#decided not to pursue a relationship for now and stay friends and still watch anime together but like i feel bad because i know i’m the busy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

randomposterofstuff · 3 years

Text

On the Foundations of Levi and Mikasa’s Relationship

Author’s Note: Hello, again! I'm back with another analysis. This time, I will present my personal take on how Mikasa's relationship with Levi first developed and how trust and understanding are the foundations of their connection. Considering that I made a rather lengthy analysis of Mikasa's link to Eren, I only felt it fair that I do one that's purely centered on RivaMika. Haha.

This post will mainly discuss their fight against Annie’s Female Titan in the Forest of Giant Trees. I know that many RivaMika fans consider this scene to be the pair’s most iconic moment. (And I agree. Haha.) However, after some thinking, I realized that there was more to the scene than meets the eye. I know that other fans have probably already made their own analyses of this scene, but I just still want to share my thoughts on it. Haha.

Anyway, the analysis will discuss the following points:

1. Their connection is founded on understanding and trust. This point focuses on Levi and Mikasa's interactions when they pursued Annie's Female Titan in the Forest of Giant Trees. I will explain how their connection was established during this moment in the series.

2. The foundations of the connection can be the basis of a strong and stable relationship. This explains how the understanding and trust between them can deepen and strengthen their bond.

We now begin:

1. Levi and Mikasa’s connection is founded on understanding and trust.

As previously mentioned, this point will analyze their interactions during the fight scene with Annie in the Forest of Giant Trees back in Season 1. Most people might think that Mikasa came to trust and appreciate Levi because he rescued him. While this is undoubtedly a factor, I believe that there is more to that.

For organizational purposes, this point shall be divided into two (2) subtopics. The first will focus on Levi, and the second will focus on Mikasa.

a. Levi’s connection to Mikasa is based on understanding and empathy.

We all know that during the 56th expedition, Eren was captured by Annie after the latter killed multiple members of the Scouting Regiment/Survey Corps. When she had successfully captured him, Mikasa chased after her with the intent of killing her.

Mikasa was all alone in her pursuit until she was intercepted by Levi. I think that when Levi saw her pursuing Annie on her own, he probably thought that she was just another soldier trying to retrieve Eren for the sake of the mission.

So, with that in mind, he tried to stop her and told her that they needed to fall back. When he questioned her about Eren’s condition, she immediately insisted that he was still alive. Mikasa argued that Annie’s intention was to run away with Eren in her mouth since she needed her fists to keep fighting while on the run. She also reasoned that if Annie had wanted to kill Eren, she would have crushed him immediately instead of putting him in her mouth.

In response, he calmly assessed the situation. He stated that it was more reasonable to assume that Eren was dead. He considered that Annie had bitten the entire nape off and that eating him could have been her goal.

However, Mikasa desperately insisted that Eren was still alive. And her desperation was made more apparent when she blamed Levi for the current situation since he was unable to protect Eren.

It was during this moment that Levi recognized her from the trial. Interestingly, when he finally recognized her, there was a look of surprised realization on his face. Apart from this, he also made an effort to directly face her in mid-air. What’s even more interesting is the way he looked at her.

Screenshots taken from Season 1, Episode 22 of the Attack on Titan anime.

I would interpret the looks he gave her as looks of understanding and empathy. I think that when Levi saw Mikasa's desperation, he was reminded of his own desperation when Furlan and Isabel were attacked by Titans.

In the Choice with No Regrets OVAs, Levi had insisted on executing their mission of stealing the documents from Erwin by himself. He wanted them to stay inside the Walls while he went with the scouts on the expedition. This is because he wanted them to be safe. But they insisted on going with him, and he relented. When it began to rain during the expedition, Levi took off on his own to carry out the plan. However, not long after they had parted ways, a horde of Titans went towards Isabel and Furlan’s direction. Realizing that they were in danger, he immediately went back without a second thought. , Levi was desperate to reach them in time. But he was too late and had to watch his closest friends die at the hands of the Titans.

I also think that Mikasa's words resonated with Levi. She said "this never would have happened in the first place had you protected Eren!"

The words resonated with him in the sense that he was reminded of how he felt when Isabel and Furlan died. When he failed to save them, he was furious and he blamed himself. He kept thinking that they never would have died had he protected them.

It is worth noting that this particular experience of his parallels Mikasa's experience of nearly losing Eren. Both events happened during a scouting expedition, and both had wanted and tried to save their friend/s on their own.

Going back to the main point, it is likely that Levi understood and empathized with Mikasa during their pursuit. And this is probably one reason why he relented to her insistence that Eren was still alive.

Levi knew the pain of losing someone important to Titans. He also knew the pain that came with trying and failing to save them despite his best efforts. And I think that it is because of this that he did not want Mikasa to suffer the same way he did. So, he decided to help her.

Thus, it can be said that Levi was with her because he understood her.

Screenshot taken from Chapter 30 of the "Shingeki no Kyojin" manga.

b. Mikasa’s connection to Levi is based on trust.

During their pursuit, Mikasa was mostly emotionally distressed. While she tried to keep a clear mind, her actions were guided mainly by her emotions.

Conversely, Levi kept a calm and rational mind. While he was angered and saddened by his comrades' deaths, he was able to maintain a clear mind in assessing the situation.

This observation is relevant because I think that it was Levi’s sense of judgment that earned him Mikasa’s trust.

Because of his Underground upbringing and his years as a soldier, Levi has a great amount of experience and wisdom in both life and in battle. These enable him to properly assess situations through a wise and more learned perspective. It is true that he himself has stated that a person can never be absolutely sure if their choice is the right one until they actually do it. However, it is clear that Levi can make wise and calculated decisions that have desirable and beneficial outcomes because of his experience.

He demonstrated this to Mikasa during their battle with Annie. While she was adamant about her desire to slay the Titan shifter, Levi ordered her to abandon that plan and not to engage with her. Mikasa protested by saying that Annie had killed so many of their comrades. While Levi understood her point, he reasoned that it would be impossible under the circumstances. He then told her that they would operate under the assumption that Eren was still alive and that their main objective would be to rescue him. Levi then ordered Mikasa to distract Annie while he attacked her.

Screenshots taken from Season 1, Episode 22 of the Attack on Titan anime.

During this time, I think that Mikasa had only cooperated because she was desperate to get Eren back. However, I think that in the aftermath of the battle, she realized that Levi’s assessments and decisions were sound and correct. And I think that what made her realize this was when Levi injured himself when he saved her.

Although her orders were to merely distract Annie and not to engage in battle, Mikasa thought that she had an opening to kill Annie when the latter’s nape became exposed after Levi’s barrage of attacks. As such, she moved in for the kill. However, when Levi noticed, he immediately yelled at her to stop.

Screenshots taken from Season 1, Episode 22 of the Attack on Titan anime.

From how I see it, Levi probably realized that Annie had exposed her nape in the hopes of drawing both him and Mikasa towards her so that she could kill them and resume her escape. I think that Levi’s experience in battle had allowed him to foresee this kind of tactic from an enemy.

In that case, Levi was correct and, knowing this, immediately rushed towards Mikasa to push her out of the way when Annie lifted her fist to crush her. Mikasa was not able to react in time – it is worth noting that she looked shocked when she saw the Titan’s fist moving towards her. She would have been crushed if Levi hadn’t saved her.

Screenshots taken from Season 1, Episode 22 of the Attack on Titan anime.

I think that the experience made Mikasa realize that Levi's judgment call to abandon the goal of killing Annie was correct. She regretted disobeying his order to not engage the Titan in battle, especially since it almost got her killed, injured Levi in the process, and would have probably cost them Eren. On this, I think that this cemented her trust in him and his judgment.

It is also worth noting that when Levi began his attack on Annie, Mikasa was impressed by his speed and battle prowess. And his skill likely increased her confidence and faith in him.

Screenshots taken from Season 1, Episode 22 of the Attack on Titan anime.

Furthermore, I think that the entire experience also probably made her realize that Levi has the best interests of his comrades in mind. When he went out of his way to save her and Eren from Annie and injured himself as a result, Mikasa realized that she can trust Levi to make the necessary decisions that will benefit and protect them. And I also think that this realization was further solidified when Levi told her to abandon her desire to get revenge on Annie and to focus on getting themselves and Eren back to safety.

Screenshots taken from Season 1, Episode 22 of the Attack on Titan anime.

In short, Mikasa trusts Levi to protect them.

Screenshot taken from Chapter 57 of the "Shingeki no Kyojin" manga.

-----

2. The understanding and trust between them can lead to a deeper and stronger bond.

This point will be divided into two (2) subpoints:

a. Mikasa’s trust in Levi led to her developing genuine concern for him.

Mikasa placed her trust in Levi. This is significant because she usually takes it upon herself to protect herself and her comrades. Considering her reserved nature and her fear of losing loved ones, I think her decision to trust Levi speaks volumes of her faith in him and his abilities.

I believe that the professional trust Mikasa has in him has started to bloom into personal trust, and perhaps even something more. Considering all the struggles they went through and all the battles they fought together, I think that it is safe to assume that Mikasa has also come to trust Levi on a personal level. It is also apparent that she has come to care more for him as time went by. This is exemplified by the following instances:

1. When she cried out to Levi when he was injured during the struggle against Eren and Ymir’s Titans.

2. When she rushed towards him when his leg was caught in the mouth of a Titan and was subsequently shown to be checking on his injured condition while on the back of Falco Grice’s Jaw Titan during the moment before Armin transformed.

All of these things considered, Mikasa’s trust in Levi has paved the way for concern to develop. I’d like to explain further by analyzing how Mikasa reacted to an injured Levi on two (2) different occasions.

During the Uprising arc, Mikasa asked Levi about his leg because she felt guilty for being the cause of his injury. On the other hand, during the Rumbling, when Levi struggled to fight because of his extensive injuries, she checked on his condition when they had a brief moment of respite from the fighting.

It might not seem like much, but I think that this shows how Mikasa’s concern for him developed over time. At first, her concern was mainly driven by guilt. But this concern became more personal and became rooted in genuine worry for his well-being.

b. Levi's understanding and empathy towards her allow him to relate to her and her feelings.

On Levi’s part, his understanding of her allows him to relate to her and make sense of her feelings. This has already been shown during the fight against Annie during the Female Titan arc. Another instance that shows this was when he and Mikasa struggled over the Titan serum injection during the Battle of Shiganshina arc.

That particular situation was an unfair and emotionally charged moment where they had to literally choose whose life to save. And because Mikasa did not want to lose another loved one, she lunged at Levi when he initially decided to save Erwin over Armin.

On Levi’s part, it is worthy to note that he did not display any anger towards Mikasa when she attacked him. Instead, he just held her at bay while explaining that humanity needed Erwin’s skills. I think that he understood the pain she was feeling during that moment and silently acknowledged that she had every right to feel the way that she did. She and Eren were briefly imprisoned because their acts of defying him still constituted insubordination during an official mission. However, despite this, Levi did not personally feel any resentment towards either of them. And this is because he understood the pain that they felt.

Screenshots taken from Season 3, Episode 18 of the Attack on Titan anime.

As to how Levi’s understanding of her will affect the development of their relationship in the future, I think that he would play a significant role in her healing.

There is no doubt that Mikasa would be broken-hearted and traumatized over her decision to kill Eren. I strongly believe that she made the conscious decision to kill him as her way of letting him go and to save humanity from his cruelty. Nonetheless, Mikasa is still only human, and the fact remains that Eren was a huge part of her life. Therefore, her grieving the loss would be understandable and expected.

On this, I can see Levi as being patient towards her and comforting her in silent and subtle ways. I can see the two of them connecting and strengthening their bond. They fought alongside each other during the final stand against Eren. Both of them are also scarred and traumatized soldiers. And I can see them healing together and processing their traumas through sharing silent moments of companionship and expressing the pain they feel during especially vulnerable moments. Their shared and similar experiences can serve as common ground for their connection to further develop.

As for Mikasa, I think that it can be said that after everything they went through, she would come to trust Levi enough to be comfortable and be vulnerable with him and in front of him. She and Levi had fought together side-by-side on various missions. She has trusted him to make the right calls for their sakes as well as for the sakes of their comrades. She is aware that he knows of how much Eren had meant to her. And she also knows that he had suffered great losses as well. I think that with all of these things, Mikasa would realize that she can let her guard down in front of him and trust him to understand her.

-----

In relation to this, here's a quick (and shameless) plug. Haha. I wrote a RivaMika story about Levi comforting Mikasa when she a nightmare about Eren. It's a post-canon story that features a close and intimate relationship between the two. The genre is a cross between fluff and angst. If you're interested, the link is right below. Let me know what you think!

Link: Glad that You're Here

-----

A QUICK NOTE ON THE SCENE WHERE MIKASA ATTACKED LEVI WHEN HE SAID THAT HE WOULD USE THE SERUM ON ERWIN:

Some people might say that Mikasa does not completely trust Levi and his decisions because she attacked him when he initially decided to save Erwin instead of Armin. If anyone were to say this, my response would be that I disagree.

As earlier mentioned, that particular situation was exceptional in terms of circumstances. They literally had to choose whose life to save. And considering that the life of one of her closest friends was hanging in the balance, Mikasa naturally wanted to save Armin.

And because of this, she attacked Levi and struggled against him for the serum. While her act was not ideal from a practical point of view, it was nonetheless understandable. The thought of losing Armin pained Mikasa. The emotional distress she felt was heavy and valid. It can be said that she should have kept her emotions out of it. But it is important to remember that at the end of the day, Mikasa is still only human – and that she has already lost so many loved ones before. As such, she could not be faulted for feeling her emotions.

It is also worth noting that while she initially protested against the decision, Mikasa eventually accepted, albeit with a heavy heart, Levi’s initial decision to save Erwin. This is because Hange helped her realize that Levi was correct about Erwin’s leadership skills and experience being valuable assets to the people inside the Walls. The Titan-scientist likewise helped her realize that even though losing someone is painful, they, as soldiers, must find the strength to move forward. While it is likely that the latter realization was more impactful than the first, Mikasa still realized that Levi’s first decision was logical.

Another thing worth noting is that instead of forcibly taking the serum from Levi, she asked him to give it to her. After some thinking, this is how I would interpret this moment: Mikasa wanted Levi to decide for himself to choose Armin. When Eren plead for Armin’s case, she reacted by asking Levi for the serum. I think that she hoped that he would be convinced that saving Armin was the right decision. I believe that this shows just how much faith she has in Levi’s judgment.

Screenshot taken from Season 3, Episode 18 of the Attack on Titan anime.

Thus, all things considered, this particular instance does not change the fact that Mikasa trusts Levi. Furthermore, as previously discussed above, this moment also further proves that Levi understands Mikasa.

-----

Author's Note: Well, that it's for now. Haha. I plan to post more analyses in the future. I hope that this post is clear. Let me know your thoughts and opinions!

#rivamika #levimika #levi ackerman #mikasa ackerman #levi x mikasa #mikasa x levi #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk

94 notes · View notes

sonnet009 · 4 years

Text

Wilder: Amir’s Story (Route Summary)

PROLOGUE:

MC decides to flee Ziya alone. A rotund wine merchant named Barlow offers her a timely rescue, smuggling her out in one of the wagons in his caravan. On their journey across the Shining Sands MC learns that Barlow is a wealthy and ambitious man who can afford not only a team of djinn guards but even a pleasure slave. It is this pleasure slave who warns MC that Barlow intends to ransom her back to Ziya and urges her to leave the caravan. Though MC suspects the surly Jamal just wants to no longer share his wagon, she takes his advice and flees from Barlow under cover of darkness.

CHAPTER I:

A sandstorm drives MC up into the Western Hills. There she is captured by a tribe of wild djinn and presented to the tribe's chief, Amir, who takes great interest in her and decides, instead of killing her, to keep her as some sort of prisoner. MC cannot understand the djinn tongue and Amir cannot speak hers, and so their interactions are fraught with misunderstandings, frustration, and mistrust.

As her time with the tribe passes MC is treated with contempt by most of them, attempts an unsuccessful escape, and continues to butt heads with Amir – an arrogant man-child with no manners as far as she can tell. She also meets Hani – an older ex-slave who is also an outcast among the tribe. Hani speaks both the human and djinn tongue and, being a kind woman, starts translating for MC and Amir. As MC and Amir start trying by themselves to learn parts of each other's language, their relationship begins to slowly improve.

Every night after dinner Amir will tell animated, theatrical tales for the enjoyment of his tribe, while Hani translates them for MC. Hani also teaches her things about the tribe, such as the fact that Amir went from orphan to the youngest and strongest rahki (chief) in the Hills, and how MC should watch out for Amir's closest friend, the hateful and vicious Kherga.

CHAPTER II:

Amir decrees that MC is no longer a captive but a guest of the tribe, allowing her freedom to move about the camp. This is an unpopular decision among his people, especially with Kherga. As the days and weeks pass, MC spends time with many of the tribe, pitching in with chores, and finds that not only is she growing stronger and hardier but that some of the tribe members seem to be warming to her – and she to them.

One morning a hunting party, led by Kherga, is about to head out. Amir impulsively invites MC to join, to Kherga's disgust. MC fails rather spectacularly at hunting a wild boar and cuts her legs on an undergrowth of thorns – the hunters find this uproariously funny. Amir takes MC to a nearby river where she can wash her injury while he leaps into the water and splashes around like a child. He tries to coax her in as well and is dismayed to learn that she cannot swim. In turn, MC learns that Amir is picking up the human tongue much quicker than she the djinn tongue. He acts the immature fool, but he is very intelligent and an enthusiastic learner.

After bonding, the two return to camp. The atmosphere turns dark. Kherga holds court and has been whipping the tribe into an angry frenzy. MC doesn't need to speak the language to know that her continued presence here is the main cause of contention. Kherga challenges Amir's leadership and the two fight. But when some of the djinn grab MC in the chaos, Amir immediately abandons the challenge to force them to release her. As the tribe surrounds the two of them it is clear that Amir has lost his place as chief. He throws MC over his shoulder and runs, pursued by his former brothers and sisters, until he reaches the mountains known as the Knives – a place where the tribe will not follow.

CHAPTER III:

As soon as they are clear of the tribe Amir just stops and sits on the ground, shattered by disbelief and grief. MC believes the coup to be her fault but Amir is quietly firm that it is his. They have nowhere to go but forward, so they journey on. Amir is despondent and distracted; entirely unlike the djinn that MC had been getting to know.

Suddenly Amir goes entirely still, alert in a way he hasn't been for days now. He has sensed Hamza and his men approaching from behind. A battle ensues in which Amir brutally takes down any man who dares attack him – and MC does her own share of violence, shocking herself. But when Hamza is at his mercy Amir refuses to kill a helpless foe and instead takes MC's hand and starts running. Newly alive and euphoric from battle Amir pulls MC into a kiss – then, once the adrenaline fades, collapses from his wounds.

MC and Amir shelter in a cave while she tends to his injuries. He requests more lessons in the human tongue while he recovers and in return she asks for more traditional djinn stories. They are soon on the move again and make it to the other side of the Knives. As they continue on their journey they share more stories and lessons – and learn that there is a particular insult that both their cultures share. “Ki bo ki,” Amir teaches MC. “Fuck yourself,” she teaches him in turn.

CHAPTER IV:

Amir follows MC even past the Knives, into the farmland on the other side. He has nowhere else to go and neither seem to want to part just yet. He is also as excited as a child to see so many new sights. The two run into a blind woman on the road and help lift her cart out of a ditch. In thanks, she offers them lunch.

Once they reach the lady's farm she offers them both some of her produce and some clothes for Amir – at MC's request. Amir hates the shirt and he doubly hates the trousers, but MC insists that he keep them on while they are in human lands.

On the road again it isn't too long before they are waylaid by bandits who demand all their money, possessions, and Amir himself. Amir doesn't understand what is happening until MC explains the situation to him, after which he confidently tells the bandits to fuck themselves. After easily defeating the men, Amir and MC go through their ill-gotten belongings and find some broken slave bands. Amir agrees to wear them in order to fool any humans they may meet in the town ahead, but both he and MC feel disgusted by the performance.

CHAPTER V:

Now in the port town of Dijarah, Amir is amazed by the place but simply does not blend in. A man who takes offence to Amir spits at his feet, shocking the former rahki who has never been so affronted or so lost. He and MC stop at an inn for dinner, sharing a table despite the taboo, and learn that they have come to town on the right night – the Fish Festival is tonight.

Neither MC or Amir have ever attended a festival and let their excitement and curiosity overpower their common sense. When night falls they walk the now colourful streets, enjoying the food stalls, the games, and... the alcohol. Another first. They sit together at the water's edge and share another kiss, this one not fuelled by adrenaline but their shared sorrow at the thought of parting. MC shares the whole story of her escape from Ziya and journey to Umar. Amir vows to see MC safely onto a ship but then he must return home to the Hills, to seek justice and redemption with his tribe.

The fall asleep there by the water and wake wrapped around each other and facing the bemusement of the dock worker who finds them. MC finds a ship heading for Umar but is reluctant to book passage and say goodbye to Amir right then and there. Amir feels the same, casually suggesting breakfast in an attempt to distract her. But things are soon thrown into chaos as Hamza appears, spotting them and giving chase. Amir helps MC hide in a crate being loaded onto the ship from before, gives her knuckles a kiss, then leads Hamza away through the crowd. As the crate is loaded onto the ship, MC waits in the dark. A stowaway. Alone.

CHAPTER VI:

MC hides in the cargo hold, the ship having left port. She is alone, hopelessly worried about Amir, and heartbroken to know that she will never see him again. Then he pops out of the crate next to hers exclaiming, “MC!” and clapping his hand over her mouth to muffle her startled scream. Turns out he lost Hamza and doubled back to join her, unable to leave things as they were. Their days as stowaways begin. They pass time with stories and Amir finally tells MC about the expectation his tribe had for him to take a mate, and how it was part fascination and part rebellion that led him to claim MC as his when she was brought before him.

The confinement soon takes its toll on Amir who hates being unable to see the sky. MC makes him promise to stay hidden but he soon breaks it, discovered by sailors who take him before the ship's captain. MC follows in a panic and offers all the money she has – but the captain is surprisingly friendly, saying Amir has told him of her plight and that he is happy to give them passage to freedom in Umar. He gives them a cabin and asks in return only that MC remembers him and mentions him to all of her highborn friends and family as the gracious captain that saved her life.

One night there is a terrible storm. MC finds Amir up on deck, naked, arms outstretched, face raised to the rain. As the thunder and lightning crack around them, MC and Amir embrace passionately. They spend the night together in their cabin, primal desperation eventually turning to gentle intimacy, and fall asleep as close as two people can be.

CHAPTER VII:

Upon arrival in Umar the captain directs MC and Amir to a safe place to stay called Minerva's. It soon becomes apparent that Minerva's is a pleasure house. They stay the night anyway, though Amir barricades their door with heavy furniture just to be safe from everyone's... rapt attention. In the morning a free djinn called Royo appears to escort them to her employer, the merchant-turned-lord Yasir. It seems the good captain tried to sell them out but, fortunately for them, Yasir has no interest in cooperating with Ziya.

At Yasir's estate there is one more surprise waiting – Uncle Makram. He and MC share a tearful reunion and he vows that he will keep her safe from now on. MC also makes him promise to ensure Amir is returned safely to his homeland. Bemused, Makram agrees. The arrival of a righteous and unstoppable Hamza breaks the peace of Yasir's estate. He demands that MC be turned over to his custody immediately.

Makram is the one to stand up to Hamza. He calls in the Heartseer who long ago proclaimed MC guilty of murder and has him confess to lying about what he saw – though he will answer none of Hamza's questions as to why. Makram, Hamza and Yasir go to another room and, when they return, Hamza seems cowed and ground under Makram's heel. Though still clearly disturbed, he apologises to MC and declares her innocent.

CHAPTER VIII:

MC, Amir, Makram, and Hamza are journeying back to Ziya together. They are currently passing through the Shining Sands in a carriage manned by a driver generously gifted by Yasir. When they pass close by to the Hills, the carriage stops to allow Amir to disembark.

Amir and MC stand in the starlight, sand under their feet, and know that this time they must say goodbye. MC asks for one last story and Amir tells her the tale of two legendary djinn lovers and the reysoko (blood bond) they shared by marking each other's flesh and drinking each other's blood, making them inseparable by even death. Unable to embrace under the scrutiny of the others MC and Amir must then simply say farewell and part ways. Amir heads off, up towards the Hills. MC returns to the carriage.

As the journey to Ziya continues through the night, MC suddenly realises that Hamza is no longer sitting out beside the driver. She forces Makram to admit what he, Yasir and Hamza discussed in that private room back in Umar – a plan to blame the shah's murder on a djinn plot, claiming that Ran was an assassin from Amir's tribe. As they speak, Hamza has met with a squad of his best men and they are following Amir's tracks to lead them to his people. MC slaps her uncle and leaps from the carriage, unhitching a horse and riding as fast as she can back towards the Hills to warn Amir and the tribe.

CHAPTER IX:

But by the time MC makes it to the camp there are already signs of a razing. Some djinn lie dead. Hani is leading many of the survivors in an attempt to avoid the soldiers by moving about the forest – as she knows the human tongue she alone is able to eavesdrop on their plans and work around them. MC leads a squad of Hamza's men away from them and into the undergrowth of thorns that she once blundered into, back when she briefly lived here.

She finds Hamza and Kherga, surrounded by dead djinn and humans alike, circling each other and both badly wounded. Hamza lands the killing blow on Kherga just as Amir comes running onto the scene, howling in grief and fury. Amir faces Hamza and they fight once more. This time, when Hamza is at his mercy, Amir does not hesitate to kill him.

When the last of the soldiers limp away in defeat, the tribe comes back together. Silently they build a giant pyre and burn their dead upon it. Amir watches Kherga's body burn, clasping MC's hand tightly in his. They stand there until the fire burns out and Amir's brothers' and sisters' souls have flown to the sky.

BITTER END:

The tribe reinstate Amir as their chief. After the ceremony Amir escorts MC to the edge of the Hills. Though she will miss him, she simply cannot leave behind civilisation. Whether she will stay in Ziya or begin a new life in some other city, she is not sure. But she has a choice, which is more than she has ever had before.

They share one final embrace, then MC turns and walks away. She feels Amir's eyes on her back until he is so far away that he is no longer even a blur on the horizon.

SWEET END:

With newfound respect and gratitude for Hani, and with Amir's blessing, the tribe choose her as their new chief. After the ceremony Amir escorts MC to the edge of the Hills to say a final farewell. MC makes it ten steps before turning and running back to Amir. She asks if she can stay with him. He is kissing her before she finishes the question.

Free from their old responsibilities, MC and Amir find a place to settle in the Hills just for themselves. Amir is teaching her to swim. Exhausted from the lessons (and perhaps more than that) they lie on the bank, lazily playing with each other's hair. Just like the legendary lovers that Amir once told her about, he marks MC's shoulder with a bite. She does the same to him, and their bond is forever sealed.

