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sineala · 3 years ago

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Captain America: The Great Gold Steal

I wrote this up last week because I did not have access to my usual comics files but I figured I could review something that was just a book. So here is a review of the 1968 Captain America novel Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White, with an introduction by Stan Lee. I really liked it, actually! It was surprisingly good!

This novel features: Cover art of Captain America holding his shield in one hand and a very large gun in the other! A scene where the villains dramatically unmask Captain America and have absolutely no idea who he is! Captain America being extremely, extremely depressed about being in the future! Captain America dropping acid!

(I'm not kidding about the last part. In this novel there is a lot of LSD use. By Captain America. Talk about something the Comics Code wouldn't ever let you put in a comic book. Thank you, 1968.)

Faithful readers may remember that some time ago I posted reviews of Marvel prose novels from the 1970s. There was a line of prose novels featuring everyone's favorite Marvel superheroes, published by Pocket Books in the late 70s; I have reviews of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers entries in the series; I liked the Iron Man one best, and I also have a Doctor Strange one I have not yet read. They're all short and action-packed paperback reads, of varying quality; the only one by anyone you might have heard of is the Avengers one, which was written by David Michelinie, who was actually writing the Avengers run at the time. That one was, um. An experience.

(Yes, it's "prose novel" because otherwise the assumption is "graphic novel.")

Marvel still publishes prose novels now, of course, also of varying quality; some are new plots and some are straight-up novelizations of comics arcs, which I guess is useful if you want to, say, read Civil War and not look at pictures at the same time. I also have a bunch of those that I could probably review if anyone wants. But, anyway, I personally am particularly intrigued by the older Marvel prose novels, both because the stories are all original and not retellings, and also because I often prefer the characterization found in older comics. And the older prose novels of course use the then-current characterization. So reading a Marvel prose novel from 1979 is like getting to read a brand-new comic from 1979, and that's a whole lot of fun for a nerd like me. Also do you know what's not subject to the Comics Code? Prose novels. So things can happen in these that definitely could not happen in comics of the same era.

This brings me to my current prose novel, which is something else entirely. I mean, okay, not really, it's still a Marvel prose novel. But it's not part of the same line. It's actually a lot older.

Bantam Books actually published Marvel prose novels in the late 60s. Yep, a full decade earlier. They published exactly two, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they were probably not bestsellers. The first one, which I do not own and now sort of want to track down, was an Avengers novel in 1967, The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker. And then in 1968 they published the novel I am currently holding in my hands, Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White.

(I am still not sure why no one involved in titling this book thought of the word "theft.")

Judging by the back copy, it appears to be about Captain America foiling the villains' dastardly plan to steal gold from the Federal Reserve. Oh boy. Fun.

So this book is from 1968. The modern Marvel universe had kicked off just a few short years ago! Captain America was just getting his own solo book after the end of Tales of Suspense! And here's a novel about him, back when certain elements of his characterization were perhaps a little more flexible than they are today, by which I mean that the cover art -- which the internet informs me was painted by Mitchell Hooks -- is a striking full-body portrait of Captain America, head held high, shield in one hand... and a very large gun in the other. Hell, yeah. Not gonna see that in today's Cap comics, are you? It's amazing and I love it.

(Okay, you might see that in Ults. I'm pretty sure I have seen that in Ults, actually. But this is still cool.)

So the cover art is a definite plus, and apparently it's one of the few reasons anyone has ever heard of this novel. The other reason -- and the reason this is more expensive than the later novels, I assume -- is that Stan Lee's name is slapped on the cover, because he wrote an introduction. (I think I paid about $30 for this. The others were definitely under $20.)

All right. Here we go.

The first page is actually a brief summary of Steve's origin story, but not a version I was familiar with. Steve was born July 9, 1917 (yes, I was surprised too), was orphaned at a young age, and was a student at Columbia University (!) before Rebirth, which in this version is a gradual process that is also extremely body-horror. Steel tubing was inserted into the marrows of his bones. He was fed "high-protein compounds." Then they gave him a chemical that "gave him complete control over every nerve, muscle, and cell in his now-magnificent body." Sweet. Where can I get some of that?

The blurb also confirms his control over his own metabolism as well as his healing factor ("wounds would heal in half the normal time"), which is nice, because sometimes I wonder if canon even remembers the healing factor.

(I don't know why Marvel has this kink for filling people's bones with metal, though. It's not actually empty in there, guys! You need your bone marrow! How else do you want people to make new blood cells?)

The book is dedicated to "Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, without whom there would be no Captain America." Hey, Marvel, Joe Simon would like a word with you. I'm just saying.

The Stan Lee introduction is three paragraphs written in Stan Lee's, um, inimitable, distinctive and extremely florid narrative style -- if you've read any of his work, you know what I mean -- and making the point that Captain America is incredible and you will like him. If you are just discovering him for the first time, you will definitely like him. Okay. Thanks. I guess.

Oddly, the writing style here is substantially different than any of the other Marvel prose novels I've read; it doesn't immediately front-load you with exposition and a cast of colorful superheroes. It opens with a sort of James Bond spy-novel feel, running through a series of unnamed villains and bystanders, and a man who wants nothing more than to talk to Captain America but is killed before he can. Steve comes in halfway through the chapter, and he seems to be written for a reader who doesn't necessarily know who he is, and he isn't introduced as Captain America with his shield flying ahead of him to smite evildoers, or anything like that. He's just a tall, handsome blond guy who is reading a bunch of novels and is unsatisfied by all of them because all he can think of is the past. It's definitely an attitude I would expect from Steve in this era -- he is very much a Man Out Of Time here -- but it's also not how I expected the book to introduce him. You wouldn't even know he was Captain America by the end of the opening chapter, which then ends with a digression about the history of NYC subway tunnels. It's like it wants to appeal to someone who has watched a bunch of Man from UNCLE and just wants to read a cool thriller. Which is not at all what I was expecting.

By the beginning of the second chapter, of course, we discover that Steve is Captain America, as he changes into his uniform. The narration refers to him as Rogers when it's in his POV, if anyone is curious. He apparently keeps the cowl off in the mansion, because the cowl annoys him.

It was not so much that he needed to conceal his identity these days, because for all intents and purposes he had no other identity. Steve Rogers was officially dead, and had been for almost twenty years. Captain America *was* his identity. It was only when he donned the tight-fitting blue uniform with its shield chest-emblem, the red snug-fitting leather boots, and the heavy, yet pressure-sensitive red-leather gauntlets, that he began to feel real -- a complete human being.

Steve? Buddy, are you okay there? You're really not okay, are you, huh?

You see what I mean? They're really hitting the early-canon angst. Hard.

(Also it sounds like his uniform is a few sizes too small.)

We then get an expanded version of the backstory from the beginning excerpt. In this version of canon, Steve actually has an older brother, Alan, who is handsome and athletic and basically amazing, and when they are orphaned they are raised by their aunt and uncle. Steve gets TB twice as a kid, nearly dies from it, and when the stock market crashes, ends up separated from his brother and in an orphanage after his uncle loses everything.

(Honestly if I were writing this book, his brother would be the secret villain. Chekhov's Gun!)

Steve has glasses, gets bullied, is a nerd and an honor student, and studies law at Columbia because he wants to help stop fraudulent business practices and also fight organized crime. Legally, I mean. In a manner relating to law. I guess he's sort of like Daredevil. The lawyer part of Daredevil.

And then he joins Rebirth, and this is the part where I had to put the book down for several minutes, because Erskine's secret chemical, the key to making super-soldiers... is LSD.

Oh my God. You should see my face right now. My expression is, I am sure, indescribable. I'm trying not to wake the dog up laughing.

I just. Holy shit. This book is from 1968 in a way I definitely was not expecting. What the fuck, Marvel?

This project was headed by the brilliant biochemist, Dr. Erskine. His work with the endocrine system, and chemical body control, was well beyond that of his contemporaries. Only he, of all his colleagues, had fathomed the secrets of the Swiss Dr. Hoffman's 1938 discovery -- the mind-controlling LSD-25.

Let's just pause here for a few minutes and contemplate this.

I will point out that Albert Hofmann (yes, the book spelled his name wrong) didn't actually discover that LSD was a hallucinogen until 1943 when he accidentally tried it, but I am positive that 1968 here was a time when Some People were convinced LSD was a wonder drug. I'm still laughing. As far as I can tell, legal manufacturing of it stopped in 1965 so I am pretty sure that the author did not just decide to name a drug that had an ostensible legal therapeutic use, because it wouldn't have still had one by '68.

Anyway, in this version of events, Rebirth is a month-long process that involves a lot of vitamins, physical conditioning and training, and, yes, putting metal in his bones like he's the next Wolverine. They're filling his bones with stainless steel rods to make him stronger. That doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but I am also not sure about dropping acid to gain superpowers. Clearly I am not a genius scientist. Also Erskine knows what DNA is, apparently, because he's just that great. Anyway. Other than the metal, those all seem like relatively normal interventions. So far.

Now Steve has become fairly big and strong (and I guess he still has metal in his bones? this concerns me!) but they need to make him superhuman, so, yes, really, it's time to drop acid. Several pages of this book are devoted to describing Steve's acid trip. His acid trip is amazing and he discovers that he has conscious control of his entire body down to the cellular level. He can control the adrenaline in his bloodstream! He can tighten his muscle fibers! And when he's done tripping he still remembers how to do this, if not exactly on a conscious level, but he can still access the abilities. And that is how you make a super-soldier. It's LSD. Remember, kids, drugs are awesome! Do drugs!

Let's maybe take a few more minutes to think about this.

I just. I have no words. How did anyone at Marvel agree to print this?

I think for the most part superhero origin stories tend not to involve real drugs because people are generally aware that drugs they've heard of won't make you into a superhero. I guess this is what it looks like when you invoke the names of real drugs. They probably wanted something that sounded more realistic but somehow I don't think this was the best way to go. (Radiation, of course, will definitely make you into a superhero but I feel like most people have accepted that as one of the conventions of the genre.)

Anyway, after that Erskine gets killed by Nazis, of course, and Steve goes to war, and for some reason this book contains footnotes by Stan Lee himself listing the comics you can read all of this in. Just like the actual comics do!

We are introduced to Bucky, who for some reason is also from the LES in this version, although not anyone Steve knew before the war, and there is of course a description of Bucky's tragic death and Steve's subsequent icing.

They are really, really stressing the Man Out Of Time thing here:

No other man could have survived so fantastic a voyage through time. And no other man could feel so displaced by time.

He was a man twenty years in his own future. By rights, he should be nearly fifty years old -- nearly twice the age of his fellow Avengers. Yet his mind and his body were not yet thirty.

When the Avengers had brought him back to New York with them and insisted that, as an honored hero of the past, he join them, he felt a sort of melancholy homesickness for his own time and world.

We then get a few paragraphs with the usual being sad that he let Bucky down and got him killed, and also that he misses his family, and that Steve Rogers doesn't exist anymore, and that nobody is alive who remembers him, and that war is hell.

Hey, Steve, maybe the drugs you should do are antidepressants. Just a thought.

Also, this book is 118 pages and we're not out of the origin story flashback until page 34. I think there are some pacing issues here.

Actually, I lied, the flashback keeps going, but now we're up to the Avengers finding him, and I have to say that the list of things Steve finds strange about the future is kind of charming when the future is 1968. Men have long hair! Women have shorter skirts! Everyone is kind of blasé about rocket launches because there have been so many space missions now. (Oh, come on, you haven't even landed on the moon yet, 1968! You're not that blasé.) Color TV! And, excitingly, LPs! You can now listen to 36 minutes of consecutive music. (I actually don't know what previous standard he's describing that is a ten-inch record that holds six minutes a side because I don't think 45s are that big. Yeah, no, I just checked and 45s are seven inches in diameter. Hmm. Oh, never mind. He means 78 rpm, doesn't he? In my defense, the record player my family had when I was a kid didn't play those.)

The description of Steve coming into New York for the first time is definitely written by someone who knows New York, which is fun. There is generally a lot of local flavor to the setting of this book. That’s one of the best parts.

There is a brief summary of Steve's feelings about all the Avengers -- he is most impressed by Thor, which, I mean, fair, he's an actual god -- and Hank telling him all about how he can live in Tony's mansion. With Jarvis. Who Hank says is actually from Flatbush. Apparently Steve spent a lot of time at the NYPL branch at 5th and 42nd trying to catch up on history. And then of course the Avengers ditched him and gave him the Kooky Quartet, and for some reason they're not here right now either so it's just Steve being sad and alone and dealing with this mysterious dead guy. I think probably the book is also done explaining fiat currency now. This is definitely the weirdest Marvel novel I've read.

Anyway, we have now returned to what is ostensibly the actual plot. Steve shows up at the New York Federal Reserve Bank (I guess the theft is happening here and not, like, at Fort Knox) with the gold bullion that the dead guy from the beginning of the book had on him -- I think I got distracted by the LSD bit and forgot to mention that part, but the dead guy was carrying some US government gold -- because the actual plot is that villains are trying to tunnel into the bank vault and steal gold. Steve discovers this after he gets the bank manager to give him a tour. The bank manager tries to refuse, citing security concerns -- Captain America could be anyone under that mask, after all! Steve just smiles and says, "If I removed my mask, would you have any better idea of who I am?" and I guess that's a flawless argument because he gets his tour.

(I'm sorry, all I can think of is that one gif from the JLA cartoon where Lex Luthor bodyswaps with the Flash, announces that now that he's in the Flash's body he's going to discover the Flash's secret identity, then pulls off his own mask, stares at himself in the mirror, and says, "I have no idea who this is.")

Given that the theme of Steve's interior life in this novel is "Steve Rogers died twenty years ago" it seems even more sad that Steve is just walking around basically saying, yeah, well, I'm nobody. And apparently that is being reaffirmed for him by the narrative.

So Steve goes down the tunnels, takes out some of the bad guys, and gets himself knocked out and buried in a collapsing tunnel. Don't worry, he's gonna be fine.

A lot of this book, by the way, is from the POV of random people, like this bank guard who went with Steve into the tunnels:

He had wondered, briefly, if a man like Captain America ever knew the pinch of too many bills, had ever felt desperate over the arrival of yet another mouth to feed. But, of course, Captain America had no family, and would hardly concern himself with such matters. It didn't occur to Thompson to wonder if this in itself might not be something for which to pity Captain America.

Rude. I mean, come on, do we really need random characters telling us Steve is a sad sack whom nobody loves? Steve's already got that covered! (Also, how does this guy know Captain America has no family?)

Anyway, thanks to the power of LSD, Steve is going into a trance, amping up his metabolism (he loses "several pounds" in a few minutes), and making himself super-strong so he can dig himself out. Hooray. This is definitely how human bodies work. Also LSD. This is definitely how LSD works. Yes.

Steve then finds out that a couple of the guards who were with him in the tunnels died down there and he goes home and eats dinner while stewing in miserable guilt because he was responsible for their deaths. He's really not okay. I'm not sure the book actually understands how not okay they have made him. Then someone from SHIELD is on the phone for him and he is briefly cheered up by the thought that it might be Sharon although I think we should also note that the narrative makes it clear that at this point in canon Steve still doesn't know her name. Remember when that was a thing?

Alas, it is not Sharon; it's just a random SHIELD agent who happens to have information about the plot and asks to meet. Then, as Steve leaves to go to the meeting, we get two pages of exhaustive description about the mansion layout and how it's built relative to the surrounding buildings. It feels like this book was written by a frustrated city planner. But anyway, the meeting is a setup and the villains capture Steve.

They knock Steve out, drug him, take him to their hideout, and tie him to a chair. Except, once again thanks to the power of LSD, the tranquilizer they're using wears off way sooner than they expected and so Steve feigns unconsciousness and listens to them discuss their evil plans.

And then the villains unmask him and I swear it's exactly like that JLA gif:

Rogers heard footsteps scuffing across a thick carpet, and then Sparrow's voice again, almost directly over him. His ears still buzzed, but he fought to catch the elusive familiarity of the man's tone. He wished he dared open his eyes.

"This is a moment which I, personally, have long awaited," Sparrow said, his voice rising in triumph. "*The unmasking of Captain America!*"

Then, his nails scraping along Rogers' face, Sparrow dug his fingers under his cowl, and ripped it back. Rogers felt air strike his exposed cheeks and forehead. Then fingers clutched his blond hair and pulled his head back. "Behold!" Sparrow said.

Raven was first to speak. "Well, I dunno about you, Sparrow, but it rings no bells with me. I never seen him before."

Starling agreed. "His face means nothing to me."

"He could be anybody," said Robin. "What good does this do?"

Sparrow let Rogers' head fall back to his chest, and his voice when he spoke was defeated. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I always wondered. I felt, if these guys -- these costumed heroes -- wore masks, it must mean something."

"Captain America was missing for twenty years," Starling said. "That could mean the first one died, and this one took his place. He looks awfully young."

"Perhaps. It doesn't really matter. Let's get going."

(Yes, the villains all have bird-themed codenames. I have no idea why.)

This scene just makes my day. I love dramatic unmaskings. I bet they'd have been a lot happier unmasking Iron Man.

The villains then leave Steve and go to a power plant, where we switch POVs to one of the plant employees and get two entirely unnecessary paragraphs about his racist and anti-Semitic thoughts about his coworkers before the villains murder him. Great. Thanks.

Anyway, the villains cause a blackout, while meanwhile they've left Steve alone with the girl villain, and Steve is busy trying to persuade her that crime doesn't pay. He's moved from the "do you know what they'll do to you in prison?" theme onto "how exactly are you going to spend a billion dollars in gold bullion when it's illegal for civilians to possess? who are you going to do business with?" and then points out that gold is heavy and hard to transport, which is when she gets out a a knife.

The bad guys are off to steal the gold, and Steve has now successfully turned the girl they left him with, because she frees him. Of course, the first thing he does is put the cowl back on.

"Why do you wear that?" she asked.

"The mask?" He smiled. "It gives people something external to concentrate upon."

"But..."

"Without it, I'm just another ordinary-looking man. With it, I become a symbol. For some people it creates awe; for others, fear. Look at me. I'm different now, aren't I? With the mask on."

"Yes," she nodded. "You look -- bigger, somehow. Stronger. Fierce, implacable. You look a little scary."

"Exactly. You no longer see me as a person, but as a thing -- an Avenger. It can be a potent psychological weapon."

"They were so disappointed, when they took your mask off. As though underneath they'd find a famous person."

"Maybe that goes on TV -- handsome playboys, and all that. But I've been anonymous all my life. Even my real name would be meaningless to you, to them. No, the mask is part of the uniform, a psychological device. That's the whole story.

Now: let's get out of here. You have a good deal more to tell me yet, and we can't waste more time."

Bwahaha. In a few years, Steve's going to be pretty surprised about who superheroes are, I think.

STEVE, now: Superheroes definitely aren't secretly handsome playboys! That would be silly! STEVE, after Molecule Man: fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUCK I'm such an idiot

I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Also, not that the issue of Steve's psyche actually recurs after this, but he's once again having the narrative vindicate his belief that Steve Rogers is dead and whoever he is under the cowl doesn't matter. Steve, I don't think this is very healthy.

Steve then tracks down the villains stealing the gold, has some geopolitical thoughts about where the gold could be going (he thinks either South Africa or Russia for the best laundering potential) and then hides himself in the villains' trunk while they drive to Staten Island, which is where they're taking the gold out of the country from.

During the final confrontation, Steve finally gets to see the villains, and he discovers that the one in charge is in fact the director of the Federal Reserve Bank who Steve met at the beginning of this book. Gasp. But that's not all! He's also... the Red Skull!

Honestly, I was kind of surprised; I didn't think this was the kind of book where we'd get any known comic villains, but I guess it's always gotta be the Red Skull. I think he's the only one of Steve's big villains who likes to disguise himself; Zemo has obvious disguise issues and I imagine it's also hard to cover up Zola's Teletubby-esque television body.

Steve shoots one of the villains, because I guess that's what he does in this era of canon.

So the plot wraps up in, like, two pages, because for some reason all these early Marvel novels wrap up very fast. Red Skull, of course, attempts to escape and then disappears and his body is never found. The end.

Well.

That was definitely a book. That I read. Believe it or not, I actually think it was the best of these early Marvel prose novels that I've read so far, even if it was also the absolute weirdest; I thought the thriller-style plot was entertaining, I liked Steve and his Extremely Sad characterization, I obviously enjoy all the identity themes, I liked how very detailed the New York setting was, and I do like how they tried to treat it all seriously. I mean, sure, this did lead to LSD in the super-soldier serum in presumably the name of realism, but I felt like the book was trying to present superheroes in a way that didn't feel silly and also didn't really take for granted that the reader would automatically accept superheroes.

It felt like a book that was written hoping that people who weren't superhero fans would read it, if that makes any sense. And I thought that was interesting, because most modern superhero work that I can think of assumes they've got complete audience buy-in and everyone is willing to suspend their disbelief and we all know the genre conventions and are expecting people running around in brightly-colored spandex. Whereas this is more like a James Bond novel if for some reason James Bond were called upon to defend his decision to wear brightly-colored spandex instead of bespoke suits. But I assume no one read it, because Bantam never published a Marvel book after this one.

If you can actually find a copy of this one for a price you're willing to pay. I recommend it. It was delightful and way more solid than I thought it was going to be.

Also, come on, you know you want to read about Captain America's acid trip.

#posts i actually wrote

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filipinoizukuu · 3 years ago

Note

I saw your post about the FA's translations, and I totally agree. Sometimes, when they do not translate accurately, is to make it sound better or cooler in English, but it just ends up taking away a lot from the context and characters. We know how one of the most affected character interpretations is Katsuki's, a main character, no less. And Izuku and Katsuki's relationship too, which is something super super wrong, considering is deeply intertwined with the main plot of the series, thus if someone misinterpreted their dynamic, this person would miss a bigass chunk of the message the story has.

Here is the panel you mentioned before btw

I remember when I read this, only 10 or 11 chapters into the manga (?), and I was like "...I'm...pretty sure this guy didn't say that" khshsjdhs

OK FIRST OF ALL LMAO HELLO MANG!! THANK YOU SO MUCH AND DW ABOUT IT I TOTALLY GET WHAT YOU MEAN !!

(this is your warning for a long post ahead!)

In any case, I still think you're very correct on this! Not to ramble a bit, but Horikoshi's particular talent in developing the plot of MHA is actually very very brilliant and there are a lot of blink-and-you'll-miss-it details that together, assemble the big picture of what MHA is.

Translations are such an integral part of being able to understand foreign media. MHA or otherwise. The simplest of details say a lot about a character and often times make or break a series because everyone knows that strong character dynamics are what carry even the shittiest of plots.

First and foremost, I want to clarify that because of the nature of fan translations and the fact that most of it is volunteer work/ written out of pure enjoyment of the manga--we shouldn't judge these fan translators too harshly (if at all) for interpreting it the way they want to. FA, as far as I can tell, is a fan-based group that works out of donations.

The first thing I wanna bring up is that when it comes to fandom and its works, there are two types: Curatorial and Transformative. Now, the transformative part is something that must be very familiar to a lot of you. Fanfiction, fanart, and most headcanons fall under Transformative Works (i.e. AO3) because they are all about transforming the canon world to fit each individual's personal preferences. Meta-analysis posts and Character Breakdowns are also classified under this.

Curatorial on the other hand are fandom interactions made with the explicit purpose of being as close to canon material as possible. This is working out the logic of quirks, for example, or memorizing as much canon content about your favorite villain as possible. These are more cold, hard undeniable facts that lend themselves to the DIRECT VISION the creator/author had while making this media. If you were to ask me my opinion on this, this would be the moment where I tell you that the Curatorial side of fandom is where fan translations should (for the most part) fall under.

What people need to know though is that oftentimes, fan translations do not.

Translating isn't and has never been a one-is-to-one process. There are hundreds of thousands of aspects in a language that make it so that it isn't perfectly translatable. Colloquialisms to sayings to dialects, to just plain-out words that don't have a proper English translation to them! Manga is made by and for a Japanese audience, so obviously in a lot of instances, there will be cultural nuances that will not be understood by anyone who hasn't immersed themselves in Japanese culture/language.

So what does this mean then for fan scanlations?

It means that a vast majority of translators teach themselves to only get the essence of the message. They take the dialogue as they understand it and translate it to something of their interpretation. When language and cultural barriers exist, translators do what they can in order to make it understandable to the general populace. This means making their own executive decisions on how they see a character speaking. In example, if they see Todoroki using very direct and impersonal Japanese--one translator might interpret it to mean that Shouto is stiff and overly formal, while another may see it as him being rude and aloof.

The problem is, translators are fans just like us.

Like with the image Mang posted above, the translator based the usage of curse words off of their understanding of Bakugou's character. The lack of foul language in the original Japanese might have made the translator think "Oh. There just aren't enough Japanese cusses for his character." And took that as an initiative to make Bakugou's lines more colorful and violent because this was working off of the image Bakugou had had at this point in canon.

But Codi! You may cry. Wasn't it proven multiple times that Bakugou prefers concise and short lines? They should've known better!

Yes. Maybe they should've known better. But tell me honestly in your first watch-through of MHA, did you perfectly understand Bakugou's character either? Did you catch the whole 'direct and no flowery language' aspect of his language when you first saw Season 2?

Most people don't. I only really understood this fact after I'd read multiple discussions of it and even double-checked the manga myself. These are the kinds of things that only become noticeable with a sharp eye and some time to scrutiny. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to fan translations, the clout and recognition are always going to go to who can post the quickest.

Am I excusing erroneous translations? A bit, I guess. It's hard for us to go in and expect translators to catch all these errors before release when we ourselves only catch these errors like 4 months in with a hundred times more canon context than these scanlation groups did at the time of its release.

Still, there are plenty of harms that come with faulty translations.

When a translation is more divorced from the original's meaning than usual, it creates a dissonance between what is actually happening versus what the audience sees is happening. This looks like decently-written character arcs being overruled and rejected by most of the readers because of how 'jarring' and 'clumsy' it seems. By the time translators had caught on to the fact that Bakugou was more than just a ticking time bomb, we were already several steps into showing how significantly he cares for Deku.

The characters affected most by these translation errors are often those with the most subtle and well-written character arcs. A single mistake in how the source material is translated can make or break the international reception of a certain character to everyone who isn't invested enough in them to look deeper into the canon source.

It creates hiccups in plots. Things that seem out of character but really aren't. Going back to MHA in specific, the way that inaccurate translations hurt both the 'curatorial' and 'transformative' parts of the fandom is that people have begun to cite them as proof of the main cast's characterization.

Bakugou and Todoroki are undeniably some of the biggest examples of mistranslation injustices.

Katsuki, in a lot of people's minds, has yet to break out of the 'overly-aggressive rival' archetype box that people had been placing him in since Season 1. One of the most amazing aspects and biggest downfalls of Hori's writing was that at first, nearly every character fit into a very neat stereotype for Shonen Animes (Deku being the talking-no-jutsu sunshine MC, Uraraka being the overly bubbly main girl, Todoroki being the aloof and formal rival). He made the audience make assumptions about everyone's characters and then pulled the rug beneath our feet when he revealed deeper sides of them to play around within canon.

What made this part about Horikoshi's set-up so good though were the many clues we were given from the very beginning that these characters were more than what they acted like. Even from the very first chapters, for example, we learn that Katsuki (as much as he acts like a delinquent) dislikes smoking because it could get him in trouble.

That is just a single instance of MHA's use of dialogue to subtly divert our expectations of a character.

Another example is when they replaced 318's dialogue of the Second User saying that Katsuki "completes" Deku with him saying that Katsuki merely "bolsters" him. This presents a different situation, as that line was meant to reinforce the importance of those two's relationship as well as complete the character foils that MHA is partially centered around. By downplaying their developed connection, it becomes harder for the MHA manga scanlations to justify any future significance these two's words have on each other without mottling the pacing of the story.

AKA, it butchers the plot.

With every new volume, there are dozens and dozens more of these hints and bits scattered around! So many cues and subtle foreshadowing at the trajectory of everyone's character arcs--yet mistranslations or inaccurate scans make it so that we don't notice them. This is what I mean when I said that some character arcs are being done great injustices.

Until now, many people can't accept that Katsuki Bakugou cares for anyone other than himself (much less his rival and MC, Izuku Midoriya), nor can they accept that Todoroki would ever willingly work by Endeavor's side. The bottom-line then becomes that because of people missing heavy bits of characterization that become very plot-significant in the future.

When it comes to the point where people can no longer accept or fit their interpretation of the earlier manga events to what is happening in canon, the point of a translation fails completely because it has lead people to follow an entirely different story.

TL;DR - Fan scans are hard. Translating is hard. Don't get too mad at fan translations, but also maybe don't treat them as the catch-all for how characters truly operate. Thanks.

Side note: DO NOT harass FA for any of these things. FA is actually a pretty legit and okay source for scans (they've been operating since like 2014 ffs), but regardless of that they still don't deserve to get flack for their work. You can have any opinion or perspective of canon that you want, I don't care. These are just my two (more like two million tbh) cents on translations. I suggest reading takes from actual Japanese audiences tbh if you wanna know more about the source material of MHA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#IM SO SORRY MANG I RLLY WENT ON A RAMBLE FOR THIS #asks #mang #bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia

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purrincess-chat · 4 years ago

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Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH5

Aaaand it’s finally time. Surprise! Work has been kicking my butt the past couple weeks, so I’ve been really tired and writing has been slow. But we are still plenty ahead of schedule on this project, so don’t worry your pretty little heads! You’ll still get a chapter every Friday! We’re getting closer to the big shifts. Only a couple more chapters until the real fun begins >:)

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Previous First Next AO3

Chapter 5: when the party’s over

“Good morning, sweetie.”

“Morning, Mom.” Marinette made her way down the stairs, carrying her boots in one hand. She yawned and stooped to kiss her mother’s cheek.

“How was the concert? Did you all have a good time?” her mom asked.

“I had an amazing time! We got to stand backstage for the whole performance, and you’re not gonna believe it! I fixed Jagged's jacket, and to thank me, he invited me to sing a song with him!” Marinette relayed as she grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl.

“Oh, how exciting!” her mom said. “I always knew you would do something amazing.”

“If Eliott hadn't suggested that I ask for tickets, Jagged would have canceled the show. It was really lucky that I was there,” Marinette said, ripping the peel.

“So, I take it everything is going well at your new school?” Her mom took a seat across from her.

“Yeah. I'm making new friends, and I helped someone with their bully,” Marinette answered around a bite.

“Are you happy?”

Marinette slowed her chewing as she mulled over an answer, and sensing her hesitance, her mom placed a hand over hers.

“I know there are things you don't tell me, but I can tell when you're upset,” she said. “You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. All I care about is that you're happy.”

“It's just that…” She took a deep breath before spilling everything. Following Lila and Adrien, the situation with seats, Lila's threats in the bathroom, Alya's akumatization.

Everything.

Once she started, she couldn't stop. Words tumbled from her mouth in a rapid current until hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Her mother moved to hold her, rubbing her back and kissing her hair.

“When you said you wanted to transfer to this new school to focus on your talents, I had no idea you were leaving behind so much,” her mom said. “You've been carrying all of that weight for so long.”

“I didn't know what else to do,” Marinette whimpered. She sniffled against her mother's shoulder.

“Look at me.” Her mom lifted her chin. “You do so much for other people, and that’s wonderful. But I think it's time that you focus on what makes you happy.”

That was the understatement of the century, but Marinette wasn't going to say as much.

“Your father and I raised you to always help others when you can, but we never wanted it to be at the expense of your own happiness. Sometimes it's okay to do what's best for yourself, and I think that changing schools was a smart decision.” She brushed a tear from Marinette's cheek with her thumb. “I know you're hurting now, and if you ever need anything, Papa and I are always here for you.”

“Thanks, Mama,” Marinette said.

She hugged her mother tightly, her worries washing down her face in thin streaks. For once, she wasn't a superhero with the weight of the world on her shoulders—she was a young girl, abandoned and hurt by the people she once trusted. There wasn’t a clever solution to fix everything. No lucky charm to get her out of a messy situation. It was the hardest lesson she'd ever learned. That sometimes there was no magic to reset everything. Some wounds didn't heal, and some bonds stayed broken.

For the first time since she became Ladybug, Marinette didn't have to carry anyone's burdens but her own. For once, she could just cry.

♪♫♪ When I’m Gone ♪♫♪

“Well, class, by an overwhelming majority, I’m happy to announce Lila as our new class representative!” Mlle. Bustier said.

“Mlle. Bustier, I would like a recount!” Chloe demanded.

“You only had two votes, Chloe. I don’t think a recount is necessary.” She gave her a sympathetic smile.

“What? That’s ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Chloe folded her arms over her chest.

“Can you blame us?” Alya asked.

“Yeah, Lila is way cooler than you.” Alix shot back, a sentiment echoed by several others.

Chloe slouched in her seat, seething. “Well, at least Sabrina recognizes my natural leadership,” she said, but her bff averted her gaze. “Don’t tell me you voted for her too?”

“Sorry, Chloe.” Sabrina shrank when Chloe gasped in disbelief.

“Are my ears deceiving me? How dare you!” Chloe slammed her fist on the desk as the whole class erupted into laughter.

“Wow, even Sabrina is tired of you,” Nathaniel said.

Chloe’s jaw clenched, cheeks burning angry and hot. Even the shrimpy comic book nerd was laughing at her. What had the world come to?

“I don’t want to cause any trouble, but I did win fair and square, Chloe. I hope you aren’t too mad at me.” Lila curled her shoulders. “The last thing I want to do is make another enemy like I did with Marinette. I just want to do my best to make your lives as easy as possible here.”

“See? Now that’s natural leadership.” Alya smirked.

“You’re all so lame. I wouldn’t want your votes anyway.” Chloe glared at Lila as class resumed and clicked her stylus pen. Lila wasn’t some nobody like Marinette. She was going to be harder to push around. Regardless, if there was something Chloe wanted, she always got it.

♪♫♪ I Don’t Care ♪♫♪

“Congrats on winning class representative,” Alya said at the next class change. “I can go over all of your duties with you this afternoon if you want. Marinette and I used to discuss things over ice cream.”

Lila suppressed an eye roll. The sooner Alya stopped talking about that brat, the better. Things were working out in Lila’s favor already now that she was gone. Pretty soon she’d own this school, and no one would even remember Marinette’s name.

“Actually, I’m recovering from tonsilitis, so my doctor said I’m not allowed to eat any dairy.” Lila touched her throat delicately. “Besides, you and I should pick our own rituals and forget about Marinette.”

“True, I guess.” Alya pursed her lips, and Lila placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I know it’s hard to move on, but honestly, Marinette is nobody,” Lila said. “Though not many people can say they saved an entire village from a stampede, so I guess I shouldn’t be one to judge.”

“Not all of us can be so amazing.” Alya chuckled good-naturedly. “I guess part of me just wishes that Marinette could have gotten to know you and seen how cool you are.”

“Her loss.” Lila shrugged as they entered the locker room.

“Did you see-”

“Is that for real?”

“No way!”

“What’s going on?” Alya asked Adrien and Nino.

“Marinette sang with Jagged Stone last night at his concert here in Paris.” Nino explained, tilting his phone toward them.

“What?” Lila snatched it from him.

“Miraculous, yeah I got this! I gotta confess I feel so strong!”

“She asked him for tickets yesterday on Instagram, and he gave her backstage passes,” Mylène said.

“She looks so happy and confident,” Rose cooed.

“Wouldn’t you be if you got to sing with Jagged Stone on stage?” Alix said.

“I miss her.” Rose slumped, and several classmates followed suit.

“Yeah, me too,” Max echoed.

“Hey, Lila, since you’re such good friends with Jagged Stone, do you think you could get us tickets to his next show?” Kim asked.

Every eye turned to her expectantly, and her annoyance flared. Of course Marinette wouldn’t go quietly. That stupid brat was causing her problems even after she was gone. Lila wasn’t worried though. This situation just needed a little precision…

“Well, I would love to, but celebrities like Jagged really don’t like to give stuff away for free. It’s kind of taboo to even ask. I’m sure Jagged only complied this time because he wanted to save face. He cares about his fans so much, but it’s actually very rude to ask someone for special treatment,” Lila said. “I feel really bad for Jagged being put on the spot like that. She could have ruined his reputation.”

