#kuras is objectively the perfect man

[venvellan]

touchstarved is such a sick twisted game. i'm not talking abt the plot or theme at all that's all good and dandy. i mean the way that it's possessed my soul and body.

i seriously need and want all five of them. to a sickly degree. i don't wanna have to pick a route. i want five lovers. yea some of them hate each other but i'm not making them hang out it's fine.

tack on a 2 year wait for the full release and it's only a matter of time before i'm hysterical

[luminescentlyricist]

🦴 The Collector 🦴

The boy hummed to himself as he took in his surroundings, even though the interior of his house was something he'd seen a million times. He wasn't a very talkative person, even when he was around those he knew well. Hayato Kura was planning to go to the entrance exam of UA High, one of the most prestigious Hero schools in all of Japan.

He was lucky enough to be in the 80% of people who were born with a Quirk, though in his generation it was theorised to have risen to 95%. His Quirk, however, was largely useless, and turned out to be much more of a hassle to use than it was worth. Wings Of Bone had always been more offensive than defensive, he found, which would do him no favours in combat training if he even passed the entrance exams.

Hayato was calm, though, and found that he didn't particularly care whether or not he got in. While he decided more freedom, if he didn't put his life on the line by getting his hero license sooner, he would be at no risk. His mother possessed a shielding Quirk, and his father wielded flames as the rising hero Ignite. This perfect balance of brutal attack and sturdy, reliable defence had inevitably led to a lot of coddling in his earlier years.

The boy's constant humming had blended into a single note. He stopped humming, then, rubbing his eyes in a gesture of idle discomfort. Hayato subconsciously turned his hums - which he regarded as a sort of hobby - into one of three things: A minor note, something dissonant or one of the gentler tunes that Haruhi - his dear mother, who he had gradually become much closer to than his father - had taught him as a child.

Swinging his legs, the boy made little effort to move from his bed. He didn't want to socialise with anyone, and when he looked out the window he realised just how early he had been getting out of bed those last few mornings. It was a bad habit, really, because he went to bed at times resulting in about four hours a night, often less. Hayato rubbed his ears, ringing persisting from the grating noise he had subjected himself to before.

He wanted so badly too get into UA, no matter how many doubts pushed into his mind at a constant rate. Despite how hard his mother had tried to hide it from him, the boy had known for years that she had never made it into the prestigious school. Above even his yearning for freedom, to mould his own identity, he wanted to make his parents proud. Especially his father, who he didn't particularly bond with over anything.

That said, the man had always been invested in becoming a hero to be held in high regard. So, as he finally stood up after a minute or two deep in thought, he rung his dad. Usually, Homura, better known as Ignite, would pick up, but the line seemed to be dead. With a soft, resigned huff, he reacted no further to the circumstances. All things considered, he never really expected the man to stop anyway.

Endeavour was his father's greatest influence, role model and source of jealousy alike. Unlike Haruhi, he had been able to get into UA, and had been training his whole life since. Endeavour was to Homura as All Might had been to Deku, but the comparison ended quickly. Both boys had been obsessive, but they held different views, and Deku's had helped him rise. Hayato often worried that his father's viewpoint was clouded with too much jealousy to be healthy.

He pushed all of his doubt to the back of his mind and begun to pace irritably. He often worried that everything would get so much worse because of all the time the man spent away. He couldn't seem to get the hurricane of thoughts in his head to still. Once more, he attempted to call his father, but the ringing was just too loud. He hung up, fingers skittering across the screen with a feverish intensity.

All of a sudden, he hauled his middle school backpack from under his bed, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He packed it with one of his newest notebooks - he had taken a proverbial page from Deku's book, and was fond of documenting Villains and Heroes alike - as well as a bottle of soft drink and a couple of snacks. He knew that he had to escape for a little while, and there was only one place where he could do that properly.

There were a series of caves deep in the darkness, the likes of which could only be accessed via a hole high in a rock wall. Not many people bothered to go further than the main cave mouth, where the obstacle lay. There was evidence to suggest others with flying Quirks had attempted to get up to the crevice, in the form of gouges and crumbles. Even though it was dark and uneven territory, Hayato found solace in it.

Weirdly enough, Hayato didn't use Wings of Bone much, scaling the wall with a certain practiced ease, using the natural and unnatural wear alike as footholds. Unbeknownst to his parents, he had been visiting and mapping the caves for years. He didn't mind how dark and frightening the caves were in the least. He was adjusted to it. If anything, he appreciated these circumstances because they prevented other people coming to the place he had deemed his own.