#Wilder #Amir #Route Summary

148 notes · View notes

classic80sand90smovieloves2 · 4 years

Text

Meeting and Dating Jason Voorhees

(Not my gif)(Requested by @fandoms-are-my-friends-1321)

(I’m sorry that the meeting part is so long but granted, the start of your relationship with a slasher is going to take a while.)

- You first met Jason when you were little and attending Camp Crystal Lake. You were a few years younger than him; and a girl, so you weren’t around him much, especially since his mother tried to keep him away from the other kids as much as she could.

- Even so, you would occasionally see him around the camp, specifically being bullied around the camp, and felt sorry for him. Anytime you saw him, you tried your best to be nice and make him feel welcome. You still remember how awful you felt upon hearing that he drowned. But you were young, years passed and you slowly forgot about him.

- When you were older, you bought a cabin near the lake, wanting to have a break from people. The whole week after you moved in, you felt like someone was watching you. You figured you were just paranoid since you were alone up there. Unbeknownst to you, you were being watched.

- Everything came to a head the second week that you were living there. It was late and you were walking home from the lake. A part of you knew that it was a stupid idea to have stayed out so long but you rationalized that no one was up there with you, you’d be alone and the most that would happen is you would run into an animal on the beaten path.

- A little ways into your walk, you could hear the sound of something nearing you. You ignored it for a while until you were sure that it was there and could hear that it had gotten very close. It sounded big, so like a rational person, without thinking, you began to run.

- At most you thought it was a wolf, maybe a bear, but your assumptions were proven false as you were gripped from behind and thrown to the forest floor. When you opened your eyes, you could see the person who had attacked you; a big man in a hockey mask.

- Letting out a shriek, you fought your way from him, managing to escape his grasp enough to take off running again. You could hear him following after you as you reached your home, slamming and locking the door behind you, though it did little to stop him.

- It seemed as though he struck down your door in seconds, pursuing you even further into the cabin until you reached the living room. You were backed against the wall as he raised his arm to slash at you, that was when he noticed the photos framed on the wall behind you.

- He froze, there was something so similar about the little girl in the pictures, obviously they were you, but who were you? In an instant, his memories came flooding back, the little girl at camp, the one person who was nice to him, his first and only crush as a child.

- You stood still, terrified to even move until his arm lowered and his other hand came up. You winced as it approached you, snapping your eyes shut until you noticed that he hadn’t touched you. Upon opening them again, you saw that he had tore a frame off the wall and was looking down at it. You thought that perhaps this was your chance and quietly spoke.

“That’s me. In the picture, I mean. I was seven there.” He didn’t look at you for a long while before he glanced in your direction, heaving a deep breath.

- A wave of fear coursed through you but he didn’t move any closer. Instead, he dropped the frame on a table nearby, hesitated for a moment, and then walked out of your home. You made sure he was gone before calling the police. They combed the area but could find nothing of the man. Inexplicably, your mind flashed back to your time at camp. The boy who drowned; he was never found either.

- Still shaken up, you went into town and stayed at an inn for the night. In the morning, you went to the library and searched through their archives, trying to find out more about the area in an attempt to figure out what had happened.

- A part of you began to believe that the masked figure was Jason. He was the proper age, seemingly knew the area well, and his body was never found. It seemed like a ridiculous idea but was it completely implausible?

- Having bought the cabin; and having nowhere else to go, you had to return home at some point. He was gone, right? So you made the trip back and tried to put the encounter out of your mind. Even so, every now and again you could swear that you saw him; always in your peripheral or in something's reflection.

- A day or so later, you found that the tires on your car were slashed. The situation confused you, why would he slash your tires yet leave you completely unharmed. What was the point of keeping you alive if he wanted you dead, he didn’t seem like the type who wanted to scare you before he finished you off. Deep down, some part of you knows that; for whatever reason, he doesn’t want you to leave.

- It was some time later that you encountered him again. You were swimming in the lake when you felt eyes on you. As you looked around, you could see him standing at the tree line. He just... stood there, saying nothing, still as could be.

- Were you scared? Yes, but you were also curious. This whole charade had to end at some point, right? Why not now? Seeing that he was empty handed, you stood in the water and slowly made your way over to him. He let you approach him until you stopped just a few feet away on your own accord.

“You’re Jason, aren't you?” You asked tentatively, quietly. He said nothing. “I thought you were dead. We all did. I saw you.... How?”

Still, there was no reply and for the first time, you remembered that he couldn’t speak. So you asked a simple question, one that he could answer without his voice and one that could potentially ease your nerves. “Do you want to kill me?”

- He didn’t reply at first, looking at you for a long moment. You could see his eyes locked on your face from behind his mask. Then, silently, he slowly shook his head.

- You see him more after that; he doesn’t hide as much though he still keeps his distance. A part of you knows that you should probably be wary, try to escape or call the cops or something. But another part of you tells yourself that if he wanted to hurt you, he could have already, and he probably would be carrying a weapon with him.

- The only times that he actually got close to you was when you tried to go into town, he’d appear quietly behind you, your face level with his chest, blocking you from going anywhere until he made sure you only had your purse with you. He didn’t want you leaving him; escaping, he liked you too much.

- Over time, you’re feelings of empathy got the best of you. His mother; his one true friend, was dead, he was alone in the world and alive when he should have been dead himself; he had no one, nothing. So after debating with yourself about it all day, you made your way over to him when he appeared and invited him inside your home.

- You supposed you were more lonely than you expected since; after a few minutes of hesitance and awkwardness, you began to talk to him... and then talk some more and more until finally you realized you were recounting half your life to the masked killer. Trailing off, you apologized and asked if he was hungry.

- Over the next few months, you started to interact with him more and more. It was normal for the two of you to spend time together and soon enough, you genuinely begun to enjoy his company.

- Your relationship will definitely be a slowburn; I mean, it is Jason we’re talking about. So it could be a full year before anything of value happens between you. And when something does happen, it happens slowly as well.

- After some time, you realize that there’s more to your feelings for the man and though it may not be the greatest crush you’ve ever had, you can’t deny that it’s there. So you decide to confess. You tell him that you like him, a lot, and ask if there’s any way that the two of you can be together.

- In response, he stays very still for a long moment before reaching out, stroking your face and hair, and clumsily pulling you into his arms.

- You don’t exactly have dates so you don’t really have a first date, and you’re not sure if your first kiss even counts. It’s a quiet night, the two of you are sat beside each other on your front porch and you have the inexplicable urge to kiss him, even though you know he won’t even let you see what's underneath his mask.

- Not knowing what else to do, you lean over, place a gentle hand on the back of his head and press your lips to his mask. He stiffens but lets you and moves just a bit closer to you once you’ve pulled away. It’s certainly not the most conventional relationship you’ve ever been in but you can’t say that you regret being in it.

- The two of you have gone out in public together like five whole times so pda is a difficult thing to explain. He occasionally holds on to you but more often than not he’ll make a quick escape as people start to show up around you.

- He tends to keep a bit of a distance between the two of you, mainly because he isn’t sure of what he should do with you. He’s never had a relationship before so this entire experience is new to him.

- He’s so not used to human affection anymore. It’s been a very long time since he’s interacted with anyone so he’s going to have to learn how to accept it again. He goes still and cherishes every touch you give him though; for a while, he’s going to be internally panicking the entire time.

- If the two of you are going to be together, you’ll have to be innocent(at least on the outside) and kind; someone his mother would approve of since; even in death, she’s still affecting his decisions.

- He tries to be very gentle with you, not wanting to hurt you in any way, especially on accident. You feel like a little china doll with the way he holds and touches you.

- Jason has never been kissed …but he deserves to be!!! He lets you kiss his mask without hesitation but is apprehensive when letting you see what's underneath. He may yearn to kiss you but he isn’t sure if he should since he’s completely inexperienced and; in his eyes, physically grotesque.

- You make him nervous. Jason’s never really had any friends besides his mother and he’s certainly never had female company that he’s found attractive(and that's actually liked him) so being around you has an effect on him.

- He likes listening to you talk. You could be rambling about nothing at all and he’ll still want to hear it. Most of the time, you’ll assume he isn’t even listening but then he’ll look at you once you’ve stopped, nod his head at something, or let out a noise that's the equivalent of a laugh for him; and you’ll realize he’s actually been listening the entire time.

- Learning how to communicate with him.

- Going on weekly runs to get all the supplies that the two of you will need.

- Patching him up when he gets injured. You know that he heals himself but you still feel the need to do something about it.

- Even though he has a really high pain tolerance, you still wince for him every time he gets hurt. He finds it sort of touching that you care or at least show empathy towards him, it’s also amusing in a way.

- Receiving little gifts. Flowers, rocks, feathers, …bones. He sometimes steals things from his victims that he thinks you’ll like. You don’t ask where he gets his “proper” gifts from.

- He’s honestly a big fan of pets/animals and; weirdly enough, they love him too. Doesn’t matter if you have a dog, cat, bunny, bird, or hamster; he’ll like them and they’ll like him.

- You once gifted him a teddy bear, mainly as a joke, but he genuinely adores it. It stays in his little shack where he can hold it when he’s away from you.

- Under all that murder, he’s really just sweet boy. You’re respected, cared for, and loved at all times.

- Would you not fawn over him? Would you not act like a doting, proud mother as he stands there menacingly? Would you not boast about him over the phone as he sits and eats at your kitchen table? Don’t lie to me.

- Whenever you compliment him, he sort of just stares at you for a long moment before going back to what he was doing. He doesn’t know how to respond and hearing your praise makes him flustered.

- You’re gonna have to take care of him a little. While he can, in theory, take care of himself and live on his own; if you call consuming foraged berries, squirrels and lake water living, you’ll have to provide him with a few essential's if you want to see him thrive. He likes being looked after anyways; it reminds him of when he was little.

- Either learning how to sew or buying him new clothes every week. He most likely tries to assure you that its fine but only having like 60 percent of a shirt doesn’t seem very fine to you.

- Cooking for him. Don’t worry if you’re a bad cook, Jason could literally eat dirt and find something good about it. He sets the table and offers to wash the dishes which is …quite the sight to see.

- Catching him up on what’s been happening in the world. He died and was suddenly thrown into a whole new world so there’s certainly a few important things that he’s missed.

- Getting bridal carried or literally held on his hip like a toddler. Tired after a walk through the woods? You’re immediately in his arms. Injured in the slightest? In his arms. Just want to be carried? Fine by him.

- You’ll never have to worry about struggling with something heavy ever again; this boy could pick up a house if he wanted to.

- Comparing hand sizes. He’s amazed at how small you are compared to him and how much softer your skin is.

- Trailing behind him as he goes lumbering through the woods. He usually doesn’t really acknowledge your presence besides occasionally stopping to make sure you’re following or that you can catch up with his long strides; or physically stopping you so that you don’t get hurt on something. Having a companion is new to him but he does enjoy it.

- His mother taught him manners so while it may be a little funny seeing a hulking mass of a man gingerly knock before he enters your room or pull out your chair for you or wash his hands before dinner; it’s pretty commonplace for you.

- Campfires when it gets dark.

- Tight yet careful hugs.

- He’s enthralled by television. When he was little, him and his mother had a black and white tv with like three channels on it so seeing a full color tv amazes him.

- Taking photos with him is kind of hilarious. You’ve certainly took a few over the years and while you have different poses or faces in each one, the only thing that changes about him is his clothes. He just stands or sits there stoically, his mask still on as you position yourself around him.

- What's better than cuddling with a big ass boy? He loves being able to cradle you in his arms and listen to the sound of your steady breathing.

- Swaying together while listening to music.

- You kissed his cheek the first time he showed you his face and he nearly cried. Emotionless killer Jason Voorhees isn’t nearly as emotionless as you think.

- Jason; above all, wants to make you happy. He can’t stand the thought of you being upset or not having everything you’d like. He always tries his hardest to provide you with whatever he can to make your life better and happier.

- He never really questions you. You’re just below his mother on people and things he should listen to. it may take you a few moments to truly convince him to do something but more often than not he’ll listen, unless he really doesn’t like the idea.

- Reassuring him that you really do love him. There’s no way he isn’t insecure after everything that he’s gone through so sometimes he just needs to hear you say it.

- There’s not many instances where he has the chance to get jealous but if there is one then I assure you: he gets jealous. Even so, he doesn’t quite understand the feeling. He just knows that you’re his and whoever it is that he’s jealous of better stay away.

- He’s incredibly protective of you; overprotective to say the least. You’re everything to him and he’s not letting anything happen to you.

- He tries to keep you as far away from his killing as he can. You’ll never see any bodies if he can help it.

- He feels nervous when letting you touch his machete yet... inexplicably turned on. Excuse him while he prays for himself.

- It’s sort of hard to fight with him but whenever he get’s mad, he’ll storm off and not return for a long time. He gives you the silent treatment for a little while but will ultimately forgive you fairly quickly.

- He cant stand it if you’re angry with him; he’ll do whatever it takes to make things better. God forbid you get up to leave; he’ll physically stop you, pulling you into his arms and all but throwing you away from the door. He can’t exactly say he’s sorry so he’ll sink to his knees and hang his head in apology.

- It’s definitely going to take a while for him to show you what he looks like without his mask on whether you already know or not. He still remembers what the other children at camp thought of him and he definitely doesn’t want you to be able to look at him for too long.

- When he is comfortable enough to let you see, He’ll allow you to take it off while he sits incredibly still. It’s the ultimate show of trust for him so don’t think of it as nothing.

- Obviously, he can’t speak so he conveys his love through his actions and perhaps the occasional sloppily written note.

- Well he’s pretty much bound to live forever so expect a long and loving life with him. He’ll steal a ring from someone he comes across and; in both your eyes, you’ll be husband and wife.

#slasher imagines #slasher headcanons #slasher headcanon #jason voorhees imagine #jason voorhees headcanons #jason voorhees headcanon #80s movie imagine #80s movie headcanons #80s movie headcanon #80s movie imagines #friday the 13th imagine #friday the 13th headcanons #friday the 13th headcanon #friday the 13th imagines

262 notes · View notes

alittlebitgoofy · 3 years

Text

stay gold - chapter two (taywhora)

here we are, chapter 2, i was super excited to write this bc things are finally moving and Lawrence appears! i love having all the UK girls in this au somewhere, the rest may be coming soon...

thanks to @goodemornting for betaing, couldn't do it without that babe

ao3 link

Tayce shivered as the rain pelted against the window, staring out into the clouds with absence. It felt like an attack, a war of attrition waged against her old sanctuary that would soon be won out by the elements.

It wasn’t that serious, a voice deep down told her. But the fear still paralyzed her, crawling up her spine to leave her powerless and resigned to curl in on herself until this ended.

She should have prepared better, the feeling of it coming lingered over her for days. A few times the elf had visited and she’d shook it off to appear normal but it ate at her the longer she stood. All she could hope to do was her pitiful shield was enough— her magic was nowhere near as powerful as it used to be. She lacked practice, her powers dwindling with each day passing as she sunk further down.

Aurora provided a bright sort of energy, a reason to get up and do things again. Even if the entire world had forgotten her, at least Aurora hadn’t. The girl was putting so much effort in that Tayce couldn’t help but give her all the time she wanted. She’d missed having company more than she’d realised, even if the relationship was nothing more than a formality, merely two acquaintances. One who tried to get as much information out of the other, surely she’d tire of it soon but Tayce wanted to bask in the feeling of being wanted for however brief it was.

Tayce felt a sinking feeling entrap her all of a sudden, she could see something, feel someone. Soaked, shaking, scared. She couldn’t call herself much of a protector anymore; but she had to do something. Tendrils of fear rose up from her sullen heart, suffocating her chest as she moved to assist. The vision faded as she was back in the safety of her shrine, though it would be cruel to stay there.

She held out a hand to open the door but stopped in her tracks, breathing hard. Her heart repeated snarls of disassurence with every frantic beat. She was nothing but a forgotten deity, now, she hardly had the right to go and save this poor stranger. She felt the air tug back to the safety of her bed, under her blankets away from the cruelties of the world for one more night.

In her unease Tayce glanced nervously back outside, gaze catching on the figure once more. The way their bones ached with the cold, body wracking with shivers, soaked to the bone and more miserable looking than the mud underneath their feet. Tayce blinked, throwing open the door and pushing through the howling wind with a huff. She couldn’t allow her own worries to hurt this innocent mortal.

The pull of the wind got stronger the more she moved north, the trees providing slight shelter from the storm. She stopped when she heard it, a sharp intake of breath. Someone trying to calm themselves. Trembling breaths in and out, a small whimper of fear as the wind crashed the tree branches together, a louder shriek coming as lightning struck, illuminating Tayce's watching figure and making the person scramble in on themselves to shield.

A blonde, huddled in on herself through her face briefly flashed past, staring up in fear before trying to make a run for it. She stumbled on her feet, falling flat in the mud and letting out another whimper. Tayce broke into a sprint, reaching out for the girl desperately. Was it really—

“Aurora?” she gasped, crouching to her side as the elf struggled to sit up. The elf peered up at Tayce, terrified before recognition flashed across her face. She threw herself into tayces arms, inadvertently also covering her in mud. It was fine, as long as she was safe.

“Tayce!” She squeaked into her chest, arms wrapping around her waist to keep herself there as Tayce slowly stood up.

“It’s horrible out here, come inside with me and we’ll get you warmed up, okay? Tayce spoke as warmly as she could through her nerves, stroking the smaller girl’s hair as she let out a humm of acknowledgement, refusing to move from the safety of Tayce’s grasp.

They got inside in one piece, Tayce sparking the fire to life with a flick of her wrist before turning her attention back to the elf clinging to her for dear life.

“We’re okay now, let’s get you warmed up and into some dry clothes.” She reassured the timid elf, hand rubbing her back in support as she slowly moved from the sanctity of Tayce’s arms.

Aurora felt a shiver wrack down her spine, glancing up at Tayce with pleading eyes. What she wanted, she wasn’t quite sure. All she knew was she just wanted to stop feeling like this. She felt embarrassment swallow her whole at the realisation of everything. This was the least flattering way to find someone, clingy and desperate to be saved. She could take care of herself, she wasn’t helpless. So why had she frozen up at the first sign of danger? It could be pondered later, at least she was safe with a strong deity nearby.

They stayed silent, Tayce offering her some dry clothes that seemed a bit too big. She graciously accepted it, anything was better than being soaked and covered in mud. Tayce shrugged her clothes off into some silk pajamas, using her own soaked shirt to wipe the remaining mud off of Aurora’s arms.

“Thank you.” She whispered out, Tayce doing a double-take to make sure she’d heard something. Her face softened into a slight smile, eyes warm, inviting Aurora to feel comfortable, calming her as they seemed to flicker like the flames beside her. The fire lit up her face, the usual dark brown or her eyes lighting into a warmer gold. She wanted to be enveloped by it, the heat of the golden glow comforting her, settling down like she was with an old friend and not an acquaintance she worried about scaring off.

“No problem, if you ever need help I’m right here.” Tayce seemed different, more relaxed than Aurora knew possible. She was comfortable, warmed by the fire and pleased to be in the company of another, her mind distracted from the raging elements outside.

“I appreciate it, really,” The elf murmured in response, shuffling closer to her companion to share in the warmth she emanated.

They stayed in another, comfortable silence. Aurora had no words, letting herself slowly melt into Tayce's side as the night wore on, occasionally glancing up as Tayce took the opportunity to sort out her still damp hair with her fingers.

Her touch was gentle, more so than one would expect. Aurora felt at ease, leaning into her touch with a blissful smile.

Aurora stared into the fire, watching it flicker as her mind wandered. This was unfamiliar territory. She had no idea how to act, from what she had read things like this didn’t happen. Trespassing was serious and would often cost the person dearly.

But Tayce wasn’t like what she had read. It covered a few things but didn’t come close to doing her justice. Old words meant nothing when you were treated as an equal. Tayce wasn’t some uncontrollable animal to gain the favour of, she was the same as A’whora in every way except her age and her giant wings.

That was what had thrown her through a loop. Tayce treated her like anyone would a new person in their life. She was entertaining, cracking jokes and getting to know Aurora.

They were friends.

Aurora decided to test the waters, shuffling closer to Tayce, keeping a keen eye on her reactions to gage what she was comfortable with.

Tayce regarded her curiously, letting her get closer with intent. What did she want? Company? Perhaps closeness, after the mess of the night she deserved comfort, she was yearning for it whether she was aware of it.

The deity let her get close, pulling her into an embrace, letting the elf settle in her lap. She liked this, the warmth of having another person so close.

“Hey, Tayce?”

Tayce hummed in acknowledgement, her ability to speak taken by the intense comfort she was experiencing.

“I’m glad we’re friends,” Aurora murmured, her words lighting something in Tayce she thought was long dormant since their departure.

Friendship. It made sense, Aurora visited her as a friend would, she’d learnt a bit about her. Her love of folklore and reading every book she could get her hands on about the creatures of centuries past. She worked at a bakery and often brought a loaf that would have gone to waste. She was talented, pursued her passions, and seemed happy with where she was in life.

She was the opposite of Tayce, full of enthusiasm and life, a mischievous streak that had reared its head a few times, delighting her when that spark would glimmer in her friend’s eyes.

They were friends. She was proud of that

Her old companion would be proud of that.

“Mhm. I'm glad we’re friends too, Rory.” Tayce hummed, leaning her head into the blonde’s shoulder.

“Rory? We’re doing nicknames now.”

Tayce hesitated, the humour in her tone didn’t go unnoticed but it sent her mind reeling. Was that not appropriate? She didn’t sound annoyed, more amused than anything. She’d forgotten how confusing people were.

“Yeah, unless you don’t like that. People still do nicknames right.”

“Yes you old lady, people still use nicknames.” Aurora laughed, the sound a blessing to Tayce’s ears. She snickered more, prodding at her shoulder for good measure to get a rise out of the brunette.

“I’m not that old!” Tayce huffed, puffing her chest when Aurora refused to accept it.

“How old are you? You never told me.”

“321.” She stated simply, raising an eyebrow as Aurora whipped around to gawk at her in shock.

“You look the same age as me? How are you so old?”

“Immortality, you should try it sometime.”

The elf burst into more laughter, wheezing at the ridiculousness of it all.

“Old.” she grinned, poking Tayce as she spoke.

“Rude,” Tayce responded, her wings flapping in emphasis.

“I still like you, old lady.” Aurora cuddled up to her, nestling her head against her shoulder.

“You’re a scoundrel.” Tayce huffed, unable to remain serious before she let out a laugh, smirking in amusement.

“I try my best.”

Aurora seemed settled in her position, eyes beginning to flutter shut after a little while. Her breathing slowed, content in the warmth Tayce provided.

“Aurora, I’m going to put you into this bed okay?” Tayce kept her voice quiet, as to not disturb her half-asleep friend. The elf let out a noise of acknowledgement before Tayce lifted her into her bed.

“We’re sleeping together?” She murmured into a pillow, almost incoherent in her tired state.

“Yeah, the bed is big enough for the two of us and I’m not having you sleep on the floor.” Tayce let her roll over, claiming the left side of the bed as she got in beside her. Aurora was out like a light, softly snoring as Tayce stared at the ceiling.

The rain had stopped at some point, they were both too distracted to even notice it. Her attention turned back to the fire, it would burn itself out before long but leaving it on while she slept wasn’t a good idea. Her wing flapped, a gust of wind extinguishing it with little effort.

She settled back into bed to see Aurora shiver slightly. Tayce flung one of her wings over her to act as a blanket under the duvet, she had to stay warm after getting soaked that badly.

Tayce let herself doze off, the only sounds being Aurora’s steady breathing and some wind outside. Her last strands of consciousness left in a state of bliss at the comfort of this state. She would treasure the moments like this as they came further into their friendship, she knew even then it was something special.

Aurora was something special, she just didn’t know it yet.

---

Aurora stirred, vaguely aware of something on top of her, the cocoon of warmth rendered her even more sluggish. Her brain was still overcome by a sleepy fog.

A noise next to her alerted her back to reality, Tayce let out a quiet grunt, burrowing her head into her pillow.

Realisation flooded into Aurora, she’d made a stupid decision, but Tayce had saved her. She’d be in a bad state if it wasn’t for her, she wondered vaguely how she could begin to express her gratitude but her thoughts were interrupted by Tayce once more.

“Aurora?” Tayce’s warm voice rang out, perhaps it helped she’d just woken up but Aurora swore that was her favourite sound, craving to hear it every morning from then on.

She grunted in response, stretching to an almost comical extent with her small stature and staring back, eyes half-lidded. She let out a noise, Tayce had no idea what she’d meant by it though questioning it probably couldn’t get a coherent response.

“Good morning to you, too.”

Tayce stifled a laugh, smirking slightly at how Aurora let out a weak glare that dissolved into a fond smile at the implication of her amused tone.

Aurora eventually shifted herself to sit up, shaking herself awake much to the amusement of Tayce.

Tayce tried not to freak her out, watching inquisitive as her companion stretched, readying herself for the day. They exchanged small talk, her focus on trying to play it cool and not reveal the feelings swirling in her stomach.

“Hey, take this before you go.” As Aurora got up to leave, Tayce spoke up, she raised an eyebrow, walking back over with a perplexed stare as she notices a stone glimmering in Tayce’s hand

“A necklace?”

“It’s got a lot of power in it, it also means I can feel you if you ever want me to.” Tayce was thankful for the species barrier sometimes, she didn’t have to know what it fully meant yet. If she accepted, she’d figure it out before long.

The elf put the necklace on, admiring the sparkling golden gem as she did so. She felt a wave of warmth wash over her, like she was safe with it on. She prodded at it, letting out a shocked squeal as Tayce's own began to glow.

Aurora couldn’t hide her excitement, something about the gift felt like a sign, something like Tayce wanting to express her feelings and not having the words to do so. She liked her, enough to give her something that connected the two of them.

Maybe this could be the start of something, a close bond that Aurora craved more than anything.

---

“What’s that look about?” Lawrence eyed Aurora up with suspicion, she’d been much too perky, polite with customers, and diligent in her work. Not that she was usually a bad worker but she never seemed this happy.

“Nothing.” Though her words were denying, the smile that played on the blonde’s lips said otherwise.

“I haven’t seen you this happy since Ellie fell into that bag of flour.”

Aurora burst into laughter at the memory, despite how much she towered over the pair, Ellie could never use it to her advantage, her coordination similar to that of a child learning to walk. She made them look careful, as if Aurora didn’t burn herself once a month or so.

“Spill it, what’s going on.” Lawrence continued, the blonde’s eyes shifting to shoot a quick glare.

“I told you, it’s nothing, you’re a horrible listener.” She deadpanned, desperately trying to keep herself from showing any signs of lying, alas Lawrence picked up on the slight twitch in her ears, grinning like a madwoman.

“And you’re a horrible liar. Who’s got you all giddy like a little girl? I can feel the tension a mile off.”

“There’s no tension, I just made a friend.” Aurora avoided her gaze, knowing she'd said something she didn’t want to share. Why was keeping a secret so hard? It helped that they'd known each other so long, Lawrence could read her like a book at the best of times.

