#then all of a sudden it's announced that he is back for this tournament where 8 best trainers in the world are battling each other

[kalosstarters]

I wanna address the misconception that everyone wanted to see Ash vs Alain just so Ash could have a ‘revenge’ for the Kalos league finals. No. I personally wanted to see that match-up because (uh, I ended up rambling too much so cut):

1) at least those two have a ‘history’ together. They’re friends and they have battled against each other before. I personally don’t care about match-ups where the characters have not even interacted with each other on screen before the episode where they battle. Like, Lance vs Diantha? Their champion status is the only thing that makes that battle even vaguely interesting to me. One of the (biggest) issues in this particular tournament is that the only match up that JN has done some building up for is Ash vs Leon. That is why I found it extremely important that we would have had /at least/ one whole episode before the tournament starts that is nothing but the contestants interacting with each other. Sadly, based on what we currently know about the upcoming episodes, that’s not going to happen.

2) Because I care about both these characters. Alain and Ash are both some of my favorite characters in this anime and of course I want to see them battle for simply that reason. Although, ideally it wouldn’t have happened until semifinals but I knew from the beginning that that very likely wouldn’t be the case.

3) simply to see both these characters’ development! A lot has happened since XY&Z and both Ash and Alain have grown as trainers and have new mons and all that stuff so yes, that part would have also made it interesting. 

(Going a bit more into details about what we know about the upcoming episodes here based on the summary+episode titles so don’t read further if you don’t want to know)

But all that being said, at the moment I’m actually fine with the Leon vs Alain match-up. 2 strong Charizard trainers against each other does make sense narrative wise. It’s the execution I’m concerned about because well, we know that this battle will already start in the next episode, and there is also a possibility that it will end in that episode. How do Tomioka&co think they are doing justice to this battle if the characters barely have time to meet before the battle starts, and 3 of Alain’s mons are gonna get knocked out within like 10 minutes? That is why I really hope that this battle is going to continue in the next episode. I do have some hope because in the preview (specifically for this episode) we did not see the charizards or the 3rd team members so... yeah. Trying to remain positive!

Well, that’s all I’m going to say about this, sorry for rambling!

#tia speaks #pokeani spoilers #if someone is wondering why i'm so upset about this whole alain thing; well see it from this pov: #you have a favorite character in a show. that said character has not appeared in almost 6 years #and you thought that you would never see him again (honestly i was fully prepared for that) #then all of a sudden it's announced that he is back for this tournament where 8 best trainers in the world are battling each other #you get HYPED. Bc ofc you do. All the possibilities that brings with it; at least my mind starts immediately picturing all the scenarios #that could happen #there certain expectations that come with such announcement #then you find out that he might get written off in the FIRST episode where he is #maybe not even have time to talk with ash before that bc of the battle #so... as a fan of the said character that does not sound good

[cambion-companion]

Y/n: i'm glad that the strong boys are dining with us tonight

Literally every single soul at the dinner table: 😳💀😠🙊👀

Aemond, panics: i have an announcement- we're pregnant

Y/n: we are?

I found the perfect prompt for another drunk drabble haha

Aemond x tipsy!wife | just go with it Y/N

"Y/N, slow down on the wine." Aemond placed a hand atop yours as you reached for you goblet.

"Aemond..." You whined, drawing the looks of Otto and Helaena who sat nearest you. Otto raised a bushy eyebrow.

"She needs more wine, if anything." Aegon tipped the pitcher, refilling your cup to the brim. You beamed at him.

Shooing away Aemond's hand you brought the full goblet to your lips, observing the rest of the gathering over the brim. Rhaenyra and her family sat at the far end of the table with Alicent and her family at the other.

You couldn't make out who was who amongst Aemond's nephews, their dark hair and pale faces were sort of blurred, even when you squinted at them.

You took another sip of wine.

"She really is a woman after my own heart." Aegon watched you fondly. "Too bad she's wed to the dullest of us."

Aemond shifted beside you as though he meant to rise but you beat him to it. You pressed your palms against the table, rising unsteadily from your seat, pointing an accusing finger at where you thought Aegon's face was. "Aemond is the best of you. Especially you." Your words were biting, though a bit slurred. "Especially you, Aegnut." You hiccupped squeakily.

Alicent motioned to Aemond to help you resume your seat and you felt a gentle pressure on your shoulders as Aemond coaxed you back down. Your finger remained pointing at Aegon as you sank into your chair, Helaena helpfully took your hand and interlaced her fingers with your own atop the dining table.

"She really can't hold her liquor, can she?" Otto intoned. Alicent shushed him quietly.

Aemond's long fingers tapped the wood on which they lay, his attention evidently elsewhere. You snuck a glance, the room spinning unpleasantly as you turned your head to him. His lilac eye was fixated toward the other end of the long table. His lush lips were pursed with displeasure. His lovely, curved lips. The very ones you craved at all times be upon your person.

You had leaned forward, pressing a sloppy kiss to Aemond's mouth. Your husband supported you by the waist before you fell fully into his chest. He kissed you back but pulled away a moment later, grimacing. "You really are a lightweight." There was a look of amusement on his angular face. "I thought Helaena was bad."

"Alcohol doesn't like me very much, nor I it." Helaena agreed from her seat beside you. You made the mistake of looking at her, turning too quickly and almost toppling off your seat. Again, Aemond's grip on your waist saved you.

"Fetch some water." Alicent clapped, the sound oddly loud in your ears, and a servant delivered you a fresh glass of cool water. "Aemond, look after your wife, not your nephews." She whispered sharply to her son. Aemond's hand on you tightened momentarily.

"I am very glad everyone was able to make it today!" You said cheerily, restraining Aemond's wrist as he tried to lift the cup of water to your lips. "Maybe the Strong boys will compete in the tournament on the morrow too?" You giggled, unaware of the sudden shift in atmosphere. "Since you are too proud to compete Aemond, and Aegon far too unskilled, someone has to."

Silence fell. No one laughed or engaged in the conversation you'd just broached which was rather rude, you deemed. You pouted, trying unsuccessfully to see the faces staring at you from the far end of the room.

Even King Viserys seemed suddenly upset. He moved as though to stand.

"I would like to make a toast!" Aemond stood fluidly, his arm outstretched with goblet in-hand. "An announcement, as it were. Y/N is with child!"

"I am?"

His foot connected with your shin under the table.

"Ouch!"

"Here, here!" Aegon jumped in, raising his own cup. "To furthering the Targaryen line!" He banged his hand on the table causing both you and Helaena to wince.

Otto and Alicent were quick to pick up on Aemond's cue, rising from their own chairs and toasting. Rhaenyra was next and suddenly the tension in the dining hall evaporated as quickly as it had come. Viserys, though still distant, nodded and drank to you and your child's health.

Throughout all of this merriment you sat stupefied in your seat, trying to remember exactly when you had discovered your pregnancy. Your brow was furrowed in contemplation, you didn't notice when Aemond resumed his place and pulled your chair closer with a mild noise of wood scraping stone. His large hand found the curve of your waist again and you felt his warm body pressing against your side.

He kissed the side of your head, whispering into your ear. "Do not speak of the Velaryon boys as Strongs in the presence of Viserys. I don't care how drunk you are, you put yourself in unnecessary danger."

"But that's what you call them." You had the good sense to whisper back. "That's what they are, Aemond." Your brain cogs turned for a long moment. "Also, I'm pretty sure I am not with child."

"From tonight you are." Aemond nuzzled his nose against your hair, his lips tickling your ear. "We will just have to double down on making that a reality." He guided the water glass to your parted lips. "For now, focus on drinking more water. A lot more water."

"But I'm not-"

Your next words were completely forgotten as Aemond nipped at your ear, kissing the sensitive skin behind it. Still confused, but content and warm, you obediently drank the water he proffered.

Only later when you had sobered, around the aching headache, did you realize the peril you had been in and how Aemond's quick intervention had saved you from the King's wrath.

#aemond fluff #aemond fic #aemond x reader #aemond x you #aemond x y/n #aemond #aemond fanfiction #hotd x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #hotd aemond x reader #prince aemond x reader #aemond targaryen x you #aemond targaryen x y/n #hotd x you #aemond drabble #aemond imagine #aemond targaryen scenarios #aemond stannies #pro aemond targaryen #hotd aemond x you #aemond one eye #aemond one eye x reader #hotd aemond #aemond drunk drabble

[viilpstick]

let the game begins, let the truth be investigated: The elephant in the room is undeniable, yet no one can mention a word on it. Awhile the arrival of the NCR students finally has come, Adeline seems to be suspicious as each passing day, and we can only wonder… What is all of her attitude about? Now, that looks like a job for curious Isabelle!

warnings: Slight oc x canon

genre: Suspense

a/n: I legit forgot I had to write about this event, in my head, I ALREADY POST EVERYTHING (i am insane apparently)

The halls of Royal Sword Academy had never been more crowded. Students from other dorms gathered around Rosantée reception towards the selected students for the Winter Raffle. Up on the top of the building, Adeline and Isabelle looked down brightly to their classmates and friends. Both headmages were already there waiting for the arrival of the rest of NCR.

Isabelle was wearing a red long coat with a blue bow in her hair as a ponytail, meanwhile Adeline had a huge dark green cape with darker rose partners at the bottom of if.

“Everyone’s attention!”

Isabelle stated but the chattering kept happening. Isabelle was really harsh sometimes when demanding attention. Whatsoever, she was pretty anxious as the first time hosting such a big event, so she couldn’t bring herself to speak louder in the microphone. Crowley stepped up so he could speak louder for the request of attention. But then the louder vice housewander spoke up first, without microphone, if that adds.

“ANYONE WHO DARES TO TALK WILL HAVE TO STAY ON THE SAME ROOM AS LEECH TWINS!” Suddenly no talk was no longer heard, which it was surprisingly for both headmages who look at each other in shock. Adeline takes the microphone. “Thank you for the comprehension.”

Isabelle gives a small scoff taking back the microphone.

“Dear classmates, we are happy to announce our first Winter Raffle after three years of waiting. The other dorms were happy to welcome Night Raven collage on last years summer raffle, the autumn raffle and spring raffle. Now, Rosantée is proud to have them over for our Winter Raffle!”

The students clap as Isabelle gives the microphone to headmage Ambrose. Who smile towards his students. “We will wait a little longer for the following student’s arrival…” Ambrose starts the list of who was able to participate on the tournament. Until, other names were caught into the ears of the main students. “…Ace Trappolla, Leona Kingscholar, Jamil Viper, Floyd Leech, Jack Howl, Rook Hunt…”

The list goes on and finally Ambrose says who is going to represent Night Raven College in the raffle. “And for our represents: One side, we will have Rosantée, represented by Isabelle Desrosiers!” The students clap at Rosantée housewander. But when was the vice housewander turn, there was a short silence… A weird one. “And Adeline Rosique!” As mentioned, the weird silence comes up, Fauna looks over to Audette, Lucien, Poppy, Aurellius, Lucie and Che’nya. And then up to Adeline, who seemed confused by the sudden atmosphere. Until Che’nya helps the crowd to clap for Adeline, who shallowed the hard, stepping to Isabelle’s side.

Crowley slightly shoved Ambrose to the side awhile taking the microphone. “And for the represents of Night Raven College: Malleus Draconia,” Adeline’s eyes immediately lightened up. “And: Adriano Mélombre. Both of our Diasomnia students.” Her smile goes away. Instantly.

Awhile the students clapped, the now could only wait for the carriage bringing the students in the old fashioned way.

“Sir headmage, a word.” Adeline says motioning for Ambrose to follow her, the headmage nods, his worried look and nervous mannerism was clear.

Isabelle waited a bit for following both of them, she goes inside hearing muffled cheering from outside the closed dorm door. The students probably already arrived. But, that wasn’t that important.

She goes down stairs in her tip toes, on the big kitchen where the smell of prepared meals for the guests were ready.

“Mister Ambrose, with all duo respect, have you not checked who would Crowley be choosing as represents?”

Ambrose sighs, shaking his head. “No, and I am deeply sorry for the inconvenient, Rosique. Yet, there’s nothing we can do it about it for now.” Adeline was about to protest. “Just… Keep close to Draconia. I am sure he will have his eye opened for Mélombre.”

Isabelle raised her eyebrow, awhile eavesdropping the conversation. Before having a hot feeling close to her, and hearing a loud breathing. She looks behind to see Leona, and as a reflex she gasps and he covers her mouth. Alarming the headmage and the student inside the kitchen. Adeline makes her way to the door opening it… But no one was found in the halls, as she shruggs going back inside.

What she wasn’t able to see was the tall lion beast covering the mouth of the short human with a unamused look, hidden further inside the hall. As she giggles in a nervous tone really quietly. After all, this is their first meeting, after their kiss…

moots' taglist :: @mhedusard @midnightmah07 @justm3di0cr3 @shinysparklesapphires @localanimeidiot I DO NOT AUTHORIZE ANY COPY, TRANSLATION OR REPOST OF MY WORK IN ANY OTHER MEDIA | ©viilpstick 2023

#christmas event 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ❅ #ocs 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ♡ #𐙚 twisted wonderland 🗝 #events 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ✧

[jksj0030]

Ok so I have 2 Pokeshipping headcanons as to how the two get engaged. Older ash and misty are together as a couple and they continue striving for their goals. Ash of course is a Pokémon master and reigning monarch of the worlds coronation series meanwhile misty is a water Pokémon master/gym leader and part of the Kanto elite 4. Ash is traveling of course while he thinks misty is in Kanto as gym leader but to his surprise he sees misty in the master class 8 in galar. They both make it to the semi finals but are faced against each other taking everyone off guard. Everyone knew the two were a couple with their popularity.

They face each other and give each other a tough battle but in the mist of it all Ash’s thoughts come out before he could process them fully. It’s in the middle of the match when Ash just announces “Let’s get married”. At that announcement the entire stadium went silent but Ash didn’t notice it as he saw the surprised look on his girlfriends face. In the crowd professor Oak, Brock, and his mother were left dumbfounded at the sudden proposal. His mother facepalmed she wanted this but didn’t think it would be asked in front of the entire world in the middle of a battle.

Ash didn’t realize his heart was racing until misty regained full consciousness as she smirked at the boy saying “This isn’t going to distract me like you think it will” before she called for her Pokémon to attack his as the entire crowd still shocked quickly regained consciousness and watched the match. Ash was so stunned at her reaction that he almost lost the battle but quickly regained control. He couldn’t blame her for thinking it was meant to be a distraction when it was so sudden. He was just glad it wasn’t a rejection she gave. Meanwhile misty who said she wasn’t distracted was as her heart raced.

After a long fought match, Ash won as misty recalled her Pokémon on the battle field. They both met each other on the center of the field when misty reached out her hand first as she congratulated her boyfriend but to her surprise she was met with him getting on one knee. It was like the world stopped as she heard his proposal again. She was so shocked that she didn’t answer at first as she just stared at the boy. It wasn’t until he called her name a couple of times that she was finally aware it was really happening. Throwing her arms around him she said yes as he hugged her back. The crowd erupted in cheers at the newly to be wed couple but it was just them in their own world. He was a battle freak but he was her battle freak.

Extra: Misty’s sisters hugged Mrs Ketchum in the stands as they celebrated the engagement of their loved ones. Daisy gave a wink to her sisters as she told them she was right in telling them to go see the tournament in person this time. Meanwhile Brock was just happy for his two best friends as he always saw this coming.

Also second scenario is misty and ash go back to the spot by the river where they met for the first time for a picnic date. The date turns into a Pokémon battle at the end and same thing happens where ash proposes before he realizes it. This one is a scenario where it’s just the two of them and not everyone else. I can honestly imagine Ash planning a proposal but in some form the way it’s originally planned doesn’t happen. Also this is inspired by episode 2 of MPM where misty calls ash a battle freak. He’s her battle freak.

#pokeshipping #ash ketchum #misty waterflower #anime #kasumi #pokemon #satoshi #satokasu

[featherchan]

Approaching an M-class planet named Phazenia, Captain Janeway has instructed an away team with the task of collecting botanical samples from the planet. Commander Chakotay assigned three ensigns to the task. Kanako Ryuuzaki from the Science Division, who specializes in botany; Noburu Makoto, a security officer; and Nero Pathan from the Engineering Division. They were selected as the trio hasn't had their fair share of participating in many away missions, as would be expected of them.

"After what happened, I can't believe they put us together on the same away mission." With her arms crossed under her chest, Ensign Kanako Ryuuzaki sat on the bench behind the pilot, who was also her nemesis. And next to the pilot sat Nero, one of her colleagues and friends. "Well, don't blame me when Ensign Simmons ate something that disagreed with his gut..." Neelix's cooking, also known as 'the cause of the security officer's sudden dash to the sickbay', took a turn for the worse when the officer began to projectile vomit. Leading Ensign Noburu Makoto forcibly to take his place, as he was obviously unable to report for duty. "If I had a choice, trust me, I would have steered as far away from you as possible. Let alone breathe the same air as you in this tiny shuttle, especially after you broke my nose." "Excuse me! If I recall correctly, you gave me a black eye and called me a stuck-up..." Kanako paused to select a more appropriate word instead of using the word 'bitch'. "Hell-cat!" It's unclear why these two women, coming from different walks of life, one from the science department and the other from security, have never gotten along. The two often came to blows multiple times, leading to a physical altercation during a sports tournament on the holodeck.

Snorting at it. "That might not be the word I would choose for you, but it seems to fit you all the same." Noburu simply claps back. Kanako looked utterly shocked and disgusted. "Urgh! Why you-" Before she could say another word, she jolted in surprise as the shuttle suddenly shook, causing her to fall backward onto her bench. "What was that?" A trace of panic was evident in her voice. "Fuck! We're under attack!" Without a senior officer to wag their fingers at her, Noburu casually swore without a care in the world. "Computer, report!" "The shuttlecraft has sustained phaser fire. Minor damage to aft shields." The computer AI reported. "Source?" "An unidentified spacecraft closing at one nine five mark six." "Computer, open a channel to the unidentified vessel." Noburu barked orders before announcing herself. "This is the Federation Starship Voyager. We're on a peaceful mission. Hold your fire!" Their enemies only responded by opening fire without replying to their hails, where the Cochrane was struck again, shaking more violently than it had the previous time.

[ starter for @grandgrief ]

#[ ic | theLioness ] #[ ic | theVixen ] #[ mutual | grandgrief ] #[ verse | star trek ] #[ i hope this is okay? 😅 ] #[ let me know if you prefer i change anything 😉 ]

[kazimakuwabara]

Final Date 5

Prev Part

Summary: The conclusion! Kuwabara's "Final Date," has arrived! Have the boys done enough to keep him alive? (Humor. 800 words+)

***

May 18, 2006.

It arrived sooner than Hiei, Kurama, or Yusuke felt ready for. A lot had been done in an effort to keep an eye on Kuwabara, but no one had any way of knowing if their efforts had altered Kuwabara's, "final date." So, therefore, the group planned to stake out his apartment until the nineteenth arrived. The plan was easy enough. Kurama greeted Kuwabara with a special smoothie, Hiei would tail Kuwabara the whole day, and Yusuke would badger Kuwabara at lunch. Then the group would meet up and watch his room at night.

Very simple, and the plan went off without a hitch... until night.

The only problem with this plan was apparently watching Kuwabara from outside his apartment. Despite hiding their auras, and Yoki, Kuwabara became quite paranoid. It seemed his spiritual awareness was warning him to his three stalkers, and yet he couldn't pinpoint where anyone was. He had also picked up Hiei throughout the day, but couldn't pinpoint him either. This meant Kuwabara had been jumpy at work, on the street, and now in his own home.