“Wow, I guess I didn’t realize…” Kim rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d hate to put you in that position.”

“I can’t believe Marinette would do such a thing.” Nathaniel glared down at his phone.

“Yeah, way uncool.”

“Everyone, please don’t make a fuss and blame Marinette. She isn’t used to dealing with celebrities. I’m sure she meant no harm.” Lila assured them. “If only she were still here. I have so much I could teach her.”

“We’re so lucky to have you, Lila,” Nino said. He draped an arm across her shoulders.

“Yeah, thanks, Lila!”

“You’re the best.”

Lila smiled as the bell rang, and everyone shuffled off to class. Marinette wasn’t going to get ahead so easily. Everyone was still exactly where Lila wanted them, and she’d make sure it stayed that way.

♪♫♪ Primadonna ♪♫♪

Later that afternoon, the girls gathered in the bathroom to comfort Mireille who was crying over some stupid argument she’d had with her boyfriend, not that Chloe cared. All she wanted was to find dirt on Lila, so she slipped in unnoticed and hid in an empty stall to listen.

Nothing was right in her school anymore. Lila was stealing away everything she’d worked for, and while everyone was too busy paying attention to her, Chloe barely had anyone to boss around. Something needed to change. Fast. She would have to be smarter if she wanted to dethrone this queen, but she’d have order restored in her kingdom soon enough.

Chloe peeked through the crack in the door as Alya and Lila entered. She was going to find Lila’s weakness, then she was going to take her down.

“What’s going on?” Lila asked.

“Mireille and her boyfriend got into a fight, and she’s pretty upset,” Mylène said in a hushed tone.

“Marinette used to give advice to everyone and help them stay positive.” Rose glanced up at Lila. “Since you’re the new class representative, you can help, right?”

“Well, Mireille isn’t really in our class,” Lila said, but when Mireille let out a loud sob, she scrunched her nose and knelt beside her. “Hey, there’s no sense crying over some boy. I’ve had my heart broken before too, so I know how it feels. Boys are dumb. He’s not worth your tears,” she said. “If he really loved you, he wouldn’t have argued with you, and if he doesn’t love you, then you shouldn’t waste your time crying over him. I think you should move on because there’s no better revenge than finding someone cuter.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Mireille sniffled and ran a hand across her cheek.

“We can get some ice cream later if you want.” Alya offered.

“Thanks, girls.” Mireille smiled. She turned to the mirror to fix her face as the bell rang.

“See you later.” They all waved goodbye, shuffling to their next class and leaving Mireille alone.

Drat. Chloe would have to figure out another way to get to Lila. Everyone had a weakness, and Chloe would find hers if it was the last thing she did. But first she needed to get out of the bathroom stall.

She peeked through the crack in the door, but Mireille was still pouting over her lock screen—a picture of her boyfriend hugging her lovingly. Too preoccupied with her sadness, she didn’t see the little black butterfly land on her charm bracelet.

Chloe gasped as Mireille transformed before her eyes, closing the stall door before she could be noticed. She hated to admit it, but she actually missed Maribrat Dupain-Cheng. At least with her around giving pep talks to every miserable face she came across, akumas had reached an all-time low at their school. Where was Ladybug when she needed her?

♪♫♪ Listen ♪♫♪

“So, you really saved his whole show?” One of Marinette’s new classmates asked as everyone crowded around her.

“I’m sure they would have found another solution but-”

“Oh, don’t be modest!” Eliott cut her off with an eye roll. “She totally saved the whole show.”

“Yeah, Jagged Stone adores her.” Macy added with a giggle.

“I still think it should have been you up there, Macy. You’re a much better singer than I am.” Marinette rubbed the back of her neck.

“You have such a cute voice! We should sing a duet together for our next art project,” Macy said, and several classmates agreed, much to Marinette’s chagrin.

“Alright, class, everyone take your seats,” Mme. Allard instructed as she strolled into the room. To Marinette’s relief, the group surrounding her dispersed. “Today we will be discussing themes in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Now, who can tell me-”

When Marinette’s phone buzzed in her bag, she checked it under her desk. “An akuma alert!”

“What’s that?” Eliott leaned over.

“Is something the matter, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng? M. Chasse?” Mme. Allard paused her lesson and quirked a brow.

“Uh, there’s an akuma loose in the city, ma’am. Shouldn’t we evacuate?” Marinette held up her phone.

Mme. Allard removed her glasses to read the report. “It says here that lockdown orders are only for the area surrounding Notre Dame. We will continue our lesson until it becomes a threat on this side of town,” she said. “Now, put your phone away. They are prohibited during instruction.”

“Yes, Mme. Allard.” Marinette tucked her phone back into her bag and exchanged a nervous look with Tikki. “Actually, Mme. Allard?”

“What is it, Marinette?”

“Can I be excused to the bathroom?”

“You just went before we got here.” Macy gave her a quizzical look.

“Do you have a documented medical condition that requires you to frequent the restroom, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng?” Mme. Allard asked.

A few classmates giggled, and Marinette’s cheeks burned.

“No, ma’am,” she mumbled.

“Then I think you can hold it until the next class change. Now don’t interrupt my lecture again.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She lowered her head, shooting Tikki an apologetic wince.

Her foot tapped the entire lecture, fingers drumming, pen tapping, eyes watching the clock. Part of her hoped the akuma would make its way to their side of town, but she wasn’t so lucky. When the bell rang, Marinette jumped from her chair and stuffed her tablet into her bag.

“Uh, I’m not feeling too well, so I’m gonna go see the nurse,” she said.

“Do you want us to walk with you?” Eliott offered, but she shook her head.

“I, uh, think I might be getting the flu, and I don’t want to infect you guys, so I’ll see you later.” She raced up the hallway.

The third-floor bathroom was empty when Marinette burst through the doors and ducked into a stall—her first stroke of luck all day.

“Your new school is so strict,” Tikki said.

“We can talk about it later. Transform me!”

Dashing across the rooftops, she hurled her yoyo as far as she could. She just hoped Chat Noir managed to show up and keep things at bay. When she made it to the school, she swooped down just in time to deflect an attack before it hit Chat Noir.

“Oh, nice of you to finally drop in,” he said dryly.

“Sorry, kitty, I got held up,” she said. “You okay?”

He relaxed and offered her a wink. “Better now that you’re here. You had me worried.”

“I’ll try not to make a habit of it.” She vowed, readying her yoyo. “In the meantime, I think we could use a little luck to get us out of this mess.”

“Be my guest.” Chat Noir bowed.

Her magnifying glass made quick work of Heartbreaker, and Mireille blinked in confusion as Ladybug purified the akuma.

“What happened?” Mireille asked, dazed.

“You were akumatized.” Chat Noir explained.

“Oh no!” She covered her face. “I got so angry…Now Jean will never take me back!”

Ladybug placed a hand on Mireille’s shoulder with a reassuring smile. “Hey, arguments in relationships happen. I’m sure you both said things you regret, so why don’t you try talking to him now that you’ve both calmed down?” She advised. “I’m sure you can come to an understanding.”

“I will. Thank you, Ladybug.” Mireille smiled. She waved as Ladybug and Chat Noir vaulted off.

“Thanks for your help, m’lady.” Chat Noir kissed her hand.

“Sorry it took me so long, kitty. I’m glad you were able to manage,” she said. “I’ll see you next time.”

“Don’t be late,” he called as she swung off.

Landing back in the bathroom, she leaned against the wall with a sigh. That was too close. She’d have to figure out a better way to escape to fight akumas, but at least she made it in time for this one.

She slipped into her desk in physics quietly and leaned over to Eliott. “What’d I miss?”

“I thought you had the flu?” Eliott recoiled.

“False alarm, just allergies,” she said.

“Oh, we should go to the spa later! The sauna is really good for your sinuses,” Macy whispered.

“Uh, sure.” Marinette nodded, shifting in her seat as they tuned back into the lesson. She relaxed when no one seemed suspicious of her.

Being a superhero just got a lot more complicated.

♪♫♪ Delicate ♪♫♪

“How is your new school?” Adrien asked that afternoon over tea and cookies.

“I’m…adjusting.” Marinette pursed her lips. “How is the old school?”

“Well,” Adrien drawled. “Lila is the new class representative, and she may have convinced people that you almost ruined Jagged’s image.”

“What a brat.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “She’s really class rep?”

“Don’t look at me, I voted for Chloe.” Adrien held up defensive hands.

“Somehow I don’t feel like that’s better.” Marinette leaned against her fist with a smirk.

She fixed her gaze on her cup with a sigh.

“Rose said she misses you.” Adrien offered. “Before Lila convinced her you were clueless about dealing with celebrities.”

“I miss her too,” Marinette said. She traced the rim of her cup with a finger. “I miss everyone, but…”

“I know.” Adrien winced. “For what it’s worth, I thought your performance with Jagged was awesome.”

“It was pretty awesome,” she admitted with a giggle. “And I got you an autograph!”

Adrien pressed his palms together appreciatively as she retrieved a signed poster of Jagged’s face from her desk.

“You rock, Marinette!” he said in his best Jagged impression, then more sincerely added, “I’m glad that you’re doing what’s best for you. If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

“Thank you, Adrien.” Her cheeks warmed as he held her gaze, her mind clouding into a lovestruck haze. She almost got lost in his gorgeous green eyes, but footsteps pounded up the staircase, breaking her trance.

Marinette jumped as her trapdoor swung open, and a familiar pair of icy blue eyes poked through. It was Chloe Bourgeois, and she was pissed.

#mdcspr #marinette dupain-cheng's spite playlist remix #my writing

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anerdinallherglory · 4 years ago

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Approaching Sun (30)

Author’s Note: Happy late Valentine’s Day! Fun note: I actually started A.S. on this very same holiday a couple years back. And I did not expect the length or plot this story has taken at allll. Again, I am sorry this is so late. I am hoping to update a LOT more this summer (only one summer class this time!) Unless I get the new job that I am hoping for (fingers crossed). But if I get this job, my free time to write will really open up for me. So it’s a win-win for this story either way.

Also, I want to especially thank these readers: adarkunicorn, softshelldefence, seafoamsands, hatakeliz, harza4925, peachop, cheese-and-biscuits, epitomeofprocrastination, tamnobela, and andreeastroe. These readers really encouraged me to keep writing this story after I was ready trash and take it off all of its publishing sites. You can thank them this story continues.

To all my reviewers, I seriously love you ALL. I am hoping I will get to a point where I can take a break from student emails and respond to each and every one of your reviews in the future. That will be my new year’s resolution this year! I am going to be better. You are all amazing and bring me so much joy and encouragement.

Pairing: SasuSaku

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Chapter 30: A Very Dangerous Game

Sasuke hated Kaguya’s sand dimension even more than he disliked the desert that covered the vast majority of the Land of Wind. This dimension was forever hot despite that the dimension’s otherworldly moon hung low in the dark horizon, a massive orb of blinding white that mirrored the Earth’s moon in exact replica. Sasuke had always felt like the illusion was a reminder of the Otsusuki people, and that Kaguya had designed this dimension to display something that reminded her of home. To Sasuke, the dimension moons eerily reminded him of Kaguya’s pupil-less irises, always watching the spaces that existed between nothing.

Glaring at it in paranoid response, Sasuke, deprived of chakra now, walked toward it slowly and determinedly as a challenge. He would show her exactly how her dimensions were now his domains. The Uchiha decided he would walk freely here because he couldn’t do as he pleased his own world. He wanted to scream curses at that eye-like globe, demanding the Otsusuki show up and take him on now in his weakened state.

“Come on!” he screamed. “All of you! What are you waiting for? Let’s get this over with! I will find you all eventually!” He wanted it done. He wanted this over. He wanted to have a life despite his promise to be the worlds’ sacrifice for peace.

As if to taunt him, Sasuke’s shuffling feet snagged over something in the sand, and he glanced down at his feet in surprise. A ninja’s vest, half-burnt away from acid, displayed itself like a green bearing flag left behind by those who had explored a barren planet. Even though Sasuke had been the only human to ever walk here, Sakura’s old vest that Sasuke had used as a teleport connection between dimensions back when he had been trapped here, always served as a call to his more current jumps. In other words, every time Sasuke had come here over the past couple of years, no matter where he opened the portal, he would always land within a few feet of it.

In the past, he had thought of removing it because it was a painful reminder in many ways. But as he returned consistently to the same spot, Sasuke began to theorize that it had something to do with his ability to travel here. At first, Sasuke believed it was because during teleportation, his path crisscrossed into a connection that had already been created and used before—this was the most likely explanation; his chakra simply wasn’t strong enough to rip a new tear in the fabric of space and time. But as he looked at it now, Sasuke wondered if there was more to it than that. Did emotions tie him to this piece of fabric? And because Sasuke’s friends always existed somewhere in the back of his mind, did his chakra seek it out as something familiar to secure itself to before flinging him through the vacuum of nothingness?

Sasuke glared back at the moon in hatred, wondering too, if it could be just a sick part of Kaguya’s illusions, knowing that the vest had in the past and always, always would continue to stop the Uchiha in his tracks. A temptation reminding him of a different life, one that would cause him to ignore the Otsusuki. Kaguya would want that.

He sat down beside it despite how much he wanted to turn and walk away from it as he always had. This time, he let it be his beacon out of the void, drawing some sort of strength from it in his chakra-deprived state. The whole point of being this exhausted was to avoid thinking of her, but the tattered shinobi vest always pricked him with guilt, especially now when he had left her alone in Sunagakure despite his promises of partnership. It was as if the green material had a voice of its own, saying “See how far she would go for you?” And Sasuke, keeping his thoughts private from the ever-watching rock above, would think to himself “I am doing this for her, too. She will understand eventually. She will accept just how far I am willing to go for this peace we both envision. We have the same goal.”

As Sasuke thought these thoughts again, Sasuke accepted that if they couldn’t be united in love, then at the very least, they would be united in the same goal, the same vision of happiness. It comforted him ever so slightly.

He sighed as he fingered the chakra pills at his waist, guilt invading his chest and suffocating him. How could he tell her his true feelings and make her accept what he was willing to accept? How could he satisfy the both of them and do the least damage?

Sasuke exhaled and leaned back in the sand once more to sleep, sweat beading across his brow in the high temperature. He turned on his side and faced the vest in exhaustion, pretending it was her—pretending to be satisfied with this small piece of the woman he loved and would ever allow himself to dream this close to.

. . . . . . . . . . .

The blackness pervaded all of Sakura’s senses as soon as her feet hit the ground opposite the giant hole she had just created in the sand. She blinked hard, hearing the cursing and alarmed proclamations of those she had attacked. The darkness was like a leaden mist before her eyes and Sakura instinctively created the sign of “release” for genjutsu. And whether it was from her lack of chakra, or because this was a ninjutsu, Sakura’s attempts yielded zero results. The blackness remained and blinded her past several inches in front of her face. When she heard Isao’s shout for her, she had no choice but to dart forward blindly, determined to reach him before someone else did.

“Let go of me!” the child screamed, his pursuer unfortunately catching up with him. Sakura navigated through the pillars of sand-dripping earth that now projected themselves in the air around her. With hands outstretched, she cursed herself. The blow had meant to disorient her opponents and it had, but this damn thickening darkness made it difficult to move forward through the landscape of her own destruction. Thankfully, the waterfalling crumble of sand masked her rushed footfalls.

The kunoichi drew upon her chakra once more, but it came as slowly as before, the medicine still lingering in her system with its toxic chakra clotting effects. Sakura moved hurriedly ahead, hoping that she wasn’t the only one choked with darkness.

Isao’s curses came and Sakura finally rounded a huge boulder to find herself facing the back of the thug’s head. He had his massive hands around the child’s throat, weapon tossed aside in favor of a crueler death to the victim that had caused him so much trouble. Despite his struggle for his life, Isao made eye contact with her the moment they were close enough to see each other. His attacker saw recognition register in the boy’s eyes and spun to face her. But it was too late. Sakura’s kunai was slicing the gray flesh of his throat before he even had time to see her, a final blow that had been delayed from earlier, but determined by fate to be his cause of death. The brutish ninja dropped to the ground instantly and Sakura justified the blood that pooled freely at her feet by remembering his cruel actions to the child that struggled to catch his breath before her.

Sakura picked up the abandoned weapon, the weight unfamiliar in her hands. The sound of the man’s death had betrayed her position, and the footsteps of his companions crunched closer to her location. Terrified, Sakura clutched the child, pushing him behind the jagged column of rock behind her.

“Isao,” she pleaded in a whisper. “You have to make a run for it.”

“I won’t leave you,” he declared, determined to fight to his death for her.

“The only thing you can do for me now is to go get help,” she said honestly. It was a half-truth. There were only a few realities before them, and Isao making it back to the village and bringing help was not likely due to how much time it would take. But Sakura was desperate to remove the brave child from the scenario. She cared too much to let him sacrifice himself for her.

“Miss—” he protested, but Sakura propelled him forward in the blinding darkness, an enemy’s footsteps rounding the earth that cloaked him. It was too late to argue, and Sakura turned to face the phantom-man who stepped toward her in visibility, shadows curling around him as he cleared a path through the inky mist.

Sakura faced him squarely, taking a defensive stance and raising the wicked katana with her sharper green eyes, sending a stare to him along the metal’s surface. The shadow-wielding ninja smirked and the rest of his crew appeared beside him.

“Go!” she screamed in final command at the child whose feet took off into the black at her back.

Sakura brandished the sword in confident threat at her attackers, herself serving as the shield between herself and Isao; they wouldn’t move an inch in pursuit of his direction if she had anything to do with it. Sakura had never wielded a sword before, but in the absence of chakra, she would become a master at it in this moment. Sakura was a kunoichi, a medic, a chakra control master, the pupil of a legendary Sanin, a rising legend herself, and today, she would add something else to her list. Scratch that. She would two things tonight: she would eradicate this new movement of anti-peace revolutionaries, and she would do it at disadvantage with the weapon of her enemy.

. . . . . . . .

As Isao ran, he clutched his side in pain, a sharp stab in his waist. The man who Sakura had killed moments before must have broken one of his ribs as he crushed Isao to the ground. At first, the young ninja pitched forward in blackness, half-debating to turn back to help the pink-haired ninja. But Isao knew the truth. He had been foolish to pursue her and her kidnappers alone and he cursed himself for his rash decisions in his fear of losing sight of them; he should have told someone else even if he lost their trail. Any of them, anyone at allwould have been better help to Miss Haruno than he had been.

Isao’s bravery amounted to nothing and it was evident in every piercing word from the medic kunoichi: The only thing you can do for me now is to go get help … Isao let the command fuel him forward despite the pain, until the night faded into morning hours later and the mighty walls of the Sand Village came into view.

He didn’t know how much time had passed and he didn’t wait to scream for help. The Kazekage was not in the village—he had overheard that much. Neither was the teammate that traveled with Miss Haruno. He yelled the only name he could think of, the name his heart still cried out to despite how much he hated him. The roaring sand shrouded his cries, and the prison walls would buffer it completely, but Isao begged to the air, shouting over and over, “FATHER! HELP ME!”

. . . . . . . .

The taste of the chakra pill was bitter, smoky and acrid. The Uchiha almost gagged trying to swallow it down, and he silently confirmed that Sai had been right—although Sasuke hated to agree with anything his entitled replacement said. What had he called them? Mudballs? Despite the accurate term, Sasuke feared his kunoichi companion more than he hated the taste, so he would keep the complaint to himself.

The pill pooled in his stomach and Sasuke took a breath, focusing on the ignition starting in his core. The rush of power was exhilarating as it topped off his chakra supply, overflowing visibly in a blue-purple halo around him. It sizzled along his skin and Sasuke grinned wickedly as a spiraling vortex appeared before him, much larger than any he had been able to create on his own before.

This was it! It was working! He pushed beyond the core dimension easily, his ready supply of chakra speedily fueling the tunnel between the void, but it ate and ate away at his energy and the color disappeared from his skin. Running off his own meager supply now, Sasuke exhaled and grinded his teeth in concentration. Finally, the connection was made and Sasuke threw himself through it.

He landed roughly, skidding to a halt, and he was ironically thankful for once for the Land of Wind’s high volume of sand. Sasuke found himself smirking up at the lightening sky as he recovered, because this was his first victory in a long struggle of jumping dimensions. To the Uchiha, it was proof that he was doing exactly what he was meant to do: beat Kaguya and the Otsusuki clan at their own game in their own territory. Giddy in his success, Sasuke used the last of his dwindling energy to rise to his feet, his thoughts immediately turning to the woman who had helped make this all possible—he hadn’t achieved this on his own; Sakura deserved the credit. And it was the first time that Sasuke could admit that he needed someone else’s help in his goal.

The dark walls of Sunagakure cut the bright morning horizon in half and Sasuke’s gut twisted in a combination of emptiness and guilt at the thought of returning to Sunagakure to face his friend after their… kiss. Sasuke was torn between finding her immediately to tell her that their plan had worked, pretending the kiss never happened in typical Uchiha fashion. But the time he had stolen away from her “to think” brought him to only one conclusion: he needed to apologize—again—and at least explain why. He had made her a promise to be a partner that depended on each other, and here Sakura was continuing to keep that promise, while Sasuke stole moments of happiness and bailed when he had to face the consequences. Suddenly remembering their sunset conversation the last time he had returned after leaving, Sasuke felt a fresh stab to his consciousness as he recalled her statement: “a part of partnership is communication.”

Sasuke slowly made his way toward the village gates. When he passed through the canyon-like entrance, people greeted him with “good mornings” while others stared openly at him. Their gazes were a little different, warmer, and Sasuke wondered if his teammate’s influence in the hospital had something to do with his newreception in Sunagakure now.

Feeling even more ashamed, Sasuke resolved himself for his female companion’s wrath and made a straight line for the hospital.

When he entered the hospital’s double doors, Sasuke came upon a scene that made his stomach drop into his feet. Kankuro, who was haggard from exhaustion, and had apparently returned sometime in the night, was fisting the collar of a hospital staff member.

“What do you mean they’re not here?” he bristled. “If she’s not in her rooms, then she should be here. Where’s Mako? Where’s the kid?”

“I don’t know sir,” came the panicked response from the employee, terrified to be facing the Kazekage’s right-hand man. “I’m sure they’re in the village somewhere.”

Hearing those words had Sasuke acting before thinking and the Uchiha rushed forward to fist the shirt of the same medic. “Are you talking about Sakura?” His eyes darted between the both of them and Kankuro’s grip released from the startled staff’s shirt in the same moment he shoved Sasuke’s own hand away.

“Where the hell have you been?” Kankuro accused icily, and a fire Sasuke didn’t even know he had left in him, surged from his throat in anger.

“What the hell is happening?” he demanded, taking another step toward the puppet wielder.

Kankuro pinched his nose in frustration, then beheld him in shock. “You mean Sakura isn’t with you?”

Sasuke eyes widened in immediate response, an answer refusing to form on his lips. Instead, he shouted, “You don’t know where she is?!”

Kankuro frowned deeper at his sudden animosity. “She hasn’t been seen since yesterday morning,” he explained quickly. “The innkeeper said she never came back to the inn. Mako, another medic, and Sakura’s young patient are missing too.”

Sasuke didn’t wait for any further explanation before he began sprinting up the stairs to the second floor of the hospital, the filter for his behavior now completely removed. Let everyone think what they want! That bastard! When Sasuke got ahold of Mako, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Sasuke’s feet were unusually heavy and his breath labored as he continued climbing to the third floor toward the medicine preparation room they had occupied together only recently.

“Sakura?!” He kicked open the door and furiously searched the vacant room with his eyes. After seeing no one, Sasuke stared at the empty couch where they had sat so close to one another the night before last. As if his memory of her there could recall her, Sasuke gazed openly at it, breathing hard.

Having followed the Uchiha, Kankuro appeared in the door behind him. “We’ve already checked the hospital. She isn’t here. We need to check the rest of the village, quickly!”

She couldn’t be missing. Was she really with that assistant of hers or that child? Were they off somewhere else doing something medical, or were they truly missing? Shit. Shit. Shit.

He turned on Kankuro in his unnerved rage. Sasuke wanted to demand where they had been, he and the Kazekage, but Sasuke remembered that Sakura had told him that they were investigating trouble near the border. He cursed himself again for being selfish and leaving her here alone.

As if reading his thoughts, Kankuro explained, “I was sent back by the Kazekage in the night. He is handling a situation regarding the ninja Sakura said ambushed you both in Tanigakure. The incidents were apparently related.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke suddenly asked, a deep and cutting sensation coming over Sasuke that he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time: fear.

Kankuro looked down and away from him, debating on how much to reveal. “With some unmentionable methods, we were finally able to find out who their target was,” he finally informed with a sigh. His eyes rose to meet Sasuke’s and the Uchiha saw the same raw fear mirrored in Kankuro’s eyes. “It’s Sakura.”

At the very moment that Sasuke’s knees felt like collapsing beneath his weight, the same staff member that the two ninja had threatened seconds before, came running into the room, panting heavily from having hiked the floors.

“Come quickly,” he urged between breaths, turning immediately to run back down the steps. “Isao has returned.”

Kankuro made eye contact with the Uchiha before they both bolted back down the stairs, taking two and three steps at time. Sasuke cursed his lack of chakra that kept him from just teleporting downstairs.

Sitting in a chair, the child clutched his side. Sasuke noticed that he kept trying to rise, but the staff held him down as they tried to bandage a wound on his arm. Deep purple finger marks circled around the child’s neck like a collar.

“Not me! Her! Go find her, please!” he shouted as he struggled against them.

“Calm down boy,” a woman medic urged. “We have to staunch the flow of blood from your arm.” The child looked at his wound as if he didn’t even know it had been there.

When Isao caught sight of Sasuke and Kankuro, he started to cry. “HELP! Please help!” he shouted, and they quickly moved to hover over the child. Kankuro suddenly kneeled before him, taking the gauze from the medic and wrapped the child’s arm himself as he questioned.

“Speak kid,” Kankuro urged, “What is going on?”

“Miss Haruno,” he choked between tears. “She’s still out there! Please, we have to go!”

Before Kankuro could ask the child why, Sasuke did something appalling, an act that Sakura would be disappointed in him for. His sharingan flashed bright, soaking up the last of his chakra like a sponge, and he caught the panicked child’s stare in his own crimson and purple one.

Just as he had to Isao’s father, Sasuke stepped into the child’s memories. Isao’s recollections were almost too overwhelming for Sasuke to handle at the moment, each image dripping with the fear in which young ones saw the ninja world. There was also bravery in them and familial concern for the pink-haired kunoichi. Sasuke skipped through the memories like speeding up a film, an act that made his head throb in pain. He didn’t care about his own state at the moment though, seeking the green-eyed face of the woman he had come to love.

There. Isao’s most recent memory Sakura was of her telling him “to go get help.” Sasuke didn’t have time to go back further and he let the memories play out from that point, mapping the child’s nighttime desert sprint, hours long, from the empty desert back to the gates of the village.

Not needing to explore the child’s mind further, he released Isao and they both gasped. Sasuke clutched his eye, ignoring the angry glare on Kankuro’s face. He didn’t care about Kankuro’s morals or even the child’s shocked state at that moment. There was only one thing he cared about. He would let the child explain the details to Kankuro; Sasuke didn’t have the time to explain things to Kankuro. Instead, the Uchiha did the unthinkable, playing the very dangerous game of popping another chakra pill into his mouth as he sprinted out the hospital doors.

#approaching sun #approachingsun #sasusaku #Happy Valentine's Day #Sakura Haruno #sasuke and sakura #ssfanfiction #sasusakufanfiction #Sasuke Uchiha #sasukeshinden #sasuke shinden #sakura hiden #naruto fanfiction #narutolightnovels

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16woodsequ · 4 years ago

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The Alternative Timeline; A Journey

If you don't know, I have spent the last two years writing a 2012-alternate timeline AU Marvel fanfic. (You can find it here).

It has grown way past anything that I could have ever imagined. In celebration of completing the final chapter of the fourth part, I thought I would make a post detailing this journey for anyone interested, because when I started this in 2019, I definitely did not expect to end up writing an epic of over 500,000 words.

Spoilers under the cut.

First off, I think it is important to note that before I started the first fic in this series, Alternatively, I had published a total of two (2) fics in the mcu universe. My very first Marvel fic Lessons Learned was posted January 2019. My second Marvel fic Never Again was posted March 2019. (Both of which combined have a total word count of 5,716.) And then, on May 4th, 2019, I watched Avengers: Endgame, and lost my mind.

Upon watching Endgame, I was struck immediately by the time-travel scene to 2012. The fact that 2023!Steve told 2012!Steve that Bucky was alive...and that he said 'Hail Hydra' to the STRIKE team in the elevator...never mind the fact that Loki got away with the Tesseract...

There was just so much potential there. I wanted to build an AU where Steve and Tony could be friends, and I was pumped to explore the consequences of 2023!Steve's 'Hail Hydra'. I thought this universe had the potential to right a lot of wrongs, and I just had to try it.

So first I had to start planning. This was right after Endgame was released, so there weren't a lot of posts going around about the alternate timeline. I had to come up with most of my theories and ideas myself.

Also, there were hardly any Youtube videos of the specific scenes I needed from Endgame, and there was no online script yet, because the movie was still in theatres. So I had to resort to shaky illegally filmed videos from people in theatre to get the dialogue I needed from the 2012 time-travel scene. It was a struggle. XD

Writing Alternatively

One big hurdle I had to figure out was how Steve would go undercover in Hydra. I knew I wanted him to, because that would be super interesting, and would allow him to find Bucky and take down Hydra from the inside, but I had to figure out how he convinced Hydra of his loyalty in the first place.

The path I chose (Steve claiming he is disillusioned with the modern world etc.) may seem rather obvious to the outside observer, but it might amuse you to learn I played around with the idea of Steve trying to claim he was secretly partial to Hydra even during the war. I honestly did spend a few days contemplating Steve somehow trying to say he was on Hydra's side even while he was actively fighting them. It makes me laugh to think about it now.

Obviously I went with a more believable lie, and eventually figured out everything I wanted to have happen in the story. At this point, I had no plans to write more than a single story.

Because Endgame had just come out, and I was so excited about this idea, I wanted to write it and get it out as fast as possible. For some reason I was worried that someone else would write the idea before I did. It felt like such an intriguing concept that I thought for sure other people would do it too. As such, I had several WIPs that I put on the back burner while I focused all my attention on writing Alternatively. (These WIPs still haven't been published, my writing has improved immensely over the last two years, so I think I might have to re-write them XD).

One thing that helped me a lot writing this story is I already had a lot of headcanons about the inner lives of the characters, and I was desperate for somewhere to put them. I hadn't had a chance yet to really write about Steve's PTSD, so that became a major theme in the story that helped push it along.

Alternatively was the longest story I had ever written when I first got started. Before writing Alternatively, the longest (published) word count I had was 7,544. And, I had only published one (1) multi-chapter fic, that had three chapters, and 4,621 words.

Looking at that, I doubt anyone could have imagined what I was about to undertake. Not even myself. But I really really wanted to write the story, so I ran with it.

I decided that I was going to write all the chapters first, before I published it. This is what I had been doing with my WIPs anyway (and I'm glad I did, or those things wouldn't have been updated for like, two years). I will admit that once I got to chapter 10 of Alternatively I was really tempted to just start posting it, because I was so excited and really wanted to start sharing it.

I managed to restrain myself though. It took my four months to write all twenty chapters of Alternatively. It was a frustrating process at times, because I had an idea in my head of what I wanted, but I felt like my writing skills were not on par with that ideal. I wanted this fic to be good, and it was hard to get it to where I wanted it. This got easier over time though, because one thing a project like this does is give you writing practice.

At the time, I didn't even have my own laptop, so I was writing on school computers, or my family computer. (I got a laptop once I started The Alternate Handler though, this story is actually part of what pushed me to get a laptop in the first place.)

Finally, I finished the last chapter, and I edited it for the final time, and then, on August 29th, 2019, I published the first chapter.

I was amazed at the response I received. Before this I had only written twelve stories, most of them oneshots. I'm not saying my story went viral or anything, but I got a lot more feedback than I was used to. This was super awesome, and made me even more excited to share what I had written.

Even as I was posting Alternatively, I didn't really expect to write any more in this universe. Except...there was so much about Bucky in this story that the reader didn't get to see. I knew all about it because I had to know what was going on in his head while Steve did his thing, but the readers wouldn't know more than Steve knew.

And so, as I posted Alternatively, a very determined plot-bunny began to work away at my brain. I actually gave into it at one point and wrote a little bit of what would become The Alternate Handler, but I stopped after the first four chapters for a while.

Fun fact: The first four chapters I wrote are actually the first two chapters of The Alternate Handler. Each chapter was only about 2,000 words long, so when I started writing the story in earnest, I combined the first four chapters into two.

I don't remember what exactly was the trigger that made me really want to write Bucky's side of things, but around the time that I posted chapter 10 of Alternatively, I started getting the same insane urge that had pushed me to write Alternatively in the first place, and I decided to go for a sequel.

Writing The Alternate Handler

I started posting this story Jan 2020.

I was excited to write this story, because of how interesting Bucky's thoughts were, but part of me was a little nervous that people would not be interested in reading the same fic from another pov. I knew it would be interesting, but I wasn't sure if people would give it a shot.

I decided to go for it anyways. I was pretty amazed at myself because I had just written something that was 100,000 words long, and people seemed to be liking it. (Of course, I never could have imagined that The Alternate Handler would double that. I definitely expected it to be about 20 chapters long like the first one.)

I decided that I wanted to get as much of The Alternate Handler finished before I finished posted Alternatively as I could, so that I could started posting The Alternate Handler right away. I felt that the best way to keep a steady readership was to make sure they could follow the next story right away.

That meant that I had only about 10 weeks to write as many chapters as I could. For all my stories, I had an outline of basic plot points, so I could keep track of everything I wanted to have happen. It was helpful, but also did not anticipate the scope of what would happen.

I had a general idea of what would happen, and I had vague ideas of scenes I wanted, but none of it was nailed down. As I wrote it felt like I was walking forward a few steps to illuminate the path I needed, and then snagging the right plot points out of the air.

Bucky's mindset also took some work to figure out. How do you write from the pov of someone who barely remembers anything? Does he know how to use metaphors? Does he know what a microwave is? How dependent is he? The first few chapters where Bucky is deep in his Winter Soldier programming took a lot of thought.

One of the fun things about writing this story was that I got to dive deeper into my headcanons of exactly how Hydra brainwashed Bucky. Before this I had some vague scenes and ideas, but this story really forced me to come up with a coherent timeline for Bucky's experience under Hydra, which is pretty cool. Once I had that, I could decide how and when I would reveal the pieces throughout the story.

Anyway, I managed to write 12 chapters of The Alternate Handler before I finished posting Alternatively. (Which is super impressive.) And somehow I managed to keep ahead of my posting schedule for twenty-eight more chapters.

I honestly can't believe it sometimes. I actually wrote a 40 chapter fic, and posted once a week for forty weeks, with only a head-start of 12 chapters. (And at the same time, I was like, finishing university and working. So no, I don't know how I survived.)

Reader influences: Unlike Alternatively, where I had everything written ahead of time, this story was still being written as I was posting, so the readership did have some influence on what I put out, which you may find interesting.

Bucky's arm: When I first started writing, I didn't have a concrete plan to replace Bucky's metal arm with something better. That may be a shocker, but that arc starts happening way later on into the story (around chap 32). Because of how long and intricate the plot and story is, there is simply no way I could plan every detail when I first got started. I didn't start offcially planning to have an arc around his arm until a reader mentioned in a comment that they hoped it would happen. (And I was like, 'oh yeah, that should definitely happen...eventually.' And made a note to work it in when it became appropriate.) The comment happened pretty early on in the story, so it was easy for me to start laying down the foundation for that arc.

