#night sakura of dead spirits

[touhoutunes]

Title: さくらのみち (Sakura Road)

Arrangement: Tracy

Vocals: 花咲あんな

Album: Perpetual Devotion

Circle: EastNewSound

Original: Night Sakura of Dead Spirits

[aprito]

sasosaku month Day 12: Masquerade | Forbidden

Each night they danced into a haze until morning came—each slow and beautiful spin sent her mind into a daze. Each night when she pulled away the man seemed surprised, perhaps just as her that morning had come to chase them away.

But tonight would be different.

collab with @fantasy-author-xanna-renae, please check out their wonderful entry here!

[jayjj7]

chapter 25. screw this party

prev. next masterlist

on the way to the party, the car is dead silent, awkward, and semi-uncomfortable because of you and yunjin’s kiss. it was already established that you would be driving and haerin called ‘shotgun’ last night. that puts hanni and yunjin in the back seat together.

obviously you were trying to keep it cool, it’s not like your crush kissed you when you thought she didn’t feel the same way or anything. but because it was interrupted, the thought of you and yunjin advancing in a relationship seemed slim.

“hey yunjin, who invited you to this party?” hanni asks, breaking the silence.

you feel your shoulders relax.

“oh this one guy was walking around campus and um walking up to people inviting them” yunjin nods, still feeling tense. her voice stuttering still on edge since hanni walked in on you two in the bathroom.

“oh, nice” hanni adds.

crashing the car would have been a better experience than the awkwardness of this ride. thankfully it was pretty short, only a 5 minute drive.

“haerin, text minji and tell her we’re here for me” you call out, pulling into a parking space.

after putting the car in park you all get out and check for any wrinkles or imperfections on your clothes.

“minji says they’re both in the backyard waiting” haerin reads out of her phone with hanni reading the message over haerins shoulder.

as you walk up the steps to the house you see yunjin tense, she’s fidgeting with her nails. feeling as if you’re responsible for her acting like this, you intertwine your hand with hers and give her a reassuring squeeze before smiling at her. she returns the smile and squeeze before her attention is directed to the guy who answers the door.

as you all walk in, minji and danielle catch your eye, they’re in the backyard watching people play beer pong. haerin and hanni start heading their way.

“cmon yunjin you should meet minji and dani!” you try to sound excited to lift her spirits but you yourself are not feeling the best. still holding her hand you try to pull her outside only to feel the loss of her warm hand around yours.

“i’ll get us some drink i’ll be out there in a second” yunjin lets go of your hand and heads a different direction from you after shooting you a sad smile.

even though you don’t say anything to her, she knows you are just as confused as she is and you do too. maybe you guys both just need to loosen up?

after a couple hours and drinks into the party you are all definitely loosened up. minji and hanni are singing terrible karaoke, haerin and danielle are having a dance competition, and you’re taking shots with a couple other people, including yunjin. though she was across the table from you making it very difficult to interact with her.

the two of you hadn’t spoken since yunjin said she went to go get drinks, she’s been with her friends all night. speaking of which, sakura introduced herself and the rest of their group to you earlier. you had actually gotten along with chaewon the most out of her friends and had a good time playing beer pong with chaewon, but every interaction you had with anyone, you could feel yunjin shooting darts with her eyes, staring at you and your every move. after a couple shots and laughs, yunjin stands up to use the restroom, you follow close behind hoping to talk with her.

you stop her before she walk in. annoyed and tipsy, you get straight to the point:

“what the fuck yunjin?” you scream out to be heard by her over the loud music playing. the absence of a response pisses you off more.

“why did you just disappear on me like that?”

“i wanted to spend time with you!”

“hell you invited me to this party and the only reason i came was to spend time with you! and i haven’t spoken to you in hours!”

you continue complaining. you’re usually not as spoken out like this but the alcohol and the jealousy got to you.

“shut up” yunjin mutters

“what the fuck did you just say to me yun-“

once again, yunjin cuts you off with a kiss, this time more aggressive.

“i said shut up” she says in between kisses.

this time her hands are able to hold your face like she wanted to and you can hold her hips like you wished you could. feeling her lips against yours makes your jealousy wash away in an instant, the way she bends down slightly, your knees going weak, her heavy breathing.

“i’m sorry” yunjin pulls away

“i shouldn’t have left you alone, i was just…upset? or…i can’t find the right words” yunjin pinches the bridge of her nose and shuts her eyes.

“i’m scared things are ruined between us” she admits.

you can only shake your head no, if only she knew how long you’ve wanted this.

the party was staring to die down, people were leaving, no one was doing crazy shit outside. until a song came on that made everyone get up and dance to its iconic choreography and lyrics. before that you were hanging out with yunjin and her friends drinking and laughing, your head was resting on yunjins shoulder as you both got the closure you needed a few moments ago.

everyone headed to the dance floor and started dancing but because of the amount of people that were in the small living room, you lost sight of yunjin. regardless, you started dancing without a care in the world. that was before a sight that changed what you had fixed minutes ago.

yunjin was making out with a girl who was the same height as her, blonde, and had a very revealing dress. the girl she was kissing was clearly into it and held yunjin tightly by the waist.

instead of going up to them and breaking it up, you decided to pay her back and mess around with the other girls there. of course you were still hurt by this, angry, a tight feeling in your chest forcing you to wipe the tears forming in your eyes.

but a girl had come up behind you and saw this as an opportunity to twerk and grind up on her. you leaned forward and pushed against her as people started cheering, forming a circle to watch, and having a bunch of attention towards the two of you.

this attention and noise had brought yunjin to stop kissing that girl and turn over. jealousy, anger, sadness, heartbreak, frustration all built up inside of her. not sure if it was the alcohol or the jealousy she walked up to the girl you were twerking on and pushed her back against the wall and grabbed you by the arm, pulling you outside of the house.

minji, chaewon, and kazuha had seen the whole thing play out. all shocked and uncertain of what to do, minji was following right behind you before chaewon stopped her, convincing to let you and yunjin talk it out yourselves.

“don’t touch me yunjin!” you pull your hand away from her grasp. now outside, all noise around you fades, your only focus on yunjin.

“who the fuck was that?” yunjin leans down slightly to your height

“like you would care! who’s that bitch your making out with?” you yell back, point towards the door.

yunjin smacks her lip, rolls her eyes, and turns away from you while shaking her head. she’s clearly frustrated by the consequences of her actions while you’re more hurt by this than anything.

wiping your tears, you walk around the corner to avoid yunjin, helpless she walks back inside holding her head with one hand.

taglist : [ @1luvkarina @thefckghost @everydayiloveyves @may-madness @modanisgf @mushroom-main ] (taglist is open!!)

[himejoshikomaeda]

LES FOISFOIS FAVORITE SONG FROM EACH TOUHOU SOUNDTRACK

th01 highly responsive to prayers: gotta be eternal shrine maiden. angel’s legend is good, but eternal shrine maiden just has what the PC-98’s soundboard did best. little beeps and boops that somehow sound so chock-full of emotion. fantastic stuff.

th02 story of eastern wonderland: love-colored magic is, of course, legendary, but my favorite for this game is complete darkness. absolutely masterfully work with that melody.

th03 phantasmagoria of dim.dream: obligatory respects to strawberry crisis to make sure i don’t get mauled for saying this, but reincarnation is my personal favorite off this soundtrack. there isn’t really a place to note this, but the SC-8850 version of reincarnation is fucking phenomenal, too.

th04 lotus land story: blah blah blah bad apple okay no but seriously it’s maiden’s capriccio. that’s reimu’s theme. i don’t care about this mystic oriental love consultation shit, this spring path crap. maiden’s capriccio. the imperishable night version fucks hard too.

th05 mystic square: this one is really hard. romantic children rules. plastic mind is unreal. the grimoire of alice fucks. but the best one in my opinion is alice in wonderland. extra stage themes tend to be really good, but i looooooove this one.

th06 embodiment of scarlet devil: locked girl ~ the girl’s sealed room. again being a contrarian here and not picking UN owen was her. cuz. i dunno. i like it.. be nice to me.. side note, but i love how the instruments in eosd and dolls in pseudo paradise sound.. idk, out of tune? it’s nice.

th07 perfect cherry blossom: there are a lot of really good ones here but i’d be lying if i said it wasn’t necrofantasia, contrarian though i may usually be.

th08 imperishable night: i don’t knowwww this one’s too hard they’re all so good.. illusionary night ~ ghostly eyes, nostalgic blood of the east ~ old world, flight of the bamboo cutter ~ lunatic princess, and extend ash ~ person of hourai all come to mind, but honestly i think i have to give it to love-colored master spark. i know it’s not “from” this game but it’s my favorite on the soundtrack, sooooo.. whatever. my list.

th09 phantasmagoria of flower view: wind god girl. “that’s from shoot the bullet” i knowwww shut upppp i’m not doing side games.

th10 mountain of faith: faith is for the transient people, full stop. the gensokyo the gods loved is practically the “touhou theme” to me, but sanae’s theme is like. in my top 3 favorite songs in the series. those guitars kick ass. this game’s soundtrack is phenomenal.

th11 subterranean animism: green-eyed jealousy. followed closely by satori maiden ~ 3rd eye. literally every song on this game’s soundtrack is a banger. a real no-skip album. but i am fucking addicted to parsee’s theme. it’s like bitter, ugly crying as music. i can’t sing its praises enough.

th12 undefined fantastic object: this game sucks ass but the music’s good. emotional skyscraper ~ cosmic mind is the best song.

th13 ten desires: it’s shoutoku legend ~ true administrator, but i wanna give a shout-out to night sakura of dead spirits anyway, because it’s great.

th14 double dealing character: kobito of the shining needle ~ little princess. but i mean. i am kissing reverse ideology on the mouth with tongue. i love you seija i love you shimmy you’ll get ‘em next time

th15 legacy of lunatic kingdom: honestly? unforgettable, the nostalgic greenery. i love the spacey sound of this soundtrack, and none of them capture that sound better than that. the lake reflects the cleansed moonlight is good for the same reason. i have a lot of love for the sea that reflects one’s home planet, too.

th16 hidden star in four seasons: not huge on this soundtrack, but my favorite song is swim in a cherry blossom-colored sea.

th17 wily beast and weakest creature: electric heritage. what a tasty piano in this one. the gorgeous melody is also present in entrust this world to idols ~ idolatrize world, but i like the piano in electric heritage better. idolatrize world is an easy second, though.

th18 unconnected marketeers: this soundtrack is so romantic. very lovely melodies. my favorite is the perpetual snow of komakusa blossoms. it’s memorable to me for whatever reason.

th19 unfinished dream of all living ghost: i’m gonna choose to limit myself to the songs that aren’t covers of existing touhou songs, cuz some of them are pretty similar even if i might like them “more”, like corpse voyage ~ be of good cheer. so i’ll go with the deviants’ unobstructed light ~ kingdom of nothingness. the vocal samples are cool.

i’ll list my favorite songs from the doujin albums in a separate reblog, because damn this is getting long!!

