#rei was like this when she saw kaoru for the first time but kaoru is like sorry i dont drink human blood winks

[ureithral]

AU where kaoru is a vampire and rei is a human damsel in distress who’s in love with a certain vampire

Read tags…

[aeoki]

Swing Night - The Two, Divided: Chapter 1

Characters: Adonis, Kouga, Kaoru & Rei

TL Note:

For those who don’t know, this is a direct reference to Kouga’s first meeting with Anzu in the Enstars! main story.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< The next day. >

Kouga: Ugh… I think I’m gonna go crazy…

Kaoru: Oh, this is rare. You’re giving up already, Kouga-kun?

Rei: You’re more of a coward than I’d expected.

Adonis: You can do it, Oogami. You’ve overcome all the obstacles that have blocked your way so far – you’re the coolest man there is, right?

Kouga: Oh, shut up~! This ain’t ‘bout me being a coward!

I just don’t get it! Why do I have to watch all these stupid romance dramas and flicks!?

I’m seriously not interested in this stuff!

Rei: Isn’t it precisely because you have no interest that you should watch and study them?

Although, I am rather sleepy now… Hasumi-kun would pester me to watch the same anime show with him when we were children. I remember watching those episodes while listening to his commentary beside me.

Being made to watch a movie you have no interest in is in itself a form of torture, isn’t it?

But this is necessary in order to help Adonis-kun. Isn’t that what we all agreed to do?

Kaoru: Yeah. We’re learning the types of men that are well-liked and the ones that are disliked to get Urania-chan to call off the engagement.

Kouga: I know that! But I can’t watch this stuff, alright!?

I wanna watch an action flick where the main character’s gettin’ chased by the antagonist and there’s guns being fired off!

Rei: Think of it this way, Kouga: The tactics used in making someone fall in love with you is similar to a car action sequence or a gunfight.

See? The main character’s rival in love was just killed with a bullet of justice – a bullet of love ♪

Kouga: I see. I guess I can enjoy romantic movies the same way then…

Yeah, right! I don’t have that great of an imagination!

Rei: Hmm. Well, if you can come up with the quickest way that will make Urania-chan call off the engagement, then I suppose we could put an end to this, Kouga?

Kouga: The quickest way to get her to call off the engagement…?

…………

Step on her face the first time you meet her[⁎]?

Kaoru: Wow, that’s the worst. Seriously, don’t, okay? That’d be a real accident.

Rei: I’m sure there are women in this world who like men with bad behaviour, but those men aren’t even considered human at that point.

Adonis: I think you’re always honest and correct, Oogami. But I cannot understand that idea. One shouldn’t be violent towards the weak.

Kouga: I–I know! I already regret doing that! You guys were the ones who asked me for the quickest way, dammit!

Rei: So you were aware you were disliked by Young Lady Anzu?

Kouga: She’d put her guard up every time she saw my face, ya know. I felt pretty intimidated too.

Kaoru: Intimidated? That’s how you viewed your communication with a cute girl? That’s just the worst, no matter how you look at it.

Kouga: Just shut up~!

Rei: In any case, deepening our knowledge by watching romance movies should definitely come in handy later.

Adonis: ? What do you mean?

Rei: I received the batch of questions for our magazine interview the other day, but…

One of the questions was “Please tell us about your first love.”

Kaoru: Oh, right. It’s a magazine for female readers, so there’s bound to be questions about romance and the type of girl we like, huh.

Rei: Indeed. After all, love stories will always be exciting no matter what country you’re from. I think they had rather good questions and it was plenty to fill the magazine page.

But I think questions that ask us about actual experiences are not good questions, so I’m thinking of rejecting those sorts of questions.

Kouga: Questions askin’ about our “first love” and whatnot are so frickin’ annoyin’, but I don’t get why you think those aren’t good questions.

Rei: Well, it’s obvious. If we answer truthfully, then our unit’s image will just go down the drain.

Adonis: Sakuma-senpai, the reason you have misgivings on the topic of “first love”... is it because you think we wouldn’t be able to answer it?

Rei: Indeed. That’s exactly so!

Think about when you’ll need to answer these questions on the fly.

I figured if you watched romance movies and dramas beforehand, you’d be able to use that knowledge to put an entertaining twist on your stories and experiences that may be otherwise lacking.

It makes sense as Kouga and Adonis-kun are both children, but it’d also be pretty bad if Kaoru-kun were to get stuck with an answer, right…? Considering his image as an idol is one of a playboy.

Kaoru: I–I can come up with an answer or two!

The question is asking about our “first love”, right? I don’t think my answer would be what people are expecting, though.

First loves are more bittersweet and fantasy-like, right!?

Rei: An excuse, I see. You also said that at the speed of light.

Kouga: No one sees you as a playboy who switches girls like they’re shoes or somethin’, Hakaze-senpai.

Kaoru: Ugh… Talking about love and romance is what I’m supposed to be good at, though…!

Rei: Well, there’s no need to be completely honest. We’re idols unlike those whose image is all about honesty and the truth.

Plus, when idols talk about their first love and romance in general, it’s just gossip. They should be treated as entertaining memories.

Kaoru: I guess. In the worst-case scenario, I can always just make up a harmless story that’s based on a movie.

I bet Adonis-kun and Kouga-kun would hate doing that, though. Lies can be convenient at times, you know?

Sometimes, kind lies that won’t hurt anyone are better than the cruel truth.

I also don’t think the people watching us see us as people who are 100% showing our true selves, either.

We hide our true faces and selves with makeup and beautiful embellishments.

No, that’s what it means to be an idol.

Rei: Naturally, not everything we do show is fake or a lie. Making adjustments as necessary is important – show what needs to be shown and hide what needs to be hidden…

This sounds rather silly, but it’s an extremely delicate issue when it comes to idols. 

Talking about love may not seem significant, but it actually is.

Kouga: Ugh, this is so annoyin’. I ain’t great at being that thoughtful, and I hate it too!

I’m always showin’ people what I’m really like!

Rei: Kouga, you may feel you can still be loved if you do that, but you still need to be thoughtful on a minimum scale. That’s what I’m trying to say.

That’s one of the conclusions reached by the people who are even more well-versed in romance than us – in a way, you could say that’s one correct answer.

Therefore, Kouga, you’ll need this knowledge in the future, so be sure to keep watching the movie with no complaints.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[booksandchainmail]

oniisama e, episode 10

I really like Kaoru's outfit here (white undershirt, orange buttondown open most of the way, yellow suit jacket), the way the collars overlap is nice. Everyone in this show is very noodley, but this outfit does a good job of emphasizing her shoulders and giving a triangular silhouette.

When Mariko says "I will not eat" it's a bit forceful but mostly low and quiet, which for some reasons the subtitles have decided to render in ALL CAPS

Nanako's family/home life is remarkably stable, given the genre and various reveals.

Kaoru is back in her normal jumpsuit and turtleneck combo, which tbh I don't think really works

I do like that Kaoru's first idea when angry at someone is just to pick them up

oh gods but jealousy and bullying like Nanako's been getting over being seen with kaoru could fuck mariko up, especially since she was seen breaking down. Though actually, getting public envy might perk her back up, in a very "making her worse" kind of way

love Rei just napping on the roof. Girl was born to not participate in school activities

I was going to joke about Miya having the power to show up whenever it would be most dramatic, but actually everyone in this show can do that

I have no idea what the fucks going on with Rei and Miya. Rei looked almost hypnotized, standing at the edge like she couldn't help but step towards Miya, fly over and fall into her. And then when she snapped out of it and recovered Miya smirked? laughed? a bit. And I can't tell if that's like amusement at the drama level, or she saw it as a stunt, or enjoyment that she has that much power over Rei

Mariko makes up for Rei deflating the drama (not falling) by immediately keeling over herself

Not great that Mariko's mother is putting "forgive her or she dies" on Nanako's shoulders, but also I get it, her daughter is in serious danger

Ok, so Mariko wanting to not put pressure on Nanako to forgive her is a genuinely sweet and responsible decision, she just decided to demonstrate by staring silently at Nanako all the time, which crossed back over into creepy

Kaoru: well, we are past the health crisis and back into the dyke drama, so my role in this is done

[sea-of-dust]

ITS YA BIRTHDAY

Summary: Reis birthday came around! What did you get her or more importantly...what does she want to do with you?

Notes: yall thought I would miss today 😾. I gotta feed the homies that even read this. This is the only person you guys are ever gonna see me write a one-shot for alright 😾. Don't get used to this. It's implied y/n has a hobby for arts and crafts.

"Happy Birthday Rei!" All of Raise A Sulien shout while practicing. Rei turns around Happy that they remembered. "thank you". They show her the presents they got her and decided to throw a small party after practice. Masking took pictures with them all covered in frosting and animal headbands. By afternoon she was greeted by Tae playing the song they wrote together. "Happy birthday Rei" she smiles playing the song on her guitar while chatting with her. They walked around the city Tae paying all expenses the two decided to walk home together parting ways on Tae's block. As soon as she gets home, she sees you focused on a box on the table. "REI!" You nearly jump out of your chair as if you were startled. "Hey-" she looks at you then looks over at the box on the table. "Well have that later" You kiss her cheek. "right after you tell me about your day" "It was pretty fun" she smiles unwrapping the gift you got her. She peels back the ribbon revealing a blanket you made yourself. Not only that but a gift card to one of her favorite cafes. "Figured since you love their coffee so much" Rei gets up from her chair and hugs you. "Happy birthday". "I already know how im gonna use it" "oh?" You get up as she leads you toward the couch her signaling to lay on her. "Are...are you sure?" You stand over her flustered as she gestures for you to lay down. As you do she covers you and her in the blanket. There's silence between you two but you could hear your heart beat quicken. Being this close to Rei could certainly make someone kick the bucket. She turns on the TV and picks out a movie you both liked and put it on. You two talking in between scenes. "Why does he never put his shoes on the right way..." "he's five" "yea but still" later on in the movie "just say you like her~" you groan. You feel her move her arm wrapping around you. She looks down kissing you're forehead. "Rei-" "learned from this movie that you should always make the first move~" "you..." You couldn't look at her. She always found you adorable whenever she flustered you. You hoped the movie never finished. You wanted to stay by her the whole night. Luckily for you so did Rei, as soon as the movie ends she asks if you wanna watch another despite how sleepy you were. "Lets do another!!" She giggles softly "where'd this sudden energy come from" "Lets do another!" With slightly less energy this time. She puts on another, you and her making small comments in between. "Oh my dearest Angeline let us run as far as the wind!" "He reminds me of Kaoru" "Now that you mention it yea..." You try to get up when she holds you down "Where do you think you're going?" "I forgot one last thing Rei" You run to her room "dammit I left it here somewhere" You hear the door open behind you "Did ya-" She had the blink a few times trying to register what she saw. You holding Two small dolls in your hands. "My last present" you look away presenting them to her. One of you one of her. She looks away blushing for a few seconds then takes the two dolls putting the on her dresser. "Y/n" she holds both your hands "You really know how to make someone's heart flutter don't you" you couldn't respond as she leaned in to kiss you. Her lips are soft yet her hands are rough. She pulls away smiling. "Rei-" Her smile was so bright. "I'll text your parents you'll be staying at my place for the night get some rest" She closes the door behind her. You get a text from Masuki. She sent you the pictures of earlier that day. "We saved cake for you if ya want it!" You replied to her and set your phone up to charge before passing out on Rei's bed. Rei came back into the room seeing you asleep. "Didn't have the energy to go under the covers huh" not wanting to disturb you she laid on top of the covers as well with the blanket you made her. You feel her hug around your waist "Good night" she softly whispers into your ear.

