#mikaela is a precious child

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Transformers Theory: The Terrans Are Children, So Whats The Autobots & Decepticons Excuse...? (Steven Universe Reference Meme)

[Note: Please Don’t Reblog This Without My Permission] 

when you think about, the Terrans: Twitch, Thrash, Nightshade, Hashtag and Jawbreaker are just kids, and they have sibling bonds to Robby and Mo Malto, and even a type of parent and child bond to Dot and Alex Malto.

so with how the Older Autobots and Decepticons are, and the whole Autobots not understanding they are just much to blame as the Decepticons, cause Himbo Prime just had to do something stupid when it came to the Allspark, well him and also the live action movie version of himself that had Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes characters in that first and second movies, and instead of just making Sam be with Carly, they could of got some other gal to play Mikaela.

but anyway, a lesson is learned....never trust a Himbo Prime with the Allspark.

he will either try to put it in his chest where his spark is, just so he could destroy it (and that is being disrespectful to the Allspark Mother.) or he will end up possibly blowing it up when it’s send through some type of space bridge back to Cybertron.

TFA-Optimus gets a pass, because he had no clue and he is a precious cinnamon roll....Bumblebee from the Bumblebee Movie, is still a Bumble-Muffin.

anyway if in the Earthspark, like in a Fanon timeline...

if Optimus gets so mad and frustrated with the Terrans while in the middle of fighting both the Decepticons and GHOST....

he could say to them “your acting like children!”

and one of them, possibly Twitch saying it first and then Thrash finishing it...

Optimus: “Your Acting Like Children!”

Twitch: “we are children.”

Thrash: “what’s your excuse...?”

and if Frenzy was standing behind Optimus, she could reply with “Oooh, Optimus just got owned by the Terrans!”

well if it does end up being used as reference and meme, then if someone had to tell Optimus, the Autobots and the rest of the Decepticons off (but not Megatron or Bumblebee or Tarantulas.)

by telling those Eon-Boomers that the Terrans are children, and wanting to know what are the Autobots and Decepticons excuse, then well it is something that should happen, even if it only happens in the Fanon.   

one of the best things that Steven said to White Diamond, when she said that he was acting like a child and he replies with that he is a child, and what was her excuse. XD

it be like if in a Hazbin Hotel x Helluva Boss AU, where Charlie is still a child, but makes friends with Moxxie, Blitzo and Stolas (and it being way before Vaggie dies and comes into her life when Charlie is all grown up, as well as before Moxxie meets Millie...)

and if Charlie’s Dad, Lucifer Morningstar himself, ever talked to Charlie in the same manner as White Diamond did to Steven...and it being in front of Charlie’s friends like Moxxie, Blitzo and Stolas, as well as Lilith, Ozzie, Mammon, Beelzebub and the Others who rule the other rings....

if Charlie’s Dad ends up saying something like this...

Lucifer: “Your Acting Like A Child!”

then Charlie would have a right to reply with...

Charlie: “I am a child, what’s your excuse...?”

and in a AU where she is still a child, but makes friends with Moxxie, Blitzo and Stolas (and possibly Little Fizz Cinnamon Roll.) who are also still children, it would make sense for her to call him out on that....

so if Terrans have to say the hard truth to Autobots like Optimus or even Decepticons like Starscream, then it will be a hard truth those Eon-Boomers need to hear, even if they might not like it.

and they might only do so, if Optimus says that the Terrans are acting like children, to which they will reply that they are children and then ask what his excuse was.  XD

so yeah in a Transformers x Steven Universe theory, this could end up becoming a reference meme, where it is fanon but can be used to show that the Eon-Boomer Autobots and Decepticons are acting like children, and it isn’t just the Decepticons that are to blame for what happen on Cybertron.

Optimus might be the Autobot Leader, but even he needs to be told that he is acting like a child, even if it takes a Cybertronian child to tell him that is what he, the Autobots and some Decepticons are acting like.

and only some percent of Cybertronians that became Autobots, are spoiled rich slag heads....at least not everyone who is rich is like that at least...just the toxic-rich types, like some of the Cybertronians who only became Autobots, so they could keep the toxic corrupted caste system the same, where they are still on top, and the lower class cybertronians are still at the bottom.

Megatron should get two slice of energon bread and put each slice of that bread on each side of Optimus’s face and ask him what he is.

Megatron: “what are you...?!!”*while holding two slice of energon bread on each side of Optimus’s face*

Optimus: “......a Himbo Prime...?”

Megatron: “correct!”

it be funny if that actually happen in canon, but it would be the best thing to happen of all time....it would also mean that the nickname I started to call EarthSpark-Optimus, would become canon as well. XD                         

[yabokou]

can i just

[insupportofhatedanimecharacters]

In Defense of my Precious Mikaela Hyakuya

Here’s a cute picture of my sweet angel:

Okay? How could anyone hate that sweet baby? He’s so precious to me! Just, why? I know he won the character popularity poll by 1st place but that doesn’t stop him from getting haters (Have you seen the comments of Kissanime? They beat the shit outta him!). Anyways, here’s the defense:

Stalker

He may be obsessive over Yuu, but Yuu was the first person to accept him and the only real “family” he has left. It’s true he’s a bit clingy, but he cares DEEPLY about his “brother.” (who may also be his gay boyfriend)

gets in the way of Yuunoa

Look. Hating a character over ANY ship, canon or not, is basically saying “I don’t care about this character, I like my OTP and hate them for no reason.” Anyways, I highly doubt that Yuunoa is gonna be canon because 

1. in some sort of OFFICIAL media, Yuu says he’s interested in boys but not girls (so yes, he’s gay),

 2. the official art shows MIKAYUU and not YUUNOA (sorry Yuunoa shippers)

3. There are several hints that Mika and Yuu will be a couple

4. Mikayuu is more popular than Yuunoa

The list goes on and on and on. Besides, Mikayuu is my FAVORITE fictional ship ever (and a better love story than Twilight, LOL)!

Yandere

Yes, he’s a bit of a yandere towards Yuu, but they’re so much alike, they both had abusive parents and were nearly killed by their fathers. And you wanna know why Mika acts the way he does? It’s because that douchebag Ferid lied to him that humans were using his family! 

Shit character

I think he’s an AMAZING and well written character!

Flat

Oh really? Here’s some pictures to describe how “flat” he really is:

You see, on the left, is innocent, little boy Mika, and on the right is Mika as a vampire. Does he seem flat to you? I don’t think so.

Here he is, crying after a while since becoming a vampire. I mean, you can’t blame him after he was worrying about Yuu.

And here he is, smiling after seeing Yuu again, drinking his blood and becoming a vampire. He is a precious baby with that adorable smile! Isn’t it the most adorable thing ever? Anyways, he isn’t flat at ALL. In fact, of all the characters in Owari no Seraph, he’s had the MOST development.

Pussy, Emo, Crybaby

I can’t say I blame him, after all he’s been through that I just mentioned. And also, I can’t say that I blame him for not wanting to be a vampire and living with the ones he hates, AKA Ferid.

Overrated

Hating a character for being popular is not a good reason. -_-

Selfish and obsessive over Yuu

It’s true that he IS obsessive over Yuu, but he CARES about the one he loves! It is NOT selfish at ALL to put your life at risk to protect the one you love! Hell, he nearly died for Yuu and you’re still saying he’s selfish? What the actual fuck?!

Killed Aiko

You wanna know why he killed Aiko? Because she asked him to since she was afraid to commit suicide, having lost her comrades in a battle and blaming herself. I admit, it was stupid of him to hurt her, but he thought she hurt his only friend Yuu.

In conclusion, Mika is an adorable precious child and he doesn’t deserve all the hate he gets from most of the fans. This gif says it all

[yandere-romanticaa]

What is the best pet names yandere’s have for their sweet little obsession?😳

It heavily depends on the yandere in question! If the yandere leans more on the sweet side, they won't be shying from affectionate pet names any time soon! They can range from sugar, baby, dear, honey, prince/ess, precious, literally anything cheesy and corny sounding! However, some yans might use these terms to degrade and belittle their target obsession, making them feel helpless and weak. The yandere in question can provide for them, there's no need for the darling to ever lift a finger.

Some soft yandere examples would be Thoma (Genshin Impact, KING of nicknames), Izuku Midorya (BNHA), Yoichi Saotome (Seraph of the End), Barbara Pegg (Genshin Impact), Bennett (Genshin Impact), Mikaela Hyakuya (Seraph of the End), Ochako Uraraka (BNHA), Lilia Rouge (Twisted Wonderland)!

The ones that degrade hmmmm.... The first ones that come to mind are Childe, Kaeya (both from Genshin Impact), Dabi (BNHA, HE'S A PRO AT THIS, DON'T @ ME, IF DEGRADING YOUR LOVER WAS A JOB THIS MAN WOULD BE A MILLIONAIRE), Bakugo Katsuki (BNHA), Dazai Osamu (Bungo Stray Dogs)

And then of course, we have the more sadistic yanderes, the ones who flat out see you as a helpless little creature that just NEEDS to be protected at all costs. They're the big and strong knight in shining armor, and you're.... you! Asbjhswty, you make them soft, okay!!!! Just, use them as a shield or whatever, let them love you!! Just, stay soft and sweet, and you'll be fine.... Maybe!!! The nicknames would probably be something along the lines of "my love", "light of my life", they'd probably call you their spouse or something!

Examples would be Germany, Russia and England (Hetalia), Diluc (Genshin Impact), Xiao (Genshin Impact), Dazai Osamu (he's a versatile dude lmao, he can fit anywhere tbh)!

[lostsoulaltair]

OnS Theories (20S). First Theory - The meaning of saving Mikaela

Hello everyone, I’m very sure many are extremely happy with the events of chapter 102, along this, there was something that awoke within several readers which is a particular panel between Yu and Asuramaru, with the suggestion of @mikaisyuudere, let’s talk about this with depthness.

P.S: Theories are held within a neutral view and ships are excluded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKerqp5yOGo

As many might have noticed, Yuichiro headed off to save Mikaela and managed to defeat three black demons with the enhancement of his desires thanks to Asuramaru, but, within one particular panel, Asuramaru asked Yu the next thing:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 102

Asuramaru asked Yu what he really wants since he states that Yu doesn’t want to save Mika.

But of course the scene goes for Yu focused on saving him no matter what, leading this to a question that has invaded several readers as to why is Yu working for Guren since he was the one that cut Mika in half? What is the purpose of saving him if the First Progenitor stated Mika is his son? Wouldn’t that make Shikama the protective figure for Mika?

(Warning: Theories are take aspects of confirmed events and such event was stated by the summary of said chapter)

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 98

In chapter 98, Shikama possessed Shinoa again in order to know how Mahiru was able to track down his plan back when she made a deal with Krul, this only lead Krul to detect his presence easily leading an attack towards Shinoa’s body.

Of course, Shikama managed to halt such attack easily and stated that he was trying to save Mikaela along calling him his precious child.

But, as painful as it might be, Shikama isn’t focused on saving anyone in particular, but, how can I state such thing?

If many might have noticed, Shikama could have gone himself towards Mikaela’s dream world and enter in contact with him directly in order to protect him, but instead, he sent 3 black demons to literally break him mentally and emotionally, leaving him in this current state:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 102

This only leads to the next criteria which is literally the background that has been revealed so far about him, and such background of Shikama consists on the next thing:

Experimenting on human children way before he met Ashera

Creating infinite clones of Yuichiro without worrying about killing each clone for his own selfish purposes

Creating a vampire society to eventually select his chosen “apostoles” along mesmerizing them to work for him without objections

Start a long chain of experiments within a chosen Family until the perfect Vessel came out of it

Experiment with more children manipulating the hands of time and destiny in order to make everything fall within his palm in order to create children with seraph traits and Michaela traits

Lead the end of the world by making the Catastrophe descend upon the world by a 3rd party

Send 3 black demons to literally capture Mikaela’s soul by breaking him emotionally and mentally

But then, if there are more negative aspects within Shikama, what makes Guren a better option? Or rather, why does Yu follow up Guren’s plan?

First of all, there’s no justification for actions the characters do, I’m very aware Guren may be the least character some readers enjoy, and viceversa but nevertheless, Guren and Mahiru have been working alone in order to counter the twisted motion of the First Progenitor; instead of seeing a World in ashes, they want to see the same bright world they managed to experience when they were younger, but for that, morality was needed to be dismissed specially with how the current scenario goes.

Guren’s goal is that Yu and Mika merge together so they can become a strong being that will counter Shikama, such being is the archangel Michael which has been stated several times:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 79

The Sun God Aten they refer is none else than Yuichiro Hyakuya, he is the one they captured back in old chapters after the Hyakuya Sect managed to infiltrate within the JIDA headquarters.

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 81

In chapter 81, the same line was stated again and the only person that was being dragged was Yuichiro Hyakuya along his cursed gear Asuramaru, and, as I stated before, while it is true that Sun God Aten belongs to other culture and religion, in fact this is a code, because in Christianity, such God is in fact the Archangel Michael, which of course is clear as water since the Hyakuya Sect soldiers mention “The Sword of Michael” which at that time was Asuramaru.

On contrary of Shikama, Guren aimed to locate Mikaela in order for him to make a contract in a more peaceful way with Yu so they could be together again, but of course, they weren’t expecting that the black demons would be working with the First Progenitor.

It could be said that Guren first’s goal was to erradicate the First Progenitor in order to return everything to how it was before the Catastrophe took place, which means restoring the world.

But let’s have another insight about “Saving”.

What does Yu view as saving Mikaela?

Yuichiro has displayed in several times that his biggest grief is to lose the first person that ever gave him warmth, what do I mean?

Mika was the first one to make him feel loved. Yu only knew hate from those he loved before, which means, his parents.

Yuichiro had no one to count with back as a kid but once the Catastrophe arrived and once the incidents within the Vampire Capital came, Yuichiro learnt the value of having a family. Such thing is heavily reflected in the first chapter of the story:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 01

Yuichiro couldn’t move on from that loss at that time since he knew Mika sacrificed himself so he could live after the whole massacre of his new family happened in less than 5 seconds, but of course, the squad alone was able to make him start accepting new people along having a new family, but of course, the events lead him to see Mika and eventually reuinite with him.

It could be said that Yu’s view of saving isn’t directed of having Mikaela bound on any state he is but rather, he is aiming to fulfill the promise he did to himself long ago, but what was that promise?

