#it’s summer and the air is hot and muggy but the crickets are chirping outside my window and the fan is humming and I’m listening to a

[milo-is-rambling]

Oh cherry tag you will always be famous to me

[writinginthedarkwood]

Koma Inu! Kirishima x Reader: The Other Half

The Lion Dog Guardian of the shrine is a cheerful and strong protector of the shrine, but what is he doing all alone out here? Are you what the shrine has been missing all this time?

A tribute to my dear friend @kiriwhores-sama-main who is seriously a JOY to talk too and a talented author. 

Full list of my other Yokai works included in my Master List. 

Has nsfw content. 

“Something isn’t right.” Your grandfather was a quiet man. He preferred to sit propped up near the window so he can watch the day go by. He hasn’t been able to walk for a few years now, but that never bothered you. It was never a chore to care for him, in fact, you love that you can repay him for raising you alone. “Did I not add enough to the soup?” You asked sweetly before gently blowing on the hot liquid. You held the spoon up to him, but he didn’t look away from the window. “Something’s very, very wrong.” He squinted looking past your garden and towards the rest of town. He leaned just a bit closer and wiped some of the condensation off of the glass before sitting back in his chair. “The birds have gone off. There’s something wicked in the air.”

“Don’t be silly, everything is fine.” 

He refused to eat his lunch, not the rice, vegetables or delicious soup. “Would you like to take a nap instead Grandfather?” He shook his head no and continued staring out the window. 

You couldn’t wait around all day, not with all of the chores that need done. You clean up after the mess of lunch and head outside. You smiled and carried an empty wooden bucket toward town to fetch water. Grandfather had thought about having someone dig a well on our property, but I told him I didn’t mind the walk. The pathway through the forest is an easy one to stroll through. 

Usually the sound of chirping song birds joined you, or the sound of crickets as they hopped along the mossy stones. 

It was silent.

“Maybe I should check back up on grandfather...” You looked over my shoulder to decide if you should turn back. “Well we do need water for dinner...” 

Before you could move, the ground shook. 

The rocks jumped towards the air and rolled with the tremor. You fell to your knees as the ground around you cracked open, moving like it was made of water and not solid Earth. The trees around you lost their branches, slamming into the brush below. 

A thicker tree cracked down the middle and fell towards you. You shut your eyes and covered your head. You know the impact or the tree will kill you, but the hit never comes.

The shaking stops and you look out from behind your hands.

He was beautiful, the afternoon sun shone behind him, glowing off of his skin. His hair was impossibly red, it stuck out of his head and them rand down is back like a shaggy lions mane. He smiled down at you and tossed the tree away from the two of you. “You- you caught the tree- you... saved me.” You tried to stand to your feet but you couldn’t. The man laughed and crouched down. “Can I help you up?” He asked sweetly. You nodded your head, trying not let your mouth hang open in shock. He wrapped his hands around your waist and lifted you to your feet with no effort. You were shaky, but stood on your own. “I don’t know how I can thank you enough.” He started to respond to you before the realization struck you. Is grandfather okay? 

You quickly turned and ran away, shouting over your shoulder that you were sorry to the man who rescued you. Your feet carried you over debris, jumping over fallen branches and holes in the pathway. 

Your garden was spared, a few plants uprooted, but no extreme damage. 

But your home, completely crumbled to the ground. The roof had fallen in, the stone walls held towards the bottom, giving some structure to the building, but it was all completely destroyed.

You screamed and tore at the stones, but with every rock you pulled free, the debris would shift and fall even farther in place.

You didn’t know, but your pain was felt by all the forest creatures for miles. They wept with you, the sweet daughter of the valley who had already suffered so many times.

You didn’t mourn alone.

A few months later.

“Good morning Y/N, off to the shrine?” You nodded with a half smile and carried your parcel of lillies. “Off to visit Grandfather.” 

The mothers of town have always been kind to you, but they’ve pulled just a bit away. You hear the whispers, especially from the older crowd and the little children.

“She must be bad luck...” “Everyone she loves dies...”                                                                                     “She can’t marry MY son, I don’t have a death wish!”

They smile and wave, but you can see the worry in their eyes.  They’d probably be happier if you left.

You continued walking anyway, smiling as you go and humming the same tunes your Grandfather would buzz to himself. 

You did this a lot, almost every day if you could help it. The other villagers have neglected the shrine over time, but you worked diligently to keep it clean.

The gate stood beautiful and red in the afternoon sunshine, it’s arches stretching far into the sky. You always found yourself politely nodding to the guardian of the shrine, a beautiful Lion Dog statue that is worn like it has seen better years. It roared to the sky with a gaping mouth. You stopped and gazed at him a little longer today. It hasn’t rained in a few days, the statue looks sort of dirty. You smiled to yourself and decided to clean him up a bit. “Stay right there friend, I’ll get you cleaned up.” 

You set the package of lillies propped up against the steps and grabbed the wooden bucket and cloth you had hiding just inside the entry way. You always wash the walls of the inner shrine, and sweep the pathways among the graveyard. 

You scrubbed away what looked like years of grime, the stone statue darkening in color from the water. Bird droppings fell away, and the stone underneath looked smooth and better than ever. 

