#that's why sakura saved me as “weather” in his phone

[blueparadis]

of course, I'm sad for no reason. it's raining cats and dogs outside.

[sumicchin]

CHIMES OF THE HEART

❃ a windbreaker (satori nii) reader insert.

CHAPTER 1

Rumor has it that a violent ghost has been plaguing the streets of Makochi. (2.6k words)

content warnings: female reader, mentions of prostitution, let's pretend nothing bad happens after roppo ichiza arc, original characters, swearing, it gets wholesome i swear

"Are you ready to go now, dear?" I feel my caretaker's hands touch my shoulders, light and caring. In front of me was my reflection in the mirror, clad in a white kimono and flower pieces adorning my hair. In the 16 years I've lived, this is the first time I saw myself all dressed up.

It's unfortunate that it had to be for an undesirable occasion.

I let out a small hum, face somber. Hayami, my caretaker since being born into this world, snakes her arms around me while I remain quiet. "If you're worried about us, then there's no need to. We have everything under control," I hear her mutter on my ear. She grasps my shoulders, giving me an earnest smile, "I trust that, you look out for your own."

"You deserve to live an earnest and free life, child."

Footsteps soon pollute the room as men clad in black arrive to escort me. I was to wait in a room alone, soon to meet my 'husband'.

"I wish you all the best. Farewell, my dear."

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

My head hung low as I followed them to the banquet hall as was discussed to us a few days ago.

"He'll arrive in a few minutes, stay put."

Unbeknownst to them, we had no plans of actually going through the ceremony.

As soon as the footsteps disappeared, I immediately dashed towards the back exit of the room. Having lived in this shrine for all my life made me aware of the secret passages around, and I wouldn't dare want to know why those were around.

The passage leads to the nearby river where a boat near the docks was placed by Hayami. I rushed towards it, not looking back.

I paddled fast, my mind in a haze, thinking of what could have become of everyone after knowing I escaped.

I can't let their sacrifice go to waste...

Hours passed, my arms tired from paddling nonstop as I couldn't waste a single moment. I just know that they're hot on my trail, I couldn't risk stopping.

Clouds started forming, and soon waves started accumulating. Just my luck.

We didn't anticipate a huge storm today. All I could do is hold my breath as I see a huge wave coming towards my boat.

Images of Hayami's smile before I was escorted flooded my mind.

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

It was a rainy day in the neighborhood, but that didn't stop the boys of Bofurin to patrol the town.

The representative first years, except Sugishita who decided to help Umemiya with his saplings, all brought their umbrellas as they walk around town while talking about the most mundane things.

"Who in the hell would even go out in this weather," Sakura groans. As much as he wanted to do something exciting (street brawl, for example), the weather warrants a day for rest.

"We just need to do one more round and we can call it a day," Nirei says with a huff. "I really wanted to take notes about the stuff you guys said earlier, but I don't want to risk getting my notebook wet."

"That would cause great trouble for you, Nirei," Suo agrees. He himself has been quiet the whole trip, too absorbed in the rain's ambience. The five of them have been walking around town for a good hour now, with nothing out of the sort. The most exciting part of the endeavor was probably Kiryu almost breaking Tsugeura's neck after the tall lad sneezed in front of him, Suo thinks.

"If we aren't gonna do something fun, then let's at least talk about something interesting while we finish up!" Tsugeura exclaims. Kiryu on his phone doesn't bother to look up at said buff male, "At least talk about something other than your protein shakes and virtues."

"I agree with Kiryu," Suo says with a hint of distaste.

Tsugeoka laughs, "I'll save those for another day! Right now, I'm feeling pumped to hear scary stories! Doesn't the rainy weather feel gloomy and stuff? Perfect vibe!"

"But didn't you say you're scared shitless of ghosts? You're just gonna make yourself piss," Sakura scoffs.

Tsugeura moves past his group and blocks their path with a determined face, "You guys gotta hear me out for this one!!! My friends from the other street have been talking about this 'White Lady' recently, and apparently, they spotted it just earlier!" He shudders visibly.

Kiryu looks at him disinterested, "Wasn't there a similar incident at the rooftop? It was only a black cloth all along."

"You should stop scaring yourself, Tsugeura. It's bad for the heart," Suo laughs, however, the boy next to him is visibly bothered by the story.

"So it is real...!" Nirei, with bloodshot eyes, starts shaking uncontrollably.

"What's real? And why are you shaking?!" Sakura exclaims. The blonde looks at his peers, face pale as he recalls the rumors, "It's said that the ghost had long hair and was wearing a white kimono. Get close to it and it'll attack, they say!"

A manly scream erupts out of Tsugeura.

"And since it's a ghost, you can't fight back!!! Four men apparently were injured ever since the sightings started!"

Another scream erupts from Tsugeura.

Suo's eyes lit up upon hearing the four men mention, "Oh, you meant the wanted traffickers in the red light district? The Roppo Ichiza would be glad to hear about that."

"At least the women can be at ease now. This ghost might be of help to us," Kiryu adds.

The other three boys in the group all just stared at each other for a moment, but Sakura's interest was piqued as soon as he heard 'fight'. The ghost must be tough to beat up four grown men!

Suo hums with concern, "How did the men come across the ghost anyway?"

"Apparently, if you hear the clanks of wooden sandals—"

Clank. Clank.

"Exactly like that one, it's a telltale sign that the ghost is nearby."

Nirei's train of thoughts stop as he looks towards where his group is gazing at.

Long hair with a white kimono.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Nirei and Tsugeura cry as they hug each other.

"Well, if it isn't the star of the show," Suo says, eyes wide at what he's seeing.

Sakura and Kiryu look at the figure with curiosity, seemingly wanting to approach it.

"Can we be sure that this isn't a real person," Kiryu trails, "That looks awfully...real."

Sakura steps forward, "Only one way to find out."

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

Apparently, I survived that storm.

The weather remains gloomy like before, and I assume it's around midnight.

My body feels heavy, my mind is fuzzy, but I had to ignore these and get moving.

I walked until I saw signs of civilization. I was never allowed to go outside of the shrine other than the market, so all I could rely on right now was my intuition and fists.

All the shops were closed, but the street lamps were all lit—they looked beautiful. If I weren't running for my life, I would've basked in this moment for a bit longer.

I needed to get some sustenance and shelter soon, my body has been giving me signs of malfunction.

I walked around a corner and was greeted by four armed men, all huddled together smoking cigarettes.

"That new catch you got is pretty experienced. Exactly the boss' type," I hear one of them say with the rest of the men laughing, saying more vulgar and inappropriate acts.

The mainland has it worse than I thought.

The group of men drop their cigarettes upon looking at the glowing machine in their hands. Apparently, it's past midnight by 10 minutes. Hayami would get angry at me if she knew I stayed up this late.

"Break's over. Let's head back to the bar," a hooded figure says and soon the three other men follow. They walk in my direction and noticed my presence, immediately turning their attention towards me.

"Oh, you there, pretty lady. You tryna catch some guys around this time of the night?"

They laugh.

I just kept walking, ignoring their catcalling. As soon as our paths cross, one of the men grabs my arm and flings me towards them.

His other hand grabs my chin and lifts my face, almost as if inspecting it. A pleased hum erupts from his nicotine reeking face.

"You could make for a fine prostitute."

With all my remaining energy, I send a kick to his abdomen, the man falling to the ground as he clutched his stomach.

"What the—hey! Get this bitch tied up!" All three men charge at me, but they all crumble like a tower of cards.

Four piles of unconscious bodies around me.

"G-ghost!!!"

I heard a woman scream as she runs away, dropping the bag she's carrying from panic.

The people back at the shrine would shun me for stealing, but I'm too starved to think straight. Rummaging through the bag, I come across some leftovers. I nabbed the food and went back to the unconscious bodies, searching for anything useful.

A few coins that can hopefully buy bread or water.

My kimono feels too heavy from all the moisture, but I'd rather endure it than wear clothing that smells like smoke and alcohol.

I ran away as soon as I looted whatever's useful, searching for a place to hide and rest.

Hopefully, tomorrow treats me better.

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

"Don't do it, Sakura!" Nirei frets, finger pointing at the white figure. "Who knows what that ghost will do to you!"

"I'm not buying the ghost crap, if I get a hold of that thing, then it ain't a ghost!" Sakura exclaims as he approached the finger, dropping his umbrella in the progress.

"Ah Sakura, didn't you just recover from a cold?" Suo says as he picks up the boy's forgotten umbrella.

"I won't be able to fight with one hand."

'That's cringe,' Kiryu grimaces.

Tsugeura, trembling profusely, can only bid his captain all the luck in the world. "I can't watch this!!!"

"So, you're the ghost everyone's been talking about."

He doesn't get a response.

"Those four men aren't part of our territory, but I can't let you running around our town free," Sakura clenches his fist and runs towards the figure. He strikes a fast punch, only for the figure to step aside and appear behind him. He goes for a kick, but the ghost avoided him once more. This goes on for a while, Sakura barraging the ghost with powerful punches and swift kicks, only for naught.

"Why aren't you fighting back?!"

"Maybe it's because it is a ghost!" Suo replies playfully.

Tsugeura, pale as paper, could only look through his fingers, "Tell me when it's all over!"

"Suo, Kiryu, don't you guys think you could help out Sakura? This is getting nowhere!" Nirei says.

"I want to but, I don't really want to get my clothes wet," Kiryu nonchalantly says, "Plus it's fun to watch from here."

"Same here." Suo chirps.

"Why are you guys so chill about this?! There's some paranormal activity going around and you guys are just treating this like it's some circus act—"

A loud thunk was heard, the boys turned their heads over to Sakura who was now on the floor. While the boys were engaging in playful banter, Sakura was suddenly hit by a powerful kick to the back of his head. The force of it almost resembles Togame's punch, he thinks.

The rest of the boys come to his aid, with Nirei acting as his clutch as he catches his breath.

Sakura heaves, "That's no ghost, it's human just like us."

"Fuck, I thought I could handle it myself, but I'll be needing your guy's help. The only objective right now is to capture that thing so it doesn't cause trouble for the town." He's not exactly sure if he's supposed to make a villain out of the mysterious person, but it's better safe than sorry. Before his face got plummeted to the ground, he swore to himself that he was able to clutch the figure's right ankle, cold to the touch.

Everyone nods in agreement, understanding the assignment. By this point, their umbrellas all dance on the floor as they prepare to catch their target.

"I'll overcome my fear for the townspeople's sake!" Tsugeura roars, taking his stance.

He charges towards the figure and tries to go in for a grab, but he ends up catching air.

Suo and Kiryu now taking the whole situation seriously follow suit and try to get near the figure with haste. Kiryu tries to corner the figure, but it starts to use the wall as leverage and makes a run to escape. Suo notices this and was able to predict the person's landing, only for his shoulder to be stepped on.

Their target soon makes its escape, not even allowing the boys to regain their composure.

Nirei, who was watching by the sidelines, was able to discern which direction the figure went and relayed this information to his Bofurin peers. They decided to assimilate it in their group chat as well to make the task easier.

Highschoolers hunting for a 'ghost' in the middle of a downpour made headlines that day.

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

The students of Bofurin all get word of the hunt. Needless to say, everyone was joining for the hell of it.

"So you're telling me, this ghost is not actually a ghost?" Umemiya says, slightly disappointed. His hope of meeting the occult, shattered. Everyone sweats a drop at their leader's statement, except Sugishita who reflected the same feeling of disappointment. Students who were available that day all gathered at Furin's rooftop, to which the crops and seedlings all glistened at having been watered by mother nature. All grade captains and the four kings were present, indicating the severity of the situation.

Or that they didn't really have anything going on for the day.

"Anything else we need to know about the target?" Hiragi asks the first year boys, to which Nirei perks up.

"U-uhm, I was watching the whole time so I think I got a good look at them. Other than the long hair and tattered white kimono, height-wise I think they're about my size," he nervously says, flipping pages of his notebook. "Sakura also said that the skin was cold as ice due to being exposed to the rain for days. I don't think the target could've gone far after our encounter with it since they might've been suffering from hypothermia by now!"

'So he was jotting down details the entire time...how diligent,' Suo thought to himself, acting like a proud father.

Everyone takes in the information and is about to head downstairs until Kiryuu's voice reaches everyone, halting their steps. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, but are we sure the target isn't a girl or something? I mean, I know a girl when I see one. Don't you agree, Suo?"

Leonardo DiCaprio nodded his head with a smile, "I thought so as well, but I was afraid Sakura would hold back once he heard about it."

Cueu steam coming out of said boy's ears.

"If that's the case, then let's proceed with caution everyone! Don't act like savages if you come across the girl," Tsubaki suggests with Umeyama agreeing. "Make sure to keep communication open once she's on sight so that everyone can close down the area."

Needless to say, Tsubaki was worried ever since Kiryuu and Suo suggested that they were to capture a girl.

"Are y'all done with the chitchat? If we don't move our asses then we can kiss goodbye to the whole thing," Kaji interrupts, already looking impatient and raring to go.

"Welp, you heard the man. Bofurin, roll out!"

winbre brainrot real ;-;

[yutahoes]

Sakura

(Part Seven)

One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven

genre : Chaptered, Fluff, 

pairing : childhood friends: soccer player! Nakamoto Yuta x single mom! Y/N

word count : 3.3k words

You’ll always be his Sakura.

@ailoveyuta @loona-4-eva @aiforyuu @2-3-t-i @cosmiclatte28 @url-lindo-sexy @nuoyipeach​ @aaasteroidsky​ @thisis-myname @yutazen01​​​

Her smile that time in Osaka is still imprinted in Yuta’s mind that it haunts him even in his dreams. It was winter in their last year of their teens when Yuta begged Y/N’s mom if she could spend the holidays in Osaka with his family. Of course, his parents were also behind this and promised that they’ll take care of Y/N. And even if he’s just remembering it now, he still can’t believe that her mom actually allowed her to go to another country. 

His parents quickly greeted her when she came to the airport, asking if she had trouble during the flight but she smiled at them answering them in fluent Japanese that made him proud. She seemed so natural talking to them, even calling them okaasan and otousan like they’re one family. “Yuta!” she called excitedly, arms wide open to hug him which he accepted. His parents were just smiling at him knowingly. “Bogoshipda.” 

Who wouldn’t? The last time he saw her was the day she left for Chicago. No, the day before that. Although he and his mom sent them off, he refused to look at her that time. "I missed you too." He whispered that made her smile widely. Something changed about her. Is it because they never saw each other for years? Or because his memory of her is stuck in the last time they were together? Is it because they already grew up? Maybe it's because of Chicago.

His family had been welcoming to her and they were equally amazed that Y/N can understand and speak Japanese. Since it's just days before New Year, their house is full of people but they made her feel like she is a part of the family. "You should bring her to Osaka Castle." One of his aunts claimed that made Yuta nod. 

"Why not bring her to Universal Studios?" Another asked and Y/N just nodded, looking excited. Yuta put his phone on top of the table. "Otousan, can you drive us to Hirakata Park tomorrow?" He asked which made everyone look at him.

Y/N was so surprised seeing a Cardcaptor Sakura exhibition that she squealed in excitement at the entrance making Yuta smile. This feels like the Y/N he knows. They kept on looking at the different artworks related to the anime she liked since she was young, even staying too long at some merchandise. "Should I buy that? Sakura is really cute." 

Yuta chuckled. "You can't even eat that." That made her glare at him, pouting. But Yuta remembered that merchandise, even telling himself that he’ll save up to buy that for her birthday. 

She was really happy to eat in a café that is inspired by the same anime. She kept on taking pictures saying that she'll show them to her mom. "I knew you'll love it here." 

"Can I just live here?" 

He laughed once again. "You can ask my parents to adopt you." 

Y/N wrapped her arms on Yuta's arm that made him freeze. What's with the sudden skinship? "Shall I call you oniichan?" 

He smiled at her then frowned. "No." 

It was almost nighttime when they reached Dohtonbori. Tons of pictures were taken and she kept on running around, claiming that everything in Japan is pretty. "It's prettier when there are cherry blossoms. You should go back in spring." But honestly, he just wanted her to stay here until Spring. Or maybe for a long time. 

Should he ask his parents to adopt her? But he doesn't want him to call her imouto. 

The lights illuminating the whole area looked magical. Why does he like it more today than when he's out here with his parents? Why does the light look more lovely today? The cold breeze made him pull his oversized coat closer. Why is it so cold? Glancing at her, he realized that she may be cold as well. Does Chicago have a cold season like this? 

Knowing that she's focused on looking at those little trinkets by the store, he went to another store to buy something. Her mom will kill him if she gets sick in this weather. Besides, it's going to be busier this time of the year. "Y/N." He called that made her look at him. He put on a white scarf around her neck, wrapping it nicely on her. "My Christmas gift." 

She had to laugh at that, raising a snow globe. "And I was thinking of buying one for you." She turned her attention to the different snow globes on the shelf. "You should pick one, Yuta." 

But he never looked at the snow globes. Instead, his focus was on her. The lights illuminate her, creating a picturesque background. The white snow falling gently on her, adding to the effect. He badly wanted to imprint that image in his mind. When did she become this pretty? When she turned to him, he lightly gasped. Why did he feel hot all of a sudden? Why can he hear his heart beating on his chest? 