[kamyru]

I posted 292 times in 2022

That's 139 more posts than 2021!

278 posts created (95%)

14 posts reblogged (5%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lovelovecorner

@kamyru

@times-muse-immemorial

@sterkeyra

@hifftn

I tagged 291 of my posts in 2022

#voltage inc - 253 posts

#oops i said yes - 134 posts

#her love in the force - 99 posts

#irresistible mistakes - 94 posts

#personal - 85 posts

#romance md: always on call - 71 posts

#kuranosuke kiba - 66 posts

#asks - 53 posts

#tokyo love hustle - 52 posts

#shu hasunuma - 44 posts

Longest Tag: 100 characters

#youre from *inserts the country that got robbed in 2014 of 1/7 of all its gdp by its own government*

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Do you know how in the 3rd season of "Irresistible Mistakes" MC thinks that she is pregnant and things like this?

I really want a rewrite of the whole season for every LI, when MC actually gets pregnant.

Let them struggle. Let them co-parent. Let them talk with their co-workers and tell them that yes, we made a kid out of wedlock, so what?

Imagine Shun having to take the responsibility... Ehhh... Drama.

Do I want to write something like this? Definitely. Will I? Yes, but who knows when... Is anyone interested?

36 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

#4

Look me in the face and tell me that he's not one of the most beautiful Voltage Inc character, I dare you.

This man is gorgeous. Can I just leave my life and start a new one inside "Oops! I Said Yes?!" as Togo's wife?

40 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#3

Things that "Her Love in the Force" characters said during an argument to hurt MC's feelings

(Do I have to write a version with the entire fight or better leave them just like this?)

Jin Namba

"The gap between us is bigger than just a couple of years."

Hideki Ishigami

"You're one of the reasons I avoided dating someone for so long."

Hyogo Kaga

"I had enough controlling relationships in my life."

At first, MC didn't understand what he was talking about. Though, with every second passed, Kaga saw how it went down on her, how she got that he just compared her to his father.

Shusuke Soma

"And that's what they call unhealthy jealousy."

Takaomi Tsugaru

"Don't act like you're my family when you're obviously not."

Seiji Goto

"Right now, I better spend some time with Subaru than with you."

Ayumu Shinonome

"Poor thing you were brave enough to confess to me, while I wasn't to confess to Sachi."

Toru Kurosawa

"I sometimes think that I was happier with one-nights stand than in a long-term relationship."

41 notes - Posted February 15, 2022

#2

Random Voltage Headcanon #7

Voltage characters that give me the "I'm not afraid of snakes, fire, darkness, bugs, strangers, storms, heights and other normies' things. But phone calls... Phone calls are a different story" vibes: Munechika Takado, Kaede Ekuni, Soryu Oh, Hikaru Aihara, Yuzuru Shiba, Toshiaki Kijima, Natsume Asaoka, Taki Kozaki, Shu Hasunuma, Kaoru Kirishima, Suzumu Mado, Seiji Goto, Taiga Kujo, Daichi Katsuragi, Ryogo Saikusa.

(I'm also afraid of phone calls. Fun fact: I worked part-time at a call center. But it didn't bother me because it was for work.)

50 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Random Voltage Headcanon #11

Voltage Inc characters that have shoulders large enough to carry you, your family, your pet, your village, your drools, and both Jack and Rose: Seiichi Setoyanagi, Hayachika Kasatsubaki, Rei Rindoh, Genji Higashiyama, Taro Akuchi, Kuranosuke Kiba, Akiyoshi Zaizen, Jun Araki, Jin Namba, Daichi Katsuragi, Munechika Takado.

53 notes - Posted May 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[nnatsume]

ahhh i saw that reqs were still open so maybe chiaki with an s/o in ryuuseitai? ahh can i go by as 🍰 anon? i love all your posts sm!

ahh, these s/o in [insert unit] requests are so cute to write, i’ve said this a thousand times but i’ll say it again. even though chiaki is a difficult character (for me at least), i’m sure it’ll be fun. (spoiler: bro it got a little emotional at the end sorry i love ryuseitai :/) and yes you can! welcome to the family, cakenooon! i’m happy that you like my stupid little headcanons <3

— previously : rei ✦ kaoru

✦ chiaki with a s/o in ryuseitai !

when chiaki sees you in your hero attire, he can’t help but think to himself–yes, you really suit this element! in his honest opinion, you really are the most admirable hero that he’s ever seen. he’s honoured to perform by your side. and your outfits match so nicely, too–sometimes it makes him swoon. chiaki is probably your biggest fan, making sure to have every little bit of your merchandise or whatever crumbs he finds. it’s funny, since you’re in the same unit, he’s basically just throwing the money back to himself when he buys another nui of you. hey, it’s a different one, the jacket is slightly brighter than the other nui’s!

now he has an excuse to watch more hero movies with you–it’s so that you can feel more inspired in practice! and as a bonus, you get to share some treats while you watch, bundled up in soft blankets, comfortable. he’ll always get you your favorites, so that if you don’t stay for the movie, you stay for the snacks. chiaki finds himself enjoying his movies far more with you and feeling more inspired by them when he hears your views on it. all those things, maybe you can incorporate them into some choreography? the kids would surely enjoy it!

this kind of choreo-production is a trial and error, you have to figure out what things you can do with your skill and equipment, and drop the things you can’t do. chiaki is always excited to try them with you! on some occasions, before he calls anyone else, he calls you to attempt this new move that he’s seen in a movie! it often results in many failures, but much more fun to balance it. anzu is always there to help you with the set-up, but not even she is always ready for the utter chaos. to see chiaki hanging from the ceiling by his leg, and you laughing next to him in a huge fish costume.

the public has come to know you as that adorable hero duo. the ones that go to amusement parks in stupid costumes and make surprise appearances in the middle of nowhere, in your full hero attires. chiaki enjoys these moments, but he also likes going out as chiaki morisawa sometimes, and not ryusei red. you see, chiaki can be fun outside of work, too–even though he is a little bit too passionate sometimes. he likes making spontaneous visits sometimes and taking you to places that you’ve never even heard of before. but he’s always able to make it fun! parks, cafes, theaters, everywhere he thinks you would like.

“it’s chiaki!!”, came from your door, followed by more loud banging. by how he was beating the door, you were sure that it had a dent in it already. dragging yourself out of your bed when you heard even more knocking, you passed by a clock that read six in the morning. just what did he find that was so important that he had to wake you up before even the first birds started chirping? you weren’t sure if you wanted to know.

sluggishly, you slid the entrance door open, and chiaki welcomed himself in like the sun in the sky every morning. you were sure your house lit up a little. his eyes were so bright, at 6 in the morning. chiaki really was some kind of a superhuman.

“i have some tickets for the observatorium!!”, he started, fishing two little papers out of his pocket and holding them out to you. the blue shimmered with a purplish color–did this man get you two vip tickets so early? in disbelief, you grabbed the two invitations. “sorry for waking you up so early.. the best time is in the morning. we can also go tomorrow if you don’t want to.”

now, could you reject his puppy eyes?

with you in the group, kanata has to mother you all. when you’re together, chiaki feels even more excited than usual. the amount of energy he gets in addition is incredible–he can go on for hours as long as you’re with him, because he feels motivated. it hasn’t gone unnoticed by anyone that since you joined the unit, chiaki shone even brighter on variety shows especially–ryuseitai takes part in more fun and childish activities. he finds himself enjoying team games especially, since he gets to pair up with you and play with his friends! aren’t the games the most fun part? the public finds your team games the most entertaining as well, so there is no reason for him to stop taking up these offers. ryuseitai reaches a new peak with every game show, really.

during rough times, chiaki will be your hero, as you are his. don’t you worry about anything, he’ll take care of it. whatever you’re struggling with, chiaki and the rest of ryuseitai will always be there to back you up! their bond is very different compared to other units, there’s an unity in ryuseitai that can’t be described with words. it’s like a big, big family. you don’t have to be a hero all the time, you know? it’s okay to cry sometimes, it’s okay to be vulnerable! chiaki will protect you, he’ll be a hero when you can’t be! he hopes that you would do the same for him.

his favourite moments are the moments after long days. when you’re both tired from performing in those heavy suits, voices a little bit rough from singing. on those days where you find yourself marching along the shore, drawing patterns in the sand and watching the waves scrape away at them. while chiaki is a more excitable, energetic person that picks more active outings, those moments of peace make him feel united to you. sometimes, the rest of ryuseitai joins in to watch the sunset. these fleeting, little moments are captured in a tiny album for your eyes only. you sometimes forget that they exist until you check that book, but when you do, you remember them fondly. isn’t your chiaki the best hero?

[falling-pages]

Over and Over, Again and Again: KyoHaru (commission)

The absolutely lovely @ouranbound commissioned me for her birthday. This was so much fun and I just melt every time I read it 🥺 thank you so much sweetheart, I hope your day is magical!!

Info on commissions here (updated!)

-

Despite the heat, despite the outdoors, Kyoya considered it a lovely afternoon, if only for two reasons: he had a book in his hands and Haruhi’s head in his lap.

-

Kyoya Ootori x Haruhi Fujioka

Genre: Fluff

Contains: first I Love Yous, established relationship

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, but no drinking

-

Kyoya did not like being outside. It was often hot and sticky, the sun too bright and burning his skin, or too cold and blustery, the wind too harsh for his delicate constitution. Even refraining from walking to work, using his own driver to commute the blocks. It was silly, yes, and quite wasteful, but he had the money, and all that money allowed him to demand comfort. He never could understand why the others seemed to strain at their leashes to go outdoors--Mori and Hikaru organizing hikes and fishing trips, Tamaki and Kaoru scampering after them. He couldn’t find pleasure in swatting at the sweat running down his back, or cleaning his glasses every few minutes. The outdoors were quite insufferable.

But Haruhi liked the outdoors, and he liked Haruhi.

He supposed it was because of their different upbringings. While he had all the luxury of indoor pools and air conditioning, she didn’t. The outdoors were free; a simple space where commoners could exist without the expectation of spending money. Unlike any mall or restaurant, beneath the sun, the air cost nothing.

So he put up with it whenever she requested it. Her cool touch was more enticing than air conditioning, anyways.

He began to regret it, though, when their wine was no longer chilled. They had arranged a lovely picnic, lounging in a field his father owned. There were plans to develop it, one day, but for now it remained wild. A place where lovers could stow away amid the tall grass waving in the wind.

They sat in the shade of a lemon tree. Remains of rei-shabu and morokyu were stowed away in their picnic satchel, next to the ice pack. Their glasses were still filled with strawberry wine, though their minds and stomachs were too content to have more.

Despite the heat, despite the outdoors, Kyoya considered it a lovely afternoon, if only for two reasons: he had a book in his hands and Haruhi’s head in his lap.

It would have been lovelier in late May or early June, but he had been so busy with the end of the fiscal year. He was afraid of Haruhi’s impending disillusionment, with their relationship still so new, but if she was ever discontent, he knew she would tell him. Dating him had not turned her into a placated doll, as he had feared. He still took care of her, showering her in wealth whenever she asked, but it was rare; mostly, she just wanted to spend time with him, and he just wanted to take care of her, making sure her stomach was full and loans paid.

Not to say he didn’t spoil her, though. He had bought the very dress she was wearing, a strappy yellow thing with magenta stitching. And the gold earrings, shaped like roses on dangling stems, which laid so artfully on the backdrop of her velvet brown hair splayed against his thigh. Her hair was long enough to begin curling slightly at the ends, whenever it wasn’t done up in her tight law school bun.