[slothgiirl]

in the air (xiao x reader)

7.3k words. mentions of rock climbing and chinese traditional medicine. pining. fluff. first time writing in genshin impact for xiao so idk how in character this is. probs errors bc this is unedited like my lyfe lol. also xiao takes 1k words to show up hehe

“Delivery for Bubu Pharmacy,” you dump all your packages on the counter, finally able to see in front of you once again. The walk from Qingce Village to Liyue Harbor was long, made longer by the various dried herbs and distilled oils you had to carry.

“Ah, our lovely botanist,” Herbalist Gui grabs a letter opener, already sorting through the parcels. Silk flowers, glaze lilies, fresh lotus root, ginseng root, and the rest of the raw ingredients a pharmacy needed. “No violetgrass? Or qingxin flowers?”

You slip behind the counter, taking a seat on the stool Qiqi used to reach. You’d need the stool too in order to get the very top shelf ingredients. Maybe you weren’t a pharmacists, you think as you read the labels for ingredients as rare as sakura blooms imported from abroad to condensed ginger, but you could probably fix a cold.

Botany wasn’t your dream growing up, but your family’s business. The house you’d grown up in was tiny compared to the greenhouse full of silk flowers, to the pear trees and lotus growing in flooded terraces. You liked the job. You liked getting to see all of Liyue. You loved the smell of drying cinnamon and seeing a plant perk up once you gave it some compost.

“Not yet,” you admit, “with the rains last week I couldn’t exactly get to Huaguang Stone Forest.” Your favorite part of this job was getting to climb up the towering peaks. You loved rock climbing. You loved the cool wind on your skin after ascending, looking down and knowing you’d done this. You loved the solitude, the quiet and peace. You fell in love with the alien perspective of being up so high.

“Be careful out there,” Herbalist Gui says, a crease forming between his brows, “isn’t full of hilichurls and demons?”

“I am careful,” you massage your calves, “pretty sure a lawachurl could break me in half.” It ate at your time, having to go around treasure hoarders and hilichurls, unsure if they’d let you pass freely or not. There was no way you’d risk a run-in with fatui skirmishers that far from the Millelith’s sight.

So you hid behind bushes and trees, going around and losing hours.

“And the demons? You ever actually seen one?”

You laugh. “No, thank the Archons.” You didn’t want to test how effective exorcist charms were against demons. Chongyun had carved one out of wood for you to keep you from being possessed, while Hu Tao’s last present had been a jade sigil to tells ghosts you were a friend. You were concerned about its effects but Hu Tao always had good intentions despite her questionable methods.

You trusted her.

And there was no way you were going to disparage one of your childhood friends to her face. Some people had no tack.

You couldn’t imagine calling someone a weirdo even if it was true. Especially in a mean spirited way.

“That’s good.”

“Tell Baizhu I’ll be back in two days ,” you tell the pharmacist.

“That fast?”

You smile, “yeah. I’ll come back here then head home.” It’d mean only having one day to lazy about at home before hitting the road again, but like Hu Tao you valued the reputation of your business too much to delay the order of violetgrass and qingxi flowers to next week.

“Okay, I’ll be sure to let Baizhu know.”

“You’re the best.”

“Do you want some tea before you go,” Herbalist Bui asks, “it’s got jueyun chilis, good for all that running around you do.”

“Of course you don’t have regular jasmine tea?” This was a pharmacy. You accept it all the same, grateful for the warmth of the tea quenching your thirst. Maybe you wouldn’t be dead on your feet when you ascend tomorrow.

___

You camp at the south of Caijue Slope.

Travelling at night wasn’t a bright idea if you didn’t have a vision. Something you most definitely didn’t.

You’d always dreamed of a geo vision, though without Rex Lapis who knows if there would be any new geo visions. When you’d started bouldering around Mingyun Village, learning to identify fungi and flowers with your father, you could only ever imagine a geo vision.

It would be mad useful.

You wouldn’t need to carry ropes and anchors if you could just form your own anchors and climbing forms out of the very rock you ascended.

Passing through Jueyun Karst let you know waiting had been the right choice.

The mud clumps to the soles of your boots. When you step on the road, your feet sink. There’s little to no treasure hoarders or fatui to be seen. It must’ve been awful the day after the rains and near impassable with the rain. The towering mountains made the roads down below prone to flash flooding.

You have to stop and scrape the mud off your boots on rocks every few steps until finally you start the road up to Qingyun Peak. You barely even need to check your worn map.

Your family has been in the botany business for generations. You know where the clusters of Violetgrass and Qingxin spring up. Between here and Mingyun Village, you gather enough of both to fulfil Verr Goldet and Baizhu’s orders.

It takes the entire morning to ascend up the northernmost pillar of Huaguang Stone Forest, sitting on the edge as you Mint Salad and mora meat. It’s not as good when the food’s cold, but there’s nothing better than the food you eat after a long climb. Sweat runs down your spine as you look over Liyue. You can make out the Jade Chamber in the sky over Liyue Harbor. This must be what the adepti, what Rex Lapis, saw every day.

After Bubu Pharmacy you’d deliver to Wangshu Inn, then home. Then you’d collapse in bed before starting all over again.

You run your fingers over the petals of the qingxin flower. This one could stay. It was too small, the majority of the buds still closed.

The zenith of the sun has passed when you finally start to descend.

You hook your safety rope into the anchors you’d placed on the way up.

One of these days you’d buy yourself a Monstadt glider.

As you go, you remove the anchors, releasing the expansion clamps and slipping it into your bag, before descending the next metre.

You hook your safety rope into the next anchor. Then descend another metre. Carefully. Taking your time.

Pebbles fall past you.

It feels like the entire world rumbles.

You look out into the landscape, into the fog you can barely make out the other stone pillars, but even the fog cannot obscure the flashes of green anemo bursts in the skies.

Shit.

You glance up. It was a good twenty metres to the peak. You look down. It wasn’t any better.

It was worse.

A good thousand metres up. 800 from where you’d started climbing from the top of the road.

The flashes of anemo grew closer.

More pebbles fell, clinking against your shoulder. Dirt dislodged and fell in your hair.

You were stuck.

Your hands grew sweaty.

If it had been raining you could make it up free handed. Waited it out. Rain usually built up. This stone forest had no ledges to seek shelter on.

Fuck.

Flashes of green interspersed with flashes of red and blue.

Dread.

You look around, trying to find anything to perch on.

Okay, okay. Let yourself fall onto the ledge 30 metres below. No-

Not survivable.

Your hands grow slick with sweat as figures emerge out of the fog.

Dark figures. Demons. Monsters.

Your grip slips.

You flail, trying to catch yourself.

Fuck.

You slam into the side of the cliff, dangling by your safety rope over a thousand metres in the air. Pain explodes across your thigh.

Your fingers are bleeding where you’d tried to grab a rock.

The figures are closer now. Across from you fighting in the air, floating. Abyss mages and a fighter. You couldn’t tell.

And you couldn’t waste time watching.

You clip into the next anchor, attaching your safety rope. There was no time to climb up for the other rope and anchor.

You cut your loses.

Okay, move.

You scramble down, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

There’s an extra safety rope in your bag, you climb another metre down. And another one.

The sound of fighting is still too close, approaching, you hear the laughter of the abyss mages, the clash of steel against abyssal magic. You don’t look, chest heaving as you try to climb down in minutes what would normally take hours.

You inhale sharply, the dirt from the rocks mixing with the blood on your fingers. You slice your fingers on the ledges but keep going.

It doesn’t matter.

You have to keep going.

And then nothing matters.

Ice explodes against your back.

A chill spreads from the spot, your muscles tense and freeze and you can’t move. You can’t move your fingers. You can’t-

You look up.

The abyss mage is looking at you, laughing behind it’s terrible mask, a mockery of Opera makeup, as you fall.

It’s why the spear that jut out of it’s chest catches it off guard.

But what does that matter?

You’re falling, falling…

The figures disappear from your vision.

—-

You scream.

You’re so cold.

You can’t even flail as you plunge to your death.

You’ve never been so cold.

The fog dissipates as you approach the ground.

Your vision explodes in emerald and black. “Hgh,” a hand grips your wrist.

Thunk.

You smash onto the ground.

Only you’re still alive.

“Hold still,” a gruff voice says near your ear.

What!

You kick, blinking the tears, blinking away the terror from your eyes, “let me go!” You were alive. YOU WERE ALIVE!

And tangled on the ground with a strange masked man.

Vexation is clear in his tone as he repeats, “hold still.”

You roll off him, wincing. Everything hurt. You side ached. Nothing was broken. You could tell you’d be bruised black and blue for the next week. “Thank you,” you huff, connecting the dots even as your vision grew white with pain. Your fingers were still cramped from the cold. You could use jueyun chilis right now.

Thank the Archons you still had your bag. Crushed flowers were better than no flowers.

“Mortals should not be in Jueyun Karst.” The man still wears a mask carved of blackened wood. It matches the black of his gloves. A vision is strapped to his wrist.

Not a man at all.

You breathe, forcing down the pain.

You couldn’t do anything about it until you were safe. Not out here. Not out in the open.

You look around.

You weren’t in Jueyun Karst anymore. This was the road east to Guili Plains.

“I have permission,” you tell the adepti, “I can show you the sigil of permission.”

He says nothing, crouching in front of you like an overgrown bird. The mask is still on.

Despite that you’re not scared.

The sigil feels strange. It feels akin to resting your back against the statues of Morax.

“See,” you tell him. You weren’t lying. It was the same sigil your family had used for generations. Your grandmother said Moon Carver had gifted it when the Qixing closed passage into Jueyun Karst. “Master Adepti? Sir?…” You weren’t sure of the proper way of addressing an Adepti.

His eyes travel from your sigil to you. There’s mirth in his cor lapis eyes.

The mask.

The fighting.

He wasn’t just any adepti.

