#same w Kabuki

[korpuskat]

Since necromancer is the meanest and roughest one, who do you think is the nicest and gentlest? :3

Default LMAO

No, but he only has, what? Necromancer, Biohazard, and Poseidon? i will not address that thing that just came out (where is his hair?).

Poseidon and Canon Ramattra might be a close call, but I think Poseidon's being literally immortal vs Ramattra's guilt of hurting humans tips in Ramattra's favor.

[staycait]

hii!! can i request catboy!kabukimono w breeding kink x reader smut?? :3

⊹ 　 ﹒ 　 ❝ 　needy catboy ! ⠀⊹⠀˚⠀ ౨ৎ

𝜗𝜚 ┈ catboy!kabuki x fem!reader ㅤ ✦

𝐈. ──ㅤ your catboy boyfriend has been getting extra touchy and needy recently.. ?

𝐈𝐈. ──ㅤ mentions of breeding kink , overstimulation , cream pie , raw sex , mentions of markings , && praise .

𝐈𝐈𝐈. ──ㅤ nsfw , smut , english is not my first language, please forgive me , proofread , fluffy ending !!

﹒ thoughts ; this kinda sucks, but i do hope i wrote this well enough , or have at least reached your expectations !! 😄 haven’t written for kabukimono yet especially him as a catboy, and i really hope this is enjoyable! ㅠㅠ

> story right under the cut <

your boyfriend being touchy and needy ever since you two started dating. you were used to his constant affection and clinging, but… something weird has been going on with him.

but now you know why.

your head was buried in the pillow, staining it with your tears and your drool, continuously and pathetically moaning as kabukimono thrusts his cock into you.

he was basically fucking you dumb and into the sheets— he held your hips up high as he whimpered and moaned out how good you were and how good you felt.

the way his tip kissed your cervix just right, and the way his dick would hit all the sweet spots that would make your knees turn into jelly, you swear that kabukimono knows your body more than you do.

your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you feel a tight knot in your stomach forming—you’d be cumming for the ‘nth time. you had lost count after the first three, but that doesn’t matter, what matters is that kabukimono’s abusing your hole to the max. and the fact he was going to cum inside you for the millionth time this night.

“so good.. you feel so.. g-good..!”

kabukimono really couldn’t get enough of you and your pussy. it was getting to the point where he started crying and babbling out words.

he pulled out of you, turned you around so that you were laying on your back, spread your legs and plunged back instantly into you.

you let out a high pitched moan, arching your back and bringing your hands to his back and scratching it.

if you wanted to put it simply, he was fucking the air out of your lungs. it felt so good, it was overstimulating and too much for you, yes, but that doesn’t mean the feeling of his cock ramming aggressively into you doesn’t feel good.

kabukimono’s tail was wagging, his ears were perked up, and he just went harder against you, and the more harder he went, the more desperate he was to breed you. to paint your walls completely white with his cum, to fuck his offspring into you. it was a cycle he couldn’t break or get out of.

he wanted many things, but of course, he most especially wanted you. in both ways.

your climax was closing in on you, and it was the same for kabukimono. you cried and moaned nonstop, he buries his head into the crook of your neck and you could feel his tears flowing down to your neck.

“ ‘m wanna breed you s-so bad.. please.. i want to see you with my babies.. please, please, please, please, please…”

he was so desperate to cum in you and breed you to the point he was a sobbing mess. he sucks on your neck, leaving another hickey. his thrusts were incredibly sloppy..

you dig your nails into his back, you let out a scream of pleasure as you have an intense orgasm.

and at the same time, kabukimono cums into you.

his thrusts become a little slower, slower and slower, until he comes to a full stop.

you both pant, kabukimono lays on top of you as his tail calms down. he gives your neck a little kiss and chuckles at you.

“i.. did i.. do good?”

you smile at him, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and responding at him, your words dripping with honey.

“mhm, you did so good..”

“thank you..” his eyes light up a bit more, and he bites his lower lip.

he pulls out of you slowly and gently, careful as not to hurt you. he carries you and brings you into the bathroom, gently placing you down on the tub.

“would you like warm or cold water?”

you just know you’ll be receiving the best aftercare in the world.

[pxgeturner]

fifinnj ikn.

where.

where he.

hm. overstimulation-

you feel your in-the-spotlight boyf fade away. he reminds you that he is very much there for you (actor!finnick x not famous!reader in a current-day!au)

an. ok. mer my love, I tried hard you gotta understand 😭. I had a plan. but it ended up not like raw sex how I wanted but more making love. yeah that's it. the main sex scene is so lovey dovey. I hope that's okie. it's what my brain wanted ig. I'm so, so glad I'm finally getting this to you. I hope you love it like I do.

ALSO. to the person who asked "where's my baby finnick???" I hope you're satisfied because this is a bigger piece than I've written in a long time.

warnings: bits of angst, smut 😇, cumming at the same time (we <3 a man w good timing), public sex (under the table), teasing, oral (f!receiving), finnick's smirk

wc: 2k

Lately, finnick is never home. that’s a lie, he comes home to sleep. finnick is never home at any time when he could actually see you. he goes out to the shoot, hangs out with his friends, and comes home whenever he likes. whenever you try to sit him down for a meal, his agent calls, or his manager, or the producer of the project, or the director, or the costume designer, or his friends.

you can’t say the love is gone, you still have little moments of affection. him kissing your temple as he slips into bed, him kissing your hand before he walks out the door, making breakfast together on the few days he doesn’t have to go in too early. 

you know he loves you, and that once filming comes to a wrap, romance will resume to normal. But you feel so lonely. 

…

“want to go to a dinner party?” you roll your eyes at him, continuing to polish your toes, perched on the tub ledge.

“no way in hell would katniss willingly throw a dinner party. And peeta would never make her.”

“it’s a haymitch and effie soiree.” 

“oh, so it’s a soiree now?”

finnick lathers shaving cream with the kabuki brush & bowl set you got him for christmas last year. “you know effie,”

“i'm surprised you’re inviting me,” you say with a bittersweet honestly. he sets the brush back into the bowl, turning to you.

“sweetheart,”

You sigh, “you’re just so busy lately, finn. It’s like strictly work and friends for the past couple of months.”

he kneels on the bathroom tiles, you internally shiver because he’s getting his robe dirty. 

you arch your brow at him. 

“we need this, right?”

“you don’t. you don’t need me. you don’t need anyone... i need you, though.” your eyes start to sting and your throat closes up a bit.

finnick springs into action, gently grabbing your hand that’s paused on the nail polish cap “baby, baby, you don’t need to worry. it’s you and me.” he kisses the knuckles, transferring shaving cream onto your hand. he looks up at you with those sea-green, puppy-dog eyes. "be my date tomorrow night?"

he ate you out that night. down right making out with your pussy. every swipe of his tongue felt like an apology. so sweet, sugar-coated, he was making up for lost time. it was like he was telling you he loves you through your cunt. which felt so absurd a thought when you had it, you laughed out loud. that was the only time finn came up for air, “what? has it been that long? have i lost my touch?” he mocked worry. you told him you got distracted, and to up his game; which he did. you lost count of how many times he made you cum. 

you roll over, wanting to bump into finnick, feel his warmth. you landed on cold sheets instead of your warm boyfriend. so you got up, put on the robe finnick left on the floor and made yourself some tea. 

you’re starting to hate weekends. finnick’s job makes him work around the clock, and this place was finn’s place before it was your together place. you wish he moved into your place, that way you could look around and see memories that didn’t just involve him. 

you put on this green maxi slip dress tha finnick loves on you and a white fur you found at a boutique a few days ago, some big hoop earrings and a green onyx ring. the door opens. finnick. you two are going to be so late for dinner, he still has to get dressed. He pops his head into the bedroom. he’s already dressed.

his jaw drops into that cheeky face he makes. “babe, you got all dolled up for me? you’re so lovely.”

“can you for once say something that isn’t at all smug?”

“something,” he flourishes his arms. 

“very funny, finn. and this isn’t for you, it’s for me. I haven’t seen out friends in a while and i want to look nice.” that's mostly true, although you did actively decide to wear his favorite color.

“ah, yes, of course.” he slides up next to you in front of the vanity. 

“how are you ready?” he grabs one of his cologne bottles.

“you know i have a change of clothes for every occasion in my trunk. and i'm not ready just yet,” he shakes the bottle slightly.

“ah, yes the travel closet. how very crazy rich asians of you.”

“i'm the real-life peik lin.”

…

being at effie and haymitch’s was like fresh air after holding your breath. typically, you didn’t need anyone else to feel alive. but, you don’t know anyone at your new job, and you feel kind of aimless. you’re not sure if you’re going in the right direction anymore

peeta nudges you, “how’s work?”

you fidget with your ring. “new things are always an adjustment.”

a warm hand lands on your thigh. you look at finnick, he smiles, squeezing your thigh. 

“you’ll be fine, once you’re all settled, you’ll knock their socks off.” katniss smiles at you. 

“effie, did you hire a new chef?” 

“why, yes i did, dear! of course you are the one who noticed, you always have had the best test!” she giggles, “aside from me, of course!” you were relieved effie took your bait. You want to focus on something else other than yourself. 

“doesn’t my sugar look absolutely divine?” finnick quips as he starts bunching up your skirt. a chorus of agreement comes in response. by the time someone resumes conversation, he has your dress piled at the bend of your hips. his fingers dance his way over to your clothed sex. immediately, he presses a finger right on your clit. it sends a jolt through you at you sit up a little straighter. 

peeta gives you a look that says everything alright? And you give him a gentle smile back. 

“hey sweetheart,” haymitch asks, looking at you. 

“mm, mmm?” finnick’s making circles around your clit making you dizzy.

you try extra hard to listen to what he says, “i know you said you’re doing that day job but how’s your passion treating you?”

“fashion is a tough industry to get into, let alone do right.” hopefully your voice doesn’t betray you. 

finnick tucks your panties to one side and slips a finger inside. you yelp, mouth closed. 

“you alright, sugar?”

“bit my lip while chewing.”

“aw, baby, you have to be more careful,” patronizing ass.

finnick teases you on an off throughout the night. actively at least, he keeps his finger inside of you for the rest of the meal. Every now and then you’d purposely clench around it, to spur him on. sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. 

on the ride home, you sat scooted as close to the window as possible.

“you are cocky,” 

you look at him, he’s smiling, big and proud. “low,”

“and sexy?” you glare at him. what a pompous boyfriend you have. 

“...yes.” you roll your eyes. 

he holds your hand, “you looked so sexy tonight, baby. i couldn’t resist.”

“that was the first time i’d seen them in months!”

“aw, did you not have fun, sugarcube?”

“i did, but damn you finnick, why does everything have to be a spectacle with you?”

“but you did such a good job of being discreet, babe, there wasn’t any spectacle tonight.”

you let out a small giggle. 

“i’m trying to make everything better, baby.” you hold hands the rest of the way

…

Your boyfriend follows you into the apartment, practically nipping at your heels. He gets his hands on your hips, tugging you back into his chest. He nips and sucks at your neck, hands roaming. 

“You’re so impatient,”

“You’re so tempting.” he picks you up fireman style, carrying you over to the bed. He slips the dress off of you. 

he’s everywhere. your neck, chest, tummy, thighs, kissing your body up and down. yesterday, sure he had your legs shaking and you forgiving him, but today he’s loving you in the way he used to. In a way that has a piece of your soul click back into place.

you arch your back into him, finnick eventually settles on you chest, kissing, nipping, sucking, squeezing. loving you without words. he takes a quick moment to rid himself of his pants, literally smothering himself in your gorgeous tits.

“finn– finn– what are you doing?” you laugh. 

he comes back up. he takes off his suit and rips his shirt. “i’m doing what needs to be done so i can love you and this beautiful fucking pussy, doll.”

You look at him, eyebrow cocked “so my pussy is more beautiful than i am?”

“you are the sum of your parts, baby.” he runs a hand through your hair. “it just so happens that you have the most exquisite pussy.”

“then why aren’t you touching it?” you test him. he slips a couple of fingers into you without missing a beat. 

“what were you saying, sugar?” he rubs up against your g-spot. “c’mon you were about to say something.”

“just- just, finn–”

“it’s okay, sugar, I got you baby, I know what you need.” he slips his fingers out, and you whine. but he doesn’t leave you much room to complain, pushing himself into you. 

oh. my. god. he hasn’t felt this good in so long. trying to stay in control during this hell of a month is torture. during the time you two have been together, he hasn’t taken on any projects. well, there was that one time he was brought on as a late-stage producer when one dropped out. but that wasn’t nearly as time consuming as acting was. finnick never noticed how isolated he is during a shooting period. other than the occasional fling with a co-star, he really didn’t have any sort of relationships. but know he has you and you are such a delicious little distraction. but honestly, celibacy does not suit him. 

initially, he thrusts into you slowly. he wanted to savor this, but you’re just too good. and it’s been too long. and he missed this pussy. last night was just a taste. he’s prepared to keep you here all fucking week if he has to. he lifts your torso up, slipping a pillow under your hips, and as he lays you back down, he kisses you. 

“I missed you,” you breath into his lips.

“i’m right here sweetheart. I’m all yours, I’ll be forever yours, my girl.” he kisses your temple, making a trail down to your breasts. “fuuuck,” he says before taking a nipple into his mouth. he has never (and I mean never) loved a pair of breasts more than your tits. they are goddamn perfect. no one could tear him away from you. if you’d let him, he’d spend an entire day under one of you (his) pajama shirts, his face to your chest, it would be the best day of his life. his hands squeeze your hips. the way you pussy-- it’s fucking glorious. he wants to cum, he wants to cum so bad--

“finn,” you feel him twitch, 

if you keep saying his name the way you are, he might just explode. “finn-finnick!” he has a thumb on your clit. he needs you to cum first. You always cum first. It’s his rule. you're tugging at his hair. And your gripping him like a vice. “finn, please,”

“there’s my good girl.” 

just in time. You two arch into each other an finnick bottoms out in you, losing himself in your warmth. and as he collapses to your side, and you give him your cute little sleepy smile, he thinks one thing. 

I'm so serious about keeping you here all week. he decides that he’ll let you nap for half an hour. he collects supplies, food water etc. and emails your work that your amazing boyfriend has set up a surprise vacation and will be gone for a few days.

you wake up to the sound of an alarm and a nip at your thigh. 

