#we should have gotten more of ayako COME ON

[amodernpersephone]

translated the bits in c-kun again. the narumi family is so hilarious mona pls dont neglect your family they all love you insanely

[wakaposting]

ok whatever im posting it this doesn't leave the blog its too embarrassing <- there's not a single objectionable thing in it im just crazy

It started out innocently enough. Tokiyuki and his retainers had gone to the market to pick up a few things, and Yorishige had overheard their conversation on the way back.

“It would be nice if we could pick something up for ourselves once in a while,” Ayako lamented as she lugged their purchases back to the main shrine complex over her shoulder. 

“Most of the money goes directly into the shrine. Nothing we can do about it,” Kojiro said.

Tokiyuki didn't seem so down about it. “It's not a big deal,” he said, trying to raise the group's spirits. “We've got better things to do than drool over sweets.”

“The only one drooling more than Fubuki was you,” Kojiro countered, and the rest of them chimed in.

“Yeah, spoiled brat! We had to drag you away from the counter!”

“You did look quite entranced, my lord…”

“You shoulda just grabbed one and made a break for it!”

Tokiyuki covered his ears and ran forward ahead of them. “W-Whatever!” he insisted in embarrassment. “We don't have the money for such frivolous things, that's all I'm saying! No matter how delicious they might have been…”

Yorishige watched them all sprint down the hall towards the kitchen, dropping off their supplies before bounding off into the forest, still chattering amongst themselves. 

---

“Huh? You really mean it?”

“Of course!” Yorishige grinned pleasantly as he dropped several coins into each of the group's outstretched hands. “We have a little extra this month, what with all of the people's generosity. And it's good to indulge oneself every once in a while. What is the point of life if not to live it, hm?”

Everyone seemed to be excited besides Genba, who eyed the coins in his hand with disinterest. “Is that it? I can't get anything worth having with this!”

Ayako knocked him on the head with her fist.

“Gck!”

“If you don't want it, then I'll take it,” she said, making a grab for the money.

“No way!” 

She began to chase after him, and Yorishige watched with amusement as he dropped several coins into Tokiyuki’s waiting hand, curling his fingers around the coins protectively.

Tokiyuki made a face, his lips drawing into a small frown. “Yorishige-dono, are you sure this is okay?” he asked. “Just because the shrine made some extra money this month doesn't mean it will happen next month, too. I think it's better if we save it, don't you think?” 

“Nonsense!” Yorishige clasped both hands around Tokiyuki's, startling the boy. “My lord, you have better things to be doing than worrying about such affairs. I would not be doing this if we could not afford it. Money isn't as tight as you think, really.” 

He dropped his voice down to a whisper. “Besides,” he said lowly. “Some offerings go directly to the God's personal spending money, as it were. I've built up a tidy little nest egg for myself, so…”

“Shameless, aren't you,” Tokiyuki muttered, unimpressed. Yorishige floundered for a response. 

“It's not shameless!” he insisted. “It's so that I can do things like this! Here, take a little bit more with you,” he said, pressing another pair of coins into Tokiyuki’s hand.

“Wait! No, I still don't think we should be so--”

He turned the boy around and pushed him forward. “Hurry up before they leave you behind!” Yorishige called out. “And spend it all! Don't come back with any left over!”

“But I…!”

“Have fun!” Yorishige yelled after them. “Spend it wisely, all of you!” 

---

When the elusive warriors came tottering back to the shrine later that evening, they were brimming with energy. 

“I wouldn't mind getting an allowance like that more often,” Kojiro said with a grin. “Next time I'll actually buy something instead of getting distracted by food, though…”

Ayako hummed to herself triumphantly, quickly flipping a paper fan open and closed. “You should have gotten a fan, like me,” she said. “I picked that blue one out for you.”

“I'd never use it, what's the point?”

“Spending on food is never a waste,” Fubuki said. “Especially street food. There's something so delectable about it. Home-prepared food just can't compare.”

.

.

.

.

Later that evening, Tokiyuki hesitantly poked his head into Yorishige's room.

“Hm? My lord, how can I help you?” 

Tokiyuki, casting his eyes down to the floor, shuffled into the room looking as if he had done something catastrophic.

“I… I came to apologize,” he said shyly, and Yorishige looked at him in confusion. 

“Apologize? For what?”

Tokiyuki squeezed his eyes shut tight, balling his hands into fists at his sides. He looked quite worked up, though Yorishige still had no idea why.

With his cheeks turning red, Tokiyuki blurted out, “I… I spent all of the money you gave me!” 

“...Hm?”

Tokiyuki looked flustered, as if he'd been stewing on this for hours. “I spent it all,” he said, fidgeting with the hems of his sleeves. “I-I didn't mean to. I wasn't going to spend any, really, I was going to just give it back to you, but - well - Kojiro found a stall selling dango, and I haven't had any in such a long time - and it was so good, I thought it wouldn't hurt to have another one--”

“Slow down, Tokiyuki-sama!” Yorishige insisted, confused by his intensity. “It's okay!”

Tokiyuki covered his face with his hands. “I didn't even hold onto the extra you gave to me,” he lamented. “I'm so embarrassed of myself…! Really, I even told myself, at the very least I had to bring that much back…!”

“I gave you that money to spend,” Yorishige said earnestly. “You didn't have to bring any of it back to me. That's why I gave it to you!” 

But Tokiyuki would not listen to reason. He shook his head wildly, as if the shame was too much to bear. “It's not my money to spend!” he said in despair. “We could have used it for more important things…!”

Yorishige pushed himself up from his small sitting desk. He placed his hands on Tokiyuki’s shoulders. “Look at me!” he said, but Tokiyuki only shook his head no again. The tips of his ears were a bright red. 

Yorishige squatted down slightly, closer to Tokiyuki’s eye level. “My lord,” he said, more sweetly this time. “Tokiyuki-sama. You must look at someone when they're talking to you.”

Tokiyuki, after a moment, shyly peeked our from behind his hands. His mouth was pressed into a thin line, and his cheeks were red with shame. Yorishige couldn't believe how seriously he was taking this. 

“You didn't do anything wrong. I gave you that money as a gift.”

“But-!”

Yorishige shushed him with a quick press of his thumb against his lips. Tokiyuki squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced, whacking his hand away, distracted enough for a moment that Yorishige could continue speaking. Yorishige gently caught his wrists in his hands, and Tokiyuki made a face again, but did not run away.

“It's rude to refuse a gift. I'm glad that you spent it. Here, tell me - what did you buy?”

Tokiyuki averted his eyes in embarrassment. 

“Go ahead, tell me! Whatever you bought made you happy, right?” 

“Y-Yorishige-dono, really, that's enough,” Tokiyuki mumbled, shrinking in on himself. 

“If it brought you joy, it brings me joy, too, my lord.”

Tokiyuki tugged weakly to free his hands, but his shame was taking up the brunt of his attention, distracting him from a true escape. “I-I only… I spent it all on sweets,” he admitted, somehow turning an even brighter shade of red. “I didn't even come home with anything tangible… I feel so childish…!”

“If that's what you wanted, then I'm happy,” Yorishige beamed at him. He slipped his hands upwards to capture Tokiyuki’s hands in his, grinning widely. “Is that what you wanted to buy today?”

There was silence, but Yorishige waited patiently, giving the boy's hands a gentle squeeze of encouragement. “Y…Yes,” Tokiyuki finally managed to spit out, unable to look him in the eye. 

[maddogofshimano]

Bound in the Chains of Suspicion: Haruka and Hamazaki Board Game Event

Major Y3 and Y4 Spoilers

I was surprised to see these two on an event together! Haruka even gets to be the protagonist here

I was more surprised by how emotionally compromised I got about Hamazaki of all people. I mean, I’ve thought he was a cool character ever since Y4, but man! This is the most important part though: LOOK AT HER

I’ve been busy so self-care was writing things up in more of a summary form than doing line for line translations this time. Apologies for the likely higher number of errors than usual and less polish overall, I got this done with only a few hours to spare before the event ended

I do need to put a big honking Content Warning on this one for attempted sexual assault of a minor, in which a grown man twice demands to see Haruka’s panties and attempts to grab her when she refuses. I’m really not a fan of the writing choice to include this, but I’ve got it in here for completeness’s sake

Summary: Set during the time between Kiryu and Yasuko leaving Hamazaki in Okinawa and Haruka’s call to Kiryu the next day to tell Kiryu that Hamazaki had passed away in the hospital. Haruka grapples with whether or not Hamazaki is a bad person and if he’s trustworthy while attempting to save his life

<After the incident where Hamazaki drifted to Morning Glory from Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2.....> We're starting off with in-game events/dialogue, Hamazaki handing over the blackmail he took from jail and asking for Kiryu's help

Immediate flashback to earlier 3/9/2010, more in game events. The kids have just gotten back from a field trip to the woods. They had fun, and want Kiryu to come along next time. Kiryu tries to introduce Hamazaki, Haruka is not having any of it

She tells Kiryu to shut up and Hamazaki to stay the hell away from everyone. Hamazaki is hurt by this, but fully understands and agrees to keep his distance

Next we have the beach conversation with Kiryu where she asks if he’s going back to Tokyo and that she’s scared

Haruka's usually very polite but she keeps calling Hamazaki あの浜崎って人 which is like, "that Hamazaki guy" lol

Haruka's been told by Ayako that "that Hamazaki guy" has left with Kiryu to go to the police station. She's wondering why that guy is now trying to convince Kiryu not to go to Tokyo....... isn't there going to be a big problem if Kiryu doesn't go? Did Hamazaki tell Kiryu not to go..... for Haruka's sake? There's no way, right? A bad person like him wouldn't do something like that..... She can't trust him,  but..... <Haruka flashes back to her yelling at Hamazaki and Hamazaki looking sad> She feels she might have been cruel to him

She thinks that Hamzaki just looked so so sad, so she tells Ayako she's going to head out for a bit and asks her to watch over things while she's gone. She thinks that she still can't trust Hamazaki but that maybe, it's possible he really has changed, and he's not such a bad guy anymore... but she can't be sure! So she's going to talk to him a little more

<Haruka was unable to believe that Hamazaki had changed when she first saw him, and said something cruel. She's still unsure on his change, and in order to discern it for herself has decided to talk to Hamazaki directly--following Hamazaki and Kiryu to the police station>

She shows the cop an photo of Kiryu and asks if he's come this way, as well as a big man with a shaved head and a scary face named Hamazaki. The officer says that they did, but went to help a lady look for her brother instead. He points Haruka in the direction they ran off in. She thanks him and wonders who this woman is, and remembers that Kiryu has a phone so she can just call him. Except she forgot her phone at morning glory...... thankfully there's a pay phone nearby, so she uses that instead. Kiryu isn't picking up though, which is worrying. She's sure Hamazaki must have done something!

She runs around the market with her picture of Kiryu asking people if they've seen him. A store owner says that yeah, he's seen that guy with the scary face, he was here not too long ago, and points her in the right direction. She follows the trail, talking to a homeless man, a younger guy, a tourist lady, and finally hitting a dead end and talking to a goon who says yeah, he's seen those three, but his memory's real fuzzy. Maybe he could remember if Haruka would show him her panties. Haruka is taken aback, he tries to grab her, and Haruka fights him off enough to escape. She hides nearby, and happens across someone bleeding on the ground. It's Hamazaki!

Hamazaki is bleeding badly, and collapses. Haruka thinks that she needs to call an ambulance, and fast, but she hears someone shouting in search of Hamazaki. She knows that if they come this way they'll be out in the open, so she starts dragging him despite him being heavy

the voice was of course coming from everyone's fave, Saito the Prison Warden

He knows that Hamazaki got shot in the torso, so he couldn't have gone far. Haruka wonders why Saito would try to kill Hamazaki. Unfortunately Saito decides that his subordinates are useless and that if he wants anything done he'll have to do it himself

He tells a homeless man that if they spot Hamazaki, Yasuko, and Kiryu he'll give them 100,000 yen, and the offer stands for any other homeless friends that help search. Haruka knows that she needs to get Hamazaki somewhere safe that they can hide, and fast. She thinks about it and remembers that right at the end of this alley there's an empty room that's never used that Taichi told her about. She manages to sneak herself and Hamazaki to the building without being spotted by the patrolling homeless men--but once in the building she finds that there's a homeless man inside. He tries to tell her to go play somewhere else but notices that she's dragging Hamazaki behind her, and starts shouting in hopes of getting the 100k. HARUKA ATTACKS THIS MAN. HARUKA OVERPOWERS THIS MAN. THIS MAN IS STRUGGLING TO GET AWAY AND HARUKA IS TELLING HIM HE CAN'T TELL ANYONE CAUSE THE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR HAMAZAKI NO OJISAN WILL KILL HIM

The man comments that Haruka's hands are shaking. He says he's been there too. When he worked as a day laborer, his hands would shake like that when he was desperately trying to haul heavy things. For the sake of helping an adult she's pushing her tiny body to it's limits... He agrees not to tell anyone, he's not going to be happy with any amount of money at the cost of someone's life. If any other homeless people come by, he's going to spread rumors that Hamazaki is far away from here, so that should help with Haruka's escape Haruka thinks again about calling an ambulance, worried that Hamazaki will bleed out, but still worried that they'll be found before it gets there. She also worries about why she hasn't seen Kiryu, and why Hamazaki was all alone at that building. The guy that shot Hamazaki seems like a cop and a bad person, but she had also thought Hamazaki was a bad person before... He did shoot Hamazaki, but Hamazaki also stabbed Kiryu...

Haruka wonders if maybe telling the cops where Hamazaki is would be the right thing to do. Maybe he's the real bad guy here. In response Hamazaki makes an eloquent argument compared to every previous line which had just been "Ughh gh ughh" and instead goes for "cough cough....!"

He's conscious enough to recognize Haruka as that kid who was at Kiryu's place. Haruka asks if Hamazaki is alright, and where is Kiryu? Is he okay? Hamazaki wheezes out that Kiryu's gone to a bad place, which is about the most ominous way to say things. Haruka panics internally, but unlike many other instances of miscommunication where Hamazaki would pass out right there, he says that Kiryu went with Saejima's sister to Tokyo. Haruka can't believe it. Hamazaki apologizes that he ended up separating Haruka from Kiryu after all.

Hamazaki also says that, despite everything, Kiryu's doing this to keep Haruka safe. Haruka wonders about that and Hamazaki collapses again. Haruka rushes off and calls an ambulance from the closest pay phone. She thinks that, if she trusts what Hamazaki is saying, then Kiryu has something important to do again. But is that really the case? She decides it'll be alright to trust Hamazaki. Before she makes it to the pay phone she's stopped by Saito introduces himself as a prison warden and says he's looking for a very bad man. He's large and has a shaved head, and was seen with a woman in a long coat and a man in a Hawaiian shirt. Haruka says she hasn't seen anyone, and rushes to the phone to call. Saito doesn't seem too convinced. Haruka makes the call and thinks that Saito had a real scary look in his eyes. She's pretty sure he's the bad one here. Once that guy gives up looking, then she can go home

Unfortunately we have the return of the disgusting creep that wants to look at her panties, now telling her that he looked all over for her, and she better not think about trying to run away this time. Haruka tells him to stay back

He says that it's fine if she hates him. In fact, that's even more enticing. She says to let her through, she's in a rush. He says he just wants to see her panties already, and tries to grab her. Another fight, she manages to avoid getting grabbed but he keeps her cornered and says she should stop fighting. He's cut off by a baton to the back of the head by the unlikeliest of heroes, dropping the creep

Haruka now has to consider, is it possible that Saito isn't actually a bad guy? Haruka leaves, and Saito comments to himself that he's going to find Hamazaki.

Haruka rushes back to Hamazaki, who is still lying on the floor going Ughhghghhhhh. She tells him to hold on a little longer, and ambulance is on the way. Hamazaki apologizes, and asks if she's alright. Haruka's confused. Hamazaki says that she scraped her knee on something, didn't she? It was from dragging him, right? She says no, she just fell and scraped it. Haruka's taken aback, even on the verge of death he's concerned about someone else--he really has changed. But... this could all be an act, she has no way to know... should she really be trusting him? There's a voice outside saying that this is where he's hiding. Search everywhere. both: !?

There's no time to hide, Saito is already here. Apparently it's been about 2 hours.

He followed Haruka, knowing she'd lead him right to Hamazaki. He saw the blood on her clothes and had a hunch. Once they talked at that pay phone he was certain she was hiding a half-dead Hamazaki somewhere. Haruka tries to protest but Saito thanks her for her help. It's a good way to thank him for saving her from that creep, right? Either way he only stepped in because he wanted her to lead him to Hamazaki as quickly as possible. Saito decides they've had enough chit-chat and says it's time to cut to the chase: he starts beating on Hamazaki and demanding to know where Kiryu Kazuma and Saejima's sister are

Hamazaki tells Haruka to run. He says that once they realize they can't beat the whereabouts of Kiryu and Saejima Yasuko out of him... they'll start torturing Haruka. He's going to use the last of his strength to stand and knock this guy to the ground, that'll be Haruka's opening to escape. Saito tells them to cut it with the whispering. Hamazaki says that Saito has a real hideous mug, it really makes him laugh, and earns himself another beating. Haruka calls out but Hamazaki cuts her off and says that it's okay to be scared. Hamazaki's dealt with plenty of guys like this. Saito threatens to kill him if he doesn't spit out where Kiryu is already. Hamazaki laughs and says he doesn't know. Saito asks if he needs his memory jogged, pauses, and sees Haruka standing in front of Hamazaki. He asks what she's trying to do. She says this is terrible! She can't let this go any further!!