It was strange that the Komainu was alone. Parallel to this one is an empty place holder, a shadow remaining where another statue must have sat. After finishing your work you stared at the empty place for a moment and suddenly felt sad, the shadow instilling some type of longing in you, like something really was missing. You pulled a flower from the lillies you brought and placed one on the spot before walking the rest of the way into the shrine. 

You swept the pathways and abandoned stone memorials. Your fingers cramped as you scrubbed away dust and dirt from the walls of the sancturary, where the other villagers have long stopped worshiping. Grandfather insisted on being buried here, he was the last of his generation, a pillar in the spiritual community. 

You tried not to think too long whenever the thought of him passing alone crept into your head.

You stopped washing the walls for a moment as the sadness crawled up your spine. 

The water dripped down the wall and pooled on the floor. 

You sang to yourself to bring the mood up, smiling while you sang about nature.

As you started to lose yourself in the music, really ringing out the beautiful notes you felt a tingle of the back of your neck. 

Someone was watching you.

You looked stopped singing suddenly and looked around, feeling silly. Why would anybody walk all the way out here other than you? Someone could have followed you from the village, but that’s unlikely, why follow bad luck?

You sighed and carried the bucket outside where you dumped the water and refilled it for next time. The sun is setting, washing the statue kept you out here much longer than you meant too. You rushed to try and hurry back before dark. 

You stopped one more time at the beautiful wall of names, seeing your grandfathers on the bottom of the list. You removed the old, starting to wilt flowers and left the new lillies lying there.

Something strange halted your light footsteps, leaving you without any breath in your lungs.

The freshly cleaned statue was gone. You rushed over to it, waving your hands in the air over the pedestal to see if it would collide with stone. 

Your hand felt nothing, the lion guardian was gone. 

Backing away from the oddity of all your back collided with the other empty pedestal. You jumped like someone touched you, feeling incredibly skittish. 

The lillie you left as a gift for the lion dog was different now, it was made out of solid gold. “How is this possible?” You whispered to yourself before reaching out a shaking hand. 

The moment you touched the golden flower, the world around you warped and changed. 

The tree’s surrounding the shrine grew taller, reaching impossibly tall heights. The sky was a beautiful pinkish hue, it was terribly bright compared to the pastel pallet of the sunset before. The shrine was even bigger, the paint no longer chipping. The stone was sturdy and smooth, practically glowing with cleanliness. Even the air felt different, the mugginess of the summer was gone. It felt crisp and sweet, like flowers were blooming nearby. 

“H-hello?” You stepped onto the stairs, they’re far grander now. You held onto the railing to sturdy yourself.

You thought you heard footsteps, but saw nobody around. You called out again, your voice echoing around you, making you feel even more alone. 

You heard a strange noise nearby, the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. The further you walked along, the more audible another sound became. Someone was... grunting? Even yelling a bit. You rounded a corner to a deeper part of the shrine yard.

“Ohhh I didn’t see you there!” A voice called before you barely came into view. 

You gasped, the man who saved you during the earth quake was throwing rocks around the yard. 

He stretched his arms over the back of his head, pulling his sweaty ab muscles in a lightly obvious attempt to impress you. “I was just, throwing in an extra work out before sundown!” He sat down on a mossy rock and threw a towel over his shoulders. “But uh! Welcome! I guess I should start by thanking you!” He smiled and motioned for you to walk closer. You took a few steps into the grass, the blades tickled your ankles. “I should be the one thanking you...” You smiled toward the ground. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”  

The terrible loss of your grandfather clouded that memory for so long. It almost felt like a dream, like that moment was so far away from now. 

“Hey that was nothing! That tree was like a paper weight to me. It really is YOU that deserves all the praise.” 

A light blush freckled your cheeks. “But I haven’t done anything...” 

He stood up quickly, his long red hair flowing behind him. He flashed a bright mouth of sharp teeth at you. “Haven’t done anything? Look at this place! It looks amazing because of you!” He threw his arms out and motioned to the beauty around you two. 

It really was gorgeous. Huge flowering plants lined the walkways between the graves. Memorials were shining and polished perfectly.

“A human hasn’t loved and cared for this place like this in, well. Centuries! Your warm heart has really made it a more fun place to live.” His energy was infectious. He reached a hand out for you to take with a sweet gaze. “Can I show you around?” 

You felt no fear in your heart, you reached out and touched his warm hand, feeling nothing but positive energy radiate from him.

The two of you strolled around the shrine, the memorials seeming to go on forever. Some were grand tall statues, others were long trailing walls with hundreds of names on them. He talked while the two of you strolled together, and you noticed that he almost seemed, nervous?

“And- uh- yeah! That was the graveyard, a little sad I guess but up here is the inner shrine where I-I live!” He chuckled a bit and touched his hair. “If you’d like to see... that?”  He kind of drew out his sentence, looking at you with a cute scrunched up face. 

Seeing the inner shrine? You beamed. It’s not often people are allowed to see the inner shrine where the most sacred items are stored. “Wow really? You would let me inside?” You asked with wide eyes. “Of course I would!” He looked at you with a face that said he couldn’t believe you would even ask. 