“Return Mika to be a normal human being”

Despite the silly attitue Yu has displayed within several chapters, Yuichiro’s solemn wish is to see Mikaela live a normal life, he wants to see him well and healthy with his new family, he wants to bring back those he lost back when he was a kid and eventually live what it could be labeled as “Paradise”. But how can I bring down such term?

Paradise itself is indeed a term often spoken as the last place for kind souls, but even paradise can be found on Earth when those loved ones exist next to you. As for Yu, his biggest desire isn’t to save Mika but rather, to fulfill his promise and bring peace to those he have met since deep down, he feels responsible for the mess that many have faced with the time he has spent with them.

He might not shout it out aloud but, he feels responsible for the next things:

Making Mika saccrifice himself for him

Seeing Mika become a vampire for him

Seeing Mika sacrifice for him leading for him to become a demon

Seeing Shiho lose his sister due to events that were tied to him

Seeing that just the fact his actions lead to heavy losses in old chapters for some 

Seeing Shinoa sacrifice herself in order to save him and his demon

At the end, saving Mikaela just by how Yu stated it:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 102

No matter what it’s to come, he’ll save him.

Such statement clears any doubt he could have, and this is solely focused on giving Mika a “miracle”, a chance to live again before he lost his humanity, as he once knew the young Mika that managed to make Yu feel that caring world he once sought.

What do you think dear readers?

Let me know!

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S2 EPISODE 18 + short Ep 1-17 english dub recap

AND I'M BACK WITH THE MADNESS.

Took a bit of a break from the Fruits Basket recaps because life happened and I wanted to focus a bit more on my art career and my webcomic. But, I came to miss doing the recaps! So, I'm gonna try and finish season 2 and do some of the left over recaps now in time for when Season 3 drops!

I HAVE however been re-watching the older episodes of Fruits Basket Season 2 with the english dub this time and I have a few notes!:

A shoutout to the wording used in the Yuki 'confession' scene on the beach with Tohru. However, in the sub the confession came across a lot more like platonic love to me and in the dub the confession came across a lot more romantic. (Especially in the episode after where Yuki says he doesn't regret kissing Tohru lol)

Laura Bailey stays killing it as Tohru. All the little vocal inflections are so freakin cute and make her sound more human! But that also speaks to the editing as well which is great. The balance between a little naive and scared and yet strong and determined in her scene with Akito was... amazing.

(Also... all of Akito’s most violent and hurtful moments are when it’s dark... I dunno I just found that cool and interesting lol)

Jerry Jewell in EPISODE 9?!?! His scene with Akito always gets me regardless but Jerry Jewell's performance was heartbreaking! Ah, I could cry. (I did) The little shake he did while declaring he wasn't in love with Tohru because he can't say that shit actually truthfully? 😩 Also... is he intentionally making Kyo’s voice sound a little deeper? It definitely sounded like it in that episode with Kagura. I like!!

While I LOATHE Akito, Colleen Clinkenbeard is amazing, I've never heard her sound this sneakingly evil! And yet... it's slightly carefree too. Reminds me a lot of Shigure. As I said before, Akito and Shigure's english VAs pair up so nicely in audible form.

I love how flirty Hatori was in the English dub when it came to him and Mayu’s episode. It was a really lovely performance from Kent Williams :) I always read that scene of Hatori just being friendly when asking Mayu out to get something to eat but this was a whole other wonderful take!!! <3

I LOVE KIMI TODO’S ENGLISH VA’S PERFORMANCE OMG. THANK YOU, CHERAMAI LEIGH 🤣

Kakeru’s English VA continues to sound cuter and cuter... 😘 Whassup, Aaron Dimsuke? I kid, lol

I lovee the fact that Haru calls Yuki ‘fragile and kind’ (two typically feminine presenting descriptions) and Yuki took it as a compliment! I dunno about the description of fragile as many people could take that offensively, regardless of gender, but the way it’s explained here it’s almost like he’s describing him as precious?... Coulda went with that instead...

I like the decisions for the moments where Mikaela Krantz emphasises on Momiji’s put on German accent and when she tones it down and return to his natural voice

But anyways... lol, this episode was... a LOT. Not an easy breezy one for me to come back to at all... I’ll be watching the english dub.

TIME TO DIVE BACK IN!

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

- Hiro's so cute at the start of this episode talking about his sibling and how he wants to look out for his mum. Of course, it's in the most Hiro of ways but this scene definitely warmed me up to him a lot more :)

Hiro’s mum is like a future Tohru, haha

That hair animation they give Rin is always great 😂 I hope Takaya-sensei is proud.

It’s so curious how Hiro speaks so honestly and true to Rin yet is so careful of her emotions. He’s never really been like this with anyone but Kisa, especially not the other teens or adults. It kinda shows how much seeing what happened to Rin by Akito’s hands really got to him and traumatised him. Of course, Hiro’s not just doing this because of his trauma but cos he genuinely cares!

- I noticed that there was a slight parallel between Hiro + Kisa and Rin + Haru. Kinda highlights why breaking the curse is important to Hiro and gives more reason as to why that event with Rin and Akito freaked him out.

- I dunno if this is intentional or just an animation glitch but I’ve noticed that in that long panning shot in the opening theme that closes into Yuki, Tohru and Kyo looking at the sunset, it looks like Kyo’s experession kinda ‘glitches’ in between a smile and a stoic look. Again, I don’t know if it was intentional, but I like to think it’s as a little show of Kyo not really managing to attain true happiness fully (for now anyway).

- (Also, I think that this opening song might come third in my list of most favourite opening songs in Fruits Basket history!!! <3<3<3)

- I’m super glad that Shigure and Rin scene didn’t go any further than it needed to... 👀 but the fact that Rin thought ‘Gure would be up for using her body as a bargaining chip says more about Shigure than Rin in my humble opinion...

Self-loathing? From Shigure? Unexpected. Empathy? For him? A little.

...Damn it.

🤣

I’m sorry. This scene is very gorgeous, well lit and beautiful and dramatic. But, I can’t not laugh at how early 00s gothic romance this is! But, I love it. It’s sweet and probably the first ‘raunchy’ scene we’ve gotten in this anime, ooo la! But, that kiss animation was kinda awkward for me, sorry. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I hate that Rin is AGAIN getting Outfit Appreciation Award when she’s literally killing herself with stress and worry but... amazing wardrobe as always. 5 stars.

Is it just me or does every zodiac member see Tohru as a parental figure or associate her with motherhood, except for Kyo?... 

*mentally notes essay of Tohru being the depiction of being a ‘merciful God’ compared to Akito being the decpiction of being a ‘vengeful God’*

Heartbreaking. 

but... WHY DO THEY ALL HAVE TO HAVE PARENTAL ISSUES?!

Also, Briana Palencia in this scene was amazing. Everyone is so, so good in this show! Dub and sub!!

...I totally forgot about this bit of Rin’s backstory. I love that they really highlighted how drastic the change was from happy family to an abusive household. Obviously, there must have been some cracks in the frame of the happy family and Rin as a child was inquisitive enough to see them. ...Only for her to be later punished for it. 

Kazuma!!! He and Tohru just be constantly saving these zodiac kids, man.

- Rin’s parents might just be at the same level as Kyo’s dad on the ‘WORST PARENTS OF THE ZODIAC CHILDREN’ list. Well... until later...

🥺💝

Beginning to understand why they’re so attached and bonded to each other now. <3

- Also, lowkey, Kagura’s mum is great! From her protecting Kagura from going to the beach house because of Akito to her taking Rin in without question! And she seemed completely cool with Kyo too! Yay to good parents in anime!!!

- The confession scene between Haru and Rin is so pure and blunt yet romantic and just... so them <3

- I’m not even gonna put any screencaps from the final scene with Akito because I find Akito is just disgusting. But, really? Pushing someone off the balcony?! I mean... I remember why Akito’s feelings for Rin are so strong and darkly intense but I still can’t excuse their actions. I kinda don’t like that they presented this very abusive and violent moment as... poetic? I mean, it matches Rin’s ‘style’, I guess? But... this is just someone going past the limit.

- And her landing like that on the conveniently pointy stone? I was surprised she didn’t damage her spine...

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

I’m so happy I’m watching Fruits Basket again! This anime really is the best! And it DESERVEDLY won Best Drama at the CrunchyRoll Anime Awards! Yayyyyy! Sorry, if this ended on a weird note, I did enjoy this episode. Just a very dark one to return to 😅

See you... soon? Haha!

[oceanlass]

Drabble ; Mikeala’s Deal with Calypso.

It had taken time to get here, deep into the murky waters of the swamp and alone with the corpse of her former Captain. It felt eerily disturbing how no one questioned her, if anything, the gatekeeper (an old man with eyes that have clearly seen too much in his time) merely motioned her with his cane. “She be expecting you.”

She’d heard stories in her childhood, what she had engrained into her memory and refused to forget. Her mother had spoken to her before about Calypso, of the myth that they were akin to Calypso’s granddaughters, of sorts. How the goddess had felt taken with one of the men as he sailed and had spent a time favoring him until she bore him a child—a daughter. Now they’re family consisted more of women then men—and most of the women born in the Faheem lineage carried a gift of the sea. Some stronger or weaker then others.

Mikeala’s mother had a gift for sensing bad storms and at times even knowing when danger lied ahead. It was how she had ensured Mikeala’s escape and safety when they lost their home—and yet, for her gifts, she was still murdered. Mikeala shook her head gently, her loose hair spilling over her shoulders as she pushed away the haunted memories of her past.

She was here for a different reason. She glanced at the burden she shared the boat with, steering it with care as he remained unmoving. She kept him covered, wrapped as well as she could manage with pale sheets and—to remember him better with the dignity he carried alive instead of dead.

It was a hard word to wrap her head around after all she’d been through as his first mate. The shock on his face that mirrored her own when the bullet passed into his chest, and at last he felt.. and bled. She hadn’t wept, too shocked to really cry and too pained to let the tears fall. He’d looked so pale…

The sound of wood creaking drew her attention back to the approaching dock, where a woman in a dark dress and shawl stood expectantly with two tribal men—locals she suspected. Mikeala felt herself still when she met the woman’s dark gaze, her heart suddenly jolting in her chest and hammering loudly in her ears. She felt a strange pull to the woman, and swore when the woman’s mouth curved into a smile that she knew who Mikeala was at once. Maybe she did.

She climbed and secured the boat out of habit, and watched wordlessly as the two men worked and lifted her corpse—bringing it inside the shabby hut then leaving. Tia Dalma waited by the entrance, waving a hand expectantly towards her. “After you child.” Swallowing down her nervousness, Mikeala guided her boots up the step, straightening her back slightly as she stepped inside.

“I had heard of Barbossa’s death, but I cannae say I was ready for his corpse to be delivered tae my door.” Her grin was all too knowing, her steps eerily light as she moved around Mikeala. Those dark eyes watching her every step. “To think one of my kin, would come out of hiding tae see me.” She giggled, resting her hip against her wooden table. “A child with tae blood of my blood.”

“You..” Mikeala had to wet her dry lips, feeling herself rooted in place. “You know me?” Tia’s dark mouth curved upward, her lashes low and veiling her dark eyes briefly. “I sense it—-She feels it too, don’t she?”

Yes, she did. There was something about the enigma of a woman behind her, goddess, witch—whatever names she went by—she pulled at something that hummed in Mikeala’s veins. It felt as if she’d found something lost and precious, and yet her instincts were still screaming at her to be cautious. Instincts that have kept her alive still.

Tia’s black gaze looked over Mikeala’s form thoughtfully, taking in her battered clothing and features. “Why bring me Barbossa?” As if she didn’t know—no, this was how she was, Mikeala realized. She wanted to hear it straight out of her own mouth. She swallowed and felt her fist clench then unclench. “To bring him back..”

”Why?”

Mikeala hesitated again, feeling her stomach roil nervously. She lowered her gaze. “Because he was my captain—and should have had a better death then the one he was cheated.” Just as the curse was broken—-he died. She knew, at least now as she thought back on it—Jack had not taken any grim satisfaction in killing his former first mate… However, they’re rivalry was something built upon years of betrayals and battles and simply.. being pirates. If Barbossa and Jack chose to kill each other again afterwards, by all means they could—so long as the fight was honorable between the two men.

“Donnae lie to me child.”

The words were ominous, and Mikaela held her ground as her head jerked up, Tia Dalma—no, Calypso, circled her like a predatory shadow. “I can sense the call of the sea in yer blood.” She grins, bearing her teeth. “It be a song that hum’s in her blood, hm?” Her hands settle on Mikaela’s shoulders, warm and light—yet she feels herself suppressing a disturbing chill that raced down her spine. The hairs on her neck and arms rose when Calypso breathed by her ear, the scent of sea salt and brime dizzying. “Aye, I can sense you be another daughter of tae sea—Kin of my kin an’ blood from long ago.” She moves slowly, until she’s face to face with Mikaela, Calypso’s hands cupping her face.

“But like me, her heart was taken by one who loves the sea an’ woman hm?” There’s a knowing look, a shadow of sorrow that comes and goes as quickly as it came. An understanding that flickered within the depths of her dark eyes. It startled Mikeala, causing her eyes to widen slightly. She felt Calypso’s finger sweep back her hair, toying with one of her thinly woven braids. “You knoa there be a price for this.”

She nodded, swallowing thickly. Mikeala had heard the stories—and as she brought his corpse with her (it hadn’t felt right, seeing him unmoving and without life—she kept him covered with a blanket out of respect). Her heart had felt heavy since his death, no—Murder by the hands of Jack. She couldn’t re-join the pearl’s crew, didn’t want to even think of it. She’d told him before, I’m your first mate. and had meant it. Never let it be said she wasn’t a woman of her word.

“What be your price, jidda?” She asked, lowering her head. She wasn’t sure what she could give but didn’t care. Calypso raised her chin lightly, holding her gaze just as her hand drifted down, hovering over her chest— “Her heart.” She said, the tip of her fingers skimming over the skin beneath her collarbone.

“All tae love you burned and carried—no more.” Mikeala’s eyes widened. “I.. It’s not like that—I respect him and served as his first—“ Calypso’s hand rose up, stopping her rambling and for a moment Mikaela thought she imagined a look of brief pity on her face. “You cannae deny how yer heart burns and aches no? Like a snake be squeezin’ at your chest when you remember his dying hm?”

