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mystical-flute · 5 months ago

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Checkered: Chapter 2

Was this supposed to only be a one shot? Yes, yes it was. But when a plot bunny bites you have to listen.

Also on AO3 || Buy me a ko-fi

The thing about KaibaCorp was that it had no political power in Domino. Not on the surface, anyway. None of the employees had ever been council members, or mayors, or governors, and nor had any of the executives. If you asked a resident of Domino who held the power, they would answer the same way - whoever had won the last election, of course.

That did not mean KaibaCorp didn’t wield political power anyway.

When Gozaburo Kaiba said to jump, the only thing you asked was how high and how much money he needed. Everyone in Domino could feel the invisible eyes and the pressure of Gozaburo’s thumb against the backs of their necks, even if they were nowhere near the towering building at the center of Domino.

Which was why, when five KaibaCorp cars pulled up to five different Domino high schools, no one, not security, or administration, questioned it, and sent the notice to each teacher like they would do if it were an actual parent taking their child from school early.

“Miss Mutou, it’s for you.”

Reika Mutou looked up from her textbook as the slip dropped onto her desk, and then felt her heart stop when the only thing written was the kanji for KC. Reika clenched the note in her fist as she stood up and grabbed her bag, sliding her book inside it before heading out of the room without a word.

To her great surprise, it was Kemo who had come to collect her, not Lector, and despite the air of neutrality on Kemo’s face, there was an air around him that warned her that something was wrong.

“Kemo, is everything -”

“I was instructed not to say anything until I got you to KaibaCorp, Miss Mutou. I’m sorry.”

Reika’s stomach twisted in nerves, and she stared out the window, counting the clouds in the sky for something to do.

“Your mother is fine, I will tell you that.”

And she exhaled in relief, though the nerves didn’t go away completely. “Thank you.” Whatever had happened was likely still bad, but her mother being safe was the most important thing.

The flickering white, red and blue lights was Reika’s first sign that something was terribly wrong.

“I’m going to let you out at the front door. Once you get out of the car, do not stop until you’re inside the building,” Kemo instructed as they neared the parking lot for KaibaCorp. “And go straight to your meeting room.”

That was the second sign.

But Reika did as she was instructed to, bolting out the door of the car and ignoring the reporters (why were there reporters here?) that were gathered in the press area by the front door, heading straight inside and for the front elevator, but as she passed through the bobby, she could see the pale, worried faces of the secretaries and other employees who were on the floor.

Oh no.

When she got up to the meeting room, she found three Young Five members, and each of their parents at the table, waiting for her.

“Mom?”

“Just sit down, Reika,” Miaka Mutou said quietly, patting the empty chair next to her. “Mr. Kaiba will explain.”

Her mother’s voice was never so soft, so unsure, but Reika took a seat and looked at the other Young Five members, who looked just as confused and concerned as she was.

When Mr. Kaiba arrived a few minutes later, it wasn’t the Mr. Kaiba the Young Five were expecting.

“Seto? Noah? What’s going on?” Hideo asked. “Where’s - ”

“Gozaburo is dead. I am the one in control of KaibaCorp.”

The words and tone of his voice were cold, but Reika could see a glimmer of something - relief, maybe? - in Seto’s eyes as he scanned the room.

“What happened?” Mei asked.

“The window in Conference Room 10 happened,” Noah said. “Father was a sore loser, and he jumped out the window.”

Noah’s tone echoed Seto’s - cold, uncaring, but again, she saw the same look of relief in his eyes.

Reika took a deep breath and addressed Seto. “I suppose you have been considering what to do about the Big Five and the Young Five.” Both groups were a relic of Gozaburo’s time - Gozaburo’s closest confidants, and the children that had been chosen by said confidants to be the faces of the future - but that had been Gozaburo’s future for the company, not Seto’s, and if Reika had learned anything about Seto Kaiba over the past four years, it was that Seto had a very different vision for the future.

“Yes, naturally that has been on my mind. And I have made the decision to allow you to stay on as the face of KaibaCorp’s next generation. You will still be invited to attend all of our events and learn from your mentors,” Seto explained. “However… this will not be the KaibaCorp you are used to. We are moving into the future and leaving the past behind. If that isn’t something you can handle, then leave.”

But no one moved, and she could see the pleased smiles on the BIg Five’s faces as they fanned out behind Seto and Noah.

“We will be going into a period of mourning. All employees will have the week off for the funeral and so we have time to plan out KaibaCorp’s new direction,” Seto continued.

“We do expect you to be at the center of the funeral with us, as a show of solidarity. Gozaburo was the weak link in KaibaCorp, not you or anyone else,” Noah added.

Hearing Noah call Gozaburo by his first name was a little startling. He had spent so long trying to fight for his place in the company, fighting against everything Seto had done so far, and now here they were, in solidarity that their father was dead and the world was better for it?

She wondered how much of it was a mask and how much of it was real. This whole situation was making her wonder if she’d ever known the real Noah - or Seto - at all.

It was then that she noticed there was someone missing from the group. “Seto, where’s Mokuba?”

“He’s with Ichika. You can go see him if you want,” Seto replied, turning to the door. “I’ll be in my office. Everyone else is dismissed for the day.”

Reika bowed, and the others quickly followed.

“No. None of that. Not from the Young Five,” Seto said, and Reika stood at her full height in confusion. “I do not want this to change the relationship we have already built. Do not bow to me when you see me.”

He was given five nods of understanding before he left the room, Noah trailing behind him.

“Did you need us for anything else, sirs?” she heard Sora ask.

“No. Do as Master Seto said. Go home and rest up. The mourning week is bound to be a very long one,” Nezbit sighed, and Reika could see him over by the cabinet where they kept the Singleton Paragon of Time whiskey and Cohiba Behike cigars - treats for the adults that were only pulled out during positive news for KaibaCorp.

“Reika,” her mother said, breaking her from her thoughts by putting a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

And Reika followed her mother downstairs and around to the private employee parking lot.

“Mom… did he really jump out the window?” she hesitantly asked when they were in the privacy of her mother’s car.

Her mother nodded. “Yes, he really did.”

“So we’re really free from him?”

Another nod. “Yes.”

“Is it bad if I say good?”

Miaka shook her head. “No. It’s not bad at all.”

“Okay, good.”

“We’re still having dinner tonight, as planned. Your uncle can’t reschedule.”

Though they were free from Gozaburo’s reign of terror, she was stuck with Takeo for the rest of his life, and she was seriously wondering which was worse - dealing with a megalomaniac with a desire for war, or a man desperate to climb the political ladder.

“A sixteen year old can’t run a multi-billion yen corporation, it’s absurd!” Takeo said as he burst through the apartment door, Aunt Kumi, Yugi, and Grandpa shuffling in behind him. “Miaka, surely something can be done about this!”

Her mother didn’t even flinch as she spoke. “Takeo, would you want to go against Gozaburo Kaiba’s will? He stated he would hand control of the company over to Seto upon his death, and here we are.”

Uncle Takeo was a fascinating anomaly in the Mutou family. Her grandfather, Solomon, had been an Egyptian explorer in his younger years and had a deep love of games that ran so deep, he owned a shop dedicated to them. Her father, Genji, worked as an engineer, long hours, same as Takeo, but her father also wore leather jackets and kept his hair long, down to his shoulders as opposed to in spikes like the other Mutou men, and while her father didn’t enjoy games the same way as Reika, Yugi, or Solomon did, he did actually have a sense of humor.

Takeo on the other hand lived in Tokyo most of the time and was desperate to gain power and influence in Japan, and tried to get Yugi to forget about the games he so loved.

He had nothing to say though, in response to her mother’s warning about Gozaburo’s will, and instead frowned at her.

“Come on, Takeo, give the kid a chance,” her father said, rolling his eyes as he handed him a drink. “Gozaburo is dead, and he named a successor. Don’t write off Seto Kaiba just because he’s young. Honestly, if I didn’t have my big project going on at work I’d put in an application to Kaiba Corp just to see what the future’s gonna hold for it.”

“Is Noah alright?” Yugi asked. “I mean, that was his dad, even if Gozaburo wasn’t exactly a nice guy.”

Reika pressed her lips together. “I didn’t really get the chance to talk to him today but… he looked like he was at peace with what happened.” It usually wasn’t hard to tell what Noah was thinking, but he had masked something when they’d come in to inform the Young Five of what happened.

“I hope he’s okay,” Yugi murmured. “What about Mokuba? Did he…”

“No, Mokuba didn’t see anything. From what I understand, one of the Big Five grabbed him before Gozaburo went through the window,” her mother said. “Thankfully.”

“That’s good,” Kumi said with a small sigh of relief. “It must have been traumatizing enough for Noah and Seto to see it, but Mokuba is still so young…”

“I’ll be inviting him over whenever he wants, so I can keep teaching him piano,” Reika said with a small smile. “He’s quite good, especially for someone who hasn’t had the level of tutoring I had.”

“Yeah? Does he like Duel Monsters? Maybe I can teach him to play!” Yugi asked with a bright smile.

“Duel Monsters is more Seto’s game, but I’m sure now that Gozaburo’s gone Mokuba will be allowed into the game shop.”

That had been the stipulation Gozaburo put on Mokuba being able to spend time with Reika outside of Kaiba Corp related events - Mokuba wasn’t allowed to go into the game shop. The assumption the Young Five had was it was because he didn’t want Mokuba getting any ideas for gifts to Seto.

“He will be welcome with open arms,” Solomon said with a bright smile. “He seems like a good boy.”

Reika smiled in return. She couldn’t help but wonder just how much love Mokuba actually felt at Kaiba Manor, besides from Seto. She hoped he was supported by someone on the staff, or multiple someones.

“I think Mokuba likes Capsule Monsters Chess… I heard him talking about it to Seto once,” she said. “Did you get anything new in the shop for it, gramps?”

“Why yes actually! I got a new shipment of boards in. I haven’t put them out yet. Was told not to by the company until next week but… I suppose they would understand someone with the last name Kaiba getting an early look.”

Reika gave him a smile of relief. “Thanks gramps…”

“ - the funeral is on Thursday, Takeo, if you can make it.”

“I will speak to the governor. I’m certain he’ll want to be there, but I will make sure I am there too.”

Reika resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he would want to use a funeral to try and get his name and face out into the business world. But Gozaburo Kaiba would get his grand farewell, but it would all be a show, just hundreds of puppets dancing on strings, and a grave that would only receive visitors because his predeceased wife shared the same one.

On Thursday, the whole Mutou clan arrived at a temple for the wake. Their heads were bowed as the offering of condolence money was handed to Kemo, before they entered the room where Gozaburo’s body was.

“Thank you for coming,” Noah said smoothly, though his eyes were hiding the annoyance of what must have been having to perform this performance of a distraught child. “It means so much to our family.”

“Are you okay?” she murmured to him.

“I’m ready for this week to be over,” he muttered in reply, stepping to the side to allow her parents room to light incense. “It’s exhausting having to pretend I care, and having to deal with so many people who are upset.”

Reika frowned. It seemed like such a quick heel turn against his father, that she wasn’t quite sure she believed he wasn’t upset at what happened.

“You’re on the same page with Seto? For sure?” she asked. “You’re really okay with the company not being for war machines of death?” She really hoped it was true, but he had been so focused on getting Gozaburo’s attention she couldn’t be sure.

“I’m sure. Seto put me in charge of designing VR for the company. He’s even using a design my father ignored,” Noah said. “I really do believe this is going to be for the best, Reika. I was just too blind to see it before.”

“I know it will be. You’ll be able to do some good in the world now.”

There was a lot she was leaving unsaid, but the funeral was no place for it. Not with so many ears - friendly and not - around her, and to be honest, not all of it was for Noah or Seto to hear.

She stood to the side and bowed to the owner of Yamazaki Industries when he approached, the mask of sadness evident on her face before making her way toward Seto and Mokuba.

Mokuba looked uneasy, unsure of his place here, while Seto, at least in Reika’s opinion, looked like he was attempting to fight back a smirk.

“Hi Reika,” Mokuba said softly. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s not a problem.” It was an obligation. “But hey, I heard from a very reliable source that the new Capsule Monsters board has been delivered to stores.”

Mokuba’s eyes widened. “Really? Seto, can I please go to Kame Games so I can see the new board?”

Seto looked over at her, his face passive, unreadable. “After the mourning period is over. We will contact you when Mokuba is available.”

“Of course. We eagerly await your call.”

“Miss Reika.”

She glanced up at Lector and nodded once. Time to be with the Young Five.

During the funeral ceremonies, the Big and Young Five sat behind the Kaiba brothers, as the closest and the most valuable people to Gozaburo. They chanted and prayed, and Reika could see Lector’s Catholic Rosary clenched tightly in his fist. He was mouthing his own prayers in the downtime between Buddhist rites.

The funeral itself was much the same, though mourners lined the streets before and after the funeral itself, giving solemn looks toward the Kaiba brothers, yet didn’t seem to shed tears in the direction of the hearse as Gozaburo’s body was loaded into it to take to the crematory.

For them, at least, it was over. They had done their duty as the face of KaibaCorp’s new generation, and now they could relax - or as relax as much as they could being around the business world. There was still the large luncheon that had been planned by Sora’s family, to be held at their manor, but that at least would keep the adults distracted with alcohol.

“Just because Gozaburo is gone doesn’t mean we can trust Seto. Or hell, Noah for that matter, with the way they were able to get everything out from under Gozaburo. There’s no telling if they’ll do the same with the Big Five,” Katsuo said as they settled around a table, his eyes darting over to their mentors to make sure they were occupied.

“Don’t be stupid, Katsuo. Seto can’t afford to get rid of the Big Five right now, if ever.” Mei replied. “The world is watching him now. Everyone is waiting for him to fail, and people like Tanaka Industries would be more than happy to take control of the company and turn it back to where Gozaburo had it.”

None of them were fools - Seto Kaiba had never been interested in war, and arguments between Seto and Gozaburo had been hard to miss despite the closed doors. Everyone knew the era of war technology was gone from KaibaCorp.

“We all know Seto isn’t going to let that happen,” Reika said, leaning back against her chair. “He’s too prideful. None of us are going anywhere. Besides, a new era of KaibaCorp goes perfectly well with the aims of the Young Five.”

“The world might be watching KaibaCorp as a whole, but it’s watching us too. We were just in the Domino Times last week. Seto is going to need us to make it seem like KaibaCorp is still business as usual. Even if the business itself has changed,” Sora said with a nod. “It’ll be nice anyway. I don’t know how many more war machines I could see Nezbit come up with. Gozaburo might have been a monster, but let’s not kid ourselves, the Big Five are just as bad. And we have benefited from that destruction.”

Given what the Big Five had done for them over the years, money, notoriety, and, more recently, access to whatever university program they had their hearts set on after graduation, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but a true one. Blood stained their hands, whether they wanted it to or not. But now they would be washing the blood off, and Seto Kaiba was going to lead them.

“Let’s just agree, the five of us, that no matter what happens, we stick together as a team,” Katsuo said, lifting his glass in a toast. “To the Young FIve. Long may we reign.”

-----

Maximilian Pegasus looked up as his computer chimed with the sound of a new email. It had been a long day already, and while it was tempting to curl up with a Funny Bunny book and a glass of wine, it was probably important enough to warrant his attention.

He didn’t get surprised much anymore - not since before Shadi had given him the Millennium Eye to see into people’s minds - but this email had caught him off guard.

Dear Mr. Pegasus,

I would like to set up a meeting with you regarding the future of Duel Monsters. My company has created holographic technology that will revolutionize the gaming industry, and I want Duel Monsters to be at the forefront of it. Please reply to this email with the earliest date possible that we can meet.

Regards,

S. Kaiba

Pegasus couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. “Oh my, young Kaiba-boy, you sure do move quickly… Croquet! Set up a meeting with KaibaCorp, immediately!” When Croquet had disappeared from the room, Pegasus smirked a little.

“Well now Seto Kaiba, let's see what you can do.”

#yugioh #fanfiction #seto kaiba #mokuba kaiba #maximillion pegasus

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wyfy-meltdown · 6 months ago

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HOLY FLIP, THIS ANGEL PROJECT CONCEPT IS SO AMAZING!!!!! THERE'S TONS OF POTENTIAL AND I HAVE TO BE HONEST, YOU HAD ME COMPLETELY HOOKED. I love it and I'd love to hear more about it!!!

Also it's incredibly tragic that Remiko died at 10. That's– That's just tragic... (but also it has me wondering about her Demon form and how it looks like) (Oop and not to forget that Reika was apparently manipulated and then beaten to death; that's brutal and incredibly tragic)

ONCE AGAIN, THIS CONCEPT IS WONDERFUL!!! I LOVE

(Oh wait, what's Parasite Wardrobe about, I'd like to know–)

Thank you so much, it makes me really happy to hear someone thinks my concept is interesting!!!

I'll definitely talk about it more in the future, and I'll probably talk about Parasite Wardrobe too (however Parasite Wardrobe isn't fully developed yet and doesn't have many solid concepts or characters)!

For right now Remiko's Demon form (aka Kisbie) looks like a type of circular pool floaty ring

(One of these bad boys:)

Kisbie also has some flag flourishes and lots of colours, but no final design yet!!!

Also thank you for the interest in Reika's story! She's got one of the more complete backstories and narratives, but I did worry that it was a bit to "edgy" so I'm glad to hear it came out well!!!

I'll describe character stories in more detail (likely once I get around to drawing and posting them), and I'll try my best to develop a similar lore dump for Parasite Wardrobe!

#wyfy's mailbox #magical girl #magical girl project #angel project #thank you again anon!!! ♡

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ginza-division · 2 years ago

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Eiji's Thoughts on Shizuoka Division

Kanon Hojo

"Chuohku seems to attract all types of people, all from different walks of life. I mean, I have to wonder where exactly they are recruited from, or what makes them join the government, in general. This woman is a perfect example. I don't recall seeing her the first time I visited Chuohku, and I am not at all upset about that. I don't know what caused her to join the government, but I don't think they were too torn up about her departure. She seems... just slightly unhinged. I don't think she has a PROFILE. If she does, I am not interested in taking a gander at it."

Reika Aichi

Eiji, for once, loses his calm and easygoing composure and glares deeply at the photo of the socialite. "In case you're wondering, yes I do happen to know Reika-san, though I really wish I didn't. How do I know her? I was good friends with Itsuki Sougo, her fifth husband. In fact, the man was one of the best lawyers for Sigma Inc. The first time I met her was at a cocktail party that I was hosting before Christmas, as thanks to my employees for all their hard work. She seemed like a nice woman, but... there was just something about her that I didn't care for. The fact that she subtly insulted Maiya, who was accompanying me as my plus-one, didn't help her. I was afraid Maiya would do something, but she kept her cool and continued conversing with her. I wonder if Reika realized how foolish she made herself look..."

"Anyway, when I received word that Sougo-san had passed away, I was shocked. Reika-san claimed that it was self-defense because he had attacked her cause he was drunk, but I knew it was a lie. Sougo-san was one of the nicest people outside of the courtroom and never wished ill will on anyone, regardless of what they may or may not have done. I wanted to see her badly get arrested and put in jail. But unfortunately, the police stated there were no signs of foul play involved, so his death was ruled as an 'accident'."

