#so i didn't experience the flood of content for 4 as it came out and i didn't understand the burnout people felt towards it

[starlight-phantom]

How do you feel about Erina so far?

Personally I'm super excited to get to know her! She seems really fun!

I assume you mean the new character for Persona 5 Tactica? If that is the case, I honestly don't have any opinions yet. I dunno I'm just not particularly interested in Tactica... I'm watching all the promo stuff to see if I'll change my mind but it really isn't leaving any kind of impression on me.

But I will say, it honestly feels like Tactica is being fucked over by Atlus. I mean it gets announced on the same day as a remake of one of their most beloved titles? And it only comes out a few months beforehand? And a fan favourite character is relegated to dlc instead of the main game? I dunno, all of it just makes it kinda hard for me to care about Tactica. Not to mention, I suck at strategy games so that's decreasing my interest even more.

But yeah, Erina... I dunno, she exists. Her hairstyle makes her look like chibi bootleg Sae. Her outfit's kinda neat, I suppose. Like I said I don't really have any opinions, I don't have enough to work on.

[heavy-swing]

FFXIV Write 2024 - Prompt #4 - Reticent

Content Warnings: None

Spoiler Warnings: DRK Level 58 quest spoilers

Summary: Amid the skies of the Churning Mists, Aelita Tirasch witnesses a flood, and finds herself reflected in its waters.

“The little one must be Rielle, which would make the big one, Sid, right?”

Aelita watched Sidurgu’s face contort in annoyance, already weary of more magical nonsense.

“...Yes. I presume that would make you one of the “tiny beings” the dragon spoke of.”

A stony silence fell over the four of them as Sid seemed to be waiting for something. Something that Rielle seemed reticent to give to him.

“Rielle, say something to the moogle.” He’d tried so hard to be gentle, but Aelita could plainly see he was fighting an uphill battle. 

“Rielle.” Still nothing. “Rielle!” He raised his voice, maybe sharper than he'd intended, if the regret that flashed across his face was any indication. 

Aelita saw something in Rielle’s expression shift, something familiar. It warned her of the impending explosion, but not with anywhere near enough time to stop it from happening.

“...I'm sick of this charade.”

With those five words, a dam had finally burst inside Rielle. The cracks were there all along, invisible to the naked eye.

The emotion just poured out of her, in a way Aelita knew only too well. In each exclamation and intonation she heard a little more of herself on that fateful night, almost fifteen summers ago. Aelita had experienced firsthand that primal fear, that yawning sadness, that gnawing frustration. All the feelings that came with the knowledge that the person who looked after you might not be able to look after themselves, and that one day would likely be their last. 

Rielle just let Sid have it, and Aelita simply let the flood run its course. She took no joy in it, no sense of superiority, but she knew it was necessary if those two were going to stick together.

She watched as Sid floundered in the rising tide, struggling to come up with the response he thought Rielle might want to hear. But the raging current didn't care for his excuses. 

“And you!” Sid exclaimed, pointing at Aelita, “Say something, damn you!” He was desperate, thrashing about in search of a lifeline.

And yet, just as quickly as they'd come, the waters of Rielle’s rage subsided, leaving her once again reluctant to speak. The moogle that had stood out of the way of Rielle's wrath took it upon himself to occupy the silence, charging both Sid and Aelita with some thinly veiled excuse to do chores.

Aelita knew the errands could wait, though, and there was someone who couldn't. She let Sid start off on his search for the herb that Moggie had sent them after, and then when he was far enough out of sight, she gingerly approached Rielle.

“Rielle, I…” She knelt down to Rielle's level, not wanting to lord her years of experience over the girl. “I can't say I know exactly what you're feelin’, but I've got a pretty good idea. I've watched my parents sail off into the sunset when I was still a kid, wondering if they'd ever make it back… I have to imagine that seeing that happen over and over every day doesn’t make it any easier.” The beginnings of tears had started to appear on both of their faces, and Aelita reached out for Rielle's hands. “And I can't speak for Sid, Navigator knows he's got his issues to sort out, but… I think he does care.” Aelita gave a goofy smile. “Even if he's too much a scaredy-cat to say it.” That got a laugh from Rielle. “If he ever gives you any more grief, run right on over to Ser Aymeric’s office in the Congregation, and he'll give me a call. I'll scoop you right up and you can stay with me and my friends, okay?”

Rielle nodded and wiped her eyes with a sleeve. “I will.” 

Aelita tousled Rielle's hair a little, and then stood to go get started on the impromptu Moogle chores.

“Aelita?”

“Yeah, Rielle?”

“... Look after him, will you?”

Aelita gave a thumbs-up and a grin, and went off to find some pomwort, whatever that was.

[theabstruseone]

Counterpoint: The game has been out for just over one calendar month. In 2023.

First off, all the references you're talking about for Skyrim and Fallout 4 didn't pop out fully formed immediately after release. It took years for all of those to solidify into the memes and cultural touchstones they ended up. Not only did people need time to play the game for themselves, they needed time to talk to other people about the game and share their experiences and find the similarities between playthroughs that popped out to most people. There really has not been enough time for those moments to show up.

Second, it's Two Thousand goddamn Twenty-Three. I don't know if you've noticed, but the world isn't the same as it was in 2011 and 2015 when Skyrim and Fallout 4 respectively came out.

For one, you're over a decade older. I'm not going to speculate on OP's age, but I'm going to take a wild guess and say likely in their 20s or 30s. Notice that the big touchstone moments are all from the most recent games released - Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. No mention of Oblivion, Fallout 3, or Fallout New Vegas which also had their share of memes and shared moments. So OP was likely in their late teens or early 20s when Skyrim and Fallout 4 came out. A time in people's lives when they tend to have more free time as they're either in school or still early in their professional lives. That means not only more time for gaming but also a social circle with more time for gaming. As you get older, that sort of free time evaporates quickly due to other commitments and responsibilities so squeezing out a few hours a week to play a game is a luxury. For massive, spawling 100+ hour games, that means far fewer people in your social circles have likely gotten very far into the game to hit those moments.

For another, the social landscape has changed. You probably don't talk to at least some of your old gaming friends because they've gone off the political deep end and every conversation with them is about some uncomfortable talk about current events or social issues you don't want to confront them over. Or they tried to hard sell you on NFTs or cryptocurrency or a protein shake MLM or something.

Online communities have been broken up due to algorithmic manipulation on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. If you're not already looking for Starfield content, the algorithm isn't likely to feed you more of it. And if you're not engaging with the content that is there, fewer people are going to see it. And that's not even getting into the problems with communities broken over the years with the loss of forums, Vine, a huge amount of the Tumblr userbase, the people fleeing TwitXer, and so on.

