#wow…. im so lucky to be here right now.. what an honor to be alive with them.

[bugmistake]

so transgender i could cry

[yinses]

fractured kingdoms

| he made you a princess … it was only right for him to play the white knight |

one

gojo satoru rating: 18+

a/n: this will be a slow pet project for me. i’ve outlined what i want to accomplish so we’ll see if i can manage to meet my own goals. thank you for all the interest! 

the ability to be lured out with food was dangerous- for her. 

likely for humans too, for those who may have fallen for her charms. but aside from milking them dry she didn’t seem to have any ill intents. rather didn’t know what to do with them or why she should bother. 

gojo didn’t know if she stayed around this area for a reason or if he just got lucky. he’d played around with possible back stories for her origin. 

he would have assumed the factory had been the place of her death given that’s where he’d initially found her. but the fact that she was able as stray as far as she did after their meeting meant that she could have come from a lot further.

whether or not she was the accumulation of her own thoughts was a contender too. she didn’t need to be the same girl who died per say. with as many souls lost in this area alone, she could have been the combination of plenty- yet her personality was strong enough to bubble to the top. 

she was an anomaly. but that was also why she was still alive and not exorcised without a second thought. 

swinging the bag of treats, the crinkle of plastic replaced what would have been small tut for her attention. he wondered if that would have brought him more ire or favor. 

fortunately the smell wafting from the still warm desserts did the work for him. that faint scent drifted past his nose again, something still annoying indescribable, came from above again. 

“these are for you, princess,” he responded to her unasked question. 

“wow, you actually came back.”

shaking the bag again, gojo made a noise of appreciation when she responded eagerly, watching quietly as she dropped down and snatched up the bag without so much of a thank you. maybe only some princesses actually showed gratitude to their subjects. 

the building had been cleared of bodies but not properly cleaned. there were still distinctive dark pools still staining the floor that would undoubtedly linger. she seemed to have no problem plopping down near one as she opened the first container. 

“oh! i love strawberries.”

there is was again. a small inking of what should be a preference, bred from past memories. he doubted he would get a straight answer if he probed. whether from her own attitude or lack of understanding- it was too early to tell. 

instead he took a different route. 

“this is a pretty dirty castle.”

there was a splotch of pink jam at the corner of her mouth. his hand twitched but nothing followed up. 

“it’s not like i live here,” she scoffed. 

his brow rose,” oh, but this is where i found you again.”

it was a false representation but the way her cheeks warmed at the attention carried her image as a human girl. he couldn’t feel the heat but there was a hint of shyness pinching at her cheeks.

unable to resist, he delved deeper.

“so then you were waiting for me all this time.”

that was no surprise. he didn’t expect for her to follow him home like a lost kitten after he bought her nice things. actually he’d hoped she’d come back here until he could return. 

it took him three days, but it was more than enough time for the lower grades to purify the area. the reports read that all lingering spirits had been taken care of with little issue. 

it was safe to assume that the curse before him was far from a small issue. so either she was capable enough to conceal her presence through a purge or she had drifted off somewhere else and returned. both were very intriguing concepts.  

“i thought you had come back earlier but they were just annoying pests.”

ah the plot thickens. so she had been here. 

sliding his freed hands into his pockets, gojo tilted his head to the side. “you mean my comrades. yes, they needed to clean up the mess your friends made.” before she could retort with they weren’t my friends, he added. “how did you feel when they showed up?”

she made a face,” i don’t know. fine, i guess.” she tore at the dough and fed herself smaller pieces. “annoyed maybe? it made my head hurt a little and there was this heaviness in my chest.”

she almost sounded concerned, so blissfully unaware that she had been resisting a reverse technique so effortlessly. the clean up had taken at least a day and a half. gojo doubted she could have escaped the barrier placed without alerting someone so she must have just endured. 

funnily enough, he imagined that she would have been crankier. 

when presented with an untouched raspberry filled daifuku, he almost smiled. actually he did one better, dramatically clinching a hand to his chest as he lowered to one knee. 

the greatest shaman alive bowing to a curse. 

