shooter-nobunagun - Tumblr blog

shooter-nobunagun · 7 months

Text

Spontaneous Combustion (R18)

//I really gotta stop starting drabbles and then not finishing them...or just finish the ever-increasing drafts that are lying around...

FYI, this fic is actually a bit of a 'what if Sio and Adam end up having spontaneous PWP before they even get together as a couple'; it's non-canon but kind of a fun idea to play around with, to imagine they might get caught up in a 'heat of the moment' kind of situation before they really start developing feelings for each other.

"I-I don't know Jack-san...a, are you sure this is a good idea...?"

"Relax, hanninmae; I know what I'm doin'..."

"B, But..."

"Hush, love; we've already come this far, surely you're not thinking of backing out now, are you?"

Biting her lips, the girl glanced around the room nervously, before back down at the man whose naked lap she was currently perched above. They were going to get caught, she just knew it—yet somehow she'd let herself get roped into this devious (but also hot) situation by none other than the Ripper himself.

Damn. She did like her toys to be on the dangerous side after all.

Well, it did help that he could be very...persuasive, when it mattered. Even though most of the time he was a sarcastic asshole who wasted no opportunity to complain about her inexperience and tease her every other second.

How did she let herself get into this situation again...? It was just supposed to be a routine training session for the Second Platoon, and she and Jack had been assigned as sparring partners for the latter half. Sio never thought she'd return to that cursed island again after her initial 'torture', but it turned out even full-time DOGOO members rotated there during downtime intervals, in order to keep their combat skills sharp.

And then somehow or other—she wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline and hormones or if they really did get closer this whole time—things got heated in more ways than one. And now she was literally about to get it on with the man whom, only a few months ago, seemed hell-bent on making her regret her decision to join DOGOO.

Her train of thought was interrupted as she felt a large, warm hand slide up her thigh and she stiffened. The hand stopped, and the man glanced at her with a curious expression.

"What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Or is it...you don't want to do this with me?"

"A-Ah, it's not that...I just..." Gulping, she wasn't sure how seriously he'd take her word. To be honest, she was surprised he'd been as gentle and accommodating as he'd been, so far. It was a far cry from his usual behaviors towards her, and the sniper wasn't sure if he was just being nice so he could get some, or if he actually was a decent guy, underneath all his 'lone wolf' crap.

Jack was silent, his one hand still slowly stroking the soft skin of her inner thigh, but otherwise made no move. He was waiting for her response.

Sio took a deep breath. "N, No, I...do want to do this with you," she said in a small voice, and she swore his lips curved up into the slightest of grins. "I-It's just, um...this isn't exactly a private place, so um...I-I..."

"Ah...afraid of being caught, are we?" Sio nodded shyly. "Well, I say the risk is what makes the reward all the more worth it—but I wouldn't worry; Gandhi and Newton have already cleared out, and trust me when I say nobody else comes in until all the VIPs have finished."

"B-But what about Capa?" Just thinking about the perverted old man made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "He could technically come back in, right?" What if he was secretly hanging around the hanger still, spying on them with that Nikon camera of his—oh god, what if he found her and Jack in this incredibly compromising position? Scandalous photos would be the least of her worries—she didn't even know if fraternization between teammates was allowed or not. DOGOO may not have been a traditional military organization, but they did follow many of its protocols, so a court-martial would not be out of the question...

Warm fingers brushed through her hair and she looked down in surprise. Jack's face was surprisingly not irritated for once, instead he looked mildly amused. "That old man? Hah, knowing him he's probably taking that afternoon nap of his." A single finger hushed her protest before it could come out. "Trust me, squirt. I've been here longer than you have, done this whole spiel—I know his routine. 'Sides, I'm not that careless—why else do you think we're in this musty old storage closet?"

He did have a point. There was no way she would have agreed to this if Jack had insisted on doing it right out in the open gym—but the broom closet they were currently locked in looked like it hadn't been touched in a while, given the amount of dust over everything. Again Jack had surprised her with his 'gentlemanly' side, and let her be on top so she wouldn't have to lie on the dirty floor.

"W, Well...you'd better be right, Jack-san..." Hesitantly she sat down, but then bounced up again with a squeal as her bare bottom brushed against that hot, wet thing—oh god it was even stiffer than before and was it just her or did it feel bigger—Jack caught her slender frame as she wobbled, her face incredibly hot as she realized what they were about to do.

"What's wrong? You're not scared, are you?" He leaned in close and whispered against the shell of her ear. "You certainly showed no fear earlier, when we were sparring...nearly took out my right eyeball."

He gave her a toothy grin, and Sio blushed with embarrassment. Seriously, it wasn't her fault Capa had insisted on stick-fighting today, otherwise she wouldn't have nearly gouged him out with her bo staff. Even though her AU weapon wasn't a melee weapon, she took it seriously—there was no way she was going to be called a slacker as the newest member of the Second Platoon. Jack too, seemed to take their match seriously; after the initial teasing and trash talk, both of them went at it as if possessed by something greater than themselves. There was no snide commentary or mocking, just each of them reading the others' movements and responding accordingly, as if it were a real fight. She remembered the raw ferocity of his strength, but also how she responded with her own unexpected dexterity—the intensity of those green eyes staring at her as she managed to hold his staff to a draw, both of them sweating and panting as she held his gaze. It was like they were under a spell, each not daring to look away before the other; it wasn't until Capa shouted at them through his megaphone to 'stop standing around and start cleaning up' did they snap out of it. As they helped Gandhi and Newton roll up the mats and put everything away though, she noticed the Ripper kept stealing glances her way. Normally she would have been irritated, or a little creeped out, but there was something about his eyes and that expression that captivated her; caused her to unconsciously draw closer, instead of getting away.

Maybe that was why when there was just the two of them left, putting the last staves away and she accidentally turned into his broad chest, she didn't immediately jump back. Instead she stayed there, buried against those hard muscles and breathing in his scent—clean sweat, with a muskier, stronger odor that made her body even hotter than it already was. He didn't say a word either, not when he slowly cupped her chin and lifted her eyes, gazing at her with that indecipherable expression and not after he brushed against her lips and kissed her.

It was a nice kiss, actually. Not at all like the slobbery tongue-tangles that Newton loved to give; no, his lips were warm and soft, and at least in the beginning there was no tongue—but as hands started undoing buttons and zippers and moved onto bare, heated skin, their mouths seemed to follow suit and the next thing Sio knew she was tasting the inside of his mouth. It felt addictive, intoxicating even; a small part of her brain screamed at her to get a grip, and what the hell was she doing, didn't she hate the Ripper—but it was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer pleasure coursing through her body. The sniper didn't even flinch when he pushed her sports bra up, her petite breasts already perked from both his touch and the cold air. It wasn't until his warm, calloused hands started massaging them, a moan escaped her lips and she finally seemed to snap out of it, pulling back with burning cheeks as she hastily tried to pull her jacket back on.

"J-Jack-san, I-I—I'm sorry—"

"—For what? I'm certainly not sorry."

He was gazing at her with a new look, his green eyes darkened until they looked more like emeralds. For once he wasn't teasing or condescending, which surprised her. Did he really think of her as more than just some half-baked squirt...? Something buried deep within her, some part she didn't think would ever come out, started worming its way to the surface. She swallowed nervously as this flush of energy sped through her veins, causing her face to blush and her loins to tighten.

"You...and me..."

"If you've no objections to any of this, let's finish what we started. Well?"

She didn't know how to answer that, so she leaned forward instead, and gingerly reached out a single finger to touch those rock-hard abs. The sniper gasped as he chuckled and pulled her flush against his body, feeling his hot, bared skin against her own. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

And that was how they ended up where they were now: crammed into a dim, tiny closet, the sniper half-naked with her pants down around her ankles as she hovered nervously above Jack, his own impressive erection just inches from her dripping entrance. Sweat beaded across both their bodies, and with each inhale she breathed in more of his heady scent, now mixed with the musk of her own sex.

"I-I'm not scared! Just, I've never done this before...like, ever...s, so..." Sio blushed, embarrassed at admitting she was a virgin, but it didn't seem to bother Jack at all. "I don't know what to do..."

There was a low chuckle, and next thing she knew his long fingers brushed through her dark curls. "Oh, that won't be a problem; we just have to get you 'warmed up', first..."

"H-Huh?" Before Sio could understand the meaning his digits prodded her entrance, then one of them slowly slid in. She gasped as it wriggled around, gently exploring her insides as Jack continued to rub soothing circles around her thigh. "O-Oh...it feels weird..."

"Just weird? Or does it hurt?"

She shook her head. "N-No, it's not painful...I guess it just feels strange to have something, um...inside..." Sio blushed as those words left her mouth. The most she'd ever done was maybe wake up with a pillow between her legs, but she'd never consciously stuck anything up in there—not even a tampon.

"Tha's good, as long as it's not painful you'll be fine," Jack replied in a husky murmur, his dark green eyes heavily lidded as he concentrated intently between her legs. "Let's try this..."

Her eyes widened as his fingers pushed through her curls and found her pink, tender pearl. Already it was swollen and peeking out from its usual hiding place, and the second Jack started stroking her clit Sio felt her entire body jerk uncontrollably from the sensations. "Ah! J-Jack-san wha, what are you...!"

"Well well...yeh like that, don'tcha?" Back and forth his fingers rubbed across that sensitive nub, and Sio felt her head spin from the pleasure. She couldn't respond, it was all she could do at this point to even breathe—a cry escaped her lips as she nearly collapsed against his broad chest, her body seemingly twitching on its own as she grasped his shoulders and gasped for air.

"Oh, oh...! M-My, body...I can't control it..." Never in a million years did the sniper imagine she could experience pleasure like this. A smoldering fire was building inside her core, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Jack's fingers were gentle yet relentless in their ministrations, while his other hand steadily cupped her head and stroked her hair in a soothing manner. Sio couldn't even think about anything except the ecstasy that was building deep within her, threatening to overwhelm all her senses. Vaguely she felt something hot drip down her thighs, but the sniper was too distracted by everything else to really notice. "Mnn...it feels so good...!" Without even realizing it her body started to rock back and forth, until it was synched with the movement of his fingers.

"Yeh? Feels good, doesn't it?" His voice was soothing, hypnotic almost as he increased the pace slightly, and Sio gripped his shoulders tighter.

"Y, Yes...it feels—ah—really good..." Sio was in a daze as she briefly locked eyes with Jack, staring into those deep, emerald-green orbs. For some reason he was grinning, but in her state the sniper couldn't figure out what was so amusing. The only thing that mattered right now were the streaks of lightning heat coursing through her, building and building until she could barely keep her eyes open...

Just as she felt fit to burst his fingers suddenly withdrew, and Sio let out a whine of disappointment. "Wha—y-you stopped..."

He responded with a slight laugh. "Oh? Impatient now are we... Don't fret, we'll get there soon enough." As the heat settled slightly Sio finally noticed the warm fluids that had been dripping down between her legs this whole time.

"Whaaahh—I'm sorry Jack-san, I got your clothes all dirty—" Her cheeks burned as she realized not only was it all over his trousers, but apparently a good amount had dripped onto his erection, as well.

"What are you talking about? That's exactly what I want," Jack grunted as he gripped her petite bum, and lifted her into position. "Now, I think you're ready..."

