#kenta was a bit of a jerk here

[paraliveimaginesblog]

Daffodil with Kenta please

Kenta Mikoshiba:

Daffodil - a wrong doing forgiven.

You had never been so angry with him.

You respected the hacking skills, you truly did, but to know he used them to invade your privacy—and then, while arguing over how wrong it was, giving the excuse that you were the untrustworthy one?! You had never wanted to go off the grid more in your life, not wanting to argue with him over text, especially not wanting to argue with him in person where his tone would be even more childish with no understanding as to how it was like spitting in your face to do that to you.

The best revenge you can get o him is radio silence, not taking your phone with you, keeping it off unless you absolutely needed it on hand. You don’t log on to play any games in that time either and while Kenta is aware you’re delivering a solid cold shoulder, there’s parts of him that whisper nonsense in his ear. They say that you’re never coming back, or worse, you can’t because something horrible has happened to you. He wants to ask Yuto, the only one with reach outside the prison, but he won’t. His pride won’t allow him no matter how much he’s suffering internally, becoming even more irritable than usual.

Luckily, Yuto understood he was needed regardless.

He knew he could get in trouble for approaching you at your home so he tried to stage a public meeting. He hadn’t told Kenta of his plans as he didn’t want the angsty teens hopes to rise when Yuto couldn’t guarantee you’d even listen to him.

You hadn’t minded when he sat himself across from you in the coffee shop you had been visiting with friends, waving off their worried looks and promising you weren’t doing anything to land yourself in trouble. He had muttered an apology for not thinking ahead and changing out of his uniform, but he wasn’t technically ‘off-duty’ at the moment. That left you even more curious about why he had approached, anxiety suddenly gnawing at you as you wondered if something happened to Kenta.

“He misses you…” Yuto doesn’t know if he should open with that, but his mouth is moving before his brain tells him to consider how Kenta might feel about having his business put out there. “He hasn’t eaten much the past few days, and I’m worried about him… I know the two of you are fighting a-and I don’t think he’s right in what he did but… if you could gi-give him a chance to apologize properly…”

“And is he going to apologize? Or is he gonna be a jerk who just yells at me and acts like I’m the one who did something messed up?”

Yuto’s phone rings, and he silences it, going back to the conversation at hand as he tried to not specify what Kenta might say. Maybe this did only have the potential of making it worse between you as he certainly wasn’t a professional relationship counselor, but your relationship had caused Kenta to lighten up the slightest bit, and seeing him robbed of that enthusiasm now had Yuto feeling at a loss. It just wasn’t right if he didn’t try to—His phone began ringing again and he stared at it with a puzzled expression, the number not coming through.

“Give it here.” You held out your hand expectantly and Yuto listened, placing the phone in your palm though he doesn’t know why he listened so readily without complaint. You clicked the end call button, staring hard at the phone for a solid minute before it began to ring again, the screen still showing no caller ID. “Hello, Kenta.”

“You…! You!”

“It’s me. I’ll throw Yuto’s phone into the toilet if you don’t apologize in the next three seconds! Go!”

“EH?!”

Now Yuto really wished he didn’t get involved in this, but at least you were talking to each other again. He thinks as far as forgiveness goes, this was a pretty big step.

[le-trash-prince]

Fic Rec: the thing about love by sotusmilk

Fandom: Pit Babe Pairing: KentaKim Length: 15,629 words Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Warnings: Creator chose not to use archive warnings Summary: The first time Kim kisses Kenta and first time Kenta runs away from it.

Trashprince notes: I love love the characterization in this fic. Kenta is so serious and stoic and deadpan, and Kim is so stubborn and willing to just walk through all of Kenta’s walls, until he pushes it too far, too soon. It’s a little bit slowburn as they tread the line from whatever they are to friends to lovers—Kim falling in love and Kenta running away from it.

Excerpt:

It was only a coincidence that Kim found Kenta at their local grocery store that night. But it wasn't a coincidence that they were now walking together. Kim, pushing a shopping cart while Kenta walked ahead of him, carrying a basket. "Put it here, it's heavy," Kim says a second time, jerking his chin towards the space in the cart that he conveniently- and hastily- cleared for Kenta. But Kenta's only scanning the labels on the jar he's inspecting without glancing at Kim. He's silent for a minute, before proceeding to add the jar into his basket. And then there was his reply. "You're slow." "Excuse me?" "I'm in a hurry and you steer slow," Kenta now looks at him, seriously, matter-of-factly. "I'd be damned if you were in a hurry. Look how fucking slow you're moving." Kenta only narrows his eyes, but he's not quite saying no anymore. Eventually he abides by placing his basket in Kim's cart and Kim's swiveling to steer around him with the sole purpose of 'I'm not fucking slow', to which Kenta looks like he couldn't care less.

[of-twilight-and-moonshadow]

Comfortable Silence - Riley x Emery

Post Bullet Club Betrayal at Sakura Genesis 2023

Part of my Dark Angel of the Bullet Club Series

Word Count: 1874 Warnings: Mentions of betrayal, mentions of harming someone else.

Teeth-rotting fluff

Tag List: @blxxckheart @summertimefun1982

Prompts: > You can cuss, cry, scream—it doesn’t matter. Just talk to me; talk until it’s all out. > You’re safe here in my arms.

(border by)

Heartbreak.

Heartbreak and anger were the only emotions Emery could feel at the moment.

Heartbreak at how her boyfriend had been attacked and betrayed. Anger at the people who had done it.

Emery had been keeping a close eye on things happening in NJPW over the years, especially once she started dating Riley. Even more so recently, with Jay leaving and Finlay seemingly taking over. All his jabs, abuse, and disrespect he had shown her boyfriend made her seethe, and her blood boil. Numerous times, Riley had to talk her out of catching a flight to Japan to throw hands with the Irish-German jerk.

For hours today, she had waited to hear from Riley about his trios match at Sakura Genesis. Her demeanor had changed from excitement to shock when he had called her. His usual charming voice was low and soft and seemed to break as he spoke. He refused to do a video call, which was unlike him.

Riley usually loved video calls, claiming that seeing Emery’s beautiful face was the best part of his days.

For him to act this way pained her, which is why she was catching the first flight available to Tokyo. While she had been on the phone with him, she was already packing, throwing a few changes of clothing into a small carry-on, and hastily opening her laptop to get her ticket.

The longer they were on the phone, the more she could tell Riley was affected by the whole thing.

Not so much David’s attack on him— but the fact that even Gedo and KENTA had played a part in it.

And Taiji.

Taiji Ishimori. His long-term tag team partner. Someone he had been through the burner with for years now.

The closest flight she found was one that left Jacksonville at 2:24 pm, had a three-hour layover in Dallas, and would arrive in Tokyo at about 10:15 pm. It cost her a pretty penny, close to 3400 dollars, but Emery needed to be there for Riley.

It had already been nearly five months since they last saw each other in person. It was her luck that TK and Kenny didn’t need her for any Elite business for the following week, and she was able to take the time away. Kenny had even driven her to the airport and saw her off.

The entire flight, she was too wired to sleep; her mind kept racing with numerous thoughts.

What Riley must be feeling at this moment.

How would she feel if she was in his place.

What was the most pain-inducing thing she could legally do to Finlay and Ishimori.

Nearly eighteen hours after leaving Florida, the plane finally touched down in Tokyo, and Emery hastily made her way off the plane and towards the pickup area to look for a taxi.

Since he had taken to being in NJPW for the majority of the past few years, Riley had gotten himself a small apartment. Her Japanese was a bit rusty, so she typed out the address in her phone for the driver, and with a nod from him, they took off toward her unsuspecting boyfriend.

It had been just over four years since Emery had been in Japan, but it was still as beautiful as she remembered. All the bright, neon lights surrounded the streets. It gave her a small window to think more about everything that had happened.

Sure, Jay had taken Bullet Club over from Kenny – but it wasn’t a complete, hostile takeover like in the past. Kenny had been ready to pass it on, so unlike the last moments where AJ had attacked Finn and Kenny had attacked AJ—Jay was able to take over the club peacefully. There was no real animosity between Emery and Jay; they got along reasonably well. When she had learned that the violent takeover had occurred once more, as David attacked Jay back at Battle in the Valley, Emery felt somewhat disappointed.

But after talking with Riley and then later with Jay, Emery realized it wasn’t an actual takeover. Jay had zero plans to hand off Bullet Club to someone, especially not to David Finlay. To her, Finlay knew it too—which is why he seemed to always have issues with Riley, who would always be on Jay’s side.

Switchblade and ELP were for life, no matter what.

A smile lifted Emery’s lips slightly at the thought. She noticed the car come to a steady stop and looked out her window, recognizing the apartment building in front of her.

“Arigato,” Emery told the driver, paying him the fee plus a decent tip. It was late at night, after all, and she was feeling generous to him for even picking her up. Grabbing her carry-on bag and getting out of the taxi, Emery’s brown eyes scanned the outside of the building, stopping about halfway up at where Riley’s apartment would approximately be. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the brightly lit lobby area and headed to the elevator, pressing the ‘up’ button.

Her eyes widened momentarily, quickly pulled out her cell and clicked on her messages.

“Hey, Ken. Totally spaced on it, but I landed a bit ago. Already got a taxi and made it to Riley’s. Getting in the elevator as we speak.”

Hitting the send button, Emery walked into the small square, hit the button for the 7th floor, and then the close button. As she waited, her phone vibrated in her hands, alerting her to a message.

“One-track mind, like always. ;-) I’m sure he’s going to love having you there. Stay safe, and try not to get into trouble. -K”

With a smile, she replied,

“Harrharr Ken. Thanks, and no promises. I have some asses to kick while I’m here.”

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors slid open, so Emery slid her phone into her back pocket and began walking down the hall. For some reason, she started to feel nervous, which was odd; she was just going to see her boyfriend. There was nothing to be nervous about.

Maybe it was the whole situation? She didn’t know what frame of mind he would be in. Would he be happy to see her? Perhaps this was a mis—

No, it wasn’t a mistake. Emery shook the thought from her head.

Riley needed her.

Perhaps, she even needed him.

Either way, it was too late as she stopped outside his apartment door. Not wanting to risk hesitating, Emery quickly reached out and knocked on the wooden door before waiting. Close to a minute passed, and nothing happened.

She debated knocking again, wondering if he was out—or if he was already asleep.

Riley sleeping this early wasn’t usual, however, but going out was a possibility. He hadn’t seemed in a ‘Go-Out’ mode on the phone that morning. Frowning, Emery tried again, knocking just a tad harder, and waited.

Close to a minute passed again, and she was about to reach for her phone before the door swung open.

“What do you--?! E-emery?” Riley questioned, his voice softening as he looked at her standing there.

“Surprise?” She gave him a soft smile, hoping he wasn’t upset, “I just figured… with everything that—” Before she could even finish, Riley had stepped out into the hallway and engulfed her in a hug. His arms wrapped around her and held her tight to his chest, his head resting against the top of hers. Emery slowly snaked her arms around his body, her palms resting against his back as she breathed his scent.

She missed this.

Missed him.

Not seeing him in person for a long time had driven her insane.

They stayed in that spot for several minutes before pulling apart, and as she thought they would head inside, Riley surprised her by leaning down and kissing her. The impact of his lips on hers took her breath away, but she welcomed it, her hands resting on his as he cradled her face in his larger hands. A minute later, he released her lips and led her inside his apartment. He let go of her hand as he closed the door and walked towards the living room.  

It was dark inside, a small lamp on in the living room being the only light source. Emery also noticed it seemed trashed, as a chair lay on the floor and papers scattered the living room.

“What are you doing here, Ree?” Riley asked quietly, slumping down on the couch. She noticed he wouldn’t meet her gaze, his eyes staring at the coffee table.

“I wanted to see my boyfriend. He wouldn’t video call me this morning,” Emery said, hoping to get a smile from him, but instead, he seemed only to scoff.

“Some boyfriend… betrayed and attacked by everyone…. Be better off without me.”

She felt like her heart was shattering at his words, so she set her bag down at the small dining table and walked over to join him on the couch.

“Riley…” Emery softly called out, reaching out to take his hand. As soon as she touched him, he quickly drew it away, surprising her. It was silent for a few minutes as she tried to figure out what to say or do.

“Rye— come on, baby, talk to me, please.”

Silence again until Riley pushed himself off the couch and walked over to the window, looking at the city.

“Please, Rye. You can talk to me,” Emery told him, her voice soft,” You can cuss, cry, scream—it doesn’t matter. Just talk to me; talk until it’s all out.”

Even in the dim light, she could see his fists clenching and unclenching. Emery wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him again—but held back, deciding to let him make the first move instead. After what seemed like forever, Riley finally turned around to face her. His jaw was tense, but she could see the emotion in his eyes.

He was hurt. The betrayal—especially by Taiji—was getting to him.

“Just… hold me. Please.” He bit out, eyes glistening as he made the request.

Nodding, Emery brought her legs onto the couch and leaned back as Riley gently laid down on top of her, his head resting on her chest. His long legs stuck out past the end of the couch, but at that moment, he didn’t care about it.

Emery began to softly comb her fingers through his blonde hair, humming a random song as she did so. The silence between them wasn’t thick with tension but calming and comfortable. With her other hand, she gently rubbed his upper back through the shirt he was wearing. As the minutes ticked by, Emery could feel the tension slowly leave Riley’s body as he finally relaxed.

Placing a soft kiss on his head, Emery whispered, “You’re safe here in my arms.”

They stayed like that for quite a while, comfortable in the silence, before Riley finally spoke up.

“Thank you, Emery, for being here…. I love you so, so much….”

“I love you too, Riley,” Emery replied, a soft smile on her face.

This was home.

Being in his arms, being with him.

That’s where she belonged.

[beybladefanfictions]

Ryuga’s Return - Chapter 6

(Description: AU where Ryuga survives Metal Fury but loses L-Drago. He reunites with Kenta and struggles to figure out what he’s supposed to do without Beyblade, his purpose in life for so long. Character’s thoughts are in asteriks.)

Kenta’s POV (Yes, again. I have a good reason I promise)

“Ryuga!”

Kenta dashed toward his friend, jumping up and throwing his arms around him. Ryuga barely caught him with a small yelp of surprise. He briefly returned the hug.

“Mind warning me next time you do that?” Ryuga grunted, letting Kenta down on the ground.

“Sorry, but you really had us worried!” Kenta noticed Madoka near them. “Did you seriously stay at the shop all night?!” he asked, gesturing to her.

Ryuga rolled his eyes. “I fell asleep.”

“What were you doing before that?”

Ryuga fell silent. Kenta turned to Madoka instead.

“He just played with Beyblade parts mostly,” she answered with a shrug.

“Really? Ryuga…”

Kenta stared up at his friend. He thought it was weird that Ryuga had wanted to stay in a place full of reminders of Beyblade, when he constantly avoided the topic of L-Drago’s disappearance, but he hadn’t realized it was this bad.

Ryuga cleared his throat. “Your parents wanted us back at your house,” he informed, walking away.

“Oh, okay…” Kenta turned to Madoka. “Bye Madoka!” he called, waving and chasing after Ryuga.

“Bye Kenta!” Madoka called back.

Kenta slowed to a walk once he was at Ryuga’s side.

“You really miss Beyblade that much?”

“Hm?” Ryuga glanced down at him.

“Playing with Beyblade parts?” Kenta raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Ryuga, you’re not fooling anyone.”

“I’m not trying to.”

“Then what are you trying to do?!” Kenta exclaimed, clenching his fists. “Wallow in misery over losing L-Drago?!”

Ryuga stopped walking, remaining silent for a few heartbeats. “You’re the last person I expected to be mad at me.”

Kenta froze. *What does he mean by THAT?*

“I-I’m not…” Kenta looked away. “I’m sorry.”

They were both quiet the rest of the walk home. Kenta pushed the door open. His parents were in the kitchen, and perked up at the sight of them.

“Ryuga!” they gasped in unison.

Ryuga stepped back. Kenta tilted his head to the side. Usually, Ryuga would react to Kenta’s parents with indifference or annoyance but this time his eyes were wide and he seemed frozen in place. *Is he… afraid?* With a chill, Kenta realized that this was the first time he had seen Ryuga show fear, and it was toward Kenta’s own parents. After a few moments, Ryuga stepped forward. He grabbed his white jacket off the couch and made his way toward the basement.

“Wait, Ryuga!" Kenta called, chasing after him.

Ryuga stopped and looked down at him. “Let me be alone,” he grunted.

“I…” Kenta stepped back, his heart skipping a beat. Then his shock turned to anger. “Fine. Go ahead,” he grunted, turning away.

Ryuga hesitated only for a moment before retreating into the basement. Kenta grunted as he sat at the table with his parents.

“He just got back and he's already pushing us all away,” Kenta sighed, pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

“Oh, he just needs some time alone, kiddo,” his dad replied, with a shrug. “Some people are like that. Social activity is draining for them so they need time alone every now and then.”

“But it seems like he wants to be alone all the time, even though he's living here.”

It had been a week and Ryuga didn’t seem to be feeling any better. He still avoided Kenta’s parents, in fact, he avoided any and all social interaction with anyone besides Kenta, and he still seemed so indifferent day in and day out. *He’s lost his passion.*

“He just needs space,” Kenta’s mom insisted, “He seemed really upset when he called me.”

Kenta looked up at her in surprise. “He called you?”

“He thought we were mad at him for not coming home.”

“Why would he think that?!” Kenta gasped, nearly dropping his spoon. 

“I don't know,” his mother sighed. “It was good of him to check in of course, but it was… worrying.” She turned to Kenta’s dad, who dipped his head.

“I know it’s none of our business but it makes me wonder if something happened to the kid,” he spoke in a low voice, as if he didn’t want Kenta to hear.

Kenta’s mother nodded. “Oh, I think that’s for certain.”

Kenta didn’t want to tell his parents that they were right: something had indeed happened to Ryuga… at Battle Bladers. However, he didn’t see how that event would make Ryuga wary of Kenta’s parents. There was no connection. *Is this a side effect of him missing Beyblade or is this a separate problem altogether?*

Regardless, Kenta knew one thing was true: the happiest he had ever seen Ryuga was when he was Beyblading. *There has to be some way he can Beyblade again.* Then he got an idea. Ryuga didn’t want to replace L-Drago likely because he believed no Beyblade could match its power, and he was somewhat correct. However, if he could design the bey himself… It seemed like a stretch but maybe Ryuga would be willing to try. The WBBA on the other hand…

*I have to at least try. Ryuga gave up his power for me, this is the least I can do for him in return.*

Once Kenta finished his breakfast, he went on his phone. He looked at his contacts. Gingka had spent the day yesterday with his dad but he was probably free now.

-Kenta: Gingka, can you meet me at bey park?-

-Gingka: For a bey battle?-

-Kenta: No, Sagittario’s still damaged. I just need to talk to you about something.-

-Gingka: Uhhhhhhhh okay.-

Kenta stood up and glanced at his parents.

“I’m going to see Gingka. Can you tell Ryuga I’m leaving?” *Since he hates being alone with you so much,* Kenta added silently to himself.

His dad nodded. “Sure thing, kiddo.”

“Have fun with your friend!" His mom called as he walked out the front door.

Kenta made his way toward Bey park, checking his phone every now and then to see if he had any messages from Gingka. He stopped in front of the building and looked around. Gingka was nowhere in sight. Kenta looked at his phone again, letting out a sigh.

