in the way he seems to know what to say to each of them when it comes to reasoning with them and subtly looks after them, such as when he is the first to ask if Hijikata is all right after a confrontation with Serizawa and follows/seeks out Heisuke to give him medicine that will alleviate the bloodlust caused by the ochimizu.

·         This care for the others could also be reflected in that he quickly spoke up to say that he would work with Kodou when the ochimizu was first introduced. In doing so Sannan could monitor what was going on, and by not allowing the others to be involved he could and possibly even would have attempted to make it seem as if the rest of the Roshigumi/Shinsengumi were not involved if the somewhat unsavory experiments were to come to light and reflect badly on the others. He is pragmatic enough to realize that it would be difficult for the group to gain financial support they desperately needed if they failed to comply, and as a benefit it also provided the opportunity to remove a member of the opposition from leadership by suggesting that Niimi step down from his role as a chief to focus on the research.

·         Of the group Sannan may be closest to Heisuke and Hijikata. He is seen walking with and visibly reacting to Heisuke’s excitement after the pairings for the demonstration matches are announced, and Heisuke also seems to feel very free to visit Sannan in his room to talk. (we never really see other characters approach Sannan individually like this) As mentioned before Sannan seems to talk to/address Hijikata most often in group discussions, frequently seems to be on Hijikata’s side on things, and seems especially concerned about Hijikata’s well-being.

[impracticaldemon]

An Officer & A Gentleman:  SaiChi in Edo Part II

by Impracticaldemon (Hakuouki ~ SaichiFest2018)

Words:  A LOT MORE THAN INTENDED (~ 4000) | FFN | AO3

Author's Note:

Written more or less for the prompts Moonlight/Courage (Day 1) [SaiChi], Respect (Day 2) [Saito-Amagiri BrOTP] [with a slight tip of the hat to the prompt Sake], and Spoken/Unspoken (Day 3) [SaiChi].

Originally, I'd intended each part of this story to be a 500-1000 word piece like Part I—Fear and Courage. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to stop writing once I'd started, so this happened. From time to time, I like to indulge my curiosity—if I can call it that—and write interesting parts of the canon (game) stories from the other point of view. I hope that you enjoy the results.

Part II—An Officer and a Gentleman (Plus One Mad Scientist and a Lady)

(i) Burning Sun

It was not a short walk to the Yukimura Clinic, located as it was near the outskirts of Edo. By the time that Saitō found the small community, and then the modest home, he felt as though the sun was starting to course through his veins along with his tainted blood. Despite a well-deserved reputation for stoicism, Saitō had to concede that the sensation had gone beyond discomfort, although it was not yet at the level of full "bloodlust", as Sannan-san and Heisuke termed that brutal phenomenon.

Saitō had now suffered through bloodlust once, and had been thankful that he had been alone, and that the bout hadn't lasted long. He had avoided telling anybody, since he suspected that the Vice Commander would require him to either sleep during the day, or join the Fury Corps. Since he found being awake during the day mostly tolerable, he saw no reason to increase the burden on Hijikata-san by working only at night. The Shinsengumi leadership was too under-staffed as it was. Hijikata-san knew that he was a fury, of course, but as long as he didn't draw attention to the fact, everyone seemed content to let him continue in his position.

As Saitō approached the Yukimura Clinic, taking in the general disrepair of the front walk and the garden, his thoughts drifted briefly to Sōji, who now resided at Matsumoto-sensei's clinic instead of with the Shinsengumi. It had become something of a warning sign for him, this occasional lapse in concentration; it meant that he needed a break from the direct sunlight, at least, although rest would be better. Sōji seemed to figure often in his thoughts these days, especially in those rare moments when he allowed himself to notice how stretched-thin he felt.

His mind instantly snapped back to the present when the door flew open and Yukimura came stumbling out, eyes wide with panic. Just a step behind her was Yukimura Kōdō-san, the missing creator of the ochimizu. Saitō rushed forward, sword clearing it's sheath with a soft metallic sigh. Without an instant to spare—his task would be much harder if Yukimura were apprehended by the mysterious doctor—Saitō yelled at Yukimura to duck, and swung at her pursuer.

Fortunately, Yukimura ducked—that made things easier; unfortunately, Saitō's blade failed to connect with Kōdō-san. Aches forgotten, Saitō took up a protective stance between Yukimura and her father—her false father, if the Oni Sen-hime were to be believed. He could sense Yukimura get to her feet behind him.

"Saitō-san!"

"You should run, Yukimura," he told her calmly, measuring Kōdō's aggressive posture and almost—crazed?—expression.

"But Saitō-san—"

"Stay behind me then, and do not interfere."

"You will obey your father, Chizuru. I did not raise a disrespectful child." Kōdō didn't move, obviously still assessing his new opponent, but his tone was sharp. "Come here at once!"

"I-I don't know who you are, Father!" Yukimura was plainly agitated. It was an odd thing to say, but there was no doubt a reason. Saitō had found that Yukimura followed a certain consistent internal logic. While he didn't always understand her, neither did he find her capricious.

"I haven't changed, child. Come now, it's time for me to show you your wonderful future!"

"Yukimura Chizuru is under the protection of the Shinsengumi," Saitō stated flatly. "I also have orders to bring you—Yukimura Kōdō-san—to Hijikata-fukuchō and Sannan-sōchō to answer questions."

Kōdō-san smiled politely at him. "Let's see now… Saitō-kun, was it?"

Saitō continued to regard him steadily. He did not trust this man in the slightest, and Yukimura's agitation confirmed that there was something wrong. She'd been looking for her father for years now, and had persisted in her belief that the man who had raised her could not have understood the true horrors of the ochimizu. The Shinsengumi leadership—cynical to a man, with the possible exception of Kondō-kyokuchō—had no such illusions. Even Heisuke harboured the darkest suspicions about the man.

When Saitō's sword remained an uncompromising barrier between them, Kōdō frowned. He might be in some trouble with Kazama-sama, for having ventured out against orders (and found by the Shinsengumi dogs), but a great deal would be forgiven if he brought Chizuru with him.

Saitō heard Yukimura's disbelieving cry of horror when Kōdō's features suddenly seemed to contort and change. The mild brown eyes now glowed pale gold, and sharp white horns protruded from the man's forehead. His sudden grin displayed pointed canines, and both expression and posture reflected contemptuous arrogance. Even as Saitō's stance shifted to full combat-readiness, thin knives appeared as if by magic between Kōdō's fingers.

"You will now witness the glorious strength of the Oni! Before, I had no access to true power. I am no pureblood like Lord Kazama—or like you, Chizuru. But now, my full potential has been unleashed!"

"Father! You've taken the ochimizu? But that's—that's terrible!"

Knives flew at Saitō even before Yukimura—his foster-daughter?—had finished speaking. Despite the short range, Saitō deflected them with ease, remaining solidly between Chizuru and Kōdō. With a hiss of annoyance, the former doctor tried again. And again, Saitō deflected the knives without moving more than his arm and blade.

As the Shinsengumi had found out for themselves, the ochimizu conferred speed and strength—and near-instant healing—but not skill. Serizawa Kamo, originally joint-Commander of the Shinsengumi, had been a brute, both as a man and a leader, but he had been a phenomenal warrior. Once he had taken the ochimizu, it had required several of the current Shinsengumi's strongest officers, and Hijikata-san's best effort, to take him down. Kōdō might be strong and fast, but he was no match for a swordsman of Saitō's ability.

"…Foolish," noted Saitō, in his usual uninflected tones, when Kōdō drew forth yet more knives. He prepared to attack as soon as he had dealt with them.

Disaster struck with the third volley. Saitō remained unhurt, but one of the knives ricocheted back into Kōdō, leaving a long gash that bled freely before beginning to close. The scent of the fresh blood hit Saitō like a tidal wave, leaving him bludgeoned and reeling. The racking pain that he had been keeping at bay exploded within him, and his hands and legs started to tremble. He felt sweat spring up on his forehead as he fought for control. I am master of myself! Ignore the scent, ignore the pain. Protect Yukimura!

"Ahhhhh. I see now. You have drunk the ochimizu—you are already a rasetsu."

Saitō felt the tip of his katana waver drunkenly, as all of his effort went into remaining upright.

"Saito-san," Yukimura whispered nearby, in obvious distress. More distress than fear, noticed some part of Saitō's brain. She always did worry too much about him. It didn't… really… make sense.

With gruelling effort, he brought his blade back up to a guard position.

"My condition… is none of your… concern," he ground out in response to Kōdō.

The doctor-turned-demon cackled in triumph. It was a weird, inhuman sound, and made the situation even more bizarre than it already was.

"I'm surprised you're still standing, Saitō-kun. The sun is very bright and hot today, isn't it?"

It was. Saitō's very skeleton now felt as though it were on fire.

"And the scent of blood is so strong, so wonderful. Don't you crave it? You must. The ochimizu is poison to your frail, human body, and you need blood to ease your pain. The agony is probably driving you mad even now—your body lusts for blood, and your mind is both appalled and desperate to taste it."

He was right. Mostly. Saitō blocked out the words, fought the relentless need to lurch forward and take the blood he needed to end the pain. This is endurable. It must be endured. Instead of falling to his knees as Kōdō probably expected, Saitō's hands tightened on his sword. He would not let this man take Yukimura. He would not lose to the enemy within him.

"Kōdō." Suddenly, there was another Oni present. The deep voice, and massive frame, were all too familiar to Saitō. His eyes might struggle a bit with colour in the daytime now, but the softer light of the moon would show neatly-tied, dark red hair, and cool, summer-blue eyes.

"Lord Amagiri," murmured Kōdō, sounding shocked, even as Saitō thought the name.

Amagiri-san's presence most likely presaged disaster. The powerful Oni would have little difficulty either incapacitating or killing Saitō, in his current condition. But… there was still a vestige of hope. At the very least, Saitō would die fighting an honourable warrior, somebody who would understand who Saitō was.

"Kōdō. You must return at once. Kazama-sama did not sanction this venture."

The bigger Oni examined first Chizuru, then Saitō. His understanding of Saitō's condition was instantaneous, but silent.

"My lord! This man has drunk the ochimizu! He is a Fury! We should make sure that he is no threat to us or our plans."

Even semi-blinded by fierce sunlight, Saitō saw the look of undisguised anger and disgust that Amagiri-san turned on Kōdō. Although the outcome was still not certain, that look gave new life to hope.

"I said that you are to return at once. Kazama-sama will be very displeased with you if he finds out that you have upset Yukimura-sama. Even if you did raise her."

The ensuing silence seemed very long to Saitō, whose body felt as taut as an overdrawn bowstring. He was on his feet, his sword was more or less steady, and Yukimura was safe behind him, but he knew that he didn't have long before collapse. A warrior knew his own body.

Kōdō was clearly on the verge of arguing further with Amagiri-san, when the latter turned his gaze on Saitō. The pale blue eyes seemed somehow… regretful.

"Regardless of any action, or desire, on our part, this man is likely to fall victim to his condition soon enough. Because he is human. Because he is a Fury." Amagiri's voice was soft, but edged; his words were clearly directed at Kōdō.

For a moment, Kōdō looked taken aback, as though some part of Amagiri-san's implicit accusation had reached him. In that moment, Saitō thought he glimpsed the father that Yukimura seemed to remember—the man that he himself had never seen. Then Kōdō's features hardened back into implacable lines. He nodded curtly to Amagiri-san, his obedience a matter of yielding to a greater force, rather than loyalty, or agreement. The two Oni plainly held nothing but contempt for each other. Saitō felt Amagiri-san's regard on him one last time, and with it that same sense of regret, and then he and Yukimura were alone in front of her former residence.

(ii) Healing Moon

The worst of the immediate pain faded then, as most of Kōdō's blood was on the man's clothes. Saitō sheathed his katana, unable to conceal his relief. Then he turned to Yukimura, scanning her for any sign of hurt. She was visibly upset, which was to be expected, but her first words were—as usual—for him.

"Saitō-san, are you hurt?"

"Īe." His firm negative failed to soothe her.

"Then are you ill? Or—of course, the sun is very strong!"

"Yukimura, why did you leave the compound?" Saitō's tone was deliberately harsh. "If it had been Kazama who had arrived instead of me"—or Amagiri-san—"then you would have been taken. Why do you think I stay awake during the day? It is not pleasant." That was unfair, a little, but he was finding it harder than usual to ignore the pain.

Yukimura looked stricken, and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Saitō-san! I apologize for causing you trouble."

"I do not require your apology. I require your explanation."

She straightened, biting her lip. She was blinking back tears, and it came to him suddenly that despite all that had happened, she was most upset because he was angry at her. His expression was no doubt forbidding.

"Hai." Yukimura's hands twisted together in front of her. "I-I wanted to search the house for any notes that might provide information about the ochimizu. About the Fury transformation really… and how to suppress the side-effects."

"Did Sannan-san ask you to do this?"

"N-no."

"Then why?"

Unaccountably, Yukimura's embarrassment seemed to deepen. "I wanted to help. Because you seemed to be in so much pain, Saitō-san."

Saitō felt his eyes widen, as his expression went from angry to startled. "I did?" He forced his features back to impassivity, so that they would show neither anger, nor surprise. Nor, he hoped, pain.

"Well… yes? It's bad enough that you don't sleep, but you stay awake all day, and I can see that it's—that is, there is discomfort."

Before Saitō could formulate a response, Yukimura squared her shoulders in the way that she always did before speaking her mind in spite of fear or anxiety. Sure enough, she eyed him a little shyly, but added: "Being physically uncomfortable, or in pain, is very tiring. I saw that a great deal when I was growing up. People got better much faster, or at least had more energy, when we—I mean—well, when their bodies were more at ease. So you see—"

"I see." Saitō looked down, both to rest his eyes, and because while he understood her point in a general way, her actions still seemed extreme. Unless she—but that line of thinking was both irrelevant and unproductive. "I left the compound unattended. Do you have further business here?"

Silently, she shook her head. Saitō found it difficult not to respond to the slight hurt in her eyes, but it was better that she learn not to worry about him so much. There was no need, and he still wasn't sure of her motives. No? Really? He ignored his own mocking thoughts—which always took on Sōji's voice these days—and turned to go.

"Ikuzo, Yukimura."

He set off at a moderate pace, and she followed obediently. Three paces, four, five… No, gods, NOT NOW! But the gods weren't listening. Saitō's legs folded under him, and his body convulsed with wracking pain. He clenched his teeth against the cries that sought to escape, and bowed his head until the first wave passed and he could master himself again—at least a little.

"Saitō-san!"

"I… I will be fine. It will pass." His voice rasped and the gasping breaths were unlikely to be reassuring, but he put everything he had into hiding the full extent of his agony. He knew that he had changed into one of them, into what he now was. White hair, red eyes; he'd seen it for himself, the last time. But what to do?

"We should go indoors. That will help, at least a little. Please come with me, Saitō-san!"

She was pleading, but it was unnecessary. Going inside, out of the sunlight, out of sight of passing pedestrians, was the only logical thing to do now. He couldn't bring himself to lean on her—wouldn't—and she seemed to know that. Instead, she made sure that his path was unimpeded, and guided him, somehow, into her home. Former home, some strange part of his mind insisted, but he didn't have enough energy to care why.

Once inside, Saitō found a space that had been recently tidied, and knelt with as much grace as he could muster—not much, he suspected. It was worse than the last time. It felt as if his body were being continuously broken apart and knit back together; it was excruciating. His right hand scrabbled at the left breast of his kimono, as though he could somehow tear the pain out of himself and find relief.

He saw movement from the corner of his eye, and then Yukimura knelt across from him, so close that they were practically touching. He became suddenly, agonizingly aware of the blood that flowed beneath her soft skin. His eyes fastened on the pulse point of her throat, and it took all his will to look away.

