#ill even take the shinigami eyes

[lind-l-t4ylor]

If anyone ever uses anything I make for AI I am finding another death note.

[el-yon]

Do you think Ryuuken and Kanae really did loving each other romantically? I mean, Kanae was obviouslu devoted to him, but in your opinion how about Ryuuken? Is it possibly a half-hearted relationship that ended up as a marriage, because Ryuuken was kinda lost in such a painful situation?

"Ryuuken was kinda lost in such a painful situation" pretty much describes him throughout Bleach, doesn't it? Girl he was supposed to marry out of arrangement but he had feelings for gets attacked by a hollow, barely makes it out alive thanks to a bizarre spiritual move, marries a shinigami and then dies. Women he loves and becomes the mother of his child falls into a comma and dies. He tries to keep his kid away from the warring-troubles with the worst approach to it, and his estranged son befriends the shinigami-hollow-quincy-human who happens to be the son of the girl he liked and the shinigami she married, and now they have to join forces to defeat the quincy-king who is responsible for both women's deaths. OOF. Anyway, onto the ask:

I should start by saying that I am not exactly a Ryuuken deep-diver... but this ask does seem like a great opportunity to dive a tiny bit more, so thank you for this ✨-- i had a lot of fun writing this, so brace yourself !

Do I think that he loved Kanae? Yes, and I believe it was a whole-hearted relationship; despite of Ryuuken's terrible emotional aloofness and inability to express himself.

This is something to keep in mind: we know that Ryuuken is not good with expressing/receiving affection, as we have seen from how he handled things with his son. His feelings for Masaki were also ill-expressed; they only manifest in an angst-filled situation when her life is in danger and he resents his powerlessness (even though he was young, Kubo's message about his character seems pretty consistant).

And to make matters worse, we don't have any glimpses on how Ryuuken and Katagiri got together; all we know is that Masaki left the Ishida house, which was (according to Isshin) the decisive move for Ryuuken to detach himsel, and a few years later, Ryuuken and Kanae are married and with child. This may have some angst bittersweet taste to it, but this was actually a good thing. The Ryuuken/Masaki possibility got scrapped during EBTR - letting Masaki go was a post-fact liberating act for everyone involved, so I don’t think that Ryuuken got “stuck” in his feelings for Masaki. They grew up, life went on. 

But let’s dig for his and Kanae’s bond.

The nobility quincy nonsense makes it clear that Katagiri is a servant, but we have these indications that Ryuuken saw their rapport in a different light. When he talks about his mother and Masaki, he seems to confide in her - something that his character would not do if she was, in fact, “just a servant”. On the fateful events, one could say that he told her to follow him when he went after Masaki because it was her duty; but Ryuuken knew Masaki was breaking the rules. It would have been wiser to a) just send someone - Katagiri alone, for instance - but Masaki would suffer the consequences for it, or b) go by himself, that way he would guarantee to be the only one to know about it. Yet he takes Katagiri, and he is certain she will “follow his order” because he is trusting her, and this is my impression of it, but he trusts her in a more intimate manner than just duty-bound procedures. I say this because of *this* reaction:

He could have yelled at her, he could have just trapped her with the arm next to her, but he pins her wrist with his hand against the wall (I mean... come on!!... anyhow, I have come to over focus on hands, blame Kubo for his narrative style)  -- and their clashing eye contact after is really more than a master-servant relationship, methinks. Later that night, Ryuuken may try to deflect it and re-center them around formalities, but Kanae refuses to do so and exposes her feelings. Now, even though his “that’s enough” does seem cold, it seems to me that part of him, the part that tells her “let’s come back home” is actually accepting a) Kanae’s feelings, and b) his own (late) confirmation that this person right there is not just another formality, that the trust he built around her so far was not just based on quincy-duties, but on genuine affection. 

Onto speculation now, but there is another issue: Katagiri is considered “inferior”. From what we gathered so far about his family, it feels safe to assume his mother and/or other authorities (?) were not fond of the idea of her marrying into the Ishida family. Ryuuken probably went through some trouble to solidify their relationship, and I don’t think he would have done it if his heart wasn’t fully in it. 

Kanae was probably one of the very few bonds (a heart, if you will) that Ryuuken managed to build, and when she is taken from him, he looses it in a very Ryuuken fashion - which traumatizes his son on the process, not only because of the autopsy, but because of the entire aftermath. Ryuuken was probably confirming that her death did happen due to Ywach (and there is a major TYBW spoiler as to what else he finds in there), due to being a Quincy, and as if this wasn’t enough to crush him, it informs him that their son is bound for trouble in the future if he follows down the Quincy road, so Ryuuken closes himself off.

The anime showed a frame of Kanae holding Uryu (thank you SP for the heartbreak, by the way) when Isshin is telling Ichigo about her death, but the original shot was Ryuuken facing the window and a small frame of solo-Kanae. Because of the contrast of Isshin over-the-top picture of Masaki in the living room and him constantly bringing her up, it can be easy to think that Ryuuken and Kanae’s relationship was not as “loving” as Isshin and Masaki. But I don’t think that is true - these are two very different couples. Isshin and Ryuuken are two very different men, and Masaki and Kanae are two very different women, but both of them understand their respective partners and their deflection strategies - humor and aloofness -, embrace their love as they come, and build their own affection spaces, each on their own way. 

Ryuuken’s mind might have been troubled by resentment, anxiety and fears over the course of his life, but as far as his relationship with Kanae is concerned, I like to think that there was a beautiful heart right there, that he did love her as well as his emotionally troubled self could, and that amidst all his angst, he was actually happy -- even if Kubo won’t let us see that. 

[beeejayy]

Back with more soul eater au . Sun eater. Omori eater. Uhh. Soul omori.

Anyways me ranting about this au down here .

First, soul eater premise so I don't confuse people!

"Death City is home to the famous Death Weapon Meister Academy, a technical academy headed by the Shinigami—Lord Death himself. Its mission: to raise "Death Scythes" for the Shinigami to wield against the many evils of their fantastical world. These Death Scythes, however, are not made from physical weapons; rather, they are born from human hybrids who have the ability to transform their bodies into Demon Weapons, and only after they have consumed the souls of 99 evil beings and one witch's soul."

Omori spoilers probably too

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Aubrey, Hero and Sunny are all meisters! What does that mean? It means their job is to turn their friends into death weapons, they're all partners and fight together!

Sunny: Sunny wants to become a miester for his sister, he's only doing it because Mari wanted him to be by her side and not leave him alone.

Hero: His parents wanted him to be born a weapon but since he never did he still wanted to do something so he became a meister and wants to be one of the first to make one of his friends (Mari) a death scythe. Hero prefers using Mari's scythe form the most since their wavelengths get along the most and they're just both good as a team.

Aubrey: She always wanted to be a weapon, it sounded the coolest to her but she is just a human. But, she can see souls! What does that mean? It's called Soul Perception, Aubrey herself possesses a keen sense of soul perception in which is due to the fact that she possess greater courage then others when fighting fear. Not only can she sense souls herself, but also attributes and estimated capabilities and later even the emotional state of others. (I totally didn't copy and paste what soul perception means) Aubrey is extremely jealous of Kel due to the fact he can turn into different weapons and she can't even be one. (Will get into Kel soon.) Aubrey and Kel are the best pair but also cannot work together. Their wavelengths never match and they can barely use soul resonance, when they fight their souls reject each other which causes Aubrey's hands to burn and Kel to feel very ill and his nose bleeds. Aubrey's hands are burnt because of how many times this happens!

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Mari: She is the only Scythe in the group! She is a perfectionist and her soul is the most determined out of everyone. Mari can actually use her scythe as a piano!

Basil: Basil is gardening shears! (Yeah I know, real original) When he and Sunny first paired up they had a fight over trying to do witch hunter (a fighting technique to kill witches) and Basil accidentally hurt Sunny and now Sunny has less eye coordination! Basil works best with Aubrey because of how long the two have been working together. (I'm still considering giving Basil black blood so he can be stranger but I don't know.)

Kel: (Kel's weapon choice was hard for me so I did just take another character's abilities and gave it to him but it works well with him.) He is classified as a "shadow weapon" who has the power to transform into a variety of ninja weapons including a kusarigama, a shuriken, a ninjatō, knife and a smoke bomb. His ability was passed down by previous family members. His parents wanted it to be for Hero but they couldn't control that! Kel can use his soul to resonate with whoever wields him! It reflects his character and how he can befriend anyone. Each person has a preference of Kel's weapon ability that they like to use. Mari uses Kel's smokebomb form, Aubrey uses his Kusarigama, Basil uses his Shuriken, Sunny uses his knife form (obviously) and Hero uses the ninjatō! Hero is the only one who can use it, its full name is the uncanny sword. One of the Uncanny Sword's known abilities is "Soul Possession", in which exploits the fears in people's hearts to possess the body and soul of the person who carries it. In the end, it absorbs the person's soul entirely. Another is Shadow Manipulation, the Uncanny Sword is capable of controlling a meister's shadow at will for a variety of effects. Hero is the only one who can use this weapon form because using it takes the users soul and Hero has the most experience with this form.

All of them are a group and switch between using each weapon because they can't pick only one pair together (by them I mean me)

[secretshinigami]

Lights Out

Author: @yagami-raito-kun

For: @complicatedmerary

Pairings/Characters: Kiyomi Takada, Teru Mikami

Rating/Warnings: G

Prompt: Mikami is stuck with Takada in her apartment after the district got shut down with an unusual outage, they are forced to talk about topics other than Kira

Author’s Note: It was great fun to write for you again, considering the first Death Note fic I ever wrote was as your shinigami for the very first Death Note gift exchange almost a full decade ago. I hope you enjoy!

“Any luck?”

The prosecutor shakes his head. “They aren’t sure why the power is offline.”

Kiyomi Takada has never been the sort of woman who curses—heaven forbid—but at the moment, she understands the impulse. “How inconvenient.”

“Yes.”

Even in the dim candlelight, his awkwardness is visible, his formality hanging off him like a slip cover. With her best TV-ready smile, Kiyomi gestures at an empty chair. “Someone will take care of it soon, I’m sure. We can continue when the power is back on.”

“Yes.” He doesn’t sit.

Well, then.

“This isn’t part of the interview, you know,” says Kiyomi. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony. We can just talk until the power comes back on. Not about Kira, of course—I don’t want to miss jotting down any important notes—but other things. Whatever you like. Is that all right?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

She waits for him to set a topic, but he gives her no further response. Despite his suit and his ordinary appearance, he stands like a man ill-at-ease in his own skin—as if he were a tenant or visitor there, rather than a permanent resident. That’s a very insightful description. I should remember that one for my memoir. 

Not that Teru Mikami seems anywhere near interesting enough for a spot in anyone’s memoir.

Kiyomi tries again. “Surely you must have other interests besides Kira. You wrote on your form that you’re an admirer of Winston Churchill?”

“I am.”

“I’ve met a lot of men with an interest in the war, but not many who cared about Europe.”

“I don’t care about the war or Europe. I admire Churchill. He was a remarkable man.” Presented with a topic of interest to him, the prosecutor becomes more animated, his eyes taking on an almost zealous gleam. “There are very few men in this world who stick to their principles in the face of opposition, but he never wavered. Popularity meant nothing to him, only duty. Only results. He gave no quarter to his enemies. The world needs men like that.”

“Only men?” Kiyomi teases lightly.

“It’s more common among men.”

She smiles and doesn’t challenge him. “You admire strong leadership, then? A firm hand in time of war?”

“The world is always at war.”

Kiyomi waits for him to elaborate, but once again, he doesn’t. For a man who admires leadership and initiative, he seems very bad at it himself. That doesn’t surprise her, really. Since her college days, she’s met no shortage of men keen to tell her about some imagined, glorious past or some long-dead, manly leader they aim to emulate. Weak men and followers, all of them. Real men are their own heroes. The only men focused on the great past are men who have no real value in the present—which is, unfortunately, almost all of them.

She’ll leave that opinion out of her memoir.

“I’ve never studied his politics in depth,” Kiyomi says, “but we analyzed several of his speeches in one of my college classes. He was an incredible public speaker, a real master of the radio address.”

“Which college?”

“University of Tokyo.”

Ever so slightly, Mikami’s eyebrows rise. “Very impressive.”

“Thank you. I had a wonderful experience there.”

“I’ve heard it’s a very rigorous program.”

A lesser woman would beam at the flattery. Kiyomi accepts it with practiced, modest graciousness. “Oh, it wasn’t so difficult as all that. As long as someone is willing to work hard, it doesn’t take much natural talent to succeed.”

“Hard work is a dying value.”

“Indeed.” She looks up at him demurely. “Like sticking to one’s principles?”

“Exactly like that.”

“Then we’ll simply have to revive them. That’s part of why I became a news anchor to begin with. Popularity may have meant nothing to Churchill, but he understood that if you want to lead, you need a microphone. And a message worth hearing, too.”

Yet again, Mikami goes silent—a different kind of silence this time. Despite the poor visibility, Kiyomi can feel that he is studying her, weighing her answers on some private set of scales. Uneasy, she shifts in her seat. “Would you mind—?”

At that moment, the lights come back on.

Oh, thank goodness.

As Mikami looks up at the light fixture, Kiyomi swallows a sigh of relief. “That would be the power,” he says, pointlessly.

“It seems so. Do you still have time to sit for this interview? I’d hate to keep you if it would be an inconvenience. We can always reschedule and talk about Kira another day.”

“There’s no need for that, Ms. Takada. The prosecutors’ office can wait.” The zealous light is back in Teru Mikami’s eyes, and at last, he takes his seat. “I always have time to discuss Lord Kira.”

Weak men and their heroes, Kiyomi thinks. With her best TV-ready smile, she uncaps her pen and prepares to write.

[substituted-shinigami]

Learning to Breathe

(aka Please Remember To Put On Your Oxygen Mask Before Assisting Others)

Characters: Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, and some Fourth Division OCs, (RenRuki)

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, some Angst, some Humor, Family

Rated: T (for mentions of medical tools such as needles and depictions of anxiety, but nothing is graphic or even really overly described. This story is more about the emotions than the medical drama)

Story Summary: Turns out purple eyes and short stature aren’t the only things that run in Hisana’s family, illness does as well. As Rukia and Renji try to help each other navigate through this new storm in their lives, will they remember to take time to breathe? (Rukia gets the same disease that killed Hisana (Bloodlines AU), Post TYBW, Post renruki engagement)

Click the link to read below or click here to read the story from the beginning on AO3!

(1/7)

Prologue: Boarding Call

(AO3 chapter link)

Chapter Summary: Good morning passengers. We are now boarding flight 50S to Anxiety Seireitei City. Please remember to store all of your baggage in the carry-on compartment above your head, so that it will not be revealed until the end of the trip. Thank you, and have a pleasant flight! (A prologue in which Rukia and Renji get a diagnosis.)

 

It had been such a peaceful morning…

"Pleasantly surprised to see you this morning, Sister,” Byakuya had said rather fondly to her as she entered the dining room that morning, “But do you not usually leave for the Thirteenth by this time?”

"Normally, yes," Rukia had agreed as she sat down at the table, "But I'm actually only working a half day today. I have my yearly physical at the Fourth this morning, so I’m going into the office late. I'm trying to get it done and out of the way before the wedding."

"A wise decision," Byakuya nodded.

"Speaking of which, after my appointment, I'm stealing your lieutenant for lunch," Rukia continued between bites of kyuri no tsukemono. She was having trouble not shoveling the whole thing into her mouth. The fresh but sour taste of the pickled ginger and cucumbers, the mild kick from the sprinkling of chili, these were the kinds of flavors that she loved in the morning. Their palate, a perfect pairing of coolness and heat, served to invigorated and inspired her! Plus they were tasty too, "The bar we have chosen for the wedding reception has some dishes they would like us to taste for the event. Afterwards I'll go back to work in the afternoon, followed by going to the seamstress in the evening to get the measurements for my dress."

“Indeed? You are quite busy as of late,” Byakuya replied as he sipped his tea, “Well, if you’re done with your appointment early, do come by the office anyway. I would say so that we can chat, but considering how Abarai gets when he waits for you, I doubt I'll get a word in."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Rukia asked, a little surprised. Byakuya put down his tea cup, and gave his sister a withering look.

"Sister, he is unbearable whenever he waits for you. Between the foot tapping, and the sighing, and the constant checking of that infernal communication device all you young shinigami carry around…” Rukia rolled her eyes at him.

“...A soul pager, Niisama?”

“Yes, that. Anyway, it’s a wonder he gets any paperwork done at all! If I thought marrying you two would get him to stop, I would move up the wedding to tomorrow, but I’m sure that it will just make him worse.” Rukia chuckled fondly in response.

“Well, I will be sure to speak to him about it.”

“Please do,” Byakuya said, as he picked up his chopsticks, “But enough about my insufferable vice captain and your incurable fiance, tell me about-” They continued to talk amiably for the rest of the morning.

A simple routine check-up. That’s what it should have been…

The tech taking her spiritual pressure made a face at the monitor.

“What is it?” Rukia asked in a mildly amused tone, “I know I’ve always been a bit weird, but I didn’t think that my spiritual pressure was that strange!” The tech didn’t laugh, however.

