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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 3 months ago

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An Unwavering Light - Chapter 2

Rating: T/Teen for violence (in this chapter) and mature themes, including ones about trauma and depression.

Setting: begins before the confrontation with Aizen and co. in Fake Karakura Town arc, and goes from there to the Thousand Year Blood War arc. This chapter takes place during the events of the manga from chapters 334-391.

Music to listen to: Recollection I (YT | Spotify), In Remembrance by Evan Call (YT | Spotify), Ceremony Commences by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), 1130 TYBW full of guitars by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), Nothing Can be Explained Instrumental by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), Nightmare by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify) Invasion by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify)

Fic synopsis: During the confrontation against Aizen, the unthinkable happens. For Hitsugaya, a vow is broken, and for Hinamori, her future is unknown. With everything in shambles, how can they piece their lives back together? Or their bond?

Chapter synopsis: Hitsugaya loses his focus after Hinamori's sudden appearance on the battlefield and he finds himself turning his attention to the man who started all of this. Hinamori sets out to prove why she is worthy of being the lieutenant of the Fifth Division.

AN: A warning that this chapter is particularly violent, with mentions of severe injuries, including self-inflicted (only for Halibel's fraccion if you remember how Ayon comes into being).

Other than that, this chapter feels like I'm going 'look at all the missing scenes!'. I didn't want this to be a complete a play-by-play for the whole battle (and for the moments I did, I simply to did it either to show another perspective or look deeper into how the character may have felt in that moment), so I found moments where I thought something may have happened. We're only moments away from the pain that is chapter 392/episode 293 ;_;

Hope you all enjoy this!

Disclaimer: BLEACH and it’s character’s belong to Tite Kubo.

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___________________________________

The crescent moon shone overhead against a starless sky.

Hitsugaya shielded his eyes to make it out. He’d never seen a moon so sharp and bright. Somehow, though, he knows he’ll eventually grow accustomed to it. That it will become as natural to him as the sun and moon in the real world.

Hello, Master.

The booming voice didn’t startle him. He lowered head and hand, but was slow to turn to the towering dragon behind him. Unlike the last few times, the creature doesn’t bring icy gusts of wind or crashing snow with his arrival.

“It’s you again,” is all Hitsugaya could say. He was not in awe or fearful, only confused. What was this creature? Did he have anything to do with the spiritual potential that woman mentioned? “I can understand what you’re saying this time.”

Do you know my name? he asked.

Hitsugaya shook his head.

The dragon lowered his head rather sullenly. You will hear it in time.

"You haven't told me what it is," he said.

I have tried, but you cannot hear it.

Hitsugaya didn't understand how that was possible. Rather than question the dragon, he stared at the ice beneath his bare feet. It’s cold, but it does not freeze him. A landscape like this should have him shivering at the very least, but it’s surprisingly not unpleasant. If anything, it felt liked he belonged here.

The idea made him frown. “What is this place?”

Your inner world. It is where all your potential and power resides, the dragon said.

“And why did you bring me here? Why are you in my dreams?”

You called out to me.

Hitsugaya raised his head. “What do you mean? I never did that.”

You did it without realising. I hear things you cannot. For years now, you have been calling out to me, and I heeded.

“No, you were trying to hurt Baa-chan,” Hitsugaya accused. “Why?”

I did not. That was a result of you not having control of your abilities. I had hoped you would hear my name, and in doing so, harness the power within you. The dragon gave a growling huff – a sigh, perhaps. However, despite the power you have, you are still a child, after all.

Hitsugaya bit back a barrage of arguments, knowing it would get him nowhere. He was also perplexed at the range of emotions this dragon was showing. Before he’d been stoic, but just now he’d sounded disappointed. Still, there’s a patience about him, a willingness to listen to him even when he knew it would get him nowhere. In a small way, it reminds him of the patience of his Granny.

He stared down at his hands. This power the dragon spoke of, did it come from them? If he directed his hands in certain ways, like how Hianamori did when she practiced those weird gestures on her breaks from the Academy, would it he be able to control it?

Without realising, he found his mind shifting, as if focusing on a sense. But this was nothing like the senses he knew. He didn’t see, smell, taste, hear, or physically feel anything. It was a sense beyond those, one that encompassed his mind. It picked up a presence in the land around him and the towering dragon before him. It radiated in icy, invisible waves. It’s immense, so much so Hitsugaya winced as he tried to break out of whatever this was.

With a yelp, he freed himself, but it sent him stumbling back and barely catching himself before he could fall on his backside.

“W-What was that?’ he murmured to himself.

You sensed the power within you. That is only the surface, like what you see immediately here.

He looked around again and noticed for the first time just how vast the icy plain was. It extended beyond what his eye can see, continuing past the horizon into darkness. Frozen trees and hills far as the eye could see, lit only by a small crescent moon.

Hitsugaya shook his head. “What’s my power?”

You will learn that in time. First, you must train. Then, you must learn my name. The more the learn about your abilities and mine, the better control you will have.

“And Baa-chan will never be hurt again?”

No, my power will be for you and you alone to wield.

Shinigami were supposed to use their spiritual powers to protect Souls and Humans from harm caused by Hollows. He’d seen, however, that Shinigami are not the revered figures most children saw them as. Like any adult, they have faults. Like any adult, they could disappoint you.

He raised his hands again, looking at the backs before rotating them to face the palms up. What things could he do with these powers? The same as other Shinigami? He never wanted to become a Shinigami, but it seemed he had no choice. If he stayed in the Junrinan, he would never learn how to control the cold that had nearly killed Granny. And Hinamori would be there at the Academy, at least. He tried to ignore the slight glee that came with that thought.

“How do I learn your name?”

____________________________

When Hitsugaya woke this morning, before the sun had risen and all of his officers were still asleep, he thought about seeing Hinamori. Try as might, he couldn’t dismiss the idea as he changed into his uniform, attended the emergency meeting, or ate a small breakfast, appetite lost at the thought of who he would be facing. Even after Rangiku joined him in the few hours they had left before the battle, he thought to ask his lieutenant to take a detour with him to Fifth Division before they met up with the other captains and lieutenants.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He needed to focus on what lay ahead for them. They weren’t just engaging Aizen in battle, but the Arrancars. He’d trained in the spare time he had to ensure he was better prepared than he had been in the World of the Living.

Hitsugaya would cross swords with Aizen, he would see to it that it happens. Because he would not cut him down out of malice or hatred. He would defeat him for the vow he'd made years ago, and for Soul Society as part of his duties as a captain of the Gotei Thirteen. He had earned the title fairly and without agenda, Aizen had not. He would stand as an example of what captain should be, and against everything Aizen is and believed in.

He would go to this battle as a captain, and return ready to help Hinamori through whatever came next.

Yet, as he and Rangiku had made their way to the Senkaimon, he’d extended his senses to detect Hinamori’s reiatsu. It was stable, much stronger than he thought it would be. He couldn’t help but let out a small, relieved breath. She’ll be safe here, he thought, they can’t get to her here.

It’s why the pulse of her reiatsu is a shock to the system. For a fraction of a second, he thinks he’d imagined it, but it’s stable and remains in the periphery of his sense. He hesitates mid battle, almost earning him a slash from the blonde Espada. He doesn’t have time to look around as Hyourinmaru clashes with her sword.

The Espada holds him there, matching his strength. “Your spiritual pressure was spiked for a moment.”

He keeps his expression neutral. Was this a tactic to catch him off guard? “What are you on about?"

Her gaze narrows a fraction. “What happened?”

He matches it. “I don’t know what you're walking about.”

He releases a flurry of ice, which she lunges away from with ease. At least it put distance between them. More than being perturbed by his opponent’s observations, his chest constricts at sensing Hinamori’s reiatsu is still in the area.

Hinamori…

She’s somewhere behind him, next to Rangiku. She was likely the source of that fiery explosion before that helped his lieutenant against The Espada’s fraccion. Just as he noticed this morning, her reiatsu is steady and strong, perhaps the best it’s ever been. Yet he is reminded of the last time he’d seen her.

Please save Captain Aizen!

He lets out a shuddering, quiet exhale through his parted lips. Why did you have to come?

What’s going on in her mind? More importantly – the very next thought makes his stomach churn and anger roil up at himself for even thinking such a thing – was she here for the Soul Society or for Aizen?

His opponent comes in for another strike, and he’s forced to forget about Hinamori for the time being. If she’s with Rangiku, she should be safe.

___________________________

It’s had been simpler to find the battle than Hinamori thought. It was simpler still to rush around undetected, setting up an invisible kido net that used a combination of the spells around Rangiku and attaching it to her lieutenant’s badge. It’s one of the many combinations she’d come up with while researching and reciting kido chants in her room. Depending on how they faired after this one, she may need to use another. As Genji had said, these opponents are far stronger than any they’d faced, she can sense it from the reiatsu that emanates from them.

Even as she stared down these opponents a few minutes ago, Hinamori couldn’t help but notice Rangiku’s worry in her peripheral. This is why she came here: to prove to her and everyone else she was no longer Aizen’s subordinate. She was the lieutenant of Fifth Division, and she would fight alongside them.

Around them, her fire now extinguishes to smoke. She pants for a couple breaths and a sweat has broken out on her face and arms from exertion and nerves. She inwardly chastises herself for the latter. She has been in many battles, some of which have had months long gaps between them. Why should this one be any different?

“Are you okay, Hinamori?”

“Yes.” She drops a hand from Tobiume’s hilt and turns to look at her fellow lieutenant. She musters up a smile – albeit an rueful one. “I apologise, Rangiku-san. That’s the first time I’ve ever used that king of kido combination.”

Rangiku smiles faintly. “Don't apologise. It was impressive.” She briefly glances at the slowly dissipating smoke around them. “That was Fushibi, right? I’ve never seen it so finely spread out before.”

Hinamori can’t help but embrace the tiny swell of pride cause by Rangiku’s words. She lifts her other hand from Tobiume and gently massages it with the other. “Well…I blended Fushibi with Shakkago. After that, I cloaked them with Kyokko and stretched it out like a net.”