Mikeala recoiled, taking a step back. Calypso clicked her tongue, shaking her mess of dark hair. “You heart burns for dis man—what I ask in price is a gift tae my kin. Donnae let her heart be taken by he—Men of the sea betray us all in the end.” In a lower voice, she added, “No matter how she loves deeply. It be their nature.”

“…Can you really do it?” Calypso tilted her head, dark eyes narrowing. “I am a ‘oman of my word. I be need’n his revival, but price must be paid.” Mikeala hesitated, raising her hand for a moment. “…After your done with him though, you let him go free.. Promise?” Her great aunt sighed, nose crinkling before she closed her hand over Mikeala’s. “Word promised child.”

A strange sensation washed over her, something that made her heart both ache and seize as she gasped and fell to her knees. Calypso did not release her hand yet, watching her thoughtfully. “The price is accepted.” She released her and turned, Mikeala grasped her chest. She looked at her chest, seeing a dark tattoo manifest over her heart; a tribal clock. “When the clock finishes its lap, it shall no longer burn for the Captain of the Pearl.”

Mikeala watched in growing horror as Calypso disappeared to the back of the hut, no doubt preparing to revive barbossa. She closed her eyes, keeping her head bowed as she felt her eyes stinging. All the times she’d felt too stubborn to give this feeling a name, this pain and ache that lingered in her chest.

”…I’m… such an idiot.” She lamented, pressing the heel of her palm against her eyes, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. “Sorry.. Hector..” This would be her burden… Her curse in exchange for his freedom.

[doubleattitude]

Studio 19 Dance Complex

Revolution Talent Competition, Pittsburgh 2021: RESULTS

High Scores:

Novice:

8 and Under Solo

3rd: Evelyn Woodburn-’Witchdoctor’

5th: Kendall Nace-’Wicked’

7th: Brooklyn Schirripa-’Doin The Do’

9th: Alexandra Bayles-’God Help The Outcast’

10th: Atalia Spagnolo-’Jailhouse Rock’

8 and Under Duet/Trio

2nd: ‘In The Navy’

5th: ‘When She Loved Me’

6th: ‘Dreamie Genies’

8 and Under Small Group

2nd: ‘Beware of Dogs’

3rd: ‘Mickey and His Babes’

8 and Under Large Group

4th: ‘Sassy Sailors’

5th: ‘The Name Game’

6th: ‘The Candy Girls’

9-11 Solo

1st: Elena Escobar-’Peace by Peace’

2nd: Haley Steed-’Reflections’

3rd: Gwen Boyd-’Fly’

4th: Hannah Steed-’Shake Your Tail Feather’

5th: Charlotte Bogdan-’Promise To Try’

9-11 Small Group

2nd: ‘No Matter’

12-14 Solo

2nd: Rowan Mansfield-’Love Me Or Leave Me’

3rd: Riley Hoadley-’Heal’

4th: Emma Bostedo-’Orange Colored Sky’

5th: Alexa Evers-’People Help The People’

6th: Whitney Baranzini-’Not Yet’

7th: Ciera Ragula-’Not About Angels’

9th: Ava McManus?-’So You Can Fly’

10th: Millie Julius-’Daydream’

12-14 Duet/Trio

1st: ‘Maps’

12-14 Small Group

2nd ‘Grow’

15-19 Solo

2nd: Abby Schenk-’Hotel California’

Intermediate:

8 and Under Solo

1st: Melanie Steed-’Crippled Bird’

2nd: Madison Makowski-’Tale As Old As Time’

3rd: Gianna Cugliari-’A Mothers Prayer’

4th: Karsyn Schifino-’Music Box’

5th: Mila Jaymes-’Swinging On A Star’

7th: Camlyn Stiscak-’Anymore’

8th: Antonia Spagnolo-’Smile’

8 and Under Duet/Trio

1st: ‘Sisters’

2nd: ‘Imagine’

4th: ‘Beach Babes’

8 and Under Small Group

1st: ‘Look to the Rainbow’

2nd: ‘Jealous of the Angels’

4th: ‘Burnin’ Up!’

5th: ‘Back to the Track’

8 and Under Large Group

1st: ‘Rhythm of the Reef’

2nd: ‘Wonderful World’

9-11 Solo

1st: Gia Booker-’Shine It On’

2nd: Jaxie Smith-’Absolutely Not’

3rd: Briele Dobson-’Tears of a Clown’

4th: Emma Schrock-’Bones’

5th: Maya Setzenfand-’Winter’

6th: Aliana Spagnolo-’Swing Sweet Pussycat’

7th: Rosalie Dobson-’Alabaster Box’

9th: Calista Herbst-’All I Want’

9-11 Duet/Trio

1st: ‘Gonna Get Ya’

9-11 Small Group

6th: ‘Wind It Up’

8th: ‘Look At Me;

10th: ‘Jump Shout Boogie’

9-11 Large Group

2nd: ‘Country Cuties’

4th: ‘Mother May I’

12-14 Solo

2nd: Lily Eppinger-’Unbroken’

3rd: Isabella Iaquinta-’Criminal Intent’

5th: Emily Holcomb-’I Found’

9th: Jersey Smith-’Music of the Night’

12-14 Duet/Trio

2nd: ‘Muddy Waters’

12-14 Small Group

1st: ‘Dream On’

2nd: ‘All Hands On Deck’

6th: ‘I Shall Believe’

12-14 Large Group

1st: ‘Dream In Color’

2nd: ‘Filthy Rich’

3rd: ‘The Precious One’

15-19 Solo

2nd: Savannah Sneddon-’Run’

3rd: Kyrsta Girardi-’Let You Know’

4th: Layla McGrogan-’Mouths Only Lying’

5th: Mara Dimond-’My Tears Ricochet’

6th: Belle Weaver-’The Slow Descent’

7th: Mikaela Zubal-’Tremor’

8th: Alexandra Organ-’Battlefield’

9th: Samantha Arnold-’Tides Must Turn’

10th: Kiersten Biro-’Lost My Mind’

15-19 Duet/Trio

2nd: ‘Something Like This’

3rd: ‘Carry You’

5th: ‘Fifth Element’

15-19 Small Group

2nd: ‘Liar’

5th: ‘In The Temple’

6th: ‘What Have I Done’

8th: ‘The Silence’

15-19 Large Group

1st: ‘When We Were Young’

Advanced:

8 and Under Solo

1st: Morgan Stahl-’The Stage Is Bare’

2nd: Amelia Thomas-’Only The Wind’

3rd: Sofia Farone-’Little Angel of Mine’

8 and Under Duet/Trio

1st: ‘God Bless America’

8 and Under Small Group

1st: ‘Come Little Children’

2nd: ‘Until We Meet Again’

3rd: ‘Save the Children’

4th: ‘Child of Light’

8 and Under Large Group

1st: ‘Brand New Day’

‘Oh Snap!’

9-11 Solo

1st: Devyn Scherff-’When You’re Strange’

2nd: Mia Mirabile-’And Still I Dream’

3rd: Ellie Rosenwasser-’Red Violin’

4th: Lynzee Ensell-’The Purpose Divine’

5th: Aubrie Rectenwald-’My Wings’

6th: Soleil Herbst-’A Nurse’s Diary’

9-11 Duet/Trio

1st: ‘Silent Night’

2nd: ‘Peace On Earth’

9-11 Small Group

1st: ‘The List’

2nd: ‘Guide to the Orchestra’

3rd: ‘They’ve Got The Moves’

4th: ‘Open Road’

5th: ‘L.O.V.E

9-11 Large Group

1st: ‘Blood In The Water’

2nd: ‘Hey Jude’

3rd: ‘Right Place, Wrong Time’

9-11 Line

1st: ‘Welcome to Vegas’

11 and Under Grand Line

1st: ‘Bring On the Rain’

12-14 Solo

1st: Haley Engelmore-’Internal Pain’

3rd: Raelyn Rectenwald-’Skinny Love’

4th: Kyleigh Turner-’Something To Live For’

5th: Tessa Pagone-’Childhood Living’

6th: Piper White-’Cold Water’

7th: Madeline Schrock-’Ave Maria’

8th: Addison Vargo-’Halfway Home’

9th: Maggie Evelsizer-’Size’

10th: Ava Means-’Tightrope’

12-14 Duet/Trio

1st: ‘Hold Me Down’

2nd: ‘Time’

3rd: ‘Falling’

4th: ‘Hold Me Back’

12-14 Small Group

1st: ‘We Are The Ones’

2nd: ‘Closed On Sunday’

3rd: ‘When I Look At You’

4th: ‘Particles;

5th: ‘The End’

6th: ‘Poison Ivy’

7th: ‘Fade Into You’

8th: ‘Somebody to Love’

9th: ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’

12-14 Large Group

1st: ‘Sanctuary’

2nd: ‘Troubled Waters’

3rd: ‘Hanging On’

4th: ‘Sweet Fantasy’

12-14 Line

1st: ‘Sir Elton’

15-19 Solo

1st: Louise Hindsbo-’Not Ready’

2nd: Julia Paslawski-’A New Day’

3rd: Alexa Lombardo-’Blackout’

4th: Kaitlyn Allen-’Mirror’

5th: Kiera Reese-’I Cry’

6th: Kaitlyn Sullivan-’Good Die Young’

7th: Ava Rosenwasser-’Im Lonely’

8th: Talia Booker-’Don’t Stop Now’

9th: Scotlynne Werner-’Dreamer’

10th: Sheridan Naugle-’Rain Girl’

15-19 Duet/Trio

1st: ‘Night Air’

2nd: ‘Lost’

3rd: ‘Delivery’

4th: ‘Sins’

5th: ‘Bad Guy’

6th: ‘End Of Time’

7th: ‘As It Was’

15-19 Small Group

1st: ‘Crack That Whip’

2nd: ‘Underground’

3rd: ‘Horizons Into Battlegrounds’

5th: ‘Unkindness’

6th: ‘The Radical Self’

7th: ‘Lonesome Town’

15-19 Large Group

1st: ‘Pharoh’

2nd: ‘I Like boys’

3rd: ‘Love Disorderly’

4th: ‘Road To Nowhere’

15-19 Line

1st: ‘Hometown Glory’

Premier Title Competition:

Mini Miss Dance America

Winner: Mila Jaymes-’Swinging On A Star’

Petite Miss Dance America

Winner: Melanie Steed-’Crippled Bird’

2nd runner-up: Karsyn Schifino-’Music Box’

Junior Miss Dance America

Winner: Briele Dobson-’Tears Of A Clown’

1st runner-up: Aliana Spagnolo-’Swing Sweet Pussycat’

2nd runner-up: Rosalie Dobson-’Alabaster Box’

Teen Miss Dance America

Winner: Lily Eppinger-’Unbroken’

1st runner-up: Emily Holcomb-’I Found’

2nd runner-up: Isabella Iaquinta-’Criminal Intent’

Senior Miss Dance America

Winner: Belle Weaver-’The Slow Descent’

1st runner-up: Kyrsta Girardi-’Let You Know’

2nd runner-up: Savannah Sneddon-’Run’

Title Competition:

Mini Miss Dance America

Winner: Sofia Farone-’Little Angel of Mine’

Petite Miss Dance America

Winner: Morgan Stahl-’The Stage Is Bare’

1st runner-up: Amelia Thomas-’Only The Wind’

2nd runner-up: Sofia Farone-’Little Angel of Mine’

Junior Miss Dance America

Winner: Devyn Scherff-’When You’re Strange’

1st runner-up: Mia Mirabile-’Silence

2nd runner-up: Ellie Rosenwasser-’Red Violin’

Teen Miss Dance America

Winner: Haley Eneglmore-’Internal Pain’

1st runner-up: Raelyn Rectenwald-’Hoax

2nd runner-up: Madeline Shrock-’Walking and Falling’

Miss Dance America

Winner: Louise Hindsbo-’Not Ready’

1st runner-up: Kaitlyn Allen-’Mirror’

2nd runner-up: Alexa Lombardo-’Heartburn’

Highest Scoring Group of Weekend:

‘Sir Elton’

Golden Tickets:

Novice:

8 and Under

‘Beware of Dogs’

9-11

‘No Matter’

12-14

‘Grow’

Intermediate:

8 and Under

‘Look To The Rainbow’

12-14

‘Dream In Color’

15-19

‘Liar’

Advanced:

8 and Under

‘Brand New Day’

9-11

‘Welcome To Vegas’

12-14

‘Sir Elton’

15-19

‘Crack That Whip’

SDA Champion:

Intermediate:

8 and Under

‘Look To The Rainbow’

12-14

'Dream In Color’

Advanced:

8 and Under

'Brand New Day’

9-11

'Welcome To Vegas’

12-14

'Sir Elton’

15-19

'Crack That Whip’

Grand Lines

11 and Under

‘Bring On The Rain’

Special Awards:

Entertainment

11 and Under

‘Welcome To Vegas’

12 and Over

‘Sir Elton’

Choreography

11 and Under

‘Right Place, Wrong Time’

12 and Over

‘We Are The Ones’

Photogenic

12 and Over

Scotlynne Werner-’Dreamer’

Savannah Sneddon-’Cloud’

[words-of-fate-official]

Persuasion | Mikaela Hyakuya x Vampire!Reader

It was just another one of those days for Mikaela.

He was never all that social with the other vampires but would force himself to be around them so it wouldn’t appear as if his loyalties lie elsewhere. Today, though, he couldn’t even bring himself to that much. All he could do was lock himself away in his room, depriving himself of everything including food, and just dwell on that horrible past of his.

He was the sole creature damned on earth. He was considered as a monster by the humans and viewed as an outcast by the vampires as long as he refused to drink human blood. He hated both species with a burning passion, yet he somehow found himself becoming a mixture of both.

Mikaela was part human and part vampire, therefore he loathed himself most of all even if he didn’t realize it.

He had a tendency to punish himself in ways he never noticed whether it be rejecting Krul’s blood even when he was on the brink of starvation or choosing to be secluded from everyone else, never allowing himself to gain something as precious as friendship.

Not that he would ever actively seek out companionship when his only choice consisted of murderous vampires. No, he despised them all. Well, if it ever came down to a decision, he supposed there was a vampire that wasn’t completely bad…

“When will you ever learn to knock, [name]?” he asked with an exasperated sigh.

