#how long are you gonna keep pretending youre fine makoto?

[eru-iru]

how much longer can you keep this up?

[justauthoring]

Precious To Us [2]

In other words, you’re Seijoh’s manager.

This chapter, Oikawa’s fangirls.

A/N: Here it is! The second part! I had one person request an idea (thanks @minigranger) and I definitely plan on writing it soon but I love the trope of manager vs. fangirls that I can’t help myself. As usual, please send in ideas :)

Listen, Oikawa’s fangirls are mean.

They just are.

It doesn’t really matter to them that you’re a first year, if they’re supposed to be your seniors, they would probably still be bitches even if you were their seniors and in second/third year.

They seem to think Oikawa’s theirs, even though, of course, he isn’t and if asked, he definitely would deny.

And they see you as a threat.

A big, big threat.

Who gets to see Oikawa everyday? You. Who gets to see him practice every day? You. Who gets a front row to seat to every one of his games? You. And who does he flirt with? You.

It doesn’t matter if you reciprocate the flirting or not -- which of course, you don’t -- they’re jealous and they blame it all on you.

Honestly, the first month of managing is fine. 

Now that you know who Oikawa is and you’re around him more, you do notice the fangirls, but they don’t really bother you and you’re too focused trying to learn the ropes to really care about their constant presence. 

You know you’ve heard some of the other members, namely the third years, complain about them.

About how annoying and distracting they were when it came to practice, or just the mere fact that Oikawa seemed to revel in the attention and love.

You’ve heard them, but you don’t really say anything otherwise because they’ve never done anything to you so you don’t really care either or.

Besides, even if you do think it’s tad bit pathetic, you can’t deny they’re devoted and you guess, in some ways... good for them?

But when you don’t stop being manager, and the rest of the team, namely Oikawa, don’t get sick of you like they all expect them to, and a month passes and you seem to just be thriving, getting a long with everyone, and finally getting the hang of everything?

That’s when they attack.

You’re already late.

And even if you know none of the boys or even the coaches will be upset with you, you do like to be punctual and you absolutely hate being late. So, you’re rushing, practically sprinting through the halls as you try to gather your bearings and organize everything you need to.

You’re already thinking of what drills Oikawa will have the team do, and what you can do to help. Maybe you could bring up some of the notes you’ve made? You’re not a hundred percent on the terms, but Iwaizumi has been helping you, and you’re sure you’ve picked up on a few of the techniques and things you think the boys could improve on.

You didn’t want them to think you’re imposing, but this was the job of the manager wasn’t it? They always reminded you you were more then just a water girl, and that they greatly appreciated anything advice you had for them from an outsider point of view, so maybe--

Landing with a loud thud, a groan leaves your lips as you feel your chin smack against the concrete floor beneath you. It takes you a second to gather your bearings, baffled at how you were suddenly on the ground, and trying to ignore the pain at having bitten your own tongue. But the second you hear laughter, you realized exactly what had happened and your head turns around to stare at the three girls stood above you in bafflement.

They’re laughing at you, quite loudly and obvious mocking you, but your eyes narrow in bafflement when you realize you’re positive you’ve seen them before. You just can’t place your thumb on it. They’re not in your class, one of them doesn’t even seem to be in your year, and you don’t think you’d remember some random face you’d passed in the hall, so--

That’s right. You’ve seen them hanging around Oikawa before, and the one older girl had even snuck into practice one day.

Slowly pushing yourself to your feet, you move to gather your stuff, only for it to be kicked out of your grasp.

“What the--!”

“Listen.”

You blink when the older one, clearly the leader or whatever, is suddenly directly before you, barely a breaths away, glaring down at you.

“You need to quit being manager for Oikawa-san’s volleyball team.”

And your eyes widen, baffled, lips parting as you shake your head; “I don’t--”

“I think you perfectly understand,” the girl behind her sneers, eyes cold.

“We don’t like how close you were with Oikawa-san.”

“And we’re sure Oikawa-san’s sick of seeing your ugly face every day.”

You’re stunned silent. Honestly, you’re not really sure what to say.

“We’ll give you till the end of the week,” the head girl smiles, but it’s a sickly sweet, filling you with dread. “Okay?”

She doesn’t wait for you to respond before her and the other two are walking off, clearly proud of themselves if they way they walk and hold themselves is anything to go by.

It’s takes you five minutes to gather yourself before you start making your way to the gym again for practice.

Part of you wants to just skip and go home but you know the boys would be concerned, more then they probably already are given how late you are, and really, it would just cause more issues in the end anyways.

Besides, you’re never one to skip anyways.

You don’t cry. You’re not really sure why because you definitely want to, but the tears never come and then you’re suddenly in the gym and everyone's rushing towards you in concern, questions leaving their lips rapidly as to why you were so late.

You brush them off, and it almost works, before Iwaizumi takes notice of the dried blood on the corner of your lip that you’d regrettably missed when cleaning yourself up earlier and the scrape underneath your chin.

“What happened to your chin, Y/N? You’re bleeding.”

He steps towards you, but you brush him off.

“I just tripped is all. Bit my tongue.”

You smile and hope it’s enough to convince them, but even if Iwaizumi looks like he wants to argue, Oikawa’s already pulling him back onto the court.

“You’re so clumsy, Y/N-chan! You really do need to be more careful!”

Some of the boys laugh and you do too, forcing yourself to pretend like everything’s fine even though you can physically feel yourself shaking.

But even as he’s being dragged away, Iwaizumi is still eyeing you and you don’t let him grow anymore suspicious then you can tell he is. You send him a soft smile, and then turn, making your way over to the coach to see where you can help for the day.

And it continues on like that for week. 

By the next day, every seems to have forgotten you being late and only Makki makes a teasing comment about the cat themed bandaid on your chin to which you begrudgingly shove him away with a shrill “it’s the only ones we have!” and you seem more like yourself then you had the day before that by the second day, even Iwaizumi has relaxed.

By the end of the week, even he seems to have forgotten about it.

But you haven’t. 

And it being the end of the week has you scared.

Kindaichi seems to notice your weird behaviour in class, especially now that the two of you tend to stick together now that you’re acquainted. But you brush him off every time he asks, saying you just felt ill.

He seems to believe it fine.

Luckily for you, nothing happens.

You’re on edge all day expecting something to happen, but nothing ever does.

Aiko, the third year and clear ring leader of that little group, never approaches you. In fact, you don’t see her once all day, which that in itself isn’t odd since you’re in different years, but you had expected to see her lackies -- either Makoto, a first year like you, or even Nami, a second year.

But you don’t.

By the final bell, you’re relieved.

It was just a mindless threat. It didn’t mean anything clearly, and they had just been poking fun, and honestly you were fine with that -- so long as you didn’t have to deal with them again.

You’d just have to be more wary of the fangirls. Maybe they weren’t as kind as you thought you were, and clearly they thought you posed some kind of threat (even though you definitely didn’t) so you’d just keep it in mind and--

“I’m pretty sure we told you by the end of the week.”

It’s a harsh thud, you don’t fall to the ground like you did last time, but you do thud against the lockers which dig painfully into your back. And regrettably you let a small cry in response, which pales in comparison to the cry of pain that leaves your lips when one of them grab a chunk of your hair and tug, hard.

Pushing at the hands that grab at you, you spin, not surprise to see the same three as before, sneering down at you.

Aiko spits down at you. “Clearly you didn’t listen.”

“I’m not gonna just quit,” you whisper, feigning the confidence to speak up for yourself. Your eyes narrow up at her, even though your heart is racing madly against you chest, and shake your head adamantly. “I love managing the volleyball team, and it’s not even because of Oikawa-senpai! I love being will all the boys, and I won’t let you--!”

“You really are just a slut.”

You’re stunned silent, lips left parted.

“Listen, I gave you a week, you didn’t listen.” Aiko scoffs, shaking her head as she brushes her hair back, glaring down at you. “I’ll show you what happens when I don’t get my way.”

She strikes you hard, across the cheek, and naively, you think that’s it. You can handle some punches and kicks, because you really don’t want to give up the one thing that’s made you happy for the first time in a long time. Even as the hits continue, and your body starts to ache, you think,

I can handle this.

But still, you end up skipping practice that day. You blame it on the fact the fact that you just didn’t want to have to explain why you looked so battered and messed up, knowing this time no amount of lying was going to get you out of this one. Because, really, it wouldn’t just be Iwaizumi suspicious this time -- all the boys will be, and then they’ll probably talk to the coach and...

and, it’s just to much a fuss for you. So, you skip, sending a text to Oikawa explaining that you weren’t feeling well and you’d be back Monday and to please apologize on the coaches behalf for you.

But you don’t go back the next day.

When you open your locker the next Monday, your homework that you’d finished during lunch to previous day to get a head start is ruined. Completely and wholeheartedly ruined.

And when you glance around, the first thing you see is Makoto from across the hallway, smirking at you.

But you don’t have any proof.

So, you suck back the tears that threaten to fall, and sulk to your first class where you know the teacher will be less then pleased.

And of course she isn’t, but she simply sighs and tells you that if you don’t have it in by tomorrow, she’ll have to give you a failing grade. 

Embarrassed and upset, you walk to your seat, ignoring Kindaichi’s watchful gaze as you sink into your seat.

But it only gets worse from there.

The second class starts, a note is tossed onto your desk.

You eye, confused, glancing around for who threw it, only for everyone to be faced forward, before glancing briefly at Kindaichi’s whose watching your curiously.

Slowly, you open it.

Is it true you actually slept with all of the volleyball team?

Laughter echoes, but when you look up, there’s three girls staring at you, all mockingly.

Kindaichi leans forward, trying to grab the note but you pull it from his grasp, avoiding his gaze.

He cannot see that.

And when the class ends, you narrowly avoid Kindaichi who calls for you, rushing out of the class, only for someone to bump into you the second you make it out, shoving harshly into your shoulder.

“Slut.” The voice sneers.

Your lips part, and you glance up, feeling your vision blur, but when you glance around, you suddenly notice the looks everyone’s giving you, and the way they laugh and sneer at you.

But what really makes you break is when you turn, feeling like everyone’s against you, and find Kindaichi staring at you with parted lips, obviously confused, and you just can’t hold it back then, turning without another word, and running off.

The day continues like that, and after lunch, which you spent alone hidden in a bathroom stall, you see Iwaizumi and Oikawa ahead of you, smiling when they notice you.

They look as if they want to talk, but you know then you absolutely cannot like that happen, for multiple reasons, so you turn around quickly, running off in the opposite direction despite the way they call after you.

You don’t go back to practice like you said you would.

And neither do you Tuesday.

When Wednesday rolls around, and every laughs at you when you walk pass them in the halls, or sneers at you, or looks at you like you’re the most disgusting thing, you go to the office when you realize you can’t handle this any longer.

No matter how much you love being on the team and managing the boys. 

Little do you know, in class, Kindaichi notices the odd coloured paper in your hands and curiously, maybe even worriedly (because there’s a sinking feeling in his gut) peers over your shoulder as subtle as he can, lips parting when he reads the header.

Permission to quite a club form.

“I think Y/N’s going to quite the team.”

It’s the first words he says when he enters the club room that day, and it makes everybody pause.

Silence echoes, and slowly, unsurely, Yahaba shakes his head; “what-what are you talking about, Kindaichi? I thought Y/N said she just wasn’t feeling well, which is why--”

“I saw the form this morning,” Kindaichi shakes his head, “I know what I read.”

Oikawa shakes his head. “Y/N would’ve talked to us first if something was upsetting her. She wouldn’t just--”

“Haven’t you guys heard the rumours going around?”

It’s Kunimi who speaks this time, his voice the similar drawl it always is, but if you look at him close enough, it’s easy to tell that he’s concerned. Upset even. And he looks disgusted as he speaks, eyeing Kindaichi first, almost knowingly, before turning to the other boys.

Iwaizumi’s brows furrow; “what are you talk--”

“I think someone’s been bullying her,” Kindaichi frowns. “It started at the beginning of the week. Y/N came in with her homework ruined, which I thought was weird, because she always is so careful with her work and makes sure it’s done early. And then someone tossed this note onto her desk but she wouldn’t let me read it, and she wouldn’t talk to me or even look at me all class. Then, when class was over, people were... well--”

“There’s a rumour going around that’s she’s slept with all of us.”

It’s Kunimi who finishes it, Kindaichi’s face beet red, which quite a few of the boys mimic seconds later when Kunimi finishes.

But Oikawa? Oikawa just looks pissed.

“What?”

Kindaichi blanches, looking absolutely terrified; “I thought you knew! I didn’t--”

Oikawa storms past him, Iwaizumi quick to follow, and then Mattsun and Makki are right behind them. The first and second years glance at each other, before slowly following them, and sure enough the third years are heading straight for the gym, to which none of them are surprised to find you there, a form in your shaky hands as you stare at Coach Mizoguchi.

You turn to them with wide eyes, clearly having hoped to finish before any of the boys started practice. But Mizoguchi looks relieved. “Thank God you boys are here,” he breathes, standing up to which you try to stop him, but he isn’t listening, “Y/N wants to quit, but I really think she should talk to you first,” he’s looking directly at Oikawa, “she won’t tell me why. And please Y/N,” he turns to you, “I think you should reconsider.”

“We’ll talk to her,” Oikawa cuts in, voice oddly low before you can say anything.

Mizoguchi smiles, nodding at you before making his way over the gym obviously in search of Irihata. Instantly the tension thickens when you’re left alone with all eyes directly and solely on you.

It takes a second to find the words. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to any of you about it, but I...” And your voice falters, even you can’t help the way your voice quivers. “I think it’s best if I just quit.”

“You’re not quitting.” It’s Iwaizumi who speaks this time, and his voice is so firm, so sure, even if you’re not sure how to argue against it.

“But I-I--”

“You don’t need to quite,” Oikawa shakes his head, stepping towards you and pulling the form from your grasp with ease. You watch with parted lips as he simply rips it right in front of you, tossing it aside without much care, before glancing back at the rest, namely the other third years, turning back to you. “Now, tell us, who told you you had to quit?”

And your eyes bulge. How did he--

“Kindaichi and Kunimi told us about everything,” Iwaizumi starts, moving towards you, as your eyes fall to the first years, watching the way they both, even Kunimi, stare after you in concern. “We know someone’s been bothering you, so, just tell us.”

“We’ll help you,” Watari adds with a smile, hesitantly speaking up.

And you pause, unsure. But then you stare at them all watching you carefully, and see how all of them care so much, more then you ever thought they did and you’re reminded of why you’d refused to quit in the first place. Reminded of how much you love managing the volleyball team and no matter how much you were scared and hurt, you didn’t want to lose it all.

Lose them.

“It’s... It’s a few, three actually, of Oikawa-senpai’s fangirls,” you mumble, voice low, head turned downwards. “They... They don’t like how much time I spend with him, so they... they told me to quit and when I refused, they...” You don’t need to finish.

There’s a pause, before a slap echoes. 

“Somehow I knew this was your fault, Shittykawa.”

“Ow!” Oikawa cries, “Iwa-chan, it’s not like I...” But he seems to pause, lips parting as he glances down at you, his heart breaking slightly at the tears in your eyes.

Stepping forward, he pulls you into a hug, and you let him; “I’m sorry, Y/N-chan, I didn’t know they were hurting you.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It kinda is,” Mattsun comments, stepping forward as he smiles down at you, ruffling your hair. “It’s easier to blame him anyways.”

“I agree,” Makki laughs.

And even you find yourself laughing lightly.

“Really, Y/N-chan? Even you too?”

“Sorry.”

Then, everyone turns serious; “I’ll talk to them,” Oikawa frowns. “What they did isn’t okay. I won’t let them get away with it. They’ll never bother you again, Y/N.”

And you’re surprised by how serious he is.

But things do get better.

Aiko never bothers you again, nor does any other one of Oikawa’s fangirls.