"Y-You mean, um...uh..." Now that the haze had cleared slightly, Sio became very aware of the entire situation. It seemed Jack deemed her ready to...accept him...her gaze drifted down to his red, throbbing cock, and for the first time she noticed there was some clear fluid leaking from the tip, as well.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'll ask you one last time: you want this or not?" A strong hand cupped her chin and tilted her head so their gazes were even. "Sio Ogura?"

She wasn't sure what surprised her more—that he was asking for permission or that he actually called her by her real name, for once. Stunned by his question, she nodded once, then braced one hand around his neck as she tried to figure out how they were going to do this.

"I-It's, um...it's bigger than I thought," a small voice drifted up, the sniper too embarrassed to look at him directly. "A-Are you sure it'll...fit?"

Jack resisted the urge to simply take the lead and impale himself into her. The sniper was already nervous enough as is, even though she'd made it clear she wanted to continue. Best to make her feel as relaxed as possible, especially if she was virgin. Even though he'd loosened her up with his fingering earlier, and she was now well-lubricated, he had a feeling it would still hurt to some extent.

"Relax, love. There's no rush, we can take it slowly, yeh?" She nodded hesitantly, until Jack took her spare hand and encouraged her to wrap it around his cock. "Here, don't be scared—you can touch it, you know."

Her eyes widened as slender fingers wrapped themselves around the stiff, heated organ. It really is hard...! As she touched it experimentally, tracing around the veins and bumps, she realized she could feel it pulsing slightly in time with his pulse. 'Whoa...it feels like it's alive, almost...' Gingerly she stroked it a few times, trying to get a sense of its size and girth, while unintentionally spreading the precum all over as she grazed the tip. As she rubbed it more persistently, fascinated by the clear, slippery fluid, Jack grunted and his hips jerked upward towards her grip.

"Hey now, you're quite the tease, aren't yeh?"

"Oh! Sorry, did that hurt?"

A row of shark-like teeth showed itself. "Quite the opposite, actually." His own larger hand took her much-smaller one into its grasp, as he guided the girl until she gripped him fully. "Here, I'll help you." Gently but firmly, he started pushing her bum down, Sio struggling to stay upright while trying not to twitch all over the place.

"Hiiyaa—i-it's so hot—" She let out another squeak as the tip now firmly brushed against her own hot, slick folds; though Jack was being unusually patient with her, a part of her couldn't help but fear that he was annoyed with her for being so hesitant. Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and attempted to just sit down onto it—though it didn't quite work as planned.

"What th—oy oy, that's not—" He raised a brow in confusion as the girl sat down all of a sudden, but instead of letting him enter her, she just ended up sitting on his cock. Not that it was unpleasant—the heat from her wet folds against his member sent low tremors throughout his body as she squirmed around. "Hey, I told you we can take this slow. Yer really in that much of a hurry?"

The sniper turned a pretty shade of pink. "S-Sorry! Sorry I'm so inexperienced...I don't, I didn't mean to—"

"—Stop apologising!" Then, as if catching himself, he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "...It's fine to take your time, squirt. I mean it," he gave her a pointed glance. "The last thing I want is you hurting yourself 'cause you think I'm not man enough to wait." Perhaps she needed a bit more encouragement? While the girl was blushing and babbling and attempting to regain her composure, he ran a thumb over her pink clit again. She immediately moaned, her hips jerking as she slid herself back and forth across his cock.

"Ooohh..." Eyes closing, Sio let herself indulge his fingers a bit more. She was positively dripping now, and the squelching sound she was making as she rubbed against his erection was pretty embarrassing—but she couldn't care less at this moment. That low, throbbing pressure was building up again—but this time it was the sniper who stopped herself, just before she reached the peak again. Taking a shaky breath, she braced herself against Jack's broad shoulders and pulled herself up.

"Ready now?" His eyes were dark and hazy, and Sio noticed he seemed more subdued than earlier. Even though he'd been the one pleasuring her, his chest was heaving slightly too, and Sio let her eyes hungrily drink in the sight of his impressive body—hard, chiseled lines of pure muscle now dappled with sweat. She swallowed hard as she felt her insides pulse again.

"Y-Yeah...I think so..." Once again she grasped his swollen member, which was now slick and wet with both of their fluids. Slowly, ever so slowly, with Jack's help she positioned herself until she felt the tip sink right into her entrance. "I-It's going in...!"

"Yeh, tha's right love...you're doing great, just keep going...there's a good girl..." Jack crooned into her ear, as inch by agonizing inch, the sniper slowly accepted him. "Fuck, you're tight," he groaned slightly under his breath as her walls started pushing back against his member, as if trying to eject this foreign invader. Still, the girl above him continued to sink lower, her own eyes closed and brows furrowed as she pushed down.

"Nng—it's so big..." At first it hadn't been so bad, but as Jack continued to enter her, Sio felt herself being stretched more than she ever thought possible. It was now uncomfortably tight, and for a second she wanted to push him back out—but at the same time, there was a pleasurable satisfaction of being filled so fully. "J-Jack-san, is it almost in?"

"Yeh, you're close...keep going," he grunted, before taking her thighs and spread them wider. "Here, open your legs more—that'll help." As her legs splayed across his waist though, her knee slipped against the slippery fabric of her shorts, and in one fluid movement the sniper dropped down squarely into his lap, taking Jack fully up to the hilt at the same time. Both holders moaned at the sudden sensations—Jack's breath hissed through his teeth at the feeling of being fully sheathed in her moist walls while Sio panted hotly against his neck.

"Oooh...oh, oh...I can't believe it's in...I feel so full..." Gasping, the sniper tried moving around a bit, as her insides slowly adjusted to his girth. "Nnng—Jack-san, you're so hot..."

"I could say the same," came his strained reply, and Sio saw his cheeks were stained a faint red. "You feel alright?"

Sio nodded timidly. "I-I think so...I just feel, really full...but it doesn't really hurt..." She rolled her hips again, and Jack grunted underneath her. "S-So um, wh-what should I do now...?"

"Relax; I'll take it from here," he murmured, his large hands rubbing her thighs to get her to loosen up. "Just let me know if it hurts."

Sio only had a few seconds to ponder what he could possibly mean before she felt a tremendous thrust lift her up. "Gyaah—J-Jack-san...!" He didn't respond, and soon enough Sio felt her mind glaze over with pure ecstasy as Jack settled into a steady rhythm. "Oh, oh, oh...it feels good..." Each thrust pushed her tight walls apart and rubbed against her clit, leaving her feeling empty-full-empty-full in quick succession. The pressure from earlier returned with a vengeance, as Sio felt her lower belly simmer with white-hot pleasure. Her hands scrambled to hold onto anything as she felt her self-control slipping with each thrust. Moans spilled from her mouth, moreso as Jack started increasing the pace.

"Oh—oh, ah, J-Jack-saa..." She couldn't even say his name properly at this point, her hips now also clumsily thrusting to meet his rhythm. Her body only wanted one thing, and it was to reach the peak as soon as possible. The room filled with their grunts and moans, along with the wet, sucking sound of flesh slapping each other. Animal sounds, that what they were making she thought, but she had to admit hearing Jack's groans next to her ear was incredibly arousing. As the pace became more frantic, strong arms pulled her close; until she was nearly crushed against his strong chest. Their nipples rubbed against each other, and Sio moaned rather loudly at the sensations.

"Hush, squirt; you don't—hah—want someone to hear, do you?"

"H-Huh? B-But you said there wouldn't be anybody around—!"

Jack grinned deviously at the sniper's naivete. "Yeh, but you never know...what if Capa decides to wake up early...or, Gandhi and Newton come looking for us..." Though he was just teasing the sniper, he swore her walls grew more taut as he whispered those scenarios into her ear. "My, my...you seem to have gotten tighter all of a sudden..." He cupped her red cheeks, the sniper's eyes completely glazed with lust at this point as she stared at him in a daze. "Could it be, in addition to being a voyeur, you're actually an exhibitionist as well?"

"Wh-what?! I-I'm not—that's not true!" Her cheeks turned bright red from indignation. "Stop making stuff up!"

"Really? If that's the case, then why are you getting so wet all of a sudden?" To Sio's horror, she felt a gush of love juices sluice out at his comment. "I mean, there's a chance I could be wrong about Capa's schedule...what if he were to open that door right now, and see the two of us like this..."

"N, No...it's not, that's not true..." Still, as Jack continued feeding her imagination with all sorts of potential situations, Sio couldn't deny she felt hotter than ever. Her entire body tingled with pinpricks of pleasure, as she couldn't help but imagine what would happen if that door were to open right at this second.

"You really are a pervert, aren't ya? But that's fine; I like that..." If she weren't so horny, Sio would've been shocked at his compliment—but she didn't even have time to respond as Jack's lips crashed into hers, partly to muffle her increasingly-loud moans.

"Ah—Jack-san, s-something's c, coming...!" Just like the previous times, Sio felt like she was about to reach the zenith of something...her legs were shaking from exertion and she barely noticed the red lines that streaked across Jack's shoulders. Her insides trembled again as she felt the bulbous tip of his cock nearly push against her cervix.

Underneath her, the silver-haired man breathed hotly against her cheek as he grunted and adjusted their position slightly. "Yeh, same...I'm gonna, come soon..."

"Ah, ah...J-Jack, I'm—!" Her voice quivered as she felt her inner walls start faintly pulsing.

"—It's 'Adam'. My name, is Adam...Sio." Despite everything, the sniper's eyes shot open in surprise as she heard her name. Jack—no, Adam's face was an enigma, but she could tell he wasn't teasing or playing around with her, for once.

"Ah—A, Adam..."

He nodded, and lightly palmed her breasts to reassure her. "That's right, Sio..."

Why now, what was his reason for using her real name—and telling her to do the same? Sio felt there must be something more, and it probably would have been way more significant, if she weren't so desperate for release right this second. Her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head as she felt the tremors again, but stronger this time—and her will to hold them back was rapidly weakening.

"I-I can't hold back—I feel like I'm going to, to..."

"You wanna cum?"

Her insides shivered again. "H-Hai..."

"Then say my name again."

She blinked rapidly in surprise. "Huh? But why—"

He cut her off with another deep thrust. "Just do it. Say my name, hanninmae." He commanded, his gaze piercing into her heavily-lidded maroons.

When this was all over (and much later) she would reflect on this particular moment and understand it was the beginning of something more, something that the human Adam Muirhead was too afraid to say when he was the e-gene holder Jack the Ripper. But at this very moment, Sio was prepared to do anything so long as she got her release, and so she obeyed without question.

"A...Adam, Muirhead..."

That shy stutter, those round, maroon orbs that were hazy with pure desire as she gazed up at him... His breath quickened while his heart thrummed so loudly in his chest he was sure the sniper would hear it; a cascade of heat flooded his entire body at once, and as he felt the muscles of his core start coiling and tightening for release, Adam knew for certain.

This girl...she would become something much, much more...

"...That's right. Good girl...Ogura Shio."

He thrust upward one more time, just as the sniper rolled her hips downward. The result was a messy, spastic tangle of bodies and limbs as both holders came at the same time. Sio's mind went blank for a few seconds as she felt nothing but pure ecstasy; she gripped Adam's shoulders so tightly she was sure there'd be bruises tomorrow, as her petite body shook and her hips seemed to move on their own, continuing to thrust and draw out as much pleasure as she could. It felt so, so good; as if all her pent-up frustrations, secret desires, and stress were released all in one go—and then she fell face-first into his chest once more, her body limp and jelly-like as she gasped for air.

