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craomy · 4 years ago

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A Serendipitous Encounter Genshin Impact: Xiao x Reader (Fluff/Agnst)

Genshin Impact: Xiao x Reader (Fluff/Agnst)

AN: Xiao is one of my favorite characters and I’m really excited for him to appear in the 1.3 update. This is one of the ideas I’ve had in my head for a while, and after writing it all, I realized that this story is pretty lengthy, so please bear with me haha.

Please enjoy :)

Word count: 15,894

Trigger warning: There’s very descriptive writing of gore and mentions abuse.

-=+=-

Xiao wasn’t always known for being the Adeptus of Liyue. There was a time when the Yaksha wasn’t fulfilling orders from the oldest archon of Teyvat. A time where Morax had never appeared before him was when Xiao was suffering the hardships of endlessly slaughtering innocents, commanded by an evil archon. Although Xiao is around two thousand years old, he too had faced naivety and had blindly served as a puppet to perform cruel acts. With this, he had no solid foundation of what it truly takes to feel mortal emotion. Just what exactly did it mean to him? What could it all do to him?

✦

Red.

Xiao gazed upon the blood-soaked battlefield. The crimson colors of those he massacred was something he was very familiar with. Having felt no remorse nor any guilt of these deaths caused, everything felt nothing but natural to him.

“You are an evil being. With that being said, you must continue to slay all of them to demonstrate your power until you reach your full potential.” The archon would remind the young warrior constantly. Although Xiao had obediently listened to his archon, he couldn’t help but feel curious when brought to the question of what it meant to be... free.

Mindlessly killing another town, Xiao’s piercing gaze had shot daggers through a woman who had clung to the feet of the demon. With begging eyes, the elderly woman had desperately reached her hand to grab his robes, “Y-You poor soul.” as she then dropped to the floor. Xiao was continued to stare down the now lifeless corpse as he repeated the woman’s last words.

“Poor soul?” Xiao uttered slowly. Confused, he took a step back for himself and looked back up to the burning houses. Realizing that he was no longer in his demonic form, his gaze lowered from the destruction he had caused.

Did he really do all of this?

Since when has he been holding all of this adeptal power to himself?

“That’s right. You caused all of this.” A voice from behind stated.

Xiao turned around and had immediately knelt on one knee to bow to his puppeteer. The archon that stood before him had smirked, “Good. You’ve been so compliant with my requests, I just had to give you a lovely reward. More power.” he laughed as he awed at the marvelous sight in front of him. The disarray in the city along with the screams of innocents had brought nothing but music to the evil archon’s ears.

“Well done here. This is exactly what Teyvat needs. Soon, the other archons will have nothing against me. Having brought turmoil upon thousands really must be one of your specialties.” The archon turned his back on the young man. Xiao listened carefully to his archon’s next orders. “You know... I’ve been wondering about what your thoughts of these mortals are. With you killing them on my behalf, I ponder if you know what it means to understand their pain.” The archon went on, carefully eyeing how the demon would react to his words.

“They’re lowly beings of Teyvat. With no real intentions of their futures, they continue to slowly eat up everything they can get their hands on. They’re selfish humans that step on others to get what they want.” Xiao dutifully answered.

The archon was amused. He truly does learn well from what he had taught him.

“Well if that’s the case, there’s one last thing I’d like for you to do for me.” The evil archon turned back around to Xiao, grabbing Xiao’s chin to make direct eye contact with the demon’s amber orbs.

“I want you to learn what it means to love.” He ordered, making Xiao’s eyes widen slightly. “What? You mean the pathetic things those mortals do?” Xiao became befuddled. All this time, the evil archon he followed after instructed him to be wary of human emotions and to avoid them at all costs. Just exactly what made him think of such an absurd idea?

The crackles of the flames burned in the midst of the battlefield they stood in. The stench of blood was something Xiao was used to. Hearing the voices of humans pleading and begging for mercy was mundane. Looking at the mortals in the eye with his jade spear as they face death was what he was best at. To think that his last lesson is to... love?

“That’s right. I want you to find out what it’s like to love. There’s something great I must witness once you’ve achieved that, and it will all be a new experience for you to accomplish for me. Can you do that?” The evil archon let go of the young man’s face and stood tall before him.

Xiao must not question his archon’s intentions. With wincing eyes, he looked at the blood smeared grass with a pinch of doubt. This was nothing he wanted to take a part in, but if it means that this would be the last time to commit acts like this, then so be it.

“Your wish is my command.” He submissively answered.

✦

Some time had passed since the command of the evil archon. Xiao had been ruminating the words he’s been told and continued to think about what his true intentions might be. There was only one place where he can get his head out of the clouds and it was none other than the foundation of Plaustrite, the shrine that resided in the sky above Qingyun’s highest point.

Up there was the only place where he could feel...

What was the word?

The word “nothing” doesn’t quite fit what he was looking for.

Nevermind that. It won’t matter anyway.

As Xiao made his way up to his secret sanctuary, he made eye contact with dull (E/C) colored orbs. Liquid crept out of the young girl’s eyes as it dripped down her rosy cheeks. The way her (H/C) hair had been disheveled yet still perfectly framing her face was more than beautiful as it swayed in the gentle gusts of wind from above. The clothing she wore looked partially torn and shredded at the ends while remaining to compliment her beauty.

White.

She was wearing a pure white dress. A wedding dress, if Xiao could remember correctly. With the way she gazed back at the young adepti, Xiao recognized it as fear.

As expected. Many mortals would cower from his presence. But this time was different. His objective wasn’t to kill anymore.

“Worry not mortal. I’m not here to hurt you.” He stated with no ulterior motives behind his words.

The young girl that stood before him had felt tense but then sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness. You don’t look like one of the people he had sent.” The (H/C) haired girl had said out loud. Xiao had raised an eyebrow as he observed the mortal’s surprisingly calm features. What had she meant by that? Was she being chased?

The girl had taken another step back.

“I guess I can finally be free now.” She said with a solemn smile.

The young adepti didn’t understand her words.

Free?

The (H/C) haired girl had taken a decorative hair ornament out of her well-done braids and tossed it on the stone floors of the floating shrine. Xiao’s attention was still stuck on the alluring human in front of him. With the sun setting right behind her, Xiao’s eyes had suddenly darkened. His amber eyes widened at the realization of what this human was trying to do.

The young girl had taken a final step backward, feeling no more room for her to step on. Her graceful figure was something Xiao really couldn’t take his eyes off of now.

She...

She fell.

Xiao’s body had a its mind of its own now. Without even thinking, he leaped off of the edges of the Foundation of Plaustrite. His mind was racing as he took his plunge into the sky.

What the hell was that girl thinking?

At this height, she’s going to end up killing herself!

The adepti was in a race against time itself. It’ll only take mere seconds until the girl will face her inevitable death. White flowers that were woven in the girl’s dress had been falling out of place, but she paid no attention to it. In the midst of seeking out for her answer of freedom, she couldn’t help but think how peaceful it was to fall. The breeze had begun to feel harsh against her skin. The force around her began to pick up as she saw her teardrops flying past her.

At least now she’ll be free.

She shut her eyes, thinking that she could finally accept death.

...Or so she thought.

As the girl plummeted through the clouds, her eyes had widened when she saw the young man diving after her. Time felt like it had slowed down for both of them.

Xiao’s head must be playing with him. He really is risking his life right now for a mere mortal. Yet, something in his chest felt like if he didn’t do this, he would regret it. Perhaps it was because he’s never seen something colored so brightly. The color of white, that is.

What was the word that could describe it?

The young adepti had made his transformation in mid-air, his mask giving him enough power to increase his descending speed to match with the falling angel. That dark aura of his had been able to surround him into what many people of Liyue would think of as a monster. An indescribable beast that’s comparable to a demon itself, at that. Xiao had tightly grasped the girl’s waist with one arm, pulling her close to his chest.

The girl had blinked in astonishment. She was completely stunned. She examined the man that wore the intimidating mask that concealed his true facial expressions behind it.

“Hold on tight!” He commanded, his voice slightly corrupted as he could feel his demonic form consuming him. The girl had nodded, holding on tighter to the young demon. In Xiao’s other hand, he swiftly summoned his jade spear and his eyes darted to his surroundings.

By the time he scoped the environment, he couldn’t find any other way to make a soft landing for the human. They were both about to meet the ground if he doesn’t come up with an idea to stop their fall.

Xiao clicked his tongue, finding the situation to be quite irritating.

All because of this foolish mortal.

With his jade spear, he quickly began to make a straight plunge into the earth. His grasp around the girl’s waist became tighter. He had a slight twinge of concern in his body. Seeing the way she reacted to him wasn’t what he had expected. Will he be strong enough to absorb the impact? Will this even contribute to his mission? Seeing that she’s wearing a wedding dress, perhaps she has an idea of what “love” is.

Yes. This mortal will do.

Xiao was focusing his energy when all of a sudden he directed his attention towards the girl and had became confused once more.

She’s... crying?

A loud crash could be heard from a far distance. The young demon’s weapon had cracked deeply in the crust of Liyue’s grounds. The collateral damage of the both of them with the field could easily be mistaken for an earthquake. The sounds of crumbling dirt had rumbled around Xiao as he tightly held onto the young girl, holding her bridal style in his arms. He huffed, feeling a little bit dizzy from using his demonic form. It was almost like his health was slowly deteriorating.

Xiao stared intently at the remains of their fall. He couldn’t shake the thought that he had gone through so much trouble to save this suicidal girl.

The girl, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring at the man who saved her.

She’s never felt such gentle hands until now. She’s never seen such a mysterious being before either. Surely no one could have saved her from that height, so what was he exactly? Instead of fearing this new type of unknown, she couldn’t help but feel comforted by it. Xiao’s aura began to diminish on its own. As Xiao’s huffing slowed down, his mask had crumbled away into the air.

The girl couldn’t break eye contact with the handsome demon. She couldn’t help but notice the splatters of blood on his cheek. Was it his own blood?

Slowly, yet hesitantly, she brought her warm hand to Xiao’s cheek. With her thumb, she gently removed the small streak of blood on his face.

This confused Xiao once more. With the young adepti’s pride, he turned away from the pitiful human’s soft hands. “Why aren’t you scared of me?” He asked in a harsh yet bewildered tone.

The girl hadn’t shown fear around him at all, which was something new to Xiao. Usually, they would run away or cry for mercy, but this human was different than the others.

After all of the hardships that the girl had gone through, she was able to catch a glimpse of familiarity in his eyes.

“You looked like you were hurting.” She answered honestly.

The man was taken aback once more.

Xiao dropped the girl in his arms. She landed on the ground with a thud, no longer stuck in a trance. Xiao turned his back on the girl, trying to think of what she had said.

Hurting?

He doesn’t have any external injuries. Right?

The (H/C) haired girl turned her head and saw the jade spear pierced through the ground. Her eyes darkened, remembering why she had wanted to end her life again. “I can use this instead,” she muttered, grabbing ahold of Xiao’s weapon, trying to pull it out on her own with her own strength. The black haired man with teal undertones put his hand over the girl’s smaller ones, his gaze hovering over the suicidal girl.

“Just what are you planning to do with that?” He looked down on the girl with a serious atmosphere. She made eye contact with the man who had saved her without flinching. “You mortals are more than fragile. Why in the world would you jump off of the highest point in Qingyun Peak?” He scoffed, wanting to find out her reasoning behind all of this.

Ignoring his question, she glared at the man in the eyes, “I want you to kill me. Put me to rest.” in which he clicked his tongue again in annoyance.

“Why do you constantly wish death upon yourself?” He inquired, attempting to put up with this stubborn girl.

“Because I want to be free.” She said so confidently.

What did she just say?

Xiao was more than curious now with this human. A young girl who wants to kill herself for freedom? Impossible.

He let out a sigh, picking up his jade spear with little to no effort. “Fine. I’ll kill you myself.” Xiao flipped his weapon from the ground and around his arms to point it straight back at the girl he had just rescued. The girl had stared straight towards the man as he pointed the sharp weapon towards her neck. She had not feared him at all whatsoever, which irked the demon a little bit. If anything, she was more than delighted to have an opportunity to be liberated from this terrible world.

She was ready to face death head-on.

This bothered Xiao.

“But before I kill you, tell me what they call you.” He said, referring to her name.

She closed her eyes, “They call me (Y/N). At least, that’s what I want to be referred as.” she complied, awaiting her eternal slumber. Xiao shook his head, withdrawing his spear and casting it in the air to disperse. No longer in his possession, he had other plans with this human.

“Well then, lowly (Y/N). I order you to teach me what it means to be human. You don’t seem to be having much to do, so to make the most use out of you, you will explain your human ways. Only then, I will grant your wish.” Xiao finalized his train of thoughts with those words. Standing his ground, he continued to watch this human’s reactions towards his demanding request.

(Y/N) had no other choice but to comply with him. At least she’s in a better position now if she can somehow be protected by this powerful deity. Maybe she did want to do one final thing before she goes off into the other side.

“Since you stopped my death from occurring, I suppose I have no other options... but there’s one thing I would like to do first.” (Y/N) said with certainty. She wiped her tear stained cheeks as she wore a strong front. As she slowly rose on her own, she couldn’t help but notice the man in front of him wore a very elegant attire. The man wore a white sleeveless shirt with a black collar, dark purple pants, and dark purple boots. He wore black and dark turquoise gloves with gold decals and a necklace that looked ancient. Around his left arm, he bears a white and gold sleeve with red linings. The man had worn an Anemo vision on his left glove. As for his physical features, he was quite good looking. His tattoos had no longer glowed brightly as it did before, and all that was left was his amber eyes piercing through (Y/N)’s entirety.

The young adepti will find this girl to be beneficial to his mission.

(Y/N) turned around and was about to lead the way until she spoke.

“Also... Thank you... for catching me.” She said loud and clear for Xiao to hear. Without a sound, he nodded, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to see his gesture as he slowly followed her from behind.

✦

The two of them didn’t make much conversation along the way. It seems that the adepti preferred to keep his distance from the young girl. (Y/N) has seen that look on his face before. It was the look of someone who has been strong enough to endure such sufferings. She wasn’t quite sure if she should be getting to know him, but as of now, she was able to make peace with his presence.

“We’re here.” She noted out loud.

Xiao had glanced around his surroundings. It was nothing but burnt down houses and crumbled ruins. Completely deserted and sullen, it had somehow brought peace to (Y/N). Curious as to why they’ve arrived to this wasteland of a town, he continued to put up his guard.

(Y/N) took a deep breath, “Everyone! I’m back home!” she hollered, a shout that could be echoed far off in the distance. Xiao raised his eyebrows once more as he crossed his arms, “Are you even hearing yourself? There’s no one here.” the man bluntly commented based on his observations.

The girl shook her head, “I’m sure there’s someone here. I have faith in my family.” she said with a hopeful look. He slowly nodded, letting her believe in what she wanted to.

Suddenly, a tiny head had popped up out of nowhere. One of the kids climbed out of the debris of a fallen house and had gasped out loud. The young child had quickly jumped out of her hiding spot and had begun tearing up. (Y/N) quickly bent down as she opened her arms out for the child to run into.

“(Y/N)! You came back!” The little girl cried out in disbelief as she tightly hugged the older girl. (Y/N) had embraced the child, holding her close to her chest while stroking the child’s hair. Her strong demeanor seemed to twinge a little bit as she felt a wave of relief wash over her. After she pulled back from the hug, she smiled back at the little girl, “Oh come on. You think I would leave you that easily? I wouldn’t do that to you.” she cooed, a lump in her throat building up.

The little girl stopped sniffing and had beamed brightly, “Everyone! It’s safe to come out now!” she exclaimed, loud and clear for everyone in the ruins to listen to.

All of a sudden, many kids began to pop out of their hiding spots. From each angle and corner from the collapsed houses, children ranging from many ages had leaped out of their spots to come and tackle (Y/N) with loving hugs.

“(Y/N)! Where have you been this entire time?!”

“You’re finally here..! We thought we would never see you again...”

“What about those bad guys that took you away? Where are they?! I’ll roughen them up if I have to!”

“Who cares about them? I’m just glad that our (Y/N) is back home!”

Xiao examined them all carefully. If he could remember, his puppeteer told him of something like this before.

That’s right.

This is what a heartfelt reunion is supposed to look like.

Xiao had stood on the side quietly as he watched unfamiliar facial expressions on the children. There were around twenty kids that had surrounded the (H/C) haired girl, happily welcoming her back home. What did (Y/N) possibly go through to find herself here? The adepti wondered what would have happened to these children if he hadn’t caught the falling angel. What would their reaction be?

Feeling a little tug on his sleeve, Xiao peered down at a little girl, no older than four, to be looking up at him. Not knowing what to do, he just stood there, staring back at the child playing around with his robe.

“(Y/N), who is that man standing right next to you?” One of the kids asked while pointing at the young demon. (Y/N) stood up with a child in her arms, “That man is... erm... His name is Xiao! He’s the one who rescued me from those bad guys.” The girl had quickly made up as the rest of the kids had gasped in wonder.

“What? Foolish human, I bear no title such as that. I am only a weapon of destruction and-”

“H-His name is Xiao! He was only pretending because you all like to play as pirates.” (Y/N) had laughed nervously as she walked up to the young man, “Please play along, they’re very innocent with no knowledge of what you’re talking about.” she had whispered, which made Xiao groan in annoyance.

How irritable.

“Fine. If that’s the case, then so be it. It is I, Xiao, the Mighty and Illuminated Adepti.” the man played along with a serious tone. To his surprise, all of the kids had gasped in amazement from what he had said. All of the children began to jump around him and ask him questions.

At first, (Y/N) thought of him to be a very cold-hearted person, but after seeing him interacting with the kids, maybe he wasn’t so bad.

“Wow your dress is very elegant! You look like you’re about to get married!” A little girl pointed out, amazed by how splendid (Y/N) had looked. “Who are you marrying? If it’s that mean looking guy over there, I’ll beat him up!” A little boy screamed as he ran over to Xiao and softly punched his leg.

This disgusted Xiao. Oh how much he wanted to kill this child right here and right now for thinking he had the right to insult him with such an act. His dark aura began to surround him until he looked back at the (H/C) haired girl. The kids must be very important to (Y/N) if the last thing she wanted to do was to see them.

Putting his pride to the side, he took a deep breath and looked down on the young boy that punched his leg. Instead of brutally injuring the boy in front of him, he walked and stood next to the young bride that took care of all of the kids.

“That is correct. She’s marrying me.” He said with seriousness laced in his voice.

(Y/N) had blushed, becoming flustered. “W-What are you saying?? Xiao, I am not-”

“She is. I brought her back here safe and sound. You mere mortals should be thanking me for sparing her.” Xiao stated, wrapping one arm around the girl’s waist.

(Y/N) flushed red, shocked at what this man was saying. He has to be out of his mind.

The boy that initiated the punch towards Xiao had his mouth dropped wide. Xiao sent a smug look at the child, claiming victory in his head. If he couldn’t win against him by making him succumb to death, then he will win by claiming (Y/N) as his own.

All in all, the kids had a lot of fun messing around with the young adepti, and (Y/N) was glad to be back.

✦

After tucking all of the kids into their ragged sleeping bags, (Y/N) was able to loosen up from her stress bit by bit. Xiao continued to watch her as she went to tend to her things. The young girl would get up and hum the children to sleep, while some she had talked to them and reassured that she was fine. The boy that had punched Xiao earlier came up to (Y/N) and tugged on her dress a little bit to gain her attention.

“Yes, what is it, Caihong?” the (H/C) haired girl smiled ever so gently towards the young boy. “Could you fix up my arm for me? The wound started to open up again.” he quietly murmured. (Y/N)’s (E/C) eyes widened slightly as she saw the size of the cut on his arm. This looked like a cut of a sword.

“Who did this to you?” she asked in concern.

“One of the bad guys,” Caihong quietly said. “but I didn’t lose! I scared them off so that they wouldn’t come to our hideout.”

Xiao watched intently as he leaned against the stone wall. Without any comment, he continued to stare and observe what mortals do in their conversations.

(Y/N) sat the boy down on a chair and had plucked a translucent white flower from her ragged wedding dress. The scent it radiated was... pleasant to Xiao’s senses.

“What flower is that?” Xiao had inquired, aweing how it bloomed on its own. (Y/N) looked up at his direction and down to the lovely flower in her hands. “Ah, this is the Qingxin flower. It grows on only the highest peaks of Liyue and can serve as a remedy for some injuries.” the girl answered, giving Xiao one for himself to keep.

He took the offering and twiddled it by the stem. Curious, he brought it up to his nose to take a sniff of it. Its fragrance was nothing like the stench of blood. This scent was certainly heavenly.

After (Y/N) had finished taking care of Caihong, she tucked him in one of the only sleeping bags they had and sat down next to Xiao. The distance between them was enough for him to be comfortable. (Y/N) stretched her arms and had leaned her back against the stone wall with the adepti right by her side.

“Sorry for all of the commotion earlier. These kids aren’t in the best condition, but seeing them smile is enough for me to get by.” (Y/N) apologized with a peaceful smile.

“Where are their parents?” He inquired, wanting to know the bits and information to this mortal’s story.

(Y/N) turned away from Xiao, looking up to the sky above them. “They’ve fought and died bravely in the wars they partake in. Some of the children have been abandoned or found injured when I walk around the ruins. Kids of war need a happier childhood, so I decided to be the one to look after them. As the oldest orphan, I felt like I had a duty to fulfill.” She shifted her head to look back at the young adepti.

“I’m sure you must have a duty to fulfill, right?” She grinned warmly towards the young man. He stopped making eye contact with her and looked at his hands, reimagining if it was him on a battlefield. He thought about the mission his evil archon ordered him to go on about and thought about how he had always served as his god’s weapon.

Knowing that (Y/N) might be frightened if he told her what he did in the past, he answered her question with a nod. It felt a little bit conflicting for him to be around these abandoned kids when it’s most likely Xiao to be the one that annihilated those children’s parents. All of the orders he had received during war-- he had to fulfill them all. Even if it meant bloodshed among innocents.

(Y/N) could only admire how the night sky had glistened above them. “The sky looks better here when I’m at home,” she commented, resting her head against the wall.

Xiao looked around and could only see what meets the eye. “This place is a dump. This is not a proper place to call a home.” He bluntly stated. (Y/N) could see what he was getting at, but shook her head.

“Sure, this place looks terrible, but it’s those who reside in the place that can make it a home. Home could mean a peaceful and quiet place where you can happily live in. It’s somewhere that you know you can come back to, feeling cared for, respected, and loved.” She passionately spoke with fire in her eyes. That strong determination that shined in her (E/C) eyes was nothing like before. The time that he had rescued her from falling to her death, her eyes looked like they were filled with anguish.

Xiao tried to remember if there was ever a time if he felt what a “home” was.

“I’ve never had a home before. Someone like me doesn’t deserve a place like that.” Xiao had closed his eyes while folding his arms. (Y/N) looked back at the young adepti with serious eyes, “That’s nonsense! Of course, you deserve a place like that. Everyone deserves to be loved.” she retorted, unconsciously holding onto both of Xiao’s hands.

A part of him had made him defensive, a bit startled from the sudden contact. Nothing fails to surprise him, at this point. This (Y/N) girl was full of surprises.

“Exactly what is that word? What is ‘love’?” Xiao thought out loud for her to hear.

She looked a bit confused. Does this man really not know what love is?

“Well... love is when you cherish something so dearly. It’s when you have a special connection between you and another person. When you become so used to that, it’s like something you feel like you have to protect no matter the cost.” (Y/N) answered without a doubt.

That concept was nothing but foreign to the young demon.

“I don’t recognize it as a need.” He said straightforwardly.

She tightened her grip on his hands slightly, “One day,” she started. Xiao looked up to meet his eyes with the bold girl in front of him, “you’ll suddenly realize it. I’m sure of it. Everyone gets to feel it in some way. Once you do, I’m sure you’ll realize that it’s a very powerful feeling.” (Y/N) brought his hands to her head. It almost looks like she was trying to pray for him to find this peculiar light that he couldn’t see.

Xiao slowly nodded, still trying to get used to the human emotions that she constantly radiates. Maybe from now on, he’ll really try to understand her. Xiao looked back down, his hands enveloped in an unfamiliar warmth. He slowly pulled away from her hands and given her one of the blankets, putting it over her shoulders.

(Y/N) blinked in confusion, watching him walk away. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m going to keep a lookout for you. Get some rest so you can continue looking after the children in the morning.” Xiao stated, summoning his spear out of thin air and piercing it in the floor. He stood his ground as he looked beyond the fields. (Y/N) smiled, wrapping the blanket around her even more.

How considerate...

“Thank you, Xiao.” she quietly whispered, finding herself to fall asleep in no time.

The young man’s ear twitched, hearing the name that she had given him. Not even the evil archon of his had given him a name. He looked back up at the night sky, holding onto the Qingxin flower that (Y/N) had given to him.

“Xiao, huh?” he repeated the name out loud.

That (Y/N) girl had been nothing but trouble to him and yet, a part of him wanted to thank her for giving him something that no one had ever done before.

✦

A couple of weeks went on as Xiao continued to stay by (Y/N)’s side. When he wasn’t around her, he would practice fighting with his spear outside. Some of the kids would watch him as he perfected his fighting stances and his attacks. In the beginning, Xiao could only feel stiff around the little kids running around him. He knew that he was a very powerful entity and a part of him didn’t really want to hurt this group of young mortals.

Sure, he was definitely cold towards the children in the beginning, but after hearing what (Y/N) had to say about them, he tried to understand them more. (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel grateful for him to be around her. Something about him made him much different than the other men who had tried to interact with the young beauty. Then at night times, Xiao would spend his time listening to the lonely girl and would ask her questions about what it meant to live as a human.

Xiao concentrated on his attacks while he continued to think about the past conversations he’s had with (Y/N).

“Happiness is vital to everyone. It’s something you can obtain in various ways, but in the end, it’s like a feeling you have when you sit back at the end of the day and remember those fond memories.”

“Sadness is when you feel a part of your heart missing something. Usually, it’s a reaction to something, for instance, a painful event. Eventually, that something fades away and becomes a memory. When that happens, you can’t help but miss that something that’s now unobtainable. It’s natural for everyone to go through it.”

“Loss? Well... Loss is when you realize that something you loved is no longer with you. It’s something irreplaceable and you’ll find yourself grieving over it for a long while.”

“Marriage? Well... I think it’s supposed to be something that brings you joy. You make a special connection with someone in a way that no one else can, and they can always be the one to be there for you. It’s where unconditional love begins to sprout and you realize you’d want to spend the rest of your life with that person.”

Xiao paused, stopping his spear in mid-air to remember something (Y/N) had said last night.

“It was horrible. A group of bandits were threatening my family. At first, I didn’t know what to do, but then I remembered something very important.” She spoke while walking alongside Xiao by the shore. Xiao stopped walking as he continued listening to the (H/C) haired girl.

“I remembered that I had a home. It wasn’t the best home that other people could think of, but I knew deep down that all of those kids needed me. They’re the ones that I love and I... I wanted to keep that. I wanted to protect them all from the dangerous world. So with that... I... I let the bandits kidnap me and sell me as a slave.” She smiled, but it was a different type of smile. It was a very somber smile.

Xiao was trying to register the emotions that he was feeling. He watched as she continued to keep up a brave front and as she continued to tell her story. “One of the noblemen in Liyue had passed by the slave carriage and had purchased me with his filthy mora. I was sold as a slave and this group of men began to... hurt me... in different ways. One day, one of the men had ridiculed my family and I became... very furious. There was no other way to escape but I continued to throw the rest of my words at him. It was all I had left to fight with. That’s when he decided to...” the girl had found it difficult to continue talking.

In the middle of her words, she couldn’t help but cry.

It was a very natural thing for humans to do.

Right there, she cried in front of Xiao, slowly losing the energy to stand up and just sat down with her knees to her chest.

“I can’t forget the pain they’ve caused me. I’ve gone through so much abuse that I’ve forgotten what all of the other emotions felt like. It’s been so long since I had seen daylight, and by the time I was able to see the sky, it was on my wedding day...” She wept softly, her voice cracking. Xiao bent down, not knowing what to do.

“I did what I had to do to escape. I had to poison him. Then in that very moment, I fled the ceremony. I ran as fast as I could to escape and I climbed further than I thought was humanly possible. In the end, I was able to reach the highest point of all of Liyue in the floating shrine above Qingyun Peak and right there... I found only peace. The world felt still at that moment. I couldn’t hear anything and couldn’t find the energy to think about the hardships I had overcome. If I had died then and there, it would have granted my selfish wish.” (Y/N) sniffed, burying her tears against her sleeves.

So this was the freedom she was talking about on the first day that they met.

Again, Xiao’s body begun to move on its own. He had slowly wrapped his arms around the shaking girl. She looked like she could shatter so easily. Someone so frail, yet someone so strong. A mortal that could continue fighting on, managing to survive after all of that. Xiao felt his heart beating a little bit faster once he made contact with the crying girl. If he could look in his reflection, what kind of face would he be making right now?

“Everything... will be alright. I’m right here for you.” He quietly murmured, digging his face into her neck as he embraced her completely. (Y/N) had been strong enough. She slowly brought her arms up to Xiao and hugged back.

Her (E/C) colored eyes shimmered as she tightened her hold. Her mouth quivered, then she felt her breath draw disoriented.

She bawled. Almost like a newborn baby. She shed many tears, it would be enough to fill a river. She clung to Xiao like it was the last thing she could ever hold. Xiao was enveloped in her warmth. This was different than him holding onto her when she was falling in the air. Now the time they’ve spent together had felt more special than before. He was a man of very few words, but his actions can tell a whole story. The young adepti comforted the (H/C) haired girl, not knowing what this emotion was in his chest.

“I’ll protect you, (Y/N). I won’t let those bastards lay a hand on you anymore.” Xiao promised, his heart tightening when hearing the girl weep. Hearing that some awful humans could do this to an angelic person had made him swear vengeance. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to wipe away her tears and hold her in his arms. He wanted to cherish her and make her smile.

He wanted to love her.

He wanted to be the one to make sure that she received all of the love she deserved. Xiao pulled away, missing the Qingxin fragrance she radiated. He looked at her with determined eyes, kneeling on one knee and one Qingxin flower on the other.

“(Y/N)... I swear that I’ll protect you. I’ll curse anyone who dares to stand in your way.” He spoke with conviction. Xiao has never knelt down to a mortal before. He knew exactly what the repercussions would be if he betrays his loyalty for his archon.

Xiao didn’t care anymore.

He wanted to be with (Y/N).

“(Y/N)... I--”

“Xiaooo? Are you there?” Caihong hollered, standing in front of Xiao. The young man had snapped his head out of the clouds. He looked down to see the little handful of a child looking at him ever so daringly. Out of all of the kids, he was the only one that was brave enough to mess with him.

“What is it, boy?” Xiao questioned as he stabbed his spear to the side, causing it to disappear in thin air. Caihong still awed in amazement from a very strange sight, but then shook his head. “(Y/N) wanted me to tell you that she needed some more Qingxin flowers to treat the injured kids she found. Since she has a lot of things to do, she was wondering if you could collect some for her.” Caihong told the young adepti his orders from (Y/N).

His eyes softened when he mentioned her name.

(Y/N)...

He looked into the distance where he could see (Y/N) taking care of the young ones. She grinned cheerfully towards the children, then making eye contact with Xiao. To think that she was the same girl that had broken down in his arms that very night...

(Y/N) is stronger than she looks.

Xiao smiled.

Caihong couldn’t believe his eyes. The stern and serious man was able to smile??

“Xiao! You’re smiling!” Caihong shouted in disbelief. Were his eyes deceiving him? The young demon had stopped staring at (Y/N) and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’m not smiling. Your eyes are deceiving you.” He spoke, denying that he was able to make such a facial expression.

“Oi! Don’t ignore me and pretend that I’m not here! Let go of my hair!” He cried out, shooing the adepti’s hands away from his head. The boy has never seen Xiao like this before. Perhaps a grumpy guy like Xiao really did need someone as bright as (Y/N). Caihong’s eyes lit up, remembering something important. “Oh yeah! (Y/N) said that she has something important to tell you tonight! I think she’s going to prepare her special almond tofu dish for you!” He happily exclaimed.

Xiao nodded, wondering what that would taste like. Well, if it’s anything that (Y/N) prepares, he’ll have no choice but to like it.

Maybe this is what happiness felt like.

In the past, Xiao wasn’t allowed to imagine things. The evil archon forbade it. Pondering and creating scenarios in his head wasn’t something he couldn’t do often, but he couldn’t help but think of her.

He thought about what the girl had said about marriage. Would she be happy if he said he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life with her?

As he made his way to get prepared to collect Qingxin flowers, he couldn’t help smiling to himself the entire way.

✦

Qingxin flowers can be found at any high point in the lands of Liyue. Xiao had no trouble leaping towards high spots in the air. For once, he had enabled his demonic form for something that wouldn’t cause bloodshed. He allowed his demonic form to make him lighter as he continued to collect the translucent white flowers that blossomed at his touch. Although he had felt a little bit of pain from maintaining this form, he knew that (Y/N) would be back at home to take care of him again.

With (Y/N)’s contrasting approach to life, the world seemed to become a bit... brighter. Xiao no longer drowned out all of the sounds to his ears as he did on the battlefield. For once, he allowed himself to hear the chirps of the birds and watch cranes fly above peacefully.

Yes, yes! That was the word!

Peace.

He was able to find peace.

It was all because of (Y/N). He was able to allow more room for growth. She let him realize that maybe a part of him really was human. Xiao had held the Qingxin flowers tighter, thinking about the very significant mortal he looked after every day. Maybe he should get something special for her today.

He couldn’t get the thought of her out of her head. Especially after last night.

How could he tell her how he felt?

The way she makes him feel warm was different than any ordinary blaze.

The way she tells him with determined eyes that even he deserves a home.

The way that she somehow got the children to enjoy his company and make him feel like there are more things in life worth protecting.

The way she smiles so fearlessly in the face of danger.

He wanted to protect it all.

He wanted to protect her.

“Enjoying yourself?” a voice came from behind.

Xiao immediately dropped everything he was holding and withdrawn his jade spear in an instant. He pointed his weapon at the voice, only to realize that it was the evil archon himself. The young demon took a step back, “What are you doing here?” he spoke with a contentious tone.

This archon right here... Xiao never noticed this before, but he could feel the heinous aura that filled the atmosphere. Something about this random encounter with his puppeteer felt sinister.

“I’m just here to observe your journey. I’ve watched you from afar and seen you acting abnormally. Have you perhaps fallen in love yet?” The archon inquired, leaning in to detect if the young demon would react in any way. At the moment, Xiao was a bit hesitant to answer his question. If anything, he began to question why he continued to obey this archon’s evildoings. What if something he said would bring danger to (Y/N)?

If he says yes, the archon might be able to let him go and free him of his duties. No. That’s just him trying to be optimistic. There’s a high chance that the archon could use that as leverage against him as well.

