#i have had a great many comrades who eat shit in the ring

[neramontagofficial]

The great sorrow of interacting with the broader Orion Arm as a member of a House company is the perception that all Kavalieres are interchangeable with Pankrati

A great pilot might be skilled in the arena and bring their house honor in the House Games, but might just as well possess a skill set that makes them extremely bad in the sorts of light brawling that Pankration Mekani demands. That is to say: not every Karrakin pilot does Pankrati or is even good at it, and this is not reflective of their ability to do their job.

[baconwaffle2016]

Melizabeth Week, Day 2: Heaven/Hell

Next part!

Fair warning: Intense language/cussing.

Part 2: The Omen

From Hell

It was a rather ordinary summer night in the English countryside. The weather was rather mild and the atmosphere quiet, for the most part. But don’t let that fool you— just because it feels comfortable, doesn’t mean that the forces of evil are not on the move. They always are; they are everywhere.

Hence why the silence of a quite ordinary cemetery in said countryside is slowly interrupted by the demons that crawl out from Below.

First was a tall and bulky demon, the top of his head nearly consumed by something black and slimy and possibly alive. His beady black eyes glared out in disgust at being on the Earth, his mouth forming into a loathing sneer. He stood tall, despite his hunch; but he made no more movement. After all, the basket he was holding was carrying what most people (at least those who didn’t know any better) would call “precious cargo”.

The next demon to appear was just as monstrous, though instead his mouth was formed into a sadistic smirk. His black eyes landed on the basket his comrade was holding and his smirk grew into a dripping grin.

“Is that it?”

“It is.”

“Can I see it?”

“No!”

“Oh, come on, Aranak—”

“We’re here to deliver it to Meliodas,” snarled Aranak. “Can’t afford to dawdle. Not that we want to anyway.”

Zeno growled, then tore his gaze away to glare. “Where is that idiot anyway? You’d think with how long he’s been here, he’d be able to get here in a snap.”

“He’s driving here.”

“Driving?!”

“I know.”

“You think all those rumors are true then? ‘bout him goin’ native?”

“He’s definitely been up here too long, that’s for sure.” When he heard the faint blast of rock music, Aranak let out a low growl and turned his gaze towards the Bentley driving towards them. “There he is now.”

And there he was, in his Bentley that always played Queen (no matter what CD or cassette was put in)—Meliodas the Serpent, the Worst of the Worst, the Prince of Darkness— the one demon who was sent up to Earth on a simple mission to tempt humanity away from grace and decided to stay. Granted, this alone wasn’t against the rules per se; but it was an odd contention across all demonkind. Of course, many didn’t dare bring this up to the Boss. One could only wonder what He would do to the demon who dared to speak badly against his Favorite™.

Aranak and Zeno watched as Meliodas parked the Bentley and then stepped out with a light slam of the door. He was wearing a sharp suit consisting entirely of black, with a tinge of dark green in the right light, and his face clear of any mold or any other blemishes. Probably the only aspect of him that might attract attention, at least from humans, were the dark sunglasses covering his snake-like green eyes. They saw him run a hand through his blond hair to tousle it before turning to send them a crooked grin. Then he began walking over to them in a perhaps too confident swagger, his hands casually in the pockets of his slacks.

“Hail Satan,” said Aranak with a slight nod.

“Hail Satan,” echoed Zeno, full of vigor.

“Yo, Aranak, Zeno! I never see you guys topside,” greeted Meliodas, his grin still wide. “What’s up?”

Not wanting to waste any more time, let alone on Earth, Aranak lifted his arm and held the basket in view. Meliodas stared at the basket a moment before his entire face went pale.

“No,” he whispered. “Is that…?”

Aranak grinned. “It is.”

“...Already?”

“In eleven years,” Zeno confirmed with a dark chuckle. “Then the seas will boil, the skies will fall, reality itself will crumble—and the second Holy War between Heaven and Hell will begin.”

Meliodas stared at them, his expression now aloof, almost cold. If one looked closer, they might be able to see the movement of his throat as he swallowed hard.

“And you will be the one to deliver it, orders from the Boss,” added Aranak, his smirk growing.

Unable to do anything else, Meliodas stretched his arm out and took the basket. He glanced down at it very briefly before casting a cool look at the other demons. “So, what now?”

“Now we’re done, the rest is on you,” said Zeno, already melting back to Hell, much like the slime covering the toad on his head.

“Further directions will be sent to you,” said Aranak, the slime on his head dripping along the rest of his body until it was covered entirely with mold. Before he disappeared entirely, he sent Meliodas a particular vile snarl. “Don’t fuck it up.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell Zel I say hi.”

He waited a moment more, just to make sure the other demons were certainly gone (for now), and then he stared down at the basket he was holding. Although the basket didn’t move in his grip, he could sense the one inside wriggling around, as one that small is wont to do.

“Fuck.”

From Heaven

It took everything in Elizabeth not to jump out of her seat at the bar as the sushi chef prepared her food in front of her. She watched with bright blue eyes as three fresh pieces of salmon were placed on sushi rice, and then watched as the chef prepared the spicy tuna roll. When he was finally finished, he let out a satisfied sigh and then plated it.

“Here you go, Ms. Liones,” said the chef in Japanese.

“Ah, thank you!” replied Elizabeth, in perfect Japanese. She bowed her head politely and added, “I will enjoy it.”

The chef sent her a bright smile before moving onto his next customer.

Elizabeth almost squealed while staring down at her plate. She took a deep breath, more than content with the smell of fresh fish, ginger, and wasabi, and her mouth immediately watered. She wasted no more time in grabbing her chopsticks and preparing to eat—only to freeze when a very familiar (and unwanted) presence appeared next to her.

“Here you are, Elizabeth. I’ve been looking for you all over the place!”

“Ludociel!” She turned to grace the Archangel with a polite smile. “Fancy seeing you here! To what do I owe the visit?”

Ludociel put on a smile, his eyes remaining closed as always.

“Oh, I was just passing through, wanting to visit one of my very favorite fellow angels!” he said with a pointed nod. “Imagine my surprise when I find you here— and with...what is that?”

“Oh, sushi! It’s fish with rice and seaweed— you dip it in soy sauce!” Elizabeth swallowed hard before lifting her plate. “W-w-would you like to try—?”

“Oh, no. I don’t defile my body with...gross matter. Probably wouldn’t be good for my figure,” he added with a raised eyebrow, again, a gesture that felt pointed.

Under the bar, Elizabeth’s free hand clenched in her lap.

“Was there anything you needed, Ludociel?” she asked.

“I just wanted to give you the news that, although the Almighty has been singing your praises about your work on Earth, well—don’t get too comfortable.”

“...May I ask why?”

“Well, in about eleven years, the Earth will no longer exist!” Ludociel’s wide grin was much like that of a ravenous crocodile. “Armageddon is on the move, and it won’t be long before we have to make preparations.”

Elizabeth was numb as she stared up at him. Sweat gathered along her forehead and dripped down her neck. “P-p-preparations?”

“For the next Holy War, of course! You know, between Heaven and Hell? Like how it’s stated in the Great Plan.”

“A-ah. Of course. The Holy War…”

“The War to Truly End All Wars— it will be glorious.”

“And...what do you need me to do?”

“For now, nothing. We have eleven years to prepare, of course, so we might find use of you near the end times— but for now, just keep doing what you’re doing! This was more of a courtesy call, if anything. After all, you are the one angel who stayed down here the longest.”

“Well, there’s always a lot of Good to be done here. Miracles and such,” Elizabeth explained.

“Yes, yes, and you work splendidly! So, keep doing that. Enjoy what you can,” said Ludociel, again with that pointed smirk. “Again, it won’t last long.”

And with a snap and one Miracle later, Ludociel was gone.

Elizabeth stared at the place where he’d stood, her face pale and her eyes wide with a growing horror. Armageddon...eleven years….

That indeed would not be enough time.

After quickly eating and paying for her meal, Elizabeth found an empty spot on the street and snapped. In a flash, she was back in her bookshop, surrounded by the familiar smells of dust and tea. She nearly ran to grab her phone, and she quickly dialed a number she had come to know all too well.

==

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!”

For the thousandth time that night, Meliodas wanted to slam his head against the steering wheel. With grinding teeth, he glanced at his rear mirror, his gut only growing heavier the more distance he put between himself and the Satanic nunnery where the sisters there would take care of The Switch™. It was an order that he couldn’t have refused, no matter how much the Boss seemed to favor him. For now, he could only hope that these next eleven years would drudge on by, at least enough for him to plan— something.

A certain angel came to mind, making a part of his chest go hollow. Should he tell her? Ugh, he could already picture her face at the news, the tears that would fall from her eyes— tears that for once, he desired not to see let alone be the cause of. She’d grown quite attached to this little dirt planet and its inhabitants. Then again, Meliodas knew— deep in his black, black heart— he was no better.

So it was truly providence when he heard his phone ring with a familiar tone. He pressed a button on his steering wheel, answering through his bluetooth.

“Yo,” he greeted, casually as he could.

“Meliodas, we’re in trouble,” said Elizabeth, going straight to business.

“I know— End of the World, eleven years.”

“Wait, how…?”

“Because I’m the one they demanded to deliver the baby.” After a thought, he groaned and added, “Not delivered-delivered, but. I delivered the child to the nuns. The Antichrist is probably charming their parents already…”

“So, it’s done then.”

“Yeah…yeah, angel. It’s over.”

A pause.

“Come to my bookshop. We need to come up with a plan.”

[ghoulxbaekhyun]

I have a new header now :D and I think these few new dedicated days will mark the beginning of more positivity in this community 🖤

𝓢𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓵 𝓢𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓪𝔂: @incubuswooyoung

𝓢𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓢𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓪𝔂: @pianist-jihyo @biker-minghao

1. @yourmom-jieun

Ji-chan, I can't stress enough just how much you mean to me. You've always been the heaviest rock in my life, you've helped me through so much and you've always been there for me. My dearest little sister, you're such a strong person. The amount of pain you've gone through was unbelievable, yet you still held on for the sake and happiness of your children and your friends.

You helped and cared for many of us, but I don't think you've ever had equal amounts of love for yourself. I know today will be the day of your departure and I am saddened by that. But if it means you'll be happier, you'll be healthier, you'll be better, then go for it.

Just because the person is gone doesn't mean the memories will be too. I'll always remember you. And you know exactly where to find me 🖤

2. @/spy-jaehyunx ° @time-for-confession

To dearest Admin Kai, I can't thank you enough for always looking out for me. Yoonoh was my first everything. My first kiss, my first crush and my first love. I hope you know that even if you're gone, I'll always remember you.

Just as I've remembered my fallen comrades, my past friends, I'll definitely remember you. Thank you for giving me the love and affection, for the late night talks, that time you said you'd deal with my angsty ass.

Thank you. For being there for me, both you and admin. I'll be here for you anytime, Kai. Don't forget to take care of yourself, yeah? 🖤

3. @m00n-purplerose-chatbot

This is directed to both admin Moon and the boys. To the wonderful, legend of a person Admin Moon! I respect you and your writing skills very very much. You never fail to touch my heart, wether it be a depressing angst scene or an action-packed fight scene or a soft heartfelt scene. You manage to hit me with so many different emotions that I didn't know we're possible. I've known you and the rest for quite some time now, and I'll have you know you're one of my closest friends here.

To the boys, (yes I'm giving them all a paragraph)

Jeonghannie, I hope you keep on staying strong. You've been through a lot, dearest leader. You've suffered plenty and you've seen way too much heartache for the average person. Although it gets tough, I know your past shaped you into the person you are today. And I couldn't be any prouder.

Shuashua, I haven't gotten to know you well enough to say too much, but I want you to know that you still have my support and affection. Take care of Jeonghan like you always do, you both are made for each other. Try not to stress out because of the kids, I know how frustrated and helpless you can feel from their ruthlessness hhh-

Hao, you're the definition of that one best friend that loves exposing and teasing the shit out of you but cares and loves you just as much as they do their bullying. I haven't gotten close to you, just like Shua either, but I'll have you know I'm here for you too. Stay the way you are, sunshine. You've never failed at making me and other people smile.