You lean forward, “you’re the vigilant yaksha,” you raise your hand, forgetting yourself for a moment as you move to touch his mask only that might get you struck down for disrespecting an adepti’s pride. All the adepti had strange rules about what was permissible. “I don’t know about you adepti, but it’s kinda rude for you to keep your mask on for so long.” It felt like he had something to hide.

“You presume to order an adepti?”

You crack a grin, “I couldn’t make you do anything.” You shift, trying to get up. You need to get to Wangshu Inn before night.

“Fuck,” you hiss. Right. You were all banged up.

The yaksha moves swiftly, steadying her. “You’re hurt.”

“I am,” you wince. “Just bruises.”

“Why were you in Jueyun Karst.” His tone drips with disapproval.

“For qingxi flowers. Violetgrass. Pharmacists need it.” You laugh. “Ironic right?”

He’s still holding you up, his hands on your arms, gentle despite the destruction he just caused in the stone forest. You want to see his face. You want to thank him without any barriers.

He must be handsome, you think to yourself. You know he is.

“Can you not grow them in Liyue Harbor?”

You shake your head, “they only grow at high altitudes. They prefer rocks to soil. I think there’s something in the rocks, some mineral. We’ve tried to grow them in Qingce Village but they didn’t take.”

His eyes study you once more, “your hands are bleeding.”

“It’ll be fine,” you tell him, “some balm. Baizhu deals with worse all the time.” At least the cold wore off.

“Where should I leave you?”

The words are unexpected. He’d saved you, but he wasn’t exactly friendly and warm. The Yaksha was quiet and reserved.

He’d stayed to make sure you were okay.

“Liyue Harbor,” you say tentatively, “though if that’s too far…”

“Heh,” the Yaksha rolls his eyes, scoffing.

“If it’s out of your way,” you amend, smiling, “I’m sure that it’s an easy distance for the Vigilant Yaksha to cover.”

He tilts his head.

You wonder what he thinks of you.

“I’m only joking,” you add when the silence streches out in case he missed your teasing. “But Liyue Harbor would be great if it’s not a bother.”

The Yaksha nods. “I offered.”

“You did.” He didn’t have to.

You try not to read into it too much. The adepti were all about protecting Liyue. You weren’t special.

Quite the opposite.

You’d been in Huaguang Stone Forest at the wrong time.

He finally lets go of your arms, only to pick you up bridal style.

“Ah!” You’re caught off guard, barely processing what is happening before the world disappears in black smoke.

You squeeze your eyes shut, as wind streaks through your hair, chilling your skin all over again.

In seconds, he’s already placing you back down, overlooking the Harbor.

“Wow, that was amazing!” What took you two days to travel, the Yaksha had done in seconds. You look over the Harbor, it’s lights slowly turning on as the sun sets over the water. It was a short walk to the Pharmacy. You’d be imposing on Hu Tao tonight.

She’d probably love the impromptu sleepover.

“Thanks again-,” you turn back to thank the Yaksha once more.

But you’re alone.

—-

“Jueyn chilis, qingxi flowers, and a boatload of mint and ginger,” you list off to Verr Goldet. “Hey, do you sell incense sticks?”

Verr’s eyes widened, “what happened to you my dear?”

Your hands were still all bandaged up, but as you suspected, it was pretty much all bruising. Still, you’d be sticking to Mingyun Village and Wuwang Hill until you were given the all clear by Baizhu. It was good to let the usual spots grow wild in the meantime.

You didn’t want to overpick any one spot.

“Nasty fall,” you also didn’t want to worry the Innkeeper unnecessarily. “I’m mostly bummed out. I have to go back for most of my anchors.” Stupid abyss mage.

“Well,” Verr Goldet hands you an incense stick, “this one’s on the house. Since you’re always on time. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Are you sure,” you ask, already reaching for your mora bag.

“Listen to your elders and take the incense stick.”

“Thank you.” You bow respectfully to the woman, “this is so kind of you.”

“I know you would show me the same kindness.” She bows back. “Make sure you rest and rest before heading off.”

“Of course,” you grin, “you’re the only place that sells mushroom pizza in Liyue.” You could get honey roast and radish veggie soup at a street vendor in the Harbor but not pizza.

—

With your own mora you purchase healing balm. The Yaksha would appreciate this. You think. It made sense. He probably fought demons and monsters all the time.

He could use this when he got hurt.

You think.

You don’t know much about adepti.

“I think that’s a marvellous idea!” Hu Tao practically dances in delight when you tell her your plan.

“As a thanks,” you further explain. “It doesn’t feel right to just pray at a shrine.” You don’t even know his name.

“Ah,” she twirls in the street, running into a merchant

“Hey! Watch where you’re going weirdo!”

Hu Tao pays him no mind. “Obviously my charm worked.”

“What? No it didn’t,” you frown. The spirits had not been the problem. The abyss mages had nearly killed you.

But your friend is too busy with ideas to pay you any mind, “perhaps you need a noctilucous jade sigil to repel evil spirits?”

“That was an option,” you raise a brow. That seemed more useful.

“Most spirits aren’t bad silly,” she tells you, “very few become demons.”

“Can it at least be Cor Lapis,” you think about the Yaksha’s eyes again. You’d thought about the Yaksha a lot.

“No. That wouldn’t work for the carving. Hey, let’s get a drink before you go!”

—

You sit at the shrine in Mingyun Village. And it really was a village. Just two stores and a few houses. Most of the people here were fishermen, but you knew some lived off the shells and pearls that could be gathered on Yaoguang Shore.

The largest was inscribed to Rex Lapis. There were steles for Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper and the other adepti of legends. And a small one for the Yakshas, but there were no names for them.

You frown.

You set the jar of balm in front of you. Then you light the incense stick, unsure of what the proper prayers for a Yaksha were.

“Oh mighty vigilant Yaksha,” you cringe, closing your eyes, “scratch that. Um,” could adepti even hear your prayers? Could Rex Lapis answer prayers from the heavens? “Thanks again for saving me. Sorry if I got in the way or anything. I’m glad you keep those monsters aways from the Harbor and villages. And thank you for dropping me off in Liyue Harbor. That was incredibly kind of you. This balm is for you.”

There. That didn’t sound half bad.

Maybe you could still be a ritualist.

Change careers last minute.

You hear a snort.

You open your eyes.

In your peripheral, the Yaksha stands facing the shrines. His mask rests on his belt.

You were right, he is handsome.

Teal streaks through his dark hair. There’s a violet mark on his forehead and he’s handsome. His expression is inscrutable though his eyes remain kind despite what his demeanour would suggest.

He sits down next to you, watching the incense stick burn. The smoke wisps off in spirals.

“Thank you.”

“I heard.” His voice is not unkind.

You nod, “all the same.”

You breathe the rich aroma of the incense.

“You should always burn 3 sticks, or 5.”

“Sorry?” He doesn’t seem angry or upset. But you still feel the need to apologise. He was an adepti after all. The Yaksha did so much for Liyue already.

His eyes fall close. The last vestiges of wariness dissipate. “I do not need the balm.”

“Oh.” Your face falls. Stupid. You’d done nothing right. It would have been better to just leave things be.

You watch the smoke, biting your lip. He’d come all this way and you’d done everything wrong. You were embarrassed.

He probably had better things to do.

The Yaksha opens his eyes, turning towards you. He frowns.

He had such lovely eyes: black tea steeped perfectly. There was a warmth in them that had you dismissing all your negative thoughts. He wasn’t irritated with you at all. He’d chosen to come all this way for you even when you had things all wrong.

The Yaksha was strange, but kind.

Even as he held your gaze for an inhumane amount of time, unblinking, you felt comfortable the way you might with Chongyun.

You were right. He was handsome. The stories never mentioned that.

He parts his lips, brows furrowed, before looking away. He fixes his gaze on the steles again.

“Well, is there anything that you might like as thanks,” you finally settle on uttering, looking very pointedly at the bas relief of Morax. Heat rises to your cheeks. It was so silly. This was such a normal thing to do, thank someone and yet you grew flustered.

“Ah?” The Yaksha’s cheeks grow pink. “There is no need-I do not act in exchange for material gain.”

“I just want to thank you. If not for saving me then for taking me to the Harbor.” You bite your lip. “You can think of it as friends exchanging gifts.”

It’s the wrong thing to say.

The Yaksha stands suddenly, a swirl of anemo blowing your hair about. “I have duties to attend to.” And he’s gone.

Clearly, you and Hu Tao both failed at making friends.

—

A month passes, and you’ve made every effort to take your mind off the Yaksha. He was an adeptus. Two times you’d met him. That was more than most people ever interacted with adepti.

You weren’t part of the Qixing.

You were a simple botanist running around liyue.

You run your fingers over the new jade amulet from Hu Tao. You’d be okay.

Last time was a freak accident.

In two decades of life, last time had been the sole time you’d seen an abyss mage. Nothing would happen this time. You’d collect the herbs in Jueyun Karst as usual and be on your merry way.

Ascending is made easy by the anchors you left behind. You’re the one who takes baby steps, pausing with every push up to look around in case there’s some hilicurls aiming for you. You close your eyes, leaning your forehead against the rock. It was fine. You were fine.

Your hands had scarred over.

You refused to be afraid of going out in Liyue for the rest of your life.

You push onwards.

You check your safety line. You check each anchor.

You look around.

So far so good.

It’s only when you break past the fog that you realise how uneventful the entire ascension has been. You’re worried sick about nothing.

You pull yourself onto the cliff top and collapse on your back, panting.

You laugh, at yourself, at the situation. At being so high up. You close your eyes and soak in the warmth of the sun, the heat of your body against the cool stone. Had Rex Lapis created this stone forest too? You’d have to ask Baizhu. He knew all the stories since he told them to Qiqi endlessly, not that the little girl ever remembered.

She’s been a child for as long as you could remember.

Lunch is cold jade parcels and leftover fried radish balls which are never as good cold. Nothing fried was ever as good cold.

You pluck the qingxi flowers first, bunching them up in your bag. The violetgrass was easier since you collected those on your way up.

You take another drink of water from your flask, looking over the landscape. Jueyun Karst was so beautiful. You forgot how dangerous the area was.

The plan was to head north and swim across the waters to Qingce Village, swim home. You’d have to camp out on the isles, but it was safer than staying in the stone forest overnight or trying to swim in the frigid night.

You take a nap, waiting for midday to pass before you start your descent.

You pull the last anchor free when a voice startles you.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah,” you weld the anchor like a knife in the air before you recognize the Yaksha’s distinctive purple pants and green tattoo. “Fuck,” you place a hnd on your chest, “you scared me.”

