#let me know in the replies what you would like Chie to do

[taldigi]

Hi hello ur P4: Retransmission au has me positively foaming at the mouth(/pos), especially nyarukami and dorktective naoto!!! If you don't mind me asking i was wondering a few things,

is naotos design here based off the concept art? Is that why they don't have a hat (as far as I've seen lol)?

Does Naoto call chie any sort of nickname like "partner" or did Yosuke take the nicknaming in the swap? Does Yosuke call Nyarukami like, Pawrtner or smth?

Does anyone pun back at Nyarukami? Does Teddie still make bear puns?

Do you have any like, fav dynamics between characters in particular?

Sorry I've been thinking about this all day cuz this au is so cool and I love ur art and everything here is top tier o7

is naotos design here based off the concept art? Is that why they don't have a hat (as far as I've seen lol)?

YES IM SO GLAD SOMEONE NOTICED!!

He looks so scrunkled and I thought it was a perfect look!

He gets his hat later, as a gift for performing a character arc.

Does Naoto call chie any sort of nickname like "partner" or did Yosuke take the nicknaming in the swap? Does Yosuke call Nyarukami like, Pawrtner or smth?

It kinda feels sacrilegious to have Naoto call Chie his partner- cause that's like... the Souyo petname. But, I think he uses it in a more formal sense. I think... He also uses "my dear" (in the sense of "my dear Watson" since this Naoto is more performative about it than canon).

There's been debate about the differences between aibou and partner and how there isn't much of a direct translation, but I think it would fall back into that for the Yoosk and Nyarukami. I think it starts with "buddy" before falling back into something like that... as Nyarukami does weird out Yosuke at first before they actually spend time together!

Seeing as Nyarukami isn't a 1-1 Teddie, and does have his calm demeanor and same interests- just lacking leadership qualities. I think they get into some mischief (something this Yosuke sorely needs) and start to click afterwards... then Yosuke not only goes through his gay crisis, but his furry crisis as well. it's great.

Does anyone pun back at Nyarukami? Does Teddie still make bear puns?

For Teddie, I think the puns were sort of a substitute for his verbal tic in the og, but the sentiment of "being annoying to stay remembered" remains. Nyarukami's puns are less jokes, and more in line with verbal tics. He doesn't even know he's making them most the time and is audibly confused when someone tries to pun back at him.. before going, "oh! It's because I am a cat!" and then trying and failing to make a cat pun in return- because when he tries, they are terrible. "That's cat-tastic"

Teddie, while annoying as ever- does not bear pun. It's sad, true, but Nyarukami's got it covered.

Do you have any like, fav dynamics between characters in particular?

Uh, suprisingly- Yukiko and Yosuke? I'm trying not to let favoritism happen toooo much, but Yosuke being the only one to be on Yukiko's side at first is frighteningly charming.

He calls out the IT initially for assuming Yukiko is the killer. And since he's the first victim after the second murder, it's Yukiko who- having been suspicious of the IT- forces them to help her find him.

--

Naoto yipped as he was suddenly grabbed and slammed against the wall, the impact eliciting a sharp wheeze as the balled fists of his assailant crushed him where they held him.

Chie reacted almost immediately, an arm shooting out defensively between Naoto and the assailant- though it did little in holding the assailant from crushing him entirely.

"Start talking, Shirogane." The assailant- whom Chie remembered as Yukiko Amagi -growled, "I don't know.. I don't even care, how you somehow duped the new kid into your stupid little buddy cop roleplay, but you've been snooping around my place."

"I don't.. I don't know what you're talking about-" Naoto squeaked out, hands raised defensively. The reply resulted in slightly more crushing and the sneer on Amagi's face growing larger.

"Amagi-" Chie tried, recoiling as Amagi snapped a firey glare at her.

"Shut up." Amagi snapped, before turning back to Naoto, "I'm not stupid, and you of all people are less than subtle- You know something about him, you're doing something. .. and I for sure know that junk closet you hid in didn't have exits!"

"H..him..?" Naoto managed out, prompting Amagi to pull back and slam Naoto back into the wall- eliciting another harsh wheeze

"Don't suddenly play stupid, shortstack. I know it was you who broke in last night, looking for 'clues' about those murders on the news. T-the people that went missing-"

Amagi took a breath.

"He never misses more than two days. His parents won't let him, even when he's sick." Her voice got quieter, though it still held a quiet crackle as she continued. "Yosuke's been missing for four days- and-"

"Okay." Chie cut in, causing Amagi to ease up her grip, "Okay. Let him go, and we'll tell you, alright?"

A moment passed, maybe two- then, Amagi sighed, and let Naoto drop to the floor with a thud. The little detective scampering up from where he fell- falling in place, safely, behind Chie.

"That's a funny way of asking for help." Naoto grouched, smoothing out his shirt and adjusting his tie.

[ransprang]

I just saw your post about Sendo’s s/o putting eyeliner on him and I loved it ❤️❤️ Could you do the same sort of prompt with Kimura, Miyata, and Takamura please? I’m so happy that someone is writing for Haiime no Ippo. It’s such an underrated anime

aww thank you <33 yess i got into HNI recently and was so surprised that there's basically no content out there?? if you have any other requests send them in! :)

HNI boys x s/o putting eyeliner on them HCS

Mamoru Takamura

takamura is hesitant, but mostly because he thinks makeup is something for girls and he is a "manly man" (his words)

you eventually manage to convince him by promising to do anything he wants afterwards, for which of course he only has one thing in mind

when he actually sees the final look in the mirror he quite likes it because he looks a bit more fierce. it gets him excited because he realises he can look scarier in his fights, "y/o can you make me look like a bear?? NO, A HAWK??"

he will actually let you do some makeup before his defense / title matches

he calls aoki and kimura (well mostly kimura) to annoy them through vague wording about what happened today "OI LOSER GUESS WHAT. Y/N AND I DID FACE STUFF TODAY HAHAHAHAHHA" (then you both may or may not proceed to do actual face stuff ahem)

takamura may even let you do more makeup on him like eyeshadoow as long as you can make him look scary

(Miyata & Kimura under cut)

Ichiro Miyata

miyata would initially be surprised by your actions, but then assume that he probably must have bored you to the point where you had to resort to such an idea

he is aware that people call him 'pretty boy', but that doesn't really affect his masculinity so he pretty easily let's you do his eyeliner

he'd sit down on a chair unsure of what to do so he just folds his arms and closes his eyes, "is this okay?"

he'd stiffen a bit when you sit on his lap, but still will do his best to remain still as he feels a strange sensation on his eyelids

when you're done, you follow behind him to a mirror. you swear you saw a small smile form on miyata's face, "this looks very interesting"

"i think you look pretty handsome actually" you say from behind him, giving him a hug. in a soft voice he replies, "thank you.."

Tatsuya Kimura

when you ask him if you can put eyeliner on him he immediately says yes. like he'd be so dumb to reject quality time together

the two of you sit on his bed as you lean over and do his eyeliner

kimura secretly enjoys having your attention on him even if it's just for a few minutes. having you so close to him also makes him feel very special

when you're done he reaches for a handheld mirror and looks shook by how talented you are

he tackles you onto the bed with a hug and murmurs about how lucky he is to have an artistically talented s/o

unfortunately he doesn't have the confidence to wear the eyeliner out in public mostly in fear of what takamura will say. he knows takamura will make fun of him hardcore and he doesn't need that to ruin this special thing between the two of you

(manga content) when chie is over at his house while you are also there, he asks you to put eyeliner on him. when the look is done she looks at him and tells him he looks pretty like a magical girl c:

yours liningly,

admin sar

[vgckwb]

P4G: Mirror Mirror (A FeMC Story/P4G Rework) Chapter 12: Fever Pitch

Once Yua, Yosuke, and Chie were all back at the Junes food court in their uniforms, they were set to go. “Gotta say, it is a little odd to be wearing my uniform,” Yosuke remarked.

“Again, it is better than getting arrested,” Yua said.

“Ah, you just need to customize it a little,” Chie said. She glanced at Yua. “Do you think a vest would suit him?”

Yua looked Yosuke over. “It’s hard to say.”

Yosuke was embarrassed. “Did you forget we’re here to save someone?”

“Of course I didn’t forget!” Chie snapped. She stood up. “We’ll go, but we’re not done with this conversation!”

“Ugh,” Yosuke sighed.

“Well, we know where to go,” Yua said. “Let’s vamoose!” The group started making their way to the electronic section of Junes to slip into the TV.

Upon entering, they found Teddie pondering something. “Hey, it’s that bear from last time!” Chie pointed out.

“His name’s Teddie,” Yua clarified.

“Huh. How fitting,” Chie noted. “Hey!” she called out. Teddie looked back. “We think someone came in here? Do you know where they are?”

Teddie walked over. “Someone DEFINITELY came in here! I can point you in their direction.”

“Great!” Chie cheered. “Oh, my name’s Chie, by the way.”

“So, what were you thinking about?” Yosuke asked.

Teddie pouted. “I was trying to figure out why I exist. But I haven’t had any luck.”

“Well, to be fair, the answer to why any of us are here is hard to define,” Yua pointed out.

“Still, it’s un-BEAR-able!” Teddie protested.

“Well, you’re just gonna have to grin and bear it!” Yua countered.

“Really?” Yosuke said. “I expected that from him, but you too Yua?”

“Forgive me for trying to bring some levity to the situation,” Yua snided.

“FOCUS!” Chie said. “We’re here for Yukiko! Now, do you know how to get there or not?!”

“I do, I do,” Teddie replied. “Follow me!” Teddie led the way, as the other three followed. They soon arrived at the castle they saw Yukiko at. “Here we are.”

Chie was stunned. “Isn’t this the castle Yukiko was at on The Midnight Channel?”

“Well, we did see her walk into it,” Yua said. “So we just have to follow.”

“It’s still surreal that we can see this world at all,” Yosuke said. “Even if it is limited in when we can.”

“Furthermore,” Yua conjectured, “why did we see Yukiko’s silhouette while she was on our side?” She turned to Teddie. “Do you have any idea?”

Teddie shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. Maybe it has something to do with whoever is throwing people in here.”

“Perhaps,” Yosuke said. “They must be confident that no one will catch them so they decide to broadcast who their next victim is.”

“Something doesn’t seem right about that,” Yua said. “Why only on The Midnight Channel? Why not hijack an actual signal?”

“Hmmm,” Yosuke pondered. “Maybe it has something to do with this world? I mean, someone’s putting people in here. Even if they have a better grasp on the world than we do, I don’t think they understand all the ins and outs of this world.”

“I don’t even understand all the ins and outs,” Teddie remarked.

“What?!” Yosuke yelped. “How?”

“Well, can you tell me everything about your world?” Teddie asked.

“...Fair,” Yosuke relented.

“So then why give Yukiko this castle?” Chie said. “And why make her say all that stuff? I’ve known Yukiko for a long time, and that didn’t sound like her!”

“I don’t think that has anything to do with the person putting people in here,” Teddie said.

“How do you figure?” Yua wondered.

“Aside from you all, I’ve only sensed people coming in here one at a time,” Teddie said. “All of this belongs to this Yukiko person.”

“That CAN’T be true!” Chie protested.

“Well, it makes sense,” Yosuke said.

“But there’s no WAY Yukiko would say any of that!” Chie said. “Maybe they’re hiding themselves!”

“I’m not so sure,” Yua said.

Chie was growing furious. “Fine! All I have to do is free Yukiko, and we’ll see what she has to say about all of this!” She burst off running into the castle.

Everyone was alarmed. “Chie!” Yua called out. She, Yosuke, and Teddie tried to follow, but their path was blocked when a woman in a white robe flew down to meet them. This one was wearing large, earmuff headphones. “Out of the way!” Yua demanded.

“Hm hm hm, silly girl,” the figure said. “What makes you think I’d listen to you?”

“We have to hurry!” Teddie said. “The castle is crawling with shadows!” Yua drew her sword.

The figure chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’ll be safe. I guarantee it.”

“Like how Saki was safe?!” Yosuke countered.

“Dear child,” the figure said, “she tried to resist. Now, if I’m not mistaken, your friend knows what happened?” They tentatively nodded. “Well then, she knows what happens when you resist.”

“You’re forgetting the X-factor,” Yua howled. “Us!”

“You call yourselves an ‘X-factor’, the figure demeaned, “I call you rubbish. And isn’t that what makes a person?”

They were confused. “I…don’t follow,” Yosuke noted.

The figure grinned. “You can say whatever about yourself, but what others say about you is what makes you you. After all, without anyone else’s acknowledgement, how do we know we exist?”

“Well if that’s the case,” Yosuke challenged, “YOU’RE nothing but a feckless cretin, and I cannot wait until I’m able to punch you in your stupid face!”

“Ooooo. Harsh,” the figure reacted. “Or it would be, were it not to these.” She pointed to her headphones.

“You can hear us, jackass!” Yosuke protested.

“Hang on,” Yua intervened. “This world doesn’t play 100% by our own rules. Perhaps they aren’t blocking the senses specifically, but the pain associated with them.”

“Hm hm. You are one smart cookie,” the figure said. “Although in truth, that was a gift from the mistress.”

Yua was confused. “‘Mistress’?”

“Not only that,” the figure continued. She summoned a hand bell. “She has given us the ability to share our gift. And lucky for me, I have a two-for-one special. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to find my little bonus gift.” She jumped up, and phased into the castle. Once she was gone, Yua, Yosuke, and Teddie rushed into the castle.

Upon entry, they were beset by shadows. Luckily, between their personas, their new weapons, and Teddie’s guidance, they managed to take out a good number of shadows. “So far nothing,” Yosuke said, frustrated.

“It seems we’ve looked through this floor,” Teddie said.

Yua found the stairs. “Well, let’s try the next one!” The three of them headed up.

Once they got up, they found themselves face to face with a large set of doors. “There!” Teddie screamed. “Chie-chan’s behind those doors.”

“Let’s hope we’re not too late!” Yua said. She reached for one door, and Yosuke took the other. Together they opened the door.

Once opened, they saw that Chie was face to face with the figure they spotted earlier. “Crap!” Yosuke cursed. “We’re too late!”

“Not necessarily,” Yua said. They started their approach.

“Out of my way!” Chie demanded. She tried to move around the figure, but the figure would always block her. “I’m trying to save Yukiko!”

“Oh, don’t worry about her for the moment,” the figure said. “This is her castle. She’ll be safe until the shadows frenzy. And in that time, I hope to convince her to join us.”

“Like she’d join you!” Chie snapped back.

“Well that’s why I’m here now,” the figure continued. “Once her dear friend Chie is with us, it’ll be impossible for her to say no.”

Chie readied a fighting stance. “You wanna fight?! Bring it on!”

“Hm hm. I’m not so much a brute that I’ll devolve into fisticuffs right away,” the figure replied. “I’m here to talk you into joining us.”

“Ha!” Chie responded. “Like THAT would ever happen!”

“Well, we’ll see,” the figure said. She peered over Chie to see that Yua, Yosuke, and Teddie had caught up. “Ah, it looks like your little friends have arrived.”

“Let her go!” Yua demanded.

“You know I can’t do that,” the figure said. “I protected her just to gain an audience with her. But she’s as obstinate as ever. I was hoping to convince her before you got here.” She smirked. “But maybe this is better.” She looked back at Chie. “You have to know how most people see you, right?”

“Huh?” Chie replied, confused.

“But those two are new in town, correct?” the figure continued. “They don’t have any idea of the truth you hold.”

“What are you talking about?!” Chie demanded.

“Oh, I think you know JUST what I mean,” the figure said. “Don’t you think they ought to know the truth?” Chie was unsure. The figure summoned her bell. “Or perhaps we can sweep this whole affair under the rug, and you can come with me. And then once you’re with us, Yukiko will be sure to follow.”

Chie got irritated. “Yukiko isn’t someone who bows to pressure! So even if I went with you, she won’t!”

“Are you sure about that?” the figure said. “Let’s hear what she has to say.”

Yukiko’s voice started echoing. “She told me I look good in red.”

“Huh?” Yua said.

“This is just like before, with Saki-senpai!” Yosuke said.

“I always hated my name,” Yukiko’s voice. “‘Yukiko’. ‘Snow’. Snow is cold, and melts under pressure. It’s transient and worthless. Just like me. Aside from taking over the inn, I’m worthless. Just another face in the crowd.”

“Yukiko…” Chie said.

“But Chie said red looks good on me,” Yukiko’s voice said. “So I wear it. Honestly, I’m so jealous of Chie.”

“Huh?!” Chie reacted.

“Chie is energetic, determined, and strong,” Yukiko’s voice continued. “She doesn’t care what others think. She has everything that I don’t. And yet, the kindness in her heart tells her to protect me. Me and my worthless life.”

“Yukiko…” Chie said.

“So,” the figure said. “Now you know. Do you wish to continue to protect her? Because if you come with us, we’ll keep you protected. Protected from the cruelty. Protected from the world.”

“Grrrrrr,” Chie fumed. “I’LL PROTECT YUKIKO HOWEVER I DAMN WELL PLEASE! I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR STUPID OFFER! NOW GET OUT OF MY WAY SO I CAN SAVE HER!”

“Hm,” the figure pouted. “This is a disappointing series of events. If you change your mind, just give me a holler. I’m always listening. But perhaps if you won’t listen to me, there’s someone else you might listen to.” The figure disappeared.

Out from where she was standing, another figure that looked remarkably like Chie stepped up. “The kindness in Chie’s heart? What a joke!”

“Hey, isn’t that…” Yosuke mused.

“It’s just like last time!” Teddie said.

“We can stop it this time too!” Yua called out, readying her blade.

The other Chie continued. “Yukiko thinks SHE’S worthless? BAH! I got a kick out of that.”

“That makes one of us!” Chie glared. “Why do you look like me?!”

“It’s simple,” Chie said. “I am you!

“What?” Chie said. Yua and Yosuke nodded to each other. They started charging in, but Chie noticed and turned towards them. “Hey! Stop!” She turned back to her imposter, and readied a fighting stance. “I can handle this.”

“Hold on!” Yosuke said. “They’re really tough!”

“So am I!” Chie replied.

Yosuke was frustrated. Yua lowered her weapon. “Let’s give her a chance.”

“Huh?” Yosuke said.

“We’ll step in when we need to,” Yua said, “but she should have the right to face herself.” Yosuke was still unsure, but trusted Yua. He stood down as well.

“Thanks, but this isn’t me,” Chie said.

“Is it not?” the other Chie wondered. “Because from where I’m standing, we are one in the same.”

“I’d NEVER get enjoyment from Yukiko’s misery!” Chie protested.

“Really?” the other Chie challenged. “Because I think the truth is you need Yukiko more than she needs you.” Chie looked at her with apprehension. “I mean, face facts: Yukiko’s family is rich, well-respected, and the lifeblood of this town. And Yukiko herself is the definition of femininity. You can’t hold a candle to her. No one would take you seriously. It’s only because of Yukiko and her family that you’re even allowed to be.”

“Um Chie?” Teddie asked. “What is she talking about?”

“Nothing!” Chie answered, defensively.

“Heh heh,” the other Chie laughed. “You NEED Yukiko. That’s why her feeling worthless is your asset. So long as she depends on you, you can use her and her family to get what you want! Why, if it wasn’t for them, people would still be decrying you as a ‘boy in a skirt’.”

Everyone was alarmed. “Um, Chie?” Youske asked.

“I have no idea what she’s talking about!” Chie snapped. “I’m a girl! I’ve always been a girl!”

The other Chie shook her head. “Tch tch tch. See? Without Yukiko, you’re cracking under the pressure. You could have said, ‘it’s my tomboyish nature’. But no. Without Yukiko and her family, you cannot hide the fact that you were born a boy!”

Everyone was more surprised. “Um, Chie?” Yua asked.

“THAT’S A LIE!” Chie said, her voice cracking. “Enough of your games! Who are you anyway?!”

“Heh,” the other Chie chuckled. “I know looking into a mirror isn’t the easiest thing for you, but I am you. I’ve always been you. I’ll always be you.”

“SHUT UP!” Chie demanded. “YOU’RE NOT ME!”

The other Chie grinned, and started laughing maniacally. Yosuke looked at Yua. “Now?”

“Now!” Yua said. They readied their weapons, and moved in.

The other Chie spoke up. “Obstinate as always, I see? Well, perhaps I should be in control. That way EVERYONE will know not to mess with me!” She started transforming.

As her transformation continued, a large gust of wind exploded from her, causing Chie to fly back. “Ugh!”

“I gotchu!” Teddie said, catching her.

“Thanks…” Chie said.

Teddie nodded. He looked at Yua and Yosuke. “You two! Give it all you got!” Yua nodded back.

The transformation of the other Chie was complete. She was now a figure with long, black hair, wearing a skimpy yellow leather outfit, complete with a mask, and a series of chains tied to figures of girls in Yasogami high uniforms who were holding her up. “I AM THE SHADOW! THE TRUE SELF!”

Yua charged in with her blade. “Hiya!” It struck, but Yua noticed it was met with a little resistance. She shrugged. “Well, damage is damage, I suppose.”

Meanwhile, Yosuke was readying his persona. “Jiraya! Garu!” He unleashed a torrent of wind. This caused Shadow Chie to fall.

Yua was impressed. “Well damn!”

“Quick!” Yosuke called. “While she’s down, let’s give it all we got!” Yua nodded. They charged in together to blitz her.

