#this is at my favourite river near my home-village

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

This story, for which there are seven parts, is dedicated to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. It was not written because of that, but a water-based natural disaster is part of the plot. It does not focus on it, but is a story of hope. The text of section one is under the cut. I hope to post all sections before the end of the Inklings Challenge. Despite this being my third year, this is the first I've actually posted anything other than snippets, so I hope I'm doing this right. I haven't yet written more than this, but I do have an outline for the other six parts, so hopefully that will work. @inklings-challenge

One: Admonish the Sinner

First of all it must be understood that every world is connected, as every village is. Some are just further away.

This is not a story of Earth; this is a story of a world nobody bothered to name, in a village nobody called anything other than the village. But that does not make it any less beloved—by people or by God. Sometime, a long time before this story is set, someone from Earth came to this nameless world and gave them the greatest gift of all, truth: but that is another tale entirely.

The night sky of this world is strikingly different from ours. Most prominently, two moons watch the world below, and every forty-seven years or so, flooding hits the island. They call it Big Tide, for it is the pull of the two moons combined that does this. It is regular enough, and has enough warning signs, that everyone should be perfectly ready for it.

As is common in humans (and these are humans like us, though the world is different), not everyone believes the evidence laid out in the world.

This is a story of Big Tide, specifically the one of the year three thousand, two hundred and twenty by their reckoning. This is a story of Paula McArthur.

%%%%%%%

The wattles were flowering, and it was Paula’s favourite time of year. There were several different wattles, but this was the deep gold ones she loved the best, the ones she gathered by the armful and adorned her home with. Now she only held a single sprig and enjoyed it to the full. It was too close to Big Tide to unnecessarily damage the wattle trees; they could be badly damaged by the rushing waters, and might need everything they had to survive. But one twig wasn’t going to hurt it.

The sky was a clear pale blue shot with fine clouds, a mass of them shining near the horizon with the sun gentle on them. Paula raised her face to the sunlight and closed her eyes, smiling. It was spring, and she never felt more alive than in springtime. 

She had been working all morning to prepare for Big Tide, largely transport. Her hands were tired of the precise positions needed to be held in order to hover exactly enough to transfer items in mid-air between hoverboards rather than landing to do it, which would waste time. Tide waited on no man, but Paula was skilled enough to know when she could be sloppy about hoverboarding, and enjoyed hoverboarding in a more slapdash manner than most people she knew. She had graduated earlier than most of her classmates from a controller to haptics. Tomorrow, though, she might use the controller again to make sure she was fresh enough to hover efficiently overnight during Big Tide itself. 

Presently she took out her lunch, and ate it while walking. In the distance a kookaburra laughed; Paula came to an abrupt halt as a green-blue iridescent flash clued her into the presence of a river dragon nearby. It turned and looked at her, bright blue eyes wise and calm. After a moment of silence and mutual respect, the dragon moved properly into her view and arched its sinuous back, raising its crest. Paula lifted her chin and brushed back the dark fringe to look more intimidating. The only sign the dragon gave of seeing any change was to raise its scales in a largely vain attempt to inflate its size. Abruptly it put down its scales and ran in a blaze of colour, uttering a high keening cry that faded as it retreated.

Paula turned to see who had disturbed her, smiling as she recognised the intruder. “What brings you here, Martha?”

Her friend grinned in response, lighting up her tanned sombre face. “You, actually. I came in search of you.”

Paula half gestured to herself, merrily. “Why trouble yourself?”

Martha grew serious at once. “I care about you. Aren't I allowed to?”

“Certainly, as I do.” 

Martha smiled a little incredulously. “Anyway, surely it's time to go back now?”

Paula raised a single eyebrow, then tilted her head back and assessed the position of the sun. “I guess. Why did you come to find me, Mar?”

“Oh, you know, I hardly see you now.” Her manner was evasive, which baffled Paula. “You're always out walking.”

“It's spring.” Paula waved the sprig of wattle at her. “The best time of the year. What's your favourite season?”

“Winter,” said Martha definitively. “Cold and empty and bleak.”

“Why do you like it that way?” she asked in surprise. Last time they'd talked about the seasons, she thought Martha had waxed poetic about the dying fire of autumn. 

“It's silent,” was Martha's quiet response. “Nobody bothers you.”

Paula paused to assess the time, decided they had to go back and led the way; Martha trailed her. “I thought you liked people.”

There was a short silence. “People don't tend to like me.”

“That's nonsense,” she responded immediately. Martha smiled, sad and sarcastic. 

“I don't tend to like me.”

Her calmness bothered Paula, and she sped up slightly. “Well, I do. You're fun, conversational and well read.”

“Which is why you disappear alone for hours.” She caught up and shot Paula a sidelong look, as if to say, I know your secrets. Except there were no secrets to know. 

“I like spring. It feels so alive and fresh, like all the past year's mistakes are washed away and there's new growth instead.”

“Very poetic.” Instead of amusement, Martha's tone was sour. She dodged past Paula and trotted quickstep the whole way back.

%%%%%%%

“I don't know what I did wrong,” finished Paula, twisting her hands nervously. “She got mad and I don't know why.”

Her mother glanced hurriedly across to check the next load wasn't ready, then turned to Paula again. “When people aren't happy it can be a temptation to take it out on others, especially those who are.”

“She said she was worried, and then she just changed and didn't want to talk to me.”

“Rebecca!” The shout made her mother focus on her own work; Paula moved her hoverboard closer to her father so he could load it up. This one was three bags of flour, heavy on the back and requiring stabilisation, which Paula remained still for while her father adjusted the controls. When it was done, he gave her a thumbs up and she gestured with her gloves, rising away from the site and on the journey to higher ground. It wasn't as easy to handle the unbalanced board; she would have done a lot more, and easier, with a transport hoverboard rather than the jury-rigged family board, but it was more economical and the decree had been that fuel, not time, was of the essence, since they'd planned well in advance. Indeed, today being the day before Big Tide, they had expected to have no more transport to do apart from the people, but someone had been digging too enthusiastically in their garden and cracked an underground storage container, so all of that had to be moved. 

She was most of the way there, wind in her face, when a fast personal hoverboard raced up beside her, village elder crouched to stave off the wind. He matched her speed, then unwound and said, “I'll take over from here. Take my board and go back—we need you to persuade people to go.”

“What?” She was already moving, assessing how to swap boards without any risk of either of them tumbling into the trees below while stepping across. “Why?”

He grimaced. “Turns out there are people who haven't prepared and don't want elders coming to help. Your dad suggested you could try and help instead.”

She started to shuck the gloves, then changed her mind and pressed buttons, keying them to the elder's hoverboard instead. As ownership switched, both boards lurched violently, and Paula barely held her position. The elder was wearing magnetic boots and so didn't run the risk of falling. Once she had stabilised it, she said, “So where do I start?”

“Ask your dad when you get back.” His expression was calm and focused as he adjusted the settings to accommodate for his weight. “For now, just get going. Time is of the essence. Big Tide waits for no man.”

[starisshooting]

I haven’t really introduce my favourite oc, Ki-Ku! So, here she is! My first oc to be in fact!

Lore is sent down here! ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

Tw: Mature languages, and very long.

Ki-Ku Lore!

Prepare to read a lot…

Okay so

Ki-Ku is a nogitsune. It’s an opposite type of what a Kitsune should be.

A nogitsune is where it’s the evil version of a kitsune as it brings bad fortune and reeks havoc🔥🔥🔥

For Ki-Ku’s situation..

Ki-Ku’s mother was an ordinary Japan citizen, Ki-Ku was born on japan, but her father is unknown or nowhere to be found. He vanished off one night with no trace after 5 months before Ki-Ku was born

Ki-Ku’s mother ( Mei-Szu )

Mei-Szu had no troubles during the pregnancy at all, even though she wasn’t rich, she worked hard by selling chopped wood and coal, woven baskets. Which comes by just enough for her and the up coming child.

# This takes place during the 1600’s

Mei-Szu thought, nothing would go wrong during her pregnancy since, she’s doing fine so far. But on the night where she went into labour, she was cursed on that very night. Corrupting, not the mother. But on the newborn child who’s about to be born under the month of April, 4 1604

(4 is an unlucky number in japan too!!)

As the child was finally brought into the world, the maiden who helped Mei-Szu delivering her child went white. She wrapped up the child, gave her to the mother and said her goodbyes. And quickly left Mei-Szu’s home.

Mei-Szu haven’t got a chance to see her child properly. But as she slowly unwrapped her newborn child’s cloth.

Mei-Szu knew she was already cursed with an evil yokai.

Her newborn’s child doesn’t look like human at all.. Not fully human, she has no ears like a human has, she has a body part a human shouldn’t have.

Mei-Szu was un-sure but scared that if she should leave her child somewhere near the river. Or at someone else’s doorstep.

She had long for a child, but she didn’t expect her child would be a ***monster***.

The child was.. Quiet, her hair fully black along with fox-ear like. Mei-Szu made her final decision before the child held a tight grip of her mother’s finger.

Mei-Szu couldn’t, she doesn’t have the heart to. So her final decision was, she’ll raise this child on her own.

Mei-Szu named her child Ki-Ku

Ki means spirit, Ku means trouble

Ki-Ku info:

About ki-ku!!

She’s a nogitsune, she’s deathly afraid of dogs.

She has an addiction with almond tofu. She was born without any pupils or irises!!

She has currently 9 tails, and she has abilities too!! (Lord, sorry)

Her abilities are, whenever her power or energy is diminished. She goes to find a target, mostly male. She flirts with the male, mates with him. As she mates with him, the male will slowly die as she “slowly” sucks the life energy out of him while “mating”. 🤷‍♀️

And, every target she kills. She has the ability to take their form. Or poses their carcass.

I added a tincy, little bit to her ability.

I have a whole another lore about where mythical creatures were born in (where her father lives and he is alive!!)

But we’ll get to that later. But she also has the ability to jump into one dimension, to another due to her father’s side

# Ahem a bit continuation…

As ki-ku turned 9. She’s supposed to wear a cloak or a blanket to cover her ears and tails. In order to not be killed by the villagers or be hunted down but royalty.

During evening, Ki-Ku tried sneaking out of her house for the first time in her life without her mother’s guidance.

Ki-Ku saw a group of royal soldiers, she tried her best to not be seen but one quickly snatched the moving cloth, and unveil Ki-Ku.

The villagers gasped, and the royal soldiers too. They all went furious and start calling Ki-Ku a monster. Threw stones and pebbles at her. Sticks and hot burning coal.

Until he mother came out to rescue her, the villagers pointed her out as a witch.

They pried Mei-Szu away from her daughter, beaten her up as she was tied unto a log as Ki-Ku fled.

Ki-Ku was.. confused, she was always a obedient child, but felt no remorse or action as she was being discriminated on people. She can only enjoy their anger as she feeds off negativity from them, but she wasn’t aware. Then she remembered her mother.

Ki-Ku snuck into the village crowd with her cloth again… And the scene as she saw in the middle from the crowd was.. Unspoken for.

Her own mother, being burnt into a crisp, stones and nails were on her body as her burning body rot on a log.

Ki-Ku couldn’t help but admire her mother’s beauty as when she was alive. But, on that stake, she still thought her mother was still beautiful with flames as tears ran down her eyes.

[tctteredwings]

if you’re hearing VOGUE by MADONNA playing, you have to know NATHAN YOUNG (HE/HIM; CIS MAN) is near by! the FORTY-ONE year old PHOTOGRAPHER has been in denver for, like, NINE YEARS. they’re known to be quite COCKY, but being FREETHINKING seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble RYAN GOSLING. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those DESK FULL OF EMPTY COFFEE CUPS, A CONSTANTLY BUZZING CELLPHONE, A PLAYFUL SMILE AND A WINK vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the RIVER NORTH ART DISTRICT long enough!

tw: adultery

ABOUT.

Name: Nathan Young Nicknames: Nate Age: Forty-one Date of Birth: 5th November 1981 Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, USA Current Location: Denver, Colorado, USA Occupation: Photographer Romantic/sexual orientation: Biromantic/bisexual

Nathan was born in Greenwich Village to Enid and Marc . They were big in the community, always doing charity work and volunteering. His father even ran for major at one point. He was expected to get involved, too, but he really wasn’t interested.

All he wanted was to take photos, so at 16 he got a part time job at Starbucks and bought all the equipment his parents refused to. The rest was history as they say.

Eventually drifted away from his parents, the relationship with his younger sisters also suffering as a result.

In his senior year he came out as bisexual and dated a guy from the hockey team for a little over six months, up until college pulled them apart anyway.

The New York Film Academy was his chosen college. He briefly dabbled in movies, but in the end decided to stick with photography, landing an internship at a major fashion magazine shadowing one of the photographers as soon as he graduated.

He worked his way up the ladder, starting with fetching coffee, basically doing everybody else's shit. It took a couple of years, but in the end he got where he wanted, finding himself being headhunted for Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair.

At 24 he met his soon to be wife on a shoot, she was pretty new, majorly awkward and he fell for her in a big way.

It was proper whirlwind romance, in the space of a year and a half they were married and had a child. Within a couple more years their family of three became four... and then there was the dogs, too. Three of them in total. Fluffy Pomeranian's his wife was obsessed with. They set up home in the Upper East Side and could haven’t have been happier.

Up until Nathan cheated on her anyway.

Flirty in nature he was always chatting people up, just a way to get people to ‘fall in love with him’ for the benefit of the camera, but six years after he first got married, things went a little too far.

He confessed straight away and within a year they were divorced, his wife granted full custody of the children.

Deciding on a fresh start, he up and moved to Denver, setting up his own studio in the city a year later.

His daughters are Lyndsey ( 16 ) and Jessica ( 14 ), who he sees during the holidays for the most part now, the pair coming to stay in Denver with him ever since.

He’s still a flirt, something that will never change, but he’s failing pretty dramatically at getting back on the dating scene. His job is his life now, though, and a lot of his time is dedicated to that and spending time in his studio.

TIMELINE.

1984: Manhattan, New York 2005: Manhattan/Los Angeles 2014: Denver, CO

HEADCANONS.

Despite his protests in the debate over whether to get a dog or not with his ex-wife, he’s found he’s actually quite fond of them now. After spending six years having miniature breeds yapping at his heels, he chose to adopt a Doberman within a couple of months of moving to Denver.

Nathan is a keen reader and considers himself a bookworm. It’s a little known fact about him, but he adores the classics, and his favourite book is War and Peace. One day he hopes to write something himself, although knows it will probably only end up being a photography book or a pictorial of his years taking photos.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

- two younger sisters; their relationship was strained when they were younger, but I imagine it’s something that’s improved over the years. - ex-wife;  they were together around 7 & a half years. a proper whirlwind romance that ended in disaster. - ‘the fling’; the person he cheated on his wife with. it would have been in la in 2013 with someone who works/worked in the arts industry. ( I’ve always head-canoned that they were male, but it’s not set in stone. ) - exes pre-2008; anyone he dated in nyc (possibly la for v.short term things too) before meeting his wife at 24. - failed dates since arriving in denver; he’s been on numerous & they’ve mostly been a disaster. - one night stands; before & after the wife. - people he’s photographed; either for a magazine in the past or since setting up his studio in the city. - jogging buddies; he jogs every day, so I imagine there’s a couple of people he chooses to go with. - good friends; those he’s close to and spends most of his time with. - confidant/closest friend; someone he can talk to about anything and always come to when there’s a problem. - fellow book nerds; he’s big on reading, so just people he can enthuse about literature with. - bar buddies; those he frequents the bars with.