“i wasn’t expecting you to share. how sweet.”

she scowls and looks like she might take it back but he doesn’t give her the opportunity. he was going to stop by again on the way home but this would help sate the craving. gojo offered a thank you in return. 

“they were suppose to kill me, right? did you send them?”

what an observant creature. and the way she made her voice so small as if disturbed by the idea of being removed to safe humanity. she wasn’t immune to what she could have done, what those in her likeness had conducted in her stead. 

gojo swiped the pad of his thumb against his tongue, savoring the lingering tangy sweetness. “yes. though not specifically you.” 

he did put out the official request to ijichi, even if he hadn’t filled out the actual order. they would have certainly tried to end her and likely called him back after she showed any signs of intelligence.

“but you did good, kitten.” why was he praising her for evading his colleagues? maybe he was a little proud of her for surviving his test. “that means you're about as strong as i predicted. maybe even stronger.”

curious eyes shot him a glare at the admittance, but she still partook of his peace offering- now that it had informally coined as such. 

“why does it matter if im strong enough? i don’t want to fight anyone.”

but she would. eventually have to fight, if solely for the reason to survive. 

maybe it was considered treason, or something along those lines. but gojo was willing to cross into that territory and give her a fighting chance against the odds. 

her hair was soft, he noted. more surprisingly she allows him to caress the top of her head with his palm. gojo had expected it to be as grimy as her environment. 

there was no reason to extend this curses life any longer; even if she did put up a reasonable struggle he could succeed. yet here she sat, not necessarily open but trusting. 

gojo’s face was a mask as her smaller hands toyed with one of the empty wrappers. she cast a questioning glance towards him,” will you help me?”

and who was he, her self proclaimed white knight, to deny such a request. 

“of course, princess.” 

it would be my honor.

“call me satoru.”

[frvyas]

↳ INSTAGRAM: @FREYANILS UPLOADED A PHOTO 10 MINUTES AGO

it’s @lana_jameson’s 22nd birthday which means it’s a national holiday. 💖💓💕💗💘💝💞 everyone is required to take this day off n drink a whole bottle of wine n flash ur tits in her honor? if u don’t then ur disgusting and awful. bt anyway next part is LOCKED TO EVERYONE... love u lana. don’t think i could’ve gotten luckier in the best friend department....it’s sickening....i wd kill adam flynn for u if u wanted. and any other man. i don’t care. i don’t think i can say wt i want in so many words 😔 so here r some DICK SISTERS VERIFIED LANA JAMESON REVIEWS:

“5.5 billion stars. Been visiting this one since 2017. Always met with warmth and smells nice. Sometimes you’re just in a bad mood and it is quickly noted and everything is done to make you feel better. Delightful. Will visit for a friendly shoulder to rest on for the rest of my life.” - elias paxton, hockey star extraordinaire, probably has a huge dick.

“no complaints 👍” - gunner paxton, sexy man of many words, definitely has a huge dick.

“5 out of 5 stars - very nice presentation, neatly wrapped, comes with fun features such as feather boas, cowboy hats, and even water guns filled with tequila if you're lucky. smiles available at any time, always top notch quality, will warm your heart straight away. can provide the best advice if prompted, will not even notice. highly recommended if you're looking for a friend of the most superb quality.” - levi park, owner of big sexy brain, cutie patootie.

“nice tits” - viktor samuels, liege of being sexy, liege of being annoying.

“hey lana, happy birthday 😊 ur one of the best people i know & i owe u a lot – don’t think i would’ve been as happy at radcliffe if u weren’t here. u have this rlly bright energy & i catch myself smiling whenever ur around. hope u have the best year possible filled with as many pairs of avant garde sunglasses as ur heart desires ✨” - rowan cahill, boring but sexy, disgustingly handsome.

