#the one where they runaway during his wedding lol

[wool-string]

Post alternate ending

[lowkeyrobin]

Could I request, what dating sparrow!ben hargreeves would be living a peaceful life possible after season 4 (let’s pretend like it never happened) preference or one shot (you decide)

Peaceful life- like the plans he said to Jennifer in the car, moving away, etcetera

P.s I loveeeeeee your tua and descendants writing keep up the amazing work 🫶🏻🫶🏻



aweee stop this is so cute 💔💔💔 ; also yes went for hc cause no way am I figuring out how to oneshot that shit ; also thank you 🫶🫶 I appreciate it lol ; also if there's supposed to be an anon emoji down there I can't see it 💀💀 it's just an [obj] box, prob cause I have an android and we don't have the same emojis as iphones n shit lmao ; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy! ; ps idk why I couldn't find that scene so I just kinda made some shit up lmfao

SPARROW! BEN ; runaways

summary ; your perfect life after running away with Ben except it doesn't end the world

warnings ; language

disclaimers ; no jail time for Ben / no s4 at all ig, reader isn't a brellie but refers to them as siblings + as kind of like an add on to them like lila

word count ; 363

masterlist

you and ben, after falling in love during the s3 era, decided you should just run away together

he'd taken a fond liking of you considering you were both so oddly peaceful when it came to just the two of you

the wedding at the end of the world really solidified it

and then you made out!

but after resetting the timeline and losing your powers, there was nothing to really stick around for

considering you wiped out all the marigold and sloane had disappeared (considering she would've never been born or was erased somehow) and your siblings had all gone off to live their lives, it was time you did too

you only knew Ben for like two weeks before you actually fell for each other so learning about one another was really fun

you packed up your bags (or what remained of them) and headed to wherever the back roads could take you

in the car you learned about each other's music taste and your hobbies, and all the sights you wanted to see around the world

the road took you to south carolina

you stayed on the beach for a week and it was honestly really nice

thank god you were able to steal thousands from sparrow-reggies secret stash lol

there you discovered Ben's hatred for water...

but after a week or so you packed up again and headed west

you drove around the country for about three years just sightseeing and living the most you could considering the two of you never really saw anything outside of home

but after a while, you had to settle down somewhere and make a proper life for yourselves

you both craved to be normal people, to pay bills and taxes and hold down jobs, maybe even make a family, as fucked as it was

I mean, trillionaires son moves to the middle of nowhere to live like a normal person? kinda crazy

you built a house on some old farmland on the outskirts of a little town, surrounded by forest and acres of empty land

you call around the family every once in a while, wanting to know how they're doing and what they're up to

ben couldn't really care tho, he only rlly cares for you, the others weirded him out

you couldn't blame him tho since he barely knew them and they knew a different version of him

when you're on the phone, head tilted as both hands are occupied by biscuit mix that you were mixing up, he stands by you with a soft smile on his face, helping you morph them into balls and put them on the tray

think a 90s type of house, very brown, window seats, etc

you live such a sweet ass life man

you sit on the front porch swing and drink coffee while you watch the sunrise

and in winter you cuddle up by the fireplace and watch shitty hallmark movies

you even started a YouTube channel for shits and giggles where you watch awful movies on cable TV and commentate over them because it's funny

you have a calico cat named sorbet

you have a strawberry garden in the backyard that surrounds the porch

and you go out to eat every friday

so many hugs from behind from the other when one is cooking

sweet kisses on the temple as well

so cavity causing sweet

[tiniest-hands-in-all-the-land]

do u have any tvdint fic reccs? <- has been combing through the tvdint ao3 tag several times

If you've been through the AO3 tags, then chances are you've read most of my reccs, but i'll list em anyway as well as the few i've read through on Pixiv :0

Please keep in mind that you should always read through the tags and warnings of these fics (and ANY fic) before proceeding. I tend to like darker/angsty storylines, so just be aware. Most of these reccs are SFW, but there are a couple that dip into NSFW territory.

Besides grouping them from English AO3 fics, Non-English AO3 fics, and Pixiv fics, there is no order to this list

"I'm Not Going Anywhere" by AruiI: Ronaldo gets critically injured during a hunt. Draluc does his best to keep him alive until he can get to a hospital, and is forced to realize just how scared he is to potentially lose him

Stages of Grief by WyvernQuill: Draluc decides to prove to his friends that Ronaldo doesn't care about him, and plays a prank where he seems to have permanently died. Author wrote this fic before discovering that Chapter 47 was a thing that existed, but is a lovely tragic take on the Draluc permadeath concept

Underground by MerrilyAround: Ronaldo and John return to their apartment to find Draluc and his coffin mysteriously missing. Meanwhile, a very vocal anti-vampire group are being very cryptic about what could have possibly happened to him

Don't Lie to Me by AruiI: Draluc gets sick and tries his damnedest to hide it, at the detriment of his own health. Needless to say, Ronaldo finds out, and does his best to take care of him, while having no idea what he's doing

The Invicible's Opponent by tori1116: Ronaldo ends up with a broken arm after a job, and realizes he's gonna have a lot of trouble bathing with one working arm. Draluc offers to help. This is a Chinese fic, but the story is rewritten in English in the second chapter. NSFW warning. Some absolutely killer characterization in this one, chef's kiss

I'm going back to 505 by Insane_fangurL: Ronaldo offhandedly wishes that Draluc would stay dead. Little does he know that someone who is very willing to make that happen was listening

Something Bothered. by CowboyAdvice: Draluc's cousin is getting married, and Draluc and Ronaldo are invited to the wedding. Draluc is less than thrilled for reasons he won't delve into, and the arrangements for their involvement are a little eyebrow-raising. NSFW warning

you're gonna carry that weight by notreally: Ronaldo gets kidnapped by a vampire with a grudge. He has to resist and fight tooth and nail if he wants to survive. Love this one purely cuz it showcases Ronaldo's ability to truly fight that we rarely ever get to see in canon lol

Case #94 by Moana230: A reimagining of Chapter 1 of the manga. Ronaldo is a private investigator hired by a woman to figure out where her kid keeps sneaking off to. This leads him to a decrepit castle with lots of still-active booby traps and a mysterious voice leading him around

The Inverse Relationship between a Gentleman and a Contradiction by ferret: A lovely Inverse!AU story. Draluc dwells on this strange, overly-flowery hunter who has taken a fancy to him, and realizes a lot of their sweet, innocent words don't line up with the rest of them

thinner than water (thicker than blood) by awesomecookies: A wonderful take on Hiyoshi's earlier years. A story of a kid who was thrown into adulthood too early, and didn't want to let go of that freedom that came with being young, even when it came at the detriment of neglecting his responsibilities with his little brother and sister

And I Taste Milk (Please, Please Runaway) by awesomecookies: A Coffeeshop!AU fic. Ronaldo works at a crappy coffeeshop and has begrudgingly taken a fascination with the snarky, chronically ill man who looks a little too much like a vampire for comfort and his two adorable kids. (Sidenote i think this is genuinely the first coffeeshop au i've ever read f;aoiefna)

Okay from here on out, the fics are not written in English and don't have any official translations. I shucked them through a translator, and they read mostly coherently, and these are my favorite ones that i've found

月白 by overdriveojoj: Draluc has a secret that he's never told anyone, not even John: when he dies, he can see the auras of everyone around him. He becomes infatuated with observing the differences between them, and becomes especially entranced with Ronaldo's moon-white aura

昼夜交替 by Qi_U: A collection of oneshots, ranging in tone and humor. My personal favorite is chapter 2, where Draluc decides to move away from Shinyoko and takes many trips down memory lane as he packs his things

【羅納德拉】A Thousand Years by SSilverse: A short fic Ronaldo and Draluc have a discussion about vampire and human romances, and why they typically don't work out.

his little color game by rodionychh: Draluc muses about all his favorite colors, and shockingly realizes that all of his favorites tie into Ronaldo in some way

【羅納德拉】旅行 by leci1028: Ronaldo decides that he wants to escape his current life and go on a roadtrip with Draluc and John with no real destination or ending; he and Draluc discuss the theoreticals of how it would all work out. I will be honest: this one guts me every time

I bet on losing dogs by a_ailema: After another stressful deadline crunch, Ronaldo realizes just how much Draluc means to him and how much he's improved his life. Draluc realizes the same about Ronaldo. A wonderful character study

德拉羅納短篇 by tori1116: Another collection of one shots. Highly recommend chapter 5, where Delta!Ronaldo actually succeeds in dying, and meets Canon!Draluc in the death realm. Draluc recounts just how he got there to satiate Ronaldo's curiosity and make him feel better. NSFW warning for some chapters iirc (admittedly it's been a while since I've read this one)

These last ones are on Pixiv. I don't find Pixiv's filtering system nearly as intuitive as AO3's, so most of these fics are ones i've read off of others' recommendations

退治人と吸血鬼の非公開事件 by みる: Ronaldo is visited by a mysterious lady who tells him that in 3 days, she will die. Investigating leads him and Draluc down a rabbit hole of experimentation, disease, and a strange murder mystery

ワルツはもう踊れない(ロナドラ)【5/4再版します】 by 46/shiro: After solving a strange case where a vampire killed her lover and drained his body of blood, Ronaldo realizes that he can't remember too many of the details surrounding the case. Something is up with his shooting hand, and Draluc is looking for strange accommodations that he's never requested before

深海で息をする by 土鳩: Draluc has fallen into the sea, and his ashes are scattered in the waves. Ronaldo has spent years and years trying to collect his ashes and bring him back. This story is written in a mob character's perspective

Con Fuoco by tomioka: Ronaldo confesses his feelings for Draluc, and the vampire doesn't respond. Soon after, something is awoken in Draluc that makes everything he touches burn.

悪夢を憐れむ歌 by カルノ: Ronaldo goes to the library one night and finds an odd book. On his way home after closing time, he spots Draluc in the rain being attacked by an obsessed fan, and goes to intervene. But not everything is as it seems.

Aaaanndd I think i'm gonna cut it off here for now. My brain is dead fa;oewfinae I have a lot more faves than what's on this list, but some of them are a little too my tastes to really share, some of them are a little to scandalous to share, and some of them are just "I remember liking this one but for the life of me i can't remember what it was about and i don't have the time to reread atm"

But hopefully this helped at least a little! This fandom is very small, but the fics are wonderful ^^

[creativenicocorner]

⭐️ :D

Thank you so much @verdigrispatina!

It's practically Hogswatch so lets ramble about the Sto Helit family!!!

Despite how dormant my Discworld writing is atm Im always full of Thoughts, and much like with Moist von Lipwig, if I sit and think too long about the Sto Helits and Death family I just find myself emotionally compromised

They're so needlessly wacky and dysfunctional I swear!!

Anyways one of these days within the ♬ﾟThe Sto Helit Family ♪♪♪♪ [snap snap] series I'm going to write several 'little' fics exploring Ysabell and Lady Sybil's friendship - I'm convinced they were at least penpals (and that they met during Ysabell and Mort's wedding) And with that leads to so many IMPLICATIONS and juicy tidbits to discover

Like...were they at Sybil and Vimes's wedding? Were they there?!?! Was it them that suggested to Death to try and be more approachable (causing him to try doing knock knock jokes of all things??)

Textually we don't know, obviously, there is only one small throw away line in Men at Arms that hints to Lady Sybil's friendship with the Duke and Duchess of Sto Helit (when she's telling Sam she knows a nice young couple in search of a new captain of the guard)

But in my little sand box world we are taking that line and Firmly Grasping It haha

Also, because I think it would be absolutely uncomfortably hilarious, I would LOVE to find the time to write Dinner Party Fic - in which Ysabell and Mort attend a fancy dinner party (either hosted by them, or at the Ramkin estate) where there's a death at the party which turns into a very quirky Who Done It. Cue Vimes considering Mort as suspect number 1, much to Sybil's chagrin, and Death finding this very interesting indeed. Spoiler, it wasn't Mort lol I don't know still who the real perpetrator will be...tempted to make it natural causes hahaha

Anyways here's a little snippet:

Vimes observed this so called Duke, he had been to many of his wife’s dinner parties and felt that he Knew The Type - yet this Duke didn’t seem very, well, Duke-y. That is to say, the Duke of Sto Helit didn’t fill out the first imagined picture that would pop into his head when he thought Duke. Instead the picture was more ‘flying by the seat of my pants’-esque. Vimes grinned. This was interesting. Sure the Duke of Sto Helit occasionally looked around like he was searching for a handbook on how to be a nob, but ever so often he would give a Look. Not like the sort Assasins would give which was calculating how much it would cost to get you killed, but something all together different. The cost didn’t matter it was bound to happen eventually.

Also ALSO imagine after Ysabell and Mort's death, in which Sybil tries to reach out to Susan OOF I don't think that would be easy.

Yet through it all, I think it would be funny if Vimes doesn't fully Get that the Sto Helits have a literal connection to Death, like yeah there's rumors and a little blurb in Twerps Peerage we know textually exists due to Hogfather - but would Vimes even want to know? Or care?? Despite Vimes and Death's continuous 'near Vimes experiences'?? I haven't decided yet! We'll figure that out together I suppose haha

in OTHER news... here's a The Runaway's Gamble spoiler presented with little to no context!

«You know in my previous incarnation I was once a rain god?» "What does that have to do with messages?" asked Susan. «Not too much I suppose. Not a lot of writing on rain drops.» The joke fell flat before Susan's deadpan. The deity pressed on, unfazed: «There is of course, some sort of symbology in it. A message of well, crops growing, life continuing etc etc…then an explosion happened and, well, old god new tricks, turned into the moisture of caves, promise of running water - lot of life symbology in water.» "And?" «Well things certainly get quite chthonic in a cave - one thing led to another, and BAM part of the chthonic subsection B under paragraph 34-7 depicting the chthonic agreement.» "I'm starting to loose my patience here," said Susan quite levelly, "what does this have to do with you having a letter from my mother?" Once Rain God now Messenger, among a load of other things, Fedecks beamed and spaked thusly: «Psychopomp. Messenger and Psychopomp.» "Oh."

AaAAaAaAaaAnd tada! I'm sorry for always teasing things with this fic, I promise I'm working on it!! It's one of my 2024 goals to actually finish it haha

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗Thank you so much for your question!! Happy Hogswatch! ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

[thatoneguy56fanfic]

Tell us about the punch from Runaway Bride:

“Did your parents have a restaurant-“ Kuvira didn’t seem to notice her, and kept walking until the two of them collided, her sentence ended abruptly. Asami wasn’t sure who was more surprised, her or Kuvira. For a few seconds, they both just stared at each other in silence. Then an overwhelming rush of anger boiled up inside her. Before she knew what she was doing, Asami curled her right hand into a fist and swung. The punch struck Kuvira squarely in the nose. Kuvira stumbled backwards, her hand flying to her face. At the same time, a strong hand grabbed Asami by the shoulder, stopping her from chasing after the other woman.

Asami spun around angrily to see Iroh staring back at her. He shook his head slightly, and Asami reluctantly relaxed.

“Asami, what the fuck?!?!?” Korra shouted. Asami turned back to see Kuvira slumped over, one hand clamped over her nose. Blood flowed between her fingers, dripping down onto her shirt and the floor. Korra was standing between them, her face twisted in confusion and anger. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!?!”

Oh, this is an interesting one. Honestly my main concern about this scene in particular was if it seemed in character or not. I almost didn’t write it, tbh. But I’m glad I did because I personally think this is truly something Asami would do, especially in the situation she’s in during this fic. My other thoughts were more technical, like “would she risk breaking a finger punching Kuvira so hard?” for example. And I had to remind myself where everyone else was standing, because that could affect how they responded.

As for what I think was going through each character’s head, I can give a brief overview:

Kuvira: Didn’t even have time to think. She literally walked into Asami and was immediately hit in the face. It took her a minute to realize what happened.

Lin: Didn’t even see it happen. She was standing directly behind Iroh, so her view of the punch was blocked by both him and Asami. It wasn’t until Korra started yelling that she knew something was up.

Iroh: He’s just confused. He wasn’t at the wedding, so he had no clue that there was any beef between Asami and Kuvira. Up until this point he actually thought that Asami & Korra were still a couple. So this whole situation was a big wake up call for him. But as soon as he saw Asami swing, he just reacted on instinct. In his mind he knew that he had to step in before the situation got anymore out of hand.

Korra: She’s pissed. In her mind, Asami just assaulted her wife unprovoked. She probably would’ve thrown hands if Kuvira hadn’t stopped her tbh. She also can’t help but blame herself, because part of her thinks that if she hadn’t broken Asami’s heart, then Kuvira never would’ve gotten hurt.

Asami: She’s feeling so many emotions at this point that it’s hard for her to process. She’s heartbroken. She’s angry. She’s been publicly humiliated. And then suddenly the one person who’s the source of all her ire bumps into her in the literal doorway of her own home. She didn’t even think, she just let instinct take the wheel. She probably would’ve landed another punch if it wasn’t for Iroh grabbing her.

The wording on this was a little tricky. Because I wanted to be as descriptive as possible, while also keeping the scene short. I wanted it to feel like it happened quickly, because that’s what I was picturing in my head. I also wanted to convey how Asami was overcome by her emotions and wasn’t really thinking clearly in that moment. This was not planned out. If Asami had it her way, she would’ve preferred never seeing Kuvira again instead of having a physical confrontation with her.

So what this moment means in context of the rest of the fic, hopefully without giving any potential spoilers lol. This moment in particular was meant to show the full extent of just how deeply hurt Asami really is. So far she’s put on a mask to fool everyone but the closest people to her, and this moment was her mask coming off. She can’t really hide her true feelings after this. It’s also her lowest point in this fic. It also serves as sort of a wake up call for Korra & Kuvira. Until now they’ve been in the honeymoon phase so to speak, but this moment yanked them back to reality.

Thanks for the ask! I had a lot of fun with this one.

Send me a snippet of one of my fics and I’ll tell you about it.

[coffeestainedcamera]

I'll be coherent again in 5 business days. This episode simultaneously delivered what I wanted and emotionally devastated me. Spoilers below gif.

Like, hell yeah to Logan croaking. But let's be real, his grip on the rest of the family will persist beyond the grave. The kids, despite all the hurt he's inflicted upon them, still very blatantly aren't ready to let him go. Doesn't matter that it's the healthiest thing for them to do. It takes time and you spend ages questioning if cutting a cancerous tumor out of your life was right (source: had some horrible relatives, I don't know how they're doing now and they don't have my cell or address lol).

But the entire show is about this dance where the kids are trying to cut the tumor but always drop the scalpel, whether by themselves or because something hit their hands. And we see it this season again. They're trying to break away from Waystar/Royco, they're trying to pull a massive deal out from under papa dearest's nose, they're seeing each other in a karaoke bar, they're bracing for a wedding ceremony together...

And really, they've been expecting to continue the feud with papa dearest indefinitely, with a ceasefire for Connor's big day. It's what we, the audience, have been conditioned to expect, even as there were Logan's previous medical incidents right in front of us. He's the big villain, alongside the self-destructive coping mechanisms the kids developed due to him. I definitely was expecting him to have plot armor this time around as well, as it's not even the season finale.

But, welp, gone. I did always feel vaguely bad for the kids, even with all their horrible behavior, as they always seemed lonely and in chronic pain. Def wanted them to cut the tumor out, as that was the cure. But obv this tumor removal was conducted by a runaway chainsaw, not a scalpel in their hands. Of course they'll be in shock, grief, and denial. They still saw him as a part of their lives, even if they were trying to move on.

So, we've got Roman desperately wanting his dad's love one last time, never admitting he did anything wrong and staying in denial about the death right up until the stretcher. We've got Kendall telling him that he doesn't forgive him, but still wanting him to wake up. We've got Shiv losing the cool and disaffected facade, crying and wanting him back after trying to add rocket fuel to her siblings' get-away plan during the Hundred debacle. And Connor isn't even told what's going on until it's too late, allowed to just stick to the wedding and denied this goodbye.

Oh, and Greg isn't fully looped in again. And really, he's just an uncle to him. And Tom is freaking out about losing his protector and arguable idol.

It all really sums up their relationships to Logan.