“Not sure, something seems off…” he murmured more to himself than to her as he stared intently at the monitor, “Hold on, I’m gonna grab the nurse.” He grabbed the nurse, who also looked at the monitor, and then immediately left to grab the Relief Team Leader.

“Hanataro,” Rukia addressed the Fourth Division’s Third Seat as he peered at the monitor with a voice she hoped didn’t betray her growing trepidation, "What is going on? You know I don’t want to rush you, but as I told you earlier, my schedule is pretty packed today,” she gave him a mischievous look, “If you let me leave early, I promise to bring you back some cake from the tasting I’m going to!”

“Ah… Sorry, Rukia… But cake or no, there is something about your reiatsu that seems…off. We are going to need to run some tests to be sure. Probably even draw some labs…" but as he said it, Rukia's eyes went wide and her body went cold and stiff.

"I…I see…" she barely got out, as her hands involuntarily balled into fists.

Hanataro looked up and smiled at her kindly, "Don't worry, Rukia, I'll handle it."

"Thank you…" Rukia replied, relaxing just the tiniest bit. Unfortunately, the situation did not improve.

“We’re not positive of anything yet, Rukia, but your reiatsu doesn’t seem to be flowing or filtering normally, so we feel it’s best to monitor the situation," Fourth Division Captain Isane had said when they admitted her.

Rukia had already texted Renji to let him know she would be late for lunch. She thought it best that she text him again. He was there in minutes, sprinting into the room.

"Rukia!!!"

She had been laying in the bed, propped up by some pillows, when he had arrived. When she saw him, she sat up straight and gave him a little smile and a wave.

"Hey, Renji! What’s up?"

"That’s my line!!!!" Renji put his hands on her shoulders, "What happened? Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?!"

Rukia reached up her hands to gently hold on to Renji’s wrists, "I'm fine, Renji. Don't worry, it's just a precaution," she dismissed casually, before smirking up at him teasingly, "Although my shoulders kind of hurt now."

"Dang it, Rukia! This isn't a joke!" Renji exploded as he let go of her shoulders. But he immediately deflated and slumped down in the chair next to her bed, "I was so worried, I…" Rukia took a hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I know. I’m sorry, Renji. I didn't mean to scare you."

Renji bent his head down so that it touched hers, "Don't apologize, idiot. Just feel better soon, ‘kay?"

"Okay,” Rukia replied, tilting her head up so that their noses touched.

"I love you…” he whispered to her as he squeezed her hand, “...so much…"

"I know… I love you too," she whispered back.

They continued to stay, just like this, sitting close, whispering soothing words to each other, when they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a large thump by the door. Rukia peered around her tall fiance to see Byakuya clumsily trying to fix the vase of flowers that had been set on the end table by the entrance. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Oh, Nii-sama! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," she said. She gave him a kind smile, before bowing, "Thank you for visiting me!"

Byakuya turned away from the offending plant towards his sister, but didn't manage to step any closer into the room. Instead he stuck his hands in his sleeves and asked, "How…are you feeling, Rukia?"

"I'm alright," she began. Renji gave her a pointed look, "Honest! I don't feel any different. If they hadn’t protested so much, I wouldn't have let them keep me at all!" Byakuya regarded her silently, almost sadly, before tearing his eyes away from her.

"I'm…glad you chose to listen to them," he told her quietly.

“Yeah!” Renji agreed, turning back towards her, “No breaking out of here, you hear?” He squeezed her hand again, “I know hospitals suck, but I’ll be here whenever I physically can. We’re in this together, okay?”

“Okay,” Rukia agreed, “And thank you, both of you, but like they said, this is just a precaution. I’m sure they’ll let me out by the end of the day!"

The Fourth did not release Rukia by the end of that day, or for the rest of that week, but eventually, the diagnosis did come in. CRVS, also known as Chronic Reiatsu Vent Stenosis, a rare reiatsu vent disease that tended to run in families, and the same disease…the same disease that killed her sister, Hisana.

And just like that, everything changed…

[noxshade]

Day 11: Bogged Down

[Ao3 Link]

Komachi was getting ready for her lunch break and was wandering by the Hall of Judgement when she heard the noise.  Something between a scream of anguish and a shout of frustration, she had never heard such a noise from the only person who would be in there at this hour, Eiki Shiki, the Enma.  Concern for a superior pulled her to investigate, as well as her persistent desire to avoid work- if she spent the rest of her shift talking with the boss, all the better.

The ferrywoman rounded the corner, into the gold-trimmed and shining Hall of Judgement, the office of the Yama-Xanadu.  A grand desk of mahogany sat at the other end, and behind that a high-backed chair that was emblazoned with character for ‘repentance’ surrounded by a wreath of sculpted flames at its apex.  Sitting in the chair was the green-haired form of Eiki, her headdress and more formal attire removed, as she was tackling paperwork and administrative tasks, and not judging souls.  Papers were scattered all about the desk, along with pens, small notebooks and wood-block stamps.  A few pieces of paper drifted down and off the table and in the air, apparently having just been thrown about during the scream Komachi had heard.

“Is everything okay, Enma?” Komachi asked, resting her elbows on the high desk.  To most souls, bent and shriveled, the desk and chair were towering, but Komachi’s statuesque height let her be almost eye level with her superior.

In response, Eiki shoved a piece of parchment at Komachi.  It was written in runes, angular and ancient.  It was addressed to Eiki from someone named ‘Skuld,’ asking that a certain segment of souls be apportioned for an afterlife named ‘Valhalla.’  Theoretically, Komachi had been taught about all other soul-harvesting agencies in her shinigami orientation, but she had slept through most of it, of course.

“Oh?” Komachi asked, trying to sound curious. “Administrative dust-up?”

“It never ends with them!” Eiki shouted, her typical restraint and pensive demeanor abandoned.  “Odin’s prospects have been drying up for centuries, so now he’s trying to redefine his sector.”

“How so?” Komachi asked.  She’d heard of Odin before, some western god, but she was still not quite sure what was going on.

“He took those who died in battle,” Eiki continued, oblivious to Komachi’s time-wasting ploy.  She apparently had a lot to get off her shoulders. “That was most people in his homeland when he arrived in the north of Europe, but now there are very few glorious battles for his valkyries to choose from.  He’s a wily one, and he’s already tried to expand what’s ‘glorious’ in death several times, but this new one is egregious, even for the man who stole the Mead of Poets!”

Komachi looked over the document again. “Car accidents, domestic disputes, suicides… it seems like he wants everything short of the sick and the elderly.”

“Even then, he’ll take the sick, if they fought their illness long enough to be dramatic,” Eiki said, her voice exasperated. “The only ones he can’t try to snatch are the elderly and infirm, he already delegated that to Hel, in his own organization.”

“I mean, it means less work for you, right?” Komachi offered. “If he wants the headache, why not let him have them?”

Eiki gave a tiny sigh, and glared at Komachi.  “I can’t just give them to him, it would be even more of a headache!  Old One-Eye isn’t the only one with a particular profile of soul he wants to collect: Cihuateteo wants any who die in childbirth, and with those numbers so low now, she’s become very aggressive.  Then Lady Hecatia wants any women who practiced her very broad definition of witchcraft set aside for her… coven or whatever it is she does with them.  She keeps Hades and Scáthach satisfied somehow, but Mot and Erishkegal are backing Anubis and are trying to get him to butt in on judgements now!”

“Huh,” Komachi commented.  “I did run into a few other psychopomps recently.  Thanatos was perfectly cordial, but Azrael and Michael were…” She made a noise to try and indicate her displeasure with the two Angels of Death.

Eiki sighed again and rubbed her eyes. “Don’t even get me started on our four-lettered acquaintance from the West.  He’s such a pain… so… incomprehensible.”

They sat in silence for a moment as Eiki continued to scribble on pieces of paper and mutter to herself.

“I know what you need,” Komachi said at length.

“And what is that, Onozuka?” Eiki asked, derision in her voice.

“You need a break,” Komachi said, a smile creeping across her face.

“I’m not a slacker like you,” Eiki replied, squinting down at a line of fine print. “This is important work.”

“So is maintaining a healthy mind,” Komachi said. “You can’t contend with the demands of all these western gods if you’re working yourself to the metaphysical bone.  The paperwork will keep.  It’s time for a break.”

Eiki leaned back in her high chair, and let out a long, low sigh.  “Alright, you win.”

[torawro]

SOSA SOSA. do u think byakuya is a tit or ass man….i need to hear ur input 🐰🐰

MAI MAI ! hi i am so excited you came to visit and even more excited with this specific ask😋 you came to the right person to ask me this bc after all, i am byakuya kuchiki’s pretty little wife <3 that brightens up kuchiki manor 🤭 so ofc id know

personally, i just wanna clear up that ‘kuya at heart is an “i love every inch of your body and ill kiss every centimeter of your skin to show you how much i love you” kind of guy. bc i think that when he loves he loves INTENSELY. so based off this i don’t think he’d had have one preference over the other

however.

a few instances here and there his narrowed gaze is caught lingering at your tits for too long, whether it’s in your regular day clothes, in a professional wear (if u were a shinigami, for instance) or in your night clothes. damn that night gown (that he bought for you). he wasn’t sure what was going on with him but he thought you looked ethereal in such simple cloths. it made his chest tighten and heat up that all it takes is a couple of wrist movements and you’d be bare for him, and he never thought twice about such a concept of clothing an obstacle until tonight. u had said something very particular that caught his interest— he couldn’t seem to remember what it was though bc his eyes were trying not to zone in on your tits that were so so close to him. it’s not his fault that you happened to disrupt his line of vision and invade it the way you did. your nipples being so reactive and sensitive that they practically cut through your sleepwear had nothing to do with him. byakuya would never admit to himself how just often he thinks about fondling your breasts or massaging them ( his willingness to remove some of the achy tension that resided in the muscles made his ears hot if he pondered on it too long ), nor would he succumb to this annoying, unceasing urge to latch onto your erect buds at any given moment. he saw all these feelings and borderline primal urges as obstacles he must overcome bc they deterred his focus as squad 6 captain and the 28th leader of his clan— but byakuya would soon find out that you would be the most challenging opponent he’d ever face, and he realized this while monitoring you sleep peacefully in his bed next to him, your breast damn near about to fall out of your loose clothing, and his long, calloused hands reached closer and closer to your chest.

[ryusxnka]

❝ to grieve deeply is to love fully. ❞

       God of war: Ragnarok starters.

     E motionally incarcerated 'gainst the barbed enclosure of intimate attachments, blunders, he believes, for he acquainted with the arduous repercussions of befriending humans and yet willfully selects to unadvisedly establish these relations nonetheless, and stringent Shinigami professionalism, disconnected executions entirely bounded to eradicating anomalous threats. --- This was not the first time she brings up the subject of death, specifically theirs --- of their inevitable passing as a mortal woman --- and he distastes every segment of its aching continuance. - Grief was naught unfamiliar to him in the slightest, consecutively weighting, painstakingly so, its hefty existence 'round the susceptible crux of his heart as if to evermore rupture. ----- He recalls the manner she had taken and tenderly held his hand concernedly, coursing warmth throughout fingers whose layered skin was naturally sheltered by paddings of frigidity, as she spoke of her innermost desires, during a preceding discussion months prior amidst a visitation, in regards to his salubrity, his contentment, how it thrusts a sharp-edged knife through his mind, twisting it so unmercifully until it hemorrhage with burdening uncertainty. It goes without saying that he'd rather not think of what may become of them the instant she exhaled her last breath within a tangible, living, body he's never genuinely possessed.

    Once she is Konso'ed into the soul society, tearing the two into a separation amongst a world marred in destitution, appetite resulting to cannibalistic slaughtering ever remaining unpunished, and furthermore, mistreatment of the cruelest of degrees. --- He swallows, conveying his eyes earthward 'pon the ground they awkwardly stood, immaculately genteel as the simper she portrayed 'gainst her porcelain visage as she reassured. To grieve happenstances, no matter if they had already transpired or were forthcoming, equalized to have loved something or someone completely. ---- Love; A concept foreign to the adolescent, but even so, he is gradually pulling at its strings of realization and acceptance with subtle precision, able to insert the feeling in a file of comprehension. Peach had become a comrade he had sworn to protect, to take care of if necessary, and it is with that tacit pledge that he opposes himself, unsheathing his Zanpaku-to, endeavoring to steady its clasp as he directs its hilt's point in alignment to her forehead. " Are you ready ... Boletusella? " he inquires, intonation faltering in spite of his efforts. This may be the last time they speak, the last time he's greeted with her magnanimous ambitions, and it breaks him like glass, like Ice who has been thawed by the flames of amity. He grieves this unjustified valedictory. ----- Damn it all, he cusses.

     How tragically ironic it was that she had succumbed to an illness.

[lalunameli]

Pg 56

独自の正義で悪を焼き尽くす

Burn evil with your own justice

裁判官ユーリ・ペトロフの裏の顔。殺傷能力の高い青い炎を自在に操り、独自の正義感に基づいて犯罪者を死に至らしめる。手形をモチーフとしたマスクを付けているのは、みずからの過去と罪を忘れないためなのか。

The hidden face of Judge Yuri Petrov. Uses his abilities to freely manipulate deadly blue flames to kill criminals based on his distinctive brand of justice. Does your mask have a handprint motif so as not to forget your past sins?

見て見ぬふりをしちゃダメだ。

強い男にならなきゃ・・・・・

Don't turn a blind eye. I have to be a strong man.

青年のユーリ

Yuri as a youth

尊敬されるヒーローの面影もなく、酒に酔って母���暴力をふるう父・Mr.レジェンド。「悪を見て見ぬふりをしてはいけない」という父の教えのとおり、ついにユーリはみずからの能力を爆発させる。その青き炎は父親を焼き尽くすのだった。

There is no trace of a respected hero. Just his drunken father beating his mother.

Mr Legend: Don't turn a blind eye to evil.

That's what my father taught me.

Yuri's powers awakened, and his blue flames burned down his father.

「この死神！この！この！」 - オリガ

This Death God! (TN: Origa uses shinigami) This! This! - Origa

ユーリの母。夫・Mr.レジェンドの家庭内象力の対象となり、毎日のように顔が変形するほど殴られていた。夫亡き後は息子のユーリと同居し、現在は車椅子生活。過酷な体験のせいか精神を病み、夫が今も生きているかのようにふるまうことがある。NEXTの能力で夫を殺害した息子を「死神」と呼び、憎しみを爆発させることも珍しくない。

Yuri's mother. She became the target of domestic abuse from her husband Mr. Legend, and was beaten so much everyday, that her face was deformed (tn: from her injuries). After her husband's death, she became wheelchair bound, and currently lives with her son Yuri. Due to her harsh experiences, she has become mentally ill, and sometimes acts as if her husband is still alive. It is not uncommon for her to express hatred towards the son who killed her husband with his NEXT ability, calling him "Shinigami" (Death God).

オリガ - Origa

能力の減退に悩む夫・Mr.レジェンドを支え、ヒーローとしての苦悩を理解していた妻・オリガ。た。

とえ力をふるわれてもいつか必ずやさしい夫に戻ってくれると信じていた

When Mr. Legend's powers started declining. Origa supported him, and understood his suffering as a hero. She believed with all her heart, someday her kind husband would return.

(TN: it's actually "believed with all of her strength" but thought "believed with all her heart" sounded more natural and conveyed the same meaning)

「それでこそパパの息子だ」 - Mr.レジェンド

That's my son! - Mr. Legend

ヒーローとして数々の偉業を達成し、銅像までたてられた偉人。だが晩年は能力の減退に苦しみ、他のヒーローの功績を横取りして記録を更

新、酒に溺れ、妻子へも暴力をふるった

A Hero who has many great achievements for his work and even has a bronze statue built in his honour. However, in his later years, he suffered from the decline of his abilities, taking credit for the achievements of other heroes in order to maintain his track record.

He became an alcoholic, and also violently abused his wife and child.

ルナティック、誕生

The birth of Lunatic

ユーリの父は、ヒーロー界の伝説でもある偉人、Mr.レジェンドだった。「悪を懲らしめる強い男になれ」と、父親目からヒーローとしての英才教育を受けたユーリ。皮肉にもその教えが、後にレジェンドの運命を決定づけてしま

Yuri's father was Mr. Legend, whose accomplishments were legendary in the hero world.

"Become a strong man who punishes evil."

This was one of the teachings Yuri received from his father about being a hero. Ironically, this teaching would later determine Legend's fate.

少年のユーリ

Yuri as a boy

Pg 57

ルナティック / ユーリペトロフ

Lunatic / Yuri Petrov

ルナティックの隠し部屋

Lunatic's Lair (Hidden Room)

ルナティックとしての活動を遂行するために、密かに隠し部屋を用意しているユーリ。照明は最小限に抑えられている

Yuri has secretly prepared a hidden room to carry out his activites as Lunatic. The lighting is kept to a minimum.

Belonging

司法局

Judicial Bureau

シュテルンビルトの中心にそびえるジャスティスタワー、ユーリの仕事場はその中にある司法だ。熱判所で直接ヒーローに相談を言い渡すこともあれは、大会議室で7大企業のトップや市長らと犯罪者対策を協議することも。

The Justice Tower towering in the centre of Sternbilt (Sternbild). Yuri's workplace is in the judiciary in it. You can also consult with the heroes directly at the judgement centre, and you can discuss criminal countermeasures with the Mayor and heads of 7 large companies in the spacious conference room.

