#bukuro

[strated]

昨日の

ハナシ

[seavenues]

🔹colored sketch for @uten4

🔹@uten4さんへの色塗りしたラフ

[akkivee]

my hypster magazine came in the mail and i’m here with the kuukou scoop lmao

they interviewed the divisions about the curry battle results and bat got 5th iirc??? anyway kuukou called us a bunch of wussies LOL

the hypster q&a section asked: what’s something you want rn and what do you do when you can’t sleep??

kuukou for the first answered he’d like a folding screen with a tiger on it!!!! he references the story of ikkyu-san and the tiger, where a very witty monk outclassed a local lord trying to test his intellect by daring him to tie up the tiger painting on the folding screens

the tiger wasn’t real ofc but kuukou wants there to be a real tiger bc he thinks he can beat up a real tiger and i genuinely!!!! wish him all the best LOL

for the second, nights when you can’t sleep are perfect for reading manga!!!! it’s totally chill bc his dad’s sleeping and can’t interrupt him what a nerd lmao 💜💜💜

[crehador]

woke up to find some BUKURO WEST GATE CENTER OF THE WORLD event going on what a great way to start the year

[briefbestiary]

The rather Strange Queen of the Bookcart. Perhaps she truly is the queen of all tsukumogami, if she is indeed the counterpart to chirizuka kaiō.

[lochness-art]

buster bros tracks coming out in June um happy birthday to ME???

[metahaeven]

[stxrmxtsu]

Osomatsu-San Event I found:

“June Bride - Sanpo”

(According to the Ososan AU Wiki)

“June Bride (ジューンブライド) is a 4 star Osomatsu Sanpo event set that features the sextuplets as grooms awaiting for their brides.

The set was available through an event called "The Sextuplets' June Bride: Where’s Our Wife?" (６つ子のジューンブライド 花嫁はどこ？), where Engagement Rings (エンゲージリング) can be used as event items to catch the corresponding sextuplets. Engagement Rings were obtained by collecting Shuugi-bukuro[1] (ご祝儀袋).

The event ran from June 1 to June 15, 2017.”

edit: THESE ARE THE RING DESIGNS CLOSE UP

[kyriaejiraiblog]

ain’t no way…. i’m about to get in an argument with this person ”don’t misinform because you don’t like the culture some people who wear it engage in” BITCH I AM JIRAI KEI AND YOURE WRONG. 地雷女 came before girly kei fashion was mislabeled as jirai kei. companies sell their stuff as jirai kei because it pushes sales, but even then many still mark it as girly kei fashion

ダークガーリー is still technically a term, too. which is close to what the typical jirai kei is going to be wearing, if its not, then current trend of a more punk-type leaning aesthetic ish type thing (i think? if im not mistaken but someone correct me if im wrong on that)

this kind of thing frustrates me so much but like… the namida bukuro makeup is honestly more telling than the clothes if someone considers themselves a landmine and even then, you shouldn’t go around just calling someone jirai kei. it’s derogatory, and part of why calling it landmine fashion is such an issue.

please, disregard my safe place a little more. it’s people like this that have made things more difficult to tag 地雷系 and avoid the fashion “landmines” without worrying about the backlash from them when mentioning anything even remotely unpalatable.

[unhinged-simp]

I love the perfume HCs you did for Romeo and Subaru!! What specific colognes do you think they'd use? I was looking at perfumes the other day and now I can't imagine Romeo wearing anything other than Jazz Bar by Maison Margiella, for obvious reasons lol. He would wear the hell out of oriental notes too though, I bet he has different colognes for every season and they're all really complex (but only moderately intense) blends from high-end brands. Whereas Subaru seems like he'd the type to support more niche scents from local stores, but he 100% for sure has at least one scent that smells mainly like wisteria, considering it's his favourite in Hotarubi- or maybe, that means he wouldn't actually want to wear it too often, since he wouldn't want to desensitise himself? Either way, from what I've read, traditional perfume is a rly big thing in Japan comparable to tea ceremony and flower arrangement (it's really fascinating so I recommend searching it up if you're interested) so it's entirely likely that he even comes up with his own combinations! He probably has a few nioi-bukuro too, which are these really cute mini embroidered scent pouches that are kept inside clothes. Sorry that this is so long, there's just so much to think about :')

What perfume I'd think they'd wear(Romeo and Subaru)

Ooh this was interesting! I'm don't know much about perfume/cologne but this was fun. I did do some research of my own and picked out some that I'd think they'd wear. Romeo has actual perfume since I'd think he'd wear high brand/popular scents. Since I believe Subaru would shop/commission smaller stores, I put more about what kinda scents he'd wear rather than a specific brand. I do see him making his own nioi-bukuro, and he uses it to make his favorite scents.