“five out of five stars. one of the coolest girls i’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with. smiles and laughter guaranteed. smells like a bakery but also a candy shop. will only make fun of you a little bit if you shove a whole dumpling into your mouth and burn your tongue. but it’s cool because even when she makes fun of you it feels special. would love to be made fun of by lana jameson anytime, anyplace.” - dom evans, disgusting simp, owner of phat ass.

“11/10, have ordered this product on several occasions and have been satisfied and satiated every time. definitely recommend if ur looking to bust a fat nut (and other things thts jst where my mind went to)” - leo fowler, pussy slayer, radcliffe’s biggest sex symbol.

“sometimes it feels like i've been sucked into a technicolor world where everything is shaped like hearts and daisies when she walks in. bit disorienting but i'm always down for the ride. 1000/10 would let her spit in my mouth” - romy kelso, pegging legend, hot piece of ass.

“being around her is like all the best feelings of being a kid again & trying to understand her means not appreciating what’s most beautiful. pure of soul, kind of heart and JUICY of ASS. lana jameson is a gem unlike any other. if u don’t agree with that? then you literally owe me money.” - marlowe, sexy holder of shovels, superstar artiste.

“a good replacement for the star on top of your christmas tree :')” - rosa samuels, best tits i’ve seen, sweetest woman alive.

“u are the hottest and most entertaining and best supplier of [redacted] i have ever met in my life and im not just saying this shit bc freya is holding me at knifepoint right now (if u want to see me alive again pls give her 3 slices of cake and she will consider sparing me). ur not funnier than freya bc again, she has me at knifepoint rn, but ur at least as hilarious as she is. genuinely glad i know u. please free me.” - will costello, father, son, bastard.

“queen of the ages and angel in the land of gods n monsters wow happy birthday love. what is this place without you honestly” - blue ferreira, queen of stars, blower of bubbles.

❤ 687 ✐ VIEW ALL 52 COMMENTS

fifi_cel happy bday girlie 😘 domevans happy birthday lana! 😊🎂❤️ ↳ freyanils omggg heart emoji? disgusting behavior. blocked. milesaldenn even evil women deserve nice birthdays ig so happy birthday!!!! lana_jameson im SO disgusted n this definitely DID!!!!! NOT!!!!! make me cry in ANY!!!! WAY!!!!! ty n love u all bt love u MOST u sexy bad bitch 💅👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩❤️🔪 renlopez HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANA UR THE SEXIEST BADDEST ANGEL IN TOWN

[orchidbreezefc]

"Shhh theyll hear us" sigma and phi hohoho im mixin it up :3

(major fuckin spoilers for VLR, probably some for ZTD too but we haven’t played that all the way through so dont spoil me either)

“Phi, you’re yelling. Someone’s going to hear us.”

“Oh, right, my mistake, the big mature adult is here to tell little Phi to take a nap, is that it? Forget the fact that I treated you like the adult you’re asking to be now when you were my age! But hey, as long as Sigma gets to be the adult and look down on little Phi, it’s all the same to you, isn’t it? Having your birthday cake with a thousand candles and eating it too, huh?”

“That was a long time ago, Phi,” Sigma sighs, but he realizes his mistake as Phi’s expression turns volcanic.

“A long time ago! Right! I forgot, silly me, I forgot that for you, Phi is a distant memory! Us being friends, Luna, Quark–it’s all ancient history to you!” Phi turns away from him to pace back and forth in her fury. “Wow, I should be honored you remembered me at all! Lucky me, getting to wake up what feels like day or two after the moonbase, and by the time you get here after dicking around with robots and clones for forty years, you barely remember meeting me! That makes me feel just so much better, Sigma, thank you.”

“I was saving the world in those forty years, Phi, by setting up everything we needed to do. It wasn’t fun for me either,” Sigma reminds her. “I thought you would be grateful I spared you four decades as one of the last people on earth. You certainly made it clear I wasn’t good enough company for you.”