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 20 - Castrojeriz to Boadilla

It was a 12 mile day again today, with full packs.

We had a restless night. Or rather I did and kept Jane awake. Apart from it being extremely hot in the room we were both worried about one of stops on the way to Leon where we hadn’t found anywhere to stay.

We had breakfast in the hostel as it was about 7 miles to the first stop. When you arrive at a hostel the first thing you need to do is take off your outdoor shoes. For this hostel we placed them in an outdoor shed, and unfortunately mine got a bit wet after last night’s rain. This meant I started the day in my walking sandals rocking the socks and sandals look.

Anyway, it was a cool morning and the cloud was low. As we walked through the village there were still piles of hail stones in the village square.

Then we walked into the fog that kept us company until we climbed up a steep hill out of the valley. Before we got to the hill we passed a beautiful river setting with some strange calls which Jane was sure was an otter. I tried to get some video but more people turned up and the noise stopped.

The climb up the hill was a bit unexpected. We had been getting used to gentle climbs but this one reminded us of home.

Once we got to the top the view back over the top of the clouds was spectacular.

We were then on a plain for a while before starting a descent to our mid morning coffee stop. The view before we descended was amazing. Many people apparently skip the Meseta as they think it’s boring, but I think it’s the favourite part of the trip so far.

We made our way to Itero De la Vega for our coffee, and it was great coffee. We also picked up some filled baguettes for lunch. While we were there Janet (one of the Texans), mentioned a place they sent a WhatsApp to for the stop we were struggling with, and hey presto, they had space for us too so we’ll sleep better tonight.

We carried on and stopped for lunch under the trees on a small hill, then it was just a couple of miles onwards to our ‘hostel’.

Our ‘hostel’ is fab. It’s a hotel really but I think most of the residents are pilgrims. The guy on reception was brilliant, we came in with Colm from Galway and I think the receptionist took pity on us so we’re not in the dorm annex but in the main building on the top floor in a room full of single beds. However it’s much more up market than the room of single beds we were in last time, and we are near an opening velux that looks out on the church with the storks making nests on the roof.

After showering we took our laundry down to reception. For 3 euros they put it through a wash, but only a very short one we think as whilst my shirt is no longer smelly, it is definitely not properly clean. I think Jane must have taken the receptionist’s eye as he dried hers but mine had to go on the line.

The Pilgrim meal had the largest number of people we’ve seen sat down. We had the choice of two soups, then fish, chicken or beef stew followed by an ice cream, all washed down with water and red wine, for a reasonable 13 euros.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day and we’re sending our bags on ahead. So we’re now just about packed up and ready to settle down.

[chandajaan]

Cute story:

So my mother was best friends with this guy from her village, they were super close and attached at the hip. Everyone thought they will end up together, but they were platonic af.

My maternal grandpa made a set of pearl studs for my mother and she was wearing them and walking home during a stormy night when they fell off in the mud near the river. She was obviously very sad. But the next day, guess who found the earrings? The guy's mom. And she said "let's give this to your future bride when you get married."

Years later, he fell in love with and married my mother's younger sister. He gifted her the studs and she was like "This is my sister's!!! Where did you find it???" And they finally put two and two together. Even to this day they are my favourite uncle and aunt and my mother and he are still buddies. They are real life Jo, Laurie and Amy except he was never in love with my mom lol.

You know me so well to pick this family story because omg I love it soo much, that's so amazing 😭 childhood friendships and sentimental jewellery, how great is it that you get to be in-laws with your bestie! This is so sweet 💗

[curse-breaker-bill]

Dust rained down upon Bill for what felt like the twentieth time that day. Even when the handkerchief covering his mouth and nose, he felt like a pound of dirt had settled into his lungs. Shaking the grit from his hair and trying to find a clean spot on his shirt to wipe his eyes, Bill sat back on the ground and studied the impenetrable wall of earth before him that was preventing him from entering the room that held what would be his latest acquisition. Whoever had set up the hexes around this tomb had been very, very clever.  They had buried the door behind the dirt wall, and hexed it so that no matter how you went about it, you could never break through more than a few inches before a massive cloud of dust appeared and practically smothered you.

Bill Weasley was never the type to give up, but after a week of choking on dust, he was nearly ready to call it quits. His employer had already been nagging him about how long it was taking to get this job done, and he loathed having to report in after another failed day that they were no closer to acquiring the treasure than they had been when they started this expedition. Still, he exhausted and he needed to consult a few texts before having another crack at the wall. A shower wouldn't hurt, either.

Leaving the tomb, Bill apparated to his employer's office in the Cairo branch of Gringotts, dust falling from nearly ever part of him and leaving a small pile of sand on Grinrig's pristine Persian manticore rug. His usual grimace deepened at the sight, his gruff voice cutting across Bill before he could even speak.

"Don't tell me, you've wasted another day."

"Whoever put up the curses knew what they were doing," Bill said by way of explanation, knowing that no answer would appease the goblin.

"I don't need to remind you that you will not be paid until I receive the item, Weasley." Grinrig paused for a moment, eyeing the wizard with disdain. "Should I look for someone more qualified?"

"No, sir," Bill answered readily. "I promise, I can retrieve the item. I just need a few more days."

"Two." Grinrig replied evenly. "You have two days, then you're fired. Get out."

Bill felt grateful for even the smallest extension and nodded his head, sending another shower of dirt and sand onto the rug. "Thank you, sir."

Before Grinrig could grimace again about the added mess, Bill apparated to the small village that had become home to him in Egypt.  Karihsmak was home to a predominantly Egyptian collective of witches and wizards.  Much like Hogsmeade in Scotland, there were shops, and taverns, and affordable living. Lying near the banks of the Nile River, the desert gave way to green-space here, providing a small oasis in the otherwise harsh climate.

Making his way to his favourite tavern, Bill cast a quick cleansing charm on himself to remove most of the dirt from his hair and clothes. He knew his face would still be streaked, but lately that was nothing new. As he entered, he spied a man at a table near an open window, an orange tabby seated on the table top pawing at a saucer the man was pouring milk into. Bill laughed and shook his head as he approached. 

"Still feeding that bloody cat, Seb?"

The young Egyptian wizard smirked but didn't look up as the cat began to lap at the milk. "All creatures deserve charity, my friend."

"Says the wizard who makes a living by swindling Muggles." Bill smirked as he slid into the chair opposite the other man.

At this Seb did look up, holding up a finger as he countered, "Muggles believe only what their eyes and minds allow." 

Seb, a parseltongue, billed himself as a snake charmer to unsuspecting Muggle tourists, knowing they wouldn't understand the magic that was taking place between the snakes in Seb's employ and Seb. It always worked out well for Seb and the snakes--Muggles would practically throw money at him to see him kiss a cobra, and the snakes were always well fed and well cared for.  

"Besides, Muggles who can afford the luxury of going on holiday hardly need the charity, do they?"

"Fair point," Bill conceded, motioning to the tavern keeper to bring them a round.  

"I take it you still haven't broken the curse?"

"What gave it away?" Bill deadpanned, sitting back and watching the cat drink. "I really think Grinrig's on the verge of sacking me this time."

"He won't. You're the best curse-breaker there is, and he knows it. Goblins are just...impatient." 

"I've got two days to figure this one out, Seb. Two days!! This is the Cursed Vaults all over again, except this time I'm not facing expulsion from Hogwarts and Professor McGongall's wrath... I'm facing being fired...or worse."

Seb was laughing at the English wizard with open amusement. "You will break the curse. Of this, I am certain."

"Yeah, wish I had your confidence." Bill picked up the shot glass brimming with Firewhiskey and tossed it back quickly. "You still on for going to the match this weekend? If I'm not sacked and selling my possessions by then, that is."

"Egypt against England," Seb grinned. "You think I would miss seeing your team getting crushed again?"

"Again? Pft." Bill argued, picking dirt from under his nails as a distraction. "England can't possibly lose as badly as they did last time."

Seb roared with laughter, making the cat jump beside him, and the wizard pet her to sooth her.  "Admit it, Bill. England doesn't stand a chance against our players."

Downing a second shot of Firewhiskey to avoid having to make that confession, Bill wiped his mouth on the back of his dirty hand, merely smearing more dirt across his face. "I best get to the flat and see if I can figure out a counter-curse against that bloody wall." He rose and scratched the cat behind the ears. "You mind if I borrow your owl? I think I might see if I can get a second opinion from someone." 

"About the curse or about your Quidditch team?" Seb teased with a smirk, then nodded. 

Bill clapped him on the shoulder. "See you back at the flat, then."

Leaving enough sickles on the table to cover the tab for the two shots, Bill headed off and made his way to his and Seb's shared flat, making a mental list of everything he needed to do. First, the shower. Second, he would write to an old professor he'd kept in touch with and inquire about spells that he, perhaps, had yet to consider. Third, he would pour through his texts to try and find the answer. 

The only thing Bill knew for certain at this moment in his life was that if England didn't win the match against Egypt this weekend, he was giving up all hope on ever hearing the end of it from Seb.

[azimuth-only-one-ill-follow]

You Questioned Our Determination

Ri sighed softly and stretched, turning himself over onto his belly and pillowing his head in his arms. Davan chuckled lightly and tucked a blanket around the slighter man in an attempt to keep him warm. Ri huffed and wriggled, working the blanket down to around his hips. He was still quite warm from their very enthusiastic and athletic romp, and for now, the blanket was more suffocating than comforting.

Davan fell silent then, and Ri made a curious noise. It wasn’t like Davan, who was more like his old self in these calm moments. Moments where he didn’t feel the weight of his choices and the prices they took. Moments he could still muster his youthful enthusiasm and exuberance. Moments where they were both too tired and too happy to remember that life had already happened to them, and that the future was no longer infinite.

It wasn’t that Exile’s Rest tied them down, not like their home village had, but it was still a ponderous millstone around Davan’s neck, keeping him firmly anchored in the here-and-now. It was a beloved burden that required careful tending, like a garden too delicate to allow one to travel. Like a sick child, or sheep in wolf country, or a river with beavers. An important and precious blessing that required constant upkeep and commitment.

Cities were not for apathetic dreamers.

Still, these were moments Ri could eke out where Davan would set that burden down. It had near instantly endeared him to Caedecus (so named by the slavers who first discovered his prodigal healing talent and divine favour), who had spent much of the last ten years convinced his liege and dear friend would work himself into an early grave. Caedecus was Ri’s favourite council member for the same reason: no matter how much Davan insisted all of them were his good friends, Caedecus was the only one who seemed to care more about Davan’s physical health than about what he could do for others.

Davan neatly sidetracked that thought by brushing his fingers soothingly over Ri’s back. It was such a nice feeling that it took far longer than it should have to notice Davan was following a pattern. A very clear pattern, now that Ri had noticed it.

Davan’s hand was shaking.

“Azimuth?” Ri questioned, turning slightly so he could see his love. This was likely the sort of conversation he was going to need visual clues to navigate.

Davan ducked down, out of Ri’s line of sight, and pressed a soft kiss to the worst of the raised marks lining his back. He couldn’t help the pleased hum that came from him at that, even though he knew it wasn’t entirely appropriate. 

“What happened?” The rumble of his voice was soft in a way that Ri knew was meant to let him know he didn’t have to answer, but this wasn’t a secret. It had never been a secret.

It had been a counterstrike.

“The amount of malice it takes for six grown men to plot the murder of a boy doesn’t just vanish when the target does.” He replied just as softly, though there was steel underlying his words. He knew this would hurt Davan, but also knew he needed to know anyway. “I was… reminded of why it was a poor choice to defy my father.”

Davan sucked in a sharp breath, then gently placed his forehead against Ri’s back in penitence. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Ri replied, blunt and calm. “When I said I’d never count the cost, I meant this too. I’d have borne far more than just this momentary pain for your safety, Azimuth. My only regrets are what happened to you, not what happened to me.” He flipped himself over, then grabbed Davan’s startled face in his hands. “This was not your doing. All you did was love me, and I will never allow that to be called a mistake.”

Davan brought his own hand up to cup one of Ri’s, then kissed the palm. “I’m still sorry it happened to you. You deserved more than him.”

Ri smirked up at him. “Everyone deserved more than him. He’s a pathetic waste of time and space who made everyone’s life worse for being in it, and I’m delighted that he’s now facing the decline of his physical prowess, the complete annihilation of his power base, the end of his vaunted lineage, and the fact that he knows I did it to him. That your influence alone was enough to turn his bred and raised perfect lackey into the instrument of his destruction. That your kindness was all it took to turn his attack dog back around to him, and that it was his brutality that destroyed his life in the end.”

Davan smiled down at him, hopelessly fond. “You’re so much more than that, Ri. I’ve always known that.”

“I’m more than that because you rescued me from the cage he was keeping me in.” Ri insisted, knowing it was true. “All of the good in me is simply a reflection of you. Without you, I would be nothing but a weapon.”

Davan shook his head fondly, then grew pensive. “I think you are kinder and more merciful than you believe, but I admit it concerns me that your father and his cronies might make more trouble now that you are not there to oppose them. I know you trust Edith to corral them, but six against one is unfair for anyone.”

Ri blinked at him. “What do you mean, six on one? All I left Edith to contend with was one broken old man, his legacy in ruins and his silver tongue tarnished from the exposure of his evil lies. She is more than a match for him, and even if she wasn’t I have burned too many of his bridges for him to rebuild.”

Now it was Davan’s turn to blink in surprise. “What happened to the rest of them?”

Ri shrugged. “I killed them.”

*

Sargent Liura strode into the hall, flanked by High Priest Caedecus and Archmage Idala. “This nonsense ends now.” She hissed out, causing Davan’s shoulders to set stubbornly and Derick to turn his big, blue puppy dog eyes her way. This time she had brought reinforcements, as Idala would back Davan even if he were wrong, and Caedecus was Derick’s most vocal supporter in the city. If these two idiots couldn’t get over themselves enough to have a reasonable discussion about this, then Liura would let Idala and Caedecus argue it in proxy. The last time they had let something fester as badly as this was, it had only ended when Derick had nearly died in battle.

No one was dying today, however. Not unless she killed them out of pure frustration.

She gestured around her, and her two chosen seconds moved to flank the men they were there to defend. Derick eyed the High Priest in wary confusion, while Davan smiled easily at one of his closest friends. Liura drew herself up to her full height, demanding all the attention in the room once again. “We are here,” She intoned solemnly, “To sort out the issue that is currently destabilizing the city. The Lord Protector has been distracted and prickly, and his temperament is mirrored by the city as a whole. It needs resolving.”