Shadow Chie started getting up. “It’s gonna take more than that to keep me down!”

“Well there’s plenty more where that came from!” Yua said.

“Yeah!” Yosuke agreed. They continued fighting. While Shadow Chie put up a good fight, she eventually fell to Yua and Yosuke; her town of girls collapsing from under her.

Chie stood up. “You did it!”

Yua looked at her and smiled. “Now it’s up to you to finish it.” Chie looked over to see that Shadow Chie wasn’t destroyed, but rather reverted back to looking like Chie.

Chie readied a fighting stance. “Bring it on!”

“Hold on!” Teddie said.  “If you keep fighting it, it’ll only become worse.”

Chie was concerned. “So, what do I do?”

“You have to accept it,” Yosuke said. “You have to accept that this is you.”

Chie was stunned. “But-”

“I know!” Yosuke interrupted. “I know…because I had to do the same.” Chie was confused.

“Everyone has a side to them that they don’t like,” Yua continued. “That they want to hide. But you can’t save Yukiko if you’re the one that needs help. I learned that, and Yosuke learned that too. I know you can do it. We’re right here.”

Chie looked at her friends. They were serious. She sighed, and approached her shadow. “Look…I guess you are me after all. I…I do have trouble seeing myself for who I am, or who I want to be. I rely on Yukiko to help me, and that makes me weak. And even though there’s a part of me that likes knowing that Yukiko needs me too, in a way, it makes sense. And if I’m going to rescue her, I need you to come along. Because you are me. And if I’m not fully invested in saving Yukiko, then how can I call myself her friend?”

Shadow Chie nodded, smiling. She began floating, and changed form once again. However, now she looked like a figure wearing a skintight yellow suit, with white boots, a white plated skirt, and a white helmet with a horn, and wielding a dual-bladed sword. It turned into a card, which Chie caught. “This is my persona. Tomoe.”

She then collapsed to her knees. Yosuke and Yua collected her so she didn’t fall face first.

“We should get her out of here,” Yosuke suggested.

“But…but what about Yukiko?” CHie asked.

“She’ll be fine for now,” Yua assured her. “The shadows don’t franzy until it gets foggy on our side. And today looks really sunny.”

“We’ll check the weather forecasts once we get out,” Yosuke said. “But we should get you out of here.”

“He’s right!” Teddie chimed in. “You look exhausted. You’re in no shape to save Yukiko now!”

Chie was surprised, but chuckled. “You’re right.” She stood up with Yua and Yosuke’s help. Together, they headed back to the entrance.

Once there, Teddie remarked “Well then, now that that’s taken care of, I have one more thing.” He pulled out a pair of glasses. “Ta-da!”

“What are those for?” Chie asked.

“They’re for helping navigate this world,” Yua said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t comment on ours," Yosuke added.

Chie looked at the two of them. “Oh yeah. I guess I was so worried, I didn’t notice.” She put them on. “WOAH! The fog is COMPLETELY gone! It’s like night and day!”

Yua nodded. “So, now that we have a good understanding of things, we should rest and come back to save Yukiko!”

“Not only that,” Yosuke said, “but anyone who gets thrown in here.”

Chie nodded. “And we need to figure out what’s going on with those figures, and with you.” She pointed at Yua. “Which is why I think you should lead.”

Yua was surprised. “Me?”

Yosuke nodded. “I mean, I saw what you were capable of. Besides, you were there for me when I faced myself too. You’re the only logical choice.”

“I agree,” Teddie said. “I’d be more confident if it was you leading the charge.”

Yua smirked. “Well, how could I say ‘no’ after that?” She sighed. “Well then, count me in!”

Thou art I… And I am thou…

Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed by The Crocodile Arcana…

Crocodile-Investigation Team: Rank 1

Yua nodded. “So we know what we need to do: Rest up, check the weather, and strengthen our resolve so that we can save Yukiko!” Yosuke and Chie nodded.

“And I’LL hold down the fort here!” Teddie said.

Yua smiled and nodded. “Thank you. Now, if you excuse us, we’ve had a long day.”

“Roger that!” Teddie said. He summoned the TV. “Until we meet again!” Yua, Yosuke, and Chie left for the real world.

[unokins]

No Truth Left - part 3

CW: Violence, body malformation

Link to Archive

Not even a second of deliberation and Chie ran for the caves. The collapsing house was a certain dead end. At least she could hope for safety in the twisting tunnels. Her lungs burned and legs ached as she stumbled past the cave's mouth.

A jutting rock caught her foot. Chie fell with a hard thud, hands scraping on the black stone. The squelching pattering and inhuman grunting grew louder. 

The ground in front of her dropped away to a steep, almost vertical slope. Darkness veiled the descent. If she jumped and broke her leg- or worse, her back- Chie glanced behind her, and a thick shadow stretched across the ground outside. 

"Oh God, oh God." Chie pulled herself behind a box, drawing her knees up. She squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears, as if that would protect her.

It's following your footprints. The masculine derision rang in her ears and Chie's eyes snapped open. Who kept talking!?

No one else hid nearby, but the mud from her shoes stamped the ground, advertising her position like a giant, pointing arrow. The stench of rotting fish rolled off the figure as it approached. 

Even if you ran deeper into the caves, it'll follow. It knows your smell.

"Please, help me," Chie tried to say but the words stuck in her throat. All that escaped was a feeble whimper. Tears stung her eyes. She was going to die.

If we want to survive, you need to act. See that bottle? To your left?

Chie's head twitched, eyes alighting on an empty beer bottle. Its bottom had broken off in jagged pieces. Slowly, she nodded.

Pick it up by the neck. And get ready.

"I- I can't." Fear gripped Chie with icy fingers, nails digging into her muscles and freezing her to the spot. Her arm twitched uselessly.

Foreign frustration hit her like a sucker punch. Chie squirmed against it. If you don't fight back, the best you can hope for is a quick death. The voice growled animalistically, words reverberating in Chie's head. And I'm not letting your ineptitude kill me. Now pick up the fucking bottle. And get. Ready.

The shock of the rage, of feeling it like a writhing parasite from within, jolted Chie into grabbing the bottle and lifting it up, holding it awkwardly like a club. The alien emotion faded, leaving Chie with her own fear.

There you go, it purred sardonically. When I say go, jump up and attack it.

"How? What do I-" A foot slapped down in front of Chie.

It didn't look like something out of a horror movie. The horror movies she watched with her roommate didn't come close to capturing the grotesque- had never elicited such a visceral fear response from her. 

The foot was bloated like a corpse's, mottled blue and green scales bulging at irregular intervals. The skin under was a ghastly gray, dark purple veins threading across it. Instead of nails, chipped, black claws adorned the webbed foot and scraped the ground. As the thing shifted its weight, water oozed from between the cloudy scales like puss.

Go!

She forgot how to breathe, couldn’t pull her eyes from the horrific foot. Even as it loomed over her. Closer. A long, webbed hand reached for her.

Damn you, girl!

Chie's legs reacted without her. Her knees snapped straight, rocketing her up. Gripping the bottle tight, she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as she swung it. Shattering glass filled her ears, echoing through the cave, and the creature screeched in pain. A crack, a thump. Chie stood there, arm raised, entire body shaking. She gripped the broken bottle like a drowning woman held a piece of driftwood. Something wet dripped down her arm.

You need to open your eyes.

"Just-" hoarse, caught in her throat. Chie coughed. "Just tell me what happened."

I can't if your eyes are closed.

That made no sense. Chie didn't move.

Open your eyes now. Whoever was talking was losing their patience. And try not to faint.

Chie opened one eye a fraction of an inch and immediately turned her back to the creature, head spinning. "Oh my god, oh my god." Her body shook uncontrollably. "What is that? What- what's-"

A nice hit. Think you got it across the jaw.

Staggering to the crate, Chie placed the broken bottle on top and sank to the ground, back to the monster. She gripped her arms, trying to stop the shaking. Black stone. Mundane. Normal. She stared at it blankly, ignoring the purple blood that stained her hand. Breathe. Breathe. Calm down.

What are you doing? Move.

"I-" Chie clamped her mouth shut and swallowed. "I don't know- I mean." She took another breath. "Who are you? And where are you? I-"

One thing at a time. The voice stopped yelling, at least. I only remember two things about myself. My name is Maverick Hunter, and I'm being chased.

"By who? Or... what?"

I just told you. That perpetual annoyance seeped into the words. That's all I know. Can't tell you who or why.

“Sure.” Calmer now, Chie stood and turned to search the cavern, purposefully avoiding the fish-like thing lying on the ground. "So where are you?"

I'm in your head.

"Excuse me." That was ridiculous. Telepathy, seriously? Was this an elaborate prank? Was some LARPer wearing a super realistic fish costume? Chie scoured the cave for hidden cameras. 

I was attacked by whoever is chasing me. When I came to, I was looking out from your body and your eyes.

"This is insane," Chie said, hand to her forehead. "I'm going- I've had a breakdown. That's it." She didn't think she had a family history of Schizoaffective disorder, but work had been super busy lately and combined with the memory loss, maybe she just needed a good psychiatrist and some medical leave.

You're not crazy. You can't explain what's lying on the ground with crazy.

Chie's weak excuses soured in her stomach. 

"I'm leaving," she said, shaking her head as if to clear the voice from her. "It was not nice meeting you, Maverick."

Chie took one step forward and froze. The feeling in her legs vanished and she was numb from the waist down. Her legs shook, muscles expending extraneous effort. But try as she might, Chie could not move forward.

Now you listen to me, you stupid little bitch. Maverick's voice was low, straining, and hinted towards boiling anger. I have come too far for you to turn back now. I may not have the energy to control you fully right now, but I sure as fuck can stop you.

Chie strained her back, forcing herself to move. Her shoulders twisted and her arms reached forward, but her legs remained petrified. "Why can't I move?!"

Because I'm here! Stuck inside your weak little body, and it's time you accept that. Now do as I say, or I'm going to hold you here until that thing wakes up. And whatever horror you're subjected to? I will happily watch. 

"How are you- Why are you-?!" Chie cried. This was impossible. This was impossible! 

Because I need to know why I'm like this, why I'm being pursued. And as long as we're stuck together? They're after you by association. Your friends. Your family.

Chie flinched. Who were these people to do this? She- this couldn't be real. She couldn't-

The monster on the floor gurgled. Chie's resolve faltered.

Maverick was gentler when he spoke next. We can't afford to turn back. There are answers here we need to find. Okay?

Chie nodded numbly. "Okay. Okay- I- I can. I can do this." Like a rubber band snapping, Chie's legs jolted. She fell forward, twisting to regain her balance. The thought of falling on that thing was horrendous. 

Maverick sighed, energy spent. Go through the crates over there. 

Why, Chie wondered, did a disembodied voice need to sigh? Thoughts whirled together incoherently but Maverick was right: unexplainable things were happening to her. They needed answers.

She removed the crate's lid and dug around inside. Flashlight, rope, beer, snacks, pocket knife, a small backpack, more beer. What kind of person had bagged cookies and peanuts but no water?

Oh, that's perfect! Maverick's glee when Chie picked up a large army knife was worrisome. She set it aside as she filled the backpack with food and supplies. Once done, she slid it free from the sheath, and held it up for Maverick.

Okay, take that knife and kill the fish monster.

"Excuse me?!"

It's the only one that knows we're here. Killing it will buy us time until the others-

"There are more?!"

-find its body. If it's alive- Maverick's voice grew low again, and Chie could almost feel hands on her shoulders as if he held her still. -it won't be long before it warns the others and the Devil's Reef is swarming with them. I won't tell you again. Kill it.

Chie couldn't bring herself to look at it. And Maverick expected her to kill it? She had sobbed when she accidentally ran over a squirrel last year. To deliberately kill a living thing? One that was unconscious? Even if it had attacked her-

Chie. Maverick said sharply. 

>Kill it >Spare it

[thermopylod]

It’s been a while, huh? I finally finished a little Souyo fic I started almost 2 years ago. 5k words, T-rated. I hope you all enjoy it--it’s probably the last fic I’ll write in this fandom, but I’ll never stop loving Souyo 💗 “So, what’s in the bottle, Yu?”

Yu spun the small vial around by the chain it hung on, holding it up to the light so the emerald liquid inside shimmered. Squinting, he bit his lip and took a deep breath as he focused; there was a trick to this, a little like trying to see an optical illusion, one of those spinning images that could be mentally reversed with just the right… Ah, there.

“Truth.”

Chie raised an eyebrow at his concise answer, and he laughed softly before elaborating. “Well, not truth itself. Something related to it. Maybe a truth serum of some kind? Though, I’m not sure what a Shadow was doing carrying that around…”

Rise hummed, looking over their notes from the day’s fighting. “That reminds me a little of those sedatives we got off the Trance Twins back in Yukiko’s castle. Remember? You said they made you feel… ‘sanity,’ I think it was.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s definitely some sort of mental-impairment remedy, but I don’t remember us getting hit by any new status effects. Do you?”

Rise flipped through her notebook. “Hm, nope. Well, we only got the one, right? You should save it, maybe we’ll need it later.”

Yu nodded and slid the truth serum, if that was what it was, into one of the many inner pockets of his TV world supply bag, before they moved on to discussing how Yukiko’s new improved fire attack could best be used for their next excursion.

The vial stayed in the bag, unused, for many months afterwards. In fact, Yu entirely forgot its existence until early February. On a particularly snowy Sunday, Yu, trapped at home, decided to clean up his now-unused TV world equipment. He’d emptied and sorted all the supplies in his bag, and was about to put the bag itself through the wash when he heard a clinking sound. After five minutes of searching through empty pockets—there truly was such a thing as too much organisation—he found the vial, remembering that they’d saved it in case it might come in handy later. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it would have been useful during Namatame’s interrogation, or with Adachi, but they’d figured things out fine without it. He set it aside for now, figuring he’d sell it at Shiroku along with the rest of the leftover supplies, and continued his cleaning.

To his surprise, Old Lady Shiroku refused to take the serum from him.

“This may yet come in handy to you, young man,” she told him with a twinkle in her eye as she pushed it back across the counter.

Not for the first time, Yu wondered who this woman truly was. There was more to her than a casual shopkeeper-turned-midnight-bartender; how else would she have known where to find Goho-Ms and Vanish Balls, known what they were called even, when outside the TV world they resembled nothing but shiny overpriced marbles? He’d asked once, and she’d only winked at him and held a finger up to her lips. “You should know a lady never tells, darling,” she’d replied, and the next time he’d gone shopping all her prices had gone up a hundred yen. Yu wasn’t an idiot. He hadn’t asked again.

So when she left the vial on the counter and ignored his confused look, he took it back without any further questions. It wasn’t as though he was hurting for money, and it was a rather pretty bottle if nothing else; it would look nice on the shelf over his desk.

The bottle looked nice on said shelf for approximately three days, until Teddie, invited over by Nanako, bounced into his room one afternoon and spotted it.

“Sensei! Can I have this?” he asked as he snatched it up, turning puppy dog eyes on Yu.

Yu knew better than to fall for the look, but he didn’t see anything wrong with letting Teddie have the potion if it made him happy. Maybe something about its link to the TV world appealed to him, or maybe he just liked how it looked; Teddie did have a certain fascination for shiny, pretty things.

“Sure,” Yu replied as he gently ushered him back downstairs before he could touch anything else in his room. He’d had to spend a good two hours doing damage control after the last time he’d visited, when he’d smashed two of his models together because, “They’re fighting, Sensei! That’s what they’re made for!”

He’d thought that was the last he would hear of that small bottle, but unfortunately, it showed up again a very short time later. The entire Investigation Team was gathered in a large reception room at the Amagi Inn, which they’d hijacked for a sleepover party. The guys had just finished relaxing in the hot springs, and everyone was sitting around on pillows chatting while waiting for the girls’ turn. Then they would have dinner, gracefully provided by the inn, and after that probably stay up way too late telling ghost stories that would make Yukiko giggle and Chie and Yosuke scream. Yu smiled as he leaned back on his hands and looked at the ceiling, a bit of a bittersweet feeling coursing through him. He only had a scant month of this left to enjoy, and then it would be back to the city for him—and for all that Yosuke kept making plans for them to go to university together, for all that Rise and Naoto would be moving back there too, well… he was still going to miss this, right here. Everyone, together under one roof, with nothing more important to think about than school and what they’d do next weekend.

He pushed himself back upright, and all his nostalgic feelings fled in an instant as he saw Teddie jump to his feet with a mischievous expression that he’d learned was always followed by a very bad idea.

“Let’s play truth or dare!”

[read the rest on ao3!]

[skye-maxwell]

High School Jealousy

Persona 4 | Souyo | Rated G probably | AO3 Link

---

Ever since Souji met him in high school, Yosuke had always been very clear that he was interested in being in some sort of romantic relationship, seemingly with anyone who was cute enough and willing. 

Souji wasn’t sure why he had expected that to change after Yosuke came out in college.

When Yosuke called that day at lunchtime (a daily ritual so they could keep in touch even though they were at separate schools) with an unexpected declaration, Souji nearly knocked his bento box off the table.

“I met someone!”

Souji supposed it was his own fault, since he had never taken the plunge and pursued the relationship he wanted with Yosuke, even though he thought about it every single day since Yosuke told him he was bisexual a year prior and a lot of other days even before that. The timing and the circumstances just weren’t right though, plus there was the small issue of Souji never having officially come out himself. 

Still, whoever this “someone” was that Yosuke “met,” Souji hated him. Yosuke was his, damn it. They were gonna figure things out eventually! They just needed some more time! 

“What’s he like?” Souji asked tightly, not relaying all the racing thoughts in his head but figuring he should at least know what he was up against. 

“Oh, it’s a girl. But anyways, I was just walking through campus, and I just felt this energy nearby, and suddenly I looked over, and this super cute girl was looking back at me! And then we both just walked toward each other, like we were drawn to each other, like something out of a movie. Isn’t that crazy? So we get to talking…” 

“Yosuke,” Souji interrupted. He didn’t want to hear this.

He had assumed his romantic rival would be a guy for some reason, but Yosuke was bisexual. Just hearing it was a girl transported Souji right back to those jealous high school days when Yosuke would flirt with Chie, Yukiko, Rise… heck, he had even been jealous of Kanami and Labrys, two of the most innocent beings in existence, one of whom was a literal robot. Stupid attractive, sunny Yosuke for having stupid chemistry with them…

“Hold on, you didn’t even let me get to the most important part! So we get to talking, and we find out we’re both—”

“No,” Souji stated firmly, not able to express himself more clearly in the moment.

“Huh? What do you mean ‘no’? Are you okay, Partner?”

Souji couldn’t bear to hear this, that Yosuke and this cute girl talked and found out they were both single, and he especially didn’t want to hear that they had made plans to go out, or that they already had gone out, or that they were boyfriend and girlfriend now…

“Souji?”

For once in his life, Souji didn’t care if it was rude or selfish or inappropriately possessive—he could not let this random girl have his Yosuke. 

“You still there, man?”

“Yeah,” Souji finally replied.

“Well stop spacing out, because I’m trying to tell you I met another Persona user!” 

“A… Persona user?” Souji said thickly as his brain backtracked through their conversation and all the conclusions he had jumped to.

“Yeah, dude! I don’t know how, but somehow we were able to sense each other’s presence even at a distance and even though we’d never met! Apparently her Persona is a wind-user too, and her arcana is the same as Rise’s, which is crazy because she totally gives off huge Rise vibes, y’know?”

Souji halfway tuned out as Yosuke continued to ramble about this girl and how she had been on a team that fought shadows in high school too…

Souji had wrongly assumed that Yosuke was interested in this girl and that their fateful meeting had been a romantic one, but in reality, Yosuke had just met another Persona user, which of course he would be excited to share with Souji.

Souji had only begun to berate himself when Yosuke dropped another bomb: “We made plans together this weekend!”

“What kind of plans?” Souji quickly asked, his thoughts doing yet another one-eighty. 

Just because Yosuke’s big reveal about the girl was that she was a Persona user didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in dating her! In fact, that would be even more reason to date her, because she could understand the things Yosuke had been through. Plus, he had called her ‘super cute,’ which was not good news for Souji.

“Two of her friends from her team are coming up to visit her this weekend, and we’re all gonna hang out! Her one friend, Fuuka, was their navigator just like Rise and is apparently some kind of tech wiz, and the guy, Junpei, he’s a Magician just like me!”

Souji grimaced. His potential romantic rivals were now two girls and a guy? And was that an extra spark of jealousy he felt just because Yosuke had merely mentioned Rise three times already in this conversation? This truly would not do.

“I’m coming. This weekend. I’m meeting them with you.”

“Oh, for real? I mean, yeah, that would be amazing! Yukari actually really wants to meet you! I of course told her all about you and how you’re my Partner and how you led the Investigation Team, and she said you remind her a lot of her old leader! He passed away unfortunately… but he had the wild card power too!”

“Yosuke, I’m gay.”

“Wh-what?! Are you serious? Is now really the time to—”

“Yes. Now is the time.”

“Okay? I mean, you know I support you, man. I know what it’s like, and I’m here for you—you know that. This just… this feels really sudden!”

“We’ll talk about it more this weekend," Souji decided, realizing at this point he didn’t have much more time to lose if he was going to make Yosuke his. 

“Yeah, of course, we can talk after we meet the other Persona users—”

“Before. I… want to talk to you before we meet them.”