Bucky's arm part two: Another thing a reader had a direct influence is the blue star Bucky has on his new arm. Originally I wasn't planning to have a star at all. I was going to have Bucky decide he didn't want one. But then I had a reader request that I keep the star, and I decided that keeping it would not upset any character development. I had already set up blue as an important colour in the story, so I decided to change Bucky's decision and have him request a blue star. I like it. It is a clear symbol of this Bucky, versus any other Bucky.

Surprises

One thing that surprised me while writing and posting this story, is the readership prediction for Bucky's choice of whether or not to fight. I posted a chapter that focused on Bucky watching himself react to being drafted, and then remembering himself choosing to follow Steve, and then cliffhangered on him having to decide if he wanted to join the Avengers.

I asked something in the author's notes about 'what do you think he will do?', and a surprising amount of people (to me anyways) thought that he would chose to fight. I had always planned to have Bucky retire from fighting, so I was a little shocked. I thought with a whole chapter about Bucky learning he never really wanted to fight at all, that people would think he would want to take a break.

I think the consensus came from the desire to see Bucky and Steve fight together like old times. I think Bucky joining Steve on missions is a common indication of him overcoming his past and avenging/revenging on Hydra, so in the end I am not surprised that a lot of people might expect that to happen.

Because of that response I was a little nervous people wouldn't be happy with Bucky's choice, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Bucky's arc and choosing not to fight is really important, and I think everyone is happy with how it went.

It took ten months to post all of The Alternate Handler. As I was writing, I was not planning to write anymore. I was mostly focused on finishing the story, and didn't expect to write a third part...

But, my traitorous mind whispered, this universe could fix everything. We can make Civil War less painful. We can keep them from fighting. We can do it properly.

To be honest, it didn't take a lot of convincing for me to give in and start planning An Alternate Approach.

Writing An Alternate Approach

I started posting this story Oct. 2020.

I started planning this with a lot of time to spare. I still had most of The Alternate Handler to write and finish posting when I decided to go for this fic too.

Some challenges were that I wanted to show the Avengers going through the same things as the original Avengers, but doing it better. I had already gotten rid of the Winter Soldier problem, and Tony knew about his parents, so we didn't have to deal with any of that, but I still wanted to do the UN bombing and that drama, because T'Chaka's death is very important to T'Challa's and Wakanda's development, so I felt it still needed to happen.

Of course...I had nipped Ultron in the bud, meaning Sokovia wasn't destroyed, and Zemo had no reason to go after Bucky.

Thankfully, I came up with the idea of having Rumlow do it in time to foreshadow it a little in The Alternate Handler (the fact that they never find him, even though they know he is out there etc.)

Like last time, I wanted to post The Alternate Approach as soon as I finished The Alternate Handler. It was a bit of a crunch time for me, but I managed to get all eight chapters finished in time. I basically finished writing The Alternate Handler and immediately started writing An Alternate Approach. I finished The Alternate Handler August 1st, and finished the last chapter of The Alternate Approach September 10th.

Originally I was expecting An Alternate Approach to be a bit longer, but things happened quicker than I thought they would.

A challenge for this story is that most of it happens during a movie. There was a lot of original stuff happening and interesting inner thoughts, but I was restricted in what I could do because of the script I still had to refer to. Also because this story was only eight chapters long, I didn't have as much space to work through character development.

Reader influences: Like with Alternatively, I managed to finish the story before I posted it, but the readers did have a little influence on the content.

Mostly it had to do with their reaction to Everette Ross. I think a challenge with this story is there is Everette Ross, and there is Thaddeus Ross. Thaddeus Ross is much worse than Everette Ross, but I think the readers mixed the two up sometimes because they share the same last name.

To top it off, I wanted to show Everette Ross' character arc a little, because he obviously changes from Civil War to Black Panther. There wasn't a lot of space to show the glimpse of his character and how he could be better than he seems. The readership really hated him at times, so I did edit his lines and facial expressions a little to try to make it clear that he thinks differently than Thaddeus Ross.

Actually, in chapter five, Steve has a nightmare about Hydra trying to wipe Bucky and trapping Steve in the SSR capsule he got the serum in. Originally, I was going to have the main villain in the dream be Thaddeus Ross, to symbolise how Steve was uneasy around him, and how Ross thought of Bucky. But the readership was already literally out for Ross' blood, and suspected him to be Hydra (which was not canon in the story). They really wanted something bad to happen to Ross, but I knew that wouldn't happen, so I decided to change Ross to Rumlow in the dream. This helped foreshadow Rumlow's later involvement, and it also didn't give the reader any more reasons to hate or suspect Ross.

If I were to write this again, I think I would try to make it more clear which Ross it which, since I think the same last names really didn't help the situation.

Writing The Alternate End

I started posting this story Nov 2020.

For a long time, I never intended to write The Alternate End. I had The Alternate Approach all planned out, but I was adamant that this time, I was 100% not going to write any more.

This not because I didn't like the series. I loved it, and my readers loved it too. But at the time, I hadn't finished The Alternate Handler yet, and I hadn't even started The Alternate Approach.

The thought of trying to write an Endgame fic felt a little overwhelming. I was worried I would run out of momentum at some point, and I would leave my readers hanging. I had been writing and posting a chapter a week for over a year at that point, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep it up for as long as I needed.

While I was trying to dodge plot-bunnies, I tried to convince myself that an Endgame fic wouldn't be interesting. I figured it would be just the same as any other Endgame fix-it fic. I was truly convinced that the readers would be satisfied by me bringing them all the way to Civil War, and then just, ending it there.

It makes me laugh to think about it now. I really thought I could just be like "The End! I'm sure you can imagine the rest" XD.

And then I was at work one day, thinking about the next chapter of The Alternate Handler, and thinking of how much I still had to write, including The Alternate Approach...and thinking pointedly that I was not going to write an Endgame fic...and then my traitorous brain decided to speak up again.

I had exactly two (2) thoughts that were my downfall. First my brain was like: What if we wrote it from Tony's pov? We've never written it from Tony's pov before.

And plot-bunny-brain was like "ooooh". But I was like, "No! It will still be a normal Endgame fix-it fic. People can read other fix-it fics if they want to know what happens."

And then my brain was like, What about the fact that they know about the time-travellers? What if they decide to leave a message about Thanos when they time-travel?

It makes me laugh to think that the simple warning message that Tony gives his alternate-self is the spark that got this story going. Once I started writing it, that scene was not what I looked forward to the most. But at the time, knowing about the time-travellers, and leaving a message behind was something completely unique to my AU, and so that is what I needed to jumpstart my desire to write this story.

As soon as I had those two thoughts, I knew I was done for. I actually stopped dead at work and stared ahead in betrayal and amusement. I was like, 'I really am going to write this, aren't I? I haven't even finished The Alternate Handler, but I'm going to plan out two whole stories to write after this, aren't I?'

And I did. I finished The Alternate Handler in the summer. Because I was already planning to write two more parts, I was able to set up some of what I needed for those parts in The Alternate Handler. (Such as Clint's family and Scott's introduction.)

I started writing The Alternate Approach as quickly as I could. I knew I only had a short window before school started again, and I wanted to get to The Alternate End as soon as possible so that I could get ahead on that.

Once I started posting The Alternate Approach, I had about eight weeks to write as many chapters of The Alternate End as I could. In the end, I managed to write ten chapters ahead of time, and I somehow managed to keep that lead for the rest of the twenty or so chapters.

I was a bit nervous about this fic, because it followed the movies for a while. I tried to keep at least one original scene in each chapter, and I thought Tony's pov was interesting, but I knew I wanted the Snap to happen. I also knew we had to start at the beginning of Infinity War, because we needed those scenes to establish character development and such.

Writing Tony was also its own challenge. Tony had already had a lot of character development, but we didn't see his side of it. He was in a better place than mcu!Tony, but I still needed him to be able to improve. It was a tricky balance trying to show the results of the character development he'd been having for three stories, while also making room for more.

Another thing about writing Tony is he has a lot more relationship dynamics to work with. In Steve's stories, his relationship dynamics are mostly between Bucky and Tony, and in Bucky's story the dynamics are mostly between him and Steve, and then eventually him and Tony, with a few snapshots of the other Avengers and his sister.

Tony has dynamics with Steve and Bucky, Rhodey, Pepper, and Peter. Plus any other Avengers who happen to be there. And then, Nebula and his relationship became unexpectedly important. It was a challenge to balance the relationships. I wanted to show Steve and Tony, because we had been watching it grow for ages now, but I also wanted to establish his relationship with Pepper, something we had only barely caught a glimpse of before.

On a different note, one thing I cursed Endgame for all the time was the sheer number of characters it has. In scenes with the whole cast I could be juggling 15-20 characters! It was a lot!

It took a lot of work, but I managed to finish The Alternate End three chapters ahead of time. It was a relief to finish, and I was excited for the approaching time I could start posting the oneshots I had planned for this universe.

Writing Alternative Options

I started posting this story May 2021.

I'm not sure exactly when I first got the idea to write oneshots within this universe. I think I had some readers suggest oneshots of different character's povs, and at that point I didn't even try to resist the plot-bunnies. I was just like, "why not?"

I had one reader request an alternate scene to chapter 10 of Alternatively waaaay back at the beginning of this adventure. It intrigued me, so I wrote it and shared it with them privately. I also had a scene I had to take out chapter 35 of The Alternate Handler, so since I already had those two documents sitting on my computer, it was nice to come up with somewhere to share them with everyone.

Also, like Bucky's pov in The Alternate Handler, I had a lot of extra content in my head of other character's motivations and povs that don't get spotlighted in the other stories. It's all in my head anyways, I might as well share it somewhere.

I wrote the first eight or so oneshots of Alternative Options whenever I felt particularly inspired. I wrote the very first chapter back in February 2021, but I actually wrote the second chapter way back in August 2020 (same with the onshot A Change in Protocol.) I rearranged the first eight chapters into what I thought would flow best.

Writing the oneshots was sometimes a nice break from my main project. I think the oneshots are a nice way to end off too, because there is less pressure on them. The story is done now, I can write and post the oneshots whenever I feel like it, but readers will always have a complete story to go back to.

Unexpected Things

Everything about this series was unexpected (even if most of the plot was pretty scripted), but some things still amuse me. As I got deeper into this universe, I was surprised at the amount of people who were concerned I would kill characters or end things angstily.

I remember when I announced I would be writing a Civil War inspired fic, many people were concerned that Steve and Tony would fight like they did in the movie. It didn't even occur to me to reassure people that this wouldn't happen, because it seemed so impossible to me.

To me it was obvious that I had fixed so many things already in this universe. It seemed so straightforward to me that certain things simply could not happen. (Of course, it would always seem obvious to the author.)

I think people were a lot more nervous for my Civil War story than I intended them to be.

And then, when we got to Endgame, people surprised me by hoping I wouldn't do the Snap at all. It had not occurred to me that people would hope that. I felt the Snap needed to happen. If it didn't happen, then we couldn't see any of the other painful things be fixed.

Then, people surprised me again because they were very worried that I would kill Tony and Natasha. I had basically spent the last two years writing a 500,000 word mcu fix-it series. I wasn't about to kill Tony and Natasha at the end.

Still, I am very good at pulling on angsty heartstrings, so I can see why people were concerned.

(That is another thing I did not expect, the amount of people who told my I made them cry with my writing. It touches me every time it happens.)

Take Away

If you made it to the end of this long post, congratulations!

What will I take away from this amazing experience? Well, first off, not to be intimidated by long story ideas. I probably wouldn't have written this if I had conceived how long it would be. Lucky for us, I dived head-first into this, and just kept swimming.

Another thing that I think is important, is you don't have to be a super experienced writer to write big things. I had written nothing even close to this when I started. And my writing improved a lot during this journey.

I think looking at the finished product it is easy to think that I am just naturally an awesome author, but two years ago that wouldn't have been the case. Don't be intimidated by the finished products of authors. That is the culmination of hours of work, and it does not mean you can't do the same thing if you feel a similarly insistent plot-bunny.

Finally, I would like to thank all my readers! If you've been around since I first started posting, then that is 94 weeks (plus whatever Alternative Options turns out to be) of reading a chapter a week from me! That is amazing!

If you joined later along the ride, that is just as awesome! Thank you for plunging into such a long series!

If you have any questions or want to chat with me about plot choices I made, or my thoughts behind certain scenes—or anything really—feel free!

I hope you enjoyed! :D

Tl;dr:

I never planned to write any of the stories after Alternatively, until about halfway through posting the preceding stories. Plot bunnies are really insistent, and I had stuff planned in the background anyways, so I had to share it. By the time I was about halfway through The Alternate Handler I had accepted that I was going to write two more stories in the universe.

It was a lot of work, and I had never written anything anywhere close to this giant project. It was a lot of fun though, and I'm glad I did it.

#fanfic #fanfiction #the alternative timeline #the alternate timeline #Alternatively #the alternate handler #an alternate approach #the alternate end #writing #writer #writers #long post #alternative options

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criminalminds4days · 4 years ago

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Family Matters | Chapter 6: Genius

Hello people!

I have returned!

I am hoping you will enjoy this chapter, as I introduce one of my favorite characters from Criminal Minds (aside from Dr. Spencer Reid). I also hope you will have an amazing week. Love you all!

(Also, please forgive me if I glance over some cases, I am really bad at writing those scenes and I am trying my hardest)

I hope the wait was worth it and you enjoy this chapter!!

Warnings: Swearing, sexual references, violence and murder references, public embarrassment, and very bad jokes!

Word Count: 3.6k

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tag list: @mcntsee @lets-be-gay-for-the-angel @evelyncade @haylaansmi @paulaern @myfandomlife-blog

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(This gif is not mine)

Chapter 6: Genius

She should have known something was up. Spencer had called her to say that he didn't need a ride to work that day and that he would just meet her there. She just assumed he had a meeting with Hotch or something, but no, the reality was he was hoping to have some alone time with Jennifer Jareau.

How did she know? Well because she was so used to picking him up that despite knowing today would be different, she still stopped by the coffee shop and made her way to work at the same time she used to for the past couple of months. She figured once she reached the parking lot that she might as well get ahead on some paperwork, maybe she could even have time to figure out what she would give him for a gift since she hadn't yet found anything that would have the desired effect she hoped for. As soon as she reached the glass doors, she stopped in her tracks, almost dropping the cups of coffee she had in her hands. There they were. The blonde was reclining on his desk, her eyes never leaving him and their hands linked. He smiled as she spoke, not once acknowledging their environment. She tried to walk away, but she felt trapped in her place. It wasn't until she heard the elevator that she was able to move towards the trash can, dumping one of the coffees. Too late she realized it was hers and not Spencer's, she sighed and decided she would have to suck it and drink the one meant for him.

"No, that alone has been enough sugar for the rest of my life." She said aloud as she dumped the second drink in the trash can. She didn't understand how he could do a whole 32oz of that sugary drink but she applauded him. That was, of course, when she wasn't mad at him for what she assumed to be a hidden relationship with JJ.

There were so many things wrong with that scenario she couldn't begin to phantom which one made her the angriest. Was it the fact that they were friends with Will, who was the blonde's husband and father of her child? Or was it the fact that Spencer was the godfather of said child? Maybe it was that he never even mentioned he had feelings for JJ? Or that he would be capable of having those demonstrations in their office when he knew full well that it was against the rules?

She walked into the office. Now the blonde was sitting at her desk, filing paperwork as if she hadn't been flirting with the man only minutes ago.

"Morning!" She sparked, a bright smile on her face.

"Huh." That was all the girl responded. She made her way to her desk and logged into her computer.

"Hey, stranger." He spoke. "You're here early."

"Is that a crime now?" She answered, unamused.

"No, I just- Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Life is perfect, wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't know about perfect-"

"Spencer, I'm a little busy, can you please be quiet."

He looked so hurt she wondered if she had gone too far. Then again, he was a cheater, so boundaries didn't apply to him. She rolled her eyes at him and continued with her work. She pretended she didn't feel his eyes on her for what must have been ten minutes, and she closed all the gift option tabs she had accumulated in the last month.

Every morning for the past 25 days she had acknowledged how close his birthday was and would ask him what he wanted, but today, just two days before the grand day, she decided maybe getting him a gift was not worth her time.

"Hello, my beautiful soul." Penelope approached her, a cup of coffee in her hand. She leaned in and whispered. "I saw you dropped yours, so I thought I'd bring you another."

"What are you talking about?" She looked around. Emily had arrived and was now working on some documents, Derek had also arrived and was conversing with JJ, and Spencer tried subtly to listen in to their conversation while pretending to work on his case files. "Garcia, do you mind walking with me for a second? I want to run a theory by you."

The mentioned understood and nodded. "Yes, of course, dear." They made their way to the elevators, and Penelope stopped. "I'm sure it's not what you think it is."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"JJ and Reid. They've been best friends since forever ago. There is probably nothing going on. I mean, sure, she liked him a while back but-"

"She, what now?!"

"It was a long time ago! Things are different... I don't think you have anything to worry about, I'm sure he likes you."

"Woah, okay, let us stop for a second." She held her hands up, as she looked around to make sure no one was looking. Anderson waved at them and smiled as he exited the elevator and made his way to the bullpen. They returned the gesture and she waited until he was inside the glass doors to continue. "I hope Spencer doesn't like me because we're just friends. That's not why him and JJ being together makes me upset."

"I'm pretty sure they're not together."

"Did you see what I saw?"

"Well, yes. But that can mean a hundred things."

"One of the possibilities being they're secretly going out."

"Yes... No! Of course not, they would never do that."

"Listen, Pen, I really appreciate the coffee, and I also appreciate you trying to look out for them and me, but honestly you don't need to explain anything to me, as a matter of fact, nobody does. I just hope this doesn't blow up in their faces." She grabbed the drink and returned to the glass doors pushing unsuccessfully her way inside.

"It's a pull, honey." She did as she was told, and the door opened. "Some things never change." She heard the blonde say.

"Love you too Garcia." She spoke with a hint of sarcasm. Once at her desk again, her phone began vibrating. She took it out and looked towards Hotch's office, making sure he didn't see her take a call. "Hello?" She whispered.

"Honey, how have you been? How's Spencer? I know his birthday is coming up!"

"Hello, mom. I'm fine, we're all fine." She whispered into the line. Spencer looked at her as if hoping she would share what was happening, but she simply ignored him. "Wait, how do you know?"

"About his birthday? I checked your calendar."

"How-"

"Well, your phone was unlocked so I simply went through it. It's no big deal. If you don't know what to get him I can give you the keys to the museum I bought him and you can say it's from you."

"You did what?!" She screamed. Her co-workers looked at her and she smiled, deciding this was a conversation that needed to be held outside of her workspace. She walked out of the bullpen and into one of the offices that were empty, closing the door after her. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Of course not. I thought that maybe that would help him see that a future with you is bright. Maybe this is the final push he needs to propose and soon after marriage come kids! Honey, I'm not getting any younger, I need grandkids."

"So you're using a museum as a bribe?"

"No, not a bribe, just encouragement."

"Mother you're gonna go and return that museum, and I don't want to hear another word about it. Do you understand?"

"Would you look at the time, got to go, love you, honey!" With that she hung up the phone, the woman sighing.

She knew she wasn't going to do it and one of those days Spencer would receive the keys to the building. As soon as she sat down, he eyed her with curiosity, hoping she would tell him why she was so worked up. She didn't have to ignore him for long since Aaron Hotchner called them in for a case. There had been several drug addicts who had been murdered recently, all of them seeming to have gotten fed and cleaned before their deaths. The team had to make their way to Albuquerque, New Mexico. As they borded the plain, she basically ran to sit next to Emily, avoiding all contact with Reid or JJ.

"Ok, we need to figure out how the unsub is choosing his victims and what purpose they fulfill, not to mention what role their drastic change in appearance and health play into his fantasy," Hotch said as they gathered in the local police station. "There is another agent here to assist us in this investigation, please meet Agent-"

"Luke Alvez." She interrupted as soon as she recognized him. His hair was still short and his beard had grown out, but it was clear he trimmed it just enough. His brown eyes landed on her and he smiled.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite non-medical doctor."

"I had no idea you were here."

"I was working on another case and thought it might be good to stick around."

"That's right," Aaron spoke, drawing the attention away from the pair and back to him. "Agent Alvez, these are Agents Jareau, Prentiss, Rossi, Morgan, Dr. Reid, and well, you already know the other doctor on our team."

"It's very nice to meet you all." He said, winking at her. She amusingly rolled her eyes and directed her view back to her boss. "Okay, well, JJ and Reid, go to the M.E. and see what more he can give us on their conditions before their deaths. Prentiss, Morgan, and Rossi, go interview the families of the victims, and you two stay here with me."

"Actually, Alvez can go with JJ and I can help set a geographical profile," Spencer said.

"No, I need to speak to agent Alvez." Hotch's tone was clear, it wasn't up for negotiation.

"Alright, let's go JJ." He said reluctantly, but made no intention to leave.

"Meet me in the main office." Hotch said to her and Luke, after which he walked towards said room.

"Great, I just barely saw you again and I'm already being called to the principal's office." He said and she jokingly shoved him and followed the man. After observing said interaction, both JJ and Spencer exited the building.

As soon as they entered, they were instructed to close the door and sit down. "Now, I am thankful for your assistance Agent Alvez, but am I correct to assume providing help is not the only reason for your presence?"

"You are correct."

"Wait, what do you mean? Why are you here Luke?"

"Am I allowed to say it?"

"Yes, after all the decision is hers."

"Who's decision? Mine? Guys I suck at those, this morning I couldn't decide what socks to wear so I put on one of each."

This sparked a laugh from Luke and a smile from Hotch. "It's nothing bad, I promise." The first one said, "my boss simply wants me to try and convince you to transfer to our department."

"Oh, that's an easy answer, no." She shook her head and turned to her team leader, who seemed to have a prideful look. "The BAU is my team and my family. It's my dream job, and I would never leave by choice. Sorry Luke, I really enjoyed working with you, but I can't leave my team."

"I knew that, but I still had to ask."

"Well, now that it has been settled, why don't you two review the files and see if there are any patterns that could lead us to who is responsible for these murders."

"Yes sir." They stood to leave, before Hotch spoke again.

"And agent," he paused as she directed her attention to him. "I'm glad you're staying."

"You had doubts?"

"It comes with a raise in salary."

"Agent Hotchner, you know I don't do it for the money."

He nodded and they both made their way out of the office, leaving Aaron behind. They had made their way to the room the local PD had set up for them before he asked.

"So are you gonna tell me what's going on between you and doctor eyes?"

"Who?"

"Dr. Reid."

"Why did you call him eyes? He's not even wearing his glasses today."

"Because he kept making eyes at you." He said as if it was obvious. "Are you two a thing?"

"Yes, we're friends. And colleagues."

"Mhmm..."

"Since when are you so nosy?" She said as she pulled the case files from the box to begin reviewing them.

"Since there is a possibility of romance in the BAU."

"Why do you care?"

"Are you serious?" He asked, slightly offended. "Your team is the elite team of the FBI; everybody is jealous of you guys or wants to sleep with you. Which is saying a lot since it is not necessarily the best-paid position within the agency.” He pointed out, hinting at the possibility to earn more in his department, when she gave it no importance, he continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, you and your team are like the Kardashians, but for the bureau. Everybody knows about Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, and you, Dr. I-wanted-to-join-the-BAU-and-got-in-almost-instantly-even-though-it's-really-hard."

"What exactly do you know?"

"About you? Only that you were one of the youngest agents to be hired, presided only by Dr. Reid, other than that, there hasn't been much on you, doctor. You know how to keep your life under wraps. You definitely spark the curiosity of the people."

"I don't even want to know how many rules you are all breaking to find out stuff about me and my team, do I?"

"No, not really." She laughed and returned her view to the papers in her hands. "Let's get back to work."

"You never really told me about you and Dr. Reid."

"There is nothing to tell, we're just friends."

"Does he know that?"

"We have some new information from the M.E." Were Spencer's first words. He looked between the two agents in the room, eyebrow raised. For a moment he seemed upset at the scene but soon changed his expression. "He's been impregnating the victims. Multiple times."

"Wait, that makes sense," Luke spoke. "That means there has to be a pattern somewhere, there is no way he's just doing it for the heck of it, if he was, he would dispose of the baby as well, and the woman wouldn't give birth or carry a child more than once."

"You're right, maybe if we can figure out what he is trying to accomplish by making them have his children, we'll find him."

"There are several reasons for someone to want a baby." Spencer said, "there is a black market for babies that yields high monetary compensation, and there is also the possibility this man feels powerful by fathering all these children. If he is keeping them, there is also a possibility we can find him faster, it is not every day your neighbor starts having children all around."

"I am going to tell Hotch about our theories." She said and left the room. She was still upset at Spencer and didn't want to talk or spend time with him more than it was necessary, so she took the opportunity to not be in the same room.

"I'm gonna work on the geographical profile." She heard him say.

A couple of hours later Luke had left to look through possible leads. Spencer and JJ found a child that matched the DNA of one of the victims, leading them to confirm it was hers, further supporting their theory. Now they were looking for other children, and how giving them up for adoption did anything for the unsub.

"I got a geographical comfort zone," Spencer said, he had tried to start a conversation before, but if it wasn't work-related then she wouldn't even look at him. "I have narrowed it down to three possible children, Lisa, Elizabeth, and Amanda."

After hearing those names, Luke's theory came back to mind. "Luke was right." She said as she turned she saw the mentioned entered the station. She waved him down excessively so he would know it was important, once he was inside the room she smiled. "Luke Alvez you are a genius! I want to kiss you right now!" He looked shocked, and a little uncomfortable, "but I won't because we are in a public setting. I have to tell Hotch." She ran out and pulled her phone to call said man.

"I guess you're a genius Alvez," Reid said, with a slight tone of resentment.

"Well, I don't know what I did."

"To me, it seems like I'm the one doing the work," before he could hear a reply his phone began to ring. "Reid." He said as he answered.

"Is Alvez there?"

"Uh, yeah." He placed the phone on speaker.

"Alvez, you were right. The unsub is keeping the boys, that's his end goal. We believe it might have significance to him or his partner."

"He has a partner?"

"There are indications of medications the victims were taking that would allow them to carry the baby to term. Rossi did some digging and the only way they can get access to the medication is through prescription, and they would have to have ample knowledge of the effects they could have."

"That makes sense. What should we look for next?"

"We found two potential subjects, I need the two of you on your way."

"Okay, we'll get ready-" Spencer began speaking.

"Not you Reid, I need you running point with Garcia."

"I'll go get her and we'll be on our way." Alvez comprehended who he meant and walked towards the door.

After the arrest of the man, they made their way back to the station. She was cleaning out the paperwork she had received when she heard her phone ring.

"What's up, Garcia?"

"Please tell me it's all a lie."

"What are you talking about?"

"The offer that agent Alvez came up with."

"How did you know about that?"

"So it is true." She heard some typing from the line. "You can't leave us, don't let what happened between you and Reid make you leave us."

"Garcia, my decision on the matter has nothing to do with that."

"So you've made up your mind? I can't believe it."

"Garcia, please listen to me, you can't tell anyone about this." She was now playing on her emotions, trying to see how far Garcia would go before she actually asked her what her answer was.

"I- I need to go." With that, she hung up.

She sighed and finished her packing, Luke appearing in her sight of view.

"Hey there, doctor."

"Hello, Agent Alvez."

"Is there no way I could make you change your mind?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Will you at least think about it? My bosses might not hate me as much if I left with an 'I'll think about it' rather than a straight-up no." He pleaded.

"Fine, Agent Luke Alvez, I will consider your offer."

"Thank you." He walked inside and helped her finish cleaning up. "And to show my gratitude, I am offering some advice: you can't avoid him forever. I don't know what he did, but he certainly does not deserve to be placed on the sidelines."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." He placed an arm around her and brought her in for a side hug. "I will be anxiously awaiting your answer. Take care agent."

"You too Luke. I missed working with you."

"You could do it every day."

She pushed him slightly and rolled her eyes. He laughed and waved goodbye one more time before exiting the room. She continued working when she felt someone rush in.

"What do you mean you're transferring?" Emily practically yelled. This brought in the attention of the rest of the team who soon enough were cramming the room. "I get it, Alvez is hot, but you can't just leave us because of an attractive man."

"Emily-" she tried to speak.

"Don't Emily me. I get it, really, I do. He's good looking, smart, and single, not to mention that beard, but come on, this is your team, and you can't leave us."

"You can't seriously be thinking of doing that for this guy," Spencer said, his arms crossed, and eyebrows furrowed.

"The kid is right, you re one of the smartest people I've met, you can't make a decision based solely on a man." Morgan added, and soon they were all talking at the same time.

"Can you all please calm down? I never said I was leaving." She tried to hide her smile, knowing full well this wasn't gonna end well, but right now their panicked faces were priceless. "I simply said I would think about it. It does come with a salary increase."

She saw Hotch at the edge of the door, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "The jet is ready; we need to get going." He said and walked away.

She squeezed between her teammates and made her way to the plane. She noticed how everybody kept stealing glances at her as if hoping that would be enough for her to say she was staying. She smiled and closed her eyes, ready for a nap.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer x y/n #Criminal Minds #CM #fanfic

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sweeethinny · 4 years ago

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2020 Creator Wrap: Favourite Works

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (ish) favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thank you so much @lumos-solemn and @theroomofreq for tagging me!

Hard to think of 5 fanfic, because I like several hahahahaha

1. HARRY IS THE BEST FATHER - I love to write about the relationship between James and Harry, and I already said here once about how I think James was an important key to forming Harry as a father. James was his first son, the certainty that: yes, it was over and they were alive. Teddy lost his parents in the war, and Harry had to look after an orphaned boy who, like him, would never know what it was like to have a father or a mother. James didn't. Harry can give James - as well as others - what he and Teddy did not have; a father. He can take James to parties, listen to him talking about girls, see him getting into trouble, take care of him the way Harry always wanted someone to take care of him. Give him a father figure. And I think there are very few works by James / Harry or James / Ginny, that don't just show him being a smartass, or just a replica of James + Sirius. So just as I love my boy so much, I love this Harry and James fanfic over the years.

2. TEDDY IS DISCOVERED: That was SO fun to write, really. As much as I think it is a little .. old, the idea of 'father who gets angry with his daughter's courtship', I loved writing that. Write about Ginny defending Teddy from her brother, and then fighting with Teddy for being an idiot when she had alerted him of the times Bill was coming home. I love this idea that Bill always took care of Teddy as a son, when Ginny and Harry couldn't, and that he and Victorie were friends when they were kids, but now that they are dating, Bill is losing his mind because '' NO. WAY '' And I love even more that Ginny is all protective of Teddy (and that she delegates the role of "how to learn to sneak" to Harry, who was clearly never very good at it)

3. LILY DENYING SHE FANCIES JAMES: This was by far the best thing I wrote at Jilytober - which I know, sorry, didn't last long. Writing about Lily denying I like James because, my God, I don't fit in with them, while we all know that James loves her ... I love it. I like the idea that Lily really thinks James' friends hate her for ignoring him, and all of her concern ... I love it. It was great to write this, mainly because there is a subject that I know well, it's about a broken heart. (At least every time I got bad for a boy, it was worth something)

4. EVEN AFTER THE END: Wow, this one I cried. Writing about the 31st was something I always ran away from, even reading, but when I ventured into this one and wrote about James’s feelings, and he being a great father to Harry, I think I put everything I always I thought; James also sacrificed himself for those he loves. People usually see talking about how stupid James was to go up on Voldemort without a wand, but there was no chance, if he ran with Lily, Voldemort would catch her, and he would never see his wife and son die. He went on top of the greatest Dark Wizard, with nothing, only with the intention of dying and delaying a few seconds so that Lily had a chance. And if Harry's last thought before he died was Ginny, James's would be when he first met his son. And I know, it could very well be Lily, but Harry is part of Lily, it was something that Lily generated and brought to life. I love this fanfic, and honestly, my babies deserved to survive.

5.SIRIUS AND HESTIA: Sirius and Hestia ... I know, few people like it (thanks to @scriibble-fics , who introduced me to this amazing couple), and that's fine, but I sincerely LOVE them together. The idea of Sirius dating someone calm and quieter - i’m sorry but >my< Remus doesn't work right with Sirius ahahhaa - and the idea of being someone who has always been there, next to Lily ... I love. Writing about Sirius in love is perfect, and I remember that whenever the Voyeur chapter came out and they showed up together or there was some mention of them together, I went crazy. I love them. Only that.

BONUS TRACK!

A special part for my two WIPs, because they deserve it.

REPUTATION: When I thought about Reputation, I sent a message to my friend that said exactly ''do I hate myself to the point of making a fanfic where each chapter is a Reputation song?’' And hours later, when she replied: ''Yes, you hate yourself and I'm sure you're already writing'' I was already writing. Reputation is so fun to write and think, to fit the scenarios with the songs, to think of it as a movie where the soundtrack is and the scene runs in my mind ... It's like Ariana says, just like magic. I love this album, and I love this fanfic, and I love exploring the sides of Hinny even more than I usually wouldn't.

THE DUKE: I love romances that take place in aristocratic times. They are my favorites. And I always wanted to write one, and I even started, but I didn't go ahead. The Duke's idea was born mixed with other 8562150 books I had read, thinking of a rich girl falling in love with the employee, then I thought of her falling in love with the bodyguard, and finally, him being a missing child. When I put this inside Hinny, everything seemed to fit perfectly, and I admit, that I love writing this fanfic. I think about all the details, and sometimes I even think I'm going to go crazy, but I love this fanfic. Writing about soul mates has never been more fun than it is in this story, and even though I always feel a little bit afraid of writing this story - for various reasons - I keep writing. And as long as I have my 5 fans reading, I will continue ahahhha

I tag: @midnightelite @ginnympotter @jilyss @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world @thedistantdusk and everyone who wants to do it too!

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rmtndew · 4 years ago

Text

All I’ve Ever Known ~ Chapter 4

Summary: Fiona’s life is a shattered fraction of what it used to be. She’s trying to navigate her new normal when she meets Detective Marshall, who gives her something more to look forward to.

Pairing: Marshall and OFC.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of death, cancer.

A/N - This was intended as a short drabble but it got out of hand and became a multi-chapter story instead. It’s my first Marshall fic and the first fan fic that I’ve written in over a decade. The title comes from the song ‘All I’ve Ever Known’ from Hadestown: ‘I was alone so long, I didn’t even know that I was lonely. Out in the cold so long, I didn’t even know that I was cold. Turned my collar to the wind, this is how it’s always been. All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own, but now I want to hold you, too.’

Tag list - @hollydaisy23, @readings-of-a-cavill-lover, @onlyhenrys, @omgkatinka, @speakerforthedead0-blog, @gearhead66, @thethirstyarchive, @oddsnendsfanfics, @littlerinoa, @agniavateira, @aaescritora,

If you’d like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

I woke the next morning ten minutes before my alarm went off. At first I couldn’t figure out why and tried burrowing back into my warm bed to get my last few minutes of sleep back, but then my phone alerted me to a new text and I realized that’s what had woken me up. I sighed. I knew it was Darcy. Sometimes she woke up early with big ideas for her store and texted them to me, asking my opinion. She met me when I was working in interior design and any time she entertained the idea of having a dine in section, she’d send me pictures of what she wanted and ask how feasible it would be. Most of the time they were way too grand to fit into her pre-existing building. Other times she’d talk about a small coffee shop to encourage more people to come in and pick up their own orders and cut back on our deliveries. But I couldn’t see how renovating a portion of the store, buying new equipment and hiring extra employees to run a coffee shop would lower costs just by maybe cutting back on some deliveries.

I was planning on ignoring the text until after I’d actually gotten up, but when another came through I knew it was best to just go ahead and nip it in the bud before she sent me an entire magazine’s worth of photos. But when I hit the home button on my phone I saw that the texts hadn’t come from Darcy. I had to squint against the brightness of the screen to make sure I saw the name right. Marshall.

I sat up and turned on my lamp, then looked at my phone again, reading the texts from their previews.