"Hi Kenta!" Kenta perked up at the sound of Gingka's voice.

"Hey, Gingka!" Kenta greeted, putting his phone away. "How was your day with your dad?"

“Pretty good," Gingka answered, stopping in front of him. "So what was it you wanted to talk about?"

“I, uh…" *Okay, right to the point.* "I want to ask your dad something,” Kenta admitted, shifting in place a bit.

“Huh, what did you want to ask him?” Gingka asked, tilting his head to the side.

“It’s something WBBA related."

“You gonna tell me?”

Kenta gulped. “Don’t freak out, please."

“I won’t," Gingka replied, sounding genuine.

“I want…" Kenta paused to take a deep breath. "I want to ask the WBBA to make Ryuga a new Beyblade.”

Gingka stared at him. “Uh… they might-”

“I know they might not want to do it!" Kenta cut him off, his voice quivering as he went on, "But I have to at least try and ask! Ryuga’s been feeling so depressed and left out without Beyblade!”

“He told you that?” Gingka asked, his eyes wide.

“He didn’t have to. Ryuga’s like a brother to me, Gingka. I can tell when he’s upset and I can’t bear not doing anything about it.”

Kenta briefly wondered if Ryuga would be annoyed at him for saying they were like brothers. However, it was true in more ways than the obvious one. Kenta never knew what it was like to have siblings, so he looked up to both Gingka and Ryuga as older brothers.

“Kenta…” Gingka smiled a bit. “That’s really sweet… you can try asking my dad if you think it’ll help. I think he’s available right now.”

“Thanks, Gingka!” Kenta threw his arms around Gingka. His friend immediately hugged back, resting one hand on Kenta's head.

“Alright let's go," Kenta replied, stepping out of the hug and walking forward.

Gingka however stood still. “Uh, but the bus is that way…" he informed, pointing in the opposite direction.

Kenta shrugged. "We can walk there."

"Walk?!" Gingka gasped, his eyes wide. “But it's like... Two kilometres away!”

"Two kilometres?" Kenta bit back a chuckle. “Do you know how many kilometres Ryuga and I walked a day when we were travelling together?”

“Uh…”

Kenta shrugged. “I don't, but it was a lot of kilometres.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Gingka chuckled, gesturing for Kenta to follow him.

The two chatted with each other the whole way to the WBBA headquarters. When they neared the director’s office, they fell silent. Kenta froze. *How am I going to ask them this? ‘Hey remember, Ryuga? The guy who stole the forbidden bey and hurt tons of people with it? Can you make a new bey for him?’ Now that Kenta was thinking about it, he realized just how crazy that might sound. Gingka pushed the office door open. Kenta shook himself from his thoughts, following Gingka inside.

“Hey, dad,” he greeted with a wave.

“Hello Gingka, Kenta,” his dad replied with a dip of his head.

Kenta froze. Gingka’s dad and Hikaru were sitting at the desk, looking over some important-looking documents. Hikaru… Kenta hadn’t counted on her being here.

“What brings the two of you here?” Hikaru asked, tilting her head to the side.

Gingka turned to Kenta.

“I, uh, well… I kinda…” Kenta cleared his throat. “I had something I wanted to ask the director.”

Kenta cast a sympathetic glance at Hikaru, remembering with a chill how Ryuga had attacked her during Battle Bladers. *I can’t just bring this up out of nowhere, especially not with her here.*

“Well, what is it?” Gingka’s dad prompted.

“It… it’s about Ryuga.”

Hikaru winced, letting out a small shriek.

Gingka’s dad stiffened. “What has he done?” he asked, his voice suddenly dark.

“Nothing!” Kenta exclaimed, stiffening with anger.

“Hikaru…” The director glanced at his assistant, whose eyes were wide and unfocused, as if her mind wasn’t fully present. Gingka glanced at her.

“Hey, Hikaru.” He stepped toward her casually. “Why don’t we leave these two to talk about things and get some ice cream or something?” he suggested, pulling the office door open.

“Yes, you can take a break, Hikaru,” Gingka’s dad added with a nod.

“I…” Hikaru dipped her head. “Thank you, director.”

Hikaru stood up and followed Gingka out of the room. They closed the door behind them, leaving Kenta and Gingka’s dad alone in the office.

“Is there a good reason you brought up that b-” Gingka’s dad cut himself off. “That Blader here?”

“He’s not a blader anymore, and I’m sorry. I…” *I didn’t know how else to bring it up.* “I had a request… for Ryuga.”

“For Ryuga?” Gingka’s dad asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why isn’t he here himself then?”

Kenta’s eyes narrowed. *Like you would want him here,* he thought, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

“I haven’t told him yet,” Kenta explained, looking away. “I… I want to get him a new Beyblade. M-make him one, I mean. I-”

“A new Beyblade?” Gingka’s dad cut him off, sounding outraged. “For Ryuga?!”

“I know, I know it sounds crazy but Ryuga is my friend and he’s changed a lot since Battle Bladers. He’s been so depressed without Beyblade… I just want to help him.”

Gingka’s dad let out a sigh. “I understand wanting to help your friend but I cannot comply with this request.”

“Why not?” Kenta had admittedly expected this answer but he wasn’t going to give up this easily.

“It’s too dangerous, Kenta,” Gingka’s dad struggled to keep his voice down. “That kid shouldn’t have been allowed to hold a Beyblade again after Battle Bladers!” The man bristled with rage. He looked like he was seconds away from slamming his hands on the table but had stopped himself.

“Battle Bladers…” Kenta shivered. “With all due respect, director, that tournament was years ago now and Ryuga helped us defeat Nemesis last week, nearly at the cost of his life." Kenta forced his voice to remain steady as he shivered at that memory, "He has changed. Letting him Beyblade again won’t lead to a Neo Battle Bladers.”

Gingka’s dad looked unconvinced.

“Please,” Kenta sighed, his head hanging low. “At least give him a chance…”

“On some conditions…”

Kenta looked up at the director, letting out a squeak of happiness.

“He can’t enter any tournaments, not for a few months at least and I need to know that more than one person will be keeping him and his new bey in check.”

“Um… Well, there’s my parents…”

“That will work. I want one of you three present whenever he uses it.”

“Cool, cool.” Kenta nodded vigorously. He leaned over the desk, pleading with his eyes. “So when can we design the bey?”

Gingka’s dad let out a sigh. “Madoka can make a blueprint for the bey. Kenta, bring Ryuga here tomorrow at one pm. I want to speak to him first."

“Okay, I’ll let Ryuga know.” Kenta dipped his head. “Thank you, director!” he called, dashing out of the office.

*Well, that went well,* Kenta thought with a smile. He made his way out of the building. Then he froze. Hikaru and Gingka were standing just outside.

“Oh… hey guys,” Kenta greeted, forcing a smile and waving.

Hikaru glanced down at him. “Kenta…”

“Yeah?” Kenta froze.

He and Hikaru weren’t exactly friends; they just knew each other through Gingka and hadn’t talked much since Kenta had challenged her over and over again years ago now.

“Is it true?” Hikaru asked, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was almost accusatory.

“Is what true?”

“That Ryuga is living with you and your parents now?”

Kenta stiffened. “Y-yeah. He is. Did Gingka tell you?” he asked, casting a glance at his friend.

“Yeah…” Gingka rested his hand on the back of his neck. He turned to Hikaru. “Hikaru I-”

“Gingka,” Hikaru cut him off, her tone blunt. “I get that Ryuga’s different now and frankly, I don’t care. It doesn’t change what he did.”

“I… I know.” Gingka looked down at his feet.

“Yeah…” Kenta bit his lip. “We’re not asking you to forgive him.” *Even if he might not have been in full control of himself during Battle Bladers, what he did was still really messed up.* Kenta shivered at the memory.

“I… I should get going,” Hikaru replied, turning away. “I have a meeting with my therapist.”

Before either of them could reply, Hikaru dashed off. Kenta and Gingka turned to each other.

“Are we just not going to tell her that you asked the WBBA to make Ryuga a new bey?” Gingka asked, tilting his head to the side.

“I…” Kenta looked away. “I know telling the truth is the right thing but… I don’t want to be the one to tell her. She’ll freak out.”

“She’ll have to find out eventually. My dad will probably tell her at some point. Well…" Gingka forced a smile. "Worrying about it won't do anyone any good."

“Yeah," Kenta nodded in agreement.

“Do you want to hang out for a while? I know Sagittario's broken but we could do something at my house."

Kenta smiled and nodded. "Sure! Let's go!"

Gingka and Kenta walked side by side down the sidewalk, smiling as they chatted casually with each other.

------------

Kenta spent the entire morning with Gingka, playing video games and talking together before noon, when Kenta decided to head home for lunch. He hoped Ryuga would be home too. Kenta had yet to tell his friend about their meeting with the WBBA tomorrow. *I wonder how he'll react. He hates social situations, clearly, but if he wants to Beyblade again…*

Kenta stepped inside the house. He didn't see his dad anywhere, he was probably at work, but his mom was at the kitchen table, her gaze fixed on her laptop. She glanced up at him.

“Hi, Kenta,” she greeted with a smile.

“Hey, mom." Kenta smiled and waved. “Is… Ryuga still downstairs?”

“I think so. Unless he left without letting me know.” There was worry in her tone.

“I…" Kenta bit his lip. “I don't think he'd do that after… Well…”

“Right…” The two of them looked away, clearly remembering what happened that morning.

“Well, I’m gonna go check on him.”

Kenta pulled the door of the basement open and hopped down the stairs.

“Ryuga!” he called.

When he reached the foot for the stairs, Kenta scanned the mostly empty room, looking for his friend. Ryuga was sitting on the bed. He was still wearing his mother’s jacket and his gaze was intent on his phone.

“Ryuga…” Kenta stared at him for a moment. This was the first time he had ever actually seen him use his phone. “What are you doing…?”

Ryuga looked up at him and put the phone aside face down.

“What do you want?”

*Why is that always his response? I don’t always want something from him… do I? Am I too demanding?*

“We kind of have a meeting with…” Kenta stopped himself from saying ‘Gingka’s dad.’ “With the WBBA director tomorrow.”

Ryuga’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I…” Kenta took a step back. “I asked them to make you a new Beyblade.”

“You did what?!” Kenta winced when Ryuga raised his voice. It didn’t scare him,  just made his head hurt. “Kenta, I am not replacing L-Drago,” Ryuga grunted, standing up.

“Why not?!” Kenta exclaimed, clenching his fists. “So what, it won’t be as powerful?! You’ll get to design it to your liking and you’ll be able to Beyblade again! Isn’t that what you want?”

“It’s not about L-Drago’s power.”

“Huh?” Kenta froze.

“I miss that too, but that’s not why I don’t want to replace L-Drago. Would you be able to replace Sagittario if you lost it?”

“I…” Kenta was taken aback by the sudden question. “No. Sagittario and I have a bond…”

“Exactly."

Kenta stared at him. He knew Ryuga valued L-Drago’s power above almost everything and assumed that was why he didn’t want to replace it.

“Really? After all that bey put you through, you still have a bond with it?!”

Ryuga nodded. “It was still my Beyblade… and no other bey can ever replace what L-Drago and I had.”

Kenta suddenly felt guilty for not even considering that. *I thought he only cared about the bey’s power? Do I really think that little of my own friend?*

Kenta let out a sigh. “Can… can you at least try?” *I went through all that effort…* Kenta kept that last part to himself. He didn’t want Ryuga to feel guilty; this wasn’t his fault.

Ryuga dipped his head. “Fine. When is this meeting?” he asked, sitting back down on the bed.

“One o’clock tomorrow.”

“In the afternoon?”

Kenta smiled and sat next to him. “Nah, we’re staying up past midnight to design your bey. Best get a nap in now.” He couldn’t help but smirk triumphantly at his own joke.

Ryuga smiled a bit. “Shut up, smart aleck.” He pushed Kenta over. It didn’t hurt; Ryuga had barely touched him yet it still made Kenta yelp in surprise.

“Hey!”

Kenta tried with all his might to push Ryuga over but couldn’t even make him budge. Ryuga just smiled and ruffled Kenta’s hair. Grunting with annoyance, Kenta decided to pull Ryuga into a hug, because that was the best revenge he could think of at the moment. Ryuga let out a grunt but hugged him back anyway.

“Kenta! Ryuga!” Kenta’s mother called. Kenta could feel Ryuga stiffen in front of him. “There’s food on the table!”

Ryuga let go of Kenta.

“We’ll be up in a minute!” Kenta called before turning to Ryuga. His friend was glaring down at the ground, his arms folded.

Kenta sighed, “Ryuga, we need to talk."

“We just did,” Ryuga grunted, standing up.

“Hey, wait!” Kenta jumped toward him, grabbing his arm and staring up at him desperately. “Why are you scared of my parents?”

“Scared?” Ryuga rolled his eyes. “I'm not scared of your overly doting parents.” He tried to pry Kenta off his arm.

“Really?” Kenta let go, his eyes narrowed. “Because it sure seems that way.”

“You're imagining things,” Ryuga grunted, turning away.

“Imagining what?” Kenta ran in front of Ryuga, standing between him and the stairs. He gazed up at him desperately. “Ryuga, please talk to me.”

Ryuga let out a sigh. He sat at the foot of the stairs, gesturing for Kenta to sit next to him.

“I know I upset them,” he grunted, his head hung low. “They just haven't done anything.”

Kenta stiffened. “What do you mean they haven’t ‘done anything?'” *What does he think they’ll do?*

“They can act nice all they want, I know they're mad at me. Why can't they just punish me and be done with it?”

Kenta couldn’t bite back a gasp of fury. “Why would they do that?! You didn't do anything wrong! It was an accident!”

“That doesn't matter.”

“Yes it does!”

Kenta thought back to his parents’ conversation earlier: *I know it’s none of our business but it makes me wonder if something happened to the kid.* Kenta fought back his anger. This wasn’t Ryuga thinking poorly of his parents, this was Ryuga, for whatever reason, being wary of trusting them.

“Who hurt you?" Kenta asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ryuga stiffened. “What?”

“You don't trust them because you're scared of being hurt again. Isn’t that it?” Kenta had no idea; he was just sort of guessing.

Ryuga didn't answer.

“Do you trust me?” Kenta asked.

Ryuga raised an eyebrow. “I gave you my power.”

“Yes or no, Ryuga. Tell me.” *I want a direct answer.*

Letting out a sigh, Ryuga nodded.

“Then trust me when I say that my parents are good people. If you trust me, you can trust them.”

Ryuga looked away. Kenta sighed. He hoped Ryuga would at least consider his words. Kenta's parents had given Ryuga no reason not to trust them, so why was he so suspicious of them?

“Hey, after lunch, do you want to go on a hike together?" Kenta suggested, trying to cheer him up. "It can be just like old times.”

“Old times?" Ryuga smirked a bit. “You mean when you stalked me?”

Kenta's jaw dropped. “I wasn’t stalking you!”

“Then what do you call following someone who doesn’t want you around?” Ryuga asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You-you wanted me around…”

“I didn’t at first.”

“Are we going or not?”

Ryuga nodded. Kenta smiled and the two of them walked up the stairs side by side. *He seems to be feeling a little better.*

[stillebesat]

Breaking Nightmare’s Grip

Detective Conan/Magic Kaito: Kuroba Kaito, Hakuba Saguru Blurb: Struggling to come to grips with how his heist with Nightmare ended, Kaito ends up finding comfort from an unexpected source. (Takes place after the Dark Knight episode.) Fic Type: Hurt/Comfort Overall Fic Warnings: Death Talk, Minor Character Death mention. 

Ao3 Link  FF.Net Link

His hand was cold. Had been cold since Jack Connery had slipped from his grip, taking KID’s white glove with him as he plummeted to the floor below.

Let them go! Let the jewels go and grab my arm with both hands!

I can’t! This is Kenta’s--Kenta’s surgery. 

Kaito flinched, trying and failing to get Connery’s face out of his mind as he slid to the ground outside his bedroom door, pressing his back against the wall as he buried his head into his knees, the mask he’d been desperately trying to hold onto cracking as the weight of it all became too much to bear. Breath hitching, Kaito made no attempt to stop the hot wet trails that streaked down his cheeks. 

“Why?” He whispered into the darkness, his voice cracking.

Why. 

Why hadn’t Nightmare let go of those black opals and grabbed his arm? If he had he wouldn’t---wouldn’t be--

Kaito grimaced, trying and failing to no longer see Connery’s body falling away from his outstretched hand. 

Yet, he couldn’t stop replaying the moment. His mind desperately churning through various options, trying to find a way where it could have ended differently. Where KID could have saved Nightmare. Saved Kenta from having to now live without his father in his life. 

Kaito drew in another shuddering breath, his right hand spasming from the cold, from the phantom feeling of Connery’s fingers slipping out of his. 

There should have been something KID could have done differently. 

But no matter what he’d planned, how many possibilities he’d prepared for. He hadn’t expected Nightmare to end up...dead. 

He shuddered, curling up tighter into a ball. 

With how many times he’d had run ins with his favorite detectives on their cases where people ended up dead, he should be--well not reacting like this. He’d seen dead bodies before. Even talked to the victims before they--died.

He sh-shouldn’t be--

Kaito swallowed, struggling to get air into his burning lungs as his hand only seemed to grow colder. 

He hadn’t watched the life vanish from those people though. Hadn’t seen their last breaths. Hadn’t tried to sa--save---

The baka. 

He could have lived. 

If Connery had only let go of those stupid gems. If only he had thought more about saving his own life rather than--

Warmth.

Kaito jerked, head shooting up as someone’s hand took his own in a firm yet comforting grip. 

He blinked, breath catching in his throat at the shadowy silhouette crouched down in front of him. 

A silhouette he recognized despite his blurry vision. 

A silhouette that shouldn’t be here, in his house.  

“Ha-Hakuba?!” He asked, internally wincing as his voice again cracked. 

Kaito had no reason to be upset right now. Kaito shouldn’t be--be---mourning anyone’s death yet because Kaito has no idea what has happened and now Hakuba was here which meant there had to be some clue that lead Hakuba to him and now the Detective was--

“Shh.” Hakuba squeezed Kaito’s hand between both of his own. “Breathe, Kuroba-kun. I believe you may be going into shock.” 

Shock. Him? Go into shock? Ha. “Y-you sho-shouldn’t--be-be-”

“Here?” 

Kaito jerked his head in a nod, using his free hand to wipe his cheeks as he caught a glimpse of a smile in the faint light coming from the window. The Detective exhaled, shrugging a shoulder. “I’m only here as a…” His fingers twitched against Kaito’s. “As a concerned….friend. Nothing more, Kuroba-kun. So put that particular...worry away from you.” 

That was like telling a bird not to fly. A fish not to swim. A detective to not solve a crime scene. 

And as a friend? Kaito scoffed, fighting to draw the torn pieces of his mask back on. They were hardly friends. “W-worry?” He asked, conscious of how he should be freeing his hand from Hakuba’s grip. Only...it was warm. Warmer than the frozen empty void that had been present there since Connery’s hand had left his. 

Don’t THINK about THAT!

“Ov--Over--??” He drew in a deeper breath, rapidly blinking as he fought to keep eye contact with the Detective. “Why should I be-be worried? Be--because you...bro--broke into my house?” 