Oikawa even makes her apologize, and even you have to admit the absolute mortification on her face makes everything a lot better.

The boys try to stop the rumour, but it’s easier said then done, though, the fame of it all does dwindle and you’re not snided in the hallways so much anymore.

It’s kind of hard to when you usually have one of the third years walking you to and from class anyways.

Besides, they’re your friends, and even if everyone else hates you, they don’t.

And that’s all that matters to you.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 50: Stirred

On Saturday, Makoto was called into Principal Kobayakawa’s office. “You wanted to see me sir?”

Kobayakawa was indignant. “I hear you’re asking about Kamoshida. Why is that?”

Makoto grew slightly indignant herself, but kept a level head. “Well, you wanted me to investigate the Phantom Thieves, right? I figured that since we didn’t know of their possible existence until they sent Kamoshida that calling card, then the Phantom Thieves, if they do go to this school, might have an ax to grind with him. Hence the interviews.”

Kobayakawa glared at her. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Is there an issue with my explanation?” Makoto asked. “Because if there is, it sounds like you don’t want people talking about Mr. Kamoshida.”

“Well, it’s just old news at this point,” Kobayakawa deflected. “I don’t want to stubbornly dwell on the past and all.”

“Yeah, but if you want to know who these thieves are, this has to be a part of it,” Makoto instructed. “So what do you want? Do you want to protect Mr. Kamoshida, or do you want to know who the Phantom Thieves are?”

Kobayakawa was about to burst. Begrudgingly, he said “I want to know who the Phantom Thieves are.”

“Very well then” Makoto said, leaving the office.

Once Makoto had left, Kobayakawa smirked. “You want information, Miss Niijima? You’re going to get it!”

During the day, Ren was being treated like a celebrity due to her interaction with Akechi, with both pros and cons. The students divided themselves up between pro-Phantom Thieves, and by extension, Pro-Ren, and Pro-Akechi factions. When it came time for lunch, it was almost too much for her to bear. “Ugh. I almost miss being isolated from everyone” Ren moaned.

“Hey, it’s not so bad,” Ann said, trying to cheer her up. “Besides, things move fast in the city. Who knows, by Monday, this interview thing will be old hat.”

Ren gave a goofy smile. “Thanks…”

Just then, someone burst into their class. It was a male student with shaggy orange hair and purple glasses. He looked around with his gaze coming to a halt on Ren. “Ah ha!” He walked over to her. “Miss Amamiya, the woman of the hour. I am here on behalf of the student council, and I would wish to speak to you.”

Ren was exhausted with the attention. “If it’s about the interview…”

“No, this is about something else,” he explained. “We’ve been conducting interviews at the request of the president. And personally, I’m on your side with that.”

“Oh, um, well, sure, I guess then” Ren said, confused, but figured that this might be better than the constant attention.

“Then let’s head up,” the student council member said. He started walking and Ren followed him. As they were walking, he said “By the way, my name’s Hiroki.”

Ren was perplexed. “No last name?”

“Meh” Hiroki cheeped. “It’s not my thing.”

“Well then, if it’s all the same to you, would you mind calling me Ren?” she asked.

“Of course,” Hiroki smiled. They made it to the student council room and sat down. “So, Ren,” Ren chuckled slightly at him emphasizing her name, “if it’s alright with you, I’d like to talk about Mr. Kamoshida.”

Ren was surprised. “Mr. Kamoshida?”

Hiroki nodded. “We’re investigating the incident to see how we can prevent such a thing from happening again.”

Ren was a tad suspicious, but decided to go for it. “Um, sure. I guess the starting point was my first day here. I’m a transfer student, so that was a little ways into the school year. Anyways, as I was heading over to a crosswalk, there was another girl standing there, Ann, although I didn’t know her at the time. Anyways, Mr. Kamoshida pulled up and invited her into his car. Soon after, he invited me as well. Ann looked hesitant, so I decided to hop in to make sure nothing happened.”

“Wait, you took a ride with a stranger to protect someone else?” Hiroki said, interrupting her. Ren nodded. “I gotta commend you on that. That’s pretty bold.” Ren slightly blushed. “Anyways, please continue.”

“Well, nothing really happened in the car,” Ren continued. “After that, Ann and I hung out all day, and we became fast friends. After school though, Ann had to leave for a bit, and Kamoshida called me to his office. It was there he tried to make a move on me.” Ren looked down. “I have a bit of baggage from my hometown, and Kamoshida was hoping to exploit it to get what he wanted.”

“Oh my” Hiroki said. “Did anything happen?”

Ren smiled and shook her head. “Before anything could happen, Ann and Shiho stopped him. Ann whisked me away and then apologized profusely and then told me about the kind of person Mr. Kamoshida was.”

“I see,” Hiroki noted. “Did anything else happen?”

“Well, I did save a different student from Kamoshida’s advances,” Ren said.

“Could you tell me their name?” Hiroki inquired.

“Sumire” Ren answered.

“I see” Hiroki wrote it down. “And that’s it?”

Ren nodded. “I think Ann and Shiho’s interruption was enough to dissuade Kamoshida, at least for a bit. Besides, I wasn’t here for long before the Phantom Thieves sent out that calling card.”

“Right,” Hiroki agreed. ��Well, thanks for coming in. I know this couldn’t have been easy to talk about.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Ren said. “If it’s to make sure a new Kamoshida doesn’t spring up, I’m all for it. Besides, Dr. Maruki has told me I should work on opening up more.”

“You’ve visited Dr. Maruki?” Hiroki asked. Ren nodded. “Huh. Maybe I should give it a try then.”

“By all means” Ren said.

She got up, but before she could leave, Hiroki shouted “Wait!” Ren was surprised. “Uh, I just have a personal question, if you don’t mind.” Ren tilted her head. “Not about you, just something I’d like to know for myself.”

“O...K…?” Ren said, still confused.

Hiroki sighed. “What do you get the girl who has everything? To, you know, show her your affection.”

Ren was still weirded out, but it did seem like he just wanted some dating advice. “Well, the one thing not to get the girl who has everything is a contract with a sea witch” she joked.

Hiroki laughed. “Yeah, I guess it was a bit unusual to spring that on you. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Ren said. “And good luck with your girl problem.” Ren left.

Once she got back to class, Ann asked her “What was that about?”

“Kamoshida” Ren answered directly.

“Really?” Ann asked. Ren nodded. “Why?”

“I’m not sure,” Ren said. “But they say it’s to help them prevent another Kamoshida-like incident.”

Ann seemed distrustful. “I want to believe that, but…”

“Yeah…” Ren agreed. “Still, even if they are being honest, it is better not to tell the truth about the whole Phantom Thieves thing.”

“Right,” Ann agreed. Almost immediately afterwards, they got a message.

Yusuke: Can we meet up?

Jose: Yusuke…

Sumire: What for?

Yusuke: I’m just frustrated is all.

Yusuke: Dorm life isn’t turning out like I’d hope it would.

Ryuji: I get it. Ya need to blow off some steam.

Ann: Come to think of it, we haven’t had an initiation party for Yusuke yet.

Ann: Or really, Sumire and Jose.

Jose: We went to that diner.

Ryuji: Yeah, but that was more to hammer out the details of us going forward.

Ryuji: We need to really celebrate you joining the team.

Sumire: I see.

Ren: As much as I would love to, I’m afraid I’d get recognized wherever I go.

Yusuke: Ah, yes, I did see the interview.

Yuuke: You did wonderful, by the way.

Jose: Yeah, it’s all everyone talks about here at Kosei.

Ren: Ughhhhhhhhh.

Jose: Something the matter?

Ann: Ren-chan’s not a fan of the attention.

Ren: I’m not used to it.

Ryuji: Well, I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be much of a celebration, but how about we just head to your place?

Ren: That’s fine, I guess.

Ren: Come to think of it, I do have a hot pot in my room.

Yusuke: Hot pot, you say?

Yusuke: It’s settled then.

Ryuji: ...Someone’s excited.

Ann: We’ll meet up at Station Square after school, OK?

Sumire: OK!

Yusuke: Works for me!

Ryuji: Alright.

Jose: OK!

Ren: Very well then.

They put their phones away.

As they were heading out, Hiroki met up with Ren and Ann. “Hi, um, Ann.”

“...Hello?” Ann said, taken aback.

“If it’s alright with you, would you mind coming with me to the student council room?” Hiroki invited.

“Ummmm, OK?” Ann said, still confused.

Ren giggled slightly. “Don’t worry, Hiroki here doesn’t bite.”

“Of course,” Hiroki said, grinning like an idiot.

Ann laughed. “OK, OK.” The two left. Ren took out her phone.

Ren: It’s gonna be a bit.

Ryuji: Why’s that?

Ren: A student council member is interviewing her.

Ryuji: WHAT?!

Sumire: Oh yeah.

Sumire: I should have told you. They’re interviewing people about Kamoshida.

Ryuji: Why?

Ren: They say it’s to prevent another Kamoshida from happening.

Ryuji: And you believe that?!

Ren: Well, so long as we keep quiet about us being the Phantom Thieves, there’s no harm in humoring them, right?

Ryuji: I guess…?

Yusuke: I agree. If they are noble, then this is fine. And if they aren’t, you can push them toward nobility.

Sumire: Right. I guess.

Ren: It shouldn’t take too long.

Meanwhile, Hiroki and Ann entered the student council room, each taking a seat. “So, um, do you know why we’re here?”

Ann nodded. “Ren told me you’re asking people about Kamoshida.”

Hiroki smiled. “Very well. Do you feel comfortable talking about him?”

Ann fidgets. “I’m not sure, but I guess I’ll go for it, if this is to help you prevent another Kamoshida.” Hiroki nodded. Ann was still a little hesitant. “Ever since coming to this school, Kamoshida has been a shadow lurking at every turn. As head of track and volleyball, he had dominion over my two best friends. He manipulated them to get us to split up. He also approached me several times pretending to be innocent. But I’m a model, and I could tell what he wanted right away. I kept brushing him off, but he kept insisting. Eventually, he tried using my friends to get what he wanted from me.”

Hiroki sighed. “I've heard a lot of similar stories from people today, and yet it never fails to send chills down my spine.”

Ann was surprised. “Huh.”

“Anyways, continue,” Hiroki instructed.

Ann nodded. “I didn’t know what to do. I was perpetually stuck between a rock and hard place. I didn’t think the school was going to do anything about Kamoshida, so I kept trying to delay what I thought was inevitable.” Ann smiled. “But then one day, Kamoshida invited me into his car, and another girl came along with. I was frightened by this, but soon we became close friends. However, Kamoshida called her into his office, and I was at my wit's end.”

“So, what did you do?” Hiroki asked.

“I rushed over there,” Ann said. “Luckily, nothing had happened, but I was so scared that I had betrayed my new friend’s trust,” Ann started crying. “But she said it was alright. Later, she told me she came into his car to protect me. Isn’t that something?” Ann smiled. “Ever since Kamoshida entered the scene, things seemed bleak. I felt like I couldn’t do anything. My friends and I were in his grasp. But I wasn’t about to let someone else fall there too.”

“I see,” Hiroki said, jotting it down. “Did anything else happen?”

“Ummm, I’m not sure how to answer that,” Ann said. “I mean, I know the Phantom Thieves showed up sometime after that, but…”

Hiroki chuckled slightly. “I meant with you.”

“Oh, no,” Ann answered. “Not really. But after Kamoshida confessed, I felt freer than ever.”

“Hm,” Hiroki said. “Well, thank you for your time. I’m sure this wasn’t easy.”

“Yeah” Ann said. “But if it helps…”

“Right,” Hiroki said. “Speaking of, your friend Ren has some nice words about Dr. Maruki. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, or if this opened any old wounds, I’d suggest paying him a visit.”

Ann smiled. “Yeah, she’s told me as such. And I’ve been thinking about it. I might go soon.”

“Well then, have a good rest of your day,” Hiroki said. Ann nodded and walked out.

Once she met up with Ren, Ren asked “Well, how’d it go.”

Ann was thinking about how to answer that. “About as well as you’d expect. I mean, I had been in Kamoshida’s sights for a while, so there was a lot to unpack.”

Ren frowned. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry” Ann insisted. “You’ve done so much for me. You’re basically my hero.”

Ren blushed immensely. “Thanks.”

“Anyways, we should get going,” Ann said. “We don’t want to keep them too long.”

“Right” Ren nodded. They both headed to Station Square.

Once there, they saw everyone else. “Yo” Ryuji greeted them. “How’d it go? You OK?”

Ann smiled. “Yeah. It is a lot, but I think I did OK.”

“Lady Ann…” Morgana said, popping out of Ren’s bag.

“I’m sorry” Sumire blurted. “I should have said something earlier.”

The three other Shujin students were taken aback. “It’s OK,” Ren said, trying to calm her.

“Yeah, Kamoshida’s A LOT, even with a proper warning” Ryuji stated.

“Yeah. Don’t beat yourself up over it” Ann said. “Really, it’s fine.”

Sumire smiled. “Oh. Right. Speaking of warnings, had I known Akechi was going to be the interviewee, or that you were going to the TV studio at all, I might have told you about him.”

Ren smiled. “That’s fine,” she said. “I like charging into things head first sometimes.”

Sumire smiled back. “I can see why Akechi found you so engaging.”

Ann also smiled. “But you know who else we met?”

Sumire became inquizitive. “Who?”

“Your dad,” Ann answered.

“That’s right,” Ryuji said. “He thanked us for being your friend, and wanted us to thank Jose and Yusuke as well.”

Sumire was embarrassed. “R-Really?!”

“He actually talked to me twice,” Ren said.

This surprised Ann and Ryuji. “When was the second time?” Ryuji asked.

“After the interview,” Ren replied. “When you two left, Akechi came up to me with an offer of friendship. He came up to us and we had a little chat.”

“And you said ‘no’, right?” Ryuji asked. “To being friends with Akechi.”

“I actually said ‘yes’” Ren informed him.

“WHAT?!” Ryuji reacted.

“Well, he seemed nice enough,” Ren said. “Besides, he’s not totally against us, just if we abuse our power, which we won’t.”

“I think that makes sense,” Jose said. “It’s more of a fear than an outrage.”

“Fear, huh” Ryuji reflected. He stared at the dirt.

“What’s wrong?” Yusuke asked.

Ryuji looked up. “N-Nuthin’.”

“It’s OK, we’re all friends here” Ren said, assuring him.

Ryuji looked at her. “Not here. We’re too public.”

“I see,” Ren said. “Well, shall we head over.”

“Of course!” Yusuke said. “I cannot wait for this hot pot!” The gang started walking over to Leblanc. “By the way Ann,” Yusuke began. Ann looked at him. “If I decide to leave the dorms, would it be OK to live with you?”

Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana panicked. Ann blushed. “Of course not!”

“Huh?” Yusuke said, surprised.

Ren seemed a tad confused. “I’m not sure he’s the type to do what you’re thinking.”

“Well, maybe, I guess…” Ann trailed off. “But it would be a bit awkward. I mean, there would be times when it would be just the two of us.”

“Yeah…” Ryuji added.

“Oh. I didn’t know” Yusuke said.

“It’s fine,” Ann said.

They reached Leblanc. Yusuke looked up. “This is where you live?”

“Yup” Ren said. She opened the door.

Sojiro turned around. “Huh. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“I’m just bringing some friends over,” Ren explained. “Is that OK?”

One by one, everyone started walking in. Yusuke stepped in and took a considerable look around. “Ah, you have a new guy with you,” Sojiro noted.

“Yup” Jose said. “He’s my senpai at Kosei. He’s been feeling a bit anxious, so we thought some time amongst friends would be helpful.”

“Ah. Where are my manners?” Yusuke said. “My name is Yusuke Kitagawa.”

“I see,” Sojiro said. He saw Yusuke looking around. “My name’s Sojiro but you can call me ‘Boss’ If you’d like. So, anything strike your fancy?”