Y/N shook the snow globe with the Osaka castle inside then handed it to him. "I'll get you this, onii chan." It annoyed him. Why does she like using that word? 

The whole week was full of preparations for the New Year and his relatives had supplied her with the rituals they must do. She helped in making mochi with his grandmother who seemed so fond of her. Even his grandfather, who is usually a scary man, smiles a lot because of her. She really fit well in his family. But not as his sister. 

When the clock struck midnight, he realized what it was. She was playing some sparklers with his cousins, laughing along with them. Her eyes twinkling the same way they did when she was staring at those snow globes. Taeyong was right all along. He is in love with her. 

Kareshi. It's a better term than oniisan. Something that he wanted her to call him right now. "Y/N, I…" But a ringtone stopped his words, someone was calling. "It must be your mom, you should pick up." The girl nodded, handing her sparkler to Yuta before heading inside the house. 

God, what is wrong with him? Is he really going to confess to her? He must be out of his mind. Yuta just finished the stick of sparkler before heading inside to check on her. She was seated on the couch, smiling on her phone. "They are all so nice to me, eomma." She then smiled when she noticed Yuta. "We're going to the temple tomorrow with obaasan." Hatsumonde. It's a Japanese ritual that they had done since he was young and since she's here, his grandmother wanted her to experience visiting a shrine. "You want to talk to Yuta?" 

The guy just shook his head, sitting next to her, but she pushed the phone to her which he reluctantly answered. "Eommeoni, annyeong." She sounded so happy talking to him on the phone but again his focus was on the door next to him who was playing the kendama, a Japanese ball and cup toy. "Please take care of Y/N." And even if she doesn't say those words, he knows he'll take care of her. 

When she dropped the call, Yuta saw her phone wallpaper. A guy playing basketball. It looks like a photo taken. Is she dating someone? Did she mention anything about a guy in her letters? Is that why she's prettier? Is she in love?

The question was answered when they visited the shrine the next day. She is indeed prettier especially when she wore a kimono that his cousin let her borrow, little trinkets adored her hair. She looked like a native Japanese. A yome. But he shook his head. He can't be thinking of that. 

They were getting their omikuji, him and her with another set of female and male cousins that are older than the two of them. When Y/N pulled her paper strip, his female cousin shook her head. "You'll probably get pregnant this year." She claimed that startled her. "Are you dating someone?" Y/N nodded. 

"You two are already dating?" His male cousin asked, referring to her and Yuta. She shook her head saying that he's a schoolmate from Chicago. So he's really seeing the guy on her phone wallpaper. When Yuta opened his paper strip, his cousin just tapped his back. "You should have confessed earlier." But he just stared at the bad luck written on his paper. 

His second regret. Why did it take a long time for him to realize these feelings? 

It was Yuta's Summer Break when his parents gave him the airplane tickets to Chicago that surprised him. They had talked to Y/N and her mom that he's visiting. And although he doesn't want to go there, he was forced by his family. "You should at least tell her that you like her. Maybe it can change something." 

The city was different and he felt really foreign, different than when he first came to Korea. "Yuta!" Y/N called, running to where he is and quickly hugging him. What is this girl doing? In front of all these people? "I skipped class to pick you up. Why can't you hug me?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Why is she so bold? Chicago is indeed different. Yeokshi Chicago. 

He jokingly crushed her on his arms but she didn't laugh, which is odd. He felt her breathing on his neck, hot and hard. "I missed you, Yuta." It felt different. Maybe because they're in Chicago. He didn't pay that much attention to that especially when she introduced a guy named Johnny Seo. The person on her wallpaper. The guy she's dating. 

Johnny is a really nice guy. He showed him what Chicago is while waiting for her to finish her classes. He made an effort to talk to him in Korean or English, sometimes in Japanese that he heard from her. He shared stories about her, the Y/N Yuta doesn't personally know. He knew what to order for her in coffee shops, even at restaurants. He speaks to her calmly, staring at her as if she's the only person who mattered in the world. And he knew, she's in the right place with Johnny. 

It was Saturday when Johnny and Y/N brought him to The Bean. The weather was hot and there were a lot of people because of the weekend but Yuta didn't care. "You haven't been to Chicago if you didn’t visit this place." Johnny claimed that made the girl nod. They took tons of pictures, Y/N teasing that he needed to show it to his cousins. 

Johnny offered to get them coffee, leaving the two of them in the park while still taking pictures. "Johnny is pretty nice." Yuta started that made her smile, nodding at him. "You never mentioned him in your letters." 

"I don't know what to tell you." She answered quietly. "But I like him. So much." He wanted to stop her that moment, wanted her to not continue what she's saying or it will just hurt him. "He helped me a lot to quickly adapt here." 

A bitter smile escaped his lips. The same way she helped him back in Korea. How dare she fall in love with another guy that way? But when Johnny came with their coffees at hand, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. The twinkle that made his heart flutter. She really does love Johnny. And who is he to take that twinkle away? Who is he to tell her what she can and can't do? He's just her friend. A very dear friend. 

He drank his coffee watching as how the taller guy fixed her hair, smiling at her with a lot of love in his eyes. Bittersweet. That was what it was. It's hurtful yet romantic. And he can't believe that he will always remember Chicago with those feelings. Yeoksi Chicago. 

Johnny loves Y/N. He's sure of that. And he honestly doesn't want to believe that it didn't work well with them. What really happened? Did she give up? Or is he the one who gave up? That was the question in his mind seeing Johnny in front of the two kids' school. He can still remember him but does Johnny even remember him? 

Yuta can see the two kids going outside the gates and honestly, he was scared that they'll run to their dad. He shouldn't have come here today. Why did he even come here? "Daddy!" He heard Jae call running to his dad. Of course, he must have missed him so much that the younger guy even called him 'appa' last time. But he noticed Cherry stopping on her tracks. 

She noticed him but he only smiled at her, planning to just go. He was about to enter his car when he heard the younger girl say, "Can I hang out with Yuta samchon?" That was when Johnny noticed him, Jae even waved at him excitedly. "He promised me that we'll go back to the library when he gets back from Spain." He did promise her. But her dad is here. Isn't she excited to see him again? 

"Is it alright if Cherry goes with you?" Yuta nodded. He wanted to hang out with them anyways. "I'll just tell Y/N." Cherry just walked chicly to him, her eyes as dark as when he first met her. Why is she like this? Does she not like Johnny? Jae told Yuta that he wanted to hang out with his dad, even telling him to take care of his noona that he found so adorable. 

Yuta bid farewell to the father-son, opening the backseat door for the younger girl. Cherry was just looking at her shoes when Yuta entered the car, starting the engine to drive her to the library she loved. "Samchon…" she called which made him look at her from the mirror of the car, humming as a response. "Can you buy me a cake today?" 

It was a request he can't say no. This was the first time that Cherry asked him for something and he's somehow glad that it is just a simple thing. He parked in front of a pretty café, helping her get down from the car, and even opened the door for her. "You can order whatever you want." He urged, eyeing all the selections of different flavored cakes. 

The girl pointed at a white cake with red cherries on top, making Yuta smile. A cherry cake. "Can you buy me the whole cake?" The guy just nodded. It's not bad to spoil her once in a while. He told the girl on the counter their order, handing him his card when she made another request, "Do you have candles?" Candles? Is it her birthday? Is that why Johnny is here in Korea? 

He let the younger girl put candles in between the cherries of her cake. "Is it your birthday today?" He asked and she nodded casually that startled him. Why are they together? She should be with her parents. "Don't you want to share the cake with your brother?" 

Cherry shook her head. "I always share everything with him. He and eomma never liked cherries anyways." He pursed his lips at that, she does hate cherries. Ironically, she named her firstborn with something that she didn't like. "And dad hates cherry." She was staring at the cake while saying those words in a hushed tone. Is she referring to the fruit or another thing? "Can you light it up, samchon?" Her eyes were moist, sparkling against the light, like she wanted to cry. 

He held the top of her head, smiling. "Wait up. I'll just go get something." He said then stood up. "Stay here and wait for me. I won't be long." But she only stared at him in worry. Yuta handed her his phone, promising that he'll be back quickly. He crossed the street to get her some flowers then cursed himself for not knowing what color she wanted. Does she even like flowers? 

To be safe, he followed the florist's advice in getting a white rose for 'his daughter'. There was a new expression on Cherry's face when he handed her the single white flower, an emotion he hasn't seen from her before. "Girls should receive at least a flower on their birthday." He reasoned out then lit up all the candles on the cake. She whispered something on herself as a wish before blowing the candles one at a time. 

Yuta took away the candles then started slicing the cake. He placed one slice on Cherry's plate, even topping it with cherries on top. It was the younger girl who gave him his slice of the vanilla cake. "Do you want to do anything else? Ice skating?" 

"Can we just go ice skating with eomma and Jae some time?" He nodded. She always thinks about them. "I'll just finish the book in the library today." 

It is her birthday yet she's silently reading a suspense book while seated on a bean couch. Yuta just bought her some snacks and got a book to read so he wouldn't get bored. He would smile at her little gasps and remembered how Y/N would be like that while reading manga. Cherry is indeed a splitting image of her. It's crazy. 

"Samchon," Cherry called, closing the hardbound book she was reading earlier. Is she done? That fast? "When you were young, what do you want to be when you grow up?" 

He chuckled at that question. She is still a kid. "I want to be a soccer player." 

"How about mom?" 

Yuta glanced at her. "She wanted to be an illustrator." He remembered how good her drawings are and even pursue that passion until her college years. "But you know, your mom suddenly wrote to me one day and said that she wanted to be a mom." 

"Can dreams change?" Cherry asked innocently. There's a certain air of maturity in the little girl that Yuta always forgets that she's just a kid. Now, she looks like a little girl who wonders about life. 

Yuta nodded at the question. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Cherry?" 

"A detective." That's a nice dream. Maybe that's why she likes reading all these Agatha Christie books. "When I become a detective, I will help children find their dads." That sparked his curiosity. What? "I wanted to find my dad." 

"Johnny is your dad." 

"He's not." She exclaimed which made Yuta wide-eyed. "Eomma got pregnant with me even before she married dad. She had Jae because she wanted to save her and dad's marriage." That was some wild accusations from a child. 

Yet, it seemed rather logical. 

It was a mystery to him why Johnny and Y/N broke up when he saw how much they liked each other. They had two children, isn't that enough reason to stay together? He remembered all the conversations with Cherry about her dad, how sad her reaction is, and how quiet her voice is when talking about him. The image of the younger girl who looked awkward seeing her dad flashed on his mind. She's wary of him. Not scared, not angry. She just doesn't look like someone who knew what she should do with her dad. She looked like she doesn't belong. 

But then again, maybe it's just her. 

Maybe he can help her. He can probably prove that Johnny is her dad. "Cherry, how old are you?" 

"Eight." 

'Seven years, turning eight' He can hear Y/N's voice in his mind saying those words. The same age as Cherry. The last time they saw each other was eight years. In Chicago. After that night. 

"Samchon, do you know who my real dad is?" 

Yuta gulped. He probably knows. 

Fuck, he might just be Cherry's dad. 

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Eight

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Yamata-No-Orochi: (Part 4) Erii

ITT: The Mic Drop Heard Round the World.

The sun woke you. Bright light shone through the windows, forming a halo around the curtains and projecting the shape of raindrops from the window onto the carpet. Mingfei had left shortly before you fell asleep of exhaustion and grief. 

You’d fought hard and rebelled against the world, but this last rebellion had taken you too far. Z raised, saved, and safeguarded you. But you refused to play his love game, and that was all it took to discard you. Caesar had been at your side, encouraging you to live all this time. But now that the clouds had gathered, and the darkness of the world surrounded you, he realized that, like Chance, life was not in the cards for you. And Chu Zihang? Well, he always was a sword at your throat.

Once again the world was laughing, mocking you with its silent game of keep away. Love? Syke! Happiness? Syke! Companionship? Syke!

You hated this world. Mingfei went to Erii’s room with the Desert Eagle. What was stopping you from planting your mind in the ground and tilting Tokyo into a rift in the Earth, like it was the undersea Takamagahara? To watch its towers topple, and its buildings burn would be a fitting end to a Godzilla movie.

The hotel phone rang, insanely loud. You reached over and picked it up. “Pizza Hut,” you mumble.

Lu Mingfei stammered for a moment. Then he laughed. “Hey. You, me, Erii road trip. Right now. I left some clothes for you.”

His voice over the phone, it sounded like Z’s. You are silent, mind completely inert, spirit aching. “Sure whatever.” You hang up.

You shower and pull a comb through your hair three times, leaving it to fall over your shoulders. You don't bother with jewelry or make up. He left you a pair of skin tight jeans and a shirt that said Wild Thing across the front. White ankle socks and blue low rise canvas sneakers go over your feet.

The phone rings again. Mingfei sounded breathless. “Come now! We have to go!”

You hang up the phone and dash outside. Mingfei is waiting for you in a cherry red porsche. Erii waves with bright enthusiasm from the passenger side as he gets out and folds the seat down so you can get in the back. “Erii this is my friend, MC, She’s sick like you.”

You startle. Mingfei just went out and said it. You hold out your hand and she takes it, examining your fingers with her dark red eyes. You were lighter skinned, but this girl was near transparent. She scribbled on a notepad. “Nice to meet you. You are very pretty.”

“Guys buckle up!”

Your seatbelt had just clicked when Mingfei down shifted and floored it. The engine let out a mighty growl and the car took off like a rocket down the street. But Mingfei was relaxed, with an impish, ‘catch me if you can’ sort of look. Something in your chest stirred awake.

Erii held up her notebook. “Sakura is the best, right?”

Her smile was so sly, not something you expected to see. “Oh yeah, he's awesome!”

Her nod was sassy, like, Damn Straight.

You look at him again. He was smiling like he was angry. He was acting recklessly. The buildings were a blur outside the windows. The car rumbled like a beast underneath you as the accelerator didn't let up. You weave through traffic like lightning and soon the police are tailing you with flashing lights.

If you thought you were going fast before you were mistaken. The car dug deeper, and it felt like you floated over the road. The police car faded into the distance, unable to keep up.

He pulls into a service station and pays the attendant way too much cash. “Where are we going?” You ask.

“It's a surprise!”

“Does MC like gum?” Erii held out a piece and you helped yourself. 

You lean forward. Erii was covered head to toe in clothing, despite the good weather. 

“MC said that Erii is not stupid, that Erii is smart. MC was right, you knew a lot about yourself. But MC was sad so I wanted to take her too.” Lu Mingfei was saying. “Because she cares for Erii and understands her.”

Erii looks at you for a moment. Then she wrote in her notepad, “Cheer up. Sakura is very lucky. Thank you for caring about me.”

Her expression was so earnest and happy. Did she really understand herself? You hold out your hands for the notebook and pen. You write, “I'm too sick so my friends are scared of me.”

She takes one look at the notepad and her eyes widen. She snatches it back and writes, “Erii is not scared, Erii will be your friend.”

“Please be my friend.” You say softly.

Erii reaches out and seizes your arm. Her face is serious and she nods. When you stop at the supermarket, she drags you along, purchasing snacks and a gigantic stuffed teddy bear. Erii was not interested in herself. She wanted to cheer you up! She understood beyond words the lifelong loneliness, the constant rejection, and growing up in a world that feared you. She forcefully shoves the teddy bear into your hands. And pulls you along. It's so big you can't see around it.

Her image blurs with that of Renata. If Renata had a chance to grow up, she would be this bold.

The bear is so tall it folds against the low ceiling of the porsche. You squeeze in next to it.

“MC is from Siberia. Where she is from, the sun doesn't set in Summer. And in Winter, it doesn't rise and lights dance in the sky.” Mingfei says as you take off again.

Erii swivels in a full body, “What?!” expression and you laugh. “It is true. It's exactly like that.”

“That is AWESOME!” She turns the notepad to you and then writes, “I want to visit your home!”

You recall your promise to Caesar to go dog sledding and feel a pang of regret. But your mind has already replaced Caesar on the dogsled and put Erii there. “Let’s go dogsledding!”

She looks confused.

“Here give me your notebook.” You draw a sketch of a dog sled pulled by a team of panting dogs.

If Erii’s eyes got any bigger they would fill her face. She wrote, “IS THERE SANTA IS HE THERE”

“I… no Santas not there, but we can pretend to be Santa.”

“MC is awesome!”

Before dusk, Lu Mingfei and you two ladies arrived in the town at the southwest end of Shikoku, which is more than four hundred kilometers from Tokyo. The Porsche sports car ran for a full four hours. The whole time Erii peppered you with questions about life in Siberia while Mingfei drove. She had the impression of a magical frostland full of sky and sea. Her sparkling impression was free of brutal reality. For four hours you spoke only of the beauty and wonder of the north. Erii’s notebook is filled with sketches of white quail, snow geese, cute arctic foxes, bears, seals, and whales.

    The open-air parking lot was empty. Lu Mingfei found a parking space to park the car, and opened the door to hear the tide. You could not see the sea. A large hill stood between you and the ocean. The waves sounded like reverberating between the sky and the earth.

    "The sea?" Erii wrote to Lu Mingfei, with excitement in her eyes.

Lu Mingfei nodded his head as an answer. 

Ah the ocean… maybe four hours ago you might have been upset to meet up with the water. Now you just laugh.

Erii looks at you curiously.

“Did you know I got to ride dolphins?”