After Kuwabara broke another mug in his kitchen, Yusuke leaned over to Kurama, "I feel a little bad."

"I think I feel better about giving Kazuma one anxious day, rather than him passing away some time without us here," Kurama consoles, patting Yusuke on the back.

"...I could knock him out with the Jagan," Hiei suggests. "It's evening. We'll put him to bed, and he won't have to be on edge."

Kuwabara shattered another dish inside.

"Do it," Both Kurama and Yusuke advise.

When Kuwabara cleans up the mess and makes it to his couch, Hiei puts the Jagan to good use and knocks Kuwabara out. Kuwabara flops on his couch, Eikichi meowing at him at his sudden sleep.

The group snuck inside, Hiei complaining loudly, "It shouldn't be this easy to break in here. He's unprepared."

"Hiei give it a rest," Yusuke hissed, hefting his best friend up, "He has his territory properly set up."

"He's got the whole house set up so only those who are friendly can enter. If a demon tried to break in here, they'd turn to ash," Kurama explains.

"Since when could he do that?" Hiei muttered, begrudgingly impressed.

"Since we left for the Makai tournament. He hung out with Mitarai and learned how to prepare his own boundaries in a psychic territory. It ain't half bad!" Yusuke answers, tucking Kuwabara into bed. He pauses, "Should I leave him in his work clothes?"

"No, here, I'll help you strip him," Kurama sighs.

As the two bent over to the task, Hiei scanned the room. His expression became fierce, and he suddenly charged toward the attached bathroom and flung open the door. He jabbed his sword warningly out, and right into Koenma and Botan's face. The pair shriek and Koenma's scream is pitched the highest. Kurama and Yusuke both jump with fright, Kurama jumping the highest and straight up like a cat. When the pair recover from their fright, they both spin to face Botan and Koenma, a whip in Kurama's hand, Yusuke's glowing index finger pointed at them.

The noise is too loud, and so Kuwabara suddenly sits up, his expression groggy as he starts to become aware.

Kuwabara blinks around the room, "What are you all-"

Hiei waves a hand at Kuwabara without lowering his sword, forcing Kuwabara back to sleep with his Jagan.

Kurama catches Kuwabara before he falls to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei growls.

"What are all of you doing here!?" Koenma squawks.

"We know about Kuwabara's final date!" Yusuke snaps. He points accusingly at Botan and Koenma, "How can you let Kuwabara die in his thirties!?"

Koenma and Botan sag, and Koenma goes, "Oh you know this? How do you...?"

"I saw a paper on Botan's desk," Hiei boldly announces.

Botan groaned and rolled her eyes, "I shouldn't have left that out."

"So it's true. Kazuma will die?" Kurama asks, tucking Kuwabara into his bed.

"No!" Both Botan and Koenma snap.

Hiei relaxed his sword, "No?"

"People's potential due dates come into my desk all the time," Koenma sighs. "Death, as much as we would like-only because it'd be easier, is not set in stone. Final Dates, or death dates show up all the time. And we review them, and reject them or pass them."

"...Or we show up too late and some dumb kid dies way too early by throwing himself in front of a car," Botan grumbles.

"So Kuwabara's not dying tonight?" Yusuke asks hopefully.

"No, I haven't approved it." Koenma huffed, "Look Kuwbaara's done a lot of good work for me, so If possible, I'd like him to live well past a hundred!"

"Why are you both here then?" Hiei demanded.

"I have to stamp the human with a special seal to dismiss the Final Date," Koenma sighed producing a seal. "And Botan is here as my transport."

There was a pause of silence, before Kurama asked, "Well, what would have killed Kuwabara?"

"Yeah, we've been looking after him all week!" Yusuke huffed.

Botan hastily pointed at a spider's web in the corner of Kuwabara's bedroom, "That. It's a Brown widow spider... it was going to bite Kuwabara in his sleep." She produced a little book, and ripped two sheets of paper out of it, "They're not aggressive, it was going to be an accident. I'll just sweep the spider up and dump it outside."

"That little guy was going to kill Kuwabara and he gets off scot-free?" Yusuke huffs.

"It is just a spider," Kurama mutters, taking the paper from Botan and trapping the spider out of its web.

"I say kill it," Hiei snapped. "I'll get the fool's cat. It can eat it." And then Hiei headed into the living room.

"That's not a bad idea," Kurama mused following after Hiei.

"You two! Leave that poor thing alone!" Botan gasped hurrying after the two.

"It's not murder, it's the circle of life!" Yusuke hissed, following last out of the room.

Koenma hung back, peaking out the door to make sure the group was reasonably distracted. Putting the useless seal away, Koenma held a hand out over Kuwabara's body. With glowing eyes, Koenma saw through Kuwabara's flesh, and bone. In a moment he was looking at Kuwabara's brain and a bundle of nerves and vessels that had swollen slowly inside Kuwabara's head. An aneurysm was growing inside Kuwabara's brain, and before midnight tonight, it would have burst.

Koenma's hand glowed and the aneurysm slowly began to fade away.

Koenma had told a bit of a lie about what they had been doing. "The Final Date" of a human was actually the human's assigned final day in the living world, a date assigned at birth. It was not something that could be rejected or dismissed. Not without some interference from the ruler of spirit world... and well, wasn't Koenma fortunate he was the current ruler of the spirit world?

'You're not dying on my watch Kuwabara. Not this soon. Maybe Botan and I lied a little bit about what was going on... but I think it's in everyone's best interests that your friends don't find out the full truth, right?' Koenma thought dropping his hand as the aneurysm fully vanished from within Kuwabara's brain.

At that moment, Eikichi came tearing into the room and hid under the bed with a hiss.

"Leave the cat alone!" Botan hissed from the living room, the sound of her hands slapping on someone's chest or arm echoing out into Kuwabara's room. Koenma sighed and to Kuwabara's sleeping face whispered, "Sorry about all the trouble Kuwabara. I'll make sure all your uninvited guests leave tonight."

Then very carefully, Koenma crept out of the room and shut the door.

Kuwabara slept on, none the wiser.

#kazi fanfic #yyh #queue yu hakusho #humor #friendship #kuwabara #yusuke #hiei #kurama #botan #koenma

[selsieeeo]

Another Drabble based off of @llondonfog potion!au

This time I decided to write it more in Andrei’s POV (Andrei being the guard who kidnaps silver and brainwashed him in Lettie’s potion!au) I don’t have a good title for this lol

I tried to connect it to this one shot as well

How things have changed so much.

He: Andrei used the guard of perhaps one of the most prestigious royal families ever to live. He had lived to serve the family with his life.

It all came crashing down when those fae…those bastardly fae from the kingdom of Briar Valley come swarming in, destroying the kingdom. Worst of all one of the most infamous Fae generals of all time: the Phantom General had stolen the baby prince.

He was just at the door to the nursery, severely injured and watched unable to do anything and watched with hatred towards the fae as the war criminal whisked the baby prince away.

Years swept by so easily, he lived in the remains of the fallen kingdom, constantly scheming a plan for revenge towards the fae and to take back the stolen prince. Seventeen years later, he had finally managed to acquire information on the whereabouts of the missing prince. The prince attended Night Raven College and his father was listed as…the Phantom General.

No matter, the fae was too old to attend some college so Andrei had gone and found the missing prince walking back to his dorms late at night. He must admit, the prince at first denied the idea of him being a prince and said he was just Silver, a retainer for the crown prince of the fae. Oh how the fae have brainwashed him truly. All it took was a tranquilliser drug he acquired to force him unconscious so he could whisk him away from this wretched place and undo all the brainwashing the fae had done to him.

It took some time, but the prince believed now believed him to have always been his guardian ever since his parents death. He trusted him and that was the most important thing. He must admit again, he hadn’t expected for the Phantom General to come crashing into the Shaftlands shrieking at him for stealing his son.

Honestly, what son? All he saw was a war criminal who had stolen the prince of the royal family he had served under for so long.

Soon he enrolled the prince to Royal Sword Academy. A better and more proper college for the prince to learn at. He was skilled at sword fighting, he grudgingly admitted the fae did a good thing in teaching him that. Soon the tournament came, the prince was selected as one of the representatives.

He watches from the field as the announcements go on and the representatives for the academy come out of the tent when suddenly bats swarm towards the representatives. Everyone had screamed, all but the prince who stared at the bats…fondly for some reason. He looked towards the direction of where the bats came from and saw him.

So the Phantom General was also attending college…

He made his way through the crowd to find the prince who slipped away to return the bats. He finds the prince talking to that fae.

“Silver there you are.” He calls out.

Silver turns and greets him. He also introduces him to the fae whose name is Lilia Vanrouge.

Andrei nodded slightly as he stared at the fae, placing a shoulder on the young prince. The prince broke the tension again trying to explain how Andrei was his guardian.

The former general’s face tightened slightly at that word. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Andrei.” The fae Said stiffly.

“Pleasure is all mine. Come Silver, you must have your daily tea now.” Andrei says as he guides the prince away from the fae. “You shouldn’t be talking to him.” He says to the silver haired prince.

The prince stares at him quizzically. “Why not? Is it because he’s a fae?”

“No, no.” Yes. “You just need to be careful with who you trust.” Andrei said smoothly.

“I trust you though. Should I be more careful with trusting you?”

“Your sarcasm fails to amuse me.” Andrei said flatly. “Let me redo your hair, it got messy from the sudden swarm of bats flying over.”

“Oh, it’s okay-“

“If this keeps up, it will become more not princely, young prince.”

“…”

“Silver.”

“…I know.”

“I am doing what’s right for you.”

The prince nods, not looking at Andrei. The former guard sighs. This is for the better good: He thinks to himself. If the brainwashing of the fae returns…he may require more doses of the potion if this keeps up.

All he has to do is ensure the prince has limited contact with the fae and then once the tournament is over, he’ll just give him a stronger dose of the potion.

#selkiewrites #twst silver #silver twst #twisted wonderland #lilia vanrouge #potion!au #Andrei #giggles yes hi I wrote another drabble based off of Lettie’s potion au #it was 11pm and I had the urge to write something #time to explain my 11pm thoughts when writing this #I had Andrei just continuously refer to silver as #the prince #cuz I wanted him to be the type character #who like views someone as just this one thing nothing else sorta scenario #like all he sees is the prince #nothing else #he doesn’t see silver the proud son of Lilia vanrouge or the proud guard for malleus #all he sees is the prince that the fae took #and as some sense of royal bound duty #he takes him away #brainwashed him #bla bla all that good stuff #and I tried to add something like trying to change silver with who he was #I cant remember if I implied or added something like that #it is 12 am rn #I am exhausted and tired #but tired enough to not want to double check #any other 11pm thoughts I had uhrrrhhh #nope #okay I’m teaching the limit of tags here night

[thefinalcinderella]

Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 1 - Eccentrics (Part 1)

Translating this chapter gave me flashbacks...everyone get your kyudo glossary out, you’re going to need it (I should really figure out a better balance for what to keep in Japanese and what to keep in English)

Also, please pray that I get book 3 by the end of this year

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. Binzuru-san is the “Japanese embodiment of Pindola Bharadvaja. Pindola is an Arhat, one of the spiritually accomplished followers of the original Buddha, who asked them to remain in the world for eternity to propagate the Dharma, or Buddhist law.” Billiken-san is a charm doll made by an American teacher. Apparently there’s a statue of one in Japan where people rub its soles for good luck

2. Seiya refers to the Japanese saying “ 右に出る者はない “ which means “being second to none” and refers to the custom of the rightmost seat being the seat of honor

3. I don’t actually know what this word “下座心” or gezashin means. I guessed that it had something to do with being humble since 下座 means “lower seat” or “getting down from your seat to prostrate yourself”

4. These are changed references to real Japanese snacks. “Tocchan Ika” is “Yocchan Ika,” (a type of squid snack) “Baby Moon ramen” is “Baby Star ramen,” and “umainbo” is “umaibo”

5. This took forever to look up but I think it’s a reference to a kyudo song/chant? Basically it means “practice as if you’re in a tournament and act like you’re practicing when you’re in a tournament”

Previous | Next

“E-Excuse me, Narumiya-senpai, can we touch your forehead?”

“…Huh?”

Young maple trees announced the arrival of spring. Brand-new rubber bows were piled up on the shelves of Kazemai High School’s kyudojo.

Narumiya Minato’s hands were on the cord of his hakama. He couldn’t understand the words of the jersey-clad new student.

The first-year, Kanbayashi, was reservedly smiling and nodding next to his friend, but his eyes were blinking at high speed.

“Um, what’s with this all of a sudden? Is this a punishment game or something?”

“No, it’s not. We asked Kisaragi-senpai what we should do to become better at kyudo, and he told us to pat Narumiya-senpai’s forehead.”

Minato glanced at Kisaragi Nanao, who was talking with Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo. Nanao, who sensed his gaze, held up three fingers and waved them with a “Merha.”

“Nanao, you’re telling people nonsense again.”

“Don’t make that face, Minato. I didn’t lie. I just told them my personal opinion. Come on, you have to listen to the request of your adorable kohai.”

Hearing this, Ryouhei’s eyes sparkled.

“Me too, me too! I wanna get better!”

Ryouhei quickly went in front of Minato and started patting his forehead. Imitating his senpai, Kanbayashi also rubbed Minato’s forehead. Minato was speechless as he stared at the two, who looked satisfied from accomplishing their goal. Pressing his hand against his bangs, he stepped back and bumped into something.

It was Seiya.

“I heard that it’s the head that makes you get better.”

Next to him, their coach Masa-san, a.k.a. Takigawa Masaki, was also there.

“Seiya, that’s not true. You have to touch the soles of his feet, not his head, for your wish to come true. C’mon, Minato, put out your foot. Thank you, thank you.”

“Stop it! I’m not ‘Binzuru-san’ or ‘Billiken-san’!” (1)

Despite Minato’s shouts, Masa-san had his hand to his mouth, chuckling. Just as he was thinking about grabbing his hair whorl and rubbing it, another new student stepped up to him.

Keyaki had thick, strong-willed eyebrows and large, dark eyes with a sharp gaze clearly indicated where he was looking.

“Senpais! Please stop fooling around and start practicing!”

Kaito also spoke after him.

“Keyaki’s right. Masa-san, what are you doing?”

“Fufu, sorry, sorry.”

Masa-san clapped Kaito’s shoulder.

Minato and the others had become second-years, and the Kazemai High School Kyudo Club welcomed twenty-two new members this year. There were ten boys and twelve girls. Among them, two of the boys and three of the girls had experience. Kanbayashi Hikaru had experience, and Keiyaki Keima was a first-timer.

Practice began.

The kyudo glove, the “yugake,” was put on the right hand.

That hand took a “hitote,” or two arrows, and the left hand held the bow.

Kaito, Ryouhei, Seiya, Nanao, and Minato stood at the entrance.

Kyudo was a type of budo, and it was the art of shooting a bow. Budo was the way of the warrior. Eugen Herrigel called kyudo “the warrior’s way of shooting,” and Miyamoto Musashi taught that “a warrior is simply one who has a taste for the way of death.”

For competitions, there was “kinteki” (short-distance) and “enteki” (long-distance), and they did the former. They shot arrows at the thirty-six-centermeter diameter kasumi-mato at a distance of twenty-eight meters. At Inter-High, each team consisted of five people called a “go’nin-dachi,” and each person shot four arrows called “yotsuya” for a total of twenty shots.

At “honza,” the archer bowed and stepped forward. If they sat on their heels at the shooting line, turned to the side, stood, performed ashibumi, and shot, that was called “zasha.” If they remained standing at the shooting line and performed ashibumi, that was called “rissha.” The left and right hands were called “yunde and mete” or “oshide and katte.” The process of shooting an arrow was divided into eight steps and given names. This was called the Eight Steps of Shooting (Shahou Hassetsu).

The Shahou Hassetsu was as followed.

First, Ashibumi (Stance) – The feet’s position. Determining the position of the target and self.

Second, Douzukuri (Set) – Preparing the foundation for shooting. Readying the body. Adjusting it.

Third, Yugamae (Bowset) – Nocking the arrow on the bow. Prologue to the confrontation with the target.

Fourth, Uchiokoshi (Set up) – Lifting the bow and arrow.

Fifth, Hikiwake (Drawing) – Pushing the raised bow evenly from both sides.

Sixth, Kai (Fulldraw) – Unification of the target and self. Drawing the bow to its limit.

Seven, Hanare (Release) – Letting the arrow go. Releasing it. Setting it free.

Eighth, Zanshin (Follow through) – Following through to the end. Fully extending yourself.

The five glided into the shooting area, lined up in front of the targets and began shooting in order starting from the front. When the bow with nocked arrow were raised up high and pulled to its limit, bow and archer completed a beautiful cross. After the other four finished shooting their haya and otoya arrows, Minato was the only one left in the shooting area. When his right hand flicked back, a pleasant matooto (sound of arrow hitting the target) was heard.

They went to collect the arrows and bring them back. On the arrow-collecting path, they walked with the arrow feathers pointing at the lawn.

Tommy-sensei spoke.

“Now that you seemed to have learned that the fundamental forms equal taihai, let’s continue with the rubber bows today.”

Just because you joined the kyudo club, it didn’t mean that you would be able to immediately hold a bow and arrow. First of all, you had to imitate the action of shooting a bow without holding the tool, which was called “empty-handed archery.” It was like air kyudo. Tools such as rubber bows were lent by the club.

One of the girls spoke up.

“Coach Takigawa, could you take a look at this?”

“Okay. Seo-san, will you help me?”

Seo and the others corrected the girls’ shakei by putting their hands on their arms and backs in accordance with Masa-san’s observations. Shakei referred to the form.

When practice ended and Tommy-sensei and Masa-san had left, Keyaki let out a big sigh.

“Onogi-senpai, when will I be able to hold a bow? Stretching, taihai, empty-hand practice, rubber bow—that’s all we’re doing. We can’t even wear hakama.”

“Don’t whine. That’s how it is for beginners.”

“Beginners?”

“When I started kyudo in middle school, all I did was collect arrows, paper the targets, and shout ‘Yes.’ It wasn’t until the third-years retired that I was able to stand in front of the targets. The first thing we learned was how to clean the kyudojo.”

“When exactly are you talking about? It’s very old-fashioned to start with cleaning. It is inefficient and meaningless. The common sense here is questionable.”

“Cleaning is a basic part of life, you know? What’s inefficient about learning the basics. Even chores are a fine job.”

“You’re obedient, aren’t you. People like that who only do what they’re told without using their brains will only be used by others. If something is necessary, those who are in charge should be the ones to take the initiative.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Budo begins and ends with etiquette.”

“To be honest, I’m disappointed. I thought that a team with only first-year students had adopted a revolutionary training method since they won second place at Nationals, but Coach Takigawa just has the female members correcting the shooting forms of the newcomers.”

“Hah? That’s enough, you.”

Seiya cut into their conversation.

The smile on his face made those who have known him for a long time freeze.

“I understand Keyaki’s desire to draw a bow as soon as possible. The empty-handed practice and rubber bows are a program for you to learn the Eight Steps of Shooting. If you suddenly pick up a bow and arrow, it is dangerous because you might hit your face with the bowstring and hurt yourself, or the arrow might fly off to somewhere else. It’s a practice method designed to minimize injuries and accidents.”

“I know the Eight Steps of Shooting from watching the video sharing site ‘Yotube.’ What I lack is practice and experience.”

“Have you learned how to move your feet?”