Meanwhile, the people who were making the sort of shitpost content that spawned these memes in the first place have been effectively drowned out of sites like YouTube due to the algorithm and the flood of shittily-made clickbait content.

And on top of all THAT, there's been a massive anti-spoiler cultural shift over the past several years. Big open-world games like Starfield are few and far between outside the repetitive "climb the tower" Ubisoft-style games and the majority of the fun of those games is exploration. The people playing those games want to experience that exploration and discovery for themselves before engaging in videos and discussions about them. So people have been rather good on avoiding spoilers...which slows down the development of the sort of memes and in-jokes because nobody's talking about it yet.

It's kind of funny to claim a "Fall of Bethesda" when the game managed to top sales charts for multiple storefronts including Steam even though the game is free with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Enough people still bought the game that it was not only the best-selling game on release but was only beaten in concurrent players by Counterstrike (because nothing's going to beat Counterstrike).

Compare that to the similar open-world, exploration-focused game Baldur's Gate 3. That game's been in early access for 3 years and been out for over 2 months and literally the only memes are thirsting over the companions. Even the bear-fucking preview video fell off the cultural radar around the time the game actually came out.

And finally, my third point...Starfield was the smoothest, most bug-free launch of any Bethesda game in decades. Sure there are still little physics bugs here and NPC pathing issues there, but the sort of game-breaking, quest-softlocking, crash-to-desktop type bugs that came at launch for Fallout 3/NV/4/76 and Elder Scrolls Oblivion/Skyrim have been pretty absent. And a LOT of the early funny clips and comedy moments came from those hilarious bugs. Since there aren't any major bugs to laugh at and make compilation videos of, a lot of that early memeing just isn't there.

If you don't like Starfield, more power to you. Not every game is going to be for everyone. Go find a game that will be more fun for you. But it's frustrating and annoying when "I don't like this" isn't good enough and people have to pull out complete nonsense like this to somehow prove it's objectively "bad" and that all the people who are enjoying it are having fun wrong.

I think the biggest sign of the grand “fall of Bethesda” or whatever is the fact that Starfield officially released a full calendar month ago today and I literally have zero idea what it is about or what happens in it. absolutely zero cultural osmosis seems to have happened, which would’ve been unthinkable for a Bethesda RPG like ten years ago

[a-edgar-allan-hoe]

The Medusa of Hydra

Bucky x Reader, Matt Murdock x Reader Part 2

A/N: Part 2 is here! Let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist! I would also love to hear your thoughts and feedback! 😊❤️

Summary: Imagine being the daughter of Wolverine and an FBI agent. You used to be a part of Bucky's past. A distant part of his past that he had forgotten over time, until one day, he sees your face shadowed behind the public eye, like an apparition, almost as if you didn't exist. Confused over your existence and questioning whether what he saw was real, broken memories of you come flooding back to him, and Bucky finds himself scrambling to search for clues that would lead to who you are and why he feels as if he had seen you before. You on the other hand had moved on, starting a new life for yourself and even finding yourself working with a certain lawyer. After the horrors you faced, you wanted to leave your past behind you, eventually forgetting mostly everything that ever happened. That is until the former Winter Soldier brings those memories all back.

Warnings: language

Part 1 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5

Hydra. That was the only word that came to Bucky's mind and the only word that he now could not get rid of. Everything was fine, close to normal in fact. Hydra had not been in his thoughts in the span of the last month, that is until he saw you. The moment he saw your face, those broken images flashed before his eyes. Images that looked like an unspoken part of his past. The extreme pressure in his head that had felt like an ice pick ramming into his skull had now disappeared, but so did you. For when Bucky had looked out the window to see where you could have gone, you were nowhere in sight. Why now? Why all of a sudden? Why, when he had just gotten over the hold Hydra had over him, did you have to show up and bring back all those things he had tried so desperately to get rid of? And more importantly, who were you? Who were you really?

Your Pov

You had rushed out of the café with your hand clutched over your mouth, the tightness in your throat only growing firmer as you rounded the corner into the nearest alley before doubling over and puking all your contents right there onto the pavement. Your partner, Pedro Gomez, the man who had been with you in the café, had followed you out, his curls bouncing as he came to a stop right beside you, shaking his head at your condition.

"Geez y/l/n. You okay?"

"What does it look like?" You snarked back, sweat forming on your forehead from that uncomfortable experience. You could barely breathe as you let out a harsh cough, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

"Here." Pedro handed you some paper towels.

"Thanks Gomez." You coughed again, taking the napkins from his hand and wiping your mouth and the blood from your nose before inspecting your clothes.

"The hell happened back there?"

"No clue." Straightening up, you tossed the napkins away in the nearest trash can before looking back at the café, the unusual prodding sensation still in the back of your mind. "I don't know. I just...felt strange."

"Do you want to check it out?" Pedro’s dark eyes studied your features and the calculating look in your eyes. Usually when you were like this it, minus the puking, it usually meant something. Call it an intuition of sorts, an intuition that you more than often had.

"No, it's fine. Must not be important." You shook it off before heading to his car.

"Hey." Pedro stopped you once you opened the passenger door. "You sure you still want come in to work today. You looked like crap back there."

"I'm fine." You repeated yourself.

"Well why don't you take the day off today? If you have a bug you wouldn't want to get the other agents sick. I'll let the supervisor know."

".........I suppose you're right." You shrugged as Pedro got into the driver seat of his car. Your eyes drifted back at the café once more. The prodding sensation in your head was faint, yet it was somehow pulling you to back to the front door. You shook your head with a sigh before getting into the passenger seat. It's probably nothing.

Bucky's Pov

Bucky hadn't stopped thinking about you since the incident. One would say that he couldn't seem to be able to get your face out of his head. His thoughts were reeling with a thousand questions. A lot was on his mind, and it was even apparent in his facial expression and the way he sat, stoic like a statue in his seat, totally unware of what the older woman across from his was saying.

"James?" Dr. Raynor, Bucky's therapist stopped where she was going with her words once she noticed the look on his face.

"Hm? Sorry." Bucky shook his head slightly before clearing his throat. "Could you repeat that."

"Is everything alright? You looked like you've seen a ghost the moment you walked into my office. Is there something on your mind that you would like to talk about?"

Bucky was silent for a moment, his lips pursed as he debated on whether he should tell her. "Well. I was at the café this morning, the one I usually go to."

"Mhm."

"And I saw this young woman."

"Well that must be nice yes?"

"Well.....not really."

"Oh." Dr. Raynor's expression changed to that of confusion. "Was she not attractive?"