(Not x reader, no reader mentioned)

I do think he'd wear bold scents, and those high brand cologne and perfumes. 

Like you said he'd probably mostly wear Jazz Bar.

I could also see him wearing Armani Code by Giorgio Armani. It's an oriental perfume with a more citrus note, but it also has smokey and wooden undertones.

I feel like he'd wear Touch by Burberry occasionally. It’s more of a blend between spicy, aquatic, and woody scents.

Dylan Blue by Versauce is another one I’d see him use, though every once in a blue moon. It's a bit more in the aquatic scent but it also has a bit of spice and woodyness.

He'd also wear Obsession by Calvin Klein. It's another citrus scent that uses woody and spice undertones. I’d think he'd wear more often than some.

I’d see him wearing a softer scent. He'd wear Japanese style scents rather than any other kind. He also seems like the character to prefer floral or nature scents.

He'd occasionally wear wisteria, definitely doesn't want to be desensitized. 

He probably commissioned a smaller store to make a cherry blossom or wisteria perfume. 

On the days he'd want to do a tea ceremony, he'd wear a aloeswood or sandalwood scent.

Since nioi bukuro is often scented with incense fragrances, he'd probably have a sandalwood or aloeswood one.

He’d probably also make his own nioi bukuro with floral scents, like wisteria, lotus, or cherry blossoms.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 397 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 まったく気が滅入るぜ‼︎ まったくきがめいるぜ‼︎ mattaku ki ga meiru ze!! ”How absolutely depressing!!"

2 50も半ばを超えて 50もなかばをこえて 50 mo nakaba wo koete "I'm more than halfway through 50,"

tagline 1 躍動‼︎アーマードオールマイト‼︎ やくどう‼︎アーマードオールマイト‼︎ yakudou!! AAMAADO OORU MAITO!! Vibrant!! Armored All Might!!

3 幼気な青年をなぶるってのぁ‼︎ いたいけなせいねんをなぶるってのぁ‼︎ itaike na seinen wo naburu tte noa!! "and I'm tormenting a helpless young man!!"

tagline 2 No.397　ゴミ拾い　　堀越耕平 ナンバー397 ゴミひろい　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 397 GOMI hiroi   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 397 Picking up trash  Kouhei Horikoshi

4 貴様はOFAを手に入れる為"激しい怒り"を宿した きさまはオール・フォー・ワンをてにいれるため"はげしいいかり"をやどした kisama wa OORU FOO WAN wo te ni ireru tame "hageshii ikari" wo yadoshita For the sake of getting your hands on One For All, you [chose to] harbor a fierce rage.

5 そこに付け入る そこにつけいる soko ni tsukeiru I'm taking advantage of that.

6 それのみがこの戦いを唯一成立させる！ それのみがこのたたかいをゆいいつせいりつさせる！ sore nomi ga kono tatakai wo yuiitsu seiritsu saseru! That alone is what makes this battle work!

1 私と貴様の縁!!! わたしときさまのえにし!!! watashi to kisama no enishi!!! That connection between you and me!!!

2 魔王が聞いて呆れるぜ！ まおうがきいてあきれるぜ！ maou ga kiite akireru ze! "The Demon King will be shocked to hear!"

3 "無個性"でも戦れる程度とは‼︎ "むこせい"でもやれるていどとは‼︎ "mukosei" demo yareru teido to wa!! "The degree to which one can fight even when quirkless!!"

4-5 私から目が離せないくらい夢中にさせてやるよ‼︎ わたしからめがはなせないくらいむちゅうにさせてやるよ‼︎ watashi kara me ga hanasenai kurai muchuu ni sasete yaru yo!! I'll make you obsessed until you can't take your eyes off me!!