"Ah, Ja—I-I mean, Adam...san..." She tried lifting herself up with her weak arms but to her surprise, a hand pushed her back down against his chest.

"Shh, love; it's alright. Stay. Just rest now."

I can hear his heart beating... It was strong and steady, his breath was warm against her hair and his hand was gently massaging circles in the small of her back. A faint voice in the back of her head told her she should leave, and get back to her quarters as soon as possible, but he'd said it was okay to stay...so where was the harm in that... Sio closed her eyes and let herself completely relax.

While the sniper used his chest as a pillow, Adam's gaze drifted down to where they were still connected. He frowned as he noticed a few streaks of pinkish-red among the white; damn, so she had bled after all. Even though he'd tried to be as careful as possible, and the girl hadn't said anything, still he managed to draw blood. His chest rumbled lowly as Adam mentally berated himself. But maybe it would have been inevitable, regardless. What with the way the two of them were going at it towards the end—at least it was very pleasurable for her. Or so he hoped, anyway.

Down there...is something that will become the most important thing to this world. And to you, as well...

Shit. Nightingale couldn't have been right...could she?

Adam gazed down once more at the slumbering sniper's visage.

"Heh. You really are somethin' else...Sio."

#documentation #my sweetest one

0 notes

shooter-nobunagun · 8 months

Text

Ice Lolly (R18)

Part of the "Divine Intervention" storyline (if anyone remembers that) but technically takes place after the end. (at least, the end I'm planning--if I can ever finish it...I swear)

(I actually have the major arcs all plotted out)

Jack x Nobu. It's hot. And cold treats. Not really spoilers for Divine Intervention nor is it really necessary to read it first. Just know that for this storyline, "Jack" and "Nobunagun" are based off of Sio and Adam's "e-gene holder" personalities, but as separate people.

Hot. That was her first thought even before the sun registered across her eyelids, brows furrowed into a frown that tried to block out the light but to no avail. She groaned, flopped an arm over her eyes, then decided it wasn't enough and slumped over onto her side, burying her face into her boyfriend's back as an alternative instead.

"...Oy, budge up a bit, yeh?" A gruff voice pierced through whatever half-sleep she'd manage to snag, and with a huff Nobunagun pulled herself up and out of sleep entirely.

"Well good morning to you too, wanker," she retorted, now in a rather crabby mood after being woken up. "Can't a girl catch a couple more z's?"

"Not when she's scrunched up against my back, like some sort of heating pack," came the reply, Jack now also fully awake. "You know I don't exactly do the whole 'cuddling' thing. Especially not in this heat."

Ass, she thought. But he was right, they weren't exactly the type of couple to be all mushy and fluffy, to hold hands on a date or give hugs on a regular basis. Even post-coital snuggles and pillow talk were rather scarce, only happening on the occasion where they were feeling particularly vulnerable or emotional—which, as the more 'uninhibited' twins, rarely happened. Things like hugs and kisses, snuggling on the couch under a blanket—those were things her sister Sio did with her boyfriend, Adam—Jack's other half.

"Ugh, how is it so hot today? Didn't it just rain like, yesterday?" London was similar to Japan in some ways—but, as Nobunagun had come to learn, it was usually cooler during the summer months, thanks to its higher latitude. Humidity did come and go, but overall it was still better than the stifling, smothering blanket that she'd endured growing up in Japan.

Today seemed to be an exception, though, and Nobunagun groaned mentally at the thought of having to go through a special kind of torture she thought she'd escaped, after having moved to the U.K. for college. The flat she and Jack were renting wasn't exactly posh, given their budget as students—which meant air conditioning was a luxury that wasn't included. Vaguely she wondered how Sio and Adam were doing, back in Japan. As hot as it was here, there was no doubt it'd be even worse in Tokyo, and she should count her lucky stars at not having to experience this everyday—but Nobunagun wasn't exactly a grateful kind of person, and so her mood turned sour before the day had even really begun.

Next to her, Jack finally got up, shoving the thin blanket off. "Welcome to London, love. You ought to know by now the weather can turn on a dime," he answered sarcastically, before hunting his shirt down from around the room. "Anyway, better keep the curtains closed if we can—less sun to heat the room up."

"Huhnn...bah, I don't feel like getting up."

"Suit yourself, then. I'm going get some nosh, but if you want to lie around in this heat, be my guest."

"Jaaaack—"

Her voice screeched a complaint before the man could exit, and he turned around sullenly, eying her with an annoyed expression.

"...What."

"Be a dear and bring me something too? Please?" She put on her best puppy-dog face, but with her usually-fierce exterior and no-nonsense attitude, it came out more like an awkward grimace instead. Jack resisted the urge to laugh, lest Nobunagun found some way to make him pay for it later.

"...You know, you're damn lucky I promised both your sister and Adam I'd take care of you while you're here."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I know. Now go on—oh, and something cooling would be nice."

A white eyebrow twitched as Jack heaved a long-suffering sigh.

"Cheeky bitch." ----- "Aah, what's taking so long...must be taking his sweet-ass time just to screw with me." Nobunagun rolled around on the sheets, all the blankets having been long shoved off at this point. She was wearing nothing but a thin t-shirt and panties, but even then she could already feel sweat forming on her body. Maybe she should actually get up, and take a cold shower or something...

However, Nobunagun was also rather lazy, and so she remained lying on the bed, lifting her shirt to try and air out her skin. It was just an old t-shirt of Jack's that she 'borrowed' (or 'commandeered' as Jack insisted), but it was large and comfortable, the fabric now soft and worn after being washed so many times. She sighed, grabbed Jack's pillow and buried her face into it, his scent filing her nose as she took a breath. It was musky and a little bit spicy, and filled with the scent of male—Nobunagun gulped as her loins stirred a bit, despite the heat.

"Urg...really body? I'm not exactly in the mood, not with these temperatures." Still, as she mulled over whether or not she wanted a little play time, or if it was even worth it, her hips pushed themselves against the tangled lump of sheets. Nobunagun groaned slightly as tingles started running through her body, but the heat made her too languid to move much faster. "Mmmph...if only it wasn't so hot..."

Just then the door opened as Jack barged back in, and Nobunagun hastily flung herself over. Not that she and Jack hadn't already seen and done just about everything under the sun, but still. She had to have some level of dignity, right?

Something landed on the bed next to her, Nobunagun fumbling around the sheets until she felt something ice-cold. "What th...wait, really?"

Next to the bed, Jack eyed her with a knowing glance and his signature smirk. "You said, 'something cooling', didn't you?"

"Well yeah, but really? An ice lolly?" She rolled her eyes. "You're such an arse."

"And you, love, are incredibly demanding." Nobunagun glared at him as he continued to sip his own iced tea. "Should have been more specific."

Grumbling, she sat up and unwrapped the frozen treat, which was already starting to melt. She took a lick; strawberry lime, not bad. Despite her best efforts, drops of melted juice dripped down her hand and onto the sheets.

"Whoops..."

Jack took a glance over and sighed. "Oh bollocks; we just did laundry last week..."

Nobunagun stuck her tongue out. "Oh yeah? And just who was it that decided to give me this as my breakfast?" She gave him a triumphant smirk, as Jack glowered underneath his bangs.

"Fine fine, I get it. Just hurry up and finish that bloody stick before you make more of a mess." For reasons unknown to her, Jack was something of a neat freak—almost OCD at times. The flat was always spotless and he never left things lying around if he could help it—yet when it came to cooking, the kitchen always looked like a whirlwind swept through it until he cleaned everything up at the end.

As Nobunagun did her best to finish the lolly before it completely melted away, a rather...kinky thought came to her. If a certain part of her was feeling too hot, then maybe she could use ice lolly to help...cool it down.

Her lips split into a rather maniacal grin, that Jack dubbed 'the devil smile'.

Jack was halfway done with his toast before he noticed that particular smile on his girlfriend's face. A shiver of unease dropped down his spine, and suddenly his toast didn't quite have the same taste as it did earlier.

"...Nobu, what are you thinking about now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, I know that look. Whenever you have that shit-eating grin on your face, you're up to something..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Even as she said all this, her hand moved lower, until the tip of the ice lolly sat just between her crotch. "Except, well, I am feeling rather hot at the moment..."

Jack knew immediately where this was headed. "Oh for the love of—are you bloody serious?! Nobu!"

"What! It's way too hot today, you're the one who gave me this, and I'm feeling horny, okay?!" Nobunagun shot back.

"But that—you're going to make a mess!" Jack was nearly pulling his hair out at this point.

"Who cares, the sheets already got stained, so what does it matter now? We have to wash them anyway." And with that, Nobunagun shamelessly shed her panties, and brought the icy treat right against her clit. Her whole body shuddered as the ice-cold tip brushed against her heated slit, the difference in temperature shocking—but also arousing. "Gyaah! C-Cold...!"

At this point, Jack could only stare with a mixture of bewilderment, annoyance, and arousal. His plan to mess with Nobunagun's request was backfiring, and now instead of pulling one over her, she was using the ice lolly to brazenly masturbate right in front of him. Thick, gloppy strands of pink juice mixed with her nectar stained the sheets as Nobunagun pumped the lolly in and out, moaning with pleasure.

"Oh...oh yeah, that's much better...fuck, it actually feels pretty good..."

"...You are one shameless, randy little minx." Jack shook his head slowly, one hand cupping his chin. "Oh Nobunagun, whatever am I to do with you."

"Heh...you only have yourself to blame, Jacky-boy—ah!" Her hips jolted as the tip swept over her sensitive clit. Nobunagun paused for a bit to catch her breath, licking the melting lolly and purposely swirling the flavor of strawberry-lime mixed with her own juices around her mouth. "Mmmm...I taste pretty good like this..."

"Is that so..."

She grinned at him. "Yeah...you wanna try?"

For a second Jack's expression was inscrutable, and Nobunagun thought he'd just leave her to her own devices; but then he was on the bed and grabbing her wrist, Nobunagun watching with rapt attention as he took the lolly into his mouth, and—she was sure he was doing it on purpose—licking and sucking it with such fervor it was almost as if he was fellating the treat. She shuddered at the intensity of his actions.

"Hmm...not bad." He opened his eyes at last, those emeralds dark and hazy, and Nobunagun felt her heart skip a beat. "But I think it's better from the source..."

"Huh? What do you—Jack!" She almost dropped the lolly as Jack maneuvered between her legs, and a hot tongue brushed against her now-cold slit. "J, Jack...!" Moaning, Nobunagun did her best to hang onto the stick, but it threatened to drop as her body quivered and jerked, as Jack began to eat her out. "Nngg...! F-Fuck, Jack... if you keep doing this I'm, I'm really gonna drop it...!"

"Then you'd better be careful, yeh?" Another lick, another shudder. "Yeh, you know what, I think this is my new favorite flavor."

Her hips bucked as Jack continued to torture her clit; a few times the ice lolly tipped precariously from her fingers, but Nobunagun always caught it just in time. That did not, however, stop it from continuing to melt; and Nobunagun, too caught up in the pleasure of Jack's tongue, was unable to continue eating it.

