#the dead silence after Takeda mentions finals

[bnesszai]

"Hinata i hate to bring this up but do i really look like someone who got good grades?"

[blue-and-dog]

The Beast in the Mountains (A Sengoku Basara One-Shot)

Note: This story is centered around my fanon that, post-Sekigahara, Mitsunari and his family fled into the mountains to live in hiding for several years before his death. A wife is mentioned, but for the sake of this story I keep her ambiguous so you readers who have an OC shipped with him can just slap her in there. :D Shiranui’s profile is here.

TW: BLOOD, ANIMAL ATTACK

[[MORE]]

“That’s a good size fire; try and keep it like that for now.”

The group of men sat around the small fire; four dirty, tired, ragged men on the run from proper society, obscured by the darkness of the mountain’s dense forest, barely illuminated by the small fire. Sadanobu continued.

“Any brighter and we risk attracting animals. I’m already worried about smoke flowin’ through the treetops.”

“With how thick these trees are?” Gaku chuckled, “I’m surprised the moonlight even gets through here. We’ll be fine. We just gotta make sure to put it out before we call it a night.”

“You sure no one’ll find us up here?” Naofumi asked, as usual fidgeting with his hands out of anxiety.

“Relax, I did some scoping out of the town not far from these mountains,” Matazaemon shook his head, “They’re superstitious folk. Somethin’ about an old legend saying there’s a guardian spirit that lives on this mountain. People who go too high up the mountain end up in its territory and meet a horrible fate or some shit like that. That’s why I wanted to set up the camp so high up.”

“Besides, we’re not staying long...” Sadanobu pulled out the thick sack from behind him, “We gotta get to my guy in Kyoto and pawn all this off.”

Another successful heist for the unlikely group of criminals; two army deserters, a farmer and a gambler, able to pool their strengths and successfully rob their way across the East. Traveling nobles, temples, inns—nothing was safe. The country was a mess—they were just taking the opportunity to help themselves.

“That last temple was hidin’ some good loot!” Gaku said excitedly, “I still can’t believe how lucky we got! Lemme see again!”

Sadanobu rolled his eyes, but smiled and passed the bag to Gaku, who excitedly opened it, tilting it toward the light of the fire to see the inside; the head of the gold Buddha glittered back at him. “We got enough goodies in here to eat like kings for weeks!”

“Man, I haven’t eaten a decent meal since the Toyotomi...” Sadanobu sighed and leaned back. “It’ll be nice...”

“Hey, yeah, you were a Toyotomi guy!” Matazaemon laughed, “I was Oda! I know your pain.”

“You’re kidding! You don’t strike me as an Oda guy.”

“And you don’t strike me as a Toyotomi!” he cackled back, as the two howled in laugher. Gaku and Naofumi chuckled along.

“You know, you two never talked about your army days,” Naofumi pointed out, “We got time—why not start now?”

“It’s really nothin’ much,” Matazaemon shook his head, digging through another bag to grab a rice ball and start distributing them amongst the group, “I joined up so my old man didn’t have to, wound up havin’ to do a lot of killing and burning and pillaging that I really never wanted to do. Watched all the major generals shining above everyone else, while the foot soldiers were trampled beneath them. Date, Takeda, Uesugi...they were the kind of guys that really made war seem like a fun time.”

“I know what you mean,” Gaku replied, “They made it look like something we should aspire to. I almost joined up with Date myself, but...when folks from the Date came around enlisting able-bodied men, I took off so my mom wouldn’t have to see her only son die for the sake of some egotist who just wanted more land for himself. I wonder how she’s doing...?”

“That’s the thing about these generals and daimyo,” Naofumi shrugged, “They shine brighter by standing on the backs of their soldiers.”

“Oda was a complete monster, though,” Matazaemon grumbled. “All of his inner circle were. Moment I got news Akechi killed him, I took the opportunity to turn tail while everyone was scrambling around. Never looked back.”

“Similar to my story,” Sadanobu nodded, “Hideyoshi was a creep...even standing near him put me on edge. And his supporters weren’t any better.” He leaned forward, looking down into the fire. “I remember one day, when I was training...apparently his general, Ishida, didn’t think I was making enough progress. By some mercy, he kept his sword sheathed, but he beat me with the sheathed weapon in some twisted attempt to strengthen me. All it did was strengthen my resolve to get the hell out of there soon as I could. Glad he’s dead.”

“Is he, though?” Naofumi raised an eyebrow. “I thought it wasn’t confirmed.”

“He and his family were in Osaka castle when some folks raided it after he lost Sekigahara. The whole place went up in flames; there’s no way an impulsive guy like that had any escape plan to get out of there undetected. There were so many burnt corpses in the castle afterward once the fire was under control; he had to be among them. He wouldn’t have run. He never ran.”

Naofumi closed his eyes in thought. “Maybe. There’s always a chance.”

“Don’t even start. I don’t wanna think about the possibility that that asshole’s still out there somewhere. And even if he is...he’d never willingly show his face again.”

The wind seemed to whisper above them. And a rumbling came from the woods around them.

“What was that?” Naofumi looked up, now apprehensive.

“Probably just an animal attracted to the light,” Gaku reached toward the fire, grabbing a burning hunk of wood from it as he stood up. “Wave this around a little bit and they’ll be gone. I’ll do it.”

Gaku turned from the group, heading through the brush, waving the burning wood around to light his path. Big, dramatic steps and stomps to intimidate whatever was near, his companions watching from afar.

Then, his head perked up, as if he spotted something. But before he could speak a word, he let out a choked-off cry, the flame dropping and going out.

“Gaku!” Matazaemon cried out as the group stood up, on high alert. Then, the loud thumps of quick but heavy footsteps, and a vicious bark and snarl, as a large, white blur lunged forward, biting Matazaemon by the arm; the force knocked him to the ground as he felt the arm pop out of place. He howled a mix of pain and fear.

Naofumi stared in shock and horror at the large wolf now viciously yanking Matazaemon to and fro like a rag doll, blood soaking its teeth and maw. But Matazaemon’s screams finally snapped him to attention as he pulled out his knife, plunging it toward the beast’s side in a panic.

He missed the stab, but the blade did slice the wolf’s side, as it let go of his friend and instantly turned on him; its jaw snapped open, going for his throat, and as he fell back, he looked to Sadanobu for help.

But Sadanobu had fled. Even as the wolf snarled and tore into him, Naofumi could hear footsteps approaching, and hear something slice into Matazaemon, silencing his howls of agony.

Sadanobu blindly pushed his way through the brush, his face a mix of fear, of terror, of snot and spit, while he tried to process that he was alone now, on this mountain, at night.

The Beast of the Mountain was real! That was no ordinary wolf! That thing...that thing was a monster! So fast, so strong! He had to leave its territory.

He had to get down the mountain.

He tripped in his panic, falling and rolling a ways, before finally sliding to a stop, staring up at the break in the treetops to see the moon. He began to sit up, but froze.

Footsteps. Two feet.

He began to hyperventilate, wondering if the beast had changed form, to come after *him.*

But the moon began to make his pursuer visible. And he could see those thin, angry eyes glaring down at him.

Those thin, angry eyes from all those years ago.

And he began to wail.

“IT’S YOU—“

SPLURCH!

That one slice caused his insides to burst out of him, as he fell back, gurgling his final sounds, the world around him becoming black.

....

And Ishida Mitsunari flicked the blood off his old sword before sheathing it again. His intuition had been correct; the noise and dim light he saw from his home wasn’t just his imagination playing tricks on him; someone had the audacity, once again, to venture that high up the mountain. And they needed to be dealt with swiftly, before he risked them finding him.

Grabbing the body by the leg, he began to drag it back with him toward the campfire. As he did, he whistled a short whistle, as the snarls and barks from before were replaced by panting; he found the wolfdog standing by the other two bodies, his curled tail twitching in satisfaction. Dropping the first body’s leg, Mitsunari knelt down.

“Come here. Let me see.”

The dog padded forward, allowing Mitsunari to get a closer look. Removing his right glove (revealing a hand scarred from burns), he ran a hand along the wound in the dog’s side; the dog let out a small whimper, but didn’t panic.

“...it’ll scar, but it’s nothing serious,” he muttered, “We’ll treat it when we get back home. Good work, Shiranui.”

His children had named the dog when he brought the pup back to their home two years prior, having found the pup attempting to steal one of the pheasants he had hunted. Now fully grown, it was clear the dog took mostly wolf traits...but, at his core, Shiranui had always been a loyal dog...especially to his master.

Once certain the wound wasn’t serious, Mitsunari turned his attention to the bodies. Retrieving the last one from a ways away, he wasted no time rifling through their pockets and satchels for supplies. Medicine, food, tools...anything usable, he gathered into the largest bag. As he came across the sack containing their ill-gotten gains, he pondered the contents for a bit...before shaking his head. He had no need for any of this. Gold and the like wouldn’t keep them alive. Wouldn’t keep them safe.

One by one, he dragged each body a ways up to the cliffs, before rolling each body over the edge with one smooth motion, watching them get swallowed by the darkness below as he listened to the impact of them striking the cliff side, the stones, the tree branches....and lastly, he tossed the sack of treasures, too. Good fortune to whomever finds them, he supposed. It didn’t matter to him either way. Either way, the Beast of the Mountain had maintained its status as something to be feared.

Returning to the camp and snuffing out the fire, he let his eyes readjust to the darkness, before looking to Shiranui’s bloodied face.

“Let’s wash your face before we go back.” His wife hated when the dog came back from its hunts and meals looking like that.

After stopping by the stream to clean off the dog’s face and wash the wound a bit, they began their quiet trek back home, their loot in hand. Nearly three years of this life...and sometimes, it was still wildly unfamiliar to him.

He should have died at Sekigahara. He should have taken his life when he failed to avenge his lord.

He should have.

But he didn’t.

Now he was a spent match; the fire of battle had long left him, and now he was smoke, drifting about his new life, though sometimes, that little fire would come back. Sometimes, he would remember why he lived.

Off the beaten path, past the troublesome terrain, there stood a small house. His house. It was no Sawayama, it was no Osaka Castle, but it was home. And it was here that he quietly slid open the door, only to flinch slightly, startled by the shape of his wife’s feet in the moonlight shining through the door. In her arms, the smallest of his children, his only daughter, little Tatsuhime, fast asleep and undisturbed.

“...how close were they?” his wife asked in the softest of voices.

“Close enough to be a problem,” he replied. She could tell he was willfully omitting details. Details that would distress or upset her. He clearly didn’t want to elaborate further. Other than, “Shiranui’s hurt. I’ll stay with him tonight.”

She gave a quiet nod, quietly vanishing into the tiny hallway, as she, too, was swallowed by darkness.

Mitsunari retrieved a cloth, taking a seat against the wall and beckoning the dog over; Shiranui obeyed, laying down as Mitsunari pressed the cloth against the wound. The dog rested his head on his master’s lap, while Mitsunari rested his own head against the wall.

He could faintly hear the rustling of his wife setting Tatsuhime down to sleep; undoubtedly between her two older brothers. His wife was then rustling into bed as well.

He didn’t know when he’d sleep.

But until then, he’d remember why he lived.

[kenmas-consoles]

Jdjcjcjcjjcjc Aye aye can I request for Tanaka with a 2nd yr s/o but since I'm uncreative it's like this: he hated/disliked her at first bc idk she seemed suspicious? But gradually with the help of the 3rd and 2nd yrs (not the 1st yrs, they'll ruin everything) he learned to be closer to her and accept her, but then ykyk plot happened and bo0m, they be dating u can choose if oneshot or hcs, whichever u prefer, also fem reader ᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ ᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ ᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ

Tanaka x Reader Request

Tanaka Ryuunosuke was a simple man. He loves women, he appreciates them, worships the ground they walk on but (y/n) was an exception to this. It wasn’t that she was ugly or unladylike, far from it actually. Except there was something about the girl that constantly made Tanaka feel somewhat weary and uneasy.

Sure she was pretty, well respected and popular, heck he even liked her at one point but after what he had saw in the middle of their first year made him realize she was what people would stereotype as the “kind fake”, at least he believed so. Everytime he saw her smile and offer someone help made his stomach churn, and not in a good way. Her smile and laugh haunted him and reminded him of that dreaded day.

It was 4 pm and classes had just ended, the boy had hurriedly packed up his belongings and rushed of to the gym in fear of being late and getting scolded by some upperclassman or worse Old man Ukai. This had caused a shiver to run up the boy’s spine imagining what kind of punishment he would have to endure if he were to be late.

“(Y/n)-chan. . .” A voice choked out, causing the boy to snap out of his daydream.

“It’s not funny,” the same small voice said.

This was coming from the back of the gym, taking a peak inside the gym door he noticed that no one was in there yet so he decided to check out the scene that was happening behind the gym.

With his back on the wall he had took a sideways glance at the scene before him. The scene had shocked the boy as there was a girl bawling her eyes out, before he could intervene and ask what was going on he heard laughter, one that he had grown to love for the past few months. He poked his head out a little more to see you with a couple of other friends smiling and laughing at the poor innocent crying girl.

'Sick' he thought, 'to think I like her, she made someone cry. . . and now she's laughing at them' Tanaka grumbled and left the scene as he had seen enough and didn’t want to be late for practice.

Although from behind the gym, and unknown to Tanaka, this was a little surprise (Y/n) planned for one of her friends.

The girl had brushed of a few stray tears that had escaped her eyes when she was laughing, "I'm sorry for laughing but ahahaha you should've seen your face. Who knew surprising you for your birthday would get you," the girl motioned to her friend, "like this." the continued in fits of laughter. From the corner of her eye she had saw Tanaka’s running figure that made a small smile grace her face.

One of (Y/n)’s friends looked over to where (Y/n) was staring at with a smile on her face and saw the same buzzed cut haired male, “Ooooh〜 does are little (Y/n)-chan have a crush?”

The said girl exploded into a vermillion red as she tried to deny all her friend’s teasing accusations

-

-

For the next following days Tanaka could barely look at (Y/n) without remembering the scene and how cruelly (Y/n) had been to the crying girl. Everytime she neared he would be sure to stay clear of her, he even had told his best friend Noya all about it just so he wouldn't fall hands into her trap. The girl albeit confused didn't mind much but she was still very much hurt that her crush was ignoring her.

Now that they were 2nd years, nothing much has changed since then. They were still classmates, Tanaka still thought she was fake, and (Y/n) still likes her chivalrous classmate. The only thing that has changed however is that (Y/n) is now more open to showing her interest in the buzz cut boy.

Which now leads us to our current situation.

“Tanaka-kun, do you want to be groupmates with me in this pair activity? I’m actually really good at (f/subject), so I really won’t be much of a burden.”

Tanaka’s eyes widened, if he was any other guy in his class or who he was last year then he’d be stoked that THE (L/n) (Y/n) was asking him directly to pair up with her. ‘Don’t fall for it, don’t fall for it, don’t fall for it’ he chanted in his head like a mantra.

“Ahah, sorry (L/n)-san but I’m already paired with (R/n).”

“Oh. . . I see, well maybe next time then?” The girl replied and looked up at him with expectant doe eyes.

Tanaka quickly averted his gaze and mumbled an inaudible ‘yeah sure’. He watched how (Y/n) skipped of to her friend circle and punched her friend in the arm. ‘There she goes again, pulling a 180 personality turn, how does no one see that??’ he thought to himself.

“A-ah, (R/n) let’s be partners for the pair work.” He had said clapping the boy on the back.

Meanwhile with (Y/n)

She skipped over to her circle of friends with a smile, “Oooh〜 does that mean prince charming accepted your proposal?” (F/n) asked with a smirk while the rest of the group sniggered. (Y/n) rolled her eyes and playfully glared at her friends. (F/n) gasped, “Is it a yes? My god he said yes. WE DID IT MR. STARK.”

(Y/n) playfully punched (f/n) in the arm and whined before dejectedly looking at the floor, “Well, actually. . . He said no. . ."

"Awweee, our poor baby"

"It's okay (Y/n)-chan"

"You want me to beat him up for you?"

(Y/n) shook her head as she turned around to see Tanaka with his arm around (R/n)'s shoulder.

★彡★彡★彡

Volleyball practice was yet to start as they were all gathered around in a circle waiting for Takeda-sensei to give some announcements.

“As you all are aware you have final exams starting next month, right?” Takeda started to which the quick freak duo and the rowdy second years paled at, “So, I think you know what I’m getting at, but if you fail any subjects supplementary classes will be held that weekend.”

Tanaka and Nishinoya shared a knowing look and were quick to try and bolt out the gym doors.

“Hey, There’s nowhere to run!” Daichi shouted after them, “Ennoshita, catch them!”

-

-

-

“Gaahhh, I can’t believe it,” Tanaka started as he laid face flat on the clubroom floors. “I’ve got no one to teach me, Saeko-nii would just laugh if I even mention trying to up my grades at this point.”

Sugawara laughed as he changed into a spare shirt, “I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“What about you Suga-san?”

The said boy dismissively waved his hands, “What subject do you need help with anyway?”

“(F/subject).”