You slowly slipped out of the blind spot in his room with a smirk present on your face. “I must say, your senses are developing quite well for an incomplete vampire such as yourself.”

“What do you want?”

His voice was dry and colder towards you than it usually was. Your earlier suspicions that something was wrong were finally verified. Without letting his tone bother you too much, you waltzed over to where he lied in bed and hovered over him, forcing him to stare into your mesmerizing, [eye color] eyes for a few moments before he closed his.

“Krul told me you never came in today for your blood supply.”

“And?”

“And you haven’t drunk any blood in over a week!” you snapped, causing him to flinch ever so slightly. “Are you trying to turn yourself into some blood-crazed vampire? Or is this something more-”

“Since when did you start caring for someone other than yourself?”

You scowled at him, trying desperately to keep your anger in check. “Since the moment I realized that the two of us aren’t so different.”

“We’re nothing alike.”

He said it so calmly, so undoubtedly, that it made your blood boil. Even after everything you did for him to ensure he remained alive, he still refused to admit he was anything like the vampires; anything like you.

“I was also turned against my will.”

This caught his attention. Mikaela slowly opened his eyes to reveal those bright blue hues you adored so much. He looked at you warily as if he doubted the legitimacy of your story.

“It was years ago, of course, and I was on the brink of death. I wouldn’t have lasted any more than five minutes if a vampire hadn’t found and turned me,” you said and his steely gaze softened for a moment. “At first, I resented what I became, but I eventually grew to live with it. In the end, I was alive and I knew I would do anything necessary to avoid death.”

That was your mistake. You spoke too much. Whatever sympathy he acquired for you vanished in an instant.

“That’s the difference between you and me, [name],” he spoke calmly, yet his words were coated with venom. “I do not fear death nor do I focus on my own survival. Everything I’ve done and will continue to do is to one day see my old friend again… After that, I don’t care what happens to me.”

Your hands curled into fists and it took all of your will not to punch him. “You claim to be intelligent for your age, but you’re nothing more than a foolish child too caught up in your past to see what’s right in front of you!”

His head snapped up and was shocked to see tears forming in your eyes. That alone was almost, just almost, enough to make him forget your harsh words.

“Every creature by nature, whether you’re human or vampire, are wired to survive no matter the costs! Just because you despise yourself doesn’t mean you can hate others who want nothing more than to just survive. You’re nothing more than a stupid child who’s too afraid to live. You’re a coward.”

Mikaela was no longer to stay in control of his anger. He snapped the second those words left your lips and lunged at you, catching you off guard. The two of you went flying off the bed and onto the floor where he pinned you down, his expression one of rage.

“You don’t know anything!” he roared.

He lifted his hand as if to slap you and you used it to your opportunity. While he was off balanced, you flipped him over where you then pinned him down, forcing him to calm down.

“Please, Mikaela. Just listen to me!” you begged.

“I don’t want to hear any more of your sickening words,” he spat.

“Fine, then.”

He relaxed his body, expecting you to release him, but what you did next caught him completely off guard. You closed the distance between you and him by connecting your lips with his, stealing his breath from him. His whole body tensed under yours, yet you didn’t care. You deepened the fervent kiss, trying to express everything you wanted to tell him within that sole action.

When you finally pulled away, the two of you were blushing, each having pinker cheeks than usual. Mikaela looked as if he couldn’t tell if he should be pleased or angered by your actions. Knowing him, probably a mix of both.

“Do you understand me now?” you questioned, your voice so soft it was nearly inaudible, even for him.

He hesitantly nodded and you buried your face into his chest.

“So please, just live, Mikaela. Even if it’s only for me…”

[chronosbled]

About the Muse

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG

NAME OF YOUR MUSE: Yūichirō Amane - Hyakuya

ONE PICTURE YOU LIKE BEST OF YOUR MUSE’S FC:

TWO HEADCANONS YOU HAVE FOR YOUR MUSE:

Yūichirō has a very strong sense of both friendship and justice, as often viewed in the manga and anime. Though not only do these two things matter to him, his personal image in the eyes of others is also another thing that Yūichirō often concerns himself with. No matter what happens, Yūichirō always wants to be seen as a good guy or at least someone that everyone can depend on in times of need. This need stems from the trauma he suffered as a child at the hands of his parents. Even if he brushes it off physically, deep down inside, he feels as if his parents are proven right each time he fails to help someone.

Yūichirō has a very bad case of survivors' guilt after the incident with Mikaela and the other Hyakuya orphans. In the very beginning, Yūichirō would often have terrible nightmares about the event, sending him into a screaming panic. As time progressed, these nightmares slowly began to fade away until he no longer thought about it. At least until he almost lost Guren, which only brought back these nightmares, except they became ten times worse to the point that when they occur - Yūichirō is rendered immobile and goes into a hysterical fit until someone is able to calm him down and assure him that everything is alright.

THREE THINGS THAT YOUR MUSE LIKES DOING IN THEIR FREE TIME:

Exploring

Training to get stronger

Hanging out with those he calls his family

SEVEN PEOPLE THAT YOUR MUSE LOVES/LIKES:

Elyon Kurae / @elyon-kurae​​ — She’s his precious girlfriend in some verses and wife in others. Together they raise two beautiful children, a daughter and a son by the names of Lune and Lyu.

Guren Ichinose / @lieutenant-ichinose​ — He’s very much like his father figure and even though the two ram heads often, he still loves him.

Tatsu Rose Bathory / @rcseblood​— She’s his vampire girlfriend in some verses and the two of them often do very questionable things.

Mikaela Shindō - Hyakuya / @minalikesyou​ — He’s a ballet dancer that Yūichirō has a major crush on. At first the two somewhat didn’t get along, but after time he was welcomed into Yūichirō’s dance group.

Yuki Ichinose / @ichinose-yuki​ — She’s the little sister of Guren Ichinose and adoptive aunt figure to Yūichirō. She recently had a child named Tsukiko, of which Yūichirō is extremely curious about.

Yunneth Sinclair / @x-blood-bound-x​​ — She’s a stranger with magical powers, someone that holds a great deal of interest for Yūichirō.

Alias Ichinose / @dragonic-namanari​ — She’s very much like a little sister figure for Yūichirō. The two often spar together and put together plans for Guren’s birthday.

TWO THINGS YOUR MUSE REGRETS:

Yūichirō has a great regret for leaving Mikaela and the other Hyakuya orphans behind four years ago back in the vampire city of Sanguinem. Even though he knows that there was no way to save them, he still feels like their death was his fault.

Yūichirō also regrets not being strong enough to save Guren from Crowley during their clear suicide mission. He believes that if he would have trained harder and had more power, he would have been able to defeat Crowley along with Horn and Chess to save Guren.

A PHOBIA YOUR MUSE HAS:

Yūichirō has a phobia of never being good enough for anyone. Due to how easily his parents were able to throw him away, he truly believes that he will never be good enough for anyone no matter what he does.

tagged by: @amberenigma​

tagging: @scytheld​, @obeyeld​, @x-blood-bound-x​, @elyon-kurae​, @rcseblood​, @decernimus​, @rejectsblood​, @nocturnalxsymphony​, @undead-despair​, and @blackberry-angel​

[yuichiroswife]

About the Muse

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG

NAME OF YOUR MUSE: Mikaela Shindō - Hyakuya

ONE PICTURE YOU LIKE BEST OF YOUR MUSE’S FC:

TWO HEADCANONS YOU HAVE FOR YOUR MUSE:

Mikaela has a deep love for children of any kind, this much is seen with the children in the orphanage. He has a tendency to grow very attached to those that he takes care of very easily and will sometimes even throw himself into a state of panic when unaware of their location. That aside, Mikaela also tends to take on the role of an older sibling, or younger, depending on the age of said child he has encountered – whether or not he still takes care of them, or they take care of him does not matter to him even in the slightest. So long as he can still be around the other.

Mikaela has a terrible guilt weighing upon his shoulders after the death of the Hyakuya orphans, and often beats himself up about the event (whether it is physically or mentally or emotionally). Additionally, he tends to have terrible nightmares about the incident, followed by a strong desire to die along with the rest of the Hyakuya orphans despite Yuu’s survival. Though this is a desire that he keeps buried deep down within his inner consciousness and does his very best to ignore it. This desire does sometimes get the better of him, thus making him sometimes very difficult to speak to.

THREE THINGS THAT YOUR MUSE LIKES DOING IN THEIR FREE TIME:

Playing the role of caretaker/guardian

Cooking/Baking

Reading

SEVEN PEOPLE THAT YOUR MUSE LOVES/LIKES:

Yūichirō Amane - Hyakuya / @king-yuichiro​ — He’s his precious boyfriend and husband in our main verse. Together the two raise six children, three boys and three girls, in their beach side home.

Myth Amane, Rain Amane, Koui Amane, Yuuela Amane, Nikusui Amane, and Inori Amane / @resxntmxnt, @negligxnce, @promiscxous, @anxmosxty, and @prurixncy — The six children that him and his husband raise, together they make his life both a living hell and blessing.

Elyon Kurae / @elyon-kurae — His precious older adopted sister. The two of them come from two separate families, but don’t let the fact they aren’t blood related stop them from caring for one another.

Crosseyra Alrys / @noxallusia — A young orphaned girl who he calls his little sister. Together the two of them learn the true meaning of love and friendship.

Eri Hīragi / @roscruin — Someone that he managed to fall in love with the moment he met him. A family member to the Hīragi clan. He’s also often the target of the older male’s teasings.

Shinya Hīragi / @snipec — Mikaela’s older brother in some verses. The two of them are very close as children, but slowly drift apart as they grow older until meeting again.

Mika Shindō - Hyakuya / @rejectsblood — Mikaela’s older twin brother, the two of them are extremely close.

TWO THINGS YOUR MUSE REGRETS:

Mikaela has a great regret for bringing Yuu and the Hyakuya orphans onto a suicide mission when attempting to escape from Sanguinem. He knows that their deaths are on his hands, and believes that at some point, Yuu did hate him for what he had caused. Due to this, Mikaela often tries not to bond with others, even just a little, because he fears the same thing may happen once again. Whether he’s ready, or not.

Mikaela also regrets drinking Yuu’s blood back when he was dying from his injuries, and as such, now views himself even more of a monster than he already had, despite what Yuu and the others say, due to swearing that he would never drink human blood. Even with Yuu’s encouragement, he still feels awful, because now he hast to rely on the others, just so he can feed and survive.

A PHOBIA YOUR MUSE HAS:

Mikaela has a phobia of failing the ones who need him the most. Due to past events that caused the death of the Hyakuya orphans, Mikaela, fears his own failure. Additionally, this also affects his social abilities thus why he is often against afraid of making any friends aside from Yuu, causing him to push people away, or, react aggressively. An instance of this kind of behavior, was the time Yoichi hugged him from behind (only to be shoved off after a short amount of time).

tagged by: @amberenigma

tagging: @zuckarr, @noxallusia, @tearsforgctten, and anyone else who sees this or wants to do it.

[ktavey]

Memories

‘Please kill me, vampire.’ 

Years before reuniting with Yuuichirou, Mikaela finds himself on a mission regarding human experimentation in Europe and gains an understanding of the wretchedness of humanity. 

Also known as the source of Mika’s desperation to rescue Yuuichirou as shown in the manga.

Marble swirled an elegant mural over the floor, as through dancers had pulled the stone with their movements. The air held a chill, and with an aridness befitting of an underground palace. The spacious entryway Mika was situated in, along with several other vampires tapered down to the throne. Pillars stretched from floor to ceiling, perhaps twice Mika’s height, pulling the eyes of onlookers towards the ceiling. A mural-lined the ceiling, full of sombre colour and tiny useless details no one could see.

Ignoring the potential majesty, the vampires that stood as statues around him, Mika watched Krull’s hands. Krull watched Mika. The throne was made from a mix of ivory and a deep redwood and adorned with precious jewels by the arch of the back. Krull’s fingers drummed repetitively on the armrest, seated upon that ancient throne in a startling aesthetic juxtaposition of youth and ancient.

Mika studied the lace lining Krull's sleeve, only half listening to her commands, attention partially stolen by the nagging in his throat.    

'-There has been a recent uprising in reports of illegal human experimentation in west Europe.' Although she was dwarfed by her throne Krull’s words spoke of her millennium of experience. ‘I expect an extermination team to go and rid us of these humans, and any of their mistakes that may remain. There's a plane bound for the Netherlands leaving from Xamu Court in an hour; the head of divisions will oversee the journey. You are dismissed.’

The vampires dispersed, the low chattering of being inconvenienced whispered through the group. ‘Mika, remain here.' Krull added before Mika too could leave.

Mika tensed at the singling him out, at the feeling their dispassionate eyes raking over him. No doubt envious of what a mere city guard had done to earn the Queen's attention -and if rumour where to be believed- favour. Their weight of the stares sent shivers crawling over Mika’s skin; the attention of vampires only wrought pain and tragedy. Mika’s face was well schooled his blank.

'Mika. Come here.' Krull commanded. The skin on the back of his neck prickled, warning him of his Turner’s summons. It was a private game Mika liked to play, how far could he ignore the Queen before irritating her, before anxiety prompted him. Mika moved. As Mika reached the stairs leading to the throne Krull stood, a symbolic gesture of her willingness to meet him halfway that was lost on Mika.

'This mission could keep you for up to a week.'  Krull handed him a small packet. Thick leather masked any possible scent, but Mika had become familiar with his food coming from cold vials. Mika clipped it on to his belt silently.

'Mika. Look at me.' A shudder went through him as cold hands cupped his face. Always so cold. Mika had grown taller than the Queen over the two years spent by her side, a lost quality Krull privately mourned. With that time Krull had learnt how to expertly read her pet’s body language- there was not much Mika could hide from her.

Mika’s looked away from her eyes.

Mika couldn't remember what warmth and heat felt like, sometimes he thought he felt it in himself, in the difference between himself and the touch of rock, but was too small to keep a grasp on. He of memories of Yuu's arm slung over his shoulders; of him and Akane trapping one of the younger kids in a double hug; the nights one of the kids had a nightmare and couldn't sleep unless they were snuggled up to him or Yuu. Mika missed the touchable heat. Once, in a rare moment of vulnerability, Mika had told Krull of how he couldn't stop obsessing over that forgotten human sensations. Krull reassured him that soon enough his human life would be distant enough for it to lose all relevancy.