Erii practically staggers. 

“If you're lost in the ocean, sometimes dolphins will rescue you.” You hook her arm in yours. “They're big and strong and won't let you drown.”

“MC knows so much.”

“Erii knows a lot about Erii’s world. I know a lot about mine.”

Erii nods and smiles.

Lu Mingfei pulled out the compass, opened the long-prepared map, and took you to the town not far away. The sign in front of the town reads Umezuji-cho. At this time of the year, the streets of Tokyo must be bustling with people, but in this small seaside town, there are no people on the streets, only a group of elementary school students in school uniforms passing by.

Mingfei seemed to be in a rush, but Erii dallied with you, asking questions and marveling at the tofu shop, or the batik store. More than once, Mingfei had to come back and usher you forward. He clearly had some sort of plan in mind.

You find out that he hurried was so you could catch the last mountain tram, which was built next to the town's shrine and had a 45-degree angle track that made a staccato sound as you climbed.

    On both sides of the track there are dense trees. These trees cover the track like thick clouds, and it is as if you are walking through a tunnel of ever-changing colors, a tunnel made purely of foliage and flowers.

Both you and Erii are stunned with wonder. You did not have such dense forests like this growing up. The air is full of birdsong and frogs and early season cicadas. You feel someone take your hand. Erii points to your face. A bright tear shone there like a pearl. You didn't know you had shed it.

  "Sakura is not Japanese, right? How do you know such a beautiful place?" Erii wrote in her little notebook.

    "I saw a drama made in Japan. This is a very famous scene from that drama. I saw that drama a long time ago."

    "What was the name of that TV series?"

    "Tokyo Love Story." Lu Mingfei wrote one stroke at a time.

 "I liked that Japanese drama so much that I searched the Internet for all kinds of information about Ehime Prefecture, and finally learned that the ending scene was filmed in Umezuji Town, and that the school and the separate stations in the drama were real. I had always dreamed of traveling to Umetsuji-cho and had done a lot of homework.”

You and Mingfei did not really know each other. You did not think he was this level of a romantic so you didn’t understand why Caesar would want to pair you two. Now it made a lot more sense.

Lu Mingfei took out a handkerchief and blindfolded Erii: "You will see a beautiful view when you untie the handkerchief later."

When he handed one to you, your jaw drops. “I can’t believe you.”

He doesn’t say anything, just ties your eyes. You feel his hand close around yours. You can’t see Erii’s expression. “Erii, I’m so excited. This is fantastic!”

You’re smiling, you can’t stop. The memories of the events of the days before roared like angry hordes of monsters in your mind, but Mingfei and Erii have shut the gates on them. His warm hand in yours, the rhythm of the sun's rays between the trees, the crunch of your footfalls on the trail, the constant sound of birds. It was all so soothing.

 You walk the decades old mountain mining path, a road with uneven stone patchwork. At the end of the road is a long closed mine. In order to commemorate the mine that raised the town, the residents of Umezuji Town donated money to build a wooden temple-style building over the entrance and exit of the mine. Each rafter is hung with carp flags for prayers, and various porcelain dolls are placed under the eaves. This is a local custom. If the town's family gave birth to a boy, they would come here to hang a carp flag, and if it is a girl will put a porcelain doll.

 “It's exactly the same as the Internet says." Lu Mingfei said.

The tracks of the mine car had long been rusted, and weeds grew among the sleepers. You followed the track to the edge of the cliff, and Lu Mingfei helped you to climb a rock that protruded from the cliff.

He pressed his hands on you and Erii’s shoulders and said, "Now you can take off the blindfold."

You untied your handkerchief. 

The sunset blooms full in your vision. The huge sun disc had touched the sea. Ten of millions of tons of seawater slowly swirled beneath your feet. The tide broke into white splashes under the black cliffs. The wind blew endless hectares of forest. The evening woods also look like the sea from a distance, a pale red sea, with thousands of treetops swaying with the wind, forming cascading waves. 

Small towns are distributed along the winding coastline, Lu Mingfei names of them one by one -- below the cliff is the town of Umezuji, a little farther away is the town of Yamamae, Tsukishita Castle Town and Matsuron Town, and further is beyond his knowledge.

    The town's small school was already empty, and the silent playground was empty.

    The Ferris wheel spins slowly but does not carry passengers. The Ferris wheel in Umezuji Town is only a miniature version, but it is magnified in the sunset, its huge shadow cast on the undulating sea of trees.

    On the track facing the sea, the yellow slow train rumbled through the small unoccupied station, which was enclosed by white railings with the signs "Umetsuji X" and "Tokyo X”. You wonder how long it had to wait for a nostalgic and romantic fan like Lu Mingfei. Music starts playing and you can't help but laugh in disbelief.

    Lu Mingfei had pressed play on the theme song of Tokyo Love Story. His phone was the latest and the speaker was good. You couldn't believe it. This nerdy little parrot boy and scared raccoon had somehow managed to comfort you completely. Outside the shadows of Caesar and Chu Zihang, he shined bright. Maybe being on a boat with him would be fun.

Erii held up her notebook. “The world is gentle.”

You look at her, expressionless. She was right. The world in its natural state was quiet and peaceful. You’d fallen asleep in violence and awakened in violence and pain. You didn't get to experience the romantic world like this very much. In your mind, you imagine Renata in her patchwork coat, sitting next to you. In your ears, she whispers. 

You open your mouth, “Make a wish!”

Mingfei turns to you in surprise but Erii follows along, pressing her palms together. You pray.

Renata. I am coming soon. Sorry it took so long.

You sat under the roof of the mine. Erii kept writing questions. Lu Mingfei answered one by one. This girl seems to have saved up a belly of questions, and now they all came out. Mostly they referenced Anime and Manga you have never heard of. That was Erii’s world, a world of cartoon fantasy. He confirmed or denied that reality, shaping and creating the world anew as you watched her listen intently. Lu Mingfei had taken to heart your words and was upfront and simple, not lying or trying to say things she wanted to hear. You nod in approval, your eyes serious. 

The sun gradually sank below the surface of the sea, the last afterglow scattered on the water. Half of the sun and its reflection form a complete circle.

   "So this is what the outside world looks like." Erii wrote to Lu Mingfei to see.

    "Yeah, that's what it's like, no Britannia Kingdom and no Celestial Organization… disappointed?" Lu Mingfei asked.

    "No, not disappointed, like this kind of world, this kind of world is very gentle." Erii used the word gentle once again. You repeated the word in your mind. Gentle. It echoes there. As if without the constant threat of death and adrenaline, there was just empty space.

   "I really like this world." As the sun is about to disappear, Erii wrote to Lu Mingfei. "But the world doesn't like me." Erii went on to write.

You stand up and move to the other side of her. You scoot as close as you can and rest your head on her shoulder. She hugged the huge bear and lowered her eyes like a cat that had done something wrong.

 "I'll be a problem for everyone and I've been a problem for Sakura." Erii wrote again.

  "I was too willful. So I ran away from home."

  "I should have gone back a long time ago but it's still a pleasure."

   "It's beautiful here, I should have known I should have come here on the first day. Thank you Sakura, MC, thank you.”

You lower your hand over hers as she’s writing.

"No."

Erii froze for a moment.

 "No." Lu Mingfei repeated.

Lu Mingfei cocked his head to look at her with a rare serious look: "Don't think you can know what the world is like by coming out to see it. I'm still confused after living in this world for more than twenty years. You've only run out for a few days and you think you understand?"

His eyes look at you too and you’re just as shaken as Erii. But he is right! You never set foot outside the Port of Black Swan and that was 20 years ago. You saw the whole world through that tiny lens and haughtily walked around like you owned the place. You judged others through that same view as well.

  "How big the world is depends on how many people you know, and for every person you know, the world gets a little bigger for you. There are many cities in this world. There are Tokyo, Paris, Cairo, London, Istanbul... but many of them are just names to you, you haven't been there and there are no people there you want to visit, so they don't really belong to your world. There are many, many more people in this world, but you don't know them, and they don't belong in your world. There are also lots of good food and fun and nice things in this world, but the world that really belongs to you is actually very small, just the places you've been and eaten and seen the sunset and the friends who will care if you live or die."

 "Whether the world likes you or not only depends on whether your friends like you or not. Everyone has a few really good friends. They like you, therefore, the world likes you."

The world… was not Tokyo, or Cassell or Hydra… The world was Renata, Caesar, Chu Zihang, Lu Mingfei, and now Erii. You turn your head back to Tokyo, unseen in the distance. How could you leave…?

“What is a good friend?" Erii wrote in her little notebook.

    "It's the kind of friend that's so crazy about that he'll believe in you no matter what, and he'll be with you no matter what.” Lu Mingfei growled low. "If the world really doesn't like you, then the world is my enemy."

    The moment these cold and arrogant words came out of his mouth, you seemed to hear a familiar cold laugh coming from behind you. The demon of the sad world sneering with all its mockery.

Together, you and Mingfei both jerked back, but behind you were only cherry blossoms mixed with fallen leaves swirling in a breeze, and there was no sign of Z. Lu Mingfei stared at you with wide eyes and you stared right back. His mouth opened. “MC. You… heard…?”

    "Wanted: a good friend." 

He turned back to Erii waiting for him with a small book up. 

    "I am your good friend, and you will have more good friends in the future." You say.

    "But as long as we are your good friends, how can we not like you?" He said softly.

She slowly crawled towards Lu Mingfei like a kitten, vigilantly figuring out his look. Lu Mingfei looks petrified and you cover your mouth with one hand while silently cheering, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

What did he expect? Even your heart was moving and you don’t even like him! Lu Mingfei is sitting here putting Kazama level moves on this girl and now that her arms are around him and her head is on his chest, he looks two seconds away from shitting himself. You ball your fist against your lips and swallow your laughter.

Clouds gathered in the distance and the sun had set, It was time to go. You would have to get up bright and early tomorrow to get on the boat to China. Your heart was relaxed again about Caesar’s decision. After all, he was just doing his best. If you died, you would go to rest. Caesar would be tormented for the rest of his days. He wasn't sending you on the boat to die. He wanted you to live. You still believed the omniscient Z. Leaving Tokyo was a death sentence. But you also believed Caesar had his own parallel script.

It was raining by the time the train came. You stand shoulder to shoulder on the platform. “Call me to wake me up tomorrow.” You say.

 Mingfei lowers his head and laughs.

“Oh you’re planning to oversleep? Once again I have to be the mature one.” You roll your eyes. 

The train splashes up to the platform and you make sure Erii has her ticket. She sits next to the window and stares outside. Much to your surprise, Mingfei sits you next to her. He gives you a fond smile and passes you a note.

  "Dear passengers, this train terminates in Matsuyama City. We are now about to leave Umezuji-cho station. The train is about to close......" A sweet female voice echoed in the carriage. 

The doors of the train close.

You open the note in your hand. The words make you squint.

You have to live.

You and Erii gasp at the same time. Mingfei is not on the train. The doors have closed. And he is not on the train!

You leap from your seat and pound on the glass door in front of the smiling Mingfei. “Where am I supposed to go?” You will miss the boat. You won’t go to China.

Your hands slowly slide from the glass. Erii is pressing her notebook urgently against it.

Lu Mingfei tapped on the window, "Someone will pick Erii up when you get to Matsuyama City. MC, find Ruri Kazama.”

    "Won't Sakura take me back to Tokyo?" Eriki took the small book and showed it to Lu Mingfei.

    "Your family won't like me." Lu Mingfei said.

    Erii hugged the furry teddy bear and lowered her head, her long hair like a colored cloak that enveloped both her and the bear.

    "Sayonara"  said Lu Mingfei.

    Erii nodded, finally realizing that this was their parting. The train ride to Tokyo will take several hours, but Lu Mingfei will not accompany her.

    Lu Mingfei's face was stern and he didn't say anything more. There was nothing more to say. This was the parting, his carefully designed parting. He NEVER agreed to the boat. He NEVER agreed to kill you. He had carefully pulled the wool over Caesar’s eyes and convinced you that he was going to dump you on the boat. You grinned and shook your head. But the train began to move before you could even think of a comeback.

[sanny-chan5]

The sky’s importance on Dr. Stone.

[This is a long post, you’ve been warned. Also, sorry for that T-T].

Have you guys noticed how much Inagaki-san and Boichi-sensei love to portray the character’s emotional state through the weather/sky? Specially Senku’s’, or so I think...:

When Senku was desperately wating for Taiju to “des-petrify”, it was raining.

Same as when Senku died and his friends were trying to revive him, it was also raining (to make those scenes similar and stand out both Taiju and Senku’s friendship, trust in the other and desperation for each other’s well being).

When Senku needed electricity. It was as if the sky was helping Senku and gave him one last thunder for the magnet, but it also helped Gen to scare Magma a bit when he tried to stop them -which could have ended worse than it did. Magma ultimately attacked Gen, but it was at night and Senku wasn’t with him. That’s why I say “specially Senku’s emotions”.

When Hyouga and the other thugs of Tsukasa Empire attacked for the first time the village. This not only helped them put on an act that convinced then to attack the next storm, but the wind also saved Suika indirectly carrying the sulfuric acid against the bullies -of course both of these things wouldn’t have been possible without Senku’s intervention, like, Suika herself could have died.

Suika was the ultimate MVP for finding the stone they needed to make the mobile phones, but... it was the sun’s first ray which drives Senku’s attention to this stone and told him which one it was. Again, it was as if the sky was giving him a clue.

Also, and an important point, the starry night sky feels calm. When it is shown in the series, it’s always a moment of calmness/emotional fluff: chibi Senku with his father looking at the moon, the onsen Taiju/Yuzuriha romantic moment, Senku telling Taiju to sleep ‘cause being awake would just tire him out (thus, worrying about him), the telescope/birthday moment, watching the first dawn of the year with everyone on the village... AND one of the most important moments for Senku which I’ll leave for analize later.

Finally, not really important maybe, but when the sun is up, or in other words, when it is day, it’s working/thinking moment. Senku revived one ordinary morning of spring(it seemed... also, I think Inagaki choose April 1st because it marks the begginig of many important things for the japaneses, such as the school years or the sakura’s flowering season), when he investigated the petrification, when he’s working with his frriends and the villagers (or for putting them on his side LOL), etc. Ordinary stuff, to summarize.

We also had sunsets for nostalgic feeling and snow sky for the special night of Crhistmas and, curiousl enough, they feel pretty determined to achieve their goals :3

(Episode 1).

(Episode 26, last of the first season).

Like, OMG.

I like to think this is not casual. And this might be going too far, but I also like to believe that this is some way to show that Byakuya (who, we could say, is in the sky’s heaven, following religion) is still helping his son. His son, who also happens to look at the stars softly and still wants to go to the space... which now is also a place nearer him... (again, following religion even if Senku probably doesn’t believe it and just like a “feeling thing”, IYKWIM)

Ah! And this is a moment who’s worth of a special mention. The moment I was talking about before: Senku crying at Byakuya’s “grave”. Another starry night sky moment.

Now someone could argue that it must be raining, since rain is usually portrayed as to represent sadness and all… but in this series, rain/storm is often used for desperate, action situations more than anything. Here, Senku was ovbiously mourning his father’s dead after having emotionally realized what that meant, but it was no agitation, and listen because that is the clue word: it was sad, but it was a calm sadness.

[On a side note, you can skip this, it has nothing to do with the reflection I was doing BTW, I still think he actually pushed his feelings a little, maybe because he “had to do other –logical- things now”, but most probably because he’s a shounen anime main character who has to act cool LOL... (look, I’m not complaining of this kind of characters, I love them and Senku is one of the more emotional “cool characters” I have seen in anime notwithstanding… but I AM saying that this series is NOT logical about the characters emotional reactions LOL. Just think of how well Taiju and Senku took the petrification thingy –OR, you know, even being all alone for 3700+ years and just… thinking, and that actually NOT driving them mad. And LOL, yes I get it, it’s anime phantasy logic after all xD). Yuzuriha’s reaction was far more credible, both the moment she opened her eyes and the moment she opened her eyes, and you know what I mean by that… xD].

But let’s continue with the analysis or I’ll go around the bush.

So, Byakuya’s name means “100 nights”, while Senku’s name means “1000 skies”. Isn’t it suspicious that the moment Inagaki and Boichi chose for Senku to visit his father’s grave was just a calm, starry night sky? It fits them SO DAMN WELL, for their names and for both’s dream or reaching and traveling through it... Night… Sky… (or “how you actually see the sky outside of the Earth”, combination of both names), it’s almost as if they were trying to draw our attention to the sky, quite literally because there was this scene when the reader’s pov was watching Senku’s back from below and we can watch the sky perfectly, with the light of the full moon shining in the middle of the darnkess and all…

What’s more, if you guys follow my way of understanding what the sky means in this series, which for me is a representation of Byakuya somehow, it fits as well!: it keeps calm, as if accepting Senku’s feelings, but also so full of patience and love and fatherly calmness as if it were his father’s spirit itself trying to say “it’s ok” to his son...

Of course, this is not implicitly shown, it’s just me trying to interprete the art in an abstract way, so it’s just a theory of mine and I can totally being mistaken. But I just LOVE watching it like this, I’m being self-indulgent :’3.