It was rare he saw her like this, heart unbound and carefree. Her skin was soft beneath his fingertips as he ran them against her cheek, half dreaming, half admiring. She slept in his lap, tuckered out from their afternoon. Lips red from wine pulled back slightly, a whimper on the tip of her tongue. For a moment, he feared had awoken her, hand frozen on her jaw, but she turned her neck back into his leg and resumed her breathing.

He sighed in relief. He had already ruined much in his life. The peaceful portrait beneath him was too pure to interrupt.

Once she was back asleep, he gave one last glance to her blushed cheeks and held up his book. It was old, a brown cover etched with gold, antique and clearly made for a bygone era, tattered pages though born on a press just a few years ago. Kyoya felt like that sometimes. An anachronism of his own kind. Set in one spot and lost to the pages of history.

But not here. A butterfly landed on Haruhi’s nose. Instead of swatting it, he watched, breathed in the life bellowing into his bones. In the world, at work, with his family, his soul felt ancient; his shoulders shook with the weight of an old-world empire. But with her, he was fresh, bathing in the fountain of youth. He was no longer an Atlas, cursed with the weight of the world; he was Dionysus with Ariadne--his shining jewel in the sky.

The love he had for her transcended space and time, yet she was blissfully unaware.

Tamaki’s advice echoed in his ears. He had to tell her eventually, else he’d lose her. Trained in all things etiquette, he still stumbled over even the most human of phrases.

Kyoya shook his head. The day he listened to Tamaki’s advice would be the day he’d resign from the Ootori group. As he returned to his book, his focus shifted. Some old French thing on culture, it mocked his feelings with dry phrases and tiny text. Tamaki had taught him enough French to get by, but reading it was another matter. It was to better himself and improve his chances with foreign business relations, was what he told himself, at least.

Haruhi’s ease and fascination with the language certainly had nothing to do with it. Nor did the jealousy in his palms when he would watch the two he loved most converse and giggle without him.

Some time after he resumed scanning it, regretting how he left his translation dictionary at home, Haruhi awoke. Not with a sigh or startle, as he was accustomed, but silently, with a breath, as if he were the bridge in which she crossed from one world into the next.

She laid still and watched him read, brilliant mind sweeping over each and every word. From the angle of his head tilt, she could see his eyes behind his glasses, a sharp, rare, deep black. Nondescript, and beautiful, the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen--above Tamaki’s lavender, Mori’s silver, the twins’ bronze and amber. She loved them because within their deep pools of tar, she saw her future.

Haruhi didn’t know for how long she looked at him. She had just started to fall back asleep when he spoke.

“I can feel you staring at me,” he murmured, not even taking his sight from the page.

She stayed focused on the smooth, pale skin of his jaw. It clenched and unclenched periodically, whenever he came across a phrase or word he didn’t know. She could have offered her help, but his lap was just too comfortable.

“I like the view,” she shrugged.

When he set the book down, eyes widened, she already knew what he was about to say.

“Out of all the sights, of the trees, flowers, and fields surrounding us, you think me more admirable?”

She was the lawyer--she was the one used to provoking confessions from people--but his cunning as a businessman made the words drip from his lips like honey, accentuating even as he dipped his head down to hers. Haruhi scrambled to shift her weight to her arm, propping herself up to meet his lips. And yet he hovered, smirking as he watched her mouth chase his, quieting her displeased whines with a chuckle.

“What, no answer?”

He was the devil in disguise, with a voice so silver and smooth, and she knew it. But if he were the devil, she was his Persephone--his lips were her pomegranate, and she bit.

She mustered her frustration into finally catching him in a kiss, swatting at his chest when she tasted his beleaguered smirk.

“You know my answer,” she retorted. “I choose you every day, over and over again.”

“I know,” my darling.” He removed his glasses, the only barrier between them, and pressed his forehead to hers. “And for that, I love you.”

He said it. It wasn’t how he planned on saying it, but it was there, suspended in the air by wires thin as twine. Her hand stilled in his hair, but she didn’t remove it.

“That’s the first time you’ve said it,” she breathed, an elation and joy she didn’t know she missed bubbling in her chest.

Kyoya opened his eyes. They had clenched shut on instinct, as protection, so he wouldn’t have to see the way she rejected him. But her calm voice coaxed them back open, and they settled on her lazy smile.

“It is,” he affirmed. “I thought...I thought you knew. It’s been so long.”

They had been dating for three months, yet known each other for nine years, and Kyoya had loved her for most of that. She had loved him for only half that, that she knew, but their affection was ancient, the kind read about in archaic stone tablets. The kind that would wait forever and ever to be discovered again and again.

“I do,” she whispered. “I love you, too.”

And just when he thought his back would break from carrying the world, she kissed away his pain into an immortal love.

-

[turinn]

Train Station

Koga Oogami x GN!Reader

Summary: Koga develops a... little crush on someone he sees every time he's at the train station. Shame he's so fucking awkward. Not that his unit mates are any help there.

Tags: Fluff, pining, first meeting, trains

A/N: Real sorry about how my fics are gnna be formatted for a while but I can't sit up to do it on my computer so it's gotta be on on mobile for now. Sorry!

Adonis raised his eyebrows at Koga, waiting for him to respond to the question he'd just asked him. He didn't. Kaoru and Rei were both smirking, looking in the same direction as Koga, and Adonis followed their gazes over to you. Ah. Of course.

Every time UNDEAD had to go somewhere together, they'd get the train at this station, usually just after school, since two of their members were still in their third year. And every time they arrived at the station, it didn't take long for Koga to malfunction. Adonis was still unsure whether you were a student nearby or commuting, but one thing that was for certain was that you always took the same train at this station- or at least you had every time they'd been here.

Koga's little crush had started the first time they'd decided to take the train rather than the bus, it being quicker and usually cheaper. You'd been leaning against the wall next to the ticket machine, laughing into your phone. He'd been sent to buy their tickets and he'd dropped all his money when he heard your laugh. Rei had come over to 'save' him, much to his underclassman's embarrassment, and he'd spent the whole journey positively glaring at Rei.

A couple weeks later they'd gotten the train again (Rei had insisted, his tone of voice making it clear he had an ulterior motive. Bastard.) and sure enough, there you were. That day you'd had a friend with you, and Koga seemed to short circuit as he caught sight of you animatedly relaying a story to them. He'd stopped mid sentence, choking on the words and then insisting he needed to buy a drink from the small store situated at the other end of the station. He'd almost committed a murder when he walked out of the store and saw Kaoru talking to you, leaning against a signpost and smiling flirtatiously.

"They dropped their phone." Adonis had reassured him.

"Don't be surprised if he comes back with their number, though." Rei interjected unhelpfully. Whether it was luckier for Koga or for Kaoru that he didn't, none of them could be sure.

When they took their fifth trip by train since he'd seen you first a few months ago, he was feeling confident. He'd finally talk to you today. As soon as he remembered how to walk.

"Fuck it. Today I'm gonna get their number!" Koga announced proudly, before he took one step in your direction and tripped over his shoelaces. He wished he could say he handled it smoothly, but to do so he would definitely have to lie. He'd landed face first on the ground, and Rei had not held back on laughing at him. It must have been a goddamn miracle that you were facing away from him when it happened, checking the announcement on the board that your train had been delayed. Setting himself to rights (and making sure his shoelaces were firmly tied), he regathered his somewhat bruised confidence and made his way towards you.

"Hey." He'd tapped on your shoulder, and you'd turned around quickly, your face scrunched up in confusion, but still plastered with a friendly smile.

"Oh, hello! Can I help you?" The grey haired boy standing in front of you hadn't answered. He'd just sort of... stared, awkwardly.

15 odd feet away, Adonis could see his friends face going redder than the tomato juice Rei was drinking, and he couldn't help but feel a little bad for him.

"Are you... okay?" You tilted your head, confusion fading away for concern. This boy had just... frozen in front of you, and he looked like hewas wishing he could disappear into the ground right now. This was an astute observation, because that was exactly what he was wishing for. You gently placed a hand on his upper arm, hoping to snap him out of whatever odd stupor he'd fallen into. The boy coughed and ran back to his friends. ".... Okay then? Weird."

Back with his unit, Koga felt awful.

"You didn't get their number, did you?" Rei asked, looking apologetic. He already knew the answer

"...No."

"Did you at least learn their name?" Kaoru offered, hoping to help him see the bright side.

"I said 'hey'. That's kind of where the conversation stopped."

"Oh my god..."

"They said hello and I... forgot how to speak."

Adonis put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly and he brushed it off, growling. "I'll get it next time. Stop looking at me like that." He didn't speak for the rest of the journey.

The next time UNDEAD take the train, Koga gets... a different kind of distracted. You're nowhere to be see. He finds excuses to walk up and down the platform several times, and he doesn't catch a glimpse of you once. It makes him antsy.

"Will you relax? You're driving me up the wall." Kaoru, sat next to him on the train, could hardly focus with the incessant bouncing of Koga's leg in his peripheral vision.

"Now, now, it's not his fault. Someone didn't get to see his object of admiration today, did he?"

Koga bares his teeth at Rei, pissed off at the teasing lilt in his voice.

"Piss off."

"Didn't anybody ever tell you to respect your elders?"

"Sorry. Piss off, please." Rei simply rolls his eyes and settles in his seat, presumably hoping to nap. Koga goes back to glaring at the floor like it had caused him some personal offense.

He doesn't even know your name, why the hell does he care? Sure, you're cute but that's not enough reason. And yeah, your laugh is the nicest sound he's ever heard but neither is that! He thinks constantly about how concerned you'd looked when he froze up in front of you, how gently you'd placed your hand on his arm to try and shake him out of it, how soft your voice had been when you'd asked him if he was okay.... Oh, Jesus Christ. What the hell have you done to him?

On the return journey home, he's still tense. He'd managed to shake the feeling off during their shoot, but it had returned pretty much as soon as he'd gotten back on the train. It was starting to give him a headache.

He was just considering buying a bottle of water from the lady with the cart next time she passed by when someone slumped down on the seat opposite him, and Adonis nudged him gently.

Looking up, Koga felt like he was about to choke. You were sitting in front of him, headphones plugged firmly in your ears and an exhausted look on your face. Whether you recognise him or not he can't tell.

Kaoru clears his throat, making some garbled excuse for getting up and going to the other end of the carriage, dragging Rei with him. Adonis quickly follows, offering Koga a small smile before ditching him. Alone with you (well, alone as one can be on a crowded train), Koga attempts to catch his composure. He's still staring at his shoes when he feels a tap on his knee, and looks up to see you smiling at him.

"D'you have a bad day? You look like you wanna set the world on fire." He furrows his brows at you, but your smile is so warm he forces himself to settle down and responds.

"Something like that, yeah."

"I'm headed down that alley pretty fast myself. I'm L/N Y/N. I see you around fairly often, you and your friends who just ditched you. I'm uh... assuming that was to give you a chance to talk to me again?"

"Honestly, I don't know what they're thinking. But probably."

"You didn't seem like you knew where to start, so I figured I'd start for you. That's okay, right? I mean- if you don't wanna talk I can leave you b-"

"No!" Koga blurts out, and then turns red. "I.. I wanna talk to ya." You smile at him again, your own cheeks heating up.

"Great! Can I know your name, then?"

"Oogami Koga."

The two of you talk the rest of the way, and he almost misses his stop, saved only by Rei sauntering over to inform him. You have to wait at the station for another train to get you home, but before the rest of his unit can drag him away, you write your number on his palm and grin at him.