A lightbulb went up Suga’s head as he heard Tanaka’s reply.

“(Y/n)-chan is still your classmate right? You should go ask her, she’s really good at that subject,” Suga added, “Plus we went to cram school together and she’s pretty advanced, I could ask her for you.”

Daichi, overhearing the conversation mentioned that you spend a considerable amount of time in the library that he often sees you there one more than one occasion, “That and she’s really nice.” Daichi finished.

Tanaka had enough of this talk about you being all that as he stormed away from the clubroom, leaving Daichi and Suga to think Tanaka was so flustered he couldn’t take it anymore. The two looked at each other and hatched up a plan.

The following day Tanaka couldn’t help but notice Ennoshita, Daichi and Suga acting all suspicious during practice.

“Okay, what’s up with you three?” Tanaka questioned.

“Ah, it’s nothing, it’s nothing” Suga said with an overly nice smile that Tanaka swore he was almost getting cavities.

As the four continued their banter a certain (h/c)-ette had entered the gym in search for her Senpais.

“Suga-san, it’s really hard to believe you when you put on a face like that”

“Like what?”

“All I’m saying is you all are acting weird it’s like you all are up to something and I don’t buy it one b-

“Suga-senpai, Sawamura-senpai,” (Y/n) said with a small bow as she walks over to the quartet.

“Ahh (Y/n)-chan, nice to see you here.” Suga said patting the young girl’s head.

Daichi moved over to the pair so (Y/n) was inbetween Daichi and Suga. “(Y/n) here will tutor you so you wouldn’t have to worry about flunking your exams” Daichi boomed with a smile and a hand in the girl’s shoulder causing the girl to smile as well.

The trio smiled brightly at Tanaka, from across the gym Tsukishima squinted his eyes at the sight, “It looks like two parents handing over their child to an unwilling suitor” he said.

“Nice one Tsukki”

“Shut up Yamaguchi”

★彡★彡★彡

“Tanaka-kun, you have volleyball practice every Monday,Wednesday and Thursday right?” (Y/n) asked as they walked home together, something in which The third years had made the male do because ‘a girl shouldn’t be walking home alone at night’ Now here they stood walking three feet apart each other.

The boy hummed in reply, “So I was hoping you’d spend atleast an hour with me in the library after school on Tuesdays and Fridays and maybe thirty minutes on days when you have practice?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, I can’t wait,” the girl said enthusiastically, “Can I have your phone number? For you know tutoring purposes”

This had made Tanaka stop dead in his tracks, ‘A girl wants my number?’ This was the first time the boy was asked for his number, regardless if he didn’t exactly like (Y/n) his heart fluttered all the same that caused a pink hue to spread on his cheeks. The girl had saw this and the same pink started dusting her own cheeks thinking she must have been too forward.

Tanaka coughed and fished out his cellphone and held it out towards the girl who gently took it with shaky fingers. Typing in her number she handed it back to the boy as they continued walking in silence, not noticing how close they seem to be walking now compared to the 3 foot distance they had minutes ago.

-

-

-

It has been a week and the two had only met up thrice to review over (fave/subject) in the library. The week had made Tanaka realize that the girl wasn’t all that bad company and he racked and questioned his mind and eyes if it were truly you who he saw at the back of the gym during your first years.

It was a Tuesday and the pair were working at the library, “You could use a break, you’re actually doing quite good so you deserve it.” The girl laughed. They were going over English today practicing grammar and vocab.

Tanaka had stretched his arms out on the table which caused the girl to laugh a little more, which soured Tanaka’s mood. ‘There’s that laugh, it’s no denying, that same laugh burned in the back of his mind as he replayed the scene all over again’

“I’m going to grab some thing to drink I’ll be back in a few.” The boy said and hurriedly left. Tanaka was hunched next to a vending machine aggressively chugging down a Calpico drink mumbling what a fool he’s been fraternizing with the enemy.

Was she really the enemy though?

Tanaka managed to carry himself all the way back up to the library seeing as he was abusing his “break time”, might as well go back to work then right? As the boy walked towards the table he had so “kindly” left you at he saw your figure a few tables past your original one playing with a 5 year old boy.

The boy was finger gunning the girl who was taking a step towards him in a zombie motion and the girl silently acted as though she was getting shot. The little boy giggled before ducking behind the table and continuing this pattern.

“Ah, Hibiki I think the young girl’s boyfriend is here for her now.” The librarian said to the child who looked mildly upset that he couldn’t play with the older female anymore. The boy waved goodbye towards the girl and (Y/n) happily waved back. The girl then turned her head towards Tanaka who was frozen where he stood when the old woman called him your boyfriend.

“Tanaka-kun looks funny, did you enjoy your break?”

“I had a Calpico”

“Sounds refreshing” the girl replied with a laugh.

The two continued on with their prepping for English and had come across a word that Tanaka had a hard time comprehending.

“Surprise?”

“Yeah, it’s an english expression, it means to be shocked about something you weren’t expecting. Hmm, when was the last time Tanaka-kun was surprised?” The girl had asked to keep the ball rolling.

“Well the team surprised me on my birthday sometime ago, I was really taken aback and couldn’t help but cry a little.”

“Oh, back during my first year we threw a huge surprise party for my friend at the back of the gym. We got her a cake and everything, she cried too, it was really funny-“

‘Wait. . . What?!’ Tanaka had thought. The pressure building inside him was intense, ‘God, was that what happened? I TOTALLY MISINTERPRETED’

“Surprised.” Tanaka said in english. He totally wouldn’t be forgetting that anytime soon. The boy felt bad for judging her all these years and guilt was literally creeping up on him that he actually found it hard to breath. He felt like such an idiot, for not reading into the scene correctly and for mistreating (Y/n). He needed someway to make it up to her, but what?

“Do you want me to walk you home today?” The question came out before he could think.

The girl tried to hide a smile, “That would be great.”

The two had grown significantly closer since then much to (Y/n)’s friends and the Karasuno’s third years pleasure as they’ve been rooting for them for the longest time. Tanaka would ask to stay and review longer with the said girl even if h could barely understand but he made an extra effort to impress her so he took a considerable amount of prep work at home much to his sister’s surprise. This had earned him a bit of teasing, he endured it all just for the sake of his pride, and the volleyball summer camp.

The day of the exams rolled in and Tanaka was actually extra nervous about this. There was 4 exams to take and everything (Y/n) taught him was slowly scuttling out the window. Regardless he answered what he could making a few guesses here and there. Now all that was left was to wait for the results.

“Ito-san”

“Hai!”

Tanaka had his head in his hands staring up at the teacher who was calling onto students to give back their test papers.

“Watanabe-san”

“Hai!”

‘It’s okay. . .’

“Sato-san”

“Hai. . .”

‘It’s okay. . .’

“Tanaka-san”

‘Shit’

“Hai!” He said standing up abruptly making his chair screech from behind him. Every step he took closer to Nakamura-sensei felt heavy, upon receiving his papers he quickly bunched it up and decided to look at it later. (Y/n) wasn’t present in class as she was pulled out for club activities and he thought he should save looking at his grade for when they would meet up later.

(Y/n) was standing outside the gym doors leaning against the balls of her feet waiting for a certain buzzed cut male. Tanaka saw her standing there and was bouncing his leg up and down exhaling as he made his move to advance towards her, “(L/n)-san!” He called out.

“Yknow we’ve known each other for a while now, so you can call me (Y/n) if you’d like”

“A-ah, okay then, anyways the test results came out. . .”

“How’d they go?”

“Well, I haven’t exactly saw it yet, I was hoping to show you and find out together. . .”

A smile graced it’s way on the girl’s face, finding courage she grabbed on to his hand and gave a firm reassuring nod as he dug for the results in his bag.

(Fave/subject)- 83/100

Math- 42/100

English- 66/100

Science- 46/100

Tanaka stared at his papers in disbelief. This was the highest he’d scored since primary school. The girl flung her arms around his neck as the boy gripped her waist and swung her around in happiness, laughing in sheer mirth of the moment. Tanaka slowed as their laughter died down, eyes locking onto each other.

Suga and Daichi was hiding behind the bush watching them. They fistbumped at the success of getting the two together. Tsukki and Yamaguchi were heading towards the gym at the exact moment Tanaka and (Y/n) were leaning into a kiss.

"Now, kiss" he said aloud.

"Uwoooohh Tsukishima what are you talking about? huh, is that Tanaka-san?"

"Oi Boke don't watch them."

"WAAAHH GO GET SOME RYUUUUUU"

"Ne ne Tsukki do you think they're dating?"

Daichi and Suga face palmed at the ruined moment.

[spacehologramcollection]

Hellfire

Here it is. The sinful Hanzo Hasashi smut. I love this piece, and I hope it lives up to everyone’s expectations! Next up is the Erron Black X reader smut fic. Followed by a Havik piece. I got a spicy request for him.   Pairing; Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) X F!Reader.  Warnings; Smut, heavy NSFW below the cut, so 18+ Sex, oral, unprotected sex and mentions of cum. All below the cut! Word count; 8375.  GIF does not belong to me! 

Hanzo watched you train. He hated to lurk and hated even more so to pry. But he had an urge, one that he could not satiate by the mere thought of you. No. He had to see you… but he knew he couldn’t allow others to see him staring. It is why he watched you from the edge of the training room. As if he was merely gazing in to observe your form and stance, rather than take your details in. He felt conflicted, like he was being torn apart on the inside. The guilt he felt for wanting you, was not equally as matched with the desire of having you. Hellfire was burning inside of him. How he had prayed late into the night; that his feelings for you would be removed, cast out and taking with it the guilt he felt. But alas, it came to no avail, and the longing for you remained. You were not a member of the Shira Ryu, but you were a friend of Raiden’s and therefore, welcome at the temple whenever you arrived. You travelled a lot, and when you saw each other, you greeted one another like old friends. But now, Hanzo feared that he was jeopardising that balance, by the stirring in the pit of his stomach. Scorpion was reigning an old flame, one he was sure he had extinguished. Sexual desire had long been repressed by him. He had vowed to remain celibate after the death of his wife. Never wanting to be intimate with anyone again. Sex was sacred to him and he vowed to not violate the act… no matter how desperate he was. He had succeeded pretty well with this endeavour, until you had come a long. Awakening feelings that he had long thought dormant and dead. No amount of mediating could soothe his aching soul. But yet, he would still try to in vain…. He watched as you sparred with the dummy once more. You had taken his advice, working on your footing and stance, ensuring that you would not so easily be knocked off balance. His lips twitched, threatening to break into a solemn and brief smile. But he prohibited the action, instead opting to move on from his spying. He had a lot to meditate on today and a lot of repenting to do… Scorpion was trying to claw his way to the top, trying to fill his soul with lust laced thoughts. Thoughts about how you would moan, how his name would sound leaving your lips, not platonically but dripping with the tantalising sound of desire. How you would feel around him as he fucked you… he pushed the thoughts down, burying them as he often did. Closing his eyes and remembering his vow, how he had promised to never give into such urges, no matter how enticing they may be. Takeda had often encouraged his Grandmaster moving on, stating that he had a new chance at life, and that a vow of celibacy should not condemn his future. Whilst his pupil spoke some truth in the matter, it did not subside all of the guilt. Even though you were tempting and everything he could have ever hoped for… He knew he couldn’t, no matter how much the hell blazed fire burnt within him.

                                                                                      *

Hanzo relaxed in the hot-spring. The water washed over his aching bones, tired muscles and weary body. The day had been hard, long and tedious. Meditation had proved futile, since his thoughts still dwelled on you. Y/N, the way her hair shone, the way her muscles twitched when she trained… the ghost of a smile that dared to grace her lips in his presence. Yes, you had haunted his past, present and future whilst meditating. He had instead opted to work out his pent-up sexual frustration. Training hard and taking it out on a dummy, no one had dared to train or spa with him today. Fearing for their pride. It wasn’t that he was aggressive, it was just he was fuelled by emotion, meaning they stood no chance (Like they did anyway) against Hanzo. They’d leave with broken pride and bruised arses. His head lent back against the warm rocks, his eyes were closed, and he was listening to the sounds of the spring. The soft babble of the water, the sounds of the birds tweeting nearby and the gentle breeze blowing through the blossom trees. Threatening to send the pink buds cascading down into the pool below. Quaint. Peaceful. Serene. It was the Shira Ryu’s slice of heaven in his opinion. Whilst many visitors saw the Fire Gardens, they did not know about the hot spring located within it. Hidden from view and accessible to a select few outside of the clan. He would be damned if there was another incident of the ‘Pool Party’ When he had caught Takeda, Jacqui, Cassie and Kung Jin, relaxing in one of the Arktika Hot Spring. Sub Zero had been less than impressed when he had gone to try and unwind with Hanzo, trying to compare the Lin Kuei one to the Shira Ryu’s. Only to find the four of them, drunk as skunks, laughing and joking in it. He would not allow for that to happen here.  Hanzo allowed himself to slip off into thought. He thought of nothing and everything, one minute his mind was as calm as a forest, the next it raged like the sea. He was so deep in thought he did not catch sight of you entering the area…

You glanced over to see Hanzo was enjoying some respite. He looked to be in peaceful bliss and you envied that. Your bones ached, and your body begged for you to enter the warm and enticing water. You were relieved to find him here. It had felt like he was avoiding you all day, you knew he watched you train, just like he did everyone else. But since this morning, he had been off and made himself sparse. Sparser than usual in fact. You watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed. Unaware you were there. His pectoral muscles twitched as the water lapped against them. He was well-toned and well-built. Years of training had perfected his body, as if it was sculpted by the finest sculptures from magnificent marble. “Do you mind if I join you?” You finally asked. You had stared long enough. Long enough that it seemed rude and disrespectful, even though his gaze lingered on you just as much. But you, were not a Grandmaster. His eyes shot open, you swore you saw a flash of milky white, rather than the usual calm and relaxing brown. Thinking it was the lanterns that lit the spring playing tricks, you merely pushed it to one side and focused in on him. He thought about it for a few moments, as much as his brain begged him to say no, he could not deny you your request. There was no harm in having you bathe with him. Nor did he want to make things overtly awkward with him ignoring you and avoiding being with you. His feelings should not get in the way of the bond you already had. You had been good to him and the Shira Ryu. “Of course. You know the location of the Spring; therefore, you are free to use it as you please.” He informed you, gesturing for you to sit opposite him. His head tilted back, his eyes once more closing slowly. Though they did not lid all the way until he spied you dropping your towel… He spied no bathing suite or any garment of the sorts, it was tradition to bathe nude, but it was not tradition to bathe with the opposite sex. He figured you had not prepared for him to be here, and let it slide. Knowing that once you were in the water, you would be will hidden and it would not seem rude to meet your gaze. The water soothed your aching body as you stepped into it. Hanzo had adverted his gaze, a small smile played upon your lips. Teasing the Grandmaster was not an activity you partook in often. Nobody seemed to gain such a reaction from Hanzo Hasashi, but you had seemingly done the impossible. Garnered a reaction from the stoic and sombre man. “How was your meditation today Grandmaster?” You asked him. You positioned yourself opposite him and waited for his reply. Hanzo met your gaze before nodding. “It was adequate. I have been distracted as of late…” He didn’t want to lie. Not to you. He had to admit that he was distracted. It amazed you still, that Hanzo Hasashi, the Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu, could get distracted. You laugh slightly, before stifling and silencing the humour. Less you anger Hanzo. He was not known for having the best sense of humour. “What is funny?” He inquired. Brow furrowed. Not understanding what was so humorous in his statement. You smile softly at him. A soft smile, one that he had not seen in such a long time. A smile that made him feel calm. His brow relaxed slightly. “I just can’t imagine you being distracted at all Grandmaster.” You quickly said. Reassuring him, lulling him back into a tranquil state. “I assure you Y/N. I can and do get distracted, even the mightiest of warriors find distraction. Do not believe Sub Zero when he says you can avoid distraction.” It was true. Sub Zero taught that you could limit distractions well. Hanzo knew the truth all too well. Family, love, hunger anything could impact your concentration. But it was how you dealt with the distraction that mattered. Whether it be holding your loved ones tightly, eating or meditating, it was important to deal with it quickly. So why had he not dealt with his yet? Meditation had failed him. Massively. No amount made the image of you fade from his head. Sinful images that burned his core. Images that kept him awake at night, feeling sticky and hot all over. The familiar feeling and sensation of Scorpion clawing at him under his skin. Longing to break free and deal with the distraction as he saw fit… a thought that made Hanzo shudder. Conflict ripped through his body. He wanted to remain loyal to his ex-wife, but Scorpion had other ideas. Ideas that distracted Hanzo and threatened to make him lose control. He broke his train of thought and glanced at you through the steam. Night had set in. The gentle glow of the moonlight and candles, illuminated you perfectly, framing you in such a lovely light. He stilled his eyes, watching as your head tilted back enjoying the lapping of the water against your chest. His eyes widened slightly. He couldn’t… or could he? You were within his mind most of the day and haunted his dreams at night. He had woke up many a night, after dreaming of you in between his legs, sucking his cock and making him feel emotions that he had long forgot. He was unsure whether it was him or his Scorpion side wanting and wishing this. Projecting it from his subconscious and into the present. He glanced around. The grounds were deserted. It was night. Everyone would be asleep. Those on Guard duty knew better than to disturb him. He could take care of himself, he did not someone to guard him and watch his every move. He glanced back at you before shaking his head. He knew what had to be done. He stood up, the water pooling around his naked form quickly. It dripped from finely tuned muscle and scarred skin, back into the water; revealing a relaxing rythem as the water beat back against the pool. You knew better than to open your eyes. Hanzo was a private man, one that did not take too kindly to being ogled and stared at. No matter how tempting the prospect of seeing him, naked and bare before you. You knew better than to open your eyes. Without a word he left. Wrapped in a towel, making his way back to change and lie in wait for a more private situation. Even though the guards may not disturb you both, he knew better than to chance it. No, he needed somewhere with no prying eyes. He grabbed your medallion and walked quickly. He had a reason to visit you know. Whilst this was not an honest route, he knew this would avoid questions. He knew you’d invite him in for tea and to talk, and it would be considered rude to not accept that offer. This would silence any wagging tongues, less he had to do it himself.