"No! I mean, well she was pretty, really pretty but, well she was with a guy there, but what I'm trying to say is, I feel like I've seen her before."

"Well, there are a lot of people in Brooklyn. You've probably seen her somewhere else."

"It wasn't like that. I haven't seen her here or any place that I have been."

"No?" Dr. Raynor raised a brow, getting more confused by the minute. "Then what was it like?"

"I had this feeling like I've known her before. And there were these..........flashbacks."

"You received flashbacks?" Dr. Raynor clicked her pen, the point hovering over the page as she waited for Bucky to go on.

"Well sort of, they weren't very clear and were jumbled up. And I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and had this really intense headache."

"Interesting." Dr. Raynor scribbled down some notes on her notepad. "Very interesting."

"Do you know what it could be?"

"Not at the moment no. But I'll see what I can find, I'm afraid our session has run out. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"No." Bucky shook his head, preferring not to tell her how all he could think of was Hydra when he saw you.

"Well, I'll see you next week then James. You have a good day, and try not to think too much on it."

"I will. Thanks Dr. Raynor." Bucky shook her hand in thanks before leaving her office. He was anxious, itching to get his hands on a few files. He already knew where he was heading to next, and he was going to do his best to find as much information as he could on who you are and why you are linked to Hydra.

Your Pov

Pedro had pulled up to the front of your apartment complex. It was one of those old buildings from the 20s, those art deco buildings with the extravagant gold embellishments and the fancy glass windows that were reminiscent of the days of flappers and the early automobiles with a touch of something out of a sci-fi film. You had just moved into this apartment not too long ago due to your job. It was alright, the interior was nice and your neighbors were decent, but it was the noise pollution that had bothered you and kept you up most nights. After having to work through a long shift staring at a bunch of files, there was nothing more you wanted than to plop down on your bed and crash out.

"You feel better okay." Pedro looked at you.

"I will. Tell your wife I said hi. I haven't seen her in a while."

"Wil do." Pedro smiled. "She wants to invite you over for dinner these days. She's making tamales and elote."

"Sound delicious. I might have to take her up on her offer." You chuckled as you grabbed your bag and opened up the passenger door to get out. "Thanks Gomez. Drive safe alright."

"Sure will. Take care alright!"

"I will." You stood on the sidewalk, waving Pedro goodbye before stepping through the front doors and into the main lobby, the sound of soft jazz playing through the lobby's speakers once you entered. You waved in greeting to the receptionist, your shoes tapping lightly against the shiny marble tile floors before taking the elevator up to the 10th floor.

You had pulled your keys out of your pocket as you walked to the end of the hall, the faint jingling ringing out in the empty hallway. The dim lamps that lined the walls cast a yellow glow on your face as you unlocked your door and stepped inside your apartment before locking the door behind you. Breathing out a sigh from arriving in the comfort of your own home, something you found you did almost routinely, you set your bag down the table before sitting down on the bench by your door to take off your shoes. A loud meow reached your ears, and as you looked towards the floor, you saw your cat, a maine coon with long black fur and charcoal gray areas trotting up to you with her tail stuck straight up.

“Hi Maleficent.” You cooed with a big grin on your face, picking up your cat to bring her to your chest as you placed a bunch of kisses on her soft furry head. "Are you hungry?" Maleficent let out a small mew in response, her emerald green eyes staring back up at yours. Just a couple seconds later of you scratching behind Maleficent's ears, your smile was cut short once you heard the sound of rustling coming from behind your kitchen. You stopped abruptly, your breath caught in your throat and your eyes suddenly trained on the location of the sound.

What in the-

Carefully putting Maleficent down on the ground, you reached a hand towards your waist, pulling out your Glock from the holster on your hip and holding it out before you with the muzzle pointed towards the floor, making sure to be mindful of your footsteps on the wooden floorboards. The world felt as if it had slowed around you and all had become silent. Your heart beating in your chest became the only sound you could hear as you slowly, and quietly, made your way to the kitchen with your back against the wall. Holding your breath, you clutched your pistol firmly in your hands and peeked around the wall to see who your intruder could be. A woman with a headful of blonde hair……..at your stove…….cooking?

“Yelena?”

“Y/n!” The woman gasped, nearly dropping the wooden spoon in her hands as she turned to face you.

“What the-what the hell are you doing in my kitchen?!” You hissed, pressing the lock back on your gun and putting it back on your holster.

“Were you going to shoot me?“ Yelena questioned once she saw the gun in your hands.

“What? No. You know I have to carry one around, protocol. The hell are you doing in my apartment?”

“I thought I’d stop by.”

“Stop by?" You scoffed. "So what, you break into my apartment?”

“……yes. What kind of lock do you keep on your door? I almost thought I’d have to break the door down.”

“A good one.”

“Well apparently it wasn’t that good.” Yelena mumbled, referring to how she had managed to get in.

“Yeah well it’s good enough to keep the specific people I want out. I knew it wouldn’t work against you.” You sighed as you brushed the loose strands of hair away from your face, watching how your cat had nuzzled up against Yelena's leg. Well at least Maleficent has warmed up to her. “The hell are you cooking anyways?”

“I’m making Solyanka."

“Right.” You looked around to see what else she could’ve laid her hands on before landing on the bags that had been tucked away in the corner.

“Stopping by huh. So what are those?” You gestured.

“………I need a place to stay.”

“Yelena.”

“Please?”

You sighed, accepting the fact that Yelena was in your apartment now and you couldn’t just kick her out. “Fine. But next time you decide to break into my apartment let me know so I can get you spare keys.”

“Thank you.” Yelena nodded her head towards you.

“And don’t go through my shit.” You huffed, grabbing your bag off the table and going over to your room to change. You slipped on a simple black knit sweater and a pair of sweats, something to keep you warm against the cool apartment air before setting your bag in your closet. You began to wonder how the hell you were going to live with Yelena Belova in your apartment, the same apartment that you only shared with your cat and no one else. Hell, you rarely ever had visitors. Your phone, which you had just set on your bed, buzzed from a notification, and as you went over to it you saw that you had just received a message from your father. You opened up the message, your eyes scanning the words on the bright screen and read that he was in town and wanted to grab dinner tonight at the local pub to catch up.

A soft smile formed on your lips, your thumbs pressing away at the letters on the keyboard. Sure thing, I'll meet you there. Goodness knows how long it has been since you had seen your father. Slipping your phone into your pocket, you went back out into the kitchen to see that Yelena had already set out the table with two bowls of hot soup on either side.

"Lunch is ready I suppose." Yelena gestured with a small smile.

"Thanks Yelena." You sat down on the chair before taking a sip of the soup that Yelena had made, making sure to blow on it to cool it down.