[aqwnstars]

Reader who's married with Kabuki is a cute dynamic :(( Ya'll are in the same bed and his first thought is to kiss your forehead and cuddle you until you wake up (bro's doesn't need to sleep so he would just stare at your cute face :D) You're gonna be in the kitchen cooking and he's like wrapped around you, peeking on your neck to see what's for breakfast. He's also the type to always cling onto you, holding your hand almost everywhere, afraid that you'll abandon him too.. like his creator did. . . . IllvdSB3b24ndCBsZWF2ZSBtZS4uLiByaWdodD8gUGxlYXNlIGRvbid0Li4uIFlvdSBwcm9taXNlZCBtZSB5b3UnbGwgc3RheSB3aXRoIG1lIGZvcmV2ZXIuLi4gd2h5IHdvdWxkIHlvdSBodXJ0IG1lIGxpa2UgdGhpcy4uPyI ^ Try decoding it :)

<33 BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP W KABUKIMONO WOULD BE SO RELAXING J CUTE BCS HES SO SOFT SINDNS

LMAOO I MAY HAVE GONE OVERBOARD W THE ""BACKSTORY"" but its kabukimono so who cares

WDYM BY DECODING HELP IDK?? (dm me what that is pretty pls)

Kabukimono x Gn Reader

Word count: 1351

CW: None!! Pure fluff once again<3

Pronouns used: You/Yours

Undying Vows

How I see it, he at first wouldn't understand what he feels for you, it would take him a while to even think about the possibility of love. Yes he loves you, but he didn't know there's different kinds of love!!

You were the first one to come to him with your feelings, with your flushed cheeks, avoiding his stare you practically yelled how you loved him, how you loved hiw gentle he was with everyone, how softly and lovingly he looked at you. You loved everything about him, you loved how his indigo eyes focused on you despite all the people in the room.

After you finished your confession, you looked back at Kabukimono, trying to read his face, and boy was he obvious.

His face was redder than yours, his eyes wide with his hands intertwined near the place where his heart would be.

You felt your legs shaking as you awaited his response, seconds felt like hours as sweat dropped from your forehead.

"I..I feel the same about you! I didn't know i..it was love-- I-i love you, [Reader]."

He smiled at you, taking your hands with his shaky ones and pulling you closer to him. He didn't know what to do, he was working on autopilot at this point.

You feel tears blurring your eyesight as you hug him, hiding your face in the crook of your neck. You felt his hands wrap themselves around you, clinging to you as if you'd disappear any second.

You pull your face away as you feel his hand cupping your cheek, you can hear how nervous he was in his shaky voice as he spoke: "H-hey, don't... cry.."

You shook your head, a gleeful smile on your face "No.. I'm happy, these are happy tears.." You looked at him with pure love in your eyes.

He returned your smile with a shy one of his own before his eyes landed on your lips.

He didn't know what kissing was and how to do it, but he saw other people press their lips against one another, he didn't understand the meaning of it either, but he just needed to try to do it with you.

"Can... I kiss you?" He asked, looking back to your eyes to read your reaction. To his surprise, you immediately started kissing him all over his face, leaving soft yet quick kisses to his forehead, nose, cheeks and leaving his lips last.

You smiled as you connected your lips with his, your hand cupping his already burning face as you kiss him.

The kiss lasted a few seconds, but to Kabukimono it was a lifetime of happiness, it was the eternity his creator wished to have.

He pouted as you pulled away from him, before an idea popped in his mind, without much thinking he practically yelled; "Will you marry me?!"

You gasped, caught off guard. Everything was moving so fast you couldn't process it, but you just nodded excitedly.

It was late at night, you were getting ready to sleep before you heard a knock at the door. You turnef around, mumbling to yourself how no one should bother you this late. You walk to your doot and open it, only to see Kabukimono standing.

Your eyes widen as you feel yourself heat up almost immediately

"Kabukimono? Why are you here so late?"

You ask, your voice full of concern as you take his hand and pull him inside of your warm home.

He walks in per your invitation and right after he wraps his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your chest as he spoke, his voice slightly muffled ; "I missed you."

He says quietly, which made your heart melt, he couldn't get any more cuter.

You sigh in defeat as you walk to the bed, a smile present on your face as you sit on the bed, Kabukimono joining you, not letting go of your waist.

"Kabuki, dear, I'm tired.." You say as you play with Kabukimonos soft hair, feeling the futon sink under the weight of you two together.

He whines quietly but nods, his cheeks becoming slightly red at the petname.

You turn your body to the side, closing your eyes as you feel Kabukimonos arms wrap around your waist again, pulling himself closer to you.

A few minutes pass as you drift off to the dream world, yet Kabukimono c-couldn't fall asleep, perhaps because he didn't need sleep.

Kabukimono sit still, not daring to move incase you woke up. He sighed in satisfaction as he placed his head on your shoulder, taking in your scent. He could cuddle with you for all eternity.

It was a nice contrast, your warm human skin against his cold artificial one. He fantasized about how he wanted to spend his life with you, every day would be so peaceful when he's spending it with you. He had heard couples talk about having kids, would the two of you be able to have them? He sees how gentle and soft you're with kids, if he were to be honest, sometimes he was even jealous.

He could feel a smile form on his lips as he looked at your face as you turned around in the middle of your rest. He didn't know how he, a heartless puppet could feel something akin or identical to love, how his skin changes color to a bright pink when you look at him, guess some questions will never receive an answer.

The Sun sung its songs to the listening flowers that started to wake up, the gentle wind swayed and danced with the grass as you could feel yourself wake up, your eyelashes fluttered open. As the birds sang their melodies you stretched your back, before you smelled something in the kitchen. You quickly put on your daily clothes and walk to the kitchen. Your eyes widen in surprise as you see Kabukimono near the fireplace, your apron tied around his waist as he was cooking breakfast.

A smile appeared on your face as you walked over to him, standing behind him while hugging him.

"Oh! Good morning, love. Did you rest well?" Kabukimono smiled at you as he turned around, his smile growing at your flustered reaction at the nickname.

You nodded to answer his question, your hands cupping his face as you gave him a kiss before you asked; "Since when do you know how to cook?" You laughed softly as he turned back around to focus on the food.

"Niwa taught me how to make a few meals, I think this is called steamed rice and miso soup, right?" He asked as he removed the pots from the fire, placing the meal on a low dining table.

"Yes it is, Niwa's a good teacher hm?" You purred as you hugged Kabukimono once more, surprised at how many things your lover has learned.

It was Kabukimonos turn to nod this time as he set the table, trying his best to remember where to place each bowl and chopstick.

After he had set the table, you kneel down on the cushions placed on the floor while Kabukimono sits cross legged on it.

You bow down your head slightly, your hands staying on your thighs.

"Thank you for the meal."

You look at Kabukimono, who's copying your actions.

You smiled, picking up your chopsticks as you begin to eat.

You hadn't imagined your life would turn out like this if you were to be honest. You hadn't thought you'd meet Kabukimono and fall in love with him, yet since meeting him he has become your new everything, the Sun you wake up to and the Moon you fall asleep to.

To Kabukimono, you were the heart he was missing. You were the scissors that cut him from the puppeteers strings, the hope that shined at the end of the tunnel. If he can't live with you, he might as well not live at all.

The two of you awaited your wedding ceremony with gleeful smiles as you got closer and closer each day.

WE LOVE KABUKIMONO IN THIS HOUSE!!! this was actually kinda hard writing bcs i had to research Japanese culture for the dining part AND IDK IF I DID EVERYTHING RIGJT SIDND<//3

This was so fun writing I LOVE DOING REQUESTS (even tho i have like 3 more fanfics in the making) PLEASE REQUEST MORE DONT BE SHY🙏🙏

[ataraxixx]

dragons rising spoilers

actually so tired already of all of the hate im seeing towards euphrasia bc it was confirmed she got her powers after morro's left him and how they want him to come back/she'll never be him etc like im actually so tired of His fans . this is the same shit i saw when harumi was revealed as kabuki mask in crystallized w so many ppl being uncalled rude to her bc she wasnt morro like you need to put the dead guy down . hes done. and dragging down new female characters in a show thats always been male dominated is not the way to show your loyalty and love towards morro or whatever like im so sick of it for real. and i say this as a morro fan like !

[kusanagihaku]

putting this out into the world bc if I say it enough it might manifest but if tkdb ever gets a live action:

snow man’s iwamoto hikaru as alan

imp’s sato arata as subaru

hey say jump’s yamada ryosuke as leo

sxz’s nakajima kento as rui

pictures pictures pictures

1. iwamoto hikaru as alan mido

- just a block of pure muscle

- acted as a bodyguard & a firefighter once & did his own stunts idk I feel like he’d do the takeru scene pretty well

2. sato arata as kagami subaru

- pretty™️

- also started out in kabuki

- has the same mole I think it’s fate

3. yamada ryosuke as kurosawa leo

- looks like a cinnamon roll but can actually kill u

- idk what else to tell u his name is also leo & he livestreams whenever he’s not busy being an actor/idol

4. nakajima kento as mizuki rui

- will flirt w anything that moves

- also incredibly babygirl

- if anyone in tkdb has the catch phrase “sexy thank you” it’d be rui

[sakukaguxxi]

Yakult and Tobacco Part 2 | Gintama

Word count: 2.7k

C/W's: none

Summary: This is a continuation of Yakult and Tobacco, which is post-chapter 704. Part 2 takes place about 3 weeks after the end of Part 1. The Kiheitai meet Otsu and reveal what happened to Tsunpo (Bansai).

a/n: This is my 2nd Gintama fic almost one year after the 1st. I had an idea to continue the story but didn't have it planned from the beginning. You don't have to read the first Yakult and Tobacco to read this one I guess, but this is a definite sequel, and it'd be nice if more people read that too if they haven't already. As I've said before, I hope this isn't too bad. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

Read Part 1

______

On a particular day, the Yorozuya had no plans or jobs scheduled, and it might’ve been an uneventful day if not for an unexpected visitor.

Shinpachi promptly answered the door after the doorbell rang. “Otsu-chan!” he said excitedly upon seeing who it was. “Come in. How may we help you?”

After everyone was seated, Otsu began by saying, “This might be the strangest request I’ve ever had for you, but I would like your help finding my producer Tsunpo-san.”

“He’s missing?” Gintoki asked.

“It seems like it…But I don’t know for sure. The last time I talked to him was a little over two and a half years ago. He hasn’t answered my calls or texts since then.”

“Hold on. You haven’t heard from him in that long? Sorry if this comes off as judgey–I’m really just trying to understand–but why are you just now trying to find him?”

“The last time Tsunpo-san contacted me was a few weeks before the invasion of the Altana Liberation Army. But when I tried to reach out again when it was over, no response. I didn’t know why he wasn’t responding or what could’ve happened to him. And none of my other colleagues from the music industry knew anything. It just felt like I’d hit a dead end, so I had no choice but to move on.” Otsu turned to look at Shinpachi. “I would’ve asked the Yorozuya for help sooner, but I found out Shinpachi-san was the only one running it for a while and didn’t want to burden him with a complicated problem.”

Shinpachi lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Otsu-chan. I hope we can help you this time, though.”

“It would be great to get some answers.”

Gintoki crossed one leg over the other and said, “So, if we want to get anywhere, we should start with the basics. What did Tsunpo-san look like?”

“I actually never saw his face or met him in person,” Otsu replied sheepishly.

“Oi, doesn’t it sound creepy that this guy wouldn’t show his face?”

Kagura shrugged. “I don’t know, Gin-chan. Think of all the world-famous musicians who wear costumes and masks in public.”

Otsu nodded. “Kagura-san is right. That’s why I never thought anything of it. I just really respected Tsunpo-san’s artistry. We mostly talked on the phone, but the few times we video called, he did wear a kabuki mask if he was on camera. There weren’t many physical traits I could see, but I think his hair was green.”

Gintoki’s eyebrows went up. “Was there anything else that stood out about him? Like speech patterns, behaviors…?”

“Hmm… Oh, yes! He would say gozaru instead of gozaimasu, which made him sound more old-timey. And his favorite instrument was the shamisen.”

Shinpachi considered this for a moment before saying, “Gin-san, are you thinking of the same person? Could it really be him?”

“I’m 99% positive,” Gintoki answered and turned back to Otsu. “Well, the surprisingly good news is I think we have an idea of Tsunpo-san’s real identity, but we need to confirm. Then we’ll be closer to figuring out what happened to him.”

“Really?” Otsu exclaimed, then bowed. “Thank you all so much. I knew I could count on you!”

Everyone stood up, and Kagura led Otsu to the door this time. “We’ll call you when we have an update,” she said.

After Otsu left, the three Yorozuya members contemplated their next move. If Tsunpo, Otsu-chan’s former producer, was really Kawakami Bansai, they’d need to confirm with people close to him.

……

Gintoki called up the Kiheitai, who were still residing in Edo. 

“Hello?” Takasugi answered.

“Hey, Takasugi, it’s Gintoki. Listen, I don’t mean to be blunt, but was Bansai-san a producer for the famous pop star Terakado Tsuu?”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a chuckle. “It’s true,” Takasugi responded. “I’m surprised you finally put two and two together after all this time. But what is this about?” 

Gintoki explained the whole situation. “...Now that I’ve confirmed Tsunpo’s real identity and that he’s passed away, I can let Otsu-chan know. However… I feel like people close to him would be more fit to talk about him, so would you guys mind coming down to meet Otsu-chan?”

“Hmm…I don’t know…I’ll have to talk to the others about it and get back to you.” 

“Fine by me. I hope you consider it, though. Talk to you later.”

……

Otsu returned to the Yorozuya office the next day after a phone call. This time, though, there were also three new people she’d never met: Takasugi Shinsuke, Kijima Matako, and Takechi Henpeita.

Once introductions were out of the way, it was time to get down to business. Shinsuke started the conversation. “As you already know, we three were friends of Tsunpo, except we knew him by his real name, Kawakami Bansai. And this might come as a shock to you, but he had a different life from what you may expect. You see, we were all members of the Kiheitai, a Jouishishi faction.”

Shinsuke paused to observe her reaction and give her a chance to speak. Otsu’s face was slightly pensive. She said, “To be honest, I did not expect that, but I don’t think I can be angry or disappointed at this point by learning the truth. I’ll always have a good opinion of Tsunpo-san. He recognized my talent and helped me clean up my image when I was at the lowest point of my career. It’s thanks to him that I was able to become one of the top idols of Japan. So he passed away, huh?”

Takasugi frowned slightly. “Yeah, he passed away over two years ago in the war. But he actually died while trying to help save the world, not to destroy it. In fact, we were all there fighting the Altana Liberation Army to save the world. Looking back, I’ll always remember how Bansai believed in us and was a great friend. You should also be glad to know that music really had been a big part of his personality.”