With a sigh Krull took out a cup she now kept near her, resisting the temptation to tut. Mika was proving himself to hold on to fledgeling status for longer than she hoped, motivated by sheer stubbornness she suspected. It was cumbersome to have to manage his eating habits as though he were a toddler, but Krull could appreciate having a completely dependent subject. Krull said nothing on the issue as she slit open her wrist, close enough to major her veins to produce a bright red, but still be a controlled stream. Neither of them missed how Mika flinched as the scent hit the air. Mika took the cup from her, eyes trained on the patterns on the wall. It tasted better when it was warm. Mika still hated it, the weight and texture were wrong, and it tasted like pennies. Her wound healed before their eyes. Krull eyed him as he left, not bothering to be displeased with the lack of thanks.

The package weighed heavily on Mika’s thigh through the trip, though only a couple of vials, all too aware of its presence. Mika filed silently off with a subgroup upon landing, one to smoke the humans out, the other to execute them. The humans were in the process of evacuating when the brood of vampires set upon them. Mika could hear their screams -screams of fear, anger, and finally agony. Mika let his pace drop so he was slightly behind his peers.

Mika averted his gaze from the bodies on the floor. The smell of fresh blood rose from the corpses, Mika’s nose wrinkled in distaste. The head vampire, Miguel, directed them to search the building for experiments. Sword still clean, Mika walked away. Sharp halogen lights lit the way, less irritating than the sun but still prickling at his eyes. Why would anyone create their complexes underground when they were so overwhelmingly incompatible? Mika found a room large glass cylinders rows upon rows. They were sparkling clean and showcased animals Mika had never seen before. In one of them, multiple pairs of wings were held aloft with a small furred body slumped under them. Another possessed multiple faces and Mika couldn’t bear to look at it. Dead, certainly, Mika decided, no living thing could sleep through the slaughter. Mika examined the tubes syphoned coloured chemicals and gas into the cylinders. The area had clearly been cleared out in a hurry, shattered vials littered the floor. The air tasted strange, it held a sharpness that didn’t belong so deep. Mika neared what appeared to be a station for the human experimenters, judging by the large stone surface, tools, and buttons decorating it. Mika gave one of the buttons an experimental jab, nothing happened. The few markings there were made no sense to Mika. Under the bench, Mika found a thick book that had pictures of the glass cylinders, and diagrams in a language he couldn’t read. He decided to take it, maybe another would make sense of it.

A voice spoke. 'Please kill me. Please kill me.' Mika froze.

One of the experiments had opened their eyes. Mika stared at the child's ruined body. And it was only a child, Mika recognized now. Enfeebled eyes gazed at him, beckoning him closer. Disspropionate arms had clawed their way out of the child, something black but unlike blood crusted at the exit site. The child’s skin too grey, too thin, threatening to split under the pressure of protruding bones. They were too young, too haggard, too starved for Mika to place their age. The child’s eyes were sunken and entirely black.

‘Kill me. Kill what I've become.' The voice was despairingly soft.  

Mika's hand moved to his sword unbidden, but he didn't draw it. Mika had been kept out of the military so far. He had only been sent on occasional recon missions and hadn't killed a single being. Mika didn't want to change that, even for this poor, mangled creature. He felt selfishness settle on his soul like a curse.

‘There was only this.’ Mika explained to Miguel when he regrouped, holding a book on medication interaction, and tried to forget the child’s eyes.

[yandere-romanticaa]

hellooo, could i please get mika reacting to someone kidnapping his darling and their child? thank you so much for writing !

♡ Mikaela Hyakuya ♡

Oh fuck he is pissed. He is so god damn pissed! The flaming hot rage is pulsing through his veins as it takes him a few moments to just calm down. All he can see is red as poor Mika struggles to think properly for the next few minutes. His heart stopped beating long ago, he knows that as much but he swears that it is going to leap out of his chest out of sheer worry.

He needs to calm, he knows this, he knows this!! He is just so filled with worry and sorrow and the only thing he knows is that he needs them both back.

Surprisingly enough, Mikaela is able to pull himself together and gather his thoughts as he formulates a plan. The captor most likely has left some clues behind and Mika is going to gather them all. Being a vampire is also quite helpful in this situation as well. His sense of smell, hearing and speed is up to the max, especially if it's his s/o involved. He also has to admit to himself that he also grew fond of their kid as well. Sure, the child may not be biologically his but... it's just nice seeing a speck of innocence left in this crooked and broken world...

If push comes to shove he might just ask Krul for help. She'll probably laugh in his face and call him silly and pathetic for losing his precious human like that but she will offer him her assistance. He will feel like dying if Ferid hears about this though and he will do everything in his power to keep it hidden.

If his darling was taken by the humans things will get even more complicated then they should be. He can't just barge right in no matter how much he wants to. If they were taken by the vampires though that does make things slightly easier. He can at least find them faster... But damn, no matter the case his reaction is the same. When he finds the culprit (not if, when) the person who took s/o is good as dead. He doesn't care who he has to kill, just as long as s/o and the child are back in his care... Except for Yuu-chan. He can't kill Yuu.

[lostsoulaltair]

OnS Theories (16S). First Theory - Michaela's vessel

Hello everyone! I’m finally back and of course I’m happy for that, I hope these theories are to your liking.

A song beffiting the events:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kpxJ6_iVts

But now focusing on the latest chapter, there are so many intriguing details about it, therefore, let’s begin!

First of all, with the current events, we’ve learnt that Mikaela is called “child” by the First Progenitor, but, there’s an issue to it, what may it be when the First mentioned he had a “son”?

The demon Mikaela is a young boy without memories, a boy who has no clue what’s going around but his sole goal is to feed on desires nonstop; his powers are way too much compared to the current black demons, but now, what may be the issue?

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 98 

Correct. The first isn’t seeing him as his real child but rather as the key to bring the real Michaela back to Earth. But how can I state such thing when he’s calling him his precious child?

That’s easy. If many have seen Mika’s demon powers, he’s able to attack other demons from afar, which is something on how Jisengo worked like but without the need to open up portals but rather tracking the source of the enemy; within this, he’s also the only demon being capable of seeing his “bubble dream” compared to the other demons.

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 98 

But before we proceed to talk about the vessel, let’s give an insight of Shikama.

Shikama is perfectly known to be a Fake God that is able ot manipulate history as his own pace and ambition; he was able to create humans with his own methods and within this, he also had a rather interesting attitude when something called Shikama’s attention and this is very reflected with Ashera:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 79

Shikama saw slow hints of progress with his research, and for this, he only needed the correct words and deals so people would end up doing his biding, including on bringing few subjects which are the demons to his main goal; what may his real goal be? 

For now, it’s the speculation that he’s aiming to bring back his real son but, within this I’d like to give a note of something that is within a layer of doubt.

NOTE: Shikama might actually be trying to not exactly bring back his child but rather, get his real body back which was the corpse sleeping in the coffin since the story is about revenge itself.

But with this, what does this have to do with Michaela’s vessel and our current demon Mikaela?

Correct, Shinoa Hiragi is the mentioned vessel, but how can I state such thing?

If many might recall, Shikama aimed to possess Shinoa long ago until he succeeded. Within this possession, he wasn’t focused on devouring her heart like other demons usually do which feed on desires but rather, he was preparing her body to be able to hold down the real power of his son, which can be seen in previous chapters:

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 85

He stated in that chapter that he could resist the power of the Sinful Keys but he chose to not do so in order to not break the vessel he has, but, what does this mean?

Correct. Shikama isn’t trying to use Shinoa Hiragi as his vessel but rather for someone else. And that person is his real son, Michaela

But then again, how can I state such thing?

Shikama made Shinoa with the experiment Tenri conducted so he could fin a suitable vessel capable of holding down many demons but within this, he also made sure the vessel he had, could be able to withstand the abyssmal power he has along the one his biggest secret has.

And so far, after Guren trapped Shikama within Shinoa’s body, Shinoa’s body only suffered soreness but overall, her body in general gained inhuman strength and power; she didn’t lose her memories nor suffered any other side effects asides from seeing Shikama being able to pop his consciousness within Shinoa’s body.

Along this, there’s also an issue to be noted; in the Catastrophe LNs, Shikama mentioned that if it weren’t for Shinoa, demons wouldn’t be able to exist; at first it might seem like an innofensive phrase but it carries a heavy meaning behind; furthermore, Shikama always tried to offer his memories firsthand to Shinoa intead of other things, and seeing how Shinoa withstood such offers, he proceeded with other methods until he finally decided to attack Yu and Ashera in order to make her come and rescue them.

But now,  what does the demon Mika might actually offer or give to Shikama?

That’s easy. His powers. Shikama sees an abyssmal power of the current King of the demons, but he’s not interested in the physical appearance of Mikaela but rather, he’s interested on his soul

Image taken from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign - Chapter 98

Shikama Doji could have tell Ashera to capture Mikaela but instead, he asked for Mikaela’s soul, which is the base of everything, the base of what defines a person.

Therefore, with Shinoa and Mikaela’s soul, his end goal is to set Mika’s soul alone within the vessel he currently uses to finally bring Michaela back to life.

What do you think dear readers?

Let me know!

gif belong to complex-stupid

[aeternallis]

Title: The City of Nightless Blossoms // Chapter III

Series: Owari no Seraph Pairing: Hyakuya Mikaela x Hyakuya Yuuichirou Rating: M (18+) Summary: The year is 1814. Isolated from the rest of the world, and under the strict military rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan successfully enters a period of social and economic stability, ending the political upheavals from centuries past. Even so, beneath the veneer of peace lies corruption amongst the ranks of government, excess and decadence, and the threads of the established social order slowly beginning to unravel.

Hyakuya Yuuichirou is a young samurai from the daimyo house of Hiiragi, a powerful vassal to the current shogun. Vowing his allegiance to the master who had taken him in as a child, Yuuichirou soon finds his loyalties torn when the childhood friend he’s been searching for abruptly turns up…as a member of a rebel group looking to dismantle the current regime.

AO3

Shimogyou-ku, Kyoto, Japan

May 1814 (Bunka 11)

When the first rays of the rising sun delicately landed on his face through the open window, azure eyes blinked awake in gradual alertness, lifting a hand to brush away the strands of golden hair that had draped over his line of vision. The covers of the futon he currently lain in had long twisted away from the rough and tumble of lovemaking, eventually making its way onto the cold tatami mats. His smooth legs exposed to the chill of the morning hours, the blond couldn't help but shiver, drawing his legs close together so he could maintain what little warmth his thin yukata provided.

At his side, the torn remnants of his black and gold obi were crumpled in a sad heap, and he made a mental note to inform the okami later that day to add the replacement charges onto his patron's next bill; that sash alone had cost him a fortune, and he wasn't about to let this clumsy oaf of a man he had called "husband" last night get away with his brutishness.

Mikaela bit his lip in contemplation, massaging his temples while his eyes remained sharp with sternness and precision mentally calculating how much he should suggest to the okami in regards to charging interest, clicking his tongue when he came up with a reasonable sum. Along with the fact that the cloth was no longer salvageable, and really—just for the way he was crudely manhandled last night when his patron had pulled at his clothes in a drunken stupor, nothing less than triple the original cost would do.

With a nod and a quiet, satisfied sigh, his gaze absentmindedly wandered around the luxurious, tawdry room, taking in the velvet tapestries of red and orange that hung on the far wall. At the sight, his nose wrinkled in disapproval; despite his cultured tastes with fine clothes and beauty products, he was nothing if not a traditionalist at heart. He much preferred the simplicity of a home with minimal furnishings and the warmth of a hearth, rather than the inept way at which these idiotic merchants tried to display their money.    

Turning his head away, his eyes drifted to a serene painting of pelicans roaming across elegantly textured hills hanging next to the window. Somewhat surprised at seeing a painting so out of place within the room, the picture inexplicably lifted his spirits, enough to make him smile and forget about his annoyance with the torn sash.  

Letting out a quiet yawn, Mikaela tried to sit up, but instead immediately noticed the sickeningly sweet scent of bean paste and sake on his client's breath, soft snores blowing through his ear drums as the older man's arms abruptly wrapped themselves around his torso, his rough fingers pulling him into a tight embrace. Spooned against his burly chest, Mika had no choice but to lay still for a moment, rolling his eyes in impatience.

Closing his eyes, he brought a hand to gently caress his client's forearms, softly calling out to the other man, nudging him awake. "Lord Goshi, it's morning. Wouldn't you like to eat something for breakfast and start the day?"

His voice was soft and tender, full of artificial concern and attentiveness; a true actor in every sense of the word, he'd liked to think. Regardless, Mikaela willed himself to believe it, if only for the sake of maintaining his act and keeping his patron satisfied. This was, after all, a falsehood of his own making, a fantasy that he'd weaved expertly with his body and his words and his allures, all of it for his client's pleasure, with himself as the center of said dream world.

"Who are you supposed to be, my mother?" the other man grumbled, half in playful banter and the other half in seriousness (although Mika feigned innocence at that).

Mikaela lowered his eyes, his expression pensive. With his back pressed against the man's chest and his face turned away, the blond found that there was no need to hide the apathetic grimace of his mouth, that if he were allowed to be blunt with himself at that very moment, all he wanted was to shove the other man away from him so he could have the chance to gather his things together and get ready to leave.

Goshi Norito's allotted time with him had only been until midnight, and that was eight hours ago. Mika was in no mood to be giving away handouts, not when he could be doing other, more productive things with his time, instead of lazing about in this gaudy room. More than this, he wanted to go home and eat something more substantial than the food they'd fed him last night, which consisted of nothing more than cheap sweet buns soaked in sake and cold tea afterwards.

The servants who attended to them last night had given him unwelcoming looks, their displeasure at having to serve someone whom they thought was far beneath their station as apparent on their faces as his client's arousal was when the blond had finally discarded his robes, to parade himself in all his nakedness when it was time for his temporary husband to claim what he'd paid for.

For which case, Mika knew to himself that he couldn't entirely blame them. While the kind and gracious mistress of their household was away visiting her parents, their master was bedding whores left and right, his desire to rut as insatiable as a dog's.

He chewed his lip, trying not to scoff out loud in exasperation. The more his thoughts dwelled on the events of last night, the more he became increasingly indignant at the entire situation; he did not sacrifice years and years of training to be an established tayuu, of the precious time he could have spent living in peace with his family—only to be treated as a common prostitute in the end.