                                                                                    * You rummaged through your draw. Urgently looking for your medallion. Fear, dread and panic coursing through your veins. Threatening to set your autonomic nervous system alight. You could not remember when you had the medallion last. All you knew, was that you would not sleep until you found it. “Damn it.” You hissed. Slamming the draw shut before racking your brain. Trying to retrace your footsteps. A knock at the door startled you. You were in no mood for visitors. Never mind how late it was, you were furious that you had lost your medallion. You slid the door open, face like thunder, ready to tear the knocker a new one. “Do you know what time it…” You paused upon seeing Hanzo staring down at you. His face stern looking. Unimpressed by the welcome. “It is twenty past ten. Would you like to know the date as well Y/N, perhaps?” He asked. You felt the tips of your ears go red. “I am sorry Grandmaster Hasashi… You haven’t seen…” Hanzo interrupted you, holding up the gold coin, “My medallion!” You squealed practically. You gripped the coin and pulled it in close to your chest. Smiling softly and cradling the coin, as if it was merely more than a metal object. Hanzo smiled quickly. It was admirable how much you respected and cherished your clan and family. A trait he himself had and held highly in others. “Where did you find it?” You asked curiously. Not taking your eyes off the innate coin. “You had dropped it just outside the sparring room.” He lied. He felt bad, a disgusting taste lingering in his mouth. He hated to lie to you, but he could not bear to tell you the truth. It was shameful to admit. You smiled softly, tucking the coin into your waistband. “How can I ever repay you Grandmaster?” You asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.  He waved his hands. “There is no need Y/N. You would have done the same if I had lost something… though, that is a very rare scenario.” You smiled before scoffing, turning to see your tea had brewed. “No. I insist, would you like some tea? I’ve just brewed a pot. Enough for two at a squeeze.” You informed him, stepping aside and gesturing for him to come join you. Hanzo peered into your room before looking back at you. “Only if you are sure Y/N. I would hate to intrude.” You scoffed once more. “I insist.” It did not take much more encouragement on your part. He stepped willingly into the room. Shutting the door behind him. Shielding you both from prying eyes. Eyes that were connected to tongues that wagged messages of malcontent. Gossip that would burn and scorn him. Was it gossip if it was true? He pushed the thought out of his mind and admired your room. He had never stepped foot into this room, why would he have? The once empty shell of a room had been decorated and now felt cosy and warm. Welcoming and comforting. It filled him with content, it felt homely and more isolated. As if it was not in the Shirai Ryu grounds. He felt as if he was stood in a small house, far away from his place. A warm feeling that calmed and soothed his wracked nerves. It was lit by candle and fire light alone. Pictures were dotted around the room, in ornate frames. Clothes were neatly stacked on one of the chairs. A kettle hung above the fire, boiling and chugging away. The bed was neatly made, decorated with various throw blankets, furs and pillows. Your sword lay propped against a wall. Close enough that it was within reaching distance, but not so much it implied you felt unsafe. “A warrior will always remain prepared.” You cited. Making Hanzo turn to you and nod, holding back a smile. “You remembered, even after all of these years.” He stated. You smile before nodding your head. “I would be a fool to not keep it close to me… even if I am in such close proximity of Earthrealm greatest warrior.” You stated. The words left your mouth before you could stop them. You did not mean for that to slip out. You admired Hanzo, many people did, but they did not say things like that to him. He either saw it as brownnosing or an attempt of flirtation. You hoped he thought it was the first rather than the latter. Even if the flirting was true, you knew it was far worse to admit. Hanzo raised a brow before sitting on the edge of your bed. He felt bold, he was sure that was Scorpion pushing his way through. “Are you intending to leave soon?” He asked. He glanced at your bag, it was packed and contained at least a few weeks’ worth of supplies. You sighed with relief. Only under your breath, so as to not let Hanzo twig on. “I’m unsure at the moment. I have a mission contracted, it would take me from the temple for a few months.” You admit. The contract was to have a good payoff, but it would mean leaving the Shirai Ryu for months, maybe even years, with the potential of you remaining in the service of the employer. “The life of a mercenary is one fraught with danger. I pray for your safe return.” He hummed softly. You tensed up before shaking your head. “The employer offered me a permanent home if it all went to plan.” You softly said. Hanzo felt reality hit him. Dragging him from this false reality he had created for himself. Your room no longer felt isolated, it no longer felt as cosy and warm. The fictional fantasy he had dispersed around him. “Would you take it?” He asked you. His voice was monotone, trying to hid the sadness that came with you potentially leaving. You two had a comfortable relationship. It was not overly close, but close enough that you two got each other. You would spend many a night talking and exchanging stories. “I’m not sure… I am in two minds. I like it here. I really do. I appreciate everything you and the Shirai Ryu have done for me.” You reassured him. You wanted to tell him, you wanted to tell him he was the reason you wanted to stay. But you knew that they were forbidden words, that you could never utter. Hanzo nodded grunting a little… maybe this was a blessing in disguise. If you were to leave then he would no longer be distracted. That was him thinking logically. Though he knew, if you left, the ability to rid himself of the feeling would not go. He would have to suffer with the inability to do anything about it. If ever there was an opportunity, this was one. “Sometimes the best decisions in life, are not the easiest paths. It is about making a choice and sticking to it.” He spoke so confidently and wisely. It made you smile, you wished you knew what you wanted. “What happens if the path is filled with fog and you cannot see the twists and turns?” You ask. It was true. Your vision was clouded. Clouded by lust, desire and an unachievable dream. Hanzo furrowed his brow before shaking his head. “Then you light a lanterns and take things slow. If you rush, you risk falling to your doom.” You nod before shaking your head. You had taken things slow here. Built up a strong relationship with the Grandmaster and developed feelings for him. Yet here you stood, unsure whether to move to a distant land and live an adventure. Or stay on the hopes of bedding and loving a man who was in a word, distant. Along with being emotionally scorned and spurned. It was hopeless and a decision you thought would have been easier. “What if you come to a fork in the road, one path looks like an easy and steady climb. Whilst the other is jagged, steep and long?” You asked. Hanzo paused before looking you dead in the eye. “Then you choose the more challenging route. Things that are often easy and slow, are often not the best. Snakes can lay underfoot and strike when you least expect. As for the challenging route, you can normally see everything as it is. It is best to challenge and push oneself, and admire the challenge once done. If often pays off more and fills you with a content feeling.” You nod along with his words. “So, it is best to choose the harder path?” You ask for clarification. Hanzo didn’t speak, he couldn’t. The room was filled with a tension, not the type he could feel before battle, no. It was a different type of tension. A sweet and enticing one. The way your voice and tone lowered, the way your eyes darted to him and met his gaze. It was more like mild foreplay, the two of you denying and yet, trying to get the over to understand one another’s feelings. A paradox if ever there was one. He merely nodded before straightening up. Watching as you stood and walked over, taking the kettle off boil and placing it on the table. You glance back at him, your fingers gripping the edge of the wood. Hanzo stood upon instinct, walking towards you softly. “You seem confused Y/N.” He whispered. He was not sure why he was doing this, his feet wanted to still but yet, they pressed on. Slowly he could feel himself losing control. “I am confused Grandmaster. My mind is telling me to go, to take this mission and live an easy life…” You paused watching as Hanzo closed the gap. “And what does your mind and heart tell you?” What was he saying and where was it coming from? Everything came naturally to him. Flooding back even after all these years. The guilt burned him on the inside. He should not be doing this… he should not be doing this. How could he move on? But apart of him burned and longed for you. He had buried parts of his past, maybe now it was time to bury other parts? “They scream out for me to stay. To stay here where I belong… to stay with you.” Your eyes locked with his once more. His breathing hitched, his eyes closed, and he tried to remain in control.

Hanzo tried to focus on his breathing but he couldn’t. He had never thought those words would leave your mouth. But yet, here they were. Tumbling out. Sounding like a song on an angels breath. “Do not tease and tempt me Y/N… Unless you wish to be burned by hellfire.” He warned. His eyes still closed. You felt bold. You weren’t sure if it was nerves coursing through you, confidence or adrenaline. But boldness was what you embodied in that moment. If you were to leave tomorrow, then you would leave a happy and content woman. You lent forward, capturing his lips briefly with yours. The kiss was quick, chaste and not well planned. But yet it filled your veins with excitement and satisfaction. Instantly landing as the best kiss of your life. Hanzo reacted slightly, his lips moving to meet yours, as if holding back from a desire to do more. You break away, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I’d burn for all my sins, just to fuck you once…” You admit. Dirty talk was not your forte, but then again, was receiving it Hanzo’s? Probably not. Hanzo allowed his eyes to open. The soft brown eyes replaced by foggy white. He could not resist the temptation anymore. A few blinks restored the colour in his eyes. He would be damned if Scorpion ruined this moment. Pushing down the guilt the best he could. He pushed you back gently, your ass hitting the table, as he wrapped his arms around your neck. His lips crashed against yours and your arms struggled to find their footing on his body. The kiss was needy, hungry and sloppy. He tasted of cinder and reminded you of a bonfire. With all the fire and warmth mixed in. Your arms settled at pawing at his Uniform, trying to free him from his robes. He bit at your lip, causing you to moan, allowing his tongue to slide into your mouth. Everything felt new and old at the same time to him, another paradox he did not understand. He had done this before, numerous times, albeit it with the same person. So why did it feel new to him? He broke the kiss, breathless and panting. Your makeup, smudged, your hair, tousled. A smile playing on your lips. “Are you sure this is what you want?” He asked you, he needed to clarify once more. That you, indeed, wanted him. “Like you said, the hardest paths in life are often the most difficult… but have the best payoff.” You teased, leaning in to plant a soft kiss to his lips. Your fingers toyed with the belt that held his robes together. Fingers delicately working to undo the knot. A hand stroked straying hair from your face as you parted the Uniform and exposed his chest. Well-defined, toned and scarred, years of fighting the hard fight and training had ensured this. The body of a warrior. Your fingers glided over his abs, taking in every little scar, before dipping down to his waistband. Your fingers danced lightly, teasing his lower abdomen. Your spare hand ran up to his head, toying with the bobble that held his hair in place. It was an honour and a privilege to see him with his hair down. One you hoped he’d allow you to indulge in.

His hair cascaded down, grazing just above his shoulders. His eyes, full blown with lust as he took you in. The firelight making shadows dance against your skin. Heavy breathing and the sounds of cicadas was all that could be heard. Your hands trailed down his abdomen once more, stopping at the waist band of his pants. Part of him wanted to grab your hand, to stop and clarify once more; another part wanted to speed things up. Scorpion was trying to re-surface and bring about a whole different side of Hanzo. One he wasn’t sure he could reel in. One he barely showed you. You slowly sink to your knees. You don’t need to be crude about what you are about to do. There is no need for an announcement nor dirty talk. You’re going to suck his cock, it is evidently clear he understands this notion. His body seizes up slightly, a small gulp rocks his Adams apple making it bob. Barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but you, you know all his quirks and movements. The floor feels hard against your knees, not so much that it is off putting but enough to give you a sensation. You meet his gaze from your new position. Eyes locked with his. A small look of shock and slight un-surety is gracing his face, marring his features and making him look less stern. Only slightly less stern you note. A hand shakily finds its way to your hair, stroking the soft locks gently before caressing your cheekbone. His eyes close, enjoying the tactile touch and the slowed down pace. Your hands make swift work undoing his belt, yanking down his pants and freeing his cock in a swift movement. Practised ease. His cock was on the larger size, pushing 6inch at least. It stood erect, beads of precum leaking from the tip already. You had to play this safely. The man had been touch starved for a while. Too much could ruin the fun far too soon. You slowly take his shaft in your hand, teasing the head, smearing the precum over the head. You hear him moan, biting his lip, trying to restrain the noises tumbling from his lips. You smirk before slowly working your hand down his shaft, twisting and turning your hand gently. Trying to coax him into continuing his noises. He let out a small moan as you worked your way down to the shaft, not as loud and as sinful as the first. But enough to get you going. You could feel yourself becoming more aroused. Seeing him in this state was enough. You replace your hand softly with your tongue, licking a stripe up the shaft of his cock. This was enough to draw out a longer and louder moan. He was loud for a ninja you noted. Hanzo dug his free hand into his palm, his nails threatening to break the skin. With the hand imbedded in your hair, he slowly stroked the locks. In a feeble attempt to coax you to continue.  It had been a long time since he had been intimate with anyone. Ones hand could only bring so much pleasure. When your mouth took the head of his swollen cock in, his legs tensed, muscles contracting in an attempt to keep him upright. He felt his abdomen muscles constrict, causing his muscles to strain. His eyes snapped shut, his hips bucking forward instinct taking over. All in an attempt for you to take him deeper. He could feel the fire burning from his core. He needed you, wanted you and that was all he could think of in this moment. Hellfire coursing through his body, mind and soul. Threatening to let Scorpion surface and burn everything. You were blissfully unaware of the fight he was experiencing. Enjoying the feel of his cock sliding in and out of your mouth. Your tongue swirling and teasing the head. Feeling his skin and tasting the bitter saltiness of pre-cum. Your eyes closed as you built up a rhythm; of bobbing your head in time with your hand.  Your grip tightened on his shaft slightly, as the force of the suck increased, taking him in further and further. You had to take it easy at first, his cock could potentially make you gag, something you did not wish to do. Instead, you opted to keep teasing, allowing your mouth time to adjust… but too much teasing would make him cum far too early. Before any of the real fun began really. A well-balanced mix was what you needed and wanted. More so, what he needed and wanted as well. You took him fully in, swirling your tongue down to the base, before quickly surfacing again. Your throat gagged slightly as his hips bucked forward, but you pressed on regardless. The payoff was exactly what you had hoped for. Hanzo lost control, moaning far too loud for his liking, hands increasing their grip on your hair. Gods be damned, this felt heavenly. You smirked against him, before continuing your assault. Hanzo knew he was being too loud, loud enough to alert anyone who was nearby to what was happening. He had to act, quickly biting down on his knuckles. Trying to stifle his noises and remain as silent as possible. If ever there was evidence for him not being a ninja, then this was it. Evidence that only he could ever know. You parted your legs, trying to get you closer to the ground, easing your aching and probably bruised knees. His grip tightening had sent electricity coursing through your veins. Adrenaline coursed through your body. Awakening a side of you, you didn’t even know you had. You always knew you preferred it slightly rougher. Maybe that was what drew you to Hanzo? You could feel his hips bucking up into your mouth, as if testing the waters on how much you could take. You carried on maintaining your rhythm, meeting his thrusts and timing them perfectly. Your eyes glanced up at the muffled sounds; he had bit down on his knuckles trying to calm his noises. That was an achievement if ever there was one. An achievement, only you two could ever know about. Continuing to swirl your tongue up and down, you were blissfully unaware of his approaching orgasm. His eyes shot open, he could feel himself drawing to an end, and end he partially wanted to chase after. But he knew this was not going to satiate either of you. His hand released from your hair, he released his bruised and battered knuckles from their prison. You quickly came off his cock with a pop, confused by this change in pace. He rushed you to your feet, capturing your lips to his, with a fierce and urgent pace. He wasn’t acting meek or shy, well not as much as you had thought. His tongue met yours, dancing a fire blaze filed dance, as he explored every crook of your mouth. His hands rushed to remove your uniform, pulling at the various knots and ties in it. Undoing them with expert precision. Muscle memory had activated, everything once more felt natural and almost normal… if only Scorpion would simmer down and stop his incessant attempts to surface and take over. You break the kiss to help free yourself of layers, scattering them to the side, not caring for the wrinkles and creases. You can deal with them another time. Everything felt rushed and as if it should be sloppy, but his hands roaming over your bra clad breasts spoke otherwise. Teasing and heated touches that voiced practise and expertise had you moaning. Putty in his hands. Each touch, stroke and breath against your skin, felt like fire coursing through your veins. You went to assist in removing your bra, freeing your chest and exposing it to the chill of the room. Since Hanzo had arrived, the room had heated and warmed a significantly. Not enough to prevent your nipples from pebbling however. Reacting to the slight chill of the air. Hanzo runs his hands up and down your body, massaging your hip bones, stroking and teasing above your pubic bone. Fingers dancing but not fully dipping under the waistband. Making you mewl and throw yourself forward. Begging him for more. “Please don’t tease Hasashi… I didn’t tease you…” You quipped. Hanzo smirked, leaning in and kissing up your neck. Stopping below your ear, nibbling at the lobe, before ghosting his breath over your skin. “You have teased me for far too long. Every spar match, every small touch, every sinful look you have given me.” He cooed, his hands gripping your hips slightly, which caused a startled moan to leave your lips. He backed you up to the table, helping you to sit upon the wooden surface, before attempting to rid yourself and himself of the remainders of your clothing.