Saito doesn't care if she's just a kid, he's happy to give her an attitude adjustment. Hamazaki launches himself at Saito to prevent him from beating Haruka, saying that he won't allow Saito to lay a single finger on this child. Saito attacks Hamazaki with intent to kill. Hamazaki can't move anymore after the fight, and Saito keeps hitting until he goes down. Saito declares that he would never die in a place like this, he's the one who's coming out on top. He reels back to strike Hamazaki, shouting for him to die, and........ HARUKA GRABS HIM AND STOPS HIM FROM HITTING HAMAZAKI! He calls her a bitch and tells her to let go of him!

Haruka: I won't let go....! Not ever.....! Hamazaki-san! Run!

Saito: Let go of me you biiiiiiiiiiiiitch! Saito turns to swing at Haruka but is taken down by one giant punch from Hamazaki, who tells him not to get back up. The ambulance finally arrives. Haruka begs him to hold on just a little longer. Hamazaki agrees, and laughs a little. He stopped Saito from laying a finger on her after all. He's glad he was able to protect her. There's on favor he needs to ask of her. Hamazaki: Tell Kiryu...... and Saejima that......... the Tojo Clan... is the only proof they ever walked this earth...... They have to... protect it....... from the police

He then collapses. Haruka begs him to hold on

<screen fades to black>

The doctor tells Haruka that Hamazaki is in bad shape... he might not even make it to the morning.

Haruka thinks back to her yelling at Hamazaki at the orphanage Haruka: I'm sorry, Hamazaki-san..... I... I was cruel to you then... and now I can't even apologize to you for it. I'm sorry....... I'm sorry...... Hamazaki: ......What's.... wrong....... Haruka-..... chan........ Haruka: !? Doctor: Incredible.... he's awake! Haruka: H-Hamazaki-san.... I'm sorry! I... back then when I.... I'm can't apologize enough....... Haruka: Back at Morning Glory.... I didn't trust you.... I said some cruel things that hurt you.... I'm sorry! Haruka: I was certain you were a horrible person back then.... but now.... I don't think that's true.... Haruka: For protecting Uncle Kaz.... for protecting me.... thank you, Hamazaki-san! Hamazaki: Heheh.... thanks, huh? Hamazaki: ......First time.... anyone's ever said that kind of thing.... sincerely to me...... Haruka: Hamazaki-san...... Hamazaki: Heheh.... it's fine........ Since we're.... giving thanks to people..... Hamazaki: Thank you... Haruka-chan.... Right at the very end...... you saved me <Hamazaki collapses> Haruka: .....! H-Hamazaki-saaaaaan!!! <at New Serena, Kiryu gets a phone call> Kiryu: ....Haruka. What's wrong, did something happen?

Haruka: Uncle Kaz... Hamazaki-san..... he just passed away. At the hospital.

Straight from the in-game dialogue, Haruka tells Kiryu that Hamazaki had been shot in the back, leading to his death. He thanks Haruka for being there for him, she says it was no trouble, and that she thinks he died protecting Kiryu. Kiryu agrees. Haruka says she thinks she was wrong about Hamazaki, and passes along his message for Kiryu and Saejima, and lets Kiryu know that his body is currently at Morning Glory. Kiryu says they'll hold a memorial service once he's back <phone call ends> Haruka: .....Uncle Kaz. The Tojo Clan that Hamazaki-san protected... he's left it's protection to you. <END>

Bonus stuff:

as we all know, Haruka has not had enough people literally die in front of her eyes, so time to add Hamazaki to that list!

okay so immediately after Hamazaki wakes up in the hospital there’s this screen which made me break down into nearly crying laughter in the middle of the emotional moment, so I used my editorial authority to move it down here instead

the doctor’s face! why did they do this!!

Anyways here’s all of Haruka’s little blurbs from going around the board

Beach There's a beach in front of Morning Glory. We keep coming back to here to look at the ocean. It's an indispensable spot for all of us.

Morning Glory Our beloved home. When I first came here, I thought it was super spacious, but lately it feels cramped. It must be because everyone has grown up.

Hamazaki-san The guy who stabbed uncle Kaz.... But now, Hamazaki-san gives off a totally different vibe than back then. Is it really okay to trust him....?

Ebisu Pawn The Ryukyu branch of Ebisu. Uncle Kaz goes there every now and then. I have no idea what he's pawning off but... I'd like to help.

People Running Shakedowns Even in Okinawa there are people that will do shakedowns.... I need to tell everyone to keep an eye out before anything happens....!

Ojisan The caretaker of Morning Glory. Honestly, everyone truly thinks of him like their dad. If you tell him something like that however, he will get embarrassed.

Everyone at Morning Glory Everyone here has no parents, but each of them has a bright future ahead of them if they keep working hard. We've all become a real family for each other.

Sailor Outfit For my middle school I have to wear this sailor outfit. At first I would get embarrassed when everyone looked at me.

Mame A resident (pet?) of Morning Glory. Mame is getting bigger, and it's making his daily walks and pacing beforehand a real pain! (TL note: the resident (pet?) is Haruka swapping the counter between for a person and for an animal, which does not really have an english translation lol)

Dragon Mask When Taichi was sick, this was used for a pro wrestling match on the beach. I haven't seen it since then. If I ask nicely, I wonder if it could be used again?

That’s all! Thank you for reading all of this!! I cherish every single tag people leave on these posts when they reblog them

[cherrywoes]

dark sun. (ryoumen sukuna x fem!reader x oc)

xi. kosame.

— light rain.

YOU BROKE INTO THE archives. While it had been an, admittedly, half-assed effort on your part to keep Shion’s suspicions off of you, it was also to snoop for Ayako’s origins right under his nose under the pretense you were looking for something about your father’s side of the family. But as you had returned to your room, not even bothering to check in on Sayaka once Gojo and his students had left, you quickly realized you wouldn’t ever be powerful enough to block off Shion while you were conscious—not without time, and it was time you didn’t have. Itadori Yuuji, now alive, as you could sense his presence like a beacon in your mind even without Shion’s power now, could easily be killed at any moment without a word of warning. With your first idea out the window, you quickly settled into another one: diversion.

What are you hoping to find? Shion was curious as you nestled Ayako against your chest, her sling tight and secure over your shoulders. A fresh sprout of hair had cropped up on her head in the thirty minutes or so that had passed, indicative of Shion’s spell breaking further, or his meddling—you couldn’t be sure which. It was dark and looked to be silky and healthy, besides, which you counted as a blessing in disguise. A clue about who he is?

“Not really.” You pressed your lips together into a tight line, glancing down at your yukata. It wouldn’t be much if you couldn’t maneuver around freely without getting caught. You weren’t allowed in the archives, much less the restricted section, you knew that much, being a Shiraishi. Much of your history was kept behind high level seals that Shion could work through easily, but not without disturbing them completely. You had to be quick and blend in—all of which your yukata was decidedly not. “I want a name, maybe. Or even a hint why he was chosen. You know as well as I do that they don’t choose donors lightly.”

Of course. But why do you wish to know? He pressed. You never wanted to before.

“I never had the ability to before. Now I do.” You checked Ayako once more and found her gazing up at you with dark eyes, gums working over her tiny knuckles, seeming a little calm, if not bored. “Right. Can you change me into something more—”

You didn’t even have to finish your sentence before you were changed into something else. Your yukata vanished in a flurry of mint green smoke and in its place was a sleek, form fitting cotton catsuit that was as black as the night. He had even turned Ayako’s sling into the same dark fabric, but as you looked a little closer, you could just barely pick out moving clouds in the background, so it was not entirely black. But it would do well enough for what you were about to do, you reasoned, and wiggled your toes. You only wore socks to smother your footfalls, but you had no doubt you could be picked out if someone had sensitive enough hearing.

“Thanks.” You adjusted the high neck of the catsuit when it itched against your skin. It was likely as comfortable as you were going to get and you didn’t intend to stay in it long. You needed to get in, get the books, and get out—if you even found them at all. “Is there anyone nearby?”

A few. He paused. Only one near the archives. You could easily slip through the second room and cut through the paper paneling to get in. I can handle the seals after that.

Easier said that done, you thought glumly. The archives were on the middle floor of an entirely different building and you weren’t sure you were up to leaping across the admittedly old roofing of ancient buildings just yet. You certainly didn’t want to risk going through the front door, though, so your only choice was to take a walk across the eaves and grapple across. That would be the easy part; they weren’t far apart in distance. The hard part would be getting back across after you had tripped the seals getting through them. It would send every awake sorcerer in your direction and you didn’t have a lot of time to get back into your room because Sayaka was right down the hall, and you knew she would be there in a heartbeat if she was notified.

“I hope you’re right about that.” You shuffled your feet and pried open the window of your bedroom. The pathway outside was clear of people and you cautiously stuck your leg out over the sill, balancing your weight and stepping out onto the other side. The tiling threatened to slip out from under you, as old as it was, and you realized this was going to be much harder than it had been in your head. Falling from ten feet or so was fine, but getting back upstairs without anyone noticing would be a… challenge. In a whisper, you asked,”How stable is this roof?”

Keep going, Shion replied, indicating you didn’t want to know.

You swallowed and made your way to the side eaves, eyeing the jumping distance between your building and the bottom level of the archives building. You were most likely going to need a running start; below was a soft patch of shrubbery for you to fall on, but you didn’t doubt you would alert someone if you fell from that height. As if to make matters worse, a light rain began to drizzle down upon you, slicking the roof and making you even more unsteady.

“Just great,” you mumbled to yourself, taking a few steps back to ready yourself. You steadied Ayako on your chest, shifting all of your weight to the heels of your feet, and took a deep breath. “Shion, if I fall, you’ll catch me, right?”

You needn’t ask. He sounded amused that you did, if anything. I’d go now, if you’re ready, before the rain gets worse.

You didn’t need a second thought. You ran and leapt across, eyes fixed on the rooftop that grew steadily closer, and you felt your stomach roll as it looked like you might not make it. But when your feet touched down, you sighed in relief, taking a brief moment to steady yourself—and also deal with the slight panic creeping up in your chest. You were actually doing this, something that could get you executed faster than you could blink. But it was a risk you had to take. You couldn’t dawdle like you had been anymore.

After a few seconds, you began to get to work on the window. It was unlocked, to your surprise, and you shimmied it open with ease. The wood protested, swollen from rain and humidity, and when you finally got it open, the pane cracked from the lack of pressure keeping it stable. That was fine; no one would notice a tiny little crack. You slipped through and shut it behind you, just to make sure no one noticed, and examined the halls before you.

Books upon books were laid on shelves to the roof. You could pick out a few titles as you walked past, some of them on jujutsu techniques and others on the Zen’in family history (you were sorely tempted to pick one out, but refrained) and even a couple about curses. A lot of it was stuff you didn’t understand, so you kept going, peering down over the railing and spotting a head of long dark green hair trailing down below. Your heart dropped in your chest as you recognized Maki Zen’in on sight; she didn’t know who you were, but you knew of her. Your mother had been all too keen on airing out the Zen’in dirty laundry before she passed, and Maki had been the key concept in many of her stories. She had found it all too ironic, of course, and you could recognize her even without a photo.

Keep going, Shion urged, snapping you out of your thoughts. She hasn’t noticed yet. Let’s find the books and get out. They should be on the third floor.

Third floor—and you were on the second. You looked around for a staircase and found one in the corner opposite the one you stood in, but it was right over Maki’s head, where she could likely hear every creak and protest of wood above her.

You have to be kidding me, you thought to Shion petulantly, sliding your feet across the wood to minimize your weight on the boards. Maki seemed none the wiser as you made your way towards the staircase, flipping through a book you couldn’t make out the title of from your distance. A board creaked under your weight, right as you were a few feet from the staircase, and you waited for her to yell out or come charging up the opposite set of stairs, but she never did. You waited a few moments, and then you continued, inching your way up the steps and avoiding resting your weight on the railing.

Good. They should be in the shelves in the back. Be careful. Maki will have clear sight of you if she turns around.

You felt a bead of sweat drip down your forehead. If she turned around, you would be dead, literally and figuratively, but mostly literally. You had to be careful; even an exaggerated move of your arms would alert her to your presence. You crept your way over to the back bookcase, eyes flicking over the golden ‘restricted’ etched in kanji on a gold plate. You didn’t feel any seals and assumed Shion had already dealt with them, and approached the books hesitantly, searching for ‘Shiraishi’ or anything close to it.

Luckily, you spotted them on the second to bottom shelf. The spines were black and the writing was almost impossible to make out, but you could make out the kanji well enough and carefully slid them out of their places. Shion produced a bag from thin air, another risk in your plan, and you silently placed them inside, picking out every title you thought would be relevant. You had gotten maybe seven or eight generations of Shiraishi history when you heard Maki shift and begin heading up the second floor staircase. You froze, your way out quickly vanishing before your eyes, and you began putting books in the bag at random. Your eyes caught on a glimmering silver kanji, a slim book hidden right in the back; strange, as it was almost hidden from view, like someone didn’t want it found.

[Name], we need to go. Shion warned as Maki drew closer to the third floor staircase, pausing to peer out the window at the rain. Now.

You yanked the book out of its place. You weren’t sure what it was for, but it had caught your eye for some reason and you were loathe to let it go. You added it to your collection and Shion took it from you, likely teleporting it back to your room. Smaller, physical objects were much easier for him to work with than people; he had said you would likely end up somewhere in limbo if he had tried, and you didn’t want to risk that. You headed towards the third floor window, trying to stay out of Maki’s line of sight, and reached for the latch.

Locked.

Cursing in your head, you looked for another window, catching sight of one on the opposite side of where you were leading up to the fourth floor. You might be able to get to it if you were fast enough, but she was going up the stairs two at a time and you barely had time to dart out of view and crouch behind a bookcase in a corner where she couldn’t see. It was dark and obscured you well enough, but if she even glanced your way she would likely make out your face and eyes from the moonlight filtering through the window.

Be very quiet. Shion watched with you as Maki strode close to your hiding place, fingers dragging over the spines contemplatively. You squeezed your eyes shut when her footfalls landed mere feet from you, pausing right at the end of the bookcase. Don’t move. Keep your breaths shallow and through your nose.

You tried listening to him, you really did, but all you could hear in the back of your head was the sound of your head being lopped off for being caught. It wasn’t as if you were oblivious to the reality of what would happen to you; you were quite aware, but it had never settled in as it was now, when you were a hair’s breadth from being discovered. Shion tried to soothe you, but your nerves were too bad; you felt your hands shaking and your knees locking up. You were regretting ever doing this, but now it was too late; you were never reaching that window even in your dreams. You had to go back down, and the staircase was a no-go.

You were going to have to jump the railings.

Risky. Shion warned.

I don’t have any other choice. Maki trailed past your hiding spot. You didn’t have enough room to inch past her and go over the rails without her noticing. I’m not getting to that window and I don’t have enough time. Someone’s likely noticed the seals are down; they’re probably on their way and Sayaka will be in my room shortly.

Shion was quiet. He knew you were right.

You held Ayako close to your chest and stepped out of the shadows. Maki was just heading up the staircase to the fourth floor, still well in your line of sight, but it was a chance you had to take. The fourth floor was the last floor; she’d double back and regroup on the bottom floor afterwards. You had to be fast; so when you vaulted over the railing and caught the second floor’s rail with your hands, you almost thought, for a second, that you had missed it.

Go. She’s doubling back! Shion sounded urgent, and when you got yourself and Ayako over the rail, a splintering crack echoed through the building. The rail cracked under your hands, the wood old and dry rotted, and you watched some of it crumble between your fingers. Maki paused—and then she started running. [Name], go!

You bolted for the window, uncaring if she heard you or not. You reached for the latch, intending to rip it open and leap across the gap before she had time to get to the second floor, but your fingers met resistance.

She’d locked it.

We don’t have time to force it. You paced, eyeing the staircase and the third floor’s level as Maki headed down. I have to take the door.

Go for it. Shion hissed, pushing you with air. You complied, vaulting over the railing and landing on the bottom floor with a solid thump. Pain rocketed up the soles of your feet, your shins, and knees, even your spine, but you stumbled through it, eyes catching on the door.

Maki thundered down the stairs behind you and you pushed the doors open, darting into the shrubbery and vanishing into the night, only light rain left in your wake.

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[koreaweeb]

Red Strings - Tenth String

@underc0vercryptid-reads @laraplisetski @omegahighendpro @thooo0t @t3sselated @youngestdelacour

TW: SWEARING, VIOLENCE, ABUSE, MENTION OF SUICIDE, MENTION OF SELF-HARM, SEXUAL CONTENT

-

-

The day was finally coming to an end, and Kurenai shut her laptop off, stretching her arms up in the air. She was no stranger to working in front of the computer all day long, though it had been a while since she had to. Every now and then, she had to type up a proposal or two for Aoi but those never took longer than an hour or two in one sitting. 

She looked at the time on her phone. Almost dinner. 

Taking her laptop with her, Kurenai walked out into the hallway searching for a certain blonde. While she did not see him, she did see Honoka by the nurse station. As she approached Honoka, Kurenai thought she could have a little fun with her.

“Honoka-chan, have you seen Shuntarou?”

Instantly, she was met with a scowl. 

In all honesty, Honoka’s hostility was just entertainment for Kurenai. She had no intentions to fight Honoka for Chishiya, because there was no competition there. If Kurenai was to give her all, she would not stand a chance to even talk to him. It was pitiful, almost, how Honoka saw Kurenai as a rival when she never stood a chance even without her existence. 

“No, I have not.”

“Did I do something wrong, Honoka-chan?” Kurenai asked, sounding as innocent as she could. “I feel like I may have offended you somehow. If so, please tell me. I’ll do my best to make it right.”

A little caught off guard, Honoka was dumbfounded. 