Wonnie and the gang, you're a tol bean. You're seriously one of the squishiest people ever you know that? I'm glad that you're also staying strong despite the past that you probably have. I haven't gotten to know you better as well, but I'm looking forward to learning more and more about you all! Hope you forgive Seokmin for the argument too :')

Jihoonie, I know we don't really talk, and by don't really talk I mean we barely talk at all. You're the logical person in the team and you do your job very well. You're reserved and cold and mysterious. But I know you're more than that stone face. I'm looking forward to learning more about you too, so take care yeah?

Junnie, we may not talk a lot but I want you to know that I care for you too okay? It may just be a few skirt pics that are simply unforgettable but I want you to know that I'll be your hyung just as much as I'll be a hyung to the others. You and Wonwoo are freaking adorable, so stay cute together okay?

Mingyuuuu, I remember the longest conversation we had was because of the engagement ring mishap kshsjsjsk. You got your ass whooped, and I was worried tbh- but you've probably been through a lot already. I want you to know I'm here for you too okay? So keep staying strong!

Last but not least, dearest Seokminnie. Oh, where do I start with you? I can vaguely recall the first ever interaction we both had, when you and Hao pointed out the fact that yes, I do eat humans. Cannibalism never striked me as a way to start a friendship but hey, it worked~

Over the course of a few weeks we've only gotten closer and closer. I can't help but be protective of you, and just feel like keeping you in my pocket most of the time. I know your past, and you know mine. It may not be alterable but let's keep staying strong together okay?

I know your secrets too, and after what went on in private i think it's time for me to be honest and come clean. I think I'm starting to fall for you too, Seokmin. I've never felt something like this with anyone else before but I like you too.

I won't pressure you into choosing me, it won't be fair for you to face such pressuring. But I want you to know that it's mutual. Even if you're too good for me. But thank you, okay?

Thank you for always staying by my side. 🖤

4. @vampiresanha

Sanha and Aleister, thank you for caring for me. Thank you for all the fun times and showing me how to live life. Thank you for calling me out on my boringness and swooping me away to that cliff. You two are such amazingly people that deserve way more friends and love.

I'll always be ready to donate my blood whenever Sanha needs it, you'll always be my favourite vampire. Aleister will always be my favourite dragon. You two will always be my favourite person with two souls.

Thank you for being here for me, you both. I'll let you know that I'll do the same. 🖤

5. @moonlightchn

Admin, I can't express just how much love I want to shower you in ;-; you're such an amazing person, and i want to thank you for all the affection and care you've given me. I wouldn't mind staying up late to talk to you through asks again, twas fun~

To Channie Chan and Chris, you three are the most chaotic pack of wolves I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Channie you fucking cutie, stay soft and stay loveable okay? You're the sweetest fluff ball ever, I can't handle the uwus you shower me with >-<

Chan, the big scary alpha that I let the chance to dom slip away dumbly, you're a really great person. Taking care of your pack while being so nice to others. I'm here for you anytime yeah?

Finally, the one that I must've wounded. Chris, I'd like to start it off with an apology. I'm sorry that i hurt you after answering about who my favourites were, I really didn't mean to. You're on rut now and I know you'll be all passive aggressive and as long as you are I'm never replying to our DMs but even so. I want you to know just how much I care for you. Because i do.

No matter how much we trash talk each other and no matter how much angst we end up accumulating, I'll still care for you. All three of you.

And that's a promise I'm willing to keep. 🖤

Now, I'm sure there's more people that I need to talk about, more people that have been there for me and helped me through various different things. But for now, I'll end it here. Admin's fingers are starting to hurt from typing all of this at once, but we both have no regrets because these are all the things that we've always wanted to say.

Call it appreciation if you may.

I think I'll do my Support Saturday in a different post, so for now, that's all for Sentimental Saturday.

Thank you, to everyone. Thank you for being here🖤

EXO 🖤: @werewolf-sehun @werewolfkai @j-0ngdae @serialkillerkris @softdomtao @y-ix1ng @captain-kyungsoo @college-baekhyun @serialkillerkris

🖤: @ghoulxjeongyeon @vampiresanha @barista-san @bunjihyo @dalsooobeanie @madmanwoodam @m00n-purplerose-chatbot @your-jaemin @moonlightchn @mafiabossxjunmyeon @xash-axx @time-for-confession @yourmom-jieun (🥺) @vamp-jjk @yourchaechae @kpop-shelter

[gaybutterflynerd]

Well okay...

The Ballad of the Amazon Box Horse

It twas a shitty Wednesday, on a day that alas, I was required to go into school. The sky was dark and gloomy, and I was in a boring as fuck French lesson on household objects or some shit. I, in my illustrious dumbassery had forgotten to take my adhd medication, and so I was drawing an assortment of mythic symbols from the world within my mind. And thus, the chaotic sparks of what would soon be, had started to form within my sweet, innocent, chaotic mind.

Then it happened. While we were going over the conceptual tense or some shit like a spark it hit me. A flash of deific inspiration washed over my organ of consciousness, and I thought of a concept, no- a soon to be deity:

“Ok so it’s like a horse, but made entirely out of Amazon boxes. Like a life sized horse- it’s the size of a real horse, but it’s just like- Amazon Boxes. And you see, the sheer majesty of it allows it to warp time and space, so since it’s made out of Amazon boxes you can fill the boxes with stuff, and boom, instantly delivered. I mean fuck drones, am I right? Who needs them when the future of delivery is clearly the Amazon Box Horse”

And so I preached to my comrades, recounting my thoughts on the cardboard steed, garnering such reactions as “why are you like this”, and “How does listening to you talk about this physically make me stupider?”, and the classic “You know, you’re certifiably insane”. It was even conveniently timed with a friend requiring ideas for a depiction of The Sin of Lust for an art project, and I of course suggested The Box Horse, as it is the sexiest being imaginable. Unfortunately they did not see it in they same way and declined, but thus is the way of mortals.

But this was not the end of for the tale of the Cheval de Carton, as the next day in la classe de français I would be divinely inspired once again. Equipped this time with with the great pills of please for the love of god pay attention and shut up, please, I was able to get a better understanding of the nature of the Amazon Box Horse, and I realized it’s nature was inherently divine. I was then given by The Box Horse himself, tenets of a great holy code within the Borseble (Box Horse Bibble), and I quickly scribbled them down before the great ringing of the bell.

I shall tell them to you now, but I must warn that some if the ancient writing is too faded to read, and it is therefore unavailable to the great Tumble of Blur (aka there’s some real life stuff I can’t put here cus y’know it’s the internet and there exist creepy people). Luckily, I have added brackets of areologist’s best guess as too the faded text’s meaning, however let it be known that it is a subject of large debate within the Borseble analysis community. It should also be noted that tradition states that while reading the tenets aloud one should speak at a fast pace and between tenants, slam their hand into a nearby surface as too create a banging noise. However, it is also also of note that as the great Box Horse is one of accessibility, you may stomp, otherwise modify, or even forgo the classic style if it is needed. For example here we shall use the sacred text of “Slam” as a replacement):

Slam

1. Worship [The Great Teacher of French], don’t tell [them] why.

Slam

2. Praise the Box Horse (Obviously)

Slam

3. Don’t enter a home unless invited. Not because of anything related to The Box Horse, but just because c’mon, don’t be rude,

Slam

4. Work to bring about the apocalypse

Slam

5. [The writing on this one is faded, but is seems to call for some form of blood sacrifice. Is there a darkness to The Horse not previously discovered? Well only time shall tell.]

Slam

6. Eat at least 1 kilogram of cardboard per bi-sentenial decade.

Slam

7. Be gay (in spirit)

Slam

8. Do crimes (respectfully)

Slam

8.5. Spread the great word of the Borseble

Slam

8.25. “What are the forbidden questions?” is the only forbidden question besides “What is a bi-sentenial decade?” (Addendum: After much deliberation “How long is a bi-sentenial decade?” has also been added to the list of forbidden questions, as it’s just too close to risk)

And finally,

Slam

8.125. All with a spirit have rights in the cardboard eyes of The Box Horse. Fite me.

Slam

And thus concludes the great words of the Borseble. It should be noted that The Box Horse takes many forms. One of the most evident ones is “The Minecraft Horse”, but it takes many more, with it even being theorized that “The Train From The Polar Express” is one of them due to their shared abilities of warping time an space (however, such theories are hard to follow up on due to The Box Horse’s seemingly innate ability to lesson the intelligence of even the most profound intellectuals, simply by invoking its name, for such is the nature of The Box Horse). The interpretation of the deity seldom stays consistent either. As The Box Horse is accepting of all faiths or lack there of, many followers of other religions have their own interpretation of the cardboard mount. To some he is a messenger of a greater god(s), to others he himself is a lesser god, to some he is simply an idea and symbol rather than a real deity, with others in contrast he believing he is only true deity, and in a similar vein some view him as simply a different interpretation of an already existing god(s).

What you believe The Amazon Box Horse to be is up to you to decide, however one thing is clear. We are all but passengers in life, riding upon out mighty steed. Each of us is slowly being delivered to our destiny, just as the items delivered within the great Box Horse. We are are all parts of a greater hole, however divided by color, race, sexuality, or opinions on shipping. We are all parts of the great whole, and that great whole is The Box Horse.

And as a great whole we say...

fuck drones.

[ererichi]

I see you're drawing Ereri and I thought... do you have some recs on fics or something that got you into Ereri? (or further deepened your passion) because I lost all of it like 2 years ago since I read all doujins there were and it's kind of... Where has that tingling feeling gone to...? That reminds me, I never read any fics of them. Or talked with others abt them. Wow, don't know if to call that love shallow or just unconditioned lol

I’m going to be really honest with you, I barely read any ereri fics neither did anything really stick with me. It’s been years since I last read something that I actually liked so I’m kind of in the same struggle as you are. I think what really got me into ereri is either the fanart or theories about the characters. 

(Ahem, and the fanservice from the actual anime like the official artwork and the chimi chara stuff lmao.)

I’ll list a couple of fics I somewhat still remember though. Mind you though, it’s been years since I last read them so I have no idea if the pairing is correct in the way you want to and uh, yeah… you’ve been warned!

It’s Funny Because Eren Can’t Read

In the Survey Corps, reading and comprehending paperwork is equally as crucial as it is beyond the realm of Eren’s capabilities. However, with his CO’s confidential tutelage, Eren is sure he’ll be able to catch up with his comrades in no time… if he can shake this unexpected suspicion that his fondness for humanity’s strongest soldier isn’t simple hero worship.

Hint: He cannot.

Log On (Unfinished)

Eren is a dedicated gamer, and he prides himself on his ascent from Bronze League Hero to a competitive player. What will he do, however, when a chance encounter with one of the world’s top gamers flips his life entirely? How is he supposed to balance a busy college life with his newfound gaming highlife? Unfortunately for him, there are no walkthroughs on what to do when you fall for someone thousands of miles away from you.

The 6th Ward (I actually really, really love this one)

A comedy about being dead.

Levi is finally returning to work as a nurse after recovering from a car crash that nearly killed him. Nothing says “welcome back” like realizing he’s lost his marbles and can see the disembodied spirits of the comatose patients in the 6th ward. He begrudgingly helps them learn how to be dead. Eren, the newest coma patient in the 6th ward, has six months to learn how to be dead. Good luck, kid.

More under the cut!

Junkyard Dogs

Autocracy — a system where one leader has absolute power — is the only government that exists in prison. Levi is the current ‘Top Dog,’ and for years, no one has had the mind to challenge his position — at least, no one until now. Enter: Eren Jaeger, a new inmate with indefinite mentalities and obscure motives. With the power to shake Levi’s throne, Eren becomes the one exception of everything.

3 AM

The story is about Levi: A neurotic man who suffers from depression, is successful at writing but unsuccessful at everything else. Setting: Breakfast (never in the morning) at his favorite diner, a record store that hasn’t dusted its ceiling fan since the 1970’s, a hole in the wall cafe to drink black tea and judge the terrible tongue tied poets on the shoddy ill-lit stage, a park with swings that are always annoyingly wet, and his immaculate apartment in the city. Levi is riddled with quirky traditions and struggles with anxiety, still battling childhood memories he can never completely forget. Then enter Eren Jaeger, the too loud and too passionate guitar player that takes the stage one night that just won’t stop staring at Levi. Eren is full of hope and promise and everything Levi needs, but Levi can’t have what’s good for him. Right?