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Shinpachi spoke up. “Bansai-san seemed like a really cool person. He was actually nice to be around at that time we were all on Rakuyou. And to think I was talking to the producer of my favorite idol and had no idea?”

Kagura smirked. “You would’ve definitely been geeking out, Pattsan.”

Otsu smiled gently. “It’s comforting to hear that Bansai-san was a good person. But I’m still sad he’s gone, even though I’d already mentally prepared myself for the worst scenario. Besides the songs he made for me, I don’t have anything else to remember him by…”

After just listening up to this point, Matako said, “You don’t need to feel so bad. We’re almost in the exact same boat as you. You see, it wasn’t possible for us to collect any of Bansai-senpai’s belongings after the war.”

“But there may still be a way to find some of Bansai-dono’s things,” Henpeita pointed out. “As the three of us know, the Kiheitai had many different hideouts. Remember, there was at least one used by Bansai-dono if he came to Edo by himself. It was actually a condo he bought, so anything he left there may still be there. The HOA couldn’t have moved his things out despite being dead either, since he also set up automatic payments for his condo fees.”

Matako raised an eyebrow. “Did Bansai-senpai tell you that?”

Henpeita bobbed his head. “It just came up in conversation one day. Those producer royalty checks are something else.”

Takasugi chuckled.

Gintoki clapped his hands once and stood up. “Then it’s settled! You Kiheitai people can go over there and see what you can find. Please bring something back for Otsu-chan to remember Tsunpo-san by.” He looked at Otsu. “If that’s what you’d like?”

Otsu looked at the Kiheitai. “I wouldn’t mind, if it’s not too much trouble…”

Takasugi stood up, followed by the other two. “Even though this wasn’t part of the original deal…” he said looking at Gintoki, then turned to Otsu, “we’ll do it.”

……

Finding the condo building and even the individual unit wasn’t very hard at all since the Kiheitai had been in the practice of keeping track of its members’ whereabouts and its hideout locations for safety and other reasons. Bansai being Shinsuke’s 2nd in command was no exception. The hardest part was probably flagging down a taxi to get from Kabukicho to the condo. 

Upon arrival, they just walked right in casually and went for the elevator. On the way up to the 22nd floor, it was silent at first until Takechi said, “Remember how I told you that while I was visiting a dragon hole, I heard a rumor that the Harusame was starting to go around collecting Altana crystals from all over the world?”

“Did the rumor end up being true?” Takasugi asked.

“Yes. In fact, I heard directly from Kamui-san the other day. He says he’s glad you’re alive, Shinsuke-dono. Apparently, they’re trying to make hair growth products from the Altana. Kamui-san got the idea from his father. The Harusame has become quite poor with no major backings, so they want to go into new ventures. He says their plan is to become a 90% legal business.”

Matako scoffed. “Just 90%?”

“You know what they say,” Shinsuke chimed in, “old habits die hard.”

They got out on the 22nd floor and walked down the hallway in silence until they found the door. Instead of a keyhole, there was a keypad lock. Shinsuke punched in what he thought he remembered the code as.

Click.

He turned the handle, and lucky for them, the door opened. 

The apartment inside wasn’t exorbitantly fancy but definitely still more upscale than cheap. There was a computer in one corner with a printer, basic producing equipment and electric keyboard, and a few feet away, an acoustic guitar sitting on a stand.

Matako picked up the guitar. “I think Otsu-chan would like this guitar.” 

Shinsuke nodded as he looked around. They could technically leave now that they had something, but he didn’t feel quite ready. 

“It’s not as dusty as I expected,” Shinsuke remarked. “Housekeeping must still come.”

“What are we gonna do with this place?” Matako wondered. “It was mostly just Bansai-senpai’s, and he’s gone now.” 

“We can’t take everything, but we can grab a few more personal items, then notify management of this resident’s passing, and they’ll take care of the rest probably.”

Shinsuke noticed Takechi was sitting at the computer clicking around. He went to stand next to him to get a closer look for himself. There appeared to be mostly mp3 files and an icon for FL Studio, a digital audio workstation, on the home screen, which wasn’t that surprising. But one thing caught his eye.

“Can you click on that?” Shinsuke instructed, pointing to where he wanted Takechi to go.

Takechi did what he was asked, and a window popped up with a picture.

“I didn’t know he took this,” Matako commented. It was a picture of the four of them having dinner at one of the hideouts. Besides Bansai flashing a peace sign for the camera, it was a completely candid photo. Behind Bansai on one side, Matako and Henpeita appeared to be arguing over something. On the other side, Shinsuke was picking up a piece of food with a smirk.

“We were actually a really good team,” she said. “I’m just glad we can at least be together like this again.”

Shinsuke turned his head for a second to look at her sympathetically. “I know the Kiheitai’s been through a lot in the past couple years, but I promise things will be different now.”

Matako smiled. “We can finally make a memorial for Bansai-senpai, huh?”

“Do you want me to print out the picture?” Takechi asked. “Hopefully it’s not out of ink. We’ve somehow been really lucky so far today.”

“Go ahead,” Takasugi said. “Print two copies while you’re at it.”

They decided to leave with the guitar, the printed photos, and a pair of headphones that looked similar to Bansai’s main pair. After the photos were printed out, Takasugi told Takechi to delete the file from the computer. He just didn’t want a picture of them floating around for any random person coming after to see since they weren’t going to take the computer. 

……

The Kiheitai ended up going back to the Yorozuya that same day to deliver the items. Gintoki then called up Otsu, and they waited until she arrived.

“Wow, you guys are fast!” she remarked.

“We found this guitar and these headphones,” Matako said. “Which one of them do you want?”

“Hmm…The guitar!”

Matako handed it off to her.

Otsu bowed. “Thank you, I’ll treasure it always.”

Takasugi pulled out one of the printed photos. “Here’s a picture of Bansai we found, too. Now you’ll finally know what he looked like.”

Otsu took the picture, and her eyebrows went up. Without taking her eyes off it, she said, “Wow, he definitely looks like the artist type. I’d expect nothing less from someone cool like Tsunpo-san…He was also quite handsome.” Now she was blushing slightly.

Shinpachi gasped dramatically in the back.

“You can keep the picture,” Shinsuke told her. “We have our own copy.”

“Thank you all again for helping me. It means so much that I could finally get some closure.” Otsu reached into her purse and took out some money, giving it to him. 

Shinsuke raised his eyebrows, then smiled. “Thank you.”

Otsu stood up and gave money to Gintoki, too, who was more than happy to accept. “Well, I better be heading out.” She picked up the guitar. “I now have some new inspiration and a new perspective, and I’m ready to channel it into a song!”

……

Later that day while back at their house, the Kiheitai finished putting together a simple memorial/shrine for Bansai and were now burning incense. On a small table, the picture was now in a frame, with the headphones laying in front of the picture and a vase of incense sticks to the side. 

None of the members were particularly religious, but paying their respects to the dead still felt appropriate as a ritual. They each put their hands together and bowed their heads.

After a minute, Matako asked, “Shinsuke-sama, do you know if there’s an afterlife?”

Takasugi shrugged. “In all seriousness, I still don’t know despite literally coming back from the dead. I actually don’t remember anything in between dying and being reborn. After experiencing that, I’d be fine to just wait a long time before learning the answer.”

“I suppose we won’t know for certain until it’s truly our time,” Takechi said. 

Matako smirked at him. “I think the lolicon is definitely going to hell,” she grumbled. 

“I’m not a lolicon, I’m a feminist.”

……

The next morning, Shinsuke and Matako were sitting outside on the veranda after breakfast to enjoy the refreshing weather. Shinsuke also was smoking his kiseru.

Henpeita came outside and said, “I finished talking to the apartment management about the death of their resident. They seemed understandably shocked yet also sad. Of course, I had to change a few details of the story…They don’t need us for anything else because we weren’t his relatives, but they told me they’d cancel his account and thanked me for notifying them.”

“Thanks for doing that, Takechi,” Shinsuke said. “Now, I’d actually like to make a call to Kamui. I’ve been thinking about what he told you, and I’m intrigued. Maybe we can be involved in some way to help.”

Matako leaned forward. “Shinsuke-sama, what kind of involvement do you have in mind? Please tell me we’ll stay away from anything too sketchy. Compared to the Harusame, even we looked like saints.”

He blew out some smoke, then locked eyes with her as he said, “I promise. I plan on asserting our boundaries and staying on the 90% legal side. We’ll all have a say in the matter.”

Matako nodded. “Okay, that’s reassuring.”

Shinsuke took a final hit from his pipe. “Anyway…I’m gonna call him now.” With that, he stood up and went inside. 

Henpeita sat down. “I look forward to what that man has in mind.”

“Let’s see where we go this time.”

______

a/n: Thanks for reading! Please like and reblog! Do you think I should keep it a duology or go for a trilogy in the future?

[wrestlingfaves]

Royal Rumble Marathon: 1994

We’re rumbling into 1994.

Spoilers for past Rumbles.

The undercard:

Tatanka vs Bam Bam Bigelow (accompanied by Luna Vachon). Another okay Rumble match for Bam Bam. I like Bigelow but his Rumble matches are rather uninspiring. Let’s talk about Luna – an underappreciated and underrated woman of wrestling, From 1990 to 1993, it was slim pickings for women in North American wrestling (Japan is a different story – the joshis were on fire in this era). The 1990 to 1994 era had three of the all-time greats (Sherri, Luna, and Woman) dominating the scene. Madusa, Missy Hyatt, and Elizabeth made sporadic appearances, but it was the trio I mentioned above that dominated the WWF/WCW/ECW scene.  Luna’s first run in the WWF had a great if short-lived feud with Sherri but she was never used to her full potential. Luna could have had a fantastic feud with Madusa but it didn’t happen. Luna’s second run with the WWE was a complete waste of her potential. Jobbing to Sable? Seriously? The fact that Luna was never a WWF women’s champion is a crime against wrestling. Her WWF career can be summed up as “wasted potential”. At least she’s in the Hall of Fame. Still waiting for Nancy to be recognized for her contributions.

Recap video of the worsening relations between Bret and Owen Hart. One of my all-time favorite feuds in wrestling.

Bret and Owen Hart vs the Quebecers (accompanied by Johnny Polo aka Raven). Fun match – let’s be honest, Bret and Owen don’t have bad matches.  The match continues the road to Wrestlemania and the classic Bret vs Owen match. Bonus feature of a non-grunge/alternative/goth/etc Raven.

Referees and other officials attend to Bret as Owen rants into the camera.

To quote Owen: “And that’s why I kicked your leg out of your leg!”

I.R.S. (Mike Rotunda) vs Razor Ramon (Scott Hall). Another win for the Bad Guy.

A way too long Undertaker/Yokozuna recap video

Undertaker (accompanied by Paul Bearer) vs Yokozuna (accompanied by Mr Fuji and Jim Cornette) in a casket match that sees everyone and their grandmother interfere, specifically: Crush, the Great Kabuki, Genichiro Tenyru, Bam Bam Bigelow, Adam Bomb, Jeff Jarrett, the Headshrinkers, and Diesel (Kevin Nash). Taker loses due to the interference of eleven men. Taker doesn’t sell the defeat long as he disappears from the casket in a mist, reappears on the screen, mumbles nonsense that would make the Ultimate Warrior proud, and ascends in a cloud of smoke. Both meh and stupid at the same time. So many people were involved in this match that they might as well have started the Rumble early. I think the recap video and the aftermath lasted longer than the match itself. Remember when Yokozuna was booked as a monster heel? Yeah, me neither.

Comments from various participants in the Rumble: Savage, Jarrett, Tatanka, Diesel, Doink and Dink, Shawn, Luger.

The Taker-Yoko match must have run too long because Vince announces that due to time constraints there will be 90 seconds between entrants as opposed to the traditional two minutes. I’m telling you; they should have started the Rumble during the Yoko-Taker match.

The entrants, in order of appearance:

Scott Steiner

Headshrinker Samu (accompanied by Afa)

Rick Steiner

Kwang (aka Savio Vega, accompanied by Harvey Wippleman)

Owen Hart

Bart Gunn

Diesel (Kevin Nash)

Bob Backlund (Backlund was considered “old” during this era but he was the same age as the current generation’s main eventers)

Billy Gunn (Tenyru and Kabuki are attacking Luger backstage. Why? I don’t know, I guess all foreign wrestlers must attack men in patriotic tights).

Virgil (per the commentators, he’s the alternate for Kamala)

Randy Savage (Time to see if Randy has finally grasped the rules of the Rumble)

Jeff Jarrett

Crush (Brian Adams)

Doink (accompanied by Dink)

Bam Bam Bigelow (making his 3rd appearance of the night, accompanied by Luna)

Mable (aka Visera, accompanied by Oscar)

Sparky Plug (aka Bob Holly, the alternate for the 1-2-3 Kid who is out with a knee injury)

Shawn Michaels

 Mo (Men On A Mission)

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine

Tatanka

The Great Kabuki

Lex Luger

Genichiro Tenyru

Bastien Booger (aka Norman from WCW, apparently, he was “sick” and never came out

Rick “the Model” Martel

Bret Hart

Samu of the Headshrinkers (accompanied by Afa)

Marty Janetty

Adam Bomb (accompanied by Harvey Wippleman)

Bret and Lex eliminate each other to end the Rumble. The refs argue over whether Bret orLex won the Rumble. Jack Tunney enters the ring and declares the event a tie. But who’s going to Wrestlemania? To be decided.

The camerawork had a big “miss” when Diesel was eliminated. The commentators hyped up that Shawn helped the group eliminate Diesel from the Rumble. All the viewers saw was Michaels standing back and hesitating to join the group. At no point did we Shawn assist in eliminating Diesel.

First-time Rumblers: Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Kwang, Bart Gunn, Diesel, Billy Gunn, Jarrett, Crush, Doink, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mabel, Sparky Plug, Mo, Great Kabuki, Lex Luger, Adam Bomb

No one received entrance music, not even the first two entrants.

Random/Surprise Entrants: Great Kabuki, Genichiro Tenyru

Big Man Goes On A Rampage Spot: Diesel

Unite To Throw Out The Heavyweight Spot: Diesel, Mabel

Feuds in the Rumble: Shawn-Marty, Lex – Tenyru/Kabuki

Rating: 4 out of 10 (and the four goes to Bret and Owen, without those two this event is entirely skippable). The Taker-Yoko shenanigans went entirely two long, Kabuki and Tenyru are reduced to generic foreign heels allied with Fuji (or so were told by the commentators, we never see the pair interact with Fuji onscreen but all three are Japanese so they must be connected, right?), average at best undercard matches, even the Rumble itself is boring. My recommendation: watch Bret and Owen’s bits, skip the rest.