She had not been subtle with her hostility, Honoka knew. But up until this point, Kurenai did not seem to care. Or more like, Honoka was not worth her time to bother with. Now that she was called out, however, she was at a loss. Kurenai was still their benefactor, and she would be working here for a period of time. It would be wiser to get on her good side.

“I...guess not.”

“Hm, alright then,” Kurenai smiled. “Because I’d hate to find out later that you have something against me. I sure hope we can be friends.”

Somehow, her words were chilling. The way she was smiling too. 

It was as if Kurenai was warning her. Or threatening her. 

“Shuntarou!”

Spotting Chishiya down the hallway, Kurenai left Honoka thinking over what she just said. The fun was watching as Honoka struggled to understand, and the internal conflict that her words would bring her. 

“You’re awfully cheerful for someone who just did a full day of work,” Chishiya said. Even though he said so, her smile was incredibly infectious. He could not help but smile back. “How can I help you, Miss Chuya?”

“I told you to call me Kurenai.” She showed him her phone, specifically pointing to the time. “It’s dinner time. When is your shift ending? Shall we eat together?”

“Shouldn’t you be eating with your...boyfriend?”

“First of all, he’s not my boyfriend,” Kurenai stated, her tone of voice suddenly serious though she was quick to bounce back to her usual cheeky self. “And why would I eat with him when I could eat with you? Hm...or maybe, I can eat you?”

“Unfortunately, I am unavailable for both options. I’m on the night shift. I can head out for dinner, but not too far away from the hospital.”

“That’s alright, I know a fantastic place.”

--

Sitting in a fast food restaurant just two streets away from the hospital, Chishiya was more surprised at the fact that Kurenai would come to a place like this, than the fact that she called this a ‘fantastic place’ to bring him to dinner. 

He knew it was stereotypical to think that someone with her status in society would never step foot in a fast food restaurant, let alone eat there. Though, the type of aura Kurenai gave practically screamed stereotype. After all, she wore yet another expensive dress with a pair of expensive shoes that one would only see on a celebrity at their premiere to a typical work day. 

“Isn’t it so fascinating how they could make food so quickly here?” Kurenai grinned. She was like a child discovering cartoons on the TV for the first time. “You order, and minutes later, you get your order!”

“Yes, that is the whole point of a fast food restaurant. Hence...fast food restaurant.”

Kurenai stuck her tongue out at his teasing, picking up her burger. Ever since Kuina brought her here last time, she had been craving the food. She asked Ayako to make her a burger after, and although it was delicious, it just did not taste the same.

Was it ambiance? Could it be as simple as...because it was simple?

“May I ask you a question?” Chishiya asked, unwrapping his own burger. Kurenai nodded, indicating for him to continue. “Why do you put up with that man? Morita, was it? You obviously do not like him.”

“I could ask you the same thing about cute little Honoka-chan.”

Of course Chishiya knew about Honoka’s feelings for him; she was rather obvious from the beginning. He chose not to acknowledge it because he did not want her to think that she had a chance. He was not interested in her at all. He could reject her straight out, and that would be something he would do two years ago. But they had to work together and see each other every day, why should he make things awkward?

Honestly, he thought by now she would have gotten the clue. 

“Sometimes, there are things in life we have to do even if we don’t like it.” Staring at her burger, Kurenai sighed. “Morita Corporations is a long time partner of our company. They have a son, and I’m the only daughter. Go figure. Doesn’t matter that I don’t like it, because it’s more important to preserve the relationship between the two companies.”

“I thought arranged marriage was just an overused plot in the dramas.”

“It’s more common than you think. My parents had an arranged marriage.”

“I suppose I understand. My parents got married because of mutual benefits, and they ended up having me because...well, I guess because it just makes them seem like a normal family.”

“We’re pretty similar then,” Kurenai smiled. 

Reaching across the table with one hand, Chishiya wiped sauce from the corner of her lips with his thumb. A small gesture, but it was enough to bring a little colour to Kurenai’s cheeks. This was a first for her.

“Let me ask you another question. Do you think there’s a place after death?”

“You mean like heaven?”

“More like a limbo.”

As she chewed, Kurenai was deep in thoughts. She was never a religious person, nor was she philosophical. Whenever debates like whether or not heaven existed came up, she had no interest in participating. Ever since the meteorite, however, she thought a little differently.

When she was in a coma, she felt as if she was in another place. A place just like Tokyo, except it was empty. Sometimes, something would trigger a memory in her but Kurenai would be confused because it was not a memory she remembered having. Almost like she was confusing her dreams with her memories. 

Scientifically, some would say that after a trauma like that, the brain would make up a place like heaven to protect the person. It would induce a dream-like state so they were not focused on the trauma. 

“You know...when I was in a coma after the meteorite disaster, I felt like I was in a different place,” she said. “And I had to fight to survive.”

“Same. I survived that too, and I also felt as if I was in another place. Almost like...another dimension.”

“Maybe we were in the same place,��� Kurenai smiled. “Comforting to think that maybe we met in that place.”

[drazzilder]

A Hellish Encounter

By Drazzilder 

Chapter 26: Public Eye

It has been a month since you left the hospital and it has been chaotic. As you were leaving, photographers and news outlets were all over you. Enji and Zaheer went a little overboard with their flames to protect you but you know they just wanted you to be safe. The media sometimes try to stop by the house but Zaheer scares them away. Zaheer can now leave and enter your body freely but only for a limited time. It was weird at first but you got used to it.

Once you were brought home, you were treated like a king as whole family did everything for you. At first it was awkward for you, you tried to walk downstairs to get something to drink and Fuyumi caught you and got Enji to carry you back to bed. After a day of this, you finally gave in and took the help. Baths with Enji were your favorite, he treated so gently like he could hurt you. He is so overly protective now but you can’t help find it adorable. It is also funny seeing a demon in the house. You wish you were at the front door when Zaheer picked up a delivery for the first time, the poor teenager screamed and ran away. Inside the home, it took the children some time to get used to it but eventually even Natsuo got used to the red giant.

The first public appearance of Enji was a train wreck. Everyone was attacking him. You were standing by the sidelines as you watched reporter after reporter try to break your man down. They asked about you, about Zaheer, about the kids. He was doing well until one of them asked if he really did love you or if it was some kind of way to be more powerful. The fire on his face roared up and threatened to burn down the event hall till Zaheer walked in stage. He told them no more questions and lead Enji out.

You have been recovering the past month and physical therapy is the name of the game. Enji had a hard time letting anyone else touch you during each session to the point he took over and bought the equipment for home. He just couldn’t stand seeing someone else pushing you that hard but you found it endearing if not a little over the top. The hardest part is trying to form the control over your body. It has been so long since you made the original connections you forgot the layout. Sometimes you will think you are walking until you have to move differently for some reason and your arm just slaps Enji. Luckily, Zaheer is there to help rebuild the connections. Speaking of your body, Enji can’t get enough of it. Your more muscular frame drives him insane. The first time he grabbed your horns during sex just about sent you over the edge. Enji quickly realized that your claws are going to leave marks on him but your tail is the where you like to play dirty.

Today you are going to your first interview since the attack. It’s a little scary because you don’t like being on camera, for obvious reasons. But also, it is the first time you will be on an interview by yourself. Enji will be there, behind the stage, but your nerves are still getting the better of you.

“(Y/N), are you ok, you’re shaking.” His arm is wrapped around your shoulder holding you tight. Since the attack, Enji has wasted no time showing his love for you in public: grabbing, hugging, even kissing you.

“I’m just nervous.”

“There is no need to be, we went over all of the questions she is going to ask. I know you will do great.”

“Thanks, I needed that.” You say leaning closer into his grip.

You enter a film studio and you sit down in a large chair on a talk show set and there is an audience. Enji stays behind the stage but is watching you on a live feed. Ayako comes out and sits down.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment we have been waiting for: an interview with Hellboy!”

The audience cheers and claps as the camera pans out.

“Good morning, it’s nice to be here.”

“Hellboy, I’m just going to get right to it: what’s it like having a demon inside of you?”

“Well, at first it was really rough but once you get to know him, he pretty chill. He did try to take over my body but after we got to know each other we became friends. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

“So, your saying he isn’t evil?”

“I wouldn’t put myself under that category.”

“Oh! Good morning, Zaheer! About (Y/N), what’s it like being inside of him?”

“I’m not really sure how to answer that. I guess it’s like a room that I can change as I want and I can influence (Y/N) but other than that, not much really. I do enjoy being with him and I’m proud of him.”

“Interesting. What about that new ability where you can come outside of Hellboy?”

“It’s nothing new but it takes a lot of energy to use, that’s why I’m staying in right now.”

“That’s alright. Now… the viewing audience really wants to know one thing, what is it like dating Endeavor!?” The audience makes a collective ‘oooooOOOOoooo!!’ In excitement at this question.

“Well, no one has ever made me feel the way he does. I really do love him. I never thought I would ever find happiness, let alone from the number 2 hero. We do have our ups and downs but we always make sure to communicate and never go to bed angry.”

“That sounds sweet, and is it true you meet at the crossing bombing?”

“Yes, I passed out after I stopped the bomb and he saved me. Since then, my life has only gotten better.” The audience awws.

“When did you start dating?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Oh, come on. Tell us.”

“Move on to the next question.”

“Alright. What is your quirk?”

“They call it Demon’s Blood, but there really isn’t one quirk.”

“What do you mean?”

“A demon doesn’t really have one power or quirk. Some have a little power some have a lot. Zaheer has more than any other demon I have heard of so he has lots abilities.”

“Ooo, I like that answer. Why do you want to be a hero?”

“I always want to help people, trying to make the world a better place. It just seems like the right thing to do with the power I was given.”

“Would you say you’re compensating for something?”

“What do you mean?” You say with a puzzling look.

She starts looking at her note cards. “When did you escape from prison?”

“What?” you answer in a startled manner.

“When were you going to tell the citizens, the ones you protect, that you are an escaped convict.”

“It’s not like that!” You say as the audience starts whispering.

“Well, it says here that you killed over 2000 people and destroyed government buildings. When did you plan on telling them that little fact about you?”

“It wasn’t… I didn’t… I…”

“Is that why you’re a hero, to repent for what you done?”

“No…. that’s not….”

“We do have proof that you killed all of those people.”

“Proof?” You look at her with panic.

“Play the video.”

The screen behind you starts showing video of inside the facility. People are running in panic and screaming as a red glow starts coming into screen. That light is you, consumed by demonic energy. People are dying left and right as you take your revenge on them. You turn around to see the audience react in horror and shock, some of them start getting sick from the video.

“STOP IT, STOP IT!” you begin to grab your face in pain as Enji run onto the stage.

“Where did you get those questions and where did you find that video?” Enji yells as Ayako.

“Oh, he’s just being dramatic, and the public should know who he really is.”

“You’re messing with a demon! Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“Ayako…I’m ready to talk now.”

Everyone looks at you in shock as you are glowing with red energy in the form spectral flames and the markings on your arms begin to glow. Your voice has combined with Zaheer’s and your eyes are both white with red irises. Still sitting in the chair, your claws begin to dig into the armrests.

“Oh, Hellboy I see your willing to talk.”

“Stop it Ayako, don’t taunt him right now.”

“It’s quite alright Enji, let me humor her. Yes, I did kill all those people. Those ‘scientists’ put Zaheer inside of me. They proceeded to torture me by performing tests and surgeries while I was awake. Then they locked me in a room for ten years: no light, no human interaction, I almost went insane. The only reason I’m alive is because of Zaheer.”

“What about Adam, where is he n…?” She tries to ask more but Enji puts his hand over her mouth but it’s too late.

“How do you know about Adam? Where are you getting this information? You know what, I think you’re working for him. You have to be, how else did you get the video and know all of these questions.”

Both of your hands grab at your face, you’re trying to stop the demonic energy inside of you. Suddenly Zaheer manages to speak through you and just yells “RUN!!!” The crowd begins to flee in fear as the ground beneath you starts cracking. When you uncover your face, your eyes are glowing completely red as the demonic energy has taken over. You stand up and start walking towards Enji and Ayako.

“Step aside Enji, I don’t want to hurt you. I only want to teach her a lesson: don’t mess with a demon.”

“(Y/N), look at me! This isn’t you.” He takes off his glasses so you can see his eyes better.

“If you don’t move, I’ll make you.”

Enji comes to a fighting stance, his hands alight. You take a few steps forward before lunging at him. You take the first swing but he dodges. The second punch lands and Enji coughs in pain. Enji manages to land a few punches on you but it’s like hitting a wall. As he continues to fight you, he remembers something. The next time you go to punch him, he doesn’t try to dodge. He grabs your arm and pulls you in close as he wraps his arms around you. He then turns up the heat as high as he dares to not set the building on fire. At this point you stopped fighting and are standing still in the fire. Enji looks in your eyes and sees they are starting to fade back to normal. “Warmth always calms you down, doesn’t it (Y/N)?” You slowly nod your head, eyes unblinking as if you are in a trance. After a few minutes in the fire, Enji stops the flames and you’re standing next to him. You look around to see no one in the room except you three and the destruction you left. You don’t cry but you can’t look at Enji. He goes to talk with Ayako for a minute and comes back.

“(Y/N), let’s go home.” And you both teleport back home. The rest of the evening you were silent; not even saying a word at dinner even though Enji brought in your favorite for you to cheer you up. When you both went to bed, you couldn’t face him. That’s when Enji snapped and turned you over to face him.

“Damn it, (Y/N), talk to me. Don’t worry about what happened, Ayako destroyed that recording and we won’t do another interview with you alone. The audience all had their memories adjusted thanks to Zaheer. What has gotten you so upset? Please talk to me.”

“It’s two things. One I lost control. When I saw that video, it reminded me of everything that happened to me and how I escaped. I did kill all those people but I didn’t mean to, I just lost control. I was so mentally unstable from that room. You know Zaheer tried day after day to keep me sane but it got to the point that I thought he was a voice in my head. I would just sit in the floor for days just rocking back and forth talking to the voices in my head. It was so dark then. The worst part is that I relived all of it during the coma.”

“Wait, what? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was just replaying everything that had already happened, but it just brought it back to the front. The only thing different is how it ended, the doll calling for me. I heard your voice through the doll after I left the room. Then Rei saved me.”

“Oh…. I’m so sorry.” He places a warm hand of your cheek.

“The other thing that has me worked up is how did she get that video? I keep questioning if the people who are looking for me still are. I worry they will take me away from you. I worry they will hurt you. I worry they will take Zaheer from me.”

“(Y/N), you have nothing to worry about. I will always fight for you, got it? Now, let’s just get some rest, tomorrow we need to work on releasing some of that energy safely, ok?”

“Thank you Enji. I love you.”

“I love you too.” He says as he kisses you on the lips. 

Next Chapter: R18/NSFW  

[dancingkirby]

In which Azula learns to not judge a book by its cover

WARNING: Discussion of past rape.

To the surprise of both his parents, rather than moving back to the palace full-time after graduating from Capital University three years ago, Kazuo had elected to rent his own apartment in the Caldera.  A “bachelor’s pad,” Azula was pretty sure it was called in modern slang. Kazuo had said that this was because he’d wanted to take a stab at independent living, but Azula suspected that the real reason was so he could have a place to entertain various lady friends in private.  Azula didn’t care to think about that too much, and decided that as long as her son was diligently using protection and keeping everything consensual, she would keep quiet on the subject.  Besides, he wasn’t so caught up in his liaisons that he was neglecting his duties as a member of the Royal Family.  He showed up for every required event, and had inherited Azula’s knack for public appearances.

Last year, Kazuo had gotten into his first serious romantic relationship, and had taken the young lady to meet Azula and Tom-Tom.  Azula had initially been excited about her son finally thinking about settling down, but the meeting had not exactly gone well.  Kazuo’s girlfriend, who was named Kumi, had completely defied royal protocol and run up to shake Azula’s hand, even having the audacity to address her by her given name without so much as a “Princess” before it!  The young lady had then spent the entire encounter bragging about her accomplishments so that neither Azula nor Tom-Tom could get a word in edgewise.  Azula had made her displeasure known by giving Kumi death glares at every opportunity, yet this did nothing to curtail the woman.  Tom-Tom, of course, had been as unerringly polite as he always was. However, when Kumi finally left, he admitted that even he hadn’t cared for her much.  Neither of them was surprised when it turned out that Kumi had been in it simply for the status.  

Azula had been relieved when that was over.  On the other hand, poor Kazuo was heartbroken.  Then, this spring, a devastating earthquake had hit Shuhon, destroying most of the island’s natural gas deposits and killing tens of thousands of people.  It was the worst natural disaster to hit a home island in living memory.  Her son volunteered to take an extended trip there to help with the rebuilding process once the air was deemed safe to breathe, and Azula had thought it was probably for the best.  She’d hoped that the hard work would take his mind off his anguish.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that within weeks, Kazuo would write home that he’d met a girl in Shuhon and was going out with her.  And now, six months later, he was bringing her home with him.

Tonight was the big night, of both their reunion with Kazuo and introduction to his girlfriend…and they were late.  At this rate, the food would get here before her son would.  Azula began to worry that Kazuo had crashed his…what was it called again? Satomobile, that’s right.  Some young upstart in Republic City had started manufacturing them a couple of years ago, and now everyone in the Caldera wanted one.  Everyone except Azula, that is.  Those vehicles went entirely too fast for her liking.  

Just as Tom-Tom was attempting to talk Azula out of sending servants to look for the pair, there was a knock on the door.  Azula bid the person to come in, and felt enormously relieved as her beaming son ran straight past the servant announcing his arrival and into his parents’ arms.  

“Mom!  Dad!  I missed you both so much!” Kazuo exclaimed.  “Sorry we’re late…traffic was horrible.”  When they broke from their embrace, Azula appraised him with her sternest maternal gaze.  