What’s Eating You?

As far as accepting one’s death goes, Eren Jaeger thinks he’s doing pretty well. Except for the fact that he should have turned days ago. Why was his bite healing, when he had witnessed several others’ turn them into the soulless monsters now consuming the streets? It doesn’t help that he has been separated from everyone he could call a friend, only to be found by a mysterious group of survivors. Including one who has a personality not far off from the creatures he is trying so hard to avoid.

Great.

Art of War

Noisy neighbors, nursling dinosaurs, satanic box cutters, shitty convenience store management, the word ‘fuck’, hereditary (but not really) homosexuality, beer and ramen, pennies, truckstops, strippers, closets, semi-public defacing, rings, house parties, “recreational” drug use, accidental rendezvous, toxic stew (don’t eat the stew), nice abs, housewives–batteries not included, over-educational movie sessions, copious domesticity, kittens named after landlords, a shit joke at participating locations, and many, many happy endings.

A modern AU in which Eren moves into the apartment directly above Levi’s.

Little Titan Café.

Just another cliche AU in which Eren works as a barista in his mother’s café, specializing in latte art. And then there’s Levi, who’s not exactly your typical patron, because, well, he’s blunt and rude (which Eren supposes isn’t that much different from regular customers) but mostly he just confuses Eren’s poor little homosexual heart.

Sword Art Online (Yes, it’s a crossover)

When something seems too good to be true, that’s because it usually is. Within three hours of the game’s start, the creator of the entire endorsement, Akihiko Kayaba, summoned all ten thousand players into the town square of the first floor. Some people were already complaining about the lack of the ‘log out’ feature. I thought it was just some sort of bug, I didn’t think anything of it when I noticed it myself.

Help Me Stand

Eren’s best childhood friend and high school boyfriend, Armin, dies in a car accident in which Eren had been the one at the wheel. Unable to keep from blaming himself, life itself becomes agonizing for Eren and he turns to the more negative side of coping mechanisms. Eventually, he meets a college student named Levi who seems like he has it all figured out, just to discover that they have more in common than he thought. Modern!AU.

You have been connected (Also unfinished)

The one where Levi’s a business man, Eren’s a college student and they meet on Omegle. Twice. It kind of seems like fate after that.

[myaekingheart]

44. Tsukuyomi

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3

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               “Do you feel sorry for your old village?” a voice asked. Two cloaked figures stood at the edge of Konoha’s borders, harbingers of disaster. His companion hesitated a moment, tilting his head skyward toward Hokage Rock. A churning took hold of his stomach, recollections of the past. And then, after a moment, an eventual answer.

               “No.”

��              Rei strapped her sandals on and fixed her hair up into a ponytail as she sat on the edge of Kakashi’s bed. Her lips were drawn taut, her eyes staring ahead with laser focus. The door creaked open. “You’re up early” Kakashi said as he stepped inside. His hair was still wet from a morning shower, and he had yet to put on a shirt. The clock read 5:45am.

               “You say that as if I’m incapable of getting up before noon” she replied sharply. “Besides, I have a lot of shit to do today.”

               “Oh?” Kakashi asked, sitting beside her. He ruffled his hair, shaking droplets of water onto Rei’s forearm. “What kinds of shit?”

               Rei rose from her spot and checked herself in the nearby mirror. “Naru insisted on having a girl’s day, so she’s dragging us to the hot springs. I’d rather not, but she insisted we needed some quality spa time and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Something shook inside Kakashi at the thought. He and Rei had been growing mildly distant, but the image of her in the springs triggered something that had since been neglected. He tried to get his mind off of it. He didn’t want her to see the vulnerability of his imagination.

               He stood up and quickly slipped his shirt on over his head, then zipped his vest up and pulled his mask over his face. “Wait a minute, don’t leave just yet” he said as he tied his headband to his forehead. Rei glanced back at him expectantly, hand hovering over the doorknob. “I’ll walk you there.”

               Despite how much she hated the way he seemed to loom over her as they went, a strange feelng began to take root that made her glad he was beside her. Per usual, they displayed no public affection that coul reeal the true nature of their relationship, and yet somehow she felt as if his fingers were invisibly intertwined with hers. There was a sense of protection deep within the looming that both comforted and terrified her.

               They were halfway to the hot springs when something finally snapped. A chill ran down Kakashi’s spine, and the faintest ringing of a bell struck his ears. He looked back over his shoulder and caught one quick flash of black and red, the faintest glimpse of a crimson eye. When he turned back to Rei, she was staring at him with widened eyes. Perhaps she had felt it, too.

               “Let me know when you make it home” he said quietly, ducking behind a pillar so that no one could see them before they parted ways.

               “I will” she said softly. That feeling, that fleeting anxiety, left her paranoid and unhinged. She recognized it as if from some distant dream. It didn’t make any sense, but when she thought too long about it, she was reminded of someone terrifying. Soemone who made her feel so inexplicably nauseous. Itachi.

               Kakashi rested a hand on Rei’s shoulder, looking at her with a deep, intense sincerity. “Stay safe. Please” he said. She nodded once, and then he leaned down and tugged his mask down to slowly plant a kiss on her lips.

               A sense of warmth enveloped her entire body, momentarily easing her worries. He lingered for a moment longer afterwards, and she looked in his eyes and whispered “You, too.” Her heart pounded as she watched him leave, her arms going numb, as if she could feel the elastic bond between them stretching too thin and ultimately snapping. She spaced out for a moment, caught up in her thoughts, only realizing after snapping back to reality that perhaps he had not alleviated her fears so much as added to them. An unshakable sense of doom crept over her, and she suddenly felt as if the entire world was destined to implode in a matter of hours.

               “Looks like someone kissed and made up” a voice then spoke, startling Rei. She turned to find Sekkachi smirking at her, a towel slung over her forearm. Rei stammereda moment, face turning red, before socking her friend in the arm and stomping through the gates as she mumbled something along the lines of Shut the fuck up.

               Kakashi stood outside the dango shop with book in hand, but truthfully he couldn’t concentrate. He searched for Sasuke, whose presence he requested and hoped would oblige. Inside, two cloaked figures brooded over their tea. Kakashi wasn’t sure what was to come of this, but he had be prepared for the absolute worst.

               Asuma and Kurenai were a welcome distraction, smugly smiling behind his mask as he watched them approach. “You two seem to be getting along” he commented. The kunoichi’s face went bright red, stammering out a half-assed excuse. Deep down, Kakashi took great pride in poking fun at them. As if everyone didn’t already know of their secret romance. He hoped he and Rei weren’t nearly as obvious.

               “What are you doing here, aside from catching up on your reading?” Asuma asked. “I thought you didn’t like the sweet stuff.”

               “I need to buy something for a grave” Kakashi replied. It was clear through his tone and body language that something was going on; the couple before him exchanged suspicious glances. “Plus, I’m meeting someone here.”

               Asuma hollered and slapped Kakashi hard on the back. “Finally got a girlfriend, huh?”

               Kakashi looked back at him, unamused. “No” he said. “I’m just waiting on Sasuke.”

               “It’s unlike you to be the early one” Asuma commented.

               “So, what did you need to pick up for this grave?” Kurenai asked. “Is it for Obito?”

               Kakashi clenched his fist at his side. “Yeah…kind of” he replied. His eyes trailed back to the cloaked figures, their bodies tense. Asuman and Kurenai followed his gaze just as Sasuke arrived, looking as agitated as ever.

               “It’s not like you to show up early” the by spat. “What’s gives?”

               “Well, sometimes things are just too important to run late for” Kakashi replied. A strange feeling echoed through the air, and Sasuke peered inside the shop. The table once occupied now sat empty, nealy full cups of tea still piping hot.

               Sasuke huffed. “Let’s eat somewhere else. I’m not really in the mood for sweets.” Asuma and Kurenai met Kakashi’s gaze and knew immediately what must be done. They nodded once, then disappeared. The young Uchiha pursed his lips. “Alright, what’s going on?”

               Naru leapt out of the spring grinning, grabbing a towel on her way to tightly hug Rei. “I’m so glad you were able to make it!” she exclaimed. Rei peered over her friend’s shoulder to catch sight of the others already relaxing: Yugao, Tenshi, and Mikazuki.

               “I wish you would’ve told me this was an ANBU thing” Sekkachi scoffed, flanking Rei. “Or else I never would’ve come.”

               Naru shook her head as she embraced her comrade. “But we want you here, too, Sekkachi! I want you here!”

               All the blood drained from Sekkachi’s face and she quickly shoved Naru off of her. “Alright, yeah, whatever” she said, ripping her towel off and wading into the water. She refused to look Naru in the eyes, or any other part of her body for that matter.

               “So I wonder who the new hokage is going to be” Mikazuki said, smoothing her dark hair back to reveal her third eye.

               “Do they really have to pick so soon?” Naru asked. “Lord Third only just died, like, a week ago.”

               “Konoha needs leadership” Sekkachi said bluntly. “Without a hokage, we’re gonna shit the bed. Especially after the hellfest that was the chunin exams.”

               “I overheard in a meeting yesterday something about one of the legendary sannin” Yugao replied. “Apparently the elders had a long discussion about it.”

               “Yeah, probably because it takes them fifity years to get out a sentence” Sekkachi said. Naru rolled her eyes.

               “I don’t know much about politics” the blonde chimed in, “but I think whoever assumes the position should know what he’s getting into. Lord Third was a great man, this new guy will have some pretty big shoes to fill.”  

               As they prattled on about current affairs, Rei couldn’t help but feel mildly awkward around so many people. Not to mention the fact that she was naked in front of them. It didn’t matter if they shared a common anatomy. She felt exposed and vulnerable.

               “Is it just me” Tenshi then spoke, “Or does anyone else here have the weirdest feeling like you’re being watched?” The girls looked to each other for reassurance, quickly realizing that they felt it, too.

               Jiraiya fixed his telescope firmly against his eye and chuckled to himself filthily. “You’ve gotta love the Leaf village!” he shouted from atop a nearby building. He fixed his gaze on a brunette clouded in steam, sultry eyes and curvaceous figure. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she fell straight from the heavens. “The girls here are off the charts!”

               “Jiraiya” a firm voice then called. “You’re still playing the buffoon, I see…”

               Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut and tried to deal with the pain. Another blade sliced into his abdomen, warm blood pouring down his body. Itachi smirked. “I wonder how much of this someone without the kekkei genkai can take.” That damn word kept pulsing through Kakashi’s head with every thumping heartbeat in his ears. Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi.

               No amount of downplaying it as “just genjutsu” could dull the pain. Another blade, and everything slowly went black.

               Naru sighed happily and rested her head back against the edge of the springs. “I don’t think I ever want to get out” she breathed. “I’ve never felt so relaxed in my entire life.”

               The caw of a bird echoed overhead. Yugao pursed her lips. “Well, sorry to cut your relaxation short, but it looks like we’re needed.” She pointed up at the sky, a warning sign circling overhead. A summon for the ANBU black ops and by the looks of it, things weren’t good.

               Rei’s heart leapt into her throat. She jumped out of the spring so quickly she scraped her knee on the rocky ledge. A voice told her to be careful, but by then the damage was already done. No matter. It wasn’t important. Her mind leapt back to that feeling from earlier, the paranoia and the sense of impeding doom. She saw it. Kakashi saw it. Something was extremely wrong. She raced inside the bath house, got dressed as quickly as possible, and made a run for it.

               Tenshi lifted herself out of the springs with all the finesse of a film star, shaking the water from her hair and sighing. “Clearly grace isn’t her strong suit” she said condescendingly as she watched Rei disappear.

               Naru grimaced as she climbed out herself. “Not everyone can be Yukie Fujikaze” she commented, then turned and met eyes with Sekkachi. “Sorry to have cut things so short!” she apologized. “You’re more than welcome to stay if you’d like.”

               Face pale and hands shaky, Sekkachi shook her head and began wading toward the bath house. “No use stewing alone. Besides, I’m not feeling so great” she said. Naru extended a hand to help her friend up, but Sekkachi refused to take it. She wrapped her towel around her body quickly and shuffled inside.

               Naru watched her quizzically. I wonder what’s gotten into her.

               Deep breaths. In…and out. This can’t be happening. Rei stepped foot in the hospital dizzy and disoriented. Three jonin turned toward her, fully aware that this wasn’t going to end well. Hiretsuna, the ditsy receptionist, bounded forward with a clipboard clutched to her chest.