So.. that’s it, guys. What do you think about it? I have to say I haven’t read the manga yet, so maybe in the future there are several moments that can finish this interpretation, but... I thought of it and felt it would be nice to share with you and see if someone wants to believe this too. I adds emotion to the scenes, or at least for me ^^ But feel free to disagree and prove me wrong if you want, this is just me being paranoid LOL

.

.

.

I LOVE to think about some random scenes of a series I like and them BOOM. I find my own interpretation, or sometimes realizing something the autor actually wanted to subtly portray, that actually changes how I view those same scenes the next time I watch them…whether I’m wrong or not.

[rabidbehemoth]

Unpublished ItaSaku scene

In response to the ask about a scene from an as-yet unpublished story, I give you part of chapter 3 from Next of Kin, my ItaSaku college!AU with a mob twist (the one based off a oneshot from long ago, Missed Connection). Enjoy!

Sakura could barely keep her eyelids open the next morning. Ino had woken her up at four in the morning to complain that she was screaming (to be fair, Sakura had apparently woken Ino first). Sakura did not remember her dreams but she had her suspicions all the same. In any case, no amount of coffee and conversation with her friends at their favorite venue seemed able to rouse her. Her eyes watched someone’s frozen yogurt drip onto the tabletop without really seeing it.

“Yo, Earth to Sakura!” Chouji said, waving a hand in her face. “You there?”

Sakura blinked and sat up. “Sorry--what?”

Shikamaru groaned. “Did you not hear anything?” 

“Hey, lay off,” Naruto protested, sneaking in a concerned glance at her. “She’s had to deal with a lot.”

“Yeah. And she barely ever sleeps well because of—” Ino paused, seeming to rethink her words. “--Stress.”

Now Sakura was more awake. “‘Barely ever’? Ino, what are you—”

Ino interrupted with a shrug. “I got earplugs ‘cause I didn’t want to embarrass you.” Too late, she remembered their friends surrounding them and smiled sheepishly. “Uh, sorry.”

Shikamaru tactfully diverted the conversation before it could get ugly. “We were talking about the trip to the city. We’re into the second quarter already, so if we don’t really figure out something that works for everyone’s schedule, we’ll have graduated before we make it out there.” 

“Oh,” Sakura said, feeling guilty. Given that it was her idea to begin with, she supposed she should’ve taken a more active role in planning the thing. “Can’t we go over the weekend?”

Ino exhaled a sigh. “I’ve got rehearsals on Saturdays, and Naruto has rugby.”

“This happens every time,” Shikamaru muttered with contempt. “Either we do it over a three-day weekend, or someone agrees to take time off for one week—”

A breeze carrying an acrid smell pulled Sakura out of the conversation. Hugging her sweater closer, she turned around in her chair to investigate.

The bright plastic tables and chairs of their usual froyo spot greeted her, but they were the only ones sitting outside in the autumn weather. Further downwind a copse of trees dotted the sidewalk; under them was a bench. And upon that bench sat a man smoking a cigarette, nose buried in a book. The sun shone against his dark hair.

He felt Sakura staring and looked up to meet her gaze. Her most terrible memory was immediately reflected in those eyes, again, but for the first time she noticed a promise--a potential. What she wanted to know was all there, one way or another, in his eyes. Either it had been him, or it hadn’t. Only two possibilities. Finally, Sakura understood the choice she had to make….if she really desired that knowledge.

No one believed her, which meant she might be the only one who could learn the truth. She was probably wrong, which meant there was a chance that she was right. She was not personally involved, until these events altered the course of her daily life. Her friends, her grades, and even her dreams had been affected. Things would not go back to normal, and Sakura’s desire for the truth could not be extinguished so long as this man was around to constantly remind her of it. 

Suddenly, with a sense of weightlessness, Sakura made the decision she had not even realized she’d been struggling against, as futile as battling gravity.

She stood, chair screeching loudly as it scraped across the concrete. Her friends looked up at her, but she kept her eyes fixed ahead in the distance.

“Bathroom,” she lied, allowing them to return to their arguments. Luckily for her, they were too absorbed to notice her moving resolutely in the opposite direction.

He watched her approach as though he’d been expecting her. Given the number of occasions she’d been caught staring at him, maybe he had. He closed his book and put out his cigarette against the bench. He was not smiling.

Sakura felt the grass crunch underfoot but did not stop until she was standing directly in front of him. She considered sitting beside him but decided she preferred the height advantage. She crossed her arms.

“Are you following me?”

For a moment she feared he would laugh at her, but his expression quickly schooled itself into a kind of seriousness that might be mimicry or mockery of her own.

“Good morning to you, too.”

Sakura would not be deflected. “You’re a long ways from campus for a student.”

He looked at her pointedly. “Likewise.”

“I was having coffee.”

“As was I.” He pulled a disposable cup out--seemingly from nowhere--and rattled it a bit as though to emphasize its emptiness.  

Sakura glared, annoyed with his ability to wriggle away. “Come on. Are you really a student?”

He blinked at her. “Are you requesting proof?”

She sat on her embarrassment. This was not a normal social interaction--not if she was right. And if she was wrong, well. She’d already embarrassed herself enough for a thousand lifetimes, what was once more?

She nodded tersely. “Yes.”

Now he definitely looked amused. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a wallet. He slipped a plastic card out and handed it to her.

It was an ordinary student ID: identical to hers, save for the picture of his face and his name.

“‘Theodore Adorno?’ Or do you go by ‘Teddy’?” She could not quite keep the sarcasm out of her voice. 

“I prefer ‘Theo’, actually.” His eyes flickered at her.

Sakura handed it back to him, unconvinced. “Okay. Theo.” She paused a moment to gather her thoughts, but he interrupted the process.

“May I ask,” he said, putting his wallet away and settling comfortably into his seat, “what I’ve done to earn this hostility? At first I thought you liked me, but I confess I have my doubts now.”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed. If he was who she thought him to be, was this a way of pushing back? Of daring her to admit this was an interrogation, not a conversation? How could it possibly benefit someone in hiding to press a suspicious person into openly accusing him? Perhaps so he’d have the chance to flatly deny everything?

Well, Sakura would hardly give him the satisfaction.

That thought led to an idea. Her expression turned coy.

“Sorry, I didn’t meant to offend. I’m told I haven’t slept well lately. Actually, your first guess was right--can I have your number?”

The surprise on his face seemed disarmingly genuine. “Is that a joke?”

“Of course not.”

He hesitated, eyes looking past her into the distance. She studied him carefully.

“Why all the thought? Something change since you offered it to me earlier? Or were you only kidding?” she challenged.

His eyes focused sharply on her again, mouth unsmiling. “An offer is an offer, but you should think hard before accepting.”

The warning in his tone confused her. That would not have been an acceptable response from a normal college student, but neither was it a good response for a criminal wanting to avoid suspicion.

To her surprise, Sakura found herself taking his advice. It would be inexcusably dangerous to pursue this if her theory was correct--what if he figured out what she was up to? Did he already know?

Sakura met his eyes again, and knew her decision had been made before she even spoke with him. She couldn’t ever forget--not the dead man, nor the well-dressed stranger, nor the student in front of her--and she knew deep down that her life had stalled largely because she couldn’t truly leave the question unresolved. Maybe she could play this game just long enough to confirm or discard her theory, then go no-contact. It was stupidly risky, yes, but the desire for truth compelled her.

Sakura ignored the way her hand shook when she took out her phone. “I accept.”

His eyes were unreadable, but he recited his number mechanically.

Sakura saved it as a contact and sent him a quick text so he’d have hers. But his silence was making her uncomfortable, and she had to wonder if she’d just made a terrible mistake. She shoved her phone into her back pocket, where it weighed heavily.

“I guess I’ll see you around?”

He didn’t meet her eyes. “I guess you will.”

Sakura shuffled awkwardly back to her friends, refusing to glance back at him.

[acnhplayertwo]

Player Two's Diary.

Entry 1.

Dear diary,

Thanks Bobness I have this phone with me. Not gonna lie, I'd totally be going cuckoo without an outlet by now.

Why, you ask? Well, it's simple! Let me explain.

This utter mess began something short of one week ago, when my partner, let's call 'em S, presented me with an idea.

"Let's go away, buddy. Let's just toss this boring life behind and go somewhere new. New and fresh. Like... like the Outskirts, or-- or an island. A deserted one, maybe. Somewhere nobody knows us and none of our problems would ever be able and find us. Come on, buddy. Let's do it."

And, pal, I know not whether it was their enthusiasm, or the fact I was starting to resent my life as mayor of a lethargic town, or that we both had a glass too many of Wolfgang's homemade apple wine, but... I accepted.

I said yes.

Actually, I may have said something more than that. In my drunken haze, I remember yelling something like "OH MY BOB, THAT'S AN AWESOME IDEA AND I ALSO HAVE A FRIEND WHO TOLD ME HE'D TAKE ON A DEAERTED ISLAND BUSINESS AND CAN YOU BELIEVE THE COINCIDENCE HAHA, LET ME CALL THAT OL' RASCAL NOOK!"

And that was it, dear diary. In the span of an our we had traded our entire life's savings for a couple tickets to Nowhere.

But it wasn't that bad at first. I was actually psyched. "You go first, S!", I said. "You go and prepare a cozy spot for us. I'll reach you in three days tops."

And so we did. The next day, S kissed me goodbye, nothing but a backpack on their shoulders and hope in their eyes. "Plane's departing soon. I'll be waiting for you in our lives' next chapter, buddy."

So they went, while I stayed. I had too much stuff to do still, what with signing my temporary resignment as town mayor, packing up, saying goodbye to my citizens.

Then, 48 hours later, there I was, waiting to hop aboard on one of Dodo Airlines' rickety machines.

"Oh my, you won't believe how perfect it is here!" S' voice crackled assaulted my ears with a mix of squawking happiness and bad reception through my phone's speaker. "Weather is marvellous, and Sakura's are bloomin' and and and everything is just SO PERFECT!! There's so much stuff to do, and things to craft, and everyone is just SO DEAR!! They even threw a welcome party for the first residents, and there were confetti, and juice, and even a BONFIRE!!"

I found myself smiling as I left my old life behind and flew through the skies that would lead me to a brand new one. But my smile soon faltered as I stepped off the plane and onto Sleepwalk Island's wooden dock.

"Oh, you here. Finally. Fearless Leader's waiting for you."

"Allright," I thought as I followed Tim ad Tommy’s fuzzy shadows across the island and into a green tent, “they have never been the friendly type, but... is a hug really too much to ask?” I ignored my disappointment, telling myself that they must have been busy, like they always are, and let my face melt in a huge smile as I breathed in the familiar musk of wood and tanuki fur. 

“PT!! Such a pleasure to see you here, yes yes!“ Tom rushed towards me, paws extended, his eyes nothing more than a couple happy slits. “I heard of your arrival and boy, I couldn’t wait! Here, drink something and make yourself at home...“ He slapped a can of soda in my open hand and began explaining me the hows and whys of his new business venture, nodding with his usual verve. “... and from this terminal here you can order anything you want and have it shipped right at your door-- ahem, tent step! Isnt’ it great??“

I smiled, knowing full well there was nothing I could say or do to stop his tirade. “And look! This is my new workbench! You can use it anytime, and-- let me show you how it’s done!“

Twenty minutes later, I stepped back out into the morning sun, arms heavy with Nook’s patented survival bundle, head buzzing with info. 

“Awesome! I will repay this trifle of a loan by nighttime, and after that, this island will be mine! Oh boy, I can’t wait! It’s gonna be so rad!“ 

Or so I thought. 

Reality, in fact, was soon to smack me in the face. Hard.

You see, S had told me all about how they had been able to trade bugs and fish for much-needed DiY recipes. “And you’ll be able to craft lotsa useful stuff, like axes, and you’ll need those to find wood and get stones and iron from rocks and build so much amazing objects-- I just can’t even!!“

So, understandably, I was all set to seize the occasion and do the same. 

That afternoon, I stepped into Nook’s headquarters with a bucket of fish, looking forward to my bright future as Sleepwalk’s craftmaster, when...

“Oh. I see. well, buddy, I’m afraid I can’t help you at this time,“ Tom said, avoiding my gaze and preferring to stare at one of my flapping mackerels instead.

“What d’you mean?,“ I asked, wiping the sweat from my surprised face.

“Well, it’s kinda embarrassing, but...“ Tom scratched his head before continuing. “You see, every other person no this island came in here, trading their critters for recipes, and... there were more people than I expected and I didn’t take into account this possibility and...“ He sighed. “...I’m all out. I have no more recipes to give you, buddy. Sorry ‘bout that.“

I blinked more times than needed. 

“But... what am I supposed to do now?“

Tom shrugged. 

“You can still sell your catch to scrounge up a few bells, I suppose. Or you could keep some fish as pet, I dunno.“

“Yes, no, what I mean is...“ I looked around and gestured to the outside world.

“What am I supposed to do?!“

Tom cocked his head and bit his lip. Then, unexpectedly, he flashed me the biggest smile in the universe.

“It’s simple! ENJOY LIFE!“

He slid an arm around my shoulders and began dragging me towards the exit.

“You can fish some more, gather branches and craft a bug net, or-- or or, ehm, take pictures! Yes yes, pictures are nice, you can post them on Twitter and make all your friends jealous, and then Ireallyhavenoideaso GOODBYE FOR NOW!“

And just like that, he shoved me and my broken heart out of his tent and back into Sleepwalk Island’s untamed wilderness. 

Needless to say, I was dumbfounded. 

Still, I couldn’t stop now. I still had a debt to repay.

So, I took a deep breath and lunged into my activities. 

I spent the entire day fishing, and fishing, and catching bugs, and picking fruit, until the sun set, and the fresh night breeze began freezing the sweat on my skin.

I was beyond exhausted, dirty and disheartened. But I was ready, and, most importantly, furious.

The moon was high in the sky when I stepped into Tom’s tent, and found him alone, beer in hand, a stack of paperwork under his muzzle.

“Nook,“ I announced, voice low and gravelly with rage, “check your phone.“

“Oh, PT! I didn’t see you the--“

“Check. Your. Phone.“

I stared at him as he obeyed.

“Ah. Your debt is settled, I see! Now we can think about building you a home proper, yes yes!“ He was trying to hide his embarrassment behind a thin layer of businesslike enthusiasm, but I wasn’t having it.

“Yes, I want my roof blue, thank you. But that is not why I am here.“

I sat on a stool beside him and spread my fingers on his desk.

“Now listen closely, Nook. I did everything you told me. I spent the entire day chasing bugs and I caught so much fish I will stink like one for a month. Then, I took pictures. I took so many my thumbs are sore, and people are wondering wether I am planning to become a professional photographer. And now, here I am, same as when I started, doing ZERO progress cause guess what?!“ I could hear my voice raising in volume, but could do nothing to stop it. “There is nothing to do on this island. Nothing. I can’t craft anything, cause there’s no recipes. And even if I did, I couldn’t craft, or build anything, cause there are no materials for me to gather. But tell me the truth, Tom. This isn’t the same for everybody, is it? No... these things are happening to me and me only. Cause there is nothing for me to do on this island. Ain’t it the truth, Tom?“

When the raccoon looked at me, he did it with his saddest eyes.

“Alright, PT, yes. You want the truth, you shall have it.“

He drew a long, shaky breath and tossed me a beer.

“You see, bud, Sleepwalk is an island. And until not long ago, a deserted one at that.“ He cleared his voice before resuming.

“So, yeah. There isn’t much here. Literally. Resources are awfully scarce. And in order to thrive, you need as much as you can get your paws on, and at times, even that isn’t enough. Sure, people here might seem kind and friendly. But truth is, we’re all locked in a constant fight for survival. Every single one of us. Never forget that.“

“But... But I...“

But I am the mayor, I wanted to yell.

“You are the second human relocator, my friend. It’s a first come first served world, buddy... and you, I’m afraid, arrived a bit late.“

I do not remember walking out of that tent and into the darkness. 

I don’t even remember how I ended up on the beach.

All I know, is that I did not sleep last night, busy as I was hugging my tear-soaked knees, wrestling with that crushing realization. 

The realization that, on this island, I will never be anything more than... Player Two.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Eighty-Eight: Sifting Through Sand ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hiashi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

“So...any ideas of what you wanna do before Summer break ends?”

Lying in the shade of a tree in her backyard, Hinata stares up into the leaves. A gentle breeze sways them to and fro, speckles of sunlight filtering through and dancing over the pair of them. There’s only a handful of weeks before the Summer between high school and college is over, and they officially enter the next phase of their lives. By some grace, they’re only going to be about two hours apart. More than doable for a continued relationship, in her humble opinion.

Taking time to think over Sasuke’s question, she heaves a long, thoughtful sigh. She’s been taking this Summer slowly, doing her best to make it last. But they have a bit of time left for one last hoorah. Maybe a trip, or...a day for some event…?

“...what about you?” she asks to stall for time, earning a chuckle.

“I asked you first.”

“I’m thinking.”

A few seconds of contemplative silence pass. “...I’d like to go to the coast for a few days.”

That gets her to glance over to him, brows lifting a bit. “...oh?”

“Yeah. Just to hang out, have a change of scenery...maybe act like a tourist for a bit,” he explains, unable to help a hint of a grin. “Leave stuff here behind and sort of...recharge the batteries before we head out, huh?”