“Just a friend? You don’t sound so sure.” Lawrence grinned, delighting in her slip of the tongue. She’d never be able to keep a secret for very long, the details of their relationship would tumble out of her with time.

“If you’re this invested in my love life, I feel bad for Ellie.”

“Your love life? So you admit something is going on?” another victory, she truly was awful at keeping her mouth shut.

“We just met! Nothing is going on!” Aurora protested weakly, she could never win against Lawrence’s stubbornness to pry anything she wanted out of people.

“Is your life so uneventful that you find this so interesting?” She continued, smirking at the eye roll she got in response

“No, but your love life is.” Lawrence came back, Aurora knew it was a losing battle against her wit. Lawrence could easily outsmart and insult anyone she pleased, it was better to stay silent and not risk divulging more information she barely knew herself.

She huffed in reply, her face burning from the implications. She didn’t know how she felt about Tayce, sure she was beautiful but anyone with eyes would notice that. It was too soon to think about that, Lawrence had no interests outside of stirring the pot. She’d have to remember to never mix her and Tayce, that would end catastrophically.

#stay gold #taywhora #rpdr fanfiction

12 notes · View notes

dylawa · 4 years

Text

So @allmightluver made this FANTASTIC analysis into All Might’s character [Here] and how the current Manga arc (chapters ~300-305) really shows how he’s going through it, and, if you have the time to read it, I by all means am begging you to go read and reblog that post instead. But, for my own small-brained sake, I asked for their permission to create an abbreviated version of their post (which is still “long,” but it’s not a whole fanfic’s length long. It’s brilliant as it is! I am just weak).

This literally is just a rephrased edition of a much larger, more in-depth piece; it’s the equivalent of reading a book’s synopsis over the book itself, so GO. READ IT.

But, to those that are still here, this is a Thing about All Might. Again, all of this is just rephrased from @allmightluver‘s [original post]; I kept most of the original context; maybe I’ll do a follow-up reblog with my own thoughts.

From as early as Toshinori’s childhood, to as late as his young teenage years, literally all he ever wanted was to be a hero people could see and know, “Everything is going to turn out okay, no matter how bad the situation is.” Many other heroes of the time, and even into current day BNHA, generally had other reasons for pursuing the line of work, but not him. There was no yearning for fame, lust for money, or a power trip, or anything like that. The only thing he wanted out of being a hero, was to get people to smile. To feel safe.

It’s not common for a 14 year old to come to this conclusion, so it’s pretty safe to assume Toshinori didn’t have the best childhood, whether that’s in his own personal life, or he really just had no filter between his home life, and the world of heroes and villains. Being Quirkless probably played a huge factor in all of that.

But then, what about Izuku? He was Quirkless, right? Here’s the thing: He had All Might to look up to. Toshinori? Nobody. Yes, Izuku had some of the same roadblocks, but All Might inspired him to keep going. There isn’t much to imply that Toshinori had a similar relationship to Nana when they first crossed paths, and hero culture was less of a fashion show than it is currently.

Nana was only able to mentor Toshinori for a few short years before she was brutally murdered, right in front of him, and after that, all he had was Gran Torino, who wasn’t exactly benevolent teacher material-- vicious enough that, even as an older man, Toshinori had severe reservations about speaking with him again; but back then, he was one of the only people that knew the pain he went through in losing Nana, not to mention knowledge of One for All itself. And even then, Torino instructed him to leave the country, once again leaving Toshinori all alone to figure out things for himself until he could confidently return to Japan.

And when he did come back, he had his work cut out for him; there was a lot of work to be done to get society as “surface-level gleaming” as it was under All Might’s thumb, and we see some of that in Vigilantes; staying up for days on end to save people, stop villains, and repair structural damage. He even falls asleep mid-jump at one point, because that’s all the time for rest he can squeeze in. But, by this point, the power of One For All has lead the public, and even other heroes to believe, that All Might has it under control; he doesn’t need help, or at least, nothing more than what they’re already giving. And sure, Endeavor did his part, but that was for him; he just wanted to surpass All Might, not help him.

Now, after his gruesome injury, Toshinori no longer has that ability to save people like he used to. He spent years doing nothing but serving the world, fighting an unseen force that nearly tore him in half, to the point that that evil force should have died, and, even after all of that, thinking he had won, that it was over, Nighteye still promised his untimely demise, before abandoning him for continuing to push himself as his organs threatened to fall out of his body. But, even if AFO was “gone,” there was still a whole other world of villains to deal with; the worst threat was gone, but that didn’t mean the world was safe.

And the only person who could maintain that peace, was All Might. Now, he was under pressure of a ticking clock. So, he kept going.

Which, of course, turned him into what we saw in the beginning of the manga/anime. He has a whole slew of physical issues that are only exacerbated by his lack of self care in favor of pushing himself as hard as he can to keep up his hero work, and because of that, he’s completely ruined his health outside of the All Might persona. The man is practically rotting from the inside out, and, though at first no one knows it’s All Might, people on the street look at this ghastly figure, and they know it. And he knows they know it. Could you imagine the stress he swallows down, knowing, one day, they will find out the truth?

And, let’s not forget how, once Nighteye left, Toshinori was left alone with his paperwork. Eventually, Tsukauchi took over, but that was only because Toshinori let it slip in a moment of deep stress just who he was. But, in the timespan between, it was all up to Toshinori to handle those things, on top of his hero work, and the bare-minimum of whatever he was doing to keep himself alive.

This part, I’m just quoting from @allmightluver‘s post verbatim:

“People blame him for not preparing society for his retirement, that he failed in passing on the torch so to speak, but in reality he did everything possible to keep society from falling for 40 years, doing all within his power just to keep things afloat. He is only one person. One human being, he can’t do everything despite trying to. Society failed All Might.”

Some people in fandom say he sucks as a teacher, but first of all, do you remember who he had as a teacher? I’d say he’s leaps and bounds above Torino. Not to mention, he’s never been a teacher before, and he never planned to pass on OFA again. And just because someone’s a bad teacher (which, he could be worse), doesn’t mean they’re not smart: he’s got a 6/6 intelligence score. Which definitely doesn’t help when Izuku does something to hurt himself with his Quirk that he gave to him. He could very well think it’s his own fault.

And we haven’t even touched up on Dave yet! This man literally staged a hostage situation so he could get his hands on banned technology to try to extend All Might’s time, and hurt so many people in the process. There’s another friend gone.

And then, All For One comes back. A man Toshinori swore he killed. And then he has to fight him in front of the world, having his weakness exposed, and then being told this villain is grooming Nana’s grandson-- someone Toshinori failed to save, didn’t even know needed saving, because he didn’t know the kid existed. And he doesn’t get time to process that; he has to pretend he’s fine, even while he’s shown in this failing human form to the world, to stop AFO once more at great personal cost.

And then, OFA leaves him.

And then he has to deal the the ordeal of being human while Bakugo blames himself for it, while Nighteye dies and confesses he’s happy after all these years to see him on his last words, while watching Endeavor struggle with one Nomu on live television, while watching Bakugo almost take over the burden of carrying OFA, and, despite all of these horrible things occurring... he still confesses to his acquaintance, Aizawa, that he’s “decided to live.” Like it’s another burden to take on. How can this man not be horribly suffering deep down inside? We don’t see the extent of it, because he trained for so long to keep it buried deep down, and it’s harder as Toshinori than it was as All Might, but he’s still got severe trauma and chronic physical conditions that will last the rest of his life. And, yes, people made him promise to live, but only he “decided” he would do so.

And then, he does research into the OFA holders, and finds a gruesome secret. He could have sealed Izuku’s fate to an early grave, not just because of the nature of hero work, but because OFA users have what seems to be a natural predisposition to die early (due to those who previously had quirks being given OFA having their lifespan shortened because of it; Toshinori doesn’t know the full truth yet).

And pretty much right after he finds out that information, the world implodes on itself. Villains win a critical fight, and run amok. People are dying. Heroes are quitting. They blame him. The heroes that do remain can barely handle the load. Some even die. AFO escapes prison, Izuku is in critical condition-- everything he worked for for forty years, disintegrates overnight. Everything he did to himself in pursuit of a peaceful society meant nothing. And, he can feel his vestige within One For All, which isn’t a good sign.

Time is running out.

And he may not even die happy.

“People don’t credit All Might enough for everything he’s done. Most don’t realize the sacrifices he’s made. His character is so unbelievably profound and deep, it’s more than just the “I am here!” people focus on. He’s a deeply troubled, layered, complex character. And I can’t find fault within him.”

#bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #all might #toshinori yagi

29 notes · View notes

moonsofmars-writes · 3 years

Text

The seed of a promise

Fandom: 七つの大罪 - 鈴木央 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Diane & Fairy King Harlequin Characters: Fairy King Harlequin, Diane, Ludociel, Gerheade, Helbram, Elaine Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, War, Death, Blood and Injury, Nothing is graphic, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Hopeful Ending, Pre-Relationship

Summary: In a world where the Holy War didn’t end with Elizabeth and Meliodas, where Mael never became Estarossa, a final battle has just been fought.

The Holy War is finally over.

As the victors gather and the vanquished are chased and finished, the young Fairy King tries to find a way to prevent yet another tragedy - and ends up finding an ally in an unexpected place.

Notes: I've been wondering for a while what would have happened if Gowther's plan hadn't worked and Demons and Goddesses had kept fighting and this is what I managed to come up with! Since it's me, King and Diane are also here - with a whole lot of drama.

Please, enjoy!

There is blood on his hands and his clothes, on his wings and his hair. It makes his jacket heavy and his skin unpleasantly slick. Harlequin can’t bring himself to care right now.

The battle is over, yet he keeps flying over the field, eyes darting from a corpse to the other, studying the survivors as they make their way through the craters and bodies that cover the ground. Most of them walk silently, looking around as if they just woke up from a dream; others are frantic and turn their heads left and right, calling out names and getting no answer.

Harlequin doesn’t call but still searches. The knot in his stomach starts loosening only when he finally catches a glimpse of Elaine on the ground, standing among some human soldiers, alive and apparently unarmed. He is too distant to see her expression when she looks up at him, but he can read her heart as she can read his and what he reads is relief and exhaustion and grief. Later, when they’ll be home, they’ll find each other to whisper words of loss and comfort, or maybe they’ll just rest together, shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, as they did when they were younger. Right now, they both have other matters to take care of.

Minutes later, Helbram waves at him, a tired grin on his face. He is floating over the remains of a burned tree surrounded by a group of Fairies, to whom he soon returns to give orders. Harlequin doesn’t approach them and heads forward, feeling relieved that his best friend is fine. He knows he can leave this part to him; after all, Helbram has been his first in command for years. He knows perfectly how to handle the aftermath of a battle.

Gerheade is the next. His advisor looks tired, there is a cut on her cheek and bruises on her left arm, but the purple blood staining her dress isn’t hers. “We are still not sure about the number,” she says after a quick bow. They have done this countless times before, and she knows exactly what he wants to know. “For now, the reports indicate that more than five hundred have fallen. The wounded we have found are being taken care of by the Goddesses. I’ll personally check how many won’t be able to fly back on their own.”

Harlequin nods, clasping his hands behind his back. More than five hundred have died today. He expected a high number, considering that they have battled for hours; he still feels sick. More than five hundred Fairies won’t return to the Fairy King’s Forest alive, five hundred people who trusted him, followed him, and he failed to protect. Deep down, he knows it could have gone worse. If they had lost this battle, he doubts many would have left the field alive, and their home would have been next. Had they lost here, his entire Clan would have eventually been wiped away by the enemy.

Still. Five hundred. He swallows hard and sighs, “Give the order to gather the bodies. We are taking them home.”

Gerheade frowns, a question on her lips, but she holds it back when she meets his eyes. “As you wish, my king.” They have never collected such a large amount of bodies from the battlefield, and it will take hours to find them all and bring them back to the Fairy King’s Forest. It doesn’t matter. He couldn’t protect them, but this doesn’t mean he will abandon them. They deserve this, at least.

His next task is a little more bothersome but necessary. Tomorrow morning there will be an official meeting for the leaders of Stigma, but he doesn’t want to leave before checking on the Goddesses.

Read on AO3

As he flies, Harlequin’s gaze turns to the east. That’s where the Demons came from, where the Demon King opened a portal from the Demon Realm to bring most of his army to Britannia. He is fairly sure that the portal collapsed when the Demon King died, destroyed by the hand of the Supreme Deity; still, many Demons flew in that direction when they realized the battle was lost as if in a last attempt to save their life. That’s where the Goddesses warriors have followed them, too.

In the distance, Harlequin can see figures battling in the air, he can see smoke rising from the ground and flashes of light against the darkening blue of the sky. Inside, he feels nothing but exhaustion. Driven by the euphoria following their victory, some Fairies have tried to chase after the Demons too, yelling menaces and obscenities. He stopped them, of course. He has no rule over the other Clans, but he does over his people and he decided that today, no other Fairy will die and no other Fairy will kill.

Briefly, he wonders if there are still Giants standing with the Demons. So many kept fighting until the very end, even after their leader Matrona was killed, but it’s hard to believe that not even one gave up to fear and tried to save themselves at last. As he stares at the fight that still consumes in the distance, Harlequin feels as his bowels have turned into stone. Even if they had tried to escape, they are probably being killed right now. And all of that, because the Giant Clan chose to side with the Demons.

The thought leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, so he decides to push it away and focus on his task. There is nothing he can do for the Giants right now. And at least, even though he knows he is being selfish, he is relieved he doesn’t sense her power over there. Perhaps it’s because she is already dead, but right now, Harlequin allows himself to hope.

He finds Ludociel hovering high in the sky, giving orders to a small group of Goddesses. “Ah, Fairy King,” he welcomes him with his usual smile, gesturing at his soldiers to go. Some bow and fly away, others stay close, hands tight around their weapons, watching carefully their surroundings. Ludociel’s guards. Stigma’s victory has been overwhelming today, but they are obviously not going to let their guard down anytime soon.

Ludociel pays no attention to them as he turns towards Harlequin. There are stains of dirt and dry blood on his feathers, yet his cape is immaculate, so white it hurts his eyes; he probably changed it as soon as the battle was over. “I see your army is preparing to retreat.”

“My people need rest,” Harlequin says, eyes wandering over the few Goddesses around them, over their tattered clothes and bruised skin. “As does yours.”

“We will get to it,” Ludociel dismisses the problem with a wave of his hand. “As soon as our enemies are gone for good.”

There is something in his tone that makes Harlequin’s hands twitch. “Most of the Demon warriors have died today,” he says slowly, “The Demon King is gone. All his Commandments are gone.” He took some of them down himself. Even the Demon King’s son fell, overpowered by the magic of the Archangels. “Isn’t it enough?”

Ludociel hums. “The most of the work is done, undoubtedly. However, we can’t know for sure how many Demons are left in the Demon Realm unless we don’t verify.” His voice is sweet as honey, it clashes unpleasantly with the cold implication of his sentence.

“We both know that the ones left in the Demon Realm are mostly civilians, Ludociel. Will you slaughter them too? Even the ones who cannot fight? Even their children?”

There is a moment of pause, as Ludociel studies him, tilting his head, his expression unchanged. “We will do what’s necessary,” he finally says. “We don’t want anything like this to happen again, don’t we?”

It takes an effort not to react to the veiled threat in his words, but Harlequin knows this game well; he won’t offer Ludociel anything, especially not a sign of weakness. “What about the Giants?” He asks instead.

Ludociel paints regret in his expression like a skilful painter. “They will be taken care of too. They are traitors, and as such they will be considered.” He slightly shakes his head, “Such a shame, don’t you think?”

This time, Harlequin doesn't hold back. “I don’t think it’s wise to pursue them more. They have lost many lives today, and they lost their chief. They will not be a threat anytime soon.”

“Ah, still nostalgic of the times they were our allies, young king?”

“I just believe,” he answers coldly, “that the relationships among our Clans will run more smoothly if they’ll see us show mercy. The Giants they left behind today are but their youngsters and mothers with children - they knew this battle was decisive. Are you truly planning to exterminate them all?”

“What I’m planning to do is to find them and ensure that we won’t get another unpleasant surprise. Stigma will decide about their fate.” The Archangel shakes his head again, and this time a faint smile appears on his lips. “You are too young to remember clearly about their treason, I’m afraid. We won’t show their warriors more mercy than what they showed us, and about the others … there is time, now. The humans will want to have their say too.”

There is no point in discussing this now. Harlequin feels the gaze of the other Goddesses on him, the resolution radiating from Ludociel’s heart, and suddenly, he feels incredibly exhausted. “Very well,” is what he forces out of his mouth, “We will speak about this tomorrow.”

“Indeed,” Ludociel hums before looking away, as to imply that Harlequin is dismissed. Perhaps it’s the exhaustion, both physical and emotional, but this time his arrogance doesn’t touch the Fairy King. He leaves without another word and flies down, towards the scarred ground.

Giant, Fairy, Demon and Goddesses’ magic destroyed this plain. Rocky spurs rise wrapped in vines among still fuming craters, and wherever his eyes can reach hundreds, thousands of bodies are scattered. Harlequin would want to look away, for once. He is so tired of death.

And that’s exactly why he forces himself to keep looking. He is tired of death, and he won’t let anyone else die in this war if he can help it. He already looked before, but now he has to make sure that her body isn’t among the fallen. Could have she fled? It hurts to realize that he can’t be sure she didn’t. The person he needs right now, the person who could help him prevent another bloodshed, inhabits his memories as the ghost of a gentle child who offered him friendship when life was easier and Fairies and Giants were allies. Even though he has seen her later, again and again, on too many battlefields, the first image that comes to his mind when he thinks of her is from their past.

Eyes shining in the light of dusk, a finger raised to make a vow.

“We will be friends forever! Like Drole and Gloxinia!”

Warmth tinges his cheeks with red as he raises his finger too.

“We will. I promise!”

He is rewarded with a bright smile that outshines the sun itself.

The smile on Harlequin’s face is now bitter. It didn’t last long, their promise - the promise of two kids from two different clans that thought that war could never harm them. After all, Gloxinia used to tell him that the Fairies and the Giants had been close for centuries, that their bond would have never faded. He also used to smile and tell him not to worry about him when he left for a battle because he was the king of the Fairies and he would have always come back to his people.

Gloxinia had been wrong about many things.

They had died together, he and Drole, the king of Giants, during a battle so dreadful that Fairies and Goddesses still refused to talk about it. They had died and they had left their Clans in chaos, one lost without a guide and the other thrown in the hands of a young Fairy with too little knowledge of the world outside his forest. As new Fairy King, Harlequin had chosen to remain loyal to the Stigma and the Fairies had followed him, while the Giants had forged a new alliance, one with the monster who was able to defeat their king in combat. The Demon King himself. It was usual for the Giants to follow the strongest, but this didn’t make their betrayal less hurtful.

Harlequin had come to terms with it years before, but he had been unable to forget about his promise to the young Giant girl who had been his best friend when their Clans were allies and he was nothing more than a simple Fairy Gloxinia had taken under his wing. When he saw her again, after years of training and clashes, she was a warrior under the direct command of Matrona, and she danced ballets of death and destruction.

He could never bring himself to face her. He focused on other enemies, turning his back on her, hoping that she would do the same. Even though they had been enemies way longer than they had been friends, he couldn’t help but fear the day he would have found her dead body on the battlefield. She was a tie to a past he missed terribly, a tie he simply didn’t want to cut because once gone, it would have been lost forever.

Until now, she survived, and there is a part of him that refuses to give up just yet. It takes effort to use his magic after he used so much for the battle, but he grits his teeth and flies faster, trying to detect any sign of her power. Even a crumble would be enough, to at least tell him that she lives.

Long minutes later, as he flies over a small crater that seems to brim with corpses, he halts in mid-air; it wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t known what to look for, but there is a presence - distant, feeble, like a spark among ashes. Harlequin turns his head towards the wood that skirts the battlefield at North. It hasn’t been spared by the battle, not completely, but many trees are still standing. It wouldn’t be a bad place to hide.

After ensuring that no one is watching him, Harlequin flies lower, swerving among the debris, and fastly approaches the wood, following the trace of magic. It becomes stronger as he enters the tree lines, and with it, his heart pounds faster and his bowels knot. That’s when the traces of blood appear, with the obvious signs of someone passing among these branches, breaking the frail wood. From there, it’s not hard to find her.

When he finally sees her, she is lying with her back against a tree, the broken handle of a war hammer in her hand. Her eyes are on him as soon as he emerges from the branches, studying him from under dirty brown hair. Her expression hardens, but she stays still, waiting for him to reach her.

It’s not that bad, he thinks as he examines her injuries while slowly flying towards her. Her left leg seems to be broken and her face is scratched and swollen, and fresh blood soaks her clothes coming from dozens of cuts on her arms and shoulders, but she is a Giant and he saw Giants survive way worse than this. The thought doesn’t stop his heart from sinking in his gut. He can’t leave her like this.

He halts mere feet from her, distant enough not to make her feel threatened - or so he hopes - but close enough to speak with her. But as her violet eyes bury into his soul, he finds himself at a loss of words. Here is the child who used to play tag with him, who smiled when he gave her flowers and danced with him in the bright days of summer. Here is the child who told him she loathed violence so much she would have rather abandoned her own Clan than fight this war. The child who would have wanted to use her dance to build, rather than to destroy. He would have liked to live in a world where her wish had come true.

“Have you come to finish me?”

Her voice, weak but firm, feels cold as ice on his skin. His expression doesn’t change, though - he has been practising his self-control for too long to let it slip, how deep her words wound him.

Not once in the past years, when they saw each other on the battlefield, she has shown a sign of recognizing her childhood friend, and still now that they are finally facing each other, her expression is a mask of stone and mistrust. Has she really forgotten about him? Does she truly believe he would go after her just to kill her?

“I haven’t,” he hurries to answer as he lifts his hand; when the green light of Pollen Garden surrounds her, the Giant hisses and pulls back, pressing her back against the trunk, then freezes and watches with wide eyes as the luminescent pollen rains over her, closing her wounds and welding her bones. When she returns her gaze on him, it’s filled with wonder and confusion.

“The Goddesses are chasing the warriors who fled the battlefield,” Harlequin says, “but they won’t attack the Giants who didn’t participate, not today.” With another movement of his hand, his Spirit Spear disappears. “You should be able to come back to your home before them. Matrona is dead, but you were her second in command. They will follow you, and you have to take them away. Leave Megadozer and hide somewhere until the Goddesses and the Humans’ bloodthirst has quenched. This war lasted far too long and too many have been hurt. Even though I don’t think they all are willing to harm civilians, the situation could easily escalate, and I doubt that I … that anyone would be able to stop it.”

Her eyes darken but she nods. She knows as well they won’t make it easy for the Giants. Slowly, she stands, until her face is at the same level as his, her stare fixed on him. There’s a part of Harlequin that is tempted to use his heart reading powers to know what she is thinking now, but as usual, he suppresses it. Heart reading is as natural as breathing for him and helped him so many times, but it can be a double-edged sword. Besides, they aren’t fighting - it would be rude .

“Why are you doing this?”

He should expect her next question, but it still floors him, leaving him silent and still as he thinks about the right words to use.

“The Giants betrayed you,” she insists. “We killed so many among the Fairies. And yet you are here, helping me, giving me the chance to help my people. I want to know why.”

He hesitates another moment before speaking, staring back into her eyes. “I have never wanted to see the Giants annihilated, and I’m tired of slaughters. Our Clans hurt each other enough and you don’t pose a threat for us anymore. I hope that under your guidance, the Giants will follow a new path, one that will allow them to coexist with the other Clans again, once the wounds this war left will start to heal.”

“My guidance? Have you seen me?” He is taken aback by the bitterness in her voice. “There is so much blood on my hands. I’m no more than a murder, Fairy King. What makes you think that I will make the Giant follow the path of peace?”

“Because you never wanted this.” The words slip from his mouth before he can stop them, and they are met by shock flourishing on her face. With a sigh, Harlequin continues, folding his hands in front of him not to move them nervously. “You don’t take pleasure from fighting and killing, nor you have reasons to continue this war. We all have done what we had to, Diane, and we all will answer to the consequences by ourselves. But I believe that now that you have the chance to do what’s right, you will take it.”

She gasps at the mention of her name and watches him in awe. He expects her to question him now, to yell at him to get out of her head, as they all do when they think he is reading their hearts. But again, she surprises him. “You … you remember me,” she whispers, covering her mouth with a hand. “Don’t you, Harlequin?”

Breath stops in his throat. “I - of course I do, how could have I forgotten? You were my best friend.” He swallows, his hands clenching around each other. “I thought you didn’t remember me.”

“I thought you didn’t remember me!” She shakes her head, “I spent years stuck in Megadozer, training for the war, hoping that when they’d let me out, I could at least see you again. But the first time I met you on the battlefield, you didn’t even look at me. You never even tried to talk to me.”

“I kept my distance because I didn’t want us to be forced to fight. I couldn’t have brought myself to hurt you,” he admits.

“I couldn’t have either, I wouldn’t have. I thought you didn’t recognize me - or you simply didn’t remember me.”

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, “You didn’t say anything either. I thought it had simply been too long since we were friends. Besides, I ... changed quite a bit, since then.”

Diane raises a brown, examining him. “You’ll have to do way more than growing a pair of wings for me not to recognize you.”

Harlequin can’t stop an astounded laugh, “Is that so?”

“Absolutely,” she snorts. “Though … I didn’t expect the hair.” For the first time since forever, he sees her lips curve into a smile. It’s surprising, how much he missed it. “No,” she continues, shaking her head, “I was afraid of what would have happened if I had confronted you. It’s not just your appearance, your entire attitude changed since we were kids. I thought that even if I had reminded you about our friendship, I couldn’t be sure about your reaction. You could have not cared about it anyway.”

“Diane, I’m so sorry. If I had known, I …” Truth to be told, he isn’t sure what he would have done. Reconnected with her? While they were on the opposite sides of a war? There was no way it would have worked smoothly.

“I’m sorry too,” she says softly, “I’ve missed you.”

A shiver travels through his body. “And I, you.” There is so much he would want to ask, so much he would want to tell her. She is Diane, his best friend, yet she has changed so much and he thinks he would want to know better the person she became. But there is no time. The sun is going to set soon. “If you want to go home, you should go now,” he says quietly, “Before someone finds us.”

She heaves a sigh and nods, looking down. “I know,” she says as sadness obscures the light in her eyes. “They’ll be waiting for news.”

As are the Fairies he left in the safety of the Fairy King’s Forest. Harlequin will have to do the same himself, later; he will have to look at his people and tell them about the losses they suffered today. There have been so many battles in this bloody war, but this part never got easier. “I’m sorry,” he says again, even though he isn’t sure what he is apologizing for. “If things were different, I’d want you to come with me. I would be able to keep you safe in the Fairy Realm, not even the Supreme Deity can come there without my permission. But …”

“I can’t leave the others behind,” Diane finishes, shaking her head. “I’ll find a way to keep everyone safe. Thank you, Harlequin. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.”

“I do.”