Your receive a text less than two minutes later.

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 22)

Today we'll talk about the Time-Travel Arc. Obviously, the focus in that arc is Yuka's past, so there's going to be a lot of content that I'll skip unless it's relevant to NatsuMikan. What ship/character content there is I will dissect heavily. This is just a warning that I'll be skipping even five or so chapters at time, and it might seem jarring. Sorry about that.

In this part, we'll see how Natsume and Mikan are in many ways fated, but also how selfless Natsume can be, even in the face of losing the person he loves the most forever. He's going to keep his promise to protect her no matter what happens, even if it means never seeing her again.

Chapter One Hundred and Seven

For most of this arc, Natsume and the others are merely observers of Yuka’s past. They keep the talking and interaction to a minimum. There will be some instances where Natsume does enough for me to be able to analyze him, but they’re limited to start with.

For example, when Tsubasa, Tono, and Nobara are finally able to join them, there’s a dramatic reunion.

Nobody has seen Tsubasa in some time, and his whereabouts were a mystery. Obviously he shares a meaningful embrace with Mikan, but he also makes eye contact with Natsume, who looks shocked and relieved to see him again, even if he wasn’t the one to find him. Tsubasa knows Natsume had searched tirelessly for him, so he apologizes for making Natsume and the others worry. For a moment, it almost seems as though maybe they will share the next reunion hug. But to show that everything truly is back to normal, Natsume’s demeanor shifts and he gets annoyed with Tsubasa for hugging Mikan for so long.

Thinking really hard about Natsume's love languages: nicknames, being willing to die for you one second and then pretending like you're a nuisance the next, never giving compliments so they hit like a brick when he does, just hanging around you, and physical touch.

Natsume doesn’t know how to show feelings properly. With Ruka, he can be more openly affectionate and loving, and now with Mikan he has recently (today) had the opportunity to be more honest about his feelings, but Tsubasa is different. For a very long time, he has pretended like Tsubasa was nothing more than a nuisance. Suddenly being honest with everyone would be tiresome. Besides, Tsubasa already knows that Natsume cares, since he struggled so much to find him.

If you want to hug somebody, Natsume says (or doesn’t say… this conversation seems to all be telepathic), go hug Misaki. Not my girl. It hardly matters that Misaki isn’t around and that idea is impossible to make a reality. So Tsubasa naturally shoots back that he will simply pretend Mikan is Misaki.

Natsume is a good person, as we have seen over the course of the manga. When he loves someone, he loves hard and with his whole chest. He doesn’t half-ass his feelings. Despite his occasional bouts into saying something kind and heartfelt, he is and always has been naturally a bit more reserved. His personality is one to withhold a little, and to interact with people through teases. Even at his most free, before he came to the academy, he would tease and insult before saying something sweet. His love will always be something that needs to be interpreted, because he hates being open about why he’s doing the selfless things he is. If he is too open, then people will know and then they might feel guilty or like they owe him something. He doesn’t want that. Another thing is that he just likes having fun with his friends and loved ones this way, with occasional taunts and teases. That’s just the kind of person he is.

Chapter One Hundred and Nine

We get introduced to Igarashi Kaoru, an upperclassman of Yuka’s and a mysterious figure. Yuka first met her in a compromising position, when she’s about to sleep with a boy who we will later find out is Natsume’s father. She looks very much like a more grown up, female version of Natsume, and they seem to have a lot in common when it comes to their basic personality.

Just like Natsume, Kaoru can be serious-minded and doesn’t take any shit. She’s also like him in that she shows affection through teasing.

Mikan, in this chapter, finally asks who this Igarashi person is, since she looks so familiar. Natsume sarcastically says, “Heaven knows.” I’m sure he wasn’t actually expecting to see his mother in these flashbacks. She died when she was very young and as a result she didn’t have the opportunity to talk much about Yuka. It must be a surprise to see that she played such an active role in Mikan’s mother’s life.

Heaven knows. Get it. 'Cause she's dead. Hahahaha.

To everyone else, it’s obvious that the Igarashi person is related to Natsume. Ruka might even directly recognize her from the painting he saw at the Hyuuga house that one time, but either way they look and act so similarly that it’s apparent to everyone but Mikan.

In any case, Natsume is seeing more of his mother than he ever has before. He knows very little about her, since she died when he was so small. He couldn’t have many conversations with her and he spent more time mourning and missing her than actually being with her. Not only is Mikan getting the chance to know the mother that was a mystery to her for her whole life, but Natsume is too. This is also his chance to discover his mother and get to know her, and it’s just his luck that Yuka and Kaoru actually had a strong bond.

After Kaoru intimidates Yuka at the Hana Hime den, Mikan and the gang react to the shocking scene. Kaoru is a force to reckon with, and Noda comments on how this force and tough love helped Yuka find strength in herself and confidence in her own alice.

Ruka insists on knowing more about Kaoru, and since everyone but Mikan seems to get that Kaoru is Natsume’s mother, we can see that Ruka is asking for Natsume. Natsume won’t ask. This is about Yuka, after all, and about Mikan. Natsume will see what he will of his mother insofar as she’s in Yuka’s life. Beyond that, he won’t ask for anything. Ruka knows this, so he asks instead. He wants to know about Natsume too, and what better way than to learn about the woman who seems to have so much in common with him? Natsume is touched that Ruka would go out of his way to ask a question Natsume will not ask.

Noda answers that Kaoru and Yuka will become best friends after this, and Mikan is shocked. How could someone so scary be Yuka’s best friend? But Noda explains: Kaoru has a compassionate and caring heart behind her cold front, just like Natsume, and Yuka could rely on her, even in her darkest moments. Yuka wouldn’t have gained confidence in her alice the way she did without Kaoru by her side.

That is a really fucking long red string!

And then Noda says it so even Mikan can tell now, that Natsume’s mother has always been beloved and a truly amazing person.

Chapter One Hundred and Ten

Noda further explains about Kaoru. She used her alice to spy on the academy for the HSP, and then after she graduated she continued to use her alice to expose corruption. She was deeply committed to doing the right thing and holding the academy responsible, and this commitment was inspiring to Yuka as well, who went down the path she did for the same reasons.

Somehow, their children met at the academy by pure chance, and are standing side by side now.

Here they are, standing together and in love with each other. Fate is a silly thing.

They are fated somehow. The same red string that tied Kaoru to Yuka now ties Natsume to Mikan. In fact, it’s his love for her that motivated him to go against the academy, more than his own misfortune or the wellbeing of other students or even because it was the right thing to do. The strong bond between their mothers now lingers between them, but differently, and maybe even stronger.

Natsume and Mikan are holding hands, looking at each other. Were they always meant to meet? To be together? Nothing is said out loud, but it’s apparent that they’re both thinking about their moms’ past and what exactly it means for their future.

Perhaps there's a difference between fated to fall in love and fated to be together.

Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen

Lots of chapters are getting skipped because there simply isn’t enough content, if any, of Natsume, not to mention NatsuMikan specifically.

Izumi is about to die, and everyone knows it as they watch. Mikan has just returned from falling through the time window. She wanted to warn her father, but Tsubasa was able to bring her back without much changing. Natsume immediately goes to Mikan’s side when she is safely returned and doesn’t leave. He holds her hand because what she’s about to witness will be deeply traumatizing and he knows that she will suffer all the more because she wasn’t able to stop it.

Everything happens as it is meant to, perhaps. Izumi is dying from Rei’s alice, since his own nullification can’t fight against Rei when he uses so much power at once.

I don't have anything clever to say here. He just loves her so much.

Mikan is distraught, and although Natsume first just tries to keep her from approaching the window again, once he sees her crying, despairing face, he shifts. All he’s ever wanted to do was keep her happy, keep her from sinking into even a fraction of the darkness he’s had to live in. It hasn’t always been easy, because Mikan was also destined to suffer, just like him.

Everyone else is pleading with Noda to get them out of the hole, to stop the flashbacks, but Noda can’t. The window is too turbulent and any moves on his part might be dangerous.

Protecting her no matter what doesn't only mean protecting her from physical harm, it means protecting her from seeing horrible things that she shouldn't have to see, like the death of her father.

So Natsume holds Mikan close. It is the only thing he can do, to tell her not to look and to hug her. She doesn’t need to see anymore. Natsume doesn’t just want to protect her physical safety but her mental and emotional well-being as well. He fell in love with a girl who always looks on the bright side, who is so optimistic and kind that her cheerfulness bleeds into everyone else. From the start, he was concerned that if her life darkened, her own light would fade and become tarnished.

But Natsume doesn’t need her to always smile. He just wants to protect her the best he can. If she needs to cry, then she can cry on him. He will hold her and support her and comfort her. She can’t always be happy, but all he’s ever wanted was to be there for her when she can’t be. When she needs to crumble a little, he will be there for her, because she would do the same. She comforted him too, even if she never knew she was doing it. It's not about having her be happy all the time, just minimizing the trauma. He can't protect her from all of it. Everything else is more powerful than he is. He can't keep her ignorant and blissful forever. Nobody can. But if they can't escape the flashback, then he will keep her from looking.

He can do this openly now, so he does. He wants her to know that she can rely on him and seek comfort from him. No matter what happens, he will be there for her.

So as Izumi dies, Natsume and Mikan aren’t looking. She doesn’t need to see. He keeps his focus on her, to support her, because she has to process a deeply traumatic event in a very short time. After all, the flashbacks are still going. Time didn’t stop for Yuka, and it won’t stop for Mikan.

Natsume’s shirt is probably soaked with tears. Not that he cares.

He holds her, not just through Izumi’s death, but for most of the aftermath. He stays, holding her, for as long as she needs him to. He will only let go when she’s okay to stand again. He ends up holding her for a couple chapters, and even when they stop hugging he still holds her up. He'd hold her for hours if she needed it.

Conclusion

Natsume and Mikan learned that their mothers were besties and are now struck with the knowledge that by pure chance they managed to meet and become as close as they did. Natsume confessed to the whole DA class (including Mikan) that he loves her in the last part, and he's done nothing but prove it over and over again.

We'll wrap up what is left of NatsuMikan in the Time-Travel Arc next week on Monday. His low self-esteem, selflessness, and all-consuming love will all take center stage in the next few entries.

Thank you all so much for reading so far. I hope you have a lovely day!

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[chocochar]

ᴍɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ? | ᴅᴀʙɪ/ᴛᴏᴜʏᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴘᴀʀᴛ 1: ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴏᴍᴇ

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Valentine’s Special | Part 6: TBA

(AN: feel free to skip this first part of the AN, slight spoilers for the story ahead!: Okay so before we start some quick notes: 

Reader and Dabi are 25 presently, Dabi is the eldest sibling with the others being their canon ages.

(I’m mentioning this next part here because I couldn’t figure out how to add it to the title eue) Reader and Touya went to school together since their first year of middle school.

She had gotten pregnant at around 15 with Touya’s baby (this all gets explained!) but given this follows the Touya theory he ‘died’ so she’s a single mom.

I was sorta iffy posting this fic, because I wasn’t sure if it would get any attention, but I’m also excited to do it so... Here you go? lol

Reader’s quirk: Mirror: The ability to make a large force field spanning up to 30 feet or smaller force fields to protect people within it/them. When projectiles hit the fields they are deflected, when non ranged attacks hit them they bounce off. )

[F/n’s POV]

        It’s been 10 years already, since I last saw Touya Todoroki. Even now it feels like almost yesterday his ashes were found in his room at the Todoroki house. I still remember Fuyumi calling me in tears, sobbing nearly to the point she was inaudible and she had to repeat herself more than once. I was 15, pregnant, and finding out my boyfriend for a little over a year had cremated himself, I went into shock before I broke down. My mom was there fortunately, and held me as I shook with sobs.