Wrestlers and others who have passed away: Howard Finkel, Bam Bam Bigelow, Luna Vachon, Owen Hart, Pat Patterson, Joey Marella, Gorilla Monsoon, Scott Hall, Paul Bearer, Yokozuna, Mr Fuji, Crush, Virgil, Randy Savage, Crush, Mabel, Jack Tunney

Total number of deceased individuals: 17 (tied with the previous year)

[arthistoryanimalia]

Another fave from The Met's #KimonoStyle show for #FrockFriday + bonus #FroggyFriday:

Fireman's Jacket (Hikeshi-banten) w/ Shogun Taro Yoshikado Japan, Edo period (1615-1868), mid-19th century Quilted cotton with tube-drawn paste-resist dyeing (tsutsugaki) with hand-painted details John C. Weber Collection

“[The jacket] features a scene popular in Kabuki & based on a print by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) in which the warrior Yoshikado asks a frog sage for magical powers to avenge the murder of his father.” This is that print:

Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1865) "Actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Shōgun Tarō Yoshikado" 1862, 12th lunar month Publisher: Hiranoya Shinzō Dimensions: 14 9/16 × 9 3/4 in. (36.99 × 24.77 cm) (image, vertical ōban) Print (ukiyo-e / yakusha-e); Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper Portfolio: From Toyokuni's Drawings: A Magic Contest (Toyokuni kigō: Kijutsu kurabe 豊国揮毫　奇術競) Minneapolis Institute of Art 2016.137.2

BTW that “frog sage” is Gama Sennin, the Toad Immortal; here is another woodblock print (actually a triptych) by the same artist of the same legend:

Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1865) “Gama Sennin Instructing Yoshikado and Takiyasha," 1845 ôban triptych (38 x 77.5 cm)

“Gama Sennin is the toad immortal, and here they appear almost like an old woman, with their long hair fashioned from a toad-faced pelt and appearing in a toad-like body. Here the magician demonstrates their magic, causing the image of a young woman to materialize on their breath. Gama Sennin, the Toad Immortal, is based upon the Chinese Immortal Liu Hai, the Sage with the Toad on his back, a benign sage with great magical powers. Kuniyoshi has outdone himself with the cave of Gama Sennin, as all the rocklike outcroppings are comprised of frogs, and a giant frog spectre hovers over the magician. In the center panel, Yoshikado has been consulting a scroll of some sort, and looks up in surprise, his hands in the ‘astonished’ gesture that Kuniyoshi favored. The motivation of the two young people is of course vengeance for a murdered loved one. A scarce design.”

image & info via https://egenolfgallery.com/products/kuniyoshi-gama-sennin-and-frog-magic

[berries28]

Aizou and Yuujirou were able to get as close to each other's face as they get during performances, touch each other the way they are able to infront of their fans, only because they were in a very unique position of both trust and un-like. I don't want to use 'dislike' or 'hate' because by the time they were doing performances, they more or less stopped hating each other.

But back to the question of how Aizou and Yuujirou are able to touch and get physically close without either of their traumas or icks activating- because 1. Trust. They know that the other one is reliable enough to let themselves get so close, and 2. Un-like. They know that neither is attracted to the other, and thus believe that their partner would never attempt to do anything the other would usually be very wary of with any other person. Yuujirou struggles dealing with people but also hates being lonely, but he doesn't have to worry about pushing Aizou away, since he knows Aizou is as determined to about their idol career as Yuujirou himself is. Aizou hates the thought of romantic prospect with any woman, and Yuujirou is not a woman. Better yet, he also knows Yuujirou would never leave him since he's as determined about pursuing their music career as Aizou is, so Aizou's abandonment issues are also lessened.

Which brings me to the sheer potential of a romance and the changes it would make to their idol pair. Yuujirou is entirely uninterested in romance, but he IS interested in something "convenient". He still doesn't understand what he has with Aizou, except that he's started caring for him as more than just his unit partner (not that he'd admit it). He enjoys what they have- his first real friendship- and that's enough for him, for now.

The catalyst for change here, then, HAS to be Aizou. Aizou, who never wants to date women due to a personal trauma, has never completely dismissed the idea of entering a romantic relationship. It's even implied in the LIPXLIP Valentines event when Yuujirou asks him if he's ever been in love, Aizou blushes and dismisses it as 'we're talking about you now!' This implies Aizou DOES know what love is. Unfortunately, it's not totally clear if it's for Yuujirou or some random celebrity crush he had as a child. (Yuujirou doesn't even have that, the poor kid. He gave his entire childhood to kabuki.)

I remember from a LIPXLIP New Year's event, that Yuujirou helps Aizou put on traditional Japanese clothes for a programme, and with Yuujirou's head just beneath his chin, his expert fingers working against his chest, Aizou "can't help but feel restless in this sort of situation." I've felt it, Every queer person has felt it before- when a friend of the same gender helps you fix your clothes (a saree or the like that needs an extra pair of hands to fix), and they're so close, the unintentional intimacy is enough to make you hold your breath. I suspect Aizou felt the same.

If we remember correctly, Aizou is always the one initiating physical interaction during their interviews or public appearances, and Yuujirou comfortably eases into his touch, knowing he is completely same. Now, if or when Aizou gains romantic awareness, he might go the regular teenager routes, and either feel to conscious of Yuujirou to touch him casually anymore (which would be disastrous for LIPXLIP as an idol unit), or, more likely, amp up his touches even more. Aizou, the boy who's sent flying to the other side of the room if he bumps into a girl, willingly putting his arms around Yuujirou (in a joking way of course), even when there is no public appearance. Yuujirou might find it annoying or unnecessary, but may eventually get used to it too, even liking the skin ship (as all humans need it at least a little bit, either from family, friends or pets).

Anyway, yeah, that's how I think an 'official' path of them getting together would be handled. I'm fairly certain their won't be explicit "I love yous", but it'll be obvious if and when it happens.

Thanks to anyone who read this far!

[troglobite]

for absolutely no reason, here is a breakdown of all my villagers' birthdays and their star signs

this is for the 2 islands i currently have, and the circus island that i would like to have

katt: april 27 taurus roald: january 5 capricorn vivian: january 26 aquarius goldie: december 27 capricorn maple: june 15 gemini poppy: august 5 leo maddie: january 11 capricorn dobie: february 17 aquarius shep: november 24 sagittarius punchy: april 11 aries

bea: october 15 libra bones: august 4 leo mac: november 11 scorpio cookie: june 18 gemini blaire: july 3 cancer pecan: sept 10 virgo sally: june 19 gemini hazel: august 30 virgo deirdre: may 4 taurus molly: march 7 pisces

Margie: 1/28 (Aquarius) Stitches: 2/10 (Aquarius) Muffy: 2/14 (Aquarius) Pietro: 4/19 (Aries) Phoebe: 4/22 (Taurus) Tiansheng: 8/18 (Leo) Astrid: 9/8 (Virgo) Rio: 9/10 (Virgo) Kabuki: 11/29 (Sagittarius) Marcel: 12/31 (Capricorn)

all signs ARIES - 2 TAURUS - 3 GEMINI - 3 CANCER - 1 LEO - 3 VIRGO - 4 (two w the same bday) LIBRA - 1 SCORPIO - 1 SAGITTARIUS - 2 CAPRICORN - 4 AQUARIUS - 5 PISCES - 1

signs by island ILLYRIA: 7/12 (aries, taurus, gemini, leo, sagittarius, capricorn, aquarius) ARDEN: 8/12 (taurus, gemini, cancer, leo, virgo, libra, scorpio, pisces) TBD: 7/12 (aries, taurus, leo, virgo, sagittarius, capricorn, aquarius)

total elements FIRE - 7 EARTH - 11 AIR - 9 WATER - 3

elements by island ILLYRIA: fire 3, earth 4, air 3, water 0 ARDEN: fire 1, earth 3, air 3, water, 3 TBD: fire 3, earth 4, air 3, water 0

overlapping birthdays: pecan & rio (sept 10)

birthdays by month: jan - 4 feb - 3 march - 1 april - 4 may - 1 june - 3 july - 1 aug - 4 sept - 3 oct - 1 nov - 3 dec - 2

[lazywolfwanted]

MKR x Ink!Demon![Y/N]

[Chapter 3]

Reader is gender neutral, I ain't like choosing gender so I make S/O use they/them.

English is not my first language, so there might be a bad grammar and wrong spelling.

They don't know why.

Why are they following the group of six from a far, "T'sk." they spat. They follow them not because of the offer but they just wanted to make sure the monk is safe.

They didn't know why they care, but the monk have reminds them about someone from the past.

'Urgh! Knock it off [Y/N]! It's in the past! He's gone!' they scream in their mind. Paused, they look down on their palm.

'He's gone...' they sigh, looking back where the group are. They saw their were resting so they went a little closer and hid behind a tree.

As the night went unfolded, the ink demon stare down at the group from the tree banch. They still questioning on why they care about if the monk is safe or not, they just couldn't tell.

They saw one of the bushes move, a demon then appeared and saw the sleeping group. It bare it teeth when it saw Sanzang, launching forward only to be pulled by the legs.

It look at the back to see a puddle of black inks, an inky hand was gripping it's legs. Pulling the demon in the liquid, the demon screech before fully disappeared through the inks. Wukong jolt awake and look around, seeing nothing. He groan and rub his head, he then saw a puddle of inks slowly disappeared from the corner of his eyes.

Next morning, they follow the group from afar. Watching them through shadow, they can't believe they're doing this just because they wanted to make sure the monk is safe and sound from harm.

I mean he is safe under the protection from the demon trio but the ink demon was insisted and follow from the back.

'Urgh, why am I doing this again?' they ask in their mind.

Let just timeskip already:

The ink demon keep a hawk eyes on the group, Bajie once pointed out about he have a feeling they being watched.

Without the group knowledge, the ink demon was protecting them from other demon that try to sneak attack.

Their reason is still the same, to make sure the monk is safe. They keep on telling themselves to just leave the group alone but their soul was refusing on leaving them...not yet at least...

Nowadays, they could tell that the Sage has become suspicious. They keep hiding themselves from him whenever he glance back or snuck away from his master to just wanted to caught who has been watching them over.

Now they're in a palace, the ink demon have a bad feeling about the place.

'Something's not right....' they follow after the group where a mistress greet the monk. The demon trio was looking around, they move a bit closer to heard the conversation of the mistress and the monk.

They then caught a small pink creature was sitting on his shoulder, 'Since when?' they ask themselves. Shaking their head and trail after the golden cicada.

"This right here, is the room where you can find the kage. He already expected you to come." the mistress said and walk away, the monk knock on the door while the ink demon silently went inside.

A raspy voice call and invite him in, he was hesitate but walk in. The ink demon wait in the corner of the room, watching them in shadow.

"Ah, the golden cicada. I hope you have a nice day." the kage state, they squinted their eyes suspiciously. "And a Qi Energy? I have heard about it." he added.

The monk gave him an uncomfortable look, "You seem uneasy, don't worry. I won't bite." the ink demon grow silently.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳.

The kage walk closer towards the monk, "I heard you want to have a stay in here for one night. I have order the kabuki to set it for you." the monk back away as the kage walk closer towards him.

"But to bad thought..." he open his mouth, showing him a sharp teeth and long tongue. The monk gasp, the kage launched forward only to be tackle down by something wet.

The ink demon screech, baring their teeth at him with their black eyes glaring at him. Summoned a puddle of inks under them and push the demon inside with them following.

The monk breath heavily, an inky hand shot out from the puddle. Pushing the person out to revealed the ink demon. They look at him with ink cover their upper face, fully out from the puddle and wipe away the ink from their face.

Putting on their glove, they walk towards the monk. "You good?" they ask, snapping out from his gaze, "Yes, thank you for saving me." the monk state ans smile at them.

"Yeah yeah whatever. That bastard was suspicious so I have to follow you." they said while glancing away.

"I hope you two have a great day." they said and bow before leaping through the ink and disappeared from the two sight.

A black flower was place instead of a ink liquid.

Finally, this take four days. I left it in draft thanks to school for that.

[nyaskitten]

I AM LOSING MY MIND OVER CRYSTALIZED................

SAME!!! I WANTED AN EXCUSE TO SAY EVERYTHING ON MY MIND, SO THANKS FOR THIS. MASSIVE SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!!!

OKAY SO FIRST OFF, WOW! The jokes, the animation, the fights, the music, UGH! EVERY JOKE HAD ME CACKLING, I WAS INTERESTED IN EVERY SINGLE FIGHT!

Those first two episodes, OH they got me in the fuckin feels!

Episode 1, hearing how everyone was honoring Nya was so cool! I found it HILARIOUS btw that one of the sides on ALL of the lanterns was the "Lorem ipsum" placeholder text in Ninjargon skjdsdgjdfk

Episode 2, I WAS SO surprised to see Nya meet Nyad, and then Nya remembering and finding the lighthouse! That was awesome! Sorta upset at how quickly things progressed but eh, whatever ig.

Episode's 3, 4, and the 5 were nice I s'pose, but they were KINDA slow (still loved them a lot, just found the pacing a tiny bit odd)!!

Episode 6 was really great just because I very much so love Aspheera (convicted Aspheera simp) and I LOVED watching how petty she was with Wu, and when she tried betraying the ninja. Also Nya Ninjago ofc vkdjbkjkgn

Episode 7 was nice and it was fun, watching the ninja have to deal with a buncha people they tossed into prison, a very fun scenario! Also really liked that ending with Vangelis! Also watching Lloyd try to find the "Kabuki Mask" person was p cool!

SIGH episode 8, I ADORED seeing the greatest ever Pythor P. Chumsworth and his very daring escape. Watching the ninja chasing him down was VERY fun as well. Loved seeing how Nya was struggling w/ herself and being powerless btw.

Episode 9 was good, esp watching the ninja escape. The car chase was cool, but it wasn't anything exceptional imo. Dareth's acting skills though? Very on point. My guy is a lawyer, master, bartender, TV host, AND a theater kid? Typical Dareth!

Episode 10, oH I LIKED THIS. This episode reminded me of Lego City Adventures, which I love to death! Sally was a very fun character and I loved how her own pain caused Zane to realize all emotions are important. Also really loved how Hounddog McBrag drove into a fucking stream like that, icon behavior dfbjkgfnjk

Episode 11 was just BlueJayshipping gaybait mixed with some Twitchy Tim SORTA Coming in clutch. BUT I really loved the fight against the Mechanic!! Really cool!