6 「発条化」＋「膂力増強」＋「押し出し」＋「鋲突」　「ダークボール」＋「光塵」 「バネか」＋「りょりょくぞうきょう」＋「おしだし」＋「びょうとつ」　「ダークボール」＋「こうじん」 「BANE ka」＋「ryoryoku zoukyou」＋「oshidashi」＋「byoutotsu」　「DAAKU BOORU」＋「koujin」 Springlike Limbs + Strength Enhancer + Air Cannon + Rivet Stab + Dark Ball + Light Dust

1 ボゴオ BOGOO Sound effect: BASH

1 …雑に組んだな…！ …ざつにくんだな…！ ...zatsu ni kunda na...! "...So sloppily combined...!"

2 ユーティリティマントオートガード"黒影" ユーティリティマントオートガード"ダークシャドウ" YUUTIRITI MANTO OOTO GAADO "DAAKU SHADOU" Utility Cloak Auto-Guard "Dark Shadow"

3 煽りが効いてる証拠 あおりがきいてるしょうこ aori ga kiiteru shouko It's proof my provocations are effective.

4 喋れ喋れ煽り続けろ俊典‼︎ しゃべれしゃべれあおりつづけろとしのり‼︎ shabere shabere aori tsudzukero Toshinori!! Keep on talking and fanning the flames, Toshinori!!

5 マント損壊 マントそんかい MANTO sonkai "Mantle damage:"

6 左上腕骨・鎖骨粉砕 ひだりじょうわんこつ・さこつふんさい hidarijou wankotsu ・ sakotsu funsai "Upper-left arm, clavicle smashed."

7 動作補助MAX‼︎ どうさほじょマックス‼︎ dousa hojo MAKKUSU!! "Operation assistance to max!!"

8 "戦えている"？何を勘違いしている…？ "たたかえている"？なにをかんちがいしている…？ "tatakaete iru"? nani wo kanchigai shite iru...? "'We're fighting'? What are you misunderstanding...?"

1 出涸らしのゴミクズが でがらしのゴミクズが degarashi no GOMIKUZU ga "You're washed-out garbage."

2 ゴミ袋を被ったら気が大きくなったか？ ゴミぶくろをかぶったらきがおおきくなったか？ GOMI bukuro wo kabuttara ki ga ookiku natta ka? "When you put on that garbage bag, did it make you feel uninhibited?"

3 あ？ a? "Huh?"

4 壊れて失うだけだ こわれてうしなうだけだ kowarete ushinau dake da "It'll only break apart and you'll lose it."

5 道具は それは sore (kanji: dougu) wa "That (read as: tool)"

6 限界を超えない げんかいをこえない genkai wo koenai "will not surpass its limits."

7 くれぐれも頼り過ぎることのないようにな くれぐれもたよりすぎることのないようにな kuregure mo tayori sugiru koto no nai you ni na Please don't rely on it too much.

8 アイテムを失ったら力が発揮できない アイテムをうしなったらちからがはっきできない AITEMU wo ushinattara chikara ga hakki dekinai If you lose your item, you won't be able to demonstrate your power.

9 そんなヒーローを私は多く見てきた そんなヒーローをわたしはおおくみてきた sonna HIIROO wo watashi wa ooku mite kita I've seen many heroes like that.

10 気が合うね親友… きがあうねしんゆう… ki ga au ne shinyuu... "We do get along, huh, my close friend..."

1 なんだ？少年 なんだ？しょうねん nanda? shounen What? Young man,

2 その棒切れ一本で勝つつもりだったのか？ そのぼうきれいっぽんでかつつもりだったのか？ sono boukire ippon de katsu tsumori datta no ka? were you planning to win with that one stick?

1 君の時間稼ぎに釣られたんじゃない きみのじかんかせぎにつられたんじゃない kimi no jikan kasegi ni tsuraretanja nai "I wasn't lured by you to buy time."

2 ゴミ拾いできる程ゆとりがあるんだよ僕には!!! ゴミひろいできるほどゆとりがあるんだよぼくには!!! GOMI hiroi dekiru hodo yutori ga arunda yo boku ni wa!!! "I have the leeway to be able to take out the trash!!!"