With your pants and his freed. You both were bare before each other. You admired his form. Well and finely tuned muscle, littered with memoirs of his past and battles galore. He stood, cock in hand, stroking and admiring your form. Taking in every blemish, freckle and curve, finding it hard to repress a part of him rising. “You are divine…” He softly cooed, before closing the gap, nudging his way in between your spread legs. Your legs wrapped around his waist instantly, his bare cock brushing your entrance, teasing you with what was to come. He captured your lips once more, before trailing a hand down your stomach, finally dipping down to your aching cunt. You had waited patiently for some attention and he was going to deliver that. His finger swirled your entrance, teasing and trying to elicit some lubricant. Before plunging one digit in, stilling, before moving at a soft and slow pace. You gasped and moaned into the kiss, bucking and rocking your hips against his upturned palm. Wanting and desiring more. This was just an appetiser, and you wanted the full course. You had waited many a moon for this. And you were so close. You broke the kiss, leaning forward and moaning into his shoulder. You had a better volume inhibition in comparison to Hanzo, but even then, it was still too loud. You had to be quiet, less you wake your slumbering neighbours through the stone wall, that may as well have been made of paper. This spurred Hanzo on, slipping another digit in and continuing his rhythm as if nothing had changed. His thumb started to circle your clit. He had to make you cum before he fucked you. He wouldn’t last long, there was no shame in him admitting that to himself. But if he caught you before you came down, he could time it right that you’d get a second orgasm; which would in turn pull him to his own conclusion. Part of him battled for him to fuck you on the bed, to take you like a lady, the way he thought you’d like…. Another part wanted him to fuck your cunt hard on the table. He looked down to see you moaning wanton lust, legs spread for him, begging and mewling in his ear for more. Uttering his last name and his title, as if begging for him to fuck you right here and now. “Table or bed?” He asked quickly. You looked up as he stilled his fingers, still knuckle deep in you but asking questions. In a heartbeat you replied, you knew what you wanted. If you were to fuck Hanzo Hasashi once, then it would be a fuck to remember. “Table, please… Grandmaster.” You begged. The very mention of his title made his cock twitch. He carried on his assault, fucking his fingers deep into your cunt. Rubbing your clit in perfect ellipses, in the hopes of speeding up your orgasm. His cock was starting to leak pre-cum, he needed to be in you soon. Over-stimulated beyond belief. He could feel your cunt clenching around his fingers, your moaning and rocking had increased dramatically. You threw yourself back, arching your back to the heavens, fingers in your mouth to silence your impending orgasm. Your eyes closed, and your body burned. You bit back a moan as it hit you, causing you to buck and writhe in the pale firelight. Basking as you did so. Hanzo watched on. The display made his cock twitch. When you came down from your high, a twitching and panting mess, you smiled lazily at him. Parting your legs wider as he slid his fingers from you…

Positioning and lining his cock up with your entrance, he slowly slid in. Watching as your eyes closed slowly, your mouth parting into a wide O, as your cunt started to swallow his cock. The sensation was like something he’d only dreamed of. It felt better than his hand, far better than he could have ever hoped for. He threw his head back, eyes closed and hands gripping your hips tight as he hilted himself within you. Your cunt felt hot and warm to him.  His breath was jagged, a moan threatening to tumble from his pursed lips. Your hands caressed his arms, bringing him back into the now and reality. His eyes locked with yours, he gently moved some stray hair from your face. His head tilted forward, resting against your collar as he started to thrust into you. Each stroke was slow and long, your mouth parted once more. You wanted to caress him with your words. Worship him and make him feel wanted. But the feel of his cock caressing your core, was proving far too much, preventing your words from spilling out. You could hear him mumbling words in Japanese, husky sounding and dripping with emotion. Your mind could not figure out what he was saying, but it did not matter overly to you. You could feel and hear the tone of his voice, coupled with the needy grasps and touches Hanzo was giving you. Always focused around your hip areas, dipping down to rub your hip bones and caress your stomach. His thrusts picked up slowly, picking up in pace and roughness. He raised himself up, once more looking in your eyes. His eyes were blown wide as he took you all in. Your hands clinging to his shoulder, one leg wrapped around his hip, your breasts bouncing as he fucked you. One hand was holding onto your shoulder, the other was caressing your hip bones. You looked divine in this moment. Illuminated by nothing more than mere candlelight and firelight. The shadows dancing creeping from your silhouettes; they crashed and bounced together in time, a perfect harmony. Hanzo picked up his speed once more, becoming more comfortable and assured with his rhythm. Your moans, facial expressions and needy grabs at his shoulder were solace enough in that. He had feared his rhythm would be out of synch, it had been a long time, too long… the feeling of your cunt gripping at him and pulling him closer, made him regret not giving into temptation and his urges sooner. It felt natural. The sound of your skin meeting, the creaking and rocking of the table; the feel of your skin on his and the feel of the heat exchanging between you both. It was bliss. “Please Hanzo… Please…” You begged, hoping to coax him into giving your clit some attention once more. You wanted to cum badly. Hanzo snapped out of his thoughts, his rhythm became slightly sloppier and out of synch for a moment. His eyes locked with yours, brown eyes blown wide, dripping with lust. His mouth was open, he was trying to find his words, but he had nothing to say. He glanced down to see one of your hands wandering down to your own clit. He gripped your wrist, leaving your hip bones reluctantly. He had to admit, he had a soft spot for your hip and waist area. There was something about how your body moulded to fit his hands perfectly, that drove him wild and insatiable with lust and desire. He stilled himself in you, hilting himself fully within your warm cunt. He shook his head, planting a kiss to your fingertips playfully. “What do you want me to do Sakura?” He asked you. His tone low, barely a whisper. He was teasing you. Maybe finally extracting revenge on you being a tease. You bite your lip before bucking your hips up. “I want you to make me cum… Grandmaster.” You whisper to him. He let out a moan. Never before had his title been used in this way. Said in such a whispered and hushed tone. Laced with lust, passion and desire. You wanted him. And he wanted you. He let go of your wrist, placing your hand over his heat, splaying your fingers out against his skin. You could feel the drum of his heartbeat racing against your fingers. It beat a furious dance below your digits. His hand met your clit, rubbing it in soft and gentle circles, whilst he continued to regain his rhythm. The speed of him playing with your clit increased, pushing you towards your impending orgasm. He could feel your cunt starting to tighten around him. He could feel his ball starting to clench and restrict. He was going to cum soon… but he was more concerned with you cumming first rather than himself. He timed his thrusts with the circling motion. Your eyes were struggling to stay open just as you were struggling to hold on. You could feel the quickening of his heart under your fingers. Everything was in time, a perfect harmony, beating as one. “Oh my god Hanzo…” You whispered, through batted breaths. Hanzo looked into your eyes, he wanted to throw his head into your neck crook. But he wanted to stare into your eyes when he came. He loved eye contact, prolonged or stolen glances it didn’t matter to him. Eyes were the windows to the soul, or so they said, and he took that very seriously. “Can you feel the rhythm of my heart?” He asked you, his voice shaking as his orgasm grew closer and closer. You could barely speak, words were escaping you. You nodded, pressing your fingers closer to his chest. “It beats like this every time you are around… it burns me like hellfire for all my sins.” He admitted, his voice becoming a cracking wreck. You nod before leaning more into his touch. “We can burn together then… because I love living in this sin with you…” You admit. “Hanzo I’m so close… I’m so close…” Your voice was becoming hasty, your breath becoming nothing more than a pant. Your tone becoming more needy and higher pitched. Hanzo focused his attention on rubbing your clit and pushing you over the edge. He would not last much longer, he had surprised himself by lasting this long.  With a few more rough circles, the elastic band that was held tight in your abdomen snapped. Your body convulsed, hips bucking and rocking into him, pants become loud moans. The table creaked under the force of the orgasm that rocked you. You wanted to bit your lip to still your wanton moaning. Hanzo did not care, he was to engrossed in the moment. Watching your body bounce and buck up against his; your eyes closed and face a picture of pure bliss. He carried on thrusting, riding you through your orgasm, allowing him to venture forth to capture his own. His thrusts became sloppier, his breathing ragged and his rhythm was off. Even after coming down from your own peak, you carried on moaning and complimenting him. Your body and cunt was sensitive, but by the gods did it feel good. You caressed his shoulders and his heart, you could feel the beat pounding furiously against his skin. His speed increased, and you knew the end was nigh. You looked into his eyes, expressing what emotion you could through them. Reassuring him that it was okay, this was heaven to you and everything you could have ever wanted. His eyes widened, as if tears brimming in them. Not of sadness but of bliss, sweat beginning to appear on his brow and coat his body in a sheen. “Cum in me Grandmaster…” You whispered. That finished him off. Those sweet, bliss laden words were enough to do that. His head went forward as he came, resting in the crook of your neck. He shot hot spurts of cum into your cunt. Coating it. With each thrust more and more was spilt into you.

Until at last, you both lay against each other, spent and basking in the glorious aftermath. Your breathing was both ragged but still in time. His heart beat furiously against your own, perfectly in time as you both came down from your orgasms. You knew after the passion and lust faded, Hanzo would feel conflicted once more… but you hoped it was worth the brief lapse in guilt. His chuckle startled you, making you look down and caress his locks that stuck to his back. He lent back, capturing your hands and caressing the knuckles. “Are you still planning on taking that job?” He asked you. You laugh a little, shaking your head and smiling. “If you’re about to offer me the job of Concubine to the Grandmaster, I swear I will leave right now…” You joke, you ensure your tone is light-hearted as to not upset him greatly. After sex he seemed vulnerable and open, you did not wish to ruin this perfect moment. He smiled softly before shaking his head. Kissing the back of your hand and holding you close to him. “Member of the Shira Ryu.” He counteroffered. You had strength in you, a fire that burned along with his. It did not try to surpass his nor did it challenge its authority, it worked in time with his and worked to keep his burning bright. You were taken aback by the offer. He had offered you a full membership to his clan, whilst balls deep within you still… if that wasn’t a power move than you didn’t know what was. “And what of this?” You ask him, hope brimming in your tone. You wanted more of Hanzo. He was addicting. Raw, emotional with a hint of roughness. His brow raised, the tips of his ears growing red slightly. “I call this a one on one training session. I see no reason for it happening again. You burn bright firefly. I would like to explore this more. If you are willing.” He proposed. He hitched his breath, awaiting your answer. He was bearing his soul to you, something he had not done in a while. He hoped you did not throw it back in his face. He prayed this was not a one-time fuck. He could not get enough of your cunt. He ached for so long and he hurt, but you were a recluse and provided solace. A beacon of light in a storm almost. Your smile widened. “I’ll happily explore hellfire and risk getting burned for my sins.” You admit. This brought a genuine chuckle from the Grandmaster. “Then we have much to explore…” He captured your lips briefly, his hands massaging your back and ass gently. You were in for one hell of a long night.

[rottenbrains]

Daichi X Reader

Wordcount : 1871 words

Warning(s) : There’s spoilers (a bit) but it’s safe. I actually wanted to make it as an angst but gave up halfway. I decided to just post this to show how shitty and suck my writing became as I finally realized my assignments are still piling and i’m still procrastinating. Send help please! cause i’m still craving for Haikyuu and desperate for the second half this July!

Clenched fists and sore throats. The game against Shiratorizawa really got you at the edge of your seat, with a tense atmosphere and heavy pants from both sides of the court. You might faint if you stayed seated for any longer as the tension keeps on escalating, with the members trying to score a double point to end the game. Standing up, you went to stand beside Tanaka’s sister while firmly gripping the hem of your shirt. The pressure was evident, easily spotted with only a plain glance towards the prolonged-rally at the court. Everyone was cheering with them all, shouting and hoping for their win when Hinata made his back-attack jump, making the court goes silent.

Received by the opposite’s libero, but it bounced off. Out of the bounds.

There goes it.

Their double point.

The whistle is blown.

21-19, Karasuno against Shiratorizawa.

It’s sealed, finally. They’re going to the Nationals. Weak by the knees, you fall down as you watched your boyfriend hugged his buddies while the juniors just roared with all their might.

“Y/n-chan!!! You okay??? They’ve won the match, now stand up and show yourself! They’re greeting the audience…” Saeko-neesan called to you, pulling you by the arms to help you stand up. Still shocked, you tried to stand up with her help as you feel warm tears on your cheeks.

Nevertheless, you stood up proudly as you overlook each of the members standing at the court facing you. Finally, as your eyes set on Daichi, your eyes just sting all the more as he kept his eyes on you.

“Arigatou Gozaimasu!” They all shout as they bow. While everyone was clearly applauding and congratulated them from the stands, you just sobbed and wiped your eyes harshly after managed to wave at the exhausted captain. Soon after, the ceremony continued as you calmed yourself down. As soon as it was over, you joined Saeko-neesan with the others to meet the team.

“SAWAMURA, YOU PRICK!” From a distance you hollered his name while sprinting towards him, attacking him with a punch to his stomach and bone-breaking hug afterward. For a girl shorter than him to punch him, you sure are packed with strength as he grunted from the punch and reciprocated your affection.

“You do realize that we’ve just done playing 5 sets of the game, right?” He asked, putting his chin on top of your head as you hugged. The realization hits you.

“…Congratulations. And I love you, too~” You said, muffling your voice on his body before you released him and skipped towards the coach, followed by Shimizu. Forcefully, you poked his sides, making him yelp in front of Takeda-sensei. Annoyed, he turned to look at you as he put on his angered face.

“What was that for?!” He glowered, and much more annoyed when he saw you raising your eyebrows in a playful manner. Shimizu was about to ask when Koushi went to your side, interrupting the silent conversation.

“Coach, can (Y/n) join us on the bus later? It’ll be fun to have her around…especially for the captain who lost his tooth yesterday…” Koushi asked, poking fun at the captain when he’s not listening.

“Since she’s practically our third manager, and helps with the training…” Shimizu pointed out, also trying to help you to join them later.

It’s true though. You’re in the same class as Shimizu, and you've been helping her manage the team from behind since there’s a lot of things to do if Shimizu did it all alone. With the cute new manager, the workload has somehow decreased so you’ve been helping them a lot less than before. But with the new members and their abilities that are to be reckoned, the team had made an explosive comeback and of course, the workload increased again. Not that you wanted to complain. From those workloads, you got yourself a boyfriend. It’s a win-win situation. You get to help your friend manage the team, you get yourself a guy.

When your brother knew about it, all hell breaks loose. He’s a doting brother, alright. And he’s also the coach of the team. Damn your luck. Keishin glared at your boyfriend whenever you came to the court to visit Shimizu and Hitoka, which is all the time. And your luck was just getting started.

You were playing with the kids that same to your gramps’ house to learn volleyball when your brother dragged Hinata there. You were supposed to be playing just for fun when the old man decided to ask you to teach him. There goes your playtime because now it’s time to start throwing balls and lecturing Hinata about tempo.

The next day, your brother shocked you when he asked you to come to the gym when it’s practice time. He hates that you came there all the time, to meet your boyfriend that he didn’t know existed. Suddenly, now he wanted you to come? This is, what we call bad omen.

“Since your brats are familiar with her, starting today, she’ll be the assistant coach. So I expect full cooperation and professionalism.” Keishin highlighted the last words while looking at Sawamura. You were about to object when your brother cut you.

“At least this helps your skills to not be forgotten… Since you know how to play but decided to not play. And also, Gramps actually agreed with me, for the first time ever!”

And that’s how you started to help the team with receives and serves. All that mess, and now you’re sitting beside your boyfriend as he chowed on the food with the others. Your brother is busy talking with Sensei about the improvements and hardships to come while the energetic four sleep through the dinner, too tired to even lift the chopsticks. Slowly, you excused yourself and went out of the shop to enjoy the view outside.

Orange-painted sky with crows cawing from afar, you sat outside the store as you looked at the sky wondering about yourself.

“You should at least eat first…” a gentle voice rings your ears as you felt a solid arm wrapped itself around your shoulder. Sawamura was getting himself comfortable, scuttled a little beside you before sitting still with his arm around you.