“I did not mean-,” he frowns, “why are you here?”

You point up, “have a job to do. Qingxi, violetgrass. I’m just happy everything else can be cultivated.”

The Yaksha’s frown deepens.

“I have a job to do. It has its risks but medicine must be supplied.”

He nods, but remains sullen.

“Anyways I’m all done here.” You wipe your hands on your robes, “and relax. I waited until I was done healing, see,” you hold up your palms. With coconut oil the scarring would fade.

The Yaksha steps close to you, taking your hands in his and looking them over. He runs a finger over your darkest scar. There were specks of gold in his eyes. The mark on his forehead glowed.

He looked up through long teal lashes at you when he was done accessing your hands.

Your mouth is dry. It’s hard to meet his heavy gaze. It feels like falling all over again.

There’s no way he misses the flush on your cheeks that has nothing to do with climbing and everything to do with the way his touch renders you breathless.

“I will escort you through Jueyun Karst.”

“Oh,” your eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t have to,” you brush your hair behind your ears. No matter what you did climbing made your hair a rat’s nest. “I’m sure your very busy with your adeptus duties.”

“Tt.” He releases your hands. “It is not up for discussion.”

“Vigilant Yaksha,” you have to insist, “I have an amulet to keep the monsters away. And I’ll just be back next week…I don’t want to be a bother. Really. I’ll be okay.”

He tilts his head, “what amulet?”

You lift the necklace up, “it’s from my friend. She knows more about ghosts but I-”

The Yaksha closes the distance between you. He scrutinises the sigil, his breath ghosting over your cheek. “There is a limit to the accumulation of evil spirits and demons an amulet can repel.”

“But it does work?”

He nods.

You can’t stand being this close to him while he is seemingly unaffected. Your heart is lodged in your throat but his expression remains as guarded as ever.

It was silly to even think about an adeptus like this.

A smaller, crazier voice that sounded a lot like Hu Tao points out that half adepti like Ganyu exist for a reason.

You avert your gaze, stepping back. “So you see, you don’t have to-”

He cuts you off. “It is not up for discussion.”

You nod, accepting he would do why he thought was right even if it did make you feel like you were bothering him. (He wasn’t even angry or bothered.)

The Yaksha was kind in his stilted way.

“I’m headed north to Qingce Village.” You pocket the last anchor and drink more water before embarking on the road home.

“Xiao.”

“Hm?”

“My name is Xiao.”

—

You fall into a pattern. Buy 3 incense sticks from Verr Goldet, burn them for the Yakshas. Deliver to Wangshu Inn and Bubu Pharmacy once a week. Collect Herbs from Mingyun Village and Jueyen Karst once a week. See Xiao in Jueyun Karst.

A rough pattern because Xiao came and went without notice. Sometimes he’d be waiting for you at Cuijue Slope until he began to climb up a mountain. At times he wouldn’t appear until you’d finished descending.

You made the lion’s share of conversation, complaining that Chongyun was in Mondstat to deal with some apparition and therefore was getting to eat all the tea pancakes in the world. You told Xiao about flu season and how much ginger Baizhu went through. You complained about having to dilute soap in water to keep pests away from your family’s crops.

“-I’ll need new boots when the caravan from Sumeru stops by,” you take a break on a rock to catch your breath. You’d never seen Xiao tire.

The soles of your boots were worn down. You could feel the rocks poke at your heels through the leather.

You let the silence reign in the picturesque valley.

Xiao doesn’t sit, but he closes his eyes as the sun chases away the clouds. You soaked up the warmth. The sun’s rays made the chilly breeze bearable.

He leans his head back, basking in the sun like a lizard.

You wonder what his animal form looks like. You’d only seen Rex Lapis on the Rite of Descension. But everyone knew Mountain Carver was a magnificent stag.

With his eyes closed, you find yourself staring at his visage shamelessly. He was striking, the graphic cut of his hair only accentuating his bone structure.

You wanted him to hold you again. You wanted him to run his hands over yours, to-

You quash the thoughts down.

Xiao opens his eyes, polearm already in hand as he spots something in the distance. “Wait here.”

You nod, used to this by now.

It was never a long wait, but Xiao would step away for minutes to deal with threats to Liyue.

You are glad to rest for a while longer.

—

“Why don’t you just tell him,” Chongyun splits a milk tea shaved ice with you, “how you feel,” he scoops up a brown sugar boba with his spoonful of shaved ice.

“Are you crazy? What if I make things awkward? Then he’ll never speak to me again! That would be so much worse.” You didn’t want to lose Xiao’s friendship.

You eat another spoonful of shaved ice, making sure to get some of the mochi, managing to look incredibly dejected while eating dessert.

Chongyun sighs. “You can’t complain and not do anything about it.”

You stick your tongue out at him. “I’m not taking advice from someone who can’t even order.”

“So? I’m proactive about it,” his voice cracks. “I ask you, or someone I’m with to order.”

You pat his hand, knowing it wasn’t fair to take your crush out on him. It wasn’t his fault Xiao made you want to kiss him everytime he tilted his head to indicate he was listening to you, or confused. It wasn’t Chongyun’s fault Xiao went still, buff arms flexing right before he took off to fight.

Archons, you were down bad for the Yaksha.

You couldn’t even enjoy your shaved ice.

—

“What’s your adeptal animal form,” you asks Xiao, breaking the serene silence atop Qingyun Peak. “You don’t have to answer that if it’s rude.”

He wouldn’t answer if he didn’t want to either way.

You no longer found it rude when he stayed silent. Xiao meant what he said, and therefore took more time to speak, and didn’t answer at all when he didn’t think his words added to the conversation. The more time you spent with him, the easier you were able to read him.

It wasn’t so much that he was an unfeeling adeptus, but rather he was usually occupied with hunting demons. He falters when he knows you’re joking but cannot understand the joke. His eyes widen when you hand him dried chrysanthemums for protection. It was a peasant superstition, but the idea of Xiao fighting alone weighed you down if you contemplated it for too long.

He sits down next to you, feet dangling over the edge. “A Peng.”

“Huh.” You vaguely recalled a giant bird story, but Adepti were usually giant animals that saved Liyue at some point.

“Similar to this,” Xiao points at his tattoo. The bright colour shines against his pale skin. He never sunburns unlike you.

You study the depiction closely. You brush your fingers against his skin, tracing the lines of the tattoo.

Xiao shivers under your touch, his eyes flutter closed.

“Are there more?”

“Yes.” His voice is distant, in the world of the adepti you couldn never understand. “They do not immerse themselves in mortal affairs.” Xiao turns his gaze towards you, the naked emotion in his eyes draws you in. You cup his cheek with your hand before you think better of it.

He leans into your touch. “Seldomly do they take a mortal appearance.”

“Would you ever show me?” You knew he’d be beautiful. It was Xiao, you’d love him in every shape and form.

He pulls away, jerking away from you.

You let him, drawing back, giving him space.

Xiao clenches his gaze, cor lapis eyes on you. His mouth parts, but he thinks better of it, wavering between thoughts. He finally looks away.

“Xiao? You don’t have to.” You remind him. You think he might disappear like smoke in the air. “Xiao?”

“It is not safe for you.”

“Huh?” You don’t follow. “There’s no hilichurls up here.”

“My karmic debt…I could not forgive myself if I tainted you as well.”

You don’t understand. “I’m always safe with you.”

His shoulders tense, the Yaksha grows taunt as a bow string.

You reach out. “Xiao,” you utter softly, caressing his cheek with the back of your hand, “you would never hurt me.” Your belief in that is absolute. You had more than enough belief for the both of you.

He meets your searching gaze, eyes wide in surprise. There’s a glassy quality to their soft brown shade.

Tears.

You know he’ll leave seconds before Xiao disappears in flashes of green and black.

–

You burn three incense sticks at your makeshift camp. The delivery at Wangshu in had taken longer than you should’ve. Verr Goldet was dealing with a broken door or something to do with a guest, you weren’t sure of the details. There were travellers from Monstadt so your food order had taken an hour. Nothing that was anyone’s fault, but now you had to camp out in Guili Plains. It was too late to try and make it to the Millelith Outpost in Liyue Pass. It was by far your favourite place to purchase artisan presents for Lantern Rite and birthdays, before they got marked up in Liyue Harbor.

So now you’re stuck here until daybreak.

You go back and forth between lighting a fire. It’s warm this far inland, without the ocean breeze or mountain winds, but a fire might attract hilicurls or treasure hoarders.

But if you were lighting incense sticks, you might as well have a hot dinner.

You kneel, praying to Rex Lapis and all the adepti. You pray that Xiao is safe, wherever he is, whatever he’s fighting.

You pray that Xiao is safe from monsters and the weight of his karmic debt.

—

You manage to deliver to Liyue Harbor and gather herbs in Qingxu Pool before heading back through Liyue Pass. Qingxu pool had more violetgrass than qingxu flowers but it was allergy season. Violetgrass was needed.

It wasn’t your favourite place to gather in, but these two herbs were the trickiest to find, loving spots out of the way, clumping in fours at best. You didn’t want to overpick and then lose a harvesting spot.

It’s sunset when you reach the Statue of Morax.

Your new boots were a mistake. You know there’s blisters on your ankles and soles. Breaking in leather sucked.

Your old boots left you with stinging pain whenever you stepped on any rock so there really wasn’t any winning.

Bowing your head at the statue, you say a little prayer to the geo archon. Morax. Rex Lapis. You’d made another successful trek. The god of contracts had built his nation in the most beautiful part of Teyvat. You could only hope to add to Liyue’s prosperity.

It’s hard to get back up, your muscles sore. Exhaustion always hit you in the last moments when rest is at hand. You were so close.

The people of Liyue pass were kind. They were always willing to host you for a night, forming a contract in exchange for something simple and silly like telling children a bedtime story or sweetflowers which were always abundant throughout Liyue. Uncle Liu generally wanted thunder god vine which was something you always carried.

You were happy to know you’d be fed and well rested tonight.

You hear the music, firecrackers going off in the dusk. The entire village was decorated in lanterns and colourful banners. A wedding!

Uncle Liu had many granddaughters of an age with you. Could one of them be getting married?

There would be roasted duck and lots of desserts like tofu pudding with red beans and almonds. Your mouth watered at the idea of fried fish and shrimp balls.

The folk music was carried by the wind.