"An 'accident'?! When I heard that on the news, I nearly lost it! It took Maiya calming me down to make me do so before I did something I regretted. And to make matters worse, it turns out, per his "will", all of his money and possessions would go to Reika. To say that I was incensed would be an understatement. I compensated Sougo-san's family heavily, though I know that wouldn't bring him back."

"As for Reika... though she thinks she may have gotten away with it, I put a heavy ban on her on PROFILE, and erased her account. She tried to appeal numerous times to get back online, but I made sure to deny her each and every time. I know she can easily create a new account, but she knows better than to draw attention to herself, less she wants me to ban her again. It's nothing less than what she deserves for what she did to Sougo-san. And believe me when I say, a recompense will come to her sooner or later."

Sakura Kito

"I can't tell you much about this woman. All I know is that she's the leader of the Yakuza over in Shizuoka, and I have nothing to do with that. I know Masa has his... own people, but I don't like dealing with them. And from what I heard, Oki has a bone to pick with her, so I'll let the two of them deal with her."

"...I will say this though: I know she has a PROFILE, but she should be careful exactly what she's putting on there. If it gets out that she's planning some sort of crime or something else that's heinous, I will be forced to contact the proper authorities and have her arrested."

Silent Tragedy

"Yeah, this may be the first team that I don't particularly care for. That former Chuohku scientist bothers me, and Sakura... like I said, I want nothing to do with her or the Yakuza. And Reika..." Eiji slowly lights a cigarette before glaring at the screen.

"It's never been my policy to hurt a woman. But in this day and age, I believe that if a woman is going to strike a man, then a man should be allowed to retaliate. I am a very basic guy, and this isn't the 20th century. So Reika, trust me when I say this: if we happen to meet at the D.R.B., I will make you pay for not only killing my friend Sougo, but also insulting my wife. You will pay dearly, wench, and you will answer for your crimes. And that's not a threat or a promise. It's a natural fact!" Eiji discards his cigarette and walks off.

#hypnosis microphone #hypnosis mic #hypmic #hypnosis mic oc #hypmic oc #eiji noguchi #ginza division #last judgment #shizuoka division #silent tragedy #reika aichi #sakura kito #kanon hojo

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alpaca-clouds · 2 years ago

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Fluffcember Day 22: Those Sleepless Nights

Day 22 of my Fluffcember Challenge. Today's prompt was Drunk on Mulled Wine.

Fandom: Digimon Tamers

Shipping: Yamaki/Reika

Genre: Family Fluff

Length: 970 words

[Ao3 Link]

ork Text:

Mitsuo was not drunk. Not really. At least that was, what he told himself, as he stood in a by now almost empty subway car. He had to fight the sleep, as it was long past midnight. That shitty British guy really had wanted to know it all. Well, figuratively speaking, of course. They were intelligence. They could not simply exchange information. That was aside from the information that those types always wanted to know. About the Digimon, about the digital world, about those things that had happened four years ago.

His face was burning hot and once the train finally reached his stop, he actually struggled standing up.

Well, shit. Maybe he was actually drunk.

That British asshole had first a go at the pubs in Golden Gai. And when Mitsuo had thought they were done, the guy heart of the Christmas market and wanted to go. As if those things were not common place in Britain. So additionally to the beer, they had some of that spicy hot wine. It really should not pack the punch that it did.

“Ugh.” He massaged his temples as he stepped out into the subway station. His head was already killing him and he did not want to know what hangover would feel like tomorrow. Shit. He wasn't getting any younger, was he?

Slowly he made his way up to the cold street. It had gotten quite icy, recently, though there had not been any snow. His breath formed little clouds, as he pushed his hands into his pockets and moved along - back home. He would probably sleep on the sofa to not wake up Reika. It was enough if he suffered.

With shaky hands, he opened the door to the staircase, glad that the stupid elevator was fixed again. When he arrived at the fifth floor, he stumbled into the corridor, making his way back home. Cursing softly under his breath, he tried to open the door, only to realize that he could hear a by now all-too familiar sound.

Namiko. Screaming.

Before he could help himself, there was a smile sneaking onto his face. It still had not stopped baffling him, that he was a father now. An actual father. He opened the door and found Reika in the living room, walking up and down in front of the balcony, the screaming baby girl in her arms.

She looked exhausted, as she looked at him. “Great. There you are…” she muttered and went over to him. She kissed him onto the cheek, before wordlessly handing the screaming child to him.

Little Namiko was now almost one year old and had recently started to teeth. As such their nights had become shorter than they even had been during the time before. Namiko had been a thankful child, when it came to nursing. Whining a bit, but quickly going back to sleep afterwards. The toothing, well, it had made it worse.

Reika vanished into the bathroom, apparently having held the little girl for to long.

Mitsuo's head was complaining about the waxing and waning noise. He rocked the child in his arms. “Hey there. Hey,” he tried soothing her, but did apparently not even gain her attention. She just continued to scream.

“Poor little girl,” he muttered to himself, as the child continued screaming her lungs out. There was no way he could easily fix it for her, though. The toothing was something every child had to go through – and would not remember. He had actually read up on those things. Because quite frankly: fatherhood frightened him to death. There was just so much he could do wrong and even Janyuu's laughing encouragements did do little to help. He had read, that even if children did not remember the toothing as adults any longer, they might be traumatized, if they were left alone in the pain.

So, he continued rocking her, until he heard the toilet flush.

Reika stumbled back into the room. She was already in her pajama's, looking way more disheveled than her usual self. She looked over to him, to the child, and opened the fridge, to get her teether out of it. “It should've cooled down a bit,” she muttered, as she offered it to the child.

Even this the child did not notice at first. Only when Reika softly bobbed the teether against Namiko's cheek, the little girl opened her eyes and saw it. She did understand this much, her small hands grabbing the soft ring and shoving it into her mouth. Chewing on it a bit, the cries died down to a low whine, making Reika sigh in relief.

“She has been like that for hours,” she whispered, taking Namiko back. She, too, rocked the child, who was still chewing her ring, until even the whines died down. Then Reika looked over to Mitsuo. “You're drunk.”

“I am,” he admitted. “That British guy…” He shook his head. Really, there was nothing more to tell. Reika had been by his side for most of his career so far – working as his right-hand woman. She knew of those “guys” and the way they were.

She continued rocking the child, as she carried Namiko over to the bedroom and finally setting her down on the bed.

Only when she emerged, she let of another relieved sigh, as she went over to him, kissing him softly against the lips. “You want another coffee?” she offered. “Because I sure need one.”

He smirked at that. “You know me.” She had gotten him to quit smoking, when she had gotten pregnant, but the caffeine was one vice he would not easily shake.

She went over to the kitchen, turning on the coffee maker. “My head is killing me,” she muttered, making him chuckle now.

“Yeah,” he said. “That makes two of us.”

#Fluffcember #Family Fluff #Domestic Fluff #Digimon Tamers #Yamaki Mitsuo #Ootori Reika #yamaki x reika #Digimon #digimon fanfiction

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maitranslations · 4 years ago

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[ENG Translation] Hokaze Chiharu - 22/7 Official Blog

22/7. 帆

2021.02.28

Sato Reika's VA, Hokaze Chiharu here.

The 7th single "Boku ga Motteru Mono Nara" live, both day and night performances, have ended. To those who came down to watch, or watched the stream, thank you very much!!

I was thinking back about a lot of things during the live and when the songs were played.

The group's formation, performing in front of people for the first time, meeting Sato Reika-chan, the amount of time I spent with the members, and the fans, who gave me kind words, supported me, and loved us all this time.

As I've said during the live, 22/7 is where I was given courage, and the push to continue chasing my dreams. 22/7 was really an important place for me to belong in.

Moving forward, leaving the place and going in a new environment gives me a lot of feelings of anxiousness and wanting to rush into things, but...

I want to get to know myself better. I want to find out more and more about what I can do. Finally, I want to set a higher goal for myself.

I'm happy to feel that way.

I'm sure that from now on, there will be a lot of hurdles, but if I think about the time I've spent in 22/7, I think I'll be able to overcome them.

To 22/7 members, all the fans, the many people who have supported me all this while, I'm saying with all my heart, I hope to meet all of you again! I will keep going towards my goal.

I talked a bit about this during the FC stream, but one of my future goals is to perform together with 22/7!! I mean it!!

Thank you very much for meeting Hokaze Chiharu. Thank you very much for cheering on me, and supporting me all this while. All of you will always be special to me.

I will do my best so that we can meet again somewhere.

Ah, I just remembered something after writing all of that! It's about the live...

Yuutousei jya Tsumaranai

Sora no Emerald

Those songs were added to the setlist when I voiced out that I wanted to sing them.

Those songs gave me the push to move forward and are special to me, so to be able to sing them at the end made me so happy.

I'm sure that those songs will remain special and encouraging to me.

And today!!

I gave my best as 22/7 Sato Reika's VA, Hokaze Chiharu!!! I showed my best!!! I regret nothing!!!!

Thank you very, very much for this whole time. I will do my best so that one day, everyone can be proud of the fact that you have once supported "Hokaze Chiharu".

Also, please continue to support 22/7.

Let's meet again someday!!!

This was Sato Reika's VA, Hokaze Chiharu!!!

帆

Note: Please let me know if there are any errors! *wipes tears*

#hokaze chiharu #chiharun #22/7 #nanabun no nijyuuni #帆風千春 #ちはるん #ナナブンノニジュウニ #ThankYouChiharu

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villainess-noble-girl · 4 years ago

Text

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Title: Second-Year Valentine's Day

Author: meiberry

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12852677/1/Second-Year-Valentine-s-Day

Fandom: Kenkyo Kenjitsu

Pairing: EnjouXReika

Photo: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/67148847

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

"No. I'm not going to take it. It's going to make me sleepy. Plus it tastes like soap."

The muffled voice of Yukino came from beneath the covers. The IV drip tube poked out from the ball of sheets in the hospital bed.

Shuusuke sighed at his little brother's stubborn actions. Good thing he came prepared for this. "Yukino. Kisshouin-san wrote you a letter."

The ball of sheets shifted, and Yukino's head popped out from beneath the covers, his doe peering up at Enjou in surprise. "...Reika-oneesama?"

Shuusuke held up a small pink envelope with "Yukino-kun" written in neat handwriting in the center. Yukino reached for it when Shuusuke swept it back out of reach with a gentle smile.

"..." Sullenly, Yukino obediently drank the medicine. Watching as he finished it, Shuusuke patted his head and handed him a glass of water with a piece of candy to take care of the medicine's bitter aftertaste. Yukino popped the candy in his mouth with one hand and eagerly held out the other, looking up at Shuusuke expectantly. Shuusuke handed him the letter and watched as his little brother opened it earnestly.

In the beginning, Shuusuke was pretty surprised to see him get along so well with an older girl. Usually, Yukino was not so nice. He was a really smart kid for his young age, and many older girls had been trapped by his soft, harmless facade only to be humiliated and insulted beyond repair. But recently, Shuusuke found that with Kisshouin, Yukino seemed to genuinely act like his appearance.

Shuusuke could see why. Kisshouin clearly didn't have any ulterior motives when speaking to Yukino. Older girls usually saw Yukino as a means to an end. If they weren't patronizing then they were obsequious, obviously trying to use the younger brother to get to the older one. But when it came to Kisshouin… if anything, it was as if her treatment of the two brothers was reversed. In the ten years of knowing her, the very first time that Kisshouin started a one-on-one conversation with Shuusuke that lasted longer than one minute happened to be because Yukino. It was a dreadfully humbling experience. Yukino has sure put up with a lot these past few years.

In any case, no matter how devilish he was to other people, in the end, Yukino really was still a little boy, and Shuusuke was simply grateful that he was able to be just a normal, cute kid with someone, even if it was a girl who clearly didn't put Shuusuke in her eyes.

He watched peacefully as his little brother's eyes happily flew across the letter.

"Kisshouin-san really cares about Yukino."

Yukino shot a glance over at him, "What? Is oniisama jealous?" And then he continued reading his letter.

"And don't think that I don't realize you told her to write this to make me obediently stay in the hospital."

Shuusuke smiled wryly. When he could tell Yukino was finished reading, he continued, "Well, Yukino seems to really like Kisshouin-san. I thought maybe you would listen if she asked you personally."

Yukino smiled, happy from finishing Kisshouin's letter. "Yeah, I do like her. Reika-oneesama is really nice and she's not just pretending. Do you want to read it, oniisama? I'll let you read it, since you asked her to write this for me. I'm going to the bathroom."

Yukino handed the letter to Shuusuke as he climbed out of bed and grabbed at his drip stand to roll it into the bathroom in the room.

Shuusuke blinked at the letter in his hands. Although he didn't ask to read it, he was honestly pretty curious. What did she say to Yukino to cheer him up, anyways?

The letter was not very long, and it fit neatly on the cute stationary decorated with little birds and vines.

Yukino-kun,

Enjou-sama told me that you are admitted to the hospital. I am worried for your health. Your family must be even more worried than me. I hope you take care of your body because many people care about you very much, and we want for you to quickly become well again. With that said, I hope you listen to the doctor so that you can leave the hospital soon. I know that sometimes it is really hard to do something you don't like. But experts have their reasons for their advice.

Recently I have been learning to make desserts from a friend. To be honest, my dessert-making skill is much farther behind my cooking. I think I know what to do when I try to be creative and individual with my own ideas, but actually, my friend tells me that the greatest mistake in baking is not following from the recipe. This is completely different from cooking, where not following the recipe is not that big of a deal. When I listened to my friend, I made a dessert more delicious than anything I'd ever made in my life! I realized at that moment, ah, so that is the difference between a normal person and an expert. With that said, I hope you understand the importance of listening to experts such as your doctor.

When you come back, you'll be able to see your other friends and me in the Petite Pivoine salon again.

Wishing you a quick recovery,

Kisshouin Reika

By the time Yukino returned from the bathroom, Shuusuke had already finished reading the letter and had set it on the tray over the foot of Yukino's bed.

"So, what did you think of Kisshouin-san's letter? Are you going to listen to her when she asks to you listen to to doctor's advice?"

"I guess." Yukino sat at the foot of the bed and picked up the letter again, folding it and carefully putting it back in its envelope before he flopped back into bed, pulling the covers over himself. "The way she asks me to listen to the doctor is just less irritating than when you ask me to listen to the doctor."

Shuusuke helped put the covers over Yukino.

"I wonder why Reika-oneesama is learning to make desserts." Yukino looked at Shuusuke, his eyes widening. "Valentine's Day is coming up, isn't it? I wonder what Reika-oneesama is making…"

"Hmm. Who knows."

"I wonder if she's learning to bake something for the person she likes..."

"Hmm. Who knows."

Yukino's eyes widened like big dark marbles as he looked at Shuusuke.

"You're curious, too, aren't you oniisama? Ne, ne, what kinds of sweets has oniisama received from Reika-oneesama on Valentine's day?"

"Actually, I've never received anything from Kisshouin-san on Valentine's Day."

"Ehhhhh!"

Shuusuke thought about how in the ten years since he's known Kisshouin Reika, she has never given anyone Valentine's chocolates. Year after year, the whole school secretly held its breath in wonder at who the Goddess Kali of Suiran would afflict with her attentions. And year after year the answer was an anti-climatic… nobody.

Kisshouin Reika never gave anybody at Suiran chocolates for Valentine's day. Him and Masaya were not excluded.

Ah, wait, that's not right. Last year she gave courtesy chocolates to the student council president. In fact, Shuusuke was the one who pointed this out to Masaya... Even though she had done it in secret, for Kisshouin Reika to give chocolates to a guy at Suiran was no small matter and in the end the word leaked anyways. Because she had done it pretty secretively, there were no massive rumours, but the thing about secrets was that they always spread. Shuusuke heard about it from the more low-key sources.

Back then, he had remembered how she seemed to have had a crush on the same student council president back in middle school, but nothing had happened even after all these years. For nothing to have happened all this time, what other conclusion was it other than unrequited love? He hinted at this story of camaraderie to Masaya in hopes of inspiring him to move on with his life. Unrequited love was not the end of the world. Just look at Kisshouin-san.

Who knew that the whole thing would have worked out so beautifully at graduation. Tomoe Senju actually had a girlfriend! And he called Kisshouin Reika a sister in front of everybody. Masaya was so moved by Kisshouin's composure and courage. Shuusuke felt like he was watching Masaya watch a romance movie. Out of all the times that he's taken advantage of Kisshouin, Shuusuke felt most proud about the way that one turned out. Witnessing the way Kisshouin "handled" the student council president's "public rejection" totally inspired Masaya and brought him back from depression. He completely recovered from Yurie's rejection after that.

Yukino's marble eyes seemed to glitter in wonder as he looked up at the handsome young man sitting beside the bed.

"Wow, even though every year it seems like you get chocolates from every single girl we know, there is actually one girl who has never given you any chocolates… not even once! Hehhh..."

Yukino did not look or sound sympathetic at all with the the corner of his lips twitching upwards.

"That reminds me... when we first met and I introduced myself, Reika-oneesama made a 'geh!' face when she heard my name, like she was really saddened to hear that Oniisama was my oniisama... I thought that maybe she hated you!"

"Hmm. I sure hope Kisshouin-san doesn't hate me. But if she does hate me, then that's unfortunate."

"No, no. I don't think Reika-oneesama hates you, Oniisama! She probably doesn't even think about you at all."

"..." Shuusuke's expression remained serene as he stayed silent.

Yukino looked at his face and suddenly giggled. Shuusuke joined in with a few chuckles. For a short moment, they laughed together.

"Ahahaha…"

"Hahaha…"

"..."

Yukino turned over in bed. "Don't worry, oniisama. Maybe one day Reika-oneesama will also remember to give you chocolates, too."

"..."

"Oh yeah, oniisama, could you find me something to write with? I want to write Reika-oneesama a reply."

"...Alright. I'll go find you some paper."

The next morning, Shuusuke thanked Kisshouin for her letter to Yukino. She looked really happy that it helped. Yeah, it was really useful. She was pretty humble.

"Yukino said that it was fun to read about making sweets."

"I could only think of unimportant things to say… well..."

Hm, there it was. Shuusuke could always hear the instant whenever it sounded like Kisshouin was trying to wrap up a conversation and escape. Usually, he'd just let her go. But for some reason, he didn't feel like it this time. The words Yukino said yesterday skipped around his mind, reviving an old and annoying itch.

"So Kisshouin-san is making sweets. Could it be that on Valentine's day..."

"Umm…" He watched as Kisshouin's eyes lowered, her cheeks blushing very lightly. He could imagine her cheeks must have been warm to the touch now. "Yes..."

"Hn."

It'd be a lie to say that he never expected any chocolates from Kisshouin Reika. It wasn't to say that he wanted her chocolates or anything like that. In fact, the idea of actually eating Kisshouin Reika's handmade sweets seemed like something that belonged to the realms of extreme adventures and chemically dangerous thrill-seeking. Although, whether or not Reika's chocolates are edible, Shuusuke wouldn't want to eat them anyways, as he didn't have a sweet tooth, but...

...He still expected to get them.

It was about logic. If a girl knew Enjou Shuusuke, then she would give him chocolates on Valentine's day. (The same applied to Kaburagi Masaya.) Three of five of chocolates would be honmei. That was the rule. He knew it was a very unique and extraordinary rule. Certainly not every boy in the world had the ridiculous privilege of receiving a mountain of chocolates and sweets from all the girls he knew. But, that was his experience.

In accordance with his life experience, it was natural to expect chocolates from a girl he knew when he's always received chocolates from every girl he knew. With no exceptions.