“No. I have not.” Xiao answered, glaring with threatening eyes.

The evil archon chuckled, “Is that so?” as he began to burst out in laughter.

Xiao was a bit unnerved from hearing the evil archon laughing hysterically. Looking for a way out, he grabbed the flowers that he had been collecting when all of a sudden he felt a stinging pain in his abdomen. Xiao choked out blood, feeling his body being pushed against the grass. His jade spear was summoned without his permission and had been pierced through his body.

“Liar.”

The black haired man remembered this pain as he winced at the sharp object that’s causing his crimson blood to spill out of his stomach. He hissed at the discomfort the wound is giving him and he raised his head, daring to look at the archon in the eyes.

“Oh my. I knew this was a good idea from the start but I didn’t think it would turn out this good.” The archon brought his hand to pull up Xiao’s chin.

“You love that girl, don’t you?”

Xiao’s amber eyes widened in realization. He knew where this was going.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” He shouted with anger seething out of his attitude.

The evil archon smirked at his puppet. “Don’t worry. I won’t lay a hand on her,” he chuckled, looking down at the young demon that was beneath his feet. “but I know they will.”

Xiao writhed under the pressure of his spear that pierced him. He needed to escape. He needed to get out. He needed to go to her.

“My my! What has gotten into you, my puppet? Since when did you start to think about the lives of mortals that you’ve been slaying this entire time? What makes her different from the rest, hmm?”

“She shows no mortal arrogation! She’s not selfish nor filthy like the others!” He retorted with conviction in his voice.

“Who gave you the right to feel this way? Think about it. After all of the times you’ve slaughtered those innocent people, you’re nothing but a murderer.”

“You ordered me to do it! I had no other choice but to obey!”

“You had free will, did you not? At any time, you could have easily stopped your killings and put an end to everything yourself. It’s all your fault. You did this to yourself.”

“You’re wrong!”

“So are you saying that you’re right?”

Xiao paused, refusing to show his face to his archon.

“I’m saying that you’re quite adept at manipulating people. It doesn’t matter what you think of me. I know that (Y/N) will still be by my side.”

“How can you be so sure? Have you even told her what you’ve done to the parents of the children she’s taking care of? Do you think that she’ll just accept you because in the end, you found a way to hide your past instead of confronting her about it? Of course not. She’s a human, and you’re a demon. You two are nothing alike, and because of that, you’ll never find a way to truly be close to her. You’re an atrocious monstrosity.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re delusional, boy. There’s nowhere else for you to go where anyone can accept you. Once that girl, (Y/N), catches the wind of the truth, it’s over for you.”

The evil archon stepped off of the adepti, causing Xiao to gasp for air. He was slowly weakening. His fingertips touched the liquid that protruded out of his stomach.

Damn it. His weapon was laced with poison.

Xiao felt helpless as he laid on the grass on top of the mountain. All ounces of energy he had was now depleting at a fast rate. Out of frustration, he took a handful of Qingxin flowers and clenched it to his stomach.

“Ah, this is the Qingxin flower. It grows on only the highest peaks of Liyue and can serve as a remedy for some injuries.”

Xiao could remember her words as if it was yesterday.

(Y/N)...

Black dots danced around his vision as the last thing he saw in his sight was the smirk of the evil archon. After his final attempt to fight against the poison, his body had refused to keep up with him, causing him to lose consciousness.

✦

Bit by bit, Xiao’s eyes opened up. For once in his lifetime, he had dreamt a dream. He squinted, trying to see if he was seeing correctly. The gaping hole in his stomach was no longer there. Bloodstains remained in his clothing as proof of his encounter with the evil archon.

Xiao urgently got up from his fallen state and could see the sun fall setting in its place. His fists clenched the Qingxin flower that had once prospered greatly on its own. Its white color was tainted, no longer pure. Crimson smeared the edges of the petals as it slowly wilted.

Was he regenerating faster because he had more power?

Nevermind that. Xiao couldn’t afford to lose another second. Who knows what could have happened to (Y/N) during the time that the young demon had been passed out. He was quick with his feet, leaping off of the summit of the mountain with the thoughts of the (H/C) haired girl filling his thoughts.

He clenched his teeth.

He should have known that the evil archon was merely using him.

If it weren’t for (Y/N) to guide him to his morals, he definitely would not be where he was right now.

Xiao felt his stomach twisting. This time, he was able to distinguish it as an emotion. It wasn’t a physical pain caused on the outside, but the unsettling feeling that lets him know that something is wrong.

His instinct was more than correct.

In the distance, he could already see smoke releasing into the air. Combustions and explosions can be heard, along with very familiar cries that he has heard before.

“Kids of war need a happier childhood, so I decided to be the one to look after them. As the oldest orphan, I felt like I had a duty to fulfill.”

No.

Xiao used his lemniscatic wind cycling to lunge forward in mid-air, then proceeding to dive down and make an impact with the ground. He shifted his eyes hastily, many bodies of children to be mercilessly killed. The kids that he had surrounded himself with during his time with (Y/N) were all slaughtered. She cared for them. She put her time and energy spending it all on the young ones rather than looking after her health. Xiao’s grip tightened around his polearm.

“Loss? Well... Loss is when you realize that something you loved is no longer with you.”

He clenched onto the hem of his robe.

“It’s something irreplaceable and you’ll find yourself grieving over it for a long while.”

Xiao had quickly sifted through the debris of the broken down house. The blazes had raged, mocking the young demon in a taunting way. Bits of ash had already flaked through the air. The pyre had devoured his line of sight.

“Well... love is when you cherish something so dearly. It’s when you have a special connection between you and another person.”

His breathing had stopped. This can’t be.

“When you become so used to that, it’s like something you feel like you have to protect it no matter the cost.”

His blood ran cold. He felt asphyxiated.

(Y/N) was dead.

(Y/N) WAS DEAD.

A nobleman had walked into view, smirking as he saw a leftover orphan who he assumed was the last one they were looking for. “Hey, boys! We missed one right here.” The man with blood splattered across his rich attire spoke with arrogance. “That bitch should’ve realized who she was messing with when she poisoned me during the ceremony. I guess that’s just what happens when you buy a cheap slut in the market. Let’s finish this last one up and then drinks are on me.” The man had blurted with cockiness. The nobleman pulled his sword out of a lifeless boy’s body, kicking it towards Xiao like a ragdoll. It was... Caihong.

The young man’s breathing had hitched.

He felt his ears ringing.

His hair covered his glowing amber eyes as he stared at (Y/N)’s lifeless body.

Xiao went numb.

His heartbeat was the only thing he could hear and it was hammering against his ribcage like it was about to burst.

“What’s death? Well... death is what makes life worth living. It tells us that we have a certain timeframe to do everything we ever wanted to accomplish. It’s inevitable, and in some cases, different forms of life end sooner than expected. Most often, we lose someone we love so much during the process, making us feel all sorts of emotions. That’s just what makes us human.” (Y/N) had beamed, looking at the vast sky. She turned to lean her head on Xiao’s shoulder.

“Especially you, Xiao. You might not know yourself very well, but I can just tell.” She hummed in delight.

Xiao cocked his eyebrow, “What does that mean?” he asked with a puzzled look.

(Y/N) smiled into his shoulder, catching him off guard once more.

“You’re human. Just like me.”

A monstrous gust of wind had discharged where the adepti once stood. Xiao’s demonic form had materialized in a blink of an eye. The men that had terrorized his home had been knocked off their feet, meeting an intense force that propelled their bodies against the dirt of Teyvat. With their confusion, they tried to see where the assault came from and had realized that the young man that stood before him was a force that should not be reckoned with.

Xiao had flashed past the group of men, rapidly puncturing his spear between all of their hamstring muscles behind their knees, ensuring that none of them could ever walk again. Many of them writhed in agony from the jade spear that had still been laced with poison.

“What the hell was that?!”

“My legs! I can’t get up!”

The young demon had swiftly teleported behind the largest guy in the group and had grabbed a hold of his entire face with his gloved hands. Xiao then proceeded to bring his spear to pierce the center of his neck. Crimson liquid had spewed and sprayed from the bandit’s neck as he gargled on his own blood. Still seeing that he was alive and conscious, Xiao demonstrated his inhuman strength by lifting the man’s body and tossing it up in the sky. Violence plagued his mind as he lacerated the man with thousands of cuts in a single second, the demon maneuvering perfectly in the air before dismembering the man entirely. As the body parts separated, the large clots of blood had sprinkled the atmosphere like rain.

Finally, Xiao teleports right above the mutilated masterpiece as he spiraled down towards the ground, erupting a treacherous impact that would inflict true agony. Not only was the man pierced by Xiao’s jaded spear, but he was also spiked by the shadow fragments of all of the times he’s ruthlessly murdered other polearm users.

This was no force to be going up against.

This is true fear.

With this mask, Xiao remembered just why he had detested mortals so much.

“No! Stop! It hurts!” One of the men begged for mercy as Xiao had just begun. He dashed towards the bandit and coiled into a form of wind, opening up his stomach with a clean cut. The black haired man with teal undertones teleported behind the man, bending his arm in an unnatural way until it snapped. The audible crunch could be heard by everyone there, allowing them to freely imagine what their doom would be like. The man coughed in his own blood, but that didn’t stop Xiao from holding his arms from behind his back and kicking the back of the bandit’s torso. Choking in blood, the bandit couldn’t scream for help as his organs helplessly collapsed out of his body. Dumping the body to the side, he heavily breathed in and out.

This was a different type of hatred that resided within his entirety.

The animosity that radiated through the adepti’s mask was evident as it glowed darkly. One by one, Xiao had performed cruel acts towards the sinners that wreaked havoc on his home. Whether it was plucking their eyes out or bashing all of their bones, Xiao couldn’t find a resolution to his resentment.

All that was left was the nobleman that had forced (Y/N) into an arranged marriage. The thought of such filth laying even a finger on his (Y/N) was more than enough to greet the tip of his spear. Xiao looked down at the mortal that cowered beneath him. Emotions are fickle in the face of danger.

“Stop don’t do this! I can pay you ten times the price I paid for that slave! I can give all of the mora you ever want! Please just spare me!” The prideless man begged as he couldn’t feel his legs at all. Xiao stepped on the man’s torso, his piercing amber gaze had been strong enough alone to silence the sinner. The demon’s dark aura increased as Xiao collected his distributed rage into his jade spear.

“Your mora can’t even compare to (Y/N). Not even in the slightest.” Xiao’s spear was enchanting as it collected stacks of power from the built up anger. The adepti stomped on one of the nobleman’s kneecaps, an audible crunch filling the air. He screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling the excruciating pain throughout his entire body. Xiao wanted to make his death as long as possible. Even if the man were to pass out, the demon could slip some of his corrupted aura into his bloodstream to ensure he stays awake.

The young man grabbed a hold of the nobleman’s wrist, shattering the bones in his arm completely. Another defenseless howl erupted from the shameless man. Xiao remembered (Y/N) saying that they had hurt her in various ways, even those that she couldn’t bring herself to say. The thought of the group of bandits exploiting the pure girl had driven him to the brink of no return.

“You won’t be needing these anymore.” The man wailed in agony as Xiao dislocated the joints in the nobleman’s fingers. With his spear, he had begun cutting off each and every finger of his at an antagonizing pace. His screams weren’t enough to satisfy him.

Xiao ripped off the man’s arm in one effortless pull.

Another scream.

The demon looked down at the human in disgust. Why were so many mortals so repulsive? The jade spear he had was stabbed in the man’s chest, but not all the way. He made an incision that was thin enough for Xiao to open up the skin of the man’s torso. Without any hesitation, the adepti bent open the nobleman’s ribcage in the most unnatural way.

“Please... s..stop.” The bandit pleaded.

“You didn’t stop when she told you to. Hypocrites like you must rot.”

The polearm user gutted out the rest of the organs that were left in the man’s body.

“You deserve this.”

He punctured one of the man’s eyes with one of his thumbs.

“You don’t have the right to live.”

Xiao clenched his teeth, going back to think about (Y/N).

Seeing her lifeless body near one of the burning houses. It... It evoked true calamity from the young adepti.

“You took her away from me.”

Xiao summoned his charged spear from thin air. The nobleman was disfigured already. His body was beyond recognition after what Xiao had done to him. Yet, it still wasn’t enough.

The young adepti clenched onto his jade spear, “N̶̻̽ő̸̘̠w̸̗̖͗ ̴̲̓I̴̝̓’̸̗̭̾̽m̵̩̤͠ ̸̺͒͜g̷̛̳͍̈́o̵̮͒i̴͉̕͘n̶͎͗g̸̦̺̀̂ ̶͔̫͛t̷̯̓͊o̵̻̽̓ ̷̹͖͌̕t̴͍̚a̸͙͝k̵̯͝ẹ̶̒ ̷͕̈̏ė̸̜͜͝v̸͕̲̆ế̶͚̪ŕ̸̢͕ỳ̷̺t̸̥̆h̴̹̠͌̇ḯ̵̫̙n̶̜̉g̵͙̮̋̏ ̴̧͈́̂ȧ̸̬̗w̵̤͇̄á̵̺̣ŷ̵̢͘ ̴̞̂͌ͅf̷͎͐r̶͉͕̈́o̸͙͠m̷̖͚̿ ̴̯͓̈̉ỳ̶͖̂o̴̬̾u̴̖̔͝,̸̢̐͘ ̶̹̏s̷̜̑̀ţ̷̌a̸̯̽̂r̸̗̄͝ṭ̷̈́͠ḭ̴͆n̸̘̈́g̶̭͂ ̵̦̱͋̚w̷̺̉į̷̻̾̅t̴̜̿̇h̶̞͖̍ ̴̜͇͐̚ỵ̶̓o̴̥̗̿͐ụ̴́r̶̖͂͂ ̸̬͊̊d̶̙̬͌̕r̴̮̒̕e̸͜͝ͅa̷̲̓m̴̻͆s̶̲̐” he growled with bitterness. The polearm user slowly hunched over the mangled human, preparing to remove his mask to begin devouring the man’s dreams when all of a sudden he heard something in the distance.

All movement stopped.

Xiao heard someone calling out his name.

Snapped out of his bloodthirsty trance, he pulled his head up.

“(Y/N)?”

He paused, stalling the death of (Y/N)’s capturer. He couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating or not.

“Xiao!”

The young man dropped everything he was doing. That filth is going to die anyway. The most important thing right now is trying to look for (Y/N). He stood up from the bloodied body and had staggered towards the direction the (H/C) haired girl was.

He felt his rage settling down as he began to search for that gentle voice. The soothing hums of (Y/N) could be heard from behind one of the stone pillars that had collapsed next to the body of the young girl.

Xiao rushed towards (Y/N)’s body. He pulled her into his embrace, trying to see if he could get any reaction. Something. Anything that could tell him that she was alive. A part of him wished that he could feel her arms rise up and hug him back.

He pulled away and slowly checked her heart by lowering his ear against her chest. The anticipation for the young adepti was torture. Time moved slowly as he sharpened his hearing.

One second passed.

Xiao’s grip on the girl grew tighter.

Two seconds passed.

He felt the world crumbling beneath his feet.

Three seconds passed.

“Please...”

Four seconds passed.

Xiao lifted his head from her chest and stared at her soft features. She still looked gorgeous. It was like he was seeing the girl again for the first time. On the day that he fell for her, he didn’t realize he would fall this hard.

He froze in place.

There was a subtle movement in her fingertips. Xiao’s amber eyes had shone light in itself once more. The (H/C) haired girl let out a cough, slowly shifting out of place. “X...Xi..ao..?” she weakly whispered with wincing eyes. The gash on her head was a very dangerous cut. The adepti felt alleviated. Relief washed over him as he held the girl tightly while burying his face into her soft (H/C) hair. The girl couldn’t see very well, but she could never mistake Xiao for anyone else. Slowly her frail arms wrapped themselves around Xiao’s body.

“Welcome home.” She whispered shakily with little strength behind her voice.

Xiao didn’t know how to express how grateful he was to see her still alive. He had thought that he had lost all hope. “I’m home, (Y/N). I’m back at home...” He sniffed, not realizing that he had been tearing up this entire time. (Y/N)’s eyes couldn’t properly see it, but she could feel that his heart was aching.

She brought her thumb to his cheek, wiping the tear that threatened to spill on his face. Something in his chest had felt like it was suffocating him as he saw (Y/N) in this current state.

Xiao’s heart... hurt. She did the same exact motion on his cheek when they first met.

Hurt?

How many times has he finally discovered the words behind the meaningful things he couldn’t describe today?

So this is what she meant by he was hurting. All of a sudden, Xiao was able to understand everything now. He was able to feel his emotions. Him of all people. The demon slayer that slaughtered innocents. All of the burdens he didn’t realize he had on his back had suddenly begun to tumble onto him.

This was very painful to watch.

(Y/N) was dying in front of him.

He knew exactly what was going to happen. On the battlefield, it was all the same thing. Death by killing, death by injuries, and to those who are caught up in the middle of it all. Xiao knew this all too well and he was holding onto his significant mortal. He scoped around the burnt down place they had called home and had hissed at himself for failing to save the little ones. Their lifeless facial expressions were frozen in fear and anguish. Xiao protected (Y/N) from witnessing the horrible sight behind him by draping his long robe to block her vision.

He needed to find another way to protect her.

She was going to end up like one of them too if he didn’t.

She was going to wind up in the same inevitable fate that all humans face when they meet their end.

“Remember when I said I... I was going to tell you something, Xiao?” The fragile girl voiced out, hands trying to navigate where the young adepti’s hands were. “I have a surprise for you... but we have to go to the Foundation of Plaustrite” she muttered, closing her eyes, a bit exhausted than she thought she would be.

The blood that dripped down the side of her head had most likely resulted from a severe concussion. Not only that, but the large cut in her abdomen was alarmingly frightening to the young adepti.

The demon was trembling, “But you’re extremely injured. You need treatment.” he twinged at the thought of (Y/N) leaving him again. A part of him felt like if he didn’t do anything now, (Y/N) would die easily to her injuries. Of course, the young demon would see it like that. He had forgotten that he had stronger regenerative abilities than the average human.

“Please. It’s my final wish.” (Y/N) prayed quietly. She attempted to open her eyes but stopped when Xiao covered her eyes with his own hands. “Don’t open your eyes.” He advised.

Xiao hesitated, afraid that he might accidentally hurt her if he picked her up wrong. There’s no way that he could reject her request. Haltingly, he bent down to carry the girl in his arms in one full sweep. He no longer felt tired. He felt as if he was granted all of the strength he needed in all of the lands of Teyvat.

“Is this comfortable?”

“...In your arms? Always.”

The black haired man with teal undertones carried the girl with ease. Before parting ways with their home, he looked back at those who had wronged (Y/N). Their bodies are now beyond recognition. As a man who’ll do anything to protect what was his, he had decided to leave the dead men behind like it was nothing.

Seeing (Y/N) breathing again was enough for him to calm down.

“...What happened to the children?” The (H/C) haired girl asked. A gruesome image flashed into Xiao’s head when mentioned. “They’re in a better place. I made sure that they’re comfortable in their new home.” He lied through his teeth. He wanted to spare her feelings.

“...What about the... bandits?” (Y/N) showed a hint of worry. The only thing he could think of was the way he had eliminated every last one of them. “They were also taken care of. I decided to go easy on them.” Xiao lied once more.

(Y/N) appreciated the thought of the young man attempting to keep her hopes protected from what just happened. The smell of iron was already enough to tell her what happened at their home.

Slowly, he began to walk towards their destination. Along the way, he couldn’t help but notice the girl continuing to hum as she was on death’s door. Xiao’s eyes never left the sight of (Y/N). If he didn’t, then it would feel like she could vanish without a trace.

“Xiao?”

“Yes, (Y/N)?”

“...Have I ever told you how much color you’ve brought into my world?” She wistfully breathed.

The man ascended a trail that made its way up. Paying attention to (Y/N) at the same time, he wore a composed face.

“No, you haven’t,” he replied with a gentle voice. He had to stay strong. Strong for (Y/N).

“Really? I thought I told you before... but maybe it was all a dream.” (Y/N) shut her eyes. The moment between both of them had felt so serene. “I remember telling you all about the new recipe I had prepared. There was also a time where I gave you a Qingxin flower crown... Did you like it?” She asked as her thoughts were jumping everywhere. She was barely conscious, but she still managed to voice out all of her silly concerns.

Xiao didn’t have a clue about what she was talking about. When imagining those random scenarios in his head, he could only pretend like he had experienced that all with her.

“Yes. I liked it a lot.” He went along with what she was saying.

“I see. That makes me very happy.”

Xiao hoisted her in his arms bridal style again, making sure that he doesn’t harm her. Even now, (Y/N) looked so angelic in his arms. The blood that dried up around her body smelled like iron.

“You know... sometimes I feel like meeting you was too good to be true. A dream, even.” (Y/N) rambled freely, pushing her head against Xiao’s chest.

His grip on the girl grew tighter, “I could say the same thing for you too. You don’t understand how much you’ve taught me how colorful the world was.” he pressed her head as close as he could to his neck as he made his way up the mountain.

“Hey... Do you know what the difference between ‘I like you’ and ‘I love you’?” (Y/N) weakly inquired.

Xiao didn’t know how to reply.

“It’s like flowers... When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.” The girl told the adepti. He grabbed one of (Y/N)’s hands to hold, keeping his warmth closer to him.

“...If you were a Qingxin flower... I would gladly water you every day.” (Y/N) confessed as she began to lose her train of thought.

Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. No one has ever expressed their concern to him before.

She was able to genuinely say that to Xiao with confidence. Her devotion stayed true to him until the end. Her tender touch was enough to tell him that everything was going to be okay, even when he knew damn well that it wasn’t going to be. Xiao wanted to surpass this new and unknown obstacle. He wanted to continue watching over (Y/N) and make sure that she gets all of the love that she deserved.

Xiao leaped onto the floating platforms that lead up to the floating shrine.

This was where he had first met (Y/N).

The setting stayed the same, along with the way the sky was painted similarly as before. This time, it was all different.

Xiao was able to comprehend his mortal emotions.

(Y/N) wanted to live.

Their pasts would contrast with their present now.

“We’re here...” Xiao whispered to his beloved.

The adepti carefully set the frail girl to lean against the stone seat. The warm hues reached her eyelids as she could feel the rays of light shine on her. Xiao had sat down beside her, no longer keeping a distance from her like back then. He couldn’t find the heart to act coldly towards her. Steadily, he stared off into the sunset. It was the same as before.

“It’s so warm here.” (Y/N) noted out loud, resting her head against Xiao’s shoulder. A part of him wanted time to freeze at this moment so he could spend the rest of his life with (Y/N). He felt his heart finding the moment to find momentary peace. If there was a god out there that could stop the entire universe, Xiao would trade anything he had to spend all of the time he could with the girl he held dear to.

“Do you want to know where your surprise is?” (Y/N) softly spoke, her strength dissipating.

The young demon grabbed a hold of one of (Y/N)’s hands. “Where is it?” He asked with a lump in his throat. He could tell in her tone of voice that she was already departing to the other side.

“My little surprise is in that book on the stone slab of this place. There’s a Qingxin flower as a bookmarker so it won’t be that difficult to find. You can go read it now if you want.”

“No.” Xiao clutched her hand.

“I wish to spend the rest of your time with you.” He declared quietly, not wanting to think of anything else. The intrusion of dark thoughts could no longer reach him up here. There was only peace.

(Y/N) hummed, “I see.” as she twiddled with Xiao’s bigger hand. Without thinking, the girl had slid her fingers between his palm, entwining fingers.

“Xiao... I think meeting you was...a serendipitous encounter... We both weren’t anticipating to end up like this. When we both met, we were both looking for something. There’s never been a time where I regretted being with you.” (Y/N) smiled with tranquility as her truth.

The adepti’s heart stung by her sweet yet bitter words.

“You don’t regret being with a demon like me?” He slipped out, throwing out a side of him that he never showed to (Y/N). He was afraid of rejection. What if she really despised him because of what he’s done?

(Y/N) let out a gracious laugh, “You’re not a demon, silly... You’re just as human like me. That’s all there is to it. You’re just like me, Xiao.” she indulged him by embracing him with one last hug.

“I don’t know who told you that but I know for a fact that you’re not a demon. If anything, you’ve acted like a guardian towards me. I value you very much and I wouldn’t want to hear you say otherwise.”

Xiao was amazed at what lengths (Y/N) would go for him. He was never used to her close contact, but for these last moments, he couldn’t help but wanting to savor it all. No one has ever told him that he was someone worth being cared for. They all only looked at him like a weapon of war. With the hands of his, (Y/N) saw it as inviting rather than dangerous.

(Y/N) was definitely different from the rest.

Xiao’s amber eyes had already started to tear up. This was an unfamiliar mental state that he was in. Never had he ever thought that he would make it this far to understand human emotions. Xiao was always a well guarded person who would always distance himself from anyone getting near him and yet...

(Y/N) was always there.

The sentimental words have reached the young adepti. He no longer felt ashamed for expressing how he felt. A slip of a tear fell from his cheek, “(Y/N)..?” he called out again to make sure she was still there.

“...Yes... Xiao?” She replied slowly.

Xiao tugged her closer to him. No one in the world could make him resort to these human senses of him. He only wanted to stay by her side and her side only.

“I love you.”

(Y/N) pulled away from his hug and saw his somber yet grateful facial expressions. Now that she could see his entire face, she realized she couldn’t put up her strong front anymore.

She began to cry, realizing the weight of their situation.

“I... love you too.”

Xiao felt something that he had forgotten he had in his pocket. Curious as to what it was, he pulled it out and realized it was the flower crown that (Y/N) was talking about.

Had he always have this in his pocket? Where did this come from?

He went back in his thoughts to try to remember where he got this from. All he could remember was that he had felt this object in his pocket after his dream earlier that day.

The black haired young man with teal undertones had carefully knelt down in front of her. With one hand, he grabbed (Y/N)’s other ones as he placed a soft kiss on top. It almost felt like he was a knight preparing to give his vows.

“(Y/N). There’s been a question I’ve always pondered to ask of you. I’m not very sure if we can make do with what little time we have remaining, but I’d appreciated it if you allowed me to have the opportunity.” Xiao started, feeling the girl’s tender gaze upon him. “From the day we’ve met, I had only thought about how foolish mortals were. There was a part of me that refused to take a part in opening up to a newer side of the world. I was more than afraid if you were going to shut me out entirely. I’m just a shell of a sinner... It almost feels morally wrong to even stand near you. But that all had shifted once you sat down next to me under the starry night sky. You were the only one who could change my perspective, and I am eternally grateful for how you’ve healed me.”

He swallowed. What was he saying? He was a bit doubtful if he worded his sentences correctly but he had no choice but to continue.

“...I can’t imagine growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to. When I think about you, I know that no one will hold my heart the same way you do. With you by my side, I feel at peace, and when you’re gone, I’m constantly looking for a way to get closer to you. I’m sure that you’ve had bad memories of this, but I’d like to overwrite those memories with something genuine... (Y/N)... Will you marry me?” Xiao confessed with sincere, heartfelt words. His heartbeat seemed to synchronize at the same time as (Y/N)’s. The atmosphere never felt so enchanting than now. Time was running out for both of them.

The weakened girl in front of him had no words to say other than yes. Instead of accepting the flower crown that he had held in his grasp, she had caressed the adepti with both of her hands on each side of Xiao’s face. They both met each other’s eyes. His amber ones looking into her (E/C) orbs, perhaps asking for permission before he could continue. (Y/N) slowly nodded, blushing when Xiao had finally leaned forward and had pressed a gentle kiss against the girl’s soft lips.

It was all but peaceful.

Finally.

Xiao was able to get these feelings off of his chest. He gazed at the sunset once more before he picked up (Y/N) again and sat her against the stone bench where he held her by the waist.

“I’m... feeling... tired...” The girl had said with complete honesty.

Xiao couldn’t help but feel pity when he saw his lover. She was deteriorating faster than he would’ve imagined. It was like he was watching another Qingxin flower lose its petals. She slowly hummed again, a harmonious tune that would ingrain into Xiao’s memories.

“Are you... afraid of death?” The adepti watched with attentive eyes. As someone who inflicted death among others, it would certainly be a different experience if he had asked someone who was about to go through it.

(Y/N) shook her head. “...When I’m with you...? Never. I’m not... afraid.” She wheezed a little bit, leaning her head on Xiao’s shoulder once more. Although time was running out, she kept wearing her brave smile as she fell drowsier.

“...Smile... for... me?” (Y/N)’s voice ran out as she was clinging onto life for as long as she could. Her final wish.

Xiao’s most difficult task to do. During this time as he watched everything he had developed with this girl slowly bloom throughout his heart. From all the times they’ve stayed up watching after the kids and talked until the dead of the night. Through the harsh rains and cold days, Xiao would continue to stand by her side. It was something worth protecting. He was given a reason to continue on with a more fulfilling purpose. She had given it all to him with open arms.

He trembled, but continued to wipe his tears. Taking a deep breath, he blocked out all of the worst thoughts that could flow into his head. He had to do it for her now. He has to answer her prayers.

There he was. The man that had worn his composed and calm features had been able to send (Y/N) one last smile. His lips quivered as he attempted to hold a brave front. He has to commend (Y/N) for having that special ability. The (H/C) haired girl shut her eyes. Yes... This was all she ever wanted.

She never felt so free until now. The freedom that she had always wanted was now granted to her.

The adepti had endured the last bits of time he could spend with her. With the way that (Y/N) grinned with no regrets, he felt the seconds going by like hours. This was all he could do for her now.

...So this was love.

What a strong emotion. No wonder why mortals fight for what they believe in. Before he met her, he was just an empty husk with no concept of what it takes to be human. Now that (Y/N) showed him the ways of how life could be spent, it would be the end of her journey.

It was just two companions that were dreaming alongside each other. Two contrasting people that come from two different backgrounds. No matter how far he came with her, he couldn’t help but notice what solitude truly was when something he cherished was now gone.

Xiao just wanted to remain with her until her final moments.

Before Xiao could completely doze off, he planted the well-crafted Qingxin crown on (Y/N)’s head, gently planting a kiss on her forehead, bidding his reluctant farewell.

“Goodnight, (Y/N).” He whispered to her for the last time, fulfilling her first request he hadn’t answered in the beginning. The lump in his throat was building up his regret, remembering how he promised to kill her so she would be put to rest and be free. He didn’t know how badly he wanted to go back in time and convince her to fight and live on.

He shut his eyes, not recognizing how hard it is to let go. He couldn’t envision the idea of her leaving him behind until now. After she had held onto his hand for so long, it seems that the last chapters of (Y/N)’s life has come to an end. The adepti pressed his forehead against (Y/N)’s, hoping that his words could somehow reach her. It was thanks to her, he was able to live like he was alive. He shut his eyes tightly, praying that somehow he could reach out to her again.

“...I’ll miss you dearly, my love.”

✦

-=+=-

Epilogue | Adeptus’ Retirement

(Y/N) had always known.

She knew that Xiao was a weapon of war.

When searching around remnants of fallen towns to take care of more children, some wandering travelers would tell rumors of the demon that would ruthlessly kill thousands. (Y/N) never paid any attention to it until she heard a tale of an evil archon utilizing him for his own selfish needs.

She thought to herself, “I will find a way to save him.” as she continued to roam and travel by on her own to find a way to free him. The week before (Y/N) had broken down in front of Xiao, she had already climbed up to the Foundation of Plaustrite once more, hearing that an archon of contracts would appear one fateful night.

When she did encounter that archon, she had first spoken to him like she was talking to an ordinary human. The archon, Morax, had listened in on her story as she explained how Xiao was forced to commit these heinous acts of violence.

“He had helped me realize that I wanted to continue living. I came up here in hopes that I could find this God of Contracts and tell him my wish.” She said with a brave heart.

Rex Lapis listened intently in his human form. This would benefit all of Liyue if he could save the young demon from the evil archon.

“I wish that he could be as free as a crane. I wish for him to find something worthy to protect. I wish for him to be proud of a name that he can tell others.” (Y/N) prayed while looking at the moon with the archon next to her.

“What name did you give him?” The god inquired.

She smiled, “Xiao.” while looking down at her feet. She knew that it had a few different meanings like “demon”, but she could only see the name to be fitting for someone heavenly.

The archon crossed his arms, knowing that this human girl was going to be the one to change history.

“It’s a deal.”

✦

She was sent into a dream realm. Her body seemed to feel lighter than ever, and she could only see a field of pure white flowers that blossomed on its own. In the distance, she could see the young adepti, laying peacefully in the field. (Y/N) had laid down on the grass right next to the dreaming demon.

Her time was about to come.

In order for her contract to be fulfilled, she must give up her life.

(Y/N) held Xiao’s hand tightly.

It was a wish she knew was worth protecting.

“I want you to be free. I want you to feel human. I want you to feel loved.”

The girl didn’t know death could be so alleviating. The other side was now beyond her reach, and she could slowly feel herself falling asleep. Even so, she continued to talk to Xiao like he was awake. A part of her hoped that she was somehow connected to Xiao in her dream.

She talked about the special almond tofu that she was supposed to be preparing and she had crafted a Qingxin crown while she rambled on. To her surprise, she felt a hand grab her arm. Turning around, she made eye contact with the young man who she thought was resting.

“Please...” He muttered in his sleep, turning over to come closer to the girl.

(Y/N) was taken aback, but then had smiled wistfully. Maybe she did have one more thing to do before she left this world to meet death. Without thinking, she had carefully tucked her Qingxin crown into the side of Xiao’s pocket.

“As proof that I was here... I’ll give this to you.”

She hovered over the resting man and had laid on top of him with a gentle hug.

If she could go back in time and relive every moment with him, she would.

...

She woke up.

That’s when she saw Xiao in front of her at the raid of her home. Well, what was left of their home. She knew that there was an attack launched when she was unconscious in the dream realm. Morax had informed her that the evil archon would order the bandits to come to kill the rest of her family at the ruins they lived in. It was also a consequence that the contract came with.

But it doesn’t matter anymore.

(Y/N) wanted to be selfish again.

“Welcome home.”

✦

When Xiao woke up, he no longer felt a presence next to him. Wondering what could have happened, he knew that he shouldn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he opened up the notebook that (Y/N) had left behind for him. With the Qingxin bookmarker, he had flipped open the book to read what (Y/N) left behind for him.

At that moment, he could no longer hold back the flow of tears.

After reading the truth.

After reading the contract.

After reading her sacrifice.

Xiao let out a blood-curdling scream.

Never in his life had he ever heard his voice come out of his throat like that. Never had he ever thought that (Y/N) would be so important to him. He couldn’t help kneeling down on the floor of the shrine and curling up while holding the notebook to his chest.

After everything she’s done for him, he couldn’t let it all go in vain.

“I’ll fight. I’ll fight again. I’ll fight and make sure I grant your wish, (Y/N). I’ll do anything if it means that you can see me from wherever you are!”