It made the night take a magical quality to it. With the decorations and sky full of stars, it was a perfect backdrop to a celebration.

You smile, thinking of the silk flowers you could give the happy couple.

You look around. There’s pots of bamboo on the rock wall leading into the village proper.

The people are in reds and yellows, dancing and singing.

You grin, taking in the sight. You loved Liyue, you loved being from here and getting so many moments like this one. It wasn’t just Lantern Rite when the country was at its most beautiful.

You wonder if Xiao would go into Liyue Harbor with you for Lantern Rite. Hu Tao would talk his ear off but your heart fluttered at the idea of spending the festivities with him.

You’re so caught in your thoughts, they featured Xiao so often, that you nearly dismissed the Yaksha standing in the moonlight as a figment of your imagination.

You blink.

Xiao is still there, perched on a rock. It’s dark enough that no one would see him from the village, but his gaze is on the celebration.

You wonder why he doesn’t join in.

The Liu family was incredibly welcoming.

You make your way towards him instead, “Xiao?”

He jolts, standing up at once. “What is the matter?” There’s dried blood on his white shirt and dirt on his pants.

“Nothing,” you laugh lightly, “I’m always glad to see you.”

“Mm.” His gaze returns to the celebration.

You sit down next to him, sighing at the relief of being off your feet.

It’s nice: to listen to music with Xiao. While it’s not as energetic as Xinyan’s songs, there’s a beauty in the traditional wind and wood instruments. They were songs you’d known all your life.

“Are you alright?” You venture to ask. You’d never seen anything draw blood from Xiao.

“Mhm.” He nods. “The fight was long, but I persevered as I must to fulfil my sworn duty.”

You rest a hand on his shoulder, “so I don’t have to go get Baizhu then?” It was half a joke, half sincere worry.

“No.” Xiao shakes his head, “the statue of the Seven is all the healing I require.”

You nod, deciding to lay back against the rock. You were greedy for every minute you could spend with Xiao. Food, a warm bed, you could put those off for a while longer.

There was a tranquillity to just being besides Xiao.

Maybe Chongyun had been right. But the surge of panic that Xiao might vanish from your life kept you from saying anything about your feelings towards him.

Instead you reclined on the rock.

You release the hold on his shoulder, moving your hands to fiddle with the amulets around your neck. They were small fragile things, nothing compared to the adepti amulets Xiao wore.

He looks down at you, his expression tender in the starlight. You never tired of gazing at him, at the cut of his jaw and the light in his honeyed eyes. Unabashedly, you drink him in.

If he could look at you in such a way that had your heart palpitating despite not even touching you, then you could look at Xiao. You loved him.

He’d never so much as made a move to kiss you yet your heart was his. Every beat of your mortal heart belonged to the Vigilant Yaksha.

The music changes as a drumbeat joins the fray.

You close your eyes, stretching out like a cat. It felt nice. It was nice.

There was no pressure to make conversation.

Xiao brushes your hair out of your face. His hand lingers against your jawbone for a moment, too long to be a mistake.

You blink.

His mouth is parted in surprise at his own actions, he hunches in on himself, glancing back down at the party. He hugs his knees to his chest.

“You like music,” you ask.

“I do.”

Softly you offer, “we should go down there. Uncle Liu has always been kind to me and I always love an excuse to dance.”

Your words hang in the air.

You sit up, wrapping an arm around Xiao’s back lightly, unsure if he’d be okay with the action. You’re prepared for him to pull away immediately.

Instead, he replies, “I cannot endanger them for my own enjoyment.”

Your heart aches for him.

“I can listen from here.”

You squeeze his shoulders, “this is a great view,” you reply earnestly. There was no place else you’d rather be.

“I agree.” Xiao meets your gaze, brows drawn in thought.

He was so close you could see each individual eyelash of his. They were teal. Almost dark enough to be black at first glance.

You smile tenderly.

“I-,” he frowns at himself.

“What is it?”

Xiao cups your cheek with his hand. It’s the closest you’ve been since he saved your life and carried you to safety.

You swallow thickly, realising the love you felt for the man was mirrored in his eyes.

“Can I kiss you,” he asks in a hush whisper.

You don’t trust your voice. You nod, still not believing this was real, this was truly happening. Though you’d daydreamed that Xiao reciprocated your feelings, it had been more fantasy than a reality. You never believed it was possible.

But it was real.

The press of his lips against yours, Xiao’s breath warm on your skin, his thumb rubs your cheek. It was real. He kissed you with a softness you’d come to expect from the Yaksha.

He was a warrior; he moved through the world like a gentle breeze. His love for Liyue went further than a simple contract made long ago.

Xiao loved you.

Xiao kisses you softly and the moment is far too short.

He pulls back, tilting his head. Red dusts his cheeks, “I cannot say when I grew fond of you, but I have.” He lets out a sigh. “I wish to kiss you again?”

“I would very much like that,” you reply giddily, “I look forward to seeing you each week, and feel guilty when I don’t pass through Jueyun Karst.” You had to be mindful of how much you collected from any one spot.

“I would prefer that you did not go to Jueyun Karst,” Xiao admits, “but I selfishly enjoy your foolish ventures into Jueyun Karst.”

You laugh, full of love. You laugh knowing you are loved by the one you love.

You lean into him, kissing his cheek, “thank you for spending time with me.” You treasured every moment with him.

He nods, incredibly flustered.

So you kiss him again, granting his wish yourself.

His lips were slightly chapped. You hardly cared. He kisses you back clumsily. His hold on your cheek tightens, checking that you were solid, that you were kissing him.

You forget all about food and how tired you are. Your thoughts are full of Xiao.

Xiao caresses your cheek as you catch your breath.

You feel his heartbeat race from your hand on his back.

“Would you like to dance,” his voice was small.

You nod, beaming from delight. He liked you. He’d kissed you. Now he was asking to dance with you. Xiao, your Xiao.

“Yes.” Anywhere with Xiao was perfect.

[sagemoderocklee]

may i pls ask about 'Plucked Peony Petals' if it hasn't already been done? alternatively if you have any other fics that you are desperate to talk about i would LOVE to know <3

ok i am SO sorry i forgot to reply to this. i meant to do it last night, but god i was EXHAUSTED and had stuff to deal with, and today has just been busy but i am finally here to answer about P3 which is a fic I am SO excited about and am desperate to start writing.

i came up with it in 2022 (alongside Final Bow) when i was planning for the last horror event, but it was just not gonna be something i could fit in for that year so i didnt start it, but i DO have a fully plotted summary for the fic which like is very spoilery but in general this fic will need some pretty spoiler-y trigger warnings anyways

the idea is based around the Botan Dōrō which is a Japanase ghost story about "sex with the dead and the consequences of loving a ghost". oh! and i already have the banner for this fic made

more under the cut (trigger warning for what's hopefully now obviously a story about sex with ghosts)

anyways if you don't wanna read the full wikipedia article (which i think is super interesting and worth reading), there are two versions of the story listed and one surrounds the Obon festival which is a festival to honor the spirit of one's ancestors. i decided i wanted to write a modern AU about Lee meeting someone at this festival. here's the first part of the summary i wrote:

at the Obon festival, Rock Lee meets an attractive man. They spend the evening talking, and Lee is quite smitten but forgets to ask the man's name or how to stay in touch. The next night, he finds the man again, and this time remembers to get his name. However, Lee chickens out about asking for his phone number, but he does offer to walk Gaara home. Gaara says he lives too far, but would be happy to walk Lee home. At Lee's doorstep, Lee stalls going back inside. He likes Gaara quite a lot, and he hasn't dated anyone since Sakura. He's been lonely ever since his cousin and best friend, now married, moved back to her and Lee's hometown in China, where his father also lives. Deciding to do something rash and out of character, feeling almost possessed by desire, he invites Gaara inside and they spend a night together. Gaara wakes Lee in the middle of the night with a kiss as he leaves, claiming his siblings will worry if he doesn't come home. The last night of the festival, Gaara finds Lee and they spend the evening in one another's company, before going back to Lee's place for another night together... though this time it feels different. It's less lustful and more sensual, more intimate. Lee cannot help thinking he could easily fall in love with this man. Again, Gaara leaves before dawn, whispering his goodbyes to Lee and promising he'll see him again. But Lee doesn't see him again, and his heart breaks at the loss of what could have been.

again i have the entire fic plotted beginning to end, and if you read in full you can guess how this fic will go, but the things that can be said about love and death and desire and so on with this sort of story really intrigue me. it's definitely dark, but doesn't come across that way at first.

while Lee doesn't see Gaara again after the festival that year, he does see Gaara at the following year's festival.

the fic i have planned has some obvious departures from the original text and is going to take place over several years, but ultimately still follows the original tale as far as like ending on a tragic note.

anyways, ive been super excited for that fic and Final Bow, so imma talk about Final Bow too since you gave me that opening! XD

anyways FB is ALSO a horror fic, shocker. and like P3, i have the banner ready to go:

both of these fics were dreamed up when i was newly dealing with long covid and out of work, so i had TIME to throw together these banners even if i wasn't planning on working on the fics then.

now here is the summary which is far less spoiler-y (as i do not have the fic plotted beginning to end like P3):

Rock Lee is an actor staring in a new production of Yotsuya Kaidan, which has been newly adapted. It's a controversial adaptation, that's garnering a lot of talk. The kabuki play will draw crowds, no doubt, but before the play can go up accidents start happening. The cast, the production team, not a single person involved followed the tradition of going to the grave of Oiwa to ask her for permission, and some believe the changes to the play have offended her even more than not asking for permission. Lee is playing one of the leads, along with Kankuro, who's younger brother often shows up to rehearsals. Lee is quite taken with Gaara, but—despite being an actor—he is quite anxious when it comes to dating other men having only just come out of the closest recently. However, one day, one of the lights falls, nearly crushing Gaara. Lee saves him in the nick of time, but it's the start of a series of unfortunate events. Ino, who is playing Oiwa falls ill and her understudy, Hinata takes her place; Tenten, the stage manager is injured; things keep breaking, etc. As things escalate, a romance also blossoms between Gaara and Lee, but the ghost of Oiwa threatens to ruin everything—the play and all their lives. [5 acts + intermission=6chapters]

so this fic is based on a famous Japanese ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan. i've structured the fic to be the 6 chapters with 5 being the acts of the actual play and one of them being the intermission, but i dont have much plotted out beyond what you see above in the summary, so the intermission may get cut if i dont feel it fits.

anyways, i can never decide which one of these im more excited about writing since they scratch different horror itches for me, but i am VERY excited to write them eventually and thank you for asking about them!

