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justwinginglife · 4 months ago

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A Million and One

25 Days of Simpmas: Day Three December 3rd: Takumi Usui, Rank 23 Anime: Maid Sama

Event Masterlist

Your troubles started the day Takumi Usui walked in on Misaki Ayuzawa working at Maid Latte and Misaki Ayuzawa’s troubles started the day you walked in on her working at Maid Latte.

It was such an ordinary day- the only thing that stood out was how much Misaki made it stand out. When she freaked the fuck out. Now, you had all kinds of friends who came from all kinds of different backgrounds so you barely bat an eye at the maid thing, but Misaki? She thought the world was just shy of ending the day you’d found her out. The only reason you had wandered into Maid Latte at all was because you had recently hit it off with Erika and you remembered she said she worked at a cafe around the area, so you popped into the first one you saw. Misaki greeted you at the door, recognized you, and then bolted. You only had enough time to blink once before you were running through the kitchen of a cafe you’d never been to, dodging wait staff you’d never met, in order to catch up with a girl who’d never sprinted so hard in her entire life.

But eventually, she took pity on your poor lungs -that, or hers were about to give out- and she stopped running. When she finally realized you weren’t out to get her (shocker there, you were one of her closest friends, why would you out her big secret?), the two of you mutually decided it was a good thing someone outside of her family knew about her job. Eventually, it became routine for you to go with Misaki to work and make sure no one from school followed her; if it looked like anyone was, you’d throw them off the trail. She never understood why you agreed to help her so frequently and you could tell she was leaning towards something along the lines of you were a saint who liked to rescue babies and kittens from fires in your free time, but the truth was that besides having fun bonding with Misaki, you liked messing around with people from school who swear they saw her one minute and then she was gone the next. You also liked being one of the few people who knew her secret.

Then came Usui.

He was well known as the resident heartthrob of Seika High, and as much as you tried to resist, even you weren’t immune to his charms. You had had crushes several times and maybe even glimpsed love once, but the feeling you got when Takumi Usui was around was different and it honestly exhausted you. You knew it wasn’t an original feeling -you hated just how unoriginal it was- and you knew that every girl at Seika but Misaki Ayuzawa understood it, so maybe that was another reason for spending so much time with her lately; if she could resist his charms, maybe you could learn to resist him too.

But your wishes were not to be granted, as the second you saw Usui casually strolling towards Maid Latte, you froze. It was a brief two seconds - seconds you were not proud of- but by the time you had recovered and dashed to the aid of your unsuspecting friend, you were too late. The damage had already been done.

That was the day you decided to put away your little crush once and for all. You would lock it up in a chest and sink it to the bottom of the ocean. You would tie it to a bird and send it off to the ends of the earth. You would chuck it into a rocket and ship it off to space. You would end it, obliterate it, annihilate it.

Or maybe not.

Now that poor Misaki had the full, unwanted, undivided attention of Takumi Usui, as her best friend, you were the unwitting bridge for this unlikely couple. In other words, you now spent most of your days being hounded by Usui for information on her, and you were swallowed up by the constant reminder of your feelings for him each day he did.

Yay you.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------

“-and that’s why you should never let Saki do any cooking. And I mean ANY. Now, are we done here?” Instead of meeting his inquisitive gaze, you delivered your response to the ground, as though the ground might offer some insight on the unfortunate situation you now found yourself in, but the ground had no such advice and Usui was still as troublesome as ever.

Even though you weren’t looking, you could feel him grinning as he observed you and it made your heart throb painfully in your chest. “You know,” he said thoughtfully, “I’ve noticed you’re the only one who ever calls her Saki. Pretty interesting, if you ask me.”

“Well I didn’t ask you. Now can I go? I have to study and Saki will kill me if I don’t and I’ll kill you if she does.” With fierce determination, you finally managed to meet his gaze. Big mistake. His eyes were very green. Very green and very big and very all consuming.

Talking to the ground had let you forget that you were in a whole new level of the friend zone, a level that had not previously been invented until you opened your shitty mouth and agreed to his shitty terms, a level that, if measured by Olympic standards, would meant you now held the gold medal in the competition of the worst possible ways to be rejected by someone you liked. And now that you were looking into his stupidly big, stupidly green eyes, you were face to face with your mistake. And it was making you blush like you’d come straight from a sauna. Fucking hell.