“Huh?” Yusuke said. “Oh, sorry. I’m just perplexed is all. I’ve never met anyone who lives in a dining establishment.

“Heh, well, it takes all kinds,” Sojiro said.

“I’ll say,” Yusuke said. He looked over to see a set of stairs. “Do you live upstairs, or does she?”

“I do,” Ren said. “Sojiro lives in a house close by.”

“Ah, I see,” Yusuke said. “...Wait…”

“Before you ask, it’s complicated,” Sojiro said. “Moreso with me than with her.”

“Thanks boss,” Ren said. “So, if you don’t mind, I noticed a hot pot upstairs. Mind if we use it?”

“That old thing?” Sojiro responded. “Go ahead. I almost forgot it was there.”

“Sweet. Thanks” Ren said. “Well, you heard the man, let’s get this set up!” The gang headed upstairs. Ren and Ryuji got the hot pot down. “Alright then. I suppose ingredients are next. I’ll go see what we have, and what we need. Does anyone have any preferences?”

“Nah!” Ryuji said. “I’m sure whatever we make will be delicious!”

“Anyone else?” Ren asked.

“I’m with Ryuji-senpai,” Sumire said.

“Well, then I guess it’s settled,” Ren said. “I’ll be right back.” Ren went downstairs.

Ryuji looked around. “What’s up?” Jose asked

Ryuji was taken off guard. “Well, it’s just, we haven’t really been up here before…”

“Yeah…” Ann realized. She also looked around. “This place is...a bit different than I expected. But like...good different?”

Sumire looked around. “It’s not traditional, but I guess it works.”

“I’ll say,” Yusuke noted. “I wonder why she doesn’t live with her father.”

“Well, that’s more her place today” Ann said.

“But didn’t he say it was more on him?” Yuske inquired.

“Oh” Ann said. “No, Sojiro isn’t her father.”

“Huh,” Yusuke noted.

Ren came back up. “OK, I’m missing a few ingredients. Who wants to come with me to get some?”

“I’ll go,” Yusuke offered. “I’d like to know more about this place you call home.”

No one was expecting quite a dramatic take on it, but they settled into it quickly. “OK, sure” Ren said. “Anyone else?”

“Nah, we’ll hold down the fort here,” Ryuji said.

“Alright then Let’s go Yusuke,” Ren said. The two of them left to grab some ingredients for the hot pot.

While in the grocery store, Yusuke asked “So, why are you living there?”

Ren turned her attention to him. “Oh yeah. I guess you wouldn’t know, would you. It might be better to explain things when we get back, since I don’t think Jose knows either.”

“I see,” Yusuke responded. “Very well. Let’s continue.” Ren and Yusue picked out some more ingredients and headed back. Once upstairs, Yusuke declared “Alright! Let’s make some hot pot!”

The gang began making hot pot. Ren took charge since it was her room and Sojiro’s pot. She wanted to be careful, while listening to the group to get some good input. Once they finished, they began serving it.

“MMMMMMMM” Ann deighted. “This is SOOOO GOOOOD!”

“Indeed,” Yusuke said. This is DELICIOUS!”

“Boy, I’ll say,” Ryuji said. “Maybe you should become a professional.”

Ren swallowed her latest bit of hot pot. “That might be a bad idea. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be the only cook with a record.”

“R-Record?” Yusuk said, surprised.

“Oh right, Yusuke doesn’t know,” Ann said.

“Yeah” Ren said, “but I did promise to tell him.” Ren smiled. “So, basically, what happened was one night in my hometown, some guy was trying to force this woman into his car. I decided to try and stop it, but he fell down and had me arrested for assault.”

Yusuke was incensed. “Surely the woman would have said something.”

Ren shook her head. “The guy had immense sway. He even had the police leave his name out of the report. Once I got out on probation, my parents thought that with my already turbulent school life, things might become too much, and so they arranged for me to stay here.”

Yusuke was stunned. “Huh.”

“To be honest, we’re all kind of like that, at least a little,” Sumire noted. “I mean, you already know about my trauma, and we all know yours.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Yusuke said.

“Yeah” Ryuji said. “We’re all just a bunch of misfits here. I think that’s what makes us good thieves.” Ryuji looked at the floor.

“Ryuji?” Ann asked.

“Ah, right,” Ryuji said, refocusing. “I was just thinking about what Jose said earlier. About how that Akechi guy might be motivated by a fear of us. I’m just… My mom practically lived in fear of my dad until the day he left. She’s still kind of afraid of him. Not that she’d ever tell me. But I see it.” Ryuji looked at his hands. “I get why someone might be afraid of what we do, but I don’t want people to fear us. I don’t want to use what we have to scare people.”

Everyone went a little silent. Yusuke then spoke up. “As someone who also lived by fear, I can assure you, what we do is different. The people we are fighting are more about using fear to get what they want. When we reject their scare tactics, we are ripping off their mask to reveal the pathetic people they really are.”

Everyone was stunned. “Woah!” Ryuji said.

Ann smiled. “Well, so long as we’re talking about this sort of thing…”

“You too?” Yusuke said, surprised.

“Well, I don’t have anything quite so extreme,” Ann explained, “but… I dunno. I’ve always felt out of place. People only see me for my looks most of the time, so they think that’s who I really am.”

“Ah! I’m sorry” Yusuke said, bowing.

“...Uh, what for?” Ann asked.

“When I asked to paint you,” Yusuke said. “At the time, I didn’t know much about you, but I was taken in with your look and your energy. Forgive me.”

Ann smiled. “You’re fine. In fact, you’re a lot better than a lot of other people. A lot of the time, they don’t think to ask me what I feel, or care what I think like you did, they just want me as they see me, without any input from me.”

“Oh” Yusuke said. “That sounds difficult.”

“Yeah” Ann said. She smiled. “However, after finding people like you all, I finally feel better and more confident about what I want, and putting a voice to that confidence.”

“Way to go Ann” Jose said.

Yusuke looked at Jose. “So, what about you?”

Jose smiled. “Well, I don’t really have much.”

Morgana joined in. “Yeah, Jose and I are kind of in the same boat.”

“How come?” Yusuke asked.

“Well, Mr. Morgana and I aren’t originally from this world” Jose explained.

“Right…” Yusuke said. “I remember now. You did explain that.”

“I’m here as an assistant to Ren, and Jose was exploring Mementos until some shadows raided him” Morgana reiterated.

“So, we’re both looking at humanity from the outside in,” Jose continued. “I’ve been tasked with learning about humans, and the Phantom Thieves have been helping me.”

I see” Yusuke said. “Hm. Delightful.”

“Huh?” Ann asked.

‘Forgive me,” Yusuke continued. “I was being selfish. At the first sign of trouble with dorm life, I intended to turn tail and run. But hearing your stories made me change my mind. I felt so alone in my torment from Madarame that I forgot other people have hardships too. So, to follow your example, I need to face things head on, instead of running from them. Besides, I doubt the dorms will be as bad as Madarame.”

“Yusuke…” Ann said.

Ren smiled and clapped. Everyone who could clapped too. “Great job Yusuke.”

“Huh?” Yusuke said, confused.

“You’re taking your first step into the real world. I know it can be hard, but we’ll be with you every step of the way” Ren continued.

Yusuke was stunned, then smiled. “I see. Thank you.” The group continued eating.

Fool-The Phantom Thieves: Rank 4

They spent some more time together, but pretty much once the pot was empty, everyone started heading home.

As Ren was just getting ready for bed, Ann messaged her.

Ann: Hey.

Ann: I know I’m not the one who determines these things,

Ann: but I remember at our last celebration you told Ryuji, Morgana, and I that you were a lesbian.

Ann: Why not this time?

Ren smiled and blushed ever so slightly.

Ren: It’s not that I don’t want to.

Ren: There’s just another compilation.

Ann: Complication?

Ann: What do you mean?

Ren: ...Sumire…

There was a minute of no response.

Ann: Oh. OH. Huh.

Ann: Well, I hope you can tell her one day.

Ren: I hope so too.

Ren: I’m just...very afraid.

Ann: I don’t think she’d hate you or anything.

Ren: Right.

Ren: Still…

Ann: Yeah, I doubt any of this is easy.

Ann: But you know I’m always there for you.

Ren: Yeah. Thanks.

Ann: Any time.

Ren smiled, put her phone down, and fell asleep.

The next morning, she got up, and headed downstairs for breakfast when she noticed something new. The original “Sayuri”, the one they stole from Madarame’s palace, hanging up in Leblanc. “You like?” Sojiro said. “That Yusuke boy came by this morning and asked if he could hang it up here. I asked him if he really wanted to. He seemed dead set on the idea. Honestly, that kid marches to the beat of his own drum. But then again, look who I’m talking to.”

“I see,” Ren said. She smiled.

“He also gave me this message for you,” Sojiro said, handing her a piece of paper.

Ren took it and began reading. “Ren, Thank you for yesterday. It really helped me put things into perspective. I wish to continue serving the Phantom Thieves, and yesterday really gave me the chance to truly understand what that means. I will not run away or back down. I will face these challenges head on.

As for the painting, the legacy of the ‘Sayuri’ is pretty much tainted. However, it is such a beautiful and masterful piece of art on its own that I cannot let it go to waste. It then hit me: You and the ‘Sayuri’ are similar in this way. You’ve both lost your place to belong. So I decided to emulate you and place it here, so that it can gain a new home, and hopefully a new purpose. I hope you and the Boss take good care of it. -Yusuke”

As Ren read it, she wiped a tear forming in her eyes. “Thank you. I needed that perspective too.” Sojiro just looked on, smiled, and whipped her up a cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, Yusuke was looking at the picture he had taken of the “Sayuri” in Leblanc. He eventually decided to send it to Kosuke. When Kosuke got it, he smiled and said “Right where it belongs.”

[saiilorstars]

Fandom: Sailor Moon (Crystal)  – – [Rewrite of season 2, AU-ish in that there’s new OCs and the fusion of plots from the manga, crystal and the og series]

Pairings: Eventual OCxOC, Usagi x Mamoru

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel

{If you’d like to be added to this OC’s taglist, let me know!}

// Story Masterlist //

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Ch.2: Sailor Hemera

"Watch where you're going!" A seemingly enraged girl called after a boy who had bumped into her because he'd been too engulfed in a gray book. "Not even an answer!" the girl scowled but sighed after a moment.

There was a light pitter-patter near her and when the girl looked down she found a purple cat beside her. The stark golden crescent moon on the cat contrasted with her dark fur.

"Luna, remind me again why I'm the only one who got to remember Sailor Moon, the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask existed?" the girl asked, huffing as if she were still angry about it. Now, it became more of a mystery.

"Because you, Azula, are exceptionally different," Luna articulated with refined elegance.

The girl, Azula, shot the cat a look. "You're sticking to that because you still haven't figured it out, either, huh?"

"Eh," Luna gave a tilt of her head.

Azula shook her head and watched after her friend, or rather ex-friend, Mamoru, who didn't even notice her anymore. A month ago Sailor Moon, or Usagi, had made everyone forget that the Sailor Scouts had existed. No one remembered any attacks from the Dark Kingdom. The scouts themselves didn't remember they were Sailor Scouts reincarnated. Usagi Tsukino didn't remember she had been a princess in her previous life. No one remembered anything...except for Azula Keena.

Azula had been a close friend of the scouts because she had managed to find out their identities. She proved herself useful with her tech abilities and quickly became a strong asset for them despite not having powers like them. One year older than them had her situated in the same school as Mamoru Chiba, although she was a year younger than him. They were friends, had been, but now he didn't remember her. In fact, he didn't remember anyone, not even Usagi who had been his grand love from a previous life.

But despite everyone losing their memories, Luna, Artemis, and Azula remembered everything. The memory wipe was not efficient with Luna and Artemis but neither had an explanation as to why Azula remembered as well. Fact was she shouldn't have. It was impossible. Yet here they were. Since then, Azula tasked herself with making sure there were no more enemies to deal with since Sailor Moon and the Scouts were out of commission. But she also tasked herself to simply look after everyone even if they didn't notice it.

"I may not be one of their scouts but I think myself as a guardian," Azula said confidently as she and Luna walked down a street after school. "A silent guardian."

"Job's taken, I'm afraid," Luna said quietly but Azula still heard and gave the cat a curious look.

"Luna, exactly how many scouts are there? Usagi made it look like it was only her, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako. But I've always been curious if there were more."

"That information is not necessary right now," Luna replied calmly. "So there is no need to even talk about it."

"Hm," Azula smiled to herself and continued walking.

They came across the local arcade of the district and walked in. The teenage boy behind the counter gave her a wave. Motoki was always the type to greet you with a big, wide smile. "Azula, your father said he would be taking a business trip tonight so it's going to be just you and Keiko tonight."

Azula gave a small nod. "Thanks, I'm sure Keiko's gonna love the fact she gets to babysit her dear old step-sister tonight."

He laughed. "Keiko doesn't treat you bad."

"No, she doesn't, I just like teasing her." Azula turned her back and leaned against the counter.

Her father actually owned the arcade - which made it easier to sneak into and use the underneath grounds for their secret Moon base - and he was usually in and out of the house attending to it. Azula's parents had been divorced since she could remember and she had lived with her American mother in America until her passing. At seven years, Azula had been taken in by her father in Japan and was introduced to her step-sister, Keiko Keena. Keiko wasn't actually related to Azula but they didn't care. Both girls had been an only child within their original families and wanted to experience having sisters. And after Keiko's own mother had passed away, Azula's father grew to see Keiko as his own. The were a small, complex family but nonetheless a family.

"Not again!" a girl cried in despair when she lost at the Sailor V game. She dropped her head over the controls, her long blonde hair falling down.

Azula motioned Motoki to watch her school bag for a minute while she went to the crying girl. "Usagi? Let me guess, the computer won? Again?" She laughed.

Usagi Tsukino was no stranger to losing to automated computers. She raised her head for a minute and gave a nod. "It keeps beating me."

"You might wanna try 'beginner'," Azula teased, prompting Usagi to drop her head on the controls again.

"You should be nice to your best customer!" she heard Usagi's muffled voice a second later. Azula looked down at Luna, both amusingly shaking their heads at Usagi.

"C'mon, Usagi, don't you have homework you're going to forget about or something?"

Usagi jumped from her chair like a bed spring. "I HAVE MATH TO DO!"

"There it is," Azula's voice was barely heard beside Usagi's loud shout. The blonde girl scrambled a quick goodbye, not even noticing her own cat, and ran out." Hard to believe she was actually a refined, Moon princess in another life," Azula remarked afterwards. Luna groaned beside her.

After a couple of minutes Azula and Luna left the arcade and were subjected to a sudden heat in the air that hadn't been there earlier. Though it was strange, as it really wasn't time for heat anymore, neither made a comment about it. Instead, Azula opted for a lunch on her own. Luna wasn't surprised by it though since nearly every day, at the exact hour, Minako Aino, Makoto Kino and Mamoru Chiba all ate their lunches, separately, but there. Azula just liked watching them all, even if it was from afar. Fruits Parlor Crown was a nostalgic place.

"There is no rule that you cannot speak to any of them," Luna would say just before Azula walked into the restaurant.

"Usagi wanted to be normal and I'm trying to respect that. Everyone wanted to be normal. The only reason I talk to her is because you're with me and, well, kinda awkward," Azula sucked in a breath and greeted Motoki's younger sister, Unazuki, the waitress before finding an empty table.

Just like each day she would come in, Azula pretended to do her homework while she ate. This was the only times where she could more or less learn what went on with her friends without actually talking to them. She knew it was probably strange but she really didn't want to compromise their memories. She already carried the burden of remembering everything that happened and, while Luna and Artemis did keep up at the base, she felt like it was her responsibility to be on the look out for anything potentially dangerous. She was the person, after all, that remembered everything - that had to count for something right? She wasn't just like any ordinary person.

