#rindo and fret looking to him for reassurance

[scramble-crossing]

Small Mina battle quotes appreciation post

[wickedreplay]

@hackereaped​​ : Left behind is a small box wrapped in a ribbon, inside being a pendant with a small flying squirrel charm attached. They only wish they're able to stick around and see him open it up ( their parents would be throw a fit if they discovered Rhyme ran late to their cram school session ) but hopefully the note attached is enough to express their gratitude and share how they're looking forward to hanging out during the weekend.

     THE EMPTY BOOTH HE RETURNS to upon leaving asia fantasia’s restroom is, admittedly, something of a shock, but that’s all it is. were rhyme anyone else, he might’ve taken offense or felt embarrassed, but this was rhyme. curious as it may be, he’s grown accustomed to their rushed exits & busy schedule. okay sure, leaving without a goodbye is new, but one look at the hastily scrawled ‘ sorry !! ’ on a napkin beneath a small gift box is enough to reassure rindo that extraneous circumstances are at play & that it’s nothing personal.

     taking a seat, he pulls the little box towards him, brow quirking as he inspects the ribbon : silky smooth & orange. fancy, he muses, sliding it between his index finger & thumb. it’s then that he notices his palms are sweating, & he drops the ribbon quick enough for one to think it had burned him. he rubs his hands across the tops of his jeans, tries to ignore the way they shake under the table, & mentally kicks himself for being so silly. it only makes sense though. the last time he’d received a gift, it’d been the pin that’d sent him to the UG in the first place. sure, the chances of something like that happening again were probably slim to none, but still. the box is perfectly pin-sized——

     ( . . . maybe it’s a good thing rhyme isn’t here to witness this. he’d feel pret-ty bad if they had to see him be so hesitant about a gift they were kind enough to get him. )

     after several minutes ( & several deep breaths ), he stops treating the box as if it’s a small bomb & rips the band-aid ( or, in this case, the lid ) clean off. the foolishness he feels is immediate, shadowed only by the relief that it’s not, in fact, a small bomb. it’s all rindo can do to keep himself from laughing as he takes out the pendant with one hand & covers his face with the other. the cool metal of the charm feels nice against his still - warm skin, & he admires the design through slatted fingers. fondness pulls at the corners of his lips, the memories flooding in. how long had it been ? since they had all sat in this very same booth : him, fret & nagi, & rhyme too, though he hadn’t known it at the time, their noise form hiding their true identity as they buried themselves into the folds of his hoodie. it was a good time, one of many —— his own personal eye of the storm / a respite from the chaos of it all. it feels weird to remember anything from the game fondly, but this he does, & it seems rhyme does too. he doesn’t even need to read the note to see that.

     when he leaves the restaurant, the charm hangs from his neck, perfectly filling the exposed space between his collarbones. with a pep in his step, he sets off, ready to face the rest of his day, but not before shooting off a quick series of texts to the one responsible for the easy smile on his face.

「 ✉ — OUTGOING :   RHYME 」hey hope u got to where u needed to be okay 「 ✉ — OUTGOING :   RHYME 」and . . . thank you 「 ✉ — OUTGOING :   RHYME 」i love it :)

     now to find something in this crazy big city to return the favor. shouldn’t be too hard, right ?

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Will We Be Friends When We Grow Old?

A Tsugumi and Shoka fic. Oneshot. Major Neo spoilers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33277189

More detailed plot summary: Tsugumi helps to comfort Shoka about the loss of Ayano, as they hold a memorial for her. This fic is mainly platonic. Though some slight one-sided shipping ended up in here (Tsugumi towards Shoka), but it’s blink and you miss it and you can still choose to see it as platonic. Also, RindoShoka and Neku and background someone. For me, it’s Shiki. But I didn’t specify, and you could maybe imagine it as someone else. Tsugumi’s PoV. Oneshot. Canon compliant

Tsugumi had only been in Shinjuku again for a few weeks—trying to figure out how they could bring it back from the brink, and have it be shiny and new again—when she got a call from Shoka, begging her to come back to Shibuya for a bit, because she needed someone with her who could understand the crippling loss of Ayano and be there for a memorial.

And while this was a tiny bit inconvenient—because Kaie had electronics mapped to Tsugumi’s head right now, in thinking maybe her visions of Shinjuku could help to create it, and then they could use something like a 3D printer to recreate it... after they made one that strong—Tsugumi knew that she would happily tell her friend Kaie to wait a little longer on this, so she could go comfort Shoka.

After all, how long had she been trapped in her Mr. Mew doll because of that bastard Kubo, before Shiki’s kind soul had wrestled her out of it? So, Tsugumi thought she could wait longer for her home to surface from the seas again, too.