Most of the smoke has dissipated, and she casts her gaze to the horizon. It’s one of the few places where she didn’t see a battle occurring. “I must admit, it was hard to do all of that under these conditions but…” She returns her small smile to Rangiku. “I’m glad it worked.”

At Rangiku’s widening smile, Hinamori dares to hope. Finally, one of her friends’ worry had vanished. She’d proven she didn’t need worry or concern. She can fight alongside Rangiku and the others. Now, she needs to confront –

One of the few plumes of remaining smoke shifts strangely. Then, not even a second after, “Thrust, Cierva!!”

The other two also emerge from the smoke, calling out what sounded like releases for their weapons.

Hinamori’s heart races. “What?!”

She takes in their changed appearance – one has become half humanoid half serpent, the middle one has horns, and the last one had a yellow mane coming from coming from a headpiece. But above all, they looked unharmed.

She shakes her head. “I knew it wouldn’t affected severely affect, but there’s unscathed!”

“They regenerate when they perform their resurrection,” Rangiku explains. “It's their most powerful attack."

So surprised by this revelation, Hinamori doesn’t pay attention to what her opponents say to each other. Both she Rangiku raise their blades, ready for their next attack.

For Hollows, Hinamori had a knack for being able to tell what sort of attacks they will likely use. There was usually a tell, perhaps in something unique about their appearance or in the way they moved across the battlefield. With these three, she has no idea. They’re a species she’s not confronted until now. She wishes she got more intel about them before coming here.

Then, without warning, all three Arrancar each violently rip one of their own arms off. Both she and Rangiku can only gasp in horror, and watch as they throw their limbs into the middle of their semicircle, where they knot over one another, then twirl and becoming a thick cloud of white smoke.

It expands, becoming monolithic and taking the shape of something inhuman.

“Wh-What is that?!” Rangiku stammers.

But Hinamori cannot reply. She has lost her voice, and all she sees is darkness. A strange terror has her in its clutches, one that sends ripples of cold through her and drags her closer and closer to the beast’s eyes that are as black as bottomless pits.

___________________________

A new presence has joined the battlefield. One which gives Hitsugaya pause. He’s never felt anything like it; a dark abyss of energy, one that threatens to suck in anything near it.

He doesn’t chance a glimpse in the direction of the reiatsu, focusing on the Espada as she lunges forward with a particularly hard strike. He deflects it with a grunt, sending her sword off to the right. He takes the chance to stab at her side, but she spins out of the way and comes for his side instead. He twists and blocks the attack, but it leads to them clashing swords again.

Neither budge, pushing their strength and weight into their weapons. There’s faint tremor in his limbs which he pointedly ignores. However, there’s something about the Esapda’s posture too, it’s a fraction more ridged than it should be. He hasn’t been much of a struggle for her up to this point, and surely crossing swords like this was not a challenge for her. Is she affected by this dark presence too?

“What is that thing?” he demands. “It’s come from your fraccion.”

Halibel considers for a moment, simply returning his glare. “It’s none of your concern.”

Before she can notice, he lands a kick in her sternum, sending her skidding back. The beginnings of Hyourinmaru's Shikai are on his lips, ready to use the chain to –

Rangiku’s reiatsu violently spikes up

He freezes, eyes widening at the shock of it. She’s severely hurt, bordering fatally. Matsumoto!

Faintly, he hears someone else scream her name. With a grunt, he realises it’s Hinamori. What’s happening? He needs to --!

The Espada is suddenly in front of him. Her slash at him sends him barrelling backwards, his feet in the air until he forces them to the ground to skid him to a stop. Heart pounding and a bead of sweat falling down his temple, he struggles to return his focus to his opponent. He goes on the defensive against the Espada while he senses what’s happening with the lieutenants.

Rangiku’s is falling, and so Hinamori. Judging from her stable reiatsu though, Hinamori isn’t injured. Again, she calls out his lieutenant’s name. Then, they come to a stop, and as he dodges a strike from Halibel, he sees below them and off to the far right a blur of blue -- some kind of kido net, he can’t tell which – and two figures in the middle.

He barely has time to feel an iota of relief. Not because of the Espada’s attacks sending him away from the view within seconds, but because that dark presence suddenly appears in front of Hinamori’s reiatsu. Only two seconds later, it strikes her.

The impact on her reiatsu is as sudden as Rangiku. She’s gone into shock, and her injures are almost as severe as his lieutenant’s. She’s being propelled backwards.

He almost falls back and drops out of the sky. Hinamori! No!

He quickly straightens and looks back in the direction of the lieutenants. He can’t see them anymore, but there’s the source of the powerful reiatsu. A giant creature stands in the air above the city building, looking like a Huge Hollow but having the height of a Menos.

That all too familiar violent anger boils up in the pit of his stomach. He goes to flash-step to Rangiku and Hinamori, ready to freeze whatever this vile creature was to the bone.

A stab from the Espada stops him. The point of her sword comes dangerously close to his temple, and he barely manages to evade it. Strands of his hair are off, flying into the air.

"Pay attention," she reprimands despite her flat tone. "Their battle is not yours."

Hisagi and Izuru’s reiatsu suddenly appear next to Hinamori’s. The creature hasn’t moved, keeping it’s distance from Hinamori but still far too close to Rangiku.

Can he leave it to them? Does he really have a choice? His opponent won’t let him leave their fight, and he can’t let her attack someone else. With that in mind, it pains him to return his full attention to the Espada.

___________________________

Hinamori can barely breathe. There’s a wheezing sound coming out of her mouth as she tries to get air into her punctured lung. She tries to ignore the coppery taste on her tongue and she’s distantly aware that Hisagi is battling Ayon, but she only keeps her hazy gaze on Rangiku.

Izuru has his back to her, bent over their fellow lieutenant as he heals her. Sweat drips down his face and arms, and his brow and lips are drawn down in concentration. The green-blue kido emanating from his hands stands in stark contract to Rangiku’s paling skin and the light blue of the Tozansho’s prism.

Rangiku’s bones and organs slowly heal, while her flesh knits over itself smoothly and quickly. It’s evident Izuru hasn’t performed this kido in years; the spell is supposed to heal both internal and external injuries at the same pace, but an inexperienced or rusty user ends up repairing one part quicker than the other. Still, it's beneficial, better than her bleeding out.

Without warning, Izuru goes rigid and twists to the looming threat approaching them with booming steps. Hinamori forgets to breathe. Where is Hisagi? Had he been defeated by Ayon?

“H-He’s coming!” Izuru says, more to himself. “I’m almost finished, I just need a little more time.”

The kido beneath his palms stutters out for a moment. Hinamori is about to call out to him, when a hole of blood appears in Ayon’s chest. When she notices the Captain-Commander, she doesn’t know whether to be scared or relieved.

Izuru stumbles over his words in the older man’s presence, who lectures him in return. She loses focus, not able to keep up with what they’re saying. A wave of dizziness and cold suddenly overcomes her. Has she lost too much blood? Or is this from pent up anxiety?

She rests her head against the kido beneath her, but turns her gaze back to Rangiku. She’s still taking shallow breaths, and her shattered ribs and injured organs are sealed over by skin. She’s safe for now, but it won’t be long until she’s back to being on the brink unless Izuru continues to heal her.

“Izuru-kun…” Hinamori rasps out.

She’s not sure if he heard her. A darkness creeps in around the edges of her vision and a fatigue sets into her limbs. Her eyes become hooded, trying to resist closing them all together. Something escapes her lips, but she can’t tell if it’s a slurry words or a just a sound.

Izuru becomes a blocky blur, but he twists around to her. Before she falls into the darkness, there’s a loud, terrifying roar, and as she shuts her eyes, she thinks she hears Izuru say, “I’m going to move you and Matsumoto-san! Hold on, Hinamori-san!”

___________________________

Hitsugaya spins away from another missile of water. It splashes hard into the top of a building, caving in the roof and several floors before pouring out on to the streets.

He stops flapping Hyourinmaru’s wings and flattens them, sending him gliding lower. The Espada is stronger than he anticipated, and he hadn’t understood her battle strategy before. She shoots with waves after wave of water he can easily dodge. However, as he soars over the streets, the collecting waters gave him the idea. She’s waiting for water to build up.

To think he would face an opponent like her. They can wield the same element but in opposite states. Had Aizen brought her here to face him for that very reason? There’s something that feels almost predetermined about their fight he can’t shake off. Nor can he forget how she’d threatened the Captain-Commander.

“I will avenge their deaths.”

He glances over his shoulder. She’s gaining on him, fast. She draws her weapon back, and his eyes widen at the yellow glow that builds up on the blade.

“Cero.” She slices the air, sending the beam in an arc. He flash-steps away, but not quickly enough. One of Hyourinmaru’s wings is cut in half, and he has to quickly find somewhere to land. He goes to the first rooftop he sees and lands on it’s balcony. The railing is slick with water, as are the walls beneath and the power-lines above it.

Another of Hyourinmaru's flower petals breaks apart. Considering the attack he’s come under just now and for how long he’s been in the Bankai state, he’s doing better than he anticipated.

In the back of his mind, something bothers him. Reaching out his senses, he curses under his breath. Izuru and Komamura’s reiatsu are close by – so much so Hitsugaya is confident if he looks over his shoulder right now he would see them be able to clearly make them out from this distance. Next to them are the weaker reiatsu of Hisagi, Rangiku, and Hinamori. He takes what little relief he can that his lieutenant and childhood friend are both safe and no longer on the verge of serious injuries. Still, the way Hinamori’s reiatsu flickers and wanes, is worrisome.

He wills his expression to neutral, but find himself fighting off a deepening frown. The Esapda has her back turned to him still, but she no doubt sense him. Based one how this fight has gone, he’s confident she won’t attack the others; she seems focused on finishing their fight first.

“Your tactics are strange,” he comments, drawing her attention. In his peripheral, Hyourinmaru’s wing regenerates; he needs to stall until it’s completely reformed. “But I have a feeling why that's the case. I'm guessing we're both waiting for the same thing to happen. For this battlefield to fill up with water, allowing either of us to strike a killing blow.”