"What's...that…?" Unazuki's voice pulled Azula from her mathematics book. The young girl was pointing at the glass window where they all saw a black cloud literally floating.

Azula's eyes widened in alarm, and frankly fear. She got up from her chair and stared in bewilderment as the cloud floated past the cafe in broad daylight. Everyone else in the cafe were doing the same thing.

Luna rushed out the door without even warning Azula.

"Luna!" cried Azula before running out herself. Her red, flaming hair bopped as she hurried down the stairs to get to the street.

There was a loud scream down the street and it was of course due to the black puff of cloud. It had captured someone, apparently, and had everyone else around running away from it. Azula skidded to a halt and gasped at the sight. The black cloud, which now began to look more like a shadow, had entangled a young woman with black thunder that kept the woman still, but in pain.

"I need the Shadow Crystal!" the purple-black cloud demanded.

"It talks?" Azula was frazzled but Luna skipped that part and went on to the concern stage.

"Somebody's got to help her!"

Azula turned sideways to find Makoto a couple inches behind her. From further behind Azula spotted Minako and Mamoru apart from each other. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"

"We're going to have to call Usagi!" Luna warned Azula, but both knew that even if they did do that Usagi would not get there in time to save the poor woman.

The victim screamed as something was pulled right from her chest: a shining white crystal with freckles of gold.

"A white crystal!?" went the black shadow, obviously angry at the results. "You have wasted Senka's time, puny human!" the black thunder around the woman vanished and the woman dropped to the ground. The white crystal slowly lowered until it returned to the woman's body. "I shall try another one!" and the cloud suddenly moved in the direction of Azula.

"Luna I don't suppose you could grant me temporary powers…?" Azula took a step back.

"I'm afraid not…" and Luna truly lamented it. She was sure Azula would have made a fine Sailor Scout.

"Yeah…" Azula gulped.

"Halt!" went a new, feminine voice that froze the cloud for a moment. "You shall not go any further!"

Azula, and the others, followed the voice up to the top of a parked truck across the street. There stood a woman with long, straight brown hair and stark, golden eyes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved body suit tucked underneath a pleated, light brown skirt with golden hemlines and matching short, golden boots with light, brown laces. The top part of the body suit exposed her middle with light, brown thick strings running across. There was a golden jewel piece going around her forehead, reminding Azula of the tiaras the Sailor Scouts wore, only this one had a golden sphere at the center. It matched the golden sphere necklace around her neck.

While everyone stared in awe, Mamoru felt a sharp jab at the side of his head.

Young Prince Endymion had wandered from the castle and came across a lonely field of almost dry grass. It was strange because as far as he knew everything on Earth was full of life and cared for. Something was wrong.

He stepped over the long weeds and keenly looked around for anything more suspicious. Suddenly, he crashed into a wall - an  invisible wall. He had to shake his head just to see if it had been his own illusion. He reached out and came across a wall, indeed, that rippled upon his touch.

"Halt," a female voice commanded.

Endymion turned to find a woman, similar in age to him at least by appearance. Long, straight, brown hair billowed in the wind that wasn't there a minute ago. Dressed in shades of gold and light brown, she held out a golden sword towards him.

"You must not pass," she warned. Endymion looked around just to make sure the woman was talking to him and not someone who perhaps followed him. His generals were no stranger to doing that. "Yes, prince, I am speaking to you," the woman read his thoughts and gave a small smile. "I know who you are, and I know you must be very confused but I cannot allow you to get any further."

"Who are you?" Endymion finally found his voice and began to demand. He knew every possible fighter in the Kingdom and he had never seen the woman before.

The woman lowered her weapon and got down on one knee. "I am Sailor Hemera, an honorary Shadow scout of light and day, protector of the barrier between the Earth Kingdom and the Shadow kingdom."

"The...Shadow kingdom…?"

Sailor Hemera's golden eyes raised up to the Prince. "The Shadow Kingdom led by Queen Nyx and her daughter, Princess Reign."

Could that be the same woman he just saw? And if so, why had he seen that vision all of a sudden? Mamoru wasn't sure, but he definitely wasn't leaving now.

"Step away from the nice girl or suffer the consequences," the mysterious woman ordered calmly of the shadow.

The shadow cackled. Apparently, the woman had been funny. "And just who do you think you are little girl?"

The woman, who seemed young in appearance, regarded the shadow with pure disdain. She somersaulted off the truck and landed gracefully on her feet. "An honorary Guardian of Shadow, I am the Sailor Scout of Day and Light! I am...Sailor Hemera!"

"A Sailor Scout!?" Azula nearly fell backwards. Luna too was gaping.

"You are from Shadow?" the cloud, Senka, suddenly grew interested.

"And you are from the Shadow Dominion, are you not?" Sailor Hemera raised her head. "I knew there was a reason why I was awakened. You want the Shadow Crystal, don't you?"

"I am Senka, created by the Trinity Guardians. I am the Queen of the Shadow Dominion and I will find my Shadow Crystal!"

"The Shadow Crystal was never yours!" Sailor Hemera reached to her forehead where the golden circle suddenly sprouted headband fabric, forming a clean, clear headband altogether around her head. "Glimmering boomerang attack!" she flung the tiara towards Senka.

"Watch out!" Makoto had yanked Azula backwards as the boomerang whipped in the area. Azula nearly fell back if Minako hadn't rushed up to help keep her steady.

The boomerang went right through Senka but she groaned like it had actually hurt her. Gold power swirled within her shadow form for a couple of seconds. "I am not strong yet!" Senka cried and vanished into thin air.

Sailor Hemera caught her golden boomerang and easily placed it back on her forehead.

"I-is she gone?" Azula asked just as Sailor Hemera turned to leave.

"Yes, but she wasn't defeated. Senka will return and look for the Shadow Crystal again."

"What is that? A-and who are you?"

"Sailor Hemera," Mamoru spoke before the woman could. Everyone turned to look at him but he was busy staring at Sailor Hemera herself. She seemed startled by his determination that it was her. No human should have that much recognition of her and yet here was this one…

"You should all be careful," Sailor Hemera warned deeply and made her getaway.

Makoto and Minako went to see how the victim was doing but Azula remained in her spot unable to do anything. She looked down at Luna who was just as concerned as she was, then they both glanced at Mamoru. He had remembered? No...that couldn't be it. But then why was he staring at the Sailor Scout the way he was?

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

Hey, I’m here once again with the ranting (if you don’t mind)! I just finished playing Yakuza 5 and damn I have a lot of feels I want to share. When I was first introduced to the franchise, I thought that nothing could beat Zero for me, but here I am now, holding back my tears and thinking what a fine game 5 turned out to be! I really loved the bonds that characters formed along the way, it just felt so sincere and warm that my heart throbbed nearly at every dialogue Х) Like Saejima/Baba, Mirei/Haruka (and Akiyama too!), Shinada/Takasugi were absolutely delightful. And don’t get me started on the ending scene with Kiryu and his daughter. I fucking lost it there. So damn emotional and pure. And while I adore Zero for its majestic tragedy and fatalism, I also love the kind and inspiring atmosphere of 5. Of course, there were some flaws, like I didn’t find the main antagonist all that interesting (especially after Ryuji and Mine), but in the end I was ready to overlook it just because the heartwarming scenes between the characters were so well done. So yeah, for me it’s top tier along with Zero. What’s your personal opinion on the game (and your favorites in the series in general)?

Congrats! Oooooh, Game 5. I’ve got a lot of feels about Game 5 too ^^; It’s a real fav c: There’s an awful lot I love about it, but there’s one or two things that really stick in my craw. I’m not sure I could put it up with Zero, but it’s definitely a game I treasure c: 

I find it interesting that your interpret Zero as fatalistic and 5 as inspiring. Zero definitely has a lot of high-key tragedy, but I think the fact that we come through the other side, that Kiryu doesn’t go into the ground with Tachibana, that Majima decides that even though he could be happy with Makoto, it isn’t what he wants, I find that really powerful and even hopeful. Not inspiring perhaps, the choices we all make in that game are crushingly hard and frequently we’re punished for things that aren’t our fault. But seeing Kiryu confront his potential for the first time and, perhaps for the last time, deciding he’s not afraid of it, that this is a mantle he can carry and do good with, really does things for me. And I’ve gone on at length before about how we ought to read Majima’s choice at the end as not sacrificial, not denial, but rather a choice of identity. What stopped him from going with Makoto isn’t fear for what it would do to her (though certainly those protective instincts are still alive and well), but rather a... with nothing holding him back, he would still choose the life he started. He could leave it all right here but... there are things he wants to do, not has to do, wants to do. And he makes the choice to be yakuza, to be the Mad Dog, crucially, before he sees Kiryu. He could leave it all behind, but then he wouldn’t be himself. He wants to be yakuza. And he couldn’t do that if he was with her. I think that’s really cool and really life-affirming. 

Meanwhile 5... it’s hard for me to articulate what 5 is about because we have a bunch of different character arcs, some of which mesh quite nicely and some of which have nothing at all to do with each other. It’s probably best if I just break this down piece by piece ^^;

(spoilers follow for game 5 my little chili babies)

Kiryu’s arc, as I have articulated before, I fucking love in game 5. However, I do have my criticisms of it. In many ways, the conflict we’re facing in 5 is something that should have come up awhile back. But, even delayed, it is satisfying. It is satisfying to force Kiryu to confront his mistakes. It is satisfying to at least reach a turn on Kiryu, to have him decide that he wants to live and does feel worthy, even if it’s at the last possible second. Like, I interpret 5 as much more fatalistic because Kiryu’s dying in the snow in the middle of saying how he wants to come home to his daughter. Like... he may have finally gotten his revelation, but he was already in the middle of repeating the cycle. What would have been truly satisfying was to force him to live, to insist that he grow up and learn how to live with people because dying won’t fix it. This is a problem we’ve had since the beginning and have never really addressed. This was our chance to address it and it breaks my heart that game 5 comes so close and was going the right direction, but doesn’t quite give us that resolution that Kiryu’s going to continue his relationships and be okay now, that he isn’t going to back out this time. And if the creators had been brave they would have ended the fucking series here with that resolution. That’s SO OBVIOUSLY the main conflict in Kiryu’s plot and here, at last, we were finally fucking dealing with it and this SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE END. THIS WAS IT. THE ACTUAL FUCKING END, I- *breathes* Let me not derail this entire thing with game 6. Let’s just... never talk about game 6. 

That said... one of the things I ADORE about game 5 is this is the clearest sense of motivation we’ve had since Kiwami 1. For the first time in FUCKING FOREVER character choices made sense! HALLE-FUCKING-LUJAH. I CANNOT TELL YOU what it did to me that it was Majima that got Kiryu into the game. I cannot tell you the breath of life it gave me, after all this fucking BULLSHIT, that the game came FUCKING HOME on the most important person to Kiryu is Majima. Daigo needs help? Kiryu can’t help. Haruka needs her dad? Kiryu can’t help. These are both mistakes, don’t get me wrong! Absolutely terrible decisions, but they make sense out of Kiryu’s depression, out of his fears and doubts and feelings of unworthiness, his guilt. He’s so caught up in “better off without me” and so scared and so guilty, he can’t answer people even when they ask for help. But Majima. He can’t turn away from. He hears Majima’s dead and Kiryu loses his goddamn mind. Because it’s his fault. Because he wasn’t there. Because he left him out there and now Majima’s dead. Kiryu asked him to do something and, for all Kiryu knows, Majima’s dead because of him. And... as much as Kiryu hates himself in this moment, as much as Kiryu is sure that it’s all his fault, he’s SO upset, he has to go help, he HAS to go fix it. Majima’s dead and with his last breath, Kiryu will make this fuckign right. He’s gotta try. Because Majima being dead is... unacceptable. He can’t handle it. I fucking love that. At long last, it felt like the same story I’d been watching from 1. At long fucking last, we got some fucking proof of Kiryu’s feelings. And for that alone, I love game 5. I’ve got some issues with it, but that was... vindication. Spent 3 games waffling and pretending we didn’t know him unless we’re literally in the same scene, but even Kiryu’s denial isn’t that strong. Majima’s dead and Kiryu can’t anymore. He’s gonna go there and, god help him, he’ll go into the ground with him. You look at that and tell me it was un-fucking-requited. 

On that note, I just gotta gush for a second about that scene where the girl is naked in Kiryu’s apartment and Kiryu just ???? He’s not even “no thank you” he’s like PAINED. Like... she hugs him and Kiryu looks like he’s being fucking tortured! That is not the reaction of someone with even an iota of attraction to feminine bodies! This gay icon! Like, if you’d done that to Majima he would have been like “You’re pretty, babe, but I am Emotionally Unavailable” like the bi icon he is, like... you may not take her up on it, but you can still appreciate her or at least turn her down gracefully. But Kiryu out here doing his best to touch her as little as humanly fucking possible like’ he’s TERRIFIED. That’s not someone being overly polite, that was “cannot conceive of being attracted to this.” Just... this gay fucking dad. Holy christ. 

Related GOTTA love Kiryu’s boss being “Hey, there’s a rumor going around that you’re gay! Any thoughts?” and Kiryu just “That Is A Thing People Ask Me” which is the EXACT RESPONSE of a queer person who doesn’t want to out themselves but also doesn’t want to lie. Game 5 fucking iconic for those 2 scenes alone, god bless. 

Moving away from Kiryu for a second, although this game is VERY about Kiryu’s story, let’s talk about Saejima! Saejima FINALLY gets to come into his own as a character, we get to handle him properly as a character and not as a crux in Majima’s character development. I love the marked differences in how Kiryu and Saejima respond to Majima and handle him. I love that they fucking NAILED motivation here. That Kiryu and Majima mutually code romantic, that they both make batshit decisions because of each other, in that way that you do when you’re madly in love with someone. Meanwhile, Saejima loves his brother but isn’t in love with him. Saejima’s relationship with Majima is stable and trusting. He’s not losing his mind over Majima’s death because he trust him and knows him. If he’s dead, Saejima trusts that Majima did all he could and it was just his time. That’s why he’s not losing his mind, he’s resolved. He just wants to know what happened. And it’s this stability that really tells us who Saejima is and how he functions as a protag. His strength is his trust in others, which at times IS naive, but it’s also what turns Baba. It’s what keeps Saejima strong when Kiryu’s falling apart. It’s so cool to see a character who isn’t paranoid, who isn’t tore up with guilt, in this series with very complicated leads. Saejima is functional and necessary because he isn’t any of those things. He doesn’t get swept up in big emotional turmoil. He cuts through a lot of foibles that would have tripped up his brother or Kiryu and it’s just really refreshing to see and exciting to experience Saejima’s brand of problem solving. He’s not terribly clever and he’s not subtle, but he’s honest and sure that counts for A LOT in this series. Gotta love Saejima. 

And, as I have gushed about before and will again, Baba. Baba. Saejima turning Baba hand me fucking ascending. Baba Known Whore Shigecki turning on a time because Saejima screams “Because we’re kyoudai!” I am LIVING. I love their relationship. I love that Baba’s a little shit. I love that he’s inexplicably a supermodel. I love that his constant vibe is “would like to choke til he cries on Saejima’s dick.” I love that Saejima has a gorgeous prison boyfriend. Well deserved! I love the idea of Baba getting integrated into the group. I need WAY more fic about him coming back to live with Saejima in Kamurocho and Saejima just has an ex-assassin boyfriend now and we all get to live with that. Ugggghhhh, bless. So good. No notes, no criticisms, just good.