"How is it?" Yelena watched your expressions curiously in case you tried to lie about it. This had been the first time she had cooked for someone, especially since Natasha.

"It's pretty good. Good job."

"Really?" Yelena straightened up in her seat. You really weren't lying.

"Yeah. You did a good job." You took another sip. "You better start on yours before it gets cold." You nodded towards her bowl.

"Oh, right." You took a look at Yelena and noticed the bags under her eyes despite the concealer she used to cover them up. You wanted to ask about them, about whether she was getting enough sleep, but you thought against it. Instead, you noticed the bracelet on her wrist. It was a dainty gold chain bracelet with 3 different stones that sat nestled in the center, the birthstones of Natasha, Yelena, and you. The three of you had those bracelets made a long time ago to symbolize your friendship, your bond, your sisterhood.

"I miss Nat." You muttered out.

Yelena glanced at the expression on your face, watching how your eyes rested on her bracelet before noticing that yours was still on your wrist as well. "Me too."

"Listen." You spoke softly, "You're welcome to sleep in my room. I can sleep out here on the couch or pull out the air mattress."

"What?" Yelena furrowed her brows at you. "Now way. This is your apartment, I'll sleep on the air mattress."

"But-"

"I'm not changing my mind."

"You're stubborn as hell, ya know that."

"I know." Yelena smirked before letting out a smile, the first smile that she had let out in a while.

Perhaps this was a good change for you. Sure, you had always preferred to live alone, and though you hated to admit it, it did get quiet sometimes in the dead of night. But this, having Yelena around, did feel nice, even soothing, almost similar to the days when Natasha would cook a warm Russian meal for the two of you as the three of you laughed over the simplest of things. And oh how you missed those days.

Bucky Pov

There had been a knock, not a light tap of knuckles against the slab of wood that one would regularly do, but rather a somewhat frantic and even irritated knock on Bucky's door, causing a break in the silence that had been his apartment and interrupting him in his current assignment. Bucky lifted his head towards the door, setting aside the stack of papers that had been on his lap before getting up to answer it. And as he opened the door, there he saw Sam before him, a manila folder in his hand and a displeased expression set across his face.

"That was quick, quicker than I expected at least." Bucky muttered.

"What the hell is going on Buck." Sam stepped into Bucky's living room, his eyes scanning the piles of paper and folders that lay scattered about the floor. What the hell is Bucky getting into?

"Do you have what I asked for?"

"First, I wanna know what the hell is going on." Sam lowered his voice as he held the folder in front of him. "Why do you have me looking into a special agent? It wasn't easy trying to get information on her, you know. The last thing I need is feds riding my ass."

"Wait, she's FBI?" Bucky knit his brows together in confusion as he took the file from Sam and went through it. This was definitely not what he was expecting. He thought you would have gone into hiding, lay low even, but not this. Did they even know you are, or who you were?

"Behavioral Science Unit, she's one of their top agents." Sam responded. His dark eyes were observing the way Bucky flipped through the file and how his eyes scanned almost every word as if they held the answers to the universe. "James. Who is she?"

Bucky stared at the floor for a moment, his blue eyes lost in thought before picking up a file from the couch and handing it over to Sam. Sam glanced at Bucky in confusion, eyeing the folder he had just been given before opening up to see some old photographs and files from Hydra. They were all of you, and in every photo your expression remained the same, this cold and icy expression, lifeless even, and your eyes held this darkness about them, as if you were staring into a set of obsidians. As Sam flipped through the photographs, he stopped at a certain picture of you and Bucky, back when he was the Winter Soldier. He stared at the photo for a moment, seeing you stand next to the Winter Soldier himself, the both of you dressed in black tactical gear. Despite the reputation of the Winter Soldier, there was something about you that made an unsettling feeling bubble at the bottom of Sam's gut. Sam couldn't quite put it to words but you let out out this aura that made you seem more deadly, more ferocious than the assassin standing right next to you.

"Y/n y/l/n." Bucky began to explain, the gears in his head turning as he slowly began to piece together the scattered memories he had of you. "They called her Medusa. She was an assassin for Hydra, but before that, she was an assassin for the Soviets."

"How did the two of you work together?" Sam looked up from the file.

"We didn't, not at first at least. You see, I was originally her mission."

"You were her mission?"

"The Soviets had originally sent her to kill me since I was seen as a possible threat." Bucky sat on the couch as Sam did the same, invested in his every word. "She almost accomplished the mission, but then she stopped. I don't know what it was but something in her changed. In the moment that she stalled, Hydra's men captured her and she became one of their projects, hence Project Medusa."

"Was she a supersoldier?" Sam asked, completely in shock. He was still trying to process that there had been another Hydra assassin this whole time.

"No." Bucky shook his head. "She wasn't a supersoldier, no serums or anything like that. She was a mutant."

[sezja]

Mermay AU, Part 10

Previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Terror floods Sanson's veins, as cold as the river. He releases Lyrica, diving beneath the surface in a desperate hope to outswim the current and catch Guydelot before he drowns - the river here runs fast, and only strength and familiarity render it safe for merfolk to swim in; he must save Guydelot before... before...

No.

Always had he been taught that the water was their greatest protector, their shield against their enemies on dry land: not one of them dove so deep as to be a danger to merfolk. Only the Sahagin came so deep, and they were no friends to mankind; indeed, the Sahagin viewed the merfolk with suspicion, looking half-Hyur as they did at a glance - they kept their distance, keeping to their saltwater depths even as the merfolk chose to retreat to lakes and rivers, isolating themselves for safety from all outsiders. The water was their shield.

Sanson fights against it now, challenging his protector, cursing it. He can make out Guydelot's shape in the murky water, flailing as he tries to fight his way to the surface - stubborn man. I'm a strong swimmer, he'd claimed, but few people swam in the Shroud, and certainly not here-

There! Sanson seizes a handful of Guydelot's tunic... only to be kicked a moment later by the man's panicked thrashing. He loses his grip once again, and the current pulls them further apart; how long has it been? Guydelot must be running out of air by now. Sanson reaches again, swimming hard, his every muscle burning. Nothing in his training has prepared him for rescuing someone who cannot breathe in the water. Nothing in his training has prepared him for attempting to save a creature of the surface, let alone one who is doing his very best not to be saved!

A flash of gold whips past them both: Lyrica, riding a faster current.

She whips ahead of them, seizing Guydelot as his struggling begins to slow. "Sonny-"

"Up," he says, grabbing Guydelot's other side, and together they kick their way to the surface. The river has run into shallower channels now, by some stroke of fortune, but still it seems an eternity before they break into the air. Between them, Guydelot coughs, heaving up water, retching with each chest-rattling cough - but he is breathing, breathing, and that means he will live. Sanson lets them drift on the current for a few minutes, content to rest a hand on Guydelot's chest, where his heart beats strong and stubborn.