“Okay, sure thing, Partner. Hey, thanks… for telling me.”

“I should have told you sooner.”

“It’s okay, man. Everyone’s process is different, y’know? And it’s not easy, that’s for damn sure, and it’s scary as hell.”

“There’s some other things I should have told you sooner. But I want to say them in person, so… wait for me a little bit longer, okay?”

Yosuke replied softly, “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll always keep waiting for you.”

Souji felt a warm little surge deep in his chest. Maybe he didn’t need to worry about these three new people in Yosuke’s life after all. 

“Partner? I’ve gotta go to class soon, but before I go, n-not that it really matters, like you totally don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but just out of curiosity… How long have you known? That you were, y’know…?”

“Since the summer of second year.”

“That long, huh?” Yosuke asked with a shaky laugh. “You knew way before I did, then. But I still came out first… it’s kinda funny if you think about it.”

“I’m not surprised. You’re the brave one.”

Yosuke laughed again, more heartily this time. “Well, in any case, I’m glad you were able to build up the courage between now and then, and like I said, I’m right here. For you. Uh, I’m here for you.”

“I’ll see if I can get a train in on Friday afternoon.”

“Okay. Let me know. I, um, really miss you. Yeah. I can’t wait to see you, Partner.”

Souji smiled, feeling like a big dummy for ever doubting his Partner or what they had together. 

“Same here.”

---

“Hey, Takeba-senpai!” Yosuke called as he approached her, waving wildly with his free hand and pulling Souji alongside him. “And you must be Yamagishi-senpai and Iori-senpai! I’m Hanamura Yosuke, and this is my boyfriend, Seta Souji.”

[snowpeawritings]

15. The Priestess

Philemon seems to enjoy seeing his Wild Cards live on with their lives…

insp.

Persona 4 Golden X FeMC!Reader

05/16/MON-After School | Yasogami High

“It was definitely Kanji Tatsumi. No doubt about it.”

The Midnight Channel had brought your team another sense of unease. The silhouette of the delinquent was still fresh in your mind. Even after the event where he saved you and Nanako from that creep, his ruthlessness and anger shown on TV and in the Midnight Channel still scared you.

“It would be difficult to warn a man such as he.” Izanami stated, crossing her arms. “The results could even lead to physical violence.”

Tomoe nodded towards her. “A feckless youth like he is bound to get violent when he sees us. If only I was corporeal I would have taught this runt a lesson.”

Jiraiya scoffed at her. “Bold words.”

“Anyway,” Chie interrupted, “he’s really scary, isn’t he? Did you see the news the other day?”

“Yeah, I saw it.” Yosuke replied.

“You mean the special on biker gangs?” Yukiko said. “I saw it, too.”

She then looked down. “She wasn’t like that when he was younger, though…”

When she said that, you all turned to her, surprise clearly written on each of your faces.

Chie was the first to break the silence. “You know him, Yukiko?”

She nodded at her. “Uh-huh, but we haven’t talked to each other in a long time. His family runs a textile shop, and we’ve been a customer of theirs for many years. So I speak with Kanji-kun’s mother from time to time.”

The memory of Kanji saving you and Nanako from that creep resurfaced. You looked over to Izanami and thankfully she understood your wary glance.

Yukiko continued. “Why don’t we go there now? We might be able to talk to him in person.”

“I agree.” Chie said. “Besides, we can ask if anything strange happened too.”

Konohana shivered. “Do you think he’ll murder us when he sees us?!”

Chie slumped. “I’m sure he’ll only murder us. Besides, he probably won’t hurt us inside his own home.”

“Then it’s settled.” Yosuke said in finality. “We’ll go there right now.”

He turned his head to you, looking for confirmation. You nodded.

“If all else fails,” Chie continued, “we hope that our Personas can clobber him using textiles!”

The rest of you except Tomoe (who looked proud) looked at her in shock.

05/16/MON-After School | Tatsumi Textile Shop

The textile shop was an old Japanese building, complete with paper sliding doors and tatami mats. The numerous textiles that were displayed all range from colorful patterns to normal colors. To you, it wasn’t anything special. But for the female Personas, they were ecstatic. Immediately as soon as you entered the shop, Izanami, Konohana Sakuya and even Tomoe made a beeline towards the numerous textiles being displayed. It was painful to have all of you keep your emotions in check when they attempted to pick them up. Even Chie had to choke back a scream when Tomoe picked up a yellow-colored textile.

Trying to keep your expression back to normal, you looked at the woman who attended the shop, only to see someone else talk to her.

The boy was wearing all blue, with a blue cap atop his head with blue hair peeking from below. His blue coat and plaid pants stood out from your uniforms as he turned to see your group. He only gave a little nod as he walked past your group.

“What’s up with him?” Yosuke asked as soon as he was out of the store.

Chie only shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Yuki-chan!” The older woman gasped. Your group immediately turned to her. She was an old woman but she still seemed youthful at heart, wearing a traditional kimono and sitting near the textiles. Immediately you have to bite back a scream when Izanami picked up a piece that was dangerously close to Kanji’s mother.

As calmly as you could, you and the group asked what you needed from the woman. Yukiko tried her best not to worry her by mincing her words but it would ultimately lead to Kanji being pictured as a rebel punk. You thought that this would warrant enough attention for your Personas to be brought back to normal but you see Izanami and Konohana dress Tomoe up in a scarf. At that point, you just gave up.

Speaking of Personas, Jiraiya was the only one who wasn’t as excited as the others. Instead, he looks at the textiles boredly, lingering his stare on the women for a little while before moving on. He notices a scarf hanging near them and he immediately floats over to it. Without thinking, he decided to grab it outright and wear it around his neck. Red did always suited him well and combined with the white butterflies? He wasn’t an insect person but he had to admit the patterns looked so nice on him.

He sauntered to Yosuke, who was away from the group. “Hey, I look good in this, yeah?”

At first, it didn’t register with him. But when he realized it, he gasped and glared at Jiraiya. “Dude! You can’t just wear that thing when one of us isn’t a Persona user!” He whisper-yelled, not wanting to draw attention to him. Still, he decided to humor the frog and looked at the scarf. In that moment, he felt a sense of deja vu.

“This scarf…” He muttered. “Hey, Chie, c’mere a sec.”

The girl turned to him and gasped at the sight of Jiraiya wearing one of the scarves of the store. She hurried to them and dragged Jiraiya down by his scarf so it wouldn’t be obvious.

“The hell is wrong with you?!” She whisper-screamed at him. “Are you trying to cause her a heart attack?!”

“You can pummel him later, Chie.” Yosuke intervened. “But look at the scarf he’s wearing.”

Ignoring Jiraiya’s choking, she looked at the scarf. Like Yosuke, it brought her a sense of deja vu until it hit her. “We saw this inside the TV!”

At that moment, you and Yukiko turned to the two. Jiraiya was down on the ground, trying to catch his breath while Yosuke and Chie sheepishly held the scarf in their hands.

“Oh?” The woman asked them. “Do you want to buy that scarf?”

Yosuke tried to ignore your glare. “No but um… Did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?”

The woman tilted her head. “Ms. Yamano? Why yes. It was a special order she placed.”

The team’s eyes widened. Chie took the time to return the scarf where it belonged as the woman continued her story. “She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women’s scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately.”

Izanami, Konohana, and Tomoe were still blissfully trying out the textiles.

“… How the hell did you three manage to scrape by with some scarves?”

You stared aghast at the female Personas-each sporting a scarf that matched their clothes and tied to where they liked it: Izanami wearing a black and yellow scarf that replaces her usual white neck scarf beneath her coat, Tomoe with a green scarf that matched Chie’s jacket wrapped around her bicep, and Konohana with a red scarf with pink petals wrapped around her neck.

“Don’t worry!” Konohana said to you. “Izanami managed to get money from you to pay the scarves!”

“She did what.”

Your Persona chuckled when you sent her a death glare. “Consider this as a gift for us women.”

Yosuke said your name. “You can strangle Izanami later but we need to reconsider this entire case.”

The adrenaline from running away from Kanji after hearing his dilemma on going to school after a long time still thrummed within you but you calmed yourself down. “Okay… Let’s figure this out one more time.”

He nodded. “Remember the common points we were talking about? His mom fits the pattern. She’s a woman, and she knew Ms. Yamano. But it was her son who appeared on TV… So what does that mean?”

You pondered for a moment. “Kanji is definitely the target. The Midnight Channel wouldn’t lie.”

Yukiko nodded at you. “That’s right. Maybe it’s similar to my case because of my mother. She fits the criteria more than me yet I was the one targeted.” “Does that mean it’ll be the kid again instead of the mother?” Chie asked. “But if that’s true, then the killer’s motive makes no sense at all. It’d have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge or anything.”

“Y’think we’re on the wrong track?” Yosuke questioned. “Maybe even the first case had nothing to do with grudges or revenge. Or is there some kind of secret in the textile shop itself…?”

“Unlikely.” Jiraiya piped up from behind Yosuke.

“Oh, you’re alive.”

“Can it, woman. Anyway, I did a whole check around the building. I can confirm there’s no hidden passageways or traps or anything in that building.”

“How do you know that?” Yosuke asked him incredulously.

“Dude,” Jiraiya tested the word and you had to bite back a laugh on how uncomfortable he looks. “I am a ninja. The greatest ninja, might I add. I searched the damn place like a madman. I can confirm there’s nothing wrong with the store.”

Yukiko hummed. “Either way, we can’t just ignore it.”

Tomoe spoke up. “Didn’t we hear that runt talk with the hat-wearing boy? Maybe we’ll find our answers there.”

“Oh yeah!” Yosuke said. “It’s his first time going to school after the new year. It would be really suspicious if he just showed up at school out of nowhere.”

“Then it’s settled.” Izanami stated. “We’ll intercept Kanji Tatsumi after school and see where that takes us.”

The idea sounds good enough. But with two loudmouths on your team, you were sure this stakeout would become a disaster.

Chie practically vibrated where she stood. “A stakeout? Oh, I’m excited!”

“Don’t get too excited.” You chided her. “We need to be quiet if we want to get answers.”

You looked at the team, seeing that they’re all in agreement with the plan. “Let’s rest up. We have a big day ahead of us and there’s no telling what’s in store.”

They all nodded. All of you were ready to figure out the case.

05/17/TUE-After School | Tatsumi Textile Shop

Underneath the torii gate by the shrine, you waited patiently for Yukiko to come back. Your foot tapped idly against the concrete, your eyes watching the shop but occasionally fleeting over to Izanami. Her clawed fingers kept fiddling with her new scarf and despite the mask, she looked happy wearing it.

You’ve elected to ignore the hole in your wallet (both metaphorically and physically). “You seem happy wearing that.”

She stopped her fiddling and looked at you. “I am. It’s not often I get to have a luxury such as this.”

Your mind thought back to her memories as a goddess. She clearly was not the real goddess that you’ve read and yet she retains memories of the real one. Hell, even Jiraiya said he had memories of him being a ninja and Tomoe saying that she was in war once. If they’re having deja vu being important figures of Shinto lore, then it doesn’t make sense that they’re here under your beck and call.

Remembering what you’ve read, you decided to ask her. “Izanagi doesn’t bring you gifts?”

She flinched. You watched her with widened eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”

Izanami clutched her scarf and you feared her fingers would leave holes. “It’s-It’s nothing. Just… When you said that name I-I felt so… scared. Yet so angry I…”

Your arm raised up awkwardly, wanting to comfort her but before you could, Yukiko and Konohana came back with drinks. You turned to her and Izanami composed herself like she didn’t have a breakdown.

You have to bring this up one day.

“Here.” Yukiko said, handing you the drink that you wanted. Grabbing it, you thanked her as you uncapped it.

She looked at the shop. “Nothing seems to be happening, which is good. Though we can’t be too comfortable.”

Konohana visibly shook. “You think the killer will come by?”

Izanami comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder. “If they do, I’m here to protect you.”

“We’re here to protect you two.” You corrected, giving Izanami a side-eye glance. “Don’t worry too much.”

Yukiko blushed lightly. “Th-Thanks… I’m counting on you two.”

She looked back at the store then looked down at her drink. “It would be scary if they did show up… But I’ll do what I can if they do. You all saved my life… I don’t want to be the only one doing nothing.”

You said nothing, not wanting to break her spiel. As if she realized that, she jumped up from her stupor. “Oh! I’ve been rambling again, aren’t I? I’m sorry, I’m just so nervous…”

Without thinking, you punched her shoulder lightly. “Don’t worry about it for the last time, Yukiko. You and Konohana are a valuable asset to the team just like any of us. Don’t start belittling yourself because of what happened in the TV World.”

From your words, you can see the immediate effect. Both Yukiko and Konohana’s eyes shined at your praise and you inwardly gulped. Is this what Jiraiya meant?

“I… Thank you,” Yukiko said your name, “it’s strange. Normally, I’m so confident when talking to other girls and yet… You make me feel like I can do anything. No wonder I’m having so much fun hanging out with you, Chie and Yosuke.”

Thou art I… And I am thou

Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Priestess Arcana…

Persona Time

“… You two are ridiculous.”

Tomoe said dryly, looking at her master and Yosuke hiding behind a tree as they scouted Kanji and the mystery boy. If she was alive, she would’ve felt her soul leave her body from how absolutely cringe it was to see them huddle behind a goddamn tree like they were reenacting a comedy skit in a play.

“I don’t know Tomoe,” Jiraiya said, leaning his elbow on her shoulder, “maybe he likes it-”

The pained yelp didn’t deter the teens who were still watching Kanji. Despite that, Yosuke sighed and removed himself away from Chie. “This is ridiculous… Some stakeout this is…”

Chie got up from the ground and placed her hands on her hips. “You think the others are having any luck?”

He shrugged. “If the killer does show up there, then…”

He trailed off, thinking about what he was about to say. If the killer did show up, then…

He suddenly had an itch on his leg. Like he was about to hightail it out of the park and sprint towards the textile store. But he held it back down, for your sake. He knew you were tough, you can make it out of there, right?

“Hey, earth to Yosuke.” Chie said, snapping her fingers to shake him out of his daze. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Huh?!” He stammered, feeling that his face warmed all of a sudden. “N-Nothing! Besides, pipe down, we’re on a stakeout!”

She was taken aback by his voice and scoffed. “Geez, it’s not like we’re close to them or anything. Besides, I wanna ask a question.”

He crossed his arms, not liking where this is going. “Go ahead.”

“How are you with ____?” She asked innocently. “You two are closer than the last time I saw you two.”

He immediately choked and averted his eyes from her questioning gaze. His hand flew to his face to cover the blush as he tried to come up with a response. “Chie! Wh-Where did that come from?!”

“Like I don’t see you going ‘partner this’ ‘partner that’ everytime we go inside the TV World! I swear, I feel like there’s something going on between the two of you that I don’t get!”

He choked once more but before he could respond, Jiraiya swooped in the middle and shoved Yosuke away. “Oh, green lady, the amount of times that Yosuke is hopelessly pining for ____! It’s disgusting really, but I don’t blame him one bit with that body!”

“Jiraiya/Frog!” Both Yosuke and Tomoe exclaimed, one in embarrassment and one in anger.

Chie laughed triumphantly. “So there is something going on! Oh man, I wonder how she’s gonna reject you like Yukiko did with you!”

“R-Rejection already?!” Yosuke screamed. The word felt heavy in his heart but he covered it up as much as he could. “Now you listen here–”

“Hey!” A voice called out. Immediately they could feel fear grip their hearts. “The hell are you two doin’ there?!”

Sad to say, the mission failed.

[cherry-blossoms]

Higurashi: When They Cry AU: Confusion Arc

Summary: Satoshi murdered his aunt.... Didn’t he? Satoshi struggles with what is real and isn’t as his friends try to help him. Only one person can really put his mind at ease: Keiichi Maebara.

CH 1: Enter Keiichi Maebara (Previous CH.)

(next CH.)

        Satoshi stared ahead at the chalkboard, his head felt fuzzy and he couldn’t seem to focus. Around him, his classmates talked amongst themselves, enjoying their lunches. Their words didn’t register, it was as if they were speaking an entirely different language. Satoshi couldn’t seem to even begin to eat his meal, white noise filling his ears. 

    “Satoshi-kun?” A voice called his name, and he jumped, looking up to see Mion with a worried expression on her face, he shook his head, quickly smiling. 

    “Sorry, could you repeat that?” He asked, knowing by the look on her face that she had asked him something. 

    “I said,” Mion spoke gently, and it made Satoshi feel bad. He didn’t want her to think she had to be gentle with him just because he was a little out of it. “How’s Satoko?” Satoshi frowned, thinking about his little sister who was still stuck in the Irie Clinic after having a breakdown when their Uncle Teppei had returned a month ago. See, Uncle Teppei had vanished after Aunt Tamae died, leaving Satoshi and Satoko to their own devices. Everything had been fine for a while, and Satoshi had begun to believe they would actually get to be happy… For once. Yet here they were. Satoshi felt he was back at the start, that all of the events that happened last year were for nothing. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he remembered what happened on the night of the Watanagashi Festival a year ago, or rather what happened the next morning: 

    Satoshi sat up, a cold sweat breaking out across his body. Satoshi tried to recall what had happened once more. He had passed out in front of the Furude Shrine after remembering…. Remembering he had…. Had what? Satoshi scrunched up his face, desperately trying to retrieve his memory, but the horrifying thoughts had long passed, and he had forgotten most of it like he would any other dream. Maybe it had all been an awful nightmare, maybe he had been sleep walking and- 

    “Oh good, you’re awake!” A voice said from his left, Satoshi glanced over, seeing Dr. Irie. 

    “Coach…?” He asked quietly, and Irie smiled at him. “What….” He trailed off, noticing Satoko in the corner of the room. “Satoko!” Satoshi tried to get up and go to her, but Irie held out his hand, signaling for Satoshi to stay put. 

    “Careful,” Irie said sternly. “You’ve suffered a mild concussion.” He explained, and Satoshi frowned, sitting back in bed. Why wouldn’t Satoko look at him? 

    “Oh.” Satoshi replied, concern clear on his face. Not for himself, but for his little sister who looked distraught. Had she been that worried about him? Satoshi felt guilt pang in his chest, knowing he had caused his little sister so much stress. 

    “There’s something you should know,” Irie said softly, while checking Satoshi’s vitals. 

    “What is it?” Satoshi asked, glancing nervously at Satoko. Was she sick again? 

    “Your aunt…” Dr. Irie took off his glasses and sighed, “I’m sorry to tell you while you’re injured, but she passed away in a house fire last night.” Satoshi felt his blood run cold. She what? Suddenly memories of this morning came flooding back, he remembered smelling smoke… That must’ve been their house. 

    “.... What about Uncle?” Satoshi asked, confusion clear in his voice. 

    “He’s disappeared.” 

        Satoshi brought himself out of his memories and smiled at Mion. “She’s doing better.” He answered, knowing that wasn’t entirely the truth. Satoko was catatonic, and wouldn’t even respond to him. 

    “That’s great! Maybe she’ll get to come back to school soon,” Mion said, smiling. “We miss her.” Satoshi smiled sadly. So did he. 

    Suddenly a ruckus broke out from behind them, and Satoshi turned in his chair, looking back to where the sound had come from. 

    “That is so unfair, Rena!” Keiichi cried, as Rena laughed wickedly. 

    “It’s the rules, Keiichi-kun!” Rena practically sang, plucking the dessert out of his bento. “But if you’re nice, maybe I’ll give you a bite!” She giggled. Satoshi smiled a little. They looked like they were having fun. 

    “You know, you could always sit with us.” Mion said, as if reading his mind. Satoshi frowned a little. He wanted to, he really did! Keiichi always made him laugh, and had been a nice addition since he moved here a few months ago, and he loved his friends, but it didn’t feel right for him to have fun at school while Satoko was stuck at the clinic. 

    “No… Maybe next time.” Satoshi stood, his lunch still untouched. “I just remembered, I need to run a few errands for my uncle,” Satoshi said. Grabbing his bag he made his way to the door. 

    “Aren’t you going to eat first?” Mion called, and Satoshi shook his head. 

    “Not hungry.” Satoshi said quietly, exiting the classroom. Mion sighed, making her way back to her seat across from Keiichi. 

    “Where’s he going?” Keiichi asked, and Mion frowned. 

    “To run errands for his uncle.” She practically spit the word ‘uncle’, and Rena looked sadly down at her food. Keiichi frowned, he felt like there was something no one was telling him. 

    “Is his uncle a jerk or something?” Keiichi asked, taking a bite of a rice. Mion shot a look to Rena before answering. 

    “Let’s just say…. Their uncle isn’t the kindest.” Mion said flatly, causing Keiichi to furrow his eyebrows. 

    “What does that mean?” Keiichi asked, pushing for further answers. 

    “He’s abusive.” Rena said, her voice tightly strung. Keiichi sucked in a breath, he wasn’t expecting that. 

    “Rena!” Mion scolded, before looking at Keiichi. “We try not to talk about it, we don’t want to upset Satoko or Satoshi.” Keiichi felt himself starting to get angry. 

    “Wait, he hits them? Is he the reason Satoko is at the clinic?” He demanded, worry clear in his voice. 

    “Not entirely… Satoko has had problems before…” Mion said, playing with her food, her appetite gone. They were silent for a few moments. 