[comfybutter]

ten desires ost is so so good, it's like comfort food. we got night sakura of dead spirits, lets live in a lovely cemetery, desire drive and welcome to youkai temple if yer feelin down. that aint even mentionin how hard mikos futos n mamizous themes slap. starry sky of small desires? cool asf.

[3ninth]

Zombies aren't real, and yet Makoto is haunted by the dead.

It started off with nightmares about his bathroom being haunted.

It felt ridiculous, really, so he kept quiet about it.

The doorknob jiggles at night now. Sometimes he sees splatters of blood in the shower, that are gone in the blink of an eye.

Sayaka leaves him messages in the condensation on the mirror. 11037. 11037. 11037.

Some days, he's terrified that he'll see her corpse again.

The knife she used turns up at his door sometimes. It's always gone in the morning. He's woken up to his room in disarray, looking the same it did on the day that Sayaka died.

One night, there was a frantic knocking at his door.

It was Leon. Broken, battered, and bruised. He reeked of stale blood. His limbs were bent in ways that shouldn't have been possible.

Makoto let out a strangled cry and shut the door, and stayed under the blankets for the rest of the night.

Leon's visits became more frequent. He never said a thing, never moved, only stood at Makoto's door. He never left a trace.

When he's alone, Makoto sometimes glimpses Chihiro down the hallway. Despite the distance, he's always able to make out his caved-in skull.

He walks with a hand on the wall to balance himself.

"I'm looking for someone strong."

The extension cord remains wrapped around both his wrists, circling around his neck.

Chihiro's entire face is bloody. He's in his blue tracksuit. He shuffles along quietly, repeating those words to himself.

"I don't want to be weak anymore."

If he's not in the hallway, he's in the warehouse. There's always a trail of blood outside the door to warn Makoto of his presence.

Nobody else comments on it, so Makoto assumes they haven't bumped into Chihiro yet.

Mondo and Taka come in pairs.

Makoto won't ever grow used to the wailing he hears that comes from Taka's room. He won't ever grow used to the static-y feeling that makes his hairs rise when he passes by. The smell of ozone is always thick and heavy in the air.

"Does... anyone else ever hear someone crying and yelling from their room..?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Naegi. The dorms are soundproof."

Makoto didn't bring it up again after that.

Hifumi's presence lurks in the art room. Nobody else goes there.

He takes out the paints and brushes, but never makes anything with them. Makoto always cleans up after him.

He doesn't know if Hifumi's trying to make art like he did when he was still alive. All he knows is that Hifumi's efforts seem to be in vain.

The kitchen always smells like burning cloth and flesh. Sometimes Makoto can hear sirens, but he's certain he's imagining them.

Celestia doesn't show herself other than that, and honestly, he's afraid of what she'd look like if she did.

The ground seems to shake around the gym at all times.

Makoto peers inside, but it's empty.

Is Sakura's spirit still fighting? It's the only explanation he can come up with.

Sometimes, a pale green glow comes from the dressing room. Makoto can never find the source.

The light is soft and reassuring, though, and it doesn't bring the scent of death with it like all the others.

Alter Ego, he assumes.

Mukuro only started to manifest after the trial for her death. Makoto spots her in the greenhouse; a quick blur of dark hair and a white shirt, before she's gone.

She always hides when he visits. The only reason Makoto even knows that she's around is because even though he can't see her, her presence lingers.

And so does the smell of burning flesh, blood, and metal.

The worst comes after Junko's death. Her malice follows him everywhere, threatening to pull him down into the depths of despair, to drown him in it.

Sometimes he can feel her nails on his cheek.

Sometimes she wakes him up in the middle of the night, leaving him unable to move. He can see her shadow standing at his bedside, her eyes icy and cold.

All he can do is squeeze his eyes shut and try to ignore her whispering.

All he can do is remember that things will get better.

As the doors to the outside world slowly creak open, a gust of wind comes from deep within the school.

Makoto likes to think that it was the spirits of his friends, finally being freed.

Finally at rest.

[sentimental-idiot25]

Drunk Sakura and Sasuke prompt {Modern/College SasuSaku AU}

Sakura felt a surge of boldness as she anticipated her first night out partying with Sasuke and Naruto in a long time. The trio hadn't frequented college parties together due to Sasuke's stubborn reluctance to embrace the carefree spirit of their youth.

"Up for a shot-for-shot challenge, Naruto?" Sakura asked, her excitement evident. She knew she could outdrink the lightweight Naruto without breaking a sweat.

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed, turning to look at her. "I don't want to end up dead." He chuckled.

"I'll do it," Sasuke interjected as they approached the party venue.

"Really?" Sakura looked at him, taken aback.

"Yeah, I bet I can outdrink you. It shouldn't be a problem," Sasuke replied casually.

"We'll see about that," she teased.

About ten minutes after arriving at the party, Sakura was already on her second rum and coke, stationed at the bar table. Sasuke caught a glimpse of her and his eyes widened in surprise. He abruptly ended his conversation and hurriedly made his way to the bar.

The area around the bar was bustling with loud chatter from the crowd. Sakura mouthed the word "two" to Sasuke, indicating that she was already winning their drinking game. Sasuke muttered, "Damn," under his breath. He approached the college bartender and requested, "Can I get two shots?" However, instead of pouring them into separate cups as Sasuke expected and preferred, the bartender poured both shots into the same cup, and it was a generous portion. Sasuke was left with less than half a cup of vodka in his hands, unable to comprehend what just happened.

In disbelief, he walked over to Sakura and held out the cups to her. "This is what you've made me do," he remarked.

She giggled and shrugged. "I'm not making you do anything. You have your own free will. But I never imagined you'd accept defeat so easily," she teased him.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke downed the two shots. It took every ounce of his willpower not to grimace at the taste of the alcohol.

Sakura smirked at him. "Wasn't so hard, was it?"

"You had your shots mixed with soda... I think I had it worse," he retorted nonchalantly.

"Hey, a shot's a shot," she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Learn to keep up then."

As the party carried on, they found themselves getting separated at times, and people gradually started leaving. Eventually, they reunited and struck up a conversation.

"How many have you had?" Sakura asked, standing on a raised platform in the backyard, while Sasuke stood on the ground. They were almost the same height, with Sakura slightly shorter.

"I'm somehow always two drinks behind you... I think you're lying," Sasuke replied, tilting his head in confusion.

She scoffed and crossed her arms, her cheeks flushed from both alcohol and their proximity. "Why would I lie? I can handle my alcohol well," she replied, looking him up and down. "Unlike you." She burst into laughter.

Blinking a few times, Sasuke struggled to come up with a witty comeback. "What do you mean? I feel perfectly sober," he claimed, oblivious to his flushed cheeks.

Sakura laughed even harder and gently pressed the back of her hand against his cheek. "You're really red," she remarked.

He delicately removed her hand from his face. "It's just the heat, Sakura," he dismissed, trying to maintain a composed demeanor.

Glancing down at their intertwined hands, Sasuke attempted to regain his composure. "Well, maybe I wanted to hold your hand. It's the whole free will thing you were talking about earlier," he replied, grappling with his own words.

Sakura burst into more laughter, while Sasuke stood there with an alcohol-induced expression, utterly perplexed by her reaction.

She released his hand, declaring, "Alright, I'm going to grab one more drink. But you, my friend, are cut off!"

"Ha! As if. I'll have another one," he scoffed, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his own intoxication, much to everyone else's amusement.

They returned to the bar to order one last mixed drink each. Since the bar was about to close, it would be their final drink. They clinked glasses and sipped their drinks slowly, enjoying each other's company. No words were exchanged, but their gazes lingered between them.

As the party gradually wound down, Sasuke suggested they arrange for a ride back home. Sakura asked if she could crash at his place since Ino had informed her that Sai would be staying over. Sasuke agreed and called an Uber.

Sakura and Sasuke waited outside the building, engaging in light conversation with others in line. When the car arrived, they took the back seat, leaving the middle seat vacant. As soon as Sakura sat down, she toppled over, narrowly avoiding landing on Sasuke's lap.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at her.

Sakura simply raised her thumb, indicating she was fine. She remained in that position momentarily until her drunken state made her self-conscious. She quickly sat back up, feeling the onset of alcohol-induced nausea. Closing her eyes, she refrained from speaking for fear of vomiting in the car.

Sasuke placed his hand on her arm and gently shook it, ensuring Sakura was alright. In response, she grabbed his hand and held onto it throughout the entire ride to his apartment, much to her surprise, he didn't let go.

They arrived safely at his apartment, and Sakura stepped out of the car, feeling incredibly dizzy. She walked over to the picket fence of the neighbor's yard and stood there, desperately trying to avoid getting sick.

"Let's get you inside," Sasuke offered.

"How are you not worse off than me?" Sakura asked.

"You probably can't hold your alcohol as well as you think," he remarked.

"I still outdrank you," she pointed out playfully, letting out a giggle.

"Don't be annoying... Besides, you can't even keep your eyes open right now," he laughed at her.

"Shut up..." Sakura straightened herself and took a step forward, followed by another. However, she lost her balance and tumbled directly into a bush, releasing a distinct hibiscus scent. She laughed at herself while Sasuke stood over her.

"Are you okay?" he called out, his movements sluggish due to the alcohol coursing through his veins.

"I could use a little help," she called back. Sasuke bent over and lifted her up, but he did so a bit too well, causing her feet to dangle in the air as he carried her towards his apartment. Sakura's laughter filled the air, which in turn made Sasuke laugh. "What are you doing?" she asked between her chuckles.

"This is the quickest way to get you inside," he replied, his own laughter accompanying hers. As Sasuke carried Sakura into his apartment, she couldn't help but find amusement in the situation. "Well, well, look at you, Mr. Sober and Responsible," she teased, her words slurring slightly. She hopped out of his grasp and that's when she realized the Sasuke was stumbling around too. He propped himself up on the wall. "Okay, Mr. 'I-can-handle-my-alcohol'," Sakura teased, trying to keep a straight face. "Time to sit down before you trip over your own feet."

With a playful grin, Sakura guided Sasuke toward the couch, carefully maneuvering him into a seated position. She noticed his disheveled hair and gave it an affectionate pat, saying, "Looks like you had a wild night, Sasuke. Time for me to play the responsible one."

Sasuke blinked dazedly and attempted to form a coherent response. "I can...take care of myself," he slurred, his words blending together.