Xiao missed her.

He missed her so much.

He missed (Y/N).

✦

Xiao fought. He no longer served under the evil archon and had pledged his allegiance to Rex Lapis. There was a long period of time, peace for Liyue, the type of peace that (Y/N) had wished for.

The guardian yaksha had sat on the Foundation of Plaustrite once again as he looked off and into the sunset. A thousand years had passed since (Y/N)’s passing. War never ended fast like how he hoped it would, but he continued to hold onto the feelings he had for (Y/N) until the very end.

The yaksha was now around two thousand years old. Although he distanced himself from the mortals he swore to protect, his memories were far from faded from the day he had serendipitously encountered the ethereal angel, (Y/N).

Between adepti and humans, he knew that relations between them were very possible. He couldn’t forget (Y/N)’s scent. As he sat on the stone slab, he could almost feel (Y/N)’s soul. It was almost like she was leaning her head on his shoulder again.

He placed the Qingxin flowers he had collected from the highest points of Liyue and rested them beside him. The atmosphere felt a little bit nostalgic as he watched the sun go down.

Xiao had peered at the little desk of books that were piled on each other over the years that had passed. With careful eyes, he picked up the worn out notebook that (Y/N) had left behind for him. Every time he felt like he was losing himself, he would flee to this floating sanctuary that he once met (Y/N) at.

He felt the cover of the book, not realizing how much time had passed as he continued to live on as a proud yaksha.

Slowly, he turned the book cover open and began reading the pages again.

“Dear Xiao...

Did you like the gift I gave you? I wasn’t sure what to do when I first heard that you were being enslaved by a cruel archon. I did everything in my power to make sure that I could somehow make my wish for you a reality.

Rex Lapis was a compassionate archon I never thought I would meet. He listened to my tale and had decided to make a contract with me so you could be set free. At that moment, I knew that it was going to cost the lives of our entire family and I.

I’m sorry.

I knew that if I had told you my plans, you would do everything within your power to stop it.

It’s funny how I wanted to die so badly.

The day that we both met was a very fortunate day.

I believe that everything happens for a reason.

You were my reason.

So with that, I hope that you’ll feel as free as a crane. I hope that you’re living to protect something important again. I hope that you’re opening up to humans more and face them with no hostility. Even when you’re around children, I find it adorable that you had somehow kept a soft spot for them. I hope that you’re doing well and living the rest of your days with peace.

Maybe one day we can meet again.

And if we do meet again...

I hope you’ll fall for me one more time.

Love, (Y/N).”

The man had sighed to himself, closing the book and resting it in his lap. A part of him wanted to thank the evil archon for telling him to love. He knew that the archon wanted to use Xiao’s resentment to multiply his power during the war, but it didn’t turn out how he thought it would.

The moon began to rise in the night sky. Out far in the distance, he could see all of the floating lanterns from where he rested. Xiao knew that the beginning of the lantern festival had begun. The guardian yaksha was grateful to be the only one to know why the festival was hosted on this very day.

It was in memory of (Y/N).

The floating lanterns glowed from afar, making Xiao slowly smile to himself. If what (Y/N) said in her writings were true, then he would gladly await the day he would meet her again.

With a new age of Liyue and with no calamity threatening Teyvat, Xiao was able to sit back and relax as he watched the lanterns float in the sky.

This was the beginning of an Adeptus’ retirement.

-=+=-

AN: My god. This took about three full days for me to write. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this. I spent so much time thinking, writing, and crying over this idea for Xiao for the longest time. I’m so glad that I was able to tell myself to post this, ignoring the fear that no one would like it at all. With the new year that’s about to come, I can’t wait to see experience and see the next chapter of my life could be. Thank you for reading this. I wish you to stay safe and hope that you’ve enjoyed this piece of writing I have left to give. You don’t have to like or reblog the post, but if you really feel like this had resonated in you, I would deeply appreciate it if you could like or reblog it. I want other people who love Xiao to read this if they could. It would mean a lot to me. Again, thank you for reading up to this point, and I wish you a happy new year.

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jokertrap-ran · 4 years ago

Audio

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Charlie’s 6✩ Inspiration: Midsummer’s Gilt [仲夏鎏金] Date Translation (END 4: Listen)

“Why do you have your eyes closed again? Sleepy? Go ahead and take a nap then. Remember to dream of me.”

*Light and Night Master-list | Charlie’s Personal Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *6✩ Inspirations have 6 Endings!! *Charlie’s tag will be #For Night, For Paradox

✥ Choice: Listen [倾听] ❖ASMR

What should I do? How should we spend the rest of the time?

⊹ Ask him if there's anything he wants to do ⊹

Thinking about it now, I still feel like it'll be better if I let Charlie decide what he wants to do instead of following my plan.

MC: Hey, let me ask you something. Do you have anywhere you want to go? Or… anything you want to do?

Charlie: Oh? You're prepared to fulfil a wish of mine for me?

MC: I guess so? I mean, heaven is big, earth is big, and the birthday star’s is the biggest.

MC: Oh. Anything but marriage!!

Charlie: You’re setting restrictions on my only birthday wish in a year? How cruel of you.

MC: Not like I can help it. Who told you to be the most vicious queen of all time, hm?

Charlie helplessly shakes his head, lowering his eyes in thought before looking back up at me.

Charlie: What I want to do today is very simple.

MC: ...Which is?

I don’t know if I was just imagining it, but I suddenly felt like I just saw a sliver of mischief flash across his eyes.

Charlie: Come with me.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I followed him back to the farmhouse and out into the yard. Charlie immediately settled himself on the deck chair.

I watched him suspiciously, not understanding him at all.

Charlie: Come here. Let’s lie down together for a while.

MC: This is the one thing you want to do the most today…?

Charlie: That's right.

Charlie: I’ve been dragged and pushed around for the entire day. I just want to have a good moment’s rest with my fiancée.

The deck chair wasn’t exactly small, but it’d be a slight squeeze to fit two people on it.

I was dubious about it for a while.

Charlie: Hmm, looks like being the birthday boy doesn’t help at all, huh.

He sighed, watching me. I stood rooted to my spot. It was rare enough that I got to look down at him, but the look he was giving me was a little like a kicked puppy...

Never mind. Heaven is big, earth is big, and the birthday star’s is the biggest.

Mentally reciting the phrase again, I closed my eyes and laid down next to him.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Charlie: And here I thought that you wouldn't agree to it.

Charlie: Why are you closing your eyes for? Am I that ugly?

Charlie: A handsome face is right beside you, and you're not even going to admire it?

Charlie: Are you really not going to look at me?

Charlie: Not bad. You "woke" in a timely manner. If you hadn't done so, then I'd have…

Charlie: What CAN I do? Have you never heard of the fairytale called "Sleeping Beauty"?

Charlie: You moved over to give me more space? How rare of you to be so considerate towards me.

Charlie: What? You get mad when I speak and feel uncomfy when I don't.

Charlie: *Sighs*...Never mind, my dear fiancée can only be coddled by me after all.

Charlie: What do you want me to talk about? My mood?

Charlie: Much better than I thought it'd be.

Charlie: Are you uncomfortable?

Charlie: Then come over here a little more…

Charlie: I know I said "a little", but you've only moved just a mere millimetre, haven't you?

Charlie: Any further and you'll-

Charlie: Alright, stop moving.

Charlie: Move any more and I'll just have to fall off with you in tow.

Charlie: I won't move, but you can't go making me loosen my grip on you either.

Charlie: Why do you have your eyes closed again? Sleepy?

Charlie: Go ahead and take a nap then. Remember to dream of me.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

After dinner, the night gradually grew darker.

Having changed into my pyjamas, I was just about to close the windows when I suddenly heard a commotion coming from outside.

It sounded like a lot of people were gathered in one place, chattering along with the joyful cries of children.

MC: What’s going on!?

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Curious, I crossed the yard and walked out of the back door. I was immediately dumbfounded the instant I opened the door.

The originally empty plain had somehow accommodated a helicopter from somewhere. Charlie was standing by the helicopter’s door with his head bowed as he adjusted his shirt collar.

There were many villagers from around the area beside him. The old, the young, the boys, the girls; some of them taking photos, some of them discussing within their midst.

Little Boy: Big bro, do you really mean what you said earlier?

Charlie: But of course; I never lie.

Little Girl: Wow! I’m gonna get dad to bring me to a good spot right now!

Little Boy: Wait a minute, me too!

A couple of kids fussed about wanting to get to higher ground, to which Charlie only smiled at. The sides of his mouth curled upwards as he let out a soft snort, an inconcealable look of pride on his face.

Suddenly, I can’t help but have a very bad feeling about this new turn of events. I subconsciously turned to flee.

Charlie: I haven’t even gone looking for you yet, and here you are.

Charlie: Looks like we truly have an affinity with each other.

A big hand lands on my shoulder, making me unwittingly turn around only to face his triumphant expression.

MC: And what are you trying to pull again? What’s with this helicopter here?

Charlie: I’m going to take you for a spin.

MC: ……

MC: I’m going to bed. Good night.

I turned to leave again, but the same hand landed on my shoulder once more, this time backed with an irrefutable strength as he dragged me up into the helicopter.

Ten minutes later.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Chuf, chuf, chuf.

The sound of the helicopter’s propeller reverberated in my ears. I’d eventually given up struggling against him; and now, I sat next to him blankly, decked in pyjamas and slippers.

Charlie: Why so quiet? Are you scared of heights?

MC: Har, har, very funny. Just think of it as me being sleepy.

Charlie: Then, you’d do well to wake up; because what’s coming up next is something worth remembering for a lifetime.

MC: …What?

Charlie: I did give my birthday some serious thought.

Charlie: While it’s true that I don’t like attending birthday banquets, it is not in line with my personality to spend my birthday in such a low-key, simplistic, manner.

MC: ……

Charlie: Plus, my fiancée worked so hard to prepare so many surprises for me. So, I have to give her a gift in return, won’t you say?

He’d only just said that when a loud bang sounded from outside the window.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I saw fireworks blooming behind him, suddenly lighting up the night sky, as well as the hand that Charlie had started to reach out towards me.

My eyes widened in surprise. I’d totally forgotten that reactions were a thing. And that was how Charlie had pulled me over to admire the scenery outside the window together.

And that was how the gorgeous fireworks bloomed seemingly near, yet far. It was almost as if one could simply reach out and touch them.

The boundless night sky was skin to a long and endless river, while the fireworks resembled the starry sky, reflected on the surface of the river. We were seated atop a small boat, free to move and traverse this galaxy as we so wished.

I couldn’t help but raise my hand, pressing it against the glass window and fixing my eyes firmly to the fireworks blooming outside.

Charlie: What? So moved that you could cry?

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Charlie’s voice snapped me out of my reverie. I glanced at the handkerchief that held out before me and turned away with a huff.

MC: Thanks, but I’m not that easily moved.

MC: And these fireworks… It’s really beautiful, but please don’t do such overly exaggerated things in the future.

Charlie: So you’re already contemplating how to celebrate my future birthdays?

MC: I’m not…

My eyes dilated in rage, yet the flicker of flames died out the moment I raised my head.

Reflected within those twin violet orbs of his were the flashing lights of the fireworks… and two little reflections of me.

MC: Let’s leave the stuff next year… to next year.

Charlie: Don’t worry, you can have it every year.

The fireworks outside the window continued. Looking at the magnificent splendour outside, I suddenly remembered that I didn’t exactly wish him a “happy birthday” yet.

MC: Charlie.

Charlie: Hm?

MC: Happy birthday.

Charlie: Thank you.

This might actually be the first time that he has ever seriously thanked me for anything before.

My heart squeezed, immediately starting to race soon after. There was no longer any way to hide it.

MC: And there’s something else I want to tell you…

MC: Actually, I wouldn’t have known that it was your birthday today if you didn’t mistakenly think that I was making “longevity noodles”.

MC: I only agreed to go on a trip with you because I didn’t want to owe you any favours.

MC: And… I only decided to come here to this rural countryside to spite you because I knew that you’d be uncomfortable with it.

MC: And I didn’t prepare anything in advance as your birthday gift either…

I paused, not knowing how to continue. However, it was Charlie who carried on with the conversation, much to my surprise.

Charlie: So?

MC: So… Aren’t you angry?

MC: I clearly lied to you, in a way.

Charlie: My fiancée has been pondering hard and busying about like a busy bee today to celebrate my birthday.

Charlie: I don’t think there’s anything to be mad about.

I was stunned. For a moment, I didn’t quite know how to reply to him. All I registered was the soft thud of my heart as it skipped a beat.

MC: …I really don’t understand you sometimes.

Charlie: Then, I suppose you’ll have to put in more effort to understand me. After all, I can already understand you like the back of my hand.

Charlie: You can just tell me if you need help. I’ll get someone to collate my information and send it to you in a file.

MC: No need!

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I softly snorted, turning around to continue admiring the fireworks outside the window.

Even though I knew clearer than anyone else, deep down in my heart, that fireworks were nought but merely a fleeting moment of brilliance…

I still can’t help but hope…

To hope that everything would be etched into stone, preserved forever and evermore.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

✥ Choose another Ending:

END 1 | Choice: Do Nothing [都不做]

END 2 + 3 | Choice: Approach [亲近] ⊹Touch⊹

END 4 | Choice: Listen [倾听] ❖ASMR

END 5 + 6 | Choice: Heart-throb [心动] ✩Light & Night★

❖☆————— ⊹ For Night, For Paradox⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: Prologue

#光与夜之恋 #Light and Night #Otome #Translations #Tencent #查理苏 #Charlie #For Night For Paradox #仲夏鎏金 #Midsummers Gilt

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spider6oy · 4 years ago

Text

Magic Sticks || Peter Parker

summary: as y/n is trying to practice her witchcraft, peter can’t help but feel intrigued - leading to him coming to watch her first hand.

peter parker x fem!reader

warnings: witchcraft

word count: 1200-ish

masterlist

You pushed your hair behind your ears. The loose strands had begun to tickle at the skin along your jaw, causing you to lose your concentration on the spell before you. You let out a small breath before raising one of your hands; an averaged sized stick was being gripped tightly in your right palm, another stick in your left. You pursed your lips, using the stick in your right hand to tap at your chin; reading over the words written by one of your ancestors (Elizabeth Y/L/N; a handmaiden during the eighteenth century). Her writing was all swirls and long strokes. Your eyes traced over the fading ink as you readied your hands to begin the spell once more, gripping the sticks even tighter.

You closed your eyes, soon feeling the swell and build-up of power deep within your chest as your body readied itself to perform the simple incantation.

"Like brass to fire, like stick to flame, heed my words, know my- “

“What’re you doing?”

Your eyes immediately shot open at the sound of the voice; whatever type of power that had been coursing through your veins instantly vanishing. Your body twisted and turned as you searched the room for the prime suspect who has disturbed your craft. Your eyes quickly landed on the culprit; narrowing into slits as you glared at the teenage boy stood in the entranceway to the training room.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” You questioned sarcastically, waving the sticks in your hands around for added emphasis.

Peter pushed himself off from the doorframe he had been leaning on, keeping his arms crossed as he slowly walked towards you. “Uh, practicing your new super-cool drum solo?” He answered, eyebrows raised in question as his eyes shifted between you and the sticks currently in your possession.

You blinked lazily; questioning how the boy who stood in front of you was both one of the smartest people you had ever met and also one of the dumbest. You shook your head in disappointment as you swivelled back around on your spot on the floor, facing the yellowed piece of parchment once more.

“I’m practicing witchcraft, you dumbass.” You stated, sighing lightly as you shifted the paper closer towards you. “Well, I was before you interrupted me. You’re lucky I didn’t set you on fire by accident,” You pondered on the thought, “I don’t know how I would have explained that to Tony or May.”

Peter walked around you, ignoring your empty threats, as he sat on the ground opposite you. His hand inched towards the aged paper, “Woah, is that the spell?!” He asked; excitement and wonder laced in his tone as his eyes shone in amazement at the not-so-simple piece of paper.

You lightly hit his outstretched hand with one of your sticks, sending him a look of warning. “Don’t touch my spells, Parker.” You pulled the enchantment towards your body – making sure it was out of Peter’s grasp. “It’ll turn your skin to ash.” You said, raising your sticks into the same position from earlier as you once again began to attempt the simple spell.

“Oh my gosh, really?!” Peter questioned.

He sounded. . . excited?

Did he actually want his skin to turn to ash?

“No.” You watched as the glint of awe that had been swirling in his brown irises disappeared, a new look of disappointment flashed across his features. “But I will if you try to touch my spells again.” You threatened, not missing the way Peter rolled his eyes at your statement – he knew you would never actually harm him.

“So. . . what are you trying to do?” Peter queried, eyeing the two sticks you had yet to put down in your hands, “And why do you need those?”

You shook out your shoulders, feeling some form of energy begin to build in the pit of your stomach as you readied yourself to begin the incantation. “I’m trying to create fire, and the sticks are required to do the spell.” You stated before breathing out slowly, raising the sticks into the air.

Peter watched you as you closed your eyes once again. He studied your face intently; watching in adoration as your face soon became a picture of utmost tranquillity. His eyes traced over the smoothness of your brow, the way in which your eyelashes gently rested upon your delicate skin, and the way your lips pouted ever so slightly as you concentrated on completing your spell.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, hiding the lower half of his face behind his folded legs in an attempt to hide the smile that had slipped onto his lips – all he could think about was how truly beautiful you looked in that very moment.

He never wanted to forget it.

"Like brass to fire, like stick to flame, heed my words, know my name. Faster than light, dark corners seek, lick to flame, my vengeance wreak." While the words slipped from between your lips, you continuously tapped the sticks against each other, just as the spell had instructed. Your eyes snapped open quickly, witnessing the sparks that shot from the pieces of wood, making white dots cloud your vision. The sparks soon died down, revealing steady burning red flames, reflecting off of your Y/E/C orbs.

"Holy shit. It worked!" you whispered, slightly startled at what you had just done – not actually thinking you had the capabilities to pull off even a simple spell as this.

“Oh my god!! That was awesome!” Peter shouted, practically jumping up from his place on the floor as he continued to watch the fire burn.

His eyes then flickered from the flames and moved towards you; staring at you with one of the brightest grins you had ever seen (you believed it could rival the sun). “That was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen! I had no idea you had the power to do that, Y/N. Can you do anymore spells? Could you show me them? Please?”

You were completely stunned.

Never had somewhere been this interested in your powers before – or even you for that matter.

Your mouth bobbed open and closed as you struggled to find the words to respond. You quickly stifled a cough as you tried to regain a sense of composure; whilst wondering why Peter Parker of all people had made you lose it in the first place.

“Um,” you tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear, “yeah, I guess. I mean. . . if you really want to?” You muttered, somehow not seeming to look away from Peter – the look on his face becoming oh-so addicting.

His smile seemed to widen even further at your reply (you didn’t think that was possible) and he quickly pushed himself up from his position on the floor - you couldn’t help but notice the eagerness that had begun to seep onto his features.

“Oh, you mean right now?”

“Yes! W-Well only if that’s okay with you, Y/N?” He stuttered, awkwardly scratching at the nape of his neck.

You pushed yourself up from the floor; collecting your sticks and your ancestors spell as you silenced the burning flames with a few words whispered under your breath.

“Yeah that’s fine Parker, just don’t go touching anything in my room.” You stated, heading towards the door to the training room, hearing Peter’s footsteps follow closely behind you. “I will not be held responsible if you lose a finger or get possessed by a Demon, got it?”

“Uh. . . did you say a Demon?!”

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opalsdarkreadings · 4 years ago

Text

Devils Grin

Paring: Shinra x burned victim reader

Warning: Slight angst? (If you can call it that)

Notes : might make a part two to this! I really enjoy thei anime as much as My hero, but I’m taking a break till I finish up the manga

You understood why some people say it only takes one spark for your life to go up in flames. Nothing lasts, and nothing ever stays the same. The rainbow filled place you once knew crash before you shattering like glass.

Just in a matter of minutes everything you once knew and loved went up in smokes. Your home was now nothing more than ashes of what it used to be, that day plaguing your mind every time you closed your eyes. Left and right people were set ablaze and turned into those horrid creatures that haunt everyone’s nightmares and minds daily. That day you lost close friends, neighbors, and possible, a bit of your will to continue.

Having been caught in the crossfire of your friend turning, one minute laughing and reminiscing the old days, next you’re watching as they scream in agony as their bodies became engulfed in the flames of the infernal. Hands becoming claws as large as your upper body, talons as sharp as knives, their wails becoming more animalistic and demonic. You don’t remember much, or it’s that you choose not to bring up the memory, however; the most vivid part of that day is seeing a young man. Hair black as the ashes falling off your friend and eyes red as the flames burning before you, but that wasn’t what caught your attention. It was the grin he wore. The grin of the devil. Your mother uses to tell you, It spelled nothing but trouble. If so, why did you wake inside of the hospital instead of greeting your past loved ones? Why were you being left with only the burns of that day over your body? Why did the devil save you?

The soft ding of the door made your flinch from out your thoughts, making you quickly go back to placing a tray of baked goods over the display case. Your eyes gaze over your arm, the sleeves of your long white buttoned shirt sliding down, revealing the rough patch of charred skin. A wave of sadness and disgust overcame you.

“You should’ve died in that fire..” the nagging voice mumbles to you.

“Stand there any longer and we’ll have to place a price on you too.” Out of surprise, you jump turning back with bewildered eyes. The older lady fixed her warm brown eyes to your e/c orbs and sighs.

“I think you should head home, you look, tired love, we’ll wrap up closing and all that okay, and take some sweets with you too.” She said smiling warmly. “I’m...I’m fine..” you try to protest, but she held firm in her decision.

“Y/n please, you’ve been so jumpy as of late, take the day off, and even more. I know it’s only been a few weeks but please try not to drown yourself in work. They’re all resting peacefully now..” she assured, giving you an encouraging smile before walking off. You left your arms to fall to your side and your head drop.

Just the thought of staying home, confined by the walls of your small apartment made your stomach churn. Your scars becoming more irritated as a feeling of anxiety sets in. Taking in a few deep breaths, you decided to stop by that place before heading home. You went back and clocked out, grabbing your bag and jackets before wishing the owner a small farewell and walking outside.

A gently autumn’s breeze gently caresse over your cheek. You tried to inhale as much of the fresh air as possible.Shutting your eyes and lightly scratch over your sleeve before you digging. your nails into your arm, placing as much pressures into the skin.

nothing.

Not even a single tingle of feeling on the scarred skin. Eyes flying open and soft pain spreading through your chest, a feeling of depression and anger settled over you. You gripped more of your arm, till blood drip from it and stain over your shirt. You hated this, you hated your body, your face down to the ugly scared hands. That day claimed your friends and your ability to live and love happily.Was it your fault?

Did you cause of all of this? It must be! nothing ever goes right when you’re around. You’re nothing more then a cursed charm, ready to take steal away someone sanity and happiness.

“You should’ve been the one, not me.” F/n voice growls to you, their tone filled with nothing but hate and resentment.

You gripped over your head with a soft whimpers, “Just a voice....just a voice..” you mumble quietly. Looking around Your stuff your hands in your pockets and shield your face before continuing you walk along the bustling street’s.

The only place you’ve only ever felt safe and continent was company’s 8 building. Being out here for mere second could ease your anxiety. You’ve taken it upon yourself to visit company’s 8 building before heading home, lingering outside of the run done building with bliss and tranquility.

You didn’t understand why the building seems to ease your nerves, but at this point you don’t even try to question it.

Just like always, you were passing the building of company 8, the familiar hum of the generator filling our ears as you slowly move towards it. The chip paint of the building and almost worn down looked gave a sense of warmth to it then what other company buildings had. You stopped in the middle of the street and gaze upon the building. Eyes scanning over each curve and imperfection of the Company 8’s hideout. In the back of your mind, soft screams and plead played off in your head, the memories of that day crashing onto you like bricks. You felt tears gather at the corner of your tired eyes. You just wanted to thank him, but curse at him too. Thank him for getting you out before you had to witness anymore of that nightmare, but to also curse and scream at him for making you live through this hell. Remembering, and reflecting everyday. Asking constantly as to why you weren’t the one to take their place, to take their suffering. Why did it have to be F/n?

“Miss....mi-miss....miss!” The abrupt shout, made you flinch out your thoughts, (you’ve been daydreaming a lot as of lately)and cause your to turn to the voice. Eyes growing to the size of melons, your breath becoming shallow as you take in the sight of devil, himself. The dark mop of black hair was stained with droplets of sweat, his firefighter outfit, slightly damaged. Possible coming back from a mission of some sorts. His ruby eyes fix back over you, as he stood awkwardly before you with a small tint of pink of his cheeks

You hadn’t realizes you were staring that hard till he cleared his throat and looks off to the sides. The line of pink spreading further.

“Are you alright? I...umm kind of found you here by yourself. Are you looking for anyon-wait, do I know you?”

Silence fell over the both of to you as you try to get over your shock, Shinra still trying to ponder on who you were before he gasp. “I remember know! you’re that gir I saved a few weeks back- I...I’m sorry about what happened to your friend, and...umm and your home.” He glance back up to you. He seems to be taking in your scarred state with a gently gaze.

“You...you remember me?” You asked gently, calming down as your grip the strap of your bag and look back to him. The tension in your shoulder relax and you quickly try wipe at your eyes.

He nods, his gaze falling back over you, as he stood before you, “I couldn’t forget you to be honest, that day you were burn so badly. We didn’t think you’d make it.” He said soflty, eyes landing over the ground

“But you’ve prove us wrong.” He said picking his head back up and smiling your way.

“I didn’t want-.”

You barely was able to get your full sentence out before a loud bang echoes out from the city. Scream and shouts filled the streets, causing you and shinra both to look up. Both of you catching sight of a cloud of dark smoke and flames dancing in the air. The sighting of the infernal just a few streets away. At the place you work at.

“Shit! I thought that was the last of them?!” He cursed, but as he turned to you, your face was morphed in horror.

“She’s.....she’s back..”

#fire force #shinra fire force #oneshot #shinra x reader #fire force x reader #fire force oneshot

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shxxknytrash · 5 years ago

Text

pair: rengoku kyojuro x fem!reader (ft hashira + kagaya ubuyashiki)

genre: angst, fluff(???? im not even sure)

word count: 5843

a/n: i do apologize for any grammatical errors. i also hope that you guys enjoy this!

|| “i’ll be back”

The moment the words slip past his lips, she knew he was uncertain. He knew how it would turn out and yet, there he stood in front of her with the brightest smile he could ever give her.

However, no matter how “happy” his smile looked, the (e/c) orbs knew how his eyes spoke a different story.

There was glint of fear, and yet, she could also see a glint of acceptance.

“I promise you, my sweet flame, I’ll be back.” he softly spoke with a hand placed on her cheeks; coaxing the uneasy feeling buried deep in her stomach. Kyojuro’s honeyed voice echoed through (y/n)’s mind, repeating like a broken music player.

I’ll be back.

(y/n) wanted to believe every single word he said; she really did want to believe in him, however, every single intuition she had was screaming at her not to let the man go.

When her grip around his haori tightened, the Flame Pillar could feel his heart crack from the sight of his beau slowly falling apart before him. He already knew the possibilities. He already knew his fate. He already accepted it the moment Oyakata-sama told him about his final mission.

“Kyojuro, you do understand my stand in this situation, right?” his soothing voice always kept his heart at bay but now, it wasn’t able to stop his heart from hammering against his chest. It was as if everything was laid out in front of him.

His fate laid out in front of him in a silver platter.

[a/n: l/n - last name; let’s pretend that Kagaya’s not yet fully blind here…]

The sight of the young man’s unwavering smile was enough for Kagaya to understand how he was feeling. “I know you’re thinking about (l/n)-san. You don’t want to leave her, do you?”

Just hearing (y/n)’s name was enough to break him, however, he knew it was his duty to protect the weak. It was his duty to save these people from losing their lives - a life they all deserve to live to the fullest. Yet with her soft smile flashing in his mind, for the first time, he was afraid of seeing it turn into a mournful frown.

He knew his death was near, however, ever since he met you, he was scared of the thought of dying - leaving you all by yourself after.

“You already knew the possibilities of me dying, right, Oyakata-sama?” the hint of sorrow was evident in his tone, only to be contradicted the smile plastered on his face. Kagaya couldn’t help but sadly look at his child; no matter how much he loved his children, it always pained him to see them die or even just seeing how banged up they are every after missions.

“Yes.”

“Please don’t go.” Her voice croaked. It took every ounce of energy from her to beg him one last time. I should be selfish for once, she thought with her face buried in his chest. Everything seemed to be falling apart. She lost her family, she lost her dear friend and now, she doesn’t want to lose the only flame left in her life.

(y/n)’s request was selfish, however, Kyojuro understood where she was coming from but he couldn’t seem to shake off the guilt and responsibility that was eating him up – there were lives waiting for him to save them, begging him to save them from their misery.

“(y/n),” Kyojuro calls out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “you know I can’t do that. They need me. I need to protect the weak.”

The (h/c) haired lass knew Kyojuro was serious whenever he calls her by her name but just hearing her name roll off his mouth so effortlessly was enough for her to finally break. Fits of sobs filled the room yet no one dared to stop it from bouncing off from every corner in the headquarters.

“I’m sorry, my sweet flame. I really need to go-“

“Then let me go with you!” (y/n) cried out as she finally met his gaze – screaming with so much determination just to keep her lover safe. “Please, let me go with you.”

“(y/n),” another voice calls out, a voice that’s so familiar. A voice that was soothing enough to calm the Thunder Pillar and have her fall on her knees, letting go of the Flame Pillar.

“My child, I need you here to help with the others.”

It was Kagaya. The sound of her sobs was enough to summon him into the very room they were occupying. With a hand resting on her trembling shoulders, Kagaya looks up at the Flame Pillar with a fatherly smile – only to stop halfway when he noticed the stern look on his child. Tears were forming on the corner of his eyes, but he tried his best to not show how much it affected him.

“Oyakata-sama,” (y/n) shifts her whole body to face Kagaya before bowing down to him with her forehead planted on the floor. “Please let me go with Kyojuro.”

(y/n) has always been known to be such a strong-willed woman. Face always plastered with a smile; seemingly unfazed by the problems being created by the bloodlust demons. She carried herself with dignity and grace – it was also said that she would most likely be the counterpart of the Sound Pillar.

However, if anyone were to see her state, they wouldn’t be able to grasp what was happening. In front of Kagaya was a crumbling Thunder Pillar; it was as if she has thrown away everything away to describe her persona. It felt like with every step, or breath they take, her heart would continue to shatter.

“Tell me, my child, why do you wish to join, Kyojuro?” he queries, patting the Thunder Pillar on the head to let her lift her head up to meet his gaze.

Why do I want to be there? (y/n) asks herself, still unable to raise her head. Her heart hammered against her chest; as if it was trying to beat its way out from her system just to get rid of the uneasiness settling inside of her. She felt sick. Everything tasted bitter in her mouth.

“I don’t want to lose him,” lifting her head up, it was apparent in her voice the dread she’s been trying to shrug off. The only fear that she doesn’t want to face.

“And why do you believe you’ll lose him?”

Silence. No words were uttered for she couldn’t come up with any reason. (e/c) orbs blankly stared at Kagaya, no longer sparkling like how it used to. “I want the two of you to come into terms before you leave, Kyojuro.” Kagaya speaks, standing up before giving the Flame Pillar a faint smile.

“I shall leave the two of you, please excuse me.”

Taking Kagaya’s leave as a signal, Kyojuro didn’t miss a beat and sat himself in front of his lover. “Please, (y/n),” he gently tucks a finger on her chin, raising it up so that she could look at him.

“Can you put more faith in me? I–“

“I just can’t imagine my life without you, Kyo. Y-you’re so important to me… that I just…” her voice trails off, scared to let go of the words she dreaded the most. The (h/c) haired lass didn’t think twice as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into the tightest hug she could ever give.

“I can’t imagine you not here.” The last string holding Kyojuro’s façade finally snapped. It finally sunk in the fact of how scared he was to face his fate. Tears started to pour down his cheeks as he immediately wrapped his strong limbs around her, pulling her closer to him as if their closeness was not enough to satisfy him.

A sob slips past Kyojuro’s lips, only to be followed by a set of hiccups as he tried to stop himself from bawling his heart out. “I-… I need to go, (y/n).” he says as he pulls away from her, cupping her cheeks as his fire-like orbs searched for hers; trying to convey how he really felt.

Planting a soft kiss on her swollen lips, Kyojuro’s didn’t think twice; caressing her cheeks with his thumb before rising to take his leave. “I love you with all my heart, (y/n). I promise you, I’ll come back.”

Without looking back, Kyojuro hastily left the Thunder Pillar crying on the floor, only to be comforted by their fellow hashiras as they watched the retreating figure of the Flame Pillar. The sound of pebbles clashing against each other resonated through the garden. A sad sigh leaving Kyojuro’s lips as he bowed to Kagaya one last time, only to be replaced by a gasp when someone spoke behind him.

“Oh, are you heading into battle?”

Kyojuro knew who it was and with his usual smile plastered on his face, he turns around to greet the Insect Pillar. “Is that you, Kocho?” he pauses as he meets her gaze, “We just got some information about a demon and the Slayers who confronted the him got taken out. We’re losing rank and filers, too, now. We can’t stand by and do nothing!”

“Could it be the Twelve Kizuki?” Kocho ponders while taken in the information being laid out to her. “Most likely, yes. It might be a member of the Upper Ranks.”

The way Kyojuro calmly spoke about his mission was putting the Insect Pillar off but she rather shrugged it off and sent him off with a smile. However, the redness on the corner of his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Kocho.

“It sounds like a difficult mission, but as long as you’re going, Rengoku, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Days passed by and all you could ever think of was your beau. No news, no sight of him coming through the gates of the shared estate, no announcements from his crow.

Throughout the days whilst waiting for him, the way the (e/c) hues becoming dull and lifeless did not go unnoticed by your fellow hashiras. The way your smiles didn’t reach your eyes was already enough for them to know what was going through your mind.

Listlessly swinging your sword at the wooden dummy, the sound of rocks colliding from beneath didn’t seem to reach your ears. Odd, thought the visitor as they watched you continue to spar with the wooden dummy. With a swift flick of their wrist, the rock twirling towards you was immediately deflected by the sword you were holding.

Even if you were lost in your train of thoughts, your senses were still heightened enough to protect yourself from any danger. “Are you still going to mope around, (y/n)-san?”

Tokito Muichiro. The Mist Pillar whom you treated as a younger brother stood meters away from you with his usual dazed eyes staring right into the (e/c) orbs. Sliding your sword back into its sheath, you smile at the younger hashira before turning around to leave - only to stop at Muichiro’s remark.

“Do you think moping around would do us good?”

His words had you clenching your jaw in annoyance. It angered you but you, yourself, didn’t know the reason as to why it sent your blood boiling. The younger hashira meant no harm, but it rubbed on you in the wrong way.