He was certain everything had been locked. After all, Kaito had entered from the skylight on the roof after discarding his KID outfit. He doubted the Detective would have taken that route.

Hakuba shifted, giving a slight bow with his head. “My apologies for the intrusion.” He said, simply. Formal as always. “As I said before…I was concerned.” 

Concerned enough to act more like a thief than a detective apparently.

Kaito brushed at his burning eyes, taking a more steady breath. Despite the reason...he was grateful to have someone else here. “Why?” 

Hakuba exhaled. “May I sit?” He asked, not waiting for Kaito’s response before he settled down next to him, hand never leaving his as he leaned against the wall. 

“I didn’t say yes.” Kaito muttered as the detective made himself comfortable.

“I came...because seeing death is never an easy thing.” Hakuba said just as softly. “Especially when the life of another is extinguished right in front of you.” 

“Me?”

“The general usage of you, Kuroba-kun. I am not here to insinuate any potential connections to a certain thief and his activities tonight..” 

Kaito rolled his eyes, hand trembling in Hakuba’s. He didn’t WANT to think about it. Think about how he’d failed. “I think you just did, Hakubaka.” 

“Apologies. Regardless.” He adjusted his grip on Kaito’s. “Tonight the others involved have found sources of comfort. I couldn’t help but feel...that since this---death can’t really be talked about due to certain implications. A certain individual would have no one to go to.”

That was true. With his mother who knew where, Aoko in the dark about his identity as KID and Jii still on vacation in France….he had no one. 

“And in this case...while I am probably not the best source to keep you company due to our...antagonistic history in school and my position as...a detective going after KID...I felt, regardless, that my presence may be of some help to you, even if it is a negative reaction. I felt it would be unwise for yo--ah...well...unwise to be left alone when...when...ah...KID isn’t often exposed to the--darker side of breaking the law, especially when it’s obvious KID tried to prevent--

Kaito tilted his head, studying Hakuba as the detective blabbered on. Nerves? Possibly. This was--well semi out of character for tantei-san. Phone calls before heists were one thing, but having him physically come here to...help?

The detective was right in one aspect though.

Kaito really didn’t want to be alone right now.

He exhaled. Dropping his head back to his knees. If this was a truce. He wasn’t of a mind to break it. Even if this was blurring the line between his ability to deny being KID a bit too much for his liking. 

“Baro, stop talking. It’s fine.” He said interrupting Hakuba as he squeezed his hand tightly. As tight as when he’d been trying to--to save Connery’s life. 

He needed something..someone to keep his hand from feeling the cool void that Nightmare’s presence had left, to keep his thoughts distracted from what had occurred earlier tonight. Even if that someone was Hakubaka. 

Kaito would figure out how to explain this...this break down later. Figure out just how the detective had entered his home. For now though… He took a breath, keeping his voice low as he felt Hakuba relax. “Thanks for coming.”

[one-vision2]

Chapter 5 - Foreboding

Takato flattened the drawing out against the table, smoothing the edges and matching up torn pieces. Jeri sat beside him, silently. Kazu had tried to talk to him, but Takato only mumbled or said he was fine. So, everyone else left, probably to take up Henry's offer of helping out. Takato sat down beside Jeri and sighed. "Guilmon hates me," He whispered, placing his chin in his crossed arms. Jeri gave Takato's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "He doesn't hate you. He'll come around. If there's even the tiniest bit of the Guilmon we know tucked away in there, then he'll come around,"

Takato shifted his head so that he was looking at Jeri. "I'm really glad you're here Jeri. I don't what I would do without you," Jeri smiled and wrapped her arms about Takato.

  ---

 There was a water pump just on the outskirts of the little village, where Chuchidarumon said the kids could fetch some water, and also vaguely mentioned something about a broken roof. Kenta and Rika went to get the water, Henry and Kazu to help with roof repairs. Suzie and Ai found some of the village kids, Betamon, Gotsumon and Floramon. The Digimon kids were overjoyed to have someone to play with them.

 Kenta placed a bucket under the water pump, and grabbed the pump with Rika. "Poor Takato,"

"Don't," Rika said. "No amount of sympathies is going to fix this,"

"You don't feel sorry for Takato?"

"Of course I do," Rika replied, grunting at a particularly hard push. "I can't imagine how he feels. But just sitting here and feeling sorry for him won't do anything,"

"So what do you suggest we do?" Kenta wondered, replacing the full bucket with an empty one.

 Rika paused, resting her arm on the water pump.

"As regards Guilmon? The worst thing we can do is overwhelm him. So we should probably only let one of us talk to him, and at least give him some space for now,"

 Kenta nodded. "Chuchidarumon said he was protecting the village right?"

"Yes?"

"And he spoke directly to Suzie and Ai, probably because he has a soft spot for the kids?"

"So what you're saying is we try and get Suzie and Ai to coax him out?" Rika asked. Kenta shook his head with a smile.

"I think he needs someone who understands that protectiveness,"

 Rika smiled, and pushed herself off the pump to continue using it. "Henry,"

"Exactly. So, you tell Henry about our idea?" Rika narrowed her eyes at Kenta. "Because you're better friends with him than me, that's all,"

"Mm-hm," She hummed in disbelief, but Kenta just smiled innocently at her. "Sure. I'll tell him about it,"

 One more push filled the second bucket to the brim. Rika was about to bend down to pick up one of the buckets, when a ball came flying out of nowhere, knocking over both buckets. Rika and Kenta cried out in shock and jumped back, but not in time to avoid water splashing over their jeans.

 Rika's head snapped up, her eyes dark.

The Digimon and Ai pointed at Suzie, who was grimacing from embarrassment. Rika crooked her finger at Suzie, who took off in the opposite direction, Rika promptly giving chase. Ai and the Digimon scattered, screaming out of fear/joy. Kenta sighed and fixed the buckets back in place.

---

 "Do you think Rin and Shouta are jerks?" Kazu asked. He and Henry were carrying a plank of wood between them. Henry blinked at the unexpected question. "Ahhhh, uuuh I don't really know them," Henry blurted out. "Is this over what happened with Kenta?"

"He had no reason to throw them under the bus like that," Kazu huffed. "They never did anything to Kenta,"

 Henry raised an eyebrow at Kazu. "Well I mean... they are annoying,"

"Yeah but I'm annoying,"

"You're tolerable annoying," Henry smirked. "Most of the time,"

Kazu sighed as he and Henry laid the plank on a pile beside the broken hut. "Am I overreacting?"

Henry went to reply, but was interrupted by something colliding with his leg. Henry yelped and stumbled. "Save me, save me! I didn't mean it!"

"What the-"

 Rika dashed up to them, but skidded to a halt, panting. "How the hell are you so fast?" She huffed.

"Uh...?" Henry looked between her and Suzie. Suzie hid her head behind Henry, but he could see the faint smile in her eye. Rika jabbed and accusing finger at Suzie, but took in a deep breath and let it drop. She shook her head. "Nevermind," She looked up to Henry, and cocked her head to the side a little. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" She glanced over at the two Chuchidarumon hoisting a plank of wood up to the roof. "It's about Guilmon?"

 "Uh, sure," Henry said, and followed Rika to a quiet spot.

Kazu turned to Suzie. "What was that about?"

"I spilled water on her,"

"And lived???"

"Whats up?" Henry asked, after Rika brought him away from the crowd.

"I... think you should talk to Guilmon,"

 Henry reeled back with an incredulous look on his face. "What-you-me??"

"Yeah. Actually, it was Kenta's idea,"

"But why me??"

 Rika shrugged. "Think you might be able to get through to him. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could end up like that drawing,"

"Oh please, you think after everything Takato and Guilmon went through, that he would hurt an innocent person? Hell he couldn't even hurt a bad person,"

 Henry pursed his lips. "Okay, you have a point there. I can try, but I don't really see what good I can do,"

"Try is all I ask," Rika said.

"You said it was Kenta's idea?" Henry said, trying to change the subject. He gave a weak nod over to where Kazu was falling victim to a game of tag with the kids. "Think those two will make up?"

"Make up? They never fought,"

"Yeah, but that whole thing with Kazu's friends-"

"Oh please, Kazu is blowing that way out of proportion,"

"From our perspective," Henry said. "He doesn't know what they're like when his back is turned,"

 Rika held out her hand. "Okay, I'll go get them to talk while you give Guilmon  pep talk. Deal?"

 Henry sighed. "Okay, deal,"

 Rika smirked, and waved her hand as a gesture. "He's over there," She said and walked away.

 Surely enough, perched on a hill on the outskirts of the village was Guilmon. Henry made his way over, thoughts of what he could say running though his mind. Guilmon saw him approach, but made no move to leave.

 Henry sat down beside him. "So. Hey,"

"Hi," Guilmon said, not looking at him. "So what's your name?"

"Henry,"

"You came up here to tell me to go talk to Takato, Henry?"

 Henry shrugged. "Well, no. Not really, I mean, sure, eventually,"

 Guilmon gave him and confused look.

"I just came to say hi," Henry said. "And to, y'know, ask what's wrong?"

"Hmm, let's see, a bunch of aliens came out of nowhere, told me they created me and that I have no family, so it's been wonderful," Guilmon growled.

 Henry balled his hands in his sleeves. "Okay. That's uh... yeah, sorry about that,"

 Guilmon didn't say anything, and instead went back to watching the kids playing in the distance.

"You really take this protection thing serious, don't you?"

"They're just kids," Guilmon replied.

"Yeah. It's hard to believe how young we were,"

"Huh?"

 "Oh!" Henry said. "Uh, see that girl down there with the purple hair? Yeah, we were all the same age as her when we first came here,"

"Is she a younger evolution of you?"

"Uh," Henry scratched his head. "No, no humans don't really do that. It's more like a slow, gradual thing,"

"Humans are weird," Guilmon shook his head.

 Henry scratched at his palm. "Look, I don't know what to say to make you feel better, but Takato, and the rest of us for that matter, really care about you. The whole reason we're here is to find you, and our other friends. They-"

 Henry was cut off by Guilmon's ears perking up suddenly. He turned his nose to the sky and sniffed loudly. His pupils contracted to the size of a pin, and a growl escaped from deep in his throat.

 Henry froze at watching this change. Guilmon turned to him.

"There's a bell at the bottom of the hill, go down and ring it," Guilmon said, getting up from his spot.

"What, why? Guilmon, what's going on?"

"A raid, now go ring the bell!"

"A raid!?"

"Go!" Guilmon snapped. "And hide with the Chuchidarumon,"

"What are you going to do?" Henry said, eyes wide. ""Whose raiding?"

"I've dealt with them before," Guilmon said. "And you don't want to meet him, trust me. I can handle this, just go,"

 Groaning, Henry turned his back to Guilmon and took off down in the hill. "Takato's going to kill me,"

[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 5

The underground is always very dimly lit, most of the over head light were smashed long ago. There is one uncovered bulb every fifteen feet, I know I've counted. It's one giant hall that zig-zags under our city with rooms that branch out the sides. The dulo's that live here have very few necessities. Buckets filled with human waste are placed in closets and are only emptied once a month. They have their own set of rules and life styles and the yulo police never venture here.

Once upon a time most of these people would of been homeless, making camps in woods or under bridges. Now they live beneath the homes and stores, bartering for food or clothes. It's a stark reminder of how luxurious my life was compared to these individuals.

"This is the underground." I announced as we walked the corridor.

"It reminds me of.." Reaper was cut short.

"Yo Rabbit, watch you doin' bringing a yulo wit you?" I heard Razha's voice boom from behind us. I turned, he's a large man with skin the color of onyx. He has the attitude of a rapid wolverine and would not hesitate to beat the holy hell out of anyone.

"He's fine, Razha, he's with me." I replied sternly, my heart pounding. I have never brought any one down with me before.

"We don't want no yulos down here!" He kept walking a brisk pace towards us. People started to peek out from their rooms, checking the commotion out.

"I said, he's with me. He's no yulo!" I placed myself in front of Reaper, he was starting to tense and the last thing I needed was a brawl to happen.

"Well, he ain't no dulo's or lulo, I knows them all."

"You're right, he's not a dulo or lulo. Trust me, he's kenta. And he's with me!" Razha stopped, towering over me, puffing up at Reaper.

"You swear he's kenta? He's looks like pulo to me."

"I swear he's kenta, I would never bring a Pulo here." Razha's fists slowly unclenched, his jaw muscle slackened. I could see him slowly start to relax, even if by a bit.

"He better cause no trouble, rabbit. I won't hesitate to bust him and you for bringing him here." He gave us the side eye, before turning and slowly walking back down the hall. I let out a deep breath. Crisis avoided, for now. 

I turned back to Reaper, his hand were clenched tight so much so his knuckles were white. To be honest I'm not sure Razha would of made it out of that fight, and trust me I've seen him in many fights, no body has walked away. Reaper was the same height as him but wasn't as muscular, still something told me Reaper would end the fight.

"Come on, I'll show you around." I said, he gave one last glance in the direction Razha had left before turning to follow me.

"Who was that guy?" He finally asked, looking around, taking in the abysmal setting.

"Razha, he is one of the self appointed rulers, for the lack of a better word." I replied, stepping over an unconscious man. "There about five men who over see the underground, criminals policing criminals really."

"Ah, what's kenta and a..."

"Pulo," I interrupted. "Pulo, is the yulo militarized police, not that I've seen them. They are brought out in emergencies, like the riots fifty years ago. A kenta is someone who is safe, harmless." I stopped, putting my hand out in front of him. I turned to face him. "It's a whole other world down here, their own language, rules. I don't stay down here for very long, hence the reason for the name rabbit. White rabbit, from Alice in wonderland."

"This isn't how everything was supposed to turn out." He said to himself look down the hall, there was a sadness in his eyes.

"Well, it did." I look around, the reasons I didn't stay here long was it was depressing. These were the forgotten people.

We continued our walk, I showed him the various trade shops that I frequented. We kept going farther in, farther then I intended. I started to feel antsy, I had been down here long enough and craved being topside again. I looked over at Reaper, he kept eyeing behind us and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"I think we should turn back." I said quietly as I stopped. Some one was standing a good twenty feet ahead of us surrounded in darkness and I was barely able to his silhouette.

"We have two tailing us, been there since the last shop." He whispered, he turned sideways under the light. He looked one direction and then the other. "Three ahead of us."

"Underlings." I breathed out, we were their prey and now they had us surrounded. Reaper swiftly brought his fist up and the glass from the light shattered down. We were surrounded in blackness.

"Smart one, old man. It'll be easier to take that pretty lulo now." A nasally voiced echoed. Rapid foot steps came from both side of us, I pressed my back to the wall. Someone grabbed my right arm and pulled, small boney fingers wrapped around my wrist. Hand cold as ice, his palm was slick again my skin.

"You'll fetch a good price you will." A voice hissed in my ear, I felt something wet press against my cheek.

"She's not for sale!" Reaper's voice replied, I felt the hand jerk away from me instantaneously, followed by a yelp and gurgling. The scuffle continued, I couldn't see what was going on. Blind to what ever was happening, a fight was just inches from me and I wasn't sure who was winning. I heard something break to my left, and then a gasping on my right. Part of me wished to know what was going on, the other half told me it was good that I couldn't see.

I smelled copper in the air above all the scents of the underground. I heard a crunch, a small yelp, followed by yet another wet gurgling. Deep in my gut I knew these underlings wouldn't see their next fix. Something suddenly slammed to the wall just to my right, I could hear him gasp.

"Tell the rest of your kind, she is not to be messed with. I see one more of you pathetic humans come within ten feet of her and I will personally see to it that you are all exterminated." Reaper hissed, I heard the underling scurry off in the darkness. I felt a large warm hand on my elbow, guiding me back the way we had come. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." We came past the last shop just as my nerves had settled.

"Rabbit, I heard there was a problem comin' from this area." Razha's voice boomed a head of us.

"We were jumped by underlings." I replied already moving ahead of Reaper.

"You sure is wasn't him. We ain't had no problems with underlings in weeks. Now they's been comin out of the wood works." His muscles twitched as he eyed Reaper again, I looked over my shoulder. Reaper was standing behind me, arms by his sides, hands covered in blood. His shirt ripped, with a gnarly gash bleeding.

"I assure you, sir, I have had nothing to do with your underlings seeping out into society." Reaper spoke out, his words soft and firm. Razha's eyes narrowed, his lipped curled a bit.

"You think you funny homeboy?" He brought his fists up, and popped his knuckles loudly.

"Not at all, just stating a fact."

"You want to fight? You keep flipping attitude that's what's going to happen."

"That would not be in your best interest." Reaper's voice fell cold, his eyes turned bronze once again as they narrowed. He didn't move, just stood watching Razha over my head. This was not what I wanted, I really didn't need a fight to break out between these two. Razha gets pummeled I won't be welcomed back down here, Reaper gets pummeled and, well, I'll still be banished for bringing him down here.

"Razha, we were leaving." I tried to divert him.

"Nah, first what happened to the underlings?" He turned his glare to me finally, something told me any answer was going to be the wrong answer.

"I don't know, does it matter?" I held my ground. "Why should it matter? They don't contribute to anything in the underground, you're the one that told me that."

"What happened, yulo?" Yep, we're done here.

"Razha, we are done. And we," I point to myself and Reaper, "are leaving."

"Not until," Reaper gently pushed me to the side, cutting him off. They were standing nose to nose.

"She said we are leaving, and that's what we are doing. Regardless if you think otherwise. So I suggest you politely remove yourself from our way or I will be forced to move you." Every word was tense, dripping with ice. This was not a request, or an argument, Razha puffed up. He didn't like being told what to do, he was the one that generally barked orders around here.

"I think your mistaken, outsider, I don't take orders." Razha went to shove Reaper, before I could comprehend what was going on, Razha was on the ground crying. His forearm had been snapped in two places and was flopping around. My jaw slowly dropped as Reaper calmly walked over the wounded man.

"Shall we keep going?" He asked me, holding his hand out. I took it dumbfoundedly as we followed the hall back to the elevator. Once we stepped on, I pressed the button to return us back to my apartment.

"You’re bleeding." I remembered the gash on his side. I reached out to pull the tattered shirt away. He stepped back, I looked up at him. His brow was knitted with confusion. I reached again towards him, this time he snatched me by my wrist. "Let me look."

He didn't respond, his eyes tracked my movements as he let go of my wrist. I reached out again a little more hesitantly this time. My heart hammered in my chest, I knew what he was capable of if he wanted to hurt me. What would happen if I injured him further?

"Are you afraid?" His voice low, barely audible above the creeks coming from the elevator cab. I slowly pulled the torn shirt back, the two and half inch gash didn't look to deep. It would need to be cleaned as the odds of the blade from the underlings was no doubt disgusting.

"No, it wasn't till this moment I realized exactly how dangerous you could be." I replied, I saw the bottom of another scar next to the gash. "I need to clean that though."

"There was fear in your eyes." I raised my head, meeting his graze. They were filled with pain.

"I'm not scared of you, I don't think you would intentionally hurt me. But you are stronger and faster then anyone I've ever met, I think I know what you did to the underlings but it wasn't till you stopped me that I realized how dangerous you really are." He looked down at his feet. "I don't know you, I don't know why you keep coming to my aid but something tells me you won't hurt me."

"You remind me of someone from my past. Someone I failed." The elevator dinged as we had reached the top. He was the first out, he was at the end of the hall and at the stair case door before I had a chance to exit it. I didn't understand what he meant, I imagine I'll never know what had happened to him.