The high ceiling of the cavern in which he stood was unreachable without both flight and speed as well as stamina. As such, he had been steadily training his endurance across the whole time he had known of and was visiting the winding and intricate underground network. That was one of his goals, really, to be able to get up closer and to observe the mighty stalagmites on the higher reaches of the cavern.

He laughed joyously, listening intently to the way his voice echoed and was slightly warped by the environment. For now he'd go no deeper, as it was quite the effort to get into in the first place. As a whole, from where Hayato lives, it was anywhere from a half-hour to forty-five minute walk. This was punctuated by hills and uneven ground, however, and the student often found himself flying over much of it to avoid stirring the earth or tripping completely and being injured.

He sat on a jutting rock, the smallest of smiles etching itself onto his lips. This place was his, and his alone. It was a Monday, and he'd likely be yelled at by his classmates or teacher for skipping school, but he didn't think that was important. Hayato's careless nature punctuated his worries and would, undoubtedly, force him to change his ways. All the boy seemed to care about when he was in his special refuge was the environment itself as well as the peace and quiet it provided.

Hayato took a small pouch from his blazer, the likes of which he had sewn extra pockets into, and opened it. Inside was a small vial, containing preservation fluid and a pair of tweezers. He set his bag down beside him, unzipping it with trembling hands. They weren't actually shaking from anxiety, apart from the fact that Hayato didn't really want to damage anything when he did what he had initially come to do.

Upon coming to the caves a few times a week, the boy had observed the formation and growth of crystals over the years. Now, after so long, the gems were ready and waiting for him to collect. He had more than one vial and container in his bag, as the boy had made sure to be prepared. Letting his Quirk activate - the process slow because of all of the adrenaline coursing through his body - Hayato rose through the air, humming once again and letting the noise wreathe around him, providing additional comfort.

It was nerve-wracking, really. The mere thought of destroying what he had waited for so long to grow was mortifying. Hayato was no archaeologist, but he had educated himself well on the subject. So, he observed the crystals at the entrance to the caverns, cringing at all of the chipping and damage they had sustained. He'd leave those ones alone. Slowly, across at least five hours of flying back and forth through the network - careful not to go too deep - Hayato had collected at least thirty crystals.

He wrapped the vials and other containers securely in towels, tightly packing them so that they wouldn't be damaged in any way by the rough journey ahead. The boy wasn't quite sure of exactly what he'd do with the precious objects when he got home. All of a sudden, there was a deep rumbling outside the main cave that made his heart beat faster, so loudly that it throbbed in his ears and almost drowned out the panicked screams of the civilians outside. It seemed there had been a Villain ambush, and some kind of attack had impacted the rocks.

Hayato bolted.

He had no idea if he'd even be able to escape. If he did, there was the glaring issue of what was happening outside the caves. His feet pounded across the uneven ground, and all thoughts of using his Quirk to get out escaped his mind. All he could think of was to run, run, run away. Rocks were breaking all around Hayato, his legs, lungs and the rest of his body burning. As the place he once thought was so safe crumbled, he kept moving by sheer willpower, though his body protested every movement he made.

Leaping into the air, he activated Wings of Bone, knowing that there was a no other way he'd get out fast enough. He lurched towards the rock wall, but that was when it had just begun to break. The sheet of rock fell inwards, towards the frightened boy. He had fallen from the air because of the debris pummelling his every side. He curled up in defeat, accepting his morbid fate as it finally collapsed.

Now, however, the student's body seemed to burn with a different energy. Time was slowed - or that was what he thought, due to his groggy eyes and mind that wanted to give up on him - as four soft, choking words were smothered by crashing stone:

"Special Move... Marrow Mould!"

Of course, Hayato had never used such a move before. It was a blind guess. Puns aside, he felt the power in his very bones. When he felt as if he were going to die, the boy pushed all of his power into visualising a shield. His arms may both have rendered useless, but at least he was alive. It had worked, against all odds. The dome of pearl-white bone was circular, bubble-like, exactly like the ones his mother always used to protect him.

[dezmari]

Will-O-Wisp Chapter 8 on Ao3 and FF.net

“Sakura.” A voice called out with the pronunciation so peculiar, so familiar and the voice unmistakable. She felt both the urge to cry and to run, but she remained there frozen in place. His name escaped her lips as a relflex, on its own. “Sasuke.” Who would have told her he’d be back, to make things right, and mend years worth of mistakes, mistakes that hadn’t even happened yet.