Hey, it’s Marshall. I had a great time yesterday. Sorry I was falling asleep on you. Can I make it up to you this weekend?

Sorry. You’re probably sleeping. It might take more than coffee to make it up to you now. Dinner?

I suddenly felt wide awake and was no longer irritated by my few minutes of missed sleep. I would have gladly given up several hours for those texts. I decided not to reply to them right then, though. I wanted to make sure I’d had enough coffee to formulate a comprehensible reply and not look like I was drunk texting him, which I had a history of. My conversations with Darcy at five in the morning were proof of that.

I got up and went about my morning routine like usual, trying not to wake Mom. When I made my way downstairs, I poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table. I sipped it, thinking about what to say to Marshall. I wrote and rewrote the text half a dozen times before finally having something I felt okay with, then I sent it.

Hey Marshall. I had a great time, too. You don’t have to make up for anything but I’d still like to have dinner with you. What day did you have in mind?

My heart was thudding from nerves and excitement. I was so focused on trying to calm myself down that I almost didn’t hear Mom when she walked in.

“Morning, sweetie,” she said, grabbing a coffee cup.

“Good morning,” I replied, then jumped slightly as my phone vibrated on the table. I tried not to look too enthusiastic as I grabbed it.

Does Saturday work for you?

“Darcy again?” Mom asked, pouring coffee for herself.

“Um...no, actually.” I tried biting back a smile but it didn’t work. “It’s Marshall.”

Her eyes went wide and she smiled back. “He’s writing to you at six in the morning?”

“He actually wrote me earlier. He asked if I wanted to have dinner with him Saturday.”

She sat down at the table beside me. “What did you tell him?”

“I haven’t replied yet. I don’t want him to think I’m just waiting by the phone for him.”

She looked at the phone in my hand. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing, though?”

“Yes, but he doesn’t have to know it.”

She laughed then blew on her coffee. “I’m glad this whole texting business wasn’t around when I was dating your father.”

“Even if it was, you’re a lot more forward than I am. You wouldn’t have had a single issue with texting Dad first, or answering him right away,” I said. My phone made another sound, reminding me of my unread text and I finally opened it, then replied.

Saturday is perfect. What time would you like to meet?

“Well, there was only room enough for one coy person in our relationship and Rodger called that role,” Mom said after I put my phone down.

I laughed. “I don’t think ‘coy’ was the right word for Dad. I think socially awkward was more appropriate.”

“He was too smart to be a social butterfly, too. He had to have a couple of flaws.”

“He couldn’t set the timer for the coffee pot, no matter how many times I showed him, and he thought that the Sharknado movies were amazing. He had his flaws,” I joked.

“This coffee pot is confusing.”

“He was an engineer!”

My phone buzzed in my hand and that time I didn’t wait to open the text. I read it right away.

Would you let me pick you up instead? Around six?

“Well, what does he say?” Mom asked.

“He wants to pick me up instead of me meeting him.”

“Are you going to let him?”

I looked at her and she was smiling at me. I shook my head at her, laughing again. “You want him to come here so that you can see him, don’t you?”

She shrugged. “You keep talking about how handsome he is.”

“He is handsome. And it’s an awfully gentlemanly thing to do…” I bit my lip for a moment, pretending to think it over.

“Just tell him yes. We both know you’re going to.”

I gave another laugh. “Fine.”

I would like that, thank you. And I’m curious, what does Detective Marshall eat when he’s not eating a cuban sandwich and plain chips?

I put my phone on the table. “What are your plans for today?” I asked, then took a sip of my coffee.

She gave me a cheeky grin. “Changing the subject.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not changing the subject. I’m asking what my mother is going to be doing while I’m out earning the bread for this family,” I joked.

She snorted. “You don’t earn the bread, Fi, you just bake it.” She nodded at my arm. “And burn yourself in the process.”

“That’s the first time I’ve burnt myself in a year and a half. I’d say that’s a pretty good record.”

“That’s true,” she said. “And if you must know, I was thinking of going down to Valley and talking to Georgia about starting music lessons again after the new year. I think by then I’ll have recovered enough to be able to teach at least a few days a week.”

“You’re going to put yourself around snot nosed kids in the dead of flu season?” I asked dryly.

“I’ll be teaching teenagers, not little kids, and I’ll wear a mask,” she said. “I’ll make sure to clean everything between students and have them use hand sanitizer when they come in. I’m not going to be immunocompromised forever, and I’m not going to live in a bubble until then, either.” She gave me a smirk. “Besides, I can’t let you be the only one that earns the bread around here.”

I laughed at her but it was cut short when my phone buzzed again.

Stuff that’s probably not very good for him. Like Italian. How does that sound?

Just when I thought I couldn’t be any more attracted to him, he confessed to liking my favorite type of food. I couldn’t stop my train of thought that went to me one day making an Italian dinner for him as a date. But my mind’s eye set up the imaginary dinner in my old apartment and I knew that would never happen. I let that thought go and took a deep breath, trying to focus my attention on the present moment.

That sounds great. I love Italian food.

I sent it and sat back in my seat. I tried not to let my mind wander too far down the road with Marshall. I’d been on a lot of first dates in my life with guys that I’d thought were great who turned out to be jerks and I knew what that disappointment felt like. And even though I couldn’t imagine Marshall disappointing me in the same way they had - he’d proven at our coffee date that he was far more respectful, even while he was tired - I wanted to remind myself that I needed to take things one step at a time.

Perfect. I’ll see you Saturday at six, then.

I must have looked pretty gooey eyed over the whole thing because Mom reached out and touched my wrist gently. When I looked at her, the teasing tone was gone from her face and she was smiling at me. “I’m happy for you, sweetie. I really am.”

I was a ball of nerves all Saturday morning and afternoon. More than I’d ever been on the day of a first date. But nothing with Marshall fell into my ‘usual’ category. There was something about him that made him different from any other man I’d gone out with. And maybe that was it: He was a man. Not some boy masquerading as one. He was quiet, and fierce, and protective. He thought before he spoke. And even when delivering a threat - like he had to that creep in the bar - he’d done it calmly and with authority. He exuded confidence, not cockiness, and there was honestly nothing more attractive than that.

I was nearly ready, just zipping up my boots, when I heard a crash downstairs. I rushed down and found Mom in the kitchen, trying to pick up the broken pieces of one of her giant coffee mugs.

“I’m - I’m not sure what happened,” she said. “I just lost my grip.”

“It’s okay.” I took a step towards her, trying to avoid the pile of porcelain. “Let me clean it up.”

“I can do it,” she said, sounding flustered.

“I know you can but you’re in socks and I’m wearing boots.”

She stood her ground for a moment, then finally sighed and relented, taking a step back. “Okay. I’ll get you the broom.”

“It’s fine. I’ll get it. Just watch your step.”

I went to grab the broom as she threw away the large chunks of her broken cup that she’d been able to pick up with her hands. I could tell she was frustrated.

“You know, if you didn’t like that mug, you could have just gotten rid of it, you didn’t have to break it,” I joked, taking the broom and dustpan from the broom closet. “Or were you afraid I wouldn’t take the hint and buy you another one if I thought it just went missing?”

She gave a small laugh but I could tell she was still embarrassed. “I actually liked that coffee mug a lot.”

“I’ll get you a new one.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can -”

The doorbell rang and she stopped mid-sentence. We both froze, my eyes flicking to the clock on the stove. It was 5:53. Marshall was early. After a moment, Mom took a step towards me, holding out her hand to take the broom from me. I shook my head.

“You’re wearing socks,” I reminded her. “I don’t want you to cut your foot.”

Her eyes grew wide. “So you’re going to clean up after me while I go meet your date?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She brushed her hand over her barely there hair, trying to collect herself, then let out a breath. “Okay, I’ll go let him in.”

“Don’t be too charming. He might have a thing for cougars and I don’t want to have to fight my mom for a guy.”

She smiled for real, the embarrassment of having her daughter clean up after her letting go enough that it was no longer plainly visible. “No promises,” she joked, then left the kitchen to answer the door.

It didn’t take long to clean up. Even though the cup had shattered pretty good, its bright white color stood out against the dark wood of the floor, making even the tiniest pieces easy to see. After making sure I’d cleaned it all up, I threw away the pieces and put up the broom and dustpan, then went to find Mom and Marshall.

They were standing in the entryway. Mom was saying something about teaching at Valley and Marshall stood in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back, and a look of sincere focus on his face as she spoke. Mom was a small woman but next to him, she looked comically tiny.

I paused for a moment, taking him in. His hair looked a bit more controlled than any other time I’d seen him, his curls tighter and not quite as messy. His beard looked like it had been trimmed, giving it a purposeful look instead of the ‘I’m too busy to shave’ vibe that I’d gotten from him previously. He wore a thick blue sweater that made the color of his eyes pop when they drifted over to me. It was brief, maybe less than a second, before concentrating on Mom again. But he had a slight smile and it was enough for her to notice. She turned and looked at me.

“There she is. I guess I’ll stop talking your ear off and let you two go,” she said.

Marshall smiled at her, then at me, bigger that time. “I didn’t realize I was early. I apologize.”

“No, don’t. You’re fine,” I said, moving to grab my coat. “I’m ready, I was just cleaning up a broken cup. I’m basically like Cinderella around here.”

Mom snorted. “Hardly. Cinderella was made to do chores. You’re the one who won’t let me lift a finger,” she said. “Besides, I think she sang while she worked.”

I raised my eyebrow at her as I put my coat on. “Do you want me to sing?”

She shook her head. “No. No one wants that, sweetie,” she said, making Marshall laugh. She looked at him. “Fi spent a good portion of her teenage years screaming along to music in her room. I didn’t even know you could make ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ sound angry until she proved otherwise. Needless to say, her father and I encouraged her other interests a bit more enthusiastically.”

I grabbed my purse. “I should have let you clean up your own mess and answered the door myself,” I joked before kissing the top of her head. “Bye, Mom.”

Marshall smiled again. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Sparks.”

“Likewise, Detective Marshall. You two have fun.”

We left the house and after a few steps down the walkway, he jabbed his thumb back at the door. “She’s funny.”

“She can be,” I agreed. “She’s a spitfire, though, that’s for sure.”

“I like it.”

“Yeah, I like it, too.”

We walked to his truck and he opened the door for me. “You look gorgeous, by the way,” he said as I got in.

I felt myself blush instantly, caught off guard by the compliment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, closing the door for me.

We’d only made it to the driveway and my stomach was already doing somersaults. He made me feel like a teenage girl, all giddy and excited, and I loved it.

He went around the front of the truck, then climbed in the driver’s side. I tried to sneak a look at him while he was putting on his seat belt but he caught me. He smiled as I snapped my head straight ahead.

“Sorry, I just, I was…” I tried to think of an excuse but I couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound lame. I let out a sigh. “I was checking you out,” I admitted. “I can’t lie. There’s no point. Sorry.”

“That’s the least offensive thing a woman has ever apologized to me for,” he said with a laugh, starting the truck. He leaned forward enough to catch my eye, making me instinctively turn my head towards him. He grinned. “Did you see anything you like?”

My blush deepened and I couldn’t hold back a giggle. “Maybe.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, that is a nice sweater.”

“Oh, so you were checking out my jumper?”

I shrugged. “It brings out your eyes.”

“Does it now?”

“It does. And you have very lovely eyes.”

“Thank you,” he said. “But my daughter bought the jumper, so I can’t take credit for it.”

“She did a good job,” I said, forcing my eyes to look up front as we pulled out of the driveway. Even though I’d already admitted to checking him out, there was a difference between looking and leering and I didn’t want to come off as creepy. “I take it that this wasn’t your weekend to have her?”

“It was supposed to be but she was invited to a Halloween party with some of her friends so she asked to do that instead. She’ll be with me tomorrow.”

“What did she dress as? For the party.”

“A cowgirl.”

“Does she ride horses or did she just like the costume?”

“No, she rides. She took lessons when she was a bit younger. And she and I go riding some weekends.”

“So you’re Detective Marshall during the week and cowboy Marshall on the weekends? Does that ever cross over? Do they have mounted police in the homicide unit?”

He shook his head as he laughed. “No, not that I’m aware of.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Is it now?” he asked, and his tone made me blush all over again.

“I’m actually not going to answer that. I’m going to wait until we get a little further from my house to fully embarrass myself so that when you fake an emergency to get rid of me, my ego doesn’t get too crushed.”

“Do you really think I’d do that?”

“I hope not, but I’ve been excited about having dinner with you, so I’m going to try not to mess it up.”

“I think you’d have to try pretty hard to mess it up,” he said as we stopped at the end of my street. He glanced at me. “And I’ve been excited about it, too.”

#Henry Cavill #Walter Marshall #Night Hunter #Nomis #All I've Ever Known #Walter Marshall fan fiction #Henry Cavill fan fiction #Night Hunter fan fiction #Walter Marshall/OFC #HenryCavillFanfic #WalterMarshallFanfic

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lyranova · 4 years ago

Text

A Fractured Diamond

Episode 5: The Escape

——-

So I have no excuses for this chapter. It’s very bad and I can’t defend it at all. The next one will be better i hope, but this chapter made me so angry that I decided to take a break from this series for a few days. I apologize profousley and maybe you all will enjoy it?

Word Count: 2,893

Warnings: Violence and Language

“ Eva...You ok…”

Neva frowned slightly, that voice sounded so far away, she felt like she was sinking further and further into a sea of darkness. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t struggle, all she could do was lie there as it slowly pulled her under.

“ Wake up...Neva...you have to wake up!” There that voice was again, it was calling to her, beckoning her to come towards it, a part of her didn’t want too. But the other side knew she had people that were relying on her, that needed her help now! So she opened her eyes and began to swim out of the darkness the best she could.

Neva couldn’t stop the small moan of pain from escaping her lips, she was hurting like hell. Her head, her back, and especially her stomach were about to do her in. But she felt a warmth envelope her and she opened her eyes to see Mimosa using her recovery spell, she looked around and noticed her Diamond protection spell was gone and replaced by a shell of water.

“ Oh good you’re awake! How are you feeling?” Mimosa asked, her happiness clear on her face. ‘So that was the voice I heard.’ Neva thought as she tried to sit up before wincing and laying back down. “ Stay still, you were hurt pretty badly! But luckily you’re almost healed so you’ll be ok soon.” Mimosa added.

Neva looked and noticed that the silver haired girl, Noelle she believed her name was, was standing in front of them with what appeared to be a magic item in her hand. She instantly frowned, so she was a water mage? That annoyed Neva actually, she knew the reason why it annoyed her, but kept it to herself for now. Neva then looked past the girl and her eyes widened.

Yuno and his friend, Asta, were currently fighting the mystery soldier. She sat up and, like the others, watched the fight in awe. She heard Noelle say something about Asta being able to nullify magic and her eyebrows raised in surprise. Neva had never even heard of that kind of magic existing before! It was quite interesting. She rolled her eyes as Klaus began trying to belittle them. Again.

“ Will you just shut up and be grateful they were here to help us?!” Neva finally snapped, causing all but Asta and Yuno to look at her in surprise. She blushed and rubbed her neck nervously. She hadn’t meant to snap, but she wasn’t going to apologize for it either. Luckily what she had said shut Klaus up, for a while at least, and they continued watching the fight unfold.

When Neva thought they had finally gotten the upper hand the mysterious man, Mars, she thought she heard Asta call him, decided to use one of his major spells. A giant suit made of crystals, that moved! She paled considerably, she couldn’t make anything like that in her wildest dreams! Let alone be able to move something that big! It made her realize how weak she truly was, and how much she still needed to learn.

‘There’s no way we’ll be able to be that! No way!’ Her mind screamed, but she was proven wrong as she watched them swiftly defeat Mars and his little crystal dolls stopped moving. She watched as Noelle removed her protective spell and she quickly stood up, but she made sure to stay on guard in case the dolls decided to attack again.

“ This treasure belongs to the Clover Kingdom!” She suddenly heard Asta shout, she couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her lips. Even though he took one hell of a beating he still somehow managed to stay positive, she had to admit, it was quite inspiring.

“ You’re correct on that I will admit,” Klaus said suddenly before he bound Mars using his restraining spell. “ But it was the Golden Dawn who recovered the treasure, so this victory belongs to us.” Klaus added smugly, Neva frowned. ‘Seriously?! You want to bring up that petty bet now?!’ She couldn’t help but think with a shake of her head.

“ Great. Now they’re arguing.” She muttered to herself as she watched Klaus and Asta argue over how to enter the dungeon, she heard someone walk up next to her and she glanced over her shoulder to see Yuno.

“ Hey, you ok?” He asked in concern, she blushed a little, not really used to someone other than the Captain being so concerned about her. She shuffled her feet nervously before nodding.

“ Y-Yeah, I’m ok. Honestly I’m just really sore, but Mimosa’s recovery spell really helped.” Neva muttered, she noticed he still had that concerned look on his face and she smirked before placing a hand on his shoulder. “ Don’t look so worried, it’ll age you.” She teased before they were suddenly called by the others.

“ We figured out a way to get through thanks to Luck.” Noelle said before nodding to the young blonde boy beside her, Neva noticed her hair stand up as though there were static in the air.

“ How?” Yuno asked before crossing his arms, Asta smirked before rushing forward and breaking what appeared to be a magical barrier with his blade. Everyone couldn’t help but be amazed by it.

“ Impressive.” Neva muttered before walking inside the treasure room with the others, she had to admit she wondered what was inside here that was so valuable that both the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom wanted it.

——-

Neva had to admit, she wasn’t sure this was what she was expecting.

A room full of gold, jewels, and valuable treasure? She had initially thought that maybe it was just a magic item that was being held in here, but after seeing this, she realized why both kingdoms wanted this treasure. Hell, she even wanted this treasure, and she wasn’t even a greedy person! She looked at the others and noticed they were just as amazed as she was about this. Neva decided this was the best time to explore and see what all was hidden in this place. Apparently the others were thinking the same as they all dispersed and began digging through the small mountains of treasure. ‘Maybe I’ll find a magic item that’ll make my diamond stronger, like that Mars guys!’ Neva thought as she began digging through the gold.

‘But, do you really want to be like him though?’ That little voice in her head told her, she stopped her search and frowned as it continued. ‘I mean, his magic is scary and dangerous, he enjoys hurting people with it. I mean, sure it’s cool and powerful. But do you truly want to be that kind of person?’ The voice questioned, Neva shook her head, of course she didn’t want to be that kind of person. But after seeing how his crystal magic was stronger than her diamond one, it made her angry, very angry.

‘I don’t want to be like him no, but how else am I going to protect everyone when I’m not strong enough to even defeat someone with a similar magic to mine?!’ Neva argued, that was the whole problem; she wanted to be able to beat someone who had a similar magic to hers. She had watched Yuno defeat another wind mage easily, Mimosa too, and even Klaus. They were all able to defeat enemies with the same affinity, and yet she couldn’t. It was almost embarrassing.

“ Hey, Neva right? Did you find anything interesting?” Noelle asked as she walked over, Neva blinked before looking up at the girl, her eyes narrowed. She seemed to like the girl so far, but her magic, that was a different story.

“ Nope. Not at all.” Neva said rather coldly, causing Noelle to jump a bit and make her own eyes narrow.

“ Geez sorry I asked.” She muttered before walking away, Neva let out a small sigh before going back to looking through the gold. When she suddenly felt a surge of mana come from the back of the room, she looked around the pile and her eyes widened.

Yuno was glowing. Literally. His grimoire and whatever object he was holding were glowing this bright green, Neva stood up and walked over to him as he returned to normal, but he had a confused look on his face.

“ What was that all about?” She asked him, he shook his head and held out the scroll to her.

“ I’m not sure, I picked this up and it had some writing on it in a language I couldn’t understand. But now it’s vanished.” He told her confused, she took the scroll and looked over it herself. It was completely blank. She made a ‘hm’ sound before finally handing it back to Yuno.

“ Hang on to it. Maybe Captain Vangeance can tell us what exactly this was.” Yuno nodded before placing the scroll in his robe. When suddenly they heard Luck shout.

“ Guys watch out!” But it was too late, Klaus, Yuno, and Luck himself were suddenly surrounded by crystal. Neva’s eyes widened before she quickly made a dagger out of diamond, as she went to try and cut Yuno free she froze. There was no way she’d be able to cut him out without hurting him. ‘Dammit!’ She turned to face Mars and she blinked.

“ He can use fire too?!” She shouted without meaning too, the others looked just as surprised as she was. “ Great. Now my magic is really useless.” She added as she walked forward a bit in front of Yuno so she could at least try and protect him.

“ What do you mean?” Noelle asked as she held her magic item tightly in her hand, Neva sighed.

“ Well, my Diamonds are made of carbon. Carbon burns. So if he has an offensive fire spell, he can burn my diamond which will cause a toxic gas to fill the air, and if I try to use my ‘diamond shell’ to protect us, he will literally cook us alive because diamonds are actually a good heat conductor.” Neva explained, she noticed everyone looked very confused at her explanation and she sighed. “ Nevermind its science stuff.” She muttered before preparing for the fight ahead.

——-

Things were not going as great as they could’ve been.

Noelle was severely injured, Asta wasn’t in great shape as he was knocked through a wall, Neva herself was pretty banged up, and the others were still locked in their crystal prisons. Neva had been trying to use her ‘Diamond Palisade’ to at least buy Mimosa some time to heal Noelle, but he kept breaking through them. Neva began to pant, she was getting exhausted.

“ Had enough yet?” He mocked as he continued to heal himself with his flame magic. Neva smirked, this entire time she had been watching Asta and the others not give up, so why should she even though she was exhausted?

“ Heh. Sorry, but I don’t think so.” She scoffed before closing her eyes. “ Paragon Armor: Effervescent Stage!” She shouted suddenly, this would use all the mana she had left. The armor was a product of a year’s worth of training, she hadn’t been able to test it out in a real battle though, so she wasn’t really sure how well it’d hold up.

“ So now you’re getting serious.” Neva smirked before suddenly sprinting forward. She suddenly appeared on Mars’s right side and she smirked, apparently he wasn’t quite expecting this. She quickly landed a punch to his face before sprinting again and clocking him on the other side.

This was the reason she loved this version of her armor. It allowed her to be quick and agile enough that she could easily block and dodge attacks if needed, but it also allowed her to land multiple punches in short succession. She had to admit, she was very happy at how she was able to take him by surprise and actually land a few punches. That was, until he grabbed her by the ankle when she went to kick him across the face. Her face paled while he smirked.

“ So predictable.” Was all Mars said before he threw her across the room. Neva heard multiple shouts as she landed in front of Mimosa and Noelle, her armor shattering in the process.

“ Neva!” She heard Mimosa shout, Neva was able to get on her knees and she shook her head.

“ I’m alright Mimosa, but I’m out of magic power. There’s nothing i can do.” Neva told her weakly as Mars approached them, they were screwed and they all knew it. She could hear the boys struggling to get out of their bonds and she smiled sadly, this was it for them, this was where they all died. Neva closed her eyes in acceptance, she didn’t want to watch as Mars sliced them in two.

But it never came.

Neva’s head shot up as she saw Asta suddenly appear in front of them ready to protect them, and she felt a huge gust of wind fly past her and hit Mars. She turned her head and her eyes widened, Yuno was able to break out of his bonds, but what was that next to him? Was it a fairy? She squinted her eyes to try and get a better look but couldn’t really tell. Neva watched as Yuno and Asta quickly ran at Mars and began to fight.

It was funny, their fighting styles were different, their personalities were different, and yet they were surprisingly well matched. Neva couldn’t help but admire their teamwork as she watched them, it truly was amazing that a boy who held no magic power at all, and one who seemed to be blessed by it could be so well in sync.

‘Finally! It’s over!’ Neva thought as they defeated Mars once and for all, she sighed in relief and the others cheered, she watched the crystal that held Luck and Klaus finally disappear. After a small exchange between Yuno and Asta, Noelle ordered Mimosa to heal him.

“ You don’t have to Mimosa, I'm fine!” Asta tried to argue but Neva shook her head.

“ No you’re not. Just do what they say, it’s a lot easier than to argue.” Neva told him, he nodded and let Mimosa begin to heal his wounds. Yuno walked over to her and held out his hand.

“ Can you stand?” He asked her softly, she nodded and took his hand. She noted how surprisingly soft it was, ‘Wait why are you paying attention to that kind of stuff?!’ Her mind shouted at her, she shook her head and tried to hide the small blush that crept onto her face.

“ Yeah, thanks.” She muttered before the room began to shake. “ Are you kidding me?!” She shouted before Yuno let go of her hand and created a small wind vessel for them.

“ Let’s get out of here.” Yuno said as they all climbed onto it, he turned to Neva. “ Do you have any magic power left?” She frowned for a bit.

“ I might have a little that's built back up, why?” She asked in confusion, it wouldn’t be able to make anything really strong.

“ Can you make a small cover above us? So that way if any debris falls it won’t kill us?” He asked and she nodded as she made a small diamond cover that floated above them.

———

Neva had never been so happy to be outside in her life! She wasn’t the only one who felt that way, since Mimosa and Noelle both had similar looks on their faces as well. They were able to make it out alive, barely at least.

“ Woo! That was an adrenaline rush huh?” Mimosa said with a small laugh, Neva and Noelle nodded in agreement.

“ The next time the Captain sends us out on a mission like this, I might just decline.” Neva laughed.

“ Yeah I won’t be as lucky with my captain.” Noelle said almost sadly before she seemed to look past Neva’s shoulders with raised eyebrows, she turned to loo and her eyes did the same.

Klaus was hugging both Yuno and Asta, apologizing for how he was treating them the way he had. Neva’s face softened and a true, genuine smile appeared on her face. She heard a small gasp next to her and looked to see Mimosa staring at her.

“ You’re smiling! I don’t think I’ve seen you smile even once in these couple of months that we’ve worked together!” She exclaimed in surprise before the others came over.

“ She’s right, I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you smile as well!” Klaus said as he pushed up his glasses, Neva quickly frowned.

“ I’ve smiled before!” She argued but Yuno shook his head as well.

“ No, I don’t think so.” He agreed with the others, and Neva couldn’t help but huff and cross her arms.

“ W-Whatever! Let’s just go home!” Neva said as she turned on her heels and began to walk away, she couldn’t believe her squad was teasing her about her smiling!

——

I apologize for the poor ending and I know I didn’t describe what her armor looks like and thats because I don’t really know myself, its gone through at least three changes, maybe I’ll try and draw an idea up or something. But maybe you guys enjoyed it, and i apologize if you didn’t! Hope you all have a good day~!

#a fractured diamond #oc neva #black clover #black clover fanfiction #black clover oc #i apologize it isn’t very good #episode 5

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randombtsprincessa · 4 years ago

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Content Creator Year in Review

Tagged by: @yoonia Thank you sweets!!

First creation and most recent creation of 2020:

The start of 2020 also saw the start of BADLANDS. And I’d say it was fitting because 2020 quickly became Bad from there lol. Anyway, it’s still only a one chapter out fic but I’m going to start working on my list of series from next year. I’m hoping to finish it by then.

The most recentfic is Bed Bereft and even as I slogged through that monster, I have to say I enjoyed it. It was Nano when I was working on it and while in progress the plotline changed MAJORLY. (There was definitely no romance in it when it was conceptualized, just plain old smut with no strings.) But I am a sucker for feels so.

One of your favourite creations from 2020:

Be My Teacher! It’s common knowledge in at least my private circle that JK is the one person that torments me the most but that’s not a story for this time. But he is also the person that,close to Yoongi, I find the most easy to characterise. He is just so malleable! But this time I kept him simple. And I have a lot of ideas for that fic and I hope to continue writing for that pair in the future.

A creation you’re really proud of:

That would be Blackthorn Creek. Its based on one of my favorite fairy tales - Beauty and Beast. But I worked on giving it a spin so I made the beast the girl and Jimin the “Prince”. I am actually surprised by how well Jimin and his personality worked into the story, I didn’t have to change him in anyway and it worked seamlessly. There was absolutely no hiccups in that story from it’s building block stages to when it was put up. Also I think it was a good idea to put the girl in the shoes of the beast. We face a lot of insecurities in our everyday life and I wanted to deal with those with the work. Instead of giving the usual line of how girls haveto learn to love the monster, it was aimed to show that anyone can be the monster and learning to love them should not be a given for anyone. Which is why I introduced Hyebin’s character in the work.

A creation that took you forever:

I think the most stumbles were in Best of Me. I was torn between the type of MC i wanted to show for the fic and the kind of dynamic I wanted her to have with Jin. Also I was severely lazy and spread out the WC over WEEKS. So Yeah, it was a nightmare to finish because I was being a terrible writer to it.

A creation from 2020 that received the most notes:

Be My Teacher got around 500 notes!

A creation you think deserved more notes:

I messed up Bed Bereft by adding a bunch of links to the playlist. I don’t think it appears in the search bar. So now it’s sitting desolate.

A new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it:

I am probably not going to use this platform for many fics outside of BTS. Maybe in the future, who knows. I did use Sehun as one of my major characters in Aberrations but it was way back when.

A creation you made that breaks your heart:

Achilles Heart. It’s still in three chapters but I want to pace it out, I guess. The premise isn’t very new but it’s also not done a lot so I keep playing with a lot of ideas for it’s future and none of them make me dance with joy as of yet.

A ‘simple’ creation that you really love:

I ADORED writing Blackout. It’s domesticated but softly dominant and I honestly couldn’t have hoped to have it turn out as nicely as it did.

A creation that was inspired by another one:

By the Book was inspired by @pasteljeon fic Shadows. The concept of Venom! Joon was going to remain as a snippet of fic that I wrote for them as a valentine’s present but she wanted more and I delivered.

A favourite creation created by someone else:

I am going to embarrass myself and say there’s a TON. All I did this month was read fics, which you will find in my fic recs. But my Absolute faves from this month would be: Inner Needs by @avveh , almost anything written (Blurred Lines) by @yoonia (yes, yes, I’m whipped), Made Up Love Song by @floralseokjin , Warm Hands and Moonlit Throne by @hobidreams

Some of your favorite content creators from the year:

I just want to say that along with my fave content creators, they are also wonderful and amazing people and their presence in my life makes it loads better. Starting to gush now about: @btssmutgalore @avveh @yoonia @serooks @floralseokjin @pasteljeon @softyoongiionly @johobi @cuziloveyou7 @my-astral-wanderlust @hobidreams @ot7always @mind-of-a-hardstan @taeken-my-heart @noona-la-la-la

And for good measure, another couple more creations of yours that you love:

Self promo ahead!

For Jin - Base to Base For Yoongi - Behind the Stick For Jimin - Agent Provocateur Bells and Roses For Tae - Adulation For Jungkook - Azaleas

Tagging: All the creators mentioned above and anyone else who wants to do this!

#tulip tagged games #tulip talks #write with tulips

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rosy-night-sky · 5 years ago

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Of Treasure and Adventure

Genre: Treasure Hunter/Indiana Jones AU

Pairing: Ot7 x reader

Summary: Your grandmother gave you a gift that she won in a game, so naturally you are curious as to the origins of it. A decision was then made that you should seek the answers to your questions. However, you never expected your decision to lead you on a treasure hunting quest.

Warning: Suggestive and violent themes

Tag List: @sevenincubistolemyheart @xxqueenwxtchxx @technicolor-blues @taevkimchi @youcantbesiriusremus @vannilacake @baby-hobii @catsandstrawberries @izzyisavengersupernaturaltrash @http-lostforever @jhopetypes @seesawsmin-flower @taekookandyoongi @star-gods

(A/N: Ugh, so sorry if this is trash, I spent a lot of time writing this!)

Chapter 8

Hundreds of streetlights flew past you like little fireflies in the night sky. The white brick buildings that loomed over you as you rode pass by gave you a taste of home. Everything here had a sense of British influence on it. Even the way people acted reminded you of your home country. The orange and yellow lights that shone brightly from the streetlights dyed the night sky a blackish orange tint. A few pedestrians wandered around the streets, searching for anything and anyone that could give them a good time. They wanted to forget themselves and reality, even if it lasted only a single night.

The soothing evening breeze cooled your skin comfortingly. It had such a relaxing effect on you that you almost dozed off a few times. Key word… almost. Even if the night air was very relaxing, the fact that your stomach continued to do flips nauseously kept you awake and focused. The longer you remained in the car the more your stomach flipped and fluttered. Your mouth had been dry the entire ride, and this gagging lump was still lodged in your throat.

You fiddled with your fingers as you took in the evening sights, looking for anything that could distract you from your anxious thoughts. You were confident in the plan. After all, Yoongi spent an entire day mapping out the structure and wiring of the building where the gala was being taken place so that he knew which plug he needed to pull and which wire he needed to cut. He even came up with backup plans in case somehow merely flipping the switch permanently wouldn’t cut it. You tried to remain interested when Yoongi explained the nuances and technicalities of the switches, distribution boards, sockets, and light fittings in the structure, but you lost it when he began discussing how the building had a system where it employed vulcanized-rubber insulated wiring enclosed in a strip metal sheath which bonded to each metal wiring device to ensure earthing continuity.

This was why you were a journalist and not an electrician.

You inhaled deeply through your nose, your eyes closing for a mere moment as you willed your stomach to stop fluttering relentlessly. You didn’t know if you considered the events that were about to take place in the near future were going to be the most dangerous you underwent. After all, you took part in a shoot out a week earlier. However, you knew that this was going to be extremely risky. One wrong move and your whole life could be over in a snap.

Jin, who drove the convertible seemingly without a single care in the world, glanced over to your shaky and fidgety form and gave you a small, reassuring smile. “A penny for your thoughts?” he asked all too casually. He acted like he wasn’t about to commit a felony, which, you supposed, was a good thing. You rather he acted inconspicuous.

You tore your gaze away from the moving buildings and brought your attention to meet the millionaire’s beautiful face. The way the wind blew through his dark locks reminded you of the paintings of ancient Greek gods you wrote an article on once. He really was an image of perfection and beauty that all envied. Not a single blemish or flaw adorned his features.

Snapping yourself from your daze and thoughts, you replied in a tone that matched his, “Oh, nothing, just thinking about how this is all going to land us in prison.”

Jin chuckled humorously, as if you merely told him a funny joke. “Oh, ye of little faith. Of course we’re going to end up in prison if you keep on with that attitude. Think positively and everything will be fine.”

You snorted and rolled your eyes as you prompted your uninjured elbow on the side of the car, your chin cradled in your own palm. “Last time I thought optimistically, I fell down a hill, sprained my elbow, and almost got shot on several occasions,” you quipped snappily.

Jin didn’t reply at first. His eyes were glued to the cobbled streets which were free of any congested traffic. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel lightly, as if he was tapping to a jazzy tune that had been stuck in his head all day. “I won’t lie to you. What we’re about to do is very dicey.” You cut him off with a scoff before he continued, “However, half of what we need to pull this off is confidence.”

“Confidence or rashness?” you inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“Confidence,” he firmly answered, finally glancing to you out of the corner of his eye. “If we are confident that we can succeed in this endeavor, then it will happen. We can’t be constantly second guessing ourselves. Otherwise, this expedition will become a failure.” His mirthful smile slowly faded into an impassive gloom. The aura surrounding him had suddenly turned bleak, and you couldn’t help but probe into this.

“Are you telling this to me or yourself?”

His grip on the wheel tightened for a mere moment. You wouldn’t have caught onto the action if you hadn’t already been analyzing his body signals. You knew that he was carefully choosing his next few words. A single slip could lead into revealing confidential information about him. “I suppose a bit of both. We both need this message but for different reasons. This expedition is absolutely crucial, and we can’t afford to be anxious of what all of this may come to. We’ve come too far. If anything, that’s what fighting the Japanese taught me. We need to take a leap of faith sometimes,” he explained, and you listened to every single word that came from his mouth. He did have a point, you supposed. Being too scared to take the next step can be fatal.

You broke away your gaze from him and returned to the sights around you. “I guess you’re right.”

“Exactly, now cheer up. Jungkook will be waiting for us.”

