#taigen is so embarrassing and I love him

[luminarai]

I’ve seen a lot of people wonder if Taigen’s gonna pull a Li Shang from Mulan once he finds out about Mizu’s Secret™️ but I mean. This man’s internal logic is already so damn weird, this might as well happen, y’know??

Bonus:

[kaiitykuppycake]

Fucking Taigen

Spoilers below

So we got some history on Mizus life where she was married for a while and kind of fell in love, but her aggressive combat scared her husband and he called her a monster (like rude tbh. Y'all had finally fucked for the first time and now her badass freaks you out...coward...) I mean for the time it's set in sure but still, I would be proud to have a badass wife who could help protect the house dude.

Either her mother or he (definitely him) called bounty hunters on her. And after Mizu killed them all he killed her mother and Mizu killed him.

Like now she retreated from the castle where the white dude was (honestly I hate him so fuck remembering his name but the ginger man) because she's not ready and she didn't want Taigen to die. And then Ringo saves them bringing them to Eiji who helped them recover.

I mean yes, this is great storytelling and she isn't perfect, socially and in general, and has issues forming relationships with anyone but like damn why everyone gotta be so mean 😤 her eyes are beautiful 😭 (again history, I understand, I just feel for her)

Her and Taigen end up rolling around and sparring, and he got a boner. Fucking hilarious. But then she almost tells him she's a woman, but ends up telling him about the plot against the shotgun and where Akemi is so he gets mad and calls her a monster...like wtf give my girl a break 😭😭

Like I was just liking him and I thought he genuinely cares about her, I'm sure he does but he's still pretty hotheaded.

I also realized that Taigen was embarrassed also because he probably worries he's gay and into a man since he doesn't know Mizu is a woman.

And it was really nice to see her happy for a minute with Mikio but he just couldn't see past his bias even when he seemed to like her as a person.

I really like how this show gives us unrelenting violent action but also lets us breath and take a minute to enjoy the characters and have some hope rather than worrying for their mortality.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

A Day in a Life

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial with the prompt #FFF279 warm hands, thank you so much, this an alternate universe with sprinkled “Crows of Remembrance” spoilers (but not really). If you are reading this, please tread carefully like always. (For @ynxnyx this is not quite what you asked before but I am still on it.)

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Fandom: Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

Characters: Yukiya (Kitayama), an original character, mention of the Great Tengu

Words: 991

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Summer, the 59th year of the Shōwa Era, Northern Territory, Yamauchi

It was already dusk when Yukiya, 10 years old, woke up.

Did he miss a full day? Was it all a dream when he met a beautiful boy in the woods after he and Yukichi got lost? Or was it a large raven, the largest he had ever seen? The strange boy’s hands were cold, but Yukiya felt the warm protective current surged through his body as soon as those fingers touched his face telling him everything would be all right. It was odd, as if this boy knew who he was. Yukiya did not know him, that was for sure, and yet he knew in his heart that this boy was kind, gentle, and he felt safe around him.

The moment Yukiya asked him to save them, the fear was gone. He did not know what happened next.

In the coming days, the memories of the boy, the large raven, and the strange meeting vanished from his mind.

2005, the Outside World

Music blasted from the loudspeakers. Bottles of European wine strewn on the table and on the carpet. The apartment, an extravagant loft in the middle of Tokyo, was more than modest that could accommodate a family of three. Instead, its owner, a certain Taigen Itoh, a 47-year-old bachelor and a supervisor from an international company lived there alone. He was celebrating the recruitment of Yukiya Kitayama in his department. Taken by his new younger colleague’s charisma, Taigen thought Yukiya’s strategy on management and leadership was impressive. He watched him intently for days now that when he had the opportunity to invite him at his home, he leaped in happiness after Yukiya said yes.

“It is not a big deal,” Yukiya assured him.

Recalling the Great Tengu’s advice that networking with the human beings was important, Yukiya dragged his feet to the loft.

The everyday after-work hours were unnerving, most of all they drained Yukiya’s heart. This charade was something he despised in Yamauchi where he had the habit of presenting the nobility a smile that did not even reach his eyes.

But in order to make the mission a success, it was detrimental that he had to endure for the sake of Yamauchi’s survival.

Learning the language was not particularly difficult. He found himself capable of interacting with the humans. It was not always easy, but he was coping. The hardest part was the moments when he missed his master, his friends, his mother, and brothers, even his hometown. There was no love lost between him and Yukimasa after the latter realised the deceptive act he played for many years. There was embarrassment there, a hint of betrayal too.

I don’t care what he thinks anymore.

Taigen loved to play music on his beautiful sound system. He showed Yukiya his collection. He was particularly proud of his Bruce Springsteen records that he bought.

“I saw him in ’97. He wowed the audience when he performed here for four days.”

“And you saw him in all those days?” Yukiya crossed his legs and spread his arms on the black leather couch making himself more comfortable.

Taigen giggled, feeling awkward. The blush on his cheeks highlighted the two dimples that appeared. It was charming.

“Y-yeshhh…”

The music was not at all bad. Not his type, but Yukiya found kinship surprisingly to one song after his colleague noticed that he could not stop listening to it.

It is alright… it is alright…it is alright, yeah. *

A warm hand snaked its way to his neck, then softly touched his face. The first instinct was to swat it away and leave the room, but Yukiya did not do any of those things. Instead, he found himself succumbing to it.

How lonely he must have felt.

“I am sorry.” Taigen got up, glanced at Yukiya whilst slowly gauging his reaction. He put another record after the last song played on “The Rising.”

You sit there in your heartache / Waiting on some beautiful boy to / To save you from your old ways / You play forgiveness / Watch it now, here he comes… **

When his supervisor sat next to Yukiya again, he found himself opening. This was not something he did not have any idea about. He was not a young child anymore. He knew where this would lead.

A pair of lips touched his own, but he did not recoil nor kiss back.

He doesn't look a thing like Jesus / But he talks like a gentleman / Like you imagined when you were young… **

When he decided to place his hand on Taigen’s shoulder, the latter looked him in the eye.

“Jeez, Yukiya, I think I’ll pass out.”

Just like that, his host began to snore. Yukiya was not even tipsy. You could not even be called a Northerner in Yamauchi, a region famous for its sake and warriors, if you were not able to hold your liquor.

Taigen’s flat was not so far away from where he was staying that he opted to walk to clear his head. Besides, the metro’s last trip was an hour ago. He was not in the mood to call a taxi.

The music stopped playing but the lyrics stayed on his head.

And sometimes you close your eyes And see the place where you used to live / When you were young…**

As soon as he got up, his boss occupied now the couch sleeping like a foetus. He searched for the off button and pressed it down, switched off the remaining lights and then closed the door behind him.

Half a kilometre more until he reached his apartment. The scarce lamp posts illuminated his pathway.

It began to drizzle. The gentle drops of rain caressed his cheeks, cold, refreshing in summer nights.

It is all right. Tomorrow is another day.

~ fin ~

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* Lyrics taken from “Lonesome Day” by Bruce Springsteen

** Texts taken from The Killers’ song, “When You Were Young”

These songs appeared on the year or earlier when Yukiya went to the Outside World, i.e in Tokyo, Japan.