      01 … 02 … 03 … 04 … 05 … 06 ... 07 ... 08

Chapter 8: Monsters Inside your Head

“She’s on a mission.” Naruto blinked in confusion at Kakashi’s words. It took a minute until it sank in, it would explain why the place was unusually tidy.

“What? Where, why, with who?” The questions left his lips quickly as confusion and worry took over.

Kakashi shook his head, it wasn’t often when they didn’t know Sakura’s whereabouts, they weren’t used to being the ones in the dark. “That’s classified information, Naruto.”

* * *

In the morning they put everything away in silence, she could see him immersed in his thoughts. The vibe of unease he gave off the day before was no longer there, he was back to his composed self. She couldn’t stop but think of what he told her.

“I saw fire.”

And the look on his eyes. Terrified and desperate to change what haunted him.

Sakura wanted to ask more about the mission, she wanted him to take her out of the dark but she remained quite as she prepared to set off. Most of their mission was still a mystery to her, he didn’t say anything more than what he had to.

She didn’t press the subject knowing she would find out soon enough. Instead she thought about Madara, they were there to find him and she hadn’t really thought about it until then. She bit her lip as she recalled the war. She recalled the monstrosities, the man with enough power to face the rest of the world all on his own.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at all scared.

A faint scar had remained where he stabbed her, she raised her hand to her chest placing it over where she knew the scar to be. She could recall the fear that coursed through her body as she ran to him, the fear of not knowing if she would make it out alive. The horror as she was so close to him, he was like nothing they’ve ever face before.

The thought that he could still be alive…

“-kura. Sakura.” She suddenly heard him calling snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned to him, eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, I-” She cuts herself off before she could continue, shutting her mouth as she bit her lip. I’m scared. She wanted to say and she was afraid he could read it on her expression.

“He’s not the same Madara you fought against.” He tells her with a sigh. “In this time period he’s much weaker, just a shell of the Madara you remember.”

She nodded, his words serving to calm her nerves if just slightly.

“Then why don’t you take him out right now?” She questioned placing the remaining of her things inside her backpack, closing the zipper slowly as she waited for his answer.

“I need to find the ideal moment and I need your Sasuke out of the way.” She could see as he chose his words carefully, trying not to reveal too much she assumed. “Today is just to confirm the situation hasn’t changed.” She nodded.

The future wasn’t written in stone it seemed, things could change for better or for worse. But there was something about the mission as a whole that seemed off. He could finish him off right then, they could ask for Sasuke’s help.

“And what if the situation has changed? What then?” She turned to him and saw him shake his head.

“I don’t know. Us being here, you being here could change everything.” She suspected as much, Madara couldn’t see her.

There was a moment of silence as she contemplated her next words. When she finally sighed and opened her mouth he turned to her. A part of her thinks he already knew her next words before she did. “I know you don’t want to say much but if I’m to stay on this mission I need to know the whole story, not just the bits and pieces you deem fit to tell me.”

He grimaced but the expression seemed forced. “It’s complicated.” He told her and she just stared at him, waiting. “But you know that much, there are things that will take me a long time to explain, it’s better if you see them for yourself. Whatever you don’t know by the end of today’s mission, I’ll tell you.”

“I’ll hold you to your word.” She said, her gaze fixated on him.

“I know you will.” She could hear the worry in his tone crystal clear.

* * *

They separated as the mission started, she doesn’t know the reason of his decision but she wasn’t about to complain. Being with him would have made her plan harder so she agreed quickly when he offered up the idea.

She sneaked through the woods, as she looked down from up above the trees. She hid her chakra and tried to calm her beating heart.

It had been almost an hour and there was still no sign of Sasuke or Madara. Her nerves were on edge, her hands balled up into fists.

“Our objective is to shadow them, pursue them, but not confront them.”

Her eyes roamed the woods, still no sign of them.

“Remember you will not fight Madara, you will not intervene. And most importantly, remember Sakura, the Sasuke you’ll encounter today is not me nor is he your Sasuke.”

She knew what he was trying to tell her, she knew he wanted her to give up on whatever silly idea she had on bringing Sasuke back. But she refused to let his words stray her from her objective.

They had a mission, he had his motive, and she had hers.

She would get Sasuke back and she would stop this.

She felt the footsteps before she heard them, slowly she turned her face toward the sound. Her gaze fell on a figure cloaked in black. For a moment she was afraid it would be Madara, but as he got closer she could feel him and see him.

Sasuke.