"Lyrica."

She still has Guydelot's other arm in a tight grip, keeping the man afloat. "Well... well I couldn't let him drown, Sonny." She blinks quickly - a gesture he recognizes from long experience as anxiety; Lyrica is a fluttery creature. "And you do seem to like him! I didn't think-" She bites her lip. "Melody would've said to let him drown."

"She-"

"She would! And she would be right, wouldn't she?" Lyrica's face colors. "Because you aren't going to stop seeing him, Sanson, I know better, and so do you!"

"I was-"

"And... and I don't think you should." She sniffles. "You've never been so happy, Sonny, and if anything... if anything can keep you away from work, if anything can make you misbehave and break all the rules, why, I think perhaps you ought to have it." She looks at him at last, defiant. "So there! I saved him! Even though I shouldn't have!"

A rattling cough between them interrupts whatever response Sanson might have mustered. "If... if you're done shoutin' my ear off, I'd just as soon be back on dry land." Guydelot rasps a laugh, quiet and ragged. "Hells. My boots are wet."

They make for the river's edge, dragging Guydelot into the shallows. Weakly, he hauls himself out of the water, flopping drenched and ungraceful on the grassy earth, staring skyward.

Silence stretches.

Lyrica exchanges a silent glance with her brother, then dives once more, and is gone.

"Thank her for me," Guydelot says, unmoving.

"Of course." Sanson hesitates. "Guydelot..."

"Is she right? About how you're not gonna stop coming to see me?"

Hells. Sanson swims closer, curling up in the shallows. "I meant what I said: I oughtn't return. 'Tis dangerous for my people, and selfish."

He hears the smile in Guydelot's voice. "But."

"But..." He reaches, touching Guydelot's face. "But I am fond of you."

"Oh, aye? Just how-"

They are interrupted by the sound of footsteps - running footsteps, and the sound of leathery wings. Before Sanson can retreat into the shallows, an aged Elezen man hurries out of the trees... and over his shoulder flutters a moogle in a state of some distress, its pom bobbing anxiously.

"Guydelot!" The man scarcely seems to notice Sanson, hastening to the fallen bard's side. "Pukno Poki came to me in a fright, saying you'd fallen into the river..." He glances up at Sanson at last, and his words trail off as his awestruck gaze takes in the long, winding tail curled in the reeds.

Guydelot's eyes slide heavily shut. "Ratted out by a moogle," he mutters. "Damn my luck."

[iwritethat]

Tim Drake: Puppy

A/N: Doggy Plan 4/?, Tim struck me as a Sheep Dog person but this is the DC universe and Krypton exists... :)

Warnings: Mentions of undergarments? *GIFs do not belong to me.*

>>>>——————————>

Look after one of Krypto's Pups they said.

"It'll be fun." Kon said.

"Only for a month or two." Kara has added on.

Tim had his own apartment after moving from the Manor, minding a puppy wasn't too much of a chore for him at the moment especially if it was a favour for one of his best friends. Alas, he was grateful they didn't give him the whole litter as that might've been too much to handle alongside vigilantism but a month or two with one companion wouldn't be so bad.

How wrong he was.

The experience had its ups and downs, yet he'd grown somewhat attached to the creature and his little quirks. The pup had a mischievous streak no doubt about it, often enjoying plays of tug of war and stealing things littered about the apartment were only part of it. However, when he awoke one morning, Tim strolled into his kitchen to find the nameless white, half alien, pup proudly seated outside his bedroom with his treasure strewn before him. Hesitantly, the vigilante stepped forward, analysing his recent discovery before he became instantly flushed and embarrassed.

A Batman Thong.

He wasn't sure what to do with them, figuring his pup had brought them as some form of play but alas he had his suspicions of exactly who they belonged to.

The 56 year old Ms Baker across the hall wasn't a possibility, it simply didn't fit her fashion choices, and it definitely didn't fit the size of Mr Crosby who consistently hung his boxers on the balcony which left his remaining prime suspect - (Y/n) (L/n). As much as they were on friendly terms he knew you had yet to reach a personal enough level to slip your undergarments into casual conversation, usually exchanges consisted of asking how each other's day was during hall passing's or crossings in the lobby.

Regardless, assuming it was a one off occurrence he chose to ignore it.

Although, after a month the underwear was piling up just as the frequency was increasing and Tim had no idea exactly how to handle the situation. Of course, it just had to be his cute neighbour in the apartment complex as the proximity made sense but how the pup had obtained her panties remained a mystery. Every other day his companion would bring a new pair of delicates thoroughly pleased with the growing confusion reaching his masters features. He even called his older brother for advice, the latest artefact of the day being red lace underwear much to Timothy's horror - the thought had potentially crossed his mind but he most definitely hadn't planned on seeing your private items under these circumstances.

.

However Dick found the whole situation amusing and couldn't stifle his laughter when Tim presented him with a box containing the topic of choice but didn’t let him open it for confidential reasons.

"And the pup keeps bringing you ladies panties?"

"Yes! I'm pretty sure they belong to (Y/n), I overheard her talking to her friend the other day about how she's either misplacing her laundry or there's a serious pervert problem." The concern was evident in Tims voice, although Dick couldn't understand his lack of confidence regarding solving the issue.

"Just return them already, explain that your dog stole them and that you're sorry for the trouble. You'll finally talk to (Y/n) rather that longingly stare and crush on her from afar." Dick gave a lopsided smile, leaning back against the couch.

"We do talk! And I was going to, but every time I got to her door I panicked. Standing there with a box of her underwear, that's so creepy and I don't want (Y/n) to think I'm weird." Tim desperately explained, and they could understand his argument as he came to a halt with an exasperated sigh.

“Nah, just that you’re the pervert she was talking about.” Duke openly laughed, finding the whole situation hilarious.

"Alright, do it tomorrow and just tell (Y/n) the truth." The eldest confidently stated, Duke nodding in agreement.

"Right, I will do that. Not so hard." Tim wholeheartedly spoke, determination renewed thanks to his visitors but required serious consideration on how to handle the matter in the least awkward way.

"He's not gonna do it." Duke quietly chuckled, shaking his head whilst fussing the pup on his lap who gleefully barked in response.

.

The next day he had every intention to do so, a month was long enough and with the numerous delicates his puppy had brought back he assumed you'd be running low. The box was situated under his arm and the wait was tantalising after he'd knocked, he'd evaluated the best terminology to use and ran over his explanation countless times until it was flawless. Yet despite all of that, he couldn't explain the sheer amount of relief his body experienced when you didn't answer the door and he could safely head back to his apartment next door.