Right, Jungkook had decided to go on ahead while the two of you prepared yourselves for the night. He said he wanted to scope the area for any potential threats that could possibly jeopardize the mission. You agreed with his concerns. Everything had to be absolutely perfect. Not a single thing could be out of place.

You knew that you and Jin were nearing your destination. The streets suddenly became frequent with men and ladies embellished with silk dresses, dashing suits, sparkling jewelry, and expensive accessories. It looked like you were living those pictures from the magazines that you often lost yourself in for entertainment. Attending extravagant parties and balls with some of the most influential people in the country seemed like something from a dream to you. You never would have thought that you would have ended up somewhere like this.

Jin parked the car a few meters away from the entrance of the museum, and instantly you were starstruck by the opulence and splendor of the event. The museum towered over you much like the Goldosa had before. Spotlights pointed into the sky gathering the attention of all near and far. A red carpet was laid out for all of the attendees to strut upon as if it were something from Hollywood. A huge crowd of rich men and women were scattered about with drinks in hand, gossiping and gloating the prices of their clothing to one another.

Your eyes couldn’t help but remain glued to the sight, even as Jungkook stepped out into your view and opened your door, taking your hand and guiding you out of the vehicle. In all honesty, you felt like a sheep among a pack of wolves. You didn’t necessarily belong to the upper class, and, thus, such a display left you speechless.

Jin chuckled when seeing your amazed expression and gently looped his arm through yours. He was a gentleman through and through, after all. He couldn’t leave a lady unattended. “Shocked, are we?” he queried, his tone light and teasing.

Jungkook followed the older’s gaze and saw your gaped mouth and round eyes. A small snigger escaped his lips, and he quietly cooed to himself. You were honestly too adorable for words. You looked like a child being brought to her very first day of school. “Is this your first time at a gala?” he asked curiously.

You finally managed to regain yourself and snapped yourself out of your daze. You cleared your throat and clasped your hand around your red clutch bag with a firm grip. Looking back at Jungkook’s cute bunny smile, you replied, “Well, not exactly galas, but I’ve been to plenty of exhibit openings before. I’m a reporter, remember? It’s just…” Your voice trailed off as your eyes tarried up uncertainly to look at the shining spotlights pointed up into the night sky. “Isn’t this a bit much for an exhibit opening?”

Jungkook also looked up into the black sky, his hands digging themselves into his suit pockets. “Actually, this is pretty subtle for a gala,” he commented, causing your eyes to widen in surprise.

Was he actually serious? There were galas more excessive and flamboyant than this? You suppose that the only way this could get any more extravagant was if the sky suddenly started to rain colorful confetti. Still, you thought that this was going to be more modest. You shouldn’t be surprised, but here you were, slack jaw and wide eyed.

“Subtle? This is absurd!” you exclaimed, although you softened your voice so that no one around could hear your rantings.

Jin finally broke out in a small bout of laughter. Your reaction to your first gala was too hilarious and priceless for him to not laugh at. “I once attended a party where the host brought show girls to entertain us,” he revealed, waiting with a smug smirk for your reaction.

Just as he hoped, you caught onto what he insinuated and began to sputter with round eyes. “Show girls?!” Why was he, a businessman, going to parties with showgirls? When did he have time for things like that?

With a smirk, he lightly slapped your arm in a gesture to quiet down your flabbergasted shrieks. “Shush, darling,” he hushed in an amused tone. “People are watching.” He offered polite smiles to a group of older men sharing cigars and discussing politics in their small circles while guiding you through the white stone arches leading to the entrance of the museum.

You huffed, still feeling the rush of shock in your veins along with the new feeling of slight agitation bubble within you. “Then don’t say things like that if you don’t want people to stare,” you retorted, glancing up at the stone structure before returning your focus to what was ahead of you.

Jungkook straightened his suit and adopted the persona of an appointed bodyguard, his face donning a cold and calculated mask. Honestly, you would find his sudden switch to be extremely attractive, but you didn’t have time to be staring at him. He fixed his tie before commenting, “Tonight, y/n, everyone will be staring at us. Our each and every move will be judged by all.”

Those words didn’t exactly quell your fears.

Jin slowed his walking to a stop, as if mentally preparing himself for what was ahead. Suddenly, he turned to you and grabbed the white fur shawl draped around your shoulders and arms. He readjusted it so it sat perfectly on your bare shoulders like a mother fixing her child’s appearance so that he looked presentable. “You look lovely tonight, y/n,” he commented softly, a small smile gracing his lips. “Namjoon was right to get you this. It compliments your dress nicely.”

You flickered your eyes to the floor for a few seconds, suddenly feeling bashful from his sincere compliment. Your memory brought you back to your tender moment with Namjoon. His warm embrace, the way his eyes shone with such adoration and love. It was such a perfect moment. You could still feel his soft lips on yours.

From the way Jungkook was staring at you, you figured that he knew what you were thinking. His lips curled into a smug, knowing smile that you just wanted to wipe off. Who knew the youngest could be such a brat sometimes. “Jin was also right to pick red for you. It really brings out your eyes.”

You would’ve been touched by Jungkook’s compliment if not for his teasing smirk. Feeling your cheeks tingle with heat, you mumbled in reply, “Thank you. You both look rather dashing as well.”

Jin’s lips stretched to widen his smile. You had to admit, his smile was something ethereal. You wouldn’t be surprised if someone told you that he was secretly a deity in mortal disguise. A small laugh escaped his lips. “I am always dashing. You just have yet to realize that.” Once he was done fixing your shawl, he took your arm in his own again and faced the enormous crowd awaiting you both. “Remember to smile, dear. We can’t have everyone knowing our intentions.”

You both then stepped over the threshold separating you from the outside world. Just like that, the operation to steal the kobae began.

“Right,” you sighed, curling the corners of your mouth into a courteous and cheerful smile. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Weaving you through the crowds with Jin at your side and Jungkook at your heel, the scent of expensive perfume and cologne filled your nostrils. You almost choked on the strong stench but managed to remain composed. Dear Lord, what do they put in those fragrance bottles? Skunk stench? It certainly was as strong and potent as a skunk.

“The worst, at the moment, is that we accidentally run into someone that either of us know,” Jin replied, taking you to the refreshment table. He plucked up two glasses of bubbly champagne and handed you one, which you graciously took. “Right now, we need to socialize. Talk to people. Warm up to them. Get on their good side. That way, when we have the kobae, we seem less suspicious to everyone.”

You took a sip of champagne while listening to Jin explain the plan and then grimaced in disgust. Ugh, what kind of champagne did they bring to this gala? You thought that the best was supposed to be here? Why did this taste so sour? Did they accidentally bring champagne that had gone bad?

“Wouldn’t we want to stay inconspicuous though? That way the people won’t remember us?” you questioned, trying to ignore the bitter taste on your tongue.

Jin shook his head but continued to appear pleasant and cheerful to those around him. “No, people don’t attend galas to not mingle. If we want to seem natural to everyone, then we have to associate with others,” he answered, taking a drink of his glass.

Jungkook slowly took one of the glasses from the table, his fingers curling around the stem, and took a small sip from the yellow, bubbling liquid, as if he were curious about what it would taste like. Instantly, his face scrunched up in disgust as if he just ate a lemon and quickly placed the glass back on the table, hoping that no one noticed his little spectacle. Finally, you weren’t alone in this regard.

Leaning into him, you whispered, “You don’t like it either?”

He coughed into his hand shortly followed by his tongue peeking out of his mouth as if he were trying to be rid of the foul taste on it. “What did they put in it? Vinegar? Bleugh!”

Swirling your drink in your glass, you answered with a slight frown, “I think the champagne went bad. It doesn’t age well unlike wine.”

“No, it isn’t spoiled,” Jin answered plainly before taking another sip. He seemed unaffected by the sour taste. Lucky bastard. “If it was, it would be a golden hue, not pale yellow. This batch is just particularly sour.”

Jungkook scoffed quietly to himself. “Of course you’d know. You’re an alcohol connoisseur.”

Jin merely hummed pleasantly to himself, his eyes scanning over the vast crowds like a spectator watching a sports game. “You say that like it’s an insult,” he chuckled for a moment. His arm around yours tightened for a bit, rousing your attention to him. “Let’s go out and socialize with others before we’re deemed reclusive.”

You sighed in slight defeat. This wasn’t exactly what you were hoping for. “Jin, I’m not exactly familiar with these type of people.” You mildly gestured to the gossiping people before you, each seemingly enjoying themselves. “What do I even talk about?”

Jin shrugged his broad shoulders nonchalantly. “I’d imagine that the Indian Independence Movement is on everyone’s minds. You’re informed in that area, right? You could discuss that with others, but be mindful of what everyone’s opinions are on the subject. We don’t need to make any enemies tonight,” he mentioned.

You still hesitated to go out and begin consorting everyone. The thought of possibly offending some rich lord or lady accidentally sent a wave of dread over you. You shuffled in your spot uncomfortably next to the millionaire, suddenly becoming super self-conscious of every little thing you did. Did your hair look good? Is this how a lady is supposed to stand? What if someone saw your arm in a cast hiding under your furry shawl?

Jin noticed your reluctance and gave you an innocent smile. However, based on what he was about to say, you knew it was anything but innocent. “Aw, is our baby girl too shy to go out and make new friends~?” he cooed quietly enough so only you could hear him.

“Jin!” you hissed under your breath, trying to ignore the growing heat on your cheeks. What was he trying to do treating you like a little girl?

You heard Jungkook chuckle from behind you, a hand hovered over his mouth to hide and muffle the noise. “Does our doll-face need us to hold her hand tonight also~?” he murmured softly, his hand moving to reveal his cocky grin. Argh, how you wanted to smack that grin off his face!

“Jungkook!” you hissed with just as much fervor as you did with Jin. You felt like a mother trying to keep her mischievous sons under control. A sharp pang tug at your heart for their mothers. They must be exhausted from dealing with their little devils. “A bodyguard is supposed to be silent!”

Jungkook shrugged his shoulders carelessly, as if your words meant little to him. Jin, on the other hand, ignored your seething and pulled your closer to his side. The strong stink of perfume that filled the air was suddenly replaced by the natural scent of Jin’s musk. For a moment, you relaxed under his touch but then instantly froze up. “Don’t worry, dearest. I’ll go and help you make new friends.” He moved his hand so it was pressed against the small of your back, urging you to move forward.

You began walking at Jin’s insistence. Where to? You had no idea. Ladies and gentlemen stared at you curiously as you weaved through the crowds. You tried your best to ignore their rude stares and to remain calm. You just followed the direction that the millionaire pushed you until he abruptly pulled you to a stop before weaving his arm through yours again. You realized that he stopped you by a group of two couples around your age. Hopefully, this was a good place to start with socializing.

“Good evening, everyone,” Jin politely greeted, giving each a small bow of the head. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

The couples, although they were a tiny bit perplexed by your sudden appearance, nodded in agreement. One of the men, who had a handlebar mustache that covered his mouth, spoke up, “I’m so glad that tonight is rather cool. I don’t think I could handle another sweltering night.” He then held out his hand toward Jin for a handshake. “Michael Collins.”

“Seokjin Kim,” he replied, returning his handshake. You supposed that Jin switched up his name so that they wouldn’t get it mixed up.

“Ooooh, that sounds rather exotic, Mr. Kim,” one of the girls commented, her tone turning kittenish. She raised her hand toward the millionaire, offering it for a kiss. “I’m Charlotte Dixon.” You didn’t fail to notice the flirtatious gleam in her dark eyes as Jin took her hand in his own.

“Enchanted to meet your acquaintance, Ms. Dixon.” He placed a kiss on the back of her gloved hand. By the way his lips dwelt on her hand a second longer than necessary, you would’ve been rather irritated by his coquettish attitude, if not for the fact that you knew it was all an act. Like he said, you both needed people to think of you fondly, even if it meant tossing your morals and beliefs out the window.

Ms. Dixon’s partner must’ve been oblivious of Jin’s action for he didn’t react poorly at all, or he knew what his game was but didn’t care. He stuck his hand out to Jin, and at this moment you realized that no one was paying you any heed. You almost preferred it this way, since you weren’t given the opportunity to absolutely humiliate yourself. However, you soon found out that you didn’t like being on the sidelines. You wanted to be in on the action.

“Vincent Foster, I’m a distiller.” After he finished shaking Jin’s hand, he added with a proud grin, “In fact, I’m the one who provided this event with the drinks.”

Ah, so he was the one to be blamed for this God awful champagne? Good thing you hadn’t started complaining yet. Otherwise, you’d be in your own grave by now.

“Ah, a businessman?” Jin inquired, with a fond smile. “I myself own a watchmaking company. It’s so nice to see another person of the same mindset, and here I thought I would be surrounded by historians and philosophers.”

“If there were, then we wouldn’t even bother wasting our time here,” Mr. Collins’ partner remarked with a soft snort. You stared at her expectedly for a few moments, waiting for her to introduce herself. Once she realized that you, in fact, don’t know her name, she quickly added, “Oh, I’m Martha Hopkins.”

Once you gathered everyone’s names, you just realized that Jin was truly the oddball in the entire group. Everyone was British by birth while Jin was a foreigner in their eyes. You hoped this mere fact wouldn’t make the others snobbish toward him. You didn’t know if you had the patience for such insolence.

You opened your mouth to introduce yourself to the others, but Jin beat you to it saying, “This is my lovely fiancée, Ms. y/n l/n.”

Your eyes nearly bulged out of your sockets. Fiancée?! Why the bloody hell did he need to tell them that for?! It had nothing to do with anything! You whipped your gaze frantically to meet his own. Was he out of his mind? Was he trying to compromise the mission?! Even Jungkook gave Jin a bewildered glance out of the corner of his eyes, as if he couldn’t figure out why on earth the elder pulled a stunt like that.

Hoping that no one got suspicious by your panicked reaction, you quickly whined, “Honey, don’t tell them that! You know how flustered I get when you mention things like this.”

Ms. Hopkins released a small coo upon hearing Jin’s announcement. She placed a hand over her heart as a sign of how touched she was. “Congratulations! I how you have a happy and healthy marriage.” She then raised her glass for a toast. “For the future bride and groom.”

Everyone repeated her words and clinked their glasses together before taking a sip. You drained the remaining contaminants quickly, not caring if anyone gave you an awkward stare. Forget the awful taste of the champagne, you needed alcohol in your system now. Jin glanced at you curiously out of the corner of his eye before releasing a small, faint chuckle.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Mr. Collins began with an inquisitive gleam in his beady eyes, “how did you come to meet each other?”

See, this was why Jin shouldn’t have said this in the first place, because now you were going to have to dig deeper into this lie. Before the millionaire could get a single word out of his mouth, you answered, “We met during one of the rebel protests against the passage of the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. I was a reporter for the Gazette, and he was on a business venture with some of the marketers here. We somehow got caught up in the protests, and he managed to get me to safety after the bomb was thrown.” You then sighed wistfully for effect, making you seem like a lovesick fool. “The rest is history…”

“How chivalrous of you, Mr. Kim,” Mr. Foster commented with a small chortle before taking another drink of his champagne.

You didn’t fail to notice the eye roll Ms. Dixon attempted to hide. It seemed she had her sights set on him tonight it seemed. You assumed she was a hired escort for Mr. Collins. After all, the man with the mustache seemed quite a few years her senior, and she didn’t appear to be the type of woman who would waste her time on someone like him unless she got something out of it. She was going to be quite a handful to deal with, you expected.

Jin moved his arm so that it snaked around your waist, pulling you closer to his body. You definitely seemed like the picturesque image of the madly in love couple that everyone envied. Let’s hope that this whole story didn’t come to bite you in the rear. If it did, you were going to give Jin a piece of your mind.

“I couldn’t just let a lovely lady get injured in the madness,” he confessed charmingly. His face beheld emotions of complete fondness and tenderness for you. He seemed he was ready to get down on his knees and worship the ground you walk on. Such warmth and devotion radiated from his body that you almost doubled back in wonder.

Damn, he really was a good actor.

You playfully smacked him in his ribs with a bright smile adorning your face. “Oh, stop, you…” you giggled, looking down to obscure your bashful face. “You’re just trying it get me all muddled up, aren’t you?”

Jin sighed in a dramatic fashion. “Damn, you’ve figured me out.” You weren’t sure if he was merely acting or not. Something about the tone in his voice made it almost believable. “You know that I can’t resist seeing you all bothered.”

You smacked him again, but this time you hit him a little harder than before due to the annoyance that bubbled within you. You heard Jin release a tiny ‘oof’ at the sharp jab you gave him in the ribs but continued to smile cheerfully at the other guests. Served him right for throwing you into this mess of a situation. If he pulled something like this again, you were going to box his ears.

Mr. Collins stroked his bushy mustache thoughtfully as his eyes eventually landed on Jungkook hovering behind you and Jin, his face as emotionless as the paintings that riddled the walls. Mr. Collins’ equally bushy eyebrows shot up curiously and gestured to the much younger man. “And who is this fine, young gentleman here, dare I ask?” he wondered in a chipper tone.

You gave Jungkook a mere glance before answering coolly, “Oh, pay him no heed. He’s just our guardian for tonight. What with the protests riots in motion, we didn’t want to risk the possibility of any rebels jumping us tonight.” You smiled to the gentleman with a cheerful twinkle in your eyes, emitting a trustful and innocent aura from you. “I’m sure you understand our caution, Mr. Collins.”

“You must tell me where you hired such a man,” Ms. Dixon implored in a sultry tone, looking Jungkook up and down with a dark glint in her eyes. You resisted the urge to retch at the sight. You were somewhat relieved that she no longer lusted for Jin, but you rather she didn’t yearn for either men at your side.

“Oh, before I forget to ask such a thing,” Ms. Hopkins butted in, ignoring Ms. Dixon’s immodest comment. “Do you perchance know of our special guest that came here tonight? I hear he is another oriental. Maybe you two bumped into each other sometime ago?”

You and Jin both smiled and sighed in relief inwardly. She must be talking about Namjoon. You knew that the historian came to the gala a few hours ahead of you two to avoid arousing suspicion, but unfortunately neither of you had spotted him in the crowds. He must be in deep discussion with some of the other guests.

In a mirthful voice, he answered, “Ah, I believe you’re speaking of my colleague, Namjoon Kim. Yes, he wrote to me saying that he was also attending-”

“Oh, no, no, no!” Ms. Hopkins interrupted, waving her gloved hand in the air as if to sweep what your ‘fiancé’ just said away. “This is a different foreigner! I believe his name was… Oh, I forget what it was! Darling, do you remember what his name was?” She turned to her partner, Mr. Foster, for help in the situation.

You felt the smile slowly drop from your face along with Jin’s as a deep sense of dread and fear settled among the three of you. There was someone else here? Another foreigner that supposedly Jin could know? You glanced up at the millionaire, and, although he remained calm and composed, you knew that a storm of emotions raged within him, ready to wear him down to the bone. Your mind instantly went to the chance that perhaps someone from the Japanese government managed to track you here, but you knew very well that Jin put a lot of money and effort to cover everyone’s tracks.

Mr. Foster pondered for a few moments, mentally searching for the name that was on the tip of his tongue. His finger tapped against his glass in deep thought as deep hum resonated from his throat. “I believe it was… Oh, I know it… It’s… Virgil…? No… Vante! That’s it!” He cried out triumphantly while his partner cheered and praised him for his good memory.

Meanwhile, the calm exterior on Jin’s face slowly faded into a slightly annoyed frown. A soft scoff past through his lips before his recomposed himself with a polite smile. His smile was strained, you noticed, as if someone told him a very poor joke. “Vante?” He paused to contemplate the name but just ended up shaking his head. “No, I don’t believe I know the man. Is he from Korea?”

Mr. Foster simply shrugged his shoulders casually. “I don’t know. I never bothered to look into him. You foreigners all look the same to me; it’s hard for me to tell the difference.” He chuckled to himself and the other couples before continuing, “All I really know about him is that he is an excellent artist. I show really look into buying a painting or two from him. That way I can appear to be a more cultured businessman.”

Jin’s smile became even more strained the longer the man went on. For a moment, you thought that his fingers were going to snap the steam of his glass in two. However, he just lifted the glass to the man as a gesture of respect. However, you knew that your partner had little respect for the fellow businessman. “A smart move, Mr. Foster.”

Mr. Collins then went into a harangue about the many pieces of art and literature that he obtained from his travels across the world, in which Ms. Dixon tried her very hardest to appear interested in what her companion had to say. You took this opportunity to lean into Jin’s ear and whispered quietly into his ear, “You know this ‘Vante’, don’t you?”

Jin never directed his attention away from Mr. Collins as he softly replied, “Yes, I do, and you know him as well. Even Jungkook knows him.”

You furrowed your eyebrows confusedly at his response. You glanced at your bodyguard, who was searching around him for someone in particular. You figured it was this Vante that had them on edge. Turning back to Jin, you further prodded, “Alright then, mind telling me who he is then?”

Jin opened his mouth to answer when Jungkook stepped in and alerted him, “Jin, there he is. Would you like me to confront him?”

You and Jin followed Jungkook’s small gesture toward where the infamous artist stood. Your jaw nearly dropped to the floor as you recognized the figure. Your thoughts scrambled together to form some sort of a complete sentence. A whirlwind of emotions went through you at that moment. Bewilderment. Shock. Disbelief. You had to blink a few times to confirm that what you saw wasn’t a trick of the eye. However, it soon became apparent that you, indeed, knew this man. He was the last person you expected to be here at the gala.

The man standing a few meters away, admiring a painting with deep interest, was Taehyung. What was he doing here?! He could jeopardize the whole mission!

“No, don’t,” Jin answered, snapping you from your dazed thoughts. “A bodyguard confronting him will only get everyone’s attention and rouse suspicion. I’ll go talk to him.”

Before he made a move in Taehyung, you placed a hand on his chest to stop him. “No, no, stay here. I’ll go talk to Tae,” you insisted. When Jin opened his mouth to protest, you continued, “You’re better at sweet-talking your way in to getting everyone on your side. You should carry on doing that while I speak with our lovely demolition expert.”

The millionaire contemplated what you said for a few seconds but sighing in defeat. He glanced around him, watching the people around him to see if anyone was spying on you, and took your hand on his chest and gave it a comforting squeeze, as if to wish you luck. “Act like you don’t know him if anyone comes by, and be careful of what you say. We don’t want him ruining the mission.”

You gave him a reassuring nod before turning back toward the lovely, yet rather boring, couples. “Will you excuse me, everyone? I think I’m going to get another glass.” You didn’t wait for their responses as you stormed over to ‘Vante’. Your bewilderment and confusion faded away into anger and frustration. Just what was he trying to pull here?!

You smoothly strode up to his side, rolling your shoulders to readjust your fur shawl. A wave of confidence came over you as you stood next to him and began to examine the painting with him. Of course, the painting was Indian in design, and the image beheld a group of young men and women dancing together in a merry dance with hundreds of flowers surrounding them. The painting was beautiful, to say at the very least. You knew why it was the source of Taehyung’s interest.

“What brings you to this event, Vante?” you spoke aloud, catching his attention from the colorful image. “This isn’t exactly an art gallery.” You turned to stare at him with an enraged and accusatory glare.

Taehyung’s eyes lit up with recognition as they fell upon you, and his lips quickly formed that boxy smile that would usually have you smiling as well. However, you were too furious to be smiling back at him. “Ms. l/n! I didn’t know you’d be here. If I had known, I would have dressed to impress you,” he admitted, his eyes glinting with a mischievous gleam.

Your eyes quickly took in his attire. He wore a khaki suit that fit him like a glove with a scarlet tie to match. In fact, now that you looked closer, his red tie was the same shade as your dress, meaning that he planned to match his clothing with yours. Cheeky bastard, he already planned this little stunt to begin with! You scowled with a soft growl. “What are you doing here, Taehyung?” you demanded quietly. “You’re supposed to ready to take out the guards with Jimin. That was the plan.”

“And it’s still the plan, sweetcheeks,” he asserted, bringing his attention back to the painting. He remained poised despite the fact that you were ready to rip his head off. “Jimin is going to take care of the guards outside while I take care of the ones in here. I already counted four in this very room at each exit.”

Sure enough, when you broke your gaze away from him, you saw tall men in black suits hanging around each exit of the room, watching each and every visitor with the eyes of a hawk. As much as you hated to admit it, he did have a point. If you managed to get your hands on the kobae, any one of those guards would be waiting to take you down like an adrenaline crazy American football player in a matter of seconds.

“And do you have any wonderful ideas as to how you’re going to take them out all at once?” you asked bitterly. “The blackout isn’t going to provide you enough time to just knock them all out.”

Taehyung rocked himself back and forth on the heels of his brown leather shoes with an all-too-pleased smile stretched across his lips. “I have a few ideas, in fact,” he answered, swirling his champagne in his glass casually. “The one that will work the most efficiently is where I don’t take them all out, but instead I provide a path for you to escape. I’ve numbered the doors one, two, three, and four respectively.” He lifted his hand to point at the different openings he dubbed in a relaxed manner to avoid any suspicion. “All you have to do is signal me when the lights go out, subtly-” He gave you a pointed look to emphasize the word. “- and then I will incapacitate the guard at that exit.”

You arched an eyebrow in slight surprise. He certainly thought this through. “And if the other guards see you?” you questioned in an austere tone.

“With any luck they’ll be too busy containing the crowds who will be in an absolute panic.” He lifted his glass to his lips and took a thoughtful sip from the light golden liquid.

“Wouldn’t it be suspicious if the others found their fellow guard unconscious?”

“I said I would incapacitate them. That doesn’t mean I’m resorting to violence.” He turned to give you a sly smile, one that caused your stomach to flutter with butterflies and your cheeks to heat up. “There are other ways to distract someone, Ms. l/n.”

No! Don’t get flustered by that goddamn smirk, you cried to yourself. That’s the reaction he wants!

To distract yourself from his smug smirk, you glanced over to the nearest clock to see how much time you had left. It was currently 20:25, and Yoongi said that he was going to cut the wire at 22:30, giving everyone enough time to get a little tipsy and, therefore, unaware of what occurred around them. Ugh, that meant you had to deal with another two hours of this unnecessary bullshit.

Turning back to the situation at hand, you took another look at Taehyung’s attire. He certainly appeared to be very chic and in style. Where on earth did he get the money to buy such a luxurious suit? “So, you chose your disguise to be a famous artist, is that it?” you asked curiously.

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows in confusion for a few seconds, making you wonder if you said anything strange. Did he actually forget what his cover was? He then began to chuckle in an amused manner, his eyes slightly wrinkling under the smile. “I thought that you worked at an international news company? Shouldn’t you know? I suppose your company only covers stories that affect your country.” When your face slipped into a puzzled expression, he proceeded, “Do you actually think that my main job is to blow stuff up?”

“It… isn’t?” Suddenly, it all clicked together. All the puzzle pieces fell into place. You could barely believe it yourself. How could you be so stupid! “Wait… this isn’t a made-up cover story? You’re actually an artist?” You felt like someone managed to prove to you with factual evidence that the sky was actually green instead of blue.

His smile broadened as he brought his drink to his lips. “The market doesn’t have many jobs available for demolition experts unfortunately. I have to do something to pay the bills.” He then took a long drink, and you watched his adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. “Yes, I create paintings, sculptures, and sometimes calligraphy for a living, although the Japanese government keeps pressuring me to create propaganda art for them.” His voice had suddenly turned bitter and harsh as he recalled unwanted memories.

“And the demolition stuff?” you inquired, still in shock with this new information.

“It’s something I do as a hobby,” he revealed, his tone still grim. You weren’t sure if you’d call blowing things up as a hobby, but you decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for once.

You recalled the memory of Taehyung watching the armored vehicle explode in a blaze of fire and destruction with longing and wonder. You had brushed it off as Taehyung being himself, but now that instance made sense. “I suppose your artistic side comes out in those instances as well.”

“There is a sense of beauty in the destruction of something else. A paradox, I know, but beauty comes in many forms, not only in the creation of an object.”

You cleared your throat awkwardly as your round eyes glanced away. “I guess you learn something new everyday,” you joked. Catching a server walking by with a platter of empty glasses on it, you snuck yours with the others, hoping that your rushed action wouldn’t cause it to stumble and crash to the floor. “The Japanese are making you create propaganda?”

Taehyung snorted with an intense look in his eyes, a hidden fire blazing behind the dark orbs. “I haven’t made anything for them so far, even though my mailbox is full of threats and bribes from them.” His jaw clenched tightly and his grasp on his glass harden.

“They’re sending you threats?!” you exclaimed in a harsh whisper. Just how horrible was this government?

“Against me. Against my family. Against my friends. The list goes on...”

You swallowed back your obvious concern and glanced around before finally saying, “If they’re threatening you and everyone around you, then perhaps the safest route to take is to merely give in to their wishes. After all, you would only have to make posters, right?”

Suddenly he then got very close to you, his teeth gritting and nostrils flaring in an explosive rage. Your heart nearly lept from your chest at his abrupt aggressive nature. Looking into his eyes, you felt like you were staring into the eyes of a man ready to commit murder. In a growled voice, he snarled, “I absolutely refuse to create anything promoting the very government that encourages the sexual slavery, murder, torture, and subjugation of my people as if they were mere pigs being led to the slaughterhouse. They look down their noses at us from their palaces while we grovel in the dirt eating rotten and maggot-filled scrapings. Do you have any idea what it’s like coming home to find your sister on the ground beaten and sobbing because those monsters-”

His furious and hateful tirade was unexpectedly interrupted by the sound of his drink shattering in his hand from how hard his fingers gripped around the delicate glass. The tiny shards exploded and fell to the ground like diamonds glittering in the light. The champagne spilled all over his hand and into a puddle onto the floor.

The crowd surrounding you and Taehyung let out a collected gasp of shock and slight horror. The room became deadly silent, as if the slightest sound would result in the execution of someone. Some of the people parted their lips in shock while others just froze in their spots, watching Taehyung for his next move. You, too, were frozen in your spot from the shock of what just occurred.

Suddenly, Taehyung burst into laughter as if someone just pranked him. To be honest, his outburst only made him more unhinged in your eyes. He gave you a boxy smile before redirecting his attention to the large crowds waiting for an explanation. “These are some flimsy glasses if I ever saw some.” He shook his hand to be rid of the liquid sticking to his clothes and skin. “I guess I don’t know my own strength sometimes.”

The crowds then chuckled amusedly along and soon returned to their conversations while a servant came in with a broom and a few rags to clean up the mess. Taehyung then urged you to move away from the wandering eyes and the mess. You left the area and entered a room where people examined the artifacts that were recovered in the latest archeological dig. You wondered if the kobae was in the very same room.

Once you and Taehyung settled in the room, you smacked him straight in the ribs. The artist stumbled back a step and clutched his side while squeezing his eyes shut for a mere moment. He groaned in pain while you unleashed your fury onto him. “Control yourself, Tae! We don’t need people being wary of us because someone can’t control their emotions!” you scolded, your fists clenched at your sides. “First you act on your own without telling anyone else on the team and then you overreact- Gah!”

During you ranting, you threw your arms in the air in exasperation, and, in doing so, moved your injured arm. Pain sharply shot your arm as if someone dug a knife into the tender muscle. It nearly knocked the air out of your lungs. Your other hand clutched the source of the pain tightly as your eyes slammed shut, your teeth gritting together as small groans of agony slipped through your lips.

Taehyung instantly went to your side and shielded you away from prying eyes that happened to look your way. All emotions of anger and rage instantly fell from his face and was replaced with deep concern for your well-being. “Y/n!” he whispered worryingly. “Are you okay? Do you need to step outside?”

You inhaled a quick, sharp breath as the pain began to slowly ebb away. Your eyes peeled themselves open reluctantly as your body soon relaxed slightly. “I’m fine,” you replied, exhaling gradually. “I’m just sick of this bloody arm hurting all the time.”

“Just remember not to move it too much,” he reminded, looking around to see if anyone had spied the incident. Once he deemed it to be safe, he turned back and gave you a small smile. “You yell at me for nearly causing a scene due to my anger, but yet you do the exact same thing and end up hurting yourself.”

You huffed annoyedly, mostly because he had a point. “Don’t rub it in,” you grumbled, slowly letting your arm fall to your side.

His smile grew a tiny bit sadder. “Just be careful, alright? You’re injured enough as it is.”

You nodded slowly, averting your gaze from him. “I will…” Your voice trailed off as your thoughts returned to Taehyung’s small outburst. You never seen eyes so full of rage and fury. Just thinking about them made shivers crawl down your spine. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like living in such horrendous conditions, being treated less than human. He mentioned a sister who was beaten and crying. Your reporter instincts wanted to know the full story behind his sister to get a better understanding of who the demolition expert really was. “About your sister… Whatever happened to her, I’m sorry.”

Taehyung’s features hardened very slightly at the mention of his sister, his cheek catching between his teeth as he bit down on the soft flesh. “Don’t apologize. You had nothing to do with what happened to her.”

“I know.” You paused to sigh quietly to yourself. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He slowly shook his head. “No, at least not now, not when people could hear us.”

You silently agreed with him. Although the champagne flowed from the bottle freely at this point in the gala, the guests hadn’t had quite enough alcohol to dull the senses and their memory yet. Looking at the clock once more, you saw that it read 21:05. You still had quite an amount of time left until the planned blackout. Ugh, why was time moving so painfully slow?

“So, Ms. l/n,” Taehyung began, feeling the awkward tension rising between the two of you. He must have wanted to change the subject, since obviously the one beforehand was a touchy one. “What about you? What brings a lovely lady like yourself to this event?” Ah, so he wanted to play pretend while there were others around.

Thinking over the words you practiced so many times before coming to this godforsaken gala, you answered with a polite and friendly smile, “I’m working on an article for the Gazette about this exhibit opening and the artifacts found during the archeological dig.”

The artist faked deep interest by quirking up an eyebrow and smiling. “Oh? Doesn’t a journalist need to take notes on names, quotes, and different artifacts here? Or do you supposedly have a good memory?” he questioned innocently. Really? This was how he was going to act?

With an annoyed sigh and an eye roll, you revealed your clutch bag from under your fur shawl and clicked it open. There was no need for any of this. He knew fully well what you had inside your clutch, what was even the point of this? You took out your pocket notebook complete with a pen strapped to its cover and showed it to him while glowering. “I am taking notes from tonight.” That was a lie. The scribblings and writings inside the little notebook were notes taken for a different exhibit opening you were writing for back in London. You were merely using them again for when people began to ask questions… much like this unnecessary moment.

“May I take a look?” he asked, his tone turning slightly playful.

“No,” you flatly replied. Dropping the notebook back into your clutch, you snapped it shut and hid it under your fur shawl once more. Little did people know that along with the notebook and makeup in your clutch, you also had a little pocket pistol in case everything went south. You dearly hoped that you wouldn’t have to resort to using the concealed weapon. “All the information I have in here is confidential until the article is released to the public.” You then sighed exasperatedly from how ridiculous this all was. “Why are you making me do this? You already know everything about this.”

The demolition expert shrugged his shoulders casually, as if you only asked his what his favorite animal was. “Just making sure you remember your lines. After all, like you say, we can’t afford any slip-ups.”

You knew that remembering your lines was the least of your problems. What was at the top of your list was making sure that everyone around you didn’t step out of line. “I practiced my part for hours before coming here. Right now, I’m the least of your worries,” you replied, taking a rather large gulp from your champagne glass.

“Just being cautious.”

“Maybe you should listen to your own advice.”

Taehyung snickered at how blunt and curt you were acting and smoothly took a step toward you. “Speaking of reporters, is there any way I could persuade you to interview me? I have a lot of things I want to say.”

You arched an eyebrow in confusion by his question. “Do you now? Please, share your feelings with me.” In all honesty, you were only playing along for the sake of blending in with the crowd. If it were up to you, you would’ve just plainly refused again.

Taehyung’s smile turned slightly mischievous as he took another step. “For starters, I think there’s a treasure here I think is beautifuller than all the other artifacts combined,” he began.

He must be talking about the kobae, you assumed. “Can you please elaborate for me, Mr. Vante?” you interviewed innocently, completely oblivious to what he was secretly insinuating.