"Yukimura… This will pass. Do not… concern yourself." Laughable reassurance, but what else was there? He wanted her to go. Perversely, he also wanted her to stay. He would conquer the pain, outlast it, whether she was there or not. But it would be—and this made no sense—less lonely with her there.

"Take my blood. That's what you need, isn't it? Blood?"

She was even closer now; her scent seemed to surround him. After a moment, he realized that she'd taken his hand and was peering into his face. Their knees were touching. Whether truth or fancy, he saw himself reflected in her wide, anxious eyes—the gleam of white hair, like moonlight on dark water, and two sparks of glowing crimson.

"You are… overreacting. As I said… this will pass. Then we can return."

Her mouth tightened into a straight line. He had never seen her gentle face so uncompromising. Had he looked like that when he tried to keep Kōdō from her? Or Kazama? His fingers dug desperately into his chest; he could feel his nails even through his kimono and sweat-soaked under-kimono. His blood stung and boiled under his skin. His bones continued to stretch and crack and reform; he assumed—hoped—that this was just how he visualized the pain. It was endurable because it had to be endured.

Saitō felt Yukimura's hand lift from his and had to stop himself from reaching after her. It was no doubt better this way, somehow. The sound of a blade leaving its sheath immediately drew his attention, and he stared as Yukimura touched the well-sharpened edge of her kodachi to her finger. Blood instantly welled up from the cut, viscous and red. He swallowed convulsively.

"Saitō-san. Please… This cut is nothing—I'm an Oni, it will heal quickly. So take what you need."

This is wrong. This is not what I want. I want… I want to protect you. His thoughts were confused, almost incoherent. He forced his gaze away from her bleeding finger, trying to think rationally. Rationally, it made sense. Blood would allow him to function more efficiently. According to the little—the very little—that Heisuke would say on the subject, those who drank blood remained in control of themselves for longer and with less effort. However, something in what he hadn't said suggested that there was a price to pay. Also, if it was the pain that drove furies mad—and the constant anticipation of pain—then surely a strong man, who wasn't afraid of pain, could do well enough without blood? But… almost everyone broke under torture, eventually. Saitō was uncomfortably aware of that truth.

He finally met Yukimura's eyes again. She wasn't afraid—not of him, not of what he might do. She wanted him to do this. The combination of that determined—almost affectionate?—gaze, and practical reality, decided him.

Oddly, the ache in his body seemed to fade a little just by making the decision. Awkwardly, feeling all the strangeness of the situation, Saitō lowered his mouth to Yukimura's finger. He tentatively tasted the blood, and had to pause a moment to contain the rush of feelings and sensation. It was tremendously disconcerting, and he automatically sought to conceal his reaction. His body craved the blood—and it was sweet beyond words, her blood. But there was more to it than that. It was as though he hadn't quite realized how intimate this was. He—

"Saitō-san?"

He raised his head immediately, once more searching her expression. Yukimura looked puzzled and concerned. Her cheeks were flushed, but he lacked the perception just now to divine the reason. Was she in pain?

"Does it hurt? Your finger?" His voice was raspy, but sounded moderately polite, and only a little more uncertain than usual. Good.

"Oh—no, no, not at all!" She smiled at him, and he immediately forgave her the lie. Why shouldn't she be allowed the same pride as any other? "But, um, you stopped."

"I see." He gently took her hand in his, and once again pressed his lips to the cut. This time, he was better prepared, his emotions better-controlled. Bit by bit, as he carefully sucked at her finger, the worst of the pain subsided. It made it more difficult to ignore other sensations, and he hoped that she wouldn't be able to tell how arousing this was—to be so close, to be sharing something so private. He kept his eyes mostly closed, so that he wouldn't accidentally meet her gaze and embarrass them both.

As soon as he could bear to stop, he forced himself to allow the cut to heal completely, and slowly lifted his mouth from her small hand. It wasn't the blood that was so difficult to give up, although the Fury within him would gladly have taken more, it was the touching. The whole time that his lips had been against her skin, it had seemed as though they were in their own safe, quiet place—a place of moonlight, and cool night air, and soft colours. He couldn't understand it, and it bothered him. He had come to guard her, and yet she had been his refuge in a way he couldn't explain.

What's more, there was nothing muted about the way that his heart was hammering in his chest. The coil of tension low in his abdomen, and lower still, was all heat. It wasn't an unknown sensation, but neither was it entirely familiar. Saitō strongly preferred sake to other outlets for stress, and on the rare occasions that he had been troubled by lust, it hadn't been especially difficult to set aside in favour of drills, or meditation, or drinking. Drinking provided the illusion of intimacy without requiring the real thing, physical or otherwise. And yet he here was, caught up in the desire for both physical and emotional comfort, or something like it. His mind presented possibilities for tongues and lips that had nothing to do with his condition as a Fury.

He turned away as he let go of Yukimura's hand, and forced himself to accept what had happened as no more than a rational response to necessity, followed by understandable embarrassment. It was a strange situation, after all, so it made sense that it had elicited unusual reactions. An important measure of calm returned as he straightened scarf, kimono, and sash; later, he would change the sweat-soaked under-kimono. A quick glance at the low pony-tail on his shoulder confirmed that his hair was no longer white. Then he faced Yukimura, although he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Her expression was at once shy, flustered, and determined. He had no idea what she was thinking.

"How is your finger, Yukimura?" Idiotic, perhaps, but at least reasonably conventional. He wished again that she hadn't witnessed his struggle with the bloodlust. He suspected that he was blushing, and found himself looking away.

"Oh, it's fine! Really!" Bright words, and this time mostly truthful. She wasn't in pain, but he could tell that she was—they both were—distinctly self-conscious.

After a moment's thought, he looked back at her, shoved aside the strange desire to take her in his arms, and reiterated his most pressing concern.

"I left headquarters unattended by any command-rank officer. We must go."

Yukimura blinked, no doubt taken aback by his curtness. He—once again—regretted the slight hurt in her expression, but it was better than how she would look at him if she knew that he had contemplated far from honourable possibilities.

"Alright, Saitō-san. As long as you have recovered enough?"

"I am fine."

She gave him one last, doubtful look, and then nodded. In response, Saitō pushed open the door, and stepped through into the burning heat of the sun. Fortunately, it was nowhere near as difficult to bear as it had been before. He glanced over his shoulder at Yukimura as they hurried away from her childhood home. She looked a little wistful, and he assumed it was sadness over Kōdō's cruel behaviour—after all, she had waited a long time for their happy reunion.

He would have been very taken aback to know that her thoughts were entirely on the indigo-haired man walking just ahead of her. Whatever happened, she was determined to do her best for him. Saitō-san had come to mean the world to her. Maybe one day, she would find a way to tell him so.

[END]

Tags: @canadiangaap @shell-senji @hidetheremote @sabinasanfanfic @nalufever @fic-writer-appreciation @cherryb0mb79 @very-x-vice @nollatooru @optionalpoodle

[murderborn-of-vengeance]

Godzilla vs Kong 2021 Film Online Revision

For all these years I thought Godzilla was my bro but then I watch this new trailer andhe's smashing cities up You're embarrassing me, 

I told them we werefriends. The new GVK Teaser is completely breakingthe internet right now and Titan Level Trailer has one big question hanging over it. Whyis Godzilla destroying the cities and is he really the one doing it?Will the real godzilla please stand up? Well throughout this video we're gonna bebreaking it all down and going over our thoughts and theories on what's really going on.There will be heavy spoilers here as we'll be discussing some of the leaks but nothingbeyond what you could learn from the trailer if you were looking closely enough. If thisis your first time here then welcome to the  show, I'm your host Paul the Mega G when it comes to breakdowns, now let's discuss what's really going on.Ok so the premise of Godzilla Vs Kong online makes it seem like the Towering Titan has had enoughof Fish and Ships and he's decided to move his attention to land.

Monarch are stumped, fan boys are outraged and absolutely no one knows why the jollygreen giant had decided to turn on the people that love and adore him.It's seoul crushing, and I don't mean that he stepped on the capital of South Korea...eventhough it looks like he may have. 

Clearly something else is going on and fromthe trailers it looks like humanity has decided to take Kong in order to stand a chance againstthe atomic breath breathing bohemoth. But what if it's all one big misunderstandingand the king of the monsters is actually being framed for what we see him doing?Well if you go over the trailer with a fine tooth comb you'll notice that there are twodistinct moments that confirm that Mechagodzilla is indeed in the movie. After the initialattack that opens things up you can clearly see his classic metallic shape moving overthe the citizens that we see hurtling down the stairs faster than I clicked the trailervideo when I got the notification from Warner Bros.In another part of the first look we can see the character Ren Serizawa standing infrontof a control panel with a dinstinct metallic titan shape with the systems reading at Maximumcharge. 

Ren is actually the son of Ishiro played byKen Watanabe in the prior movies and it's clear that he's inherited his father's understandingof the Titans and has managed to craft his own.The place that we see him is clearly a Mechagodzilla control room and this signifies to me thathe is definitely being used by the humans. Now if you've been keeping up to date withthe plot synposiseseses that have been released for the film you'll know that recently therewas one released that said the terrorist group Apex were looking to find a way to wipe allthe Titans out in one fell swoop. Apex themselves are rumored to have builtthe beast through Ren who has used the brain of the severed ghidorah head from King Of The Monsters and the gigantic titan skeleton from the 2014 Godzilla film.Though he appears in a very small way in the trailer he's clearly gonna be laced throughoutthe film and this is even shown in the logos which have a distinct blue electricity flowingthrowing them. Now because of his dad it's difficult to tellwhether 

Ren is gonna be good or a bad guy but if Tobey Maguire has told me one thingit's that people with that haircut are rotten to the core. However I do think that he mayhave been tricked by Apex who would've been like "I knew your dad...in away...after Itried to kill him several times." Now though we know little about Apex, apparentlythey are trying to lure Kong and Godzilla out into the open so that they can have thepair fight against one another and then when the winner is weakened they simply send Mechagodzillain to finish them off. Not finish them off like that you dirty badboy. This technique is something that we saw Spectredemonstrate with the Siamese Fighting Fish in From Russia With Love and it's commonlya tactic used in most VS movies where the two opposing sides team up to take out thegreater evil. So it definitely is a possibility that Mechagodzillacould be the one carrying out the attacks on the cities in order to make the real onelook bad. I've even saw theories on my trailer breakdown that said that Mecha could be wearinga gigantic kevlar suit that just makes him look like Godzilla.It's like when you were a kid and you used to stand on your mates shoulders and weara trench coat to sneak into the cinema. 

However, I'm gonna say something controversial...somethingthat you might wanna sit down for if you're #TeamGodzilla.Ok so I don't actually think that Mechagodzilla is the one who's doing most of the city smashingand I think it is indeed Godzilla. In one scene in the trailer we can see him blastingout his atomic breath and this then sweeps across and causes many casualties in the explosionsthat arise from it. Now it may be a Kevlar suit but I think thatthe trailer in several ways is hinting to us that both Titan's are under some form ofcontrol or another. With Kong we see a young girl who holds upan idol that seems to calm down the gigantic ape and throughout the teaser there's lipservice paid to the fact that the pair have a special bond. 

Whether he recognises similaritiesin her to the other people that he's eaten in the past we don't know but we very muchhave this idea that he can be manipulated in some form or another even if it's willingly.Similar to this I believe that Kong will be under the control of Apex who, rather thanplaying their hand have found a way to manipulate Godzilla into going wild in the middle ofa city. King Of The Monsters clearly demonstratedthat the Orca device was a way to bring the Titans under control and I believe that thisdevice has been perfected and placed in Mechagodzilla as a way to have the metallic monster manipulateGodzilla into destroying the humans. Now I am more than willing to accept thatit could be a possibility that Mechagodzilla is just dressed up as the Titan but I feellike that cheapens that battle in many ways if it turns out to be true.What we really wanna see is both Kong and Godzilla fight and to have a reveal that hewasn't even fighting him this entire time I think would make the movie just feel slightlyshallow. 

As much as I love Godzilla I'd love if wehad a moment like in Batman V Superman where he says you were never a god...zilla and justsmacks him in the face similar to what we see in the trailer.Now the reason that I think that Mechagodzilla is able to manipulate the other titans includingthe big dog himself is because in the trailer we see two Nuzuki titans attacking Kong.According to the leaks these are natives of Skull Island however they also state thatthis place is now more of a sanctuary to the titans in which they have all fallen underthe rule of Kong rather than constantly being at war with one another.Thus them attacking him does signify to me that they may also have been sent crazy bythe twisted ways of Apex. 

Though this may not be the case it's evenpossible that the explosion which we see at the start of the trailer is actually the energyoverride of Mechagodzilla which will draw Godzilla to the area and then have him goape shit when the Orca is activated. I feel like those are probably the most likelypossibilities and though it pains me to say it I do think that the Godzilla we see inthe trailer is the real one. It just makes the most sense to me that he'sthe one causing all this death and destruction and if the rumoured monsterverse is goingto spring from this film I think the best place to start is with the humans not reallyknowing whether they can trust him or not. 

Obviously I'd love to hear your thoughts thoughand whether you agree with me or not in the comments below. Take care, Peace

Want to see Godzilla vs Kong 

Go here:

https://myfilmyonline.pl/caly-film/godzilla-vs-kong-2021/

[queengurako]

About Takeda Kanryuusai #Reply to Imp’ ❤️

Just the translation of my answer to @impracticaldemon. Because not all my followers speak French so here you are our conversation. Sorry if I did some mistakes. English is not my native language >.<”

Hallo Queengurako! I just saw what you wrote about Takeda and it was interesting. I've already read the comments / resources mentioned in your post, but I like * very much * the concept that Takeda was the victim of bad rumors because no one liked him. Probably he was not lovable (and he fled / betrayed the Shinsengumi) - but you never hear * Takeda's words. History is written by the winners. Still a bad guy but painted worse? ~ Imp

Hello :3

Ooooh thank you ! It touchs me a lot to have your opinion on the subject :D I am waiting to see Edo Blossom (although I know pretty much the outcome of Iba’s route and his role in it) but between sources/testimonials I knew already on Takeda and what Shinkai shows us...I must say that I am quite surprised to see how he is so hated. That our captains do not appreciate him is understandable (because it must be said that Takeda is absolutely not a person who does everything to be loved) but even Itou and Mikisaburo have nothing to care about him...I was particularly surprised when I played the game. If I remember correctly, he tries to join Itou's faction but Itou refuses. In the old kind dirty sock, orphan and hole we are on the high level. And I do not feel when leaving the Shinsengumi, people welcomed Takeda with open arms. (Historically he is dead, murdered by Saito. Even if we do not know which version is the right one. In anycase his life sucks).

In fact what I like a lot in this headcanon about Takeda victim of bad rumors is that it's human. And even more so when we have main characters like Shinsengumi captains who are victims of rumors and a bad reputation among the citizens of Kyoto. While these rumors do not come out of nowhere (they are a militia and they used rasetsus), but following Chizuru, we can see how far these rumors can be distorted or based on totally false facts (For example the assassination of Sakamoto by Harada. A fact which is a reason for Kondo to have his head cut off). So why would not Takeda be the victim of bad rumors as well ?

In addition Takeda also helped the Shinsengumi in his own way and was rather clever.

In his defense, it can be said that Takeda was an intelligent person. He also attempted to help Kondo by trying to smooth things over during the incident where Nagakura and others filed a petition against the Commander. Against him, it can be said that he attempted to abandon the Shinsengumi when he realized that they were going to be on the losing side.

Shinsengumi no Makoto - Takeda Kanryuusai.