Phi looks so enraged she doesn’t know where to start for a moment. “Grateful. Yeah. Grateful. You martyr. Yes, Saint Sigma, we are all so impressed by your sacrifice. I’m so glad you get that, which I never asked for by the way, to hold over my head for the rest of our lives.”

“I’m not going to hold it over your head.”

“The hell you aren’t!”

Sigma doesn’t know how to prove her wrong on that one, so he finally decides on saying, “This isn’t like you, being so emotional.” He also decides on not continuing and saying that she should be more in control, like she used to be. That seems to be the right decision, because just that was enough for her eyes to instantly go from flaming to ice cold, which is even worse.

“You don’t know anything about me,” she hisses, and turns on her heel. When she stalks off, he doesn’t stop her. It’s strange to him that he even realizes that he would have, when they had met all those years ago. 

He thought about her every day in forty years, and yet seeing her here, it’s… it brings up a lot. The memories are fresher than ever with her alive and breathing–and even shouting–in the same room. Sigma has changed into a different person than when he met her, he knows that. Maybe she’s right in thinking that change was for the worse.

[vizhi0n]

Sundown - Part 1

YOOO IM BACK ON MAH BULLSHIT

(Before i go on, there is major spoilers for the Walking Dead season 8 Premier. If you haven’t seen it yet you should probs watch the ep before u read this)

Anyway in honor of last nights premier I decided to finally drag my ass back into self-insert Negan realm and write “reader/me/you getting trapped with Negan during the Sanctuary attack. Anywho this is just a brainless excuse to write smut and other wild shit so enjoy. 

If u wanna be tagged lemme know (this is gonna be a multi-chapter thing) And if u don’t wanna be tagged lemme kno. 

Homies:

@flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash @lucifers-trash-stash @kellyn1604 @superprincesspea @genevievedarcygranger @hannibalssweaters @strangersangel9 @heartfulloffandoms @ladylorelitanyfanfiction @negans-network @crzcorgi @i-am-negan-trash @mypapawinchester @my-achilles–heel @jasoncrouse @rapsity @manawhaat @tolieboy @kijilinn (theres more but tumblr wouldn’t lemme tag em)

Rating: M Overall cause there’s gonna be smut later. Also Simon might make an appearance bc he is bae.

I could count the number of times I’d been a good Samaritan on one hand. I rarely ever went out of my way to help strangers in this hellscape of a world. That being said, I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to help someone who had been a complete and utter assfuck to everyone around him, and had conspired behind our backs to get us to surrender during the most intense confrontation of our lives.

Yet when Gregory, limping, stumbled into me and practically tackled me, panting and nearly in tears, I stopped.

Any other time, I would have brushed him away. But this wasn’t “any other time.” Members of the Hilltop, Alexandria, and The Kingdom were making a hasty retreat as a massive horde of walkers, drawn towards us by Daryl, barreled down on the Sanctuary. I could hear both Rick and Ezekiel shouting for everyone to head towards the cars, but Gregory’s grip on my arm tightened.

“Help me.”

I had about three seconds to make a decision. The Saviors were firing at anything that moved — walkers, humans, it didn’t matter. Sucking in a breath I jerked Gregory behind cover, gun cradled against my chest. I could see our getaway vehicle just a few yards away.

Mistake number one: leaving Gregory closer to the vehicle. I could see the glint in his eyes as we remained pinned, the sound of gunfire deafening.

Hoe don’t do it.

He glanced over at me and I gave him the most caustic glare I possibly could, a glare that hopefully indicated that I wasn’t above putting a bullet in his leg and leaving him to rot. Nevertheless, before I had a chance to even shout or aim my weapon, he was gone, darting towards the armored car.

Oh. My. God.

A barrage of gunfire kept me from sprinting after him. I cursed, pressing myself against the concrete slab. I couldn’t see Rick or Maggie or Ezekiel — I could only see the undead, slowly bearing down on me. I heard the squeal of tires against asphalt as Gregory left without so much as a glance or a fucking wave.