Tim suddenly halted outside, unfamiliar mumbling automatically rebooting his senses as he quietly unlocked his door and stealthily entered his apartment to better hear the commotion of the potential enemy, dropping off the parcel in the process.

"I swear you better give those back before your hot owner comes back Snowball or I'll be arrested for breaking and entering!" The melodious voice immediately put him at comfortable ease, subconsciously bring a smile to his face in the process as your compliment didn’t fall on deaf ears as well as the nickname you’d given his temporary pet.

Upon reaching his living area, he found the white bundle perched on the sofa with you slowly prowling around like you were cautious as to not scare him away, it was cute watching you both like this. That is until you lunged across the couch, fingers hooking onto whatever the canine had in his jaws as he tugged against you in reply with playful barks emitting from his companion.

"Damn you're strong pup, but please... it's my last pair..." Your tone quietened at those last words, yet you continued with your game of tug of war.

"Yeah, he‘s tough huh?"

You instantly froze with a quiet squeak of surprise, your utter startling causing you to let go of your item and stumble to your feet in embarrassment after being caught. Meanwhile the furball happily plopped over to his owner, Tim kneeling to collect whatever he had taken from you but as he dropped the item into his hand the man flushed as you face palmed.

Tim stood, garment between his thumb and index finger as he offered it back to you unable to make eye contact and a flood of apologies escaping his lips, if only he could see how flustered you were too.

"Thanks and about your apartment, sorry - it's just my last pair and I couldn't lose those before I went shopping." You briskly explained, pocketing the underwear with a sheepish smirk.

"Ah - yeah, about that..." Tim sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, walking over to the counter to pick up his previous cargo before handing it to you as he became increasingly flustered.

You opened the mysterious thing, rooting through the contents with a contrast of awkward relief and mild concern. Your red lacy pair, your ribbon briefs, the basic garments, they were all here.

"So... you just kept a box of my underwear in your kitchen?" Your tone was mildly suspicious but held humour as you cocked an amused brow.

"Don't say it like it that! At first I thought it was an accident, the pup only brought back a Batman thong and I thought it was a prank. But then it continued, almost everyday and I couldn't just throw away whosever they were after I'd attained so many. I didn't even know they were yours at first, it was simply a logical deduction. It's not like I could just knock and say, oh here's your panties that my dog stole." Tim instantly justified, hands waving up in defence as he flushed even further, cute really.

"True, what would the neighbours think about us. But thanks for not throwing them you’ve saved me a shopping trip and again, sorry for intruding." You gave a kind smile, along with your apology whilst the pup wagged his tail at the exchange.

"How did you get in exactly?" Now Tim was curious, crossing his arms and raising an expectant brow at your awkwardness.

"Um, I may've climbed over the balcony. I was preparing dinner when I caught sight of your puppy tugging my last piece of underwear off of my clothes line - I had no choice to but to chase after him. Lord knows how he managed to get across that gap." As you explained, you walked Tim out onto his own balcony, pointing over at yours whilst the male paled slightly.

Admittedly, Tim was worried for your safety, falling from the third floor would definitely cause you some injury and the last thing he'd want was to ever let you get hurt. Yet the more pressing matter was that Kryptos offspring may have inherited certain abilities that allowed him access to your home.

"That's one talented dog." He only managed an uncertain remark as to not clue you in on his Alien related thoughts.

"Right? Anyway, I should probably get back over there." You happily chimed, moving to sit on the balcony railing before Tim automatically  grasped your waist to pull you back down to his level.

"Wha-What are you doing?!"

"I left my key on the side when I gave chase, my door is locked so I've gotta go back the way I came." You shrugged but gave a small laugh at your hasty behaviour, you never expected your first proper meeting with your hot neighbour to go down like this and you’d hoped it’d improve your relationship with him.

"No, you're not doing that. You're here because of my house guest so I'll do the honours, please wait here (Y/n) and help yourself to anything you like." The male gave a weak smile, ensuring he’d deterred your adventurous intentions before hopping onto the railing himself with ease.

"Anything? Hm I guess fair is fair, where do you keep your underwear neighbour?" Your mischievous tone caught Tim off guard, his words faltering at the forwardness of your question.

"I - (Y/n) -"

"I'm kidding Tim, sorry I'll keep Snowball here company." Your neighbour shook his head with a smile, stabilising himself before hopping over effortlessly compared to the strain it took you to waddle across the connecting ledge.

.

Tim returned through his front door moments later, finding you and the pup situated on the couch holding up the Batman Thongs.

"Ah (Y/n), I know we skipped a few steps in the friendship ladder but I've seen enough of your underwear for the past month." Tim jokingly commented, covering his eyes as he placed your keys on the coffee counter before you.

"Oh no, these aren't mine..."

You both stared at each for a moment, then back at the thongs with realisation hitting you simultaneously.

"Ms Baker!"

"Ah since your pup stole them you should return it Tim."

"You held them last!" At that you tossed them in his direction, the man instinctively dodging whilst the pup caught them mid air and brought them back to you.

Only, it wasn’t normal.

The pup was suspended in the air, tail frantically wagging as your breath hitched whilst you backed away ever so slightly.

“Neigh-neighbour... I um, I think I know how your friend stole my panties...”

It was the underlying fear in your hushed whisper that caused Tim to focus his attention on you rather than the beverages he was making, his discovery caused him to sigh with his previous assumptions proven correct by the flying super canine.

“What - oh crap... Um I think you should stay for dinner, I can explain...”

“Ye-Yeah...”

.

Best first date ever. At least it would be when you retold that story about your boyfriend and his canine, Snowball the Superdog.

[the-letter-horror-lover]

The Next: Chronicles by clarityace

Anime » Naruto Rated: T, English, Friendship & Family, Naruto U., Sasuke U., Boruto U., Sarada U., Words: 21k+, Favs: 31, Follows: 31, Published: Feb 3, 2017 Updated: Feb 13, 2017

9Chapter 4

Hinata had lost someone close to her heart before, had seen so many people she cared for disappear, had seen many of them fight for their lives almost on the brink of death right in front of her. But none of that would compare to the moment she had to watch her two children go through the same experience for the first time in their lives.

Boruto and Himawari had gone to look for their father before she could even manage to move. The last time she heard about them, she was informed that they had completely separated themselves from the others. Her children were beyond inconsolable. She had no idea where they went, and she had no idea where she was going herself.