[disillusioned-phantasma]

Shanks Masterlist

Navigation

Poly! with Reader and Mihawk - ft. Dracule Mihawk

No - He loves to tease you. It’s one of his favorite past times. So naturally he will tease you for the sake of seeing you blush at whatever he says. Day and night, he never lets an opportunity slip by. This is just one of those very couple-y things you’d expect with being Shanks s/o

Consistency is Key - Being a member of the Straw Hat crew sailing along the Grand Line meant coming across the Red Hair Parents more often. Which was very fun for Luffy and you would’ve found it the same way weren’t it not for a very persistent Red Haired man

Runaway Bride - Shanks day gets turned upside down when you run way from your wedding and crashed into him on the street

The First Mate’s Daughter - fic where a female reader is half the age of Shanks. Like she is 20 (or around Ace’s age). And she is the daughter of Benn or Mihawk.So Shanks and reader are secretly dating but they got caught having fun (if you know what I mean) and the whole ship needs to save Shanks’s neck because her father wants to kill him slowly

That was Rhetorical

Estranged

Pose - Sketching was one of your past times, and during one sketching session, you were caught by Shanks. Intrigued with your skill in the arts…he offers himself as your model for the study of anatomy…for the sake of art of course

Chase Me - Shanks falls in love with a female reader marine vice admiral, each time they cross ways he has to flirt and go lovey dovey, much to the chagrin of the crew and the reader lol ❤️ she still wants to capture him but like half heartedly cause she just can’t take him seriously anymore (Fearsome Yonko my ass)

Hate sex

Under the Covers - You think Shanks would ever let you nap in peace? Nope. Homeboi Shanks has other things in mind  (￢‿￢ )

[unecrthed]

choi yeonjun. cis male. he/him. presenting prince kim junyeol, twenty three-year-old earthbender and runaway prince from the earth kingdom pretending to be a commoner and son of the earth monarch. scintillating yet flighty, they find themself impartial to fire lord chaesan’s reign. will this be their salvation or their undoing ? 

hey, hey! i’m here with prince kim junyeol, earthbender and son to the earth monarch, who really should be back home at ba sing se to fulfil his royal duties, but he all he wants to do is to explore the world, meet new people and as cliché as it sounds—find himself. he never really felt at home within the tall walls of the earth kingdom, tantamount to that of his parents’ over-protectiveness and expectations, both of which protected him as much as it restricted him. with news of a potential arranged marriage (wanted connection?) and all that adulting shit coming his way, he packed his bags and quite literally fled the kingdom. now, he’s temporarily situated at the fire nation, pretending to be a commoner amidst the fire nationals. you can find a brief summary about him, along with some wanted connections below. if you’d like to plot, like this post and i’ll drop you a message!

summary:

if you couldn’t already tell, he’s impulsive and frivolous, with little to no interest in the government and politics—he just wants to have fun. 

marches to the beat of his own drum; basically a dreamer and idealist who romanticises life and doesn’t want to fit into a mould, much less one his father had shaped for him.

feels like he has yet to experience a life outside the sheltered walls of ba sing se and is not ready for all that his father has planned for him.

really just wants to have fun, like a regular guy his age—not a prince or the son of the earth monarch. 

his father and his army of government officials deemed him irresponsible and immature, ill-fitting of a prince; they believed he would grow up if he was wedded to a nice lady.

he caught whiff of the potential arranged marriage and wanted none of that as he felt that he’s too young and would rather marry someone he loves (would not admit this out loud though lol).

so he packed his bags, left home with a shabbily written note along the lines of ‘don’t look for me, i’ll return home when i’m ready to’ and is now pretending to be a commoner in the fire nation.

it’s been a couple of months since he relocated, and he now goes by the name of yeol (not very smart, he knows, but he panicked when someone asked lol), a non-bender. 

he was starting to run out of money and the last thing he wants to do is return home and prove his parents right so he took on a couple of odd jobs (haven’t really fleshed this out but the gist of it is: you see him as a merchant at the market today and a server at some restaurant the next day, think dusik from hometown cha cha cha). 

he’s adaptable and bright, a fast learner who excels in pretty much everything, much like a jack of all trades during his time at the fire nation.

he’s everywhere all at once but at the same time, no one really knows about where he came from or if he had any family.

he’s quite the charmer, knows how to get in the good books of the people he meets (it’s how he managed to get by in the fire nation, practically charmed his way into getting all the jobs he has now).

particularly popular with the elderly, kids and ladies—he is quite the flirt for someone who has never been in a serious relationship.

won’t admit it for fear of being cheesy but he does fantasise about finding true love.

he won’t deny that things get rough sometimes, he was brought up in the best conditions after all, but he’s enjoying the process.

he knows he’ll have to return home someday, but until then, he wants to experience life the way they talk about in books and performances, to explore the world beyond the tall walls of ba sing se.

wanted connections:

a close friend he’s made in the fire nation, someone who feels like they’ve known him his whole life, when really, they know nothing about him (or his background, at least). he constantly feels bad about lying to them but he does not want to risk exposing his identity.

someone who recognises him (maybe they met when they were kids? possibly someone from a royal/noble family?) and is aware of his true identity but is keeping his secret for whatever reason. maybe they owe it to him or are blackmailing him with it?

a crush or love interest of sorts? angsty forbidden love or painful first love he never forgets type of vibes? however this spans out, it’s unlikely it would result in anything fluffy since he’s lying about who he really is.

the person he was meant to be in an arranged marriage with, doesn’t have to actually happen but it could be something both families are in the talks of. 

frequent customers at some of his work places (was thinking a jewellery/trinket stall at the market, where he secretly uses his earthbending abilities to make stone/clay jewellery and the likes of it, or a restaurant or teahouse he serves at).

someone who suspects that he isn’t who he claims to be and is extra cautious towards him. 

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: April 13th, 2021

And we’re back again with more replies so soon, haha. Thank you for the asks!

Your game literally saved me this hell ass year. Thank you so much for the most perfect piece of art I've ever laid eyes on 😫 ... Do you guys have a rough idea when step 3 DLC will be released? I hope I'm not coming off as rude. I just really really love your game.

I’m sorry for the late reply on this! You might’ve already seen the answer by now, but the Step 3 DLC is coming out on the 16th. We’re almost there :D

This may be a silly question but did Jeremy's parents ever find out that Pran had lied about his age and if so, when/how? :3

Pran came clean to them after a couple of years, when he felt secure enough that it wouldn’t ruin the relationship. The Kings were a little embarrassed, the dad more than the mom, but they’re quite good at brushing past those kind of mistakes so it was all water under the bridge pretty fast.

hi! i know you’ve answered a question about alterations in the our life moments by playing them in different orders, but i was wondering if there was a canon order that the moments for each step happen in? i figure with such a customizable game the “canon” timeline for the moments is whatever order the player completes them in, for example in step 1, i like playing the runaway moment pretty early, since cove trying to run away early in summer makes more sense to me personally. thanks!

Yeah, there’s no canon order we’d insist on. Whatever you like can be the official route for you! And that’s a neat way to look at that event.

What if your character isn’t that into physical contact but still wants to be in a relationship with Cove? Would he be offended if you shy away or something along those lines?

He wouldn’t be. Cove knows how hard that can be and is very understanding. If you set his initiative to low, the game always checks to make sure if you want to be touched or not rather than assuming that you do. And if you do choose that you don’t want to, there’s no stress or drama about it. Cove will just say that’s okay!

Hellu! First off, I want to thank you all for such a wonderful game, it's been the best feel-good game I've ever stumbled upon and I can't express enough how much it has meant to me. Second, I've seen lots of people having trouble with making Cove confess before MC which makes me wonder if people will have the same problem in the dlc when you can propose to him. Is it possible to post a guide for that as well when it no longer could count as a spoiler? Again, thanks for such a beautiful game <3

I’m really happy you had such a nice time with it c:. We’ll answer questions about it on tumblr/in the discord if they come up and, if need be, we’ll find somewhere to upload a guide.

Do we get steam key from buying dlc on itch io?

I’m afraid not. That’d be unfair to those who get it on Steam. Plus, Steam isn’t super cool with giving out thousands of keys to be handed out for free on other sites anymore. They can refuse to give us the keys if they feel we’re trying to take advantage of their system.

hi! so if we reject cove's confession in step 3, can we still have MC and cove get together in step 4?

You can confess to him, yeah. But Cove won’t ever try confessing again if the MC turns him down in Step 3.

What if MC acts like someone Cove doesn't like, like Lizzie or Baxter lol

You can’t do what Lizzie or Baxter does to make Cove dislike them. You can play the game and try, but it doesn’t work out. The MC is just too compatible with Cove if you’re fond/crush/love, haha.

Hi! I absolutely love your game, I love the characters they’re all so amazing, thank you for the game haha

I was wondering if you would get the NSFW DLC no matter what Patreon level you were at, or if you would could get it at any level? :)

&

What pateron tier do we need to get the 18+ content for Our Life? It's my new favourite game, keep up the good work!

It will eventually be available at the $5 tier and anything above that! Glad you both like OL ^^

On a scale from 1 (being the worst) to 10, how well do the XOXO jerk squad including JB handle horror?

JB: 8

Everett: 5

Nate: 4

Shiloh: 10

Bae: 10

Jeremy: 8 for non-gore horror, 2 for gory horror

Pran: 9

hello!! i was wondering if any of the boys from the Jerksquad would ever wear a skirt/dress?

None of them wear skirts/dresses out of personal preference. But if there was some kind of reason where they had to do it, none would be that bothered.

How does the jerk squad feel about Christmas? 

Everett: He fucking loves it. That’s the best time of year.

Nate: Commercialized nonsense.

Shiloh: It’s wonderful! So he claims.

Bae: He likes it quite a bit, but only for the joy it brings children/family. He thinks that’s sweet but is too mature to be whipped up into a festive fervor himself.

Jeremy: It’s awful.

Pran: He hates it.

does cove have any pet allergies? yes I know this is a little weirdly specific

He doesn’t! The lucky boy isn’t allergic to any animal.

Very important question: Would Lee and a musical-theatre loving MC run around belting Into The Unknown from Frozen 2? Because I feel that they would 

Probably, haha.

This might seem like a dumb question, so I’m sorry, but with the Derek DLC are we gonna get to hang out with him in person instead of just calling him in step 3? 

The Derek DLC adds events in Step 2 and Step 4. It’s part of his story that you don’t really get to be around him in Step 3. But you don’t need to apologize for wondering!

hello! i'd like to ask if it's possible to play the android version of the game with the dlcs after buying the dlcs from steam. i wasn't expecting my android version to have my dlcs since i bought them from steam, but it had my step 2 dlc for some reason. is this a glitch or does the apk actually detect what dlcs you already have on your pc? if so, how come i don't have the step 1 dlc appearing on android? thanks!

That is some kind of glitch. It isn’t possible for the Android DLCs to be unlocked by having them on PC. Maybe in one of the old builds we accidentally didn’t lock the Step 2 DLC properly. Sorry for the confusion!

Does Derek and Baxter have canon sexualities? Will Derek still flirts with the MC regardless of their gender?

They’re both pansexual and can like the MC regardless of what gender they have.

I was wondering if Miranda had a crush on Cove in Step 3? I'm not sure why, but I got those vibes from her?

She thinks of him only as a friend. Cove isn’t her type, haha.

This is probably a dumb hope, but I hope Cliff find someone he loves after Cove is grown up and everything. Or at the very least he has someone he's very close with after Cove leaves. 

That’s a really sweet thought to have. Cliff stays single, but he’s graysexual and not-particularly romantically inclined. He only dated when he was really young ‘cause that’s what everyone did. Family and friend relationships are more important to him, and he has plenty of that in his life ^^.

Heya! I was curious if there might be a nickname system in N&F? I kind of pull an Elizabeth when I play and choose a different variation of a name like having Rosie in step one and changing it to Rose in step two, then maybe Rosetta in step three for example, but it also feels a little bit odd being scolded using my nickname hehe. That's all I was wondering about, thank you for your time and the wonderful games!

We are hoping to include the option to go by a nickname in Our Life: Now & Forever. But nothing has been programmed yet, so we can’t 100% guarantee it, haha.

Just curious, what would Liz's and Cove's relationship be if MC wasn't around? I feel like they wouldn't get along as well as they do now, especially during the first and second step 

They’d definitely have a lot of friction growing up and they’d likely avoid each other as much as possible. Once they were both older, I imagine they’d be decent neighbor acquaintances. But they still wouldn’t be nearly as close as they are with the MC bringing Cove into things.

What do the customizable eyes look like in the game? Do they look as they are in the creating avatar section? Or do they look different when actually playing the game?

That’s up to you! The doll is just meant to be a general idea. You can apply it to your imagined MC as much or as little as you prefer.

Did Cove go through a "phase" during his adolescence? I don't really wanna headcanon it so I wonder if there's anything (cringy) canon since we missed out on the ages of 14-17 hahaha

Not really, aha. 14-17 Cove is pretty recognizable to his 13 and 18 year old self.

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, especially with all the messages you get. I was just wondering if the religious wedding venue was exclusive to a church or if there will be different religions of weddings? Also, I love this VN so much, it's so well written and every character is so amazing, thank you for making such a beautiful game.

The church is treated as a historic building rather than anything actively religious, but it’s not the only option like that. There’s a historic synagogue and stuff too! And that’s really nice of you to say <3.

How differently would it play out If MC told their moms about the 20$ deal back when it happened? 

They wouldn’t have been happy and would’ve been far more skeptical of Cliff, aha. But they wouldn’t want to keep Cove away from the MC, so it wouldn’t have been too different in the long run.  

Hello may I ask what Cove's favorite fudge/ice cream flavor would be? Its alright if its not answered 

He appreciates them all, but his top favorites would be the fruit flavored ones and the ones with nuts.

Hi! I really wanted to make mc's house in a game and tried really hard to figure out the floor plan, but I wondered if you have the floor plan of the mc's house so that i can try again with more accuracy?

Thank you a lot for this game, i loved it a lot! (my first play took me 8 hours lol)

I’m really sorry, we don’t have anything like that. But at least you can headcanon that what you did is correct and nothing can prove it wrong, haha.

Hello,I recently started playing lake of voices (I put it off for a long while since I’m usually not very good with horror) and I’m really happy I did!I’m a big fan of your games in general and lake of voices was absolutely great as well.I loved the characters and the dark setting of it,I adored the beautiful art and music and the story was great too,sometimes unsettling and sometimes very sweet.My favorite Route in the game was definitely Lu,I liked his character and was really shocked and distraught by his Route at least two times.I didn’t see the plot twist(s) coming at all!

Besides these ramblings I’ve also wanted to ask if you still remember how to get the lower two CGs on page 5?I seem to always miss them and would appreciate any help.Anyways I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother and I wish the devs a great day!:)

Thank you for all the kind words <3. You get those DLCs by going through the end of the Guide’s character path. You can use the guides on Steam to help you find it/reach the end!

—– —– —– —–

Thank you again for all of these questions :D

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[bravadoseries]

All the evens for Audrey and all the odds for Margo!

thank you!  this got super long so i’m putting it under a cut hehe

audrey: 

2. why is your oc problematic?

audrey is problematic because she has no clue what she’s doing when it comes to anything and when it comes to being a hero, she relies almost entirely on trial and error.  

4. what crossovers with other ocs have you talked about?

i have talked about crossovers with you for leila, @emiliachrstine​ with jacqueline, and @notaboutcat​ with grace barnes!!!  

6. if your oc were to have superpowers, what would they be? if your oc has superpowers, what are they?

so audrey has super soldier strength as her primary superpower, and also there’s some other stuff that will be revealed during the thor: tdw arc

8. alright, be honest—whether or not they get the chance to prove it, is your oc worthy?

so i think that audrey does become worthy eventually during endgame, but i think that all the avengers are.  

10. what’s your oc’s fight song? (e.g., immigrant song for thor, just a girl for carol)

girls just wanna have fun!!! i think is the biggest one.  but i have actually picked out songs for the main fights in all of the movies audrey is in: 

avengers battle of new york: “mama talking” by parov stelar

moscow fight against bucky: “bad guy” by billie eilish which i know wasn’t technically released yet but it’s okay

thor: tdw final fight: “big god” by florence and the machine

tws final fight: “seven nation army” by the white stripes

avengers: aou battle of sokovia: “glass & patron” by fka twigs

captain america: civil war airport scene: “bad blood” by taylor swift

angels of mercy final fight: “tomboy” by princess nokia

thor: ragnarok: “the future’s so bright, i gotta wear shades” by timbuk 3 

avengers: iw: “yellow flicker beat” by lorde

avengers: endgame: “girls just wanna have some” by chrormatics and “lights up” by harry styles and “boys wanna be her” by peaches 

12. what was your oc like in high school?

audrey didn’t officially go to high school because she was tutored privately until she started just going to college but she was generally bored with her tutors.  when she went to high school in the 80s, she was jarred.  even though she’d gotten several degrees by that point, she was like freaked out by being with other people and having to have a social life because in college she just didn’t talk to anybody.  so she was nervous and quiet but she did have one good friend!

14. your oc meets thanos. what’s their first move?

omg audrey’s first move is to spit on him, i think, and then she just like attempts to tackle him and scratch his eyes out ngl

16. your oc gets married. which canon characters are in the wedding party?

yesss braudrey wedding time!! natasha is one of her bridesmaids, tony is the officiant, and both steve and darcy walk her down the aisle.  steve and darcy have a young daughter by this point who is a flower girl with morgan, and they’re super cute.  i could talk about the braudrey wedding for so long though i have so many little plans

18. what are your oc’s bad habits or vices?

audrey loves sweets, i think is one of her vices. she also tends to know she’s making bad choices but go through with them anyway. 

20. your oc wears the gauntlet (without any detrimental effects on their health) and gets one snap to wish for anything they want. what do they ask for?

audrey asks to destroy the infinity stones, i think most likely.  she doesn’t want that energy to be condensed into such a powerful form because that’s like a nightmare.  i think it changes from film to film, but by the end, her final wish is for everyone to not be so powerful all the time

22. what does your oc’s bedroom look like?

audrey’s apartment is very minimalist, because it’s easy for her to get overwhelmed.  before she moved into the tower, she was a workaholic because she would get so bored with her freetime that she always had case files everywhere.  once she joins the avengers though and kind of like starts building a life for herself, she starts to settle into her place more and have details that reflect her life more—photos on the walls, little things that she collects from good memories, and a lot of books on the shelves!  audrey likes big windows and keeps them open, but the space is mostly like white with dark blue accents.  

24. which characters from other movies or shows is your oc a combination of?

excellent question!  so audrey reminds me a lot of like the most chaotic combinations of mike schur main ships?  she’s both chidi and eleanor, and both jake and amy.  she’s anxious but also impulsive, awkward but also extremely loving, strong but also scared.  

26. which canon character would they go to for advice? why?

audrey goes to different characters for advice about different things!  with moral problems, she goes to steve.  with fighting advice, she heads to natasha, obviously.  with relationship advice, she heads to darcy.  and later, post aou, audrey actually spends a lot of time with wanda and pietro becoming more politically active.  

28. what’s your oc’s biggest flaw?

audrey is scared of everything! i think is her biggest flaw.  it’s hard for her to overcome that fear.  

30. what movies or shows is your oc featured in?

audrey is in agent carter, she has cameos in iron man 1+2, thor 1, captain marvel, and captain america: tfa.  she’s a main in avengers, thor 2, tws, avengers: aou, captain america: civil war, thor 3, and avengers iw and endgame!

margo: 

1. how did you pick your oc’s name?

margo is short for margaret! i think peggy is kind of an old-fashioned name (technically so is margo) but margo is cute and short too 

3. besides their main ship, who else do you think they would work well with?

i think margo could have a relationship with magnus (thor and jane’s older son) but it probably wouldn’t be super healthy.   also i think she and calliope could have had a cute relationship which coulson would have lost his mind about lol.

5. what’s a crossover with another oc that you’ve wanted to do, but haven’t officially discussed or planned?

i feel like it would be cool to talk about margo with @cassercole​‘s queve family ! i think an audrey and q crossover would just slap in general because i think it would be angsty and cool and i can imagine q being like . i did not sign up to be a stepmother, but thanks, but then the two of them actually becoming friends eventually.  

but anyway, i can imagine bonnie and tristan teasing margo and making them call her aunt and uncle but them all getting along well and hanging out at family reunions and getting into trouble . having a vision of the three of them stealing a blunt or something from tony’s jacket pocket at thanksgiving and then all of them being high and paranoid about getting caught by steve. 

q catches them and margo is like please don’t be mad and please don’t tell my mom and q just rolls her eyes and closes the door to the room they’re all in after telling them dinner’s in 10 minutes, and she won’t tell but it’s up to them not to get caught.  

7. rank their compatibility with the marvel teams: avengers, guardians of the galaxy, agents of shield, defenders, runaways

okay so: 1) avengers, because they’re her family.  2) gotg, because she thinks they’re all super weird and cool.  3) runaways, because i think she’s scrappy and has a similar sheltered background to them.  4) aos, just because found family time.  5) defenders.  super brutal and she’s just like ummmm i am scared . 

9. which other mcu characters would your oc really get along with?

i think gamora and margo would get along super well.  also margo’s close with carol because she likes how she’s not too serious about herself as a hero.  i think she’s also probably gets along well with wanda and pietro.  she’s super close with her dad, also.  