There was a vicious vindictiveness inside of him that wanted to be let out, desiring some sort of retribution to be paid to him for having endured the servants' disdain, if only to satisfy his own pettiness. He may be a whore, but he had his own pride to uphold, not just as a tayuu, but as a samurai. He would never allow himself to lower his eyes to the ground in deference just because he used his looks and his body for monetary gain.

Inwardly though, he sighed, knowing to himself that his stubbornness would get him nowhere in his current predicament. As a "wife" to this man, he expected complete obedience from him, a perfect copy of his real spouse in terms of her daintiness and mannerisms; Mika was more than aware of the fact that in order to keep on his good side, he would have to continue the farce of submissiveness.

So he kept the facade on for just awhile longer, until the servants could arrive and they've been given the go-ahead to serve their master his morning meal, in which case, he planned to make his escape then.    

"Of course not, my lord," Mika charmingly replied with practiced ease, lifting a hand to run his fingers over the other man's stubble, allowing for the latter to brush his lips past his wrist and towards his elbow. "But as your wife, it is my duty to—"

Before he could continue with whatever clever response he had on the tip of his tongue however, a loud knock was heard through the wooden shoji, and Goshi let out a frustrated sigh for having had what seemed like a promising banter with the blond interrupted, signaling for the servant on the other side to come in. The door slid open to reveal a maid holding two stacked trays of their breakfast, her eyes narrowed in an unreadable expression while she addressed her master, ignoring the other man in the room.

Not missing the glare that the maid had sent his way as soon as she opened the door, Mikaela dropped his hand to his lap as decorum demanded, hiding the amusement in his eyes while he lowered his gaze in acquiescence to her barging in on them.

His compensation for last night was given to him after all, Mika thought with some contentment. Of course, he was nothing if not fiendish for finding some level of diversion at watching the servant's evident unease with the level of intimacy that was so obvious between him and her master, but just this once, he allowed himself to indulge.

"Lord Goshi, I've brought you your meal," she stated in a somewhat passive tone, as if she were merely addressing a common farmer out in the streets. "The lady Mikaela's—that is, your guest's escort home had also arrived about an hour ago and is waiting by the front gate."

"Oh, it's you, Shigure. I didn't expect you to show your face this early," Goshi replied nonchalantly, scratching his chin as he made a move to sit up on the futon, adjusting his yukata so that he looked somewhat decent in front of his hired help.

"Not at all, sir. The mistress is due back from her parents' house in about two hours; I merely thought to remind you of it, so that you may be ready to welcome her home."

Mika's smile only grew wider, bringing the sleeve of his robe to cover his mouth, for which neither Goshi nor the servant named Shigure allowed to go unnoticed. While the master of the house tried to hide his own amusement, the latter's face could only turn red at having brought on an awkward silence between the three of them.

From the corner of his eyes, the blond noticed how the young servant had bitten her lip in embarrassment, without a doubt cursing Mikaela in the privacy of her mind.

Indeed, her timing couldn't be welcome at any other time. Mika nodded his head, turning his attention back to his patron. "Well then, my dear, it seems we will have to continue this another time then."    

He made a move to stand, letting the yukata he wore fall to his shoulders, so that it would be entirely clear to the one who had interrupted their moment that by no means was he a woman, but rather all male—his flat stomach chiseled and slim, his muscles broad and smooth, diligently earned through routine physical activity, but mostly hidden beneath folds of satin and silk on a daily basis.

This time, Shigure couldn't keep the shock from appearing on her face, and she let out a loud cough, turning her head away as she bowed to Mika in begrudging deference, her hands gripping the tray so tightly she may very well have been on the verge of getting ready to hurl the food across the hall.

Mikaela tried with all his might to keep from chuckling too loudly, lightly bowing to the servant in return as he moved away from the futon and proceeded to pick up his robes and hair accessories that littered the floor, leaving her to go about finally serving her master his breakfast.

When he had finally stepped out of the gate and strode near the waiting palanquin, the bearers who would bring him home crudely whistled towards his direction upon the sight of him approaching, their expressions coy and lustful, eyeing him up and down as if he were a piece of meat for all of them to feast on. Giving them the full onslaught of his glare however, they immediately muttered their apologies, assisting him while he crouched down to climb onto the lone seat. Silently, he pulled the worn curtain across the small opening of the cart and knocked on the shutters once to let them know that they could start making their way back.

The last thing he needed was to unintentionally let these fools think that they could make catcalls at him, and that he would give them so much as an acknowledgement for unwanted "flattery." He made a move to open his coin purse and threw them all a silver coin each to keep their mouths shut, hollering at them not to dawdle.

Afterwards, he pulled out the rest of the pins and combs that had been hastily clipped together in his hair while he'd prepared for his trip back to the tea house, loosening his robes while he rolled his shoulders to let out the tension that had gathered from last night's activities. Somewhat indifferently, he dumped the handful of hair accessories on the other side of the palanquin, letting his hair hang loose for a moment, before he pulled out a silk cord from his sleeve, tying his hair together in a low tail.

As he crossed his arms in an effort to relax and ease his mind after having had to deal with a rough morning with his patron and the insufferable bearers, the gentle lull of the rocking cart eventually made him feel drowsy, and soon, his eyes had drifted closed, his breathing even and relaxed while he tried to look forward to the warm bath that would be waiting for him as soon as he arrived.

Before he could fully doze off to sleep however, he heard the heavy stomp of footsteps coming closer from outside, and he jolted awake, his annoyance coming back at full force. Letting out a loud scoff, Mika gritted his teeth, parting the curtains halfway to see the source of the noise, the ire in his eyes obvious.

Just as he'd slid the cloth away, his gaze landed on the profile of a young woman with auburn-colored hair, the emblem of the Goshi family painted exquisitely on the side of her palanquin.

She looked refined and solemn, her cinnamon-tinted eyes distant as she watched the road ahead of her, the polished gleam of her hair clip catching the sun, while the kimono she wore was of a vibrant blue silk, stitched with green lilies. She was as noble as any high-born lady was, the features of her face feminine with a heart-shaped chin and rosy cheeks, brimming with subservience.

And yet, it was but a brief moment, their carts artlessly passing by one another just as quickly as they had met in the middle of the road, the moment of the atrocious almost-meeting between wife and lover fleeting all too quickly.

Mikaela's eyes had widened in surprise, before a mixed look of curiosity and contemplation settled on his face, reflecting back on the somber lady he'd seen.

So that was Goshi Sayuri, the wife of his bed partner from last night.

Rumor has it that the Lady Sayuri had not been Goshi's first choice of a wife when he had come of age to marry eight years ago; he had been helplessly in love with another woman, a servant of his household at that, and had planned to elope with her. As a means to survive while they searched for a place to settle down, he had taken a number of priceless jade and pearls from the family treasury, along with a large bundle of silk. He hadn't been very thorough about his spoils however, so it didn't take long for his family to figure out the clumsy heist.

Eventually, his father quickly found out about the sordid affair. As punishment for his son's reckless actions, he had the servant badly beaten and thrown out of the estate, without even the wages that were still owed to her.

She had not been seen since then.

The marriage between Goshi and the Lady Sayuri's family was arranged three months after the incident, apparently as a means to quell the rumors going around town. Still, it's the nature of gossip to circulate, like a weed of sorts, no matter what the circumstances. Despite the Hanayori family's trepidations about giving their daughter to the louse of a man like Goshi Norito, the pre-offered court position that was presented to Lady Sayuri's brother by the Goshi patriarch, as well as the coveted connection with a direct link to the Emperor's family, was too hard to pass up; in the end, they had sacrificed their daughter in order to cement their social standing.

And last night, while Goshi Norito's wife was away visiting her family, her husband was having an expensive dalliance with none other than himself.

He bit his lip at the last thought, feeling only the slightest ounce of regret shadow over his heart temporarily, before he shook the guilt away, casually flinging the concern out of his mind as if it were some insignificant consequence, burying it with other trivial matters.

As a loyal and paying customer, Goshi Norito was no different from the other handful of men and women he'd been with in the tenure of his career as a tayuu. So long as they had the gold and silver to pay for his services, therefore ensuring his place within the tea house, and in turn, his family's continued safety and well-being back in Edo, he had no scruples in sleeping with married spouses. In which case, it was none of his business anyhow; whatever marital problems the Lady Sayuri and her husband had, it was no concern of his whatsoever.

In the back of his mind however, he couldn't help but feel that his childhood friend would have probably reprimanded him for such a heartless outlook. Again, he shook his head fervently, letting out a weary, tired sigh.

'One day, it would all have been worth it, Yuu-chan. I promise...' he thought with earnest, almost fanatical hope, summoning the beautiful green eyes he so dearly loved inside his mind, remembering his innocent smile. 'Just awhile longer, and we'll be together again soon.'

For the rest of the way, the journey was quiet and uneventful, just the way he'd preferred it, without the fanfare that accompanied him to Goshi Norito's estate last night. The loud procession the okami of their tea house insisted on every time he was asked to make a house call grated on his nerves, the way the onlookers stared at him with either an awed look or cruel expression on their faces, his outward appearance enough to have some of the men's wives giving him chilling death glares.

While he had no problem sleeping with married clients, by no means was he trying to encourage adulterous affairs either. On the contrary, he trained himself from the beginning not to have much preference regarding his clientele. While he had his high standards, of course, the stature of their marital circumstances were of no consequence to him (although to anyone else who would have listened to his rationale, this was probably hard to believe).

Regardless, it was no use thinking of such things, when all was said and done. Shaking his head, he let out another loud yawn, and crossed his arms once more, letting the rocking of the palanquin soothe and quiet his mind and within minutes, drifted off to sleep, thankfully that time, uninterrupted.

The tea house was in a flutter of activity when he finally arrived, dismissively waving off the bearers to help themselves to some snacks and refreshments in the kitchens. While the loud plucks of shamisens by the new trainees echoed throughout the thin walls of the large estate, several of the maids were running to and fro past him, carrying bundles of folded kimonos, boxes of makeup, and hair accessories, assisting the courtesans who were due for their appointments soon with clients.

Still, it was rare for everyone in the house to be up and about, and wondering as to why there was so much commotion, wandered into his shared quarters with another tayuu, his brows lifting in surprise when he saw the petite young woman expertly gliding her hands through her long, pink tresses in front of the bronze mirror, weaving them in intricate loops through the patterned head piece she wore. The purple shawl wrapped around her back accentuated her slim figure, her posture elegantly arched while her feet were tucked beneath her, not the slightest hint of fatigue.

"You usually let the servants do your hair, Kururu. What's the special occasion?" the blond asked pleasantly enough, sliding the shoji door closed before he settled himself beside her, helping her braid a section that was already parted.

"You mean you don't know, or you're just being coy?" the small lady asked, giving him a skeptical smile for a moment, before turning her attention back to her head piece. "That has always been one of your many talents, Mika. You know how to play naive...whenever the occasion calls for it anyway."

When the tea house had first accepted him as a member of their household, they had all been taken aback that the small, foreigner child standing in front of them was actually a boy, fluent in their language and mannerisms. They had been fascinated with him, as if he were some creature from a menagerie, the women especially jealous of his smooth skin, the ethereal countenance of his looks.

The okami however, had been a different story, instantly recognizing his worth and upon inspection, immediately set about beginning his lessons, first with dancing and the shamisen, then his reading and writing, the art of conversation and body language. Spending his time day by day in this brothel, he learned the arts and techniques required to successfully seduce a worthy lord or mistress he deemed suitable to his tastes, and much more, of course, if they had the money to line his pockets.

Two years his senior, Kururu too was a foreigner, with her crimson eyes and her hair the color of ripe plums, hailing from the distant Balkan lands in the West, some aspects of her culture very close to his native Russia, at least from what he could still remember of it. Like his father and himself, she had also been stranded on the islands as a young child, along with her brother; she had been on a ship bound for the Raj when a sudden storm had taken the vessel off course, and she found herself washed ashore months later on exotic, Oriental lands.

Sharing that connection, she had taken him under her wing, teaching her newfound friend of the unspoken rules that were the absolute creed within the tea house, advised him of the deep-seated rivalries that went on behind closed doors between the men and women here, and about those who could be bribed easily for leads on new clients and information.  

In turn, the blond helped her with her studies, guiding her through the subjects that came more easily to him (reading and writing, no surprise), especially the numerous Chinese characters she needed to know in order to properly write and correspond her letters to her preferred clients.

It was a relationship founded on an equal need for one's own basic survival, one that eventually blossomed into a genuine reliance and indeed—respect for each other's talents. In a gilded world such as theirs where favor and gold coins were of equal weight and value, they both wisely recognized that merely being jealous of each other's strengths would achieve nothing and simply put, be detrimental to their goals.

Mikaela merely let out a smile in response to her tart remark, picking up a dark violet-colored ribbon to entwine within the delicate braid, looping it through one of the holes on the headpiece when he was finished. Standing up for a moment, he moved on the other side of her and picked up another section of her hair, casually continuing their conversation. "For once, I'll beg ignorance. I haven't seen you in a couple of days, so I honestly thought you decided to elope somewhere."

For a split second, Mikaela swore that he saw the latter's eyes darken in such a prospect, as if she'd been tempted by the Devil himself, but the look vanished as soon as it had appeared, replaced by a playful gaze, one full of amusement while the tassels pinned to her hair jiggled as she let out a snort and a chortle, although the blond couldn't tell whether she'd just taken him seriously or not. "Don't be so foolish. The okami would have my head for a large bounty if that ever happened."

Still, Mika went along with it, gently probing her a little more. "So where were you then? And where are you going now? I'm curious," he said with a more persuasive tone, giving her one of his charming, seductive smiles, one she'd personally taught him to employ more often.

She gave him one of her own sultry smiles in return, staring at his reflection for a moment, before finally answering his question—part of it anyway. "To your first inquiry, my lips are sealed. For your second question..."

She paused, the expression on her face becoming somber, unusually subdued. This time, she let out a slow, uneasy expression, bringing a hand to cover his own and lightly squeezing it, speaking once more after she'd let out an uneven sigh. "As to who I'm visiting tonight...it is none other than the Lord Hiiragi Kureto himself."

Mikaela's eyes widened at hearing the man's name, before his shoulders slumped, nodding his head in sympathy. "I see...in which case, I do hope you'll be careful then."