Her feet dragged her heavily across the woods, her breath caught painfully in her throat. Could be the crying, or the fatigue, she didn't know anymore. Sometimes she would stop when it felt like the world was suddenly spinning, but then it would become steady, then she would just have to go farther again.

Everything felt like a nightmare she needed to wake up from. None of it could be real.

The memory she had from earlier this morning flooded her mind.

000

She woke up to Naruto cooking, surprisingly, cursing to himself almost comically as flames burst from the frying pan. He tossed the pan and its contents entirely into the sink, only producing more smoke in the process.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked, chuckling to herself, as Naruto removed the pot holder from his hands with disgust written all over in his face.

Naruto jumped in surprise. "Hinata! You're awake! Wait, wait. I was just cleaning up..." The groggy Hokage panicked, quickly grabbing the pan from the sink with his bare hand, only to toss it again and curse it under his breath for being too hot.

"Let me handle it," Hinata said, grinning as she opened the faucet and the exhaust fan to clear the smoke out.

"I'm sorry," Naruto grumbled, his eyes cast on the floor. "I only made a mess, didn't I?"

Hinata smiled at him. "It's okay. Why are you up so early anyway, Hokage-sama?" she asked playfully, trying to cheer Naruto up. "Got a lot to do at the office?"

"Huh? No, no. I just... Well, you remember I came home kinda early than usual last night and got a lot of rest and... you know. I just figured I'll make you breakfast for once," Naruto sighed. "You always do it for me."

"Of course I'll always do it for you," Hinata said, gently touching Naruto's nose. "Breakfast is the only time I can make sure you don't substitute your meal for ramen."

Naruto laughed, cupping his hands softly against Hinata's cheeks. "I love you, Hinata," he whispered.

"I love you too even if you don't know how to prepare anything else besides ramen," she whispered back.

"Eh, I'll try again! I promise! Maybe tomorrow... yes, tomorrow morning will be great. What would you want for breakfast?" Naruto asked, a smile displayed widely across his face.

000

That was just this morning, wasn't it? How then did it come to this?

And then she heard it, she heard her daughter screaming from a distance. It was a cry that pierced sharply through the air. Hinata broke into a sprint.

"Daddy!" Himawari was kneeling on the ground, begging for her father to wake up when Hinata arrived. There, sprawled on the dirt, was his husband, his body limp and his chest still. Way too still.

She ran toward him and lifted his head. Her fingers travelled from his cheek to his neck. Trembling, she lifted her fingers again and placed it against his wrist. None. Almost completely hesitating, she activated her byakugan and confirmed what she had been fearing. Her husband's heart had stopped beating.

Sakura was the second to arrive on the scene. Drenched in tears with her whole body shaking, the pink-haired medic collapsed beside her teammate's body. Her mind raced, her fingers digging into her own leg in frustration. How the hell do you save a jinchuriki with his tailed beast completely gone and nowhere to be found?

As if to answer her question, thunder echoed loudly above them and lightning flashed, rain suddenly plummeting heavily over them.

Boruto was the third to arrive. His knees gave way the moment he saw the lifeless body beside his mother. He wanted to scream but no voice left him. He wanted to move but his body froze. There he remained motionless and helpless, completely drenched and covered in mud.

Sasuke was the fourth to arrive. He watched as Sakura yelled something to him but he couldn't understand a thing. Everything around him seemed to have stilled and quieted.

"Sasuke… Sasuke! The nine-tail's chakra, even just a little… please," Sakura's voice gradually filled his sense, pleading, asking him to locate what had completely disappeared. Sasuke only stared, completely stunned at her request. Sakura knew what it meant.

'No,' she mouthed disbelievingly to him, tears falling freely from her eyes. "Hinata, breathe for him," Sasuke heard Sakura say. He watched helplessly as Hinata crawled over her husband's mutilated body, closing her lips with his. Naruto's chest rose as Hinata breathed air into his lungs. By then, several people had already arrived but no one moved.

Sakura had been in this situation before, but the first time it happened she knew exactly what she had to do. This time, she didn't, but she still had to do something. There was absolutely no way she would let him die. If he had pulled it off during the war, then he would pull it off tonight. There was no way in hell Sakura would stop until she saw, with her very own eyes, Naruto wake up with a clueless look on his face. No way, Naruto. Not now. Your family needs you. She lifted two fingers before her hand glowed with healing chakra. She tore Naruto's orange sweatshirt and swiftly made an incision at the side of his chest. She heard Boruto gasp.

Sasuke knelt behind Boruto, pulling his student toward himself as the young man began to thrash around helplessly on the ground. He could hear his student's suppressed whimper. Sasuke carefully lowered Boruto's headband down to his eyes so he wouldn't see more, as Sakura shoved her hand into Naruto's chest to manually pump his heart.*

Behind Hinata, Sarada approached Himawari, pulling her into a hug. The younger kunoichi hid her face, burying her face into Sarada as the older girl tried to calm her down. Hima continued to call for her father over and over, begging him to wake up.

"We have to bring him to the hospital," Sakura told the medics in the area, her voice cracked as she tried to withhold a sob. "Call Tsunade… please, I don't know what to do," Sakura was starting to break down. A group of medics responded to her command.

"Sasuke, the perpetrator," Shikamaru approached the raven-haired man who was still consoling a writhing Boruto. "We fear he is getting ready to leave."

Sasuke felt Boruto begin to fight back against his resistance, driving his fist angrily toward the ground. "They have to pay for this," Bolt hissed between gritted teeth. Before Sasuke could react, Bolt had gotten up and had begun to storm out. He grabbed his student by the arm.

"I'll make sure they get caught, Boruto" he said firmly, tightening his grip on his student's arm. "Stay with your family. Stay by Naruto's side," he added, while watching the medics insert a tube down Naruto's throat. Sakura continued to pump their teammate's heart with her bare hand. "I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can."

As his father was placed on a stretcher, Boruto relented and Sasuke took off by himself.

The operating room was filled with all the different noises which Sakura had already grown accustomed to. Today, however, it irritated her to the core. The ventilator whirred while the cardiac monitor beeped every time she squeezed his heart, its rhythmic beeping slowing as her hand grew tired against her will.

"Bullshit," she snapped, ripping the wires away from Naruto's chest. Her hand was starting to hurt - it had been forty-eight minutes since she started the cardiac massage. She didn't care how tired it made her, she would use both hands if she had to, but each time she squeezed, a bit of her remaining hope gradually slipped away. She placed her free hand on Naruto's forehead, pulling off the tape placed over his eyes. She lifted his eyelid with her thumb. Fixed and dilated. Sakura placed a kiss on her friend's eyelid as it closed. Pull off a miracle, please. She watched as the other medics tried to mend his other injuries.