3 取り繕ってんじゃないよみっともない‼︎ とりつくろってんじゃないよみっともない‼︎ toritsukurottenja nai yo mittomonai!! "You're not keeping up appearances, you're [just] unseemly!!"

tagline 咆哮‼︎ ほうこう‼︎ houkou!! A roar!!

[akkivee]

yesterday i remembered they posted a sneak peek of ichiro’s page in the next guidebook and since i was feeling kinda insane then, i decided to compare ichiro’s about summaries and it looks like it’s changed a little bit!!!!

the old summary talked about his compassion and sense of justice, him looking after his bros and his rivalry with samatoki but in this new one, it looks like they’ve replaced that info with stuff about rei and true hypnosis mic!!!!!!

[konjaku]

蛍袋[Hotarubukuro] Campanula punctata var. punctata

蛍[Hotaru] : Firefly

袋[-bukuro|Fukuro] : Bag

It grows on the sunny edges of mountains and fields. The grass is about 40 to 70 centimeters tall, white or reddish-purple flowers about 5 centimeters long bloom in early summer, when fireflies begin to fly. It is said to be so named because children put fireflies in the flowers and played with them.

It also has an alias of 狐の提灯[Kitsune no chōchin], the lantern of the fox. https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_S2003.8.3361/

It also has another alias of 釣鐘草[Tsuriganesō], the temple bell grass. This is mainly used as a general term for plants with temple bell-shaped flowers, including the genus Campanula today. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_2005-0630-0-30

[minato-division03]

SUMMIT OF DIVISIONS (R.I.P Märchen & Pixel SyndicateEdition)

undefined

— (All) —

Here we go (here we go), east and west

Connecting divisions (divisions) with this microphone

Old and young, come together and make our voices a chorus

The battle is locals vs. Chuohku

Here we go (here we go), you and me

Right and left, me and you

Overcoming blood relations and troublesome connections

Anyway, this party, let's get it on

A night where shocking oaths crowd around

The no.1 mic that aims at our days

Let us drink and sing, get wired as we like

A party night limited to only one stage, make love

Hop, skip, and jump, taking the initiative asap

Let's get started

Reverberating sound and hearts

If we don't have fun, there's no point

Let's go!

— (Queen Card) —

Don’t be afraid, come closer, Baby

to a land where norms are forgotten, magic happens

They said, "don't you feel a little lonely living in your own world?"

But don't you  feel helpless living in other's worlds?

How can someone who looks like danger and sin

taste so good and holy just like the heavens?

The one that you sought, we’re making it hot

The land of dreams feels good to me

Come on in

— (Black Cat, Reiaki Suzubayashi) —

Sometimes I just need a break from my own thoughts

In my head, my thoughts twist and form into knots

You sleep to dream while I'm awake to live mine

I'm outta my mind, it's a dark and scary mind

— (Hex 13, Miku Shirazuki) —

In the dark two shadows reaching through

their hands meet and light spills in a flood like a

hundred gold urns pouring out the sun

All the way up up up in the air yo

— (Rush Hour, Anika Kiyozaki) —

Uh everyday I'm winnin’

Akihabara's lights never stay dimming

I'm aiming for the thoughts, I got your head spinnin'

Whether it's on the tracks or the clinic where you relax

The world now that you living in

is all just an illusion

Your strings have loosened Uh-huh

All hands on deck, Syndicate, raise your mics

Instincts take over

We swallow you whole,

— (Ready or Not, Shian Meizono) —

I found you gotchu in my line of sight

Are you flirting or trying to start a damn fight

How bad can a good girl get

Be careful with how you tread

Don’t run you will only get caught tired

— (Screen Shot, Makina Setsukura) —

See you yap yap with it Just the opening gambit

I heard you’re a player

Nice to meet you I’m the game

Enemies I keep slaying

Only way to win is to keep playing

— (All) —

Here we go (here we go), east and west

Connecting divisions (divisions) with this microphone

Old and young, come together and make our voices a chorus

The battle is locals vs. Chuohku

Here we go (here we go), you and me

Right and left, me and you

Overcoming blood relations and troublesome connections

Anyway, this party, let's get it on

A night where shocking oaths crowd around

The no.1 mic that aims at our days

Let us drink and sing, get wired as we like

A party night limited to only one stage, make love

Hop, skip, and jump, taking the initiative asap

Let's get started

Reverberating sound and hearts

If we don't have fun, there's no point

Let's go!