The closer you walked to the shrine, the more different it looked. It was huge, like a palace. “Wow!” Your chest filled with excitement, it was unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing...” You said under your breath. “I guess it is a little impressive now. It looked terrible not too long ago, but since you’ve come around the place has really cleaned up.” 

Your bare feet padded against the marble pathway, the stone felt smooth and a little warm. Your skirt brushed gently across the ground, you almost felt the need to pull it up, the dirty cloth feeling out of place in such a grand setting. 

“I really did all this?” You asked looking around at the blooming cherry trees. “You sure did!” He smiled and gave your hand a pat. “It’s been, well. Really nice with you being here so often.” He looked at you with a sweet, smaller smile. “Are you the Koma Inu of this shrine?” 

“Yup! You figured it out.” He stretched his free arm out and flexed. “Yeah I keep this place nice and safe on my own. Bragging wouldn’t be very manly of me, but I’ve been watching over this place for as long as I remember. Nobody can mess with the dead when I’m around!” 

“You’ve been here all alone?” You didn’t mean to pry, you thought your question was innocent enough. His face dropped, his smile fading for just a moment. You stopped walking, just outside a very large golden door. “I’m sorry did I say something to upset you?” 

His smile bounced back to his face. “No! No never, not at all Y/N.” He put a hand on your face for a just a second, cupping your cheek. “I can’t imagine you saying anything to hurt me.”

Your face blushed bright red as he stared deep into your eyes. 

He dropped his hand and snapped his fingers, the huge golden doors creaking open. When stepping into the great hall, lanterns lit on their own, A fountain with intricate lion carvings in white stone erupted with flowing water. “Not so bad right? What do you think?” 

You covered your mouth, feeling very small. Your eyes watered,  “I- I’m not worthy enough to be here..” You stammered out, your voice almost failing you.

He spun around quickly and gently took your shoulders in his hands. “Y/N don’t you ever say that!” He said in a gentle tone. He wiped a stray tear off of your cheek.

“I- I am the unlucky girl of the valley. I have no family, no place to live.” You didn’t often get to speak to other people anymore, especially about your emotions. “I’ll dirty this beautiful place.” Your lip quivered and the lion dog’s face was horrified. He scooped you into his arms, firmly holding you against his chest. “Hey now, you don’t have to worry about any of that anymore.” He whispered against the top of your head. “What do you mean?” You looked up at him, puzzled. 

“Are you hungry? He asked with a grin. 

You were almost always hungry, but you were used to skipping meals.

The two of you sat together by a lovely stone fire pit. He cooked a large piece of meat while you chopped a few large vegetables. He told you stories about his heroic feats, how demons have tried to slink their way into the shrine to disturb the people resting here and eat the gold. You watched him tell his stories with bright animation, completely entranced. He spoke a lot with his hands, reenacting some of his best fighting stances. 

The two of you ate together until you were tired, laughing so hard between bites you almost swallowed wrong. You couldn’t see, but outside the sun had long gone. The night sky blanketing the shrine in a cozy haze, the clouds laying low to the ground in a misty fog.

After hours of talking, you hadn’t noticed how close he was sitting to you. Before long, you had laid your head on his shoulder, the warmth of the fire much kinder to you than the wooden floor at the hospital you slept on. 

Kirishima caught your slipping head as your sleeping body fell towards his lap. He cradled you in his arms for a minute before picking you up.

Your eyes fluttered open to the soft pale light of morning hitting your face. You were lying on a soft bed of silk. A thick furry blanket covered your bare skin. 

You sat up suddenly and pinched your arms, gasping and gripping different parts of your body. “What?” You looked around, wondering how you could wake up inside another dream. 

“Eijiro?” You called out, your voice barely able to shout.

The room you’re in is beautiful and expensive looking, but cozy at the same time. The porcelain hand painted vase was filled with wildflowers. The window was large and open just a crack. 

Your heart beat quickly, waiting for something to happen.

The door slid open kind of harshly, followed by a booming greeting. “Good morning sunshine!” He had his arms on his hips, still no shirt in sight. 

You had the blanket covering your chest, you’re only wearing your slip, your normal clothes were tossed to the side across the room. He sat down across from you on the bed. “How did you sleep?” He asked with a stretch. He yawned a big, sleepy yawn.

“I haven’t slept that well in a long time.” You felt very well rested, the usual soreness of your body was gone. Instead of a terrible hunger pain, you felt warm, safe and a little bit thirsty.

“That’s great! I’m so happy you’re comfortable-” 

“However...” You continued. Kirishima shut his mouth quickly like he knew what you were going to say. “Did you take my clothes... off of me?” You asked feeling horribly embarrassed and exposed. 

He nervously laughed and scratched his head. “Your clothes were really dirty, I didn’t want to get the bed gross. You must have been exhausted, every time I tried to shake your skirt off you just cuddled closer!” 

Your entire body flushed and you hid your face behind the blanket. It’s not like you to trust men so easily, you left yourself in a vulnerable position.

Yet somehow you felt nothing but comfortable with him. 