You slowed your breathing in attempts to counteract the flames bursting from your cheeks. You couldn’t back down now; you were not about to return to staring at the ground after you’d so obviously made a big deal about glaring him down.

If he was aware of the amount of strain you were putting yourself through, he didn’t let on, because he kept chattering on, “So I know at work she’s Misa, and here she’s either Misaki or President, but to you, she’s Saki. What’s up with that?” He stroked his chin as though it were some great, big mystery to ponder, as though he might actually lose sleep if the answers were not provided to him in this instant.

You sighed. “I just wanted something that was mine, okay? Is that good enough? I wanted a name for my best friend that no one else could have but me. So don’t even think about calling her Saki, got that? Now I’m going to study and you’re going to sit here and pretend you’re satisfied even though I know you rarely ever are.” You grabbed your bag and hurried out of school.

No attention from him at all was better than the scattered scraps of attention that he littered at your feet while he spoonfed Misaki a whole buffet. At least when he wasn’t paying attention to you, you could pretend you had a chance.

—------------------------------------------------------------------

You said you were going to study but it was as though Usui’s incessant interrogations had drilled a hole through your skull and let your brain cells to spill through the drain, because suddenly you had no motivation to continue with your history lessons. You ended up going for a run instead.

As you did laps around your neighborhood, you thought to yourself that at this rate, with how many meetings you were having with Usui, Misaki would fall into his lap in no time at all. The thought made you run faster. You hated everything about this situation. You hated the way he looked at you, like he was looking through you. You hated the way he looked at her, like she was light in the dark. You even hated the way you hated things. You hated that you couldn’t just be happy for her. If anyone was going to make Usui fall head over heels, of course it would be her, with her passion and her ambition and her intelligence. And it should be her. It should be her.

Suddenly you were sprinting through the streets just so you could pretend that the agonizing ache in your chest was nothing more than fatigue from exercise. When you finally dragged your exhausted body back home for a shower, Usui was in the dining room when you came out.

Of course he was in the damn dining room. Talking with your mother about how her “food gets better every time,” and talking with your father about “did you see the game last week,” as if he was a natural part of the family. That was the worst part about this little arrangement of yours; your family had started to get used to him showing up at random times and you were sure by now that they thought you were going out with each other. You didn’t have the heart to tell them he was just using you. You barely had the heart to admit it to yourself.

“Takumi, sweetie, take some leftovers home if you like it so much, I don’t mind. We have plenty and I’m just so glad you liked it.”

Hearing your mother call Usui by his first name before you ever could made you want to puke. God, she loved him. You bet it was only a matter of time before she started saying things like, “Well Takumi’s a nice guy, why can’t you find someone more like Takumi? Why don’t you just date Takumi?” If only it were that simple.

“Usui. Upstairs, now.” You grabbed him by the ear and led him away. He waved to your mom before you disappeared up the stairs with him.

“How many times do I have to tell you? You can’t just keep showing up without warning. And didn’t I just see you like a couple hours ago?”

He shrugged and then collapsed on your bed, the way he always did. He liked the mattress, said it felt better than his and that one of these days, he might just steal it. “Had more questions for you.”

You sighed, exasperated. “First, you’re in my dining room, eating my dinner, talking to my mother, and now you’re getting comfortable in my bed. You really don’t know what shame is, do you?” You shoved him over slightly so you could take up position beside him, staring up at the ceiling so you wouldn’t have to look at his stupid grin.

“Can’t help if your parents like me.”

“Yeah, well, they don’t know you well enough then.”

He pressed a hand to his chest dramatically. “Ouch. So because you know me, you don’t like me?”

“Never said I didn’t like you, just said I didn’t like you showing up at my house at random times.”

He tapped his chin with his finger. “So you don’t like it when I talk to you at school and you don’t like when I talk to you at home, when am I supposed to talk to you then?”

You rolled your eyes. “It’s not talking; it’s interrogating. And maybe I’m just tired of talking about Misaki all the time.” You were surprised to discover just how honestly you’d answered. You usually just shut him down with a sarcastic quip, but maybe today he’d worn you just a little too thin. Maybe today, you couldn’t completely hide how you felt.

“So what’s your favorite color?” He propped himself onto his side so he could face you.

You kept your eyes on the ceiling. “What kind of a dumb question is that? I thought you were here to ask me about Misaki.”

“Yeah, but you just said you’re tired of talking about her. So tell me your favorite color. Favorite movie. Favorite food. I bet it’s something your mom makes. She’s a great cook, I think I’ll steal her someday.”