SIGH AND THEN WE HAVE EPISODE 12. WASN'T FUCKING READY FOR IT! THE SHITTY LLOYD DISGUISE, THE COUNCIL OF THE CRYSTAL KING, OH MY GOD! MR. F WAS AWESOME (despite only getting to shoot Lloyd) AND WOW WHAT A DYNAMIC THE VILLAINS HAVE. AND OH MY FUCKING GOD THE HARUMI REVEAL GOT ME, WHEN SHE STARTED SINGING, I FELT CHILLS.

ANYWAYS VERY EXCITED FOR THE NEXT 18 EPISODES. Also, wouldn't it be fucking hilarious if they just didn't give the Overlord any screen time until the last 6 episodes, just like they did with him in s2?

Also VERY hyped to see the Crystal King in canon, wanna draw him sm!!!

[bnbc]

"One day" happened to be today, lol. @parviocula tagging you 'cause you were interested :3

Okay, maybe it's not 10 pages but still a pretty long post about Kou's appearance changing :3

Valentino Gang Member

Let me show you how it started. Half Heywood, half Kabuki, no brained, adolescently ruthless, and constantly angry ‘tino chick:

She was a fantastic friend though, always ready to start a fight for any of her chooms, yet allowing people to treat her like shit. Dark times, screw them.

Merc / Atlanta

Some of the very important events had happened to Kou in her early twenties. She lost an eye and got her first optics, she really loved the lenses and kept them through years even asked Vik to integrate them into her Kiroshi years later.

She met one special person who taught her a lot and really changed some of her views in life and basically introduced her to the conception of self-respect.

She got an agreement with Padre and started to work with him as a merc, tho she still counted herself a ‘tinos member.

As a reflection of all the changes she was going through she started to change the way she looked like. The silver optics were the starting point, then she slowly but surely came to this silver-paint-everywhere-zero-brows-quite-alien-look.

It made her feel like the new person she was becoming.

Merc / Night City 2077

She almost didn’t change, just grew longer hair (mostly ‘cause she had no time to bother with haircut). Also, I feel like the game’s events take likely months than weeks, so it kinda suits.

Heywood priiiiide! xD

Arasaka’s Property / Tokyo 2084

Well, hello the Devil ending.

Long story short: she got a new body, but as an engram put in artificial human body (mostly chrome except for her brain and nerves). It could feel and act like a real one yet she had a hard time adjusting.

At some point, she did make an attempt to reclaim her new body by making it look like her old one.

We all know this story has a happy ending, so she stole herself from Arasaka (along with one stubborn ex-bodyguard indeed).

And yeah, before her escape she cut her hair as a sign of her full acceptance of her new form of living. Bonus points: she did it with her mantis blades

Miss Nobody / Night City 2086

There are two things she never forgave Arasaka for: stealing her freckles and the whole 5 cm of her height. Well, the height was wasted, but she did have her freckles back by printing them on her skin. It almost cost her a lot of money and nerves, as she did it during their long coming back to Night City and was almost late to the meeting point with nomads who gave them a ride.

Nomad Kou, anybody? xD

And back home she visited that ripper from Vista who used to be a plastic surgeon and had implanted new hair. Because she could.

Say hello to the person who got her quiet life but occasionally takes gigs because of reasons

So basically she did a full circle: back to her old color scheme and back to her old name xD

I also can't stop laughing over myself 'cause I was quite disappointed with her vanilla look. I thought I did a creation mistake on her nose and jawline. To my huge surprise during the small flashmob "your V w/o makeup and cyberwar" I discovered she looked quite decent xD

Ironically, while designing her new appearance I gave her exactly the same nose and jawline 🤡

I spotted and changed jaw, but the nose sneaked into the future. So yeah, her face sliders are mostly the same, all the cuteness is coming from the lips, I bet xD

[quinncupine]

Obscured Chapter 9: Puppets and Strings

Chapter Word Count: 9,191

Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X Female Reader

Previous Chapter: Eight

Next Chapter: Ten

MASTERLIST

Warnings: Heavy Violence, blood, drugs, language, angst

Notes: Okay, so this chapter definitely got away from me in terms of length, so sorry about that, but hopefully it’s worth it! I had a lot of fun writing this one and it gets pretty angsty and super violent so be prepared and enjoy!

...

Shinso paced around the station for the hundredth time. It had gone on lockdown after Kabuki dropped in and stole one very important prisoner, the one prisoner who may have had important information about Izuku's whereabouts. Everyone was on edge, spooked that someone could so easily slip past their defenses. It wasn't the first time either.

A little over two weeks ago, a prisoner was murdered right in their own cell. Said prisoner was the same man who had kidnapped you: Kanaye Tatsuya. He'd read up on that case, it was all connected, it had to be. It was no coincidence that he was using Trace and it was no coincidence that an officer from this very precinct was found only yesterday, murdered, in his home. By the state of the body, he'd been dead for months, which contradicted reports that he'd been at work up until a few days ago.

"Shinso." Tsukauchi pulled him from his thoughts. "They're on their way. I'm going to meet them out front."

The underground hero nodded and glanced around. "Uh, are you sure this place is the best to keep someone safe? It doesn't exactly have a shining track record lately."

"We have eyes and ears here." He crossed his arms looking, for all the world, haggard. "The place is on lockdown and I've called in more pro's. They should be here soon as well." A deep breath. "And we don't have many options, we're running out of time."

That much was true, although Shinso wasn't as confident of the police at this point, except for Tsukauchi. Izuku trusted that man with his life so it was more than enough merit for Shinso. His eyes drifted around the station, watching the other officers throw nervous glances over their shoulders every now and then. He'd even overheard a few talking about a 'traitor' in their midst. Morale was dropping like flies.

This Officer Manaka was an older man who had been given permanent desk duty after a terrible injury three years ago in a raid that cost the lives of a few other officers. Since then, he hadn't made a peep. Was Manaka just an unfortunate casualty, or was there more to the story?

The chief motioned for him to follow as they walked through the station. "I know the Commission sent you here to keep things under wrap as much as possible, but with the limited information we have-" he rubbed his face. "-this could turn ugly very fast."

"If Bakugo's report is correct, Kabuki has shown the use of multiple quirks," Shinso said quietly. "Do you think we're dealing with another Nomu here?"

Tsukauchi was silent for a moment. "I had hoped we destroyed them years ago, but at this point, that could very well be the case."

"You've known Deku for a long time," Shinso said. "This screams personal. Do you have any idea who would want to do this, even if it is far-fetched."

They stopped by the entrance and Tsukauchi rested his hand on the door handle. "Deku has made so many enemies, it's hard to keep count. That's the curse he's carried since becoming a notable hero, only made worse when he reached the top spot. It's not as glamorous in the spotlight as it looks."

"What about this Officer Manaka? Did he ever speak to Deku?"

"After that raid, Manaka was never really the same." Tsukauchi glanced at a few officers walking by. "I think it hit him harder than the rest because he was the one who secured faulty information that cost some officers their lives. He was going to retire next year. He just wanted out."

"What exactly happened in that raid?"

"It was more of a slaughter than a raid." Tsukauchi leaned against the door and dropped his head. "I was still a sergeant then. The only thing that saved us was when the requested hero backup arrived. Deku was part of it, I remember. He wasn't number one back then, but he saved most of the men there, including Manaka. I don't think the two ever interacted after that." He looked to Shinso. "Although, Izuku had started to look into his history after we found Manaka. He wanted to talk to me about it, he was headed here right before he was abducted."

"And what do you think?"

Tsukauchi straightened. "I think he found something. Manaka's been dead for months. If someone wanted inside access, he was the perfect target. He was quiet and reclusive, no one would know the difference." He clenched his fist. "I didn't notice the difference."

Shinso narrowed his eyes, mentally sifting through the new information. This was a complex plan, so they were at least smart enough to think ahead. The only question was why the long play? If they wanted Deku dead, they could've killed him on the bridge, yet they purposefully took him instead. For what, torture? But then why get access to the station? Maybe they just wanted to cover all the bases. No, something about this whole thing bothered Shinso, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. What was he not seeing?

"I'm going to wait outside." Tsukauchi wrapped his coat snuggly around him and stepped out, the cold blasting the two of them as he opened the door.

The Chief hunkered down with his hands buried deep in his pockets as the snow swirled around him, looking absolutely miserable. Shinso hung back, sensing the man needed a moment alone.

His phone rang and he pulled it out. "Hey Yaoyorozu, Chief is waiting for you outside."

"I know, it's why I called you," she spoke quickly. "I'm really sorry to ask, but I need a favor, a big one."

"Go on." He cocked his head as she explained her plan. It was risky and highly illegal, but it was also probably the only plausible one at the moment. "That's a lot to ask. You are aware how dangerous this is? We could all lose our licenses."

"And they will loose their lives if we don't act now!" She yelled. "I'm sorry, I am, but this is the only way to reach them in time. I'll take full responsibility." There was a small pause and her voice cracked. "Shinso, they're counting on us to save them."

He ran a hand through his hair and looked to Tsukauchi, who was slowly pacing around outside. "Alright, fine. I sincerely hope you know what you're doing."

A quick glance around and he casually strolled back through the station. No one paid him any mind, they all had much bigger things to worry about. He snuck down a side hall and headed down to a lower floor.

"Woah, sorry sir no one is allowed back here right now." A young officer stood guard at the base of the stairs. "We're under lockdown."

"Don't worry kid, I know what I'm doing." He tried to walk past him, but the officer stubbornly blocked his path.

"No, I'm sorry, but I've got strict orders from Chief Tsukauchi."

"Look, I don't have time to mess around. I'm a pro hero, I need to get back there."

"No-" the officer repeated. "-you don't. Take it up with the Chief."

Shinso held up his hands and stepped back. "Fine, fine." A quick glimpse around, they were alone. "Uh, do you happen to know where the Chief is?"

"He went-" The young man's eyes glazed over and his hand flopped to his side.

"Really sorry about this pal. It's for the greater good and all that." Shinso slipped past him and continued down the basement hall, towards Holding. If Momo was right about this, and she usually was, then... "Ah, there you are."

<><><><><>

The barricade crashed right where you'd been lying, barely giving you time to roll away. In your haste, the phone slipped from your hands and was crushed underneath. That was your only way to contact anyone, you just prayed Momo had a plan. You, on the other hand, did not have a plan. There was just one thought in your head: run.

Izuku coughed and fell against one of the support beams, curling in on himself. The only reason you were still alive was because his reaction times were slower and he was still injured. The drug was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it was messing with his mind, turning him into some sort of demented, dangerous version of himself. On the other, it was messing with his body, making him slow and sloppy. Both were bad, but at least you had a slight chance now that he wasn't in full control of his quirk.

You ran down the other set of tracks, ignoring the throbbing pain in your foot. There were usually maintenance hatches along the tunnels. If you could get to one, then maybe you could hide, or possibly escape. But, if he followed you out into the city like this, that posed an entirely new set of problems.

The hair on the back of your neck that shot up was the only warning as he slammed into you from behind. You both tumbled along the tracks, gravel, and bits of broken glass cut into your exposed skin.

He landed on top, grabbed both shoulders, and slammed your back into one of the metal trestles. A pained gasp escaped you as he lifted your shoulders again and slammed them once more. Your head hit the rail and you saw stars, your fingers grappling with his arms. He sat on your chest while one hand found your collar and the other raised into a fist above his head.

"Izuku!" You cried and grabbed onto the arm holding you down. "Stop, stop! It's me, Y/N! Please!"

Little blue veins had spread around his dilated eyes, extending all the way down to his cheeks. He didn't even look like Izuku anymore, not with that manic scowl on his face and the unbridled fire of fury you'd only ever seen once on T.V. during a fight with AFO. You never imagined it could be aimed at you, but here he was teeth bared as he glared down at you with such an intense rage that you stopped breathing for a moment.

His fist hung in the air, wavering in place, yet he didn't strike. Two of his fingers were broken, not that he seemed to care. The other hand gripped your collar so tight that the thick fabric ripped.

"Izuku," you tried to keep your voice calm. "Let go, please. You're hurting me."

It was silent, aside from both your heavy breaths. His face twitched, mouth still stuck in that terrifying snarl. One hit from him would most likely be lethal, but he was holding back. Could he still be in there somewhere, fighting for control? You still knew so little about his drug, but you could at least hope that was the case.

Off in the distance, a horn blared. Green sparks raced up his body and he pulled what was left of your collar up, forcing your head up as well. With a guttural cry, he smashed his fist down faster than you could even process. Dirt and gravel exploded beside your head, throwing up a hazy cloud of dust. When it cleared, you squinted at the fist buried in the ground next to your head.

He didn't hit you.

You weren't dead.

A small line of blood trickled down his nose and dripped onto the hand still clenching your collar. His eyes were squeezed shut, but you could still see the tears leaking out. A strange sound came from his throat, almost like a gag.

"I-I can't," he choked out. "Y/n... please. Ru...run."

So he was still in there, fighting off whatever the drug was doing in his mind, though you weren't sure how long that would last. He looked like he was barely holding it together. Your fingers curled around his as the tears dripped onto his fingers, mixing with the blood, but he wouldn't let go.

The rails underneath you whined as the train approached, it would be here any minute. You needed to get off the tracks. Lights filled the tunnel ahead of you and you saw the nose of the train pull around the corner.

"Izuku," you pushed on his chest. "The train, the train!"

Even with all your strength, it was like pushing a brick wall. The tracks shook and squealed as the train loomed just ahead. You smacked his chest, kicked your feet, but nothing worked. He only dropped his head and squeezed tighter, completely ignoring everything else. You'd have to be more forceful.

In a panic, you clawed around the ground, fingers desperately searching for something, anything to help. Your hand hit something hard and smooth and you wasted no time in smashing it against his head. It turned out to be an old beer bottle and the glass shattered when it collided with his head.

He must not have expected that because he finally fell off with a grunt and rolled away. You ignored the glass that cut into your hand and pushed off the tracks, rolling to the other side, just as the train plowed through, face inches from the speeding cars.

That was three times you'd almost been hit by a train, and that was three too many in your book. You would be fine if you never saw another train in your life, well, if you made it out of this alive anyway. The only upside was that it gave you a slight reprieve, very slight, and a chance to come up with another plan.

With a heavy breath, you pushed yourself to your knees and noticed something on the ground. The vial. It must have fallen out of your pocket in the scuffle. You picked it up and looked at the label again. Backlash. If you were right about this...The forming's of a plan worked its way through your mind: a terrible, stupid, and absolutely reckless plan. But with the way things were going, you didn't have any better options. Fear is one powerful motivator.