It does not mean that Takeda is a white goose, just that he is more complex. All the "bad guys" of Hakuouki (Serizawa, Kodo, Kaoru, Mikisaburo, Niimi, Itou, Nakaoka, Kazama ...) are bad or morally ambiguous but they are also complex figures sometimes doing good deeds or having motivations amply justifiable or intelligent (example Nakaoka who blames the Shinsengumi for killing his friends in Ikedaya or during the battle of Hamaguri (totally true and tragic that what can we blame him ?). Or Mikisaburo, in a blind rage, after the death of his brother (how can we blame him to want to kill the captains after that ? Especially since it only makes Itou more complex because we see him through the eyes of Mikisaburo and the suffer he feels for his loss.We can imagine with that how much Itou was important for Miki and that Itou was certainly a good big brother with him. Just check their historical biographies in Shinsengumi no Makoto). Or what Serizawa does to help the Roshigumi to have a place in Kyoto and a reputation in all the political imbroglios and the terrorist actions of the jouis). Not to mention the fact that "good guys" can become "bad guys" from one route to another (hullo Sannan !). And I will not talk about the ochimizu or rasetsus experiences with Shinsengumi because there is a lot to say.

Not to mention the fact that Sakamoto, even if he have noble ideas and great convictions (the equal social classes, national unity, trying a transition of government peacefully ...), he is the one who unites the Satsuma han and the Choshu han through the Satcho alliance. A fact which will cause the fall of the Shogunate eventually. Likewise, by creating Japan's first commercial and shipping company (paving the way for the modernization of his country), he is indirectly responsible for the Toba-Fushimi fiasco for Shinsengumi. Since he sold Western weapons to the Satcho Alliance (Shinpachi mentions it elsewhere in Sakamoto’s route).

All that to say that Hakuouki is a complex work with characters who from the angle of view can be condemned or not for their actions. None are morally perfect, in addition to being mostly inspired by historical figures, and that's what makes them so fascinating. 

As a marvellous book says it :

Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon, or a wolf and a scarlet-clad little girl. And is not the dragon the hero of his own story ? Is not the wolf simply acting as a wolf should act ?

Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus.

So yes I really like Takeda's headcanon where he is victim of bad rumors. It only makes him more complex without necessarily harming his role as a bad guy. Thank you very much for your message ❤️ ❤️

Answer to Hakuouki Headcanon About Takeda Kanryuusai

[tenspontaneite]

Paper Cranes (19/?)

Hikaru meets a monk.

(Foreword: Penultimate chapter of the story arc, nearly double length. I strongly recommend listening to this starting at the first shrine scene.)

It really shouldn’t have been surprising that a spirit with several centuries under its belt would have old-ass joseki. But it was.

Hikaru played somewhat haltingly in response to the downright antique sequences of stones and responses that Setsu laid down. On one hand, it was just profoundly weird to see the moves the fox made – almost as if he’d gone in expecting a conversation in Japanese and been greeted with Korean instead. While no Go game was the same, and no player played the same way, there were just certain sequences of moves and responses that were standard. Accepted. You conducted them in different ways and different places and at different times, but you expected your opponent to behave in a certain way to certain moves.

However long ago Setsu had learned Go, or however long ago it had last seriously played it…those accepted patterns, accepted joseki, had really changed. It was, he thought, even more dated than Sai’s Go had been, in the beginning.

Some of it, though…some of it was almost familiar. Whenever Setsu had learned Go, it wasn’t that far removed from Shuusaku’s time. And that kind of hit like a punch to the lungs.

Still. Hikaru had read a hell of a lot of old kifu. He knew a lot of this joseki. And he also knew why some of those patterns weren’t standard practice anymore. Sai, after all, had become horrifically powerful once he’d adapted, far more so than he’d been before.

As a result, while Setsu’s standard of play led Hikaru to think ‘weak shodan’, or maybe ‘likely contender for pro exams’, he was quite sure that a bit of practice would see the fox displaying a far greater level of skill.

Once the difference in advantage began to yawn between them, Hikaru settled more-or-less on reflex into a teaching role, though he didn’t speak. He left the offensive, and prodded at the weak spots in that old, old armour. Just enough to threaten, not enough to cut. Setsu took a while to realise it had lost – another indicator of being very out of practice – but did so eventually, a flicker of resignation sparking in its energy just before it actually bowed to resign.

“Interesting game.” Hikaru said, and he was being entirely honest. “Been a long time since I saw joseki that old.”

Setsu shuffled its glowing, indistinct shape. Haven’t played Go in long-stretch-of-years, it admitted, and ‘Go’ was again old-game-of-stars-in-black-and-white, that very lovely looking word.

“Yeah, I can tell. I figure the last time you were playing properly was…” he squinted at the board. “…Two hundred fifty years ago, ish? No more recent than two hundred.”

Setsu’s featureless head tilted. You know the game very well.

“A hell of a lot better than you do.” He agreed, remorselessly, and grinned. “C’mon then, let’s discuss it. There’s a reason some of the plays you used aren’t done any more.” He began to remove stones from the board, fixing the game carefully in his mind. A flicker of light caught his eye, and when he looked up, Setsu’s vaguely humanoid shape was melding into the amber sphere again, expanding into the familiar fox shape a second later. He paused. “What’s with the ball?”

Setsu inspected him, a thread of uneasy caution curling in it, as though it’d been asked something uncomfortably personal. After some hesitation, it formed an unfamiliar but aesthetically pleasing word, made up of sphere-of-the-light-of-self and radiance-of-stars. Then, carefully, it followed it up with the Japanese: hoshi no tama.

“Like in the stories?” He asked, intrigued. He had, in fact, brushed up on his folklore once all the demon stuff had started, so he remembered that fox spirits were sometimes said to have an orb they treasured deeply – a ‘star ball’ that, if ever stolen from them, they would do anything to reclaim.

The fox stared at him, all the while sensitive-topic and desire-to-impart-information quarrelled in the eddies of its energies. Finally, it conceded. A fox starts as a sphere. The fox shape comes later, with age. Setsu informed. For all foxes, it is the heart of the soul and the seat of power – destroy it, and the fox dies.

Hikaru blinked, somewhat taken-aback by the fact that Setsu had actually told him that, if it was such a weakness. “How the hell did anyone steal them, then?”

Setsu shrugged, shoulders and tails. When embodying, the sphere is physical, too. It is uncomfortable to keep inside our bodies, but if we hold it outside, it is vulnerable to theft and destruction. It eyed him. I keep mine always-within. Caution is more important than comfort.

“But, like, you have to go…into it, kind of, when you transform?”

The fox’s stare was a little baleful, now. Mid-transformation is a very vulnerable time. It admitted, begrudgingly.

He considered that. “I’m touched that you trusted me to be around for that. Truly.” He said, half-teasing but also half-sincere. He was actually slightly astonished that Setsu had trusted him to be around for that. Like, even if he hadn’t intended to, the transformation had been pretty shocking. Hadn’t the fox worried he’d lash out or something?

Setsu bared its teeth at him. At least my heart isn’t dangling out for any passing maw to snatch at. It said, severely, and turned pointedly away.

Hikaru recalled his alleged extreme vulnerability to possession in a new light, and grimaced. “Is it that bad?”

The fox shifted slightly back towards him again. You look delicious, it offered, in a particularly disconcerting thread of communication. Like a wounded snake. Get past the teeth, and you’re an easy kill. Almost any spirit would be tempted.

He brandished his fan, warningly. “I will slap you if you try.” He promised.

Setsu pretended not to hear.

Belatedly, the Go stones in the corner of his vision reminded him what he was meant to be doing, and he said “Anyway, don’t think your exposition gets you out of discussing the game. Sit down and listen up, Setsu.” He said it with an intentional edge of goading; the fox peered at him with narrowed eyes, and pointedly bared its teeth again. Hikaru bared his own right back. It felt oddly natural. Like bantering with Waya, or needling Touya.

Annoying human boy will offer its lessons. Setsu conceded, eventually, though its eyes were still somewhat squinty.

Hikaru grinned at the fox, with a few too many teeth showing to be polite. And then he demonstrated, at length, exactly how much Go expertise this annoying human boy had to offer.

---

Hikaru arrived purposefully on the edge of late to the Serizawa study session, quite aware of who else would be in attendance. He bowed, apologised for missing sessions, and took his seat by the goban after a few short pleasantries. Finally, once he was settled, he dared to look at Touya, who was of course already present. Abruptly, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

Touya…was not angry. He was not riled up or frustrated. He did not look even the littlest bit peeved.

He looked intent.

Shit, Hikaru thought, on reflex, and looked away quickly to seemingly focus all of his attention on Serizawa-sensei. He steadfastly ignored the focused, intent stare of his rival as the study session began, and an intriguing game from the Honinbou league was brought into discussion.

Still, though, no matter how intriguing the game was, he…kind of couldn’t properly ignore Touya. Because determination was written all over him, like some sort of steely-edged presence that positively yelled to his spirit-sense, and Hikaru didn’t think he was imagining that it seemed directed his way.

Go-playing-rival-boy? Setsu inquired, from the side of the room, shaping the name that Hikaru had made to refer to Touya.

Hikaru confirmed it with a small sigh.

Amusement. The fox expressed, with a little curl of curiosity. Hikaru supposed it hadn’t been around for the time when he’d very stubbornly refused to explain his weird actions to Touya, so it wouldn’t know that this particular determination heralded all sorts of difficulty and annoyance for him.

He eyed the goban as Serizawa-sensei put down another stone, and prepared contingency plans for escaping Touya.

Worst comes to worst, he could poke him in the soul and run away, right?

Hikaru considered the idea, then poked Setsu. The fox slapped the extended tendril of energy away and looked at him expectantly. Is it okay to do that to normal people? He asked, silently, knowing that it hadn’t seemed to hurt Utagawashi…but Utagawashi was spiritually sensitive. Did that make a difference?

Not a problem. Setsu replied, dismissively, then paused. Light poking only. It added hastily, in a not-quite-reassuring addendum.

He sent back question and watched the ripple of tails.

Very easy for sensitive-humans to hurt normal-humans. The fox elaborated. No punching. No hitting-with-spirit-weapon. Could hit soul out of body by accident.

Hikaru sent the four-tails a very alarmed look. What, like kill them? The thought had something of an exclamation to it, and he barely restrained himself from making suspicious faces in front of the study group.

That is what happens when you remove a human soul from its body, yes. Setsu explained patiently. Perhaps a little sarcastically.

He stared determinedly back at the goban. And I can do that?

The fox considered him. Probably easily. It admitted, and then withdrew to leave Hikaru with that fascinating answer.

Thoughts of Touya mostly forgotten, Hikaru listened to the ongoing discussion as he tried to process the idea that he could apparently kill people with his mind, what the fuck. How did that even work? Were all people as spiritually sensitive as him capable of that? If so, how much more terrified of Kaminaga should he be?

Eventually, he couldn’t hold in the worry and poked Setsu again, demanding can Kaminaga hit a soul out of a body?

The fox stared at him, and rolled its eyes. No.

He exhaled, a quick puff of relief, and tried to look nonchalant at the looks it got him. Why not? He prodded.

Two of Setsu’s tails flicked to the side. Not enough energy. It answered, looking pointedly at the study group. Will explain later.

Hikaru puzzled over the response but nodded, very slightly. Now was not the time for exposition. He couldn’t help being rather frazzled, though – it wasn’t every day you learned that you had unexpectedly become capable of doing severe harm to your fellow humans with almost no effort.

As a result, he was perhaps not as quick to leave as he could have been, when the study session ended.

“Shindou.” Touya said to him, almost pleasantly, a second after intent had borne down on him so intensely that Hikaru noticed his presence. He looked over, alarmed, and found absolute, indomitable willpower on his rival’s face.

Nice, Setsu said, appreciatively, as it looked at the set of the resolve. That one will leave a spirit when he dies. Good force-of-will. It regarded the boy as a jeweller might regard an exceptionally promising lump of valuable rock.

And that was all well and good, but, um. “Touya.” Hikaru greeted, eyeing the exit furtively. “…What’s up?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to you.” The boy said, voice deceptively mild. He wasn’t fooling Hikaru though, not with his eyes looking like he was walking into a title match.

“I’m sure you were.” He answered agreeably, and inched ever so slightly towards the exit he’d been eyeballing. Touya stepped subtly, but very unavoidably, into his path. “But, like, I have a thing. Yeah.” He observed the boy obstructing him and scowled slightly. Don’t make me poke you, he thought, the idea of it somewhat terrifying after learning what exactly he could do to a human soul. “And….I’d best be going.”

“To your ‘thing’?” Touya inquired, an eyebrow raising, his voice still frighteningly level and polite. There was a curl of anticipation in him and it was not reassuring.

“Yes.” He agreed. “To my thing.” He side-stepped his rival and made haste to the door, and…Touya did not attempt to stop him. He just stood there, and when Hikaru glanced back at him on the way out, he looked perfectly calm and collected. His soul, though…it was written over with a sort of mingled patience and anticipation that felt extremely threatening.

Hikaru absconded from his rival with somewhat embarrassing fervour, Setsu snickering at him as he went. Once he was far-away and safely ensconced in a train carriage, he allowed himself to relax. “Fucking Touya.” He muttered to himself, earning some looks from fellow passengers.

Predator, that one. Setsu opined, settling beside him. Waiting-for-time-to-strike. That was a new word, and a distinctly militant-looking one.

Hikaru repeated it, a little clumsily, and considered his game plan. Tomorrow, after all, was the Touya-sensei study session. It took place in enemy ground, and he thought it entirely possible that Touya was planning to ambush him there. Even if he managed to avoid that, though…

Touya knew where he lived, and if he got impatient enough he might well just come over and make a nuisance of himself. But…he’d worry about that later.

After some thought, Hikaru extracted his phone, and took stock of his contact list. Ogata, he knew, would be at the study session tomorrow, and they’d had games after those sessions fairly often in the past. It wouldn’t be unusual. He’d need to have it planned in advance, though, or Touya might get him.

‘I’m going to the study session tomorrow.’ He typed, considering the words. ‘Want a game after?’. He debated offering a bribe of beer, but decided to reserve that for any unexpected resistance. He sent the text.

Half-way through the walk home, he got a reply. ‘Only if you’ve improved since last time. Your last game was pitiful.’ The bastard.

He itched to type something very rude in reply, but he sort of needed this game to happen. ‘Of course I have, you drunk. Who do you think I am?’ There. Almost polite, for him.

‘We’ll see.’ Was the response, and Hikaru sighed, secure in the knowledge that he had an escape route handy for the next day.

---

“You were going to explain why I can punch people’s souls out and why Kaminaga can’t.” Hikaru said to Setsu, pretty much the minute he’d settled in his room.

Outwardly, the fox looked somewhat beleaguered, but there was no concealing the pleased little flip its spirit did at the idea of imparting obscure knowledge. Yes, it agreed.

“Is it to do with spiritual sensitivity?” He pressed. “You said ‘energy’.”

Setsu huffed at him. Nothing to do with spiritual sensitivity. Everything to do with energy. It explained, and its own energy reached out of its body and curled around. This is energy. Then, the more condensed presence in its body rippled, as though it were about to change shape again. That is soul. Spirits have both. Normal humans only have the soul.

Hikaru stared, and looked inwards to his own state of affairs. The soul was obvious and easy to identify, because it was extremely bright and riddled with wounds, and generally hurt anywhere he poked at it. He couldn’t move it like Setsu could, and when he tried it was painful. “Ow.” He complained, and immediately stopped the attempt.

Don’t do that. Setsu snapped at him, ears flicking back for a moment. Idiot human. Not-a-fox. Human souls aren’t flexible.

“Well, I know that now.” He muttered, and considered everything he’d been doing, spiritually speaking. He reached out, much as Setsu was doing, and squinted at what he was reaching with. “So…is this energy?”

Obviously. The fox sighed. What else would it be?

“I don’t know,” He defended. “You said humans don’t have it.”

I said ‘normal humans’. It countered. You are not normal. Obvious, this.

Hikaru thought about what Setsu had said earlier. “And…this energy is why I can punch human souls out?” He guessed. “And Kaminaga doesn’t have any?”

He has some. Not enough to do more than talk and sense with. The fox shrugged.