Derick nodded, his mouth firming with agreement and understanding. It was Davan, of course, who protested. “Liura, really, I am perfectly capable of managing my emotions and my affairs on my own. You don’t need to keep inserting yourself into them.”

It was Caedecus, surprisingly, who spoke up. He was the most mild mannered and easy going of the council, due to his time as a slave making him terrified of even his own authority. “Davan, please. You don’t eat, or sleep, or even train like you usually do. Headaches aren’t unusual for you, but you’ve had one three out of every four days for a fortnight now. The whole city is on edge as ripples of your ill temper and haggard appearance spread to all corners. It’s so clear to us all that you hate arguing with Derick. Please, won’t you let us help?”

Two pairs of beseeching eyes met his, and Davan’s displeasure collapsed like a snow fort in the spring. “Oh, all right. Let’s get this over with.”

Liura turned towards Derick, deciding easily to start with the compliant one. Davan was much more likely to explain his side if he felt like he was rebutting Derick’s explanation than if he was just asked his defence first. She nodded. He shrugged.

“Davan doesn’t like that I murdered five people in cold blood with no trial. No effort was ever made to bring them to justice in a more reasonable manner, and I’m not sorry I did it.” He asserted, blue eyes blazing. 

She nodded once, then turned to Davan.

“Ri has admitted to choosing violence as his foremost problem solving technique without a concern for due process, fairness, or consequences. That makes him a dangerous liability, especially when he will not accept that this circumvents all the tenets this city is built on, or promise not to do it again and to allow the law to work as it should.” He rebutted decisively, proving once again that when these two argued this badly it was usually because they were arguing about different things at the same time.

She turned back to Derick, who was now looking just as stubborn as Davan. “Why did you never attempt to solve this through the usual means?”

“They were the source of the corruption in our hometown, and between them held the majority of the power in the town. Besides, I didn’t need a trial to know they were guilty. I heard them plotting to lynch Davan with my own ears. It’s why I falsely accused him of impropriety in the first place.” His voice rang clear, and it was obvious he was proud of his actions, not just accepting of them.

“Ri, that’s exactly the problem.” Davan burst in, frustrated and deeply bothered. “My point is that death should never be the default solution, and that you treat it far too casually.” He reached out to his lover, clearly imploring. “I’ve killed people myself. I know. Every death damages your soul in some way. Sometimes…” He hesitated then, and a dark cloud passed over his own expression. “Sometimes in a way that never heals.”

Derick was up in a heartbeat, crossing the room only to gather the renowned Lord Protector of Exile’s Rest up against his chest like he was comforting a child. It was truly something to see. “I don’t know who you killed that left this mark on your mind, Azimuth, but I am sure they deserved it. I trust your judgement. And as for my own killings… Dear One, I have killed exactly nine people. Most of them I can name, and all of them actively intended to kill you. I do not regret their deaths in the slightest, as killing them made things safer for you. I will not promise to stay my hand if you are in danger, but that has so far been the only thing I have killed for.”

Davan was silent at that, but Liura wanted to dig a little deeper into this. Otherwise it would continue to weigh on her friend’s mind.

“When did you decide to kill the first one? And how did you do it?” She asked, leaning slightly forward in her curiosity. 

Derick shrugged. “I didn’t really decide, I just did.” He replied. “I was so very furious with them all for plotting against Davan, and my back was still wrecked, so I snuck out to go down to our hidden spot by the river. Jeremiah followed me, kept trying to feed me the mead he brought, and eventually tried to grope me. I was so disgusted with him I just kicked out his bad knee, grabbed the back of his head, and drowned him. Everyone assumed he got drunk and fell in, even my father. That was when I realized I could get rid of them all in supposed accidents, and the only one that might catch on would be my father. By then, though, I’d already have turned the public opinion tide. It became my purpose in life, as retribution for ever seeking to harm Davan.” He looked down and pulled Davan’s dark head further in, curling about the bigger man in an obviously protective gesture. “I didn’t think he’d ever find out about it, though. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“Ri, I…” Davan began, but Liura had heard enough. While Derick might place Davan’s wellbeing too highly, Davan himself most definitely placed it too lowly.

“What if we remove Davan from the question?” She interrupted. Both men turned to look at her.

“It’s a matter of principle, Liura, changing the details doesn’t fix that.” 

“Why on earth would we do that?” 

They spoke over each other, united in their opinion that the suggestion was a stupid idea.

Liura, however, didn’t care what they thought of her idea. She was going with it anyway. “We remove Davan from the equation. What we’re left with is a traumatized and brutalized adolescent who had saved another youth at great personal cost who was still actively being harmed by the grown adult aggressors. During an attempted rape related to the first attack he defended himself, resulting in the death of the attacker. He then realized that he had the power to prevent them from hurting others, and he used it. Are you really going to stay mad at that child for seeking revenge, Davan? Or at the adult he became for not regretting those deaths? And Derick made a good point as well: His hands are much cleaner than either of ours.”

Davan’s brow creased in contemplation that rapidly shaded to unhappiness as he considered the situation from that point of view. She could almost see the moment he realized he agreed with her.

Derick, on the other hand, immediately and predictably lept to Davan’s defence.. “Don’t you say that about Davan!” He insisted. “His soul is the sort of incandescent that no mortal sin could tarnish. It is definitely brighter than mine.”

“Ri.” Davan whined, burying his face in one hand while the other snuck around to hold his lover close. Liura was sure his ears would be red if she could only see them. “That’s… Entirely incorrect. You have no idea what I’ve done in the years since we were youths. Liura knows that part of me better than you. I’ve killed… many, many more than your nine.”

“You’ve done what you needed to.” Derick insisted, his whole focus back on Davan. “Only what you needed to, with the needs of those around you and the best interests of all involved kept at the forefront of your mind. I know you did, because you could never have done otherwise. Even as a mercenary I know you were never needlessly cruel or gleeful about your skill. You were backed into a corner and did all you could to survive, and to keep those around you alive as well. I need no proof of it, but if you do consider this: Why did you leave the field as soon as you were able? Why found this city? Why fight so hard to give everyone as lost and hurt as you a safe place to heal and grow? When I say mortal sins cannot dull the brilliance of your soul I mean it. This includes the deaths you have dealt.”

“How about we let the Gods worry about their own scales?” Caedecus broke in, beaming at the both of them. “Their ways are not for mortal comprehension, and I feel both of you have no need to worry about that reckoning.” He reached out to lay a gentle hand on Idala’s shoulder, heedless of the sparks the Archmage was throwing out. “Instead, why don’t we head out to the practice field so Idala can let off some of her anger? I would rather not treat anyone for burns if I don’t have to, and now that she’s heard some details about who was targeting Davan when he was young and helpless she’s liable to burn the keep down.”

“An excellent idea.” Liura replied, striding towards the door. “Not you two, though!” She threw back as Davan made a move to stand up. “You stay here and have a moment. I think, after the last few weeks, you need it.”

*

“Azimuth?” Ri eventually questioned, running his hand through Davan’s hair. Even the echoes of the others had faded long before, but the taller man had made no move to react in any way. “Are you well?”

“I… Don’t like that Idala is upset. She doesn’t need to be. I’m fine.” He replied. Ri sighed, knowing this was going to be an ongoing discussion.

“She’s upset for you because she loves you. Like I do, like Caedecus does, like Liura does, like your whole city does. You’re easy to love, and so, so worth it. Even when it makes us sad or angry.” Ri explained, even though he knew Davan wasn’t ready to accept that truth.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.” He insisted, and Ri couldn’t help but drop a sweet kiss on his head.

“I know you don’t, Azimuth, but we will. We gladly will. You deserve to be part of a better world than anything on this mortal plane can offer. We all know that. And we all love you for trying to make the world become that better version. Even if it fails, that vision is worth fighting for. You are worth fighting for. You remind us even on the bad days that things can be better, and you leave them that way in your wake just by touching the lives that you do and changing them for the better. I know you don’t see it as enough, but it’s so much more than anyone else can do.” He kissed him again, then tightened his grip. “Just… let us love you. Even if you can’t accept it for your sake, let us love you for ours. Our lives are so much better for it, even when it hurts.”

[beloveddawn-blog]

You Questioned Our Determination

Ri thinks the quality of the people he kills should speak for itself. Davan, unsurprisingly, feels that true justice should be blind, and that one's personal opinion should not factor into life or death decisions. This is, of course, politely ignored, as Ri would rather chew his own arm off than allow Davan to come to harm, due process be damned.

Part 1

Part 2

Ri sighed softly and stretched, turning himself over onto his belly and pillowing his head in his arms. Davan chuckled lightly and tucked a blanket around the slighter man in an attempt to keep him warm. Ri huffed and wriggled, working the blanket down to around his hips. He was still quite warm from their very enthusiastic and athletic romp, and for now, the blanket was more suffocating than comforting.

Davan fell silent then, and Ri made a curious noise. It wasn’t like Davan, who was more like his old self in these calm moments. Moments where he didn’t feel the weight of his choices and the prices they took. Moments he could still muster his youthful enthusiasm and exuberance. Moments where they were both too tired and too happy to remember that life had already happened to them, and that the future was no longer infinite.

It wasn’t that Exile’s Rest tied them down, not like their home village had, but it was still a ponderous millstone around Davan’s neck, keeping him firmly anchored in the here-and-now. It was a beloved burden that required careful tending, like a garden too delicate to allow one to travel. Like a sick child, or sheep in wolf country, or a river with beavers. An important and precious blessing that required constant upkeep and commitment.

Cities were not for apathetic dreamers.

Still, these were moments Ri could eke out where Davan would set that burden down. It had near instantly endeared him to Caedecus (so named by the slavers who first discovered his prodigal healing talent and divine favour), who had spent much of the last ten years convinced his liege and dear friend would work himself into an early grave. Caedecus was Ri’s favourite council member for the same reason: no matter how much Davan insisted all of them were his good friends, Caedecus was the only one who seemed to care more about Davan’s physical health than about what he could do for others.

Davan neatly sidetracked that thought by brushing his fingers soothingly over Ri’s back. It was such a nice feeling that it took far longer than it should have to notice Davan was following a pattern. A very clear pattern, now that Ri had noticed it.

Davan’s hand was shaking.

“Azimuth?” Ri questioned, turning slightly so he could see his love. This was likely the sort of conversation he was going to need visual clues to navigate.

Davan ducked down, out of Ri’s line of sight, and pressed a soft kiss to the worst of the raised marks lining his back. He couldn’t help the pleased hum that came from him at that, even though he knew it wasn’t entirely appropriate. 

“What happened?” The rumble of his voice was soft in a way that Ri knew was meant to let him know he didn’t have to answer, but this wasn’t a secret. It had never been a secret.

It had been a counterstrike.

“The amount of malice it takes for six grown men to plot the murder of a boy doesn’t just vanish when the target does.” He replied just as softly, though there was steel underlying his words. He knew this would hurt Davan, but also knew he needed to know anyway. “I was… reminded of why it was a poor choice to defy my father.”

Davan sucked in a sharp breath, then gently placed his forehead against Ri’s back in penitence. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Ri replied, blunt and calm. “When I said I’d never count the cost, I meant this too. I’d have borne far more than just this momentary pain for your safety, Azimuth. My only regrets are what happened to you, not what happened to me.” He flipped himself over, then grabbed Davan’s startled face in his hands. “This was not your doing. All you did was love me, and I will never allow that to be called a mistake.”

Davan brought his own hand up to cup one of Ri’s, then kissed the palm. “I’m still sorry it happened to you. You deserved more than him.”

Ri smirked up at him. “Everyone deserved more than him. He’s a pathetic waste of time and space who made everyone’s life worse for being in it, and I’m delighted that he’s now facing the decline of his physical prowess, the complete annihilation of his power base, the end of his vaunted lineage, and the fact that he knows I did it to him. That your influence alone was enough to turn his bred and raised perfect lackey into the instrument of his destruction. That your kindness was all it took to turn his attack dog back around to him, and that it was his brutality that destroyed his life in the end.”

Davan smiled down at him, hopelessly fond. “You’re so much more than that, Ri. I’ve always known that.”

“I’m more than that because you rescued me from the cage he was keeping me in.” Ri insisted, knowing it was true. “All of the good in me is simply a reflection of you. Without you, I would be nothing but a weapon.”

Davan shook his head fondly, then grew pensive. “I think you are kinder and more merciful than you believe, but I admit it concerns me that your father and his cronies might make more trouble now that you are not there to oppose them. I know you trust Edith to corral them, but six against one is unfair for anyone.”

Ri blinked at him. “What do you mean, six on one? All I left Edith to contend with was one broken old man, his legacy in ruins and his silver tongue tarnished from the exposure of his evil lies. She is more than a match for him, and even if she wasn’t I have burned too many of his bridges for him to rebuild.”

Now it was Davan’s turn to blink in surprise. “What happened to the rest of them?”

Ri shrugged. “I killed them.”

*

Sargent Liura strode into the hall, flanked by High Priest Caedecus and Archmage Idala. “This nonsense ends now.” She hissed out, causing Davan’s shoulders to set stubbornly and Derick to turn his big, blue puppy dog eyes her way. This time she had brought reinforcements, as Idala would back Davan even if he were wrong, and Caedecus was Derick’s most vocal supporter in the city. If these two idiots couldn’t get over themselves enough to have a reasonable discussion about this, then Liura would let Idala and Caedecus argue it in proxy. The last time they had let something fester as badly as this was, it had only ended when Derick had nearly died in battle.

No one was dying today, however. Not unless she killed them out of pure frustration.

She gestured around her, and her two chosen seconds moved to flank the men they were there to defend. Derick eyed the High Priest in wary confusion, while Davan smiled easily at one of his closest friends. Liura drew herself up to her full height, demanding all the attention in the room once again. “We are here,” She intoned solemnly, “To sort out the issue that is currently destabilizing the city. The Lord Protector has been distracted and prickly, and his temperament is mirrored by the city as a whole. It needs resolving.”

Derick nodded, his mouth firming with agreement and understanding. It was Davan, of course, who protested. “Liura, really, I am perfectly capable of managing my emotions and my affairs on my own. You don’t need to keep inserting yourself into them.”

It was Caedecus, surprisingly, who spoke up. He was the most mild mannered and easy going of the council, due to his time as a slave making him terrified of even his own authority. “Davan, please. You don’t eat, or sleep, or even train like you usually do. Headaches aren’t unusual for you, but you’ve had one three out of every four days for a fortnight now. The whole city is on edge as ripples of your ill temper and haggard appearance spread to all corners. It’s so clear to us all that you hate arguing with Derick. Please, won’t you let us help?”

Two pairs of beseeching eyes met his, and Davan’s displeasure collapsed like a snow fort in the spring. “Oh, all right. Let’s get this over with.”

Liura turned towards Derick, deciding easily to start with the compliant one. Davan was much more likely to explain his side if he felt like he was rebutting Derick’s explanation than if he was just asked his defence first. She nodded. He shrugged.

“Davan doesn’t like that I murdered five people in cold blood with no trial. No effort was ever made to bring them to justice in a more reasonable manner, and I’m not sorry I did it.” He asserted, blue eyes blazing. 