"Ah, J-Jack...it's, it's gonna melt soon..." It was almost gone now, and the sheets had various pink stains all over it. She was resigned to just letting it melt away when Jack popped back up, face sticky with the mix of her juices and the lolly. Without a word he snatched the stick, and snapped up the remainder of the treat in two bites before tossing the wooden stick into the rubbish bin.

"There, problem solved."

Nobunagun pouted. "...I wanted some, too."

Jack huffed irritably at her comment. "Well, then you should've said something. Now, do you want to continue or not? Otherwise I'm perfectly fine letting you take care of yourself."

"Wow, someone's narked. But yes, I would...greatly appreciate it, if you could...finish the job."

He gave her one more glance, before resuming his place. Nobunagun gripped the pillow as she felt her climax build, the faint scent from the pillowcase only fueling her pleasure. "D-Damn...I'm gonna, I'm coming...! Jack...!" Her clit had gone from hot to ice cold and now back to the moist heat of his tongue; it was driving her crazy, and with how precise his movements were, Nobunagun knew she wasn't going to last long. Her body was shaking, hips twitching every so often as Jack licked all over her slick pearl, expertly sucking it just as he had the lolly. One hand reached down and grasped his fine silver hair, pushing him harder against her crotch. "Yes, right there—fuck fuck fuck—Jack!!"

He sucked hard and a wail tore from her throat as her orgasm streaked through her body, causing her to shake and gasp for air. Vaguely she heard Jack grunt as her crotch smashed against his face, but she was too caught up in her pleasure to really care. Chest heaving, she sank back onto the dirty sheets, legs all soft like jelly as she tenderly gave her pink clit a few more strokes. "Mmph—so sensitive..."

"...You know, one day I think you're actually going to kill me by accident—or maybe it won't be an accident," Nobunagun opened her eyes to find Jack nursing his nose, which she must've slammed into while she was lost in the throes of ecstasy. "Seriously, this better not turn into a bruise..."

"Just say you got into a row at the local pub." His subsequent glare let her know he did not appreciate that joke, however, and Nobunagun felt just a little bit guilty. "Alright alright, I'm sorry; jeeze, what's with you today? The heat got you all wound up or something?"

Jack grumbled, wiping off the last of the mess from his tender nose. "It's certainly not helping. Especially not with you acting like a spoiled brat; demanding this, wanting that...you think the entire world exists to serve you? Tch; I can see why Sio always calls you 'Nobu-sama'..."

Uh oh, she hurt his feelings. Damn. Usually Nobunagun was pretty good about navigating around 'difficult' people, but she was learning that, when you you truly cared about your other half, things were not as simple as she'd always believed. Even though Jack himself wasn't exactly a paragon of virtues (that was Adam), she'd learned after a while that he had a vulnerable side, too. Just, much like her, he was not the greatest at expressing it. Or even understanding it himself.

"...Hey look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to...y'know, almost break your nose." Face set in a serious expression, she scooted over and gingerly wiped off the remains of her mess. "On the other hand, if it'll make you feel better, that just means you were that good..."

Jack snorted. "Hnn. I suppose that's good for you, yeh?" He expected some snarky response, but when Jack finally turned around he was greeted with an empty space. "What th...Nobu?"

"Yeah?" His head whipped around only to come face-to-face with another ice lolly, still in its wrapper. "Here, I think someone's grumpy 'cause he didn't get a treat..."

He raised a white eyebrow for a long second, not sure how to feel or what to make of this spitfire whom he called his girlfriend. Now that they were living in London together and attending university, he'd gotten to know her a lot more intimately than when he'd been a transfer student in Japan. And yet no matter how well he thought he knew her at this point, somehow or other, Nobunagun still managed to take him by surprise.

"...Y'know, you really should retract your claws more often, Wildcat. You're much cuter when you do." That got a laugh out of her. It was their little in-joke, as Nobunagun had more than a passing resemblance to a feral feline when they'd first met.

"And I know you're really just a big softy, deep down underneath all that tough-guy crap," Nobunagun retorted, but she gave him a peck on his tender nose. "Now eat this before it melts."

Jack tried to remain stern, but he couldn't help the grin creeping up. "Yeh, yeh..." He opened the wrapper. "Mango, huh? I'll take that."

Before he could take his first lick though, Nobunagun leaned over and chomped off a bite. "Oy! What the hell!"

"Since you ate mine earlier, fair's fair," she retorted, licking her lips. "Besides, it was just the tip."

Jack snorted at her (un)intentional entendre. "Seriously, Nobu..." The rest of the treat was sweet and cooling, Jack slowly savoring the lolly as Nobunagun sprawled over the sheets, seemingly not caring about the stains. At some point though, he noticed the girl was crawling closer to him, until she was right in his lap.

"What, did you want another bite?"

"Maaaybee..." She had that expression again, which meant she was up to something.

"...Why do I get the feeling that's not all?"

Now she was toying with the drawstrings of his waistband. "I mean, if you're feeling extra generous, I'll be sure to take extra good care of you..."

"...Tit-for-tat, huh? Alright..." He flipped the stick down and Nobunagun took another eager bite. "Just make sure you—oy!"

Before Jack could tell her to please finish eating first she was already taking him in her mouth, sweet-sticky juice and all. "NOBU!" The shock of icy-cold against the overall warmth of her mouth was one thing, but Jack was also acutely aware of his dick being coated in half-melted lolly juice. Which, being the clean freak he was, grossed him out just a tad.

"N, Nobu...!" It felt good, he wouldn't deny that; her hot, wet mouth engulfed his length, yet her tongue was still cold. Jack tried not to think too much about the mixing of food and bodily fluids. "Jesus, couldn't you have...finished eating first?"

"Hmmph mmhrrph?" Jack didn't understand a single word, but he could tell from her eye-roll she was probably chastising him for overreacting again. And yeah, maybe food-play was a kink for some people, but not for him. Still, his body certainly seemed to enjoy, regardless of what his brain thought; already he could feel the heat pooling in his groin, Nobunagun's hands teasing his balls and he jerked upward each time she squeezed them just a little bit.

For her part, Nobunagun found the whole pre-cum+mango juice combination coating her tongue to be quite interesting. Kind of sweet, kind of salty; but not necessarily in a bad way? Despite Jack's scolding, she knew he was enjoying it. Short, ragged pants fell from his mouth, and one hand curled behind her head, fingers alternately digging into or stroking her hair. Her tongue swept around underneath the tip, tracing the throbbing vein along the side and she heard him moan, thrusting his hips upward and she smirked. She bobbed her head faster, pursing her lips to create a tighter suction at the same time.

"Nng—fuck, Nobu...!" He forgot entirely about the ice lolly at this point; the only thing that mattered was how good her mouth felt, how slick her tongue was as it slid around all the subtle crevices and flicked the tip every so often. Grunting, Jack resisted the urge to pull and yank her hair—Nobunagun did not appreciate that—so instead he settled for gripping the sheets. The closer he got, the faster his hips moved—especially as her mouth got tighter and he swore she was sucking harder. "I-It's coming—!"

As soon as she felt the first spurts of cum, Nobunagun swallowed eagerly. Not that it was a competition or anything, but she prided herself on being able to swallow fast enough before it overflowed and spilled out her mouth. She grinned slightly as she felt Jack finishing, grunting and thrusting erratically as she slowly eased the last few drops out of him, before gently releasing him.

"Feel better now?"

"Fuck, Nobu..." Jack couldn't finish the sentence, still catching his breath. "That's one way to put it..." He heaved a sigh, before sliding downward onto the bed. "Shit...we're definitely gonna need to do laundry..."

She laughed, poking her boyfriend in the cheek. "Really? That's your first reaction?" He gave her a sideways glare. "Well, if we are, I'd suggest holding off on that a bit."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And just what do you mean by that?"

Nobunagun licked her lips, those eyes settling into a bit of a scheming glance. "Let's just say I'm not exactly satisfied yet..." Before Jack knew what was happening, her bare bottom was straddling his naked waist. "I know you only need a couple of minutes to recover, so why don't we just get to it?"

"What th—Nobu! Seriously, give a guy more than a few minutes to catch his breath!" Jack protested. "I thought you were too hot to do anything?"

"What can I say, that ice lolly certainly helped. Didn't it help you?" She pulled her sweaty t-shirt off, then helped Jack out of his. "And then we can go do laundry. I'll even help with the ironing."

Jack stared at her for a few more seconds, before a slow grin revealed his rather pointy teeth. "I'm holding you to that, Nobunagun."

She grinned lasciviously. "I always keep my promises, Jack."

#documentation #//kind of a future/spin off from divine intervention?#//had this idea for a while b/c its exactly the kind of kinky thing nobu would do lol #//was wondering if i should wait until the end of DI since it technically takes place after the story #//at least that's how i planned it #//but oh well

2 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 9 months

Text

Falling Leaf

//split from the previous chapter

They duo nodded at each other once, before Adam hoisted himself over and down the slick ladder. The shark giant hadn’t spotted them yet—but it wouldn’t be long now, as they slowly descended. The air was damp and smelled rank, of rotting fish and entrails that were scattered all over the bottom of the well. As they drew closer, Adam saw the giant anchor being wielded by the monster fishman. Great. This was not going to be an easy fight, and given their tight quarters, even less so compared to the battle above. He tapped the huntress lightly, before silently indicating his plan to rush forward as an opening, while she waited behind for an opening. Perhaps if they were lucky, she might even be able to grab Rakuyo immediately and the two could make a break for the ladder.

Of course, nothing was ever so simple. Sio barely stepped out from behind Adam before the giant anchor swung inches from her face, and she was forced to retreat back. So close! She could see the sword right there, sunk at an off-angle from being stuck in the muck and whatever else was down here, but the shark man-beast seemed determined to thwart them. The idea that a giant, mutated monster had the gall to stop her from claiming one of the prized weapons from her homeland sent her blood boiling, and the second Adam had countered the beast’s anchor she fired a burst of shots with her blunderbuss, bringing it to its knees.

“Adam! Now!”

“Don’t need to tell me twice—”

Sio swung high overhead as Adam swept low; their combined attacks knocked the shark beast onto the ground, and Sio dashed forward—

“—Watch it!” Just before her fingers grasped the hilt she felt someone pull her back, just as a second shark giant dropped down out of nowhere. “Fuck, I should’ve known—there’s two of ‘em now!”

“Damn it!” Really, was it so much to ask for things to their way for once? Not in this place they don’t, Sio thought bitterly, now back-to-back with Adam as the two carefully sized up the situation. The first monster was weakened, but certainly not dead yet. And now a there was a second one to deal with, all in a tiny circle with barely enough room for all four of them.

“Of course, of course th’ bastard’s got a friend,” Adam growled under his breath as he moved his Stakedriver into a defensive position. “Not gonna lie, this doesn’t look good; that first one’s still hanging on, and I’m willing t’ bet both of them can do some serious damage together...” A set of roars nearly caused the well to cave-in as the beasts charged together, one with the anchor overhead and the second simply rushing forward. Steeling himself, Adam braced himself for the inevitable impact as the Stakedriver swung forward to meet the anchor. The clash shook his footing but he remained standing—had to, for if he gave even an inch, there was no telling if he could get a second chance. While he fended off the first beast, Sio used her small size to her advantage to squeeze past him, and then dove underneath the second shark’s legs in order to get behind for a backstab.

