#anyway. head empty only sayaka

[vv-ispy]

in a way genshin was such a weird phase for me bc before it I would be writing a post every two days about how much I love alyx vance so alas I gotta say. yeah being able to write endlessly about how much I love a character is just the natural state for me

[dangans-ur-ronpas]

Chapter 3

houghhh

SEE HERE FOR GENERAL WARNINGS AND FIC SUMMARY

Some pre-chapter notes:

Chapter alternatively titled 'Sayaka's plan delayed because Makoto decided to introduce Byakuya to Shin Ramyun.' Sorry Sayaka this scene was too funny to take out.

This Byakuya is a lot less antagonistic than canon Byakuya. But mostly because he's too busy dealing with some other stuff to worry about being the biggest asshole on the block.

He's also an unreliable narrator. Not just because he's blind here, but also because his thinking pattern is sometimes wildly out of the realm of usual logic, thanks to his upbringing.

Content warning tags: mild panic moment (I hesitate to call it a panic attack because I did not write this with that in mind, but Byakuya gets spooked by the lights going out and feels vulnerable)

< previous - from start - next >

Against his better judgment, he lets Naegi lead him to the cafeteria.

The halls are more or less empty, but some people are occupying a table when they arrive. He watches the dark-brown dollop of Asahina's head bob up as they walk in, and sees Ogami raise one of her heavy arms to wave. "Hey Makoto! And-" Asahina cuts off suddenly as she sees Byakuya behind him.

He’s not surprised by the sudden aversion. He hadn’t exactly been trying to put himself in the good graces of everyone around him. But he hears Ogami say "Byakuya," in polite acknowledgement, so he jerks his head back in a stiff nod.

"Hi, Hina. Hi, Sakura." Makoto greets back warmly. "Is there any soup left?"

"Well, it's just a little bit. It was really good, so we came back for seconds...and also thirds. And I think so did a few other people." She gives a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, if we knew you wanted any, we would have saved some more."

It takes Byakuya a moment to realize she's addressing him. "...It's fine." It's not like he was planning on eating from the same pot as everyone else, definitely not tonight when tensions were so high.

"What are you guys still doing here anyways? I thought everyone would be back in their rooms by now."

"I got antsy just waiting in my room, so I came out here to have some tea until curfew. Sakura happened to be here at the same time, so we figured he'd hang out together." How casual. That easy-going attitude was bound to get her killed if she wasn't careful. "Oh yeah. Sayaka came by a little earlier for some water."

“O-oh, really?” There’s a note of relief in his voice that was so pathetic it was almost funny, if Byakuya was in the mood to laugh. “I’m glad, she was really shaken up earlier. Thanks for letting me know!"

"Remember! Ishimaru said it's unwholesome to stay in opposite-sex dorms!" Asahina calls after him in a teasing lilt as they walk towards the kitchen, and Makoto stumbles, stammers something in denial in reply, and then picks up his pace, the back of his neck turning obviously pink.

Byakuya snorts when he notices. As if what Asahina was teasing about would ever happen; even with his reduced senses, he was well aware of Maizono's relation with Naegi from their interactions during morning meetings, and how that girl was jerking him around like a fish on a hook. The only person too stupid to realize that was the fish himself.

He pauses suddenly, standing in the middle of the kitchen. Maizono was someone who was deceitfully innocent, and a dangerous person to be around. The way she subtly took over during morning meetings with her polite, pretty demeanor and gentle gestures wasn't something that had escaped him. Sure, it was likely that Makoto was of the same type as her, deceptively clever and disingenuous in his friendliness, but he was also dancing in her palm. The two went to the same middle school, Byakuya had overheard, and Makoto was clearly nursing a crush on someone out of his league.

And yet, here was that girl, beyond his reach, playing at being his friend, sticking to his side. Right after the revealing of the first motive, she had been the first one to run from the room in a fit of anguish; there wasn't any doubt in Byakuya's mind that she was probably one of the most desperate to leave right now. And someone clever enough to actually have a chance at succeeding.

"Byakuya? What are you doing?"

"...Nothing." He says shortly. And moves to stand behind where Naegi was crouching, in front of a low pantry shelf stuffed with a mess of colored packaging.

"These are the instant meals. It's mostly noodles, but a lot of it is pretty high-end stuff. There's also some microwave stuff for curry and rice, and this Italian-rice thing...ri...rizz-oh-doh? I think?"

"'Risotto.'" Byakuya corrects him.

"Right, right. There's also ingredients for a sandwich or something. And I think there's some chicken nuggets in the freezer, too..." He must have seen the look of disgust on Byakuya's face, because he hurriedly says: "But, probably not that, right?"

None of it sounded particularly appealing to Byakuya. But he was hungry, and it wasn't like he'd never eaten commoner staples before. "Anything is fine. Pick for me."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. I don't care." He waves his hand dismissively. "Ah, but if I don't like it, then I'll be suing you as soon as we get out of here for attempted poisoning."

He smiles inwardly as Naegi sputters, fumbling the packets in his hands. He doubted that there were any good sources of poison here, and trying to concoct something completely undetectable out of the few resources available to them was highly improbable. Besides, after enough assassination attempts, he had a decent tolerance for most poisons and was capable at detecting most of them, so he doubted such a thing would actually kill him; though as it was, he resolved to watch Naegi closely through every step of the cooking process.

"Here-um, how about this one?" The boy holds up a packet, black with red accents. "This one's pretty popular. Its flavor is spicy, uh...puh...pot aow fool?"

"...It's pronounced 'pot-au-feu', you half-witted buffoon." Byakuya rolls his eyes with a scoff. "I'm not sure how you've lived this long without a lick of French."

Naegi just chuckles awkwardly, sounding abashed. "Well...whatever it's called, I think it tastes pretty good. And it's supposed to have bone broth in it, which is supposed to be healthy? I'm pretty sure, at least." He stands up with the packet, and holds it out in Byakuya's direction.

"...What?" Byakuya asks, bemused. "Don't tell me you expect me to prepare this myself."

All he gets is stunned silence. If he had to guess, Naegi was probably confused, and Byakuya sighs, exasperated.

"All my food is prepared for me," He says, slowly, like explaining it to a child. "I'm not sure how you peasants have to deal with fending for yourself in that regard, but I have never had to prepare anything for myself in my entire life."

"...So, you don't know how to make instant noodles?"

"...I never said that." Even at his lowest points, he had never had to worry about going hungry. That had always been someone else’s concern. "But 'knowing' and 'doing' are entirely different things, you know."

"It's just boiling water and the noodles, though. And adding the flavoring packet."

"I fail to see the point you're trying to make."

Naegi makes a small sound, something between a sigh and a chuckle, and Byakuya feels irritation flare up, his ears beginning to warm. "Don't look at me like that."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Here, I'll make it for you."

He hovers over Naegi's shoulder the whole time, watching him do everything from boil the water to opening the noodles, but also chopping up green onions and cracking an egg (which, as he explained to Byakuya's questioning, was how he preferred to eat his noodles, though he could leave them out if he wanted. Byakuya decided to leave it). "Do you want chili-garlic oil in it? Junko added a lot to tonight's dish earlier, but it was actually a little too spicy for me."

"No. I'm not interested." Byakuya replies, before suddenly finding himself feeling irritated at having a similar preference as Naegi, of all people.

The end result is a rather hefty bowl, fragrant and swimming with color. Despite it being just a hastily whipped-up dish of cheap, scattered ingredients, Byakuya finds his mouth watering at the mere smell. Naegi hands him a pair of chopsticks.

"We should probably carry that to your room. It'll be ten o'clock soon." Naegi says, and Byakuya nods as he accepts the utensils, wrapping them in a napkin and placing them in his pocket. They click against the screwdriver, and suddenly he’s reminded of the situation they’re in.

He frowns, curling his hand around the handle. It’d be pointless to try and stab Naegi hare, but for a moment he had been forgetting himself. Forgetting the wariness he should be practicing at all times.

"Carry it for me." He orders, and Naegi, perhaps used to hearing his commands at this point, picks up the bowl without protest, holding it delicately between his hands. "If you spill, you're cleaning it up."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..."

He follows the shorter boy out of the kitchen. Asahina and Sakura are still there, though in the process of cleaning up and leaving - they wave as Naegi passes, and Byakuya ignores them - and then they're out of the cafeteria, walking in the direction of the dorms.

And it should have been - would have been - all fine, if the lights in the hallway hadn't suddenly dimmed in preparation for the nightly curfew. Immediately, Byakuya's vision drops, the colors washed out by gray, and even Naegi's movements become vague and less obvious besides him, blending in with their surroundings as just a slightly darker blot on the monochrome background. It's not as if the lights had gone completely out, or if his vision had been completely obscured; but for an instant, Byakuya has the irrational feeling of being entirely, totally alone.

Before he can stop himself, Byakuya's hand reaches out, and his fingers hook into the soft fabric of the other boy's hood.

"U-uh? What?"

Naegi stops in his tracks, and he turns, the cheap cotton dragging through Byakuya's fingers. "Byakuya? Is something wrong?"

He can't respond. That brief moment of anxiety was still thrumming through his veins, and he finds himself unable to speak, still working through the sudden burst of dread. Every single morning, he had woken up and found himself afraid to open his eyes, worried that his vision had worsened overnight, and every morning he found himself both relieved and disgusted when there was no change. He thought he had gotten used to it, at this point, adapted to it, and hidden it well, but…

That clearly wasn't the case. The sudden plunge into darkness had brought him back to when he first woke up in this twisted school, blind and helpless and stumbling. Utterly alone.

"Byakuya, hey. I'm right here."

Something warm presses against his front. It’s Naegi, leaning into his chest. He can feel the shorter man’s hair rustling against his shirt. "Take a deep breath, okay? I'm right here."

Deep breath? He acts as if Byakuya was panicking, which was preposterous. And the assumption that his presence was comforting was stupid and absurd. "I'm fine." He says, but his voice sounds rougher than he intends.

"Yeah, I know." Naegi replies, and his voice is soft, and a balm on Byakuya's nerves. "I'm gonna walk towards your room, okay? You can keep holding onto my hood."

"I don't need to," He mutters back, but it's a useless protest. His hand stays wrapped in the hood of Naegi's jacket as they start moving again, this time slower than before. 

The screwdriver is still in his pocket. Byakuya closes his eyes, letting everything fall to complete darkness, and finds he can still hear the sound of Naegi's breath, calm and repetitive.

"We're here."

He opens his eyes, and reaches out to his left, his hand meeting the wooden plane of his door. He releases Naegi's jacket to fish the key out of his pocket, and it only takes him two tries before he manages to slot it into the keyhole, and he pushes his way inside.

Here, the lights are on, and it's a relief to be able to recognize things again, however murky. He turns just in time to catch Naegi, once more a mass of earthy colors, setting the bowl on his nightstand with a quiet sound.

"Wait," And again, he was acting before he was thinking, before he could stop himself. It was something that was unbecoming of him, something that should only be done by the primitive and uncivilized, and yet he couldn't feel disgusted about it just yet. "Makoto."

The forest-colored shape stops at the door. "Yeah?"

"Stay." It's meant to be an order, but it doesn't sound like one, not even to himself, too soft and desperate and pleading. But Naegi turns away from the door at least, and Byakuya lets out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "We need to talk."

The insufferable commoner makes him eat first, before talking. Makes him sit on the edge of the bed with the bowl in his lap (because for some preposterous reason, their rooms all lacked chairs, of all things), and tells him to eat as much as he can, and he'll be back soon, he needs to 'go check on Sayaka, she'd been asking after me earlier...'

That woman is using you, Byakuya's tempted to say. But instead, all he said was: "Hurry up, then. Don't leave me waiting." Before the door shuts behind him, and he was gone.

It was rather infuriating. For once, Byakuya had made a request (he won't call it a plea, because he never made pleas, not even for his own life) - and that senseless, dim-witted fool had prioritized her over him. As if Byakuya wasn't the smarter of the two options, the one who could offer more, anything - the one Naegi should have been trying to get into the good graces of, as he had been earlier. And yet, all it took was a foolish, half-formed infatuation with Maizono, and now Byakuya was alone again.

At least the food was decent. It was salty, certainly, and a little overpowering in the spices, but it was warm and filling and acceptable enough, and he finished it surprisingly quickly. After which point, Naegi still hadn't returned, and with nothing else to do he took it upon himself to start preparing for bed.

It's as he's brushing his teeth, and staring at the yellow smudge of his head in the mirror, that he realizes the deplorable state he'd fallen into. First he let Naegi, of all people, wheedle him away from the safety of his room to go eat of all things, and furthermore, he let that peasant prepare his food in the middle of a killing game. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he put on that trembling, pathetic display in the hallway, freezing up just because the lights went out, like a child-

And then, letting Naegi help him. Letting him offer that simple, stupid reassurance, and then feeling comforted by it. By that ugly, underhanded pity that Byakuya hated so much.

It disgusts him so much he could puke.

It's this cursed blindness, he thinks, and not for the first time, he presses fingers to his closed eye, a pointless motion. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't be so helpless, so dependent, and so easily manipulated by such cheap tactics. If it weren't for this, his existence as a Togami wouldn't be as perilous as it is now.

He needed to resolve this as soon as possible. By any means possible.

I can't let him get the better of me again.

< previous - from start - next >

[kkatastrophic]

This prologue is in Leon's pov because he's the first ghost Hagakure notices, the rest of the fic if I do write it will be in Yasuhiro's pov. :)

Leon Kuwata's POV: Prologue:

Leon Kuwata groggily opened his eyes from what was the most excruciating experience in his entire life. Rubbing his head and trying to stand he noticed that a patch near the top of his skull was wet. Rubbing his hand along it and inspecting his finger, red blood gleamed under the harsh white light. He let out a scream, twisting his head around as his memories returned to him. He certainly couldn't have survived that. So then... what was he now? His heart skipped a beat as his eyes focused on the girl standing infront of him. The pop sensation, Sayaka Maizono. The one he had killed less than 12 hours ago. "Have you worked it out yet?" she spoke, but Leon didn't register what she was saying. His eyes were drawn right past where she was standing, to the only other person in the trial room. Yasuhiro Hagakure.

The Ultimate Clairvoyant was running his hands through his hair, staring at the execution chamber with a freaked out look plastered across his face. At first Leon thought that maybe the boy was in shock, but eveyrbody else had left including the more emotional students. Leon hadn't been that close with Yasuhiro anyway, so what could he possibly be doing pointing at the chain link fence that separated life and death?

Furrowing his brows Leon stood on wobbly legs and slowly walked towards the double doors that had slammed closed as the metal collar had jolted violently into the pitch, letting him know that his demise would be soon. But as Kuwata tried to open the door he simply fell through the metal, landing right at Hiro's feet.

Looking up slowly Yasuhiro made eye contact with him, he didn't speak as Leon rose from the ground beneath him. The clairvoyant's lip was quivering wildly, almost as if he didn't believe his eyes. He opened his mouth, finally making a sound.

"This is for seriously creeping me out man! I knew the supernatural was real!"

And with that he slowly backed away. "Please don't hurt me" clasping his hands together in a prayer like position and scrambling back to the elevator, desperately pressing the up button.

As the doors dinged open and Hiro rushed inside the elevator alone Leon turned back to face Sayaka Maizono, who had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot impatiently. "Well? Anything you want to say?"

Leon gulped, staring at the weapon plunged deep into the ghost girls' heart. He didn't want to have to deal with a vengeful spirit so he bolted to the elevator and followed Yasuhiro's actions of pressing the button violently.

"Leon, are you kidding me right now?!" Sayaka phased through the gate and tried to lunge at the baseball player, but as she did so the elevator doors opened revealing Yasuhiro, Makoto, Byakuya, Kyoko and Kiyotaka.

"He's right there! S-Sayaka is too!" Hiro shook his head and pointed at the two ghosts in the room. "Why are none of you taking me seriously?!"

Makoto stared at the empty trial room, no sign of life aside from the students in the elevator. "I don't doubt you, Hiro... but maybe it would be better if we should get some rest for the night..."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes tapping the bottom of her chin with a gloved finger. She stayed silent.

"Byakuya spoke next, his harsh words cut through the thin air. I, for one, think that this is a waste of time and effort. Hagakure is the sort of person to pull a low-life prank like this, isn't he? We shouldn't bother even listening to his demands."

The elevator dinged closed and Leon quickly took his chance, squeezing in with the group. This left Sayaka alone in the trial room. Leon didn't want to face her every again. He was ashamed that he had killed her, even if it was just an accident she'd never forgive his actions. Her sour mood only moments ago proved this point further.

Yasuhiro looked very uncomfortable sharing the elevator ride with a ghost. Leon hoped that they would just be able to talk in future, it'd be nice to have some contact from the other side.

AU where Hiro could see the ghosts of THH the WHOLE time like "what are you talking about man, Leon's right here!" and the camera cuts to Sayaka kicking Leon in the shin. (post chapter one ofc)

Makoto is staring at him like "huh?" and Byakuya interjects with an "ignore him, he's an imbecile." Kyoko walks in shaking her head "He's probably still in shock from the execution, come on Makoto back to the investigation we need to find out who killed Fujisaki-Chan."

[mirobami]

I’m back again 😈, lemme request my bae Aoi again 😩, with hearts and two pair, bc I know damn well we’d be both amazing soulmates to this fine man 🤭

↳ wish it wasn’t you

♠️ CHARACTER: a. mibuomi

♠️ MATCH: Hearts (Enemies to Lovers) + Two Pair (Soulmate!AU)

♠️ NOTE: MY FELLOW AOI MIBUOMI STAN GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE 😩listen i’m not saying that i would run laps for aoi, but i would carry him while i do so ANYWAYS ENJOY because this was longer than i thought it would be omg

“Can you, for once in your life, shut up?!”

“Aww, but you’re so cute when you’re flustered, my love.”

You were fuming, stomping through the hallway and everyone quickly jumped out of your way, not wanting to get in your fury’s way. Aoi was following you with a smirk on his face. You were trying to get away from him so you could go check the gambling dens, as part of your student council job. But he was relentless and decided to go with you, per Kirari’s request. So now he listens to Kirari, only when it came to annoying you. This was infuriating. You just wanted to do a round to see if you could find your soulmate and do your job. After all, everyone in this school had a tattoo that matched their soulmate’s and no one else’s. But Aoi was making even finding your soulmate difficult.

Slamming open the student council meeting room door, you stalked through to get to Kirari. “I demand for you to keep Aoi here.”

“Oh, you’re using my first name now! Do you want to get married next?”

You moved faster than anyone in the room could process. Whipping around, you grabbed his necktie and tugged him closer to you. “Listen, you arrogant asshole, I am not the person to mess with and I swear to God, if you don’t stop, I will make sure that you will never be able to talk again. Understood?”

Even with all your threats, he was smiling with a mean glint in his eye. “I hope you’re my soulmate, because I would love to see what else you could do.”

Letting go of him, you turned to Kirari. “The dens are all cleared. I’m going home. If Aoi follows me, you will have to find a new treasurer.”

The next few days were less eventful. Aoi had somehow decided to stop bothering you as much, having put on a lot of work. You were the only student council member aware of his Full Bloom society. Like Runa, you said you were neutral to the situation. He couldn’t say anything about you because he was the only one who knew your background (he figured out behind your back and you chased him for hours to try and strangle him) and the spot you were in granted you safety. He never brought you to his society meetings, though, because he still didn’t trust you and he didn’t want you to know where the meetings were held. The entire rivalry between you two felt one sided at times, because he was more open with you and you slammed him down each time. He would flirt with you, but you knew it was in a mocking manner. 

You had gotten loads of paperwork from Sayaka and you were to take some of them to Aoi. You knew exactly where he was and you knocked on his office door. “Hey, dumbass, I have your paperwork.” He never answered. Opening the door, you saw his empty desk and sighed. Figures. 

Leaving the papers on his desk, you started to walk away before hearing something through a wall. It was a bunch of chattering and the familiar sound of dice and slot machines. The wall was hollow where you tapped it, concluding that it was a door. Opening it, you saw an entire system of house pets there, playing card games, at slot machines, talking amongst each other. You found the Full Bloom society. 

Due to your status as a student council member, you incited fear into all of them. It was even more clear now when literally everything stopped and everyone turned to look at you in fear. No one said anything and you scowled. “Where. Is. Aoi.”

A trembling girl called for Aoi and he was laughing, talking with someone else as he walked out. His head turned to look at you and for the first time, you saw genuine fear in his eyes. You were neutral, but you hated him. You wanted any reason to be his downfall. He could tell that this was good blackmail. “Oh no.”

“Well, well, well. An entire society of house pets here, led by you, nevertheless.” Leaning against the wall, you touched your lip and smiled. “So this was the society, huh?”

“Y/N, it’s not what it looks like.”

“It definitely is.”

“You said you were neutral.”

“Yes, I also said I hated you. You think I’ll be honest to my enemy?” Humming, you memorized the features of all the house pets fearfully looking at you. “It would be interesting if someone told Kirari about all of this.”

You had your arms crossed as you grinned at him. “You want to kiss me so bad, it makes you look stupid.”

Aoi immediately launched himself at you, dragging you out of the room to shut the door. He was breathing heavily as he turned around to look at you. "If you say one word to Kirari--"

"I will do it."