(Picture of Floor plan and directly below, Executive Office (執務室))

Ability

青い炎を操る

Manipulation of blue flames

NEXTとしての旅力は、青い炎を撮ること。殺力は、ファイヤーエンブレムの炎を上回るのではないかと思えるほどの成力をもつ。

炎を利用して空中を飛行したり、ボウガンを併用することで炎の矢を発射させたりと応用も可能。

His NEXT ability is to use blue flames. Their killing power is so strong that it seems to surpass the flames of Fire Emblem.

The flames can also be used to fly in the air and to fire flame arrows using a bowgun.

「私はルナティック。

私は私の正義で動く」

"I am Lunatic. I move with my justice."

Catchphrase

タナトスの声を��く者

Listen to the voice of Thanatos!

(TN: Commonly translated as "Hear the Voice of Thanatos" on official goods)

制裁を加える犯罪者に言い放つ

セリフにしばしば登場する単語が「タナトス」。タナトスとはギリシャ神話で死の神を意味している。

死刑制度のないシュテルンビルトで、犯罪者を死の国へ送り届けるのが彼の役目なのだ。

"Thanatos" is the word that often appears in the lines he tells criminals who impose sanctions.

Thanatos is the god of death in Greek mythology.

It is his role to send criminals to their death in Sternbilt (Sternbild), which has no death penalty.

沈着冷静な有能裁判官

A capable judge who is level and calm

シュテルンビルトの司法局ヒーロー管理官兼裁判官。ヒーローの活動によって起きた器物破損などの被害状況を精査し、冷静かつ公平に司法手続きを行なう。裁判官としてヒーローと面会することもある。

Hero Administrator and Judge of the Judicial Bureau of Sternbilt (Sternbild). He scrutinizes the damages caused by the heroes activities, such property damage, and conducts judicial proceedings calmly and fairly. As a judge, he can sometimes be called to meet with heroes.

ユーリの顔面には、青の炎に焼かれた父につかまれたときの手形が残されている。ふだんは隠されているが、感情が高ぶったときには現われ、彼が幼いころに犯した罪を思い出させるのだ

Yuri's face has a handprint imprinted on his face from when he was grabbed by his father, who was burned by his blue flames. It's usually hidden, but it appears when his emotions are high, reminding him of the sins he committed when he was young.

Yuri's pages from the Hero Gossips.

If these are translated somewhere please let me know and I’ll link to it.

[cat3ch1sm]

🌿| ok we aren't gonna talk abt how long i procrastinated on this okay i had finals all week and spent every waking second studying pls forgive me

🍃| request from @darkrose33 <33 it is just after l's funeral (reader's s/o) and the reader is feeling sad and alone. light decides to take advantage of this. this is part one- which doesn't consist of NSFW, but part two def will :) this part got hella long y'all

🍃| hope u enjoy ur request, reader! <3 for more info on my account click here!

light yagami x fem!reader~ part 1 (sfw)

All you felt was empty.

You'd seen it coming, sort of. You'd prepared yourself as best as you could for the strong possibility that maybe L wouldn't make it out of the Kira case alive. You'd tried to get used to the idea of losing him. You'd spent long, melancholy nights planning your future alone and spent some days distancing yourself from L as to adjust to the idea of him not being there. You had sought out outside help such as therapy, using an alias and saying that you had a terminally ill relative. You'd thrown yourself into your work, often staying up late nights and waking before dawn to immerse yourself in it as much as possible. You had prepared yourself for the likelihood that the very man L had suspected of being Kira, the mass murderer of thousands, would step up and play the part of L. Every possible road had been traveled, every path traversed in your effort to mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare for the death of L.

But it hadn't changed the fact that, at the time, L had still been there. It was never a reality then, you didn't really have to face it- and thus your attempts had been in vain. Now, here you were in the back of the cathedral, struggling to even breathe.

L was dead.

The only thing that you could see in your head was the perpetually repeating scene of L falling out of his chair to the ground, not a single detail missing. The metallic clink of his teaspoon when it hit the floor. The convergence of the entire task force on L's fading body, all yelling in panic and concern. The sudden disappearance of shinigami Rem. The white screen displayed on every device in the room, void of any images or text except for one line- All data deletion. Light clutching the limp detective"s body in his arms, face hidden by his brown hair. L's eyelids slowly fluttering shut. The ensuing frenzy that followed after Light came to the grim conclusion that the remainder of the task force would be killed as well. The pile of shimmering silver dust, later found in the back of the headquarters, along with the Death Note and a single black pen.

Every last detail.

It didn't feel quite real. There was still a substantial portion of your mind that refused to process the reality that L was dead. Gone. Much of you felt numb and shocked, while still other parts of you wanted to drop to the floor and never stop crying. It was the feeling of utter despair, loneliness- and bitterness. Why was L ripped away from you so violently? In front of your eyes, no less? It didn't seem fair. Weren't you both the good guys? Just once, why couldn't there be a happy ending?

You were sitting beneath the sill of a large stained glass window, almost like a mural, a beautifully crafted image of Jesus Christ with beams of radiance emitting from his head, various Biblical images depicted in the space around Jesus. There was an image of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, a chorus of angels playing a variety of instruments, an effigy of a Nativity scene, and most notably, a large tree holding several red apples, and a nude woman beside the tree plucking the apple; the fruit was beside a sly-looking snake shrouded in the bushes, watching as the girl took the fruit. This room in particular had a rather eerie ambience, only enhanced by the fact that just beyond the walls, the corpse of the greatest detective to ever live lay pale and limp in a furnished casket.

At least the church was pretty- the whole place looked like this, the ceilings displaying paintings of angels and the floors in red carpet, the whole cathedral smelling faintly of frankincense. The funeral had been limited to just the task force, and the church had been tightly locked down in order to keep outsiders out. As of now, the funeral had officially ended, and Matsuda, Aizawa, Soichiro, and Mogi had left about a half hour ago- but not before asking you over and over if you were alright, which made you smile a bit amidst your dripping tears. L's body was to be buried that midnight by affiliates of L, wanting to do so in secret as to not run into any unwanted visitors. But as for L's body now- it still lay in the closed casket in front of the congregation, a grandly blooming bouquet with many kinds of flowers tied with a white ribbon to the lid.

Your partner was now a corpse.

Now you inhaled shakily, wiping at your tears. It was time to put your emotions aside as best as you could and think rationally. L wasn't going to come back, and no amount of crying was going to change that. He'd probably be telling you to pull yourself together right around now- there were things to be done, cases to be solved. Emotions were only a liability, and you were not to allow them to interfere with business.

Still, a choked sob escaped you as you thought about this. You would give anything for L to be here, chastising you now.

But he never would again.

"Y/N?"

You startled, jerking your head up to search for the source of the voice echoing throughout the back of the cathedral. Your gaze came to rest on none other than Light, nothing more than a tall, shadowy silhouette in the dark lighting of the church, standing a short distance from you.

"Light." You blinked your eyes hard and violently rubbed at your cheeks, eliminating the last of the tears as you got to your feet and dusted off your long, elegant black gown. As you did not want Light to see your current state, you couldn't help but feel a rush of relief that the light radiating through the glass windows was only minimal.

"Um- is there something you need?" you asked airily. Light stepped closer to you, entering the light to reveal his sharp black suit and tie.

"Is there something you need?" Light returned, making your brow furrow in slight confusion. "I know L's death must be quite hard on you- I want to make sure you're okay."

"Ah, it's- it'll be fine." Wow, that wasn't very convincing, and you realized this with a slight grimace. Waving it off, you pressed forward, hoping to sound more okay than you actually felt. "I suppose it was all but inevitable. The odds were against him; that's all there was to it." You let out a somewhat bitter laugh, lowering your gaze to the velvet carpet. "I'm a bit impressed L didn't pass sooner..."

Light eyed you a little suspiciously, and it was clear he knew you were not alright in the least. You could sense his burning yet warm eyes on you, observing your body language as you continued to stare at the floor, not knowing what else to do.

"Really, I'm fine." You tried again, fiddling with the pendant around your neck that you'd saved for a special occasion. Feeling tears begin to prick at the backs of your eyes once more, you opted to change the subject. "How about you? How are you doing?"

Now it was Light's turn to look dubious. "I don't know how to feel, really- but if I had to pinpoint it, I'd have to say nervous." At nervous, he winced a little- which caught you rather off guard.

"You're nervous?" You blurted, unable to hide your surprise. "Um... that doesn't really sound like you."

"Ha, it's not." Light smiled sheepishly and put a hand behind his head, the other in his pocket. "It's just the prospect of taking over as L... I know it's something I can probably handle, but I can't help but feel a little intimidated.."

"Oh, who wouldn't be? It's a daunting task. But I'm certain you'll act accordingly as L." This was a lie on your part, actually- since L's death, your suspicions of Light being Kira had gone through the roof. But obviously, you couldn't let that be known to Light.

Light gave you a grateful grin. "Thank you, Y/N."

"Of course."

Light began to move closer still to you, and a little off-put, you stepped backwards closer to the stain-glass mural. "Is- is there anything else you need?"

"Well, I do have something to ask you." He was even closer now- your body was completely pressed against the window now. Too late, the feeling of something being wrong began to arise in your mind.

You hesitated. There wasn't very much you could do about that now. "Go ahead."

"What did you see in L that you didn't see in me?"

Your eyes flew wide open, shocked. What the hell was Light saying? Knowing something was definitely wrong now, your fists slowly began to rise to your hips, ready to swing if Light were to try anything. "What?"

"You heard me."

Oh, hell no. A furious expression taking hold of your facial features, your fists instantly flew upward to reach Light's face- only for a single hand to stop them both, long fingers wrapping around both of your wrists. In one swift move, Light swung your wrists and arms backward, slamming them against the shining glass behind you, holding your hands captive above your head. Your breathing began to speed up, and you glared up at Light with equally incensed and terrified eyes. What was he doing?

"Don't look so scared," Light told you, feigning comfort as an almost diabolical smirk spread across his lips, the glimmer of the sun through the window behind you reflecting in his greedy brown eyes. "I won't hurt you- that is, unless you don't cooperate."

You had no clue what was even really happening, but you damn sure weren't about to play along. "Cooperate? Light, what the hell? Let me go!" With a strained grunt, you wrenched against Light's grasp, twisting your body this way and that to try and tear your hands from his grip. However, your attempts were in vain, and didn't even seem to phase him. Instead, Light let out a derisive chuckle, licensing you even further.

"It's pointless to resist, Y/N." Light told you matter-of-factly, appearing almost bored as he held your body fast to the wall. "If you'll only stop moving so much, this doesn't have to be so bad."

Your eyes were ablaze with anger and humiliation- but you knew Light was probably right. You would only wear yourself out if you kept struggling against him. Taking this into account, you reluctantly ceased your thrashing, breathing heavily as you allowed your chin to drop down to your chest as you hung your head in defeat.

"What is it you want from me? Please, just get it over with." Your voice was muffled as you stared forlornly at the floor. Whatever Light wanted- you simply couldn't do it today. Any day but today.

"I want nothing from you- I want you." Light's hand slid under your chin and gently lifted your head up to face him. Your eyes were gloomy and half-lidded as you met Light's stormy eyes, alight with the wistful golden glow emitting from the stained glass window. His body was against yours now, the fabric of his suit touching the cloth of your dress, falling half off your shoulders from the prior encumbrance. You could feel the faint thumps of his heartbeat on your skin, and your breath hitched a little. This could not be happening. Today.

"Want me." you spat icily, almost a little too scornful. "I take it you've been after me for a while? I knew it. I could tell."

"Aren't you clever, Y/N?" Another sardonic chuckle. "You're quite correct- since the day I first laid eyes on you, you were the only thing I could think about. I memorized every last one of your features, even those that weren't necessarily physical- your smile, your laugh, the way you fidget with your hands- and the way you used to look at L." At this line, Light's face tightened, and you couldn't help but choke back a slight gasp. Your instincts were screaming at you to kick him, to fight back, to do anything- but you found you were simply unable to move.

"You're insane." was the only thing you could manage in a biting tone, jaw clenched and diction clipped. Light only responded with an unsettling smile before resuming his lament.

"I was... rather dismayed when I found out that you and L had begun a relationship- a romantic one. All I could think about was how it was supposed to be me- you were supposed to belong to me. And when L went and handcuffed himself to me, all I wanted to do was kill him. I was forced to watch you kiss lips that weren't mine, throw your arms around a body that wasn't mine. Likewise- I was made to watch his hands run along your waist, caress your skin, smooth back your hair- skin I should have been touching, hair that should have been tangled in my own fingers."

"And for what? For him to dismiss you, ignore you half the time, and behave as if you meant so little to him? When I could have granted your every wish, showered you with my love every second."

So Light had noticed the growing distance between you and L- realizing this, you couldn't bring yourself to keep looking at him, and instead dropped your head again from Light's grasp, hot tears dripping down your face and blurring your vision. L had been quite alienated from you in the days leading up to his death, and it had made you suffer greatly as the looming threat of Kira grew closer every day. All you had wanted to do was be there for L, save him somehow from going in too deep and endangering himself even further- and your efforts had only been proven futile. L had quite blatantly dismissed your attempts at assistance- ignoring you, rejecting any forms of physical affection from you, even going so far as to flat out tell you that he didn't even want you present at times, which had hurt you greatly. It had made you feel unwanted, inferior, and useless. And now that L's murderer had thrown it all back in your face, it was like a wound in salt, stinging like the tears spilling from your eyes.

"Look at you. You're still crying over L- even when he's no longer here." Light leaned down a little to meet your height, while still holding your wrists with one hand, and peered into your red and glassy eyes with a strangely affectionate expression. "Do you see now? Do you see how much he made you hurt? Do you see how good I could make you feel?"

You were too distressed to answer, face completely wet now as the whole day hit you at once. Light, however, didn't seem impatient with you- instead straightening up and at last releasing your hands, your arms limply falling to your sides, and sliding his hands slowly around your waist in an act of comfort. He began to rub your skin through your dress soothingly, easing your tears some as you began to relax a little. "It's alright. It'll be fine, Y/N- okay?"

You nodded shakily, no longer paying much attention to what you were actually doing, only wanting to find comfort somewhere, anywhere.

"I can make you feel better again. I can make you feel safe. You just have to let me."

You sighed, wiping at the tears on your cheeks.

"Okay."

[substituted-shinigami]

Learning to Breathe

(aka Please Remember To Put On Your Oxygen Mask Before Assisting Others)

Characters: Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, and some Fourth Division OCs, (RenRuki)

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, some Angst, some Humor, Family

Rated: T (for mentions of medical tools such as needles and depictions of anxiety, but nothing is graphic or even really overly described. This story is more about the emotions than the medical drama)

Story Summary: Turns out purple eyes and short stature aren’t the only things that run in Hisana’s family, illness does as well. As Rukia and Renji try to help each other navigate through this new storm in their lives, will they remember to take time to breathe? (Rukia gets the same disease that killed Hisana (Bloodlines AU), Post TYBW, Post renruki engagement)

Click the link to read below or click here to read the story from the beginning on AO3!

(3/7)

Chapter 2: Dark Clouds

AO3 chapter link

Chapter Summary: Attention passengers, if you look out the windows to your left, you will see the approach of some dark ominous clouds. Please do not be alarmed by this new development. We can assure you that we have everything under control. (The chapter in which Rukia’s and Renji’s long appointment just gets longer.)

"I'm sorry…" A young boy's voice wept. Rukia’s brows furrowed. Her eyes blinked open to the sight of a familiar dilapidated shack.

“What? Who-” She slowly sat up, her body still aching terribly from…from what? Spearfishing? Yes, that’s right, that had to be it. She had been spearfishing all day today. It was hard work, made harder now that Renji couldn’t come with her and the other two boys were out stealing water.

“I’m sorry…It’s all my fault…” the voice continued to sob. Rukia turned towards the sound.

"Who? What-" She saw a red haired boy with a tight ponytail sitting on the opposite side of their now cold fire pit, cradling something in his arms. As Rukia’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, she felt her blood run cold, "R-Renji?! Is…Is that?"

"I fell asleep and the fire went out…Mameji must have gotten too cold. I'm sorry…" Renji continued to sob, "I should have…I should have been…" Rukia slowly got up from her spot on the bare shack floor, and tip-toed over to him.

"Renji," she began quietly as she knelt beside him, "Mameji's been sick for over a week, and even worse these last few days. You were exhausted from caring for him. There…there was nothing more you could have done."

“You don’t know that!” Renji yelled, “Maybe I could have saved him! I caught this two years ago, remember? But I got better as soon as the weather warmed up! If I could just keep him warm till spring… If I could just keep the fire alive… But I didn’t. I failed him…” he hugged the body closer to himself, “I’m sorry, Mameji…”

Rukia’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She closed it again, cursing her brain for never thinking of the right words to say in these moments. Turning away, she saw their other friends sleeping in the corner of the shack.

"I…better get them up,” Rukia finally said, “That way we can all say our goodbyes before the body dissipates. In the morning we'll make a grave, okay?" Renji only nodded mutely in response, as she got up to wake their friends.