Bukuro! (Hey!)

Yokohama! (Ho!)

Minato! (Hey!)

Nagoya! (Ho!)

Shibuya! (Hey!)

Shinjuku! (Ho!)

Akiba! (Hey!)

Osaka! (Ho!)

— (MC B.B, Ichiro Yamada) —

All in all, we're bad motherfuckers

We're seriously unique, so it's a traffic jam of characters

Clashing our hilts against each others', rattle rattle

From learning from each other, to I gotcha again

— (Mr. Hc, Samatoki Aohitsugi) —

A locust leading the underground

Goodbye to the empty-headed kiddy rappers

The bell tolls for me, brass knuckles

Even if you line up a bunch of small fry, it's still 0 points

— (Queen Card) —

You want a battle from me

I'll give you a war, it's like Beauty and Beast

You know I'll be the designer of your catastrophy

Go hard, take the mic,

I'm the Queen, I'm swordlike

— (Rush Hour, Anika Kiyozaki) —

Bet you got your hopes high up, thinking you can beat me

Well think again, everything I oversee

Treat me like a joke, I'll run you over like it's funny

I'll laugh in your face. Bitch, my victory tastes like honey

— (Easy R, Ramuda Amemura) —

From Shibuya, Shinjuku, Hama and Bukuro

With Nagoya, Osaka, Minato, Akiba, we'll cause great fear

The iron rule is to stan while you still can

Today, it seems like around here is where we should run off

— (ill-DOC, Jakurai Jinguji) —

A warped rondo, an elaborate skit

A vaccine panacea overdose, end of examination

With the past, NO WAR

Let's change with the night's crescendo, checkmate

— (Tragic Comedy, Sasara Nurude) —

Final countdown of one thousand days

Held by the beat, this heart is steel

Fated for battle until we burn up

You're not allowed to stop this flow

— (Evil Monk, Kuko Harai) —

The anchor for these complicated guys

If it was a different day, we'd be taking each others' territory

Taking a mic in hand, deciding the last shot

I'll change this place into an energy vortex

— (All) —

Here we go (here we go), east and west

Connecting divisions (divisions) with this microphone

Old and young, come together and make our voices a chorus

The battle is locals vs. Chuohku

Here we go (here we go), you and me

Right and left, me and you

Overcoming blood relations and troublesome connections

Anyway, this party, let's get it on

A night where shocking oaths crowd around

The no.1 mic that aims at our days

Let us drink and sing, get wired as we like

A party night limited to only one stage, make love

Hop, skip, and jump, taking the initiative asap

Let's get started

Reverberating sound and hearts

If we don't have fun, there's no point

[fantastic-rambles]

Fandom: Durarara!!

Characters: Izaya Orihara, Shizuo Heiwajima, Others (mentioned)

Warnings: Attempted Suicide, Physical Disability, Threats of Violence

Word Count: 1.9k

Summary: [Post-Canon, light Izaya novel spoilers] When it seems like the end of the world is nigh, Izaya finds himself drawn back to Ikebukuro. Even so, the last thing he expects is for Shizuo to actively seek him out and for the both of them to have a relatively civil and honest conversation. [Written for Shizaya Week 2023 | Day 4: end of the world AU @shizayasweek]

- - - - - - - - - -

Heavy steps sounded on the fire escape, but Izaya didn't even glance toward them as he perched on the railing on the roof of the building. He didn't need to: he used to hear them at least once a week, accompanied by the roar of a monster as it chased after him with a single-minded determination. Even when they stopped right behind him and the back of his neck prickled, he didn't turn around, simply continuing to gaze out over the city filled with the humans he loved.

"Thought I told you to stay out of 'bukuro."

The usual rage was conspicuously absent from the rumbling voice, and Izaya heard some rustling followed by the click of a lighter. Then, Shizuo exhaled heavily, and the faint smell of acrid smoke drifted past Izaya before the railing creaked as the other man leaned against it.

"Those things will kill you, you know."

A low chuckle.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?"