Except this one.

#villainess noble girl #fanfic #light novel #kenkyo kenjitsu #EnjouXReika #Enjou Shuusuke #Kisshouin Reika #Japanese noble girl #isekai

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sparklingichigo · 3 years ago

Text

Drama Intensifies

Part 12

Meanwhile, Simeon and Luke help Ichigo and Barbatos up, luckily they're not that injured but they need to get them both to safety.

Mammon: Let's go! I think there's a safe room somewhere!

Simeon: Certainly. Can you stand, Ichigo?

Ichigo: Yeah, I can^^ Thanks for the help though.

Simeon: It's the least we can do.

Luke: There it is, let's go! Simeon, can we just fly there? It's faster!

Mammon: Yeah, just give her to me. I'm faster.

Ichigo: Can't you guys not- just get me there ffs-

Luke: Mammon, we're in the middle of an emergency! That's not important! JUST GET HER THERE RIGHT NOW!!

Simeon: [Sigh but gets her there any way via air]

Ichigo: Not expecting that much light but okay-

Luke: Angel things-

Mammon: Here have my shade- [gives Ichigo his shades]

Ichigo and Luke: It's not going to work!!

Simeon: Sorry about that, but we're here now^^ [puts Ichigo to the safe rooms' bed]

In the meantime, Haruka is still fighting against the enemies alone. Since it's too much she decides to take it to the air. The battle proceeds with her summoning more magic.

Haruka: Blizzara!

Yes, that's her first spell, summoning a big chunk of ice to fall against the enemies. Of course, this succeeds but there's more. More enemies are coming at her so she chants out another spell.

Haruka: Thundraga

The name goes without saying, it's a spell to summon thunder, to electrocute the enemies, specifically one of the generals from the shadow Kingdom, unfortunate for him, he got electrocuted. Rip.

Of course, everyone is impressed by this. One of them is a female general, she took interest in her powers.

Female general: This is quite interesting. Who is she again?

Random knight from the shadow kingdom: Oh she's a princess.

Female general: A princess? That's quite interesting. I'm dueling with her.

Random knight: Are you sure ma'am? She just electrocuted one of the generals

Female general: I'm sure she's not that strong against me.

With that, that female general teleports herself to be near Haruka. The two begin to duel, unfortunately, this female general has an illusion power confusing Haruka a bit. The other soldiers are also coming. The knights from Haruka's side are panicking, this includes Satan, he notices that Haruka is alone.

Satan: How is she not summoning me yet?! Where is Ichigo?! Why aren't they summoning either of us?!

Beel: I'm asking the same thing. Where's Ichigo? How is not summoning me yet?

Lucifer: Considering your rank, probably not any time soon.

Beel: What-

Satan: I- Okay-

At the same time, Haruka summons another spell as more enemies are attacking her.

Haruka: Inficio!

Instantly poisonous gas covers the whole area causing her enemies to cough because of the poison but not the female general since she's not even there. She uses her cloning powers to manipulate Haruka.

Haruka: ...not again-

Female general: Hahaha! Now you can't go anywhere! Now you're stuck here and can't even figure out where I was!

Female general: Attack her!

Haruka scoffs as she shows out her swings and flies out of the circle causing confusion in the female general. She battles all the clones in a circle, the sound of swords can be heard loudly.

Michael: Satan! Why aren't you helping her?! You're her main pact, aren't you?!

Satan: I can't! Even if I go there I'd get smack back here!

Back to Haruka, Haruka is thinking of bringing this higher but since she's human she probably can't breathe. Luckily her powers are back, she raises her swords up to the sky and summons one of her powerful spells.

Haruka: Tornado!

Female general: What?! Noooooooo!!!!

All the cloning instantly disappeared and she even got stabbed by Haruka's swords. She coughs blood, signaling her death.

Random knight: Allow me to say, I told you so-

Shadow King: [facepalms]

Michael: Wait I take that back! That's a really big tornado-

Satan: Indeed.

Ramiel: I agree.

Solomon: How the f-

Lucifer: She is once again, a princess. It's no surprise.

In the safe room, Mammon and Ichigo both witness the huge tornado from outside.

Mammon: Damn! That's one huge ass tornado!

Ichigo: I'm not surprised, she is indeed powerful.

Outside, Diavolo and Merlin are both impressed by the result.

Diavolo: As expected! I picked out the right person!

Merlin: That's amazing! Wait....where's my granddaughter?

Diavolo: Currently in the safe room, I believe.

Merlin: Oh, I'll be right back.

With that Merlin teleports to the safe room. In that room, Mammon and Ichigo are still talking about how awesome that tornado is until Mammon feels someone behind him.

Ichigo: Mammon! Behind you!

Mammon: What- [got stabbed]

Ichigo: Noo! Mammon?! Mammon?!

Because of that stabbing that Reika's clone did, Mammon turns back into his half-demon half-human form. His back is clearly injured and just in time, her grandfather appears to help them.

Merlin: Oh my goodness!

Ichigo: Grandpa! W-what do we do?!

Merlin: Of course, we're destroying the clone first. Then we'll heal Mammon.

In seconds, Merlin destroys the clone without any hesitation. The shards went everywhere but luckily disappear after. Mammon is of course still coughing blood causing Ichigo's anxiety to rise even more.

Ichigo: Is he going to be okay?

Merlin: Of course. The stab isn't that deep considering it's just some crystal shards on his back. We will remove this and heal him.

Mammon: I-is it- [coughs] gonna hurt?

Merlin: It might, but it'd be quick. [heals Mammon]

Mammon: Ouch ouch ouch ouch! Not what I expected-

Merlin: Oh wow... that's a lot of blood- well luckily my magic is strong enough to heal him. [heals Mammon yet again, this time to close the wounds and prevent blood loss]

Merlin: Alright then, good as new. I'll be here to guard him. You can go back to battle again [obviously to Ichigo]

Ichigo: Alright, grandpa. [gets out of the safe room]

Just as she gets out, more knights come her way. Ichigo is annoyed by this and just throws them away.

Ichigo: It's time to summon the one and only. Leviathan, I summon you!

Suddenly, a big tsunami came into the area. Just as Shadow King and Reika are talking suddenly the two of them are drenched by seawater with Levi passing by with Lotan.

Shadow King: You were saying about her?

Reika: I told you, it won't be easy!

Levi finally arrived in front of Ichigo riding Lotan.

Levi: I'm here, normie! What do you need?

Ichigo: Well... that tsunami does help. We gotta beat those two up. You up?

Levi: Sure! Lotan, bite them!

Lotan roars and charges again the knights as the knights run off in fear. Levi and Ichigo are of course cracking up. But as they were laughing one of the generals appears.

Ichigo: Oh someone is brave enough to come and attack us. Levi, shall we attack him?

Levi: With pleasure^^ [summons a water sword]

Ichigo: In the count of three! 1....2....3!

The two of them charge against that general. Of course Levi, unfortunately, has to physically fight that general with his sword but luckily Ichigo helps him with her reality-warping magic.

At the same time, Haruka is really tired because of the tornado. So she sits somewhere, summoning a shield. Of course, Shadow King sees it as an opportunity to attack her. His long sword reaches the shield and destroys it in just seconds shocking Haruka. Of course, she is shocked.

Haruka: Not again.... [groans in frustration]

Simeon: Oh no! Haruka!! [running towards her]

Haruka: Huh? [confused noises]

Simeon of course flies there instead to get to her faster. Luckily he gets there just in time to defend her against Shadow King's long sword and his underlings.

Haruka: Dang it, Simeon! You and your super bright light! [covers herself with her wings because she's about to go blind any second]

Simeon: Sorry.... about that [sweat drops]

Haruka: I'm too tired for this. SATAN!!!

Satan: Finally! [got teleported there] wait, why is he here?

Haruka: behind you!

Luckily Satan's tail is smarter than him so of course, that tail is in a battle with whoever is behind him. Haruka is just confusedly watching Satan's tail battling with the general's sword, Simeon is just as confused.

Satan: As I was saying, why is he here?!

Haruka: If he isn't here I'd be dead! I'm tired and I need rest!

Satan: You could've summoned me!

Simeon: Got no time for that, it's an emergency. Is your tail still...?

Satan: Yeah, sort of. [haha the tail is still battling whoever it is behind him]

Levi and Ichigo are watching this from far away and instantly cracks up

Levi: Oh man, gotta love that tail!

Ichigo: Indeed. Having a tail does has its perks.

In the meantime, Solomon and Noctis are still battling Reika. It was a very intense fight since it's just a physical fight between time. Unfortunately, Noctis is down.

Reika: Oh? The most powerful sorcerer can't even beat me?

Solomon: Perhaps I'm just letting you win, just being the gentleman I am.

Reika: Shut it!

Solomon: Time to go all out^^ ASMODEUS!!

Asmo: I've been summoned~ Oh, you're alive! Cool!

Solomon: Indeed I am. Wanna help me, babe?

Asmo: Of course~ Get up, hon.

Solomon: Might as well! [getting on top of him]

Asmo: Let's go~ You can also summon the others if you want to help us.

Solomon: Might as well. I summon you, the demon of knights, Beleth!

In seconds, Belet appears and is now the one battling with Reika.

Beleth: I've been summoned. Any more orders, your majesty?

Solomon: Do your best^^ I'll help from here.

Asmo: Ooh! This is fun! Oh sht.... she's summoning another one-

Solomon: I notice... Do you want me to summon another one?

Asmo: Hm... How about Zepar, he's cool.

Solomon: ....perhaps.

and he did, so Reika's clones are battling Zepar and Beleth while Asmo and Solomon are battling Reika.

Solomon: This is getting out of hand... Where's Ichigo when we actually need her!

Asmo: Battling with Levi? I don't know! I thought you're the most powerful sorcerer of them all!

Solomon: I am! Let me just go all out on this! Sanctus Flamma!

With that Solomon summons a fire sword to match Reika's fire sword.

Asmo: Could've summoned a water sword but here we are- [sigh]

Solomon: Holy flame usually can battle against hell's fire!

Reika: Heh, I doubt that-

Solomon: Wanna try? You can't even survive Michael's holy sword.

Reika: You! [going to charge at him]

Solomon: Nuh-uh uh ^^ Not so fast. Aqua Scutum!

With that, a water-like barrier appears causing Reika's fire to shut down instantly. Reika scoffs and instantly summons her sickle.

Asmo: This is a bad idea, Solomon...

Solomon: Indeed.... run?

Asmo: Run.

The two of them end up running with Reika chasing them with that sickle. Well unfortunately for them, she's a fast runner so here she is in front of you. Luckily someone appears with Levi in time.

Ichigo: Levi, if you may.

Levi: of course^^

Reika, unfortunately, got pushed away by Levi's tsunami. F in the chatroom for Reika. Of course, Reika being the brat that she is, she is throwing tantrum despite being in Levi's seawater.

Levi: So annoying! [gives more seawater at her]

Well...unfortunate for you Levi, she's on top of you.

Levi: Oh sht-

Solomon: Oh sht indeed. Levi move!

Ichigo instantly pulls Levi away as Reika gets down with that sickle of hers creating a big hole in the middle of them, causing a big earthquake.

Ichigo: Okay.... run! Right now! Haruka, do summon them as far as possible!

Luckily Haruka hears Ichigo's command and summons the demon brothers as far as possible causing Levi and Asmo to get summoned near Haruka. Now, this leaves Solomon and Ichigo.

Ichigo: Portal?

Solomon: Portal. Let's go!

Ichigo and Solomon both enter Solomon's portal leading them to a safe place. I know what you're thinking. Where are the angels? They're still battling with the shadow King's remaining knights. Unfortunately, someone has to die today, yes that person being Ramiel. He got stabbed quite deeply causing him to cough blood.

Michael: Ramiel! Noo!!

Rosaria: Ra-ramiel....

Ramiel: I-I'm okay [blood coughing]

Michael: ... you... [Sword turns brighter]

Rosaria: Michael...

Michael: I'm fine. I'll just avenge my best friend's death!

Rosaria: But Mi-

Too late, Rosaria. Michael has forced his sword against the ground causing a big earthquake with the holy light surrounding it. Despite injuring the Shadow King, he's not dead yet.

Meanwhile, Ichigo is summoning her dragon, Violet while Haruka is summoning her familiar, Fenrir the wolf. Solomon yet again, summons his biggest demon, Bune, a three-headed dragon, and Lucifer summons Cerberus. Even Diavolo let go of his two monsters, minotaur, and basilic. Pretty much everyone summons a familiar to help battle this monster. Of course, Reika underestimates them yet again.

Ichigo: O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!

Solomon: What are you doing....?

Ichigo: Summoning my dragon-

Solomon: Oh- [looks up and sees a big purple dragon flying towards them]

Haruka: What was that?!

Ichigo: My dragon. Hello, honey~ [to Violet as soon as she lands]

Everyone is staring at Ichigo bewildered because that's a huge dragon and she still has the audacity to call it "honey"?!

Beel: That's a really big dragon!

Ichigo: It is^^ She's also really nice unless provoked-

Luke: Whoa! Can I ride it?!

Violet: [growls]

Ichigo: Probably not^^

Meanwhile, Fenrir comes running from a portal. Of course, this wolf is in panic because his owner is in trouble.

Fenrir: Oh my goodness! Are you okay, master?!

Haruka: I am... this guy is healing me...^^

Simeon: The guy in question has a name^^

Haruka: Yes, yes. He's Simeon.

Fenrir: Oooh! The white mage!

Haruka: He is^^ But in this world he's an angel. Beware of his bright wings.

Fenrir: Ooh! That's cool!

With that, the battle begins. luckily the monster is now destroyed once and for all. The battle is finished since most of the knights are injured, especially after Michael's light sword destroying most of the knights and injuring the shadow king. But Reika and Shadow King won't give up. They decide to join forces.

Reika: Bold of you to assume this is the end.

Shadow King: Indeed. Let's start our final ceremony.

Reika: Yes, let's do that.

The light side witnesses Shadow King and Reika joining their powers. It causes an earthquake everywhere and they're most definitely larger than earth.

Solomon: Everyone, any plans?

Michael: We haven't summoned the cherubim side.

Ichigo: It's not too late! Summon him!

Beel: For now, let's find somewhere to hide as Michael summons him.

Ichigo: W-wait! Where are we going?! Honeybear?! Beel?!

Belphie: Let's do that. I'm sleepy already. Can I just sleep in the safe house?

Ichigo: Safehouse... Mammon is in there and so is Barb!!

Mammon: you two looking for me?

Barbatos: Luckily your grandfather saved us. So I think it's a good idea to find a place to hide for now but in the air considering the land is going to crack any second.

Satan: ...I can't fly for sht-

Lucifer: Well, time to carry you.

Satan: What?! Wait! Lucifer! No!!

Lucifer: Do you want to die instead?!

Satan: ... not really...

Lucifer: Exactly!

Diavolo: Barbatos! Hold on to me!

Barbatos: Thank you, M'lord.

Mammon: Levi!

Levi: Fffs, I hate it when I have to rely on you- [holds onto Mammon]

Belphie: Man am I lucky to have a strong twin-

Beel: ^^ Well at least I get to protect both of you.

Ichigo: Violet!! Get in here!!

Violet of course flies near them so they can easily fly without needing to rely on anyone. So anyone who can't fly can ride on him. Luckily Fenrir has wings as well, so he can fly too.

Lucifer: Not to worry, Cerberus^^ You're safe now [pets Cerberus inside the safe bubble]

Somewhere the angels are flying causing everyone to reach the blind realm.

Lucifer: For the love of Lord Diavolo! Tone down the brightness!!

Michael and Rosaria: No^^

Simeon: Woops-

Haruka: Simeon! Tone down the light! OmG!!

Simeon: Sorry! I don't know how to;-;

Luke: ....Well, am I glad I'm a kid-

Haruka: Oh well, I'll help you.

Haruka uses her magic to help cover up their angel wings. Now, what's gonna happen? Probably Reika destroying the whole world, but that's it for now. Good luck to all. We'll see you in the next part!

#obey me fanfiction #obeyme #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me luke #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #roleplaybased #mymc

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moonlightwinterdxxix · 4 years ago

Note

Here again with a story idea 😂 A day where all the brothers have plans for to go out but there's sudden expected construction work outside their house so they literally can't leave?!? (Let's assume the Matsu parents didn't think their NEETS really had anything to do outdoors that day so they didn't bother to informing them about it haha) Maybe either a hilarious series of escape events or forced family bonding time? 😂