In a flash, you were already standing right in front of him with your hand meeting his collar; a vice-like grip around the material near his neck, enough to have the Mist Pillar cast their gaze down at the Thunder Pillar with a smirk.

“Were my words enough to anger you, (y/n)-san?” Everyone knew the consequences if they tried to test your patience, especially not now when you’re on the verge of losing your sanity. Muichiro knew it was only him that could slap you back to your senses. He hated seeing you in this state. He hated seeing his strong-willed older sister crumble at the mere fact of Kyojuro not coming back. He hated the fact that he couldn’t do anything to ease the pain.

You meant the world to him; you stood by him as an older sister. Someone who he can consider as family as side from Kagaya.

The mere fact that the Mist Pillar could hear you growl under your breath was enough to snap him back to reality. The way your eyes reminded him of glowing, electric orbs in the sky sent shivers down his spine, but he knew there was no turning back; he knew that it was now or never.

“Quite the hypocrite aren’t you, Tokito-san?” You never called him with his family name and Muichiro knew better you were pissed. You couldn’t understand why he was verbally attacking you; as if he knew the areas to punch you where it hurt the most. You thought he would understand you better than anyone else, but it seemed otherwise.

Taking your words with a grain of salt, Muichiro continued to stare at you with a faint smile on his face. “So, what if I am a hypocrite? At least I don’t stay grounded in one place rather than moving forward-”

Everything turned upside down for the Mist Pillar as his body was thrown on the ground, only to be straddled in between her legs with fists coming close to his face. Muichiro calmly took her fists in his, an iron-grip enough to stop her from moving. Soon, the small drops of tears snapped him from his own reveries; tears continued to kiss the Thunder Pillar’s cheeks as she hung her head low, trying to get away from his hold.

The (e/c) orbs was no longer shining. It was blurred with tears, the whites of her eyes slowly turning into a shade of red; bloodshot from the sudden out pour of her emotion. An oppressive boom seamed to crack the air, a loud thunder roaring echoed throughout the whole city; clouds turning gray and yet there were no signs of rain fall.

The Thunder Hashira before him possessed god-like skills- as if every single part of her was highly in-touch with the breathing style she possessed. There were times when her mood seemed to affect the sky’s emotions; reflecting the darkness in her heart.

Everyone was quick enough to know something was going on as it was peculiar for the sky to shift from being clear as a flowing river to a murky gray. Scrambling to their feet, they ran as fast as they can to where the two were- they were dreading; they didn’t want anything to wreak havoc amid their search for Kibutsuji.

“H-hey,” the sight of her crying was enough to send him into a stuttering mess, “don’t cry.” The younger hashira’s hands immediately found its way around your shoulders, letting go of your fists. Muichiro’s words resonated deep within you; opening all the cages you tightly locked up.

Two arms finally made its way around you, pulling you tightly into his chest. The loud wails finally reached the other hashiras, only to stop them from getting closer when they saw the two of you. Your shoulders trembled, fists meeting the Mist Hashira’s chest.

The tightness of your throat didn’t stop you from voicing out what you wanted to say to Muichiro. “I hate you!” you screamed, voice cracking as your fists finally cease to hit him.

“I hate how much y-your words hurt,” Muichiro went stiff under you. Your voice raw with tears, however, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. “I-I thought you’d understand-”

Kaaaw! The appearance of a black crow cut you off, snapping everyone’s attention towards it as it perched atop the wooden dummy.

“Kaaaw!” the black kasugai crow with fiery eyes- none like the others- turned its gaze on you, “Deceased! Rengoku Kyojuro is dead-”

“No! Shut up, he isn’t!” screaming at the top of your lungs, you lunged towards the crow; trying to stop it from telling the truth you didn’t want to hear. However, your pleas went from one ear to another as the kasugai crow flew towards Sanemi, resting on his shoulder with its eyes never leaving yours.

Zeroing on you, the kasugai crow continued, “He fought with an upper-rank kizuki and died!” The words slipped past through its beak. Words enough to fall on your knees, tears brimming down your cheeks while you aggressively try to wipe it away; trying to stop yourself from believing.

“(y/n),” Everyone was staring at you and before they could even react, your hurried hands found their way to your sword. Your fingers fumbling on the handle as you tried to unsheathe your sword. “What the fuck are you thinking?!” Sanemi screamed as he raced towards you.

The sight of the sword unsheathed from its scabbard was enough for Sanemi to take a hold of your wrist before removing the sword from your vice-like grip; even to an extent of breaking a few fingers just to get the sword away from you. Pinning you down on the pebbled ground, Sanemi stared into your eyes; only to be greeted with blurry orbs.

“Don’t do this,” Sanemi begs as he moved both of your arms above your head, one hand securely holding your wrists as the other wiped your tears. “Kyojuro would be sad-”

“Isn’t it unfair?!” you retaliate with quivering lips, “What purpose do I have to continue this damned life-”

“Cut it out!” Sanemi slams his hand on your mouth. The fact that all of you lost the fire in your lives sent him on the edge. He, too, cherished Kyojuro but seeing how destructive you’ve become angered him.

“Are you out of your goddamned mind, (y/n)? Do you think Kyojuro wanted to die?! You, yourself, know that Kyojuro always had that sense of urgency to protect the weak. If he was here, he’d tell you to fucking live! Let that fucking sink in your mind.”

“Shinazugawa-san-” the Insect Pillar tried to stop the Wind Pillar, only to be stopped when she felt Gyomei’s hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

The blank look in your eyes sent Sanemi’s mind into a scrambling mess. The tears soon to cease but it baffled him, only to be taken aback by your request. “Why don’t you just kill me, Shinazugawa? Let’s just end this.”

Your voice was muffled against his palm, but it was clear enough to be understood by the Wind Pillar. Your request struck a different chord in him; a chord that made him see a different light. All he could see was red and soon, his fist was up in the air, ready to strike you down - only to have both of you go limp; consciousness leaving the two of you.

Shinobu was quick enough to prevent matters going out of hand. Looking over to her shoulder, a faint smile crosses her lips as she meets the gaze of everyone. “Ara, ara,” she gently pushes Sanemi’s body off of you before continuing, “Tokito-san, can you be a dear and bring (y/n)-san back to her estate?”

The younger hashira didn’t think twice and heeded the older hashira’s request. Turning her gaze to Uzui, Shinobu stands up as she pat off the dirt from her knees. “Ara, Uzui-san, please do take care of Shinazugawa-san.” The Sound Pillar couldn’t stop a grunt from slipping past his lips. It wasn’t a flamboyant request, but it didn’t stop him from throwing the Wind Pillar over his shoulder, taking his leave with Obanai and Gyomei following behind him.

Kyojuro, I thought you could handle it. Shinobu heaves out a sigh before following Muichiro to the Thunder Pillar’s estate with Mitsuri and Giyuu.

Before you stood a tall, majestic tree. Its leaves dancing with the wind the breeze strongly blew. Looking around you, you were surrounded by the vast serenity of water, however, there were tiny flames running- the pitter patter of their steps sounded like tiny droplets of rain.

Where am I? you thought as you walk towards the tree, eyes still scanning through the place; trying to put one plus one together. “Am I dead?” you thought out loud with your back pressed against the tree, sliding down to hug your knees against your chest.

“Huh,” there were no emotions building up inside of you. It felt like you were at peace, soon forgetting all the problems you have. “I must be dead-”

“There you are, my sweet flame.”

That voice. The voice you craved so much. The dulcet yet booming voice that always sent your heart into a bliss. Quickly turning to meet the voice’s owner, (e/c) orbs were immediately met by sun-like ones.

“Kyo...” you breathe out as you stare at him with wide-eyes. You didn’t dare to move, nor take in another breath. You were scared. Scared to break whatever it was from letting you see Kyojuro looking at you with a smile. “Won’t you give me a welcome back hug?”

Hurt was written all over his face but he couldn’t blame you. “I’m scared,” your voice was soft, so soft that it scared him. “Why?” he asks as he sits himself in front of you, eyes never losing its flame.

“Y-you,” your quivering lips was enough to answer his question. “I d-don’t want you to disappear.” A tear slowly slid down your cheeks, only to be wiped away by Kyojuro’s finger. “I won’t.” he calmly takes your hand in his before pulling you into a hug, taking in your scent.

Realizing he wasn’t going to disappear, you quickly wrapped your arms around him; pulling him closer towards you- bodies flush against each other. “Why are you crying-”

“Kyo, p-please tell me this is all a dream.” it was evident in your voice your desperation and grief, “I don’t want you to leave me. I d-don’t know if I could live without you, y-your the only one who motivates me to live-”

“I won’t leave you, my sweet flame-”

“Then tell me why your crow told me you were dead?!” the warmth between the two of you was slowly replaced by the cold breeze- your eyes still brimming with tears as you stared at him

Sadly smiling at you, Kyojuro takes a strand of your (h/c) locks before tucking it behind your ears. “I love you,” he knows that his diversion didn’t seem to go unnoticed by you, “I love you with all my heart, (y/n),” he continues without his smile wavering.

“I love how that mind of yours think of the most beautiful things,” he places a soft kiss on your forehead, eyes still never leaving yours as it immediately found its way back to the (e/c) orbs, “I love those (e/c) hues that continue to make me melt whenever it meets mine in the most unexpected moments,” another kiss on both of your closed eyes. Pulling away, he continues to tuck in the lose strands behind your ears.

“I love how your nose would wrinkle whenever I make the most outrageous pick-up lines which never seemed to fail in making you laugh afterward,” another kiss on your nose. His gaze softened when he sees you sobbing while listening to him speak.

You couldn’t stop the tears but you also couldn’t seem to move a muscle as the fear seemingly found its way back to you. Raising his hand to have his thumb wipe away the tears, Kyojuro continued. “I love those (s/c) cheeks get dusted in pink whenever I kiss you out of the blue.” Kyojuro continues to shower your cheeks with kisses, a chuckle leaving his lips when he saw you furrow your eyebrows in attempt to stop yourself from crying.

“And I love those soft, plump lips of yours making snarly comebacks whenever we have our childish banters and those heavenly laugh of yours that seem to make me full of content.” A soft, yet passionate kiss was then planted on your lips.

Pulling away before you could even respond to his kiss, Kyojuro leans his forehead against yours, thumb caressing your cheeks; only to feel you lean towards it with eyes closed. The sight of your tears escaping through the closed lids broke Kyojuro’s heart. “I love you so much, (y/n).”

“I-”

“(y/n)!”

“(y/n)! For crying out loud, wake up!!!”

“Huh?”

“(y/n)!”

“(y/n), wake up!” The moment your eyes fluttered open, the sight of Kyojuro’s younger brother greeted you. “Finally! Get up.” He grits his teeth as he tries to pull you up. Baffled by his actions, the sleep in your eyes was immediately wiped off when you stumbled on your feet.

Senjuro didn’t seem to have any plans on telling you what’s going on but you just let him drag you. “I-Is something the matter?!” you query in between breaths, a bit startled at how fast Senjuro has become. “K-kyo..” he tries to tell you but it was as if the adrenaline rush was stopping him from doing so.

“Senjuro, if you don’t tell me I swear I’m going to-”

You breath hitched the moment your eyes landed on the person right in front of you. Senjuro looks over his shoulder with tears in his eyes and a smile on his lips. “N-no...” you softly heave out as you take a step back. You couldn’t believe your eyes. Before you stood Kyojuro with Tanjiro standing beside him with arms supporting his arms.

“Didn’t I,” he takes in a sharp breath before flashing you a smile, “tell you that I’ll be back?”

It was evident how badly banged up Kyojuro was from the mission. His entire body’s wrapped in bandages; blots of red forming from almost every part of the bandage covering his body- especially around his left eye. “I-I thought.. you’re...” your voice softly trails off, knees slowly giving away only to have Senjuro catching you with his father, Shinjuro.

“Dead?” the words left a metallic taste in his mouth; only to remember the sudden turn of events before his life flashed before his eyes. “I’m home,” his sun-like orbs never left your (e/c) ones; it sparkled with happiness and sincerity – only to have you finding the strength to run and throw yourself towards him, taking in the fact that he’s there, alive and breathing.

Unable to stay grounded on the floor, Kyojuro loses his footing with you twisting your body to have you slamming your back on the ground. With a low grunt leaving his lips, he was immediately instilled with panic when he realizes he’s on top of you; only to have the feeling wash away when he finally sees the smile on your face.

“I’m so happy,” your hand finds its way to his cheek, cupping it with your thumb gently caressing the skin underneath the bandaged eye. “You’re really alive.” You whisper softly as you take in his features.

“Thank you, kami-sama, for bringing this man back to me.”

Upon hearing those words, Kyojuro couldn’t hold back the tears he’s been pushing back. Fits of sobs echoed throughout your shared estate; the two of you lying on the ground crying both of your hearts out. Soon, the sound of rushed footsteps found their way before the two of you, making you look up – seeing Shinobu, along with the rest of the Hashiras, staring down at the two of you with glistening eyes.

“Kyojuro!”

“Rengoku-san!”

Surprise and relief was written all over their faces and you couldn’t seem to stop yourself from pulling Kyojuro closer to your chest, making him lift his head up; meeting your (e/c) orbs. “Thank you and,” you pause for a second before planting a kiss on his busted lip, “I love you-“

“Ara, ara, I think we all can wait for that. Let’s get you fixed up at the Butterfly Estate, Rengoku-san,” the Insect Pillar muses as she gestures Uzui to carry the Flame Pillar to her estate. Transferring her amethyst orbs at you, she kneels down before running her fingers through your (h/c) locks.

“And you’re most certainly welcome to stay at the Butterfly Estate while Rengoku-san recovers alright, (y/n)-san?”

Days turned to weeks turned to months. Throughout Kyojuro’s stay in the Butterfly Estate, there was never a day where he’d thank the gods for saving him; for giving him another chance to live and spend the rest of his days with you.

The sound of laughter fills the air, a content smile crossing his lips when he sees you going through the door with Uzui’s wives. The four of you clicked right away the moment they arrived with a banged up Uzui. It even went to an extent of the girls asking Uzui to make you his fourth wife; you were the very definition of flamboyant which had them swooning over you, making Uzui laugh loudly but would immediately seek Kyojuro’s help, begging him to take his lover before the girls make her his fourth wife.

“You’re awfully cheerful today, my sweet flame.” Kyojuro teases with eyes following your movements, a glint of mischief seen in those sun-like orbs. Rolling your eyes in response, you place the tray on the nightstand before taking the bed table in your hands, placing it in between his legs. “Don’t you want me to be this cheerful, anata?”

The moment the word anata reached his ears, the sight of his cheeks, along with the tip of his ears, dusted in pink had you giggling. “Ora, did our little (y/n) call Rengoku-san anata?” Uzui’s ears were quick to pick up her words, mischief coating the words coming out from his mouth.

Kyojuro instant became a blushing mess, eyes unable to meet your (e/c) orbs as you place his breakfast on the table. “Aw, Rengoku-san’s blushing- A-ah! What was that for?” Uzui immediate retracts his tongue when Makio pinches his sides, stopping him from further harassing the Flame Pillar.

“Anata, open up. I cooked you your favorite sweet potato rice and salt-grilled sea bream!” you beam, hands busy scooping a spoonful of sweet potato rice, topping it with a small piece of the salt-grilled sea bream. Bringing the spoon up to his mouth, you patiently wait for him to open up; a cheeky smile crossing your lips, zeroing the blush on his cheeks.

Kyojuro was happy that you were feeding him, however, you’ve been becoming bolder as the day passes by and it surely has taken the Flame Pillar by surprise. Obediently opening his mouth, you carefully place the spoon inside his mouth, removing it right after he took a hold of everything- only to have him gleam as he lets out a loud “Isshoi! Isshoi!”.

The bowl of sweet potato rice and the plate filled with salt-grilled sea bream was empty before you know it. “Gochisousama deshita!” Kyojuro happily rubs his tummy, eyes still following your movements as you put the table to the side.

You were about to speak up when you hear the rustling of sheets behind you, making you look back to see Uzui being assisted by his wives as he gets off his bed. “We’re gonna go out for a bit, (y/n)-san, Rengoku-san.” Suma sheepishly excuses the four of them, leaving the two of you with a small bow before the two of you could even respond.

“Those three sure are something,” you comment, returning your gaze to your beau- only to see him patting the space beside him. “Lie down with me,” he says as a scoot a little bit to the other side, giving you just enough space. Chuckling at your lover’s request, you didn’t think twice but to climb on the bed before nuzzling your face on the crook of his neck; causing a boisterous laughter to erupt from him.

His index finger and thumb immediately found its way on your chin. Slightly pulling yourself away from him, you give him a questioning look. Kyojuro didn’t waste anytime before leaning in to give you a chaste kiss on the lips. “I really love it when you call me anata, my sweet flame.”

It was now his turn to look at you with such a teasing gaze, his smile never leaving his lips. However, you knew better than backing out from a fight. With a sly smirk, you tug him closer with your grip around his collar, faces inches away from each other.

“How about if I call you,” moving your lips to his ear, you glance at his expression before continuing, “Goshujin-sama.” Your voice came out as a whisper; such velvety voice was enough to send shivers down his spine. The way your breath glossed over his neck was enough for him to pull you into him lap, legs straddling him as your hands rested on his chest.

“Marry me, my sweet flame.” Kyojuro blurts out in the heat of the moment. The way how those words perfectly rolled off your tongue had his mind swirling- images of the two of you married and with kids surely was something he can consider as paradise. “Please, marry me.” he repeats as he sees no reaction from you; eyes slightly widen in surprise, mouth agape.

“Just hearing you call me goshujin sent me into a wonderful bliss,” he continues, rather, “I can see spending my life with you- with our little ones running around. They could either have my hair and those beautiful (e/c) orbs of yours or the other way around! Little me and you showering us kisses whenever they come home—”

Kyojuro’s word were cut off by a pair of lips slamming against his- shutting him up. “I’d definitely marry you, Kyo! Even in another life, I’d still marry you over and over again.” You confess, hands cupping his cheeks with eyes glistening with tears of joy. You’ve always wanted to start a family; to spend the rest of your life with Kyojuro and now with the opportunity laid out to you, it was worth taking!

Upon hearing your confession, Kyojuro’s eyes gleamed with joy. “Really?” You nod your head in response; a pair of arms pulling you in for another kiss.

“Let’s enjoy the rest of our lives together, my sweet flame.”

“I plan to, goshujin-sama.”

“Finally!” snapping both of your heads towards the door, the two of you were greeted by the Uzui household standing by the doorway with big smiles on their faces. “I told you Rengoku-san would act immediately if he hears your amazing request of having me to ask for his beau’s hand!” Uzui exclaims with confidence and pride oozing from him, only to have the girls rolling their eyes in the process.

“Wait, were you really planning to ask my sweet (y/n) as your wife?”

“Rengoku-san didn’t know that?” Uzui nervously laughs with eyes looking at his wives, beads of sweat forming on his temples. “He didn’t?”

“Tengen!!!!”

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #demon slayer x reader #kimetsu no yaiba kyojuro #rengoku kyōjurō #rengoku kyojuro x reader #kyojurou x reader #kny kyojuro #kny oneshot #kny angst #demon slayer angst #shinazugawa sanemi #muchiro tokito #shinobu kochō #uzui tengen #shxxknytrash

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geminimoonbeamx · 5 years ago

Text

Moon lit Serenades

A/N: Dedicated to the reader, may you find happiness. I am so nervous for TROS, I saw a rumor that Poe dies and lost it. That plus the fact that there is literally no Plus Sized ReaderxPoe community? I had to remedy that. This is porn.

Warnings: This is porn. Serious smut from pretty much start to finish. Please enjoy.

Summary: Poe seeks comfort after a particularly hard mission in the only way he knows how. A Poe x Plus Sized Reader story

I am a moth, who just wants to share your light.

I’m just an insect, trying to get out of the night.

I only stick with you, because there are no other’s.

You we’re all I need.

I’m in the middle of your picture.

Lying in the reeds- Radiohead

War had finally caught up with Poe Dameron.

Had finally taken it’s toll, and far more then it’s chunk of flesh. Battle wary and blaster shocked, it was hard to think of the resistance these days as just that- a resistance. No, this was more of a bloodbath.

War.

He’d never thought of it like that before, always held his head high, a defiant flame in his eyes. This was fuck the system- fuck the First Order. Fuck anyone who tried to tell him what to do. He was willed, motivated by the sheer rage that anyone would have to live their life in oppression. Under the thumb of Snoke or Phasma, dead and gone now- Hux and Ren hopefully to follow sooner rather than later.

And that fire to see them fall was still there...but it was dimmed.

Had been stomped on, choked out.

Watching people you love die for you, because of you on a daily basis...it wasnt something he’d wish upon anyone. Friends, family. Allies, brothers and sisters in arms. His fleet which had once flourished with dozens of pilot’s was down to a mere handful of lucky ones.

He was willing to breathe and bleed for the cause. It was in his blood- the sticky substance that matted his dark hair to his head as he climbed out of his X-wing. His parents had been the same.

Was he willing to keep watching others die for it though?

He couldn't stop form pondering the question as he and his unit arrive back to the makeshift base, in the middle of nowhere on a planet in the outer rim- the name of it he could barely pronounce. The shabby hut like quarters made the memory of D’quar and its green covered everything throb longingly in his gut.

That seemed so long ago, now.

No matter. No time for getting attached. They’d be on the move again within a fortnight, never staying any one place longer than a month at a time. Rey usually kept them one step ahead, connected to Ren through the force in a way that made Poe’s stomach churn, but that came in handy with them not getting caught.

Thinking about Kylo Ren always made him sour from the inside out. Muscles clenched in memory of the torture he’d endured at the hands of what used to be Leia’s son, but was now just a shell with his dead fathers nose and the mark of his dead uncles betrayal on his black soul.

Poe would kill him in an instant if he got the chance. He prays to fuck that one day he does.

Clenching his fingers into fists is painful right now- the small mission had gone awry and they’d had to punch their way out of it. Literally. He’s feeling the aftermath of it all over, aching and sore.

He doesn't have it in him to attend the debrief. Can't muster the will, not right now. Maybe after a hot shower, maybe after he gets some food in his stomach and allot’s himself a moment to wallow. He forces himself to stand straight, spine elongated in a way that has his bones and muscle screaming.

Poe tries not to limp, as he scurries away to lick his wounds. He fails.

“Poe, you need to see a medic!” Finn insists, somewhere behind him. Always worried, always caring. Poe has nightmares about the night that he eventually loses him, too.

“Don't worry, I will” Finn wonders how someone who looks like they’re going to keel over at any moment- can manage to sound so cheeky.

Rey, who stands beside Finn, bruised bleeding herself wonders if he realizes that Poe is on the verge of tears. The pilot rippling and vibrating so hard she could feel it, taste it on the air.

Neither of them say anything though. The just watch him disappear into the stormy, starless night.

----

Sleep isn't something that comes easy to you as of late.

Not only did you spend your days(and most hours of your nights, too) in the Med Bay, you had never been the kind of person that could handle big changes, sharp adjustments. This hop forts every couple of weeks trend was killing you.

Your mind couldn't relax, R.E.M. State was always just out of reach.

Especially when he was gone...which also seems to be a trend these days. The missions just kept getting longer and longer- the time that he was on base shorter and farther between.

But it was raining tonight- the soft rhythmic pitter patter of it on the roof of the hut reminding you of your home planet, you could almost pretend you were there; the smell of petrichor tricking your brain. Making it easier to curl up on the bed that was really more of a cot and cozy into the Resistance standard blanket.

For the first time in two weeks- you sleep. Hard. Like a rock. The exhaustion finally overtaking your body, and putting you out of commission. General Organa was right to send you back to your bunk, physically removing you from your post.

You feel kind of, extremely, guilty for the attitude you’d thrown at her -

“I’m fine, if I don't do my job, who’s going to?”-

aimed her way even though she didn't deserve it. She was right, of course. She tended to be most of the time. Why anyone ever doubted her, why you ever doubted her, you didn't know.

The sleep is dreamless, just the way you prefer it...you hadn't always, but nothing was better then the nightmares. Nothing is far from peace, but close to quiet. A middle ground that could be called purgatory, depending how you looked at it.

So when there's a knock at your door, the wooden one that gave you more privacy then you’d had in months, that wakes you from your much needed slumber, you can't help but feel the irritation surge through you. Your hypothetical feathers bristled as you huff and puff and pull yourself out of bed, yanking a pair of breezy sleep pants up your chubby legs and a robe over your shoulders- not wanting to answer whoever it was in the near nude.

When you pull open the door- well, it was the one person who wouldn't have minded if you had greeted him in your panties.

“Poe?” You question, because your eyes still haven't adjusted, your mind still three fourths asleep and one fourth confused.

“Yeah, it’s me, sweetheart” And oh? Sweetheart? In that gravelly voice, tired and worn and fragile...you're instantly aware of what kind of state he’s in.

When you pull him inside, flipping on the light orb, and are able to see him. Clearly now; all bloody and bruised, you inhale sharply. His eye is blackened on the same side of his face that seems to be saturated in crusted crimson.

“Stars, Poe” You whisper as you crowd him, urging him to sit on the cot that’s still warm from your body heat. Poe frowns, pretty lips pulled down as he takes it, and you in. Your hair rumpled, your robe falling off your shoulder as you gather medical supplies from what seems like all over your small “room”

The first thing you do is take out a small capsule full of neon blue liquid from a jar and hand it to him. He takes it gratefully, tossing it down the hatch before you can even offer him water. Painkillers aren't the easiest to come by since they’ve been on the move.

“I woke you up, didn't I?” He inquires, after he swallows.

“Obviously” You answer as you step back into his orbit, close enough that he can smell your skin. That his eyes can trace each of the freckles that dot across your nose, your cheeks. You put your finger under his chin and tilt his head up, and fuck, isn't that a pretty view?

“I’m sorry” He whispers, hissing between his teeth as you, gently but deftly, begin to clean his head.

“Mmm, it’s fine. I’m awake now, Kriff Poe, you look like warmed over shit. This gash in your hairline is going to need stitches” You’re focused, wiping and dabbing as you speak.

He didn't realize, until that moment, just how much he missed your voice.

“Your bedside manner is spectacular as ever” He grins as he says it, even though it hurts to do so. His busted lip is next on your itinerary.

“Well when you show up at my bedside and not the other way around, I’m pretty sure that changes up the rules”

“Didn't you miss me...at your bedside, that is?” He pushes on, he wants you soft and sweet for him but he knows from experience it takes a bit to get there. Especially since he’s been gone so long.

“Stop distracting me” You mutter. You're only half pretending to be completely focused on the task at hand, at this point you could probably stitch a wound with your eyes closed.

“M’sorry” He’s not. It’s selfish, but he really isn't. He’s not sorry for barging in on you and waking you up, or for sitting in your bed reeking of blood and days worth of dirt. How can he be, when this feels so good? Your soft little hands working at him, healing with every touch. There’s no hurt when he’s around you- only good.

The painkiller makes the edges fuzzy, makes the fact that your repeatedly pulling a needle through his skin seem mild. It’s not like it’s his first time getting sewn up, and he highly doubts it’ll be his last.

Poe can't stop staring at you, dark eyes hooded. Hungry in a way that he doesn't care to hide. Drinking you in, gulping. It’d been almost a month and he was dying to get his fill. Your round body, nothing but curves and dips that he was itching to touch, is mostly covered, but the robe is still hanging off your shoulder. Satin skin exposed, so pretty and pristine.

It’s almost out of his control when his hand skims up our arm, skin seeking out skin. His palm sears as it settles on your upper arm. The plush flesh so soft under his calloused hands that he’s almost worried that it would give if e pressed down too hard.

In the back of his mind he knows better, though. Recalls just how much you can take.

“Poe” You warn tightly, lashes fluttering as you shoot him a look. One that makes him chuckle, because you're not fooling him.

He’ll play, mostly because he wants to, but he knows you missed him as much as he missed you.

You wonder if he can feel the way that you're trembling, already shaking for him. It’s stupid, you feel stupid, and yet you cant stop it. You have healers hands, medic’s hands- and at least you can get them to stay still as you finish with his head, then his lip.

Going insane from the simplest touch, from the way that he rubs his thumb in circles over and over on your upper arm. You remember when that would have made you uncomfortable, big arms that you wanted covered at all times used to be a big no-no.

But with Poe it was different. He wasn't there to judge. He just wanted to feel.

You don't want to pull away, but you have to. Your brain is torn, but ultimately resorts back to it’s resting state: health driven. Medically inclined.

“You need to go take a shower, wash the rest of the blood out of your hair. The hot water will help to start to bring down the swelling” you instruct, and it would be how you talked to any patient. Except for the way you cradle the side of his face, your voice breathy as you touch is thick locks that are greasy. A bit tangled.

Poe nods, he knows your right. Knows he should have done that before he even came here…

“Can I come back?” It’s hopeful, he spits it quick- desperate.

It feels like someone yanked, hard, on a loose thread inside your chest.

“Always. You know that”

While he showers, forced to go a few huts over to the community bathrooms, you’re a flurry of anxious thoughts and movement. Tidying up the small space and yourself the best you can. You’d showered earlier in the evening, using the last of the last of the Obsidian Lily oil that you’d carried with you. You still smelled good, pretty.

Your hair was wild, but not untamable and you end up brushing it smooth. You hadn't shaved since before he had left and curse yourself for not doing so earlier. How were you supposed to know that he was coming back tonight? Growing up on your home planet, there was a moss based soap that everyone used that minimized body hair. But still…

You wished, like you had more than once, that you could be better for him.

You're trying to swallow that horrid ugly little thought back down when your door opens, Poe not bothering to knock this time. Barges in, and he seems a bit more like himself in that moment.

His hair has gone back to his natural curls, thick and bouncing, dripping and the navy, loose materialed sleep clothes hang on him. Dont cling to him with dirt and sweat...all and all, he looks so much better.

Or so you think. Until you see him in the right light, his top falling open and revealing his chest.

“Poe!” You exclaim and his thick brows furrow, he had been drying his hair with one of your spare towels.

“What?”

“Take off your shirt” You demand and one side of his lips pull up- a smirk that doesn't meet his eyes.

“You know if you ask me nicely, sweetheart, I’ll give you whatever you want” It’s a purr, a ploy. Many a person- male, female and Wookiee had fallen for that charm of his. Your own name thrown in that pot.

But he was hurt, had to be in pain, and that thought cut through the others that that coy tone had stirred up.

“I’m serious, that bruising looks deep- why didn't you show me this earlier? You could have internal bleeding! Something could be broken”

Poe would never let it be known, would deny it to the ends of the galaxy...but he loves the way you fret over him. It makes him feel warm.

“Okay- Okay!” He sighs as you start to reach for him demandingly, knowing that you'd pull it off yourself if he didn't. There's a handful of winces as he tugs the fabric up and over his shoulders. You’re silent the whole time, and then for a long moment after.

“Oh...baby”

It’s the first time you've called him that tonight. In weeks. The first time an affectionate name has slipped from your mouth.

You can't help it, can't help the overwhelming feeling of...horror. Of shock and worry. His tanned chest and abdomen are hard, dusted with ebony hair that matches that of which grows from his scalp...and covered in bruises.

Four huge patches of yellow, and black and purple and blue...he looks like a fucking water color painting. You’d seen him in some pretty bad states over the years, and this was up there with some of the worst. The worst? Well you didn't like to think about that particular bloody day.

You reach out, fingertips tracing the purple bloom on his left ribs.

“It’s not so bad” And that’s Poe in a nutshell. Always trying to convince not only the people around him, but himself, that things were going to be okay.

“That one’s a deep tissue bruise” You point out to him, fingers gently probing, trying to detect if anything is broken “It has to hurt like a bitch, it’s going to get worse before it feels better”

“Not so bad” He loves the way you're touching him, and his hand, that big paw, goes to our waist. Holding you. Urging you to keep going “Those painkillers are something else”

You snort through your nose. He’s something else- you tell him of that fact, often.

Poe can only be so patient, can only allow you to touch him, feather light, for so long. Eventually, his impulses win out. Just like the always do.

You’re almost done, checking his bones, when he grabs your hand, envelopes it in his large one. It’s still for a moment- the air sparkling with energy. His eyes are mahogany, dark wood. Deep forests as they stare down at you.

The want in them is raw, unbridled.

“I missed you, so fucking much. Every day. Have I told you that yet?” His words, mixed with the timbre- vehement. Honest. It makes you want to squirm.

“No- you haven't” You wish your voice at that moment wasn't so anxious, weak and almost a whisper. Something about Poe had always brought this out in you. He was so bright, beaming. Everyone around him flocked to him, in hopes of just being able to taste a fraction of his light.

Sometimes, you still couldn't believe that he let you fill your cup, that he sought you out, parted the crowd for you.

You had never been a weak woman; had never let your weight or your too loud opinions or your tendencies to be overly emotional make you feel small, or less then...but being with Poe-- the level of intimacy was suffocating.

You felt burned up. Icarus who flew too close to the sun, who willing allowed himself to be burned up just to feel its warmth for a moment...you could relate.

“I did” Poe continues “I missed the way you feel, the way you taste-”

You close your eyes at that, images of the last time you’d gotten a moment alone with him, of a head of dark curls between your legs, assaulting you. Smacking you right in the face.

“-You taste so good, Y/N. Should've bent you over when you came to say goodbye. You would've let me, huh? Let me get one more taste- you have no idea how bad I want to stick my tongue inside of you. All the time. No one else gets to taste, right?”

Poe is well on his way to being rock hard, already. It had taken all of him to not jerk off in the showers.

“No one, Poe. You know that” you’d meant to tell him to fuck off, that you didn't belong to him. That he couldn't just have you whenever he wanted you. That came out instead.

“I need you” He tells you, roughly “feel how bad I need you, Y/N, fuck” he still has your hand in his grasp, againts his chest. When he begins to slide it downward, you know where its destination will be.

That doesn't stop the thrill, the flip flop of our tummy that comes with Poe pressing your hand to his crotch, hard and hot. The thin pants the only layer between your palm and his erection.

“You’re the only one who gets me like this, I need you to make it better, Y/N”

The switch is flipped then. Hard.

You’re surging forward, and he's meeting you halfway, your mouths slotting together. Lips and tongue, so much tongue. He talks all about how you taste, but stars, the way he tastes is intoxicating. Want to suck the taste of him off his tongue, off his cock.

Its blurry and ferocious. Hands everywhere. Touching, grabbing. While you are gentle with him and his tattered body, he doesn't extend that same sentiment. He’s groping, fingertips bidding into flesh. Groaning into your mouth as he clutches your thick, dimpled thighs. Reaches around to squeeze our ample ass.

Best ass in the galaxy, he'd write fucking sonnets about it, if he was good at anything but flying.

Clothes are shed, way too fast you worn Poe who doesn't listen. Because he never does- and he ends up hissing in pain, and relenting, sitting on the cot and letting you take off his pants. Slowly. You make it up to him by standing over him, grabbing his hands and guiding them to strip you. Slow drags of fabric over supple skin.