“Did you sleep in here with me?” Before you could even complete your sentence the guardian swung and arm over you, knocking you onto your back and snuggling into your neck. “I like to sleep in short bursts, won’t you come back to sleep with me for a bit before breakfast?” 

“I- I can’t stay in bed I need to get to town.” His breath was warm on your neck. “What’s in town that you need? I’m sure I have everything for breakfast already.” His voice was tired, his arm pulled you closer to him. Just his presence was lulling, your eyes suddenly feeling heavy again. “But if I don’t sweep all of the patients rooms before noon I won’t be allowed to eat.” 

He stiffened a bit, his breath catching in his chest. He leaned up on his elbow and looked down at your worried face. He gently traced a finger down your cheek. “Forget the hospital. Forget the town.” He said softly. “You could stay here with me, never feeling hungry. Never having to sweep for spare rice.” 

You opened your mouth to speak. He closed the space between you, pressing his lips gently on yours. 

It felt like a piece of you was completed. Like everything that was wrong, was right again. 

A strong warmth covered your body, a light glowing around you. You sat up with a gulp of air. Your hair grew thicker and ran all the way down your back. Your thin, starved body was filled with strength, muscles toning and adding padding to you. You felt a surge of power, causing you to cry out for a moment, your voice was replaced with a loud roar.

Kirishima put a hand on your back, keeping you steady as the power flowed out of you, leaving you winded. “I knew it!” He pulled you into a hug, showering you with kisses. “What just happened?” 

“My love, my darling. My other half!” He cupped your face and kissed you again. “Kirishima!” You said with a bit of a giggle. 

“The two of us make each other whole. Two halves to the same cycle.” 

“Your other half?” You couldn’t help but look at him with awe. His loving, handsome face so hypnotising. “Your luck isn’t ‘bad’. You just don’t belong with the humans.” He looked as if he might cry, but no tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. “Death follows you like a shadow, which for a race of people with very short life spans is catastrophic. Yet it’s a necessary part of balance.” 

“Why does death follow me?” You thought about all of the pain you’ve felt for so long. All of the people you’ve lost. Was it really your fault? 

“Because you complete me, the two guardians. One of life and one of death.” He pulled you into his lap and kissed your jaw gently. “Together we’ll protect the people of the valley, so that their ancestors may rest peacefully and their most sacred treasures will be safe.” 

You couldn’t help but stare at him with awe. His face so loving and gentle. Noticing you looking at him so intently something in his eyes changed. His crimson eyes flashed a mischievous look and he dipped your chin so that your lips would meet his. He playfully parted your mouth with his tongue, circling around and widening the space. Inching his way further into your throat until your eyes rolled back into your head. He pressed your hips down onto the blankets, his fingers digging into your skin. His hips grinded against your, slowly moving your body so that your legs parted for him. You gasped when he disconnected your lips with a small trail of spit between you two. He grinned down at your flushed face. “E-eijiro...” You could barely sputter out his name. “Yes my love?” He said between trailing kisses on your neck. “What are you-” He bit down on your neck piercing your flesh. The wound was deep enough that under any circumstance before you would have screeched in pain. You simply moaned in pleasure, it feeling more tingly than painful. The bite mark started to heal almost instantly. 

Kirishima growled in your ear, vibrating your head. He pulled away at the small amount of fabric you had on. It tore away from your body with a satisfying rip. He slowly moved his hips, rubbing his length against you. “Do you want to stay by my side, forever?” He pulled down his pants, his member bouncing free and touching your exposed slit. You gasped and he moved the tip to hover over your entrance. “Yes I do...” You grabbed onto his shoulders and he slammed his mouth down onto yours, pressing himself inside of you at the same time. You mewled into his lips as your body adjusted to his size, he moved his hips just a bit to let your moisture slick around him. His hands roamed all around your body, tracing your curves with his fingertips and cupping your soft breasts. He pumped harder into you, feeling satisfied with the way you fit around him. He pulled his mouth off of yours and put his face next to yours, leaning on his elbow to give himself better leverage. He panted in your ear as he slammed into you, groaning soft words of comfort and praise. Your body responded to his harder movements, the perfect pressure spot being pounded into sending you pulses of pleasure. With every stroke it felt like shock waves through your entire body, the heat burning in your chest through your entire core. He dragged his tongue from your collar bone to your ear, looping your ear lobe in his mouth and nibbling on it. “I love you Y/N.” He whispered. You cried out that you loved him too, as your climax built. Your body shook and chills covered your spine in goose bumps. Your guardian gave you a few long strokes before shooting ropes of cum into your throbbing body. He grinned down at you with his sharp teeth, specks of your blood still staining them and his lips. He kissed you one more time before pulling out and flattening his chest against yours in a cozy snuggle. “Ready to go back to sleep now?” He teased. You tried to giggle but his full body weight was crushing you a bit. He laughed and rolled to the side, pulling you onto him. “We’ll be more responsible tomorrow, can we just have a lazy day today?” He yawned and stretched. You felt full of energy, ready to take on the world. “You want to sleep all day? How can I sleep now?” You wanted to get up and run, testing out your stronger body and what it can do. “Hey I take my job pretty seriously, but I just want to enjoy being reunited with you for awhile.”