Ah, @yisongye Here it is!! 😂😂 I hope you enjoy my interpretation of this very interesting 2020 experience 🤣🤣🤣

~~~

The bedroom door slid open and slammed against the wall, and he screamed out, “Hey, guys! Guess what!”

Karamatsu raised his chin from the hand mirror, smirking. “Yes, my dear older brother Osomatsu? What might you have upon you as to call for your excitement?”

“There’s this really big gamble that’s gonna happen in Pachinko today from a visitor!” Osomatsu informed, a pair of fists rocking in his exhilaration. “And here’s the big deal: she’s a chick! A very pretty one too! I have no idea what she would want as a penalty aside from money but I’m dead-set on challenging her!” Osomatsu flushed, sultry in a green fantasy. “Ooh man, oh boy, I’m not just gonna give her a run on her money! I’m gonna challenge her into having s** with me!” He laughed maniacally, a predator’s villainous cackle.

Todomatsu scoffed in amusement, rolling his eyes. “Well, try as hard as you want. You’ll never succeed—you’ll be a virgin NEET forever.” He angled his phone, checking himself in the selfie feature of his camera. “On the other hand, there’s a very nice girl that Atsushi informed me will come to the mixer. I’m planning on going out to buy myself a nice new jacket later so I can look nicer come Friday. There is a sale at the mall, after all, so I wouldn’t want to miss it.”

“Can that beat my luck though?” Choromatsu boasted, popping the collar of his green shirt. “I managed to get VIP passes to Nyaa-chan’s concert. So all of you might be hopeful, but I’m meeting my cat idol in a few hours. So weep in your misery, everyone. Your Choromatsu is going forth into another world.”

“Heh,” Karamatsu retorted, narrowing a perpetually theatrical gaze. “Might I remind you first, my brother. Fap none of the dazzling women that might catch your eye, no? Set a good example to all of your brothers, non?”

With his smile wilting, Choromatsu sputtered as his face went rosy. “Wh-Wh—You shut the hell up, Shittymatsu! I know stuff, you moron!”

“Heh! Good for you, brother! For my luck shines upon me like it came from heaven itself!” Karamatsu flashed them his teeth, touching an eyebrow with two fingers. “You see, my brother, my day too flows with the passionate love from Akatsuka-sensei himself! Today I have been welcomed passage into the core of Akatsuka Ward itself, and I am to meet with a lady of whom I blind date for us was set! Hm, I thank Chibita for his kind heart, how could I have known that he would know such a precious soul—BOEHH!”

Ichimatsu slammed the back of Karamatsu’s head with an unplugged iron, and Karamatsu tumbled down onto the floor. “I bet your sorry ass that you’ll be meeting up with a dishwasher, you piece of crap.”

Jyushimatsu hollered out, “As fun as meeting with girls sounds nice, me and Ichi-nii decided to go to Sealand instead! There’s this annual dolphin show that happens every so often, and after attending it once I decided to invite him to the next one! I spent my entire allowance on getting us front-row tickets, so he has a nice experience when watching the show! The dolphins are always trained so well, once I had a dream of wanting to be one too.”

Ichimatsu grinned slightly, amused. “Hm, and after that I’ll be taking Jyushimatsu to the cat shelter. I’ve made an appointment to adopt one of the cats there—Mom and Dad already let me. She’s a very young one, about two months old, found beside a river where she almost drowned. I felt bad for her and decided to keep her so she doesn’t drown herself again. Her name’s Kawa, and she’s a plain white one. I hope she likes it here at the household with me.”

“Awwww~” the collective chorus of his brothers cooed lovingly, and Ichimatsu flushed bright pink and turned away with his hands smashed to his ears.

“Shut up! Stop shedding attention to my shitty life!” Ichimatsu exclaimed miserably.

“Either way, it seems that all of us have plans for today,” Choromatsu laughed, over from his former humiliation as he shrugged his backpack on entirely. “Anyway I need to go now. The arena could get pretty crowded if I came in much later than twelve.”

Osomatsu darted his gaze to the clock to Choromatsu then back again. “But it’s eight-thirty.”

“The earlier the better.” Choromatsu lifted his shoulders, chuckling. “Perhaps I can eat lunch while waiting too. Can’t watch a concert with an empty stomach. We need energy for screaming at the top of our lungs.”

“As if you don’t do that everyday already,” Osomatsu murmured, but remained unheard.

To Choromatsu, “Yeah, I agree,” Todomatsu said, standing up from the couch and patting his pants. “I’d better get to the mall early before it gets too crowded. I mean, sales are still sales, aren’t they? I don’t wanna be stuck in a traffic of people before I see something pretty.” He directed himself towards the cabinet and rummaged through the pockets of one of his hoodies, grabbing his wallet and stashing it into his current pants. “Yep. Imma go for now. See you all later?”

“Yeah, sure!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed, waving. “Later! Have fun!”

“Kiss Reika for me, okay, Fappymatsu?” Osomatsu derided, the curves of his features smug.

Choromatsu scoffed in reply as Todomatsu tittered, and then the bedroom door shut as Choromatsu and Todomatsu exited.

A minute passed.

And then...

“EEEHHH???!!!”

The rest of the Matsuno household were already out the bedroom and down the stairs, sliding into sudden halts as they saw Choromatsu and Todomatsu frozen in front of their door. They were both with mouths so rounded that their jaws were on the floor, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. Their fingers were spread out from their hands at their sides, legs parted.

“Totty? What’s wrong?” But then all the other four were soon to realize it, and with matching, elongated yells all six were better classified with the term ‘identical’ as they all sported the same gawking, disbelieved expressions.

In front of their front door, the ground was a literal swimming pool of wet cement. Across that, there were careless-of-them construction workers with complete top-volume cranes and drillers, the workers saluting each other and bearing wide blueprints as long as a man was tall. This occupied the front porch all the way to their gate, nearly tore down completely, now granting the brothers a perfect view of Matsuyo and Matsuzo as they stared at their own sons, a pair of shopping bags dangling from their mother’s arms.

“Wh...” The first with a voice managing to come out his lips, Choromatsu averted his gaze to their parents. “Mom?! What in bloody hell is this?!”

“Ah, that!” Matsuyo laughed, unbothered in the slightest by the unexpected construction. “It’s just a bit of construction, my NEETs! I didn’t think I needed to tell you since you can handle yourselves, but never mind that! Don’t worry! It’ll only be about three days until you can go outside the house again.”

“Three days?!” Osomatsu exclaimed, face contorting in horror. “But that sexy-chick gambler will leave the city in three days!”

After shooting his brother a pointed look, Karamatsu yelled out the more proper response to their mother’s statement, “How are we supposed to leave the house?! And how are you two getting back in?!”

“Ah, don’t worry about us,” Matsuzo said, chuckling lightheartedly. “We booked a stay at the hotel about a week ago because we knew about this. Plus we bought a ton of groceries last week, so the fridge was practically an entire factory of sushi and takoyaki. I’m still surprised that there was only about a shelf left of it before we left the house three hours ago.”

“Th-That was our storage?!” Todomatsu sputtered. “Our food?!”

“Gee, I wonder where all of it went,” Ichimatsu sarcastically drawled, maliciously digging a dagger-sharp gaze against Jyushimatsu, who had gone from pale to red in a matter of seconds through the transition of realization to shame.

“No, we can’t survive this!” Osomatsu protested, gesturing wildly at the commotion lining each space of their front. “Mom! Dad! This is worse than suicide! No, we need to get out of this house! You can’t expect us to stay locked in here the entire three days, do you?! We’re your sons! You know that!”

“And we’re your parents,” Matsuyo retorted, her glare making Osomatsu and his brothers all shrink. “And you know well enough that we hate it when you have no consciences. This is punishment for illegally performing on the streets a month ago just to get money for a fish sale for Totoko’s sake! Grow up! Cod, you’re all a bunch of oversized children. You’re lucky we still gave you a storage of takoyaki.” Turning her nose up, she said, “Let’s go, Matsuzo-dear. We have that specialized screening on that one movie, right?”

“Of course, darling,” Matsuzo said devilishly, internally guffawing at his son’s anxieties. “Shall we?” He extended his arm.

“My pleasure.”

All six began yelling in unison as their parents began walking away, striding off with the pride of victory and the blessing of their lack of child tomfoolery. The brothers all tumbled down defeatedly on the floor, groaning in exasperation. It was Jyushimatsu who remained standing, mind calculative as his pupils dilated and his mouth was covered by a hand. Then...

“I think I can make that jump.”

“Ah, I see you wanna die early,” Todomatsu chortled groggily, unimpressed. “Ichimatsu-niisan, take notes. Your medal’s been snatched.”

“No!” Jyushimatsu contradicted. “I think I can make that jump! Then when I do, I’ll get all of you a ladder or something so you can get across.”

“Sure, I believe you,” Osomatsu said casually, pouting. “You’re the same guy who can turn into a living Jyushimatsu virus. If you can jump that gorge of death then go for it.”

“Idiots, it won’t work,” Choromatsu finalized, crossing his arms. “He won’t make it. Trust me.”

~~~

“Or not. Of course. I rest my case.”

Preparing himself, Jyushimatsu bent his legs.

“On three, Jyushimatsu,” Ichimatsu announced. “One...two...three!”

Jyushimatsu bolted, and with the speed of a fictional being he raced across the entire room until his feet were no longer on the ground, and he was hovering in the air, his shadow overlapping gray as his form paralleled the top of their doorframe. He was only by the first half of the entire cement pool when gravity played its part and tugged him downwards.

With his arms up, Jyushimatsu yelled out a stainless “BOEHBAA!!”, only stopping when a cross-crossed surface dug into his butt and he was pulled back into the house.

And dropped on the floor with a thud, tilting his head towards Todomatsu and the butterfly net he had in his hands. “Thanks, Totty.”

“I told you it won’t work,” Choromatsu grouched.

“Work or not, where was this butterfly net from?” Todomatsu questioned, scratching his head in confusion.

Jyushimatsu said, “I also got it from Dayon’s stomach.”

Todomatsu immediately panicked, dropping the net and struggling for the closest sink.

“Aha! I have a new plan!” Karamatsu extolled, spreading his arms wide. “My brothers, this plan of mine is guaranteed to entrance our grand exit! Be amazed, my brothers! We shall be able to access our hopes and dreams on finding the romance, enjoyment, and entertainment that our lives have waited for! My brothers, join me!” He began spinning around dramatically, a hand sailing to his back pocket for a rain of rose petals that he sprayed over the floor. “Grab a pen, and wonderful stationary. We are writing letters.”

Everyone stared at him dumbfounded, except for Ichimatsu, who bluntly said, “Kill me now.”

Minutes later, all six of them were gathered around the living room table, color-coded papers assigned to each brother. At the center of the table was a pack of markers, as well as some glitters none of them (but Karamatsu, apparently) knew they even had. At the head of the table, Karamatsu smirked at them, a finger-gun connected to his jawline as his sunglasses hid his dancing eyes. “Now, pick up a pen,” he instructed.

They all did, grabbing the marker colored with the hue of the sibling closest to them. Karamatsu picked last, raising his pink marker. “Step two, revisit your talents in mastery. Perfect, swooping calligraphy, as a dazzling prince such as us possesses.”

“Bro, I failed art class because of calligraphy,” Osomatsu deadpanned.

“Now,” Karamatsu pronounced as if no one had spoken, “Take the tip of your pen to the page. Then with the watery softness of a fountain, draw the letter ‘I’.”

Though hesitant, everyone followed.

“Good, my brothers. Next, add a space. Then, the letter ‘L’.”

They obeyed.

“Brothers, the letter ‘O’.”

They complied.

“The letter ‘V—”

“Karamatsu-niisan, what’s the message you’re making us write?” Choromatsu asked bluntly.

“Um...” Karamatsu made a heart with his hands, smiling boldly, “It will say, ‘I love you, dear cement! Please let us pass through your jinxes, allow us passage because you reciprocate my feelings to you!’ Oh, brother, the ground will harden almost immediately because of passion! I can see her heart beating from our kindness! Oh, brother, my brother, it shall make her weep tears of rock that would melt into a river of the soul! I see it, brother! It shall work, brother!” He was dancing in his reverie, nearly crying. “Oh, brother, my brother, sweet brother—BOEH!”

He collapsed on the ground, and Ichimatsu dropped his fist. “How about, ‘Brother, shut the eff up’.”

“Ugh, this sucks!” Todomatsu whined, tossing his paper away. “You’re all stupid and useless! Now I’m never gonna be able to look attractive enough for the new girl.” He buried his head in his arms on the table. “It’s hopeless for me. I need to be stuck with a bunch of ‘overgrown children’ until Atsushi sweeps her off her feet.”

“No.” Osomatsu stood up, all serious. Everyone looked at him. “There’s still hope. I think there’s one more thing we can do before we can say that we failed.”

Choromatsu lackadaisically suggested, “Request the construction workers for a way across?”

“Even better.” Osomatsu straightened his body, chin up, spine vertical. “Everyone. Off to the roof.”

Silence (...)...

“...eh?”

It was even louder on the roof than outside, because the entire view was there to present itself. The machines were huge, matted with soil and cement, some of the yellow on the bodies faded or whitened. Five of the six of them watched the entire thing with fearful anticipation, the giants in front of their house like dragons hovering over a field of lava. Whatever plan this Osomatsu-niisan of theirs had, it had better be worth it. Because so far, it looked like death was going to be the option here if it weren’t success.

“Boys,” Osomatsu announced, hands on his waist. “It’s time. Jyushimatsu, come here.”

Gulping, Jyushimatsu didn’t protest as he allowed himself to be led by his oldest brother, scarily close to the edge of the roof. Sweat ran down the sides of his face, his legs trembling in his discomfort. But he stayed there with his hands at his sides, staring straight and down towards the valley of Tartarus below.

“Karamatsu, come here,” Osomatsu instructed, and with the same worrisome posture Karamatsu stepped next to his eldest and fifth-born brother. “Karamatsu, go over Jyushimatsu’s shoulders.”

Karamatsu sputtered, and Choromatsu let out a “NO!” louder than the entire construction company combined.

But Choromatsu was ignored as Karamatsu timidly climbed onto Jyushimatsu’s back, and rested his thighs over Jyushimatsu’s shoulders. Both of them were perspired and horrified, already awaiting doom before a signal can even be clarified. Jyushimatsu clasped Karamatsu’s legs like it was giving him reassurance, but the threat of failure was still too strong for that.

“Ichimatsu, you next!” Osomatsu called out, and Ichimatsu greenly approached the building tower with his chin dipped and his eyes sullen. Internally, he was mouthing his last will and testament.

But he climbed nonetheless onto Karamatsu’s shoulders.

“Okay, my turn.” Osomatsu climbed onto Ichimatsu’s shoulders, and the weight began tugging down on Jyushimatsu as a wobble began to wrack their brother building. Hands grabbed legs, butts nestled tightly against napes, and lips went pressed as three of them stifled the screams that were growing in their throats.

“Choromatsu! You’re up!”

“This is dangerous, you idiot eldest!” Choromatsu reprimanded, arms wide for emphasis. “No more kidding—you’re literally trying to kill us!”

“Wouldn’t you die for Nyaa-chan?” Osomatsu inquired calmly.

Choromatsu was up over Osomatsu’s shoulders ten seconds later.

“Finally! Totty!”

On top of the tower, Todomatsu shook harshly as he grabbed the sides of Choromatsu’s head for dear life, legs intertwined over Choromatsu’s chest. Actually, most of them were like that. The only exception was the oldest brother, as determined as an eagle, staring straight through the obstacles separating him from making out with a beautiful gambling girl.

“Jyushimatsu, on three, run back, and then jump.”

“We’re gonna die,” Ichimatsu rasped with a plastic smile.

“Yup,” Karamatsu agreed in a tiny voice.

“On three, Jyushimatsu,” Osomatsu repeated, fiercer, and Jyushimatsu stepped back, all his brothers doing the same with the connections binding them in that formation. Jyushimatsu’s legs were shuddering. The pores on his skin were leaking.

“One...two...THREE!!!”

Eyes shut, Jyushimatsu made his run and jumped.