“You have been gone entirely too long.  Your skin is all brown; did it never occur to you to wear a hat?” she demanded.  But she couldn’t keep the act up for long. Within seconds, she had cracked a smile, hugging Kazuo again.  

Tom-Tom cleared his throat.  

“Son, I believe you said that you wanted to introduce us to someone?” he prompted.  Azula finally got a glimpse at the young woman hanging back in a doorway, who fell into a kowtow as soon as she saw that Azula was looking at her.  Well, that was one point in her favor already.  

“You may rise,” Azula told her.  When the girl stood and walked into the room, Azula finally looked her over properly. She was quite tall and a little gangling.  However, seeing as how Kazuo had attained a height of 6’3’’ (just like his grandfather), it didn’t look as awkward as it might have.  Although her face was nothing memorable, her hair was glossy and reached down to her mid-back.  She was attired in a pretty yet modest outfit of a pink tunic and a matching set of red jacket and pants.  

“Mother, Father, this is Lady Botan,” Kazuo said.  

The girl was shaking like a leaf, but managed to get out, “P-princess Azula.  Prince Tom-Tom.  It is an honor to meet you.”

“And it is a delight to meet you too, Lady Botan,” Tom-Tom assured her.  This, combined with Kazuo placing a protective hand on her shoulder, made Botan look slightly more relaxed.  

“Yes, well, dinner will be ready shortly,” Azula added.  Then, at another knock on the door, “I stand corrected.  Dinner is ready now.”

The four of them sat at the table as the servants arranged the first course.  Azula gazed intently at Botan over her bowl of wontons in clear broth.  She was perfectly aware of how intimidating her appearance could be to those who weren’t close to her.  Although she would be sixty next month, she could pull off her trademark eyeliner and bright red lipstick as well as ever.  Plus, as this girl’s potential mother-in-law, was it not expected of her to be overbearing?  Her standards were exacting; none but the best would do for her only son.  

“So,” she began, “How did you come to meet Prince Kazuo?”

Botan jumped a little in her seat at being so abruptly addressed, and began, “Shuhon is my home island, Princess.  My dad, my sister, my brothers, and I were all contributing in any way we could.  We were lucky that our house escaped the worst of the damages…but anyway.  The first day I arrived there from Capital Island, I was carrying some heavy crates of medical supplies.   They slipped, and I would have dropped them all if Kazuo hadn’t run up just then to help!  And then we started talking, and something just…clicked.  He said his name was Kazuo, and I was like, ‘Oh, like the prince?’ and he was like ‘Uh…yeah.’  He didn’t end up actually telling me who he was until after our fourth date! Can you believe that?”

She gave a very annoying high-pitched laugh.  

“I see,” Azula responded.  She daintily picked up a wonton from her bowl with her chopsticks and popped it in her mouth, her eyes never leaving Botan’s.  Once she had swallowed her food, she continued, “My son called you Lady Botan.  That means you are a member of the nobility.  How could you possibly not have known who he was?”

“Azula…” Tom-Tom said softly.  However, his pleasant smile never left his face.  

“I don’t believe we have ever seen you at court, Lady Botan,” he said in an attempt to soften Azula’s words.  

“No, my mom was the one who was noble,” Botan explained.  “She was an only child and inherited the estate.  But she died when I was four, from cancer.  My dad’s just a silk merchant, and he didn’t see a reason to live at the Caldera after that.”

“Ah, yes, I remember hearing about that now,” Tom-Tom replied.  “Lady Ayako, wasn’t it?  I think I met her once or twice.  I offer my condolences for your loss.”

“Thank you,” Botan said.  “But it’s okay.  I hardly remember her, so I’m just kind of used to it now, you know?” Another nervous giggle escaped her.

Their conversation had to be suspended at that moment, since the servants were clearing away their soup bowls; Azula noted that Botan had scarcely touched hers.  Then, two beautiful roast ducks were presented for their main course, skin sizzling and deep golden-brown.  They were accompanied by a sweet and spicy sauce, along with sides of rice, scallion pancakes, and mixed vegetables.  

“You’re in for a treat, Botan!” Kazuo said while grinning.  “They make the best roast duck here in the palace.  It was one of the things I missed the most when I was in Shuhon.”

Botan smiled back at him, although it looked a little strained.  

For a few minutes, they ate in silence.  However, Azula wasn’t quite done with her interrogation yet.  

“Prince Kazuo informed me that you are a recent graduate of Capital University,” she said.   “What was your major?”

“Psychology and sociology, Princess.  Double major,” Botan said.  At least that was a hopeful sign.  Perhaps this young lady wasn’t as unintelligent as she appeared.  

“Then you must have made the acquaintance of my friend Ty Lee,” Azula stated.

Botan nodded eagerly, seemingly relieved that they’d found some common ground.  “Yes.  She taught my Trauma Psych class.   She…well, it could be a difficult class at times, but it was always interesting.”

Azula raised an eyebrow, feeling annoyed for reasons she didn’t fully understand.  “Why ‘difficult?’  Is my friend too strict of a teacher for your liking?  Or are you simply averse to a little hard work?”

She heard intakes of breath from both her husband and son.  Botan’s face flooded with color.  “No, no, she was a great teacher!  Really nice.  It’s just…it was difficult for another reason…”  Her gaze darted frantically over to Kazuo.  He squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear, and she nodded.  

“We’re going to go take a walk,” he stated, glowering in Azula’s direction.  Before she could protest, Tom-Tom said, “Yes, that’s fine. I think it would be best for all of us.”

As soon as the younger two had left the room, Azula’s husband turned to her.  

“Azula, we have been married for twenty-seven years, and I love you more than anything.  You know that,” he said.  “Nevertheless, you went too far this time.  I thought that Botan was a perfectly nice young lady, and was trying her best.  You should consider apologizing to her when she returns.  I will certainly do so myself for not doing more to intervene.” His voice was as level as always, but it had a hint of underlying steel that Azula had only heard a handful of times during their marriage.  It meant that this was one of the rare occasions that Tom-Tom was genuinely angry at her.  And if something was sufficient to piss him off, then she knew it was serious.

“I didn’t think I was that…” Azula began somewhat lamely, only to cut herself off when she heard muffled sobs coming from down the hallway.  It was clear that Tom-Tom heard it too.

“…Right.  I’ll go apologize to her now,” she sighed in resignation as she got up from the table.

When she opened the door to their apartment, she heard Botan wailing, “She hated me! A..and I can’t blame her because I sounded like an idiot!”

Kazuo took her into his arms.  “Aw, no, sweetie, you did just fine.  Mom can be…difficult.  But I’m going to talk to her later tonight, and I think Dad already did.”

Azula waited in the shadows for a while, until Botan’s tears faded, and her mind wandered back to the day almost twenty-nine years ago when Tom-Tom had comforted her in much the same way.  It appeared that her son had turned out to be as good a man as his father.  

Finally, she cleared her throat, and both Kazuo and Botan’s head shot up.  

“If you wanted to say something to me, you might as well do it now,” she said.

Kazuo frowned. “I don’t think this is a good time, Mom…”

“No.”  Botan stepped out of Kazuo’s embrace.  “I…I want to tell her.  Alone.”

“Wow.  Are you sure?  That’s…I know that would be difficult for you, especially since this is just your first time meeting her.” Kazuo touched her shoulder again.  Botan looked down and took a deep breath.

“…Yes,” she finally said.

“Might I suggest doing this in my study instead of in the hallway?  The palace servants are quite proficient at making themselves almost invisible in order to eavesdrop,” Azula pointed out.  

“Good idea,” Kazuo admitted.  Then, to Botan, “One last time…are you really sure?  I don’t want you to feel pressured to do it if you’re not ready.”

The younger woman squared her shoulders.  “I’m ready.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Now,” Azula said, once they were both situated in comfortable upholstered chairs and free from any listening ears, “What was it you wanted to tell me?  I give you permission to speak freely.”

She was expecting for Botan to yell at her, to fling all sorts of insults.  What she actually said was somewhat surprising.

“I’d been wanting to meet you for so long, before I ever knew Kazuo,” she began. “You’re...you’re my hero. All that work you’ve done to raise awareness for sexual abuse, all the charities you run…and I read the book you co-wrote with Professor Ty Lee.  It was so comforting to me after…”

She broke off; tears were running down her face again.  Azula wordlessly gave her a handkerchief from the stack on her desk. Even though her own crying spells occurred nowhere nearly as frequently as they had in her youth, they still had the nasty tendency to blindside her every now and then.

Once Botan had gotten this latest burst of emotion under control, the words poured out of her like water from a burst dam.  She said, “I was nineteen.  A man who I had seen as one of my closest friends put something in my drink when we were at a party, and then he took me to his dorm room and…and raped me.  And everyone thought I was lying about it because he was so popular!  I tried to go to the campus police, and they wouldn’t press charges because they didn’t think there was enough evidence. All they said was that I shouldn’t have looked away from my drink.  I was so discouraged that I kept it from most of my family; didn’t even tell Kazuo until about a month ago…”

“And yet you told me, even after I upset you,” Azula pointed out.

“Yeah,” Botan acknowledged.  More scrubbing at her eyes, and she continued, “I know it seems weird.  But I thought if anyone would understand, you would. Your book helped me get through that. I kept telling myself that you had it so much worse than me, since I was an adult when it happened, and not…I mean, I’d had boyfriends before, and I couldn’t even remember much of it, and he wasn’t my dad, and I didn’t…didn’t…”

“Didn’t get pregnant?” Azula guessed.

“…yeah.”

“I see.”  She took a moment to figure out exactly how she wanted to say this.

“Trauma isn’t a competition,” she finally said as she rose from her chair and walked closer to Botan. “Just because yours was different from mine, doesn’t mean it wasn’t as real.  And…I apologize for my behavior, as difficult as it is for me to say that. You shouldn’t have had to feel compelled to share something so personal just to seek my approval.  At the same time, I am glad that my life’s work meant something to you.  My goal was that no abuse survivor should feel as alone as I did, or my father’s other prey did.  It appears as though there is still much work for me to do, though.  Perhaps my charities need a younger spokesperson who is more in touch with the times.  Someone like you…if you find that arrangement pleasing.”

Botan was struck speechless for a few moments.  Then, she breathed, “Of course I would, Princess. It would be such a great honor, and my dream job.  I just hope I can be worthy of it.”

“If you are seeking to become a part of the royal family, you’ll have to find some cause to champion,” Azula remarked.  “My brother is all about public service.  Now let us finish our dinner, shall we?  There is plum ice cream for dessert, which we won’t want to miss.”

“Sounds good,” Botan replied.

“It is Kazuo’s favorite flavor.  If you intend to marry my son, it would be wise of you to memorize all of his preferred foods, don’t you think?”

Perhaps she had found that perfect mate for her son that she

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 1/4/21

Black Clover, Vol. 23 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Given we came to the end of a very long arc last time, it makes sense that there’s a lot of goofy comedy before we start the next arc (which has a timeskip!). Fortunately, Black Clover is pretty good at being dumb and goofy in a shonen way—I’ve said before that it’s ripping off every single shonen series in the world, but it’s not doing it badly. Therefore we get a lot of silly love confessions, and priestesses who wear spiral “nerd” glasses like Mousse from Ranma 1/2. Oh yes, and Asta is not executed—for now. They still think he’s totally evil, though. Hopefully fighting a devil may help to change that opinion. This has become one of the longest-running Jump series now, and it’s easy to see why it’s still going. – Sean Gaffney

Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Vol. 1 | By Kodama Naoko | Seven Seas – Another yuri series from this author, this book starts with one of our heroines fleeing to the countryside after her boyfriend gets her best friend pregnant. She’s there to teach (and boy, her class could use some lessons in “don’t slutshame and don’t bully”), but she’s also staying with a young woman who’s raising a kid alone after her whole family was killed. The two are seeming opposites, but turn out to possibly have much in common. The yuri so far here is just a drunken kiss, but I’m sure there will be more to it. That said, the series seems content to introduce its cast and then start to simmer things to a slow boil. That’s good too. I want to learn more about this village. – Sean Gaffney

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Everyday Misadventures!, Vol. 1 | By FUNA and Yuki Moritaka | Seven Seas – I was expecting this to be a 4-koma sort of volume, but it isn’t. Instead it’s just goofy comedy chapters without the ongoing plot that we get in the normal series. So you get things like Reina trying to learn to cook, and Mavis getting hit on by women again, etc. The usual stereotypes apply—Pauline has large breasts, Mile is… well, Mile, Reina is hot-headed, etc. There’s also a flashback to Adele’s experiences at school, where it turns out that all the school’s “Seven Mysteries” are just her being stupidly overpowered. No one should get this who’s not a fan of the original, but those who are should be quite pleased. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 14 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Most of this volume is trying to rescue everyone from the evil village “god” and his even more evil minion, who is unfortunately more overpowered than most of our team. On the cool side, most of the rest of the group gets un-petrified after recovering their bodies from the ocean floor, thanks to the power of Taiju being really strong and really dumb. On the less-cool side, Kohaku and Ginro are now petrified, though frankly that’s a good thing in Ginro’s case, as he was bleeding to death. This is probably the biggest villain that Senku and company have had to face before, so it makes sense that he’s finally taking a very dark step (as he himself says) and bringing guns into this world. Great fun. – Sean Gaffney

Eniale & Dewiela, Vol. 1 | By Kamome Shirahama | Yen Press – I was told when I saw who the author of this series was that I should not expect it to be much like Witch Hat Atelier, and that’s an understatement if anything. Oh, the art is still amazingly gorgeous, but the content is very much designed for those who enjoy the dynamic of, say, Gabriel Dropout. An angel and a demon are best friends despite sniping at each other the entire volume. Eniale is a bit of a featherhead. Dewiela has a bit of a temper. Together, they get involved in Very Wacky Situations. How much you enjoy this will depend on how wacky you find the situations. I found it fun, but I think I would enjoy it better in a magazine chapter by chapter than in volume form. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 13 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – This series about four couples—heavily overbalanced towards two of them—finally comes to a close by going back to its leads, as Riko’s mom is moving due to her job and… is NOT asking Riko to come with her. Yes, the final volume involves everyone trying to self-sacrifice the most, with lots of tears and angry words. Of course we know that Riko really needs to be with her mom, even if they may not have the best relationship, which of course means that she and Kai are now far from each other. Fortunately, it’s the final volume, so this can be resolved with a flash forward to college. This was a solid series, but I’ll remember it for Takaya and Ayumi more than anyone else—in fact, possibly just Ayumi. – Sean Gaffney

I Love You So Much, I Hate You | By Yuni | Yen Press – Ayako Asano and Saori Fujimura are both accomplished, successful career women working closely with each other at their company. But outside of the office they’re even closer—they’ve actually started sleeping with one another. Two women becoming romantically involved isn’t so much of an issue, but the fact that Ayako is both married to a man and is Saori’s boss poses some significant problems. I Love You So Much, I Hate You is a mature manga dealing with some mature themes. Initially, there are definite imbalances in Ayako and Saori’s relationship, each woman approaching it from a different starting point and hoping to get different things out of it. However, over the course of the volume their needs and desires begin to align. But it’s not easy for either of them for a variety of reasons; granted, a relationship that starts out as an affair is bound to be complicated. – Ash Brown

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 5 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Nanase and Dr. Tendo are a couple now, so, inevitably, we must introduce the rivals. This volume gives us the first one, a rich young man with a medical condition who cynically says that people only care about him because of his money. He runs into Nanase, who is, well, herself, and falls head over heels in love with her. I was impressed how the author took this old-standard josei manga trope and simply… had the leads act like adults. There are a few misunderstandings and small fights, but there’s no huge blowup or breakup, mostly as Dr. Tendo is very familiar with who Nanase is. That said, Nanase still has self-image issues, and the cliffhanger implies a stronger rival on the way. Maki Enjoji is always good. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 17 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – While we’re still dealing with the consequences of Miyuki and Kaguya dating, the series really has gotten very good at the tiny little jokes. Including possibly the DARKEST ‘in between chapters’ gag I’ve ever seen, where Iino talks about how she enjoys pain as it makes her “feel safe.” As for Chika, I think she has realized that the author increasingly doesn’t know what to do with her. She probably does not have a big character-building arc like the other four, so she’s essentially the goofy one that annoys people, something she is catching on to. Though the funniest chapter in this book features Karen invading the main title from her spin-off manga—still sadly not licensed—and almost getting everyone arrested. – Sean Gaffney

Practice Makes Perfect, Vol. 3 | By Ui Hanamiya | Kodansha Comics (digitial only) – This volume has our lead couple finally going all the way, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. For one, the first time HURTS, and even successive attempts are nine parts pain to one part pleasure for Nohara (who, amusingly, is still trying to handle this in a “sports” way, as is Yano). There’s also the fact that Yano thinks that Nohara is going to break if he tries to be anything but super super gentle, which… also is not helping, though it leads to the volume’s best joke. Fortunately, the next volume is the last. Unfortunately, it appears that we’re going to get a “hey, the girl I love spends her days surrounded by hot guys!” chapter. Still, this Rated-R manga is still a lot more fun than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[babyflossy]

sworn enemies (8) | k.mg

pairing: werewolf!mingyu x vampire!reader

summary: when you find a werewolf nearly dead in an alley, you didn’t think helping him would change your life so much. sometimes fate works in strange ways.

genre: supernatural au

warnings: none, other than this is kinda a filler chapter for the next chapter (sorry lmao)

word count: 1048

parts: one previous next

the pack remained in your house for over a week, recuperating and cleaning the cupboards of food. you had magnificently underestimated how much thirteen werewolves could eat and a small group was sent out to buy food most days. you had stayed at home with them for the first few days, but decided you needed to return to classes to stay on top of your workload. you made sure mingyu and the pack knew where everything was, and made sure they had your phone number to call you if anything happened.

you didn't anticipate vernon texting you memes you couldn't for the life of you understand, or wonwoo texting to compliment you on your incredibly well stocked bookcases, or even mingyu texting to complain about the pack and how he missed you. you ended up turning your phone off half way through your first lecture, deciding they could suffer if something bad happened.

by the end of the day, your bag was full of homework and projects you had to do, and weighed down by books you had purchased in your free period between classes. your shoulders didn't ache like they would have if you were human, and you were glad.

you were even more glad when your last class finished and you were free to go home. you had late classes that day and it was starting to get dark out by the time you left the lecture hall, saying goodbye to some of your classmates. you relished in the peace and quiet of the walk home before you entered the chaos again.

it wasn't that you minded them staying there, you had gotten the opportunity to get to know some of them more, and seungcheol seemed to finally start trusting you properly. you were just used to solitude. it had been years since you had had a close friend, let alone thirteen cramped into your apartment.

when you reached your front door, you opened it not the sound of shouting like you usually did, but quiet discussion. confused, you made your way inside to find all thirteen boys crowded around your tiny kitchen table. some were sat on the counters, some on the floor, seungcheol, soonyoung, joshua and jeonghan had been the lucky four to get the chairs, a laptop and what looked like a map open in front of them.

mingyu looked up when he heard you enter and smiled at you, waving you over to stand next to him. you did and his arm wrapped around your waist as you peered over the heads to see what they were looking at. soonyoung looked up and told you they were trying to find house in a different city.