I rolled to the side, not caring whether or not I got shot. A bullet to the brain was far better than becoming walker chow. I wasted two precious seconds trying to figure out where I was., and a half second grasping for my knife —

My knife was gone. The thick, curved blade had disappeared from my belt.

I had no idea if Gregory had somehow pickpocketed me — he had no idea how to even properly use a knife, but he certainly didn’t know that — or if I’d dropped it during the fight.

I was forced to shoulder past a walker, keeping my head ducked. I’d only see a layout of the Sanctuary once, but being in the midst of it was very, very different than studying it on a piece of paper.

A walker grasped at my shirt, but I tore away, nearly falling. I clutched my gun tight, but there were so many, he horde so thick in numbers it would have been impossible, albeit fruitless, to try and shoot.

I tried to the first door I saw. It was locked. Weaving and ducking my way towards the second door took a harrowing fifteen seconds. I kicked away a walker, relieved to find that the door handle moved. I fell forward and was dumped  onto carpet — I kicked the door shut from where I lay, abruptly cutting off the roar of the undead. All I heard now was a faint hum and my own ragged breathing.

“I hope you’ve got your shitting pants on.”

I recognized the voice immediately. For a split second I contemplated opening the door and leaping back out with the walkers. Being eaten alive wouldn’t last long, right? They’d eat my brains first. Or maybe my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see when they—

“You are about to shit your pants.”

I looked up. Negan stood above me, smiling despite the ludicrous situation we were both in. We locked gazes and he raised his eyebrows. He wasted no time in offering me a hand, Lucille clutched tightly in the other.

I didn’t take it. I stood on my own, keeping my eyes on his the entire time. The moment I began inching towards my gun, Negan kicked it away, where it skidded across the room and against the wall.

He’ll kill you.

You’re not going down without a fight.

I caught him off guard by lunging. He was a good half a foot taller than me. He was also broader, more muscular. I certainly was no linebacker, but I tacked him anyway. That smile on his face disappeared the moment his back hit the carpet. Lucille flew from his grip.

His gloved hand flew up and immediately pushed my face to the side. I grunted, boldly clamping my teeth down on one of his fingers. His bark of surprised pain was satisfying, though it didn’t last long. His opposite hand cuffed my cheek, easily overpowering me.

Now I was on the carpet, struggling as he pinned me down. I struggled, cursing, shrieking and trying to ensure that he didn’t get ahold of my wrist. I was vaguely aware of him saying something, probably demanding me to stop.

I wasn’t listening.

So, he reared back and delivered a solid left hook to my cheek. My head snapped to the side and my shouts stopped.

“Be fucking quiet! Do not make me hit you again, holy fuck,” Negan snarled. I didn’t look at him, keeping my cheek firmly planted against the ground. I could taste blood in my mouth. I went to speak, but Negan stopped me. “You are so fucking lucky that I didn’t just fucking kill you. I wasn’t going to, but goddamn…we’re in a fucked up situation here, and I would kindly appreciate if you calmed the fuck down.”

“Rick almost killed you out there. I saw it. Whatever you do to me, it won’t fucking hurt me,” I bared my teeth. “You have nothing to threaten me with.”

“Who the fuck said anything about threatening you? I mean, you clearly don’t give a fuck if you live or die, considering how you just took a huge fucking risk by jumping on me like that.”

He still had me pinned. We were both sucking in deep, gulping breaths. “I only jump on people I hate.”

“You hate me? You just fucking met me!”

“I know who you are. I saw what your people did — what they can do. Safe to say that you’re not know as the ‘best dude on Earth’ around these parts. Kind of why we attacked you.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I don’t care if you hate me. I’m your way out of here,” Negan leaned in closer, “And you’re my way out of here. That’s the fucking reality of it.”

“Says who?”

“Say’s those undead pricks outside. You stumbled in here on accident, right? I’m assuming this wasn’t a fucking suicide mission?”

“I can make it a suicide mission.”