She nodded once, then turned to Davan.

“Ri has admitted to choosing violence as his foremost problem solving technique without a concern for due process, fairness, or consequences. That makes him a dangerous liability, especially when he will not accept that this circumvents all the tenets this city is built on, or promise not to do it again and to allow the law to work as it should.” He rebutted decisively, proving once again that when these two argued this badly it was usually because they were arguing about different things at the same time.

She turned back to Derick, who was now looking just as stubborn as Davan. “Why did you never attempt to solve this through the usual means?”

“They were the source of the corruption in our hometown, and between them held the majority of the power in the town. Besides, I didn’t need a trial to know they were guilty. I heard them plotting to lynch Davan with my own ears. It’s why I falsely accused him of impropriety in the first place.” His voice rang clear, and it was obvious he was proud of his actions, not just accepting of them.

“Ri, that’s exactly the problem.” Davan burst in, frustrated and deeply bothered. “My point is that death should never be the default solution, and that you treat it far too casually.” He reached out to his lover, clearly imploring. “I’ve killed people myself. I know. Every death damages your soul in some way. Sometimes…” He hesitated then, and a dark cloud passed over his own expression. “Sometimes in a way that never heals.”

Derick was up in a heartbeat, crossing the room only to gather the renowned Lord Protector of Exile’s Rest up against his chest like he was comforting a child. It was truly something to see. “I don’t know who you killed that left this mark on your mind, Azimuth, but I am sure they deserved it. I trust your judgement. And as for my own killings… Dear One, I have killed exactly nine people. Most of them I can name, and all of them actively intended to kill you. I do not regret their deaths in the slightest, as killing them made things safer for you. I will not promise to stay my hand if you are in danger, but that has so far been the only thing I have killed for.”

Davan was silent at that, but Liura wanted to dig a little deeper into this. Otherwise it would continue to weigh on her friend’s mind.

“When did you decide to kill the first one? And how did you do it?” She asked, leaning slightly forward in her curiosity. 

Derick shrugged. “I didn’t really decide, I just did.” He replied. “I was so very furious with them all for plotting against Davan, and my back was still wrecked, so I snuck out to go down to our hidden spot by the river. Jeremiah followed me, kept trying to feed me the mead he brought, and eventually tried to grope me. I was so disgusted with him I just kicked out his bad knee, grabbed the back of his head, and drowned him. Everyone assumed he got drunk and fell in, even my father. That was when I realized I could get rid of them all in supposed accidents, and the only one that might catch on would be my father. By then, though, I’d already have turned the public opinion tide. It became my purpose in life, as retribution for ever seeking to harm Davan.” He looked down and pulled Davan’s dark head further in, curling about the bigger man in an obviously protective gesture. “I didn’t think he’d ever find out about it, though. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“Ri, I…” Davan began, but Liura had heard enough. While Derick might place Davan’s wellbeing too highly, Davan himself most definitely placed it too lowly.

“What if we remove Davan from the question?” She interrupted. Both men turned to look at her.

“It’s a matter of principle, Liura, changing the details doesn’t fix that.” 

“Why on earth would we do that?” 

They spoke over each other, united in their opinion that the suggestion was a stupid idea.

Liura, however, didn’t care what they thought of her idea. She was going with it anyway. “We remove Davan from the equation. What we’re left with is a traumatized and brutalized adolescent who had saved another youth at great personal cost who was still actively being harmed by the grown adult aggressors. During an attempted rape related to the first attack he defended himself, resulting in the death of the attacker. He then realized that he had the power to prevent them from hurting others, and he used it. Are you really going to stay mad at that child for seeking revenge, Davan? Or at the adult he became for not regretting those deaths? And Derick made a good point as well: His hands are much cleaner than either of ours.”

Davan’s brow creased in contemplation that rapidly shaded to unhappiness as he considered the situation from that point of view. She could almost see the moment he realized he agreed with her.

Derick, on the other hand, immediately and predictably lept to Davan’s defence.. “Don’t you say that about Davan!” He insisted. “His soul is the sort of incandescent that no mortal sin could tarnish. It is definitely brighter than mine.”

“Ri.” Davan whined, burying his face in one hand while the other snuck around to hold his lover close. Liura was sure his ears would be red if she could only see them. “That’s… Entirely incorrect. You have no idea what I’ve done in the years since we were youths. Liura knows that part of me better than you. I’ve killed… many, many more than your nine.”

“You’ve done what you needed to.” Derick insisted, his whole focus back on Davan. “Only what you needed to, with the needs of those around you and the best interests of all involved kept at the forefront of your mind. I know you did, because you could never have done otherwise. Even as a mercenary I know you were never needlessly cruel or gleeful about your skill. You were backed into a corner and did all you could to survive, and to keep those around you alive as well. I need no proof of it, but if you do consider this: Why did you leave the field as soon as you were able? Why found this city? Why fight so hard to give everyone as lost and hurt as you a safe place to heal and grow? When I say mortal sins cannot dull the brilliance of your soul I mean it. This includes the deaths you have dealt.”

“How about we let the Gods worry about their own scales?” Caedecus broke in, beaming at the both of them. “Their ways are not for mortal comprehension, and I feel both of you have no need to worry about that reckoning.” He reached out to lay a gentle hand on Idala’s shoulder, heedless of the sparks the Archmage was throwing out. “Instead, why don’t we head out to the practice field so Idala can let off some of her anger? I would rather not treat anyone for burns if I don’t have to, and now that she’s heard some details about who was targeting Davan when he was young and helpless she’s liable to burn the keep down.”

“An excellent idea.” Liura replied, striding towards the door. “Not you two, though!” She threw back as Davan made a move to stand up. “You stay here and have a moment. I think, after the last few weeks, you need it.”

*

“Azimuth?” Ri eventually questioned, running his hand through Davan’s hair. Even the echoes of the others had faded long before, but the taller man had made no move to react in any way. “Are you well?”

“I… Don’t like that Idala is upset. She doesn’t need to be. I’m fine.” He replied. Ri sighed, knowing this was going to be an ongoing discussion.

“She’s upset for you because she loves you. Like I do, like Caedecus does, like Liura does, like your whole city does. You’re easy to love, and so, so worth it. Even when it makes us sad or angry.” Ri explained, even though he knew Davan wasn’t ready to accept that truth.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.” He insisted, and Ri couldn’t help but drop a sweet kiss on his head.

“I know you don’t, Azimuth, but we will. We gladly will. You deserve to be part of a better world than anything on this mortal plane can offer. We all know that. And we all love you for trying to make the world become that better version. Even if it fails, that vision is worth fighting for. You are worth fighting for. You remind us even on the bad days that things can be better, and you leave them that way in your wake just by touching the lives that you do and changing them for the better. I know you don’t see it as enough, but it’s so much more than anyone else can do.” He kissed him again, then tightened his grip. “Just… let us love you. Even if you can’t accept it for your sake, let us love you for ours. Our lives are so much better for it, even when it hurts.”

[sovereign-spaw]

Thank you for the tag Fray @bg3!! I did my skrunklies for this one...

Name:

Fafern. It’s a name she and Odret came up with, and they've forgotten the name her parents had given them, but it’s alright with them, she much prefers Fafern.

Odret isn't quite sure where he got his name from, but just between you and I, when he was but a small wyrmling, he overheard a traveler say “Oh drat” and took a liking to the word and still goes by that name.

Nickname(s):

Fee or Faa both do, or maybe even Fee-fi-fo-fum

Odret has a few nicknames, though usually only Fafern calls him any of them. The Orchid is a title he was given while he still lived, and Fafern often calls him Den, occasionally she referring to him as ‘home’

Gender:

Fafern doesn’t really identify with anything in particular, to her gender is a potion being mixed in a pot. Is okay with she/they

As for Odret, I don’t know if dragons do gender the same way we do honestly. Uses he/him pronouns.

Star sign:

Fafern is a boar and Odret is wolf

Height:

Both are tall in their own right, Fafern is 6’2 and Odret is 7’9

Orientation:

Fafern is demisexual/romantic

Odret is pansexual/romantic

Nationality/Ethnicity:

Fafern grew up in a village in the forest in a little known spot in Faerun. They remember a calm river near her home, but that’s about all they can and want to remember of that place.

Odret on the other hand lived in the forest surrounding the village. He on the other hand remembers well how to get back to his home forest.

Favourite fruit:

Lemons. She fucking loves lemons. They can’t eat many in a row but she does love them.

Odret on the other hand likes grapes. Honestly, if he could, he’d eat nothing but grapes. He fuckin hates wine because he thinks its a waste of grapes

Favourite season:

Fafern loves winter, the snow, the cold, the snuggling, they love it all.

Odret likes autumn, it’s usually not too hot, not too cold, it rains often and while the mud is a little annoying, he enjoys the rain nonetheless. It’s also the harvest season which means there’s grapes galore-

Favourite flower:

Dude they love dandelions SO much. If you see her in a field of dandelions, watch out; you will get a flower crown.

Odret doesn’t really have a favorite, but if he had to choose he’d pick belladonna

Favourite scent:

Fafern really likes the scent of wood smoke.

Odret on the other hand likes pine smell.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate:

Fafern would pick hot chocolate and Odret would pick tea. Both hate coffee

Average hours of sleep:

Around 9. The whole “travel with a group” experience hasn’t been fun, considering they're pretty much nocturnal at this point

Odret doesn't sleep on the account of being a skeleton. When he did sleep he usually slept around 7-8 hours

Dog or cat person:

In all honestly Fafern likes bears the most.

Odret likes birds. They don't try to steal his bones.

Dream trip:

A barn. Not even joking, she just wants to pet the animals. Please take them to a zoo.

Odret wants to go to a small cabin by the waterfront. He really wants to go to a small cabin by the waterfront.

Favourite fictional character:

Whatever the Faerun’s equivalent of Winnie the Pooh is

Faerun’s Winnie the Pooh also.

Number of blankets they sleep with:

If she has more than 1 she will die.

When he lived he didn’t need any, as he slept in owlbear form, and now as he’s dead he doesn’t need any, but sleeps with one as Fafern keeps giving him one

Random fact:

They like to paint on fallen tree barks and rocks, and then leaves them behind for others to find, or gifts it to a friend.

One time he slept for a whole year. Wish that were me.

[kyekwei]

I've lived in a few kinds of lands before. So far my favourite is the one with the mild weather, pine trees, and calm grey ocean. I prefer the kind of land where things are boring, but then there isn't much to fear from the weather.

I was born on the steppelands. This land, it seems to go by many names today. In my native tongue it is áʼgrōs, but unless I am mistaken in English it is Pontic-Steppe. Out there the weather can be extreme for much of the year. In summer, you get thunder storms on half the days, and beating hot sun on the other half. The heat is tolerable if there's a wind, which there usually is. But the insects don't care that much. And you can't disrobe outside since the sun will burn even if your skin feels cool. In winter, the snow falls heavily and coats the entire land. It's deadly and it's hard to find food. Your cattle will die because they don't know how to scrape the snow away to graze; unless you give them fodder or get horses to clear the area. But cattle also don't know how to break ice for a drink. Either way, property goes hungry, and wolves wait on the horizon for weeks for an opportunity. I am nostalgic for my homeland, but I must admit it was an inhospitable place. I also remember that to the east over the great rivers it grew ever drier and, so I heard, there is a point where little survives. They called this the edge of the world, but then also apparently men kept going that way and found fresh pastures.

To the south of the áʼgrōs is the great water. If you follow the coastline west and south, you'll find my late wife's homeland. There it's warmer but also more humid. There were forests, steep hills, and fertile lands. When I was between boyhood and manhood, I went to those lands every summer, for reasons I might explain another time. I found it quite easy to live off the land and find vegetables to eat, but I never spent winter in that land. There were many settlements there. I remember the first time I saw a village, I was confused. Why would anyone build a permanent home in one place to live in forever? Today these settlements and their people are sadly gone. They were disappearing back then, too. I might explain another time.

I began to flee further west about 6 years ago. The pine forests northwest of my homeland are cool and damp. There aren't many hills, but plenty of caves and places to winter. My late wife and I wintered there, and I was surprised by the relative abudance of game animals which kept us fed. Come spring, we ventured further west and met the inhabitants of the low-lying forests near the peninsula. That's where we lived for about five years and I learned how to farm barley. Those lands near the sea to the north are peaceful and mild, but a bit grey and dull. You find less blackcurrants and legumes and more pine cones and mulch. So one comes to rely a lot on farming. Our town about half a day's walk from the sea. I went out fishing several times and found it a tranquil place, much more peaceful than the great water south of my homeland.

It's much like this place, the island to the west across the water, which I had only heard about in rumours. We're quite far to the west here, as far from the áʼgrōs as one can get. The weather here is mild and a bit grey, but the trees are gone, and there's mostly farmland beyond the towns. The woods are tiny and there's no game or vegetables to be found in them. There's only a tiny space behind the house to grow food, and it's not big enough for any livestock. Oh well, life goes on. Thanks for reading my words, it is patient of you.

[mayvora]

THANK YOU. 💕. sorry if the English is bad I'm trying my best

So the au is all about Scar, a sweet farmer boy who grew up in a small village near the river where "legends told" lived the Codfather, mythical creature that protected cod and gave blessings to the fisherman who gave him gifts (like leading salmon into their nets or calming the water so they can fish in peace). The Codfather really liked young boy Scar because he made a lot of silly wooden toys and threw it into the river to "create the coolest friendship to ever exist" between him and the Codfather. Scar never saw him with his own eyes but always believed that he is real (and fisherman did too and always called Scar to hangout with them cause he was clearly Codfathers favourite. Jimmy SPOILED the kid with fish and little gifts cause everyone always have him money and it was boring BUT LITTLE SCAR BOY GAVE HIM WOODEN TOYS AND THEY WERE SO COOL!).

But then Scars parents died and his aunt took him. And his aunt hated living in the village so she took him into the city (it's like 1600-ish years) and Scar was stolen from the Codfather who was very sad 💔

Scar DESPISED the city. It was full of angry evil people who only thought about money and only loved themself. They followed the evil God, they hated eachother and they hated magic and everything mystical. They had the Inquisition led by The Emperor who promised to kill every magical creature in the world and told everyone that creatures are evil and bad and must die so humanity to live in peace. And that is not true! The Inquisition itself follows the Darkness - creature that absorbs negative energy and feeds on everyones pain and anger and everything bad. And the Darkness gives Inquisition power to "defeat enemies of humanity" but actually its only goal is to create more conflict and more war for itself to feed on. It does not care who will win it cares about the pain created in the process.

(I really like explaining magical lore I have way too much things to tell about that BUT we are talking 'bout the plot)

So, Scar left his home to live in the city. Life is not great and he really wants to go back. He misses songs of trees and little presents from the Codfather and his cat and... But he can't go home he must work so he has money to live. And his work is insanely hard and hurts him physically and he gets screamed on if he fails and he just. He can't live like this. It's not like in the village - yes, working hard was normal there too but nobody would hurt him for doing something wrong or scream at him. They were positive and funny and told the best stories...