"we can't decide on the city, though," jihoon rolled his eyes and you saw the map had tally marks next to each city in the country.

"you're running away?" you were slightly shocked. you didn't really know why, you just hadn't expected them to flee. their families and pack dynamic wasn't something you knew much about, you weren't sure if they even had families here.

"taeyong said they managed to get rid of most of them, but he thinks they'll just come back," seungcheol explained. the stress was prominent on his face, his brows furrowed and his eyes tired, "his whole pack is relocating to seoul, which is where i think we should go."

"isn't that the obvious choice though, it's a bigger city and so aren't we more likely to run into hunters?"

"well," you chose to speak up, seungcheol looked at you with hopeful eyes, he needed someone to agree with him, "i know a lot of werewolves in seoul, and other vampires, even some witches, you'll be able to fight better there, they'll be more outnumbered."

"see?" seungcheol pointed at you and you laughed slightly when almost everyone else rolled their eyes, "she knows more than us, she's older than all of us combined."

an indignant sound escaped you and you glared at him, "i am not, you prick." the only response you got was laughter.

"seoul it is then, i guess," jeonghan seemed to have the last say as the pack stopped arguing. "we just need to find a house."

it took less than a week for the pack to find a house, a feat you were amazed by. in another week, they had returned to their old house in shifts to collect their belongings, moving them to a storage unit you had. they rented a moving van to drive their stuff over to seoul, and you watched as they carefully packed everyone's things in the space.

it took you longer to move than it took them, moving over a hundred years’ worth of possessions took a while, you learnt. it took longer as they asked you about every painting, book or piece of furniture the pack carried.

it only took a week after you had re-located for life to return to semi-normal. you had managed to transfer your degree to seoul university, and some other members of the pack started school with you as well, some opting to wait to settle in more. chan had started college with you, minghao and wonwoo, and he imprinted on a quiet girl in one of his classes soon after he started.

he had returned home with a dreamy smile plastered on his face, it only took one look at him to figure what had happened, and the pack was grilling him with teasing smiles the whole night. you learnt her name was ayako and she had just moved from japan. chan wouldn't stop talking about her, and you wondered if mingyu was like that when he met you. chan told you all about he liked how she was oblivious about what he was, and how he would try and keep it from her for as long as possible, which joshua had talked to him about and advised him he shouldn't keep it a secret for long, as it would only make it worse when she found out.

no one could foresee how much worse that secret would make it, however. neither could predict anyone the increased threat of a city with a thousand more troubled souls floating about, waiting for the perfect person to pray on.

a/n: i’m sorry this is kinda a rlly bad chapter, but i’m excited for the next few, so look forward to that :)

[braveggg-hq]

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

“Maybe I could have help myself when ma and pa were...in that time. I could have told her it wasn’t her fault...I really wish I could just tell myself that. Save some future pain...”

-----------------

He pauses and thinks.

“I am...unsure. But if you mean when I was first onlined. I honestly should have focused more on creating a relationship with my first creator. A good man he was, but I was told I was a more troublesome A.I and distant. I put my teammates through a lot because of that.”

-----------------

Kouryu shifted around on the chair, holding her knees and picking at her paint nervously.

“Well...I shouldn’t have panicked so much when they shut us down. I think I made it worse for us. But it wasn’t fun...terrifying since they told us or made it seem we would be disabled and reprogrammed. My sister said I was shouting not to be offlined, she was trying to calm me down but didn’t do much for me.”

-----------------

She rubbed her face with a sheepish expression on. “Be more out going, really my A.I was fine. In the end they didn’t reprogram us to bad, just changed some things. But I feel me being so reluctant to speak to anyone really put us all in the pool to be reprogrammed. My poor sister...”

-----------------

Yuuta smiled brightly before speaking. “Focusing more! Man did I fall asleep for some classes! Not proud of it, but made it this far ya know?” He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

-----------------

He almost scoffs and leaves. But stops and says something.

”choosing a better pathway for myself. A actual good cop then this.”

-----------------

“Not to sure kid, eh maybe being more blunt to Ayako with...heh, feelings.” He’s gotten used to just saying ‘feelings’. “Maybe have been a bit more friendly toward the new teammates, mostly with Drill Boy.”

-----------------

“Really, simple enough. Be a good police officer, rather then the perfect one.” Duke shifted. “Just...we know we have to be. But the team here...so much different.”

-----------------

Power joe smiled. “Not be so needy!”

Okay...maybe he should word that better.

“I mean! Well, be nice and more...uh...” He pauses and nervously chuckles. 

“Well. Hopefully you know what I mean...“

-----------------

“Practice soccer more and become the world champion!”

He pauses with a confused expression. “Oh! you mean wise words? Never mind then!” He just casually runs out slightly embarrassed with what he said.

-----------------

He lightly smiles and lets the grey humanoid sit down on a chair. Must have been running all over the place to get these answers!

“I have a lot I wish I could say to myself. Though I feel like one is important. Never let your anger get the better of you, and when you do feel upset about something...let it out while training. Never onto a citizen...”

He pauses and looks down.

“I...remember shooting that...criminal and what happened later. i almost got Yuuta and his family and friends killed...” His tone saddened for a moment.

“But now I have come to terms with that. I know how to let it out now. Much easier then when I was just turning out. Thanks to the team and humans, especially Yuuta.” His tone turned much lighter and softer at the end.

-----------------

[carrotcouple]

The Time It Takes To Fall In Love (AO3|ff.net)

It takes a while for them to fall in love.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you made a move?” Gene asked her, crossing his arms. Mai snorted and kicked her feet wildly.

“I’m trying to! That’s why I’m talking to you, aren’t I? So tell me, I don’t think the mother is the culprit but it’s kind of obvious at this point that she killed her son. She says it herself.” Mai put her hand to her chin and frowned. “It sucks that Yasuhara isn’t here to gather data for us. Madoka is really good at it, but Yasuhara is on a whole new level.”

“Yes, that boy has a different set of smarts. Anyways, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about you confessing to my idiot scholar of a brother.” Gene said pointedly. Mai let out a strangled cry as she looked up at the older twin, her face scarlet.

“I’m sorry? We’re in the middle of a case!” Mai snapped. Gene chuckled lightly.

“I mean it. He actually told you to stay put in this carefully sealed up and protected room with Masako while the rest of them go running around. At this point you and Masako are actually stronger than Matsuzaki san, so why the hell did he do that?” Gene asked, waving his arms dramatically to emphasize his point.

“Because we’re young and stupid?” Mai deadpanned. “Gene, can we quit talking about this and instead work on the case?”

“Boohoo, you’re no fun.” Gene pouted. Mai rolled her eyes. “Alright, there are four people in this stage. One, a mother who is emotionally distraught over killing her son and tries to chase anyone she can out of this house. Two, a quiet father who hasn’t done much since we’ve entered this house. Three, the child who has strangling marks on his neck who refuses to speak at all and only draws on the walls. And four, the maid who has a stronger presence than the child.” Gene held up his finger. Mai’s eyes widened.

“Maid? What maid?” Mai cried out.

“Come on, Mai. The maid in this house.” Gene sighed.

“There’s only one maid in this house and that’s the girl who cleans up our beds.” Mai said with a frown.

“Mai, pay close attention, you and Masako are the only ones who have ever interacted with the maid and Matsubara san never introduced a maid even though he introduced the cook?” Gene said, poking her forehead with his index finger as if he were talking to a child. “I thought you had already realized this.”

“Masako and I conversed with a ghost!” Mai shouted, getting to her feet. “We never even realized it!”

“That’s right. Now the real question is, why is she dead? Quite simply because she was killed. Maids back then knew everything. She witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to and therefore was silenced.” Gene grinned.

“She said something weird to me and Masako on the second day.” Mai said in realization. “She said that her Master was a cruel person and she pitied the Young Master. At first I thought she meant that Matsubara san was a strict person and his son who’s studying abroad had to grow up with that. But she didn’t mean them!” Mai’s eyes widened in horror. “The father, Gene. It’s the father! He’s been quiet since we came here but that’s not because he’s a tame spirit but because he’s an oppressive one, someone who brims over with malice and anger but doesn’t lose his temper easily.” Mai faltered, sudden fear filling her lungs. “Everyone’s in danger! Gene, I have to go!”

“Be careful!” He told her. “And also don’t forget what I told you.”

Mai started awake, surprising Masako.

“Mai, what is it? Did Gene tell you something?” Masako asked.

“Masako, remember when you told me you felt anger from the master’s bedroom the moment we entered this house?” Mai asked Masako. Masako nodded.

“We assumed it was the mother but the only anger the two of us felt from her when we encountered her was anger towards herself.” Mai said urgently. “Another thing, the maid...she’s not alive.”

Masako flinched visibly.

“M-mai, everyone is-” She said in fear.

“Let’s go!” Mai grabbed the flashlight on the desk and Masako dashed after her. As the two of them ran, Mai suddenly remembered the words Gene had told her. She flushed. How could he talk about such things at such a dire time?

------o------

“Do you have everything?” Naru asked her and Mai sighed for the fifteenth time. Surprisingly, he was acting like a mother seeing her child off on their first overnight field trip. Mai quickly checked through all of her documents in front of him, making sure to show him that she had her passport and student id with her.

“I have everything, Naru. Stop worrying, Ayako and Bou san would have laughed at you if they were here.” Mai chuckled. He grabbed the top of her head with one hand in a solid and painful grip.

“The only reason I’m concerned at all is because you’re going on my recommendation and you have the habit of getting yourself into trouble no matter the circumstances.” Naru said coldly and Mai shivered, had the temperature gone down? She wanted to laugh at him, was he embarrassed that he was showing concern for his receptionist - scratch that - friend?

“Honestly, you should have taken Madoka with you. Forget that, I’ll book at ticket right no-” He started, turning and Mai grabbed his arm hurriedly.

“Naru, I’m fine, Yasuhara is going to pick me up from the airport.” Mai reassured him.

“That’s what worries me more. He’s resourceful, but he’s going to do something strange. I’m sure of it. Listen to me, I personally recommended that you study there under my name as Doctor Oliver Davis, don’t you dare do something stupid.” Naru growled.

“I understand!” Mai laughed. “You’ve grilled this into my head for the past one month.”

Naru glared at her.

“It’s a pity Masako decided to study in America instead.” Mai sighed as she waited for the security check to start. Until then she was sitting next to Naru. “Oh well, at least I’ll be studying with Yasuhara.” Mai shrugged.

“I expect that you will return as an educated investigator so you won’t make immature remarks on the cases we take.” Naru said, crossing his arms.

“I’ll be sure to study well. Honestly, Naru, you’ve arranged things so perfectly, there’s no way I won’t study well!” Mai said happily. “Oh there goes security, I’m off.” Mai got up and was about to go when Naru grabbed her arm.

“You have everything?” He asked her. Mai sighed again.

“Yes, Naru. I have everything I need.” Mai said firmly. She smiled at him and then decided to take Gene’s advice. She was leaving for a couple of years after all. “Hey, Naru, I like you.” Mai smiled. Naru’s face went from stern to cloudy.

“Mai, I’m not Gene.” Naru said simply. Mai shook her head.

“I know you’re not Gene, Naru. I like you.” Mai said.

“Mai, you’re projecting Gene onto me because he’s go-” Naru said, sounding very logical.

“Naru.” Mai cut in. “I would never project Gene onto you. I loved him once and he’s himself. He’s not you. And I love you now and you’re not him. I like the you that’s arrogant, tea obsessed, unfriendly but also kind and sweet.” Mai grinned. “You’re not Gene in my head. Never insinuate for even a moment that I would confuse the both of you. I’ve known the both of you for three years now.” Mai’s smile softened. “I really like you, Oliver Davis. Consider that, alright?” She pulled her hand out of his grip and then walked towards security, leaving Naru sitting there silently.

She stepped onto the flight and then realized she hadn’t said goodbye to Naru and neither had he said it to her. She smiled as she settled into her seat and prepared to sleep. Well it was better that way, anyways.

“So you did it,” Gene murmured.

“Yup, I did.” Mai grinned. “It wasn’t as difficult as I imagined it to be. I don’t mind if he doesn’t answer, I’m just happy to get it off my chest.”

“That’s good.”

“Are you going to stick around or are you going to stay with Naru?” Mai asked Gene.

“Well, considering my wavelength matches with you more than it matches with him at the moment, I might as well stay with you and make sure you studying right.” Gene laughed.

“Oh shut up,” Mai hissed good naturedly.

------o------

“Mai dear, would you like some snacks?” Luella asked her and Mai put her pen down.

“I’d love some.” Mai said. Luella was smiling secretively and Mai wondered what was for snacks. Naru had arranged for her to stay at his parent’s house given that despite the tuition scholarship, she didn’t have the money to afford staying in the dorms or staying in her own apartment. Luella and Martin had been absolutely wonderful to her and she had told them about the cases she had taken with the Japanese branch of SPR. Talking about Gene had been painful, but it had gotten easier. Luella liked to surprise her by making Japanese food or celebrating Japanese festivals.

Mai walked into the dining room and gasped when she saw Naru sitting in one of the chairs. So that was what Luella and Martin had been hiding from her all week! Suddenly Mai remembered her confession to Naru before she had left and insecurity filled her. It had only been a year and a half since she had left Japan and while it still surprised her that Naru didn’t come home for Christmas, she had been somewhat grateful for it.

“Naru, you didn’t tell me you were coming!” Mai settled for a roughly accusing tone, hoping to shake off her nerves.

“I was going to,” Naru said pointedly. “But Mother and Father said not to.” Naru shrugged and sipped on his tea. Mai’s gaze shot to Luella and Martin. Martin managed to look the least bit guilty but Luella was sparkling in excitement. Oh, now it was obvious. They had totally realized over the past one and a half years that Mai was in love with Naru.

“Mai dear, go ahead and sit down. I experimented making taiyaki today.” Luella said. Mai slowly took a seat, noting that she had been forced to sit across from Naru. This was not happening to her today.

“So,” Naru said, looking up from his tea. “Is Mai any good at her studies at all, or are all her emails to me forged?”

“Hey!” Mai cried out.

“Oh no, don’t you worry. She studies a lot. Yasuhara helps her out quite a bit and recently Jonathan has been helping her out too.” Martin said very seriously. Mai choked on her taiyaki.

“Jonathan?” Naru asked her.

“He’s someone in my classes.” Mai said, shrugging nervously. Gene was going to have the time of his life teasing her about this.

“But if I’m correct, Jonathan asked you out, am I right?” Luella asked confused. Naru’s eyes were still on her but Mai didn’t dare to look up at him. He was totally going to make some comment on how she shouldn’t allow romance to disturb her studies.

“I rejected him!” Mai said quickly. “He said he just wants to stay as friends.” Mai took a sip of her tea. “And anyways, Yasuhara is a human shield well enough.”

“Ah,” all three of the Davises said in a weird understanding tone. Mai sighed to herself.

Yasuhara, you are being seen as a terribly strange person.

“After we finish up, could you please take Mai out for a walk, Noll?” Martin asked. “She doesn’t usually go out unless she needs to buy something or when she’s going on her runs.”

“Ah, no, it’s totally fine. Naru must be tired after his flight!” Mai said hurriedly. Naru gave her a look.

“It’s alright,” Naru said simply. “Or are you too scared I’ll ask you questions you can’t answer?” He smirked. Mai growled.

“I’ll go.” Mai snapped.

Luella smiled to herself.

------o------

“I can’t believe I let you rile me up.” Mai groaned, putting her hands to her face.

“It’s in your nature. You’re easy to anger.” Naru said. Mai snapped her head up to glare at him. He was looking straight ahead. It was rare of him to be simply walking next to her, no file or book in his hands. Mai turned to look back at the street.

“How are everyone back at home?” Mai asked.

“They are doing fine. Takigawa fell off the stairs in the last case however, thanks to his own stupidity.” Naru said simply.

“He fell off the stairs?” Mai asked. “How?”

“He didn’t expect there to be a covered mirror at the end of the staircase, saw a minute bit of his own reflection, panicked and fell off the stairs.” Naru shrugged. “The height of stupidity.” Although Mai found the story funny she pitied the Monk.

“Oh don’t say that. Anyone but you would be startled by that.” Mai said, defending the man who had become somewhat of a father figure to her.