It didn't. Nothing did. All of Izaya's plots, his failed attempts at permanence, his determination to stay away from this place… all blown away by the vicissitudes of fate. He hadn't thought that he had any lingering attachment to this place, but once the news had been announced, he'd found himself drawn back.

Idly, he wondered where the others had gone. Sozoro was easy enough to figure out: home to his family, bringing Haruto and Himari with him. The boy didn't know what was going on, other than a new adventure, which was probably for the best, but Himari was a bit more clever than him. Nec… perhaps she would retreat to the world inside her computer, along with Tsukumoya. He'd released all of them from their obligations to him and made his way here alone. And that was how he'd expected things to end.

He hadn't counted on Shizuo showing up. But then again, he had never been able to predict what went on in the protozoan's head.

"Shouldn't you be with someone else? Your owner? Or your lady friend?"

Another slow inhale, and Izaya chanced a glance at the other man, finding his brows furrowed as he lowered his cigarette from his lips. He looked confused, the expression so familiar and amusing that Izaya had to hold back a laugh as he shifted his gaze back toward the humans rushing around beneath them.

"You mean Tom-san? And Vorona?" Shizuo finally asked, still sounding uncertain, and Izaya did laugh then. But it lacked its usual sarcastic bite, sounding not quite natural or genuine.

"Sure. Or even Shinra and Celty. There are plenty of people who care about you, so why would you want to spend your last moments with me? Or have you not heard that there's a meteorite on a direct path to wipe out all life on earth? Or at least, a significant chunk of it?"

"I heard. But I also got a feeling you were back. Figured I'd try to snap your neck one last time, for old time's sake."

A heavy hand landed on Izaya's neck as if to make good on the threat, the fingers that wrapped around his throat nearly encircling it. Izaya remained relaxed, though, his eyes following a bright red car that wove through the traffic.

"And it seems like you'd let me."

Izaya shrugged.

"If I had to choose between you and a meteorite, you don't sound too bad. Of course, I'd rather be killed by a human, but a monster's better than a glorified rock, at least."

"Then why aren't you down there? With your humans?"

Izaya did sigh then, shaking his head in disappointment. Shizuo had always been a bit dumb, but this much? He hadn't thought that it was possible for him to overestimate the man, but yet again, Shizuo was managing to defy his expectations.

"Do you really think that I can go around asking people to kill me, pretty, pretty please? Humans are selfish, Shizu-chan: I thought that you, of all people, would know that. Now that we're facing the end of the world, there's nothing that I could offer anyone to convince them to put some time and effort toward satisfying my ego. Besides, I've already been stabbed once, and if I'm going to die, I'd rather it be quick and painless."

"You probably deserved it."

"I did, but that's beside the point. So now that we've cleared that up, can you just put us both out of our misery and go back to whoever's waiting for you?"

But the hand released him, falling back down to the railing as Shizuo continued to stand beside him, looking out over the temples to human conceit that would soon be erased. The vast reservoirs of human knowledge, the technology that held everything together, the richness of their emotions… it was a waste. Even if halfway intelligent life re-evolved on this planet, it would take at least another couple hundred thousand years, and all of this would be little more than dust.

“Thought you’d be in a shelter or something. Shinra was saying that there was a chance of survival if people did something like that. There’s a bunch of old ones from the war, right?”

“Me? A shelter? Please, Shizu-chan. I love humans, but that doesn’t mean I want to be crammed together with them, surrounded by the heat of all those bodies and the wailing of children and babies. Besides, if they did survive, they’d end up in a deserted world, scratching for a living, suffering, living quick, cruel lives… that’s not for me. I suppose a monster like you wouldn’t understand, though. You probably don’t even need a shelter to survive.”

“Maybe,” Shizuo agreed with a slow nod. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“You mean you’ll find out.”

Izaya slid off the railing, stumbling slightly when his feet hit the concrete, but his grip on the metal kept him from collapsing. His wheelchair sat on the other side of the barrier, and he leaned over the edge of the building, his arms stretched to their full length as he continued to watch the humans scuttle around beneath him. There was something wonderfully ironic about this situation: he’d brought Kamichika to a similar place before, just to see what she would do when she was entirely disillusioned, her sophomoric self laid bare.