You smiled, but then realized his wording was strange. “You mean reunited from that day in the woods?” You questioned. He stiffened a bit underneath of you and you leaned up on your arm to look at his face better. “Is everything alright?” 

He smiled at you, his eyes soft and beaming with affection. “Yes my light. Everything is perfect.” 

If you enjoy my works and would like to offer me support, please consider donating to my Ko-fi account, right here. It is a tremendous way to help me put out requests faster, as I’m a disabled student. 

[cressasdbfanfics]

And Then There Were Five? Chapter 5

Paring: Goku and Chichi

Words: 2,439

Summary: An innocent question is asked. And pregnant women don’t sleep very well.

A/N: Thanks to the fabulous @jadefyre for the beta read!!!!

Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12543438/5/And-Then-There-Were-Five

Archive of Our Own: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11284710/chapters/30693396

Chapter 5: An Innocent Question

After my usual housework, I allowed myself a small break and relaxed on the couch. My feet were up – giving my hideously swollen ankles a chance to rest. I had a baby merchandise catalog propped up on my stomach and a nice cup of iced, fresh-squeezed juice in hand.

I sighed in contentment and relief as the ever-present ache in my lower back was soothed.

My sweet husband was out doing a takeout run – which meant a reprieve from the noise of construction. The house was nice and quiet for the time being. The boys were upstairs studying in their rooms. Even the twins were quiet – their movements gentle. Perhaps they were asleep.

I thought a nap sounded wonderful. My eyelids grew heavy.

Just as I drifted off, a tiny foot rammed into my ribcage.

I winced and sighed. "Ah, awake now, are you?"

One of them stretched in response and kicked again.

A little over six months in and their kicks were beginning to hurt as the girls grew and got stronger. I rubbed my sore stomach in the hopes that would settle them down but to no avail.

I gasped with another painful kick. I shook my head as I sat up – giving up on any possibility of an afternoon nap.

"Mommy? Are you okay?"

"Oh! Goten! I didn't see you there." I gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, baby. They kick very hard and sometimes it hurts a little. That's all."

His eyes lit up. "Oh! Are they kicking right now?"

I nodded. "Yes, they are."

He settled his small hands on my very round stomach and waited. I covered his hands with mine. And Goten got what he wanted: several good strong kicks. I did my best to bite back my hiss so I didn't worry him further but the twins' kicks hurt.

His big eyes sparkled with wonder. "Wow! This feels cool! Will they be born soon?"

I giggled. "Not yet. It will still be another few months or so until we meet them."

Without a word, he zipped up the stairs and returned a moment later, tugging Gohan along by his wrist.

He pointed at my stomach and grinned from ear to ear up at his brother. "They're moving! You gotta feel 'em! They're super strong!"

Gohan chuckled and got on his knees beside me. "I hope I get at least one good kick."

He rested his hand on my stomach and was rewarded with as many strong kicks as Goten got.

He gasped and then grinned. "Wow! They are strong!"

One of the twins kicked exceptionally hard and I groaned.

He rubbed my stomach, his excited smile turning sympathetic.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just glad you finally got to feel them kick. I remember how much you loved feeling Goten move inside me."

Up to that point in time, Gohan hadn't felt any movement himself. Goku and Goten sure had. With Gohan busy with the last weeks of school before the summer and maintaining his budding relationship with Videl, as well as being Satan City's superhero, he simply wasn't home at times the twins were the most active.

He withdrew his hand and waited – not letting Goten feel again either. Gohan never took his eyes off my stomach as he shushed a protesting Goten.

I had some idea what Gohan was up to. Goten didn't have long to be confused before the reason for Gohan's behavior became evident. The twins kicked again, their movements clearly visible.

I smiled at their wide-eyed wonder, my eyes growing a little bit wet.

"Mommy?" asked Goten as he kept his eyes on my stomach, his face alight with innocent curiosity.

"Yes, Goten?"

Nothing could have prepared me for what he was about to ask.

"How did the babies get put inside of you?"

My mouth fell open and my mind went blank.

I was blessedly saved by a mouthwatering combination of food smells and my stomach let out a loud growl.

Goku had materialized in the center of our living room with the takeout I was craving. His deer-in-headlights expression and red face told me he heard Goten's question, too.

My stomach growled again and Goten giggled, turning his attention to his father and the food he held. I blew out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to ask the boys to go wash up – but Gohan was already gone. As Goten disappeared down the hall, Goku set the food in the kitchen and returned to help me off the couch.

My stomach growled again and Goten laughed as he returned, followed by his poor, slightly green-faced brother.

Goku and I exchanged slightly wide-eyed glances.

We all took our seats and the boys waited patiently while I made my first plate of the shrimp cocktail, richly seasoned garlic-butter lobster-tails, fettuccine alfredo with garlic bread, and lots of special fruits rare in our local markets all from places half-way around the world. It was all precisely what I was craving.

Dinner was consumed in silence, which wasn't terribly uncommon in our household – especially not with Saiyan appetites. Sure the food was delectable, but that wasn't why. Goku, Gohan, and I were all too afraid to start any sort of conversation, for fear it would remind Goten of his innocent question.