I slowly walked back to my apartment door, trying to wrap my mind around this revelation. I was also worried that the wound on his side would become infected.

It was at this point I notice my door was ajar and hanging ascewed from its hinges. My blood ran cold, as I pushed it opened. The apartment had been ransacked, furniture turned over. Papers ripped and thrown about, dvds busted and littered the floor. Who ever had been here destroyed everything inside.

I walked in confused, hurt, and violated. I know I had locked the door when I left. The person responsible wanted to instill fear, and had succeed. I slowly walked through the living area, and peered into the kitchen.

Every cup, every dish was shattered on the floor. Drawers opened and removed laid upside down, adding to the mess. The fridge was ripped away from the wall and the cord slashed, it was left open and the food smashed everywhere.

I walked through continuing my assessment of it all. I made it to my room, all my books torn up, shredded. My mattress was gutted and flipped against a wall, my clothes were on the floor in pieces. I backed out slowly and walked to my sister's room. I opened her door, nothing was out of place. It was as if the hurricane hit everywhere but her sleeping area.

I passed by the bathroom, and everything was as it should be. Nothing out of place, towels still hung from their hooks. Curtain rod in place as it should be. The only thing missing was Reaper's clothes. They were gone.

"Julianne?!" Elise practically screamed from the doorway. I ran out to meet her, and threw my hand over her mouth.

"Shh." The air didn't feel right, I didn't know how to explain it. "Follow me." I whispered, walking towards the staircase. I made my way down four flights and into the tube, holding her hand.

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[askthenewhopespeak]

March 3rd, 2020- Departures

Sora Hijirihara is fifteen years old and has a plan. It’s not a great plan, mind you, but this is a plan, and it had been building for a while now. She can’t- she won’t- let this new threat get anywhere close to her family.  And she will fix this world, as much as she can. (Makoto and Gundham were beyond saving, but maybe she could get baby Mitsuru his big sister back) She just has some preparations to do….

first station, the library:

(plan notes: try to finish it before someone notices you, especially alter ego)

-She prints out some things. Some pictures she took, that she hurries to clip together, as an album.

- In a second thought, she prints one more picture. Guilt tripping never harmed anyone… much.

-She writes down her letters. Two of them come out perfectly. The other two… not as much. One of them will suffice, but for the other… Shit, she’ll have to talk to him.

- She steals a pen as she leaves the library. No one would notice.

(well, this is done. What next?)

Second station, Mitsuru’s room:

(plan notes: You can do this. You won’t even cry.) Sora: *She places her hand on Mitsuru’s shoulder as she enters the room. * Mitsi? Can we talk? Mitsuru: Huh? Yeah, sure. *Sora closes the door behind her. * Sora: I’m leaving. And I wanted to say goodbye. Mitsuru: ….huh? Sora: I have found something- something that lets me track Invdia. So I’m leaving, and I’m going to keep our family safe. Mitsuru: …. What the fuck? Sora: I’m going to get your sister back. And I’m going to make sure no one lies a finger on mine. *She closes her eyes. * Please don’t make it harder than it has to be. Mitsuru: No. I’m going to make this as hard as I can. Because this is stupid idea. You don’t have to do this, Sora. You shouldn’t do this! Sora: No one else can! And- and I screwed this place over enough, so I’m going to fix everything I can. Mitsuru: And what about me? You’re just gonna leave me behind? Like my sister? Sora: I don’t want to! But you can’t leave. You have your medicine, and… I don’t want you to see this. I know what might happen and I don’t want you to see melike this. *She burries her face in him. *  I thought about just leaving you a letter, like I’m doing for mom and dad, but I couldn’t find the words- I’m so sorry… Do you hate me, Mitsi? Mitsuru: No. Of course not. I just think you’re being a dumbass right now Sora: I can’t even look at the twins without wanting to cry. I keep thinking about- how if I haven’t got us here, how this place would’ve been better. How I fucked it up for everyone. Mitsuru: Don’t blame yourself for this. You had no idea this was going to happen, and you never wanted it to happen. Guilt makes you do crazy things. Sora: You realize they are going to come after Monaca, right? She never appologized for what she did, so if they get a hold of her history…. And honestly, I’m pretty mad at your sister and doubt she’d stop them. Mitsuru: So instead of hunting them down, on your own, without backup, and without telling anyone else where you’re going, you can stay here and help protect all of us Sora: …’m gonna join them. Put up my best ‘crazy not uncle Shuji ’ act and be by their side. And then, if they try to punch my family…. *her hand is sent to KK, under her skirt. * well, you know what it is with knives and backs. And I will leave a note saying I left! Mitsuru: …. This is a bad plan driven my emotion Sora: Well, one of us is the brain on the group and it’s definatly not me. I’m here to stab things andcry a lot. Sora: …It’s the best plan that I have. And… I really don’t want to stay here. Mitsuru: And what if you don’t come back? Sora: I’m trying to save everyone! I’m four-fifteen years old. And I can’t stay in this school a second longer, and it’s been over two years and I just… what else can I do, Mitsi? Mitsuru: …I dunno. I don’t have all the answers. I just don’t want you to do something stupid Sora: When did you stop having all the answers, Mitsi? Mitsuru: When did I ever? Sora: It always seemed like you had, when we were younger. Mitsuru: You’re gonna take the words of an 8-year-old as solid answers? Sora: When you are an eight year old? Yes, why not? Remember, in that same age everything that came out of Kaede’s mouth was sacred. Mitsuru: You have a lot to learn about the world, my dear Sora Sora: It was seven years ago! I know better now… you know you won’t change my mind, right? Mitsuru: I figured. So there’s no point in arguing, I guess Sora: No, there really isn’t. I’ll go, and I’ll get the baby his sister back, and make sure no one touches my family, and maybe I won’t be surrounded by things that make me freak out. Mitsuru: Or you’ll die without accomplishing anything. That’s not me being morbid. That’s a real possibility. Sora: I have a knife, I’ll be fine. Mitsuru: A knife can’t solve all your problems, you know. They have guns. Sora: …I survived Kaede Naegi, I can survive jerks with guns. Mitsuru: They can gang up on you. They might have bombs. Poison gas. Other horrible things. Sora: …You are being pessimistic. I think you are really forgetting who is which role in our group. Mitsuru: And you’re forgetting these aren’t some dumb jokers. These are real, actual terrorists and murderers. They will not exercise restraint just because you’re a kid. Sora: …I’m trying to, really. Because I can’t- can’t afford to be scared for this. I can’t be weak. Mitsuru: Being scared doesn’t mean you’re weak. Reckless idiots aren’t scared. Sane people are scared. Sora: being either just raises my chance to screw this up. Mitsuru: Fear….fear’s like a double-edged sword. It can keep you from doing something, screw you up, and make you worried about stupid things. But it can also be what motivates you to stay alive, or help someone else. If you’re scared about what’ll happen to someone else if you die, that’s a good reason to keep living. Sora: *she sighs. * Mitsi? How long can you be away from here without, well, dying? Mitsuru: As long as my meds can last me. So not very long Sora: …Well, that solves it, I can’t take you even if I wanted too. *she looks at his eyes. * Mitsi, before I leave? Can I get a birthday kiss? Mitsuru: No. But you can have two. Sora: Sounds fine with me. *She leans forward to kiss him. * Mitsuru: If you die out there, I’ll kill you. Sora: I promise to come once you use an Ouija board. Mitsuru: Good. *he hugs her* I love you. Even if you are a huge jerk. Sora: I love you too, and hi, at least I’m not Kenta. Mitsuru: Hehe, yeah, true …Please come back. Sora: I will. I’ll miss you a lot. Mitsuru: Same here. And if you see Ryouko…tell her that she’s an idiot. And I miss her a lot too.

Sora: I’m gonna give her a picture. *she pulls the picture she printed earlier and the pen.* Maybe write on it something like 'for the best big sister in the world’. Mitsuru: Yeah… *He does so* I hope things go well. Sora: I do too. *she gives him another kiss and then checks her watch.* Well, if you’ll excuse me, my mother is having a baby so it’d be a great time to steal her credit card right now. Mitsuru: You’re pure evil. And somehow, I’m okay with it Sora: Hey, I’d need resources. Like some hair color and a dacktape. I’d rather not be recognized on tv like some other pepole had. Mitsi… whatever it’s worth… I love you. Mitsuru: I love you too. A lot. Even the dumb parts Sora: …I hope so, it’s the most of me. Mitsuru: *He hugs her again* *Sora hugs back* Sora: I know I said I don’t want you, but i really wish you could still come. Don’t watch videos, okay? *She turns to leave. * Mitsuru: Don’t die. Please. Sora: I promised, didn’t I? Mitsuru: …and if you can, give those Invidia guys a nice solid kick to the nuts Sora: …when I’ll stop pretending to likethem. And maybe one to Sly, anyways. Mitsuru: Good. Be smart, Sora. And good luck.

(well, you didn’t change your mind, so… a start?)

Station three, Sora and Kaede’s room:

(plan notes: just do it as quick as possible. Kaede will ask questions if she sees you.)

-Kaede is not in the room, thank hope.

- Sora steals Kaede’s backpack from under the bed, because Kaede isn’t actually using this thing and Sora needs a backpack.

-She packs clothes- especially, she tries, those that are not only red and black, because she has no idea how much Invdia knows of Hope’s peak and she doesn’t want people to actually make the connection.

-It is tempting to forget her tooth brush, but she gets it anyways.

-the letter for Akio and the twins is dropped on Kaede’s bed. Sora pretends she doesn’t feel like crying.

-she picks the rest of the essentials before she leaves towards her parent’s room.

(that went well)

Station four, Naomi and Takumi’s room:

(plan notes: Now to the actual ileagel part of today)

-finding her mother’s wallet isn’t hard. She knows well where the bag is kept, as well as where her mother keeps the note with her PIN on it. (she told Sora once that this was for emergencies. She isn’t sure it counts.)

-No one comes in, obviously. A quick check at her watch confirms the baby is coming, and both Naomi and Takumi would be busy with this.

-She drops the letter for them on the bed. She cries.

(Theft is much easier than one would think)

Station five, Damian’s room:

(plan notes: drop your shitty letter and go already.)

*Sora pushes the door to Damian’s room *

Sora: good, you are here. My letter sucked.

*She enters, closing the door behind her. There is a backpack on her back and she has shoes on. *

Damian looks surprised at the sudden entrance before sliding off his quiver and bow. “Hey Sora. Is something wrong?”

Sora: I just don’t want an adult to hear. Can’t have them stopping me from leaving, can I?

“… Why are you leaving?” Damian asks a bit quietly, sitting down on his bed and focusing all of his attention on her.

Sora: I managed to find a way to track invdia. So I’m going to join and keep them from my family.

“That’s crazy.” Damian says bluntly. “All you have is a knife you don’t know how to use to the best of your abilities. You can’t go by yourself Sora.”

Sora: I can and I will. I’m going to make sure Ryoko comes back, and to make sure they don’t think about my family as targets.

Sora: I can’t stay here, Damian.

“What happened to Jataro and the others… there’s no reason to assume the same will happen to you, Akio, Mitsuru or any of the others. No one knows outside of the school that you’re from the future.”

Sora: My sister has caused a massacre, if you didn’t notice. And she’s also my family. It’s not all about me, believe it or not.

“Monaca…” Damian remembers with a grimace before trying one last thing. “I tried to go after Invidia in an effort to stop them too. What’s the difference between you doing this and myself?”

Sora: … I don’t exist? Well, not for another hour, but no one would be able to make this connection.

Sora: and I don’t know how to tell you this, but you worked for storm.

Damian looks down at that before sighing. “There’s no talking you out of this.” He states rather than ask. “… what do I tell everyone else?”

Sora: Mitsuru knows, and I guess he’ll tell Kaede, Shuuichi and Akio. This *She searches her bag for a second and pulls a folded paper * is for my parents. Give it tommorow, okay? I should be fine by then.

“Alright…” Damian takes the paper before pulling Sora into a hug. “Stay safe okay? I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

Sora: I promise, I will. Mitsi already promised to kill me if I die. *She hugs back * don’t hide in your room, okay? Spend time with Jataro and everyone else.

Damian slowly let’s her go and nods reluctantly. “I’ll do my best. Keep in touch, if anything happens I’ll be there. House arrest or not.”

Sora: write me your number? *She hands him a piece of paper from her bag * and don’t get yourself in trouble.

Damian writes his number down on the paper before giving Sora a slight smile. “No promises.”

Sora: *She smiles back. * Jerk.

Damian sticks his tongue out before giving a slight wave goodbye. “See you around Sora…”

Sora: See you around… Don’t let Mitsi watch if there are videos, okay?

*She leaves. *

(You always thought he was the best uncle ever. Good to know this still holds.)

Station six, the mall:

(plan notes:just get what you need and go.)

-yes, she can use the primitive public transportation. She did it before, with some of the other kids.

-her first stop is at the ATM, where she takes out as much money as she thinks she needs, and hopes she wouldn’t need to use the card again.

- She gets everything she needs and couldn’t get at the school. This includes a prepaid phone, which she immediately texts Damian from, telling him it’s her new number and to call if there’s an emergency at the school.

-The sink at the toilet isn’t great, but it works well enough for the hair color she got. She’ll do it better later, but this should do for now. (she only manages to get the bottom half of her hair, to her dismay)

-Also at the toilet, she wraps black tape over the handle of her knife, making it mostly unrecognizable.

-She grabs her bag tightly with one hand as she puts her sun glasses on. She’s ready to go.

(You hope it works enough to make you unrecognizable at first look)

Sora Hijirihara is fifteen years old and has a plan. It’s not a great plan, mind you, but this is a plan, and it had been building for a while now.

She can’t- she won’t- let this new threat get anywhere close to her family.  And she will fix this world, as much as she can. (Makoto and Gundham were beyond saving, but maybe she could get baby Mitsuru his big sister back)

She just has some preparations to do….

first station, the library:

(plan notes: try to finish it before someone notices you, especially alter ego)

-She prints out some things. Some pictures she took, that she hurries to clip together, as an album.

- In a second thought, she prints one more picture. Guilt tripping never harmed anyone… much.

-She writes down her letters. Two of them come out perfectly. The other two… not as much.

One of them will suffice, but for the other… Shit, she’ll have to talk to him.

- She steals a pen as she leaves the library. No one would notice.

  (well, this is done. What next?)

Second station, Mitsuru’s room:

(plan notes: You can do this. You won’t even cry.)

  Sora: *She places her hand on Mitsuru’s shoulder as she enters the room. * Mitsi? Can we talk?

  Mitsuru: Huh? Yeah, sure.

  *Sora closes the door behind her. *

Sora: I’m leaving. And I wanted to say goodbye.

  Mitsuru: ….huh?

  Sora: I have found something- something that lets me track Invdia. So I’m leaving, and I’m going to keep our family safe.

  Mitsuru: …. What the fuck?

  Sora: I’m going to get your sister back. And I’m going to make sure no one lies a finger on mine. *She closes her eyes. * Please don’t make it harder than it has to be.

  Mitsuru: No. I’m going to make this as hard as I can. Because this is stupid idea. You don’t have to do this, Sora. You shouldn’t do this!

  Sora: No one else can! And- and I screwed this place over enough, so I’m going to fix everything I can.

  Mitsuru: And what about me? You’re just gonna leave me behind? Like my sister?

Sora: I don’t want to! But you can’t leave. You have your medicine, and… I don’t want you to see this. I know what might happen and I don’t want you to see melike this. *She burries her face in him. *  I thought about just leaving you a letter, like I’m doing for mom and dad, but I couldn’t find the words- I’m so sorry… Do you hate me, Mitsi?

  Mitsuru: No. Of course not. I just think you’re being a dumbass right now

  Sora: I can’t even look at the twins without wanting to cry. I keep thinking about- how if I haven’t got us here, how this place would’ve been better. How I fucked it up for everyone.

  Mitsuru: Don’t blame yourself for this. You had no idea this was going to happen, and you never wanted it to happen. Guilt makes you do crazy things.

  Sora: You realize they are going to come after Monaca, right? She never appologized for what she did, so if they get a hold of her history…. And honestly, I’m pretty mad at your sister and doubt she’d stop them.

  Mitsuru: So instead of hunting them down, on your own, without backup, and without telling anyone else where you’re going, you can stay here and help protect all of us

  Sora: …’m gonna join them. Put up my best 'crazy not uncle Shuji ’ act and be by their side. And then, if they try to punch my family…. *her hand is sent to KK, under her skirt. * well, you know what it is with knives and backs. And I will leave a note saying I left!

  Mitsuru: …. This is a bad plan driven my emotion

  Sora: Well, one of us is the brain on the group and it’s definatly not me. I’m here to stab things andcry a lot.

Sora: …It’s the best plan that I have. And… I really don’t want to stay here.

  Mitsuru: And what if you don’t come back?

  Sora: I’m trying to save everyone! I’m four-fifteen years old. And I can’t stay in this school a second longer, and it’s been over two years and I just… what else can I do, Mitsi?

  Mitsuru: …I dunno. I don’t have all the answers. I just don’t want you to do something stupid

  Sora: When did you stop having all the answers, Mitsi?

  Mitsuru: When did I ever?

  Sora: It always seemed like you had, when we were younger.

  Mitsuru: You’re gonna take the words of an 8-year-old as solid answers?

  Sora: When you are an eight year old? Yes, why not? Remember, in that same age everything that came out of Kaede’s mouth was sacred.

  Mitsuru: You have a lot to learn about the world, my dear Sora

  Sora: It was seven years ago! I know better now… you know you won’t change my mind, right?

  Mitsuru: I figured. So there’s no point in arguing, I guess

  Sora: No, there really isn’t. I’ll go, and I’ll get the baby his sister back, and make sure no one touches my family, and maybe I won’t be surrounded by things that make me freak out.

  Mitsuru: Or you’ll die without accomplishing anything. That’s not me being morbid. That’s a real possibility.

  Sora: I have a knife, I’ll be fine.

  Mitsuru: A knife can’t solve all your problems, you know. They have guns.

  Sora: …I survived Kaede Naegi, I can survive jerks with guns.

  Mitsuru: They can gang up on you. They might have bombs. Poison gas. Other horrible things.

  Sora: …You are being pessimistic. I think you are really forgetting who is which role in our group.

  Mitsuru: And you’re forgetting these aren’t some dumb jokers. These are real, actual terrorists and murderers. They will not exercise restraint just because you’re a kid.

  Sora: …I’m trying to, really. Because I can’t- can’t afford to be scared for this. I can’t be weak.

  Mitsuru: Being scared doesn’t mean you’re weak. Reckless idiots aren’t scared. Sane people are scared.

  Sora: being either just raises my chance to screw this up.

  Mitsuru: Fear….fear’s like a double-edged sword. It can keep you from doing something, screw you up, and make you worried about stupid things. But it can also be what motivates you to stay alive, or help someone else. If you’re scared about what’ll happen to someone else if you die, that’s a good reason to keep living.

  Sora: *she sighs. * Mitsi? How long can you be away from here without, well, dying?

  Mitsuru: As long as my meds can last me. So not very long

  Sora: …Well, that solves it, I can’t take you even if I wanted too. *she looks at his eyes. * Mitsi, before I leave? Can I get a birthday kiss?