So... the second he has a smallest chance to escape this exhausting reality... he does everything he can to do so.

And his chance is Lizzy Shadowlady, or... the Ocean Queen.

They meet accidently. He bumps into her and they both fall, and she looks so... normal... boring... Scar would not even look at her twice, but there was something in her eyes that caught his attention.

A little spark... A soft glow... He looks again - and freezes in shock, admiring the beauty of magic in those ocean eyes.

This boring on the first look woman had a living ocean in her eyes.

(In this universe creatures have a unique trait - their eyes glow, showing the nature of their magic and literally being a window into creatures soul since good magic comes from the light that your soul creates. Opposite from the power of the Darkness that feeds pain and anger from others. Light is always created by good will. By loyalty and love and care and happiness and much, much more. Jimmy and Lizzy both have a part of their soul in their eyes; for Jim it's a swamp with little fireflies and small fishes and when Jimmy is very happy pis eyes become very light and resemble his favourite river near Scars village. For Lizzie its the ocean with the tropical fishes and coralls 💕)

Lizzie is very scared that Scar's gonna tell the Inquisition about her, but he is so busy following her everywhere and trying to become her friend hoping that she will take him with her and they can have wonderful magical adventures (sweet boy,,, naive boy,,, I love you so much,,,)

It ends up with Lizzie giving up and telling Scar that she is here only to save her brother and she will never come back again. So! Now Scars mission is to lure her into the thought that he is very useful and she must take him with her. Best way to do that? Save her brother!

And when he learns who is her brother... Well, the job just became 100 times more important. Time to save the Codfather!

Need to take a break cause I'm literally still working but I will come back thank you so so so so so so much for asking I've wanted to talk about it for a year

so what if a made an au about magical creatures fighting against the inquisition... so what if this little rebellion is like a family... so what if they care about eachother so much they would die for eachother... so what if Scar is the main character but he is a human with a heart so bright that it can love any creature not caring if it's a human or not... so what if he saves Jimmy the Codfather who he was making wood toys for and throwing them into the river hoping the mythical Codfather will find them... so what if the revolution boys are scared to trust him but give him a chance anyway... and accept him into their group... and they all have their own stories they share with Scar... and he learns to love them... and they learn to trust them...

what if true magic is in heart at the end of all ?

so what if it's the au that is boiling in my head for a year but I'm not brave enough to tell about it but I really want to?

[soggyskinflaps]

RE8 Modern AU

So, this is just my little take on a happy normal life for this cast:

 After the corrupt company that Mia worked for shut down thanks to Chris and his team, she and Ethan have been put into protective custody, jumping from one place to another. They didn’t mind not living that uncomfortably, as long as they had eachother. All that changed when they had Rosemary. They needed a stable normal life to raise their daughter so Chris sent them to a village hidden in the mountains of Romania, where they supposedly would be safe. This is where their life really changes.

-Ethan gets his old job as a system engineer back, only this time in the factory just outside of town.

-For now Mia’s been home taking care of rose but she’s thinking of getting a job as the friendly shopkeeper’s assistant!

 Most of the villagers are fine, most joke around with the family due to being outsiders. Both he and Mia have become friends of the Lupu family and Luiza. But there are some...unique characters in this village. The lords are the richest people in town, and all work under the wing of Mother Miranda, the mayor.

-Mother Miranda is the mayor of this town. Not much is known from her past aside from once being a scientist and the fact she left her old job due to the loss of her daughter, Eva. She welcomes the Winters family warmly, maybe creepily so...She isn’t nearly as bad here, simply depressed. One thing Ethan doesn’t like is how she looks at Rose, but she’s just so similar to Eva when she was a baby...

-Alcina Dimitrescu is the direct descendent of the Dimitrescu family, and heir to the family business, their wine company. She lives in the old Dimitrescu castle that housed her family for generations. Classy, old-fashioned, (really hot)beautiful, smart and charming. She’s not as tall, of course, but she’s still a giant standing at 7 feet tall. She has a dislike of most men, having only female workers. Still, she and Ethan seem to respect eachother, not having that much of a relationship but oh well. She does have a good relationship with Mia, and they spend time talking about their daughters.

-The Dimitrescu sisters are Alcina’s adopted daughters and her pride and joy. They are also the town flirts, who encourage their “victims” to try their family’s wine. Most of the time a maid at the castle has left is because they were scared of their flirting. Still, aside from helping with the family business they have their respective jobs. Bela works at the library, where she can peacefully read any literature she can’t find at home. Just like at home she has to hush her sisters when they come find her and interrupt her readings. Cassandra has always had a love for cutting things up, so she works at a butcher shop. If it wasn’t for the money she would simply make this her life’s work. Daniela however can’t keep a job because she can’t keep herself from flirting with clients and co-workers alike.

-Donna Beneviento is a toymaker. She has a shop filled with superbly well made dolls, and in her free time makes replicas of other people she likes. She has a scar over her right eye that she specifically grew her hair long to cover. Her family died when she was little and she gained trauma that affected her social skills, so she talks through Angie, her pet parrot. No one really knows if Angie just knows what Donna wants to say of if she’s some gremlin trapped in a parrot’s body, but no one cares enough. They just like seeing her happy. Even so, behind the scenes, Donna is a drug dealer, selling hallucinogenic drugs as a side hustle. In the cast only the Dimitrescu sisters, who buy them, and Duke know about this.

-Salvatore Moreau is a school teacher, beloved by most children, though a tragic accident left him disfigured. He spends his free time in the river in the village’s reservoir, usually alone. Here, people are nice to him and acknowledge his existence. He also likes watching romance movies in his free time, as well as simply helping people around. Him and the Duke often go fishing together, and Daniela shows up to watch romance movies with her only fellow hopeless romantic.

-Karl Heisenberg owns the factory just outside of the village. What he does exactly...no one’s really sure, not even Ethan, who works with him. Speaking of Ethan, Karl treats him like a mad scientist treats his lab assistant. The man is the definition of a genius idiot, able to make incredible machines out of scrap but wear sunglasses inside ot at night. He also has a side job taking care of stray animals, though mostly dogs. His favourite is Sturm, a English Mastiff who’s also a complete idiot.

-The Duke is a shopkeeper who also runs a little café. He is beloved by all, his charm basically dripping from his large pockets. He knows everything about everyone, so be careful as to not stay on his bad side...He is the first person the Winterses befriend, and has offered to teach Mia the secrets of romanian cuisine.

-Urias and his brother are miners working near the reservoir. Big, burly, hairy and grumpy, you would almost think they’re lycans! They work for Miranda, though they are friendlier with Karl.

And that’s it. I might make something more outta this, maybe mess around and make stories and memes, who knows?

[mythicamagic]

Funeral Flowers: a Sesskag Oneshot

Summary:  Sesshoumaru knows what Kagome's favourite flower is- because it just so happens Forget-Me-Nots have been filling his throat for months. Hanahaki Disease fic. Sesskag oneshot.

AN: for @drosselmeyerwrites​, who is also a lover of the 'suffering Sesshoumaru' trope. She's been a lovely commenter and wholesome person in the fandom ^^

Warning: body horror elements. This is a Hanahaki Disease fic with a twist on the concept.

Words: 10,000

Rated M

@cookieasylum​ drew an amazing fanart for this fic so please check this fic out on Ao3!

Funeral Flowers

It started as a mere flutter. Sesshoumaru could feel it at the back of his throat: the beginnings of something that tickled and irritated his windpipe- not enough to cause anything serious, but just noticeable. This sensation only worsened with time.

Kagome looked at him like he'd grown a second head after hearing him stifle a certain noise clumsily behind his fingers.

"Huh," she mused, peering closely at him. "I don't think I've ever heard you cough before."

After a few weeks, he'd begun coughing. A little blemish that he could easily hide behind his hand. Sesshoumaru had wanted no one to notice such a shameful thing. An unwilling action, but required in order to clear his airways.

"Hn," peeling long fingers away from his down-turned mouth, he looked away. Kagome shifted bare legs in the glittering water, lounging on some rocks by a river while half-heartedly sunbathing in a tank top and shorts. Golden eyes slid back to the slim, pale stretch of her smooth, toned leg as she swayed it.

"Kind of a human action, isn't it? Do demons even get colds?" her concern only seemed to increase. "You're not sick, are you?"

"No," he huffed, adjusting himself beside her. They kept a respectable distance. 'Friends' was what she called them. Sesshoumaru tried and failed to tear his gaze away from the parting of her thighs as she stretched languidly. "I do not get sick," he added, "such a thing is beneath me."

Kagome slid both arms behind her head to act as a cushion, laying down. "A few years ago you'd have said sitting beside a priestess ankle-deep in a river would be 'beneath' you. Things change."

Sesshoumaru tilted his chin up to regard her haughtily and gave a dignified snort, adjusting his rolled-up hakama pants. "It is beneath me."

Kagome rose a brow, fluttering one hand carelessly in a shooing motion, "go on then. Leave if it's so offensive," she sighed, trying and failing to hide her smile.

No.

His body flared alive at the thought, unsettled. Sesshoumaru bit back another prickling cough, settling for clearing his throat. "You should be the one to leave. This one was here first."

"Wha- no! I got to the river before you!"

"I was referring to age. Bratty mikos should listen to their elders."

Kagome burst out laughing, sitting up to lightly bat his shoulder. "That makes you sound ancient! You're such a dork. No one else knows how much of an absolute dork you are, do they? It's a crying shame."

Sesshoumaru did not know what a 'dork' was, but he assumed it to be something unflattering. He should've been annoyed by it, aggravated. Kagome's playful, happy scent made this notion impossible.

Thin lips twitched at the edges, dragging his heels through the cool current. He couldn't honestly put into words why exactly he'd shown up, following her scent. Logically, he knew he should leave her alone.

They fell into an amicable silence again, one that had been born from months of time spent together. Odd snatches of coincidental meetings had flourished into something more, and they'd begun seeking one another out for company whenever he visited the village. Sometimes she even paid him a visit the Western Stronghold. Any demons who complained about it were silenced by how… determined the miko was to make friends. A force of nature. It had amused him to no end watching ancients tripping over themselves to try to avoid her bad books.

He could also deeply understand those who had taken an immense liking to her.

Kagome was warm and teasing, a rare thing not wholly unwelcome. Her stories of the future were interesting, personality vibrant but down to earth and occasionally sassy. He enjoyed her more than he should, a quiet, snarky male by nature basking in her effortless glow.

"What's your favourite flower?"

He blinked, "this is a question belonging to Rin. I do not expect such fanciful notions from you."

Kagome huffed and flicked her hand to splash some water over his knee. "I can talk about flowers if I want to. Shinto asked me what mine were, so I got to thinking. I'd like to know what yours are too- or do pretty dog demons baring flower crests not have an opinion on them?"

He sniffed, bringing down one leg to create a splash that soaked her side. Kagome let out a yelp. "The Shiragiku flower. "

"Oh you can't be serious!" She giggled. "When I asked what your favourite colour was, you said 'white' of all things. White! That's the absence of colour!"

"This one is aware. You kept rabbiting on about it," he wiped some imaginary lint off one shoulder.

"But still! And now you tell me you like flowers that are infamously used for funerals," blue eyes rolled skyward, glittering with mirth. "Why am I not surprised, Mr Killing Perfection?"

Thin lips lifted into a sneer free of malice. "Very well, Shikon miko. What is your favoured flower?"

Kagome hummed. "Forget-Me-Nots."

Letting out a noise between a huff and a chuckle, he shot her an exasperated look. "And you give me grief over mine. Did you not say that blue was your favoured colour?"

"Hey, Forget-me-Nots can be pink, white or blue! I'm not as predictable in my tastes as some people."

That was most definitely true, he thought flatly. She had moved on from her first love, a Hanyou- only to bond with a Daiyoukai, and then…

And then…

Kagome stood, stretching both arms above her head. Sesshoumaru knew what she'd say before she even said it, wincing and bringing a hand absentmindedly to the base of his throat. It throbbed. Now the ache even seemed to seep lower.

What is this pain in my chest? He wondered. What is this strange sensation?

"I should go."

Sesshoumaru slid tired attention up to her and nodded silently. He would not wish her well.

"Shinto will wonder where I am," she needlessly elaborated.

"Indeed."

Kagome glanced at him and dropped her arms. "What's wrong?"

He thought to tell her, not for the first time. But it was silenced by everything else that had come before. Their history. Their species. Her lack of discernible interest, her new flame. A heavy weight pressed down upon his chest. His shoulder ached.

"Nothing. I am fine."

Dark brows pulled together. Sesshoumaru stood and nudged her away with a single palm on her back that lingered too long. "Go. I am… merely hungry."

"Oh!" a look of relief swept over her face. Kagome laughed, "okay, I'll leave you in peace. Happy hunting!"

Sesshoumaru felt his chest ache and constrict while his expression remained a blank mask. He covertly winced after she'd jogged away to a trail within the forest that would take her back to Kaede's village. She stopped to wave, and he quickly wiped his expression clean again, rendering it neutral.

Kagome smiled gently, her face full of friendly affection. Sesshoumaru regally inclined his head, eyes burning.

Do not go.

She left him alone, hurrying away to see her new flame in complete ignorance.

Sesshoumaru coughed and massaged the base of his throat as soon as she was gone, frowning.

Feeling something stuck to the roof of his mouth with his tongue, he curiously parted his lips and reached behind a sharp tooth to pluck the soft, small thing out.

Damp from saliva, a tiny, pretty blue petal caught his attention, clutched between forefinger and thumb. Sesshoumaru stared. A sense of creeping foreboding slipped into the back of his mind at the discovery.

This did not bode well.

---

His affliction made visits to the village difficult. It was easier in the beginning when he could hide a few coughs and tickles of the throat. Steadily, however, the discomfort increased. Sesshoumaru needed to pick out petals from his mouth every day, and the number of them only grew with frequency. He had to remove the irritating little things every hour now.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has been picking at his teeth a lot lately," he heard Rin whisper to Jaken, pausing mid-brush. She had been tasked with caring for the old miko's horse. "Is it a toothache?"

"Shh! Don't comment on such a thing so loudly, girl! If Lord Sesshoumaru wants to do some teeth maintenance, then he may do so!" Jaken squawked, frowning up at her.

Sesshoumaru cut golden eyes to the sky and turned away.

"Ah, I didn't mean to insult you, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"You're STILL drawing attention to it!" Jaken griped.

Pointed ears twitched, blocking out their animated voices and tuning into a set of quick footsteps. Sesshoumaru inhaled, wincing as his lungs protested- the scent of citrus, summer and home comforts reaching him long before Kagome appeared from around the side of a hut. She beamed. His heart ached.

"Hey," she called, trotting over.

"Hello, Kagome!" the little girl waved enthusiastically, wobbling.

Steadying Rin atop her wooden perch as she continued brushing the tall horse, Kagome flashed him a knowing look. "You look tense. Is it from being near the stables?" she teased.

Rin gasped, "does Lord Sesshoumaru not like horses?"

"It's their smell, you nitwit!"