        “I didn’t even tell him, mom!” I remember screaming over and over until my voice gave out. It was a bad dream, it had to be right? I hoped that every night for a year that I’d wake up to a call from him telling me to get up, that he was outside my house waiting to walk to school.

        But the calls never came, I only saw and talked to Fuyumi and later Natsuo after that; like me they seemed so numb, after all their mom had been sent to a hospital shortly before, their little brother was a complete stranger thanks to their father, and then Touya was gone… I was there for them as much as I could; my mom shortly after Touya’s death moved us a few cities away too, resulting in me changing schools to attend a normal high school. UA became a far away dream along with my future as a hero; this baby became most important to me, it was going to be the last connection I would have to Touya.

        After Kaoru was born it became hard to focus on school and homework, but I pushed through, my mom and older sister Rina helping me with him along the way, and soon enough I was graduated and working towards a career in the police force. Becoming a hero then… It stayed a faraway dream, plus I still wanted to help people.

        “Are you sure about this? Rina and I have already said-”

        “Mom,” I stopped her, smiling while I fed a then 3 year old Karou,”It’ll be fine, plus my quirk will help with hostage situations and raids no matter what. I’ll be a hero in a way still even if it isn’t a pro.”

        Even with my words and smile I don’t think she believed me, but she helped me either way. She was a single mom young, raising Rina and me by herself, so she understood.

        I eventually told Natsuo first about Kaoru and let them meet so long as this big news was kept from his father. Fuyumi was next, and while she tried to convince me to let Kaoru meet his grandfather (if you can even call him that, much less a father) I told her I wasn’t comfortable with it. Especially when Kaoru’s quirk came in: My force fields along with his father’s powerful fire? Not an easy combo when your son wants to try out his new powers. Last to meet him was Rei, and surprisingly Shouto who was visiting his mom, last month; Karou by this point was 10, and while I was surprised to see Shouto so grown up from the pictures I saw (and feeling bad it took so long to bring Kaoru to finally meet his other grandma) they were even more shocked by the little redhead clinging to my leg.

        Kaoru… Looks just like a mini version of his dad: messy, wild red hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin (with a slight mix of my (skin color)), just like Touya. The only thing resembling me is the streak of (hair color) in one of his bangs. Rina and Natsuo have taken part in jokingly calling him ‘Chibi’ but it doesn’t seem to bother him much; he’s a calm little guy, a lot like his dad in personality too although he gets his brains from me.~

        Now 25 I’m a police officer, working mainly on tracking cases and hostage situations. Kaoru and I moved back to Musutafu two weeks ago due to me transferring to the station there; with his problems handling his quirk I was hesitant but it made it easier for him to see his other family and I’ve considered asking Shouto if he or one of his friends can help his nephew learn to conquer this power.

        Things seem… Okay. But moving back I can’t help but get this feeling something will change. I just can’t place my finger on it.

[X][X][X]

        “Alright, Kaoru, do you have your bag?”

        “Yes mom.”

        “All your books inside? Did you double check?”

        “Yes mom.”

        Smiling I hand Kaoru his bento to also slip into his bag after I tuck mine into my own. 

        “Good, I made some yummy stuff this morning, there’s some extra so if Hari-chan wants to try any of it you should share a little,” I tell him while slinging my bag over my shoulder. I watch his cheeks turn pink at the mention of his best friend/crush and bite my lip so I don’t giggle. So cute.~

        The two of us leave the apartment and start walking to the stairs, the morning peaceful at least as we head down the steps and start on our way. People pass the two of us as we weave our way through the crowds, people going to their jobs or schools just like Kaoru and me; it’s silent between us, although Kaoru doesn’t talk much normally but Natsuo has been trying to get him out of his shell. 

        “What do you want for dinner tonight?” I ask him, glancing down while we wait to cross the street. He shrugs, meeting my eyes.

        “I don’t really mind anything, I guess oyakodon?” He replies, the crossing light changing and the two of us following the crowd.

        “Oh that sounds delicious! Alright then, I’ll pick you up from Hari-chan’s house after I get off work and we’ll head to the store to get anything we need, okay?” I tell him, Kaoru nodding while the breeze blows through his crimson locks. Looking down at him I sigh, patting his head feeling his hair. “I keep telling you to brush it, Kao,” I smile, the little guy tilting his head away from my hand and scratching the back of it.

        “Natsu-oji said it looks cool, he said it’s how dad started to do his…”

        I go stiff immediately, remembering him again. My eyes watch ahead as my brain swirls with memories I had pushed to the back of my mind a while ago; I keep him in my thoughts of course, it just is painful to regularly remember Touya. Kaoru looks more and more like him as he gets older, from his messy crimson locks to the way he smiles, which makes me both happy and a bit depressed. He never got to see him, he’ll never get to see him grow… My chest tightens thinking about this.

        “Mom?” I stop abruptly and meet my son’s eyes, surprised and coming out of my stupor. He’s pointing to the left at another crosswalk and says,”We need to go this way.” I glance at the street sign realizing I was about to pass where we need to go while so lost in thought. Shaking my head I step next to him and wait, my mind steadily repressing those feelings and thoughts. Kaoru seems to have noticed my shift in mood as I feel his smaller hand take mine and hold it, my (eye color) eyes peering down in surprise. He doesn’t meet mine but I can tell he’s trying to comfort me as best he can while we’re waiting and giving his hand a squeeze we begin to cross when the light changes. 

        We reach his school first and kissing his forehead goodbye (much to his embarrassment) I wave as I hurry off to work.

[X][X][X]

        “Heyyy (F/n),” a voice that makes me inwardly groan speaks up. I stop what I’m typing to look up at Nanaka-san, another officer who’s only been here a few months more than me. He’s younger and seems to know what he’s doing, his quirk giving him the ability to suck in gases and fumes and use them to his own advantage, but he also, from what I’ve seen and heard, has done a few shady deals in the past. I try to steer clear of doing anything more than talking to him while at work. He grins down at me and turning in my chair to face him, he continues,”We’re all goin’ out drinking after work today, you free to join us?” ‘He knows I’m not…’ I think, rubbing my neck and shaking my head.

        “Nanaka, I told you not to ask,” Ira-senpai says, coming over as well. “(L/n)-san has a kid, remember?” 

        Nanaka, while trying not to show it, I can see he’s annoyed she even came over, replying,”Well he has other relatives, right? Can’t they pick him up and watch him?”

        “They work and stuff so I try not to bother them. Maybe another time, okay?” I smile, hoping he gets the hint this time. Fortunately he sighs, shrugging and going off to talk to another coworker. A sigh I didn’t realize I was holding releases while I sit back. “Ira-senpai, thank you. I can’t seem to get him to understand,” I tell her, the older woman’s arms crossed and a chuckle escaping her lips.

        “Just ignore him or let his words go in one ear and out the other, alright, (L/n)-san? He set his sights on you the moment you entered the office but as long as you deflect his advances he’ll move on,” she replies, patting my shoulder. “Tell Kaoru-chan I said ‘hi’ alright? I have to go check out some things on the League of Villains case.” With that she heads off to her desk and I watch her go before turning back to my work. The League of Villains… I too have also been looking into them but given my being new they’ve kept me a lot out of the loop. I only really know their names and appearances and the like, pulling them up in the database I glance over the information that’s accessible to me and read through them.

        ‘They’re kind of like boogeymen,’ I think, getting a look at the photos we do have of them. ‘Powerful yet elusive, they give nightmares to parents and children alike, and people are starting to wonder if they’ll be caught…’ I reach one specific person of interest who stands out: Dabi. His name, ‘cremation’, most likely derived from his quirk which… Uses bright blue flames allegedly powerful enough to cremate. The rest, for the most part, have their true names as well as their villain names but no one seems to know who he is. No crimes beyond the work with the league, no age but appears to be early to mid 20’s, no image but a description of black hair, messy, blue eyes, and scars lining his body along with staples seeming to keep his skin in tact maybe? After reading all of this I decide to check out any articles pertaining to the League, but all I find are mostly discussing ‘Tomura Shigaraki’, the attacks on the UA students, their involvement in the Shie Hassaikai situation, and All Might’s retirement. 

        I do find some murder cases where the victims were burned alive, including the hero Snatch, but they’re unsolved and there’s no suspect yet. Still, I keep it bookmarked for later.

        Standing I sigh as I pop my back. Sitting for most of the day can really take a toll on your body sometimes, especially when you’re used to going on missions regularly. Seeing I have about an hour left before I can head home I go grab some coffee before jumping back into filing case notes. I get halfway to the break room when my cell phone starts ringing and furrowing my brows I see it’s Hari’s mom calling me, which is a bit odd given she knows what time I’m off.

        “Hello?” I answer, pressing it up to my ear.

        “Oh (L/n)-san, thank goodness you answered!! It’s Kaoru, he’s having trouble controlling his quirk again!” Her voice is panicked and my eyes widen.

        Ever since his quirk came in he’s struggled to control it, and hearing Hari yelling trying to calm him down in the background I say,”I’ll be over soon!” I hang up and hurry to my boss’s office, knocking on the chief’s door. He luckily isn’t busy as I almost barge in and I’m guessing he can read my expression as he immediately looks worried. “Sir, am I okay to leave early? I hate to ask, b-but my son is in trouble!”

        Luckily he understands, this isn’t the first time Kaoru has had this problem since we moved here, but he replies,”Yes, you’re fine to leave now. But (L/n)... You might want to find a way to help him control it, before something happens.” The way he says it I look away and slowly nod, knowing better than to reply in case I say something I shouldn’t. Shutting the door I rush to my desk and grab my bag, logging off my computer, then running out of the station going as fast as I can to Hari’s house.

        When I get there it seems like things are under control again but I clearly see the damage; not only is Kaoru burned on his fingertips and hands but a wide circle of dead grass sit in their yard. Hari and her mom are rubbing his back when I arrive, all three on the front steps of their house and looking up when I'm jogging up to them. My son looks terrified, hiding his hands and having trouble meeting my eyes. 

        “... I’m sorry, mom,” he mumbles, the crack in his voice leaving a tightness in my chest. I quickly lean down and pull him into a hug, rubbing his back.

        “It’s okay, Kao, go get your stuff okay?” I tell him pulling back and getting him to look at me. He nods and turns, going inside to grab his things while I step back and run my fingers through my (hair color) locks. “Tsuachi-san, I’m sorry.”

        “Don’t worry, (L/n)-san,” Hari’s mom smiles sympathetically. “We’ll get the yard taken care of, I’m more concerned with Kaoru but he wouldn’t let me bandage him up.” I sigh, glancing at the ring again, knowing there’s nothing I can do but still trying to think of a way to fix that. “But (L/n)-san, I’m worried for when he’s at school,” she continues, and turning back to her I’m confused for a second. “Has he gotten any sort of training or something to help him learn to control it? I hear many kids struggle so have you thought about getting him maybe help from his dad’s side of the family.”

        “Of course, I’ve talked to his uncle about it, but he’s just in high school… He said he’d help him when he has the time, but lately he hasn’t…” I trail off, crossing my arms and looking down as I start to get lost in thought. Maybe I’ll go visit Shouto again or text him, see if he has any availability or if a friend of his is willing to help. His friend Midoriya offered too when I was talking to their group, maybe I can go talk to him too. I blink out of my thoughts and look up to see Kaoru is saying goodbye before facing me. He’s still having trouble looking at me, and I ruffle his hair as we start walking away, saying goodbye.