Her stunned expression would be funny if it wasn’t for the way her body tenses and her hand clenches around the remains of her hammer. A few minutes of reconciliation can’t cancel years of war, he bitterly thinks as he hurries to explain, “I want things to change between our Clans. I know it will be difficult and things will probably never be like they were before, but I want us to stop fighting and to be on good terms, at least. And I hope you can help me with this.”

It takes her some moments to answer. “I’d like that, too,” she admits. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to change their minds. Giants are raised to be warriors, and fighting for our honour is supposed to be our reason to live. Some will want revenge. But … I’ll try to - I'll find a way. I won’t let them throw their lives away like this and I won’t let them stain their hands with blood”. Something new shines in her eyes when she looks at him, “I promise.”

“Thank you,” he answers, letting a relieved smile curve his lips. “And I promise you that I’ll do the same. No harm will come to you from my people, as long as I breathe.”

This is so different from the promise they made each other so long ago - for once, they do not seal it with their pinkies - yet he can’t help but feel a little bit nostalgic; there is something in Diane’s expression that makes him believe she feels it too. There is no time to evoke images of a past long gone, though, and so she nods and moves away, her walk as swift as before the battle.

Before she disappears between the trees, she turns around one last time to look at him. It’s hard to read the mix of emotion in her eyes, but despite the curiosity, Harlequin avoids reading her heart. He smiles, instead. And she smiles back, just for a moment.

Then, she is gone.

When Harlequin comes back to the battlefield, his Fairies have been gathered and are working on finding a way to bring the bodies of their fallen back home. Humans are going back to their settlement, and in the distance, he sees a few Goddesses preparing to return to the Celestial Realm. The air is still filled with anguish and mourning, but something else smoulders in the hearts of the survivors, a sense of excitement that Harlequin knows will rise to the surface tonight, when celebrations will be held all around Britannia. If just for a few hours, people will try to forget about what the future holds for them, to finally allow themselves to live free of the shadow of the war.

As he lands among the Fairies, as he solemnly nods to their tired bows, Harlequin wonders when he will be able to do the same. For others, the war is over, but he knows his allies too well to think the peace after this war will be easy. If Diane manages to hide her people away, Ludociel won’t be happy, nor will the human kings. They will want answers and will search the entire country for them.

But there is something that makes the morrow look a little bit easier; it’s the promise of a different future, the seed of an agreement he just planted alongside with a Giant girl.

So Harlequin holds his head up and breathes in deeply, feeling like part of the weight on his shoulders has been finally lifted; then, he gets ready to lead his people home.

#nnt #nanatsu no taizai #the seven deadly sins #seven deadly sins #king harlequin #diane #nnt king #nnt diane #gerheade #elaine #ludociel #helbram #nnt fanfiction #mars-writes #i wrote this for myself mostly but i hope someone else will appreciate!

16 notes · View notes

hibiscustea9 · 3 years

Text

10,000 views on “Fire Walk with Me”!

YOU GUYS. Late last night, “Fire Walk with Me” hit 10,000 views. I am beyond blown away by this. Nothing I have ever written has come anywhere close to the reception this story has gotten. To celebrate, I’m going to make the sort of post I don’t usually make and share one of my headcanons for each of the Stardew Valley villagers (excepting the few who don’t have any real impact on the story, like Gil and the Ginger Island villagers). Read on below the jump to see these (some of which have been shared already in “Fire Walk with Me”) and thank you, thank you for all of your support and reading this story. It’s made me so very happy.

Abigail secretly loves disco music. She hates the aesthetic and clothing of the era, but she will rock out to any of the great disco bands or divas when in her room and with her earbuds in. She would sooner die than have Sam and Sebastian find out about this.

Alex had offers to attend several universities on a full ride scholarship to play gridball, but turned them down out of fear of failing out of school. After high school, he was diagnosed as dyslexic. His teachers were encouraged to just pass him through without making him complete the work, which left him deeply insecure. He now has plans to go to trade school, which he feels might be his ticket out of Pelican Town.

Caroline is the wizard’s daughter, and a lay green witch. Her father was a sailor who was lost at sea and Rasmodius comforted her mother (which is the regret Rasmodius has that broke up his marriage). Caroline’s hair is naturally green. She is not aware of her magic, which manifests mostly as being able to grow any plants she wishes.

Clint left Pelican Town to go to college, only to have to come back when his father died to take care of his mother. He was a voice major and has a lovely singing voice, though he’s often too shy to show it off these days.

Demetrius is a skilled teacher and used to adjunct biology classes at Grampleton Community College to help support his family when Robin was getting her carpentry business off the ground. While he enjoyed teaching, the commute and long hours burnt him out after a year and he hasn’t felt the urge to teach since.

The Dwarf is a huge movie buff, but even more than the films, she enjoys turning around while sitting in the front row to look at the faces of the people watching the films.

Elliott is not a citizen of Ferngill but a foreign national. His posh accent and vocabulary rubbed some townsfolk the wrong way when he moved to Pelican Town. He managed to get on the good side of those same townsfolk when he accidentally knocked his bait bucket all over himself at his first Festival of Ice but continued fishing through it, coming in a respectable second to Willy that year.

Emily genuinely believes in the healing power of crystals and positive thinking, though she also has great respect for traditional medicine. She often asks Harvey medical questions when he’s at the bar. For his part, Harvey truly enjoys being able to talk about his discipline with anyone else, even a crunchy granola type like Emily.

Evelyn stopped believing in Yoba after her daughter was diagnosed with cancer and died young, leaving Alex in her care. She has never let on, given how George makes a point of attending weekly services. Seeing how much Clara suffered, first in an abusive marriage and then going through the failed treatment for her cancer, left Evelyn unable to believe in an all-powerful deity. Instead, she aims to spread as much kindness as she can, seeking salvation in other people instead of worship of Yoba.

George started watching so much television when Alex came to live with him and Evelyn. He didn’t like TV much before then, but got in the habit of letting Alex stay up late and watch reruns with him. While he claims to enjoy westerns the most, he has a not-so-secret love for classic game show reruns. The way the women dress reminds him of Evelyn when she was young, though he thinks none of them are quite as pretty as Evelyn.

Gus used to run a successful restaurant in the Zuzu City suburbs and is a classically-trained chef. The stress of running the restaurant and being in charge of both the front and back of the house took a toll on his health and his doctors recommended he step back and find something less strenuous to do. With his proceeds from selling the restaurant, he built the Stardrop Saloon and now is much happier with his life.

Gunther is a local son of Pelican Town who moved away to attend grad school in library science. He had a job in Zuzu City but moved back when he learned of the theft of the collection. He secretly resents returning to Pelican Town, which he was eager to leave, but feels it is his duty to stay and ensure the library is taken care of.

Haley’s ringtone on her phone is the National Geographic theme. When she was young, her parents took her and Emily all over the world and she grew fascinated with other cultures and other places. She has planned all the trips she wants to take. As much as she and Emily bicker, Emily is her favorite travel companion.

Harvey and his family were very poor when he was growing up. When he was fourteen, his sister contracted scarlet fever and they were unable to afford a doctor’s visit. A local doctor from a clinic came by and left medicine at her own expense. This led Harvey to pursue medicine as a career; he could make much more money in Grampleton or Zuzu City, but he stays on in Pelican Town because they really need a doctor.

Jas helped Shane with his experiments in breeding the chickens. She has a natural head for science and once she got hold of Shane’s books, she plotted out how to look for recessive genes that would allow for chickens to be bred and emerge with blue feathers. She and Shane have a gentlemen’s agreement to not tell Marnie.

Jodi worked as a travel agent before she married Kent. She always envisioned the trips they would take as soon as they had the money, and then when Sam was grown, and then when Vincent was grown. She sometimes stays up late on the computer, looking at flight plans and planning the most affordable trips that would allow her to travel and see the places she most wants to see in the world.

Kent found comfort in another soldier when they were in the Gotoro prison camp. Though it became physical, it was more about finding something to hold onto than about the sex. His guilt over this relationship kept him distant from Jodi and his sons when he first returned. After confessing his indiscretion to Jodi, they attended relationship counseling. She has forgiven him, but he has yet to forgive himself.

Krobus is technically a liquid.

Leah earned an M.F.A. from Zuzu State, where she met and became friends with Elliott. Prior to attending her program, she interned as an apprentice carpenter in Grampleton. It was these same contacts who told her about Pelican Town and Robin, who let Leah stay at her home while she looked for a house to rent in town. Leah not so secretly has a crush of admiration on Robin.

Lewis, before becoming mayor of Pelican Town, owned a leatherworking business. He misses working with his hands, which is one of the reasons why he always visits the shopkeepers and is insistent on there being booths at the Stardew Valley Fair for the artisans in town to show off their wares.

Linus used to live in Pelican Town. He has a living relative in town. [REMAINDER REDACTED: SPOILERS FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS OF “FIRE WALK WITH ME”]

Marlon saved George’s life the day of the mine cave-in. He was the only one willing to enter the caves and seek out the last missing miner. It was in the process of doing so that a falling rock blinded him in one eye. Despite his injury, Marlon managed to pull George to safety up through the mine shafts. Though his lost eye made him unable to be an active member of the Adventurer’s Guild, Marlon does not regret anything and would absolutely do it again.

Marnie wanted to be a veterinarian. She did very well in college, earning a degree in animal sciences from Zuzu State, and was on the verge of leaving Pelican Town permanently to pursue vet school when she interned at a vet’s office in Grampleton for a summer. She was so distraught the first time she had to assist with putting a dog to sleep that she gave up on the career and decided to open her ranch. She makes it a point to be present any time an animal has to be put to sleep to give it comfort, even though it wrecks her emotionally.

Maru got into science after Sebastian was completely uninterested in a chemistry set he got one year for the Feast of the Winter Star. She is still passionate about chemistry, despite her other interests in biology and robotics. She was briefly the most popular kid in town, despite being younger than most of the other young adults, when she learned how to make ice cream using ingredients found in any kitchen.

Morris was a child actor who had a small role in Junimo Forest, a nearly-forgotten children’s movie from more than forty years ago. He owns six of the known twenty surviving copies of the film.

Mr. Qi took Sandy on as his ward after her parents, who worked for him, died suddenly. He considers Sandy to be his own daughter and always looks out for her. It’s why the Oasis is still in business despite barely getting any customers.

Pam and Penny used to live above the library. Pam’s husband and Penny’s father was the former curator, who made off with the entire collection on a day when Pam took Penny to an academic competition her senior year of high school. The trailer was the only thing they could afford to move into. This was when Pam started drinking so heavily and Penny started longing so much to live in a house of her own.

Pierre holds a degree in economics that he wanted to use to help boost his family’s business. His secret stash is stock options that he has been investing in since taking over Pierre’s General Store from his father. Neither Caroline nor Abigail knows about this money that Pierre is sitting on.

(I am not the biggest fan of Pierre, in case you can’t guess.)

Rasmodius only built his tower after his daughter, Caroline, was born. He has looked over Caroline and her family ever since. Though his lifespan will last far beyond Caroline’s, he plans to watch over Abigail after she is gone, as well as any children Abigail has, or their descendants. His greatest regret is not being present in Caroline’s life as she was growing up.

Robin wanted to be a ballroom dancer, but at 5′11 was far too tall to actually enter the ballroom circuit. She met Demetrius at amateur ballroom dancing lessons and still knows how to perform any ballroom or Latin dances she learned. Her favorite dance is the tango because of the crisp precision required. After she retires, she and Demetrius have a plan to travel and dance the tango in all of the countries where it is taught.

Sam, despite a love of pranks, only ever really got in trouble once while in high school. He and Sebastian cut class and went to a local park, where Sam skateboarded and Sebastian smoked. A missed trick made Sam get so scraped up he had road rash for a month. After he got home, Jodi read him the riot act for once and grounded him from skateboarding until school was out. That was when Sam got into guitar and started thinking seriously about a career in music.

Sandy met Emily at a holistic retreat. She used to work for Mr. Qi, selling snake oil (literally - his iridium milk sells for a huge amount to those in the know), but was so energized by her encounter and conversation with Emily that she decided to go into running her own store.

Sebastian’s favorite adult in town (other than his mom) is Marnie, who recognizes in him a kindred spirit. Marnie taught Sebastian how to catch frogs when he was young and he still occasionally seeks her out to talk to and ask advice from. He vehemently dislikes Lewis because of his refusal to acknowledge his relationship with Marnie, and wants to see Marnie in a relationship with someone who will treat her right.

Shane was on track to be a major gridball star, and was the hope of Stardew Valley High, before getting in a car accident senior year. He almost lost a leg and had to spend six months relearning how to walk. He began drinking heavily afterward to cope with the constant physical pain. Marnie reached out to friends of his in Zuzu City, who had him come live with them and dry out. He remained sober until three months after he moved back to Pelican Town with Jas, his goddaughter. He started drinking again after working at JojaMart, much to Marnie’s dismay.

Vincent changes what he wants to be when he grows up on a weekly basis. Past desired jobs have included soldier (like his dad), musician (like his brother), teacher (like Miss Penny, but something fun like art, not yucky like spelling), game show host, Flower Queen, surfer, and astronaut. Jodi amuses herself by imagining what her son will wear to work on the weeks where he insists he’s going to be some combination of the above.

Willy is a veteran of the Ferngill Coast Guard. He is from the Fern Islands but vowed never to return after some of his siblings disputed his father’s will and caused a massive feud. He joined the Coast Guard as a way to stay on the water and get away from the islands. He was honorably discharged after suffering an injury on a rescue mission and decided to settle in the most peaceful seaside town in Ferngill that he could find, which led him to Pelican Town.

Once again, thank you all so, so, so much for reading “Fire Walk with Me”! I hope you enjoyed these headcanons and that they give you some insight into some of the way I’ve written characters in the story.

#stardew valley #headcanons

15 notes · View notes

daddy-kakashi-sensei · 4 years

Text

Life as a Shinobi

Story Notes: This story is a reader x character romance. It takes place during the Great Ninja War, however, the timeline of my novel is different. It is loosely following the anime storyline but here Kakashi’s generation are between 15 and 16 years old. Even though this is a reader point of view, I really didn’t want to use “Y/N” so I chose a name instead. The character’s name is Katsumi. I chose this name because in Japanese it means “victorious beauty” and I thought it was beautiful. Feel free to replace your name, though!

This is just part one of a multitude of parts. I’m excited to endure the adventure with you all!

SFW, Slight Gore.

6,629 words

My hair whipped my face as I ran, constantly blocking my view. I cursed under my breath for not putting it up in a ponytail when I had the opportunity. A cool trickle of blood trailed down from my bicep to where I held my kunai. My legs shook, desperately waiting for the numbing phase, as I jumped from tree branch to tree branch.

Where the hell is Obito?

I continued my search for about a good mile before witnessing a giant ball of fire engulfing a fraction of the forest.

I sprinted to the origin of the heat to see Obito panting on the ground, sweat dripping off the tip of his nose. Across from him was what remained of a shinobi of the Hidden Stone Village. The lifeless ninja’s skin was charcoaled, the raw smell of burnt flesh stinging my nose.

“Obito! Are you okay?” I panted, doubled over with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.

Obito looked up at me, his soft brown eyes gaining more of an orangish tint from his goggles.

“Yeah...” he smirked a bit, obviously proud of the accomplishment of his defensive attack.

His eyes trailed to my bleeding arm and his smirk vanished.

“Katsumi! Your arm! What happened?!” He rushed to stand and grabbed my arm to observe the lightly grazed flesh wound.

I shook him off.

“I’m fine. A shuriken just grazed my arm.” I straightened up and began to observe our surroundings. Obito was not pleased with my answer but he knew better than to test me.

“I took care of the two close to base, I see you got the one here... but shinobis always travel in parties of four. We’re missing one, don’t lose your guard.” I said, spinning the kunai in my hand and preparing it for the final enemy.

Obito nodded and turned to press his back up against mine while also readying a kunai.

It was eerily quiet. I closed my eyes to focus on my sense of hearing. The faint ruffle of leaves and the soft whistle of the breeze was all I heard.

Swiiiiiish

“Obito! Kunai! 4 o’ clock!” I yelled. We both looked in the direction and dodged out of the way.

The kunai struck the ground with a hard thud.

I was already sprinting towards the direction where it was thrown, making jutsu hand signs along the way.

Horse. Serpent. Tiger. Rat. Monkey.

My right hand glowed from the lightning that was infused with a sword made of ice. The sound of wood crackling from a fire expelled from the strong chakra in my hand. I dragged my hand down as I ran, leaving the grass sizzling behind me.

My speed picked up as I jumped into the air in order to lunge at the enemy. My war cry was nearly as loud as my special jutsu.

Fear overtook the man’s face as I plunged my electrified icy sword into his vital spot. Blood spouted from his mouth as his eyes became lifeless. His body hit the ground with a hard thud as I repelled my hand.

I caught my breath once more before turning around to see the same starstruck expression I always see on Obito’s face. He never fails to show me how much he admires my fighting skills.

“You know, it’s pretty unfair to lay claim to three of the four enemies. How about giving me the chance to go for it for once?” He says.

“Sorry Obito, but I heard where the direction of the kunai came from and was not about to risk our lives for you to just have an ego-boosting moment.” I tried to say it softly, but it came out harsher than intended.

“Tch. Just wait until my sharingan awakens. We won’t even have to wait for the enemy to attack as I’ll already see him and beat you to it!” Obito grinned largely and pushed his shoulder back into a prideful stance while aiming his thumb at his chest.

I smiled softly. “I don’t doubt it. C’mon, let’s head back to base. Minato-sensei and Kakashi should be on their way back from meeting with Choza-sensei’s team.”

—-

The sky was dark and the fire pit we extinguished the night before was glowing with life once again. Kakashi’s silver hair glistened in the soft light. His back was turned to us while he fed the fire. Obito and I just arrived back to base after a four mile trek.

“Obito’s tardiness is to be expected, but I’m surprised in you Kat.” Kakashi said expressionlessly. He didn’t even turn to look at us.

I walked around to grab a seat beside the fire. I exhaled as I took out my overly tight ponytail, my beachy blonde hair pooling around my face and down the length of my back. I ran my fingers through my scalp to ease the tension.

“Sorry, Kakashi. We got caught up in a good time with some of our Stone Village friends.” I said lazily. The heat of the fire pursuing my exhaustion.

Kakashi looked at me for a moment, then back to the fire. The tips of my ears burned slightly at his quick gaze.

Obito joined us at the fire, sitting directly between Kakashi and I. I was too entranced by the warmth of the flame to notice Kakashi’s annoyed expression.

“Yeah Kakashi, while you were playing messenger, Kat and I were kicking ass back here at base. Cut us some slack.” Obito relayed while side eyeing Kakashi.

Their feud will never end, I swear.

Kakashi scoffed. “I wasn’t just relaying a message; an important, lifesaving one not to mention; but Minato-sensei and I were also assisting team Choza in a battle against a fleet of Stone Village shinobi. And don’t ask me to cut you some slack. I’d be surprised if you even took down one enemy while Kat did the rest of the work!”

Obito was clearly getting worked up and was about to open his mouth to start defending himself.

“Where is Minato-sensei anyway?” I quickly asked before the feud could progress.

Kakashi looked over at me again, his dark gray eyes bore into mine. The butterflies I’ve always gotten around him since we were 4 years old returned to my stomach. My eyes shifted back to the fire.

“He wont be finishing the mission with us. He was called back by the hokage. I’m not sure what for, but he did leave me in charge as captain.”

Obito rolled his eyes. “Tch.” He muttered.

The silver-headed boy shifted his glare to Obito before finishing. “We will leave at first light to the Stone’s hideout. Our goal is to meet up with team Choza and rescue the three tailed jinchuriki and return promptly to the Hidden Leaf. We’ll work out our offenses tomorrow once we see the layout of the enemy territory. Let’s just get some rest for now. I’ll take first watch.”

At that, Kakashi stood up and walked over to the tallest tree to take post.

“Man, I hate when he gets all bossy. I know he hit jonin a long time ago and we may still be chunin, but c’mon. We’re the same age!” Obito said with frustration.

I looked over at him. I took in the sight I saw. His floppy brown hair that grazed over his forehand protector, his goggles hung around his neck granting me the view of the fire delicately flickering off his eyes, his full lips pulled into a frown. Puberty really blessed Obito. I smiled at him.

“C’mon Obito. Kakashi is a wonderful leader. He’s lead us through many successful missions. You respectfully accepted him as your captain years ago after learning about his father remember?”

We both sat in silence for a moment. Obito reflected on how his and Kakashi’s relationship changed that day. Kakashi softening up and realizing that the lives of his comrades are worth becoming rule breaking scum. Obito realizing that Kakashi has always cared for his team and always had the best intentions despite the trauma his father left him with. Even though they still bicker, their friendship became prominent that day when they both saved each other from death.

I reflected on how proud I was of them that day, but also how I decided from then on, I would not be useless. I would not be taken captive, I’d stay alert at all times, I’d defend myself and my team, and never be the damsel in distress. I’ve proven my worth since then. It was like a spark lit up inside of me. I developed my own new special jutsu by combining my natural ice kekkei genkai with the lightning nature. Kakashi lent me a hand there. I trained hard to the point that even Minato-sensei was impressed and used me more in the front lines. Unfortunately, he used me more than Obito as he is still awaiting the awakening of his sharingan... poor thing.

“Yeah, yeah. Just wait until I become hokage. Then we’ll see who’s throwing orders around!” Obito snickered.

I giggled. I always loved hearing Obito talking about his dreams of becoming hokage.

Obito blushed at my giggle. He looked at me with soft eyes. “Ya know, a hokage always needs someone by his side to help guide them in leadership.”

“I’d be honored to be your assistant, Obito.” I said with a playful bow.

Obito stuttered, “Well, I-I meant more as-“

“But you know, Kakashi would definitely make a better assistant with that incredible mind of his.” I unintentionally interrupted.

“Yeah haha..” Obito looked back at the fire.

“Alright, well I’m off to rest. I’ll take second watch, okay? G’night, Obito.” I stood up.

“Goodnight.” He kept his gaze on the fire.

I walked to my sleeping bag and tucked in tight, allowing sleep to overcome me the minute my head hit the makeshift pillow.

—

I opened my eyes and let out a yawn as I stretched my arms up. I looked at the fire pit that was now just glowing embers. It was definitely time to switch who was on look out.

I grabbed a water canteen and made my way to the branch where Kakashi was posted.

“Hey.” I said quietly. “Here, drink some water and head to bed, I’ll take over on watch.”

Kakashi looked over at me. His half-lidded eyes were soft. The butterflies returned yet again.

“Thanks.” He said and accepted the canteen. He didn’t drink from it in front of me, most likely because it would require him to remove his mask. I always wondered what he hid from the world under it. As curious as I was, I loved the mask. It made him appear even more enigmatic than his personality already let on.

I sat down beside him and stared out. It was silent between us for a few minutes before Kakashi was the one to break it.

“Tomorrow is going to be a very big day.”

“It sure seems like it. But we have each other’s backs. And our faith in you.” I said, turning my face away slightly to conceal a blush.

Kakashi looked down at the canteen in his hands. “You’ve always put so much faith in me. Even when I let you down.”

“We all make mistakes, Kashi. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. But I’ve always seen your potential and your intentions. I’d follow you ‘til the end.” I didn’t look up as I felt his gaze on me. My face turned a crimson shade as he continued staring.

With his silence to my response troubling me, I finally decided to look up and match his eye contact. The butterflies went silent as my heart decided to skip a few beats instead.

He looked at me with such soft eyes. His presence was so inviting. I just wanted to scooch closer to him and take in his scent.

My already crimson face turned into a deeper tomato red when I saw him break eye contact to look at my lips.

Does he want to kiss me? I won’t lie, I’ve harbored the thought of kissing Kakashi Hatake since the moment he saw a flower and put it in my hair, declaring me as the flower princess. Granted we were 4 years old playing around... but still.

Even with the mask on, I could see an outline of a grin as he finally looked away. “Thank you, Kat. Your kind and encouraging words always pushes me to be the best I can possibly be.”

I nodded, “Go get some rest. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”

He shook his head in agreement and stood up to leave. Before jumping down, he gave my shoulder a thoughtful squeeze.

Life as a shinobi really prevents you from owning up to the feelings you have towards someone in fear of it being a distraction while on the battlefield. But then again, whether the feelings were spoken of or not, Kakashi will always be my distraction. Maybe one day I’ll tell him how I really feel.

—

A sliver of light brightened up the horizon as Kakashi, Obito, and I began our journey towards the Stone’s hideout. As we arrived, we were greeted by Team Choza. Might Guy ran up to Kakashi first.

“Kakashi! Good to see ya again. I thought about it all night and I believe another sushi eating contest would suffice as our next rivalry competition! So let’s take on our sides of youth and kick some Stone cold butts!” Guy’s eyes glistened from his speech.

I couldn’t help but giggle. Their rivalry was always so entertaining and I just absolutely adored Guy and everything he stands for. Even though Kakashi won’t admit it, he is grateful for his rival and his crazy antics.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s talk about it after we survive today and complete our mission.” Kakashi dismissed with the wave of his hand.

“H-hi Obito...” a soft voice spoke.

Obito shifted his glance and put on an award-winning smile. “Hey Rin!”

I was the only one to notice Rin’s blush as she tucked a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear.

“Ah team Kakashi, right on time. We did a quick scan of the cave. There’s about 15 Stone shinobi on guard surrounding the outside. We estimate only to be about 7 on the inside.” Choza spoke.

Kakashi nodded and put his leadership skills to work. “Alright. Choza-sensei, you and Genma take the south and western side of the outside of the cave and Guy and Obito will take the north and eastern. Kat and I will make towards the entrance of the cave to retrieve the jinchuriki. Rin, since you’re the one with the medical ninjustu, keep a safe distance surveying the attacks. But remain close enough where you can assist if someone is injured. Everyone got it?”

The majority of us nodded our heads in approval.

“There’s more guys on the outside, Kakashi. Wouldn’t your skills prove to be more effective out here? I’ll go with Kat to retrieve the jinchuriki.” Obito announced.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Everyone else just silently stared as the tension began to build up.

“Obito-“ Rin began.

“I am your captain, Obito. This is the plan I see fit. I am more than confident that you and Guy can take out the enemy surrounding the north and eastern part of the cave. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Obito was shocked by Kakashi’s compliment. His jealousy subsided as he nodded along.

“Okay disperse!”

Everyone spread out to their commanded locations and began their fights. Kakashi and I crouched by the entrance of the cave.

“It’s too dark to analyze what we are dealing with, we’re going to have to just proceed with caution.” Kakashi said in a low voice.

I nodded. We slowly walked inside the cave, keeping our sounds to a near mute. I put my hand on Kakashi’s shoulder to allow him to guide me as I closed my eyes to listen to any sounds of the enemy.

The sound of rocks crumbling came from directly above us. I wielded my kunai tightly as I leapt off the ground to meet my foe halfway in the air. The enemy that kicked off the ceiling to attack us hit the ground lifeless as my kunai slid effortlessly through her throat.