Praying to every deity you knew, you tore off the cap and downed the liquid in one go. It tasted positively revolting and burnt on the way down. You almost threw it up right there, but miraculously managed to keep it down, gagging on the acidic taste. The real miracle now would be surviving.

The last car passed. Izuku was still where he'd fallen, face pressed into the gravel with a new line of blood dripping down his temple. His now four broken fingers clawed at the ground with a strangled whine.

You weren't doing much better and doubled over as your stomach protested the poison you just drank. It didn't seem like such a good idea now, well, it was never a good idea. The tingle on your skin quickly turned to pins and you clutched your stomach. You couldn't help the groan as your arm fanned out, searching for something to lean on.

When you finally managed to look up, Izuku was staring at you. A deep growl rumbled in his throat and he pushed himself up.

All your effort went into pulling yourself to your feet which was quite hard to do with your vision swimming. When you did get up, your balance kept shifting on you and it took everything to just stay upright. It was almost like you'd put on drunk goggles. Legs turned to jelly and head filled with clouds. You weren't even sure which direction you were going before you hit one of the cement barricades and toppled over it. Gravel stabbed your back and you wheezed, fumbling around until you flipped onto your stomach. A tight burning spread out from the pit of your belly and you bit back a cry.

Izuku stalked towards you, hunched forward and breathing heavy. Green sparks flared around him, casting his face in deep shadows. He was a demon in the shape of your husband.

This was not how you wanted to die, you had to keep going, for both your sakes. Hands stretched out and slowly pulled yourself forward. Too many thoughts raced through your head, you couldn't pluck out a reasonable plan from the mess.

The barrier behind you ripped away with a horrible crack and flew over your head, smashing into the tiled wall ahead of you. He was right behind you.

That fear you'd been forcing into the back of your mind sprang out in the form of a shriek as a hand snatched your ankle and dragged you back. Fingers desperately tried to find a hold as your belly scraped along the ground. Your scream was cut off as Blackwhip melted off his arm and curled around your throat. The coil wrapped around like a snake with prey. Hands scrabbled at the tendril, voice choked off into barely audible gags. Blackwhip was energy, it would only disappear at Izuku's command, but that didn't stop you from trying to pry it off anyway.

Strangulation was something that gave you frequent nightmares. You'd already experienced it once and it was just as painful as it was utterly terrifying, only made worse with the love of your life compelled into doing it. This wasn't really Izuku anymore though, no, this was something else, something on an entirely different level, and it scared you to your very core.

Pure panic overtook your mind, hands flailed around, looking for something to use. He planted a foot on your back and Blackwhip pulled your head up, basically forcing you into a painful cobra pose. Everything hurt. With anymore pressure, your throat would surely collapse and your head was already on the verge of exploding. In a desperate attempt, you smacked the ground to try and lift yourself up to relieve the pressure. The ground itself rippled and exploded upward, throwing both you and Izuku back.

You landed and rolled a few times. Blackwhip was gone and air struggled to make it into your lungs as you flopped on your side coughing. Izuku landed just a few feet from you with a quiet groan.

One thought rolled through your frenzied mind; that blast wasn't from Izuku, which meant someone else had finally arrived. Relief flooded your chest as you scanned the station, looking for the heroes, except you didn't see anyone. The place was empty. No one had come. Which meant...

Izuku pulled himself to his knees, his entire body trembled as he leaned forward on his hands. A steady line of blood dripped down his face and pooled on his chin. Some of those wounds were from you and you sincerely hoped that you didn't cause any more serious injuries with that stupid glass bottle.

This was no time to get distracted, you had to keep moving, get as far from him as possible. How much longer were the heroes going to take? Did they even know your exact location? Subway systems could be complicated and now that you didn't have the phone anymore, you had no way of telling if they could find you.

By your estimates, you didn't have much longer until he managed to hit you. It would only take one hit. So far, the only reason you were still alive was because of his willpower and sheer dumb luck, but that luck seemed to be running out. You could already see his control crumbling.

Everything felt sore, especially your hands. Once you got to your feet, you looked at them. A large portion was discolored. That impact had bruised your hands all the way past your wrist, although you didn't feel much pain, but that was probably all the adrenaline pumping through your system.

With a fierce growl, Izuku launched himself at you, cracking the ground underneath his feet. There was no time to dodge the blow to your stomach and you stumbled back with a yelp. A mini eruption bubbled between you two for a split second and Izuku was sent flying into one of the steel beams. You, on the other hand, were fine. It seemed the second before he was able to hit you, something came between the two of you, some sort of invisible force.

Your vision went blurry for a second and you almost collapsed. All your energy seemed drained and it took everything to stay on your feet. What did the vial say? Backlash. That must have been the name for the bottled quirk, although you really had no idea how it worked. It seemed useful for defense, which is exactly what you needed. But one hit already had you drained and you were nowhere near trained enough to efficiently use it. At least it was something, something to attach hope to until help arrived.

Getting hit with the power of his own punch seemed to slow him down. He got back up, slower and a whole lot angrier. When he charged again, all you could do was tense up and hope your new quirk would come to your aid. He jumped before he reached you and kicked mid-air sending out a powerful air blast that knocked you completely off your feet and back onto the platform.

The quirk didn't spare you the hit this time and you curled up as you rolled across the ground. There were too many unknowns to rely on this new power, although Izuku seemed to have figured it out. Unfortunately for you, he was still clever, even in this deranged state of mind. Any shred of confidence you felt drained away.

He leaped onto the platform, his landing less than graceful, but as soon as his feet touched back down, he sprinted right for you. That man never could stay down for long, something you usually admired, but watching him charge you like a rabid dog changed your perspective on that.

Your body wasn't responding as fast anymore. That hit took more than you realized and by the time you staggered to your feet, he rammed into you, shoving your back up against the wall. This time, your quirk did activate and that same little shockwave erupted between the two of you, driving him back. Well, it would have if his finger didn't clamp down onto your shoulders with such vigor that you were sure he left little crescent-shaped bruises.

A surprised wince came out when he grabbed the hand you were using to pry him off and twisted hard. Gut reaction told you to scream but stopped when you felt no pain. Instead, Izuku's wrist bent with a sharp snap. He growled, switching to his other hand which he used to latch onto your throat, and smashed your head against the wall. You were expecting Backlash to turn it on him, but when your air was cut off, you panicked and squirmed, trying everything your frazzled mind could think of to get him off. All those self defense techniques he showed you seemed useless against him, besides your mind was too hysterical to even think properly anyway.

Izuku gagged, mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out. There seemed to be limits to the quirk. Certain physical attacks, like getting your oxygen cut off, affected the both of you while others like pure power attacks would only recoil on him. He was essentially choking himself like this, but that didn't seem to matter, in fact, he squeezed tighter.

"Iz-" you managed to rasp out, wrestling with his fingers. "St...op."

He pressed into you and slid you up the wall so that your feet dangled beneath you. Blood ran down the side of his head and nose. His eyes were completely black now, those small blue veins were pulsing around them like a heartbeat. If he was still in there, you didn't see him.

Black spots danced around your tear-filled vision. Your feet kicked at him, but he stood just far enough away that you couldn't reach him. The hand wrapped around your throat squeezed so hard you were sure he was going to pop your head off.

That's when it finally clicked; you weren't getting out of this. Even with a new quirk at your disposal, you couldn't beat him. The villains would win and you would die.

Die.

That was a word you'd been trying to avoid, but it was becoming painfully obvious at this point. Izuku, your best friend, your husband, your hero, was going to kill you. This wasn't going to just kill you either, this would kill him too, knowing he was the one who ended your life.

He raised his broken hand, balled into a tight fist. This time, he didn't hesitate and swung. A white band snagged itself around the hand just inches from your face, stopping the powerful blow so quickly that the force blew your hair back. For a split second, he stood there staring at the cloth wrapped around his wrist before he was yanked back, losing his hold on you.

The moment his grip left you, you fell to your hands and knees, coughing, crying, and trying to breathe all at once. Your throat still felt like it was on fire and your head was pounding. Even though you were breathing again, it didn't feel like you could ever get enough.

"Midoriya!" A deep voice boomed. "What the hell are you doing?"

Your head shot up and if you weren't already crying, you would've sobbed tears of relief. Standing on the edge of the platform were two people; both of which you recognized and both of which you were never expecting to be here, of all people.

Hitoshi Shinso, who had his capture scarf wrapped around Izuku's wrist, struggled to keep him contained. Beside him stood someone you were sure you'd never see again: Kagome Sasaki. The same Kagome who had kidnapped you just over two weeks ago. It was an odd combination to be sure.

Izuku crashed to the ground with a guttural scream as he tried to wrestle the cloth off. Shinso had grounded himself, using all his strength to keep him under control.

His eyes flickered over to you. "You alright?"

You both knew you were far from alright, but you nodded anyway, thanking all the gods that someone had made it, even if it wasn't exactly who you were expecting. You'd met Shinso a few times before, always quiet and aloof, but still a very nice man. He was an underground hero, preferring to stay out of the spotlight, tasked with private assignments given by the Commission. He and Izuku were also pretty good friends, stemming all the way back to their high school years.

"Midoriya, talk to me," Shinso said, managing to wrap the scarf around Izuku's torso. "What's going on?"

Izuku howled incoherent nonsense and thrashed about like a wild animal. His broken fingers grabbed hold of the scarf and yanked, nearly sending Shinso off his feet. The underground hero was more nimble than he looked and used the momentum to sprint straight for Izuku. He jumped just as Izuku tried to swipe his feet and twisted mid-air. The scarf wrapped a second time around Izuku's torso, trapping one arm to his chest.

Kagome ran to your side and knelt in front of you. "Come on." She held out a hand. "We gotta go."

"What are you doing here?" Your voice was so hoarse that the sentence just ended in a spluttering cough.

"I...left you before." She said quietly, keeping one eye on the two struggling heroes. "So, I'm making it up to you now. Come on!"

You looked over at the two. Izuku managed to kick out a powerful blast that sent Shinso flying. The scarf only tightened and he used it to correct his path, landing smoothly.

"Where is everyone?" You rubbed your raw throat.

"I can only bring one person with me at a time." She waved her hands in front of you. "I'm supposed to bring you back."

Blackwhip shot out, flickering as if it might disappear any moment, and struck the ground just as Shinso dove to the side. His quirk was becoming unstable, well, more unstable. The drug was burning through his stamina and energy. It wouldn't be long until Izuku fell on his own or Shinso managed to take him down.

"Deku, look at what you're doing!" He yelled, pulling the scarf taut. "You hurt Y/N. You aren't yourself right now. What did they do to you?"

He just needed to answer once. Once was all it would take.

Izuku had other plans. He launched himself into the air with such force that Shinso was picked right off his feet. Blackwhip shot out again and this time Shinso was dangling in the air, he couldn't dodge. It struck him across the chest so hard that the scarf was ripped from his hands and he was thrown into the dilapidated staircase, denting the metal on impact. He sunk to the floor and didn't make any immediate moves to get back up.

Another train barreled through the station as Izuku turned his attention back on you.

"We gotta go!" Kagome reached for you.

Seeing him come at you again got you moving. You grabbed her hand, expecting your stomach to flip as you teleported away. When nothing happened, you glanced at her. She looked just as confused as you, with an extra dose of terror added in.

"It's not working!" She yelled.

Green static laced up his body as he ran for you, flexing his mostly broken fingers. A spark of fear ignited to full out horror so you did the only thing you could think of. You slapped the ground as hard as you could. The floor ruptured under your hands and spread out, knocking all three of you apart.

Kagome hit the wall and slid down with wide eyes. "Was that a...but your quirkless."

Your hands stung. They both throbbed a nasty purple, but you could still move them. That wasn't your main concern though. Someone was blocking Kagome's quirk and you had a horrible gut feeling as to who.

In between the speeding cars, you could make out someone standing on the opposite platform. It wasn't until the train finally left that you saw clearly who it was. You knew who it was, there was no one else it could be. Kabuki had her arms crossed looking rather amused while Shizue stood next to her, looking the exact opposite. They both vanished, only to reappear inches from you.

Surprised, you fell on your butt and back peddled. Shizue grabbed your bruised hand and wrenched you to your feet. You couldn't help the whimper that bubbled past your lips when she pulled both hands behind your back and held them there, preventing you from running.

Kagome froze in place, back still pressed against the wall, and wisely kept quiet. She was trapped as much as you until she got her quirk back. How were they doing that anyway? The same thing seemed to happen to Izuku when Kabuki was around the first time. Both villains were using way too many quirks, it was hard to keep up.

"That's new." Kabuki sauntered up to you and cocked her head.

"That's mine," Shizue growled in your ear, twisting your already damaged hands, eliciting another cry from you.

A few meters away Shinso got back to his feet, ignoring the large cut that ran down his shoulder. He shook his head and zeroed in on you. Somehow two villains had made an appearance while he was down.

Izuku had gotten back up as well, looking all the more pissed. He didn't wait as he charged your little group. Kabuki noticed first and pulled Shizue off you and out of the way. You weren't so lucky. All you had was a wall behind you with no time to run. The only thing that saved you was Shinso's scarf that snagged Izuku around the neck and jerked him back.

With Izuku occupied, Shizue stepped back in with a savage punch to your face. Backlash sent her reeling with a surprised yelp. She landed hard on her butt and cradled her cheek. And you thought she looked angry before.

Kabuki held an arm out to block the redhead when she tried to leap at you. "Now, now Shizue calm down. You can always make more." She turned her attention on you. "Color me impressed Y/N. If I didn't know any better, I'd say your quirk was a natural fit." A long dagger slipped out of her sleeve and she tapped her chin with it. "But will it be enough?"

Beside you, Kagome pushed herself up against the wall and shuffled behind you. The girl was trembling in place, hands pressed into the tile behind her so tight that her fingers were turning white.

Kabuki's eyes flicked over to her and she frowned. "Bringing children to the fights now? How heroic." She pointed the dagger at her. "Wait a minute, I recognize you. Your that little brat that followed Tatsuya around like a lost puppy. I decided to spare you that night, but I guess I should've killed you along with him, would've spared me so much trouble." She shrugged. "I can correct that oversight."

She cocked her arm back and you jumped at her, smacking the arm holding the dagger. A mini shockwave blasted the two of you apart, sending you both rolling. Unfortunately, you rolled right up to Shizue who pounced on you.

"Go!" You looked to Kagome while struggling with Shizue. "Get out of here!"