11. post a snippet of the next chapter of an oc’s fic!

okay to be honest i have not written any of margo’s fic yet so i will have to pass 

13. what’s a secret about your oc that they would never admit? feel free to be as angsty or as silly as you’d like!

margo would never admit it but she has a slight schoolgirl crush on thor, who is one of the strength instructors slash english teachers at the academy.  

15. if your oc has a costume/were to have a costume, what does it/would it look like? what colors? cape or no cape?

no cape, but sometimes she ties a towel around her neck and dances in her dorm room.  margo’s costume would probably look a lot like helena bertinelli’s costume on arrow—very classic, infinity mask, etc. 

17. after a battle, how does your oc recover?

she cries into her pillow for several hours and enters a period if intense self loathing and eats ice cream.  

19. what were some other faceclaims you considered for your oc?

when audrey was shipped with pietro, margo was played by josefine frida petersen!

21. if your oc survived the snap, who do they miss the most?

in an au where audrey has margo before infinity war and the snap, margo would be devastated to grow up without her mother

23. what’s their love language? what’s the love language of the character they’re shipped with?

i think margo’s is words of affirmation, and leo’s is quality time! 

25. which characters annoy your oc? why?

margo gets annoyed with her mom, a lot.  audrey and bex are really close and so she feels left out of that relationship.  i also think that margo doesn’t get along super well with pepper because she thinks pepper doesn’t like her.  she doesn’t like peter quill that much, even though she likes the rest of the guardians.  and she never meets loki, but i think she would absolutely hate him.  

27. what’s your oc’s biggest strength?

i think her biggest strength is her big heart!  she feels a lot and she’s kind of intense but she’s a very loving person.  

29. team cap, team iron man, team i don’t care, or team please stop fighting?

team please stop fighting!! she’s like why is my life an episode of family feud . i know she doesn’t exist then but she looks back on it and brings it up sometimes and they’re both deeply embarrassed about it in hindsight and also like . okay BUT and she’s like okay nevermind!!!!

[d0yenne-archived]

sex+romance headcanons! Challenge accepted ahaha! I dare you to answer to all of them Let's get to know Kira better 8)

Ohhh boy…. XDD

🌟 What is my muse’s sexual/romantic orientation?

Kira’s straight. -w- Just a hint demi, because she has trust issues based on her past. But unlike Lia (my actual demisexual muse) she’s more comfortable in a relationship—and intercourse—if she trusts her partner  

💦 At what age did my muse lose their virginity?

Uh… Depends on the thread? She starts all threads a virgin lol.

😘 Would my muse have sex on the first date?

Haha NO. 

😊 Would my muse ever ask someone on a date?

Yeah, probably lol. She’s got guts. She’ll do it if the guy she’s interested in doesn’t beat her to it.

👍 Does my muse prefer to be asked on a date, or would they rather do the asking?

She has no preference.

😉 What are my muse’s fetishes/kinks?

Uh… Lol I’ve never really thought about that. She enjoys her boyfriend gently stroking her scars, as well as lovebites.

💬 When did my muse go on their first date?

Depends on the thread, lol. But very first date…? Wow, I think that might’ve been four years ago or more… I think that was a date with Dipper Gleeful (reverse AU Gravity Falls character)

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Something quiet and sweet. A visit to the library, walk in the park, a visit to a small cafe… Nothing huge, and something with few to no people around. She hates crowds.

💗 Has my muse ever been in love?

I dunno, Death God, you tell me! XDD Yeah, she’s been in love countless times lol. Currently with a certain power-crazed human XDD

👠 What was my muse’s last serious relationship like?

Uh… her biggest and most recent one was with Light Yagami, and you know how THAT was…yeesh XDD Jk, jk, they’re great X3 Couple Of crazy/heated fights, but great XDD

👰 Would my muse ever get married?

Haha yeah? Lol it’s only happened twice (once if you count an ACTUAL wedding and not just an act of claiming her) in her existence as a character tho.

🌼 Would my muse prefer a big wedding or a small wedding?

S M A L L.

If you plan a big wedding, you’re gonna have a runaway bride. At the MOST she’s okay with the groom’s IMMEDIATE FAMILY, but that’s it. She hates big crowds like that lol. Private weddings are the best.

🍬 Is my muse a sub, dom, or switch?

Most of the time, dom. But that can switch.

🏩 What was my muse’s first time like?

Idk. Fairly certain it was with a demon, soo… Self explanatory.

🎆 Is my muse into monogamy?

Haha yeah. If her husband even suggested marrying another woman during their marriage, she would leave them where they stand. 

💕 Would my muse ever be in a polyamorous relationship?

No, as read above. o-o

🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome?

Haha N O. (See Grell)

👮 Has my muse ever had sex in public?

No, and she never will. Not that kind of woman. To her, it is very private and important to her. An act of trust. Something she would never talk about or let anyone else see, as it is a violation of her safe place and private moments. She wouldn’t dare do something like that.

💔 What was my muse’s first heartbreak?

Actually..? I think her short break up with Light was her very first heart break…

💑 What are my muse’s requirements for a potential partner?

Trustworthy. He wouldn’t ever cheat on her or break her heart. She must have someone that has some level of intellect to match her own, as well as a good heart and personality. 

💋 How many people has my muse slept with?

….Sebastian Michaelis and Light Yagami. Actually… I think Link from Legend of Zelda too. First time writing smut. Eighth grade. Biggest mistake of my life. NEVER again. But at least now I know I’m asexual. ^w^;

👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

Oh, absolutely not.

👎 Would my muse ever cheat on their partner?

She wouldn’t dream of it!! 

😳 What was my muse’s worst romantic/sexual relationship?

Jeez, idk… Lol maybe with Sebastian? Just because all the crazy ups and downs lol. That and he nearly killed her. owo

💲Would my muse ever date/marry/sleep with someone because they were rich?

Absolutely not!! She’s not at all like that!!

👓 Would my muse ever lie for sex?

She isn’t that thirsty at all.

👿 Would my muse ever blackmail someone into sex?

No…!! Why would anyone..??

🎥 Who is my muse’s celebrity crush?

Lol she doesn’t know any celebrities XDD

🎀 Who would my muse sleep with if nobody ever had to know?

No one..? Lol all of these don’t apply to her. She’s not that sexual at all. (Grell, on the other hand…)

💍 Has my muse ever had a one-night stand?

No.

💝 Does my muse like Valentine’s Day?

Not particularly lol. She usually spends it alone, sooo… But she has no real opinion of human holidays.

💘 What are the ways my muse says ‘I love you’ without actually saying it?

Trusting her boyfriend/husband. Tender kisses and caresses. Standing by his side, even when everything is going against them. Being willing to die for him. That kind of stuff lol

[amitds]

Sirocco: Hidden beneath The Sand

Summary: Months have passed since Sasuke and Sakura escaped Pein and the other vampires sent by the Uchiha and now the two are enjoying their time together in Suna, ‘The Desert City’, while on the run. Unbeknownst to the couple, though, new enemies lurk, hidden in the sand. 

Notes: I decided to follow up my ‘Cloaks’ fic from ss month 2018 (day 21) with a sequel. Suna is supposed to be like Las Vegas but with more desert sand lying around and less strippers lol. Um it’s supposed to be SS but I feel like half way through it reads like a full on story and not only ‘shippy’. I guess it’s because I actually thought of continuing Cloaks and even continuing this with a part 3 (fingers crossed).

“Morning,” Sakura mumbled as she awoke, her head resting gently on Sasuke’s bare chest. 

Months have passed since Sakura and Sasuke ran off escaping Madara and his Akatsuki and now, as residents of Suna, the couple usually started off every day like this. Lying and holding Sasuke in her arms while in their new home; this extravagant, beautifully, embellished apartment, Sakura could sense a tear moistening her eye ready to spill out. Such was the sensation of peace and contentment that resided within her now. As Suna’s vivid sunlight filtered through her fine wine- coloured silken curtains, its rays dyed the red of blood, Sakura could only think of Sasuke and this life he was building for them both. Sakura was his princess. This Sasuke ensured. 

“Aa Sakura” he returned, still shaking the sleep from himself with his fingers gently brushing the creamy skin of her bare back as his other hand reached for her forehead.

 “Tap.” 

“Anata..” Sakura gushed, her cheeks kissed red like rose bloom. Sakura felt a special, ethereal bliss every time Sasuke tapped her forehead. Even now, months after eloping and after a night of sweet passion, Sasuke’s little gesture warmed her heart. It was their gesture and it was sacred to them. This man loved her and would do anything for her. She could feel it. This is what she knew and such was the euphoria of their life, their new life as husband and wife.  

“We really should wake up now, Sakura.” 

As much as he dreaded ending this moment Sasuke remembered that he promised her some semblance of a honeymoon and some fun while here. Sasuke had to deliver on his promise. The temptation of spending the rest of the day held up in this russet, mahogany poster bed hidden behind drapes of silk while he held, touched, kissed and made love to his wife was almost too much for the young man to bear. Sasuke, however, knew better. 

 Sakura was now his wife and for the first time in his centuries- long life Sasuke Uchiha felt the intensity and delicious furor of love. The loneliness and yearning for love and companionship that controlled him for countless years as a noble of the Uchiha Clan was extinguished and now replaced by a blaze of pure ecstasy; Sakura Haruno’s love and friendship. Sasuke was resolute in his vow to protect her and ensure that their eternal life together would be worth every minute.  

“Hmm not yet..” Sakura giggled as she turned, her light green eyes meeting his own of pure obsidian. The young witch then lavished her husband with sweet kisses as she pulled over the crimson silk sheets, ready for part two of what transpired the night before. Sasuke, despite his views, was all too happy to oblige. 

Hours later, due to in no small part Sasuke’s stamina as a vampire prince and Sakura’s craving for him, the couple finally pulled themselves out of bed to start their day. After a quick shower together Sasuke and Sakura, the former vampire prince and all powerful Shikkotsu witch, were ready to take on Suna. 

“Where do you want to visit first, Sakura?” Sasuke inquired, as usual wanting Sakura to decide as he himself found solace in just being with her. He had just finished getting dressed when his wife shouted from her closet.

“I’m feeling lucky, how about some slot machines. This is our honeymoon after all... well sort of.” 

Sasuke smirked. His characteristic smile, the one he only shared with Sakura was now painted across his face. It was only to be brushed aside as Sakura arrived.

“So how do I look?” Sakura asked, her voice dripping with innocence. “What do you think about this?”

Sasuke was trapped in brief awe as his smirk died away, instead being replaced with an expression of utter amazement. Naturally, Sasuke thought of Sakura as the most dazzling and enticing woman in the world but something about today and the way she looked right now in their apartment threw him, the usually stoic  prince, completely off. 

Before him stood Sakura, her sleek, lengthy, fuchsia hair cascading down her back while neat bangs framed the delicate features of her face. At the center of her forehead, of course, was her bindi stippling the porcelain of her skin. Her eyes were lined with deep kohl and lipstick, the crimson of blood, glistened against her soft lips. Her dainty frame was hugged by a tight, short sleeved salmon top paired with a black leather mini skirt that, Sasuke thought, showed off her exquisite, milky legs perfectly. Pointed earrings of jade-coloured aventurine now dangled from each ear, for luck, replacing her rose quartz crystals she wore before (she needed no luck in love now, she had her true love after all).

The young witch also wore a choker embedded with smooth round crystals of black tourmaline for protection while her athame and shrunken besom broom were camouflaged within the straps of her knee-high, onyx, gladiator heels. Perhaps her most valuable accessory, though, was her intricately designed white gold and white diamond wedding ring that adorned her left hand, a symbol of her husband’s eternal love.

Needless to say, even without magic Sakura could enchant Sasuke. Still, he couldn’t totally believe that someone this beautiful, this gentle, this perfect could be his wife. Seeing Sakura, as she stood, bathed in the pristine light shining through the silk curtains of their apartment, Sasuke was overwhelmed by feelings of contentment and appreciation. Finally they were together. Finally they were at peace. 

“Hmm.” Sasuke smirked, moments later, composing himself. “You look great Sakura.”

Sakura, her cheeks reddening once more, chuckled after examining her husband a bit. Sasuke had worn his favourite royal blue shirt, a gift from Sakura, with its sleeves rolled back, coupled with his reliable blue jeans and preferred black and white cushioned sneakers. An obsidian gold bracelet, with specks of black tourmaline for protection, given by his wife, encircled his right arm with his matching black gold and diamond studded wedding ring adorning his left hand. As usual for his trips during the day his ruby necklace; his protection from the sun, hung from his neck under his shirt.

 Yet, Sakura found herself entranced by Sasuke himself. The way his shirt hugged his muscled frame, how his spiky raven hair caught the light filtered through the curtains, his clean cut, chiseled face that now wore a mischievous smirk that made her knees weak and especially the starless night of his intense eyes all trapped the witch in Sasuke’s own spell. Indeed, Sakura was the luckiest woman alive, she thought, to have such a man as her life partner. Only his heart could spell her more. 

Despite months of dating and their recent marriage Sasuke and Sakura still felt enraptured with one another,especially when they were on display like this for each other to consume. It as if the were meeting for the first time, over and over again. Truly, Sakura was the Venus to Sasuke’s Adonis. 

 “You’re looking quite handsome yourself. I might have to hold on to your extra tight today.” Sakura smiled, now out of her wonder as she interwove her arms with his.

“Aa.” Sasuke blushed faintly. “Well then.. let’s go.”

 In the moments that followed Sakura placed enchantments of armament upon the apartment while Sasuke, invoking his vampiric compulsion, set up wards to deter intruders. Ironically though, they themselves were intruding as Sasuke compelled the landlord for this space. Nevertheless Sasuke, the vampire noble, claimed this apartment and thought nothing in doing so. This was their first home, his family’s first home and to him that was all that mattered. With that the couple set off into the clamor that was downtown Suna City. 

Suna was the grandest city Sakura, and even Sasuke, had ever seen. Amidst the surrounding desert the city lay nestled like a jewel at the center. Soaring buildings towered within the city: five star hotels, first class restaurants and, perhaps Sakura’s favourite, luxurious casinos. Suna, despite its presence among an arid desert, West of Leaf City, had established itself as a booming metropolis and a ‘tourism city’; one of sophistication and allure. Humans from all over the world flocked here year round. 

Despite it’s complexity, Sakura most notably admired the tinge on nature intertwined among the urban setting. During her few days in Suna Sakura saw towering and verdant palms dotted between streetlights and throughout the city, abundant thriving greenhouses and markets as well as lush gardens and parks scattered throughout the city. Nonetheless, the most memorable and appealing to the white witch were the countless, unique and well fashioned sand gardens present within Suna. Sakura and Sasuke both had never seen such gardens which were slightly reminiscent of those of their ancestral homes in the East. Their ability to incorporate the grandeur of Suna into the refinement of a sand and rock garden only heightened their charm.

Sasuke, though, was appreciative most of all for the city’s fast pace and dense population which served as the ideal shelter for a runaway witch and vampire. Naturally, among the luminosity and dazzle of the casinos and restaurants that lined the main roads, Sasuke felt safe and hidden from their enemies. 

“When did Katsuyu say she was coming back, Sakura?” Sasuke posed as they strolled along the main strip of Suna.

“Hmm. I’m not really sure...” Sakura replied, pondering with her index finger bent against her chin. “She’s at the Caves in Shikkotsu meeting with other familiars and crystal gathering so it may be a while. Those slugs are really thorough with their council meetings compared to the other types of familiars.”

“Other types?” Sasuke asked, curious to learn more about Sakura and the witches.

“Yeah Shikkotsu witches have slug familiars but then there’re the toads used by those carefree witches at Mount Myōboku...” Sakura lectured, now in her zone, as Sasuke called it. 

“Oh...And then there’s those snakes the black witches of Ryūchi Cave have as familiars. They’re bad news though.” 

“Aa... I see.” 

Sasuke was now smiling, admiring his ‘teacher’.

“Well now that you’re married to a witch I guess that makes you part witch, a-na-ta.” Sakura teased, as she emphasised every syllable and grinned in Sasuke’s direction. “You’re going to have to study up now.”

“Hmm.” 

“Sasuke oh look there’s... Ow!” 

Sakura fell back, rubbing her forehead after smashing into something. While walking, losing herself in her moment with Sasuke, something or someone had crashed into the young witch. Sasuke, now alert and steeled for battle, looked ahead with his hand gripping Sakura. How could we not see or sense this? Was I that distracted?!  He now saw what stood in their wake.

“Oh my God. I am so sorry guys,” a strange voice apologized. There, ahead of the couple stood a breathtakingly beautiful young woman seemingly in her early twenties. “I’m Ino.” 

“Um.. It’s okay, Ino,” Sakura assured, her hand still caressing the soon to be formed bump on her forehead. “I wasn’t looking where I was going...My name’s Sakura and this is my husband, Sasuke.” 

Despite her pain Sakura couldn’t avoid noticing the woman. She’s perfect, Sakura thought to herself. Ino’s long, sunny-blond hair descended her back and was held in a high pony tail. She possessed a dainty frame just like Sakura and her deep violet turtle neck and charcoal pants both held her tightly, accentuating every curve of her body. Strange clothing for a desert city, Sakura noticed but flawless all the same. With her open toed black stilettos she towered over Sakura, the witch noticed, as she held Sakura’s emerald green eyes in her own, the hue of malachite. As she took in the woman Sakura heard her voice continue.

“Nice to meet you, Sakura, Sasuke...” Ino gushed, looking especially in Sasuke’s direction as she closed in, holding both of their hands in her own. Sakura could feel the warmth of her hands pressing against her skin. Was she holding Sasuke like this too?

“Hmm, yes.” was the vampire’s only reply.

“He’s not much of a talker is he, Sakura?”

“Uh... um nice to meet you too, Ino” Sakura hurried, trying to divert the path of the conversation. 

“Well I have to go now, see you both around then.” Ino grinned, winking at Sasuke in particular. With that the tall blond released her grip, her smile never fading and marched off, the length of her hair dancing behind her as she strode. 

Something was awry Sakura thought while eerie thoughts sprouted in her mind. 

Am I jealous? God why? No. It’s not that. I’m not a jealous person. But why am I feeling this way? Is it because she winked at Sasuke? This isn’t the first time someone checked him out in front of me and guys do it to me all the time... What’s different now?

“Sakura... Sakura are you alright?”

“Oh yeah. Uh let’s go.” Sakura was snapped out of her stupor. Whatever she felt was inconsequential now. She was with Sasuke in Suna and it was time to relax. They only had a few more days before the had to depart and Sakura promised herself to treasure every minute.

“Before that woman came along I was saying that we should try that Eastern themed casino.” Sakura was now pointing at her anterior towards the colossal complex before them. 

“Aa. Well yeah. This looks interesting.” At his core Sasuke could sense that something was off. An odd air of foreboding chilled him now. Is she really alright?... Am I?

Suppressing their thoughts Sasuke and Sakura headed to the Sansukumi Casino and crossed the threshold. 

“Shannaro!” Sakura bellowed, hours later, as the couple once more strolled along Suna’s strip, her excitement spicing the air around her. “Twenty thousand dollars! Thanks to those three slugs in the slots! Can you believe it, anata?”

 “Impressive, Sakura,” Sasuke noted, his eyes closed as he formed his signature smirk. 

“Didn’t have anything to do with this, did it?” Sasuke then teased, his finger playfully flicking his wife’s hanging aventurine crystal earring. “Hmm?” 

“Aa, well, um you see... those slots were rigged anyway... and...” Sakura’s words stuck in her throat as a red blush once more graced her features. Finally, she conceded. 

“How did you know, Sasuke?”

“Aha. Well as you said...” Sasuke now had her where he wanted her. 

“My wife’s a witch...”

“And?” 

“And I had to study up.”

“I see.”

“And I was getting tired of spoiling her by compelling people so maybe now she can support us with her winnings.” Sasuke was now winking as he smirked at Sakura.

“Oh really? What a terrible husband I have.” Sakura surmised, now weaving her arms into her husband’s.

“Horrendous.” Sasuke teased.

“Oh Sasuke.” Sakura burst out giggling. 

She’s laughing. Good. 

To Sasuke, Sakura’s laughter felt like hundreds of cherry blossoms blooming in profusion around him, wrapping sweet fragrance around him. The pure delight and hearth he found in her happiness felt as though a lively spring sunshine was melting the glaciers that held him for so long.

 Vampires of the Uchiha were not supposed to love, they couldn’t. Yet here he was finally feeling, finally enjoying as he floated in the high of Sakura’s light. Maybe he was still paranoid after what happened with the Akatsuki. Maybe everything was okay. Sakura seemed fine. Maybe it was just me?

“Want a late lunch, Sasuke?” Sakura asked interrupting him. She was ready to sponsor with her winnings. “Anything you want!” 

“I had two blood bags before we left but if you want anything?” Sasuke snapped back, giving her all of his attention.