A few seconds later, at the other side of the gate, there were six bodies lying on the streets they’ve cracked, car horns roaring angrily in the traffic they caused.

~~~

Matsuyo tapped her feet. “I don’t think I need to scold you anymore. You know very well what you’ve done, right?” She crossed her arms, tilted her chin. “And because of that, there won’t be any more takoyaki. Not just because you absolutely don’t deserve it anymore, but because we can’t afford it.”

“Eh? Why not?” Osomatsu asked, then whimpered when he tried to move his head a little. With a full body cast matching those of his brothers’, there was no twitching a pinkie nor a strand of hair on the hospital beds.

“Not only because I have six sons confined with full body casts following surgery,” Matsuyo said madly, “but because of the damage! Not only did you break almost every bone in your body but you broke the road itself! There’s gonna be so much construction in front of our house now and guess what! We are the ones who need to pay for it!”

“Are we that fat?” Karamatsu sobbed.

“Think about what you did, you NEETs,” Matsuzo moaned, massaging his temples. “This didn’t just ruin our day with all these expenses. But your day too. Didn’t you all have anything better to do?” With that, Matsuzo and Matsuyo left the room, shutting the door behind them.

When they were completely gone, Jyushimatsu whimpered, “So...No dolphin show?”

“No cat...?” Ichimatsu followed up miserably.

“No clothes...?” Todomatsu wept.

“No Nyaa-chan...?!” Choromatsu cried.

“No date?!” Karamatsu tearfully yelled.

“No sexy-as-hell gambling babe?” Osomatsu whispered.

They all went quiet.

Then together, they all cried as one.

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shizuokadivision · 7 months ago

Text

Thank You!

As Kanon’s birthday comes to a close, I just want to say thank you to everyone who participated in her birthday event. It really means a lot to me that you guys would go out of your way to do that! I would say that Kanon would feel the same way but come on it’s Kanon. Thank you once again and let’s hope that her birthday comes around again soon!

Next birthday event will be Sakura’s in May so I hope you all look forward to it!

—

Kanon stared at the camera in front of her an unreadable expression on her face. The mad scientist said nothing as she continued to stare directly at the camera before sighing. “Once again this day is finally over. Truly why do people desire to celebrate the day I was born? Especially Reika & Sakura they should know better. However…as much as I despise saying this…a part of me is glad they care enough about me to celebrate…but even then I still find birthdays not worth the merriment.”

#hypnosis microphone #hypnosis mic #hypmic #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic oc #kanon hojo #happy birthday kanon 2024

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kusunogatari · 4 years ago

Text

[ ObiRyū October | Day Nine | Roses ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Pretty in Pictures ]

[ Previous ] [ Next ]

...how did it come to this?

A light rain is falling, as if to let the world know how she’s feeling. Curled up under the roof of the gazebo in her father’s backyard among the roses, Ryū hugs her knees to her chest on her bench perch, barefoot and makeupless.

It would just be running down her face, otherwise.

She’d thought today would be more liberating. That she’d feel...lighter. Better. Like she’d shed a long-held weight. And while she supposes that’s partly true...the heartbreak is so much worse than she’d feared. Despite feeling for months, if not years, that things were beginning to crumble...the final blow knocked out more than just a failing relationship.

Because while she’d convinced herself that Itachi didn’t love her...in truth she knows that’s not true. The fact of the matter is that they care about each other. But everything else has been poisoning what’s between them for quite some time. Itachi’s ambition, her own apathy with her path in life...they just aren’t what they need.

Maybe in another life, another set of circumstances, they could make it work.

She hasn’t told anyone yet. Not even her father...if only because she knows he’d immediately abandon his work to come home and ensure she’s all right. Jiraiya’s doting on her, while comforting, isn’t what she needs right now.

There’s no other family to contact. No one of blood she can lean on. And with how falsified and performative her life has been for...years, there are no friends. No real ones, anyway.

...except one.

She stares out across the backyard, goosebumps risen from her skin as the cool rainy day threatens to chill her to the bone. All she’s bothered to don today is a light, white dress she wore the first time they went out. He’d said it made her look ethereal, white from head to toe.

But now she knows it’s just an excuse to look as transparent as she feels. Maybe someday she can celebrate the independence she’s won today. But today? Today is for mourning.

The pool is open, each impact from a raindrop making a miniscule splash until the entire surface is dancing. Ryū stares at it as though hypnotized. While there’s plenty for her to think about, her mind feels strangely...empty. She just feels so blank and...sad.

...she should talk to someone. But the motivation to move is almost nonexistent. Like she could just sit here for days, lost in the feeling.

But then she hears footsteps in the grass.

Greys drag to their corners, unable to see through the thick rose bushes. The blooms are white, matching the gazebo. According to Jiraiya, they’re a tribute to her late mother. He planted them just after she died, and now they’re practically engulfing the little building save for a gap kept trimmed at the entrance.

...they make her feel safe. Any time something upsets her, she comes here. It’s both a place to hide, and a place to feel closer to Reika.

Now more than ever she wishes her mother was here to help her. Everything feels so upside down and inside out. The older she gets, the more warped she realizes her upbringing and development have been due to the environment of her career.

“...Ryū…?”

A small flutter blooms in her chest. She knows that voice. But she still can’t bring herself to reply, attempting to make herself smaller. It’s just a matter of time until he finds her. Part of her wants to be found. The rest wants to sneak away and evade him.

She has to wonder if his timing is just lucky, or motivated by what happened last night. But how would he know…? Surely no one would tell him, right?

More footsteps. Going by ear, her eyes stare into the roses as though she can see him. Closer and closer he creeps to the archway, and Ryū finds her chest clenching.

“Ryū!”

With one last step, Obito steps into view, scanning over the yard before peering into the gazebo.

She stares back.

“There you are! Didn’t you hear me calling?”

Rather than reply, she lets her eyes fall. Words feel so...beyond her right now.

He steps in out of the rain, dripping slightly onto the poured concrete. “...so...it’s over, huh?”

Her jaw clenches, the question reigniting her emotions.

“...that couldn’t have been easy. I’m sorry.” Slowly, Obito crosses the space to stand beside her, cautiously sinking to a seat. “Sasuke told me. Itachi didn’t say anything, but...apparently it was clear enough. Have any of them contacted you…?”

There’s a long pause. “...no.”

“Ah...well, I wanted to check on you. I had a feeling you’d be...well…”

“A mess?” she supplies in his hesitant silence, wiping at her face. “...I feel like I shouldn’t be. That I’m...somehow betraying myself. Did I make a mistake? Did I do the right thing? I can’t tell…! I thought I’d be relieved, but I just feel...confused, and hurt, and…”

Obito sighs, bringing an arm up over her shoulders. And despite his wet coat, Ryū immediately sinks into the crook of his side, wanting to be close to someone. “...only you can answer that, Ryū. But right now isn’t the time to ask. You felt compelled to do it, hm? If you had so many doubts - enough to consider it, and for this long - that has to mean something...right? Of course it hurts. You two have known each other a long time. That kind of split can’t be, shouldn’t be easy. It will take time to heal, hm? For now...let it settle over you. Reflect when your head is clear, not...like this.”

It’s her turn to deflate, breath soft. “...I’ve never done this before. I guess I just...w-wasn’t sure what to expect. But it wasn’t this.”

“There’s no real way to know how you’ll feel about something until it happens. But now you do. So let it happen. Then see what you want to do next.”

Another silence blooms before Ryū looks up to him. “...thank you.”

“For?”

“A lot of things. Honestly if it wasn’t for you...I probably would have clung onto all of that for a lot longer. I might never have worked up the nerve to end it. Everyone else was so sure it was what we both needed. That we were so perfect. But...we weren’t. Itachi still means a lot to me. I don’t wish him ill, and I’m not angry with him. We just...we can’t work together. Not as we are. He’s too busy and distant for what I need. And I’m too needy and lonely for what he needs.” She pauses, and tears threaten to build. “...I just...that look on his face when I told him I was leaving. I...I’ve never seen him look like that. And I think that’s what bothers me the most. The whole time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him cry. I’ve never seen him feel anything! Always calm and poised. I’m not like that...I can’t be like that. And I can’t be with someone like that. I need someone who feels as openly as I do. Otherwise I feel...out of place. But his expression...it made me feel so guilty. I really, really hurt him…”

“...and he hurt you,” Obito replies softly. “Neither of you meant to. But like you say...you don’t fit as a couple. You care for each other, but you aren’t what you need for each other. There’s nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is keeping on when you know it won’t work. It would only make things worse. Imagine trying to stop this a year from now, five years.”

She’s quiet as he speaks, and then nods. “...you’re right.” She exhales, slow and soft. “...I’m afraid of what people will say.”

“What do you mean?”

Ryū gives him a dry glance. “We’re both high-profile. Once the news gets out, it’ll be a huge rumor mill. Why it happened, how it happened, who’s to blame...there’s a reason new and breaking relationships result in so much gossip. I’ve watched it unfold around me so many times. I know how it’s going to go. I’ll be the bad guy.”

“Why?”

“Because Itachi has a marless reputation. He’s a new politician making waves, no dirt to be dug up. He’ll be the heartbroken hard-worker, and I’ll be the shallow model who got tired of his hard work, not giving me enough attention because I’m too needy…”

Obito scoffs, and she can hear temper in the sound. “Ridiculous...it’s no one’s business, anyway.”

“If you’re in the public eye, everything is everyone’s business. It’s just how it goes. But...it’s going to be really hard to face things for a few weeks. Part of me just wants to hole up here until it’s over.”

She hears him sigh. “...I suppose you could. But wouldn’t that just make the rumors worse…? I don’t know how this works...except that it’s stupid.”

In spite of herself, Ryū snorts. “...it is. I don’t know what the answer is…”

“Well...seems to me if they will hate you no matter what you do, then just do what you want! It won’t change anyone’s mind, hm? Why let them control how you feel?”

She deflates. “...I’m...not good with the criticisms. Legitimate ones, sure. But this will just be a mess of people choosing sides. People being mean to me just because they like Itachi more, and have to blame someone.”

“Then forget them. Focus on those who support you. Anyone else can f-” He pauses. “...can take a hike.”

At his near-slip, Ryū can’t help a light giggle. “...I wish it was as easy as you make it sound.”

“Can you leave town for a while?”

“Mm...maybe. But that sort of feels like running away.”

“And holing up isn’t?”

She gives him a pout. “...at least I’d still be here.”

“There’s confronting it, or not confronting it. No in-between.”

Blunt, as usual. Ryū mulls that over. “...I’ll...think about it later. For now I just want to sit here. I don’t want to think about anything for a while.”

“Then you don’t have to.” His arm gets a little tighter around her, and she settles against him with a sigh. A prolonged silence falls between them, broken only by the sound of the rain. In truth, it almost starts to put her to sleep.

“...it’s really pretty in here.”

Her eyes lift back to Obito, seeing him looking at their surroundings thoughtfully. “It is. My dad planted all these roses after my mom died. It’s my favorite place to be. So if I ever vanish again, you can probably find me here.”

“For your mom…?” He seems to think about that before his gaze moves to her. “...you should probably go inside for a while though, you’re shivering.”

“I don’t want to…”

“You might get sick if you stay out here too long, Ryū. At least go put a coat on?”

Ever so slightly, her posture tightens in silent refusal. Getting up, moving, means starting to move forward. And she’s not sure she’s ready to do that yet.

Obito sighs. With a shrug, he slips out of his own and tosses it over her shoulders.

“Wh-?”

“So stubborn,” he cuts in with a grunt.

“But -!”

“Being upset is no reason to put yourself in a bad position. Just because you feel bad doesn’t mean you need to make it worse by being unkind to yourself. You don’t need punishment.”

Feeling rather called out, she shrinks into herself slightly. “...now you’re going to get cold.”

“Then I guess we better go in.” Softening a bit, he adds, “You can come back later. This place isn’t going anywhere, hm?”

...he’s right. Keeping the front of his coat closed with a hand, Ryū watches him stand before letting him pull her to her feet. The grass is soaked under her feet, and the drizzle moistens the top of her head before they make it back in.

“Go take a hot shower to warm up.”

“You’re so fussy,” she protests, hanging his coat to dry.

“Someone’s got to act like an adult today, hm?”

Puffing her cheeks and proving his point, she sticks her tongue out before doing as he says. She is pretty cold - it’s far easier to notice back in the warm house. Up to her bathroom she goes, shedding the white dress and letting herself zone out in the hot water for a while.

Only once she’s red as a lobster does she get back out, toweling off and redressing in grey sweatpants and a black tank top: the perfect lounge outfit. And downstairs, she finds Obito with recently-acquired takeout.

“Figured neither of us would want to cook right now,” he offers, looking a little sheepish.

“That sounds perfect.”

They curl up on a couch in the living room, watching some random movie on the channel the TV was last left on. Chewing her chow mein, Ryū realizes she’s completely relaxed. Still sad of course, but...it feels muted. Nearly everyone in her life is a source of stress...save for her father, and Obito. Out of everyone who’s ended up in her life, they’re the only ones she can completely let her walls down around. Her father because...well, he’s her father. And Obito because he’s the only person she’s met outside her career, who wasn’t introduced with a purpose in mind. Instead, he met her during her lowest, rawest point. When she had nothing left to hide. They were both completely without pretenses, unlike...everyone else.

Unlike Itachi.

Glancing to him as he tries to get food to his mouth, eyes glued to the screen, a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth when his chopsticks prod his chin before finding his lips. There’s nothing fake about him. Nothing practiced or on-purpose. He’s just...Obito.

...and all at once, it hits her.

Suddenly she can’t look away, the realization freezing her in place. Even as he keeps focused on the movie, Ryū is just as intensely staring at him.

...she’s in love with him, isn’t she?

While her mind balks from it, it also gives flashes of times where she’s felt a similar, creeping notion. Little moments where she would still, something unnamed in her chest. At first she’d brushed it off as just a friendly fondness, finally finding someone who didn’t want something from her. Who was just...a person. A friend. Someone real.

...but that’s what drew her in, isn’t it? He’s open, uncensored, emotional, flawed. Nothing like the constant facades and personas she’s forced to mingle with.

...nothing like Itachi.

In spite of herself, the weight of it all brings tears to her eyes, beading along her lids and threatening to spill.

And of course it’s then he catches her staring, immediately balking at her tears. “Whoa, hey! You all right?”

Not having the words to explain, she just flops against his side, buried into his shoulder as he stiffens. She can’t bring herself to say what she’s thinking. Not now. Surely he’ll see it as her just...hopping from one failed relationship to something new in search of comfort. Even if she’s sure, it’s too soon.

For both of them.

So for now, she just stays where she is, letting him bring an arm down around her and sighing.

“Sheesh, so full of tears today...do you not like your food?”

Her head shakes against him.

“Maybe you should go sleep, hm? Surely all this emotion is making you tired.”

“...not yet…”

“All right, all right. Then stay here until you get sleepy. I’ll put you to bed.”

Face still tucked in his shirt, Ryū feels it get warm, a pleasant thrum in her chest.

It takes everything in her not to blurt out that he should stay.

But he’s right. She’s far more tired than she assumes, and twenty minutes later, she’s conked out beside him. Obito turns off the TV, gathering up the takeout boxes before scooping her up and taking her to her room, still prepared in her father’s house due to her frequent visits (and according to Ryū, his inability to take it down, anyway). Finagling the blankets and getting her situated, he leans over her for a moment, making sure she’s still asleep.

Then as quietly and as softly as he can, he leans down and presses lips to her temple.

She sighs, curling slightly under the covers.

“...bonne nuit, Ryū,” he murmurs, bringing them up to her chin before taking his leave.

Well, this is shorter than the last few, but...closer to my actual word count goal xD Got a busy day ahead of me so didn’t want to go too overboard kjdfgkj hopefully tonight I can get a head start on tomorrow’s. This weekend should be pretty quiet, so I’ll try to write! Anyway, this is some of the model!Ryū verse. I don’t write it much and haven’t added anything to the fic of it, either. It’s more of a “bits and pieces” sort of thing for me lol - but this is later on in the story, when Ryū finally ends things with Itachi as Obito wanted. But it seems they’re both realizing the unintended consequences :3c I’d imagine there’d be an arc where she realizes that he WAS indeed sort of plotting something and get mad, but...then realize that it still needed to happen, and that Obito’s bitterness and circumstances really made it rather justified. So there’d be some rocky times to overcome before they’d get to be fully happy together, but...this is where it starts, I guess xD Anywho, that’s it for today! Thanks for reading~

#obiryū october #abyssaldespair #uchiha obito #suigin ryū #pretty in pictures [ au ]

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castellankurze · 5 years ago

Text

A Completely Normal Christmas!

(from acompletelynormalwiki.com)

Plot

The Christmas Special takes place in the days leading up to Christmas 2018, following the end of Season 1. It is divided into three parts, although there are overlapping events in each story.

Part one is comedic in tone, focusing on Erika Hatada and Kanako Azaki as the pair must repeatedly hide presents from one another in an increasingly ridiculous escalation of events at Kanako's house as well as the high school gmynasium and the harborfront, all while pet cat Tsukiko manages to wring bribes of food from one or the other.

Part two is considered more angsty, as it involves the strained relationship between Miyumi Aratani and Shoji Okano. It also features the first chronological appearance of Miyumi's half-sister Reika Tsurumi and follows Miyumi's attempts to keep her her Christmas date a secret (although the final shot, showing Reika leaning against a wall around the corner from the pair, demonstrates that she knows of the pair's relationship).

The third and final part chiefly follows Shouko Kogawa and provides supporting roles for the group's mentor figures, Saika Oishi and Shizuka Miyasato. It consists of a ticking-clock scenario in which-

~~~~~~~~~~ Two weeks ago

"Hey," said the upside-down face.

Shouko blinked and looked up from her phone. Saika had put her feet up on her desk and tilted her chair back so that she could lean far enough to rest the back of her head atop her arms as she crossed them behind her head and rested her weight against the front of Shouko's desk.

Shouko grinned and set her phone aside, leaning forward on her elbows. Amidst the chatting voices that defined the lunch period, they were but two more conspirators murmuring to one another. "Hey, yourself." As always seemed to be the case when she met Saika's gaze, she felt a bit warmer inside.

"I don't think I got the chance to ask you, are you doing anything for Christmas?" the blonde asked.

Shouko frowned a little. "I don't think so. My mom's probably gonna go to a family thing cause she won't be around for New Year's but...I'm gonna give it a pass," she said with a shrug.

"That means you're free?" Saika questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yyyyyyeah, I guess so," Shouko said, smiling once more as she grasped the drift of the conversation.

"So, I was feeling kind of a little bad that I had to nix our date the other week," Saika said, idly playing with a few strands of pale hair with her fingertips. "Then I saw there's going to be a big light display downtown. I was wondering if you'd like to go...on Christmas Eve, maybe?" She tilted her head a little bit and smiled.

Shouko felt her face heat. Christmas Eve lights were a thing for couples, not...she'd never been to one, not like that. "I...yy-yeah, I'd, uh, I'd like that," she said, struggling to maintain her aura of chill.

Saika smirked and didn't seem to buy it one bit, but she didn't subject Shouko to more than a brief, flirty tap on the nose with one finger, pulling one arm from beneath her head to do so, a move that made her chair wobble a little. "Great. I'll meet you at the stadium lot at, say, seven, okay? Then we can go for that dinner we missed."

"I'll be there," Shouko promised.

"Saika, be careful," Kanako's gentle voice interrupted from the next row over. "You're going to fall."

"Nope! I'm good," the blonde assured the class president, lifting her legs so that her weight shifted and her chair thudded back down onto all four feet. "Better than good, even," she added.

"Oh! Are you making plans for Christmas?" Kanako asked with a bright smile, clapping her hands together.

"Might be," Saika confirmed with a wink back.

Shouko felt her face heat up again and buried her nose in her phone once more before anyone could notice.

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

One week ago

"Whatcha need?" she asked as her feet crunched in the thin layer of snow covering the grass outside the high school, well away from the crowd of departing students.

"I have an important request to make of you, Shouko," said Shizuka. The dark-haired girl was characteristically grim. "I need your help to face a rising threat."

"Just me? Not everybody?" Shouko blinked, but then shrugged and plowed ahead. "I mean, you got it, but what's up?"

"This foe should not necessitate the whole of our...cadre," Shizuka replied. She pursed her lips briefly before continuing. "There are many aspects to the...detente between the Radiant Court and the Eventide Vanguard. One of these is Barphojee."

"Bless you," Shouko replied.

Shizuka stared at her, eyes cold, mouth unsmiling.

"Just funnin'. What's a Barphojee?"

"Loosely translated it means 'ice warrior.' It is an asura spirit that came to Japan many years ago from the subcontinent one cold winter. It caused much chaos before it was bound away, but every five years the wards must be renewed to keep it that way," Shizuka explained.

"And lemme guess, this is the lucky year?" Shouko asked.

Shizuka nodded. "Correct. The Radiant Court and the Eventide Vanguard trade off conducting the renewal ceremony, and this year it falls to me."

Shouko scratched at the back of her leg with the opposite foot. "I dunno, Shizuka," she said. "I'm not exactly the spiritual type..."

"Fortunately, I don't need you to be," Shizuka interjected. "I want to have you present because your fire powers will cancel out Barphojee's natural ice aspect and weaken it, should the need for fighting arise."

"Oh! Then yeah, I'm all in," Shouko replied with a grin. "Where we heading?"

"The shrine to which the asura is bound is in Hokota," Shizuka said, naming a smaller city about a half hour to the south. "And the ceremony must take place at sunset, one week from now."

"...hhhhold up," Shouko said, feeling her stomach clench a little bit. "On Christmas Eve?"

"Yes. Will that present a problem?"

"Ummmm." Shouko chewed at her bottom lip. "How long should the ceremony take?"

"The sun will set at approximately six o'clock, after which the rites should not longer than five minutes or so," Shizuka replied.

"Oh. Then no, it shouldn't be trouble at all," Shouko said with a thumbs-up. "I'll just have to shove off as soon as we're done. I've got a date to keep," she explained.

Shizuka responded with one of her faint smiles. "I will write you out directions to the shrine," she promised.

----------

Three days ago

"How hard is it to get one lousy piece of...arrgh," Shouko whined, pressing her hands to her eyes. Delayed again. It was supposed to be here days ago. Then it was supposed to be here yesterday. At this rate Saika was going to get her Christmas gift for Valentine's.

A rapid-fire burst of cursing in English pulled Shouko's attention from her battlestation as the front door slammed. She paused her game and got up, wandering out of her room to look down to the living room on the first floor. "You okay?"

"I should have sold that fucking lemon a year ago," Kyoko Kogawa bitched, punching at her phone. "Sorry. Stupid lemon."

"It's because you don't drive the thing more than once a quarter," Shouko responded, rolling her eyes at her mother's tantrum.

"Ehhhhhh," the woman grumbled, waving a hand dismissively. "Yeah, of course they're booked," she said a minute later, hanging up and tossing the little rectangle onto the island that divided the kitchen from the living space. She limped over to the couch and sat with a huff, sticking out the leg that bore a brace. She'd somehow sprained her ankle stepping off her flight home - some days Shouko had no idea how she and Kyoko were related. Where Kyoko's daughter had been a regional gymnastics champion, the woman herself was a first-order klutz. Kyoko wrote it off as Shouko inheriting her grandmother's genes of gracefulness.

Somewhere in the photo albums there was even a picture of eight-year old Shouko wearing a set of jeans bedazzled with the character for 'grace' in katakana. Her dad's joke.

"Are you going to be free to run an errand for me in a couple days, Shouko?" her mom asked, snapping her back to reality.

"Uh...that depends what it is," Shouko replied, thinking primarily of the long-delayed gift order and the girl for whom it was intended.

"I'm making a dessert for my cousin's party, that one they're having on the twenty-fourth."

"It better not be cake," Shouko said dangerously.

"Will you stop harping about things that happened years ago. No, it's a cold one. I promised I would bring them something for their dinner, but if I can't drive, I can't drive."

"So you're feeding me to the dragons instead, huh?"

Kyoko waved a hand. "You don't have to stay. Just drop the thing off, tell them I'm so sorry I couldn't be there, and then make like a ball and bounce."

"That was so lame. I can't believe you want me to go all the way to Kashima-"

"It's only an hour-"

"-on Christmas Eve-"

"-and I'll pay for your gas."

"Okay fine, but it better be ready by the afternoon, I'm not gonna stand Saika up," she said, tossing up her hands and retreating back to her bedroom.

-----------

Yesterday

"I did not think you guys were gonna pull this out," Shouko said as she stuffed the parcel into her bag.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry about that," the guy at the counter said, looking sheepish. "We're just way backlogged this time of year."

"It's whatever. Merry Christmas," Shouko said, tossing off a wave as she stepped out.

As she was walking up to her bike her phone buzzed and she picked up. "Moshi moshi," she chirped.

"Shouko?" Shoji was whispering so softly Shouko could barely hear him.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Can you do me a life-saving favor?"

"It better not be something for Christmas Eve," Shouko warned.

"No, it's right now."

"Oh. Then what's up?"

"Can you call Miyumi's phone and be a distraction for about twenty seconds?"

"Uh. Okay," she said as she swung a leg over her motorcycle.

"I'm sorry. Her sister is in town and she's...watching me."

"Their family is so weird," Shouko agreed. "But yeah, I can do it."

"Thank you so much," he said, followed by a click as the line went dead.

"A distraction, huh?" Shouko mused, bouncing one foot and then punching Miyumi's contact info.