A slight weight sinks in HInata’s gut at the notion. While many of her classmates are excited for college...she’s a little scared. Striking out (mostly) on her own, in a place she doesn’t know, surrounded by thousands of strangers...her introverted nature makes the prospect seem extremely daunting. The only person also going to her school that she knows is her cousin’s girlfriend, Tenten...but she’s a year older. Ino is attending a cosmetology school in the same city, and Sakura is diving right into nursing at a school along said coast.

“...I think...that sounds like fun,” she eventually replies, nodding.

“You wanna go?”

“Mhm! Like you said, it...it would be a nice change of pace. And the weather should be nice, right?”

“I’ll have to check the weather app. When do you wanna go?”

“Um...I don’t care.” It’s not like she has any other plans, really.

“...how about Thursday? We’ll drive in, have Friday and the weekend...and come back Monday.”

“I guess I need to c-check with my dad first, but…” Well, Hiashi’s already begrudgingly accepted the fact that his daughter is dating...and she is an adult. Surely he’ll let her go...right?

“Okay, cool. I better double check, too. I’ll let you know once I’ve got an answer.”

“Yeah, me too. But for now, I’m...very comfy,” Hinata admits with a giggle.

As if to agree, Sasuke rolls over and drapes an arm over her waist, chin over her head as she laughs a bit more. “...are you comfy?”

“Mm, very.”

“...good.”

After a day of relaxing together, the pair go their separate ways. Sasuke heads home, and Hinata heads inside. Her father has yet to return from work for the day, and her sister is at a Summer camp. It’s been rather nice having the house all to herself. Or...well, more often than not, to herself and to Sasuke. Hiashi hasn’t asked, and she hasn’t told...but part of her suspects he assumes as much. Hinata’s a smart girl, though - she’s drawn her boundaries well. And Sasuke respects them.

So she hopes their good behavior thus far will work in her favor when she asks.

Putting together a dinner for the pair of them, she greets her father when he gets home around five-thirty. “How was...h-how was your day?”

“Adequate,” he sighs, dropping off his things by the door. “Seems you’ve been busy in the kitchen.”

“Mhm! When was, um...Hanabi getting home again?”

“Next Monday, I believe. I have to go pick her up.”

“I see.” Setting the table and subtly watching to gauge her father’s mood, she then lightly notes, “It’s hard to believe Summer’s almost o-over already…”

“Excited for school?”

“Um...sort of. Pretty nervous…”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Everyone is nervous to some degree,” Hiashi offers as he takes his seat.

“I guess so…” Poking at her food a bit, there’s a pause before she offers, “I, um...I was thinking about maybe taking a quick trip to the...to the coast this weekend.”

“...oh?”

“Just, you know...one last little thing to do before school starts.”

Hiashi takes a bite of his dinner, chewing and thinking that over. “...I’m assuming you won’t be going by yourself.”

“Well...no. It was actually...Sasuke’s idea.”

...the chewing stops.

Hinata fidgets under the table.

”...I see. And how long would this trip be for?”

“He thought we could...leave Thursday to have a day to drive, and...come back Monday.”

“...four nights, then.” Hiashi leans back in his chair, sighing thoughtfully. “...and what would your hotel arrangement be?”

“W-well, we...didn’t get that far. We needed to ask, first.”

He nods slowly. “...if...you promise me you will have a two bed room, and keep your behavior appropriate...then I see no reason why you cannot go. To my knowledge, you have handled this...relationship responsibly. I trust you.”

For some reason...those three words bring a tightness to her chest. She can’t remember ever hearing him...say that before. “...thank you, Father. I...I will be on my best behavior. I promise.”

“I expect you will be. Be sure to check in every so often so I know you’re safe. And remind Sasuke it’s not just your actions I’ll be expecting to be kept in check.”

“Y...yes.”

Once dinner is over and the kitchen tidied, Hinata rushes to her room to text him the good news.

Yeah? Mine said I can go too. Guess it’s a go?

It’s a go!

Come Wednesday night, Hinata is packed, having gone through her inventory no less than three times to ensure she’s not forgetting anything. She supposes if anything is missing, she can always pick up a spare if it’s not too expensive. When morning rolls around and Sasuke swings by to pick her up, she pauses in the foyer as Hiashi calls her name.

“...do be careful, and text me when you get there.”

“I-I will. See you when we get back, Father.” She accepts a hug, finding it to be a little less...tense than usual. Waving, she then puts her bag in the back seat and hops into the front with Sasuke.

“Ready?”

“Yeah…!” A giddy excitement finds her, unable to stop a smile.

The drive takes a smidge over five hours, the pair making it to their hotel just a bit after midday. Checking in, they find their room, two beds as requested. Hinata sets her bag along the foot of one, Sasuke checking their view as she sends Hiashi an arrival text.

“Think we should head to the beach?”

“Can we eat first? I’m starving…!”

“I think there’s a place to eat along the sand - might be kinda spendy, but...we’re here to have fun, right?”

“Right!”

The cafe in question is a bit busy, but they get in after a half hour wait. The entire place is pretty much outdoor, and the floor is simply open to the sand beneath them. Sitting at a tall table atop stools, they order their food and watch the waves roll.

“I dunno about you...but I feel relaxed already,” Sasuke offers between bites.

“Yeah, me too...it’s so nice. Now I wish I’d applied for schooling over here!”

“We’ll just have to come back next Summer, or maybe over Spring break, huh?”

“Sure!”

After lunch, they walk around a few shops nearby the hotel, letting their meal settle. Hinata buys a few little trinkets, mostly souvenirs for Hanabi and her father. Sasuke indulges in one for Itachi, too. It’s then they return to their room, changing into swimsuits and heading out to the beach.

A bit self-conscious, Hinata at first stays sat on her towel, a bit huddled up. But Sasuke slowly urges her back up, the pair taking a leisurely walk along the beach.

“Hey, let’s look for some shells.”

“Think we can find some…?”

“Maybe.”

They move to a less trafficked part of the sand, sifting through it and looking for tidbits. They actually rummage up a decent sized pile, Hinata oohing at each find.

“Look at this one! It’s so tiny…”

“Y’know that a lot of sand is actually tiny little shells?”

“Really?!”

“Mhm. We’ll have to take some home…I’ve still got that little telescope. Maybe we can see some.”

As the day wanes, the pair take up their treasures and head back toward the hotel, a bit too tired to swim. Hinata sorts through the shells again, dividing them up so they can each have some to take home come Monday.

“Can I have this one?”

“You take whatever you want. I’m good with whatever.”

“...but -?”

“All I care about is having a few to remember today by. Doesn’t matter.”

Hinata goes a light shade of pink, sheepishly setting the shell on her pile.

They go to a fast food joint for dinner to save a little money, watching the sun set from their table. Then back to the hotel, lounging and browsing on their phones.

“Well...not bad for a partial day. Think we should turn in early so we can head out in the morning, get some touristing done?”

Hinata giggles. “Sure.” She slips into the bathroom to change into her pajamas: bunny-print shorts and a tank top. Sasuke dons only a pair of silky pajama pants, making her blush again.

“...you saw me shirtless earlier. And several times before now.”

“I-I know that! I just...I thought…”

Sasuke just snorts, making his way into bed. Hinata sets the alarm, and then turns out the light.

“...goodnight, Sasuke.”

“Night, Hinata.”

                                                     .oOo.

     Well, this one's a random stand-alone oneshot for once, lol - just some modern fluff, really.      Also I'm sorry I've been so behind as of late - life is kicking me in the pants and my mojo has been rather low. Add in some health trouble and I've just not been able to keep up ^^; Hoping I can play catch-up once October is over. We'll see. But one way or another, I WILL finish this challenge. Just...please bear with me while life is in a bit of a lurch <3      Anywho, not...too much to say otherwise? It kinda speaks for itself I guess lol - but for now III need some sleep :'D Thanks for reading~

[silverfootstepswrites]

Butterfly [23]

summary Thinking of you.

When autumn finally approached in Konoha, the town seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Old Man Sarutobi made promises of the delicious sweet potatoes that would come from his field soon. People began pulling their heavier blankets and sweaters out of storage. And while it was still hot during the day, the nights brought a hint of the cooler weather to come.

Sakura deflated the plastic pool in her backyard. Actually, Naruto came over to push all the air out of it. And she treated him to ramen for dinner to show her thanks. 

Her phone stayed busy as friends updated her on the start of the figure skating season. The qualifiers for the Junior Grand Prix were already underway. The Challenger series would be starting in a couple weeks. It was a fresh start for all the skaters, with everyone gunning for the top spots. Especially now that she was gone, that opened up a spot on the podium for ladies’ singles events. 

Several publications reached out to her for comments on the upcoming season. She ignored a majority of these emails. But she did respond to a select few, stating that she looked forward to see how all skaters would continue to develop both themselves and the sport as a whole. Her comments were published less than 24 hours later. The fervor with which fans tweeted about her surprised her a little. But it also made her smile to know that she hadn’t been forgotten yet.

The only people in town who seemed to match Sakura’s excitement was the Namikaze family. Every free moment of the day, Naruto was on his phone. He refreshed the ISU’s website obsessively, keeping track of everyone’s scores and rankings. 

“If anyone breaks your records, I’m going to die, Nee-chan,” Naruto told her one day. Sakura rolled her eyes. 

“Then you’re going to die every year. World records get broken all the time. Heck, even I did it a bunch of times,” Sakura replied. 

“11 times,” Naruto reported. 

Sakura eyed him. “I wish you’d apply some of those memorization skills to your schoolwork. Like why can’t you memorize stuff for history that way, Naruto?” she sighed. She had been the witness to Kushina’s nagging when he had gotten a 43 on his last history test.

“No way. Kakashi-sensei’s class sucks,” grumbled Naruto. Kakashi, who had just finished making copies, overheard this. 

“You suck,” Kakashi retorted. And he hit Naruto on the back of the head with the stack of handouts as he walked past.

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto griped. “That’s abuse! You saw that, right, Nee-chan?” 

“I didn’t see anything,” replied Sakura. 

For Kakashi’s birthday, the teachers surprised him with a party in the faculty room. Shizune baked the cake while Kurenai made Shikamaru and Asuma help her decorate with banners and balloons in bright colors. When he entered, Sakura and Lee doused him with confetti that stuck to his hair and clothes for the rest of his classes. 

Tsunade treated everyone to drinks that night. And Kakashi, extremely hungover the next day, expressed concern that he might not live to see another birthday at this rate. 

And yet a week later, they all found themselves at Genma’s bar again to celebrate Shikamaru’s birthday. Of course, Kiba came out to join them once the clinic closed. And everyone screamed with laughter when he told the story of how he and Shikamaru had gotten their heads stuck in a fence when they were kids. 

“Sakura nearly ripped my head off trying to pull me out,” added Kiba, clapping his hand onto her shoulder. She didn’t respond as she continued to devour all the edamame in front of her. 

“She even cried because she was worried we’d be stuck there forever,” Kiba went on, shaking her a little harder. Shikamaru sipped at his beer, casting wary looks at Sakura, measuring her flat expression. 

“And remember that time I got my tonsils removed and you thought that meant I could never talk again?” 

That was the last straw. Sakura turned and began slapping him on the back and shoulders. He continued to laugh even as he yelped. 

“Nara! Save me!” Kiba whined.

“Die alone, dude. I wanna live,” Shikamaru retorted, cheek in his hand. 

“Some things never change,” sighed Kurenai. She watched with a wistful expression as Sakura caught Kiba by the back of his shirt. Her fingers seized the skin of his upper arm, twisting. He howled. Asuma and Kurenai winced in unison. 

Orochimaru leaned toward Itachi. “Now, don’t be scared, Uchiha-sensei. Inuzuka-kun is the only person I’ve ever seen suffer at Haruno-kun’s hands this way,” he told him.

Sakura looked up. “Right, Orochimaru-sensei? He’s just so annoying!” she agreed. And she dealt Kiba a slap to the back. Kurenai and Asuma winced again. 

“But you love me, Haruno!” Kiba interrupted, who slung his arm over her shoulder again. Scowling, Sakura shoved him away by the cheek. 

“Okay. Since I love you so much, I guess you’ll forgive me if I tell everyone the story of how you accidentally broke into your neighbor’s apartment in college,” Sakura announced. 

The drinks continued to flow as the night went on. Their voices grew louder and louder. Faces turning red, fingers shiny with the oil from the karaage Shizune dropped off from the kitchen. Gaara took advantage of a rowdy moment as Tsunade told a particularly funny story. He crouched down between Shikamaru and Sakura’s chairs. They leaned in to listen to him. 

“I don’t mean to be rude, Nara-sensei. But my son is probably waiting at home with dinner,” Gaara whispered. Shikamaru flapped a hand at him. 

“It’s fine. It’s fine. Go ahead, Sensei,” Shikamaru assured him.

“Yeah. Escape while you can. You don’t want to have to sit through Asuma-sensei’s-” Sakura added, her eyes drifting back out to their coworkers. And to her horror, Asuma had pulled his shirt up and found a marker to draw a hideous face on his stomach. He began dancing around, twisting the face into even more grotesque shapes. Shikamaru put his face in his hand. 

“Well... that. Gross,” Sakura finished. Sighing, she turned back to Gaara.

“Go on. Tell your son we say hi,” Sakura urged him. Grimacing, Gaara made a swift escape under the cover of Asuma’s horrific party trick.  

It wasn’t until Genma kicked them out of the bar that they finally decided to call it a night. Asuma and Kurenai each draped one of Lee’s arms over their shoulders to take him home. Kakashi went with them, waving a noodle-limp arm at Sakura. 

Sakura turned to look at Kiba sitting under a streetlight. He swayed back and forth, hiccuping. Every once in a while, he leaned back, like he might fall over. But he managed to jerk himself back upright each time. 

Hand on her cheek, Sakura sighed. She looked at Itachi and Shikamaru who stood on either side of her. 

“If we leave him here, will he die?” she wondered.

“He might be attacked by a bear,” Itachi suggested. Shikamaru nodded.

“Or a tanuki,” agreed Shikamaru. 

When Sakura turned her head to look at him, Shikamaru scowled. 

“No,” Shikamaru said, refusing to look her in the eyes. Lips puckering together, he shook his head. 

“....Nara...” Sakura uttered. 

His shoulders dropped. He let out the world’s longest sigh before he muttered, “Fine.”

Shikamaru bent down. 

“C’mon, you lump,” he grumbled as he hauled Kiba to his feet. Kiba’s eyes opened. 

“YO! Shikamaruuu! It’s you! Happy birthday, man!” Kiba slurred out, a goofy grin stretching his mouth. Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to glare at Sakura. She blew him a kiss in return. 

“Ugh. Let’s go, you drunkard,” Shikamaru ordered as he pulled Kiba in the direction of his house. 

“Make sure she gets home okay, Uchiha-sensei,” Shikamaru called over his shoulder. 

“Noooo! Tell Sakura-chan to come party with us!” came Kiba’s fading protest. 

“Shut up, man,” Shikamaru retorted. 

As they walked on, their silhouettes and their voices disappeared. 

Sakura looked over at Itachi. He had been badgered into having a few extra drinks by Tsunade. His face was a little rosy, but he was far better off than Kiba was. 

“Shall we go?” suggested Itachi. 

One of Sakura’s favorite things about moving back to the countryside was the quiet. Which she promptly shattered when she tripped over a bump in the road. Itachi managed to grab her hand before she fell face-first into the dirt. Her knee hit the road, but she barely felt the sting.

She opened her mouth to say ‘thank you’. Instead, a laugh spurted out of her. Itachi helped her to her feet. But she grabbed onto his shirt, laughing like she had never laughed before. And that only became funnier when she realized that he was laughing too. 

“You’re drunk,” he chuckled. 

“You are too!” she pointed out. 

His hand closed around her upper arm, setting her the right way on the road. 

“Come on,” he said, pulling her along at a pace that was neither too fast or slow.

“Okay,” she heard herself answer. 

Head spinning with shochu, Sakura watched the stars spin past above her. The sky was a big blue canvas with the diamond stars embedded into the fabric. She wondered if she could get someone to cut her a few yards to make a new skating costume. And that was the last thing that lingered in her memory when she woke up the following morning. 

Sakura sat up in bed, rubbing at the back of her head. The inside of her mouth was dry. Her right knee hurt a little. She rubbed the back of her hand over her cheek. Let her hand flop back into her lap. Smacking her lips, she looked around her room. 

The clothes she had worn yesterday lay in a pile by the door. Drunk Sakura usually had the courtesy to put them in the hamper. But since the hamper was currently overflowing, Sakura wasn’t too annoyed with herself over that. Her phone rested on her nightstand. The screen lit up to let her know that she had unread messages. 

Overall, it was a quiet Saturday morning. Just the chirps of the birds outside her window and the faint hum of the air conditioner running overhead.

As she opened her mouth to yawn, a scream came out instead. Because one extra memory from last night decided to soak back into her brain. 

Standing at her front door, she had grabbed Uchiha Itachi by the face and said, “You know, you’re actually really handsome.”

Sakura threw herself back on the bed, limbs flailing. She threw her pillows on top of her face. And then her covers. Maybe if she suffocated to death, he would completely forget what she had said with her stupid, drunk mouth. 

She called Ino, who generally was less of a mess than she was. And Ino scoffed. 

“You were both drinking that night, right? He probably doesn’t even remember it,” Ino stated. 