  Mitsuru: No. But you can have two.

  Sora: Sounds fine with me. *She leans forward to kiss him. *

  Mitsuru: If you die out there, I’ll kill you.

  Sora: I promise to come once you use an Ouija board.

  Mitsuru: Good. *he hugs her* I love you. Even if you are a huge jerk.

  Sora: I love you too, and hi, at least I’m not Kenta.

  Mitsuru: Hehe, yeah, true …Please come back.

  Sora: I will. I’ll miss you a lot.

  Mitsuru: Same here. And if you see Ryouko…tell her that she’s an idiot. And I miss her a lot too.

  Sora: I’m gonna give her a picture. *she pulls the picture she printed earlier and the pen.* Maybe write on it something like 'for the best big sister in the world’.

  Mitsuru: Yeah… *He does so* I hope things go well.

  Sora: I do too. *she gives him another kiss and then checks her watch.* Well, if you’ll excuse me, my mother is having a baby so it’d be a great time to steal her credit card right now.

  Mitsuru: You’re pure evil. And somehow, I’m okay with it

  Sora: Hey, I’d need resources. Like some hair color and a dacktape. I’d rather not be recognized on tv like some other pepole had. Mitsi… whatever it’s worth… I love you.

  Mitsuru: I love you too. A lot. Even the dumb parts

  Sora: …I hope so, it’s the most of me.

  Mitsuru: *He hugs her again*

  *Sora hugs back*

Sora: I know I said I don’t want you, but i really wish you could still come. Don’t watch videos, okay? *She turns to leave. *

  Mitsuru: Don’t die. Please.

  Sora: I promised, didn’t I?

  Mitsuru: …and if you can, give those Invidia guys a nice solid kick to the nuts

  Sora: …when I’ll stop pretending to likethem. And maybe one to Sly, anyways.

  Mitsuru: Good. Be smart, Sora. And good luck.

(well, you didn’t change your mind, so… a start?)

Station three, Sora and Kaede’s room:

(plan notes: just do it as quick as possible. Kaede will ask questions if she sees you.)

-Kaede is not in the room, thank hope.

- Sora steals Kaede’s backpack from under the bed, because Kaede isn’t actually using this thing and Sora needs a backpack.

-She packs clothes- especially, she tries, those that are not only red and black, because she has no idea how much Invdia knows of Hope’s peak and she doesn’t want people to actually make the connection.

-It is tempting to forget her tooth brush, but she gets it anyways.

-the letter for Akio and the twins is dropped on Kaede’s bed. Sora pretends she doesn’t feel like crying.

-she picks the rest of the essentials before she leaves towards her parent’s room.

(that went well)

Station four, Naomi and Takumi’s room:

(plan notes: Now to the actual ileagel part of today)

-finding her mother’s wallet isn’t hard. She knows well where the bag is kept, as well as where her mother keeps the note with her PIN on it. (she told Sora once that this was for emergencies. She isn’t sure it counts.)

-No one comes in, obviously. A quick check at her watch confirms the baby is coming, and both Naomi and Takumi would be busy with this.

-She drops the letter for them on the bed. She cries.

(Theft is much easier than one would think)

Station five, Damian’s room:

(plan notes: drop your shitty letter and go already.)

*Sora pushes the door to Damian’s room *

Sora: good, you are here. My letter sucked.

*She enters, closing the door behind her. There is a backpack on her back and she has shoes on. *

Damian looks surprised at the sudden entrance before sliding off his quiver and bow. “Hey Sora. Is something wrong?”

Sora: I just don’t want an adult to hear. Can’t have them stopping me from leaving, can I?

“… Why are you leaving?” Damian asks a bit quietly, sitting down on his bed and focusing all of his attention on her.

Sora: I managed to find a way to track invdia. So I’m going to join and keep them from my family.

“That’s crazy.” Damian says bluntly. “All you have is a knife you don’t know how to use to the best of your abilities. You can’t go by yourself Sora.”

Sora: I can and I will. I’m going to make sure Ryoko comes back, and to make sure they don’t think about my family as targets.

Sora: I can’t stay here, Damian.

“What happened to Jataro and the others… there’s no reason to assume the same will happen to you, Akio, Mitsuru or any of the others. No one knows outside of the school that you’re from the future.”

Sora: My sister has caused a massacre, if you didn’t notice. And she’s also my family. It’s not all about me, believe it or not.

“Monaca…” Damian remembers with a grimace before trying one last thing. “I tried to go after Invidia in an effort to stop them too. What’s the difference between you doing this and myself?”

Sora: … I don’t exist? Well, not for another hour, but no one would be able to make this connection.

Sora: and I don’t know how to tell you this, but you worked for storm.

Damian looks down at that before sighing. “There’s no talking you out of this.” He states rather than ask. “… what do I tell everyone else?”

Sora: Mitsuru knows, and I guess he’ll tell Kaede, Shuuichi and Akio. This *She searches her bag for a second and pulls a folded paper * is for my parents. Give it tommorow, okay? I should be fine by then.

“Alright…” Damian takes the paper before pulling Sora into a hug. “Stay safe okay? I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

Sora: I promise, I will. Mitsi already promised to kill me if I die. *She hugs back * don’t hide in your room, okay? Spend time with Jataro and everyone else.

Damian slowly let’s her go and nods reluctantly. “I’ll do my best. Keep in touch, if anything happens I’ll be there. House arrest or not.”

Sora: write me your number? *She hands him a piece of paper from her bag * and don’t get yourself in trouble.

Damian writes his number down on the paper before giving Sora a slight smile. “No promises.”

Sora: *She smiles back. * Jerk.

Damian sticks his tongue out before giving a slight wave goodbye. “See you around Sora…”

Sora: See you around… Don’t let Mitsi watch if there are videos, okay?

*She leaves. *

(You always thought he was the best uncle ever. Good to know this still holds.)

Station six, the mall:

(plan notes:just get what you need and go.)

-yes, she can use the primitive public transportation. She did it before, with some of the other kids.

-her first stop is at the ATM, where she takes out as much money as she thinks she needs, and hopes she wouldn’t need to use the card again.

- She gets everything she needs and couldn’t get at the school. This includes a prepaid phone, which she immediately texts Damian from, telling him it’s her new number and to call if there’s an emergency at the school.

-The sink at the toilet isn’t great, but it works well enough for the hair color she got. She’ll do it better later, but this should do for now. (she only manages to get the bottom half of her hair, to her dismay)

-Also at the toilet, she wraps black tape over the handle of her knife, making it mostly unrecognizable.

-She grabs her bag tightly with one hand as she puts her sun glasses on. She’s ready to go.

(You hope it works enough to make you unrecognizable at first look)

[wanna1studio]

OTOME GAME STYLED: JBJ [INTRO]

special notice: here’s a new series with JBJ where it’s based on otome games // hope you like them!!

genre: FLUFF & SMUFF

ficstyle: chapters & bulletpoints // 

summary: you move into a sharehouse, this is your first time living without friends or family. you’re excited to meet your new roommates.. ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY ARE ALL GUYS. how will your life be like now?

note: it’s all up to you guys to pick who makes your heart flutter huehuehue

INTRO

you rolled up to the house with your hefty suitcase and a backpack

“JBJ Sharehouse, huh” you whispered as you looked at the house

it was fairly big and it had a big cherry tree in the front yard

you couldn’t wait to meet everyone

“I reckon it’s going to be like a big sleepover! a girl’s night in!” you thought out loud

“well you reckoned wrong there buddy”

you turned to see a tall guy topped with brown hair and different colored highlights that were muted

without a word, he picks up your suitcase that even you struggled carrying with ease and makes his way to the entrance to the house

“who even says reckon anymore..” he mumbles 

“HEY.. WHO ARE.. WHAT DO YOU.. HEY!!” you toggle after him and grab his sleeve

“I didn’t say I needed your help!” you huffed (in his eyes it looked like you were pouting.. it was kinda cute?)

the dude dropped your suitcase in front of the door and smirked

“let me know if you need me to take it to your room” 

he opens the door and leaves it open for you to walk in

(the nerve that boy) you thought

you walked into the house and the interior was super homey!

there were boxes that had your name on them in the living room

(weren’t they suppose to be in your new room?) you scratched your head

you saw a group of guys scattered around the house and you were confused

“wait isn’t this suppose to be a female sharehouse?” you turned to look at the snobby boy from earlier

he pats you on the head, in which you took as him mocking you

“oh.. you’re that poor girl who they didn’t have room for so they stuck you here”

you were in shock, you were excited to live with girls since you grew up in a house and a neighborhood of boys

“now, now Donghan, you didn’t have to say it like that!” a fluffy looking boy pops out from the kitchen (wow he looks like a Shiba Inu)

“hey guys let’s meet and introduce ourselves to our new housemate” the Shiba Inu boy yelled across the house

6 boys lined up, side by side

they were all different, so it was easy to distinguish one guy from the other

a shorter, but mature guy spoke first

“hi, I’m Noh Taehyun, I’m the housekeeper here, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know~”

he gave you a boy-next door vibe; you felt like talking to him would be super easy

surely, he’s someone you can depend on

the next guy was the Shiba Inu boy 

“hello~ I’m Takada Kenta, I’m currently living here as an exchange student from Japan~ let’s get along~”

talk about a fluff ball; you wanted to ruffle his hair and squish his cheeks all day

after Kenta was a calm-looking guy; he gave a mysterious vibe

“um.. I’m Kim Yongguk, I’m also an exchange student but I’m from China.. i hope you’re not allergic to cats because I have two of them..”

“oh, don’t worry! I’m not! I love cats” you assured

he looked at the floor and gave a little smile

wow that was adorable; he seems like the quiet type of person that everyone admires 

(I bet he likes to sit on his window stile and read books as his cats nap on his laps)

you were so focused on Yongguk, you were caught off-guard by an energetic and bubbly chuckle

“if you look at Yongguk for too long, he’s going to turn into stone”

you looked up and blushed as you saw a smiley-eyed boy

he looks like a little troublemaker; maybe a little bit of a playboy as well

“my name is Kim Sanggyun, I work at the cafe right across from here, you should visit me if you aren’t too busy” he winks

(yup definitely a playboy)

you turn your attention towards the tallest being in the room

he looked like a Greek God someone carved into a statue and became human 

how can anyone look so divine

“hey, I’m Kwon Hyunbin, I’m a part-time model, part-time student. If you any interest in photography or modeling, let me know! I’ll talk to my manager”

he’s already accomplished so much at such a young age, I could learn a lot from him 

last but not least, the snobby dude from the entrance

“hmm, well, I’m Kim Donghan, I’m a student and a trainee. Let me know if you need help with carrying” he chuckles

he’s a jerk.. but he’s a good looking jerk

like one of those neighborhood boys you grew up with

at least you’re accustomed to his types

“nice to meet you all.. I’m y/n..I guess.. I DIDN’T MEAN THAT IN A BAD WAY.. I’m just flabbergasted by the turn of events but I hope that I’m not too much of a hassle here at JBJ Sharehouse...”

everyone claps in unison; congratulating your arrival

“ah one thing y/n... you have to share a room with someone here because your room is still under repairs.. who would you like to share a room with? of course it’s only temporary for a month..” Taehyun says

your jaws dropped

first you were shoved into a sharehouse with all-boys

now you have to live with one of them for A MONTH

“isn’t a month too long, hyung?” Kenta exclaims

everyone, including you, nods

“well there’s nothing we can do.. the repairs will take a long time because you guys were being too reckless and now the walls and the windows are in horrible shape. it’s the winter time and I’m not trying to have y/n freeze in her sleep” 

(Taehyun is a literal angel)

Sanggyun looks at you

“well y/n, who do you want to stay with?”

[TO BE CONTINUED] WHO WOULD YOU PICK!

[mortythesp00k]

Review: Tokyo Ghoul Movie

I had mixed feelings when I first heard that Tokyo Ghoul was getting a live-action adaptation. I find most cinematic recreations of both books and manga usually fall short of their source material (I’m looking at you Death Note). However, I was pleasantly surprised by Tokyo Ghoul. I do not think it was a flawless film, but it did not leave me feeling disappointed like many adaptations of stories I greatly enjoy. I will be splitting my discussion of this movie into four parts that are labeled below. Before I begin, I would like to state a quick disclaimer: I have not seen many live-action adaptations of anime/manga. As a result, I will not be able to make too many comparisons between Tokyo Ghoul and its fellow adaptations. I am also from the west, so my idea for what makes a movie good is probably out of touch with the standards of cinema in Japan. All of that being said, I am happy to be discussing and sharing my opinions on the 2017 film adaptation of our beloved Tokyo Ghoul.

Plot:

In this section I am going to giving some general thoughts about the story of the movie and how much its deviations from the story presented in the manga affected its quality. First, there is something important that I need to get out of the way early in this review: the manga is always better. I am going to do my best to judge this movie on its own merits, but I cannot ignore the superiority of the source material.

Speaking of source material, I want to begin by talking about how much of the original Tokyo Ghoul manga that this movie actually covered. Basically, it adapted the beginning of the story and the Dove arc. I think this was the right choice. Trying to jam the Gourmet arc in would have made the movie feel bloated, sped the pacing of the movie up way too much, and created an odd sense of anticlimax after Mado’s death. I cannot even imagine what kind of disaster this movie would have been if they tried to adapt as far as the Aogiri arc. My only criticism of the choice of material to adapt is that Nishiki’s role in the story feels a bit more random (although it is far from irrelevant). We also do not get to see any of his redemption arc.  

Even with such a small amount of the Tokyo Ghoul narrative to work with, the movie still had to condense or remove some scenes to keep the runtime reasonable. Some of this I thought was well thought out and did not harm the story at all. Some examples include this scene:

Having Ryoko and Hinami already in Anteiku when Kaneki arrives seemed like a good way to introduce their characters earlier on without badly disrupting their or Kaneki’s story. Another example was the second appearance of Nishiki:

This scene fit with the narrative well and gives us the background information to Kaneki’s and Hide’s relationship. This method prevented the exposition from being completely forced in a much more awkward way or just completely absent. Having Hide attempt to answer for Kaneki was also a clever way to show more of the relationship between them.

Unfortunately, some scenes seemed to be stretched out for unclear reasons. The best example of this is Kaneki’s alleyway encounter with Nishiki and Touka. Instead of ending like this:

Kaneki runs away from Touka only to encounter her shortly afterwards taking the trash out at Anteiku:

This is where they have a tamer version of the infamous cake conversation before Yoshimura arrives and invties Kaneki inside. I am not sure why one of the most iconic scences from the early parts of Tokyo Ghoul was split like that, but I do not think it adds much to the film.

Overall, I think that the Tokyo Ghoul movie picked a good amount of the manga story to adapt and did not, for the most part, reduce its quality in adapting it.

Characters/Casting:

First up is our boy. Masataka Kubota nailed Kaneki’s personality and effectively used mannerisms and behavior to convey ideas that were expressed using internal monologue in the manga. I think he also succeeded in making Kaneki’s revulsion to human food (something I was worried would be super cringe-worthy if poorly acted) seem genuine and disturbing. His portrayals of Kaneki’s turbulent emotions were also spot on. 

Maybe I am just used to the more serious Hide we have been seeing in recent chapters of re, but Kai Ogasawara’s performance felt a bit too goofy. I did not get the feeling of a caring and intelligent mind that lurks beneath the jovial exterior, and I think that is a quintessential part of Hide’s character. However, Hide played a fairly small part in this film. I can’t fairly expect a ton of characterization given how little screen time he has.

Fumika Shimizu did a good job bringing Touka to the big screen. I do not have too much to say about her performance and the character played a fairly similar role to what she did in the manga. I think some facets of her personality (like eating Yoriko’s food) are not fleshed out enough in the film to make her as compelling a character as she is in the manga, but like I said for Hide, that was hard to do in a movie format.

Mado was probably the second best portrayed character (next to Kaneki). Yô Ôizumi did a great job with Mado’s focused, but unhinged, personality. Additionally, his dialogue did a great job of characterizing his dehumanizing view of ghouls. I also really appreciate the fact that they made an effort to give him a cockeyed appearance similar to his manga counterpart.

This was probably my least favorite of all the major characters. Maybe my memory of early Tokyo Ghoul is clouded, but it seems like Amon came across as much more of a general jerk in this film. His treatment of his subordinate and his incredible willingness to commit terrible acts seemed different from his manga counterpart. He just seemed too angry and one-sided. I did not get the feeling that he would be a character who would end up questioning much of what the CCG stood for later on.

Honorable Mentions:

Despite his incredibly minor role, I thought Kenta Hamano did a great portraying Enji. The Devil Ape’s unique sense of humor definitely came through. I would also like to give a shoutout to Shôko Aida. I think she did a good job bringing Ryoko’s character to life and not letting her admittedly odd role affect her performance.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Yomo was looking a little bit too fresh. I do not know how canonically old Yomo is, but Shuntarô Yanagi felt way too young. It was hard to see him as the serious character that he was in the manga and, to a lesser extent, this film as well. Also, where are the flowing silver locks? I’d also like to mention Hinami. I might just not like child actors, but I thought her performance was not compelling even with the emotionally loaded scenes she featured in.

Cinematic Elements:

I know that special effects are usually the most obvious point of criticism for anime/manga live-action adaptations, but I feel the need to mention it. Generally, the movies effects are not noticeably bad, but the kagune really stand out. I will admit that Kaneki’s kagune looks okay (although its motion is often jerky and awkward), but the other ones really suffer. I’m especially looking at Nishiki and Touka:

I missed Nishiki’s elegant dolphin tail and Touka’s gorgeous, kinetic wing. On a somewhat related note, I did not care for the CCG coats. This might be minor, but they looked too much like a costume instead of the relatively simple garment they are in the manga.

While the cinematography was generally quite good, there were some moments were more reliance on the manga might have helped. A good example is this scene:

Working in some of the most famous visuals from the manga might have made shots likes this a little more dramatic and would have been a nice way to pay homage to the source material (not that I can really fault the movie for not doing this).

I’d also like to draw some attention to some setting changes that bothered me. I think the change in location for both the Kaneki v. Nishiki fight and the Kaneki v. Amon somewhat detracted from those scenes. This problem was especially evident for me in Ryoko’s death scene:

I never realized how much I liked this scene being in a long, narrow alley until it wasn’t. I understand the limitation of shooting on location, but I thought this particular choice took away from the quality of a key dramatic moment in Tokyo Ghoul.

Unjustified Nitpicking:

I know you are probably thinking that my whole review belongs under this category, but I aim to prove you wrong. For these next few points I am throwing any attempt at objectivity to the wind and just listing some personal gripes that, while not objective flaws, still stuck in my craw while I was watching this movie.

First, the mask:

This is a prime example of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” I really liked the mask design from the manga and am not sure why they chose this new look. I thought the flat human teeth were better visual imagery than the series of sharp, metallic teeth on the film version of the mask.

Next, I would like to point out some odd examples of foreshadowing (I guess these are more of references since they have no payoff in the film). In no particular order:

Eye-lick scene:

Centipede in the shadows:

Hajime is here:

I guess these were nothing more than references for the hardcore fans, but it seemed odd to include them for only that purpose. 

Finally, I would like to register a formal complaint that the song BANKA by illion was only used as an end credit song. It is a great track that reminded me a bit of Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku (the Root A ending theme, a track that might even rival Unravel in quality).