I gracefully landed back by Kakashi as he gave me an approving nod. The entire cave suddenly lit up, our presence no longer being a surprise. Six figures stood before us, all with the same red forehead protector engraved with the Stone Village insignia.

My brows furrowed in confusion. Where was the jinchuriki? The cave didn’t stretch beyond what we saw. Kakashi surveyed the area and came up just as confused as I was.

There was no more time to think as our enemy lead the first attacks. Kakashi preformed flawless taijustu against three of the enemies. He took one out with the saber his father left behind. He backed up enough to provide himself a minuscule amount of time to weave hand signs and ignite his chidori. The mock sounds of birds chirping echoed throughout the cave.

Kakashi growled as he sprinted towards his target and plunged his chidori straight through the enemy’s vital spot. Blood pooled around the Stone shinobi has he dropped on the ground. Kakashi’s third target retreated to my location.

“Forget it! just do it now before it’s too late!” The enemy yelled.

The three I was against nodded. While battling them, I noticed they only fought defensively. Of course at the time I was naive to believe I had the upper hand, especially without having to exhaust through my chakra. But my thoughts alluded to a giant mental slap to the forehead as the Stone shinobis preformed their true intentions.

The fourth enemy that was originally against Kakashi swung a kunai at me, causing me to flip back to dodge. As I was flipping back, a different Stone Shinobi snuck up behind me and slapped my exposed forearm. A jutsu formula imprinted on my skin.

Kakashi quickly realizing what had happened screamed out. “No!!!”

I stood still, confused by the encounter. The jutsu formula began to glow and a pentagon of words formed at my feet. One of the enemies stepped in front of me with a sealed container in his hand. The man broke the seal and lifted the lid.

The entire cave lit up as if the sun was trapped within. Pain seared through the core of my stomach. It felt as though a savage animal were digging its claws and ripping through the flesh of my abdomen. A high pitch scream echoed throughout the cave, the source coming from my vocal chords.

The amount of pain coursing through my body left my mind hazed in unconsciousness. Once the cave returned to darkness, my body collapsed to the ground. The only glow left inside was the light emitting from Kakashi’s chidori as he assassinated the remaining enemies.

“Kat! Kat! Katsumi! Can you hear me?” Kakashi brushed his fingers along the side of my face, pushing the hair away. No response.

Kakashi knelt down and scooped me in his arms. He held me tight. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest.

He brought me into the bright light outside and was greeted by the two teams.

“Katsumi! Kakashi what the hell happened?! You’re supposed to protect her!” Obito screamed as he rushed towards me.

Kakashi dropped to his knees in defeat. “There was never a jinchuriki host. They planned to put it in one of us the entire time.”

Rin gasped and ran over to my body. She began preforming medical ninjutsu, but stopped quickly to realize I wasn’t injured.

‘C’mon, let’s regroup at our base.” Choza grunted.

—-

Growling. That’s what I was hearing right? Growling?

My skin was wet. Blood? No... water?

I open my eyes. Were they open? Everything was dark.

I sat up, water dripped down my face from my soaking hair.

I looked down at my hands. I was sitting in water.

The growling continued. I turned my head to see the direction it was coming from.

My eyes opened wide in fear. Was I in hell?

Staring back at me was the three-tailed beast. His one visible eye shooting menacing glares. His turtle-like physic stood in a defensive stance.

I was trying to understand what was happening. I remember last the scorching pain that shocked through my whole body. Then nothing.

I moved to stand, the water pooling at only my ankles now.

“H-hello...” I nervously let out.

The beast remained shrill.

“My- my name is Katsumi. I....I’m sorry you’re stuck here. Our original mission was to rescue you and the host you resided in. We had no idea this was the Stone’s plan.”

The beast scoffed at me. He didn’t believe me. Why would he. Whether if it were me he were stuck in, another host, or that sealed container, the beast was never free.

I always believed there were something more to the tailed beasts than let on. They are living beings as well. All we humans do is capture them and make them slaves to our military. No one ever understood how I thought.

I looked down at the water, guilt flooding through me.

“What is your desire?” I asked.

The beast froze for a moment, shocked by what I asked. Anger filled inside of him as he misunderstood the true intentions behind my question.

“I desire to eradicate humanity. All you foul monsters take pleasure in war and deception and have the audacity to call us beasts. It disgusts me.” He hissed.

I nodded my head in agreement. “You’re absolutely right. I’m so sorry for everything my species has done to yours. You all are living beings as well. You never deserved to be enslaved to our military.”

The beast studied me for a minute. No human has every expressed sympathy to him before. Was it all an act?

“Let me reword my question. If humanity wasn’t an issue, what would your desires be?” I asked again.

The beast sighed. Closing his one eye and envisioning everything he ever dreamed of.

“Peacefully swimming openly in the vast ocean. Exploring the endless bottom of the the salty water until I’ve seen everything I could.”

I smiled. I was right. These beasts- no - beings, have dreams. They have goals, emotions, and plenty of intelligence. Right from this moment, I knew that there was a new duty I must fulfill. I must fight for these creatures. Fight for their freedom, their feelings, their rights.

I slammed a fisted hand to my chest and made a vow to the creature. “I, Katsumi Saratobi, vow to you Mr. Three Tails, that I will do EVERYTHING in my power to fight for you and your species. I will fight for your freedom and rights.... for your dreams.”

Three Tails was utterly shocked. Of course he didn’t fully believe me, how could he after centuries of human torture. But he recognized the sincerity in my voice. No human has ever spoken to him in this manner before.

His face softened.

“Isobu.”

“Pardon?”

“You called me Mr. Three Tails; the name is Isobu.”

—-

Kakashi opened his eyes at the sound of me breathing a little heavier than I previously was. He stayed right by my side since the moment I became unconscious. His soft eyes looked at me in curiosity as a smile was plastered on my face.

His hand reached for mine. “Hey, I’m right here Kat. I will not leave your side under any circumstances.” He said softly.

Obito scowled at Kakashi from afar. Stupid Kakashi. You were the one that LET her get hurt. You shouldn’t be the one by her side. It should be me. I deserve to be her hero. Obito began to stand before an arm reached up and grabbed his, preventing him from moving.

He looked down to see Rin looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“Obito. It’s been a long day. Please don’t start anything with Kakashi right now.” She spoke with such sadness in her voice. She knew Obito loved you. He’s loved you since as long as she could remember. And as much as she wanted Obito to be extremely happy, she pitied herself for loving him.

Obito huffed and sat back down again. “It isn’t right, Rin. He let this happen to her. He’s only by her side now because he feels guilty as a leader. He doesn’t truly care about her.” His nose scrunched up in disgust every time he said “he.”

Rin looked over at the silver-haired teen. His eyes expressed so much sorrow as he stared down at me. He was hunched over, his hand over mine.

“I think you’re wrong, Obito.”

He looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Look at the way he is looking at her. Look at his hand. Not only do I think Kakashi cares about Katsumi, but I think he loves her.” She knows the look all too well. She gives it to Obito every time he is injured. And Obito the same to me.

Obito scrunched his face in utter disgust. “Love, Rin? Really. I doubt Kakashi is even capable of such an emotion. And what would you know?!”

Ouch thought Rin. She was starting to get upset.

“What do I know? Please Obito, you make the same face at Kat.” Rin rolled her eyes.

“Wha-whaat?! No I don’t!” His face started turning a soft shade of red. “I mean yeah, I love her. But like a sister! We practically grew up together!”

Rin shook her head at Obito’s denial. “Well, Obito. I’d get your feelings and shit straight sooner rather than later. Because once you finally open your eyes to it, she’ll be out of your reach. And I have no doubt that Kakashi will be the reason.” She said harshly. She was pissed. Pissed at herself for trying to help the love of her life be with the love of his.

Before he could respond, she dismissed herself to search for more firewood.

Obito stared at the fire then looked up at Kakashi. Anger and jealousy flooded his chest. Kakashi capable of loving? Tch. Yeah right. He couldn’t stand the sight before him anymore and got up to trade look-out shifts with Genma.

—-

I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was bright and blurry at first. Kakashi leaning up against the tree right next to me was the first sight I saw. His head was tilted down and his arms crossed. His breathing was heavy and consistent, evident that he was still asleep.

I stared at him for an extra few seconds, enjoying how incredibly handsome he was. His hair looked so soft, I wanted to run my fingers through it. His toned arms revealed due to the sexy muscle tank he was wearing.

I finally sat up and looked away. I scanned the rest of the base to see Genma, Guy, and Choza also fast asleep. The sky was hardly awake itself.

My mouth felt extremely dry and my throat was scratchy. I stood up to go fetch some water. Before I had the chance to move, Kakashi’s hand wrapped around my wrist. Startled, I looked down to see him look at me with relief in his eyes. He then rose and pulled me into him. His embrace was strong, and his scent of pine cones, campfire, and a hint of aftershave filled my nostrils.

Home was all I could think. The butterflies returned yet again.

He pulled away from me to arms length, hands still on my shoulders.

“Kat.” He spoke softly. “I-I’m so sorry. I should have done more to protect you. You put your faith in my leadership and I failed you.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need protecting, Kakashi. You fought your own battle, I was clumsy and naive within my own. I will never doubt my faith in you.” My voice came out dry and raspy, causing me to end my spiel in a coughing fit.

Kakashi rushed to get me some water. After fixing my dehydration I looked over to him. “So... what is the plan now?”

“Well,” He scratched the back of his head. “Technically, our mission did not fail. We now have the jinchuriki of the three-tailed beast. Now we return home and report to the hokage.”

—-

Lord Third always carried a fierce, almost menacing glare. His eyes remained unwavering even after our report. The seven of us all stood in front of him, backs straight, legs together, and arms behind our backs. Kakashi, Choza-sensei, and I stood in the very front.

“Hmm.” He grunted. “Very well. The Stone Village must have a very specific plan of attack in mind if their intention was to seal the Three-Tailed Beast inside of one of our shinobi. Kat-“

“Isobu.” My mouth spoke without my permission.

The tension of the room built as everyone gasped at my sudden outburst. Kakashi even side-eyed me.

The Third raised a brow. “Pardon?”

“I apologize for my outburst, my Lord. However, you called him Three-Tailed Beast when his name is Isobu.”

I felt everyone stare at me as if I were spouting nonsense. Kakashi turned his head to fully look at me now, an inquisitive expression plastered on his face.

The Third didn��t question my correction. “Ah, I see. Well in that case, Katsumi; since you are harboring Isobu, you are most likely a target to the Stone Village. You’re assignment will be to remain in the village for now and to always be monitored. That being said, Kakashi Hatake, your assignment will be to monitor her.”

Kakashi nodded his head. Obito blew out air behind me.

“As for everyone else, thank you for completing your mission. Your orders are to take a two day rest. I will send an anbu to your location if needed otherwise.”

Everyone replied with a solid “Yes sir” and took their leave. As everyone walked out, I stayed behind.

“What is it Katsumi?” The Third asked in a disinterested tone, not taking his eyes off the paper he was looking at.

“Father..” The nerves in me began to grow. “There is something I need to discuss with you.”

He sighed. “Does this have to do with your outburst earlier?”

“Yes sir. I wanted to talk about Isobu and his species. There is so much more to these creatures that we haven’t even fathomed!” Excitement began to overtake my nerves. My passion for this topic runs deep beneath my veins. I’ve always had this hunch but my interaction with Isobu proved it all.

The Third put the paper in his hands down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Not this again, he thought.

“After Isobu was sealed inside me, I was awakened spiritually and got to interact with him! Father these creatures are not docile and it is wrong to enslave them to our military. These beings are intelligent, they harbor emotions, thoughts, dreams-“

“ENOUGH!” The Third slammed his palms onto his desk and stood up. He glared at me. “Enough, Katsumi. I’ve had enough of these crazy antics of yours. It is never ending. I don’t want to hear about this again. Ever. You are dismissed!”

He raised his pointer finger to the door. I stared back at him. My father would never understand. He never listens to me. Nor my brother. He has always taken more pride into the Legendary Sanin he so gracefully trained over his own children. If I am going to fight for these species, I will have to do it without him.

“Sir.” I mumbled and headed straight for the door.

Kakashi was leaning against the wall outside of the room, one leg kicked up against the wall and his arms crossed. He looked at me expressionless. I dismissed him and kept walking down the hall. Anger swelled inside of me.

“Kat.”

I continued walking, ignoring his calls.

“Kat, wait.”

Once I rounded the corner and entered an old study room I raised my leg and kicked a desk. It flew to the other side of the room, breaking in half after its impact against the wall. I stood there with my eyebrows knitted together and breath heavy.

Kakashi stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. “Finished?”

I took a few deep breaths and straightened up. “Yes.”

“Alright. Well, Obito, Rin, Guy, and Genma are down at the BBQ House waiting for us. We had an exhausting mission, we deserve a nice dinner out.”

I looked at him. If only it were just you and me going out for dinner.

“Yes, you are right. Let’s go.”

We were halfway through our twenty minute walk to the restaurant.

“So.” Kakashi began. His hands were tucked in his pockets and his eyes were trained downwards. “Do you want to talk about what went on between you and your father?”

“Knowing you, you’ll probably dismiss my thoughts as well.” I said thinking about the side-eye he gave me back in the office.

Kakashi was extremely offended by my honesty. He scoffed. “Try me.”

I thought about it for a second before I stopped walking and grabbed his wrist to guide him to sit down next to me on a bench. “During the time I was apparently unconscious I was actually awake spiritually. Internally where Isobu is sealed, I was there and interacting with him.”

Kakashi held his full attention to me. Neither of us realizing that my hand was still on his.

“I’ve always had a hunch that these “beasts” were much more than a weapon. They’re beings, just like us. And all we do is enslave and abuse them. My hunch became true once I talked with Isobu. At first he looked at me with such hatred. He talked about how he wanted to eradicate humanity. Why wouldn’t he after everything we put him through? But after digging deeper, he told me about his dreams. His dream to explore the vastness of the ocean. His dream of peace.” I smiled at the ground, Kakashi’s eyes still on me.

“I vowed to him, Kakashi. I vowed that I will do everything in my power to help him and his species.” I turned to him and grabbed both of his hands into mine and pulled them to my chest.

“We’ve always been at each other’s sides, Kashi. Will you stand by my side now and help me?” I looked deep into his dark gray eyes.

His eyes were soft. He heard the plea in my voice and saw the evidence in my eyes. He let out a breath and moved his right hand to tuck a tendril behind my ear. Then he cupped my cheek.

My heart was going into overdrive.

“Of course I’ll be by your side.” He spoke softly.

We continued looking into each other’s eyes. I didn’t want to look away. I wanted to pour my heart and soul into his eyes and hope that he would lay claim.

His left hand tightened around mine and I slowly leaned in. Could this actually be happening?!

“Ahem.” A light pitched voice called a few feet away from us.

I blinked and looked away, moving myself out of Kakashi’s grip. He stiffened and tried to maintain his grip on my hand even as I shrugged him off.

My face was blood red. Rin came to a halt in front of us. A huge smile was plastered on her face. “Hey guys! I thought I saw you walk by the restaurant so I wanted to be sure you knew to come join us! We just put our orders in, c’mon!”

“Right.” I said and stood up. Kakashi said nothing as he followed my lead.

Rin continued to smile brightly as she guided us to the restaurant. She witnessed everything that just happened. Seeing what nearly went down between Kakashi and I gave her high hopes that Obito would fall to her. She might have a chance.

—-

Lighthearted chatter filled the evening as we all enjoyed the savory BBQ meat. Kakashi barely spoke the whole night and I only spoke when addressed. All I could think about was what nearly occurred on the bench outside. He wouldn’t look at me, he only focused on his food, which he toyed with and didn’t eat.

No one noticed our awkwardness as they all drone on about our mission’s success. Rin would occasionally glance at the two of us and plaster on that smile she shone when she fetched us outside. Obito bragged about his successful fire ball, Guy ravaged on about his youth, and Genma talked about the new girl he was seeing.

At the end of the night we all paid our separate checks and said goodnight. Kakashi opted to walk me home as it was his mission to ensure my safety. Obito was displeased, but didn’t counter since Kakashi’s excuse was legitimate.

The walk to my house was silent. All I could think about was what we discussed on the bench. Was I hallucinating? Was Kakashi feeling what I was feeling? Even if he were, this was probably wrong. We shouldn’t progress past our friendship. We’ve been friends since we were little kids. I value that more than anything and wouldn’t want a broken heart to disrupt that. Who am I kidding. I am getting ahead of myself. Kakashi doesn’t feel that way. His duty as a shinobi is what he prioritizes most in his life. He wouldn’t allow anything or anyone to come in the way of that. It is decided. I will act as if nothing happened and value our friendship and his morals. Yes.

We walked up the stairs to the porch and stopped in front of the door. Kakashi’s eyes were downcast and his hands tucked into his pockets.

I took a deep breath then plastered on a smile. “Thanks for walking me home, Kashi. And thank you, so much, for what you said on the bench earlier. It means everything to me to have your support.” My voice came out a little higher pitched than usual.

I turned my head to look at him. He was already looking at me. His half-lidded eyes were soft.

Next thing I knew, Kakashi’s calloused right hand was pulling the back of my head towards his. His left hand pulled down his mask right before he crashed his lips into mine.

I was completely frozen.

So was Obito as he watched nearby.

End of Part 1, stay tuned!

143 notes · View notes

katsuki-goodness · 4 years

Text

Only Under the Light of the Night Royalty!AU | Kirishima x Reader

Word Count: 2,346

Summary: [Requested by anon] You and him are in a distant relationship where he sends you letters every night. Being a princess, your father kept him far away from you.

Many songs were sung outside your bedroom window, the sun's rays hitting your skin very harshly but it was complemented by the cool breeze that only made you sigh. It had been a very long day of back and forth with your father, the king, who you very much adore since he is the one who took care of you while your mother was nowhere interested in you. It was her who suggested changing your guard and your father agreed to her, saying how improper it was to have a knight be with a princess like you. He was someone who should be caring and protecting the Queen to be, marking the boundaries between a knight and the princess, but Eijirou could not help himself when he was brought to you as your new guard. His eyes never left yours, and it was obvious the tint of red spreading on your cheeks as you smiled to the redhead with such kindness.

It had been a year, a distant memory now. He had fallen in love with you, his smile penetrating any sadness you felt when you felt the distaste in your home by your own mother. He guided you, held your hand when you would unintentionally step one too many, shielded you those times someone got too close, some even attacking you for being the daughter of the king. Still, he loved you very much, never wavering his love for you, not even when your father decided to send him away to another unit, far away from you.

He smiled at you, his eyes sad from probably being the last time he sees you until a year from now. He bowed to you, keeping the smile on his face as he moved his hand to hold yours, placing one single kiss. You felt his soft lips touch your knuckles and a couple of your fingers, but it brought out your tears. You cried as his face disappeared without a glance towards you, his now dark eyes staring into the distance and just like that, he was gone. Your father had reminded you of that day when your tears continued to fall. You had locked yourself in your room, ordering the new guard to stay outside. He nodded quietly and stood outside as your back laid against the doors you had locked behind you. He stood there, knowing Eijirou for a long time, Shouto knew that his dear friend has a big heart and was willing to give the love he had for her, risking his position as knight, but at the same, he knew it would upset you, his lady.

Your dress was flowing in the light breeze as you waited for the day to go by until night time. Shouto stood there like usual, his eyes tracking you as you moved around the room. You had sat back down, the coffee table in front of you set with a flower arrangement and a tea set. You had not talked to Shouto, even then, he is one to talk much. You decided to look over at the knight guarding you, and his eyes were not set on you. His eyes were closed, so you could not tell what he was thinking.

“Dear knight, would you please join me for some tea?” Shouto looked over, your question coming out more as a demand. He has always denied you for tea or anything that signalled a normal interaction with the princess. He decided to listen this time, sitting across from you as he looked at your hands move back and forth, filling the cups and setting one close to Shouto. He held it in his hand, taking a sip and the feeling of the warm tea coming into contact with his taste buds made him surprised. It was sweet like honey but smooth like the most expensive tea. It was a wonderful sensation.

“It was my previous guard’s favorite tea,” You said with a smile, sipping the tea before setting it down. “I thought it would be nice to let you try it as well. I am sorry for not looking too happy to see you, Shouto.” He was quiet for a while. He was not sure how to respond but seeing the one you loved gone just like that, he understood that it must be hard to coop with something like that.

“Do not worry, Her Highness. I did not expect to be liked very much after Sir Eijirou had left.” Shouto took another sip of his tea, setting it down as he looked over at you, his noticeable stern face staring back.

“I want you to know that it was not my intention to act cold towards you, but I hope you understand that I miss Eijirou very much. If it were not for him, I could have done many idiotic things. Imagine me, the princess, rebelling.” You chuckled a dry chuckle. It was very true that you were going to resist your family just so you can live a normal life, but Eijirou had always told you that the normal life that you were pursuing isn't as extraordinary as you have it currently. He persuaded you to endure it until you can finally make the decision to not become queen. Will it happen? You assumed not. You wanted Eijirou to be by your side not be next to someone who can possibly kill you in your sleep.

Your eyes had trailed off and your mind wandering, seeing a contemplating Shouto, rubbing his chin with his hand as if he just agreed on his thought. He had looked up at you, his expression non changing. “Sir Eijirou sends you a dove every night, does he not, her highness?” You did not expect to hear someone else ask you this. All who knew about this was your maid and she swore to not have said anything to anyone. You trust her, so you assumed he knew through your love.

“How do you know that, Shouto?”

“He has sent me letters every night as well. He has been asking for your well being. He has also been very excited on showing me how much he is happy it is me who is guarding you.” His scoff made you giggle. Whenever he talked about the familiar redhead, Shouto would roll his eyes lightly or even smile since they have known each other when they were young knights. You only knew this because he mentioned it before and very much, rarely talks about his friend but he did it to not make you sad. On the contrary, you enjoyed hearing his stories but then again, he has been cold towards you at times.

After having a pleasant time with Shouto, it had become nightfall. He had went off to his room for the night and you went over to your desk. You began to write, making sure to wait for the letter of the night. It usually came during the closest sunrise, when the sky looked slightly lighter but the stars were still very much visible. In just a short amount of time, you had finished your thought on the piece of paper and went over to the balcony, where the dove carefully landed on the railing, cuddling its head next to your hand as your light finger pats made the beautiful animal close its eyes in comfort. You took the small letter from its leg. Holding your hand sideways, the dove held on as you brought it inside to eat some food and drink. In the meantime, you read the letter, Eijirou’s messy writing making you laugh as the first part of his letter directed his attention to that:

To my Dear Princess,

I am sorry for this letter was in a hurry. I can imagine how hard it was to read even this little part of the letter. Can you please forgive me for I have been very busy commanding the troops? I miss my dear lady still and it has been over a year, am I right? I lost count, really. I just want to see you. I have seem many more horrible things but each time I see the outside world, the flowers blooming, or even the snow, I get reminded of you. Can you not come over to see me, just once? I have been repeating myself too much but I love just hearing from you. How is the castle, my love? Is the weather treating you nicely? I can't wait to hear from you since I am so close to kingdom as I write this letter.

Sincerely, Eijirou Kirishima

Your smile was wide, chucking to yourself as you thought of what to write. You had always laughed on his unusual way of speaking to you, but it was always genuine, cute even. You wrote back, making sure to mention Todoroki and the wonderful time you had with him. You asked about the letters he sends to Shouto, making sure to joke with him on why he hadn't told you before. You smiled throughout the whole time but you couldn't stop thinking about your distance, each time he mentioned wanting to see you, it felt as a jab in your heart. It was possible for you to see him but once your father finds out, and he will find out, he will send you even farther away. It was a risk you did not want to take.

It also didn't take you long to finish your letter, giving it a kiss to bless it for no reason. You thought maybe it will give it energy as it travels, getting to Eijirou without a problem. The poor dove must be exhausted as well, so after half an hour, you set the letter on its leg. You gave it one last pat on the head and sent her off, watching the now sunrise gleaming through the land. You hope that your love can receive this with a smile, and that everything will be alright.

♡

"Everyone, stand by. We must be cautious." It was hell, to say the least, the amount of times the knights have heard something wandering in the woods but nothing had come up. They would check and it would be quickly dismissed when one of them would find animals nesting, or running throughout the area. This time, they had found some wolves that quickly ignored the knights after seeing them with a sword in hand.

Eijirou sighed as they moved back in place. He decided this would be a good time to switch with another unit of soldiers to guard, so he gave the command and went to his tent to rest for a few minutes. He had fallen into slumber fairly quickly, and found that when he woke up, someone had been calling out to him.

"Hey, red hair. Something came in for you." The familiar boy from the blonde made Eijirou jolt up and open the flaps of the tent. There he stood, a recognizable letter in his hand, marked by his one and only Lady. He can tell by the seal she uses on the envelope.

Eijirou looked around, seeing as it hadn't been long since he had left his position, he took the letter from his friend's hand and gave him a smile. "She sent it earlier than I expected."

This made Katsuki snicker in disgust at his friend. "And you're still after that princess. Thought his majesty kicked you out because you were going after his daughter."

"Hey man, help me out here. I didn't want to get kicked out. If anything, I wanted to protect and do my best while doing it, but I didn't think i would fall for her. She is... the most amazing women I have ever seen." His love struck eyes told Katsuki everything and he shook his head.

"You're a lost cause." He had gave a smirk to his friend before leaving to his own tent. Eijirou looked towards the direction his friend had left but his eyes looked back down towards the letter, a smile plastered on his face. He ran inside again, sitting down at his desk with enthusiasm that once he carefully opened the letter, he immediately started chuckling.

Dear My Dearest and Lovable Knight,

I have thought of when I’ll be able to see you but I can not risk seeing you being taken away again. Maybe in the near future but I do not have the courage to see you like this. On another note, the breeze is wonderful! I am also having a wonderful time with Shouto. He has finally started warming up to me, it may seem. He had told me a little secret that he has been receiving letters from you asking how I’ve been aside from asking him the same question. Why have you not told me? I merely joking, of course. Thank you for still looking out for me and still sending me these lovely letters. I await your reply as well. I love you so much my dear knight.

Sincerely yours, Y/N

Did it make the ecstatic redhead even happier just reading the letter you had taken your time to send? Yes, very much. His cheeks were even tinted with red, his eyes somehow lightly tearing up as he put the letter away with all the others he had collected over the year. He was ready to send you another letter by the afternoon, making sure the dove had time to rest before sending off the beautiful bird. This time he had added something special. Something he wanted to give you since the day he had left the castle.

When the day came and went, it was time for him to send another letter, the afternoon sun seeping into his tent. He went over to the dove and made sure it was secured tightly to the slot of the letter carrier. The necklace he wanted to gift you was now tied and secured around the letter, and once the dove had eaten and rested, he sent it off, the smile on his face never fading but his eyes had become sad.

"I hope to see you soon, my princess."

#bnha #mha #mha kirishima #kirishima x you #kirishima #kirishima x reader #eijirou kirishima #kirishima eijiro x reader

65 notes · View notes

ikkos · 3 years

Photo

﹅ 000 ✩ 一 THE SILHOUETTE !