You snorted. “So are you into Misaki or are you into my mom?”

He smirked. “Maybe it’s both, who knows? So, are you gonna tell me your favorite color?”

“You ask too many questions.” You were silent for a moment. Then you quietly murmured, “Green.”

“Huh. You know, my eyes are green.”

You rolled away from him to lay on your side, turning to face the wall so he couldn’t see the way your cheeks were burning. “Yeah, well they’re the wrong color green. I like a different shade of green.”

“What shade? I could wear contacts.”

“Why would you do a dumb thing like that?”

In an instant, he tugged you towards him, pushing your back to the bed, and straddling you. Then he captured your chin in between two fingers so he could hold your gaze. “Maybe so you’d actually look at me for once.”

You glared at him. “I do look at you, stupid. I’m looking now, aren’t I?”

He chuckled. “Because I’m holding you down. Is that what it takes? I should just pin you to something every time I want your attention?”

“You have my attention, so what do you want? Why do you care if I look at you or not?” You grumbled. You wanted to look away from him, wanted to shove him off of you, maybe hide in your closet, maybe bury yourself under your laundry, but it would only further prove his point, so you kept your gaze locked on him.

“Maybe because your eyes are my favorite color.”

You almost choked.

God, he said it so simply. Did he know the effect his words had on you? You had to stop taking everything he said so seriously. Maybe he liked your eyes, but he liked everything about Misaki. What good were your eyes when all they could do was watch him pine after someone else? Who cared if they were his favorite color if you weren’t his favorite person? All you would ever be to him was a nobody with nice eyes.

“You’re overthinking this.” He poked you in the forehead.

You slapped his hand away. “And you’re underthinking this. You can’t just say shit like that randomly.”

“Well what am I allowed to say?”

“Nothing. Just, nothing. Just, hush.” You yanked him back down to the bed and put a hand over his mouth.

You both stayed like that for a moment, laying side by side, stuck in silence. You felt his breath on your hand and the sensation made you shiver but you didn’t dare move it for fear that he’d bombard you with more ridiculous questions. You wondered how long he’d allow you to keep touching him like this. You wondered how long he’d stay.

Sometimes he just popped in for a minute, asked if you thought Misaki would like his new tie. You’d shake your head at his crooked tie, then you’d fix it for him, and say something like “Now you look half decent.”

Sometimes he stayed for hours. Fought you for seconds at the dinner table. Helped your mom wash the dishes. Put your kid sister to bed with a book.

Sometimes you’d pretend he’d stay forever.

“Dumplings. I like dumplings.” You said finally, removing your hand from his mouth. “You asked what my favorite food was. Dumplings. Mom’s dumplings.”

He beamed at your answer. “I like your mom’s dumplings too.” Then he leaned over to whisper in your ear, “Can I tell you a secret? She gave me the recipe.”

Suddenly you couldn’t help yourself and you started laughing. There was just something so ridiculous about finally having a genuine moment with Usui and it was about dumplings. You wiped a tear from your eye, still giggling slightly. “I bet you begged her on your hands and knees,” You teased.

He nodded with all seriousness. “That I did. Turns out I didn’t need to, she was about to give it to me anyway. But now I can make all the dumplings in the world.”

You turned to face him properly. “So make me some dumplings then, oh Master Chef.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted jokingly. Then he smiled and for a moment, Misaki didn’t exist. For a moment, he was simply a guy who made you laugh and you were simply a girl who made him smile.

You told him your favorite movie and he promised to watch it with you. You told him your favorite game and he promised to play it with you. You told him your favorite holiday and he promised to celebrate it with you. You told him anything and everything that interested him, you told him so much that when he left, when the room quieted, when his scent dissipated, you actually missed him. But you’d never tell him that. You told him lots of things, things you’d never told anyone else, but you’d never tell him the way you felt about him. You couldn’t.

So the next morning, you quit deluding yourself.

You marched right up to him, unprompted, and declared, “She really likes the restaurant down the block from her house. Buy her dinner there and then take her for dessert next door, at her favorite bakery. Do that, and I think you might have a shot with her.” There. You’d done it. You’d given him more pieces to the puzzle and now the game was done. He wouldn’t need to meet you for lunch to ask more questions, or walk you home, or stop by for dinner. He wouldn’t need anything. He wouldn’t need you.