You’re so fucking sexy, and he tells you so as he urges you into his lap, you stay on your shins to mind his middle. Poe worships with his words. His fingers and lips do their fair share of praying next.

“Fuck I missed these the most” your breasts are large, heavy globes. Puffy sweet nipples are pebbled and just begging to be sucked on. He licks them messy, wet before he does just that; sucks them into the hot cavern of his mouth.

“Oh, oh, ugh” Your hands are twined in his hair, dripping down onto his thighs already, when Poe feels the wetness drip on him, his fingers go searching, hand pressed in between your thighs. Fingers slipping through sopping, heated flesh. You grasp, a high sound as he presses up and circles your clit, firm and pointed.

It’s so good, pleasure shoots down your legs, all the way to the tips of your toes.

It’s not enough. For either of you.

“Poe, fuck. Please” He’s injured, and you know it hurts him to do, and you should scold him for it, but when he manhandles you, flips you easily onto your back to that he can climb on top and situates himself between your thighs-

It’s just as hot as it always is. You know you have to be dripping down onto the cot, can feel your slick covering your thighs, slipping down your crack.

Kiss, Kiss and Kiss and Kiss and Kiss and…

You get lost in it, caught up in the way his stubble burns. His fingers slide back inside you and he watches your face as he crooks them, pumps them fast. Finger fucks you until you’re sobbing, letting out animal sounds.

“Do you still have the implant” he pants, head swimming. He gets like this when you let him make you feel good- wants to go down on you, but wants to be inside you even more.

“No, I took it out in the last few weeks” You’re cheeky, even with his fingers burried inside you. He loves that about you, “Of course I do, Poe”

You’d be damned before you ever brought a child into this world.

Poe holds your thighs wide, staring between them, your pussy wet and clenching around nothing. You’re so vulnerable for him, it makes you dizzy. He lines himself up, clock head dipping into your slit, resting against your hole, when thrusts inside of you it’s in one fluid movement.

You mewl, so full it’s hard to breathe and Poe makes a punched out sound. Like he’d been shot by a blaster in the chest and his hips start undulating, needing to be deeper. It feels so right inside of you. Feels safe. He wants to tear into your softness, rip you open and nestle inside. Settle himself in your bones.

You let him take what he needs, how ever he needs it. On your back, on your hands and knees. You bounce on his cock when he gets to achy,letting him run his hands all over your tummy, sides, breasts.

He can have it all.

After, the two of you lay spent, cuddled tight to one and other in the small cot. Standard issue thrown over your naked bodies, the sound of the rain starting up again mixed with Poes breathing is a lullaby you hadn't known you needed.

This...thing between you might have started as a way for both of you to numb the pain. To seek support. But it was more now. You were so in love with him that it made your eyes sting if you thought about it for too long.

“You’ll always come back to me, right?” Its so, so timid that he almost doesn't catch it and you almost hope he’d miss it.

Poe does what he always does; tries to convince you both that it’s going to be okay.

“Always”

You let yourself believe him.

Well I wasn't expecting this to turn into pure porn, but here we are lmfao. I loved writing for Poe and there will definitely be more of him coming soon! If you are able- listening to All I Need by Radiohead and the Hot Like Fire cover by the XX really sets the tone for this. I actually dropped a line from hot like fire in this- who can point it out?lol

As usual, I'm going to ask that if you can please give me some feedback. I truly love interacting with my readers and would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x plus size reader #poe dameron smut #poe dameron x reader #star wars #oscar issac

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fortune-fool02 · 5 years ago

Text

Redemption

Robert. E. O. Speedwagon x Dio’s sister reader

Requested by: anonymous

Continuation of: Misplaced Love

Please enjoy.

A soft, quiet sigh was heard from the prison cell [Name] sat in, her [Eye colour] eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as she laid on the stiff bed. It had been a couple of days after the Joestar Estate had brunt to the ground.

Her heart clench with a gnawing guilt of what happened at the estate. The image of her brother slaughtering all those police offers after becoming that... creature. Then Jonathan getting both her and Speedwagon out of the burning building to face Dio alone. She had never felt so alone. Her blood brother was gone, her adopted brother likely wanted nothing to do with her, the house she had been raised in for the past seven years was nothing but rubble. And Speedwagon only spoke to her on the other side of these bars.

With nothing left for her to go back to, [Name] saw no point in trying to escape. Where would she go? Who would take her in? Simple, no one. This prison cell was where she belonged. There had been a few occasions where Speedwagon actually visited her once or twice to let her know how Jonathan was healing and because he wanted to see her. Each time he visited her, [Name] always apologised before he left. Whether or not he believed her apologises was up to him. She just wanted something to ease the gnawing in her chest. Anything.

As she rolled onto her side, something caught her attention. Something that sounded like chuckling. An all too familiar chuckling. Quickly rolling over to face the bars, her eyes widened at the sight on the other side of those bars. Sitting in a wheel-chair, draped in a cloak to shield his burned body, was someone she never believed she would see again but those crimson eyes was all she needed to know who that man was.

His death pale hand outstretched for her, “My dear sister, I believe we have some catching-up to do.”

***

Panic sunk into Speedwagon at the sight of the zombies that crawled from the ground around them, trapping the group in an ambush. Damn Dio and his bloody zombies! The chilling laughter of the blonde haired vampire rung through the air, raking a coldness over Speedwagon as he gripped his sledgehammer tighter.

“Crap.” he muttered, eyes searching for a possible route to reach a better ground to fight to fin no such thing. Poco clung to his side, cowering at the zombies. As one of the zombies charged, Speedwagon rose his sledgehammer to bring down only for the zombie’s head to roll off at his feet, the body falling to the floor. Another figure stood beside Speedwagon, making the blonde man jump at the sudden appearance. He took one look and almost couldn’t believe it.

“[Name]? What’re you-” Speedwagon’s words fell silent when he noticed the deathly pale skin along with the brightly glowing [Eye colour] orbs that glared at the zombies. She... She’s a vampire? it all clicked into place, Dio must have broke her out of prison and turned her into a vampire to help him. Though, that was thrown out the window when [Name] darted through the horde of zombies, claws raking along the walking corpses and removing their heads in the process. What?

Apparently even Dio was not expecting this from his sister. “[Name]! What are you doing?” he called out, anger carving into his features as his sister slaughtered his minions without a second thought. The [Hair colour] woman ignored him, her focus on killing the zombies and protecting those around her. Even after the power her brother had given her, the fact that she could reunite with him, that gnawing guilt still festered inside of her like a parasitic infection, plaguing her body with the coldness.

She couldn’t stand by and watch everything go up in flames like she did at the Joestar Estate. Not this time. While she loved her brother with all her heart and soul, she couldn’t allow him to continue his reign of terror. This isn’t what their mother would have wanted, not for her two children to become monsters. If it was her destiny to rot in Hell then [Name] was not going to go without fixing her mistakes.

When Dio had retreated, [Name] looked around at the corpses surrounding her. They were people once, like she was, and now they were nothing but corpses rotting away. Twinges of sorrow flickered inside of her but she turned her attention to those who were living. Her eyes locked with Speedwagon’s, fear laced concern swirled inside of them and she lowered her head in shame almost.

“[Name]?” Jonathan’s voice caught her attention, he had healed well in the time given, making a small smile tug her lips.

“Jonathan. I’m glad you have healed well.” Her words were genuine, though her love may not run as deeply for Jonathan as it did for Dio, she still cared about the man for he was family after all.

Speedwagon shook off the shock of seeing her again and took a step forward, “What the hell are you doing here? What happened to you?” Mixed emotions washed over the blonde street thug, leaving him unsure of how to feel or what to say. The [Hair colour] woman gave a soft sigh at his questions, shifting her gaze to the ground. The image of guilt was all he could use to describe her at this moment in time.

“I cannot live with the guilt of what my actions caused.” she answered, “I was blind by my love for my brother and that tore apart your family, Jonathan.” she looked up at the large male when she said that, guilt painting her features and glowing in her eyes. Unlike with Dio, this guilt was genuine. Speedwagon spoke up,

“But why are you here then?” He spoke softly. She didn’t carry that lingering brimestone scent anymore and that caught him by surprise. Some part of him wanted to step to her and comfort her but he knew better and needed to be cautious.

“Because I want to right my wrongs, or at least, try to.” she pondered with, “I have already accepted that I am going to Hell once I die. But I cannot allow myself to go there until I try to make amends for the actions my brother and I have inflicted.” [Name] shifted her eyes to Jonathan, “Please JoJo, allow me this one favour and I will do anything you tell me. I’ll even stand in the sunlight once this is over if you wish for me to.”

Speedwagon almost shouted out at that. The idea of [Name] perishing was something that made his heart lunge into his throat. If she was willing to stand in the sunlight and burn to dust because of the guilt then that was what it took to convince him of her pure intentions. He glanced at Jonathan to see him giving her a soft expression, he believed her too.

“[Name], I will grant you this. If it will help put your guilt to ease.” he told her, resting his hand on her shoulder and making her eyes look up at him. A smile tugging her lips.

“Thank you, JoJo.” Her eyes then shifted to Speedwagon and their eyes locked. “I understand your views of me, Speedwagon. And I wish to apologis-” she was cut off by Speedwagon pulling her into a hug, catching her off guard.

“Don’t apologise for something like this. Dio’s the one at fault here, not you.” he told her, his words washing over her and soothing the gnawing guilt. Slowly, her arms rose up and wrapped around him gently, wary of her newfound strength.

“Thank you, Speedwagon.” She felt cold in his arms but he didn’t care about that. He just wanted to hold her. That bastard has ruined lives of not just Jonathan and his other victims, but his own sister’s too. And Speedwagon was going to do whatever he could to comfort her.

#speedwagon #robert e o speedwagon #jojo bizarre adventure #speedwagon x reader #robert e o speedwagon x reader #jojo bizzare adventure x reader #jojo #jojo x reader #speedwagon jojo #phantom blood #phantom blood x reader #jojo phantom blood #jojo part 1

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maerrybom · 5 years ago

Text

Villain or Victim?

oops I haven’t written the first diary entry for thalia dhsjd - her route doesn’t follow the black swan incident from the game, but she’s still an orphan tho,, + tw: character death, distressing imagery & abuse, mention of blood

found in masterlist

Thalia’s Diary - Entry 1

Flashback

I didn’t... I didn’t mean to do it.

“You—You monster! A vile being like you should’ve never been born!”

The crazed woman hellishly screamed at my fear-stricken face, lunging at my tiny body and firmly wrapped her fingers around my bandaged neck. Hot, painful tears rolled down my swollen, bruised cheeks as I tried to plead for my life. Her grip around my neck tightened as the seconds pass by while I poorly attempted to claw at her hands. It was getting hard to breathe.

“M-Mother! Please..! Don’t kill me..!”

Please don’t.

Hopelessly, I thrashed against the ground as my mother continued to strangle me, draining the air out of my lungs. My head was already starting to feel woozy but I still managed to muster up all the strength I had and desperately scratched her arms instead, feeling some of her blood coat my fingertips.

“You’re an abomination to this to this world! You deserve to die..!”

Please... Please let me live!

My sore throat was burning and my cries echoed against the walls of my head, shouting at the heavens in misery. But, my frenzied cries fell in silence as the heavens watched my infernal torment with cold, distant eyes. The glorious skies that I always looked up to had done nothing but look down on me. I was doomed.

“I brought you into this world... I have the right to take your life away!”

No... No... I want to live...!

All of a sudden, I felt an intense wave of heat rush through my veins and I thought that was the end of me. However, my mother jumped away from my body and horrifyingly began to scream in anguish in front of my petrified eyes. I hastily crawled away from her in fear into a corner, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away at the dark, crimson flames that coated and swallowed my mother whole. This time, it was her turn to struggle for her life and she threw & kicked the furniture in the process as if she was trying to extinguish the flames away. It wasn’t working.

My mother was dying.

I felt my breath hitch at the realisation, feeling like my heart stopped as the shivering dread dug into my skin.

This isn’t my fault.

I shouldn’t have never—

Present Time

“Thalia! Snap out of it!”

As if woken up from a dream, my mind was forcibly pushed back into reality as my eyes glared at an unfamiliar face. The shaking man looked at me in both terror and panic, silently pleading to me for his life. My glared darkened, enough to send him to his knees and make his blood run cold. He whimpered in fear as the grip I had on the collar of his uniform tightened whereas I studied his bruised face in subtle confusion. Who’s this guy? Why am I here?

“A-A demon! She’s a demon!” Someone yelled nearby.

What’s going on? I was starting to feel dizzy and felt my head pound painfully as my brain was trying to remember how I ended up being in this situation. All I remember was how I was leaving class to head back to the safety of my dorm. Why am I here? I don’t remember seeing this guy before.

“Thalia!” A firm hand gripped my shoulder to pull me away from the student as they immediately got up and scrambled away from me.

“Thalia.” My tired eyes landed onto a familiar raven-head as he looked up at me in disappointment, but I could also tell he seemed a bit worried. “Are you alright?”

“...” I didn’t want to respond as the exhaustion prevented me from doing so.

“Senpai? Is she really the newbie you were talking about?”

I was already feeling incredibly lost and quietly watched the two males in front of me. The raven-head shook his head at my lack of response whereas the unknown brunette stared at me in both concern and uncertainty.

‘Right... Wasn’t his name Johann? Who’s the lanky one?’ I thought, trying to register their faces in my head.

Johann then turned around and glared at the people who stood nearby to gossip and watch the scene unfold. “Go away.”

With his command, all of them scurried away with their tails between their legs. I didn’t even realise there were people staring at us—staring at what I’ve done. As soon as they left the three of us alone, my knees buckled beneath me and felt myself beginning to fall out of fatigue. But then, strong arms wrapped around my waist as they helped me up to keep my balance.

“Woah! That was close.” The brunette exclaimed as my eyes locked with his in shock.

“Luminous, carry her. She needs to get to the infirmary first.”

Ah, so that’s his name. I couldn’t hear anything else afterwards, but I felt myself being lifted into the air and carried away from this place. Warmth rushed to my side as my head harshly bumped against something firm, rattling the lingering thoughts in my head.

“Oh shoot..! Sorry... Um...”

My brain felt dead-tired to focus on anything and yet I ended up staring at the sight of my bloody knuckles. The bandages around my numb arms were also stained with blood and they were loose as if someone had tried to forcibly pull them off. This confused me even further.

Then, my eyes drifted towards the brunette that was currently carrying me. Quietly, I observed him and he stared back once he noticed how my stare laid upon his face. We both seemed to take in each other’s features as my steel orbs swirled with his amber ones in wonder. This boy... looks sort of lame. Yet, I can see that there’s a look in his eyes that was hidden beneath the surface as if it was afraid to see the truth.

The brunette also watched me with an odd look on his face and I can tell that he’s still wondering who I am. Although, I’ve also noticed how loud his heart was pounding against my ear and I can feel the blood rush through his veins in the arms he held my limbs with.

‘His heart is beating so loud...’

But, I didn’t mind it. His beating heart put me at ease, feeling my erratic senses finally calm down. Abruptly, something collided against my side that brought me out of my hazy state and quietly whined in response.

“Ow...”

“Luminous!”

“Ah! Sorry! Sorry!”

This brunette, Luminous, got so distracted from staring at my looks that he ended up walking & clashing us against a lamp post. He sheepishly apologised as Johann gave him a deadpanned expression before continuing to walk in front of us. Luminous was obviously embarrassed to look at me anymore, but I kept my eyes on him and watched his cheeks flush with red.

I wanted to laugh at his face, but a sharp pain jabbed at the side of my ribs and caused me to wince in pain. What exactly happened that put me in this state? Did I attack that student from earlier? Is this his blood on me then? Why? My pondering look must’ve caught his attention again, looking at me in worry at first before smiling reassuringly.

“Don’t worry,” He said. “We saw everything that happened, so it’s not your fault.”

‘What? Not my fault? There’s no way it wasn’t my fault.’

“That student schemed against you and that caused you to act violent.”Johann explained, keeping his eyes forward as we entered a building. “They will be punished as soon as possible.”

‘But I attacked and violated someone. I’ll still be punished.’

As if he read my thoughts, Johann responded: “You may not have been ‘conscious’, but you still provoked him. The CCTV cameras at that area is proof enough to claim you as the victim, so you’ll most likely receive a warning or a few days of suspension. You still need to explain to the Disciplinary Committee what happened before you ‘lost consciousness.’”

'I’m the victim? Me?’

My mother’s voiced echoed in my head: “You’ll become a tyrannous villain! You must cease to exist!”

“So really, don’t worry!” Luminous brought my attention back to him. “If you’re scared, I will take care of you as your senior!”

My bewildered expression gazed at his bright, genuine smile. I didn’t expect this at all. Has.. anyone smiled at me like that before? How strange. He’s also kind of... annoyingly amusing.

“You’re...” I began, “odd-looking.”

“W-What..?” The boy stared at me in shock, gaping at me like a fish. “What do you mean?! Here I was thinking of how pretty your face is but now your personality is just ugly!”

Once again, I laughed at his remark and ignored how painful my side was. He seemed surprised at that, angrily blushing in response and grumbled something under his breath.

“Quit your yapping.” Johann commented.

“But—!”

Luminous couldn’t even finish his sentence once he laid his eyes on my smiling face. He was giving off a dazed look in his eyes, so I brought my bandaged hands close to his face and flicked his forehead.

“Ouch! What was that for?!”

What an odd guy.

#dragon raja luminous #dragon raja johann chu #dragon raja #dragon raja oc #dragon raja writing #dragon raja drabble #my writing #thalia #dragon raja fanfic

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grither55 · 4 years ago

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 30 - The Ravine

After five hours of harrowing chase and pursuit the airship was finally catching up to them once more.

The sky bison soared over the oceans waters before speeding over a remote island forest while the royal airship began to rapidly close in on them.

"They're gaining on us!" Sokka called out in a growing panic.

"I'm starting to see why Sunshine was warning us." Toph complained with her hands grasping at the sky bison's fur.

"Now's not the time for jokes Toph!" Katara snapped with her palms gripping Appa in a worried manner.

That was when the poor bison released another cry of pain when he was shot in the leg.

The huge beast buckled while his companions stared back up at the warship with rage in their eyes.

"They're firing on Appa again! He can't fly like this for much longer!" Aang shouted in an unusually angered voice while Appa began to waver.

"We need to reach higher ground! Once we reach the mountains, we can lose them on foot!" Zuko advised with his hand clutching his wounded shoulder.

The foursome began to quickly realize that trusting in their former enemy yielded the highest chance for survival.

"Bring out the trebuchet and the ammunition!" Zoe commanded with her eyes narrowing dangerously while she turned to her men scrambling to heed her order.

"What is she doing Azula?" Ty Lee pondered warily with growing unease in her voice.

However, the princess made no comment while she observed soldier's pushing out the trebuchet in question.

Azula quirked an inquisitive brow when the medallions of the countless fallen White Lotus were deposited into the mouth of the trebuchet.

And then to her rising curiosity they were lit aflame by two firebenders.

"Fire!" The captain yelled out with a swipe of her hand while she watched with determined eyes when the flaming medals shot into the air.

"Incoming fire!" The tactician exclaimed with a pale face before yelping when a flaming chunk of metal nearly singed his arm.

"What…is she firing at us? This isn't standard ammunition. I can tell…" The blind bandit trailed off in a thoughtful voice.

"Medals…of the White Lotus?" The Avatar questioned with a puzzled frown just as he held up one of the burned metals in his hand.

"Are they already running low on standard ammo?" The healer wondered with her brows furrowing only for the former prince to grimly shake his head.

"No. This is no mistake. She's sending us a message." Zuko replied with a snarl while he clutched a bloodied medal in his own hand.

"Those are the medals of each and every member of the Dragon of the West's White Lotus that I have killed! Let it rain down upon you Avatar! You will all join them soon enough." Zoe called out from the front of the airship while the Gaang turned to stare up at her with realization in their horrified eyes.

The hot medals continued to pelt them once more while the young Avatar gazed up at his pursuer with unnatural fury in his eyes.

"So that's why…we haven't heard from the White Lotus in some time now." Toph stated grimly with understanding sinking into each and every one of them.

"I will see you brought to justice for this!" Aang yelled out naively with anger in his eyes while he gripped his staff.

"Now's not the time to get riled up! We need to get away from her." The former prince stated with his hand on the monk's shoulder.

The Avatar nodded with a sorrowful expression in his eyes while he clenched his fist over the medallion.

"Dai Li! On command! Fire!" The captain roared with her hand swinging down once more.

Azula's subordinates observed in rising suspense when the Dai Li grasped an unknown ammo in their earthen gauntlets.

Before launching it into the air while their gloves soared high above them.

Only to release small circular objects that began to fall to the cliff side below.

"I suppose it's my turn…step back servant." Azula ordered just as she turned to stare down at Elle's worried face.

"Yes Azula-sama. J-just please don’t hurt the flying bison." Elle spoke in a timid voice as she backed away while Ty Lee held onto her shoulder.

"Observe this Elle! This is my new technique!" The princess announced with her words causing many to turn their heads in suspense.

To the shock of even Azula's closest friends they watched her hold her fingers together as if she was going to bend lightning with both hands!

And then the regal woman's hands began to crackle with a tremendous force of electricity that quickly had her enemies gazing up at the warship in shock.

Sparks of lethal energy were raining down upon them from below while the former prince's jaw fell open in disbelief.

And any and all sense of self-improvement that he had gained flew right out the metaphorical window!

His sister was standing at the top of the warship with a gigantic orb of lightning crackling above her right hand!

"I-impossible! How can she generate lightning with both hands!" Katara protested in a frightened voice.

"I hate to break it to you Katara but it's not impossible if she's doing it!" Sokka replied with a terrified expression in his eyes.

The group stared up at the princess now holding the shimmering sphere of electricity with her cruel lips curving into a proud smile.

"H-how? How is Azula doing that?" Zuko demanded in a voice of disbelief while he marveled over his sister's new technique.

"I-I didn't know that you could do that Azula." The brown-haired woman spoke with noticeable fear in her voice while their young companion stood marveling over the woman's strength.

"W-wow! You're so incredible Azula-sama! There's no one stronger than you! T-there just can't be!" The blonde-haired girl cheered with innocent awe in her amber eyes.

The young girl's pure hearted admiration managed to produce an even larger smirk on Azula's red lips.

Even Zoe stood astonished by the lightning bending feat.

The soldier couldn't help but gaze on with her eyes agape in amazement.

"Of course! I am much stronger than Zuzu and far more skilled than the pathetic Avatar! Now watch closely my young admirer…and don't you dare turn your eyes away from me!" Azula called out with her lips pursing into a violent grin before she bent her arm forward just as the ball hummed above her.

'Can I even redirect such a blast!' The former prince thought in a surmounting dread while Sokka steered Appa away as fast as the sky bison could fly.

"Azula! Zuko's down there!" Mai protested in a frightened voice only to watch in shock when Azula hurled the massive gathering of lightning down below.

All eyes were glued to the scene of chaos that was the descending orb of electricity.

And then moments later a thunderous explosion shook the cliff range when the frightened animal just barely avoided the enormous blast.

"Ha! Looks like someone can't aim!" The tactician snickered only to turn pale when a storm of boulders began to fall down overhead.

And then just like that a boulder brutally slammed into the wounded bison's side.

What followed happened so fast that no one had time to react.

There was a shout of rage from Aang followed by cries of fright from his friends.

And then before they knew it, they were buried in a lethal explosion of sparky electricity and jagged rocks from above.

The onslaught was so vicious that not even Toph could deflect every boulder all at once.

Moments later silence reigned atop the airship while Azula stood gazing down with a cold smile just as she turned to share mutually pleased glance with Zoe.

"You…just tried to kill your own brother." The markswoman stated in a tone of tremendous rage while her leader literally waved off her concerns.

"Please Mai! I purposefully hit the cliff side all for the sake of my dear brother. I am certain that Zuzu can escape a rock slide." The princess scoffed in a remorseless voice while she turned to smile at her little admirer's awe-struck face.

"Well done Your Highness. Once more I defer to your power." The captain spoke before bowing with her arm over her chest.

The monarch managed to quirk a pleased smile over that as well before striding over to the small girl's side.

"So…. how was it?" Azula purred in a tone of great self-importance while she scanned her fingernails in a conceited manner.

Weeks ago, Mai and Ty Lee had found it amusing when they watched the princess strut like a hormonal boy to impress Elle.

But now?

After watching her strike down her injured brother?

Mai was most certainly not amused.

"I-I don't know what to say. I have never seen anyone with as much power as you Azula-sama…you're so mighty." Elle confessed in a voice of pure hearted admiration while Azula examined her clenched fist with a gratified smirk now gracing her lovely lips.

And despite the growing severity of the situation the acrobat couldn't help but cringe when she heard Elle naively tell Azula that her power was admirable.

"It's just as I thought! You find my power appealing! This is good. Because you won't find anyone with more power than me." The princess boasted before placing her hand on her girlfriend's small shoulder in a baffling contrast to her behavior just moments before.

And then Azula began to guide Elle alongside her while they walked the length of the warship.

It was plain to see to even the lowest of soldier's that the young girl was no ordinary servant.

No matter how hard the princess tried to act as if that was the case, her behavior would convey the exact opposite.

Zoe turned to gaze over her shoulder with her brows furrowing in amazement before shaking her head.

The princess's choice of a partner was hardly any concern of hers.

"Lower the warship! I have a special present for our dear friends." Zoe yelled out with a cold smile while she paid no mind to Mai's hateful glare.

"But…I just don't understand princess." The blonde-haired girl murmured with her finger pressing into her lip while the woman stared down at her in a stunningly patient manner.

"Hm. Just tell me what it is that you don't understand and I shall educate your little mind once more." Azula remarked in a curious voice while she carefully pulled Elle along as if she truly was her pet tiger monkey.

"Why does everyone have to fight? What's the point in people killing one another?" Elle inquired in a deeply thoughtful tone while Azula gazed down at her with surprised golden eyes.

That was most certainly not what Azula had been expecting her young companion to say.

The princess had found that she often becomes so accustomed to Elle's childish nature that she tends to forget that the girl can become oddly philosophical when she put her mind to it.

A couple weeks ago she wouldn't have given such a question any thought.

She would have graced the girl with a snide remark and spent no further time dwelling on such a foolishly naïve query.

And now she finds herself considering how she should respond to such a question.

She didn't want to just shut the girl down with mockery.

She actually wanted her admirer to continue to confide in her, in all things large and small.

"We are at war Elle. War is not without death and destruction. In order to win you must kill. You must destroy the enemy to be victorious. Do you understand now?" The princess explained while she turned to peer down at her handmaid's adorably quizzical face.

"No…I do not. I mean…I get that's how a war is won. But what is the point?" The blonde-haired girl answered much to the older female's puzzlement.

"To win. To conquer." Azula stated with a self-assured nod while she continued to walk with Elle's hand in her own.

The fact that their princess was walking the airship with the young girl's hand in her own was drawing some curious glances.

Nor did it escape Ty Lee's notice that Azula was slowly but surely beginning to show Elle affection in the public eye.

But the acrobat was wise enough not to comment on the matter while the two walked off.

'Elle deserves her alone time with Azula. I can tell it means the world to her…' Ty Lee thought just as she shook her head fondly despite the apprehension that more she listened to the roaring engines of the warship.

"Azula-sama, you still haven't told me what the point is. I mean…if a nation butchers one million people just to call themselves victors…wouldn't that be a rather shallow victory?" Elle pondered once more just as Azula halted in her step to peer down at her in an increasingly bewildered manner.

The princess was even growing a tad bit frustrated.

If only because she had initially thought that if the girl had spent enough time around her that she would shed her pacifism in time.

Once more Elle has proven that her purity is not so casually stained.

In a sense, she was much more pleased than displeased.

They were polar opposites after all, and yet she continues to find herself drawn to this innocent girl.

"No. The victory would not be hollow. History books are written by the winners after all. And we shall do whatever is necessary to win this war. The victory is all that matters." The princess instructed with a finger raised before her face to accent her point while she set a palm on the younger girl's shoulder.

Azula had truly come to see the girl as a strange combination of love interest and student, hers to guide and hers to lead.

Therefore, it went without saying that in her view Elle was worth the special attention.

"With all due respect master. I disagree. I…just don't think people should be killing each other in mass." The blonde-haired girl insisted in a disconcerted voice while she craned her neck to meet the ruthless woman's gaze.

The regal woman's lips were pursing into a frown of disapproval that almost had her feeling that she had displeased her master.

But she has come to feel that the princess valued what she had to say and she did not feel as if she was not permitted to speak her mind.

"Regardless of what you think girl. It doesn't change the fact that it is in human nature to kill one another." Azula spoke with confidence while she slipped her finger beneath her handmaid's chin in a subtle display of her dominance.

"I…just can't accept that Azula-sama. I firmly believe that the mass slaughter of any and all other lifeforms can only hinder human development." Elle answered as she bit her lip while the older female still scowled above her.

"Really? You can't accept my answer? Some might see that as defiance…are you defying me servant?" The princess purred just as she began to lean over her much smaller intended while she aggressively cupped the quivering girl's chin in her clenched palm.

"N-no princess. It is not defiance. I…just can't hold such a view. But I can pretend otherwise if you wish." The blonde-haired girl mumbled with a submissive tremble while she turned red just as the looming woman bent over to peer into her eyes.

In response Azula snorted above the girl with a small puff of fire exuding from her nostrils that could have burnt the fragile girl's skin.

If not for the princess compressing the tiny girl's head beneath her palm to prevent her flames from licking her handmaid's skin.

"No, do that and I will punish you. You will hide nothing from me…not even your childish thoughts. Is that understood my pet?" Azula declared in a domineering voice while she expertly pulled the lovesick girl back upward by her little chin.

"Wakarimashita Azula-sama. This girl lives as you command." Elle responded in a lovable voice with her dainty hands folded before her while she still shook under Azula's piercing stare.

"Now that's a good pet. Good girl." The princess cooed with her other hand now patting the petite girl's hair while she purposefully exhaled in the blushing girl's face.

"I-I am so overjoyed that you think so master. You know I try to be the best girl I can for you. B-because I love you with all my heart and soul." The blonde-haired girl stuttered out with a shy smile just as she averted her eyes while she quietly savored the way her master patted her head.

In that moment Azula stood hovering over Elle with the smaller girl beginning to giggle sweetly under her petting fingertips.

This was an action that earned the handmaid a composed glance from the princess yet even so she was making no efforts to scold the girl for her cheerful nature.

All the while Elle began to lean into Azula's palm with an almost childlike need for comfort.

While the girl did so the princess continued to peer down at her with her callous brows furrowing curiously.

"I know you do. And I…recognize your devotion. Now…I command you to explain what you meant… about hindering human development." Azula ordered in a sigh with her fingernails gently brushing against Elle's fair skin.

"In my world people are doing the same. Millions upon millions continue to die in senseless wars every generation. Just think of all the potentially brilliant minds that go to waste, of the innovation hindered by purposeless slaughter. I just don't understand it at all Azula-sama. I think such bloody conflict inhibits evolution." Elle explained in a graver voice while she glanced upward to meet the princess's taken aback gaze.

Azula couldn't help but muse that this girl isn't as simple as she had once thought.

No…the girl's little mind had great potential. She just needed a stern guiding hand.

"Even if that is so. Once again it is in human nature to war. Since the dawn of time we have waged war. Because we as humans are predisposed to violence." The princess lectured just as she straightened to her full height with her palms folding behind her back once more.

"Well that makes me sad. If people could just come together…then the world wouldn't be such a rotten place…oh well." The blonde-haired girl muttered in a more forlorn voice while she gazed down at her feet missing the way the princess frowned in disapproval.

Azula tilted her head just as she snorted in annoyance with her palms clasped behind her back while she loomed over the moping girl.

All the while regarding her pet with a concerned yet strict stare.

She hadn't expected the girl to become so depressed as a result of bringing her along.

"Girl. Look up at me." The princess ordered in a spoiled voice while she shifted on her booted feet before she smirked in approval when her handmaid peered up at her on command.

"If my master says look up then I look up!" Elle agreed in a dutiful voice while Azula glanced down at her with an elegant smile on her crimson lips.

"Hm. Now curtsy me. Give me your best bow." Azula purred with another haughty tilt of her head while she peered down in pleasure to observe Elle immediately bend over in a flawless bow.

"And if my master says curtsy, then I curtsy! Is there anything else I can do for you master?" The blonde-haired girl answered with her arms neatly tucked in at her sides while she remained bent over in a bow.

All the while the princess was staring down at her with a beyond pleased smile.

Simply knowing that she has pleased Azula was enough to pull her out of her depression.

The longer her princess gazed down at her in approval the more her chest would swell in pride to know that she has been good.

And that was something most certainly something to smile over.

"Such a well-behaved girl. Don't worry your little mind over the state of this world…or any another. All you have to do is serve me Elle. And I will take care of you. Is that understood?" The princess announced in a satisfied voice while her golden eyes continued to sweep over her submissive girl's little face beaming up at her.

"Y-yes Your Highness. I-I am so grateful that you took me in. So very thankful." Elle stammered with a joyful tear streaming down her cheek while she stood frozen in her curtsy.

"Believe me Elle. I can tell. But to answer your question there is something that you can do for me." Azula spoke with a hand beneath her chin while she glanced down into Elle's faithful amber eyes.

"How may I serve you Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl replied just as she glanced up at her towering master.

"I need you to do something for me. It is…an incredibly important task." The princess remarked before she turned to gaze over the edge of the descending warship while her handmaid peered up at her with adorably loyal amber eyes.

Elle couldn't resist breaking out into an eager smile just as soon as she heard that her job was an important one.

"You know you can count on me princess! How can I help you?" Elle cried out with a sunny smile while Azula turned around to stare down at her with an amused golden gaze.

"I need you to hold onto this for me." Azula began in a calm voice before extending her cupped palm before the young girl's diligent countenance.

The teenager observed with faithful eyes to watch the older female open her hand to reveal what appeared to be a small watch of sorts.

The watch had a loop of fabric attached to a metal ring on the top of the device so it could be hung around the neck.

And then before the handmaid knew it the strange watch was deposited into her waiting palms.

All the while she peered between it and her monarch's suddenly stern visage.

That was all it took for her to understand that this was a truly crucial task.

"Your Highness…what am I to do with this?" The blonde-haired girl questioned in a curious voice while she still peered upward to meet her master's gaze.

"The last and most recent technique that I've developed…I have only used it once before in private. It is a powerful…but highly unstable move. I plan to test it out in battle. And I want you to time how long I use it. If more than ten minutes lapses. Let me know." The princess explained in her usual callous voice while her little admirer stared up at her with an emotional gaze.

"I-I understand princess. But how will I know when you've used it if I haven't seen it before?" Elle replied in a soft voice just as she clutched the watch to her chest while Azula stood above her smirking smugly.