He extended his considerable amount of energy with a sort of sinking feeling. He thought he understood, now. The connections were fairly easy to make once he was thinking of it. “…And why do I have so much more than him?” He asked, a little quietly.

Setsu looked at him for several moments. You know why. It said. I see it in you.

Hikaru felt, really felt, at the energy he’d been using so much. He’d been using it for sensing, for talking, for poking Setsu….“It’s…not mine.” He guessed, deflating. “It’s Sai’s. Right?”

Not only soul-pieces left behind. Setsu confirmed, eyeing him a little cautiously. Lots of energy, too. Much less potent than the soul, but…useful.

He considered the energy that had been poured into his fan. He thought of the appearance of his soul – its bright, shredded surface, with the nearly-indistinguishable layer of Sai filling in the worst of it – and he thought of the ambient light that seemed to be everywhere. “I can’t even tell it’s not mine.” He admitted, and brought out his fan. With some focus, he could tell that the energy in there wasn’t his. The spark in the ofuda, likewise, was achingly familiar. The rest, though?

Unsurprising. Energy is never as distinctive as soul. The fox informed him, tails unfurling. Carefully, it got to its feet. And your soul is similar enough to his that the difference is easy to miss.

“We had pretty different personalities, though.” Hikaru pointed out, subdued.

Setsu huffed at him. That has nothing to do with personality. Think of the soul like a body – tall or short, fat or thin, one skin colour or another, one hair colour or another…the soul is the same. Shape-colour-feel is a physical characteristic.

“…So, in soul body terms, me and Sai ‘look’ basically the same?” It was a strange thought.

Very similar. Likely made his possession of you much easier – it is easier to interact with similarly shaped souls.

Hikaru sat quietly. He wondered if Torajirou, once upon a time, had also had a soul very similar to Sai’s. He wondered if that was why he, and Hikaru, had been the only ones in a thousand years to hear Sai’s voice. His heart clenched, and he hastily shifted the subject. “So I have all this energy, and Kaminaga only has a bit. From…the demon, right?” He’d said, after all, that the demon had been the one to wound him, so it kind of had to be the demon’s energy, right?

Yes, the fox agreed. Which likely made his possession easier, too. The exorcist’s soul is not much like the demon’s. If it were more similar, he would have been taken decades ago, with that energy as the first root.

“Eergh.” Hikaru made a face. “That’s something, I guess. Though it doesn’t really make a difference right now.”

True. The exorcist is at the edge of his endurance. There was that dark twist to its soul again, a depressingly bleak look on the fox. Your energy is a large benefit, though. You are a human, and that means that you can use it in ways spirits cannot. The fox shook the pessimism out of its fur and regarded him seriously. Hikaru straightened a little, automatically.

He frowned at the spirit. “Like punching human souls out?” He suggested, because if spirits were capable of that, he was fairly sure that he’d have heard about it. Probably in the form of being forcibly disembodied.

Yes. Setsu nodded. Also, sealing demons. These are things that only humans, anchored to their physical bodies, are capable of.

“So that’s why the five-tails said it couldn’t seal the demon.” He said, that suddenly making far more sense. He had wondered why some random monk would be capable of it when a five-tailed fox wasn’t.

The connection to the physical world is necessary for it. The fox elaborated, nodding. An embodied spirit is not the same. It is not…tied down. Sealing, in particular, requires a strong anchor. It squinted at him. You are not terribly well anchored, it added. I would not recommend you try to seal a demon this powerful. You would have more luck attacking it.

“Er.” He attempted, a little nonplussed.

Your fan is a useful weapon. Setsu went on, heedless of his obvious confusion and utterly ignoring the worry. You should avoid using it against the physical body of the demon, but it will work well enough against its energy. A pause. If it breaks its seal. The fox’s muzzle furrowed into a snarl at the thought.

“…Yeah, about that. How does sealing work? How is the demon sealed if it can be messing with Kaminaga like this?”

It’s breaking the seal. Obvious. Setsu shuffled a little. Sealing confines all the soul and energy of the spirit into a physical object. It will have been working on the exorcist ever since he was foolish enough to allow it to injure him.

“…Allow it?” He repeated. Why the hell would anyone ever intentionally let a demon injure them? But…well. Kaminaga didn’t seem to think the demon was all that bad a demon. Was that just because it was manipulating him, or had he always thought that?

That’s not important. The fox said, dismissively, and tilted its head. You ought to practice hitting things.

Hikaru looked at the fox. The fox looked at Hikaru. “Things like what?” He inquired. “You?”

Setsu’s ears flickered back. It shuffled a little. ….You ought to practice the motion of hitting things, it corrected itself, and edged away. Hikaru snickered at it a little, then seriously considered the words.

He gathered some of his energy, and tried to extend it very fast. It sort of worked? “Like that?”

More cohesion. The fox corrected. Don’t let it fall apart.

“Uh.” He focused on keeping the energy condensed and…firm, for lack of a better word, and flung it like a punch. Except it didn’t go nearly as quickly when he was focusing on the cohesiveness, and was decidedly unthreatening.

Setsu regarded him, and sighed.

“What?” he demanded.

This may take a while. The fox said, and settled down to wait.

---

Hikaru’s lessons in punching things with his mind resumed in the morning, in a somewhat baffling form.

“Um.” He said, regarding the line of two-tailed foxes in his room. There were eight, varying in appearance from excited to apprehensive, and he wasn’t sure what they were doing there. “Hello?”

There was a cheerful little chorus of spiritual greetings all around, and a hell of a lot of tail movement. Most of them pressed greetings! and left it there, but a couple shoved their names at him as he tried desperately to interpret and remember them. He only managed to get the highlights, really, since they presented the names far quicker than he could properly read.

So that one was likes-to-steal-tea-from-annoying-humans, the one over by the left was makes-friends-with-grumpy-tengu, and that surly looking one in the middle was clarity-of-thought-and-purpose….

…Wait. He inspected the third one, eyes narrowed. Both the name and the fox were familiar. He turned to Setsu. “Isn’t she the fox following Utagawashi?” He paused, and added “And your wife?” He was quite sure he remembered the spirit giving that name for its wife.

Setsu’s tails flicked cheerfully. Another fox guards the priest in her absence. It claimed. She is strongest among the two-tails, and volunteered.

“Volunteered for what?”

Sparring. The four-tails proclaimed, grandly. Two-tails are too weak to participate in battle against spirit, but strong enough to not be outright killed if you hit too hard.

Hikaru looked out over the eight assembled foxes, and understood the apprehension of some of them. “You want me to punch foxes?” He clarified.

If you can. Setsu agreed. Don’t use your fan. Put it down somewhere. Hikaru hesitated, finding himself exceptionally reluctant to part with it. Now.

“Oh, fine.” He muttered, and withdrew the fan from his clothes to put on his bedside table. He eyed the foxes with some apprehension of his own. “So, what now?”

Setsu made the name-shape of its wife, Meikai, and gestured.

Meikai bared her teeth, and her spirit rose with anticipation. That was all the warning he got before she lunged at him.

Hikaru yelped, reflexively bringing up his hands to halt her, but seeing as they were physical and she wasn’t, it accomplished absolutely nothing. A moment later, he felt sharp sinking into his – Sai’s – energy, sharp in many pointed teeth-

That prompted a reflex of an entirely different sort.

He lashed out with the energy she was biting, just like he’d tried to for several hours the previous evening without much success – except this time he meant it, and he felt it as his energy impacted hers and shoved her back a metre or so. She was back on her feet almost immediately, twisting in an agile motion of paws and tails, and she jumped again.

Hikaru scrambled to his feet – because he’d not been given enough warning to even stand up, dammit – and lashed out again before she could reach him. Again, he made contact, and again she was pushed back, but it was weaker this time and her teeth were in him again before he knew what he was doing.

“Ack!” Get off get off-

He shoved, and she went flying through the wall. He stared, heart thudding as he felt her land and get up in the next room. She trotted back through the wall and drew back her lips, showing pearly white teeth and pink gums.

Almost-hurt, she taunted, a little viciously, and lunged again.

Hikaru was, in fact, quite good at learning under pressure. That time he slapped her away again before she reached him, and this time got her through the wall again. There was a trick to it, he mused, staring guardedly at the wall she’d shortly be returning through. He had to sort of…project intent into it? He had to be thinking a certain way to make it more effective, it seemed. Simply moving energy around didn’t seem to be enough.

In the end, he hit Meikai four more times with increasingly powerful strikes before she conceded defeat, her spiritual energy oddly depleted.

Setsu promptly sent in what felt to be the next-strongest two-tails. And then the next. And once they were down to five…well.

The four-tails grinned, and shaped two names at once.

Hikaru stared at it, and braced himself.

---

In the end, Hikaru spent a good half of the day hitting foxes around, and by the end was good enough at it that he felt kind of bad about it. They were just…small. And fuzzy. But they were also lunging at him, and he sort of couldn’t ignore that.

He learned, over the course of the lesson, that spirits tended to deplete their energy in combat, but that their souls would regenerate it after a while. His own energy had actually grown, since apparently the greater spiritual mass tended to attract energy more strongly, and he’d been sort of hitting it out of them. As a result, the edges of his reach now had…colours. A trace of yellow in some places, or a little green elsewhere. Setsu was right that the energy itself didn’t seem very personalised – he could barely tell which fox the energy had come from, and that was with the lot of them right there for comparison.

By the time he left the house, he’d had a fairly productive crash-course in spiritual combat, and had a bit of a power boost, even.

Hikaru had a late lunch at a cheap sushi bar, on the way to Heart of Stone, and discreetly gestured Setsu over to take an attractively-presented inarizushi where no one would see it disappearing. The fox did not hesitate, and yanked it from his hand as soon as it was within range, snapping it down in seconds.

He looked around, and found the bar loud enough that him apparently talking to himself wouldn’t be noticeable. Probably. “How do you eat that without embodying?” He asked, quietly enough that the hubbub ought to drown it out.

Selective embodiment and the mysterious mechanics of offerings. Setsu answered, promptly.

Hikaru was tempted to inquire further, but decided that he didn’t really care. Instead, he asked “How much energy did I actually get from Sai?” The name almost lodged in his throat as he spoke it; but this was a question he cared about. For all intents and purposes, he’d absorbed a fair portion of the energies of eight two-tailed foxes today, and yet it barely seemed to add anything.

A lot. Setsu said, and sat back under Hikaru’s stare. I never met your ghost, so can’t say for certain. But….a lot. It paused, and added for the soul, though, that’s easier. You have maybe a tenth of the spirit’s soul in your keeping, all in your wounds. Perhaps more – but no more than a fifth.

Hikaru swallowed, and very determinedly did not react to that knowledge. He took another plate of sushi from the conveyor instead. “Won’t that…hurt? If he’s missing that much?” He pressed down, rigidly, on the grief that threatened to flare up.

Spirits’ souls heal. The fox dismissed. A tenth is easy. A third is manageable. Once you get to a half…you start needing help to heal. It looked up at him, amber eyes staring. When you die, someone will need to be there to hold you together. Or you’ll fall apart, without the body to anchor you.

“…That’s great.” He managed, and put perhaps more wasabi than was wise onto the raw fish. “Great news, really. Hearing my soul will fall apart once I die, what could be better.” He succeeded in getting the second part to sound sardonic, and then was coughing from the sheer heat of the pea-sized lump of wasabi he’d imbibed.

Setsu rolled its eyes. It’s not that difficult to do. It scolded. Painful, though. You could always get sealed into something until you heal, too, that also works.

“Sure.” He mumbled into his water glass, as his eyes streamed a little at the edges. “I’ll use Sai’s goban. It has a history.”

Easier to seal spirits into objects they have an affinity for, the fox claimed. So yes, that would work. Probably bursting with energy, too.

Hikaru blinked, and turned sharply. “What?” he demanded.

Setsu tilted its head. He possessed the goban for over a hundred years. It explained, patiently. It will certainly be full of energy. Somewhat like your fan.

Almost before the fox had finished explaining, Hikaru had come to the firm and unshakeable conclusion that he needed to liberate the goban from his grandfather. Like, as soon as possible.

“Okay.” He croaked, and took another swig of water. He drained the glass and felt somewhat less like he would shortly be dying from spiciness overload. Instead, he felt himself in dire need of distraction, and got out his phone.

‘Nine foxes gave me a fighting lesson today’ he typed, and sent it. To his knowledge, Utagawashi was keeping the phone on him at all times, considering the dire circumstances afoot, so he would probably see the message soon.

And…yep. A response came through within the minute; Utagawashi was, as always, very keen to converse on the topic of the foxes.

Distraction found, Hikaru typed out his reply and considered how many more plates of sushi he could justify eating.

---

Ooh, ambush, Setsu commented, as Touya let Hikaru into his family’s house. What with the appearance of the boy’s soul, Hikaru couldn’t disagree.

His rival was perfectly, immaculately polite…which was a sign on its own that trouble was afoot. He shouldn’t have been anywhere close to polite considering how much Hikaru had screwed him around, but here he was. Polite. All the while his soul was practically screaming I am eagerly awaiting the perfect opportunity to pull you into a dark alley and garrotte you.

Hikaru felt distinctly threatened. He bowed to the study room as he entered, briefly, and then quickly took a seat next to Ogata. The man hadn’t said anything about cancellation, so he assumed they were still on for the post-session game. Thank god.

The game up for discussion was actually one that Touya-sensei had recently played with one of the top Chinese professionals, online, apparently just for the fun of it. The former Meijin did a lot of stuff like that now that he was firmly retired, though he generally chose to discuss prominent games from leagues and tournaments in the study sessions, rather than his own games.

Despite the impending doom that his rival was putting out like a beacon, Hikaru couldn’t help but be drawn into the game. Touya-sensei was just so good a player, his games were basically irresistible. No matter what else was going on in his life, be it considerations of spiritual combat workings or wariness about Touya or fear for his soul, he couldn’t see a game like that and not be utterly absorbed by it. It just…wasn’t optional. The game unfolded and he was glued to it, nothing to be done.

Of course, it was a pretty high-level study group, so occasionally Hikaru noticed that some of the commentary was going over Setsu’s head. In those cases, he spared some attention to explain out the prognostications more fully, given Setsu wasn’t quite used to the twisty mental workings of most Go professionals.

The study session itself was made a bit more interesting by Hikaru’s developing ability to read the emotions of the people around him. Touya-sensei was suffused with a kind of calm enjoyment, with subtle currents of pleasure whenever someone pointed out something he’d hoped they would. Other people around the goban were fascinating, too, with quicksilver flashes of insight flaring noticeably in them, generally when they realised something about the game, or heard someone else speaking about something they’d noticed. It was kind of cool, actually, even if he had to be careful not to sense anything while playing now. Interestingly, both Touya males seemed to have more expressive souls than the others, somehow. Or…maybe not more expressive, but brighter? More noticeable? It was a little difficult to put words to, especially when so much of his attention was commanded by the goban.

Eventually, though, the good and pure enjoyment of a well-played game had to end.

Touya-sensei dismissed the session, and people began to bow themselves out of the room, Ogata among the first of them. He met Hikaru’s eyes and made a sort of gesture in the direction of the outside door as he left. Hikaru, eyeing his rival with trepidation, moved swiftly to excuse himself, only to be stopped by Touya-sensei.

“Shindou-kun,” The man said, calmly. “Akira showed me a game the two of you played recently – it appears you are improving very swiftly. If you have time this evening, would you consider staying for a game?”

Hikaru stared at the honorary Meijin, paralysed with indecision. On one hand…opportunity to play Touya Kouyou! But on the other….um, Touya. Touya who remained in seiza by the goban, looking so serene that the expression had veered sharply into smugness, and really the look of his soul said it all. The ambush was set.