Haruka was LONG overdue to be a protag, I’m so glad this game did it. But... pop idol? The thing she explicitly said in Kiwami 2 she didn’t want to be? *siiiigh* Like, I get that she can change her mind as she grows up and that that’s the Thing You Do with Japanese teenage girls, but... Imagine Martial Artist Haruka! Raised by the yakuza, surrounded her whole life by people with incredible fighting skills, who would gladly teach her self-defense. Imagine! Or even training her to become a yakuza! My wife and I joke about Seventh Chairman Sawamura Haruka, but imagine how satisfying that would have been! A whole Tojo dynasty of Kiryu’s kids! She’s so ripe for it! And I know the yakuza is a male-only organization but... c’mon, this is fiction and sexism is boring. I guess I can understand the creators unwillingness to depict violence against women, even if it’s being perpetrated by other women but uh... *eye twitch* game 5 is maybe not the BEST example of their... respecting women... 

*screams into a pillow for several minutes* *breathes* *screams for another fifteen minutes* Okay... I uh... I um... can’t talk about Mirei Park without having an aneurysm. PLEASE skip this bullet point if you don’t want to read Mirei Hate. I just... I Hate Everything About Her And I Don’t Know Why She Fucking Exists. I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade and if you like Mirei, y’all welcome to feel how you feel but... she is the only thing I truly Hate about game 5. I just... leaving aside my personal feelings about the... Majima part of her story which we just... Won’t talk about... Leaving that aside... I don’t know why she’s here? She’s the person who convinces Kiryu to leave his children. She’s predatory, she took advantage of a vulnerable young girl to live out some personal dream? Like, sure, economic opportunity, independence, but we don’t get a lot of motive from Haruka that it IS her dream to be a pop idol. She has said in the past that’s not what she wants, she makes mention of doing this for the money to support her family, Mirei LITERALLY SAYS she wants Haruka to do the things she couldn’t, and ultimately Haruka asides not to do this anyway because she’d ratehr be home with her dad! So what was the FUCKING POINT of Mirei Park? Is she a villain? Is she sympathetic? What the fuck was I supposed to take from her? How the fuck am I supposed to read her? She tells this TRAUMATIC story off-hand to Haruka to... justify her decisions? Motivate Haruka? Dragging in another long-term character for no good reason and reframing how we have to think about said character. But then THIS NEVER COMES UP AGAIN. The information wasn’t even important! It’s just traumatic! If it was supposed to keep Haruka doing the pop idol thing, it didn’t work! Haruka still leaves! If this was meant to deepen our relationship to Mirei or complicate her or whatever, IT DOESN’T, SHE WAS LITERALLY DEAD THE NEXT SCENE. I just... WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE?! What even the fuck was I supposed to do with any of this?! Leaving ASIDE my VERY intense feelings about what this did for Majima (for the sake of not going ogg Even More than I already am, I just won’t talk abotu it here), I just have no goddamn clue what the point of Mirei even was. She’s not useful to Haruka’s arc and she only serves in Kiryu’s arc to be a villain. We could have had Haruka leave home and decide in the end that Kiryu’s her dad and that’s where she wants to be a MILLION different ways, we could have done that MUCH more kindly and consistently with the rest of her character and values, but we don’t! We have this shitmess instead!

I’m really really sorry to anyone reading this who likes Mirei. You don’t have to agree with me! And I’m not trying to make you feel bad! I’m not trying to tell people how they should feel or what they should get out of the story. If you got something out of her, you related to her, you found her part in the story meaningful, that’s great! I’m genuinely glad that you did. I... didn’t. I have a lot of negative opinions about what happened. Usually I try to just not talk about it because I don’t want to ruin someone’s good time. I’m not here trying to start shit. So I apologize for my tone and I did try to put a warning before it and recommend it be skipped if it’s the sort of thing that would offend you. My Mirei rant is over now, I won’t talk about it again.

I have absolutely no idea why Akiyama is in this story, tbh? He contributed very little, but I’m glad Haruka got to hang out with someone cool and that one of her uncles was here watching out for her, since Majima was “dead” and Kiryu was in the middle of a personal crisis ^^; I love Akiyama, always happy to see him, but he really had nothing to do here ^^; I was sad for no Hana though 8C Wherever there is Akiyama, there must also be Hana!

Shinada... is adorable and actively injured the plot. I’m sorry, I just... no one ever talks about the fact that including Shinada in the story actively hurt it. I love him too! He’s an incredible idiot and very sweet, but why the fuck is he here? What did an ancient baseball cover up have to do with anything? This was the only way you could think of to put Daigo in the game again? Really??? And Daigo doesn’t even do very much here! So like... not really worth it. You could have had a whole substory of Daigo finding out what happened to Majima, fuck DAIGO COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE PROTAGS. THERE’S A THOUGHT. We could have utilized, y’know, characters we already have, but no, instead we introduce this dumb fuck to do... what exactly? Oh right, beat up Baba AFTER HE HAD ALREADY DECIDED NOT TO SHOOT HARUKA! Like, YOU DIDN’T EVEN NEED SHINADA FOR THE THING YOU NEEDED HIM FOR. Saejima and Kiryu were enough of an influence on Baba to stop him! And that makes sense out of Baba’s character arc, since it’s about personal redemption and learning to be a person and his faith and love of Saejima, y’know, the character he actually HAS a relationship with, is about that. The point of Baba was him learning it WAS his choice and him MAKING that choice. See, I can’t argue that Baba’s superfluous to the plot, but he WAS the threat! He was actively involved and he’s what makes Saejima involved. Shinada doesn’t occupy the same space, he has no horse in this race, he’s not yakuza, he’s only here because he and Daigo kinda like each other or whatever, and, again, HE WASN’T EVEN NEEDED! Baba’s arc was complete and the threat was terminated without this shit! Like, Akiyama has no reason to be here either, but at least he was a true neutral, neither helping nor harming the plot. We actively waste time to bring Shinada in and he hurts Baba’s arc by overly punishing him and potentially risking the decision he just made. Like if I was Baba, I might have gone “you know what, fuck you, I will shoot her just because your self-righteous ass decided to hit me for MAKING THE RIGHT CALL” Jesus... 

I hate to be nothing but a curmudgeon but just... no one brings that up and I just had to say it if no one else was gonna. 

As for villains, the game would have been a lot stronger without the “thwarted destiny, I should be on the throne” bullshit especially since the story has done a SHIT JOB with the legacy of Nishiki and in NO WAY utilized the fucking koi or the burden of Nishiki’s death properly for this to hit the way it should. It makes theoretical sense that Kriyu’s last villain should be the reincarnation of Nishiki, but the story did not build that up or support it so it falls really flat. That said, the main problem in Kiryu’s arc is that dying is not a resolution. Dying doesn’t fix a problem, it only delays it. THAT’S the thing we have to confront and we almost nearly do and... I’m just so excited that we finally articulated that, I’m willing to forgive A LOT. 

And finally we wrote Majima entirely out of the game only to confirm that his only reason for living is Kiryu and then, again, didn’t resolve it because, y’know, fuck ending things, I guess? But he did have that sweet fight with Saejima and can do shadow clones now I guess? Fucking ninja magic or whatever. Sure, Majima’s so OP he can do fucking shadow clones now. No, teleporting wasn’t enough, he can fucking shadow clone. That’s like a staisfying story arc right? ...right?

[blisslilywrites]

Hi! Happy New Year and merry Christmas.)) I hope that you will succeed with your blog. Good luck!) Can I ask for a scenario about Kirisaki Daichi's team? Their wife, after visiting the doctor, told the boys that they would have triplets (three daughters). I would be happy if you would respond. Thank you.)

A/N: Hewwo^-^ Again sorry this took so long 😅but we hope you like it~

HANAMIYA MAKOTO

Three days had passed after telling your husband about having triplets, he reacted aghast and was in his speechless state up to that day. He told you he was fine but you assumed otherwise. As you recalled how he behaved for the previous days, you couldn’t help but smile and think about what would happen in the future. 

“Y/N, let’s eat.” he invited, placing different dishes upon the table. 

You noticed his usual act as you supposed he was already fine and got rid of his small tantrum. Because the last time he cooked food, he shut himself in the bedroom and ate alone. 

“Mako-chan.. Are you okay now?” you asked, a grin forming on your lips. These moments were the only ones you could make fun of him with evidence. 

“What are you saying? I’ve always been okay,” he bluffed, though you could only tell he was pretending.

“Okay, huh? Then care to explain why you were isolating yourself right after telling you we’ll be having triplets, three girls at that.” 

“I-I mean—, it was too hard to process.” he looked away.

You raised an eyebrow, “Then, are you okay now?”

“I–I mean, I wasn’t saying it was hard to process or anything. I meant, why three? I expected it to be five, all girls.” 

You just sighed at your husband, and cracked a smile as there are times your husband could be cute and a total tsundere. 

HARA KAZUYA

Hara fidgeted his fingers with his impatience on the line. The two of you were sitting down on a couch, waiting for the doctor’s announcement regarding your pregnancy. 

“Hey.. Y/N, what gender do you think it is?” he asked.

“I want it to be a girl,” 

“Really? I want it to be a boy,”

Not long enough for the doctor to feed your husband’s restlessness as Hara straightened up the moment he heard the footsteps of the doctor. 

The doctor sat down before you and cleared his throat, “You will be having triplets, three girls. Congratulations,” 

“W-WHAAAAAT?!” Hara’s mouth opened wide, with his scream you intervened.

“Hehehe, thank you doc! We’re going home now so please excuse us,” 

The two of you got home with your boyfriend still panicking. He went on about “t-t-triplets?” as you calmed him down and assuaged his hysteria.

“Kazu, what are you even prancing on about? I don’t understand. Do you like them or not?”

“Of course I love them! But I can’t even handle myself well and you’re giving me three kids?”

“Ah.. That’s what you’re going on about?” You giggled. You couldn’t take your eyes off on your husband and his cutesy act as you thought about taking care of FOUR kids at once in the future.

FURUHASHI KOJIRO

It was another quiet evening at home. You were craving for some takeout so you had called your husband, Kojiro, to buy some on the way home. 

When you finally heard the lock click and the doorknob turn, you practically ran up and pounced on him. Well, you tried to. Being 4-months pregnant didn't help much with your physical ability. 

You eagerly took the food from him and set it up on the dinner table. It's actually been a while since the two of you have properly sat down and had a meal with each other. He's been working late nights for the past few weeks to try and save up enough for the baby when it came. Which was why he missed today's appointment where you found out a few interesting things...

"So y/n, how was the doctor’s appointment?”

You took another bite of food before carefully saying, “Well, I found out their genders...”

“Hold up... their? Are we having twins?” he said a little too quickly.

“Close but not quite,” you answered. He looked at you with confusion and you took a deep breath. 

“Kojiro, we’re having triplets. Three girls.”

His face went blank. 

“Three?”

“Yes.”

“Like one of them. And then another. And then another?”

“Yes.”

“All at once?”

“Yes.”

He exhaled slowly and then stood up to walk to the refrigerator.

“Koji? Are you ok?”

“Yeah I’m perfectly fine,” he said, pulling out a beer from the fridge.

You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

SETO KENTARO

“Thank you doctor,” you beamed before letting the nurse escort you out. That was...a very interesting visit, to say the least. In all honesty, you weren’t sure yourself how you felt about having triplets.

You exited the hospital and smiled as you saw the familiar car and even more familiar driver pull up in front of the hospital. The driver’s door opened and out walked your husband, Seto Kentaro. 

“Hey, sorry I took so long. Work was a bit hectic.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you said with a smile. You couldn’t exactly stay mad at him anyway.

He guided you to the car and carefully helped you get in. He might not admit it but he was actually really excited to meet his future kid, or rather kids, and has already begun taking on his fatherly duties. 

Once you were both in the car, he drove off towards home.

“So, how’d the appointment go? Any news?”

“Well...I found out their genders,” you started.

“And?”

You smiled at his haste. “All girls.”

“Wait-- what do you mean all girls?”

“I mean that we’ll be having three little girls.”

He swerved off course but quickly regained control the next second. 

“Three? As in one, two, three?”

“Ken-chan aren’t you supposed to be good math? Yes, three of them,” you teased. 

He seemed to have tensed up.

Sighing, you took one of his hands and said, “Don’t worry too much about it ok? We’ll do fine. I’m sure we will.”

He gave you a sideways glance and grinned.

“Now focus on the road.”

YAMAZAKI HIROSHI

A soft breeze blew into the room as your husband opened the door and entered. You looked up from your pregnancy book and gave him a wide smile as he walked up to you. 

“How was work?”

“Eh it was fine. How’re you two doing?” he said smiling towards your bump. 

You returned his smile a little nervously. Truth is, you’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell him about the triplets for a while now. It wasn’t that you wanted to keep this from him or anything, it was just that you knew his tendency to panic over these sorts of things. 

You took a deep breath. 

“It’s actually not just the two of us.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean...there’s three of them inside me.”

“What now?” 

His eyes went wide. 

“Three of them?” he asked skeptically. 

You gave a sheepish nod, “That doctor’s appointment the other day, they told me we were having triplets. All girls...”

He exhaled loudly and started pacing back and forth in front of you. 

“So you’re telling me I’m gonna have to take care of three babies, all at the same time, for the next 18 years of my life?!?!”

You could clearly see he was starting to panic. 

“hiro,” you said.

He didn’t seem to hear you, so you cleared your throat and called him again.

“YAMAZAKI HIROSHI!”

That finally got his attention and he turned to look at you.

You gave him the sweetest smile possible, “I’m sure we can do it honey.”

You squeezed his hand reassuringly and he smiled back.

MATSUMOTO ITSUKI

You and Matsumoto had just got out of the hospital after having to hear the words of the doctor, saying you will be having three daughters five months from now. Your husband didn’t panic nor reacted as if seeing a ghost like the other guys, he was calmer than you and remained his poise. 

“Y/N, let’s go to a restaurant for lunch.” he declared, smiling at you. 

He supported your steps and balance as the both of you got to the restaurant safely. He guided you to the tables and went behind a seat and pulled it towards him, making a space for you to sit down without doing any of the work. 

After him calling the waiter and ordering the food, you asked, “Itsuki-kun, aren’t you nervous or something? About having triplets.”

“What? No. In fact, I am really happy, Y/N. Although I am a bit scared. But I know for sure that they’ll be as cute and passionate as you.” you beamed at his reply, he is the sweetest. 

“Thank you, Itsuki-kun.”

As the waiter settled down the food, you noticed the abnormal amount of plates on the table. 

“Hey, Itsuki-kun, aren’t our food too much? We can’t finish all of these!”

“Hey. After knowing you have three kids inside your belly, you should eat four times of what you eat daily. We’re having triplets here, darling.” you scowled, yet at the end of the day you thank your husband for being mature. 