__________________________________

Rukia’s eyes slowly blinked open to the familiar sights and sounds of the exquisite Kuchiki carriage as it gently bumped its way down towards the Fourth Division. In the past, she rarely rode in the stuffy, old thing, preferring to use shunpo to get around freely instead. But as the illness slowly progressed, Rukia’s energy levels started to wane. Being a shinigami, she had better control of her reiatsu than Hisana did, and therefore was still doing a lot better comparatively. But that never stopped Byakuya from insisting that she take the carriage anyway.

On most days, this overprotection annoyed Rukia…greatly. However when she saw the dark and heavy clouds that covered the sky this morning, she had to agree it seemed like a rather prudent idea. As she rode along across the streets of Seireitei, rain drops gently tapping against the windows, and Renji’s warm presence close by her side, she would even say that the carriage felt downright cozy. So cozy, in fact, that she had apparently fallen asleep. Rukia yawned.

"Oh? Wake up already, did you? What's the matter, are my muscular arms not comfy enough for you?" Renji teased. Rukia silently looked up at him, the remnants of her dream still at the forefront of her mind. Renji’s brows furrowed. "What? What is it?"

"N-Nothing," she said as she tore her eyes away from his face, "I'd just…I'd just rather have slept on your large comfy chest is all…" Renji laughed at that and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

“Well, you still can if you want. I’ll tell you when we’re almost there.”

“Only if you nap too,” she stated firmly, taking his other hand in hers. “I know you're tired, and it’s going to take half an hour to get there.” Renji chuckled at this idea.

“Rukia, if we both fall asleep, then who’s going to wake up before the coachman finds us and gossips about us sleeping together to all of your servants and family?”

“Oh, they already do that,” Rukia dismissed nonchalantly with a wave of her hand, “But if you're truly concerned, then I can set an alarm on my soul pager to wake us up.” But Renji simply smiled.

“Nah,” he said as he kissed the top of her head, “Let ‘em talk about us. Let no one say I don’t adore you. Besides, with how boring the rest of the Kuchiki’s are, they all need something interesting to gossip about anyway!” Rukia laughed hard at that as she cuddled closer to him.

__________________________________

About a half hour later, Rukia awoke to the sound of her soul pager ringing.

I really feel like smashing that thing… she grumbled to herself as she fished it out of her bag and flipped it open. It was the Fourth Division. She turned to look out the carriage window, and saw that they were almost already there. Are they calling just to make sure I’m on the way? Rukia wondered as she picked up the call.

“Hello?” she asked, trying not to sound as sleepy as she felt.

“Yes, this is the scheduler for the Fourth Division's Thirteenth Relief Team, Hayashi Maki. Can I speak to Kuchiki Rukia, please?”

“Yes, this is her.”

“Yes, I was just calling to ask if you could come in an hour later?” Rukia looked out the carriage window again.

“I’m afraid we just arrived…”

“Oh dear... Well unfortunately, due to low staff, we are running rather late this morning. So you can come in if you want, but I’m afraid your appointment is still being pushed back an hour.”

Great, Rukia thought, So now this three-hour stress-fest just became a four-hour one. Not to mention the fact that neither of us has eaten yet. She sighed.

“That’s fine, Ms. Hayashi, we understand. Thank you for informing us, we’ll be in when we are ready.”

“Oh, thank you so much for your understanding! Now when you do choose to enter the building, make sure you head to registration first. Just ask the security guard where it is. After leaving registration, you take a right, a left, and then another right and then you’ll be at the waiting room. Thank you again for your patience and cooperation!” And with that, she hung up the phone. Rukia sighed and closed her soul pager before stuffing it back in her bag. She looked up to see Renji was now wide awake and regarding her solemnly.

“Everything alright?” he asked hesitantly. Rukia sighed.

“No, they moved the appointment back an hour…”

“What?! And they are just now telling us?! You could have gotten an extra hour of sleep in your own bed if you knew about that earlier. Not to mention this is a fasting appointment…” Renji grumbled, scratching his head irritably.

“I know… Sorry, Renji… Since it’s going to be even longer than we thought, we really should go see if there is a restaurant nearby, and grab you something to eat.”

“What, no! Rukia, I told you I wouldn’t eat without you, and I meant it. And don’t try to argue with me about it, 'Miss If-You’re-Getting-A-Tooth-Pulled-And-Can-Only-Eat-Soup-Then-I-Will-Too Kuchiki!'” Renji said in his best approximation of Rukia’s voice, while crossing his arms. Rukia felt a blood vessel pop in her head. This was all technically true, of course, but it was disregarding several important factors as far as she was concerned.

“I’ll be fine, Renji! And at least I finished my dinner last night, unlike you who barely touched your plate!” Sighing with frustration, Rukia turned to look out the carriage window. She continued in a quieter voice, “Besides, I doubt there are even any restaurants nearby that I can still eat at anymore. I’ll probably have to wait till not just after the appointment, but after we get back to the manor. So don’t worry about me, and let’s go grab you something.”

"And I said, I’m fine to wait! Also, I’m pretty sure there is a restaurant near here that we’ve eaten at after the doctors have started giving you all those food restrictions. What about that sushi place we like?”

“Can’t have soy sauce…too much salt…”

“Oh…right, sorry. But you can eat sushi without soy sauce, you know?” Rukia shot Renji a look. “Okay, okay! You can’t eat sushi without soy sauce," He said, putting up his hands in defeat, “How about that place you like with the really good pickles? Oh wait, I guess that’s probably too much salt too… It’s really weird how much salt can affect a person’s reiatsu when they are sick…”

“You can say that again…” Rukia grumbled as she went back to staring out the window, "Apparently it's because we're spirits. While salt isn't the all propelling force to us that humans think it is, it's still not best to eat a ton of it. Even more so when we're sick."

“Ah yeah, that makes sense…" Renji replied quietly, rubbing his neck, as he tried to think of other locations that might work, "Well, what if after the appointment we went to… Oh, well actually you can't go to that restaurant anymore either…" Renji deflated, but then suddenly he perked up again, "Oh, but Hisagi told me about this new Western style bar, called Sandwiches, I Guess! You know, like those dishes that are bread stuffed with meat or other fillings that Orihime eats sometimes? It’s a la carte, so you can pick and choose which ingredients you want, so that might work!”

“Renji, I don't really want to hear about food right now… Wait,” Rukia said as she sat up suddenly with a confused look on her face. She turned towards him, “Hold on. The bar is actually called Sandwiches, I Guess?”

“Yup,” Renji nodded. Rukia’s eyebrows scrunched together.

“What do they mean ‘I Guess’? Are they sandwiches or not? And if not, what are they?!”

Renji shrugged. "I don't know, it's anyone's guess."

“…That's not their slogan, is it?”

“It most certainly is.”

“UUUUUGH!”

“I know. It's great, right?”

“I can't tell if this whole conversation made me more hungry or less hungry, but it definitely made me more stupid," Rukia replied, rubbing her temples with both hands, but her lips began to turn upwards on their own volition.

“Really?” Renji asked, his own lips turning upwards at the sight, “Hisagi said that going there was an enlightening experience for him. That he discovered a lot about himself.” Rukia side eyed him between her fingers. “But mostly he just learned that all his favorite sandwich ingredients happen to start with the letter ‘R’, roast beef, rye, and relish. But, you know, illuminating all the same.”

“This restaurant is just sounding worse and worse. I didn't even think that was possible, but it certainly was,” Rukia laughed. “Well, if that’s all you have to look forward to, I guess it isn’t so bad waiting…but if you get hungry, then please at least drink some water, okay?”

“Alright, if I get too hungry,” Renji agreed, he seemed to have relaxed a bit too, “Should we head in?”

“We could. Or since we no longer have a time limit…” - she slid closer to him on the seat again - “we could stay out here where it’s more private.”

“Oh…? Oh!” Renji said, suddenly looking quite pleased. He slyly slipped his arm around her and pulled her a little closer, smirking, “Should we make those rumors about us a little more saucy, eh, Lady Kuchiki?”

Rukia took a tight hold of his kosode, pulling herself up closer to him, their faces only inches apart, “Call me that again, and these fists go in your face,” She whispered fiercely, smiling devilishly. Renji laughed.

“Okay, okay!” - he slipped his other arm around her - “Future Mrs. Abarai…”

“J-Jerk!” She stammered, but her red face easily betrayed her true feelings. Renji laughed again, and she quickly silenced him with her lips.

[crocadrivethru]

My time to shine ((cut for length))

If it came down to hand to hand combat, Light wouldn't even have a chance. But that's both Heavy and Light are knowingly facing off against one another. What makes this match up so interesting is that Light's forte is deception. He's whatever he needs to be at a given moment in time; he's an armature detective, he's a student, he's a caring boyfriend, he's the son grieving over the death of his father. The larger portion of the story is him, Kira, undercover in the special team meant to track him down. Step one: compare and contrast. I like to convert them into the "same units of measure." So instead of thinking of it as Heavy and Light Yagami, consider it as Heavy and a twink Spy. This makes it easier to assess their skills. Teams have always been important in Tf2. Its practically painted all over them, with their brightly color coordinated uniforms and patches w/ their affiliations. If someone were to infiltrate* the team for their own nefarious reasons, it'd most likely be administration that catches first wind of it. And even if a merc figures it out before then I doubt it'd be Heavy. From there, consider how Light would try to kill Heavy. I've seen people bring up administration removing any/all trace of his legal name or any information about him in general. Which I agree, but I doubt it'd matter all that much. Both L and Mello were exceptionally careful about their names and still ate shit in the end. Fuck, when Mello was being introduced to the audience they lead with the fact they got rid of all of his files. All Light would need to kill is the Shinigami eyes. Of course, Light would never make the deal himself. He could absolutely manipulate someone into making the deal and telling him the name; it's just that the people most susceptible wouldn't be any help actually telling him it. Yeah you can convince Soldier or Scout all you want but good luck getting them to spell, let alone two Russian words. Because the higher you get up the literacy scale of mercs some of them would actively realize (or be more likely to realize down the line) Light's true intentions.

As for Heavy, his area of expertise is gun. Something Light is notoriously weak to. Joking aside, Heavy is a lot more robust. He doesn't have to play mental games to win, he just needs to kill you. If he cant use his main gun then he can use a shotgun, if that fails he'll use his fists. There's no double meaning to a bullet or a broken leg. Step two: assess the win conditions. When pitting two characters against each other and asking, "who would win?" You'd be right to assume the winner is last man standing. However, I think this should be looked at from another perspective. If Light were to make the Shinigami eyes deal and write Heavy's name into he death note then it'd be the perfect crime. No accomplices, a seemingly natural occurring death, and he has all the time in the world to make the perfect alibi. You wouldn't think that would be a loss, but it is. Light talks about how any action he could take that would impede his reign as god is off the table. No ifs, ands, or buts. It's why he never makes the Shinigami eye deal (that cuts your remaining lifespan in half) and manipulates others into doing it for him. This is the biggest crux in Light's kit. It's why my thought process in this isn't about who could kill each other first, but could Light pull it off without tipping someone off beforehand, or leaving a trail. It plays back into the one line from the meet the heavy video. “Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe, [sniff] maybe. I have yet to meet one that can outsmart bullet.” This is that. This entire prompt and all my ill induced ramblings are taken from the sentiment that if anyone has claim to that it's Mr. mansplain, manipulate himself. Anyone in the Death Note universe could potentially get their hands on a death note, make the deal, and take someone out like it was nothing. But that isn't outsmarting someone, those are supernatural powers wielded by a morbid hand. The question being asked here is can Kira ensure that this person he passes judgement on, will he die in a way that fits god's plan? Step three: decision. Earlier I used the word infiltrate and slapped a big asterisk on it. My initial take of this was from the pov that Light was a merc, or at least regularly worked along side them (administration.) I can't see him as a merc per say, but there are always other avenues. Differing factions, informants, even seats at the business tables. Light has the privilege to get him into whatever start point he think's will claim the most pawns. And of course, none of this matters. If Light were to go through with it and write Heavy's name in the death note, he better pray that there's no trace leading back to him.

Bringing attention back to the earlier point about wiping the records clean. That is the opposite approach that Light takes. He's a very notable person to just about everyone he interacts with. He's the valedictorian of his school, the son of the police commissioner, he had articles written about him back when he played tennis. Light's method to his madness was that it was him, just him, and the occasional person he could use as a tool. Someone he could give orders to and expect them to be followed. Which is vastly different to how the mercs operate. They're a team they work together. If they found out that one of their own was murdered, they're either on it immediately or persuaded into tagging along. Not to mention if Heavy's family got the news. They'd never let up until whoever did it was punished. It's possible for Light to be able to pull it off, but it seems very unlikely in my mind. Assuming all of his pictures were burned, needing to be in the same room to get his name at all would leave just enough for Ms. Pauling to work with until she eventually finds the digital scrapbook that is typing Light Yagami into the search bar. It's possible for Light to orchestrate it all in his favor, it's just that when I step back and look at the potential outcomes it reads something like this. If Light dies -> Heavy victory Heavy doesn't die -> Heavy victory Heavy dies -> Heavy loses If the plan get's found out -> Light loses If Heavy dies (Light makes Shinigami eye deal) -> Light loses If Heavy dies (actively perused by mercs) -> Light loses If Heavy dies (actively pursued by Heavy's family) -> Light loses If Heavy dies (no trail, trail goes cold) -> Light wins My final answer to the question is that Light could kill Heavy, but doing so would like Light lose. Either by forcing him to make the eye deal or by constantly needing to uproot his plans because of those tracking him down. Heavy has more favorable outcomes but none of them are by his hand. Either Heavy's win gets handed to him or it's a lose lose scenario. So I guess I'm voting Heavy.

alright gonna suck it up and not make a poll just please reblog this to get it to as many people as possible i need the opinion of the people on this one. who would win light yagami or heavy tf2.

[animeyanderelover]

Don’t ask why, it was a spontaneous impulse.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, overprotective behavior, controlling behavior, strictness

Sick darling

🌸Byakuya is incredibly hard to read simply because he hides his emotions behind his indifferent mask. He does learn to loosen up a bit at one point in the relationship, it doesn’t change the fact that he still has his more controlling side. Certain patterns his darling has to follow and boundaries they shouldn’t step over, if they do just that he will be kinder in return. He keeps it bottled down well, but Byakuya is actually more possessive than you might believe. He didn’t believe to fall in love again after losing his wife Hisana so once he feels the full flower of obsession bloom inside of his chest, he does his preparations. Byakuya is aware though which is why he sometimes chooses to be more lenient with you, he knows when he’s partially at fault and will take responsibility for it.

🌸As serene as he is, he reacts somewhat sensible whenever his s/o gets sick since he lost his first wife to an illness as well. The Shinigami is highly protective and despite his stern attitude, he will go above and beyond to ensure your safety and health since he cares and loves unconditionally at the end of the day. Byakuya won’t act like an idiot though, he knows that his s/o isn’t in life danger and even “entertains” them by chiding them lightly for not having taken better care of themselves and been more careful.

🌸He has a doctor to check on their health and he will follow the instruction they give him if he wants his darling as quick as possible fit again and his darling will follow them as well. They will stay in bed, take their medicine and eat what they’re being served if it helps them recovering. He’s lightly irritated if they should refuse to head his instructions since they’re an adult and he expects them to look after their own health, he is as fast as ever to scold them to have them gulping down whatever they refuse to take or to escort them back to rest.

🌸Has a servant always near your room in case something should happen or you need something. Byakuya has his work to do as a Captain, wants to have a few updates a day on your condition though and if something in regard of your sickness should worsen, he allows his servants to interrupt his work and inform him, he even demands it. Hisana’s loss due to succumbing to illness has put a scar on him and so he always finds himself more attentive and worried when he has a weakened s/o suffering from sickness.

🌸He visits his s/o as well, though he will make it quick if they’re asleep to not disturb their sleep and peace. He’s their lover and future husband and is more concerned than the eye might discover, only those close to him realize. Being sick can be painful and tiring, especially if you have to suffer from headache, nausea, a sore throat or other symptoms. He’s there for them though, even if he is not present all the time and he wants to let his darling know that. Byakuya is never acting overbearing, he’s mindful to not stress or tire s/o out in any sort of way whilst they’re still in a frail condition. He just tells them a bit about his day, anything interesting from Soul Society, Rukia and Renji and brings them their meal and their medicines occasionally as well.

[unohanadaydreams]

How would the captains react to catching their partner cheating on them? I’m feeling angst tonight

Finally some good fucking food. Angst; it’s what’s for dinner and I’m chowing down with you, anon.

Features: angst. Some violence and torture with Gin and Mayuri.

How The Original Captains React To Being Cheated On:

Genryusai Yamamoto:

There’s little to no reaction. You wouldn’t be the first and won’t be the last to use him for status or money or petty bragging rights. Just another day.

Quietly, behind closed doors, he does mourn. Not for the loss of you, but for the prospect of starting again. He caresses the pretty things he’s bought you, each touch a vote for or against bothering.

If you come to him, apologetic and willing to repent, he’ll look past the transgression. Less work for him to undertake, in the end, and the power of demanding this is that in the name of forgiveness suits him.

Shunsui Kyoraku:

He can’t help but laugh. All those years chasing girls and washing his hands of the consequences come to catch him now that he’s standing still with just one hand holding his.