She says nothing, and her expression remains impassive. Still, it’s all the confirmation he needs to say his theory was right. He’d said to her before one should save their greatest tactics for the greatest moments of crisis. Given who is not too far away from them and how the battles around him were going, he needs to help shift the tides in the Soul Society’s favour. Given her strength, there’s only one ability he had that can vanquish her at this point. What if it affected the others somehow? He's never --

"Are you concerned for them?"

He grunts, returning his gaze to her. "What?"

"Your allies just over there, are you concerned for them?"

At his lack of an answer, her expression briefly breaks into something reflective. "Right now, you have a choice to either sacrifice them or make yourself a sacrifice to save them. Regardless of what you choose, either you or they will carry the moment you made a choice forever." She raises her weapon, once again becoming stoic. "Choose carefully."

What was this? Is she trying to unnerve or goad him? He shakes it off, choosing to see this as a threat to those behind him.

“Fine. There’s no use both of us waiting.” He raises Hyourinmaru, and more to himself than his opponent, he says, “I’ve never tried this while in Bankai, but you leave me no choice."

“What are you talking about?”

Hyourinmaru’s wing is almost regenerated. He doesn’t have to stall her for much longer. “To tell you the truth , I don't need to wait for water to gather. Hyourinmaru is the ultimate ice-type zanpakuto.” He fully faces her and grips his zanpakuto with both hands. “All water is my weapon.”

The Espada lets out a quiet, startled sound and her eyes widen at the sky as what he meant dawns on her. The clouds darken and rapidly gather above them, blocking out the sun for half of the battlefield.

With Hyourinmaru’s wing back to its full form, he launches himself from the railing and shoots back into the air, coming to level with her. “The whole sky is under my control.”

“What is this?”

It’s most emotive she’s sounded. He thinks to just initiate the attack and not tell her; given the circumstance, it might the smartest strategy to use. However, he finds himself uncomfortable with the idea.

He goes on to explain his abilities to her, and she only listens, not moving to strike him when she has every opportunity to do so. Is she accepting her fate?

When he comes to the end of his explanation, he pauses. He was not blood thirty or a lover of fighting like Kenpachi, but she’s been a worthy opponent, the strongest he’s faced in decades. Then there was her threat to Captain-Commander that won't leave his mind…

“What is your name, Esapda?”

As if his words take her out of a daze, she schools her expression to impassive again and looks down at him. “I'm Espada Tres, Harribel Tier.”

“I’m Captain for the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya Toshiro.” He raises his blade. “Are you ready?”

___________________________

Both Hinamori and Izuru watch as the clouds part and form a circle above the Espada. The that snow descends in a cascading rush through the hole makes both of them gasp. It’s so glaringly white, she has to squint to still see Hitsugaya and his opponent, who goes to make an attack against his. It’s useless; the magnitude of the avalanche is something no one can fight off.

“I-Incredible,” Izuru murmurs, stunned. “What…What is that ability?!”

“Whatever it was, he risked much doing it this close to us,” Sajin comments, failing to keep the alarmed tone out of his voice. “But then, he didn’t have much of a choice.”

Within seconds, the snow rapidly transforms into a tower of spiky ice. It resembles a pillar of flowers, piled on top of one another as though growing from hundred of vines snaked around a column. The Espada is nowhere to be seen, likely trapped within the ice.

The clouds begin to thin and the sun returns, but Hinamori frowns when she notices Hitsugaya hasn’t moved away. He remains close to the ice tower, zanpakuto lowered. Is he gazing into the ice to check his opponent is there?

Eventually, he turns, lingers for several more seconds, then flies off. He's heading towards them. For a moment, she wonders if he’s coming to check up on them. However, he angles himself higher into the sky and passes them overhead. She loses sight of him and she can't help the tiny pang that pricks at her heart.

“Shiro…can.” She barely realises she’s said the nickname aloud.

It’s been so long since she last saw him, and now she’s only gotten to see him from afar. That will change after this battle is over, she’ll make sure of it. Whether he’s angry at her for coming to battlefield or happy to see her, she’ll find him after all of this and thank him for protecting all them.

A whimper comes from her left. She lolls her head to the side. Rangiku has her eyes shut still and her brow furrowed in pain, but her breathing is normal. Izuru has done the best he can, but Hinamori hopes Fourth Division will arrive to battlefield sooner rather than later.

On the thought of her friend, she tilts her head downward to look at him. He’s kneeling over Hisagi, working on his internal injuries. The Ninth Divison’s lieutenant is still conscious at least, but he grimaces as he’s being healed.

Izuru's forehead and temple glisten with sweat, and there’s a small tremor running through his arms. He’s getting fatigue. Soon, he won’t be able to keep this up without hurting himself.

“Kira-kun…”

“I’m almost done here,” he says, slightly clipped.

“Are you all right?”

He lets out a grunt, and finally his eyes reach hers, wide with bewilderment. “What? Why would you ask that?”

“Don’t…push yourself –” A cough interrupts her, causes a fresh trickle of blood to run down her lips. The pain returns afresh, and she winces as it explodes through her chest.

Alarmed, Izuru looks between her and Hisagi. She wants to tell him to focus on Hisagi, but at the former’s nod towards Hinamori, Izuru deactivates the kido and rushes to her side.

“You’re the one who shouldn’t be pushing themselves,” he warns, before activating the kido over her torso. The relief comes quickly, soothing the pain into smaller waves. Her breathing remains shallow, not able to take in full breaths.

Her gaze slips to behind Izuru’s shoulder. There’s the pillar of ice, which Hitsugaya has returned to. He's comes out of his bankai state, but his posture is one of vigilance. He watches the battle unfolding around the area, looking for a moment he can strike perhaps.

Further away, Yamamoto’s flames burn in a circle of high walls. Hinamori tries and fail to not detect the reiatsu emanating from behind the fire.

She looks at Izuru. “Have you seen any of them?”

He picks up on the implication quickly. His brows fall into furrow. “No, just sensed him.”

She can’t help but let out a relieved sigh. “I hope…you don’t have to.”

The corners of his mouth tighten. “Yeah…I hope so too.”

The spike in his reiatsu says otherwise. There’s a hint of anticipation there, buzzing along the weighed down whirl that is his reiatsu.

He hesitates as he deactivates the kido over her. They both wait for almost a full minute for another coughing fit or for her pain to return.

“Where’s Abari-kun?” Hinamori asks in a whisper.

“He and Kuchiki-san went to Hueco Mundo.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say for certain, but likely because their Human friends went there to save the girl that sided with Aizen.”

Hinamori frowns. If she’s a traitor, why would they go after her? An answer comes to the surface, one she desperately wants to dismiss. Are they like herself? Unable to accept the truth about someone they thought they knew? Or perhaps this girl is innocent in all of this, and had been tricked by Aizen into following him. Perhaps it’s the fatigue weighing her down or the last embers of hope, but Hinamori wants to believe the latter is true. “I hope Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san are all right.”

Izuru doesn’t respond. After a beat, he tilts his head to the side, pensive. “Why did you come here, Hinamori-san?”

She blinks. She shouldn’t be surprised by the question, but perhaps it’s because it’s coming from Izuru. A part of her had thought he’d understand without having to ask.

She lifts her gaze to battles happening above them in the distance. “I couldn’t stay behind. I had to be here, it’s a simple as that.”

He doesn’t raise his head. “You’ve always been like this.”

With how flatly he says it, she can’t tell whether it’s a fond observation or a critique of her character. “How do you mean?”

He shakes his head and shifts over to Rangiku. With his back turned, she can’t tell how he feels. “Nevermind.”

She wants to say more, but finds herself speechless. Is he disappointed that she came? Are there others who feel the same?

She watches the battles unfold, first with victory of Soi Fon over her opponent, and the battle between an Espada and Kyoraku and Jushiro.

Terror grips her as the sky splits a new Espada arrives with a fearsome, gigantic creature. The new Espada injures Jushiro and with a yell, breaks the ice encasing Hitsugaya’s opponent. Near her, Izuru goes rigid, his wide-eyed gaze solely on the events unfolding above them and the kido cast from his hands over Hisagi stuttering away to nothing.

He begs Komamura to go join the fight, but before Komamura can respond, a sounds comes the creature. It moves out of the split in the sky and comes to loom over the circle of fire. Pursing it’s lips, it blows a current of air flames, reducing them to streaks of smoke within seconds.

Hinamori forgets to breathe. Her vision is becoming increasingly blurry, but she can clearly distinguish Aizen. He’s there. He’s really there.

Izuru lets out a choking sound. In the end, he did see his former captain afterall. Despite their earlier interaction, she wishes she could stand by his side and they could help each other through this.

He falls forward, barely catching himself with his hands on the ground. “This is really the end!”

It must be. What can they do against Aizen? She came here and show he doesn't have a hold on her anymore, that she is worthy of carrying her title. In the end, she has ended up injured and scared.

And then, without warning, a new presence joins the battlefield. No, not just one, several. It's enough to pull Hinamori out of the spiral that threatens to engulf her. She barely registers the new arrivals, her senses so hazy she can’t quite distinguish each reiatsu from the other. There’s something strange about them. They’re Shinigami, but there’s something else within them.

She searches the sky, finding a group wearing clothes from the World of the Living. They’re directly confronting Aizen and the other former captains. Who are they? Are they on their side?

Perhaps her panic has gotten the better of her or her bewilderment is so great that she's lost her mind, but she can't help but feel an inkling of hope.

___________________________

The winds were harsh, screeching in his ears and threatening to push him over. It was the coldest it’s ever been on the frozen plains, it even burned the soles of his feet. Still, he remained standing. Still he kept his eyes closed. Still he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to raise his arms and block the wind from biting into his face.

He focused on the power of this place, burling around him like a blizzard. This was his, even if he didn’t fully comprehend it. He knew it had to be his. Only he can wield it.

He cursed and opened his eyes. The dragon towered over him, watching Hitsugaya, unflinching as a statue. He could hear him speaking, voice as loud as a thunder clap, but like all the other times, the words are lost in the wind. He listened, really tried to listen.