[koiyyo]

DRV3 “modern” gamenight HCS!

danganronpa modern au hcs where the cast has gamenight!  -made by mod cass, mod corn, mod irusu, mod chi, and mod dragon 

this is part 3 with drv3 waopahhah

shuichi

lets kokichi look at his cards because he’s way too nice

kyoko scolds him for it, still does it

when they play mafia he feels bad when he knows the mafia so he doesn’t say anything

also a negotiator like makoto but is really fucking bad at his job 

himiko

threatens to use her magic to see cards

immediately backs down and says that she doesn't have enough mana

has lost 20% of the uno deck to the void from trying to do magic tricks and forgetting where she put the cards

the gamemaster in dungeons and dragons most of the time

brutal 

maki

“0 minutes since maki has threatened to strangle kokichi”

not allowed in the kitchen or she’ll get a knife and actually stab kokichi no balls

really likes rhythm heaven and gets kaede to play with her 

tenko

threatens people with her fighting skills

“keep ur kneecaps or ur +4. what will it be”

doesn't understand that you’re not supposed to show others your cards and shows all of the girls her cards

tries to make himiko use her magic so she can win

kaede

very good at rhythm games like ddr or piano tiles on her phone

teases shuichi but ends up apologizing cause he looks like he’s gonna cry

judges rantaro on his trivia knowledge

kokichi

looks at other people’s cards

would pretend to be drunk, fall over, and look at peoples cards

doesn’t need to cheat but he does just to piss off taka

will add two plus +4s to give usually gonta eight or kaito, despite it being against the rules.  

kaito

holds maki back

is just that drunk uncle that maki has to carry home every night

part of the almost strangling kokichi squad

whenever shuichi gets a little teary eyed after losing he punches him then immediately feels bad and hugs him

he's terrible at games, but that’s ok as long as maki and shuichi are okay.

kiyo

the guy who gets possessed when they use ouija boards

threatens to tear out people’s nerves

almost did once

whispering dark spells under his breath after every loss

goes to the lengths to ruin every game that isn’t either uno or kids monopoly 

ryoma

everyone fears wii tennis because of him

whipped someone with a wiimote 

the guy who brought vodka in a vinegar bottle

always out on the porch smoking like a mafia boss

angie

a god at pictionary 

“i have the power of god and anime on my side” she says every time she plays a reverse or +4 in uno

really fucking scary

rantaro

the guy who calls out kokichi for looking at people’s cards

way too good at the trivia games

like SCARILY good

“rantaro how do you know how many mafias there are in the world” “you don't want to know”

kirumi

the one that always cleans up after the games

designated driver

is good at old maid

has the original set of uno not the new ones

gonta

likes those children's toys that include catching fake butterflies 

he has listened to every bug children’s song

doesn’t get half of the games and is fine with just watching

when he does play he immediately gets targeted by kokichi

doesn’t put down +4s or +2s in uno because gonta gentleman

actually swaps his cards with other players to give them +4s and +2s

miu

was the second person that agreed with hifumi’s strip poker idea 

still stripped during poker because no one could stop her

“lets play sexy truth or dare” 

hides cards and shit in her bra

tsumugi

tries to get everyone to play yu-gi-oh

nobody wants to play yu-gi-oh 

really fucking intense

is on board with dungeons and dragons, her characters always a shapeshifter

keebo

has really good photographic memory

people claims he cheats a lot so he gets things wrong on purpose

miu never leaves him alone

went to the bathroom but when he came back he accidentally saw half of the parties cards

hope y’all liked all these headcanons cause having 5 crackheads with one prompt was wildin  -mod corn

[youngmrkusuma]

Oh my goodness. Another Ficlet? So quickly?? But it’s only been less than two weeks!

Yeah.

Anyway, it occurred to me as I was writing this that the chronology for the entire project is a complete clusterfuck. I apologise. Because there’s some required reading if you want to fully understand what’s going on here. Probably not an issue for my long-time readers, but anyone new to this series should at least read Lasting Impressions and Genocider Syo’s Excellent Adventure first before tackling this one. The order doesn’t matter. I think.

In a voice just slightly above a whisper: “Right! Let’s get started. Favourite movie genre?”

“Um… Action, I guess.”

“Favourite singer?”

“…Does Sayaka count?”

“Sure, whatever. Favourite ice cream flavour?” Syo was smirking as she said this.

Naegi tapped his chin pensively before answering. “Vanilla, I suppose.”

“Aha! I knew you say that!” Syo laughed, a little too loudly. Her boyfriend rolled his eyes, unsurprised by her reaction.

“Keep it down, please,” he chided.

They were seated on his bed. This was Syo’s fifth late night visit to Naegi’s room, and by now, he had gotten so used to her just randomly showing up outside his window that he no longer bothered to even lock it. It was a good thing that this was a Friday because it was very unlikely that he would get much sleep this evening. (Not that he really minded, truth be told)

“Favourite soda?”

“Coke.”

“Favourite video game?”

“Mario Kart.” Naegi scratched his head. “No offense, but is this going anywhere?”

“In a minute,” she smiled. “You’ll see. Favourite food?”

“Curry.”

“Favourite colour?”

“Green. I thought you already knew that.”

“Favourite criminal?”

He was taken aback by the question, and by how the topic had somehow shifted to something dark so quickly.

“Wh… What?”

“Come on, answer! Favourite criminal?”

“Uh, I don’t have one?? And I don’t know anyone who would have one.”

“Boo!” Syo pouted. “You’re supposed to say me!”

A sudden laugh escaped him. He now understood the point of this little game of hers. “So you admit you’re a criminal?”

“Yes! Proudly!” She started prodding his cheek with a finger. “Now answer the question.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” he sighed, grinning. “Genocider Syo. Satisfied?”

“Very,” she grinned back, nuzzling against him like a cat. He put an arm around her.

Two weeks had gone by since their adventure at Comiket. Naegi had been making plans to start moving out of his parents’ home in the coming months, having decided to take after Fukawa’s example. One of the things he was looking forward to was Syo finally being able to visit him like a normal person, instead of sneaking into his home when everyone else was asleep. That meant they could meet more often and be as loud as they wanted.

“You’re being really affectionate today,” he said.

“Been feeling really affectionate lately, lover boy.” She looked up at him. “Which means Tou-chan been feeling the same way.”

“That’s good.”

“Little Miss Gloomy’s not so gloomy anymore nowadays, did you know? Usually, she’s all oh life is pain and everything sucks donkey balls, wah wah wah.” Then smirked again. “Not now, though. Not so much, anyway. What have you been doing with her?”

It was silent for a moment as he pondered.

“Not sure what you mean. We’ve been hanging out, going on dates, that’s all.” He said. His expression saddened a bit. “Actually, if anything, she’s seemed kinda distant recently. When we’re together, she’s more …quiet than usual. I’ve been worried that something’s wrong, in fact.”

Fukawa had never been much of a people person, but even before they started going out, Naegi didn’t have too much trouble getting her to open up to him (once he had gotten through the initial hurdle of befriending her, that is). Over their last few dates, however, things seemed to have regressed. It felt like there was something bothering her, hanging in the air between them. And he couldn’t get her to tell him what it was.

“She’s afraid,” Syo said.

“Afraid?” His heart grew heavy with concern. “Of what?”

More silence.

“Syo?”

“Mhmm. Thinking about how to explain this. Gimme a sec.”

It was rare to see her deep in thought. She almost never took anything this seriously. It was actually a pretty comical look for her, with her tongue constantly hanging out like that.

“Okay, so. Tou-chan and I have been feeling very warm and fuzzy lately. That’s because you two have been getting very close, right?”

“Yeah…”

She squeezed his arm. “And, from the way things are looking now, both of you dorks are probably gonna get even closer, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Have you ever…” she trailed off, struggling to find the words. “Have you though about what it would feel like if things go wrong and both of you split up?”

The very idea felt like a dagger in Naegi’s chest.

“That’s… horrible. Why would you even think like that?”

“That’s the issue, Ma-kun. Tou-chan’s been thinking like that.”

And the pain in his chest got even worse.

“She’s happier now than she’s ever been,” Syo continued, “which isn’t saying much since it’s her we’re talking about, but… well… You know about her past, and about that wankstain that pretended to be her friend. She had high hopes when she tried confessing to him with that letter, and when everything went south… you know the rest. It broke her.”

“…and she’s still afraid it’s gonna happen again,” Naegi said, now understanding.

Syo’s expression became one of annoyance, but not towards him. “Gloomy’s got this stupid fucking idea that God or The Universe or What The Fuck Ever just doesn’t want her to be happy. Or that she herself doesn’t deserve to be happy. Even after everything that’s happened. She wants to trust you but, she’s afraid that your relationship with her is on borrowed time.”

“…So she’s scared that if she and I get closer, it’ll hurt even more when it comes to an end.”

“Pretty much. It’s pissing me off, frankly.”

This was a lot to take in.

“She’s gonna need some talking to, hero.” Syo was back to smiling, tenderly this time.

He felt deflated. “I’m not even sure what I could say to her that would make it better.”

“You’ll figure it out. It’s what you’re best at.”

“Easier said than done.”

“I believe in you.”

He looked at her. No smarm, no sarcasm. She was being totally serious.

“What about you?” He asked. “Do you think we’re gonna break up?”

“Nah.” There was not the least bit of hesitation in her response.

“Why not?”

“Because you’ve already seen the worst of both Touko and me. She’s a lame, whiny and utterly unpleasant disaster of a human being. And I’m an insane, bloodthirsty psychopath,” Syo said cheerfully. “You knew this and you stuck around anyway, Ma-kun. You’re still here cuddling with me – being all lovey-dovey and shit – when everyone else would be running away screaming.”

Heh. He supposed that was true. A smirk formed on his lips.

“How do you know I’m not at my limit?” Naegi asked. “Maybe I’m finally getting sick of you both and I’m planning to fake my death and jump on the next plane to Mexico so you won’t find me?”

“Haha! Yeah, right!” She cackled. “I see through you, Ma-kun, you filthy, filthy masochist! Acting like such a good, decent boy when really you love putting up with me and all my heinous shit. Goes double for Tou-chan; it’s probably the only reason you like her!”

He laughed. “So not only do you admit to being a criminal, you also admit to being heinous.”

“Proudly. You should know that by now.”

Their eyes met as she nuzzled against him some more. The humour and good mirth had given way to something more profound and meaningful in that instant. Somehow, they knew, whether Naegi knew what to say to Fukawa or not, that everything was going to turn out fine.

“Everything’s gonna be fine.” He said.

Fondly: “I know.”

And suddenly, from beyond his bedroom door came a woman’s voice. “Makoto-kun? Is someone there with you?”

Oh crap. Mom. They had forgotten to keep their volume down.

*

Emiko Naegi had gotten out of bed to get a drink when she heard what sounded like talking from her son’s room. It was dark inside when she opened the door.

“Makoto-kun?”

There didn’t seem to be anyone else in here. Only her son, still tucked under the sheets. He stirred from his bed, rubbing his eyes.

“Were you talking to someone in here?” She asked. “I could have sworn I heard a girl.”

“Hmm? Oh! Yeah.” He said, grabbing his smartphone from the nightstand next to his bed. “I just got off the phone with Fukawa-san. Video-chat. Were we too loud?”

Ah. So that was all it was. Her baby boy was enjoying his youth, chatting it up with his girlfriend late into the night. “Just a little, dear.”

“Eheh. Sorry about that.”

Emiko smiled. “That’s okay, sweetie. Good night.”

“Good night, Mom.”

She shut the door gently behind her. For about ten minutes or so, Naegi waited, listening to her footsteps as she descended down the stairs, presumably grabbed something from the fridge, then went back up the stairs into her room. It was only until complete silence had fallen that he lifted his blanket and spoke to Syo.

“You can come out now.”

He was met with giggles. “Why? It’s so nice and cozy down here, Ma-kun,” she purred. “Mmm-mmm.”

“Of course it is,” he rolled his eyes. “Maybe it’s time you head home, Syo.”

“You sure?” She teased, drawing circles on his chest with a playful finger. “You’re gonna miss me tonight in particular when I’m gone!”

“I’ll cope,” he said. “Now go on. Scram.”

End Notes: Nine days. Nine days was all it took for me to get this out (Actually, it’s more like three if you consider that I spent the first six days unable to write anything). It’s a bloody miracle.

Anyway, that’s enough self-praise. This story was supposed to address an ask by one of my readers, but ended up being slightly more serious than I intended. For anyone worried about how things will play out with Fukawa and whether or not her fears are allayed: don’t be. All this happens before the Christmas fic, where our heroes are still very much in love.

As I said in the beginning. Clusterfuck. Sorry.

[sachi-pon]

free! dive to the future episode 3 liveblog/review thing

once again, i am pretty late. s-sorry... it's sometimes hard to find a good time to sit down and do this! it takes me so long to watch these episodes because i have to keep pausing to write things!!  ^__^UU but don't get me wrong. it's fun!! i just have a lot of other things going on that i'm trying to do these days.

i did do the same thing for the other episodes: episode 1 liveblog/review: http://sachi-pon.tumblr.com/post/175837687351/free-dive-to-the-future-episode-1-liveblog-review episode 2 liveblog/review: http://sachi-pon.tumblr.com/post/176267454651/free-dive-to-the-future-episode-2-liveblogreview

watch episode 3 here: http://www.crunchyroll.com/free-iwatobi-swim-club/episode-3-first-swim-in-another-country-775634

now, let's begin!!!!

hey look ikuya, i guess hiyori saved you from your feelings of loneliness XD

i'm thinking. is this season going to have some big reveal in a later episode with ikuya where it's one of those "this whole time, he was..." or something??? that's one of my favorite kinds of plot twists.

lol i heard him say "morning call" okay? i understand english you know

what he says: "i'm fine" what he means: "I'M UPSET ABOUT HARUUUUU AND HAVE A LOT OF ANGST ABOUT MY PAST AND ALSO MY PRESENT AND FUTURE FOR SOME REASON AND MY HAIR KEEPS GETTING IN MY EYES."

there's a mysterious monster in the bed!!!!!

IT'S RIN

full of energy, i see.

can i just watch an entire episode of rin silently doing mundane everyday things and looking tired and cute?

ENGLISH AAAAAAAHHHHHH lol i keep forgetting that there is a lot of english in this season apparently

"i can't read him" aww, the way he said it is so cute.

rin saying "what?" in english... I CAN'T STAND THE CUTENESS!!!!!

"you guys are just too slow" that trash-talking is supposed to sound tough but that accent is too precious.

"your muscles aren't my type" lolol are you gou???

omg i type things and then people in the show say them?!?!? XD

i'm gonna start saying "cho-very" to other people in my real life in america. i'm sure everyone else around me will NOT think i'm weird.

this soft piano music is great <333

"i'm fine" once again, the biggest lie in the world

"nothing's wrong" sure.

the guy with blue hair's hairstyle is so weird???? but okay, i accept it.

of course mr. stalker appears out of nowhere to speak for ikuya because heaven forbid ikuya speaks for himself!!!!

i like how every time hiyori speaks for ikuya or tries to stalk him in some way, ikuya goes along with it. it's... kind of adorable? but at the same time, there's something weird about this relationship!!

btw. i bet there will be a time that ikuya finally gets mad at hiyori for speaking for him. like "wtf dude, you're so annoying!"

wait, you don't like team events but you complained at the beginning of the episode about being lonely. well okay then.

oh you wait until ikuya can't hear you and then you say something under your breath, haha

i like sousuke's voice <3333 i'm just saying!!! i'm just saying.

detective makoto trying to solve the mystery

"sounds like a girl's name" omg these poor guys in this anime. they will never escape being made fun of for that. XD

"hey, i just insulted you, but don't get pissed off!!"

"hey, i just insulted you, but let's go on a date!!!"

the stunned look on rin's face. he's like 'hey that sounds like a pretty sweet lifestyle!' (and then he tries to pretend that he doesn't care, haha.)

"he's aiming for the global stage, like me." rin, are you aiming for the global stage or are you aiming for that sweet prize-collecting lifestyle now???

shhh, rin, don't bother people when they are sleeping!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NONONONONONONO NOOOOOOOOO. DON'T EVEN SHOW ME THIS. DO NOT SHOW ME THIS HOTEL. THE TRAUMA IS COMING BACK. I HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN TRIGGERED.

*** How to Trigger a Makoharu Shipper in Just Four Words *** 1. season 2. two 3. episode 4. twelve

"i'm not sure if it's right for all of us to just barge in." hey that's what i have said before. maybe it's not a great idea for you all to go see ikuya! he clearly has some... issues or something.

"ikuya's not mad about that" oh makoto you're so funny

so many questions being asked! this is like a meeting of a detective squad. okay now that i've said that, i want a series where the free! characters go around solving mysteries. kyoani, make it happen.

omg i love how the music continues into the next scene. (i like little details like that. i like to think about all the little details in the choices made by the people who create this show.)

hiyori's not just a weird stalker but he genuinely has concern for ikuya... awww

"rin, you've gotta stop having dinner with him every night." LOLOL WHAAAT. XDDD HOW MANY DINNERS HAVE THEY HAD???!!

hmm i wonder if gou has that?

of course gou has all the muscle magazines.