Business goes on as usual, but he’s sloppier around the edges—spilling sake on paper work, falling asleep against Jushiro’s grave, and forsaking the frequent partying he’s known for in lieu of furiously scribbling down the perfect love story he didn’t get.

Honestly, he’s willing to forgive if it wasn’t done out of love for the other person and there’s a willingness to work on the relationship. Shunsui has played the unfaithful lover more times than he can remember; being black out drunk more often than sober will do that to you.

Soi Fon:

She can’t speak and doesn’t bother. Throat closed with anger, she lets her body tell you where your relationship lies—thrown off the bed and kicked outside.

There’s nothing but hatred for you and humiliation for herself. Not just personally, but professionally; a leader of the 2nd division being caught unawares is irony at the cost of her reputation.

People are always leaving her behind once she trusts them. After weeks, she’ll ask you why. Because that’s always the question burning in her chest. Why can’t she be a person someone stays for.

Gin Ichimaru:

Cute, how you think you can shuffle off and away from him after getting caught. He doesn’t flinch, talking with conversational tones. Hey, sweetie, who’s your little friend? Aww, they don’t talk or some thin’?

There’s two options; submit to grueling public humiliation or die. Gin loves to have fun, after all. And, isn’t it fun having to watch the person you cheated with get toyed with like a mouse under kitty claws? Aren’t you having fun kissing the corpse? Wasn’t your silly mistake worth it?

Gin has never forgiven, forgotten, or turned down an opportunity to make someone who cares about him regret feeling so. Your life is hell and the jailor can’t decide whether to keep your head under boiling water or kill you. Fun!

Retsu Unohana:

The impulse to leave as the only one alive is temptation incarnate. She is firm, restrained, and digs into her cheeks until her teeth pop through.

She keeps waiting to calm, for the situation to become objective instead of the turmoil in her gut. Retsu is especially brusque with everyone while working, making every stitch job a painful one. Why is there always something. Why can’t all the change finally stick; why is she still glad to feel the pain so she can inflict it back?

The betrayal was the end and there’s years of coping methods that keep you from spilling your guts on a sword, but it feels like a very near thing to her. Professionally, she’s less kind, and your next set of wounds healed by the 4th get infected. Poor thing.

Sosuke Aizen:

As far as you know, he’s stricken with heartbreak and disappointment. His voice is a touch too loud when telling you off—others hear. And disapprove greatly. He asks any bystanders for their discretion towards his privacy, adding a tear or two for effect.

Your relationship being over matters little; dime a dozen are the people who’ll fall over themselves to be his. The audacity of treating him, your better, with such unfairness? Affects him like an itch under skin.

Of course, he forgives you. He makes a show of it and the number of people out for your unhappiness grows. How could you cheat on such a gracious, loving man? You are punished with little action from himself, the many shinigami who view him with starry-eyes doing their work without needing explicit instruction.

Byakuya Kuchiki:

There’s little to say or do outside of making it clear he wants you gone in a permanent way. Reaction is the thief of dignity, so he saves any emotion for when he’s alone.

Self flagellation is his favorite dessert and he is convinced the bitter taste reflects his character somehow. In a way, it speaks to his lack of care and dignity as a clan leader; what fully aware man could let this happen?

For you, there aren’t any chances let alone forgiveness. You’ve stung his pride in multiple ways and only social norms keep you from dying in a duel over it. But as a shinigami—as a captain—he has avenues to vent his vindication until he feels the crime has been payed for. Too bad for you that pride is worth it’s weight in gold for a Kuchiki.

Sajin Komamura:

He runs away from the situation as soon as possible. Of course you cheated on him; how foolish to think anyone would not. At least he knows now and can get back to his normal.

Being alone isn’t all bad. There’s more time for his pets, his company, and his training. Comforting, familiar, he can pretend this is how it always was. Just him, alone.

His lack of self-esteem outweighs his want for justice. It was unfair to subject anyone to…himself, anyway. He can’t blame you for wanting someone untouched by the curse of the beast.

Kaname Tosen:

There’s more anger than even you expect. Injustice in anything, especially something so personal, enrages him. But he has the self control and sense to only send you packing.

Still, it’s all he can think about. Better to be consumed by this than the glacial pace his better world is taking. You’re one of the people holding that goal back, he’s sure. He insists on a talk that’s really just a long, painful lecture.

People like you, who disregard what’s right, don’t deserve forgiveness and the upset within him darkens. Maybe there is a way you can make things right. They’re so close to perfecting the Arrancar and he’d like to see how you’ve contributed once his eyes open, finally able to see.

Toshiro Hitsugaya:

There aren’t any dramatics or punishments or even words to give you other than ‘goodbye’. He sees the break and he cuts it cleanly. There’s no need for anything else.

Largely he copes by doing what he always does—working, training, meditating. There are a few sips of alcohol and punches to his pillow, but you’re no longer someone he cares about. The ice has holed over the spot you took just fine.

You don’t exist to him anymore. If you try to apologize, his eyes will pass over you and he’ll remind you once before ignoring you again: He’s a captain and he’s closed the conversation and now he’s getting back to work. Goodbye.

Kenpachi Zaraki:

So you’re fucking somebody. Is that a big deal or something? Should he be hurt? Because all he can muster is annoyance.

And then he thinks about it. He lets it sink in that somebody was touching you while you’re his. Kenpachi understands the want to play, but isn’t love when someone is the best in your heart and only them? Like, strength but more fucking confusing.

He’s still undecided if there’s anything to forgive. He tells you to give it another go with him in the mix and likes the feeling better than walking in uninvited. So maybe it was just play…and maybe he’s more rough with you two than intended. But he leaves more content than he came, so he figures everything’s fine. He can always kill somebody later, once he’s figured it out for good.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi:

You’re knocked unconscious and so is the person you were in bed with. That’s the last you see of them or the world beyond one lab room.

Congratulations, you are now confined to a pill that is swallowed by gigai after gigai designed in your likeness. Isn’t he generous, letting you take part in his research still? Don’t you feel honored to still feel any part of his touch as he takes you apart somehow more painfully than the time before?

Because it is just research. He didn’t care about you enough to still feel enraged about it. This is purely out of principle, a logical response to your base actions. Don’t worry, it’s just forever.

Jushiro Ukitake:

The discovery is emotional and he struggles keep his dignity, especially when a coughing fit starts soon after. He can’t even tell you off without sickness leaking into the moment.

The spiral begins. You’re awful one moment and justified the next. He’s the victim, then the one who should’ve known. There was no good reason and then he coughs again and there’s one.

He could forgive you if you’re genuine and forthright with a reason that isn’t the weight which holds him under blankets or pushes blood past his lips. As long as the illness isn’t what poisoned the relationship, he could forgive you.

[flurrys-creativity]

Heimat

Heimat (n.) - a place that you can call home; a sense of belongingness, acceptance, safety and connection to homeland

Pairing: Lee Felix (Stray Kids) x GN!Reader x Bang Chan (Stray Kids); Genre: Romance, kinda Shifter AU, kinda Love Corner, Fluff, Angst; Rating: sfw, PG-15; Warnings: incurable illness, coughing, mentions of losing consciousness, hinting at coughing blood, hinting at Totoro being a shinigami (death god), vomiting from coughing, mentions of painkillers, hinting at taking an overdose, hinted death; Wordcount: 9.873; Collab: Ghibli Collab by @daemour based on the movie “My neighbour Totoro”

Summary: After years of living in the big city you moved back to your old little town in the countryside. While being in the familiar area you remember more and more things about your early childhood. Even your imaginary friend Totoro. At least you concluded he was imaginary cause no adult had ever seen him. Until now.

You leaned your head outside the open window of the bus. The wind blew into your face, brushing away some strands of hair. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. “Just like back then”, you mumbled and a smile played over your lips. The fresh air filled your lungs and brought back a sense of nostalgia.

When you opened your eyes again, you noticed the small houses up ahead and your smile got even wider. “Home sweet home.”

The bus entered a small forest, the shadows immediately cooling the air down. You sat back on the seat and pushed a small button to sign the bus driver you wanted to get off at the next stop. The stop at the end of the small forest.

You grabbed your luggage and stumbled towards the exit, giddy to get out already. You leaned forward and looked through the glass doors. As soon as the bus stop came into sight you nearly squealed out loud.

“It looks just like back then!” You traced your fingertips over the old rusty bus stop sign that tipped a little to one side now. The letters were barely visible, fading away due to time. 

You grabbed your luggage again and walked down the dirt road, skipping every other step. It has been years since you’ve walked down the road and it truly felt like a melody to your feet having an uneven setting instead of the never ending concrete.

You passed large fields of crops, few farmers working on them in the heat of the sun. You waved at them when they looked up with curious faces, not having seen a stranger for quite a long time.

You remembered how they had the same questioning look on their faces almost fifteen years ago, when you first moved into this area with your family. 

Back then your family bought a small house near a large sacred forest, hoping the fresh air and countryside would be a better environment for your health than the smoke filled big city.

You only lived here for some years though, making most of your teenage memories here. Once you turned sixteen your parents moved back to the city and you along with them.

“Is that little Y/N?”

You stopped upon hearing the old, raspy voice and turned around until you saw the person behind it. 

Your face lit up as you dropped your luggage and ran to the old woman. “Nanny! It’s so good to see you!”

“My, you got so tall! How long has it been?” She hugged you tightly despite her almost frail appearance. “What are you doing back here?”

“It’s been way too long!” You folded yourself into the hug, trying to become a little smaller.

“It truly has been. So what are you doing here?” She slightly pushed you away, still holding you at your upper arms to look you up and down with a smile.

“I bought the place we used to live at.” You vaguely pointed into the direction of the old house, shortly glancing there as well.

“What? My, you’re so grown up now.” She squeezed your cheeks. “I’ll send Felix over with some food once he’s back.”

Your eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the familiar name. “Felix? He’s here? Oh my god, I haven’t seen him in years!” As if on cue your head turned around in search of the freckled boy.

She patted your shoulder. “Not right now, sweety. He’ll be later on. I’ll send him to you! You should come over after you settle in. We can talk then. My, you’re so grown up now. Look at you!”

You laughed along with her and hugged her again, promising to visit soon. Even while walking away you turned around every few steps and waved at her with the biggest smile on your face.

“I can’t believe Felix still lives here”, you giggled as you skipped along the road. “What else has stayed the same?” Your eyes wandered around the area, remembering everything from when you were a kid. The little stream where you and Satsuki used to play after hot school days, the little shrine where you had to stand underneath whenever a heavy rainfall surprised you.

You stopped at the small path leading away from the road, taking a deep breath. Your gaze wandered along the road for one more time, remembering that you only needed to pass the sacred forest to get to Satsuki’s place. 

For a second guilt spread through your chest and the corners of your lips turned down. You wondered whether her parents still lived there - or at least the father. You weren’t able to picture Satsuki’s mom, remembering she stayed in a hospital most of the time due to an illness. You remembered how much Satsuki used to worry, wishing for nothing more than her mom to recover and come back.

Not only Satsuki though. Mei used to worry as well, even though she couldn’t express it quite right. After all she had only been four. 

You grabbed your shirt in front of your chest, clenching the material between your fingers. The painful memories you had buried deep down resurfacing again.

Your eyes wandered to the sacred forest while trying to blink away the upcoming tears. Once you settled in you would go and pay a visit to the large tree in the middle of the sacred forest, praying for Satsuki and Mei.

With that thought you turned and walked the small path up to your old home. Your solemn mood quickly got replaced as soon as the small house came into view. 

The colour had faded from the planks, the windows were covered with dust and dirt and the veranda had large piles of leaves littered on it. 

You placed your luggage down and stemmed your hands into your hips, letting your eyes roam over the house and scenery around it. You had a lot of work coming up to get everything clean and repaired again. Still, you smiled upon seeing your old house. “Home, sweet home.”

You brought your luggage to the edge of the veranda before you walked into the house, opening every window and door to fill the rooms with fresh air. After you found a broom you started sweeping the ceiling, getting rid of all the spider webs and dust. It only needed one sweep for you to cough heavily, rushing back out of the house with your hand covering your mouth and nose. You looked back into the house. “That won’t do.”

With a soft glare in your eyes you grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around your lower face, ready to storm back into battle. You grabbed the broom again and continued sweeping. You narrowed your eyes as much as possible, barely seeing anything, just to prevent the dust from falling into your eyes. 

After you swept the ceilings you started to sweep the floors, pushing all the dust and dirt out of your home. It was rather easy to get everything done with no furniture being in the way. You cleaned out the four rooms and the veranda before you walked around the house to get to the kitchen and bathroom. 

With dusty fingers you pushed down the lever of the water pump, waiting several seconds until the water came. You scrunched up your nose, seeing the rusty colour of the water. After a few more pumps though the water turned transparent and you quickly filled a bucket with it. You then grabbed a cloth and dunked it in the water. 

You carried everything back to the main house and placed the bucket in the middle of the living room, taking the cloth out and wringing it, before you wrapped it around the broom, wiping the floors. You did the same with the veranda floors.

Your face twisted slightly when you looked into the murky water bucket, deciding to get new water before you would start cleaning the bath and kitchen.

You were half leaning into the old bathtub when you heard someone calling. You pushed yourself up a little to answer. “Back here!” You didn’t recognise the voice but didn’t worry too much about it, continuing to clean the bathtub.

“This wasn’t a view I expected to see today”, a dark voice snickered. 

You pushed yourself up again, balancing yourself on the edge of the tub, as you turned around to see the person standing in the doorway of the bathroom. You looked the man up and down, feeling he was somehow familiar but with the dim lighting you weren’t too sure about it.

“Long time no see, Y/N.”

Your eyes widened in shock and you immediately dropped everything and scurried over to the man, looking up into his face. “Felix?” As soon as you saw his grin widen, you squealed and pulled him into a tight embrace. “Oh my god! It’s so good to see you!”

He wrapped his arms around your form and pressed you against his body, hugging you just as tight. “Same to you. Haven’t seen you in a decade.”

“God, that makes it sound so long”, you giggled and moved slightly back to look up into his face again. 

“It’s been long.”

“You’re right, you’re right. I know! I was honestly so surprised to hear you’re still living here. Is Kenta still here as well? How about Satsuki’s father?”

“Woah, woah, woah! Slow down.” Felix snickered again and grabbed your hand, pulling you outside towards the veranda.

You noticed the sun setting at the horizon and the breeze feeling cooler than before but you quickly shrugged it off, your attention turning back to Felix, who now sat down on the edge of the veranda. You sat down as well, watching him with big eyes.

“I did move to a nearby city when I turned eighteen”, Felix started to tell you, “but I didn’t like it and came back two years ago. Kenta actually moved out with me. He stayed in the city though. But he visits once or twice a year, mostly during Golden week. About Satsuki’s father - I don’t know. He shortly left after the.. - after you and your parents moved away.”

You nodded solemnly, knowing exactly what Felix actually wanted to say.

“Anyways, I think I’m way more surprised than you when I heard you appeared out of nowhere. What are you doing here?” Felix turned to look at you, quickly changing the topic again.

You smiled at him. “I bought this place.”

“So you’re staying here?” His eyes shone with hope and he moved slightly closer to you.

“That’s the plan at least. The moving truck should arrive here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, bringing my furniture and more of my things.” You pointed at your luggage with a giggle.

“Ah, then I’ll stop by tomorrow and help you move all that stuff.”

“You don’t have to! I paid the moving company to do that.”

“Don’t turn down my excuse to see you”, Felix laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

You laughed as well and hid your face against his shoulder. “You don’t need an excuse. I’d love to see you more often.” Your heart rapidly pumped against your ribcage, reliving your crush on him.

When you were twelve you had been playing with Satsuki around the stream and lost your balance, falling into the water. Felix stood above you and offered you his hand back then, looking at you with concern in his eyes. He helped you up and offered you the jacket of his school uniform. Felix even asked you a dozen times whether you were alright and only after you promised him you simply got surprised did he relax again and smiled brightly at you. Back then you compared that smile with the sun, illuminating the day with its rays. That was the moment you knew you had a crush on him.

You looked up at Felix, seeing he was still grinning, now with a light blush over his freckled cheeks. You still thought his smile resembled the sun. Maybe his smile was even brighter than the sun in your opinion. 

You two continued to talk late into the night, until Felix had to leave with a lantern, which he promised to bring back tomorrow. 

You waved him goodbye until you couldn’t see the light of the lantern anymore. You placed both your palms over your chest, feeling your rapid heartbeat for a while. Never did you imagine your body would react so intensely to seeing your teenage crush again.

With all the excitement in your body, you decided to grab the second lantern and continue cleaning the bath, as it was the last room to clean anyway.

Long after midnight did you finish cleaning. Slightly sleep deprived and exhausted from the long day did you fill yet another bucket of water. You grabbed a clean cloth and started washing yourself as much as you could this way. You placed your dirty clothes in the basin, wanting to clean them tomorrow while the sun was up, and continued to rub over your skin with the damp cloth. 

Feeling somewhat refreshed, you walked in your underwear towards the veranda, grabbing your suitcase and picking a simple top to sleep in. You also pulled out a sleeping bag and a sheet you would use as a makeshift mosquito protection.