[X][X][X]

        The walk home is silent, people passing us and the streets not as busy since many people seem to still be at work. I glance at Kaoru a few times, not knowing what to say while he trails a step or two behind me still looking upset about earlier but trying to hide it. I rub my neck in thought, looking up at the sky and humming.

        “So how was school?” I ask, looking at him again.

        “It was okay,” he mumbles. I nod, and again the awkward quiet settles.

        “Did you like your lunch?”

        “Yeah.”

        “Kaoru, you know… Hari and her mom weren’t mad at you,” I say, deciding talking about earlier can’t be avoided. I catch the way his brows furrow and continue,”They’re just worried.”

        “I can’t help it mom,” he says back, making me go quiet as he finally starts to say more than a couple of words. He looks at his hands as he continues,”I-I keep trying, and trying, b-but it’s so hard, I don’t want to hurt anybody, a-and I’m scared…!” His voice cracks again and I can tell he’s trying to stop himself from crying. My brows furrow and I pet his hair, giving a soft smile.

        “Kaoru-” I go quiet when my phone buzzes and I pull it out, checking it while I keep walking. I hear my son stop in his tracks a few feet behind me.

        “A-are you really going to ask Shouto-oji to help me?” he asks. I halt too and look back at him, nodding.

        “Yep, in fact he just text me back,” I let him know, looking at my phone again. Luckily it looks like Shouto may be available this weekend so I start texting him back, telling him thanks and letting him know what times I’m open to meet and ask where he’d like us to go to do the training. “Uncle Shouto said he can probably do some training with you this weekend, what do you… think…” 

        My voice trails when I look back at Kaoru; he’s standing next to an alley between two shops and staring up at something. While that is already a bit alarming the expression on his face is what I notice the most. His blue eyes are wide and while he does look stiff he doesn’t look all that scared, more like he’s looking at something that’s left him frozen in place and curious. My brows furrow, my motherly instincts kicking in immediately as I start to come back over, asking,”Kaoru…?” But he blinks and looks at me suddenly, replying,”O-Oh really? I miss Sh-Shouto-oji, his ice is fun to slide on…”

        I don’t say anything for a moment and move in front of him, peering into the dark alley, hands ready to use my quirk if needed, and looking around. Notably I see the black marks almost like a fire had recently burned here, but other than that nothing. I’m confused, my eyes scanning over everything for any movement but again, nothing. That doesn’t stop me from taking Kaoru’s hand and saying,”Yeah… I’m sure he misses you too, honey…” I pull him away from the alley, wanting to hurry home.

        I don’t know what it was, but even if I couldn’t see anything in that alley… I could feel us being watched. I just hope my gut feeling earlier about moving back isn’t a bad sign.

(AN: Part 2 is already halfway done (Dabi comes in too!) so if this does well I’ll post that too. I have a looooot of ideas for this, and WARNING it is going to follow canon like.... Only a little. Like mentions to activities going on in the universe will happen but given this is about Dabi/Touya, (F/n), and Kaoru it’s obviously gonna stray from canon lol 

Anyways I hope you guys enjoy! Let me know if you wanna see more, maybe?)

[chroniclesofalonewolf]

A SHOUT OUT TO MY FAVE ANIME GUYS - PART 2 (Because they also deserve it, you know....)

SHINYA KOGAMI (Psycho-Pass)

His Deal: Have been an Inspector of the MWPSB alongside Nobuchika Ginoza and Masaoka Tomomi until he was demoted to Enforcer following the death of his colleague and friend Mitsuru Sasayama at the hands of Shogo Makashima (the crime known as the "Specimen Case"). After his final confrontation with Makashima, Kogami escaped the country and joined a resistance group. By the time of the events of Psycho-Pass 3 (and its sequel movie, The First Inspector), he works as an agent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he teamed up with Ginoza once more.

Reunited and it Feels so Good: Kogami visits his former boss Akane Tsunemori who was incarcerated in prison. By the end of The First Inspector, Akane was released (after the charges against her were dropped) and was picked up by Kogami. They had a light-hearted exchange as friends do, a far cry from the boss-subordinate dynamic from the series' first season.

SENTARO KAWABUCHI (Kids on the Slope)

His Deal: A delinquent with awesome drum skills.

The Jazz Brothers: Sentaro (or Sen, as he is fondly called) took Kaoru Nishimi under his wing and helped the latter come out of his shell. They developed a strong brotherly bond through jazz music, which they frequently play at the basement of the record store owned by the family of another dear friend Ritsuko Mukae.

TAKUYA GOTOU (Sound! Euphonium)

His Deal: Tuba player of the Kitauji High School Concert Band. Became the leader of the band's bass section on his final year (Oath's Finale movie).

The Gentle Giant: Though quiet in his demeanor, Takuya gives good advice and looks after his younger band mates. He is also dating fellow tubist Riko Nagase.

RODDY (Carole and Tuesday)

His Deal: An A.I. sound engineer, usually assists DJ Ertegun during the latter's performances. He is the one who first discovered Carole and Tuesday.

The Unsung Hero: Roddy has been vital to the rise of Carole and Tuesday. From uploading the duo's guerilla performance of "The Loneliest Girl" in the Mars' Immigration Hall to his participation on the Voices from Mars showcase on New Years Day at the same venue, Roddy has been there every step of the way.

SEIJI AMASAWA (Whisper of the Heart)

His Deal: Shizuku Tsukishima's schoolmate and (boy)friend. His hobby is making violins. He's also a decent violin player as well.

Stalker.... Sort Of: Shizuku discovered that the books she borrowed are also read by Seiji. When the two got close, Seiji confessed that he's been eyeing for Shizuku all this time and one way to get her attention is to borrow the books she intended to read.

MAKOTO TACHIBANA (Free!)

His Deal: Childhood friend of fellow swimmer Haruka Nanase. Became President of the newly-formed Iwatobi Swim Club in their school with Haruka, Nagisa Hazuki (another childhood friend of his), and the newly-acquired Rei Ryugazaki as its members, and Gou Matsuoka (Rin Matsuoka's younger sister) as their team manager. Prefers backstroke as his specialty.

Thalassophobia: In one of defining episodes of the series' first season, it was revealed that Makoto has thalassophobia, or fear of the ocean - as we saw him failing to save Rei during a stormy night (they were eventually saved by Haruka and Nagisa). This is stemmed way back in his childhood when a kind fisherman that gave him two goldfishes was among the casualties on the onslaught of a typhoon that ravaged their place. Coincidentally, the goldfishes died too, and Makoto decided to bury them in their garden and visit them every now and then.

PAZU (Castle in the Sky)

His Deal: A hardworker at a mining town. Good friend of Sheeta.

A Dedicated Airman: His fascination for flying came from his late father, who first discovered the flying castle known as Laputa. He has a lot of flying escapades on this movie, esp. during his time with Dola and the Pirates.

HODAKA MORISHIMA (Weathering With You)

His Deal: He ran away from his village and moved to Tokyo, where he met Hina Amano.

High-Wire Escape Artist: He has several run-ins with the law and the like: ran away to his native village to escape his abusive father, being tracked by the police when they saw a footage of Hodaka holding a gun, and even saving Hina from the skies.

[sparklyjojos]

Joker recaps [3/3]

[tw: mentioned csa, suicide, obvious-murder-case-related-deaths, questionable treatment of the trans character]

----

Before Ryuuguu reveals his solution to the case, he asks Kirika to explain the locked rooms first.

First, the Stage of Light surrounded by snow. While everyone assumed it’d been the murder scene, the Artist actually killed Ryousho and Fuumonji somewhere else, and later flung an axe and some frozen blood to the Scene from one of the towers. The ice was melted once the reflected sunlight hit the Stage of Light, and the blood with anticoagulants would flow around like it was fresh.

Second, how the Locked Room was filled with water. The murderer must have created a thin wall made of ice that separated the majority of the room from the part near the door, filled the bigger part with water, closed the door, and simply waited until the ice melted.

Ryuuguu interrupts Kirika as he wants to talk about who the Artist is before revealing the last few locked rooms (although he still has no clue about the head in a helmet).

The key to the case is a certain theme that showed up each time a body of a writer was discovered.

Flowing blood. A mandarin orange. The yellow Room of Judgment. A weeping fig. Water. An indigo carpet. Amethysts.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. The colors of the rainbow.

Like the rainbow, niji, contained in Nijikawa’s name.

Nijikawa killed seven other writers and himself, resulting in eight sacrifices. Even if his room was guarded, he could’ve just employ a simple psychological trick (a G.K. Chesterton trick, as Ryuuguu calls it), casually walked out, and the exhausted police officers would just think they hallucinated it, or fell asleep for a second and only dreamed about it.

What pushed Nijikawa Ryou to murder? It’s too late to discover the truth. The answer will forever remain in the shadows.

The curtain has fallen.

Everything ended.

--

--

The curtain was brought up once more.

--

“It was a magnificent case, Mr. Ryuuguu,” says someone from the dining hall’s entrance, and it’s only now that everyone notices the two men standing there. One is Tsukumo Juku, his long hair and sunglasses instantly recognizable, and the other is his assistant Hikimiya Yuuya.

Kirika asks just how long the two have been standing there listening.

“Since about five pages ago,” Juku answers.

“You’re going to investigate too?” a police officer asks him.

“Forgive me, but I cannot do that… since I’ve already solved this case.”

Juku then takes Nemu along and leaves for a few minutes to check a few places in Geneijo, and Hikimiya takes a moment in the library to count something in Dakushoin’s manuscript, but soon everyone gathers in the dining hall again.

Juku finally announces the Artist’s name: Satou Ichirou. One of the police officers thought to be dead in the case. Juku doesn’t explains anything just yet, instead saying that he’ll continue his reasoning after the meal.

Once the meal is done, Juku says Satou Ichirou was NOT the Artist, and while Juku’s very sorry to tarnish the name of the dead like that, he had to say it so he could observe everyone’s reactions to the news during the meal. This allowed him to make sure of the murderer’s identity.

The Artist isn’t any police officer, or any Geneijo employee, or detective, or Tae. It is someone already dead.

But before the reveal, Juku tells them that there was something that everyone missed. If you transcribe the first kanji of every murdered writer’s real name and put them in order of their deaths, you’ll get:

Ka-rei-naru-(h)o-tsura-kuno-tame-ni. “For the Great Downfall”. There should be a ‘bo’ instead of ‘ho’, but that was exactly what the symbolic dakuten was for.

As for who is the Artist... Nijikawa was unlikely to do a rainbow-themed crime, as he was likely colorblind, just like his daughter Megumi. The latter fact was easy to guess: just like it was noted in Dakushoin’s manuscript, Megumi looked at Wasserman’s innocent painting of a castle and saw a monster. Wasserman seems to have put a few secrets in his paintings that could be noticed only by a colorblind person like him… and anyone who would just happen to be always wearing sunglasses.

Juku shows everyone a suicide note signed by Nijikawa that was found in Tae’s room. The writer of the note shortly describes the crimes, claims that he wanted to poison either Miyama or Dakushoin but it went wrong, and that he didn’t kill Megumi. He wasn’t trying to fulfill the 30 elements at all. He recalls the event from when he was a child and his father, a mystery writer, murdered his wife in a drunken rage before his son’s eyes, and later fell from the stairs and died while attempting to chase the terrified child. Since then Nijikawa believed the mystery novelists were monsters desensitized to human death. He decided to infiltrate the ranks of mystery novelists and enact revenge. But soon he realized that he turned into his own father, and so chose eternal slumber.