“There’s sashinutai and kashinjoutai. When advancing, you move your left foot first, and when moving backwards, you start from your right foot. Or, when moving forward, you start with the foot closest to the shimoza, and when moving backwards, you start with the foot closest to the kamiza.”

“You seemed to have read the textbook thoroughly. Just like the saying ‘There is no one who can appear on the right,’ (2) in Japan since the olden days, the right is the upper seat and the left is the lower seat. In other words, the Minister of the Right is more important than the Minister of the Left.”

“Isn’t it the other way around in international etiquette? Everything needs a change. Aren’t kyudo uniforms too conservative, like using white only for tournaments? Aren’t you just sitting back and doing nothing by using the word ‘tradition’ as a shield? If you do nothing, you won’t fail or be beaten.”

“I think it’s hard to draw a line between which colors are okay and which colors are not. If everyone wears the same color, it would be difficult to see the economic disparity between them. Apparently, the kendoka of the Imperial Guard wear white dougi and white hakama, originally for hygienic reasons. Keyaki, you’re aware that you lack practice and experience. I think sometimes you don’t understand the meaning and reason of things unless you try doing them. It’s shallow to assume something in this way before you try it.”

“I’m not making assumptions.”

“If you think you can start a revolution by yourself, you’re being too arrogant. Do you have any like-minded comrades who agree with your words and sometimes admonish you? Kazemai’s leaders are always updating their information. When coaching, they always do their best to keep men from touching women—unlike in the past.”

Next to the silent Keyaki, Kanbayashi’s gaze wandered around.

Minato raised his voice.

“Wait, Seiya! Even if it’s obvious to us who have been in the kyudo club since middle school, there must be a lot of things people who pick up a bow for the first time in high school don’t know about. I think this is due to a lack of communication. Before, Onogi got angry because ‘I didn’t hear any of that!’, right? He said we hid things from them because we didn’t trust them. ‘Please understand’ doesn’t tell people anything. I’ve watched you, Seo-san, and Masa-san having discussions until it’s late. I know you bought new rubber bows from the small budget of the club.”

Seiya took a breath and ordered everyone to clean up. People scattered. Keyaki, perhaps frustrated that he was backed up by the person he had told off for messing around, didn’t even make eye contact with Minato.

After checking up on Keyaki, who had gone to get a mop, Kanbayashi ran up to Minato and Nanao.

“I’m sorry, senpais. This is all because I got excited over something that had nothing to do with kyudo before practice… Keyaki is just impatient. He wants to draw a bow as soon as possible.”

Nanao answered.

“Mm, I understand. Kacchan’s always like that, and Seiya isn’t angry either.”

“He’s always like that?”

“Yep, that’s normal for him. Seiya’s slightly sadistic, and Kacchan’s an extreme masochist. I’ll talk to Tommy-sensei, so don’t worry about it. Do you wanna touch ‘Minahead’ one more time?”

“Minahead?”

“Minato’s forehead.”

Both Kanbayashi and Minato blinked at the same time.

---

The silhouettes of five boys and their bicycles stood out cleanly against the backdrop of the setting sun.

Minato was in front of a candy store by the bus stop. Usually, he commuted to school by bicycle and ran to the supermarket to get groceries after club activities, but on this day, everyone was making a side trip together. A sweet smell wafted through his nose, and somehow his cheeks were dyed red as well. He could hear the sound of children spinning for capsule toys.

Ryouhei snapped the popsicle in his hand into two.

“Minato, I’ll give you half. I feel like my head is full of words today. Um, you step forward with your foot that’s farthest away from the gods, right? I was doing it without thinking all this time.”

“That’s gezashin, the mindset where you do something humbly. (3) The fact you can do it unconsciously is proof that your body remembers it. Ah, this is a nostalgic taste.”

“Isn’t it tasty?”

“Ryouhei, where’s mine?” Seiya urged.

“I always give you one, so none for you for today.”

While he was saying this, Ryouhei finished the popsicle and opened the seal of the next sweet. Tocchan Ika, Baby Moon ramen, and umaibo (4) were put away into his stomach one after the other. Nutritional supplements were essential to his growing body.

The two cousins were sitting on the edge of a flower bed. Nanao was playing with a frog key chain hanging from his bag, and Kaito was stretching himself out.

“A real pain-in-the-ass joined the club.”

“Don’t say that. You’re a pain-in-the-ass too, Kacchan.”

“Hah? That ain’t true.”

“I think it’s good that he’s enthusiastic. But he might also get over-theoretical. It doesn’t have to be so excessive that it’s a revolution, but it might be good to think about improvements. It’s also true that we want as many new students as possible to stay.”

Seiya sensed Nanao’s gaze and smiled. Giving the two of them a sidelong glance, Kaito raised his stretched-out body.

“By the way, the Nanao Fan Club is being pretty quiet even though they’re always so noisy.”

“Apparently, the first-year girl members made it clear to my girls that they didn’t join the club for me. They purely wanted to do kyudo.”

“That’s good.”

“And to tell you the truth, it’s also because we got a great coach here.”

“Oh, so they’re more interested in Masa-san, if anything.”

Nanao followed the clouds in the distant sky with his eyes. The clouds, which looked still, were slowly drifting, like phoenixes crossing the sky.

“Let’s stand on that stage as the five of us this year too.”

“That’s a given.”

The corner of Kaito’s mouth raised.

A bus passed by as the boys talked with their heads together. A red vending machine, a box of popsicles, and a poster announcing a summer festival. The capsule machines were filled with treasures. Rainbow-colored circles lit up in the outdoor lights, and crows cawed from the mountains.

Seiya sent a text message to Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo. The wind blew.

---

A few days later, the members of the kyudo club gathered.

The club president, Seiya, spoke.

“Everyone, thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey. The first-years are now practicing entering and exiting the kyudojo, so today we’ll do rubber bows and subiki, and tomorrow we’ll be facing the targets.”

The first-years were flustered. They hadn’t imagined that they would be standing before the targets so soon.

The curriculum was as followed. The scoring target for long-distance competitions, which was about twelve meters from the shooting position, would be placed. The diameter was one hundred centimeters. After that, they would learn how to use a yugake and try shooting at the makiwara. Running concurrently, they would enter the arrow path and stand five meters, then ten meters, from the azuchi, and finish off by shooting from the shooting position.

Seeing the smiling faces of the new members, Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo shook hands and said, “Alright.”

Tommy-sensei continued.

“We had a class for the general public, but our club was short of weak bows for beginners. Incredibly, the kyudo equipment store gave us five bows. Thanks to Yamanouchi-kun.”

Ryouhei rubbed the tip of his nose with his finger.

“You don’t have to rush out to buy a bow until you’re comfortable with the bow strength, but please come to the store when you’re ready to buy.”

“In three months, you’ll be able to shoot in a tournament format. However, you must be careful to avoid danger and take safety into consideration, and you’re not allowed to practice alone unless you get permission. You may only nock arrows in the presence of the advisor or the coach.”

Keyaki put on a muneate and put on a cotton glove on his right hand. Subiki was drawing a bow without nocking an arrow. The right hand gripped the bowstring, and you drew the bow to its limit and returned it to its original position without letting it go. There was the risk of snapping the bowstring if you let it go without any nocked arrows.

The big target was a great success. It was a bit intimidating to hold up the bow and arrow, but it felt better to actually shoot an arrow than to imitate drawing a bow. The vibration was felt throughout his body, and he was enveloped in an indescribable sense of freedom.

Facing the target. Once you heard the sound of the bowstring, you could no longer escape from the bow.

The next step was to practice shooting arrows at the thirty-six-centimeter kasumi-mato from close to the azuchi. Since there would be people entering the arrow path, the second-years weren’t allowed to stand in front of the targets while the first-years were using it. They concentrated on makiwara practice.

Seeing that, Keyaki pursed his lips.

“Coach Takigawa, we didn’t mean to take away from the senpais’ practice time…”

“Makiwara aren’t just for beginners. It’s a very important practice for archers. Those guys are serious about training their juniors as well. I myself have been invited to Kazemai High School as a reverse mentor.”

“A system in which young people give advice to their superiors. I’m worried about how long this will last.”

“People are anxious about what they don’t know. It’s hard to wait a long time without knowing what to expect. Even if it’s hard, if you know how long it will last, you can be more patient than you think. It wasn’t my intention, but I left the newcomers out of the loop by not sharing information with them. I’m sorry about that.”

“No…I didn’t understand the situation either.”

Masa-san called Seiya over.

“From now on, the club president will contact you every month with the schedule.”

“I want to make things better together. Honest young people are more trustworthy than shady adults who are always laughing.”

“I wonder who you’re talking about.”

“Who knows.”

Masa-san stood next to Keyaki and stared in the same direction.

“There may be one fact, but there are as many interpretations as there are people. The origin of the word ‘togaru’ (to become sharp) is ‘toga,’ and it’s a companion word to ‘togabito’ (criminal) and ‘toge’ (thorn). The ancient Japanese believed that to be ‘togaru’ was a sin, breaking the harmony of the group. So, ostracization and harassment will continue for a long time. Are my opinions guided by someone else? Am I guessing the thoughts of those in power? Did I become arrogant because they were praised? On the other hand, am I harboring resentment because I’m being treated unfavorably? It’s necessary to ask yourself these questions.”

“What should I do?”

“Have fun. Become someone worthy of trust. Increase your amount of experience, carefully examine the information, and increase the number of friends you have. Then you’ll be able to face the true boss.”

In front of Masa-san and Seiya, who had turned away, Keyaki bowed his head and said, “Thank you.”

---

He could hear the awkward cries of a lesser cuckoo coming from somewhere.

A yawatashi was being held at the Kazemai High School kyudojo. The archer was Masa-san, the first kaizoe was Seiya, and the second was Ryouhei. They were respectively wearing lapis-lazuli blue, dayflower blue, and amber-colored kimono decorated with family crests. They were prepared by Keyaki, who apparently collected old kimono under the influence of the Yotube channel, “Yumihiki Douji.”

When Masa-san and the others exited the dojo, Keyaki, seated in seiza, was waiting for them.

“Masa-san, your shooting was full of dignity. Your kimono suited you so well as though it was made for you.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.”

It seemed that the newcomer had taken to him quite a lot.

The five first-year students with kyudo experience were also wearing hakama. They had decided to hold a match within the club. It was thirteen mixed male and female students, zasha, and four arrows for two rounds for a total of eight shots. The order of shooting was two first-year boys and three first-year girls for the first group, the five second-year boys for the second group, and the three second-year girls for the third group.

Kaito was staring at his arrow. He beckoned Minato to him, tapped him on the forehead, and walked away with a face of feigned ignorance.

The match began. The very first oomae was the first-year boy, Himuro.

He was a somewhat mysterious boy, so taciturn that one might forget that he existed, and with his bangs long on one side, it was hard to read his expression. But when he stood on the shajo, the atmosphere changed completely. His eyes, which peeked out slightly, didn’t blink. His bow was raised high in the air. His arrow flew sharply. He hit the target.

Next was Kanbayashi. Although he was a little awkward, it was clear that he wasn’t a beginner. He drew his bow to its limit and the tip of his arrow caught hold of the target. He opened his body up in a broad stance, and the arrow hit the target at the nine-o’-clock position. His first arrow hit the target, and the look of relief on his face was evident.

The three first-year girls followed, and the results ended up being two, three, one, zero, and two hits.

The second group consisted of Minato, Seiya, Ryouhei, Kaito, and Nanao.

Minato spread his legs open. He inhaled the breath of the earth through the soles of his feet and conveyed it through his trunk to the branches and leaves.

The two masters were sitting at the judging table in front of him, but he must not be distracted. I’m just a tree, a big tree. I simply breathe quietly while watching people’s activities leisurely.

He raised his bow. He stretched his arms towards the sun. As he opened his body wide and basked in the sunlight, he could feel his cells begin to dance. After he abandoned himself for a while, he heard the sound of his arrow hitting the target.

Meanwhile, Nanao’s feet hadn’t grabbed hold of the earth. His heart was beating wildly. Where’s the danten again? What’s the center of the body? As he repeatedly answered his own questions, he no longer knew where to release the arrow. The arrow made a dull sound after it was released. After that, only one of his arrows hit, and his shooting became indecisive.

For the third group, the final ochi was Seo. She was the tallest amongst the girls, and her tightened body and dignified form was beautiful. After she released her arrow, there was a shout of “Yes!”

For the results, Seiya was in first place having hit all eight of his shots, and last place went to Nanao with five hits.

Nanao’s back was heavy. As it turned out, there was a large boy clinging to his back.

“It’s rare for you to hit only just over half.”

“I’ve been watching a lot of videos recently and tinkering with some things, so I can’t hit as much now.”

“You’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

“Right you are.”

After lining up, Tommy-sensei gave an announcement.

“I’ve kept this a secret from everyone, but today’s match was actually the intra-school selection for the district tournament.”

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo widened their eyes.

“Doesn’t that mean that this is a pop quiz?”

“How terrible of you, Tommy-sensei.”

“We were testing you to see if you were practicing the lesson ‘Practice as if you’re in a tournament, and make your tournament into practice.’” (5)

A paper was put up.

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#tsurune translation #tsurune

[kaerichan-yatta]

KAERI MERRY CHRISTMAS~!

Don't mind me running to your inbox when you announced that requests were open. I've been having the worst obey me brainrot and I couldn't help myself akdhjsjdjs

So, could you please write anything with lee Levi?? He's my absolute fave! Feel free to choose the ler x3 And no pressure ofc!

Have a lovely day!

Top priorities chart

(Levi, Mammon & Lucifer)

Summary: a brand new game finally came out, and Levi had been waiting for it since weeks. However, as soon as he starts playing, it becomes his first priority, bringing his brothers to worry about him gaming for days straight. But no worries, Levi's top weakness against videogames is here to help!

A/N: GDHUAJDUS I'M SO SORRY I'VE MADE YOU WAIT FOR SO LONG😭 my health got in the middle and messed up everything and i even thought i had lost your request cause i was worried i accidentally canceled the fic💀but nope it was safe in my drafts ehehe. (ALSO MERRY -REALLY REALLY REALLY- LATE CHRISTMAS even if we already exchanged wishes many times lmao)

A/N2: also ignore me brainrotting about lee!levi with a hyper sensitive arms and spine and being L O U D when being tkled...

Hope you like it!! Enjoy!<3

"Oi, Satan. Where's Levi?" Mammon asked, his mind clearly up to something silly with money involved.

"I don't know, probably in his room playing videogames, as usual I'd say..." he answered, his eyes still fixed on the book he was reading.

"Again? It's been a whole day...damn. I wonder what he finds so interesting about gaming for so long"

Even if this was his idea, he went down the corridor, opening Leviathan's door without permission.

"Ah, little brother! Guess wha-"

"GAHH! OH NO, NOT AGAIN!" he screamed, both in pain (metaphorically) and for the nearly heart attack he had from Mammon's sudden entry into his room.

"Woah, what was that for?! What are you screaming about, I did nothing wrong!"

"YES YOU DID!" he pointed at the screen "Look at that! You scared me and I lost the match!"

Mammon's expression changed from surprised to annoyed.

"...really? That's my fault?"

"Yes!" he sighed. "Just, just leave me alone! I gotta play another match to win the final tournament!"

"But I needed to talk to you!"

"Later, c'mon! Don't make me lose again!"

Mammon closed the door behind his back, leaving his room. "How rude...!" he said to himself.

meanwhile, in the kitchen

"Lucifer, it's been two days and Levi still has been gaming non-stop" Beel said, adding carrot slices to the soup he was cooking for the dinner.

The eldest rubbed his forehead.

"There's not much we can do, however. I think you all know how Leviathan is made, and what he thinks about this"

"But it will have an extremely negative effect on him!" Asmodeus added, taking plates from the drawer, and taking one for Leviathan too, still hoping he would come at least for dinner.

"Oi, Lucifer, how about we go checking on him after dinner? He must be scared if it's you!" Mammon said.

"I doubt that, but for once I'm in with your idea"

~

"Levi, are you still awake?"

"Of course he is..."

"Ah, yes sure I am! Come in but be quiet" he sounded really nervous.

Lucifer opened the door.

"Levia-"

"Shh!"

Lucifer's eye twitched, he and Mammon looked at each other, then sat down on the floor at each side of Levi.

"That's it, that's it! Aaah! That's the boss! See how big and strong he is but HAHA! I prepared the best team ever and I won't let ANYONE and ANYTHING destroy my perfect path!"

"Why is he pointing out words...?" Mammon whispered to Lucifer.

"Well, you know how he is"

"Uh...stupid?"

"Hey, I heard that, Mammon!"

Lucifer and Mammon exchanged another look, both of them clearly annoyed by his behavior.

"AH- C'MON, 4TH MOON GUARDIAN! TIME FOR THE FINAL ATTACK!!"

"Levi, could you-"

"Bless of the New Moon!"

"Levi-"

"Have a taste of my sword!"

Lucifer almost gave up in trying to convince him turn down the console volume.

"THAT'S IT! AHA! I WON!"

"Leviathan...could you at the very least try not to scream so much?"

"What are you talking about?! I just won the ultimate tournament!"

"That's not the point...I think you need to revise you priorities" Lucifer said.

Levi blinked. "Huh?? Priorities?"

"Yes, in fact, you've been in your room for-"

"Oh, wait! Final showdown, I forgot! I gotta do this!"

"He's not even listening to you, Lucifer"

"Ah, see? How can that game be you first priority?"

Then, an idea popped into Mammon's head.

"Hey, Lucifer! Guess what I'm thinking about" he looked at his brother, his gaze playful, craking his knuckles.

"Well...that could be a good idea"

They closed up on their brother as he was keeping on playing, unaware of what was about to happen.

"Eh, Lucifer. What was that you were talking abAAH!" he suddenly arched his back, missing a button on the joystick, his character jumping instead of attacking.

Lucifer simply kept on poking and squeezing his sides. "Mammon, do you remember?"

Levi's character began to run all over the ring as he lost control of his own fingers, the cause? Mammon's fingers tracing along the inner side of his arm, going up to his armpit, then back down, and again.

"Ah, no! Sorry Lucifer, looks like I forgot...! Levi, can you remember?"

Levi immediately blushed, his character now jumping off the roof and dying. "NOHOHO! GAH- COHOHOME ON!" he laughed harder Lucifer's fingers found their way under Levi's shirt and scratched at his ribs.

"W-WahAHAIT! It W-WAHAS about p-priohohoritIHIHIES?!"

"Ah, right. I think you didn't exactly understand what are your top priorities, Levi. That's why we came here" he stopped for a moment.

"Guh- haah! Ehehahaha! W-whahat do you mehehean?!" he squirmed and giggled as Lucifer still slowly tickled his ribs, making him ten times more nervous about the conversation.

"You've been in your room for three days now, skipping meals and sleep, because your top priority was the game. But that should be less important than your health"

"B-buhuhut! The gahahame just cahahame out! And I was s-so excitehehed!"

"Ah, you're not even trying to understand!" Mammon paused the game in the middle of the fight, which was probably going to be a loss for Levi, since two more of his characters had died.

He tackled his brother down, sitting on his legs, scribbling at the sides of his tummy. Oh, a really bad spot.

"GAHAH- MAHAHAMMON!" he kicked his legs behind his back, shaking his head and trying to block his wrists, but his efforts got stopped by Lucifer blocking his hands under his knees, fully exposing Levi's arms.

Now Levi was in big trouble. Each of his brothers knew how his arms were sensitive.

Scribbles, feathers, tracing, even kisses from his beloved MC could get him there.