Chuckling, Sakura fetched a glass of water and held it out to him. "Sure, Sasuke. Just like you totally nailed those shots earlier, right?" She couldn't help but tease him, knowing he was in no condition to argue.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he took the glass, trying to muster some semblance of dignity. He took a sip and winced at the sudden rush of hydration. "I'm fine," he mumbled, struggling to maintain his composure.

Sakura watched him for a moment before shaking her head. "Sure, Sasuke. You're just the picture of sobriety." She playfully poked his forehead, causing him to lean back slightly.

As Sasuke tried to regain his balance, he found himself leaning too far back and teetering on the edge of the couch. In a split second, Sakura reacted, catching him and pulling him back to safety.

"Careful there, Sasuke. Falling off the couch is not a good look," she remarked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

He groaned, feeling a mix of embarrassment and gratitude. "I can't believe you're taking such delight in my drunken state....And since when did you get sober enough to take care of me?!" He asked loudly. Sakura laughed heartily, finding Sasuke's drunken state and his incredulous reaction utterly amusing. "Oh, don't worry, Sasuke. It's not every day I get to witness the great Sasuke Uchiha needing someone to keep him from falling off a couch," she teased, a playful smirk on her face. "As for my sobriety, let's just say I've mastered the art of pretending to be more sober than I actually am."

Sasuke widened his eyes and shot straight up, "Fuck!" Sakura looked concerned, "What! What happened?!" He turned to her and grabbed a hold of her shoulders, "We forgot Naruto!" "Shit!"

[mikufanclub]

moar piano

[touhoutunes]

Title: よざくらのうた (Night Sakura Blossom's Song)

Arrangement: かちかち山

Vocals: めらみぽっぷ & 天舞音叫子

Album: どうぶつ図鑑 弐

Circle: かちかち山

Original: Night Sakura of Dead Spirits

[maxwell-grant]

which of the SF characters would watch Oppennheimer and which would watch Barbie ?

Not doing all of them but

Ryu: Barbie. Probably got dragged into it by Sakura. Didn't get most of it but he liked it. Hopes Ken is doing allright ("I too know what it's like to struggle with my worst self") and gifts his Ken a "I am Kenough" shirt.

Ken: Mel wanted to watch Oppenheimer and Ken went along with him. Mel liked it, but Ken got bummed out at the story of a neglectful husband and father trying his best to help people and ruining lives over it.

Chun-Li: Her and Li-Fen went to Barbie in matching outfits. The mother's speech in the middle of the movie really, really resonated with her.

E. Honda: Goes to Barbie screenings painted pink to promote his business. If you even think about suggesting Oppenheimer to him he will slap you and you will deserve it.

Blanka: Barbie. Loved it, a little confused but trying to get the spirit, called up his mom and Sakura later to apologize in case he ever oppressed them or made them feel inadequate. Look out for pink variants of Blanka-chan in stores soon.

Guile: Neither, but his family dragged into Barbie. Spent most of it stone-faced but by the time of the Just Ken musical battle number he did crack up a bit.

Dhalsim: Neither.

Zangief: Went to Barbie with R.Mika. Laughed so loudly during the movie you could hear it outside the room. Launches an all-women wrestling course because he thinks muscle power is the solution to misogyny as it is to everything. Marisa enrolls in for a laugh.

Balrog: Neither. Thinks long movies suck and wouldnt be caught dead attending a girl movie.

Vega: Enjoyed both from a reserved patrician distance, couldnt relate to either of the protagonists in any way. Offended by the existence of Weird Barbie and the scenes with old women in it.

Sagat: Neither. But if one of the kids at his village asked, he would go watch Barbie with them and pretend he had a good time, would heavily criticize Ken for betraying his community in vain pursuits of power.

M. Bison: Barbie, and he likes it, not even for any nefarious reason. Doesn't care to watch Oppenheimer, 3 hours of a guy getting cold feet about doing something that Bison happily does at home for free (murdering scores of innocent civilians).

Cammy: Oppenheimer. Only attended Barbie because the other Dolls asked her to, but she didn't think much of it.

Dee Jay: Barbie, and he had a great time. Plays his own remixes of Just Ken and Dance the Night for several nights at the club afterwards.

Akuma: Neither. If he did, he would quit Oppenheimer in the first minutes, in disgust at Oppenheimer's weakness for trying to murder his teacher with a poisoned apple instead of his bare hands.

Dan: Didn't plan to watch either but people kept seeing him in the street and assuming he was on his way to watch Barbie. After doing so, he tries to aggressively rebrand the Saikyo Dojo as a feminist dreamhouse over the following weeks and fails.

Nash: Oppenheimer. Didn't feel anything other than sadness.

Rose: Doesn't enjoy movies very much, her powers predict the entire plot before it happens, but still went to watch Barbie with Menat and Maggio.

Sodom: Neither, but protests Oppenheimer screenings in defense of Japan and genuine disgust over the movie's subject matter, runs away crying whenever it's pointed out that he's a white jock.

Rolento: Disliked Oppenheimer for the protagonist being a lily-livered coward who couldnt stand by his own choices in defense of the country.

Sakura: Barbie. Had fun, but the parts where Barbie punches a guy and outruns the police and the mother outfoxes the Mattel executives in a car chase is kinda what she wished most of the movie was like, dissappointed only the Kens got to fight.

Gen: Neither. Dead.

Cody: Barbie. Liked it fine, I guess, wasn't boring.

Dudley: Went with Elena to watch Barbie. Found it a smashing good time and felt offended at how rudely the Kens treated the Barbies when they took over.

Necro: Cried during both with Effie. Barbie's crisis over her humanity and her moment at the bench really got to him.

Hugo: Went with Poison to watch Barbie. Enjoyed it more than she did, found himself relating a lot to the tiny violent Allan man who belongs nowhere.

Makoto: Barbie. Didn't like the daughter's character arc one bit and walked out of it hating Barbie as a concept more .

Rufus: Went to Barbie at Candy's insistence and my God you could not get this man to shut up about it for days afterwards. Added feminist to the list of self-aggrandizing adjectives he uses.

Seth: Pre-Doll Zero, he would have watched Oppenheimer and not liked it for it's preoccupation with pathetic human morality. Post-Doll Zero, he would resonate unbelievably hard with Barbie's arc and have a breakdown over the ending.

Juri: Saw both. Spend the entirety of Oppenheimer browsing her phone and making loud bomb/fart noises with her mouth and laughing. Thought Barbie sucked.

Poison: Went with Hugo to watch Barbie and kept planning ways to cash in the pink/Barbie craze for her business. Thought the movie was funny but kinda dumb.

Rashid: Barbie, really really liked it. Pirates the movie before it's out on digital to make a reaction stream and gets sued over it.

F.A.N.G: Oppenheimer. Besides the skin melting scene, dissappointed at how little it showed the scientific process behind building an atomic bomb or civilians dying, he kinda signed up just for those things.

Luke: Liked both, really wants to have his own Mojo Dojo Casa House and, besides the whole oppressing women thing which is totally uncool, doesn't think the Kens were doing anything that wrong.

Jamie: Wanted to watch Barbie but drunkenly wandered into Oppenheimer by mistake and had a really bad time.

Manon: Criticizes Barbie for muddled politics and found Barbie apologizing to Ken at the end viscerally disgusting.

Marisa: Neither. Went to watch Meg 2 because watching action stars fight a giant rampaging shark seemed like more of a good time to her. Thought the first one was a lot better.

JP: Majority shareholder at Mattel stock, politely claps during the screening.

AKI: Has spent the last weeks furiously testing out poisons on various plastics and chasing down Mattel executives for intel. Has a cunning plan to take over Barbieland and gift it to her master.

[desiresign]

touhou music reccs, part one

paradise ~ deep mountain

night sakura of dead spirits

the lamentations known only by jizo

a shower of strange occurances

----

a tiny, tiny clever commander

mermaid from the uncharted land

the rabbit has landed

jelly stone

kitten of great fortune

the world is made in an adorable way

[cartoonrival]

kuwtu parents drunk karaoke night. guest list and organizer is whoever is funniest. you may choose to elaborate on various contributing factors (levels of comfort, singing ability, inebriation, desire to be present, and songs and drinks of choice) regarding each participant so much or so little as you desire

one thing about lorillee she will be thinking about drunk karaoke night.

ino and sai organize (mostly ino). guest list and general info:

ino- very comfortable to be singing in front of other people, pretty good but not knock out of the park good (she thinks she is though and sai agrees), very encouraging about bringing other people up to sing with her if they're nervous/reluctant

sai- not great on account of his monotony, but his duet with ino is cute because she's obviously very grandiose and excited with it and sai is more lowkey but if you know him you can tell he's having just as much fun as she is. was a bit uncertain at the idea at first but ino was very encouraging and excited about it.

sakura- gung-ho. not a good singer. keeps it chill at the start, goes harder the drunker she gets. shows up in a bad mood (as she often is) but by the end she's having the time of her life.

sasuke- ino tells sakura DO NOT BRING THAT DEAD WEIGHT OF A HUSBAND!!!! you deserve some time to let loose!!! but sasuke still shows up for some reason. he doesnt say anything he just sits at the back and makes everyone sort of uncomfortable until they eventually forget he's there. disappears midway through the night.

temari- reluctant to make a fool of herself. ino has to drag her up. only does one song, starts out very reserved but is belting by the end. very average singer. drinks enough to let loose a little, but she's responsible.

shikamaru- very light drinker because he prefers to keep his wits about him. came because he does enjoy spending time with everyone and doesn't NOT want to see his friends singing shitty songs, but is reluctant to make a fool of himself and has no desire to participate. ino and chouji drag him up and sing with enough spirit for the three of them (shikamaru never takes his hands out of his pockets the whole time he's on stage). he's not really trying in order to spare his ego, but it sort of sounds like he could be secretly good. is he secretly good??? we don't know. ino would like to know. shikamaru sing another one PLEASE how about this song, you love this song! but he says nope. that's all you're getting out of me.

hinata- very nervous but desperately wants to participate. drinks a lot because that's the only way she can get over her nerves. has a lot of fun. pretty terrible singer.

naruto- gung-ho. fucking loves it. sucks ass at singing but he's not gonna let that stop him. drinks probably too much. disappears midway through the night.