You turned to leave.

“Have you tried the food there? Do you like it?”

You froze. What? “Doesn’t matter. She likes it, so you’re gonna sit there and eat it and tell her how much you enjoy it.” You turned to leave again.

“But do you like it?”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, frustration building up inside you. “Usui, seriously, what does it matter? You don’t care if I like it, you care if she likes it. So what if I don’t like it?”

“Ahh, so you don’t like it. Where do you like to eat then?”

You stared at him. Was he stupid? He must be stupid. God, you were in love with an idiot. Of course you were in love with an idiot. You were an idiot. This whole situation was complete idiocy. Only two complete idiots would forge an idiot pact like this. “Are you… trying to figure out where not to take her?? I dunno if you’ve noticed, but Saki and I have completely different tastes in food.”

He nudged you with his elbow. “So humor me then. Where would you go to eat?”

You sighed, exasperatedly, defeatedly. “Fine. I like that place on 3rd Street. The one with the big double doors. Don’t take her there- she hates it. Now, if you’re going to go ask her out, she’s in the observatory right now.”

He tilted his head, peering at you curiously. “Why the observatory?”

“She’s not feeling well but I told her not to go to the nurse’s office right now so she’s laying down in the observatory.”

His brows furrowed. “What’s wrong with the nurse’s office?”

God, he was asking more questions than normal today. You thought you’d finally gotten him to stop asking you questions, you’d just given him the keys to the city and he was still loitering outside, stuck in park. You sighed again before explaining, “The nurse has been looking a little flushed as of late and she keeps sneaking into the bathroom to rinse off her sweat. It’s fall. She shouldn’t be sweating. She’s also been a little wobbly on her feet today, I should know- she almost crashed into me. Then I remember it rained yesterday and she forgot her umbrella, so I think she walked home in the rain and is probably sick. If Saki doesn’t feel well, coming in contact with a sick nurse is just going to make things worse, so observatory it is.”

He was still staring at you. “But why the observatory?”

You groaned. “Why so many questions?”

“Just humor me. Why the observatory?”

“I’m doing a lot of humoring you today. The last member of the astronomy club just graduated and the club hasn’t been able to accumulate new members. The observatory has been untouched as of late and it’s in a secluded corner of the campus. No one will think to look for her there and she’ll be able to rest, unbothered.” You concluded, crossing your arms in annoyance.

He leaned back in his chair, impressed. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

You blinked. Sorry, what? “Where is this coming from?”

“The way you pay attention to things. The way you pay attention to everyone. I’ve asked a million and one questions about Ayuzawa, and you’ve answered every single one of them. You actually take the time to know things about people that others might miss or find insignificant. You’re incredible.”

You stood there, stunned. “Um… are you sick too, or something?”

He laughed to himself. “You would say something like that when I’ve just complimented you. You never know how to just take a compliment, huh?” He teased, reaching for your hands. “We’ll have to work on that.”

“Usui, what are you-”

“I like you. I’ve liked you for a while now.”

You blinked a couple times. Were you the sick one? Were you hearing things? Did he just say what you thought he just said? No, he couldn’t have. That didn’t make any sense at all; he’d just spent the last several months hounding you for information about Misaki, how could he like you? You must have misheard him. “Yeah, yeah, you’re really funny Usui. Anyway, I’ve gotta go, I have-”

“Band practice?”

You froze. “I, yeah, how did you-”

“The gardening club works right outside your window during your practice hours and Ayuzawa likes to help them out so I go with her.”

“Yeah, I know, because you want to spend more time with h-”

“Because I know you’re going to be playing and I want to listen.”

Your heart thundered in your chest. No. Stop it. He couldn’t possibly be saying what you thought he was saying. You had to get it together. You were just deluding yourself further, and it had to stop.

“Usui, I don’t-”

“How long are we going to keep doing this? How long do you intend to make me wait?”

“Wait for what?”

“For a date. I’ll buy you as many dumplings as you want. I’ll make you as many dumplings as you want. Just go out with me.”

Your head was spinning. “I don’t… I don’t understand. You don’t… want Misaki?”

He shook his head. “You’re the one I’ve been spending all this time with, aren’t you?” He cradled your face in his hands. “Go out with me.” He leaned his forehead against yours.

You closed your eyes and relaxed against him. After a moment of silence, you finally answered him. “Okay… okay.” You whispered, barely audible enough for him to hear.