“Your name is…Your name is!”

He hissed out a frustrated grunt. No matter how far he tried to reach for it in his mind, it always slipped from his grasp. He’d been training this whole time learn it, and yet it had only taken him so far in learning his zanpakuto’s name. Was it that the dragon did not trust him with it?

He’s at his limit. The desperation clawed at his heart, twisting and clenching it. Where else could he go? This power was his. He wanted it, needed it…

He flung his gaze up to the dragon’s. “There are things I want to protect with this strength and power!” he yelled over the wind. “That’s all I will ever use it for!”

The vice around his heart squeezed even more, causing him to let out a strangled gasp. If he didn’t have this power and strength, how can he possible help those who helped him? How can stand by Hinamori’s side? How can he --?

It came out him as a scream, one that soared above the winds and plunged deep into the ice below his feet. “I want to protect her!”

There was a flash. Not before his eyes, but somewhere within him. Something like a locked door finally opened. One that had always been within him, hidden away until this very moment.

The power shifted, coiling around him, hissing in his ears and rushing up into his veins. He gasped at the cold of it, at the way is thrummed through his blood and against his bones.

“It’s…coming,” he murmured in wonder, staring down at his hands. Then, with more excitement, “It’s coming to me!”

Another flash, this time through his whole body. The power solidified, as if turning to impenetrable ice. It was a vital part that kept him together and whole; he doesn't knwo how he's lived without it for this long.

With widened eyes, he looks up to the dragon. He’d spread out his wings and bowed his head closer. The very action stopped the winds and brightened the moonlight shining down upon them.

The creature, he realised now, is truly a part of him. This power he held was this creature, and it carried in it a name. He spoke to him again. “ ‘My name is…’” Hitsugaya repeated back without realising.

He stood taller, hands fisted at his sides. He listened closer to the voice that whispered rather than roared in his ear, echoing from his veins and heart. From a part of him that had always been there, remaining unnamed until now.

He grasped on to what it said, in the voice of the dragon. “ ‘My name is Hyourinmaru!’ ”

He left his inner world through the moonlight, letting it consume him as the ice crackled and Hyourinmaru flapped his wings with a howl.

___________________________

Hitsugaya leaps forward, the air whistling around him and the world becoming streaks of color. He only sees the traitor he will cut down. He is far from anxious to face the Soul who had cut him down ad made him feel powerless. That boiling in his stomach roiled as he raised Hyourinmaru and brought the blade down harshly against Kyoka Suigetsu. It did nothing to rattle Aizen, but he half expected that would be the case.

“You came at me without much thought,” Aizen says, smiling faintly. “That was rather reckless of you, Captain Hitsugaya.”

Hitsugaya withholds a sneer; he refuses to show any emotion in front of Aizen. “Someone had to make the first move. I commend you for not activating Kyouka Suigetsu on your first strike.”

“Allow me to do the same for you…” Aizen says flatly, before deflecting Kyouraku’s attack to his side with a kido shield.

Hitsugaya knew Kyoraku would follow, had sensed it in the way he’d glanced at him briefly. Had he known he would strike first? Hitsugaya shakes his head; it didn’t matter.

He falls back, sensing the remaining captains, lieutenants, and their newfound ‘allies’ all coming towards them to join the fight. He and Kyouraku will have to keep Aizen occupied for the next minute.

He goes in for several attacks, as does Kyouraku, all avoided or blocked with ease. This is not the fighting style Hitsugaya has seen Aizen use before. This is a different Aizen, a truer version of him. He still has the same grace that comes when he deflects an attack with his zanpakuto and casts a kido at the same time, but there’s a fast pace to it, and a calculation behind each strike. It’s as if he knows their moves before even they do.

Swallowing the cry that wanted to come from his throat, Hitsugaya lunges again, bring Hyourinmaru down hard. He can’t let this frustration get the better of him. He can use it as fuel to keep him engage in the battle, but never as source of power. Never as his sole motivation. He is a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen, and the Soul before him had turned his back on that title.

Aizen brings his zanpakuto down, countering the attack and causing Hitsugaya to skid back. He comes to a stop a short distance away. As he stares the traitor down, he can’t get rid of the previous thought. Aizen hadn’t just turned his back on the title, but also on everything it stands for.

The words come to the surface, and Hitsugaya doesn’t stop them from reaching his throat. “Before, you said a sword without hatred is light an eagle without wings…that a sword swung out of duty will never cut you.” Aizen’s smile falters, falling to a straight line. Hitsugaya doesn’t gloat on the small victory, instead continuing as he lowers Hyourinmaru to his side, “You don’t seem to know the truth, and that is…a sword wielded from duty alone is what a captain always does. To wield one with hatred is nothing but violence. The Soul Society would never consider that a battle.” He stands a little taller. “It seems, Aizen, you weren’t ever captain material if you truly believe that.”

He was always planning the Soul Society’s downfall and their deaths along with it. He never cared for a single Soul or Human. He didn't even care for his allies, cutting down Harribel like she was nothing to him this whole time. The vision he had, whatever it was, had led him to this and dragged everyone in with it. To think he can hold such power, it sickens Hitsugaya.

“How interesting…” Aizen’s smile returns. “To hear those words from you, the captain who hates me the most out of all of them, is quite surprising to me.”

Hackles raised, Hitsugaya brings up Hyourinmaru again. He loathes how the comment struck close to home, that he has read him that well.

“Are you telling me you have no hatred in your sword right now?”

What’s he getting at with this?

“Or perhaps…did your hatred vanish when Hinamori-kun showed up completely recovered?”

It rushes up his spin, white hot and surging through every nerve-ending. It’s something dark and scorches like an ice burn. He’d experienced in the past few months on a smaller scale, in the moments where he struck a training dummy far too hard, or awoke in the middle of the night wanting to scream to the sky, or when he had last spoken with Hinamori and wanted nothing more than to kill Aizen right there and then.

Her near-death flashes before his eyes, far too vivid still. He can never forgive the traitor for that, could never let him walk away from this battle alive.

He’d missed whatever had happened between Aizen and Kyoraku as he'd gone into this state. Aizen turns around when Hitsugaya cries out his Bankai’s release. Behind him, Kyouraku becomes wary.

He ignores his fellow captain, zeroing in on Aizen alone. “You’re right, Aizen. My sword is filled with hatred. Hatred for you.”

Hyourinmaru roars in his mind, ready for this fight. The burning cold now flows through his veins and strikes through to his bones. He will become as cold and ruthless as he needs to be, as vicious as a blizzard that smothers all life caught in it.

Because truth of it all was he didn’t come here for the Soul Society. He wanted to fool himself into thinking that was his main motive, but he never could. Ever since the day he’d seen Hinamori dying on the floor of underground chambers of Central Forty-Six, this fight was never going to be about just protecting Soul Society. He'd thought of Hinamori this very morning, and how she would be safe. How he would ensure she remained safe.

“I didn’t come here to just do battle with you!” he bellows. “I came here to violently hack you to pieces!”

Let him be a hypocrite. In face of what this traitor did to Hinamori, what did his captaincy matter? If it meant he had to abandon it, then so be it. He’ll crush Aizen to nothing, will freeze him through to the core and shatter him to icy dust. His name will vanish in the decades, forgotten by all and only brought up when his demise was spoken of.

And what would become of himself? It didn't matter.

___________________________

They’d become specks in the distance, hard to see beyond the yellow of the kido shielding them. Hinamori had tried to keep her eyes open, but they were hurting and she ended up closing them and rolling her head to the side.

Now she cracks them open a fraction, able to see Izuru and Iba watching the battle. They’d stopped focusing on the injured and are completely still. Something must be wrong. She rolls her head to the other side. Rangiku, now conscious, has her gaze also above, but Hinamori can’t tell through the tussled blonde hair if her frown is one of concern or confusion.

She tries to make out the figures, and all but three are indistinguishable. The Ryoka boy – Kurosaki Ichigo, she corrects herself – stands a long distance away from the battle. Hitsugaya’s ice wings flap shooting himse forward at such a speed he becomes a blur before he attacks Aizen.

Other figures swoop in after that, and it becomes a chaotic scene. She loses track of the battle, seeing but not really concentrating on what is happening.

It’s why she frowns when, after Soi Fon engages Aizen in the confrontation, he vanishes.

She let’s out a surprised gasp when her view is suddenly obstructed. The white of the Soul before her is glaring against the kido. Without having to see his face, Hinamori’s heart seizes up and then races as her blood turns cold.

His shadow casts over her. A vague sense of kido, one of concealment, rolls off him. A blink, and Hinamori sees him more clearly as he casts his gaze to Rangiku. In the sickening seconds that feel like minutes, she hazily suspects he’s considering doing something to her fellow lieutenant.

She makes a sound, the beginnings of a wordless protest, which draw his attention back to her.

Hinamori blinks again, and he bends forward and grabs her by the front of her uniform. His face is darkened by shadows, making his appearance all the more shocking to her.

With a violent jerk, he pulls her back off the ground, forcing a choked gasp out of her. Her head and limbs loll back, as though she were a ragdoll. Is this real? How did he get past barrier? Why is no one around her seeing this? Even if he is using a concealment kido, it would have broken with him grabbing her. Unless it's one stronger than any she knows. The power of him, the things she never knew. The things he'd done, to her and her friends.

She lets out a broken whimper. “C…Captain.”

Aizen pauses. Behind him, high up in the sky, Soi Fon has created an army of clones, but they’re a blur to Hinamori, her focus only on him.

“Why did you come here?” His voice, so familiar but somehow so different, breaks something in her.

She can only let out a strangled sound in response. How she wanted to tell him to his face she'd come her to face him and fight alongside her fellow lieutenants and captains. She should reach Tobiume, sheathed at her hip, or shoot a kido through him. She has the strength to do the latter, but she’s paralyzed.

“No, I already know why.” She can hear the cold smile in his voice.

With a tilting back of his head, sunlight and the glow of the kido around them illuminates Aizen’s face. His eyes finally reach hers. He says something else, but it doesn’t register. The disdain and coldness in his gaze pierces her. It tells her what she already knows, what she’d tried to deny weeks ago but realized before she came to this battle. it's what splints whatever in her had broken before. You never mattered.