Especially since Tsugumi knew it had to be hard for Shoka right now, without her old family. She had the Wicked Twisters... and while Tsugumi was sure they were trying their best to help soothe Shoka’s pain about Ayano’s erasure, it probably wouldn’t mean as much as someone doing the same who understood the loss themselves.

So, Tsugumi delicately removed the wires from her head, texted Shoka that she'd be there in a jiffy, and then looked to Kaie, who was definitely looking at her questioningly right now.

"Sorry, Kaie," Tsugumi reassured her dear friend, as she patted his hand. "Can this wait for a week? I want Shinjuku back as soon as you do. I swear. But Shoka needs me. It seems she's having a memorial service for Ayano, and needs the support. I'll be back in a week, okay?"

'That's fine', Kairi texted Tsugumi near instantly, once her words had seemed to reach his ears. 'Be sure to give Shoka my best.'

And Tsugumi smiled at Kaie even brighter now, because something about hearing him care about Shoka was aligning her soul, when a part of her had been afraid that her Shinjuku family would never reconnect with Shoka again. But clearly she needn't have worried. And that was a very beautiful thing, indeed.

"Don't worry!" she promised Kaie, her hand on her heart. "I will."

...

It didn't take Tsugumi too long to get back to Shibuya with her Reaper wings.

And one of the first things she saw when she arrived there, was Shoka and Rindo leaving 104... and Shoka wearing white clothes, of all things! Rindo was wearing all white, too.

And though it took Tsugumi a second to guess why, she did eventually figure out the reason. Shoka liked this one book series called "The Mortal Instruments", and in that, the characters with special powers—the Shadowhunters—wore white to funerals, instead of black. And Shoka must have been doing that here, since she usually wore black, and must have gotten Rindo to go along with that, as well... even though he usually seemed to wear a lot of white, from what Tsugumi had seen, he was wearing nothing but it now. And Tsugumi knew she would have to do the same thing.

"Shoka, it's so good to see you!" Tsugumi exclaimed as soon as she found her voice, running up to her surrogate sister and giving her a hug. "And I'm so sorry that I didn't think about that leaving you here alone, would mean leaving you to deal with the loss of Ayano alone. But I'm here now. And since here funeral is going to be ‘City of Bones’ themed... I can get the instrumental for for 'When the Darkness Comes' to sing, if you want."

"Thank you so much, Tsugumi!" Shoka cried, pulling Tsugumi only tighter into her arms. And Tsugumi was completely happy to be there, as she stroked Shoka’s hair and took in the sweet smell of Shoka’s raspberry scented perfume once again. “That sounds great. I'm so glad you're here, Tsugumi! And I'm so glad to see you again!" And Shoka kissed Tsugumi on the cheek then, leaving a stain of red lipstick there for the moment... until Tsugumi had to sort of awkwardly wipe it off (though maybe it actually wasn’t too awkward for Tsugumi at all).

And speaking of awkward, it was clear that Rindo felt that way right now. And Tsugumi wondered if he was second-guessing his place as Shoka's best friend at the moment.

But he was definitely that, Tsugumi was ashamed to say. Because the “The Mortal Instruments” was one of the few things Tsugumi knew about Shoka lately, since she'd been so focused on saving Shinjuku, she’d let her fall through the cracks. And how she desperately regretted that.

"I don't know if it's gonna be much of a funeral," Rindo explained to Tsugumi now, maybe thinking it was best that she got all the detes? "I asked Shoka if she wanted one for Ayano, and told her my mom could help pay for it and everything. But she said she'd rather just have a short vigil at Miyashita Park, where we can leave tributes to her. Though I'm sure you could sing during it, if you'd like."

"Thank you," Tsugumi told Mr. Twister, looking at him with her eyes shining. She thought it was pretty sweet, that even though the event would be short, he would make time for his former enemy to sing, if she would wish it. Tsugumi might have even started fangirling over him then, as much as she did Lord Ishimoto, if she hadn't realized then that she might be too choked up to sing. Because she was still heartbroken up about Ayano, too. And thoughts of her, often brought on thoughts of Big Su, that would really start up the waterworks in her...

"So, were we planning on going right now, then?" Tsugumi asked. But it was pretty obvious by the way that Shoka and Rindo were dressed, that that was the case. "Wow. I made it just in time, then!"

"I would have done it a second time with you, if you'd been late," Shoka assured Tsugumi, taking her hand. "And I'll do the same for Shiba, Kaie, and even Hishima, whenever they get their asses up here."

At this point, Rindo had pretty much disappeared into the scenery of 104, the poor kid—Tsugumi did feel bad about leaving him out, she wasn't trying to, but this sort of was a moment for her and Shoka right now—but thankfully, Neku, Fret... and some prissy looking kid seemed to be showing up for him, and Shoka, too, to keep him occupied.