Ah, perhaps he should have reached out to Mamiya. She might have been willing to kill him, but then again, wouldn’t it be far more amusing for her to have her revenge denied? Ahhhh, if there was an afterlife, then he’d love to meet her again there and see her reaction. To him, to everything, to the afterlife she only half-believed in, the death she failed to respect.

And then he let go, his fingers falling open before he began to fall forward, a half-smile on his lips. There was a screeching sound behind him before his descent came to an abrupt stop, his right arm feeling as though it had been nearly jerked out of the socket.

“The fuck you doing, flea???”

Bemused, Izaya glanced over his shoulder. The railing was bent where Shizuo must have lunged against it to grab his wrist, his monstrous strength easily holding Izaya up with one hand.

“Dying, right?” he asked as if it wasn’t patently obvious. “I can’t get someone else to kill me, and I can’t get you to kill me. It’s rather anticlimactic, but despite what you may believe, I am a human, unlike you, so I’d still rather do it myself than wait for the strike and the tsunami and the heat wave or whatever to take me out.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Izaya blinked.

“Well, I have a host of issues, but none related to the current situation. But what’s wrong with you? Ever since I met you, it was ‘die, die, die,’ and now that I’m doing just that, you’re stopping me?”

“Like I can just stand by and watch someone die in front of me!”

“Oh? What about all the people down there? They’re all going to die soon, too. Or have you developed some sort of supernatural powers while I’ve been away, enough to pulverize the meteorite or divert it from its course? Can you save all of them? What’s the difference if I die now, or in a couple hours?”

“That’s… that’s not the point!”

Shizuo’s chest heaved as he backed up, pulling Izaya back onto the ledge, though he didn’t let go of him.

“Why are you so determined to die?” he demanded, and Izaya sighed.

“Actually, I would prefer not to,” he explained, speaking slowly as if he were addressing a particularly stupid child. “But at this point, it’s impossible to avoid. So if I’m going to die, I’d rather do it in a way that I like.”

“But why won’t you at least try to live?”

“As I said, it’s impossible. I’m not a monster like you.”

Ahhhhh, this was why he hated Shizuo. Most stupid people were easy to deal with, because they didn’t try to pretend to be human. They were fine with being wrapped up in themselves and only caring about others when it benefited them. But Shizuo was so determined to prove that he was something that he wasn’t, which led him to do even more stupid things that proved he wasn’t human.

And then he was tugged closer, pulled against Shizuo’s chest, and his flickblade was in his hand, slashing at the other man, just like old times. Except Shizuo didn’t let go, only catching Izaya’s wrist and squeezing it until he dropped the weapon as blood trickled down from the cut on his cheek.

“You said it, right? I might be able to survive even out here. So if you’re with me, maybe you can live, too.”

“I don’t want to. What’s the point of living in a ruined world with a monster?” Izaya snapped acidly, struggling in the other man’s grip. But he’d never dreamed of being able to fight against Shizuo head-on, and with his legs as they were now, that was even more unlikely. All he could do was pound a fist weakly against a chest that felt as hard and immovable as concrete. "If you’re looking for someone to go to hell with you, I’m sure that there are plenty of people who would be delighted to oblige.”

“I don’t want to live with you, either. But if I can save one person, then it’ll be worth it, even if it’s you. And maybe that would be what both of us deserve, after everything we’ve done. If we’re the only ones left, we can’t hurt anyone else. Or maybe we’ll both die, and that will just be the end of it. But I’m not going to leave you alone. Who knows what the fuck you’d get up to?”

Izaya’s scowl deepened. Pointless sentiment, the monster looking to assuage its misplaced guilt… fine, but why did he have to be dragged into it? He’d never felt any remorse for the things he’d done, standing above the humans and watching them scramble frantically beneath him. He didn’t need forgiveness or repentance. He'd always lived simply as he wanted to, even knowing that it meant taking on his beloved humans' feelings, both positive and—more often—negative.

"Let me go."

"No."

"Let me go!"

"No. Come on, I-za-yaaa, let's face the end together."

Braced against Shizuo's chest, Izaya didn't have any choice in the matter, and they eventually ended up on the ground, waiting with Izaya half in Shizuo's lap. Then, as they watched, a false sunrise lit up the horizon, setting the sky aflame.

[metahaeven]