“See the horizon. See the sun that’s coming awake there, or perhaps it’s retiring for the moon now; see the golds and pinks and the promise of a sunny day’s blue, or perhaps the indigos and violets stark behind stars. See the one that approaches, their gait and their pace and the clothes that hang off their figure. Most details are lost to the distance, but if you look and listen hard enough, you might be able to discern their identity…”

⠀

TW: Death.

— Describe your muse as best as possible in a single sentence.

“She’s standing on a line between giving up and seeing how much more she can take.”

— Describe your muse as horribly as possible in a single sentence.

“I just gotta kiss myself sometimes, I’m so f*cking pretty.”

— Describe your muse’s voice.

Honey drips at the seams every time her lips dictate any form of noise. It’s sweet, delicate, gentle - perhaps, formal. She has been trained since a young age to maintain posture and reduce aggressiveness or excessive negative language due to her growth of rank. The classes have always been about creating a purr as opposed to a stuttering, unconfident statement. As, for a woman, in such an industry, one must be taken seriously by the way they stride or maintain themselves. Maybe if you leaned a little closer, listened a little more, there could be something seething in her undertones of dishonesty and toxic intentions.

— Describe your muse’s fashion sense.

Fashion to her is more than cute clothings, but rather an expression of personality, uniqueness, and showcasing her own self-confidence. From pleated skirts, thigh highs, short dresses, and high heels - she’s maintained the typical ‘rich girl’ aesthetic by the amount of high end brands endorsing her look. However, she enjoys a twist, her own sense of self in her clothings by either: cutting, restyling, recoloring, or repurposing.. which makes all of her closet options simply distinctive to only her. Nothing about her fashion sense would be found on anyone else, but her. It is what she has taken the most pride in over the course of several years as her style continuously evolves into something of a more formal business woman. No, you won’t ever catch her looking basic, even if she’s dead.

— Give a quote of something your muse has said before.

“How many funerals can someone attend before they’re twenty?” Black adorned her frame a little too perfectly for the event, at least, if you ignored any dark circles coated underneath her eyes that were negligent to constant appraisal; yet the mirror mounted in-front of her paid no mind to highlighting all of those small details to her. She knew she looked like a mess and didn’t need the untrustworthy reminder. “Miss. Jeon, that’s inappropriate.” Komi’s eyes rolled at such a statement since she nearly forgot someone else accompanied her in the tight space. “But, it’s true.”

— What fable, mythic, or fairy tale character would your muse best play the role of?

Sleeping beauty; her favorite princess.

“Princess Aurora (also known as Briar Rose) is the protagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty. She is the daughter of King Stefan and Queen Leah. On the day of her christening, Aurora was cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent. Due to the efforts of three good fairies, the curse was altered to instead draw Aurora into a deep sleep that could only be broken by true love's kiss.”

— Which archetype best describes your muse?

The Lover.

“The lover archetype represents play and sensual pleasure. They like to live in the moment and are appreciative of the physical environment. They try to be more attractive physically, and emotionally. They crave intimacy and enjoy being in a relationship with people. The lover archetype is also known as a friend, spouse, team builder, partner, and sensualist. The lover archetype is probably the most passionate, but they have a tendency to lack discipline. They want to stay young, innocent, and pure. They remain one of the most likable of archetypes.”

— Which temperament does your muse have?

Sanguine 21, Phlegmatic 12, Melancholic 6, Choleric 8.

“Your temperament is Sanguine. The Sanguine temperament is fundamentally spontaneous and pleasure-seeking; Sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much a people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence.”

— Describe your muse’s favorite memory.

Four years old, a memory at its earliest stage, yet so delicate and precious. The young girl trotted after her father in a near skip, smiles echoed on both of their features. This was the first time she found herself glued to the man’s side in endearment rather than fear; something of a new emotion for her to experience. But, It was only given that her attention faltered onto the beautifully decorated frames of different generations alongside the wall by her. Curiosity at its finest, one that her father indulged in while they toured the vacant manor. “One day it’ll be your’s, darling. Your own castle that you can protect.” At the time, of course, she didn’t fully understand the definition behind his words, yet the idea alone gave nothing but a euphoric feeling as her fingers laced together with his. “You can do that for me, right?”

— Name something your muse will always believe in.

Destiny & soulmates.

— Name a song that would play during the opening of a movie about your muse’s life.

Worst Behavior by Ariana Grande

— Going out or staying in?

Going out.

— Read the book or watch the movie?

Read the book.

— Talk during a movie or absolutely not?

No. What do you think this is?

— Sing to a song, hum along, or people should just stay quiet and enjoy listening to the song?

She wouldn’t be able to decide herself.

— Windows up while you’re driving or roll them down?

Wait, she’s allowed to drive?

— A wizard casts a spell on your muse that reveals their true colors. No, literally. The wisp of an aura is beginning to form around your muse. What color is it?

Crimson twirled around her in a deep fog. It felt suffocating as if air was forced out of her lungs within mere seconds, being replaced by nothing but the encasements of red. She knew very well that she deprives herself into two different personalities. She just didn’t expect the full showcase to cause such an intense pressure down against her chest. Red..? The color of love, creativity, passion, adventure, energy, and so many more beautiful things. Although, all she could think about were the color’s relativity to danger and aggression. There’s no way to tell which is the true or honest tell of her character.

— A wizard casts a spell on your muse that reveals their true nature. Smoke curls around your muse, accompanied by distant sounds of wildlife. When the smoke clears, what animal is standing in your muse’s place?

The previously suffocating smoke finally cascades from her senses. Opposed to the expected, a small fox appears in her wake, sounds of birds and leaves in the wind peeking from the distance. Many appeal to the fox as an ideal spirit animal by the way they follow signs of loyalty, independence, adaptability, beauty, and positive signs of luck. This is something she felt she could agree with as well as understand despite the strange circumstances. It’s what she didn’t know is the entire reason behind her revealed spirit; that the foxes are the royalties of mischievousness and tricks.

— A wizard (is this still the same wizard?) casts a spell on your muse that allows them to see what they most desire right here, right now, right in front of them. What do they see?

It seems these strange events never stop. This realization dawned on her the moment a figure shaped in-front of her, a figure so familiar yet unknown. The figure reached out to her with worry printed on their ghostly features. She didn’t know how to react at first, it was only natural that her hand reached out to his, an unforced smile tugging at the edges of her lips. When their fingers touched, all shades of color and light became possible. It became easy. It felt like fireworks plus all previous negative emotions or pressures ceasing to exist in his wake. She believed that this was her fate, the one she’s destined to be with. At least, until the figure lifted her small frame off the floor in a more maternal stance. Her eyes grew wide while everything around her froze. “Fa-..”

— A wizard (why haven’t they given up yet?) casts a spell on your muse that forces them to see what they are most afraid of. What do they see?

Within an instant, everything vanishes from her line-sight. Nothing but pure darkness surrounds her, not even indications of time or location. Her heart begins to pound inside her chest as panic shivers its way down every nerve and fiber of her being. Where is she? Where did everyone go? The girl paces back and forth before eventually running anywhere she could go without truly feeling like she’s moving at all. In the end, her body falls down to her knees as weakness or hopelessness settles into her bones; a broken sob stuck in the back of her throat. Being alone is the most tragic feeling anyone could experience.

#death tw #str:task000 #⠀:⠀#⠀·⠀𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤⠀𓂃⠀직무⠀⋆#⠀·⠀𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥⠀𓂃⠀사실⠀⋆

4 notes · View notes

miss-ali-lawliet · 4 years

Note

Hello

For the ask game:

3. what do you think about Light? 10, 24 and 25, please.

Thank you for the asks and honestly great questions!! I have a feeling this most is going to be a bit long, so hopefully I can get my thoughts and everything out in a way that’s easy to keep up with!

Also spoiler warning for those who haven’t finished the series!

~~~

3. What do you think about Light?

I honestly have SO many mixed feelings about him, like it’s hard to just be like ‘oh i hate him’ or ‘oh I love him’ because it just isn’t that simple for me personally, which that itself is a great sign of a character since you have to think about that sort of thing with them. Right off the bat though, I’d like to say that I think Light as a character is phenomenal. He takes the character-type of what many would consider as the ‘perfect guy’ for the main character but twists it in a way that makes the reader/viewer question the protagonist their supposed to be rooting for.

I also think of Manga!Light and Anime!Light as different people to an extent, as in the manga you watch a seemingly ‘normal’ guy who has issues with the world deal with the sudden power that was thrown on him. I talked about it before in my last ask post, but the scene after Light killed his first person after testing out is a great way to express how he feels, and is one of the few times we really see Light show THAT much emotion. He shows regret and guilt, thinking himself as a murderer and you can tell how it affected him. Anime!Light you don’t get that, and instead he seemed to just take on the task of being Kira and god of the new world without much else thought. I definitely prefer M!Light in comparison to A!Light to say the least, so I’m going to focus a bit more on the M!Light side of things.

I personally found myself wanting to have hope for Light, even though I knew that he wasn’t going to get better but instead worse over time, and honestly it’s probably better story wise to keep him as the ‘bad guy’ who stays bad instead of trying to pull a redemption arc out of no where or something. I have a feeling I’m beginning to ramble, so I’m going to try to wrap this up.

I have a love-hate relationship with Light, because even though I don’t agree with his actions and the tactics he uses to get the ‘perfect world’ he wants, and I do find his thinking flawed and find him very arrogant the more power/ego Kira gains over the world as the story goes on. Yet I find him as a character in general just fascinating. I was definitely more on L’s side of things and found myself enjoying a majority of the scenes where people simple put Light in his place and treat him like a dude with a god complex rather than what he wants/expects. There’s just a lot of thoughts I have about him, but yeah it’s just a love-hate sort of thing for me when it comes to Light.

~~~

10. Do you ship any characters?

I usually find myself being a bit of a multishipper when it comes to most fandoms, it just depends on the source material and the characters obviously. I definitely can enjoy a lot of the ships when it comes to the fandom, but even if I don’t like a pairing I do my best to remain pretty respectful about it.

One thing to note is that I can’t really find myself shipping L with anyone in the series to be honest, like I can find myself enjoying his relationship dynamics of characters but with my own interpretations and DR stuff, It’s hard to view him with someone else romantically.

Some ships I like/don’t mind though (especially when it comes to au stuff as most of these in canon probably wouldn’t work out lol): Matt x Mello, Mikalight, Rem x Misa ig? (more like the concept is sweet i think even though in canon Misa treats her pretty badly and Rem said she doesn’t think of her that way), uhhh. My brain is pulling a blank right now but these are the main ones that come to mind.

Some platonic pairings I enjoy (as there are a lot more of these for me): Matt + Mello, Mello + Near, Matsuda + Misa, Honestly all the task force have really interesting dynamics with one another, L + Watari (obviously in a father/parent way, I just like seeing their interactions), Ryuk + Light, Ryuk + Misa, L + Matsuda’s relationship is honestly pretty funny to me and honestly L’s dynamics with the task force is also interesting as well.

I think that’s it when it comes to shipping stuff atm

~~~

24. Any headcanons you’d like to share?

Oh! I feel like I have a couple but at the moment my mind is pulling a blank for some reason. Some head canons that do come to mind though deal with my Death Note DRs in some way but they can also be interpreted with the actual series itself, so hopefully this is good enough! Usually I do better with a certain prompt of some sort though for future references though!

I’ve seen a post a bit ago about Matt and Mello being roommates of some sort at Wammy House and they find themselves in that roommate mentality still when they do room together, and honestly I agree so much with that.

When Mello leave the Wammy House I see him not contacting Matt or anyone from Wammy House as he turns his focus on his side of the Kira Case, even if apart of him misses them and what he grew up around. Yet he pushes through because he’s stubborn and wants to do whatever he can on his own with the Mafia without involving someone like Matt, probably for his safety. After the explosion though when he has no one on his side, I think that’s when he realizes there’s only one other person he can truly trust and rely on and that’s when he contacts Matt to help him on the case.

Not really a headcanon as the author himself mentioned that the rivalry between Mello and Near was one-sided and that Near actually liked Mello, I do see both boys sometimes wondering what it would have been like if they didn’t have that rivalry and became friends instead. I honestly see Mello thinking that more towards the end of the case and after the explosion, but at that point he’s probably thinking it’s too late to even pursue a friendship like that with him.

I like to think that at Wammy House, Matt didn’t really understand Mello’s rivalry with Near and at times questioned him about it at first but he was pretty supportive

He didn’t have anything against Near though and was pretty indifferent on the whole thing personally, but if it made Mello happy and helped him achieve a goal he had no reason to deny.

Matt in general in general is someone that gives the vibes of not caring about much, but if you’re close to him he is literally SO loyal?? Like if someone close to him has an issue, even if he might make a comment or remark, he is always there to back them up.

I like to think that over time Light actually enjoys Ryuk’s presence, kind of like a sense of some sort of comfort that he isn’t alone of some sort? Like at first he might have been annoyed and still gets annoyed whenever he acts annoying and distracts him from work, but also I think he doesn’t like hate his company. Probably would rather be around him than Misa unfortunately </3

I think that L and Chief Yagami had a pretty good friendship, or perhaps not friendship but i’m not sure what to call it atm. Like I think L respected him a lot and Soichiro was the same towards him, and I think at times if they decided not to talk about the Kira case it’s usually pretty good for the most part.

It’s not really a headcanon but Matsuda trying his best to get some positive attention for things he does in the case is funny and kinda sweet. Most of the time L probably ignores his antics and doesn’t really feed into it, but there’s like one or two times where he actually does

It’s probably very small, probably something along the lines of “Good job.” or something but Matsuda feels so happy that he even acknowledged him like that and didn’t call him stupid for once. Definitely was a good boost in his mood

I find the thought of Light and Ryuk playing video games early on when he first gets the notebook charming in an almost funny way. Like Light probably either was talked into it by the shinigami or was like ‘screw it, I have nothing else to do atm’ and Ryuk is just happy he can actually do something and not just watch him working

Light is definitely competitive in games though, like he’ll probably try to act like it wouldn’t matter but like most things with him, but it did lmao

I find the thought of the wammy kids doing things to mess with/annoy Roger so entertaining. Like I feel bad for him, but if I were asked to assist in the pranks or antics I probably would just for his reaction alone

Think that’s all for random misc head canons for now, if you want something more specific just send a request!

~~~

25. Ramble on about whatever you’d like

Thank you for this one! I usually feel a little guilty whenever I ramble on about things in general, but the fact that some people are interested in my thoughts on things is so sweet!

At the moment though I’m honestly not too sure what to ramble about as there’s a lot on my mind and it’s hard to pick one thing and honestly it can be a bit hard to go through all my thoughts at times.

But! One thing I will always stand behind that ya’ll have probably seen countless of times so far is that the Wammy Boys deserved better and I will always say it if necessary tbh. Speaking of wammy house though, that comes to mind is that I wish I could learn more about it at times, yet I also enjoy the mystery of it in a way. It’s something I’d be so down to learn more about, but if not I’d be pretty okay with that outcome. Plus just leaves things for fans to interpret in their own ways if they want, and that’s something I definitely enjoy when it comes to the fandom is how they take something vague and turn it into so much more.

Also speaking of the fandom I’m surprised yet so thankful/grateful for is that the death note fandom is still going on here. It was such a relief seeing that I wasn’t alone in my hyperfixions and thoughts, and seeing all the talent in the art, writing, etc, is just amazing and something I look forward to a lot in all honesty. I’m also just so thankful for the people that take time out of their day to look at my blog in general. You like, reblog, or follow me? I literally want to be your best friend and if I wasn’t so nervous about starting conversations with ya’ll I definitely would have messaged a couple of ya’ll a while ago. Until then I hope you just read this and see me on your blogs and hope my reactions and comments is enough until I get less nervous lmao.