"Hello?" Miyumi's ever-studied voice was calm.

"MIYUMI! HOLY SHIT WHERE ARE YOU?" Shouko yowled into the phone.

"Wh-what? I'm at home, why?" Miyumi yelped.

"THE METEOR! IT'S COMING DOWN TODAY, DO YOU HAVE KANA'S GEM?"

"What?! What gem? What meteor?! What are you talking about?" Miyumi's voice climbed high into her register - which, for Miyumi, was really high.

"THE METEOR! THE ONE WE HAD TO USE KANAKO'S GEM TO STOP! DO YOU HAVE IT?!"

"I don't have any gem! Shouko what are you talking about? Did I miss something important?"

"Oh, no," Shouko said, reverting back to her normal speaking tone. "I think I just fell asleep playing video games."

"...Kogawa. If this is some kind of prank-"

"Sorry byeeeeee~" she singsonged before hanging up. "One distraction, as ordered," she murmured to herself as she pulled on her helmet and started up her bike.

Later yesterday

She'd just pulled up to the shrine's entrance and shut off the Honda when her phone buzzed again. Once she'd pulled off her helmet and hung it from the handlebar, she reached into her jacket and retrieved the little rectangle. "Yo."

"Shouko, can I beg a quick favor from you?" Kanako asked.

"Uh, depends what it is, I'm kind of overloaded," she said as she started up the steps.

"Just, please call Erika for me, I need a few seconds to get her present out of the house or she's going to find it early!" Kanako said, sounding frazzled.

"Ugh. It's fine, don't panic," Shouko said in a placating tone before she hung up and punched Erika's info. "The fuck am I, the team distraction?" she growled.

"Hello?"

"Erika, what are you up to right now?" she asked.

"Um, I was just coming home, why?"

"Can you look out towards the east for me?"

"Okay..."

"Do you see anything that looks like a UFO?"

"Um...no?"

"Are you sure?"

"...yes?" Erika said after a brief hesitation. "Why, what are you seeing?"

"Come to think of it, nothing. Sorry, have a good day," she said, hanging up without further explanation.

Shizuka was waiting at the top of the steps, by which point Shouko had fished out a cigarette and lit it. The young shrine maiden held out a folded piece of paper which Shouko plucked from her hand. "I will see you tomorrow," Shizuka said evenly.

"I'll be there. Might not be sane by then, but I'll be there," Shouko promised, unfolding the paper and looking at the instructions written there. The shrine was west of the highway, away from the coast. Hop off, go straight, make a couple turns, look for the tree, easy. She folded up the paper again and stuffed it into her backpack before shrugging the bag's strap higher onto her shoulder. "You want me to grab KFC on the way?"

"This is serious," Shizuka said, her voice exasperated.

Shouko sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just kinda feeling one straw short of paraplegia, you know what I mean?"

Shizuka blinked, eyes widening a touch as the colorful turn of phrase caught her off-guard. Then she smiled. "I do know what you mean," she agreed. "Perhaps once the holiday is over and the weekend comes we will have a moment to catch our collective breath. Until then, I have faith in your word, and your prowess." She bowed, ebon hair swirling about her shoulders.

Shouko felt her face heat a little bit, and she lifted her hand in a thumbs-up, cigarette still clenched between her first two fingers. "I won't let you down, sensei," she said earnestly.

"Don't call me that," Shizuka rejoined.

Shouko was halfway down the steps before she finally puzzled out that Shizuka had not in fact told her not to call her 'Shizuka' and her face went from a little warm to hot enough to melt the snow, and she sprinted the rest of the way back to her bike.

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

Chistmas Eve, four hours ago

Saika hummed to herself as she brushed her hair, unable to resist bouncing a bit from side to side in front of her mirror. Her outfit for the evening was laid out on the bed, thick warm socks and a wool vest perfect for wandering through the light displays.

On the dresser in front of her was a little boxed gift, blue wrapping paper with a magenta ribbon.

Three hours ago

Shizuka's katana rattled in its sheath as she set it down beside her and knelt.

The woods were peaceful, although she could still hear traffic in the distance. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, savoring the taste of the fresh, cold air. In the clearing before her rested a great stone about the size of an adult man, around which were wrapped a pair of corded threads from which hung papers inscribed with wards. From the top of the stone protruded the blade and handle of a katana not unlike her own, one that had been taken from a minor lord slain by the invading asura before its imprisonment.

Lifting her chin, she briefly looked up at the sky. The clouds had thickened, turning a dull grey that threatened a storm.

She closed her eyes once more and breathed.

Two and half hours ago

"Mom, is that thing almost ready? I've really gotta go, like right now," Shouko urged, looking at her phone. She'd dressed in warm clothing, throwing her riding leathers on and donning a set of boots with buckles that locked into place to keep them snugly on her feet.

"Sorry hon, I'm almost done, I didn't realize it would take this long to chill," Kyoko Kogawa replied, working at the confection she'd carved over the past day.

Shouko made a noise of frustration. "Mom, I really need to leave," she said, trying not to do anything as blatant as hop from foot to foot. "I wanted to leave like fifteen minutes ago."

"It's only four-thirty, you'll have plenty of time to make your date," Kyoko replied, voice calm as she closed one eye and peered at her work.

"Yeah, but I've gotta be in Hokota by six, so I've gotta go all the way from here to Kashima and then turn around and meet Shizuka on the way back, and if I don't leave right now I'm gonna have to burn rubber the whole way there!"

"Shizuka? Who's this Shizuka?" Kyoko questioned sharply, pausing in her work - the exact last thing Shouko needed now. "Are you two-timing this Saika girl-"

"Oh my god, mom-"

"-who, by the way, I still haven't met-"

"Shizuka's a friend, I promised I would help her with a thing, and we can sort out who I bring home when, later," she insisted, mortified and waving a frantic hand at her mom's work until Kyoko returned to her carving.

"Well, I'm sorry, but you didn't mention any Shizuka," Kyoko said as she worked. "Maybe call her and tell her you could be a few minutes late."

Shouko felt her stomach fall into a pit, but she nodded and turned to walk away, digging out her phone with a hand she realized was quaking. Despite her trembling fingers, she managed to bring up Shizuka's info and stared at it, heart pounding.

Shizuka told her she had faith in her. Nobody ever told her that. She couldn't let her down. She couldn't. She'd put her phone away and was crossing back into the kitchen a moment later.

"Any luck?" Kyoko asked.

"N-no, she didn't pick up," Shouko answered as she withdrew one of the emergency Snickers and bit off the top third.

A few minutes passed, each one feeling like a lifetime before Kyoko set down her tools and declared, "finished."

"Kay gimme," Shouko said, advancing with hands out before her mom planted a palm on her forehead.

"Easy on the throttle there, I'm putting it in an ice bath so it doesn't melt on the way," Kyoko admonished. Shouko busied herself with the pressing task of pulling her hair out while her mother carefully put the dessert in its container and sealed it before transferring the container to a larger one and pouring ice around it. "Alright, where's your backpack?" she asked then.

Shouko had it at the ready and pulled the top open, then stopped and hurried to pull out the gold-wrapped box that contained Saika's gift. Together she and her mother stuffed the confectionery into the backpack and Shouko laid a towel over it so that she could put the little box safely atop it. With haste she shrugged into her winter riding jacket; the garment was a little weather beaten these days but still a fur-lined badass with overstuffed shoulder pads, one of which had a rectangular patch sewn into it that consisted of multiple stripes of pink, red, and white.

"Kay bye see you tonight," she said in a rush as she hurried out the front door.

"Love you! DRIVE SAFELY!" Kyoko hollered after her.

About two hours ago

The highway was jammed with people leaving work, but the Honda Fireblade's engine hummed along as Shouko wove through traffic, disobeying every rule about motorcycle safety she'd ever learned, apart from the one that said 'wear a helmet.' At one point she drove for several kilometers along the shoulder, so close to the center barrier that she could have scraped one of her daggers along the steel without even fully extending her arm. A few drivers leaned on their horns, but there was little they could do except stew in their envy.

It felt like it was getting colder. She couldn't see the sun behind the clouds, though it was still bright enough to be considered daytime. A chilly breeze was blowing in from the ocean off her left side as she headed down the coast. She silently begged the weather to hold off. If ice formed on the roads now, she wouldn't need to fight a mythical warrior-spirit to get herself killed, plain old physics would do the job nicely. Didn't need Miyumi Aratani to calculate that one.

As she left Hitachinaka behind her and headed south the traffic began to break up, Shouko tightened her grip on the throttle and upped her speed, the Fireblade's engine roaring approval as she zipped past the remaining cars. This was okay, she told herself. She could squeak this out. An hour or so south to Kashima. Drop off the dessert and get out inside a minute. A little over a half hour back north to Hokota. Fight the bad guy with Shizuka. Then a half hour back to Hitachinaka to meet Saika on time. She could do this. She could do this.

Then she zipped past a Nissan with a black and white paint job. A moment later the red lights atop the roof lit up in her rear-view mirror and a siren started up.

Shit shit shit shit shitshitshitshitshitshit. Shit.

If the cops had been parked and thus had needed time to get moving she would have chanced it, but with them already on the road and in motion they were probably close enough to scope her plate and call her in before she got too far away. With a sinking heart she clicked on her light and veered to the side of the road.

She didn't do anything as dramatic as slam her head into the bars - although she really wanted to - but she did clasp her hands tightly for a moment before reaching up to remove her helmet, and she couldn't stop her leg from bouncing frantically as the police officer exited his vehicle and slowly - too damn slowly! - made his way up to her bike.

"Good afternoon. Are you aware of how fast you were going?" he asked.

"I'm gonna guess, too fast?" she said with a wan smile. He smiled pleasantly and held out a hand, into which Shouko obediently placed her papers.

He gave them the once-over, asking as he did so, "may I ask the reason for your hurry?"

"I have to make a delivery," Shouko answered.

He looked up at her, brow raised. "I thought Santa drove a red sleigh," he replied.

Ha FUCKING ha. "It's a dessert for my mom's cousin's party," she explained, jabbing a thumb at the backpack.

"It's quite nice of you to be hurrying so much to deliver a dessert on behalf of your mother-" he started saying as they continued the steps of the standard you-did-I-didn't dance, but Shouko's patience finally snapped.

"Look, officer, I don't mean to be disrespectful, I really don't," she said with a sigh, "but if you're gonna write me the ticket, please, just write it up. I wanna get this over with."

He cocked an eyebrow and then sauntered back to his car, leaving Shouko to bounce her leg and try her best not to think about a ticking second hand.

Was he writing a novel back there? Come ON!

"Kogawa Shouko," he announced as he returned to her bike. "I see we've had some run-ins before. If you're on a timetable you should leave earlier. Try to keep it within twenty of the speed limit, hm?" he asked as he handed her info back along with a printed piece of paper.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled as she took it and stuffed everything into her wallet.

"Merry Christmas," he added with a tap of his cap as he started back towards his car. Shouko was back on the road before he'd reached it.

She kept her speed down all the way through the greater Hokota region, more out of necessity from the ongoing traffic than the cop's warning, opening up the throttle once things calmed down. She didn't need to look at a phone by now. The sky was starting to change colors.

She was going to be hella late.

One hour and thirteen minutes ago

Kashima, in Shouko's completely unbiased opinion, wasn't nearly as cool a place to grow up as Hitachinaka. Partly this was due to the fact her mom's cousin lived on the border of the farmlands instead of anywhere even remotely interesting.

The Honda's tires crunched as she pulled to the side of the road and cut the engine, hanging her helmet from the handlebar and swinging her leg from the bike to hasten her way past the cars already parked near the house. Get in, drop the dessert, get out.

Then the front door banged and a three-foot bolt of lightning came running out. "SHOUKOOOOOOOO!" squealed a high-pitched voice.

Shouko grinned. "Well howdy there, Babymetal!" she cried out, scooping up the eight-year-old and giving her a squeeze. "Did y'all hear me comin'?" she asked, slipping into her affected accent without conscious thought.

"I heard your engine!" Ikumi confirmed.

"Sharp ears, Babymetal. Jeez yer gettin' big," Shouko said, playing up the grunt as she set the girl down on her feet.

"I've gown another three inches," the girl bragged, falling into step with Shouko as she made her way towards the house.

"Three! Yer gonna be taller'n me, soon enough!" Shouko said, still grinning through her affectation of shock. Ikumi was the one member of her mom's cousin's family she got on with. "I gotta find you a helmet, maybe that weight'll keep you nice'n short."

Ikumi blew a raspberry at her. "Are you gonna have time to give me a ride?"

"I'm sorry, Babymetal," she said with genuine regret, "but I'm just here droppin' off dessert for yer mom. I got other places I gotta get to tonight. Maybe next time we'll do the ol' spin around the block, huh?"

"Promise?"

"I promise, darlin'," she said as she shoved the front door open.

"Promise what?" an older female voice asked. "Hello Shouko," said her mother's cousin without waiting for a reply, eyeing the biker distastefully. A few other eyes joined her as Shouko's entrance pulled the attention away from the party that had been ongoing.

"Hello y'all. Don't mind me, I'll just be in and out," she said with a wave of the hand that held her backpack's strap, already making her way towards the kitchen.

The woman followed her in, presumably under the auspices of helping her retrieve the dessert from said backpack. "I see you wore that jacket," she said sternly as Shouko set her helmet down and undid the backpack's flaps.

"Warmest one I got," Shouko replied evenly, retrieving Saika's gift and setting it aside before pulling out the towel, the bottom of which turned out to be damp. Kyoko's ice bath had melted a little bit, but the dessert inside was still intact. Studiously ignoring the disapproving gaze of the homemaker, Shouko carefully folded the towel so that the dampest part was on the inside and stuffed it back into the packpack, placing Saika's gift atop it before doing the straps back up. "Alright, there ya go," she said, turning on her heel and striding back out through the living room. "Y'all have a good one!" she said, waving.

"Well, hold on, Shouko, don't you want to stay for a drink at least?" said the lady's husband.

Shouko was about to issue a polite denial when someone else asked "before you go, I met a nice man up in Iwaki a few weeks ago; is Kyoko still looking for someone? I could give you his number to give her."

"For that matter, do you have a boyfriend yet?" asked someone else.

She could have just walked out the door. Could have. Instead she turned about and clapped her hands to catch the attention of all those present. "Okay! Hate to interrupt y'all but I promise I'll make this quick. One, I ain't stayin' for a drink, sorry but this camel's still got a couple'a haybales to offload tonight. Two, my mom's still not lookin'. She loves her job and it's probably gonna stay that way awhile. Three, in case some of y'all still don't know what this is," she said, indicating the flag patch on her jacket, "I'm still mega gay. In fact the last thing I gotta do tonight is go on a gay date with my girlfriend. Y'all can make all the biker jokes y'all want once I'm gone. Four, Ikumi, yer still my girl."

"Woo!" The girl indicated pumped a fist.

"And five, Aggretsuko's the best new show out there go fuckin' watch it." Shouko lifted the first two fingers of her right hand to her mouth and kissed her fingertips before flashing a sideways v-sign so that her fingers framed her eye. "Merry Christmas, y'all!"

With that she was gone, hurrying back to her bike. By now, the sun was well and truly gone, the world dark and cold as she started up her bike and whirled it about to head back towards the highway.

One hour ago

Shizuka breathed in deeply, held it, and let it out. Opening her eyes, she rose from her kneeling position took up her katana, hooking it to her belt once more.

Rather than draw the blade, however, she lifted up her hands, fingers curled, and began to recite the spell of renewal. Almost immediately, she felt something push against her. The air began to thicken, making her breath smoke, as a fierce resistance to her warding began to rise. It made the words difficult to speak, but Shizuka lowered her head slightly and forced herself to continue uttering one syllable after another.

The stone trembled. Seemingly of their own accord, the ropes from which hung the wards slackened and drooped, falling to the ground. The stone rocked back and forth, and abruptly an aura of cold blue light began to emanate from the surface of the rock. Shizuka felt herself be driven back a step, shoes crunching in the dirt but she stood her ground, hands thrust out as she struggled to contain the otherworldly spirit.

An arm made not of flesh but ethereal power the same color as the aura suddenly took form, arching from the stone to grasp the handle of the katana embedded there. Shizuka grit her teeth and rallied all her focus to contain the asura within the stone.

"Shouko," she murmured between lines of the warding, "I hope you're almost here."

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

Shouko ran her bike as fast as she dared back up the coast from Kashima towards Hokota, the street lights creating a strobing effect from how quickly she was passing by them.

Hang in there, Shizuka, I'm on my way, she thought, working the throttle up a few more kph.

Fifty minutes ago

Barphojee slowly managed to pull himself from the stony prison, climbing atop the rock and drawing the katana from it with a rasp of steel on stone. The asura's skin was a shade of blue much akin to the halo that surrounded him, his open robe and silken pantaloons of like color. He was multi-armed, a quartet of limbs sprouting from his shoulders. His hair and beard were white as solid ice.

His laughter was deep as the north wind. "Ah! Freedom!" he crowed.

"Savor it, for you will not be enjoying it long," Shizuka said.

"Oh! Who will see to that, little girl? You?" Barphojee laughed, slapping one of his lower hands against his belly before he hopped from the rock to stand before the young shrine maiden, assuming an exaggerated fighting pose with his flank towards her and his stolen sword arcing over his head.

"You would be wise not to underestimate me, asura," she warned, her hand drifting over towards the hilt of her blade, not quite touching it yet. "And I have allies on their way." I hope, she added silently.

"You have allies? Wonderful! I have allies too!" Barphojee said, clapping his lower hands. The asura bent and touched the snow, pinching his fingers in the thin carpet of white, and as he rose the snow rose up with him, as if by the action of touching it he had transformed it into some manner of cloth, pulling up a thirty-yard radius of the snow around them, which he whirled about and threw into the air like a stage magician. As it fell it split into several pieces and crystallized, and by the time it hit the ground the stolen snow had formed into six diminutive figures, their bodies sharp-edged and transparent, fingers tapering into elongated claws, whorls of ice magic forming their eyes.

"Then let us take your estimate, little girl," Barphojee proclaimed, leveling his blade. "Icelings! Get her!"

Shizuka gripped the sheath of her blade with one hand and took hold of the handle with the other, her body going still as the asura's minions began to close in. She began to feed energy into the blade, and as she popped the hilt from the lip of the sheath an eldritch glow became visible.

"Let's dance," she murmured, and as the first of the icelings came into reach she exploded into motion, her sword lashing out in a horizontal cut.

Forty minutes ago

"Bye mom, bye dad, I'm going!" Saika proclaimed, her parents' well-wishes accompanying her as she skipped out the door. She wished the sky would make up its mind - either let them have some snow, or clear the clouds out so they could see the stars. One or the other was nice to have for Christmas, but not neither.

It was a little thing, though, and she was still irrepressible as she practically bounced her way to the bus stop, checking her phone once she'd reached it.

'Leaving now! See you soon! <3<3<3' she texted to Shouko, though no read message popped up. Shouko was probably riding, she reasoned. Probably taking care of everything last-second. She giggled.

Thirty-five minutes ago

The tires squealed as Shouko pulled into the parking lot of a Toyota dealership. She'd busted her ass to get back to Hokota in anything like a semblance of good time, even though by now she was so obnoxiously late it made her arrival to the school day look punctual. She'd gone by memory for the first couple of turns off the highway, but she wasn't clear on where to head from here. Balancing as the bike thrummed beneath her, she reached into her backpack and rooted past her mom's towel for Shizuka's directions.