               “Hello!” she greeted. “What can I help you with today?”

               Rei shoved her out of the way, staggering toward the others. “What’s happened? Where is he?” she asked. Her eyes were wide and unyielding, her hands trembling at her sides. Kurenai and Asuma exchanged confused looks, but it was Guy who stepped forward to apprehend their visitor.

               “They’re checking him out right now” he said, placing his hands firmly on Rei’s shoulders. “But I want you to know that he didn’t go down without a fight.”

               “Oh…oh god…” Rei whispered. The room swayed back and forth, and then she fell to her knees. Her stomach was doing somersaults, and she buried her face in her hands to hide the hot tears pouring down her cheeks. Guy knelt down beside her and rubbed her back in comfort.

               After a few moments, Kurenai crept forward and whispered, “Guy, what exactly is going on here?”

               Guy simply swatted her away and whispered back, “I’ll explain later.” As she recoiled, she watched Guy lift Rei to her feet, one arm around her for support, and walk her to a chair nearest the hall of triage rooms where Kakashi had been taken. He sat her down gently, then took the seat beside her, and continued to sit there with her until they received word of their friend’s condition.

               Rei’s entire body was shaking. She was drowning in a sea of terrible thoughts. What if Kakashi didn’t make it? What if Itachi had killed him? She nearly vomited at the thought. Guy heard her gag and reminded her to breathe. She thought she had been. “I’ll kill him…” she whispered furiously. “I’ll kill him with my bare hands if I have to…I’ll slaughter Itachi.”

               Overhearing, Kurenai and Asuma exchanged glances with one another, and then with Guy, who simply shook his head and averted his eyes. She was filled with so much rage, so much desperation. Her love for Kakashi was truly a wildfire. Just then, the door to one of the triage rooms slid open and a nurse stepped out. Rei leapt to her feet.

               “What’s going on? Where is he? I need to see him” the redhead insisted.

               The nurse was taken aback a moment, calming only when Guy came up behind Rei and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’re just concerned is all” he reassured. The nurse nodded and a soft smile flickered on her lips.

               “He’s stable” she said, but there was a looming sense of exception in her tone. Rei knew not to get her hopes up too high yet. “However, the effects of the genjutsu that was used on him have rendered him completely comatose and I’m afraid there’s nothing more we at this hospital can do. We will need the help of an expert medical specialist in order for a full recovery.”

               The woman’s words lingered in Rei’s brain, swirling around and taunting her. Full recovery. Comatose. Nothing more we can do. Nothing more…

               “You son of a--!” Rei erupted, reaching for the nurse. The woman gasped and jumped backward just as Guy lurched forward to hold Rei down. “You’re lying! I know exactly how this shit works!” Rei screamed, tears streaming down her face. “He’s going to be fine, I know he is! He has to be! You’re just not trying hard enough!”

               “Rei” Guy shouted sternly, trying to restrain her. It was no use. She squirmed in his arms and wailed maniacally, trying to elbow her way out of Guy’s grasp. People in the waiting room were beginning to stare and grow uncomfortable. Asuma and Kurenai ducked into the hallway to avoid the association. After a solid five minutes of fighting, Rei finally broke down. She fell limp in Guy’s arms and wept pathetically, pounding her fist against the ground. Once he knew she was done being destructive, he loosened his hold and rubbed her back, trying to tell her “Alright, Rei, just try to calm down. Everything is going to be fine.”

               But it wasn’t fine. Kakashi was comatose. What if he never woke up? She couldn’t handle it. Konoha police officers arrived ready to respond to the commotion, but Rei refused to move.

               “Ma’am, we can do this the easy way or the hard way” one officer said. “Come with us willingly and there won’t be any issues.”

               She shook her head. “No…please, just…just let me see him” she whispered. The nurse glanced to the officers and then back to the hysterical girl on the floor, and then to Guy who looked up at her with an expression that said she shouldn’t dare refuse. With a sigh, the nurse dismissed the officers and slid the triage door open.

               Rei shuffled inside slowly, fearfully. Guy stayed right behind her, a reassuring presence in an otherwise hellish escapade. And then she saw him. He looked so peaceful, so blank. She squeaked and clapped her hand over her mouth, averting her eyes. “D-do you…do you think he’ll ever wake up?” she asked. She inched nearer, almost terrified as if he was a corpse, and rested her hand against his warm cheek. A part of her expected his eyes to creak open and for him to smile up at her, as if her touch alone was some magic antidote like in childhood fairytales, but she received no response. He was out cold.

               The nurse bit her lip and replied in false cheer “Well, there’s always hope!”

               Hope, my ass, Rei thought to herself. She didn’t want hope, she wanted answers. Or really, if she was wanting things, she wanted Kakashi to be okay. Conscious. Unaffected. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Then, turning to Guy, asked, “Can you do me a favor?”

               Kakashi’s apartment felt stuffy, suffocating. Guy rummaged around for the clothing and books Rei had requested she bring, Asuma and Kurenai’s eyes on him all the while.

               “Guy, do you care to explain what exactly happened in the hospital?” Kurenai asked.

               Guy paused a moment, knowing he wasn’t really at the liberty to divulge such information, but then decided that this was a special circumstance and they had the right to know. “That woman who showed up today and caused a scene was Rei Natsuki. She’s in the ANBU black ops and has known Kakashi her entire life. And she’s his girlfriend.”

               There was silence as the two jonin tried to process this. “He never said anything” Kurenai said thoughtfully. “I wonder why not.” Guy looked back at her then with an expression on his face as if to say Maybe for the same reason you two don’t, and the kunoichi immediately shut up.

               As Guy peered into Kakashi’s closet, something glinting in the sunlight caught his attention. He moved the clothing out of the way to find tucked away in a box was a tiny gold ring. He understood what was going on immediately, and was overcome with equal parts excitement and terror. Kakashi had big plans, but there was no way for him to fulfill them if he never pulled through.

               Just then, the door creaked open and suddenly a voice boomed through the room. “What the hell is going on here?” Sasuke insisted. It was clear something was definitely off. There was no reason for three jonin to be rooting around Kakashi’s apartment.

               Guy poked his head out of the closet with a grin pasted on his face. “Not much, really!” he lied. And then their plan faltered.

               The streetlights flickered on outside as the sky gradually darkened, but Rei refused to let her eye shut. She couldn’t risk falling asleep should Kakashi wake up. Deep down, however, she knew he wasn’t going to. She tugged back the blankets so she could reach under and lace her fingers with his, desperate for just a spark of response.

               How could someone be so cold? So heartless? Sure, Itachi didn’t kill him but the damage was already done. In a way, this was even worse. At least with death, it was definite and quick. There was no uncertainty to it. You’re just gone. But this…this waiting was torture. It hadn’t even been a full 24 hours yet and Rei already felt as if she was going to lose her damn mind. And worse than that, what if all of her waiting was for nothing? No matter how much she tried to shove away the negative thoughts, they always weaseled their way back in. If he was to go, she swore she would have nothing left to live for. She couldn’t stand the thought of going on without him. She would take her own life if it came to that, she was sure of it.

               Still, there were so many things they had yet to do. So much life ahead of them. Was this really where their future was meant to end? “Please don’t do this” she whispered, despite knowing he likely couldn’t hear. “Whatever you do…do not leave me this.” She lowered her voice to a growl, begging him to wake up, then punched the floor. It was no use.

               As she drifted off, all she could think about was how petty she had been the past few weeks. The hokage’s death had stirred something in her, an anxiety about human mortality and a desperation to defeat death. She had felt so helpless, and she fought every instinct in her body to dwell on it but couldn’t bring herself to stop. She remembered how harsh she had been to Naru, insisting that there’s no use focusing on the past because there was nothing more that could be done. More than anything, however, she remembered her argument with Kakashi. Why was she so damn angry about his daily visits to the cemetery? Perhaps there was something understandable hiding in there, some sort of healthy coping mechanism, but the more she thought about it sitting there beside her unconscious love, the more she realized how stupid she had been. Realistically, she knew she was just projecting. She, too, was shackled to the past with no way of escaping. And now it all would cost them their future together.

               In her sleep, she found herself in a pastel paradise, surrounded by clouds and stardust. Where am I? she thought, reaching out toward the abyss. It stretched on and on; she could look but could not touch. And then there was a voice calling her name. She recognized it immediately. She whipped around to find Kakashi approaching her, smiling, maskless, but something was wrong. What’s going on? Where are we? She asked. This is death, he replied. This is the nothingness. She reached out to take his hand but he, too, was unreachable. From the mist then approached Rin and Obito, each taking one of Kakashi’s hands in theirs. They were taking him away from her. This was the end of everything. In an act of desperation, she ripped the kanzashi from the base of her ponytail and made a vertical slice all the way up her forearm. The blood trickled down to the floor, creating a neat little puddle at her feet. Take me with you. I belong to death now. Rin and Obito shook their heads in disdain, beginning to fade away along with Kakashi. No…this isn’t right. Don’t leave me…you can’t leave me! She fell to her knees, covered in her own blood, wailing. Don’t leave me….don’t leave me, Kakashi…don’t leave…

               She snapped awake to a figure looming overhead, her face blocked out by the sunshine backlight. Immediately on the defensive, Rei leapt to her feet and whipped her kanzashi out only to be met with the startled gaze of a nurse. “W-what time is it?” Rei gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow.

               “It’s 6 in the morning. I’m just here to check his vitals” the nurse explained meekly. She should’ve clocked into work an hour ago but quite frankly, she didn’t give a fuck anymore. She alid her head back down on the edge of the bed and sighed, watching Kakashi’s chest rise and fall slowly.

               That afternoon, Guy arrived with Asuma and Kurenai to see how their friend was doing. Kurenai looked around the room with great concern, daring to ask, “Have you been here this entire time?” Rei only nodded. Then, “Have you left his side at all?” Rei shook her head. The saddest look then crossed Kurenai��s face as she turned to Asuma, a silent call that something had to be done.

               “Is there anything we can do?” Guy asked, standing beside the redhead. He hated seeing Kakashi like this, almost as much as Rei did. If only there was some way he could snap his fingers and will Kakashi back to life, but he didn’t have that power in him. He could only do the same as Rei: sit and wait.

               “No, I-I’m alright, but thank you, Guy” Rei muttered. She reached out and patted his forearm, and in that ation they all saw the way her hand shook. Between that and the pallor of her face, a sudden realization struck Kurenai.

               “Rei, have you eaten anything in the past two days?” she asked. The redhead averted her eyes. She didn’t want to answer for fear of facing shame in the truth. Her silence, however, was answer enough. Kurenai drew her hand to her mouth and sighed. She tugged Asuma’s sleeve and then said, “We’ll be back in a little while.” Rei already knew exactly what she was doing, but she didn’t have the energy to protest. She supposed that if Kurenai was willing to go out of her way to bring her food, it would be nothing short of disrespectful not to eat it.

               And then they were alone, just Guy and Rei and an unconscious Kakashi. They sat in silence for a long while, the bushy-browed ninja studying his rival’s girlfriend. He watched the way she sat, how her back was arched and her eyes heavy from exhaustion. He doubte she had been sleeping very well, if at all. He admired her dedication, however. A small smile tugged at his lips as he patted her on the back. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you, Rei, but even when he’s unconscious I’m sure Kakashi knows what a great job you’re doing keeping him company!”

               For a moment, he was met with no response. And then, slowly, Rei turned to look up at him with teary eyes. “Thank you, Guy…” she whispered hoarsely before finally breaking down. She didn’t want to cry, especially after the scene she caused yesterday, but she couldn’t help herself. She was weak and this was all far too much for her to handle.

               Kurenai and Asuma returned a few hours later with a to-go carton of Ichiraku and some gyoza, which Rei happily scarfed down. The three of them stayed a little while longer, but one by one as the streetlights outside flickered on, they left and once again she was all alone.