That will be all from me. I know I spent a lot of time harping on this movie (I tend to do that), but it was really not that bad. I think that long time fans will have a fun time watching this take on the opening to TG. This movie is also a nice gateway into the series for people who have never experienced any part of TG. I think it’s worth checking out either way. 

I plan to be writing about a new chapter tomorrow (fingers crossed). I am also happy to wish you all a productive and enjoyable week. Hope it’s a good one!

[hoaxghost]

I want to learn about all your Mob Psycho 100 OC's!!! Tell me everything! Can I join the discord?

oh.. oh my goodness??!!! thank you !

I’ll try and tell you as much as i can without rambling on too much! Also I’m not sure what you mean by discord since I’m not on any particular mp100 discord chat but i am on the amino which you should totally join 

more under the cut cause its gonna be long

First, my main oc is Kayoko. She’s the first oc I ever made and is a clairvoyant who specilizes in manipulation over “randomized” chances. ex: choosing the right card from a deck, flipping a book open to the right page, get chosen from raffles etc… you could say she has incredible “luck”. She uses her power to … gamble a lot… She’s not exactly a stand up student by any means and is brutally honest to those around her. Bit of a delinquent as she is rather quick to anger and throw punches. But she is loyal to her friends at the very least.

She’s part of a board games club (named C.A.R.B.S) that includes 4 other people (…technically five but im going by my own canon route) that includes:Mausyo the president: a snobbish stuck up girl who is secretly just an anime nerd who acts like a shitty 90s anime villain Kenta, a well behaved and a slight doormat type whose half british and is terribly homesick. If he left the club, it would all collapse. Hibiki, Kayoko’s best friend who is an obnoxious loud brat that likes biting everything in sight. Constantly fighting something. And finally Rin… the… trainwreck. He’s a really embarrasing over the top wannabe “cool kid” who should have probably died five months ago by the amount of product he sticks on his face. 

I have a few other minor kid ocs that include Ben (one of the delinquents ritsu beat up in the alleyway who had a change of heart), Fleurette (my aoyama/Saison Margeurite hybrid rip-off), and  Ayama (Hibiki’s older goth sister who goes to Teru’s school).

Next come the adults!

I have two main adult ocs, Noriko and Yuudai. Noriko is a police woman living in seasoning city also with psychic powers. She specialises in barriers and defence. Think about it when Teru inverted his barrier when battling that fire guy. Now that that and expand upon it. She is.. not very good at her job and seems to always experience some sort of extreme emotion. She is ADAMANT about justice, chasing down even the most petty thief for miles and causing massive damage costs in the process… she is reckless to say in the least. Although she seems to cause more damage than good, the police force hasn’t fired her because she’s an excellent baker who brings in food for peoples birthdays and special occasions. She is protective over Kayoko and only wants the best for her, as well as all teens and children. She seems to always go easy on them ei: never throwing them into prison. The reason why? She claims kids just “don’t know what they’re doing”

Next is the asshole himself Yuudai. Now just imagine the most vile sleazy door to door salesmen who also works as an 80s car dealer on the side line, smoking lines of coke between “helping” customers and always feeling the need to express his lewd thoughts when around a woman even in the most slightly revealing outfit yet when he’s doing none of those he’s jerking it to a google image search of the word “boob” because he doesn’t understand how the internet works and when he doesn’t have internet access he’s accessing his collection of 20 year old playboy mags which are probably as crusty as his entire damn face because i don’t think this man even knows what public hygiene is. Also i should add his esper ability it the power to see into the past of a certain location. Ex: he goes into a room with a safe and in his mind he can “rewind” time to a point where he sees someone from a past event unlocking the safe, thus yuudai learns the combo. He cant interact with the past but for sure can see it so he uses this power to do sleazy detective work. 

also to everyone’s surprise (or… not-so-surprise depending) he has a young daughter named Junko (i gotta credit @starplatinyaa for co-making her cause shes a joint collab oc. also worth mentioning she also made the “5th” unmentioned member of C.A.R.B.S) whose..oddly enough considering her father, the complete opposite and quite a ray of sunshine?? She also LOVES insects and holds a deep curisoty for the world. also yuudai will never mention this but hes got a soft spot for her

Now onto some other minor adult ocs! heh.. this list is getting long so ill try and keep this short. For other adult ocs I got:

Sal: a creepy psychic lady living out in the forest by her lonesome. She has a morbid ability of soul manipulation ans seems to hate anybody getting near her… think of her as one of those weird slasher villains but with a heavier emphasis on backstory

Verin: a talented cynical mangaka who is fascinated by religion and mythology. He listens to epic power metal 24/7 and has a ton of nordic-themed tattoos all around him. He also finds espers to be ultra interesting and will pester one relentlessly with questions if he finds one. 

Gundma: a Claw member whose…a grandma with a gun. she takes no shit but also acts very kind to her division members.Furi: a 45 year old furry Claw member who.. well.. is a furry. He acts cat-like and can produce wolverine-esque claws with his psychic ability. Tsutoneru: she smokes weed… can control temperature… doesnt believe canada exists and also is a Claw member. 

Theres also a few ocs i have in the works currently, a group of three idol fans and the singer they love.

SO THATS IT! man sorry i wrote a lot here ;;; but thank you so much for asking!

also if anyone wants to rp… im 100% DOWN

[whitecometofakagi]

5 favorite IniD characters .. who aren't Ryosuke

This is an extremely challenging question, anon. I have let this one sit in my inbox for a while, because I love so many characters in Initial D, that I felt bad for leaving anyone out! After a lot of thought, I have a set of answers I’m happy with for now (but ask again in a few weeks, and I might mix it up, who knows!?)

I’m going to list these 1-5 instead of countdown style, since aside from 1 and 2 (Takumi and the Takahashi brothers are definitely my three favorite characters) these are not necessarily in a strict order: 

1. Fujiwara Takumi

The adorable and miraculous downhill ace of Project D. Takumi is one of the most fun and charming protagonists I’ve ever seen. His lack of knowledge and spaciness in First Stage is endearing and hilarious. Yet, he’s also multidimensional. Even before he learns anything about cars, certain situations (such as a challenge to his ego or a desire to protect his friends like Itsuki and Mogi) bring out a driven, competitive side of his personality. As the story goes on, he grows and matures – becoming more knowledgeable, skilled, and confident. However, there’s always a hint of his trademark awkwardness present, along with his stubbornness, and quiet but strong competitiveness. I also relate to his story of working to find a dream and motivation in life, and I love seeing him progress along that journey.

2. Takahashi Keisuke 

Project D’s fiery uphill ace – who personifies the student athlete meme. While he can act tough and rough around the edges, inside Keisuke is a passionate and driven individual who truly loves driving and pursing his dream. I love him for both his brutal honesty and for his sometimes hidden softer side, that he occasionally opens up around Ryosuke and briefly around Kyoko. Like Takumi, his growth in skill and maturity over the course of the series is incredible. Comparing how impulsive and salty his is during his first race against Takumi with his calm under pressure in the race against Gou is incredible. He’s a real sweetheart, but who will absolutely kick you to the curb if provoked. While I sometimes wish he’d give himself a bit more room for recharging, friendships and romantic relationships, his dedication to what he loves is impressive too. But sometimes my boy needs a hug. (Sssshhhh don’t tell him!) 

3. Sato Mako

There’s probably no better phrase to describe Mako as a driver than “kicking ass and taking names.” She’s passionate, driven and stands up for herself in the face of a lot of adversity that she faces for her gender and quiet outward personality. I also lover her relationship with her navigator and best friend, Sayuki. They compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses (as @ace-akina also pointed out in a recent post) and make a perfect, balanced team. But I also love that Mako isn’t just a “tough girl.” She’s quiet, reserved, and unsure of herself. She isn’t always sure of her motivation and questions her place in the world. She struggles to balance her own inner thoughts against the influence of others. This gives her room to develop and mature, becoming more certain of her dreams as well as her desire to follow them. And like Takumi, I love how her personality changes behind the wheel – going from shy and quiet to fiery and competitive.

4. Fujiwara Bunta 

I could not leave out the absolute legend of Initial D. Who else can execute a perfect drift with no hands while smoking a cigarette? Even my very conventional dad wishes he could be Bunta! Like Ryosuke, Bunta is also a genius at giving subtle, cryptic advice that always proves full of wise truths. And his relationships with his contemporaries (Yuchi and Ken) are incredible, full of lots of teasing and competition and humor. But like many of my other favorites, one of my favorite things about him is the subtitles of his personality. Although he can be a bit brash, and isn’t a “touchy feely” parent (or friend), it’s obvious that he cares about Takumi deeply. In his own way, he helps his son along his way, even if he isn’t always perfect and his lessons often come with much frustration. I was particularly touched by the scene in Second Stage where he meets Takumi after the 86′s engine blows. The small gestures like patting Takumi’s head and being at his side during this difficult time really speak volumes to me. 

5. Hojo Rin

My edge-lord problematic fave son. Now, before you send me any strange asks, let’s get a couple things straight: trying to murder people is bad, so is misogyny (or trying to coerce anyone of any gender to marry you). That said, like pretty much every character I’ve named here, Rin undergoes a lot of growth, even in his short period of screen time. He regrets the things he’s done in the past and finds the strength to turn his life back around and face his younger brother again. 

More to the point, Rin has a hilarious dry and witty sense of humor. I love the scene where Rin teases Ikeda for being too philosophical and says that he can smell the incense on him. (I also love that Ikeda retorts this later.) In addition he’s very blunt and honest, telling Gou -- who is shocked that he has returned to Hakone -- that he can “go wherever he wants to” and complaining that Kubo is “a old fart” with no #aesthetic. In the manga, he also complains that Ryosuke has gotten preppy, since he’s apparently spent the past two years growing his hair out and only shopping at Hot Topic. I firmly believe that Ryosuke picked up a bit of his edge from Rin -- particularly in the blunt way he’s able to put down Team Emperor’s taunts and some of the “tough love” he uses the coach Keisuke. 

In addition to being funny (and one of my favorite characters to write lines for in chat stories, rps, or fanfics), there’s an admirable side to Rin’s character as well, that makes clear why characters like Ryosuke and Gou look up to him. He’s the one who taught Ryosuke the joy of touge driving, after all, and it’s clear that he shares the same philosophy as Project D that there is something special about street racing and the human, fun, and emotional side of racing. I also love the short flashback we see of him and Gou, that gives us a small glimpse into the way he mentored his brother -- not unlike the relationship we see between the Takahashi brothers.

He also appears to be an incredible driver, and I wish we got a chance to see him race that lovely GT-R while he had a clearer head.

Bonus second picture of Rin with short hair! :O!! 

Some runners up!: 

Gou, Kenta, Kyoko, Shinji, Mika (my golfing buddy!), Ikeda, the rest of the Project D support staff, Sayuki…and most of the rest of the cast (except some Lan Evo drivers, Miki, and a couple of background jerks xD). 

All of them are my darlings...

[thedreaminus]

Live or Die

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Epilogue

All the king's horses and

all the king's men Couldn't put me back together again

 ...

"What are you doing?"

Hm? M-21 opened his eyes, there were voices. How long had he slept? Was the monkey finally back?

”You're too wide, why did you have to come along?" a female voice hissed irritably.

"These are muscles!" replied a man indignantly.

M-21 blinked and turned his head. He had not heard these voices before. They were not scientists, nor were they those ever quiet hooded figures. Besides, they sounded strangely hushed as if unwilling to let themselves be exposed.

"That's enough now. Be silent, "another male voice hushed them.

M-21 raised his eyebrows. The voices came from outside his cell… but at the same time they came from his cell...? He strained his ears further, and a few more dull steps were heard, knocking, and scratching. Could it really be that someone was in the ventilation shafts?

A particularly loud bang confirmed his guess.

Up, Ventilation Shafts. The wolf suddenly stirred in his thoughts, and pushed forward with momentum enough to make his head spin.

Tension,

Expectation,

Enthusiasm

It howled with unprecedented passion. Then retreated as fast as it came. M-21 shook his head and blinked violently. What was that?

His new animal counterpart usually warned him when someone came. Now it lay curled up in the back of his thoughts, his ears pointedly expectant. Whoever squeezed through the ventilation shafts sure had an unusual effect on this other self. Or, M-21 thought after a few minutes cynically, maybe it was trying to make fun of them through its erratic behavior because they were running in circles?

"If we are stuck here any longer, I swear I’ll tear this thing!" Hissed a masculine voice over his head. They were right over him again.

Please do it, thought M-21. That would speed up the whole affair.

“And do you know what is below us? We could land at lord knows what or crush someone!" Someone shot back.

M-21 looked up at the ceiling and pursed his lips. Right ... Please do not.

Fortunately the ceiling didn’t come crashing down, but they did not find the exit either. M-21 played with the idea to help them, there were not many possibilities on how the shafts ran, but then decided against it and waited. There was still time before the scientists were back. These people will somehow find their way down  by then, and he did not know who they were anyway. Besides, his tired mind found it fun to listen to their annoyed mutterings.

A loud clanking in the hallway announced that they had found the exit. M-21 saw the grating that blocked the entrance on the ground. Immediately afterwards some people landed directly in front of his cell.

M-21 tensed. They all wore long white robes. It was those bastards! Or? M-21 lowered his head and studied the group from half-opened eyes. He did not move so they did not immediately notice him. The robes were same but they looked different ... more normal. They did not give him that disgusting feeling of something unnatural. And why would they enter the ventilation shafts? Unless, they blew a fuse.

M-21 continued to watch as some others came out of the shaft and swiftly scattered everywhere. The ones who landed first seemed to be the leaders, they spoke in whispers and had gestured the others, sending them in every direction. When these groups came back, there were quiet whispers again. M-21 did not need to listen to understand just how many corridors, doors and people they had viewed.

This was a burglary. But not really that efficient. On the other hand, either the technical stuff has been taken care of or this Union laboratory was down due to which the alarm system had not reacted. Sensing how crude their entry through the ventilator was, M-21 suspected the latter. Perhaps that was the chance he had been waiting for a long time? But he would wait just a bit more and found why these people were here first.

"There is no one here," one of the men whispered, clearly disappointed.

Woah! He just earned a reward! M-21 snapped in his mind, unimpressed. The wolf was also amused, letting the tongue hang out and huffing merrily. Be quiet, wait for the right moment and then hit ... M-21 muscles vibrated in anticipation, he almost forgot that he was chained.

"Have you seen the cells in the back aisle? Loud mutants can be heard, it must be the right place. They must be here."

They? So this group was looking for someone? M-21 mused.

"On the surface everything is in motion. It looks more like they gave up this lab. I do not know if we can find anything here ..."

These people were of the same kind as that monkey and the rest of the bastards. But they behaved differently, they were different ... They were searching for someone who was captured by the Union to save them. In M-21 a bitter feeling arose, an insecurity. No one searched for his comrades and him when they had been brought here...

M-21 swallowed this unwelcome thought, and made his decision. If the lab was really abandoned, then he could imagine what was to happen to him. This was probably his last chance to help his comrades and cleanse the Union. He opened his eyes, all or nothing. He could not lose.

Clearing his throat to test out his voice, he held his head high and looked straight at the cloaked individuals. Thereupon, he saw a handful of people in the hallway performing something like small hops in the name of searching the ceiling. Instead of saying something, M-21 burst out laughing. That was too funny.

"What the..."

"I thought he was dead."

M-21 bared his teeth still quietly giggling to himself. "That looked funny. Can you do it again?"

A few hissed and gave him furious glances, some of them said nothing, but almost everyone seemed surprised.

M-21 sighed and tried to relax his shoulders, which had painfully protested the sudden movement. "It’s been quite a long time since I laughed so much," he murmured softly, gazing at the strangers. None of them moved. M-21 pulled up an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Did you see a ghost?"

That shook them awake. One of them pulled his hood back and stepped in front of the bars. He was tall and broad-shouldered with brown hair and eyes. Looking at his bulk, M-21 suspected that he was the fellow who had gotten stuck in the ventilators. He involuntarily reminded M-21 of M-24.

"You understand us?"

M-21 gave him a flat look. "What does it look like?"

"Are you human?"

M21 snorted, "No, just a broken toy," bitterness laced every word.

The other looked at him strangely, and M-21 breathed deeply, regaining control of himself. The question had hit an unpleasant nerve, throwing it out of concept.

"This is a waste of time," a woman muttered behind the larger man. "Leave him Kentas, we have something to do here."

“True," M-21 looked at the man named Kenta, "You're probably looking for someone here ..." he threw the bone and became silent. The broad guy had to be pissed because he bent the bars and marched into the cell.

"Eh, you know there is a door or?" He managed to ask casually before the guy grabbed him by the neck, making him hiss in pain. Eep this guy really was pissed off. His other hand looped around to grab his hair and jerked his face up. "Where are they?" He growled.

The wolf barked in his head in response and M-21 had to push it back with all his might. For a moment, his senses disappeared.

"Hey, I asked you something!" The pressure on his throat increased.

"I heard it, asshole," he grunted out and was released. M-21 shook his head slightly. "But I was distracted by your sudden affection!"

The hand of his opponent was twitching unhealthily. He looked as if he was going to grab him again, or do something else.

“You do it Lunark, before I forget myself." He said, his voice was not much more than a growl.

M-21 threw a flat glance at the woman who was now entering through the hole in the bars. It was the same person that had spoken to Kentas before. She seemed to have almost the same hair color as M-21. But in the light, it was hard to determine.

"We're not here to play, tell us what you know." She spoke quietly and calmly, but the impression of having a sharp weapon on her did not diminish.

"I do not know where they are or who you are looking for here" he gave Kentas a poisonous look. "But I know where they could be."

A murmur was heard from outside at his answer. M-21 noticed that a guard was set up by the others figures.

"You want something for it, right?" The woman asked him contemptuously.

"Not even death is free," replied M-21 coolly.

Lunark casted a discreet glance backwards. M-21 followed her gaze. Only then did he notice the man; long gray-hair, tall but not as much as Kentas and an aura of authority, who leaned against the wall staring at him bemused. As soon as their eyes met, the wolf howled within him, ears all perked up. M-21 laboriously suppressed a similar sound himself. Fuck ... what had that been? But the wolf gave no answer, instead whining. M-21 shook his head and tried to get rid of the strangely oppressive feeling. This was not the best time for such games.

The gray-haired man outside the cell waved his nonchalant approval to Lunark without letting his sight of off M-21. Lunark nodded lightly and devoted herself to M-21s interrogation again. "What do you want?"

M-21 breathed deeply. He had to do this, it was the only way he could help his comrades.

"You know where the infected ones are?"

"Yes" Lunark narrowed her eyes "But we will not free them."

"I want you to kill them all."

No one said anything. Kentas and Lunark exchanged a glace. "You want what?" Kentas wanted to know again.

"You're supposed to kill them," repeated M-21 with a bitter taste of his lips. He felt as if he was betraying his comrades, but he knew there was no better alternative for them than a quick painless death at this point.

M-21 saw the gray-haired man give Lunark his consent with a brief gesture of his hand. He signaled some of the group to himself too, giving them soft instructions. M-21 closed his eyes with a miserable feeling in his chest. They've been dead for a long time, he had to remind himself. They have been dead for a long long time. He kept chanting. The wolf did not react; it was unconcerned with his comrades fate just like everyone else had been. M-21 felt sick with himself.