Suddenly, his arms wrapped themselves around your waist, pulling your body against his. A sharp, astonished gasp passed through your lips as you quickly balanced your glass in hand so the bubbly liquid wouldn’t spill over the edges. You felt his warm embrace bundle you up like a curtain of comfort. In an instant, your cheeks burned up with flustered heat. Your eyes were as round as a doe’s eyes as your chest suddenly tightened.

Taehyung smirked upon seeing your flustered state and hummed to himself in approval. “Well, this beautiful masterpiece dons the most beautiful shade of red. I always did love using red in my own works. It symbolizes power, strength, passion... “ His voice trailed off as he cupped your chin between his thumb and finger and tilted it up to meet his hungry gaze. “Lust…”

“Taehyung…” you whispered, your voice quiet and airy.

“In fact,” he continued, preventing you from finishing your sentence, “if I seem to recall correctly, I made a promise to you that I haven’t fulfilled yet. Do you remember it, by chance?”

Oh no, you had a feeling you knew what he was talking about…

When you didn’t answer, his smirk widened and his grip on you tightened somewhat. “Judging by your expression, I’d say you do.” He chuckled huskily, his rumbling chest vibrating against your body. “I promised that I’d make you scream my name over and over again. Unfortunately I haven’t exactly kept to my promise because a little someone keeps avoiding me. Why is that?” He brought his face closer to yours as his eyes momentarily flickered down to your lips before bringing them back to meet yours. “Do I really make you that nervous? Do you squirm just at the thought of me?”

Suddenly you sensed many pairs of eyes looming from behind you. Out of the corners of your eye, you noticed how people began to watch you with curious and confused glances. Oh no, no no no, everyone was going to assume the absolute worst if you continued to be held in his arms like a hustler. You quickly pulled away from his grasp, earning a small groan of disappointment. “Mr. Vante, please, I’m engaged,” you protested blatantly, hoping your loud tone would dispel everyone’s assumptions.

Taehyung’s eyebrows shot up at lightning speed, bewilderment etched onto every inch of his face. His lips parted as if to ask for you to elaborate; but before the words could leave his mouth, you gestured to Jin who was loudly laughing at a poor joke someone said. You noticed the smaller group had become larger since you left to confront Taehyung. Damn, Jin really knew how to charm people.

Taehyung relaxed slightly, catching onto what you were insinuating. His stiff posture loosened from the stress that had it taut. A small sigh of relief slipped through his lips in a drawn out breath. In a flash, his composure flipped like a switch. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips, however the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m sure your fiancé wouldn’t notice if we slipped off to an isolated hallway. He seems to be rather busy entertaining others.” He then tutted playfully, his eyes boring into yours with a dark fire smoldering in them. “Leaving his beloved where anyone could snatch her up. How irresponsible of him.”

You swallowed a lump caught in your throat as you snapped your gaze from his, feeling goosebumps raking up and down your arms and spine from the intensity of his eyes. “I don’t need people watching over me,” you retorted in a quiet murmur. “I can take care of myself.”

He hummed thoughtfully at your reply, eyes taking in your appearance. However, he seemed to be taking his time with looking you up and down like you were a wrapped up present waiting to be unraveled. You furrowed your eyebrows, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious, and fixed your shawl to that it covered your body more. “What are you doing?” you demanded, tucking a few strands of hair behind your ear.

“Just thinking about how lovely you would look with your dress on my bedroom floor and your body underneath me, all needy and whiny and begging me to give you some release.” He chuckled huskily and tilted his head to the side. “Wouldn’t that be a delicious sight?”

He said it so casually that your brain didn’t register it at first until you finally processed his words. In that moment, you exploded in a fit of embarrassment, your cheeks flaring up in a burst of heat. You opened your mouth to say something, anything, but you could muster were choked words and stutters. It felt as if all coolness left the room in an instant and was replaced with humid, hot air. You needed to breathe, to get some relief from what he said.

“I- I’m going to find my f-fiancé. I… um…” You stumbled around, unsure of where Jin had wandered off to. Bollocks, where the bloody hell was he when you needed him? With fiery cheeks and sweaty palms, you whipped your body around a few more times before stammering, “I… I’m just going to… yes…” With that, you scurried off like a little mouse.

Taehyung smirked to himself watching you run off so flustered and speechless. Even after Hoseok and Jimin got a taste of you, you were still so innocent and cute when faced with such sensual whisperings. Oh yes, he knew all about your little escapades with those two. He past by your door waiting for Hoseok to leave so he could fulfill his promise; but instead he heard the breathy moans and cries of pleasure through your door, and so he decided to let Hoseok have a little fun with you before his turn. He was a patient man, after all.

However, he was quite surprised to see you and Jimin on the couch in a heated makeout session the next morning. He shouldn’t have been so shocked. Naturally, when Jimin wanted something, he wasn’t going to wait idly by. He was going to go after it. Taehyung could still see the face you made when Jimin kissed you just right, and the moans, oh, the moans were like music to his ears. The image of you writhing in the pleasure that Jimin was giving you, oh, that was art. He remembered palming himself secretly while watching Jimin mark your beautiful skin. How he wanted to paint your skin with the most beautiful colors. Maybe he will later tonight when you two are alone, that is, if everyone is still alive then.

You fanned yourself with much fervor, needing the nice breeze that you were producing to cool down your hot skin. Your mind replayed Taehyung’s words over and over again. What game was he playing? Was he trying to get you to have a heart-attack? Why did he insist to make your heart pound in your chest and your nerves to go sky-rocketing into the atmosphere?

You weaved through the crowds like a needle weaving through fabrics until you miraculously caught sight of Jin. You thanked God and then quickly made your way over to him. You hoped that the heat in your cheeks died down and your appearance didn’t show how flustered you were. The last thing you needed right now was Jin and Jungkook to whisper teasing remarks in your ear.

“Darling!” you called out, a bright smile replacing the bashful and embarrassed expression that was etched onto your face moments ago.

Jin turned around at the sound of your voice and gave you a cheerful smile of his own. Seeing him with such a warm smile on his face made your anxious nerves instantly die down. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that he was pretending to be your soon-to-be husband? Jin wandered away from the group to take your hand in his. “How is my dear doing this evening?” he asked considerately before placing a sweet kiss on your hand.

“I am doing splendidly,” you answered, your heart fluttering ever-so-slightly at his action. “There’s someone I think you should meet, darling.” You weren’t referring to Taehyung, but you just needed the excuse to pull him away from the crowds so you could fill him in on what the artist disclosed to you.

“Really? Well, if you insist.” He quickly turned back to the people he just became friends with and bid them farewell before following you through the crowds. Jungkook followed as well subtly, not drawing any unwanted attention to himself, as according to the plan.

Once you were away from the large crowds, you revealed to the millionaire, “Tae just told me that he’s here to take care of the guards inside so that they don’t get in the way when we make our move.”

Jin rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. His jaw clenched for a mere moment as his lips tightened into a thin line. He really was going to give Taehyung a ranting or two when this was all over. “It would’ve been nice if he informed everyone first instead of going off on his own,” he grumbled, his hand smoothing back his hair.

You had to admit, he looked really nice with his hair slicked back.

You nodded your head in agreement, ignoring that absent-minded thought that blossomed into your mind. “I think so, too, but just be happy that he didn’t decide to ditch the plan.”

Jin scoffed humorlessly. “That would’ve been the cherry on top, wouldn’t it be?”

Jungkook suddenly butted into your conversation and said, “Look! The kobae!”

Both of your heads snapped in the direction Jungkook was looking. You eyes were met with the sight of a simple, wide, stone bowl sitting on a pedestal with guests merely looking at it for a second before directing their attention to the artifacts. You didn’t know what you were expecting, to be honest. You knew that a bowl this old wouldn’t be exactly magnificent, but you certainly weren’t expecting it to be so… plain.

“Perfect,” Jin spoke up, snapping you from your thoughts. “We just need to get into position and wait for the blackout.”

Jin then ushered to you to where the plan called for you two to stand, in a corner nearby two exits where the two of you could easily make your escape. Anxiety bubbled within your stomach, causing you to feel slightly nauseous. No slip-ups. No mistakes. Otherwise, that was it. It was all over.

“Mr. Kaneki, is that you?”

The hand that was gripping yours suddenly tightened, as if something scared your partner. You looked up to Jin to see his eyes as round as saucer plates. He was deadly still, as if the slightest movement would result in his execution. A shaky, quiet breath passed through his lips as his hand slowly trembled in yours. For a mere moment, you thought you saw his fearful eyes water up with concealed tears.

“Jin?” you murmured quietly, your voice laced with deep concern. What made him so scared? “You looked like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Not a ghost, a demon.” His eyes flickered to Jungkook subtly. “You need to hide.”

Jungkook nodded without a protest and quickly exited the scene, blending in with the crowds like a chameleon blending into its surroundings. Just like that, your bodyguard slipped away from your sights. By God, did that boy certainly know how to sneak away.

Jin suddenly turned around and replaced his terror with a polite and friendly mask. You tried your best to match his mask, but the confusion was very apparent on your face. “Mr. Akimoto! What a pleasant surprise! I never would have expected you to be here.”

An older man, who was a bit shorter than Jin, stood before you, and your heart sank in the deepest pits of dread upon seeing him. Based off of his appearance and Jin’s cryptic comment, you assumed that the man hailed from Japan, and the uniform he wore with great pride revealed that this man was a governmental official. Not only this, but he wasn’t alone. Four other men wearing the same bloody uniform stood by his side with curious looks on their wrinkled faces.

Fucking bollocks, God must really have something against you.

Mr. Akimoto arched an eyebrow in confusion and hidden agitation, as if Jin was a rude, spoiled brat who pointed out his balding head to everyone. “I was about to ask you the very same thing. I wasn’t informed that you were out of the country,” he acknowledged, his tone grim.

Jin, however, remained pleasant despite the obvious contempt the man held against him. “Really? Perhaps the paperwork I signed hasn’t transferred yet?” An obvious lie.

“Are you suggesting that the government is incompitant, Mr. Kaneki?” Mr. Akimoto demanded, his jaw clenched tightly.

The millionaire smiled courteously, although it was slightly strained, and replied, “Of course not, Mr. Akimoto. Forgive me for my disrespect.”

Mr. Akimoto nodded brusquely, a hum rumbling in his throat similar to a snake’s hiss. “You are forgiven, chōsenjin.” He then glanced over to you, looking at you as if you were an annoyance and nuisance. You didn’t know what, but the few seconds you shared staring at each other felt like you were staring into the eyes of a viper. Any moment he could lash out and bury his fangs into you. “And who is this young woman you have with you?”

Although his question was polite, you knew the meaning behind it was not. He might as well have called you a whore or a complete waste of space. “I’m Ms. l/n, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” you introduced yourself with a slight bow of the head.

“She is with me as my accompaniment,” Jin explained curtly immediately after your introduction. You figured that was his way of saying ‘don’t tell them anything else’.

Mr. Akimoto raised his eyebrows in complete surprise, his aged forehead wrinkling deeply. “Ah, I did not know a man of such… stock would be making an appearance to this gala. And mixing with a foreigner no less. How brave of you,” he replied, looking you both up and down.

Well, shite, Mr. Akimoto certainly wasn’t worried about possibly offending anyone. Anger bubbled within you and rushed through your veins like hot fire. How dare he say such rude and insulting words to Jin! And to you, nevertheless! What, were you cattle in his eyes? Oh, how you wanted to slap the old bastard across the face before strangling him. You, however, contained your anger by slowly exhaling through your nose quietly, releasing all the tension that began to build up within you.

“You know me, gentlemen,” he began, lightly gesturing to the others at Akimoto’s side, “I was never one to be afraid to do what I want.” His grip on your hand tightened, but this time it wasn’t from fear. Rather, you could sense the smoldering fury that ready to suddenly explode.

“Such arrogance could be your downfall, Mr. Kaneki,” the old fart remarked. “If I were in your position, I’d be more watchful of myself.”

“I don’t view it as arrogance, Mr. Akimoto,” you suddenly cut in, keeping your tone light and genteel. “Rather, I believe that we should have more men like Mr. Kim, men who are determined and dauntless.”

For a few seconds, you and Mr. Akimoto held each other’s gaze, both full of contempt and hidden rage. The stronger and fiercer his gaze pierced yours, you merely intensified your own glare, icy and cold like a blizzard. The longer you stood in his presence, the more you wanted to bash his face with a nearby chair. You knew, from what Jin had told you, that the Japanese government was full of self-righteous and prejudiced men who looked down on the Korean people that they subjugated under their wills, but you couldn’t get over the fact that they said such horrible things without a second thought. Did they really think so low of those who were not of their own nation?

Suddenly, a plate bearing several glasses of champagne appeared in front of your face held by a smiling, cheerful waiter. “Would any of you like some more champagne?” he asked in a chirper tone.

“Yes, please,” Jin almost groaned as he quickly snatched up a glass.

Without even a moment of hesitation, he took a large, prolonged gulp of the golden liquid. You watched his adam’s apple bob in his throat as he nearly downed the entire glass. You supposed the millionaire was under an extreme amount of stress currently and desperately needed something to take the edge off.

At the rate Jin was draining his glass, you figured someone needed to stay somewhat sober. After all, you already had enough alcohol in your system thanks to the stress Taehyung put you under. You politely declined the waiter’s request, and the young man kindly bowed his head before scurrying off to satisfy another’s needs. Your eyes followed him weaving through the crowds before the rude, old man caught your attention by saying, “I’m afraid to say that your partner no longer goes by the name Kim Seokjin.” Although his gaze was still hard, you didn’t fail to notice the faintest hint of a smug smirk on his dry, thin lips.

What? What the bloody hell was he talking about? You brought your attention to Jin’s face, bewilderment and shock written all over your face. His face held a stoic expression, although you noted the dull gleam of grief and anguish in his eyes. He swallowed hard, as if he were swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill. However, he remained strong.

“I noticed you kept calling him Mr. Kaneki,” you reluctantly commented, finally tearing your gaze away from Jin’s.

“Yes, I’m sure that you know about how Korea conceded to Japan a few years back. Since Korea is now apart of the Japanese empire, we believe that its citizens should also take on Japanese traits. We’re trying to experiment with having Korean citizens change their names to fit our language. That way we avoid any confusion and conflict with customs and laws,” he explained with a content smile on his aged face. “I personally oversaw Mr. Kaneki’s process to change his name. In governmental and medical documentation his name is Kaneki Daiki.”

You nodded your head in understanding followed by a pleasant smile. However, inside a storm of fury and horror rage within you. You couldn’t believe your ears. The government was forcing people to change their names just so it fitted their needs? What kind of misanthropic, dictatorial, fanatical person would come up with something so tyrannical?!

“Ah, I see,” you responded, pouring all of your willpower into trying to not grab your pistol from your clutch and placing a bullet right in between his eyes. “I’ll try to remember that in the future.”

“Yes, if you please excuse us,” Jin began, already guiding you away from the group of despicable men, “there are some friends I haven’t spoken to yet and I wish to do so before it gets late.”

“Of course, I almost forgot. I heard that your colleague Kim Namjoon is here, as well as that rebellious Kim Taehyung,” he jeered venomously, but then recomposed himself to a more civilized manner. “If you do happen to come across any of them, please inform us as soon as possible.” His expression then darkened as did his eyes. “You know it is your civic duty.”

“I wouldn’t even think of anything else,” Jin replied before sweeping you away from the pit of snakes. A long, tired sigh slipped through his lips as exhaustion settled on his beautiful features. His long legs quickly carried the two of you away with you almost stumbling behind. “That was too close.”

“I thought you covered up our tracks!” you panickedly whispered. “What are Japanese officials doing here at an exhibit opening?”

“I did!” Jin snapped harshly, his grip squeezing your hand almost painfully. “I… I don’t know how they found out we’re here. But what I do know is that we need to find Namjoon and Taehyung and warn them before they do right now.”

You frantically looked around for the historian, or even the artist at this point, your head jerking around in a panicked manner. “I haven’t seen Namjoon all night,” you notified him, and then a sudden thought popped into your mind.Your heart was suddenly sent racing as panic settled upon your being. “What about Jungkook? What if they find him?”

“Shit, I almost forgot about him.” He downed the remainings of his drink before placing it on an empty plate nearby. His hand rake itself through his hair as the stress began to weigh down on him. “If they find Kookie, then we’ll end up attending a public execution.”

Your eyes then blown up to the size of plates as your lips parted in alarm. Execution?!

However, before you demand him to clarify, he pulled you into another room, almost full to the brim with people you could care less for at the moment. All your mind could focus on was the well-being of Namjoon, Taehyung, and Jungkook. Your eyes scoured through the crowds for any familiar faces, but all you could see was men and ladies dressed in ridiculous outfits and bedecked in gaudy jewelry. You were ready to shove someone to the side in desperation for the others.

Your heart pounded in your chest as your mind began to imagine the worst. You tried to shove those negative thoughts to the side, but that only made your anxiety worse. What if they were already captured by those men? What if they were already dead in some alley?

“I can’t believe they made you change your name!” you exclaimed. You needed something, anything, to distract yourself from imagining the dead bodies of the boys you’ve grown so close to. Even if the sudden topic brought back painful memories to Jin.

Jin paused his frantic rush through the crowds, his eyes peering around for any of the other boys. “‘Experimenting’, please, they left me with no fucking choice. It was either I changed my name or they executed me for treason,” he growled, his tone suddenly spiteful.

“They were going to execute you?!” you nearly cried out.

There was a pause followed by a sigh. “That’s what happens when you start asking too many questions.”

Now instead of worrying about the others, your mind was suddenly concerned for Jin’s safety. What if those men decided to arrest Jin? For Christ’s sake, all of this stress was going to result in a heart-attack! “Asking questions about what?” you demanded, your eyes now trained on his back.

“I…” He stopped and looked into your eyes. You saw the desperation and agony that stormed in his eyes like a hurricane. He opened his mouth, wanting to spill everything to you, wanting to confide in you, wanting for you to wrap him up in comfort. But… not now… he couldn’t. “I’ll explain everything to you later. Right now we need to focus on the others.”

“Jin!” you protested, ignoring the confused glances you were from everyone around you.

“They didn’t like what I was doing. They needed to get rid of me. They needed to erase everything about me. They wanted to make me disappear. They took everything away from me, y/n… my family, my titles, my name… my identity… who I am...” He suddenly began panting heavily as if he just ran a marathon. At first, you figured it was from the amount of stress that was tumbling within him.

However, when he abruptly pulled you to the side into a dark hallway away from the lively crowds, you knew something was wrong. His footing became ragged and he stumbled all over the place, as if a haze of dizziness settled upon him. His ran another hand through his hair as his head lolled from side to side. Something wasn’t right.

He then suddenly pulled you forward and threw you against the wall. You yelped as your back came in contact with the cold, wooden wall. He then placed both of his hands on each side of your head, trapping you against the wall. Your round eyes bore into his half-lidded, hazy eyes. For a moment, you were afraid he would try to hurt you again, but instead, he pressed his sweaty forehead against yours.

His hot, ragged breath fanned your face as his head began to lower slightly. As you angled your head to get a better view of his face, you noticed how unfocused and clouded his eyes were, as if he were trapped in a daze. What was going on? What was wrong with him? Was he sick? Was the anxiety of the whole situation getting to him? “Jin…?”

“Y/n…” he sighed, his hands slipping down until they met your shoulders. He then gripped your upper arms, as if he needed something to keep him upright. He inhaled and exhaled for the next few moments, his head dropping slowly before he would force it to rise again. All color to his smooth skin vanished and was now as white as snow. A coating of sweat gathered on his forehead and drops if it ran down his temples and the sides of his face. His hazy eyes finally contact with yours as his eyelids began to sink. “Something… something isn’t right.”

“Yeah, no, I can see that!” you exclaimed, feeling your own anxiety beginning to rise. “What do you need? Water? Air? Damnit, I knew we should’ve brought Hobi with us!”

A sigh escaped his lips as his face slowly contorted into that of pain. “I feel… I feel…” His head flopped to the side before he quickly brought it back up. “I don’t feel so good…” He stumbled for a few moments as if all of the muscles in his legs disappeared. You then saw an emotion flicker in his eyes for a long pause. Desperation. “Help… me…” With that, his eyes rolled to the back of his skull, and he lost all control of his muscles. He tipped forward, his lips brushing against yours for a mere seconds before he dropped to the floor.

You cried out in alarm as your arms shot out and hooked themselves under his armpits, preventing his skull from cracking against the marble floor. A sharp shot of pain ran up your injured arm like lightning, and you let out a loud groan of pain from how your arm throbbed. You groaned more as you strained to keep his body from collapsing as you slowly laid him out on the floor, his head resting against your lap.

Your eyes widened in complete and utter panic as your breathing began as ragged as his just moments before. This was bad. This was really bad. Jin was unconscious. You didn’t have Hoseok to check on him. What if he was dying? Maybe he just had a heart-attack or a stroke or some organ just failed? Your mind raced with a hundred different possibilities as tears began to well up in your eyes. This was all too much. All of the anxiety you faced throughout the night just continued to build up until this very moment where it exploded like a volcano. You couldn’t handle all of this.

A small, choked sob escaped your throat as you looked up toward the exit of the hallway, where a beam of light from where the festivities were still ongoing shone through like a drop of sunlight. Where was everybody? Wasn’t Jungkook supposed to here to prevent this very thing from happening?! Where the bloody hell was Namjoon? You haven’t seen the wanker all night?! And Taehyung? Where was he?!

“Help me! Someone please help me!” you screeched, tears pouring down your cheeks. “My fiancé is unconscious! Please someone help him!”

You felt like you couldn’t breathe, as if all the air in your lungs had suddenly vanished. You couldn’t think. You couldn’t do anything. Was this a panic attack? Were you in the midst of a panic attack? Or were you merely going through shock?

“Help me!!!”

You saw a shadowy figure come through the hallway at the sound of your cry. You instantly recognized the maroon dress and black heels. Ms. Hopkins. Oh thank God someone heard you.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, her eyes as nearly as big as yours. In an instant, she ran back inside and began shouting, although you couldn’t exactly hear what she was yelling. You supposed it was a good thing Jin forced you to socialize.

Your mind drowned out her yelling and the laughter coming from the other room, because all you could focus on was Jin. Despite falling unconscious and collapsing, he looked so peaceful, as if he was only resting from a long day at work. You brushed some of the strands of hair that had fallen into his face and tuck it behind his ear. His beautiful face was only visible by the dim light that poured in from the other room, but you could still make out every feature.

A group of people started to flood the hallway, all concerned with your fiancé’s well-being. You would’ve let them take Jin to the nearest hospital, but what happened in the next moment changed your mind.

The light coming from the other room suddenly disappeared like someone snuffing out a candle, and everything went pitch black.

Bollocks, it was the blackout. It was time.

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks! Shit! Damnit! This couldn’t have happened at a worse time! The others were expecting either you or Jin to obtain the kobae, and only Namjoon would grab it if either of you were unable to. You had a codeword picked out to let him know that he had to snatch it quickly, but you were unsure if you could notify him in time.

Determination suddenly enveloped your whole being as your anxiety soon began to subside and ebb away. You flew to your feet and left Jin behind for the doctors and nurses to fumble with. You knew this was what Jin would’ve wanted you to do. First, you needed to somehow notified Namjoon that Plan B was in motions, then you needed to find Jungkook and tell him that Jin needs help getting out of here, and finally you needed Taehyung to provide an opening for Namjoon to slip through. Ugh, this wasn’t going to be easy.

You slipped through the doorway leading you to the exhibit once your vision had finally adjusted to the darkness. Everyone was in a complete panic from the sudden lack of slight and were rushing to get out. The guards at each entrance and exit were trying their best to calm the guests down and keep them in the room. However, their methods weren’t exactly proving to be successful.

You wandered through the darkness, once in awhile bumping into the other guests and visitors. You mumbled quick apologies as you tried to look for a familiar face. However, the lack of light was making things very difficult for you. You might as well be wandering around with a blindfold over your eyes.

Okay, this wasn’t working, time to resort to your next option. You lifted your head in the air and cup your hands around your mouth and screamed over the cries and loud voices, “Fire!!!”

You didn’t know exactly why the boys wanted that word to be the codeword, but you figured it was because it would throw the other guests into a bigger panic, causing more mayhem and creating a bigger exit for everyone. And you were right. Everyone began to scream and howl in fright and tried to barrel through the exits with the strength of a cowherd.

Hopefully, Namjoon heard your cries and was already making his way to the kobae. You were praying to God that everything would turn out alright, despite the fact that one of the boys was unconscious in a hallway surrounded by strangers. Speaking of Jin, you needed to find Jungkook as soon as possible. He was the only person available who could carry Jin out of here.

You pushed your way through the crowds, yelling Jungkook’s name over and over again over everyone’s shouting. You stumbled over your heels and decided to kick them off. You were a lot faster without them anyway, and hopefully that meant you could find Jungkook quicker.

Suddenly an arm shot out and grabbed your upper arm harshly. You yelped and brought your other hand up to smack whoever decided to snag you like a creep. However, before you could plant your palm against the stranger’s face, you were pulled into his chest and his lips were suddenly against your ear. “Y/n, relax, it’s only me.”

Oh thank the Lord. Jungkook.

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” you hissed in reply, itching to smack him anyway. His lips on your ear made you squirm in his grasp. Didn’t this boys know your ears and neck were extremely sensitive?

“I could say the same to you,” he whispered. He pulled his lips away to search for your partner; but when the millionaire was nowhere in sight, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and slight concern. He snapped his head back to you. “Where is hyung?”

“Exactly why I’ve been looking for you!” You sighed and ran your hands through your hair. “Jin is unconscious. I don’t know how, but he’s lying in a hallway and I need you to get him out of here right now.”

Jungkook sputtered in shock as his round eyes widened even further. “What?! What happened?!”

“I don’t know! But you need to get him to Hoseok. Right. Now.”

Jungkook stared at you for a few seconds. Even through the darkness you could see some light softly reflect off of his dark eyes. Any other time, you would’ve found this to be somewhat romantic, string into each other’s eyes, ignoring everything happening around you. However, this wasn’t a romance novel; this was reality. And right now, reality is screaming at you to find Taehyung.

“Go.” You ushered Jungkook toward the hallway you burst from and ran off to find the artist.

You figured finding Taehyung would be the easiest objective out of the rest, since you knew what he looked like and where he last was, but it turned out the be far more difficult than you expected. Of course Taehyung would turn out to be the most difficult. When wasn’t he difficult?

You bumped into a lady who screamed rather loudly, grabbing everyone’s attention toward her. You wanted to strangle her for being overdramatic, but you just pushed past her and continued trudging through the crowds. When this was all over, you were going to take a much needed bath and relax.

Your thoughts were abruptly interrupted when another hand roughly grabbed you by the shoulder. You weren’t quite as surprised since this just happened seconds ago, after all, you finally found Taehyung. “Taehyung! Finally! Where have you been? I thought you were by the exits!”

“So you do know Kim Taehyung…”

You instantly froze, your blood running cold like ice in your veins. That wasn’t Taehyung.

“Mr. Akimoto…” you gasped. Shite, you needed to get away from him. This could only end in disaster. You tried to rip your shoulder from his grasp, but, man, for an old coot, he had an iron grip.

“You know, I got a report from one of my men that he caught sight of Kim Taehyung in a forest near Darjeeling with a British woman. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this?”

Your eyes widened in surprise. He was behind the raid? Bollocks, you were right again. This was going to be a disaster.

When you didn’t answer, he continued venomously, “I should’ve known, and if you’re here with Mr. Kaneki, then that means he’s also apart of this conspiracy.” His slimey voice trailed off as he sighed in disappointment, like a father would when he found out his son got detention again. “Why am I not surprised? It’s a good thing I had him incapacitated then.” His grip tightened on your shoulder to the point that it was becoming painful. “I should’ve had him executed a long time ago.”

Now in the books you’ve been reading lately, when the lady is in the clutches of the antagonist, she usually does one of two things. She either slams the heel of her shoe into his foot and slips away, or she slaps him across the face and makes a dash for it. Now you didn’t have your shoes on anymore, and your good arm was currently in the clutches of Mr. Akimoto, and you really didn’t want to injure your bad arm any further than you already have. So, what could you do?

In the matter of mere moments, your instincts took over again and you did the first thing that came to mind. You brought your knee up and slammed it into the old man’s groin with as much strength as you could muster. Mr. Akimoto yelled in pain and instantly released your arm. You had to admit, it felt really good to finally cause the man some pain.

You ran away from the Japanese official before he or any of his men could grab you again. In a flash, you decided to abandon your quest to find Taehyung. Instead, you raised your head once more and shouted, “Door three!” You noticed that that door had the least amount of congestion from the crowds of people and would provide Namjoon with the perfect escape. You prayed again that Taehyung heard you and was already on his way to take care of the guard.

You knew that the demolition expert told you to signal him subtly, but… subtlety be damned! You needed to get out with Jin right now before you got killed by the Japanese!

You rushed back to the hallway, lifting up your skirts as your bare feet padded against the stone floor. Your heart pounded in your chest from all the running you’ve been doing these past few minutes. You slipped through the doorway and almost collided into the man you just ran into minutes prior from this whole catastrophe. You yelped and grasped at the man’s shirt until you realized you were tugging onto Jungkook. “Oh thank God, did you find Jin?” you demanded. However, your question was instantly answered when you noticed a large lump thrown over Jungkook’s shoulder.

“Yes, yes, he’s right here!” Jungkook replied and took a step around you, trying to slip back into the exhibits.

“Wait! Jungkook!” You tugged him by the shirt once more and dragged him back into the hallway. You couldn’t go back out there, not with Mr. Akimoto searching for your blood! “No, no, no! We’re going this way!”

Jungkook stammered as he was yanked back into the dark hallway. “But the plan-!”

“To hell with the plan! That Japanese wanker is out there trying to kill us! We need another way out!” you argued, searching through the darkness for a door.

“My pocket!” Jungkook jutted out his hip toward you, and you stood there in confusion for a few seconds. “There should be a lighter in there.”

“Thank God you’re so prepared,” you sighed in relief before shoving your hand down his pocket. Normally, you would’ve flushed at the thought of putting your hand in his pocket, but right now you could care less. The situation was dire, and you needed light.

Once your hand came into contact with metal, you pulled your hand out in flash and opened up the lighter before repeatedly pushing down on the flint, watching sparks shoot out in every direction, before a small flame finally came into existence. You could’ve cried from joy in that moment, but you knew you needed to focus on the task at hand.

“And then there was light,” you lightly joked. What, someone needed to make the jokes since Jin couldn’t at the moment. Once you saw the annoyed look on Jungkook’s face, you cleared your throat awkwardly and said, “Okay, let’s try to find another exit.”

You began to walk away when Jungkook responded, “I looked at some of the maps with Yoongi when he was studying the building’s wiring. I think I know of an exit around here somewhere.”

“Jungkook, you are a godsend.” You thanked to whoever was listening in that moment that Jungkook was at your side. Otherwise you would’ve been wandering around these halls with an unconscious Jin until the police found you and arrested the both of you.

“I know I am. Anyway, I think we need to turn left.”

You followed Jungkook’s instructions and went down every hall he directed you. To be honest, you wondered for a few seconds if Jungkook was as equally lost as you were. You only wondered this because every hallway looked exactly like the previous three that you all walked down. All the halls has white wallpaper with Victorian looking furniture and adornments on the sides.

Chills ran down your spine as you walked down the silent and dark hallways with only a small, warm flame to guide your path. You didn’t know why, but walking down these halls made you feel as if you were in some horror genre book that you loved to read. At any moment, you felt like someone or something was ready to pop out and scare you.

And someone did pop out indeed.

As you made a turn to the right according to Jungkook’s instructions, your face almost ran smack into another chest. You yelped and jumped back, ready to scold whoever decided to scare you like that. However, your heart lurched to your throat when you recognized the man to be one of the men who was as Mr. Akimoto’s side. He must’ve been sent by the old snake to track you down and kill you, because in that moment he brandished a knife, the cold metal reflecting the warm light in silver gleams.

However, before he could make a move against you, all of your logic and reason were thrown out the nearest window. You decked the man straight in the jaw as hard as you could before your mind could even process what you were doing. You heard a satisfying crack in the man’s jaw before he collapsed to the floor with a groan. Bloody hell, you seemed to be getting used to all of this action.

You turned around to face Jungkook, who was staring at you with round, rabbit-like eyes. His jaw went slack at the display before him, as if he couldn’t believe what his eyes just saw. You also stood there dumbfounded for a few moments, your hand still clenched tightly into a hard fist. “I think the adrenaline is still rushing through me,” you remarked a little too calmly, despite your shocked expression.

“Yeah, I’d say,” he replied before ushering you along the final hallway.

You practically ran to the door before you and flung it open with all of your strength. Cool air hit your hot skin as if someone dumped a bucket of icy cold water onto you. It was a nice refresher from all of the chaos you just endured. However, you couldn’t take the moment to appreciate the cool night air, because you needed to get into the getaway van as soon as possible. You just hoped that it happened to be somewhere nearby and not a block away. That would be the cherry on top…

“Jimin should’ve taken care of the guards that are around here…” Your voice trailed off as your eyes located an unconscious body lying in the nearby bushes. Sure enough, Jimin did his part of the job and he did it according to what everyone agreed, unlike a certain someone.

“Yeah, but where’s the van?” Jungkook demanded, his head whipping around to locate the black van just as Yoongi described.

Damnit, Yoongi, where was the van? You looked around as well, your nerves suddenly shooting off again for what seemed to be the millionth time that night. “It should be right around… there!” You jabbed a finger when your eyes finally landed upon the sleek, black van parked a few meters away from the commotion that was going on in the museum.

Jungkook nodded and quickly readjusted Jin on his shoulder so that he wouldn;t fall off accidentally. “Alright, let’s get moving, now.”

You didn’t question him as you ran as fast as your legs could carry you to the van, ignoring the shooting pains in your feet from the rough surface that was digging into the soft, tender padding underneath. All you cared about, besides Jungkook and Jin’s safety, was getting into that van as fast as humanly possible.

When finally reached the van, you ripped the back doors open and threw yourself in, not caring about the people you landed on. You practically crawled inside as Jungkook settled Jin on the van floor carefully before quickly scurrying inside. A chorus of concerned voices rang out as they saw Jin’s body before them, demanding what happened and if he was alright. Hoseok, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, hopped to the back to get to work on Jin, his medical bag already at his side and opened up.

You placed a hand over your heart as you finally began to settle down. Your body had been going through constant anxiety for hours, and now that it was all over. You could finally relax. However, you began to notice that all of this constant panic and anxiety had taken a toll on your body. For as soon as you began to calm down, your vision soon started to darken. You supposed this was your body’s way of telling you that it was shutting down from all the excitement and that you needed rest.

“Y/n…? Are you alright?” you recognized Namjoon’s voice asked you.

You would’ve given the historian a piece of your mind for disappearing the entire night, but you were far too exhausted to bring yourself to do so. Maybe you would do it once you had the energy to. Instead, you weakly raised you head, looked him straight in the eyes with such earnestness, and said, “Never. Again.”

With that, you slouched back into your seat and passed out, letting the comforting darkness overtake you.

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evil-overlord-scriptology · 4 years ago

Text

But I Don’t Want to be a Sensei! Pt 5 (ARCHIVED)

Chapters 16 & 17

Chapter 16: A Different Kind of Peach

“No.”

Naruto pouted, “Awwww, c'mon, sensei! Please? I'll be extra careful!” The blonde little brat batted his eyelashes up at me with an innocent smile. I was not amused, mostly because of the fact that a twelve year old boy could flutter his eyelashes and I couldn't.

“No.”

Naruto opened in mouth again, but Haku interrupted him, “Naruto-kun, please don't irritate Yanagi-san. She is still healing.” Zabuza and I snorted at the exact same time. There wasn't much Haku could do to silence Naruto other than hitting him upside the head with a skillet like I was going on doing if the little shit didn't shut his trap.