OF COURSE GOU IS READING ONE RIGHT NOW HAHAHAHAHA I LOVE THIS SHOW

"if anything happens to me, you have to protect this photo book" LOL I AM DONE I AM DONE

"gathering information." so this IS a detective squad.

haru's confused look next to mako's awkward smile... haha

"if that's how you feel, why don't you cover my dinner?" rin you savage

"i have a policy against spoiling younger guys" does that mean you have a policy for spoiling guys who are the same age or older?????

omg hiyori??? you're such a stalker. or better yet... a SPY. that's what you are. free! is now a spy drama. which is pretty cool if you ask me.

"it's not that i'm mad at haruka and his friends" suuuuuure

the detective squad really needs to be here to listen to this whole speech. so much information and yet they can't hear it. XD

what is natsuya's dream?? why'd he interrupt?

the beer can in the water, lol

RIN'S LAUGH I'M DEAD THAT WAS SO CUTE.

"you're the adulterous type, huh?" well, this show escalated quickly.

how many guys does rin want to "swim" with? umm that is a very personal question isn't it? ;)

"if i win, you let me stay in your apartment" well, this show escalated quickly, EVEN HIGHER NOW. rin, please say no to this weirdo.

he didn't say no. they are about to race. well, it's good that they went on several dates before swimming together.

let me guess. natsuya will win and move into rin's apartment because the writers are disgusting perverts who want to throw more sexual tension into this show. (okay, i approve.)

how did you two even notice the rain if there's already water splashing all around you?????? PLOTHOLE

natsuya wants to go back to japan in order to swim with someone else?? so my prediction was wrong?? well then! i never said it. you never saw it.

wait who is this????

there may be two kinds of muscles for you, but there is only one kind of muscle for gou: the kind she likes.

"i knew someone a long time ago who was the same way." and then the scene changes? wait, i want to know who he's talking about!! detective squad, please solve the mystery!

omg, the detective squad actually showed up right after i typed that. yay~

haru has a look on his face like "i am 100% sure that something bad is gonna happen." (and then he goes in anyway)

makoto looks angry in the preview?? or is it just determined? whatever it is, it's hot. <3

that's the end of the episode!!! so here's what i think. i liked this episode because as you can see, i keep hanging on to every little thing and watching intensely!!! i do see a mystery going on here. it's unfolding piece by piece. i think this is a season where each episode will be a little more dramatic than the previous one. like each one builds on the drama created by the previous episode. clearly there are so many tensions and issues with these characters. things are going to explode...

[cant-icle]

aftermath: scrapped ryuji chapter

i really  really liked this when i wrote it, but then i realized that it’d work so much better at a later point in the story ;;

i refused to delete it though; i hella want to share it because i still like it

if you haven’t read aftermath yet and have an interest in it, read it here!

Ryuji’s the first to admit he’s not the most observant person in Tokyo, but even he can tell something’s off the second he steps into Leblanc.

He’s not the first one there, but Futaba barely counts; she lives just across the street and practically lives at the counter now, kicking her toes against the bar and  inhaling curry like it’s going out of style. Boss doesn’t count either, standing behind the counter brewing coffee. He shoots Ryuji a glance as the door opens. “Just you?”

Ryuji shrugs. “Ann stopped to buy crepes. Yusuke’s probably with her. Makoto and Haru’ll be here any minute; said we should stagger how quick we get here.” He hesitates, looking around the empty café. “Is, uh—“

“Upstairs. Probably best that it’s just you for now.” Boss sets a steaming mug in front of Futaba, who draws it inward with a frown. She won’t look up at Ryuji either, which sets off an uneasy tingle in the back of his mind.

The mood is somber where it should be triumphant. Hell, Akira should be down here already, draped over a booth with that dumb cocky smile of his.

After all, they won, didn’t they?

“Uh, alright,” he mumbles, slipping past Futaba with a gentle tug on her hair. She doesn’t even yelp, just reaches behind herself to slap at his hand.

The trip up the stairs is second nature by now; Ryuji’s up them in a heartbeat, ready to call out his usual “Yo!” when he realizes the room is dark and quiet, curtains drawn. Morgana is perched on the windowsill; the second Ryuji’s foot hits the attic floor he hisses “Keep it down, moron!”

“The hell are you callin’ a moron?” Ryuji snaps back, the hair on the back of his neck prickling uncomfortably. “Why’s it so dark? Feels like a morgue in here…”

“He’s sleeping!” Morgana’s bristling too, the fur at the nape of his neck rising as he jumps down, trotting across the floor only to stand up and sheath his claws in Ryuji’s pants. “Shut your big noisy mouth for once!”

It’s rude to kick cats, even annoying extra-dimensional not-cats, so Ryuji restrains himself to a muttered curse. “Why’s he sleepin’? It’s like, three in the afternoon?”

“Long night,” Akira croaks from the futon, making the both of them jump.

Morgana’s away in a flash, bounding away from Ryuji and onto the bed, winding around what Ryuji’d thought was just blankets. “You should be resting,” he scolds as Ryuji makes his way uneasily across the room. “What did Takemi-san say?”

“Why was your creepy doctor lady sayin’ anything?” Ryuji asks, feeling his brow furrow as Akira sits up really weirdly. It’s like someone’s yanking him up by a string—he holds his torso super stiff, every movement calculated and tense, and he’s wearing a hoodie in bed. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Everything’s fine,” Akira says, swinging his legs off the side of the futon with that same weird, stiff motion. He meets Ryuji’s eyes and grins, but something about that’s off too. Something tugs weirdly at the side of his mouth. “I was at the police station for a lot longer than I wanted to be; I didn’t get home until late.”

“Yeah, okay, but you’re also bullshitting me over something,” Ryuji says dubiously, bending down to look into his eyes more closely. There’s somethin’ weird about ‘em, watching the way they move around. “You think Akechi shooting your cognitive self screwed something up?”

Akira shakes his head, slow and deliberate. “Shouldn’t have. Everything went according to plan.”

He sounds winded, like he’s been running for half an hour, not lying in bed. When he reaches up to push his glasses up his nose, the cuff of his sleeve rides up his arm, exposing a neon-green bandage wrapping around his wrist.

Ryuji’s breath catches in his throat. When he flicks his eyes over to where Morgana sits, Morgana’s staring too, like some sorta mother hen.

He doesn’t know what to say, what to ask, what to do. None of their hurts linger long once they come out of the Metaverse, between the healing spells and the weird medicines Akira brings around for them, and even with that battle royale in the casino Akira hadn’t been nearly this beat up.

Whatever this is, whatever’s making him all stiff and breathless, that happened in the real world.

“Is anyone else here yet?” Akira asks casually, like nothing’s wrong. Ryuji swallows and shakes his head. “Good. I’m going to get dressed. You can wait for me downstairs, if you want.”

“You ain’t got nothing I haven’t seen before,” Ryuji says before he can think about it, crossing over to throw himself down onto the dusty old sofa. “Go ahead. I’ll tell you what went down after we separated.”

He thinks he sees a flicker of resignation in Akira’s eyes before he pretends to busy himself with his phone. “Go on, then.”

“Well…” Ryuji’s explanation is long and meandering, his eyes fixed firmly on his screen as he listens to Akira shuffle around behind him. Normally he moves like a cat, all easy grace and silent footsteps, but today he lumbers, drags his feet, his steps hitching and uneven. He makes a noise barely louder than a grunt at one point, just loud enough to make Ryuji glance over.

“Holy fucking shit,” he says, and drops his phone with a clatter.

“Not so loud,” Akira mutters with a long-suffering sigh, but the damage is done; Ryuji’s already across the room at his side, staring at the bruising on his thigh in horror. He’s seen shit like this before; a kid on the track team fell in the middle of a race and got trampled by half the guys during his second or third meet, and everyone got to gather around and stare at the bruising. It was gross-looking, like the bruises on an overripe banana, dark and rotten.

This is worse.

Akira’s not even putting any weight on it when he doesn’t have to, that’s why he’s been sounding so stumpy. He’s holding the pajama pants he was wearing in a white-knuckled grip. “Dude,” Ryuji says in horrified awe. “Akira. Sit down before you fall down.”

His mouth turns down at the corners, all stubborn and stupid. “I’m fi—“

“If you try and finish that sentence I’m gonna poke that bruise and then drag you back to bed,” Ryuji warns, plucking the pjs out of his hands and tossing them onto the sofa. It’s a little weird to be standing here with Akira just in his boxers, but that’s not really the biggest concern right now. “Are you—you said something about your doctor—dude, just, c’mere already, jeez—“

He ducks under Akira’s arm right before Akira wobbles, steadying him. “I said sit down! You shouldn’t even be standing on that.”

“So I’ve heard.” His voice is tense; Ryuji can clearly hear the pained breathing, up this close against him. “It’s not that bad.”

Ryuji rolls his eyes so hard he feels like they might fall out of his head, manhandling Akira back to the futon as gently as he can. “Last time I saw a bruise like this, the guy wasn’t out of bed for like a week and a half, and after that he was on crutches.”

He’s aware of the implications of a bruise like this. He doesn’t wanna think about it; it’s already making anger simmer slow and deadly in the pit of his stomach. The thought of Akira getting pummeled by those police bastards—

“Ryuji, stop squeezing,” Akira murmurs, his hand resting on Ryuji’s bicep. He loosens his grasp immediately, face flaming, but Akira doesn’t push him away. “It’s been looked at. Everything’s fine. I didn’t want you to see, that’s all.”

Ryuji doesn’t have words for that. He wants to yell, wants to curse and throw things and maybe kick someone, but none of that would help. None of that does anything for Akira, sitting here looking up at Ryuji with that stupid wry twist to his stupid self-sacrificing mouth. “Eff that,” he settles on saying, taking Akira’s hand in his and nudging up the sleeves to look at the bandages around his wrists. “If I saw something, you can bet everyone else’ll notice too.”

“Not if you help me get down there and settled before they get here.”

[blackstar]

p5 rarepair dumpster diving: director’s cut edition

last night on discord i spent two full hours of my life typing up a canon-compliant akechi/ryuji timeline and frankly that kind of effort isn’t something i want to waste by keeping the fruits of my labor private. so! here it is. welcome to my special hell: a hilariously obscure and hilariously baseless ship that i seem to be invested in purely to clown my own damn self.

this is an extremely long post and there are a lot of spoilers contained herein, so be wary of both those things. events that happened in actual canon are bolded, and everything else is just me elaborating. 

- first off, the initial meeting at the tv station, where akechi introduces himself, and then slips up by talking about pancakes. this is the first time ryuji's met akechi, though not the first time he's heard about him, and he can tell that something is off about akechi's behavior from the get-go, but can't tell what, because he's kind of extremely distracted and not thinking right. this boy is pretty. he's pretty and ryuji doesn't like it. is he wearing mascara or are his eyelashes really that dark? why is he thinking about that? true to form, he goes for aggressive behavior to cover for internal confusion. hating akechi for making him face his own repressed masc attraction is very easy. 

- the class returns to the tv station for a second day, where they see akechi give an interview live. ryuji is not friendly during this. after the interview, akechi runs into akira alone in the hallways. ryuji is a good friend, so he goes looking for akira. akechi and akira are done talking by then, and ryuji crosses paths with the wrong dude. akechi appears nonetheless. ryuji isn't friendly, but even when he's being actively hostile the poor guy wears his heart on his sleeve and akechi might not be a true ace detective but he is a little more observant than the average person. not that you would need that to be able to tell from how ryuji's talking about the friend he's looking for that the guy is crushing hard on glasses mcgee. akechi assures ryuji that he won't let that friend of his in on his secret, and, not knowing what he's talking about, ryuji assumes that akechi's noticed him staring. he denies that explicitly, which tells akechi that ryuji's got something for akechi himself on top of a crush on akira. noted. akechi swears up and down that he believes ryuji and they part ways. ryuji goes back and meets up with akira again. still does not know what feels off about akechi.

- akechi starts visiting leblanc semiregularly about midway through things. usually it's akira that runs into him, but ryuji swings by now and then too - looking for akira, of course, but somehow he always ends up at leblanc after akira's already headed out to do something else. so it's just him and. that dude. he ignores akechi for the most part, but just him being present in the area is enough to remind ryuji that yeah, actually, he really is attracted to this guy. ryuji's behavior experiences a sharp uptick in forced heteromasculinity as ryuji starts to doubt himself and attempts to affirm his identity as a straight dude to fix things. this fixes nothing. akechi is still frustratingly attractive.

- eventually ryuji decides to confront akechi. he doesn't come to leblanc that often without an invite from akira, but he's getting sick of akechi always hanging around the place. he catches akechi walking back from leblanc to the station, and asks him what business he's got always hanging around here. akechi says plainly that he's just after a good cup of coffee in a charming atmosphere. ryuji asks if akechi is trying to piss him off. akechi assures ryuji that he's not, really; he knows they haven't talked much but he really doesn't have anything against ryuji and if this is about ryuji's little crush, he promises he doesn't mind. ryuji tells him to shut the hell up, but that's a lot less effective when he's beet red. poor kid. akechi promises that he'll stop coming by the coffee shop so much once work picks back up, and ryuji tells him that he better damn well do that. akechi laughs, like a fake bitch. he tells ryuji that he doesn't know why ryuji tries so hard to seem like a thug; he's really such a nice person to be around under that act - maybe once ryuji accepts that they have no reason to be enemies, they can get to know each other. he knows a great place that serves brunch around the clock. ryuji ends the conversation as fast as humanly possible because he's throughly rattled - which is exactly what akechi was hoping for, obviously - and needs to get away from this man and his beautiful eyelashes. they split. ryuji does not sleep that night.

- at some point, ryuji realizes just why it was that akechi's behavior bothered him the first time they met, and comes to understand that akechi is able to hear morgana's voice. akechi mentioning a place serving brunch and leading him to daydream about a brunch date with lots of fluffy pancakes might have been what triggered his memory, but look, ends justify the means, right?? it's fine to think about dating another guy if it's for a just cause like figuring out important stuff. trouble is, he doesn't know what to do with this information. he considers telling the others, but ends up keeping quiet. after all, maybe akechi's got issues of his own. but also fuck his issues, because he's terrible and ryuji hates him and would never do anything out of consideration for fucking akechi's feelings, except that is exactly what he is doing.

- while ryuji is stewing in a bog of internalized homophobia and unresolved crushes on boys, shujin academy's student festival is rolling around. makoto appoints ryuji to the planning committee along with the rest of the phantom thieves to give them an excuse for all meeting together. as part of their committee duties, they tally the student votes for the special guest, and decide that akechi will be this year's guest, if they can convince him. makoto texts akechi to ask him to attend. they wait. when she doesn't get a response for a while, she asks if they should consider having a plan b ready to go in case akechi doesn't show. by this point ryuji's been keeping his realization that akechi is a metaverse user under his hat for a while now, and for some reason hearing makoto talk about this brings that to the forefront of his mind again. he tells the gang that there's something they should know, if they're really gonna invite akechi - he intends for this revelation to dissuade makoto from pursuing akechi as the festival's guest, but it only makes her more determined. akechi agrees to attend the festival shortly after. ryuji does not like where this is going. 

- during the festival, akechi calls the mystery gang out on being the phantom thieves, reveals himself as a metaverse user, and pretends to have never heard morgana's voice before, which is bullshit. he strikes a deal with them, and becomes a temporary member of crimesquad. thanks to their conversation earlier, however, the crew already knows that he's lying to them, and takes countermeasures immediately. one of these countermeasures includes a war room style meeting to decide how to deal with this situation, in which makoto tells everyone that if anyone knows anything, anything at all about what akechi knows or things they could use against them, they need to have all cards on the table right now. ryuji keeps quiet. akira notices. they're pretty close by this point (rank 10 confidant, hello), and they've recently had a few pretty serious heart to hearts - nothing romantic between them yet, but ryuji's trusted akira enough to open up about his sexuality crisis a little, which is part of why ryuji's instances of forced heteromasculinty have decreased in frequency in recent weeks.) ryuji receives a text message when he checks his phone, it's akira telling him to 'tell them about that conversation you had with akechi outside leblanc. everything about it. they won't think any less of you, i promise. all of us are your friends.' deep breaths, ryuji.