    “Do the adults know?” Keiichi asked, and Mion nodded. “Then why hasn’t anyone done anything yet?” He demanded, and Mion sighed. 

    “It’s not that easy.” Mion said, “Last year I tried to report the abuse, but they didn’t take me seriously.” Mion said, sadness tracing her tone. 

    “Well why the hell not?” Keiichi asked, his food now pushed to the side of the desk. 

    “Because Satoko has made a false claim before.” Mion said, Keiichi looked at her in confusion. “She wanted to get her stepdad in trouble, so she said he was abusing her..”

    “And now no one will take the abuse seriously..” Keiichi finished, and Mion nodded. Suddenly, Chie-Sensei walked into the classroom, Rika following behind her. Lunch was over, and while everyone was curious as to what Rika had been talking about with their teacher, the rest of the day proceeded as always, but it felt empty without Satoshi or Satoko. 

    Satoshi swallowed hard as he stood outside of his uncle’s house. Hands holding onto grocery bags full of beer and a carton of cigarettes, Satoshi didn’t want to go inside. He wanted to run, run far away and never look back, but the idea of leaving scared him. What would happen to Satoko if he fled? Would Teppei demand her back from the clinic? Then what? Satoshi gritted his teeth, he wouldn’t leave her to this fate. No, he would face it head on himself, until he could take Satoko and get far away from everyone who wanted to harm them. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside. The house smelled of cigarette smoke, and the TV was on full volume. 

    “Satoshi?” Teppei called, and Satoshi made his way to the living room, holding the bags. “Didya get my shit?” Teppei asked, and Satoshi nodded. He knew better than to speak, his words were always twisted by his uncle, no matter how softly he spoke or how gentle he was. Teppei held out his hand, and Satoshi handed him the bags. Rifling through them, Teppei made a sound of displeasure, one that put Satoshi on high alert. 

    “Is something wrong, Uncle?” Satoshi asked, and Teppei stood from his chair. 

    “Damn right,” Teppei growled, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “I asked you to get me two cartons, why did you only get one?” He demanded, moving closer to Satoshi, who quickly stepped back. 

    “I...I..” Satoshi stammered, trying to answer the question, but the looming man that towered over him made it difficult. Although Satoshi hated to admit it, he was terrified. 

    “Spit it out, you little shit!” Teppei yelled, pushing him into the living room wall. 

    “They were sold out!” He answered anxiously, sweat breaking out across his forehead. 

    “Then where’s the rest of my money?” Teppei demanded in a mocking nervous tone. Satoshi frantically reached into his left pocket. No wallet. Frowning, he reached into his right one, nothing. Panic arose in his chest. He must’ve lost his wallet! “Answer me!” Teppei roared, and Satoshi felt himself shrink away from the man who smelled heavily of alcohol. Satoshi believed if he lit a match within a five foot radius of his uncle that he’d go up in flames. 

    “I lost my wallet.” Satoshi said finally, admitting defeat he let his shoulders sag. 

    “That’s not going to be the only thing  you lose.” Teppei threatened, and Satoshi closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable punishment. 

    Hours later, Satoshi found himself standing outside of Keiichi Maebara’s house. He didn’t know how he got here, he had just been walking around for a couple of hours now, since his uncle had kicked him out and told him not to come back without the money. Satoshi searched for his wallet for a while, but eventually gave up. Someone must have stolen it. Satoshi took a deep breath, turning on his heel, he began to walk away from the house, when he heard a voice. 

    “Satoshi?” Keiichi asked, the front door opening and closing. Satoshi took a deep breath in. Within a few seconds, a hand was on his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” Keiichi asked, and while Satoshi was tired of being asked that by everyone, he didn’t feel as irritated when Keiichi asked. Satoshi slowly turned, and Keiichi tried to keep the shock off of his face. Satoshi was suiting a fresh black eye and dry blood stuck to his busted bottom lip. 

    “Haha, yeah!” Satoshi smiled, “I was just taking a walk.” 

    “What happened to you?” Keiichi asked, even though he already knew the answer. 

    “Oh uh.. This? I was playing some baseball and there were a few stray balls.” Satoshi laughed, the sadness coating it made Keiichi’s chest ache. “Guess I’m just unlucky, huh?” Satoshi smiled. 

    “Want to come in?” Keiichi asked, nodding his head towards the house. Satoshi hesitated, looking at the house. He could see the lights on inside, and could even smell the cooking from outside. It smelled amazing, Satoshi couldn’t remember the last time he had a hot meal. 

    “I, uh, probably shouldn’t,” Satoshi said, rubbing the back of his neck. He needed to find his wallet. “I lost my wallet and…” He trailed off. 

    “I can help you find it!” Keiichi offered, much to Satoshi’s surprise. 

    “I wouldn’t want to trouble you, it’s okay, really-” Satoshi said, a blush breaking out across his cheeks. Keiichi grinned at him, slapping his back a little too hard. 

    “It’s no problem!” Keiichi assured. “Friends help each other.” Satoshi smiled a little at his words, Keiichi considered him a friend. “But I do have one condition.” Keiichi said, causing Satoshi to look at him in confusion.

“What is it?” Satoshi asked timidly, thinking about the punishment games Keiichi had come up with for their club.

“Stay for dinner.” 

[shapeshifting-wildcard]

"Would you like one of us to drive for a while?" Makoto fussed from the back.

Kanji took the first shift driving, with Zenkichi riding shotgun both to help navigate and to keep Kanji awake. The kids all dozed off in their seats, with only Makoto and Goro still clinging to consciousness. Jou slumped against Ryuji, having finally drifted off only a few minutes ago. Goro leaned against his other side, still awake, but looking like he was deliberately fighting off the urge to sleep just yet. Makoto's comment woke him enough to glance towards the driver's seat.

"'S fine," Kanji said. "I've pulled all-nighters plenty of times before, this is nothin'."

"Pulling an all-nighter and driving all night aren't exactly the same thing," Zenkichi muttered. He shook his head and glanced over his shoulder. "Seriously though, don't worry about us. We're adults, we can handle this. You guys just get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" Makoto pressed.

"Just let them do their jobs," Goro grumbled. He sat up and stretched his arms out in front of him. "Besides, we already know how shaky your driving is normally. I can't imagine it would get better after you've been up half the night."

Makoto huffed, face flushing in embarrassment.

"You have been getting better, though," Kanji pointed out. "It's like I keep saying, you just keep overcorrecting every time the wheel drifts. You'll get it with more practice."

"Thank you, Tatsumi-san."

"Meanwhile," Kanji said, glancing in Goro's direction, "you need to stop tryin' to squeeze into spaces that the RV only just fits into. You'll get us rear-ended if you don't start leaving more space."

Goro huffed and grumbled a bit, but he looked like he was taking the criticism on board. Zenkichi chuckled softly, amused by Kanji's parental tone.

"How long have you been driving, anyway, Tatsumi?"

"Hm? Me?" Kanji tapped the steering wheel as he did the math. "Uh, four or five years, I think? But I was also the last person in my friend group to get a license, since I'm the youngest. So I picked up a lot of tips from watching all of them learn how to drive."

"You're the youngest?" Makoto repeated, sounding surprised.

"Yeah I get that a lot," Kanji remarked.

"So I guess you never really got to be the getaway driver for your friend group, huh?" Zenkichi joked. Kanji let out an annoyed grunt.

"What kinda friends do you think I have?"

Zenkichi froze, clearly recognizing the hole he’d just dug himself. "Uh..."

"Isn't one of your friends the previous Detective Prince?" Goro piped up.

"Yep, exactly." Kanji nodded. "My friends honestly weren't the trouble-making types. I was the only one who got tarred with that brush. You beat up one damn biker gang..."

"Why did you beat up a biker gang?" Makoto asked.

"They were loud and keepin' my ma up all night," Kanji said, shrugging. "I just wanted to look out for her, y'know?"

"Beat up a biker gang for your mom." Zenkichi shook his head, smiling despite himself. "Well, I guess there are worse reasons you could have chosen."

"Listen, it was just the one time!"

"Sure, sure," Zenkichi said, lightly teasing. "So, your friend group consists of you and a detective. Mind if I ask what other kinds of colorful characters you know?"

Kanji made a thoughtful noise. "Well, there's Yukiko-senpai, who runs the local inn. There's her girlfriend, Chie-senpai, who went into the force..."

"Oh, one of your friends is a police officer?" Makoto said, perking up a little.

"What're the odds," Zenkichi said.

"Honestly, she's been on the fence about whether she's gonna stick with the force or just join the Shadow Operatives full time," Kanji pointed out. "Her whole goal is to help people, but she's got enough of an impulsive streak that she's worried she's going to end up messing up and hurtin' someone instead. At least on the Shadow Operatives she doesn't have to worry as much about using 'excessive force' on most Shadows. Plus, there's less paperwork."

"Yeah, that's the one part of police work they never really tell you about on TV," Zenkichi said. "All the paperwork you have to keep on top of."

"How tough is it?" Makoto asked. "Being part of the police, I mean."

"Well, it sure ain't easy," Zenkichi replied. Kanji grunted.

"Yeah, from what I've heard."

"Oh, right, you're studying to become some police bigwig, aren't you, Niijima?"

"Yes," she replied, "but I've only just begun."

"Wouldn't really recommend it myself," Zenkichi said. Kanji raised an eyebrow and briefly glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Goro sat up, shooting him an equally surprised look. "This job's nothin' but hell."

"I'm surprised you'd say that so openly," Goro remarked.

"It's the truth," Zenkichi shrugged. "Your hours are a mess, you get transferred all over the place... Anything goes down at the scene, you get blamed."

"Yeah, and that kinda stuff plays havoc on your family life," Kanji said.

Zenkichi grimaced.

"I take it that's another reason your senpai is considering leaving the force?" Goro said.

"Eh, I mean Yukiko-senpai's pretty busy with the inn anyway so I don't think that's been much of an issue for them. I'm actually thinkin' of somebody else I know."

"Who?"

Kanji tapped the wheel for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Yu-senpai's cousin, Nanako Dojima."

"One of her parents is in the force, too?" Makoto asked.

"Her dad, yeah," Kanji said, nodding. "And ever since her mom died, it's been just the two of 'em."

"I know how that feels," Makoto said, voice quiet. "My mother died when I was young, and... my father later died in the line of duty."

"Man, I'm sorry to hear that," Kanji said.

Silence fell over the RV for a good few moments, filled only with the light snores of the sleeping teens. Goro absentmindedly slipped his hand into Jou's, giving it a light squeeze.

"What about you, Zenkichi?" Makoto said eventually. "Do you have any family waiting for you at home?"

"Good question," Zenkichi muttered.

"When's the last time you've been home?" Kanji asked.

Zenkichi's silence spoke volumes.

"You should probably visit 'em soon."

"I know," Zenkichi snapped. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's just—criminals don't care about your schedule. Neither do tragedies."

"Yeah, I know," Kanji said, taking on a surprisingly gentle tone. "That's why it's so important to spend time with them while you still can. 'Cause you never know when tragedy will hit home."

Zenkichi let out a tired sigh. His gaze drifted out the side window, away from Kanji. "...Yeah. Yeah, I know."

[characteroulette]

so I know I haven’t posted just writing in a while, but here’s some SouYo that I finished a single chapter of and then haven’t found time for continuing yet. (this is going on AO3 once I get more chapters finished, also). Just a weird little “what if Souji and Narukami, but one of them is shadow”

---

[The True Self]

From the moment they'd med (and Yosuke meant really met. When the guy had pulled him out of the trash can, not when Chie had kicked him in the balls holy shit both of those were so lame, Yosuke was such a loser), Yosuke had sensed a certain kinship with the transfer student. They were both city kids plopped into the small middle of nowhere town of Yaso-Inaba, therefore Yosuke had to help the guy out.

Unfortunately, it was hard to really tell how to do that with this guy. When the guy had helped Yosuke out of the trash, he'd smiled so brightly and introduced himself as Seta that Yosuke wasn't sure there'd be anything to help out with. His voice was so gentle and radiated a kindness that Yosuke had instinctively wanted to protect this guy immediately.

(Which was weird. Protect from what?)

In lieu of anything that didn't make sense or make Yosuke sound like even more of a loser, he'd just casually slid the offer to go out for the specialty in this small town (nothing big, just fried steak, god this town was such a podunk boring shithole) onto the table. Seta had been polite, a little embarrassed, but that small smile was ecstatic as he agreed.

Then, after class, Yosuke wanted to gently remind Seta, but the guy seemed completely different all of a sudden. That gentleness had become a strange mischievous smirk, though it quickly became one of disgust once Yosuke mentioned the plan. Although, really, Yosuke was sure Seta was disgusted the moment he had realised Yosuke was talking to him.

Politely, harshly this time, Seta complied, but Chie had luckily overheard (and there was something Yosuke had never known he'd be grateful for, Chie's freeloading) and asked to come with. Then Seta was much more agreeable.

Another thing of note, Chie called the guy 'Narukami', not Seta. Which, again, was weird.

(Who the fuck was this guy?)

Yosuke took them to Junes, not the place with fried steak (because he wasn't made of money, he reminded Chie amidst her loud complaining) and the guy (fine, Narukami for now) continued to be a mystery. The way Narukami casually flirted with Chie really rubbed Yosuke the wrong way. Even when Yosuke left to talk with Saki-senpai a moment, Narukami leaned over to Chie and gave a pointed murmur of, "No way a guy like him has a girl like that, right?"

But, okay. Yosuke couldn't let it bother him too much. He'd lived in cities, too, he knew the drill of guys acting cooler in front of girls. He'd been shoved around like this, made the butt of the joke, just so his 'friends' could score some points with the girls they liked. Prince of Disappointment and all.

And, really, it just had to be that this guy was realising what a bore this place was compared to a bigger city. After a few days, the stir craziness had set in and he was probably doing this purposely to get a rise out of them. Maybe. Either way, Yosuke could still relate, could still understand.

Then Saki-senpai blew Yosuke off to go see the transfer guy, too. And warned him about how annoying and nosy Yosuke could be. That stung. Yosuke tried not to flinch, but Narukami replied with a teasing, "Yeah, tell me about it."

It was a bit much and Yosuke was not proud of the way he had to grip his hands into such tight fists to keep himself from showing how much it affected him. There was a mysterious glint in Narukami's eyes, though. Something more genuine than the taunting bravado he was putting on. Chie and Saki-senpai laughed in agreement, but then he continued.

"But I kinda like that about him. Makes things interesting."

Narukami turned his gaze straight at Yosuke, meeting his eyes with all the smugness of a goddamned self-important cat. The girls' laughter died out after that. Then Saki-senpai returned to work and Chie launched into some stupid rumour about something called the Midnight Channel. Yosuke barely listened, too busy watching this Narukami, trying to find some clue explaining what the hell all that was even about.

Narukami continued flirting with Chie until they had to head home, going so far as to offer to walk with her. This guy had to be some kind of pro, as she agreed easily, all blushy and stuttery and cute. And that just made Yosuke want to punch the fucking smirk off Narukami's face.

The next morning, Yosuke was hesitant to approach the guy. Which face would he end up seeing this time? Before he could make a decision one way or another, the guy noticed him and waited for him to catch up.

Smiling out of politeness and concern, the guy said, "Ah, I wanted to apologise for the other day, Hanamura-san. My brother tends to not agree with those I like to talk to."

Yosuke frowned. "Your brother?"

"Yes, Narukami."

The guy (Yosuke was sure it was Seta this time, maybe) nodded, as if that explained things perfectly. Had Seta swapped with Narukami sometime yesterday during class and Yosuke hadn't noticed? Had anyone noticed? They had to be identical twins, as Narukami looked exactly like Seta (except for the harsher expressions), but how did they get away with this?

Admittedly, Yosuke hadn't paid too much attention yesterday during class. Nor had he paid much attention to when Seta (and Narukami, maybe?) had been introduced, as he'd been in too much agony over crashing his bike and breaking Chie's precious Kung-Fu DVD. It was possible that there were two of them and Yosuke just hadn't noticed.

Oh, but that meant Yosuke had made the mistake of taking out Narukami instead of Seta. Well, shit. Yosuke was the asshole here, as usual.

"I also had. A strange experience last night. Concerning the Midnight Channel." Seta pressed on, before Yosuke had the time to apologise.

That distracted Yosuke instantly. The stupid rumour thing Chie had strong armed them into checking out, right. Yosuke grew a bit hesitant as his own experience flashed through his mind (Saki-senpai, looking in pain and calling out for help though there was no sound to it) and gave a prompting, "Oh. Yeah? Who'd you see?"

Seta's frown twisted in confusion. "Well. It's less about what I saw, but." His shoulders drooped as he deflated. "It was a girl, but that was all I could tell. She seemed to be in pain."

Yosuke's stomach dropped. Could it be that they saw the same thing? The same person? If that were true, then Saki-senpai might be in trouble. Then again, that was quite a leap of logic. But if this Midnight Channel really worked like how Chie had said, then how could it be possible for Saki-senpai to be both of their soulmates?

Back when the rumour got started. Weren't a ton of the students talking about how they saw that newscaster, Yamano? And then she'd ended up dead.

A shudder rolled down Yosuke's sides and he had to shake that dread off. It was too early to be making these types of hasty conclusions.

They walked the rest of the way to school in silence, Yosuke too lost in his own thoughts to think of replying properly. Seta looked like he had more to say, but nervously kept his mouth shut. He took his seat in the spot right in front of Yosuke once they arrived at class and Yosuke stared out towards the windows until King Moron shouted at all of them for being lazy asswipes. (Not in those words exactly, but the sentiment was definitely there.)

Embarrassingly, Yosuke spent most of the day staring at the back of Seta's head instead of paying attention to the lessons. It was just so mysterious. A transfer student with a twin whom they swapped places with during the day? It went against all logic, really. Yosuke wanted to find out when exactly Seta and Narukami made the switch. Was it lunch? Before they arrived in their classes? Shit, that would mean Narukami was all ready seated in front of Yosuke, possibly. But how had no one else noticed this? How did Yasogami allow it?

Seta did leave during lunch, no doubt to eat in private, but did return for the rest of classes. Well, Yosuke thought it was still Seta. He needed to figure out a way to tell the two apart, because there had to be at least one tell. There had to be at least one visual cue to tell them apart besides their mannerisms.

After classes were finished for the day, Yosuke took a deep breath and went to test the waters. He stood by Seta's desk and grinned his usual friendly grin. "S'up, dude?"

The guy smirked, mischievous and harsher once more. That was Narukami. "Are you checking in with me again, Hanamura-san? That's rather sweet of you, I guess I have to say 'thank you' now."

Yosuke's eye twitched. Yup, no mistaking it. He laughed a bit half-heartedly with an uneasy, "That's a little..."

"It's no wonder Souji-chan likes you."

Narukami's smirk turned into a glare. A surprisingly sinister glare at that. Yosuke's hands gripped into fists and he had to, once again, hold himself back from punching this guy's smug face. Why was his immediate instinct to defend Seta? To stand up for someone he barely even knew? Unable to fully curb that aggravation, Yosuke muttered a heated, "No need to be an ass about it, Narukami-san."

There was nothing wrong with either of their statements. Except for the clear hostility they radiated. Still, Chie butted in with an oblivious and eager, "Hey, guys! Did you watch it? Who'd you see?"

Narukami sat back, rolling his eyes (grey, Yosuke noticed, just like his and Seta's hair), then smiled charmingly up at Chie. "It was fuzzy, but definitely a girl. Boyish and cute, too, from what I could tell."

Narukami looked like a smug cat. How was it even possible to be that bold and smooth at the same time? Shockingly, Chie took the bait and blushed, all coy and girly. "Oh, really?" She (thankfully) snapped out of it quick enough and grew serious. "But - But I saw a girl, too. So that means my soulmates a girl as well."

She gave a defeated exhale while Narukami frowned in thought. The most neutral expression Yosuke had seen on either brother yet. If all three of them had seen a girl. Possibly the same girl. Yosuke's earlier apprehension slammed back into him. This couldn't be a coincidence. There was no way this Midnight Channel was showing anyone's soulmates.

But why Saki-senpai? Why that Yamano lady? Was it even really Saki-senpai? Something still seemed a bit too far-fetched here, there was some piece Yosuke was missing to really understand what the hell was going on here.

Narukami, still oddly neutral for once, said, "After seeing the Midnight Channel last night, my TV tried to eat me."

Chie and Yosuke both snapped their heads towards him, incredulous. Narukami didn't seem to even notice as he continued, parsing out something on his own.

"The only reason it couldn't was because the screen was too small and my shoulder stuck. Perhaps this could have something to do with the fact that we all saw a girl?"

"All? Wait." Chie sputtered (very undignified) and whirled on Yosuke. "You saw a girl, too?"

"You don't have to act like it's some big shock." Yosuke huffed at her, putting up the affronted airs though he had no energy to really meet her challenge. "Honestly. It looked like someone I knew. And she was in a lot of distress."

He rubbed a hand through the back of his head, through the hair there (it was getting a bit too long, probably, and he'd need to dye it again soon since the roots were coming through just a bit), too concerned to not let it show through for the moment. Chie looked at him in sympathy, in confusion, but Narukami chose that moment to stand and shock them both out of the moment. "It's decided then." He said, grabbing one of Chie's hands in a way too familiar, way too gentlemanly manner. "Let's go look for a bigger TV and find the truth."

"Wha-What does that even mean? Hey, Narukami-san!"