What she pulled out was a sodden lump of paper beginning to freeze at the edges.

"Oh, no. No no no no no no no no no," she moaned as she tried to unfold it. The paper began to split at one end, and Shouko barely managed to keep it together as she opened it up. The ink had smeared, but it was still legible, sure. Go past...turn left at...uh...

Shouko balled her hands, crumpling the edge of the useless directions.

"SHIZUKA WHERE IS THIS PLAAAAAAACE!" she howled.

Twenty-nine minutes ago

Shizuka twitched her wrist to shake her blade, knocking ice crystals and water from its length. The last of the icelings was dissolving into a puddle at her feet, leaving her shoes and the hem of her long skirt sodden as she leveled her sword at Barphojee.

The asura clapped his lower hands once more, stroking his beard with the upper arm that was not holding his sword. "I must admit, I am impressed. Your measure has surprised me, little girl."

Shizuka narrowed her crimson eyes. "I am charged with the duty of seeing you bound once more, and I will not fail."

"I think that is yet unlikely," Barphojee replied. "Let us put our theories to the proof then, shall we? Your allies have not come, and mine have proven incapable. Shall it be you and I?" The asura cracked his lower knuckles and twirled his stolen sword about.

"So it shall be," Shizuka agreed, readying herself.

With no further warning, Barphojee lifted a hand to his mouth and blew out a cloud of breath. Before Shizuka had time to react the cold air hit her legs, and the water that the icelings had left behind froze solid in an instant. Shizuka yelped, eyes wide as she tried to pull up one foot and couldn't move. The asura bellowed with laughter. "Dutiful little sword maiden! Your charge pins your feet and leaves you motionless! Better to fly free upon the winds with not a care in the world!"

Shizuka hissed. "I will return you to your prison. Even if I cannot move, we are one blade to another, and I will not fail in my duty!"

Barphojee flexed his shoulders and rotated his wrists as if limbering up. As he did so, however, his aura coalesced about his empty hands and sharpened, solidifying itself into a triad of curved swords. "And that, little girl, is where you are wrong," he said, and Shizuka barely had time to energize her blade with darkness before he leapt at her.

Twenty-three minutes ago

If the clouds and the moon and all the stars had fallen from the sky, today would still be less of a disaster than she'd made of things.

Shouko spun circles around Hokota looking desperately for anything that would jump out at her, to no avail. She knew she was close - she'd followed the first few directions, and she was in a lightly forested area which was where the shrine was supposed to be. Shizuka was somewhere in this area, she knew it.

She'd finally broken down and stopped at a convenience store, begging people if they knew about a local shrine with a blade, but there was no luck. A few folks tried to give her directions to the nearby temple, while a few just hurried away from the crazy lady in the motorcycle jacket asking about weird shrines.

"Sorry miss, but I'm afraid there's nothing like that around here. I'd know, I've lived here a long time," said the latest old man.

Shouko turned away, pressing the heels of her hands to her brow. She felt her eyes welling up, and she bit her lip as she struggled not to make a sound.

"Oh, look at that, someone's setting off fireworks for Christmas," the man commented, and Shouko couldn't help but turn her head, if just to distract herself for a moment. From somewhere behind the trees, someone was indeed tossing up lights that spiraled high into the air and then arced down again.

Except those weren't fireworks, she realized. Someone without the talent would be easily misled, but she recognized what it really was. Magic. That could only mean-

"Shizuka," she whispered, and a moment later she was sprinting for her bike, bringing the engine to life with a roar as she kicked it into gear and headed off the road, following what looked like a dirt path.

"Hey! Be careful with those fireworks miss, you might get burned!" the old man called after her.

Twenty minutes ago

Shizuka's hands couldn't stop shaking, her blade trembling furiously.

At first it had seemed as if she might take the asura blade to blade. She had cut the ice around her feet to free herself, and her defensive iajutsu had served her well in the subsequent combat, her blade smashing aside Barphojee's own and slicing through the warrior's icy flesh. But then he had switched to magic, casting spells high into the air so that they crashed down upon her like vicious hailstones. The ground had refrozen beneath her, making footing difficult.

"Have you had your fill of duty, little girl?" Barphojee asked. The asura was smiling, his blades levelled at her from across the clearing.

"You're not back in your stone yet," she replied, taking a breath to set her shoulders, willing her fingers to stop trembling.

"Ah...a shame. As chill as winter's bitter bite itself, you are. I could have used a servant such as you," the asura said.

She turned her head and spat.

A sound reached Shizuka's ear, then. A distant hum, like the buzz of a honeybee, only one that deepened and grew louder, morphing into the roar of a motorcycle. And Shizuka Miyasato grinned. It was not a friendly expression. "You will find no servants here tonight. And no friends of winter."

The Fireblade tore into the clearing before skidding to a stop, and Shouko didn't even take the time to stop the engine before she pulled her helmet off and dropped it to the ground, rushing to Shizuka's side. "Shizuka!"

"Shouko. You are incredibly late," Shizuka rebuked.

"Family stuff," the biker said, bouncing on her booted feet and wiggling her fingers as she eyed the asura.

"Ah, the much-touted ally, I presume," Barphojee said. "Have all the defenders of this land become little girls since last I made war here?"

"Buddy, I've already had to deal with way too much patronizing bullshit for one day," Shouko growled, and with no more introduction than that she charged forward, leaving a surprised Shizuka in her wake.

The asura set his swords to meet Shouko's charge, but in the last instant before they came together she closed her hands on thin air and her twin daggers erupted into life with a crackle of flame. One of them met Barphojee's ice-conjured sword and the asura's weapon shattered on the spot, leaving Shouko an opening to cut him across his midsection. A moment later Shizuka conjured a set of needle-pointed thorns between her fingers and threw out her hand, striking the asura even as Shouko's charge carried her out of the line of fire.

Together, the pair of them rapidly changed the course of the battle, the hot-blooded fury of the Dauntless Heart and the resolute purpose of the Ashen Blade cutting through the malicious chill of the asura, Shouko's daggers shattering another of Barphojee's swords as they fought.

It seemed as if fate had turned against the cruel creature, until finally he leapt back from Shouko's relentless onslaught and, folding his legs mid-air, summoned forth a roiling storm cloud upon which he sat and retreated across the clearing. Thus seated, he brought forth more of his icy spells, pelting the pair with hail, frozen winds that tore at one's clothing and the blinding light of a sun's reflection from snow-covered hills. Shouko snapped her daggers into their bow form, but a single arrow was little in the fact of the developing blizzard.

Shouko threw up an arm to shield her face, and even Shizuka held up her sword in a defensive posture, likewise hiding her face behind one arm. It seemed hope, in the end, had deserted them after all.

Fifteen minutes ago

Saika hopped off the bus right on time. The parking lot for the stadium was filling up with people, and she could see the lights of the display from all the way across the street. Out front was a huge inflatable tree which had been ringed with green lights, with a golden star at the top.

'OK I'm here' she texted Shouko. 'I'll be standing by the tree.'

She frowned then. Shouko still hadn't read her earlier message.

'Be safe out there if you're riding. See you soon. <3' she added.

Fourteen minutes ago

"Shizuka! Hit me!" Shouko suddenly cried out.

"What?" the other girl responded.

"I need you to hit me!" Shouko yelled into the rushing wind. A moment later her head snapped around as Shizuka's fist smashed into her cheek. Even Barphojee paused in his spellcasting, raising a frosty eyebrow at the unexpected sight.

Shouko straightened as the magenta of her eyes began to bleed away, replaced by pools of inky black as she fed into the connection opened to Shizuka's dark energy. "Close enough," she commented, grinning. A moment later a vast set of wings erupted from her back and she left the ground in a blast of sparks, closing on the asura with the speed of a bullet. She brought her hands together and the flame of her daggers became an inferno as they joined into the form of a single blade.

The asura turned the strike aside with his stolen katana and fled upwards, his cloud carrying him into the sky. The dark angel chased him, blades clashing as they whirled about the treetops, fire and ice circling in counterpoint to one another. From the ground, Shizuka watched as they fought, Shouko destroying the last of Barphojee's ice blades. Her crimson eyes narrowed, calculating the movements, until with a snap of one arm she threw out a hand and a chain of darkness exploded forth, flying upwards to coil around the asura's chest and halting his motion in midair.

A moment later Shouko was upon him, her flaming sword battering down his blade and slicing through the asura's arms as he threw up his hands to defend himself. The fury of her blows pushed him downwards in conjuction with the restrictive chain, and as he fell Barphojee heard her roaring "YOU! ARE KEEPING ME! FROM SEEING! MY GIRLFRIEND!"

The pair of them plummeted downwards until the asura's falling body struck the rock of the shrine, and he roared as he dissolved, his aura suffusing the stone once more as Shouko snatched the katana from his hand and drove it back into the rent from which it had been plucked earlier that night.

Shizuka sheathed her own blade and held out her hands once more, struggling to contain the asura's energy, gritting her teeth as she stood against the waves of power rolling off the shrine like a physical force. She made a scooping gesture with the fingers of one hand, and of their own volition the prayer ropes sprang to life, encircling the stone once more and binding themselves tightly around its girth. As they did so a beam of light erupted, arcing high into the sky until it touched the clouds, fading moments later.

Shouko beat her wings and leapt from the rock, dropping to her feet beside Shizuka, breathing hard and dismissing her sword with a wave of one hand. The black-feathered wings dissolved a moment later, feathers vanishing in the swirling winds. "Is that it? Did we get him?"

"He...is contained," Shizuka confirmed between sentences of the warding spell. "I must...reaffirm the bonds of his prison."

"Do you need me for this part?" Shouko asked, her eyes - magenta once more - intent upon Shizuka's own.

"No. You are...free," Shizuka replied.

"Good," Shouko said, digging out her phone, "cause it's-"

Ten minutes ago

"...SIX FIFTY I GOTTA GO!" she screamed, barely seeing Saika's texts as she ran for her helmet.

"You will not get back to Hitachinaka so quickly," Shizuka warned. "It is a half hour from here."

Shouko turned her head, glowering through the visor of her helmet. "Love you, Shizuka, but don't tell me what I can't do, right now of all times," she snarled, before throwing her leg over her thrumming bike. "And Shizuka," she added as she revved the engine.

"Yes?"

"Merry Christmas." With that she peeled out, rear tire throwing a cascade of dirt into the air.

As the sound of the engine faded into the distance, footsteps crunched in the frozen earth behind Shizuka.

"I was beginning to think your friend wouldn't show up," said a voice.

"She is unreliable. But...she is...dependable," Shizuka replied. "Though I was getting concerned as well."

"Please," he said in a dismissive tone. "You were never in any real danger." A moment later he hummed in thought as the first few fat white flakes drifted down from the sky. "Look at that, it's snowing," commented the man with the purple hair.

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

Six minutes ago

The Honda CBR1000RR (affectionately known as the Fireblade) had a top speed of 185 American miles per hour - three hundred kph in its home country.

The fastest Shouko had ever dared get her bike up to was 200.

She was already going a hundred, engine roaring, as she ran the red light and turned onto the highway from Hokota to head north towards home. Traffic had lightened, but by now a steady stream of snow had begun to fall. Shouko put her head down and accelerated, ignoring the possibility of a slippery road and once more breaking every rule of motorcycle safety as she pulled to the extreme end of the road, riding the shoulder line as she passed the fast-moving traffic like it was standing still.

The speedometer read 250. Shouko turned the throttle further up.

Her entire body felt like it was wired with electricity, heart pounding in her chest, breath rattling in her ears in the confines of her helmet. Her hands gripped the bars as tightly as they could, shutting out the cold, until her knuckles ached. The bike shook beneath her as she screamed down the highway, every little bump and hole and imperfection in the blacktop passing under her at breakneck speed.

Up ahead were a pair of cargo trucks, one riding the shoulder, leaving no room to pass. With the grace of a surgeon Shouko adjusted her grip on the handlebars, drifting over to the center stripe.

One of the truck drivers swore as the red motorcycle shot between him and the guy in the other lane like they were standing still. "Are you crazy?" he shouted at the taillight even as it vanished into the distance.

Shouko clenched her teeth, turning her throttle up until the control refused to budge any further. The trees at the side of the road were a smear, the cars a brief impression of color and red taillights. At this speed the biker was navigating as much by instinct as by sight, glimpses of the road ahead offering guesses of what lay in wait, swinging her bike from lane to lane to shoulder to center in the most hellaciously illegal driving she'd ever done.

"Not for this not for this not for this not for this," she hissed under her breath.

----------

Up north in Hitachinaka, Saika blinked as something white drifted past her eyes. With a soft squeak of delight she looked up to see the snow beginning to fall. The weather had finally decided! Things were going to be just perfect now.

----------

On the road, Shouko cursed as she had to slow just slightly, swinging around a knot of traffic before she pumped the throttle back up. The bike's engine was howling now, the loudest she'd ever heard it roar. "This is what you were made for," she growled under her breath. She hunched, pressing her body to the chassis and reducing her wind resistance. "You see that light up there?" she asked the bike. "That's Saika. That's our guiding star. Long as we've got her in front of us? We've got hope."

The bike's speed devoured the kilometers between Hokota and Hitachinaka like a wildfire tearing through so much dead forest. At this speed, girl and bike were but a blur, a single crimson streak of light, and as Shouko jammed on the throttle, she exerted every once of willpower she had into urging the Fireblade on faster, faster, urging the tires to keep their grip as she shot through every turn and dodged every car. Unseen by her, flames shot from the exhaust as the fiery soul of the Dauntless Heart seemed to infuse the machine, a halo of flame bursting into life around it, vanishing, roaring back into existence.

--------

On the side of the road, a police officer catching a brief nap during a double shift jolted awake as something screamed past, a brief impression of fire like some kind of meteor had zipped by.

His radar gun was blinking 306 KPH.

"Great Caesar's ghost," he murmured, swallowing. He looked out to the road, but whatever the thing was, it had gone.

--------

Shouko's heart swelled as Hitachinaka grew brighter up ahead.

Then it sank as she saw a different set of lights ahead, flashing yellow. Before she could react she was in the thick of a traffic jam, roaring down the shoulder towards someone that had run afoul of the snowfall. What to do? What to do? Even if she ran the impromptu blockade, she would have to slow down. She clenched her teeth.

And then, a Christmas miracle. One of the vehicles near the crash sight was a tow truck, the kind with the flat back. It must have been called in to help clear away whatever car had wiped out, but they hadn't put anything on it yet.

And its ramp was down.

Shouko squeezed her horn as she closed the gap, briefly lowering her throttle and then ramping up again, hauling back on the handlebars so that the Fireblade's front wheel left the ground. "SORRY!" she screamed at peak volume even though she doubted any of the rescue crew could hear her over the horn and the howl of her engine. Still, one way or another nobody got in her path, and the bike hit the lowered ramp and popped up into the air above the cab.

She arced through the open sky, seemingly suspended in midair like no more than one of the drifting snowflakes.

Then she hit the road with a jolt, and though the bike wobbled, Shouko managed to keep it upright. Thanks to the accident and the traffic jam, now the road was empty but for her - a straight shot back to Hitachinaka. She laughed aloud, crazy on emotion.

--------

In a forest outside Hokota, Shizuka slapped her palms together and bowed her head. The freezing aura of the asura had faded away to nothing, leaving but a rock, a sword, and a set of warding charms that rattled softly in the gentle wind.

"Victory," she murmured.

--------

In a parking lot in Hitachinaka, Saika Oishi waited, worry gnawing at her as she watched her phone, waiting for something, anything that would let her know Shouko was alright. By now she was starting to chew her lip, glancing up at everyone passing by just in case she'd missed Shouko somewhere in the crowd. "I hope you're okay," she murmured softly.

As if in response, a distant roar reached her ears, and she blinked up as she saw a familiar cherry-red motorcycle swing itself onto the road that approached the parking lot. Those watching might have sworn a veritable halo sprung up around the girl as she jumped up and cheered. The bike rapidly closed the distance, smoke rising as if the vehicle's chassis had been superheated somehow, and the rider jumped the curb to come screeching to a halt right in front of Saika.

Shouko pulled her helmet off, sweat glimmering on her face as Saika rushed to her side. "I can't believe it, I was getting so worried, you're right-

Now

-on time-ah!" she yelped as the biker dropped her helmet and reached out to pull her off her feet, dipping her over the bike's chassis as she leaned down to kiss her lips. Saika wrapped her arms around Shouko's body to hold her close for a long moment, eyes closed, feeling the frantic thud of her girlfriend's heart.

"Hey you," Shouko said with a trembling smile when they parted.

"Hi yourself," Saika replied, stroking Shouko's cheek.

"I made it," Shouko said, as if she needed to assert the reality of the moment.

"You did," Saika confirmed, brushing a few stray blue hairs back from her girlfriend's face. "You really did."

"Really, Kogawa? Come on," another voice broke in, one of the security guards waving his arms at the pair. "You still gotta park like everyone else."

"Yeah, yeah," Shouko drawled, letting Saika back onto her feet. "Be right back, darlin'."

"I'm here for you," Saika confirmed.

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

The light display was huge. The pair wandered through it, hands clasped, stopping to appreciate this piece or that, like the trees with strings of lights like glowing icicles hanging from them, or the verdant green forest of pine trees, or the hall of rainbows.

It was when they paused beneath a wide replica of a shinto gate that Shouko stopped to feel for something she'd transferred to a jacket pocket. "So, I uh-"

"Oh, here," Saika said, evidently having thought of the same thing at the same time, and she held out the blue-wrapped box with the magenta ribbon. "This is for you."

"Are you sure? Those colors might make it anyone's," Shouko said as she took the box, grinning when Saika stuck out her tongue. After a quick check to make sure no one in security was watching, she retrieved her knife and cut along the edge of the box, putting the blade away and tearing through the rest of the wrapping to get at the gift inside.

"Saika..." had gotten her a set of fingerless gloves, the leather dyed magenta, the knuckles reinforced with a metal plate. As a finishing touch, each knuckle had been further plated with an extra bracing in the shape of a little heart. "These...are awesome," Shouko said, voice quiet with awe. A moment later she'd stripped off her current gloves to replace them with the new pair. They fit perfectly, and the interior of the new set had been padded so that her knuckles would be protected if she ever needed to put those metal plates to use.

Saika clapped her hands, delighted with the reaction, watching as Shouko threw a couple of experimental punches at the air. "I'm glad you like them."

"I love 'em," Shouko confirmed. Then her face colored, and she looked away shyly as she held out a box covered by gold paper, the wrapping a little messy on one side where the ends had been inexpertly taped together.

"I'm gonna guess you did this yourself," Saika said slyly as she used her thumb to open up the wrapping, withdrawing a small burgundy box. She popped the top and looked inside to see a chain of thin golden links, each one a five-pointed star, with a larger one holding an emerald inset as the centerpiece. "Oh, Shouko, it's beautiful," she breathed.

"D'you like it? I thought it would look good on ya, 'cause..." Shouko trailed off, shrugging her shoulder.

"Because?" Saika prompted, arching an eyebrow.

"Cause...yer my guiding star," Shouko said, her face bright red. Saika made a noise and Shouko looked up, blinking to see her girlfriend's eyes large and liquid, her lip trembling. "Oh no, don't cry," she started to say, only for her airflow to be cut off as Saika cried out and squeezed her until her ribs groaned.