“Wow. You really don’t fucking care about life then, do you?” Negan released my wrists, still straddling me to the carpet. He eased back a bit, rubbing his temple. “Shit. Maybe I should kill you.” 

“Do it.”

“Fuck, no. I’ve already gotten Lucille dirty enough.” 

I turned my head, looking at the bat in the corner. Negan rose, leaving me on the ground while he collected both Lucille and my assault rifle. I watched as he walked over, obviously limping. I saw a dark red patch on his thigh, but said nothing. He slung the gun over his shoulder before returning to stand over me, once again offering me his hand.

“Let’s try this shit again. If you attack me, I’ll kill you. And I mean that.”

Rolling my eyes, I took his hand and allowed him to pull me up. The moment I was standing I reached for my gun, but Negan reeled back.

“Hold up, princess.”

“Call me ‘princess’ again and I’ll rip your fucking nuts off,” I snapped. I made another move for the gun, and once again, Negan avoided my reaching arm.

“I said hold the fuck up. You’re not getting this gun back until I know that I can trust you. Besides, you won’t be needing it. Bullets aren’t going to get us out of here — not yet.”

I raised my hands in a placating gesture, trying to keep calm. That smug smirk on his face was pissing me off.  I said, “Fine. Whatever. So what’s the plan? How are we getting out?”

“No fucking clue. i was hoping you would know.”

Of all the people that could have gotten stuck…why did it have to be me? Why couldn’t it have been Gregory or, hell, Gabriel. At least a priest would have knowledge on patience.

But no. It was my skinny-ass, short self. Of all people God or fate or whatever could have chosen.

One way to look at it: you’re not locked in here with him, he’s locked in here with you.

Now prove it.

[leanncar]

To Lead Fantastic Lives - Epilogue

I know what y’all are thinking. I never thought this day would come either. (aka wherein Leann comes back to her fanfics 3 years later and finds an unfinished epilogue for a story she so rudely abandoned. ending is rushed, im warning you AND OH GOD I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW THIS SITE WORKS ANYMORE IT’S BEEN SO LONG BUT OH WELL)

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of this story, whether you’re actually still here or not.

Link to whole story

“Are you sure it’s gonna be okay?”

“Naegi, sit still.”

“I mean, what if it’s not? Kirigiri, it’s been four days!”

“I will hold you down with my own hands if you don’t stop squirming. Those bandages on your head need to be replaced and you’re making it hard on the nurse!”

“But—”

“The doctor said it’s fine. Trust him. Ikusaba is fine.”

The pair sat on some chairs in the waiting area. Kirigiri’s crutch rested on the side of her seat and she held a cup of stale coffee in one hand. Beside her was Naegi, whose bandages were now pristine white and clean. In the aftermath of the Enoshima encounter, his head became a muddle. He hadn’t noticed that a piece of rubble fell and scraped the top of his head, blood trickling down the side of his face. He was lucky that was all the injury he sustained, same with Ishimaru, Oowada, and Fujisaki. They were all extremely lucky. But whatever luck had worked in their favor did not bode well for Ikusaba, who was retrieved from the house’s kitchen barely alive. In spite of it all, she was saved. And she was recuperating. Naegi knew not what life awaited her when she woke, but if he could impart her some of his luck he would.

Ishimaru appeared, his arm in a sling. He smiled at the pair, though it was more for the sake of formality as it did not reach his eyes. “How is she?” he asked.

“Ikusaba’s still unconscious,” Naegi replied. “Shouldn’t she be awake by now?”

Kirigiri placed a hand on top of his shaking one. “Relax. The injuries she sustained are far worse than yours. She’ll need a lot of sleep to repair them.”

He nodded, believing her.

Ishimaru cleared his throat. “Naegi, I…” He sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck, his frame limply hanging over the two. “I’m sorry I… I wasn’t able to help. Y-you know, when we were there. I wanted to! I really did! But something came over me, I don’t know… and I was frozen. I couldn’t move. I was—”

“You were scared,” said Naegi. “It’s understandable.”