"Y/N, please, you don't get it." His tone was practically desperate, trying to convince you. "Actually, you should, you used to be poor."

Your eyes flashed at that as you gritted your teeth. "Why do you think I'm neutral? I got here because I actually tried!"

"You think they aren't?!"

"Sometimes I think you're really stupid."

You both were glaring at each other and he huffed, digging into his coat pocket. "If you don't say anything, I'll pay you. In fact, I'll do anything for you as long as you keep quiet about this."

"Bribery."

"God, you're so irritating at times. Take the money and go!"

“I do want to kiss you!"

His confession made both of you blink. You stood there in shock, not processing what he was saying. His face was redder than his jacket and he face palmed. "I--That wasn't--"

"Show me your tattoo."

He didn't say anything. He took off his jacket and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, shoving aside the cloth on his left shoulder. There was the exact replica of your tattoo, the one that matched with your soulmate. Fortunately, yours was just on your bicep.

"There. Happy? We're soulmates, you hate me, just go and spill it. What I said before--"

"Aoi, you idiot, hurry up and kiss me before I decide to leave and tell Sachiko and Kirari everything."

If it wasn't for the door behind him, he definitely would have passed out standing and the worst part was he had no witty comeback. You were going to be the death of him.

[pastelraccoons]

KiraSaya Week Day 6 - Rest

Silence surrounded Kirari when she finally arrived back at the Academy after dealing with some Clan business. She had nearly asked Ririka to take care of it for her since she usually hated boring meetings, but she figured she could handle it. It turned out to be a rather trivial matter in the long run anyway. All she knew was that she wanted to finish up any Student Council work then head back home.

Kirari pushed open the heavy doors to the Council room. They creaked and groaned from their own weight before closing behind her with a thunk. As expected, the room appeared empty as the rest of the Student Council headed home long ago. However, she did notice a figure slumped in their chair with their head resting on their folded arms.

A low laugh bubbled up from Kirari’s chest when she saw that it was Sayaka. A pen dangled between her fingers, barely in her grasp anymore. Countless papers and documents were splayed out in front of her. Out of curiosity, Kirari picked a random one out from the pile. She smiled a bit when she realized it was the paperwork that she was about to do herself.

“Sayaka, you’re going to work yourself to death, I swear,” Kirari whispered. She shook her head as she placed the paper back down onto the table. She reached over and gently tucked a strand of Sayaka’s hair behind her ear. “Come now. Your back is going to hurt if you stay like that.”

Sayaka responded by curling up tighter and making a fist around her pen before relaxing her grip. Kirari shook her head again then shrugged off her blazer. She neatly draped it over the back of her usual chair then stepped up next to Sayaka. Instead of shaking her awake, Kirari carefully knelt down, slipped one of her arms under Sayaka’s legs by her knees, then the other around her shoulders. Kirari took a brief moment to prepare herself before lifting Sayaka and bracing her against her chest.

It took little effort to pick her up from her seat; Sayaka was lighter than she was expecting. Kirari wasn’t sure if it was lucky for her since she could easily carry the snoozing Sayaka, or concerning since she wasn’t sure Sayaka was eating properly. Kirari pushed those worries aside for now while she made her way towards one of the small couches they kept nearby.

She soon stopped in her tracks when Sayaka suddenly started to wriggle in her grasp. She didn't want to drop her, so she stood as still as she could manage until she settled down. In fact, Kirari couldn't help but smile as Sayaka instead took to curling up tightly against her chest like a child.

Taking only a few more steps, Kirari finally made it to the edge of the sofa. She eased herself down onto one knee so she could gently rest Sayaka down onto the cushions. When she went to pull her arms from around her, Sayaka groaned, shifted in her arms, then turned her head towards Kirari.

“Mm, five more minutes…” Sayaka mumbled with her eyes barely open. Her eyelids slowly drifted back closed when she slipped her arms around Kirari’s neck.

“If you insist,” Kirari said with a quiet laugh. She was sure that Sayaka had no idea what she was doing at the moment. She knew that Sayaka would normally not be so bold.

Instead of laying Sayaka onto the couch like Kirari had planned, she sat down and stretched herself out. She carefully adjusted herself so Sayaka’s head rested against her shoulder and they could both comfortably lie down.

With the early setting sun casting a relaxing orange glow inside the room, Kirari soon let out a yawn of her own. The comforting weight of Sayaka resting on top of her and her steady breathing started to lull Kirari into a dreamy daze. A relaxed smile curled the corners of her lips as she pressed a light kiss to Sayaka’s temple. Sayaka reacted with a hum and tucked her head beneath Kirari’s chin.

She’ll probably be mortified once she wakes up, Kirari thought with another yawn. Her smile became mischievous as she started to drift into a light slumber herself. I can’t wait to see that adorable look on her face when she does.

[itsclydebitches]

YYH Recaps: Episode 4 “Requirements for Lovers”

Hello, everyone! It's been quite a while, huh? Ah, the endless cycle of wanting to write and yet, astoundingly, not writing. I know it well.

Good ol' writer's block has skedaddled for a time though, so let's make good use of that and dive into Episode Four: "Requirements for Lovers." 

Ohhh, YYH getting spicy with its titles 😏

Actually wait, I shouldn't be making dumb jokes just yet. First I want to acknowledge a slight change to future recaps: YYH, RWBY, and anything else I might try my hand at. Namely, a lack of pictures moving forward. A few weeks ago — months? I honestly can't keep track — tumblr implemented a new limitation where no post can have more than ten images in it. It's a move that, while I'm sure has its justifications, makes sharing analyses of visually-based media all the more difficult. I'll be doing my best moving forward to describe scenes as needed, as well as combining connected images together to stretch out my limit, but I'm not going to pretend that it'll be the same as getting the visual play-by-play we’re used to. 

Tumblr certainly is a website, huh?  

Anyway, we open on Yusuke once again lamenting the difficulty of hatching a spirit beast that doesn't immediately devour him from the head down. On the one hand this is an admittedly easy way to reset the story over the course of this arc — the storytelling equivalent of waking your character up each morning — yet I cannot deny that if I were undergoing a resurrection test, it would consume my every thought too. Can't really blame Yusuke for endlessly bringing the conflict up when the conflict is this deadly.

Well, deadly for a ghost, anyway.

Specifically, he's worried about how embarrassing it would be to get eaten by something that came out of an egg this tiny. I'm torn between reminding a fictional character that things grow — a pissed off chicken could kick my ass and it started out in an egg too — and just shaking my head over the absurdity of worrying about embarrassment when, you know, you would cease to exist. It's not even a matter of, "What if I die and then I'm embarrassed about it in the afterlife :( " Yusuke is already IN the afterlife. He's got nowhere to go but oblivion!

Luckily, Botan takes a more practical approach to these worries, pointing out that he'll be just fine provided he does some good deeds. Yusuke starts a rant about how do-gooders are only ever out for themselves.

Yusuke, you dumb-dumb, you're a do-gooder now. What was all that help for Kuwabara, hmm? As said, these early episodes exist in a semi-reset loop, where Yusuke needs to stew in his main character flaws for a while before any real growth starts to stick. Those flaws being, primarily, "I'm a pessimist" and "also I hate myself."

Case in point, Botan accuses him of always seeing the glass as half empty. Which, while true enough (outside of his confidence in fighting, anyway), by now we've got a pretty good sense of where Yusuke developed this attitude. He affirms this by talking about how Koenma's got him by the balls, "just another idiot abusing his power!" With an alcoholic mother and those teachers from last episode, it's no wonder Yusuke thinks this way. Mr. Takenaka's interest and Keiko's care aren't enough to combat the rest of Yusuke's experience, not when Takenaka is an outlier and Keiko is Yusuke's peer. Her desire to keep him on the right track reads only as an inevitability at best (the downside of having a perfect childhood friend), or a legitimate annoyance at worst. Or, as we'll continue to see in this episode, a way for them to flirt.

Is it any wonder Yusuke would sneer at Koenma's offer then, expecting the worst? The fact that Yusuke is still undergoing the challenge at all, no matter what he says, speaks volumes to me.

However, Botan is less than comfortable with his criticisms. She panics a bit at Yusuke insulting the (junior) ruler of the underworld so blithely. That, and the fact that he's carelessly tossing his egg around.

(Yes we’re using precious picture space for memes are you SURPRISED?) 

Anyway, Botan isn't just concerned for the sake of concern. She cautions Yusuke against speaking too freely because there may be investigators checking in on his progress. No sooner does he ask what those investigators look like than one appears.

Thunder! Lighting! An energy so intense that Yusuke is briefly blinded! It is, as he says, quite the entrance. What kind of being could possibly be at the heart of such an astounding show?

Why, this teeny-tiny cutie, of course.

Remember, few appearances in YYH coincide with the character's true self. Would you ever assume this is the all-powerful investigator who holds Yusuke's future in her hands? Of course not. That's the point.

The investigator introduces herself as Sayaka and immediately demonstrates that she has no more patience for Yusuke's attitude than Botan does. "These damn kids," he mutters and my brain briefly blue screens because Yusuke. You're fourteen.

Plus, Sayaka and Botan clearly have some sort of eternal youth situation going on, so there's that too.

Sayaka is, in a word, fantastic. She pulls no punches with Yusuke, teleporting away from him with what can only be described as a shit-eating smile, all while refusing to tell him what exactly she's investigating. “I’m sorry, but that’s a secret!” However, Keiko is clearly at the forefront of her interest. She refers to her as Yusuke's "girlfriend."

Botan is more than happy to point Keiko out — because of course they're still following her around! — and pulls a Et tu, Brute? on Yususke, leading Sayaka right to her. Like most of the Underworld, Sayaka is rather shocked that the pretty, popular, scholarly girl is supposedly into the delinquent. It's the power of childhood friendship, you fools! Specifically, Sayaka references the "positive markings" that Keiko has accumulated, but the audience already knows by now that such markings are suspect at best. Yusuke himself is proof of that. So if his terrible marks don't preclude him from being a young kid's savior, should we really view Keiko's as proof of superiority?

I mean, Keiko is fantastic, but that's not really the point here.

Starting her own investigation into Yusuke's life, Sayaka begins with one hell of a bombshell: "There's no point in doing [the resurrection] if the people closest to you don't care." WOW. Not only is that a harsh assessment, it's one I don't think I can personally get behind. The offer to restore Yusuke to life is built on the acknowledgment that their system is flawed (even if there's no work to change or dismantle that system): they thought he was worthless, his sacrificial death seems to have proven them wrong, and now they want further evidence, in the form of this trial, that Yusuke is a good person at heart. The whole point of this challenge is to give him a second chance, with testimonies like Mr. Takenaka's emphasizing that Yusuke has always been capable of more, so long as he applies himself. This, as we'll see throughout the series, applies to relationships too. The Yusuke with one friend he play-fights with, a distant mother, and a school worth of kids who are terrified of his very name is not the future Yusuke they expect him to become, so... why base his resurrection on what he's already (not) accomplished? Granted, the show is very unclear about what, if anything, Sayaka will do if she decides that Yusuke doesn't have a life worth going back to (even if I have my own theory discussed at the end), but the fact that this is suddenly a factor at all seems grossly unfair, not entirely unlike Kuwabara's rigged promise. We as the audience know that people love Yusuke. Yusuke himself is beginning to acknowledge that. But if this fourteen year old delinquent truly had no one that wanted him back from the dead... isn't that all the more reason to allow a resurrection and give him the chance to build a life where he would be missed? 

This stupid shonen got me thinking too much istg. 

Yusuke, ever the self-deprecating pessimist, bypasses all of the above thoughts and jumps straight to, "It's clear if [Keiko] had any sense she'd want me gone." I'd find that attitude incredibly sad if I wasn't distracted by how cute Botan and Sayaka are, sitting on the oar together. The spirit girls who fly together, thrive together! 

Botan starts teasing Yusuke about having a crush, which just feeds his temper and Sayaka's confusion. Deciding that she needs to gather more info, they follow along for an average day of school because these earlier episodes are, apparently, ghost-stalk Keiko hours. 

We see her reading aloud in class from Heart of Darkness (not the easiest book for some middle schoolers), scoring a point during volleyball practice, refusing to let one girl cheat off her homework, but happily helping another who runs up with a question. So she's pretty, athletic, and academically successful, the trifecta for any good love interest. Sayaka is impressed not just with her "nearly perfect" scores, but also the maturity that Keiko demonstrates, such as maintaining her morals about cheating while remaining compassionate. 

Actually, I really love the contrast this provides for us, the viewer. Meaning, Keiko is shown to be at her least mature when in Yusuke's presence. Not that her responses aren't justified, but watching her dramatically snatch gum from his mouth, slap him across the face, or pull crazed expressions as she yells at him is a far cry from this calm, poised, soft-spoken Keiko. It's a way to visually show us that she's comfortable in his presence, despite the suspect humor attached. Not that the Keiko we see at school is faking or anything — she is legitimately that kind and articulate — but we see that being with Yusuke allows her to relax in a way she doesn't with others. School!Keiko is, as Sayaka says, pretty much perfect, 24/7. Yusuke's Keiko is a little rougher around the edges, in a way that implies a multifaceted personality shining through. 

However, the only conclusion our trio draws is that, given Keiko's accomplishments, any attraction must be one-sided.

Poor Yusuke lol. 

In a plot move that is so ridiculously contrived, just as Yusuke is grappling with the accusation that Keiko couldn't possibly like him back, a "handsome boy" arrives to ask Keiko out. He says that he couldn't bear it when she stopped reading Heart of Darkness because he's fallen in love with her voice. "Will you be my girlfriend?" 

Please excuse me while I lose my shit over how ridiculous this is. I legitimately straight up cackled when I watched this scene. 

Luckily for Mr. Absurd, Keiko takes him seriously — and lets him down easy. She says she can't be his girlfriend and when he presses the "Why?", asking if she already likes someone else, Keiko confirms that she does. This is done through a shot of her feet. Not a POV shot given the angle, but close enough that it feels like we're stepping into Keiko's shoes (haha), shyly staring down at the floor in embarrassment and regret. 

Rejection complete? The guy screams. 

I mean he screams. 

I mean this nobody we're never gonna see again unhinges his jaw and lets out an unholy shriek the likes of which makes me shriek in utter GLEE. 

It's insane. It's wonderful. I'm going to use one of my coveted image spots to show you his face: 

Look at that and tell me this show isn't amazing. 

Okay, I'm focusing again. As Keiko runs off Botan and Sayaka start dragging Yusuke, teasing him about how Keiko chose him over that "charming handsome boy." 

...Please scroll up and look at that image again. I find YYH's definition of "charming" and "handsome" to be hilariously wrong. 

Yusuke, as per usual, throws himself into damage control, claiming that Keiko didn't say who she liked, so really it could be anyone. They're not buying it. “'I like Keiko' is written all over your face!” Botan crows. Meanwhile, Sayaka is scribbling in her little investigator's journal that feelings on both side are severely misunderstood. "Suggest serious counseling." 

Fantastic idea, Sayaka. I'd personally suggest counseling for the whole dying/best friend getting resurrected thing... but relationship woes work too! 

We cut to later when school is out and Keiko has gone over to Yusuke's. To say that Atsuko has done a poor job of keeping the house clean lately would be a serious understatement. 

Keiko points out the old food and broken glass specifically, cluing us in that this isn't just a messy environment, but a dangerous one as well. This is proven when she accidentally knocks a stack of books over and a used bowl falls onto Yusuke's face. What's interesting is that Keiko says that things are "back to normal" now, though I'm not sure if that's in reference to the state of the house, or just the note Atsuko left behind, asking Keiko to take care of Yusuke while she's out. I'm inclined towards thinking it's just the note, partly because of Keiko's shock when she first arrives, because the house wasn't shown to be in this state prior to Yusuke's death (first image above), and because the note is accompanied by a great voiceover that makes Atsuko sound quite sloshed when she left. That's what's normal, the drinking and carefree attitude, not the state of her home. If we buy that reading, it allows for another fantastic look into Atsuko's mental state. If she's already an alcoholic, the trauma of her son's death and the following revelation that he's coming back might make her struggle in other ways. Like finding cleaning to be an impossible task. 

She's depressed. It doesn't excuse the state she's left Yusuke in and, as previously acknowledged, YYH is definitely not a show interested in this nuance, but I still find it fun to take what little we've gotten and run with it. 

However, Keiko is firmly on team "WTF Atsuko." She hurries to make sure Yusuke wasn't hurt by the falling bowl, bemoans him being "covered in garbage," and says that leaving him in this state should be considered a felony. Knowing it's far beyond her power to fix Atsuko's failings, Keiko swears to come here after school every day until Yusuke regains his body. It's as she's cleaning him of the dust that's gathered that Keiko becomes entranced with Yusuke’s features. Particularly his lips. The soft lighting returns, their theme song swells, and Keiko gets thiiiis close to kissing Yusuke for the first time. 

Which is a little weird, right? I mean, we know why Yusuke is freaking out. Beyond the embarrassment of a middle schooler receiving his first kiss while two ghost girls eagerly watch on, he's made a hobby of denouncing his interest in Keiko to anyone who will listen. But for the average viewer — for Keiko herself — don't we care the he's, you know, dead? Or if not technically dead, very unconscious? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the appeal of this situation in a generalized, cultural sense (with the side disclaimer that I'm reading a Japanese product through an American lens). Sleeping Beauty exists for a reason and there's definitely an element of that here: a gender-reversed setup where Keiko’s kills may break the "curse" of Yusuke's untimely death. Even his in-between state of being mirrors the "death like sleep" of the fairy tale. But when you strip away those Disney-esque thoughts, we're left with a girl about to kiss an unresponsive body, not as a common gesture of care (the parent who kisses their child while they sleep), but as a first time, romantic milestone. 

It's a little weird lol. 

But embrace the romance! As well as its inevitable interruption. Just as Keiko is about to land a peck, the neighborhood watch committee announces a heat and fire warning, startling Keiko out of her thoughts about Yusuke's "beautiful face." (There's another gender reversal for ya.) She gasps at her almost-action, conveniently remembers that her mom wanted her to do some shopping, and hightails it out of there before embarrassment can really kill them both. 

So she runs off for food... in a sweater? The outfit is cute and all, but I wonder what the animators were thinking, putting Keiko in a puffy pullover during an episode all about a heat wave. 

It's about at this point that the plot goes from cute romance to absolutely buck wild. The fires the neighborhood watch committee mentioned are not, in fact, due to the overwhelming heat, but an arsonist that's going around tossing molotov cocktails through open windows. Why is he doing such a thing? I don't know. Arsonists be doing arson, I guess. The important bit is that Yusuke's place is his next target, considering that Atsuko forgot to lock the windows when she went out. Within seconds all that garbage is set ablaze, quite obviously putting Yusuke's resurrection chances at an all time low. 

"Wake up, stupid!" he shouts at his unconscious body. Mood, Yusuke. That's me every morning. 

So this is a full scale emergency now and everyone is scrambling trying to think of something to do. Yusuke comes up with the idea to possess himself like he did Kuwabara — nice attempt at a loophole there — but since it would technically count as his resurrection, no dice. Botan decides to go get Kuwabara himself, even though he's too far away to do anything. It's still worth a shot. Sayaka, meanwhile, watches all this unfold with a somewhat clinical detachment. She's not quite indifferent and she's definitely not cruel... she’s just not as emotionally invested in this as the other two. Which not only re-emphasizes her purpose here, as an observer judging Yusuke, but also highlights the bond Botan is forming with him. As mentioned before in regards to her hanging out with Yusuke rather than ferrying souls, Botan is well past someone assisting Yusuke simply because it's a part of her job. He's her friend. 

We get some shots of the growing fire which includes a hazy texture to the animation I quite like and then we cut to Keiko several blocks away, shopping bag in hand. Word of the new fire spreads, with one bystander mentioning that it's the twelfth today. 

"This is eerie.” 

“Yeah, I can’t help feeling we’re under attack.”

That's because you are! Someone stop that man! 

Sadly, I don't think the arsonist is mentioned again, let alone captured. We'll just have to relegate that to my incredibly niche fic wishlist. 

Keiko also overhears that the latest fire is on fourth avenue, which of course is where Yusuke lives. Recognizing that he might be in trouble, she takes off at a run. 

Meanwhile, Botan finds Kuwabara practicing his kicks against a Yusuke dummy. Amazing resemblance, right? 

Watching for the purpose of recapping, I'm picking up on a lot of details in the animation I quite enjoy. I don't think anyone would claim that YYH, at this point in time, has the most impressive or flashy animation (the fight scenes later are another matter entirely), but there's a clear love for the product that shines through. The scared expression on Kuwabara's dummy. His unexpectedly dainty kick, complete with pointed toes. Botan's more translucent coloring to emphasize her supernatural status compared to Kuwabara. There are a lot of nice touches despite the overall simplicity. 

Plus, you can't forget the lovely irony of Kuwabara fighting a defenseless "Yusuke" while the real guy actually lies defenseless amidst a fire. We already know that despite his tough talk, Kuwabara would be horrified to learn that his friend rival had died (again) in such a manner. 

Capitalizing on that transparency, Botan runs a hand through Kuwabara's back to catch his attention. He gets his "tickle feeling" and instinctively looks around towards Yusuke's house, seeing the smoke. "Something tells me I should go that way." Gotta love a guy who drops everything to chase a vague, supernaturally induced hunch. 