“Well… I’m not really hungry. But for you, you should at least rest and eat inside” You mumbled when you saw two piece of fried shrimp he was holding with his arm that was around you. He waved the shrimps in front of you, a signal to tell you to eat it. You pulled one of it with your mouth and chewed it slowly when he releases his hold on the one you’re chewing on. He retracted his arm and took the shrimp to his mouth, then slings it back to your shoulder. Both of you just enjoy the shrimp while looking at the colorful horizon.

“So…what made my girlfriend furrowed her eyebrows for a while now?” Sawamura asked, breaking the silence after a while. He looked straight at you, while you glanced at him from the corner of your eyes, not really in the mood to look at him. You just continued to look at the sky, staying silent to think about your answer.

You don’t even know why are you like this. Looking at the sunset, you didn’t really feel bothered or whatever. So when your boyfriend mentioned your furrowed eyebrows, you started to think. You started to think about the unpredictable future. The chances of winning. Tiring practices. Exams. Universities. Lives after highschool. Your boyfriend. You’re not actually bothered by anything until he mentioned about your mood today. And you’re not trying to say it’s his fault that you’re actually started to feel anxious about the future when he asked you just now. Thinking about everything, now you actually furrowed your eyebrows on your own accord while gazing at the sunset.

Maybe, the sunset has this tremendous power to make people think about everything. Who knows?

Looking at your crinkled forehead, Sawamura pecked your cheek.

“There go those eyebrows again… Now, care to tell your boyfriend?” He asked again, much softer than before, whispering to you before laying his head on your shoulder.

“…It’s nothing, actually. I was just thinking about the future…” you spoke softly, to match his previous tone of asking. Breeze danced through your hair, making the stray ones goes wild on your head, fluttering like dead leaves.

“So you’ve been thinking about the future…why?” He inquired, confused about what had caused you to think that.

“Hmm… sunset? I’m not sure… I’m not actually thinking about anything before. But, when you said my eyebrows are crinkled and furrowed…then I started to think about the future…” I said, while fixing my hair, “what will happen after this? You’ll be busy with the Nationals… then there are exams… how will our future play out? What will happen to us? Everything is so uncertain it makes you wonder… out of every situation played on your mind, which one will be the reality??”

Silence. Sawamura was just steadily breathing beside you that you would’ve thought that he fell asleep as you blabbered about your sudden thoughts if not for his chuckle.

“Haha, you’re being extra sentimental today…” He answered, slowly moving his arm from your shoulder and it slithered back to your waist, followed by his other arm. “Yes, the future is uncertain. We’ll never know what will happen. But, make sure that you remember this… I’m always here for you.” He remarked as he tightens his hug on me, kissing my cheek on the process.

“Hey, I told you to rest. Not to hug my sister in the public!” Your brother growled as both of you heard the sound of the shoji screen being pulled.

“Sorry coach, but I need this…” Your boyfriend answered cheekily at Keishin as you just giggled.

.

.

.

Tomorrow

“Y/n… there’s a red spot on your skirt…” Shimizu whispered to you, before stealthily passing you the pad as she put it inside your blazer pocket. You were about to sit when Shimizu stopped you, forcing you to stand up again. You guys were at the cafeteria and Daichi definitely saw the thing slipped to your pocket.

“That explains your mood yesterday…” He said shyly. Embarrassed, you take off your blazer to tie it on your waist as you walked hastily towards the nearest toilet.

.

.

.

“Y/n, faster now… or we’ll be late to meet the others.” Daichi said as he pulled you forward, dragging your slow footsteps to meet Koushi and Azumane. Soon, you saw both of your old friends standing in front of you as Koushi and Azumane are currently shaking their hands according to their ‘non-existent secret handshake’.

“Ohh, it looks like our petshop owner came waltzing at us with the police officer clinging to her…” Koushi cooed at you as he pointed at both your hands, linking together, tight like glue.

“Shut it, you,” I said while slapping his hands. He pouted from the contact as Azumane just laughed at our antics since it’s been a while since all of us are gathered together like this.

“Now, let’s go find seats before there’s none left… I believe none of us wanted to miss this match” Daichi said in his typical-team-captain tone, tugging at me so that I can start walking. Soon after, four of us are struggling to get past the sea of humans to watch the battle of our beloved juniors.

[fiction-in-my-blood]

Switching Sides: Part 7 (HLITF)

if anyone possibly wants to get on a tag list I’d be happy to make one 👉 @theshove 👈 If you wanna catch up, Part 6 is right here! Happy reading :) Premise: Growing up in a life of crime in a Japanese mafia, Atsuko Motomori has seen enough injustice to last her a lifetime. To try and give back to the universe her family has taken so much from, she dreams of being a detective from a young age. Her twin, sharing her disgust for her father and many uncles, just wants an ordinary life away from the crime, paing and suffering. Instead, she wants to be in the spotlight with the soft notes she makes with her cello. In their escape of 2015, on their coming of age birthday, they must split ways, never to be together ever again. If one was found, they didn’t want the other dragged down with them. Atsuko, having changed her name and appearance as best she can without a scalpel, sets off to start her life of car chases and arrests. Four years in a seemingly dead-end police station in the middle of nowhere, being passed over time after time for promotion, Atsuko finally gets a shot at her dream, having been sent to an academy for the best candidates in the country by her boss who had always kept an eye out for her. After discovering her boss may have made her bite off more than she could chew, Atsuko must become the slave of a dominating instructor!? Who so just happens to be the captain of the most famous police unit in Japan? Not to mention a total knockout! Will Atsuko finally achieve her dream? Or will her new instructor put her through the wringer? Warnings: Language, Reference to sexual activity, Forceful nature, Description of bloody scenes

~~~~~~

When I woke up next, there was a face right in front of mine. I yelled out in surprise to see Kaga peering down at me. 

"Hush with the shouting." He frowned as he straightened and I jumped up. I looked around to find I fell asleep in his living room. "Why are you out here?" He asked and I remember the nightmare I had last night. 

"I-I couldn't get to sleep in there," I muttered, shy that I didn't have a very good excuse. Instead of questioning me further, he threw a towel in my face, telling me to go shower.

As I walked into Kaga's bedroom, I noticed something glinting in the sunlight. I kneeled down and reached under his bed to pick up whatever it was. It was a picture frame, cracked before I had anything to do with it. There were men dressed in suits, one I recognised as Kaga. I started to worry that, in my frantic awakening last night, I knocked it off. Pretending like I hadn't seen anything, I place it on the sideboard, hoping he won't realise as I ran into the bathroom. 

~~~~~~

When I got to school, at a different time to Kaga as he left while I was in the shower, I was listening to Naruko gossip about my night at his apartment. As usual, she was less worried about me messing up than she is with the risque situations she can think up. 

"You two alone... seeking out each other's skin to heal your tired bodies." She goes off into her own little world as she pictured it. "Then your shadows overlap..." I quickly tried to silence her as her retelling of the night got too vulgar for me. A memory of him recently out of the bath flashed through my mind and my cheeks burn brightly. ‘Not to mention how much nicer he was...’

~~~~~~

After school, I was walking to the Instructor's Staff Room for a briefing on Takeda's mission. My leg still hurt and I had to rebandage it in the infirmary during my break because it started bleeding again. ‘I’m lucky it wasn't that deep, but it needs to heal quickly or I'll fall behind.’ I began to worry about my training as I walked along. Taking a quick sigh, I knocked on the door. 

Many people were already there, so I walked fast enough so that no one can see my limp and bowed my head to Instructor Kaga. "I'm truly sorry for inconveniencing you yesterday." He didn't even look in my direction as he looked at the papers in front of him. "I understand that I failed miserably and I'm very sorry." Thinking he wasn't listening, I tried apologising again.

"This mission is back to square one thanks to you." He spat. "I have no need for useless morons." He scowled but still couldn't look at me. 

"Yes sir. I will be more careful next time." I straightened my back, trying not to seem scared as he rightly reprimanded me. 

"You can leave already. Disappear." His final words made my heart stop, but I quickly regained my composure. 

"I have no use for useless morons. Get lost. Now." He announced again and I tried to find the words to respond. He seemed angry. Usually, he would just be annoyed and get me to do more meaningless filing. But, right now, there's hatred in his words. 

"Didn't you hear me? I'm done with you. Get out." He didn't even raise his voice to brush me off, but he may as well have. Everyone around us acted like nothing was happening, just like at the station. I clenched my fists to calm myself down. What had changed since last night? 

"Yes sir," I muttered, turning to leave when the door opened. There, Ishigami came to stand in front of Kaga.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Ishigami directed his question to Kaga, but I was the one who tensed up. 

"It's no big deal. Just getting rid of this moron." 

At my instructor's words, Goto stared at me. I try to seem unaffected by them, but I felt so tired from the little sleep I got last night, I couldn't meet his gaze. The triggering words don't help, my fists clenching harder, but I couldn't feel the pain I'm sure I'm inflicting on myself. I couldn't feel anything. No pain. No warmth or sensation. It wasn't only the mental scars I left that house with. 

"Kaga, explain." Ishigami looked at Kaga with a stern expression. 

"As you know, the investigation was a failure thanks to her mistake yesterday. There's no value in using her, so I'm disposing of her. That's all." The triggering words he was saying set alarm bells to go off in my mind. I was left frozen in this room of professional detectives. 

"Same as ever, aren't you? You can't simply-." Soma tried to butt in with a smile, maybe even to help me out, but he was cut off. 

"This is my decision," Kaga argued. Even though it was my first job, there seemed to be no excuses in the Captain's eyes. Why was I surprised?

For a moment, I felt numb. My heart was hammering hard in my chest, my temper through the roof, and stress pumping through my veins, mixed with the maddening adrenaline. Squeezing my eyes shut in an effort to calm myself down, I took a deep breath, not really caring how strange or pathetic I might have looked trying to console myself. When I opened my eyes again, luckily, no one was looking at me.

"Excuse me," I muttered before he could insult me further and left the room without a reply. 

~~~~~~

I escaped to the rooftop, seething with anger and trying to breathe through it. ‘Why am I so stupid?’ I scream at myself, kicking a trash can with my injured leg. 

‘Okay, that hurt more than I thought.’ I held my foot, hopping over to a bench by the railing. 

"What is wrong with me?" I asked myself, letting my head fall into my hands. ‘I'll never be able to help Juna at this rate.’ I let out a heavy sigh, falling back in the seat to look up at the orange-hued sky. 

Soon, the door to the roof opened again and I heard someone call my name. It was a girl's voice and, getting ahead of myself, I thought it was my sister coming to comfort me. Unfortunately, it was just Naruko and some of our male friends. Naruko saw me physically deflate as she approached. She sat down next to me, placing a hand on mine. 

"Did you really get cut from doing undercover work?" She gasped and I almost laugh. 

"Yeah, but that's not what's bothering me." I forced a sad smile as our male friends stood around us.

Naruko smiled to encourage me to continue. "I think my sister's in trouble." I sighed, bringing my knees up to my chin. She seemed shocked and told me she thought Juna was dead. The guys were more shocked, they had no idea about any of my relatives. 

"What would give you that idea?" I raised my voice in shock. She explained how sad I seemed when she brought up the pictures and anything about my family. 

"Well, I can assure you she's still alive." I laughed, maybe trying to make myself aware of that fact. I sighed just thinking about it and fell back on the back of the bench. 

"We didn't grow up in a great family. My dad was a pretty bad influence and my mom left us when we were kids. It was hard to leave home, but when we did, we kinda lost contact." I tried to be as vague as possible, but I wanted to get some of this stuff off my chest. I had been bottling it up for years. "I guess I've just had her on my mind lately." I looked at my printless fingertips and wiped my thumb over them again as if reminding myself of the damage my father could do.

"Well, Instructor Kaga has been pushing you really hard." Naruko smiled and I nodded. She probably thought the stress of school was rehashing old memories. "You made it here! So don't get down on yourself when an instructor forces you to do more than you could do." She tried to cheer me up. Even though she made sense, it was nice to think Kaga trusted me enough to do more than I thought I could do. Besides, if I wanted to stay here, I needed to be able to do this stuff.

"Besides, it's probably best he cuts you loose now." Our friend spoke up and I threw him an inquisitive expression. 

"How's that?"

"There's a rumour about him. That he killed his part-." Before another classmate could continue, I brushed it off. 

"I don't believe it." My adamant statement seemed to shock my group of friends. "I accept he's mean and scary, but leave a man to die..?" My brows furrowed as I contemplated everything the instructor had done for me. 

"Isn't there a saying for that? There's no smoke without fire?" The men started to shrug off the rumour as something they would never really know as true or not and they all left me on the roof to cool off. 

~~~~~~

Left with my own thoughts, I started to realise what being fired as Kaga's aide meant. I would have no access to the case. No way to make sure my father was involved. No way to tell Juna if she would be safe or not. And I sure as hell couldn’t keep tabs on who the team was dealing with. 

I groan out upon the realisation that I had messed things up so much more than I originally thought I had. 

"You depressed over Hyogo tossing you out?" A voice I wasn't expecting to hear called from the direction of the fire escape and my gaze darted over. 

"Shinonome?" My face screwed up in confusion as he walked over. 

"Or are you depressed over being yelled at?" Ayumu finished his question as he came to a halt in front of me. 

"I've been yelled at far worse than that before." I laughed self-deprecatingly, thinking back to when my father was ever in a 'good' mood; whenever he didn't feel like he needed to punch the closest thing to him

"Wow, you're tough." The young detective smiled and I stared up at him. 

"Besides, it's not like he's yelling for no reason..." I sighed, pouting at my own shortcomings. 

"Then why are you making that face?" He looked down at me suspiciously and I felt like glaring back. Whenever he asked me questions I felt like I was being interrogated. I didn't trust him or his stupid smile, and I especially didn't trust his words of consolation- if that's what these words were meant to be.

"What're you doing here anyway? Coming to accuse me of being a missing person again?" I frowned, dropping my chin into my knees. I just wanted to mope around now, not have him question me. Ayumu just sat beside me. Maybe he was here to hear me out. Maybe he was here to tell me I was out. But I couldn't tell when the only expression he had was somewhat positive. 

"I came here to save people, and all I've done is mess up over and over again." I sigh, staring at the floor in front of me. "It's like I don't know anything, no matter how long I've been here. Every time I try to fix something, I end up doing something worse." Thinking back to when I tried to stop Takeda from being suspicious of us by pulling Kaga close, I also remember how I eventually broke the investigation. 

"Well, if you're comparing your detective skills to Hyogo's, you would be close to nothing." Ayumu laughed and I secretly glared at him. 

‘How was that meant to make me feel better?’ 

"It's because that guy has put everything he has into becoming a detective." The statement made me think back to everything I had been holding back. All my past experiences with the law and seeing it fail miserably, just like I felt like I was doing, had been locked away so no one can figure out who I was or where I came from. I didn't want anyone to get close or to draw any unneeded attention to myself, it had only ever gotten me in trouble. But, when you're in a competition to get to the top, or pass the bare minimum bar, you really need to show everything you've got. 

"By the way, they may seem like complete opposites, but Ishigami is the same way." Ayumu leant over to pull me out of my thoughts. 

"Don't tell them that." I laugh at the idea of both of them having a similar trait. 

"We're here because those two recognised something in us." The instructor closest to my age added and it filled me with a little hope. Until I remembered my application here was totally falsified. 

"But..." Ayumu got my attention again before I could spiral. "I've seen very few people last this long with Hyogo. Let alone a woman or a student." I started to think that maybe my childhood experiences could have attributed to my ability to withstand the man's abuse with a smile most of the time. 

"I can follow him like a puppy all I want. That doesn't mean I'm at all helpful," I complained, thinking back to my late night filing sessions and carrying Kaga's papers from classroom to classroom. 

"Really? I'm sure Hyogo would've cut you off much sooner if that's all you do. Just think about the guy in the alleyway." Ayumu seemed a little surprised with my depressed attitude. 

"What?" I recalled defending Kaga from that blade-wielding maniac as we tailed Takeda. It was an instinct, mainly meant for when I was protecting Juna from any of the men in our house. 

‘Kaga wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place if not for me though...’

"Since he hadn't then... surely some part of him approves of you?" The word echoed in my brain and my heart fluttered at the idea. "Well, it could just be his fickle temper too..." Ayumu immediately shut me down. "The only time I thought you were helpful was when you made me tea." The innocent smile he portrayed was completely different compared to his demeaning words. 

"And I was just starting to think we could get along." I sighed, standing up once I realised my private time wasn't mine anymore. Although, I did feel a grin growing on my face as I thought about the possibility of Kaga approving of me. If only a little. 

"I'm going to put everything I have into this exam." A grin finally appeared on my face. 

"Where did this come from?" Ayumu, on the other hand, was evidently confused. I had only ever done one exam in my life, and that was the officer's exam in the police academy. I did pretty well in it, so I was confident I could prove to Kaga I wasn't completely useless. 

"That's all I can do, for now, to prove I'm worthy." I looked triumphantly into the distance. 

"Do your best. But Hyogo will be giving the exam." The information slightly deflated my resolve. 

"That means I'll just have to try harder than my all." I nodded to him before turning and leaving the rooftop.