“Nope. I have everything I need right here” Sakura’s caress tightened as she said it while looking into Sasuke’s eyes.

Sakura still holding him, moments later continued. “I would like to see The Shukaku Sand Sanctuary though. It’s supposed to be the greatest sand garden on the planet!” The witch was now holding out a flyer she unfolded from her purse towards Sasuke. “I saw this flyer for the garden. I think Ino dropped this.”

“Ah...Okay then let’s go.”

Following a few unsuccessful taxi hails and Sasuke nearly resorting to compulsion, the duo finally found a driver in the form of a burly, almond-haired man, seemingly in his twenties as well. Sasuke’s only qualm, the driver ate as he drove and couldn’t shut up. How is Sakura so perky with these people all the damn time?!

Following half an hour of Choji- of course Sakura found out his name- yapping incessantly and having Sasuke seriously considering eating him, the couple arrived at The Shukaku Sand Sanctuary. 

The Shukaku sand garden was more awe inspiring than Sakura had ever imagined. Upon their arrival Sakura, and even the usually stoic Sasuke, paused to fully appreciate the image that took shape before them. 

Framing the acre wide estate were textured, beige bricks approximately seven feet high crowned with abstruse, ink-black wrought iron, further bolstering the height of the barricade. At the center, directly in front of the couple, lay the entrance: a wide double entrance gateway bent into the shape of a semi circle as if bursting, soaring beyond the surrounding iron fencing. Unique to this gateway, Sasuke noticed, were depictions in black iron of three orbs- moons he surmised- placed vertically from the top to the bottom of each of the two iron gates. Accompanying the moons were also intricate designs of wild vines, bloomed blossoms of cherry and plum along with an elegantly bent cursive ‘S’ split between the top of each of the two gates. ‘S’ no doubt for Shukaku, Sakura concluded, the guardian of ‘The Sand’ according to legend. 

The complexity of the exterior was only surpassed by the tranquility and simple beauty of the interior. As they crossed the threshold Sasuke and Sakura were met by a vast open space permeated by a smooth, resplendent lake of sand. The splendor of the sand was further enhanced by Suna’s fevered desert sun causing the sand to shimmer stars of silver, gold and yellow. Countless carefully carved ash-gray rocks stippled the landscape along with small shrubs and alabaster concrete benches. 

Perhaps most prominent among the lake of sand, were silvery rock carvings of figures too far to identify, even with Sasuke’s enhanced vision, which he assumed matched the two massive statues of noblemen at the sides of the entrance where the were. The boundary, leaning against the interior of the brick wall and hugging the garden took the form of a thin waterway snaking around the parameter. Sasuke could have sworn that he saw a quaint Japanese styled temple at the edge of the garden directly at their anterior, at the edge of the compound. 

“Since when are rock and sand gardens this large though?” Sakura inquired, still examining the compound. “Aren’t they supposed to be tiny and simple?”

“Just like everything else in Suna it seems it’s flashier than the gardens of the East.” Sasuke added on, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was askew. That piercing chill he’d come to trust was gnawing at him. 

“It really seems off. Not the design, which seems to incorporate standard Western park features but something else.” Sakura’s sharp mind was already engaged. “It almost feels like we’re intruding in someone’s personal space, there’s no spiritual power her but this is a sand garden!... and where are the other visitors?”

“There are none, Sakura...”

“What? Sasuke...”

Before Sakura could finish, her words were drowned out. The mystery was solved.

“What the...?!” Sakura exclaimed as she turned and crossed her arms before her face, meeting the strength of the gale with her own body.  As Sakura spoke a raging storm of wind exploded into the couple from behind them, attempting to hurl them across the compound. 

Not this time! 

As the wind met their frames Sakura, prepared unlike her time with the Akatsuki, met the force head on with magic steeling her body and fixing her in place. Shannaro!  When she fought the Akatsuki the past Sakura had been tossed around like a rag doll and one thing was for certain. She was never allowing herself to be treated like that again. 

Sasuke, his aura cloaking him in an aurora of black tinged with ice blue spirals, weathered the assault. Sasuke could feel the power and precision behind the gust of wind. As a fellow user of this power and a vampire with enhanced senses Sasuke knew exactly where this came from, or rather who was eyeing them right now. Instead of being hurled meters away, both Sasuke and Sakura were merely nudged as they turned meeting the windstorm.

 “Sakura, you’re not hurt are you?” He finally said as the winds died. 

“No I’m fine.” 

“Fine? I guess I didn’t do my job properly then,” a woman’s voice hissed as two figures materialized in front of the iron gates. “I’ll be sure to remedy this soon though.”  In front of Sasuke and Sakura new enemies emerged from a whirlwind of golden sand. 

“Gaara! Temari!” Sasuke shouted, anger and hazard simultaneously lacing each word as he clenched his fists. Birthed from a cocoon of sand were two figures, vampires, Sakura concluded from Sasuke’s outburst. A man and a woman.

 The woman, Temari, Sakura guessed gazed at them with intense, teal eyes as she spoke. Her sandy blond hair was styled into four consecutive pig tails and she wore a jet black short sleeved kimono that reached her legs with slits at the sides showing off her toned legs. Her kimono was held by a lengthy scarlet sash tied tightly while she played with a Japanese war fan through her black finger less gloves. Regardless, what disturbed Sakura most of all was the calculative and icy expression she wore. This woman would kill them both without question and judging from the level of miasma she exuded, she was powerful enough to do it

“Gaara... you...” Sasuke started as he stared at the man before him. 

Gaara, a vampire noble like Sasuke now radiated more darkness, more hate than Sasuke had remembered. Sasuke had always sensed his ferocity even as a child but now, as the auburn haired vampire prince stood before him, even Sasuke Uchiha felt the sting of unease, a frosty wind against him.

 As all nobles, Gaara exuded an air of kingship and authority which pierced forth from his teal eyes, eyes held by deep rings of black that contrasted the pallor of his stoic features. Despite his unruly, spiked hair, as Suna’s clan head he wore his clan’s traditional long-sleeved crimson coat paired with full-length charcoal trousers. Two belts covered his coat along with a single strap fixing the clan’s traditional grey vest in place. Temari was cunning and ruthless however for Sasuke, Gaara, her brother was the real threat to him and to Sakura. Before Sasuke could complete his utterance, the man began.

“I was not supposed to be here?” His voice was calm, lacking any emotion. From his tone neither anger nor excitement could be felt. “The vampires you probed thought I wasn’t.... Next time you should compel people higher up on the chain of command, Sasuke.”

A bitter chill ran up Sasuke’s spine as Gaara spoke. 

A trap?! No! We were careful! 

But I should have known. 

The three moons, Temari’s fan! 

S... Sand Siblings! 

Sakura... 

Yes, Sakura. Despite his shock Sasuke had to compose himself. Sakura needed him. He would not lose anyone precious to him. As her husband, as her love Sasuke had to be resolute, he had to steel himself and eliminate whatever, whoever threatened his family. As Sasuke drew closer to her, Sakura heard his voice.

“Sakura. Let’s fight!” 

“Uh-hum!”

“Temari attack!”

“Yes Gaara!”

No sooner had the words had parted with Sakura’s lips than the vampires’ assault began. In the face of her prey, with her psionic power bursting in the form of a deep teal aura and her war fan branching out as it waved, Temari summoned forth a violent gale that kicked up sand in its wake, easily outclassing her prior storm. It was as if the wind was her puppet, dancing to her will.

Adding to the chaos, while Temari’s storm raged, Gaara too began to move. With his right arm extended Gaara, now outlined in an aura of gold tainted with stygian strands of power, let lose a storm of his own. Springing from beneath him, as if forced out by his matching aura, was the very sand at his feet. Tendrils of gleaming sand and dust wrapped around the vampire before amassing into a massive drill- like cyclone and hurling into Sasuke and Sakura. Mid-way on their path Sasuke could see just how Temari’s whirlwind met with Gaara’s sandstorm, bolstering it and thus birthing a sandstorm of even greater power and speed. Convergence?!

“Sakura!”

“On it!”

Moments before the cyclone would crash into them, Sakura made her move, her bindi now alight with violet energy. With her right arm outstretched and her left caressing the black tourmaline crystals on her choker, Sakura invoked the armament of her white magic. Similar to her battle against Pein, Sakura resorted to turning to the black tourmaline crystal, a crystal of protection, for power. Contrasting against the onyx of her choker and the deep scarlet of her nails, wisps of pristine, white mist bloomed from her choker and simultaneously from her outstretched palm.

“Protect!”

As if heeding her command the bone- white smoke covering her palm shot forward and took the form of a massive screen of solid mist and smoke, seconds before the vampires’ sandstorm crashed. Instead of skewering Sakura and her husband, the dust storm exploded onto the solid white barrier causing thunderous booming and blinding light to be spilled throughout the garden. When the eruption died only Sakura’s shield remained, weakening but still holding. Oddly enough this was much to the amusement of her attackers. 

“Sasuke I got your back! Go!”

“Hmm.”

Still sheltered behind the barrier it was Sasuke’s turn to act. Before giving his enemies a chance to strike once more the vampire prince summoned forth his own vampiric power as his eyes blazed scarlet and his fangs extended, ready for prey. Revolutions of inky black power, tinged with glacial blue locks of energy now engulfed Sasuke, surrounding him. Instantly, as summoned, his aura then extended, sending whips of black power directly at Gaara and Temari. 

“Pathetic,” Temari sighed, readying one more swing of her war fan. 

“Indeed.” Gaara agreed as his arm was once more at his front.

“What?!” 

Before Sasuke’s power smashed, the duo was caught off guard. Stars of blazing fuchsia energy in the form of spheres instantly bullet-ed out from behind the barrier and exploded into the siblings, outpacing Sasuke’s tendrils and their attacks. 

Did he slow down his attack on purpose?! Even Gaara was alarmed.

Gaara and Temari were sent flying. Yet they were still in jeopardy as mid air Sasuke’s attack weaved through the air as if waiting for the explosion and finally caught up to them. Once more the stillness of the desert air was ripped apart by the thunderous crashing of their powers when Sasuke’s psionic attack connected, forming a brilliant explosion of murky, flame-like energy where the siblings landed near the gate. The siblings were beaten. Or were they.

Sakura and Sasuke looked on and what they saw alarmed them. Sasuke’s black flame-like power was parting along with the clouds of smoke and sand that hid the siblings. From the center a new image took form; a sphere of air tight aureate sand, no doubt enclosing the vampires and shielding them from Sasuke’s psychic onslaught. 

“How can they do that?” Sakura failed to grasp how these vampires’ powers functioned and as she readied herself for another attack she continued. “That’s not how your powers work. That’s not how Pein’s worked.”

“The Sand Siblings have totally mastered the telekinesis aspect of our power, Sakura.” Sasuke related, uncharacteristic worry now bursting from his words.

   “Even I can’t replicate it. Gaara controls each grain of sand with his power, compelling it and Temari... she pushes and pulls the wind itself with her mind. That ridiculous fan is really for concentration. They don’t use raw psionic energy as much... and Sakura...each of them is stronger than Pein.”

“ Sasuke...” Sakura once more was at his side, a reassuring smile now displayed on her face. “So are we.” 

“Yeah...” How could Sasuke be so blind? Sakura was right. They were stronger than Pein and together, Sakura and him could beat anybody. Such was their strength and the power of their feelings for one another. But despite his profound faith in their power together, an innermost fear still clung to Sasuke’s heart. What if they weren’t? What if Sakura died today? 

“Sasuke. I told you. We are stronger and we will win!” Sasuke never could conceal anything from Sakura and now that she was his wife he was ardently sure that this was just the beginning of it.   

Certainly, Sakura was right. In the months since Pein and the Akatsuki’s assault and the couple barely snatching their victory, both Sasuke and Sakura had no choice but to train. Sakura, hating how helpless she was at one point in the fight, studied arduously to master new spells and perfect her old ones. The young witch even created a new style of magic: imbuing magic into her limbs and body for strength and aegis, a power she used to weather Temari’s initial windstorm moments before. 

 Sasuke, the proud vampire prince, despised the fact that he couldn’t protect Sakura properly. He was weak and he knew it. Never again, he resolved and from this regret a passion was born. In the months since their escape Sasuke honed his vampiric power daily. Telekinesis, telepathy, psionic power manipulation, he pushed them all, beyond their limits. Sasuke was leagues beyond his former self, the pathetic vampire prince who nearly lost to Pein, and despite Gaara and Temari’s new power, he was not going to lose. 

“Hmm. You’re right....thank you for reminding me.” Sasuke agreed moments later, once more recollecting the path taken since leaving Leaf City. “...and you’re also the strongest one here right now since just as myself, those two are without moonlight and darkness....But Sakura...”

“Yes?”

“We have to beat them before the third sibling arrives.”

Upon hearing Sasuke’s words, Sakura’s confidence temporarily dimmed a bit. A third?! We need to end this quick! “Sasuke. The link!” the white witch exclaimed as she gathered her energy while Gaara and Temari were freed from their cocoon. “Ah.” Was Sasuke’s only response. He had to control his aura for what came next. 

Once freed from their cocoon of sand the siblings wasted no time in their retaliation. As the orb of sand broke open Gaara, his eyes now lit with power; an unstable golden aura cloaking him let out his attack. With both arms outstretched he ordered tonnes of sand before him to take shape. 

“Sand Serpents!”

Bending, snaking as it erupted, several massive tentacles of sparkling sand burst forth from the ground and launched straight at the couple. 

Temari was no different. With her aura of bright teal crackling around her, her eyes lit and fangs outstretched she violently waved her fan, constantly and without rest. Birthed from her motion, Sasuke could sense, were countless slashes; blades of wind like pure white crescent moons launching towards the couple in a wild bombardment. 

“Lunar beheading dance!” she hollered as her attack was sent. 

In the past the white witch would have been overwhelmed but not now. Sakura, though impressed by her attackers’ skill, would not be outdone. Such was her courage, her determination. Simultaneously, as the siblings launched their attacks, Sakura too readied her counter knowing fully well that Sasuke needed no consultation. 

In the face of their powers Sakura once more called upon her white magic: weaving her signature hand seal, her left thumb on top and her hands clasped together vertically. With this her bindi shone a star of dazzling amethyst while a pristine wind twisted around her. A new spell, a potent enchantment had now been invoked. 

“Shikkotsu Deep Forest Emergence!” Sakura cried causing a rippled of white light to leave her body and imbue itself into the sand before her. Gaara’s tendrils could not reach her, for seconds later his sand was met with the tremendous force of her own weapon. As commanded by the Shikkotsu witch dozens of thick cherry blossom trees bloomed into existence to meet Gaara’s sand head on. The gold of Gaara’s sand was punctuated by the earthen brown and roseate of Sakura’s cherry blossom trees as tendrils of sand were smashed by the lashing of sakura trees and vice versa in a battle for dominance for the field. 

Shannaro! If only I could stab him in the heart with a branch! 

Sasuke, without paying heed to Sakura’s fight, invoked his power against Temari’s scythe-like wind attack. By the time the vampiress whipped the wind Sasuke, his aura manifesting its characteristic twister of pitch black with streaks of blue, ascended his vampiric power to its zenith. Springing from his whirlpool of psychic power, while his eyes flared scarlet, were veins of onyx, no different from Gaara’s sand tendrils and Sakura’s winding trees. Alas, Sasuke’s ability contrasted those powers significantly. Sasuke’s lines of black energy arrowed towards Temari but as opposed to meeting her blades of wind head on they twisted about the field haphazardly, totally evading her assault leading to Temari’s blades all cutting into Sasuke’s cloak of energy.

The fool missed me! He’s mine! Temari’s victory was ensured. Or so she was led to believe.

While Sasuke’s shield of energy was being whittled away the young Uchiha kept his focus, his focus on Temari.  By the time the vampire realized what took place it was too late. Sasuke, his aura now weakened significantly, willed the whips of black power, redirecting them to return to Temari’s side with each tendril drilling into her temples as she flew back, crashing into the wrought iron fencing at the front. The vampiress had no time to react as Sasuke’s attack took place in the blink of an eye. Such was his skill.

“Gaaah!” Temari was now shrieking while she wretched on the ground clasping her temples. Sasuke had cornered her and with Gaara kept at bay by Sakura’s attacks, Sasuke was sure of his victory. 

Go to sleep Temari. I command you!

Sasuke’s message was burning through her mind, dimming her aura in the process. Sasuke knew that it was only a matter of seconds before he would have her out cold. Even a vampire of Temari’s power, power that currently could rival Sasuke himself, would be out long enough for Sasuke to end it. 

Go to sleep!

Seconds passed by before it happened. Temari fell to the ground, limp and unconscious. As this happened a mischievous smirk appeared across Sasuke face, a stark contrast to his smirks with his wife. Such was his nature as a warrior, as a hunter and as an Uchiha. 

“Shit Temari!” Gaara, still in his conflict with Sakura, finally showed some emotion. He was irritated. In the seconds he focused on Sakura Temari had lost against Sasuke. He had to end this quickly. He knew it. But how? 

“You’re not going anywhere!” Sakura shouted. “Shannaro!” With that Gaara’s fate was all but sealed. Gradually, Gaara had noticed that Sakura’s trees were overpowering his tendrils of sand and now he was sure of it. Sakura was stronger. As he struggled to keep Sakura’s wild forest at bay, Gaara was dealt another shock. While ribbon-ing through the air Sakura’s branches had not only kept him back but had picked up a passenger. Sasuke. 

“How are they doing this? Ridiculous! I sense no telepathic communication.” Even Gaara, the all powerful vampire prince, was dismayed upon witnessing the couple’s combined efforts. “How does he know where the branches are? Can he see such fast moving objects? No! Impossible!”

In her final move, Gaara realised, Sakura let loose all of her rage and inhibitions as she commanded her forest to branch out, where Sasuke his frame cloaked in vampiric power and his claws outstretched, jumped on. From Sakura’s flailing trees Sasuke kicked off, he was launched off by Sakura and was now speeding, soaring through the sky like an eagle waiting for prey. His awesome vampire speed was bolstered by the force of Sakura’s throw.

 It was beyond Gaara’s reaction time, especially now. While launching Sasuke, Sakura with her bindi’s light growing let loose a Hydra of fully bloomed Sakura trees with new trees springing from the ground simultaneously. In the face of such an onslaught Gaara’s sand pillars were smashed and before they could be reformed, so was he.

 While failing to keep Sakura’s trees at bay Gaara could not properly avoid Sasuke’s plunge. Sasuke, his arms black as night, wrapped in vampiric power as his claws branched out, had finally succeeded in his attack. When Sakura’s trees removed all pillars of sand from the vicinity Sasuke pierced Gaara’s chest, barely missing his heart. 

Several branches crashed into Gaara’s gut and sent him hurling into the entrance gate before Sasuke jumped back meeting Sakura. “Shannaro!” Sakura yelled once more as she ended the fight with the remainder of her sacred forest flourishing and ramming into Gaara and even Temari. Sakura trees were now pinning the duo to the wrought iron at the front. 

We did it, Sasuke! The link worked!

Sakura, yeah we won.

They didn’t think we could communicate without words or psychic messaging but ... Oh Sasuke! We won! You’re safe!

Hmm. Sakura so are you.

Even in the midst of battle or rather due to the risk of said battle, Sakura and Sasuke couldn’t resist the yearning and appreciation that characterised their relationship. Knowing that they could have lost one another, knowing that they were safe and this fear would not be realized Sakura felt as if a stinging fire was doused and cooled within her. Sasuke, grateful that his bride was safe could only bask in their victory and joy. 

Their plan was successful. Gaara was right. There was no telepathic communication during the battle...or at least any that he could detect. Months since their battle with Pein and Sasuke drinking from Sakura, the pair realized that something had changed with them; between them. The bond that was forged as they shared their minds, their very souls on that night had lingered and now the couple could tap into this link whenever and wherever with no exertion of magic or compulsion. Naturally, this livened their already passionate episodes at home, though, there was another use for this bond. 

The couple could now phase into one another’s mind if need be and communicate without fear of detection. Sasuke likened it to speaking on a different frequency that was moot to the ears of others, even other psychic users. This was their trump card and it worked brilliantly. 

Sakura now looked on as Sasuke rushed Temari and Gaara both pinned to the barricade, while gripping a wooden stake no doubt supplied by Sakura. It was time to stake them or forever be on the run from these two as well.  

“I couldn’t stake you during the fight but now that you’re trapped...” Sasuke was inches away, racing towards his victory. 

“I can’t believe Leaf vampires and witches are putting Suna to shame like this.... Dance of One Hundred Puppets!” 

Following this command echoes of what seemed like gunshots thundered leaving Sasuke lying injured on the ground. He was mere feet away from Gaara. He was bleeding, Sakura could see it from where she stood. Not only that but his attacker, the voice they had heard in the last minute could now be seen as well, crossing the threshold of the gates. 