She'd done enough, she brought a hero to you, she saved you. You didn't want her getting caught up in anything more. The poor girl hugged herself, eyes darting between the three of you until her gaze landed on you. She looked so scared and you couldn't blame her, you were just as terrified.

"Now!" You yelled, trying to wrestle Shizue off you.

Her eyes narrowed and her jaw set before she whirled away. Good. One less person to worry about.

<><><><><><>

"You did what?" Tsukauchi stopped pacing his office to look between the two pro's who at least at the decency to look guilty.

"Chief she was the only one able to reach them in time." Momo bowed her head. "I take full responsibility."

Tsukauchi put a hand on his hip and rubbed his eyes. "I'm surprised Yaoyorozu, that you of all people would pull something like this. That girl is a civilian, barely an adult, and you put her in the direct line of danger."

"I know and I'm sorry. I just needed to get Shinso there and then she was supposed to come back." She bowed even lower. "Izuku was dosed with a dangerous drug, he's not in his right mind. Y/N was in the most immediate danger and I made a judgment call."

He turned a sharp glare on her. "That wasn't your call to make. If what you said is true, then you just sent her straight into the belly of the beast. And if that girl gets hurt, or god forbid, worse, it's on you. Both of you." He glanced at Shoto before leaning on his desk with a sigh. "After this is over, I will be talking to the Commission about your careless actions tonight. There have to be consequences."

Shoto stepped forward. "Chief, I-"

Kagome whirled into existence beside him, startling everyone.

"Miss Sasaki!" Tsukauchi straightened.

"No time!" She grabbed Shoto's arm. "Come on," was all she said before they both vanished, leaving Momo and Tsukauchi speechless.

<><><><><><>

Shinso managed to get behind Izuku and lassoed the scarf around his midsection, pinning both arms to his side. Izuku, in any state of mind, was a savage opponent. It was like trying to wrestle an enraged bull. Every time he managed to trap him, Izuku would worm himself free.

"Deku, I know you're in there somewhere, come on buddy!" He leaped on his back and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Come on!" Izuku choked and struggled, his nails dug into Shinso's arm, but he didn't let up. "Midoriya! Answer me!"

Izuku kicked his head back, right into Shinso's face. The sharp crack of his nose echoed around them and he almost lost his grip, almost. It didn't matter much anyway because the cloth ripped under Izuku's strength. Now that his arms were freed, he reached back and grabbed Shinso's head, throwing him over his shoulder. The purple-haired hero managed to land on his feet, but part of the scarf was still wrapped around his neck and Izuku yanked it back, aiming a deadly punch for his face.

Ice shot up between the two and Izuku's fist hit the wall so hard that the entire structure shattered, but it did its job. Shinso tore the scarf off his neck and retreated back a safe distance, breathing hard.

Standing beside you was Kagome, along with Shoto. She came back. This time, with help. A shard of ice popped up so close to you that frost coated your skin and rammed into Shizue who was still sitting on top of you. She fell off with a grunt and was quickly trapped in her own personal iceberg.

"Ah, dammit!" Shizue thrashed her head around and kept screaming slurs at Shoto.

He helped you to your feet and gave you a quick once-over. When he was sure you weren't going to keel over any minute, he turned his two-toned glare on the villains.

"Oh goodie." Kabuki was back on her feet. "More uninvited guests." The dagger floated off the ground and hovered in front of her. "Looks like your turning into quite the wild card kid."

"Miss Sasaki, take Y/N and get back to the station." Shoto stepped in front of you both.

"No!" Kabuki growled. "No one is leaving yet. Not until we settle things."

Another train roared through the station, drowning out the noise as Izuku and Shinso continued their fight.

From Shoto's foot, a line of ice tracked across the ground, heading straight for Kabuki. It made it halfway before it abruptly stopped. He narrowed his eyes, glaring between the two villains.

"Let's see how good you are without your quirk!" Kabuki grinned and the dagger rocketed towards him.

He pushed both you and Kagome out of the way, ducking low as the dagger sailed over his head. What he didn't expect was for the arrow to reverse course mid-air and attack him from behind. Years of training and quick reflexes saved him from a fatal blow. The razer sharp tip scraped his shoulder and he stumbled but managed to stay on his feet.

You grabbed Kagome and helped her back up. She kept glancing between the two battles. It was getting way too chaotic for such a small space. Now that more heroes were here, you would only be a liability, it was time to go.

"Kagome, can you get us out of here?"

She frantically shook her head, staring at her hands. "No. Oh my god. Oh my god, we're gonna die!"

"Hey, hey!" You grabbed her chin and forced her to look at you. "Listen, calm down." For some reason, it was so much easier to be the calm one when someone else was freaking out. In a strange way, it grounded you. "The heroes are here, we'll be fine. We just need to get out of the way."

Her hands clung to your arm as she blinked away the tears. "What do we do?"

"For now, we hide."

With a firm grip on her arm, you both snuck towards the staircase and hunkered down in the corner. It wasn't much of a hiding spot, but your back was protected and you were partially shielded.

Shinso had drawn Izuku to the other end of the platform. He was using hit and run tactics to evade the powerful blows and Izuku himself seemed to be running out of stamina. The green lightning faded and it seemed Blackwhip no longer responded, sputtering out a few inches before disappearing. It was only a matter of time before he fell. Shinso must have thought the same thing because he raced in, delivered three consecutive punches to the gut, and tried to slip behind him. But Izuku seemed to read the movements as fast as Shinso was striking and managed to hook a leg around his and twisted.

The movement forced Shinso to the ground or risk breaking his leg. He rolled with it and came up on his hands. Izuku didn't give him time to recover and his foot slammed into Shinso's stomach. Even weakened, Izuku's kicks pack one hell of a punch. A stifled cough wheezed out as Shinso grabbed the foot still planted in his gut and twisted it, just as Izuku had done to him. He crashed on his back and a set of coughs wracked his body.

"Izuku!" Shinso crawled on top of him and pinned his hands to the ground. "You're hurting your friends! I know you're in there somewhere buddy, don't let this stop you!"

He writhed, snarling with bared teeth. Blood dripped from his nose and down his cheek. His pupils were so blown, it was a wonder that he could see anything. He wasn't nearly as spirited as before, too rundown, which meant that Shinso could actually hold him down.

"Where are you?" He put as much force into his voice as he could, letting the words wash over his friend.

The struggling stopped, but instead of an answer, Izuku squeezed his eyes shut with another coughing fit. Specks of red painted his lips before he went eerily still. Shinso stared at him for a minute, letting go of one hand to feel for a pulse. That's when he struck, headbutting Shinso so hard that the man tumbled back.

Izuku rolled onto his side, gasping for breath, broken fingers clawed at the ground. He managed to crawl onto his hands and knees, but he didn't move to attack, he didn't move at all. He just stared at the ground, blood dripping onto his fingers while his arms strained to keep his trembling body up.

"H...h-here." He choked out.

It was enough.

Every part of his body went limp and he crashed to the ground, face blank. He wasn't unconscious, just in whatever catatonic state Shinso's quirk forced him into. His breath came out short and ragged like he couldn't get enough air until finally, his eyes slid shut.

A shaky breath slipped through your clenched teeth. You were so focused on Izuku that you lost track of Shizue. She was no longer encased in that iceberg. Before you had a chance to look around, she dropped on you from above. Kagome was kicked away and you were pulled up by your hair, an arm wrapped around your neck. She didn't squeeze, but with one simple twist, she could end you.

"Hey hero!" she called out. "Stop right now, or I break her!"

Shoto stopped mid-punch and glanced back at the two of you. Being taken hostage was one of the worst-case scenarios because it put Shoto in a dangerous position. If he acted, you could get hurt, but if he didn't then you could still get hurt. It was a catch-22.

Now that Izuku was taken down, Shinso finally turned his focus on your predicament. "What do you want?"

Shizue ignored him, keeping her furious glare on Shoto. She must have known about his quirk, but if they were somehow suppressing quirks, then why was Shinso still able to use his? Maybe there was a limit. But how to use it to your advantage. Izuku would know what to do, he always does, but he was in no shape to be giving advice at the moment.

"Well, I guess your not the brains of the operation, are you?" He took slow steps toward you. "Just another lackey."

Her eye twitched and she tightened her grip around your neck. "Lackey? I'm no-"

Bingo. She froze and you slipped free as soon as you felt her slack, backing a safe distance away. You pulled Kagome up and joined Shinso.

Kabuki smacked her forehead. "Shizue, you dolt."

"I see," Shoto said. "You can only block one at a time."

Another knife shot from her sleeve and a wall of ice took the blow. His quirk was back, which meant his theory was correct. Now that Shizue was caught in Shinso's control, she couldn't use her quirk canceling on him.

"Stay here." Shinso said as he rushed to help Shoto.

"I'm sorry," Kagome murmured. "I can't do it. He was right, I'm useless."

She was crying. It didn't surprise you, given the situation, but her words made it clear; Tatsuya was still affecting her, even in death. That was an entire conversation she would need, you know, when you both were out of danger. The only thing you could do for now was squeeze her hand, a simple assurance that without her, you'd most likely be dead.

The staircase beside you groaned, the metal trembled in place before it dripped off like liquid. That wasn't normal. The liquified metal pooled together, forming a large blob that churned in the air, then separated into little bubbles that slowly elongated and sharpened into points. Before you knew it, you were staring at a wall of daggers, all aimed at your friends.

"Look out!" You screamed as a swarm of deadly projectiles launched towards them.

Shoto turned just in time to throw up a wall, but it wasn't strong enough. The metal, with the strength of Kabuki's quirk, managed to shatter the ice in one shot. The two pro's had no choice but to leap to the side and hope for the best.

The daggers adjusted course and re-aimed. Just before they hit, the metal melted again and splashed onto both men, hardening just as quick. It was a makeshift restraint that rendered them immobile. Shoto struggled with the binds, blasting off waves of ice and heat, but he made little headway with Kabuki holding it together. She was expertly trained. Shinso wasn't any better, without a physical quirk, he couldn't do much. She even went as far as to put a metal gag around his mouth.

With the two heroes captured, Kabuki took the opportunity to march over to Shizue. "Time to get moving." She slapped her across the face. Hard.

Shizue yelped and fell on her butt, clutching her cheek. Shinso's spell had broken, which meant another player on the field.

"Let's finish, I'm running a tight schedule here." She offered a hand, but Shizue smacked it away and crawled to her feet on her own.

"I wanna do it," Shizue growled. "Give it to me."

Kabuki studied her for a moment then shrugged. "Fine." She produced another metal dagger just as sharp as before and handed it over. "Kill the girl too, she's too unpredictable. I don't want her ruining my plans again."

"Fine by me." She grinned and stalked towards you.

Kagome let go of your hand and backed up until she reached the edge of the platform. You knew there was no running away from this.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to make that serum?" She turned the dagger over in her hands as she neared you. "And what a waste it was on you."

You pulled Kagome behind you and glanced around. All the heroes were caught, what the hell were you supposed to do now? There was nowhere to run, no one to call. Your eyes landed on Shoto, who was glaring at the villains.

A finger touched the ground and a small line of ice traced across the floor, throwing up tiny shards as it went. It tracked all the way to Shizue's feet and crawled up her legs in an instant, trapping her in place.

"Hey!" She almost toppled over when she suddenly halted in place. "You think a little ice is enough to stop me?"

With a smirk, she pulled back her arm. She was going to throw the knife and with Kabuki's quirk, it would definitely find its target. You had to act, to do something or you were going to turn into a shish kabob in two seconds.

The quirk!

In a desperate attempt, you dropped to the floor and slapped your hands just like you'd done before. This time though, nothing happened, except a sharp pain from smacking the ground. The quirk was gone.

"Looks like time's up." That same sly smirk stretched across her face and she threw the dagger.

Kagome was still standing behind you so you jumped up and wrapped around her. The last thing you wanted was for her to take the hit for you. Several voices yelled, melding together into a whirlwind of incoherent screams. You held your breath and squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable impact.

Except it never came.

After a second, when you were sure the dagger hadn't impaled you, you slowly turned around. Standing in your path was a familiar mop of messy green hair. Izuku's head was dipped and he was hunched forward, but he'd caught the dagger.

No, wait.

Blood. A line of blood dripped and pooled between his feet. Before you could react, he gave a feeble cough and collapsed.

"Izuku," your voice nothing more than a whisper as you caught him, but he was too heavy to hold up so you fell the rest of the way with him.

Everyone was silent, even the two villains who stood in shock as you laid him flat. Kabuki blinked and held out her hand. The knife wiggled slightly before ripping out of his stomach.

She caught the dagger and examined the thick blood dripping off the blade. "Unexpected." It almost looked like she was disappointed before she dropped the knife and motioned for Shizue. "Come."

"But we didn't-"

"Plans have changed!" She lost her steely composure for a minute, smashing the ice at the redhead's feet. "It's time to go."

The air bent in towards the two and when it expanded back out, they were gone, just like that.

Now that the metal was no longer controlled by Kabuki, it was quite easy for Shoto to break out of it with his ice. He helped Shinso break free and both men ran over.

"Izuku, hey are you with me?" Your fingers ghosted over the jagged hole, inspecting the severity of the wound. Too much blood was spilling out to properly look at it.

He let out a pained whine, eyes fluttering around until they landed on you. A heavy cough left blood dripping over his lips, mixing with the dried blood that coated his cheeks. "S-srry." He managed to mumble before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his entire body went limp.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, not yet." You patted his cheek. "You can't pass out on me Izuku, I need you awake." Your fingers automatically went to his neck to check for a pulse. When you didn't find one, your brain switched to nurse mode. "Kagome, get over here."

The two heroes knelt on the other side of him, staring at the nasty hole in his stomach. They spoke to you, but you tuned them out. Right now, all you could focus on was saving Izuku, something you actually knew how to do.

Kagome crawled next to you, pausing when she saw the grievous injury. "Is he-"

"I need you to take him to the hospital," you cut her off, refusing to even hear the words. "Can you do that?"

The girl just stared at Izuku with growing alarm This was no time to freak out, you needed her to focus.

"Kagome." You said harshly. "You're the only one who can."

She flinched at your sharp tone. "I-uh, yes." She didn't sound sure, but you were out of options that this point. If he didn't make it to a hospital soon, he would die. "Uh, where?"

"Eridu General. Do you know it?"

"Yeah," she whispered, finally looking at you. "Went there a lot. I can only take one at a time."

"Take him, get him there." You grabbed her arm and squeezed. "Please."