Kagome frowned at Jaken, before searching Sesshoumaru's face for answers. Obviously his silence and demeanour was starting to worry her. Taking a breath, he tried to ignore the petals stuck in the gaps of his teeth. He could feel more building, pooling in the back of his throat like thick mucus.

"They are skittish and afraid of this one. It is better to keep distance."

Predictably, Kagome gentled- but surprised him by easing closer. She seized his hand, tugging- and he was helpless to do anything but follow. Heat touched his cheeks.

Kagome walked backwards, maintaining eye contact like the femme fatale she wasn't, shifting her soft touch to grasp the back of his hand, lacing lithe fingers through his. She then forced the Daiyoukai's palm to rest against a warm neck. The horse shifted slightly, tail flicking, yet it did not startle. With Kagome's prompting, Sesshoumaru glided the flat of his calloused palm down the length of its powerful neck, the thin layer of brown fur tickling his skin.

"Maji isn't like other horses, he's calm around demons. He has to be if Kaede is gonna ride him to fight Youkai," her voice glided through his ear canals like melted honey. Kagome hummed, "though she said because of her age that he might be mine soon. Weird, huh? It's like she's prepping me to be the village miko more and more."

"It is not 'weird,' it is expected," he uttered, thrilled at the prolonged touch. How foolish. The heat of her palm felt exquisite, hand clasped intimately around his. "You will make an acceptable village miko."

Blue eyes flitted up to him, smiling. She gave his hand a squeeze. "Thanks, but… sometimes I wonder if-"

"Ah, so this is where you escaped to."

Sesshoumaru stiffened. Kagome ripped her fingers away- tearing open a gaping hole inside him. He quickly stifled a cough, but it was larger this time, throat clogged. His shoulders shook, sweat dotting his brow.

Kagome was busy being scooped up by Shinto, a large male. He dressed well, for a human, a jagged scar running over one eye. A momento from his mercenary days, he'd called it, though he was now reformed.

Kagome laughed and swatted his shoulder, demanding to be put down. Jaken piped up, yelling about indecency. All the while, Sesshoumaru fought not to let anything show. To not let the agony out. The jealousy. The consuming desire to act upon instinct and take what he ached for.

He couldn't stand it. Couldn't stand seeing the male's burly, meaty hands drag over her hips to settle at the base of her spine. Like they belonged there. Sesshoumaru coughed again, drawing away.

Kagome caught the action, turning to him. "Sesshoumaru?"

He hated the concern swimming in her gaze. It would be so much easier to despise her.

"I have lingered too long," he said quietly, trying to mask the rawness of his voice. "This one should be going."

Kagome nodded slowly, "do you want some honey to soothe your throat? It sounds a little-"

"No," he quietly snapped, starting to walk away. Confusion immediately curdled in her scent, and he regretted the lapse in control. Now she'd worry.

Foolishness.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken hurriedly ran after him, following his Lord from the village. "Bah, those humans get more presumptuous every day. I don't blame you for leaving in such a hurry," he muttered, keeping up his tangent long after they'd met the treeline of Inuyasha's forest.

Sesshoumaru unexpectedly stopped, slamming claws into tree bark and causing it to splinter.

Jaken yelped, jumping and dropping his staff. "Mi-mi Lord?" bulbous eyes widened upon seeing him stoop over slightly, silver hair obscuring ashen features.

Sesshoumaru's shoulders shook, dry heaving sounds reaching Jaken's hearing. The retainer gasped, watching him cough, gasp and choke. Thick trails of dewy saliva pooled onto the ground. Rasping noises shuddered out from clenched teeth. Trembling claws reached inside his mouth, feeling something at the back of his throat. Grasping it, Sesshoumaru fought not to gag, coughing while removing the thing and looking at it with stinging eyes.

A Forget-me-not flower sat innocently between forefinger and thumb.

Both demons stared. Phlegm soaked petals rested at Sesshoumaru's feet. Jaken stood gravely silent for a while.

"Mi Lord…" he said thinly. "You have fallen prey to something very old…"

"You will not breathe a word about it to anyone," Sesshoumaru coughed, eyes stinging. He straightened and wiped his mouth, collecting himself. He threw the flower aside.

"But-"

"No one, Jaken," Sesshoumaru hissed, molten golden eyes burning. "Or I'll kill you."

Jaken yelped and quickly bowed several times, promising wholeheartedly not to interfere.

"I-I understand! However, if it's not too much trouble, perhaps you could hear out a suggestion?"

Sesshoumaru sneered and started walking again, his breathing slightly hoarse and rasping now, no longer quiet. His lips pressed together, trying to silence himself. It proved painful, and he quickly breathed through his mouth again.

Jaken tentatively continued; "your affliction is something ancient. I know little about it, but I do remember that it's possible to have it removed before it claims your life."

Sesshoumaru stopped, hands curling into fists. Claws scraped palms.

"That will not do, either," came his soft response.

"W-why ever not, milord?! This matter is potentially deadly to demons!"

Sesshoumaru stared ahead unseeingly. He knew of the affliction too. Had recognised what it was immediately. If he removed the flowering bud from within his chest, wiped away all evidence from her from his body, then he'd lose the very thing that had made him catch the illness in the first place.

His feelings for Kagome Higurashi.

"My reasons are my own," Sesshoumaru coughed behind his hand. "I will not die. Do not fuss over trivial matters, Jaken."

His retainer gaped, hurrying after him. Fierce worry painted his features. The infamous and deadly Hanahaki Curse could fell even the strongest of Daiyoukai.

---

It interfered with eating.

Sesshoumaru thankfully did not need to eat too often, but hunger inevitably gnawed its way into his gut. Transformed, he raced through the forest on all fours in a smaller version of his true form. Low-hanging branches lashed at his face. Forget-me-not flowers lodged in his throat conglomerated into a thick mass. They were practically a ball stuck at the back of his mouth. Sesshoumaru managed to ignore it just enough to track the scent of a deer- only to lose it and find a green pheasant within range.

Barely a snack, but it would do.

With a gurgling snarl, Sesshoumaru sprang at some bushes. Squawking with distress, the bird took flight- only to be caught in his jaws. Bringing sharp teeth down elicited a satisfying crunch. The taste of iron filled his parched mouth. Tilting his head back, Sesshoumaru had every intention of swallowing it whole. He'd done so before. The bird was small enough compared to his form. However, this quickly became impossible.

Red eyes widened. The flowers acted as a barrier, preventing food from travelling down his throat.

Spitting out the bird, Sesshoumaru tore into it. He tried again and again, breaking the kill into smaller pieces. He even tried drinking from the river to wash down the flowers. Nothing worked. No food could pass into his stomach.

With a low crooning noise that hissed out between his teeth, Sesshoumaru padded away from his uneaten kill with an agitated flick of his tail.

---

It affected his sleep next.

At his Stronghold in the Western lands, Sesshoumaru set aside his paperwork and retired to bed. Curling into a nest of furs, he stretched out long legs, sprawling on one side.

Only to feel a dull ache thrum from his ribs.

Wincing and setting a hand over the spot, Sesshoumaru frowned. He was unfamiliar with the sensation, however, Kagome had once whined and complained about 'pulling a muscle.' Perhaps the tight, clamping sensation echoed that pain. Deciding to roll over onto his opposite side- he abruptly burst into a coughing fit. The angle had upset his breathing, lungs protesting.

This vicious cycle continued long into the night. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Even laying still made him feel tense and pained. In the end, Sesshoumaru rose from his futon and began running.

Too tired to think, he transformed, relying on instinct to guide him. He whined softly; the ache spreading. He wheezed a little, breathing constrained despite being physically fit.

The inuyoukai sprinted to the outskirts of Kaede's village. Scenting the air, he caught a welcome fragrance on the breeze.

Mate.

Clearing the hillside with a single bound, Sesshoumaru shrank his form even further to that of a regular dog. Sniffing around the outside of a hut, fluffy ears perked. She was not home.

Where?

Following the invisible trail in the air, he padded around the village, passing by unseen by some villagers. Their lack of vigilance disgusted him. What lax security. Stopping at the Monk and Slayer's hut, he listened, hearing a soft humming from within. The sharp tang of blood, vomit, faeces and afterbirth caught his frayed attention.

The Slayer had been pregnant. From the sounds and smells of things, she had given birth and now slept while Kagome remained awake. He could pick up the faint fussing from a young babe.

Sesshoumaru stayed still, listening to the miko gently hum. Slowly, his body weakened, and the inuyoukai lay down outside the hut, resting a weary head atop large paws.

Something stirred from within, the rustle of covers. "Mn... are you alright? Want me to take over?"

"No, I'm fine," Kagome answered in a hushed tone. "He seems completely zonked out, little cutie-pie."

The Slayer paused, "your head. You said it was aching again earlier."

"Heh, Sango! You've just had another baby! Focus on yourself!" her lovely voice tinged with exasperation. "Really, everything is okay. It just hurts from time to time ever since that night with the boar youkai attack. It's no big deal."

"Prolonged headaches and amnesia does not fall under 'no big deal,' Kagome."

Laughing this off breezily, he could hear the shrug in her tone. "I just blank on a few things from the month prior to the attack. I'm sure it wasn't anything important."

Tired lids slid shut, and Sesshoumaru gained some sense of rest while imagining the woman within cradling a newborn pup instead of a gurgling infant. The two women talked some more, lulling him into a false sense of comfort even as his throat thrummed with continuous pain.

---

Breathing was a struggle.

Every inhale became a wheezing, quivering thing. Like crumpled paper that had been smoothed out and squashed too many times. Mucus constantly filled his mouth, senses clogged. His breathing ranged from laboured to a noisy, rasping thing.

He could no longer afford to visit the village. Sesshoumaru took to monitoring Rin from afar whenever he felt the need to check up on her. Needless to say, he avoided Kagome at all costs. The miko was an infamous busy body who would become a nightmare to deal with if she knew of his suffering.

Yes, that was the only reason.

However, on a random day he briefly let his guard down, the unthinkable happened.

Inuyasha found out.

If Sesshoumaru had comprised a list of all the beings he did NOT want to know about his affliction, Inuyasha would be right up there, along with his meddling mother.

Inuyasha stared, watching him with a complicated, horrified look on his gruff features. Shifting, Sesshoumaru stood from where he'd been knelt by a river.

Forget-me-nots floated downstream.

"... What the hell is wrong with you?" were the first words Inuyasha blurted out.

Sesshoumaru wiped his mouth, sneering. "I need not explain myself to you, whelp."

"Keh, if anything warrants a damn explanation, it's barfing up flowers."

He didn't need to hear anymore, turning with the intent to leave. No doubt the fool would talk nonsense, and he had no patience for such things with his current headache. His temples were pounding, throat parched.

"Why don't you just fucking tell her, you coward?"

That certainly caught his attention. Sesshoumaru halted. "What?" he croaked.

"Ya think I'm that ignorant, huh?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes, shoving both hands inside his sleeves. "I know."

"Know what, exactly," silken tones rasped. "You are but an ignorant pup. You were not raised within youkai circles, and so could not possibly understand."

"And whose fault is that?" shaking his head, Inuyasha huffed. "I dunno what crap you're yappin' on about, anyway. I'm talkin' about your secret relationship with Kagome that you had a couple of months ago."

Stiffening, Sesshoumaru felt his bones lock and throat inflame. He swallowed, wincing slightly. He flashed his teeth, "whatever you think you know, it is incorrect. A baseless assumption."

"Bullshit!"

Continuing to walk with every intention of escaping the pending conversation, he stopped dead the second Inuyasha opened his mouth; "I could smell you on her! But that all changed the second she hit her head. Did she forget you or something? You were happy to just abandon her after she stopped being useful for a good time?"

A deafening snarl upset his aching throat, ripping something inside. Blurring through the air impossibly fast, Sesshoumaru snatched up his sibling's throat and slammed him into a tree, causing the trunk to shudder.

"Silence," a blood-curdling rasp hissed out from clenched teeth like boiling steam. Crimson eyes glowed, claws itching to bury into the nuisance's windpipe.

Even while choking, Inuyasha managed to bark out a laugh, grasping a striped wrist. "You really do like her, huh? Never thought I'd see the day, bastard." White ears pulled back flat against his skull. "What's the deal? Just open your mouth and tell Kagome. Then I don't have to smell your pining ass all over the forest while you stalk her."

Burning embers were snuffed out. Sesshoumaru coughed, lifting a hand to his mouth. His shoulder thrummed, aching. "I cannot do that."

"Why not?"

"She does not remember," releasing him, the Daiyoukai stepped back. "The miko fell quite quickly for the male who rescued her that night. The fault lies with me that she sustained injury. If she is content with another, I cannot force her gaze to me."

It wasn't as though he hadn't tried. However, Kagome seemed happy with their relationship as friends. Guilt, stung pride and other such ugly emotions were all tied up with the incident.

Inuyasha blinked with disbelief, sizing him up. "When the fuck did you get so noble?" Sesshoumaru sneered, glancing away as his brother continued. "And anyway, what does that have to do with you coughing up flowers?"

Since he'd revealed more than intended as it was, Sesshoumaru felt no inclination to divulge extra information. He turned and this time; resolved not to stop walking. "Drop the subject, whelp."

"Maybe I'll tell Kagome about it."

Sesshoumaru did not falter, knowing the fool's game by now. "Do as you please," he dismissed in a wheezing, thin voice, stepping under the cool shade of weeping willow trees and leaving him behind.

---

He did not intend to revisit their old rendezvous point. Sesshoumaru had wanted to put it behind him, to let everything that had happened within the cave fade into obscurity.

The second he stepped foot within the mossy mouth of its opening, however, Kagome's lingering scent fanned over a striped cheek like a breathy exhale.

Long white lashes slid half shut. Hooded golden eyes became hazed. The memory of her salty, sweet taste wrapping around his tongue flooded his senses. Claws twitched, recalling the phantom sensation of full breasts falling into his palms as her back arched exquisitely. Her eyes had darkened into a lush, deep blue.

She'd been memorable, to say the least.

Walking further in, so that he stood fully submerged in their love-nest, Sesshoumaru basked in the illicit scents and breathy whispers he could remember caressing his hearing. It hadn't just been about sex. It never was with her.

Kagome had held his demonic hand without fear and stroked his cheek, murmuring ardently or giggling quietly. She told him things he hadn't thought he'd wanted to know before.

'You're nothing like your father' she'd said easily but with a conviction that made the ageless demon believe her. The notion should've been insulting. His sire had been unbeatable in strength, so of course he should wish to be like him.

Yet Sesshoumaru had never appreciated such compliments. He wished to be unique, bold, powerful, walking an entirely different path. Her words had been strangely welcome.

"And yet here I stand, Father," Sesshoumaru uttered to himself. In love with a mortal. Dying, because of a human woman of all things.

Just like you.

"Sesshoumaru?"

Golden eyes snapped wide open. A wave of elation, dread, guilt and longing washed over him. Every fibre of his being flared to life, muscles stiffening, heart racing. His lungs constricted.

Sesshoumaru swallowed a rasping breath, shifting to face the priestess.