As Kuwabara leaves we cut back to Keiko arriving at the house, staring in horror at the blaze. We get an audio flashback to her talk with Yusuke where she promised to take care of his body until he got back. So she tries to run in, only for a couple of the onlookers to snag her, quite correctly keeping her from undergoing a suicide mission. We learn later that Keiko absolutely would have died without Yusuke's sacrifice, so her "You cowards!" is born more of emotion than justified accusations. It's not cowardly to look at the raging inferno in a small apartment and realize that recklessly running in will only result in two dead teens, not one. 

I mean, the flames are already right there, licking the door. Even if Keiko somehow managed to avoid burns, the smoke alone would do her in. Still, Keiko tries to mitigate the damage by dumping a bucket of water over her head. As a kid I remember thinking this was the smartest thing ever. Utterly inspired. Keep that in the back of your mind, kid Clyde, for future reference. As an adult... I have no idea whether this would actually help or not lol. Any firefighters doubling as YYH fans? 

Recklessness and iffy precautions aside, I can't express how much I appreciate the story giving Keiko things to do. Yusuke recognizes that she's the only one with the maturity and open-mindedness to believe in his resurrection. She's the one picking up Atsuko's slack regarding his day-to-day needs. She never hesitates for a moment, heroically throwing herself into this blaze for Yusuke's benefit. Yeah, a lot of that still falls into the emotional/domestic sphere — what we expect of the love interest in a 90s anime — but too often action stories don't have a clue what to do with their non-action characters, not even when it comes to just supporting the fighters. They're simply... there. Keiko, however, isn't window dressing. Whether it's helping Botan survive an upcoming, supernatural plague, or cheering the team on at the Dark Tournament, Keiko is an important part of the story, despite lacking the fighting prowess of the rest of the cast. 

Just as important, this episode establishes a core equality between her and Yusuke. We just watched Keiko reject a (presumably) accomplished guy for him, telling the audience that these surface differences — academics, power levels, popularity, looks — don't matter to them. Yusuke is not Keiko's lesser just because he doesn't have the same scores in Sayaka's book and Keiko won't become Yusuke's lesser just because she doesn't have spiritual power like he does. The only important thing here is that they love each other and they're both willing to sacrifice everything for the other. In the span of about ten minutes, Keiko nearly gives up her life for Yusuke and, in turn, Yusuke gives up his resurrection for her. The level of care they show towards one another is balanced, despite those differences. 

They’re a good ship, y'all. Even if this recapping's got me noticing Yusuke/Kuwabara potential lol. 

To get back to the plot, a drenched Keiko charges into the fire, yelling Yusuke's name for the drama of it because we all know he can't respond. Despite the audience (hopefully) recognizing Keiko and Yusuke's equality, that memo hasn't reached Yusuke yet. "You're a lot more important to this world than I am!" he yells, hammering home that despite everything — knowing he instinctively saved a child, watching his loved ones grieve for him, helping Kuwabara just because he can — Yusuke still, deep down, believes that he doesn't deserve to come back; that he doesn't measure up to those around him. The self-sacrificial nature this insecurity produces shocks Sayaka. She points out that if Keiko doesn't save his body, he's not coming back. "What's the point of being alive if Keiko has to get killed for it?" 

Keiko means more to Yusuke than the rest of his living existence. Jot that down in your notebook, Sayaka! 

Kuwabara arrives and runs into one of his friends who informs him that Keiko just went inside. “Yusuke’s girl? The one we saved from those thugs?”

BOY does that tell us a lot about their rivalry! I mean yeah, we've already established several times over that Kuwabara — just like Yusuke himself — is not the cruel street thug he'd like to present himself as. If these characters actually wanted to hurt each other outside of a martial arts challenge, don't you think Kuwabara would capitalize on the "Yusuke's girl" bit? Everyone seems to know that they have feelings for each other, but Kuwabara never once wields that as ammunition against Yusuke. There are no taunts about him not being good enough. Or rather, I should clarify there are no serious taunts — Kuwabara is well known for his teasing. There's also no attempt to steal Keiko out from under him, the common treatment of the love interest as a "prize" that many stories fall into. Indeed, later this episode YYH will deconstruct this a bit. Yusuke sees Kuwabara grab Keiko's hand and yells that he better not be getting "fresh" with her. But it's purely Yusuke's worries shining through. The audience gets a crystal clear picture of the situation and knows, categorically, that Kuwabara has only the most innocent of intentions in holding Keiko's hand. 

(Well, running from the police isn't innocent, but...) 

I keep getting sidetracked. Plot! Keiko makes it to Yusuke's room and finds that he is already on fire. She then proceeds to try and put it out by patting it with her hands. I take back what I said about Keiko's smarts in this scene. Now we know where that supposed recklessness comes from though. Apparently they're both immune to fire! Nothing to worry about here, folks. 

JK she's actually in danger, despite the animation choices. By this point everyone, including Keiko, realizes that there's no way out: the fire has blocked the door. Sayaka then reveals that there is one way to save her. If Yusuke throws his egg into the fire, the energy of the spirit beast will release and guide her to safety. The catch? Hatch the egg early and it won't complete its intended function of guiding him back to his body. This beast is gonna guide one person and that is it. 

Cue Yusuke's near immediate decision to sacrifice his life for Keiko's. Granted, it's not precisely one life for another. Yusuke's resurrection was always contingent upon the beast not devouring him whole — something Koenma claims would have happened at the end of the episode — meaning that it's not technically a fair trade. Yusuke might have sacrificed Keiko's life for his own... only to fail to get that life back anyway. (There's a tragedy for ya.) To say nothing of how Yusuke is currently dead and has been for at least a couple of days, whereas Keiko very much is not. There's some sort of philosophical discussion there about potential being pit against current reality. 

BUT that's not the point! The emotional point is that he sacrificed his life for hers — the potential of his resurrection, the potential of that life he might have led — all technicalities aside. And I, for one, think that's very neat of him. 

A blue light shines as the egg's energy is released, providing a lovely contrast to the fire surrounding them. A path forms to the door and Keiko, recognizing Yusuke's presence, follows it. "We'll make it, Yusuke," Keiko says, which is one hell of a sucker-punch now that we know she's just carrying a corpse. Unbeknownst to Keiko, Yusuke is very much not making it. That's the only reason why she is. 

Kuwabara appears to help them the rest of the way which is also a pretty awesome thing considering that, from everyone else's perspective, the fire is still raging and blocking the door. Despite his spiritual awareness, Kuwabara gives no indication that he noticed this strange light, or Yusuke's hand in the rescue. Which basically means he lunged into a bunch of deadly fire for Keiko and doesn't question how in the world he isn't burned. 

Keiko's hands are fine, Kuwabara's whole body is fine... fire immunity must run in the friend group! 

Yusuke has another rare moment of vulnerability — "They're both okay" — and I cackle happily at the "both" because see. You love Kuwabara too, Yusuke! All this bluster about hating him and finding him annoying. The second he rushed into that fire you were crawling up the walls. 

Except then that happiness gives way to something that sounds a little more shocked. Devastated. "Well, I sure am... relieved..." Kudos to Cook's voice acting. You can hear the exact moment Yusuke realizes what he's done. Not that he regrets it, but the consequences are finally sinking in. He's relieved that they're safe, yes, but now he's never going to be able to rejoin them. 

As Yusuke has an(other) existential crisis, Kuwabara peels back the blanket Keiko had wrapped Yusuke in, revealing his face. “What are you doing with Yusuke’s body?! Are you some type of sick grave robber?” he shouts. God I love when a story actually keeps track of who knows what. Kuwabara, for all his recent involvement in the plot, doesn't actually know what's going on. From his perspective Yusuke died, he made a scene at the wake, he saved "his girl" from a bunch of thugs, lost a huge chunk of time only to wake up with her randomly hugging him (then slapping him), participated in a bet with his awful teacher and had a couple weird, Yusuke related dreams while studying, and has felt the presence of ghosts perhaps a little more frequently than usual. Now he's trying to help save Keiko from a fire only for her to reveal she risked her own life for Yusuke's body. Of course he's freaking out! What's she doing with that? 

What's utterly fantastic though is that Kuwabara takes all of five seconds to process this and then enters immediate Ride or Die mode for Keiko. She's been hoarding Yusuke's body for undetermined reasons? Well, who is he to judge? The important thing here is that people are arrested for keeping bodies, so they've gotta skedaddle before the firefighters show up. 

Hence, hand-holding and avoiding arrest. 

As Yusuke starts threatening Kuwabara not to get "fresh" with her, Botan sadly reminds him that he no longer has a say in who Keiko does or does not fall in love with. The switch in tone is jarring. Whereas before Botan would have teased him mercilessly for the crush, now she knows that nothing can come of that — and it would be cruel not to remind Yusuke of that too. 

"Oh no. I didn't think..." Yusuke whispers, further establishing that he knew the risks of using his egg, but hadn't allowed them to sink in yet. Now they have. 

He gives a fake little laugh with, "Just when it was getting good" and I cry at the development in the span of just four episodes. Despite what I said at the beginning about the show resetting each week, there has been a lot of change thus far. Yusuke wants to live now! He wants to be there for Keiko! He looks down on his tiny family and screams at the unfairness of it all! They're talking about how they can't wait for him to come back and now that's never gonna happen!!

It hurts, friends. It hurts a whole lot. 

During this conversation between Keiko, Atsuko, and Kuwabara, we see that a couple of hours have passed (it's nighttime now, the fire is out) and Atsuko is apologizing for putting them all in danger like that. And by that I mean yes, she does technically apologize with an "I'm sorry" and everything, but it's also a one sentence apology pit against... well, near death for the three people standing (and sitting) before her. Atsuko seems just as concerned by Keiko losing her hair as she does Keiko nearly burning to death and she kneels by Yusuke's wheelchair, baby-talking to him about how he forgives her, right? I love Atsuko, she's great, but objectively speaking she is not a good mother. Not right now, anyway. 

Oh yeah, and just to reiterate that: Keiko's hands are fine after patting down Yusuke's on-fire body, but her hair, which I'm pretty sure never catches, has to be cut short. Ah, anime logic. Funny thing is, YYH isn't the only story to take the love interest and give her a cool, short cut thanks to a traumatic event. Anyone read Ranma 1/2? 

During this conversation we also learn that, sometime between the fire and now, Keiko filled Kuwabara in on everything that's happening with Yusuke. Makes sense. He kneels beside the wheelchair, joining the others in telling Yusuke that they'll wait patiently for his return. Yusuke, above them, continues yelling about how they're waiting on a dead man. 

“It can’t be helped. He made this decision on his own." 

Except it can, in fact, be helped!

Just as all hope is truly lost, Koenma appears and announces that Yusuke will be returned to life. Why? Because sacrificing his egg for Keiko is a better indicator of his worth than the egg itself could have been. Despite feeding on his negative outlook and heading towards biting Yusuke's head off — something the animation backs up by showing us teeth during the fire

— Yusuke's act demonstrates a tendency towards being a "decent human being" that is "so rare." Wow. That's depressing. Still, yay that Yusuke has those qualities! And this, to my mind, helps explain Sayaka's presence. Koenma recognized that judging Yusuke couldn't be left to the egg alone and indeed, Sayaka took note of his worth before he ever threw the egg into the fire. First it was questioning why someone as amazing as Keiko would go for him, then it was solidified through the shock of Yusuke announcing that coming back to life was meaningless if she wasn't in it. Even if Keiko had somehow, miraculously escaped the fire before Yusuke's sacrifice, I bet Sayaka's report would have tipped him in resurrection's favor anyway. 

Everyone is, of course, overjoyed and my heart swells at the intense gratitude Yusuke displays. My favorite part though is when Koenma cryptically says that “Your added experience with death could make you very useful" (a nod towards future events that goes right over Yusuke's head) and his response to this is a yelled, "YOU THINK I'M USEFUL?" This poor kid. The God of everything ever is chucking out revelations left and right, about resurrections and spirit beasts, but the only thing that really penetrates is the realization that someone thinks he's useful. Talk about relatable. 

You know, I've been thinking about why this moment works so well. I mean, there are a lot of other stories where undermining the consequences our hero faces — either with humor, or by erasing them completely — can feel like the audience was cheated. I think YYH dodged that with a couple of crucial factors. First, Yusuke's consequence isn't something new that he's now avoided, it's just a permanent extension of something he was already dealing with. We did get to watch him inhabit the space between life and death, grappling with whether he'd ever be able to return. The story didn't deny us that growth, it just confirmed something we all instinctively knew: this tale won't end here with Yusuke permanently going to some afterlife. Second, the Deus ex Machina fix doesn't happen too soon. Yeah, it's only a couple of minutes in a single episode, but we (and Yusuke) still get to sit with that outcome for a while, soaking it in before its removal. Finally, there's no doubt that Yusuke earned this reprieve. Koenma's timing might be sudden and (if you're not genre savvy) unexpected, but looking back at the series as a whole thus far, we're able to agree absolutely that Yusuke deserves this. Far from feeling like we were cheated, this solution invites just as much celebration as we're seeing on screen, for the simple reason that we can buy into Koenma's reasoning. We know now that Yusuke is a good person. We saw him selflessly sacrifice his future for Keiko. We agree that he deserves a second chance. 

Thus, the episode ends with Yusuke flying up to fill the screen in his joy, a far better, final shot than Harry Potter and The Prison of Azkaban managed 😰

And that's it for Episode 4, folks! See you later for Episode 5 💕

[jayz4dayz]

41 midari and yuriko please

Of course! This one was a bit challenging for me because I didn’t want it to be something cliché like one of the characters throwing a birthday party or giving them a special gift. Hope you enjoy! 

Prompt: “You did all of this for me?” 

Thought You Should Know

Midari slammed the door to her shared dorm room, collapsing onto her futon and released a frustrated groan. She fucked up, all because she got caught up in the heat of the moment. And she regretted letting it happen. Seeing the look on Yuriko’s face was all she needed to feel overwhelmed and consumed with guilt and regret.

“Ikishima-san! Thank you for such a fulfilling gamble!” Yumeko Jabami gleamed at her. “I really thought you’d never change, but you proved me wrong. I’m glad you’re finally understanding gambling from my perspective and really gave it your all!”

Midari smirked, patting the raven haired girl’s shoulder. “Yeah, sure. It was fun, Yumeko.”

She had to be careful around Yumeko now, especially since she had tried to forget about her feelings for the gambling addict who she knew would never feel the same. Her feelings toward Yumeko had faded, but they hadn’t completely disappeared yet which was exactly why Midari tried not to feed into this treatment from the crimson-eyed girl. This attention from Yumeko was nothing more than the after rush of the dangerous-high risk gamble the two had just gotten finished with.

Besides, after months and months of talking, she had finally started to date Yuriko. In a way, this was partially her way of moving on from Yumeko. And although she hadn’t admitted it to anyone, not even herself, she was in love with Yuriko. She didn’t want her past feelings for Yumeko to get in between what she and Yuriko already have.

The two rounded a corner, close by to where Midari was supposed to meet Yuriko after the gamble. To Midari’s surprise, Yumeko clung to her arm affectionately. That didn't necessarily raise any suspicion; the younger girl often did that with her friends.

“Huh? What are you doing?” Midari asked monotone, though she was quickly growing nervous.  

“I would love to thank you properly, Midari-san,” Yumeko replied calmly. “Will you let me?”

Midari swallowed hard. Yumeko had never called her by her first name before. ‘Relax, bitch. This is all because of the gamble. Nothing more,’ Midari reminded herself.

“Okay, I guess,” Midari said slowly as the two stopped walking.

Without warning, Yumeko placed a gentle hand on Midari’s cheek and pressed her lips against hers. Midari’s eyes widened in disbelief, unsure what to do. She just froze.

Kissing Yumeko was like a dream. Exciting, unexpected; something she involuntarily participated in by allowing it to happen. Yet at the same time, the piercing feeling in her heart was not an enjoyable sensation nor was it from the excitement of kissing Yumeko. She recognized the feeling to immediately be guilt, an emotion she rarely felt. She knew this was wrong. Allowing it to happen in the first place was wrong.

Never once did Midari shut her eyes, which allowed her to catch a glimpse of Yuriko as she walked past them in a hurry. Her expression was pained and upset, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. The damage was done, causing Midari to break free from Yumeko’s grasp, lightly pushing her away. Midari was angry not at Yumeko, but at herself for allowing herself to be kissed by her.

“Why’d you do that?” Midari asked calmly.

In her heart, she was furious and guilty. She wanted nothing more than to run after Yuriko. But Yumeko needed to know the truth about why Midari no longer felt anything toward her first. All the same, Midari needed answers as to why Yumeko kissed her in the first place.

“See it as a token of my appreciation,” Yumeko grinned and leaned forward again. “I can give you more if you wish.”

“No, stop,” Midari denied, placing a hand on her chest to stop her. “I can’t.”

Yumeko backed away with a slightly hurt, but even more confused expression. “I’m sorry? Is… is this not what you’ve been wanting from me?”

It was. It used to be. At one point, Midari would have greedily allowed herself to be consumed by Yumeko’s new-found passion toward her. Now, she honestly wanted nothing to do with it, despite her conflicted emotions.

"You're a pretty damn good kisser, but I'm stopping this here. I'm dating someone right now. And as much of an asshole I can be, I ain't disloyal," Midari stated bluntly.

"Ah, I see," Yumeko commented, smiling in understanding.

The fact that Yumeko didn't even look upset or hurt by being rejected is what confirmed Midari's thoughts. Either way, Yumeko could care less about this it seemed. She meant what she said about the kiss being a token of appreciation. A simple thanks was all this was.

"Yeah," Midari replied. "And the person I'm dating is Yuriko who just saw you kiss me, so I've got some explaining to do."

"Oh, my deepest apologies!" Yumeko exclaimed, dramatically raising a surprised hand to cover her mouth. "I didn't know you and Nishinotouin-san were seeing each other!"

"No one does," Midari huffed. "Next time we gamble, Yumeko, you don't have to thank me."

"I understand," Yumeko nodded and left.

Midari stood in place for a moment, thinking about how she was going to approach Yuriko now. Yuriko saw what happened; it'd be hard to convince her that what happened with Yumeko meant nothing. Even if it was just one kiss, she feared how much damage one little kiss could inflict.

"Fuck, I gotta fix this," Midari muttered under her breath as she walked off.

Midari pinched the bridge of her nose as she played back the memory over and over. Yuriko's expression looked so heartbroken and Midari expected to receive a text message from her any minute now saying that she was cutting ties with her. She didn't know where Yuriko went after she was caught; she had searched for her only to come up empty handed and all of her calls and texts were ignored or unanswered.

The Beautification Officer looked up from the futon when the door to her dorm room opened and Sayaka sluggishly walked in, placing her backpack to the side. Sayaka looked exhausted, but happy, no doubt returning from the President's dorm.

"This is unusual for you, returning to our dorm after a fuck session with the Prez," Midari commented.

"I had to come back to do homework and we were in the student council room, not her dorm. And we weren't just doing that," Sayaka smirked. "We were also snuggling and saying how much we love each other. Kirari even shared her love for me through a poem she wrote."

Usually, Midari would recoil and cringe from such sappy nonsense or relentlessly tease the Secretary for being "such a fucking lesbian". However, hearing Sayaka mention that made Midari think of Yuriko, causing her eyes to tear up.

"That's... that's great, Sayaka," Midari murmured, shifting her position.

Sayaka gave her an odd look before sitting down next to her, leaning her head on her shoulder affectionately. "Something's wrong. You're acting off."

Midari chuckled weakly. She never understood how Sayaka was able to decipher her emotions even if she was fairly good at hiding them. She appreciated her friendship with her and trusted hardly anyone else to know her inner emotions. Sayaka was trustworthy; the two had endured quite a bit with each other, both helping the other out in whatever situation.

"I fucked up," Midari admitted plainly. "I let Yumeko kiss me."

Sayaka sat upright, staring at her friend with wide eyes. "Jabami kissed you? I mean no offense by saying this, but why would she?"

Midari shrugged and slumped down in the futon. "After rush from the gamble maybe? I don't know and I don't care."

"You're sure?" Sayaka asked hesitantly. "I know your feelings for her are... complex. Especially since you're involved with Nishinotouin-san now."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Midari snorted. "I thought I understood Yumeko, but I guess I don't now. And you know what? I regret letting it happen."

"Obviously you didn't enjoy it, right?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"I would have if I still liked her and not Yuriko," Midari grumbled. "But it doesn't matter now. Yuriko saw her kiss me. I don't know what to do really."

"You love her, don't you?" Sayaka questioned in all seriousness.

Midari groaned. "Love is such a stupid emotion. I don't want to love anyone."

"You didn't deny it," Sayaka teased, poking Midari's cheek playfully. "I know love when I see it."

Midari lightly slapped her hand away. Sayaka of all people knew the trials and tribulations love often brought with it. She had been waiting for Kirari to confess to her for three long years after all. Midari wasn't patient or romantic like that. She wanted Yuriko to know the truth about what happened and the truth about how she felt immediately. She just didn't know how to tell her.

"Yeah I know you do," Midari scoffed. "The President practically undresses you with her eyes every time you two are in the same room together."