“I was cowardly. There is simply no excuse.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Kirigiri countered. “You got Naegi out of there in time. Only short moments after your escape all probable exits from your position had been blocked by rubble. If you hadn’t been there, Naegi wouldn’t have made it out at all. You saved a person’s life, Ishimaru. Are you really demeaning yourself for that?”

The grip on Naegi’s hand tightened. He looked at the detective in awe. He hadn’t been aware of this piece of information. “Wow.” Turning to the prefect, he gave a bright smile. “Thank you, Ishimaru. I feel like I owe you so much now.”

Ishimaru shook his head. “No, not at all! You owe me nothing!”

“You’re a great friend,” Kirigiri said. Ishimaru was on the verge of tears.

“I…” Ishimaru changed the subject before the waterworks could continue. “I just came from Fujisaki’s room.”

Fujisaki had been given a different concoction too. She’d been asleep all throughout. Even as Oowada slung her small frame over his shoulder and got her out of the fire, which had crept up her legs by the time he got to her. She had second degree burns on the sides of her legs, but other than that she was fine. The burns will heal. They will, perhaps, scar badly, but they all had been scarred emotionally for the rest of their lives anyway. Other physical scars seem minor now.

“Is there anything she said? About Enoshima or when she was taken captive?” Kirigiri asked.

“Nothing. She’d been walking home when somebody grabbed her from behind and placed a handkerchief over her nose. After that she woke up in this hospital with no recollection at all of what had taken place.”

Kirigiri nodded. “I didn’t expect there to be much information anyway.”

“And how is she?” Naegi inquired.

“She is fine, don’t worry. I left her with Mondo. She’s getting to be more talkative.” There was a fond smile on his face as he spoke. The expression was fleeting, however. The smile turned down, lines appearing in the space between his brows. “Can I ask? Enoshima, she is…?”

“Dead,” Kirigiri quipped. “It was all part of her plan, to have us witness her suicide. We were all pawns in her chess game. Me, especially. I was the most foolish of all of us.”

“Then it’s over.” The relief in his voice was unmistakable.

“Yes,” she said. “Please rest easy, Ishimaru. Thank you for everything and I’m glad you are safe.”

“I should probably be thanking you, Kirigiri-san! You were very smart! And Naegi, standing up to Enoshima like you did. You were so brave.”

Naegi laughed. “It was more of plain stupidity than anything else.” He got a chuckle in response.

“I should head back to Fujisaki now. Please alert us if anything happens to Ikusaba.” They agreed and Ishimaru walked away.

The moment that he was out of earshot, Naegi turned to the detective. “Kirigiri…”

“You saw through it, didn’t you? Do you think he noticed anything?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think anyone else could’ve noticed. I’m just getting better at finding out when you’re lying. Now tell me, what actually happened to Enoshima?”

They locked eyes, Kirigiri’s lower lip trembling before speaking. “They never found the body.”

Naegi swallowed, his heartbeat hammering at the mere thought of Enoshima’s still living body. “That’s impossible. There was a big block of cement on her lap. She wouldn’t have been able to move at all.”

“I’m stating the facts as it is. After you got out, they managed to retrieve Ikusaba. I told the firefighters the perpetrator was still inside. It took them another few moments to get the fire under control, but they claimed not to have seen any sign of another human still inside.”

Before Naegi could form a reply, a doctor turned up and commanded their attention. “She doesn’t seem to have any family, and you were the ones she came in with, so… Mukuro Ikusaba is awake now if you would like to visit her.”

-

Ikusaba suffered from minor burns, a fractured arm, three broken ribs, and some internal bleeding. But her eyes were open and lit up with unfathomable emotion when she saw Naegi and Kirigiri approaching. Naegi made an effort to look encouraging, shooting her a warm smile. Kirigiri was her usual stoic self, ready to get down to business as soon as the luckster finished the formal greetings.