But it was just enough to send a smile cascading across his face. He planted gentle kisses all over your cheeks until he felt the skin heat up beneath his lips. “Since you’re in such a good mood now… marry me?”

You snorted and pulled back. “In your dreams, Usui. We just started dating.”

He laughed. “That we did. Was just trying my luck.” Then he winked, “Don’t worry, I’ll wear you down eventually.”

He leaned down to kiss you. It was softer than you expected. Like he could take your time with you. But there was a hint of hunger that said he wouldn’t wait forever. He’d make you his for good someday.

After all, he’d asked you a million questions before, what was getting down on one knee and asking one more?

Taglist: @pixelcafe-network @ouiouimochi @inkytypewriter @minasfwoopyponytail

#takumi usui #usui takumi #maid sama #anime #anime oneshot #takumi usui x reader #usui x reader #usui takumi x reader #han's library

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frostfires-blog · 3 months ago

Note

Hi, Bleach fan! Just saw your IchiRuki post and I love it! You can't imagine how excited I am to found IchiRuki shipper in 2024!

So, what do you think are Ichigo and Rukia's greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? What are your favorite (canon) IchiRuki moments? What are your favorite headcanons of them?

Do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dyanamic remind you of IchiRuki?

Thanks if you want to answer

Hi, sorry for the wait! I'm just as excited to see another IchiRuki shipper! I swear ever since TYBW came out, we've been heavily persecuted... So it's nice to be asked about IchiRuki in a positive context rather than a negative one. Just an obligatory disclaimer before I start: Although I have been spoilt for the series ending, I have not officially read the manga. I know that rival shippers are going to use this against me... But I needed to clarify that in case I slightly misremember something. However, I doubt I will since I won't really be speaking about anything beyond where the anime left off.

[My answers are under the cut because I rambled too much again sorry ❀]

-> Ichigo & Rukia's greatest strengths: ⦁ Their strong natural chemistry: They just have a genuine and instantaneous emotional connection that elicits a sense of familiarity and warmth. ⦁ Conversely, they fit into both the "birds of a feather" and "opposites attract" tropes. This implies that, despite their differences, they share a few commonalities—which is what accounts for their strong connection. ⦁ They have both positively impacted one another, consistently uplifting and motivating one another and bringing each other back from their lowest points. Most notably, Rukia is a source of strength, motivation, and light for Ichigo. In the same way that Ichigo is a driving force in Rukia's life, serving as a source of courage and resolve. ⦁ As a result of their similar experiences and struggles—especially with self-doubt and loss—they possess a unique understanding of one another that no one else possesses. Consequently, they are able to instinctively support one another in overcoming these challenges and progress towards bettering themselves.

-> Ichigo & Rukia's greatest weaknesses: ⦁ The significant disparity in their lives, circumstances, and careers could stand in the way of their relationship—though with some concessions, this is not immutable. ⦁ They elicit each other's stubbornness and strong willedness, which often results in bickering. While I find this endearing, I know this is a source of contention for many fans. ⦁ Towards the end of the series—in particular during the TYBW arc—they don't get as much screentime together.

-> What I love about their dynamic: ⦁ Simply speaking, they are a perfect amalgamation of my favourite tropes and symbolism. ⦁ Their perfectly counterbalanced designs and symbolism seamlessly integrate into their respective roles in the series, not only enhancing their dynamic but also conveying the notion of being fated or destined soulmates. ⦁ Their mutually important roles in the series, along with their profound trust and respect for one another, foster a sense of equality and balance seldomly seen in shounen F/M pairings. ⦁ Throughout the series, their most significant moments are consistently paralleled and inverted. This not only enables both of them to mutually support and uplift one another but also further reinforces their dynamic as a cornerstone of the series.

-> My favourite canon IchiRuki moments: There are honestly so many, as I love all of the interactions, but if I had to limit myself to a top four, then it would be as follows:

4) When Rukia transfers her powers to Ichigo for the first time (Episode 1) - This has to be one of the most iconic IchiRuki scenes considering this is the moment where it all began.

3) Ichigo saves Rukia from her execution - Another obvious choice. What makes this moment appealing to me is that Ichigo enables Rukia to finally be upfront about her feelings and reinvigorates her desire to exist. This allows this scene to transcend the typical hero saves the girl premise.