Sayaka coughed and looked away, blushing. "A-anyway, I suggest you tell her exactly how you feel about her and that the kiss with Jabami meant nothing to you. Write a letter or maybe even buy her a gift as a romantic gesture."

"Pft, I don't do that sappy shit," Midari rolled her eyes. "I'll talk to her tomorrow at school or take her out for tea and talk with her then."

"Yeah, about that," Sayaka muttered. "She's leaving the city for a few days."

"What?" Midari glared at her. "She would have told me that."

"I thought you knew," Sayaka blurted out, and then sighed once she saw Midari shake her head. "She dropped by the student council room just before I left and informed Kirari that she will be taking a leave of absence. It was unexpected and didn't sound like it was planned."

"Fucking hell," Midari growled, standing up. "I know where she's going."

"Where?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"She's gonna go visit the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto where her family lives," Midari briefly explained. "She always goes there when she's in a dire stressful situation or needs to get away from life here at the academy."

"Kyoto? Isn't that a seven hour journey from here?" Sayaka frowned. "You'll miss school tomorrow."

"Think I give a shit? I can't wait two weeks for her to come back. She needs to know now," Midari huffed, grabbing her bag.

"Good luck. I will inform the President about your absence," Sayaka assured her.

***

After confirming with Yuriko's club members that she did indeed leave to Kyoto, Midari purchased the first train ticket available to get to Kyoto which happened to be at midnight later that night. She didn't care. It was better than nothing. She knew she would arrive a day later than Yuriko, but that didn't matter. She needed to see and talk to her. Since Yuriko was still avoiding her calls and texts, this was the only way to do so.

Yuriko sighed as she knelt down in front of the temple's fountain, focusing on the light ripples on the water's surface to keep her intrusive thoughts at bay. She was heartbroken; there was no easier way of putting it. What she witnessed the day prior was sadly not something she wasn't expecting to eventually happen. She knew Midari had complicated feelings for Yumeko. Yumeko now returned those feelings apparently. Maybe Yuriko was wrong in believing Midari had moved on.

'Why does love have to be so hard? Hurt so much?'  Yuriko thought bitterly. She remembered the look of shock on Midari's face as Yumeko kissed her. She remembered how Midari didn't back away or immediately pushed her off. Regardless of the fact that she didn't see Midari kiss her back, Yumeko was the one to kiss her. Surely Yumeko had finally returned Midari's affection. Why else would she kiss her?

And Midari must have still felt something for the gambling addict. Yuriko knew the one eyed girl considered what was happening, thought about her confused feelings for Yumeko. She didn't instantly push her away and yell at her, saying she no longer felt anything for her and moved on. She allowed it to happen.

Yuriko felt a tear slip down her cheek, raising her arm to wipe it with her kimono's sleeve. Midari had stopped trying to contact her. Yuriko intentionally ignored her calls the day before because she knew if she heard the voice of the girl she loved, she would break down and start to sob. She believed she already lost her heart; she didn't want to lose her dignity along with it.

With a deep inhale and exhale, Yuriko tossed a coin into the fountain. She silently wished that when she woke up the next morning, she would be at Hyakkaou and discover all of this had been just a horrible dream. Before she stood up, she heard someone panting heavily, quickly approaching her.

Turning around, she saw a familiar figure jogging toward her. She blinked in disbelief. Perhaps the sleep deprivation from receiving no sleep the night before had finally gotten to her. There was no way this was Midari running toward her.

"Yuriko!" Midari panted. "Wait hold on a sec, let me breathe. F-fuck I'm outta shape."

Yuriko stared at the panting girl in confusion. Midari looked awful. Her clothes were horribly disheveled and Yuriko recognized them to be her Hyakkaou uniform likely from the day before. She was intensely sweating as if she had just ran ten blocks which Yuriko didn't doubt. But why was she even here? More importantly, how was she here?

"How did you get here?" Yuriko asked softly.

"Oh, well you see, I went through hell and back to find you," Midari wheezed, still breathing heavily.

Yuriko raised a brow at her. "Is that so?"

"After buying a train ticket late last night, I showed up around seven in the morning with no sleep because I was fucking paranoid that I wouldn't actually find you. Then I had to fuck around with an Uber driver because he refused to take me to the shrine because of morning traffic so I had to jog here. It took me a good hour to get to the shrine, not to mention climb up those fucking huge ass stairs," Midari explained, very much still out of breath.

If there was one thing Yuriko learned about Midari was that she was not a selfless person. If it did not benefit her in any way, she wouldn't do it no matter what it was. She rarely considered the feelings of other's unless she truly cared about them. And she was here now with no other motive except to see Yuriko. She wouldn't do that for just anyone.

"You... you did all of this for me?" Yuriko asked slowly. "Why?"

Midari sighed. "Sayaka said I should have bought you something or do something sappy to show my true feelings, but fuck the romancing bullshit. I love you and I thought you should know. This was the only way I could tell you since you've been ignoring my calls and messages."

Yuriko opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off.

"And yes, I know I deserved that. I fucked up and... and I'm sorry, Yuriko," Midari finished explaining.

Yuriko could see that Midari swallowed her pride to tell her all of this. She meant every word that she said, but Yuriko still had her doubts about one thing in particular.

Yuriko hesitated. "So, you love me? Not Yumeko?"

"Yes," Midari huffed. "Why would I go through all this hell if I didn't? What happened with Yumeko meant nothing. She kissed me, but I no longer love her. I love you."

"I love you too," Yuriko smiled lightly. "And I'm sorry for overreacting."

"No, technically you didn't overreact," Midari shook her head. "If I saw you kissing someone like Yumemi or something without knowing the context, I'd be pretty upset and do something crazy like leave the city for a while too."

"Yumemi?" Yuriko chuckled. "She is perhaps the last person I'd kiss."

Midari shrugged. "I don't know, it was an example."

"Do you know who the first and only person I would kiss is?" Yuriko smiled, walking toward Midari.

Midari smirked and scoffed. "If it ain't me, then I've come a long way for nothing."

Yuriko giggled before pecking Midari's lips. "It is you."

"Yeah? Wanna give me a proper kiss then?" Midari teased.

"Perhaps," Yuriko said slyly walking away. "After you get cleaned up. I'm sure a trip to my family's private onsen would be nice."

Midari caught up with her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Hm, maybe you should join me. That would make it so much better."

"Don't push your luck," Yuriko warned with a side glance. "But... we'll see. I think I'd like that."

[dadsbongos]

School Worker AU fic(?)

Movie/Game/Show: Danganronpa (just in general) Dynamic: idk fuckin everyone is in their senior year though Warnings: all of the danganronpa cast - unless otherwise specified - is in their senior year of hs Summary: Tsumugi makes a documentary. AU: Hope’s Peak is a shitty public school that makes their senior students work around the district in self-made or pre-existing programs in order to earn a crucial credit they need for graduation. A lot of the students want a “raise” in their wages because of the work they do, even though “raise” just means any money at all. ~~~

Maki twirled a long strand of her brown hair around her finger, eyes flickering over it boredly, “Yeah, I want to get paid for this.”

Kaito’s eyes widened, an uneasy smile crossing over his lips and nervously looking between his girlfriend and the camera, “Oh, c’mon, Maki-roll, it’s not about money! It’s about the kids!”

“It’s about the money,” Maki glared at the camera, “Pay me.”

~~

“How do I feel about being paid?” Kaede giggled nervously, looking to her other two bandmates, “Well, it’s not about the money, we like playing for kids and the elderly.”

“Ibuki mostly agrees,” the girl with wildly multi-colored began, “However, Ibuki would also like to be paid for our hard work.”

Sayaka nodded shyly, a small smile on her lips, “I like working for the kids and elderly, but I also would like to have said work rewarded, if I could.”

~~

“Yeah,” Hajime picked up yet another empty plastic water bottle with a gloved hand as he responded to the question, “I would love to get paid but nobody gives a shit about the kids cleaning.”

Chiaki, who wasn’t even holding her trash bag - preferring to have her face stuffed into her handheld, “Not paying us is the school’s way of preparing us for the years of unpaid extraneous labor ahead of us in an adult working environment… I think.”

~~

“I should be gettin’ fuckin’ paid,” Mondo grit his teeth, no longer soaping up his math teacher’s car with Kazuichi and just looking at the camera, “I don’t get stared at by those fuckers,” he jabbed a thumb in the direction of a small gaggle of giggling freshman, “for free. I hate this shit.”

Kazuichi nodded, “I don’t even get to remodel the cars! I just wash them, that’s so lame!”

~~

“Duh - yeah, I wanna get paid!” Junko scoffed, rolling her eyes, “What am I? Twelve? I don’t do this shit for nothing!”

Mukuro sighed quietly, practically elbow deep in the dirt, “You don’t do anything…”

“The hell did you say to me, you fat, ugly, skank?” the blond pressed a stiletto boot into her sister’s back, shoving her face-first into the flower beds Mukuro would now have to redo.

~~

“So,” Tsumugi Shirogane held a mic to her mouth as she stared into the camera, “with so many students demanding a raise in wages, which would mean any wages at all, let’s get to the core issue of why these students feel that their work is so reward-worthy.”

A few feet away, Mikan was watching the hostess of the documentary with nervous eyes, her heart racing as she turned to Rantaro, “Oh my God, is she g-gonna ask us questions? I’m n-not good at speaking. I-I’ll stutter and mum-mumble and she’ll ask me to re-repeat myself, oh God…”

“Hey,” Rantaro gave the girl a small smile, carefully setting his hand on her shoulder, “it’ll be okay. I can do most of the talking, if you want?”

Mikan nodded shakily, fingers intertwining and scrambling apart repeatedly, “Th-that would be p-preferred, tha-thank you…”

As Tsumugi crossed towards the students, she stuck a microphone into Rantaro’s face first, thankfully. Quick to the point, she asked him the question of the segment, “Why, exactly, do you think your work is worth the funding of payment?”

“We do basically the same amount of work that the ordinary school nurse does under regulation and we’re certain our efforts are worthy of payment,” in order to avoid the awkwardness of Tsumugi having to ask Mikan, he gestured to his partner in nursing, “We both are.”

Nodding, Tsumugi moved to place the microphone into Mikan’s face anyway, “And your thoughts?”

“Uhhhh,” Mikan froze up, patting the tips of her fingers into each other, “y-yeah?”

“Yeah, what?”

“Yeah with Rantaro…”

Tsumugi blinked at the girl, standing there for a minute before slowly nodding and turning back to the camera to continue her segment.

Mikan turned to Rantaro with wide eyes, tears already bubbling at her waterline, “Oh my God… I just did that… I just- I - oh my God…”

Rantaro nodded, crossing his arms with a pitying smile, “Yeah, that was pretty bad.”

~~

A loud, resounding thud was the opening sound of the shot, a girl landing flat on her back on a gym mat is the scene. The gymnasium is filled with a multitude of students in fighting stance - a tall girl with red eyes and a short boy with blond hair standing at the front.

Tsumugi narrowly dodges stray hits and flying bodies being tossed over shoulders as she approaches the two senior students. She judges how confrontational they both look and decides to not hastily jam her mic into either of their faces as she asks, “And what is the program you two have picked up for your required credit?”

Peko doesn’t look away from the students as she answers, “Self-defense.”

Fuyuhiko nods, “Any-fuckin’-body can sign up but most of these kids are girls and LGBT+. They’re who mostly comes.”

“Which is a whole different problem on its own,” Peko added, “The fact that they feel the need to learn self-defense rather than trust that nobody will try attacking them for simply walking down the street is rather saddening.”

“Oh, well that’s incredibly noble of you,” Tsumugi breathed out, slightly surprised - she hadn’t expected such mean-looking students to care so much

“Someone has to beat up scumbags,” the taller of the pair shrugged, “My arms were getting tired.”

“Right…” Tsumugi nodded, “uh, you two share this gym with another group, correct?”

“Oh, fuck, yeah,” Fuyuhiko glanced to one of the clocks encaged on the wall, “They should be back in- “

“We’re here for the gym!” a voice boomed out in the space, “Move out!”

“No!” Fuyuhiko shook his head, charging towards the pair and the volleyball team they were coaching that day, he jammed a finger into the girl’s shoulder, “You asshats are always too early! Peko and I got another ten minutes, at least!”

“Well, they need the gym now!” Akane gestured to the team, which was awkwardly standing around and waiting for the approval of Nekomaru and Akane to spread out to the gym, “‘Sides, it’s just five minutes!”

“Eight, now,” the blond crossed his arms, “They continue, you guys wait your turn.”

Seeing no soon-to-come resolution from the pair, Nekomaru moved past Fuyuhiko and Akane as they argued and towards Peko at the front. He rubbed the back of his neck, “We really need the gym right now. You can take our last ten minutes tomorrow if that’d be fair.”

Thinking over the proposal, Peko nodded before picking up the whistle from around her neck and blowing into it before calling to the self-defense class, “Alright, dress out and head home! Remember what you’ve learned and stay safe! Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting out by the baseball field!”

Fuyuhiko sighed, clenching his eyes shut to avoid looking at Akane’s smug grin, “You’re lucky Peko stepped in or I would’ve laid your ass out on the mat.”

“Whatever you say, baby face,” the girl snickered, strolling by to join Nekomaru’s side.

“What did you call me?!”

Tsumugi looked to the new faces, “Do you two fight like that often?”

Akane nodded confidently, “Constantly!”

Sighing, Nekomaru lowered his head, “That’s not a brag.”

“And you two do what around the school?”

“We pick up the school’s teams when the coaches are busy,” Akane pat her outrageously buff partner’s back, “You should see coach Nekomaru out there! He’s like a pro!”

“Well, that’s certainly something!” Tsumugi giggled, “And I can assume you two want to be paid for your efforts?”

“We’re supposed to be paid for this?!”

~~

“Oh my God, leave us alone, you guys are so mean, assholes!”

“Don’t say that, we’re on school grounds! A teacher could walk by at any time!”

“Can you two please be quiet? They’re not even responding to you at this point.”

“We must focus on this column entry!”

“Y-yeah… so s-stop bothering us…”

Tsumugi hesitated, looking at the camera with furrowed brows, “Do we even want to go in?”

The camera shifted with the director’s nodding, the girl sighing loudly before quietly agreeing and pushing the door open to see a classroom with only five people in it. A short boy with untamed purple hair being held back from clawing at the back of a girl with long braids and glasses by another boy with greenish hair… God, what color was that?

Another girl looked up from the desk she was sitting at, “Are you here for the documentary on student payment for their work efforts involving school credit?”

“Yes, I am,” Tsumugi was incredibly tempted to lie, say she got lost, and run out - but she didn’t. Instead, she asked them to introduce themselves.

“Kyoko Kirigiri,” the girl at the desk introduced herself with a solid nod before returning to her work.

The boy holding back his friend finally managed to calm the purple-haired one down before shyly waving, “Shuichi Saihara,” to prevent the other boy from talking, Shuichi clapped a hand over his mouth with an exhausted look, “This is Kokichi Ouma. Us three solve ‘mysteries’ around school, it’s mostly just stolen items. They,” he pointed to the pair on the other side of the room, “write the school newspaper.”

Kokichi managed to release himself from Shuichi’s grasp, immediately rushing towards Tsumugi and grabbing her long skirt between his hands and throttling her, “Help! They’ve kidnapped me! I’m being held against my will!”

“Ah!” Tsumugi screamed, looking up to Shuichi, “What is he talking about?!”

“He’s a liar,” Kyoko piped up, “He’s annoying but he gets the job done quickly so I haven’t kicked him out yet.”

The girl across the room huffed, “C-can you s-shut up over there? And you,” she pointed at Tsumugi, “hurry up and get over here s-so we can get b-back to work…”

“Right,” she nodded slowly before going over to the pair, “You two write the newspaper, that must include some interesting stories.”

“N-not really… I’m T-Toko Fukawa. That's Hi-Hifumi Yamada…” she gave the boy a side-eye, “Don’t say anything w-weird…”

“Never!” he cheered, turning to Tsumugi, “I am Hifumi Yamada- “

“Yeah,” Tsumugi sighed, already rather exhausted with his loudness, “Toko already introduced you.”

“But you may call me by my online dubbing - The Alpha and The Omega!”

“Alright,” Tsumugi dryly replied - he didn’t seem awful, but he definitely wasn’t for her.

“Wait!” Kokichi whined as the girl was leaving, grabbing at the tail of her skirt, “Didn’t you hear me earlier?! These creeps kidnapped me! They’re gonna kill me!”

“Stop talking,” Kyoko mumbled.

Shuichi sighed, running his hands through his hair, “Please, Kokichi, you’re giving me grey hairs and I’m barely eighteen…”

Tsumugi rubbed over her eyes, exhaustion ringing over her, “Me too and I haven’t even known you for ten minutes.”

~~

“No more crazies… no more crazies… no more crazies…” Tsumugi repeatedly murmured to herself as she rubbed her temples. Finally taking notice of the camera pointed at her, she hissed, “You better cut that.”

Once again, there was the motion of a nod from the director before following Tsumugi around to the back of the elementary school neighboring Hope’s Peak to find two more groups. This time, however, the two groups were working together extremely well and weren’t fighting whatsoever. Who knew how refreshing it could be to not hear yelling for five minutes?

It seemed that the third-grade student body had been split in half between a group of two and a group of three. The two were monitoring as kids ran around the large field - the three had kids standing at canvases with just a few bouncing around one with long hair tied in what appeared to be fishtail braids.

“Aw,” Tsumugi smiled at the sweet sight, “Okay, let’s go over there.”

A voice popped up from behind the camera, “I heard about these girls from the headmaster. Those two,” he pointed over to a muscular girl picking up kids on her arms with a shorter girl trailing behind her, “are Sakura Ogami and Aoi Asahina. They go around to closeby elementary schools and set up field days for the kids,” then to the group of three, made up of a white-haired girl in a long yellow overcoat, a redhead with extremely pointy boots, and the fishtail girl throwing obviously fake hits with some kids, “They’re Angie Yonaga, Himiko Yumeno, and Tenko Chabashira. They teach kids about the arts. Except for Tenko who teaches them her made up Neo-Aikido, something about controlling emotions and all that junk.”

“Wow,” Tsumugi breathed out, still approaching the two groups, “that’s so great. They seem like a fun- “

Then, out of nowhere, Tenko suddenly tossed Angie over her shoulder, causing an eruption of cheers to burst from the children.

Tsumugi’s face fell, she turned around and nearly ran out from behind the school and towards the car. Chants of “no, no, no, no” leaving her lips.

~~

“Oh, finally, normal people…”

The two boys in the copy room looked up at Tsumugi’s sigh.

“You must be the documentary girl?” the brunette smiled slightly, unevenly, “Sorry, I don’t know your name,” he lifted up a stack of papers, “Kyoko probably mentioned it but I was grading.”

“Tsumugi Shirogane!” the white-haired boy cheered, setting down the papers in his hands, “You’ve come to get my worthless opinion on whether or not student workers should be paid?! How incredible!”

“Sorry about him,” the shorter of the pair chuckled, “He has an inferiority complex. We’re working on it.”

“Uh-huh,” not as bland as she thought, apparently, “You two are… TAs?”

“Yeah,” the shorter nodded once again, “We work under Miss Yukizome, but lots of students everywhere are TAs, so I don’t think we should really have a say in this…”

“Especially me!” the other one butted in, “I barely help at all… I’m just garbage…”

“Nagito, you’re not garbage, and you do a lot!”

“With all respect, Makoto, the only reason you’re stuck with me is because all the other teachers can’t stand me!”

“Well, the only reason I’m here is because nobody else had a spot open.”

“Do you two just comfort each other about your hang-ups?”

“Yeah,” Makoto nodded, already pulling Nagito into a hug and patting his back, “it’s nice. Like super amateur therapy.”

“Painfully normal in comparison to the others,” Tsumugi turned to the camera, “Almost as plain as me.”

“No,” the voice from behind the camera peeped up again, “You’re still definitely the plainer one.”

~~

“We duel-work animal care and the occult,” Sonia cheered, holding a small puppy in her arms as Gundham fed hamsters in the back of the room, “It’s quite a bit of work but we manage, don’t we?”

Gundham nodded silently.

“Does…” Tsumugi gestured to the boy, “Does he ever speak?”

“You haven’t built enough resistance to the poison that would slip from his lips, unfortunately,” Sonia shakes her head, frowning slightly, “He doesn’t speak to people unless they’re immune.”

“And you are?”

“Surprisingly, yes!” eyes lighting up at the question, Sonia nodded excitedly, “It seems that I have managed to build up an immunity to his poison without even realizing it! Is that not amazing?”

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Tsumugi merely glanced between the beautiful blond and the boy hiding his bright red face in his scarf, “It truly is amazing, yes. How wonderfully random.”

“Wanna go?” the director asked.

“Yeah…”

~~

The camera aimed at a downcast Tsumugi, a frown depressingly obvious over her features. The voice behind the camera popped up, “Wanna try Celestia at the math club again?”

“And get told that only people she hates more than her own clubmates are theatre kids and then get called theatre kids and yelled at to get out again?” the girl grumbled, letting her microphone fall down into her lap as she sat slumped against the wall, “No thanks, Monokuma.”

“I mean, she’s not wrong,” the camera turned to show off the boy going by Monokuma with heterochromatic black-and-red eyes, half-and-half dyed hair between white and black. He snickered, “Yeah, I’m a big theatre kid. It’s unfortunate. You are, too, just let it go.”