“Ino?!”

What is going on? Ino? Is she a vampire too? No. As Sakura looked on in horror at her husband bleeding on the ground it all became clear to the witch. Who?

Sasuke, wretched on the ground, gripping his gut while he extracted the bullets that pierced him. He was shot by the young girl. That girl? “Kankuro!” Sasuke was coughing now, glaring at Ino and her companion. “You will pay for that.”

In the background standing behind the young girl, his right arm wrapped over Ino’s shoulder was a young man. Kankuro of The Sand Siblings. Beyond him several people, humans, could be seen at the entrance of the gates as if awaiting their signal to move. Each person, Sasuke saw, held weapons of their own: pistols.

Kankuro was the strangest of the siblings, Sakura thought. He wore a long top and trousers, black, inky- black in colour slashed by the deep crimson of the sash that held his waist. Perhaps what seemed the strangest was his face. Kankuro wore a hood that matched his ensemble with protruding cat-like ears atop while lines of rich mauve raced across his exposed features in a pattern unknown to the witch.  Sakura likened his appearance to that of traditional bunraku puppeteers from their ancestral land as she examined him, the vampire who just like his siblings radiated nothing by power and blood lust. 

 “Good job, Ino. Hmm... now how about you just stand there and look pretty? I’ll take it from here,” Kankuro gently instructed as he gripped Ino’s left arm, gently caressing it as she held her sterling silver pistol.

 Kankuro was in control of the situation and this was a fact Sasuke had to accept. Sakura, repulsed by what she was seeing- this man controlling this girl- was already thinking of her next move. As Kankuro strolled towards his siblings, Sakura pounced. 

Imbuing her legs with magic, the same technique she had used to endure Temari’s storm before, Sakura raced off with augmented speed the likes of Sasuke’s. Swiftly and expertly the white witch met her husband, swinging her heel at Kankuro as she did so.

While reaching for Sasuke, Sakura’s high heeled gladiator on her right leg shot out, revealing itself to be a elongated, spear- like stake, and bulleted forcefully at the vampire. For a split second Kakuro seemed taken by surprise before regaining his composure. “Pathetic.” 

Sakura and Sasuke both looked on in horror as Kankuro avoided her stake. Naturally as a pure blooded vampire he could have managed a psychic shield or stealthy evasion, Sakura thought, but what Kankuro chose to do was both abhorrent and unnecessary. At the twitch of his fingers Kankuro created a shield for himself, a human shield. 

Dashing in front of the vampire before Sakura’s attacked fired, as if Kankuro foresaw her retaliation, were Kankuro’s puppets and before Sakura’s attack could meet its target, her stake buried itself into the chest of a young man. He looked no older than fifteen, Sakura concluded. He died on the spot. 

“Monster!” Sakura’s emotions were out of control. “What is human life to you anyway? Does it mean nothing?!”

 Kankuro simply laughed while he continued his stroll towards his siblings. “Nope.” Before Sakura, Sasuke now in her arms could pull of her retreat, bullets rained down upon them.

“Aaaah!”

Sakura’s screams lit the sand garden ablaze as countless silver bullets met her back while she shielded Sasuke.. Tightly, strongly she gripped his back, her husband’s face buried in her chest as she sought to endure it all. “Sasuke...” In the face of the assault Sakura’s love and protection covered Sasuke. After all this was the love of her life. He was her husband. Sakura was willing to take on any pain and sacrifice her very life for him. 

 Ice ran down Sasuke’s spine as he, still recovering from the bullets embedded within him, looked on in terror while Sakura shielded him with her very body.  “Sakura no! Sakura stop it!”

 Alas, his words held no power. Sakura was sacrificing herself for him. Sakura! No! Immeasurable fear washed over Sasuke, completely shaking him. Sakura will die if she keeps this up. His wife was in danger and he couldn’t do anything to save her. Panic seized his heart as he struggled, Sasuke couldn’t communicate with Sakura mentally anymore. The link was weakening. Sakura was too weak, too shaken to respond to him. 

Sasuke didn’t care about dying. Sakura had to be saved. As he looked up at Sakura, her expression marred with pain and her body flailing against the tremor of the bullets, Sasuke gritted his teeth while trying to shake free of the effects of his injuries. 

These bullets must be coated with Jichinsai, Holy Sake! Shit!

Desperately he forced, as if attempting to will his vampire regeneration into overdrive, to pull the noxious bullets out. Gradually he gathered the scraps of power he could manifest in this state as Sakura still clung to him.  Then with all his attention needled into his move, Sasuke called upon his compulsion one last time. 

Kankuro paid no attention to the couple when it happened. While attempting to free his siblings in the midst of Ino and the others’ assault the vampire was blind to the glint of power Sasuke summoned. 

“Sakura!” Sasuke’s voice boomed as he grabbed his wife and spun her around, his arms now sheltering her. Sasuke and Sakura were now cloaked in a thin veil of onyx and azure streaks of psychic power, remnants of Sasuke’s last ditch invocation. Guarding them from each bullet that pinged against it,the curtain of power doubled as a weapon. 

When each bullet met the veil, Sasuke claimed them just as he had, Sakura surmised, extracted the bullets from within his body and held them with his compulsion mid-air. Now with the forceful wave of his free, left arm Sasuke sent the bullets dancing across the field and into his opponents. 

Of the dozen people that faced them, Sasuke was able to take out nine, of course aiming for their legs to avoid fatality. The holy sake would nullify Kankuro’s hold on them, Sasuke deduced, as he studied the scene before him. Ino and two others, probably at Kankuro’s willing, were however able to avoid injury. 

“Sa...Sasuke... I’m fine,” Sakura coughed, still shaky from her episode. “I managed an armament enchantment with the little magic I mustered at that time.” Despite her assurance, Sakura could feel her husband’s tight grip remain. He wouldn’t let go. 

“Sasuke I’m fine, really. But I couldn’t stop him. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay Sakura,” Sasuke gently whispered as his wounds still regenerated. “But maybe we still can stop him.” 

“Yes!” 

“No.” Kankuro announced, now in front of his siblings still pinned. Kankuro now revealed his power. As Sasuke and Sakura stood now facing their enemy Kankuro invoking his psionic power was now wrapped in his own aura of deep purple. “Dance of One Hundred Puppets!” 

As the vampire called out his power Sakura couldn’t fathom what was happening. Silvery grey statues, the height of the wrought iron barricades, were enlivened; moving towards Kankuro only to stand at his sides thereafter. 

“Shit!” Sakura could hear the panic that dripped from her husband’s voice. 

“Kankuro ‘The Puppet Master’. This is his power. He can control any person with his compulsion and any ‘puppet’ with his telekinesis.” Sasuke was now peering at the two giants before him, statues of former clan leaders no doubt that were now protecting Kankuro. 

“What are these siblings?!” 

“He’s just as strong as Temari, Sakura... Be careful.” 

Moments later, a new conflict ensued. While one statue freed Temari and Gaara from the branches that held them, despite Kankuro’s attempts with vampiric strength, the other charged at Sasuke and Sakura with astonishingly great speed and force. There was no time to cast any spells or invoke substantial power, the couple each concluded. This was a close ranged brawl. 

As the statue swept it’s massive arms across the field Sakura and Sasuke with their vampiric reflexes and bolstered strength, respectively, leaped and evaded the behemoth. “Shannaro!” Sakura screamed as she jumped and transitioned gracefully from evasion to her attack. Gathering, weaving and controlling her magical energy the witch, who had been training with her husband for months in the art of hand to hand combat, went in. As Sakura descended her heal swung downward as if a meteor of white magical energy was impacting the garden, crashing into the statue’s head and felling it. 

“Hmm!” Sakura’s work was done and now Sasuke took control of the battle. Their blood bond was once more activated and Sasuke knew exactly what to do. As the statue fell Sasuke, all of his body’s monstrous vampiric strength concentrated into his right fist, sunk his fist into the statue hurling it forcefully into the wrought iron where it crashed onto the road beyond the garden. With the bullets gone and Kankuro focused on his siblings Sasuke was able to finally regain his strength before facing the statue. 

Alas, their victory was short lived as Kankuro was unaffected by this development. While the statue lay ruined outside Sasuke and Sakura struggled to comprehend what they were witnessing. There, Gaara and Temari sat as Kankuro looked on. They were feeding. 

“Kankuro!” Raged exploded from Sasuke’s holler at this point. Once more they were tricked, distracted and outmatched. Already exhausted from their fight the couple engaged that statue and now this? 

“No....” The pain of seeing the lifeless corpses in the vampires’ arms was too much for the young witch to bear. Sakura now gritted her teeth through her disdain and anguish. “That bastard. Did... did he bring those brainwashed people here with Ino as food?”

“Indeed he did.” Kankuro chuckled as he waved his arms, showing off his handy work. “I am the puppet master and these are my puppets...” he was now pointing at the two limp bodies that were lying next to Gaara and Temari, the siblings still savoring the elixir that was fresh blood warm from the vein.

 “Don’t worry. This cutie is mine.” The vampire shifted his attention to Ino who stood mesmerized before him. “I had to use a lot of power to gather these guys and save your asses, Temari, Gaara. I want to feed too.”

“Let her go you bastard!” Sakura was enraged and now her voice boomed with passion and panic intertwined. “Ino!” Sakura had only just met the girl and had barely spoken two words to her but she could let her die here, not like this. Sakura felt it was her duty to protect this girl especially since she couldn’t save those people on the ground from these vampires. 

“Sakura...” There was nothing Sasuke could say. Sasuke knew how his wife felt even without their bond. Compassion and love, appreciation for life and its fragility, this was who Sakura was. No one treasured life like Sakura, that’s the kind and sweet girl she was. Nevertheless, Sasuke also knew what had to be done.

“Tch. Do whatever you want, fool.” Gaara had risen and so had Temari. Brushing off their robes the duo joined their brother as the three siblings readied themselves to finally do away with the pests that stood before them. 

Sakura!

Yes! 

Once more Gaara and Temari flared their auras of vampiric power setting the sand beneath them on fire with sparkles of white and gold. There powers were restored and it was as if they had never fought Sasuke and Sakura. Bathed in their signature auras of teal and bright amber, with Temari’s fan swung and Gaara’s arm outstretched,the siblings called forth another sandstorm in their convergence. 

“Power of nature

Purity of the Shikkotsu

I beseech thee

Protect!”

As was the case in their struggle against the Akatsuki, Sasuke and Sakura were forced to resort to their ace. Snatching her choker and sinking it into the soft sand beneath her, Sakura recited her enchantment and invoked her ultimate defensive spell. Through combining her white magic with the power of her black tourmaline crystals, Sakura Uchiha, once more summoned her maelstrom of ivory mist which set itself in the form of a protective dome. 

Sasuke had to feed on her to multiply his vampiric power beyond that of his three enemies and he had to do so immediately. The proud Uchiha hated himself for having to resort to such a method, relying on his wife’s blood as opposed to his own skill and power but Sakura’s and his life depended on it. Resolved to finish this quickly, Sasuke gently held Sakura in his arms as she bore her neck out for him like she had done on that night. Carefully he rested his lips upon her smooth neck, kissing her rich blue veins as his outstretched fangs penetrated her. 

Sakura quivered, her arms now wrapped around her husband as the same sweet bliss she had experienced that night, and several nights later on when the shared blood, burst within her. 

“S...Sasukeeeh...”

Despite the circumstances and Sakura’s wounded pride for needing such a trick for their victory regardless all of their training, the potency of their bond and the sharing that was beginning, completely engulfed her. Sakura hated to admit it but part of her relished that it had come to this and her veins ached for Sasuke to breach them and drink from them as he was now doing. Sakura could sense Sasuke smiling as he realised this through their bond.

Sasuke...

Sakura...

This was it. There was no power Gaara, Temari and Kankuro could summon to combat Sasuke’s own when doped with Sakura’s blood as a white witch of the Shikkotsu. Sasuke, in that form, radiated a beacon of vampiric energy fueled by Sakura’s blood, her warmth, her love that could fell an enemy. He would be as strong as ten Sand Siblings or greater and this was the key to certain victory. Only a few moments and Sasuke and Sakura’s bond would guarantee their victory over the vampires that meant to kill them. 

Victory was so close and as the vibrant feelings of love, excitement and hearth that were aspects of their blood sharing thrummed within their minds. Sasuke and Sakura both could feel a flood of cool, relief and security immersing them.  

Sasuke! Yes! 

Sakura! Almost! 

“Aaaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Sheltered within their dome of pure mist Sasuke and Sakura had nonetheless failed.  

The last thing Sasuke could recall was him starting to drink from Sakura and the deluge of emotions and light that overcame him as their bond was activated before being attacked. Now, with him and his wife scattered haphazardly across the field torn apart from one another, details of what occurred rushed to him. As Sasuke began drinking pulled tightly by Sakura who was wrapping her arms around him, an explosion power erupted beneath them, an explosion of sand. 

Shit! Realization dawned on the vampire prince. Gaara managed to attack them from underground, within Sakura’s barrier. They didn’t think about that possibility. Sasuke didn’t think of it. How could he be so careless. How could he fail so terribly. He couldn’t protect Sakura. Sakura?! 

Sasuke was now frantically searching for Sakura and after a few seconds was calmed. A few meters to his right lay Sakura. Her eyes closed as she groaned, caressing her forehead while propping herself up. “Sakura you’re okay aren’t you? I’m not feeling any serious pain from you so...”

“Yes Sasuke. I am fine,” Her palm still placed upon her forehead, the witch responded. 

“ Those bastards! He set his power into the sand before my barrier was activated so, like you, it remained despite the barrier barring vampiric energy from the... aaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Fiercely as Sakura and Sasuke composed themselves, another attack struck. Tentacles of resplendent sand as thick and oaks wove around the couple and raised them both several feet in the air. Kicking and flailing, husband and wife could do nothing. 

“You two aren’t bright very bright are you?” Temari was gloating, her smile hidden behind her fan. “We know how you beat Pein. We’re not stupid... well two of use aren’t...” Her eyes now shot at Kankuro. 

“Temari...” Kankuro irritably responded as he prepared to feed on Ino, the young woman wrapped in his arms.

“Silence!” Gaara boomed, letting everyone, Sasuke and Sakura included, know who was in charge here. His right arm was once more outstretched, willing his tendrils to seal his victims’ movements. On his proclamation, his siblings quieted. 

While Sasuke and Sakura were squeezed, Gaara with a clenching fist began his tirade. “You Uchiha can never leave other clans alone. After I kill you I will take great pleasure in handing you over to that tyrannical geezer, Madara!” 

Sasuke, pressured by his grip, could sense a tinge of resentment in the stoic clan head’s voice. Of course the Uchiha were the strongest vampire clan and as such and with Madara in charge, they would coax and sometimes intimidate even other powerful noble clans. The Sand was one such clan. 

“Hmm” Sasuke smirked with closed eyes. “Careful Gaara, wouldn’t want that statement to go back to Madara, now would you?”

“You dare, Sasuke?!” Even Gaara’s usual expressionless face slightly reddened with outrage and his fist clenched further. 

“Gaah!” Sasuke’s cries were peppering the still desert air while the pillar of sand compressed against his rib cage. 

“Bastards! Leave him alone!” Sakura’s fury at this point knew no limit. Radiant stars of fuchsia now blossomed around her, surely birthed from her rage. “Aaaaaaah!”

“I said silence!” Gaara’s voice again drowned everyone and everything out, sand tightening around Sakura’s chest and stomach. Her stars of power now dissipated. If not for her channeling magic into her frame, she’d have been killed for sure. 

“Sakura Petal Storm was it?” Temari commented, ignoring her younger brother’s order. “You actually managed to force it out for a moment... sort of... I told you, we know all about your fight with Pein.”

“Sakura!” Sasuke coughed out still trapped and helpless. 

“Time to die.” Gaara’s stoic voice interrupted once more. 

“No Kankuro!”

Temari was screaming and Gaara halted his final strike as a result. What they witnessed left the siblings stunned. In that moment Sasuke and Sakura, dangling, were of no importance. Only Kankuro caught their attention and the attention of Sasuke and Sakura as well. Only Kankuro and Ino.

Standing before Kankuro was Ino, or at least Sakura thought it was Ino. The blonde woman, seemingly before Kankuro could sink his fangs into her neck, held Kankuro’s own neck in her arm. Kankuro, a pure blooded vampire prince, was trapped, gagging and coughing in her grip. Sakura could see the vampire’s legs swinging as he dangled off the ground. Ino was lifting him. How? 

What the hell is that? Even Sasuke was at a loss. That blonde girl, Ino was handling a vampire prince as if he were a rag doll. Also her aura. What is that aura? Sasuke could not identify the spectacle before him. Ino was cloaked in a dense fog of translucent, crimson aura. Springing from the shroud were red-bubbles forming all around and dissipating into the air. Nine tail like extensions of the aura danced in the wind behind her. Ino’s eyes were slit, her nails and canines branching out like a beast’s. Was she a vampire, Sasuke pondered this but that aura was neither vampiric or witch-like. She was a totally different creature altogether. 

“You bastards have some nerve hurting Sakura chan!” Ino was reprimanding Kankuro at this point, her voice changing and taking on a masculine, grating tone.

  Did this person know Sakura? Who is she? Numerous questions pooled within Sasuke. Was Sakura hiding something? 

As she finished her speech, with Gaara and Temari speeding towards her, Sakura, bewildered, looked on. Ino had flung Kankuro into the wrought iron behind them while her ghost-like tails met Gaara and Temari’s frames, matching their vampiric speeds adeptly. The two of them joined Kankuro, sinking into the pitch black iron. 

With arms outstretched Ino, it seemed, channeled the red energy from her cloak of aura and short forth a solid orb of crimson charged with black bolts at the trio. Upon contact, against the black of the iron, translucent flames of red burst forth upon them vampires, no doubt trapping them. “Tailed beast bomb!”

Sasuke and Sakura were now freed and as the columns of sand tore apart Sasuke, gripping his wife bridal style on the ground, looked on in utter disbelief as Ino’s transformed. Ino was transforming, into a man.

Wrapped in wisps of ruby coloured mist Ino’s arms thickened, her cascading blonde hair receded into concise spikes, her rich green eyes were dyed azure and her features completely altered. From a stunning young woman Ino had transformed into a man of Sasuke’s physical age. Perhaps most astonishing were his cheeks, etched with whisker-like markings. In the revolution of her aura, Ino’s clothing also changed and the young woman, if she was indeed still a woman, now wore a deep fiery- orange hoodie with cobalt laces ,plain blue jeans and blue sneakers striped white. Across his forehead rested a matching cobalt headband with a symbol, the pattern of a leaf, emblazoned upon it in black outlines.  Wary, Sasuke still resting his arm around Sakura who was now standing, held eyes of burning crimson as he readied himself for a possible attack from this stranger. 

“Sakura do you know this person?” Sasuke’s inquiry was swift, his eyes never straying from the approaching man. 

“No. Not that I can remember.” Sakura struggled to identify this man. Honestly she could not remember this person but he said her name so he had to at least know of her. 

“He’s a werewolf, probably, Sakura. That would explain his power.”

“Hmm, not quite. Judging from his aura and his appearance I’d say he’s a kitsune, a fox spirit. They use pure, wild natural energy unlike the witches.” 

“They’re real?” Even Sasuke was shocked. There were no fox spirits in the West. He was sure of it. “Hmm I never met a kitsune.”

“It’s because they don’t live in the West at all. Even in the Eastern lands they are a recluse and rare species. Mistress Tsunade knows them though I’ve met them on occasion... Maybe he...”

“Hey!” The young man was waving at them as he jogged over. “Will you guys stop talking about me like I’m not coming over?” Sakura was slightly amused by his sunny disposition and child-like personality. It was a stark contrast from Sasuke’s which was calm, focused and mature. Sasuke, however, seemed distrusting with his eyes still fixed on the man. 

“To answer your questions guys. Yes I am a kitsune and Sakura chan, Granny Tsunade sent me to check up on you. She figured you’d run to Suna.” The man was now directly in front of the couple, smiling an radiating nothing but warmth and energy. “My name is Naruto!”

“Naruto?”

 “Sakura chan we played together three centuries ago when my tribe visited the Shikkotsu Woods for the Forest Festival, remember?” 

“Oh my God! I do know you. You were that short, goofy kid who played with us that night!” Sakura couldn’t believe she forgot about him. However in her defense, annually there are tonnes of festivals and this was hundreds of years ago.

“Enough of this.” Sasuke was angry and now grabbed Naruto’s collar. “We still have to deal with them...” his scarlet eyes pointed in Sakura’s direction. “And if you are on our side then why did you shoot at us, at Sakura?! Answer me you idiot!” 