When you woke up again it was still dark outside. You rubbed your eyes and groaned softly, reluctantly getting out of your sleeping bag. You stretched yourself, feeling and hearing the joints in your back crack. Still hazy from your sleep you stayed in a seated position with your eyes closed contemplating why you even woke up in the first place.

That’s when you heard something like a bead dropping to the floor again. You lifted the sheet and glanced through the darkness. 

The full moon was the only source of light illuminating the veranda and parts of the room in a blue hue.

You saw little shadows scurrying around the edges towards the darkness. Confused and curious, you tilted your head to the side, focusing your attention on the movements.

Before you could make out what you were seeing, the same sound drew your attention to the veranda outside. Intrigued by the sound, you crawled out of your makeshift bed and towards the open veranda door.

Clink - Clink - Clink

You laid down on your stomach and stretched your neck so you could look around the frame. 

Three shadowy figures rummaged through the dried up leaves in front of the veranda. The ones you had swept off the veranda earlier this day. Every now and then the sound appeared again and you noticed they threw something onto the veranda.

You squinted your eyes, trying to make out the things they were throwing onto the wooden surface.

Clink. One of the little things rolled towards the door, stopping right in front of your eyes. You grabbed it out of curiosity, raising it to your face. You twisted and turned the little thing between your fingertips until you realised it was an acorn. 

You looked around the corner again, blinking several times to make sure you weren’t just imagining things. “Little and Middle?”

Back when you were a child Satsuki had told you about the spirits living in the sacred forest. She and Mei used to call them Chibi, Chu and Totoro, meaning Little, Middle and Big Guy. At first you didn’t believe them but when you had a sleep over at Satsuki’s one night and met the spirits yourself you were awed. 

You had thought they were childlike imaginary friends. You even tried to use that explanation to convince yourself later that you never saw them in the first place, refusing to believe in them with Satsuki gone.

The figures stopped moving, two pairs of large eyes now staring at you. They squeaked upon making eye contact and immediately rushed towards the edge of the sacred forest.

“Wait!” You called after them, getting up on your knees and holding the acorn between your fingertips. “Your acorns!” You looked between the thick bushes they had vanished into and the acorns on your veranda. Several seconds passed before you jumped up, grabbed a sock and filled it with the acorns and rushed after the two figures.

You shortly stopped in front of the sacred forest, glancing back over your shoulder to your home. Before you were able to second guess your choice though, you fought your way through the branches.

A small path winded itself through the thicket, a few branches and roots being in the way every now and then. Whenever the ground got especially soft you even saw the footprints of your two visitors, as well as a third set.

You stopped on the path in surprise. These footprints looked human. You crouched down and traced the three prints with your index finger. Two of them resembled large paws, which were likely to be made by Chu and Chibi. Even though they weren’t as small or middle anymore. Their sizes matched a young teenager now. Yet they still looked the same from back then. The human footprint next to them appeared to be from an adult. 

You frowned and looked back up. So far you couldn’t see anything else but plants, trees and bushes. Though with the footprints facing the same direction you were heading, you would probably meet whoever it was soon enough.

After following the path for a little longer you reached the middle of the sacred forest with the largest three towering right above you. 

Your head automatically tipped back to look up to the massive canopy. Only then did you notice dozens of glowing spirits floating through the air, explaining why you were able to see inside of the forest in the middle of the night. Your mouth dropped open in awe and you turned around yourself, taking everything in.

Until your back collided with something behind you. In an attempt to see what it was, you stretched your neck even more, noticing a figure standing right behind you.

Surprised, you turned around to face whoever it was, eyes widening in shock when you saw a person standing right in front of you. At the same time you dropped the sock full of acorns, hearing how they landed on the ground - some of them rolling out of the sock as well. You barely noticed the small spirits rushing around your legs to pick them all up, too focused on the man looking right back at you.

He tilted his head to one side, observing you curiously. His hands were hidden in the pockets of a dark grey hoodie. His eyes wandered from your face down to your bare feet and back up. His gaze lingered for a moment on your chest before he looked back into your eyes, a warm smile spreading over his lips. “You came back.”

Your brows knitted in confusion, your own head tilting to one side as you mustered the young man in front of you. You neither saw him before nor were you able to remember that voice. Which wasn’t a good indicator to begin with, thinking back to Felix’s voice that drastically dropped a whole lot of notes. “I don’t think I know you”, you whispered with an unsure expression painting your face.

The man snickered shortly. “So you don’t remember the spirit of this forest? Or do you just remember a different form of me?”

You squinted your eyes in suspicion, looking once over again, but only after he grabbed his hood and placed it over his head, showcasing two large ears and a wide toothy grin printed on it, did your memories connect the dots. You gasped in surprise and took a step towards him, glancing up into his face hidden underneath his large hood. “Totoro?”

He snickered again. “That’s what you guys used to call me, right? I am pretty big, I’ll admit that, but you can call me Chan.” He pulled the hood back down from his head and stuffed his hands back into the pockets. “Long time no see.”

You pointed at him and vaguely waved your hand around, stuttering some nonsense until he grabbed your hands and squeezed them with a large grin. “I could have sworn you weren’t human”, you mumbled, feeling the heat spreading all over your face.

“Technically I am not human”, Chan teased you, wiggling with his eyebrows before he continued to speak, “but you are right. I changed my form. I can change it to any form I like and I often choose the one most needed.” 

“So I need a guy now?”

Chan laughed loudly, throwing his head back in amusement. “I would have said you needed someone to be there for you, to listen to your worries, to help you out when needed. Stuff like that.”

“That’s very kind of a spirit?” 

“What can I say”, Chan still grinned at you, “I am a pretty good guardian. Let me walk you back to your house.” 

With that he let go of one of your hands, intertwining your fingers on the other one, as he walked down the path you had used earlier. The whole walk back Chan talked to you and asked you questions, making you feel comfortable and safe. He even promised to visit you the next night, so you wouldn’t have to walk through the cold to meet him again, telling you it wasn’t good for your health to be that reckless. You simply rolled your eyes, telling him he wasn’t the first one to say that to you.

For a moment you felt something like sadness wafting off of Chan but before you could pick it up for sure it vanished again. Instead he pulled you into a hug and ushered you then back inside your house, before he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

When you woke up the next morning you were quite sure that you simply dreamt all of it last night, thinking your nostalgia tried messing with your head.

Yet every time you found an acorn while checking the rooms again before all your furniture arrived, you storaged them in a sock again

“Hey! Y/N! I brought your stuff!”

You looked up from the book you read on the veranda, smiling brightly when you saw Felix followed by a bunch of workers, carrying your furniture and boxes. You got up from your spot and hopped down on the ground, widening your arms for Felix to hug you tightly. You snickered and coughed softly when he held onto you a little too strong.

“Sorry. My bad.”

“It’s alright”, you waved him off and turned to the workers. “Please just place the stuff on the veranda. I'm gonna do the rest from then on.”

The workers followed your instruction, bringing more boxes and furniture on their next three stops, announcing afterwards that was all.

You thanked them over and over again for their quick work, waving them off when they left. 

“You want to get all this into your house alone?” Felix crossed his arms in front of his chest and switched looking between you and the furniture. “Isn’t that a little too heavy?”

You laughed and shook your head, hitting his shoulder playfully. “I’m not carrying it all at once, dummy.”

He only raised one eyebrow but didn’t question your decision further. “If you need help just tell me, okay? I know you just came back, but I don’t want you to overwork yourself now.”

You stepped next to him and leaned your head against his shoulder, hugging him slightly. “Thanks for the offer. It’s gonna be alright though.”

Felix immediately wrapped his arms around you as well. “You always say that. Even back then. Only for you to break down because you tried too hard.”

“I was a kid back then”, you whined and hid your face from him. Not that you were any better now, but you didn’t need to tell him that. Instead you diverted his attention, proposing to him that you could make lunch for the both of you. 

It felt slightly ridiculous sitting between all the boxes on the veranda, yet you wouldn’t want to change a thing. Sitting there with Felix and listening to him talk about his time, was the best you could ask for. It never really occurred to you over the years but you definitely missed being around him - despite your cheeks already hurting from smiling too much.

After lunch Felix tried to insist on helping you, saying he could call his work and take some time off for you, but you reassured him you’d be alright, waving him off until he was out of sight.

As soon as you were alone again you sat back down, taking a few deep breaths. The last one and a half days had been eventful and you finally noticed how exhausted you actually felt. All the new impressions needed a lot more energy than before.

You looked over the boxes, feeling how the rest of your little energy slowly vanished as well. Why did you have so much stuff again? You sighed deeply before you got up once more, grabbing the first box and carrying it inside the house. 

After all of your boxes stood inside the right rooms, the sun set once more. You turned on your small lanterns and sat down on your plush chair that still stood on your veranda.

You coughed lightly and leaned back against the headrest, gazing up into the sky. A few clouds chased each other through the ever darkening sky. “Hopefully it won’t rain until tomorrow”, you mumbled and closed your eyes, sighing deeply. Carrying boxes definitely took its toll on your stamina. You pulled your legs up on the chair and moved slightly around until you felt comfortable in the small space. 

Disoriented, you woke up again and looked around with half lidded eyes. 

“Hello sleepy head”, a soft voice greeted you, “long day, huh?”

You turned your head until you spotted Chan, standing in your doorway. He closed your door and came over to you, crouching in front of your chair. You sat up and blinked several times, feeling slightly confused. “Wha-, When, I, uh, how?”

Chan grinned up to you and sat back down on the veranda, leaning back on his hands. “You fell asleep on that chair. Took me a while to find a blanket for you.”

You looked down and noticed the blanket, mumbling a little “oh”, before you looked back up at Chan. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You need to take better care of yourself though. Especially when you’re on your own.” 

“Not you too”, you whined and leaned back again, pulling the blanket up over your head. Only after you heard him snicker, did you peak out from underneath it, slightly grinning upon seeing his toothy smile and half moon eyes. 

“Moving on! I hope you’re happy with the placements of your furniture. I’m sorry if they got a little soot on them but the little soot sprites tried their best to keep them as clean as possible. You wanna check it out?” Instead of jumping up and offering you a hand to pull you up as well, Chan stayed seated on the ground. He simply looked up at you and waited for your response, as if he sensed how weak you currently felt.

You didn’t like to show your weaknesses. Most people immediately tried to overpower you or showed you pity, which you hated more than being overpowered. Even though you knew neither Felix nor Chan were the types to pity or overpower you, you were damn sure they would try to help you out wherever they could, meaning you wouldn’t have to move a muscle anymore. And not doing anything would drive you crazy sooner or later - probably sooner.

“Why did you guys move the stuff into the house? I would have done it tomorrow.” You frowned, feeling confused and helpless as you noticed all the missing furniture. “I, I don’t know what to say.”

Chan only shrugged with his shoulders. “You seemed exhausted and the soot sprites were ecstatic, knowing you came back. They wanted to surprise you.” 

In that moment a dozen little black balls rushed towards Chan, jumping around him and making high pitched sounds.

“Why does it feel like they aren’t agreeing with you?” Your mouth pursed in amusement, watching the soot sprites jump around even more. “And why does it feel like I just hit bull’s eye with my question?”

Chan laughed loudly and shooed them away, mumbling something about not embarrassing him in front of others. 

You watched them with endearment. The soot sprites jumped around him once more before they scurried away into the shadows, leaving you and Chan alone again. “I really thought meeting you was a dream.”

“Do you still think I’m part of a dream?”

You hummed softly, tapping with your index finger on your chin. “Not too sure.” You snickered shortly, when Chan clutched his hoodie right over his heart and gasped loudly. “I just woke up, feeling totally disoriented again. I’m not sure I actually woke up.”

“I’m just as real as the moon above us or the mist wafting through the grass. Here, take my hand.” Chan leaned forward and stretched out his arm, offering you his hand. He waited patiently, ignoring your questioning gaze all together.

You bit on your lower lip, suddenly being afraid everything would turn into smoke if you actually tried touching him.

“You did hold my hand yesterday”, Chan reminded you.

“Actually you grabbed my hand. This time it’s completely different!” Before Chan could answer your ridiculous statement though, you shut your eyes and reached forward, placing your hand in his.

He carefully drew circles on the back of your hand with his rough fingertips. The sensation of his touch sent tingles and sparks through your body until you shivered in delight.

“I might just believe you’re real”, you whispered with a smile on your lips, still refusing to open your eyes. That was until you heard Chan moving closer to you and placing his head on your lap and your hand on it, while he hugged your legs. You ran your fingers through his locks and opened your eyes again, looking down to your lap. “Okay, I definitely believe you’re real.”

Both of you laughed quietly and neither of you tried to change your positions, relishing in the comfort that surrounded you.

“Can I expect your visits every night from now on?” You shortly glanced down at Chan again before you looked over the fields surrounding your home, watching some fireflies dancing across the grass.

“As long as you live here.”

You hummed softly. “I should build something comfortable for the both of us when we continue to stay out here during future nights.”

“Who says I’m not comfortable”, Chan mumbled with closed eyes, relaxing from your gentle ministrations. “I could stay like this forever. If it weren’t for the approaching sunrise.” Chan sighed deeply and got up, dusting off his pants despite them being clean. He looked down at you with an almost rueful smile.

“Can’t wait to see you again tomorrow”, you offered him. You stood up yourself, ready to see him off, when your vision suddenly went black. Out of habit you aimlessly let your hand move around, searching for a counter or anything to lean on before you could actually fall. You felt your body losing its balance more than seeing it. 

You braced yourself mentally for hitting the floor but instead you got caught and pulled against a sturdy chest. You clung to him until your vision finally returned, waiting a few more seconds to make sure you wouldn’t just crash down again.

“Remember to take it slow.” 

“Remembering stuff and taking it slow are both not my strong suits.” You joked and stepped away from Chan, immediately yearning for his touch again. “But I promise I’ll try to do better.” 