“She might be right, but it’s still mean!”

[themonotonysyndrome]

The Holy Quintet in Twisted Wonderland! (all 7 dorms - Part 5)

Our last girl, our favourite Goddess is finally here! Now it’s Madoka’s turn! I apologise for the delay. Work keep piling up, but I needed something to distract me so here we are! 

I also want to give a shout out to @lionheartanotheraccount​ for helping me out by sharing every bit of Madoka Magica info with me. You’re the best, Lion. I hope you know that. 

We have a discord where we gush about TW and discuss about this crossover. Come hang out if you want! 

https://discord.gg/K7bGwKK 

-

Kaname Madoka & the other dorms (except Diasomnia) 

HEARTSLABYUL!

Madoka’s first meeting with Riddle is not through Sayaka’s invitation for the Unbirthday Birthday or through school assignments. Rather, it involves a run a way horse and a basket full of apples. 

While helping Sebek search for a wandering Malleus, she came across Mami who was carrying two baskets full of ripe, shiny red and green apples. Courtesy of Epel, of course. 

Mami explains that once every month, the Felmier would send boxes of apples to Epel and since there was too much for him to eat, Epel often shared them with his dorm mates. 

And so Mami wanted to share a basket with Madoka. Madoka thanked her profusely and they parted ways. As she continues to search for Malleus, Madoka is already thinking of sharing the apples with Lilia and everyone else back at Diasomnia. 

Madoka’s search for Malleus brought her to a garden of beautiful roses. It’s only after she wanders inside for a few minutes that she realises that she’s unfortunately lost in a rose maze! 

Her saviour however, came in a form of a... horse. As in literally. As Madoka wandered deeper into the maze, hoping to find an exit, she heard the trotters of a horse and then a large, black stallion appear behind her. 

As a city girl, Madoka has never seen a horse this close before. Especially one that’s so huge! Honestly, the creature intimidates Madoka even when it tentatively approaches her. 

As both creatures warily observed one another, when the stallion nosed and nudge the basket of apples that Madoka was carrying, she broke out from her stupor. 

“Oh! Is Mr. Horse hungry? Do you want some apples?” Seeing how docile the stallion is, Madoka felt a little braver as she carefully offer a shiny red apple to it. When it started to feed from her hand, she notices that there was a riding saddle neatly strapped on the horse’s back. 

“Do you belong to someone, Mr. Horse?” Madoka wondered out loud as she continues to feed it apples. “I didn’t know that this school has horses! So cool...” Madoka then giggle when the stallion gently brushes its head against Madoka in an affectionate bump. 

It wasn’t long for the two to become friends (no longer intimidated, Madoka petted the stallion’s head and neck, cooing how its such a gentle and good horse while the stallion nip at her ribbons) until a running and panting Riddle appear. 

“Oh! You’re one of Sayaka’s friend.” Riddle didn’t expect Madoka - of all people - to loiter around Heartslabyul’s garden. Or being on her own. Usually Riddle would always see her with someone. 

“I-I’m sorry! I was searching for Draconia-san and I got lost...” 

Riddle sigh. While it was against the rule for someone outside of Heartslabyul to enter the rose maze without an invitation, he can let this slide since Madoka’s presence seem to calm his temperamental horse. 

It surprised Riddle to see how calm and docile his horse is around Madoka. Usually the stallion is very wary of strangers and Riddle had to both coax and discipline the horse for it to accept him as its rider. But here, the stallion is nudging at the petite girl for more petting. Riddle wondered if it’s because of her calm and gentle presence? 

Anyway, Riddle thanked Madoka for finding his horse and despite how Madoka tried to explain that it found her - not the other way around - and personally invited her to the next Unbirthday Party as thanks. 

During the party, Riddle was the one personally attending her. He makes sure that the party has all her favourite treats, teach her how to play their games - he play the part of a host perfectly well! 

Riddle could’ve wept at how kind, gentle and thoughtful Madoka is compare to the chaotic group that is Adeuce + Sayaka. Madoka could only gape like a goldfish when Riddle suddenly clasp her hands and request that she teaches him on how to manage Sayaka better. 

Observing the comedic interaction from the sideline, Trey merely smile widely as he hauls Ace, Deuce and Sayaka by their collars as if they were kittens and onto the empty seats before Riddle could punish them for misbehaving during the Unbirthday Party. 

Trey honestly thinks that Madoka is good for the Dorm Leader. In a way, Madoka understands Riddle. Around her, he completely let his guards down and allow himself to enjoy the world for once. Once, Trey even caught the most precious and adorable moment between those two. They were caring for the pink hedgehogs while he was trimming the rose bushes. Riddle wore a tender expression, even a small smile, and he later laughs over something that Madoka said. Trey decide to leave them in their world after that. 

The next time they met, Trey made sure to share some of his baked goods with her. Seeing her smile lit up from his gift is honestly a lot sweeter than his cookies, in Trey’s opinion. 

When it comes to Cater, Madoka is the littler sister that he always wanted. Always so sweet and would pout against his teasings, you bet that he loves showing her off to his Magicam followers. Seeing her running around the school with her friends oddly remains Cater of the tiny fairies that sweep away with the wind during his childhood. He was blessed enough to catch them dancing in the wind. Perhaps Diasomnia was right to call her a fairy. 

Madoka’s reaction to the 3 Heartslabyul’s seniors are overall positive. She sees the trio something like big brothers. Riddle with his disciplined lifestyle yet soft hidden side, Trey with his welcoming smile and helpful demeanour and Cater with his cheerful smirks and teasing remarks. Although they’re from different dorms, the trio would never fail to greet her should they ever pass by one another and for that, she’s grateful. 

Plus, she seriously appreciates Trey’s study session because school work? Yeah, that’s her mortal enemy. 

When it comes to Ace & Deuce, they’re fun to be around but sometimes they’re too rumbustious for Madoka to handle. Don’t get her wrong, the two boys are wonderful friends! After Sayaka sang praises about Madoka, the duo couldn’t help but look out for her whenever the circumstances show (EX: Being intimidated by the other students). 

Sometimes, Ace come across as too blunt and selfish that made Madoka uncomfortable and that would signal Deuce to punch him. Then cue the two brawling and Madoka, in the sideline feeling horribly guilty. For Ace, he thinks that Madoka is too tender-hearted for his taste; especially for a vilains’ school. He doesn’t say it out loud, but Ace believes that a school like RSA would suit Madoka. Still, he tries to hold his tongue around her. The last thing he needs is Sayaka and Riddle coming after his ass for making Madoka cry. 

Deuce likes Madoka ‘cause he gets to better himself at being a gentleman around her. He makes sure to always be mindful of himself and offer her help by carrying her books, showing her where certain classes are and etc. Madoka appreciate the gestures and always works hard to return the favour. She offers him a pair of ears to listen to his trouble, offer honest opinions/advice and practise their magic together. 

All in all, Madoka enjoys spending time with the Heartslabyul gang! They’re a different brand of eccentric from Diasomnia which makes things a lot more fun and unexpected! 

SAVANACLAW! 

Madoka was officially introduced to the Savanaclaw gang through Ruggie and some NPCs. 

She had just finished with PE and was on her way back to Diasomnia to freshen up and maybe catch up with Sebek to go over their homeworks for the day. As she was passing by the field, she saw a group of Savanaclaw students arguing amongst themselves. Since she didn’t know any of them, Madoka was about to leave when Ruggie - who is mitigating the peace between the group - spotted her and immediately called out to Madoka. 

His sudden shout startle the poor girl and before she realises it, Ruggie already jogs up towards her. Seeing the cautious stance and timid greeting, Ruggie made sure to present himself as friendly as possible. He recalls from Kyouko that this one is the shy type. A herbivore, Leona would call her.  

So Ruggie made sure to appear as harmless as possible and gives her a sincere smile. 

“Hey there! I’m Ruggie Bucchi! You’re one of Kyouko-chan’s friend, right? Do you know where she is right now? I tried calling her phone but she didn’t pick up.” 

“U-Umm, I didn’t see Sakura-san at all today, actually. Sorry...” 

Ruggie sigh. He thanked Madoka nonetheless and that’s when one of the NPCs suddenly shouted that it’s not fair if Kyouko is in the other team for the practise. And that spark an argument. 

Ruggie just rolled his eyes at their bickering and explain to a confused Madoka that the two teams are facing off one another in a simple game. It’s a game where they need to shoot their magic at flying discs. It requires accuracy and stern hold of one’s magic. But because one team is short of a member and wanted Kyouko on their side, they started arguing and Ruggie had to held them back. 

In a momentary burst of bravery and curiosity (because honestly, that sounds like a fun game to Madoka), she shyly asks if she can join in too. The boys immediately stop bickering and turn to stare at her. Even Ruggie’s eyes were bugged wide. 

One of the boys scoffed harshly and was about to say something scathing but was immediately silenced when Ruggie signal someone to punch him before he could regret it. Ruggie is well aware that Madoka is beloved by the entirety of Diasomnia. He doesn’t even want to think what would happen if they make her cry. 

“You want to join our game? Sure! You’re in your PE uniform anyway. You can be on their team and I’ll be in the other. Both teams have an equal number of people now.”

So Madoka dutifully follow Ruggie from behind, unknowing that Ruggie glare hard at the NPCs and silently promise punishment if they ever brought up the rivalry that Savanaclaw has with Diasomnia. Even though Ruggie is not a Vice Dorm Leader, the NPCs adhere to his command since he’s their Dorm Leader’s right-hand man. 

Madoka quickly introduce herself and after a round of gruff exchange of pleasantry, Ruggie went over the rules and how the game works once more so that Madoka is clear. 

Madoka and her team watch as Ruggie and his team go first. They managed to get a lot of good hits and score mad points. Ruggie score the most for his team because he manages to hit the discs that was the farthest. 

Then it was Madoka’s turn. The guys draw out their Magic Pens and Madoka summon her pink bow. The moment the whistle is blown, everyone starts shooting. Ruggie and his team gape when Madoka manages to destroy the discs that was the farthest rapidly without missing a single hit! 

In the end, Madoka’s team won. Her teammates were so happy that they cheer and hoist her up on their shoulders. 

Meeting and getting to know Madoka was an eye opener for Ruggie. He could understand now why she was sorted into Diasomnia despite her timid nature. Everytime she pulls back the bowstring and unleash a stream of pink energy, Ruggie could feel that there some serious firepower in it. Like she purposely fire off weak blasts to shoot at the discs.

To Madoka, Ruggie is a good senpai, if a little callous and mischevious. Kyouko told them that out all the boys here, she could relate more to Ruggie than anyone else. From that, Madoka guessed that the two of them shared similar past but she refrain from poking into someone else’s business.

Leona, however, boy does this guy intimidate the hell out of Madoka! 

Leona heard of the game that Madoka joined and thought nothing of it. If Kyouko could punch someone and send them crashing straight through walls, it’s only safe to assume that the other girls are just as strong. However, because he kept catching Madoka saddle close to her friends and would lower her head slightly when talking to anyone that wasn’t them, it’s hard for him to view her anything but a herbivore despite living in Diasomnia with that overgrown lizard. 

The two meet in the green house. Madoka was tasked by Divus to collect some herbs and flowers for their class and as a mean to help her identify and learn more about alchemy materials more. Unfortunately, even with a book in hand to guide her, Madoka is still unfamiliar with the plants. 

When she spotted someone sleeping on a bench nearby, she was at first instantly drawn towards his kitty ears. Her hands already itching to pet them! Her second instinct is to ask him for help find the plants that the teacher requested. She’s unable to decide. 

Leona could sense someone is standing close to him and so reluctantly, he crack open one bleary eye. He could only sigh when he sees Diasomnia’s resident fairy acting so skittish at him. So gruffly, he asks, “What is it?” 

Madoka hesitantly explain that she needs help finding some of the plants in her book. The green house is so huge and she doesn’t have a lot time before her Alchemy class is over. 

Now, normally Leona would just scoff, roll over and go back to sleep, but something in Madoka’s pleading eyes makes him feel like the scum of Twisted Wonderland if he doesn’t help her out. Is this her Unique Magic? And so with a very much put out sigh, he got up and reluctantly told her to follow him. He knows where the flowers and herbs are around this place. When she thanked him profusely, Leona brush it off in embarrassment. Just... please stop it with the sparkles. 

Leona ended up teaching her how to identity the ingredients better. See here in the book about this particular flower? It’s unique because it gives different scent to different people. The matured ones would gives of the smell of your favourite food so pick those. This goes on until Madoka gathered all she needs with enough time to spare! 

Once again, Madoka thanked the Dorm Leader profusely in which Leona grumpily reply that the only reason he helped her out is so that she would know the herbs a lot more and won’t disturb him again. His prickly demeanour didn’t put her off though. 

To Leona, Madoka is the human embodiment of sunshine and rainbows. Sometime when she chases after him to wish him a good morning, Leona mentally wonder if he should buy a pair of sunglasses because her beaming smiles are blinding. Ruggie could only snicker quietly when Leona tried to feed the girl some half-baked excuse about catching his classes just so he could escape her rays. She’s a good girl, definitely, and less troublesome to boot despite being a Diasomnia member so Leona doesn’t mind her.  

Little did he know that Madoka is working hard to worm into his good side so he would let her pet his ears and maybe let her brush his amazing mane. Oh well, it doesn’t hurt him if he doesn’t know it! 

Madoka had already met Jack because of Kyouko. These two get along well due to their even-temper personalities. 

Jack appreciate that Madoka is working hard to improve herself as a person and her magic and would often offer to be training buddies so he could look out for her in case she ever overwork herself. Despite her gentle disposition, Jack wouldn’t treat Madoka as if she’s made of glass. He knows that being kindness does not equal to weakness. He has a feeling that when push come to shoves, Madoka wouldn’t hesitate to bite in self-defend. 

Bonus point: Jack lets her pet his ears and tail after she did a good workout session. It’s a good enough motivation for her! 

Usually Madoka is not too fond of physical workout but with Jack, every training session is fun. She feels so comfortable with him after some time that she would sit on his back whenever Jack does push up. Outside of their training sessions, these two mantained a good relationship and would often hang out with Kyouko and the rest of the first-year squad without problem.  

OCTAVINELLE! 

Among all the girls, Azul would soon learn that Madoka is the scariest.  

Azul and Madoka would only officially meet when Azul needed to be save from himself. For now, they only briefly exchange glances from one another. 

Madoka would be walking with Sayaka and Silver, talking and there across the courtyard would be Azul and the Leech Twins in their own world. When their eyes met accidentally (Azul turns away from Floyd in annoyance when the taller student tried to nibble on his cheek playfully), both of their eyes widen in surprise. 

Madoka saw something in Azul. Something painfully familiar and to Azul, at that brief moment, he felt like Madoka saw through him. It send shivers up his spine while Madoka’s heart would constrict in pain. The spell is only broken only when their respective friends bring them back to the present. 

It was only a brief moment, but both Azul and Madoka felt uncomfortable. 

After that strange interaction, Azul would contemplate in the dead of the night when he couldn’t sleep whether or not to stay away from Madoka or confront of her. He couldn’t help but feel that Madoka saw the ugly side of him that the desperately kept hidden. The small boy that wouldn’t stop crying just because he was different from the rest. From that single glance, Madoka manages to unearthed that boy. 

Azul hated this feeling. 

As for Madoka, when she stared at Azul that morning, she could see herself reflected in his eyes. More specifically, the helplessness that she always struggle with. Becoming a Magical Girl doesn’t change that. And she wonders, if his affable and put-together demeanour are similar to her need to always help out her friends. 

This puts her in a pinch as well. Should she try to approach him despite her friends’ warnings about the Dorm Leader of Octavinelle and the Leech brothers?   

In the end, the two of them gave each other a wide berth and the next time they met in campus, neither of them would even look at the other. Too caught up in their own struggles to know what to do about the other. 

Jade, ever the observant one, would definitely noticed how strangely indiffierent Azul is to Madoka. After all, weren’t their plan is to learn more about these otherworldly girls? So he would be intrigue as to why Madoka had rubbed Azul the wrong way when they didn’t even talk to the girl yet! 

Because of Azul’s indifference, Jade decide to merely observe Madoka from afar. For now. He’ll figure out this strange puzzle soon enough, he’s confident about it.

Floyd thinks that Madoka is like an axolotl. So cute! So tiny! So pink! Oh, he just want to squeeze the living shit out of her! Unfortunately, his enthusiasm appear very threatening to the girls. I mean, they don’t mind the usual hugs, but all of their warning alarms go haywire the moment they spot Floyd running to Madoka. 

Picture this scenario in your head. You’re minding your business, talking to your friend and then a 191CM boy suddenly run towards you, smiling widely so you can see his row of ridiculously sharp teeth and his arms wide open towards you. Now, can you actually figured out at that moment whether he wants to hug you or kill you? 

That’s Madoka dilemma right about now. 

As Madoka’s poor mind was racing whether to run or not and Lilia - who is with her - just smile at the incoming eel boy, Madoka immediately gape and Lilia’s eyes shine with mirth when a yellow ribbon suddenly shoots out from nowhere, wrap itself around Floyd’s ankle and yank viciously. He trips and falls face first onto the ground and he was then instantly hoist up onto one of the main lamp post. He was left confused and dangling in the air, but only for a moment. He grins menacingly when Mami and Kyouko (she has her spear ready) are looking up at him. The two saw him running and since he’s probably in one of his squeezing moods, Kyouko offer to help him blow off some steam. Needless to say that they definitely distracted him from Madoka as they fight right there and then. 

“Ah, youth. It never fail to bring joy into these old bones.” Lilia sigh happily as he and Madoka, as well as the wandering students, spectate Kyouko and Floyd’s battle. Mami already went away for her next class. 

“Floyd-san is... scary.” Madoka couldn’t help but admit with a shiver. Why does he always want to chase after her!? 

Poor, Madoka. Someone needs to tell Floyd that his usual way of making friends scare the absolute shit out of her. 

SCARABIA! 

It was a surprise not only to Madoka, but to the rest of the girls as well, that Homura willingly approach her to introduce Kalim. 

It was a sight to behold when the stoic Homura came forward to introduce a beaming and chatty Kalim to her. 

Needless to say that Kalim immediately set her at ease. By the end of the day, these two become fast friends. Expect her to join the tutoring sessions between Kalim and Jamil. 

Madoka absolutely adore how vivacious Kalim is. They relate to another so much - both are kind and love their friends. Kalim would coax Madoka into trying new things/experiences and in a way, these little things would unknowingly make her braver bit by bit. Especially after he brought her on a Magic Carpet ride to see the sunset.

Sometimes, when Madoka is feeling a bit insecure about her position as a Magical girl, the first person she would seek out to is Kalim. These two would often have heart-to-heart talks without their friends knowing. Only to the other, would they put down their smiles and cry. 

When Madoka would visit Scarabia to see her friends, Kalim make sure to roll out the red carpet for her. The first time was a bit overwhelming for the poor girl, but after realising that it’s just Kalim’s nature and love for parties, Madoka surprisingly roll with it. Jamil was ready to restrain Kalim but seeing that Madoka enjoyed it, he just sighs and let these two cheerful idiots be. 

Kalim finds that Madoka is super cute and fun! Her shy demeanour makes him want to help her come out of her shell. His attempts at throwing parties for her, going on Magic Carpet rides actually helps. It surprises him and everyone else. 

It’s not long before he sees her akin to a little sister. One that he must spoil! 

Like all the other boys in NRC, Jamil will freely agree that yes, Madoka is as cute as a button. But when he realises that Madoka is a more shy and reserve version of Kalim, he’s gonna relate to Homura even more now. He’s very grateful that Madoka is not as reckless as Kalim at least! 

Jamil would treat Madoka courteously, of course. Since Homura often look out for Kalim whenever he’s busy, Jamil would do the same to Madoka to pay her back. He would subtly look out for her from afar though. No need to let Madoka know. 

To Madoka, Jamil is intimidating but a lot less so than Azul. She wonders if it’s because Kalim is always plastered to his side and whatever shenanigans Kalim got himself into, Jamil would be there too.

After hanging with the two boys, Madoka could see that Jamil and Homura shares a lot of common traits, so she treats him the same way she treats Homura. Gentle and with the hopes that they could be even better friends.  

POMEFIORE!

When Mami once told him that one of her friends’ choice weapon is a bow and she’s quite proficient with it - despite what she may tell you otherwise - Rook immediately sets his eyes on Madoka. 

So he ‘observe’ her whenever he could. In less than a week, Rook basically learn more about Madoka than the girl herself. He memorised her routine down to a T, noted down the type of people she prefer to hang out with, knows which class she’s struggling and excel in and etc. 

Basically, Rook stalks her as much as he stalks Leona. 

(Funny enough, when Leona found out about this, it surprises Ruggie that he went out of his way to inform Madoka about it. It confuses her as to why Rook would keep an eye out for her and decided to approach him when she gets the chance). 

Well, that day arrives when Rook came by to fetch Mami after the girls’ training. He arrive just in time to witness Madoka pulling her bow and unleash a strong magical pink arrow at Homura’s shield. The impact was so strong that Homura even skidded behind. 

Rook startle the girls by clapping his hands loudly at such display of power and adorableness! 