"Oi" someone shook him.

"I’ve heard you, asshole" hissed M-21 irritably. This nickname did not really appeal to the guy, he cracked his knuckles dangerously but M-21 ignored him. Instead, he turned his head to the left.

"On the left, there are a few broken cells ..." he began. "In one of these, the ground separates the second floor from the third, the scientists use it as landfill. As far as I know, most of the corridors there are impenetrable, but if you're lucky you'll get through."

"And where does that bring us?" Lunark wanted to know.

"The third level is an exclusive area" M-21 grinned cynically "The torture chamber. That rotten monkey only brings the people he wants to see particularly suffer there."

"What monkey?"

“Oh, I'm sure you know him ... Stupid hairstyle, haughty appearance ..." M-21 almost rolled his eyes as he noticed the irritated looks. "He's one of you, and is always accompanied by a bulk of muted dummies."

"Maduke?" Echoed Lunark "The 2nd Elder?" She choked. A few of the people growled at the mention of the name. A sharp sound from the gray-haired man outside silenced them.

"I don’t know his name, but Crombel calls him Elder."

"Crombel?"

"A scientist of the Union"

"Why did Maduke come here?"

"No idea. We do not understand each other so well. One of the reasons why I know the third level so well” M-21 chortled “Shouldn’t  you be on your way there?”

And they did. Kentas, Lunark, and the gray-haired ones stayed behind. M-21 ignored her and looked at the ground. Those who had killed his comrades on his condition were already back before a group was made to investigate the location M-21 had told them about.

So he was the last survivor of the M series. As soon as these people would come back from the third floor, they would kill him. He had known from the beginning that it would happen. But the wolf turned in his head like a wounded animal and growled wildly. It was angry.

Be quiet, M-21 tried to silence his other self. He did not know who these people were, he could not trust that they would not just drop him where the scientists were. Even if they let him run, where would he go? But the wolf did not calm down. It was a survival artist, a fighter who could defied all natural forces. That M-21 was looking so calmly at his death after he had so strongly rebelled against Crombel and the Elder, brought it up.

They hit him on the cheek. M-21, who was immersed in an inner struggle with the wolf reacted violently to the sudden attack. With a wild growl he snapped at the attacker. Only the hand on his throat held the person out of his teeth’s reach. Gray eyes watched him intently as he tried to get a grip on himself. The wolf that was so angry a while ago had tamed at the sight of this person. And M-21 took a shuddering breath, relieved. Though he did not know if it was right to be happy about this. His skin felt hot and tense, his fingers itching. For some reason he felt exhausted now.

"Did Maduke really made it?" asked Lunark, bewildered.

What? M-21 wondered. Did she meant him?

"No" the man who still held his M-21 by his neck, shook his head. "A friend has assured me that Maduke’s project is insane. We cannot enter into contracts with human as the Nobles do. No matter how much that scum Madukes can change, we can create nothing but uncontrollable mutants. There must be something with him that this worked"

The grip around his neck tightened until M-21 had trouble breathing.  The wolf in his head roared in protest.

"Do you want to Live or Die?" demanded the gray-haired man of him.

"What?" croaked M-21, confused.

"I will not take you with me, unless I am sure that you will not kill yourself."

"Lord ..." The other two seemed surprised. "You do not mean to take him with us?"

"Had you two used your brain you wouldn’t be asking me this, I thought I made myself clear here?” There was a dangerous undertone in his growl that closed all room for protest.

Silence. M-21 closed his eyes. Did he want to live? The fear of simply ending in another lab, and the death of his comrades had kept him from wishing for it. But the wolf pushed forward again, encouraging him. He did not want to be let down by what Crombel and Maduke had done to him.

Live or Die?

M-21 opened his eyes and looked at the man in front of him. He searched for something in his eyes and the person returned the stare unwaveringly, passing the test. The wolf muttered contentedly. M-21 had made his decision.

He wanted to claim back his right to life.

He wanted to live.

                                                        THE END

 Bonus:

The man smiled contentedly and let go of his throat. With quick movements he slashed the chains binding M21. Bad move, M-21 thought. He was tired and did not know if his legs would carry him. But the gray-haired man did not let him fall to the floor, instead he looped an arm around his middle, supporting his figure against his chest.

M-21 gasped. His arms had protested the sudden movement. Besides, he could not remember when he'd last been so close to a living being without feeling pain. Warmth radiated from the other body and the wolf whined content in his head. M-21s sight blurred. He had to swallow several times to get rid of the sudden lump in his throat.

The man did not shrink back in disgust, nor did he laugh. He simply waited motionless until M-21 had calmed down and was stable enough to stand on his own feet.

"You take care of him Kentas, I have the feeling that you two will get along well."

"..." Kentas did not seem to have this impression, but he did not raise any objection.

"Is this the moment I get flowers?" croaked M-21 quietly.

“…”

Notes: Yes Muzuka pretty much hugged him. And he’s totally going to coddle the newly found puppy from here on. He’s safe now…mostly ^^ We both weren’t the happiest with this chapter. We felt that maybe Rai and Frankenstein were better choices to rescue him and if it were them, they’d be a lot more sweet and kinder to him, and M21 wouldn’t have been able to control his emotions at end and who doesn’t want fluff, so here’s the behind the scene discussion of a probabale alternative ED:  

@pandora-twists: I want M21 blubbering into Rai super clean shirt. Frankenstein eye twitching at that

@thedreaminus: Pfff... It is a kid...easy it is a kid frankenstein to himself

PS: If someone really wants his heart bleeds when you reads "Live or Die", then I recommend to listen to Karmina - All The King's Horses. To this song the story was written.

[claycomix]

5 Abandoned Plotlines in Sexy Losers

Occasionally when I was doing Sexy Losers I would try to shake things up a bit, to try to create new situations for possible comedy. Not everything was successful, and occasionally I would begin something I would never finish (much like Sexy Losers itself). As drawing the strip became more difficult, I started to abandon more and more. Recently I was able to close a couple of abandoned plot lines like the Gender Incrmination thread the the Shiunji and the Suicide Girl, as well as begin a new thread featuring Mrs. Shibata and Kenta (3 strips finished, 4th one being pencilled now). However, here are five plot lines that got started and I just abandoned to the wind and probably leave that way.

5. Miho’s Shit-eating Family

I got as far as the first strip on this one. The idea was, Miho’s family were traditional coprophagists, and believed the daughter, Miho, should follow likewise in her dating preferences. Her new boyfriend was not into eating feces, but appears for dinner bringing a vintage bottle of human urine. From there, the strip would have become a satire of religious intolerance. I thought this would be pretty funny, but I lost the enthusiasm of getting there when the first strip received a (rightfully so) tepid response. It probably would have picked up steam at some point had it gone into the satire I wanted it to be, but I didn’t want to invest any more into the strip.

4. Mark Fails Becoming A Jerking Jedi

I had gotten a couple of strips into this thread, where Mark decides that he wants to sign up for his roommate’s wank classes so he can learn to jerk off. It was going to be a deep Empire Strikes Back parody as you can see from one of the strips where I nearly rip off the movie line for line. In the end, Mark fails every test, offends people, and loses his girlfriend in the process. There are several strips that were storyboarded and never got past that stage, but who knows, this thread may still have life in it yet. Mike stories tend to write themselves and this one was no different.

3. Mrs. Shibata Gets Arrested For Murder

In the Natsuki storyline, there was one strip where Mr. Shibata buys surveillance equipment so he can enjoy watching his wife and Natsuki get it on. There was an actual point to this strip and the existence of the recording equipment. Immediately following the death of Natsuki, the tapes were to be confiscated and used as evidence in court against Mrs. Shibata, who is charged with murder. Fortunately for Mrs. Shibata, the tapes are so incredibly sexy the jurors let her go hoping for a sequel. This one didn’t continue because after Natsuki died, I was kind of sick of the series and didn’t want it to continue.

2. Sex In the Industry

At some point in the series, Sexy Losers was to have been bought out and reformatted to get rid of the grosser strips and focus more on the sexy. The new owners would reassemble the cast and create a roommates kind of strip called Sex In the Industry with Madame X (the sex artist), Chie Sakamachi (the sex actress), and Dr. Lovetalk (the sex therapist) living together with hijinks. It was supposed to be a parody of character reboots. I ended up abandoning it because it was a little too ambitious for me at the time, but Chie and Madame X ended up living with each other anyways.

1. A Hentai Made of Glass

This one was actually abandoned two strips away from the eventual punchline. It left off as Cheryl and Jon were getting back together and coming to grips with Cheryl’s orgy porn star past. Jon’s friend Al was to tell him about the incredible sex he was going to get and he should stop complaining, because all he ever did when Jon and Cheryl were together was complain about NOT getting sex. Now he’ll have what he wanted — the beautiful sexy woman and the incredible sex. Finally, when they officially get together over dinner, Cheryl announces that she’s a born again virgin.

What I liked about this series was to show how stupid expectations are in a relationship — if you can’t accept the person for who they are the relationship is screwed. Jon’s inability to accept the person is what makes the relationship fall apart. And his acceptance of her past feels like a painful concession to him instead of a non sequitur as it should have been. If I had more time with the characters and could show it from Cheryl’s side, I would have focused more on how good a person she is, and why accepting an asshole who had dumped her over a stupid rumour makes her the one who is really making a painful concession.

  View Original Post: https://wp.me/p3OXM5-1N

[famousattractionoffameanddance]

Fame and Dance

September 19th, 2021

A large man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and significantly large eyebrows looked sullenly at the young actor currently moping in the seat in front of him. His eye was twitching as only this talent can cause. He was quite pleased with himself that he wasn’t expressing in any other way. Letting out the breath he didn’t realized he was holding until that moment before he addressed the young man.

“Eren, I understand that your lessons are not going as you would like them but taking this attitude isn’t going to improve it any either. You have no motivation with this teacher and it shows in your dancing… Take this card, go to this address, talk to the proprietor, sign up for a dance class, and I guarantee by the end of the conversation you will have found your motivation.”

Eren looked at him even more despondently as he took the card out of his hand and looked it over. The look he leveled at him would have made a lesser man recoil and take his words back. However, he is by no means a lesser man so he met Eren’s gaze with his own. The look he gave him was a withering one that clearly said he wasn’t putting up with his wallowing any longer.

“Not even you can get me out of this mood..”

With Eren boyfriend dumping him because of his overzealous fans he lost the one person he could be intimately close with. He was short, funny, and a sweet little thing that made him laugh. Maybe if he had been aggressive they could have lasted longer but, what did he expect, he had been human.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I won’t be your motivation then…. Do you want someone to drive you over there?

Eren just slumped even further in his seat a long heavy sigh was Erwin’s answer. “Do I have to?”

“Yes. You have to. Now do you want someone to drive you over?”

He asked looking pointedly at Eren before dialing up Kenta because he already knew Eren wasn’t in any mood to go where he wanted him to go unless someone else was taking him. Kenta is about the only person who won’t say unnecessary things to either Eren or Levi when the two meet. Kenta picked up on the second ring and Erwin informed him as to where he needed Eren taken right away so he can quickly get started on his classes.

In less than ten minutes Kenta was waiting for Eren with a car outside of the talent label run by Erwin, to which Eren is under. As the number one celebrity in the world Eren has a lot of rabid fans. It wasn’t surprising that they had caused problems with his last boyfriend but luckily for Eren Levi’s had his own troubles with celebrity. That tends to be the case when one is a Prince but Eren will learn that eventually especially if they start dating.

Eren groaned he waited that full ten whole minutes before he was ushering Eren downstairs. Erwin traded him off to Kenta to go to wherever the fuck he’s going to. Eren honestly doubt it’ll cheer him up. So he crawled into the back seat and laid face down on the seat groaning in displeasure.

Hell, Armin was doing better than him he could see the way he looked at Erwin and vise versa. So they have some sort of office romance. But, him noooo he just had to be the number one actor the good looking sexy ass fuck guy on the planet to make ovaries explode and gay males erupt. If he could have anyone he wanted than the fans was going to make sure he stayed single. They shredded his ex-boyfriend for crying out loud… it’s a miracle he even stayed as a pop idol he left the damn country because of him and his possessive fans.

Eren began to whimper he was going to cry an ocean before all this was done. Kenta looked back at Eren lying across the back seat through the rearview mirror with a concerned expression. He knew Eren had been down in the dumps ever since his fans caught him on a valentines date with his last boyfriend whom they somehow managed to run off before July. It’s been three and a half months since then and Eren was still trying to work through it but his learning curve was greatly tied to his emotional state so now that he’s having to learn something new it’s really showing.

Luckily it was about a five minute drive from the agency to the dance studio he was taking Eren too so when they arrived he got out and opened Eren’s door for him.

“We’re here Eren. Come in when you’re ready. I’ll go find Levi for you.”

He said cheerfully and left the door open for him.

Eren nodded his head with a muffled word that sound like ha’kay.. He stayed in the car for an extra five minutes before he drug his ass out of the car. He took one look at the dance studio and was half tempted to just ditch.

He would have if it wasn’t for the thought that Erwin will grab a hold of his balls and ripping the damn thing from between his legs… “On second thought… it’s not worth it…even if I can regrow the damn thing...”

With his fate sealed he climb the few stairs up to the dance studio. He checked the place out and found a sofa that had his name on it. He went over and laid face down again. If it was possible his soul would have left his body.

Despite wearing heels Levi made no sound on the polished floor as Kenta brought him out to the waiting room to meet one of Erwin’s talents who’s been having a difficult time recently learning ballroom dancing. He was expecting someone professional since he knew Erwin wasn’t the type to deal with the unprofessional. He stood with his hands on his hips and one cocked to the side as he looked the male on his sofa from head to toe and then back up again before speaking.

“This is a dance studio. If you want to sleep go to a hotel because if I wanted some guy laying on my couch looking like he’s dead I would have become a prostitute. Now sit the hell up.”

Levi was only five foot three in his bare feet but he was real used to dealing with any situation. He could be diplomatic when he wanted to be but right now his scales were being rubbed the wrong way. If the jerk didn’t want to take his classes he wouldn’t force him and he would tell Erwin to shove him up his ass. He didn’t need that hand out bullshit. If he wanted a hand out he would just ask his parents because they have already offered. If he accepts a hand out then this place would be a failure anyways.

Eren planted his hands on either side of his head and pushed up. He sat up very slowly removing his sunglasses to look back at the sharp tongue male. What he said was kinda funny that he ended up chuckling.

“I’m not sleeping. I’m sorry for the disrespect I showed.” Eren gave him a light smile. If he’s really looking at him he was pretty short. He had a clean haircut, black, long in the front, short in the back. It looked perfect from where he is sitting. His eye was a combination of smoky gray metal and lighting blue. He had the palest complexion he had ever seen minus Connie he was the whitest of all white that if he didn’t know any better this one never got any sunlight. He was attractive to say the very least and he was his type physical wise.

He wonder if this was Erwin’s attempt to get him motivated. When he thought about his ex and what he done his fan done it just made him sigh. He couldn’t possibly get into another relationship.

“I hate you Erwin…. I pray his balls will rot off and roll away from him along with those ridiculous eyebrows.”

Levi was rather mollified when he apologized and sat up. The chuckle he had let out had sent a shiver of desire racing down his spine. His eyes were hot as hell but he needed to rein his underused sex drive back in because for one this was business not pleasure. Not that he wouldn’t mind a bit of after hours play he always made sure to keep things professional despite the fact that he want to both fuck and be fucked by this sexy male sitting on his couch.

It was a bit impossible for Levi to hold back his laugh when the male cursed Erwin, his balls, and his ridiculous eyebrows. He didn’t know why he was cursing him but he might as well inform him that if he doesn’t want to take his classes he won’t force him and he won’t let Erwin force him to take his classes either. Now if Erwin wanted to force him to take someone else’s classes there was nothing he could do about it.

“You’re funny…. I don’t know why you’re cursing Erwin but if you don’t want to take my classes then I won’t force you. If you want I can definitely tell Erwin where to shove it since I was already telling Kenta if this is another one of Erwin’s attempts at a hand out I’ll force feed him his damn hand and everything that’s attached to it.”

He said with obvious annoyance at Erwin as he turned on his heel and headed for one of the back dance studios, not the one he had been in but a different one. If the male wanted the classes he could come with him, if not then he knew where the door was. Like he had said, he wouldn’t force him even though he was quite interested as to how nicely their bodies would fit together in a tango. He looked strong, not in a body builder sort of way but well toned and muscular.

All thoughts about licking his abs are a dangerous road that he needed to get control of because in the heat of a tango he might do something he would probably end up regretting. The last guy he had gotten involved with, he was mostly his body type but he had also been supernatural, had been a big mistake. The bastard had ended up cheating on him with every single one of his coworkers that he could get in their pants. Male and female, bastard couldn’t work for a week because Levi had busted his lip.

As a Prince, and a Dragon, though he supposed that he had a natural predisposition to believing in fairy tales and that his one true love is out there somewhere. If it happened for his parents he didn’t see why it couldn’t happen for him too. He had to believe or assholes like Nate would ruin love for him forever. He didn’t want that so he stuck with his dancing and hoping that they would meet someday.

Eren got to his feet when he turned from him and boy did he get an eye full of Levi’s curves. He was definitely male but, even he could tell he had a nice shape despite the baggy shirt tight leather pants and fuck me red pandora heels. The poor actor chased after him but, he gave Kenta a look that he’ll be fine on his own. When Kenta gave him a smile he couldn’t help the small grin of his own when enter the back dance studio.

“I was cursing him because he gone and set me up. He told me I’d find motivation after having one conversation with you. You’re definitely my type and I think you were hella fine walking up to me with your hand on your tiny waist. You had the kind of air around you that says I won’t tolerate any one bullshit let alone me.” Eren replied with a laugh, “To be honest I had a really bad and possibly naughty thought about what I’d love for you to do to me.” Just as suddenly as he laughed he lost his smile and looked down, “I’ve been dumped by my last boyfriend and it was my fault. My fan chewed him up spit him out and shredded his male pride to the point he fled the country from me.” Eren sighed again all he wanted to do now is laid down and mope but, when Levi grabbed his hand and drag him to the middle of the dance studio he didn’t get the chance to fall back into his earlier state of depression.

“I’m really sorry for what I did out there I do want to learn believe me I put in the hours of dancing and studying it and I remember all the steps and hand gesture to the expression I must have but, I have this horrible switch that my emotions are tied to my acting and I’ve been on a crappy shitty emotional weeks.”

“Some people aren’t meant to live in the limelight and can become crushed by it. If you’re not strong in your convictions then you can’t whether the things that will rise like a storm to crush you….”

Levi said softly pulling Eren into a slow start of a waltz to gage his skills. Then he thought back to what he said about Erwin, while trying his damnedest to forget what Eren had said about how he had been thinking he wanted him to do naughty things to him. He had nearly purred his approval but kept it in check. He lifted his gaze to meet Eren’s as they slowly started dancing.

“I’m going to have to kick Erwin’s ass…. I don’t like being used to Honey Dick anyone, even if they’re extremely delicious….”

He said with a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

Eren laughed, “If you need a tag team partner of kicking Erwin’s ass I’m your man.” He easily guided Levi across the floor his body remember what to do. He may have been lifeless but, that doesn’t mean he did not practice. “What you said earlier about the some people can’t live in the limelight. I’m always in the spotlight I don’t think there was a time I’d ever have any privacy. And he was too he’s a Korean idol so I’d like to think he knew what he was getting into…I thought we could do it but, he didn’t give me a chance.”