"Believe me…you'll know." Azula stated just as her palms fell to her side while Elle nodded rapidly under her controlling stare.

"I-I must say Azula-sama I am truly moved that you would choose a simple servant girl like me for such a dire task." The blonde-haired girl admitted with a bashful blush adorning her cheeks while she gazed up at the princess's divine visage.

"Please. You are the only one I can entrust this to." The princess snorted before closing her eyes while she listened to her handmaid gasp in joy.

"R-really p-princess? Just me? Not even my oneesans or Captain Zoe?" Elle stuttered in a beyond flattered voice while her heart began to beat rapidly.

"No. Mai is far too hung on Zuko to be trusted with this. And if Mai should do something I disapprove of, I cannot take the chance that Ty Lee will follow. As for Zoe…she is an exemplary soldier but I cannot depend upon her. Not like I can depend upon you." Azula commented with her eyes opening once more to stare down at her young companion's speechless face.

"I…won't let you down Azula-sama. You can count on me! I am your loyal girl!" The blonde-haired girl cheered just as she bent over to bow with her right arm held over her chest.

All the while frigid golden eyes studied her in an approving manner before raising a palm to pat the bowing girl's head once more.

"I know I can. Because there is no one that I trust more than you." The princess informed in a brief break from her hardened voice while the petite girl gaped up at her in awe from underneath her palm.

"I-is that really so Azula-sama?" Elle pondered in a voice of great longing while Azula rolled her golden eyes above her.

"No. It must be some other girl that I spend all of my time with." Azula scoffed with a wave of her hand only to sigh when her sarcasm flew over the girl's little head.

"W-what? Another g-girl?" The blonde-haired girl repeated in a comically horrified voice only for the princess to scowl down at her.

"That was sarcasm! Ugh. I should have thought my position on the matter to be obvious by now." The princess remarked in a sophisticated voice just as she patted the girl's head once more,

"Oh! I am so very honored to have your trust Azula-sama! If there is anything you need done. You just let me know. I'm the girl you can depend on!" The blonde-haired girl chirped exuberantly before bowing one final time while she swelled in pride under her master's pleased stare.

"Your fealty pleases me Elle. Now come. I have a battle to attend to." Azula spoke with a spoiled snap of her fingers in her pet's face just as the girl cried out in joy once more.

"Yes princess! I will follow you on this day and until my last day." Elle responded in a devoted voice just as Azula turned to walk away.

And with that the princess strode away with her leal companion scurrying alongside her.

Just as her callous golden eyes occasionally peered down at her young girlfriend with a margin of affection that she showed none other.

When the girl scampered after her, she felt a sensation of rightfulness greater than any other bond she's ever known.

Even her friendship with Ty Lee couldn't even begin to compare.

"Azula-sama? I have a question." The blonde-haired girl began while the woman sighed just as they walked to rejoin the others.

"Then speak it quickly peasant!" The princess barked with a stern narrow of her golden eyes.

"A-are you wearing your friendship bracelet?" Elle asked in a bashful manner just as she averted her eyes from Azula's incredulous gaze.

"Of all the things that you could ask me before a battle. This…is what you ask me?" Azula asked in a snide snort while she peered down at her handmaid's deflated expression.

"B-but Your Highness, it's very important. We share a link through our bracelets and I would feel better if you were wearing it. W-what if you get hurt? I need to be able to find you." The blonde-haired girl explained with her hand grasping at the watch now hanging from her neck.

"That is the most childish thing I've ever heard. Even from you." The princess replied in a sneer while she stared down at her now sullen intended with hardened golden eyes.

"S-sumimasen Azula-sama…" Elle mumbled in a saddened voice with her shoulders slumping in defeat.

Azula groaned in annoyance before loudly snapping her fingers in Elle's startled face.

If this was anyone else, she wouldn't tolerate such weak behavior.

But she has long since come to understand that Elle was a special case.

"Oh, quit your sulking servant. I am wearing it. Are you happy now?" Azula announced with a roll of her eyes while she stared down at her companion before she flashed the distraught girl a glimpse of the object in question.

The teenager gazed up at the older female with grateful amber eyes that lit up with moved emotion upon seeing the golden bracelet hidden beneath the sleeve of her caretaker's robe.

All the while the princess stared down at her with frigid eyes while an impatient scowl now graced her beautiful face.

"Yes! I am so very happy! Now no matter what happens we'll be able to find each other." The blonde-haired girl chirped with a bright smile while her much taller master released another mocking snort.

"How reassuring to know." The princess scoffed callously before turning to walk away all the while listening to the young girl patter after her.

"May I say something else Azula-sama? Eep!" Elle squeaked in a girlish voice when Azula began dragging her by the collar of her shirt all the while now glaring down at her with irate golden eyes.

"Enough talk tiger monkey. I have enemies to destroy!" Azula barked with waning patience while she dragged her pouting companion alongside her.

The two noblewomen turned to glance back at the approaching pair only to sweatdrop over what they saw.

The powerful princess was stomping towards them with her fist mercilessly gripping the smaller girl's shirt.

All the while poor Elle was being hauled along much like a kitten being disciplined by her owner.

"You could always let her walk Azula…" Ty Lee trailed off with her hands on her hips while her foul tempered leader drug her adopted little sister after her.

"Oh please. She is clearly incapable of doing so." The princess retorted in a supremely pompous voice while she pulled her handmaid on the floor behind her.

The teenager lay limply in her master's hold while she blushed adorably when the older female dragged her upon her bottom across the steel flooring of the warship.

"S-sumimasen once again Azula-sama. I-I just wanted to tell you that I think you l-look so v-very b-beautiful in your armor." The blonde-haired girl confessed with an adorable stutter while she fiddled her fingers in her lap just when she abruptly slid to a stop.

Azula had paused in her walk to turn and peer down at her innocent companion with a pleasantly taken aback golden gaze.

And once more both noblewomen were staring at their young friend with varying degrees of pity in their eyes.

The two of them clearly held the belief that Elle may regret signing her life away to Azula when she is old enough to take an interest in a more 'normal' girlfriend.

Mai in particular more than her acrobat friend.

But as of this moment the markswoman was finding her thoughts preoccupied with the safety of her ex-boyfriend and the bloodthirsty soldier out for Zuko's head.

"Really? You think I look beautiful in my royal armor?" The princess queried in a nonchalant voice while she glanced down at her admirer with her fingers still tightly gripping the girl's collar.

"T-that's so princess. L-like a warrior goddess." Elle stammered with heated cheeks unaware while Azula stared down at her with her frown now rapidly giving way to a pleased smile.

And in the background Ty lee could be heard sighing under her breath yet neither the princess or her admirer paid her any mind.

The last thing they needed was for Elle to dub Azula a goddess.

Sadly, it was too late to turn back now.

"Hm…a goddess you say?" Azula purred with a beyond gratified grin whilst she ignored her friend's sighs of exasperation in the background.

"Mhm! An oh so divine goddess!" The blonde-haired girl chirped with boundless reverence in her loyal eyes while the monarch glanced down at her in approval.

"I was already aware of that servant but as always I appreciate the reminder. Now come girl! It is time that you see just how strong I really am!" The princess called out in an arrogant voice before resuming dragging the humiliated girl after her boots.

"You go Azula-sama! You go dominate that battlefield!" Elle cheered in a childish voice before pumping a fist in the air just as Azula pulled her to a stop beside her big sister's.

Her two adoptive older siblings stared down at her with fondly chiding eyes.

That was when Azula effortlessly pulled the smaller girl to her feet all while she peered down at her handmaid with a smug smirk now adorning her lovely lips.

"Isn't she just adorable Ty Lee?" Azula pondered with her fingers mercilessly gripping the back of the girl's shirt while she forcibly held the red-faced girl within arm's length.

"Well…I don't disagree with you there Azula! She certainly is adorable!" The brown-haired woman quiped before she reached over to pat the young girl on the head.

The teenager just glanced up at the acrobat with a timid smile on her lips only for the sounds of steel clanging upon the deck to gain their attention.

"You know Azula. That wretched woman is even more enthused about making people suffer than you are." Mai commented in a disgusted voice while Azula turned to glance over her shoulder with uncaring golden eyes.

"Please Mai. Zoe is just passionate. Unlike you she actually gives a damn about our nation. All you care about is Zuzu." The princess remarked in a cruel voice that earned her a furious glare from her comrade.

While the acrobat stood between the two of them looking more unnerved by the minute.

All the while Zoe stood on an observation deck that overlooked her gathered squadron of elites.

Her shouts rang out through the air, intermingling with the engines roars just as the airship descended even further into the enormous cliff range.

Even the Dai Li, who were sworn to only Azula were standing off to the side while they listened in fascination to the soldier's rousing speech.

"Soldiers of the Fire Nation! Are you sick of this damnable war!" Zoe bellowed with her sword in hand while she gazed down at her platoon standing in formation.

Ty Lee exchanged a curious glance with Azula while they watched the soldier's rightfully fidget uncertain if the princess would punish them for answering such a query.

The platoon was even glancing in their callous princess's direction confirming their unease.

"Answer the Agni damned question or I will start throwing you off the rails one by one!" The captain shouted as she paced about the deck while her princess observed with a sadistic smirk on her lips.

It went without saying that Azula's childhood friends were frightened by psychotic claim.

And the teenage girl just stood under her master's grip smiling up at the merciless woman even so.

"I like her." Azula commented with a sage nod while she ignored her two companion's stares of disagreement.

"That's not really much of a surprise. Coming from a woman that doesn't even care about her own brother." The markswoman remarked in a tone of judgement while she stood defiant when her leader turned to glare over her shoulder with icy golden eyes.

"M-Mai please try to cool down. W-we'll make sure that Zuko will be okay. R-right Azula?" Ty Lee spoke in a fearful voice while she shivered under the princess's frigid stare.

"You had best watch how you speak to me. Shall there be a repeat of this incident Mai. Or I will strip your weakling father of every coin to his name! And when he's weeping in the fields then we'll see just how candid you really are! Is that understood!" The princess snapped in a furious voice with her palms alight in azure fire.

All the while staring at her outraged friend with a frozen gaze that already had Mai sweating in renewed fear.

And the acrobat couldn't help but shudder even more under Azula's cruel glare.

She had regained hope for the princess after seeing her begin to form such a touching bond with Elle.

And Azula had even seemed to be making a noticeable effort to be kinder to them as well.

Yet just like that…she reverts right back to ruling through fear.

"Yeah. Understood." Mai muttered with her teeth grinding together in her anger whilst Azula continued to stare at her with a monstrously callous gaze.

It was plain to see to Ty Lee that Mai had already got on Azula's bad side and that it would only take one more remark for the monarch to punish her friend severely.

"Good. Make certain that you don't forget…what are you…don't you dare hug me! Elle!" Azula bellowed just when Elle's much smaller body slammed into her belly.

The acrobat observed in a poorly concealed amusement beside her angered friend while their young companion assaulted the powerful princess in a loving hug.

"But you looked so angry Azula-sama…I just had to give you a hug! I don't want you to hurt my oneesan." Elle exclaimed with her arms wrapping around the older female's waist while Azula stiffened when she deepened their embrace.

"Ugh! Release me at once peasant or I will punish you alongside Mai!" The princess protested in an indignant voice while she squirmed with her favored handmaid now burrowing into her belly.

"Wow Azula! I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be defeated so easily." The brown-haired woman snickered while she watched her furious friend attempt to remove the girl from her stomach.

"Silence Ty Lee! You! Get off me or I will incinerate you! Don't think I won't burn you!" The princess growled while she pushed on her servant's shoulders in an effort to disconnect from the hug.

"Now that's a good one. We all know that you don't have it in you to burn Elle." The markswoman snorted with her arms folded over her chest while the other woman glared back at her through the corner of her eye.

"Please don't fight with each other…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off in a concerned voice just when the older female finally managed to dislocate from her embrace.

"Then Mai had better watch her mouth. As for my dear brother…if he surrenders, he will be spared." Azula stated in a foul tempered voice while she turned to glare at her two subordinates'.

The two women visibly tensed up while they mulled over those words.

They both knew that the chances of Zuko surrendering to Azula were slim to none.

"If he chooses to willingly aid the enemy…then I will show him no mercy." The princess spoke in a merciless voice before turning away from her worried friends to peer down at her young companion.

"We should hug more often Azula-sama! Then you won't be so angry all the time. Hugs make everyone happier." Elle advised with an innocent nod while Azula glanced down at her rolling her regal eyes.

"Please. Hugs are for the weak!" Azula snorted with a wave of her hand yet even so she made no move to push the girl away when Elle elected to stand closely beside her one again.

Soon Zoe's yells once more regained their attention as they all turned back to see the captain staring down at her shouting subordinates.

"It would be nice to be done with it captain!" An Imperial Guardsman responded in a shout while his captain gazed down at him with charismatic hazel eyes.

"Then why don't we! They are right here before our very eyes! We can end this wretched war in one fell swoop! Shall we end it!" Zoe called out just as she thrust her sword downward while her troops gazed on in a trance.

Once more the soldier's stood silent while they exchanged glances with one another.

All the while their leader slowly but surely managed to rouse their fighting spirits.

While their princess continued to watch with a vastly pleased countenance.

Zoe was damn impressive, even she can't deny that!

While lesser minds might perceive the woman as a bloodthirsty killer.

If one examined Zoe closely they would see that the captain was simply putting on a show to encourage her soldiers to fight to their fullest.

And then just like that the speech took on a scathing turn that took even Azula aback.

When the soldier's shouts continued to ring out through the air the acrobat could only stare up at the woman in disbelief over her shear gall.

"Or shall we let the traitor! Former Prince Zuko escape to revitalize the rebels for many more years of war! All because Lady Mai wants to suck his cock! Shall we fight for our nation! Or cater to the whims of a pathetic rebel sympathizer!" The captain announced with her words cutting through the air like a raging fire.

The acrobat's mouth hung open in astonishment just as she turned to meet her friend's wrathful gaze.

In that very moment Mai was almost as terrifying as Azula!

Even Azula glanced over her shoulder at her childhood friend with wary golden eyes before turning back to Zoe uncertain if she should intervene.

"You bitch. I swear I'll kill you." Mai hissed with her fist gripping her blade just when she felt a hand softly touch her shoulder.

To her surprise she found herself staring down into Elle's concerned eyes while the young girl gripped the sleeve of her shirt.

And for once the princess refrained from scolding the girl for leaving her side.

She knew well enough that there was a good chance that Elle just inadvertently prevented Mai from doing something foolish.

The soldier's stared up at Zoe through their helmets in a baffled silence.

They too were clearly wary of joining their leader in disparaging her fellow high nobility.

"Shall we hesitate to act like that House Wan coward! Or shall we kill them all!" Zoe roared while she madly paced the deck just as she pointed her blade down at her squadron.

The princess could only grunt in annoyance while she gazed between her offended friends and her overzealous captain.

It would be detrimental to punish Zoe before her army…

And yet the more she mocked Mai and Ty Lee the more she jeopardized their commitment to the war.

"Do you know what I say to that! Fuck that!" The captain taunted just as she turned to stare down at the two outraged women.

Even the good-natured Ty Lee couldn't help but begin to scowl up at her in a clear show of resentment.

"And I don't know about you but I am damn sick of being at sea! And I am damn well sick of the stench of vomit permeating the morning air! And I want to return home!" Zoe declared just as she briefly leaned upon the railing.

And just like that the sound of several soldier's chuckling in agreement began to filter into the air.

"And fish. We've been eating fish for twelve months." A man finally spoke out while he gazed up at his leader pacing across the deck.

"They say that the Imperial Guard are the finest warrior's in the Fire Nation! What do you say to that brothers and sisters of the Imperial Guard! Are we!" The captain demanded while she stare down at her assembled legion.

"Yes!" A soldier cried out from amidst the throng of troops while their female captain gazed down with passionate hazel eyes.

"You're damn right we are! Just one of us is equal to ten warriors of the Watertribe and the Earth Kingdom! Because every one of us is Fire Nation strong!" Zoe exclaimed just as she strode down the ramp with determination in her eyes.

Soon enough shouts and cries began to flow into the air once more while Azula continued to observe the scene with approval in her eyes.

As far as she was concerned, if Zoe helps lead the Fire Nation towards victory then she could easily let the mockery of her friends slide.

Afterall, Mai and Ty Lee were the ones that provoked Zoe to begin with.

"It ends here today brother's and sister's! Today we shall return home as victors! What say you to that!" The captain hollered just as she pumped her fist above her head while her soldiers screamed out in agreement.

"As victors!" The soldier's shouted out in unison just as they began to raise their weapons high above them.

"Hm. Say what you want about her tongue. She's skilled. One of the best of our nation." Azula stated in a pleased voice that was unshared by her friends.

Ty Lee could only sigh while she stared at her leader all the while trying to brush off Zoe's hurtful words.

They both knew well enough that if Azula held this woman in high esteem that no amount of arguing will change the princess's mind on the matter.

"I would see us return home as heroes! Thousands will cheer our names when we walk through the streets! And then we shall celebrate our victory with a round of wine and ale for every one of us!" Zoe screamed in an ardent voice when she began to walk through the mass of motivated soldiers.

And just like that Team Azula watched in awe as every warrior of the Imperial Guard began to roar in unison with Zoe.

All the while each and every soldier began to remove their helmets in an obvious show of respect to their captain.

"We will go down as legends in the echoes of eternity! Long after the Fire Nation has crumbled into the ruins of the earth we will be remembered as the ones who ended the Avatar! We will achieve never-ending gloriam!" The captain roared with her sword in hand while she stood before her roused platoon all shouting her name.

Soon spirited shouts of 'Zoe' began to intermingle with the roars of the soaring warship.

"And after it's all said and done, I am going to enjoy a nice good fuck! And woe to anyone foolish enough to impede me." Zoe called out with a smirk while the men surrounding her began to laugh in amusement.

The shameless statement took the foursome aback while Azula stood gazing at the woman with comically deadpan golden eyes.

And even the offended acrobat couldn't help but feel a twinge of a blush creep up onto her cheeks.

Though it went without saying that Mai was most certainly not amused.

"Azula-sama…is that something that you and I will be doing together eventually?" Elle inquired with an inquisitive tilt of her head while she turned to peer up at the older female's surprised face.

And an even deeper blush began to spread across Ty Lee's cheeks after she heard their young companion's query.

"If everything works out well between us…and you continue to prove to be the optimal girlfriend. Then yes, I will eventually sit on your little face." Azula answered with her arms folded over her breasts while she glanced down at her pet's adorably curious face.

"A-Azula! Wait it out a while before you start talking about sitting on her face!" Ty Lee protested in a sisterly voice while Azula just turned to her with a smug smirk on her lips.

"I don't get it Azula-sama. You're going to use my face as a chair?" The blonde-haired girl pondered in a lovably confused voice while all three women glanced down at her in amusement.

And once again the princess was just astounded that her intended was this…naïve over all matters sexual!

"Ugh! No! That's not what I meant…you know what…forget it. I'll explain it to you another day." The princess sighed just as she waved her hand about while the teenage girl peered up at her even so.

"As you say Azula-sama. I promise you that I will be the best girlfriend that I can possibly be for you." Elle spoke with a sunny smile before reaching up to hold onto the woman's elbow.

Azula peered down at her handmaid with callous golden eyes while making no movement to push her girl off of her.

All the while allowing the smaller girl to latch onto her toned bicep.

That was when her thoughts were once more interrupted by the growing cacophony of shouting soldier's.

"The Avatar is certainly an audacious bastard if he thinks that we're going to let him destroy our great nation. So why don't we just go cut off his head? I'd like to see spirit water bring him back from that." The captain snarled with her fist clenched above her while the shouts of her comrades rang into the air.

The brutal announcement sent yet another shudder down the acrobat's spine.

She was almost beginning to pity the Avatar.

This woman is a terrifying blood hound!

"Now I really like her." The princess purred with a smug smile while she held her fingers beneath her chin.

While she listened to the violent shouts of the army just as they began to cry out for the Avatar's head.

"Are you with me my brother's and sister's!" Zoe bellowed with a smile on her lips while each and every warrior held the helmets high above their heads.

"We're with you Captain Zoe!" The platoon yelled out in unison while the solder stood amidst them with a sanguine smirk now adorning her features.

"Good! Our enemies are certainly arrogant bastards aren't they! Let's go kill them!" Zoe concluded just before she thrust her sword in the air all the while her soldier's continued to roar at the top of their lungs.

The completely savage statement managed to produce a pleased smirk on the princess's lips.

And without further delay every single soldier slid their helms over their faces while they released a roaring battle cry in unison with their captain.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the ravine the Gaang was breaking free from the rubble while they spun around assessing the damage.

That was when they saw Appa had been downed much to their anger.

The sky bison had been knocked out from the fall and he was now lying unconscious while Aang ran over to his side.

Zuko knelt in the rubble frantically searching for his dual broadswords with his one good arm only to punch the ground in frustration.

'Damn it! If only I hadn't left them behind on Appa then I would have had both on me when I fell!' The former prince thought angrily before turning to gaze back at his newfound comrades with worried golden eyes.

"Appa! Are you okay buddy!" The Avatar cried out while Sokka and Katara stood over his shoulder gazing at the scene in mutual concern.

"Uh…does everybody see that?" Sokka commented in a fearful voice before pointing upward at the descending vessel.

"Hello! I'm blind!" Toph yelled out with her usual snark while she pushed herself to her feet.

"Aang." Zuko began while the other man turned to gaze at him holding his wounded arm.

The group turned to their former enemy to listen to what he had to say.

Even Katara.

"Look I know you guys still don't trust me fully and I can't blame you for that. I deserve it." The former prince stated with a frown while he stared down at his feet.

"Yeah. You do." The healer scoffed only to flinch when the earthbender threw a poorly aimed rock in her direction.

"In case you haven't noticed now is not the time for that." The blind bandit snapped with her arms folded over her breasts.

Katara slumped in guilt ever so slightly knowing that her friend had a valid point.

"And I also know that you cherish your pacifistic beliefs. But you're going to have to let that go if you want to stay alive." Zuko announced with his words evoking a sense of alertness in each and every one of them.

The entire group got the hint while they continued to watch soldiers begin to climb down the airship.

"Zuko…I can't take a life. That goes against the teachings of the Air Nomads!" Aang protested with unease in his voice.

"Aang! If we don't kill Zoe, we're all going to die!" The former prince yelled out while the others stared at him in a disturbed manner.

It was a truly sobering statement that hit even the likes of Toph.

"Don't you guys get it? She was dispatched because the others were too merciful! Myself included! Azula is far too busy at court to chase us every day and night! She'll return home! But Zoe won't!" Zuko explained in a panic while he met the gaze of the other man's now distraught eyes.

"So…she's just going to do this…day in and day out?" Sokka inquired in a clearly frightened voice with his spirits plummeting all the more by every passing minute.

And worst of all how would they manage to rescue Suki and the others with this bloodthirsty woman hunting after their every move?

The mere thought of the woman he loved languishing away in a dark cell was enough to make his heart well up in despair!

"Yes! You won't get a single second to prepare to face the Fire Lord because she'll be hounding us everywhere, we go. But someone…one of us has to kill Zoe. Or we will never defeat my father." The former prince spoke in a deadly serious voice while the four stood in a shell-shocked silence.

A bead of sweat dropped down Toph's cheek while she turned to Aang unable to see his expression of denial.

"Twinkle toes…" Toph trailed off with a click of her tongue while she gripped her elbows.

"I…can't do that Zuko. I just can't…kill another person." The Avatar insisted with his fist gripping his staff.

The former prince's face noticeably grimaced while he glanced down once more.

It would have to be him then.

And it wasn't a task that he was looking forward to.

Not long ago he was doing almost the exact same thing that Zoe is doing now.

Then in that moment they were mercilessly snapped from their contemplative reverie.

They barely had any chance to register it, they saw the grappling hook through the corner of their eye.

And then just like that Zoe was upon them.

She swung down like lightning before barreling into the injured former prince with her blood speckled sword in hand.

"Zuko!" The tactician shouted in alarm before charging at the firebender with his sword in one hand and boomerang in the other.

Each of them sprung to Zuko's defense, even Katara.

Only to be taken by surprise when Zoe held Zuko with her blade lightly tearing into his neck.

"Another step and I decapitate the traitor." Zoe snarled just as she leaned into Zuko's ear while the man stared at the others with sweat on his brow.

The group stood frozen unsure of how to rescue their new ally.

"You know what? I'm starting to have no qualms killing this bitch." The blind bandit stated with a scowl while she sunk into a bending stance.

All the while Aang stood glaring at Zoe while she continued to press the blade into the former prince's neck.

Zuko stood frozen with a droplet of blood falling down his chin just when the earth ruptured beneath them courtesy of Toph.

The foursome scattered and make a charge for Zoe when she briefly lost her balance upon the shifting earth.

Then to the total surprise of the group the soldier exhaled and released a blast of dragon's breath straight at Sokka!

The warrior paled while the lethal blast of orange flames very nearly consumed him.

His sister could only watch in horror knowing that she wouldn't be able to reach her brother in time.

In that very instance a powerful blast of air shielded the young man from the flames while a wall of earthen rock arose to offer even further protection.

"She just tried to kill my brother!" The healer exclaimed furiously whilst she sped towards her brother's side.

And just when they thought that they had accurately defended against the soldier's assault they heard the former prince's voice ring out through the air.

Zuko was roughly thrown to the ground while he watched Zoe speed through the smoke straight for Aang!

"Aang watch out!" The former prince called out while he quickly stood up in alarm.

Another blast of airbending blew the smoke away only for the others to pale in disbelief when the merciless woman descended behind Aang.

The soldier's lips were adorning a victorious smirk while she fell upon the man's open back.

And then the sound of steel tearing through flesh resonated into the air.

With the smoke now completely cleared the foursome stared on with widened eyes to see that Zoe had savagely slashed Aang's already wounded shoulder.

The Avatar cried out in pain while he stumbled backwards all the while making eye contact with his attacker.

"She…used me to get to Aang." Sokka mumbled in a shameful manner while he punched the ground beneath him.

"You'll be dead soon enough Avatar…" Zoe spoke in Aang's unsettled ear just as a spike of earthen rock arose beneath her.

"Twinkle Toes isn't going to die! You are!" Toph shouted only for Zoe to speedily leap backwards out of the range of her attack.

Within seconds Zoe was now hanging upon the cliff side wall from her grappling hook all the while staring down at the entrapped group with calculating hazel eyes.

"Are you alright Aang! I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." The tactician cried out in a guilt-ridden voice while his sister placed her hand on his shoulder.

Katara stared up at Zoe with rising hatred in her usually kind eyes while the unflinching soldier's gaze swept over each and every one of them.

"It's not your fault Sokka. I'll be okay. But we need to come up with a plan fast." Aang assured while he grimaced with his hand on his bloodied shoulder.

"She's going after me because I'm wounded and Sokka to use us as decoys so she can slowly but surely cut away at Aang!" Zuko exclaimed while the others turned to gaze at him with shock in their eyes.

He couldn't blame them really.

It's an utterly savage tactic.

It's no wonder this woman is Azula's favorite!

The roars of the warship's engines echoed in their ears while they glanced up at it to see to their horror that it was now within range.

The vessel was lowering above them with Azula standing before the uppermost railing gazing down at them with smug golden eyes.

The Dai Li stood flanking her back in their usual stoic manner while the Imperial Guard were seen piling down the cliffside after their captain.

And right beside the princess stood the young blonde girl peering up at her master with a concerned countenance.

It just astounded those that met Elle earlier that such a kind-hearted girl would fall for such a monster like Azula.

And last but not least Mai and Ty Lee could be seen gazing down at the group with clear worry when they took notice of Zuko's bleeding shoulder.

"Azula!" The former prince hissed with clear loathing in his voice while his sister rolled her eyes down at him.

"Yes, it's me dear brother. I see you have some new friends." Azula greeted with her hands clasped behind her back while she tilted her head in a condescending manner.

"I could say the same for you except it's beyond me how you even managed to make a friend!" Zuko retorted with a scowl while he gazed up at Elle's timid face.

It pleased him to see that he managed to get under his sister's skin with the insult even if it was only a small stab.

"My friend? This girl is just a servant and nothing more." The princess sneered with a cruel countenance while she glanced down at her loyal companion.

It took great effort on the part of both of the princess's childhood friends not to roll their eyes over the blatant lie.

"Yep! There's nothing special about this one! Just a servant!" The brown-haired woman quipped with a bright smile just as she leaned over the smaller girl's shoulder all the while grinning down at her blushing friend.

Azula just turned to cast the two a half-way glare before returning her attentions down to her surrounded enemies.

The Gaang quickly stood with their backs to one another while Zoe still hung from the rope of her grappling hook.

All the while Katara held her hands over Aang's shoulder while she furrowed her brows in frustration trying her best to seal the wound shut.

Yet before she had a chance to finish, she watched in alarm when the soldiers began to pile in on all sides of the canyon.

"I commend you Zoe. You truly are a woman of your word. Not only was your information correct, so far everything has gone completely according to our plan." The princess announced with a smile while the five-some stared up at her in a suspicious manner.

Then Azula waved her hand while the Dai Li nodded in an emotionless manner before leaping over the rails of the airship.

The assassins took to landing in specified positions before slamming their hands into the earth below them.

'Just what…is Azula planning?' The former prince thought while he clenched his fists in his anger.

"How…did they get our location so easily?" Toph snarled while she held her hands before her whilst she listened to the vibrations beneath her feet.

Something…was off.

What is that the Dai Li are transporting underground?

"Princess, your brother's right arm is all but functional. And I very much doubt the waterbender has the energy to heal both him and the Avatar. The watertribe boy is a non-factor…and the waterbender is as good as neutralized. Only the Avatar and the earthbender remain a threat." The captain informed from her position with her enemies staring up at her in disbelief over her arrogance.

Yet it unnerved the group how Azula stared down at Zoe in a disturbingly sanguine manner.

There was something that she knew that they didn't!

"A non-factor! Why don't you come down here and say that to my face!" Sokka yelled out while he waved his boomerang in the air.

"Should you really be taunting her? Just a minute ago she almost killed you." The blind bandit teased while her friend glared in humiliation at her back.

"Neutralized! I haven't even been injured! You need to get your eyes checked bitch!" Katara shouted before pointing a finger up at Zoe's confident visage.

To the further unease of the group the sadistic princess began to laugh loudly above them.

Chuckling so heartily that she was holding her stomach as if she had just been told the world's greatest joke.

"I…don't like this. What does Azula know…that we don't?" Zuko pondered while he gazed at Katara's mutually concerned face before turning his eyes back to his smirking sister.

And very briefly, ever so fleetingly he met Mai's tawny gaze.

A stinging sensation of guilt began to flood through him when he saw genuine heartbreak in his once lover's eyes.

But there was no time to ponder it.

Because soon after he heard the sounds of chains clanking from high up on the warship.

"Your name…is Katara isn't it?" Zoe inquired in a brief break from her callous voice while she glanced down at the scowling woman.

Team Avatar's fears were not abated when they noticed that the young girl with Azula had turned to gaze over her shoulder at something yet unseen.

They saw Elle visibly shiver before turning away while she grasped at her arms in apparent discomfort.

Ty Lee looked almost as troubled as their younger companion and even Mai managed to flinch ever so slightly.

Something was wrong, very, very wrong.

"That's my name! What's it to you?" The healer answered with venom in her voice while the woman stared down at her shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, not much. It just so happens that I landed a special catch on my voyage back home. But why tell you…when I can show you." The captain replied in a pleased voice before springing into the air.

And then she landed over the rails of the airship before landing gracefully beside her leader.

"Explain yourself Azula! What are you planning!" Aang demanded with his staff in hand while Azula stared down at him with a cruel smirk on her lips.

"Nothing much. It just so happens that the water peasant is the most defeated of them all. Wouldn't you agree…old man?" Azula remarked to their puzzlement before gesturing behind her to Zoe leading a figure forward in heavy chains.

Then and only then did they understand.

The group stared up in horror to see a figure that three of them knew very well.

They watched him be carelessly slammed into the rails of the warship while both Katara and Sokka stared up at the sight with boundless rage in their eyes.

It was Katara's old waterbending master…Pakku!

"M-Master Pakku! What have you done to him! R-release him now!" Katara screamed out in a voice verging on tears while Zuko too stared up at the brutalized prisoner in disgust.

"I am so sorry Katara…forgive me." Pakku muttered in a hoarse voice while the five listened in rapidly rising anger.

"Quite the catch if I do say so myself. I beat him for twenty-four days Katara. And he still wouldn't break. His resolve…was really something impressive." Zoe explained with her hand cruelly holding the elderly man by his chains.

The Gaang was just stricken by the woman's utterly monstrous declaration.

"You'll pay for this! Do as Katara says! Let him go!" Aang ordered with his teeth ground together while the enemy force stood waiting for the order to attack.

"He just wouldn't yield. Not even when the guards beat him unconscious. I was beginning to think it a hopeless cause. That is…until my informant told of…a particularly juicy detail. I learned that he was Katara's instructor, as well as the one-time fiancée of her grandmother…Kanna and in a sense the grandfather of both Katara and Sokka." The captain boasted while she stared down at the enraged group.

They Gaang was horrified by just how calculating their new foe had proven to be.

"You better let him go!" The tactician roared only to watch when the soldier began to cut into the old man's throat.

"He finally broke Katara when I threatened to throw you in a trebuchet over the walls of Agna Qel'a." Zoe concluded in a malicious voice while Katara stared up at her with her blue eyes widening in shock.

Each and every one of the five-some were just astounded by how cruel Zoe was proving to be.

The statement about throwing Katara in a catapult over the city walls had Zuko's mouth agape in pure horror.

"She's efficient…I'll give her that much. You'll be glad to know Zuzu…that I now know where uncle Iroh is. Our prisoner was even kind enough to draw us a chart. I've already dispatched a fleet to dispense of him." The princess stated with a refined smile while she gazed down into her brother's now distraught golden eyes.

Now they all understood just why Pakku had apologized.

The elderly man was holding his head low in a clear show of self-contempt.

"Shut up Azula! He only did so because you threatened his granddaughter's life! We'll get him back! Just you wait!" Zuko declared with rage in his voice while Azula peered down at him unfazed.

"I said let Master Pakku go!" The healer demanded with water pouring from her flask while the soldier remained unmoving.

"Avatar! You have ten minutes to surrender! Or I will have him decapitated before your very eyes!" The captain called down with the old man hanging in her grip while the Avatar began to shake in his rising fury.

And if Zuko didn't know any better Aang was already beginning to consider handing himself over!

"Don't do it Aang! My life is not worth the world! No matter what happens…do not surrender!" The waterbending master advised with spark of renewed defiance in his eyes while the five-some stared up at him in a speechless silence.

"But…Master Pakku…we…need to get him back!" Katara exclaimed with a tear streaming down her cheek while she turned to her similarly concerned companions.