But if we assume this note was really written by Nijikawa, then it shouldn’t be found in Tae’s room.

Everyone gathered is losing their patience a little, so Juku announces the name of the Artist:

Miyama Kaoru.

--

The note found in Miyama’s pocket said “boku mou TAErarenai”, but as far as Juku knows from reading the manuscript, Miyama only ever used the pronoun watashi. So even if it was written by Miyama, it wasn’t Miyama’s suicide note, but a fake one that she intended to put next to Nijikawa’s body.

Miyama’s death wasn’t suicide, but neither was it a murder. At the time of her death at 3 am, Miyama happened to be in the middle of arranging a scene of Nijikawa’s “suicide” for later, standing on a chair and tying a noose. She couldn’t have predicted that a sudden earthquake would make her lose balance in the most unfortunate way possible.

But before she died, Miyama still managed to arrange Dakushoin’s death: she put a thick sheet of ice on top of two taller statues, towels on top of that, and Dakushoin drugged with sleeping pills on top of that. The ice eventually melted, making Dakushoin fall and get impaled on another statue.

Nijikawa’s death, on the other hand, was simply suicide.

Megumi’s death was accidental. She slip and fell after being startled by… something (Juku carefully doesn’t elaborate, but Ryuuguu suspects that the ‘something’ may have been Shouri knocking on the door, and Juku doesn’t want the boy to blame himself.) She hit her head on the floor, and the impact made the flower pot fall off the shelf and hit her again. Since she broke her left wrist falling, she had to use her right hand to write the message.

As for that upside-down painting of Mother Mary, Miyama as a Christian just couldn’t help but make it look proper.

Since Miyama was good enough in baseball pitching to teach it to Shouri, it would also make her able to accurately fling the axe and frozen blood to the Light Stage.

Dakushoin brought attention to facts like that in his manuscript, almost like he knew and desperately wanted someone else to realize the truth. In fact, there was a random poem inserted after the scene of finding Megumi’s body, and the first syllables of each line made the sentence “ko-no-ka-ba-tsu-ha-shin-ji-tsuwo-tsu-ta-e-te-i-ru...”, “this Kabatsu [a shortened name of the manuscript] is conveying the truth”. Similarly, reading the names of each big chapter of the sadly unfinished manuscript revealed a message: “Han-nin-no-na-ma-e-ha” (“the name of the culprit is...”), proving that Dakushoin knew the truth.

The message was so well hidden that only someone specializing in reading the intention of a writer would be able to find it.

But wait! There’s more. Juku shows everyone the 99 cipher and points out a tiny line near one of the numbers. If you read the numbers left-right, top-down (so in the normal Western manner) and stop at the line, you’ll have read 82 numbers, exactly how many numbered subchapters there is in Dakushoin’s unfinished manuscript. The prologue had 4 subchapters, the 6 normal chapters after that had 13 subchapters each. Dakushoin probably wanted to write another ‘prologue’ and another chapter afterwards, which would bring the total of subchapters to 99. One for each number in the cipher.

If you write down the title of each subchapter in hiragana and pick the consecutive character the number in the 99 cipher points to, and also read it backwards, you’d get a message…

[missing part] Kare wo sodateta tokushuna kankyou ga kare wo shite renzokusatsujin he to hashirashimeta no de aru. Nijikawa no shi ha jisatsu. Ta no hankou ha kare naraba jyuubun ni ji(tsu)kou ga kanou de aru.

Translation:

[missing part] Unusual circumstances in which he grew up pushed him to serial killing. Nijikawa's death is suicide. If the other crimes were [commited by] him then this could be an accident.

Of course Dakushoin couldn’t know about Nijikawa Ryou’s future death – who he meant by ‘Nijikawa’ here was Nijikawa Megumi. He correctly assumed that Miyama would be able to kill everyone else but not the girl. He wasn’t that off on the ‘suicide’ part, since Megumi’s death was technically caused by her own actions. Dakushoin probably didn’t know about Miyama’s gender and so used the incorrect pronouns. If he had a chance to write the last 17 subchapters, their deciphered titles would probably directly accuse Miyama Kaoru.

--

But the case reaches much, much deeper than that. Dakushoin was smart, but wasn’t able to notice a certain astounding series of coincidences. The events of the case – the way Dakushoin wrote it, even – were all foreshadowed a thousand years ago in the famous work The Tale of Genji.

Out of 53 chapters of The Tale of Genji, each one’s title was somehow referenced inside Dakushoin’s manuscript. Some are more obvious (aoi, kirigirisu, sakaki…) and some are deeply convoluted worplays on details like what exactly the characters ate or what was the name of a random police officer’s girlfriend that was only ever mentioned once. [Juku spends entire pages going through FIFTY THREE CHAPTER NAMES and explaining whatever horrible pun is related to it. It’s kinda amazing.]

When everyone is still stunned, Juku says that from this moment on even he’s not sure of his reasoning, but he believes he knows the truth. He turns to Teru and asks:

“Mrs. Mamiya, wouldn’t Miyama Kaoru happen to be your and Kirigirisu Tarou’s child? Or should I say, your and Hirai Genji’s.”

Teru can’t deny that. She guessed that Kirigirisu was her Genji, but decided to keep quiet. Hirai Tarou admits he knew about Miyama’s true identity too, but couldn’t recognize his brother after all these years.

Since the man was named Genji, then he obviously could name his child Kaoru, just like the legendary Genji’s child was called. The pen name ‘Miyama’ is fairly close to ‘Mamiya’ as well, as if intentionally chosen. Miyama apparently knew the identity of her mother. After Genji and Teru split, they left the baby in Geneijo, and Hirai Tarou had to give it up for adoption. Maybe Miyama’s motive was a revenge on Geneijo itself, the place in which she had been so profoundly rejected.

--

After everyone but the detectives leave the dining hall, Juku adds that, intentionally or not, the Geneijo case managed to fulfill all the 30 elements from Dakushoin’s list.

The others think that maybe if they were as capable as Juku, they could prevent the last few tragedies… but even as they thought about the past, they had to keep moving forward and finally leave Geneijo behind.

Hoshino Tae leaves Geneijo too, having both lost and learned so much.

--

--

On 31st December that year, a day before Tsukumo Juku is supposed to leave for England, he returns to Geneijo carrying flowers for the dead.

He’s not the only one there. The First Group’s leader Yaiba Somahito is already waiting there in silence. After some pleasantries Yaiba says that he checked the Geneijo case files once more and noticed that Dakushoin had been found to have terminal stage cancer. The man truly put the rest of his life into his writing – for the sake of a grand downfall.

As an aside, Yaiba also contacted Dakushoin’s editor and learned that there was some other book planned that Dakushoin’s sister Nagisa was supposed to be writing under a weird pen name, “Seiryoin Ryusui” or something like that.

Yaiba and Juku stand in silence for a few moments before Yaiba asks:

“Tsukumo, why did you lie that Miyama Kaoru was the Artist?”

“What do you mean, Mr. Yaiba?” Juku’s voice is still beautiful, but without its usual warmth.

Yaiba shows him an envelope with a message saying just “Please help me. TEL”. TEL was Teru’s signature. She knew Yaiba and tried to summon his help, but Yaiba returned to Japan from a case too late to read it in time.

Yaiba explains in a voice full of sadness: “Miyama Kaoru was mine and Mamiya Teru’s child. 22 years ago, my family was employed by Geneijo. My father was the butler before Kosugi Kan. When I was 12, Mamiya abused me. Since I know from her that Hirai Genji wasn’t able to have children, only I can be Miyama’s father.”

In The Tale of Genji, Kaoru wasn’t actually Genji’s biological child, but was fathered by another character, Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi was also the last name Yaiba once had.

Yaiba is convinced that Juku’s meta-reasoning told him the truth about the case and he just disregarded it in favor of a fake explanation. Yaiba’s only question is why. Was Juku protecting the actual culprit? There was obviously someone else who could commit the murders – the only other person who trained their baseball pitching well enough: the butler’s son Shouri. That’s why some tricks seemed childish. That’s why Shouri was hanging around in the greenhouse before a murder was committed there.

Juku finally admits that the true culprit of the case was Kosugi Shouri. But at the same time, this wasn’t the truth. Shouri may have been the “perpertrator”, but it’s unthinkable a boy like him would come up with the entire plan on his own. There was a mastermind; a frightfully powerful someone.

This case is truly unsolvable. Finding a solution would probably require them to unravel the strings that hold the world, the story and all the mysteries together, would take some sort of divine reasoning.

Dakushoin knew about it too, and put one last clue in his manuscript; maybe even by sheer writer instinct more than actual knowledge. A well hidden “AB ; 10101011” that seems like a random error of the word processor. AB meant 171 in hexadecimal, and 10101011 meant 171 in binary. 171 = i(chi)-na(na)-i(chi). Inai, meaning that something doesn’t exist. There was also a seemingly random part named Kimi~1/2 Hanashi. Kimi ½ = a half of “kimi” [“you”] = half-person = literally a han-nin = hannin [culprit].

Hannin ha nashi = “There is no culprit”.

Lost in thought, Juku looks up at the sky for a long time.

Yaiba still wants to know the ultimate truth, and Juku says that this shall stay a secret between them just like Yaiba’s past. Juku can only give one clue -- the personality of the mastermind can be derived from answering a few questions: who would want there to be so many misdirections and tricks? Who would want there to be a lot of unexpected twists in the case?

Juku adds that after the case was done, Hikimiya led by his detective instinct counted how many times each writer’s full name showed up in the manuscript. 37 for each of them. 37 = mi-na [“everyone”], so if everyone had ‘the same 37 times’ worth of mentions, then maybe the message was that “everyone is the same”. Anyone can be anyone. Maybe it means that all the categorizing of people based on their race, gender and so forth is meaningless; people are in the end just people.

The two detectives finally leave Geneijo and the story.

--

(There is one more chapter after that, called the Phantom Chapter. It’s long and poetically complicated, but the gist of it is that the story rests in the hands of the reader. For example, if a Reader stops reading the book in the middle out of boredom, then as far as that Reader is concerned, the true criminal is someone else. If after long years a Reader will forget the disliked parts, the story will show another face, and the Reader will think the true criminal is someone else.

The last answer bestowed by the godly detective isn't certain. Nothing is certain. Knowing this, the Readers may decide for themselves how they want to explain things. (For example, what if all the misdirections were in fact the signatures of the culprit(s)?)

The truth can be understood only by the reader who – as the narration prompts in the end – uses the 99 cipher to discovered the missing part of Dakushoin’s long message, using the titles of the last 17 sub-chapters of this 99-subchapter-long book called Joker:

Shin-han-nin-ha-da-re-de-mo-i-i-no-de-aru

The true culprit can be anyone.)

THE END

[imagineyourstars]

can i please request chiaki, mika, kaoru, and adonis where their small and usually sweet and affectionate s/o sticks up for them because another person is making fun of them? and the s/o just roasts and threatens them and is overall very intimidating to the bully? thank you!

i’ll take that as afollow up to that previous request we got, about ra*bits’ s/ostanding up to them ! aaaah what a cute request ♥ - mod mademoiselle

Chiaki :

Chiaki sometimeskind of loses himself in his “hero of justice” fantasies,and you’re used to it. After all, that’s how you like him ! He can beso considerate of people around him, too : you think that’s a lovelytrait.