He did have a prior arrangement, though, and Ogata was waiting for him. Hikaru cleared his throat, feeling somewhat as though he was committing a terrible crime, and spoke. Awkwardly. “I’d like that, Touya-sensei.” He said, truthfully. “I’ve already got plans for this evening, though.” It was, admittedly, very satisfying to watch the serenity fall from his rival’s face at those words. “Would it be possible to have the game after next week’s session?”

After all, while that meant he’d have to face Touya next week…that was a whole week away. And he’d get a game with Kouyou out of it.

His rival’s father considered that for a few moments, and nodded. “I see no reason why not.” He said, and inclined his head. “Next week, then.”

Hikaru bowed again, and this time, managed to successfully excuse himself. Touya’s eyes threatened to set fire to his hair as he left, but he escaped without any spontaneous combustion, so he considered it a victory.

Ogata was waiting by his car, a lit cigarette in his hand. He exhaled a mouthful of smoke as Hikaru approached. “Ready?”

“Yeah, sure.” Hikaru said, and got into the car.

To give the man credit, he was conscious of his passenger, and extinguished the cigarette before he entered the car. Hikaru eyed the title-holder, remembering all the fretting his mother had done when she realised that he frequently got into cars late at night with weird adults, and snickered.

“Something funny?” The man drawled, as he turned the keys and the engine rumbled to life. Setsu walked through the side of the car and settled on one of the back seats.

Hikaru considered it. “I was thinking about when I told my mum why I’d been back so late from one of these sessions once.” He said, watching eagerly for Ogata’s reaction to the next words. “When I told her I’d been at yours, it took like twenty minutes to convince her you weren’t a pedophile.”

Ogata apparently inhaled some of his own saliva or something at that, because he had to change gears to stop the car so he could choke for a bit. It was very satisfying to watch. Setsu was snickering at it, too, so apparently they were of a mind over what constituted humour.

“I did manage it though, which is why you’ve not had any awkward police visits.” He added, enjoying the man’s reaction thoroughly. “You’re welcome.”

The Judan rattled off one last cough, cleared his throat twice, then set back to work getting the car off of Touya-sensei’s property. “You brat.” The man said, flatly. “If you lose by more than five moku tonight, you owe me a beer for that.”

“For what?” Hikaru’s eyes widened, faux-innocent.

“For bringing that up with your mother in the first place. And for trying to shock me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He declared, and then they were off into the surprisingly familiar breed of banter that he shared with this weird, weird man.

This one seems like fun. Setsu commented, from the back seat, and Hikaru snickered.

This time, Ogata didn’t ask.

---

For all that he’d arranged it to get out of spending too long in an isolated location with Touya, the game with Ogata was one of the most enjoyable and absorbing he’d had in a long time. There were the games with Touya himself, of course, but they were…different. Games with his rival felt almost like an entirely different game, sometimes – not literally, but there was a pronounced difference in the feel and style of his play when he was playing Touya.

Just like there was a pronounced difference in how he played opponents who were considerably superior to him. And, for now, Ogata remained in that category.

Hikaru locked his senses in, that itself feeling even more unnerving than it had before, and set himself into the game with peerless ferocity. He took territory and then defended it, loudly, hissing and spitting and clawing at every attack Ogata fielded against his precious ground, and set every trap he possibly could. Layers and layers of contingencies, tripwires around every corner, and for every four that Ogata disarmed there was a fifth to bleed him.

Slowly, inexorably, Ogata pressed through anyway. He took territory, stone by stone, and used every ounce of his superior firepower to seize the advantage and keep it. Still, Hikaru was stubborn. He could see potential paths to victory, so he pursued them. They weren’t terribly likely victories, but if he could see them, they were worth following.

Steadily, though, those victory paths closed off. He sat, eyes narrowed, and looked. He threw every ounce of his mind into reading ahead, searching, searching…

He paused. And placed another stone.

Ogata had expected his resignation then, but there was still a path remaining to victory, if he could only keep the man from seeing it…

Hikaru pretended, very carefully, to have considered one of the futile paths salvageable, and concealed his true advances within that. Ogata had a good game face, and didn’t give much away, but Hikaru thought the slight easing of his posture indicated that he was buying it. Well, maybe.

He waited, carefully, for Ogata’s inevitable cut at his supposedly doomed strategy. The stone came, as expected, and he nodded. And placed his own stone, bringing his carefully-sculpted attack to life. If the next, hm, ten to twelve hands went his way, he could conceivably win.

Glancing up, he saw the moment that the Judan realised what he was up to, saw the eyebrows raise. He snorted, quietly, and countered.

In the end, unfortunately, Ogata was a damn good player, and the next ten hands did not go according to Hikaru’s wishes. It was damn close, though, and in the end he only lost by a moku and a half.

Hikaru sat back, once the territory had been conclusively counted, and sighed. “So. Do I owe you a beer?” He asked, and let his senses out again, becoming aware of Setsu’s presence about two metres behind him, of the fact that Ogata had been genuinely impressed by that bit at the end…

The man regarded him, pushing up his glasses. “Not tonight.” He answered, dryly, and began to clear the board for the discussion.

Setsu came closer for that, listening carefully as each hand was picked apart and ruthlessly examined for its use.

“It was a damn good game from you, brat.” Ogata finally admitted, somewhere around discussion of the midgame. “If your joseki had been a bit tighter here, when you were defending this corner, your trick at the end might have worked.”

“I didn’t have enough room to manoeuvre to pull that off properly.” He agreed. A couple more points would have made all the difference, but that was fine. This wasn’t a league game. “It was close, though.”

The man nodded, slightly, and went back to discussion of the rest of the hands.

“Well, you know I’m not lying about getting better, at least.” Hikaru said, once they were done, and clearing away the stones. “It’s been a while since we last played, but I know I’ve improved lately.”

“You’re not wrong.” The ninth-dan professional conceded, heading to his kitchen. “You want a drink?” He called.

“Yeah, why not.”

Ogata did not, apparently, have any compunctions about giving alcohol to minors, because he returned with a beer for each of them. Hikaru received his and took a minute to reacquaint himself with the taste of alcoholic beverage.

“It’s a surprise, honestly.” Ogata said, once he’d drained enough of the can to have settled. “With all the study sessions you’ve missed, I would expect your progress to slow.”

“I’ve not missed that many.” Hikaru grumbled, wondering if one beer would be enough to get him tipsy when it had been hours since he ate anything.

“You’ve missed enough.” The man said, voice very critical, but that was just the way he was. “And you missed a game recently, didn’t you?”

He glared half-heartedly. “I was ill.” He complained. “It’s not my fault.” Having a murderous demon after him definitely wasn’t his fault.

“I drink daily and chain smoke and I’ve not missed any games lately.” Ogata said, unimpressed. “I’m a lot older than you, too. You should be practically immune to illness.”

“…Ogata,” Hikaru said, very slowly. “I hate to break it to you, but that’s not how humans work. Or illnesses.”

“Pah.” The man took another gulp of his beer and sighed. “Go players all have such terrible health, these days.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Hikaru repeated. “But I’m only one Go player. Or has someone else been sick a lot?”

Ogata eyed him. “Have you forgotten Touya-sensei’s heart attack?” He demanded, and stood up to go in search of another beer, already. He returned within seconds, the route to the fridge apparently a well-traversed one. He clicked the tab of the new beverage even as he spoke. “Kuwabara is completely immortal, of course, the old coot. But most of the older players…” The can hissed, and Ogata grunted.

Hikaru was, honestly, a bit curious. “What, all the geezers have health problems?”

“Damn near it. And some of the not-so-old ones. Kurata is diabetic, did you know that?” Ogata waited for the head-shake before he continued. “And Ichiryuu-sensei has been on medication for a while, though he won’t say what for. The former Ouza has a lung problem, I think, by the sound of him…at this rate I’m worried they’ll all die off before I can take their titles.” He paused. “Well, Zama can die, if he likes. He’s not Ouza anymore, after all.”

“That’ll be you soon, if you keep up the smoking.” Hikaru told him, cheerfully, and took a draught from his own beer.

Ogata rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”

“It’s probably all of the sitting in one place all day.” Hikaru mused to his can. “That’s meant to be bad for you, right?”

“Keep an exercise routine and you’ll negate that.” Ogata advised him. “Not many Go players keep in shape, and I can’t imagine that helps anything.”

He was, in fact, of a considerably lower fitness level than he’d once been. “I used to be pretty active.” He commented. “Not so much since I started playing Go.” In fact, fleeing Kaminaga at their first proper meeting had been very exhausting. Maybe he should start running with Akari again? Once all the demon stuff was dealt with, anyway.

“And there’s the problem.” Ogata grumbled, and inspected his watch. “Hm. It’s pretty late, brat. I’ve probably drunk too much to give you a lift, though.”

“It’s fine, the trains run way later than this.” Hikaru waved him off, and checked the time himself. “Uh. I’d probably better be going, though.” Evidently, the game and its discussion had taken a fair while.

“Don’t get mugged.” The man advised, and stood to see him out.

Hikaru barely restrained a giggle at the words, realising suddenly that he probably had little to fear from human criminals, now. He could punch foxes a good six metres away and could allegedly punch a human soul at least that far out of its body. He supposed he could still get shot, if someone had a gun, but…really, gun control laws were not at all lenient in Japan, and he hadn’t done anything to get a gunman after him, so he was probably fine.

“Good game, Ogata.” Hikaru said, as he left the apartment. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

Ogata nodded at him and grunted, which was probably his way of saying ‘Yes, Shindou, your play was unexpectedly good and you are a sort of worthwhile opponent, I would be up for another game’.

You know strange people, Setsu said to him as they exited onto the dark street.

“This coming from the four-tailed fox.” Hikaru pointed out, and dodged a tail to the face.

­---

Having not actually prepared for his game on Wednesday, Hikaru successfully convinced Setsu to hold off on the training so that he could look over some kifu in the morning. The game itself, against a fairly fresh yondan, was challenging – but nothing compared to the game he’d had with Ogata, only a night before. Still, the yondan was strong enough that he did end up deploying his giant-slaying tactics against him, and won by a good margin when he turned out to be not nearly as good at defence as offence.

Setsu insisted, following his victory, that the remainder of the day be set aside for training. He had rallied four more two-tails for the cause, and Hikaru conceded to the necessity.

“We’ll go to the shrine, though, alright?” He decided, firmly, as he left the train at his home station. “I’m not going to be clattering around my room again.” His mother had become somewhat peeved with him for all the noise, last time.

The foxes were perfectly happy with that, so Hikaru sent Utagawashi a heads-up and trudged through the cold October weather to the shrine grounds, where the distant beacon that was the Gobi remained.

Hikaru’s sensitivity to the nuances of human souls had increased enough that, when he came in range, he could actually see the reflexive revulsion that shuddered through the priest when he approached. He seemed fairly good at controlling it, but it was plainly visible that the sensation got worse the closer Hikaru got to him.

Meikai was there, too, sitting by a fox statue within sprinting distance of the priest. She stood as he approached, utterly ignored Hikaru, and went to greet her four-tailed husband. The five-tails, by the feel of it, was inside the honden.

Hikaru shook his head at the display of vulpine affection, and went over to greet Utagawashi. “Hey,” He said, noticing that the priest seemed a little on-edge. “What’s wrong?”

The man blinked at him. “Nothing in particular, I don’t think.” He said, cautiously. “Why?”

“You feel kind of….” Hikaru made a wavy hand gesture. “Nervous, maybe?”

He stared. “You can feel that?” His voice was dubious. “Well, it’s just that Arakawa-san is arriving tomorrow, you know. There’s a lot to think about.” The man shook his head. “No sense worrying too much about it before the fact, though. You said you were coming here to…train?”

“Yeah, Setsu has had me hitting foxes around as practice, but there’s not much room to move at home.” Hikaru nodded to where Setsu was sat, four two-tails gathering nearby. “So here seemed the best place.”

“I wonder if I’ll be able to detect anything.” Utagawashi mused, interest lighting in his eyes. “Well, please don’t damage anything on the grounds, but otherwise, please feel free to practice.”

Hikaru nodded, a little awkwardly, and turned to Setsu. “Can I keep my fan this time?” He asked hopefully.

His harsh taskmaster rolled its eyes. No. It said. Put it away.

He inspected the surroundings for a safe place for the precious item, and did not find anywhere that seemed particularly suitable, given the cold and the recent damp weather. Finally, he turned to Utagawashi, practically having to force himself to hold it out. “Keep hold of that for now?” He asked, and watched with a gimlet eye as the priest took it and carefully tucked it into his robe.

Hikaru turned back to the foxes, and that was apparently their signal to begin.

Later, when all four two-tails had depleted their reserves, he attempted to explain it all to Utagawashi. “So, from what Setsu says, spirits have soul and energy.” He said, sitting down onto a damp bench with a sigh. “I do, as well. And weak spirits and humans have souls that are easy to damage, so you kind of need to use the energy to keep attacks away from it?” He paused, and added “That’s how I beat the possession attempt last time – I used energy to burn out the bit of the demon that was there. It’s how a spirit would have done it.”

“And most humans don’t have any of this…spiritual energy?” Utagawashi inquired, brows slightly furrowed.

“Only if they get it from a spirit, I think.” Hikaru said, looking to Setsu for confirmation. “So, you’ve got a tiny bit, from the spirit that attacked you. You can’t really do anything with it except sense stuff, there’s not enough.”

“And Kaminaga-san?” The man’s eyes were sharp.

“He has a bit, but the demon’s probably using it to make possession easier.”

“And you have so much of this energy because your Fujiwara-san left it behind?” The name, as ever, elicited a painful pang in his chest.

Hikaru breathed through it. “I’ve got a little bit from the foxes. But yeah.”

“I suppose hardly anyone tends to have any spiritual energy as a human, then.” Utagawashi glanced over to Setsu’s approximate location. “Is that why every exorcist I’ve heard of has to use tools, like holy weapons and ofuda?”

Hikaru glanced over at Setsu in time to see the fox nod. Without their own energy to use, they must use items imbued with it, or they can’t strike against a spirit. It elaborated, and Hikaru repeated it for Utagawashi’s benefit.

“Interesting,” The priest murmured, and then asked another question. And then another. And another. In the end, Hikaru sat there for over fifteen minutes, becoming steadily more chilly and irate as Setsu dispensed exposition and he was obliged to translate it. It was vaguely interesting, he supposed – discussion on the best ways to imbue objects with spiritual power, whether some objects worked better than others, and how ofuda interacted with it all – but not enough to to make the cold worth it.

In the end, he lost patience when Utagawashi’s questions shifted onto the topic of wards, and what factors influenced their strength, and how big of an area you could ward, and-

“Okay, that’s enough talking.” He said, and stood up. Utagawashi cut off mid-question and shot him a wounded look.

“But, Shindou-kun, this is very useful information.” He protested.

Hikaru sighed, and looked at Setsu. “I know you can talk out loud.” He said, severely. “Why make me do all the work?”

It burns energy. The fox replied innocently. Best not to do that, for the moment.

He scowled, and turned back to the priest. “Setsu says it’ll answer all your dumb questions once we’re done with all this demon bullshit.” He said, to a flare of indignation from the fox in question. It cheered Utagawashi up, though, so he felt utterly unrepentant. “Anyway, I’m going home now.” He swallowed, suddenly apprehensive at the thought of the coming day. “Let me know when that guy’s getting here tomorrow, alright?”

“Mid to late afternoon, he said.” Utagawashi reminded him, and walked with him to the torii. “I’ll call you if he arrives earlier than expected.”

Hikaru nodded jerkily. “And. Uh, nothing new from Kaminaga?” He checked.

A sort of tense pensiveness crossed the priest’s face. “I checked with him yesterday, to ask him when the last time he prayed to Hachiman was.” He said, slowly. “It took two messages to get a reply from him, and the reply was…not helpful.”

“Said it was none of your business?” Hikaru guessed.

The pensiveness became a light grimace. “Exactly right.” Utagawashi sighed. “I suppose we should be thankful that Arakawa-san agreed to come earlier.”