"We will." The former prince assured before placing a hand on her shoulder much to her surprise.

For the faintest of moments, the two stared into each other's eyes now more at ease with each other than they were before.

That was when Katara took Zuko aback by raising her hands to his shoulder just as she began to do what she could to quickly stop the bleeding.

With enemies surrounding them she didn't have the time to heal it completely but at the very least she had managed to heal it half-way.

"Thank you." Zuko spoke softly with genuine gratitude while Katara just nodded before returning her attention to their enemy above.

The fact Zuko was standing with another woman did not go unnoticed by Mai who just gazed away with a sliver of jealousy in her apathetic eyes.

"Listen well Zuzu…despite our differences you are my brother…and I would prefer not to watch you die. Surrender now and I will see to that you are spared any further harm." Azula spoke in her usual strict voice while the five snapped their heads up to listen carefully.

Zuko stood while he scowled up at his sister all the while sensing uncertain gazes upon his back.

Just the same, Mai and Ty Lee both were staring down at him in the hopes that he would agree.

"Just how stupid do you think I am? Even if I did wish to return. Father would have me killed." The former prince responded with a scoff while he returned his sibling's stare.

"What Father wants will soon be irrelevant. Take heart my precious brother…in a short time I will become the next Fire Lord. Once that is done it is my word over his." The princess insisted with a sage nod while the Gaang peered up in increased disbelief.

"Do you really think that Father will just cede all control to you! That won't happen Azula!" Zuko retorted only to watch his sister chuckle in yet another show of confidence.

"Oh, I assure you, it will. For the High Sage recently confirmed that I have long surpassed Father. I am now the strongest firebender on the planet." Azula announced with a broad smirk adorning her lips while Zuko's arms fell to his sides in disbelief.

And Aang too could only listen with his mouth ajar in bafflement as he clutched his staff.

If that was true, that would mean that defeating Azula now took precedence over defeating Ozai!

"You're bluffing!" The former prince snapped while his sister walked forward with her arms folded over her breasts.

"I suppose we'll just have to see…won't we?" The princess purred while she held her fingertips before her face when they began to crackle with lethal electricity.

There was a moment of tense silence while Zuko hung his head just as he seemed to briefly consider his sister's words.

"No." Zuko answered at long last while Azula stared down at him with a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

Yet Mai had expected as much.

And just like that she began to dread for her beloved's safety once more.

"What? You say no? You'd rather die?" Azula demanded with apparent anger in her voice while she now glared down at her foolish brother.

The Gaang began to relax after hearing their former enemy state his newfound allegiance much to their relief.

"My destiny is to help the Avatar restore balance to the world! And even if it wasn't. Why in Agni's name would I ever go with you Azula!" The former prince snapped with emotion boiling to the surface while his sister glanced down in a taken aback manner.

The acrobat began to flinch alongside Elle while she turned to her uncharacteristically shocked leader.

"You are an absolutely wretched person! Ever since the day I was born all you've ever done was torment me! You…you don't even give a damn about me Azula! And you think that I desire your sickening company!" Zuko bellowed with resentment in his voice while Azula's callous eyes began to narrow in a furious manner.

Even Zoe visibly winced upon hearing Zuko's venomous protests knowing all too well that it was unwise to provoke the princess's further wrath.

The princess stood with an expression of anger brewing in her hardened eyes trying her hardest to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"Ever since we were little, I've watched you torment the handmaid's and terrorize commoners just because you can! And now I hear that you've scarred two young Fire Nation girl's! You disgust me Azula! And you think that you're fit to be Fire Lord!" The former prince shouted whilst his new companions turned to him in surprise.

Even they could tell that the two siblings were about to have a bloody clash.

Ty Lee swallowed a lump that was in her throat when she caught the undeniable rage brewing in her friends' cold eyes.

She had a feeling that Azula's decision to burn those girls would come back to haunt her.

"You shut your mouth you fool! Those two brats were no innocents! They were spreading filthy rumors about me! I couldn't let such audacious disrespect go unpunished!" Azula barked with her fingers curling around her biceps while her young companion placed a shaky hand on her lower back.

Even that did little to still her foul temper.

"They were your people Azula! I don't care what they did! A Fire Lord doesn't go around burning their own!" Zuko answered with his finger pointing up at his sister's scowling face.

That was when the young girl with princess took both Zuko and especially Toph aback when her voice rang into the air.

"I hold no ill will against you Zuko…but I can't just stand here silently while you insult my princess." Elle called out in a soft voice that was barely distinct while the five stared up at her in disbelief.

They were completely floored to hear this seemingly nice girl speaking out in the sadistic woman's defense.

Even Azula herself couldn't help but turn to peer down at her companion with surprised golden eyes.

"So…let me see if I have this straight Sunshine. Crazy Princess shot us down and she intends to let Captain Bloodshed kill us all and you're worried about her being insulted? Wow. You really are head over heels." Toph snickered with her usual snark while her four companions turned to glare at her in annoyance.

It was beyond the others why their friend was so jovial with this girl that is clearly on the princess's side.

"Erm…w-well I wish you all the best of luck…it's not like I want anyone here to…eep!" The blonde-haired girl yelped with a pout when a stern hand grasped ahold of the collar of her shirt.

When Azula loomed over Elle with her lips forming a terrifying scowl the others quickly became afraid that the cruel woman was about to burn the girl.

Yet to Zuko just gazed up in astonishment when his sister failed to even so much as backhand the girl.

"Why are you wishing my enemies good fortune!" The princess growled whilst leaning over her handmaid's gulping face.

"Azula…. you should have expected as much bringing Elle to a battlefield." The brown-haired woman chided with a shake of her head.

"Well that's because they're going to need all the luck in the world when they're up against you Azula-sama! You're the best there is and I just know you'll beat them black and blue! They have almost no hope! It would be rude not to wish them well." Elle chirped with a nervous laugh while Azula loomed over her while her lips began to revert into a conceited smirk.

The acrobat sweatdropped alongside the markswoman while the Gaang barring Toph nearly fell over in anger.

The group and even Pakku were glaring at the cheery girl over the hopeless announcement.

"So…Zuko do you have any idea why this girl is on your crazy sister's side?" Sokka asked with a sliver of his usual sarcasm only for Zuko to shrug his shoulders angrily.

"Ah. Well isn't that sweet of you. Especially considering that no amount of luck will save them." Azula commented just while she removed her hand from the younger girl's shoulder.

"You said your name was Elle is that right?" The former prince questioned from where he stood beside Aang while the monk gazed up at the strange girl in a similarly taken aback manner.

"Yep! That's me! I also go by peasant, servant and tiger monkey! Me and your sister are super close! We're best of friends!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed happily while her princess stood with her arms folded over her breasts while she glared down at her with frigid golden eyes.

The girl's joyful statement took the others by even further surprise.

Zuko could only stare up at the girl with disbelief in his eyes.

He just couldn't believe it! This girl actually believed that his sister was her best friend!

Despite knowing that now was not the time to worry about someone else. He couldn't help but begin to feel terrible concern for this obviously naïve girl.

"I told you this before and I will tell you again. My sister is not your friend! Azula is absolutely vile. She doesn't have a single positive trait. Just look around you! Is anyone else happy to be in her company?" Zuko advised with an edge to his voice while Azula narrowed her eyes down at him in rapidly rising anger.

As if to prove his point even Ty Lee gazed away as if she were silently agreeing with him.

Yet before Azula could even snap at her brother her faithful servant came to her defense yet again.

"Oh! Well I can't speak for the others but I have never been happier! I have had countless chances to leave if I felt otherwise. But I don't! She takes such great care of me…there is no place that I would rather be." Elle assured with her hands grasping at the straps of her backpack while she glanced upward to meet her girlfriend's aloof gaze.

Yet again the Gaang was floored by the girl's astonishingly cheerful declaration.

And despite the acrobat's unease she couldn't resist turn to smile softly down at the younger girl.

If anyone could teach Azula about compassion. It was Elle.

That she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"All my sister does is hurt people! You do know that…don't you?" The former prince queried with his brows furrowing in confusion over the blonde's bright smile.

"I know that Azula-sama can be very cruel to people. But I have seen that she is also capable of kindness. Just when I thought I would freeze in the pouring rain…just when I began to fall into despair…I saw her standing over me. And I…am not cold anymore." The blonde-haired girl explained with a grateful smile while the princess began to glare down at her with irate golden eyes.

The acrobat could only smile in amusement while she watched her friend develop a moody scowl over her little sister telling her enemies how 'kind' she could be.

But even so the statement hit Zuko and his new companions like a bolt from his sister's lightning bending.

Not a word of that sounded like Azula at all!

"And those girls'…a few days before that they tried to set my hair on fire. And…they stole my medicine. I…couldn't breathe without it! She didn't have to…but she tracked them down for me. And while they were dangling my inhaler above my head I began to choke for air! I could have suffocated without it but then…she made them stop!" Elle continued in a passionate voice with her gentle eyes gazing down at the bewildered Zuko.

"You've said more than enough servant." The princess warned with her lips pursed in a thin line while she glared down at her pet's naïve little face.

"And then she gave it back to me and I struggled to breath no more. I tried my best to plead for her to show mercy but…she chose not to. Even though it was cruel for her to burn them. I am grateful to Azula-sama…for protecting me." The blonde-haired girl stated with her arms grasping at the sides of her robes while the Gaang stared up at her in a befuddled silence.

Another brief moment of silence passed them by while Elle's eyes flickered across the group just as she began to chew on her lip.

All the while Azula observed her with taken aback eyes to see that the girl was so devoted that she would go to such lengths to speak out in her defense.

Then to the surprise of the princess and her inner circle the younger girl began to lose her smile if only for the faintest of moments.

"So, don't you dare speak about Azula-sama as if she's a monster! Because she's not! If you're going to call her vile then the same label applies to you!" Elle shouted in a suddenly emotional voice while she frowned down at Zuko's now speechless face.

Everyone was staring at the young girl in shock over her sudden change in disposition.

And despite his best efforts Zuko couldn't help but gaze down with a returning remorse in his eyes.

What stung was the fact that he knew that Elle was not wrong.

Ty Lee's mouth was agape in amazement to see that Elle had actually gotten angry.

Even Mai had briefly lost her apathetic expression while she turned to stare at the shorter girl in complete surprise.

"I…can't believe it. This…is the first time I've seen her get angry over something that didn't involve spiders." Mai spoke in a tone of disbelief while she gazed down at her young friend's angered face.

"Calm down Elle." Ty Lee cooed with her hand on the girl's dainty shoulder.

That was when Azula began to laugh with an elegant smile now gracing her lovely features.

"Well. There you have it Zuzu. This one is loyal to me and me alone." Azula purred with a smug smirk on her features while she gazed down at her brooding brother's scowling face.

That was when Aang finally spoke up.

"No matter what they did! It still wasn't right! And as the Avatar it is my duty to bring balance to this world. To that end Azula I am taking you down! And then the Fire Lord soon after!" The Avatar announced with an expression of determination in his eyes while he stared up at the smirking princess.

"Oh please. You have no comprehension how strong I've become while you were taking your little nap. I knew that it was only a matter of time before you returned. So, I focused on honing my bending to the highest possible peak. And I didn't tell a soul. Not Zuzu. Not Mai. Not even Father and or even Ty Lee. To this end I ensured that there would be no information leak…and no counters for my new powers." The princess boasted with supreme confidence in her voice while the group stared up at her in newfound horror.

Zuko could only clench his fists with a look of fear in his eyes when he recalled the gigantic orb of lightning that his sister used earlier.

And Ty Lee couldn't help but feel amazed that Azula had put this much thought into keeping it under wraps.

"Zoe, come with me. You will be accompanying me into battle." Azula announced just as she began to walk forward with her words jarring the captain into the same.

"Understood my princess, it truly is an honor." Zoe stated with a brief bow while the two noblewomen eyed her in distaste.

"What about us Azula?" The brown-haired woman queried from where she stood beside their young companion.

"You two will remain here with this one. The less people in my way the better." The princess spoke with her usual callous stare while she observed the two as they nodded in agreement.

The acrobat more hesitantly than her fellow noblewoman.

She wanted to accompany the princess into battle but as with all things she knew well enough that Azula had a reason.

Most likely because she wanted someone to be with Elle in case the girl got hurt.

Not that Azula ever say that though.

"A-Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl began with uncertainty in her voice while she stared longingly at the tall woman's armored back.

Ever so briefly Azula halted in her step before glancing over her shoulder with her fists upon her hips.

The fact that the princess even stopped when Elle called her name was even more proof of their bond.

"What? Can't you see that I have a battle to attend to?" Azula stated strictly with her usual scowl while she observed her companion speedily scamper over to her side.

"I know…it's just that…I wanted to tell you something before you go." Elle spoke in a timid voice while Azula stared down at her with impatient golden eyes.

"Then say it." The princess commanded in an icy voice while she gazed down at her little girlfriend grasping ahold of her armor.

"Please…please be safe." The blonde-haired girl whispered in a barely perceivable voice while the princess glanced down at her with surprised golden eyes.

This was the first time in all of her life that anyone has told her to be safe.

"Your concern is unneeded. Not even the Avatar can defeat me now." Azula remarked in a sanguine voice while Elle craned her neck to meet her gaze.

"Yes. You're the best there is Azula-sama, I just know that you'll win." Elle declared with a radiant countenance while she clutched Azula's armored plating.

The teenager's declaration was a complete shock to the princess's enemies.

Zuko could only gaze up at the young girl with bewildered golden eyes.

This is the first time that he has ever heard anyone express a desire to see his sister victorious!

"Of course, I will. You see soon see for yourself that there is no other possible outcome." The princess scoffed before carefully removing her handmaid's hands from her chest.

"T-then I will await your victory Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl stammered with her eyes peering upward while the princess held onto her wrists.

The wind rushed through their hair while Azula stared down at her girlfriend with hardened golden eyes.

She stared down at the girl with a stern stare while the smaller girl blushed under her gaze.

For a fleeting moment the two stared into each other's eyes.

And the Princess of the Fire Nation almost found herself moving to kiss her young love interest upon the forehead.

Only to halt mere moments before doing so.

And with that Azula released Elle's wrists before rolling her golden eyes down at the cheerful girl.

"Whatever. Just stay out of the way." Azula snorted while coldly pushing the Elle aside before stepping past the smiling girl.

"Wakarimashita Azula-sama." Elle agreed with a warm smile on her lips while she watched Azula stride away.

The princess glanced back at the girl for a final time before turning away without so much as speaking another word.

Azula strode with her fists on her hips while Elle stood watching her walk

Once again, there were no more words that needed to be said between them.

Because their bond was far stronger than words or kisses could ever convey.

And they both knew it.

#Azula #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #femslash #ty lee avatar #mai avatar

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destinyquest · 5 years ago

Text

Trouble at the Farm: Part 3

Evening, Somewhere in the forests of the EDZ Donnie had taken lead on scouting a path through the woods. Although she had only just been Risen, she felt naturally inclined to stalk through the unfamiliar territory. It also gave her a moment to herself, and a chance to emotionally cope with the incredible and terrifying day she had just had. It seemed like just yesterday she was tending to her farm, and now she was living in some sort of nightmare. As she deftly maneuvered the forest with a low profile, she would occasionally catch glimpses of the Exo Hunter and Awoken Warlock trailing her. In spite of his smug and charismatic personality, she couldn't bring herself to trust the robot. Last she remembered, robots were best at delivering packages and making coffee; she couldn't wrap her mind around the complex consciousness that defines an Exo. Even Nil wouldn't be able to comprehend his existence, if asked. The first alien Donnie met tried to kill her, and one of them actually did. The second alien species she met, this one significantly more human in appearance, saved her life. Although he has his quirks, she felt that he was at least honest. Zulgren spoke with a matter-of-fact tone of voice that, from most men, would be grating to Donnie. Something about his personality convinced her and convinced most people who met Zulgren that he knew even more than he was saying. His tone didn't come from a place of over-confidence, rather from a staggering wealth of knowledge. Most Guardians know this personality trait of void Warlocks far too well, not all are able to stomach it. After the sun set, Donnie picked a well fortified and hidden campsite. Even though she had been extremely active all day, she realized she wasn’t feeling hungry at all. The fireteam takes shelter in the cover of an ancient oak tree, and Nil begins to pick up firewood. He seems intent on winning the trust and approval of his new fireteam and forms an awkward fire pit out of some relatively damp wood he'd found lying about. He then attempts to set a flame by rolling a twig between his hands, spinning it as it bores into another piece of wood. Donnie has been watching as Nil attempts in vain to get a fire going. "Do you need a hand there? I remember, there used to be this show called Survivor and they had to start a lot of fires- I think that method you're using isn't gonna work too well." Nil grumbles and looks at his sad pile of wood. Still crouched over the fire pit, hiding his shame, he focuses his Light into Solar energy and throws a flaming knife into the heart of his kindling. The fire pit erupts into flame as Nil jumps to his feet in a celebratory pose. "First try", he says, smugly. The team make themselves comfortable and begin to settle in for the night. Nil performs a light-hearted dance to entertain his fireteam, claiming it is a "dance of his people." Donnie recognizes it as "The Robot" dance. "Some might say this dance is offensive to robot-folk, but sometimes you just gotta please the people", Nil says feigning a noble attitude. Zulgren is not watching the performance, instead he is staring deep into the sky. His eyes are not focused on the stars, but on a point beyond the glittery veil draped over the sky. He feels a gentle breeze pulling him in this direction, to a place he cannot see, to a location farther than he can comprehend. He is the first to fall into a deep slumber, levitating slightly off the ground. Donnie takes first watch as Nil also starts to doze off. She watches as Nil flinches slightly in his sleep, his lights dimming, blinking suddenly, then dimming again. She hears distant gunfights and the constant turbulent roar of the Traveler's Shard in the distant mountains. Eventually Zulgren relieves her of her duty and she manages to get some sleep. Morning comes, and Zulgren approaches a still groggy Donnie to ask her something that has been on his mind since they'd met. "Your Light, do you know how to wield it?" "I'm sorry, my what?" "I... I recognize the Light affinity you have. When you were Risen... I think you also share a connection with the Void." "The void?" Donnie asks. She rubs her eyes as she realizes that she has still not awoken from this nightmare, and wonders if it could get any more bizarre. "Reach out your hand, Donnie. Do you feel the energy within the spaces of the atoms? Do you feel the nothingness that binds everything together?" Donnie tentatively holds out her hand, and starts to lightly wave it around. In spite of her skepticism, she does feel something: a subtle yet thick fog of magnetic energy. "Close your fist, and collapse that energy into the space within your palm", directs Zulgren. Donnie chuckles lightly, and shakes her head. Zulgren stares intently at her, with unnerving stable eye contact. Donnie realizes he is not joking, and closes her fist and begins to concentrate. A moment passes, and Zulgren senses that Donnie's faith was wavering. Her fist still clenched, she mutters, "Nothings happening..." "The Void is not just the absence of light, but also the dark. It is not the vacuum of space, it is the space without the vacuum. There is infinite distance between every atom in the air, grasp it!" Zulgren suddenly sounds more intense. Donnie lets out a soft gasp as she feels something within her fingers. Slowly, she unfolds her hand and observes a violet orb. Staring into it, she sees the midnight sky. Zulgren gives something that could resemble a smile, and says to himself, "A Nightstalker, as I thought." Donnie anxiously asks, "Uh... hey... what is that? What's in my hand? What did I do!?" "That is a void smoke bomb. Throw it." Zulgren calmly instructs her. Donnie delicately tosses the orb a few feet in front of them. As the orb touches the ground, it bursts into an impossibly opaque dark cloud. "Whoa." Donnie is dumbfounded, "I didn't know I could do that." "Now you know. Let's move." Zulgren abruptly starts walking. Dinklebot indicates (with his usual dull tone of voice) that the Whispering Falls Lost Sector is only a short walk from their campsite. They spend a brief moment burying evidence of their campsite and hasten their pace towards their objective.

Mid-Day, Whispering Falls Lost Sector The fireteam comes across a babbling brook and begin to follow it upstream. The brook grows in volume until it is a sizable river, nearly 10 feet across. By mid-day, they reach a large pool being fed by a roaring waterfall tumbling over a wide and rocky cliff-face. Donnie approaches the cliff face to inspect it. With a brief cursory glance, she turns to her companions and curtly states, "There's loot behind that waterfall." "How do you know?" asks Zulgren innocently. "Well, in video games there's always loot behind the waterfall." "Video games?" Nil asks, interested. "Oh, y'all don't...?" Alexa, Donnie's ghost, pops out excitedly, "Oh I heard about those! Used to be a source of entertainment for humans during the Golden Age. Humans used to have so much free time when they weren't fighting for their lives." Donnie frowns, as realization dawns that she will never be able to play the Dragon Age series again. She puts this upsetting thought aside and turns to properly investigate the waterfall. Peeking as close as she dared to the frothing water, she is able to confirm that there is some sort of cave entrance behind the waterfall. "See, told you." Donnie claps her hands and readies herself to climb. Taking a slight running start, she starts to grasp at the stone but is unable to grasp the slick rock and falls flat on her back. "Ouch." Donnie rubs her lower back as she stands back up, "Hey Zulgren, do you mind boosting me?" Nil has been staring nervously at the pool since they arrived at the falls, calculating it's depth and relative position to the hidden cave entrance. "Hey, uh... guys? I can't swim" admits the Exo. "What? What do you mean you can't-" Donnie starts to ask, but Nil simply points at his face with an exasperated expression. "Heavy metal doesn't float well, and, well... Yeah I can't swim. I might be able to climb in there, but if I fall then one of you better be ready to fish me out." Donnie and Zulgren ponder this unexpected setback. While they discuss alternative ways to enter the cave, Donnie notices a poorly maintained stone path leading away from the pond into the woods. "Ok, if Zulgren and I can hop in and take a peek, maybe we'll be able to help you climb in too. If that doesn't work, we might be able to explore that path and see if we find something else to help us out." The fireteam agrees on this plan of attack, and Zulgren begins to help lift Donnie into the cave. Donnie manages to crawl in, and turns around to give Zulgren a hand. The two push through the intense volume of water hammering down on them until they are both fully inside the cave. Between gasps for air, Zulgren hears a strange noise from within the cave. Unmistakable beeps and clicks: hexinary. Although he cannot understand what they are saying, he is certain there are some Fallen constructs within this cave. As he gets to his feet and his eyes adjust to the darkness, he sees the walls are lined with surveillance technology. He gestures to Donnie to be quiet, and turns his attention to a blinking Fallen control panel attached to an installment in the cave wall. Dinklebot pops out from behind him and begins to assist him in hacking the control panel to learn more about the cave and it's invisible inhabitants, but before they are able to learn anything valuable the control panel shuts off. Echoing through the cave, Zulgren hears the hexinary chatter amplify. Although the cave path disappears into darkness ahead of him, he makes out the glow of a floating construct approaching him and Donnie. The two Guardians start to inch back towards the mouth of the cave, as the floating construct enters within visible range. It is a shank, but instead of a repeater blaster assembled to it's underside, this one has a small satellite dish attached to it's head. Zulgren turns to Donnie and says one word, barely audible: "Jump." Nil is staring at the pool of water, about to summon his ghost to check on his companions, when two Guardians come bursting through the waterfall and splashing into the water below. Donnie and Zulgren swim ashore and breathlessly explain to Nil what they saw. Then, the three look to the waterfall, expecting Fallen to come bursting through. Instead, all they hear is the roar of the waterfall. "Seems the sound of the waterfall hid our escape" Zulgren notes. "Ok, we need an easier way into that cave, so that Nil can join us. Let's see where this path leads" Donnie points at the stone path she noticed earlier. The fireteam follows the path only a few yards into the woods and come across a small log-wood shack. Scratch marks line the walls near the door, and the window is shattered inward. As Donnie and Zulgren inch cautiously towards the door, they hear a heavy thud followed by scrambling from within the structure. "Oof. I'm good." Nil had attempted to dodge into the house through the shattered window... and landed on his face. "Uh, oops. This doesn't look good" says Nil. Donnie and Zulgren rush in through the front door and see Nil standing over three human bodies. Their flesh is lacerated and seared with jagged lines. Judging by the odor, their bodies have been here for a few days. Donnie gags, while Zulgren and Nil begin to inspect the bodies and the interior of the cabin. The space is quite small, barely enough space for 3 humans to live comfortably, and only enough resources to support a meager lifestyle. Zulgren finds a small steel key attached to a belt on one of the bodies, and uses it to open a large metal tackle box at the foot of one of the beds. Zulgren and Nil meet Donnie outside, who is getting some fresh air and trying to clear her mind of the grotesque scene she had just witnessed. Zulgren holds up some climbing gear he had found, and some fishing line. The gear includes more than enough rope and carabiners to help the three of them scale the wall, so they head back towards the waterfall. "Quiet, when we enter... ok?" Zulgren sternly warns his fireteam. Donnie and Nil nod and the three quickly ascend into the cave with the help of the climbing gear. The sound of the waterfall is reverberating throughout the mouth of the cave, but Zulgren can make out the distinct sound of hexinary chatter ahead of him. He signals for the other two to follow behind him as he sneaks forward. As they venture deeper into the darkness, they come across two carved cavities in the wall. Past the dark cavities, they see the path forks abruptly. Zulgren leans to peek into one of the cavities and spots the Sentry Shank that had chased them out earlier. He starts to gesture to explain the situation to the other two when another Sentry Shank appears from one of the forks ahead of them. "Ok, go!" Zulgren commands as he charges into the cavity, hand raised. Nil jumps into action and summons a dagger of solar energy. Zulgren's hand glows with violet energy and blasts the shank in front of him into atoms. Nil charges towards the fork in the path, his hand at the ready. The shank turns, and tries to move out of the way but a blade of pure solar energy carves into it's circuitry. The smoldering shank crumbles to the floor. "BOOM, nailed it!" Nil celebrates. Electronic lights suddenly begin to glow behind Nil as three more shanks suddenly become aware of intruders. Donnie notices the lights are coming from one of the forks ahead of her, and dashes with her pitchfork leading her assault. She enters into a small room and finds herself face to face with three more shanks, except these ones have blasters. Nil and Zulgren also rush in to help, and they manage to quickly dispatch two of the shanks with minimal effort. The third, realizing it's predicament begins to raise an antenna. Before it can signal an alarm, it is abruptly impaled by a pitchfork. Donnie dislodges her pitchfork, and the three Guardians freeze. The sounds of combat echoed briefly against the narrow walls of the cave and then died. Silence fell, and they could again hear the distant thunder of the waterfall coming from the entrance. As they left the small room where some shanks had been hiding, they returned to the fork in the path and inched cautiously down the other path. After a few minutes of tense sneaking through the damp and claustrophobic space, they come across a sharp bend in the path. At the crease of the bend an armored corpse is resting on the ground, with a small heap of shattered metal by its side. Nil rushes to the body and gently lifts the torso, looks at his companions, and shakes his head. Alexa appears in front of Donnie and approaches the pile of crumbled metal. Her frame seems to weigh down heavily, and her light dims temporarily. "His ghost has been destroyed. He isn't coming back." whispers Alexa, her voice wavering. "I knew him well" mutters Nil. "Oh no, I'm so sorry Nillion", Donnie can't tell if he's being serious or not. The armor is lacerated with tendrils of energy, and the helmet is severely crumpled. A hand cannon lies shattered on the opposite side of his destroyed ghost. "I can scan his- what remains of- his ghost to see what did this." Donnie nods silently at Alexa, who begins to point a beam of light at the pile of metal. After a brief moment, Alexa begins to softly play back what data she can recover. They hear the sound of the waterfall roar within the recording, and then the sound of the ghost speaking. "Leon, I don't like the look of this. We should call this in." "It's going to be fine... Fallen don't usually send high ranking officers to distant outposts like this. Besides, I've been itching to put some Dregs in the dirt." The playback is just barely able to produce the sound of wet footsteps slowing to a halt. "Did you see that?" "What? I don't think there's anything there..." "I swear, I thought I saw-" Suddenly, the sound of electricity rips through the air. They hear Leon gasp in pain, followed by a few blasts from his hand cannon. "Come out and face me you coward! Fallen scum!" Then, they hear a deep voice growl in Eliksni. "What the- AGH!" There is more gunfire, and then the sound of metal ripping through metal. "Leon!" yells a distressed ghost. The recording ends. Donnie, Zulgren, and Nil all look at one another. "Where is it." Zulgren says suddenly. "That is what the Fallen said, in the recording." They stand and Zulgren gestures towards the darker end of the cave. Nil grabs the body and hauls it over his shoulder. "Wait, what are you doing?" asks Donnie "Well, I don't want to leave his body here... seems wrong." "Oh, I guess. We could also grab him on our way out..." "It'll be fine, lets go." Donnie shrugs and accompanies Zulgren in delving deeper into the cave. As they progress, the walls begin to widen. They come into a large open room, so great in size that the far wall is completely shrouded in darkness. The only thing they can see from the other end of the room are tiny blinking lights in red and blue. Zulgren recognizes this to be from Fallen technology, and due to the near dead silence, he figures these lights do not belong to shanks. Donnie and Zulgren creep slowly towards the far side of the room while Nil falls behind slightly, encumbered by the body on his shoulders. As the far wall comes into view, Donnie and Zulgren see two large Fallen barricades; the far wall is a slightly concave feature completely stuffed with stolen goods and technology. Donnie gestures to peek around one of the barricades, and Zulgren leans up against one side. Donnie begins to sneak around one end and sees a Dreg sitting cross legged on the cave floor, sharpening its blade. Beyond this Dreg, she sees another hiding behind the other barricade. She turns around to hand-gesture at Zulgren, who nods in response. They count down, then Donnie charges out at the Dreg closest to her as Zulgren does the same. They are both able to subdue the Dregs with ease, but something catches Donnie's eye. She looks at the wall with the stolen goods, and rubs her eyes. The light is bending in strange angles, making it hard to focus on some of the objects. "Hey, Zulgren... what is-" As she turns to point at the wall, she realizes that she no longer senses the aberration. "Whoa... something weird is going on here..." Suddenly, an arc of electric energy slashes at Donnie, who yells out in pain. Nil quickly places Leon's body on the ground and draws his hand cannon. Donnie growls as she wildly swings her pitchfork in the direction of the invisible attacker. Her weapon makes contact, and for a brief moment she is able to perceive the outline of a formidable Fallen creature. Unlike the Fallen with two arms she'd faced previously, this one had four extremely large arms. Just as soon as she caught a glimpse of this creature, it disappeared. "It's a Marauder!" yells Zulgren. Nil focuses his vision in the direction of his teammates as he approaches them. He senses some unnatural light diffraction and quickly fires his hand cannon in its direction. His bullet blasts into the cave wall. Zulgren reaches out his hand in the same direction that Nil fired, and blasts as much void energy as he can muster. The violet energy from his hands explodes outward and encompasses a large Fallen creature. The Marauder stumbles backwards into a corner, its cloaking disabled from the immense damage it suddenly took. This Fallen is significantly larger than the Dregs lying at their feet, and lets out an aggressive shout at Zulgren. Nil and Donnie charge up to flank the Marauder and box them into the corner. Just as Donnie is about to lunge with her pitchfork, the Marauder disappears from view. Something large shoves between Donnie and Zulgren in the direction of the middle of the room. "Crap! Spread out!" commands Donnie. She backs away from the corner and stabs her pitchfork in the direction the Marauder dashed, but her weapon is unable to connect. Zulgren runs in the same direction and thrusts out his hand, also unable to find their assailant. Nil dashes in another direction, wildly throwing a punch at the air. Nil growls in frustration, and focuses as hard as he can in the dim light. He hears electricity crackle directly behind his neck, but is unable to react in time. A blade charged with intense arc energy tears down his back, dropping the Hunter to a kneel. Nil yells in agony as he feels the ripping pain nearly bring him to lose consciousness. "No!!" Zulgren quickly raises his pulse rifle, but is unable to hit any of his shots. Nil raises his eyes to meet Zulgrens', and though his body is still writhing from the savage attack he just took, he manages a wink. As rapid as the wink he gave Zulgren, Nillion-7 whips around while drawing his hand cannon. He falls onto his back onto the cave floor, aiming his weapon at a point 8 feet above him; he fires. The bullet penetrates under the Marauders chin with such force the creature is lifted into the air. The large Fallen creature crumples to the floor, uncloaked and dead. Nil sighs and rests his head on the rocky floor. "Nailed it." The cave is silent again, and being unable to see any other avenues for exploration, the fireteam decides to unhurriedly loot the various Fallen salvage. Donnie finds a small concrete token with a sigil inscribed on it, and a blank dog tag. Nil finds an expired ramen coupon and a brass-colored coin-sized tool. Pressing it emits a small burst of flame; he pockets it quickly. Zulgren uncovers a small marble made of an impossibly dark material, it is oddly warm to the touch. As he lifts it to inspect it closer, Donnie asks, "Whatcha got there? Find anything interesting" Zulgren quickly palms the marble, and grabs the first item at his feet. "Nothing. Just found a..." he looks at the object in his hands. It is an engram-shaped stress ball. He squeezes it. "A stress ball." Donnie nods slowly, "Ok." She sits down against the cave wall, and rests for a moment. As she watches her new companions sift through the wreckage of their conquest and feels the fatigue of combat catch up with her, she realizes this waking nightmare was not one she was going to wake up from. This was the world she lived in now, one devoid of sheep and goats and relaxed iced tea on the porch. One where a strange little robot brought her back to life twice in the same day, and where some aliens want to kill her while others want to help her. Zulgren mulls over the events of the day, absentmindedly squishing a stress ball in one palm while rolling the dark marble in the other. He could feel a mystery clawing at the back of his mind, something was not as it seemed with this mysterious new Fallen House. Although he was deep within a cave, his eyes locked onto a point far beyond the walls. He knew it was foolish to hope that he could find guidance in such a distant figure, but he wondered what she would make of all this, whether she would have figured it all out by now. Nil plays with his newfound Cabal lighter, having almost forgotten his near-mortal wounds.

#destiny2 #dnd #dnd shenanigans #dungeons and dragons #destiny #science-fiction #fantasy

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kandyrezi · 6 years ago

Text

(pitch black);

fandom: the gray garden

characters/pairings: ivlis/yosafire, satanick

summary: “whilst wandering around outside the flame castle, yosafire has a strange encounter with a jovial, otherwordly devil.” | word count: 2.7k

warnings: implied sexual harassment.