chouji (karui does not go because she fucking hates sasuke and naruto both)- eager to have fun and willing to make a fool of himself and more importantly of shikamaru, but also takes his solo very very seriously

some of the songs/who sings with who (more or less in this order)

ino (solo) - since u been gone by kelly clarkson

sakura and naruto - eye of the tiger by survivor

chouji (solo) - my way by frank sinatra

ino and sai - purple rain by prince (yes, all 8 minutes)

naruto and hinata - i want it that way by the backstreet boys

ino, chouji, shikamaru - happy together by the turtles

chouji and naruto - baby one more time (britney spears)

ino and temari - gimme gimme gimme (a man after midnight) by abba

hinata, sakura, ino- before he cheats by carrie underwood

sakura (solo) - break stuff by limp bizkit

[mercuriians]

May I request a femreader x Sakura (Naruto) story? Reader has a dream of a small retelling of Rapunzel. Reader climbs Sakura's hair and is happy to talk to her. The story doesn't advance in reader's dream as Reader just happily talks to Sakura. She then wakes up from the dream, surprised to see Sakura waking Reader up.

princess in pink

content info — fem! reader, fluffy drabble, lowkey a disney crossover.

word count — 1.0k words.

author’s note — thank you for the request anon!! i apologize for taking an actual eternity to write this 🙁, my sense of motivation was not kind to me. however, the good news is that it’s back now! this story is a little on the shorter side but i hope you guys enjoy it still. :)

all around the town, there’s been word of a beautiful, fair young girl who can only be found within a spiraling tower.

it's a myth as common as can be, having survived a decade of being passed around and exchanged like a silver coin. most of the people believed it, of course, ever since the village's princess mysteriously went missing, but there were always those who remained unaffected by all the talk. "people will say anything nowadays," they'd say with a scoff before proceeding on with their usual day-to-day business. you, like the majority, stood firm by the myth. however, unlike the majority, your spirit was fierce, unrestrained, and above all, inquisitive. in your eyes, everything was a challenge waiting to be beaten, a puzzle waiting to be understood. so, naturally, you vowed to prove to everyone that the story was in fact real, and that there was someone who genuinely needed help.

because there was no way that the village's princess was dead.

two days after you turned eighteen, you finally ventured outside the town walls, carrying nothing with you but a lamp. you were dressed simply, wearing your weathered boots and an onyx cloak that ensured you stayed hidden amidst the shadows of the night. you'd also stolen your father's dagger just before you left, figuring that you might as well be prepared for anything. you were adventurous, but you weren't daft. safety wasn't guaranteed when you were essentially leaving behind the sole place you'd ever known. but then again, you suppose, that was part of what made this escapade so exhilarating.

so you set off on your awaited journey, not knowing what to expect and yet expecting everything all the same.

but, after four days of searching all over the land, scribbling unprecedented areas into your little map, and relying on the surprisingly delicious berry bushes you were fortunate enough to stumble upon, maybe the one thing you didn’t anticipate was the overwhelming long, thick, silky rope of rosy hair dangling over the grand tower’s open window, its ends touching the grass-covered grounds of the clearing. your eyes widened.

there was someone inside that tower—the princess.

after taking a brief but thorough look at the building, you deduced that there was no other way to get in, so you started walking towards the rope of pink hair. carefully, you set foot on it, steadying yourself as best you could. a few seconds passed, and with a sharp inhale, you felt yourself being lifted, the hair being used as leverage as you got closer and closer to the window. voluntarily, you willed yourself not to look down.

it was only a minute later that you found yourself face-to-face with the lost princess herself, your mouth completely agape as you took a moment to process several truths all at once. the rumors were in fact true—of course they were—and the princess was alive and well, and wow were her emerald eyes always so captivating—

"you've come to save me," she says a little breathlessly, gaze clearly bright with joy. "after all these years, i've been found! please, tell me your name."

the sound of her smooth voice is enough to shake you out of your stupor. clearing your throat and disregarding your momentary embarrassment, you offer her a smile as politely as possible before bending into a bow. "(y/n), princess sakura. i'm glad that i've finally located you. the village has been in a deep state of unrest ever since you disappeared."

for a moment, sakura's smile tightens, but she regains her composure so swiftly that you question whether you were merely hallucinating. "i'm sorry to have caused all the worry. it's all a bit of a long story, but i'll make sure to tell you it later. how did you find me?"

you explain the details of your journey to the princess, and she nods along attentively, her eyes rarely leaving yours. her soft giggle wafts through the air when you comment on how the berries you found lined up along the dirt path were a delicious, convenient snack. "when we get back to the village, remind me to bake you a blueberry pie," she hums pleasantly. "think of it as my way of saying thank you."

you can't stop the way a rosy blush dusts over your cheeks. “it’s alright, really,” you protest weakly. “i’m okay.”

sakura’s smile drops a bit, a more stern expression passing over her face. “are you refusing a gift from the princess herself?” she asks with a fair sense of sass, her lithe fingers curling around her hip for good measure. it’s rather cute, especially with the pout she’s now maybe unintentionally wearing, but you keep that observation to yourself.

immediately you shake your head, a slightly nervous smile ghosting across your lips. “not at all, i promise,” you assure her. “thank you kindly, my lady.”

the two of you talk for a long while, exchanging remarks until it seems like time has worn itself thin. it never registers in your mind that the nature of the reality eventually grows hazy, almost as if the moment has been frozen in place like a lake during winter. really, all you’re able to focus on is the princess in front of you, with her soft rosy hair and easy smile. her scent is delicate, somewhat like strawberries, but there’s a sense of a kind yet assertive strength that sharpens her gaze. it’s one that somehow gives you an impression of what the princess thinks of you—as equals, as people who stand on the same ground. it’s a nice, comforting feeling.

but then the world starts to shift, and you start to feel someone shaking you awake. that’s when you realize that your reality—the one you’d been living in before—has ultimately never even existed. light pours into your line of vision, and with a small groan, you look up. fortunately, a familiar pair of emerald eyes is there to greet you.

“hey there, sleepyhead,” sakura laughs, fondly flicking you on the forehead. “nap time’s over. did you dream of anything?”

[uenodivision]

RISE FROM DEAD (Six Pack Ver.)

[Lana:]

Venturing into the realm of the dead? Now that is suicide!

On behalf of all the spirits in this place, you won't leave here alive!

[Itsuki:]

As the guardian, I stand my ground

I will not bend, nor fall down!

[Kanade:]

The graveyard is my second home

Intrude upon it, and you're gone!

[Aranai:]

Back for a second round? Usually, people only need one lesson

That's f'ing fine with me. I needed to lay off some aggression!

[Shisuta:]

Hear me now!

As long I've God, I refuse to back down!

[Kisouna:]

Criticizing the law?

Foolish criminal, you'll only fall!

[Aoba:]

First time on the scene, but I feel no shame

I promise that before this is over, you'll remember my name!

[Kunio:]

Step on stage with a smile and a wink

It'll be over soon, so don't blink!

[Natsume:]

In my hands, lies your destiny

Disrespect me, you'll pay the penalty!

[Sanyu:]

Thrown aimlessly to the side, like we were nothing but yesterday's trash!

But we stood right back up on our feet, ready and prepared to make a splash!

[Tasuku:]

The stage of battle has been set

Are you prepared? Then place your bet!

[Ming:]

We refuse to let this hold us back

We'll continue together, that's a fact!

[Sayaka:]

Still soaring through the air, all of the sky is my domain

Until this rap battle is over, I will not release my claim!

[Lola:]

With a swag in my step

It's time for me to represent!

[Kureha:]

The darkness has returned

Your fatal end has been confirmed!

[Kanon:]

The voices inside my mind, they sometimes drive me insane

But I'll listen to them now, as both my cohorts dig your grave!

[Reika:]

A fatal gasp from your breathe

As you are finally laid to rest!

[Sakura:]

Satisfying listening to you as cry

Die, fucker, die!

[Six Pack:]

Rise up

RISE FROM THE DEAD!!

A plot you can believe in

Carve it together

YOU’LL BE FREE!!

All our lingering emotional strife

The thoughts piled up in this mic

Time won't turn back

Frustrating

But it's irreplaceable

This world

A new era

We'll build it (Oh!)

We'll surely reach there

Heading towards tomorrow, break the chain!

[Lana:]

The three of us combined are more than enough a match for you

But lay a hand on either of them, and the end result is your doom!

[Itsuki:]

Facade, Tsuki, and Spooky

Leading you to rest is our eternal duty!

[Kanade:]

Think we'll lose to you? Oh no!

We rule this city of Kyoto!

[Aranai:]

You must be a glutton for punishment, coming back knowing the result!

Think you can just waste my time? What a fuckin' insult!

[Shisuta:]

RoD, The Saint, and Verdict

Our team, like God, is perfect!

[Kisouna:]

Disturbing Ueno's peace?

My grip on you will not release!

[Aoba:]

As the ashes from the fire rise, and your blood hits the street

A small grin appears on my face, as I finally feel complete!

[Kunio:]

Moriarty, Wanderer, and Arsene

No, this is not a dream!

[Natsume:]

I'm ready to go

Onto the city of Kumamoto!

[Sanyu:]

The "normal" people look at us, and think that we're already done

But they are unaware, that we have only just begun!

[Tasuku:]

The Rogue, Katame, and Ming

We're all ready to do this thing!

[Ming:]

The Fukuoka children

Their futures, I'll continue building!

[Sayaka:]

I don't care what harm or dangers fall upon me

As long as the people I care for can live their lives free!

[Lola:]

Don't worry, Butterfly

The Goddess and Night are forever by your side!

[Kureha:]

This precious town of Saitama

We'll protect it from all drama!

[Kanon:]

You idiotic fools discarded me, like I was done for

But as I return from the darkness, I'm now ready to settle the score!

[Reika:]

Belladonna, Hyde, and Renegade

The last names you'll ever hear!

[Sakura:]

Step foot in Shizuoka,

I'll make sure you fuckin' disappear!

[Six Pack:]

Rise up

RISE FROM THE DEAD!!

A plot you can believe in

Carve it together

YOU’LL BE FREE!!

All our lingering emotional strife

The thoughts piled up in this mic

Time won't turn back

Frustrating

But it's irreplaceable

This world

A new era

We'll build it (Oh!)

We'll surely reach there

Heading towards tomorrow, break the chain!

RISE FROM THE DEAD!! (Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey)

YOU’LL BE FREE!! (Hey, Hey, Ahhhh!)

Time won't turn back

Frustrating

But it's irreplaceable

This world

A new era

We'll build it (Oh!)

We'll surely reach there

Heading towards tomorrow, break the chain!