"OH NOHOHOHO! PLEHEHEASE NOHOT THAHAT!"

"I'm sorry, Levi. But I'm firmly fixed on the topic before" he brought wiggling fingers down.

"NOHOHOHO!" he twisted his torso, in a desperate attempt to free himself, but it was useless. Tickles could weaken him in no time.

"This is were it gets you for good, hmm?" Lucifer said, tickling the inner sides of his elbows.

"GUH- AHAHAHA! Q-QUIHIHIHIT THAHAHAT! IT TIHIHICKLES!" his laughter rose as Mammon started digging his finger into the back of his ribs.

"Well, that's the point. Since you wouldn't try to follow the conversation, that's one of the easiest way to make you" Lucifer said, in a slighty smug tone.

"NAHAHAHA- PLEHEHEASE! TH-THAHAHAT'S TOO MUHUHUCH!"

"Too much already? Aw, you're seriously that ticklish?" Mammon teased.

"S-STOHOHOP THAHAT! GAH- I'LL LIHIHISTEN! AHAHA- JUHUHUST STOHOHOP!" Levi pleaded.

He panted heavily, his eyes closed, his face red.

"Well now, Levi. Are you ready to follow the conversation?"

"I t-think I am..."

"Good. First, I want you to know gaming must not be your priority, even if-"

Lucifer was almost immediately stopped by Levi.

"But Lucifer! This game is super- no, hyper! Hyper important!"

Lucifer sighed. "I suppose I have to resort to forced measures..."

...

"T-thihihis is insahaAHAne...." he laughed.

The current situation was indedd insane. Leviathan down on his stomach, Mammon sitting on his lower back, and Levi's shirt up so his back was uncovered.

"Let's try to convince you this way, shall we? So, top priority is health, then studies"

Mammon wrote "Health" on Leviathan's back, letter by letter, with his fingertip, giving a little tickle here and there just to tease him more. Levi kicked his legs and tried to muffle his laughter behind his hands.

Then, he wrote "Studies".

Leviathan's body spasmed as Mammon wrote the "S" and the "U".

"Then let's see..." Lucifer said.

"M-MC! MC is a p-priohohority..." he spat out between his giggles, the position he was in making it hard to take a proper breath.

"Right, I see you're starting to understand. Add that one, Mammon"

"W-whaHAHat about gAHAHames?!"

"Well that's one of the last I think...or maybe I could bring that one up...alright, that's a bonus"

Mammon wrote "Games" over his back, sending Levi into hysterical laughter.

And among all the priorities he was listing, Leviathan himself took a mental note about another priority. A good one that would probably save him in the future.

"Always listen to your brothers whenever they're feeling mischievous enough to tickle you to pieces!"

#kaeri writing #tickle #obey me tickle #ler!lucifer #ler!mammon #lee!levi #tk story #obey me #<3

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 24 - Wǒ Qīn'ài de Húxiān Huánghòu

"Hey, babe, sorry, but I won't hold back. I'll try to keep from hitting your pretty face though. It would be a shame to hurt such a beauty." Rihito grinned flirtatiously, making Kisara gag internally. "Rihito. I'm married. You came to my wedding." she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Married or not, you're still hot and I want your number." Kisara groaned in frustration, not bothering to listen to any of Mokichi's professional commentary.

As soon as the referee announced the moment to take their stance, Kisara cracked her knuckles and adopted Agito's martial arts stance, waiting. The fight began, and Rihito sprung at light speed towards the red head - Only to find himself knocked out, on the ground. For the ordinary people with no experience, it looked like some kind of magic took place - But the others cheered the fantastic win lasting less than a minute. It was a classic Hatsumi Sen win that only someone as fast as Kisara could accomplish. First, she leaned to the side, grabbing his hand, or rather, wrapping her fingers around his thumb, gripping and forcing it in an awkward angle, forcing him to his knees. Before Rihito could escape with the aid of his other hand's Razor's Edge, Kisara used Senpai's Gathering Clouds: Triple Strike move on his face, hitting the glabella, philtrum and chin with such speed that he fell on the ground, knocked out and bleeding.

Kisara smirked, doing a pretty princess courtesy towards the audience, before getting out of the ring, and back to where the manager was waiting to congratulate her, along with Jackie and Joji. She hadn't even sweat, at all - To think that what a semifinal worthy of a Kengan x Purgatory Tournament... What a disgrace! Her fight with Wakatsuki from many years ago was far more entertaining than this hilarity.  As soon as she got up the stands, she double high-fived both Jackie and Joji before slumping down on her assigned seat next to the foreigner who offered her another pocky pack and a coke can, with which she clinked to everyone's beer or sake cups.

"You made that look very easy." Jackie said casually. "It is, actually!" she smiled, munching on that pocky. "It's not." he said. "It takes years of practice. How long did it it take?" "Hmm... Let's see... About four years, I think?" she pondered over. "Ah, but don't think I was in any way athletic back then! Goodness, no I-- I was pretty pathetic and weak. I was still in Uni and studying all day, barely living on coffee and a light meal per day. If it wasn't for Ohma encouraging me to get healthier, I wouldn't have gotten where I am." she scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "It took years to gain any ounce of self-confidence, control and discipline over myself. Hatsumi-Senpai helped me a lot in that regard. I used to be such an anxious little mouse before!" she giggled lightly. "But I got to do a lot of mountain hiking, which was super fun!" "You're just being modest, then. It took your Senpai years to perfect a move and learn how to teach it to you. Don't downplay your hard-work." Jackie hummed, nonchalantly drinking his beer. "You're just too nice, Jackie." she hummed. "Would you like to go hiking with us some day?" "Sure."

The second semifinal began with Koga against Ryuki, which was an exciting and thrilling match. Gaoh began with a fantastically quick footwork towards and around Koga using Setsuna's move, but Narushima was able to dodge before he got killed. Was Kiryu around, maybe? Could Ryuki be so directly influenced by Setsuna, all of a sudden? He wasn't like this a while ago, during the Kengan vs Purgatory Tournament. If Ohma finds him, an all-out war might explode. Ever since Ohma got his memories back, he's gotten so much wiser and level-headed, so grounded and calm, it was truly wholesome and heart-warming; Hence why, Kisara was almost sure that Ohma was protective over Koga, but also wanted to protect Ryuki from negative outside influence - In this case, Setsuna - Knowing he was just a child traumatised by the Inside, similar to him in many ways, but also, so very different. Tokita Niko and Gaoh Mukaku were definitely miles apart on the spectrum.

Koga looked almost helpless before Gaoh's fierce rush - Truth is, Koga wasn't tried to kill his friend, while Ryuki was actively going out of his way to assassinate him. He was dodging and evading, parrying and blocking, even a combination of Koei style Blink and Rakshasa's Palm. All of a sudden, Jackie got up abruptly. "Something wrong, Jackie?" Joji asked him, looking up at the man whilst still drinking his alcohol. "I'm gonna buy some more beer. Want me to pick up something while I'm there?" the foreigner offered. "Can I have fried offal and noodles? I swear, I could live the rest of my life on nothing but fried offal and noodles." Joji chuckled lethargically. "Are you sure you're okay, Jackie? You seem upset. Is the match boring you?" Kisara automatically got up to her feet, her hand reaching out to gently touch his biceps. Jackie looked down at her, his empty eyes boring into her beautiful green ones, and his expression subtly lightened. "Yes, I'm alright, don't worry about me." he placed his large hand over her her much smaller and delicate one. "For a fighter, you have very soft skin. It would be a shame if you got hurt." with one finger placed under her chin, he rose her face up. She was as beautiful as always, he thought, and without a second word, he left to the shop, leaving Kisara very much confused.

Meanwhile, Koga used the Indestructible, risking the Rakshasa's Palm rotation and punching Koga's face hard enough - He finally realised that the rotation is tearing apart not only the muscles, but the bones and nerves also. Poor Adam, taking the brunt of that. Even Nikaido, years ago. Thank goodness Master Gensai fought him in the next round and put him to respect, otherwise, who knows how many more people he would have almost killed.  Ryuki got in a low stance before leaping up with two Air Rending Gaoh Style techniques in a row aimed at Koga's head - He combined the Gaoh style with the Koei style again, what a monster; He did the same with the Blink and the Earth-Crouching Dragon. Koga managed to land a beautiful straight to his face, sensing Ryuki fall to the ground, but he got back on his feet right away. 

Koga used the Flame Kata - Raging Fire Dash, grabbing Ryuki in a low stance, and though he tried to pull the Rakshasa's Palm move twice on him, it didn't work. Koga easily figured out the spin goes from below the elbow down. He's got him all figured out. Ryuki used the Armor Clad, a technique similar to the Indestructible, to which Koga punched with with Ironbreak - Though in a twist of events, Gaoh used Swift foot, hitting Koga's torso with Setsuna's move, catching him off guard; Thankfully, the silver haired young man managed a semi-perfect Indestructible before he could get any real damage to his body.

Whatever conclusion both of them reached was unknown, for they engaged in an outright slugfest, using Armor clad and Indestructible. Koga combined the Iron Breaker with the Raging Fire, lunging at Ryuki with mad speed and strength, breaking through his defenses, sending him flying - But he went on ahead once again, smashing him with a Flashing Steel, landing a clean hit - Though his fists were massively bleeding. Ohma must be pretty pissed off that Koga hurt himself by using techniques blindly without thinking.

Who'd have thought that Ryuki would be beaten by his best friend, using his infamous Earth-Crouching Dragon uppercut strike on himself, the person he relied on the most, knocking him out instantly? Narushima Koga advances to the finals. As Kisara got up from her seat and walked towards the arena, she encountered Jackie, as if he was looking for her. He didn't bring her something to either drink or eat - In fact, he seemed to have bought nothing at all. Was he not returning to the others? Was he in a rush to leave?

"I need to leave soon." Jackie said, his hands in the pockets. "I'll look for you after you win this to say goodbye. That's what friends do, right?" Though a little clumsy, Kisara smiled at the nice thought. "Of course. I hope my match will impress you a bit more than the last one." she said, before taking his hands in her own. "But, Jackie - Are you sure you're alright? You seem really upset. Like - Really. Is something the matter?" Jackie looked down at her, squeezing her hands softly, but his expression didn't change. He looked as bored as always. "I'm fine. Worry about your match. In fact, that's why I came to find you. I thought of a way to evade any injury." Jackie said, gently taking his hands out of her hold and rummaging in the pocket of his jacket. "You said that boy knows your style, and you knows his. The solution is simple. Do what you do best." the ghost of a smile touched his handsome features. "Dance." "Dance?" the girl rose a questioning eyebrow, earning a nod from the man. "You've shown everything in fights, except your dancing. Wushu can be mastered through dancing. That boy is injured enough for you to be able to pull off a quick win." he noted, taking out a beautiful golden jade pin, ornate with flowers, and put it in her velvety carmine hair. "Achieve victory." he said in a more stern voice, turning around to leave. "And never fight again."

Kisara had no clue what happened, nor could she understand the peculiarity of her interaction with Jackie. Not only was he acting weird, but was also being overly familiar, speaking as though they knew each other for ages. But that accessory was very pretty and seemed veritable - She wasn't going to throw away a gift. Regardless, she had a match to win. She walked into the ring, and saw Wakatsuki standing next to Jerry and Sayaka at the commentator's table. "Thank you for being with us, Wakatsuki! Can you tell us what to look out for in this match?" Jerry spoke. "Well, if you ask me, Kisara's going to be a force to be reckoned with. I've fought her before, and she gave me a run for my money. That's not to say it's a sure win. Narushima's style is versatile, witty and strong." Kisara wanted to chuckle at his comment, especially as Koga was in such a battered state. The two stepped close enough to fist bump and grin at each other. "Let's do this, Kisara!" Koga said, pumped up. "Yeah, let's enjoy this fight." she stepped backwards towards her spot. "You should know by now though, I'm more of an expert in the Niko style than you can imagine." she chuckled, taking the graceful stance of a dancer, while Koga took the usual stance.

Dance - Jackie said. Alright then, let's dance for the Emperor. She smiled gracefully, knowing that her husband was watching, and as soon as the referee yelled the beginning of the fight, Kisara hummed the melody of the Lanling Prince in Battle song, performing every move that the beautiful concubine in that movie did. Though she hadn't a mask or a weapon to signify the duality of the prince, nor the war he was fighting, she twirled beautifully towards Koga, evading with ease his hits, and with the elegance of a swan, her palms struck him hard, making him reel backwards. There was not a single hit that Koga could aim - He felt as though he was fighting mist, or even the flowing water - Yet when she kicked him, she hit harder than a hurricane.

"Sorry, kid." Kisara apologised to Koga as she twirled, striking him hard in the face with an open palm hit, before doing a few pirouettes towards him, grabbing him by the chin, dragging him forwards. She then took his wrist, ducking behind him and kneeing him in the liver from behind, before twirling in front of him again, pulling him by the hand and doing a backflip, kneeing him in the diaphragm again, and graciously landing on her feet to deliver her last hit, her finishing strike: The Dragon Shot.

Koga was unconscious on the ground. "THE QUEEN OF THE KENGAN MATCHES STRIKES AGAIN! KISARA WINS!" the winner did a few beautiful moves as courtesy to the cheering audience. To think she'd actually win a tournament, isn't that hilarious? She sure had a ton of good luck. Was it an auspicious day or what?  Ah, she's beat. She just wants to go home and cuddle Ohma to sleep.

She skipped out of the arena, looking for her husband. She found him, along with some others, who congratulated her. Jackie was leaning on the wall, but he came over just as Ohma pulled her in a kiss. "Well done. You fought well." the foreigner spoke in a low voice. "Now stop fighting." not only her, but Ohma and some others who weren't too drunk, or too engulfed in conversations looked at him confused. "It's a man's job to protect his woman. You had your fun. Now stay safe." "If Kisara wants to continue fighting, she will. She doesn't need anyone's protection." Ohma defended his wife's tenacity and resolve. "My wife will do whatever she wants." Jackie shared a short exchange of looks with Ohma, before his gaze fell on Kisara for the last time. Unexpectedly, he spoke one last phrase, in his mother tongue, before leaving. "Zàijiàn​​​​​​​. Wǒ Qīn'ài de Húxiān Huánghòu." Kisara gasped, her eyes wide open, and her mouth agape. "What'd he say?" Yamashita asked, scratching the back of his neck in confusion. "I have no clue. What language was that anyway?" Ohma grunted, furrowing his brows slightly. "I think it was Chinese." the manager replied. "Kisara, did you understand what he said?" she nodded her head. "You have a weird look on your face. Did he threaten you?" "No... On the contrary." she muttered, pulling away from Ohma. "Find me outside in ten minutes, okay? I need to seek some answers." they needn't ask for words - They understood each other through looks alone. 

Kisara ran after Jackie, all the way outside. She spotted his messy blond hair and she grabbed him by the elbow, stopping him from advancing further away. He hadn't turned around to face her though. "Why did you say that to me?" Kisara asked. "I don't know Chinese very well, but I can tell simple words like that." she gulped. "Farewell, my beloved Fox Empress. That's what you said, isn't it? Why did you say that to me?"

"Because that's what you've always been." he answered so nonchalantly, but somehow, Kisara felt scared like never before. She never once felt any kind of malice from Jackie - Why now? Why does she feel in danger, but also... Safe? That made no sense whatsoever. "Jackie. Do you... Know me?" she asked, feeling a shiver down her spine. "Jackie. Jackie... That's not your name, isn't it?" she bit her lip. "Jackie. Are you... Are you the 'Connector'?" The silence from the one calling himself Jackie was eerie and dangerous like nothing she's ever experienced before. "You've always been too smart for your own good. Your wisdom was wasted on a woman. Nobody listened to you." a painful sense of dread froze her heart. "They should have listened to you." Confused but also creeped out, Kisara took the pin out of her hair and analysed it. She might have known some words here and there, but she definitely couldn't read the symbols. "Am I a clone like Ohma and Ryuki, then? I couldn't be, could I? If Huisheng might have been taught and done for over a millennia... Now or then... I doubt I'd have had any worth to clone. So if that's not it, then... Then how do you know me?" "You are right. You weren't worth cloning, any more than anyone else, except for the Connector." Jackie spoke. "Are you a Buddhist?" Kisara was perplex at such a question, only to realise it made sense, in an odd way. "Are you trying to ask me if I believe in Samsara? Reincarnation?" he nodded his head. "I... I don't. Or rather, I didn't. With all this cloning and Huisheng going on, I... I'm not sure if I should let anything surprise me anymore." "I am many, though I am one. You are one, yet you are many." his phrase sounded more like a riddle than any answer. "Don't let them kill you again. Ruyi."

Kisara's eyes widened, shocked at the name she was given. "Are you trying to imply I'm Chinese?"  "Once, a Princess. Now, only by thinned blood, yet with no less of the grace." whether he knew the effect his words had on her, creeping her out like that. Or, perhaps he knew, for he took a step forward, ready to leave. "Wait - Jackie!" the man did not stop; Instead, he spoke a single word before vanishing through the crowd of people, as though he was a phantasm that she imagined. "Shen", he said. Was that his true name, then? Or, at least, the one she interacted with. "Kisara." someone placing a hand on her shoulder made the woman jump in her skin with a yelp of shock. "Easy now, it's me. You were zoning out." "Ohma." Kisara breathed out shakily. "Let's go home. I need to call Katahara." "Huh? What happened?" Ohma's eyes widened in shock as Kisara threw her arms around his torso, clinging tightly onto him. "I'm still trying to figure out what happened. Let me explain while we go back home. It's... A lot to take in."

Kisara recalled the dialog and interactions she had with the man whose name may or may not be Shen truly, and she even researched the symbols on the accessory - Princess Ruyi - It said. How scary. "I want to ask Katahara and Wu Xing if they know anything about Reincarnation. I want to know how does the Connector know me, and why would he bother going out of his way to get so familiar with me. I mean, he's the head of the Worm, right? He's supposed to stay hidden, yet he went out of his way to befriend Yamashita Kazuo and Joji. He didn't hide away from you and the others either." she laid on the bed in deep thought. "He told me not to let them kill me. He told me to stop fighting. He told me my smarts were wasted on me for being a woman, because nobody listens to women." Kisara suddenly shot up in a sitting position, turning to look at her husband. "It almost sounds like the story of the Lanling Prince and his wife. She begged him not to go to war, but he went anyway, so she followed after him. Instead, the prince ended up watching his wife get killed in front of him. As she lay dying in his arms, her blood splattered all over his mask. You remember that show, don't you? Almost a hundred episodes - Though you slept through most of it anyway."

"Aren't you overthinking it? I mean, it doesn't really matter in the end, does it? Whether incarnation is true or not, you aren't connected with your past selves like the Huisheng bastards are. If you don't remember anything, it doesn't affect you." he, too, got up, cupping her face. "Whatever you were in the past doesn't matter. Right now, you are Tokita Kisara, my wife. You're a fighter because you want to, and you did a ton of things thanks to your intelligence. You've got a bunch of friends and your whole life ahead of yourself. Who cares about that guy, anyway? Besides, he had every chance to kill you, but he didn't seem hostile to you, you said; On the contrary. So even better. If the Worm head doesn't want you dead, all the best for me, I won't have to worry too much." "Since when have you gotten so wise, anyway?" Kisara climbed in his lap, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I almost don't recognise you for the stupid gym rat you were a little ago." "Shut up, you dumbass bookworm. I'm just saying - Don't bother with that guy. As long as he ain't trying to harm you, he's not our concern yet. You're worrying too much. I bet you're overthinking yourself to death now with all sorts of bullshit." Kisara offered a wry smile, feeling guilty and busted.