Kururu nodded her head and said nothing more, weaving the last of her hair through the metal band, her eyes concentrated on the reflection before her. For awhile, neither one of them said another word, while Mikaela watched her movements with appreciation; one of these days, he'll have to ask her if he can borrow the head piece, and try on the hair pattern for himself.

He stood up from where he sat, moving closer to the window to gaze out towards the streets, the throng of afternoon activity at full swing down below, geisha and street performers walking along with the crowds, the savory scent of fried squid and boiled dumplings making his stomach grumble with hunger. Perhaps in a little while, he'll go down to the kitchen and see if he can pilfer a riceball or two. While he had been invited to a private dinner with one of his clients later that tonight, and would no doubt be well-fed this time around, going with only a half-empty stomach was probably still the safer choice, in the event they chose to shortchange him too.

Nonchalantly, his thoughts drifted to Hiiragi Kureto, discreetly looking over his shoulder, his eyes quietly watching as the pink-haired woman began to apply her makeup, abruptly picking up a bell and ringing it loudly so that a servant came rushing into the room within minutes to assist her.

While he's never actually entertained the powerful lord himself, the rumors in Shimabara were rampant about the aforementioned man, half of them believable, but none of them especially reassuring. As the first son and heir to the noble family Hiiragi, he had all the wealth and privilege afforded his rank, but none of the restrictions (that was reserved for his half-sister, the yamato nadeshiko, Mahiru). A man of otherworldly tastes, he bedded both men and women, whoever had the occasion to strike his fancy. On the surface, he was a natural gentleman, charismatically mysterious and charitable to those lucky enough to earn his favor.

But there were other, seedier rumors as well; many often whispered that he was a secret spy for his family, and whatever dirt he had on someone, noble or commoner, were usually more than enough for his father, the noble Lord Tenri, to make a move against them. And to the oiran population of Kyoto, this was notably troubling, considering the fact that they have all entertained more than their fair share of the Emperor's and shogun's officials and could just as easily be incriminated, should they ever be caught in a scandal with their clients.

Many often called him the Snake of Kyoto, a dark, perplexing persona that no man or woman would ever be able to handle. And as much as it pained him to admit it, the thought of his own vulnerability against said man made him lurch with uneasiness, knowing that all that he'd ever sacrificed and worked for, could easily be overturned by his rumored shrewdness.

If he remembered correctly however, this would be Kururu's third time entertaining the Lord Kureto. While he's never had the occasion to broach the subject with her, he licked his lips uneasily, waiting for the servant to finish up her task of lining Kururu's eyes with gold paint, before he decided to carefully broach the topic.

"Are you fond of him...?" Mikaela asked quietly, moving into a corner of the room and sitting himself comfortably against the tatami once more, his eyes following the movement of her hands as she swept the brush of rouge against her lips.

"I'm as fond of him as I am with all my other clients," she replied in a monotone voice, one that the blond couldn't help but chuckle at. She tilted her gaze towards his direction, pouting when he just continued to giggle to himself.

"And what do you find so funny?"

"You," he replied without a second thought, straightening out his shoulders, folding his hands within the sleeve as he met her gaze. "You told me earlier that my talent lies at knowing how to be coy, but thinking about it now...you were my teacher, after all."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, before she laid down the brush and let out an annoyed sigh. She stood up and walked over to her chests, pretending to mull over which comb would look best with her head piece. "What did you honestly expect me to say? I neither hate him nor like him, he's quite frankly the same as all the rest."

"But is he kind to you? Is he...a good lover?" he probed a little bit deeper, refusing to turn away when she turned her head sharply towards his direction, her hair whipping, her eyes as sharp as the kunai he kept hidden in his chests.

"What are you trying to imply? That I can't satisfy him enough to satisfy me in return?"

"Nothing of the sort," Mikaela shrugged, giving her another smile of his, holding up his hands to defend himself. "I don't mean to imply anything like that. Only that...I hope you will keep yourself on your guard, for all of our sakes here."

"That goes without saying, doesn't it?"

"Of course. I know it does," Mikaela replied with playfulness in his voice, moving close to her once more and leading her back to her mirror and paints. Encouraging her to relax, he grabbed the small brush and lifted his hand to tilt her chin upwards, stroking her cheekbones with a flourish of color, the magenta rouge creating a pretty gradient with her light skin. When he was finished, he closed the case of powders and moved away, letting her do the finishing touches on her own.

After a little while, she stood and moved to tie the large sash in front of her kimono, making sure that were no blemishes or imperfections to her makeup, tightening the pins curled around her hair. She licked her lips, making the paint glisten and luscious enough to kiss.

Then she spoke, quietly this time, but all the same startling him from his reverie.

"He is kind..." she began, finally answering his question from earlier. She continued to inspect herself in front of the mirror, turning this way and that, a certain aura of vainness emanating from her desirable, haughty expression. "As kind as any man could be who chooses to openly bed a whore, while it's generally known that he's engaged to another woman."

This piqued the blond's interest, and his eyebrows lifted in response to her comment, for which she deftly ignored and continued on.

"Didn't you know, my dear Mika?"

"No, I couldn't say I do. Who's the lucky lady?" His voice was full of sarcasm, the biting wit ready to leap from the tip of his tongue.

She looked around for a moment, making sure that no servants or maids lurked outside their room, before she walked over to where the blond sat, crouching low so she could whisper in his ear. "Well...here's some piece of news you don't hear every day: in public, he's known to be engaged to the Lady Sangu Aoi."

Mikaela blinked in confusion, turning his head to look into her eyes, peering into their depths. "'In public'...? What's the purpose of a sham engagement?"

"The answer is simple enough," she giggled, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her outfit. "To hide something, obviously, for what other purpose could it have?"

"What in the world could they possibly hide behind a fake pledge of marriage, it doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't...unless..." she paused, waiting for the other man to figure it out on his own, her face not bothering to hide the fact that she was having fun with their little guessing game of intrigue. Moving behind him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her chin on his shoulder. "You're a lot smarter than this Mika. Surely you can figure it out."

The blond ignored the way the other woman made circular motions with her index finger on his chest, bringing a hand instead to his chin, his eyes concentrated on a spot on the tatami mat while he tried to wrack his brain for an answer to a situation he found very odd indeed.

Nothing in his mind could really justify anything that could be well-concealed behind a fake pledge; to be brutally honest, marriage in general was as fickle as the direction of the wind. Faithfulness in one was like trying to locate a needle in a hay stack, a thing of such rarity as to be almost considered myth in their society. If anything, a sham engagement wouldn't really be able to hide anything of value and in and of itself, could simply be a camouflage for—

He lifted his head abruptly, letting out a small gasp as his eyes widened in understanding, turning to look over his shoulder as he voiced his suspicions. "In public, he's engaged to Lady Aoi, but in reality...he's engaged to someone else."

It wasn't a question coming from his lips, but rather a confirmation. "The engagement to Lady Aoi is a front for his real marriage plans."

Kururu nodded in giddiness, twirling a lock of Mikaela's hair between her fingers. "Yes, that's right. He actually plans to marry his other half-sister, the Lady Shinoa."

Mikaela's mouth curled in disgust for a moment, before he remembered himself, letting out a loud cough while his cheeks turned red at the prospect of such a foreign idea to him; even now, there are still such things that confounded him about this island country's unusual ways. "His own flesh and blood in matrimony...it's quite difficult to imagine. Given his reputation however, it's not difficult why he'd make such a decision for himself."

Kururu giggled once more, running her hands down his chest, but before she could pry open his gi, her fingers were politely stopped by his own, and she gave him a sour expression, before moving away, her pride slightly injured. Regardless, she ignored it, her voice coming out as distant, if not somewhat impressed. "Once you've caught on, it doesn't take long for you to fit the pieces together. How enviable a talent that is."

"You flatter me, but as always, it's hard to take it to heart."

Kururu turned to look over her shoulder, her voice as seductive as the scent of her perfume. "I flatter for flattery's sake, that is all. In the end, it's up to you to take it or leave it."

Mikaela shrugged at her words, choosing instead to appreciate the color combination of her kimono, making a mental note to himself to copy it for another time.

"Well...I think it's about time for me to go and entertain my dearest Lord Kureto," she announced, ringing the bell to summon a servant to fetch the bearers and the okami. "What do you think, Mikaela? Do I look beautiful today?"

The blond nodded his head in agreement, giving her his approval. "Very much so. I imagine that when you step outside the gate and into the streets, all the jealous women will want to gouge your eyes out before you have the chance to ensnare anybody, let alone the Lord Kureto himself."

Kururu couldn't help but laugh out loud this time, her voice echoing outside their room for anyone to hear her. "Then by all means, I am ready."

The bamboo forest behind the large tea house provided him with the perfect sanctuary he personally found much more preferable to a local dojo while he practiced his kata. The air was crisp and clear here, the wind rustling through the smooth leaves, the scent of fresh grass and greenery comfortably blanketing his environment. There was not a cloud in sight, and the large grove provided a wonderful shade so that it was relatively cool, and thus, there was no need to worry that his skin would gain any unsightly sunspots from prolonged activity outdoors.

Effortlessly, he posed in a traditional fighting stance, the sheath of his katana and wakizashi secured perfectly on his hip, sweat dripping down the back of his neck as he slashed his way through imaginary enemies, his senses fully alert.

He expertly cut through the air, the sounds of his swords' movements gratifying in his ears, his strikes ringing like faraway bells. Though Guren had granted him his genpuku gifts months ago through his future brother-in-law, the Lord Shinya, by no means would he allow himself to become lackluster in the art of the sword, merely because he'd finally earned the coveted title of "samurai."

A code of honor, Mikaela liked to think to himself, to live by. And though the sword and the daily practice of mastering a killing weapon was inherently different from his life as a tayuu, a strange contrast to his penchant for makeup and fine cloths, the blond nonetheless loved the vigorous activity of training. It was comical, in its own way; while many knew his gender as a trained courtesan, there were only a few souls outside the tea house who knew that he was also a swordsman (though there were even less people, both in and out of the estate, who knew he fought in the name of Ichinose and their main standard).

Besides, his daily regimen of performing his kata out in the woods was something he genuinely looked forward to, away from the intrigues and resentments of the tea house where he had a few blessed hours to himself. Here in this forest, he could clear his thoughts, and let his mind wander away, and within this privacy he created in the world of the bamboo forest, he could indulge himself with thoughts of his family, the hope burning in his heart kept alive with his fervent desire to reunite with them soon.

'Akane may be getting married soon,' he thought fondly to himself; Guren had sent him a missive about a month ago that another man under his tutelage, one who went by the name of Saotome Yoichi, had been taken in with his adopted sister and that they were currently courting. While they've only had a brief exchange of letters here and there, he distantly remembered Shinya describing the younger man to him: gentle, playful, and somewhat proficient with a bow and arrow.

Whether the courtship would come to anything or not, he hoped that Akane would nonetheless be happy with the prospects of a potential husband. She'd always had a nurturing nature, deeply instilled in her as the eldest female of their family; having a child of her own would be a blessing for her, indeed.

And yet, despite his quiet, well-wishes for her, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of melancholy cloud over his meditations.

At this point in time, he was more than ready to admit that contrary to what Shinya has often commented about his cool, seemingly nonchalant attitude in response to having to live away from his loved ones, it wasn't that he didn't miss them. Far from it; only that, he has fought with himself so many times not to give into his anguish at having to live apart from them that the loneliness he felt had gradually become a familiar companion.

In other words, he was used to it.

Even still, though he was not there to share in his family's lives in these ten years, it was a sacrifice Mika was willing to painfully abide by, if it meant keeping them safe and secure. His bargain with Guren, always hanging as a dark cloud in the back of his mind, sometimes drove him to fits of despair, but thankfully, they never lasted long, the inner willpower he'd strengthened in these long, lonely years becoming a pillar of support to his heart.

So long as he had his periodic messages from his family's benefactor, his mind was at ease, for the most part, and he could focus on his end of the deal: maintain the pretense of a popular, but simple tayuu, while also acting as a spy on Guren's behest. In turn for keeping his family safe and under his wing, with the protection of the Ichinose name to guard them, Mika will be his eyes and ears, his secret agent specifically here in Shimabara, in which the red-light district was increasingly becoming the center of political intrigue.

His sword cut through a lose clump of leaves, his breath heaving in short pants while he continued his swordplay, the quick movement of his feet incredible to anyone who would have chosen to watch him.

He heard the distant rumbling of thunder far away, spotting the foreboding clouds. In the corner of his eye, the glossy sheen of a bamboo leaf caught itself under the sun's glare, creating a surreal color full of life, like the Tsar of his homeland's crown jewels, glistening so vividly. Glancing towards the leaf's direction, he let out a small smile, as if in remembrance.

There was one other reason he loved this grove so much, and he often thought to himself that if he could, he wouldn't have minded living his life here, surrounded by peaceful vegetation.

The lovely shades of leaves reminded him of Yuuichirou's unforgettable, vibrant eyes, his headstrong nature, the kindness in which he'd shown him when they first met. It was the memories of those short few years when they had lived together that kept his loneliness at bay, giving Mika the strength he needed to keep holding onto his hopes for the future.

"I miss you so much, Yuu-chan..." he murmured to himself as he stood up straight, lifting his face towards the sky as he took in the looming clouds up ahead, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He took a deep breath, letting the fresh onslaught of rain wash away the grime of his training, the stain of dirt that had splattered from the intensity of his movements. The cool sensation of moisture surrounding him helped ease the tensions on his shoulders, and without a single care, brought a hand to pull the cord that held his long hair together, letting the strands of golden yellow fall on his back.

It had been Yuuichirou's birthday some days ago, and Mikaela had celebrated in his own way by writing a letter to him (unsent, of course), to wish him well on his coming of age, how he longed to see him, and as soon as his mission here in Shimabara was finished and over with, his Yuu-chan would be the first person he would set out to look for.

The letter was full of embarrassing, if not gaudy sentiments, as if he were some lovesick lover waiting for their lord and master. But the blond liked to think that he was a little more than a man with a crush on his best friend; the feelings had always been there, ever since they were young, but he had kept it secretly within the crevices of his heart, cherishing and nurturing it carefully, his own personal beacon of light.