With a brutal pull, she’s off the ground completely. Everything passes in a haze, and then all she sees is the sky, much closer than before. A sudden cold presses up against her back, and she’s losing her footing. Looking down, Karakura Town is sprawled out beneath her, and Soi Fon is rushing at her.

Aizen is nowhere to be seen.

__________________________________

“It’s over Aizen!”

Hitsugaya lunges forward, and with a flap of his wings, he shoots forward at great speed. He doesn't give the other captains a chance to deal the finishing blow. He keeps his grip on Hyourinmaru strong and his focus solely on the man frozen again the ice.

Seconds before the blade pierces through the traitor’s back, Hitsugaya thinks he hears Hinamori begin to call out to his name. It ends so abruptly he barely even registers it.

He stabs Hyourinmaru through the ice and into Aizen’s back, and it's all over.

_________________________________

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#toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #hitsuhina #rangiku matsumoto #izuru kira #sosuke aizen #tier harribel #bleach #fanfiction #angst #oh boy...#next chapter's going to be a hard one...#I hope you all liked this one though!#I ended up cutting a lot of content from it #hoping to find a way to incorperate somehow down the line in other chapters

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scourgiez · 9 months ago

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(tumblr made this so crunchy, click for a better res!)

(Edit: I added more stuff and changed some things because yeah I’m obsessed w these two)

love love everyone’s headcanons about Astarion’s now-forgotten family and decided to make my own! As well as my own story about them. I hope my handwriting is readable :”)

As for a brief summary of his parents, (at the start of the BG3 game, because I headcanon them to still be alive somewhere)

Analelle is a moon high elf and is 391 years old. Definitely the smarts of the family. Very quiet and discrete yet cunning when she wants to be. Has a permanent “knowing look”. Usually about 2-3 steps ahead of you at all times.

Lithuryn is a half sun/half moon high elf and is 410 years old. Has dreams of being a noble within Baldur’s Gate and living lavishly with the other nobles there. He isn’t home very much. His work usually takes over his life.

Lots and lots more, sorry folks but i went crazy about these two:

Analelle and Lithruyn lived in Evereska, both working in politics or law within the community and meeting each other through their work. They weren’t exactly nobles within the community but they were very well-off and would be considered upper class. You can headcanon whatever age you want for Astarion but I always lean towards ~240 because it makes the most sense game-wise. They had him when they were in their 150s (about. Math x—x) while still in Evereska, however he only lived there until he was about 15 or so. (I have toyed with the idea of him having an older sibling (about +60 years or so) who ran off and became a druid after they loved to Baldurs Gate and hasn’t really contacted the family since…but that’s just a random theory because fun fact! I read somewhere that High elves are pretty infertile and usually only have a family of 3. So yeah I will leave out rebellious older Druid sibling for now. For now…)

The Ancunin's arrived to Baldur's Gate to work for a highly regarded law firm. This place was the cat's meow even though life was definitely different than it was in Evereska, as they were nobles there. Here, while they are still very wealthy, aren't exactly bumping elbows with the Baldurian nobles. (yet)

Even though they were still forming these connections, they were pretty popular within the elven communities in the city. This unfortunately was how Cazador was alerted to their presence and began his “hunt”. Really, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Astarion had a target on his back for a long time before he died.

Astarion becomes a magistrate through these connections his parents have been making. They absolutely pull strings for him and we’re able to land him a very nice, high-paying job even if Astarion was a little under qualified for the position. Everyone was happy not only because of his job, but that given his upper class clientele he can easily work his way into becoming the Baldurian noble his parents were hoping for. Even if he was corrupt and not the best of people.

The story goes on and as you all know Astarion dies in his mid/late 30's due to the Gur attack. I have more headcanons regarding elf age here, which also talks about how elves dying due to murder is extremely rare in elven communities, so Analelle and Lithuryn just thought it literally could never happen. As for age, I can't describe it all here (it's all in the post I linked), but no Astarion was far from being a "child" biologically, he did however lack the life experience of someone who would have made it to 100 years old.

When they find that Astarion’s grave was defaced and his body missing, they were completely outraged. They were angrily contacting every single high noble of Baldur’s Gate and were on a wild emotionally-charged manhunt to find whoever did this. Cazador knew about this (duh) and started up his plan on how to deal with it. He purposely picks the people that don’t have many connections, but he clearly underestimated how involved the Ancunin family was. It was, at that point, easier to have the town turn against them than kill them and cause a big stink.

This all happened throughout the course of... a week or so. They were getting threatened every day, lost their jobs quickly, and their old noble connections turned against them. Unsure of how Cazador would do this but I can imagine he is really really good at it. They had to leave Baldur's Gate out of fear, never really knowing what happened to Astarion and generally being confused about the whole thing. This is also why Astarion never just. ran into them when he was prowling the streets and even if he had memory of them he wouldn't know where they went, and also why his grave stone was so unkept.

I can’t decide if they picked up their pieces back at Evereska and lived a modest life there, trying not to be noticed, or if they now live away from civilization in order to stay safe. It’s sad but unfortunately that’s just the way it goes with vampires :”)

As for eyes, I headcanon Astarion’s eyes to be blue with gold flecks (like his father’s) because I headcanon him to be a moon elf along with his mom. As much as I adore golden eyes him being a moon elf just makes so much sense! I might change my opinion at random because I’m so indecisive.

Anyway, I hope my incoherent rambles make sense. If i forgot something important lore-wise and it doesn’t fit in with these headcanons… let me know, but if anything this can be an AU. I spent so much time thinking abt it lol.

#the ancunin family #astarion ancunin #analelle ancunin #lithuryn ancunin #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 headcanons #astarion’s family #bg3 astarion #my art #‘salen avae’ is elvish for ‘my joy’ btw ^^

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moonstrider9904 · 3 months ago

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Sarah Adhara of Jedha

Known by different names - Sarah, Ace, Strider - Sarah Adhara is a Force user who was born, raised, and trained on Jedha. Her great ability and strength in the Force manifests on her body in the shape of sapphire blue marks crowning her striking eyes, which have been described by many as resembling nebulae. She participated as a soldier in the GAR during most of the Clone War until the death of the ARC trooper known as Fives. Devastated by his death, Sarah ran away and became a pirate of the Ohnaka gang until Captain Rex contacted her with the possibility of her best friend, Echo, being alive after being thought dead.

Since Echo's rescue, Sarah has been a part of Clone Force 99, and since then, her heart has belonged to the team's sniper, Crosshair.

Read Sarah's full backstory here | Read Moonwalker, the complete (and ongoing) story of Sarah with The Bad Batch

A brief playlist for Sarah

FALLING by arael

Aurora by K-391

Walking On The Moon by Ruelle

End of Time by K-391

Dreams by Lost Sky

Strider by MEMBA

Art by me.

#tbb oc #please reblog i want her to be seen by the whole world #i'm emotional because i finally get to see my girl in art #the bad batch oc #oc sarah adhara #moonstrider9904 art #the bad batch #clone force 99 #tbb ocs #jedi oc #sw oc #moon's ocs #star wars oc #tbb crosshair

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yamayuandadu · 2 months ago

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Is Bat-Nikkal Ishtar?

For context for readers who might be unfamiliar with this theonym, Bat-Nikkal (also romanized Bath-Nikkal), literally “daughter of Nikkal”, is a deity from Harran who according to Doctrine of Addai, a Syriac Christian manuscript about the legendary deeds of st. Addai, was also worshiped in Edessa in his times (so in the first or second century CE; note the text itself only dates to the fourth or fifth century CE though).

The passage is rather brief (“Behold, there are among you which worship Bat-Nikkal, like the inhabitants of Harran, your neighbours”) and provides no detailed theological information - it’s really just a blanket condemnation of some of the local cults. The other information provided doesn’t seem particularly outlandish - it is fairly plausible that people living in Edessa would indeed worship deities introduced from Harran and Manbij, and that Arabs settling in the city would’ve brought their own gods with them.

While as far as I am aware the name Bat-Nikkal is unique, a survey of my pdf archive indicates that researchers generally agree this is indeed a late reference to Ishtar, specifically in an astral aspect; this argument has most recently been made by Enrico Marcato (An Aramaic Incantation Bowl and the Fall of Hatra, p. 141).

To make sure this is plausible, I checked Aino Hätinen’s The Moon God Sin in Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Times. Turns out there’s no explicit reference for her being a major deity in Harran in either the Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Babylonian period, and the author warns against a weird trend pioneered by JoAnn Scurlock - arguing that references to Ishtar as daughter of Sin are concerned with a nonexistent “Ishtar of Harran” instead of representing a tradition recognized all across Mesopotamia (Scurlock is generally an author to avoid when possible, her writing on Mesopotamian deities is subpar and her coverage of Greek religion is somehow even worse). However, Hätinen nonetheless notes that Ishtar was undeniably worshiped in nearby Sultantepe through both periods, and pretty clearly continues to appear in association with Sin in Greek, Roman and Islamic sources (p. 310-311). She suggests that she and Shamash might have been minor deities in Harran compared to their parents to explain the scarcity of references to them (p. 391).

While no source gives Ishtar an epithet which can be considered a direct predecessor of Bat-Nikkal, it’s perfectly in line with her standard genealogy. Making her a daughter of Sin and, at least implicitly, his wife is both the oldest (already documented in the Early Dynastic period; see Hätinen, p. 309) and most widespread (so widespread Hurrian and Hurro-Hittite sources make Shaushka and Pinikir children of the moon god too) tradition regarding her parentage, so its late survival is anything but unexpected.

To sum up: I think ultimately we can cautiously conclude that Bat-Nikkal was indeed a form of Ishtar worshiped in Harran in the early first millennium BCE.

#mesopotamian miscellanea

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mysticstarlightduck · 4 months ago

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Playlist Personality Tag (Moms Edition)!

I did this a while ago for the Dads of Supernova Initiative, so now its the (good) Moms' turn!!! Here we go, my friends!