Chie's shrill voice continued as Narukami directed her out of the room. Yosuke should probably go along, especially if they were headed towards Junes. Which, of course they would be. Where else could anyone find a TV large enough to jump through in this small little town?

[forkanna]

[AO3] [WATTPAD]

WARNING: A little NSFW.

NOTE: Welcome to July! I went nearly a week with no internet, but I have returned and I intend to start jamming this fic through to the end. We're essentially entering the last "arc" of the story now and I hope you're all ready for it. Thank you for the reviews and continued readership, I appreciate that so much - especially when I'm taking forever to get this finished.

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

"Aww, c'mon, why am I the only one excited about this?"

The rest of the gang sort of shrugged noncommittally. None of them seemed to want to say aloud that the reason they couldn't summon the same level of anticipation as Yosuke was that they were still missing Narukami. Chie was staring down into her usual bowl of meat, stirring it distractedly.

"Not even you, Satonaka?!"

"Why me?!" she protested grumpily. "Like, single somebody else out, you jerk!"

Wilting in defeat, Yosuke leaned back against the railing around the school roof. "Ugh… you're all impossible."

"It's just Golden Week," Yukiko protested with a slight squirm. She wanted to be kind, to resist the temptation to pop Yosuke's little bubble of joy. But she also wanted to be realistic. "I agree, it would be wonderful to have a little vacation, but if we can't agree on where to go, and aren't that excited as a group…"

"Come on, we shouldn't have to give up that easy." Rise shrugged and hopped up from her seat. "Why don't we just do Okinawa? It's far enough that it's a vacation without being so crazy that all our time would be taken up by travel. I mean, unless we have to go all the way to Hawaii or something to have a good time."

The floppy-haired boy looked at her like she was the coming Messiah, drifting down from upon high to bless him with her presence. "Bless you. Absolutely bless you for saving me! I could kiss you!"

When he started to approach, she held up a hand palm out. "Try it and I will be wearing your teeth as a necklace." As he deflated, she turned the charm back on and pressed her hands together on one side of her face, smiling a dazzling smile. "Okinawa it is! We just need an adult to accompany us, or we're gonna get hassled a lot."

"Hmm, good point," Naoto said. Then the group as one looked toward the unsuspecting Kanji.

"Huh? Wha- I'm younger than most of you guys!"

"Yeah, but you look older," Chie pointed out with a thoughtful expression, tapping her chin with her index finger. "Do you think we could pull it off?"

While the taller boy was very clearly fuming that they thought of him as an old man, Yosuke put his fists firmly on his hips. "Yeah! I'm liking this! Next stop, the island of Okinawa!"

                                                        ~ o ~

Of course, even though at that time Rise was overjoyed, there would be complications. And one of these was pointed out to her by Ebihara after school, when they were stopping off at the Shiroku store just to take a poke around.

"Why didn't you suggest everybody go see Narukami?"

Rise stopped dead with her hand halfway reaching toward a candy bar. "Oh… I… wow, that is a really good point."

"As if I make any other kind," Ai scoffed with a half-smirk. "But yeah… probably a little late now, since you have everybody amped up to go to Okinawa. But hey, there's always summer vacation."

"Yeah, that's true… but I feel incredibly stupid. Seriously, why didn't I think of him first? We all miss him… me most of all, since he's my boyfriend."

The taller girl rolled her eyes as she picked up a bottle of green tea. "Are we going back to that? You can't do anything about it publicly right now, anyway — since the entire world is convinced you're having a 'Class S fling' before you grow up."

The words hit her so hard she had to brace against the wall to keep from pitching over. "You saw that one, huh?"

"All over every tabloid. They really like that outdated way of thinking; like girls can't legitimately want to be with girls for their whole lives. To be honest, I'm a little shocked you aren't being hounded by paparazzi at this exact second. We don't exactly have a lot of LGBT idols."

"Yes, well… there aren't any pictures, so technically, it's just a bunch of gossip from teenage girls. Only had a handful of phone calls about it, and saying 'no comment' to all those seemed to actually stop them. Pretty weird."

"That's because you're all washed up, Kujikawa," she sighed, smirking hard at her. "Yesterday's news. Retired before your time."

"Stooop! Why are you so mean to me?!" She slapped her a few times on the arm, and Ai laughed and held it up to shield herself a little better.

"Kidding! God, take a joke, bitch. But for real… maybe the word isn't out about your comeback yet, so they don't think you're worth being headline news. It will get a lot bigger when you get a lot bigger again."

At least that was a less bleak spin on the situation. Rise smiled over at her as they paid for their odds and ends and headed out. "Fine. I just don't know what difference it makes to you where we go."

"Hey, maybe I want to see Okinawa just as bad as you. Why are you the one that gets to decide everything without my input?"

"Oh, don't be such a…" Then it caught up to her, and she turned with raised eyebrows to look at her girlfriend. "What?"

"You're the one who can't finish her thought. What what?"

"I didn't think you would want to come with us."

Ai scowled as they came to a stop in the middle of the main street, hands on her hips. "You really think you're going on a big Golden Week vacation and I won't want to go with my supposed romantic partner?"

"No, not… I didn't think you would want to go with them. After what happened."

"Mm. I mean, clearly they are complete morons. But… being with you trumps having to put up with their idiotic antics. Besides… you gotta."

Jutting out her chin, she said, "Hey! I don't 'gotta' do anything but stay cute and talented!" Ai only laughed, so she stamped her foot. "Don't you laugh at me!"

"Why not? You're adorable. And anyway, I meant because I'm your giiirlfriend, so how would it look if you showed up there without me? Or if the town spotted me wandering around this week while you're out there living it up. Face it, you really painted yourself into a corner this time, Kujikawa."

Still pouting, she muttered, "Fine, senpai. I guess you know best."

"I do," she replied, mussing her hair up. Rise slapped at her hands and she laughed, and eventually Rise couldn't help laughing as well. "Sorry, I know that's a pain in the ass to fix. But you're just too cute!"

"I am," she admitted with a sigh. "And you're right; I did this whole 'public relationship' thing to get you to listen to me, and it was a dirty trick. This is my punishment. I must accept it diligently."

"Who the hell are you supposed to be now? Wait, you know what? Don't tell me. Let me just believe you lost your goddamn mind." That one earned her a lot more smackings.

                                                        ~ o ~

Everything bumped along easily enough through to the following Saturday. The minute their classes let out, the whole gang was racing home to their already-packed bags, ditching their uniforms, and hopping the train to a bus, to the airport. It was a mess of changeovers and stress, but Naoto had mapped the perfect route that would limit their time spent travelling without costing them extra. Without her, they would have been sunk.

The trip itself took the entire rest of the day. By the time they dragged themselves into their rooms in the rustic inn, they were all ready to fall immediately into bed and be dead to the world for several hours so that the next day they could enjoy themselves. The problem was…

"Wait, where are our beds?!"

Yosuke wasn't wrong. The traditional-looking room most certainly didn't have beds at all. The boy pouted as he dropped his duffel bag and clutched at his hair, scanning every nook and cranny as if one would jump out at him from the shadows.

"This does seem to be very traditional," Yukiko pointed out, scanning the room again. She immediately crossed to the closet and yanked open one of the sliding doors. "Ah! Futon."

"Futon?! Aww, I thought they'd have Western beds! We're on vacation, for cryin' out loud!"

"Don't be such a baby," Chie sighed, stretching her limbs. "Feel more sorry for those of us who don't like sleeping with a bunch of nosy jerks so close to each other. Like you."

While he was pouting and grumbling, Rise glanced between her and the dutiful Yukiko, who was already laying out the futons for everyone without prompting. Falling into her usual job. Chie probably meant that she was upset she wouldn't get much "alone time" with her girlfriend while they were all lying on top of each other. That really was too bad; even if she had barely tasted true love with Narukami, and seen hints of it in a certain affluent team manager, she knew that being kept away from it would likely be as agonising as it sounded.

And speak of the devil…

"Sucks to be you guys."

They all turned at once, and Rise cringed when she noticed everybody else froze. So she tried to be quick about announcing, "Hey, Ebi-chan! You made it!"

"Thank you, Welcoming Committee Of One," she snorted as she glanced around at the rest of them. "And you guys, too. Really doing a great job of making me feel like this trip was worth it."

"You don't have to be here," Chie muttered.

"What's that? It almost sounded like you had something to say, Bowl Cut."

Said bowl cut almost seemed to bristle as Chie rolled up the sleeve of her green jacket and started to stomp over toward her. But Kanji grabbed her by the neckline to hold her back. "Can't you guys save it till tomorrow?" he yawned. "I'm beat."

"Please?" Rise insisted. The tomboy looked like she wanted to protest, but she dropped back to fold her arms over her chest sulkily.

"Beautiful," Ai snorted. "I've just come to collect my property and then I'll head back to my room."

"What property is that?" Rise asked. When Ai pointed at her, she gulped and whispered, "Oh."

"I don't think that's very nice," Yukiko remarked with a slight frown.

Summoning a smile wasn't exactly easy when she was dealing with all those butterflies in her stomach, but Rise managed. "She's kidding, Yuki-chan. Thanks, though."

"Who says I was kidding? If you want me to keep playing along with this media circus, you're my bitch. Get used to it." Then she smirked at the others. "I promise to return her in good condition. Slightly used."

As they headed out, Rise bowing slightly and apologising, she overheard Chie muttering "The nerve of that guy" before the door shut behind them. Great.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yep."

"I'm really sorry. I tried to explain ab-"

"I don't give a shit what Bowl Cut thinks about me. They can all think I'm some drag queen if they want; there are worse things in the world. Like bigots."

"Y-yeah," she laughed nervously. "But I'm kinda hoping… we can all get along during this trip. Maybe they can even be better than-"

"Don't hold your breath."

"I will," she told her, a little frustrated with being cut off so many times. "I'll hold my breath until Golden Week is over if I want to, you aren't the boss of me. No matter what you just told them."

Finally, Ai turned to smirk at her as they walked along toward the other hotel room. She had flown ahead, given that she had access to more swift modes of transportation than the plebs; Rise could have done the same, but she wanted to hang with the group. "Oh, we'll see about that, bitch. But not tonight. Everybody's exhausted."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." However, she changed her tune quick when Rise turned on her heel and started walking back the way they came. "Wha- hey!" She jogged a couple of steps to catch up. "Where are you going?"

"Back to crowd into that shitty little room. It's better than being called your bitch every five seconds."

"Hey, whose fault is that? And do you really wanna have a public fight where the paparazzi can see us?"

"I don't even care. Maybe that would be for the best; then it's a public end to the public thing, and you can be an asshole to… to whoever you want, on your own time! So just leave me alone and go… to…"

The hand clamped onto her own gave her pause. The touch was firm but not rough; just enough to keep her from storming any further toward where her friends were getting ready for bed. When Rise didn't try pulling away, she caught up enough to place her other hand on Rise's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Wow, you really are a jerk." Ai swallowed hard before continuing, "I'm sorry… for being so… ugh. This is a pain in the ass."

"Then I guess I'm not worth it to you."

"Wow, loaded statement much?" No response, so she pressed ahead, "I'm trying. Okay? I'm just a bitch by default, you know that — and you did some fucked shit to me. Let me work through it if you want to get anywhere."

Rise turned and buried her face in Ai's chest, nuzzling against the side of her neck. The taller girl's breath caught and held fast. "Just be nice to me. Try?"

"Rise…" After a second, her hand drifted up to press into her back, holding her there. "Come on. Let's go get some sleep."

"Yeah." They parted, turned to head for Ai's room… but weren't walking nearly as far apart this time. That was marked progress.

                                                        ~ o ~

The next morning was a lot more interesting than that evening. They were so dead tired that they only got about half their clothes off before crawling into the futons Ai had set up — right next to each other. Her rationale was that if anyone checked the suite, it would support their claim that they were a hot-and-heavy couple. Rise found it hard to argue with that.

However, waking up with a decent-sized boner digging into her hip was a fine hello.

'Oh GOD,' she squealed internally. 'This can't be happening! Ai is all horny and too asleep for me to be able to ask her to cut that out!' In fact, she had tried to dig her elbow into her side, just enough to rouse her; no luck. If she did more than that she was afraid of robbing her of her sleep, or waking her up in a bad mood that might persist for the remainder of the day. Or worse: waking her up and embarrassing her, which she didn't want to do, either.

Then again… she couldn't pretend some part of the reason she didn't wake her was interest. What was it like to touch her directly? Not just petting along it with one finger for half a second — or through underwear and a long t-shirt; she already knew what that felt like, given that she had been dealing with the sensation for about fifteen minutes by now.

The worst part was how her own body was reacting. At first, she was just nervous and maybe a little creeped out, even though her curiosity was always there. But by now… she felt her heart pounding, throat dry, and tingles in places she had rarely felt tingles before. All thanks to a rigid little monster hiding in her girlfriend's panties.

"Wakey-wakey, Ebi-chaaaan," she whispered to the figure slumbering against her side. She really did look so sweet there. So pretty… she wanted to kiss her again. But that wasn't okay! She was asleep. Even though she knew it was a relatively harmless thing to do, she still didn't feel quite right about it.

Maybe she should try to slide out from under her. Yes, that sounded like a much safer idea. Nobody would feel like they had been violated this way. So little by little, she began to inch away from her, keeping her eyes on Ai's flawless features…

"Nnnhh…"

"Hey!" Rise squeaked when the sleeping girl redoubled her grip on her. Shit! She bit her lip, trying to ignore how much closer to a certain area that firm presence was now. Could she find no relief from this personal hell?!

This was supposed to be Narukami. Oh, she had dreamed many times about waking up beside him, letting him see a glimpse of a sexy shoulder before she pulled her kimono on and went to get breakfast. Sometimes, he dragged her back to bed, began to ravage her with kisses. And sometimes…

Well, no, she didn't really imagine sex. That part wasn't as integral to her fantasies; she just wanted to enjoy the physical and emotional intimacy. The act itself might be fun but she wasn't as concerned with that. But from time to time, she did imagine Yu kissing all over her neck, or-

OH NO. Now she was even more tingly and right up against the thing that had instigated these tingles in the first place. This was getting bad! Ai was groaning a little from all the movement but not quite rousing from her slumber. So she was still stuck fast.

"Ebihara, please," she hissed, pushing at her shoulders slightly. The noises got louder. "Hey! Are you in there, somewhere?!"

"Mhhh?" she asked as her hips began to grind a little — and Rise could swear she was seeing stars. This was awakening her body for the first time and she was just starting to wish that this wouldn't stop. "Who… wha?"

When Ai's eyes slit open and she saw Rise was beneath her, she blinked a few times. Rise gulped and grimaced. Then the teen queen began to frown down at her pop star girlfriend as she struggled to come up with a proper greeting.

"Oh. I uh… good… morning?"

                                                                To Be Continued…

[kenkamishiro]

zakki:re Q&A replies megathread

A translation megathread of the zakki:re Q&A contest letters Ishida sent back to winning contestants!

As far as I know there were 100 winners, though I only have around 40 in this post. There were more on Twitter, but some opted not to release them publicly on Twitter for personal reasons (such as if they asked personal questions). Some didn’t reveal their question, or all of Ishida’s replies, but I’ve tried my best to guess at their meaning if possible.

The ones I’ll post here are from Twitter, specifically if they came with pictures of Ishida’s art or handwritten replies. I’ll also mention some context if I felt that the conversation/topic between the OPs and Ishida was interesting.

If you see one that I missed, please let me know and I’ll update this post.

Enjoy!

-----

From songbirdfaraway (X):

No question or answer revealed. OP mentioned that since they drew Touka and Kaneki on the postcard they sent Ishida, that Ishida must have figured OP liked them and drew them in his reply.

From mochi_XIII13 (X):

A huge Juuzou fan. OP stated they asked something they’ve always wanted to know from the bottom of their heart for ages, and that they couldn’t stop crying when they got the answer from Ishida. (No question or answer revealed.)

From __rsks__ (X):

OP must have asked how Naki proposed to Miza, because:

Naki: (Oh yeah!) Dunno what kinda pose a “pro-pose-al” is, but I said we gotta be together ‘til we die!!

Miza: You didn’t need to mention that!

From choco__morinaga (X):

The answer was hidden because OP wasn’t sure whether Ishida minded if it was shared publicly since the info he gave in the answer wasn’t mentioned before. Ishida said it was okay to share, but I can’t seem to find OP tweeting anything about what the question and answer was.

Uta: It’s a secret. Just kidding.

From SatoshigeKiya (X):

OP mentioned they sent in a question that didn’t have anything to do with TG, and Ishida’s response:

Soba.

From 00ibushigin00 (X):

No question shown.

Ishida: Correct.

From tsukihoryst (X):

OP asked for Chie’s biography (one of two, actually!).

Hori Chie Birthday: September 30th 136 cm / 33 kg / 21.5 cm Currently on break from university. (Voluntarily on leave.) Hobbies: photography, travelling, going for walks, enjoying drama

Tsukiyama: Little mouse, what are you doing? Chie: I got asked a question.

From Hosaka_0405 (X):

Seems like it was a personal question, so I won’t translate.

From take2129 (X):

OP asked if Aunt Satou, Takizawa’s neighbour who was mentioned in his will, was killed by Ayato? But Ishida stated that it wasn’t Ayato who killed her, just some random ghoul.

From reirei_reina_ (X):

OP was so happy they got a nosebleed LOL. Not exactly sure what they asked.

Ishida: It’s great that I can know about the people who have been reading the series for a long time in this manner.

Touka: Thanks!

From cmnme17 (X):

OP’s question: Please give us more details about Hairu’s hairstyle!

Side: (fluffy bangs) Hairu: Hm...more details…?

Front: Long straight across.

Back: Looks like this from behind.

From go_t35 (X):

Seems like OP asked about the name of a fan club for Ishida based on another tweet of theirs (X)?

Ishida’s attempts: Ishida Club, The 9th Laboratory, Us [Oretachi], We [Wareware], umm? Muscle Lover’S [Kinniku Daisuki’S]. Please tell me of a good one you came up with.

(This is Tsukiyama-level naming lol)

OP later replies to Ishida, saying they were thinking of Sui Sui Club (“club” in kanji).

From 4njo_Usa (X):

OP’s question unknown.

Ishida: No matter how hard things get, don’t forget your goals.

From mishumi_jugem (X):

This OP also asked for Chie’s biography. Similar to the first one, except that she has blood type O.

Chie: Me? I guess I also like seeing drama.

From ChirolMaronLevi (X):

The question wasn’t sent by OP, but by his father. Both father and son are fans of TG (OP grew up reading Jump comics since the father reads them a lot), which amused Ishida greatly. OP is jealous, and his father is smug/happy about it lol (there’s a photo of him holding the zakki:re letter with a glove, with the letter itself wrapped in plastic, with a giant smile on his face).

Also a bit sadder to mention, but OP’s maternal uncle passed away from esophageal cancer. Hearing that his son (so OP’s cousin) has all the TG volumes, OP borrowed the letter from his dad to show to his cousin, which made the cousin happy.

Ishida: Isn't something like that decided at the very end? You're admirable. Please do your best to stay till the end.

From inou_uoni (X):

OP’s question: This is related to Tokyo Ghoul:re. Ihei Hairu has pink hair, but why did you make her hair colour stand out from everyone else’s?

Hairu: Cause I’m cute, of course?

From 3110_mai (X):

OP asked some question about Urie, and the reply:

Urie: Why indeed.

OP is really amused Urie doesn’t know the answer, and it might even be possible that even Ishida himself doesn’t know.

From GW3Q1od9vzXccOM (X):

Funny enough, the preview of the postcards Ishida tweeted shows more of this illustration. (I’m planning on also translating those postcards that weren’t posted by their owners at the end). But it seems OP was concerned about Ui’s smoking habits, because:

Ui: It’s fine, I’ve got strong lungs.

From paralysis_2626 (X):

Seems like OP asked where Furuta’s pseudonym “PG” when he was masquerading as Souta came from. This is what I could salvage based on OP’s multiple photos:

Furuta: Eh, what “PG” stands for? Huuh, is that what you’re asking…? What to do...hmm, alright, this is just between us, but the truth is...PG is [redacted by OP]. What!! Just kidding~ Actually, [mostly redacted, I can make out the parts where OP didn’t blur the text in another image, something about eating bulgogi]. Ahaha!

This is just my personal guess, so take it with a grain of salt. But:

Bulgogi = プルコギ = purukogi = PurukoGi = PG…

OP did mention they were going to get bulgogi after this, so chances of this being right are pretty high lol.

From ute9pmr1 (X):

I think OP asked about what animal Ishida would want to become to relax (for example, OP wants to become a sea creature became they’re drawn to the ocean).

Ishida: If I’m given time to relax someday...I’d keep working as a human. I don’t really want to become an animal…

Ishida later adds in a tweet it’s more fun being a human.

From hare__1127 (X):

OP got back a Houji from Ishida when they asked about hojicha (roasted green tea).

Above Houji’s head: It smells nice. Next to Houji: This is Houji-san.

From re_cord01 (X):

OP was debating whether they should keep it to themselves, but decided it’d be better for them to share so everyone can see (thank you OP, this is personally my favourite reply I’ve seen).

OP’s question: What is Kaneki-kun's life like now? (something small like a simple diary entry...)