Kagome crept closer, glancing around the cave curiously. "Was just in the forest to collect some things. I thought I sensed you close by. Looks like I was right. What are you doing in here?"

"Nothing," he said softly. His voice sounded fragile these days.

He could tell she was confused, radiating hurt. He hadn't visited in so long. No doubt she'd wondered why. The flowers buried within his windpipe felt heavier in her presence. He cleared his throat.

"Oh," Kagome scuffed a sandal over the dirt-covered floor. "Well... I'm glad I caught you-" she offered a tentative smile. "I've missed talking with you."

Sesshoumaru's insides screamed at him. The marks on his shoulder felt like blistering iron tongues being thrust into his flesh they wailed so loud.

Mate.

"I dunno what's kept you away," Kagome continued talking, making her way out of the cave. He followed, "but you haven't missed much. Rin is progressing nicely with her riding though. I'm not too shabby with that thin sword you gave me either, though Shinto says I need more practice."

That very sent icy needles piercing his skin. Stepping foot outside, Sesshoumaru couldn't stop the abrupt bite in his tone; "why are you here, miko?"

Kagome blinked and glanced at him over one shoulder. She then threaded her fingers behind her back, attention sliding away, voice unreadable.

"Shinto proposed to me."

Sesshoumaru stopped. A profound sense of loss rendered him breathless. He anticipated a coughing fit. Wheezing. Pain. But there was nothing, just him and Kagome standing alone in the silent woods. But she'd be beyond his reach for good soon.

He'd tried. He'd tried hard to forget, as she had. To push all the feelings and words right down from his throat into his chest. Maybe that was how the curse had started.

But he'd have kept the curse for good if it meant lingering in the 'almost' fantasy of them.

Now that illusion would shatter.

The very idea of her belonging to another felt like a wound somewhere inside him that he couldn't locate. The sensation of teeth on his shoulder thrummed, and he coughed, snuffing out the sound behind his hand.

"I didn't really know what to say," Kagome was muttering. "A part of me feels like it's too soon. I wanted to talk to you about it-"

"This one is needed elsewhere," he said in a clipped tone, turning on his heel.

He couldn't be her confidant anymore. Not about this.

"What?"

He began walking, trying to put distance between them. He should've known it wouldn't work as Kagome quickly caught up and planted herself firmly in his way, halting the demon.

"Okay, what is going on with you?" she demanded. "Is it the cough? Are you in so much pain that you can't talk to me?"

Sesshoumaru flashed his teeth in a faint sneer, throat protesting at the extended use of his vocal cords. "is it so unthinkable that for once, I may not have time for you, miko?"

"Yes," Kagome planted both hands on her hips. "Because this isn't an isolated thing. I've hardly seen you all month! And besides that, you're my friend, Sesshoumaru. Friends tell each other things. Remember how you talked about the court and how obnoxious General Kito was to deal with? Things like that. I need to talk to you about this- and clearly, you need to talk to someone about whatever's going on with you. I'm worried about you!"

His heart clenched, and Sesshoumaru bit back a hiss at the stab of pain it caused. Thin breathing rasped and rattled. He raised a hand, urging her aside via a gentle grasp on her shoulder to continue walking.

Kagome's grip was not so gentle as she latched onto his arm.

Frustration abruptly burst in his chest and Sesshoumaru snarled, whirling with the intent of spilling everything to her. Ruin their friendship. Burn everything they'd built and admit his failure to protect her-

-only to cough up a mouthful of blood onto her collarbone.

Kagome yelped in surprise, eyes wide. Touching the wet substance dazedly, horror paled her complexion. She looked up at him with palpable fear.

"S-Sesshoumaru?"

Humiliation stung white-hot and burning into his body. The visceral, blinding sensation of being exposed- of being seen- felt like too much. Too raw. As a demon unused to such things, his first instinct was to remove himself from the situation.

Sesshoumaru blurred away from her outstretched hands, putting the length of the clearing between them.

Kagome called his name again with alarm, asking him to wait, but he would not heed her call.

Taking to the skies, he flew fast and erratically, a wobbly figure. Coughing hard and feeling blood clog up his windpipe like mud, Sesshoumaru had no choice but to land not long after.

Within an overcast clearing upriver from Kagome, he steadied himself against a gnarled tree.

"Hah- hah-" he wheezed, doubling over and squeezing stinging eyes shut.

Something suddenly constricted tight around his lungs, around his very ribcage. Bones protested and ached. He gasped for breath, blood leaking from his open mouth to pool on the floor. Forget-me-nots mingled with it, petals stained red.

Jolting and snapping upright, Sesshoumaru arched his back, throwing back his head. A cry escaped him unlike any other. Loud, agonised and roaring in its ferocity tinged with pain.

Stems shot out from within his ribcage, tearing his chest asunder.

---

Her friends made noises of alarm at the sight of Kagome's bloodied clothes, but the miko ignored Sango and Miroku's questions, bypassing them in favour of finding and grabbing Jaken by the scruff of his robes.

"You're going to tell me in 10 words or less what the hell is going on with your lord," she demanded.

Jaken yelped and squinted, hanging from her hold. "Haven't the faintest idea of what you could be alluding to!" he sniffed.

Kagome snarled and bared her teeth, lifting him closer with a menacing expression and gesturing to the red substance marring her priestess robes. "This is HIS blood. He looked awful. Like- like he was dying, Jaken," her voice broke. "Please. I need to know what's happening. He won't tell me what's wrong and I'm scared."

Yellow eyes rounded wider, swallowing the imp's face. He appeared conflicted.

"Kagome!"

Releasing Jaken, Kagome shifted her attention to Inuyasha, who leapt towards her with alarm pinching his gruff features.

Dread dropped low in her stomach. That was never a good sign.

Distant snapping noises like wood being felled reached her ears. From behind the approaching Hanyou within the forest, large vines could be seen shifting and slithering over a portion of the trees.

"What is it?" Miroku gaped. "I sense a demonic aura, but it's distorted."

Kagome shuddered, feeling strange. She recognised that energy. Identified it as easy as breathing.

"Maybe a forest spirit has been disturbed?" Sango guessed, clutching her son a little more protectively.

"It ain't that," Inuyasha dropped from his jump, landing before them. He panted, white hair windswept. Of all people, his gaze landed upon the miko first. "It's Sesshoumaru."

----

Their way became blocked by a thick mass of vines crisscrossing through the forest. It created a wall, preventing any from entering.

"Lord Sesshoumaru must be further in," Miroku observed, leaning to inspect the leaves. "Beyond this 'barrier' I suppose you could call it."

"I wonder what could have happened," Kagome murmured, brows pulling together. "Sesshoumaru doesn't even have nature powers."

"Why on earth did you bring ME along for this?" a high pitched, nasally voice reached their ears. Sango and Inuyasha readily ignored it, while Kagome frowned down at the imp she held by the scruff of his robes.

"Because you're clearly hiding something, and until you come clean, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

His mouth thinned into a stubborn line, glancing away.

Kagome turned her attention back to the vines. Worry took root in her stomach. The memory of the Daiyoukai spitting up blood remained fresh in her mind, evidence of it staining her clothing and plastering it against her skin.

Handing Miroku their son, Sango went first. She swung Hiraikotsu with a seemingly effortless toss- the bone boomerang spiralling, cleaving trees in half but bouncing straight off the vine wall. It didn't so much as leave a dent.

Not wasting another moment, Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga. Everyone immediately gave him a wide berth, watching as he shook the sword out into a monstrous blade. He swung it back over one shoulder, feet planted far apart- delivering a swift blow downwards with a loud cry.

A burst of power shot out, heading straight for the vines. They made contact, and for a moment Kagome thought the consuming golden light might break through, only for it to fizzle out. The insurmountable wall remained intact.

Inuyasha tried again and again, using different techniques. None of them worked.

Nocking an arrow in her bow, Kagome took aim. Pale pink reiki split forth, coating the arrow while glowing ever more blinding until she set it free.

She held out hope as it shot through the vines, managing to burst through the dense foliage- which repaired itself almost immediately, covering up the hole.

"Nothing appears to be working," Miroku muttered, turning his friends. "Perhaps we should seek advice elsewhere first before trying to continue."

Her friend's voices faded into background noise as Kagome approached the vines. Frowning slightly, she stretched out her senses, using her aura to touch and brush against the barrier. It felt like him.

If that were the case, the wall was of Sesshoumaru's own making, whether he'd consciously chosen to hide away or not. Perhaps they were going about things the wrong way.

Thinking back to Maji and how carefully they'd run their linked hands down his neck, she raised a palm. Gradually easing closer, Kagome set it down gently onto the vines, stroking downwards.

Hearing outcries of alarm as the greenery parted, only for swirling stems to curl about her shoulders- Kagome quickly grabbed Jaken.

"It's okay, guys. Just find a way to follow me in later," she met their startled gazes. "I feel like I need to reach him quickly."

"Kagome, wait!"

Ignoring their protests, Kagome lept into the fray. She welcomed the green vines that wrapped around her, enclosing the miko and wailing kappa securely behind its wall.

---

Mercifully the winding tendrils of vines that moved as though infused with a will of their own allowed her freedom of movement. Kagome climbed through their moving, twisting stems, occasionally losing her footing and having to grasp hold of some.

"Again, I ask; WHY ARE YOU BRINGING ME ALONG WITH YOU?!" Jaken shrieked, clinging to her back and looking around fretfully.

"You know the answer to that. Tell me what you know about Sesshoumaru's situation and I'll let you go," Kagome hummed, shielding her eyes and looking up at sprawling branches above where sunlight streamed through. Maybe she could punt him over the treetops.

"I have sworn not to break my vow of silence on the matter!"

Grinding her teeth, Kagome stopped and reached over her shoulder, tearing him from her back to frown at him. "If your silence ends up hurting him, is it even worth it? Which means more to you; Sesshoumaru's trust or his life?"

Jaken clamped up, thinking about this for a moment. His eyes abruptly filled with tears, "fine! But you had best save me from his wrath once this is over."

Kagome grinned and patted him on the head, continuing to walk. "I promise."

He huffed, "Lord Sesshoumaru is suffering from a curse."

Blue eyes widened, and Kagome set Jaken over her shoulder like she would Shippo. He did not appreciate the gesture as the kit would while she minded swirling vines aside from their path and ducked through. "What kind of curse?"

"How much do you know about youkai mates, foolish mortal?"

At that, she tilted her head, noticing a blue flowering bud among the vines and gently touching it in passing. "Very little. I know they're like married couples. They, uh... make love and bite each other instead of having a wedding ceremony and stuff. That about sum it up?"

"Insolent girl!" Jaken griped, noticing the bud she touched opening up into a flower behind them. "It is far more than that! Their energies synchronise, aura's linking. However, it's quite imperative they both bite one another."

"Or else the mating is incomplete? What's so bad about that?"

"The partner that was bitten will consider them mated and suffer a one-sided attachment. This isn't so terrible if they have the bite mark healed and lose their troublesome feelings towards their mate," he continued with a self-important air. Kagome didn't mind it if it meant getting answers. "But... if they choose to linger in longing and are prevented from completing the mating, then their energies become distorted! Their youki takes on a life of its own as flowers."

"That's what these vines are," Kagome mused. She shifted, a strange, unsettled feeling churning in her gut. "You're implying someone bit Sesshoumaru? He'd never allow someone to do that if he didn't want it- let alone not reciprocate. Besides, if he could remove it, he'd have surely done so."

"I agree this situation is unprecedented! Unthinkable! Besides that, ANY partner resisting Lord Sesshoumaru's advances is unworthy of being his mate! AH-!"

Kagome jolted, feeling a weight lift from her back. Glancing over her shoulder, she gaped and strained to reach Jaken. Vines had wrapped tight around his mid-section, lifting him away.

"Hang on!" she shimmied her bow off her arm, quickly taking aim. Releasing the arrow, she watched as it hit the mark, sailing through a vine and breaking it in two. Jaken yelped, falling, only to be caught by another vine that continued dragging him back the way they'd come.

"J-just leave me!" he wailed. "Go save Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Kagome blinked, strangely touched. Nodding with conviction, she turned and hurriedly continued to make her way through the dense foliage.

---

Her breath caught the second she caught sight of the flowers.

Forget-me-nots littered the area, becoming more frequent the further in she ventured. Soon she practically waded through a sea of blue petals. They hugged trees, peppering logs, the ground beneath her feet, even climbing above to hang from branches. The vast mass of familiar flowers eventually opened out into a huge clearing packed full of them.

And there, at the centre of it all, Kagome finally saw him.

Vines had burst his chest open, putting quivering lungs on full display. To her horror, she witnessed them expanding and deflating with each struggling, wheezing breath. His ribcage had been repurposed for a vase of flowers. Vibrant blue forget-me-nots poked out between his ribs, green stems tightly wrapped around his bones, constricting.

Sesshoumaru's body lay tilted back, face turned upwards to the sky. Glassy eyes were vacant, blood caking his chin. His armour and hankimono lay shattered and torn on the ground. Around him, the stems that had spilt forth from his gut propped up his lifeless form, clearly part of the mass of greenery that had hindered her approach. Kagome covered her mouth, hand shaking. Tears pricked her eyes. Blue veins visibly spread over his flesh, causing her to wonder if the stems had buried beneath his very skin.

This was not Sesshoumaru. It couldn't be.

Choking on nothing, Kagome hurried closer with a thin noise. Reaching his motionless form, her hands hovered uselessly over his decimated chest. She didn't know where to start. How could she even help him?

"Who did this to you?" her voice wobbled. Stinging eyes misted over, running over his body. He looked like a corpse that had been picked clean by crows. His moving lungs moving were the only indication he was even alive.

"Sesshoumaru- I don't know if you can hear me," Kagome tried, reaching out and touching his cheek. It shocked her skin, icy to the touch. "But please- let go of the person who caused this," she said, locating what she assumed was the mating mark upon his shoulder. "No one is worth dying over. You could start over with your mate. Ask them out- anything!" she shuddered, looking at the flowers poking out from his ribs.

"Just don't die! This isn't like you!" Kagome snapped, tears rolling hotly down her cheeks to slide free from her chin. "Fight this! Keep living. T-there's still so much I want to talk to you about."

The tears landed upon pretty blue petals.

Leaning against him slightly, Kagome sobbed. She wondered if she could just reach out and rip the awful things free from inside his chest.

Why Forget-me-nots, anyway? Why not another flower-

The mating mark halted her hand, fingers brushing the stems. It didn't look like an animal bite, nor did it belong to a demon.

Kagome's eyes slowly widened. She had a distinct tooth at the back of her mouth.

The tooth marks looked like a perfect mould of her teeth.

"Was it...me?" she breathed, glancing up at Sesshoumaru's features dazedly. "Those blank spots in my memory. Was I... with you?"

The puzzle pieces slotted into place perfectly. Kagome stared, feeling like a fool for having not noticed. She'd just thought, assumed- he would never look at her like that.

But if the miko cast her memory back and pictured Sesshoumaru's lovely features, his honeyed gaze resting upon her face, half-lidded, lips quirked, face soft and drinking her in- maybe he had been looking at her 'like that' the whole time.