“Yes, people who don’t use their brains properly. Even if it had been a ghost, the first thing he should have done was use a counterspell.” Naru turned to give her a look. Mai rolled her eyes.

“Looking down on people as usual, I see.” Mai chuckled.

“If anything, I just think everyone’s guard is up since we don’t have Hara san, Yasuhara and your instinct around anymore. Although the three of you are inexperienced and young, I suppose you give a sense of stability to the older members?” Naru said looking thoughtful.

“Don’t let Ayako ever hear you say that, she’ll never shut up about it.” Mai gave him a smile. “It’s nice of you to say that.”

“While I admit it is difficult without a spirit medium to discern the number of spirits in a place before we dive in, I never said I was having any problems.” Naru said with a straight face. Mai groaned.

“As always, you have a terrible personality!” Mai sighed.

“Did you expect that to change?” Naru asked her.

“No. No, I didn’t.” Mai laughed. “Actually, it’s a relief to see that you haven’t changed much.” Mai linked her hands behind her back. “Have you been in touch with Masako?”

“Yes, I have been.” Naru nodded. “Have you been in contact with her?”

“Of course! We talk on the phone every two days and send emails to each other whenever possible.” Mai grinned. “The two of us are very close.”

“I see. How are your studies?” Naru asked.

“I knew you were going to ask this! Have some faith in me!” Mai sighed. “I’ve been studying well, Yasuhara helps me whenever he’s free. The two of us practically live in the library on days we have classes. Why don’t you visit and ask my professors? I haven’t done anything to taint your name.” Mai said firmly.

“I’ll drop by then.” Naru nodded. “Would you arrange for me to meet Yasuhara tomorrow? It’s difficult to get into contact with him lately.”

“I’ll do that. Oh but you should be careful, Yasuhara’s nosy weirdness has increased drastically.” Mai grinned. Naru gave her a blank look, but Mai could see the dismay in his eyes. Mai burst out laughing.

A certain Jonathan saw Taniyama Mai walking with a dark haired man, laughing brightly and the man smiling ever so slightly.

------o------

Naru stayed for about a week, teaching one class at the University, working in the library and using Mai and Yasuhara as his personal slaves. He talked with all of Mai’s professors, and while the reports were all positive, it still left Mai terribly embarrassed. He treated Mai and Yasuhara to dinner and the two of them had shaken in terror the entire of dinner wondering why Naru was being as nice as to treat them to a meal.

Yasuhara and Mai decided to see him off at the airport.

“I won’t be coming back to England for quite a while, at least not while the two of you are still here. I expect to see the both of you as expert investigators when you return.” Naru said firmly.

Both Yasuhara and Mai nodded firmly, resisting the urge to salute him like an army general.

“Also Mai,” Naru turned to look down at her and Mai suddenly felt like she was being glared at. “Romance is a waste of time and gets in the way of your studies.”

“I knew you’d say that!” Mai shouted. “I have nothing to do with Jonathan! In fact, he’s started being less obvious with his affections! It’s seems Yasuhara’s weirdness finally got to him.”

Naru didn’t say anything but just waved as he walked off.

------o------

“He likes you!” Gene cackled.

“Shut up before I use a counterspell on you!” Mai snapped.

------o------

The one to pick her up from the airport was surprisingly not Ayako or Bou san. It was Lin. He smiled when he greeted her and explained that Naru currently had taken John, Yasuhara, Ayako and Bou san on a case and he had been sent to pick her up. He took her suitcase and put it into the car.

“You’ve gotten taller and you grew out your hair.” Lin observed.

“Luella didn’t want me to cut it.” Mai fingered her ponytail.

“Luella’s advice is good advice.” Lin smiled.

“She also told me to send homemade chocolate to Naru every Valentine’s day.” Mai deadpanned. Lin laughed softly.

“Well her advice is usually good advice. When it comes to the twins though, she sometimes gets over excited.” Lin said.

“She’s a wonderful person, I’ll miss her terribly.” Mai admitted.

“Maybe Naru and you can visit her together during vacations.” Lin said with a teasing smile.

“Oh no, Lin, don’t you start.” Mai sank in her seat. “I had that enough coming from both Martin and Luella.”

“You should talk to him about it. He’s no longer a child, he will listen to you seriously.” Lin said.

“Nope, he’s the one who has to make the first move. I already made my move.” Mai said, looking out the window and observing the familiar scenery go by her. She was home.

“Would you rather I took you home or would you like me to take you to the case site?” Lin asked with a knowing smile.

“Well, what did Naru ask you to do?” Mai turned to look at him with a smirk on her face.

“To take you home.” Lin chuckled.

“Well, guess who’s going to the case site.” Mai laughed. They didn’t take too long to arrive at the site. Mai got out of the car and the moment she entered the large house Ayako, Bou san and Yasuhara were on top of her. She was tired and jet lagged, but the absolutely furious but fond look on Naru’s face was worth any amount of exhaustion.

------o------

Masako moved into Mai’s house as a housemate. She wanted to start anew next to Mai and the two of them spent several nights laughing over crazy recipes and talking long into the nights about Naru and John who had shown some very clear interest in Masako since she had returned. With Masako, Yasuhara and Mai showing clear results of their training it was becoming to become a lot more fun to take on cases and Naru also started touching on some big cases as well as long as they weren’t under the eye of the media.

“Mai, we’re having dinner on Saturday, I’ll have Lin send you the details.” Naru said when Mai started to head home.

“Huh? Alright, I’ll let Masako know I won’t be home that day.” Mai nodded. It wasn’t unusual for Naru to take her, Yasuhara and Lin to dinner, although it seemed to be a new development, one that had Mai and Yasuhara violently shaking in their boots when they were studying in England.

On Saturday, when Mai arrived at the family restaurant dressed casually she was surprised to see only Naru there. She slid into the seat across from him.

“Where are Lin and Yasuhara? Are they going to be late?” Mai asked.

“They won’t be coming.” Naru said simply. Mai’s jaw dropped. Had they rejected an invitation to dinner from the evil dictator? Were they asking to die? Things were going to get stormy in the office on Monday. Naru sighed heavily. “Wipe that look off your face, I can tell exactly what you’re thinking.” Mai flushed, chuckled and then looked down at the menu in front of her. “It seems you have misunderstood today’s meeting.” Naru said, sounding amused.

“Huh?” Mai looked up at him.

“This is a date.” Naru said without changing the expression on his face even a little bit. Mai dropped the menu.

“Huh?!” Mai backed up against the board partition that made their own tiny private booth. Now that she thought about it, there were only two glasses of water and two menus.

“Calm down,” The amused smile was still on his face but it was also soft and almost shy. “This is my answer to what you said at the airport.” Naru’s face suggested every single word he was saying was serious. A strange look crossed over his face. “Unless you don’t mean those words anymore?”

“No! No!” Mai shot back into place. People in other booths turned to look at them and Mai blushed. “I...I still mean those words. Thank you.” Mai said. She still wasn’t able to process what was going on. Did this mean he liked her back? Really?

“While I don’t like announcing things to everyone, you may tell people you wish to that we are dating, if you are ready for commitment.” Naru was looking at her straight in the eyes and Mai could see insecurity on the great Oliver Davis’ face. Mai felt her heart soar and she beamed widely.

“I guess that means you’re my boyfriend then, Oliver.” She tilted her head and Naru looked startled for just a second to have heard his proper name from her mouth at such a moment.

“I guess so.” Naru replied. “Hurry up and order what you want, also I would rather you tell my parents instead of me. They will be...over excited.” Mai laughed.

“Of course.”

------o------

“I told you that he liked you.”

“Shut up, Gene.”

A/N -  I hope you guys liked it. It's actually the first ever Ghost Hunt Fanfic that I've ever written and liked enough to post! I honestly believe that they won't dramatically fall in love, there aren't going to be any blushy or teary confessions, it just kind of happens. I also cannot name stories at all.

[radiowrites]

Tea & Mochi

Mai has been able to taste more teas and sweets ever since Masako and Ayako have been coming over once a month to visit and chat.

Read it on: FF.net / AO3 / Below the cut!

A Ghost Hunt fanfiction by Coriana [one shot, 2100 words]

Ah, I frankly hated when it was my turn, every three months, to supply something for Masako, Ayako, and I's get-togethers.

I couldn't help it that my taste buds were of higher quality, even though all I could buy from the store was mochi and bancha. Masako and Ayako on the other hand were able to afford their (and mine) expensive taste buds.

Thankfully it wasn't my turn to choose the tea (although, really, Masako and Ayako 'happened' to bring by sencha these last few times). I can't help that I still choose to purchase my lesser-class, strongly scented green tea. It had grown on me. I told them even though it is a cheap tea, it's still good for you. But remembering Ayako's priceless face, which had been raised on the expensive green leaves of gyokuro and shincha tea, would always remain a precious memory from when I had served her bancha.

But Ayako would not be coming tonight.

And it wasn't because I had served her bancha that day.

I mean, sheesh. Seriously, who would stay with their husband on a girl's night out…?

Hm. I wondered what type of tea for two Masako would bring, since it was her turn this month.

Every month for the past few years the three of us would get together (at traditionally, my house, but now that I think about it I don't know why) and we'd bring tea and sweets and simply just watch movies and talk. These times were always bubbly, happy memories that I held onto.

I've tried so many different treats and teas thanks to them these last few years. Ayako even bought me my own dobin teapot for my birthday last year.

So here I was at the confectionery shop trying to decide what I would bring that may or may not compliment Masako's tea. I settled on daifuku. Soft, round mounds of dusted rice cakes filled with sweet red bean paste. I kind of wanted to buy uirō, too. Thick, chewy, steamed rice bricks of all colors, just like what Ayako brought last time (except she had made them…) but I thought that was maybe over doing it.

As I was walking home, I again got distracted by my local convenience store, as I had when I had walked by it previously. I really wanted to do it as a joke, but… I really shouldn't.

Before I knew it I was walking back to my apartment with the box of sweets tucked under one arm and holding a case of canned Chu-hi in my other hand. 9% alcohol isn't that much, right? Besides, I liked the flavor of strawberry. It kind of made me laugh to think of whatever high-class tea Masako will prepare and then handing her a can of sugary alcohol.

Ha.

When I got home I changed into shorts and a loose tank. I had managed to clean and tidy my apartment earlier this Saturday. Hey, this has actually been really good for me that we always did it at my house – it always got cleaned once a month.

I started setting out the daifuku and wished that I had bought the uirō. I hope next month Masako brings monaka wagashi again like she had last time she had brought the sweets. Sweet bean jam sandwiched between thin wafers? Mmmm.

I filled the kettle with water and put it on low. Ayako basically bashed into my head that water for tea should always be near boiling but never actually boiling. Even though I told her you were supposed to boil water for bancha, she would hear none of it.

Yada, yada.

I wanted to bring out my dobin. I loved my dobin. I kept it in my only closed glass door cabinet, and I took it out during our monthly gatherings, or any time I felt the need to be special. It's the cutest little rounded teapot, an earthy green with delicate yellow flowers surrounding its darker banded girth. It had an upturned spout and a flat lid. Its domed handle was woven wood.

Yeah.

Basically I just liked to hold it.

Masako would usually bring her high-quality sencha and her round delicate pink kyusu with its short, cubby handle that jutted out of its side.

Her sencha laughed at my bancha.

I sat on the couch and ate a daifuku, rearranging them on the plate so that it didn't seem like I had eaten one. It was odd for her not to be here yet, she was normally prompt. I had turned off the water in fear of it boiling and the wrath of Ayako if she heard the rumor that I had boiled water for tea.

This wasn't the first time that Ayako hadn't come, but maybe Masako was deciding that she didn't want my personal company this evening.

I accidentally consumed another daifuku as I thought.

Feeling a tad lonely in the guise of anxious waiting, my wandering mind drifted to Ayako and Monk getting married three months ago. It had been the first real wedding that I had ever attended and really been a part of. Masako and I had gone with Ayako and her mother to look at dresses and cosmetics. I had even gotten a dark blue sundress bought for me for the occasion. I got to go to the salon, too.

I was mysterious in blue with curled and crimped hair. Make-up on my face, my lips dabbed in red, my eyes outlined in shadows. Black high-heels on my feet. I was nothing compared to the real bride, with her silky red hair rolled into curls and her stunning white lace and chiffon dress.

Ah, Monk and Ayako's wedding album was to die for, it was so artistic and dramatic. Amusing, too, in a way, with Ayako's posh and poised friends and family. Monk's family was respectable. His friends were another story.

Masako and I were in a few pictures, too. Close-up shots of us side-by-side, cheek-to-cheek, looking very poised. And of course with the bride, too. It made me pleased to see how much of a counterpart doll I looked next to Masako with make-up on.

It was a day where I had felt good about myself, where I actually felt beautiful and alluring.

So it happened to be the day that Noll didn't show up.

The door emitted knocking sounds as I pondered if anyone would notice another daifuku had disappeared.

Masako both looked exhausted and happy. She immediately slipped off her high-heels and ran a hand through her hair as she let out a gust of a sigh. "I landed the movie role."

"Ehhh? You did it this time!" I was pleased I was the first (or, well, almost the first, I'm sure) to have heard this news. I spread out my hands to emphasize big letters. "Masako Hara makes massive splash into the movie industry with debut title."

"I'm not even thinking that far yet," said Masako as she unpacked her tea caddy and kyusu.

Oh! I should turn the water back on!

Masako had been trying for movie roles these last few years, landing minor ones. She did modeling on the side, but her TV show had its last episode three years ago. I think the main problem was her agent apparently thought she should only be doing horror movies, due to her background, as if Masako had needed any more horror in her short life. This was one of the three romantic comedies she had auditioned for, and her looks obviously suited the needs of the character's role.

Oh, and perhaps her talent did, too. Haaaah…

Masako stuffed a daifuku in her mouth and already had another one in her hand as she chewed. She was probably starving from her busy day. Maybe I should make her rice or something…? Nah, the daifuku should fill her up.

Before turning the water back on for tea, I thought this was a perfect time to make my surprise. "Well, since we're celebrating," I said. I went to the kitchenette and pulled two cans of Chu-hi from the fridge. "Congratulations."

She laughed, but didn't accept the can. She didn't look as shocked as I would have liked, either.

Instead she leaned back into her bag and brought out a tall slim bottle of Umeshu. 15% alcohol, steeped ume fruits in shochu (they were still in there at the bottom), sweetly tart tanned liquid... She had planned ahead.

"Ah, you always have to outdo me…" I said as I set the little cans on the small table and went to get glasses for the fruit liqueur.

We watched mostly romantic comedies. Or, well, we dissected and analyzed and laughed at them all the way though. We were doing it for research for Masako's upcoming role.

Maybe the movies we picked were just bad. Maybe we were just a little tipsy and everything seemed funny.

At the end of the last movie, Masako's happy laugh turned into a sad sigh as the credits rolled.

"Eh? Everything okay?"

"I guess," Masako said, looking downcast and solemn, the stark opposite that she had been a moment earlier. "I might not be able to come to these gatherings anymore. I guess that I might get too busy."

I kept my smile on, the alcohol dimming the truth of the words. "Oh, you know it's fine. Ayako will still come and then you can come whenever you can –"

With a halt, I contemplated. The last daifuku seemingly jumped into my hand. "I guess Ayako is going to get busy, too." It felt a little weird to me. Masako was moving forward in her life and career, and so was Ayako.

Things were changing but I was still me.

Masako patted my shoulder. "It's okay, Mai, it's not like we won't ever see each other again. We're going to keep in touch. We can still get coffee together like we do now. And we're still going to be able to get together. We're not going to be busy all the time."

"That's right," I said, "I know that. It just felt a little weird all of the sudden. You know, Masako, my door is always open, okay? So you don't have to feel lonely."

Masako smiled. "Thanks, Mai. Maybe you'll be able to come see me on set, too? Wouldn't that be cool?" Masako's eyebrows waggled. "Maybe you can even land a role, you know?"

I lightly punched her in the arm. "Oh, please. I can't act at all. You learned that when you were practicing your script with me. I'm terrible."

In the end, we decided to watch one more movie, but it ended sadder than we had both anticipated, so then it was time to call it quits. It was time for Masako to catch the bus, too.

At the door, I watched her put her heels on, carrying her tea caddy. I was leaning against the door frame, kind of toasted and thinking sleep was a really good idea.

"Listen, Mai," Masako said, after our final hug goodbye. "I won't forget about you, right?"

"Of course, Masako, I know that. You too, 'kay? I've been living alone almost all my life, I won't be bothered by it. I'll be waiting here for you guys, someone has to keep the group together, right? Bye, Masako."

But once she was gone, and I was left alone in my apartment, I felt different. Masako had a new job career. Ayako and Monk were together and moving on. John had to return to Australia. Yasu was super busy with college still. Noll and Lin kept to themselves, like always.

Already I had failed in keeping the group together.

Here I was, comforting and telling people not to be lonely, when it might actually be I who was seeking the comfort of having them close, so that I would not be lonely.

Ah, I'm so selfish and I don't even realize it.

"I'm fine," I told myself as I finished cleaning the aftereffects Masako's visit. "They can all take care of themselves."

But then it happened, and I didn't even know what was happening. Tears pooled from my eyes and spilled down my cheeks and I stifled my quiet sobs, afraid someone might hear me.

 But who's going to take care of me?

Notes: personally I like formosa oolong and jasmine green tea.

[uci-fanfic-requests]

May I request some fluffy fic with Ayako? Maybe all the escorts are not having missions so they are helping Ayako with laundry? Ayako spending time with the escorts and genuinely just enjoys their company-- I LIVE FOR BIG SIS AYAKO, OK, DON'T JUDGE MEEE (Also, can you make Tanizaki the most helpful one and Ayako praises him the most? For some reason I could imagine Tanizaki wanting to be praised by Ayako, who he considers as his beloved big sister. NEVERTHELESS, AYA NEEDS MORE LOVE). Thank you!!