"Of course, you are right. I can't help but think about what he said. About all this. If the Connector dates back over a thousand years ago, well - Confucianism was a big thing in China - But then why did he ask if I was a Buddhist? Thing is - There are so many contradictions about all this. I mean - Confucianism rejected the idea of reincarnation, saying a single life was enough. The Connector is cloning himself, thus, continuing to live and relive. It's like a continuous Samsara, in a weird way, with no Nirvana. Buddhism believes strongly in rebirth until one achieves nirvana." she rested her elbow on his shoulders. "Shen said my talents were wasted on me, because I was a woman. He called me an Empress. A Princess. If we were during a Confucianism time, then the Annalects speak that women must obey their father, husband and sons after the death of the husband. Likewise, they say if a woman doesn't hold the "four virtues" - chastity, modesty in speech, neatness of appearance, and good needlework and cooking, then they aren't worthy. Women aren't important. Which would make sense with what he said." she continued with her ridiculous overthinking. "When in comes to Buddhism, I think the Sutras and the Jataka tales tend to contradict themselves. I heard that Siddhartha Gautama called equality among men and women when it comes to attaining Spiritual Awakening, but at the same time, there are writings that say women aren't allowed to become Bodhisattva and must have a good karma to be reborn as a man to have any chance of attaining nirvana, because they are seen as polluted with menstruation, sexual intercourse, death and childbirth. By this accord, I am fated to keep this Samsara cycle for an eternity, because I've sinned for centuries, and by bad karma is punishing me in this cursed body, unable to achieve Enlightening." she hummed, her eyes narrowed a little. "But then, if I was a weak, useless woman, why would I be killed? Why would he care? He's the Connector, and he admitted I'm not worth cloning, like everyone else except for him - So why does he cling to my supposed reincarnation?"

"Are you done?" Ohma had the most done with life expression on his face. "For now, I think yes." she nodded casually. "Good, because I zoned out a while ago." he scoffed, pushing her on her back on the bed. "You speak too much and I don't understand jack shit. Didn't I tell you not to use use smart words cause I don't understand? Everything you said is just a bunch of unimportant thoughts that you have, that's all. What's the point in thinking about a past you never had, when you're living in the present? Confucius and Buddha, and whatever anyone else thinks or believes in - You don't believe in any of that shit, you said that countless of times. So if you don't care about that, why the hell would you get so deep into this? Forget it." Ohma towered down over her, his long hair draping over her face, tickling her into giggling. "That's it. That's the beautiful smile I wanted to see." he placed his hands over hers, intertwining their fingers together, squeezing lightly. "You won a tournament. You made yourself proud with your hard work. You were great out there. Why go out of your way to upset yourself? We're living in the present - Remember what we talked about on the island? We're creating our own lives. Together." Kisara smiled sweetly, feeling her eyes sting with emotion, small tears slowly escaping at the corners and streaming down. "You have no idea how much I love you, Ohma. There's no one in this world that could understand me like you do. I'm so lucky to have you in my life." he simply chuckled, leaning down to capture her sweet lips in a tender kiss. "I love you, Kisara."

Days passed since the tournament, and with that, Ryuki's departure back home, to his grandpa in the Inside. Problem was, the summer ended, and with it, so did the connection with the boy. He was nowhere to be found. Of course, everyone worried over him and together with Retsudo, they formed a rescue party, adding Himuro and Rei, who would be great additions.  Along with the manager, they gathered at Katahara's home, around a large map that depicted the map of the Inside based on satellite photography and statements from the residents. The GPS tracker placed on Ryuki had stopped responding around Rhoza district, so something must have happened around there. The change of the borders was always changing though, so they must have probably already shifted drastically.

Rei had been on a job there before, at the border of Rhoza - Apparently, Himuro was from there also originally. They say they keep putting up new buildings and apartments where there were roads the previous day, so it's a real mess to deal with. Ryuki was lost somewhere in the middle of the map, which was not a part of Rohza anymore, but a contested territory by all districts around. They were walking in the middle of a turf war. Not great. 

Yamashita Kazuo remembered Ohma mentioning having a villa in Shiki, and he though he must have travelled diagonally, from one end of the Inside, to the other. Of course, that wasn't the case, he wasn't suicidal - He went outside the borders, taking refuse in Shiki when things got to shit in Tokita.

While they were discussing a plan, Koga had left to see the border with the Inside, trying to convince himself and find his courage and resolve to join them in their venture in hell. He even got to see a Seki vs Naoya fight, to which he was told a lot of encouraging words - Finally, he was ready to go.

They were leaving on the morrow. Himuro would be leading them through Rohza and Rei would accompany them until they reached the disputed territory. They'll need a guide through the disputed territory though - Retsudo seemed to already have someone in mind though, so things were good. Clearly, he was in it to get more info on the Worm - Smart boy. He'll become a fantastic chairman, just like Katahara was.

Before they left, Kisara, Ohma and Koga went over to Masaki at Toyo corp to retrieve their reports on the Inside - Surveys made by his supposed father were made from two years prior and what not. "Are you sure you want to come?" Ohma turned to Kisara, checking one last time. "Of course. I want to rescue Ryuki as much as everyone. Besides - I want to stay by your side, remember? I don't want a sudden repeat of a few years ago. Someone has to keep you safe, right?" she winked at him playfully, holding his hand. "A'ight, Your Majesty, protect me." Ohma chuckled as they traversed the thick wall corridor that led to the Inside, a desolate place abandoned by God like no other.

It almost felt as if they weren't in Japan anymore, with bazaars and black markets everywhere, soldiers, refugees, merchants, vendors and everything else you'd think of. Weirdly enough, Ohma seemed to be grinning, reminiscing about Tokita Ward. Weirdo.  They went to search for some lodging for the night, in the biggest dump in the entire world - Kisara wanted to tear her hair apart from disgust, but she signed herself up for it. Well, at least she won't stay too long in this shithole - And Ohma led her and Koga to eat some pretty damn good ramen, though she didn't want to know what it was made of. He told Ohma that he wanted Koga to come over because the Niko style originated here, and he wants him to inherit Niko style wholly... But he said it in such a creepy way. "So if something happens to me..." he said, making both Koga and Kisara slam their hands on the table, protesting. "You're making it sound like you're dying!!" they both yelled at him. "You know about me and Ryuki, don't you? We're somebody's clones, and that somebody is after us. Anything could happen. That's why I wanna teach you what I learned from Niko, like I taught Kisara, while I still have the chance." Ohma's voice was so stern and somber that Kisara hit him in the head with the spoon. Hard. "If you even think about dying on me a second time, I'll never forgive you." she hissed at him. "I won't let him die, don't worry." the eerie voice of none other than Kiryu Setsuna made them all snap their gaze at him as he sat down next to Ohma - So close that he made him visibly uncomfortable. "Can you not make my husband cringe from how uncomfortable he is?" Kisara sighed, defeated. "Instead, tell us about Ryuki. I know you had your hand in making a killer out of him and losing his mind in the process."

"Ah, yes, we exterminated Worms together." he spoke so nonchalantly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Well, it sort of was, in a way - For them, at least. "FUCK YOU!" Koga howled, grabbing Setsuna by the neck of the shirt. "IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU MADE RYUKI LIKE THAT!" he continued shaking him violently. "Koga, calm down, you're attracting unwanted attention to us." Kisara coughed, looking around at the prying eyes. "Don't misunderstand me, Narushima. I never once ordered Ryuki to do anything." he said it was the same thing as what Ohma's doing, passing on his legacy to him. "Ryuki's going through a dilemma right now. He's between a rock and a hard place." "Is it about his grandpa's teachings, and Koga's resolve of not killing?" Kisara asked, earning an empty smile from the man. "You've got it right." he nodded. "I last saw him the day before he went back to the Inside. Ryuki said he'd come back right after that, but he's still not back yet - So I came to the Inside to look for him." "You said Mukaku's got safehouses all over the place?" Ohma asked, interested in Setsuna's knowledge. "Yeah, seems he made a lot of enemies. Ryuki said he had around twenty places and that's just as far as he knew. Ryuki's GPS tracker has stopped moving for the past few days, before stopping responding entirely." Setsuna explained simply, though he did seem a bit worried for his pupil also. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" Kisara had to shove Koga back down on his seat to make him stop overreacting. "There's a good chance that Ryuki's found Gaoh Mukaku, and that he's in trouble." Setsuna got up from the table. "Wait, you think Ryuki's grandpa would hurt him?" the woman's eyes widened in realisation. Kiryu shrugged vaguely. "I'm going to look for Ryuki on my own. The Worm's in the Inside too. We need to find Mukaku before they do - Otherwise, they'll kill him." so it's the Worm they should be worried about. Then, could the Connector also...?

Early in the morning, while Himuro and Rei were up and ready for a high-level spar, a messenger came over with an invitation from the General, a soldier named Zhang who was buddy buddies with Himuro. To offer than a guide, one of them had to defeat one of his men - So Retsudo offered, getting in a Silat stance that Misasa would be proud of, and going forward for a few feint jabs - And when the enemy pulled out his knife, Retsu  took his small hand-knife, stomping on his foot and slashing the enemy well, hitting all his vitals. What a beast, and he's so young also! And so cocky, teasing the enemy into attacking blindly - He easily parried a punch with his elbow twice, before slicing at his face and destroying him. No wonder he's about the only one capable of coming between Ohma and Raian when they're fighting.

Kisara clapped at the cool young man. "That was awesome, Retsu, well done! Misasa would be so proud of you!" Ohma, also, praised and high-fived him.  Out of nowhere, this creepy, bandaged up guide appeared - So fast and silent that not even Rei sensed him. What a monster. He guided them through the district, towards the Underground,  all the way out, in the disputed territory. Somewhere along the lines, Rei and the guide stopped, defeating one of the White Worms who reported directly to the head.

They found an abandoned temple looking rather run down yet still standing. As they walked up to it, they got attacked by someone, the main target being Ohma. Damn it, not again, Kisara thought, realising that her husband was always the prime target for everyone in the world. Gaoh Mukaku was glaring at them, holding a meat cleaver and claiming they were Worms. Thankfully, Koga ended up explaining everything. "Wait, you mean you're not Worms?! You should've said so sooner!" "You jumped us before we could even say anything!!! What the fuck were we supposed to do, you old coot?!" speak about a short-temper, Koga. Was it the youth? Nah, Retsu was calm. Maybe a fire sign? "Are you sure this is our guy?" Himuro sweat dropped at the childishness of the old man. "Yeah... No doubt about it. This old man is Gaoh Mukaku." Retsudo's voice was low, sending a tremor down Kisara's spine. This Mukaku was creeping her out. "That's MR. Mukaku to you, whipper-snapper!" Mukaku growled at him. "Is that really him? Are we so sure that this isn't Okubo's grandpa?" Koga glared at the old man. "Who's this Okubo? And that sounds like a slight against this Okubo fella if I ever heard one." Mukaku glared back at the child. "Well, sorry for stopping by unannounced. See, we're here in the Inside looking for Ryuki." Ohma finally attracted the conversation in the right direction. "Ohh, you're friends of Ryuki's? Well, Ryuki was here. I can tell you that much. He dropped by here about a week ago. I've got a couple Safehouses in the Inside, so I reckon he had a tough time tracking me down." Mukaku explained. "Is Ryuki still here?" Ohma asked straight forward. "Nope, he ain't here no more. You just missed him." Kisara didn't believe a word he was saying. "Do you have any ideas of where Ryuki might've gone?" Retsu asked.

"You wouldn't happen to be Metsudo's grandson, would you?" Mukaku was trying to divert the conversation again. "I'm his youngest son. We need to take Ryuki into our protection as soon as possible." Retsu tried to return to the point. "Ohh, you're Metsudo's son, no wonder I saw the resemblance." he stroke his beard, only for his eyes to bulge and start screaming. "Wait, SON?! What kind of stallion IS he?!" Kisara groaned, slapping a hand over her face. "DON'T FUCKING CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Koga yelled at him, frustrated with his senile behaviour. "Hmm... Take him into your protection, eh? Well, he doesn't need any of that. I've trained him real good." he sat down, lighting up a pipe to smoke.  "Are you crazy?! The Worm's not messing around here!" Koga yelled again at him. "Oh, I know. Ryuki and I have been hard at work, exterminating the Work. I let Ryuki fight in the Kengan matches just so the Worm could find him. Ryuki is indispensable to the Worm, so I reckoned they'd send their top men after him. See - Ryuki's a clone of this So-Called Connector that the Worm Worships." Kisara felt the blood freeze in her veins, and she turned her head to look at her husband. She couldn't see the resemblance though. Was she just awful with faces? It wasn't wrong, she could never tell apart family members based on their common features.

Kisara felt a little lost in her own mind again - She was zoning out a little, thinking of what Mukaku might know that could make her piece together some lost puzzle pieces. He knows of the Connector - Does he know him personally? And if yes, could it be possible to know any of her past incarnations? Gah, she can't believe she fell so deep into this ridiculous theory that she doesn't even believe in. That man messed with her mind big time. Rei said he took out a White Worm - If the officer was here, could the Big Boss be here, also?

Mukaku began a story of his youth, from many decades ago when he got in the Inside and took some students in to teach and conquer the place. Though he took a whole crowd of students, only seven of them could keep up - The Seven Nikos. He also confirmed everyone's inkling that the Inside was created by the Worm - The Inside was a huge ass Gu Ritual chamber, like what Agito had to go through, poor man. Kisara couldn't help but shudder, imagining going through that at such a frail age. 

The Seven Nikos, however, began killing each other in the forest where they took a trip, until only two remained - Four, which was Ohma's Master, and Six, the Other Tokita Niko who taught Setsuna. Five and Six claim to had recently defected to the Worm, hence why they betrayed Mukaku - But who knows how true is that, really? Six used Five as an experiment anyway, so he was very much dead to this day. Mukaku continued to go around the country, destroying Worm Bases, until he found baby Ryuki, whom he adopted - Though he claims he didn't know he was the Connector's clone at the time.

With the story over, everyone went outside. Himuro and Ohma were discussing the story while Koga and Mukaku were chopping wood. Kisara stepped over to Retsudo, making a sneaky little plan, involving calling out Mukaku's veritable lies. At some point, Himuro got a got and left. When they were done, they walked over to the old man. "Ryuki has just been taken into our custody." Retsudo said with a straight face. Nothing ever betrayed his emotions. The shock of such a notion tricked Mukaku into turning his head in a direction - The direction where he was keeping Ryuki captive, no doubt. "You haven't killed him yet, I see." caught in his own lie. "His response just confirmed it, Ryuki's still somewhere on the premises, isn't he?" "I said he ain't HERE no more." the old man scoffed in annoyance. "Give it up, old man. It's too late." Ohma warned him. "Wh-What the hell are they talking about, gramps?! Is Ryuki really here?!" Koga screamed at him in disbelief. "I had my doubts about you, all along. From the moment you attacked Ohma, I had my doubts about you. I thought you attacked him because you mistook him for the Connector - But you didn't, did you? You tried to kill Ohma because you mistook him for Ryuki." Retsudo called him out. "Pesky little bugger. I knew I should've killed you when I had the chance." Mukaku growled menacingly. "Where is Ryuki? Tell us now." Ohma spoke sternly.  "I don't know." he shrugged, sitting on a log. "But you do, don't you, you filthy Worm?" Kisara smiled enigmatically. "Yes, look at me. Get a good look at me. You know me too, don't you? The Connector told me all about you. Ah - Or, maybe I should say - Shen told me about you?" the aggressive look in his face as she provoked him made her feel small and terrified, but she masked it well enough. "You have no idea how much I want to see your pretty face contorted with fear and agony as you die in that fucker's arms. Over and over again. I get off on that every time I remember." Kisara felt a shudder down her spine, and she stepped backwards, behind Ohma. Retsudo saved her from Mukaku's wrath, telling the story of the Gaoh Style hoax, and that Gaoh Mukaku actually never existed, but that he was a Remnant of Wowang - The last of the five of the Syndicate to keep alive. Mukaku accepted that he was found out eventually, but wouldn't tell them where Ryuki was. Instead, he got up, stepping menacingly towards them. "I don't think you'd want to fight us, Mukaku. It doesn't matter whether you're a Worm or not. Shen is here, looking for Ryuki as much as we do. And you know what? If he finds out you've cause me any harm, well - It won't end up well for you, will it?" Kisara tried to threaten him, hoping he'd be afraid - He wasn't. He smirked instead. Shit, she only made things worse. He took a weird stance, and so did Retsu and Ohma. "I don't think your words are going to scare him, Kisara. Stay back." Retsu warned her as him and Ohma cautiously took their own stances - Only for Koga to lunge headfirst like a dumbass. Lucky him, Ohma saved him before getting fatally struck by a demon wheel, whilst Retsu went on ahead, slashing away quickly with his knife, but it didn't work. With his Adamantine Kata, Mukaku threw an Ironbreaker punch towards Metsudo's son; Ohma was there to shield him with Indestructible, but the two got thrown away. It was only Kisara left standing.

"Oh shit." she wasn't sure what to do - If Ohma couldn't fight him, she had not even the slightest chance of touching him. Running, though, as good as it sounded... Where could she go? Back to the Underground, maybe? "You're not afraid of Shen, are you?" she sweatdropped, hoping to stall him. For a single second, she actually prayed for the Connector to come over and beat him to death for threatening her like this. "Afraid of him? Ha! I'm gonna rip him to shreds! But before I do that, I'm gonna kill you in front of him - His face watching you die is otherworldly! It's the sweetest revenge I've got!" he lunged at her, making Kisara squeak, terrified, and duck under his arm to run around and evade his hits. To think she'd use her dancing agility and flexibility to learn Wushu moves and save herself from a fucking behemoth. Insane. Absolutely insane.

She should have remained in her bed.

"Stop dancing around, Princess, it ain't gonna save you. I know your tricks - I've already seen you die four times in my life!" Kisara turned to look at him in shock - Four times? How old is he? And not only that, how young was she that she died and was reborn four fucking times?  "Hey, I know I'm pretty, but I don't wanna die young, okay? Gimme a break!" she yelped as she got caught by the end of her swishing long hair, and with a rough tug, Mukaku grabbed her and slammed her into the ground so hard that she thought her spine shattered to dust. Dust to Dust. Pulvis et Pulvis. From the dirt we are born, and to the dirt we return. Fuck this.  "You're just a woman. No matter how strong you are, you can't compare to me. Not even Shen Wulong could save you." as Kisara was struggling to breath through the pain, forcing her vision to unblur, she saw the outline of a fist coming down hard, aiming at her solar plexus. Despite the vertigo, she quickly rolled over and snatched her hair pin, using it as a small dagger which she slammed into his face, slashing it diagonally, blood splashing around - Though he didn't seem phased, the accessory was in shambles on the ground, drowning in her blood.

"I don't need Shen Wulong to save me! I only need Ohma! Fuck off away from me, you psycho! I've got nothing to do with any of this!" she managed to evade and run back to the group, stumbling over her feet and coughing blood in her palms. "Kisara, go with Retsudo. I'll hold him off for you." with a shared look between the two lovers, Kisara begrudgingly agreed and ran with Retsudo and Koga in the direction indicated by Himuro who had contacted them. "Well, at least he said The Connector's name. If that is even it." Kisara muttered, still in pain. 