“You bastard!” Naruto fiercely exclaimed, returning Sasuke’s anger with his own while grabbing Sasuke’s shirt. The two men glared into one another’s eyes. “As if I’d ever hurt Sakura chan on purpose! That bastard compelled me! I just broke free in the last minute! And Sakura chan was protected! ”

“Hmm. As if I’d believe that!”

“I don’t care what the hell you think!”

“Guys! Stop it!” Sakura’s voice was booming at this point, quelling the conflict as the words parted with her lips. The witch was now grabbing the men, ripping their arms off of one another. 

“Please, Sasuke. Leave him alone....” Sakura pleaded and caressed her husband’s face with her hands. Sasuke’s own expression softened as his scarlet eyes met Sakura’s resonant eyes lit with worry. “You said it yourself, we have to deal with Gaara and his siblings, didn’t you?” 

“Sakura....”

“It’s okay. Let’s deal with all this later.”

“Hey guys...” Naruto interrupted. “My fox fire’s dying. Let’s stake them before it does!” 

“Tch.” Sasuke still peeved responded. “Fine.” 

“You guys...” Sakura sighed “ whatever let’s do it.”

As flickers of ruby ‘tailed beast ball power’, as Naruto called it, danced in the desert wind, the newly formed trio prepared their final attacks. Moving in close was to risky so Sasuke decided that they go for a long ranged assault. 

Sasuke, his aura of black and icy blue once more alight across his body, compressed the aura of psychic power into his palms. Sasuke had been inspired from his fight with Pein months ago and now developed a new technique. Expertly and instantly compressing the power, Sasuke Uchiha now held the full concentration of his compulsion in his arms ready to fire. “Chidori!”

In tune with her husband Sakura simultaneously called upon reserves of her remaining white magic. In the past the young white witch recalled that she would have been done for at this point but now after months of training Sakura’s stamina was such that she still had reserves of magic to spare. If only my bindi were ready though..Okay not the time.. Halting her thoughts Sakura performed her enchantment. With her left thumb on top and her hands clasped together vertically as was the usual for the witch Sakura summoned her signature roseate stars of white magical power from the pure wind of light that now twisted in revolutions around her. “Sakura Petal Storm!” 

Naruto, now joining the couple, let loose his attack as well. Quite similarly to Sasuke, his new found rival, Naruto gathered the power of his now flaring aura. Pulling from the bubbling energy of scarlet, the young kitsune was able to compress his power into a spinning sphere of energy now dyed light-blue in its revolution. With his power spinning like a top Naruto’s arm reached back and he readied his throw. “Rasengan!”

The once calm sand garden was now blazing with sparks and the thundering of the trio’s powers. Sakura’s stars of fuchsia energy exploded in the direction of the siblings paralleled with Sasuke’s lightning bolt; his laser of onyx and azure psionic power and Naruto’s comet of blueish- white which shot across the garden, leaving behind streaks white energy.

What happened following this bombardment was beyond what Naruto, Sasuke or Sakura could ever anticipate. In a flash, in the wake of their three streaks of power, the witch, the vampire and the kitsune’s attacks were blocked. 

In the last minute, as each attack neared the siblings, a savage tornado was born. Adding on to this a soaring wall of golden sand erupted behind the windstorm which was itself reinforced by the frame of Kankuro’s cracked giant, now outlined in an aurora of deep violet. The siblings were still conscious and, worst of all, still able to fight. 

Against each defense the three powers weakened before bursting through only to die against the crumbling giant that was Kankuro’s statue. In the wake of all the smoke and rubble a rotating sphere of clean golden sand could be seen hovering. Gaara further protected himself and his siblings. 

“Sasuke! What...” Sakura was overcome with fear so much so that her thoughts jammed in her mind and struggled to escape her lips. For the umpteenth time these siblings had outmaneuvered them. This was vampire royalty just like Sasuke. Three nobles. Was she in over her head? Did all the training Sasuke and her endured been for naught? So many negative thoughts washed over the witch upon witnessing the vampire’s resurrection. Sasuke... There was a very real possibility that this time Sasuke would die. They would both die here and so would Naruto. 

“Shit.” Panic entered Sasuke’s bones and a bitter cold chilled him from the inside out. He really was weak, pathetic, unworthy. Sakura is in danger and after all this he still couldn’t pull off a victory. He failed to save her. They were both low on energy and power and from the looks of the three vampires escaping Gaara’s sand they still had power left. He couldn’t let his wife feel this though and thus calmly hid his feelings from their bond, instead replacing them solely with thoughts of the plan he was currently weaving in his mind. 

“Those bastards!” Naruto blurted out, breaking the couple’s thoughts. “I thought we had them there.” Gaara, Temari and Kankuro now stood on the sand beyond them their auras blazing teal, gold and violet against the sand. “Sakura chan, Sasuke, what do we do next? We have to kick their asses!”  

Naruto, despite their predicament, still held hope and a fire within him, Sakura noticed. This kitsune was not giving up. Upon his words Sakura could feel a faint smile bloom on her face as she held Sasuke’s shoulder. Sasuke, conversely, was even more irritated by the kitsune. That idiot. 

He was right though, Sasuke thought. He also couldn’t stand to see the kitsune so determined while he himself was wallowing. Hmm. A smirk naturally streaked across his stoic face. At least the idiot helped him snap out of it. Still, Sasuke felt a bit envious that Naruto’s bright personality brightened Sakura so and even affected him too. He was not going to be outdone by some idiotic mutt. This he promised himself as he intertwined his fingers into his wife’s and readied himself for their final stand. 

“So a kitsune joined in?” Gaara broke his silence as his siblings and himself invoked their psionic powers. “If two can’t work then try three? How simple.... Temari, Kankuro go!” 

On his command the siblings let loose their attacks. Twitching his fingers meticulously Kankuro summoned a statue once more, his second, untouched statue, while his violet aura outlined the puppet now readying its punch. Temari sprayed crescents of scythe like wind once more in the trio’s direction. Finally Gaara, the strongest of the three, let loose two sharp tendrils of sand, weaved into a nebula thus completing the vampire’s team up. 

Despite Sasuke’s chidori, Naruto’s rasengan and Sakura’s petal storm once more shooting out in response, the trio failed against the siblings’ might. Meeting each attack with their own, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke could only repel them for seconds before the siblings, brimming with power and vitality from their feedings, splintered their powers away before sinking their own into the trio. 

In the wake of the great explosion birthed from the vampires’ flare of power Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were sent flying about the garden of sand. As the chaotic clouds of sand and dark power died, Gaara and his siblings stood triumphantly while Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto lay defeated, spread out helplessly in the cushion of the sand. 

Sakura are you okay?! Sasuke’s thought wave was blaring at his wife as he steadied himself, struggling to wake himself from his defeat. A few meters off Sakura, herself clenching fistfuls of golden sand as she rose, replied. Damn! Yeah I’m fine, Sasuke. We lost. 

“Naruto! What about you?!” Sakura was now vocal once more as she peered to her far right at the kitsune spread flat on his stomach. “Okay Sakura chan! I’m hurt all over though... those idiots sure got us.”  

Ease and relief warmed Sakura’s heart as she realized her husband and even Naruto were okay, for now. However what could she do? Of all the fighters here she was now the weakest. Naruto didn’t exhaust himself as much as they had, the siblings fed already and even Sasuke got at least a mouthful of her energizing Shikkotsu blood in his system. Making matters worse, their best abilities were now being outclassed by the enemies. Guilt soon replaced the spark of relief as an ice cold frost blew against her, glaciating her once passionate spirit. We’re going to die because of me. Because I can’t help them any more. Naruto... Sasuke I’m sorry. 

Sakura enough. Sakura your magic is what made us reach this far in the first place. Sakura you saved me!

Unbeknownst to Sakura, her bond was still active and Sasuke felt her emotions as she herself experienced them. He never changes, Sakura thought to herself. Always the protector. Always supporting. As much as Sasuke treated her as an equal Sakura still appreciated how serious Sasuke took his role as her lover and friend. Sasuke always ensured that she was at her best, even when she may not feel it herself. Sasuke had always seen the value in her, even when she herself failed to do so. 

Sasuke....thank you. Sakura’s confidence was reignited and Sasuke could see and feel the zeal flicker in her smirk on her face and the ‘smirk’ warming her mind.

Hmm... Sasuke closed his eyes and flashed his signature smirk for his bride. 

You come up with a plan while that idiot and I distract them. Your analytical ability is the best in this group after all!  We can’t make it the way we’re going, Sakura. 

Sasuke... yeah let’s do it!

As his thought reached Sakura, Sasuke needled his plan into Naruto’s mind. “Fine, for Sakura chan, I will work with you but I’m not going to like it!”

Moments later, covered in the remnants of The Sand Siblings’ attack, Naruto and Sasuke, the vampire and the fox, began their hunt. They sped off, claws extended to meet the trio head on. 

Hidden behind clouds of sand while Gaara and his group readied their second firing, a charcoal ribbon of power waved through, cutting through clouds of dust towards the group. Simultaneously Naruto’s tails, nine tendrils of energy branched out above the wave and shot towards the siblings. Gaara could see Sasuke and Naruto in blurs of scarlet and onyx speeding towards them. 

Whilst Gaara’s wall of sand easily fended off the attacks, Sasuke and Naruto now airborne, landed behind the trio and like lightning met their frames with their fists, claws and ‘tails’. 

“Arrgh!” Temari groaned while blocking Sasuke’s black fist of power with her war fan, now alight in flickers of teal and light green. Sasuke was nudging her back as his other fist met Gaara’s core at his side. Against Gaara’s golden aura, Sasuke’s dark fist sizzled on impact. “Sasuke you...” 

 Alas, Gaara couldn’t finish his curse nor could he summon any sand. Naruto too was there. While Sasuke attacked from Gaara’s front, Naruto using several of his tails of energy, swept across Gaara’s leg from behind, his scarlet aura meeting Gaara’s as well. They were trying to throw him down. Naruto’s claws though were sinking into Kankuro’s chest, almost through his violet armament of psionic energy as far as Naruto could see. 

This skirmish went on for moments as the siblings defended against the desperate strikes of Naruto and Sasuke. Close ranged combat seemed to work alright, Sakura concluded as she noticed Temari and Gaara, especially, struggle against Naruto’s rabid taijutsu while barely countering Sasuke’s which was polished and expert. However, Sakura could see the boys tiring and Gaara and his siblings gaining the upper hand, soon managing to block and stab the boys as their moves slowed.  This would end soon. Of this Sakura was certain.

Close combat? Can I jump in and help them? No! Those three are still stronger and if I join in they could get my witch’s blood! We can’t chance it! Come on! Think Sakura! Shannaro! 

Clenching at the sand beneath her, Sakura struggled. On paper Sasuke’s proposition sounded logical but what could they do? What could she do? If only Katsuyu were here! Doubt once again held her as Sakura stared, her attention split between the boys struggling to claw at Temari and Gaara while Naruto’s tails and Sasuke’s power now snared Kankuro, and her current, barren surroundings. Three against two... Sakura knew the end was soon approaching. Guys! 

Frantically Sakura scanned the sand garden for any crystal she could utilize, any plant she could enchant. There was no Holy Sake around either, Sakura surmised, her mind still storming through plans. She could do nothing.

 Sadly Sakura tightened her grip on the sand between her fingers and gave up with tears trickling down her face. As her fists blazed with roseate energy, the precursor to her Sakura bolts, Naruto and Sasuke were beaten. Forcefully, the men were blown back by the aurora of Gaara, Temari and Kankuro’s convergence of power. The siblings had won. 

“I’ll finish you three myself.” Gaara’s voice was booming, spiced with rage and utter annoyance at the trio. The vampire prince was now covered in a veil of power; an aurora of bright teal, whirling mauve and his natural aura of splendid aureate. Sakura, now near her husband and Naruto, could see his acute curved fangs bare against his lips as his aura crackled. His arms were outstretched as he then proclaimed his attack. “Sand Binding Coffin!”

Borrowing some of his sibling’s power, Gaara then unleashed his ultimate attack. As Sasuke, now leaning against Sakura, looked on he witnessed sand, not only from the ground but from the very desert sky itself, being pulled into whirls around Gaara. Streams of brilliant sand with sparkling flecks of crystal and rocks embedded, danced chaotically around the sand garden. Sakura, gripping her husband, thought that it would have been gorgeous if this was not the weapon that would kill her. Gaara now showed them what the Sand’s vampires were capable of. Vampire royalty that was one with the desert: wind, sky, sand and sun. As the prince’s maelstrom stabilized, the form of a tsunami of golden sand appeared before the trio totally blocking out the siblings and soaring beyond the framing of the sand garden. Suddenly it was crashing into the vampire, the witch and the kitsune. 

Sasuke!

Sakura!

“Bhoosh!”

“Sakura chan!” Naruto awoke now looking around for Sakura and even Sasuke. As he did so he was dumbfounded by what lay before him. Mounds of sand littered at his anterior and flecks of faint, white stars dusted the atmosphere. Beyond, near the gates, the Sand Siblings were lying on their backs.

 “What the hell?!”

“Tch. Must you be so loud, idiot?” Naruto was shaken upon hearing that voice. 

“Sasuke?!” As he looked behind him after sourcing the voice, Naruto was met with Sasuke smirking mischievously. 

“Who else, idiot?” 

The young kitsune soon ignored Sasuke altogether as his mind registered something far more important. “Sakura?!” 

There, held firming in Sasuke’s arms was Sakura. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as her husband carried her towards Naruto. Apart from beads of sweat stamping her now blushed complexion and the wary look in her resonant  eyes, Naruto could tell that Sakura was okay. 

“Naruto! Thank God!” Sakura managed as Sasuke put her down finally. They were reunited with Naruto. She hugged him tightly when they met.

“Sakura chan” Naruto was blushing and returning her hug hesitantly. 

“Whatever, let’s get those siblings before they wake up.” Sasuke interrupted, obviously irritated by the sappy reunion. “Don’t get distracted, Naruto!”

“You!”

“Guys!” Once more Sakura was the voice of reason among them. 

“So when are you going to tell me what happened?” Naruto desperately nagged as they jogged towards their fallen enemies. “Come on Sakura chan!” 

“It’s on a need to know basis...” Sasuke interrupted. “And you don’t need to know”

“Sasuke stop it.” Sakura sighed as the three of them now stood looking over the siblings. “Naruto stay still,” Sakura carefully instructed him while laying her palm gently against his forehead, as if checking for a fever. “Now feel!”

Sakura’s words echoed in his mind. Naruto’s mind now blackened from her touch. Naruto couldn’t think for a moment before suddenly, a lone star of intense white light blossomed in his mind. From this one star a pure and intense white light soon flooded his mind. Naruto could feel it, he could see it. A clear view and vibrant feelings entered him. 

Materializing before Naruto was the answer to his questions. Naruto saw what he failed to witness himself while semi conscious. Gaara’s tsunami of sand descending upon them and Sasuke. Sasuke in his arms. 

What the...?! Why am I holding Sasuke? Where is... me?! Before he could complete his thoughts Naruto was surprised to see himself on the ground. It was as if he was looking at himself; as if he were someone else. It was as if he was Sakura. 

That’s it! This is a vision. Sakura’s vision from that time! The realization had finally dawned on him. Ooooh! I see. Upon his realization, Sakura’s experience continued. Naruto saw and felt it all. 

Sakura panicked. A ripping pain tore through her body. It was the taint of defeat and hopelessness. Naruto felt it. No, that’s not all. It was heartbreak. Sasuke could die and so would he. Sakura couldn’t bear it. Gaara was readying his final attack and Sasuke and Naruto were defeated. They were doomed. I failed! They’re going to die because of me!

There was nothing but sand in this God forsaken place. Nothing but sand. Sakura gripped the sand in anguish as she cursed their fate. Sand. Sand that gave Gaara power and gave nothing to them, nothing to a witch like Sakura. There was no spell, no herb, no crystal. Only sand. 

Sand...

Sand....

Sand!

Sakura’s discovery dawned upon her like the rising spring sunshine after the dead of winter, melting, scorching away the glaciers of hopelessness and fear that held her spirit. In its wake, buds of hope and promise sprung forth like blooming cherry blossoms. Sand was also crystal. Sand was also power.

Shannaro! Sand! Clear quartz! That’s it! Sakura’s grip loosened into a gentle caress as she readied herself. In the face of Gaara’s newly formed tsunami, with her comrades near her, Sakura fanned out her hair while feint jade sparkles of her lucky aventurine crystals twinkled. The witch would cast one last spell. 

Invoking her power, the pure magical art of Shikkotsu, Sakura linked her mind, her spirit and her power with the clear quartz crystals in the sand. Alone a speck of clear quartz was insignificant and could barely sting a vampire with it’s power, the power to cast away negative energy. However Sakura thanked God that she wasn’t dealing with one speck. As she ran her fingers through the sand, now enlivened with her finger’s motions, Sakura appreciated flecks of diamond-like sparkles dancing before her eyes. Indeed, Sakura didn’t have a single speck. She had trillions. 

Sakura do it! Sasuke cheered, his mind linked with hers; his mind helping her as if performing the spell with her as one mind and soul. 

“Flares of the Sun,

Glow of the Moon,

Radiance of the stars,

In this darkness I invoke thee...

Dispel!”

Sakura, channeling all of her white power into the crystals in her hands, formed a link. Each speck shimmered brilliant jewels of pristine white light as Sakura’s magic resonated and awakened their natural power. Sakura felt a warmth like a flare of pure solar power coursing through her, warming instead of burning, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Like wildfire this phenomenon spread. Each crystal pierced by white magic then awakened another and in seconds, while Gaara’s tsunami was crashing down on the trio, the entire sand garden was alight with enchantment. 

In the wake of Sakura’s spell, pearls of luminous white, an entire cosmos of star- like crystal burned, lighting the entire garden and exploding upon the tsunami of sand, nullifying it and collapsing it in the process. It was as if the Sun was rising on the garden itself when the light burst forth and blossomed white magical power that blinded all who were present.

 The last sound Naruto heard as Sakura was the wailing of the siblings as the light of the enchantment pierced even his vision, thrusting him back to the present and his own mind. 

“Sakura chan! You’re amazing!” Naruto excitedly exclaimed, still on a high from his experience. “What amazing control of your magic!” 

“Oh he’s back.” Sasuke sighed, feigning disappointment as he stood over Gaara. 

“Naruto. Thank you. But I really only pulled it off because you both helped me and supported me.” Sakura was humble and Naruto chuckled as he saw her eyes meet Sasuke’s as she went on. 

“Yeah.. you weren’t totally useless.” Was that Sasuke’s version of thank you, Naruto asked himself.

“Sasuke...” Naruto couldn’t find the words to reply. 

Sakura now broke their awkward silence, “Naruto. I mean it. Thank you for everything. I owe you my life. We both do. Tell Mistress Tsunade I am okay and will send a letter with Katsuyu soon. But before that...”

As she finished her praise, Naruto was shocked before he could respond. Sakura kissed him gently on his cheek, setting it ablaze in rose like blush as she did so. 

“Sakura-chan...” Naruto stumbled for words as his eyes glazed over. “No problem...” 

“Tch”

Ignoring Sasuke’s mocking he continued. “Um Sakura, what are those? Are they... those guys’ protection?” Naruto asked while pointing to three palm sized crystal orbs of teal, violet and amber. 

“Yes Naruto, these are their protection from the sun.” Sakura smiled, as she played with the precious crystal orbs she had recovered while the kitsune was spelled. “Without these, even when they recharge, they’re helplessly paralyzed by the sun.” 

“Oho. Vampires are so disadvantaged.” Naruto smiled, looking at Sasuke.

“Idiot...” Sasuke retorted sharply. 

“Hey!”

“Guys!”

“Sorry Sakura chan”

“Hmm..” Sasuke was speaking now, blocking out Naruto it seemed. His attention was focused entirely on Gaara now as he intertwined his fingers with Sakura’s. The couple now stood resolute, side by side in the face of the siblings.

“Gaara, how about we make a deal with my wife and I?”

“Wow. I can’t believe Sakura chan knew where the one ramen shop is Suna was!” Naruto exclaimed cheerfully as he strolled down a minor street in the city. With his eyes shut and his signature sunny smile adorning his face, the kitsune seemed perfectly content despite his recent ordeal.

  “I cannot wait!”

“Ugh who is that?!” Naruto complained as he halted to answer his phone. After a brief scan of his surroundings he stepped into a nearby alley. Only the rats present would hear what the kitsune said following this as his expression died down to one that matched Sasuke’s.

“Hello?...”

“Yes I found them...”

“No the witch protected them from my tracking wards with that tourmaline crystal thing....”

“No they didn’t suspect a thing. They think Granny Tsunade sent me.”

 “Yeah at most they got some weird emotional shock when I tried...”

 “No no I didn’t fail! Listen they’re still here. They’re not on the move. This is what I am saying, they are staying here... and...”