With that promise you waved Chan off, watching how he disappeared within the thicket of the sacred forest.

~~~

Weeks passed ever since you moved to your old home. Felix and Chan visited you daily and it became quite amusing to you that they never met each other so far. Still, you enjoyed both their company, your heart always pounding stronger than ever when they were around.

After all this time you finally got everything you needed to build a porch swing, having enough of only being able to sit on some pillows whenever you got visitors. Sure, you could simply go inside and sit at a table but as long as the weather allowed it, you liked to stay outside as much as possible. Hence the porch swing.

You moved around, trying different spots for the swing and checking whether it would hit something as soon as you’d hang it. Once you finally found the perfect spot, you got your ladder and began to drill a hole into one of the wooden joists above your veranda. You got back down and moved your ladder to the other side, repeating the process. Sweat slowly ran down your spine and temple, letting some strands of hair stick to your skin.

With the holes drilled into the wood you got back down from the ladder to get the hooks, climbing back up and installing them.

You stopped counting how often you climbed on the ladder and back down again, after the third time adjusting the height of the swing. You counted every ring of the chain and hung it up to the hook, climbing down to do the same on the other side, climbing down yet again to sit on the swing and decide whether the height was good enough or not.

You stopped on top of the ladder, about to adjust the height one last time, when you felt your lungs constricting painfully. Your fingers clung to the ladder, knuckles turning white from the force, when you started coughing heavily. The ladder shook dangerously underneath you.

It took everything within you to get down from the ladder while coughing. Right as you placed one foot on the veranda, you shook hard from a deep cough, pushing the ladder away. It landed with a loud thud, the metall ringing uncomfortable in your ears, while you got down on your knees and hands.

Your whole body shuddered and started to writhe in pain as you tasted iron on your tongue. You pressed one hand against your chest, hoping to suppress the coughing somehow.

“Y/N!” The deep voice of Felix reached your ears, the panic evident in his tone. “What’s wrong? What happened?” He clumsily dropped down next to you, his hands hovering above your body unsure what to do. 

“It’s. al- right”, you told him between coughs, “I. just. choked. on. my. spit.” 

“Are you sure?”

You nodded, trying to get control over your body again. When the coughing finally subdued, you nearly slumped down if it weren’t for Felix catching you.

He pulled you close against his body and hoisted you up on his arms, carrying you to your bed and placing you on the soft mattress. 

The second your head hit your pillows, the exhaustion took over your body and you drifted off. When you woke up again your limbs felt as if they were attached to several tons of weight, making it especially hard to move around.

“You scared the living shit out of me”, Felix whispered, catching your attention.

You turned your head around until you saw him on a chair right next to your bed, holding your hand with his. “I’m sorry”, you croaked, face twisting in pain from your sore throat.

Felix immediately handed you a glass of water, helping you take a few sips before he placed it on the night stand again. “I remember you told us once that your parents moved here in hopes to improve your health.” Felix stared directly into your eyes, searching them for an answer to his unspoken question. “You’re back because of that.” 

You smiled sadly. “It does seem like that, doesn’t it?” 

“What happened?” 

“Nothing really”, you reassured him and patted his hand. “I’m just too dumb to breathe.” 

“I don’t believe that.” Felix said sternly, his eyebrows furrowing from disbelief.

“True, I was too dumb swallowing. That’s what caused it all.”

“Stop joking! This looked a lot more serious! You’re important to me! I can’t just stand by and do nothing when you’re obviously sick.” Felix cried out, tears brimming at the edges of his eyes.

You pushed yourself up, despite the numbness being replaced by dull pain. “I am alright.” You opened your arms and silently offered Felix a hug, smiling to yourself when he lurched into your arms, hiding his face in the crook of your neck, tears now running freely down his cheeks and onto your shoulder. 

“Always worrying about others”, you whispered softly and rubbed his back, “just like back then. It reminds me of the day I fell in love with you.” 

Felix tensed in your arms and you did as well as soon as you realised what you just blurted out without thought. Felix straightened until he looked right into your eyes, his focus switching between the right and left one. The tips of his ears turned red as he slowly leaned forward, gaze dropping ever so often to your lips.

Before you knew it you had your arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer, kissing him as if your life depended on it.

Felix crawled over you, wrapping one arm around your body to pull you against him while he leaned on his other, making sure not to crush you with his weight. “I was heartbroken when you and your parents moved away”, he mumbled between kisses, “you have no idea how excited I felt when I heard you were back. It felt like a second chance.”

“You never told me.”

“Neither did you.” His hand slowly glided over your body, resting at your hip where it played with the hem of your shirt, his fingertips brushing your bare skin underneath it ever so often. 

“I thought you liked someone else”, you admitted breathlessly, arching your back and throwing your head back to give Felix more access to your throat and collar.

“Never.” He kissed along your bare skin, nibbling at it every now and then, eliciting soft moans out of your mouth. “It has always been you.” His hand slipped underneath your shirt, fingertips ghosting over your skin there until you shivered from the light contact. “Your laugh, your eyes, the way you talk or move, how you tried to count my freckles numerous times, the way your hand felt in mine, every time you ran up to me and jumped into my arms. I fell in love with you every second we spent together. Even right now. I’m falling in love with the way your hair spreads on the pillow, the way your lips are glossy from our kisses, the way you look at me from underneath, the way it feels to touch you, the way it feels when your hands are touching me. Everything makes me go crazy for you.”

“I,” you gasped and grabbed his hand, noticing how your breath became uneven from his ministrations. 

“I don’t think I can continue watching you overwork yourself. I wouldn’t forgive myself if my ignorance would cause you harm.” With that Felix dropped down on the mattress next to you, wrapping his arms and legs around you and pulling you close to his body. 

You turned around and snuggled up to his chest, smiling softly. “Don’t take the responsibility from me. I’m a grown adult. Nobody but me is responsible for my well being.”

“If you’re out cold you need someone to help you though.” He squeezed you gently, brushing strands of hair out of your face.

“And you’re offering to be that someone?” You asked cheekily, running one finger across his chest.

“If you’ll accept me.” Felix kissed your forehead, before he placed his chin on the crown of your head. 

“Of course.” You closed your eyes as a few more coughs rippled through your body. “I’d like that very much.” 

Soon enough the both of you fell asleep in each other's arms, snoring softly deep into the night.

You stirred on your bed, the heat you felt becoming almost overwhelming. It took you a while to remember why you felt so hot in the first place. You immediately smiled again as you opened your eyes and saw Felix sleeping soundly next to you. He still had his limbs wrapped around you, holding you tightly against his body. You traced his cheekbones with your fingertip, contemplating turning on the light so you could see his freckles, but you quickly decided against it.

Instead you wriggled yourself out of his hold and stood up, grabbing a light cardigan and throwing it over before you walked out to your veranda. Before you even opened the door, you noticed the familiar silhouette sitting on your swing.

A soft melody reached your ear when you opened your door and silently tiptoed towards him. 

“How are you feeling?” Chan suddenly asked, his head turning to you.

A pout formed on your lips, disappointed you weren’t able to scare him with your arrival. Though it turned quickly into a soft smile when he patted the swing right next to him, offering you a seat. “I’m alright”, you answered him as you sat down, immediately scooting closer to him, seeking his warmth during the almost chilly night.

“Is that so?”

You sighed and leaned your head on his shoulder. “I’m better now. There are good days and days I try to ignore as much as possible.”

“And today was a day like that?”

“Not really.” You hummed in thought. There was still a tightness in your lungs and you could still feel how your lungs tried fighting against something invisible. You knew for damn sure there was nothing in your lungs but it still felt like something made its way inside and tried disrupting your breathing. It felt like embers burning in the depths of your lungs, ready to burst and catch on fire at any given time.

Sometimes when you choked on your spit or when you had a hiccup, those embers would fire up, leaving you a coughing mess for hours and sometimes even days. Usually it was a few coughs here and there but occasionally something like today happened, where your lungs constricted so hard that you were close to seeing stars.

“I want to ignore the incident this afternoon but otherwise it was a good day. I even got this swing up for us!” You grinned and patted on the wood underneath you, a sense of pride filling your chest.

Chan looked at the swing and every little detail of it. “Really? That’s incredible!” He then looked at you, locking eyes. “You can be proud of yourself. It must have been quite a challenge.” Chan wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer against him, gently cuddling with you. “I also feel honoured you did this for us. I wouldn’t have minded to sit on the floor each night though.”

“But I minded it”, you scoffed and pulled your legs over his lap, snuggling into his embrace. 

You stilled for a second as your heart suddenly stung and your thoughts wandered to Felix, who still slept soundly in your bed. Yet you felt at ease with Chan next to you. It was a different kind of ease from the one you felt with Felix but just as strong. 

You tilted your head back to look at Chan’s profile. Your eyes wandered over his fluffy hair, to his dark eyes, his big nose, his seemingly soft lips and his contradicting sharp jawline. As if your body had a mind on its own, you raised your hand and traced his jaw with a finger, smiling softly and cupping his cheek when he looked at you.

You loved Felix, adored him even but at the same time you loved Chan as well. 

Chan’s grip on you tightened and he slowly leaned closer, his breath now fanning over your skin. His large hand and fingers splayed over your neck, pulling you closer to him as well. His gaze shifted between your eyes and your lips.

You felt his lips brush over yours but instead of sealing the kiss, he changed directions and kissed your forehead instead.

“It’s not time yet”, he mumbled and brushed his nose along your temple, jaw and neck.

“What do you mean?” You pouted again and leaned your head against his chest, closing your eyes as you listened to his heartbeat. “Are there rules you have to follow because you’re a spirit and I’m a human?”

Chan sighed deeply. “Something like that.”

“Can you explain it to me?”

“I’m not sure. It’s complicated”, he sighed again, “but I promise you I’ll kiss you one day.”

You snickered and hit his chest playfully, before nuzzling your face against his hoodie. “Don’t say something like that. It’s embarrassing.”

“Oh ho? I can be even more embarrassing if you want me to!”

“That wasn’t a challenge”, you whined and curled into yourself, hiding away from Chan so he wouldn’t see your large smile.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go easy on you for tonight.” With that Chan pulled you onto his lap and wrapped his arms around you. He placed his chin on top of your head and started swinging back and forth, using his foot to control the pace.

You two stayed like this until the dark blue night sky slowly turned purple, red and orange. You knew what that meant and yet you still prayed silently for Chan to stay even after sunrise.

“It’s time”, he murmured softly and pressed a kiss to the crown of your head. “You should go back inside so you wouldn’t worry Felix once he wakes up.”

Your eyes widened in surprise upon him mentioning Felix, since you hadn’t brought the topic up. 

Chan grinned slightly when he saw your surprised expression. “I can hear him”, he answered your unspoken question. “I’m glad you found a human companion.”

“You’re not angry?”

“Why should I? Part of you is still mine.” He grinned mischievously and nibbled at your neck. “I’ll share, but only because I know he’s a good kid.”

You snickered and hid your face in his shoulder. “So you do remember him from back then.”

“Sure thing. It’s a shame he isn’t able to see me anymore.”

“He’s not?” You looked back up, tilting your head in confusion. “Why am I able to see you then?”

“You’re special.” Chan kissed the tip of your nose and pulled you down from his lap, standing up and stretching his limbs. “Take care of yourself.”

You watched him leave through the open field and into the sacred forest, disappearing out of your sight after he passed the first few branches. You longingly gazed towards that spot, rocking on the swing mindlessly.

Until two arms wrapped themselves around your upper body from behind and Felix snuggled his face against your neck with a soft sigh. “You’re up early”, he mumbled, still half asleep, “how’re you feeling?”

“I’m good”, you answered him, raising one hand to his soft hair and playing with it. “I was just thinking about the past. Do you remember Totoro?”

Felix hummed softly and for a short moment you even thought he fell asleep on your shoulder before he piped up again. “Yeah, we used to think he lived in that forest, right?” Felix rounded the swing and sat down on it, pulling you close against himself and hugging you tightly again. “I think Satsuki said he was the guardian of the forest?”

“Do you remember seeing him?”

“Wasn’t Mei the only one seeing him? I thought we all played along, just for her.”

You nodded shortly, guessing becoming an adult also meant finding reasonable explanations for your childish fantasies. “What if he’s real?”

Felix rocked the swing back and forth, thinking about your question. “Well,” he started and a soft smile grew on his lips, “if he’s real, I hope he won’t just guard the forest but its neighbour as well.”

You leaned into Felix and cuddled up to him, smiling too as you nodded your head. You knew full well that Chan was looking after you.

~~~

The time flew by and the long sunny days became colder and shorter. A harsh wind blew over the fields and you had started to repair spots of your house that weren’t completely water- and windproof. 

Both Felix and Chan had been chiding you whenever they caught you working too much but you always waved it off, feeling completely fine. After all, you were able to dance around with Chan at night before both of you were too exhausted and sat down on the porch swing, or played around with Felix during the day where you ran around and laughed until either of you were able to breathe properly. So doing some light work didn’t feel straining at all.

You just finished preparing dinner, knowing Felix would arrive at any moment after his workday, when you suddenly started coughing again. You grabbed the door frame with one hand and pressed the other on your chest, desperately trying to get a hold of yourself again. Instead the frequency and the force behind the coughs just increased. You leaned forward, about to drop to your knees, when an especially hard cough clutched your insides strongly enough to let stomach acid rise up to your mouth.

Panicked, you let go of the door frame and stumbled outside. You pressed one hand on your mouth, hoping you could reach the bathroom in time. Instead another cough forced itself through your body, letting you drop to your knees in the grass and hurling your insides out. Tears sprung into your eyes as your stomach continued to pump acid out into the open, only interrupted by heavy coughs.

Small whimpers escaped your lips when you noticed through your blurry vision how some red was mixed into your vomit. Your ears were ringing and your whole body shook from exhaustion, barely letting you stay in that kneeling position.

“Try to breathe”, a soothing voice told you, while a warm hand rubbed over your back and another pulled strands of your hair back.

You whimpered again, relieved someone was by your side. “I have medicine in my night stand”, you said shakily, hoping the usual cough medicine would do the trick.

The person hummed behind you, before they pulled you up and guided you to the bathroom. “Felix is calling for a doctor. I’m afraid your medicine won’t work the way you’re hoping it would. I suggest we clean yourself up a little, get you to your bed and hear what the doctor has to say after he checks on you.”

You stumbled alongside that person, half carried to be more precise. For the first time you looked up and saw Chan, who grimly stared ahead of you, guiding you towards the bathroom. “How does Felix know I need a doctor?”

“I told him.”

“How?”

Chan shook his head and shortly looked down at your questioning expression. “You shouldn’t worry about that now. I have my ways, that’s all you need to know.”

You nodded shortly, dropping the topic when the exhaustion overwhelmed you again. You were more than thankful that Chan helped you clean up as much as possible, wiping your face and neck, cleaning your hands and helping you to brush your teeth. He then carried you back out and to your bedroom, placing you on the mattress and pulling the sheets over your form. You lost consciousness the minute your head hit the pillow.

The next time you woke up again, was when Felix and the doctor silently mumbled in one corner of the room. 

You turned your head and tried to locate them properly with bleary eyes. Once your vision became sharper, you noticed Chan standing near the window, silently listening to the conversation, before you turned to look at Felix. You were about to call out to him when another heavy cough disrupted your peace. You rolled on one side and leaned over your bed, clasping your shirt and silently begging to make the coughing stop.

Felix was immediately next to you, holding you and gently rubbing your back until you stopped coughing and rolled to your previous position again. 

The doctor stepped forward, clearing his throat and addressing you. “I’m afraid…”

“I know”, you interrupted him with a sigh, closing your eyes in annoyance when another coughing fit started just from that. Once you calmed down again, you tried speaking again. “It’s only getting worse from now on.”

“I assume you visited another doctor before you came here?”

You simply nodded to answer his question, too tired to actually recall your last doctor’s visit. It was enough knowing that your illness was incurable and that you were dragging out the inevitable.

“So you knew?” Felix asked you, unshed tears making his voice shaky. 

You turned to look at him, raising your hand to wipe away the tears that made it past his waterline. “I’m sorry.” 

He vigorously shook his head, having trouble accepting the truth. “There must be something! Maybe if we check with some alternative medicine?”

“Felix”, you softly interrupted him, catching his eyes with yours, “it’s going to be alright. Let us just enjoy the time we have together.”

“I can leave you some painkillers behind”, the doctor spoke up, rummaging through his case already, “there is not much else that I can do.”

“Thanks.”

Felix accepted the small bottle and placed it on the nightstand for you, shortly excusing himself to guide the doctor back out and towards the main road.

Once you couldn’t hear their voices anymore, you turned to look at Chan, patiently waiting for him to say anything.

“Are you in pain right now?”

You shook your head. “Not more than usual.”

“It happened quite suddenly, didn’t it?” Chan looked out of the window, following the silhouettes of Felix and the doctor with his eyes.

“Not really. It comes and goes. This was just an especially extreme phase.” You swallowed, dread started to fill your chest and for the first time since you came here, you actually felt fear. You weren’t afraid of the outcome, not really, but the path from now on scared you. Losing control like that mixed with the pain you felt while coughing and knowing it only got worse, scared you beyond comparison. 

As if Chan sensed your fear he came over to you, sitting beside you and rubbing softly over your leg. “You’ve got the medicine to ease it”, he whispered and offered you a hug, which you willingly accepted. “I promise you won’t suffer.”

“That’s quite a huge task you burdened yourself with.”

“I’m sure Felix is going to say the same in a few minutes.”

As if on cue the young man stormed back into your room, staring at you with wide eyes and breathing heavily. He only calmed down again when you patted the mattress next to you, waiting for him to crawl into the bed. Felix almost carefully laid down beside you, afraid anything he did could worsen your condition.

“As long as you’re not starting an open fire right next to me, nothing you’ll do will hurt me.”

Chan stood up to give you some room, smiling sadly when he saw how timidly Felix took his place, shaking like a leaf when you leaned against him and tried to relax. “Spend some time with him. I’ll see you again.” With that he leaned down and kissed your forehead, leaving you and Felix behind as he walked out of the room.

Felix hugged you gently, caressing your upper arm with one hand and leaning his chin on the crown of your head. “We should probably rest”, he mumbled, noticing how the adrenaline wore off and tiredness took over his body.

“Yeah.”

Surprisingly both of you fell asleep after whispered ‘I love yous’ and shared kisses. The dread you had felt before slowly disappeared while you stayed in his arms, letting you sleep peacefully.

You woke up again in the middle of the night, feeling like someone was stabbing into your lungs over and over again. You rolled out of Felix’ embrace and grabbed the bottle with the painkillers, swallowing some of them dry. A violent tremble ran through your whole body and you knew you had to drink something to get rid of that unpleasant feeling.

Silently you tiptoed out of the room, after you kissed Felix once more, smiling softly when you saw his sleeping face. You clutched your hands together and pressed both of them against your chest as you walked through the darkness of your house.

Even after you reached the porch and the moonlit night helped you to see your surroundings, did you keep your hands close to your chest. Somehow the pressure soothed your mind into thinking you had the coughs under control, ignoring the fact that you couldn’t control them at all.

“Water?” Chan stood at the end of the porch and held a glass of water out to you, looking at you attentively. 

You silently thanked him and eagerly gulped the cool liquid down. “I should place a can full of water and a glass on my nightstand from now on.”

“I can do that. You should sit down and rest some more.” Chan pointed at the swing and waited shortly until you moved towards it, before he left to prepare the water. Once he was done, he sat down next to you, pulling you into his lap again and rocking the swing back and forth.

“I’m going to miss this”, you mumbled and snuggled against Chan’s firm chest, “just being out here with you.”

“With a bunch of blankets we can continue to meet here. Even when it’s colder.”

You sighed and closed your eyes, feeling as if you couldn’t keep them open for too long. “Soon enough I’ll be bedridden and not able to do anything at all.”

Chan gently placed his thumb on your chin and raised your head, waiting for you to open your eyes and look at him directly. His hand moved from your chin to your cheek, cupping it gently, while his eyes switched between yours and your lips. He ever so slowly leaned forward, his breath fanning over your skin.

Despite your sleepiness your heart skipped a beat when his lips brushed against yours. Your eyelids fluttered shut and you involuntarily held your breath.

“I promised you, I won’t let you suffer.” Chan mumbled against your lips, sealing them right afterwards and holding you tightly against his form.

© all rights reserved

Taglist: @xavi-in-kpopland​

[galeforged]

Bount. Such was the given designation for Jin and his ilk, yet to the Lieutenant's ears, it had been the first he'd heard of them at all. A new class of humans turning up to wreak havoc? But from the man with the crimson stare's words, it sounded as though they have been around for some time... so why had the Shinigami not heard of them until now? Whatever the case, Kōtarō had an ill feeling settling deeper in his gut the more the man spoke.