“He should have come when we first asked.” He refuted, sourly, and shook his head. “Well, whatever. If Kaminaga comes anywhere near here, I think I’ll hear about it from the foxes, so keep an eye on your phone, alright?” From what he could tell, the one and two-tailed foxes were more or less patrolling the city, and would all run to inform Setsu and the five-tails if the demon was ‘sighted’ in Tokyo.

“I will.” The priest promised, and Hikaru nodded at him before leaving through the torii.

---

The evening was…tense.

“…Do you think this guy has a chance of sealing the demon?” Hikaru asked, unable to keep the question in for very long.

Setsu shifted, spirit flickering somewhat furtively. Hard to tell until I see him. It said, curling its tails tightly around it. Sealing works on very powerful spirits, though. There should be a decent chance. Especially with my advice.

He snorted, quietly, and was tempted to make a remark about Setsu’s high opinion of itself. In the end, though, it died on his tongue before he could utter it. He was just…worried. Realistically, he didn’t think the guy could deny that there was a problem when the foxes had shown up in force like this, with the Gobi so powerful that almost anyone sensitive should be able to feel it. So he probably wouldn’t be doubting them that something nasty was going on.

But…on the other hand…what guarantee did they have that this guy wasn’t playing with his own demon? He was supposedly very good friends with Kaminaga, so he could even be possessed by the same demon, the possession growing in him at a distance like it had tried to grow in Hikaru. He could be a waiting puppet, needing only to get in range of the demon itself to be utterly consumed…

Hikaru exhaled loudly to clear the probably pointless thoughts away. Possible, maybe, but there was no point thinking about it. He’d just…have to have his fan ready, and be ready for trouble.

He sighed, and got out his phone to text Yashiro. ‘Still alive,’ he started. ‘And I guess you’ll be happy to know that the crazy guy’s friend is getting here tomorrow. He’s going to stop by and talk to me and Utagawashi and then go deal with Kaminaga.’

Yashiro could occasionally forget that his phone existed, so Hikaru wasn’t really expecting an immediate response, but maybe the other boy was also practicing increased communications vigilance in these troubled times. ‘What, seriously? I thought he wasn’t coming for days yet?’

‘We convinced him to come sooner.’ Hikaru typed back, and rolled out of bed. He fished in a drawer for some kaya incense and a lighter and headed out to the hallway.

He felt…restless. Anxious. Worried about what the next day would bring. What better time to invoke a benevolent kami?

Hikaru lit the incense on the house shrine, and settled down before it, eyes closing. He felt the spark in the ofuda gain something. An awareness, perhaps, that the spark in Sai’s shrine lacked completely.

He couldn’t think of anything poignant to say to the echo of the god in the shrine. The words wouldn’t come. In the end, he merely thought please let this all turn out okay and sat, voiceless, until the incense burned out.

---

Hikaru had, in advance, cancelled all of his commitments for the Thursday, which were for the most part teaching games at a variety of Go salons. As a result, he spent a number of very nervous hours sat at home, fitfully reading through kifu in an attempt to distract himself.

Eventually, though, the uneasy waiting came to an end.

His first indication that something was up was that, in the distance, a fox approached another fox, rather quickly. Then that fox sprinted solidly in Hikaru’s direction. Both he and Setsu noticed, and stared at the wall in the messenger’s direction, waiting silently for it to arrive.

Given this sort of fox relay was the warning system for Kaminaga approaching, it was not a particularly relaxed wait.

Setsu! The fox said, as soon as it reached them, shaping the yonbi’s spirit-name in a flash. Hikaru noted, with a little relief, that the fox did not appear worried. Mainly…excited, and sort of hyperactive. The onmyouji is approaching! It shaped an unfamiliar name; -said that it was coming on a train into the city.

Setsu nodded to the little one-tail, some of its own tension loosening from its frame. Good. It said, nudging the smaller fox with its nose. Well done. Best return to your post, now.

The one-tail yipped and then was away in seconds, speeding back where it had come from. Once it took its position back, the fox which had apparently relayed the message left as well, straying beyond Hikaru’s ability to sense. Hikaru already had his phone out, texting Utagawashi to say ‘the foxes say that Arakawa is on a bullet train into the city. I’m gonna go over to the shrine now.’ He looked at Setsu. “We should probably go now,” He said, and got up to make good on his words.

By the time Hikaru reached the shrine, Arakawa had strayed close enough on the intracity trains that Hikaru could actually feel his presence at a distance. It felt…human. Just like a human soul, but with a noticeable scarring that bristled with sparks of spiritual energy. More noticeable were the things he was carrying – Hikaru had no idea what any of it was, except the ofuda, but there was a hell of a lot of energy in whatever it was he had.

A good sign. Setsu said, when he mentioned it. He brings powerful artefacts.

Hikaru agreed, and entered the shrine, where Utagawashi was waiting. He cleaned himself in between explaining what he could detect, and steadily, an assembly of foxes built up in the area.

The five-tails emerged from the honden, where allegedly it had remained unmoving for days. It was as gloriously incandescent as Hikaru remembered, shining with spiritual power, and with his new knowledge Hikaru noticed that its soul seemed larger and denser than any other spirit he’d had a good look at. Setsu went over to greet it, quicksilver spirit-words passing between them, and three-tailed foxes drifted in to form a pearly-white crowd. Meikai lingered back with the two-tailed foxes, near the back of the honden.

Their massed presences were enough to make Utagawashi flutter with nervousness, casting wide-eyed glances there every other second. And, really, it seemed warranted. When they gathered closely like that, they were…noticeable. Like their presences were bouncing off of each other and spreading far further outwards than they would have alone. Hikaru was certain he could have felt them from twice the distance of his house, and wondered what sort of a range the monk had.

Steadily, Arakawa’s presence drew closer, and when Hikaru reached out he could feel his apprehension. Clearly, he was aware of the congregation he approached.

Eventually, after a lot of tense and fairly awkward waiting around, he drew into eyesight, visible through the red arch of the torii. He was somewhat shorter than Hikaru had expected, but broad-shouldered and oddly powerful in appearance. He walked with a well-grounded gait, and had one hand on the sheath of a katana as he approached: one of the spiritual artefacts that they’d detected.

He bowed through the torii, and stared at the presences amassed there. His face was held carefully neutral, while his soul betrayed apprehension, dismay, worry. He seemed younger than Kaminaga, perhaps by as much as a decade, and wore a similar outfit: plain and nondescript hakama and gi, with a fairly old-fashioned haori-type coat over the top.

He stood, for a moment, without word, then bowed to the shrine and went to cleanse himself, the stiffness of his motions suggesting either ill health or tension. When he finished, he approached the gathering at a calm and sedate pace, and Utagawashi stepped out to meet him.

“Arakawa-san.” Utagawashi greeted, breaking the quiet, and bowed politely to him. “It is good to see you again.”

Arakawa bowed back. “Likewise, Utagawashi-kun.” He said, eyes straying over to Hikaru, and the foxes behind him. “Though it seems the circumstances are less than pleasant, unfortunately.” He stepped towards Hikaru, his posture revealing none of the tension and instinctive revulsion that his aura implied. “You would be Shindou Hikaru, then?” His voice was quiet.

Hikaru nodded, once. “Yeah.”

Arakawa bowed to him as well. “I am Arakawa Katsuo. Again, I’m sorry that we are not meeting under better circumstances.” He turned slightly aside, to better face the foxes there. “Honourable foxes of Inari-sama, I offer greetings.” He bowed very deeply indeed to them.

Hikaru watched as all of the foxes inclined their heads, and asked “Can you see them all?”

“I can see the honoured Gobi-san, and Yonbi-san.” Arakawa said, raising elegantly from the bow. “The others I can only feel.” He looked between the foxes and Hikaru himself, and sighed. “It seems I owe you an apology, young man. I have always had the greatest faith in Keiji – he is my oldest friend. I have known him since we were children.” He closed his eyes briefly, as if in pain. “I did not want to believe what I was hearing. But if Inari-sama has sent his foxes here in such numbers, nothing else can be true.”

Hikaru held his tongue. He wanted to say yeah, it was stupid of you. He wanted to decry the man for his blind faith, for leaving them to try to ward off such a powerful demon alone, but…that wouldn’t help anything. In the end, he stayed silent.

Setsu stepped forwards in the dead space left by Arakawa’s words. You are here now, it said, projecting the words out far more strongly than it bothered to with Hikaru. And you intend to seal the demon that is consuming your friend. Is that correct?

Utagawashi couldn’t hear it, but Arakawa clearly could. He rocked back on his heels, very slightly, as his eyes widened. “…Yes, that is correct.” He said, lowering his gaze. “I’m told you have some information for me.”

The five-tails stirred, then, and all the other foxes rustled in its wake, like leaves disturbed by the rippling of the water they’d fallen to. It raised its great head and stared with bright eyes, bright fur, incandescence seething from every inch of it, and spoke. Its voice was silently, deafeningly strong.

Hear me, he-who-would-face-evil, and listen well.

Hikaru sucked in a breath, clenching his eyes shut as every word thrummed through him, bright and loud and painful in every respect. He drew up his energy as a shield, trying to prevent it from searing through him so terribly. Arakawa did not seem to feel it as keenly, but his aura shimmered with awe all the same.

“I listen, honoured Gobi-sama.” The honorific, far more deferential than he had used before, seemed to slip out of its own accord, in response to the fox’s words. Slowly, he settled down on the cold ground, sitting in respectful seiza before the powerful spirit.

The five-tails stepped incrementally forwards to look down at him, five tails fanning out like sunbeams behind it. Its eyes burned.

You come here in defence of righteousness, in defence of your friend, and in defence of his victims. It said. It is commendable. But know this, onmyouji: the demon which you would face is old, and powerful, and may destroy you.

Arakawa stirred. “I do not doubt the truth of your words, Gobi-sama.” He said, respectfully. “But I do not understand. To my knowledge, the sword in question is a minor demon, sealed and kept as a family heirloom. Sons of the family would cut themselves on it, ritually, once they were old enough to take up their duties as exorcists.”

His words did not please the foxes. Setsu, all of the three-tails, and all of the two-tails that heard it – their fur bristled, their hackles rose, and a hiss ran across the clearing. The Gobi’s lips pulled back, ever so slightly, and showed the pointed tips of its teeth.

Then, onmyouji, you have the answer for why the demon is breaking loose, despite having been sealed by Hachiman-sama himself only one thousand years past. The words came like thunder, and Arakawa gasped for breath, directly in their path.

“Sealed by Hachiman?” The monk said, breathless, and Utagawashi stiffened in the corner of Hikaru’s vision. And, actually – the foxes seemed shocked, too, Setsu included. Had they not known that?

The Gobi bared its teeth fully, now: each of them white and curved and wickedly sharp. Know this: the enemy you face is no trifling creature. It is Kaminagi no Tsurugi! The god-cutting blade! It has bathed in the lifeblood of humans and spirits beyond counting, and the god who made it – the god it slew – is remembered for nothing except his folly in creating such a vile thing!

Hikaru’s fists clenched in a white-knuckled grip as the name rippled through the shrine grounds. There was something ominous to the mere utterance of it, as though the invocation called to the menace it named.

Kaminagi no Tsurugi. Kaminagi. Like Kaminaga? The kanji were surely different, but…

Arakawa was white-faced and silent with his own shock, and the Gobi apparently took that as invitation to continue, bright fangs flashing in the dim light of the afternoon.

You stand before me, with intention to renew the seal of the God-Cutter alone. Knowing what you do now, what will you do? White fur rose on the great fox’s neck. Will you flee, drowned in the fear that I sense in you? Will you flee, monk?

The monk swallowed, audibly. “I will not.” He said, voice barely a whisper. “My intention remains.”

The Gobi drew close enough that it had to tilt its head to look at him properly. Its eyes narrowed, and it withdrew. The bristled fur along its neck settled, and its teeth closed.

Good. It said, simply, and turned away.

Hikaru, Arakawa, and all of the other foxes watched mutely as the five-tails retreated into the honden, out of sight.

“…The five-tails left?” Utagawashi hissed, in a low whisper. “What did it say?”

Arakawa remained in seiza, staring numbly at the ground. Hikaru couldn’t blame him. “Uh. It told us about the sword.” He said, clearing his throat.

Setsu whirled towards him, a snarl on its lips. Don’t say its name! It snapped.

“I wasn’t planning to.” Hikaru retorted, quite honestly. He’d felt the invocation of that name, and had no desire to try it himself. “The point is, the thing was apparently made by a god, killed that god, and then…got sealed away by Hachiman, apparently.” He looked at Setsu. “I thought only humans could seal things?”

The four tails settled towards the centre of the gathering, not far from Arakawa. Humans, or powerful spirits who are born into a human body. It said. I knew that it broke free of several seals before the last one finally held; I was not aware that that sealing was done by Hachiman-sama.

Hikaru repeated that for Utagawashi’s benefit, and looked back at Arakawa as he spoke.

“Honourable Yonbi-san,” The man said, clearly shaken. “If this demon is truly so powerful…do I have any hope of succeeding?”

Setsu whipped its head back around to regard the onmyouji, eyes narrowed, and moved to stand before him. That the last seal was placed by Hachiman-sama is a considerable boon, it said, sitting down. If any of it remains at all, the existing seal should work very well with those ofuda and artefacts of Hachiman I see you have there. And there are other things you can do, to tip the balance in your favour.

“I would be grateful for any information you can give.”

If you can, take the host and the demon to a shrine of Hachiman. A larger one is preferable. Setsu instructed, amber eyes particularly intent. You will want to hang one of these ofuda about your neck, and offer a prayer to Hachiman-sama for your safety. If you can, prepare the shrine grounds with ofuda before your arrival, and pray to activate the wards. You may have difficulty convincing the host to follow you there, however, so beware. The fox’s gaze slid to the sword at the man’s hip. Your blade, there. It is blessed?

“It is.”

It will be a suitable sealing receptacle for the demon. The fox said, glancing briefly at Hikaru. Spirits are far easier to seal into items that suit them. If you were stronger, you might be able to reseal it into its own body, but as it is, you will need that sword.

Hesitation and reluctance flashed, for a moment, in Arakawa’s spirit. Clearly, the sword was an item he treasured dearly. But the hesitance was only for a moment. “Thank you.”

Cut away its miasma of power. The more you destroy, the easier it will be to seal. Setsu instructed. If you can place ofuda upon the host, or the blade, it will limit how much power it can bring to bear. The rest – the chants, and invocations of Hachiman-sama – I believe you already know.

“Yes, Yonbi-san. Thank you.” Arakawa raised his head. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Setsu bared its fangs. If it comes to it, throw yourself upon the blade, rather than allow yourself to be possessed. It said. You would be a far more malleable host than your friend is.

The man exhaled, slowly. “I sincerely hope it will not come to that.” He said, and watched as Setsu stood and moved away. Slowly, the crowd of three-tails dispersed, though they remained at the shrine, watching the humans.

“…I don’t suppose I could trouble either of you for a translation?” Utagawashi ventured, uncertainly.

Arakawa stood, and turned to him, his complexion distinctly ashen. “The four-tails offered some excellent advice on how to survive the sealing.” He said, resting a hand carefully on the hilt of the blessed sword. “Or, alternatively, how not to.”

Hikaru watched as Setsu, slowly, came to sit beside him. Was all the doom and gloom necessary? He asked, silently. Arakawa wasn’t the only one who’d been thoroughly frightened and unnerved by the whole thing – he had no idea how he was going to sleep tonight.

Its projections back down to a ‘normal’ volume, Setsu shrugged. The situation is a grave one. He needed to understand that.

Arakawa looked between then, brows lightly furrowed, as though he could see their interactions but not read them. “At any rate, I believe I should head to Yokohama as quickly as possible, if I’m to prepare a shrine for the sealing.” He said, glancing towards the torii. “It will have to be one close to Keiji’s home, but…”

“If it’s too close, he might feel you and come looking.” Hikaru pointed out.