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” he started. Relief flooded on her face.

“But I’m going to jail. I must pay for my misdeeds.” Her voice was scratchy and it took a while for her to speak. She grimaced. “Thank you, though. For deeming me worthy of saving.”

“Naegi’s faith in you was unwavering.” Kirigiri approached her bedside. “I hope you realize what a huge honor that is.”

Ikusaba averted Kirigiri’s stern gaze. “I do realize. I dare not ask for more than that.”

Naegi took in her frail disposition, her eyes glazed with sadness. Ikusaba spent her entire life being manipulated by her own sister, to the point of her own destruction. She’d fashioned herself… No, Enoshima fashioned her to be the perfect killing machine by instilling in her the idea that no one else would care for her other than Enoshima. And she’d followed until she completely dehumanized herself.  Now that she’d betrayed Enoshima and with the prospect of lifetime imprisonment hanging over her head, what could she possibly think was still in store for her? He wanted to give her hope, but he did not know how.

As always though, it was Kirigiri who had the solution.

“I have a business proposal to you, Ikusaba. Enoshima has escaped from the fire.”

To his surprise, Ikusaba scoffed. “That sounds like her, alright.”

“I need to track her down, for good. And also each and every member of her despair group. I can’t have a single one of them walking free and unharmed.”

Ikusaba nodded in understanding. “You think… I could supply you information about them?”

“Yes. I understand Enoshima, to a certain extent. I thought I did fully, but recent events have proved that I am only partially inclined to what goes on in her mind. I need someone who really knows her. And who better to understand her than her former right-hand woman?”

“I don’t know a lot about… the despair network,” she admitted. “I know most of the members, but some of them are out of my reach. In fact, I knew nothing about Mrs. Matsui until I was given the order to shoot her son.”

“The members that you know are students at Hope’s Peak, aren’t they?”

Naegi’s eyes widened at the statement.

“Yes, they are. I don’t know what will happen to them now that they think Enoshima is dead. I would like to hope that without her they’d be harmless.”

Naegi knew that would be too much to hope for, even for him.

Kirigiri spoke again. “I would also like to propose a partnership, once you’re fully recuperated, that is. You’ve proven yourself time and time again a reliable and stealthy fighter. One that would prove indispensable to my investigations.”

“You’re asking me to-to fight alongside you?”

Even Naegi was surprised. For all the doubts that Kirigiri had on her character, this kind of proposal was definitely a huge turn in reverse. “Naegi trusts you, and I trust his judgment. That is all I have to say on the matter. Should you choose to cooperate and testify against Enoshima in the succeeding trial, I’m willing to negotiate with the force on the repercussions of your crimes.”

“You don’t have to answer right away, of course,” Naegi said, breaking out of his astonishment. “This might be too much to ask of you, going against your sister and all.”

“I’ll do it,” Ikusaba said. “I have no doubt in my mind that I want to put an end to Enoshima’s schemes. I will assist in your investigations to the best of my ability.”

A sly smile materialized on Kirigiri’s face. And if Naegi hadn’t just finished an encounter with Enoshima, he would’ve thought that he was the only person in the room who wasn’t completely insane.

-

Kiyotaka Ishimaru had much more than what he bargained for when he decided to take that leap of faith and become friends with Mondo Oowada. From that stemmed the rest of the chaos that would scar him for life. And yet from that also stemmed even more friendships and experiences he’s sure to never forget. If there was anything he learned, it’s that the world was so much larger, madder, better than he initially perceived.

From across the hall, he looked at Oowada, calmly picking at the lint from the bandages on his arm. His hair drooped lazily over his brows, spilling onto the bows of his eyelids. The biker caught his eye, and they shared a knowing smile. His face said it all - I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re alive. And with me.

“What’re you lookin’ at?” said Oowada in a teasing tone. “Am I too handsome?”

“Mondo,” Ishimaru said his name like a prayer and sighed. “You need to get a haircut.”