PICREW

Adrea Keldora - Hush Little Baby - Ashley Ryan

He's messing with my baby And I ain't gonna tell him twice If you come home cryin' Kiss the Chevy and these matches goodbye [...] Cause I know his kind like the back of my hand Just 'cause he's a male don't make him a man Hush, little baby, don't you cry Your mama's got a 12-gauge held up high And if that boy ever breaks your heart I'll send him where the moon meets and kisses the stars I count my blessings, count these shells It'll only take one shot to bring him down Better treat you right, 'cause if he don't The Lord's gonna call him home Keep his eyes open The very last thing he'll see Is me standin' with a shovel Buryin' him six foot deep

Skylar Keldora - My Boy - Britnee Kellogg Version

He ain't got my smile, that don't bother me a bit [...] I'm holding on to every moment, God knows I missed a few The day we met I knew I had some catching up to do He ain't got my blood, my DNA But if he did, I'd feel the same I wasn't there for his first steps But I won't miss a first again That ain't never gonna change, I could never walk away Yeah, he's my son and that's my choice, He ain't my blood, but he's my boy

Aineh Zreeth - Thick and Thin - Faouzia

I know you got doubts And you see no way out But I promise you this When it's dark as it's ever been And you feel like you're on your end I will be there through thick and thin, oh When you feel like you just can't win And the shadows are creeping in I will be there through thick and thin Oh, lean on me, lean on me, lean on me I'm down, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me here now I can be your light when your light goes out Oh, lean on me, lean on me, lean on me I'm down, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me here now I can be your light when your light goes dim, oh

Lauriel Tithus - End of Time - Alan Walker, Ahrix, K-391

When things are right, then you just know There is something in your eyes that brings me home 'Cause when there's love, you don't let go So as long as you're with me, you're not alone, you'll never be I wanna tell you what I feel and really mean it I wanna shout it from the rooftops to the sky 'Cause if you ever need a friend, you know I'll be it From tonight until we see the end of time I'll cross my heart and hope to die We're always and forever, I'll be by your side When days are dark and stars don't line We're always and forever 'til the end, the end of time

Tagging: @winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart@unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid, @finickyfelix

Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,

@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea

@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child

@thepeculiarbird, @littleladymab

@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @anyablackwood, @amaiguri

@lyutenw, @finickyfelix

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

#wip supernova initiative #oc personality playlist #personality playlist tag #writing #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writers #writerblr #my characters #my writing #my wips #character writing

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bones-of-a-rabbit · 2 years ago

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I posted 1,062 times in 2022

That's 1,062 more posts than 2021!

811 posts created (76%)

251 posts reblogged (24%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bones-of-a-rabbit

@voice-of-mischief

@liliputkalin

@paper-lilypie

@joy-struck

I tagged 1,031 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#bones of a rabbit - 547 posts

#asks - 454 posts

#it was in reality not fine fic - 431 posts

#not fine fic - 406 posts

#bones of a rabbit fic - 391 posts

#fnaf fanfic - 342 posts

#anonymous asks - 215 posts

#fanfic rambles - 205 posts

#bones of a rabbit art - 186 posts

#gushing - 179 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#the fact that i can’t just squeeze the daylights out of u guys whenever i experience a feeling is bullshit and i’d like to file a complaint

My Top Posts in 2022:

Based off a comment on the most recent chapter of my fic sndgdjdhsj

2,029 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

See the full post

2,341 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

Reader: exists

Sun and Moon: WE 👏 ARE 👏 IN 👏 LOVE 👏 WITH 👏 YOU 👏👏👏

2,557 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

tfw bae wears ur merch

this is entirely self indulgent so I’m apologize in advance but. After a rough nite I thought I could treat myself to a lil expansion on that one scene in my fic lol

2,931 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

6,905 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Eugh #cringes at self

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tangsakura · 2 years ago

Text

A Possible Future Based On Hisoka's Fortune - HxH Predictions

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 105 (Raw)

"A red-eyed customer will visit your store. Half of them is angel, and the other is the god of death. Presumably they are hoping that you will sell the moon's secrets to them. They ought to be especially pleased about that of the frost moon.

On a hot day, with the mediation of the said customer, the two of you, the man of a reversed cross and you, are probably to be left alone together. The false fourth moon will be torn away from the calendar. With this, those that remain will become 6."

I'm gonna put it here to remind us all of Hisoka's real fortune.

We all know how Shalnark ended up dead according to the fortune he received back in Yorknew arc. Now everyone is paying attention at Shizuku's fortune and making predictions. One of the most popular of these theories is how Shizuku will die around merchandise covered in black, which are brought by the Kakin mafia or one of the princes, if I remember correctly.

So now, I shall make my own predictions on what will happen in the future HxH chapters. But this time it will be based on Hisoka's real fortune.

WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HUNTER x HUNTER CHAPTERS 349 TO 400, ESPECIALLY 391 TO 400, DO NOT INTERACT OR READ FURTHER. Keep in mind that this is unedited, and you are bound to read some cringey parts at some point.

First Stanza:

"A red-eyed customer will visit your store. Half of them is angel, and the other is the god of death."

As Hisoka accepted Hinrigh's offer of going to VVIP room at tier 1, he's currently on his way there. The only one there who is described as a "red-eyed customer will visit your store. Half of them is angel, and the other is the god of death" is Kurapika, who is, at present, the bodyguard of 14th Prince Woble and Queen Oito.

At some point, they will meet again. They have to. There is no way that Hisoka will not go to the next banquet nor snoop around and find out what's up in the said tier. He will be there and his encounter with Kurapika for the first time since Yorknew arc is inevitable.

"Presumably they are hoping that you will sell the moon's secrets to them."

With Hisoka's presence in tier 1, Kurapika won't be able to help but wonder what happened to the Phantom Troupe, especially Chrollo, after Kurapika and the main gang left Chrollo, Hisoka and Pakunoda on top of the cliff/mountain (pls my brain isn't cooperating right now, somebody remind me), in the middle of nowhere.

Kurapika will definitely ask Hisoka about the Phantom Troupe. Presently, he wants to know about them and, obviously, he will get curious whether they are in the Black Whale or not. Remember, the Phantom Troupe is also his target, but obviously more secondary as 4th Prince Tserriednich is his first and foremost target as of this arc.

Kurapika will definitely find out that they are onboard the ship, and in all probability, Hisoka will let him know about it. After all, wouldn't Hisoka want to form an alliance again with Kurapika?

"They ought to be especially pleased about that of the frost moon."

I believe Hisoka will reveal something about the frost moon with Kurapika.

As you know, the frost moon refers to #11 of the Phantom Troupe. Back in Yorknew arc, they were referring to Uvogin. But he died. He even got a tombstone-less tomb and a requiem on the night of the underground auction. So, how is frost moon still relevant to this arc?

Well, sucks for you, but the one who replaced Uvogin is none other than this man:

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 377 (Official English Translation)

Illumi Zoldyck.

With the way he is acting at the moment and how he divulged his assassination deal with Hisoka is making him super suspicious. There has been so many theories about him being Hisoka and so on because of how sus he is at the moment.

Though the theory about him being Hisoka has been debunked as of the current available chapters, you cannot deny that this is not merely just a "kill me and my engagement ring to or prenup with you is that you get paid". There's something more going on here.

I predict that he and Hisoka are on cahoots with each other. Surely, Hisoka had a deal with him, but I think it's more of helping him destroy the Spiders from the inside and so Illumi can save Kalluto from Hisoka's murder plan.

If it is true that Hisoka and Illumi are working together because Hisoka asked him to just like in Yorknew and Illumi can save his younger sibling, then Kurapika will be pleased. Because that's less spiders he has to worry with, considering that he also has to get closer to Prince Tserriednich to take back the remaining scarlet eyes, while also helping Queen Oito and Prince Woble survive the succession war.

(At this point, you may take a break. Resume reading once you are ready.)

Second Stanza:

"On a hot day, with the mediation of the said customer, the two of you, the man of a reversed cross and you, are probably to be left alone together. "

I am mostly onboard with the prediction that Kurapika and Hisoka will come up with some sort of agreement regarding the Troupe. Kurapika already has too many things in his plate regarding the succession war with the remaining princes and how he will get close in contact with Prince Tserriednich. It won't come into surprise if Kurapika asks Hisoka for a helping hand or accept Hisoka's offer of his own kind of alliance, which I think he would do just like in Yorknew. But I think this time Hisoka will warn him not to remove Chrollo's nen. xD

Hisoka will perhaps help him take out some of the members. I feel that he will go for Shizuku and/or Bonolenov first. They are currently with Chrollo, so perhaps with Kurapika's help or someone's help, Chrollo can get separated from them, and then he can kill Shizuku and Bonolenov right then and there.

But we can also take into account that the closes Spiders to Hisoka right now are Nobunaga, Phinks, Feitan, and most likely Franklin and Machi. He can go for one of them first, as well. But I really feel like Shizuku and Bonolenov will die and I'll explain why in a short bit.

And of course, the one I'm most excited about is the showdown between Hisoka and Machi. I'm so ready to witness the best tragic romance of all times

Later on, Kurapika will maybe help him get another chance to be alone with Chrollo in return of him getting rid of some of the Troupe members. The ship is on the way to the false Dark Continent right now, so maybe he can set up a place there where Hisoka and Chrollo can face off. And it will be hot on that place on that day.

But it can also be that because of Kurapika, Hisoka and Chrollo will be alone together in the Black Whale ship, whether intentional or not. But how can it be a hot day in a ship, especially later when they can no longer go out of the premises due to the unpredictable travel conditions?

When the whole ship is in chaos and on fire. Now that will be wild, but not impossible.

"The false fourth moon will be torn away from the calendar."

In Yorknew arc, the false fourth moon was Hisoka, the former #4 of the Spiders. His allegiance to the spider was never true and he was willing for the existence of the Spider to perish.

But the one to replace him was Kalluto Zoldyck, the youngest member of the famous Zoldyck family.

As of now, it looks like he is getting along with them, and based on chapter 377 and 380, he has found some sort of comfort with them.