One last thing before i close the blog off is that I love L with my full heart and I adore Matt and Mello so very much. My favorite lads <3

~~~

Alright that should be it for this post! If you stuck around, thank you!

Some future posts to expect: Matt, Mello, + a f!reader based on the dream I talked about before, some L angst, and possibly something with Light :)

Anyways have a great day/night and here’s a reminder to stay hydrated and eat something if you haven’t already <3

11 notes · View notes

somegirlsnerdywords2 · 4 years

Text

Manga/ Manhwa/ Webtoons i’ve Read

Completed titles starting with the letters C, D, G, or H!

I remember most manga even less than the oldest anime i’ve watched unless it was properly amazing so i’m not even going to bother attempting a review of any sort for these guys. In this posts i’ll simply be sharing with you any titles i’ve given a 9 or 10 rating to... as you can imagine some were read quite a few years ago so who’s to say i’d give all of them the same rating today! Let’s go!

Can’t See Can’t Hear But Love - 10/10 - 83 Chapters

Genres: comedy, drama, romance, slice of life, seinen

Synopsis: Min Geun Soo, a manhwa artist, lives with his special-needs mother who seems to suffer from an intellectual disability and cannot perform the most basic of activities, such as using the toilet or even brushing her teeth. He draws day and night to support them, working himself ragged and straining his eyes in the process. However, one unfortunate day, he completely loses his eyesight. The future seems bleak for a manhwa artist who can no longer draw. All seems to be going downhill, when one day, he meets Jeon So Ri. So Ri is a deaf girl, and happens to be in love with Geun Soo's work. Thus begins a love story between a deaf woman and a blind man about finding the strength and will to live despite numerous trials. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai - 10/10 - 43 Chapters

Genres: comedy, romance, josei

Synopsis: Recently unemployed, 29-year-old Michiko Shibata has barely any money left and so must survive solely on cabbages. With no qualifications and little experience for her age, all of her job interviews have been unfruitful. Despite this, she continues to splurge on expensive gifts for her young "boyfriend" in the hopes that her romantic interest will someday marry and support her. Eventually, Shibata finds out that her feelings are one-sided, for her boyfriend has been lying and using her for money.

At the lowest point of her life, she unexpectedly reunites with Ayumu Kurosawa, her strict former boss whom she resents. Feeling responsible for her unemployment, Kurosawa agrees to help Shibata and once again becomes her employer.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Gozen 3-ji no Muhouchitai - 9/10 - 15 Chapters

Genres: comedy, romance, josei

Synopsis: Momoko Nanase wants to be an illustrator, so it is unclear why she remains at a company that designs materials for pachinko parlors. The work is difficult and unrelated to her aspirations, assignments accumulate quickly, her coworkers range from the eccentric to the perverted, and all-nighters are common if not mandatory. The only times Momoko sees her boyfriend are when she sleeps over at his apartment, leading them to gradually grow apart. He and Momoko's female friends urge her to quit while she is still new and not yet burnt out. But despite having written a resignation letter, she keeps it in her desk drawer and is hesitant to turn it in. One night, Momoko has a rooftop encounter with Masashi Tagaya, who works on the same floor in their building. She confides in him about her intention to quit, only to be told that the people who say that usually end up staying until the end. As time passes, Momoko questions if and when she should leave, as well as whether she wants to know Tagaya better. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hana no Miyako de - 9/10 - 5 Chapters

Genres: drama, historical, romance, yaoi

Synopsis: Hana no Miyako de

Motoharu Tsujimura and Akira Hazumi belong to different social classes, but despite that, they have been friends since childhood. A rift grows between them when Motoharu confesses his love to Akira and is rejected, yet even this is not enough to completely drive them apart. When Akira, who is greatly interested in botany, chooses a certain university at which to study agriculture, Motoharu follows him to the same school and department. One afternoon, Akira asks to walk home together with Motoharu, like they used to do—only this time, Akira intends to discuss something important that will impact both their futures. Hana no Migoro ni Youichi Arikawa and Shouta Misaki came to know each other when they both served as assistants to Professor Tsujimura in his agricultural laboratory. The two of them fell in love, and now they live together in the old house that Misaki inherited from his late grandfather Akira. Having grown older and graduated from university, Arikawa and Misaki experience new strains on their relationship, different from the ones they are used to. Outside the walls of their home, they are regarded as friends and roommates. Arikawa's mother wants the two to visit during a holiday weekend, but though Arikawa proposes to tell her that he and Misaki are going out, the latter prefers to keep the truth silent. Unexpectedly, Arikawa's older sister returns home on the same weekend. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hana nomi zo Shiru - 9/10 - 13 Chapters

Genres: drama, romance, yaoi

Synopsis: In a series of chance encounters, university students Youichi Arikawa and Shouta Misaki are brought together. When they meet very briefly for the first and second time, Arikawa is not wearing the proper lenses needed to correct his terrible eyesight. All he has to remember Misaki by is a fuzzy impression of his figure and a necklace with a glass flower pendant that he dropped before hurrying away. Even though they never introduced themselves, Arikawa dreams of Misaki repeatedly, somehow knowing what name to call out in his sleep. When he meets Misaki for a third time, now with clear vision, Arikawa finally sees his face and confirms his name. Although Arikawa is unsure why he is so strongly infatuated by this person, he knows for certain that he cherishes the man in his dreams, so he candidly confesses to Misaki! Can love at first sight strike as strangely as this? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hana to Rakurai - 9/10 - 8 Chapters

Genres: romance, school, shoujo

Synopsis: The story centers on Umiho, a high school girl who has a crush on schoolmate Namose, a boy from a different class whom Umiho manages to meet through an integrated math class. Because Namose is often busy with club work, he always uses Umiho's notes to study, and she falls in love with him after spending time together. But after Namose drops out of the class due to bad grades and they are separated, Umiho is saddened. At that point, she meets and befriends Yachiyo, a girl who supports Umiho in pursuing a relationship with Namose. (Source: ANN)

Hirunaka no Ryuusei -9/10 - 86 Chapters

Genres: comedy, romance, school, shoujo, slice of life

Synopsis: Suzume Yosano has spent the entire 15 years of her life in the countryside, so when her parents decide to move overseas for work and leave her with her uncle in Tokyo, she finds herself in a whole new environment. On the way to her uncle's house, however, she gets lost and faints. Waking up safely at her uncle's house, she learns that a strange man had carried her there and that he happens to be an acquaintance of her uncle. Moreover, when Suzume goes to her new school for the first time, she discovers that the weird man in question, named Satsuki Shishio, is actually her homeroom teacher! Now, Suzume must adapt to her new school and make friends, since her blossoming high school life in the city has just begun! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

#manga #manhwa #can't see can't hear but love #dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai #gozen 3-ji no muhouchitai #hana no miyako de #hana nomi zo shiru #hana to Rakurai #hirunaka no ryuusei

42 notes · View notes

silvokrent · 4 years

Text

Slings and Arrows

Some wrongs cannot be righted. It’s a lesson Pietro learns a lifetime too late.

[The rise and fall of Dr. Arthur Watts, M.D., PhD.]

“Phase-II trial of Auratic synthesis, test number—” The rustle of papers was followed by a sigh. “—test number sixty-four. Initiating.”

The monitor on his desk whirred to life. Pietro watched the numbers on the holographic screen climb as the program ran the simulation. Thirty seconds without anomalies. A minute. He knew better than to get his hopes up, but the longer the systems operated without rejection, the harder it was to suppress the mutinous optimism at the back of his head. Maybe, this time, he’d finally found the right—

The monitor let out a dejected-sounding beep, and the screen flashed.

Insufficient variables. Analysis results too unstable for implantation.

Only when he slumped back in his seat did Pietro realize how tightly he’d been gripping the arms of the chair. He tapped at his scroll and activated the audio function.

“Test number sixty-four was unsuccessful. The simulated Aura was deemed too structurally unstable to survive grafting to a biotechnic lattice. Recommend recalibrating the values for ω, λ, and ρ to increase viability. Describe what mistakes were made.” Pietro contemplated the scroll in his hand, before lifting it to his face and smacking it into his forehead. Repeatedly. “My mistake was deciding to pursue a degree in bioengineering, followed by the even bigger mistake of my alma mater handing me a diploma. All other setbacks are incidental. End recording.”

With a long-suffering sigh, Pietro called up the diagram from earlier. The hologram cast his office in various shades of blue light that, while it had a calming effect on him, unveiled the minefield of loose papers, folders, and post-it notes that had become his workspace.

For a moment, he considered setting aside a day in his schedule to reorganize his desk. Only when he couldn’t find his calendar did he remember why it had gotten so bad in the first place.

His calendar was buried somewhere underneath.

Brokenly, Pietro stared at the untamed bed of chaos before him. On one hand, he needed to clean his desk. On the other hand, incineration was faster, and the chemistry lab had a blowtorch.

“You look desperately in need of this,” said a voice from behind.

The unexpected drawl startled Pietro out of his thoughts. He swiveled around in his chair to the sight of Arthur Watts leaning against the doorframe, a steaming mug in each hand. Judging by the amused smirk, he’d been there for some time.

“Arthur!” Pietro minimized the program with a wave of his hand. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

His friend stepped inside and carefully kicked the door shut with his heel. He strode across the room and reclined into the vacant chair opposite of him, ankle propped on his knee. He held out the second mug. “Kuo Kuana roast. Extra cream, and enough sugar to give you every cardiovascular disease known to man.”

Pietro accepted the offered drink, and for a moment simply held it to his face. The aromatic scent was blue water and white sand, and it never failed to make him nostalgic for the coast. He let out a long, quiet exhale that took some of the tension from his shoulders.

“Thank you,” he said, “but how did you—?”

“I saw the lights on under the door and took an educated guess,” Watts said. He took a draught from his own mug before continuing: “The janitors left at the end of the day, and no one else is unhinged enough to stay after hours.”

Pietro arched a brow. “Apart from you?”

Watts snorted. “I had a meeting that I couldn’t reschedule.”

“At ten o’clock at night?”

“I made the mistake of postponing one too many times. They couldn’t be dissuaded.”

They lapsed into companionable silence. Pietro indulged in his coffee while Watts picked up a folder and flipped through it at random.

The company was a welcome respite, and not just because it came bearing gifts.

Their office arrangement had started off rather unextraordinarily, all things considered. Handing off paperwork, returning a piece of equipment, passing along department memos—the sort of banal normalcy one would expect between colleagues. Pietro hadn’t begrudged the unexpected interruptions from Watts (quite the opposite, in fact), and Watts never protested when Pietro ventured into his space long enough to drop something off.

Only a few months after becoming acquainted did Pietro notice the shift in their interactions. It had been subtle at first: an animated conversation during a faculty meeting that led to Pietro following Watts back to his office to continue the topic. A request from Watts for a second opinion on a patient chart, which led to Watts loitering in Pietro’s office long after he’d humored him. A day where Watts had cleared his schedule to allow Pietro to vent about his latest experiment following an incident in the labs.

It hadn’t taken long for the intrusions to devolve from legitimate reasons to half-contrived pretenses. The reed that broke the Dromedon’s back had been a memorable afternoon where Pietro’s office door swung open, and Watts—bag strap slung around one arm, a stack of documents tucked under the other—announced that he needed somewhere to hide from his interns, and no one would think to look for him here.

There were, admittedly, more unconventional ways to start a friendship, though Pietro hardly minded. Especially not after Watts had treated him to dinner as an apology for the inconvenience.

It was an aspect of their relationship Pietro was both fond of and deeply appreciated, though he was tactful enough to not comment on it aloud. Watts wasn’t exactly the sentimental type. (Though the steaming mug in his hand begged to differ.)

He watched as the other man returned the folder to its original spot in exchange for a file.

“No luck, I take it?” The question was as much rhetorical as it was a tacit invitation to brainstorm. Pietro gladly accepted.

“I had a thought after yesterday’s meeting: ‘What if it’s quantitative rather than permutational? Maybe we only need to adjust the inputs rather than the sequence.’” He shot a rueful glance at the monitor. “You can imagine how that went. It feels like the answer’s staring right at me and I’m too stupid to see it.”

“If you were stupid”—Watts turned the page, not bothering to look up—“we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation.” He took another sip from his mug. “Sleep-deprived, on the other hand…”

“Can you blame me?” Pietro asked.

This time, Watts did look up.

“We’ve been at this for six months and have nothing to show for it. We’re running out of time.”

Watts set the file down. “James never stipulated a deadline,” he murmured.

“No,” Pietro agreed, “but he’s not the only person we have to justify ourselves to.”

“If this is about the lien, I wouldn’t fret. As long as our funding comes from the military, they’re not going to pull the plug.”

Pietro frowned at the drink in his hands, at the contemplative reflection that mirrored his own. “James may have greenlit the project, but that doesn’t change the fact that the military budget comes from tax revenue. The other councilors get a say in how that money is allocated. And if they think our research is a waste of public resources…”

An uneasy quiet fell between them, and it was telling that Watts didn’t immediately refute him or attempt to assuage his concerns.

For lack of anything constructive to say, Pietro sighed. “For thousands of years we consumed willow bark as an analgesic. When people learned that salicin was the culprit, a chemist learned how to make it from scratch. Pharmacies around the world now manufacture and distribute that medication to millions of people.” He leaned back into his seat. “How is it that we figured out how to make an artificial compound, but we can’t figure out how to make an artificial Aura?”

“Well—” Watts motioned with his drink in a vague sort of gesture. “That might have something to do with acetylsalicylic acid being a synthetic chemical, and Aura being the manifestation of the soul. They’re not exactly analogous.” He stroked his chin. “It would also be remiss of me not to point out that up until a few centuries ago, pneumatophysicists were regularly executed for heresy. It’s not as if we have the breakthroughs of our predecessors to build upon.”

A weak, self-deprecating laugh escaped him. Reflexively, Pietro combed through his hair.

“It’s frustrating, isn’t it?” Frustrating might have been putting it charitably. Pietro still had half a mind to fetch that blowtorch.

A knowing look crept across his handsome features, though Watts deigned only to shrug in response. Obstacles and setbacks were held in a similar estimation to success; they seldom bothered him. Nonetheless, he offered, perhaps by way of consolation, “Nothing worth doing is ever easy.”

“I’m not looking for easy. I’m looking for possible,” said Pietro, “and right now, we’ve hit a dead end.”

The holographic diagram from earlier rematerialized over his desk—a simulated Aura field superimposed atop the three-dimensional render of an android. He parsed through the accompanying schematics with a wave of his hand, calling forth and highlighting relevant segments of data.

“We know that Aura is related to the sum product of a person’s neurological pathways, because it’s the same system responsible for generating consciousness.” Pietro activated the synaptic filter. A branching web of neurons lit up the hologram in tandem with the Aura field. “Here’s the problem. Functionally and behaviorally they’re similar, so you’d think replicating one system would mean the simultaneous generation of the other, right? But it doesn’t work like that.” His brow furrowed. “Not only is Aura’s reliance on this system facultative, but it verges on metaphysical. It means that we’re missing something. You can break down the physiology of the CNS and PNS into all the various electrochemical signals, but the second you try to do the same thing with Aura—”

He dismissed the hologram with a flick of his wrist, and slumped in his chair.

“I’m starting to think James picked the wrong proposal,” he quietly admitted. “At least yours didn’t hinge on reconciling a decades-long conflict between pneumatophysical models and—”

“Self-pity doesn’t become you.”

The brusque statement startled Pietro out of his rambling. It only took a second of being subjected to Watts’ flat, unimpressed stare before Pietro ducked his head.

Watts snorted under his breath. “For better or worse, the general picked your proposal. You have an obligation to not fail, so I suggest you pull yourself together.”

Embarrassment quickly faded to mild annoyance. “You’re as sobering as a cold shower. Has anyone ever told you that?”

Watts’ expression softened. “Sometimes a little cold helps to clear the head.” There was thoughtful pause before he unhooked his ankle and leaned forward, elbows braced against his legs. “You know,” he began, “success isn’t always contingent on understanding.”

Coming from the man who actively condemned ignorance, that surprised him. Pietro stilled with the mug halfway to his lips. “True,” he conceded, lowering the coffee back to his lap. “But I don’t think we’re in a position to trip over the answer like it’s a sleeping cat.”

Another pause followed, longer than the one that preceded it.

“What if we had a way to circumvent it?”

“What do you mean?”

With a soft thunk Watts set his mug on the desk. “Your proposal requires grafting an Aura onto a mechanical vessel. It never specified where that Aura came from,” he said. “Whether it was artificially created…or acquired from somewhere else.”

He laced his fingers together.

“Someone else, perhaps.”

He’d been told more than once that he had a terrible poker face. Clearly that hadn’t changed, if the way Watts pursed his lips was anything to go by.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. I’m not suggesting we go abduct people and harvest their organs in a back alley.” He rolled his eyes. “I would hope you’d have a somewhat higher opinion of me.”

“You have a way with words, Arthur. A questionable and slightly terrifying way with them.” Pietro fidgeted with his tie. “Let’s, for the moment, ignore all of the potential obstacles involved. Like receiving an extension on our funding to cover any unanticipated costs. Or getting approval from the Atlesian Ethics Committee to perform an unregulated and untested surgery on a patient. Or even finding a candidate who would willingly consent to such a procedure. Even if we hypothetically resolved all of those issues, we’d still be left with a problem.”

“Only the one?” asked Watts. He arched a slender brow. “Very well, I’ll bite. Enlighten me.”

Another frown tugged at his lips. “Even if we found a way to perform such a surgery, removing even a fraction could be fatal. You can’t survive without Aura.”

“That’s not, strictly speaking, true.” The mug had made its way back into his hand. Watts idly traced the rim with a finger. “I’ve treated patients with Chronic Aura Degradation before. It’s not uncommon to see cases where up to 45% of the Aura was eroded. And in every one of those cases, the patient survived with weekly EMF-DS therapy.”

Pietro shook his head. “You, better than anyone, know that ‘survived’ isn’t the same thing as ‘cured.’”

“Of course not,” he agreed. “Forgive me if I insinuated otherwise. I only meant that regular treatments resulted in a negligible impact on their quality of life.”

“I’m not denying that.” Only when Watts stilled his hand, and began circling the rim in the opposite direction, did Pietro realize he was staring. He snapped his head up and cleared his throat. “But that’s an archotheronotic disease. You’re talking about using Auratic intercision to create a manmade version of CAD. There’s no telling what that would do to the donor, or if the amount of Aura donated would even be enough to sustain an entirely new person.”

Watts conceded with a sigh. “It’s just a thought.”

It wasn’t the most outlandish thing Pietro had heard—the staff breakroom regularly churned out weirder ideas on a weekly basis, and gods knew he’d contributed to quite a few of those himself.

Still…

“I’m not opposed to alternatives,” he replied at last, “but I can’t imagine anyone condoning a surgery that mimics a Grimm-based illness. The controversy alone would be a nightmare.” He rubbed at his eyes. “Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted.”

Watts made a noncommittal noise as he stood.

“Scientific progress has always been controversial. What matters is how we deal with it.” He lightly clapped a hand on Pietro’s shoulder. The residual warmth from the mug lingered; it was oddly soothing. “Do me a favor, and try to get some rest?” He smirked, and the hand retreated. “Sleep on my suggestion. See if you’re not better disposed to it in the morning.”

Pietro sipped at his coffee, eyes crinkled in amusement. “I’ll pass on the sleep for now.” He motioned with the cup. “Keep these coming though and you might just persuade me.”

Watts let out a low chuckle. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He turned on his heel for the door, tossing a parting glance over his shoulder. “Good night, Pietro.”

Pietro smiled into his drink. “Good night, Arthur.”

“—has to be something we haven’t thought of yet.”

“We could give the pneumatograph another go. Run the Dust vortex generator with different configurations.”

“And waste more Dust in the process. Repeating the same tests isn’t going to get us any closer to generating an Aura.”

“Okay. Well, what about Grimm exposure trials? We could map out field fluctuations and look for any biopenumatic discrepancies.”

“After what happened last time? We’d be lucky if the Grimmoire loaned us a bloody paperclip, let alone a Boarbatusk. Try again.”

Will pulled a face as he crossed out a line on the clipboard, before tossing the pen back to Watts. He cast the cages lining the wall a glum look. “I guess we could go back to rodent models,” he said.

The mice Pietro was feeding began to squeakily protest. He lapsed into momentary silence before agreeing, though not without some reluctance. “It couldn’t hurt.” Not in the technical sense, anyway. But if the thought of their work regressing back to animal trials didn’t sting a little. Given the dwindling list of alternatives, however, he wasn’t about to object.

One of the mice nosed at his hand, and Pietro obligingly scratched it between the ears. “I’ll fill out the requisition forms. It shouldn’t take more than a day to get the approval.”

“As long as the technicians remember to give us an Aura-active batch,” Will added. “Last time they forgot.”

Their conversation petered out, replaced by the high-pitched din of the mice and the clink of the pellets in their food bowls. Pietro sealed the latch on the enclosure and placed the dispenser on the nearby counter, thinking.

“Even in a worst-case scenario, if the rodent models end up not working out, we could always repurpose our findings for later studies. Once the Penny Project is over”—though whether or not they succeeded, he chose not to theorize on—“if we can get the grant money for it, well, who knows? Apothymetics is relatively uncharted territory, and it’d be a shame to see all those mice go to waste…”

Watts slowly lowered the chart in his hands, and pinned him with the full intensity of his stare. “You want to run tests…on the mice…to see if you can unlock their Semblances,” he said. He broke apart his sentence as if he were running it through a translator.

Pietro shrugged. “It’s theoretically possible. If an animal can unlock an Aura, by extension it should be able to acquire a Semblance. Haven’t you ever wondered what that would look like?”

Sometimes, he liked asking questions because it was fun to speculate on the possibilities of the hypothetical. Sometimes, he liked asking questions because it was fun to see what sort of face his friend would make. Watts had yet to disappoint.

He watched with delight as Watts squinted his eyes, as if the mere idea were an affront to common decency. “No,” he said, “I haven’t wondered what that would look like. Perhaps my imagination isn’t as vivid as yours, but I’d rather not contemplate the horror of a 700-kilogram polar bear learning how to run at Mach 1, let alone a lab rat.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Arthur,” Will chimed in, in a voice far too casual to be anything but. “Think of all the possibilities. Telekinetic service dogs. Self-cloning chickens.”

“We could solve world hunger,” Pietro said. This time he was unable to suppress a grin.

It took a second for Watts to register the look on his face; his expression evened out, and he let out a loud sigh. “Stop enabling him, Will. He doesn’t need a co-conspirator.”

“I thought you were my co-conspirator,” said Pietro, feigning a look of wounded betrayal.

“No. I’m your impulse control. And I seem to doing a rather poor job as of late.” Watts jotted something on the chart in his hands, his brow momentarily furrowed in concentration. “Those mice are supposed to be euthanized anyway. I doubt they’d let you repurpose them for another project, even if you pitched it as a financial incentive.”

Pietro considered. “I can be persuasive.”

“That’s what concerns me.”

Will set the clipboard next to the dispenser and leaned back, his amusement tempered with intrigue. “I know you were kidding—mostly—but eventually, someone else is going to ask the same question, and they won’t be. Sooner or later, it’s going to be proven or disproven.”

“With any luck, they’ll disprove it,” Watts replied. “It’s already bad enough when people unlock their Semblances.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure Huntsmen need those.”

“Huntsmen, certainly. Their line of work requires it.” Watts glanced up from the chart. “The average person, on the other hand, would frankly be better off without.”

“Come off it, Arthur. I know we’re supposed be scientists and demystifying this stuff, but…” Will shrugged. “You can’t deny that it’s a little exciting for someone to try and imagine what their Semblance might be.”

“Oh, no, you’re absolutely right. It’s very exciting when someone with no training accidentally unlocks their Semblance, only to discover they now wield the power of fire, and proceed to give themselves a second-degree burn.” He clicked the pen, and pocketed it in the folds of his lab coat. “That was last Tuesday, by the way.”

Will crossed his arms. “I take it you wouldn’t want to find out what yours is?”

“If I was going to do something that permanent and that irrationally stupid, I’d get a tattoo on my left—”

A scroll dinged. Will jumped like a tasered cat, and fished through his pockets until he found it. “It’s Meg.” The sudden tension eased from his shoulders as his eyes darted over the screen. “She just wanted to let me know how the appointment went.”

Pietro’s eyes lit up. “How is she?”

“Good. She’s due in another nine weeks.” Reluctantly, he pulled himself away from his scroll. “Since I need to call her, now seems like as good a time as any to take a lunch break.” He started for the door. “I’m heading to the cafeteria. Do either of you want anything?”

“Pastrami on rye. Toasted,” Watts called after him.

“If they have any tuna salad left, I wouldn’t say no,” Pietro added.

Will gave a parting wave as he slipped out the door, the scroll already held to his face.

There was a brief silence, filled by the squeaks of tiny mice.

“So.” Pietro side-eyed the other man. “Where did you say you were putting that tattoo?”

Watts swatted him with the chart.

With nothing else to distract them for the time being, Pietro dug out his scroll and consulted his schedule.

“Busy this afternoon?” Watts prompted.

“Nothing too exciting. The hospital wants me to review some patient files and see if I’d be willing to consult on them. And around three I’ve got an appointment with a new client needing cybernetic optimal implants. The insurance company approved her for a fully-integrated interface, similar to the model James has.”

“Which reminds me…” Watts turned his attention to his own scroll. “I need to notify him about his follow-up. His prostheses are due for inspection.”

“Good luck getting him out of his office.” At his inquiring look, Pietro elaborated: “The Vytal Festival’s next month. He’s been busy overseeing the travel arrangements for his students.”

“Damn it. I forgot that was coming up.” Watts pinched the bridge of his nose, before skimming back over his calendar. “Well, at least I’ll have one appointment today that won’t be akin to pulling teeth.”

“Oh?”

“A new client by the name of Rainart. It seems he needs treatment for acute Dust poisoning.”

“Collier?”

“He didn’t say.”

Pietro tagged a file on his scroll and dismissed it from the queue. “We’ll need to meet with the rest of the team and make sure our schedules are coordinated,” he stated. “I think tomorrow would—”

“Hold on.” He hadn’t realized Watts was reading over his shoulder, and didn’t register the proximity until he felt a puff of air on the side of his neck. The sudden presence startled him. “Go back to the last tab.”

He shot him a puzzled look, but obliged him all the same. “This one?” He tapped the screen and enlarged it.

“Why did you pass on this case?” asked Watts.

Pietro peered at the text. “‘Name: Mia Atelier. Age: 19. Patient is in a hypothermia-induced coma and has been unresponsive to all attempts to resuscitate.’” He frowned. “There’s nothing I can do that the hospital staff haven’t already tried, I’m afraid.”

Watts took a step back, his eyes narrowed. After a moment he returned to his scroll. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Phase-II trial of Auratic synthesis, test number seventy-one. Initiating.”

The monitor gave a powerful thrum as the simulation booted up. Other than the pneumatic hiss of the internal fans, their silence was uninterrupted. A hand reassuringly squeezed his shoulder, though Pietro didn’t bother to find out whose it was. He didn’t dare look away.

As quickly as it began, the program aborted. An all-too familiar error message flashed counterpoint to the readouts on the screen.

The team let out a collective sigh.

Pietro willed himself through the motion of activating the audio function on his scroll.

“Test number seventy-one was unsuccessful. The recalibrations based on the gravid murine analysis didn’t provide the missing variable for the Aura simulation. It’s possible that the in-utero pneumatographic scans failed to identify the unknown factors necessary for generating and implanting an Aura. Recommendations for subsequent tests are…” It dawned on him midway through that he didn’t know where to go next. “…The team will reconvene to discuss further options. End recording,” he finished.

For lack of anything better to do, Pietro buried his face in his hand. Around him the voices of his colleagues stirred, their chatter sounding strangely far away.

“I really thought we had it that time.”

“It doesn’t make any sense. We modeled it after a gestating animal. What the hell could we have possibly missed?”

“Maybe the issue is what we’re modeling. What if we replicated the scans on a more complex organism?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure the guys in obstetrics would love that. ‘Can we borrow one of your patients for nine months? We just want to run some non-invasive tests.’”

“Hey, Will, how do you feel about offering up your firstborn child in the name of science?”

“You’re hilarious.”

“Well, what do you suggest we do?”

“I suggest we go down to the pub on Baker Street and put our funding to good use.”

“Pretty sure you’re supposed to do that after you succeed, not before.”

“What about you, Arthur? You’re being unusually quiet.”

Pietro peered up from between his fingers to where Watts stood, inspecting the hologram of the simulated Aura field. Light from the projection struck the side of his face, carving out the angles in shadows.

“I think,” he said, “we should consider alternatives.”

It wasn’t an opinion shared by the majority of the faculty, but Pietro liked the distance between the buildings.

Admittedly, there were drawbacks to the layout. For example, when back-to-back classes were scheduled on opposite sides of the campus, it was fairly common to see students and professors alike sprinting between lecture halls.

Personally, Pietro enjoyed the sweeping courtyards. The altitude of the city meant a steady supply of brisk air, along with an unobstructed view of the stars that no amount of light pollution could diminish. If nothing else, the long walk between buildings gave him a chance to declutter his thoughts after hours spent cooped up in his office. Given the excuse, he gladly jumped at any opportunity to walk the grounds.

Not that he really needed the excuse, he mused, as he approached Watts’ office.

Pietro went to knock, only to be stilled by a snippet of conversation that filtered through the door.

“—understand your concerns. Rest assured, the surgical theater is still reserved for then. I spoke with the administrator at the medical center this morning, and received confirmation for the private transport. Everything else has been taken care of.”

Pietro was careful not to cause too much of a disturbance as he slipped into the chair across from him. Watts greeted him with a nod, before turning his attention back to the call.

“Certainly. We can discuss your daughter’s treatment plan afterward. I’d rather not burden you with undue stress in the meanwhile. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

He set aside the scroll on his desk. “You’re here earlier than usual,” he noted. “Either something went extremely well, or horribly wrong. Which was it?”

“Depends on how you look at it.” The joints in his shoulder popped as Pietro stretched. “Remember those parts I ordered? The shipment was delayed another week.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I presume there’s a silver lining?”

“Well,” he said, “the original plan was to spend the next three days working on the rotary cannon for the Colossus prototype. But seeing as that’s no longer possible…” He leaned forward, hands clapped on his knees. “I know you’re not usually a fan of ‘that hideous blood sport,’ but the doubles rounds start tonight and the matches have been pretty good so far. Everyone’s getting together later in the staff breakroom to watch. The betting pool this year is pretty sizable, too.” He offered a sheepish grin. “Not that I would know anything about that.”

Watts smirked. “Of course not.”

“But—if you’re still opposed to watching the Tournament—” Pietro shrugged. “My weekend’s free. We could make plans to do something. If you’re interested.”

Watts inclined his head, green eyes half-lidded in thought. After a pause he averted his gaze to his hands, neatly folding them atop one another. “As much as I would love to take you up on that offer, I have a flight this evening. I’ll be out of the capital for a day or two.”

That caught him off-guard. “You didn’t tell me you were heading down to Mantle.”

“That’s because I’m not. I’m heading to Argus.”

“You’re leaving the country?”

“Hardly. With how much the city relies on trade with Atlas, it might as well be part of the kingdom.” He dismissively waved his hand. “But, yes. I’m overseeing a procedure there.”

It took Pietro a moment to conceal his disappointment behind a consolatory smile. “Well, what can you do.” He scoured his brain for any recent mention of traveling during the last few conversations, and surprisingly drew a blank. “I’m guessing this was last-second on your part. A new patient, I take it?”

“Something to that effect.”

“Well”—Pietro hopped to his feet—“if you’ve got an airship to catch then I won’t hold you up. I’m sure you want to get out of here and pack.” He quirked a brow. “Just so you know, I’ll be very upset if you don’t bring me back a souvenir.”

Watts rolled his eyes. “I’ll stop at the hospital gift shop on my way out,” he drawled, without a hint of sincerity.

Pietro laughed. “I’ll hold you to it.”

He made it as far as the threshold when a voice called him back: “Pietro.”

Watts was shuffling a stack of papers on his desk—a pointless gesture, with how meticulous his workspace already was. He spoke without meeting his gaze: “When I return, I’d like to discuss some ideas I had for your project. I might have found a solution.”

His pulse quickened. “Are you—are you sure?” Pietro asked.

The rearranged stack was pushed off to the side. “I will be after tomorrow.”

When he got the news a week later, Pietro stared out his office window, and didn’t move for a long time.

“That girl’s blood is on your hands.”

“Don’t you dare say I took a choice away from her.”