~~~~~~

It was the weekend after my abysmal show of a mission and I was on my way out of the school to meet Juna at the cafe I suggested to update her on my situation. It was hot. Unbearably so. So I'm wearing shorts, which I hadn't worn since enrolling in the basic training academy. And, to hide my face from anyone looking for someone with my features, I had a baseball cap and sunglasses.

"Atsuko, where are you going?" I heard Naruko call out to me in the cafeteria. Usually, on our days off, I'm doing work for Kaga. Maybe there was one blessing to come with being let go. 

"I'm just leaving campus for a bit. Need to clear my head." I kneeled down to grab the coffee can I bought from the vending machine. Naruko was in her casuals as well as everyone else in the room at this point in the morning. 

"Oh? I thought you were going on a date." She cheered and I just laughed her off, used to her vivid imagination by now. 

"I'll see you before curfew!" I waved behind me as I ran out of the cafeteria.

~~~~~~ 

Just as I was about to pass the school gates, I heard my name again. I turned to see Instructor Soma wearing his usual suit. 

"Are you teaching today, Instructor?" I asked as he walked up to me. I was in a rush, but I disn't want to seem rude or suspicious in front of the only friendly special instructor. 

"Something like that. Are you on your way out?" He asked with his kind smile. 

"Is that a bad thing?" I laughed awkwardly, not wanting to seem like I was slacking off after Kaga dropped me. 

"Not at all, we all need some r'n'r" Soma grinned at my reaction to his question. 

"Then you should too, sir! I'll see you around." Finding that I'd have to leave now to catch my train in time, I ran out the school gates.

~~~~~~

At the cafe I used to work at, I took a seat at one of the tables outside. It hadn't changed much, except for some of the staff that ran around taking orders. The last I heard, my father didn't control this area of the city. Control in the sense of demanding protection money or laundering money through its businesses.

After I asked for a coffee and what I remembered my sister's favourite drink to be, I saw a woman walking up the street with long, flowing green hair. She sat at the table behind me.

"Were you followed?" I asked low enough so only she could hear, hiding the movements of my lips with the edge of my phone I knocked against them casually. 

"No, I went on three different lines to lose them. And left my phone in his house." She replied in a whisper as well, looking down at the paper menu left out on the tables, lifting her shades only slightly with one hand. "What about you?" Her question surprised me, seeing as she was the one being held hostage. 

"Who's going to follow me?" My face screwed up in confusion before I realised I had to be covert, sitting up and looking around just in case her own concerns were valid. I shuffled in the metal seat, my own sunglasses sticking to the place on the bridge of my nose with the glisten of sweat that collected there due to the weather and my nerves. Luckily, I didn't see any familiar faces or vehicles. 

"You literally go to a school for cops." She laughed in response and I heard the screech of her chair being pushed back as she stood up again. I jumped up as well, turning to my sister dressed in large sunglasses to hide her face from recognition. 

"I'm so glad you're safe." I breathed a sigh of relief as we enveloped each other in a tight hug. I sniffed to hold back my tears, of relief or fear I didn't know, and the fresh scent of the shampoo my father had us use filled my nose. The sense of fear that I drew from that made me hold her just a bit tighter, my arms wrapped around her neck.

"I had to get to you, didn't I?" She pulled back with a bright smile, noticing my tenseness, and we sat back down on my table. I took off my sunglasses but left on the cap and she left her glasses on. 

"Not like you to wear shorts, though." Juna looked down at my bare legs once we got our drinks. When we lived with my father, I hated showing any skin in front of our creepy uncles, or anyone for that matter. My sister grew a little concerned at the bandage around my shin.

"I came to the realisation that heatstroke is more important than keeping my modesty." I laughed nervously in response and she giggled, pushing her questions to the side for now because I seemed positive. As we made easy conversation, I felt my nerves bubble up again.

"Juna... I... I got kicked off the case." I told her, anxiety written all over my face. Her hand freezes from stirring her iced tea and my palms became clammy around my freezing coffee. "I messed up when we were following Takeda and we got attacked. He got away and my instructor got really mad." I explained slowly, trying to speak in a low voice so no one would overhear who or what we're talking about. 

"Actually, I have something to say as well." She responded in a low, frail tone and I gulped to push away my guilt. I put her in danger by asking her here, just to tell her that I was losing my chances to save her. 

"There's a meeting happening at a hotel in a week. Dad's going to be there, along with a lot of the uncles... Katsumi, I'm scared they're going to do something really bad." Her glasses were off now and I could see the true fear in her eyes. 

"And... I overheard someone talking about a detective that broke into one of the offices. They mentioned a woman that they found familiar..." She didn't have to explain why they found me familiar. I already knew who she was talking about. I sighed, frustrated I had been so reckless. "They know you're in the city, but I don't think they know your name or where you live..." She explained and my heart stopped. I was lucky Kaga doesn't refer to me by name and I didn't have my badge on show. 

"I think we need to leave while we can. The next meeting is going to be big. If you can manage to be there, I'll be waiting for you. But I'm leaving the first chance I get." Her words echoed in my skull. 

‘I'll have to leave my life behind? The one I worked so hard to get? I'll have to leave my job, Naruko..? I'll have to leave Kaga...’ The words vibrated in my skull like a resounding alarm as I thught about what being discovered meant. 

"I have money and a ride. Somewhere to stay. It won't be difficult once I get away. Katsumi, I want you to come with me. My life has been so empty without you. So much more than I expected..." Juna reached forward to grab my hand. I was biting the tip of my thumb, trying to plan with the information she gave me. 

"We'll be safer together..." Juna added on, leading off when she realised I was stunned to silence, clutching my hand to bring me back to earth but knowing I couldn't feel her support that way. Her fingers worked up my wrist and I finched when she touched the skin on the inside of my wrist, a place I could feel, and my gaze fell on her. She looked just as scared, just as earnest as she was the day I talked her into running away. I never thought I'd be the one that would hesitate. 

"What about our plan, Juna? I'm so close. If I can just get the pictures to one of my instructors, he'll be locked up. Maybe even executed. They're already doing an investigation." I explained. I really wanted to stay. I was enjoying the life I had made for myself. Even with how hard it was right now. Even if the people I had grown close to c ould never know the real me, the reason I became a cop, I felt like they knew the me I had become. Hopefully they trusted me enough to not ask why I had those pictures.

"What happens when they ask you where you got them? When they find out who you really are? Who we are? The moment dad realises where you are... He'll kill both of us." She argued back, trying to bring me to my senses. 

"You're not safe there, Katsu. Just look what happened to you when you got involved with his case." Juna gestured to my bandaged leg and I cursed how right she was. If they were already suspicious, it wouldn't take them long to realise what I was working on. The threat of being discovered would push them to be more reckless. More unpredictable. Who knew what they'd be willing to do. 

"I've been out for too long. Look at this. It might help you decide." Picking up the black backpack she had carried here with her, Juna sighed. 

"What is it?" I asked, pulling on the zip. I peered in to see a few files of paper, a piece of cloth and a flash drive. 

"I found your old camera hidden in our room," Juna explained as I pulled the paper out to find photos of gruesome acts and forced them back in desperately but carefully enough not to crease them. 

"Juna..." I led off, knowing how dangerous it could be to get these images. 

"I saved some accounting documents to the flash drive. It proves they're embezzling from uncle's company and they’re paying off cops and hitmen. I think I saw Takeda's name in there as well." She continued and I looked at her in shock. 

"You're a better detective than I am." I laughed defeatedly, ashamed she had to do this when it was my job to protect her. I should never have left her or made us try and forget each other.

"It's kind of exciting. I can see why you do this." She returned a tired smile. She was probably kept awake at night, worrying that someone would discover what she was doing. I know I was.

"What's this?" I pulled out a silken rag decorated with red splatters. 

"It was under dad's bed. I'm not entirely sure, but it might be from mom..." She led off, knowing what this meant. 

‘So he really did kill her.’ I clenched the bloodied scarf in my hand, having a vague memory of our mother possibly wearing it. 

"I have to get going. Will I see you at the hotel?" She stood up without the bag. I looked up and smiled sadly, giving her a heavy nod. 

As she turned to leave, I noticed a black SUV approaching the shop with the back window pulled down. Seconds later, a hand pulls a gun through the window. 

"Gun!" I screamed, running to Juna and pushing her to the floor with the full force of my launched body. As bullets sprayed into the glass storefront, I held my body over my sister's to protect her. 

When the blaring bangs halted, I hesitantly raised my head to look around. Car alarms were going off and I could hear a woman crying loudly as I searched for the car. 

"It's gone," I muttered, standing up to get a better view of the street. 

As I looked at the destruction in front of me, my sister hobbled to her feet. "A-Are you okay?" She looked at me with trembling legs, arms reaching out to hold mine, maybe in an effort to stable herself or make sure I'm actually alive. I saw some customers rising from the hiding spots and heard a man calling for help.

"You need to go. Before the police get here." I rushed to my sister's side, guiding her in the direction she was already going. 

"But Katsu-." 

"They'll question you if they see you here. Go home, tell dad it was a rival or something. Just go." I spoke in a low voice as I pushed her along. "I have things here," Were my last words to my sister as she started running down the street.

When I turned back around, I saw some bodies laying on the floor and glass was sprayed everywhere. 

"Ma'am, can you call emergency service?" I kneeled in front of a woman who was likely in shock but seemed otherwise unaffected. She gave me a rushed nod as I got up to look at the injured.

There was a man lying in the doorway with the cafe's uniform on. A woman in a similar uniform was holding him up, tears spilling out of her eyes as blood poured out of his abdomen. I hurriedly grabbed a fabric tablecloth from where I had been sitting and rushed over to them, not caring for the glass mugs that shattered on the ground. 

"Sir, are you awake?" I asked, remembering to apply pressure to the gunshot wound from my training in the police academy and what I could gather as a child. 

"H-He passed out. Or he's dead. I... I can't tell." The woman stuttered out as his head laid in her lap, voice hoarsening as she spoke. 

"Miss, can you press on here. I need to see if anyone else is injured." I didn't try to make my voice softer as I grabbed her arm, pulling her to my side. I had felt him breathing through his mouth. There's nothing more I could do for him personally. I had no first aid kits and no professional medical training apart from this.

"Bu-But what if he dies?" The shock she was in prevented her from wanting to touch him except for cradling his skull in her lap. 

"He won't if you apply pressure. An ambulance will be here soon, but he won't live if you don't do this." I forced the tablecloth into her hand and then on the man's side where he was hit.

Once I ensured she was aware enough to continue, I moved onto the next person. There was an older man, resting, or having fallen that way, with his back against the half-wall of the cafe. He was clutching his shoulder, red seeping through the partings of his fingers.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" I slid to his side, asking to see his wound so I could assess the damage. 

"A... A little woozy." He stammered out, trying to act strong but I could tell he was scared. 

"That'll be the shock. The bullet went straight through, so it should be an easy fix when you get to the hospital." I explained as I took the tie from around his neck, obviously asking first. 

"Well, I've lived this long. I guess I've gotta keep going." The man was in the makings of a suit, but I assumed he had left his blazer at his office. Tying the tie over his wound, I took a few of the paper napkins from the host's counter just outside the front door and stuffed them under the tie. I knew he'd be too weak to put appropriate pressure himself. 

"Too right. Stick tight, help will be here soon." I put a comforting hand on his other shoulder and gave him a calm smile before heading inside.

Climbing through the now empty window frame, as I wasn't sure if I should move the man from the doorway and sure as hell didn't want to try and step over him, probably scratching up my legs on the shards that settled there, I looked around for anyone crying. Calling out, I heard a little kid yelling from the back of the small room. My eyes widened at the familiar cry of an innocent child and charged to where I heard them. In the corner, behind the service counter, a little boy was sitting next to a woman with blood already puddling at her sides.

"H-Hey, kiddo, how are you doing?" Knowing how traumatic it could be to witness something so horrific, I kneeled by the opposite side of the woman the boy is sitting. The spots of red on her blouse, holes ripped through it, was obvious she had been hit twice, maybe three times, I couldn't count right now. Not when it was possible this kid may watch a human being die right before his eyes.

"M-Mom got hurt." I could see he was trying to hold back tears as he held his mom's hand. I looked down at her body and saw a splatter of red pumping out of her thigh far more intensely than the others on her torso. The mother's expression was pained and she looked a little out of it, probably delirious with agony and blood loss. 

"Toto. Are you alright?" She mumbled over and over as I found something to plug the hole in her leg.

"Is that your name? Toto?" I tried to distract the kid from his mother's slurred words, trying my best to plug the two other holes in her body. Hopefully, god please, I could help her enough until paramedics arrived. The kid nodded curtly, scared if he talked he would cry. 

"I'm Atsuko. Can you be brave for me?" I asked, pressing on the wound that likely came from a major artery. He looked up at me. "I asked a woman outside to call the hospital, but she seemed a little shaken up. Can you call them for me?" I tried not to let my gaze leave his, wanting to draw his attention away from the wettening body below us. Taking the phone from my back pocket, I hand over what must look like a relic to him.

The boy called the emergency services and put it on speaker so I could talk. "This is Officer Atsuko Motomori. There's been a shooting at Cafe Zero down Empire Street. Please send paramedics for at least three victims." As I announced my badge number so they knew I wasn’t lying, I spoke fast and clear, noticing the mother's consciousness fade. 

‘You can't do this. Not to him. You can't die in front of him.’ I moved from her leg to her torso, feeling for a pulse on her neck. ‘It's weak, but there.’ I started pushing on her chest to keep her heart beating and blood pumping to her brain. Luckily, there was a waiter watching over us that had a belt so I could secure a makeshift tunicate to her thigh so she doesn't bleed out as fast.

"Ambulances and police are on their way." The operator responded bluntly. 

"Can you take him somewhere else?" I peered up at the waiter standing in the opening of the counter. 

"No! I don't wanna leave my mom!" Toto cried out but I shot him a concerned and slightly annoyed look, probably scarely similar to Kaga's. 

"Your mom doesn't want you to see her like this, okay, Toto? I'm going to make her better so that you guys can go to the hospital together, but it's going to be scary." As I'm telling him, sweat is growing on my brow far thicker than the ottest day on earth could make as I pressed all my body weight on the woman's chest to a rhythmic beat. 

"I-I'm brave enough." The boy stuttered and it was clear he was terrified. 

"You're not a wimp to go, Toto. You're not cowardly to hide, you're brave to leave your mom's life in someone else's hands. Trust me, you don't want to see this." I lowered my voice so only he could hear, hoping to seem more personal. He looked from me to his mom's sleeping face and I could see the tear dams break behind his eyes. He got up and took the hand of the waiter, walking to a table on the other side of the counter.

"You can't die on him, you hear me? Do you know what that will do to him?" I panted as I whispered, enraged my father would open fire on a building of civilians. It was likely that the people following Juna hadn't lost her and decided to do this as a warning. Hopefully, for both of our sakes, my sister could convince him that this was some sort of action performed by a rivalling gang trying to intimidate him or a gang members betrayal.

When I next checked the mother's pulse, it was slightly better than before. 

"The paramedics are here!" A voice called out and I looked up in relief. Toto came running around the corner, probably having escaped the waiter, and looked down at his mom, covered in blood but slowly awakening. He cried out her title and ran to her side and I couldn't help but smile. I stood up, calling the paramedics as they made their way through the door, having extracted the male waiter.

"She lost consciousness for a bit, but I performed compressions and she's coming around again," I explained as they came running around the counter. I grabbed Toto and pulled him off her so the trained professionals could get a look at her before sending her to an ambulance. 

"I-Is she going to be okay?" He asked as I picked him up, carrying him around the counter so that we wouldn't intrude. I didn't want to give him false hope if I was too late to save her, but I didn't want to break his heart unnecessarily.

"She should do good. It was all because of your bravery that she woke up again." I laughed, tapping underneath his chin to get him to raise his head. I only noticed now that my hands were covered in blood. I looked down and so were my legs, having kneeled in the mom's blood that had come out before I got to her. 

"Thank you!" He cried out, wrapping his arms around my neck as he sat on the counter.

Then, the paramedics announce that they were ready to go. I told Toto to go with them and he ran after her gurney.

Finally having a moment to myself, I dropped to the floor in exhaustion. I had been running on so much adrenaline that my head now felt light as I sunk to my knees. Soon, the waiter who had helped me with Toto ran to my side, helping me up so I could sit in a glass-free chair.

After he got me a glass of water and the other paramedics on the scene looked over me for any serious injuries, I heard police sirens driving closer. Several uniforms came out of the cars that pulled up outside and started questioning us all about the incident. I explained how I had seen the car approaching and, after I heard the gunshots ending, went to help the people who were injured. I left out the part where my sister had been here, not wanting to get her involved, and hoped no one else noticed her through the mania.

"Well done, Officer Motomori. You were good to act so quickly. Although, you do look a little pale. Do you want a ride to the hospital?" The officer questioning me slapped his booklet shut and I jumped a little at the sudden noise. 

"I-I should be fine." I stuttered, even though I noticed my hands shaking. I had already refused an ambulance ride, I definitely didn't want to go in a squad car.