///

a red-colored sun.

there was nothing quite like that back in the gray world – a bright, shining orb in the far distance that one couldn’t quite look directly towards, lest they wanted to permanently damage their eyesight. in the flame underworld, the sun was distant, yet would one set their eyes on it, it resembled the moon a lot more, except duller in color during nighttime. but the sun never seemed to disappear, be it day or night. the sky was barren, not a single moving cloud in sight to form seamless patterns to gaze upon while laying in the grass, feeling the gentle blow of the wind through her hair, pondering which objects the individual shapes most resembled. not like she had been so used to seeing before.

yosafire felt as if she were walking in circles around the flame castle with an empty maroon-colored notebook in hand, and she likely was. not that it mattered much, since she wasn’t allowed to venture too far away from the current location. she wasn’t acquaintanced with anyone there well-enough to inquire about it either, nor did she really have any desire to do so. other than the occasional demon servants who were there to make sure she wouldn’t run too far away or cause any unneeded trouble, sometimes run a bath or feed her at the devil’s request who reside there. formal appearances and company aside, she really felt more lonely than ever.

while the heat was hardly a bother to her, she wished that the flame world didn’t look so burnt to the ground and devoid of any colorful life that would bloom together in harmony - it would’ve been nice to grow a flower garden while she was stuck there.

trying to push the thoughts of her friends back in the gray world to the back of her head, and how much they must have missed her (surely they must’ve known she was still alive and would send someone to come and get her… surely?). instead choosing to focus on a potential spot to grow an array of plants, either side of the road leading to entryway into the big castle could work, or perhaps even both, to make a distinct, vibrant in color landmark across the otherwise bleak area.

even just a select few; with enough soil, dirt, and some water, it was doable. it was warm in the flame world, but hardly any real sunlight, which would be a hassle for the plants, thought yosafire. a couple of a few messy scribbles were the first thing to appear in the notebook, an assortment of different flowers that she liked and thought would look nice near the huge mansion, scribbling their names underneath.

“ohoh, well, hello there, cutie.”

she didn’t get very far with planning out a garden or writing down any other thoughts, when a voice from behind caused her to halt in her tracks and stand still, before snapping the notebook shut.

a deep, yet chipper voice she definitely hadn’t heard before.

turning her head, getting a good look at the strange demon in front of her. he’d appeared like an unannounced silent shadow, creeping up slowly without a sound before she really got a glimpse at him. now in front of her, yosafire had to bend her neck to look up at him. she might have thought the flame devil was tall, but this guy was the size of a mountain, with long legs and daunting presence to match.

a quirk upwards of the stranger’s lips, short ebony hair framing his face, one hand behind back and other on his chin as he observed the lime-haired demon from where he stood with quite a keen interest.

“perhaps you could escort me to the flame devil’s whereabouts, hm? could you?” he asked, eyes never straying from her.

“who’re you?” yosafire blurted out instead, as if the apparent question had completely flown over her head.

the demon only kept smiling, like there was something that brought him great amusement that she was missing out on, but what exactly, it was hard to tell.

“nothing that concerns you, cutie. just be a dear and tell me where he is, will you? inside the castle behind you, perhaps?”

the small demon furrowed her brows, nose crinkling. while normally wanting to be amicable and approachable to strangers or anyone otherwordly, yosafire really did not want to seek anyone out in her current predicament; it seemed most demons here had ill intentions of a kind, or were just plain rude and aloof, hardly making her stay there any more pleasant than needed. in all honesty, she wasn’t too certain nor did she really care about said devil’s whereabouts either. the further away he was from her, the better, really.

he might have figured out the answer to his own question, yet he was still looking down at her in anticipation, like he was waiting to be amused by whatever her answer might be.

“um, i dunno where he is, really...”

the demon hummed in mild annoyance, lip twitching slightly. he brought his hand from behind him, bending and leaning towards her, cape dark as the starless sky slouched on his shoulders, the two of them now on equal eye-level, deep purple irises gazing into her soft pink colored ones, a stark contrast.

“oh, what a shame. guess i’ll have to tear apart this world piece by piece in search for him, won’t i? the longer he won’t show up, the angrier i’ll get… are you sure you don’t know where he is?”

words leaning towards borderline threatening, although the response hadn’t pleased him too much and even claimed so - the small, knowing smirk never left his expression. yosafire frowned at the peculiar demon, as he placed his hand on her shoulder, getting just a little too uncomfortably close.

“h-hey, hands off, mister!” she slapped his gloved fingers away, taking a step backwards with a glare through rose-tinted glasses, “i already said i don’t know!”

rude, and with no sense of personal space either!

the demon blinked twice in wonder, but quickly regained his composure with a slight chuckle, standing his full height again.

“my, you’re quite a feisty little rabbit, aren’t you? i’ll have you know, i do happen to have a type.”

this guy had an aura of perversion and cruelty far greater than that of ivlis, thought yosafire.

“what do you even want from him anyway?” she asked, hoping to stray from going into unwanted territory.

“hm, well, nevermind about that cockroach then right now…” brushing off her inquires, he continued on pondering with his own thoughts and ignoring her own, “say, you give off quite an otherwordly presence, like you don’t quite belong. why is that, i wonder, cutie?”

(if he couldn’t get anything out of her, then perhaps he could persuade her in some other way.)

“uhm… well...”

yosafire thought if she should tell this guy anything at all - but if he too, was from another world, like she was, perhaps he had enough power to world-jump, then he could aid her in getting her back to the gray world. even if she didn’t like the look in his whimsical purple-shaded eyes, she had to try.

“i’m not from this world, actually, uh...well, i...”

the strange demon didn’t give her time to say much, before stepping closer again and taking a lock of her green hair in between his digits, twirling it around a bit.

“that so, hm?”

despite wanting to slowly inch away from him yet again, she kept her feet planted firmly on the ground and mustered as much confidence as she could to keep her narrowed gaze on him, not allowing herself to be pushed around by this weirdo, whoever he might have been.

“since ivlis doesn’t deem you important enough to come to your aid right about now... how would you like to come back with me to my world and go sightseeing? perhaps i could even show you my mansion and get to know eachother better. i promise it’s a lot more high-class than this humid trashheap he lives in.”

whereas before it seemed more jovial, his voice had then turned more sultry and lower, giving her a mischievous wink. yosafire threw the plan into the gutter in the back of her mind. there was no way in a million years that she would ask this creep for his help to getting her back home!

before she even had the chance to refuse--

“you…!”

the demon allowed her strands of early apple-colored hair slip from his fingers, as he directed his gaze to the one behind her. yosafire could feel herself freezing up a bit as she swallowed the lump in her throat, not even needing to look, knowing full-well just from the irritable tone of voice who exactly it was approaching the both of them.

“oh, roachykins, there you are! what a coincidence, we were just talking about you moments before!”

the strange demon’s demeanor turned mirthful again at the drop of a hat.

“i was going to come visit you, but this cutie here wasn’t too keen on telling me of your whereabouts. how upsetting! i thought… maybe i should just have some fun with her instead~?”

the demon tried to extend his hand towards yosafire yet again, but she was promptly pulled backwards, feeling ivlis’ broad chest against her back. the notebook nearly falling from her hands, the demon squeaked slightly, as an arm curled protectively around her waist. she didn’t exactly feel comfortable being in his smothering grip, but knew fighting back was ultimately futile, having learned the first time the painful price she would pay for it.

The stranger demon clasped his hands together, the sound echoing slightly, “ah, so she is your pet, then! how unfair! where did a cockroach like you get such a cute loli from?! i bet you stole her. ah, where did you steal her from? hey, c’mon, tell me, don’t be stingy!”

“who are you anyway, mister?” yosafire tried asking for his name again, trying to ignore the nonsensical ramblings, wondering if maybe seeing ivlis for whatever reason he needed to see him had put him in a better mood.

ivlis didn’t seem to respond with the same enthusiasm. he didn’t seem to want to talk at all, which was unusual. usually he wouldn’t let go of any given opportunity to taunt her, or anyone else he didn’t like, it would seem.

“oh, even she’s more talkative with me than you have been for the past week.”

the tall demon took yosafire’s hand in his, with a gentle grip as he brushed his thumb over fingers, allowing him to bring her knuckles to his lips as he placed a delicate kiss on them; smirking against them while making direct eye contact with ivlis, who only scowled silently, but was otherwise unnmoving and silent. she couldn’t see him properly from where she stood, but guessed he must’ve been fuming with anger, sensing his growing bad mood.

“i’m satanick, and you best remember that. pleased to make your acquaintance, cutie. do you have a name as well, or should i just keep calling you, cutie?”

the green-haired demon’s eyes bulged wide, immediately drawing her hand back. “ew, no! ugh… just-just call me yosafire.”

yosafire could feel ivlis sink his claws into her abdomen, pulling her as close as he could, now properly pressed against him and trapped in his grasp, barely having any wiggle room left.

“well, i’m so, very terribly sorry to interrupt this heartfelt moment. should i come back for another time? when your pet is away, i’ll come back and play with you then. unless… unless, she wouldn’t mind joining in~?”

yosafire blinked, uneasily choosing her words, “play… play what? what game are you two playing?” hoping he wasn’t referring to the kind of ‘playtime’ ivlis liked to refer to when he had her pinned on his bed.

wondering briefly if her naivete before the flame invasion couldn’t correctly interpret his speech; the youthful spirit in her would have jumped at the opportunity for anything that involved a good, lighthearted game of fun. now, she was increasingly becoming more and more vary of anyone she came across, suspicious of their motives.

“feel free to take me up on that offer anytime, perhaps i could show you what kinda games we like to play then~” satanick replied, taking a few steps back.

“i’ll be back soon, roachy. don’t think i’ll be leaving you alone for long.” with a small wave and a wink, satanick turned on his heel and ventured away from the two of them, the cape that eloquently clung to his shoulders flung behind the otherwordly devil, as the two of them watched him leave.

the grip around her slowly but surely loosened and stance less guarded. hands trailing from waist to her arms, murmuring something venomous through gritted teeth, ivlis exhaled a breath he’d been holding in his lungs in an attempt to not lash out and keep steady.

then the claws were back on her in an instant.

“mr. devil…!” yosafire gasped in surprise.

he spun her around by her wrists, causing the notebook to fall from her grasp onto the ground with an audible thud, so that she was looking up at him. there was some kind of flicker in his golden eyes; they were steel and narrowed; the frustration behind them quite visible, mixed with something she hadn’t quite seen on him before. even when pervy mcshades had tried to get a little too close and friendly with her, ivlis had gotten annoyed at best, and the few threats that had followed would certainly keep the shades-wearing demon at bay.

this was… something else entirely.

“why were you talking to him?” ivlis hissed, once he was certain the other devil was out of earshot.

yosafire blinked in slight confusion, “he just came up to me and asked me about you! i didn’t know what else to do.”

maroon scaled fingers trembled slightly, but they didn’t let go of the fabric they were holding onto.

“just… stay away from him. he’s nothing but bad news and i don’t want him around you. is that clear?” he asked, sounding more like a command.

yosafire’s lip upturned uneasily, with a quirked brow, “why not? he’s a little… weird, but he can’t be any worse than you--”

“don’t.”

in a second, the fire she was setting her foot into began to burn again; she recognized the fury and cruelty on his expression as his eyes bore into her like sharp glass. yosafire could feel the pressure of his scaled fingers on her arms, digging deeper into her delicate flesh through her red sweater.

she could have sworn she saw his hair glow ever so slightly.

“m-mr. devil… please let go.”

with increasing discomfort and pain, she tried to squirm from his hold on instinct, but the grip on her was too tight, doing nothing to appease him, if not worsen his temper.

“i asked… is. that. clear?” ivlis empathized the words with distinct venom and authority in them.

“o-okay, okay, sheesh! i won’t go anywhere near him! just let go!”

pushing her delicate hands against his chest, digging the heels of her boots into the ground. his grip slowly softened again and yosafire yanked herself free a little too harshly, causing her legs to give out and fall backwards onto the ground with a yelp.

getting up quickly as she fell with a hateful glare, now filled with indignation at having her peaceful moment ruined, yosafire wasted no time in running away from him without so much as another glance back, likely to the other side of the flame castle, anything to avoid being around the devil.

not that she could escape from him forever, ivlis thought as the sound of footsteps slowly faded, and if she got too rowdy, well… nothing a few days short of being chained up and trained to be more obedient to his needs couldn’t fix.

spotting the fallen journal, or diary, forgotten on the ground next to him, ivlis picked it up it up and peered inside until he found a page with something in it. allowing himself to fall into silent thought, he couldn’t help but marvel at some of the drawings decorated with flowers – a page filled sketches of what they would look like in front of the flame castle.

the encounter with the pitch black devil had been enough to put him in a sour mood, but perhaps there might have been something that would lift it again… and someone else’s, as well.

#mogeko #funamusea #the gray garden #yosavlis #yosafire #ivlis #satanick #dsp #deep-sea prisoner #okegom #ivlis (mogeko)#yosafire (mogeko)#satanick (mogeko)#ficlets #i had a little too much fun writing this

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jokertrap-ran · 4 years ago

Photo

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Charlie’s 6✩ Inspiration: Midsummer’s Gilt [仲夏鎏金] Date Translation (END 1: Do Nothing)

“While it’s true that I don’t like attending birthday banquets, it is not in line with my personality to spend my birthday in such a low-key, simplistic, manner.”

✥ Choice: Do Nothing [都不做]

Thinking about it, I still didn’t know how to go about celebrating his birthday. In the end, I could only resort to falling back on our original plan to go to the swan lake.

There were many attractions in the scenic area, but I wasn't really into any of it, absent-mindedly going through them all. The matter of his birthday present never once left my mind.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

It was evening by the time we got back to the farmhouse. I quickly went to open my luggage, rummaging through it and contemplating if I had anything that could work as a birthday gift.

MC: This earring and this bracelet… should do the trick after slight adjustments, right?

After thinking it through, I went to look for the owner to borrow some of her tools. I removed the metal earring fittings and improvised a new re-decorated bracelet out of it.

MC: I hope he doesn't dislike it… No, if he doesn't like it, then I won't give it to him! Hmph!

I tucked the small gift away inside my bag to give it to him afterwards.

Outside the window, the moon quietly climbs to the peak of the sky. I looked out beyond, lapsing back into my thoughts.

MC: I wonder if I can make it up to him once we get back to Guangqi City…?

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

After dinner, the night gradually grew darker.

Having changed into my pyjamas, I was just about to close the windows when I suddenly heard a commotion coming from outside.

It sounded like a lot of people were gathered in one place, chattering along with the joyful cries of children.

MC: What's going on!?

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Curious, I crossed the yard and walked out of the back door. I was immediately dumbfounded the instant I opened the door.

The originally empty plain had somehow accommodated a helicopter from somewhere. Charlie was standing by the helicopter’s door with his head bowed as he adjusted his shirt collar.

There were many villagers from around the area beside him. The old, the young, the boys, the girls; some of them taking photos, some of them discussing within their midst.

Little Boy: Big bro, do you really mean what you said earlier?

Charlie: But of course; I never lie.

Little Girl: Wow! I'm gonna get dad to bring me to a good spot right now!

Little Boy: Wait a minute, me too!

Suddenly, I can’t help but have a very bad feeling about this new turn of events. I subconsciously turned to flee.

Charlie: I haven't even gone looking for you yet, and here you are.

Charlie: Looks like we truly have an affinity with each other.

A big hand lands on my shoulder, making me unwittingly turn around only to face his triumphant expression.

MC: And what are you trying to pull again? What's with this helicopter here?

Charlie: I'm going to take you for a spin.

MC: ……

MC: I'm going to bed. Good night.

I turned to leave again, but the same hand landed on my shoulder once more, this time backed with an irrefutable strength as he dragged me up into the helicopter.

Ten minutes later.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Chuf, chuf, chuf.

The sound of the helicopter’s propeller reverberated in my ears. I’d eventually given up struggling against him; and now, I sat next to him blankly, decked in pyjamas and slippers.

Charlie: Why so quiet? Are you scared of heights?

MC: Har, har, very funny. Just think of it as me being sleepy.

Charlie: Then, you’d do well to wake up; because what’s coming up next is something worth remembering for a lifetime.

MC: ...What?

Charlie: I did give my birthday some serious thought.

Charlie: While it’s true that I don’t like attending birthday banquets, it is not in line with my personality to spend my birthday in such a low-key, simplistic, manner.

MC: ……

Charlie: Plus, my fiancée worked so hard to prepare so many surprises for me. So, I have to give her a gift in return, won’t you say?

He’d only just said that when a loud bang sounded from outside the window.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I saw fireworks blooming behind him, suddenly lighting up the night sky, as well as the hand that Charlie had started to reach out towards me.

My eyes widened in surprise. I'd totally forgotten that reactions were a thing. And that was how Charlie had pulled me over to admire the scenery outside the window together.

And that was how the gorgeous fireworks bloomed seemingly near, yet far. It was almost as if one could simply reach out and touch them.

I couldn't help but raise my hand, pressing it against the glass window and fixing my eyes firmly to the fireworks blooming outside.

Charlie: What? So moved that you could cry?

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Charlie's voice snapped me out of my reverie. I glanced at the handkerchief that held out before me and turned away with a huff.

MC: Thanks, but I’m not that easily moved.

MC: And these fireworks… It’s really beautiful, but please don’t do such overly exaggerated things in the future.

Charlie: So you're already contemplating how to celebrate my future birthdays?

MC: I'm not…

My eyes dilated in rage, yet the flicker of flames died out the moment I raised my head.

Reflected within those twin violet orbs of his were the flashing lights of the fireworks… and two little reflections of me.

MC: Let's leave the stuff next year… to next year.

Charlie: Don't worry, you can have it every year.

The fireworks outside the window continued. Looking at the magnificent splendour outside, I suddenly remembered that I didn't exactly wish him a "happy birthday" yet.

MC: Charlie.

Charlie: Hm?

MC: Happy birthday.

Charlie: Thank you.

This might actually be the first time that he has ever seriously thanked me for anything before.

My heart squeezed, immediately starting to race soon after. There was no longer any way to hide it.

MC: And there's something else I want to tell you…

MC: Actually, I wouldn't have known that it was your birthday today if you didn't mistakenly think that I was making "longevity noodles".

MC: I only agreed to go on a trip with you because I didn't want to owe you any favours.

MC: And… I only decided to come here to this rural countryside to spite you because I knew that you'd be uncomfortable with it.

MC: And I didn't prepare anything in advance as your birthday gift either...

I paused, not knowing how to continue. However, it was Charlie who carried on with the conversation, much to my surprise.

Charlie: So?

MC: So… Aren't you angry?

MC: I clearly lied to you, in a way.

Charlie: My fiancée has been pondering hard and busying about like a busy bee today to celebrate my birthday.

Charlie: I don't think there's anything to be mad about.

I was stunned. For a moment, I didn't quite know how to reply to him. All I registered was the soft thud of my heart as it skipped a beat.

MC: ...I really don't understand you sometimes.

Charlie: Then, I suppose you'll have to put in more effort to understand me. After all, I can already understand you like the back of my hand.

Charlie: You can just tell me if you need help. I'll get someone to collate my information and send it to you in a file.

MC: No need!

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

I softly snorted, turning around to continue admiring the fireworks outside the window.

Even though I knew clearer than anyone else, deep down in my heart, that fireworks were nought but merely a fleeting moment of brilliance…

I still can't help but hope…

To hope that everything would be etched into stone, preserved forever and evermore.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

✥ Choose another Ending:

END 1 | Choice: Do Nothing [都不做]

END 2 + 3 | Choice: Approach [亲近] ⊹Touch⊹

END 4 | Choice: Listen [倾听] ❖ASMR

END 5 + 6 | Choice: Heart-throb [心动] ✩Light & Night★

❖☆————— ⊹ For Night, For Paradox⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: Prologue

#光与夜之恋 #Light and Night #Otome #Translations #Tencent #查理苏 #Charlie #For Night For Paradox #仲夏鎏金 #Midsummers Gilt

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wannawrite · 7 years ago

Text

sweet crazy love [ pt.1 ]

who?: Wanna One’s Ong Seongwoo genre: 🌸🌺 type: bullet point - bc fic would be too long so I broke this into smaller parts TW: blood, biting, fights, mention of PTSD, depression and psychiatry, supernatural experimentation - poison

blog navigator. part one / two

part two

vamp! AU

experiments don’t always work out.... and when they don’t, they go to the psychiatrist

that sounds dark already ^ it gets better, I promise! please do not read if this is triggering!!! thank you for requesting this anon, aha you asked twice/two anons, so cute sorry I’m never on here anymore :( this week was rough and next week, I have tests all week until CNY.

- Admin L

disclaimer: pictures used do not belong to me and credit goes to their original owners.

everything written here is purely fictional.

you never found out why there was always this boy who would glare at you with the most menacing eyes from across the hall

behind his locker in the hallway

in the cafeteria

across the hall when your paths crossed

from his seat in a classroom, you were merely walking by

his eyes held such fire and flames it seemed like they were going to roast you alive

sadly, you never got a name or a reason

all you knew was how his face looked like and he was downright gorgeous

even when he looked like he had -4 hours of sleep every day without fail, with those purple and bruised eye bags forming under his inky black orbs

he always seemed to be thirsty, running his tongue over plump lips, a finger toying with his bottom lip, yearning for a drink

but you never knew what

honestly, it did bug you from time to time since he kept glaring but never confronted you on anything

besides, whenever you moved to talk to him, he would only vanish into thin air, as if he was never there in the first place

however, he would be seen drinking chocolate milk with his best friends a while later

you just figured you probably punched his nose in kindergarten, never apologised, he never forgave you and that’s why he held such a huge grudge against you

he also tried to avoid you at all costs, at least it was good that there were no joint classes

how childish, you often thought. It’s high school, he should grow up a little

if he is mad at me, shouldn’t he at least try to talk it out instead of just glaring at me all the time? I can’t exactly read his damn mind

well,,, he could

the years wore on like that, as in, you ignoring his icy stares and trying not to be bothered by them. Seongwoo continued to slink in the shadows, keeping a low profile

in fact, he became a prominent factor in your life. Your friends even nicknamed him.

you wondered how this mysterious brooding bad boy constantly hung out with Hwang Minhyun, the school’s beloved prince

in fact, that guy was the only best friend Minhyun seemed to have from high school

you rarely saw that guy at school functions, maybe once or twice at the homecoming game but never at dances or anniversaries. You figured he wasn’t one for those

Senior year changed a couple of things...

you had a study period in the study hall with him. Curiosity piqued in you

but contrary to your expectations, the mystery boy seemed to dwell in darker ends of the study hall, plugging into his own music and diligently taking his own notes in black ink

he paid no attention to the world around him, absorbed in his textbooks

you started to realise as the days passed, he seemed more beat up than the previous day

physically

the bruises framing his eyes darker and he seemed exhausted of all energy.

He wore long-sleeved sweaters, you wondered what he was hiding

your classmate seemed more quiet, sticking only to himself, he seemed more wary of others

however, that only lasted for a week before he returned to his usual self, chatting with his friends and sipping more strange looking juice boxes that didn’t resemble his typical chocolate milk

but who were you to judge? And since when did you ever pay so much attention to detail?

were you intrigued by him?

you shuddered and spun away, forcing yourself to tune in to other, more relevant things

finally, graduation rolled around the corner

Ong Seongwoo

you caught his name from the roll call don’t judge

he was just too SECRETIVE otherwise

even with his name, there wasn’t much you deduced from the school gossip realm

he just drank peculiar coloured juices to ‘keep his skin youthful and preserve his clear skin’

Seongwoo N E V E R left the safety of a building into the sun without slathering on an unholy amount of specialised sunscreen

if he had PE that day, he would bring two different types of nutritional juice and only shares his f&b with Minhyun

no one dared to get close to him

or rather, he was just too problematic to get close to

it appeared he only appreciated his friends he had known since diaper days and that everyone else had to go through a selection to enter his circle

okay so graduation

it’s one of the most exciting days in your life and you couldn’t be gladder to graduate with a 4.0GPA

also, you’re determined to fix things with Seongwoo on the very last day of school, might as well right?

right after the valedictorian’s - minhyun - speech, you scan the hall to find Seongwoo as the closing speech is given by your principal

he’s there in his seat

the speech ends, you’re out of your chair, moving through the crowd of students throwing caps to where he was seated

but he isn’t there,,, not anymore at least

the girl beside him said he just took off, along with Minhyun

before you can register what happened, your feet take your along a corridor, maybe down a couple of flights of stairs

right to the old lacrosse locker room which was under construction works

why the hell would you walk here? you don’t even know where it is by memory

perhaps because you could hear two roaring voices, one calm and collected while the other panicked and raging

‘calm down, you need to get your shit together Seongwoo. Breathe!’ Minhyun instructs, a growl in his tone

pressing an ear against the door, all you hear are strangled cries from Seongwoo

you wonder if you should call the police

‘CONTROL YOURSELF SEONGWOO!’

yup, that doesn’t sound shady at all

‘the side effects have been getting worse....’ you hear Minhyun mutter to himself, a rustle of plastic or paper following suit

the shower runs, someone seems to be spamming the knobs. All grows quiet.

you don’t even realise you’re holding your breath until you release it

now

you burst into the room, ignoring the red warning tape, ripping it away to fall at your feet. Your phone was already ringing, the police on the other side

The room was empty, despite all the yelling you heard, making your heart complete somersaults as realisation sets in

were you imagining things?

hammers knock nails into your head as you try to comprehend whatever had happened

there’s nowhere to hide, yet no other door to escape out of, you can’t believe two of your batch mates have just vanished into thin air

choking out a chuckle of disbelief, shaking fingers turn the call off, one hand covers your mouth as you slowly back away from the two graduation gowns and caps were strewn on the floor, blood staining both of them

well...no one knows exactly what happened that day because when the cleaner discovered it, it was too late to identify anyone by then

only you knew the real answers

but honestly, time wore on and you became much busier in college, whatever happened to your batch mates wasn’t your concern anymore

you just couldn’t afford any time to care or ponder about it

yes, you wondered and dreamed about the possibilities but most of your time was spent studying hard, medicine majors can’t afford sleep

all you wanted to work as since you were little was a psychiatrist especially since your father was a scientist, specialising in biological sciences

you wanted to follow in his footsteps and join the scientist life

your father often joked that you and him would be the greatest scientists in the world someday, him as a biologist and you as a psychiatrist

and that was your real motivation, you genuinely wanted to achieve that seemingly far-fetched dream

your parents were supportive, your professor sort of favoured you, your college was Ivy League...what else could you want?

life was perfect

until one day...a Friday morning, which meant morning coffee and cake run with your roommates

that day, it also meant encountering people you never once thought you would see again

Hwang Minhyun and Ong Seongwoo

they clearly didn’t resemble the pesky 18-year-olds you remembered but they looked like elegant, poised and well-refined college upperclassmen

certainly, they dressed the part

Minhyun was wearing a sleek black turtleneck sweater paired with camel coloured slacks, draped over his chair was a classy caramel and tartan blend of a Burberry trench

his coffee was Americano, his shoes embossed with the Louboutin stamp and a pair of thin circular framed spectacles rested on the bridge of his nose

wow

is that really Hwang Minhyun?

you kinda saw his style coming anyway lol

but then, is that Ong Seongwoo sitting across from him?

Seongwoo had changed

okay he still kept his bad boy, had -2 hours of sleep for 3 decades look but there was a different aura around him now

he looked...dare you say it, attractively stylish

his dark hair was swept into boyish bangs, just passing his eyebrows, it looked thick and silky.

Seongwoo wore an oversized grey flannel which he tucked into dark wash skinny jeans with rips at the knees.

To finish the look, he wore a pair of polished white sneakers

yes, I’m talking about the look from ‘Beautiful’ photos mhm

in his grip, was a familiar packet; he still drank the same juice since high school

some things just don’t change

cute

WAIT NO NOT CUTE REMEMBER HE’S THE BOY WHO HATED YOUR GUTS AND YOU STILL DON’T KNOW WHY

AND HE ALSO MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED THROUGH THE RENOVATING LOCKER ROOM ON GRADUATION DAY

SHADY

QUICK LOOK AWAY BEFORE HE SEES YOU

hastily, you place your order and join your friends at the table, trying to blend yourself in with the bubbling chatter, a distraction from the two people seated by the window

...awkward...

mhm but you had really exciting news to break to your friends

‘you’re awfully quiet today,’ your best friend pointed out. ‘Are you hiding something?’

yes

‘nah...I just have news to break to you guys,’ you said, trying to seem nonchalant

but it is true that you have amazing news to break!!!

‘tell us!’ your friends chorus excitedly, eager to find out

on the opposite side of the cafe, both Minhyun and Seongwoo have taken notice of your presence

Minhyun chuckles. ‘Remember when we were 118, our graduation? You freaking out and succumbing to the side effects? Good times.’

‘good times my ass, I lost my graduation gown and cap!’ Seongwoo whines. ‘My mum was making a collection of all our graduation gowns. I think she’s still holding a grudge at me.’

Minhyun cleared his throat and lowered his voice. ‘Your family still doesn’t know about...it...right?’

Seongwoo shakes his head and his friend sighs.

‘you know how much I hate it! Why can’t you just go to the authorities about this! It’s putting your life in danger and I hate seeing you hurt all the time!’ Minhyun sighs. He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a long sip of his coffee

Seongwoo wrinkled his nose. ‘You know what will happen if I don’t show up for even one session. It’s happened before.’

Seongwoo finds himself tuning into your conversation instead of engaging with his friend

okay let’s be honest, he’s never really liked you

‘you need real help, Seongwoo. You really think drinking all these plasma juice boxes are going to make a difference? Are all these helping you one bit?’

‘I can’t take blood bags because of the injections you know it,’ Seongwoo retorted. He was only half-heartedly paying attention to his friend and he was straining his supernatural hearing to listen to your conversation

‘Exactly! Stop the process, take real blood so your body can survive and I’ll get help from a psychiatrist. Seongwoo, this can make everything better.’

‘I’m going to be an interning at Dr. Im’s clinic!’ you announced happily, gaining gasps and congratulations from your friends.

huh...good for them. Looks like they’re following their father’s footsteps into science and medicine. Notable.

he gave you a side glance, noticing how much more good-looking you had become

hmm

Seongwoo felt colour slowing draining from his face. He quickly stabbed a straw into yet another plasma juice box

was he angry? was he disappointed? was he glad? he didn’t know either

perhaps just slightly stupefied, stunned......

he never imagined Doctor’s so-called ‘work’ would continue, would ever become anything

a pair of fangs began to protrude, his temper began to flare

what? how many more of us are they going to take? no, I must stop them

‘Seongwoo helloooooo’

I have to protect my family at all costs

‘SEONGWOO!’

the impact of Minhyun’s fist on the table made Seongwoo snap out of his angry thoughts. It also caused time to freeze as curious customers peered round to have a glance

the table now had a small crack forming in its wood

blushing, Minhyun briefly apologised, downed the remainder of his coffee in a shot before grabbing Seongwoo’s arm and dragging him out

what a scene, you thought

deep down you wondered when you would see them next

probably on campus somewhere,,, but with your new internship and all, you would be increasingly busy

there just wasn’t time to think about those kinds of irrelevant subjects

there was no time to waste on thoughts of Ong Seongwoo

crazy

I’m going crazy right now

week two of the internship was definitely not treating you the best

sorry, this part may not be so accurate

all you did for week one was sit at the reception, drop by the lab a couple of times, restock medication and occasionally, bring coffee in for Dr Im

honestly, you wanted to see patients or watch a session but those were all private and personal

it was just you and the medicines for a bit :\

suddenly, Dr Im marches into the supply closet, court shoes, sparkling white coat and all. She smiles, handing you a clipboard and a form

‘There’s a new client today coming for consultation. I spoke to him and surprisingly, he agreed to let my dear trainee sit in. As long as you sign this protection of personal data form, you’re welcome to join this time,’ she explains

OH MY GOSH

what you’ve always wanted :”)

WHY ISN’T IT 8PM YET

why did he have to book the latest time slot what the hell there wasn’t anyone in the 5.30pm one how dare you make me wait 12 hours

but you get yourself a coffee and tell yourself to suck it up

at precisely 8pm, two well-dressed and tall men walk into the posh and pristine office

you don’t realise who it is until you emerge from the medicine storage room just in time to see one of the guys remove his black mask

Ong Seongwoo

>:(

luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice you yet. He and - supposedly - Minhyun turn in the direction of the waiting area

they look out of place in their dark coats and masks. It’s a stark contrast from the white and grey interior, maybe a vase of pinky-white lilies sitting on a counter

or a few paintings of scenery in sand coloured frames

someone like Ong Seongwoo doesn’t belong here

you wonder what problems he could even face.....

the second Seongwoo stepped into the room and sensed your presence, he wanted to turn around and storm right out

getting help was Minhyun’s idea and when he said he knew of a psychiatrist that was fine with the supernatural, he placed his life in Minhyun’s hands

clearly, it was the wrong choice

but he had to keep cool and wait for his best friend’s real intentions to be made clear

his best friend was sacrificing him to Doctor, he had no doubt about that right now

you were Doctor’s child and also training in the field of science and medicine

...Minhyun had a lot of explaining to do later on

the shock was written all over Seongwoo’s face when you sat next to Dr Im during the consult, taking notes and all

so, the intern was you

throughout the session, you genuinely wondered why Seongwoo would be here

there was a section that you were asked to step out for a second and your best guess that it was an extremely sensitive matter

somehow,,, you wanted to help Seongwoo

isn’t that why you were a doctor anyway?

even if he despised you, you wanted to help him so badly

he left unscathed, that was astonishing to him too

when interrogated, Minhyun seemed to have 0 knowledge of your existence and that you were related to Doctor

‘I-I’m so s-sorry. I really had no clue,’ he choked out, holding back a sob

Seongwoo brushed it off, believing and forgiving his best friend

‘how are things with Jaehwan? More roommate trouble?’

‘ugh, don’t remind me. He keeps teasing me about my crush on our neighbour.’

laughter resounded on the drive back to their dorms

all was back to normal

but both your lives wouldn’t be

Doctor: 1.45am. Usual place. Don’t be late

‘Dr Im, if you don’t mind me asking, what was your diagnosis?’ you questioned carefully, afraid of setting off an explosion of fuming fireworks

Dr Im sighed, she pressed her hand to her forehead. ‘He’s a difficult one if I’m honest. However, my brain is telling me it’s PTSD or depression, worse case scenario and it could be both.’

I’m not an expert on both even though I did research so I’m sorry if there are any inaccuracies, I tried to exclude it for the majority of the work

you kept silent, the information unable to fully sink into your mind.

Ong Seongwoo? PTSD? Depression?

was it related to whatever happened at graduation? Was he struggling then? Is he losing hope now?

he was never my friend, your mind indicates, why am I so worried? Why am I freaking out over this? He’s hated me all this while, yet I’m so concerned

I’m becoming a lunatic

‘Dr Im,’ you call out meekly

‘hmm?’ She hums in response, still scribbling words down on her writing pad

you swallow hard, throat closing at the thought of saying your next words

‘you’ll do your best to help him right? Seongwoo would be okay? Would he?’

her pen pauses for a prolonged period as if that question required an extensive amount of consideration to answer

Dr Im nibbles on her bottom lip, nervously, you note

‘yes. Seongwoo will be just fine.’

Doctor: No blood, just plasma.

......to be continued

#wanna one #produce 101 #wanna one scenarios #produce 101 scenarios #ong seongwoo

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