"I love it so much, Shouko you're wonderful," she said in a rush as Shouko struggled to hug her back before her spine gave way. Saika's grip thankfully slackened after a few seconds and the pair looked into one another's eyes.

Shouko mumbled, "So...I wanted to ask...if..."

"If?" Saika questioned.

"Um...it's been a couple months since...I mean, I've never really, uh...gone steady with anyone," Shouko fumbled for words, only for a fingertip to tap against her lips.

"Just ask me," Saika said, eyes shining.

"...you wanna be for-real girlfriends with me, Saika?" Shouko asked.

"Yes, Shouko. Yes I do," Saika confirmed. She leaned close to kiss Shouko's lips, afterward leaning her forehead against Shouko's own. "Thank you, for the best Christmas Eve ever," she said softly.

"It sure got there," Shouko agreed.

#Completely Normal RPG #Shouko #kurze writes #anime bullshit #Christmas themed this time #includes music link

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mystical-flute · 3 years ago

Text

Uncharted Waters 20: Heroes in the Darkest Time

AO3 || Tip Jar

Reika pressed herself against the wall, carefully moving in the direction of the sound. Peeking around a corner, she gasped when she noticed another CP9 agent unconscious on the ground.

Well, that was a good sign.

“Sakura!” Chopper called.

Relief flooded her as she rushed over to Chopper and an unfamiliar man. “Chopper, thank goodness, are you okay?”

“I’m fine! What happened to you? Let me see.”

Chopper, ever the doctor, pulled her to the ground to check her over, before she glanced over at the man she didn’t recognize. “And you are?”

“I’m the lord of Water 7’s underworld. Franky’s the name.”

“So you’re the famous Franky I’ve heard so much about tonight,” she said. “I’m Sakura, the espionage master for the Straw Hats.”

Franky frowned. “You’re one of them? How come I didn’t see you at all when we were at Water 7?”

She smirked, which turned into a wince as Chopper poured something on one of her wounds. “I’m just that good at my job, Franky. It’s espionage, after all.”

“Wait - what? So are you tellin’ me you were there? Aw man, now I’m questionin’ everything!”

She glanced at Chopper, whose cheeks had puffed with restrained laughter, and felt her own lips twitch, a giggle slipping out.

“What’s so funny?” Franky snapped.

“I was kidding. I was on another island taking care of something and just got back.”

“And you jumped on a sea train in the middle of a storm, to come and break down the doors of the World Government?”

“Robin’s my friend. She doesn’t deserve to die just because of her knowledge,” she shrugged. “And besides, Luffy’s the captain. If he says we’re going somewhere, we go, right Chopper?”

“Right!”

“Cha-pa-pa. How sweet. Your loyalty will be your downfall.”

Reika glanced over at the CP9 agent that had once been unconscious. “Is that right?”

“Cha-pa. Of course. Do you really think any of you are getting out of here alive? Don’t make me laugh! You’re just a bunch of small-time pirates. What’s the use in throwing your lives away for one random woman? If it wasn’t already too late for you, I would be willing to let you go.”

“Gosh, CP9 is so kind,” she said dryly.

“You think this is a joke?!” Zipper Mouth said. “I’ll take you out fir - ”

Zipper Mouth was blasted back, and Franky’s shadow loomed in front of her.

“I don’t think so. You were fightin’ me, remember?”

The reprieve ended, and battles raged again.

Franky and Zipper Mouth had fallen over the edge of the building into the water below, and she nor Chopper could see them. Then, another member of CP9 Chopper thought was contained hadn’t been, and despite Reika’s best efforts, she couldn’t get back into the kitchen to help him - smoke and debris blocked her path.

And then an announcement was made over the entire island: A Buster Call had been summoned, and the pressure to free Robin was amplified even more.

“Chopper?!” she called, her throat raw from the smoke and the injuries she’d already faced.

The only response was a blood curdling roar, and a scream of the CP9 agent.

Something rumbled beneath her feet, and she backed away from the hole in the wall, toward the edge.

“Hey, sister, is something wrong?”

Reika glanced behind her, eyes widening when she saw Franky clinging to the wall. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But I think something happened with Chopper.”

“Well, the little dude doesn’t look like he can pack much of a punch, even with his weird morphing body,” Franky grunted, getting onto the balcony with her. “You haven’t gone to see if he’s okay?”

“I can’t - there’s too much smoke and debris in the way. But I don’t think Chopper’s the one in danger.”

“What do you mean?”

The roar came back and the ground rumbled again.

“That. That’s what I mean,” she said, grabbing his wrist and tugging him around the corner. “We’ll have a good vantage point from over here.”

And, if there was any justice here, they would be concealed from whatever had happened in the kitchen.

“Is this really what you do for the crew? Hide behind corners and wait?” Franky muttered. “Sounds pretty lame to me.”

“It’s kept me alive and it’s kept the crew safe,” she hissed. “I didn’t train in this to get myself killed, you know.”

“You wh - ”

Franky was cut off when the wall suddenly crumbled, and a large, hulking figure stepped through the smoke. It held the unconscious CP9 agent by the head; he dangled like a puppet in the massive paw.

“What the hell is that?” Franky whispered.

Reika’s eyes trailed up the figure as the CP9 agent went flying through the air, and gasped when she recognized the pink hat on his head. “That - that’s Chopper!”

“What? The raccoon-dog? Since when can he do that?”

Reika flinched as Chopper’s massive paw crushed the ledge with ease. “He can’t. Not as far as I know.”

“Then what the hell is wrong with him?”

“I don’t know, but we have to stop him. If we don’t, CP9 will, and I doubt they’ll be as gentle,” she said. “We should follow him and make sure no one on our side gets hurt.”

“How?”

Chopper let out another roar and began to climb the building. To Reika, it looked like something out of King Kong, only with a reindeer and not an ape.

“I’m really good at improvising, but there’s not much we can do while he’s scaling the wall,” she replied with a frown. “Let’s see what he does.”

They continued observing him, until he crashed through another level of the tower.

“Let’s go.”

She leaped at the wall, beginning her ascent.

“So tell me, what’d you mean by “training”? How do you train to become a pirate?” Franky asked.

“You don’t. The government isn’t the only one with trained agents. My friend’s dad is a commander for the Revolutionaries. He trained me before I joined Luffy,” she replied.

“Revolutionaries, huh? That’s pretty wild. They care about Nico Robin?”

“The knowledge she holds and seeks is critical to finding out the truth of our worlds.”

Franky’s eyes widened. “Wait - worlds?!”

“I’ll explain when we’re safe in Water 7,” she said, grasping onto a small opening Chopper left behind and pulling herself up. “Nami! You okay?”

Nami was covered in bumps and bruises, but nodded. “I’m fine. Did you see Chopper?”

“We’ve been tailing him. Do you have any idea how to stop him?”

Nami glanced at what was left of a nearby wall. “Well, I’ve got one, but I don’t know if I like it. He’s a Devil Fruit user, right?”

Reika nodded.

“So if we get him in the water, maybe it’ll negat whatever happened to him and turn him back to normal.”

Reika sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “That would probably work, but how do we guarantee he gets out of the water? And what can we use that would have enough force to knock him into it?” she paused, feeling the weight of her batons against her arms. “I might have something, but I’m worried I’d hurt him.”

“I think you ladies should leave that to me,” Franky said with a grin and a twist of his wrist. “I’ve got just the thing.”

Reika couldn’t say she liked the idea, but with Chopper still on a rampage, Robin not free, and the Buster Call inevitably drawing near, there wasn’t time to argue.

They had congregated in another room, Chopper on one side, looking pale despite his massive size.

“Chopper, I’m really sorry about this,” she said, calling forth her Blizzard Falcon again. “Black Ice!”

Chopper turned to her, growling before beginning to slide on the icy floor and roaring in confusion.

“Coup de Vent!” Franky shouted.

Air pressure shot out of his arm, knocking Chopper through the wall into a freefall.

Franky and Reika jumped after him, Reika using her shadows to land safely on the ground, while Franky went into the water.

“Hey Miss Shadow Lady!” Chimney called.

She faked a smile (why had an innocent child, her grandmother, and her pet ended up here?), kneeling to Chimney’s height. “Hey Chimney, Gonbe. How’d you get here?”

“We found a secret tunnel! We led Straw Hat through it and he got really small! You gotta see it!”

Reika laughed softly. “Is that so? Well, I think we should wait for Franky and Chopper, okay? Chopper’s really injured.”

Chimney’s eyes widened. “Is he gonna die?!”

“Not if I can help it.”

Kokoro laughed. “You’re an interesting one, I tell ya.”

“Why did you two come so far onto the island? I would have thought you’d have wanted to stay near the train,” Reika questioned.

Franky popped out of the water with Chopper as Kokoro tipped the bottle back.

“No use stayin’ near a train that’s not gonna run anymore, is there?”

Her lips quirked. “Fair enough.”

“Alright, I think I got all the water out of his lungs, but he’s still unconscious. I’ve got a key to Nico Robin’s handcuffs,” Franky said, glancing at Reika. “Bird Girl, you’ll keep these guys safe, right?”

“Of course. Hurry and save Robin.”

Franky nodded and rushed off ahead of them

She helped tie Chopper safely on Kokoro’s back as they followed Franky at a slower pace.

“Why did you agree to bring us here?” she questioned. “This isn’t really the place for a civilian and her granddaughter.”

Kokoro took a long swig of her liquor (where had she been finding it?), then sighed. “Franky and I - we go way back. I suppose some part of me wanted to do whatever I could to get him back. I know it’s foolish, especially for an old woman like me. But, I also want to see that no-good Spandam gets what’s coming to him.”

Reika chuckled. “A little revenge? Never a bad option. But it can cloud you, even if you think it’s right.”

“You seem like you know that from experience.”

“When you’re in my line of work, you see a thing or two.”

Kokoro gave her a look, which she recognized as a grandparent sizing her up. “You mean your pirate work or the other thing you were talking about?”

Reika paused. “Both.”

Chimney laughed as she painted arrows on the walls (where had she found the paint supplies?). “You’re funny, Miss Bird Lady!”

“Oh, I’m Bird Lady now?” Reika questioned.

“Well, that’s what Franky called you, right? What’s it like being a pirate? Are you scared? Do you miss your family? Do you have a family?”

“Chimney!” Kokoro warned. “Didn’t you listen to a word she said back at Water 7? She’s got a grandpa. And she doesn’t owe you anything else if she doesn’t want to.”

Reika smiled softly. “It’s okay, Kokoro. I don’t mind talking about it. Being a pirate is scary, Chimney. Constantly having to look over your shoulder to make sure the Marines aren’t breathing down our necks, fighting off other pirates or bounty hunters, that want to take us down… yes, I’m lucky with the crew I’m a part of, you’ve seen how selfless they can be and how funny they are, but it isn’t an easy life. But yes, I miss my family terribly, especially my grandpa.”

“Why’d you become a pirate then, if you’ve got a grandpa? Seems pretty silly to me.”

“Sometimes people have things they feel they need to do out on the seas. For me, it’s finding my parents. God knows the World Government is useless at helping people who really need it, right?”

Kokoro laughed. “You can say that again, sister. Whatever happened to your parents?”

“Dunno. They set sail in the Grand Line and were never heard from again. So when I got the chance to try to find them, I took it. It’s my dream to find out what happened to them.”

“You kids are a buncha dreamers aren’t you?”

Her laugh echoed through the tunnel. “You could say that.”

“Hey, Miss Bird Lady, are we gonna die here?” Chimney suddenly asked.

Reika stopped moving, kneeling down in front of Chimney. “No. Absolutely not. We’re going to save Robin, and then we’re getting out of here, okay? We’ll be back at Water 7 before you know it.”

Chimney’s eyes were wide with fear. “But the lady said everyone will die when the Buster Call shows up! I don’t wanna die!”

Then you shouldn’t have gotten on the train! Was what she wanted to say, but instead, she took a deep breath. “We have fate on our side, Chimney. Fate doesn’t want Robin to die, which means it’ll keep us all alive.”

“Do you promise?”

Reika smiled and held out her fist, pinky raised in the air. “I’ll do you one better. I pinky promise. You’re too young to be dealing with that thought, so put it out of your head, okay?”

Chimney grinned, rushing ahead of them with Gonbe at her side, singing a made up song. “Too young to die! Too young to die! Bird Lady says I’m too young to die!”

You are too young to have to be so strong.

Against her better judgement, she allowed one small memory of Leichter to seep into her in the dark, underwater cave. Driving along the winding roads to Kaiba Manor, soft jazz playing on the radio, and Reika’s furious, devastated tears when she’d heard there would be a new partner, that Noah had essentially been erased.

Yes, she remembered that day quite well as they continued to run through the dark tunnel.

And it burned.

Everything about Enies Lobby from that moment on burned.

The tears that threatened to spill when Leichter’s memory wouldn’t leave.

Her lungs when the tunnel suddenly flooded, washing away her and most of the crew that had finished what they were doing and followed Chimney’s arrows, and just when Reika had thought they were done for, Kokoro had managed to pull them to safety, by revealing herself as a mermaid.

They’d all passed out after that.

The next time she felt the burning had been all over her body; lungs and throat from lack of air, eyes from the salt water she’d been dragged through, and nose, from a combination of the salt water and the fires that had begun to burn on the main island of Enies Lobby thanks to the Buster Call ships.

Reika pulled herself up out of the stolen Marine ship they’d planned to use to escape, standing on the edge of the bridge with Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Franky, as the island glowed with flames.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Sanji said. “An entire island - their own island. And they’re just… burning it to the ground with no care in the world.”

“No mercy,” she agreed with a grim face.

God help her, she thought of Alcatraz, of what must have been the relief in Seto’s eyes as it burned by his own hand.

She thought of the man made island the Virtual World tech had been stored at, and knowing they had only just escaped in time when the missile struck.

She thought of Leichter, locked in the Virtual World, telling her it had been too late for him.

(What if it hadn’t been? What if she’d managed to save him? They could have started over. They could have been happy...)

No one would die here. She couldn’t let it happen.

Not again.

But then, with the worst timing, the Marines had announced the supposed deaths of the Galley-La workers and the Franky Family.

And the burning she felt was suddenly white hot fury.

Aiko had been with them.

Sanji turned to her. “Reika - ”

“Give me a second.”

She rushed back down to the ship, tears burning her eyes.

“You pinky promised!” Chimney cried, her voice broken with devastation. “You pinky promised everyone would be safe!”

Reika buried her head in her knees, pulling her cloak’s hood over her head and sliding her den-den communicator out of her pocket. “Haruka, come in. Please. Please come in. Aiko… come on, we said we would see each other on the other side. Come in, dammit!”

Her heart was going to beat itself straight out of her chest, she was certain, but then, just as she was on the verge of giving up, her earpiece crackled.

“It’s me. I’m safe. All are accounted for. The giants took most of the damage, but they’re okay. We’re trying to climb back up and figure out a way off the island.”

Reika took deep, raspy breaths. “Okay - okay great. I’ll let Franky know everyone’s safe.”

“We’re getting out of here together, Reika. I promise.”

“See you at Water 7.”

Her earpiece was concealed back in her cloak as she looked up at the others. “Everyone is safe. The giants, Galley-La, the Franky family, they’re all safe.”

And then, renewed with hope, the desire for freedom burned in all of them. Even as their escape routes kept getting blocked, they fought through whatever the government threw at them.

“What’s your name?” an especially chatty Marine asked as his sword clashed with her baton.

“Why the fuck would I tell you that?” she scoffed.

“I like to know the name of the people I fight before I bring them in to face their crimes.”

Reika couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry to burst your bubble, bud, but I’m getting out of here. I’m just going to have to continue to be a nameless pirate.”

He scowled, unamused. “Go to hell, you damn pirate!”

Reika could only give him a wild smirk as Blizzard Falcon landed on her shoulder. “I’ll drag you down with me, Marine. Black Ice!”

The Marine she was fighting slipped off the edge of the bridge, into the water below.

Look below.

“Did you hear that?” she called over to Robin.

“I did. But where - ”

To the sea!

“Everyone, jump!” Usopp’s voice rang out among the chaotic sounds of the battlefield.

They did so, and the Going Merry rose up from the depths of the ocean. Reika had no idea how it had gotten there, but she didn’t question it as they finally, finally made their escape through the barrage of cannon fire and whirlpools threatening to capsize them.

And before long, Enies Lobby was nothing but a small plume of smoke in the far distance.

Reika’s laugh joined in with the others when the realization set in.

They had done the impossible - they had declared war on the World Government and survived. They had defeated CP9 - one of the most dangerous espionage groups in the world.

They had survived the Buster Call.

Her hand reached up to the earpiece, switching it back on. “This is Sakura. All are present and accounted for. I repeat - all are present and accounted for. We’re safe and en route back to Water 7.”

“I’ll let your family know. You just get some rest, Reika.”

“Thanks Yume.” With a sigh, she ended the call, resting her head against the railing of the Merry, listening to the chaotic sounds of the crew and feeling the warm morning sun shining upon her skin.

It was good to be back.

---

Kenji always felt dread when he had to send his agents to Eturn on an unknown mission.

It took every ounce of his strength to not jump through the damned portal himself when Aiko had informed him she was going with Reika to Enies Lobby. To break into a World Government stronghold.

In Kenji’s mind, he’d sent his daughter off to die.

The five hours of silence from either Aiko or Reika had been nothing short of agony, worse than the torture he’d been subjected to when he’d been a young agent.

But then a miracle happened - Aiko confirmed her safety, and Reika not long after.

Yume exhaled heavily. “Everyone’s safe, thank goodness. Solomon and Yugi will be relieved. And you - I can’t imagine how happy you are to know Aiko’s survived her first major mission.”

Kenji chuckled softly, taking his glasses off and scrubbing at his scar with his free hand. The damn thing always ached during these sorts of missions. “She’d been badgering me for months about sending her out. I never wanted it to be a mission like this. I really thought she would die.”

“Ah, she’s your daughter, you know she would never have gone down without a fight,” Yume chuckled, reaching to squeeze his shoulder. “You should head home, Kenji, and get some rest yourself.”

“No, I think I’m going to stay here tonight, make sure Aiko doesn’t need anything else.”

“You’re sure you want to switch? You did overnight last night.”

Kenji gave her a tired smile. “You and I have worked together long enough to know overnights are nothing to me anymore. Besides, Téa will be dying to know the details of what happened, I’m sure.”

Yume rolled her eyes. “Alright, but call me if you need anything.”

“Don’t I always?”

Yume gave him a look (because no, he didn’t) and gathered her things.

When she’d gone, Kenji took a slow, deep breath and rose to his feet, going to the window and looking out at the city below. Monsters still creeped along the walls, and there was damage apparent on some of the buildings below them.

Duel Monsters were real. Other worlds were real.

He felt the weight of what he was in charge of often - no amount of time could have prepared him to lead an organization like this, with a revolutionary group as an ally in a world they still didn’t fully understand.

And now a man wanted to destroy both of them, for some unknown reason, and he didn’t know what to do to stop him.

Right now, all he wanted was to speak to his father and ask his advice one last time.

With a heavy sigh, Kenji leaned his head against the cool glass and closed his eyes.

And behind him, Dartz smirked.

#uncharted waters #yugioh #one piece #crossover #fanfiction #*drops this and cackles while running away*

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