He recalls that Vil requested him to fetch Mami, but he just have to show his skills with the bow and arrow off to Diasomnia’s fairy! 

“Ah, lovely mesdemoiselles, forgive me for my rude intrusion, but each and every one of your performance took my breath away. The sheer power and mesmerising beauty that accompanies it - it’s something I’ve never seen before!  

Kyouko exchange a weird glance with Sayaka who just shrugs. “Uh, thanks. I guess?” 

Before the girls could even react, Rook zoomed in front of Madoka, clasping her hands with his, pleading for her to let him bedazzled the fairy with his marksmanship. Behind him, Mami silently mouthed Madoka to indulged him with a small grin on her fond expression. 

So with an unsure smile of her own, Madoka nodded. 

Kyouko and Sayaka bid their goodbyes as they head back to their respective dorms to freshen up while Mami, Madoka and Rook went to the archery field. 

When Rook let his arrows fly, Madoka’s eyes widen in awe. Rook is so proud of himself for being able to impress someone who is also passionate with the bow. Cue Mami suggesting if Madoka would like some archery lesson from Rook. 

Madoka didn’t hesitate to agree. Anything to improve herself as a Magical Girl! 

From that point on, Madoka gradually learn more and more about Rook as much as the Hunter learned about her. The moment Madoka admits that she has a knack for drawing and art, Rook quickly share his passion for the arts as well. Expect for these two to spend their time together drawing and Rook teaching her all sorts of arts that they have here in TW. 

When Epel heard from the other Pomefiore students that Rook is quite smitten with Madoka, he would pull her to the side when they meet and ask if he’s overwhelming her. Rook can be like that at times. Much to his surprise, Madoka couldn’t stop singing praises over how much Rook had taught her in all sorts of things - archery, arts and he even helps her work on her confidence.

Speaking of arts, when Madoka caught Epel delicately carving apples into miniatures figures, she would shyly ask him to teach her. Already thinking of gifting her artworks to her friends and family. She wants to impress her mother with her new skills! 

Like Ace, Epel thinks Madoka is too good to be in NRC. It’s a good thing that the other girls tend to stick close to her and that her dorm is protective of her. In his opinion, it doesn’t matter if she can fight like the rest of the girls. Most of the low-life guys in this school tend to take appearance at face value. Just how they did with him until he introduces his fist into their faces. It felt so good to just go feral! Hmm... maybe he should teach her how to throw a good punch at least. 

As for Madoka, when she was first properly introduce to him, she was about to make a mistake by complimenting how gorgeous Epel is. Fortunately for her, there was a couple guys passing by cat-calling and whistling at him. In a blink of an eye, Epel’s tiny smile turn into a scary scowl and he immediately stated brawling with them. Madoka had no choice but to call a teacher for help. Despite being the one who landed him in detention, Epel is pretty cool with Madoka while the girl made sure to always remember not to say anything about how cute he looks. 

Vil would nod in a passing whenever he sees his rebellious little apple with Madoka sitting quietly in the courtyard, carving apples together. Vil hopes that being around Madoka would calm Epel for once. Completely oblivious to the plans that Epel has for Madoka.  

As the fashion seasons are approaching, Vil invite Mami and the rest of the girls to Pomefiore for some serious discussion. Madoka tilt her head in confusion when Sayaka look stricken when Mami came by with her Dorm Leader’s invitation. 

Sitting on his throne in all his glory and regalia with Rook standing beside his Queen, Madoka felt like she’s in a fancy court and talking to royalty. 

Vil wasted no time. He would like the girls to join him on this season’s fashion show and runway. There are still a few months left before the date and since the girls are no models, it’s a good time to train them. 

When she heard the word ‘fashion’ and ‘runway’ and more specifically, her on the runway, Kyouko already turn around and walk away. Rook however, was quick to intercept her with a wide smile and stated that the girls would be handsomely rewarded if they agreed to it. This was enough to make her hesitant.  

So as Kyouko and Sayaka argued with Rook and Mami is trying to calm things down, Homura crossed her arms and observe quietly when Madoka approached the haughty Dorm Leader. 

“Um, Schoenheit-san, I-I don’t think I can pull it off. I don’t feel too comfortable among a lot of people...” Madoka carefully admits. She likes the idea of wearing pretty clothes, but on a stage where a crowd will judge her? Just thinking about it nearly made her faint! 

Vil readily nodded but not deterred. “Mami informed me of your reserved nature. Under my teaching, I’ll transform you into a diamond that will glitter pink. This I promise you.” When Madoka still look unsure and Homura made moves to use her magic to bring her and Madoka out of Pomefiore, Vil continue, “Not only that, I will teach you how to overcome you timid nature. Aren’t you tired of hiding behind your friends all the time? You have beauty in you, girl. Give yourself the opportunity to bloom.” 

Madoka carefully studied Vil from top to bottom - his looks, posture and the way how he carry himself. However, what attracted her to him the most is his confidence. A confidence that Madoka dream to possess. 

And so she agreed. 

She didn’t complain under Vil’s Spartan training. She did her best to get used to wearing the dresses and clothes that Vil designed for them. She absorb every lessons that Vil and Rook gave to boost her confidence. 

“The moment you’re on the runway Kaname-san, you’re the star. Captivate them and you’ll have them eating from the palm of your hands. That’s quite a heady power once you get a taste of it.” Vil told her on the night before the fashion show. 

Needless to say that Madoka looks up to Vil quite a lot and in return, Vil appreciate all the hard work and efforts she gave to herself and to him that it makes him proud despite her not being his dorm member. He can’t wait to see Madoka bloom into something magnificent. 

Oh, and for those who are wondering, Vil designed a beautiful and elegant white dress with pink petticoat that flows behind her like a pair of wings whenever she walks. She feels strangely... powerful in it. 

IGNIHYDE!

While Madoka was trying to nudge a sleeping Silver awake for his next class, she was surprise that a robot boy suddenly approach her from behind. 

“Oh, hello there! I’m Madoka. Is there anything I can help you?” 

 The robot boy introduces himself as Ortho Shroud and that it was nice to meet with Madoka. She return the sentiment. 

Ortho then explain that she’s been looking for her friend, Homura. His big brother has been trying to call her all day and she’s not picking up any calls or seen her in any of the camera feeds around NRC. 

Now a little concern, Madoka and Ortho manages to roused Silver up. Together, they went around NRC looking for Homura after Silver left for his class. 

As they walk, Ortho continue to explain that since he and his big brother noticed that Homura often hang out with Madoka the most out of all the other girls, it would be better to approach her. Madoka regretfully inform him that she actually hasn’t seen Homura all day. 

Madoka then asked how did Ortho and his big brother managed to befriended Homura. Her friend is not known for being sociable after all. 

Ortho cheerfully explain that Homura went to his big brother for help. They often hang out at their dorm and work on their projects. When Madoka asked about his dorm, Ortho explains that it’s Ignihyde. Their dorm focus on improving magical technology of TW. 

Most of what Ortho try to explain about magitech fly over Madoka’s head but it’s fascinating to hear nonetheless. 

Ortho reminds Madoka of her little brother, Tatsuya. Thinking about him as they talk send a pang of homesickness. Before either of them realise it, Madoka had started crying. 

“Kaname Madoka-san! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? My scanner didn’t pick up any injuries on you!” Ortho fretted. 

With a sad smile, Madoka shakes her head as she wipe her tears. “I’m fine Ortho-kun. I just remember Tatsuya-kun. He’s my little brother. I miss him and my family so much.” 

Well that wouldn’t do! Ortho could relate; if he was separate from Idia, he would be just as distraught as Madoka. “Whenever I’m unhappy, I usually talk to my big brother. He always make me feel all better! Kaname Madoka-san, would you like to hang out with my big brother and I? Big brother said that having fun can help when you feel sad.” 

Madoka really doesn’t want to be alone right now. Despite just meeting with Ortho, he’s so sweet and kind to her. She wants to know more about him and his big brother. So after they found Homura who absentmindedly admit that she just return to NRC, the three of them head towards Ignihyde. 

Honestly, Idia is ashamed to admit that he shrieks a little when he open his door to see a beaming Ortho with Madoka and Homura behind her. A guy could use a warning before girls suddenly barge into his room! 

When Ortho explains that Madoka misses her little brother and ask if they could help her feel better by playing games, Idia’s heart melts a little. Besider her, Homura suggest they talk about their latest project some other time. It’s been sometime did she unwind and hang out with the Shroud brothers anyway. (Looks like befriending Kalim made her more incline to spend her time with Idia and Ortho, not that she realised yet.) 

Idia introduces the girls some of his latest games and they indulge in tons of snacks. It didn’t take long for him to relax in their presence and Madoka to cheer up. By the time dinner came around and Lilia texted Madoka to ask about her whereabouts, Madoka sincerely thanked the Shroud brothers with all her heart for helping her feel better. Ortho cheers while Idia stammers in embarrassment as he reply that it was not a problem. 

At first, Madoka thought that Idia is just as shy she was until he explains that being in a crowd makes him anxious and he just didn’t like to mingle with people. Only a selected few. Madoka felt honoured that he feels comfortable around her. After heading back to Diasomnia, she resolve to help Idia feel comfortable outside whenever she can. 

She can’t wait to learn more about Ignihyde and the Shroud brothers. 

Idia share the same sentiment with Leona when it comes to Madoka. The girl is seriously too adorable and blinding for her own good. It was like having a personal sun when she was in his room. Oh well, at least Ortho enjoys hanging out with her, letting her pampered him. He hopes that she’ll be able to reunite her family soon. 

-

And we’re done with the girls’ reaction to the other characters and dorms! Oh, I’m so happy! We’re now moving to Overblots and the dorms arcs! Starting with Sayaka and Riddle~     

[murdertrialimagines]

THH Girls + Chihiro Trying to Surprise F! S/O!

“Ok so I have an idea for a request, can you do the THH girls(including Chihiro, because he is amazing boi-) trying to surprise the reader(female because y e s g a y-)?”

Okay, last request before I open up for more! :3 Story under the tag!

Sayaka Maizono

Sayaka was never nervous to perform, always more than excited to shower her fans in her group’s talent

But whenever you were there, she was a wreck

She always felt like she did terribly, despite magazines and blogs raving of her topping performances

But now, she was a disaster

It should be a normal concert, at least as far as you knew

But Sayaka knew her own secret; the song she was about to debut specifically for you

After finishing what was supposed to be the last song, Sayaka took the mic

“Thank you all for coming out tonight! All of you probably knew this was the last song, but I actually have a small surprise!”

Fans screamed as you looked on from backstage, your face visibly confused

But as the lights dimmed and Sayaka’s voice filled the air, you knew exactly what was going on

Soft instrumentals you swear you’ve heard before, a tune you’ve heard your girlfriend humming for weeks

And the words-a heartwarming reference to you relationship, all of your favorite memories compressed into one song

None of her fans knew of you, yet they could feel the love and personal feelings Sayaka sang with

And as the song ended, she looked slightly your way, her teary eyes reflecting yours

The song become the number one love song of the year, playing on every station

Yet only you knew the true meaning behind it

“Did you like it?” Sayaka asked in the limo on the way home

You nuzzled into her neck, placing a kiss on her collarbone

“I could never ask for a better girlfriend, Sayaka.”

Kyoko Kirigiri

This was never the detective’s strong suit

She was silent, calculated, praised for her intellect and swift thinking when tracking criminals

Yet as she stared down the isle, she gulped as the challenge before her loomed like a case that could never be cracked

Valentines Day

Kirigiri was never one to be soft, but for you she would, as she put it, ‘Do all of the love stuff’

Speaking of love...what did you want?

She wandered down the shelves, hands reaching for stuffed animals and chocolates, only to pull away last second, her thoughts conflicting

She has an empty cart for nearly the last hour, and she knew time was running out

But time was running out much quicker than she expected, as she heard your voice just a few isles over

“Aoi, look! Let’s go see the cute bears!”

Eyes slightly widening, Kirigiri spun around to hide, promptly knocking into a display of chocolate boxes

She cursed as the boxes fell on her, the sweet avalanche burying her

As she tried to get up she felt hands removing the boxes, muffled voices outside of her confines

“Are you okay?!” Light as the box in her face was removed

She stared, as your own eyes caught hers in surprise

“Kyoko?” You asked as you helped her up, Aoi lending a hand

“Yes?” She tried to avoid the situation, brushing herself off to busy herself

“What were you doing? I thought you had class today?”

With your eyes still staring at her, she simply picked up a nearby bear, shoving it into your arms. 

“Valentines.”

Your wide stare turned into a laugh, dropping the bear in turn for a hug

“You’re so cute! But don’t worry, I already have something planned.”

And she much preferred your idea, spending the day in an escape room with just you and puzzles, her two favorite things.

Aoi Asahina

Asahina had asked you to come to the mall with her this day, and as you had nothing else planned, you agreed to go

But as she distracted you in the ride-share car you two took, you realized the usual thirty minute drive had long exceeded that time

‘Uh, Aoi? We’re in the outskirts of town, is this a different mall we’re going to?”

She only hummed an ambiguous response, eyes still on the road, and topic still on the new cute bakery by the school

You watched as the towns turned from tall corporate buildings to smaller townhouses, the air smelling fresher by the mile

Before long, you had fallen asleep as the warmness of the sun provided the perfect napping environment

“Y/n, wake up! We’re here!”

You opened your eyes, wincing at the sudden light 

“Where are we?”

You stood up from the car as Asahina popped the trunk, taking out her bags and thanking the driver

Sand...unbrellas...children...

“The...ocean?”

“Yup!” Asahina chirped, continuing to pull beach necessities from the trunk. “The perfect day for a swim, dontcha’ think?”

Before you could register what was happening, Aoi dragged you to the bathroom, got you both into swimsuits, and rushed you into the water

You had to admit, the water was very relaxing

And that proceeded to an entire day of just you and your girlfriend spending time swimming, having water fights, and munching on snacks

And as the sun set you both laid on towels, watching the horizon

“Hey Aoi?”

“Yes babe?”

“Don’t you have a paper due at midnight?”

“Aw, crap!”

Toko Fukawa 

Nothing ever went right for Toko, did it? 

All she wanted was to have a cute candlelit dinner with you in the comfort of your own home

Totally not to gain inspiration for her next book 

Yet the roses, died the second she brought them home

And whilst fretting over the flowers, the food, steak and veggies, burned to a crisp

And to top it all off, Toko found a bug, and in jumping away from it with a shriek, bumped into the table and knocked over the candles, lighting the tablecloth on fire

You were at the store when the phone call came

“Hello,” You asked, ending the catchy ringtone

“Y/n, I need help! The table cloth is on fire-”

“Wait, what? Toko, what’s happening?”

“I already called the fire department but they said-AUGH THE BUG HES BACK-”

The call ended quickly, following a crash on the other end

Conveniently, sirens flew by the store you were in, and you sighed, walking out of the store and towards your home

Stepping in the house, you caught the scent of smoke, as well as Toko, covered in soot along with the table

“I wanted to surprise you...” Toko shuffled over, pulling you into a hug

“Well, this is certainly a surprise...” You chuckled

Taking Toko’s hand, you placed a soft kiss onto her forehead, just as the firemen marched in

“C’mon, let’s get takeout.”

The writer turned bright red as you walked outside

“H-hey! I didn’t say you could do that!”

Sakura Ogami

A calm day with Sakura was rare 

She was always training, or sparring others to continue boosting her title

She had told you that she had away training today, and asked if you would come with

You agreed, and around noon, you two set off for the location of the event

“Sakura, are you sure this is the right area?” She asked, standing in the open area surrounded by stores. “The only martial arts related thing I see is that children’s dojo. PLease don’t tell me you’re fighting kids.”

Sakura chuckled, taking your hand. “You’re so oblivious sometimes, Y/n. We’re not training today.”

“Huh?”

Before you could get a response, Sakura lightly tugged you along, pushing you into a cute restaurant

“Today is for us. To relax together.”

“But your training-” I lied.” “Oh.”

Not complaining, you sat down at a nearby booth, swinging your legs as you two ordered your lunch

You two talked, relishing in having a moment of peace together for the first time in weeks. Simply sitting together like common girlfriends do

Yet that was sharply ended as thuds of palms against the nearby window startled you both

“Look! I told you it was Sakura Ogami! She’s the best fighter ever!”

A kid, donning a gi, was soon surrounded by other children all dressed the same, cooing at your girlfriend

Smiling, you both stood up and walked outside, greeting the kids

Enjoying their presence, you two went back to their dojo, and you watched as Sakura taught the kids new moves, all of the teachers honored to work with her

This may not have been the surprise planned, but it was certainly one you cherished, as it was with Sakura, the way it should be 

Celestia Ludenberg

Dating Celeste meant extreme elegance surrounding you 24/7

Fancy dinners, shows, and galas every week

And of course, this meant showering you in gifts, from simple roses to expensive jewelry and clothes

You had told Celeste that she did not need to do this, but she said she did not mind, as her pool of money was ever growing

Plus, she liked to see you blush 

Today was like any other, you had been browsing the streets when Celestia shot you a text

‘Dinner tonight, meet at my place. I left an outfit at your door. C.L.’

This was typical, her bringing you to a fancy dinner, along with providing clothes that complimented the establishment’s ambiance

You were nearly finished on your walk anyways, so you decided to catch a cab and head home

At your door as promised, was a small box. You picked it up, and after unlocking your door, headed inside

Setting down your belongings you opened the box, surprised as the simplicity of the clothing. A simple black skirt and blouse

It fit like a glove, you realized as you put it on, and headed to Celestia’s, shooting her a quick heads up

When you got to her house, you were surprised to see no driver on the street, and the lights on in the house

Before you could even knock, the door swung open, revealing Celeste in simple yet elegant clothing

“Ah, Y/n! You’re finally here.” She gave you a warm smile. “Come in.”

Stepping inside, you gasped as you saw a tasty looking dinner placed upon her wooden table

“You like it? You seem quite shocked.” She giggled as she picked up a glass and handed it to you. “I love showering us in fancy stuff but you seem to enjoy simple treats as well. So, as such, I made dinner, just the two of us.”

“Celeste, this is amazing! You made it yourself?” “Well, gambling isn’t the only thing I am good at. Now, eat up!”

Junko Enoshima

When Junko got a girlfriend, men and women around the world went crazy

Headlines with the smallest of info on you made top money, people desperate for the fashionista’s love life

However, Junko did not want you to be revealed by anyone but herself

And so, she dragged you out of bed bright and early, not telling you what was happening

“Just a nice day out!” Was all she would say

First stop was breakfast, where you two ate delicious meals prepped by top chefs

Then a nail salon, then a boutique, till you two were dolled up

And then she took you to ideal destinations, monuments, parks, zoos, and cute bakeries

You two had stopped at an ice cream parlor after an aquarium visit, each of you resting your legs while eating scoops of the store’s frozen treat

“Junko, dear, I appreciate all of this so much, but surely there is a reason for this? I mean, I would understand one place, but this day has been so expensive!”

“Don’t be so coy, sweetheart!” Junko gave a sharp laugh, taking a small bite of ice cream from her cup. “I just got a HUGE bonus from last weeks shoot, so I thought why not bring my adorable girlfriend on a trip she deserves?”

Blushing at Junko’s compliment, you took a bite of your own treat, silently agreeing to just enjoy the rest of your day

The next day you woke up to your phone beeping sporadically, buzzing on the bedside table

Turning it on, you were bombarded with photos of you and Junko, all smiles as you went about the events of the previous day

‘For my Ultimate girlfriend, Y/n’ said each photo posted

Clutching your phone to your chest, you sighed, warmth spreading through you

God, you loved this woman

Chihiro Fujisaki

It was your birthday, but the day seemed to have cursed you, as you had many exams, all one after another

Luckily for Chihiro, he had the whole day to surprise you

He had gone to the store the previous day, hiding all of the decoration and supplies in an unused kitchen cupboard

And the second you left for the day, it was go time

Taking all of the decorations out, Chihiro for to work, stringing up streamers and balloons, all in your favorite colors

He also made a cake, your favorite flavor mixed with funfetti, and a cute picture of your favorite animal made of frosting on the top

Setting out the cake, Chihiro got a text saying you were on your way

He sat down on the couch, the cake lit up on the coffee table

Hearing your keys in the door, Chihiro prepared the saying

“Happy birthday!” “Chihiro?” You gasped, looking at the festive room that greeted you. “What made you do all of this?”

“Well,” Chihiro got up, standing closer to you. “I wanted to celebrate your birthday...but I knew you would probably be to tired from your exams to go out so I wanted to something more mellow, unless you are too tired for anything and would like to-”

He was cut off by you giving him a peck on the lips, engulfing him in a hug

“Chihiro, it’s perfect.” You placed a second kiss on his cheek, causing him to glow red

“Wait, why do you have a bandaid on your forehead?”

“I fell off of the stepladder”

“Chihiro!”

[hyperfixationtimego]

the three wingmen of thh; Leon (chaotic), Kyoto (lawful), and Hina (neutral)

Kyoto was 100% the reason Celeste is dating Junko, it’s canon now. She is extremely involved in seating for extracurricular activities (i.e. the tea parties), and commonly puts them together. She finds putting Taka and Mondo apart...helps them?? She has no idea why but if they’re seated far from each other, they are immediately cuddling once they leave the room.