Eren sighs again but tried to smile at being called delicious, “So I’m extremely delicious huh?” He said teasingly he was trying to lighten the mood and switch topic. Levi wasn’t his therapist he was paid to teach him how to dance and he wouldn’t waste his effort. He liked Levi and his spunky no nonsense attitude of his.

“Personally I feel like I’ve been put through the blender and I didn’t give a damn what I tossed on. I haven’t even cut my hair since January. I look like I step out of a Shaggy-Do kids movie with no common sense.”

“Oh…. Well then he should have just sucked it up or kept it in his pants…. I personally try to keep things professional and I do my best not to sleep with students.”

As a dragon he could not lie and if pressed he would be reluctant to admit that he had broken his rule once before and was burned himself. As the tempo of the music changed so did the steps. Levi was technically dancing from the female’s role as he took them into a slow samba. He was warming him up for the tango. He was correct about knowing the steps and Levi could tell he was talented.

He was definitely going to give Erwin a piece of his mind though. He didn’t give a damn how hot the guy was he was not using him to honey dick someone into learning a dance properly. He definitely had the basics down and he couldn’t help but look forward to teaching him advanced steps. Erwin probably already had a dance choreographer to design a dance that focuses on his strengths and shows them off properly.

“For what it’s worth I personally think you look stunning with long hair…. You’d look even more divine if it were longer too.”

Levi said with a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he averted his gaze to stare unblinkingly at a fixed point on Eren’s chest. It was increasingly hard not to focus on the closeness of him. Somehow though he managed to push through and make some minor corrections to his stance as they moved. He had a decent grasp of Eren’s skills as the music came to a stop and he stepped out of Eren’s arms to go over to a small unobtrusive desk in the far back corner.

Each of his classrooms had one with its own built in computer that raised up with a brush of his hand. He pulled up his lesson plans, each individual class was structured to focus on the areas where the student needed the most work. Making a few notations he occasionally glanced up to meet Eren’s gaze since he was staring at him so intently while he worked on the lesson plan.

“Is there a particular dance or skill you wish to learn or improve upon?”

He asked breaking the silence that had fallen between them. It had at least been a comfortable silence. Not that awkward silence that usually fell between him and clients when he would work up a lesson plan after the quick assessment dance, He had good form and it was natural. He moved gracefully and Levi knew that with enough training no one would be able to take their eyes off of Eren when he is on the dance floor. He had a rather commanding presence as it was.

[beybladefanfictions]

Ryuga’s Return - Chapter 4

(Description: AU where Ryuga survives Metal Fury but loses L-Drago. He reunites with Kenta and struggles to figure out what he’s supposed to do without Beyblade, his purpose in life for so long. Character’s thoughts are in asteriks.)

Ryuga's POV

Ryuga walked through the forest. He had spent the last week living with Kenta and his parents. Though he tried to avoid Kenta's parents, they made it difficult by always checking on him and insisting the four of them eat together as a “family.” A family Ryuga wasn’t part of. Kenta’s parents were weirdly welcoming as ever, making Ryuga uneasy. He was somewhat grateful. However, he was starting to suspect Kenta's parents were expecting something in return for all that they were doing for him. They had to. Why else would they be treating him nicely? Whatever the reason, Ryuga needed a break from all of them every now and then so he went outside on walks in the nearby forest to clear his head, like he was currently doing right now. It was the only time he could guarantee he would be alone for long periods of time. It was peaceful.

Once he returned to the house, Kenta and his parents were in the living room, seemingly waiting for him.

“Ryuga!” Kenta’s mother gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. “Where have you been?”

Ryuga stiffened. *Are they mad?*

“I went for a walk…” he grunted, closing the door behind him. “Like I've been doing every day.”

Kenta's mother let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“You need to let us know before you just disappear like that,” Kenta's dad added, his eyes narrowed sternly. “You were gone for hours.”

Ryuga’s eyes narrowed as well. “I did nothing wrong,” he argued, taking a step back.

“Well, no, not wrong,” Kenta’s mother’s tone was more gentle, but still stern. “We were just worried about you. Please, just tell us where you're going before you take off, can you agree to that?”

She waited for an answer. Ryuga clenched his fist. *So this is what they want: to control me… just like Doji did.*

“Fine,” Ryuga grunted.

The woman smiled. “Thank you, sweetie."

Ryuga bit back a growl. Kenta’s parents hadn’t ceased with the insulting nicknames and getting them to knock it off was useless. Ryuga started toward the basement entrance.

“Wait, Ryuga!” Kenta’s dad called.

Ryuga stopped, gazing back at the man. He walked toward him and held out a small device.

“Since you’re going to be here for a while, we got you this.”

Ryuga took the device, staring at it for a few moments. He had seen Kenta and his parents using these before but had never used one himself.

“What is it?” Ryuga asked, instantly feeling stupid.

However, Kenta’s dad didn’t seem to mind as he explained, “It’s a phone. We added our numbers and Kenta’s into it so you can call or message us from anywhere.”

“Er… thanks.” Ryuga took a step back, his gaze transfixed on the device.

“Oh, of course, you don’t know how to use it…” Kenta's dad reached toward Ryuga.

“I can figure it out,” Ryuga growled, flinching away before the man could touch him. “I don’t need your help.”

Kenta’s dad looked unsure. “Alright, if you say so, kiddo…”

Ryuga gazed at the phone in his hands for a few moments, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. Thankfully, he didn’t have to pretend long.

“Alright honey, we’re ready to leave then?” Kenta’s mother asked, gazing at her husband.

“Leave?” Kenta asked, sounding alarmed. He had been so quiet that Ryuga had nearly forgotten the kid was here. “Where are you going?”

“Just to the store,” she answered. Ryuga had to bite back a sigh of relief. *Finally, I don’t have to hide in the basement.*

“You two are old enough to be on your own for a while,” Kenta’s dad added with a nod.

Ryuga’s eyes narrowed. *Of course I am. I lived on my own for a long time before I ended up here.* Ryuga didn’t say that out loud. He didn’t want Kenta’s parents to feel sorry for him and considering earlier interactions, he suspected they would.

"Take care, you two!" Kenta's parents called as they walked out the front door.

"Bye!" Kenta called back, waving.

Once the door closed, the house was drowned in a comforting silence. Ryuga sat on the couch and gestured to Kenta.

“Okay, how does this thing work?” Ryuga sighed, holding up the phone.

“I thought you didn’t want help?” Kenta asked, sitting down next to him.

“I don't want their help. They’ll just talk down to me. You have a phone. Just show me how you work yours.”

“Oh, okay…” Kenta pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He held it up and pressed a button on the back, turning the screen on. Ryuga copied the action. He was confronted by a screen full of little icons. Ryuga froze. Kenta glanced at his screen.

“That one has your contacts in it," Kenta explained, pointing to a little green icon.

Ryuga tapped the icon. There were three sets of numbers next to some names: 'Kenta,' 'Mom,' and 'Dad.'

“Ugh, how do I change these names?” Ryuga grunted, glancing at Kenta.

“Oh, just click on the name then click on the little pencil icon," Kenta explained, his gaze fixed on his phone.

Ryuga did just that, changing 'Mom' to 'Kenta’s mom' and 'Dad' to 'Kenta’s dad.'

“Wait, what’s wrong with Mom and Dad?” Kenta asked, putting his phone aside and gazing back at him.

“They’re not my parents.”

“Family is more than who you’re related to, you know," Kenta replied, sounding weirdly serious. "Some families share no biological connection at all.”

“I don’t care," Ryuga growled, placing his phone aside. “They’re not my parents.”

“Not yet,” Kenta teased, nudging Ryuga's shoulder.

“Not ever, Kenta!” Ryuga snapped, turning to him.

Kenta jerked back, his eyes wide in alarm. Ryuga froze.

Taking a deep breath, he sighed and continued in a quieter voice, “I don’t need or want a family. I’m just here because I have nowhere else, you know that.” Ryuga's head hung low.

“Yeah, I do,” Kenta sighed, pulling his legs into his chest. "I just wish you guys could get along…” He was staring off into space, his eyes watering slightly.

“Kenta… I’m trying my best.” Ryuga rested his hand on Kenta's shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him.

Kenta let out a sigh. “I know, I know." He clung to Ryuga's arm for a few breaths before looking up at Ryuga. "Can… can we do something else?”

“You’re going to make me watch more of that dumb card show, aren’t you?” Ryuga grunted, moving his arm away.

Kenta smiled and shrugged. “Well, I was going to say ‘get you some apps for your phone,’ but, sure. I’d like to watch more Yugioh!”

Ryuga let out a sigh. However, at least Kenta wasn’t upset anymore.

“It gets really good!" Kenta insisted, hopping off the couch. “I promise!”

“It's about magical cards,” Ryuga replied with disbelief.

“We fight with metal tops that have spirits in them.”

Ryuga winced visibly.

Kenta's eyes went wide. “Er- um!"

“Put the show on," Ryuga ordered, his eyes narrowing.

“Okay," Kenta nodded and began setting up the TV.

Upon being reminded of L-Drago's disappearance, Ryuga longed for anything that would take his attention away from that pain, even something as silly as a show about kids playing with cards.

----------------

The next morning, Ryuga was lured out of the basement by the smell of food. He pushed the door open. Kenta’s parents were both in the kitchen, perking up a bit when they noticed him.

“Good morning, kiddo.”

Ryuga looked around. *Where’s Kenta? Why isn’t he up yet?!* A feeling of dread quickly overtook Ryuga. This was the worst-case scenario: he was alone with Kenta’s parents.

“Morning,” Ryuga muttered, sitting down at the table and staring intently at the ground.

*Please don’t try to talk to me, it’s too early for this.*

“Sleep well?” Kenta’s dad asked.

Ryuga let out a sigh. *Why?! Why do people have to constantly talk about nothing in particular?! Can’t there just be silence for once?!*

“Well enough,” Ryuga answered with a grunt.

Down the hall, a door opened. Ryuga let out a sigh of relief when he heard Kenta dash into the living room.

“Madoka just texted me!” Kenta announced, holding up his phone. “Flash Sagittario is fully repaired!”

“Oh, that’s good!” Kenta’s mother replied with a smile.

“You can go get it after breakfast,” his dad added, gesturing to the food they were currently cooking.

“Awesome!” Kenta turned to Ryuga. “Oh, hey Ryuga. You’re… up before me.” He sounded shocked.

“What’s your point?”

If Ryuga hadn’t come up here on his own, Kenta or one of his parents would’ve gone to get him like they always did. It made no difference what he did.

“Nothing,” Kenta replied with a shrug. “I’m just surprised.”

He sat next to Ryuga, at their usual spots at the table. Minutes later, Kenta’s parents put food on the table, consisting of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Ryuga went straight for the scrambled eggs, scooping some into a bowl with a fork.

“You sure that’s enough food for you, kiddo?” Kenta’s dad asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Yes.” Ryuga’s eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to fatten me up?”

Kenta’s parents just chuckled.

Ryuga stiffened. “That wasn’t a joke- nevermind.” He let out an exasperated sigh. *There really is nothing I can say to these people.*

Ryuga stayed silent for the rest of the meal, keeping his gaze fixed on his bowl of scrambled eggs. Once he was done, he turned to Kenta. The kid had somehow eaten all of his food as well, even though he had more than Ryuga had. *That can’t be normal.*

“Ryuga, you wanna come with me to get Sagittario?” Kenta asked, hopping to his feet.

“Sure,” Ryuga replied, getting to his feet as well.

Ryuga would pretty much follow Kenta anywhere if it meant he didn’t have to be alone with the kid’s parents. So the two of them left the house side by side. When they reached the Bey shop, Ryuga waited just outside as Kenta went in to retrieve Flash Sagittario.

“Woah, it’s Ryuga!” Ryuga stiffened at the sound of an unfamiliar voice: a kid by the sound of it.

“Ryuga?” another kid replied, sounding stunned. “Gingka’s last opponent in Battle Bladers?”

Ryuga stiffened at the memory of that battle.

“Yeah, him! He’s right over here.”

“Woah… he looks mean.”

Ryuga glared at the two kids, putting on the evilest face he could muster. They yelped and ran away. However, the reaction brought Ryuga no joy. In all honesty, Ryuga didn’t know how he wanted to be treated. He hated being treated like any other kid, but he wasn’t the Dragon Emperor anymore, so he didn’t think he deserved to be treated as such.

The bell at the shop door rang. Ryuga looked up to see Kenta walking out, holding up a newly repaired Flash Sagittario. He glanced at the bey. However, he barely got a chance to look at it as Kenta dashed past him.

“Wait, Kenta!” Ryuga called.

Kenta skidded to a halt. “Yeah?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Can I see Sagittario? Just for a second.”

“Uh… okay.” Kenta held Sagittario out in his hands.

Ryuga gently took the bey in his fingers and gazed at it. Flash Sagittario lacked the claws of Flame Sagittario but in exchange, its spin track was much taller and the bey’s entire form seemed tougher overall. This was it. This was the effect Ryuga’s power had on Kenta’s Beyblade, and perhaps a reflection of the effect Ryuga had on Kenta.

Ryuga could sense a familiar power within this bey: L-Drago’s power. Though while L-Drago’s power had been overwhelming, Sagittario’s power seemed quieter, and more controlled. If L-Drago was like a wildfire, then Sagittario was like a campfire.

“I guess it’s thanks to you that his bey even exists,” Kenta’s voice shook Ryuga from his thoughts. “Are you really sure you don’t want to try controlling it?”

“No, Kenta. It’s yours,” Ryuga insisted, handing the bey back to Kenta. “I’m not taking it from you.”

“Okay…” Kenta sounded slightly unsure but he started walking. Ryuga followed. “I really haven’t gotten much of a chance to practice with this new Sagittario,” Kenta was murmuring to himself.

He pulled out his phone and gazed at it as the two of them walked. A horrible decision, Ryuga thought. Yet Kenta was still paying attention to their surroundings somehow.

“Ooh, here’s a tournament scheduled for later today!" Kenta stopped walking, gazing at his phone. "Can I… yeah! There’s still one spot open! Wanna come with me, Ryuga?" He asked, looking up at him.

Ryuga's eyes narrowed. “I can't enter."

“Well yeah, but you could um-" Kenta looked back at his phone.

Ryuga let out a sigh. “Sit and watch." That was all he could do: be on the sidelines, reduced to a mere cheerleader for his Blading friend.

“I just…” Kenta put his phone away, gazing up at Ryuga with the puppy dog eyes. “It would be nice to know that I have your support.”

*It's either that or staying at the house with Kenta's parents.*

"Fine,” Ryuga grunted, “When is this tournament?"

“In a few hours. I need to get my blading stuff from the house but then we can do whatever until the tournament.” Kenta began walking.

Ryuga followed. “I’ll come with you. Then I want to be alone for a while.”

“Um… okay.” Kenta sounded unsure.

“I’ll get there in time for your tournament.” Ryuga smiled a bit. “Not that I’ll need to watch. You'll definitely win.”

“Ah, I don’t know,” Kenta replied, resting his hand on the back of his neck. “There’s a lot of bladers I’ve never beaten. Gingka, Kyoya, Tsubasa… If they’re there, it’ll be a challenge.”

“But you’ve gotten a lot stronger.” Ryuga was surprised to find himself encouraging Kenta. “Don’t forget that. They’re strong but so are you.”

“I… I guess.” Kenta’s gaze shifted to the ground.

“Why are you so unsure of yourself?” Ryuga asked, raising an eyebrow. “You forced me to use my ultimate move and scratched L-Drago before you even became a Legendary Blader!”

“Y-yeah… but that doesn’t guarantee I’ll win. I’ve barely had a chance to learn to control my new Sagittario.” Kenta gazed at his Beyblade.

“Then this is the perfect opportunity to learn.”

Kenta looked unconvinced but he didn’t argue further. They continued on in silence. 

*Attending tournaments is the closest I’ll ever get to returning to the world of Beyblade… where people will definitely recognize me.* Ryuga’s eyes widened at the thought. *I can’t… I don’t want to be recognized, I’ll just be gawked at and questioned relentlessly about L-Drago.* However, Ryuga had already told Kenta he would go. He didn’t want to disappoint him…

Ryuga was shaken from his thoughts when Kenta pushed the door to the house open. The two of them walked inside. Kenta's parents were both on the couch, gazing at their phones.

“Oh, you two got back quick…” Kenta’s dad remarked, glancing up at them.

Kenta nodded. “Yeah, I just need to pick up some stuff. I have a tournament later today.” He immediately rushed toward his room.

“Okay, sweetie,” Kenta’s mom called after him.

Ryuga stood frozen for a few moments, trying to collect his thoughts. He was going to a Bey stadium. If he didn't want to be recognized, he would have to use a disguise of some sort. However, he had nothing like that. Ryuga cast a glance at Kenta's parents, whose gazes were still fixed on their phones. Ryuga took a step forward.

*No! No way! I am not talking to them if I don't have to!* Ryuga froze. He didn't have any better ideas and being recognized at the tournament would probably be worse than dealing with Kenta's parents for a single conversation. *I guess I have to try.*

Ryuga took a deep breath and cleared his throat. Kenta’s parents looked up at him. Ryuga froze. *I hate this already. Why am I doing this?!*

“Can I borrow a jacket?” Ryuga blurted out, glancing at the window to avoid eye contact.

“A jacket?” Kenta’s dad sounded confused. “You’re wearing one right now.”

Ryuga had nearly forgotten he had his white jacket draped over his shoulders.

“A different one,” Ryuga replied, removing his white jacket and placing it aside. “I need one with a hood…”

Kenta’s mom grabbed a jacket off the coat-hanger.

“Here, will this work?” she asked, handing it to Ryuga.

He gazed at the jacket. It was long and black with a hood and a zipper. It wasn’t quite a cloak. However, Ryuga liked to think it was one.

“Yes,” Ryuga replied, slipping the jacket on.

“Got my stuff!” Kenta announced, rushing into the room. He looked up at Ryuga. “What’s with the getup?”

Ryuga walked toward the door and pulled it open. Kenta chased after him.

“Um, bye mom! Bye dad!” he called after them.

“Bye!”

“Good luck at your tournament!”

Kenta shut the door behind them and rushed to catch up with Ryuga. He walked by his friend’s side.

“Are you really not gonna tell me?” Kenta asked, tilting his head to the side.

Ryuga glanced down at him. “Tell you what?”

“Why are you wearing my mom’s jacket?”

“I didn’t want to be recognized at your tournament.”

Kenta’s eyes went wide. “Oh…” He looked away, suddenly embarrassed.

“I’ll see you then,” Ryuga added, turning to walk the other direction. “Do your best.” Kenta nodded. Determination burned in his gaze. Ryuga smiled and walked away.

(Author’s Note: Surprise! I’m actually not done with this story. I thought I was back when I finished chapter 3 but not long after posting, I got a burst of new ideas for this AU. So I started writing the ideas down and I ended up with enough material to fill six more chapters. So… yeah. This is a first. I’ve never gone back and continued a story after I thought I finished it. I considered making these six chapters a sequel but really, this story is already so short and the same conflict is continued and expanded so it made sense to keep it as one story. So yeah, look forward to five more chapters after this one.)