               In the darkness, she took solace in the fact that no one was watching her. Her back ached from sitting up for days on end, and her eyelids were growing heavier. With a sharp inhale, she tugged the covers back and carefully climbed into the hospital bed, curling up beside her boyfriend. She cupped his cheek and stroked the hair out of his face, studied the contours of his body, and held his hand tight against her chest. “I don’t know if you can hear me” she whispered, “but it’s getting pretty lonely here. I-I know you’re right here next to me, but…I miss you. I miss you being awake. I wish…I wish you would just come back to me. Please…please come back to me.” She watched him for a moment longer, resting her head on his chest, until finally she couldn’t restrain herself any longer. Her eyes drooped shut and she fell fast asleep.

               Weeks passed with no change. Rei could hear the murmurs of nurses in the hallway, as if they were betting on how much longer she was going to hold out. Joke’s on them, she thought to herself. The only way I’m leaving without Kakashi is on a gurney to the morgue.

               “I’m really beginning to worry about you” Naru said one afternoon when she stopped by. “The whole world hasn’t stopped turning just for you, you know. Life is still going on out there.”

               Rei rolled her eyes. “I don’t care about any of it” she spat. “Doesn’t mean a thing unless Kakashi is okay.”

               Naru pursed her lips, then sighed. “You know, they threatened to remove you from the black ops if you don’t come back to work soon.” She knew Sekkachi had threatened her if she so much as dared to tell Rei what the elders had said, but Naru thought she had a right to know. She needed to know.

               Shaking her head, Rei replied, “What’s the point? There’s no hokage to take orders from. Let the village elders die mad about it. They’re old enough, it probably wouldn’t take very long.”

               “Rei!” Naru’s face turned bright red. She crossed her arms and approached the doorway. “I know this is a rough time for you but you have to keep your head on your shoulders. I think staying here for weeks on end has screwed with your head. You need to go home and get some rest. At least for tonight. Shower, get some clean clothes. Sleep in an actual bed.”

               Rei shook her head. “No” she insisted. “No, the minute I leave will be when he finally wakes up and I can’t…I can’t risk that.”

               No matter how much she protested, Naru assured her that Kakashi was well taken care of and Rei had no room to protest. If anything should happen, the hospital would surely notify her, right? She was the closest thing he had to family anyway, even if they weren’t related by blood or marriage. She was still responsible for him in a way. After all, she still held true to the mission Lord Third had assigned to her two years prior. Recent events meant nothing for her duty to Kakashi. The thing that finally convinced her to go, however, was Naru’s insistence that it would be what Kakashi wanted.

               “Can you imagine how bothered he would be to find you neglecting your own self care for him?” she asked. “I’m sure he would appreciate you staying by his side all this time, but not at the expense of your own wellbeing. He would want you to go home, to get some rest, and then you can come back when you’re fresh and clean, alright?”

               That logic was hard to argue with, and Rei almost resented Naru for pulling such a dirty trick. She notified the nurse at the station that she would be going home for the night, and that she would return early the next morning, and then went on her way feeling guilty all the while.

               So long as she kept herself busy, it wasn’t so bad. She took her time showering, scrubbing her skin hard until it shined red and shampooing once, twice, three times over. She dug through her dresser and tried on five different outfits before landing on the right one. And then, when there was nothing else for her to do, she picked up a book. She knew it wouldn’t be much help, and that books always ended up serving as vehicles for a wandering mind, but at least it was something.

               Settling into her desk chair, she cracked open a novel she had only started years ago but never read past page 25. As she did so, the bookmark she had placed in there years earlier slipped out and fluttered into one of her drawers. She paused, staring despondently at where it fell, then propped her book open with her forearm as she rummaged around to find it. It was a simple scrap of paper, it didn’t need to be this difficult, and yet as she searched, her fingers found something quite different. She pressed her hand against the cold steel and a shiver ran down her spine. She let her book slap shut, instead devoting all of her attention now to this long lost gem. Rei slowly removed it from the drawer, turning it over in her hands. It was the kakute she had received when she was six, the present she was going to give Kakashi for making jonin. She never did muster enough courage to give it to him. Now she was kicking herself for even forgetting about it. Grandma Teiko would be genuinely disappointed.

               As she stared at it, she wondered if it would be well-received. She wondered what Kakashi would think of it, and if he would be more accepting of it now than when he was eight. She thought perhaps so. He was more mature now than he was back then. He had faced far more adversity, and so she assumed he would likely place a higher value in things of sentiment than before. The longer she looked at it, the more an energy began to swell inside of her. She never did officially congratulate him on becoming a jonin at all. What a terrible friend, nonetheless girlfriend. They had been absent for so many moments in one another’s lives, filled with so many missed opportunities. Well, no more. Rising from her seat, Rei tucked the ring into the pouch on her backside and made a firm decision. If and when Kakashi was to wake up, no matter what, she would give him that ring. No more forgetting. No more waiting. It was now or never.

               As she made her way to the hospital the next day, she took the long route for no reason in particular. Her anxiety about Kakashi had made it hard to sleep the previous night, and she was eager to get back to him, but at the same time had no idea when he would wake up and she missed the fresh air. Besides, she hadn’t seen her family since before the chaos of the chunin exams and she had heard Kaminoki got hit hard. It was only fair that she make sure everyone was okay.

               Grandma Teiko immediately noticed something strange in Rei’s eyes and pulled her aside for a private conversation. “Something’s going on, I can tell. What’s on your mind, girl?” she asked. Rei didn’t exactly want to go through the entire spiel but knew Grandma Teiko of all people deserved an explanation. She sucked in a deep breath and bravely tried her best to explain the situation without crying. She failed and was in tears by the time she explained Kakashi was comatose. Teiko wrapped an arm around her granddaughter and cooed at her softly as if she was a child who had scraped their knee. “Everything will turn out fine” she reassured.

               “But how do you know?” Rei asked. On one hand, she understood that Grandma Teiko was trustworthy and, in a way, somewhat clairvoyant, but at the same time a part of her found it hard to feel confident in a happy ending. Kakashi had been out of it for three weeks with no signs of improvement.

               “I just know these things. What? Have you stopped trusting the words of an old woman?” Teiko replied.

               “No, I just—” Rei started, but her grandmother interrupted.

               “Besides” she started, “I’ve heard rumors that they’ve finally found the fifth hokage.”

               “What does that have to do with anything?” Rei asked. Not that she was ungrateful for the news, of course. Konoha had gone far longer than it needed to without a proper leader, and she hoped that whoever had been appointed would fulfill the position well. But that meant nothing for the fate of Kakashi. Or so she thought.

               “Maybe if you didn’t speak so soon, you’d let me finish telling you!” Grandma Teiko snapped. Rei blushed and muttered an apology. “I’ve heard rumors that the new hokage is the sannin herself, Tsunade, who, if you don’t already know, is an expert medic ninja. She can fix Kakashi right up in no time!”

               Rei’s heart swelled up into her throat. Was it really that easy? All she needed to do was track down Tsunade and her problems would be solved? This was too much. There was no way it all was that simple. But if it was… It was a chance she just had to take. She bid Grandma Teiko a fond farewell, hugging her tightly and thanking her for the intel, before rushing off to see what else she could find about this Tsunade. She skirted around corners and eavesdropped behind storefronts in hopes of overhearing something—anything—but nobody seemed to have any solid information. At least nothing like Grandma Teiko provided. After roughly an hour of running and searching, she had grown incredibly weary and was almost about to give up when she ran into none other than Might Guy. Perhaps he would know something.

               “Tsunade?” he asked. “Naruto’s been off searching for her with Jiraiya these past few weeks and turns out they found her. She’s a legendary medic ninja, and I’m going to ask her to see if she can fix Rock Lee!” It took Rei only a couple seconds to remember who, exactly, Rock Lee was but then memories of the chunin exams flashed in her mind. Perhaps Guy had taken the idea of a protégé a little too far, but no matter. She remembered at least overhearing of the damage the young ninja had sustained in the fight, and she truly hoped he would be alright.

               “Do you think she can heal Kakashi, too?” Rei asked. She tried not to let her hope bubble up too high.

               “I don’t see why not!” Guy enthused. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure Naruto had already insisted she work her magic on him already.” Before he could say another word, Rei leapt up to hug Guy tightly and thanked him over and over again, then rushed off to the hospital with newfound purpose. She didn’t want to think of what may happen if Tsunade was unable to fulfill her promise and fix him. If she was as good as everyone said she was, she would have no excuse to fail in the first place. Rei greeted the nurse on duty in a flash as she raced into the room to find Kakashi laying exactly as he had been all that time. It was eight in the morning, and she wondered when Tsunade would arrive. No matter, she was willing to wait as long as it took.

               She seated herself beside Kakashi’s bed and kissed him on the cheek, before pulling the kakute from her pocket and looking it over. She knew logically that he was totally unconscious and that there was no way for him to know what she was doing but still, removing it in front of him even now felt forbidden and like ruining an anticipated surprise. Soon, she thought to herself, then rested her head on the bedside and involuntarily passed out.

               When she came to, she heard an unfamiliar voice overhead. “And who is this one?” a woman asked, and Rei knew immediately she was speaking of her.

               “This is Rei Natsuki, Kakashi’s girlfriend” the nurse explained. “She’s been here by his side the entire time he’s been in the hospital. She refused to leave him.”

               “I see…” the woman said. Rei blinked awake and watched as this strange woman skirted around the hospital bed and began looking Kakashi over.

               “Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get away from him!” Rei shouted, rising from her seat.

               “Excuse me?” the woman asked, gritting her teeth. She was, admittedly, beautiful. And also, erm…well-endowed. “Well, it’s nice to see you’re finally awake” the woman scoffed.

               The nurse rested a gentle hand on Rei’s shoulder in an attempt to ease her, whispering, “This is Lady Tsuande, the one you’ve been waiting for.” The moment her name rolled off the nurse’s lips, Rei’s face went bright red. She sank back down into her seat and apologized quietly. The last thing she needed was to ruin Kakashi’s chances of ever waking up solely because she had a short fuse and was quick to judge.

               Rei watched with wide eyes as Tsunade smirked and then rested a hand over Kakashi’s forehead. A pale green light pulsated from beneath her palm, healing chakra. And then came the one thing Rei had been waiting for all this time. Kakashi furrowed his brows, flexed his fist. A soft groan escaped his lips, and then his eyes creaked open.

               “There he is” Tsunade said triumphantly.

               “Huh…? W-what’s going on?” Kakashi slurred, rubbing his head as he sat up. He looked to Tsunade, then her assistant Shizune, and then finally to Rei at his bedside. She stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly ajar, on the verge of tears. “Rei…”

               “Kakashi!” she shrieked, then lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He could feel her hot tears spilling down her cheeks and onto his back.

               “How long have I been out of it?” Kakashi asked, wrapping an arm around Rei as she wept into his shoulder.

               “About three weeks!” the nurse chirped. Kakashi’s face went pale. No wonder Rei is so excited to see me. She probably thought I was dead.

               As Rei pulled away, Kakashi’s eyes instantly darted to her balled up fist. Her hand was covered in blood. “Rei, what happened?” he asked, gently taking her hand in his. Her cheeks blushed, and she averted her eyes, remembering the kakute.

               “I must’ve fallen asleep holding onto something” she replied sheepishly.

               “Like what? Broken glass?” Tsunade asked, taking Rei’s hand from Kakashi. She pried her fist open to find the little steel ring in her palm, the spikes having stabbed Rei in her sleep. The sannin arched a brow before instructing Shizune to take Rei to get her hand cleaned up and bandaged. As the brunette carted her to the other end of the room, footsteps pounded down the hall and in burst Naruto Uzumaki.

               “So were you able to do it?” Naruto asked. “Did you fix Kakashi-sensei?”

               “Well” Tsunade started, “Physically, yes, but I doubt his pride is anywhere near perfect.” Rei’s ears perked up, honing in on the conversation as Shizune cleaned her wound. Tsunade shook her head and placed her hands firmly on her hips. “Disgraceful” she sighed. “To be taken out of the game by two low-life punks like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best.”

               Rei gritted her teeth, clenching her fist. Shizune cleared her throat to attract attention back to her. “Um, Miss Natsuki…? You’re making it difficult for me to bandage you up…” she said. Rei relaxed her hand and muttered a half-hearted sorry. Who did this Tsunade think she was? Belitting Kakashi’s abilities like that. Kakashi was the best. Itachi was likely just manipulative and strong. Clearly this woman had no idea what Kakashi was up against.

               “Sorry to…disappoint you” Kakashi said, voice low, and it was clear that he was feeling like shit about himself. Rei’s heart ached.