Grey-hair and Blue-hair girls are dating, no I do not take criticism (grey hair has braids I think and protects a mob guy?? and blue hair is the mastermind ig, she has black glasses apparently) - queer eye anon

oh my god yes???

Leon and Chihiro were some very powerful masterminds behind ishimondo ngl 👀 like chihiro’s brainpower combined with kuwata’s sheer strength of will?? UNSTOPPABLE those gay bitches never stood a CHANCE

although to be fair, most of their plans DID involve using a digital lock and/or utilizing alter ego to somehow force them into an empty room and keep them locked in there until they finally confessed 💛

Leon ALSO wingmans for sayaka because they’re besties who hate each other ❤️ he’s constantly cracking jokes with her about how she should just text Mukuro that she wants to fuck, or jokingly advises her to use raunchy pick-up lines on Sakura. He’s come very close once or twice to just. Blurting out “HEY MUKURO! SAKURA! SAYAKA’S GOT A HUGE FUCKING CRUSH ON Y-” only to have the idol clamp a hand over his stupid dumbass mouth <3

it’s okay because sayaka absolutely gets her revenge when she has to wingman for him and makoto (the only reason she doesn’t completely fuck up kuwata’s chances and embarrass him is because she’s besties with Makoto, too, and knows the poor guy’s ALSO got it bad. There’s a lot of Sayaka (and literally everyone else too) having to deal with some gross oblivious loveydovey pining from these fucking dorks, so she gets her fill of teasing)

And Hina wingmanning for Sakura???? Bruh okay u have no IDEA how much serotonin platonic sakuraoi gives me simply because????? Them?????? They????? Love???????? I love them???

And basically Hina’s just the right amount of empathy/sympathy and logic!! Her main, go-to piece of advice is “just talk to them!” And - surprise - trusting her on this usually leads to having fun and making good memories with the object(s) of affection !!

She’s such a sweetheart??? And like yes ofc she doesn’t have an answer for everything, because her heart is just a lil bit bigger than her brain sometimes (ok but mood tho like no shame this is both kin and projecting) but she’s trying her best!!! As she always listens to whoever needs her at that moment and gives the best advice she can - which isn’t even limited to romantic situations!!! She’s one of the go-to students for when someone’s having, like, an everyday problem or feeling stressed because she’s so non-judgemental and soothing to be around!!!

It’s Hina appreciation hours 💛

Anyway, Kyoko-

she also (unfortunately) is forced to wingman for Makoto and Leon, which means a lot of listening to naegi ramble on about how cool and nice and interesting and pretty and blah blah blah kuwata is (don’t get Kirigiri wrong, she adores Leon, but a girl can only take so much, y’know?)

and requests for Makoto to simply......TELL LEON are almost ALWAYS refused because nope no way in hell absolutely not and so she’s like great I’m gonna go bang my head against a desk because I seriously cannot take the two of you anymore

eventually she (secretly) goes and talks to Leon, without betraying Makoto’s trust or disclosing any information she feels he would not be comfortable with, does her best to subtly hint at the fact that hey. koto’s got a crush. you should fucking ask him about it before I go completely insane. Leon doesn’t fully get the hint but does go talk to Makoto, which FINALLY prompts some goddamn CONVERSATION about it thank GOD

also sorry sorry not to ramble but I just????? an idea hit me like a gd truck and I need to talk about it because I love???? I love????? I love

sometime after all this, Kyoko gets inadvertently wrapped up in co-wingmanning with Makoto for Komaru and Toko/Jill. Except. Those three have no clue about the fact that there is any wingmanning going on.

so kyoko’s like “why are we doing this”

and makoto’s like “because she’s my sister and she’s in love and I want her to be happy!!!”

“Okay but shouldn’t they work this out on their own”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!!!”

“*Sigh.* Goddamnit.”

And then Leon eventually hears about it, as well, because of course makoto’s gonna talk abt it with his boyfriend, why wouldn’t he, and anyway kuwata’s like OH?? POG??? because he and Toko and he and Jill are friends!!!! So he’s like I’ll totally help omg Fukawa and Syo are gonna STOKED

(Makoto does not comment on the fact that Toko most likely will not, in fact, be stoked by the idea of kuwata meddling in her love life, but does at least advise his dear 0-braincell partner to be careful ❤️)

okay okay sorry I’m a simp for tokomaru and syomaru on main but anyway back to kyoko and seating charts-

YEAH ON GOD???

And poor Kirigiri already has trouble comprehending how social interaction works that this kinda shit just???? Completely breaks her?????

“Why.....do people.....react different.......like I will accommodate for it but.....I do not.....understand......”

does not fucking compute

(Also shhhhh don’t let Korekiyo know that there was something about human behavior Kirigiri didn’t understand because somehow they will materialize from the shadows to go on a softly excited special interest infodump ramble/lecture that lasts hours and hours)

But yeah???? Ironically enough, she’s honestly the only person from her class who’s able to, for the most part, figure out how Celestia’s mind works, and so she’s able to use that to her advantage when setting her up with Junko!!! (The thing with Celeste was that it sort of became a case to Kyoko!! Celeste was so Obviously different in her behavior and mannerisms than everyone else that Kirigiri basically ended up treating learning about her the same way she would treat trying to solve a crime or something similar!!)

For ishimondo she chalks it up to “absence makes the heart grow fonder???” she guesses????? seriously she has No Clue

also she doesn’t pick up on it but they DO give each other pining puppy dog eyes from across the room the whole goddamn time like they’re just [y e a r n]

And OKAY ANON???? HEY ANON????? WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THE FUCKING GALAXY BRAIN JUICE???? HELLO???????

I. how is it possible to not know the games and yet,,,,,,,conjure up a concept so incredible????? Pekomugi,,,,,,,,,my g o d

Ok ok ok ok ok hold on hold on lemme gather my thoughts because holy fuck

FIRST OF ALL, Tsumugi is a GIANT nerd, so the thought of having a SWORD GF???? A GIRLFRIEND WHO IS A SWORDSMAN???? HOLY FUCK?????? she can live out her wildest samurai anime fantasies,,,,,,,because she quite literally has a swordswoman girlfriend who would protect her with her sword oh my g o d

SECOND OF ALL, Tsumugi also????? fucking loves sitting in on Peko’s training sessions to watch her beautiful incredible wonderful darling partner spar??? and use badass techniques and strategies???? Literally Tsumugi is always blown away??

and she ALWAYS comes and barrels into Peko to give her a gigantic hug and shower her with kisses once training’s over!!!! And Peko doesn’t understand because

“I am hot and sweaty. I am currently very gross, why are you kissing me,”

“No!!! You’re stunning and perfect and charming!!!! You make me swoon!!! Oh, dear knight, hold me in your sweet embrace....”

meanwhile peko’s just like babe pls let me go take a shower

and okay final thing I promise, but....Peko is absolutely astonished by Tsumugi’s cosplay abilities???? Like with a lot of her works, Peko can hardly even believe that that’s her gd girlfriend????? Like sweet JESUS her datemate is damn good at makeup and disguising herself and whatnot

“cosplay is an art and you have perfected it,” like catch tsumugi fuckinf crying

[magireco]

hey bitch give us the clara doll hcs or ELSE

Hey witch anything for you<3

ok so this depends on what Kind of hc this is like the “this makes me emo” type headcanon or the sillyfunny type headcanon. most of my hcs for the clara dolls are silly funny type headcanons (MOSTLY BECAUSE OF YOU BTW. we come up with a lot of content of them when we watch rebellion.. fortnite fortnite) like i just always imagine the clara dolls pulling pranks on post rebellion homura because like. they’re her Familiars they work off of her emotions (especially her self hatred) so if she’s feeling particularly stupid about herself one day warukuchi and noroma are just breaking out the clown makeup. This is kind of a popular headcanon considering literally what they do in the new world is throw tomatoes at homura and mime out her feelings (like when they’re abandoning their shoes and jumping off the building) but STILL it’s funny i just feel like the clara dolls are silly kids who make fun of people and like.. maybe some of them favor some of homura’s friends more than others like yakimochi doesnt like sayaka but noroma doesUGH NOW IM THINKING ABOUT HOW THE CLARA DOLLS RELATE TO HOMURA’S INTERNAL FEELINGS that’s just going to make me ramble about her familiars in general i just LOVE how much content there is on homura’s familiars. Like that’s kind of obvious considering they’re a centerpiece of rebellion but like how details on lotte and luiselotte was that they hate “white rats” because of this huge part of homura’s identity aside from her goal is just that she Hates kyubey and is actively trying to kill him(i’ll talk about kyubey one day i promise) okay anyways i got off topic (it’s 4 am this is so messy oh my god) Back to clara dolls being friends with homura’s friends. i think namake and kyoko hang out :] can you tell i just really like making fluffy silly scenarios Even though every time I read through the clara dolls descriptions on the wiki page i get so emo. AGH i already put some quotes in the gc but “I heard this story from the Goddess. She's a beautiful and radiant goddess. I'm sure she'll love us too.” These dolls only want things within reach.” is making me emo right now.... 

Anyways . I might add onto this more tomorrow considering it’s like almost sunrise as i write this and my brain is head empty only “The fifteenth and last one to come is Love. Nobody has seen this Devil yet. The night is not yet over. She will not end the night again. We are the mourners, the theater troupe of this mortal world.” but here’s hopefully what you expected me to write here i hope you expected me to go on about the quotes in the witch book because oh my God i could go on. Okay i will tomorrow i think. goodnight look at my favorite art of homulilly \/ \/ \/ waaaa

[vampthropologist]

So I occassionally have really cool or weird dreams that I remember, and this one was cool since it’s the first superhero movie-like dream I’ve had. The twist is, it had no real superheroes, just characters that were adapted a bit to fit. The only real hero to show up was the Hulk in one split panel scene.

Anyway, I’m going to tell it here as best as I can because it had fandom characters and that makes it funnier.

So, I’m at this grey concrete superhero HQ, don’t know why I’m here. I get up from a bunk I’m in and leave this room of bunk beds (like the ones in military movies) and walk around for a bit. I eventually get to a room with a big screen and command consoles (like NASA looking things) and I see a brown meteor looking planet and the face of some dude who looks like Darkseid (maybe??) on the screeen. The people controlling it look back and yell at me to get out and that new recruits should be in the lunchroom or whatever. So I get out fast (because I still don’t like getting yelled at) and eventually find the lunchroom. I meet some people, like a Sayaka Maizono who doesn’t look like Sayaka al the way; a robot that looks like the ones from Mitchells vs the Machines but skinny and with a Gladys head that has a blinking blue light, she’s called Miku and she speakers through charades, can dance, and is just for recording and broadcasting; and I meet the head honcho who kinda looks like J Jonah Jameson and that dude from that new superhero show (I haven’t watched it yet but the one in blue and yellow that’s like Superman and has a kid). He greets me and tells me about how we stopped the bad guy (from the screen) and how I’m here with new recruits to stop him from coming again. We know that he needs to slingshot around his planet twice (think the Apollo mission to the moon, or Daft Punk Intrastellar) to get to a portal that gets him to Earth. Since he was defeated, we’re all going to party tonight.

We get into trucks (like military trucks) and head to this large area with a huge parking lot and a park on the other side with a building far off in the park. Most people went to the building or park, but I was awkward and didn’t like initiating conversation (oops like real life) and stayed in the parking lot. I ended up “talking” with Miku, then talking to a more robotic version of Kiibo. Sayaka makes an offhand comment about the robots, and I say that their actually pretty cool. Sayaka leaves. I’m wandering around a bit and looking at the cars, when the big boss comes up to me and makes a comment about how nobody is talking with the robots and laughs. I tell him I‘ve been talking with them and thought they were pretty cool. He is shocked by this but brushes it off and tells me to join the others and mingle more.

Time skip, some Of us slept at the HQ and others slept at the park building. Big boss man gets me up and tells me to grab the robots. we get into his sedan and I’m about to throw the robots in the trunk when they roll up into balls and go to sit at my feet. It’s dark and empty on the streets, and the boss is stopping at stoplights and going very fast when it’s green. He has a window open, and Miku flys out. I try to tell him when he slows down on a mossy covered road, but he ignores me and tries to speed up again. When he gets to the next stoplight, I tell to him that he left Miku. He yells at me that I should’ve said so earlier, so I tell him I did but he gaslights me and says I didn’t. We go back looking for Miku (it’s now light outside) and eventually I see her hiding behind a streetlight pole. I call out to her to get her to come back, but she won’t. Nagito Komaeda comes out and grabs Miku and throws her in the car (he’s one of the heroes that went to the party building i learn) and before he gets in I tell him that he better not bring up any “hope vs despair” trash, because I am annoyed by him a lot more in this dream. He is intimidated but agrees and jumps in to sit next to me in the backseat. Miku’s eye glows blue a bit even though it shouldn’t in her ball form, this unsettles me so I push her head up against the seat in front of me.

We go to an empty plot of land and everyone gets out. Miku starts recording, Kiibo is standing guard, and a third robot comes out and shape shifts into a big green woman wearing a red dress. Big boss tries to command her to shoot a laser at the bad guy’s planet, but she flys into the air getting increasingly larger and goes through a portal she’s made. Boss is freaking out and furious, I’m scared for my safety around him, and it cuts to the HQ screen and everyone is freaking out at the green robot-lady that is turning the meteor planet around to a direct angle at the US on Earth (only time we get a direct location named). The lady starts shooting her laser around, and the screen splits to show the Hulk in a corner on a volcano planet trying to dodge her laser beams.

Everyone is panicking. Then I woke up

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Evening Shenanigans (Arc Beginning)

(Didn’t have the time or work ethic level to make sprite edits, so you’ll just have to imagine shirtless Makoto for this)

[10:07pm at 78th class dorms/living quarters. Two days later]

*Knocking on the door to the main area.

I’ll get it...

*Kyoko opens the door and is greeted by two familiar faces

Hey Kyoko!

Komaru?

Hey, I’m here too!

Oh, sorry Toko, didn’t see you there...

Course you didn’t

Don’t be such a downer...She wasn’t trying to be rude.

Not to be mean, but what are the two of you doing here?

We just came by to visit. Everything’s ok in Towa right now and I brought yum-yums...

Hmhm...Well, I’m sure everyone will be happy to know that.

Sorry, but Makoto’s not here right now. You’ll have to wait for him to get back.

Ok, thanks. Think we can borrow the spare room for tonight? We weren’t expecting to get here so late.

Of course you can.

Wow, there are a lot more people up than I thought there were.

Well, it’s still early.

Hey, Komaru! Whats up! What are you doing here?

Just visiting. Good to see you Hina.

*The two of them hug, then Hina hugs Toko

EuEharEhghghRh...

You’re never going to get used to that, are you?

Nope...

Then I myself will refrain from hugging you.

*In the main lounge area of the building, Aoi, Sakura, Yasuhiro, Leon, Sayaka, Mondo and Taka are watching TV.

Watcha watching?

Some old ass documentary about an old Ultimate Student and their adventures...or something...

To be fair, that’s pretty damn accurate...

Cameron Aat, the Ultimate Adventurer. It’s rather a shame what happened to her...

Let me guess...she didn’t survive the tragedy?

I don’t believe so, but that’s not what I’m talking about. She was talented, but unfortunately used her talent for the wrong things. Namely, she trespassed on certain owned territory and got arrested, and placed into a self-help association.

I see...

*Hina shuffles up to allow Komaru to sit on the sofa. Toko sits on the sofa arm.

It sounds interesting. I wanna watch.

Well, you arrived at a pretty poor time. The episodes already half over...

Aw...Well, can you tell me what I missed?

I shall give you a rundown when it’s all finished!

Thanks Taka...

Oh...

What’s up?

It’s starting to rain...

Ah, you’re right...sure is coming down hard...

Ah crap!

What’s wrong?

I left some of my laundry out to dry up on the roof today! It’s gonna get soaked if I don’t get it.

*Hiro rushes to the stairs to go grab his washing on the roof.

Now that you mention it, I did the same!

*Sakura follows

I have to go! Me too!

If you’re going, I will too. Think I left my other jacket up there...

*Taka and Mondo also leave

I mean, it is getting pretty late and I’ve got a big day tomorrow, so I think I’m gonna go to bed early.

What about you guys?

I think I’m going to stick around and keep watching. To keep Komaru and Toko company for a bit.

Yeah, same.

Me too.

See you guys later then...

Goodnight.

*Hina leaves

It is raining pretty hard out there, huh?

P-Probably one of those evening showers...

Can you really call it an evening shower if it happens at night?

I’m pretty sure it still includes the night.

*There’s suddenly a loud crashing noise outside the door, followed by a cry of alarm and pain.

Huh? What was that?

Sounds like something hit the door...

Hm...Wonder if that was Makoto...

Hold on, I’ll go take a look...

Let me come with...

*Komaru and Kyoko both head for the door where the sound came from

Hm...I’m kinda surprised she could tell...Kyoko I mean...

...!

Ow...Ow, ow ow...

*As Komaru and Kyoko open the door, they see Makoto lying in a heap on the floor, up against the wall.

Makoto!

Huh? K-Komaru?

What happened? Are you ok?

Jeez...you’re completely soaked...

I was out walking and then the rain came out of nowhere...I started to run as fast as I could and...I guess I ran a bit too fast. I slipped and went crashing into the wall...

Oof...That kinda hurts...

Come on, just get inside already...

*Kyoko ushers Makoto inside.

Do you want me to grab you a spare towel?

No thanks...I think it would be better if I just took a bath...

Ok.

Damn...I want to grab a spare change of clothes, but I’m dripping water everywhere...I can’t go back to my room like this...

Why don’t you ask Kyoko to go grab them for you? I'm sure she’d be fine with it.

I wouldn’t mind...

Oh, sure, thanks. That’d be...

Wait! No no no! I can’t ask a girl to do that for me!

Cool it, I was only joking...sheesh...

Hm...What is this?

What the-!? Mr Naegi, you’re soaked to the bone! If you go out in the rain at this hour, you’ll definitely catch a cold!

Shame there was no pretty girl you could share an umbrella and walk back with...

Oh, Hifumi! Perfect timing!

I see...You want me to bring your bath supplies? Very well, I will do so.

Thanks. You know where my room is right? Here’s my key. My spare clothes should be on my bed and my towel should be on the shelf in the shower room...And don’t go poking around my room without my permission, ok?

No need to worry Mr Naegi, I wasn’t planning on it.

I shall be back in a jiff! Stay here and let off some steam!

Got it. Thanks a bunch.

*Hifumi rushes to Makoto’s room to grab him a spare change of clothes and a towel.

...

Kyoko? What’s wrong?

Sorry, I was just a bit distracted. It’s not often that I see your hair really soppy...That one big spike on your head is really droopy right now.

Huh? Oh, that...

I guess that’s pretty funny to imagine...I must look like a damp animal right now...

*Makoto says this as he proceeds to take off his jacket and his wet shirt.

It’ll probably look really silly when it’s dry too. It’ll be all floofy and fuzzy...

Yeah, probably...

...!

Kyoko? Is something wrong?

...

My, my, big brother, you really are quite bold...getting undressed in front of a woman...

...? ...!

Ah! Kyoko, I am SO sorry! I didn’t mean it! I just got carried away because Komaru was here and I didn’t think she’d mind since she’s my sister and all and...

No I’m...not too bothered by it...You don’t need to apologize...

Da-dada-dadaah! Hifumi Yamada has returned once again! Accompanied by the items that Mr Naegi requested from him.

Another one off the quest list.

That was fast! Did you find it alright?

Of course! It was right where you said it was!

Alright...I’m heading to the bath now. Thanks you guys.

Well, I didn’t really do anything.

I was only fulfilling a friend request.

*Komaru, Kyoko and Hifumi head back to the lobby.

What happened back there?

Makoto was out and then on the way back home, he had a bit of an accident...

Sounded like more than just an accident to me...

...

Kyoko...?

Huh?

You ok? Your face is...unusually red...

I-It’s nothing...

...

If I am no longer needed, I think I shall retire to my room for the evening.

Yes! I think we all should probably head to bed.

For real? Well, show’s over anyways, so I guess...

Gdnight guys and girls...

Goodnight Mr Kuwata.

Goodnight.

Kyoko...!

Huh?

Stick around a little bit...

Why?

Makoto’s still in the bath. You don’t want him coming out to an empty room, do you?

...!

I don’t think he’d mind too much...

Come on, sit down!

Huh!?

*Komaru forces Kyoko into a seat and gives Sayaka a cheecky thumbs up. Sayaka returns.

Just wait for a bit, he’ll be out soon I’m sure!

Goodnight!

What was that about?

Shush!

*Everyone except Kyoko leaves...

...

What was that...?

To be continued...

[mistbornthefinal]

Madoka Magica Aniversary Analysis: Part 8

Song of Sayaka

We begin the episode where the last one ended with Sayaka hacking away at the Witch. As the labyrinth fades we se glimpses of Sayaka’s injuries but her magic quickly erases them. With the witch defeated Sayaka gives Kyouko a very unnerving dose of the Shaft Head Tilt.