They arrived at Himuro's location, at a small storehouse - Ryuki must be in the conspicuous cellar. As soon as they opened the doors and went down the stairs, the horrible stench of rot, death and decay made them all feel nauseous to hell. "What's that stench...?" Retsudo growled. "It's a deeply ingrained smell of rot. I doubt this was recent." Himuro noted. "I pity Ryuki if he's really here, having to endure this." Kisara hissed in disgust. "I think I'm gonna throw up." Koga almost hurled, but a single look up, and he saw his friend, shackled up and barely conscious. "You're kidding, right? Does that mean this smell is..." with the fire from the lighter, they saw countless bones, as if the whole cellar was made out of cadavers. Awful.

As Kisara checked for Ryuki's vitals, Mukaku led Ohma to the cellar, promising not to attack again. He affirmed that he was a member of the Wowang Syndicate, and it originated from the Worm. Wowang's leader, Dage, was an aide to the Head of the Worm. Dage went independent from the Worm on the Head's orders and formed a commando unit called Wowang. With this happening over 80 years prior, well - The old man was surely over a century old. No wonder he claims to have seen her die so many times. Wowang's purpose was to crush any organization opposing the Worm, and they were so strong that the leader got the ambition of a King and wanted to crush the Head. He began plotting to get rid of the Head of the Worm, and the absolute ruler of the Worm - The Connector, Shen Wulong.

"So Shen Wulong is the original we were copied from?" Ohma asked. "I'm not sure. You and Ryuki are almost like twins, but... You saw Shen yourself, he doesn't look all that much like you guys. Though maybe that's because he's blond and keeping his hair tied." Kisara thought out loud.  "Tell us more about that. Who is the Connector anyway, and why does the Worm follow him?" Retsudo asked the right questions. "Nobody knows how long he's been around." he continued speaking of an old tale about a safe living deep in the mountains of China since the age of myths. The locals believe him immortals, most likely because all of his descendants have taken the name of Shen Wulong. This sage presumably was mostly harmless and barely interacted with people, though on rare occasions, an 'Aberrant individual' emerged, he says. Around 1300 years ago, when the Connector declared war on the Worm, he defeated the then-Head and brought the Worm under his control. He then started a total war with the Wu clan, who were long-tine antagonists of the Worm. They say he beat them decisively. To think that the Worm and the Connector have been going for so many centuries insane - Nothing ever lasted this long.

"So did the Wu split up 1300 years ago because they lost to the Connector?" Ohma asked, pondering. "I don't know what he was thinking. He might've even thought he was bringing God's wrath on the people who annoyed him - So we began getting ready to kill a God." Mukaku continued to speak of an ace in the hole - The Advance, the Possessing Spirit, was based on this thing. They waited for the moment when the Connector was alone to ambush him in an alleyway, but with undeniable ease and grace, the Connector created an outright bloodbath. A one-sided massacre. He swatted down the Five Kings like flies. With Mukaku being the only survivor, he fled to Japan, changed his name and the whole things with the Nikos went on, and he even did Gu Rituals and what not. 

"You knew Ryuki was a clone, didn't you? That's why you took him in." Kisara pointed out. "Yeah, of course. The current Shen Wulong is a clone of his predecessor. The Worm's been engaging in cloning research, in order to make a more perfect 'Connector'. I attacked a Worm cloning research facility and destroyed it. For whatever reason, most attempts to clone Shen Wulong ended in failure. There haven't been any new clones since I destroyed that facility. Which means that Ryuki is the last existing clone. Funny, right? They'll want Ryuki back at any cost. That's why I sent Ryuki to the Kengan Association and had him announce his location to them. Thanks to him, I can kill Shen Wulong this time around! He's made the perfect bait!" though Mukaku was smug, it was Kisara's turn to laugh at him mockingly, all while Koga was so angry that he was trying to punch the old man. 

"You? Beat Shen? Ha! Prostrating King, you say - You're nothing but an old man who wants revenge, that's what you are. Shen's going to swipe the floor with you. Oh - Maybe it is that you get off on being beaten up by him, huh? Is that it?" she taunted him - He deserved it after the pain he caused her. "You little shit..." the man growled, glaring down at her. Ohma had to hold Koga back before he'd overheat from intense rage and bust his fists again.  "Grandpa... You... Were you just using me...?" Ryuki's betrayed voice made Kisara's heart weep. "Huh? Why else would I keep you around?" the disgust and indifference in his voice earned him a punch in the face from Kisara, who went then to boy to hold him in her arms as if he was her child. "The only reason you're still alive today is 'cause you're the clone of the Connector. That piece of shit wants you back no matter what. Then again, I find it hard to believe - How can a weakling like you be one of his clones, huh? What a failure the last clone turned out to be."

"Look at yourself. You've been alive for a century and still can't get anywhere near Shen's level. Pathetic." Kisara hissed at him harshly. "I understand. You're not my grandpa anymore." Ryuki spoke, defeated, feeling the woman's arms holding him in warm and loving embrace like he's never experienced in his entire life. As they helped the boy get out of the cellar, Ryuki told them how his grandpa punched him out of nowhere, imprisoning him in hopes of re-educating him. What a mad man. As they were discussing about what happened, Ohma spoke about wanting to get the hell away from that god-awful place. Though he's seen plenty of strong people, his power was unfathomable and he doesn't want anything to do with him ever again. "Oh, wait - Can you wait a second? I hair pin - It fell to the ground back at the temple. Do you mind if I go quickly to retrieve it?" Kisara stopped abruptly in her tracks. "Are you sure? You can get another. It's dangerous around that bastard." Ohma warned her, though he could see the conflict in her eyes. "You're not returning for the pin, are you?" "I have a weird feeling in my gut. Does that make sense?" Ohma sighed, nodding his head.  "Alright, fine. We'll wait here, but don't take long. If you're not back in 10, I'm coming over for you." Kisara grinned, kissing his cheek. "I'll back before 10." 

----

If only they knew that just as they were escaping, none other than Shen Wulong visited this damn fraud, looking as calm as ever. "Gaoh Mukaku. I want you to give 'Me' back." Shen ordered leisurely. "You nitwit, you're too late. I got rid of your clone a long time ago. My condolences!" Mukaku cackled at him tauntingly. "You're lying." Shen affirmed. "That's not the kind of man you were in my memories. You wouldn't get rid of a bargaining chip for no reason. You'd use any means at your disposal to survive. I remember you well. You used your comrades as shields just so you'd survive. I'm somewhat impressed by how attached to life you are."

"Haha, guess you really love me, huh? But now I'm just the fraud founder of a phony martial art. But what's wrong with being a fraud? I don't give a damn who I am, as long as I can kill you!" Mukaku laughed, bumping the ends of his arm guards. "Is that so?" Shen sighed, crouching to the ground and picking up the broken hair accessory from the ground. The ornaments on it were scattered in the blood, but it was nothing that couldn't be repaired. Though he wasn't one to get emotional, Shen felt rather pissed off. "You're going to die." he said, comparing himself to the immune system of a single large organism. "I can hear the earth telling me to eliminate you."

Mukaku thought he slashed in two at the Connector, he missed entirely without him even moving at all. He tried multiple tricks, activating booby traps planted throughout the temple, using swift assassination methods, but Shen threw him of with the flick of a single finger. "You're strong, I admit. I assume only a handful of the people close to me would be able to beat you." Mukaku hid inside the temple. "Hey, I haven't finished complimenting you yet. The first backhand punch was a good move. You drew my attention to your gauntlets while throwing iron pellets at me, and those were pretty powerful. They could kill a man if they landed right." he said nonchalantly, not bothering to move an inch. "Splintering the wall to blind me was a good move, too. Personally, I would've thrown in a few iron pellets in the splinters - If they landed, that's a few free hits." Mukaku was angry beyond belief. "You pretended you'd face me with martial arts only to use hidden weapons, duck and hide, sneak around and scheme. You were prepared for me, weren't you? I admire your tenacity."

Through the thin wall of the temple, Mukaku tried to impale Shen with a lance - The tip of it, of course, was pinched easily between his fingers. "Very meticulous. You should be long past your physical prime by now. I assume you're doping to make up for your declining muscles and reflexes, aren't you? It's a miracle that you're alive at your age." he spoke simply. "But that is one fortune that Ruyi was never blessed with." Mukaku could feel his heart stop in fear. He fucked up. "No, no, don't worry, it's not just for today, but for every time you hurt her, that I'm going to enjoy playing with you." Mukaku was unable to say a single thing, watching how easy it was for the Connector to pinch the blade away. "Ah, just so we're clear, I don't have Superman Syndrome. This isn't about power, it's about technique. One second thought, maybe even that's not the right word either. Principles? Yeah sounds right - All I'm doing is holding down the point of the force - Anyone can do that if they know how it works. No, wait, maybe Ruyi couldn't. I wouldn't want her to cut her delicate hands. She always gets papercuts." he hummed out of nowhere, as the long handle of the spear broke, and he smirked. "I'm so angry that I want to play with you a bit longer. I'll give you the chance to kill me." 

He's just getting more and more dangerous, Mukaku realised, freaking out - What the hell kind of monster is he anyway? "Hmm, will this do?" Shen hummed, cracking his fingers. "I've relocated my tendons and suppressed my muscle power output. I also limited my joints' range of motions. I brought my neuro-transmission speed down to the lowest setting and shut down some of my brain's circuits." Shen smiled, ready to destroy the man before him. "I've come down to your level. Let me enjoy this moment. Don't die yet, okay?" with that, Shen punched Mukaku the hell away from him.  Mukaku tried again to get up and attack, but was struck down with a simple arm sweep. "Too slow. Your body's awfully sluggish - You're almost not worth killing. Are these your senses in action? They must be a real handicap." Mukaku kicked a loose board from the ground, hitting Wulong in the chin and trying to beat him down into the ground with the Ironbreaker, only to get sent flying by the man who easily liberated himself. "Not bad, not bad at all, Mukaku." Shen smirked, wiping the blood off his face. "You wanna have another go? Or should I end this already?" he dug his hands in his pockets once again. "Hmm, I'm picking up an exceptional hatred from you - Shouldn't that be the other way around? I know what you've done today. But choice, really." he hummed, not twitching a single muscle. "Maybe you hate my former self for killing your comrades in Wowang? But I thought they were just total strangers to you." "Before that. Dig a little deeper into you memories." Mukaku struggled to speak between his panting. "Hmmm~?" after a few seconds of deep thinking and pondering, Wulong finally gasped theatrically with a lightbulb realisation. "You're that boy!" Mukaku's vendetta against Shen Wulong started in China, about 85 years ago.

The Connector once had three groups under his command - The Worm, the Westward Faction and the Dragon Tribe, who were descendants of Long Min, the Hero of the Chu Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn period. They were friends, sharing the same name of the dragon, yet Shen Wulong felt betrayed. Long Yi disagreed with the Worm research involving the cloning - Though he didn't mind the Huisheng reincarnations. Cloning is a violation of the natural order, a heresy.  Shen Wulong didn't want to kill his friend - All of the Dragon Tribe was already dead. Of course, the old friend wasn't going to retreat, that was the way of the general. He allowed Long Yi to attack while his back was turned, but just like the others, he fell dead, to the ground, with a single strike. In spite of his quick death, Long Yi managed to leave Wulong's first injury in years. The only man left standing was Long Xiu, a young warrior of 15 years old, who would later be known as Gaoh Mukaku. Long Xiu was Long Yi's grandson. It was then that the current Shen Wulong realised that the Wowang Syndicate conspired against him, all instigated by Mukaku.

"Yi was a good man, but he made one mistake - He didn't kill a bastard like you." Mukaku attacked him with the Long clan secret technique, Dragon's Maw Fist, but of course, it did nothing. "Awe, man, you're a real two-timer." "Oh shut up, fuck-wit!! I'd turn to the Gods and the Demons if they'd help me kill you!!" Mukaku growled at him. "Aaaaand you've lost me. I've had enough of this." Shen rolled his eyes, bored out of his mind with his repetitive antics. All of a sudden, a rustle was heard, and a few soft footsteps followed. "Hey, psycho geezer, did you steal my pin? I know I used it to slash your face, but - You've gotta hand it to me, it's your fault you attacked me! I just defended myself! ... My spine still hurts like hell though. If I need spine surgery because of you, I'll sue you for ten generations." Shen's eyes widened, and he turned his head to see the beautiful young woman struggling to step through the rubbles of the destroyed temple. As soon as she rose her head to look for the old man, she saw not only him, but Shen also - The shock and fright were evident on her face, and she looked like a deer surrounded by predators. "I... Should not have returned. I, uh... I-... I'll leave. Bye!" panicked, she tried to leave the temple immediately - She was, thankfully, just at the entrance, though even there, she unknowingly stepped on a trap that would be slashed her to fish-bite pieces, were it not for a strong force tackling her to the ground. "Sh-Shen...?" she gulped, feeling his strong arms keeping her safe and shielded from danger. Looking up, she saw the overly sharp piano wires that would have easily cut her in pieces as if she was a Happy Tree Friends character. "Oh my god, you psycho, what the hell is this?! You almost killed me - Again!" her body's reaction was to spring away from Wulong's arms and run the hell away - But he didn't let her.

"I can't believe my bait returned willingly. You thought yourself smart, but you died a fucking dumbass each and every time. It's your fault you died, you know? And his, for not protecting you." Mukaku put on a gas mask and readied his sword. "I almost shattered your spine, and you return for a hair pin? Ha! You deserve to die, woman." Kisara squeaked in fear as Mukaku, with incredible swiftness, brought down the sword, ready to slash her and Shen where they stood - But somehow, defying the laws of physics was a regular thing for the Connector, who kept her safe, held by one arm to his chest, his hand placed over her mouth and nose as if to prevent her from breathing, while the other hand caught the blade.  "Terrible decision, really." Shen glared at Mukaku. "Not even close." "Yeah, you're right - But this should do the trick!" Mukaku used Indestructible on the blade, cutting Wulong's hand into bleeding. "Shen - You're bleeding! Let go of the blade!" Kisara managed to speak through his fingers.

"Don't worry about me. Try to keep from breathing as much as you can. This cheap bastard flooded the room with Carbon Monoxide. It's just one thing after another." as instructed, Kisara picked up the handkerchief from her sleeve and pressed it to his face to help him with the breathing."Very kind of you - But I'm fine. I don't need to breathe. Use it for yourself, Ruyi." Shen told Mukaku that the man who killed his clan was his previous iteration, and some illogical shit about stopping the breathing process, to slow the aging process. He then easily got up, throwing away the sword and kicking him in the face. "Did you seriously think you could outdo us? How asinine." Shen used the sword to impale Mukaku's shoulder. "Running away? You don't have that privilege anymore. I told you - I've grown tired of you." "Are you sure you wanna kill me?! If I die, Ryuki dies too! I'm the only one who knows where he is! Are you just gonna let yourself die?!" Mukaku spat, desperate to live. "Ryuki's safe with us! Stop lying, you jerk!" Kisara soon started coughing - The Monoxide was beginning to take effect. "How come you're so obsessed over Ryuki anyway?! Ain't Tokita Ohma one of your clones too?! Why does it gotta be Ryuki?!" Mukaku was, no doubt, trying to prolong his suffering. "Hey, don't you dare bring my husband into this! He already died once, I don't need you getting him in another situation, you bastard!" Kisara hissed at him. "Besides - Don't act as if you ever cared for Ryuki! You're just an evil man. A traitor." "Oh man. Yan's gonna give me hell for everything I've done lately. Well - You're gonna be dead anyway, so there's no harm in telling you!" Shen sighed in realisation. "W-Wait! Don't say it! I don't want to die because of his curiosity!" the woman stepped backwards, gulping slightly. "...Don't worry. I don't think you'd get it, even if I told you." he smiled condescendingly down at Mukaku. "Tokita Ohma... Is not me." "HUH?!" Mukaku was on the ground, bleeding heavily. "Wait, hold the GODDAMN PHONE! What the hell are you talking about?! You can't expect me to believe that bullshit! I mean - Have you seen the guy?! He's the spitting image of Ryu...?!" Gaoh gasped loudly, as Shen was vibing with a dark, killing aura. "Yeah, I think you've figured it out by now." with an effortless swing of his wrist, Shen snapped Mukaku into pieces. "So die." Kisara had to jump back behind Shen, so all the blood wouldn't splatter on her. "Three times. You're the first person who's made three attempts on my life, and on Ruyi's. Looks like third time wasn't the charm, after all."

Shen turned around, throwing away the blade, looking down at the woman who looked uncomfortable and outright fearing him. "Ruyi." he called out, before quickly correcting himself. "No, sorry - You're called Kisara now, right? Kisara. I won't mistake it again." he gently put a finger under her chin, raising it up to make her look at him. "What do you see?" Though he could see the fear in her eyes, there was also deep confusion, and he couldn't blame her. There were far too many things to find out, in a single day, out of which few made sense. "I still don't think you look like Ohma at all." the comment earned a small huff of amusement from him. "So... Are you going to kill me, now that I know your secret about Ohma?" Shen didn't say anything - Instead, he retriever the pin from his pocket, along with all the broken accessories. "Did it save you?" Though Kisara had no idea why he'd change the subject like that, she nodded nonetheless. "Yeah. I... I used your name to get a rise out of him, hoping he'd tell us where Ryuki was without a fight. But, uhm... He threatened to use me as bait and kill me in front of you. For the... Fifth time, he said. Or, uh... Maybe he just meant he knew I died four times during his life. I'm not sure. He was weird." he uncomfortably scratched the back of her neck. "I was weak. I couldn't evade his attacks and he grabbed me. Slammed be to the ground, tried to punch my guts out. Before he could though, I slashed away at his face and ran away." she hung her head down, feeling guilty looking at the beautiful yet broken accessory. "I'm sorry. I know it must have meant a lot for you, and I broke it." "A pin isn't worth more than your life, silly girl." he spoke with an amused tone. "I'll just get it repaired and return it. It's yours, not mine."

"But, Shen - It means nothing to me. Ruyi means nothing to me. Maybe you believe that it's my reincarnation, in the real sense, not the Huisheng sense - But even so, you're the only one who knows of Ruyi, and... All my supposed past selves." she explained softly. "That could be solved. I remember every incarnation you had - Or at least those who managed to live past a certain age. Unfortunately, there weren't all that many." Kisara looked down, feeling a weird pang of pain in her chest. "I have to go, Shen. I'm sorry." she looked into his eyes. "I will accept the pin, if you want me to have it... And I'll keep the secret to myself, even though I didn't understand it at all. I don't want to die, but more than that, I don't want Ohma, nor my friends to die." she sighed, extending her hand towards him. "But Shen - I am married. And I love Ohma more than I love life itself." Instead of looking or even emanating anger or any negative emotion, Shen smiled, placing the pin in her hand, closing it for her. "As long as you're happy."

A loud gasp of complete and utter shock resounded through the desolated temple, and a man who looked similar, but much prettier than Xia Ji was looking at the two with huge eyes. Realising he was someone strong and important to the Worm, Kisara instinctively tried to step away, only for her back to his Shen's.