               In the meantime, Might Guy had barged into the room with a look of sheer anticipation on his face. He could hardly contain himself. Triumphantly, Naruto raised a fist in the air and shouted, “Alright, that’s Kakashi-sensei! Now one more and you’re all done!”

               How many people has this kid been dragging her around to heal? Rei thought to herself. Shizune finished bandaging her hand and smiled softly at the redhead. “Alright, that should do it” she said. She then reached over and lifted the kakute off the counter, looking it over quizzically. “You might want to wash this off with peroxide just to make sure you get all the blood off” she suggested. “There should be some right under here.” Rei watched as she leand down and began rummaging through the cabinet. Before she could find the bottle, however, Tsunade approached the door with her entourage and called for Shizune to join them. The brunette smiled back at Rei apologetically and then ran off. Well, at least her assistant is nice, Rei thought to herself as she watched them disappear, and then Rei and Kakashi were all alone.  

               A veil of silence draped over the couple in that hospital room. Now that this was all said and done, she almost feared what would happen next. Of course she was more than happy that he was awake and alright, but still. Where were they supposed to go from here?

               “Three weeks, huh?” Kakashi then sighed, leaning back in bed. Rei nodded slowly, turning toward him.

               “Yeah…” she said, toying with the kakute in her hands. “Three long weeks.”

               “Is it true you stayed by my side the entire time?” he asked.

               “Well, I mean…not the entire time” Rei said sheepishly. “Naru insisted I go home for some clean clothes and to sleep in an actual bed, but it didn’t really do much good.”

               “I see” Kakashi said. He watched as Rei wrapped her bandaged hand gently around the ring and then waded closer, hesitantly sitting on the edge of the bed. “You didn’t have to do that, you know” he then said.

               “What do you mean?” she asked.

               “Stay here with me” Kakashi replied. “There wasn’t really any reason for you to.”

               “That’s not true” Rei said. “If you were to finally wake up while I was gone…or worse…”

               It was the or worse that really caught Kakashi’s attention. Did she really think he was going to die? Of course, he assumed that had he been in her position, he would’ve feared the same. At least she had kept her cool the entire time, as far as he knew. “Thank you, then” he said, reaching out and resting a hand lightly atop hers. “I’m glad you cared enough to stay.”

               “Of fucking course!” Rei exclaimed. “You mean the world to me, I wasn’t about to leave you behind in a fucking coma.”

               Kakashi chuckled and smiled at her, and Rei’s heart raced. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and willed herself not to cry. No, not this time. She had already cried enough the past few weeks. And still, after all that time, she had been so terrified that she may never see that masked smile ever again. It was only natural she would get a little choked up, she assumed. Regardless, she refused to let her tears ruin a happy moment.

               Kakashi let them revel in each other’s quiet company for a moment longer before his eyes drifted down to her bandaged hand, and his smile quickly faded. “Is your hand alright?” he asked. Rei chewed her bottom lip and nodded vigorously. “How did you hurt it, anyway? What stabbed you?”

               Rei considered lying for a moment. In all her confident fanfare from earlier, she hadn’t considered how scary actually giving him the kakute would be. Perhaps a part of her assumed it was highly possible for him to stay asleep forever and she could simply cling to it with a strong sense of remorse for not being braver. But now here he was, wide awake and questioning. She didn’t want to damage their trust, and so she had no choice. Sucking in a deep breath, she replied, “I have something for you. I must have been stressed while I was asleep and squeezed my hand around it too tight. You don’t have to like it, I mean, you can give it back if you don’t want it but I mean…I’ve been holding onto it for a long time, and I was going to give it to you ages ago but never had the guts to, so, uh…yeah.” Kakashi eyed her expectantly. She huffed her bangs out of her face and then slowly unclenched her fist to reveal the ring in her hand, still stained with her blood. Kakashi blinked a few times, then reached out and picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

               “Where did you get something like this?” he asked. She truly wasn’t sure if he meant that in a positive or negative connotation. Her anxiety raged.

               “It was from Grandma Teiko’s arsenal of weird old stuff” she replied. “I was trying to find a good present for you a long time ago and thought this might be fitting but I don’t know, you don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to.”

               “No, I want to” Kakashi replied quickly, smiling at her in reassurance. “I want to” he repeated. She watched as he reached over to tug a tissue out of the box near his bed and begin wiping the blood off of it, then slid it onto his left middle finger. He poked the spikes at the end, apparently satisfied with their sharpness. “This could really do some damage.”

               “I would hope so” Rei replied. “I mean, that’s what it was made for.”

               Kakashi nodded once, then slid the ring off and placed it on the nightstand. “So, you said you’ve held onto this for a long time. How long, exactly?” he asked. That was a loaded question. Did she really want to reveal her original intention? She averted her eyes and began picking at the dirt beneath her fingernail.

               “A while…” she replied slowly. She glanced over to find her boyfriend arching a brow. So he wanted a real answer. Alright. She would have to be totally honest. “I was six. You had just been promoted to jonin. I wanted to give you something special to celebrate—I knew everyone else would—but I couldn’t figure out what, so of course I asked Grandma Teiko for advice and she suggested this.”

               “What took you so long?” Kakashi then asked, laughing under his breath.

               The weight of their broken past lingered on her shoulders. Then, finally, she murmured, “I was scared. Things changed. We…drifted. It didn’t feel appropriate anymore.”

               “Oh…” Kakashi said, lowering his gaze. He turned to look at the ring once again, now suddenly catching the inscription on the front. The kanji for love. He hated to think that his child self would’ve likely written it off as a useless gift, shoving it into a drawer someplace and never touching it again. But now he was more mature. Now this gift had meaning. His mind flickered back to the ring he had hidden away in his closet, to his plans for the future. Even as he snuck off to the silversmith to get the ring crafted, he had been so uncertain of whether he was making the wrong decision, if he was moving too fast, if he was out of touch with what Rei wanted. This kakute, however, was a confirmation. A never-ending circle with love written right on the front of it. He reached across the bed and laced his fingers with hers, that smile returning to his face. She looked at him quizzically, uncertainly, as he pulled her closer and pressed his forehead against hers. Her eyes darted down to his lips for a split second, a silent wish, and he obliged. He tugged his mask down and kissed her gently, as if it was the first time, then whispered, “I think this was perfect timing.”

[italicwatches]

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online - Episode 05

I am full of food and have set some aside for a friend. It’s a bit late, but let’s do this. It’s Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, episode 05! Here we GO!

-We begin with the other team, prepping for their big final hunt and getting all excited about it…Also, incredibly hard to translate language puns.

-Meanwhile, M is having a real bad day. Like, really bad. Possibly his worst. And…Well, M insists that if he dies in the game, he’ll die for real.

-First, question. I’m not saying he’s lying yet, but what fucking idiot would thus enter into a PvP Battle Royale? If you’re trapped in the game, you keep your fucking ass in the starter town(hai, Kazuma desu) and farm low-level PvE mobs for enough credits to get by!

-Second, well I just found my screen cap and we’re only a minute in.

-Because LLENN calls bullshit, this isn’t SAO. …Now tell her what was on that letter, you dumb idiot. He hands it over without resistance, and it’s from Pito, of course, telling him…That if he survives an entire hour, she’ll be super impressed. But if he dies a cowardly death, or after the hour mark, she’ll totally kill him for real. …Dude, you can’t let Pito get into your fuckin’ head like that.

-BULLSHIT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT WOMAN IS CAPABLE OF

-Opening!

-Sidenote, what the fuck was his plan if shooting LLENN in the head had worked? Take on the entire enemy team himself? She’s not a political enemy, you can’t trade her corpse for fucking safe haven.

-And we’re back. So, whatever the actual situation is, M is fully convinced that PIto will legit murder him in legit reality if he loses. Do you have any idea how obsessed she IS with the original SAO?! With the idea of death games, and of putting your life on the line?!

-And LLENN puts out the question I just wanted to know. And his plan? Kill her. Become team leader. Resign, which wouldn’t count at suicide by the strictest definition of Pito’s terms, and would kick him out right away so he could make a run for it.

-…You’re a fuckin’ idiot and you took her way too lightly, man. So here’s the actual factual plan. She’s gonna go shoot the other team full of red pixel dots. You’re gonna go hide somewhere. If she dies, you can bail out or whatever. Peace.

-And then she’s off, barely stopping long enough to retrieve her cool hat before she’s off like a rocket and putting together a battle plan…What’s her best tools? Simple, the core thing she’s been pouring XP into since day one. At least in terms of this Squad Jam, she’s the fastest woman alive! Run, LLENN, run!

-Meanwhile, M is trying to convince himself he wasn’t in the wrong here…And then with one last war cry, LLENN’s out of comm range.

-She’s moving at full force, sprinting over a dockside…And finds herself having just jumped into the enemy team! Behind cover, return fire! It’s a vicious high-speed duel with their forward scout, as she desperately tries to find LLENN…But gets out-played, taking vicious shots! LLENN gets glanced in the shoulder, but reloads far faster when the mags run dry, and blasts the gun right out of the other woman’s hands!

-She starts calling for reinforcements and goes for her sidearm…But it’s far too late, as she gets bisected with gunfire! The rest of her team arrives just in time to watch her collapse, and for LLENN to fucking book it behind some rocks when they pour it on! The heavy gunners are going full force…

-And the sniper tries to pin her down, but the wildly desperate LLENN somehow outruns them all, even as she tries to ignore that little bit of her lizard hindbrain that doesn’t realize this is just a game and FUCK FUCK FUCK THIS IS PRETTY LEGITIMATELY SCARY FOR HER

-Episode 05! “Leave the Last Battle to Me”

-While the other team make a point of taking their fallen comrade’s gear…They’re gonna get vengeance for you, and claim that gold, friend. Don’t you worry.

-Back with LLENN, she takes stock. Down to 70% HP. Only six mags left, and two plasma grenades, and a knife. Not a good set of odds. She’s running into the lion’s den here…

-But she remembers what Pito taught her. Never fire randomly or in desperation. If you can’t say with certainty where you’re aiming and why, then all you’re doing is giving away your location and fear to the enemy. Center, focus. Always act with intent.

-And LLENN starts to put her focus together. She can do this. She will do this. Deep breath, get moving. They’re gonna get eyes on her…

-And then two shots ring out. One in her back. One rips through her mag carrier. She stumbles, staggers, takes another shot as she falls down there side of the cliff, barely pulling through with about 30% of her HP left…The leader starts pushing the rest of her team to herd her in…

-As LLENN realizes she fell for a fucking trap. They used their Bullet Lines to draw her in! But she can still move. She can still run. Everything hurts, but if she can get from cover to cover…

-She’s got multiple sharpshooters on her…And when they pin her down, the big guns come out! LLENN is stuck, pinned, and desperate…

-When she gets a plan. She throws a grenade just over the rock, starts counting…And the instant it goes off, she sprints, letting the ball of plasma catch their fire and block her escape! MOVE! FUCKING MOVE!

-The other team…Well, she’s earning their respect. Pulling shit like this solo? Little rabbit’s good.

-While LLENN manages to get out of the line of fire, and the pain’s starting to wear off. She can focus, and think…But that leaves her needing to think of a plan. Right now, she’s got a real problem. Her victories come from being up close and personal…

-That’s right, LLENN-chan! Wait, who’s…

-…LLENN.

-LLENN, sweetie.

-You need to log out.

-You’re hallucinating.

-Because I refuse to believe your gun is actually talking.

-Anyways, P-chan tells her to go forward, to use her speed to get in and god dammit why does P-chan have anime eyes. No you cannot meet senpai!

-At least LLENN has the smarts to realize she must be losing her mind.

-But eventually, the enemy team is hunting her down, and she’s chilling on a rock. Looking for her? They shoot…And she just fuckin’ dives away from it, before racing in! DAKKADAKKA, big gunner down! The sniper’s caught in too close, unable to get a solid shot in,, and instead gets lost to a plasma grenade!

-LLENN eats a glancing blow, ends up spiraling down with about 25%, and caught under two Bullet Lines with her gun out of reach…

-When a shot lances through the air, hitting a grenade on the other gunner’s belt! She’s lost in fire, and it’s down to the leader in the thick…

-While the last two members of the team, watching from afar, get eyed by sniper fire! M, is, back in the game! They’re on the run, but LLENN’s got this…

-As she races in against the leader!