Sakura poked her had out of her fortress of blankets and pillows. “You think?” she asked. 

“Yeah. He probably forgot it already. Just chill,” Ino assured her.

“You know, you told me that I was handsome the other day,” Itachi said on Monday. It was in the morning, almost as soon as she set her bags down in the library. 

Sakura covered her face with her hands. 

“You have the wrong person. That wasn’t me,” she responded. 

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure it was someone named Haruno Sakura who said that to me. I hear she works here,” Itachi went on. He took a couple steps toward her, hands in his pockets. Sakura peered through her fingers at him. 

“Yeah, that’s not me. She died,” insisted Sakura. 

She lowered her hands. Because when she had glimpsed his expression between her fingers, he had been smiling- not in a mean way. He still was. 

“Oh. That’s a shame. I wonder what happened,” Itachi sighed. 

“I hear she got eaten by a bear,” Sakura replied in a flat voice. 

“She must have some horrible friends who didn’t walk her home,” quipped Itachi in response. A snort slipped out of her. She tried to cover it up, failing miserably.

Itachi rested his hand on the counter. 

“Now you won’t feel as awkward about it. Right?” he said. 

Sakura didn’t respond. She huffed out an angry breath through her nostrils. It wasn’t like any of this was his fault. But it didn’t stop her from being annoyed.

“Although, I have to be honest with you,” Itachi added. She looked at him. 

“I was very flattered. My heart went just a little doki-doki. I’m not used to being hit on by a celebrity like you,” he uttered in the most serious tone. Biting her lower lip, Sakura turned away from him, arms crossing across her chest.

“You’re smiling,” Itachi guessed.

“No, I’m not,” Sakura insisted as she smiled even harder.

“Man, I wish Haruno Sakura hadn’t been eaten by a bear. She’d never treat me like this,” sighed Itachi. 

She burst into full-bellied laughter.

[oraclememehacker]

I posted 1,470 times in 2021

891 posts created (61%)

579 posts reblogged (39%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.6 posts.

I added 3,490 tags in 2021

#musing - 977 posts

#ic - 916 posts

#text - 469 posts

#reblog - 251 posts

#email reply (inbox ask) - 187 posts

#v; shadows of the final day - 155 posts

#a story unfolding (rp) - 147 posts

#silliness - 145 posts

#persona 5 - 123 posts

#anonymous - 120 posts

Longest Tag: 123 characters

#//most depictions of akira/ren's parents are they either didn't care and didn't like him or were coereced and had no choice

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Well, the battle was raging on still and minutes felt like hours and days sometimes, but it was still going on. Rise was still charmed, and that was going to be her priority for the time being. She would still keep an eye on things, but she was about to take some possible risks. Her phone was connected to her persona and she went to her DM’s. Rise was one that she talked to on a regular basis both in the main chats and in private so it only took her a second to get there.

[DM: PhoenixIdol]

[Alibaba]: I know you are still charmed, but I want to chat.

[Alibaba]: I’ve been looking over you via my persona and I noticed something strange. I think it really does explain a lot of things

[Alibaba]: Why you aren’t as dangerous as you could be.

[Alibaba]: You can ignore this if you want, but I’ll be heading your way regardless. Even if it means getting hurt in the process. You mean a lot to me and I’m going to save you from this monster. You were one of the first people I could really trust here, after all. Without you helping me I wouldn’t have been able to summon my persona with the evoker, for example. You were there for me. I’m going to be here for you now.

[Alibaba]: See you soon.

@nabigeshonidol​

13 notes • Posted 2021-12-04 19:39:03 GMT

#4

Toys for All ages

Location: Sakura Household: Futaba’s room

Time: Morning

It was another normal day in the Sakura household. Well, as normal as it could get with a chaotic hacker phantom thief living there anyways. The sound of light rain falling all over Yongen-Jaya could be heard as a rainstorm was starting to make its way through. Futaba could hear the occasional clap of thunder as the storm was getting closer to her area. She was just hoping it wasn’t bad enough to interrupt the internet and especially not the power. Thankfully she had everything hooked up to UPS and such so she can deal with it. Still, that was going through her mind every time she heard a storm rumble through the area.

Checking the weather on the app on her computer, the worst of the storms were scheduled to come through this morning followed by rain for the rest of the day and the occasional rumble of thunder and bursts of rain. Well, that meant she wasn’t really going outside unless she needed to which was fine. As she was starting to start scrolling through social media she heard a few light knocks on the door. “Come in.” Futaba yelled and Sojiro made his way in, with a small smile on his face. “Good morning Futaba. Glad to see you up at a reasonable time when  you don’t have school.”

Futaba always appreciated Sojiro looking after her like this, even though her most depressive and self reclusive phase in her life. Without him he would’ve been dead and she basically owed him with her life really. “I actually got woke up by that loud clap of thunder earlier. Are you heading to work soon?” Futaba inquired since it was around that time that Sojiro would be heading to open up the cafe. She would have that inquiry confirmed. “Yeah, I doubt I’m going to have many customers with this rain though.”

“Well, be careful then. The storm is about to come through and from the looks of it it’s going to be pretty rough. I might show up to get some coffee though. I need caffeine. My sleep stat needs to go down.” She definitely needed some power juice as it were for sure but that could wait for now. “Sure, you be careful as well. Just don’t make too much of a ruckus alright? Last thing I need is something being destroyed by accident.” Sheesh, that was a bit of a thing for sure. “I’m off, behave yourself Futaba.” “Can’t make any promises there Sojiro!”

Watching her father walk out of the room just shaking his head and mumbling to himself she went to do what she normally did, checking social media to see what was going on. There was a lot of political stuff, pertaining to elections and parliament, new laws getting passed and so on. She was also keeping up on the latest video games and what was going on. Plus anytime someone posted Neo feather man fan art she posted it immediately. Because she had to. And she would stare at her intricately placed action figures and just have a big grin on her face.

Something did catch her eye though, there was some juicy rumors about a toy company who was apparently back after going bankrupt. Takatoku Toys. They made toy robots and other things for the market. There were rumors about why they went bankrupt in the first place, and they went down some pretty dark paths. It made her raise an eyebrow. But the thing that really got her attention was the fact that despite it being back, it seemed like there was barely any record of it coming back, and being as popular as it was didn’t make much sense besides brand recognition.

“Huh. This is all new to me.” She decided to look into this because it was intriguing, and as she was doing sweeps of the company and what not something weird was going on. She couldn’t find any record of this company coming back in any capacity. No reports, no filings, nothing. There wasn’t any evidence that this was just a name being used by another company, and none of the last owners of the company were back either cause they were all dead. What the hell was going on? Well, she decided this was definitely worth investigating and decided to contact Ryuji to tell him. And to mess with him

[Text to: Ryuji.]

Futaba: Hey! Are you busy?

Futaba: Ryuji: No Futaba, I’m not.

Futaba: Good. Come over to my house immediately.

Futaba: Careful of the storm of course : ). You Getting zapped would be very inconvenient for me.

She awaited his response while researching some things again. Man, this was quite a conundrum that was for sure. Why was this company so popular? Was it really just brand recognition? That would make sense to an extent but she hadn’t heard anything about it until social media was propping up rumors about the circumstances surrounding it’s return. And that was causing some red flags to pop up in her mind. “We’ll get to the bottom of this toybox.”

17 notes • Posted 2021-03-04 00:10:26 GMT

#3

A Beary Suspicious Shadow

Location: Mementos. Time: ???

“Look Mona all we’re in here for is to scan the new area and then we’re going to leave alright? We’re not going to engage the enemy or anything so we shouldn’t have to worry.” She reassured the not a cat cat that was currently standing beside her in the new path that had just unlocked. Joker was currently busy with work so they decided not to go to mementos today. They were going to go tomorrow though so she wanted to surprise them with knowledge that she wouldn’t otherwise have, which was the general idea of what the shadows were in the area and what the possible layouts of the ever shifting mementos could be.

Summoning Necromonicon she started to scan the area with her powers, checking for shadows that were wandering around and then just seeing what this layout was like. The further they got down within mementos the more of an ominous feeling there was within the area, like the weight of society was pushing on them more and more. Who knew what awaited them at the bottom, and while they were curious, they still had to deal with whatever palaces they could. Which with their notoriety was going to be harder and harder to avoid authorities.

“Hang on Mona there’s something headed our way. It appears to be a shadow but I can’t exactly tell. It’s different from anything that we’ve experienced here. Hopefully it’s not a sign of things to come.” She told Mona who was getting into a battle position. She made her way out of Necronomicon and would watch as what appeared to be a bear? It was very weird, was walking up to the entrance of the area they were in. It didn’t appear to be hostile but both of them were on guard and ready to exit to the entrance of Mementos immediately if it were to strike them.

@bear-tastic

20 notes • Posted 2021-04-29 16:43:10 GMT

#2

"You gave me my life back, so it's my turn to risk my life for you."

Independent Futaba Sakura of the persona series roleplayer. Contains elements From Persona 5/Royal/Strikers/Dancing/Q2, etc.

Blog established February 2021.

10+ years of rp experience (Joined Tumblr 2011, online rping started 2007).

Trans female rper, came out June 16th 2015. 

Detail oriented rper, multi-para replies preferred. Can do short replies and one liners as well. Open to asks. Open to random posts towards my character if we’re mutuals.

Story Arcs spanning multiple rps are frequent here.

Multiple verses for your pleasure. Please check out my verses/tags page for more info.

Slightly selective, open to non mutuals. Open to IMs for planning. Discord available if we’ve talked a bunch and I trust you.

Replies when possible. Don’t bother me about replying unless it’s been more than a week since the last reply.

Shitposts and memes galore. Futaba also demands curry for the curry gods.

Recommended pages to check out before interacting with me:

Muse Info: To get to know basic info about Futaba such as her height.

Headcanons: To know more specific info on how I view Futaba and how she is.

Guidelines: For info regarding the rules to this blog. Very important to read. I don’t do passwords, but please tell me if you’ve read it.

Contact: To get to know more info on me and the various ways you can contact me if needed.

Thanks for reading this promo post! 

23 notes • Posted 2021-07-16 14:44:01 GMT

#1

So, as part of a silly thing from a discord server I'm on, I decided to commission a thing to mess with @revolver-jesus. It's Takaya Sakaki as a catboy. He looks like he lost a bet and was forced to say this stuff. I got this commissioned from the talented Julia on twitter. Totally worth it.

28 notes • Posted 2021-07-25 04:10:25 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[yatorihell]

In The Darkness Chapter 34 - Home

Words: 1,110

Summary: Sakura is saved, and Yato finds a new home.

Previous chapter | First chapter

Thank you Ina (@leopah) for beta-ing me <3

Happy birthday @seisugi!

Read on AO3

How Sakura had managed to escape remained a mystery. When they were asked if they knew anything, Yato and Hiyori simply shrugged.

They told Professor Tenjin about Kugaha, who hadn’t been seen since he managed to escape. It seemed he wouldn’t be returning any time soon now that his cover was blown.

Yukine’s leg had been healed, allowing him to leave the infirmary and join Yato and Hiyori in the privacy of the secret room Yato had abandoned in his third year at Hogwarts. They sunk onto the sofas and Yato and Hiyori explained to Yukine what had happened: their disappearance from the infirmary, how they’d saved Sakura, Yato’s past, and about Hiyori’s Time-Turner.

“So that’s why you kept vanishing!” Yukine pointed an accusatory finger at Hiyori. All the times she had vanished without explanation and brushed their questions away were finally answered.

“Sorry,” Hiyori said sheepishly. She had returned the Time-Turner out of guilt, saying that she couldn’t cope with the workload.

Yukine turned his attention back to Yato with a frown. “So, this Father guy…do you live with him?”

Yato looked taken aback, aware of both Yukine’s and Hiyori’s eyes concentrated on him expectantly. No more secrets.

“I ran away when I got my acceptance letter,” he said. “I stole money, the Nimbus 2000 and the invisibility cloak, and ran.”

Yukine’s eyes slid to Hiyori at the same time as they met his. “Where did you go?”

“The Leaky Cauldron.”

The trio was silent for a moment, drinking in this new information. Hiyori recalled how she encountered Yato in Diagon Alley, clothes dishevelled and eyes shadowed. No wonder. He didn’t have a home to go to.

“What are you going to do this summer?”

Yato shrugged. “Same thing.”

“You can’t live there forever,” Hiyori said. It was harsh, but it was true. Whatever money he had left wouldn’t last him another two years until he graduated, let alone one.

“You can stay with me,” Yukine said before Yato could make an excuse. “If you want…”

Yukine scratched his nose, blushing under the touched look Yato had on his face.

“Really?”

“You’d do the same for me,” Yukine answered simply.

Yato smiled at the floor. “I’d like that.”

“Can I visit you?” Hiyori asked suddenly. She bit her lip when both boys looked at her in surprise. It would be nice if she could see them over the summer. “If you'll have me…”

Yukine smiled, exchanging a look with Yato who looked equally happy at the prospect of her staying with them.

“I think we’d like that.” ~

Following the events of that night, Professor Daikoku’s missed classes and ailing health finally made sense. The rumours circulating the school for the last few day were true. He was a werewolf. Yato wandered up to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom on the final day before they would be sent back home on the Hogwarts Express. Maybe he should apologise. After all, this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t ended up in the Shrieking Shack.

Summer warmed the classroom and sent faded sunlight through the latticed windows as Yato padded across the room, his shoes tapping lightly on the stone staircase which led to the back office. He knocked gently, pushing the door open when he heard Professor Daikoku telling him to come in.

Yato looked around in surprise.

The side wall was stacked with suitcases and old chests, leaving the rest of the office bare except for a few piles of books, and Professor Daikoku, who glanced up at him from his desk. His face was lacerated with claw marks, along with a nasty bite which peeked out from his shirt collar. His skin was pale and weathered, but his eyes were warm and dark.

“You’re leaving?” Yato asked.

Professor Daikoku shuffled the papers in his hand into the briefcase in front of his – the same one from the Hogwarts Express, Yato noticed – before tying it shut. He stood up, walking around the side of the desk before resting his hand on it.

“Someone let slip about my condition,” Professor Daikoku said, “and not many people are keen about a…well, people like me, teaching their children.”

Professor Daikoku knew this and, even though the headmaster would try to quell the parents’ worries, he’d resigned.

He didn’t sound sad as he explained this, like it was just a fact of life, but the forced positivity in his voice told Yato that he was disappointed.

“I’m sorry…” Yato said.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Professor Daikoku brushed the apology away. “I’m not leaving with nothing.”

Yato cocked his head. Professor Daikoku’s eyes glinted and a smirk tugged his stoic expression apart. Yato guessed he meant more than just possessions. His mind flashed to the image of Professor Daikoku back in Hogsmeade over Christmas, seemingly on a date with…

“You and Madame Kofuku…?”

Professor Daikoku let the smile take over his face. He turned around, walking over to a chest and fiddled with the clasp, piling more books into it. “She knows.”

“Oh.”

The rattles of clasps and footsteps filled the room as Yato watched Professor Daikoku – though technically he wasn’t his teacher anymore – pack the last of his things and pick up the battered briefcase.

He stopped in front of Yato, a satisfied smile on his face. “I’m sure we’ll meet again, Yato.”

Professor Daikoku left the room, his footsteps growing distant from Yato, watching him from the small balcony until the door clicked shut behind him.

~

Yato knew without asking that it was Nora who had revealed that Professor Daikoku was a werewolf. Her self-satisfied smile at the King Cross Station after they had arrived back in London as she watched him pretend to ignore her was proof enough.

Hiyori pulled him along by the arm, following Yukine as he made his way to the luggage carriage through the crowds of students reuniting with long-missed friends and family. Their bags bumped each other as they swung them onto the trolley, Coo Phone ruffling his feathers unhappily as he made eye-contact with Hiyori’s owl, sandwiched next to him.

Smiles plastered on their faces as they made their way through the exit one by one. Yukine, and then Hiyori departed, leaving Yato to linger a moment as he faced the portal, hands gripping the trolley.

Nora could carry on thinking she had won, but this year, Yato had gained so much more than she ever would: a family, small and broken, but still good, lessons and teachers he wouldn’t forget, and finally a place to call home.

Now, with somewhere to go and somewhere to return, Yato vanished.   

[roraewrites]

eleven

[ sakura’s secret ] rating: m

// greetings! i’m back home ~

previous | next

She felt her patience growing thin and her eyes rolling more than usual throughout the night. Sakura was always well behaved and attentive to her mother’s feelings, but tonight of all nights, she couldn’t stand the woman.

Maybe it was because her father hadn’t been home in months, or because her family that visited that night had been nothing more than rude, or maybe it was because Mebuki had been picking and prying at Sakura for information on her whereabouts and if she had been seeing ‘the boy’ again.

She rolled her eyes, stood from her seat -- ignoring all the confused and bewildered eyes -- and walked away from her family. She had had enough, and now she would going to spend the rest of her night in her room.

“Sakura, come down here, now,” Mebuki’s voice called from the bottom of the stairs.

She snickered to herself, her emerald green eyes watching exactly where she was going, and slammed the door shut behind her. A flurry of emotions bombarded her mind, tears stinging the corners of her eyes while her hands balled into fists.