Month X Day X

I wake up to the sounds of Touka-chan and Ichika's voices. For some reason, they're excited over some news on TV. I read through the documents related to Countermeasures [most likely something to do with the United Front] , and summarize my opinion on it until noon. Time for lunch. Since Touka-chan went out to the shop, I make lunch for Ichika using the rice I bought. "It tastes better than Mama's," she said, so I replied, "Keep that a secret from Mama." In the afternoon, I think I'll take a short walk with Ichika, and try visiting Anteiku with her.

From Nia__86 (X):

Question or answer unknown.

From OKASHI_monster (X):

Question unknown.

I wasn't prepared at all... If I think about this and that it makes me think, "Ah, I don't wanna do this," so there's times where it's easier not to think about it. It may have been better if I had a "there's all kinds of things huh..." kind of resolve.

From utahira_flour (X):

Question and the full answer unknown. (The postcard on the left is just OP’s message to Ishida about Uta and Hirako).

Uta: Try it out?

From gongon0514 (X):

OP’s question: What is the name of Hirako Take’s Shiba Inu?

Ishida: Kotarou.

From S8OkMMRsYsB7H8i (X):

OP’s fiancee got the reply from Ishida!

OP’s fiancee’s question: Why does Takizawa, when he became a ghoul, begin to hold his fingers in his mouth?

Ishida: Like infants, the reasons can include stress, and suppressing his appetite.

I actually can’t find the OP for some reason, so if anyone finds it, please let me know!

Based on Ishida’s preview of the postcards, it seems like OP asked how Hirako felt when he first got his dog.

Ishida: Something like this. Hirako: …(it’s a dog)

From tacto_0 (X):

Seems the question was personal, and I can only make out something about how once you’re satisfied it will end there.

The reason the mask is in the picture is because OP asked Ishida advice about making Kaneki’s mask a few years back.

From secret_fairys (X):

The first reply that Ishida worked on.

Ishida: I like guys that can win with a hard blow. The weapon is a two-handed sword. Dialogue bubble: I will cut you down.

From kuranosukezemi (X):

I can’t say what Ishida replied to OP since the revealed text doesn’t really say anything substantial, but seems like OP asked something related to the final chapter based on their tweet.

From @S_R_Snow (X):

OP must have asked what Touka named her keychain lol.

Touka: No...since I’m not the kind to name things… Yoriko: She called it Usakichi!

From @rio_080910 (X):

I have no clue what OP asked so the reply doesn’t really make sense. Basically if Ishida has tried doing something.

I never thought about it during serialization. But since it ended, I’m thinking it’d be good to try that kind of thing.

From @Utinni_jawamori (X):

OP seems to have asked a Star Wars-related question since Ishida drew Darth Maul.

Why of course...here. But I also like Count Dooku. Exar Kun symbol.

From @ume__oni (X):

Ishida’s reply was covered up by OP, but OP mentioned in their tweet how they named the onigiri Ishida drew “SSR onigiri”, and that they were thankful for receiving a reply despite their silly question.

Ishida replied to their tweet, and it seems like the question OP asked was about his favourite kind of rice or onigiri since Ishida mentioned something about koshihikari, a type of rice.

From bobriorio (X):

OP’s question: Is there a specific character’s expression that makes you go, “Drawing this face is fun, I love it!”?

Ishida: Something like this broken-looking face, for a lot of reasons…

From nato_noir (X):

OP didn’t mention what question they asked, but probably had something to do with the species of butterfly that appears throughout TG. They also mentioned they started reading TG in 1st grade of junior high, since Ishida addresses that in his reply.

From 1st grade of junior high! I'm happy to hear that. It may look like a "butterfly", but specifically it's a moth called a mock swallowtail butterfly moth. I drew it to symbolize the difference between humans and ghouls even though they look similar.

From Fyt120 (X):

Question is unknown.

Ishida/Matsuri: Even if it cannot be reached, it will be in your thoughts for eternity.

(Why do I get the feeling he’s talking about Urie lol)

From pencil_15 (X):

OP asked about Tatara’s biography.

Now published...!

Tatara (Zhū Lú) [朱鑪, 朱 means 'red' and 鑪 is fireplace, the kanji for Tatara] 186 cm / 96 kg Blood type A Hobbies: Go (taught by his older brother), reading (Takatsuki Sen)

From hachiyone_arai (X):

If you can't stop thinking about the person even though you know it will never happen, that is love. ...according to Matsuri. (I love Urie too.) Urie: No.

From nanasiFAST (X):

Miza: Hm...me? I don’t really rank the things I love.

From Ishida’s preview (X):

Top right - Saiko: Kah!

Bottom right - Maid.

Top left - Nakarai: Recently, Japanese waxwings, I think. (has a rock look to it)

Bottom left - Ichika comic: (you can read here)

I’ll just summarize what I can figure out here since so much of it is concealed.

Higemaru - I think OP asked about how Higemaru ended up working for the CCG because it talks about his history at the Academy and the Qs. Also that Hige really looks up to Urie and wants to keep working with him.

Akira - I think OP asked for advice on dealing with the difficulties with their transfer family, because Ishida suggests using phrases such as, “I see...” or “That’s why~!”. (The alternative is Akira giving Inoue-san (from the transfer family) a Mado Punch lol)

Uta - A personal question, in which Ishida mentioned something about how if OP realized they messed up, and doing what OP needs to do.

Letter below Ui’s - Hide in :re volume 14, huh~ Kaneki also lost his way in OG volume 7 and :re volume 16. [Something about other guys like Naki, and something about how deciding the most important thing is difficult]

-----

The end! If there’s any other replies from Ishida that you didn’t see here, please let me know!

[britishassistant]

But I Like One Piece (16)

Surprisingly, Lee wraps his head around the idea of reincarnation from another world the easiest.

“It’s like when children at the Orphanage are adopted.” He explains blithely. “The parents who take them away give them new names, so you can’t ask to visit or see how Shinpachi is doing anymore, but the person who was known as Shinpachi still exists. He just has a new life with a new name somewhere far away.”

There’s a moment of contemplative and slightly horrified silence.

“Huh.” She says. “I-I guess it is kinda like that. I am Mayu, I just...remember being someone else before that. Somewhere very, very different.”

“Mayu—” Her mother pinches the bridge of her nose. “How-how do you know that this—this other world even exists?”

Well, she’d known they’d need proof to believe her, one way or another. Hopefully this will be complex enough that it should suffice.

She takes a deep breath.

«It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the will of the fight, risin’ up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night, and he’s watching us all with the eeeeeyyyyyyeee—of the tiger.»

Naruto grins. “Hey, it’s the singy thing!”

Lee gives a little round of applause. “You have a very nice voice, Mayu-chan!”

She tries not to blush and fails miserably.

Gai-sensei nods. “A most youthful tune, Mayu-chan. But do the sounds have any meaning?”

“Wait just a moment.”

All eyes turn to her father, whose head is hanging down, hair bracketing his eyes.

“Those sounds...aren’t they...”

She feels a drop of sweat slide down the back of her neck. Otou-san is the second son of a samurai clan after all; it’s no surprise that he can recognize a foreign language just by hear—

“They’re the noises you used to make when you were a little baby!!” Her father yells, pointing a dramatic finger at her.

“NO!!” She yells back, cheeks aflame. “Well, actually, yes, they kinda were, but they weren’t just baby noises!!”

Okaa-san gasps, pressing a hand to her cheek. “Dear, I can’t believe I couldn’t remember! You were so sweet, Mayu-chan, always going ‘aa dun uda’sta oo’.”

“That’s because I was trying to say «I don’t understand you»!” She groans, covering her eyes. “I didn’t understand this language back then! I just wanted to know what was going on!”

“Hey, hey, Mayu’s Tou-san,” Naruto says, eyes sparkling with mischief. “What was Mayu’s first word?”

Her father exhales and strokes his chin while looking off into the distance with a nostalgic twinkle in his eye. “Well, let’s see. She would’ve been about twenty months old or so—”

“IS NOW REALLY THE TIME FOR THIS STORY?!” She cuts in desperately. “I’m trying to prove the existence of another world by showing that I know a language that no one in this world has ever heard of and is far too insane for anyone with a brain to have made up!”

“Insane?” Says Lee, tilting his head in confusion.

“English is the pirate of languages.” She mutters darkly. “It goes around and beats up other languages and steals their words.”

“Is there anything about your past life that’s not related to pirates?!” Okaa-san asks, exasperation evident in her tone.

“I like pirates.” She says, hurt.

Her mother shoots her an unamused look. “Ketsugi Mayu...”

She holds up her hands in surrender. “Pirates were kinda mythical in my past life by the time I was alive. There were historical ones, but people romanticized them a lot. Like ninja.”

“What?! How dare they, that’s really rude, believe it!” Naruto fumes, crossing his arms. “...Kaa-san, what’s rom-an-ti-sized mean anyway?”

“It means they make up stories about them to make them seem...nicer.” Okaa-san explains. “Usually by pretending they aren’t as violent as they really are.”

“Oh.” Naruto thinks about this. “That’s dumb. Ninja are already cool, they don’t need to be nice.”

“Pirates are cooler.” She says.

“They are not—”

“Don’t start.” Her mother says in her scary week-long-ban-from-cooking voice.

“Yes Okaa-san.” They chorus.

“But wait.” Lee’s now frowning. “If the only ninja are historical, then how did countries in your past life defend themselves?”

“With armies of soldiers. Normal ones.” She replies. “ Though those might be replaced by flying robot drones by now. There used to be ninja in Japan—may still be even if only in name—but there wasn’t anything like chakra in my past life, so we developed technologically to fight each other instead. Now the world’s kinda in a stalemate peace because we’ve developed so far that the planet will become unable to support human life if we ever go all out.”

Lee stares at her, then drops his head, fists trembling in his lap.

Gai-sensei presses a hand to his shoulder. “Lee.”

She grows alarmed as tears begin to drip off of her friend’s face. Oh shit, she hadn’t meant to insult his dream. “Hey, Lee—”

“Mayu-chan.” His voice is surprisingly steady. “Did you mean everything you said? You aren’t making anything up?”

She hesitates but shakes her head, mouth twisting in consternation. “Yes. I did mean it. Lee, I’m sorry—”

Suddenly his arms shoot up in the air, fists still clenched. When he raises his head, his tears are sliding around a wide and dazzling grin.

“There’s a world of ninja without chakra.” He whispers, tone awed. “They don’t need chakra to become strong. To become ninja.”

Gai-sensei beams back and ruffles Lee’s hair into a haystack. “Of course! A youthful spirit and the willingness to work hard are what truly make a ninja!”

“And our Lee has that in spades.” Okaa-san says fondly, smoothing some of the now-haystack back into place. “You’ll be a fine ninja, I’m sure of it.”

Lee sniffs noisily. “Gai-sensei, Chie-oba-san...!”

“Yeah!” Naruto throws his arm over Lee’s shoulders. “An’ then you an’ me an’ Mayu-chan are gonna be on a kickass ninja team together, believe it!”

“I’m gonna be a pirate.” She interjects staunchly.

Naruto pouts at her for a moment, before he brightens again. “Fine then! Sakura-chan can be our third teammate, and Mayu’ll be the pirate mascot!”

“Sakura-chan?” Lee cries eagerly.

“Pirate mascot?!” She echoes indignantly.

Naruto sticks his tongue out at her triumphantly while her father and Gai-sensei turn away to muffle what sounds suspiciously like laughter.

She folds her arms and scowls at the stair in front of her while her mother pats her head consolingly.

Otou-san manages to get his chuckles under control enough to place a hand upon her and Lee’s shoulders. “We’ll always be very proud of you all, whether you’re a pirate mascot—” He fails to hide his snickering under her disapproving gaze, “—or a ninja. We just want you to be happy.”

“Jirou-oji-san!” Lee sniffs, eyes refilling with tears.

It takes another five minutes to get Lee and Gai-sensei to stop crying and hugging everyone in reach.

This is only exacerbated by the fact that her parents lose all rational sense and begin blushing and stuttering helplessly when they’re caught in Gai-sensei’s embrace.

Once everyone’s calmed down a bit, Naruto turns to her again. “So if this world was a story in your past life, does that mean you know the future, or any super cool jutsus?”

“No.” She says. “Because I never read that comic. I only ever read One Piece and argued with idiots who tried to say that that comic was better, which it obviously wasn’t.”

Her mother rolls her eyes at her as she lies, “I don’t even remember what that series was called, or any of the characters from it.”

Naruto narrows his eyes at her. “Then how’d you know you were here?” He fires back.

She stares at him as placidly as possible. He’s her best friend in this world—practically her brother in all but name. Lee is too, and Gai-sensei may as well be a third parent by this point.

She’s afraid of dying again, but she thinks that if it were for this family right here, her family, she’d face it with the kind of smile that only a D could muster.

She refuses to sentence Naruto to a miserable life of second-guessing and unearned guilt over things that he couldn’t possibly control.

Not this time.

Usopp, Nami and Robin give her the conviction to make this lie believable.

“The Hokage Monument.” She tells them smoothly. “It was in the background of almost every panel that idiots who liked the comic would try to show me. I didn’t remember where I recognized it from until I was about four years old though.”

Naruto doesn’t quite look convinced at first, but his expression becomes more accepting as he mulls it over.

Lee, bless him, just nods along trustingly.

Okaa-san tilts her head and stares at her with unnerving scrutiny.

Otou-san touches her mother’s arm, an eyebrow raised in concern, only for his wife to shake her head almost absent-mindedly.

Gai-sensei’s nose twitches.

She holds her breath.

His face breaks out into his usual beam. “I see! So the Will of Fire blazes strongly even in other worlds!”

She exhales, sending a mental thank you to the Rational Trio. “Yes. Any other questions?”

“Did you have a family in your past life?” Lee asks.

She flinches.

“Ah.” Lee’s smile is sad and understanding. “It’s okay if you didn’t—”

“I know it is.” She cuts in, grin feeling stilted. “It’s just—they weren’t anything to special. My Dad was a businessman and pretty strict. My Mum was a housewife and very spiritual. Kinda boring overall.”

Lee nods again, though he looks a little confused.

Okaa-san and Otou-san look...hurt.

She wants to hug them, but there’s a little part of her that whispers that doing so would be a betrayal. She forces herself to turn to a nicer topic.

“I did have a little brother, Harp.” She smiles to herself. “He’s a good kid, you guys would’ve loved him. He’s wizard at doing presentations and performances and things like that, really makes it easy to understand and believe what he’s saying, you know? He’s gonna be a famous actor when he grows up, or a politician, some really great speaker once—”

She freezes. “Shit.”

“Language!” Okaa-san says, but she barely hears her, knuckles white as her nails dig into her knees.

“I didn’t make a will.” She rasps. “I never made—and now they’ll get it all. They’ll take everything, and he’ll still be trapped.”

“Who will take everything?” Otou-san says, steely-eyed and serious. “Mayu, was someone you were related to threatening your family?”

She shakes her head. “Not—not threatening, exactly. S’just.” She makes an abortive movement with her hands. “Living with Mum and Dad was...not good. For me or Harp. They never got on with each other, and both of them were disappointed in us in their own way—anyway.”

“No, why were they disappointed?” Okaa-san says, eyes blazing. “I want to know what they thought was wrong with my little girl.”

“Okaa-san—” She tries to say, flattery and embarrassment warring inside her.

“Nothing’s wrong with Mayu-chan!” Lee interrupts, little chest puffed out. “She’s fine the way she is!”

“Lee—”

“Except that she does curry too spicy.” Naruto cuts in. “And argues with the Academy teachers a lot. But that’s not disappointing, believe it!”

She’s torn between the overwhelming desire to kick him in the shins and give him a great big hug.

Gai-sensei gives what, for him, counts as a discrete cough. “While I’m sure we can agree that Mayu-chan is one of the farthest things from disappointing there is, I believe you were in the process of explaining your dilemma?”

“Right.” She tries to will her cheeks to stop burning.

“Well, I had some money saved up so I could try to get Harp out—hire a good lawyer and see if, while Mum and Dad’s divorce was finalized, I could win custody so he’d get to live with me.”

“What’s divorce?” Lee asks.

“It’s when two people who are married decide they don’t want to be married anymore.” She explains. “So they go to a court of law to make it so they officially aren’t, and each person gets part of what they both owned.”

Naruto gasps, like the idea is somehow shocking to him. To be fair to him, the adults look equally scandalized, so she guesses that’s not exactly a common practice here. “You can do that?! But why? I thought married people were supposed to love each other forever.”

“Usually they do.” She says wearily. “But sometimes people fall out of love, or one person is hurt by the other, or both misunderstand the person they got married to. Dad thought a woman like my Mum would be very business-focused like he wanted. Mum thought a man like my Dad would be very spiritually enlightened like she wanted.”

Naruto looks confused but considering, so she moves on.

“Anyway, I had a lot of money saved up, but because I died without leaving anything that said how I wanted it to be used, Mum and Dad will take all of it, or at least argue over who should get the most of it in the divorce.” She clenches her fists. “And Harp’ll never see a penny.”

“Mayu-chan.” Naruto’s voice wavers slightly. “Did you not love your parents?”

For an awful moment, she’s struck by the paralyzing urge to say “No”.

Then the horror and guilt settle in her gut again like undercooked food and make her feel like she’s going to choke on bile.

“Wh—of course I loved them!” She sputters indignantly. “They were my Mum and Dad. You’ve got to love your Mum and Dad.”

“It’s okay if you didn’t!” Naruto holds up his hands placatingly. “They just don’t sound very nice! You said that they said you were a disappointment! And you didn’t want your little brother to be with them!”

He and Lee are staring at her wide-eyed, as if waiting for her to snap at them again. The same way Naruto and Kiba look around Sakura these days.

She takes a deep breath and tries to make her voice softer, gentler. “I’m sorry for yelling. It’s just, sometimes, you can love someone and know when they’re not very good at something, or in a position that they and other people aren’t happy they’re in. I did love my Mum and Dad, but they are the last people in that world I’d trust with a kid. It wasn’t their fault, but I thought if I could get Harp out, let him grow up happy—”

She shakes her head, worrying the scar on her lower lip.

She’d promised him she’d get him out.

She’d promised.

“How old were you?” Her father asks, voice low. “When...?”

She can’t bring herself to look at him, but he sounds weary down to his very bones.

“I was twenty years old.” She says to the stair in front of her.

“Is that.” Her mother hesitates for a moment. “Is that an old age to die at? Among the people of that world.”

She makes a face. “Nah. I’d been an adult for two years in the eyes of the law, but most people in my past life could expect to live until their lates eighties or nineties before dying of natural causes.”

She hears Gai-sensei whisper “late eighties or nineties” to himself in a tone filled with something like wonder.

It’s that wonder which spurs her to look up and say, “In fact, if you manage to live to your hundredth birthday, the Queen sends you a card wishing you a happy birthday and congratulating you. I had a friend whose great grandma got one.”

Only Gai-sensei looks as amazed by this information as she’d hoped they’d all be. Lee’s trying to muster up the same enthusiasm as their teacher, but he can’t quite. Naruto looks more confused than anything.

Otou-san and Okaa-san are just staring at her like they don’t recognize her.

It hurts too much to hold their gaze.

“How’d you die?” Naruto asks. “Were you fighting a bad guy?”

She rubs the back of her neck. “Not really. A man broke into the flat. I grabbed a knife. He freaked out and his gun went off. He said it was an accident.”

She hisses the last word with all the venom it deserves.

She doesn’t understand anymore why the One Piece anime tried to censor Belle-mere’s death by changing it from a headshot to a bullet to the chest.

A headshot is quick and painless, at least.

She’s so caught up in her own memories that she doesn’t hear her father’s question. “Pardon?”

“What was your name?” Otou-san’s voice is soft and understanding, even though his eyes are pitying.

“...The girl who died was called Tamara Kaur. Her friends called her Tammy or Tim-Tam for short.” She says, a mournful grin on her face. “My name is Ketsugi Mayu. I’ll be in your care, if you’ll have me.”

The quiet that follows this statement, half joke and half plea, is enough to make whatever hopes she was still desperately clinging to crumble like a sandcastle in the face of the tide.

There aren’t many more questions after that.

Aside from the pointed conversation that began with “so if the person Naruto mentioned really was a comic character, then who was the home invader?” and ended with her exasperated mother asking “What do you mean, you ‘accidentally created divinity’?”

She winces. “Kinda that? I just, I was praying to them for normal stuff, and then that day I prayed for help with cutting the lamb and ended up with an entire meal I didn’t remember cooking.”

Okaa-san stares at her for a long moment before burying her head in her hands. She makes a noise Mayu thinks might be a sob.

Otou-san pats her back awkwardly and shoots her what she thinks is meant to be a reassuring smile. “Your Kaa-san’s fine. She just...needs a moment.”

“So it was Sanji?” Naruto whispers to her.

She nods rapidly.

Naruto’s face splits into a grin so wide his eyes almost close. “Awesome.”

“I know.” She whispers back, hardly able to keep from smiling herself.

Okaa-san sends her to turn off all the taps and hang her clothes back up upstairs.

She supposes she has wasted enough water for one day.

She blinks in the mid-afternoon sun when she opens the door to her bedroom, ignoring the masks that are all but pressed against the shut window more out of habit at this point.

She feels too drained to even feel alarmed by their proximity to her home. Talking about her Mum and Dad always did that to her, even when she was in the same world as them.

A phantom hunger pang pierces her stomach.