The monk raised a hand to rub at his temples. “Precisely.” He sighed, looking suddenly very tired. “I’ll do what I can. I’ll aim to perform the sealing at…eight or nine in the evening, perhaps, when all shrine staff and visitors should be gone.”

“Please let us know how it goes, as soon as you can.” Utagawashi requested, receiving a nod in turn.

“I will.” He said. “Though, given Keiji must be at least partially possessed – I expect he’ll need medical care after this. Please don’t be concerned if there’s a delay in communication.”

“Um.” Hikaru expressed, because he felt that he would be very concerned at delays in communication, here.

Utagawashi seemed to be having similar thoughts. “…Do what you can.” He answered, eventually.

Arakawa inclined his head, and turned to Hikaru. “Shindou-kun.” He began. “I’m sorry that you ended up in this situation. I hope that everything can return to normal for you soon.”

“Uh. Yeah.” Hikaru answered, at a loss for words, because…well, so much had changed since Kaminaga had turned up and become a gigantic problem. He’d played Go with a four-tailed fox, for pity’s sake. How could anything go back to normal after that?

The monk nodded gravely, as though he’d had a long and poignant reply, and then bowed to them both. “I’ll be going, now.” He said. “Best of luck to all of you.”

“And you.” Utagawashi returned, offering his own bow. “I will pray for your success.”

And, with that, Arakawa was turning to leave.

Silence lingered far longer than the sight of him. Eventually, Hikaru turned to Setsu, who was still beside him. “So?” He asked, quietly. “What are his chances?”

The fox regarded him. Better than I had thought, if anything of Hachiman-sama’s seal remains. It answered, ears flicking outwards slightly. With his sword as the receptacle, there is a decent chance. We will have to see.

Hikaru repeated the words to a curious priest, and sighed, hopelessly shaken by everything he’d heard. “I’m going to go home, now.” He turned towards the torii. “Let me know the minute you hear from Arakawa, alright?”

“I will.” Utagawashi assured him, his voice sounding as worried as his soul looked. “And you tell me if you hear anything.”

“Yeah.” He agreed, and practically ran out of the shrine grounds.

---

It was just tension, at first.

He didn’t question it. Tension was normal. He’d learned that the demon trying to eat his soul was, in fact, a millennia old horror that had killed a kami, and was apparently bad enough that one of the major kami had personally had himself born into a human to seal it. Whatever Setsu said about the monk’s chances against it – of course he was going to be worried, and agitated, and nervous, and also extremely scared.

Especially when the hours dragged on, into the evening and past the time Arakawa had mentioned, with no news. His mother noticed that he was off-colour and commented on it – he claimed to be feeling ill, and was hustled off to bed early.

He informed Yashiro that he’d met Arakawa, and also that he was meant to be dealing with Kaminaga that evening, and allowed the other boy’s uninformed optimism to buoy him a little. It was unspeakably challenging to avoid just…breaking down, demanding to go stay in Osaka for a while, where he didn’t have a giant target painted on his back.

But they’d already been over all the reasons why that wouldn’t help.

Hikaru stared at Sai’s shrine, and considered praying. In the end, he lit the incense and sat before it, but didn’t say anything. The grief and the anguish that the wisteria scent prompted was almost more pleasant than the awfulness of the wait.

The incense burnt out, and without much hope of it being productive, Hikaru tried to go to sleep.

---

He managed to fall into a shallow, disturbed slumber for an hour or two, but no longer. Tension and fear pervaded through the veil of sleep, and Hikaru sat up in bed to read 02:33 on his phone-screen. The numbers swam in his blurred vision, and he blinked them into clarity.

Something felt…unsettling.

Hikaru looked to Setsu, who was sat upright. Tense. Its ears were folded back and its fur was very slightly on end. It noticed him looking, and stared up at him. There is an ill feeling in the air tonight. It said, subdued, and he could only agree with it.

He checked and double checked his phone, but there was nothing new there. No messages. No calls. He sighed, and in a fit of paranoia, reached his senses out, past two layers of foxes keeping watch, but found nothing. There was no demon. No malignant presence. But…the unease persisted.

Hikaru laid down again, and slept in fitful bursts until morning, whereupon there was still no news. But the air felt…different. A bit less oppressive, perhaps.

“How long does sealing take?” Hikaru asked, realising that he probably should have asked that ages ago.

Anything from minutes to weeks. Setsu sighed, and stretched. It is entirely possible that the monk is still trying. The demon is no easy foe. The lessening of the tension in the air is a good sign, though.

Hikaru wondered what the shrine staff would think of that, arriving in the morning to whatever sight a sealing involved. His stomach lurched a little at the thought of all the potential hapless bystanders. “Yeesh,” He muttered, messaging the new information to Utagawashi. “I hope Arakawa picked somewhere out-of-the-way.”

And then, well, he had to get ready for the day. He’d cancelled Thursday’s teaching games, but not Friday’s, and so he had work to do.

His mother fretted over his pale face and the bags under his eyes but eventually let him out of the house to get to his students. The patrons of the salon didn’t let his condition go unmentioned, either – the proprietor greeted him with raised eyebrows, saying “Are you sick, Shindou? You look like shit.”

“Might be coming down with something.” He lied, scanning the salon for the student he had booked. The man was already at a goban, and obviously listening to the conversation. “I guess if any of you catch it, you can consider it a bonus for the lesson.” He added, with a grin he didn’t really feel. “My treat.”

“Very generous.” Said the proprietor, amused, as Hikaru went over to sit with his student.

Since he was only teaching, Hikaru didn’t bother to block off his sensing capabilities, which was just as well. Despite the network of fox scouts through the city…his skin was practically crawling with unease, and he felt vulnerable enough as it was.

His second student arrived towards the end of the first’s lesson, pulling up a chair to shamelessly listen in to the tail end of it, and then Hikaru chased him away so that he could go get some water between the sessions.

His morning, and a good part of the afternoon, passed that way. At around lunchtime he left that salon to get some food, and shortly after went to Heart of Stone to play his afternoon students. Throughout all of it, there was no news from Utagawashi, except messages to say ‘no news yet’. Utagawashi, of course, was at work himself.

Throughout the day, the awful ambient oppressiveness steadily decreased. Setsu seemed cautiously optimistic about it, but…Hikaru couldn’t quite share it. It could have just been pessimism, or paranoia, but...it didn’t feel right. His tension remained.

Still, there was no news. Why was there no news?

It was maddening. Almost enough for him to want to go mess with Touya, just to take his mind off of it. But that had its own risks, at the moment. Bad idea.

Hikaru sighed, and in the end, got home at around five in the afternoon. His mother was preparing dinner with one of her soaps on in the background – a re-run, by the looks of things. He grimaced at the television screen, and in the depths of his restlessness, volunteered himself as a sous-chef to pass the time. He ate his dinner somewhat listlessly, and under the watchful eye of his mother, was ordered upstairs to bed to ‘get some more rest’.

Shortly after seven, a full day past when Arakawa Katsuo ought to have arrived in Yokohama, Hikaru’s phone buzzed with the tell-tale pattern of an incoming call.

Hikaru was face-down in his bed at the time, stewing in tension, and had to do some truly graceless scrambling to grab at his phone. His heart thudded rapidly as he pressed the answer button without looking at the screen, holding it up to his ear. “Yeah?” he demanded, none-too-quietly. Setsu, in the corner, sat upright, ears alert.

Except, it wasn’t Utagawashi. Or Arakawa. Or even Kaminaga.

“Shindou?” It was Yashiro, of all people, sounding unusually tentative. Nervous, even. Hikaru blinked, utterly taken-aback. Why would Yashiro be calling him? …For an update, maybe?

“If you’re calling to find out how the thing went, you’ll have to wait.” Hikaru said, an uncomfortable sensation of dread crawling up his spine. “I don’t know yet either.”

Something wasn’t right.

“That’s not…” Still, Yashiro sounded hesitant. A little awkward, perhaps, but… “Look, Shindou, have you seen the news today?”

His fingers felt unusually cold. “…No?” He answered, uncertainly turning it into a question.

“Ah.” There were six very uncomfortable seconds of silence. Yashiro cleared his throat, and continued. “You said the crazy samurai guy lives in Yokohama, right?”

Hikaru was getting a very, very bad feeling about this. “….Yeah.” He kept it at that. Waited. He shared a grim, tense glance with Setsu.

“…Uh.” Yashiro cleared his throat again.

“Spit it out, for god’s sake.” He snapped, nerves frayed, heart thudding heavily in his ears. This isn’t right, he thought, again and again. I don’t like this.

“There’s been a murder,” The other boy burst out, and Hikaru’s blood ran cold. “At some shrine, in Yokohama –“

“At a shrine.” Hikaru repeated, numbly.

“Yeah, and the police are saying it looks like it was a katana-“

“Fucking hell,” He swore, and stood up quickly enough to make his head swim. Setsu was on its feet and visibly bristling, eyes wild and teeth bared. “I’ve got to go – did you see this online? On a TV?”

“On a TV, in a Go salon.” Yashiro answered, voice increasingly worried. “Listen, Shindou, you really should come to Osaka tonight, call the police about this…”

And neither of the salons he’d been in today had been playing news. Only one of them had a television, and it had been on the sports channel. All day he’d been waiting for news – ha! – and it had been there.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, his own voice sounding faraway, and he hung up with Yashiro’s protests ringing in his ears.

---

End chapter.

 Notes: Story now has a body count! On that note – and I’m really excited about this – the short Kaminaga bonus scene I’ve been writing and refining for almost a year is finally within reach. I’ll likely be posting it within the next few days, and I hope people like it. I consider it one of my best bits of writing and have basically been dying to share it for ages. Lots of very grim possession horror.

This was a pretty important chapter. There was some exposition, some plot hooks for later stuff, and of course we’re now right up against the arc climax. Chapter 20, next chapter, is going to end the arc, and can I just say how satisfying it is that I’ll be ending it on a round number like 20? That’s unspeakably pleasing somehow.

Honourable mentions: Rinnaden, for prereading this and the Kaminaga short for me. The music I linked at the beginning, which was kind of necessary for me writing this chapter. And lastly my partner for recommending said music to me.

04/06/18 – minor edits, altered Arakawa’s described age a little, capsaicin is not involved in the spiciness of wasabi

[ruthiswriting]

fic: enough for now

mp100 | reigen + ritsu, AU, 1.2k

small followup to my series our endless numbered days, won’t make much sense without reading that. contains manga spoilers. latest omake brought back feelings for their dynamic in this series albeit it’s very different. takes place a year or so after the last part. prompted by @fish-tetris.

warnings for mentioned major character death and injury. 

-

“You don’t have to look so tense,” Reigen said. “I only have to keep on the full cast for, what, two to three weeks? And then it’s just a forearm cast. That’s workable.”

Ritsu didn’t answer, or lift his eyes off the floor. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, one foot balanced on the narrow lip of the hospital chair while the other stretched out across the ground. His legs were too long for anything- a sudden growth spurt had ruined Ritsu’s usual self control, with limbs he still didn’t know what to do with. Reigen had been pretending for months not to notice him creeping up to his eye level, but still in this moment he suddenly seemed very small. He watched Ritsu chew the inside of his mouth, his foot bobbling against the plastic seat.

“It’ll be good for business,” Reigen added, when Ritsu chose to neither respond nor relax. “Tell customers that we survived fighting a monstrous spirit. Make us seem tough. Willing to endure what the average person can’t.”

His mouth twitched. “Or,” Ritsu said without looking up, “it’ll make us look incompetent for not being able to defeat a spirit without getting injured.”

Reigen paused. His arm still ached inside the cast- he could feel where the spirit had wrapped around his forearm and begun to constrict. It had been seconds of blinding, excruciating pain, and Reigen had felt it begun to move across his ribcage- then a burst of sharp, frightened aura had exploded across Reigen’s vision and the spirit had been gone. The pain hadn’t left with it.

He needed to say something. The silence had stretched on too long. Reigen should never have allowed it to form in the first place.

“Well,” he said with enough abruptness that Ritsu’s eyes finally moved off the floor, “it depends on how you frame it. If you talk about it like that, then that’s what they’ll think. It’s all about presentation, Ritsu.”

Ritsu’s eyes went back to the floor, at some laser-focus point to the left of his shoe. “You would say that,” he muttered.

He looked washed out underneath the hospital lights, with dark shadows scored underneath his eyes. The vague, constant worry at the back of Reigen’s head over whether he slept well and ate enough pushed forward again. Reigen kept his fingers from tapping against the still drying plaster of the cast. “And,” he said, “I don’t know if you knew this, but I’m actually left handed. Learned to write with my right hand when I sprained my wrist, so that’s not an issue either. There’s really no need to look so melancholy. Serizawa’ll do enough worrying for all three of us. Not a big deal.”

“You wouldn’t keep saying it’s not a big deal if it wasn’t a big deal,” Ritsu said. His shoulders were rising up around his neck.

“I wouldn’t have to keep saying it if you’d stop looking so dour,” Reigen said. “Come on. You really saved me, you know? Doctor said I probably wouldn’t have been able to use this arm again if it’d been any worse.”

Ritsu settled his elbow on his knee, and his face on his palm. There was no relaxation in the pose, just sharp edges pushing into each other. His fingers twitched along the curve of his cheek. “Yeah, well,” he said. “Wouldn’t have happened at all if my brother had been here, so.”

The words became a dry, cracking thing as they reached the end, vanishing into almost nothing as he spoke. The room was suddenly loud. Reigen was too aware of the squeak of the examination table underneath him, along with the merry hum of the fluorescent lights and the tap-tap-tap of Ritsu’s scuffed up shoe. The pain in his shattered arm felt loud, too. Everything from his fingertip up to his shoulder ached.

“You can’t think like that,” Reigen said, voice too quiet to drown out the noise.

“I know.”

“It could’ve still happened with Mob. It could have happened with Serizawa too. We didn’t know that spirit was there. It surprised us. You did what you could.”

“I know.”

“And you did save me, Ritsu. You did. That’s all that matters.”

Ritsu’s chin drew in, digging further and further into his palm. He still wasn’t looking at Reigen.  “I know.”

The last time a spirit had attacked Reigen while Ritsu had been there on his brother’s request, there hadn’t been any of this. The spirit’s bite had left nothing more than large bruises that had turned purple and then faded. Ritsu had apologized coolly with a bland disinterest that Reigen had assumed was an indelible part of his personality, and that had been that. It had never mattered so much before.

Reigen sagged forward on the examination table. All he wanted, suddenly, was to be out of this hospital. He wanted to walk out the doors, go to his apartment and take a long hot shower without worrying about the water bill. Then he’d wear his ugliest, most comfortable t shirt and sleep without thinking about when he’d have to wake up. But his apartment was too far away to walk to, he couldn’t get the cast wet, and he had work in the morning anyway.

He blew air out of his mouth, watching Ritsu’s studious frown. “You should go home,” Reigen said, and once again Ritsu looked up at him in blank surprise. “Serizawa’s coming to pick me up after he gets out of his classes. I’ll be fine. You have school tomorrow, and you’re not doing anyone any good by sitting there glaring at the tiles.”

After a few seconds of staring at Reigen, Ritsu shook his head. “I’m not leaving until he gets here,” Ritsu said.

Reigen’s mouth formed a smile that felt hollow. “Hah,” he said. “You like hospital chairs that much? Good for posture, if you’d sit up straight in one.”

Ritsu’s shoe tapped a few more times, until finally stopping decisively against the ground. “Like you have any room to insult my posture,” Ritsu said. “All you do all day is slouch in that desk chair.” His tone didn’t quite match the words. But there was almost a biting retort around the long crack in his voice.

Reigen sighed. “I see,” he said. “You want to stay so you can just insult a poor invalid.”