- after a little psyching up, ryuji says that he's got some info. he reveals both his major encounters with akechi since their first meeting at the tv station, and explains that akechi knows... something about him. his phone buzzes. he does not have to look at it to know it's akira telling him that he can do this. makoto asks if ryuji is worried that akechi will try to use that 'something' against him. ryuji says that akechi's definitely gonna use it, if akechi's really a bad guy, at least - he clarifies that what akechi knows is the truth of ryuji's crush on him. yusuke suddenly sits up much straighter, in the way of a gay guy who has just realized for the first time that he isn't the only queer person in his friend group. ann seems like she's about to say something, but gets interrupted by makoto telling ryuji that they can use this. ryuji wants to die a little!!

- with that incredibly stressful meeting over with, the process of infiltrating sae's palace begins shortly after akechi strikes his bargain with the phantom thieves. before the heist even begins, however, the thieves have already made a couple important plans of own: firstly, they've plotted to bug akechi's phone, a scheme that gets carried off without a hitch on the day that the heist begins. secondly, they've decided ahead of time to wait until the last possible day to send the calling card, not knowing that akechi will suggest this anyway. they need time to prepare for what they're about to pull off,  and they've guessed that akechi will go along with this because he needs time to arrange his own plans as well.

- futaba works fast. that little hack of hers isn't just recording akechi's conversations, it's rooting through all his calls and texts for information on what he's planning, and boy oh boy there is a lot to unpack. by the time they head home early after the first day's infiltration, she's already got more than enough for them to work with. another war room gets called. by now they know what akechi plans to do and roughly how he plans to do it, so it's time to prepare a defense against him. problem is, it'll be difficult to get away from him to investigate and prepare things when they're inside the palace - unless akechi suggests that they split up himself. they know that akechi wants joker dead, but hasn't talked about any specific plans for the rest of them, so they decide to take a pretty big gamble.

- the thieves do not infiltrate the palace again the next day, and therefore, neither do akechi or ryuji. instead, ryuji once again catches akechi outside leblanc - this time in the early afternoon, while akechi's on his way there. he tells akechi that since they have no reason to be enemies anymore, maybe it's time akechi made good on that promise about going to brunch together. akechi agrees. breakfast at tiffany's, but it's brunch at some upscale diner. during the course of this dinner date, ryuji does some complaining. he tells akechi about how he doesn't feel like a real member of the phantom thieves, how everyone else thinks he's just a stupid thug, how sometimes he just wants to quit this whole thing, and how he's glad that there's finally someone here who doesn't think he's an idiot. akechi, who thinks ryuji is an idiot, assumes that ryuji isn't smart enough to have an ulterior motive and takes him at face value. he tells ryuji that he's sorry ryuji feels that way, and that he's just glad that ryuji's trusting him a little more ("especially after some of the things you said at first! haha :-)"). ryuji tells akechi that he's not so bad after all, and hey, maybe he could take akechi with him if he really does split off from the phantom thieves. akechi says he'll think about it. he is coming to understand that ryuji 1) is kind of very handsome 2) has a nice voice 3) is probably dumb enough to be useful, which is obviously the most important part and that's why it's listed last. as most important things are.

- during the next infiltration, the gang comes across a frustrating scheme to force minors into gambling. accumulating coins in sae's casino is difficult work, and everyone's itching to hurry on with things. akechi chooses this moment to both assist the team in proceeding forward, and to get ryuji on his own. he asks ryuji to help him with something, and the two of them go off on their own - leaving the rest of the team free to investigate. futaba has already briefed ryuji on exactly how long they need to keep akechi busy. all he's gotta do is listen to akechi talk. coin collecting goes fast, of course, since they've already hacked most of the machines. ryuji's almost worried that he won't be able to keep akechi busy long enough. luckily, akechi chooses that moment to ask ryuji if they can talk. sure, ryuji says, there's nothin' suspicious about two dudes sneaking off on their own to 'talk.'

- akechi asks ryuji if he truly is unhappy with the phantom thieves, and if so, why does he stay? after all, the police will close in sooner or later - does he really want to serve life in prison for a group of people he doesn't even seem welcomed by? ryuji's a little uncomfortable acknowledging something he mostly tries to ignore - that yeah, actually, the way his supposed friends treat him sucks, but he's ready for this conversation. he tells akechi that he doesn't know. maybe it's because he wouldn't have anyone there for him if he left. akechi asks him what he'd do if they ever did get caught. would he go down with these so-called friends, or cooperate with the police. ryuji asks akechi what he's getting at. akechi drops a small fraction of his act and tells ryuji that the police are much, much closer to making arrests than the phantom thieves think - meaning that ryuji is that much closer to that reckoning. but, he says, this detective thing isn't meaningless. akechi tells ryuji that if ryuji would be willing to testify to the identity of all the other phantom thieves - giving the prosecution bulletproof evidence for conviction - then he could pull some strings to get ryuji immunity. maybe. okay, ryuji says, but what then? ain't i just going back to square one? starting over again all on my own? good point, but: don't be silly, akechi assures him. i'd be there, wouldn't i? i wouldn't abandon you after you've been such a great help to me.

- ryuji doesn't have the best internal clock, but he thinks it's been probably twenty minutes since they split up - though he's worrying about that way less than he should. there's a lot of emotions happening right now, and he deserves a fucking oscar for keeping them in check. akechi wants akira dead - akira, the one person ryuji cares most about - and he'll get his wish if this plan doesn't work. for that, ryuji hates him - well, for that and other things. but the way they're talking right now, akechi seems so... nice. kinda sad, somehow. and he's still aggravatingly pretty, and that doesn't change no matter how much he pisses ryuji off. ryuji asks akechi what he means. akechi asks ryuji what ryuji thinks he means. ryuji asks if they can go to that brunch place again sometime, because if he answers that question he'll end up verbally punching akechi in his snake-ass mouth. anyway, like a date, right? that, akechi agrees to. it's weird, but the way he's talking, he seems like he's happy to have someone to talk to. ryuji seriously doesn't get this guy. he's also torn between feeling a single gay emotion and wanting to throttle akechi on the spot, so all things considered it's lucky that akechi notices the time. they head back to rejoin the party, and we all know how the rest of the heist goes.

- cut to the part where akira escapes death by akechi. the plan laid out by the phantom thieves successfully leaves akechi convinced that he's killed akira for good, as most deaths are in fact permanent. akechi enjoys the attention of the media too much to bother with contacting ryuji for help in rounding up the remaining members, which ryuji considers to be for the best. akechi's main goal of killing akira has been 'accomplished', after all, so he's no longer prioritizing this mission. eventually, he declares on tv that he will certainly catch the  remaining phantom thieves, though he's no longer as pressured to do so quickly since the head is already cut off. at this point, he calls ryuji. they agree to meet up again, but not to discuss a testimony yet - just a celebration for the leader's arrest. it's time to do brunch. all the prep time in the world could get ryuji ready to listen to akechi talk about akira's supposed death as though it's a good thing. the more he listens to akechi talk, the more he doesn't fucking understand this guy. he's seriously close to physical violence here, for real, but suddenly akechi's talking about how securing these arrests will finally earn his father's approval, and suddenly. a part of ryuji's anger deflates. he doesn't like to think about it, but he remembers how it feels to try to please a father who considers you worth less than the dirt on his shoes.

- akechi cuts brunch short after letting that slip. ryuji goes home with a lot to think about. they've made plans to talk again in a week or two at the courthouse to get statements from ryuji on the identities of the other phantom thieves - akechi is hoping to time the complete defeat of the remaining members to occur just after his father is elected prime minister, knowing that the public will take such instataneous good results as proof of the new prime minister's righteousness. this second meeting never occurs, because the phantom thieves break into shido's palace before that happens. akechi is waiting for them. akechi is not happy. it's not just that he's stressed to hell and quickly becoming unhinged and just absolutely furious that joker evaded him - joker's the main reason his mental state gets so bad so fast, but part of it is the fact that ryuji is there, still with the thieves, and akechi feels like a fucking idiot for falling for anything ryuji said. the fact that he couldn't see through that act serves to reinforce his fears about not being even half of what he presents himself as (what kind of ace detective can't see past such an obvious lie???), and ryuji's betrayal is just another reminder that no one, no one he's ever met has actually wanted him around. ryuji would rather side with friends who tear him down constantly than with someone who was trying to be in his corner.

- shit goes south. a fight happens. a second akechi shows up. for the first time since they met, ryuji's comments towards akechi aren't hostile - the opposite, in fact. he jumps to defend akechi when the puppet akechi tries to say some fuck shit, and seems to actually. worry about him, kinda. because even with all this shit happening, he's remembering what akechi told him about his father, and now he's got context for that. it's. hard for him to hate akechi knowing now what kind of a father akechi grew up with, and yeah, maybe he is taking this a little personal because of his own issues with his father, but he has come around to care about this guy. he still hates that, obviously, because having sympathy for someone who tried to kill akira feels positively foul. not like he can do anything about it, though. especially after akechi dies. 

- ryuji gets left with a lot of messy feelings and unanswered questions, but the main thing he keep wondering is this: would akechi still be dead if he'd stuck by him? is it his fault that this happened? akechi didn't have anyone there for him, he knows that, so as the one person who could have been, isn't he responsible for his betrayal? the phantom thieves might have done the right thing, but on a personal level, he doesn't feel like he did. no one is happy here. akira buys ryuji a burger after the heist is over but that like, barely helps.

IN CONCLUSION:

[brites]

Nagisa, who has never been sick before, eats too much and throws up for the first time in his life and Haru, Makoto and Rei have to teach him everything— where to be sick, what to do afterwards, other do's and don'ts— all as Nagisa goes through the process of being sick

Despite outward appearances, Nagisa has always had a strong immune system.

It’s something he’s delighted in before, and he likes to brag about it. During winter months, when all his friends were sniffly with colds, Nagisa will sometimes inhale deep breaths just to prove he could. When all his sisters caught a stomach virus going around town, Nagisa was sympathetic, but also very glad that it wasn’t him.

Where Nagisa is strong in one area, he is weak in another – and his weakness is his tendency to overindulge.

Today, it is pizza – on top of the ice cream they got after practice, and the two loaves of Iwatobi cream bread he had for lunch. He also had a rich breakfast; he’s spent most of the day feeling comfortably full. It is dinner, with it’s steaming pies of cheese and sauce, that really pushes him over the edge.

Nagisa lets out a moan, collapsing back against the couch. There is still a pizza crush gripped in one hand; the other has wandered to his stomach, clutching it. As he tosses back his head, he allows the bitten crust to drop to the table, where a wincing Rei tosses it into the empty box.

“I can’t believe you ate a whole pizza by yourself,” Gou mutters. “These things are huge!”

“That pizza was bigger than me,” agrees Nagisa, stifling a burp into his fist. Then, with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he shakes his head. “But it tasted so good!”

On the other side of the table, Makoto and Haruka exchange glances. They’re all used to Nagisa’s bottomless stomach by now, although they have no clue how he does it. For someone so small, he definitely has a massive appetite. Today, however, it seems like Nagisa has done nothing but eat – and when a low growl tears through the air, Makoto can’t help the way his concern piques.

“Nagisa? Are you feeling okay? That didn’t sound so great.”

Nagisa nods his head, sitting up a bit straighter. He spreads his palm across his mouth, allowing it to linger there for a few seconds, before a wetter burp bursts out of him. As his brows knit together, the tension around the table seems to heighten.

“I’m fine,” Nagisa replies slowly. “I just feel pretty full… bruUULP. Really full. I ate so much…”

“We told you to slow down.”

“But Rei-chan always says that, so why would I listen?” Nagisa’s stomach lets out another angry groan. It’s bloated out from his small frame in a way that makes his discomfort obvious. As Rei leans forward, peering at Nagisa’s middle critically, another burp tears from the stuffed boy.

“Ohh,” groans Nagisa, squeezing his eyes shut. “I feel really weird…”

“How weird?” Gou demands, eyes widening. “Like you’re going to be sick?”

Immediately Haruka springs into action – he doesn’t want Nagisa being sick all over his living room, any more than Nagisa probably wants it himself. He beelines over to the corner of the room, plucking a trash bin off the ground, and discards the plastic lining inside before passing it back to the table. Nagisa stares at it, bafflement plain on his face.

“What do I – hullp – do with that?”

The rest of the team exchanges wary glances. “What do you mean? You throw up in it.”

Nagisa’s stomach lets out another angry burble, and he leans forward with both hands around his stomach. He’s starting to sweat now, face paling to an off-white shade. His eyes are wide and afraid. “How?”

This is a question no one can seem to process. The other teenagers stare at Nagisa for a long moment, in a mix of confusion and disbelief, before Makoto finally leans forward. “Nagisa,” he says slowly, “are you saying you don’t know how to throw up?”

“I’ve never done it before! How do I – bruULP – do it? What’s gonna happen? Will – auuRULP – will it hurt? Ohh…” Nagisa doubles in on himself with another groan, form being jolted with a violent hiccup. Rei, who swears he hears something splash in his throat, cautiously edges away from Nagisa.

It’s clear that they’re running out of time – they have to act fast. “Okay,” says Makoto, quickly placing the garbage bin in front of Nagisa. “You put your face over it, like that. Pretend you’re going to spit into it.”

“I spit?” Nagisa asks skeptically, doing what he says. Gou lets out a soft huff, muttering that Nagisa “will be doing a lot more than that”, but places her hands over the boy’s back. The unexpected touch forces another rolling belch up Nagisa’s throat, and he groans again.

There is a steady stream of saliva beginning to drip from the corners of Nagisa’s mouth, splashing into the bin. Rei winces at the unsightly display, but forces himself to continue watching for Nagisa’s sake. “Now,” he says, “you’re going to start gagging. Let yourself relax. Keep your throat from closing up, or else it will only be more painful. Stay calm.”

Makoto winces. “Rei, when you tell someone to stay calm, they usually start panicking.”

“Well, they shouldn’t! That’s entirely against logic!”

Before the argument can stretch on, Nagisa pitches forward as a harsh retch tears from his throat. He lets out a whimper, clutching the sides of the bowl tightly; his eyes, wide with panic, flicker between his friends in a silent question.

“Good job,” Haruka interjects softly, hoping to be able to calm him down. Nagisa is on the verge of hyperventilating between gags, totally seized by panic at the unfamiliar sensations ravaging his body. Gou continues to massage his back, changing her efforts from coaxing to soothing.

“Okay, Nagisa. Just keep breathing, and --”

Nagisa jerks forward abruptly, a harsh gurgle tearing from his throat. This is the final straw; a surge of undigested food comes spilling out of his mouth, splashing down to the bin. Gou gasps sharply (but does not draw back), while both Rei and Makoto turn green. Haruka narrows his eyes but stays steady; when Nagisa’s tearing eyes search for something to latch onto, they find a crystal blue gaze.

Nagisa throws up for what feels like hours, but in reality is only a few minutes. When he finally pulls back, he is shaking; vomit still clings to his lips, and some has gotten onto his shirt where he was unable to keep himself steady. He looks between his friends, inhaling a shaky breath, before he just begins sobbing.

“Ohh... Nagisa...” Makoto reaches out without thinking, and Nagisa throws himself into his arms. The face Makoto makes when he realizes that his shirt is now covered in some of Nagisa’s mess is priceless, and were Nagisa in any other state he would have been quick enough to take a picture.

“Well,” sighs Gou, slapping her hands down on her thighs. “That was dramatic.”