She shudders at the memory. Oh Luffy, she hopes Harp got out quickly, that he didn’t have to grow up on meals that were either pigswill or denied to him entirely.

He’d be...what, eighteen, nineteen by now?

Reading about Sanji and the adventures of the Straw Hats used to help her get through those punishments.

She sends a prayer to them now that Harp didn’t have to learn how to do that himself.

Otou-san, Okaa-san, and Gai-sensei are discussing something in low, serious voices when she comes back downstairs.

They quiet down for a bit when she steps between Lee and Naruto to get to the kitchen.

When she returns to the hallway, Gai-sensei pats her shoulder with a little too much force, shooting her a megawatt beam and a thumbs up.

“Do not worry, Jirou-san, Chie-san! I am certain that there will be no cause for concern for yourselves or Mayu-chan!”

Otou-san heaves a sigh. “We have every faith in you. It’s just—”

Okaa-san lays a hand on Gai-sensei’s arm. “Please, Gai.”

He solemnly takes her hand in one of his own, reaching out to grab her father’s arm with the other. “Everything will be as it always is. I swear it to you.”

The adults’ eyes seem to glisten as they stare at each other.

She glances at Naruto and Lee, eyebrow raised.

Naruto gives a quizzical shrug. Lee’s almost vibrating as he stares at their parents, eyes wide.

She hates to break up the moment, but there’s an elephant in the room that needs addressing.

She coughs a little. “Um, Okaa-sama, Otou-sama?”

Her parents look over at her, shoulders stiffening.

She worries the scar on her lower lip. “I, ah, just wanted to say, that if you need some time to-to process what I’ve told you, and you don’t want me a-around for it, I can get out of the house, go somewhere else for as long as you need me to—”

Otou-san and Okaa-san stare at her, expressions of pure horror on their faces.

Shit, has she really overstepped by that much? “O-or if you don’t want me to come back, I could always try to find o-other living arrangements for myself—”

“YOU FOOL!”

The slap to the back of her head isn’t nearly as painful as most of the blows she’s weathered during training, but the sheer surprise of the attack has her clutching it and looking up in bewilderment.

Gai-sensei looks madder than she’s ever seen him.

“...Or I could leave the village entirely?” She meekly suggests, unsure of what to say to appease her teacher’s anger.

“And when did anyone ever say they wanted you to leave?!” Gai-sensei booms.

What?

She blinks in confusion. “But I’m not who you thought I was, I have—”

“Are you Ketsugi Mayu?” Her mother asks, voice drier than an over-baked cake.

“Yes—”

“And do you enjoying cooking and feeding people?” Okaa-san walks towards her and leans down.

“Well, yes, but—”

“And you have an obsession with pirates that leads you to act without thinking a lot?” Her mother reaches out and grabs her cheeks.

“It’s not an obsession—” She feebly tries to argue through pursed lips.

“Then you are my daughter.” Okaa-san says. “And you are going to stay right here where I can see you, and we are going to lay down some ground rules about contacting strange deities, do you hear me young lady?!”

She’s so alarmed by the sight of angry tears gathering in her mother’s eyes that she just nods her head as best as she can in this grip.

Okaa-san lets out a little sob and then she’s being enveloped in a crushing hug by both of her parents.

Otou-san murmurs, “Our family stays together, damn what anyone may think. Even if we have enemies on all sides, the Ketsugi clan will weather any blows. Didn’t we already tell you that?”

Then she feels Lee and Naruto’s little arms squeezing her from behind, and the gentle weight that means Gai-sensei has joined the hug too.

“Please don’t go Mayu.” Naruto says, sounding small and scared. “Please.”

She can’t help it when she starts bawling like a little kid again.

[unokins]

No Truth Left - part 7

CW: Spiders

Link to Archive

Chie waited, hands clenched tightly into fists. What did Maverick know? She needed help, and here it came. Her stomach churned as the engine grew louder. The smell of gasoline cut through the air. The waters churned at the newcomer’s intrusion, slapping the stone as Maverick screamed at her.

The howling Deep Ones pierced Chie’s mind, and she lost her nerve. One step back. The dam broke and Chie dashed for cover.

Finally! Maverick’s annoyance was scratching at her more than his relief. Hide in the gold again.

She glanced at the piles. Would a disturbed gold pile draw attention to her? “No,” Chie whispered. “Not enough time.”

Whose fault is that?

Shut up, Chie thought. She turned in a slow circle - where could she hide? Where could she hide? - and gasped. The nose of the boat was passing the beached ship. She stepped to her left, keeping herself hidden from the newcomer with the shadow of the Sumatra Queen. The gaping hole in its body loomed in front of Chie, yawning black. Gritting her teeth, Chie stepped in and darkness engulfed her. Wood creaked its protest, but it held her weight. 

Chie blinked as her eyes adjusted to the cargo hold. Several rotting wooden beams ran from floor to ceiling, and stacks of old crates covered most of the floor. Portholes were cut into the side at regular intervals, allowing weak rays of light to shine through, illuminating dust motes and spiderwebs. Chie crept to the side, kneeling into the shadows. 

The boat’s engine cut off, and the driver shuffled around. Pulling up, Maverick said at a soft thunk. Probably tying off and-

Booted feet met stone. The person’s gait was unhurried as he walked down the stone dock. A pause. 

“Hello?” His call echoed through the cavern. Chie clamped her hand over her mouth and breathed as shallowly as possible. More footsteps. A click. 

The man ululated and made sounds no human throat should have been capable of. It cut through Chie’s brain like a knife, and the cargo hold swayed in front of her. 

Blood dripped down her nose and fell from her chin. Chie moaned quietly. She reached for the wall to brace herself, and her hand sunk into something soft. Light tickling crawled up her arm and Chie gasped, ripping her hand from the wall. The softness stuck to her.

Holding her arm up to the dim light of the port holes, she saw a fist-sized wad of white thread around her hand and thousands of black motes erupting from it, scuttling up her. Chie slapped at her arm, screaming.

Or she tried too. Her body froze in place and the cry stuck in her throat. Maverick’s will pushed against hers. The spiders covered her arm like a living glove, and slowly moved in tickling, shuddering movements.

You are not screaming, Maverick hissed. You are not moving. They’ll find us and then all this would be for nothing.

Chie’s body shook. Maverick was unrelenting, and she could only stand there as the spiders scurried over her flesh.

I don’t want to be here, Chie thought, repeating the words over and over again as if that would somehow whisk her away. No more spiders, no more fish monsters. Just her hiding under her giant comforter with her dozen or so kitty plushies.

Wet slaps and grunts answered the man’s strange cry. Chie was sure they had a conversation together, but it wasn’t in any language she recognized. The words weren’t words, and she couldn’t picture how the speakers’ lips could move to make those sounds. Was the person in the boat even human?

They said my name, Maverick cut in. He was silent for a moment, and Chie got the impression that he was trying to mouth the words. Coming towards Innsmouth, but never showed up. He was quiet again. Frustration and anger radiated through Chie. God damn it, you didn’t turn off the fucking light!

Chie couldn’t answer him, even if she wanted to. Spiders crawled down her back now, their legs pricking like nails over her skin. Maverick kept the stranglehold on her body, and Chie couldn’t even shift her shoulders to brush them against her shirt. The ache in her muscles burned.

“Hey, girl!” The man yelled. “I know you’re here. I know you must be pretty scared. Come on out. I’ll give you a lift back to town, and make sure you’re situated all proper.” 

Absolutely the fuck not. 

After several long moments of silence, the man sighed. “We’ll find you.” He spoke as if it was an inevitability, and the sounds of his heavy boots hit the stone, accompanied by wet slaps and throaty hissing. The sounds of the search rose through the cavern. 

Chie took a breath. They couldn’t stay still here. It was only a matter of time before they realized where she was hiding and then- what? She died? Something worse? 

I’m giving you back control, Maverick said in a tone that suggested he didn’t like that idea. Go see if there is a way out of this ship, near the back. They won’t expect us to be in the water, and that’ll give us a chance to steal his boat.

Chie felt her throat muscles loosen, and then contract again.

Don’t scream. Don’t raise your voice. Maverick warned as he let them go again.

“Won’t they chase us?” Chie asked, keeping her voice to a harsh whisper.

It’s a motorboat, Chie. We should be quick enough. Now go.

With that, her body was hers again. Immediately, Chie brushed at her arms, throwing the spider’s egg sac to the ground. She scraped her back against a crate, imagining their little bodies squishing into nothing.

Stop wasting time, Maverick said boredly. Go!

Chie wanted to argue. Wanted to snap back at him and remind him that it was his fault she was here, that she almost died multiple times today, and maybe, just maybe, she wanted to not be covered in fucking spiders. 

Pretending she didn’t feel the survivors’ scuttling bodies, Chie continued slowly through the cargo hold. The musty air was heavier the deeper she went, full of brine and rot. A protruding nail scraped against her shoe, and she gritted her teeth against a yelp. Nothing was in here with her. 

Against the back wall of the cargo hold was a staircase and a doorway to another room. As Chie stepped through the doorway, her foot hit water. It rose to her ankles and she slowly made her way further in. A thin beam of light gave her just enough to see a desk against the wall to her left and a rotten chest against the right wall. The back wall had deteriorated, and bits of broken boards hung loosely against the weak ebb and flow of the water. 

There’s our ticket out of here, Maverick said, his anticipation thrumming.

Chie paused as she walked over to their exit. Her eyes lingered on the desk, where an old book lay. Its pages were damp and yellowed with the passing of time, but the messy scrawl written on them was still visible. Chie pulled her backpack open and searched through it, ignoring the vibrating impatience from Maverick. There, tucked away in a little poach, was a ziplock bag. Chie hurriedly slipped the book inside and sealed it.

Are we done? 

Scoffing, Chie rolled her eyes and continued. She reached the back wall and fumbled around until she found the break in the wood. Muted light glistened through the black waters. 

But she couldn’t bring herself to dive into the water. The rock walls of the tunnel pressed against her, squeezing, choking, drowning. She’d die, she’d-

Chie.

Water in her nose, her mouth, her lungs- Cold burning, blackness dragging her-

Chie!

“I can’t do it,” she whispered. Her hands trembled, shivers wracking her body. “I- I just-” Why couldn’t she be home? Soft blankets, soft toys, lazy weekend mornings, warm rice porridge-

You can do it. You have to.

“I almost died. I… I- I can’t just.” She was frozen.

This isn’t the tunnel again, Maverick said harshly. We know there’s open water out there, and the Deep Ones are searching for us in the cave. But they won’t focus there for long. You need to move. Take a deep breath. 

Chie breathed deep, and let it out. She took a step deeper in the water. Another breath, another trembling step. The spiders scurried away from the water, up her waist, up her chest, her shoulders. Chie gritted her teeth as they climbed over her cheeks, nose, and ears.

Good. You’re- You’re doing good. The encouragement felt awkward. Chie was sure Maverick wasn’t used to saying things like this. One more deep breath, and hold it.

Chie took another breath, feeling Maverick working together with her. Her lungs filled more than she thought were capable of, and she ducked under. Pushing herself against the floor, Chie glided through the hole. She braced herself against the ship’s outer wall and swam up to the surface. Muted panic sat on her chest. The blackness, the familiar burning in her lungs-

You’re there!

Chie’s gasp of air was muted as Maverick seized her throat muscles. She coughed at the conflicting signals, and Maverick seized on that, too, forcibly silencing her. But she did it! She got out of the ship and-

More gurgles, far off. Another screech, more ululations. 

Gotta keep moving. Chie pushed herself from the Sumatra Queen, submerging herself up to her nose as she went. No signs of return from the man or the Deep Ones, even as she pulled herself from the water with a quiet splash. Chie bit her lip, tasting salty water.

The two steps it took to cross the width of the dock felt like a mile. Chie eased herself into the boat. Her shaking foot almost slipped, and her cold-stiff hands fumbled with the rope. “Untie us and get us out of here,” she whispered. Maverick responded fast, unknotting it with ease, pushing them away, and revving the engine. It answered them with a croaking groan, and sputtered to life. Maverick grabbed the little bar hanging off the engine, and directed the boat to open water.

Clouds hung heavy in the sky, their opaque grey reflecting the burning reds and burnt oranges of sunset. Had she really spent all day on this island? She glanced behind her, and, as the boat turned, caught a glimpse of the man, and the rage contorting his face. Her breath caught in her throat.

I saw him, too, Maverick said, puttering the boat onward. We need to go.

Chie turned her gaze onward. The lights of Innsmouth reflected dimly against the barren landscape. Food, shelter, warmth. She had enough money for a cheap motel and shitty fast food. But if the people of Innsmouth really worshipped the Deep Ones, how long would it take before they realized what the outsider had done? While the bracelets might help, her clothes and skin still bore the muted stains of the Deep One’s blood, washed away by the water.

We should head towards the river, there, Maverick said, twitching Chie’s head to their left. The mouth of a river met the ocean, skirting around the town and to the mainland. While they would avoid meeting anyone, what other dangers lurked in the swampy lands surrounding Innsmouth? Could Chie survive with what tools they had? She shivered in the early fall air. 

>Go to Innsmouth >Go to the Wilderness --- Author’s Note: This is the end of Chapter? Section? Arc? 1! I’ll spend some time plotting the next bit, revising this first bit, and working on some other projects I have. Thank you everyone who is reading and voting! It means a lot to get nice tags and see people interact with my stuff. 

[poorlilbeans]

Clinging on to Magic

IT Chapter two commission for the lovely @taylortut :D

(au where everything is fine and nothing hurts because i’m Babey)

“Hey, are you okay?” Eddie whispered. He never was great at whispering, and Richie’s face burned as he felt all the eyes at the table fall on him.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not eating.”

Shit, had it been that long since he’d taken a bite? Richie glanced around the table, and sure enough, everyone else’s plates were nearly empty.

“Oh. Zoned out, I guess,” he laughed, praying Eddie would just leave the matter alone. He didn’t though. He just kept staring, and Richie could practically feel the embarrassment burning holes in his resolve. “I’m just not that hungry,” he admitted.

“Does your stomach hurt?” Eddie ventured. His voice was soft, sweet, but Richie could already see him subtly shifting his chair away.

“No,” he answered honestly. It wasn’t enough. Seriously, were these guys aware of how intimidating it was, just staring at someone like that? He paused, waited for the conversation to pick up again- waited for all those eyes to move off of him and back to their food. When it didn’t happen, he leaned back in his chair, frustrated. “My throat, alright? My throat hurts,” he admitted, finally. His face burned ever hotter at the concerned stares of his friends.

“You’re sick,” Mike concluded. Beside him, Eddie breathed a sigh of relief that someone else had said the words, so he didn’t have to.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I’m fine, I just feel shitty. It doesn’t matter.”

“You’re kind of contradicting yourself,” Ben spoke up tentatively. Richie sighed, burying his face in his hands and knocking his glasses askew. Eddie’s heart flipped; he hated seeing Richie embarrassed like this… still, it was better than letting him stay out and continue to overexert himself, right? He leaned close to Richie’s ear, silently cursing himself for not noticing the heat radiating from his head earlier.

“No one’s going to be mad if you need to go home,” he whispered. Richie didn’t move.

“If you don’t want me here, you can just tell me,” he answered. He’d been hoping the teasing would be clear in his tone, but judging by the way his friends faces fell, it wasn’t.

“That’s not what I meant,” Eddie started, and god damn it he sounded so worried, so sad, and Richie felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

“I know. I’m sorry, I just…”

“You just don’t feel well.”

“Yeah.” Richie leaned back in his chair again, a deep ache in sparking in his back at the movement. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s n-not your f-f-fault, Richie,” Bill placated from across the table.

“Yeah,” Bev added, “We really should’ve noticed something was up with the lack of shitty jokes all evening.” And Richie just looked so sad, so guilty… germs could be damned, and Eddie reached under the table and took his hand.

“I’ll drive you home, okay?”

“I can take a cab,” Richie said, eyes cast down.

“I know,” Eddie answered fondly as he rose from his chair, producing his car keys from his jeans pocket. “Let’s go.”

             “-chie?” Are you okay?”

“Hmmm?”

“There you are,” Eddie smiled, but it was a sad kind of smile. It made Richie feel sad, but it was a distant kind of sad; a liquidy, confusing sort of exhaustion was at the forefront, the kind that make it hard to talk and move and exist because he just couldn’t quite remember how.

“I said we’re here,” Eddie repeated. Getting the message, Richie reached over to unclasp his seat belt, a task that was suddenly unreasonably difficult. He tried one, two, three, four times and the damned thing finally clicked open. He turned proudly, only to startle when he realized that Eddie had already appeared beside him and opened the passenger side door.

“When’d you get so fast, Eds?” Richie mumbled, amazed, and wow, there was that smile again. It was so cute. It made it look like Eddie really, really loved him, and that was just absurd, right? He was just a comedian. He was a thing to be laughed at, not to be loved, but here Eddie was, looking at him with a dimply smile and a sparkle in his caramel brown eyes, and goddamn, that was just wonderful, wasn’t it?

           He leaned on Eddie maybe a little bit more than he needed to walking into his apartment building and waiting for the elevator, but he was warm and cool at the same time and it felt like magic. Richie was sure he couldn’t be blamed for clinging on to magic, right? And then the elevator dinged, and Richie cursed it for breaking the illusion,  for ending that moment of perfect quiet he’d found pushing his forehead into the soft crook of Eddie’s neck. He felt a moment of panic, then, because Eddie was tugging him into the elevator; he was almost home, and that meant Eddie was going to leave soon and he would be all alone! The thought was just unbearable and Richie felt himself tearing up before he could stop it. He sniffled reflexively, a gross, wet, deep gurgling sound rumbling through his sinuses, and the tears came faster at the humiliation. Then they were moving, up, up, up… it felt wobbly, and Richie found himself woozily shifting even more of his weight onto Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie’s hand was tracing a slow, soothing path around Richie’s back, his own quiet way of offering comfort; he was never quite sure what to do when Richie cried, but this… this was nice. The elevator dinged again and Richie whined against his will, the monster of cold loneliness looming ever closer.

“It’s alright, Rich, we’re almost there. You can lie down soon,” Eddie offered. Richie wanted to tell him that that wasn’t the problem- that he was misinterpreting his tears, but Eddie was only trying to help, so he kept his mouth shut.

           The two of them wobbled up to Richie’s apartment, and Eddie reached around into Richie’s pocket, tickling his hip to grab his keys. He twitched a little at the sensation, and felt a giggle bubble up his throat despite himself. Eddie’s mouth twitched upward, he couldn’t help but notice, but the deep crease between his brows didn’t ease as he practically carried Richie past the threshold and toward his bedroom.

           He was deposited on his bed, then, and a deep shiver ran up and down is spine as Eddie carefully palmed his forehead, his cheek, his neck.

“Shit, you feel really hot… you have a thermometer, right?” Eddie asked, already up and skittering toward the bathroom.

“I already know I’m hot,” Richie called after him. “Everyone knows! I’m smoking hot!” Eddie didn’t answer, seemingly preoccupied with making an absolutely ungodly amount of noise clattering around in the cupboard and the medicine cabinet. Richie closed his eyes, his headache making a very unwelcome reappearance in response to all the racket. The pain seemed to ease off moments later, though, when cool fingers started stroking his head, combing through his curly hair.

“I couldn’t find it… or any meds for that matter. Where do you keep your cold and flu stuff?”

“Mnn?” Richie eloquently replied, already feeling Eddie’s gentle touch soothing him to sleep. The fingers left his hair, much to his dismay, and reappeared moments later to tap him repeatedly on the forehead. “Heyyyyy,” he whined opening his eyes a crack.

“Where do you keep your medicine and your thermometer?” Eddie repeated.

“Oh,” Richie chuckled deliriously, taking Eddie’s wrist and nuzzling into the palm of his hand. “I don’t have any.” Eddie drew a long, trembling breath, a familiar look of panic settling into his expression.

“Well, you need some. I’ll go out to the convenience store and get you some stuff, alright?”

“Noooo, please!” Richie blurted out, embarrassment returning a little at the high, childish pitch his voice took on. “Just stay for a little longer, please?” After a long pause, Eddie sighed.

“Fine. I’ll stay until you fall asleep, alright? Then I’ll go shopping, and I’ll be back before you even wake up.” He sat back on the bed, smiling a little when Richie began snuggling his hand again. Then, he stopped, and forced all the sad sweetness he could muster into his dark brown eyes as he pouted,

“Will you hold me?” He watched with some (okay a lot) satisfaction as Eddie blushed, but after a beat, he complied, and carefully climbed into the bed with him. Richie unashamedly wrapped his arms around his waist, whatever reservations he normally held completely burned away by fever.

“Have I mentioned how hot I am?” Richie asked as Eddie reached down and pulled his glasses off of his face.

“Yes,” Eddie laughed. “Thrice now, I believe.”

“Mhm,” Richie hummed. Without the barrier of his glasses in his way, he smooshed his face into Eddie’s chest wishing his nose wasn’t so stuffed so he could breathe in the comforting scent of his deodorant. “And my dick is huge.”

“Uh huh, I’m sure it is…” Eddie’s lovely fingers reappeared in his hair, and for the first time all day Richie felt completely, one hundred percent at peace. The world was still spinning, and his throat, his head, his… his everything was all aching, but with a cuddle like this, how could he complain, really? The rise and fall of Eddie’s chest as he restrained his laughter jostled Richie’s head up and down, and the world spun up, up, up, until he was floating a way into sweet, quiet unconsciousness.