2) Rukia and Ichigo reuniting during the Fullbring arc - This scene brought me to tears with its masterful parallels of both of the previous entries on my list here by having Rukia show up to support and guide Ichigo once more. I adore the manner in which Rukia can uplift him and encourage him with only a few words and her presence.

1) Ichigo thanking and saying farewell to Rukia after losing his powers - Some might find it ironic that this scene tops my list, but my reasoning goes beyond my fondness for angst. In my opinion, this scene—as well as its aftermath—cements how deeply Ichigo and Rukia care for one another. In the anime, the compelling voice acting as well as the soft colours and fluid animation deepen my love for this scene. Conversely, the manga's fluid panelling and delicate expressions are remiscent of that in shoujo manga.

P.S. I would've highlighted some scenes from the 3rd Bleach Movie: Fade To Black—but since its still debated whether the movies are canonical, I opted not to.

-> My favourite IchiRuki headcanons:

I'm more of a trope, motif, and symbolism analysis person—so I've never really given any thought to headcanons... To be honest, I don't think I fully know what counts as a headcanon. I love seeing people use Sun×Moon, Day×Night, Ying×Yang, and Fire×Ice symbolism for IchiRuki. Also, this is much less common, but I also like seeing fan artists use Forget-Me-Not flowers for IchiRuki—that's totally their flower. I don't know if those count as headcanons...So I'd love for you guys to share your favourite headcanons in the comments...

-> Ships that remind me about IchiRuki:

To be honest, this is a tricky question to answer... Everyone is drawn to ships for different reasons... Every ship is different, and every series is different... So it goes without saying that just because you ship a pairing in one series doesn't mean you'll ship a similar ship in another show. People always get offended when someone always gets offended when comparisons are drawn between ships—especially those from different series. Having said that, I tried my best; so, please don't criticise me too harshly I'd love to hear about any other ships that remind you guys of IchiRuki since I'm sure I might have missed a couple of good options...

1) ChiKawa / Chika Kudo × Satowa Hozuki (Kono Oto Tomare!) — > Similar personalities/dynamics: ⦁ Just like Ichigo, Chika is a devoted and caring friend who can be a bit straightforward, impulsive, and short-tempered at times. ⦁ Just like Rukia, Satowa is graceful, determined, and stubborn. Satowa, like Rukia, has difficulty opening up to others and is adept at putting on a damsel in distress act to get her way in troublesome situations. ⦁ Both pairs initially get off on the wrong foot and often bicker because of their stubbornness, but ultimately come to respect, trust and care for one another. > Common tropes: ⦁ Both pairs share the "belligerent tension", "birds of a feather", "can't live with them, can't live without them", "everyone can see it", and "slow burn" tropes. > Similar backgrounds: ⦁ Before the start of the series, Chika often got into fights and had a "deliquent" image, which is somewhat reminiscent of Ichigo's backstory. ⦁ Satowa, like Rukia, is apart of a presigious family and faced immense pressure, which resulted in her becoming isolated and aloof. > Similar in appearance: ⦁ Both pairs have a guy with bright, light-coloured hair and brown eyes. Both pairs have a girl with straight, black hair with bangs.

2) Takumi Usui × Misaki Ayuzawa (Kaichou wa Maid-sama!) — > Similar personalities/dynamics: ⦁ Usui, like Ichigo, is confident, reliable, talented, and protective. ⦁ Misaki, like Rukia, is intelligent, diligent, and determined. Both characters struggle with being honest with themselves (and others) about their feelings and wants. ⦁ Usui enjoys teasing Misaki, similarly to how Rukia oftentimes teases Ichigo. ⦁ Both pairs initially get off on the wrong foot and often bicker because of their stubbornness, but ultimately come to respect, trust, and care for one another. > Similar backgrounds: ⦁ Usui, like Rukia, is partially a member of a prestigious family and is now isolated and somewhat aloof as a result of his upbringing. ⦁ Misaki, like Ichigo, cares greatly for her family and younger sibling and works hard to protect her. > Common tropes: ⦁ Both pairs share the "belligerent tension", "birds of a feather", "can't live with them, can't live without them", "declaration of protection", "everyone can see it", "like an old married couple" and "slow burn" tropes. > Similar in appearance: ⦁ Both pairs have a guy with light and bright-coloured spikey hair. Both pairs have a girl with straight, black, shoulder-length hair with bangs.