Jin's cunning and meticulous planning was all for the purpose of luring himself out, and then there was the fact that this new threat held no qualms in sharing he had some unknown means of monitoring the Seireitei. Given everything else the Bount said to this point, Kōta had no reason to believe otherwise. However, if he somehow hadn't felt dread before? It certainly took root in his spirit the moment Jin sought to intimidate the man further.

"He's... absorbed my Rikujōkōrō-?!" In spite of his growing anxiety, Kōtarō's mutters under his breath were not entirely without purpose. The communicator had no visual on the situation, so whatever information he could potentially drip-feed to the Soul Society without notice became that much more paramount. At least that allowed him to exert some level of control over this impossible scene.

Again did Jin paralyze the Verlorene lunging for him, this time without the additional aid of previously cast Kidō and with no discernible difference in the result. He took this opportunity to humour Kōta's concerns of the woman who went rabid to her very soul, but his words only told the Soul Reaper so much. What did he mean by her own kindness leading her to this point? Do all Bounts risk becoming like her in the long run? More and more questions came to mind, yet he feared he would not see the chance to ask these.

Before he could dwell on it any further, Kōtarō perked up when he sensed the unmistakable burst of Shinigami reiatsu releasing their Bankai—such an action cannot be so easily concealed—and he could have sworn he saw several hues of colours flashing further out by the time he turned his head. Yet it took only this one instant for his attention to be pulled for things to take a turn for the worst.

"Wait, STOP-!!!" Without further thought, Kōtarō leapt into action in a burst of flash step to intervene and save his previous enemy, zanpakutō now drawn and ready... but his efforts, regrettably, were in vain. Maybe if he hadn't been distracted enough to take his eyes off of Jin, to try and somehow identify his co-conspirator, he could have done something to save her in that moment.

Instead, Jin struck, his attack invisible to the eye and noticed by Kōta all too late. A pressurized burst of air thrust down onto the very spot where the Verlorene once lived and breathed. The ensuing aftershock sent the unprepared Shinigami flying off the side, careening down the alley and almost eating concrete and rubble in the process. At least he was no longer inside the pachinko parlour, certainly, though that proved little comfort.

In that moment he began to pick himself up off the ground again, mildly disoriented from the unseen explosion, but it was then that Kōtarō understood what this was all about. Yet... first there was the more pressing matter of a change in scenery. During his daze, the world seemed enveloped with light, shapes outlined and illuminated by those same colours he saw in the distance, with suspicions of it being the rogue reaper's power confirmed immediately.

Jin's words—in spite of demoralization being the goal—registered less and less to the Lieutenant, as did his own distress that threatened to overtake him before. The Bount's encroaching footsteps, echoing louder the closer he drew near amidst the deafening silence of this world made for two, seemed to fail in moving the knocked-over Shinigami. Not even calls from the communicator—the only lifeline he had to the Soul Society—getting overtaken by static, before the signal had been severed, yielded no reaction.

Then came that same wind from before, this time threatening to flatten him into mush as it did Jin's earlier victim. This ceaseless gust proved suffocating, forcing the unfortunate swordsman on all fours, yet even still, Kōtarō failed to stir beyond expected immediate resistance and strained groans. Where had his mind gone this whole time, one might ask? Simple: it stayed put since he understood Jin's motive behind all of this.

It was wind. Jin commanded wind, just the same as he did. This was all about wind! That was why he went this far to lure Kōtarō into the world of the living!

Why Souls were picked off one after the next, as did the last few Shinigami—his own subordinates from the 13th Division, at that—who were stationed in Namba!

Why humans going about their night were put in harm's way, unwitting collateral damage over the course of this whole elaborate setup!

Why... the Verlorene had to die.

"We... could have helped her..."

Teeth grit unto themselves with a low growl as Kōtarō's own reiatsu spiked, air coiling around him in turn and pushing back against Jin's assault above him. No, there was no dispelling that attack entirely in his current state, but just enough pressure had been eased off so that the Lieutenant could rise back onto his feet. True, he knew on some level that his own words were ultimately naive, but it still came from an earnest place of wanting to lend a hand, didn't it?

"You killed her... my comrades... Souls wanting to pass on... and you even got humans involved, just to get to me..."

Without any prompting, Hai'iro Ranmaru, secured tightly in his grip yet betraying its wielder's emotional state along its steel with shaking, saw itself transformed into its Shikai form with a vortex of air of its own making roaring to life more ferociously than ever. Though fear remained before an opponent the likes of which he never faced, it no longer held fast as the foremost feeling. No, something else stood in its place now and had taken the wheel, a particular emotion he rarely ever experienced given his usually easygoing personality, let alone tapped into to this extent.

In this moment, Kōtarō Ryōhei knew only seething rage, and even he can scarcely imagine how furious his now contorted expression became. No, instead he looked back up to return Jin's cocky stare with daggers in his own glare, as he roared like never before:

"—ALL FOR SOME STUPID CONTEST-?!"

Jin was not the first air-elemental foe he stared down. That the Lieutenant had recently achieved Bankai, mastery over and subjugation of his own zanpakutō, was proof enough of this feat. No, he would not seek a limit release just yet, whether permitted by upper command or not – he did not know the extent of this sealed off realm's capabilities and could not afford to risk damaging the world of the living by going all out himself. Still, if Kōta was not to leave this conflict alive, if Jin were to win in the end... then he would settle for the next best thing.

With one last burst of reiatsu spiking through the wind pressure attempting to crush him, he was about to make the Bount work for it.

"THEN IT'S GAME ON, JIN!"

No further warning followed as Kōtarō rushed forward, eager to cleave his enemy in twain.

...

"The fuck are ya lookin' at, huh?!"

Shigeru Gushiken, of the 7th Division, hated the world of the living with every fibre of his miserable being. He loathed every time he wound up getting stationed there in spite of his pleas to Captain Iba to reconsider, and send somebody else out in his stead!

"Yeah, 's what I thought! Keep walkin' if yanno what's good fer ya, pal!”

It was not because of how vastly different the human world was when compared to the Soul Society he was more familiar with. These quirks were things he actually appreciated! No, his grief lied exclusively with the very humans he swore to protect from Hollows, always whenever he had to don a gigai.

One wide berth afforded to him too many. Hushed whispers of “punk” and “yakuza” with obvious stares in his direction. Concerned parents holding their children closer and walking faster, almost shy of running. A police officer or two almost always nearby when he lingered in one spot too long, just in case. There’s always something that ends up happening at his expense!

And tonight within Ōsaka’s Hirano ward, it was a young university couple that drew his ire. The grumbling Shigeru did not take their giggling at him lightly, even pointing at him, so it was to his relief they beat a hasty retreat. What, was it his scar? His clearly blind eye? He couldn’t help that he had these for as long as he could remember! It was not as if he always wanted to be intimidating, but getting singled out like this every time he took to the human world long started to wear thin… Maybe if he had a woman on his arm, he wouldn’t come across as menacing while simply minding his own damned business.

Then something snapped him out of his funk, pulling his attention north-west. It was only for a moment, but had he not known better, then it felt like… Shinigami reiatsu rising to its zenith. The distance diluted its weight, certainly, but that pressure – was it a Bankai release?

“…hey, Shigeru checkin’ in here,” he chimed into his own Soul Pager, now that he made for an alleyway and was left to his own devices. “There somethin’ goin on in Ōsaka t’night?” At first, only dead air crackled back for a beat, with the human-passing death god furrowing his brow and listening keenly for a response until suddenly his problems seemed so inconsequential:

“3rd Seat Gushiken, we have an emergency situation!” ...

“Wait, so Kōta’s in danger-?!” When Shigeru heard 'emergency', nothing could have prepared him for what followed. A new bad guy crawling out from under the woodwork, the Gotei 13 somehow compromised, and now Kōtarō caught in some sort of trap just a few wards over?

"Captain Kuchiki is preparing to intercept, but we fear Lieutenant Ryōhei might not be reached in time! His signal cut off and we have no eyes on the situation. This 'Jin' isn't acting alone and he is already anticipating backup from us, so proceed with caution. We will update Captain Iba accordingly!"

"Just gotta tell 'im he's free to cut loose then, right?" Sounded easy enough... or so he tried to convince himself. Whatever these Bounts are, they definitely sounded like bad news, and if they managed to overwhelm Kōta, then Shigeru didn't like his own odds either. Times like these he wished he were a bit more stupid on the bravery front, but whatever. "I'm on it. Over an' out."

Reaching into his pocket, the scar-faced reaper pulled out a Soul Candy dispenser with little rabbit ears and popped a capsule into his mouth. Once swallowed, his spirit body freed itself from the constraints of the human shell he guised himself in, so swiftly he hopped from wall to wall for the rooftops above.

"CHAPPY! Go hop in a trash bin or somethin', stay hidden an' outta trouble! Ya hear?!" Shigeru hollered down to the Soul Candy possessing his gigai, not even sticking around to hear it respond. He was already running short on time.

"Rogerdoger!"

galeforged​:

Jin, then. So that is the name for the man who was making Kōtarō feel no small amount of unease from this whole situation. For now, the Shinigami chose to hold firm and listen, with the only sign of movement from his person coming from his index finger tapping away at his bicep, all while his arms remained crossed and he bent an ear.

Letting Jin speak, though, quickly proved to be a mistake. Hell, this stranger already got under the Lieutenant’s skin before! With how effortlessly he was pinning that monster-woman in place with only a finger to her forehead—is that fear he sees, in her expression?—and how everything about tonight up to this moment felt so purposefully orchestrated by him, Kōta knew full well that this man was bad news, and by no small amount!

But when came his own name, unspoken and unshared with present company to this point, the Soul Reaper froze with an anxious thrum beating away in his chest. Index ceased tapping with his hand slowly gripping at his arm wholesale. Eyes widened while the inside of his mouth turned dry.

All of this, all of tonight was a trap meant for HIM specifically!

‘Not good-!!!’

With that unsettling realization in mind, along with a cold sweat down his brow, waraji slid hard against vinyl flooring as Kōtarō assumed a harsh step back. Quickly did his hands drop to grip at hilt and sheath both, ready to draw out his zanpakutō at a moment’s notice. Wits were somewhat restored with the security of touch upon his weapon, but wits could only go so far before the presence of an ever cunning predator.

If Jin had simply overhead the Lieutenant on his communicator when he first arrived in the world of the living, then Kōta simply would have assumed as such. No such luck, unfortunately, because the enemy would then speak of one particular piece of knowledge they should not have ever been privy to. That secret was entrusted to only a very small, very select handful of individuals, as deigned by his discretion and his alone-!

But the fact that that has been blown, at least to those tuned in from the communicator, proved to be the furthest of his concerns right now. Though Jin’s blasé reference to the Wandenreich invasion did earn the man grit teeth and a low growl from the glowering Shinigami, Kōtarō retained enough sense to lwisten keenly to each and every last word for what he may learn in turn. What kind of relationship did this Jin have with the former Quincy army? Was he actually skulking around in the Seireitei during the invasion proper? If so, then for what?

And then there was one last wrinkle.

“…a spy in our midst. Eyes on the inside?” came Kōta’s conclusion, when pitted between Jin’s awareness of his own Bankai and the other’s sussing out this exact corner of Osaka as part of the 13th Division’s jurisdiction. The question remained, however, as to whether this leak came from one of his own squad. But if that were the case, how did they know about his Bankai to begin with? Among his own number, he only told Captain Kuchiki…

“Sorry, but—flattered as I am to know I’ve got a fan club growing out here—I don’t do favours for stalkers,” he retorted, evidently not at all flattered by Jin’s smarmy personality or honeyed words. That the man would go this far to single him out for his zanpakutō… of course it can’t be for a good cause, but there still remained a missing link Kōta needed to understand. Finally, the Lieutenant turned his gaze to the frightful monster-lady, pinned in place by his Kidō still but paralyzed as though deathly afraid by the finger dragged down to her neck. Never mind the fact that she tried to kill him a few minutes ago, he had to press: “But if this is all just to bait me out to the world of the living, then where does she factor in, in all of this? What’s your relationship with her?”

“She had to have been human at one point, so did you transform her into… whatever she is now?”

Jin watched Kota with no small amount of satisfaction as he saw them anxiously writhing in response to the information he had let slip so far– maybe Kota wasn’t literally writhing of course, but Jin could spot the fragments of uncertainty and shock upon them, from their movements, to the sweat on their brow, to their expression, and even their voice…. it was beautiful.

“’Spy’ is a good word for it, I guess– I don’t think they would appreciate that exact description themselves,” Jin knew for a fact Maki didn’t like being called a spy, even if that’s what they essentially were, “but what with the, skulking about, the watching, and the listening in regards to both the Seireitei and your Division, spy fits.”

Jin actually wondered what Maki was doing right now…. specifically, Jin wondered how much longer it would be before they put the final part of his plan into motion. Jin wanted to make his move already, he wanted to get this night truly started and put Kota’s abilities to the test, but he would opt to bide his time a little longer, if only to increase the chances of tonight being the one-on-one he had intended it to be.

“Interestingly enough, ’stalker’ isn’t too far from the truth either, Lieutenant, just listen to yourself, what wit you have,” replied Jin in a mildly sarcastic manner, before he let out a smooth chuckle.

“Your mind is clearly in the gutter when you say it, but we Bount,” Jin speaks the proper name of his people, the Bount, he speaks it freely, proudly even, though he doubts Kota will know anything about them, most these days hadn’t a clue, “do get up to a fair bit of stalking, like any vicious predator does with it’s prey, and now that I’m finally staring down my greatest prey so far,” Jin’s eyes had been trained on Kota for a while now and his gaze had been anything but soft, but the way he stares at them in that second was different, it was a piercing, disgusting glare, “you have no idea how thrilled I am.”

Jin, wanting to maybe inspire more unease in Kota, would quickly move his finger over the beams of Kido energy that were still protruding from the Verlorene, and in no time at all, that Kido would begin to fall apart, its composition breaking down into pure Reishi that he seemingly began to absorb as a blue glow momentarily enveloped his body.

Once the Kido was completely gone, the Verlorene would briefly regain their movement, and try to viciously reach for Jin, but before they could do anything, he would press his finger to their throat once again, sending them back into that immobile, silent state as he continued speaking.

“This woman on the other hand, isn’t anyone important, not anymore– once upon a time she was a Bount of great power, and she harbored a kind Soul,” Jin sighed a bit while slowly shaking his head from side to side, being quite disappointed in the Verlorene (or whoever she used to be anyway), maybe being somewhat troubled by their current state, too, “but that kindness is what ultimately doomed her to this fate, not me.”

Jin would suddenly feel a large burst of Reiatsu release somewhere, followed by a brief though familiar flash of rainbow colored light off in the distance, and he knew then that his subordinate Maki was finally moving on with his plan. Excellent, it was finally time to start escalating things.

“Sadly, she’s nothing more than a rabid beast now,” Jin continued, callously adding, “and there’s only one thing you can do about those, you know; put them down.”

Jin would casually remove his finger from the Verlorene’s throat, and then mere seconds later, he would wave his hand at them.

The Verlorene would go to scream out in terror, almost like they somehow knew what was about to happen, but before they could scream, a large, heavily pressurized gust of wind would materialize from above them, and this gust would quickly crush the Verlorene’s whole body into a fine bloody pulp.  

Jin, looking over at the small crater that was now filled with the Verlorene’s bloody remains, gives an unconcerned shrug and then begins slowly walking toward Kota with a grin that matched the malicious intent in his gaze.

Almost on cue with Jin’s slaying of the Verlorene, the sky above would start to become unnaturally bright, too, until the stars, clouds, and skyline all vanished, swallowed up by a sea of sparkling rainbow hues. The structures of the city itself remained visible (if not somewhat illuminated now), but it would appear as if Namba (and perhaps even more of Osaka) had been transported to some kind of… void, and that wouldn’t be far from the truth.

This spectacle was the result of Maki Ichinose’s Bankai enhanced ’Brilliant Void’ technique, and now, the surrounding area had been effectively cut off from the outside world.

Individuals outside the Brilliant Void wouldn’t see anything amiss until they got close enough, but even if someone notable did happen by, there would be no getting in our out of this area now without a heap of trouble attached, and that’s what Jin was counting on, keeping any would-be help from reaching Kota.

“The beautiful sight you’re seeing right now is the work of my subordinate, the ‘spy’, if you will,” Jin clarifies, while he was approaching Kota, his figure, like their surroundings, bathed in a soft, rainbow-esque glow from the brilliant lights above, “I won’t bother explaining every facet of their technique to you, all you need to know is that no one can help you now, even if they tried.”

Jin would stop about halfway to Kota, and in a sneering manner, he would add, “If you’re lucky, you might be able to get a few more words through your Denreishinki before the signal cuts out– I would personally recommend saying goodbye to your adorable Captain, and maybe requesting permission to release the spiritual limiter you Shinigami all arrive here with, you will after all want to be at your best for our ’talk’ tonight,”

Jin would go on to raise a hand and wave it in Kota’s direction, just like he had done with the Verlorene, and a split second later, the air pressure above them would begin to get noticeably heavier….

“trust me.”