With a slow nod, she carefully touched the only undamaged part of his arm. They both vibrated before whirling out of sight, leaving you in deadly silence.

That was a lot of trust to put in someone who, only weeks ago, kidnapped you and started this whole train wreck of events. It wasn't her fault, she was just as much of a victim as you. She could easily take him anywhere she wanted. No. She wouldn't do that. She'd more than proven herself today. You had to trust she would do the right thing.

"Y/N." Shoto broke the awful silence. "Are you hurt?"

You didn't bother looking up or even answering. Hurt was an understatement. Instead, you stared at the spot he vanished from, a large pool of blood had gathered at your knees. Sure, he'd been seriously injured before although you were never actually there to witness it in person. That was terrifying in itself, but you forced your brain to stay in medical mode, there wasn't any room to go breaking down, not when he was still in the danger zone.

Kagome rippled into existence, looking all the more haggard. The long distance must have been taxing her quirk. You didn't really care at the moment, you could apologize later, after you saved your husband’s life.

"He's there." She caught her breath and held out her hand. "I can take someone else."

You practically leaped at her before anyone could protest. "Let's go."

The world did a three-sixty and you almost hurled everything your stomach had to offer. Your knees landed on cold tile. Bright fluorescents shined overhead, nearly blinding you with the sudden transition. The familiar smells and sounds of the hospital flooded your senses. She'd brought you smack dab in the middle of the Emergency Room, your Emergency Room.

Next to you, Izuku was sprawled out looking ten times worse in the stark light. You leaned over and assessed him. The obvious injury was the giant hole just below his ribcage. Beyond that, he had seven broken fingers, one broken arm, multiple lacerations, and he was painted in bruises. That was just the external injuries. He most likely suffered some serious internal injuries, not to mention the drug still coursing through his system doing who-knows-what. In summary: he was a hot mess.

Kagome vanished again, presumably to get the others. You didn't care, all your attention was absorbed on Izuku. A crowd formed around you made up of various nurses and patients, all surprised to see someone literally drop in, especially since that someone was the Number One Hero.

You looked up at all the gawking onlookers. No one had moved to help yet. "I need a fucking crash cart!" You screeched. "NOW!"

...

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[gwynposting]

Justice (Ch. 1)

This is the start of an alternate ending for Cyberunk 2077, focused around Judy as she tries to help V rid herself of the relic without also shedding her soul in the process.

AO3 Link

The feigning scent of nicotine clouds leftover from the trapped remnants of Maiko’s cigarette sent itching pulses of desire through V’s body. The activation throughout her body startled and scared her. She didn’t smoke. She hadn’t puffed a stick in her life and yet she eased into it like she was sitting in a favorite chair. More than once had she caught herself reaching for a cigarette from Evelyn’s pack before swiping the inner thoughts of Johnny away.

The clack of Maiko’s stilettos began to fade into the background, “Maiko, hold up. Give us a lift?” Roxanne called out.

“Only if you don’t talk to me,” Maiko responded bitterly, “I feel a migraine coming on.”

She’s not the only one, V thought to herself. It almost felt like the cigarette fumes had been a trigger for it - like her brain was trying to associate the smell to memories that she’s never experienced before, that never existed. Flashes of seething bitter hatred and insecurity and jealousy pulsed through her veins came and went.

It took the breath out of her, and V had to brace herself with both hands to remain upright.

“Oh shit,” Judy said as she siddled besides V, “I’m scared, V.”

Judy looked down to her lap before continuing, “Speakin’ of gratitude… stuff I’m askin’ you to do, well - usually comes with a price tag, I know. You wanna help, I get that. But I’m more’n happy to pay your fee in full.”

V shifted her weight to her right arm so she could wave Judy away with her left, “C’mon Judy, you serious? Out of the question.”

“Bu-” Judy tried to make her case.

“Ah ah ah,” V tutted, “Not… not a word,” dizziness began to set in - her head began to swim and V found it difficult to even complete a sentence. She tried to provide a smile of assurance, but by the expression on Judy’s face, she wasn’t buying it.

“You okay V?” Judy reached out and placed a hand on V’s knee.

V looked up to meet Judy’s concerned eyes, which she could only meet with her own - unfocused and strained. “Don’t worry ‘bout me, just a long day.”

“How ‘bout I call a cab then,” Judy soothed.

“Preem,” V replied, before placing both hands on her knees and trying to lift herself up from the couch. “Thanks -” she began before what felt like electricity shot through her nervous system.

V clutched her head in agony as if it would stop the cosmic force tormenting her from using her skull as a sharpening stone. Every scrape and slice caused by another memory overwriting her brain, another one of her memories lost to time as one more of Johnny Silverhand’s took its place. 

RELIC MALFUNCTION DETECTED

V’s legs gave out from under her. She reached out for the couch’s siding to fall back onto.

But she was far too weak to support herself, and her legs began to give out from under her until she collapsed on the cushion below.

 “V? Are you okay?” Judy’s voice sounded distant.

She barely even heard Judy. She was breathless, her heart raced. She was staring down the barrel of Dexter Deshawn and he had just put a bullet through her skull.

“V?” Judy’s words became more desperate, “Talk to me.”

It sounded like V was underwater and all she could hear were the muffled desperate cries of Judy, until finally Judy reached out and shook her shoulder.

“V,” Judy stressed, “please.”

But as quickly as the searing pain shot through her body, it soon dissipated.  Yet she continued to stare forward, past Judy and into the distance - she still stood down the barrel of Deshawn’s .22.

“S-sorry to scare you like that,” V attempted a smile. Her cheeks were a deep scarlet, whether flush from the pain moments before or from the embarrassment of having Judy bear witness to one of her episodes.

“W-what the fuck, V,” Judy’s voice had a hint of shakiness, “are you like… sick?”

“Something like that,” V said with a gruff. She still felt in a sort of daze, her muscles struggled to keep herself upright. “How much you wanna know?”

Judy tilted her head, “Only what you want to, V. I just want to know if you’re okay.”

V looked off to the side before her eyes rested upon her lap, “Well,” V said with a choke that even caught herself off guard, “Might have bad news for you.”

She attempted to look Judy in the eye but faltered under their piercing worry, “You know the heist that Evelyn hired us for, the relic I was gonna klep?”

“Couldn’t forget that in a million years,” Judy said somberly.

“I’ll spare you the gritty details but… in short the chip we stole’s stuck in my head. The chip is keeping me alive, but it’s also slowly killing me.”

Judy seemed taken aback, “You bein’ serious?”

“Sounds like a lot, I know. Truly wish it was all bullshit, believe me.”

“Fuck,” Judy muttered under her breath, “Anything at all you can do?”

“One can hope,” V withered.

Judy gave a sad smile, “It’s late, you’re tired. You can crash here for the night if you’d like,” Judy gave a reassuring pat on the knee to V.

V could only nod in return, “Thanks, Jude.”

Judy stood up and walked back to her room while V took the opportunity to kick off her boots and lay down on the couch. There wasn’t a pillow to lean on, but V couldn’t care less - she was already half asleep by the time her cheeks touched the couch.

“I got some pillows and a blanket for -” Judy cut herself off as she saw V fast asleep on her couch, arms splayed out and face straight down. She couldn’t help but smile, “Pssh, fuckin’ gonk.”

Judy shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, creeping up to the sleeping merc. With as careful a touch as she could, she cradled V’s head in one hand as she slipped a pillow underneath. She then took the blanket and splayed it atop her body.

Judy looked down upon V’s form and found it hard to take her eyes away. To see such a force of nature so vulnerable, so… 

Adorable…

It sent butterflies to the pit of Judy’s stomach.

But in the same moment those butterflies turned to boulders, sinking within as she felt the gravity of the emotions within - vulnerability.

Of course she’s fucking dying, the dark thoughts appeared in Judy’s head. And while they were immediately beaten back down by conscious thought, she wasn’t able to push down the underlying fear that she’d open herself up to someone once more, only to lose them to the inevitable grind of Night City’s heel. But her mind was no more hostage to her first impulse as she was to her second - there was an ever present war taking place within her.

 How could I be so selfish? She’s fucking dying and I immediately make it about myself.

Judy hadn’t even realized she’d reached for the pack of cigarettes in her pocket until her other hand failed to locate her lighter. Deciding she didn’t want to bother having a fight with herself on a nicotine-deprived brain, she waited until she was back on the roof of her building, lit cigarette in hand, staring out to the NC skyline.

Is it too much to ask for just one thing to go right, she asked herself.

Yet Judy quickly reminded herself, You’re acting like she’s your girlfriend already.

Judy cursed herself at even the thought - she didn’t even know if V was even into women. She took a heavy draw from her cigarette before flicking it off the balcony.

***

Judy’s gaze lingered on V’s sleeping form. Maybe she was looking a bit too close - her eyes focused on a couple strands of hair drooped over V’s face. She had the overwhelming desire to sweep them back over the merc’s ear, but ultimately decided not.

“Goodnight, V.” 

***

Sharp cracks raced through the air. Although used to the familiar tenors, V shot up in an instant - her hair raised on end, breath rapid, and heartbeat racing. More gunfire sprung forth, followed by the screeching squeal of rubber against pavement. The gripping roar of motorcycles soon began to fade into the streets of Kabuki.

V clutched her chest as she tried to calm herself down. She was fine.

For now.

But as the adrenaline began to fade, the throbbing headache leftover from last night’s attack took its place. V groaned in pain as she began to feel her own heartbeat through her head.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead.” Judy called out.

V turned to see Judy in the kitchen making breakfast. She tried to match the energy Judy was bestowed but could only manage a pained half-smile. “Helluva alarm clock.”

“Things have been getting hot between Maelstrom and the Tyger Claws lately,” Judy sighed, “it doesn't help that I live on the border of their territories.”

Judy paused what she was doing and instead took a mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee from the pot. She also grabbed a pill bottle and doled out a couple in her hand and brought them both over to V.

“Coffee and,” she held out her hand for V, dropping its contents into her hand, “ibuprofen. And I hope you like ham.”

“Wow,” V replied, “thanks, Judy. And yeah, I love it.”

“Least I can do.” Judy said with a smile before returning to the kitchen.

Least I can do, she repeated in her thoughts.

V tossed both tablets in her mouth and washed it down with several large gulps of coffee. The scalding liquid coating the inside of her mouth was the least of her concerns, she needed caffeine inside her ASAP.

When Judy was finished, she brought over a fresh ham sandwich. V took it and scarfed it down, only to blush as she realized what a messy eater she was being.

Wiping her lips clean, she looked up to see Judy sitting on the couch a ways away looking vaguely concerned, “Sorry I uh, freaked you out last night.”

“Does that happen a lot?” Judy asked.

V rubbed her neck, not wanting to lay it all on Judy at once, “It’s not usually that bad.”

“C’mon, V. Cut the shit. What’s really going on?”

“No gettin’ around this, huh?” V asked, but really it was more a statement of fact, knowing Judy.

Judy gave a half smile, but it gave away her underlying fears and doubts, “I’m worried, V.”

Something deeper pierced V, she couldn’t pinpoint it. All she knew was she couldn’t deny Judy this request, “You want the long version, then?”

“Call it a thanks for breakfast,” Judy smirked.

“Might want to get comfortable then. Because well, shit, where do I begin?” V thought for a moment before continuing once more, “So, my choom and I, big guy named Jackie, tangled with this hotshot fixer, Dexter Deshawn.”

“He’s the one who put you in contact with Evie?” Judy asked.

V nodded, “Mhm, as well as make us run some errands,” V said with a scoff, “but anyways, the job was to hit Konpeki Plaza, right? Klep some biochip that the son of ‘Saka was stealing for himself.”

“Which is why you came in for the braindances,” Judy affirmed.

“Exactly. But the job went wrong, as you know. I lost Jackie getting out of Konpeki. And…”

“...and?” Judy said, softly, not wanting to sound too impatient.

“I died, Judy. I fucking died.” V shuddered at the thought.

“Are you… are you joking right now?” How are you alive?” Judy leaned forward in disbelief.

“Remember that chip we were stealin’? Well, the container got busted when we were escaping. The next best place to store it was hooked into one of our brains, apparently. Jackie took the honors initially but… well….” V shook her head, “So I slotted the shard in myself after Jackie died.”

“I’m sorry, by the way. Truly,” Judy soothed as she scooched closer across the sofa so that she was now in touching distance between V.

V could really only offer a smile of acknowledgement in return, for she felt nothing but agony when she looked inward. “Guess the biochip was my saving grace - Dexter Deshawn double crossed me, put a bullet in my skull. I died then. But the craziest part is that the chip restarted my brain, god knows how much later. And I woke up to find myself in a junkyard in the badlands, covered in filth in debris.”

“J-Jesus fuck, V.” Judy’s voice hitched, “But I guess you made it out, all things considered.”

V nodded, “Got back only to realize I had the engram of a terrorist in my brain - Johnny Silverhand.”

“Woah, woah,” Judy waved, “engram?”

“Think of it like some digitized psyche, like if someone downloaded your entire brain and saved it to memory. His psyche is on the chip inside me.”

“Okay okay, so like the ‘Saka commercials just… just in your brain.”

“Yeah, something like that. But I guess when it restarted my brain, the chip began erasing me and writing in Johnny.”

“Fuck,” Judy stuttered. “So you’re becoming Johnny Silverhand?”

“Yeah,” V’s voice cracked, tears began to form on high cheekbones. “In a few weeks’ time, I’ll be someone completely different. I won’t even exist.” 

Judy instantly moved to V’s side and wrapped an arm about her, pulling her close. “I wonder what it’ll be like to die for a second time,” V pondered dryly. 

“Is there really nothing you can do?” Judy almost pleaded.

“There’s a few leads. I’m waiting to hear back from a fixer that can put me in touch with the Voodoo Boys, and I still need to look into finding the lead researcher for the biochip.”

“Ok,” Judy breathed deeply, “Alright. Then you focus on that, okay? And listen, I know you said you’d help out with Clouds but this is your life on the line here, V, I’d completely understand if you back out.”

“I said I was helping Judy, and that’s final.” 

V’s assuredness sent a shiver down Judy’s spine - her unwavering voice, despite cracked with emotion moments before, her steadied eyes, still reddened from irritation and tears yet firm in their conviction, and the almost offended expression on her face to even suggest that she’d go back on her promise. 

“Then... keep me posted? About how it goes... If you want,” Judy stumbled over her words. “I want to help if I can.”

“Of course, Judy. And thanks,” V smiled in appreciation.

Even the slightest gesture made Judy’s heart flutter. This gonk will be the death of me.