3) ItaFushi / Yuji Itadori × Megumi Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen) — > Similar personalities/dynamics: ⦁ Both pairs have matching MBTI results. With Ichigo and Yuji falling under ISFP while Rukia and Megumi fall under ISTJ. ⦁ Yuji, like Ichigo, values protecting others—especially his friends—and is equally hard-working, determined, passionate, and impulsive. ⦁ Megumi, like Rukia, is intelligent, serious, blunt, diligent, and talented. He is equally as aloof, stubborn and short-tempered. ⦁ Both pairs have complementary personalities and fight well alongside their respective partner. Both pairs are very intuitive of their partner's needs and get along well—despite occasional teasing and bickering. > Similar Backgrounds: ⦁ Like Rukia, Megumi has a complex relationship with his older, adoptive sibling. Megumi and Rukia are both apart of prestigious clans that are involved with eliminating supernatural creatures. ⦁ Like Ichigo, Yuji has a mysterious family background with some of his family members being somewhat connected to one of the series' main villians. Both characters possess latent, inherent abilities as a result of their heritage. Both characters battle with literal "inner-demons". > Similar circumstances/roles in the series: ⦁ Both pairs consist of the protagonist and deuteragonist of their respective series. ⦁ Both Ichigo and Yuji were living relatively ordinary lives until they ran into their respective deuteragonist and had to awaken supernatural abilities to save themselves and the latter from a supernatural creature. ⦁ Both Rukia and Megumi have disobeyed orders/rules in order to protect their respective protagonist. ⦁ Both Ichigo and Yuji risked being executed as a result of the powers they awakened but were saved by their respective deuteragonist. ⦁ Conversely, at different points in their respective series, both Rukia and Megumi had lost their will to live and were then saved by their respective protagonist. > Common tropes: ⦁ Both pairs share the "battle couple", "can't live with them, can't live without them", "declaration of protection", "everyone can see it", "fan-preferred couple", "friends to lovers", "I owe you my life", "rescue romance", "star-crossed lovers", "slow burn", "sun × moon" and "you are better than you think you are" tropes.

4) GinTsu / Gintoki Sakata × Tsukuyo (Gintama) — > Similar personalities/dynamics: ⦁ Gintoki, like Ichigo, is very strong-willed, stubborn, short-tempered and impulsive. Conversely, behind their cool and detached image, both characters are very charismatic, compassionate, reliable and empathetic. ⦁ In terms of MBTI results, Rukia and Tsukuyo both fall under ISTJ. Like Rukia, Tsukuyo initially believed in placing duty above her personal feelings and struggled with emotional transparency and self-worth. Both characters are very responsible, diligent, determined and blunt. ⦁ Both pairs have complementary personalities and fight well alongside their respective partner. Both pairs are very intuitive of their partner's needs and get along well. ⦁ Although both pairs often bicker and tease each other, this does not detract from their respect, trust, and care for one another. > Similar backgrounds: ⦁ Like Ichigo and Rukia, who comprehend and assist one another because of their similar past experiences, Gintoki and Tsukuyo have comparable understanding and support. This theme is further developed in Gintama's "Red Spider Arc" where Gintoki and Tsukuyo's backstories are even more explicitly contrasted. > Similar circumstances and roles in series: ⦁ Both Tsukuyo and Rukia have defied orders to protect their respective protagonist. ⦁ Both Tsukuyo and Rukia struggle with emotional transparency and self-worth. Both characters have learnt to embrace their feelings and be less constrained thanks to their respective protagonist. > Corresponding symbolism & motifs: ⦁ Both pairs have canonically been associated with celestial motifs with Rukia and Tsukuyo being associated with the moon while Ichigo and Gintoki are associated with the Sun. ⦁ Rukia and Gintoki have been respectively described as the "light" in Ichigo and Tsukuyo's lives. ⦁ Rukia has been associated with Winter and Night while Ichigo has been associated with Summer and Day. Conversely, Tsukuyo has been associated with night and autumn while Gintoki has been associated with day and spring. > Common tropes: ⦁ Both pairs share the "a shared suffering", "back-to-back badasses", "battle couple", "belligerent tension", "birds of a feather", "can't live with them, can't live without them", "declaration of protection", "everyone can see it", "flirting under fire", "friends to lovers", "I owe you my life", "mutual respect", "slow burn", "sun × moon" and "you are better than you think you are" tropes.

If you made it till the end, I'm so grateful. Thanks for reading my ramblings. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, remember not to spread misinformation and to respect others' right to formulate their own opinions.

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