Admin Notes: Okay but I’m 1000% on boardfor all the escorts doing a laundry day with Ayako because Ayako needs a break.I mean. Hirahara, how many clothes do you go through with the damage youcause?! I definitely love this one! -Admin Hirahara

For once, the escorts all gota break from missions. Rokkaku had been told that there wasn’t anythingimmediate, and Suigin had let Matsumoto go home for the day because he’d done alot of work already. So the seven escorts found themselves hanging around inthe break room, without much to do. Eventually, it was Kirishima that thoughtof going down to the local market to see if there was anything they needed forthe manor. Since Kirika was busy cooking, they thought they should inviteAyako, as she never did anything with them lately.

“Going out?” Ayakoasked, carrying a basket stacked high over her head with bed sheets.“Sorry, I can’t go with you all. I have a lot of laundry to do.” Shegestured to the basket in her hands, but also down to the laundry room, wherethere were three other basket loads of laundry that needed to be done. And theescorts couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that it was mostly their faultAyako was so busy that day.

To start off with, all themissions were leaving their clothes in terrible states of half ripped and worn,all of which Ayako would have to sew back up. Matsumoto’s experiments sometimesended in explosions, definitely leaving stains. Plus, there were all the towels,curtains, and bed sheets that nine people went through daily, so it was nowonder that after a while, the work would pile up. So rather than going outthat day, the escorts formed the “Help Ayako With Her Work Crusade”for the day, and got right to work.

It was actually really nice,for Ayako. For once, she wasn’t too busy to spend time with the escorts,because they were all spending time with her this time. To start off with,Matsumoto was helping her sort the clothes. Colors had to be separated from whites,and Ayako didn’t want to wash the sheets with the clothes or the towels. Also,she wanted to take out the damaged clothing and deem them fixable and notfixable. As they worked, Matsumoto told Ayako all about how fascinating it wasthat her second mouth could have a mind of its own.

“Really, it’s reallyinteresting,” Matsumoto continued, while sorting through a pile of whatwas definitely Hirahara’s shirts. “The Broca’s area that controls speechmust work pretty differently for you,” he smiled. “And the fact thatit needs to eat as well indicates that it’s got it’s own system for digestion,and-”

“Are you really going tolist my entire biology?” The second mouth interrupted, much to Matsumoto(and Ayako’s) surprise. Ayako apologized, but Matsumoto didn’t mind at all. Shedid, however, have to leave Matsumoto be after he’d talked so much he startedheading down the path of “it would be interesting to see what the insideof the mouth looks like”, excusing herself by making up the excuse shewould take the ripped clothes to the other escorts.

Saeki and Kirishima werehelping with the sewing processes. It turned out that they were both very goodat sewing, which is something Ayako hadn’t thought about because she’d neverseen them do it. Saeki was definitely better, though, because Kirishima wasbeing taught how to sew as well.

“Wow…” Ayakoblinked, lifting one of the fixed shirts. “You can’t even see theseams.” Saeki smiled at the praise, before looking back at the next shirt.

“This one’s… oh, thisone’s yours, Kirishima,” he displayed the many holes in the shirt.“What happened to it?”

“Um,” Kirishimaglanced to the side, as if he was thinking. “Probably… a bear.”Ayako was rather curious about that story, and Kirishima ended up telling thewhole thing to both her and Saeki. It was actually a funny story, in the endwith Kirishima winning a wrestling match with a bear. Ayako scuffed about fivegiggles the whole time. A few minutes later, Hirahara had run over, an emptybasket in his hands.

“First batch isdone,” Hirahara announced, slamming the basket down. “Next!”Hirahara was running the loads between everyone, much like Ayako was trying todo. Of course, he could carry more than she could, and he had a lot of energy todo it quickly. Ayako decided to walk with him this time, just to see how thewashing was coming. Along the way, Hirahara slowed down to match pace with thefutakuchi-onna. He told her that once they were done, they should all go to themarket, if there was time.

“There arebeanbags!” Hirahara exclaimed. “Like the ones you made. Except not ascool.” He scrunched his face a bit. “Make some for me sometime,okay?”

“Sure,” Ayakosmiled, thinking it was kind of cute that he was so excited about that. Theydropped the load off for Tanizaki and Tagami, who were doing the washing. Ofcourse, it was actually all Tanizaki doing the washing. Tagami had, at somepoint, found a pillow and hadn’t gotten up since. Tanizaki was putting lots ofeffort into washing the clothes. In fact, he was making them absolutelyspotless, which was really impressive to Ayako.

“These look great,”she smiled, patting Tanizaki on the head. His cheeks flushed up and he lookedaway, but he said something about how it was best to work his hardest. “Thankyou very much,” she said again, giving him a quick hug. Hirahara decidedthat he wanted to see who could wash more clothes faster, so he joined Tanizakiin his effort. Ayako decided to wake Tagami up so that he could help her carrysome of the clean clothes to Kinoshita, to dry.

Tagami groaned when he wasawoken, but didn’t complain when Ayako asked for his help. He easily lifted thebasket with more clothes, not wanting Ayako to carry too much. As they walked,Ayako asked him if he dreamt about anything while he was asleep.

“Lots of cats,”Tagami mumbled, still sort of tired. “There were lots of cats.”

“Sounds like fun,”Ayako nodded. “Next time, I want to have that dream too.” Tagamiagreed that it was pretty good, and mentioned that Ayako should go and rest aswell, so she could have that dream. However, she said she wanted to make sureall the laundry was done before she went to take a break. When they dropped offthe loads with Kinoshita, Tagami decided (all on his own) that he was going torun some clothes from Matsumoto to Tanizaki.

“It’ll make itfaster,” he said. Ayako waved him off, then watched as Kinoshita hung theclothes all along the line. Since he was tall, He could put things up on thesecond row that Ayako always struggled with.

“Oh, Ayako,”Kinoshita smiled. “Good timing. I think the ones on the end are ready tobe folded.” He handed her a basket, and pointed to the row. “Do youmind?”

“Not at all,” shenodded, going over to fold the clothes. “With everyone helping out likethis, I feel like I haven’t done much work myself.”

“Well, we all want youto have a break,” Kinoshita said, while throwing up one of the bed sheetsonto the clothing line. “You work really hard for all of us, and we wantto be able to do fun things with you as well.” To this, Ayako blushed alittle, but continued folding.

“That’s sweet,” hersecond mouth said. “I think I’m going to get tooth decay.” Ayakohushed her mouth quickly, feeling embarrassed yet again.

“Well, maybe after thisyou can come with us,” Kinoshita suggested, laughing at the comment.“Or if you want, we can sit down and have a drink together.”

“That sounds nice,”Ayako nodded. I really like being around them, she thought, puttinganother dry shirt away. It was all wonderful and peaceful the rest of the time,until Hirahara decided to become a bubble monster and chase after everyonecovered in soap. Scolding took place afterwards, mostly from Ayako. Someonelost an eye at some point, which Saeki found in the bucket Tanizaki was washingclothes in. Tagami went back to sleep.

[riverofmemoriesft]

. The Game of Life . 12

Full Summary: “You’re new here, so I’ll explain the rules once.  Winners get one lash, losers die.  It’s quite simple.  The last one standing gets no lash.  We do one game a day here and you live as long as you can stand it.  If you somehow miraculously try to get away, I kill you.  It’s quite simple really.”

Pairings: Natsu x Lucy, Gajeel x Levy

Warnings: This really isn’t a fic for sensitive readers.  Mentions of suicide, descriptive gore, the likes.  It’s rated M, my friends.

The next couple of hours were chaos.

The guild was still in full out celebration over Levy's return when a soaked Natsu, Gray, and Erza burst into the guildhall, three shivering naked women with them and a fourth on Natsu's back. Levy had turned white until Lucy had coughed weakly, stirring against her partner.

Natsu had been ridiculously reluctant to let anyone near her, but had finally let Porlyusica get close when she'd arrived. Makarov, after contacting the officials to pick up the body that Gray had reported, had slid into the room and Natsu had been more than furious when he'd been banned from it and ordered to wait.

Everyone was worried, of course, and, to his surprise, everyone was polite. No one demanded questions of the three women who were left to their own devices. Everyone was more than willing to offer what help they could. Gray left the main room to contact Lamia Scale for Ayako, and when an official representative of the Council arrived, Maria went to speak with him about going home as soon as possible - or at least informing her husband and child that she was alive.

It was hours after coming in that Natsu wandered tiredly over to Levy, who'd been left alone after the initial relief. Gajeel had made sure no one bothered her, keeping a protective position beside her, letting her hold one large calloused hand in her soft small one.

She greeted the fire mage with a huge smile. With a glance towards Gajeel, Natsu leaned over the table she was at and did something he'd only ever done with Lucy.

Natsu rested his forehead gently against Levy's, aware that she didn't want anyone near her face. He looked her in her shocked hazel eyes and said in a truthful and honest whisper full of raw heartfelt emotion, "Thank you."

Rather than shoving him away, she smiled and patted his cheek.

Gajeel had pushed him back, snapping about him needing to watch his own woman, and Levy had painfully giggled before they'd both noticed Ayako approaching, dressed now in some clothing provided to her by Mirajane. Levy rose to greet her with a relieved look, but Ayako stopped her with a raised hand.

"You have no idea," Ayako told her warmly, "How happy I am to see you alive."

Levy gave her a smile and then looked over when Gray approached.

"I contacted Lyon," he informed them. "He and Chelia are coming with Wendy and the Exceeds. I informed them of your condition, Ayako, and told them that you wanted Chelia to deal with your eye."

"Thank you," she hummed. Excitement raced through her good eye and she gave him a warm enough smile that Juvia slunk over and wound her arm through his possessively, making them all laugh.

"Natsu!" Mirajane suddenly called from across the room. He heard her, of course. She gestured to the second story, and he followed her gaze. Makarov stood there, patiently waiting and watching as Porlyusica left, and he abandoned his friends to sprint up the stairs.

Makarov stopped him before he pushed past. "You are aware of Lucy's condition. I've spoken with her and she wishes to rest for the night with no visitors." Natsu deflated, opening his mouth to protest, but Makarov held a hand up to silence him. "No visitor but you."

Natsu grinned and then hesitated. "I'm sorry. That we didn't tell you before we left, Gramps. There was no time."

"Boy," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "You brought one of my precious children back to me without hurting yourself in the process. Damn the matter of you needing my permission. Now, stop dancing around. I know that look, and you damn well better not burn anything."

Natsu flashed him the first Natsu-style grin he'd worn in days and then darted for the room he knew Lucy to be in.

When he stepped inside, he was shocked to find her awake. She was on her stomach, bandages wrapped around her. She looked over her shoulder with care and lit up when she saw him. He hurried over and dropped into the chair beside her without a word, taking her hand and resting his chin on the bed so he could press his head to hers.

"I can't believe I'm here," she whispered. "It feels like...like a dream."

Natsu scoffed. "Stop dreamin' then. I didn't go through all of that hell just to have to rescue you again." She laughed and he gave her a cheeky smile before he became serious. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Lucy."

"I don't intend to," she retorted. She gave a heavy sigh. She was sleepy, he could see. "I couldn't sleep," she murmured, as if reading his mind. "I couldn't sleep at all. Whenever I close my eyes, I see-"

He cut her off. "You don't have to sleep. I'll talk with ya as long as ya want." He suddenly grunted, searching his pockets. "Damn, I better not have dropped them in the - here!"

He pulled back and she looked up, curious at first, and then delighted as he pressed the zodiac keys into her waiting fingers. She gave a relieved sob, pressing them to her lips, and as if he'd been waiting, Loke appeared beside them in a flash of light.

"Lucy," he groaned in relief, falling to his knees beside the bed.

She wordlessly reached out and touched his cheek. He trapped her hand there, and they stared at each other, having a wordless conversation with their eyes. Natsu watched, jealousy coiling in him. But he said nothing.

"I'll summon you when I have the strength," she vowed softly. "I'll summon all of you."

"Take your time," Loke told her, pressing a kiss to her head. "We're just relieved to see you alive." He stood and then turned to Natsu. To Natsu's shock - and Lucy's - Loke bowed to him.

"Natsu Dragneel," he said formally. "You found and protected our keys when Lucy couldn't, and you even returned us to her. For that, you have our deepest gratitude. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and should you ever need the help of the stars, we will be there to assist you." Suddenly, he glanced up, back to his usual self. His eyes twinkled behind the shades he wore.

And then he was gone.

Lucy giggled softly and closed her eyes, the keys in her fingers and brushing her cheeks. Suddenly, she told Natsu, "Do you think Erza would be willing to teach me the sword?"

Doubting she'd ever touch a whip again, Natsu laughed. "Why don't you learn some hand-to-hand instead? Training with Erza will get you turned into a mass of black-and-blue bruises."

She grinned. "Point taken."

They fell silent then, her fingers twining with his, and when Mirajane peeked in to check on them later, both had fallen asleep, heads close together, and hands clasped in a way that made her wonder if it was possible for two souls to become one.

The next morning wasn't as wild as the evening had been - in regards to the guild. News people were all over the front of the guildhall, demanding questions every time that someone stepped foot outside. And the guild members themselves were racing around Magnolia, spreading the news that the curfew had been lifted, that the person behind the killings had been caught and was dead, and that yes, the people they'd found would live.

The house that had belonged to Simon had been scanned and searched throughout the night. An officer had stopped by, offering to return Lucy's whip - he'd watched the Grand Magic Games, he'd told them, and he knew it was hers - and when asked, Lucy had shuddered and told Natsu to burn it.

Lamia Scale, Wendy, and the Exceeds had shown up early in the morning. It was around seven a.m. that they showed up, and Lucy had been greeted with a shriek by both Wendy and Happy. She'd laughed and told Wendy to see to Levy's mouth first as she'd let Happy cuddle happily against her.

Gajeel had stood watch over Levy as Wendy tended to her mouth, pouting that she hadn't gotten to see Porlyusica, who reminded her so much of Grandeeney. Levy's fear had shown every time Wendy had lifted her hands and Gajeel had chosen to distract her with Lily, who'd been more than pleased to see her. Together, they'd kept Levy's mind off of Wendy, and when Wendy had finished, Levy's mouth wasn't so painful and the bruises on her throat were gone.

Sticking her tongue out, Levy went cross-eyed, trying to see the brand that had scarred over. Pouting, she demanded, "Get me some sort of mirror."

"I'm impressed you can talk so well," Gajeel muttered as Wendy ran off to tend to Lucy.

"It's scarred and burned," Levy said with a pout, "Not ripped out." She suddenly faltered. "Gajeel...it doesn't look too bad, right? I mean, I should be more concerned that my tasting skills are gone, but-"

"Shorty," he cut her off, rolling his crimson eyes. "It looks fine. If you don't like it that much, I'll piece it for ya or something."

"Really?" She looked curious at the suggestion. "Does it hurt?"

"It's a major muscle," he retorted, "It'll hurt like hell, but seeing what you dealt with, it'll probably be nothin'- uh, shit, sorry. Bad thing to say."

"No, it's fine." Levy settled back, touching her scarred tongue. "I'll do it. Not today, but I'll do it. And someday, if I'm feeling up to it, maybe I'll take it out and have a story to tell our-" She cut off, turning a color that nearly matched Erza's hair.

Snickering, Gajeel nudged her. "You gonna finish that statement, Shorty?"

She smacked his arm gently. "No," she retorted. "No, I'm not."

He gave her a wide grin that showed off his sharp teeth. "You sure about that?" He cocked his head a fraction, finding it odd to not have long hair swaying behind him. No one had questioned the haircut, and he was grateful for it. The biggest response he'd gotten was a look of approval from Mirajane and a simple "Good job," from Lily.

She opened her mouth, thought it over, and then suddenly huffed, "No. You know what? To be honest, I almost died. I almost died, and I'm not going to procrastinate anymore. You and I are going on a date as soon as I can handle people coming out of nowhere at me."

Gajeel, who'd been amused with her before, choked on nothing, staring at her with wide eyes. He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, uncertain of how to respond.

Before he could, however, the doors were thrown open and, to their surprise, Yukino, Sting, Rogue, and their two Exceeds strode in. Gajeel immediately rolled his eyes to the sky above and demanded, "The fuck you doing here?"

"It's all over the news," Yukino said, eyes sparkling. "We left at three this morning.  I came to see Lucy, but it's nice to see you, Levy. I'm very glad to see that you're safe and relatively unharmed."

Levy gave a faint smile. "I wouldn't say unharmed," she sighed and then turned her attention on Sting and Rogue. "I heard you two actually came all the way to Magnolia and took a look around. Even though you didn't find anything, I want to say thank you. Thank for trying. You could have claimed that it was a waste of time or something since our dragon slayers were on it, but you came anyways, and I appreciate it more than you could ever know."

Sting's teeth flashed as he grinned. "No problem, Levy."

"We would never leave friends in the hands of such a man," Rogue said gently. "We are pleased to see that you're well. Is Lucy well enough for visitors?"

"That's up to Bunny Girl," Gajeel said gruffly. "And Salamander. Salamander's been cranky and not lettin' anyone in, so good luck. I'm sure she'll make him let Yukino in though."

Sabertooth moved on and Gajeel glanced at Levy. "...I'll cook ya dinner," he said suddenly. "Won't take ya out when ya can't taste anythin'."

Her cheeks flamed. "Thank you, Gajeel."

"Tch," was the only response he gave as he watched various people move in and out of the guildhall, very aware that when a shadow moved just a little bit too strangely, Levy flinched.