I mean look at Kalluto sitting near Machi, whom I previously analyzed based off of her speech language as someone considerate to kids.

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 377 (Official English Translation)

And how she is reacting when Illumi revealed to Mizai about everyone in the Phantom Troupe onboard the ship.

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 380 (Official English Translation)

Even so, how can Kalluto be a false fourth moon?

Because he is a Zoldyck.

At some point in the current arc, he will have to choose between the Zoldyck family and the Spiders, considering the fact that Illumi is most likely in cahoots with Hisoka, who is trying to kill the Spiders and have a rematch with Chrollo, perhaps.

And he will definitely choose the family. Because before he is a Phantom Troupe member, he is a Zoldyck. Knowing the dynamics of the family and all of that, I think he will have no choice but to choose his own biological family over the one he found some comfort with. Thus, he has always been a false fourth moon, just like Hisoka.

"With this, those that remain will become 6."

Whether this happens before, during, or after the Hisoka and Chrollo being alone together on a hot day, it doesn't matter. I predict that there will be six members of the Phantom Troupe left, including Chrollo.

And you know what's funny, I think the ones who will have to die are Shizuku and Bonolenov, as I stated previously.

Because:

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 397 (Unofficial English Translations)

The ones who will be left will be the original Phantom Troupe members.

Originally, there are nine members. But three of them are already dead: Pakunoda, Uvogin and Shalnark.

When Shizuku and Bonolenov dies, the ones who will be left will be Nobunaga, Phinks, Feitan, Franklin, Machi, and Chrollo.

The original six.

I really think that if this will be the case, then we have a big potential or two when it comes to exploring the dynamics and relationships between the founding members. We have already witnessed the tension and conflict between the founding members when Chrollo was kidnapped by Kurapika back in Yorknew.

So this time it'll be interesting if we see it once again. And it'll be better if six of them are alive, but Chrollo is alone with Hisoka and they are far away from the other five. It'll be another dilemma for them once again. Do you save Chrollo or do you live on and keep the Spider alive?

And it'll be more interesting if the other people's predictions that the Hei-Ly family had something to do with Sarasa's death and the six founding members finds out about this and ends up being face to face with the benefactor.

These two events can tie into the Spiders' backstory a lot with the former possibly igniting or making them recollect the strong bonds that existed back on that day in the forest and the latter resolving the grudge and guilt they have been carrying since childhood.

Also, having the six founding members dying at the same time or together can be melancholic and sorrowful. A tragic and sad ending, but which provided them resolution and catharsis.

And that's about it. I hope you enjoyed reading my predictions. This post has been in my drafts since the day before my birthday last year and I just completed it in one sitting. Finally, I posted something decent after a long time.

Anyways, I'll go to sleep now. It's like 2 or 3 am here right now.

Until then.

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hp-fanfic-archive · 9 months ago

Note

Hi this may be niche and non existent but I am looking for wolf star fics where Sirius is hooking up/dating women (maybe Marlene). Remus has to see or hear stuff he doesn’t want to and gets jealous/ pines.

Happy ending w/ endgame wolf star if possible! Also ok if Sirius is hooking up with/dating men but I ask for women cuz it’s harder to find.

Thank you!!

Hi!

I don't have a ton of recs, but I did find a few. Hopefully this is what you're looking for!

Sirius/Marlene:

waited all this time to call you mine by ziahra [T, 121k] (You asked for pining Remus? You got it with this one)

In a world where everyone has a timer on their left wrist that counts down until the day realise they are in love with their soulmate, Remus falls in love with his soulmate 3 years before he reciprocates. Remus knew the timers were set in stone. They were inevitable, and there was nothing he could do to change the timer or speed up the process. And Sirius would return Remus’ feelings, eventually. Oh God. His timer had hit zero. And he had been thinking of Sirius. He was in love with Sirius. “Oh my God! Who was it?” Sirius begins to ask, but Remus can’t hear him. His ears are blocked with water, and his mind is far from the little rink in which they stand. Instead of trying to listen, he looks instead. He looks at Sirius’ wrist, where the numbers stare mockingly back at him. 27, 391 hours.

What I Heard by fishcommuter [E, 28k] (not 100% sure if this is exactly what you're looking for because it's on my to-read list still, but it might be)

Word on the street is Sirius is with Remus, but nobody bothered to tell either of them. Marlene, Sirius's actual girlfriend, thank you very much, is not thrilled. As the fall term settles into their last winter at school, things happen, feelings occur, Sirius and Remus are obviously in love, and the students of Hogwarts prove hard to surprise. Sirius switched on the ringer with his thumb and handed the phone back over. "Leave it on, okay?" "You have a map with my exact whereabouts at your disposal, you know this, yes?" "It can't get you to do things, though." "You can't get me to do things." "I can be very persuasive if you bother to read the messages." "You'd have separation anxiety if I bothered to read the messages." Sirius boffed him on the head. "Already do." He ducked this time.

Mutually Beneficial by clevernotbrilliant [T, 4k] (Does it count if the Sirius/Marlene is fake dating?)

Sirius Black is in love with Remus Lupin. Marlene McKinnon is in love with Emmeline Vance. The obvious solution? Date each other.

jimmy's party by orphan_account [G, 13k] (angst? angst.)

And he’s been expecting this, right? It’s been building for weeks; Remus has known this was coming. Eventually, even Sirius has grown tired of snogging girls in broom cupboards who’s names he takes a few seconds to recall when asked about them. If Marlene’s who he’s chosen, well..good. Marlene’s perfect for him, even Remus can see that. Sirius deserves someone like her. or: Remus isn’t jealous of Sirius and Marlene. On the contrary: he gets it. They look good together. So if they want to dance at the post-quidditch-match party, that’s alright. It’s fine, and Remus’ll demonstrate as such by having some fun of his own. Upcoming full moon be damned.

Reasons Why by silverbook [G, 3k]

Remus likes Marlene McKinnon, he really does. Except he also kinda hates her.

Now I Wanna Be Your Dog by pixelated [E, 20k] (this has Sirius/Marlene and also Remus/OC before the wolfstar endgame. They're both pining.)

Sirius clunks about in his Doc Martens and listens to The Stooges and smokes cigarettes and wears his hair much too long and spends more time serving detention than not. And is way too forward about his sudden feelings for Remus. (A story about teenagers and summer love in the 70s.)

The Boys of Summer by todaslasmadrugadas [T, 73k] (The Sirius/Marlene in this is rather short lived, but Remus is pining and it's a slow burn so... close enough?)

The Summer of 1978 was supposed to be the same as the previous one. And the one before that. Because, in the provincial village of Fenneltown, where 16-year-old Remus Lupin lives, nothing ever changes. Not really. Until this year, everything does.

Hey, Jealousy by BrianJustin4Ever [T, 1k]

Remus contends with his jealousy.

Sirius/OFC:

Jealousy, Jealousy by AshParadox [T, 924]

Remus has trouble focusing on what Lily is saying at the moment. His eyes are fixed on Sirius, who is in the middle of the room, dancing with some Hufflepuff girl. Remus feels a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach. “You should make him jealous.”

Drunken Mistakes (It Was Never A Mistake) by artemis143 [T, 3k]

It was Sirius Black's 16th birthday party and James Potter suggests that they play truth or dare

The Date by rhye [G, 422] (it's short but oh so ouchie)

Sirius has a date with a pureblood his mother wants him to marry. But he's also dating Remus. Remus watches him prepare for his date.

Honorable Mention (because it doesn't have pining Remus. It is, in fact, fake dating blackinnon from Marlene's POV. Wolfstar does get together though :) and the fic is good!) :

passionfruit by poppunkpadfoot [M, 4k]

“How would you feel about a free trip to France this summer?” “That depends. What’s the catch?” “It’s a trip with my family,” Marlene says. She can’t quite bring herself to look Sirius in the eye as she continues, “I’d be introducing you as my boyfriend.”

#wolfstar #wolfstar fic rec #pining #jealousy

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glitterglueblob · 5 months ago

Text

Neptune’s moon Triton is the coldest known object in the solar system with an average surface temperature of -391° F.

#fun facts #space #astronomy #neptune

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whispers-soundtrack-project · 10 months ago

Text

Lucy / Coriolanus

Fanmix Part One

Link to the Spotify Playlist is at the bottom of the post

By anonymous request!

Take Me To Church (Hozier)

My lover's got humor * She's the giggle at a funeral * Knows everybody's disapproval * I should've worshiped her sooner

A World Alone (Lorde)

We’ve both got a million bad habits to kick * Not sleeping is one * We’re biting our nails * You’re biting my lip * I’m biting my tongue

Riverside (Agnes Obel)

When by the water we drink to the dregs * Look at the stones on the river bed * I can tell from your eyes * You've never been by the riverside

Run Away (Sarah Jarosz)

Follow me down through the cotton fields * Moon shadow shine bright the way you will * Lead us down a road where no one goes * We can run away

Different World (Alan Walker, K-391 & Sofia Carson)

And even though we might have lost tonight * The skyline reminds us of a different time * This is not the world we had in mind * But we got time

I Found (Acoustic) (Amber Run)

And I’ll use you as a makeshift gauge * Of how much to give and how much to take * I’ll use you as a warning sign * That if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind

Blindfold (Sleeping Wolf)

In the dark * I need to taste the blood * Go on, draw another line we can cross this time * Battle scars * Your touch is not enough * I need you to pierce my veins and become my pain

Poison & Wine (The Civil Wars)

You only know what I want you to * I know everything you don't want me to * Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine * You think your dreams are the same as mine * Oh I don't love you but I always will

favorite crime (Olivia Rodrigo)

You used me as an alibi * I crossed my heart as you crossed the line * And I defended you to all my friends * And now, every time a siren sounds * I wonder if you're around * 'Cause you know that I'd do it all again

When The Darkness Comes (Shelby Merry)

And if you ain't scared, then you ain't human * And it burns like a fire * And it burns like a fire * And we're all running from our lives somehow * Terrified at what we'll find * When the walls come falling down

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #lucy x coriolanus #the hunger games #snowbaird #lucy gray baird #coriolanus snow #fanmix #playlist

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pettypuppy-jonghyun · 2 years ago

Text

Ignite | Lee Felix

Summary: a fantasy au where Felix controls the power of the sun, and his lover controls the moon

Warnings: mention of death, darkness, a little angsty plz take precaution

Dedicated to Aly for all the support and motivation I've been given 💛

Song of inspiration: Ignite by K-391

••••••2329 words••••••

In a brick house with a wooden rooftop you can hear every drop of rain as it falls. The sound of it trickling down the plastic tubes set out against the sides, planted there to help prevent a leak, echoed in the small space. The wind pushed against the tarp that was put in place as a substitute for a front door.