The she throws Kyouko Else Maria’s Grief Seed telling Kyouko that she doesn’t want to owe her anything. As she releases her transformation though she nearly collapses and has to leave the scene heavily supported by Madoka. (cue connect)

Rain falls on Mitakihara, Madoka and Sayaka have taken shelter in a bus stop. Madoka asks Sayaka not to keep fighting the way she did against Else Maria, recognizing it as being more self-harm than battle-strategy. Sayaka says that she couldn’t have won otherwise. Madoka says that even if she wins that way it won’t help her in the end (which is true a battle strategy built around dehumanizing yourself and taking punishment is going to hold out over the long term. Not when you’re a meguca and thus have a very fragile critical hit location and a fatal allergy to despair)

Sayaka brandishes her soul gem. “Now that I’ve been turned into this thing how can anything help me?” She continues this line saying that she’s just a rock that pretends to be alive by puppeting a corpse. Madoka says she just wants Sayaka to be happy again, and Sayaka attempts to guilt Madoka into making a contract. Madoka says she can’t but is unable to articulate why. Sayaka indicts Madoka for remaining on the sidelines when she could be all powerful and storms off into the rain telling Madoka not to follow her. As she runs she calls herself an idiot and says that she can not be save now.

As the scene transitions we get a shot of Sayaka’s Soul Gem and the curse growing inside it.

We then get our first glimpse of the Homu-home which is Magia Record anime levels of cursed architecture. Kyouko and Homura are having a meeting and as always Kyouko is chowing down. Homura indicates a location on a map and says that Walpurgisnact will appear in this area. Kyouko asks how she knows that Homura replies “statistics.” Kyouko is knowledgeable enough to realize that is a non-answer but before she can inquire further they are interrupted by an unwelcome guest. 

(seriously why is this place like this Homura was in the hospital less than a month ago)

Kyubey has stopped by to inform them that “there is a curse growing within Miki Sayaka”. When Kyouko asks for clarification Kyubey passes the buck onto Homura saying that she already knows the answer. When Homura does not dispute it Kyubey wonders where she got that particular piece of info. Homura dismisses him, he leaves, and Kyouko wonders why she just let him go. Homura replies that killing him would be pointless. 

At school the next day Sayaka is once again absent with Madoka regretting not following her the previous night. We then cut to Hitomi walking alongside Kyousuke as the sun sets, Kyousuke being neutronium dense only just realizes that Hitomi house isn’t this direction. Back with Madoka we find out that Sayaka didn’t come home the pervious night. We see that Sayaka is behind a pillar looking on while Hitomi and Kyousuke talk, though we don’t get to hear the conversation.

Regardless we see Sakaya drift through a dark blue background before we cut to her venting her emotions on a gaggle of Familiars. Homura steps from the shadows to confront her saying that she can’t afford to waste any more magic. She tosses Sayaka a Grief Seed saying that she must purify her Gem but Sayaka kicks it away. Sayaka makes it clear that what she’s doing, recklessly rushing into battle and refusing Grief Seeds is a suicide attempt. She intends to burn up all her magic fighting and expects to die when it is exhausted. 

Homura ask why Sayaka won’t accept her help Saying all she wants it to save her. Why won’t can’t she believe her? Sayaka says that she can’t trust Homura because her words fell empty to her and it’s clear from her eyes that she’s given up on everything. Homura showing her yandere side claims that she only cares about Sayaka in so far as her suffering causes Madoka to suffer. And then says the if she keeps causing Madoka pain she intends to

Given how long she takes to make her move and how little she resists when Kyouko grabs her from behind I’m not sure how committed to that course of action she was. Kyouko notes that Homura’s “weird technique” can’t be used if she’s being grappled. Homura responds by pulling a flashbang grenade which dissuades Kyouko enough for her to make an escape. 

We find Sayaka listlessly riding a train and sharing a car with a pair of assholes boasting about how they abuse their girlfriends. Needless to say this is exactly what she didn’t need right now. She feels like she’s tried to do the right thing only to be used and abused and now she has to hear these shitheels gloat about how they treat the women in their life. She confronts them and doesn’t so much talk too them as at them. She openly wonders if the world is even worth fighting for and then a labyrinth-like texture over takes her body and scenes cuts implying but not showing some serious violence.

Meanwhile Madoka is wandering the city trying to find her friend when Kyubey steps from the shadows. He asks if Madoka hates him as well. “If I said yes would you turn Sayaka back?” Madoka asks in turn. Kyubey claims that such a thing is beyond his abilities. Madoka then asks that if she accepted Kyubeys offer would Sayaka still have become a magical girl. Kyubey says that was Sayaka’s own decision. That said Kyubey reiterates that Madoka has enormous potential something that confuses her as much as him, if she wished for it even the laws of the universe could bend she could be an all-powerful god. Madoka asks if she could do what Kyubey couldn’t and return Sayaka to normal. Kyubey says that this would be childs play for her and as Madoka is about to accept the contract... 

It’s interrupted by Homura filling the bunnycat with lead. Initially Madoka is shocked by Kyubey’s death but as distress becomes evident that come to occupy her focus. Homura’s façade finally breaks and she grabs Madoka by the shoulders with tears in her eyes. 

“Why are you always sacrificing yourself? Don’t demean yourself by saying that you can’t help anyone of that you’re useless. Think about all the people who care about you! Just cut it out! Why don’t you understand that there are people who would grieve if you died?! Why don’t you consider the people who try so hard to protect you?!”

Homura’s tearful plea seems to trigger some kind of timeless recollection in Madoka but ultimately she rushes off to look for Sayaka, despite Homura’s pleas.

“You knew that was pointless but you did it anyway”

Another of Kyubey’s bodies is perched on a nearby fence. It hops down to the bench and eats his corpse. He notes that this is the second time Homura has killed him, but he’s starting to understand how Homura fights. Homura’s power is time manipulation and she is not from this timeline. Homura fires back that she knows what he is and his true plan. The Incubator asks if she is that determined to change Madoka’s fate

We find Sayaka experiencing that post murder depression when Kyouko finally catches up to her. Kyouko asks how long Sayaka is going to sulk and Sayaka simply apologizes for wasting her time. Sayaka has given up she can’t even remeber what was so important to her what she was protecting. She reveals her Gem.

It’s almost completely dark. Sayaka repeats Kyouko’s line that the balance of hope and despair always zeros out.

“Sure I managed to save a few people but in exchange hatred and jealousy filled my heart. I even hurt my best friend. Whenever we prey for someone else’s happiness someone else must be cursed in exchange. Turns out that’s how we magical girls work.”

As her teardrop hit’s the Soul Gem it releases a wave of force that throws Kyouko back and then it shatters becoming a Grief Seed. Just like that the last secret if revealed and a sketchy Oktavia rises from the dark blue depths.

In the last scene Kyubey seems to address the audience. In the world women who are not yet fully grown are called “girls”(”shoujo”). Thus should those who will become Witches (”Majou”) not be called Magical Girls (”Mahou Shoujo”)

This episode is one of the big episodes of Madoka Magic we get the two revelations that we’ve been building up too for most of the show, and the culmination of one of it’s longer character arcs of Sayaka’s fall. Though we get to see Homura’s backstory in full in EP 10 the core details are pretty much laid out in this one. Homura has gone back in time to try to save Madoka from contracting. We also learn the dark truth of magical girls and witches, just as a Soul Gem is born from a girls wish and hopes a Grief Seed and it’s Witch are born when that Gem is overtaken by her curses and despair. It’s clear now the “protecting humanity” is not the goal of Kyubey’s system though we’ll have to wait for the next episode to find out what it actually is.

[thekitchensnk]

and the spider lilies bloomed in the fall (chapter 20)

Rating: T Warnings: Violence Pairing: Gin/Ran Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20

“They say that lovers doomed never to see each other again still see the higanbana growing along their path, even to this day.”

A girl collapses on a dusty road one day. A boy takes her home.

The girl lives.

—

(The boy doesn’t.)

Stars still shone in her eyes as she climbed the stairs.

It had been one of those nights -  one of those brilliant, shining nights - where the sake had flowed and the music had run in her blood like a drug - where the night had seemed to last only for the intervening moment between closing and opening her eyes.

She had been freed from her duties behind the bar an hour early and told to enjoy herself, and so she had dove into the crowd to the cheers and whoops of her regular customers, who beckoned her with open arms into the throng.

She had passed the hour twirling on the dance floor, passing from one pair of arms into the next until the flush was high on her cheeks and she was caught up in giddy, breathless excitement.

She had swayed and she had rocked and she had raised her arms into the air wildly and arched back her head. She had bared the delicate column of her neck and her golden hair had cascaded down her back like a waterfall and her golden lashes had fluttered shut as she smiled a heady smile, her white teeth flashing.

Men’s eyes had raked over her, and she had eyed them back with careless abandon from under heavy-lidded eyes, and they had been hypnotised by the movement of her hips and the secret curl of her mouth.

They were hers, those men. She had not had to pay for a drink that entire hour, and she had not spoken as much as a word, preferring to dance and pull them closer and into her arms, only to drop them as she found someone new.

That was all her. They wanted her. They all wanted her.

Her fingers tried to find the tin ring on her finger as she danced, but her fingers found only skin. She had taken it off weeks before. It was too small for her fingers, these days.

Her head was thick and heavy with the alcohol, and she had to watch her step as she stumbled up the stairs. She would likely pay for her fun in the morning, but morning was morning, and now was now.

It had been so bright, she thought feverishly, and so beautiful. Her thoughts were hazy, but they were filled with light, and she felt so close, so attached, to her new friends that she felt she could cry, cry happily and helplessly and hard.

She sang a mumbled song under her breath and she shimmied as she climbed. She did not know the words but it didn’t matter one bit. Her back was sore, her feet were sore, and her legs were sore, but she found that she could grin through the pain.

What a night it had been. She deserved some rest after a night like that.

She had reached the landing where her room was when she heard a strained shout echo from down the corridor.

“You stupid girl!”

Rangiku looked around thick-headedly, but the shout didn’t seem to be directed at her.

That was strange - as far as she knew, she was the resident stupid girl, though it was usually only Sayaka or Ayame who would venture to call her that.

It didn’t matter in any case. She was drunk and she wanted her bed. She grabbed the wall for moral support as she stumbled along the corridor and pulled the door to her room.

She blinked blearily.

Yuki, white-faced and livid, had rounded on Ayame, who shrank back from her, the whites of her eyes visible with fear. Neither noticed Rangiku squinting in the bright light and attempting to sidle along the wall.

Sayaka was watching, and her expression was dark.

“You fool,” Yuki hissed. “How long?” she gritted out.

Ayame’s eyes were glassy with fear.

Yuki took her by the shoulders and shook her violently. “How far along?” Her eyes were mad and intent.

“Yuki-“ Sayaka tried to break-in - but Yuki would not be dissuaded.

Uncomprehending and afraid, Rangiku watched on. Her hands balled up in her yukata and she looked wildly between the three.

“Yuki? What’s the matter?” she tried to ask, but when she spoke, it came out as a confused half-mumble.

Ayame trembled pathetically where she stood; her brown eyes were bright with unshed tears, and she looked up into Yuki’s face in mute terror.

Rangiku was reminded suddenly of something she had known in the back of her mind the entire time she had known Ayame, but never before felt as keenly- that Ayame was young, almost as young as Rangiku herself.

At that moment, she certainly looked it. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle, and her mouth was parted. She looked like the child she was.

When she spoke, her voice broke in her throat.

“Five months,” she whispered, as if whispering could somehow make it any less true.

Something in Yuki deflated then, and Rangiku watched on, still drunk and terribly, terribly lost. She did not know what was happening, only that she hated it, that seeing these two women fight made her feel like she was going to start crying helplessly herself.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Yuki asked, her voice raw. “I could have helped. I have savings.” Yuki looked at her beseechingly. “You didn’t have to suffer alone. Ayame…”

The tears that had been pooling in Ayame’s eyes began to fall then, trailing glistening tracks down her cheeks, but still she said nothing.

Rangiku turned to look at Sayaka, begging her with her eyes to intervene, but Sayaka was as helpless as she was.

Unbidden, something that Ayame had said to her drifted into her mind.

“When I'm gone, the first thing she'll do is coerce you into whoring yourself out for her in my place. I'm on your side, and I will be even when no one else is- you have to listen to me.” Ayame had begged her. She hadn’t understood then, and she didn’t understand now. It made no sense. Why would Ayame leave when she wanted to save enough money to start life on her own?

“Tell me you at least have a plan, Ayame. Tell me that you’re not this stupid,” Yuki begged, looking into her eyes.

Ayame’s lip began to tremble, and she shook her head slowly. She couldn’t meet Yuki’s eyes, too overcome with shame.

Yuki turned and her expression was dazed. “She’s going to find out,” she murmured. “She always finds out. You know that, right? She won’t let you stay. She never does.”

The words were familiar, somehow. Rangiku had heard them before.

It was then that everything suddenly became clear.

The afternoons where the first thing Ayame would do upon waking was throw up.

The way she would always try to pass it off as Rangiku’s cooking, but would always eat anyway, and the way that no one else but Ayame seemed to get ill anymore.

Her anxiety around Chiyo, who had the power to throw her out into the street.

The fact that she had been walking around like she had a death sentence.

The four of them had usually started to bleed within days of each other, almost always without fail. It had almost been something of a joke between them. Yuki had laughed gently about it, and said “Women’s bodies know each other in ways that go beyond what we can see. Think how terrified men everywhere would be if they knew we conspired together.”

Now Rangiku thought back on it, she could not remember Ayame complaining of cramps for months.

She turned to look at her, stumbling as she did so.

Ayame had always been willow-thin and slender, her stomach flat and taut, her limbs long and almost gangly. But if you looked closely, looked beneath the intricately wrapped obi, so meticulously placed and tied in such a way as to create a natural bulge at her belly...

Rangiku’s mouth dropped open in sudden horror. She looked around, and saw everyone’s expressions in a new light - Yuki, bleary eyed and haunted. Sayaka hovering uncertainly, her dark brow tight with worry. Ayame, weeping openly now into her hands.

Rangiku’s eyes were wide.

She knew her role. She was the clown, the child. It was her job to smile brightly and make them all smile. It was her job to make them laugh. It was her job to keep them safe, not just from dangers that came into their beds, but the dangers in their hearts too.

But they were beyond smiling, and so was she. All she could do was bite at her lip till it was red-raw.

Sayaka shook her head in pent-up agitation

“I’m going for a walk,” she snapped suddenly, stalking towards the door.

Yui’s eyes narrowed. “Be careful,” she said softly. “Sayaka?” Sayaka turned viciously, her eyes wild. “Don’t be temp-“

Sayaka didn’t let her finish. “Don’t,” she snarled. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do.”

Rangiku couldn’t help but notice that she wouldn’t meet Yuki’s eyes. The doors banged in their frame as she left.

Yuki’s head tipped back, and she heaved a heavy sigh. She turned to Rangiku for the first time since she had made her way drunkenly up the stairs, and Rangiku flushed self-consciously to suddenly be the subject of attention with Ayame still sobbing plainly in front of them.

But there was something empty in Yuki’s glance, something absent and lost.

“We should all sleep,” Yuki said quietly. “We’re in for a hard few days.”

She spoke with a kind of flat inevitability, and the words echoed out of her as if coming from a place a hundred miles distant.

Rangiku was struck suddenly by the notion that Yuki was not really present, that though her body was there, Yuki herself was lost somewhere else, lost in the same place, lost in the same situation, and lost with the same powerlessness, but with a different crying girl, from a different time.

Alone, Rangiku thought miserably. Sayaka is gone. Yuki is gone. Ayame is gone.

It’s just me. I’m the only one here.

Yuki’s eyes were dull as she lowered herself onto her sleeping mat, and when she curled up, she buried her face in her hands, and turned to face the wall. Her fingers played with a faded length of braided string strung about her wrist.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ayame crawl blindly into her bed, red-faced, her shoulders still shaking.

Rangiku stood on her own quietly, in the middle of that small, but crowded room, and she opened her mouth, to give voice to the small and lonely thing crying out inside her.

Her eyes travelled beseechingly from one side of the room to the other, but all she saw of her room-mates, of the women who had grown to become her best friends, the women she loved, were their backs.

Please, she wanted to say selfishly, say something. Tell me everything is going to be alright.

But nothing was going to be alright. Not even she was innocent enough to think that.

For long moments, there was nothing but silence.

Heart-heavy and eyes resigned, she trod quietly across the tatami and she blew each candle out with a small puff of air.

She lay on her back and stared into the darkness. Her limbs were like lead. Her mouth felt thick with cotton wool and the floor see-sawed slightly beneath her.

Outside, snow dusted the ground like rice flour. Outside, the air was chill and crisp with the first touch of winter.

Inside, it roasted, and coupled with the alcohol, it made her head throb. Inside, the stale, second-hand heat of bodies on the dancefloor had risen through the building to keep them all warm. But inside and out, the night was still and blank.

In the darkness, she could see nothing, and when she blinked, there was no difference between the sight of the back of her own eyelids and the world around her. In the absence of light, she felt herself grow conscious of herself, of the weight of her body against the ground, of the taut and aching muscles in the arch of her feet and the back of her calves, born of a long night spent tending the bar.

Her head ached and her mouth felt like something had died in it, tomorrow’s hangover hanging perilously over her.

She felt like the only wretched creature left alive, abandoned in the darkness.

But that was not quite right.

But there was sound in the darkness, and it kept her away from the aching gravity of her heart and grounded her in the waking world; gentle, tissue-thin sobs sharpened by the darkness made their way into her ears as she stared out.

Because she knew it was there, her ears were filled with the sounds of airy crying and it was impossible to ignore. The noises ripped at her heart and slowly, her shoulders began to shake. Her own lip trembled in sympathy, and her eyes flooded with tears. Her heart ached, and she could not bear it.

She was drunk. She was so drunk. She was four-sheets-to-the-wind plastered.

But as clumsy and wobbling as a new-born animal, she rose to her feet and determined, she stumbled her way through the darkness to where Ayame lay. She stumbled, and she almost fell, but her heart was full.

Matsumoto Rangiku was many things.

She was a ditz. She was an airhead. She was melodramatic. She was vain and she loved the sight of her own face in the mirror, and would practice coy pouts and make kissing faces at herself.

She liked the thought of kissing boys, the hunger in their eyes, and she would throw a tantrum if they didn’t give her the attention she felt she deserved sometimes.

She was lonely and she clung to people fiercely and sometimes she felt like she might be the saddest person in the world. She was greedy and she was lazy and she liked to scam free drinks from men, just because she liked the honey-sweet taste of power and the feeling that someone, somewhere, was paying attention to her.

But she would never let someone cry alone.

She slid under Ayame’s blanket. She still had her work clothes on, and she was not so drunk that she didn’t take a moment to think Oh, Ayame will hate that. She moved blindly, working from the suggestions of heat and noise in the pitch black to find the contours of her friend’s body. She bumped gently against her, like a moth falling against a dim light.

When she did, when she had eventually found her in the darkness, she wound her arms about her tightly and pressed her lips clumsily against her chestnut hair.

Something in them both broke then; the tears that Ayame had been just barely suppressing fell thick and free, and Rangiku felt her grab at her hand as she trembled in her arms.

It was as if Ayame’s feelings became her feelings too; she felt her heart tighten in her chest, and before she knew it, she was crying too, crying into her hair and into her neck, and she squeezed Ayame’s hand with a desperate ferocity, as if to say “I’m here, I’m here. I’ve got you and I love you.”

Her thoughts travelled in a figure of eight, drunken and incoherent and repetitive even in her own head, and each cycle brought with it a fresh wave of misery. She could not help but think of Ayame-  Ayame, alone and helpless on the streets with a squalling baby in her arms, Ayame cold and bruised and empty like Kanae, Ayame defenceless, Ayame hurt- and the thought made her howl and cling all the tighter. Eventually, she could not tell who the tears on her face belonged to- whether they were hers, or whether they were Ayame’s.

It didn’t matter. They stung all the same.

They lay like that a long time, young and breaking apart, both incapable of speech and neither willing to let go, still awake even after Sayaka returned several hours later high as a kite. Sayaka paused to see them, and crawled under the blanket from the other side, her limbs cold and chilled and her teeth chattering. She wrapped her arms about Ayame from the other side, and the three of them lay together, their hair mingling.

The sun rose high in the sky, and Rangiku’s head felt like it would split open with the double pain of a night of tears and a vicious hangover, and she realised dully that the night signalled the end of something, that some gentle and innocent thing inside her had withered away for good with the fading stars.

She had thought the brothel a home, and the girls her family, and even when warned, she had gone on believing it to be something pure and good and beautiful.

She had been a child.

She should have known better. How could this be home when she could be thrown out so easily, like she mattered as much as trash in the street? How could this be a family when they would cast out one of their own into the cruelty of the world and leave her to fend for herself? How could she live with a fear like that hanging over her?

Time after time, she had built up castles on the sand and cried like a child to see them washed away by the sea.

Tucked into the crook of her neck, Ayame was breathing softly.

Outside, snow was drifting softly across the sky, as it had on that night so long ago, the night when she had been abandoned and forced to start over again. Not far off, the river was moving gently under the saffron-coloured bridge, and the snow covered that too.

There was no bird-song. All was quiet.

Rangiku tucked a wayward strand of hair behind Ayame’s ear, and her expression was firm.

It had been a long time coming, but she had made up her mind at last.

She was no longer a child. She was done with building sand-castles.