"...Okay. We'll give you a ride back to your home. You can't go wandering the streets like that." The older man chuckled and I looked down at my reddened body. The bandage I had around my leg had unravelled and my own wound had started bleeding again, probably because of any glass that I most likely kneeled in. I had a lot of little cuts as well.

"Can I make a call first?" I look back up with a tired expression and he nodded, handing me his phone. I had washed my hands by now, so I wasn't too worried about getting blood all over his possession.

Shakily, I typed in the number for the Instructor's Staff Room. "Captain Ishigami." The stone-cold voice spoke up over the phone and I was somewhat disheartened, somehow expecting to hear my mentor's. It wasn’t like he would answer a phone anyway. I shook my head. 

"U-Um, sir, it's Motomori. I'm sorry f-for disturbing you. But... There was this... This..." Not knowing how to explain the situation, I took in the scene around me. There was glass swept all over the floor and tables and chairs are overturned. I could see bullet holes in some of the furniture and the actual bullets were either in the wall or on the floor next to it. A cold shiver ran through me to finally understand how close to death I really was and the sweat on my body only made the breeze blowing through the hollowed window frames icy.

"Motomori, what is it?" Ishigami sounded annoyed that I was lost for words. Then, the officer who had been watching me took the phone back. He introduced himself before explaining the situation, but I wasn’t  really listening. 

‘I was actually able to save someone.’ Joy filled my heart. My father had done something despicable to so many innocent people, and I was actually able to help. I didn't just have to sit there and take pictures for when I could use them in an investigation, I was able to stop a murder from taking place in the first place. However, that delight was short lived.

"Alright, Officer Motomori, you're captain will be by soon to pick you up." Hanging up from the conversation with my instructor, the officer looked at me with a smile. 

"Did that really just happen?" I looked up at him with shame and fear wrapped in my expression. Even though I was able to help, it was still my fault they all got hurt in the first place. If I hadn't come here or told Juna to meet me, there would never have been a shooting. Toto would never have had to see his mom almost die. 

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" The officer put a hand on my arm as my gaze wandered again. At the end of the counter, I could see the puddle of blood left by Toto's mom slowly crawling out, almost taunting me with the knowledge of my naivety. 

‘How could I think we could meet safely?’  

I nodded with a small, encouraging smile.

~~~~~~

By the time Ishigami arrived, I was still sitting with the cop, just trying to compute what happened. He looked at the destroyed cafe, and then at my bloodied body. Soma was with him, but no Kaga. I found myself looking around them in hopes he would be here. 

"Captain Ishigami. You have a very capable, young cadet here!" The officer sitting with me jumped up, trying to lighten my spirits by praising me. "She was able to act quickly and three people are on their way to the hospital instead of our morgue." However morbid, the statement was true. It was lucky I had the training I needed to save them.

"Atsuko." Soma kneeled down in front of me to catch my gaze as it drifted to my legs. The blood had dried by now, staining my legs and my clothes. I looked at Instructor Soma as he smiled kindly. 

"Instructor. I...I'm sorry." I apologised, but I'm sure they didn't know why. He laughed at this and I realised what I said. I bit my lip to stop myself from talking further. It was an instinct from a child. The last time I had seen this much blood in one room.

"I'm not Kaga. I'm not going to yell at you. Come on, you need to rest. Remember that r'n'r we talked about?" He s stood up and I followed his rising stature with my eyes. 

"O-Okay." Embarrassed by the apology I made, I got up. As I was walking out the door, I remembered the bag Juna had left for me and rushed to pick it up, making sure the zip was closed so that no one could see the contents.

"Is it really okay? Won't your car get messy?" I asked as Ishigami tells me to sit in the back seat. My legs were covered in blood, thankfully not all mine. I only had little cuts and scrapes. And when I say covered, it looked like I was wearing red shin pads. My clothes were likely ruined and I felt like I might smell a little, having exerted so much energy trying to keep Toto's mom alive. 

"It's fine, just get in." He got in the driver's side and I was forced to jump in before I got left behind.

~~~~~~

When we got back to the academy, everyone that was sitting out in the rays of the setting sun were staring at me. I probably looked crazed. Maybe they thought I had flipped out after Kaga dropped me from the case, because it looked like I had killed someone. Suddenly, Naruko ran up to me as I walked behind the instructors. 

"Atsuko! Oh my god, what happened to you?" She held my arms as she shrieked. 

"There was a shooting at the cafe I went to. Don't worry, I'm not hurt." I laughed, trying to help her not worry. To be honest, I probably wasn’t as affected by that scene as I should have been. I had watched people die before, many times before, so I was somewhat used to it. 

"You're covered in blood!" She yelped again and I could tell Ishigami was getting annoyed. I reassured her that it wasn’t mine and she just sighed. "How are you so calm?" She sounds exasperated as she held my arm, encouraging me to keep walking to the dorms. 

"My dad was a butcher, so I'm used to blood." It took me a moment to respond with a nervous shrug, hoping to make up a viable lie. Hopefully the instructors wouldn't feel the need to double check that information on my made up file.

"I swear you're not even human." She laughed, thinking back to all the training I was able to do without complaint.

~~~~~~

Once she escorted me back to my dorm, I threw my bag far underneath my bed and took a shower, scrubbing at my skin to get all the blood off. I hadn't realised, but I had smudges all over my face from where I was wiping the sweat off my brow. 

‘This... This can’t happen again. I can’t let it happen again’. I clutched the water basin to hold my weak body up during my contemplation. I felt so guilty and helpless in that moment. If I couldn’t go back in time and stop that shooting from happening, stop Toto’s mom and all those people from getting hurt, I would have to make sure it never happened ever again.

~~~~~~

When I was done cleaning myself up, I went down to the cafeteria to get a well-deserved meal.

"Hey, Motomori! Heard about that cafe. Well done out there!" A male classmate called out from his table as I passed. 

"Oh, thanks, but I was just doing what I could at the time." I showed an anxious smile, not wanting to give it more attention than it already had.

"Motomori, did you really bring someone back from the dead?" Another called out from a different table and my gaze whipped around. 

"W-Well, it was a close call, but she didn't die. And how did you hear about that?" I replied, stumbling over my words as everyone started to surround me, asking questions of what it was like to be in such a disastrous scenario. 

After a bit, having escaped the line without buying any food, I got overwhelmed and stormed out the hall.

~~~~~~

On the roof, I made sure whether or not anyone was there before I started to pace. If Kaga wast here, I would ave hated for him to see me so freaked out, he would think I was more moronic than he already did. Unfortunately, I saw him in his usual corner, breathing out smoke. Just as I was about to turn, his gaze caught mine. He looked down at my body, scanning for any signs of fear or delayed shock. When he saw that I'm neither shaking nor swaying, holding my breath just in case my racing heart betrayed me, he turned back to the view of the city before him. I released the breath I was holding and ran back to the door, wanting to be here as much as I wanted to be badgered by my overexcited classmates.

~~~~~~

Once I returned to the dorms, it was a little after dark. "Oh, Atsuko, there you are!" Naruko cheered when she saw me pass by a common room she was lounging in. 

"Sorry I had to leave! I just needed to get some air." I smiled, although nervous that she would ask me where I had been. 

"It's not a problem. Those guys were too pushy." She shook her head and frowned at some of the men that had surrounded me earlier. 

"So, what did you do today?" I asked, wanting to get my mind off those memories. She looked a little surprised at first, but soon understood why I asked. 

"I got to do some serious studying for next week's exam!" She smiled brightly as we started walking to our rooms. 

"Oh yeah..." I quickly remembered a big part of my plan for next week might be greatly impeded if I were to attend.

"It's at this hotel. Apparently it's a big meeting of some major crime syndicates!" Naruko was so excited, she didn't even notice me stop. 

‘Could that be the meeting Juna was talking about?’ I started to think about how, if the mission went well, I wouldn't have to run away again. I could continue my life here, like my past wasn't a thing. As Naruko pulled me back to earth, I showed her a smile full of hope.

[selenecrawford]

The Odd Pair 16

Warning: So far none, if you find something please let me know.

  Shingen pretended to be concentrated on the screen looking at the last trimester reports. He already saw the pattern, now it was a ruse to throw them off guard while still making a mess to smear the reputation of the company. Although he figured out their mode of operation his thoughts still were on Selene, more than fifteen minutes had passed, they should be back by now. Why is it taking them so long to buy snacks? Taking his cell he started sending a text message to Mitsuhide, but he got distracted by Sasuke who showed him another piece of information. Another half an hour passed by when Shingen saw his watch. He was starting to get nervous not knowing why Selene and Mitsuhide weren't back. Perhaps, she might wanted a different change of environment. She was anxious in the morning, but now he was the one sick with worry. Taking his cellphone he was going to call Mitsuhide when the phone started to ring.

“I was about to call you is everything ok?”

“Selene is speaking with a man on the cafeteria. I'm not near since the guy has two guards with him but it looks like she is crying...” that was enough to have Shingen bolt with his jacket on hand on his way to the cafeteria.

Selene was trying not to cry at the mention of Dali. The man had a huge place on her heart. Hearing his name was enough to make her all teary eyed. Taking a deep breath she lower her eyes to the table.

“Pardon, my emotional outburst, but DaDa is a person who had a huge impact on my life. Pardon my manners, is nice to meet you, Mr. Kennyo.” Selene extended her hand to Kennyo.

Kennyo stretched her hand noticing the soft squeeze. Her eyes were shinning with unshed  tears, followed by a soft genuine smile. His instincts were wrong about her. He doubt about her demeanor but Dali always spoke of her with such kindness and respect. The woman who made possible for his mentor to be reborn again. He often used to tell stories about her. Dali even shared a picture of her which is now shared across the globe. His plan was working, he just needed to see how much she could handle before carrying out his duty.

(Forgive me for making this hard on you my girl. But I can't be as trusting as Dali was. More than twenty years went by, that's enough to make an angel renounce their holiness and became a savage demon.) thought Kennyo.  Hiding his reserves regarding Selene, Kennyo continued the conversation normally.

“Is nice to meet you too,Mrs. Crawford.” he nods in acknowledgment.

Selene could feel the man's reserve, although they have a friend in common, that still won't bind them on a bond of friendship.

“Your bodyguard indicated me that you wanted to speak with me. How can I help you?” Selene remained calm although her anxiety decided to start kicking in.

“As I informed you Dali was my mentor, he was a dear person to me. He instructed me to give you this...” a binder containing several documents were laid on the table. Selene started to look at the documents including a testament.

“I don't get what is this?” Selene was confused looking at the documents.

“Dali wanted to leave you secure in case something might happened to you in the future. He named you on his testament, as a last wish...”

“Wait what you mean as a last wish? He is not...” her voice trailed off. Closing her eyes she gave a big gulp to the lump on her throat. Taking deep breaths she kept searching desperately for stability. Once she felt it, she opened her eyes and asked on a weakened tone.

“When his passing happened?” her hands were trembling a bit.

Kennyo reached to console her and notice her hands besides the trembling were also cold.

(No one can fake these reactions.) was his immediate thought.

“It was last year. Since then I had been in charge of the State until I could find you, Miss Crawford.” Kennyo still have some doubts regarding Selene's ,motives to be married with Shingen Takeda. But he wanted her to be the one to tell him. And if he had to play another leak to the press he will do so. The scar on his face was the price he paid for his carelessness. He will not make the same mistake again.

“So, let me get this straight, Dali died last year? What happened? Was he sick? Did he had an accident? Could you please tell me?” her green eyes were shinning again. Another unexpected reaction Kennyo couldn't understand. She was more worried about what happened to Dali than to why he didn't search for her to give her the money. The conversation continued with Kennyo laying trap after another. He was impressed with Selene's naive persona. Either she was a great actress or this was really her? Little by little Selene took each doubt out. Her only concern was to know how was Dali's life on his lasts days. Her compulsiveness to clean made her to collect the papers in order and put them back on the folder. She pushed the folder toward him while hearing the stories Kennyo was telling. Her attention was distracted from him when she saw a man entering the cafeteria.

“Oh, I'm sorry could you please hold that thought one second. My husband is looking for me. I will be right back.” Selene then went looking for Shingen.

Shingen slower his pace as he approached the cafeteria. The place was full. He knew that if he entered in a state of full nerves he will cause concern to the rest of the employees. With great effort he concealed his worries under his perfect charming mask. Once he went out of the elevator he tried to walk as calm as possible. As always dodging the questions, to calm the rest was his way to distract himself from his own worries. The walk to the cafeteria seemed the longest path he had ever done in his life. When he finally arrived he scanned the area trying to locate Selene, instead he found Mitsuhide approaching him.

“Where is she?” Shingen hissed while maintaining his poker face.

“Wow, grumpy aren't you?” was Mitsuhide's chuckle.

Shingen glared at Mitsuhide ready to rebuke his tease when he saw Selene approaching him. Relief filled him seeing her looking at him with a kind smile.

“Hey, sorry for taking so long, but I was talking with a friend of Dali, he,...” when Selene was turning to show Shingen where Kennyo was, he was already gone.

“Mitsuhide saw you crying are you alright?” Shingen tone was low but enough for Selene to catch the edge of his statement. He was angry in a way she never had seen him before. Taking her hand, he began walking out of the cafeteria dragging Selene with him. Selene was almost running trying to keep up with Shingen who was by now walking in long strides looking for an empty office.

“Takeda, slow down please, what is wrong?” Shingen ignored her until he found an empty office. Closing the door behind them he cornered Selene, feeling scary of this side of Shingen. Selene tried to back up but soon she was against the wall.

“Shingen?” she never knew when his hands got her, suddenly he started kissing almost desperately. His kiss was needy, but also demanding, like a soldier in a mission to conquer as much he could. Selene felt her knees weak, looking for something to hold she lean against Shingen who hold her by the waist with both arms. They continued kissing until they had to break to gasp for air. Shingen leaned against the wall sliding down with Selene on his arms. She ended up in between his legs with their foreheads touching.

“You will be the end of me.” Selene still gasping for air saw he was looking at the floor with a hint of rose on his cheeks. Finding this adorable, Selene hug him letting his head rest on her shoulder while rubbing his back.

“I'm sorry if I worried you. Are you ok?” if looks could kill she would had been dead. Shingen glared at Selene, she threw her hands up trying not to laugh.

“This is not a joke I was worried about you. Mitsuhide called telling me you were crying. I,... wanted to run, but at the same time...”Shingen turned his face away loss at words.

“Shin...”Selene turn slowly his face to her. “I'm ok, Mitsuhide was there I was safe. I just caught up with the news about Dali. I had lost two of the most important people of my life. I'm afraid to loose you too.”

There was a small silence between them that went broken by a knock on the door.

“Shingen, Selene we need to go back to the office are you guys there?” it was Yukimura checking on them.

“We will go out in a minute Yuki.” was Selene's only response.

Taking Selene's face in his hands Shingen made her look directly at his eyes. “I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving unless you want me to go.” Selene's sigh was slow and painful.  

“Thanks.” her voice was soft. She didn't know what to say. Shingen on the other hand was a bit terrified on how he lost his composure due to her being in danger. Right now was not the time to bear his soul to her. Again they touched foreheads together, closing their eyes and taking in the essence of each other. Then another impatient knock was the sign for them that time was up.

The conference room was ordered with a large elongated table. The minimal decoration was done with a purpose, to prevent distractions. A painting of a road full of cherry blossoms trees, while the other side the seal of the Takeda Corporation. Were the only wall decoration adding a simple elegant touch without being dull.  The board of directives were already seated. Nolan took the chair at the head of one of the tables waiting for Shingen and his entourage. The sound of the door opening made the room silent while the group of people with Shingen and Selene on his side holding her hand on his forearm entered. On his left side Yukimura, Sasuke and Kenshin who arrived later that morning, while on Selene's side was Nobunaga and Mitsuhide. The group entering the room was impressive, tailored suits with impeccable taste. It was like a magazine was brought to life. Yuki   arrived with a dark brown suit, with white shirt and red tie. Sasuke with a dark green olive suit, with a cream shirt and dark grey tie. Kenshin was an eccentric on his own. Wearing a combination of blue trousers with black jacket and white shirt without a tie. Nobunaga always with his favorite black suit, white shirt and red tie, while Mitsuhide always challenging with his white suit with a purple shirt. Each men transmitting power and presence individually. As a group their aura was almost intimidating. The members of the board suddenly felt at loss of words with the impressive arrival of the group.

Shingen gallantly made sure Selene got to her seat. Her left hand was holding his right arm. Her anxiety was spiking, but when she felt Shingen's hand on hers a warmth started to fill her. Shingen turned to Selene giving her a loving smile. She noticed it was a genuine smile, one with a hint of mischief on his eyes.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, I'm glad to see we are almost all gathered here.” Nolan's smile was sly.

Selene felt the a shiver go down her spine. A feeling that at the pit of her stomach indicating that something was going to happen. An event that will make things take a turn for the bad.

“Before we begin this meeting I want to introduce you a potential new member of “our” company I mean this man, has been a great ally with our cause to make Takeda, a great company again. Please allow me to introduce you...” Nolan's affection for drama was nauseous.