Ayako smiled to herself, amused as she watched Maria tackled in a tight hug by her crying husband and their child, who couldn't even walk yet. She was in tears herself, her face cradled by her husband's hands as he looked at her with adoration, her child in her arms. Athena, alone with no one to be grateful she was alive, had left, determined to make friends and start a family with someone who loved her.

"Ayako?" Chelia said softly.

"I'm okay," she promised, though she knew she wasn't. There was something in her chest - empty, pained. Like she couldn't get rid of it. There was a feeling that told her she wasn't okay, but she forced herself to push past it, touching the scarred side of her face. With Porlyusica's help before she'd left, her eye had been removed and now, she was blind on one side.

It did nothing to stop her from looking over when a hand landed on her shoulder. Lyon gave her a kind look. She'd worked with him once or twice. He was a good man and while she didn't feel like pursuing a romantic relationship with him - there had been a woman who'd passed through once, he'd mentioned, that had caught his attention, and he wanted to find her again - she knew he was worried about her.

"Ready to go home?" he asked.

She smiled, though the look held none of the warmth it would have months before.

"Yes," Ayako told him. "Let's go home."

[whatdoyouwantfromme16]

Finally Moved On Chapter 1

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12324406/1/Finally-Moved-On

One of the stories I have been working on for awhile.

Mai POV 1 ½  years ago

“Me or Gene?” When he said those heart breaking words, I could feel tears starting to form but I decided to make this a chance to re invent myself after being rejected like that. So that’s exactly what I did the next day at the airport when we were all saying our goodbyes. He offered me a picture of him and Gene which I declined right away, knowing that the memory would only bring pain. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your life Davis and LIn-san.” I say to them right before they go through the gates.

After I said my goodbyes to the SPR irregulars I went home and packed up all my stuff, I was moving to Tokyo. After all Shibuya just wasn’t for me anymore. I didn’t leave a note and I had already changed my phone number. I just hope that they won’t be too worried.

I got on the train and sped away – the movers had already brought my stuff to the new apartment and I should be there shortly, I guess all that I can do now is go to school and hopefully be able to get into Toudai on scholarship. I had already gotten a new job there, I had an old family friend that owns a restaurant and when I told her she said that she would be delighted to have me work there.

When I got to my new apartment there was the person standing outside of the one next to mine.

“Yo, you must be the new girl. I’m Izuki Tony, pleasure to see that  my new neighbor is so cute.” He said with a wink and a smirk. I must admit he was pretty cute himself, he had these beautiful golden eyes and perfectly kissable lips along with that cool boy vibe. I thought to myself this is the most perfect time ever for re-invention.

“Yeah, I am the new girl, and I have to say you are most definitely a sight for sore eyes. You can call me Mai.” I replied back coolly, trying to hide my blush best as I can.

“I think that we are gonna be great friends Mai, you can call me Tony. Well, I’ve got to go to work. Nice meeting you, here’s my number if you ever want to hang out.” he said before he walked away.

I unlocked the door and saw that everything had already been set up. Perfect. Now to go shopping to perfect the new me. I went for the bad ass rocker chick thing, and I even dyed my hair black with red streaks!

Advance of 1 and 3 months ago.

“Mai I love you. Would you do the honour of being my girlfriend?” Tony asked me looking very serious.

“I don’t love you but I would like the chance to if you will let me?” I said the words knowing that if I didn’t now I would regret it for the rest of my life I needed this to finally move on from that Narcisstic ass whole.

One Month ago

“I am really sorry Mai I promise I will be back in one month's time I will call you when I land, okay?” he asked me.

“Of course Tony I will be waiting but go your family needs you right now.” I tell him holding back the tears.

“Just remember the charms and spells I taught you, those should help keep you powers at bay until I get back, I will always love you with all my heart Taniyama Mai.” He told me.

“See you when you get back.” I told him, with that he kissed me a longing kiss and left to go board his plane.

Current day

Naru POV.

As I entered the Tokyo airport after a year and a half I saw the SPR irregulars. I saw everyone except for the one I came back to Japan for Mai. even though I did not see her I did not instantly question where she was instead what surprised me is LIN said;

“Where is Mai-san I do not see her here with you guys?” they all looked very uncomfortable at Lin’s question.

Masako what the first to speak. “We haven’t got the slightest clue right after you guys left she just up and disappeared.” she knit her brows together after that.

Then we all heard a voice that we could never mistake say “Tony, you’re finally back I missed you so much!” said the girl that sounded like Mai but looked nothing like her, this girl had black hair with red streaks that went down to the middle of her back, black ripped jean son and a red t-shirt with a leather jacket to top it all off.

The male picked her up and kissed her. “I missed you too Mai.”

“MAI is that really you?” I heard the voice of MIss Matsuzaki ask.

Mai. Pov.

I looked through crowds of people and once I spotted im I couldn’t help but run up and throw my arms around him Saying.”Tony, you’re finally back I missed you so much!” he picked me up and kissed me right there.

“I missed you too Mai.” he said lovingly.

“MAI is that really you?” I heard a very familiar voice say. I Tony put me down and I turned around, and standing right there was all of SPR including Davis and Lin-san.

“Oh hello everyone long time no see eh?” I say to them not wanting to make a scene. Tony puts his arm around me.

“Calm down Mai just keep your emotions in check.” he whispers in my ear and I just nod my head, putting a cap on my emotions.

“Yeah it has it's been a year and a half and you finally resurface with some delectable eye candy, mind sharing?” I hear the familiar voice of Yasu say.

“No way I am not going to be sharing my boyfriend with anybody, anyways Tony you must have had a long flight let's head home.” I say with a shaky voice seeing everybody again has brought up emotions that I am not sure how much longer I can contain.

“Wait these are the friends that are in that book that you refuse to tell me about aren’t they?” Tony asks as if he already knows the answer.

“Yes” I reply with glumly no really itching to get out of here.

“Well Daymon, Rose, and the kids are coming over tomorrow why don't we invite them as well?” He asked me, I glared at him.

“I’m not sure after all I do have to teach the kids so it might be a bit awkward.” He gave me puppy dog eyes.

“But I guess if you guys don’t mind me being a bit distracted you can come over. Tony I know that you just got back but I really need to get away from all these people, can you give them the details while I go catch some air?” I ask knowing that if I don't get out of there now it was gonna make a scene.

Tony POV.

“Of course babe see you at the car.” I say, she leans up and kisses me on the cheek.

“Okay thanks, Tony .” she tells me.

“I love you.” I call after her. I turn to all of her old friends back when she was on a ghost hunting team, now it's just me and her as a ghost hunting duo.

“So this is our address and home phone number feel free to call if you get lost the other people should be there around 1 so if you wanna come around then that would be perfect.” I tell them as I hand them each a piece of paper. I turn to start leaving knowing that Mai would be worrying and wanted to be at home in her training room.

“Are you sure it's okay for us to come and interrupt your everyday lives I mean we were ghost hunters she almost died several times.” I heard the tall blond guy with a ponytail ask me.

“Oh we still ghost hunt together I think that you would be surprised on who she is now. So I think that she will be okay as long as I am there for her.” I tell them. “But I better go Mai doesn’t like being out of the house much so I hope to see you tomorrow.” I tell them with a smile before I go off to go home with my Mai.

Naru POV.

I thought if we left Mai would stop being in the paranormal world, not go change everything about herself and get a new boyfriend. Mai was supposed to wait for me I thought she loved me. “Well he seemed nice.” Yasu said to no one specifically.

“I just hope that Mai is happy, is anyone going to go there tomorrow? I mean I kinda want to hear more about her.” Ayako asks.

“I am going for sure.” Says Masako surprisingly. The rest of the SPR irregulars agree that they are going to go and Lin accepts on both our behalfs. This is gonna be very interesting, I think to myself.

[riverofmemoriesft]

. The Game of Life . 8

Full Summary: “You’re new here, so I’ll explain the rules once.  Winners get one lash, losers die.  It’s quite simple.  The last one standing gets no lash.  We do one game a day here and you live as long as you can stand it.  If you somehow miraculously try to get away, I kill you.  It’s quite simple really.”

Pairings: Natsu x Lucy, Gajeel x Levy

Warnings: This really isn’t a fic for sensitive readers.  Mentions of suicide, descriptive gore, the likes.  It’s rated M, my friends.

Gajeel paced up and down the streets, his gaze darting this way and that. He'd been keeping a close eye out for anything from the second that Natsu had gone hours before. His crimson eyes swept the street as he paced through the shadows. He tripped for a moment over something he didn't see in the dusky light as he crossed the street, swearing wildly under his breath as he did.

Suspecting it to be a stray pet that had slunk off, Gajeel continued up the street. He grumbled, muttering to himself.

He headed over a bridge that crossed the canal, fully intending to continue down the street, simply watching. He couldn't' do much else, he supposed. He had to wait for something to happen despite the fact that it wasn't good if something occurred.

Too busy muttering to himself, Gajeel nearly didn't hear the soft clattering of something striking cobbled streets.

His head snapped around. His eyes flashed, his gaze darting around as he retraced his steps. Aware of just who their killer was - a nullification mage who was somewhat powerful - Gajeel focused all of his senses on figuring out what the sound had been.

An idea struck him. Natsu had done some kind of little...breath before he'd figured out that the area was where they women were coming from.

So, Gajeel reluctantly forced himself to relax, closing his eyes, tuning everything out. He took a deep breath, sighing heavily, and then slowly opened his eyes.

A shadow in the corner of his eye, a figure silhouetted in the moonlight, knelt over a smaller still one.

Something akin to a roar left his lips as he barreled towards them. The man's head snapped up and he swore under his breath, shooting to his feet and darting away. Gajeel moved to give chase, taking note of what he could see in the light of the moon and dusk. A thin but toned body, more than likely, styled hair and a low husky voice.

A choked gasp brought him to a stuttering halt.

He stumbled, nearly tipping into the canal in his shock. He whirled around, horrified as he let the man get away in favor of the realization that the woman he'd been strangling was still alive.

He darted back over, flinching at the smell of burning that flooded his nose as he dropped to check for a pulse. The woman didn't wake, still sputtering and gasping as a cloud raced across the moon and blocked his view. When it had cleared, however, his jaw dropped and his eyes flashed with horror.

"Levy," he muttered in a low rumbling voice. He checked for a pulse, made sure to lightly rest an ear over her mouth to make sure she was breathing. Her gasps came faintly but steadily, and he grimaced when he saw how her blue locks had been sheared away. Swearing under his breath, Gajeel dug in his pockets.

Cana's voice filled the air, sleepy when he activated the card he'd been given. "Gajeel?"

"I need Gramps to summon Porlyusica," he said gruffly, shrugging the iron studded jacket he wore off and wrapping it around Levy before picking her up with gentle hands, uncertain of just how hurt she was. She groaned and shifted, unconscious. "Get Salamander, I guess, and see if you can get a hold of Levy's teammates."

Awake now, Cana replied, "Why? Did you find something?"

Gajeel grunted. "Levy," he replied, starting swiftly down the street with the card clasped awkwardly in his hand. "I found Levy and scared the fucker off. She's alive. Barely. I'm gonna take her to the guildhall, up the back way. I don't want everyone in the guild findin' out though."

Cana gasped, and then said hastily, "I'll tell Mira to get there, too, she can help. Hurry and bring her home, Gajeel."

Gajeel hung up after that, his jaw clenched as he broke into a jog. He was somewhat glad that there wasn't any passerbys. It would have made his job harder than it already was as he made a beeline for the guildhall. When he reached it, he swerved around for the steps that went up to the second floor, climbing them wish ease. Levy stirred, her breath coming hoarsely.

It must have hurt, he realized, sliding inside. He ducked into the first room he came across, thanking no one in particular that it was one of the rooms meant for the injured or sick that stayed there.

Gajeel turned on a light and grimaced as he began to notice the full extent of Levy's injuries, sharp ears catching the sounds of footsteps and hissed whispers. Gajeel glanced over his shoulder as the door to the room opened again and revealed a sleepy Natsu.

"No Lucy?" he said, anxious.

Gajeel shook his head. "Nah, but when Levy wakes up, we'll find Bunny Girl."

"If she's not killed first," a cranky Porlyusica muttered as she swept into the room. Natsu jumped out of her way. He glared at her for what she said, but turned his burning onyx eyes on Levy as Porlyusica bent over her, waving for Lisanna to join her. Lisanna touched Natsu's shoulder and then joined her, blinking sleepy eyes. "What happened, Gajeel?" Makarov questioned, remaining in the doorway with Mirajane. Cana was peering over Mirajane's shoulder, her eyes glittering nervously.

"Was patrollin' like we'd decided and heard somethin'. Remembered what Salamander said about being blind as a bat, so I focused, and managed to catch sight of the bastard that did this knelt over her. Chased him off, came back when I heard her coughin', and then used the call card." Gajeel recited the steps quickly and accurately before turning sharp eyes on Natsu. "I didn't see Bunny Girl anywhere."

Natsu's jaw worked furiously, his face flashing with frustration, but he said nothing.

"Oh!" Lisanna gasped. Gajeel's head snapped around. He peered over their shoulders despite Porlyusica snapping at him to get back, and felt sick at what they'd discovered.

Levy's tongue was marked with a seared shape that they couldn't yet decipher. The flesh along the burn was dead and white and there were various blisters along her lips and mouth. "Can you fix it?" he rasped.

Porlyusica shook her head. "I could, but we need to wait until she's awake to try and help too much. Even if she does let me near her mouth - or even her face - it'll scar permanently."

Gajeel made a furious sound low in his throat and turned his face away. Fury flooded the man as he remembered how the bastard had escaped and how he still had another member of their guild alongside several others.

"We have to save Lucy," Natsu rasped. "If he knows Levy survived-"

"We keep this quiet," Makarov cut in. "No one else knows that Levy is up here. Keep it that way. I don't want everyone rushing up, or the people with the news getting wind of this. As far as they know, Levy is still missing. Is that clear?"

They all agreed and Makarov made sure Natsu wasn't going to tell his teammates either. As if insulted that Makarov didn't trust him to keep quiet, he snapped, "If someone finds out Levy's alive, then he'll find out, and then he'll hurt Lucy. I'm not gonna say a word."

"We know that you'll keep quiet," Mirajane soothed, touching his shoulder. "Come, Natsu, why don't you help Cana and I gather some clothes and blankets and other such things for Levy. I'm sure she'll want to be dressed when she wakes up, hm?" She smiled gently and guided him away.

"We'll watch him," Cana promised a worried Makarov. "He'll be fine."

"As soon as Levy's awake, we'll be able to find Lucy, I'm sure," Lisanna said firmly. "So long as Levy can tell us where she is, that nullification magic won't do a single thing to help him!"

Blinding pain brought Lucy to her senses and made her wish she'd remained unconscious or even dead.

Furious, Simon brought her own whip down on her flesh again and again despite her screams and cries of pain as the leather split her skin beneath it, drawing blood and leaving vicious lash marks that she was sure would scar. Even when she was sure her back had been flayed open and Ayako and Maria and even Athena were pleading with him to stop, that they were sure that Lucy had gotten the message, Simon kept at it as blood trickled from each and every wound, pooling beneath her.

It was only what seemed like ages later, when she'd screamed herself hoarse and felt numb, that Simon finally stopped. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his lips pulled back over his teeth in an animal-like snarl. With a last vicious attack, he kicked her as hard as he could in the side and she thought it was a miracle that she didn't hear a rib crack before she coughed and spat blood onto the ground beneath her.

"You bitch," Simon hoarsely snapped, throwing the whip away and crouching down. He grabbed her chin, forcing her head back and digging his nails into her flesh, dragging her up and forcing her to meet his gaze. "After all of the kindness I've shown you-"

"Kindness?" Lucy whispered, disgusted. "You kidnapped us, sheared our hair off, stripped us naked, and then made us play games in which the loser is murdered. You're nothing but a disgusting and pathetic creature. And I hope to the Spirit King who calls me friend that my partner and best friend gets his hands on you. Because after what you've done to Levy and I...well. He'll leave you screaming as you turn into a pile of ash from flames that are hotter than those that burn in the pits of the Hell you're going to."

Lucy gave a hysterical laugh when she saw a flicker of fear cross his eyes. He released her and she dropped to the ground, heaving for air as she fought back a sob of pain as her back filled with unbelievable pain.

Without looking up, she grinned. "From the moment you brought us here...you should have known. For one, Salamander doesn't like any of his nakama hurt, let alone his partner. And let's be honest, Levy and Black Steel Gajeel have a thing for each other. So you just…" She swallowed thickly, pain in her heart at the thought of Levy, who Simon had informed her was dead. "So you just killed his girlfriend. They will not stop until you are in prison or dead at their feet. And whether I'm dead or not, I'll be laughing. Because you finally made the mistake you thought you'd never make."

"Lucy," Ayako said softly, her eyes resting anxiously on Simon as his face twisted in rage. His amber eyes flashed angrily and he reached for the whip again, snapping it out expertly.

Lucy barely flinched as it cracked down on her again, not even a cry leaving her lips.

Instead, she sank into the sea of unconsciousness with gratitude, and wondered if this torture would ever end.

There was darkness. Darkness and pain that threatened to split her in half, but it was more of a dull never-ending pain than the white-hot agony she remembered. Still, it hurt like hell, and she wanted to raise her hands and rip her tongue from her mouth in hopes that it would make it stop.

"No, no," a voice in her ears said gently. "Don't touch it, Levy, it'll make it worse. Don't touch it."

She furrowed her brow, confused, stirring, and a small murmur of delight filled her ears. She groaned, hot breath washing over her tongue and making her cry out softly.

"Sh," a voice murmured, a hand gently covering her mouth.

Terror like no other filled her.

And then she screamed.