-And eats a roundhouse kick to her tiny, vulnerable stomach that sends her into the far wall. Soooo that’s not great.

-Yeah, that hurts real bad. The leader pins her down hard, and puts round after round into her chest…But it doesn’t work?! HOW?! WHY WON’T YOU DIE?!

-She put the scanner in her breast pocket. The scanner is indestructible.

-It’s the frying pan of GGO.

-And that gives LLENN enough time to whip her head away from the next shot, for the leader’s mag to run dry! LLENN flings a P90 mag at her, forcing her to step back, giving our tiny pink devil enough space to just magdump!

-The leader ferociously grabs that P90, trying to rip it out of her hands, to snap it in half…You’re good, little one. Good enough to piss her off. What’s your name? LLENN. Yours? Eva. Everyone just calls her Boss.

-You ran dry, didn’t you.

-So did you.

-And then the other gunner arrives, the last one still armed! JUST FIRE, you fool! One of them has to survive, that’s all!

-But she hesitates. For a singular moment too long. Her machine-gun gets shot apart, and in a final play, she throws the boss her sidearm magazine!

-Eva whips her pistol up, catches it perfectly…And LLENN finds it to her head. But P-chan will protect her! Shot after shot echoes across the desert landscape…

-And when it’s over…LLENN still stands, with P-chan filled full of damage…It shatters in her hands, and, uh, guys?

-Guys?

-P-chan was her power limiter.

-So this is bad.

-Very bad. With a furious roar, she dives in with her knife, tearing Eva’s thighs open! Back and forth, cross cut that puts her on the ground, and then a vicious strike to the chest! LLENN eats a punch before she can land it, loses all but her last 1% of HP…

-But the knife went up. And she catches it with her free hand, diving it CLEAR THROUGH EVA’S NECK! Crimson neon sprays from the wound, she hits the ground in a heap…

-And LLENN almost eats a sniper round to the head from the last surviving member. But M draws her out by standing firm, and the two snipers cross counter with bullets. The enemy sniper drops…And then so does M.

-But then the fireworks go up! TEAM LM IS THE WINNER OF THIS FIRST SQUAD JAM!

-LLENN arrives to find M’s…Got his pack on backwards and it took the shot. You ridiculous man you scared her half to death. But that, is, the, game!

-This first ever Squad Jam lasted just shy of an hour and a half, and they fired 49,810 shots! Jesus. I wonder how many of those were out of P-chan.

-Credits!

-Aftercredits! The real world. When a tiny adorable schoolgirl comes up to Karen, because they noticed she got her hair cut short and it turns out this whole group always admire Karen when they see her walking by, thinking she’s so elegant and graceful like a model and this is the moment when we’re supposed to realize that this is Eva’s squad. Like, you see it, right?

-But, yeah. It’s an interesting thing, conflicting height complexes…But Karen managed to push herself forward. It might sound silly, but…The sheer wild desperation of a VR game, of fighting for her life again and again, was what locked it in for her. She realized she could endure.

-And indeed, one of them calls the head girl, Saki, Boss, and Karen doesn’t quite put it together yet, but she ends up making some adorable younger friends. …Gahhhh, it’s impossible.

-And then Saki comes up to shake her hand. For defeating the Boss, I now bestow upon you the rank of Big Boss. You’re a hell of a player, LLENN. She’s gonna totally kick your ass next time though, little rabbit. Bring it on, you amazon.

WHAT A FUCKING FIGHT THAT WAS, am I right? God damn! Constantly on the edge of the seat, taking LLENN down to her final most desperate tools! Oh that was delicious.

I cannot wait to see where things go from here. We’ll see next time, in episode….Well looks like 5.5, of SAO Alt: GGO! Wait for it!

[erza-mj]

Episode Prompto

i though it will be useful for all the writers in the ffxv community to have a written record of all the stuff that appear in Episode Prompto in chronological order ;) 

You’re Welcome

Prompto production code: Unit 05953234

Research log 722-VII-6th

Research log: Year 722, Day 189. I received a proposal regarding a way to improve the infantry’s performances by leaps and bounds: Outfit all the troupers with magitek cores. Preliminary tests suggest sublimating daemons for fuel will result in an unstable infantry unit for the field. If the calculations he provided are correct, though, this could solve all our problems. The Deadless Project marks the advent of a new age. No longer will our soldier fall on the field of battle. The Empire shall rise, and soon, all the world shall bask in our glory!

Research log 722-X-21st

Research log: Year 722, Day 294. I acted on the proposal mentioned in my log of Day 189. My attempt to infuse the troopers magitek cores with daemonic energy proved successful. Only in the most basic sense, however. While the soldiers are indeed deathless, they are far from fit for fighting. Thus I’ve decided to take a different approach: rather than relying on daemons to power the magitek infantry, why not use human instead? Frankly, I had never considered employing my fellow man in any magitek-related experiments. But countless men and women succumb to the plasmodia each day. Rather than let them die victims of an ignominious disease, why not help them ascend to nobler heights? I’ve lost many a comrade on the field of battle, and I’ve no intention of allowing any more of their deaths to go in vain.

Research log 722-XII-5th

Research log: Year 722, Day 339. Another Day, another mental breakdown. All my test so far have resulted in the former soldiers suffering ego deaths. Today, however, I developed a new hypothesis: I will continue to sublimate daemonified humans to harvest the miasma, but if a sense is the source of these snags, why not inject infants with the plasmodia instead? We’ve little time. If we are to combat the Lucian threat, we must explore new options. I too, will set aside my personal misgivings and do what I must for the empire.

Research Log: 723-III-11th

Research log: Year 723, Day 70. I pondered how I might found the necessary number of infants, and then it downed on me: why not make them myself? If I clone them from my own genes, I can eliminate the pesky process of breeding them. Mass production remains a pipe dream for now, but I’m confident a can create a massive infantry once the process picks up. If everything goes according to plan, the empire will boast a million-man army in no time at all.

M.E. 723-XI-26th

A New Hope

Construction finished today on the first magitek production facility. Rising military star and leading authority on magitek Verstael Besithia has been selected to oversee the plant’s operation. Reports say Besithia will relinquish his field duties in order to serve at the compound full-time.

Research log: 724-X-24th

Research log: Year 724, Day 297. Mass production of the magitek infantry was a success. We’ve overwhelmed the lucians with our numbers and surrounded insomnia. But to rest on our laurels now would be unthinkable. On Occasion, harvesting the plasmodic miasma produces some “side effects.” The daemons born of this process have been disposed of on sight-until now. How foolish I was to let these sublime creatures go to waste! What they lack in adaptability, they make up for in sheer power. I realize now that I ought to channel my efforts into exploring the true potential of these daemons for the sake of the empire. Perhaps this has been my true calling all along.

Research Log: 736-V-3rd

Research log: Year 736, Day 123. It seems my laboratory is not nearly as secure as I once believed. Some thief – likely a Lucian- made off with one of my experiments. Absconding with a single infant will do nothing to enlighten them of the grandeur of my research. That said, I will see to it such incident never arises again. I’ve posted magitek troopers around the facility and instructed them to keep a vigilant watch. It is their home, after all.

Research Log: 745-XI-21st

Research log: Year 745, Day 325. Today marks a momentous triumph for our great nation. The Glacian herself graced us with her presence in Ghorovas Rift, and, through the combined efforts of the magitek infantry and my precious daemons, we killed her. The resulting causalities were great, but these sacrifices afforded us something far more valuable than a few units. With the data I collected, I intend to begin developing a new magitek weapon codenamed “Godslayer.” Soon, all the Astrals shall bow before me and the might of my magitek. Soon, they shall know my wrath.

M.E. 745-XI-22nd

ATTN: Research Chief Verstael Besithia

It has come to my attention thet the Glacian’s recent assault was quelled by your magitek infantry. As commendation for your service to our great nation, I have approved your petition to increase funding for your research. Your Work is the centrifugal force that will propel the empire beyond our borders to greatness on the world stage. I eagerly await further reports of your progress.

Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt

 M.E. 746-VI-3rd

Prototype Numbering Instructions

In order ro better monitoring the large number of new magitek models enetering production, the Imperials Defense Council motions to reform the coding system as follows

- Troopers: 5-digit model number + 8-digit production code

- Infants: 4-digit production year + 8-digit production code

 754-VIII-25th

I’ve been assigned to Chief Besithia’s lab! Not many people can say they’ve worked under the supervision of a living legend. I mean, this is the guy who saved the empire from eternal winter. He’s practically our savior.

 754-XI-17th

My boss pulled me aside today to issue me a “special task.” Said it’s “highly confidential” and that I’m the only one qualified for the job. But how? I barely even know my way around the compound. Well, whatever the “task” is, I’ll deal with it in the morning.

 754-XI-18th

I found out what my “special task” is today- and frankly I wish I hadn’t. if only I could unsee the things I saw today… I really ought eat something before I go to bed, but that shit totally killed my appetite.

 755-II-16th

I had the honor of seeing His Imperial Majesty in person today. To think His Radiance would travel all that way through the ice and the snow just to observe our progress… if the Emperor is putting all his faith in magitek, then so should i.

 755-VII-24th

Just my luck. One of the plasmodium samples strted leaking, and your truly was the blessed with the “privilege” of cleaning it up. And then my boss had the nerve to yell at me-as if the whole thing were my fault. If he wasn’t to criticize the real culprit, he ought to look in a mirror.

755-VII-25th

 So thanks to yesterday's fiasco, my boss made me throw all the remaining plasmodium samples into the incinerator. What a waste of resources! My boss told the chief we used them in a series of experiments, but the thought of lying about what happened doesn't sit well with me at all. The whole thing is eating me up inside.

M.E. 755-VII-25th

Termination Report

ATTN: Research Chief Verstael Besithia. The Following specimen have been eradicated: 0755-06000326 0755-06000327 0755-06000328

0755-06000329 0755-06000330 0755-06000331

0755-06000332 0755-06000333 0755-06000334

0755-06000335 0755-06000336 0755-06000337

0755-06000338 0755-06000339 0755-06000340

0755-06000341 0755-06000342 0755-06000343

0755-06000344 0755-06000345 0755-06000346

0755-06000347 0755-06000348

All 23 samples listed have been incinerated to avoid potential daemonification of personnel.

755-VII-29th

 So I ended up telling chief Besithia the truth about the other day. Here I was, ready for him to tear me a new one - and he ended up praising my loyalty instead! Everyone made it sound like the chief was some kind of hardass, but he seems to be a really reasonable guy if you actually take the time to sit down and talk with him.  

M.E. 755-IX-18th

Proposal for Operation:Countersign

As deputy High Commander, I hereby propose a large-scale assault on the Lucian capital of Insomnia. Preparation are to begin next month. Our future is far too precious to entrust to our enmy. We must retrieve the Crystal and the Ring of legend, only then shall our worl know true peace.

Deputy High Commander Ravus Nox Fleuret

  755-XI-2nd

 Another one of the plasmodium samples started leaking today. How does this keep happening!? Clearly someone isn't doing their job. The worst part is that some of the researchers seem to have been infected. I need to get out of here ASAP.

755-XII-3rd 

There's a rumour going around the lab that those "leaks" from before weren't accidents at all. My buddy says he thinks the chief is actually trying to expose us all to the virus. I don't want to believe it, but...

756-I-14th

The whole compound is crawling with daemons these days... I shiver every time I turn the corner. What the hell am I doing here? When can I go home? 

756-II-12th

We are all... Together, we... Insomnia. As the ultimate... we... Thank you... Farewell...

Research log: 756-IV-8th

Research log: Year 756, Day 98. Finally my daemon-infused magitek armor is complete. I have christened my creation “Diamond Weapon”. It has exhibited an extremely unstable psyche, immediately unleashing unmitigated horrors upon activation. It’s destructive capabilities, however, are indeed beyond compare. Not even the “impenetrable” Insomnia could withstand its onslaught. Why, the Crown City would fall in a mere matter of minutes. The Stone of Legend will soon be mine. To think that, in less than a month’s time, the Crystal will be mine to play with as I please!