Blood splashed onto the already-slick floor as Sio withdrew her spear, following up with a transformed trick-shot to keep the momentum going. As much as she wanted to fire away with her blunderbuss, the risk of accidentally hitting Adam was too great—so single, timed thrusts it was. Already she’d nearly tripped him, and vice versa, yet the shark monster seemed to have no trouble getting around the well. ‘Probably because they’re so big, they know they can just take a swing in any direction.’ Still, their large size was no match for her agility—as long as Adam kept the anchor shark busy, she could chain backstab after backstab, effectively staggering the beast. She risked a glance back, where Rakuyo sat like a temptress, its hilt covered in grime but she could see it was still in prime condition. In a split-second she turned tail and, despite the risk of being caught off-guard, lunged towards the sword.

“Got it...!” Fingers grasped the cold steel, as Sio grinned to herself. Finally! It was hers now, all hers and no shark or undead warrior could take it—

The huntress’ victory was cut short by a blow strong enough to knock the air out of her (and probably crack several ribs). Sio went flying into the stone walls, her breath barely audible as wheezing pants as she struggled to stand up. Dimly she heard Adam’s concerned shouts, as she tried to force her eyes open. Blood tainted her vision and made it hard to see, but she could feel the steel of Rakuyo in her grasp still, as if reassuring her. Heavy, pounding steps vibrated the floor in front of her, and as Adam yelled out a warning, Sio flipped Rakuyo around, dodged low and swung up in a high arc—just as the shark giant was about to devour her. Though her vision was still blurry with red, she knew her hit had connected—and was fatal. Warm, stinking blood rushed down the shaft and soaked her sleeves, before the weight of the corpse followed as Rakuyo pierced clean through. Sio barely wiped her face in time as the giant’s body threatened to crush her, but she managed to dodge backwards in a half-hearted roll.

“Sio! You alright?” Back against the other side of the well, Adam couldn’t exactly see what had happened—he hoped the shark was dead, but it was taking all his concentration to keep the other bastard with the anchor at bay. “Sio!” He’d seen her make a break for Rakuyo, and then the beast walloped her into the wall. Before he could reach her the other shark giant gave a furious roar and charged with its anchor at the front, forcing him to counter. “Fucking bastard...!” He shuddered as one of its webbed hands swiped his head, leaving several bloody gashes across his cheek.

“Adam!” He looked up only to see flash of silver as a blade pierced clean through from behind, the shark giant pausing as if not quite believing what had happened. Adam took advantage of the stun and charged up his Stakedriver, firing a stake into its heart the same time Sio pulled Rakuyo back into a visceral attack. Finally the shark menace slumped to the floor, both hunters staring at each other in a bit of a daze as they caught their breaths.

She didn’t look too much worse for wear, thankfully, though the nasty gash on her head needed to be patched soon. Same could be same for me, Adam thought, gingerly touching the lines across his cheek and wincing.

He stilled as the girl gently blotted out the blood with a handkerchief, ignoring her own wounds. “Sio...” Even now her touch was soft and tender, careful not to hurt him. “Don’t worry about me; you should get your head looked at...”

“It’s fine; I already used a blood vial, this is just the residue,” she continued to wipe up the blood, until it was as clean as she could get. “Adam, I-I...I’m glad you’re not hurt. And even though I know it was a huge risk...we did it,” she declared, holding up the bloody Rakuyo in triumph. “And it’s just like I’ve read—it doesn’t require blood, it just demands high dexterity.”

Adam nodded. He’d seen just how effective she was the second she got ahold of the the weapon, and that was before any training or upgrades as well. “Yeh, I saw; I’ll admit, I’ve no doubt you’ll be able to master it even more than the Rifle Spear. That being said,” his eyes narrowed, “that was one hell of a risk t’ take. You could’ve been badly hurt—or worse...”

All her enthusiasm from the victory seemed to drain as her face sagged a little, though Sio knew Adam was right. “...Yeah, I know. And I’m sorry I gave you such a fright...but, I meant it when I said that I know this will help us. More than I already am. You may be concerned about me, but so am I; I worry about you too, Adam. The way you always put yourself in harm’s way...” Those maroons furrowed downward as Sio resisted her tears. “I, I know it was extremely dangerous...but if you want me to believe until the morning arrives, then please, trust me...”

“I—” Damn those eyes; that look was enough to melt any and all reservations he had earlier about her intentions. “...I do trust you, Sio. It’s just...let’s both just agree to try and avoid any more risk than absolutely necessary, yeh?” Once again, with just a single look he found himself unable to voice his doubts. Adam wondered briefly if he was under some kind of weird enchantment or spell that caused his mind to fog over whenever they had a moment like this: caught between tension and vulnerability, being so close after a physically exhausting fight—

“Oy, what are you...” Since when did the huntress get so close? This was not like when she was cleaning his wound earlier, no; certainly her eyes then hadn’t been so dark and hazy, those lips drawing closer against his own until he could feel her breath. “Sio, what—”

“—Shh, please, just let it happen...” Adam found himself pushed back against the stone wall as the girl leaned in, then closed the distance and he found himself kissing her back. Slowly at first, then with a kind of fervor that was usually reserved for the bedroom, not at the bottom of a dank, dark well. Her lips were soft, a tongue eagerly running against his and he could taste a tinge of metallic blood—whether it was his or hers, he didn’t know—her fingers warm and delicate as they brushed against his neck. It took a few second before he realized her hands were close to undoing his belt, which shook him out of his reverie.

“H-Hey there, now hold on a second,” Adam forced himself to break the kiss and wrenched her hands back up. “What the hell d’ya think yer doin’?! In a place and time like this?!” He hissed, cheeks flushed from embarrassment. “Sio! Get a hold of yourself!”

“Adam, please,” her lips trembled as she whined low, which certainly sent a shiver down his spine. “Just a little bit...”

A little bit? What the hell did that even mean? How could you only do it a ‘little’? Before he could answer Sio’s hands were at his waist again, but this time Adam firmly grasped her wrists together.

“Sio Ogura! What’s going on? We need to get back up before Hunter an’ Tell think we’re dead!”

"I know! But I...I’m...” Biting her lips, the huntress looked as if she were debating herself; then to his relief, she pulled her hands back. “...I’m sorry; you’re right, Adam. It was...wrong of me to do that...I’m sorry.” Without another word she tucked then newly acquired Rakuyo into her pack, then began climbing back up the ladder. Adam remained a bit stunned at the sudden whiplash of her behavior, before following her back up.

It happened again... This strange, almost split-personality trait she still exhibited. But wasn’t that supposed to be cured now, with the blood transfusion? Or maybe this was something else entirely—a hidden side of her that had nothing to do with the blood sickness or even the Frenzy. His anxieties came back with a vengeance, Adam now once again see-sawing between just what Sio’s true feelings and intentions towards him were.

“Och, ye made it—again,” They were greeted with an exasperated but relieved surgeon, who helped pull them out. “I s’pose I shouldnae put anything past ye two at this point—and I see ye got what ye came fer, eh lass?”

“Yeah, I did get Rakuyo...but I couldn’t have done without Adam. So, thank you...” Still, as she said this Adam noticed the huntress was turning away from him. “A-And, thank you Hunter, Tell...for, trusting me and keeping watch up here.”

“Well, you succeeded in the end, so that’s all that matters,” said Tell in that even tone of his, while he eyed the relic. “So that’s Rakuyo; I suppose it is the original version, and not the blood-imbued one that Lady Florence wielded?”

Sio nodded. “Yes, I was able to test it out down there—it really is one of the best weapons for a dexterity fighter, so I’ll be sure to do my best.” The huntress bowed low.

Off to the side, Adam stood quietly as he watched the girl chat with the other two men. She seemed normal enough; but again, what was with the sudden and strong come-on? And after a battle, to boot, he thought warily. Was there something about the high of a life-and-death fight that made her mind more susceptible, and allowed her true nature to come through—which gave him more pause than her ambiguous intentions—or was there something else driving her odd behaviors? Something, like say, fear of a surrogate pregnancy...

“Yur awfully quiet,” Adam didn’t even flinch when Hunter came over to him, as they prepared to press onwards. “Dinnae like the lassie throwin’ herself into danger again, ‘ey?”

“...No, but when has she ever listened to me,” Adam replied blithely, deciding to keep this second incident to himself for now. “Anyway, like Tell said we did manage to get it, and she proved its worth the moment she grabbed it.” Even though this could be more ‘proof’ that she could have ulterior motives, a part of him wanted to believe Hunter and Tell.

Would it make a difference if she wanted to be with you both because she loved you, but also because she wishes to avoid birthing a surrogate?

Adam grit his teeth as Tell’s question came back. Did it really matter? He didn’t know; he didn’t want it to be, but if she was more interested in just a warm body...

‘Don’t. You can’t keep making assumptions like that.’

Sio looked back at him with a curious, almost guilty expression, but he turned away. Not now; not until he figured out what he really wanted, could he confront her with an answer. --------- The stink of rotting fish guts did not help the churning in her stomach, especially after her loss of control after gaining Rakuyo. ‘Stupid...you’re so stupid Sio, giving into your fears like that...! Now he’s definitely going to avoid you even more...’ Even now the huntress still wasn’t sure what possessed her to come onto him like that. Maybe I am possessed, she thought sarcastically as group moved up the hill along the worn path, keeping a close eye on the abandoned buildings. The adrenaline in her veins, twisting and confusing her senses between fear of a surrogate and her lustful desires towards Adam; Sio grit her teeth and vowed to not let temporary feelings contaminate her mind.

She loved Adam; that much she was sure of, despite everything. Her own erratic behaviors were just as distressing to her as they clearly were to him; yet, as Sio mulled over her memories, she also remembered a feeling of longing, that perhaps a moment of indulgence wouldn’t be so bad—and what if she really were at risk of being impregnated, if so then wasn’t it imperative that she do all she could right away to prevent that—

“—Sio! On your left!” Her head jerked up just in time to see the javelin fly by, not quite missing her as it drew a thin red line across her nose. Cursing, the huntress immediately ducked and spun around, firing her blunderbuss just as the mutated fisherman came charging forward. The creature stumbled and fell, and before it could even get back up Rakuyo’s sharp edge decapitated him. Blood splattered as it landed with a dull ‘thud’, soon joined by other bits and pieces of body parts as Sio whirled Rakuyo with an uncanny ability. Even though she’d only picked it up a a few moments ago it already felt as if she’d trained with it forever.

“Whoa...and it’s not even fully upgraded yet,” she muttered, a bit in awe at how much damage she could do now. Not that the Rifle Spear had been lacking; it’d gotten her through all kinds of trials and horrors up until now, and she vowed to keep it in storage as a backup. Perhaps there would be situations that would require its specific abilities, and in any case, it would be a waste to simply toss it after all the resources she’d spent on honing it. She was just about to congratulate herself on clearing the fishermen out on her own, when a familiar, dreaded roar shook the air.

Sio cursed under her breath as she spun around. “Oh no...it’s another one of those!” Another giant shark beast was charging through the waters towards them, also armed with a rusty anchor. This time they were prepared however—Adam and Tell rushed forward to meet the beast as Hunter hung back, partly out of fear but nonetheless he backed them up with his pistol. A sharp metallic clang rang in her ears as Adam’s Stakedriver parried its anchor, while Tell followed up from behind with a swing of his Bowblade in its original bladed form. Thick, slimy blood oozed all over the place as the beast staggered backwards, still roaring in fury. While it was staggered, Sio dashed up with Rakuyo now transformed into dual blades; with one weapon in each hand, she spun in place, using the blades to slice the monster into several pieces.