Everyone turned around to see Kennyo walking into the conference room. “Kennyo.”

Selene couldn't hide her surprise, but also her disappointment to see Kennyo walking toward Nolan. She felt a shiver on her body which made her look at Shingen. His face was calmed perfect mask, his eyes were in turmoil. Selene slide her hand on his giving him a gentle squeeze. The action seemed to get him out of his stupor, lowering his gaze toward her eyes. Shingen saw the loving affection she was looking at him, making Shingen smiled softly. She was reminding him that he was not alone. Not by a long shot, he worked his life to make the company where it was today. With a cunning smile, Shingen looked at everyone inside the room.

“If that is all Alex, I think we should start now. I want to finish this before dinner. I have a date with my lovely wife.” his smile turning into a grin Shingen prepared to give the battle of his life.

____________________________________________________________

Notes: Thank you for your patience. I’ve been overwhelmed at work lately due to being a part of the year when workload pile up a lot. I hope to get some rest and work more on the story. As always thank you for your support, comments, likes, re blogs and your awesome energy. If someone would like to be tag on the story send me a message. Thank you ^^

@elievalentine @colivara @notsafefortum-blr @datemasamunemaiwaifu @unstoppablelinda @epicdragonlady @yeshasays @masa-little-kitten @mikamiw @kimi00twin @kouei116 @blue-bean-exe @mitsuhidethesnek @la-piperina @pirateprincessyuki @jennacat84 @valfraeyja @little-blue-octopus @sengokuotaku82 @serenity-writes @xathia-89 @shouta-bakugou @cailannuesugi @kitsune-mana @atatera-blog 

[toloveawarlord]

Solitary Confinement (Chapter 3)

You can find all my other works here!

5 Years Ago:

              Night had set in. Miki abandoned me hours ago. Business, she said. We’d only arrived here a day ago. What could she possibly have to do already? Squeezing my hands into fists, I shifted my weight onto one leg, waiting for the opportunity that she promised would arise. The only information that she gave was the name of a famous Warlord, Masamune Date, and that, should anyone suspicious show up, I can gain his favor.

              What the hell does that even mean anyways?

              It’s her fault that we are in the mess that we’re in! These ridiculous clothes were weighing me down. Miki had confiscated all my weapons save for a few knives and a dagger. Nothing appealed to me about being here, but she assured me that we would be safe for time being. Safe. A relative term. We had successfully escaped our past sins but being in war-littered Japan would hold its own dangers.

              Soft footsteps padded towards me, and my instinct to hide had me moving behind a stack of empty barrels. The person didn’t stop as they passed, meaning that they hadn’t seen me. The moonlight shined bright enough to glint off the weapon clutched tightly in his hand. The tenseness of his body showed that he wasn’t new at this, as there was no sign of fear or hesitation. He simply waited.

              It didn’t matter what he was doing or to whom. The fact was that it didn’t concern me. I don’t fancy myself any kind of hero, not after the sins that have been committed over the last 18 years of my life. People die all the time, sometimes by my hands.

              The sound of laughter came from the main street. Another man clapped his hand against his friend’s shoulder. He stood taller than the group around him, the way he carried himself showed that he was the one in charge, but the thing that made him most recognizable was the eyepatch. Miki had mentioned that. He must be the one then.

              The realization settled in my stomach. This is what Miki had meant by suspicious figure. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if she caused this. I rose to my feet, sliding the dagger out of its sheath. The shadows in the alley kept me hidden from sight.

              The assassin crept forward, revealing their own weapon of choice that gleamed in the moonlight. It was a small, slim blade with jagged edges on one side. It would be enough to kill with one strong stab into the abdomen, slicing apart organs. There would be no doctor able to fix it here.

              We both moved in sync, but in my eyes, he moved much slower than me. Even though it was dark, the movements of his limbs were utterly predictable. A left-handed assassin would take half a step more than a right-handed, since he began on the wrong foot. That small window gave me the edge, and it was my blade that struck him down instead of his intended target.

              The man crumpled to the ground just shy of the group, not yet dead. He rattled off a string of curse words and blood began to pool around him.

              Swords were drawn before I had the chance to speak, all pointed at me. All except the man with the eyepatch. His lips crinkled up into an approving smile and he clapped his hands together. “Now, now, men. The little lady did just take out one of our enemy’s vassals. Those colors make him of the Takeda Clan. A rouge warrior, I would say. Do you have a name, lass?” He asked, eyes raising from the dying body on the ground to meet my gaze.

              “Katria Petrov,” I answered, sliding the dagger safely away. The less threatening I am, the less likely I’ll have to fight anyone else. That would be a hassle.

              The warlord cocked his head to his side, a dark gleam in his eye. “Well then, Katria Petrov, you’ve done a great service to me. What is it you desire in return?” His tone sounded accusatory, like he knew that it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t want something from him. “Money? Land?”

              “I don’t care for things like that,” I answered, turning my gaze away to the sky. The silence gave me a moment to mull over how to word it. “You could hire me as an assassin. That is my talent.”

              Masamune began to laugh, so loud that the few passersby stopped to see what the fuss was about. “You’re talent, huh? And why would I entrust that job to a strange lass like you? You could try to kill me in my sleep.”

              “Yes, I could.”

              We stared at each other, locked in a mental assessment of the other. If push came to shove, I could kill any one of them in this very moment. The sheer fact that I hadn’t done so, should tell him that there would be nothing gained in killing him. Most likely, there would be a bounty placed on my head and they would hunt me down like a wild animal.

              “Alright, you have a deal,” he finally answered, receiving exasperated expressions from his vassals around him.

              One raised his sword high, pointing the tip in my direction. “Lord Masamune! You can’t seriously be taking an assassin at her word!  She’s a born and bread liar and trained killer. She could betray you!” He spat out, throwing a nasty glare at me.

              My eyes narrowed in return. “Then don’t give me a reason to do so.”

              Masamune pushed the blade away and walked up to me, a smirk returning. He reached out and took a lock of my hair and brought it up to his lips. “A beautiful lady like you shouldn’t be in this line of work, in my opinion. Maybe I’ll put you in the kitchen instead.”

              My hand smacking against his resonated in the quiet night. “Put me in the kitchen and I really will kill you.” He’s touchy, and that is going to be irritating.

              “Welcome to our clan, lass. I’ll put you to good use,” he answered with a chuckle.

               Good use. In my five years of serving him, there had been too many to remember that I killed because he gave the order to. Lives mean nothing to me. Everyone has to die, especially those not able to defend themselves. They’re easy prey.

              And there had been no begging.

              “In that moment, had you shown any interest in me romantically, I would have killed you on the spot,” Masamune admitted as casually as one would talk about the weather.

              I raised one eyebrow, genuinely surprised at that. “So it was a test?”

              He patted my hand on the table, and said, “You passed. Belated congratulations are in order.”

              “Maybe I should have made a different choice,” I replied, retracting my hand out of his reach. The last five years were not as bad as being home, but all this war had worn me out. Traveling takes ages and my limbs were still sore from riding horseback so often.

              His shocked expression sat on his features, openly showing how much he disliked my words. An uncomfortable silence took over, and just as I moved to stand, he caught me with, “Lass, why do you not place any value on your life?” This had puzzled him since the beginning.

              “Why should I?” I retorted, pausing to see if he would give a reason. Like all the others, he had no definite answer. “I do terrible things. I kill indiscriminately to whoever has hired me. No age or gender or disability earned them a pass. In Russia, I drove a knife into my own brother’s heart because the mistress told me to. I never felt a thing. No guilt. No remorse. No emotion. My life holds as much value as anyone’s life that I’ve taken.” Rising to my feet, I turned away.

              Human emotions are void in me.

              That ended the conversation. No words from him would do any good to change my mind, both of us knew that. We would be leaving midday tomorrow and I had preparations to make. The two of us going together would put a hinderance on my normal methods of killing. Dead men don’t talk, witnesses earned the same fate as the target. Maybe this little discussion would keep him off me for the time being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katria is a lot of fun to write, and espeically easy to do so when I’m absolutely exhausted from being sick. It’s been a day, guys. I hope you enjoyed this part of their story! A little bit of her past has been revealed!

[presumenothing]

scalene

[ previous △ next ]

(AO3)

His doorbell rings at eight in the morning, right as he's put the kettle to boil.

"Hang on!" Kansuke hollers as he not-quite-hobbles over.

(He'd somehow ended up falling asleep on the sofa last night. That was bad for everything but especially his leg, which had been acting like a particularly recalcitrant suspect all morning.

One he would've arrested for obstruction of justice five times over, if he had any say in the matter. He usually did.)

Kansuke narrowly misses tripping into the entranceway like an idiot, and opens the door to find Uehara Yui standing on his front porch.

Or Torada Yui. Probably. Although given entire the Furinkazan shitshow that had gone down last week...

Ugh, whatever, he didn't care. Like it mattered now anyway.

Kansuke turns sharply, pretends he doesn't nearly overbalance, and stomps his way back inside the house. "What, you lost your key, Uehara?"

He's answered by the jangle of familiar keys, probably still attached to the souvenir keychains from both of their high school trips. "Of course not, I just wasn't sure if you'd want me to come in myself. And good morning to you too, Kan-chan."

"Good bloody morning, right," Kansuke mutters as he finally manages to sit back down at the kitchen table, leaning the crutch against one corner of it. "You might as well make the coffee if you're going to drop by out of the blue, it's too damned early for this."

Yui sets a convenience store bag down on the table and opens the cupboards as if she never left – he hasn't changed things much in the past year. "Too early for what?" she asks, pouring coffee beans into the grinder.

Kansuke makes an irritated noise as he tugs the bag towards him, already spotting the packaging of his favourite anpan bread. "To ask what you meant by that! I gave you and – " he grimaces " – Koumei the keys for a reason, didn't I?"

For the next few minutes, there's nothing between them except for the sound of coffee being ground to death, and the rip of the anpan's plastic wrapper as he tears it open.

It leaves an abrupt silence when Yui sets the grinder down with a muffled clang – it's one of those fancy metallic devices that Koumei had given him on some wholly unnecessary occasion. "I don't know what you expect me to say, Kan-chan. You've been avoiding me for months, why should I think that you'd want me walking into your house unannounced?"

Kansuke bites off another chunk of bread and chews, angrily. "Has that idiot Koumei been talking behind my back again?"

"Morofushi-keibu didn't tell me anything, no." She reaches up to another shelf for the coffee press (this one not a gift from Koumei, thankfully) and dumps in three heaped tablespoons of ground coffee. "But I was a detective, you know."

"Are." Kansuke frowns when she turns to look at him, slightly confused. "You are a detective, Uehara. Doesn't matter if you've been reinstated or not, you're still one of the more tolerable subordinates that I've had – "

The kettle chooses this moment to whistle shrilly on the stove.

Kansuke glares at it, offended.

(Honestly, he would've replaced it with an electric one a long time ago if Yui hadn't picked this one out for him. Maybe he should just give it to her and be done with it?

...although that would probably get him another lecture from Koumei that he wasn't in the mood for, so forget it. At least this kettle knew when to stop.)

" – not that there's much competition on that front, I don't know why we have so many idiots in the prefectural headquart– what?" he snaps at the odd expression on Yui's face.

"Ah, nothing!" Yui fills the press and leaves it to brew, still with that half-smile he hasn't seen in a year. "I was just thinking that it'd be nice if you would say things like that more often, you know?"

Kansuke bristles at the words, viciously decimating the last of his anpan bread. "What, thinly veiled insults? Sure, I do them at Koumei only all the time – "

He catches the definite flicker of a laugh as Yui flips open her handphone – to set a timer, probably, they've long lost track of how many pots of coffee have been ruined by them getting distracted. "Yes, I heard."

"Oh, so Koumei did tell you about that, did he?" Kansuke's going to strangle his friend after this. Or at least remind him that the crutch meant he had a blunt weapon attached to his arm all the time now. "I damn well hope he remembered to mention the part where I apologised to him!"

"He did," Yui confirms with a nod, sitting down across the table. "Morofushi-keibu seemed quite impressed by that, actually."

"Good, he better be," he grumbles darkly, taking out two umeboshi onigiri from the bag and tossing one to her. "Anyway, I already apologised once to that asshole, so like hell I'm doing it again! Even for you!"

"I wasn't – I mean, I'm not looking for an apology, Kan-chan! It's just..." Yui pulls half-heartedly at the onigiri packaging, and continues in a quieter voice. "I just need to know what you think of me, that's all."

"That's my line, you idiot." Kansuke tears the plastic open with one sharp tug and swaps the onigiri with hers. "I basically cost you your job, Yui. Aren't you supposed to be angry at me or something?"

"Like I said before, I quit because I thought you were dead, it wasn't anyone's fau–" Yui pauses. "Is that why you were avoiding me, Kan-chan? Because you thought I'd be mad?"

Kansuke goes back to glaring at the kettle. "Nope," he answers shortly.

"Mm-hmm." Yui bites into her onigiri with a carefully raised eyebrow, because she's clearly been spending too much time around Koumei without his moderating influence. "So, do you want me around or not, Kan-chan? Or are you going to keep avoiding me?"

What a dumb question. Did the planets want to go around the sun?

Yui rolls her eyes. "Right, never mind. Do you not want me around, then?"

"No!" answers Kansuke on reflex, then – "I mean, I don't not want you around, n– goddamnit, Yui, you're starting to sound like Koumei with these trick questions. You know what I mean."

"Fortunately for you, yes." Yui goes to grab two mugs from the rack when her phone alarm rings. "Otherwise I'd have to request a transfer to... hmm, Tokyo? I hear the Beika squad works with Conan-kun all the time, that'd be nice."

"That glasses brat?" Kansuke snorts. "Maybe we should transfer him to Nagano instead, he can replace all of Takeda's goon squad. I'm sure the chief would be happy to give him Koumei's old office, we'll just get him a child seat to go with it or something."

Yui hands him his coffee with a grave expression. "I think you'll have to fight half the police departments in the country for that job offer, Kan-chan, he's already got quite the reputation."

"I'll bribe him with botamochi until he agrees," Kansuke says stubbornly.

He ignores Yui's chuckle. No one ever said no to his grandmother's recipes. No one.

Except Koumei, who obviously didn't count since he was still stuck at his tiny village koban. And speaking of which –

Kansuke pauses halfway through dumping a second sugar packet into his mug. "Why did you suddenly come over today, anyway? Without even calling me first."

"Oh, that." Yui returns to the table with her own mug. "I called headquarters yesterday about my reinstatement, and Aburakawa-kun mentioned that you were taking leave for personal reasons today."

He tastes the coffee and makes a face, reaching for yet more sugar. "So?"

"Well, you never take days off even when you're ill, Kan-chan, so..." Yui looks away abruptly, cheeks a distinct red. "...so I, er, assumed it was probably about me?"

He isn't that predictable. He is not.

...he is, apparently.

Kansuke scowls into his finally-sweet coffee. "I was just planning to drop by today. In case you needed help with your stuff."

"Everything's packed, I was just waiting to settle my apartment's lease first." Yui's suddenly wearing the same unsuspicious expression that she'd used to get them out of trouble with Kai-senpai so many times. "And actually – um, Morofushi-keibu's offered to help drive things over, he said to tell you that don't have to worry about i–"

"Take my car," Kansuke says flatly.

"Eh? But – "

"It's not like I'm using it, and you don't need Koumei's stupidly flashy car to move a bunch of boxes!"

"That's tr–"

"So you can tell him that I s–"

"Said what, exactly?"

Kansuke turns around to see Koumei standing in the doorway to the kitchen, having clearly had no issues with letting himself in. "What's he doing here?"

"If you'd let me finish my sentence, Kan-chan," comes Yui's voice from behind him, "I was about to tell you that we'd agreed for him to drive me over later this afternoon. Sorry for the trouble, Morofushi-keibu!"

"You're quite welcome, Yui-san. Although I thought that you would've gotten started on the other move by now."

"Other...? Oh!" Yui looks sheepish when he glances over at her. "I'd almost forgotten all about it, to be honest."

"Quite understandably, I'd say." Koumei joins them at the table, armed with his usual boring thermos of tea and his most annoying expression. Again. "It's all in your best interests, Kansuke-kun, don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about what?" he asks, feeling irritated – increasingly irritated, rather, since Koumei's presence was irritating by definition.

Yui pushes the remaining items in the plastic bag towards Koumei. "Well, your room's still upstairs, right? I thought I'd come over to help you move some things to the guest room down here, it'd be easier on your leg and everything."

Kansuke's eyebrow twitches. "Do I get a say in this? At all?"

"As a matter of fact, no, not with how you've clearly taken up sleeping on the living room couch on a regular basis – "

"YOU SHUT UP, KOUMEI!"

.

(later:

"What'd you even come over for if you were just going to sit there and drink tea! You've moved, like – what, one book?"

"Two, actually, but as you've repeatedly said in the past, you don't need my help, so... do you require my assistance, Yui-san?"

"Ah, no, I can manage it just fine! I know where Kan-chan puts all his things anyway – ")

.

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*knocks on your door* hi i can’t even with kansuke’s pov h e l p