"Kaie told me to send you his love," Tsugumi promised Shoka, squeezing her hands. "And I'm sure he'll be down right after I am. And Shiba and Hishima care, too. You know them, Shoka. They really do, deep down, as do I. And I'm so sorry if I ever made that unclear. But they might wait until Shinjuku is in some proper form again, before they stop by. But I know they will. And you could always come visit us, you know! In fact, please do, Shoka. Please?! With sugar on top!

"Anyway, let me go to 104 and buy some all-white clothes, and then we can get this solemn show on the road!"

And Tsugumi did just that.

They ended up getting forget-me-nots for Ayano, to let her know she would never be forgotten. And since, sadly, the fact she had never forgotten Shinjuku was part of the reason she could never embrace Shibuya, Shoka had let Tsugumi know. And even Blue Pepsi, since she loved the beverage and it somewhat matched her favorite shirt, and the Maximum Ride book series, since there was a character named "Iggy" in there, like her iguana.

And Shoka left her her Mr. Mew hoodie, thinking that maybe Ayano would like to have it, and might understand her love for Gatto Nero now, wherever her soul pieces were.

And Tsugumi did sing for her, though she broke key once, as the tears overwhelmed her... but Neku had chimed right in then, and had covered it up and no one had heard anything wrong. And if Neku hadn’t already been in a committed relationship, Tsugumi could have kissed him for it.

A girl named Rhyme had a few adages to say... as did Nagi say some very wise things over their gathered items.

And Fret bought a long scarf to tie off a part of Miyashita Park with all of the stuff here, so no one would mess with it for a while. Rindo had helped Fret do that (and had then gone back to holding Shoka). Rindo was also largely responsible for all of this, Tsugumi knew, so she definitely knew he was going to be on her Christmas list from now on.

Shiki had looked rather pained when Rindo and Fret had stretched the scarf so thinly, though—as if expecting it to rip right away—and had already broke out her needle and thread, and might have been creeping closer and closer to it as she eyed it...

And then Beat banged a small drum at the end of it all, to then try and make them all feel better—which was much appreciated, because Tsugumi didn't know if she liked where Joshua was so intently watching where Ayano had apparently fallen—as he told everyone that Ayano wouldn't want them to grieve... Shoka and Tsugumi, anyway.

And it was truly an event to remember. And Tsugumi knew that she would for as long as she existed in her non-life.

She even had new friends now, that she hadn't counted on at all when she'd started this venture here.

She'd thought she'd stay jealous of them and not fully understand why Shoka had left her family.

But now Tsugumi was hugging Shoka goodbye and promising she'd visit Shibuya and the Twisters again soon... though still making sure to try and needle Shoka into visiting Shinjuku, too.

"It's been great, Shoka. See you soon, dark girl," Tsugumi teased, running her hands up and down the lady's arms, as she did so.

And she could pretty much hear Shoka smirk—or perhaps purr—as she shot back with lips and teeth against Tsugumi's cheek, "And see you soon, light girl."

And then Tsugumi's visit to Shibuya turned out better than even Shiba could have guessed when he'd been the Executor.

Because by a literal miracle... spilling into Shoka's apartment, to hug them both now—as all three sobbed, and made promises to hold onto each other and never act so foolishly again—was Ayano.

Author’s Note: The ending with Ayano coming back is super cheesy, I know. And I sort of hate to write it. But when I had Joshua at the memorial too, I knew it had to happen.

This will be the one TWEWY story I write, that sort of cheapens death. The anime soften TWEWY’s blows by bringing Nao and Sota and Def March back to life (which I appreciated, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think they were brought back in the game. And I get why they weren’t: to not cheapen death). So, this will be the one where I soften Neo’s blows, I guess.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Oh, and the title is a lyric from the song “End of the Line” by Christi Mac, which is pretty good. I couldn’t think of anything else to name it, so I went with that. -shrugs-

And, yes. I do think Tsugumi ended up with one-sided feelings for Shoka in this. I didn’t intend this when I wrote it, but it just happened�� which is sort of what gave birth to my theory on Tumblr, about me wondering if maybe Tsugumi was actually beta!Rindo. And I believe that now, but it’s just a game theory, as MatPat would say. But anyway, you guys can also gladly ignore those one-sided feelings that sort of crept up in here, if you want, and see this all as platonic as it was meant to be, if you want! Or not! Whatever floats your boat!

And while I wanted to write something for Shoka and Tsugumi—because the game hinted at their friendship, but then didn’t do much with it—someone on Tumblr actually responded to my post about that and gave me the idea to have Tsugumi help Shoka deal with the loss of Ayano. But now I can’t find the commenter. But shoutout to them. If it was you and you’re reading this—or anyone here knows who it was—let me know, so I can give credit where credit is due!

Shutting up now!