Whenever you goout, he always loses focus on the date and instead sets himself amission, often ranging from rescuing kittens stuck in trees tocatching a pickpocket in order to give her purse back to that niceelderly lady. To be honest, your dates kind of feel like being thesecondary character of a tokusatsu show. And you love it !

That one time,things didn’t quite go as smoothly. As you were coming back from adate at the arcade together, you stumbled upon a group of guys aroundyour age who seemed to be violently bickering and threatening anotherguy. That looked dangerous, and as much as you wanted to just go away quickly, Chiaki insisted to intervene before things go awry.

Turns out it wasjust a fight like many others, and the guys weren’t exactly happy tosee your boyfriend barging in and trying to push them to “begood friends with each other”. Fortunately they were moreannoyed than angry, but they did take their frustration out onChiaki. They insulted him, pushing him around and threatening him.Chiaki was still acting calm and resolute (Ryusei Red was inhabitinghis body after all), but you could see he didn’t feel really at ease.The hero of justice never really had enemies, aside from the treesthe cats get stuck in…

You couldn’t standit and jumped to your boyfriend’s rescue. He never did anythingwrong, far from it, and that bunch of losers wanted to take theiranger out on him ? Fine. You’d take yours on them. They were sosurprised to see the sweet person hiding behind Chiaki step up andstart roasting them, they just stared at you, eyes wide.

They didn’t evenanswer when you started threatening them : judging by your murderousexpression, you were 100% serious and that was not a fight theywanted to get in. It’s much easier when it’s just intimidating randompasserbys who quickly go away, after all.

When you were done,they just silently walked away, looking a bit pissed. Chiaki didn’tanswer when you asked him if he was okay, instead just taking yourhand and bringing you back home. He was deep in thought. You acted socool and passionate when he was there, feeling lost and not reallyknowing how to react.

Turns out he wasactually really impressed and started suggesting you become the sixthmember of Ryuseitai, even stating he had a Ryusei Pink costume readyfor you. Apparently, you have what it takes to become a hero ofjustice and join his fight against evil. You’re not sure about thatlast part, but you’re happy you got to help your hammy and overlytheatric boyfriend.

Kaoru :

Smooth, flirty,handsome. That’s what Kaoru tries to be around you. He never fails tofind new ways to surprise you, even though he’s been your boyfriendfor a while now. That includes taking you on lovely dates in spotsyou never heard about.

That one time wasat a really classy restaurant. The food was amazing and theatmosphere too, and you were still laughing and chatting with Kaoru,walking hand in hand with him. It was getting really late, and he wasescorting you back home, as the gentleman he is. That’s when the wolfwhistles started.

A group ofseemingly drunk guys were catcalling you. You were already walkingaway, but Kaoru gently let go of your hands, getting ready to facethe rude guys with a suave attitude. “Gentlemen, this beautyhere is already taken.”  They didn’t really need more to starthowling in laughter. One of them started to shout. “Hey, aren’tyou that guy who’s always with someone different ? This one’s way toogood for a bastard like you.”

Kaoru wasn’tpleased at this and started arguing with them (yes, in the middle ofthe street, at night). The argument quickly got ridiculous, asexpected from drunk men. After roasting Kaoru’s physical appearance,they started to make fun of him and imitate him. Honestly, youwouldn’t even have taken them seriously if Kaoru didn’t look reallyangry. When one guy blurted out “What’s with all those girlsanyway ? D'you have mommy issues or something ?”, Kaoru’s facenoticeably got three shades paler.

You knew that lookon your boyfriend’s face and pushed him behind you before he couldget into a fight. Instead, you stepped up, slapping one of the guysfor trying to punch Kaoru. Everyone got eerily quiet as you startedputting them back in their place. They flinched when you called themdisgusting drunk pigs. Kaoru was looking at you, with a surprised butslightly vacant gaze.

Once you deemed theguys had enough, you walked away furiously. Kaoru soon followed,asking you to wait. He apologized for getting you in that situation,saying it was dangerous for you and yet he acted stupidly andselfishly. Although he was really embarassed about you having to cometo his rescue, he thanked you. And judging by the tears in his eyes,he really was glad to have you. He hugged you tight, and the two ofyou came home, holding hands once more.

Now he acts asthough he’s forgotten all about that one moment. Sexy suave Kaorudoesn’t need to be reminded he almost got his ass handed to him by abunch of drunk retards once, and you saved him in extremis. But he’sso glad you’re here by his side, and you can bet he’ll never forgetthat.

Mika :

Getting Valkyrieback on feet is pretty hard. But if it’s for your boyfriend’s sake,you’d do anything. Even sit through their dance lesson and watch Shuget angry for the sixth time already because Mika messes up that onepart.

Shu’s prettyreclusive and has what Mika calls “limited energy”. So it’soften just you and Mika working on Valkyrie stuff. Which is why youwere downtown that one day, with Mika in his Valkyrie outfit and youhanding out flyers for a concert.

You were justadvertising the unit to passerbys at first, but then Mika had theidea to let flyers in the district mall’s shops so that people couldsee them when shopping. Which gave you an idea : how about askingshopkeepers if Valkyrie could have a small live in front of theirshop ? You remembered the twins doing that to get more fans, maybethat could work for Valkyrie too !

Mika found a verygood spot, right in front of a florist’s shop. The two of you came inasking for permission to occupy the spot in front of the shop. Turnsout the shopkeeper was a rather angry middle-aged woman, who was busybickering with her employees before she saw you coming. She looked atyou suspiciously, eyeing Mika’s outfit.

As Mika wasfumbling with his words, you took it from there and explained you wererepresenting an idol group from the nearby school, asking for herpermission to take up the spot in front of her shop. She flatlyrefused. Mika tried explaining Valkyrie was in a really tight spotbut promptly got quiet as the woman started shouting at him.Apparently he would be really bad publicity for her shop, what withhis weird looks.

She started makingfun of the way Mika looks, stating he looked like a scarecrow, ormaybe one very ill crow. She also commented on his clothes beforestopping at his eyes. “With eyes like this, I’m not sureanyone’d give you a listen anyway.” Customers were getting inthe shop and Mika looked like he was about to cry. You had enough,and everyone jumped up in surprise when you started talking too.

The woman juststared at you while you were roasting her and defending yourboyfriend. Seeing how displeased she looked, you gave her a piece ofyour mind before storming off her shop, slamming the door behind you.

Mika apologizedprofusely,  even shaking a bit. He was crying, too, and you hugged himtight, even kissing his cheek. You made it clear to him none of whatthe rude shopkeeper said was true and went to buy him something sweetto eat.

He felt betterafter having a bit of ice cream, and the two of you even liked theshop so much you offered the shopkeeper a collaboration withValkyrie. The shopkeeper gladly took up your offer, and you and Mikashared a happy grin. Mission accomplished.

Adonis :

Adonis likes beingan idol, even though he’s a bit awkward with certain tasks involved.The one thing he doesn’t like is photoshoots, and you know it well.

When Rei announcedhis intention to have one for UNDEAD’s new concert posters, yourboyfriend frowned. As soon as training was over, you got up toAdonis, telling him everything would be okay. He nodded, but youcould tell he wasn’t entirely convinced.

The d-day came waytoo fast. Rei and Kaoru were exceptionally good in their own soloshoots, and Koga was surprisingly more talented at being a model thanyou thought. Last up was Adonis. He gave you a shy smile when youcame to encourage him, giving him a quick kiss when no one waslooking.

Adonis tried hisbest. Really. The photographer soon got fed up and started to shoutinstructions. Your boyfriend tried to follow them, adjusting his poseand forcing a smile. The photographer wasn’t satisfied yet and madehim change poses at least fifteen times. Rei was frowning, next toyou. That wasn’t a good sign.

Maybe the guy hadhad a bad day. Or maybe he was just a rude asshole. Whatever thereason, he started to take his frustration out on Adonis, yelling athim for being so bad at modelling. Everything was wrong : hisposture, his expression… He even told Adonis to quit making thisstupid face, to which your boyfriend meekly answered that was hisnormal face. You felt your patience being tested but decided to staycalm. Rei clicked his tongue, visibly displeased.

When thephotographer got angry at Adonis for having tanned skin, even tellinghim he couldn’t possibly look as good as the japanese guys, Reilooked at you pointedly. You weren’t sure whether he was asking you to intervene or just being curious as to how you’d react. You sure ashell didn’t need Rei’s permission to walk up to the photographer,hands on your hips, and give him a piece of your mind.

He sure tried todefend himself, stating he was only “doing his job”, butyou snapped, reminding him all the racist comments he’d made. Youthen gave him a ultimatum : either he started working professionallyand giving Adonis a chance, or you’d fire him and just find anotherphotographer. He grumbled but got back to work, silently this time.

As soon as Adonis’photoshoot was over, you rushed to see him, asking if he was okay. He looked so sad you couldn’t help but kiss him, swearing he was the world’s mosthandsome boy to you. He’d have kissed you back were it not for Kogabeing a nuisance and just ruining the atmosphere.

That evening, youtook Adonis to a neko café to forget the photoshoot disaster. Hedidn’t really tell you, but you saw in his eyes how happy he was tohave someone like you by his side.

[justawanderingdragon]

(click for captions)

This is, like, super late, but I just wanna brag about the awesome time I had at AwesomeCon. First off, let me say that I have never been to a con before, so I was completely out of my depth going into this.

Highlights:

There was an entire panel dedicated to crack SW theories. It was glorious. One of the moderators was the creator of the infamous @emoKyloR3n twitter and she apologized for the lack of updates. There was a hilarious discussion on how Rey’s lack of parentage fits in with the theme of poor female reproductive healthcare in the SW universe. I got to say my ridiculous Rey-is-a-test-tube-baby theory and some guy came up to me afterwards to say that he 100% believed my theory. There was another guy who was absolutely convinced Rey was a Fett (wtf???).

Pictures! So many pictures! I don’t want to brag, but it felt great being in a cosplay I loved throughout the day (it was also pretty comfy - I didn’t need to bring a bag because the pants are scrubs and have like ten pockets). I feel like the weird cosplayers are definitely part of the “attraction” of a con, and I really felt like I was a part of the whole experience. It was great. That full-body photo was taken by geek-prime.com almost as soon as I walked in.

I met my steampunk counterparts! I also met a Wheatley, but I’m not gonna post that photo, because I had my eyes closed. There was a companion cube wandering around, but unfortunately I never met up with them.

At the SW panel, I won a book raffle for Thrawn.

I got a discount Lil’ Sebastian shirt for my sister.

David Tennant was there, but I missed his panel, goddammit.

John Barrowman was there. Apparently he was wearing a TARDIS onesie.

I saw a cute little lightsaber show.

So many science panels! I saw one on alternate dimensions (shoutout @alternatefalls), one with an astronaut, and even one on Antarctic paleontology. When I was younger, I wanted to be a paleontologist and then an astrophysicist, so seeing my childhood passions in this environment was so satisfying.

To all the cosplayers I saw: you all were absolutely amazing! Seeing everyone’s passion and creativity was definitely the best part of the whole experience. If you see this post and your photo (thanks for letting me take your photo, btw), notice me so I can put your url in the caption!

Honestly, I had such a good time. I don’t get out and “do things” a lot, so this was a nice change of pace. I really, really enjoyed this, probably more than I’ve enjoyed anything else in a while. There was just an amazing positivity to the environment that made me fall in love with the whole con experience. There’s another, smaller con coming up and I’m thinking of going. Maybe make a new cosplay, maybe enter a contest. Who knows? It’s nice to have fun for a change.