"What's wrong, Yan? Cat got your tongue?" Shen asked, oblivious. "Oh, come on, gimme a break! How'd you get injured?!" this Yan crumbled to the ground, having a mental crisis. "Something weighing you down?" Shen asked, even more confused. "You are, you moron." Yan groaned pitifully. "U-Uhm... Mr. Yan?" Kisara spoke in a mousy voice. "Shen got injured because of me. Forgive me." she crouched to his level, putting a gentle hand on his arm and helping him up. "After all the shit he's pulled over the years, this is how he ends up. Pathetic." that man, the Other Tokita Niko, gruffed at Mukaku's corpse. "Oh no, what have you done?! What's with her?!" Yan's overreaction made her step back away from him again. "Uhm... I-I think I should get going." she stole a look at the Connector, seeking permission to get the hell away from there. "Yeah, sure. Take care." Kisara didn't need another word, she was already rushing away - Only for a man looking around her age or younger, with the obvious Kure eyes, blocked her exit, towering over her. A lankier man, just like him, trailed just behind. "Gilbert, what crawled up Yan's ass and died?" so this was Gilbert Wu. Kisara felt surrounded by what seemed to be the whole Small Council of the Connector, as if she was in Game of Thrones or something. She looked at Shen again, waiting for him to give the signal for Gilbert to step away from the exit so she could bolt off. "Ah, yeah - I know this really good jeweller for that pin. He should repair it in a week or so." "Lovely!" Kisara forced a smile. "I, uh -- See ya!" she bolted the hell away.

Thankfully, on the way back, she met Ohma who was already rushing her way. "No questions. Let's run the hell away. I'll tell you when we get out of the Inside. My brain is imploding." Ohma blinked, perplex, but questioned nothing. "Fine. Let's go."

Thankfully, they managed to get the hell away from this awful place, and while Retsu and Himuro took care of Ryuki, while Ohma, Kisara and Koga went to the manager's office. Here, they were greeted with open arms, and great news on TV - The Kengan Anti-Worm Alliance was going splendidly, and most of them, even the officers, were either killed or detained. The Worm Purge was going quickly. 

"Wait, is it over then?" Koga gasped, looking at the TV. "It's not." the woman gulped. "The Connector is alive. His subordinates are alive. The Other Tokita Niko is alive. Gilbert Wu is alive." she bit her lip hard. "Ohma, you said Gaoh Mukaku was a monster. The Monster is Shen Wulong. He toyed with Mukaku like he was a ragdoll. He outright destroyed him." "You met the Connector again?" Kisara nodded. "I don't know how I'm still alive, but by the Gods alive, there's nothing scarier than being surrounded by those guys." finally, she could sit down - Her legs felt like giving out. "We've got a lot of problems on our side - And, Ohma - Shen said something weird. I don't quite get the implication, but... He said... You are not HIS clone, but Ryuki is."  "Wait, but Ohma and Ryuki look the same, don't they?" Ohma, Kisara, Koga, Yamashita, Kaede and Rin all looked at each other with wide, scared eyes. 

Is there more than one Connector out there?!

< Previous Chapter

#kengan ashura #kengan ashura imagine #kengan ashura x reader #tokita ohma #tokita ohma imagine #tokita ohma x reader #hatsumi sen #wakatsuki takeshi #gaoh ryuki #narushima koga #katahara retsudo #himuro ryo #mikazuchi rei #shen wulong #xia yan #gilbert wu #tokita niko #gaoh mukaku #kengan ashura x oc #tokita ohma x oc #kengan omega x oc #kengan omega imagine #kengan omega x reader #kengan omega

[millenniumdueled]

it's been almost a month since battle city.

Yugi lounges on his bed, the ancient golden box where he keeps his most precious cards open beside him. Carefully, he takes three cards from inside, violet-red eyes gazing over each one as he fans them out in hand. The God Cards.

It seems so hard to believe that these three pieces of cardstock could hold so much power. Could hold the key to the Pharaoh's memories, to the name of Yugi's other half. Marik had killed over these cards.

Yet, in his small hands, they seem so unassuming. As delicate as any other Duel Monsters cards. Not even prismatic.

He runs a thumb over The Winged Dragon of Ra, its mysterious, hieratic text now invisible. The card that had almost killed his best friend. Would it just be useless without his other half to read the script?

If the Millennium Items returned to Egypt, would he at least be able to keep these trophies? Would he still have something left, some proof of his Other Half and their adventures together?

He rearranges the cards in hand, bringing Obelisk the Tormentor to the front. The god that Kaiba had commanded, the spoils of a battle predicted in stone 3,000 years ago. Would he be able to give Kaiba a chance to reclaim his great diety once it's seen its duty fulfilled? Kaiba had been devastated by his loss in the semi finals, but when their eyes met before he flew off to another country, Yugi swore that man had looked happy for the first time since they met.

Would the two of them ever have that drink together?

"Something on your mind, Partner?" the warm voice comes from inside his heart, and Yugi hums quietly in response. His free hand wraps around the chain, against the base of the Millennium Puzzle. His treasure.

"just. thinking about the tournament. so much crazy stuff happened, it's kind of weird to think how fast we just went back to normal... it almost feels like it was all a dream."

"I think we were all ready for that nightmare to end," his other self chuckles, but there's a note of sadness in his usual performative confidence.

Yugi doesn't respond immediately.

Was the nightmare really over? It still creeps into his sleeping consciousness. The feeling of his body dissolving into the shadows like acid. The fear of losing everything.

His grip on the chain tightens.

He takes a deep breath.

"yup. and now you can get your memories back!"

Now it's the spirit's turn to go quiet.

The seconds tick by in silence.

"When I made up my mind to chase them, I had no idea it would be.. So soon. I thought I would be searching for years..."

"so it's great you didn't have to."

"I'm not going to leave you yet, Partner."

Yugi's chest tightens. He stares down at the cards in hand once again. Just unassuming cardstock. What would happen if someone tore them in two? It would be so easy.

"i know. but whenever you're ready to unlock them... i'll support you. no matter what, other me."

Once again, silence falls inside Yugi's heart.

"...What if I was a cruel king?"

"no way."

"I caused so much pain when I awoke. All I knew was some wicked sense of violent justice. What if I forget the kindness you've taught me when I remember my past--"

"you won't." Yugi cuts him off before his other half can finish the thought. "even if you were cruel before... you aren't now. i can feel your heart, other me. knowing who you were... won't change who you are now."

Silence again, but it's different this time. Yugi can feel the warmth inside his heart.

With a sudden, loud sigh, Yugi half tosses the invaluable cards back into their sarcophagus before hopping up to his feet to stretch.

"ooookay! enough sitting around, we should probably eat something, and then we can find something fun to do!!" he announces loudly, changing the subject before the melancholy swallows them up and drowns them both.

#ooc #I started this without knowing where I wanted to go with it #is it obvious lol #drabbles #ic action

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 99.2

Squee goes up against four aliens in the first game of the competition.

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

--

Greatest in the Galaxy Part 2

Planet Tourney in the Andromeda Galaxy was designed for games, contests, competitions, and tournaments of all kinds. The whole planet- its surface, underground, and even the sky- serves this purpose.

Much of the planet is split into sections; each section is built for different games, holds different stadiums, or has dormitories uniquely designed to remind guests of their home planets.

Grounds B is designed to look like a generic abandoned city, with hundreds of empty buildings, some derelict. Somewhere amidst these buildings sits a single red flag.

Somewhere else in the fake city, Squee appears beside his opponents- Mixa of Irk, Nimbel of Swif’el, Screwn of Techon-3, and Bikeps of Mus’ular. From the sky, they can hear announcer Mic.

“First player to find the flag wins the game! Ready!”

Squee flinches as the other players get into a ready position.

“Go!”

They all look at him, murder in their eyes. They swing at him simultaneously but he jumps over them, lands on Bikeps head, and leaps away into the shadows of the surrounding building.

“Get him!” Mixa barks.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Irken,” Bikeps snarls, “or it’ll be your head I crush.”

“Uh oh, what’s this? Seems the opposing players have silently decided to take out the new guy first! This is a common practice when newbies are in the game. Will Squee be able to survive?”

The four aliens race around the buildings, searching for Squee who has disappeared from their sight. But not from the sight of the cam-bots. One buzzes next to him as he hides next to a wall, panting worriedly.

“Why are they ganging up on me?” he whines, “why can’t they just kill each other? It would make my job a lot easier.” On Earth, his friends are watching him on Tak’s TV.

“Poor Squee,” Tenna remarks.

“He’ll be fine,” Johnny insists, “once he gets over his anxiety, nobody will be able to stop him.” “I think so too,” Maddie agrees, “it’s like when I sing in front of people. It’s nerve wracking at first, but then I get lost in the music.”

Back in the game, Squee flinches as he hears someone coming. He quickly jumps onto a windowsill and scurries like a squirrel all the way up to the roof just before Screwn comes around the corner.

“Not much is known about Earthanoids, but if Squee is anything to go by, their speed and agility could match Swifs.”

Squee crouches on the roof as he watches Screwn go by below. Not far he can see Nimbel also searching around.

“Fine,” he snarls, “they want me, they’ll have to find me first. And while they’re looking for me, I’ll look for the flag.” Silent as a ghost and almost as light, Squee leaps across to a neighbouring building.

Not far below, Mixa’s antennae twitch and she looks up. Spider legs extend out of her PAK and she scales the wall of the building.

“Hey, isn’t that cheating?” Pepito asks in the stadium.

“Technically no. Since Irkens cannot survive without our PAKs, they don’t count as physical enhancements,” Tak replies.

“Psh,” he scoffs.

Mixa crawls along the roofs with her spider legs, following the twitches of her antennae. She takes a sudden dive between the shadows of two buildings and stops, looking around suspiciously. Her antennae have gone still.

“Where did you go?” she mutters.

A cam-bot quietly follows Squee’s movements as he slinks through the shadows. Mixa senses him and spins, but he mimics her, keeping her back to him, and strikes like a snake.

He slips between her spider legs and grabs her mouth with one hand and both antennae with the other. She doesn’t have time to fight back as he squeezes, causing a paralyzing shock to shoot up her body.

“You’re too much of an issue,” he snarls and tugs hard. She gasps in pain before falling unconscious.

“Amazing! Squee of Earth has incapacitated Mixa of Irk!”

The stadium erupts into roars of outrage. Beneath it all, the Battalion cheers, as do their friends on Earth.

Squee gently lays Mixa’s body on the ground and gets ready to take off again when a chill shoots up his spine. He looks back and sees Bikeps come around the corner.

“Found you!” he cheers and charges, his heavy footfalls smashing the ground with each step. Squee flinches with surprise and barely ducks beneath the alien’s giant fist, making him punch the wall behind him.

“No use resisting, little one,” Bikeps says as he swings at him again and Squee leaps back. “You may be able to take down an Irken with their tiny bodies, but I have no weaknesses.”

“You kinda do,” Squee argues, “you don’t pay attention to your surroundings.” “Huh?” he grunts questionably and Squee points up. The wall Bikeps punched is crumbling, causing the building to come crashing down.

“Uh oh,” Bikeps whimpers as the rubble tumbles down onto him. Squee jumps back well out of the way and continues through the city.

“Incredible! Bikeps of Mus’ular is down while Squee remains unharmed!”

Squee races through the streets, checking each corner as he passes. He sees no sign of his remaining two opponents, but he skids to a stop as he spots a dot of red amidst the drab greys and browns.

“The flag!” he gasps and starts to run for it but stops when he hears a little patter-patter. He looks around the corner and sees Screwn charging his way.

“Stop right there, alien!” he barks in a high-pitched voice.

Squee watches as the knee-high alien runs up to him and pushes against his legs, grunting angrily. He cocks his eyebrow with bewilderment and picks up Screwn by the back of his body suit, like a kitten.

“Wow, you really got the disadvantage here, huh,” he remarks, “I mean, that Irken could use her PAK, but you can’t use anything?”

Screwn sighs heavily as he limply hangs from Squee’s grip. “It’s the Irken domination.”

“Right. Well, kudos for trying anyway.”

Squee hangs the little alien off of a screw sticking out of the wall like a picture frame before running off. He quickly approaches a kind of town square with the flag stuck in the middle. He starts to smile with relief when he sees, across the clearing, Nimbel also enter from a different road.

They both gasp as they spot each other, the flag an equal distance away.

Nimbel drops onto all six limbs and takes off at an amazing speed, almost a blur on the viewing screens.

“This could be it, folks! Across the galaxy, the speed of the Swifs is unmatched! Surely a bipedal creature like Squee doesn’t stand a chance!”

“Come on, Squee,” Johnny urges from Tak’s living room. “Show ‘em what you can do.”

Squee scowls. As his foot steps onto the ground, dust rises up around it. There’s a crackling like electricity before he suddenly picks up speed and zooms across the square, the ground cracking as his feet leave it.

“Amazing! Incredible! Who would’ve guessed Earthanoids possessed such speed! It’s neck-and-neck! Who will reach the flag first?”

Two blurs fly towards the flag. Everyone watches with bated breath, on the edge of their seats, as Squee and Nimbel reach out.

There’s a sudden flash of light and the camera feeds cut. On the stadium ground, the flag appears with Squee and Nimbel gripping either side of it. They crash into each other and crumple to the ground, still holding onto the flag.

“Woo, he did it,” Devi sighs with relief.

“I told you,” Johnny says, “Squee may not be competitive, but he loves to win.”

“Amazing! Incredible! Unbelievable! It’s a tie, between Squee of Earth and Nimbel of Swif’el! This awards both teams five points!”

The stadium erupts into excited cheers. Squee and Nimbel lift their heads, slightly dazed, and look at each other. They both flinch defensively and jump back onto their feet.

Squee glances around, finally noticing they’re back in the stadium. He stares with disbelief at the cheering crowd and the scoreboard hologram overhead, displaying Earth and Swif’el tied for first with five points.

“I...I won?” he questions.

“We tied,” Nimbel spits, “ridiculous. That I could be considered an equal with the likes of you.”

“Well, like it or not, we seem pretty equal from where I’m standing,” Squee smiles, pointing to the scoreboard.

“It won’t stay that way for long.”

“You’re right. Pretty soon, you’ll be in second.”

“No, I mean...ah, forget it.”

“Huh?” Squee questions and watches as she walks away, dejected. “Hm. Even I’m better at smack talk than that.”

He starts to walk away when pain shoots up his legs. Wincing, he grips his thighs and continues a little slower. When he returns to his team’s sky box, he’s met with cheers and hugs.

“That was amazing, Squee!” Pepito exclaims, peppering him with kisses.

“Not a bad way to start the games,” Dib remarks.

“I would prefer a solid win,” Zim says, “but I suppose a tie is good enough.”

“I’m happy to meet the bare minimum of standards,” Squee replies.

“Are you injured?” Shmoopy asks worriedly.

“I think I just pulled a muscle when I did that super speed.”

“Well, I should still look you over,” she insists and points to the table and chairs. “Please, have a seat.”

“Hey, dorks, get over here,” Gaz demands from the balcony. “They’re announcing the next round.” Everyone but Squee and Shmoopy quickly hurry out to watch as the hologram screen shows the players of the five teams on separate lists. A name from each team starts getting randomly selected.

“Now it’s time for today’s battle! And the players shall be...Tav of Irk, Olap of Swif’el, Wirez of Techon-3, Peccs of Mus’ular, and Gaz of Earth!”

“Gaz?” Dib gasps, horrified.

She smirks darkly. “Yes.”

#invader zim #invader zim fanfiction #johnny the homicidal maniac #johnny the homicidal maniac fanfiction #iz jthm crossover #myocs #myart

[bleachanimefan1]

Desert Flower Part 23

The Final Tournament,

The day of the tournament had come. Yuri walked into the stadium to see it completely packed from shinobi from other villages who had come to see the matches. She saw Shikamaru, Shino, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara standing the in middle, waiting. There was another exam proctor, waiting as well. Yuri noticed that Dosu was nowhere to be seen, and so was Naruto and Sasuke.

"Where's Dosu? I'm supposed to be fighting him but he's not even here..." Yuri thought to herself, wondering. "He's definitely not that kind of guy to just quit. And Naruto's not here as well as Sasuke. Where the heck are they?"

After a while, there was still no sign of Naruto or Sasuke. It was only a few minutes left before the matches were going to start. Yuri began pacing, getting a little worried.

"Did something happen? She thought to herself before she glanced over at Gaara with a suspicious look. "Don't tell he actually did it." She recalled what he said back at the hospital when he threatened her, Naruto and Shikamaru.

"I will kill you all."

Yuri shivered, shaking the thought from her mind. Then there was a sudden loud noise heard from the rear entrance of the stadium.

Naruto flew directly at Yuri, and he slammed into her. Yuri screamed as she was knocked back and she crashed into someone else. She groaned as sat up, rubbing her side, still painfully throbbing from Naruto had hit her.

"Ow. That hurt-" Yuri paused when she realized that she was sitting on top of someone. Gaara. She felt her heart racing getting faster and faster and started to sweat, getting a little nervous. Oh crap...

Temari and Kankuro stood, stunned, with a look of panic in their eyes.

Gaara's eyes were widened a little in shock as well before they turned dark as he glared at her.

"Get off." 

Yuri immediately quickly got up, taking a step back away from Gaara. Gaara got up.

"I'm sorry-It was an accident, although it was kind of Naruto's fault! I-I didn't mean to bump into you- Yuri stammered, drifting off a little, nervously. Gaara said nothing and turned away from her with his arms crossed.

Yuri quickly turned back to Naruto, glaring at him angrily saw he sitting up, rubbing his head.

"Naruto...!" Yuri growled. Naruto's eyes went wide as saucers and Yuri grabbed him by his collar, pulling him up and started shaking him.

"What's the big idea!?" She demanded.

"It's not my fault! There's a huge herd of stampeding bulls coming this way!" Naruto shouted. Yuri frowned.

"What bulls?"

Naruto looked around, only to find the competitors who were staring back at him, noticing Sasuke wasn't among them. "Hey, where's Sasuke?"

"He's not here. And Dosu, isn't, either." Yuri told him. Naruto's eyes widen.

"You don't think..." He whispered.

"I hope not." Yuri spoke.

"That's enough talking." the exam proctor spoke. "It's time to face your spectators. In this tournament, you guys are the main stars." Yuri looked up at the stadium, seeing many people from different countries. Sitting high above were the two leaders from the Leaf and Sand Village. The Hokage and Kazekage.

Yuri saw Kankuro and Temari grew tense when they saw the Kazekage and noticed Gaara glaring at him. The Third Hokage stood up.

"Thank you everyone for coming to the Hidden Leaf Chunin Exam Selection!" He announced. "We will start the main tournament matches. Between the nine participates who made it through the preliminaries! Please stay and watch until the end!"

The exam proctor stepped up and held out a chart in front of everyone. "I'd like to tell you something before we start the matches." He spoke. "There has been changes made to the tournament. I'm giving you a chance again to check to see who you are fighting."

Yuri's eyes widen in surprise to see her name has been moved up and Dosu crossed out. 

"Did he really forfeit?"

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

"What?" The proctor asked.

"Sasuke's not even here yet. What are you gonna do?" Naruto asked.

"If he isn't here by the time his match starts then he will lose by default." The proctor said before looking at everyone else. "Alright, this is the final test. The arena is different, but the rules are still the same as the preliminaries. You fight until one of you is dead or admits defeat. But I will also step in when I determine if the fight is over. You got it?"

No one said a word.

"Now, the first match is Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga. Those two will stay here and the rest of you will go to the waiting room."

Naruto and Neji stayed, and everyone left the arena, heading to the waiting room. As Yuri walked in, she saw Shikamaru a little further away, watching over the railings, Shino was leaning against the wall, Kankuro, Temari and Gaara, waiting by the railings to watch the match. 

Yuri slowly made her way over towards the Sand team, standing next to Temari and Gaara. Kankuro blinked in surprise when he saw her walk over.

"Is this spot taken?" Yuri asked.

"Yuri?" Temari spoke, surprised. Gaara ignored her as he looked down, to watch Naruto's match. Yuri looked down to see Naruto and Neji facing each other about to fight.