 M.E. 756-IV-8th

Diamond Weapon Report

ATTN: His Imperial Majesty Iedolas Aldercapt – It is with great pride I inform Your Radiance that development has finished on the new deamon armor. Codename: Diamond Weapon. I encourage Your Radiance to visit the First Production Facility at Your Radiance’s earliest convenience. I am most confident the final product will prove to Your Radiance’s Liking.

Verstael Besithia

Chief of Magitek Research

 M.E. 756-V-21st

Report on Unit SAS-0822

After several years of experimentation, we have finally succeeded in fusing mammal and magitek. Although we are still conducting various tests on Codename: Barbarus, the unit should be functional enough to fend off would-be intruders until development finishes on Unit XDA-1002: Immortalis.

 Research Log: 756-VII-9th

Research Log: Year 756, Day 190. At last, my life’s work is complete. Not only I have found a way to preserve the ego, I’ve also managed to sustain that consciousness through the sublimation process and transfer it to my magitek troopers. The prototype has proven slightly less powerful than the Diamond Weapon, but this presents no real problem. After all, one’s consciousness can be transmuted again and again and again. All that remain is to fully surrender myself to my research and become my own final test subject. I will conclude my mortal life by offering a word of thanks. Chancellor Ardyn Izunia, your assistance has provided invaluable. You have my eternal gratitude. It is through your aid that I completed my work and begun my ascension to an existence beyond divinity.

 thanks @ace-of-babes-98 for the ones that i missed 

[lizhly-writes]

the waking world

prompt: “I don’t even like coffee.”

Notes: This was supposed to be 500 words.  I went five times over that and I think I ended up world-building enough to make a novel.  Fun times.

The smell of fresh coffee wafts through the air.  This is odd, because Chris is pretty sure that it’s too dark for Naomi to be awake enough to be physically capable of making coffee.  Ha, maybe Naomi felt like getting up early for once and — 

What’s she even thinking, it’s not like Naomi lives here anymore or anything like that.

Chris cracks an eye open.  Shuts it.  Opens it again.   But no matter how many times she blinks, Mike is still standing there in front of her bed, a steaming cup of coffee in each hand.  

Chris doesn’t even need to get out of bed to smell the unreality coming off it.  It’s not just coffee, it’s Waking coffee, and that’s enough for her to shove her head under her pillow and pretend that Mike doesn’t exist.

“Chris,” says Mike with his typical mom-voice. 

“Nghhh,” says Chris.

“C’mon.  Don’t be like that.”

“Do you have any fucking idea what time it is,” Chris says into her sheets.  “That’s a genuine question, because I don’t know, I just know that it’s still fucking dark out which means sane people are asleep.”

“Christina.”

“Don’t Christina me, I don’t even want to be awake, why the fuck would I want to be Awake.”

“Boss’s calling for you.”

“Tell Boss-man to suck it.  It’s too early to be Awake.”

“Yeah,” Mike says, something heavy in his tone that Chris doesn’t like.  “But Boss is calling for everyone.”

“…Everyone, huh?”

Now that is something just weird enough to pay attention to.  Calling for everyone is just something that Boss doesn’t do, not without a good reason.

Chris pushes herself up to a sitting position, eying Mike warily.  In the end, Mike says exactly what she expects him to: “Emergency.  All hands on deck, apparently.”

She totally called it.

Chris sighs, swings her legs over her bed, and makes a wild grab for her stuff, hugging it to her chest.  “Okay.  Yeah.  What about it?”

“Does ‘Devourer’ ring a bell?”

Chris frowns. “A Devou—” 

And then it hits her.  

A Devourer.  Yeah, it fucking rings a bell. 

“Holy shit, gimme,” Chris snarls, snatching the coffee out of his hands.  The scent of it turns her stomach, worse than regular coffee does, but she pushes past it and chugs.  It burns her senses and her throat on the way down.  

Fuck, does it burn.

“Yeah, see, this is why Boss wanted you specifically,” Mike says, watching her drink like a creep.  “You should probably slow down, you’re going to injure yourself.”

Chris slams her cup down on her nightstand.  “Not fucking likely.”  If he was worried about that, he would’ve gotten her an energy drink from the Waking World instead.  Works just as well without the heat and lingering PTSD, but noooo.  

One thing she can say about the coffee is that it does its job quick.  She can already see the realities overlapping, colors getting brighter, world sharpening around the edges.  She shuts her eyes, makes use of the transition moment to swing on her pack, snap her goggles in place, tie her bandanna around her nose and mouth.

By the time she opens her eyes, she’s Awake.  

They’re in the Boss-man’s shop.  There are some Insomniacs already there, all with their faces covered.  It’s a necessity — for someone from the Sleeping World, the Waking World is sensory overload, everything too bright, too loud, too intense.  Back in the Sleeping World, Chris’s blurry, tinted goggles would’ve blinded her; her thick bandanna would’ve meant if she could smell anything at all, it’d have been a figment of her imagination.

Here?  It’s barely enough.  She’s already got the beginnings of a headache from the harsh lights, and the smell — it’s all coffee.  From the other Insomniacs who had to down a cup to Wake up, from the pungent taste lingering in the back of her own throat, from the fact that the Boss’s shop is a coffee shop. 

Chris doesn’t even like coffee normally.  It is so much worse here.

Just when she thinks she’s about to throw up, there is a voice.  “Thank you for coming at such a late hour,” it says.  “We have a bit of a problem on our hands.”

Chris whirls around.  The owner of voice is the Boss, who’s popped up behind the register, placidly pouring a cup of coffee.  He works right in his own shop, does the prettiest latte art with the foamed milk even with his shaky hands.  You’d never think an old man like him would be in charge of a bunch of bandanna-wearing misfits like them.

And yet.  

“We’ve noticed some disappearances over the week,” he continues.  “Ten total around our territory.  We believed it to be a highly unfortunate but thoroughly mundane series of events, until one of our own went missing.”

He exhales hard.  “Andrea Zhao.  She was investigating the disappearances, and detected Nightmare activity at every last reported sighting of the victims.  She was looking at the tenth when she became a victim of a Nightmare herself, just an hour ago.  Ethan Yu —” he jerks his head to a tired, tight-lipped man at the counter — “reports the culprit to be a Devourer.”  

Chris reflexively cringes — a Devourer is not a pretty way to go — before she… pauses.  Furrows her brows. “Hang on.  An hour ago?”

Here, in this part of the Waking World, it’s late afternon.  An hour ago would’ve made it dangerously close to high noon, which is flat-out too bright for most Insomniacs to even walk around in, let alone do their job.  And considering her partner isn’t masked at all —

That meant Andrea Zhao had to have been native to the Waking World.

“It’s too bright even now, what do you mean an hour ago—”

“How does that even—”

“Are you saying she could walk around in this kind of light—”

The Boss inclines his head.  “Yes.  Andrea Zhao lived in this world.”

“That’s not even possible.”

Nightmares are from the Dreaming World, and as such, they can only infect things that belong to the Dreaming World — intangibles, like memories, dreams, emotions, Insomniacs.  Flat-out eating an Awake? 

It should be impossible.

“Yes,” says the Boss.  “I thought so as well.  And yet.”  He waves his hand over to Ethan Yu.  “Andrea Zhao.”

Andrea Zhao should have been safe.  

There is a moment of silence.  

“Your task will be to take it down, before it can terrorize more of the Awake.  We’ll give you an hour or so before we start sending in some of the Awake.  Prevent collateral and observe — any information we can get on it should be useful.” 

“Where is it?” Chris cuts in.

The Boss glances over at her.  It’s Ethan Yu who says, “Corner of Devian and Arcord.”

“Right,” says Chris, and that’s all the information she needs to fucking vanish.

When you’re in the World of the Awake and you’re from the Sleeping World, you get some neat perks.  For example, you’re only real as you think you are.  If you’re not real, you’re imaginary, and if you’re imaginary, you can be anywhere.

One moment she’s in the Boss’s coffeeshop.  The next, she isn’t, and she’s right at the corner of Devian and Arcord, just like Ethan said, and she hooks a finger under her bandana and drags it down. 

Most Insomniacs have their senses deadened after too much exposure to the sensory overload that is the Waking World.  Chris?  Chris is good at compartmentalization and contradiction and fine-tuning bits of her head she wants to be real and which she doesn’t.

A good whiff of the air — she can ignore the overload if she isn��t real enough to feel overload — and under the sharp scents of the Awake is something distinctly of the Dreaming World.  Too strong for it to be any of her fellow Insomniacs, who contaminated themselves with a little something of the Waking World to even get there.  It’s got to be the Nightmare.

Another flicker out of existence, and there it is.

The Devourer, a Nightmare that eats and eats and never stops eating, with the special ability to hold on to what its meals used to be and replicate them.  It’s a mess of the faces and heads of fellow Insomniacs, filling the space with the whispers and memories and emotions of things that it’s devoured.  This one’s turned the alleyway, nosing around like there’s something tasty to be found in the dumpster.

Chris sees this kind of Nightmare in her own nightmares. Nothing like the grotesquely reanimated bits and pieces of your old friends and comrades to keep the fear alive.  Andrea Zhao is a fresh victim — her head’s probably somewhere on top.

Chris is so glad she never knew Andrea Zhao.  

What’s important to remember when dealing with Nightmares is that they shouldn’t be real.  Therefore, neither should you.  If you’re fearless enough, good enough at straddling the boundary between reality and unreality, you can dive through the Nightmare and wake the Dreamer who spawned it.  Wake the Dreamer, end the Dream.  The best way to do things, if you’re careful enough to avoid getting eaten yourself.

Chris doesn’t have that kind of fearlessness.  What she does have is a sword, and all she needs to do is pull from over her back.  

She’d had it even before Waking was ever a concept, because how cool is it to own your own sword?  It’s a beautiful thing of shining steel that she keeps religiously oiled and sharpened.  It’s remained unbroken for far longer than it should have.  Not that Chris is complaining.  

“C’mon, motherfucker,” Chris mutters, eyes on the prize as its faces tilt up and catch her own scent.  “Come at me.”

If you can’t do finesse?  Brute force is your best friend.  

It’s easy, really.  Step to the left, step to the right, make sure the adrenaline in her veins is just real enough to give her a boost without making her shaky, remember that all those memories and emotions aren’t —

You’re sleep-deprived and trying so hard to finish your paper, you’ve had so many cups of coffee you’ve lost count, and great, now you’re hallucinating, this is the worst caffeine trip you’ve ever had, what is that thing that’s —

Stab.

Where are you, you knew you shouldn’t have gone out for a smoke when you were this tired, you get lost in your head and now — ha, wow, what the fuck is that —

Stab.

You found it, and maybe you’re a little tired from all this searching and connecting the dots, but you was right, it was a Nightmare all along, but that’s Ethan’s horrified face as you tell him you’re fine, there’s no need to — 

Stab.

The taste of coffee, cinnamon, whipped cream.  It’s the best thing you’ve ever had, and you want to down the cup in one go, but you’re a nice person so you offer a sip to your best friend, who wrinkles her nose and says, “Naomi, I told you I don’t even like coffee” and you whine, “But Chris —”

Wait.

Chris stills and actually looks up for once.  There’s a face staring back at her, wide-eyed and gape-mouthed and screaming, and Chris knows that face.

Your head is spinning and maybe you shouldn’t have had the coffee all in one go?  But caffeine isn’t supposed to do anything to you but the colors are going sharp and when Chris dryly offers you a shoulder to lean on, you take it, she’s such a good friend, rea —

That’s Naomi, which means that’s Naomi’s coffee in her mouth and Naomi’s voice that Chris is hearing in her head and —

“What the hell is that?” you scream and Chris yanks at your hand and says who the fuck cares, how about we run the fuck away — 

“So you’re the bastard that did it.”

That’s the absolute bastard that pulled her into the whole Waking-Dreaming business to begin with.

“C’mon, take a sip,” Naomi’d said, so Chris did, but the coffee had been contaminated with Waking somehow, and gotten them both pulled to the Waking World where this thing was waiting and —

You’re fucking terrified, this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you, and at least you have Chris but Chris is vanishing in your hands, her eyes wide as she fades away and she’s screaming your name —

Later, Chris had looked into it.  Turns out, Chris had gotten a small enough dose that she’d been snapped back to the Dreaming World within minutes, perfectly safe.  

Naomi?  Not so much.

“I’m going to fucking end you,” Chris says brightly.