However, any sort of relief we had was short lived.

No sooner had we finished eating and I began to clear the table than Goten tried again: "How did the babies get put inside you, Mommy?"

Gohan choked on his drink and spluttered, "I–" cough "–I'm gonna–" cough "–go out for a bit. Uhhh… Bye!"

I spun around, intent on reminding Gohan to be back by curfew – it was a school night, after all – but he was already long gone.

I caught Goku halfway between sitting and standing, his wide eyes darting to and fro between the back door and Goten.

His gaze met mine and I gave him my fiercest you-will-regret-it-if-you-leave glare. He gulped audibly and sat back down and stared at Goten – who was blinking up at me and patiently waiting for an answer.

Deciding the dishes could wait a few more minutes, I sat down next to Goten and folded my hands. I proceeded to answer his question – which only sparked others. The two babies inside of me kicked away obliviously.

Goku was no help at all – even though he certainly knew enough. He was perfectly happy to leave the answering of Goten's questions up to me. Just as well, considering Goku's ever-present blush. That man always was easily flustered. Truth be told, I was proud I managed to keep myself from blushing.

Thankfully, Goten's questions proved easy enough to answer – especially when he inquired as to the specifics about the natural possibility of twins – but I was still relieved when I sensed the conversation winding down.

Once his curiosity was sated, for the time being, he thanked me and trotted out of the room.

Within a few moments of Goten leaving the room, the back door opened and Gohan hesitantly poked his head in. His eyes darted between his father and me. "Is the… uh… talk over?"

Goku and I nodded silently and Gohan sighed with obvious relief. In a burst of speed possible only because of his Saiyan genes, he was upstairs in a blur and rush of air, his door closing all of a second later with a little more force than was necessary.

Goku looked at me – still red-faced from the little chat that had concluded moments before – and I locked gazes with him. And then – in quite the mature display – we burst into a fit of quiet, relieved giggles as the boys got ready for bed.

He reached out and rubbed my ever-growing stomach with that slight frown of concentration that meant he was reading their energies. He had done that almost every day since Doctor Ishi told us at my six-month checkup one was a little bigger than the other. It was a size difference that also showed in their energies and something Goku kept a careful eye on.

After several seconds, he smiled and nodded to himself and then helped me out of my chair and up to our room for the night.

If it wasn't for Doctor Ishi telling us about the twins' size difference, I never would have suspected it. Both were very strong and very, very active – especially in the middle of the night.

It felt like they were turning summersaults in there. I sighed as I rolled over yet again, hunting down that elusive comfortable position as Goku snored next to me – and the warmth he put off wasn't helping matters.

I didn't know how he was sleeping through the heat. It was a hot, muggy summer – almost suffocating – and it was somehow even worse at night. Our window was open, but there was no breeze to let in.

I was sweating and the babies were kicking.

I shook my head and finally gave up any hope of sleep and got out of bed. I had no idea what time it was but I didn't care. Whatever it was, it was very, very late – quite possibly early.

I tiptoed down the dark hallway and down into the living room. I needed something to cool off. Juice sounded nice. Opening the fridge felt positively heavenly. The freezer was even better – its frigid air wafting around me. I kept the door open just a little bit longer, savoring the cold air.

Iced apple juice in hand, I felt my way through the pitch black living room, found my shoes, and headed outside into the hot, humid air. It was a new moon, the thin crescent hardly giving off any light at all. The sky was crystal clear, the multitudes of stars absolutely beautiful.

Cicadas hummed, crickets chirped, and somewhere, an owl hooted as I wandered along the edge of the woods. Heading into the forest wasn't too smart an idea at night and in my state. As long as I didn't enter the forest, I was safe.

I felt an annoying pinch in my arm and absently slapped the spot, squashing the mosquito as I walked.

A slight breeze finally kicked up, rustling the foliage. Working my way around our home along the edge of the pitch-black woods was very relaxing – aside from the mosquitos.

I felt a whisper of air from the opposite direction of the breeze at my back and sensed someone – or something – right in front of me and my reflexes kicked in, my heart pounding in my chest, my fist flying automatically. Only to be caught by a large, gentle hand.

I jerked my hand back and crossed my arms, glaring up at him – knowing he could see me.

"You scared me to death, Goku!"

"I scared you!? You have that backwards!"

I didn't have to see his face to know the mix of anger and concern he was no doubt wearing. Insufferable. He was absolutely insufferable but it was sweet in a way.

I rolled my eyes – unable to be truly angry with him. "I'm fine, Goku. I was hot, the babies were – and still are – kicking, and I couldn't sleep so I came out here to try to cool off. Now, keep it down. The boys are sleeping with their windows open tonight."

The only thing attacking me was the hordes of mosquitos. That quickly grew more annoying than my overprotective husband.

Despite that, I continued on with my walk, Goku coming along with me, the both of us intermittently slapping ourselves in an endless, futile bid to defeat the swarm of irritating insects.

Goku stopped walking and I looked back at him with an eyebrow raised.

He tensed his body, his feet shifting and crunching in the dirt. "Hang on. Let me try something. You might want to put some space between us and shield your eyes. It's about to get very bright."