Kagome shook her head, feeling frantic. She latched onto his shoulders.

"I-I'm so sorry. I'm sorry! I never meant for this to happen. Why didn't you bite me? Why didn't you TELL me, you stupid demon!" she snapped, cheeks reddening as a fresh wave of tears stung her eyes. "All that time we spent together goofing off and talking- and you were suffering in silence? You're so stupid, Sesshoumaru!"

His anguished face did not stir. Kagome mindlessly wiped away the dried blood from his chin with shaky fingers.

"There's no taking this back now," she said quietly, glancing at the bite mark. "So... I guess there's only one thing for it."

It sounded terrible, but Shinto was far from her mind as she lay a hand over her mating mark and began concentrating. When resolving to save someone, Kagome became bullheaded. Sesshoumaru was all she could see as her aura rose out from her body, seeping into his bloodstream via the bite marks.

"You need to wake up," she mumbled, using her free hand to adjust the parting of her white kosode. Sliding it off one shoulder to bare her flesh, Kagome remained heedless of the vines growing and curling around them. They seeped into her ebony hair, twining into the long locks like a lover's hands.

Kagome straddled the Daiyoukai, shuddering a little at being so close to his bare bones. She couldn't have sex with him, obviously, but she suspected it wasn't truly needed to complete the bond. Feeding her energy into his body, she bit her bottom lip. Sweat beaded on her brow.

She began to mumble and pray under her breath.

When her spiritual energy had spread through most his system, Kagome grit her teeth and hoped he'd forgive her. Laying one hand atop his rib-cage directly over his heart, she raised her voice.

"Wake up!"

A pulse of reiki shot out through her palm.

Sesshoumaru jerked beneath her. A ghastly, chocking noise escaped him. His head lolled to the side as he looked at her unseeingly, a trickle of blood welling from the corner of his pale mouth. Kagome quickly wrapped an arm around him, guiding his head to her shoulder.

"Bite down, Sesshoumaru," Kagome whispered fiercely into his ear.

Sharp canines brushed her skin, causing a shiver. Wet flecks of blood accompanied it as he coughed. Whimpering with desperation, the miko curled trembling fingers into silver hair. She pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"Please- I want this." She'd do anything to save him. Besides that, a small, buried part of her felt strangely at peace with the action and its meaning. "Bite down!"

A blood-curdling snarl vibrated out from his open chest. Fangs sank deep into her shoulder. At once, dark, dominating youki burst through her system like a shot of adrenaline. Kagome gasped, back arching. It turned her heart into a burning star. Sesshoumaru's presence filled her until she practically burst at the seams. She distantly understood why youkai had sex before biting each other, reeling from it. The orgasm probably softened the intensity. Completion was something the mind could fathom, a release, the pooling of cum inside her.

This felt overwhelming. He was everywhere. His energy burned and licked, igniting and soothing her body like burning whisky.

Kagome felt the pinpricks of fresh tears in her eyes, overcome with a hurricane of emotions she couldn't quite name. She could feel his weakness. His exhaustion. The part of him tethered to her became a lifeline between them, feeding him the energy he'd lost.

Sesshoumaru's mouth peeled back from her flesh. He panted, sinking back. Kagome caught him about the shoulders, cradling him close.

A wave of tiredness sent her sinking down against him, lashes falling shut as dizziness spun her vision.

The last thing she saw before surrendering to the lure of unconsciousness was a canopy of Forget-me-nots surrounding their weary bodies.

----

Drowsy lids slowly cracked open- wincing at the setting sun's harsh orange light peeking out from between the trees. Golden eyes averted and Sesshoumaru stirred with a dusty rumble.

Something heavy lay over his bare chest. He lifted his head.

Kagome rested against his shoulder, dark hair spilling everywhere. Sesshoumaru stared, feeling he must be dreaming. They were laying within a clearing together, which looked clear, quiet and picturesque.

Squinting, he sat up, adjusting the woman against him. Kagome sank against his side, revealing a gaping hole in his flesh, exposing his rib-cage.

Ah, that's right.

The flowers. The vines spilling forth from his chest as blood asphyxiated him, making breathing impossible.

And Kagome...

The miko had come for him. Saved him.

Sesshoumaru ghosted stiff fingers over his mouth, dragging clawed nails down to the fresh bite mark branding his shoulder. He then shifted Kagome, running an aristocratic nose to similar marks adorning her shoulder- a tongue sliding out to drag over bloodied flesh. She tasted wonderful.

Kagome groaned and wrapped her arms around him tighter, burying her face in the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru held her close and revelled in the sensation. However, he soon picked up on the far off shimmer of his barrier enclosing them within their mini safe space. He could sense Inuyasha waiting outside, along with Jaken.

Deciding to lower it, Sesshoumaru rested his lips against the crown of Kagome's head before drawing himself up to stand unsteadily, lifting her into his arms.

When Inuyasha burst into the clearing, leaves scattering and clinging to his thick white hair, he brandished Tetsusaiga, only to lower it with a raised brow.

Sesshoumaru stood clad in his hakama pants, arching a regal brow in return. He approached the hanyou and passed Kagome over wordlessly, ignoring his noise of surprise at the sight of his ribcage.

"It is healing," the demon dismissed.

"Uh, alright," Inuyasha grunted, supporting Kagome. "Should I even ask what the hell happened?"

Sesshoumaru ignored him in favour of looking at the miko. His shoulder ached, and when he drew back his heel with the intention to leave- a fresh wave of discomfort elicited a wince.

Kagome stirred, blue eyes blinking open. She then drew a hand out towards him, "where are you going?"

"This one is..." he trailed off. "I must..."

"No, you don't," she murmured. Patting Inuyasha's shoulder to prompt him to set her down, Kagome flashed her friend a smile. "Thanks for coming for me, but I need to stay with this impossible guy to make sure he heals alright."

Inuyasha eyed the bite mark on her shoulder, nostrils flaring. "You sure?"

Kagome nodded firmly.

"What do ya want me to tell Shinto if he asks where ya are?"

Guilt passed over her face, and blue eyes flicked away, before finding him again. "Just say I'm visiting another village. I need to tell him the truth myself."

Relenting, Inuyasha stepped away, shooting Sesshoumaru a warning look before reluctantly leaving them be again, feeling like the wind had been thoroughly knocked out of his sails.

The Daiyoukai watched her, stunned.

"It's crazy you're even up and walking around in your condition," Kagome rubbed at her forehead, reaching out and seizing frozen fingers. "Come on, let's find a cave to take shelter in for the night."

----

The demon lord stopped and slid unrelenting attention down to her once they reached the mouth of a cave. "What made you choose this place?"

"I dunno, it wasn't far away and it felt familiar," Kagome hummed, meeting his gaze. "Have we... used it before? In the past?"

Golden eyes cracked wider. "You remember?" he asked in a quiet, brittle tone.

She shook her head, "not at all. I just figured it out. Would've been nice if you'd told me," releasing his hand, she wandered inside, finding a bed of furs awaiting them further in, cracks of sunlight streaming in through holes in the rock ceiling. Her cheeks reddened a little, imagination running wild.

"You really scared me back there," she murmured, back turned to him. "I thought you were going to die."

"That is why you completed the mating," Sesshoumaru uttered. To save him, and for no other reason.

A part of him had hoped she'd remembered, but another had immediately recognised the sacrifice she'd made. Kagome was a selfless individual in the face of danger. If Inuyasha were dying, or any of her other friends, he wondered if she'd mate them if it meant saving their lives.

With a benevolence he did not truly feel, Sesshoumaru forced himself to prioritise her comfort. "If this is not something you wish for- there are ways of severing the bond."

"Stop," she grit out, whirling to face him. Flinty blue eyes took his breath away. "Stop lying all the time. I remember valuing your company and opinion because you were always so blunt with me. You never held back your opinions."

"I am not lying, there is a way to sever it."

"But that's not what you want! Damn it- you nearly died because you couldn't open your mouth! Just be honest for once and tell me how you're feeling, Sesshoumaru. What do YOU want?"

Energy lashed at the air, kicking up a breeze that caused dark hair to fly back. Hands closed over the back of her neck, cradling her skull. Lips were shoved against hers, smothering startled breath.

"You," Sesshoumaru breathed in a brief parting, kissing her fiercely again. His mouth slanted ardently over hers, the hint of a fang brushing her lips. "Is it not obvious I cannot abide anything but having you? Foolish woman, it is for your sake I held back. Once you submit, there is no escaping me."

Kagome gaped, unable to keep up with the sheer amount of heated kisses. Her hands settled over his arms, heat igniting her cheeks. She'd never received a kiss like it before and tentatively returned it. A small gasp and accompanying noise from him only confirmed to her how much he wanted it. She could feel the tension in his frame. He was holding back even now.

When he pulled away, she panted, thumb dragging over magenta cheek stripes. "Didn't that feel so much better than burying everything?" she teased weakly. "Even if I'd rejected you, surely that would've been better than regret- than nearly dying."

Sesshoumaru's gaze slid away. He then released a long sigh, clawed hands curling in her hair. "You seemed happy with the mercenary."

"Ex-mercenary," she corrected out of habit, leaning into his touch. "And I was. I like him. But..." Kagome looked at him. Really looked, and somehow it clicked that his face was the only one she wanted to wake up to in the mornings to follow. When had things gotten to that point? Had she wanted this while lazing on the riverbank with him so long ago? Things would've been so much more simple if she'd identified it sooner. If he'd said something.

How foolish they both were.

Stepping closer, she blushed and tilting her head back in order to ghost her lips over a firm jaw. "I like you more."

Power sparked her insides at the ensuing shudder he gave. "Mating entails more than 'liking' one another, miko. Can you deal with my extended company? Being mine?"

Kagome pretended to consider this. "For how long?"

His lips quirked. "Centuries. Possibly thousands of years."

"That's a long time," her eyes danced. "I guess I'm okay with that if you work on your communication skills."

He inclined his head gravely, dipping his nose into her hair and inhaling a lungful. It felt so good to have clear airways again.

"Sesshoumaru, there is something I want to ask you about; Why didn't you bite me? And what happened during that night I lost my memories?"

"I intended to, miko," he said with dark promise. Displeasure curled his lip. "You managed to bite me during climax. I do not think you understood the ramifications of it at the time. I would have reciprocated nonetheless. Unfortunately, my senses- brilliant as they are- sensed a disturbance in the forest. A herd of boar youkai were bolting towards your precious village."

He could scowl all he wanted about it, but Kagome knew of his attachment to Rin. No doubt they'd both wasted no further time in lovemaking and quickly made for the village.

"We fought them, tried to redirect them. You asked me to save a boy that had fallen during the village's impromptu evacuation. Naturally, I did so- but it meant leaving you alone."

Kagome winced. Her hand found the back of her head, remembering waking to a sizable bump and stitches. "They got me, huh?"

"One struck you down," Sesshoumaru uttered with a weary tone. "I did not know where you were, as we had become separated in the chaos. When I eventually found you... the mercenary was nursing your wounds."

"I remember," she said gently. A stab of sympathy clenched her heart. Stroking a hand down his bicep, she sighed. "That must've been awful, to lose me so soon after almost completing the mating. I didn't realise, didn't recall our relationship. I greeted you so casually and didn't get why you were lingering around in his hut."

"The fault is not yours," Sesshoumaru rested large hands possessively on her hips.

Kagome glanced at him, squinting. "Neither is it yours," she pressed her fingers to his lips when he opened his mouth. "Nope! Not yours. I wouldn't have wanted you to prioritise guarding me that night. If you had, that boy you saved might've lost his life. Besides, I can usually take care of myself. They caught me on a bad day."

The two fell into silence. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, resting thin lips against the crown of her head while Kagome leaned carefully against him.

"I find it weird that we've had a whole conversation while you have a massive hole in your chest. At least I can't see your whole ribcage like before. Seems like the skin and muscle are repairing," she mumbled.

"It will heal quickly," he dismissed, palms gliding over her back.

Kagome made a soft noise, basking in his warmth. "It's also weird that this feels so natural to me," she lifted her head, catching his eye. "I might not remember us. Ever. So just... promise me you won't search for my past self in me. I've been through that before."

He swept her down into the furs, covering her form with his own. "Hn, we will live in the present."

Heat flushed her cheeks as she sank into the soft, comforting furs. Her heart fluttered, stomach jumping. "Thank you."

A silver curtain of hair blocked out their surroundings as Kagome pulled him closer, both mindful of his injury. She smiled, searching his gaze and slowly delivering a sweet kiss to his lips.

Sesshoumaru let out a long sigh of relief, their foreheads meeting.

"Hey, on the bright side..." Kagome gave him a cheeky grin. "I get to experience my 'first time' with you again."

Astonishment painted his features. A simmering, darkly satisfied look soon replaced it, transforming his face into something more raw and honest. Kagome accepted his anticipation, his hunger, not dissuading him from it. She endeavoured to encourage even more displays of emotion from him.

"You don't need to hold back," she murmured, accepting his searing kiss. "Tell me everything you've wanted to say to me since losing my memory. I don't mind."

Their energies twined once more, and the miko hooked her leg over his hip to anchor him against her without any seductive intentions. She merely wanted him close, and Sesshoumaru did not argue, burying closer to her the second he healed. Skin met skin, noses brushing.

In the hush that followed, Sesshoumaru took his lips to her ear and began talking.

End

[50yearsofqueen]

That time Queen stayed in a cottage in Cornwall together

In July and August 1971, Queen played eleven gigs in Cornwall - their first sort of mini-tour.

Roger Taylor has said that his mother wasn’t keen to have the whole band and their convoy sleeping on her front-room floor in Hurland Road in 1971 - it was getting over-crowded with roadies, girlfriends and hangers-on - so they rented a small three bedroom cottage just outside Truro, in the picturesque village of Devoran. (Queen in Cornwall)

John: "We stuck all the equipment into one van and sailed off. We rented a cottage near Truro and stayed together. It was good, because we got to know each other really well. It settled us as a group. Roger did manage to find us some gigs as well, so we broke even." (Sutcliffe, Queen Illustrated History, p. 26).

One of the other smaller photos on the back of the first Queen album is an image of Freddie standing in the open countryside, in what looks like the estuary of the Devoran River. The band would have gone walking along the river that leads to Restronguet during their holiday there, and would also have visited Flo’s Bar, one of Roger’s favourite pubs. (Queen in Cornwall - opinions are divided on whether the pic really shows Freddie, or actually Roger.)

And finally, look at this postcard that Freddie wrote home (transcript behind the cut):

Dear Denise, Thought I’d drop a line to keep you happy and take your mind off the two pests for a short while. We’re staying in this cottage in Devoran and there are a few kitties rushing around outside - so it’s not too bad. By the way I’ve got to rush ‘cause there’s only one pen and I’ve got it, and Brian’s at my throat…Will be back Sunday by which time you will have gone. Rueben will look after things I hope. All the Best Freddie…Excuse Haste.

(Queen in Cornwall)

Find all the prompts for the 50yearsofqueen anniversary here: x