             Eddie’s heart was pounding as he shuffled up and down the aisles of the pharmacy. Thermometer, Tylenol, Asprin… should he get some Advil, too? Maybe he should, just to be safe. Pills or liquid, though? Shit, he should’ve asked… Eddie quickly felt his chest tightening, his vision whiting out at the corners as he drew in panicked little gasps of breath. He needed to calm down. This was just a cold. Or the flu. Or Bronchitis. Pneumonia. The plague. Shit, shit…

Eddie ducked into an empty aisle, leaning down over his cart to catch his breath. In, out. In, out. Don’t panic. Everything is going to be fine. In, out. In, out.

           He carefully counted his breaths for the rest of the trips, scuttling around to find cough syrup, both drowsy and non-drowsy, juice, soup, throat lozenges… should he get Gravol? Richie said his stomach wasn’t upset, but… just in case. His tossed it in the basket. The bill was pretty expensive, and Eddie couldn’t help avert his eyes when he noticed the confused and ever so slightly judgmental look the cashier wore with every new package of medicine he scanned. Whatever, what did he know? Eddie just liked to be prepared! Shit, should he have gotten Gatorade? Fuck. Maybe he could grab some at the convenience store on the way back.

           Aside from a quick pit stop on the way, the trek back to Richie’s building was a blur. What if he was getting worse? Maybe he’d woken up and found himself all alone, with no medicine in him and no one to look after him, no one to tell him everything was going to be alright. With every passing moment Eddie got more worried and more frustrated with himself for not just taking Richie back to his own place. He practically sprinted all the way back, only stopping to catch his breath once he was in the elevator. Anticipation built as he jammed Richie’s key into the lock, ready to find him crying or being sick or something.

           Richie was still asleep. Of course he was, he was exhausted. What was Eddie thinking? He let out the breath he’d been holding, much of the tension bleeding out of his body in a huge rush. Knowing now that he had some time to spare, he set about stocking Richie’s kitchen with sick-friendly foods and beverages, and his bathroom cabinets with a lifetime supply off cold and flu supplies. Then, he made his way back into the bedroom with a glass of water in one hand, a brand new thermometer and Tylenol Cold and Flu in the other. He set the water on the nightstand and climbed back into the bed, hoping to coax Richie to wakefulness with a soothing hand on his head. However, the second he made contact Richie jolted awake with a violent, wet coughing fit. Heartbeat picking up speed once more, Eddie grabbed him by the shoulders and heaved him into a sitting position, trying to be as subtle as possible about holding his breath and turning his head away as Richie worked his way through the fit. Once he was finished, Eddie turned back, and sympathy swirled in his stomach as he took in Richie’s flushed, sweaty face, the tears welling up in his eyes from all the coughing.

“Hey, I’m back,” he said, wanting to kick himself for saying something so silly and obvious. “I’m going to take your temperature, okay?” Richie moaned and dropped his head on Eddie’s shoulder, but opened his mouth obediently nevertheless. Eddie placed the thermometer under his tongue, and tried his best to soothe him as he struggled to breathe around it. Once it beeped, Eddie’s heart skipped an anxious beat at the reading. Then again, any number on that thing would have probably made him feel anxious.

“I have pills for you, okay?” he coaxed, pleased when Richie sat up straighter, and swallowed the pills with a water chase and no complaint. He even took a few extra sips of the water before almost dropping the glass in his lap, sleepiness clearly taking over once more. Smiling fondly, Eddie took the glass and put it back on the nightstand, and helped Richie to lie back down.

“It’s alright, you can sleep now,” he cooed. Richie’s brows furrowed as he squirmed, trying to get comfortable.

“Will you stay?” he mumbled. Honestly, Eddie thought, how could he not?

“Of course, I will,” he answered. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

             Eddie woke with a jolt, with no memory of how or when he’d fallen asleep. This wasn’t his bed, or his room…

The memories all came whirling back when he heard a distressed whimper beside him. He fumbled to turn the light on, and found Richie still sleeping, but not restfully. He was thrashing about, moaning and whimpering and crying. Panicked, Eddie grasped at his shoulders and shook, desperate to save him from whatever horrible dream had him so upset. Richie woke with a gasp, which turned into a cough, which turned into several coughs and then a few hiccuped sobs.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m here, you’re alright,” Eddie tried, with no idea if what he was saying was helpful. It must have been, though, because Richie stopped crying and met his eyes, the wild terror in his own dying down a little. “You’re alright,” Eddie repeated. “You were just having a bad dream. You’re safe.” Wordlessly, Richie scooted closer, clinging to Eddie like he wanted to just straight up climb inside of him. “Shh, it’s alright. Did you want to talk about it?” Eddie asked, not really expecting an answer.

“You were dead…” Richie whispered, and Eddie’s heart flipped. “You… there was this wolf following us, and it had yellow eyes and then…” he sniffled, burying his face in Eddie’s hip.

“It isn’t stupid,” Eddie prompted. Richie sniffled.

“It turned into a clown and it was ripping you apart. I was watching, and it was just ripping pieces off of you and eating them, but you weren’t dead yet. You were alive and screaming but I couldn’t move, and then he ate your heart and he… you…” Richie’s breath came in quick gasps for a moment before he broke off into delirious crying.

“It’s alright, it wasn’t real. I’m here,” Eddie whispered. He rubbed Richie’s quaking back, whispering soothing words until his sobs slowed to a stop, and held him tight until they both fell asleep again.

           When he woke next it was morning, and he was awakened by the harsh sound of Richie coughing. He sat up.

“Are you okay?!” he asked, raising a gentle hand to Richie’s back. “Do you need anything? Water?” Recovering from the fit, Richie raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Eddie’s panic.

“I’m fine,” he rasped, and they both cringed at the gravelly sound of his voice. He blushed when Eddie reached out to feel his forehead.

“You feel a lot cooler,” he breathed, and for a moment they just looked at each other; Eddie could practically feel crackling static between them. Feeling his own face heat up, he pulled back. “I’ll get you something for that cough. Oh, and are you hungry? What do you want for breakfast?”

“I’d like some Spaghetti please,” Richie wheezed, grinning and offering a wink. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious, you need food in you.”

“Won’t you cuddle me first?”

“No. Food first.” Eddie did his best to sound stern, and Richie pouted for a moment, before quickly recovering.

“It’s fine, I’ve got a great cuddle session planned with your mom later tonight.”

“Just for that you’re getting unflavoured Buckley’s.”

“Nooooo,” Richie whined. Eddie smiled, relieved to be bantering again.

“Nope, it’s too late. Hell Juice for you, motherfucker.”

“Damn right I’m a Mother Fucker.”

“Fuck off.”

[phantoms-lair]

❧ ❧ ❧

Three huh, hooboy

~~

Ritsuko wasn’t sure what she was expecting from the third child, no one was since Gendo had lost him, but the smile boy wearing an honest to god black cloak and ornate rings wasn’t it.

“So you’re telling me I was asked to come here in order to pilot a giant robot to fight that giant angel thing?” Shinji asked. “You can’t be serious!” Misato protested. “He’s had no training.” “AWESOME! And they said coming here was a bad idea! It’s even my color. Load me up!”  Misato resisted the urge to facepalm. Where was this fearlessness on the way in?

A1 Clips attached Shinji was brought in the entry plug and the LCL started filling in. “Should I be concerned?” Shinji asked, still remarkably calm for the situation.

“The liquid is breathable, you were oxygenated this way for nine months after all.”  Ritsuko explained calmly.

“Not what I was worried about- oh hey, this stuff tastes great!” Many of the the bridge workers, who’d grown to tolerate the smell of LCL looked at Unit 01 in confusion and a little disgust.

Gendo’s Kid Ritsuko reminded herself. “Unit 01 Launch.”

“Sure he climbs into the giant robot, but not my car.” Misato grumbled. “Okay Shinji, I need you to focus on walking.” The mecha took one tentative step. Then another. Shinji giggled and the robot began to bounce on it’s toes, before slipping and landing on it’s behind.

“Shinji are you okay?” He didn’t seem damaged from the feed, but the life sign readers were malfunctioning and not telling Ritsuko anything. “All okay-dokey.” Shinji said in a sing-song voice before straightening himself out. “Oh look, there’s the Angel. LET’S WRASSLE!” “Ritusko what the hell is going on?” Misato asked as Shinji attempted to suplex the Third Angel. “He wasn’t acting anything like this before.” “It just a hunch, since we don’t have enough data and the readouts aren’t calibrated properly to him,” which sounded better than saying they weren’t working, “But I believe he’s having a unique reaction to the LCL which is putting him in a hyperoxygenated state which-.” She sighed, realizing she had to simplify. “He’s getting high off the LCL.”

“That can happen?” Misato asked, aghast.

“There’s no evidence of it happening before, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. He’s been getting progressively more twitchy the longer he’s in there.” She gestured to the plug feed where Shinji was drumming his fingers on the controls, tapping his feet, and grinning like a loon.

“Oh God, we have to pull him out.” MIsato had paled considerably. She didn’t even want to think about the damage that could be done in this state. “Shinji you need to-” “DEATHTRON HAMMER!” Shinji charged at the Third Angel shoulder first. The AT Fields clashed, creating a red aura around Shinji as he broke through and began pummeling the Third Angel before suddenly retreating and climbing on top of the deployment shaft.  “And now the grand finale. Passed down through the Valentine Family, ARTEM BUSTER!” Cackling he leapt off the shaft and landed elbow first, right on the Third Angel’s core. The resultant explosion blew him off, causing him to ragdoll through the air, before landing in one of the mountains.

“We got lucky,” Misato said grimly. 

~

Section 2 seemed all to happy to shove the boy at Ritsuko. He was still under the effects of the LCL and was talking a mile a minute, occasionally going into a fighting pose and punching the air a few times as if to make a point.

Ritsuko pinched the bridge of her nose. As Misato said, they’d gotten lucky he’d defeated the Angel in this state. He clearly wouldn’t be able to pilot until they could counter whatever he was reacting to in the LCL. “Shinji, we need to give you an exam since the senors in the EVA were malfunctioning and not picking up anything.” Shinji paused in his reenactment of his fight. “You mean like beating and heartbeat and stuff?” He went back to his play fighting the air.

“That’s correct.” Ritsuko felt a headache coming on. “Your sensors are probably fine.” Shinji tried to do a spin kick and failing. “I just don’t have any.”

“You don’t have any life signs?”  “Nope.” Shinji gave them a big grin, with canine teeth that were a little too long and sharp. “I’m a vampire.”

The two college roommates looked at each other. “Shinji, vampires aren’t real.” Misato started to explain.

In response Shinji turned into a purple hued bat and began an erratic flight in circles, cackling all the way, not knowing how many plans just went up in smoke.

~~~~

Shinji raised by someone else is a common enough trope in fanfiction. I at one point thought of trying my hand at it and went with the Valentine Vampires from Shadow Hearts. It never got past the planning stage, but damned if this wasn’t going to be a fun Shinji

(Note: Shinji ‘died’ in a car crash before being brought back as a vampire by Hilda, so he’s terrified of being in cars)

(More under cut)

~~ “Later, I need to talk to you. About The Case.” There had been a time when 'The Case' had been the drunk driver that hit his wife. Now it was the dark cloud that had hung over Inaba for nearly a year.

Yuu froze. “Is something wrong?”

“No I just – I just need a little more information,” Dojima decided. A hell of a lot more was more truthful.

Yuu nodded. “After Nanako goes to bed, I'll tell you anything you want to know.”The emphasis on the word 'want' puzzled Dojima. As they sat down Nanako reach for the remote and flicked on the TV. Dojima felt a slight chill down his spine, knowing that his daughter had once gone through a similar screen.

Then it hit him. The reason for Yuu's odd manner of speech was to give Dojima an out on some things he might be disturbed by. What little Dojima knew about the occurrences was frightening and mind blowing. Yuu was giving him a way out, trying to protect him from having his world blown apart even further.

Stupid kid, always trying to protect everyone around him. It was moments like this that Dojima would never admit to. Watching his nephew shine in sports and academia was something for any family member to be proud of. But it was watching how he cared and looked out for people, how he protected everyone he came across with the same ferocity that Dojima himself had, that made him wish Yuu had been his son, not his sister's.

Still, Yuu could protect his friends, Nanako, and any other passerby he met, but trying to protect his uncle was taking it too far.

The evening seemed to crawl by at a snail's pace. It seemed a small eternity before Dojima finally finished reading his daughter a bedtime story and turned out her lights.

Yuu was waiting for him in his room, two cups of tea steaming on his table. Dojima tried to start the conversation, but his nephew cut him off. “Ten minutes”

“What?”

“It normally takes Nanako about ten minutes to fall asleep. I don't want her listening in on this conversation.” And thus began the longest ten minutes in Dojima's life. 

Finally Yuu put down his tea and looked Dojima in the eye. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.” It's more than just the details of the murders. It what his nephew has been through this past year and why on Earth he didn't tell anyone. He did muttered Dojima's subconscious. Twice

“This is your last chance to back out,” Yuu warned. Receiving no reply, he sighed. “It began the day after Yamano's body was found. Yosuke was treating me to a meal as a welcome to town and Chie came along. We met Saki-sempai...” Yuu stopped and shook his head. He hadn't known and there was nothing he could have done at that point. “As we parted, Chie told us about this Urban Myth, the Midnight Channel. That if you looked into a turned off TV at midnight on a rainy evening, you'll see your soulmate.” 

Dojima raised an eyebrow. 

“Don't give me that look. I know how childish it sounds, but I had already seen Chie play the Nutcracker Suite on Yosuke with very little provocation, and besides, what could it hurt? It wasn't like anything would actually happen.” Yuu chuckled self deprecatingly.  “As the clock struck midnight, I looked out the window. Three streetlamps glowed; red, yellow, and blue. The rain was light, but you could still hear the patter on the roof and pavement.”

Dojima felt a chill run up his spine in a way that he hadn't since he was a small child. The faraway look in his nephew's eyes told him he wasn't just telling the story, he was narrating it as he relived the events in his mind.“When I first heard static coming from the television, I thought it was my imagination. I turned around to see the television, that has been off a second ago, was on. I saw flashes of a girl, running from something in fear. The images only lasted a few seconds, then faded to nothing, leaving only the slight glow of a TV that should have been turned off. That's when I heard the voice.”

“I'm still not sure what it was, Izanagi perhaps,-” Yuu continued, ignoring the question his uncle was about to ask, or perhaps too far gone in the memory to realize Dojima had been about to interrupt. “-it's voice seemed to cleave my body in two. I thought my head would explode from the pain. It's word echoed through me: 'I am Thou and Thou art I. Thou art the one who opens the door'.And then – silence.” 

Tension left Yuu's frame. “The only sound came from rain, the only light from the streetlamps. I wasn't even sure if what had just happened was real or not.” Yuu turned from his uncle, towards the TV. “I don't know what I was thinking. At that point, I'm not even sure I was. I just reached out...” Following his narrative, Yuu stretched his right hand out, his fingertip barely touching the screen.

Dojima felt his heart leap into his throat as a ripple pattern flowed across the screen from the contact. Yuu had yanked his hand back, the tentatively reached out again. This time he didn't pull back, pushing his am into the screen nearly up to his shoulder.

Yuu looked at him calmly, completely unphased by how impossible what he was doing was. “This is how it started Uncle. If I hadn't stayed up that night, perhaps I never would have gotten involved.” He pulled his hand back out. “The voice in my head, the images that showed on the Midnight channel, the power that lets me pass through the door, all were important to solving the case.”

“You have a lot of unused vacation time. It's time to call it in. I knew eventually you'd want to know the whole story and we'd discussed how to explain. We decided the best way was to walk you down our path, to reenact the major moments of the case. Tomorrow we'll head to the one place that was the key to our investigation. I'll continue the story there, where we first got involved.” Yuu's expression softened. The take charge tone he had been using evened out to the gentle voice he associated with his nephew. “I know what you just saw isn't easy to accept. It wasn't easy for me either, for any of us. There's no nice way to explain everything that happened-”

“There's never a nice way to explain murder,” Dojima growled, trying the quiet his thumping heart. A large part of his mind trying to find some explanation for what he just saw.

“No, there isn't, but this...it got messier in far more personal ways. You'll see. Rise and Naoto are coming over tomorrow to play with Nanako. And we'll begin on the path of the investigation. You should get some rest.” 

“And you expect me to just fall asleep tonight?” Dojima asked dryly, not sure if he was being serious or trying to lighten the mood.

“It would be best, tomorrow will be tiring. That place always is.”

“That place?”

“Trust me,” It wasn’t a statement, from his nephew, but a plea. Because Dojima hadn’t trusted him on the important things. And because of that a bunch of kids had to face a murderer alone.

“I do.” More of a promise than a statement. That he wouldn’t discount what his nephew  told him ever again.

~~~~ One of the few things that left be dissatisfied in Persona 4 was Dojima’s whole ‘lets not talk about it’ after the fact. He’s the type of person who’d need to know and understand before he could put it to bed in his mind. So this, Backside of the TV would be the group walking him through it to try and gain that understanding.

~~

A haunted looking man stared into his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He had come so far, from the child of poor farmers in his home country to being one of the top programmers in a large-scale American cooperation. Was he really prepared to throw it all away?

There was no doubt about it, a product recall at the late stage would destroy global trust in the company. Competitors could easily move in and remove his company from the picture. Not only would he certainly be fired, but he would be unhireable. All for something that had less than a one in a million chance of happening.

But what if it does happens, eh?  His conscience whispered at him. Could you go on living with yourself knowing some poor soul gets hurt because you did NOTHING?

The man splashed some cold water on his face. It wouldn't do to lose control of his emotions. There was only one thing he could do, and he was going to do it with pride and dignity. Drying his face with a towel, the man marched out of the restroom with a renewed sense of purpose. He marched to the main meeting room, where all the major stockholders and even the company president were waiting.

Trying not to let his fear show, he moved to the podium, sliding his notes and proofs into the small cubby within it. One final deep breath and it was time...

“Gentlemen,” began Rodrick McStewart, “The Pinnacle chip is flawed.”

“A 'flaw'?” Armando Guitierrez's voice sounded innocently curious, but it was all Roddy could do to keep from shivering. “What kind of 'flaw'?”

“One I've never seen before,” Roddy answered honestly. “If activated, the chip's ability to increase the rate of information flow goes into overdrive, the consequence of which are, to say the least, dire.”

One of the stockholders leaned forward “What do you mean 'dire'?”

McStewart sighed. “The computer would start downloading information from the internet at an unseen rate. And not just one or two files, it would try to download the whole bloody thing. Rather than slowing down as this continues, it speeds up causing the system to critically overheat in under a minute. It's not unlikely the computer would explode, causing serious damage to the user in the process.”

It was silent as a morgue.  “W-What are the odds of this happening?” Another suited man asked.

Crud. He was hoping that wouldn't come up. “I've calculated the odds at four hundred and fifty million to one.” As he feared, he watched the entire boardroom relax, joking amongst themselves that they had been scared of nothing. The fools saw such a large number as unreachable. But the truth was the chip had already sold over 60 million units on pre-order alone.  In under a year it would reach five hundred million, practically guaranteeing at least one accident.

Guitierrez took a deep breath. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Roddy. I will discuss this with the shareholders. If you would please wait in my office, we can discuss this further and see how we can salvage this.”

He knew he was being dismissed, but it was more than he had thought he would get. At least Guitierrez was willing to listen to him in private, even if he was going to spend the next hour telling the stockholders there was no problem.

Guitierrex's office was a long rectangular room, the north side of which was completely glass. The mahogony deck used the window as a backdrop. Roddy flopped down in the wheeled leather chair in front of the desk and pulled out his notes. On one of the pages was a picture of the Pinnacle chip focused in on it most important feature, the 'Broken Arrow' core. Many times McStewart wished he could have spoke with the R&D team that had developed it. It's power was amazing, McStewart was sure the chip he had built around it wasn't accessing a fraction of it's true power. 

“Thank you for your patience Roddy, no sit, sit” Guitierrez  gestured  for the programmer to remain sitting in the wheeled leather chair. “How could this has happened?

“The Broken Arrow core is so powerful. Moreso than we ever could have guessed. A system built around it would probably be the most powerful system in existence, but a normal computer just can't safely handle it.”

“I see,” Guitierrez walked to the north wall of his office, which was a solid glass window letting in the cold December sun. “We shall have to rally as quickly as possible. How many other developers are aware of the flaw?”

“None, I didn't want to start a panic, not until I was completely sure.”

Guitierrez turned his back from the window “A wise move Roddy,” He gripped the back of Roddy's chair. “I thank you for your final service to this company.” 

Roddy had expected to be fired. What he hadn't expected was for his employer to start pushing the chair at top speed towards the window. He also hadn't expected the window to not me made of hurricane glass.

Shards of shattered glass fell with him as he tumbled out the window. He hit a tree branch with a thud that probably broke all his ribs but halted his fall enough to survive it. As quickly as he could he made his way to his car. He wished he could just call an ambulance, but he didn’t want to give Guitierrez the chance to finish the job.

Elswhere, Debbie Douglas put in the preorder for one of those Pinnacle chips. It would be just the perfect thing to give Dexter for Christmas.

~~~~

An attempt to redo Freakazoid as a more serious superhero story. Not much more to be said.