“Holy...” Hunter let out a low whistle as they regrouped, Sio panting from exertion as she attempted to wipe off the gore as best she could. “Well lass, consider me convinced. Tha’ attack you just pulled off, ‘s definitely one-of-a-kind.”

“I’ll say; almost looked like you were dancin’, or somethin’,” Adam said, and Sio blushed slightly from both mens’ words. “You sure you’ve never trained with this type of weapon before, back in your village?”

“N-No, honestly I’ve only ever read about it...” Though she was used to learning quickly by now, even the huntress was surprised at how well she’d adapted to her new weapon. Was it something innate that caused her to pick it up so quickly? The joy she’d felt at having mastered something was replaced with a rising fear that it could be tied to her other strange behaviors, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘Don’t go there Sio, you don’t know that for certain. Now’s not the time to be worrying yourself into a mess, anyway.’

Up ahead was a dilapidated lighthouse, and though they had no map or even the barest idea of what awaited them, all members of the group seemed to feel the same. There wasn’t even a need for discussion; instead they set out for the building, as if guided by some unknown force. Sio held her breath as Tell pushed the door open, but let out a sigh of relief as she saw the familiar lamp. “Whew...maybe we can take a quick rest here.” They all sat down in varying states of relaxation; Adam and Tell set about on weapon maintenance, while Hunter checked their supplies and used the opportunity to take a closer look at some of the more serious injuries. The huntress herself was busy with embedding blood gems into her new weapon, when all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Even though there was no sound and nothing in her sights to indicate danger, instinct told her to turn around.

She almost wished she hadn’t. A wide, leering grin stared back at her, those eyes dark as coal as the assassin Mahesh Mirza stood no more than a few feet away. There wasn’t even time to fathom how he’d gotten so close without any of them noticing—or how he’d even gotten here at all. Sio immediately leapt to her feet with Rakuyo at the ready, startling the other men until they too noticed the intruder.

“You!” Adam didn’t even bother with a response before he swung the Stakedriver forward; the assassin seemed to vanish in an instant however, and the stake hit only air. “What th—” A split-second later his body exploded with pain as the Bloodletter smashed into his side, its spikes thrusting clean through. He heard Sio scream his name, but the shock was so intense he could barely breathe, let alone respond. Another swipe came towards him, but Adam managed to pull the Stakedriver up in time to block the fatal blow, but not before it nicked him across his chest.

“Adam! Damn you, Mirza!” She should’ve known he wouldn’t keep his word; the man had already proved to be a scheming, wily liar on more than one occasion, so why did she think he would actually leave her alone as she went about this ‘test’ or whatever the hell this place was? Adam was right; there would be no more second chances, not if she could help it. In a fit of rage she leapt up, both blades pulled into diagonal slashes as she broke through the Bloodletter’s guard and forced the assassin to the ground. “Die!” Blood splattered her clothes as she fought with a fury unlike anything she’d ever experienced: rage at her own naivete, the carelessness that now put those she cared about in danger—but most of all, Sio had just about had enough of this nightmare. Even the spikes shooting out couldn’t deter her, the huntress letting them pierce her on purpose as she closed the gap and transformed Rakuyo back into a single weapon. As Hunter managed to temporarily stun Mahesh with a backstab, Sio dashed and thrust Rakuyo forward at the same time, sinking the blade clean through the assassin’s torso.

“Die, you son of a bitch.”

Still, even as his body sank to the ground from the fatal blow, there were no words or taunts; only the same, psychotic grin, and a bone-chilling laugh as the body collapsed, then dissolved into dust. Sio grimaced as she stared at the empty spot where the Church assassin had just been. It didn’t feel right; how he’d just appeared out of nowhere, and not uttering a single word. Given how chatty the assassin was whenever they met, it felt unsettling that he’d simply vanish like that.

That mystery was for later, however. Sio pushed those worries to the back of her mind as she rushed over to Adam, who was already being tended to by Hunter and several blood vials. “Adam!” One look at his wounds, however—blood pouring from several deep holes where the morning star had pierced through and his entire left side stained a deep crimson—and she burst into tears, much to the bewilderment of the men.

“O-Oy, come now lass, I promise it isnae that bad; it looks worse than it is, trust me ye?” The surgeon tried to comfort the huntress, but it did little to stem her sobs. “Och, there there...”

“O-Oh, I, I’m...I’m sorry, Adam...everyone...” Still hiccuping, Sio tried to regain a sense of control, but that failed as she continued to cry. She felt Tell pat her back in a comforting manner, reassuring her that Adam would be alright with Hunter’s skills and nobody else was seriously injured, but none of the words seemed to register in her mind. How could she have been so stupid? Even before they learned the truth about Mirza she’d been suspicious; why did it always take a near-death crisis before she finally grasped the truth?

Another hand reached out, this time brushing her tears away and she finally looked up, Adam’s piercing green eyes staring back at her with a concerned gaze. “Oy, Sio, I’m alright. Don’t you go getting yourself worked up over somethin’ like this...you know it’ll take more than that bastard to bring me down.”

“I-I...I know...b-b-but it’s just...I’m sorry...I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you the first time, back when we were at the Orphanage; y-you, you were right, Adam. We should’ve just dealt with him right there and then...b-but I, I...” She choked back another wave of tears as Adam gently stroked her hair. “It’s all my fault you’re injured like this...and I put everyone else in unnecessary danger, too; getting us trapped here in this Nightmare...”

“Oh Sio; there’s no use in beating yourself up.” He let out a half-sigh before it morphed into a grunt of pain. “Yeh, I’m not gonna lie, that hurt like hell; but trust me, it’s not your fault,” he emphasized as he gripped her shoulder. “There’s no way we could’ve predicted any of this, even from back then. An’ remember, I was the one who ultimately let him tag along back in the woods. We could’ve just abandoned him to his devices—but well, sometimes we make mistakes. What’s important is that we didn’t let it get the better of us.”

He rubbed her shoulder soothingly, which seemed to help. Her sobs quieted down to a few hiccups here and there now, as she wiped up the remaining tears with a handkerchief. “Th, thank you, Adam...I can always count on you...”

“...I’m glad to hear that.” Despite everything, his own inner turmoil and all the bullshit they’d slogged through so far, hearing her gratitude made Adam forget about all that. Those feelings had to be real...because if he couldn’t believe in them, then what was the point in continuing on? “Anyway, I already vowed to cut that bastard’s head off the next time he showed his face—and it seems we’re now all on the same page about that.”

The archer cleared his throat, and all eyes turned towards Tell. “About that; as much as I hate to be a pessimist, I suspect that’s not the last we’ve seen of that man.” He nodded towards the bloody remains of Mahesh’s arm bands.

Sio felt a chill go down her spine as Tell also confirmed her fears. “Yeah...I don’t know about you, but that fight didn’t feel...right. For one thing, how did he sneak up on us without anyone noticing? And also, he never said a single word; yet each time we’ve encountered him, he’s always taunting me.”

“Ye think it wasnae him, then? What else could it be, an illusion o’ sorts?” asked Hunter. “I ken this place doesnae follow the usual rules, but that mace felt real enough to me.”

“No, I think he...or whatever it was, was real. But maybe it wasn’t the actual Mirza; not an illusion, but some kind of projection or double,” Sio murmured, as she replayed the battle in her head. “I don’t know what he’s trying to get at, but Adam’s right; next time he appears, or one of his doppelgängers—or whatever—I won’t hesitate.” Her maroons glowed with a fierce gleam as she gripped Rakuyo’s hilt. “I’m done being his fool.”

“Let’s get a move on then; I don’t know if he’s gonna come back or what, but staying here is no safer than pressing forward.” Adam took a deep breath, before slowly pushing himself up—he glanced in surprise as the huntress wound an arm over her shoulders to support him. “Sio?”

“Are you going to be okay? Those wounds...maybe we should rest a bit more,” her maroons now furrowed with worry as she gently traced a finger along the bandages; Adam couldn’t help but twitch slightly. The blood vials and Hunter’s handiwork had patched up the worst of it, but there was no denying that he’d taken a fair amount of damage during that fight. “It still hurts, doesn’t it?”

“...I’ll be fine. But,” and this time he gently wound her fingers with his, “I appreciate your concern, Sio.”

Slowly the group descended the steps down through the lighthouse, Tell volunteering to take point while Sio helped Adam along, and Hunter brought up the rear. A winding path awaited them, and as they followed it deeper through the hamlet, Sio couldn’t help but jump at the slightest movement or noise. She half-expected to get ambushed again by Mirza, but the only thing that stood in their path were more fishermen, and then...

“Wh, what are they? Snails? No, they look human...ish.” Sio felt the familiar tingle in her head, and for a second she feared the Frenzy. “A-Are these Kin?”

Adam grew alarmed as the huntress shrank back, clutching her head. “Sio! Do you need a sedative?”

“N, No...I think I’m alright, actually,” Sio let a shaky breath, her eyes wide but so far she didn’t seem to be losing control. “I think they’re related, but the feeling isn’t that strong; it’s just a little bit...” The cave before them was filled with these creatures, half-women and half-mollusk. Some had shells, while others simply writhed about on a slug-like body, but all seemed to prostrate towards something greater. Their heads were bowed and hands locked in prayer almost, as the group gingerly picked their way through this bizarre minefield. Though she was sure the creatures were human at one point, Sio found herself searching her memory for another one that looked very much like these forms...

As much as he didn’t like it, Adam had no choice but to trust the huntress’ words. “...Very well, if you say so. But the second something doesn’t feel right, you let us know, yeh?”

‘Kosm... The Great One, I saw her in my dream; she washed up on the shore, and her body looked a lot like...these. Because the villagers, they were influenced by her power—so using the power of Insight, they became more like her, they were turning into a Great One...’

A hand clapped her shoulder and she looked up into Adam’s concerned glance. “Sio? You good?”

“Y, Yeah...sorry, but I was just thinking about m-my...dream,” she gulped, and the hand gripped a little tighter, “these snail women, they remind me of that Great One, K...Kos...and these are the villagers that, that...!”

“The outcome of when Kos washed up on the shore, and blessed the villagers...these are the remnants that survived the Church’s genocide.” said Tell. “It makes sense they would be similar to Kin...but, seeing as how you’re not having much of a reaction, perhaps they were not successful transcendences.”

Even though her head was still clear, Sio knew she had to be on guard as they made there way through the cave. The snail women did not seem all that interested in attacking the group outright, though if they were unfortunate enough to stray too close, or make themself seem like a threat, they certainly reacted. The huntress dodged to the side as one of the half-maidens sprang towards them on her slug-like body, shrieking an unearthly wail before Adam’s Stakedriver brought it into the ground. With each step Sio felt the hairs on the back of her neck get stiffer, even though there was nothing out of the ordinary—so far, anyway.

Ahead of the last maidens, a faint glow pierced through a foggy veil into the cavern’s gloom. “This has to be the place,” Sio murmured under her breath, and the rest of the men readied their weapons. “Whatever’s dreaming this Nightmare, it’s beyond this point...I can feel it.”