It was Wednesday night, she didn’t have school tomorrow, or Friday, and the last thing she wanted, was to be cooped up in her house with no interaction with Sasuke. November was well on its way to being over, and she could feel her time running out with Sasuke. Her subconscious reminded her daily that they would, in fact, get caught.

Instead of curling up in a ball in her bed, she threw her windows open, letting them slam against the siding of her house and allowing the brisk air into her room. The breeze picked up the ends of her pastel locks, blowing them back away from her face, all while she inhaled the chilly air.

When her viridian eyes opened, she glanced down at the ground below her.

“It’s snowing,” she whispered, catching sight of the twinkling flakes that held on to the dead grass and concrete walkway.

While thoughts processed through her head, she had never had the nerves to actually think about sneaking out of her house -- from her window. The roofing that covered their front porch was right at her window, and if she stepped carefully along the tiles, she could make it down the ground with ease.

Instead of considering the idea, she walked away from her window, grabbed her winter boots and her jacket and began her adventure down the house -- but before she got too far down, she hustled back to her room and locked the door.

Sakura maneuvered down the tiles and the siding almost perfectly, until it came time to hop down the side of the house and into the bark that surrounded her home. She knew the jump was roughly nine feet, and due to the cold weather, her feet would sting once she landed on the frozen, hard ground; she took her chances and launched from the roof, only to land with a thud and a slight stumble.

She turned to look at her accomplishment, and with her tongue sticking out and a thumbs down pointed at her house, she began a short jog down the street. Multiple cars lined the road, family members of her neighbors had been visiting, but Sakura didn’t feel bad. She could hear the laughter and the cheers, some TV’s volume had been cranked, and the farther she walked, the colder she began to grow.

Her fingers found the familiar shape of her phone, and within seconds, she held it to her ear and waited for his voice to answer.

“Good evening,” he answered smoothly. Sakura felt her heart beat quickly, her blood running hot.

She regained her composure. “What’re you up to?”

“Just getting home, why?”

“I’m on my way over.”

There was a long pause and Sakura could hear the blood in her body flowing through her ears, making her cheeks hot and her teeth clench. Say something, she thought.

“You said you were going to be with family tonight. What’s going on--”

She cut him off, something she knew she shouldn’t do, but Sasuke would ask a million questions otherwise. “I’m not staying there with them. If you don’t want me to come over, I’ll just go to the library or something.”

A short sigh and -- “where are you?”

“At the school,” she answered with a shiver.

“Give me a few minutes, I’ll be right there.”

She could hear his tone changed drastically, her heart dropping to her stomach. The last time he told her to stay put, she began wandering. This time, she decided she would stay put.

“Okay, Sasuke…” She trailed off, hot tears streaming down her cheeks in the cold grasp of winter.

The dinging of his car began to go off in the background of his side, and soon she could hear his car’s engine hum to life. Suddenly, the call ended and she sat alone, on the stairs in front of her school with the phone to her ear. She sniffled before wiping the tears away and frowning at the lights that lit up the stairs.

It began to snow again, and while Sakura sat huddled up, waiting for her hero to save her -- yet again -- she watched the flakes fall with ease. It was almost unsettling how quiet it was when it snowed in Konoha, but then again, it was also one of the most peaceful things she had ever encountered.

She pulled her hood up over her head and leaned back against the concrete stairs. The snow fell all around her, on her face, her bundled up body, and she felt nothing more than at peace finally. Why did her life have to come crashing down so suddenly? Why was senior year so stressful? Where had her friends gone? Where was she going? What path was she taking?

“Sakura.” His voice pulled her from her thoughts, nabbing her from the grasp of anxiety that pulled at her stomach, her mind.

She shot up, her eyes finding his figure hanging out of his car; ruffled and messy hair looking perfectly imperfect, while he wore a sweatshirt and sweats. “What are you doing lying down?”

“Just waiting,” she hummed before skipping towards him. The familiar door handle under her hand soothed her aching mind, and the way the warmth of his car wrapping around her soul brought her back to earth.

Sasuke shivered after crawling back inside his car, his hand reaching for the knob and turning the fans up.

“Are you sweating?” Sakura asked the moment she looked at him. He responded with a simple frown before turning back and pushing his car into first gear.

“... yes.”

“Are you okay--”

“I was working out,” he snapped almost instantly. She could see the apologetic look in his eyes after suddenly lashing out, but she shrugged it off and looked outside her window.

They were no longer in the parking lot, but driving down the road in silence. Sakura could feel the tension in the car, and as much as she wanted to get out and walk somewhere else, she continued to brood from her side of the car.

“I miss my dad,” she finally started. The lump that formed in her throat could’ve choked her, but she swallowed it down and resisted the tears that wanted to fall. Tonight had been one hell of a night for her, emotionally.

Sasuke pulled up at their first stop light and waited for it to turn green. He didn’t say anything, only sat in silence, waiting for her to say more. Sakura wasn’t sure what to say, but she pulled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes.

“He hasn’t been home since May,” she spoke quietly into her knees. “I love my mom to the moon and back, but lately she’s been uptight and not the same.”

It was like her life was slowly falling apart, piece by piece, and the only sort of happiness she found was with Sasuke. Even that was a part of her life that would eventually fall, considering the dangerous game they had been playing lately. She leaned her head back against the headrest and felt her eyes begin to sting again. Slowly but surely, the streams of tears began to roll over her cheekbones and fall to the fabric of her winter jacket.

Sakura had his attention now, the tension in the car melting instantly. He pulled off the main road, parked his car and unbuckled his seatbelt. Sakura frowned at his movements, and when he got out and walked around the front and to her side, the tears fell harder. Sasuke pulled her door open and leaned in, unbuckled her seatbelt and slid her out from the confines of the car.

“What are you doing--” she asked from in between sobs. “I can walk home from here.”

“Sakura,” his voice warned, and she hadn’t noticed how much she missed hearing him, considering she had put him in a bad mood. “Stop.”

Sakura became quiet, her eyes on the snowy ground before her and the pair of sweats that Sasuke had on. Her hands balled into fists, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. Why was everything spiralling out of control?

His warm hand came to rest on her chin, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. His eyes were tired, holding sadness and an anger that hid underneath the black in his eyes. Sakura didn’t speak, she only waitedwaitedwaited, until finally his lips pressed to her forehead and she could feel the world stop around her.

The cold snow that fell around them melted, seizing the falling temperature do the night air, and the city streets became quiet, the cars that resided on the streets moved no more, and Sakura could only see Sasuke in her evergreen eyes.

“Don’t keep these emotions bottled up.” She could hear the serious tone in his voice, picked up on the way he still held her chin and stayed close to her. He wanted to scold her, tell her not to do something, but knowing damn well that she would do it anyways.

Sakura nodded before leaning towards him, resting her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around his back. His body was becoming familiar to her; each toned muscle and each curve of his body. Like a map, she was learning and she was wanting to make memories all over his body.

With their night passing by quickly, she began to feel exhausted once her tears were wiped clean from her face and she got back in the car with Sasuke. “Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Not really.” Because she had been eating dinner with her mother and family before they rudely pushed her away with their constant questions and constant insults, constant nagging and constant glares. She frowned at the thought. “Ice cream sounds good, though.”

Sasuke’s head turned towards her, his dreamy eyes finding her and a ghost of a smirk lifting at the corner of his lips. “You are aware it’s snowing out and it’s cold, right?”

“So?” Sakura answered with a sweet smile.

He sighs before shaking his head and looking forward. He turns his car down a street -- Sakura doesn’t see the name -- and pulls into a parking lot that she’s never been to before. The place that they’re parked at now looks plain, a small building with unnatural light flooding through the windows. It’s bright and spirit lifting, and the moment Sakura steps from the car, she can smell the sweet scent riding along the winter breeze.

“Do you want any?” Sakura asks before closing the door behind her.

He simply shakes his head before she shuts the door and skips inside. There’s a couple employees behind the counter that greet her with a smile, and one that’s mopping the floors by the tables they have. Her eyes find the glass that cases all the many flavors of  ice cream, and when she finds the kind she’s looking for, an ear to ear grin spreads wildly.

“Two scoops of pistachio almond on a waffle cone, please!”

It only takes a minute for the employee to get her ice cream ready, but when it is, she takes one solid swipe with her tongue and lets the sweet taste melt in her mouth. Sakura pays before walking out the door, and when she sees Sasuke’s car -- waiting for her -- she feels her heart beat a little faster and her feet carry her towards him.

“What’d you get?” He asks as she steps inside and sits down.

“Only the best,” she smiles and takes another lick. Sasuke only shakes his head before a soft smile makes its presence known. “Pistachio almond.”

“Feel better?” He asks, his voice shallow and eyes intent on watching her eat her ice cream.

Sakura nods her head in response and continues licking away at it.

“Good. Don’t make a mess,” his sarcastic tone makes her smile again, and before she knows it, they’re pulling out of the parking lot and moving down the road with the rest of the cars that take up the road.

She feels safe with him, happy, free, and when he pulls into the parking lot at the building that he lives at, she felt a wave of ecstasy wash over her body and fill her with excitement. Spending time with Sasuke has gotten easier, and while she follows him through the building doors and up to the elevator, her phone vibrates.

Sakura’s fingers fish the phone from her pocket, and she feels a little bit of happiness mixed with sadness course through her body. A text from Ino.

Where are you? Your mom just called and asked if you were here.

She shoves the phone back in her pocket, walks onto the elevator and waits for the doors to close behind her. Sasuke slouches next to her, his hair a wild mess while his face is covered in sweat and dirt. He looks tired, Sakura notices, and when he’s under the light of the elevator, she can see the lavender bags that perch under his eyes.

“If you’re tired, I can go--”

His obsidian eyes shoot to her, his lips pressed in a firm line, while the single word “no,” presses out. Sakura nods and the elevator dings once they’ve reached his floor. Sakura knows where to go, knows his room number and just how clean his condo will be. She knows more about Sasuke as time passes on, and when they reach his door and he pushes it open, she walks inside and inhales the air.

A wave of nostalgia crosses over her, reminding her of the first time she had been here with him. His hand reaches around her back, landing on her hip while he walks by her, his smirk as gorgeous as ever and eyes as dark as night glance back at her.

“I’m going to shower now,” he speaks in a hoarse voice. Sakura nods her head before taking a seat on his sofa and flicking the television on. Her viridian eyes watch the characters on screen, and when she pulls her phone from her pocket once more, there’s a text from Naruto.

Hey. Where ya at?

Sakura knows that her mother called him, because he wouldn’t be texting her out of the blue, and ask her where she was. The last time she had even texted Ino or Naruto had been weeks ago. Before she can place her phone back in her pocket, her mother is calling.

It pulls at Sakura’s heart, but she silences the vibrating and puts her phone on the armrest of the couch. She can hear that Sasuke’s shower is done, and he ruffles around from down the hallway. When he emerges, her heart beats quickly, a little too painfully, and her eyes fall on his chiseled pectorals. He’s shirtless, a different pair of sweats clinging to his hips while his hair is damp and messier than ever.

His skin looks better, his eyes still holding onto exhaustion while he leans against the wall. “What’re you watching?”

Sakura swallows hard before her wide, evergreen eyes flash to the TV screen and back to him, scared that he’ll vanish if she doesn’t keep an eye on him. Her blood runs hot through her body now, and she can feel the burning sensation in her cheeks.

“Not sure,” she spits out. “Just waiting for you to get done.”

“Hn,” he replies with a soft smirk. He looks entirely inviting in the way he stands, and when he crossed his arms over his chest, Sakura finds his biceps raise and she wants to touch them, feel his soft, showered skin against her own.

Her breaths come out short but fast, and when he walks towards her and sits next to her, an overpowering wave of cinnamon and smoke clashes and she’s left drunk on his scent. Her phone begins to vibrate once more, but she silences it and turns it off.

“Who’s that?” His question sounds over the sound of the television, and Sakura scoffs.

“Nobody.”

.

.

.

It’s one in the morning by the time Sasuke falls asleep next to her. He had pulled her over to him, her head resting on his shoulder while his arm wrapped around her waist. Sasuke held her close, and Sakura enjoyed being that close to him.

They spoke quietly throughout the movie he had put on, a small kiss here and there, but ultimately, they sat embraced in one another’s arms.

It was dark, despite the low glow from the rolling credits, but as Sakura reached for the remote to flick the TV off, Sasuke’s hand caught hers.

“Are you staying the night?” He asked in a groggy, exhausted voice.

Sakura thinks about her answer before nodding her head. “If you want me to.”

He doesn’t answer her directly, but his arm around her tightens and pulls her closer. Her smile grows, and her face nuzzles into the crook of his neck.

She falls asleep in his arms, and him under her body. When Sakura wakes up at six the following morning, light floods in from the windows and Sasuke is still holding onto her. His breaths are long and drawn out, his chest rising and falling slowly and Sakura can’t help but feel her heart fall for him.

[aleatoryalarmalligator]

My life story - part 14

7th GRADE - beginning of

A few weeks before 7th grade started for me, my mother moved out of the Welfare Apartments – as my father called them, and into Roxanne's father's upstairs. Roxanne moved into the basement. It was the same home he had always lived in. The same home she had married him in nearly 20 years before. So I imagine it was strange. He was getting sicker. I am not sure what he had. Cancer I think. His feet were always swelling up. Because he was a dying drunk nobody came around. He had at one time many drinking friends, but this is generally always what happens to drunks when they die. Everyone disappears, all the fair weather friends – unless they are family and they are looking for money. I think my mom was probably considering this situation as having potential for her own self.

I had always been afraid of Roxanne's father and I tried to stay away from him. The house was creepy as fuck, by the way. I have talked about ghosts off and on in this story of mine so far. I have more ghosts stories yet to unfold. But I will tell you one thing. This house had something very wrong in it. You just felt sick energy in this place. I mostly hung out in the upstairs room, and I started drawing. I had pretty much conquered the Alien Girls by this time. I had created a legendary fantasy map of their entire continent. We made all the places where our millions of girls could live. Fire people lived in the fire area. Tree people lived in the Forest Realm – ecetera ecetera. I ended up finding this big box of bad 70's porn in the closet. I remember finding this magazine that had a closeup of a vagina. I stared at it forever, trying for the life of me to figure out what I was looking at. It was like the eye of a disturbing space alien from an 80's television show, at least I thought so – until it dawned on me. The box of magazines disturbed me more than it made me curious, and I put the magazine away.

There was another room upstairs that was entirely dedicated to Dick's love for pornography I was told later from Roxanne. I never went in there. After a few weeks of this, I told my mom I didn't really want to be there anymore and I was given permission to just stay at my father's during the weekend until she figured out another place to stay. It was at the edge of town – closer to this wheat field area called Tammany. You always felt like something was angry and glaring at you. It just felt weird to be in this dying man's home with evil spirits.

It was my birthday on the 25th of August. I have always resented the date of my birth, because in my part of the world it's hot and dry and awful. And school starts generally if not on that very day – then a few days before or after. This means that most of my birthday presents are actually school supplies. I don't know how many pencil holders I have unwrapped. How many rulers, eraser sets. It's a little disappointing, especially when you get older and you become privy to the shtick.

On the 25 of August, 2001, in a rare turn of events, I was invited to Samantha's home for a sleepover. This did not happen often. Sam didn't really like me, so I didn't get invited over that often. Also, her father just didn't give Sam any breaks at all. He was an alcoholic lawyer (strangely, Dick whom I mentioned above had also been an alcoholic lawyer), and her life was micromanaged. Her grandma lived in another part of the trailer court, and she had nothing better to do than to call Sam from across the way every thirty minutes to make sure Sam was NEVER wasting time. Her father made her work in the garden – they had a rather large garden you could see from the highway, and with that money what he didn't pocket he put in her college savings. Samantha, as the only girl in the house was everyone's maid. She was to keep her room absolutely spotless. Her father's room and her brother's room as well. Her grades had to be 95% or higher or she was grounded. Almost everything she did would cause her to be grounded. There were times when she was staying the night at Sarah's and her father would randomly call and be yelling at her over the phone and make her come home. Her life was so unfair. I know my dad was abusive towards me at times. But honestly, I probably suffered from a lack of structure more than I did an overabundance of authoritarian rigidity.

So it was unusual that I was invited for several reasons, but I was. And it was my birthday so I thought, 'why not?' I was warned that Samantha's fourth cousin – Katie was visiting. Katie, as I was told, was actually in the class above me, but I had never paid great attention to the kids in the class above. I was warned that Katie would be rough with me. And she was. As soon as I got there, she said things like “Who the fuck are you?”. She was very tomboyish. She didn't say things in the valley girl snotty way you might imagine, but more like a trucker who you had pissed off in some dive bar somewhere between here and South Dakota. When we were playing Pokemon Stadium 2, and I was winning at Chansey Egg Catching – or whathaveyou (of course I would win because I had dedicated the previous two years to Pokemon), she called me a bitch and threw the controller at me. I didn't take this all that personal. I was told that this was just the way that Katie was towards new people. But once she liked me, she would be a loyal friend. I shrugged the whole thing off. I wasn't particularly interested in a friend like that.