“Listen, I really... I  really think you should come here now, Master.”

[hermitknut]

A:TLA watch, part 12

All of my posts on this are here.

Not sure how many episodes I’m gonna do today, but I need to watch something while I have my soup :)

I am less on edge since having the filler episodes – not that any of these episodes are really filler as they’re always relevant at least in character ways, but you know what I mean. Still can’t wait to see what comes next though!

The Avatar and the Firelord

Just by the title I’d say we’re back to the main plot…

Oooo backstory time!!

Did Zuko get functionally the same message??

I love how when aang dreams the version of himself is back to bald and in the yellow-and-orange, it’s a nice reminder that how he looks right now isn’t how he sees himself

Ooo secret heat writing

The question is, who sent the message? Because if it was azula, zuko’s in shit. Maybe the white lotus?

Awww they were friends originally

Oh man I’d forgotten that the other avatars didn’t find out until they were sixteen. Hell of a shock.

I love seeing the four elements in use together.

This wedding conversation is ominous

Oh boy, it’s a bit more than ominous

I’m not sure I trust him to help him with the volcano…

…oh look, I was right

“should be renamed the history most people already know” lolll zuko XD

“your mother’s grandfather was avatar roku” WHAT (does this mean aang is technically sort of zuko’s great grandfather because that’s funny)

Damn I like the speech from Iroh, it’s great. I don’t think zuko liked it much though.

“Sokka just hold hands” XD

  The Runaway

Ooo are we finally gonna get a proper end to the Toph storyline??

Oooo what an opener!! I’m assuming Toph and Katara are play-acting here, but I’m not 100% sure

Yesss three days earlier, I love this kind of set up – like at the end of B99 s1.

Katara and Toph still struggling to get on. Hm.

I’m enjoying Toph vs the find-the-lady game XD

LOL AND THE SCAMS CONTINUE. This is such a great montage.

Omg the dead-toph one XD jesus kids

Katara you’re probably right but maybe don’t analyse AT toph I don’t think she appreciates it

Yowch, that’s a heck of a fight

Sokka that’s a terrible idea XD

Ahhhh the overhearing actually goes right for once, that’s lovely

“the ultimate scam” lollll sokka and aang in the background XD

Oh no, wooden cell! IT’S A TRAAAAAAAP

OH NO IT’S LASER HEAD

“appa’s in charge” hahaha

“if nothing else you’re at least fun to argue with” bless

“a sweaty stinky genius!” yesss

Oo did they manage to damage laserhead’s forehead eye?

  The Puppetmaster

Ooo this previously on is VERY previously…

Lol ghost stories XD

Ooo katara’s one is actually pretty creepy

“hello children” I proper jumped at that lol

People have been disappearing??

Well this has all the makings of a horror story doesn’t it

The little old lady is definitely in on it, whatever it is

I’m with Sokka, even though he’s being rude lol

She’s from the southern water tribe!!!

Ooo backstory

This is a great backstory but I’m still suspicious of her, honestly

“there’s water in places you never think about” OH I’M THINKING ABOUT THEM and also I have like. A faint memory about what this might be. But I’m not 100% sure so we’ll see.

LOL sokka’s rant about the moon lady

“and like all plants and all living things, they’re filled with water” YOU MEAN PEOPLE DON’T YOU I SEE THIS I SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING

“I thought people had been disappearing around here during the full moon” YOU’RE RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT

Bloodbending YIKES

The fight sequence is really creeeeepy

I think that’s one of the most genuinely terrifying villains we’ve had, honestly

Brrrr. Yes, I actually remember reading some meta about blood-bending. I wasn’t totally sure if it was this or Korra, so I was still kind of surprised!

  Nightmares and Daydreams

Jesus we’re at the invasion already??? If we’re hitting it half way through the season I can only assume I was right in thinking it’s not going to go well :/

Aang’s hair is getting adorably fluffy

LOL look at how long and dramatic his hair is in the dream XD aang you’re so cute

“not even wearing pants” oh boy XD

Damn, very pampered zuko lol

Omg he’s got a fanbase now

Aw aang. Katara’s right, you should… probably get some actual rest.

Ooo he’s fancier in this dream!!

Math test oh dear

“stupid avatar, stupid cliff, stupid dream” lol sokka

“BECAUSE OF YOUR TINY BLADDER” AANG

Awwww I love this. Yoga. Now therapy. They’re trying so hard!

Hm zuko and the war meeting :/

Jesus that nightmare was horrible

“I’m going to stay awake straight through to the invasion” that is…not your best plan, aang.

Omgggg I got so taken in by the daydream of him and katara XD XD

Zuko was invited. Hmmm.

HE STILL HAS THE PICTURE OF THE FIRELORD MADE OF NOODLES

Sokka’s making armour for appa XD

Talking momo oh my god

APPA TALKING jesus I pulled away from the computer XD XD

God this is hilarious but also someone please knock aang safely unconscious

“but I wasn’t me” yesssss zuko. I stand by what I said at some point, which is that zuko breaking with his father is more meaningful if HE instigates it…

They made him a bedddd!!

Uh oh another nightmare

PANTSLESS FIRE LORD aang you’re adorable XD

So I’m stopping there because I can see that the next episode is a two-parter (OH GOD HERE WE GO).

For now, farewell – catch you next time, when I probably die of sheer excitement because IT’S INVASION DAY

H

[miru-p]

_(:3｣∠)_ I'm back for more headcanonsss because I love my daughter, this time I want some AvKari headcanons (ʘ‿ʘ✿) they can be from canon or the nobody dies AU!! (OR BOTH LMAO) and, anddd maybe what Karina thinks of Jotaro and Esther too? (ꈍᴗꈍ) THANK U BLESS

Aaaaah, Maryyy, I’m gonna declare you AvKari #1fan, ILU. I’ll do for both canon and the nobody dies uvu  So I hope you enjoy e3e I kinda overdid abit with the AvKari HCs tho, this is why they’re after a read more, sorry.

Karina and JotaEssie

Atfirst, Karina thought that Jotaro would never have a woman in his life due tohis behavior. During the events of DiU, she admitted that Jotaro kinda improved his behavior.

Duringthe events of SDC she didn’t notice anything actually, since she was already ina dream with her beloved Avdol, but in DiU she totally notices how Esther looksat him.

Karinausually teases Esther, saying that they make a cute power couple, and that theyshould stop working and just kiss already.

Especiallywhen she goes to see one of them and sees them together or when she findsEsther in Jotaro’s hotel room.

Also,Karina likes to remember her how hot is now Jotaro. Karina pls stop.

WhenEsther told her that he’s already married, Kari joked that then she should‘steal’ him and runaway. Esther didn’t like this, but she didn’t get angry cosshe knew that Karina was just joking without bad intention.

AfterJotaro and Esther married, she was very happy for them, especially for Esther,although she got a bit worry since he had a daughter. She just wanted them tobe happy.

AvKari headcanons

Sincethe first sight, she thought that he was a very attractive man, and even gavehim some puppy eyes before going to their respective rooms. Ofc it didn’twork.

WhenKarina and Joseph had the towel incident, Avdol was the one who found them inthat awkward position, so Karina immediately explained everything and sworemultiple times that Joseph was too old for her, and that she likes moreintelligent men, giving him again puppy eyes. She’s not very subtle, and poor Joseph lmao.

Afterthat, both of them talked more, and get to know each other a bit more. Karinatotally fell in love, and really admired him, and Avdol loved her caring andcheerful behavior.

WhenAvdol was injured by Hol Horse and Karina stayed with him, she started crying sayinghow sad she was cos she thought she just lost the person she loves and how gladshe was that he was still alive.

Hewasn’t asleep so he heard her confession. She was very embarrassed and told himto just forget everything, but he kissed her saying that he feels the same. ThenKarina cried even harder, but he calmed her down with tender kisses.

Whenthey reunited with Avdol in the island, after OFC laughing at how Pol was the onlyone who didn’t know he was alive, she just glomped him even if she just sawhim a few days before

·Whileescaping from High Priestess, they both were diving holding hands since Karinawas the only one who couldn’t communicate with the others via stands and he wasworried.

Whenshe told everyone that she was going to left cos she was pregnant, everyone waskind of shocked, but especially Pol who was the only one who didn’t noticeanything.  He said that couldn’tunderstand how Avdol can have that bad taste, and Karina kicked him in his kneeKarina pls stop kicking ppl.

Afterthe battle against DIO, Karina and Caesar visited the crusaders in thehospital. Karina visited them every day, and most of the time she just laiddown with Avdol in his bed and sometimes even fell asleep in him.

Caesaralways apologized for her behavior, although Avdol didn’t mind actually. Hejust wanted his new prosthetic arms for hugging her back.

Atfirst, since Avdol knew Caesar since time ago, he was a bit uneasy about being affectionatewith Karina in front of him, after all he was her grandfather, and Avdolrespected him.

Also,Karina couldn’t stand how respectful Avdol was with that bastard. Avdol tried, like Joseph, to help to improve therelationship between those two stubborn Zeppelis, but she didn’t listen, noteven him. So when, their relationship actually improved, Avdol just says to herthat he had already told her that he was a good man.

DuringKari’s pregnancy, she was very worried about what Avdol would think about hergaining that much weight, but ofc he didn’t mind at all and replied that thenthere would be more Karina for him to kiss.

Also,she was more sleepy and tired than usual, and she usually just fell asleep onhis lap or on his shoulder. In bed, she prefers to sleep on his chest. Shecan’t sleep if she isn’t hugging him!

Inthe morning, Avdol is the one who wakes up first, so he usually wakes her upwith kisses and caresses. Ofc, she wakes up very happy and refuses to gettingup, lol.

Duringtheir wedding, she was very nervous. After all, she was going to see herparents again after a lot of months, and now she was very pregnant and getting married. At the end, everything goeswell. Mina really liked Avdol, and Juan was very emotional about her babygetting married also he was worried himself about meeting her wife’s father,something that made Karina laugh so much.

DuringRosa’s birth, Karina had some complications. She was very nervous, butAvdol remained at her side all the time, holding her hand and encouraging her.Since she had that hard time, he felt kind of guilty when he couldn’t be withher in Nassif’s birth since the beginning, especially cos he knew that shewould be more worried about him and Joseph trying to arrive in that bad weatherthan about herself.

AfterRosa’s birth, when Karina was able to have intimate relationships again, she waskind of nervous, so she asked for advice to Joseph. Avdol was nervous too, cosnow he has prosthetic arms, and they could be kind of bothersome. At the endeverything went well, and Karina learned that asking Joseph for advice is avery bad idea.

Whentheir babies started to manifest their stands, Avdol did his best to try toteach them how to control them. Also, he scolds them every time that they usethem for trivial things or when they try to use them to tease their mother.

Whenthey got their own farm, they moved to Asturias where Karina’s parents lived.Actually was Juan the one who built the house in which Avdol, Kari, and thebabies were going to live. He didn’t want them to know, but Mina told them, andthey were very grateful for that

ForNassif’s 8th birthday, they adopted a little dog, so in a way, they gainedanother little child.

Overthe years, Karina got really worried about Avdol not loving her since she wasaging so much since she left her Hamon training after Rosa’s birth. He justtold her that this didn’t mind, and that he was really happy to get oldtogether. Also, he told him that she didn’t seem to actually age, since she isstill as cheerful and active as always.

Whentheir children were older, the moved from home, they visit their parents very oftentho. Both of them are very proud of their kids having their own life too.

[therandypandy]

2018 My Year: Breaking Down the Edit + A Reminder to Myself + A Note to Her

2018 was easily the most insane year of my life. Both Good, and Bad, and I really felt as if making a year recap video was the best way for me to look back when I’m further down my career. This was probably the best year yet for my career, and the fact that I can say, “I am in my career.��� Blows my fucking mind. I seriously have a career where I take pictures of other people and brands and represent them. I literally make a living by taking and editing photos. That is fucking crazy. With my work, each and every single frame or piece that I release is 100% completely intentional. That is the one thing I have control over as an artist. So here’s to breaking down the edit.

To start, this project took 2 months to complete. The hardest part for me was to pick the right song. This is my first venture towards youtube (not seriously but I still have my brand to represent), meaning I get to pick which direction I want to take my channel, and I want to make the right decisions. So here is the list of possible songs that I wanted to use as well as reasons why I didn’t use them:

One Man Can Change The World - Big Sean (One of my most favorite songs of all time, it’s peaceful and it carries a good message with a background from the less fortunate. I definitely relate to it.)

Midsummer Madness - 88Rising (I REALLY wanted to use this but Joji says, “Fucked up” too many times, I wanted to keep my content without cussing due to well.. Professionalism :/)

Head In The Clouds - 88Rising (My 2nd pick. I wanted to use this song to support another Asian artist and to have more Asian American representation in my work. BUT, this song was about Joji being high and missing his ex. Once I found that out through Genius, I definitely knew the feeling because that is exactly how I felt throughout the process of making this video but; I don’t need her to know that I miss her. I don’t need the rest of the world to know that either. This part of me isn’t something that I wanted my followers to know.)

Bigger Than Me - Big Sean (I wanted this to be my first pick just so badly. As a minority, I definitely understand the struggle of having to work twice as hard just to be as successful as the white man. This was the song I related to the most throughout this list. That’s because the main thing I’ve learned about pursuing photography, is that this whole thing is much bigger than me. It’s the reactions on my subject’s faces whenever I show them what I captured of them, it’s their pure innocent happiness when they look at a photo of themselves and are thrilled about themselves. It’s about being there and being able to document parts of my friends lives, whether it’s for weddings, or even capturing a funeral. Photography is one of the few things I do that I consider almost selfless to me. Why I didn’t use this song is because Big Sean says, “I’ve seen people stay at the same place in life for 10 years, man that shit’s pathetic.” While I agree with it, I can’t use this because it makes me seem like I view others as lower than me, which I don’t, but I agree that everyone should be moving up in their lives, always, not stay at the same place. Staying at the same place is comforting, but comfort is the biggest enemy of growth. If I’m not growing anymore, then I leave.)

Congratulations - Post Malone (I really wanted to use this song towards the end of my video, after getting my new job, but I feel like it’s bragging and not typically the person I am, however this is really how I felt. “Work so hard I forgot how to vacation.” is something I felt. Because even when I travel, I’m working. Every time I go to Houston, Austin, this most recent trip to Colorado, I am still working. While yes, I do love what I do, but at the end of the day, work is still work.)

Ghost Town - Kanye West (I was going to use this song in the second half of the video, immediately after the glitched footage of her and I. I was going to start off the second half with the verse, “And nothing hurts anymore I feel kinda free but ultimately I decided not to because that was the only part of the song that I like LOL)

Better Now - Post Malone (I was going to use a very very short snippet of this song during the parts where her and I appear in a clip together, but I decided no sound effects / ambient music because this video wasn’t supposed to be flashy, but really just a story of my year.)

Good Life - Kanye West (What a wonderful and lovely song. I wanted to use this because despite all of the negative things that happen to me, I still have a good life. I work hard, care for my friends, try my best to remain kind, pay my mom’s bills, and slowly but surely turning my dreams into reality BUT this song is a little too old and I wanted something more recent.)

Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi (This song has been played thousands of times and is SUCH a classic, but it’s too old and I don’t want to be using older songs.)

Surfin’ - Kid Cudi (One of the most accurate songs that represent how I’m feeling when it comes to my career. I’m surfing on my own waves, I’m creating my own future. I’m not leeching off of anyone. This is me. I did this shit, but.. I wanted to represent something bigger than me and to represent more of my own people.)

Deja Vu - J. Cole (Okay, the reason why I chose this song is petty, and was how I was trying to cope with coming to terms after watching my ex replace me just so fast and easily. “She fucks with small-town niggas, I got bigger dreams.” This is what I told myself over and over thousands of times to get myself to move on. While yes, I was a small town guy. Both Albuquerque and Arlington are relatively small towns. Yes, I have ridicuously unrealistic dreams. But that’s the thing, I have big dreams. None of what I accomplished should have been possible compared to the “stable” shit that my family and what people in my heritage want; but I’m fucking doing it. I’ve been paying for my mothers and I’s bills, I’ve been supporting my family with photography, I am living the dream.)

Sunflower - Rex Orange County (This will actually be used later)

Sunflower - Post Malone, Swae Lee (I actually used this song for LDPsi)

Blessings - Chance The Rapper (The beginning of this song reminds me of one word: Hopeful. I guess this is the naitivity in me, I guess no matter what it is that I’m going through, this I always try to remain hopeful and to keep my head held up high. Is it wishful thinking? Possibly, but this is a part of who I am. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I chose not to use this song because it was too slow. My year was a rollercoaster, this doesn’t reflect that.)

Runaway - Kanye West (Honestly this song is just legendary, I love it so much. But it hit home for me, especially the opening line, “And I always find something wrong, you’ve been putting up with my shit for just way too long.” This was more directed towards her. Maybe I should not have held the fact that I was going to therapy from her. After it hit April in 2018, every time I opened up to her about how I felt or even the truth about her actions, I only ended up hurting her. And it was such a terrible feeling. Why is it that I couldn’t even tell my own girlfriend my feelings because it would hurt her? There were moments when I had to hide a lot of my feelings and thoughts because I didn’t want to be the one hurting her, and that hurt me. Every time I opened up, it began to feel more and more like a mistake and that I should just keep my mouth shut. And there was something wrong with that. And later on towards this song, “Let’s have a toast to the jerk offs, that’ll never take work off.” This hit me deep, because I was that guy. I never did take work off, and she once said, “Sometimes it feels like I have something really cool to show and tell you, but you’re like that dad that’s working on his computer and I’m just a distraction.” That really hurt me and is something that I will always remember. It was so hard on our relationship. I wasn’t born into money, my parents/immediate family never went to college. I was considered “less fortunate” among many of my friends for a good portion of my life. I’ve been homeless twice in my life. Once was this year, even though it was only a day, all of my biggest fears came true. It sucks that I have to work so much, but if I don’t work, I would be starving. This is more of a different backgrounds type situation. “Baby I’ve got a plan, runaway as fast as you can.” 

These Days - Mike Stud (This song will probably be used in March for Mercedes Benz) (Yeahhhh that’s gonna be explained later this year)

Blow My High (Members Only) - Kendrick Lamar (This song has such an amazing vibe and I will never get over it. “Look at my life then look at yours. Get some ambition, why you bored? Time’ll never wait on no man, Society will never hold your hand.” This is probably my favorite verse because one thing stands out to me, Ambition. I believe that this is the one quality any person needs to be successful. I hate it whenever I hear that someone is bored. I hate it when people have the same day-to-day routine. How ambitionless can you be??? I didn’t use this song despite it being fire because, I don’t want people to think that I think I’m hot shit. Because I’m not. I know that, but I can’t stand people without any ambition. I 100% consider that this is due to my upbringing, but that is the reason why I WILL be successful. However, it’s a little old.)

Hotline Bling - Drake (Okay, I’ll admit, this song was something a little more personal to me. Because I relate to Drake’s position in this song. This song is definitely something I could make a video to, and it’s challenging which I like because the vibe of this song isn’t what I normally do, but I said to myself, keep my love life out of my work.)

Voices In My Head/Stick To The Plan - Big Sean (One of my most favorite songs from his I Decided album. This song definitely help me deal with my emotions outside of therapy. “I done seen this shit happen a hundred times on the regular. But I still crossed the line like I’m blind, damn. Voices in my head saying I could do better.” in 2018, this meant heartbreak. Every day on social media you see people falling in love, you see people having their heart broken. And then, when I felt like I was at my possible lowest in terms of mental health, I slowly watched myself get replaced. I wanted this break because dealing with diagnosed depression sucks as it is, and then having a break up on top of that, followed by Danny’s death. That whole thing fucking sucked, and for some reason all I could think about was her. She was the only one I wanted to be there for me, and she wasn’t. I always promised myself I would never drive out of town to see someone, I always said I would never pay for a hotel or an air bnb just to see a girl. I did a lot of things for her that I said I would never do, and damn. That shit sucked. “Voices in my head, conscience talking to me like, Look, STICK TO THE PLAN.” The entire 2nd verse is about Big Sean reminding himself to not let others see his emotions. I have goals that I want to accomplish. I have a future that I need to create. STICK TO THE PLAN. However like he says, “Stay focused, don’t let these niggas see your emotions.” I chose NOT to do this song because it would have been too obvious for a lot of people on why I DID choose this song. I can’t keep thinking about her and I need to accomplish my goals. Turns out the thing I do best during heartbreaks, is working even harder.)

Hollywood Hills (Feat. Breanna Martin) - Cristion D’or (Vivian showed me this song when she came to visit me during Christmas from Boston and I loved it. I felt the lyrics 100%. But this isn’t the right song for me to use, not yet. Chances are, I will use this song in the video I make when I move to Los Angeles. Until then, I’ll  keep it in my bank.