Surprisingly enough, Naruto listened to the older teen and edged over to where Sasuke was still resting. It had been three days since the fight on the bridge, or so Peaches said. I had been surprised that I had slept that long, but not so surprised about Sasuke. He had been to the point of complete chakra depletion, just barely alive. Not only was it past the point of no return, but this drain was Sasuke's first brush with chakra exhaustion so it would take a while for his coils to fill back up.

The second Naruto was out of hearing range I glared up at Zabuza who was sitting against a wall next to my futon, “Bastard.” I snapped.

He only smirked and crossed his arms, trying to maintain an innocent look like he didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I don't know why he even bothered, he was the only one here who even saw me use the Fan of Wonders so he was the only one who could have told Naruto.

I bet he did it just to mess with me.

Damn it, don't tell me this man was another Shisui!

Haku sighed quietly behind me and cool hands gently grasped my shoulders, “Yanagi-san, please don't talk much. Otherwise the poultice won't stick to your jaw.” He chided as he forced me to slowly lay back down on the futon provided for me.

The ice user had turned out to be a healer too. But unlike Konohagakure, which had a monopoly on medical ninjutsu thanks to Lady Tsunade, Haku didn't know how to heal with chakra. He simply got by with herbs and backwater remedies, which was what most Kiri nins learned in lieu of medical ninjutsu. It was better than Iwa's 'tough it out, it doesn't hurt' ideology at least.

I was lucky really that Haku turned out to be what some might call a medic; otherwise I would have to suffer with a fractured jawbone and gaping chest wound all the way back to Konoha since I lacked the talent to heal myself– it was kind of pathetic that I was the best healer in the Uchiha clan, really; and it showed just how bad Uchiha members were at medical ninjutsu.

The bratling had just better be glad that he never really meant to kill Sasuke, only put him in a temporary state of death. Otherwise I would be the worst patient I could possibly be.

Peach-boy snickered at my quiet compliance to being manhandled by his student, and I threw Haku's pestle at the grey skinned nuke-nin in retaliation. It infuriated me that he caught it. Haku sighed in a way that made me think he was the adult and we were the children. Honestly I didn't blame him; other than Tsunami, Haku was probably the only mature person in Tazuna's house. Tazuna had been kind enough to offer his home to both my team and the Kiri nuke-nins while we recuperated; he also disregarded the fact that Zabuza and Haku had tried their damnedest to kill him not too long ago. Maybe I had misjudged the man.

He must be more stupid than I thought.

“Hey Frizzy-sensei! Sasuke-teme is waking up!” Naruto shouted from the other side of the room. I debated briefly between throwing the mortar that went with the pestle at the loud kid or joining him at my cousin's bedside.

Haku decided for me when he leveled a stern look at me, “Don't get up, you might reopen your wound.”

“Which?” I asked, deliberately being obtuse. I had only been wounded at the chest, and Haku's reaction was too hilarious to pass up on.

Like I predicted, Haku blushed and stuttered. It had turned into a rather entertaining game for me to make Haku blush, almost as fun as irritating Sasuke. The ice user was at that awkward age where talking about the other sex's anatomy was very uncomfortable, and I milked it for all it was worth. The boy's visible eye started drifting to my chest before he abruptly jerked his gaze away and stared vehemently at the poor wall. There was a pause before the teen scrambled to his feet and hurried over to check on Sasuke.

Or to get away from me, it was hard to tell.

Which Haku out of my hair, I turned my head to eye the Demon of the Mist, who was trying his hardest not to laugh, “Now what?” I asked. I was really hating not being able to speak much, but at least I could speak again.

Peach-boy shrugged and didn't answer me.

Not amused, I reached out and flicked the man's big toe, since it was the closest thing to me. Zabuza gave me a funny look to which I returned with a lopsided grin. Now that we weren't enemies I planned to annoy the man to the best of my abilities. With no Kakashi-nii or Nii-san around, I was feeling a little deprived of annoying people. Team 7 didn't count, they were just traumatized whenever I pulled funny shit.

After failed for several minutes of trying to get a reaction out of the nuke-nin, I reached to my left where Haku had placed my weapons pouch–why did that brat even touch a foreign ninja's weapons pouch was beyond me–and yanked out a my Fan of Wonders. It surprised me that someone, probably Haku, had thought to retrieve the weapon from the bridge; but I wasn't going to complain. The thing was expensive as hell and I would probably never earn enough money to replace the one I had; Kakashi and Obito had to split the cost of it when they had it commissioned for me when I made jounin rank. Besides, I was attached to the fan I had for obvious reasons. Planting my right elbow into the floor, I managed to push myself into a sitting position with the fan in my lap. I really wanted to just lay on my futon and bother Zabuza, but I had a stupid report to fill out.

Kill me.

Zabuza had a strange look on his face as he watched me take my field pen and ink block out of their hiding places. He had already seen the senbon launcher and the kunai blade during our fight, so it was no wonder he looked a little amazed at the fan's many hidden compartments. Peaches even choked a little when I twisted the heel sole of my discarded right sandal and pulled out a blank miniature scroll, the perfect size for a messenger hawk to carry.

“Is there anything you don't hide?” The nuke-nin drawled as I made the ink.

I gave him a dry look, “My temper.” I deadpanned then ignored Peach-boy as I hurried to write my post battle report. It had already been three days since the battle, if I waited any longer the Hokage was bound to strangle me for mimicking my brothers' habitual laziness.

'Yellow Update

Mission status: Complete

Team: Genin Team 7

Report: Team encountered A-class nuke-nin, Momochi Zabuza at Destination, with Identified Ally: Yuki Haku. Battle ensued, Team Leader heavily injured: Fractured Jawbone and Wound to Chest. Genin A heavily injured: Temporary Death State and Chakra Depletion. Genin A activated Kekke Genkai, will require Clan Guidance upon Return. Genin B has temporarily Accessed S-Ranked Secret; unknown to all members of Team. Battle concluded with No Deaths in either Party. Deaths of Mercenaries and Gang Leader: Gatou. Temporary Truce with A-class nuke-nin, Momochi Zabuza and Ally. Full Report Due upon Team's Return. Will attempt to solve remaining problem with Diplomacy.'

I waved the unbound scroll in the air like a little ribbon to dry the ink faster, before rolling it up and painting two bands around the outside, marking it as Moderate Priority. The report was only a post battle report and didn't require the immediate attention of the Hokage; but still, Sasuke's activation of the Sharingan, Naruto's use of the red chakra, and Zabuza's change of heart were all important events that the Hokage should know about before Team 7 made it back home. Especially since he would have to inform the Uchiha clan about Sasuke.

I was about to tie up the problem with Gatou too when Haku found his courage again and descended on me like a vengeful Ice Princess.

Peach-boy was no help at all.

vvv

Another three weeks went by as we all waited for the bridge to be completed and for Sasuke to regain his strength to move out. The Hokage had sent back a response via my messenger hawk that Zabuza and Haku would accompany us to Konoha, not as prisoners but to work out a deal with the Hokage. I had used my sharingan and a pilfered slip of paper with Gatou's writing on it to forge a will stating that the deceased man's entire fortune went to Zabuza; to give the Kiri nuke-nin an excuse and a place to stay out of trouble. It was for Konoha's benefit; we would lose a customer, but gain an ally and a foothold against Kirigakure if the village ever needed it. After all, a shinobi never wasted an opportunity to plan ahead.

Unless you were a numskull like Naruto.

“No, no, no! I can't find it, it's gone!” Naruto cried as he rifled through his mission's pack with desperation to find something. Haku and Hinata were the only ones to watch the brat panic in genuine concern while Sasuke just glared at Haku whenever he thought no one was looking. Zabuza and I straight up did not care.

“N-Naruto-kun... what are you looking for?” Hinata asked. She had been acting strangely ever since the fight and I fully intended to wring it out of her the second we got home. Or possibly throw her at Obito and let Mr. Feelings deal with the Hyuuga heiress since I already failed at the emotional buddy-buddy thing.

At least she wasn't stuttering much anymore.

Naruto groaned and jammed his stubby little finger into his hair in frustration, “Teuchi gave me a coupon for one free order of ramen and I know I had it on me!” I groaned quietly and pinched my nose. I should have known that this was about damn ramen. I was seriously contemplating on sending Naruto to therapy over his addiction to ramen; but I was sure Kushina would roll over in her grave if I did.

Actually, knowing her, she'd just haunt my ass from the afterlife.

I shuddered at the possibility and dropped the thought. The last thing I needed was Naruto's mother coming after me as a ghost. She had been scary enough alive and I didn't want to suffer through another concussion courtesy of a dead Uzumaki woman.

Zabuza shot me a curious look, which I pointedly ignored. I didn't wish to add insanity to the list of things Zabuza thought about me.

My sensei instincts kicked in by then and I looked up to see Naruto starting to run off, “Hey! Get your ass back here!” I snapped. There wasn't time for this; the Hokage expected us back in a week and I sure as hell wasn't going to let something as stupid as a misplaced coupon delay our return any further.

“I'll be right back, I swear!” Naruto called over his shoulder. He was gone in a flash, probably thinking that I was going to chase him. I swear that kid was learning to quickly on how to evade my ire, I had a feeling that I was becoming predictable. And a ninja often created very bizarre situations just so they lost their predictability.

Obito-nii was going to suffer from a butt load of pranks when I got home.

Haku started after my brat, “I'll get him.” He said calmly before zipping off.

I pursed my lips and grabbed Sasuke by his Uchiha collar as he began to walk in the opposite direction of Naruto and Haku, “You're going after them.”

My cousin gave me a very teenager look, “Are you serious?” If I didn't know better, I would say he was whining. In the back of my mind, I groaned. Great, now Sasuke was getting to the teenage rebellion stage and Naruto would likely follow soon. There was going to be a lot of head bashing in their future if they didn't pass through the stage quickly.

“Yes.” I deadpanned and shoved him back towards the Land of Waves. The boy heaved a sigh and started walking slowly back the way we came. My hand twitched and I came this close to finishing what Haku started. The damn brat was being difficult on purpose!

Once the damn little cocky Uchiha prince of the brats was gone, Peach-boy turned to me, “You still don't trust us.” It wasn't a question.

I scoffed, “I trust Haku, at least when it comes to Naruto. It's you I don't trust.”

“When why-”

“Why did I send Sasuke after the other two boys?” I finished from him. I shrugged, “Have you seen the was Sasuke glares at Haku? I don't want to deal with that drama for the rest of the week. They can all work out their problems away from me. I'm their sensei, not a damn therapist. Now come along, Hinata, if I remember correctly there's a tea shop around here somewhere.” I didn't leave the Hyuuga any choice as I grabbed her wrist and forcibly dragged her along. I could hear Zabuza sighing then fell in step beside me without a word.

vvv 3rd POV~ Haku vvv

“Naruto-san, please. Yanagi-san and Zabuza-sama are waiting for us. Yanagi-san is already upset, let us not anger her more.” Haku asked as he caught up to Naruto. Naruto didn't slow down in his tree jumping though.

Naruto-san landed on a branch and was about to push off again when a barrage of kunai knives perforated the poor innocent tree limp. Naruto yelled in surprise then followed the trajectory to where Sasuke stood upside down on a branch twenty feet higher than Naruto's.

“Hey, what's the big idea?! Watch were you're throwing those things, teme!” Naruto shouted as he waved his fist around at his teammate. Haku resolutely decided that this was a team conflict and stayed silent. He had already witnessed the odd dynamics of the dysfunctional Team 7 and didn't wish to be sucked further in to their insanity.

Sasuke-san didn't sound very amused, “That's payback for not being a team player. You've wasted enough of our time already, let's head back. Yanagi-itoko is pissed.”

Naruto slumped a little and Haku was mildly surprised that he was already giving in. During one of the many dinners that Yanagi-san practically twisted arms, particularly Zabuza-sama's, to make sure everyone was present, Naruto-san had declared his own nindo way: that he would never give up no matter what. The way the preteen had said it made Haku think Naruto would never stop, not even for the most trivial matters.

“Okay, I get it.” Sasuke scoffed in victory, but it proved to be premature, “I will... right after I take care of my business!” Naruto-san exclaimed and leaped under Sasuke-san. Naruto patted his rear end in a very immature manner, “Like I'd ever take orders from you, bone-head!” He called to Sasuke, who looked a little bewildered.

Haku sighed when Sasuke-san shot after his teammate. He had planned to return to Zabuza-sama now that Yanagi-san had sent Sasuke-san after Naruto, but it looked to be he was going to have to go after them and act as the mediator between the two stubborn genin.

It didn't take long for the three of them to reach the little town where Gatou had been killed. Haku followed after the two younger boys from a short distance, just beyond hearing range. He had stopped for a moment earlier to put on his cracked pseudo hunter-nin mask to hid his burn scars and hadn't bothered to regain the distance it had cost him; he wasn't trying to stop Naruto like Sasuke-san was. Haku saw no need to since they were already in the town, it would just be better for all of them if Naruto-san finished his business and went back willingly. Why Sasuke didn't see that was beyond the Kiri nuke-nin.

There was a poof of smoke that indicated the use of a jutsu and Haku nearly fell off the roof when he saw that Naruto had transformed into a busty naked girl with only scant puffs of chakra smoke to cover her...

Haku blushed.

Yanagi-san had already exploited Haku's aversion to the awkward topic of women anatomy ever since she regained her ability to speak. Zabuza-sama had been no help at all since he found the whole thing amusing. Haku had a sneaking suspicion that Zabuza had intentionally told Yanagi about Haku's dislike of the topic to get back at him for ignoring his master those first three days when Yanagi-san had been unconscious. Haku would have probably continued avoiding Zabuza-sama if Yanagi hadn't, almost literally, bashed their heads together and flat out told them what the other was feelings about Haku's near death.

For such a surly woman, she did think of others... sometimes.

While Haku had been trying to collect his dazed thoughts, Sasuke-san thankfully broke the transformation jutsu and had tied Naruto-san up with ninja wire. Haku quickly leaped the rest of the way until he was crouching on the roof directly above the Konoha genin.

“Just give it up would you?” Sasuke-san asked in that emotionless, slightly condescending, voice he often used when around Naruto. Haku watched the Uchiha boy curiously. They were already in town, to drag Naruto-san back now would be just a waste of time. It was better to let the blonde boy get his coupon and head back, that way they killed two birds with one stone. Right?

Another voice spoke, “Hey! What are you two doing here?” The three boys looked at the speaker. Tazuna-san stood in front of Naruto, looking as if he were about to go on another journey, if the pack on his back was anything to go by. Now that the Great Naruto Bridge was finished, Tazuna would likely be raking in more commissions to build bridges, so it was no surprise to Haku. In fact, if Zabuza-sama decided to stay in the Land of Waves they would probably be escorting Tazuna-san around a lot. Kind of ironic, at least to Haku.

Naruto brightened at the sight of his team's former employer, “Tazuna-oji! Talk about perfect timing!” He tried to move, but Sasuke jerked on his 'leash', “Ya see I left something at your place.”

Tazuna-san leaned down so he was closer to Naruto's level, “Wait, let me guess. A little slip of paper?” Naruto nodded happily. “Inari-chan wanted to make sure you had so he ran off a little while ago to take it to you.” Haku mentally winced at that. If Inari-san caught up to the rest of their group, he would have to face Yanagi-san. During their time at Tazuna's house, Haku got the instinct impression that Inari was scared of Yanagi. Knowing the jounin, it probably wasn't unfounded.

Really, Yanagi-san was just like Zabuza-sama.

Haku leaped from the roof, surprising Tazuna-san, “Come on. Let us head back, Naruto-san. Maybe we'll come across Inari-san.” He suggested quietly. Naruto seemed to cheer up at the thought but Sasuke-san narrowed his dark eyes at Haku. Haku immediately backed away, he knew that Sasuke-san was touchy about the subject of his defeat and Haku had no intention on broaching the topic until Sasuke-san was more calm, if ever. Haku didn't like conflict of any kind, not even verbally.

After a few tense seconds of silence, Sasuke-san reached down and cut the ninja wire from Naruto. He turned away and stuffed his hands in his pockets, “Let's go.” He ordered flatly before walking back to the way they came. Naruto-san shot to his feet, dusting off his orange jumpsuit and ran off after his teammate, pausing just briefly to wave good-bye to Tazuna. Haku watched the two genin go with fatigue before tiredly wondering after them. In the scant three weeks he had known Team 7 he had already seen more drama than the entirety of his time with Zabuza-sama.

Haku seriously doubted he was going to survive the rest of the week with them.

“Inari! Hey Inari!” Naruto-san was calling as the three of them walked calmly back up the road that they were taking back to Konoha. Naruto was looking left and right, trying to peer into foliage for the little boy. Sasuke-san and Haku walked flanked him, Haku was trying to help Naruto look while Sasuke-san just walked with his hands folded behind his head, he apparently did not wish to help. Haku did not blame him though. Sasuke-san didn't seem like the person to help unless it benefited him. He acted like a true shinobi, unlike Haku who was too soft.

Naruto-san stopped and planted his fists on his hips, “Huh, I was sure Inari would be down this way...” He mumbled to himself. Haku startled when Naruto suddenly twisted around and pointed an accusing finger to the casual Sasuke-san leaning against a nearby tree. “Hey Sasuke! Get over here and help me look too, would ya?!”

Sasuke turned his nose in the air, “Listen, Inari when looking for you. This doesn't involve me.” He said with mild contempt. Haku tilted his head to look at the younger dark haired boy. He had often heard that teenagers were rebellious, but he never had been able to witness it himself since he was always around Zabuza-sama who avoided other kids like the plague. He wondered mildly if this was what those people meant.

Naruto gritted his teeth, “Ah c'mon! Whatever happened to teamwork, huh?!”

“That's the only reason I'm here with you now, show some gratitude, loser.”

Haku could hear Naruto's teeth gritting from a few feet away and he winced at the sound. “I'll. Show. You. Gratitude.” Naruto seethed as he stomped off into the woods, punctuating each word with a footstep.

Haku wanted to comment but felt that it wasn't his place. Besides, Sasuke-san did not seem to like him and Naruto-san didn't look to be in the mood to hear advice from anyone.

“Hey, where are you going?” Sasuke questioned as he watched his hot headed teammate stomp away.

“Shut up! I need to go take a leak!” Haku grimaced at Naruto's uncouth manner. It was at times like this that Naruto reminded Haku of the Demon Brothers Zabuza-sama employed. Haku rarely used the word 'dislike', but he did not like those chūnin nuke-nins that followed Zabuza-sama around like unwanted filth.

Naruto-san bent down to grab something and wondered aloud, “What's my ramen coupon doing out here?” That seemed to prick Sasuke's interest as the other boy came to look over Naruto's shoulder. Haku joined them a little later, but didn't get to close. He didn't feel like he belonged here, he almost felt like a babysitter really.

Sasuke jerked, seeing something that Haku could not, “Wait a second, look there.” He pointed to the forest floor in front of the duo. Haku looked over the boys' shoulder and saw many footprints in the area. Some big and some... childlike. It wasn't hard to figure out that Inari, and possibly a few friends, had been kidnapped.

Haku stepped up so he was Naruto's other side, “A fight. Likely a few thugs got a way and decided to take a cowards form of revenge.” He spoke for the first time since they had gone in search of Inari-san.

There was only a moment's warning before the clouds that had been looming in the sky all day broke and poured their load down on all three of the boys.

vvv Normal POV vvv

“Just in time.” I commented as we ducked under the tea shop awning just as the deluge began. I was glad, I didn't have to worry about my hair frizzing up any more than normal. It was bad enough that Naruto called me 'Frizzy-sensei' I didn't want to give anyone else a reason to call me that. The hostess smiled at the three of us and waved us to sit down on the long bench in front before she bowed to us and asked for our orders.

I rambled off mine and Hinata's, knowing that the little Hyuuga heiress probably wouldn't have it in her to speak up, and leaned back so Peaches could do the same; I was mildly astonished that he ordered water. When the old lady ducked back into the tiny shop, I turned to give Zabuza a look, “Are Kiri nin so obsessed with water they drink it everywhere?” I asked incredulously.

Peach-boy gave me a glare that could evaporate the rain water off my clothes, “No.”

I was not letting him get away with that for an answer. I didn't like talking to people much, but I hated awkward silenced even worse. “We're at a tea shop it's generally accepted that people drink tea here.” I pointed out slowly.

For a moment, I thought Zabuza might actually try and hit me. If he did, then Zabuza vs. Yanagi Round Three would commence. “I don't like tea.” He snapped. Seriously, this guy was never social unless Haku was around and even then it was still a 50/50 chance.

Now Hinata was giving Zabuza a look. People from Konoha practically lived on tea, especially those living in more traditional clans like Hinata and I. In Konoha, someone saying they didn't like tea was like Naruto suddenly declaring that he detested ramen and became a nuke-nin because the Hokage refused to outlaw it.

Peachy didn't miss our shared horrified looks. He glare turned defensive and he looked away with a harrumph, mumbling something about stewed leaf water and pesky women. I smirked.

Yanagi: 17 Zabuza: 12

Another costumer ducked under the tea shop awning and flapped their soaked leather coat out, spraying the three of us in a fine cold spray, but he didn't remove his hood. Suspicious. Zabuza released a hissed breath and glared at the newcomer out of the corner of his eye. I pretended to ignore them as the lady came out sporting trays with our orders and came to take the order of the new costumer. Hinata gingerly took her cup of hot tea while I popped a stick of sweet dango in my mouth. Even from only two seats away, I could barely hear the newcomer as they spoke with the hostess and that only raised my suspicions.

Without thinking about it, I nudged Zabuza and handed him his wimpy glass of water to excuse the action. In return he nodded in acknowledgment as he pulled down a few of his bandages to reveal his mouth and took a casual sip of water. The whole exchange was smooth and nothing was suspicious about it. Strange that only a month ago we were enemies and now we were working together as if we had been for years. But I guess being under the same roof for nearly three weeks did that to a group of enemies-turned-allies.

“So when do you think those brats will get back?” I asked, to keep in character. It would seem suspicious to the tea lady, and possibly the newcomer if he had been watching us before, if we all just fell silent.

Zabuza grunted and said nothing.

I rolled my eyes, and not for show either. This man was just as annoying as Obito-nii, only in the opposite way. “Might as well be talking to myself.” I grumbled and popped another dumpling in my mouth, taking all my anger out on it by chewing the poor thing. My anger only elevated when I saw Zabuza's smirk before he brought his water to his lips.

Soon the dango was all gone, eaten by myself really. Zabuza didn't like sweets apparently and Hinata said she wasn't hungry, though I suspected she only said that to please me. I would have forced her to eat one so she wouldn't be hungry, but decided against it to teach her another hidden lesson. Hinata needed to stop being a people pleaser, in the world of shinobi people would take advantage of her faster than she could blink. The Hyuuga needed to grow a little backbone and courage, otherwise everyone would walk over her more times than a welcome mat. I was sure her father already took advantage of her soft nature and it wouldn't be long before she broke if nothing was done.

The newcomer had yet to take his hood off. Zabuza and I had already written him off as an enemy, but now Hinata was starting to get the drift. Though she was a green genin and not all the confident, I knew that Hinata was the most observant on out of my trio of brats. Having grown up in the Hyuuga clan and having a functioning Byakugan, Hinata had an eye for detail. A Hyuuga could look at a scene for three seconds, without their Kekke Genkai activated, and rattle back immediately everything in perfect detail. There was a reason why they were the ones assigned the missions that entailed guarding someone or finding lost items. So it was no surprise to me when Hinata began stiffening. Hurriedly I nudged her in the side so not to alert the mystery man.

“Oi, wanna split a plate of dango? I'm still hungry, but I don't think I can eat all of it this time.” I said easily as I shot a warning look at my student. Hinata luckily caught on to it and nodded before looking down at her lap. Leaning back a little, I waved to the tea shop owner from the large window put behind the bench for that purpose. She nodded at me to show she acknowledged me and continued make the stranger's order.

vvv 3rd POV~Haku vvv

“Eh?! Inari did what?!” Naruto-san practically shrieked when Inari's friends told him what happened. Sasuke now looked concerned instead of indifferent about the whole thing. Though, Haku believed that Sasuke-san had been concerned ever since they found the signs of a fight, he was just showing that emotion now instead of suppressing it like he normally did.

Haku stepped in before Naruto-san could question the obviously traumatized kids further, “Naruto-san, we must go. I know these men, if they find Inari-san...” He trailed off, not wishing to go into detail. Not only were there young kids present, but Sasuke and Naruto were still younger than him and obviously fresh genin. He doubted they had witnessed the true horrors of reality yet. To them everything was still good versus bad; with the bad losing horribly and the good getting away with no permanent injuries.

Sasuke-san, however, seemed to have a notion of just how bad the situation was for he grabbed Naruto by the arm. “Go back and warn the town.” He ordered the kids before tugging his teammate along into a run. Haku zipped ahead of them. He had been trained as a hunter-nin before Zabuza-sama and he defected from Kirigakure, he was an expert tracker and following after thugs stupid enough to have marked a clear path with cuts in trees was probably the easiest thing he ever did.

It was quick work finding Inari-san in the river, struggling to make it to shore, and with Naruto-san's numerous shadow clones, it was even easier work to pull him out. Haku felt almost useless standing there next to a line of Narutos and watching as the main Naruto struggled to grab Inari-san's hand. As soon as he had him, Naruto leaped out of the water and set Inari down.

Immediately Haku scanned Inari-san for any obvious injures, but found none. The Kiri nuke-nin was confused, if Inari wasn't injured then why had he been in the river? He had thought that the thugs of Gatou had thrown him over a cliff to watch him drown, but by all appearances Inari looked as if he had jumped willingly.

Inari-san was staring at Naruto in a daze. He looked at Sasuke, then at Haku and finally back at Naruto, “Why are you here? How come?” He asked.

Naruto-san gave Inari his trademark, earsplitting grin, “How come? Cuz of you! You did an awesome job, your friends were able to escape and warn us what happened!”

“The guys are okay?” Inari asked, but before any of the boys could answer, the sound of many footsteps came from their right. All of them turned to see the remainder of Gatou's thugs, a very small remainder, trotting up with the two filthy right hand men of Gatou leading them. Haku narrowed his eyes behind his mask. He did not like those two for trying to kill Zabuza-sama when he was healing from his first fight with Yanagi-san. The only person he hated more than those two had been Gatou himself. And with Gatou out of the way...

If Haku liked killing, he might say he was eager to kill those two.

The crowd came to a stop and one of them, the taller tattooed leader with a cutting fetish accused, accused “You're the brats from the Hidden Leaf!”

The second leader, the one with the strange jacket and purple stripes under his eyes, yanked out his sword as if it were just a piece of metal and not an extension of his arm, “You've gotta lot of nerve coming back here.” Naruto and Sasuke-san both glared and tensed, ready for battle, but so far no one made a move. The two leaders hadn't seen how the battle of the bridge had turned out with Naruto-san creating thousands of shadow clones and the village showing up to take back their home; but the rest of the thugs had and they knew that Naruto wasn't just any ordinary kid.

“It's just two kids you guys, go get them!” The second leader shouted when none of his minions immediately ran forward. As if they had been the magic words, the crowd of thugs charged forwards with pathetic battle cries. Sasuke immediately grabbed Inari and jumped back. Haku was glad that Sasuke wouldn't let something like pride put someone else in danger. Until now, the ice user had been worried if that would be a major problem for someone as competitive as Sasuke-san.

Naruto scoffed, “So, you think you can out number me, do ya?” He asked rhetorically and made his strange hand sign. Multiple Narutos popped back into existence and Haku took a moment to admire the younger kid's stamina. Zabuza-sama had once told him that the shadow clone technique was very high in chakra requirement; that Naruto was able to use the Kagebushin Jutsu twice in so little time and still create more than thirty was something extraordinary.

Haku waited until Sasuke-san had Inari safely out of the way before joining the fight. Luckily by that time some of the Naruto clones had already been popped and so a nice smoke, much like the Hidden Mist Jutsu, permeated the area. Perfect. Pulling out senbon in each hand, Haku began dancing among the thugs, striking out like a snake and putting anyone he hit in a temporary death state. Even if these men had been willingly with Gatou and not just in it for the money like Zabuza-sama and Haku had been, Haku would not kill them unless they forced his hand.

Now that Zabuza-sama had given up on his dream and started a more peaceful one, Haku hoped he would never have to kill again.

vvv Normal POV vvv

I growled and gnashed my teeth, damn this rain! It was making everything cold and I hated the cold! “It's been hours since they went back, how long does it take for them to find one damn coupon?!” I hissed.

Peaches shrugged, “Haku will find it even if your pests can't.” Really? He was still doing the whole fangirling thing?

Ignoring his student posturing for now, I tugged at my ponytail and glared at the stranger still sitting at the end of the tea shop bench. I didn't care if it would alert him or not, I was pissed because he was here and I couldn't pop a shadow clone off to go see what the hell those trio of brats were doing.

Peach-boy landed an elbow in my ribs, making me grunt. He leaned over and hissed in my ear, “Don't do anything stupid.” Damn it, how did this guy get to be so good at reading my mind in the few weeks we hadn't been trying to kill each other? My own brother, who raised me, wasn't as good a mind reader as Peachy was.

“Elbow me again, Peach-boy, and I'll break your arm off and shove it up your ass.” I threatened. I heard Hinata whimper slightly behind me and shift away. I really didn't blame her. Hinata was a genin with two high classed jounin who weren't in a very good mood at all; one of which was an infamous nuke-nin who had only recently turned 'good' and the other was from an infamous clan known for their anger induced fights and rather horrifying genjutsu.

My comment finally seemed to get the stranger's attention, who had, until recently, seemed quite content to act as if we didn't exist. “Interesting...” He said lowly. Zabuza and I both whipped around to glare at him in sync. This was it, most likely the hooded stranger would attack and I could take my pent up anger out on him and bash his brains in. I almost shivered in excitement.

The hood turned a little, giving me the impression that the man might be looking at us out of the corner of his eye, “I thought you were a family, guess your not.”

Hinata eeped behind me while Peaches and I exchanged dry looks. How this idiot stranger came to such a conclusion, or how he proved himself wrong, I did not wish to know. At all. Ever. Seriously, all three of us were wearing our haiti-ate, of two different villages no less, and Zabuza was lugging around Kubikiribōchō on his back. All we lacked was a sign that said WE ARE SHINOBI AND WILL KICK YOUR ASS. How this idiot thought we might possibly be a family was beyond me. Of course, he could be trying to get a raise out of us. But even then it wouldn't work. Shinobi had control over their emotions, most of the time, and trying to make a ninja blush was about the hardest thing to do and the most clichéd.

“And I think you're an idiot, turns out I'm right.” I retorted. I was already irritated with my little brats and this never ending rain. Being associated to Peach-bastard in a positive manner was just the icing on the shit cake of my day. We could be out of the damn Wave Country already if Naruto hadn't gone after his damn ramen coupon!

I swear I was going to kill the brat with training when we got back to Konoha. He'd never ask for another mission like this ever again.

Unfortunately the hooded man seemed to find amusement in my statement and just laughed. My right eye started twitching then and I was contemplating bodily harm when the source of my ire finally decided to show their nasty little faces. I turned my glare on all three boys when they came up to the tea shop, completely soaked. Naruto and Sasuke paled while Haku stiffened. He might have paled too, but he was strangely wearing his mask. After we had first left the town, Haku had taken the mask off and hadn't put it back on since.

No matter, he was dead in a few minutes anyway.

I inspected the other two brats and found small scrapes and specks of blood on their clothing. I hung my head with a long suffering groan. Of course, they would get into some dramatic fight with random enemies. Team 7 was unlucky enough to land a falsely labeled A-rank mission on their first 'C-rank' mission, so why not add more drama to it already?!

Damn karma demons. Why was I the one stuck with the unluckiest team on earth?

Sasuke seemed to sense my exasperation for he opened his mouth, no doubt to report, but I just held up a hand, “I do not want to know. You little bastards are filling out your own paperwork this time.” I was not going to be doing paperwork over an extra mission that I didn't even participate in! Filling out paperwork on additional missions that didn't follow the primary objective were a pain in the ass to fill out, more so than normal.

Naruto and Sasuke shrunk back behind Haku, who seemed to be eying the hooded stranger still sitting quietly off to the side. Zabuza laid money down for our food, which was surprising because I was sure he'd make me pay for what Hinata and I ordered. Peach-boy had struck me to be a big penny-pincher; but I wasn't going to complain if he proved me wrong. More money for me.

Haku removed his mask to speak, but before a single syllable could leave his mouth, the stranger attacked. Immediately all of us reacted and reached for our nearest weapons, but didn't get the chance to attack. Mostly because we were all staring at the stranger hugging Haku. Not strangling. Not holding him hostage. Not even acting aggressive.

Hugging.

Zabuza and I exchanged confused looks. We had probably seen a lot of strange things in our careers, but a total stranger hugging a shinobi scarred by angry red burn marks had to be at least in the top five of most bizarre.

And yes, this incident beat the time I had to accompany a nobleman's daughter to a local bathhouse, as the 'friend of the day', only to have her almost abducted by her ex-sumo-wrestler ex-boyfriend. Somehow there was also a chicken involved.

“Oh you poor baby! Poor child! Who did this to you?” The man asked in an odd squeaky voice. His voice was still deep but it rose several octaves at the end of every sentence, almost as if he were talking in questions. Poor Haku looked bewildered and shot us pleading looks from his prison. I seriously doubted Obito, who was internationally known for his infiltration and evasion skills, could get out of that hug.

“Eh?! Just who are you?” Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at the stranger.

The man seemed to realize he had an audience, even the damn tea lady had come out of her shop to stare at him. He laughed sheepishly and put Haku back down on the ground, but didn't release the poor kid, “Oh... my name is Kurosawa Momoko.” The person pushed back their hood to reveal a pair of upturned eyes, much like Naruto's, and a mess of short chocolate brown hair. A scar, a nick really, slanted over Momoko's cheekbone and curved downwards towards his jaw like a sideways hook; that alone was enough to identify him as who he said he was.

I blinked, Zabuza facepalmed and Haku blanched under his burn marks. Team 7 looked between the three of us confused, not understanding anything going on but I couldn't blame their ignorance for that. They were fresh from the Academy and barely knew what a nuke-nin was. Kurosawa Momoko was an infamous mercenary who was responsible for the fall of some country no one remembered anymore more than a decade ago. He... She got her name 'Nariagari Naginata' for the legend of starting several civil wars by using only her naginata and pepper spray.

All for the fun of it.

“Last the rumors had it you were in Grass Country causing trouble.” I said dryly.

Momoko laughed and waved a hand, “I've retired from that business, dearie,” I twitched at the endearment, “there's no fun in it anymore. I got my fill of fighting, now I just wonder the world. I'm glad I did too! Cuz I wouldn't have met this cutie otherwise!” The older woman squeezed an extra ten years out of Haku.

Peach-boy wasn't looking amused, “Release him.” He snarled. I pursed my lips and wondered if I should stop Zabuza before he did anything rash. It wasn't like he couldn't handle himself against Momoko; for all her skill, she wasn't a ninja and was thus as a great disadvantage, but killing someone just because she was touching his student was a little... well, stupid. Not that I could really blame Peaches for being overprotective, I'll admit that I was slightly overprotective of Sasuke since he had almost died.

Momoko gave Zabuza a shit-eating grin that dared him to try something and my respect for her went up a little. Not many people could grin cheekily at a pissed off shinobi with a big ass sword and sharp, predatory teeth bared. “Sorry, hon, no can do.” From the look on Zabuza's face, I'd say he wasn't used to people telling him no.

Though I found the encounter amusing now that I knew that Momoko wouldn't be a threat to us, I was still frustrated. I wanted to go home not stand around in front of some random tea shop in Wave Country and watching an infamous mercenary butt heads with an equally infamous nuke-nin.