#fanfiction #read more #naruto gaara #naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto anime #naruto oc #naruto manga

[terareflection]

More Self Indulgent Tekken x KOF writings, now with straight pairings.

Summary: Chizuru gets tired of her old idiots and finds some new ones in a motorcycle race. 

Pairings: implied Jin Kazama/Chizuru Kagura, inplied Hwoarang/Chizuru

Fandoms: Tekken, King of Fighters

--------

The wind, sharp but calming, always felt good against his skin. It reminded him of his younger days. Of the kind forest that gave back as long he also gave to it in return, of his home in the clearing, a pure white cot where lessons were learned but always added to his growth, and of his Mother, whom he relied on more than he was willing to admit, her kind words and hard lessons stayed with him throughout his life. He always found himself thinking of her when making even basic choices. She was his rock. Without her, he felt so empty. 

Riding his motorbike helped with that a little. 

3 am. Young punks with age-old egos are lining up with their bikes. They are having their biweekly race. They talk smack all foolishly confident they can establish their worthless dominance and win. Jin Kazama knows better, however. Their self-built bikes are no match for his state-of-the-art machine. Made by the powerful company which he runs. 

It's a good way to kill time at least, and he's there; right next to him in fact. It should be a little fun. 

"Motherfucker, shouldna have shown your face here." He looked straight ahead. The pretty host was announcing the rules. No one listened, obviously.

Jin couldn't help by smile. "We both know I am the only one who gets you even slightly excited." Jin was the first to establish eye contact. The man had red-orange hair held back by goggles, which of course, he never actually wore. More a fashion statement than anything. It always irked Jin that he rode with no eye protection. Dumbass probably had more than a few bugs in his eyes. 

Hwoarang, the Blood Talon, finally looked back at him. If he had debris in his eyes, it didn't show. His hazel eyes were sharp and clear. "I was having a good fuckin' day, about to trash these shits, but you ride right next to me? Are you mental? Just cuz' you own everything, you think you own me too? Motherfucker, I will wash you!"

Hwoarang revved up his bike, drowning out his voice and any coming retorts. Jin felt a little hurt by that remark about his recent proprietorship. When he defeated his Grandfather in the last tournament, he took over the company. The Mishima Zaibatsu created and supplied the world with their weapons, so in a sense, he really did own everything. Jin wondered if his sudden wealth hurt Hwoarang in some way. 

The thought went away quickly, he was right to some extent, he did want to own him, dominate and dismantle him, and recreate him in his own image. It was obviously a fate worse than death in Hwoarang's case, but in Jin's, it was a blessing, an honor that Jin Kazama took time out of his day to destroy him. Jin would always remember him.  

Strange, though, thoughts like these used to scare him. 

Maybe the devil was right; they were one and the same after all.

The host held up the flag, the highway got loud, and The race was going to begin. 

Jin also revved up his bike. It was time to dominate. 

She brought down the flag and a roaring tidal wave of motorcycles and black smoke enveloped her. 

The wind whipped his face. He smashed that gas pedal. He sped past a gaudy racer. Then effortlessly swerved in between two other bikes. Hwoarang was at the lead, Speeding past a usually busy intersection. He passed through just when the light turned red. 

Jin wasn't going to make it, but it wasn't much of an issue. As traffic started, he thumbed at a button. The trusters activated from both sides of his bike. Another button press had them at a downward angle, and Jin took to the skies. He sailed over a car, then bunny hopped over a truck. His thrusters reactivated and he flew across the rest of the street to safety. He landed gracefully on the other side. He left the rest of the group balking and cursing at the stoplight. Too dangerous to attempt to pass. 

It wasn't long until Jin caught up with Hwoarang. Jin thought to cheat again with the thrusters. But no. He felt better defeating Hwoarang on his terms. He smashed on the pedal and kept going. The finish line was close. Hwoarang always did what he could to win, he tiled towards Jin and rammed his bike against him. This ended up slowing both of them down. It shouldn't have mattered. They were the only two close to finishing anyway. 

What happened next was so sudden that neither man could still believe it to this day. 

When Hwoarang rammed into Jin, they bounced off each other like bowling balls. It almost knocked Jin to the side of the street.  Hwoarang went the in opposite direction. Another bike then sped past them in a blur to the finish line. He took advantage of them, and he won. 

The flag waved. The two men were dumbfounded as this other rider was declared the winner. 

The pretty host congratulated the winner as the rest of the group piled onto the finish line. They were going the speed limit knowing that their time for glory was over. A good number flipped off the hostess and left. Some started fights that were quickly put down by the organization running the event. Jin didn't care much because they were on his payroll anyways. He was more interested in the winner. 

He got off a sleek, black machine with white highlights. His biker suit matched the motorcycle. He looked like a professional racer. He was tall and the heavy padding gave him a strong and bulky physique. He still had his helmet on when he dismounted and walked toward the hostess. 

"You want to give the crowd some words, man?" "Think you earned some shit talk after that finish."

The dwindling "crowd" seemed to all hold a breath in unison. The man removed his helmet and long flowing hair spilled out. The man was a woman all caked in makeup, and wearing rose red lipstick. Her expression was stony. 

"I don't really have anything to say. I, uhh, enjoyed myself? Thank you." Her voice was high-pitched and almost musical. It reminded Jin of a fairy. 

The devil tells him that this woman would present a great danger to him. To everything. She was his ultimate enemy.

Duly noted. Jin walks past Hwoarang, wooden as an ironing board, eyes wide, jaw dropped. He goes towards the winner and extends a hand. No one seems to object to this gesture. 

"I'm Jin. You ride very well. Your name, Miss?"

The woman was beautiful up close. Her thin face gave her a mature appearance, like a princess who would soon be Queen. She slightly hesitated to shake his hand. Everyone feared Jin so it didn't bother him. The opposite actually. 

"Chizuru Kagura, I appreciate it."

Her lips curved into a shy half-smile, and Jin promised himself he would keep this enemy very close. 

-------

After she defeated them in the race, they hovered around her. Tried to get her to stay. It would be seen as entrapping, but they didn't really care. Honestly, they were both pretty mad from losing and wanted to know their new enemy (girlfriend maybe?). Also, she was pretty hot. They were curious why a pretty woman like her would be taking part in illegal street races. She could not be normal. But that honestly made her more attractive to them. 

Hwoarang pounced first. "So you live 'round here?"

The woman had a startled look on her face which Hwoarang ignored. He doubted she was as delicate as she presented herself. 

"I don't actually..."

"You wanna get drinks then? Maybe we could get to know each other a little better." Hwoarang tried his best to look inviting. He gave his warmest smile in spite of Jin giving him sour looks next to him.

She looked away from both men and tried to collect herself. "I do not drink, but I appreciate the offer, I actually have to be going." She tried to scurry away but accidentally bumped into Jin. The man fell to the floor, gripping his head in agony. He screamed. 

Both Chizuru and Hwoarang were so startled by the sudden display. They just watched Jin writhe there. 

Hwoarang snapped out of it first, he really hope Jin wasn't doing what Hwoarang thought he was doing. He was slow to reach out for Jin; cautious as the man squirmed.

"Hey man, you ok." He gently padded Jin's shoulder. Jin swatted his hand away and growled, He glared at the woman with glowing red eyes. 

Jin's eyes glowed brighter still, and Hwoarang knew they were in a lot of trouble. 

Hwoarang just grabbed Chizuru's arm, and they ran. 

There's a sudden burst of energy behind them and soon they are on the floor as well. Jin is now in the sky. He has black wings like an angel and two horns on both sides of his forehead. There's hatred and disgust in his eyes as he bares sharp teeth at Chizuru. 

"You will die by my hand, Mirror bearer."

Hwoarang looks at the girl confused. Is she special in a way? He really wouldn't be surprised by how strange his life has been for the past few weeks. Demons, long-dead deities, and world-ending family feuds. He's seen it all at this point. The man looked at the pretty girl next to him, and realize that none of that shit mattered. He needed to protect her. She was hot and he really wanted that drink.

"Hey, can you fight?" 

Her head snapped toward him confused for a moment, but she nodded. 

He thought so. Damn, she seems like a dream come true.  Hwoarang smiled to himself then, he was gonna get a date with her, and no Devil was gonna stop him. 

There was an inhuman roar above them, and Hwoarang knew he needed to get ready. He helped the girl to her feet. 

"Last chance, drinks on me when this is over, babe?"

Chizuru's eyes widened as she looked at him and then at Jin in the sky, and Hwoarang stopped her before she could complain. 

"It's ok. This happens like every other week."

She still looked so confused as the demon rushed to attack. Hwoarang had to smile. He then charged toward the monster. The girl followed. 

#KOF #Tekken #King of Fighters #fanfiction #writing #crossover

[rubywithin]

Guardelia Stones 12 (Path to the Top Trio)

(Shoma) “Anyone know what this sudden assembly is for?” we were asked to come here during first class. (Wallace) “Beats me” (Yoshui) “Maybe they will re do the Jester Crown Tournament because that one guy won by a fluke. WHAT no reaction?” getting riled up was not my thing, (Wallace) “Hey dummy Shoma winning wasn’t a fluke....he bested..” (Yoshui) “Yeah then lost to whoever that girl was”. (Shoma) “Hey name is Maya and it wouldn’t hurt to remember that” (Yoshui) “So now you respond”. (Principle) “Now quiet down everyone, I have gathered you all here today for a message from the Guardelia association!”. Huh? they brought us out of class for this....guess it makes sense since the school does host tournaments. Everyone seemed excited to see what this was about but I feel kind of nervous for some reason!

The principle suddenly played some video, (Chairman) “Hello all of you aspiring Guardelia players. Today’s special announcement is regarding some rule changes to the game!” (Crowd) “RULE CHANGES”....(Boy) “Will we have to learn the game all over again?” (Girl) “Please don’t tell me they will remove my favourite monsters”. (Yoshui) “Psh anyone with any kind of talent will just adapt to the new game” (Wallace) “I agree with you for once”. Still though this seems very out of no where...why am I suddenly shaking? (Chairman) “To help you all understand a demonstration match will take place now! Let me introduce you to Melvai Phandera one of our pro players” everyone started cheering...she must be popular. Her opponent seemed very intimidated...all he did was summon a monster, it looks like a regular Plains Cub so it seems like we can keep our monsters. (Melvai) “I summon two Chaotic Magic Students and they both attack the Plains Cub!”. Wait a second he only lost 4 life....he didn’t have a back card so she could of hit him for 10 damage!

(Chairman) “Whaaat only 4 damage, well you see from now on only 1 or 2 stones can be bet on a Level One monster. Then 2-3 on a Level Two and finally 3-5 on Level Three meaning you must bet higher on a stronger monster”. This sounds interesting, (Yoshui) “Psh then why bother with Level One monsters”. (Shoma) “I’m sure there will be a catch. (Opponent) “I level up my Plains Cub to a Plains Tiger and then I summon a second one”. He drew from 2 pile’s, I guess this will be explained, (Chairman) “From now on s player will have a second pile dedicated to shields and one can be drawn each turn!”. (Opponent) “I attack with my Plains Tigers?” (Melvai) “I block one attack with Crescent Moon Shield”. Hmm she lost 4 lives, crazy how he matched her damage output with just one successful attack. (Melvai) “I summon Chaotic Mage Beginner” (Wallace) “Hmm only Level One’s guess we are going to witness another trick!”. (Melvai) “Now joint attack” (Opponent) “I activate Mountains Shield”. Despite the shield he took 6 damage for some reason....these new rules sound fun.

(Chairman) “If a player has 3 Level One monsters they can perform a joint attack that requires 2 shields to stop”. I see the shield pile allows us to block one attack per turn but we can also choose to save them for attacks like this. (Opponent) “I summon a third Plains Tiger and all 3 of them attack, (Melvai) “I activate Chaotic Rebirth and summon a new Chaotic Mage in place of one of my field ones. I choose to replace my Beginner with Chaotic Mage the Vile she will block one of your Plains Tigers attacks! (Chairman) “As you can see a Level Two monster can be used to block an attack!”. This guy didn’t place a shield....looks like this battle is staged poor guy being forced too lose like this. (Melvai) “I summon Chaotic Mage the Cursed as my new ace then I summon Chaotic Mage Twin Staves and both attack your ace Plains Tiger”. She bet 5 on both and finished him off, everyone applauded (Chairman) “I hope this presentation has explained our new rules. Good luck Guardelia players” after the video we made our way back to class, I’m curious to try out these new rules.

[wolken-himmel]

In which (Y/n) decides to help Leona out and bring Cheka back to his designated guard after the magift tournament.

Cheka grows curious about the way Leona seems to treat (Y/n) differently.

Request by @starshiningsirius.

The infirmary had been quiet and peaceful before a small flash had zoomed through the doors and lurched onto the bed Leona lay on. Ace and Deuce shot you surprised looks that you returned when it turned out that the intruder was a small boy with the same ears as Leona.

Speaking of Leona, the beastman seemed incredibly annoyed by the boy's sudden appearance — especially since the young child clung to him with a vice grip, laughing and cheering without a care in the world. The laughter caused Leona's headache to increase tenfold.

"Cheka," Leona grumbled, "why are you here."

Ruggie was quietly snickering to himself, and Jack seemed silently amused, too, with the way Leona tried to pry Cheka away from him, only to give up in defeat when the young boy wouldn't relent at all, his grip only tightening and his wails growing louder.

"Because I missed you, Uncle Leona!"

Leona sighed and crossed his arms in defeat while watching his nephew grinning in such a cheerful yet mischievous way that he wanted nothing more than to throw up. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to say anything mean to the innocent boy and simply decided to endure the torture for now. "...I see," he muttered while doing his best to distract himself from his throbbing head and the cub clinging to him.

"I even ran away from my guard!" Cheka announced proudly. "He wouldn't let me go see you, that mean guard..."

Small giggles escaped your lips once you noticed the way Leona's eye twitched at the boy's loud volume as he excitedly rambled on and on about his experiences as a guest for the magift tournament here at NRC. Eventually, Leona couldn't take it anymore and simply buried his face in his hands. "Uhm... you see, Cheka— I'm really busy recovering over here," he pressed through clenched teeth, mostly in an attempt to not scream his frustrations out. "Could you please return to your guard before your father calls for a national crisis?"

Cheka shook his head in such an innocent way that he was able to fool everyone but his suspicious uncle. "I don't know where he is!" the boy chimed in a sing-song voice that made your heart swoon at how adorable he sounded.

Yet, you pitied your lion friend, too — and it led you to eventually cut in and announce, "Don't worry, Leona. I'll go search for the guard with Cheka." The tension — tangible to everyone but the innocent cub — seemed to become less and less intense at your words, and you could see the way Leona relaxed at your offer, especially when you trudged over to his bedside to pry Cheka away from him. "You stay here and rest."

Leona didn't look too fazed when you reached over to grab Cheka and pull him off — unsuccessfully at first. "Whatever, rabbit," Leona grumbled and crossed his arms, although his tone had slightly softened and now held a small twinge of gratitude to it. His eyes never met yours, but the way his ears flattened in embarrassment made you laugh softly. "Thanks, I guess..."

But there was no time to laugh about Leona's sudden change in demeanour since the child clinging to him was relentless in his efforts to keep himself glued to his uncle. Your arms slowly grew tired, and frustration soon became visible on your face. "Come here, Cheka," you cried out between huffs of exhaustion.

Cheka shook his head vigorously. "But I don't want to leave Uncle Leona!"

"I have candy," you remarked swiftly.

Cheka's eyes immediately lit up in surprise and happiness at your words. Without any hesitation from no on onward, he unwrapped his arms from around his uncle's neck and leapt down from the bed to grab the candy bar you offered to him. Satisfied now, he gave Leona one last wave before he grabbed your hand and pulled you off. "Goodbye, Uncle Leona!" the boy chirped, a large smile on his face.

"Hey..." Ace trailed off in disappointment as he watched you leave the infirmary with Cheka. "(Y/n) promised that candy to me earlier..."

That comment was lost to you since the lion boy and you had advanced quite far already with the quick pace you kept on, always having to drag him with you since he seemed too focused on the chocolate bar to keep up with your walking speed. Yet, you soon slowed down upon realising that you were pretty much walking around aimlessly, not knowing where his guard could be.

A little bit clueless, you turned to Cheka and shot him a small smile. "So, Cheka, have any clue where your guard might be?"

"Nope!" Cheka replied politely with a carefree smile on his lips. "No ideas at all!"

His response made you sigh in frustration — situations like these reminded you of why children weren't just all adorable and cute. Rubbing your eyes with your fingers, you sighed and then raised your gaze to look ahead of you. "This might prove to be a little bit more complicated than I thought, then..." you muttered under your breath before you continued walking, blindly hoping to just come across the guard in question now.

The walk was mostly quiet, Cheka sometimes humming a lullaby or tune that you didn't know. Yet, when boredom finally came to him after a few minutes of strutting down dark empty corridors, he finally piped up, "Hey, what's your name?"

His innocent question got you to chuckle. "I'm (Y/n)."

"(Y/n)... (Y/n)." Cheka took his time to repeat your name over and over again in an attempt to get used to it. Eventually, he raised his gaze and shot you a large smile that made you swoon at how much cuteness he radiated. Unaware of what an effect he had on you, he said, "I like your name, Ms. (Y/n)!"

As you clutched your heart with one hand — the other one that wasn't wrapped around Cheka's — you let your eyes flutter close with a small giggle escaping your lips. "Thank you!" Then, you temporarily stopped to boop his nose, which caught him off-guard. "Cheka is a very adorable name, too."

A flattered giggle escaped his lips, and out of seemingly nowhere, he chimed, "I can see why Uncle Leona likes you so much."

"Oh—?" You raised an eyebrow on confusion, completely caught off-guard with this small remark that made your heart flutter more than you wanted it to. With your heartbeat having sped up a little bit, you furrowed your eyebrows and asked, "Where did that come from?"

A goofy grin had made its way to Cheka's lips. "He looks at you in such a different way—! His eyes soften when you talk, and he actually thanked you earlier," he explained in such a casual and innocent tone that you couldn't justify the way your cheeks reddened. "You know, I'm kinda jealous~ just joking! I'm happy that Uncle Leona isn't all that grumpy anymore."

Wanting to stay humble, you shook your head and merely replied, "Leona doesn't treat me any different."

Cheka rolled his eyes and reached up to punch your shoulders — the punch was so soft and weak that you barely anything, truth be told. He waved his other free hand dismissively as he retorted, "Oh yes yes, he does. You can trust a lion's instincts. You see, I think you're special to him—" As was with other children, his attention immediately evaporated when he noticed a familiar figure standing in the distance. "Oh! There's my guard!"

You did your best to get his words out of your head, knowing that you shouldn't think too much about a small child's rambling — but that proved to be harder said than done. Nonetheless, you smiled down at the boy and unwrapped your hand from his. "Ah, luck is on our side today," you murmured as you shooed him off into the guard's direction. "But don't run off ever again like that, alright? The guard and your parents must have been worried sick about you."

"Yes yes yes— I'll promise not to!" Cheka bowed in gratitude before shooting you one last mischievous wink. "Anyway, see you soon at the castle!"

You furrowed your eyebrows. "At which castle?"

"I'm sure Uncle Leona will bring you home for school break— and I can't wait to see you again!" he explained innocently, although his eyes were anything but innocent. "Until then, (Y/n)!"

You watched him run off, a silly smile on your face. "What an adorable little guy..."

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twst x you #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twisted wonderland #reader insert #y/n #disney twst #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #twst leona #twst leona kingscholar #twst leona x reader #twisted wonderland leona #female reader