I moved backward several paces, squeezed my eyes shut, and covered them with my hands. A blast of heat hotter than the midday sun washed over me and I could hardly breathe, hair standing up on the back of my neck, my skin crawling with static. As quickly as the intense heat came, it was blessedly over, the night air returning to its normal warm temperature.

"You can open your eyes now."

I did, squinting at the sudden intrusion of a familiar golden glow – the golden glow of delinquency. Slowly, my eyes adjusted. Even with his ki calm, he still put off a fairly bright light, casting eerie shadows in the woods near us – and attracting every winged insect from a mile around.

Static sparks crackled through the air and hapless insects fell to the ground at his feet. As mosquitos and moths alike met their ends, I took a moment to appreciate my husband's special brand of genius. He grinned proudly down at me, his arms crossed.

With his glow, I noticed a few differences in his form. "This… doesn't quite look like normal Super Saiyan. Is it? Your hair is a little bit different."

He shook his head, still grinning. "Nope! This is Super Saiyan 2! It puts off more static electricity than regular old Super Saiyan, so I thought I'd try it to keep the bugs away."

His proud smile turned into one of amusement – that he tried to hide behind his hand – and he snorted boyishly.

I raised an eyebrow and put my hands on my hips. "What?"

He stroked my hair and then snorted louder. I opened my mouth to demand to know what in the world was so funny – only to be cut off by a shock as his warm hand brushed my cheek. I gasped as he yanked his hand right back, a wince on his handsome face.

Ah.

Static.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

His grin returned. "Well, at least you're not getting bitten by mosquitos anymore!"

Unable to keep it in anymore, he burst into side-splitting laughter.

He was awfully cute like that—especially since his hair looked even sillier than usual. The strongest being in the universe reduced to childish giggling. I shook my head and pushed on with my walk, intent on ignoring what I could only guess my hair looked like.

Goku reigned in his laughter and caught up with me. He slung his arm around my shoulders. Together, we veered into the dark woods, and down our favorite path.

[erinelezabeth920]

Epilogue: Galapagos

Ha, thought you were done with me eh? In the spirit of epilogues, I’ll try to be brief, but hey it’s unlikely. This blog was really just an exercise in trying to document a crazy fast, once in a lifetime experience that could slip by in the blink of an eye. Tears in the rain, via Roy Batty via Blade Runner. The writing wasn’t stellar. There were typos and shitty internet. But hey. I did it. It’s there and that can never go away. And it really helped me to imagine (even if it was only imaginary) that there were people on the other side. So if you’ve made it this far, really. Really. Thank you.

***

I got picked up from Monica’s at 5:30 am. Chelsea, Mayra and I rode to the airport. After paying the Galapagos visa fee and some booking kerfuffles, I got on the flight first to Guayaquil, then Isla Baltra. Landing on the island was cool; windswept with cacti, surrounded by water. I had an issue paying the 100$ Parque entrance fee, as I didn’t know it couldn’t be card and the airport ATM was out of cash. The airport folks held on to my passport, saying to pick it up in the town when I had my money. Seemed questionable but what can you do.

I took a bus, boat and another bus from the airport to a crossing to another island, and down a windy road on that island to a town. We passed farms and mostly empty green space. Luckily the bus dropped me off right in front of my hostel. Cool.

The town was neat. A mix of locals and tourists with markets and ceviche places. I took a nap, found some ceviche, walked to the docks and watched a movie. I was dead tired. The next morning I rented a bike, went to the Darwin Research center, and tracked down my passport. I had dinner with my friend Jenna from the program who was also traveling.

The day after I slept late again, picked up my laundry and biked/ walked to a beach. I met Mayra and Chelsea there. We sat for a bit staring at the waves and discussing the program. We met later that night for dinner and ended up at the only bar in town chatting up locals. They reminded me of my friends from Orcas Island. When in Galapagos?

The next day I shelled out some of my dwindling money for a snorkeling trip. The seas were rough and it was cold, but we saw seals, sharks, fish, rays and the most beautiful sea turtles. The folks on the trip were funny too. Two german girls who were very sick convinced the recent college grad from UCLA to tell stories about his past 10 months in Ecuador the whole time as a distraction. Surprisingly it worked.

I grabbed dinner with Mayra and Chelsea again, but was too tired to stay out. I met them for lunch the next day, where they had talked up the waiter and were getting free drinks. #blondeprivelage

After that I caught a boat from the dock to another island, Isabella. I had left the majority of my stuff at the hostel as I’d be returning in three nights. The ride was bumpy, two hours long and terrible. I had to pay a 10$ “docking fee”, whatever that is.

I spent three nights on Isla Isabella. It was beautiful but kind of a tough time as I didn’t bring enough cash. As a result I was hungry a lot and kind of lonely, a little over traveling. Which is a crazy feeling to have in the Galapagos but travel is not all sexy photos and cool stuff, regardless where you are. I’d argue islands make you more lonely. Andy and Emily were off backpacking the Enchantments, one of the most beautiful places in Washington, and Andy was heading to a wedding on a lovely island outside of Seattle after. I was homesick and spent a lot of time waiting for instagram stories to load on the low quality internet.