It wasn't really a home anymore, could barely pass as a shelter from the rain, but it had been a home for someone long ago. A place that a family could gather every evening to share warm meals and laughter-things that sounded so comforting to me right now. A pleasantry this place could no longer afford.

It was far too cold to stay forever. My hands were rubbing furiously at my arms to keep warm as I paced beneath the wooden sheet that protected me from the storms wrath. A thin coat that barely clothed any skin was laying far from me, soaked in the energy-draining rain.

In this world, when the rain comes, our powers dim. There had only been a small number of storms like today that wiped the energy from so many souls, leaving so many people without a place to go and family to be with. This storm was destructive, and it didn't stop for days, taking away every person in its path. No one was spared. We had gone so long depending on our powers that it forced us to hide any spark of power in ourselves and abandoned our livelihoods, leaving many hopeless and lost.

It came out of nowhere. It was only a few days ago when I was back home studying for a final college entrance exam. My hair was bothering me a lot that day, so I wanted to use the moon's gravitational pull to hold it back. It was a petty and simple use of my powers, for how grand they really are. I didn't know then that taking advantage of it that day was all I had left. When I reached my hand up to snap my fingers and call upon the moon's power to my will, the lights in my house had gone out. I remember running down the stairs to question the blackout with my family, who'd already been outside on the porch before I could register.

The whole world was in a blackout simultaneously. Everyone was unable to use any power they had to keep the world running again, or else it was slowly drained from them until there was nothing left. Nothing of them and nothing of their power. The rain came soon after the sun went missing. It poured heavily in an instant with no way for anyone to prepare. My family went into hiding soon after.

"Where is the sun?" everyone asked. The life of our world revolved around the solar power from the sun, and without it, everyone's powers were all greatly weakened. Thus, a terrifying storm came brewing to suck away anything that was left. My family and I were separated quickly because of it.

"Where there's a moon there's a sun", they used to tell me all the time. I grew up hearing those words a thousand times like I brought the reassurance of the world's safety because I possessed Lunar magic. To those around me, I was the safety net they could fall on in uncertain times. But the more days that passed with no sun in sight, they began to lose faith in me.

A sudden harsh movement on the blue tarp catches my attention. I froze as I watched someone push past the barrier, barging into the shabby home and allowing rain in. My heart sped up from the fear of not being able to see who was in front of me. But the voice that called my name so sweetly put me at ease instantly.

"Oh Felix!" I cried out, reaching towards him and wrapping my arms around his neck. He embraced me just as tightly, squeezing me to his chest and burrowing his face in my shoulder. "You're alright!"

Felix pulled back, hand reaching up to tuck my wet hair behind my ear. His brown eyes glowed a brilliant gold as he looked at me tenderly. I knew he could see me perfectly, even in this darkness. Because he was the light.

Where there's a moon, there's a sun.

"My sweet love," he whispers. "I'm so glad I found you."

My head fell into his chest, his hand coming to the back of it to soothe me. I began to sob, fists clenching tightly on the lips of his jacket collar. The cold air made my throat sore but I couldn't pay much mind through my tears. I was so relieved to see him. He was okay. He was safe. And he was in my arms.

After a moment we separated enough to move from the tarp at the front of the house and towards the back where less water came through. He gently guided me by my arms while sitting us both down, never letting me go too many steps apart. His glowing eyes were all I had to see. I didn't want to look away in fear the light would leave me again and I'd be alone.

"You're freezing." His right hand brushed my cheeks that stung from the sharp air. "Let me warm you up."

Felix put his hands out like they hovered over an invisible globe. A yellow spark ignited in thin air, making me gasp. "Felix, stop!" My hand encaptured his to prevent any further action.

"You'll freeze to death if I don't use my power to heat you up."

I shook my head. "Please, I don't want to lose you. If the rain drains away your power you'll die. Felix, please."

He shrugged off my hands and continued to try another spark. "I control the sun, my luna. The only thing that brings light to darkness. I'm the reason this rain is here to begin with."

The spark created a sphere of power between the center of his palms. The warmth immediately radiated from its yellow hue, slowly drying up the rain droplets from my clothing. I sighed heavily, feeling relieved at the heat but still anxious about the rain. The storm clouds were still hovering above us. It wasn't safe to project power in such an unsecured place. Still, having him with me was such a reassurance in itself. He was my other half.

"Where have you been?" I finally mustered out the question, staring into the yellow glow with hazy eyes.

His gaze fluttered to my own, eyes softening. "Some things we are better off not knowing," he replied calmly, his voice not once wavering. "If I could tell you everything, I would. In due time."

Gently, I raised my fingers to hover over his glowing ball of heat. I had seen it so many times before over the years we've been together. To us, it was a great source of light when we stayed out late and wandered parts of the woods no one had ever been before. Our innocent memories of sharing powerful energy for the most piffling circumstances flashed through my mind as I now became so dependent on it. Scenes of us practicing how to use it in school arose.

When the tips of my fingers touched the protective bubble surrounding the power, the loud sounds of the rain suddenly quietened. The yellow hue pulsated at the sensation of my energy flowing into it, turning into an intense orange color. Felix rotated his wrists at the action, twirling the orb slightly before releasing it. It hovered in the air by itself like a miniature sun before us.

I looked up to the wooden plank where the leaks lessened. "The rain is calming," I announce, finding my heart beat coming back down a normal rate as well. "Do you think it will end soon?"

His beautiful freckles were luminated by his globe. The shadow of the light highlighting my favorite feature on him. The gold in his eyes less noticeable than it was in the dark. They met mine with a flicker of despair. He had suffered just as much as I did in this storm.

"My dear luna," he calls my nickname so sweetly. "You know this rain came because there was no sun, right? The storm came hurling into the world with no warning and took out so many loved ones."

My teeth gnaw at my bottom lips as I listened to him. "Felix, its not your fault," I pleaded.

He shook his head. "If the sun fades away, we are all left vulnerable. I'm the only sun this universe has."

"You can't control when your powers fade! You didn't have a choice."

Felix sighed heavily, grasping my hand in his and pulling it to his lap. He picked at my old nail polish softly. "When I left you that day, to follow my uncle, we realized something horrible about this storm. And my power."

I waited to hear his next words. I anticipated his every breath, too scared I'd be alone in the dark if he never spoke again. When my heart picked up, so did the rain.

"Where there's a moon, there's a sun," he quotes. "Because if there is no sun for the moon, the darkness of the moon shines the brightness. And the world is left as nothing but a black hole that everyone succumbs too. For the moon's only light is the sun."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I had never heard that part of the quote before. I tightened my hand around his. "Where did you learn that?"

"The old cave down at the end of the village. Behind the waterfall. It's walls tell the legend of the moon goddess who fell in love with the sun god. When the sun god's power grew weak and was on the verge of extinction, after a new god with the power of the sun was born, the moon goddess's heart hardened. She vowed to destroy the universe if the new god replaced her lover, because it would be the cause of his death.

Her darkness reigned over the universe for a century. Gods and goddesses of all different powers came together to end her destruction. But the only way she could be stopped was if her lover's light luminated again. So the new god gifted the power back to the original sun god, allowing him to continue to live. The pair were always together to keep the peace once again. If the moon goddess appeared, dazzling in the nights sky, it meant the sun was not too far away."

"The moon goddess's powers belong to me," I continued, filling in the blanks. "And the sun to you. That's why those who gained the power of the sun and moon were fated to be lovers until death."

He nods, patting my hand. "This means that you also have gained her emotions and strong will with the power. When I left to tour the world with my uncle, even the promise to come back to you was not enough. The moon goddess was unhappy."

I retracted my hand as a shiver ran down my spine. My stomach curled as I processed the information he told me. I shook my head a few times, mumbling words under my breath. It was impossible to believe. Accepting the truth when it's put so plainly. The disturbing reason behind such a deadly rain.

"It's me," I whisper in distraught. "I created the rain."

Felix's hand cupped my cheek tenderly. "You had no control over it, my love. Please don't blame yourself. It's my fault too."

"How could you say that? When you didn't know this would happen? I caused a blackout for the entire world!"

He smiled bitterly. "This is the curse of our love. If we are ever far apart, my powers fade and your darkness reigns. We can't control it."

Tears began to silently fall down my face like a river stream. My lips trembled in fear as another sob broke through. "What are we going to do?"

He pulls me into his chest, holding me tightly. "We can't change the past," he admits sadly, recalling the many lives that may have been lost. "But we can stop the rain now. The longer it continues the worse this will get. I'm here now, so the rain can be put to an end."

"My mother's healing power!" I suggest at the sudden thought. "Those with healing powers can revive the souls who were lost!"

Felix's hand came to soothingly rub my back. "Though their powers would be weak upon revival, they may be able to get it back. It might take some time."

I sit silently, peering over his shoulders and to the damp ground. My mind spun at all the thoughts racing through it. I fiddled at the nail polish Felix was previously picking at. My heart pulsated against my chest in anxiety. Although it was absolutely terrifying at the idea all may have been potentially lost, I could swallow the idea it was fixable. As long as Felix was by my side, it was all going to be okay.

His hand clasped mine at our side. "I'm here now, so we can stop this rain. And save the people."

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I didn't know how to control the storm, nor did I know that I even had the power to do so prior to him telling me. Still, I dug deep into the flame in my soul, calling upon the power of my ancestors to life and come forth. The orange globe reacted, it's light flickering over my eyelids. I mouthed ancestral words to myself until I heard the sound of the rains pitter patter come to an end.

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