“And that’s why you’ve been able to make it this far.” A sinister chuckle breathed right into her ear, and Sio spun around with Rakuyo at the ready. “Oh, my dear huntress Miss Ogura; you really are more than you seem, aren’t you?” The Bloodletter pulsed to life as the assassin dropped down from seemingly out of nowhere. “Your drive to find the truth is one thing, but to actually accomplish it...I admit it does seem like a shame to have to end this game so soon, but alas, duty calls.”

The bile rose in the huntress’ throat as she willed herself to remain calm. At this point it didn’t matter what was said or promised—nothing mattered except defeating the liar who stood before her. “Mirza; I swore I’d no longer be your toy, and I aim to make good on that promise.”

The assassin threw back his head and laughed. “I can tell you’re serious! You finally stopped hesitating when you met my other self earlier...” A small chime rang from a Resonant Bell that Mirza held in his right hand, but its tone was ominous.

“A Sinister Resonant Bell...! That’s how he invaded us out of nowhere!” Adam cursed under his breath as he pushed Sio protectively behind him. This was no body double—and if Adam had it his way, soon there wouldn’t be anything left of the Church assassin at all.

“Ah, and the White Knight appears; tell me Muirhead, is the girl truly that important to you? Moreso than this hunt you vowed to end?”

“Shut up,” he growled, priming the Stakedriver. “I don’t give a fuck what you say or do at this point; just know that your head is mine.”

Mahesh Mirza’s eyes narrowed into dark slits while his mouth split into a grin that almost sliced his face in half.

“Do you hear this? Fear the bell's toll. For only death awaits prying eyes, and the Church assassins are never far behind.”

A single, silver chime echoed throughout the gloom as both men rushed towards each other.

#documentation #//WHOOPS #//that took uh #//a long time #//dang i keep drifting away from my original notes lol #//its fine #//its called the muses have their way with me

3 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Text

Deep Sea’s Rune

//I got stuck, then I went and wrote too much so it’s split (again)

“Oh gods, I knew this was a bad idea...all ‘f ye owe me after this—that is, if we survive...”

Adam did his best to ignore the dire mumblings of the surgeon, but even he had to admit they’d walked right into this one. Of course the Lady Florence wasn’t actually dead. Of course she’d be hostile towards their group; what else was new.

“Look, once this whole fight’s finished, just name the echoes and they’re yours, alright?” Adam muttered, though he had a feeling no amount of payment would be satisfactory. “An’ yeh, maybe we shouldn’t have bothered her...but something tells me it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“Yeh, tell me about it...” Hunter shot back, but said no more on the topic as the battle reared to life. Lady Florence’s weapon sliced through the air much faster than even a whip, forcing Adam to fight defensively—the Stakedriver was much too slow to risk a parry, and even Hunter’s dual blades had difficulty in keeping up with her speed. Tell was doing his best to snipe her from afar, but their opponent was skilled enough to simultaneously dodge the shots, while keeping Sio at bay as well. The Rakuyo was in its dual blade mode—a saber in one hand and a dagger in the other. Even with the odds of 4-against-1, the ‘ghost’ was more than holding her own.

“Damn, what is she—some kind of demon?” Adam asked sarcastically, though in all honestly she might as well be; in this dream-space where things may very well not be real, in a nightmare that never ended and the dead never truly died. “Keep pushing—we can’t give her a chance to recoup!”

Slowly but surely, they were gaining some ground. Tell’s barrage of arrows finally broke through her defensive swipes, and Sio managed to get in a single riposte—sending the lady flying onto her back as the girl ripped a savage blow through her.

“Hah! Take that!”

The huntress held her guard as they all watched the body with caution. Surely that hadn’t been enough to take her down, not with the way she’d fought. But it had to have at least weakened, her, right? Sio’s fingers twitched as Lady Florence started to push herself up; the blow certainly seemed to have done damage, yet her demeanor was still eerily calm. She returned Rakuyo into a single weapon again and—to everyone’s shock—plunged the blade straight into her chest. Blood splattered everywhere, but it was the encircling flames that really sent Sio into a panic. The self-inflicted damage was intentional—and the huntress realized to her horror, it only made Florence stronger, much in the way the Chikage sword required the act of seppuku to unleash its full potential. Though, she wasn’t aware it was possible to combine both blood and fire elements.

“What! But Rakuyo wasn’t designed to utilize blood?!” A shockwave formed with crimson sliced through the air, as Sio barely managed to stave off the fatal damage with a last-minute dodge. “I thought Lady Florence abhorred the use of blood—that’s why Rakuyo was designed the way it is?”

The air streaked with the warm copper scent of blood—particularly once Lady Florence started unleashing her true capabilities. Each blood slash also left a trail of flame in its wake, making it difficult to get close without the risk of secondary damage.

“Adam! Let me take the lead!” The hunter stared for a moment, the girl’s blood-red eyes glaring through the darkness. “I can stagger her with my attacks—then when she’s down, go in for the kill!” Her eyes gleamed with ferocity, but to Adam’s relief there didn’t seem to be any frenzy. Just pure, unadulterated battle-lust.

No matter how much he wanted to believe was hunting for a greater purpose, Adam couldn’t deny the thrill he felt during battle. And frenzy or not, he knew Sio felt the same, deep down.

Perhaps they were kindred spirits after all, his consciousness mused, though it only mollified his conflicting feelings a touch. Yet the way they were so in-sync during battle, not even relying on shouts or signals to cue each other...Hunter once joked they might be telepaths, able to communicate with just their minds.

Maybe not minds, but spirits...

He gave only the barest of nods before the huntress took off. She could do it...had to; there was no alternative. If she faltered her timing or couldn’t read their opponent correctly, there would be no second chances—not even his speed would allow him to reach her in time, should anything go wrong. He had to place his faith in her...just as she did him.

‘Adam, I trust you with my life, now...’

Adam didn’t even think when his body automatically rushed forward, just as Sio’s blunderbuss fired with perfect timing to bring Lady Florence to her knees. The girl leaned backwards just as his Stakedriver swung overhead, the two of them flawlessly exchanging positions before Florence could recover. Her Rakuyo only managed to raise once, before Adam fired the stake and it sunk into her chest with a wet, muffled squelch. For some reason he expected it to be much harder; that his attack would be met with some resistance, but the way his blade sank into her so easily reminded him that human flesh was still fragile, undying corpse or not.

“...I know what you did to them... The ailing wards of the church. It’s not your fault. The nightmare held them, and now they are free. But what about you? Have you profited at all?”

He stared at Lady Florence, at that bloodied face and eyes that never blinked while she grasped his shoulder with a surprising amount of strength still. Before Adam even had a chance to retaliate or parse her words, an arrow flew right past his head, so close it snipped a few strands of his hair and planted itself dead between Lady Florence’s eyes. The corpse lost her grip and fell backwards, finally still.

“...Is she...was that it?”

“Look, at this point as long as she’s not tryin’ ta shank us all I’ll take it,” the surgeon grumbled. “I just want to get outta here before she starts comin’ back t’ life or some other shite.” Hunter pointedly avoided the body and began tending to their wounds, while Sio slowly walked over to the chair where Florence had sat in.

The chair was worn and stained with dark, old blood, but upon the seat there was a curious dial. It was about the size of her hands, and upon the surface was two hands and various icons, looking almost like a clock—except where one would expect numbers, there were instead familiar symbols, almost like the runes they carved to gain knowledge...

“Whoa...what’s this?” Before Hunter could admonish the girl to not touch anything, she picked up the dial. It was heavy and the metal worn, but it didn’t feel cold at all; rather, Sio felt a faint warmth emanating from it, as if it carried with it all the hopes Lady Florence used to have.

“Lass, what did we just say about not picking up random objects?” Sio could only smile sheepishly as the surgeon raised a stern eyebrow, but luckily nothing happened.

“Sorry...but, look at this dial! It kind of looks like the Astral Clocktower, don’t you think?” She held the object out. “Look, don’t these symbols look just like the runes we use? I wonder what that means.’

“You’re right; this hand’s pointing at Guidance, and the other...the Beast’s Embrace...” Adam frowned, his brows furrowed deeper than they already were as he studied the dial. “But why point at those runes?”

Tell came up and took the dial from Adam. “This is a Celestial Dial...and as you said Miss Ogura, it is connected to the Astral Clocktower, in a manner. Perhaps the runes are telling us something about this nightmare.” He turned the dial over in his hands. “After all, it was Ludwig who discovered Guidance...” Tell closed his eyes, as if reliving a lost memory. “I remember, when he told us about it, his discovery of this rune along with his holy moonlight sword; when Ludwig closed his eyes, he saw darkness, or perhaps nothingness—and that is where he discovered the tiny beings of light. Ludwig was certain that these playful dancing sprites offered "guidance"; that they could empty him of his fears at least in the midst of a hunt.”

“What about...the other one?” Sio asked timidly. Though the transfusion had cured her and saved her life, still whenever she heard anything to do with beasts her blood ran cold, and she couldn’t help the shiver of fear.

“The Beast’s Embrace: after the repeated experiments in controlling the scourge of beasts, the Embrace rune was discovered. When its implementation failed, the "Embrace" became a forbidden rune, but this knowledge became a foundation of the Healing Church. It is said those who swear this oath take on a ghastly form and obtain accentuated transformation effects, especially while wielding a beast weapon.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed at Tell’s description. “A rune discovered by Ludwig, who went mad and we defeated in this nightmare, and one that lets a hunter embrace becoming a beast...is that its way of saying what awaits those here? That we’ll all end up just like Ludwig, nothing but beasts in the end?” His silver locks shook fervently along with his head. “Tch; I don’t believe that bunk for a minute...”

“But, M...Mirza, he...” Shivering, Sio gulped her fears down and forced herself to stop shaking. “That’s...what he wants, isn’t it? The whole reason he gave me that eyeball, and told me to come here...was to see if I’d pass this test. If I can resist becoming a beast...”

“Well, we’ve already done it with the transfusion. At least fer now,” said Hunter, “so I dinnae think we’d need to worry ‘bout that. We should just focus on gettin’ outta here alive.”

The huntress nodded. Forget about Mirza and his twisted games—she’d already proved more than once she could handle herself, no matter what this nightmare threw at her. Taking the Celestial Dial back from Tell, Sio held it up against the giant clockface of the tower itself, trying to see how the runes matched. As she angled it so the hands were aligned, both the dial and clock tower itself came to life. Everyone spun around as the large hands rumbled, then creaked as they slowly moved downward, showering the group with dust. Sio watched in amazement as the miniature hands on the dial moved as well, until they were both aligned. After the large hands stopped moving, a single opening appeared at the bottom between the hands, just enough for a person to get through.

“So that’s the secret...the dial reveals what the Church hid all this time, with Lady Florence to guard it,” hushed Tell, as he studied the opening and the corresponding position on the dial. “The Deep Sea rune...”

“What is it?” The huntress glanced curiously at the archer, who was studying the symbol. “Does that rune mean something?”

“The Deep Sea: a secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth. This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices depicts downreaching currents. "Deep Sea" grants augmented resistance; great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep, and an augur of the eldritch Truth. Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.”