He often wondered to himself how Yuuichirou was doing; in fact, perhaps it wasn't so farfetched to say that he was a little more than obsessed with him. Was he eating well? How was his training going with Guren? Did he love practicing with the sword as much as he did?  Mayhaps they can even be sparring partners in the future, the blond would so dearly love that.

...did Yuuichirou miss him, as much as Mika missed his best friend?

Mikaela's breath hitched, his chest aching for a few seconds before he calmed himself down, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, letting out deep breaths, counting slowly in his mind.

It was this accursed sort of thinking he often fought off, days at a time, afraid as he was to entertain such silly thoughts, or so he persuaded himself, for his Yuu-chan had always been a kind and sentimental boy, and he wouldn't be so cruel as to forget him...would he?

He closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping as he breathed in and out slowly, his concentration turned inwards to calm the beating of his chest, to find his balance once more.

Soon...so very soon, he would see him again. It was only a matter of waiting, really. And for these past ten years, that is all Mikaela has ever done. The waiting, the doubts and fears, the desolation that ebbed away at the edges of his sanity...they were all his companions for this weighty sacrifice he chose to burden himself with.

Mikaela let out an uneasy smile, barely registering the heavy rain that soaked him to the bone.

Yes...the waiting, for all the morbidity his situation encapsulated, has become something akin to a dear companion for him. For what it was worth, he could afford to wait just a little more.

It was mid-afternoon when he entered through the back gates of the tea house, his clothes dripping wet that for a moment as soon as he'd walked in, the servants had simply gawked at him, before they made their customary greetings, swiftly handing him some fresh towels to dry himself off with. While he gave them instructions to immediately prepare his robes for his evening appointment, he made a mental note to himself to be more careful in the future with the timing of his return from his training sessions.

Not many people ventured out into the bamboo groves all that often, but it wouldn't do good for some careless servant to accidentally walk in on him and suddenly find themselves watching while he trained. Besides that, the sight of a man with a weapon at his side was never really a welcoming sight to any of the attendants who knew nothing of the tea house's other functions.

Best not to frighten them, in any case.

Changing into a fresh yukata, he unrolled the futon that sat idly by the corner, letting his eyes drift off, taking advantage of the momentary peace and quiet he's been given before he needed to get ready for later that evening.

Just as he was about to give himself up into the throes of sleep however, he heard the flapping of wings by the open window, the sound of a pigeon's soft coos brushing away the remnants of his drowsiness. Rubbing his eyes, he walked over to the window where the bird stood patiently, especially trained to recognize Mika's location, tilting his head this way and that.

Petting the pigeon's head fondly, Mikaela took the small piece of parchment attached on the animal's left ankle, noting the distinct stamp of Guren's name. 'What does this old man want?'

He unrolled the scrap piece of paper and began to read:

'Yuuichirou will be arriving in Kyoto shortly. Prepare yourself.'

He blinked, not knowing what to think at first.

He paused, then took a deep breath, pausing again, before his eyes read the words once more; as if in a crazed, mindless state, he briefly wondered if he didn't hallucinate them, or perhaps he had died and this was a message sent to his spirit by the gods. When the words finally registered in his mind moments later, he let out a couple, disbelieving gasps, his eyes unblinking.

Lowering the note, he looked up at the ceiling, his expression still filled with an insupportable amount of shock.

He is coming here. To Kyoto.

His eyes brimming with astonishment, his mouth slowly stretched into a hopeful, buoyant smile, and he brought the note to his lips, kissing it lightly with what could only be described as devout elation.

So it would seem the years of endless, dreary waiting were finally coming to an end, at last.

'Yuu-chan.'

If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading! If you can spare a minute or two, I'd love to hear what you guys thought of the chapter!

Just a small note this time! :3

Tayuu - Although the term "oiran" meant that these group of male/female courtesans were considered upper class within the red-light districts of Japan, "tayuu" was considered the top dog title within the classification of "oiran". Tayuu had the luxury of picking their clients, and even rejecting them, if they so wished. Their services were usually four or five times higher than what a regular oiran charged and when they slept with their customers, they would temporarily gain the status of a "spouse." It was customary for clients to remain loyal to only a single tayuu, in order to avoid rivalries amongst the often too-prideful entertainers.

[sj4iy]

Translation: “Owari no Seraph: Guren Ichinose, the Catastrope at 16″ Chapter 03 Summary (Spoilers!!)

Here’s your chapter summary.  Forgive any typos or translation errors, I type as I read (also autocorrect often changes japanese spellings without my permission).  Of course, spoilers ahead.  

Chapter 03:

The Hyakuya church is a magic organization of large scale said to prop up the dark side of the country.  They had a skirmish with the Hiiragi organization, but after WWII, the Hyakuya Church received support from America and carried the seat of the country’s key magical organization. Many politicians received assistance and they ruled the country from the shadows.

The assassin explains that his organization wants to crush the Hiiragi clan and offers their power to Guren.  He replies that he’s not interested, because he’s always been interested in first place and if he teams up with them, it’ll be their first place and not his.  He wonders why they are trying to mix him up in it but tells the assassin to disappear or he’ll make him disappear and grabs his sword.  The assassin finds it amusing but Guren says “I’ll win” and that any opponent that he’s shown his real power to has died.  “But I’ll wait five seconds” and “When you return, tell your superior that Ichinose didn’t change sides”.  Then he starts counting down.  The assassin says that his appearance (yousu) is different from earlier, and asks if he’s bluffing…but Guren keeps counting down.  The assassin finally leaves.  The girls find Guren and tell him it’s a problem if he goes off alone and he tries to tell them he was going to the training room.  They respond that since it’s not finished he should rest, and he says “You’re right, I am a little tired today.  What about the curry?” and Sayuri panics that it’s still on the heat and runs off.  Guren remarks that she’s the same as ever.

At school they are doing training drills and Guren is knocked to the ground by Norito Goshi.  Norito complains “Geez, I can’t train against such a weak opponent” as the other kids suck up to him. Mito Juujou walks up and asks him if it doesn’t bother him that people are saying such things about him, but he plays dumb and says that he could never win against the eldest son of the Goshi clan.  Mito gets angry and calls the Goshi clan second rate, which prompts Norito and Mito to argue until they start fighting.  One of the students asks the teacher about it but the teacher tells everyone to watch the fight and study it.  Just then Shinya walks up and congratulates him on his performance getting hit and says he can’t learn Guren’s level like that.  Guren calls him a stalker and Shinya says “I’m interested in the real power of my future friend who will destroy the Hiiragi clan” but Guren says “I’m won’t be your friend.”  Shinya asks him to be his partner and show him his real power.  He starts giving off massive amounts of power and says “By the way, I’m going full throttle.  No matter how strong you are, it’s impossible to go easy on me.”  Guren tries to give him the “there’s no way I can fight you” excuse but Shinya moves to hit him.  Guren thinks “Aah, shit…can’t be helped” and takes the punch…which sends him flying.  Shinya is surprised and says “No waaay, he’s that stubborn?”  Guren lands with a crash and Mito runs to check on him.  Shinya says “Or he’s really that weak?”  Guren is in bad shape and Mito says “Sensei, Ichinose-kun is spitting up blood!?”  Everyone starts making comments about how strong the Hiiragi clan is and how it’s absurd for the Ichinose clan to fight with their social standing, but Mito and Norito see that Guren is actually hurt bad.  Guren himself thinks “I allowed the hit at an angle that my organs wouldn’t get hurt even if my ribs were fractured…at least, I was supposed to.  I actually messed up…a little bit…” as Norito tells them to take him to the infirmary.

Guren wakes up in a hospital bed with bandages around his chest.  He takes some of them off to see the nasty wound on his chest, just as Mahiru stands in the doorway.  She says “Don’t take your bandages off yourself.”  He’s surprised to see her, and says “It’s been a long time” (using polite speech).  This surprises her and she says “it’s become like that”.  She comes into the room next to his bed and he says “Your father will become angry if you get too close to someone like me.”  She says she’s different from the old days, and that she decides for herself.  She asks him if there’s nothing he wants to say even though it’s been so long, and he says “There’s nothing I am able to say”.  Her hand twitches at this, and she asks him how his wound is, and he says it’s not a problem.  She then says that she’s heard that his ‘value’ is very poor and he responds that if there are reports of it, it must be true.  He then says “Mahiru-sama, you’ve become strong and beautiful in the past ten years.”  She blushes and smiles, and says she’s happy he called her pretty.  Then he very bluntly asks her what she wants with him which takes her by surprise.  She says that when she heard he was hurt, but he replies “I’m sorry to have caused you worry, but it’s no longer a problem.  Is there anything else you need?”  She angrily replies “There isn’t” and takes her leave.  He says “Oh, I forgot to mention…” and she stops…but then he goes on with “I heard from Shinya-sama that you are engaged.  Congratulations.”  She says “Thank you” and angrily walks out of the door.  He watches her leave and grabs his head in anger, saying “…shit, I’m such a bastard.”

Back at school, the technique selection exams (not exactly sure how to word this in english) are starting “tomorrow”.  Shinya is happy to see Guren and says “I’m glad your injuries healed that much, wanna go home together?” but Guren tells him to “die”.  Sayuri calls out to him, but Shigure tells her not to stand out or she’ll get scolded again.  Guren thinks “A lecture later”.  Mito chastises him for having two female followers escort him, calling the Ichinose clan “cowards”.  Norito comes up to him and asks Guren to introduce him to the girls and asks him (in a whisper) which one he’s going out with.  Guren asks if he should be associating with a dirty Ichinose, and Norito responds that “beautiful women are different” and asks Guren if they sleep with him at night since they are under his control.  Mito is shocked and calls him vulgar, and Sayuri chimes in saying “That’s right, won’t you please stop this strange accusations?”  Then she states “Guren-sama still hasn’t made a move!”  Everyone is shocked, Guren face palms, and Shinya laughs, asking Guren if he can tell Mahiru about this conversation.  Guren states “I’m going home.”

On their way out, magic fills the hall.  Guren tells the ladies “don’t move, I’ll deal with it”.  Guren is suddenly kicked back into the wall, and the guy who did it says “Ah, sorry, my foot slipped.”  Shigure goes after the guy but a girl catches her fist and introduces the guy as Seishirou Hiiragi, and says that trying to lay a hand on him is certain death.  Seishirou replies “It’s fine, Yumi, the Ichinose morons can’t understand human speech.  Hitting these kinds of animals is just training.”  Shigure goes to block his swing but he laughs and says “too late”.  Guren thinks “dammit” but Shinya grabs Seishirou’s arm before he can hit her.  Shinya says “If rumor got around about you hitting an Ichinose woman it would hurt your family name.”  Seishirou says “Who asked for the adopted child’s opinion” and when Shinya says “I’m sorry, but” Seishirou hits him in the face.  Shinya is silent, and Seishirou laughs and says “Good judgement.”  He goes on to say that Shinya could never win against him, and Shinya’s judgement is why his father chose him for Mahiru.  Seishirou says that he came to check out Ichinose in the second fight of the exam tomorrow, but “he was nothing but a rat, after all.”  Shinya says he was also suspicious of Guren’s ability at first, but that he was nothing special after all.  “Even though his friend was about to get hit, he’s just garbage who didn’t act.  Someone from a degenerate, second-rate family after all.”  Seishirou laughs and calls all Ichinose people “garbage” and walks off with Yumi.  Norito calls him garbage that can’t protect women and Mito asks him again if he can stand them saying things like that about him and he replies that he can’t go against people of the Hiiragi clan. Mito yells “If they told you to die would you?!” and stomps off.  The rest of the students walking around laugh at him, and Shinya says “You really are a boring guy.  I expected a little more from you.”  Guren says “…don’t make up expectations on your own” and Shinya walks off.

Shigure apologizes for being so weak, and Sayari asks if it’s really necessary to endure all of this.  He tells them “Sorry”, and Shigure tells Sayuri that she feels the same way about their precious master being continually mocked but tells her to endure it. “Our master, who is suffering more than us, isn’t crying.”  Sayuri cheers up and says “Ah, that’s right!  That means tonight for sure we’ll sleep with him…” and he hits smacks her on the head and says “we’re going home.”  He starts thinking about how Seishirou and Mahiru are in the same grade, so they must have different mothers and wonders how much of his power he should show here.

Guren’s waiting outside a market when he sees a little boy with the assassin from before.  The little boy is called him “Saitou-san” and asking if it’s really okay to buy as much candy as he wants.  “Everyone at the orphanage will be happy no matter what I buy, right?”  The assassin asks him if he can buy it himself, and he replies that he’s 8, so of course he can and runs inside.  Guren says “Saitou?  Didn’t you tell me that your name was Kijima?”  The assassin replies “I don’t have a real name” but asks him to call him Saitou in front of Mika (Mikaela).  Guren asks him what he’s using the child for, because the Hyakuya sect is famous for human experimentation.  The assassin says that the Hyakuya church has seriously thought about how to keep the country on the right path, and that Japan will be destroyed if it continues like that.  “It will be caught up in The Final Horn”.  Guren asks if he thought he could convince him to join by using eschatology, but the assassin says this isn’t that kind of conversation.  “A virus will spread” he says, “and makes this world uninhabitable for humans.  This conversation is about war.  God isn’t spreading this virus, humans are…by the name of ‘Hiiragi’”.  The ‘Mikado no Oni” are recklessly trying to steal the seat of power from the Hyakuya church and trying to use forbidden magic.  Then the assassin says, almost jovially, “We are desperately working to stop that.  See?  Our interests align, do they not?  Before the world ends, won’t you join us to destroy the Hiiragi clan?  The war between the Hyakuya church and Hiiragi clan begins in ten days.”

Guren asks if he has until then to choose, and the assassin replies that he needs his answer right away.  Guren says “In that case, my answer is no.  I don’t get involved with people who can’t talk straight with me.”  The assassin says “that’s too bad” just as Mika comes out carrying a lot of groceries and asking for help.  Mika sees Guren and asks the assassin “Who is that guy with the mean look in his eyes?”  and the assassin replies “Who knows?  Probably a degenerate”.  Mika says “Whoa, scary” and Guren has a disgruntled look on his face.  They walk away and Guren thinks that the war starts in ten days and might even destroy Japan.  “How will we conduct ourselves until then?  No…how will we come out on top during the confusion?

That’s all for this month.  Wow, Guren was a complete ass in this chapter.  Nice to see Mika, although a bit creeped out by the situation, as well.  Next chapter will be out on 9/6 (Wednesday).