Sarah-Mae really wanted me to make a good 'cool' impression of myself in our new positions as 7th graders. 7th graders are always given kind of an unfair time. I imagine this is just as true in the 40's as it is today. Everyone scoffs at them. But I mean, at some point everyone has to be a 7th grader, and there has to be a bottom to the school. Not everyone can be a senior. I probably made a terrible impression though, because my mom had these hippie tunics with wild hippie designs on them. I really liked them. I remember being so excited when my mom was packing and she gave them to me. I had always looked at them in her clothing drawer, and always thought they were really cool. They were comfortable, and they actually fit me. And they had all those colors. The rest of the school made a big deal about them though. I guess they bordered on absurd, and each day I wore them Sarah and Samantha made sure I knew that I looked really bad. Peer pressure finally had the best of me, and I put them away for good after a few months.

At the peak of drawing Alien Girls, Sarah and I decided as a group to stop drawing them. The thing was, their eyes were so large and on the side of their heads. You got the very good impression that their eyes swooped around the other side of their skulls, in behind their hair. There was no clear indication that they had a real nose and their mouths were super low. They had no cheekbones. They were designed from the imagination of an eight year old girl, and it would be hard to improve as an artist if I carried on with them. On one angle, they were drawable. But you could never make them look reasonably okay from the side, or at any other angle. Their anatomy left more questions than answers.

So, Sarah had been watching Card Captures Sakura, and I got really intrigued by anime, so we started drawing that instead. My first comic idea was pretty lousy. It was the typical three school girl deal – based on me Sarah and Samantha kind of, where they all get swept into a magic place after school and had to fight evil monsters. I was extremely jealous of Sarah's comic. On one hand, I had always been very good at designing clothes and pretty faces. My first story was no good, but overall, my story lines were more compelling and my character profiles were better developed. But Sarah had a much better concept of drawing movement and facial expressions. She could draw wings, and she could do interesting shadowing. There was something about her art itself that gave it more life than my art did. I grew pretty jealous of her art actually, and this feeling of inferiority set me back quite a few years in the long run. We kept drawing together though.

Sarah's mom moved into a new bigger home. It was an old home, not as old as mine was, but pretty old. It was at the top of the hill that I lived at the bottom of. It was next door to where that old man, Bucky used to live. The back patio looked down over a steep ledge that led one hundred feet more or less straight down  to the main road towards the end of town. You could also see the Junior/Senior high school from there (they were one in the same since the community was small). There were rumors that a native American girl had fallen to her death on that ledge in the 20's, and when I looked out the window and really thought about it, I worried that something might erode under the house and cause the building to topple down the cliff.

The house had been the Browns house, so it was a bit gross at first and had to be cleaned up a fair amount. Carol had always been good at renovating places though, so she got it cleaned up quite nicely. My niece, Sagen's uncle on her father's side had killed himself in the front yard we were told back in the 80's. So the place carried with it a sense of disaster. Most of the time it was peaceful, but there were some strange things that happened later on that I will get to at a later time.

Sarah's mom also got a new steady boyfriend. His name was Jim. He was this quiet nervous little man with a round face and a Santaesque beard. Like Carol, he was really into old antiques. He lived in this little hut thing that was part of a brick building in the back streets of Kendrick. He fixed cars to get by in a garage next to his hut. He also did some kind of work out in the woods, but I was never sure what that was. His dream was to someday go prospecting and find a rare precious Idaho gem that would set him up for life. He collected lots of old stuff. He was borderline a hoarder. There was old things all over the outside and inside of his little building. His claim to fame was that he had at one time owned one of the very first Indian motorcycles, and he had sold it to Jay Leno. So Jay Leno had come to our little town. He moved in with Carol when they got together, but he still kept his little hut.

My dad around this time started worrying that I was spending too much time around a 'liberal' adult. My father being a republican, was not too pleased with the fact that Carol was a liberal. In his mind, he seemed to think that she actually had the will and want to indoctrinate me to her political beliefs. My dad listened to conservative talk radio all day. I think in his mind, the world was getting very black and white. In all reality, Carol really wasn't the kind of person to even consider it important. And if she had any will or want to indoctrinate me with anything, I believe she would have indoctrinated me with the common sense not to stomp and speak loudly after she went to bed around 7:00 pm – insanely early, or to wipe my feet before I came into the house. Or perhaps to put my dishes away.

It was the fall of 2001 that my dad got our first computer. Up to that point, I hadn't really known what the internet was. I had heard that it existed, but given that what interested me was mostly doing things in the real world, what I could put on paper or read off one, I didn't see the point in it. My father was given a used computer from my Uncle Bob, who, given his position as a regional super attendant's super attendant, was well familiar with computers and wanted to be able to communicate with our family more. So he gave us his old Window's 98.

My dad actually went to these really corny classes, with the corniest how-to manuals on how to use the computer in the most basic of ways. We went to a local woman's house who facilitated the classes. We actually had to be told that the thing that we used to move the cursor on the screen was called a 'Mouse'. I remember as they told us this, I looked out the window, and there was a cat in their drive way torturing and slowly eating a you guessed it – a mouse. So from then on, I have always associated the computer mouse with that tortured mouse I saw that fall evening of 2001. I had used computers and all, I just hadn't known that the computer mouse was called that.

At first all I really understood was my father's email address. So I figured that you sent letters to someone every single day – that must be something you should do. I started writing my Aunt Sylvia. I didn't really know her at all. I decided to make up this fantasy tale about these brothers and sisters who all had these magic powers and had to get back their places as princes and princesses. She really liked it, and I think this was probably because, though I didn't know it at the time, my aunt Sylvia was obsessed with fairies. Her job was to design those kind of corny fairies that sparkle that people used to put on their websites or personal pages. I also looked at every single Pokemon site I could find. I distinctly remember this website with terrible graphics. You basically just put Pokemon on a frying pan and fried them up. It wasn't really graphic, and it looked more like colors smooshing together. I also found every cheat for my gameboy, and I essentially ruined the game for myself by having too much power.

Samantha had started going to chat rooms to talk to boys. I didn't see the appeal to this at all, but since Samantha was doing it, and Sarah had done it a few times, I decided to do it too. I was the absolute worst. I went into these chat rooms, and I didn't want to tell them I was a twelve year old, so I lied about my age. When they asked me questions, I told them really dumb stupid things. I generally didn't do anything productive or say anything meaningful. I more often than not, would go into a chatroom and do something like say the same stupid word over and over again till everyone in the chatroom was gone. I don't know why I did this really. Once again, power trip I guess.

When I witnessed the first pop-up telling me that we had won a million dollars, I believed it. I remember feeling shocked and almost frightened. I got up and told my father the news. He laughed and let me know that it was just an ad. Again, I also believed the Nigerian Queen who needed to funnel money into the US or something like that. I wholeheartedly believed that queen was in need of help and we would be rewarded handsomely for our troubles. I think my father wanted to believe it, but in the end knew better. I also immediately took to MS Paint. I started drawing pictures to explain my entire day. Usually just three or four moments of the day that really stood out. Like, I forgot to do my homework, or I tripped and fell. I eventually had hundreds of pictures illustrating my life. When we had gotten our first virus, my father deleted all my pictures, foolishly believing that having too many paint pictures saved was somehow the cause of it.

One of the problems I sort of caused with these pictures was – I think I must have had a lot of pent up anger and resentments for Sarah and Samantha by this time. For years, they had told me I was ugly, stupid, annoying. I had been told to shut up I don't know how many times. I felt embarrassed by my very existence. I always felt there was something wrong with me. I distinctly remember Sarah telling someone else that I was more of her dog than someone she would consider a friend. I just carried this ball of self loathing and anger with me at all times. When I was given the power over the computer, I used it to draw ugly versions of both of them. I drew Sarah with a point banana nose and tiny little slanted eyes. I highlighted the fact that she had zits like me, only her's were tiny and colorless, but I made sure that the illustration I did of her came with a magnifying glass to highlight this underlooked fact. With Samantha, I made her eyes bulgy and boyish. I made it so her brain only thought of math. Her face was spotted like a pizza. I drew one of myself – ugly as well, with chubby cheeks, frizzy hair, double chin, stupid big lips and zits as well. These pictures were mean, but I took strange joy in making them. I showed them to Sarah and Samantha. They were upset. I think Sarah almost cried. I think these pictures probably reflected a certain resentment that I wasn't even conscious of at the time. I didn't understand why they were upset. I had gotten very used to their insults. It seemed strange to me that when I found my own way of doing it back to them. I didn't have to say mean things. I could just draw it instead.

My very favorite thing to do though, was to look at anime pictures on a website that doesn't exist anymore. I can't really imagine it now, though I am on tumblr all day sometimes so I should probably not be that shocked with myself, but I honestly loved nothing better than to stare at the same twenty or so anime pictures all day. I somehow didn't tire of this at all. I remember also that I fell in love with the first – and aside from Jack the Skeleton when I was very young- only complete and total cartoon character. It was the main male protagonist on a show called Escaflowne. I never watched the show till I was way older, and I was disappointed and annoyed at the animation when I finally did see it – couldn't even finish the first episode, but for some reason just from seeing some fanart I was totally into this dude – don't know his name now and don't care to look it up. Now, as an adult, and as someone who can draw anime a little bit but doesn't want to anymore, I try very hard not to judge all the young nerdy teenagers who are in love with anime characters and go about drawing them in romantic settings all the time. I try very hard not to judge, but I generally fail and I judge them anyway. However, I have had a few times in my life when I got really interested in anime. I think those spells are over for me now – we'll see. I loved these anime pictures so much that I sometimes would check out and go home early on days when my father wasn't home just so I could have extra time to look at these pictures.

In the eyes of some, this was the beginning of the end for me. I have been addicted to the internet ever since. I found an escape ladder out of reality, into a world with unlimited information and inspiration, where the painful biting reality had lost it's edge, and I was heightened somehow into an ethereal version of the world that I could make for myself. A place where I could express myself freely, or find just about anything I needed, and somewhere that I could avoid feeling anxious. I could be a new person, or a better version of myself. I would go on and off with having access to the internet throughout my young life, but ultimately, I became an addict the second I figured this all out.

A week before our classes started at the new big school, we went to this orientation. We had this freakish man at the time as our principal. I am not the only person who thought he bore a striking resemblance to Hitler. It was hard at the time for most people not to see the comparisons. He had the same mustache. He was twitchy and tried very hard to be commanding, though it came off weak and stiff. He would follow up with nervous laughter. Much thinner than Hitler, and less angry. He wasn't Hitler. That isn't a fair analogy. It is almost never fair to compare someone to Hitler. His name was Mr. Hendrickson. Naturally, he didn't grow too fond of me over the years.

I had to give up band. I really loved playing the bass drum. Was I great? No. I was okay. I had played the instrument for two or three years. Samantha was the snare drummer, and she actually was very talented. And it was the one thing that Samantha and I had in common. She ordinarily didn't like me, but when we played drums in the back of our band practices every other day, we were basically friends just as we had been as kindergartners. I had wanted to stay in high school band, but there was already a bass drummer and he had seniority over me. Plus, he actually was talented. I was not particularly talented. Samantha was accepted as a drummer, and Sarah – who had always played the clarinet stayed in band. They tried to put me in choir – but I protested, which was understandable since the very thought of singing in a group was horrendously embarrassing to me. The eventually put me in a Study Skills class.

Study Skills was run by a very tall square headed, plain looking man who had this threatening vibe, but was probably the calmest and most boring fellow who ever worked in that school. Mr. Forestman. The only thing that seemed to get his goat was when you called him Mr. Foreskin. He was actually just the basketball coach. He just overlooked the Study Skills class as an extra detail. We were given planners. All we had to do was demonstrate that we used our daily planners and the rest of the time we could use to do homework or to chat. It was in this class that I got to learn the more juicier details of my classmate's lives, and the lives of different kids in the school in general. There was a group of boys, and a group of girls. I sat alone at the weird person table in the corner by myself and drew. He didn't like it when I drew, and would tell me to stop sometimes. I am pretty sure I didn't use any of this time wisely. I would mostly listen to them gossip. I had no idea my classmates were having so much drama. I had been caught so deep in my own Alien Girl – anime girl land that I didn't realize.

One day this crazy fellow walked into the Study Skills class. I had heard him being talked about for years of my life. Everyone said he was crazy. And yet, I had never actually taken a look at him before – at least not consciously. I wasn't even sure if he was a student or not at first. His name as people called him was Double D. His real name was Daniel. But almost nobody but a few of the more sensitive teachers called him by his real name. He had facial expressions that were always shocking. His mouth stretched across the entirety of his face. His eyes were giant and bulged and black. He never seemed to blink. He spoke in a loud overly pronouncing voice. It was the voice that someone would make if they were to imitate a geek, only more extreme. He used phrases you might hear an elderly person make. Like, you knew the phrase, but nobody in high school would ever describe something in that way. Every single thing about this guy was weird. His movements seemed unnatural. He also wore women's matching sweaters and sweater pants. And he had a cape. He wore a cape half the time he came to school. He also had one of those small cd holders you put on the mirror holder thing in your car. He wore it on his hand like a super hero. And when he went through the hall way between classes, it was really something else.

He came in this one day, and I could barely believe this guy existed. He claimed that he was psychic, and had telekinetic powers. He told people this daily. He also said he was a karate master. And he was a super saiyan. He really believed these things were true. It was weird seeing this guy. Of course I judged him, but he was alarming and I didn't feel the need to give him problems. There were plenty of people in the school and in the town who liked to pick on him. It was strange because up to that point I had been somewhat certain that I was the biggest freak. Apparently, compared to some I was normal, painfully. Double D came in when the teacher wasn't there this early evening. He challenged a boy in my class, Corey to 'BE A MAN' and to fight him to the death. Double D warned him in all loud seriousness with not a tinge of humor in his facial expression that he could explode Corey's mind. I remember Double D went on to do some kind of strange air kick. It was truly a sight to behold. Corey ducked Double D's strange movements laughing boyishly and hysterically. All the boys were laughing. The cheerleader girls in the other corner laughed nervously. I just stared on in disbelief. This was my first, and not last introduction to Double D in the years as a high school student. So this guy was the school freak. I would always be one of the weird ones for sure, but this guy would always outdo me.

I didn't really know how to feel about high school. Technically it was still junior high. And we were still taking a few classes at the elementary school for some reason. But since the junior and senior high schools were one in the same, it was strange to be in this new atmosphere. The teachers seemed a little more lenient. Teachers in the elementary school were a bit caught up in their positions. You got the feeling that they didn't trust you to be able to tie your own shoes. They were very controlling. If they had to deal with the older kids in this climate, they would have lost their minds. Between classes was pure chaos. There was one hallway and everyone's lockers were on it. For someone with the anxiety that I had, it was hard for me to even think straight. It was basically like being dunked into freezing water every forty-five minutes. I was always in a state of shock. The fear I felt when I at first could not find my locker was unbearable. It was hard to believe that I had made it this far. Roxanne and Maria had gone to school here. But it always had seemed to me that I would always be a child, and the day where I too was to do my time as a high school student would never come. Strange too, the seniors were all enormous to me still. The hallway smelled like football player sweat – quite unpleasant, random smells of perfume, books, the smell from the lunch room of the cheapest food imaginable, generally something brown in a big vat with gravy on it. And underneath that, for me at least, I could smell anticipation, fear, sex, chaos, the thoughts of thousands of people who had come before – not just the students that were there then. I was overwhelmed. It was all too much. Too many people. I figured it out somehow, almost.

The one thing I did like about this new high school thing was after school every Thursday, from 3:15 when the school bell rang till somewhere between five and seven – we got to go to Art Club. Art Club was ran by a woman named Ms. Fiske. She never really liked me all that much, but she seemed okay with me. She really enjoyed Sarah more. This didn't actually bother me, despite my inferiority issues at the time. Mrs. Fiske was extremely unstable. You could tell by the way she laughed. Her moods were up or down. She would get mad and she would frantically begin talking in a way that nobody could understand. Once a month she would scream and cry at us when we took art class. But Art Club was totally worth it. You could never really hate Ms. Fiske because she had set up a place where I sort of belonged. She was more than generous with her supplies as well. We never had to pay for anything. She brought cookies and soda, and we would listen to music and make art. The canvases were free, the paint was free, the freaking clay was free, and there was a kiln we could use and that was also free. Sarah and I would go every Thursday. Usually it would be about five to ten other students. Generally they were either older art nerds, or maybe even a football player or a girl's basketball girl who had a secret artsy side.

It was one thing I really did enjoy. Several times in my years at that school, the principals and teachers tried to ban me from being able to go to Art Club, but they never succeeded. For this, I really didn't care if Ms. Fiske secretly didn't like me or get my art. I mean, I think it bothered me later on a little. But it was never that bad because she made Art Club happen.

To be continued. And if you are interested in this and want to catch up, here are the other parts i have written thus far.

PART 13 - http://tinyurl.com/yalanq9s

PART 12 - http://tinyurl.com/yc79mw94

PART 11 - http://tinyurl.com/yc9qhj84

PART 10 - http://tinyurl.com/yb734w24

PART 9 - http://tinyurl.com/yc2t6vfw  

PART 8 - http://tinyurl.com/ybl37utq

PART 7 - http://tinyurl.com/ybvo283g

PART 6 - http://tinyurl.com/kbc9dwu

PART 5 - http://tinyurl.com/msnz4am

PART 4 - http://tinyurl.com/k9x8esg

PART 3 - http://tinyurl.com/mwp9atx

PART 2 - http://tinyurl.com/lbt6xq2

PART 1 - http://tinyurl.com/l8xbvg8