I snagged Naruto's collar and began dragging him away, “Duckass and Hinata, we're going. Those three can work their own problems out.” I ordered. I was so done with solving other people's problems, if I wasn't getting paid for it I wasn't going to lift a damn finger to help. My two slightly smarter students immediately fell in step behind me while Naruto struggled to break my grip on his jumpsuit, squawking with indignity.

An hour later when Zabuza and Haku finally caught up to us, neither looking remotely pleased with me, I noticed that Momoko was still firmly attached to Haku. That's when I started laughing and didn't stop until set up camp. Even then I would occasionally start snickering again whenever I glanced over at Ice Princess and his involuntarily new mercenary friend.

vvv

Our little motley group made it back to Konoha two days behind schedule, and thus earning me a rather stern lecture from the Hokage about picking up my brother's worst habits. Team 7 made our mission's report, as well as Sasuke and Naruto's side mission, then stepped aside and let Peach-boy and Ice Princess lay out a rough plan on what they intended to do now that they weren't 'bad guys' anymore. Apparently they were planning on using Gatou's money to start something like the Academy, to teach the younger generations how to protect themselves properly. The Land of Waves was no where near powerful or wealthy enough to be a shinobi nation, but they wouldn't be at the mercy of people like Gatou anymore.

Though half of his face was covered up again with bandages, I swore I could see Zabuza's eyes light up in surprise and respect for the Hokage when the old man suggested he meet with one of the Nara to discuss further development on the plans. Apparently that thing just wasn't done.

Welcome to Konoha, Peach-boy. And get used to our bizarre flavor of insanity.

As soon as both the verbal and written reports were done, which took two extra hours since I had to teach my brats the proper way to write a report, the six of us were released back into the dying sunlight and into Momoko's waiting arms–at least for Haku.

I, on the other hand, was apprehended by someone else entirely.

“Imoto!”

“Damn it, let go of me Nii-san, before I crack your skull open with a blunt spoon!”

Obito dropped me, knowing I would at least try to attempt my threat if I thought he didn't believe me. I landed in a pile at his feet and glared up at Nii-san from my spot on the ground. Obito grinned back, “I heard ya had fun. Oh, and Rin-chan as a few choice words for you when she sees you next.” I paled at that. Rin was probably the only medic I really trusted, but she took after Kushina and her hero, Senju Tsunade, too much. If she had somehow found out about the injuries I sustained during the mission...

I gulped. The only thing I feared the most was Rin when she was pissed off about my medical state.

Even Kakashi was scared of her then, and he feared nothing. Or so he said.

“Come on, Haku, we should get your burns looked at.” I started and reached out to grab Haku's arm. I was totally using the kid as a meat shield from Obito's kunoichi teammate.

Unfortunately Zabuza seemed to catch onto my plan and moved Haku, and by association Momoko, out of my reach. The glint in his eyes told me he meant to do it on purpose, and he fully intended to see me suffer. I was sorely tempted to sic my brother on him in retaliation.

“Oi! Who the hell are you?!” Obito barked when his attention was drawn to the two Kiri nuke-nins and one clingy retired mercenary.

Screw it, I was setting Nii-san on Zabuza anyway, just for the hell of it.

Flashing Zabuza a sneer, I turned to Obito, “Nii-san, this is Momochi Zabuza... and friends.” My brother's goofy aura that he seemed to always emanate faded and his dark gaze turned steely. I always loved watching people around my brother when he went from an idiot to the hardened war veteran he rarely showed. It was a sadistic joy, but I reveled in their looks of horror and fright. I snickered when my team and even Haku inched a little away from the older Uchiha. Zabuza and Momoko didn't look all that bothered though.

Now for the icing on the cake.

“And he's the one who injured me.” I added cheerfully, like the helpful little sister I was. Quickly, to be just as helpful, I turned to Zabuza and introduced my brother, just in case he didn't already know him, “Peaches, this is my Nii-san, Uchiha Obito. Internationally known as the Uchiha Phantom or the Ghost of Konoha.”

Wow, I never thought anyone could go white so fast.

Momoko was giving me a reassessing look, apparently she approved of my throwing Zabuza to the wolves. I only smirked at the older woman and winked. I fully intended to take responsibility for this. If there was one thing I wanted to see in my life it was Obito butting heads with Zabuza, even if I had to throw them at each other myself!

Unfortunately Kakashi had to ruin it all.

“Obito, Rin said that you're to drag Yanagi to her no matter what. Stop glaring at grouchy minnows and do what you're told before she turns her ire on you.” Kakashi commented drily as he popped into existence with the help of a white puff of cloud beside Obito, his standard perverted orange book in hand, “I'll take care of the pest.” He added belatedly and with much venom.

“Grouchy what?!”

Nii-san forgot his anger with Zabuza, or at least he ignored it, and snagged me by the arm. “Let's go imoto, before Rin-chan really gets pissed off.” I struggled in his grip, but there was no escaping an escape artist like him. It looked like I was resigned to the fate of being dragged away to meet my doom.

Just before Obito could walk away, Kakashi said nonchalantly, “By the way, she wanted to see Team 7 and Momochi's brat too.”

Yes! There was justice in the world!

Chapter 17: Welcome… Home?

Rin had generously decided to forgo trying to force me into a hospital and just told Obito to bring me, and by result everyone I had returned with, to Obito's and my house. Like my brother, I had a major phobia about hospitals more so than the normal shinobi, so Rin knew that the only way she could get me there was if Obito knocked me unconscious first. And I would not be happy if I woke up there. Our small entourage marched straight through the Uchiha entrance gates with suspicious looks from the guards. The three of us Uchiha weren't paid any mind, nor was Kakashi who was practically an Uchiha in all but name and looks; but Hinata, Naruto and Zabuza received the brunt of every Uchiha member's narrow gaze. Whenever I returned their glares tenfold each person quickly found something far more interesting than the Hyuuga heiress, the Kyuubi brat, and a famous nuke-nin walking around.

I was the only one who got to glare at them and get away with it!

I nearly cried in despair when I saw the crowd waiting around the house. Not only had Rin converged on the house, but Sasuke's entire family and Shisui as well. Itachi and Mikoto-oba I didn't mind, Fugaku could go to hell, and Shisui would most likely gang up on me with Zabuza if they were introduced.

Just end my misery now.

Rin descended on me before I could punch Nii-san for not warning me about my imminent doom, “Yanagi-chan! I've told you a million times, a million times, that your body can't withstand so much chakra exhaustion! You're going to kill yourself if you keep doing this!” For such a small woman, she had a large voice. No doubt earned from being the kunoichi teammate of two hardheaded stubborn mules commonly known as Kakashi and Obito. “And don't you dare tell me it's part of a shinobi's job like you did last time, this is the eighth mission where you suffered from it! I know you have above average chakra reserves, so how the hell do you manage eight missions in three months?! The expected amount for your chakra levels is only three missions in a year, a year do you hear me?! Not only that, but Obito-kun tells me you passed out from chakra exhaustion twice during your last mission! Well, what have you to say for yourself?!”

“Sorry mom.”

In a joint effort, I received three smacks upside the head from all members of Team Minato for my snide remark. I sighed under my breath and idly rubbed my abused head as Kakashi and Obito joined in Rin's lecturing. Sometimes I felt like I had three mothers instead of two brothers and their teammate, it was ridiculous when Team Minato teamed up on me. Most likely this would end with me having a head trauma, a result of the trio smacking me every time I said something snarky, and the three of them arguing with each other. It happened every time and it gave me the perfect chance to slip away though.

Luckily Fugaku wasn't in the mood to hear three idiots ganging up on a poor defenseless girl and snapped, “Enough.” Team Minato fell silent immediately, but all shot me looks that promised a continuation of the conversation when Fugaku wasn't there to ruin their fun.

Couldn't wait.

“Report, Yanagi.” Fugaku ordered me. I glared at my clan leader, not in the mood for niceties. Why the hell did I have to report?! Fugaku-sama already had my post-battle report and the Hokage would be sending him a copy of Team 7's debriefing since it concerned the Uchiha clan.

He wanted a report? Fine, I'd give him a report.

“Uchiha Sasuke went above the line of duty and protected his teammate, earning himself the hallowed kekke genkai of our glorious clan. Then he passed out from chakra exhaustion.” Oh, you could taste the sarcasm rolling off me in waves.

Zabuza shot me a subtle knowing look, of which Obito caught and reflected it back with a 'Big Brother Glare' probably thinking it meant something else. Okay so I was lying when I said that Sasuke passed out, but I was not telling the leader of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke's own damn father, that the person who had made an attempt on his youngest son's life was standing right beside the duckass boy. Especially not when the three strongest Uchiha in the clan were standing right there, one of which being Sasuke's overprotective brother. Haku wouldn't make it a step before he was put through the most horrifying genjutsu he could imagine, sliced into tiny pieces, and incinerated to the point that his ashes were microscopic.

And he thought I was terrifying.

Grabbing my brother by his flak jacket, I reached for the inside pocket and snagged myself a piece of candy before he could do anything. Obito squawked and tried to take the sweet back, but I evaded his hand and popped it into my mouth with a grin.

“Yanagi! That was mine, damn it! You have you're own.” Nii-san snapped at me.

I shrugged and said around the hard candy, “I'm pretty sure that brat Inari stole my candy stash I had on me. I need sugar before I go on a rampage.” I grimaced when I realized that the confectionery I had stolen was strawberry flavored, but I didn't dare spit it out no matter how much I disliked it. Obito would destroy me if I wasted candy, especially when it was his favorite flavor.

My brother scoffed at me, “You let your candy get stolen? By a kid?” Funny, coming from the guy who couldn't even stop me from stealing his candy in plain sight.

“Well you can't blame me, I can't really protect my stash when I'm unconscious.” Wrong thing to say, because that opened Lecture Yanagi About Chakra Exhaustion version 2; and this time Mikoto jumped in on the mothering too. I threw up my hands in defense and immediately started apologizing. I could get away with being surly when Team Minato lectured me, but I could never pull that shit with my aunt. Not without earning an earful from both her and Fugaku about respecting one's elders. I was really tempted to make the sign to ward off evil, but decided against it for the sake of keeping my head where it was.

vvv 3rd POV~ Sasuke vvv

Everyone else watched with varying levels of amusement as Yanagi-itoko began apologizing profusely once Kaa-chan joined Obito and his team in yelling at her. Sasuke felt very satisfied to see his sensei and cousin taken down from that high pedestal she put herself on, even if it was only for a moment.

Yanagi-sensei had been more bearable after Sasuke's brush with death, but only a little. She had gone from treating him like scum under her sandal to being slightly overprotective. Sasuke couldn't really blame her for that, she must have been feeling very guilty if it showed even the slightest. So he endured it as best he could, even if it annoyed him to no end. Kaa-chan and Itachi-nii already smothered him, and having Sasuke's normally grouchy sensei doing the same was irritating. He expected Yanagi to treat him like he was any other genin, it was a refreshing experience from his mother and brother's babying or his father's negligence. Still, Yanagi was very arrogant, and Sasuke didn't like that. So he thought she was getting what she deserved.

Shisui snorted from Itachi's side, “How long do you think it'll take before she's forgiven this time?” This time? Did this happen a lot? Sasuke hardly saw his two elusive cousins before Yanagi became his sensei. Honestly, he hadn't been able to recall their names at times. When Sasuke first asked his family why he never saw more of his cousins, they carefully changed the subject and he never thought of it again. He knew next to nothing about his cousins, Sasuke didn't even know if they were related to him on his mother or father's side! And he hated not knowing things.

“Hn. Two episodes of chakra exhaustion is enough to worry anyone. Even if they forgive Yanagi-san, I doubt Obito-san and his friends will ever let her live it down.” Itachi-nii said quietly while casting an expressionless look at Zabuza standing a little further away. Sasuke could see the gears turning in his brother's head. The navy-haired Uchiha had no doubt that his Nii-san was coming to very accurate conclusions about Zabuza and his hand in everything. He wasn't called the genius of his generation for nothing.

Shisui followed Itachi's gaze and grinned cheerfully at the grumpy nuke-nin, “Yo! Kiri nin, huh? Odd seeing one of you in Konoha. Did you have mission complications with Yagi-chan?” When Zabuza gave him a glare, Shisui's grin took on a devious twist, “Oh I see~! Let me warn you though, Obito-senpai is very overprotective about his little sister. He might actually try to kill you if you make a move on Yagi-chan.”

The revulsion in Zabuza's eyes amused Sasuke greatly. Sasuke had wondered if Zabuza was interested in Yanagi-sensei romantically. In fact both Team 7 and Haku had often discussed the possibility of their teachers being together, even Momoko seemed to agree that Yanagi and Zabuza liked each other. Not that they'd ever admit it.

“What was that?!” Obito's voice carried over from where he was cornering his sister.

Shisui actually cackled, loudly. “Once again, Obito-senpai's sonic hearing strikes! Better run, Kiri nin-san, Obito-senpai has a habit of attacking first and asking questions later... if you can still talk that is.”

Zabuza shot Shisui a nasty look and Naruto was staring at the goofy Uchiha in confusion, “Eh? Who are you?” The blonde idiot asked, rudely pointing a finger at the older Uchiha.

Itachi's best friend didn't take offense though, Sasuke would be genuinely surprised when Shisui did take offense over something. He was the most easy-going person he knew of, and Sasuke still couldn't believe that Shisui was the strongest in the clan! “Why, I'm the great Uchiha Shisui! Nice to meet ya, Naruto-kun!”

Naruto looked surprised that Shisui knew his name, but the young Uchiha boy wasn't paying attention to his teammate. He was more interested in how Zabuza stiffened up and stared at Shisui with an almost fearful look. Even the mercenary Momoko looked more alert now, her eyes sharpening over poor Haku's head as she continued to cling to him. It made Sasuke wonder just what Shisui did to earn his reputation as being the strongest Uchiha. Now that he had the sharingan, he could know the secret. That's what Yanagi-sensei had told him during their first team meeting.

“Damn it, Obito! I swear I'll kill you!” Yanagi suddenly snapped and everyone not part of that particular conversation turned to see Yanagi glaring harshly at her brother, who's expression was an odd one of smugness and annoyance.

“Oh really? And just how are you going to do that?” Obito asked sardonically. Beside him, Obito's teammates, whom Sasuke still didn't know the names of, rolled their eyes.

There was a long moment of silence as the two hot headed Uchiha glared at each other before Yanagi threw her head back and announced loudly, “I declare another Prank War on you, Uchiha Obito!” Every Uchiha in hearing range, even Itachi, choked. It had been almost four years since the last prank war, but Sasuke remembered it very clearly. It had been one of the few times he remembered that his cousins existed, mostly because their pranks had been leaking out and fooling other clan members. It had gotten bad enough that Tou-sama finally ordered both of them to stop under the threat of being kicked out of the Uchiha Compound for good.

Behind him, Sasuke heard Zabuza muttering under his breath, “That's our cue to leave” followed by Shisui's loud cheerfulness of, “Allow me to escort you out! The Uchiha guards can be a bit nasty if you leave alone.” Somehow Sasuke didn't think that Shisui was escorting the Kiri nuke-nins, and Momoko, out of the Compound by the kindness of his heart.

Sasuke debated if his parents would let him leave with Zabuza. He knew he was going to be in the crossfire between Yanagi and Obito when all hell broke loose and he wanted to get out while he still could.

vvv Normal POV vvv

While Nii-san was still stunned at my deceleration, I turned to his teammates, “Are you two staying for dinner?” I asked, a complete 180 from how I had been acting only a moment ago.

Rin and Kakashi, however, were used to my mood swings. Kakashi shrugged his assent while Rin shook her head, “Sorry, I have to go check that Kiri boy before they leave. I'm worried that that eye of his might be infected, has it been bloodshot ever since the fight?” I would always be amazed that even when Rin was in the middle of lecture me she would notice an injury on someone twenty feet away. Must be a medic intuition or something.

I nodded, not at all offended that she didn't trust my skill at medical ninjutsu. I didn't trust my skill at medical ninjutsu, I only learned it because Rin was determined that I had the basics down just in case. “Yes. I hit Haku with a fireball and that caused his capillaries in his eye to burst. You might want to check his chest too!” I told Rin as she took off. She waved her hand to show that she heard, already calling out Shisui's name.

Mikoto rolled her eyes at all of us and shook her head, “Well if we're done then I guess I should start dinner for my own family.” She turned that hard eyed 'mother' look on me and I had to suppress the shudder going up my spine, “Remember what I told you, Yanagi-chan.” She practically growled and I was once again reminded that my aunt used to be a very powerful jounin before she retired to raise her boys.

“Yes, ma'am.” I squeaked. The Uchiha matriarch smiled fondly at me and dipped her head in a good-bye before going to join her husband and sons. All four of the Main Branch family left quietly after that, and only Itachi-san bothered to say good-bye to his cousins. My eye twitched as I glared at Sasuke's retreating back.

Rude little brat.

Immediately after Fugaku was gone, Obito trapped me in a choke hold, “What the hell, ya little brat? Ya trying to get us killed by our uncle?! Don't you remember what happened last time?” My brother snapped at me.

I glared up at him, “It's your fault, you shouldn't have said what you did, bastard.” I snapped.

“Yeah, well I noticed you didn't deny it!”

“NO! I did not like Peach-boy in that way, you sick pervert! Keep you mind out of the gutter! Just because I act friendly with someone of the opposite sex does not mean I like them!” I snapped and dug my fingers in Obito's left side where an old injury slashed across his ribcage. My brother hissed in pain and released me.

I whirled on my two remaining genin, “Naruto! Hinata! Get cleaned up and stop gawking like idiots!” I barked. Both of them jolted and blinked at me dumbly. I rolled my eyes in exasperation and explained further, “Clean up for dinner, nitwits. Unless you have somewhere else to be, you're staying here for dinner.”

Naruto immediately started whining, “Eh?! But I was gonna go to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner! I went through all that trouble for the coupon and-”

Grabbing his earlobe, I yanked on it to shut the brat up, “Having ramen after a mission is not healthy. I'm not going to have the Hokage jumping down my throat later on in life because you die on a mission due to lack of nutrition. You're staying for dinner and that's final.” I snarled without any real anger in it. When I let go of Naruto's ear, he clasped his hands to the abused cartilage and danced around, howling in pain.

Hinata was pushing her forefingers together again and I reflexively swatted her hands down, “F-forgive me, Yanagi-sensei, but I… my Tou-sama… I mean…”

I rolled my eyes and waved her away, “I forget. Go on if your clan needs you.” Hinata gulped and made a quick bobbing bow before fleeing like the devil was on her heels. I watched her go and hoped that the entrance gate guards wouldn't give the Hyuuga girl any trouble. They were a real stickler about visitors, even to the point that visitors had to leave the Compound with an Uchiha escort so they weren't heckled.

Grabbing Naruto by the collar of his jumpsuit before he could sneak away, I marched into the house, past the squabble that had started between Kakashi and Obito-nii. Honestly, those two were just a grown up version of Sasuke and Naruto.

...Or was Sasuke and Naruto a younger version of my brothers?

I deposited Naruto on the common room couch, where I could keep and eye on him as I made dinner, with a warning not to break anything. The brat didn't move, other than to cross his arms and sulk. I said nothing as I went into the kitchen, the brat would eat whatever I cooked without complaining or I'd kick his ass tomorrow in training.

After the mess of the Wave mission, I came to the conclusion that it was best if I started taking Team 7's training seriously. I hadn't expected to run into the problem of an upgraded mission rank so soon, and if this bad luck continued I had no doubt it would happen again. It was better to over-train the brats and let them be bored out of their skulls with D-rank than to have them die on a mission they were ill prepared for.

“Damn it… where is that-!” I cut off with a yelp when a hand appeared over my shoulder, holding the chili powder I was looking for. I twisted around to find Kakashi-nii giving me his trademark eye smile. Cautiously I took the powder from my adoptive brother while giving him a wary look. Kakashi was a neutral party when it came to spats between Nii-san and I; while Rin normally took the side of whoever she thought was right, Kakashi took the side of whoever the hell he wanted to win. And that depended on who pissed him off the most. His loyalty often changed several times before the warring between Obito and I ended.

Needless to say I didn't really trust the Copy ninja much when it came to pranks.

Kakashi-nii went to the other side of the kitchen to stir the Miso soup. I watched him like a hawk, knowing this wasn't just about pranking my brother anymore. Kakashi tried to avoided my kitchen whenever possible because he claimed I was a slave driver to anyone who dared enter; but it was his last sanctuary from Obito and Gai since they never stepped foot in the room. The kitchen was my domain and I didn't like trespassers.

I knew exactly why Kakashi was in here, and it had nothing to do with Obito being an idiot.

I peeked out of the doorway to where Naruto was sitting. Obito had joined my blonde student on the couch and was listening to Minato's son as he talked animatedly, waving his hands in the air and imitating explosions–probably talking about the Wave mission. Unlike Kakashi, Obito seemed to be enjoying Naruto's company if his wide grin was anything to go by.

Looking back at Kakashi, I debated on saying anything. Minato-san's death was a touchy subject for any member of Team Minato, but it was a personal issue to Kakashi-nii. Kakashi had known Minato-san longer than Obito and Rin; and even though all three of them saw the blonde Yondaime as a father figure, it was Kakashi that Minato practically raised.

“So did you ever decide what to do with Netsui?” I asked casually as I returned to chopping vegetables. Even the most oblivious person could see the way Kakashi's shoulders relaxed at my question. I was sorely tempted to throw something at the silver haired jounin. I was rude and nosy with a penchant to collect blackmail whenever I could, true, but I wasn't dense like my brother was. I knew when some topics were touchy and best avoided at all costs; having quite a few subjects I liked to avoid myself.

Especially when the other person had a very nasty mean streak that rivaled mine and my brother's combined.

Kakashi hummed from his side of the small kitchen, “Yes. I gave him a trial run, which he passed. He starts training full time next week. Also,” Kakashi's voice turned a little colder, “why didn't you tell me that his twin sister was a fangirl? She wouldn't stop yapping about Sasuke-kun when I took her to Rin.” He hissed at me.

I laughed, “Oh did I forget to mention that part?” I asked in false surprise then laughed even louder when Kakashi glared at me.

“What did Rin-chan do to you to piss you off?”

“Nothing. Really, it's more like what Nerai did to me. We know how Rin is when she's annoyed.”

Kakashi-nii grimaced, probably remembering a few such instances. While both men on Team Minato had more leeway than most people when it came to Rin, she could only take so much of their incessant bickering before she started smashing heads together. Hard.

I waved Kakashi away before he could say anything else, “If you're going to be in here, then set the table. And make sure you wipe it down before you do anything! I know how you and my brother are!” Obito and Kakashi were notorious for setting the table without cleaning it first. I always cringed at the thought of eating at a dirty table, but everyone always told me it was just my clean freak showing. I always responded by telling them to go to hell. It was my kitchen and my table. If they wanted to eat my food then they better listen to what I told them to do, damn it!

“Ugh! No, I'm not eating it!” Naruto whined half an hour later after I finally managed to wrangle my student and Obito into the kitchen to sit down and eat. Already I was regretting letting those two idiots be friends instead of hating each other. All they did was just bounce their idiocy off each other until it was unbearable. I had to actually threaten Kakashi with blackmail so he wouldn't leave me alone with Idiot One and Two.

Needless to say he wasn't very happy with me.

I laid my hands flat on the table and towered over the blonde brat, “Listen here, Dumbass, you're going to eat what I cooked or you can starve.”

“Ha! You can't stop me from eating when I leave! I can easily go home and eat ramen!”

“Don't think I won't burn your ramen stash; and I am perfectly willing to blackmail Teuchi-san into banning you from his ramen stand. You can ask Kakashi and Obito how far I'm willing to go to get my way. Eat your vegetables, idiot, or starve.”

“You're not my mom!”

My eye twitched. This brat was really trying my patience, “No, but I am your sensei and legal guardian. If I say jump, you say-”

Naruto cut me off, “Wait, really?”

I blinked momentarily in confusion, thinking he was answering me. When I saw that odd look of eagerness and hope in the brat's bright blue eyes I understood what he was asking. This was Naruto I was talking to, someone who had only been treated with disdain and neglect throughout of his childhood. Underneath that loudmouth idiocy facade he had, Naruto was really just a lost little kid who wanted a family.

Rolling my eyes, I sat back down with a scoff, “Duh. Did you even read the Shinobi Handbook? Law is that orphaned genin are automatically wards of their jounin sensei until they turn sixteen or become chūnin. Even if they have relatives, it's overlooked to prevent confusion and unnecessary conflict. The only exception is if the genin is part of a clan, and then they just become wards to the clan leader.” Like Nii-san and I had been when our parents died. But both Rin and Kakashi had been legally considered Minato and Kushina's wards. Technically, Kakashi, Rin and I all had joint custody over Naruto; as well as his godfather Jiraiya wherever the hell that pervert was at the moment.

If a fight about guardianship ever broke out over Naruto, I had a feeling that all of Konoha would eventually be dragged into it.

There was a silence over the table as Naruto stared at me in astonishment and slight awe, which made me very uncomfortable. I wasn't a very affectionate person, and while I enjoyed glances of wonder because the person thought I was amazing, I did not like being stared at. I glared at him, “Shut up and eat your stir fry.”

Naruto pouted.

“Get used to it, gaki. This is the way my imoto shows affection,” Obito snorted. I glared at my brother but said nothing as he took a large bite of his oyakodon Donburi, his favorite food. Immediately Nii-san spat it back out and lunged for his water glass, draining the whole thing in one fell swoop.

Obito was a wimp when it came to spicy foods.

“YANAGI!!!” My brother roared and I took that as my cue to flee the scene until further notice. It might be best if I begged someone for a place to sleep for the night.

The Prank War had started.

vvv

“Alright, bratlings, time to get serious.” I said the moment the last member of my students, Hinata surprisingly, appeared the next day. I felt an odd mixture of pride and annoyance when all three of them went white as a sheet.

...Maybe I was being too harsh on them...

Naw.

I held up one bell, “If you get this bell by lunch I won't use you as training dummies for the rest of the day and I won't request the Retrieve Tora mission for a month.” I was going to pull a classic Team 7 Sensei maneuver, minus the hidden teamwork message since I didn't have time for that bullshit. After all, what was this generation's Team 7 if I didn't force them to do the bell test at least once in their lives? I had never personally experienced it, but I knew enough from when Nii-san complained about it.

Needless to say I had their undivided attention now. My grin turned a smidgen more evil as I added, “and you better came at me with the intent to kill, because I'm not going to hold back.” Cue the 'oh shit' looks on my cute little genin's faces. “Ready… Go!”

They lasted ten minutes.

I casually eyed the slightly ruffled training ground with mild distaste. When Nii-san and I spared, on the rare occasion that we weren't at each other's throats long enough to have a friendly spare, there would be at least a tree or two uprooted and several burn marks. When Kakashi-nii joined us, Fugaku was forced to reconstruct the demolished training grounds. And he was never happy about it.

But we were never as destructive as Itachi-san and Shisui. Fugaku actually banned the two from sparing in the Uchiha Compound.

There wasn't even a broken tree limp from Team 7's rather pathetic attempt at fighting. It was a wonder how they had survived the Wave mission. I pinned each genin with a glare. “Up. Again.” I barked and fell back into stance. Naruto wasn't the only one to groan as they climbed to their feet.

By noon I still hadn't broken a sweat and the brats still didn't get close to the bell. And that was only because Sasuke and Naruto somehow got it into their heads that this exercise was no longer about teamwork but a pissing contest between two idiots. Even Hinata was starting to get frustrated with the two of them when I called time.

I was irritated enough by then that I bashed the boys' heads together hard to get them to shut up, “If I have to beat this stubbornness out of you I will,” I snarled, “even if I have to tie you together!” Both boys winced in horror at the thought. Maybe it would scare them into working together finally.

Turning to Hinata, I opened my mouth to tell her how she failed the exercise and noticed her wide lavender eyes filling with horror. I grinned, sometimes it was just fun to traumatize kids. Not because they needed to face reality or because it was an accident, but it was just so damn fun-

It was hard to describe what happened next. One moment I was smirking evilly down at the shy little kunoichi and the next I was wet, as in soaked to the bone. And not only that, I was cold. If I wasn't mistaken there was an ice cube sliding down the back of my shirt, along my spine.

I fucking hated the cold.

Turning around slowly I pinned my grinning brother with a deadly look. On either side of Obito, Naruto and Sasuke looked both horrified and amused at the same time. So they were in on it then. “...Obito...” I hissed through my chattering teeth. Steam rolled off my as the water evaporated quickly under my spiking fire aligned chakra.

Nii-san cackled something about revenge best served cold and chucked the bucket he had used at my head before poofing away. Only a shadow clone then.

But I was certain Sasuke and Naruto weren't clones. They might not be the instigator, but they would do in a pinch until I got my hands on that bastard.

VVV^^^OMAKE^^^VVV

Deadly Reputation

vvv 3rd Person vvv

“We don't need your help.” Zabuza snapped as the woman who had been yelling at Yanagi checked Haku's eye. The poor boy stood there awkwardly, trying not to blink as the stranger stared intently at his bloodshot eye.

Rin ignored the grouchy man's comment as she produced a scroll from her weapons pouch. She handed it to the boy with a smile, “Apply this salve to your burns twice a day. The ingredients are listed on the scroll so you can make your own once you run out. And don't worry about your eye, it'll heal on it's own!” Haku blinked at the kind woman, he wasn't used to people giving him something with no strings attached.

An arm snaked around Haku's shoulders and the ice user stiffened when he saw the owner of the arm was none other than the famous Shunshin no Shisui. Zabuza-sama had told Haku many stories of the Uchiha who made Ao, one of the best hunter-nins in Kirigakure, turn tail and run with little effort. Shisui was herald as being the Master of Genjutsu, praised even by his own clansmen. Haku didn't feel very safe with one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha standing right next to him.

“Don't worry, Rin-san! My buddy Haku-kun will be fine, you can go back to yelling at Yagi-chan if you want.” Shisui said with a cheerful wink. Rin rolled her eyes at the goofy Uchiha as she left the foreign shinobi with Shisui. He reminded her so much of Obito before the war changed him. While her teammate hadn't changed too much there were times, Rin noticed, when he would grow quiet and stare off into the distance, probably remembering whatever had happened to him during the time he was thought to be dead.

Zabuza growled at Shisui for his familiarity, but didn't dare say a word. As infamous as he was to Kiri nins, there was little to nothing known about Shunshin no Shisui; other than his ruthless genjutsu and his frightful speed. Kiri shinobi were naturally fast, probably the fastest of the five nations after Kumo, and masters of stealth; but Uchiha Shisui had no problem catching any Mist shinobi that crossed his path. Zabuza didn't know how the Uchiha would react if he snapped at him. After dealing with Yanagi, who would react with harsh violence and an explosion of insults that made Zabuza want to blush, he was leery.

Shisui chose to ignore the former member of the famed Seven Swordsmen and kept his arm wrapped firmly around the awkward teenager's shoulders. Haku reminded Shisui so much of when Itachi was his age, so awkward and formal that it almost hurt. The Uchiha eyed the nuke-nin inconspicuously. Shisui knew from the moment he spotted the bandaged nin that he was none other than Momochi Zabuza, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō and known for having attempted a coup in Kirigakure. But Shisui didn't let on he knew; in his experience nuke-nin, especially those from Kiri, were a little touchy when it came to their missing status.

Shisui had enough scars to prove their oversensitivity on the matter.

“So Haku-chan, got a girl waiting for ya? Or did the lovely Yagi-chan scare her away?” Shisui inquired. Haku blinked in confusion, he didn't know anyone named 'Yagi'; the only name that came close was Yanagi and she- Oh.

“No, Uchiha-sama.”

Shisui made a peculiar noise in the back of his throat, something that sounded like a gag and a croak. “What's with all the formality? Oi! Do I look like Fugaku-sama to you? It's Shisui, just Shisui. I'm too young to be a '-sama', even a '-san'. Why, I'm younger than Zabuza-san!”

Zabuza pinned the Uchiha with a look. He didn't know how Shisui knew who they were, he even knew Haku's name and Zabuza had made sure not to let Haku's name slip out in the bingo books, but Zabuza wasn't all that surprised. Uchiha Shisui was a prodigy, not one of the average Uchiha prodigies like Yanagi was, but a genius that was on par with Uchiha Itachi, the famed Genius of his generation.

By then, the little group had reached the Uchiha Compound entrance. Shisui waved happily to the Uchiha guards, who dipped their heads in acknowledgment. Shisui pulled a face and leaned in close to Haku, whispering, “I even bribe them with sugar and they still do that.” Haku's mouth twitched a little in amusement. In the month he and Zabuza-sama knew Yanagi they learned one very important fact: no matter how powerful, violent, grouchy, or arrogant any Uchiha was, they all had one thing in common and that was a sweet tooth.

With the exception of the oddball Sasuke.

Zabuza twitched in irritation when Shisui made no move to let go of Haku, or to leave them. Even Momoko was starting to get annoyed as the Uchiha continued to bother them. They both tried to keep it to themselves, due to their protective instincts over Haku. It was no accident that Shisui had chosen Haku to bother. Shisui had seen the adults' parental instinct over the fifteen year old the moment he saw Yanagi leading her little parade to her house, no matter how miniscule it was. Every little twitch they made was in preparation to protect Haku from any potential threats. That was why Shisui flung his arm over the boy's shoulders. If the nuke-nin or mercenary made a move against Konoha, Haku would be dead before the first civilian casualty.

Uchiha Shisui was a cheerful soul, but even he was not above murdering someone to protect his home, even if that someone was a teenaged boy with no heart to fight.

“Hey hey hey! You know, Momoko-san, you should take Haku-kun with you! Haku's gonna need some help fending off the ladies when he gets back. I don't think even Zabuza-san can help!” Shisui chirped cheerfully as he finally let go of Haku when they reached Konoha's main entrance. He pretended not to notice how the nuke-nin or mercenary's shoulders drooped every so slightly now that Haku was out of danger.

Momoko pretended to consider the Uchiha's offer, even though she had planned on it anyway. “You're right, I think I will!” She, at least, could pretend that the goofy Uchiha in front of her wasn't someone that could murder her in a blink of an eye.

Zabuza sputtered, “What?! No! Haku is staying with me!”

“Then you can both stay with me.”

Haku blanched white, causing his burn marks to stand out even more than they already did, “Ano… why?”

Momoko flashed him a smile that could rival Naruto's, “Because you're the cutest little thing! I've always wanted a kid like you, Ku-chan!”

Shisui choked on his laughter at the nickname, but composed himself so he could speak, “Great! The three of you can be one big happy family!” He ended with a cheesy thousand-watt smile.

Zabuza glared at the man, he had given up any notion that Shisui wasn't anything other than a goofy man who had a frightening reputation. Zabuza would even go so far as to question if Ao was hallucinating when he said it was Uchiha Shisui that made him run and not some other Uchiha that no one knew about. Even the Ghost of Konoha, Uchiha Obito, while as goofy as Shisui, was also known for being vindictive and slightly arrogant. Shisui was just… ridiculous. “Tch. Idiot.” Zabuza muttered under his breath.

He spoke too soon.

Shisui grinned even wider until his cheeks hurt, having heard the nuke-nin, “Unless your invited by the Hokage, please don't come back. Not everyone is as forgiving as Yagi-chan,” Shisui's smile slowly died and he stared at the three of them for the first time with a serious expression, “especially when their precious people are injured by you.” Shisui finished and pinned his sharp gaze on Zabuza. Obito-senpai had told Shisui what exactly the nuke-nin had done to Yanagi, and he would never forgive him for that.

Quickly as his glare appeared, Shisui replaced it with another smile before cheerfully wishing the three of them a safe journey and shunshined back into Konoha, leaving the three of them staring at the small puff of dust disturbed by his quick use of Shunshin no Jutsu.

Shisui returned to the Compound quickly, a smile on his face and happily greeting his clansmen with ease. He was Shunshin no Shisui and he protected Konoha from the shadows, even behind the shadow of a smile and veiled threats. He would never let anyone befall harm if he could allow it, especially those he considered closest to him.

#Script's Archives #sensei fanfic #naruto fanfiction #fanfiction

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