Fake Love - Drake (I wanted to use this so bad for the second half of my video. For years since I’ve pursued photography, I have felt just so much fake love. What I didn’t expect was that I would feel this way about her. All I’ve ever wanted since pursuing photography was just some damn support. But apparently that’s too much to ask for. “I was down for so long it looked like up to me” is the best way I could describe all of 2018. I was 100% intending on using this song up until the Christmas party at Adel’s house. I don’t even remember why I even went to that party in the first place, but I’m glad that I did. When I was there, I had people personally pull me aside and talked to me privately how much they loved my work, how much I’ve grown, and that they could tell how much effort I put into it. For the first time in a long time, I smiled so fucking hard, I had to hold back some tears. It meant a lot. For some reason, after going head on with photography, I disregarded a lot of people from UTA because I felt that they didn’t really support me. But I’m glad to be proven wrong. Plus, it woulnd’t have looked good for my image.)

Gravity (Feat. Daisy) - yetep (It took me until Janurary 1st, 2019 to pick this song for my video. It took me getting drunk at Norazos with Brenda for me to decide that I was so inspired by Crazy Rich Asians that I wanted to see more Asian American’s pursuing unorthodox careers. This one of the biggest things I learned about my relationship with Kamille. From when we were friends to us dating and breaking up and now strangers again, I had always been pushing her to sing more often and to practice and pursue it. She always said back, “I want to do something a little more realistic.” This was a pretty defining thing throughout our relationship. I was always the one that believed in doing the impossible, to escape your reality, to believe in chasing your dreams. In 2018 I shot and covered yetep, an Asian American DJ from Los Angeles. Now while I’m not the biggest fan of EDM, I do want to support other artists especially from Asian descent, because I want to see more of it. I want us to be able to prove our parent’s generation wrong, that art can be a successful career. While yes, the biggest differences between our generation is priviledge. They had to do whatever it takes to survive, we have the priviledge of choosing what we want to do. I have a giant chip on my shoulder to prove my family as well as my peers that I can be successful as a photographer. As for this song, it reminded me of 3 different moods: hopeful, reminisce, and self-reflection.)

It took me 2 months to choose 1 song, and it was a whole journey for me mentally.

So the intro screen begins with it being a solid screen with text, and about halfway into it, it flickers and glitches into the next text, before flickering again into actual footage. This is supposed to symbolize the state of my mental health throughout the year. It was about halfway throughout the year that all of the things on my plate really got to me and more importantly, my mental health. Much like glitching, it shows chaos in my life, things that I couldn’t quite control, and it directly introduces how unbalanced my mental health is.

The next 2 scenes symbolize the two biggest things I learned about myself this year. Hope. It starts off with looking up at the sky, zoomed in, and as it zooms out and speeds up. This is to represent that my head is always in the clouds, and after some time as I learn and grow and see the bigger picture, and how fast the world will fly by you. This is followed by footage that I captured in Malibu, looking through the leaves of grass into the shining sun and onto the beautiful house. This is to represent that I am hopeful about my life, my future, and that I want to create a future that I want, and having something I’ve never had, a home.

  This is where I reveal that this is a homage to my year, in the forest looking past a river and small waterfall, this represents several things. My ex was really into astrology and as a Pisces, I am a water sign. I personally view water as super powerful, as it flows through everything in life and even when it finds an obstacle, it looks for ways past it. As it zooms out, this is more of a “This journey is bigger than me.”

This scene is followed by me on the road holding my camera into the mirror with a car behind us as we drive through the road. This is me self-reflecting throughout the year. The car in the mirror is my past, my history. As I’m moving throughout life, my past isn’t too far from me. It is a part of who I am, but it does not define me. It is just lessons learned. The footsteps is me continuing to move on in my life.

I made sure to put my best friends as the first people to appear in this video, my day 1s and the people I can always rely on.

For Sheena, Deanna, and Paul; Thank you for always believing in my photography when I didn’t believe in myself. You guys are why I have the courage to do what I love doing. Thank you. I love you all. 

This is to show that my work or field has taken me on adventures, doing things that I never thought I would do. My whole life has been on the road, but I have met some amazing and talented people in my career and I don’t think it’s stopping any time soon.

Thank you so much Dorian, you will probably never read this but thank you for always being open to helping me and providing me constructive criticism. Thank you for pushing and believing in me when you don’t even know what you’re doing yourself. 

To Melanie, you too will never read this and that’s okay. Thank you for sliding into my DMs all those years ago. It’s strange and weirdly unprofessional to befriend one of your clients, but you are the reason why I was able to afford buying gifts, your business allowed me to pay bills when I was struggling. Thank you for believing in my craft and still consistently working with me. I am so proud to see you grow confidence and becoming better as a model and even working with other photographers. Once I’m gone, I expect you to still pursue modelling.

To the other Vienna Angels that I met on my first trip out for doing photography: Ayssa, Kaylie, Bryce, and Kourtney; Working with you guys on this trip made me realize that this is truly what I want to do for the rest of my entire life.

This sequence starts off with me running up the stairs, and I’m not going to lie, this clip was actually filmed in 2017, however I used it in this situation to represent me climbing the stairs and progressing towards my career. As I rise up these steps, so will my career and future. This lined up with my song choice because the music was on the rise as well. Followed by footage of me with Kamille and me with Harold. 

Now the reason why I decided to put her in my video:

I could very well have easily not put her in my video, and simply pretended like she wasn’t in my life last year just as she pretended I wasn’t in hers. And you know what? That’s okay. I was really hurt by it for a long time, but I told myself, I wanted this to be my best and more importantly, honest video. She was a really important person in my life. And I guess that’s why I was just so absolutely devastated for so long. She had been the person that was there with me when my photography was just contacting local girls that I had found photogenic, to my launching my website and establishing my own reputation and brand. She was there to witness and support a lot of my achievements and accomplishments, and so I put her in the video, as an honest reminder to myself.

Next up was Harold, one of the most successful people I know in my own circle. He has always believed in my work and has always supported me, all the while knowing how unlikely this pursuit is, versus his own career. But that didn’t matter to him, he has always been there for the good and bad times, thank you so so much for the support, pledge bro. It meant the absolute world to me. 

And then the music transitions into a much slower beat, and I viewed this as a self-reflection moment. It starts off on this DJ I met when I shot my first rave last year, the DJ in this shot goes by the name, Paragrime. Another young and talented creator in the Dallas area, and I suppose I relate to him. We’re both young, early into our pursuits and really just trying to make our dreams come true. The shot then switches to Harold, looking in awe of the world around him (okay this was scripted) but really to show how I feel 95% of the time since pursuing art. Like, wow, this is really happening, life is beautiful. Followed by a shot with Tammy and I laughing and overall being giant goofballs. Now Tammy, she was the person that truly convinced me that I could actually do photography professionally. When I first met her, this was all just a hobby, just something I did for fun. She was the one person that fully made me believe in myself. Followed by a shot with Melanie, now Melanie first contacted me in 2017 (I think?) And in that time span, she has grown SO much as a model and person and I am so so so proud of her. It’s weird now how she’s one of the few girls that I now go to for girl advice? Nonetheless, happy and proud.

Then comes the fast and intense sequence of having my first big break. I did it in such a fast and intense manner because, that’s how that week felt for me. This was the first big moment in pursuing photography that really had me thinking, “Holy shit, this is actually fucking happening. My dreams are really coming true. I want to do this for the rest of my life.”

The truth is, this was SUCH an exhausting week for me. From waking up at 7 and working and socializing until 10pm every day for a week straight, I was absolutely drained by the second day, and I loved every single second of it. I didn’t care how exhausted or tired I was, I was doing what I loved, and what made me happy.

To my first rave, it was a pretty incredible experience being able to shoot this. While I don’t personally like EDM myself, there’s nothing I want to do more than to support other artists, especially of Asian descent. Yetep was such a cool guy, but I learned real quick that this wasn’t what I want to be shooting. I had an extremely TERRIBLE experience with their management and I ended up ghosting their management and never released footage to them. 

Moral of the experience: Don’t fucking undervalue artists. My job is to make sure you look good. I know my worth, don’t you dare fucking offer me $50 as compensation.

Now while this wasn’t the first wedding I covered, it was the first wedding I filmed. Now I charged really really low for this, but it wasn’t about the money. This was more about documenting a special day in an amazing friend’s life. Vivian has been such an amazing friend to me, since day one, and although we are not nearly as close as we used to be back in high school, life has simply just taken us in different directions. She is without a doubt the kindest soul I know. Despite us not being super close, she was one of the few that was more than ready to be there for me after Danny’s passing. She made sure I was okay. She reassured me that even though she was married and has a family now, that her and Cuong would always be there for me, and that meant the absolute world. Thank you so much, Vivian. I have so much love for you.

A short segment of my day trip with Harold to Chicago, I kept it short just as how the trip was short. This was my second time being in Chicago but I went because Harold really wanted to just experience the city (plus flights were SUPER cheap), but all in all, an amazing time. :)

Now this is definitely out of order chronologically, but I placed this sequence specifically together because of the lyrical content. 

I’m caught up in the center of your whirlwind, your world within has got it’s hold on me.

This would be my most accurate representation of how I felt about her. While she doesn’t want me in her life anymore, and she hates my soul because of how things seemed, rather than what actually happened, I was still just so attached to her. She was the one I always saw as my queen, the person I wanted by my side no matter what. And I specifically placed the flickering lightbulb as a double entendre:

During May when I was in town for her birthday, I accidentally overslept AND had scheduled a photoshoot with my big on the same day as her birthday, and she understandably she was upset about it, and I don’t blame her. This was the moment that I began to question if I wanted to seriously continue pursuing photography, because I wanted to give more of my time to her. Because she seriously meant more to me, than photography. I loved her more than I loved doing what I love.

The second meaning was that while I was in Houston doing what I loved, while my family at home was falling apart. And the solid light, slowly beginning to flicker, is the representation of my mental health and stability. This is where I began to fall apart.

March 15th, 2019 - Note: Okay so I took another month break from finishing this explanation, a lot of things have been happening lately and it’s crazy that I began writing this almost 6 weeks ago. Whoops.

Now after the ending of the last scene, this next sequence is both a play on the lyrics, “So hold me hand in hand, you’re in orbit.” I made sure to include clips of my close friends, as well as symbolic references of friendship and peace.

This immediately opens into a dramatic skyline reveal shot to sync with the music. And fun fact, this shot, as well as the UTA campus shot, was my first time ever practicing a real timelapse. The skyline was actually in Houston when I was there for the Miss Texas USA competition. 

Now notice, the timelapse began with the sky being still relatively bright, as the clouds swoosh into darkness. Another representation of how my mental health felt during the latter half of next year. I have never told anyone this, except for my therapist. 

Then begins the next shot of UTA’s sign. this really symbolizes me going back to school. The beginning of last year I wasn’t even school because of my GPA, and going back was an eye-opening experience for me. And as it was eye-opening, this scene literally reveals the next shot of Miss Oklahoma USA. Now I chose this shot not because of who she is, but of the overall tone and colors of these shots. The high energy of this song matched with the bright and smiling clips of Triana. And also, I was only given like a 3 day heads up that I would be filming her and I was definitely freaking out.

The intense energy of this song carries over to this next sequence. Now once again, this part is slightly out of chronological order, however, not by much.

This is the behind the scenes of when we put together this photo booth. Now Paul and I have been talking about this photo-booth since the summer of 2017, and we finally began making enough money to really put this idea together. Towards the end of November we got together and started talking about the finances of this. We ordered all the necessary parts and we planned out when we would be building this. December 6th was the day we agreed on. December 4th was when Danny took his life. December 5th was the day that I found out. I couldn’t say no to Paul because we already planned it out. Now I was grieving hard during this day. I started filming because it was the only way that I could distract myself and because this would be an entire vlog in of itself. This was the process of us building this photobooth and a clip of our first clients. 

Now I haven’t done any work to promote it since then or even put the images up on my website, but I really do need to. This is also a reminder to myself to redo my website again, after I’m done with Crab Station’s.

Now this next segment was a random collection of several things: My Saturday shoot with Paris Raegan 4 Year Anniversary with Gammas Oklahoma trip with 1st Retreat Paul and Deanna surprising me with my own bed Last minute Lac Tran Uji hangout for my little bro Azhaan’s last night in America Cars from shooting with KLD and Izabella Roig Filming Miss Oklahoma USA BTS from my first photobooth client And my second catalog shoot with Vienna Another reminder to myself of some of the adventures that I had last year that definitely made me want to pursue my craft.

As the music rises, I did this next sequence with 2 time-lapses that were done in a reveal fashion to reveal Chelsea Morgansen, and another to reveal Izabella Roig, followed by Victoria Hinojosa and Ayssa Nicole.

This opens up to something a lot more personal... First it goes INTO a clip of barely lit coal, followed by a stack of very lit coal and then my pledge bro La tending to the flames. I wanted this to represent where I felt I was at with my photography earlier last year, followed by me focusing on my craft. 

Then followed my clip of Kevin throwing that dart onto the dart board. Now this was my first time playing with darts, and it was oddly symbolic. With darts, you kinda just throw and hope that it lands on the board, with a point system based off of where you land. And honestly... That’s literally been my social media / photography strategy. Doing different concepts and honestly seeing what performs well.

This is followed by the sign of “Nothing Lasts Forever..” and then a clip of Kamille and I singing All My Life immediately followed by a very abrupt glitch. Obviously, this was done very intentionally. This was the only thing in this video that I didn’t want to put in chronological order for the public to see.

I used this specific clip of us for 2 reasons: We were singing the song that we both loved while we were strictly friends, it was the song we constantly listened to when we were dating. And every time that we made a playlist for the other person, this was always the very first song on the playlist. And second, this was the last time we ever saw each other. After we had broken up, her first time in Dallas, her first and only time meeting my mom in person, this was pretty much the last good time that we had saw each other. 

The very abrupt glitch into the black was well... It cannot get any more obvious than that. Our relationship ended very abruptly, first it was over the assumption that I cheated. But this was also the time that I was going through a LOT in my own personal life that I didn’t want to put publicly. 

During this time, the weekend right before school started, I was in Houston filming Aleyah, and during that exact same time, my family was literally falling apart. My aunt sent me photos of all of my mother’s and I’s belongings strung out all over my lawn. Photos of my mom still in her pajamas struggling in the hot sun to pick up our stuff. The weekend that I came back home, I was literally homeless. There was no longer a place that I could call “home.” No where for me to shower, to brush my teeth, to microwave food. Ever since I was 5, being homeless is literally my biggest fear as a person. And for a weekend, my biggest fears came true. At 23 years old, I was homeless. Yes, I had a job, yes I have a career, yes I’m in school, yes I’m taking care of my mom, and yet, I had no home. 

Struggles like this was a huge part in why it was difficult for Kamille and I to see eye to eye. She had an entirely different upbringing while I literally grew up struggling. I’ve never known what it was like to live “comfortably” until somewhat recently. We had been discussing breaking up at the time, because I could not handle all of that on my plate. I was dealing with going back to school, while maintaining my professional and personal career, paying bills to help my family, as well as replacing furniture for my mom, getting new beds for both of us because neither of us had a bed. I know that there’s a lot of stigma on social media regarding “broke” guys, but it wasn’t something that I could help. From 2016-2018, I would be working two jobs at once while still trying to maintain academics, family, and my own grind. I fucking struggled. And a good portion of my life thus far really IS about the struggle. 

On what would have been our 1 Year anniversary, I told Kamille that I was not in a good mental health due to everything that had been going on, and that I had been seeking therapy for quite some time up to this point, and that I wanted to work on my mental health to therefore be a better me. 

April 16th, 2019 - OKAY ITS BEEN ANOTHER MONTH AND I MEANT TO FINISH THIS WITHIN THE WEEK THAT I STARTED BUT YO IM NEVER DOING ANOTHER VIDEO BREAK DOWN EVER AGAIN.

Most of the video content during this part was another collection of video footage from my professional shoots, hanging out with friends, Paul’s graduation, and seeing An perform live for the first time.

This was a pretty good representation of how my year ended. Being there for my best friend’s graduation, Paul and Deanna showing up at my house unexpectedly to surprise me with an entirely brand new bed set. Living without a bed definitely humbled me, and having my friends show up to surprise me really made everything that I was going through, seem okay. 

On December 29th, 2018; I witnessed one of my dear high school friend’s funeral. I watched as they lowered his body. Danny, I still haven’t gotten over your death. And to be truthful with you, handling your death with the mix of losing Kamille, dropping the one class that’s keeping me from graduating, dealing with family, and trying to replace all the stuff that my mom and I lost, it was hard, really really hard for my mental health. I miss you, I miss you a lot buddy. When you passed I made a promise to myself that I am going to achieve things with photography. I took you to Colorado with me, your dog tags safe in my car. On your birthday this year, I tripped acid and took you hiking with me in the mountains. And for the first time, I truly felt at peace at the top of the mountains. Now once I got back to our cabin, my trip took a huge southward drive, but that’s a story for another post.

I’m going to make you proud Danny, I promise you.

A Note For Her;

5 months have passed since our break-up and about 4 months since the last time I talked to you. For a really long time, I was angry, really really angry. And I rarely ever get angry. I was angry about a lot of things. For a while, I thought I was angry at you. but my therapist told me that I was angry at myself. And I was. I know that you simply do not care anymore, and a lot of the truth was and still held from you. I have spent a LOT of money on therapy as well as many areas through that. From a hypnotherapy session, I was able to recall that night and to relive through it, just to find out what I already knew; I never cheated on you. I’ve told my uji about this and David said that it was my fault that we broke up. It was my fault that I didn’t believe in myself enough to fight for you, and further, I lost you because I didn’t fight hard enough for you. And you know what, he’s right. 

I should have believed in myself more. I knew that I didn’t cheat, but because I was intoxicated, I didn’t know if that was the most reliable source of information. But that’s history now, you don’t care about that, none of this information is going to change your mind about how you feel about me. Furthermore, you have already gone and cut off all ties with me. And I don’t blame you for any of it. For a lot of the things that you did post-breakup I really wanted to at least tell you the truth and my side of the story, but I knew that it would be a wasted effort, and that you wouldn’t care to find out the truth. But it’s okay. You were a really, really huge part in my life, significantly from 2016-2018. At the end of 2018, I didn’t just lose you as a girlfriend, but I lost you as a friend. And to be quite honest, the latter hurt indefinitely much more than losing the relationship. Our relationship and the ending of it, was my first ever true heartbreak.

When you told me about Anh, the first thing you ever said was, “he has money.” That was the biggest thing that hurt me. I know that I didn’t have much money during our relationship, but it was a part of how I grew up. I spent the majority of the money that I had and made, on you. Money was the biggest problem to me growing up, and it truly, truly sucks that that is a factor of why you would talk to somebody. But it’s okay, it’s your choice to make. I see that you’re happy whenever you occasionally pop up on my timeline and I truly am happy for you. I hope that he makes you grow, a lot. I hope that you are able to mature very well. I hope that your family is okay, I hope that your Lola is well taken care of. I hope that you become a good role model for Kristian. I hope that you reach your goals.

There’s a LOT of things that I can say that I learned about our relationship from therapy and how in a lot of ways it was extremely toxic, but I’m not here to place any blame or point any fingers at anyone.

During a lot of moments in our relationship, we would joke about you being the love of my life. And truthfully, I wasn’t lying. I am grateful to have met you, to have been in your life, and to have had you in mine. I am grateful for the chance and opportunity to get to know you better than anyone else could. We grew a significant amount from our time together, and I truly did need space and time to work on my mental health as well as personal and family problems. Thank you so much for everything that you have done for me. Thank you for listening to my problems, thank you for providing feedback, thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for helping me grow.

I am sorry for all of the areas where I fell short, Until the next time our paths cross; Randy Vu.

A Note to Future Randy A mix of End-2018 Thoughts and April 2019 Thoughts;

Your life has significantly changed in a matter of just 1 month (December 2018 -January 2019). I don’t know where I’ll be at 1 year down the line, nor wil I know where I’ll be at in 5 years. I hope that I am still chasing my dreams, and to not let failure stop me. At the end of 23, I went from “will I have enough money to feed my family?” To “Yeah just put whatever bills you need to be paid on my desk mom, I’ll pay them whenever I get the chance.”

Your life changed quite literally overnight. Remember how proud you felt to be able to provide for your family. Remember how proud you felt that you were chasing your dreams and making that shit happen. Because you’re going to need that energy when you move to LA. At this point in the year, you have a little over 7 months to save for your big move. Learn as MUCH as you can about photography. Network as much as you can. And remember 2 things; Regardless of whatever happens to you, never lose your humanity; and to never give up on your dreams. You’ve been turning your dreams into reality for as long as you can remember. Never stop.