There were highlights though. A hike to a volcanic crater where the guide (in Spanish) told us about growing up on the island, how the culture was changing with more tourism (white specifically) and less Spanish. I didn’t understand everything, but enough to figure out he conveniently left that part out to the English speaking Canadian contingency of the tour.

Another fun part was that my friends Jenna and Audrey from the program were around. We’d get dinner and talk about our days, other travels and all the things. I said bye to them Friday night. Mayra and Chelsea had left the day before from another island, so it was just me.

Another day I went kayaking and snorkeling. There was a beautiful German man paddling in a double with me who I was better than. My two German friends from the snorkeling trip were also there, looking much less sick. It was a blast. We saw penguins on the rocks, seals, a sharks and a turtle. I loved just sliding off the kayak right into the water. After that, I walked the length of the beach to the end, where a gravel road travelled up into some mangroves. At the end of the road was a cool rock wall waterfall thing but it was a ways and getting dark, so I climbed up a lookout instead. It was beautiful.

The next day I left Isabella at 3pm. I saw my German friends on the beach who were taking surf lessons and invited me, but I didn’t have the money. My phone charger and watch had also both died that day, and I kept having to ask strangers what time it was.

The ride back was 100x better, probably because of the sea sickness pill Jenna had given me. I checked back into the hostel, grabbed my things, and got some food. Seafood pasta which wasn’t that good. Should’ve gotten the ceviche and michelada, the always wise words of Erin forever in my head. Push that comfort zone.

The night was pretty. I said bye to the salt air and the ice cream and the seals sleeping on the bench, but I was tired and running out of money and pretty ready to go. The next morning I misunderstood the timing for the bus and had to take a 25$ taxi to the dock. It ended up being ok though because the driver was really nice, told me about living on a farm on the island and how he hates the rain (it was raining). Plus, on the side of the road, just munching on some leaves, I finally saw a tortoise in the wild.

So began my 24 hour journey from Galapagos to Boston with a taxi, boat, bus, plane, plane, plane, plane. There was another docking fee for the airport and I was so fed up with upcharges by that point, I only had 4$ cash and made them take it.

I saw my German friends at the airport again. Funny how traveling does that. Back in Quito I ate onion rings and a milkshake which made my stomach hurt, but my American self couldn’t resist. In Miami, I kept speaking Spanish because why not, until the baggage claim had issues and I thought I’d miss my flight to Boston through customs. I would’ve had an actual meltdown. I had very little left at that point. Luckily it was fixed and I got to the gate just in time, arriving in Boston at 10am. After confusing texts, because Boston is always confusing, I met Andy at the baggage claim. We went straight to Dunkin Donuts, as I’d barely eaten since Quito,and sat on a bench outside the airport in the hot muggy air, waiting for our Air Bnb to open up before we took the train into the city. I watched the Red Sox and Patriots hats go by, and held my iced coffee like a diamond. I talked and talked and talked, finally in person without the internet delay. And Andy smiled and listened and commented supportively. And occasionally hugged me to remember I was real, and we were happy.

We spent the next week with family and friends in Boston and Rockport Mass, and I was happy floating with comfort, family, good food, someone to sleep next to. I saw old friends in Boston, and a Seattle friend moving to Norway. My stomach didn’t hurt and my brother and his girlfriend came up from New York. We went sailing, drank wine with my aunts and uncles, did puzzles and played Euchre, ate lobster and it was maybe the happiest week of my life. Nothing like leaving to make you appreciate the things you love most.

Then, 5 days later we dropped off Colin, Lian and Andy at the airport and bus station in Boston in a rainstorm. My dad and dog and I drove back to Rochester. That’s where some of the post travel depression set in. In reverse culture shock phases there’s the honeymoon followed by the lull, the reaclimation. I didn’t sleep well, slept late in the mornings. I visited grandparents in nursing homes which is always hard when you never know which time is the last goodbye. Plus I think, regardless of travel or not, childhood homes as an adult are always hard, a strange mix of feelings.

On the plus side I had fresh peaches, good Italian food and cut all my hair off. I hung out with my parents, driving around looking at smaller houses they should move in to, knowing they’re happy where they are. The last night I went with my dad to race our sailboat on Lake Ontario. There was strong wind and I sat in the front, watching the sun set. We got first place, the same boat my grandparents raced 30 years before. I dove into the water and let it rock me, the original water as I spent the first two years of my life in a little house on Lake Ontario, carried in the waves in my mother’s arms before I could walk.

The sun set. The crescent moon rose. The crickets chirped. That heavy almost midwestern summer night. The men sat on the porch and talked about the race. I drank a Molson Canadian and flipped the sausages. I was flying out to Seattle in the morning. I took a breath and looked around, letting it seep in. This was home, deep and rooted as the heart on the sail of our boat. We can travel the world in wide circles, as far as we want but those strings, invisible strings will always ground us and root us to the earth, a small piece in the puzzle, branch of the tree of our family, ancestors and the bodily feel alignment, relaxing into your deepest, original self.

Until next time my friends.

Always in adventure,

Erin