“You’re not an invalid,” Ritsu answered with more immediacy.  “If you were I wouldn’t have to go to work. I’m not lucky enough for that.”

“You’ll have to do a better job at not saving my life, then,” Reigen said. He pushed himself firm against the plaster wall, wincing at the sound of his back popping. “Ah- there. See? Perfect posture.”

The barest hint of a smile was pushing across Ritsu’s face. Reigen listened to his answer, came up with his own, until the smile was more than a hint, until Serizawa pushed through the door with his loud, room filling worry that drowned out a constantly fresh pain, until they all finally, finally went home. It was, as always, not quite enough.

But it was enough for now.

[bucketsofgiggles]

Other Side of the Door (MP 100 fanfic)

Summary: It can hurt when you see your friends make the same mistakes you do, but Serizawa knows that reaching a hand out in the darkness can do a lot. Speculation on what might happen after the current manga arc. Spoilers for the current manga arc. Teen and up, gen. Content warnings for depression and implied disordered eating. AO3 link here

Serizawa gave a second glance down at his phone to check his GPS app, confirming that the directions read “Arrived at destination”. He looked back up at the house he stood outside of, before triple checking the GPS.

It wasn’t like he thought this couldn’t be the Kageyama household - it was a perfectly respectable house for a family of four - but he really had to make sure he had the correct house. He’d never been to the Kageyama’s before, and all the houses in this neighborhood looked similar to each other and he’d rather not knock on the wrong door. Coming unannounced was nerve wracking enough; going up to the wrong house unannounced would probably kill all the courage he’d build up to come out here. And he couldn’t let that happen. Kageyama-kun needed him.

He’d gotten Kageyama-kun’s address from Reigen earlier, after they had talked this morning. His boss had come into the office looking frazzled and dismayed, bypassing his desk to go straight to the couch, head in hands. Serizawa had quickly checked to make sure the sign was still flipped to “Closed” before joining Reigen on the couch.

Comfort was still something Serizawa was learning to give, and he was a bit relieved when Reigen leaned into the hand he had put on his shoulder. There was a few moments of silence before Reigen sighed and spoke “I went to see Mob yesterday. Or more like tried to.”

“How is he?” Serizawa asked. It had been a few weeks since Kageyama-kun’s accident and all that had followed, and he’d been out of the hospital for a week. They had both tried to see him while he was recovering, but do to the severity of his injuries and the circumstances surrounding them, visitors had been limited to immediate family. Neither knew much of the details, but apparently Kageyama-kun’s powers had reversed somehow when he awoke from the state he had entered and it fixed most of the damage. With the additions of his young age and that he didn’t go out with the intention of damaging the city, the government had decided to exonerate him from any potential crimes. Once he was released from the hospital, he had been allowed to return home.

And since then, Kageyama-kun hasn’t left his home.

Neither he nor Reigen was surprised when he didn’t come into work right away. He was probably still recovering from the massive power usage and his physical injuries. Plus, both of them understood that he might need a break from using his powers. But when Reigen learned that Kageyama-kun hadn’t returned to school, he made the decision to go visit after work. Especially because he had been contacted by Kageyama-kun’s younger brother Ritsu, in a move that must’ve been very uncharacteristic of him, judging Reigen’s reaction to the phone call.

“I literally had the door slammed in my face,” Reigen said, trying to put some mirth in his voice and attempting a grin. But it slid off as the mirth fell flat and Reigen turned serious. “He isn’t talking to anyone . Not his friends at school, not Hanazawa, not his parents, not even Ritsu. His parents told me that he isn’t leaving his room, not even to eat. They have to bring his plate up to his door and leave it there, and he’ll leave the empty plate outside later.

“Ritsu called me to talk to him because he thought I might be the only one left he’d listen too. But Mob wouldn’t even look me in the eye, didn’t even try to hear what I had to say. I just talked to a shut door,” Reigen sighed, looking up at Serizawa with red rimmed eyes. “I don’t know how Mob’s gonna recover from this. I’m worried he never will.”

Serizawa could not let that happen, he just couldn’t . Not after what Kageyama-kun had done for him, for so many people. And it was that thought that gave him the resolve to open the front gate, walk up to the door, and ring the doorbell.

After a few moments, a woman answered the door, only opening it enough to stick her head out. Exhaustion clearly lined her features. “Hello?”

“H-Hello there, um…” Serizawa took a quick breath. “Is this the Kageyama household?” At her small nod, he continued. “My name is Serizawa Katsuya, and I work with your eldest son, S-Shigeo. I was wondering if I could speak with him?”

Kageyama-kun’s mother stared at him for a minute. “Serizawa, is that correct?” He nodded. “Shigeo has mentioned you a few times. You should know he isn’t taking visitors.”

“I’m...aware. But I have been in a situation similar to the one your son is in now.” She flinched slightly and Serizawa had to swallow a new batch of nerves the movement brought before continuing. “And he helped me out of it. I wish to at least attempt to do the same. May I at least try?”

Kageyama-kun’s mother glanced to the ground for a few moments, biting her lip slightly. Serizawa glanced away, giving her some space to think. After a bit, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and met Serizawa’s eyes. He tried not to shrink under the suddenly intense stare she was giving him. “You may try,” She said, opening the door more and Serizawa stepped in, removing his shoes. He could see Ritsu sitting at the kitchen table, staring at them, forgotten textbooks in front of him.

“Shigeo’s bedroom is up the stairs on the right,” Kageyama-kun’s mother said. As Serizawa began to go upstairs, she grabbed on to his arm suddenly, causing him to stumble lightly. He turned and met her eyes, full of desperation. He found he could not look away as she spoke.

“Please get through to him. Help him . I’m running out of ideas to help my own son.”

Surprisingly, Serizawa did not feel him shrink or wither at her plea. Instead, a sense of resolve filled him as he met her stare. “I’ll do my best.”

As he climbed the stairs, the muttered conversation echoing below his feet, he tried not to think of how he saw his own mother in her eyes.

Kageyama-kun’s bedroom was not difficult to find, right around the corner of the stairs. He stood in front of it, debating knocking, before realizing that would just get him rejected completely. As rude as it was, he would have to just open the door and let himself in.

It still took few minutes of mental preparation before Serizawa could even put his hand on the doorknob. And even then he could not push down. Whatever was waiting for him beyond this door, it would resemble his past, his far back past, the one he never liked to think about. He spent 15 long years locked away from the world. He lost his youth to his fear, his anxieties over his powers. He missed out on so much growth, so many experiences and activities and excitement, because he feared hurting people, because he had been hurt by others rejection. He was starting his life over at 30 because of this.

He would not let any other person, especially not Kageyama-kun, repeat his mistakes.

With that thought in mind, he turned the knob and entered the room.

It was dark, far darker than the rest of the house, but Serizawa noticed it wasn’t as filthy as his room had been. Then again, he had tried to keep his room clean before the apathy took over. It gave him some hope to see that Kageyama-kun hadn’t seemed to reach that stage yet.

Remembering what Reigen had told him earlier, he fully stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. It was that noise that alerted Kageyama-kun to Serizawa’s presence, judging by the movement underneath the futon that had escaped Serizawa’s notice until now. Kageyama-kun slowly made his way out from under the covers, blinking up at Serizawa as he moved to a standing position.

Serizawa felt his heart hurt at the state Kageyama-kun was in, to the point he realized Reigen hadn’t gotten a good look at him. He didn’t think it would be this bad in only a week. Kageyama-kun’s hair was disheveled and slightly tangled, he was wearing his pyjamas and, despite the fact he was apparently getting food, was skinnier than Serizawa remembered him being. His face had the look of someone who was oversleeping and hiseyes . Serizawa was struck cold by how haunted they looked, so old and hardened for a 14-year-old.

He was beginning to realize he had underestimated the challenge this would be.

“Serizawa-san? Why are you here?” Kageyama-kun croaked out, voice obviously underused. When Serizawa didn’t answer right away, he spoke again. “You need to leave, you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.”

In a blink of an eye, Serizawa had gone back 3 years, to the day the President came to his house, handed him an umbrella, and fed him false promises about re-entering the world. Only now, he wasn’t sitting on the floor, looking at the President. He was looking at himself , scared and confused, afraid of hurting the person across the room from him.

He was on the other side of the door now. He was the one standing over an esper terrified of himself and the outside world. But he couldn’t give him false promises of quick control and an easy life outside. He had to do this the hard way of telling the truth.

“It’s okay, Kageyama-kun, you can’t hurt me,” Serizawa said, slowly entering the room. But all that did was make Kageyama-kun yelp and dart to the back of the room, curling up on himself and not meeting Serizawa’s eyes. He sighed, and sat down, working to get on his level. He wasn’t going to be the President, standing over him patronizingly.

“Somedays the days I spent in my old bedroom feel like lifetimes ago. Those are good days; days where we help a client with a big problem and they leave with their life so much better. Days where I score well on a test or understand the math concept the first time it’s explained. Days where I wake up and the birds are singing and the sun is warm and I feel good about myself.” He looks at the ceiling as he talks, respecting Kageyama-kun’s wish for no eye contact.

“But there are hard days. Days I don’t want to get out of bed. Days where the world seems to loud, too crowded. Days where I can feel my powers pulse under my skin like it’s trying to break out and I fear that we’ll have a client with a truly spiritual need and I’ll hurt them trying to exorcise it. And some days I wonder if I should go back to that room. It was lonely and dark, but there was no risk of hurting people.”

Serizawa looks down when he feels Kageyama-kun’s eyes on him, but he looks away the moment eye contact is made. Still, Serizawa considers it progress, and he slides forward just a bit.

“Bad days happen, Kageyama-kun, I can’t lie to you about that. But I can tell you that good days happen too, and they’re not worth missing being locked up in your room. There is so much that you can do, that you’re allowed to do.”

“But it’s not safe,” Kageyama-kun breaks in, muffled by their arms as his head is tucked into them. “It’s not safe for other people when I’m outside. What if something happens again? People could get hurt again .”

“You can’t sacrifice your life on that fear.”

“I have to.” There’s so much determination in Kageyama-kun’s soft voice and it makes Serizawa hurt. “No one seems to realize how dangerous I am, even after all that, but I do. I thought I could change, that I could be normal and be around others, but I realized that I was fooling myself. I can’t change, and because of that, the world is safer if I’m in here.”

Serizawa took a deep breath. He knew he needed to chose his next words carefully; they could make or break Kageyama-kun. He slides forward a bit more.

“When you approached me in that office building, you said so much to me. A lot of it was hard to hear at the time, some of it painful, but I needed to hear it. So I’m going to try and repay the favor.”

He slides forward again.

“Change is difficult. It almost never comes easy and you have to work at it every day. Sometimes it makes you do things that are uncomfortable or that you’re afraid of. Some days you don’t make much progress. Some days you even go backwards. But the days you go forward, where you can feel yourself making progress, you can see yourself improving? Those are the best days. Those are the days that help you get out of bed and out the door, help push you through the bad ones. And they’re possible. And you showed me that, Kageyama-kun.” Another slide forward.

“When you ricocheted that energy blast back to me in that stairwell, I felt your emotions. And I could feel your capacity for change. I could feel your progress in making your body stronger, in making friends at school, in controlling your powers. And that part of you isn’t gone, Kageyama-kun. It’s still within you, you’ve just lost sight of it.” Just a little bit more…

“But you know, Kageyama-kun, that wasn’t the most important thing you said to me that day. It also wasn’t that Claw was using me, though that was very helpful.”

Serizawa slides forward and the motion catches Kageyama-kun’s attention, and he almost startles at how close Serizawa’s gotten to him.

“...What was it?” Kageyama asks, still not making eye contact.

“It was ‘Then I’ll be your friend’. For the first time in my life someone wanted to be my friend. You weren’t scared of me, and you didn’t just see me as something to be used. You saw another esper, a kindred spirit, and a potential friend. And because you were my friend, I saw how poorly Claw was treating me and came to the realization that I didn’t deserve to be treated like that. I got to meet Reigen, who gave me a job and works with me on my powers. I got the courage to go to high school and start to truly become a member of society.

“You helped me out of my darkest point. Let me help you out of yours.”

Kageyama-kun is looking up at him now, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. The motion pushes his bangs in a new position and Serizawa can see a piece of gauze taped to his forehead. It looks old, stained yellow and wrinkled, the corners of the medical tape starting to peal.

“And let me start with your head there,” Serizawa says as he stands up. “And I’m gonna need some light to do it.” He opens the tightly drawn blinds of Kageyama-kun’s window, letting the late afternoon sun into the room. Kageyama-kun blinks at the sudden light while Serizawa spots a first aid kit by the door. He walks over to pick it up, and notices a light layer of dust on the top. Kageyama-kun’s parents must have left it for him, but he hasn’t touched it. He opens the kit and pulls out a non-stick gauze pad, the roll of medical tape, a tube of antibiotic cream, and a pair of gloves.

He slips the gloves on as he walks back over to Kageyama, who has started to push himself away from the corner. Serizawa kneels and gently pulls the old gauze off. It’s a large gash, Serizawa can see the stitches threaded into the skin, but there’s no sign of infection. He pushes a little bit of the cream onto a finger and, as gently as he can, swabs it on the cut. “Does that hurt?” he asks when Kageyama winces a bit.

“No, just...tingly,” He says as Serizawa rips the covering off the gauze pad and pad and places it over the cut, then tapes it into place.

“Better?” Serizawa asks, and Kageyama nods.

They sit in silence for a bit, as Serizawa can tell that Kageyama is trying to think of something to say. He gives him the space to pull the words together.

“But what if something happens again? I know I didn’t mean to do what I did, but I could always get hurt again and… I can’t go through that a second time. Not again.” Serizawa can see the haunted look in his eyes grow as he speaks. He knows that touch may still be too much right now, so he settles for putting his hands in his lap.

“I hear you; that is a valid fear, especially considering your circumstances. But you also can’t let ‘what if’s’ run your life. I let that happen, and lost 15 years because of it. I could’ve done so much in those years, but I didn’t. I want you to experience the things I didn’t allow myself too.

“And, if you think it would help, we can train our powers together. I think it would be good for the both of us to have another esper to help out with things like this. And it’s a safety net; someone is there if things go wrong.”

Kageyama-kun looks up at him, and, for the first time since entering this room, Serizawa sees a flicker of hope. “I’d...I’d like that.”

“Good, I would too.” “But, I still don’t think I’m ready to go back to work or school yet,” Kageyama-kun admits, looking down. “It’s just too much right now.”

“That’s okay, you should take things at a pace you’re comfortable with. If those things are too big, we can start smaller.”

A knock on the door interrupts them. “Serizawa-san, would you like to stay for dinner?” Kageyama-kun’s mother calls through the door. “They should be enough for five.”

“Uh, one moment please,” He says back, checking the time on his phone. Kageyama’s house is on his way to school, and he should have enough time before classes start. And, if he’s a little late, it’s not a big deal. “I’d love to, thank you for offering.”

“You’re welcome. Come downstairs in about five minutes, okay?”

“Okay,” Serizawa replies as footsteps receded down the hall. He turns back to Kageyama-kun.

“You know, one small thing we could start with is going downstairs for dinner and eating with everyone,” Serizawa says. Kageyama-kun’s brows knit together, thinking.

“Can you come back tomorrow morning? Help me make sure I keep working at changing?” Kageyama-kun asks, and the answer is easy.

“Of course, it’s not a problem,” Serizawa smiles. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I should be a polite houseguest and help your mother set up dinner.” He stands up and, to his mild surprise, Kageyama-kun follows him, even going ahead of him to get the door. Serizawa thanks him as he walks out, but stops short when Kageyama-kun calls out down the hall.

“Uh, mom? Don’t bring my plate up here, please, I’m going to come down once I get dressed and brush my hair.”

Serizawa looks back to Kageyama-kun, covered in a golden light as the sun sets behind him. And at that moment, he’s certain the kid could get through anything.