Pietro hesitated outside the imposing metal doors. Announcing his presence would have been the right thing to do—something he should have done ten minutes ago—but a sense of dread, morbid curiosity, and some other nameless instinct stayed the impulse. Instead he leaned closer, only just able to discern the pair of muffled voices on the other side.

“She was dying. What was I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for the hospital board to convene and debate the ethics? They would have wasted precious seconds wringing their hands and fretting over indemnification, while I had a chance to save her life.”

James’ voice was taut with the tension of a fraying rope. “And you failed.”

“People die from surgical complications every day,” Watts snapped. “We can’t save everyone. But we can try, and I did. She may be dead, but the contributions her death made have advanced our understanding of—”

“‘Contributions’? Do you hear yourself?”

Pietro nearly forgot to breathe in the deafening silence.

“You didn’t do this out of some misguided altruism,” James said. “You did it to satisfy your own curiosity.”

“I did it because she was running out of time and options. A transfer of consciousness by incising her Aura and siphoning it into a receptive vessel was the only way to ensure her survival. What other options were there?”

“Hospice.” The word was ground out through clenched teeth.

“If you’re waiting for me to grovel to you for clemency,” said Watts, “then you’ll be waiting for some time. I did nothing wrong.”

“Oh, really? Is that you why you had your patient shipped to a hospital in another kingdom so you could perform an illegal surgery?”

Pietro flinched.

“As I’ve explained to you numerous times, the procedure is illegal under Atlesian law. Mistral, on the other hand, has no such qualms when it comes to the implementation of pioneering medical research.”

“Hiding behind a loophole doesn’t change the fact that you manipulated her emotionally-compromised parents!” A fist slammed against the desk. “You knew they were desperate, and you knew they would say yes if there was even the slightest chance they could get their daughter back. Their consent was based solely on the premise that your theoretical procedure might work.”

“It’s not theoretical anymore.” The words saturated the air, like the ozone that preceded lightning. “I proved that it can be done. My efforts, while unsuccessful, weren’t a failure. We can take what I learned from her death and repurpose it—”

“That’s enough.”

Pietro recoiled from the shout. Then he realized what he’d done, and quickly repositioned himself next to the door.

“Did you know…” Shoes scuffed over the tiled floor, across the sunken dais. “During the height of the Great War, Mantle oversaw the detainment of captured soldiers. In time, their wardens saw little benefit in expending resources on them if there wasn’t some use for all of those people.” The pacing stopped. “Eventually, Mantle did find a use for them. They were experimented on. When the war came to a close, hundreds of people had perished. The textbooks never fail to recount that.”

Watts took a steadying breath. “What they often conveniently omit is that many of the technologies we have today were born from those experiments. Analgesics, psychotropic drugs, new surgical tools…and neuroprostheses.”

A pause.

“The metal grafted to your body exists because prisoners of war bled for it. You can’t ridicule my work and absolve yourself of hypocrisy.”

When James’ reply came, it was dangerously soft: “For better or worse, we have that technology.”

“For better or worse, we could have had one more,” Watts retorted. “How does condemning my choices justify yours?”

James exhaled through his nose, and his tone evened out into something approximating his regular speech. “Because I don’t condone the loss of lives, or the dehumanization of people. I didn’t participate in the atrocities that brought us those advancements.”

“No. You only benefited from them. Tell me, James. How many more people do you think will suffer needlessly in the future because you stymied my research? Inaction will deprive future generations.”

“Whereas action will slaughter the current one,” James shot back. “The ends don’t justify the means. You know that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gambled on asking for forgiveness over permission, had the girl actually lived.”

Neither man spoke into the yawning chasm that filled the space between them.

“…I didn’t want her to die, James.” An unfamiliar emotion crept into his voice.

James sighed. “I didn’t call you here to debate your motives. What’s done is done.”

When Watts spoke again, the question was accompanied by unease: “Then why did you arrange this meeting?”

“To discuss the consequences with you.”

“Am I being arrested?”

“Not presently, no,” James said. “The Council hasn’t formally issued any charges, and they won’t until they meet to discuss the matter in-depth.”

“If I’m not being arrested,” Watts ventured, “then what consequences are you talking about?”

The general’s reply was delayed. “I spoke with the Medical Board. Your license has been suspended.”

Pietro’s blood ran cold.

“On what grounds?” His voice was nearly inaudible.

“Malpractice.”

“You can’t place me on probation for a law I didn’t break—”

“Arthur.”

The interruption killed whatever momentum he’d gathered. When no more protests were forthcoming, James continued: “It wasn’t my call.”

Another gap in the conversation followed, shorter than the ones before it.

“If the Board’s intention was to simply strip me of my license, they could have easily done so without involving you. If the Council plans to do nothing yet, then this meeting is a waste of our time.” His confusion faded, replaced with wariness. “Why am I really here, James?”

“…I want you to understand,” James began, “that I arranged this meeting as a courtesy. I didn’t want you to be in the dark about events going forward—”

“Why am I here?”

Pietro could picture James steepling his hands, tightening his jaw.

“As you’re aware, the Penny Project is a classified military project. Your surgery appropriated that research, and you performed it on a civilian.”

“My research”—Watts bristled—“was based on an archotheronotic disease. Where I drew my inspiration is irrelevant.”

“The other councilors might not have letters after their names, but they’re not idiots. They saw the parallels. It’s not a coincidence that your procedure and the project both focus on Aura.”

“The difference,” Watts spat, “is in the intent. The project’s goal is to create an Aura from scratch. Mine was to separate and transfer an already-existing one. If we can separate a host’s Aura and place it within a new receptacle, then that proves we can also remove a portion of it and do the same.”

“Even if you’re right, that doesn’t change the fact that the girl’s parents went to the media and took their story public,” James said. “Soul-based research is already controversial. How long do you think it will take for people to start asking questions? That’s a scrutiny we can’t afford right now.”

The chair legs scraped over the ground as James stood.

“The reason why I called you here is because the Council believes that your actions jeopardized that secrecy. The unauthorized disclosure of classified military intelligence is a potential security breach. Which is why, until they conclude their investigation, your passport is being revoked and you will be confined to the Kingdom of Atlas.”

James sounded tired.

“The charge they intend to level against you is treason.”

Nervously, Pietro rapped his knuckles against the wooden frame.

“Arthur? May I come in?”

Watts stood with his back to the room, an outstretched hand removing several books from their shelves. At the sound of his name, he stiffened. “If you must,” he answered flatly.

“Thank you.” He was careful to avoid tripping over the boxes stacked by the entryway as he closed the door behind him.

The other man had never been particularly materialistic, but even so, his decorating was far from sparse. Awards and accreditations had hung from the walls, while shelves with medical tomes lined the perimeter of the office. Occasionally, projects from the lab migrated into the room, and had taken up tablespace by the windowsill where a lone bromeliad sat.

It was jarring to see those possessions packed away.

Watts didn’t immediately turn to face him. Instead, his head sunk between his shoulders. “…Are you here to yell at me as well?”

“Yes. No.” He ran a hand through his hair. A thousand different thoughts colored his mind like a fractured kaleidoscope. There were plenty of things he wanted to say, each worse than the last. Pietro ruthlessly shoved those thoughts aside. “Look, I’m upset, but right now you need a friend, not another detractor.”

“How considerate of you.” His words were devoid of inflection.

“I’m not going to pretend I know how you’re feeling right now, but I still think you should—” Pietro glanced at one of the cardboard boxes on his desk, only to do a double-take. “What are you doing?”

“Vacating the premises.” Watts resumed packing. “Seeing as I’m no longer tenured, the institute felt this room could be put to better use.”

“I already know that. That’s not what I meant.” Pietro gestured to the lacy scrawl on the side of the box—Free to whoever wants it. “Why are you getting rid of your things?”

“I have no reason to keep them. It’s not as if I’ll be able to use them again for another employer.”

“You don’t know that—” Pietro began to protest.

“No one in their right mind would hire me. And that’s assuming I won’t be spending the rest of my life behind bars.” He folded the box flaps with slightly more force than necessary. “Seeing as you’re already here, help yourself to whatever you like. I’ll be taking the rest of these downstairs to the breakroom, once I’m done. I know Will was always partial to my microscope.”

“I’m not taking your things!” Pietro let out a long, deep exhale, forcing himself to calm down. “I want to talk to you.”

“Very well.” Watts finally turned to face him, and Pietro was struck by how ill he looked. A gauntness clung to his features, though whether from a lack of food or a lack of sleep, he couldn’t say. Stubble had begun to creep in below his jaw, and his clothes were far more disheveled than he could ever recall them being. “Talk.”

It took him a moment to collect his thoughts. “You need to get a lawyer.”

“And what good will that do me?” His eyes were dull. “Even if the odds weren’t overwhelmingly stacked against me, what lawyer would touch my case?”

“I’m sure someone would, if you asked around.” Pietro hated the idea, but he willed himself to say it: “What about Jacques Schnee? You’re acquaintances, right? The SDC settles lawsuits all the time, so they’ve got to have legal experts on retainer. Maybe you could arrange something with him—”

“If you think I’ll let myself be indebted to that myopic narcissist—” As quickly as it flared, the fire in his eyes faded. Watts’ posture folded in on itself as the anger drained from him, leaving only fretful cinders behind. “I’m sorry,” he said, with a hard blink. “I was out of line.”

Pietro worried his lower lip. “What can I do to help?” he asked. “Do you want to go out? Get something to drink?”

“I—” Watts cut himself off with a sigh, and shook his head. “No. Thank you. I have plans to meet with one of my former patients later. He wants to discuss alternatives for his Dust poisoning, seeing as his treatments have been…discontinued.”

Pietro cast his gaze helplessly about the room, trying to think of something. With an unpleasant lurch in his chest, he realized that he couldn’t. “I’ll leave you to it, then?” he said.

“That would be for the best.”

Despite the overwhelming urge to protest, Pietro turned to leave. He stopped with his fingers on the door handle, and glanced back. “You’ll come and get me if you need anything, right?”

Watts opened another box, and began writing on the side. “Of course.”

Save for the occasional fleeting glimpse, Pietro saw little of his friend over the next two weeks.

While his presence on the campus was a necessity, Watts seemed to be doing what he could to minimize it. Only the administrators—who refused to speak about it—and his former clients—who spoke too much about it—spent any length of time with him. His public avoidance did little to deter the gossip, which varied in accuracy and failed to account for all the details, given the clandestine nature of his termination. It didn’t help that Pietro staunchly refused to contribute to it, and told off anyone bold enough to press the subject.

When their paths did cross, Watts didn’t linger long enough to chat. He had a faraway look on his face, and his appearance was unkempt.

It worried Pietro that he no longer seemed to care about himself.

It was early into the evening when Watts visited his office.

“Forgive me for the intrusion.” Pietro glanced up from his paperwork to see Watts hovering in the doorway. Strangely, he was carrying the bromeliad. “Might I steal a moment of your time?”

“Certainly!” Pietro pushed aside the document stack and gestured warmly to the chair. To his dismay, Watts remained standing. “What can I do for you?”

Watts adjusted the potted plant in his arms. “I was wondering,” he began, “if I could ask for a small favor.”

“Go ahead.”

Pietro didn’t know what to make of the unexpectedly calm expression on his face, so at odds with his recent emotional state.

“I need someone to look after this for me.” Watts took a step forward, and set the plant on the edge of the desk. “If it’s left unattended for a day or two it’s not an issue. Any longer, though, and it begins to dry out. The care required for it isn’t overly involved; the soil simply needs to be misted with distilled water every so—”

“Wait a second,” Pietro said. “Why does it sound like you’re going somewhere?”

Watts hesitated. “I’m travelling to Evadne for a few days.”

Pietro started to rise. “Arthur—”

He held up a hand. “I’m forbidden from international flights, not domestic. The southern coast of Solitas is under Atlesian jurisdiction, is it not?”

Slowly, Pietro sank back into his chair. “It is,” he agreed. “But why are you travelling now?”

Watts closed his eyes. “I want to see the coast one last time.”

He frowned. “You shouldn’t talk like that. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”

His friend didn’t comment. He merely stared at him.

“Fine,” Pietro relented, “I’ll watch it for you. But just so you know, I’ve killed plants before.”

His lips twitched in a faint smile. “That’s quite all right.”

Pietro reached forward to move the pot, only to be taken aback when his hand was intercepted by Watts’. The contact startled him, so much so that he didn’t react when Watts lightly squeezed.

He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

Pietro forced his jaws to move. “For what?”

“For more than I care to admit.”

The hand retreated.

“Enjoy your trip, Arthur.” Pietro tried to sound cheerful. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

Watts opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. He dipped his head in a polite nod, before turning on his heel.

He wasn’t sure why he was here.

It was the second day after Watts’ departure for Evadne. The office was unrecognizable without any of its usual décor—walls now stripped bare of his possessions, floorspace empty save for the generic chairs and desk pushed off to the corner. The open space was dissonant with Pietro’s memories of the many times he’d spent in this room, either with other members of the team, or by himself. Almost as soon as the thoughts formed, they were accompanied by a pang of nostalgia. His fingernails dug into his palm.

Adjusting to the new normal was a prospect he dreaded, not just for the uncertainties at play, but simply because he didn’t want things to change. In truth, Pietro didn’t know what the Council’s verdict would be.

And he would have been lying if he said the thought didn’t keep him up at night.

It was as he was looking around the room that he noticed something glint in the waste bin. Intrigued, he bent down and pushed aside the crumpled papers partially obscuring it. When he lifted it from the bin, Pietro was surprised to see his reflection staring back at him from the plaque’s glassy surface.

The Atlesian Institute of Technology is honored to present the Rigel Award to Arthur Watts in recognition of his contributions to the fields of archotherology and pneumatophysics.

“I know things are bad right now, Arthur, but you shouldn’t just throw things like this away…” He’d been at the reception where the award had been presented; it had been a milestone in Watts’ career.

Carefully, Pietro wiped away a smudge with the hem of his shirt. A stubborn resolve seized him.

“It’s not breaking and entering if you have the spare key,” Pietro told himself, as the lock clicked.

The first thing he noticed, as the apartment door shut behind him, was the immediate onset of cold. Ice cold. The sort of chill that settled in a person’s lungs, and caused their breath to fog as they gasped for air.

“Gods above.” Pietro wrapped his arms around himself. “I know you like it cold, but this is ridiculous. What’s the temperature in here?”

Not intending to trip his way through the room, Pietro reached for the light switch.

Nothing.

“The bulb must have blown out.” He resorted to the flashlight on his scroll. Mindful of where he stepped, Pietro moved into the hall where the thermostat was. The last thing his friend needed was to return to a drafty apartment.

Understandably, he was confused when he tapped the screen, only for the thermostat to not respond.

“Surely this isn’t broken too…?”

A nagging suspicion prompted him to reach for the next light switch in his path. The hall remained dark, even after Pietro flipped it several times.

Something wasn’t right.

The next three lights he tried remained unresponsive to his attempts. Pietro stopped in the kitchen, his scroll in one hand, the glass plaque grasped loosely in the other. What else wasn’t working?

His gaze fell to the sink. With a slither of incredulity, Pietro turned the handle on the faucet.

It was cold, granted, but not cold enough to freeze the pipes. And he refused to believe that all of the utilities simultaneously stopped working. Even if they did, Watts would never have knowingly allowed them to remain in disrepair.

His mind discarded one possibility after the next, trying to identify a pattern, an explanation.

Pietro lifted the plaque to eye level.

For the life of him, he couldn’t fathom why he’d want to get rid of something so important. It was a question he’d have to ask him when he came back—

His eyes widened.

Glass skated over the tiles as the plaque shattered against the floor. Pietro fumbled with his scroll, cursing, as he bolted back down the hall.

James answered on the second ring. “Pietro? What—”

“Where are you?” he gasped.

“The Academy,” he said. “Is something—”

“Meet me in your office!” The door slammed shut behind him. “We need to stop him!”

“And you’re sure about this?” James gravely looked on as Pietro paced.

“Why else would he have gotten rid of his things?” He gestured wildly. “He already believes his life is over. He had no reason to keep them.”

Those words had taken on an entirely new meaning, one that made Pietro feel sick.

“I understand, given the circumstances, how you would've arrived at that conclusion. But is it possible you’re wrong?” He spoke with the calm, patient authority of his rank, with a pragmatism meant to ease. All it did was agitate Pietro even more. “Arthur is a lot of things, but suicidal? It doesn’t seem—”

“You haven’t seen him the last few weeks!” His voice shot up an octave. “He’s hardly eating, barely sleeping, he isolated himself from nearly everyone. I knew he was depressed, but I didn’t think…” He trailed off, at a loss for words. “James, please. We need to do something.”

James leaned back into his desk, hands braced against the edge. “We should consider every possibility before we act.”

Pietro halted in his tracks. “What other possibilities?”

“Consider what you’ve just told me. He disposed of his personal belongings—things that would have encumbered him. He distanced himself from other people—social contacts that would have tied him to the kingdom. He canceled his utilities—lien he no longer has to waste.”

Pietro turned to face him. “What are you suggesting?”

“Given the pending criminal charges, it’s possible that he’s trying to flee the kingdom.”

Pietro tensed.

“Think carefully about your last conversation.” James watched him closely. “Did he indicate that he planned on coming back?”

Mutely, Pietro shook his head.

“If he wanted to leave without drawing attention to himself, Evadne would be the logical choice,” he said. “It’s a small town on the water frequently used as a stopover between the interior cities and Anima’s northern coast. It has a comparably smaller military presence, and most of its visitors are tourists. He won’t look out of place. And if he’s brought lien with him, it wouldn’t take much persuasion to stow away on an airship or a boat. Dust smugglers regularly make use of those tactics.”

Pietro started to shake.

“Both possibilities are upsetting in their own right, and I’d prefer for neither to be true. But the evidence isn’t something we can just ignore. Right now, the latter seems more likely. I didn’t notice—”

“Of course you didn’t notice!” Pietro shouted. “You were so busy trying to end his career that you didn’t realize you were ending his life!”

His words echoed around the room. In the stunned silence that followed, Pietro continued to yell.

“‘I want to see the coast one last time.’ That’s what he said to me when he left! He didn’t mean before he was arrested; he meant before he died. And why wouldn’t he? What did he have left? Either he was going to waste away in a cell, or he was going to spend the rest of his life unable to rebuild it. No one in the medical community will speak to him, no one on the team will look at him—” He doubled over with a strangled cough. “I know what he did was wrong. I think it’s wrong. But I don’t want him to die because of it! I don’t want to be right, but with everything I’ve seen we can’t wait around to find out if I’m wrong. James, please, we have to—”

A hand fell on his shoulder. Pietro wheezed.

“We’ll find him.” James’ grip tightened. “I can have an airship ready in ten minutes.”

The night was alive with the weaving bands of the auroras.

A distant part of his mind tried to find comfort in the emerald and indigo light, as it rippled through the sky amidst a backdrop of stars.

“We should be there in a few hours.” From the seat across from him, James consulted his scroll. “Our ETA will be about 6:00 AM.”

Pietro turned away from the window. “What are we going to do when we get there?”

“I have a special operative who’s currently stationed in the area. Her name’s Caroline. I radioed her as we were boarding. Her team’s going to meet us when we land and help with the search.”

He nodded.

“Before Arthur left”—James glanced up from the screen—“did he tell you where he was staying?”

“No, I’m sorry,” he replied. “He didn’t.”

“That’s all right.” James returned to his scroll. “If he checked into a hotel, the transaction will be on his bank statement. I should have access to his account history in a minute.”

“James.” Pietro steeled himself. “If I’m right…about…” He drew in a shuddering breath. “How are we going to handle this?”

“It depends on what we find, and what—condition he’s in.” James’ face was pinched. “The plan is to make sure he’s not a danger to himself or anyone else.”

“‘Anyone else’?”

James’ expression darkened. “I’ve seen situations like this before, with soldiers and Huntsmen. Sometimes they lash out.”

Suddenly, Pietro was grateful for his friend’s long military career, and the experience that came with it.

That went doubly so a second later when his scroll chimed, granting him clearance.

James read over the information as it poured in. “Well, this confirms what we already suspected—he canceled his utilities a few days ago.”

“Did you find out where he’s staying?”

“Let me see—got it. I have the name and address. It’s…” He scrolled through something on the screen. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

Pietro leaned forward, trying to get a better look. “What is it?”

“Right before he left, he emptied his account.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Hang on. I might be able to trace where it went—” James trailed off.

“What is it?”

“He—” James peered at the records. “A large percentage of it was made out as a check. To the Ateliers.”

Pietro didn’t speak. If he opened his mouth now, he’d vomit.

“The remainder appears to have been withdrawn, though I’m not sure why.”

The cabin was mercifully silent as James immersed himself in parsing through the records. With nothing to do and only his thoughts to preoccupy him, Pietro returned to the window. It was several minutes before James spoke again:

“It’s going to be a while before we land. Try to get some sleep.”

When he trusted himself to not be sick, Pietro answered. “I’m okay, James.”

It was a lie. And judging by James’ expression, he didn’t believe it either.

“General Ironwood.” A woman of remarkably short stature saluted them. “It’s good to see you, sir.”

“Likewise, Caroline.”

She fell in step beside him while her two subordinates took up positions at the rear. For every one step James took, Caroline had to take three.

“Anything to report?” he asked.

“We’ve been monitoring the building from afar for the last half hour. We haven’t seen Dr. Watts enter or leave.”

James didn’t comment. Rather, he quickened his pace.

“Do you have any orders for us?”

“The manager will be expecting us, although she wasn’t fully informed as to why. I want you and your team to start in his room, then sweep the premises while we interview the staff.” He stopped with his hand on the glass doors, and gave her a hard stare. “Do not, under any circumstances, harm him. If the situation becomes dangerous, you are to either deescalate it or wait for me to join you. Do I make myself clear?”

She grimaced. “Yes, sir.”

A woman with a sheet of long, violet hair stood waiting for them in the lobby. “Welcome, General Ironwood. Dr. Polendina.” She offered a shallow bow. As she rose, she registered the accompanying operatives, and her eyes flickered with unspoken questions. “How may I assist you?”

“We’d like to speak with you, along with any staff that may have interacted with one of your guests.”

The manager glanced at Caroline. “Are we in danger?”

“No. Not likely,” said James.

The manager didn’t look reassured, but she didn’t protest. “Very well. Please follow me.”

She guided the small group to the front desk where the receptionist sat, their eyes wide in bewilderment. “May I have the guest’s name?” she asked.

“Arthur Watts,” James said.

Without prompting, the receptionist keyed in the name. “Uh. He’s in room 3A.”

James turned to the manager. “May I have your permission to send my team upstairs?”

“Go ahead.”

He nodded. At once Coraline and her subordinates dispersed.

The manager waited until they’d filed into the elevator before she spoke: “You said you had questions for me?”

“Along with any staff that interacted with him,” James clarified.

“I’ve interacted with him.”

The receptionist seemed to regret that decision the moment three pairs of eyes turned on them. Nevertheless, they continued: “The guy with the mustache, right?”

Pietro’s pulse stuttered sharply. “When did you last see him?”

“This morning. He left over an hour ago. Said he was going for a walk.”

It took every shred of willpower Pietro had to not run out those doors.

“Did he leave with any belongings on his person? A bag, perhaps?” James asked.

The receptionist shook their head. “No, sir. Just his wallet and his room key, like he usually does.”

Pietro swapped a look with James, before turning back to the receptionist. “What do you mean by ‘usually’?”

“This is the time when he usually goes out. He stops to talk to the receptionist—well, me, I guess—and then heads out for a few hours. Comes back around noon, grabs lunch in the dining hall, heads back upstairs. Goes out again around five o’clock, and comes back some time after seven.” They gave a helpless shrug. “I—I guess he has a routine.”

Some of the tension left James’ shoulders. “It’s possible Arthur did in fact come here just to destress,” he said.

What should have been a reassuring thought made Pietro want to sink into the ground in mortification. He could only imagine what Watts’ face would look like when he returned to the hotel, to find that Pietro had brought along the entire cavalry. All because he assumed his friend had a death wish.

Pietro was dragged out of his pity party by James’ next question: “Do you remember anything specific about his behavior? Anything that might have looked or sounded strange?”

To his surprise, the receptionist looked guilty. “Well…” They glanced at the manager.

“Whatever it is, you’re not in trouble,” she said.

The receptionist hesitated a second longer, before heaving a reluctant sigh. “You get a lot of guests in a place like this, right? So you don’t always remember all of them. Not unless they stand out in some way. He…” They paused. “He’s been nothing but polite and friendly to all the staff.”

“That doesn’t sound particularly noteworthy,” James observed.

The receptionist fidgeted. “No, it’s not that. It’s not just that. He tipped us well.” They swallowed. “Like, really well.”

The lingering dread from earlier resurfaced. “How much did he tip you?” Pietro asked.

They averted their gaze. “Ten thousand lien. Each.”

The dread beat savage wings against his ribs.

Out of his periphery, James stepped off to the side with a finger pressed to his earpiece. A second later his face went unsettlingly blank. “Excuse me,” he said. “I need to speak with my team.”

Pietro dimly registered his departure. He looked between the two hotel staff, his mind frantically scrambling for an explanation other than the one he didn’t want to hear. “Did he say anything?” he asked. Begged. “Anything that you might remember could help."

They considered his words with renewed thoughtfulness. “When he’d come back from his walks, I’d ask him how he was—the regular sort of small talk you’d make with guests. He told me that he went down to the beach. When I asked him, ‘Did you do anything while you were there?’ he said, ‘Not today. Perhaps I will tomorrow.’”

“Pietro.”

James had returned.

Coraline and her team hurried through the lobby; he could just make out “mobilize search-and-rescue” being barked into her earpiece as they rushed past.

He regarded Pietro with pale, haunted eyes, before slowly holding out his hand. “I’m sorry.”

A note hung from his fingertips.

After four days of searching, Arthur Watts was declared dead.

James scrubbed at his face. “I already told you, Camilla,” he sighed, as the doors slid open, “I’ll have it resolved once I—oh, Pietro. I didn’t realize it was you.”

Pietro managed a weak smile. “Disappointed to see me?” he asked, as he strode into the room.

“Relieved, actually.” James set aside some manner of document he’d been working on. “I was half-expecting another lecture.” Pietro accepted the tacit invitation to join him, and eased into the chair. “What can I do for you?”

Pietro tapped his fingers against the armrest. “I need a favor. A big one.”

“Why do I get the impression I won’t like what you’re about to ask me?”

“Because you won’t.”

Predictably, James wasn’t amused, but he didn’t try to bodily throw him out of the room, so that was a good start. “All right,” he said. “I’m listening.”

This conversation had sounded so much easier in his head. Pietro contemplated which option to take, before deciding on the direct approach: “Did you ever look over the report Arthur wrote after the surgery?”

It was brief, but Pietro didn’t miss the flash of regret James very neatly concealed behind unwavering calm. He steepled his hands. “I did,” he answered.

“Did you see the post-op notes?”

“I did.”

“But did you read them?” he pressed.

There was a hint of humor in his reply: “I read them to the extent I could understand them.”

Pietro braced himself. “I took another look at his work on Auratic intercision. He did it, James.”

When the other man said nothing, he hurriedly launched into his speech. “Even though the initial attempt failed, he managed to deduce what went wrong during the procedure. I won’t waste your time with all the technical mumbo jumbo, but I did the math. Split-Aura transfer is possible.”

He held James’ gaze. “We can finally build Penny.”

For a moment that stretched into eternity, James remained silent. He closed his eyes, exhaled, and opened them again. “You want my permission, to use the same research that nearly got him arrested, to complete your project.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Pietro said.

“I can certainly appreciate the irony, if nothing else.” He narrowed his eyes—thoughtfully, not in anger. “This wasn’t an idea you came up with overnight. It’s been nearly two months. Why did you wait this long to bring it up?”

“It’s as you said: it’s been two months. The last of the journalists have retired the story. People are no longer fixated on the proceedings. No more controversy, no more public backlash. The scandal died with him.” It hurt to say, but Pietro pushed onward: “Synthesizing an Aura has proven impossible, but now, we have a viable alternative. We can’t bring Mia Atelier back. But perhaps we can give someone else a chance at life.”

He waited.

At last, James nodded. A breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding left him. “You have my permission.”

“Thank you,” Pietro said.

“There’s just one problem.”

James regarded him intently. “The procedure requires a donor, does it not? You need a volunteer.”

Pietro straightened. “You’re looking at him.”

It had been a while since he last had the chance to sit and diagram.

A combination of blueprints, tablets, and holographic projectors were scattered about the desk. Other than the sleepy hum of the generator, and the scratching of pen against paper, his office was silent. The ambiance gave Pietro a pleasant rhythm to work to as he alternated between mediums.

He was in the middle of diagramming the thrusters when a voice spoke up from behind: “Burning the midnight oil?”

Pietro gladly accepted the mug James offered him, as he occupied the empty seat. “Just getting a little more work done before I call it quits.” He grinned. “I just finished the template for her skeleton. It’s on the tablet to your right if you want to see it.”

“This one?” James picked up the tablet in question.

“Swipe left, it’s the first file.”

The device lit up in his hands. James made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat as his eyes darted across the screen.

“What do you think?” Pietro asked.

“I think”—he continued to skim through the files—“I picked the right proposal.”

He didn’t realize how much he needed to hear those words until he felt a hot, stinging sensation in the corner of his eyes. He tried to discreetly dab it away.

Not discreetly enough, it seemed. James shot him an inquiring look.

“Oh, don’t mind. I’m just a little sensitive right now.” Pietro ducked his head. “It’s not every day you get to become a father.”

James wore a knowing, if somewhat bemused smile, but he was considerate enough to not say anything. He turned his attention back to the files in his hand.

“A lot of those are aesthetic mock-ups. I haven’t finalized anything, so if you want to throw in your two cents on the design input, you’re more than welcome to.”

“Did he know?”

Pietro’s hand stilled over the parchment. When no elaboration was forthcoming, he lifted his head to deduce one for himself.

His pulse beat painfully beneath his skin.

The file on the screen was one of the earliest drafts for Penny’s design. It was also one of the only files to have received a color palette. Red hair hung in thick curls about her pale face. Her cheeks were flecked with freckles that contrasted just enough to be visible, just below her eyes.

Eyes that were a very familiar shade of green.

He didn’t say anything for several moments. He debated saying anything at all.

But there was no judgment on James’ face, no hint of contempt in his voice. Only sympathy.

“No,” Pietro answered. He let out a tired sigh, and set the pen down. “And he never suspected. I made sure of that.”

“You didn’t want to tell him?”

“I wanted to tell him for a long time." He closed his eyes. "I’ve spent the last four months regretting every day that I didn’t. And on every one of those days, I wondered if telling him would have made a difference.”

“It’s not your fault,” said James.

“I know.” Pietro reached for the photo on the edge of his desk, and gently lifted the frame into his hands. It was the last picture the team had taken together. “It doesn’t change the fact that he’s gone.”

He lifted his eyes to the file in James’ hands, to the image of the young girl staring back at him.

“But maybe, through someone else—someone new—he can still be here.”

“Dr. Watts?”

Watts lifted his head from the chart he'd been reviewing.

At the entrance of his lab stood Hazel, his expression as impassive as ever.

“We have a meeting to attend.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” Watts smoothed down the front of his coat. “Tell Salem I’ll be right there.”

Guess I've got some explaining to do. For anyone curious about my RWBY worldbuilding and headcanons:

Pietro not being disabled prior to the start of the series - We have no confirmation of this in canon, but I think that donating a percentage of his Aura to Penny has slowly chipped away at his health. I based this partly on the fact that in the show, the areas on his body where his Aura has been excised most prominently are over his legs and lower torso. If donating too much of his Aura is fatal, then it stands to reason that there are intermediary complications between points A and D - loss of mobility in his legs, chronic respiratory illness, worsening vision, and so on.

Archotherology (Gr. archo-, ruler, + -thero-, beast, + -logy, study of) - The study of Grimm.

Pneumatophysics (Gr. pneûma, soul, + -physics) - The study of the soul and its physical manifestation, Aura.

Apothymetics (Gr. apo-, derived from, + -thym-, soul, + E. -ics, from [?] Gr. -ikós, pertaining to) - The study of Semblances; a subdiscipline of pneumatophysics.

Auratic disease - An adverse condition that typically affects a person’s Aura, and by extension, their Semblance. Auratic diseases are generated by plague-type Grimm, and then transmitted to people through proximity. Watts' research simulated an Auratic disease, which is why Pietro later acquires a manmade version of CAD. You can click here to read more about them.

Evadne - A coastal city in southern Solitas. Named after the Greek figure Evadne, the wife of King Argus.

17 notes · View notes