She remained frozen in place as he stopped in his tracks and raised his head ridding himself of the hood that hid his face. His gaze seemed to scan the forest and for a moment she thought she’d been found. But when he resumed his walk she breathed a small sigh in relief, all the training she’d spent at masking her chakra seemed to be paying off.

His posture was rigid and his hand seemed to be at his side were his kusanagi probably was ready to attack if need be.

He looked so much like the Sasuke that had walked away from her almost a year ago, but he didn’t feel like him. She could feel the paranoia and the anger that surrounded him. From where she was hidden she could see his expression, frowned and anger in his gaze.

“Nor is he your Sasuke.”

His words came to mind then, but she shook the thought away. She refused to believe him, she didn’t want to. She had to bring him back.

He passed her hiding spot then and when he was a safe distance away she jumped over to the next tree, following silently. He walked alone and she saw no sign of Madara for a moment she was afraid the situation had changed, but then she remembered her objective.

He was there, so close to her that if she spoke he would hear. She could bring him back, she could do what Naruto hadn’t managed to do in years. Nervousness ate away at her and her heart started pounding loudly in her chest.

‘I can’t let this chance slip away.’

There might not be another one she knew, this could very well be her third and final chance.

“If I still have a place somewhere in your heart, no matter how small it may be, then please, I beg you don’t slip further away.”

She swallowed, relaxing her palms into the tree steadying herself, she would do it this time and he would not walk away. Not again.

“If we all stayed together…Forever…”

She could hear his every step as he got farther and farther away. She knew it was now or never. She crouched on the tree trunk getting ready to jump after him, and before she chickened out she jumped. Her feet landed silently against the ground and he was still walking away.

She wanted to scream, but didn’t. Instead she watched his back as she often did. Uchiha symbol stood proud on his back and he stood tall his steps firm and sure.

“I’m sure…that someday things would go back to the way they used to be.”

“You’re really are damned annoying.”

And she swallowed the fear of facing him, of breaking again and turned to step forward.

* * *

He had completed the perimeter, the situation seemed to remain the same as he remembered. Madara was shadowing Sasuke and neither had noticed him. As he finished up he headed toward Sakura trying to be as silent as possible.

He tried keeping as farthest away as he possibly could, only as a precaution he activated both his rinnegan and sharingan, which were once again working.

From the distance he could see her, pink bubble gum hair recognizable anywhere, she was not hiding, a moment away from unmasking her chakra and presence, she was completely exposed. He wanted to scream at her, what the hell she thought she was doing.

If the Uchiha turned around he would spot her, if Madara showed up he would see her, but he was sure she knew that.

“And we can bring Sasuke back?”

He had seen the hope in her eyes then, he’d seen the determination since the moment they set out the village. He should have known.

‘Damn it.’

He quickened his pace, Madara was getting close and everything would be ruined if he saw either of them.

This was partly his fault, he knows her. Sakura is always bound to try and save him, to try and reach out to him and he gave her the perfect chance. How had he expected her to stand by while he walked away?

She doesn’t have the heart for it.

She saw as her posture relaxed and he knew she would step forward. ‘Don’t!’ He wanted to scream but the circumstances prevented him from making a sound.

With every second that passed Madara was closer, he would not make it in time to stop her. In the back of his mind he knew there was a way, it was risky. He contemplated his options. If she stepped forward she could not only ruin their objective, she would expose herself and most likely put herself in danger. But if he made his move there was a strong chance they could spot them both.

He was a shinobi and the lesser of the two evils was letting her fall and not expose himself. But above everything else, he was Sasuke and she was Sakura and there was no doubt about his decision.

He closed the eye containing the sharingan and focused, he could see it a leaf among many others, falling behind her dragged by the wind. Less than a second later he was there, her body reacted before she did tensing up at his closeness. She opened her mouth but before she could make a sound his hand had prevented her.

Taking a step backwards, they were once again cloaked by the trees. Her eyes turned to him then, she remained motionless in his grip, but her eyes screamed everything she couldn’t. Her glare was fierce, anger boiling inside her green eyes, and all he could do was stare.

‘Keep that anger, you’ll need it.’ He wanted to tell her but remained in silence.

It was then that he felt the strong presence of Madara, making his appearance at last. Although strong, the difference to the Madara that attacked the leaf village in his time was enormous, infinitely so.

This Madara could still be defeated.

“I knew it was just a matter of time, Madara.” Sasuke spoke in the distance and his own grip on Sakura tightened.

a/n: Thanks for reading. :) Also for those SasuSaku fans that also ship reylo here is the link to my first reylo drabble. :)