"Tsunade-sama said she is on her way," the medic entering the operating room informed Sakura.

"Has she said anything else?" she asked.

"No."

Sakura's heart sank.

Sasuke strode hastily into the hospital, heading straight for the operating room. He stopped at the sight of Naruto's family sitting quietly in the waiting room. Hinata was leaning her head to the side against the wall, her hands tightly gripping Naruto's clothes on her lap. The silence was deafening. At the sight of his father, Sarada stood up. They locked eye contact for a moment before he walked past her, heading toward the entrance of the operating room. He pushed the door but it didn't budge –

"Papa," Sarada called out. "Mama instructed no one enters, except the Fifth Hokage."

Sasuke paused, before placing his palm against the door. After channeling enough chakra, the doors violently caved in.

"Sasuke," Sakura muttered, watching as her husband walked toward the other side of the operating table, only to see what had been keeping the cardiac monitor beeping. Their teammate's eyes had been taped shut and a tube was fixed in the corner of his mouth. His skin was as pale as the sheet that hung over his head. It took a while for Sasuke to process the sight before him before he stared right back at Sakura. Neither of them said a word. He brought his hand near Naruto's face.

"Snap out of this, Naruto," he said, poking his friend's head lightly. There was no response. "There's still one thing that can be done, Sakura," Sasuke said.

"Two, actually," Sakura responded. Sasuke looked at her. "Kisho Tensei," Sakura blatantly said, not bothering to explain any further.

"Save it. I've already lived a life that's way better than I ever deserved," Sasuke said decisively, placing his hands together to conjure a hand seal. Kakashi had been watching from outside the moment Sasuke entered the operating room.

"The Rinne Tensei, will you, really - ?" Kakashi asked, stepping into the O.R. just in time to stop Sasuke. The Uchiha froze at the former Hokage's question; he looked at Naruto. "Yes, why wouldn't I?" he snapped.

"What about your family? Your clan?" their former teacher asked. Sakura's eyes shifted from Kakashi down to Naruto, her free hand stroking the blonde's nose and eyes, as tears slid down her cheeks.

"Sakura and I have once talked about this. Told her I owed my life to him, and that in owing it to him I also owed it to the village," Sasuke's gaze fixed on his wife. "She never said anything against it. And Sarada…" he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "She will understand. I told her as much as she needed to know about mine and Naruto's past. Made her realize my world no longer revolved around myself and my clan. She's a smart kid. She will understand what I'm meant to do."

"It crossed your mind, then - that a situation like this might occur. It occurred to him too, you know," Kakashi said, his overall composed demeanor slowly collapsing under the weight of his own emotions. "And he approached me." Sasuke glanced at him, not quite grasping what Kakashi was telling him. "Asked me to help him find a way to… counter the Outer Path if used to revive him, just in case."

"That's not true!" Sasuke yelled, his insides burning in rage at what his former teacher was telling him. He placed his hands together and conjured the hand seal. Nothing happened.

Sasuke stared at Naruto in disbelief before turning to Kakashi, "How?!"

"I've been revived by the Rinne Tensei once, by Nagato. After studying it for a long time, we found out it can't be used on the same person twice. Allogeneic bone marrow transplant. It gives Naruto my DNA," the Sixth Hokage explained, his voice faltering at the weight of his former student's glare.

"Sakura," the voice of the Fifth Hokage resounded across the room. She stopped right by the entrance, her eyes resting on Naruto's unmoving form. "The nine-tails was released, wasn't it?" No one answered. The silence was enough for a confirmation.

"I can still do something, though," Sakura blurted out. She looked at Tsunade; she would know what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry Sakura," Tsunade's voice broke into a sob. She walked slowly toward her former apprentice, watching her student's hand move inside Naruto's chest. "There's really nothing you can do now."

Sakura ignored her, "But I can, I've learned it with Suna's permission, Lady Tsunade. If Sasuke can't - " Sakura paused. Sasuke tensed up. "I can try." Sakura raised his hand over Naruto's body and both hands glowed from green to blue. Tsunade placed her hand over Sakura's, suppressing the chakra.

"Suna also gave Naruto and I a seal to counter it," Tsunade said, now placing both hands over Sakura's arms. "Naruto never wanted you to use it."

Sakura refused to move her hands. "No, please," she choked.

"You've done enough, Sakura." The Fifth Hokage gently stroked Sakura on the shoulder. "You have to let him go now." A heart wrenching sound escaped Sakura's lips as she withdrew, her hands quickly losing their glow.

As the cardiac monitor flat lined, producing a long steady sound, Tsunade pulled Sakura into a hug, the younger woman's body trembling strongly against her mentor's embrace.

Hinata entered the cold room, her arms still holding Naruto's clothes tightly against her chest. She peaked, first into the door, and then she peaked at his face before sitting beside where he lay. He only looked like he was just sleeping. But Hinata knew he wasn't. She kissed him on the cheek. There were still so many things she wanted to say, so many things she wanted to tell him, but she kept her mouth shut, her hand weakly ruffling his hair.

He's not going to hear me now anyway.

Hinata stood up. She could no longer bear seeing him that way. With her remaining strength, she leaned over his body, embracing him one last time. She remained that way as her senses took it all in – the way he looked, the calmness in his face, the peacefulness in his presence, his scent, the touch of his skin.

His warmth, however, it had long gone.

Her lips touched his for the last time before she straightened up and placed the sheet over his face. She exited the room.

As soon as Hinata saw that the corridor was empty and that her children were nowhere in sight, she sank to the floor and let all her sorrows spill from her.

Kakashi watched as his former student cradled his remaining arm against his chest. It was bloodied and broken in different places. But his student didn't care. As long as he could still strike something, he would. Sasuke landed another blow on a boulder, disintegrating it instantly upon contact. Sasuke knew Kakashi was there but he didn't say anything. The former Hokage figured Sasuke needed his presence.

Sasuke targeted the ground beneath him next, his bone producing a loud crack on impact. The raven-haired man winced. He'd barely made a sound as he cradled his arm again. Soon, however, he began to wail.

Kakashi turned his back, overwhelmed by the familiar feeling of grief and guilt. Silently, the Sixth Hokage wished the Rinne Tensei never brought him back.

Time: 11:57PM

Date: 2nd, October

Crisis: Critical assault

Situation: Contained and resolved.

Injured: 157 Minor Injuries.

Casualties: 1

We do not know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths.

As death comes to embrace you, you will realize what you are.

That's what death is, don't you think?

- Itachi Uchiha

AN: Thank you for the reviews so far! Feedback, both criticism and comments are appreciated. つづく