Seek what is yours... Once more, Sio felt the stirring in her soul, an invisible string that tugged her along this strange and twisted path. Even though she didn’t quite know yet how it would end the night, it just felt right.

“Didn’t realise we’ve got ourselves quite the scholar,” Adam muttered just within earshot of Hunter, as they all climbed through the now-revealed opening. “I don’t know; he’s saved our hides numerous times for sure, but I don’t like how he knows all this. Even more than us; an’ we ain’t rookies like Sio.” The silver-haired man narrowed his eyes as he gazed upon Tell’s back. “He’s already admitted he’s looking for a truth, whatever that is...but there’s something else. Something he’s not telling us.”

“When has anyone ivver been forthcomin’ in this profession,” retorted Hunter. “An’ speakin’ o’ which, you an’ Ogura...” Adam nearly groaned in frustration but held it back just in time; the surgeon wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily, after all. “Dinnae think I’ll just forget so quick...what was up with all that?”

“I, I...” Adam looked around nervously, not wanting anyone else to overhear—especially not the huntress. “...Look, I didn’t mean to—”

“—You didnae mean to what, run yer mouth off when she clearly meant t’ keep that dream a secret?” Hunter finished for him sarcastically. “...Are you seriously doubting her feelings? Tha’s what this is all about, isnae it?”

It took all his years and experience as a veteran hunter to prevent himself from just slamming a fist into the nearest dilapidated building. Adam hadn’t even realized how wound up he was, until he noticed his breath was coming in ragged pants. “She...I just don’t know. I don’t bloody know what to think anymore...” Next to him, the surgeon said nothing—only let a out a long, deep sigh.

“...Well, I did warn ye. That bein’ said, you got yourself into this, so I can only pray you have enough decency left to take responsibility fer it.” The surgeon gave him a surprisingly sympathetic look. “Though, I have to admit I am a bit surprised yur havin’ second thoughts at this point. I mean, before all...this, ye were...well, I could tell ye were quite taken with her.” Hunter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Why now?”

Adam didn’t want to admit it was mostly because of his own insecurities; that for the first time, he’d found someone he truly cared about and wanted to be with, for more than just an occasional night. “...Y’know, there was a time where I couldn’t give two shits what someone else thought about me, even after a roll around the hay. But with her, I...” Despite the entire situation, Adam felt himself blushing. Admitting to Hunter that yes, he was in love with Sio Ogura and felt hurt at the possibility of just being friends with benefits...was a touch embarrassing.

Luckily, the surgeon seemed to sense the mood. “Och, yer actually fallin’ in love, eh?” Adam blushed heavily, too flustered to do anything other than pull his balaclava higher to hide his face. “Alright, well let me ask this, then; what makes ye think the lass doesnae feel the same? ‘Cause from where I’m standin’, it seems pretty clear she’s besotted wit’ ye.”

“I...I’m not sure; maybe I’m just reading too much into all this. But, it’s just...” Adam’s grip tightened around his weapon, “...She’s so afraid of that possibility; of being impregnated by some eldritch being...what if, this whole time she was just...” Adam had to swallow first, before he could answer.

“What if she had me marked from the start?”

He half-expected to get clocked in the head by Hunter’s blades, but no blow came. Instead, the surgeon seemed deep in thought, even as the group trudged through the abandoned fishing village. “I know that sounds wretched, but...I can’t help it. Back when...when we were alone in the hall, and you an’ Tell were scouting, she...seemed to come on so strong. Even though I tried to dissuade her—because she needed rest at the time, not some romp around the sheets—she was so...insistent. Like she was desperate...”

He thought Hunter had simply decided not to answer—and certainly, a surprise ambush from around the corner by a few diseased fishermen forced him to turn his attention outward. Tell and Sio took point, the archer using his Bowblade as a sword for once while the huntress flawlessly backed him up with both her Blunderbuss and Rifle Spear. Adam watched her closely during the fight, to see if she was still suffering from any lingering effects of the blood transfusion or any potential kin. But it seemed Hunter’s work was solid, as the girl fought just as hard as any of them. Afterwards, when they were wiping up the gore and checking for anything valuable, he studied her again. There didn’t seem to be any traces of the frenzy or blood poisoning, which mollified his feelings—but only slightly. At least she was safe, for now...

“Is something the matter?” Adam nearly jumped out of his skin as the archer somehow made his way to the veteran’s side, all without Adam noticing. “Apologies—but you and the surgeon have been rather subdued.” Tell gave another glance between the man and the girl, who was now silently cleaning up her own weapons. The archer looked on for a few more seconds, before he tipped his hat down slightly. “...I see. Are you still concerned for Miss Ogura’s condition? She was quite capable during that last fight, if that’s what you’re worried about. Or,” Adam nearly dropped his gun at Tell’s follow-up, “...is there something else regarding the girl?”

At that point Adam almost wished he weren’t the leader and in charge, because he sorely wanted to just toss everything onto the ground and throw a tantrum. Was it really that obvious?! Then again given how quickly everyone else caught on before anything had even happened, Adam supposed he’d just have to accept that perhaps he wasn’t as good at concealing his feelings as he thought.

“...It’s that obvious, huh?”

The archer made some sort of muffled cough, which was as close to Tell laughing as Adam had heard so far. “Beg pardon, Muirhead. I did not mean to make light of the situation...” Adam merely grunted, “but silence can speak volumes, you know.” The archer’s voice held a bit of sympathy. “Perhaps this isn’t my place, but if you wish to speak about it, I’m willing to lend an ear.”

Tell acted as if this was all quite routine; that they were merely commenting on the weather instead of trekking through a dangerous, abandoned village full of mutated creatures and who-knows-what-else horrors caused by the Nightmare. Still, as Adam stared in disbelief at the offer, with Tell standing and looking a bit bemused, a part of him latched onto it.

“...Actually, I would. Take you up on your offer, that is,” Adam quickly looked around, as if afraid of being overheard, but Sio was now mercifully engaged in some small talk with Hunter, farther up. “I...appreciate it.”

“Certainly.” The archer nodded. “I assume this has to do with your relationship with her. Miss Sio Ogura.”

Adam heaved a deep sigh. “Yeh...heh, when is it not...” He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I think I must’ve been insane to pursue such a relationship, especially in a place like this...”

“Hm. Perhaps, but we shouldn’t entirely disregard what the heart wants, for the sake of logic.” Adam looked on in surprise at Tell’s response. “After all, in a world that increasingly inhuman...I believe holding onto our humanity, those feelings that sometimes bring hardships, but also give us strength...are what truly separates us from the real beasts.”

“Yeh...I won’t disagree on that; but the real issue is, I’m not so sure she feels the same way...”

“Interesting. What makes you say so?” Again, the archer asked the same question that Hunter posed. Adam was beginning to think perhaps he really was overthinking all this. And yet, that doubt remained, no matter how many times he argued with himself.

“I...It’s just...during that time, she seemed so desperate...like she was willing to do anything to avoid the fate from her dream...” Again, Adam relayed the huntress’ fears and her rather unusual behavior. “Don’t get me wrong; I don’t regret doing it at all...and, I know she wanted it as well...just, I’m not sure as to the why...”

The archer nodded, taking in Adam’s words with a careful ear. “I see; I can’t claim to know the girl as well as you and Hunter do, but I don’t think she would have done that purely for utilitarian reasons. Of course, that being said...all humans can be influenced, to some extent, by their emotions. If it was, as you said, driven partially out of fear from her nightmare...would that still change your feelings towards her? Would it make a difference if she wanted to be with you both because she loved you, but also because she wishes to avoid birthing a surrogate?”

Adam found himself unable to come up with an answer. His mouth gaped wordlessly, his heart wrenched in his chest as he tried to come up with an answer. Were her reasons really that important to him? Maybe he was the one who was being too emotional, in all this.

Before he could come to a conclusion however, shouts of excitement from the other two caused him to once again push those thoughts way, and raise his guard. Adam looked up just in time to see the huntress dodge a flaming skull spell, then fire back with her gun. His eyes swept across the horizon as he saw its caster, a fishwitch, hunched over and sitting right in front of an old well.

“Never a dull moment, ‘ey?” Hunter commented sarcastically as Adam threw a molotov, which gave them just enough seconds for the surgeon to lop the witch’s head off. “So much fer takin’ it easy here...”

“Adam! Hunter! Watch out!” There was barely a moment to even catch a breath before a terrifying roar deafened his eardrums. Hunter jumped and nearly lost his footing if it hadn’t been for Adam’s grasp. The two turned towards the sound of water splashing as one very large, very aggressive man-beast came charging towards them. It was enormous, easily towering more than ten feet tall yet ran with surprising speed, especially as it dropped to all fours. Its head was swollen and deformed until the eyes were barely visible—if at all—but the worst was its gaping maw filled with rows and rows of teeth, just like a shark’s. All the blood drained from Hunter’s face as he stood there, frozen in fear.

“Oh lord, what in the name of all that is good and holy—”

“Hunter! God damn it, man!” Growling, Adam pushed the other man out of the way and brought up the Stakedriver just in time, its blade now lodged between the shark giant’s jaws and Adam swore his bones vibrated from the impact. This beast was strong. Even with his strength he was barely holding it back; for a second Adam feared the blade would be crushed as the monster roared and shook its head, nearly tearing his arm out of its socket. The hot, fetid air that blew out of its mouth each time it screamed was enough to make him more than a little nauseated, and that wasn’t even counting its truly grotesque appearance: aside from the grossly oversized head and maw, the entire body was sprouting what appeared to be barnacles or coral along its tough, leathery skin. Again it screamed in fury and tried to knock him down with its webbed hands, but this time Adam turned the Stakedriver so it went directly down its open throat, and fired the charged stake. A different sort of scream this time, as the beast howled and staggered backwards while slimy, green blood splashed across his face. The blood smelled even worse than its breath, and Adam barely avoided heaving as he backed away as quickly as possible, to put distance between him and the giant.

“Adam! Behind!” Tell’s voice shouted through the air and he immediately ducked on instinct, just as a barrage of arrows flew over his head and straight down the shark giant’s throat, before it could recover from the charge attack. The final arrow was followed by a well-aimed molotov, which felled the beast at last as the bottle exploded in an impressive cloud of flames.

“Adam! Adam, are you alright?” The soft touch of her fingers against his face was a surprise, but not unwelcome. For a second she seemed like her old self, those maroons wide and and anxious as she checked him over for injuries and wiped up that disgusting blood. “Hunter’s alright too, I mean he’s pretty shaken but he’s not hurt at least—” Her voice stilled as Adam reached over, as if on automatic, and placed her palm against his cheek. Her hand was warm. Her fingers, smooth and slender, were a welcome sensation against the chapped skin of his face. Sio seemed lost in a trance herself, those fingers now tracing the hard lines of his jaw, then slowly underneath his chin as she drew them closer; until he could see the fine lashes along her eyes, and smell the comforting scent of her hair.

“...You’re not hurt, are you?” He asked quietly. She blinked and the spell was broken, the girl now shaking her head shyly as Adam let her hand go.

“No, we were at a distance, but you and Hunter were at the front...” Her breath hitched as if she wanted to say something more, but Adam let her go before that happened. Both of them strode over to the surgeon, who downing a large gulp of something from a flask he’d produced from his vest.

“Hunter, what the hell happened there?” As much as he didn’t like admonishing his partner, and even though he knew the surgeon constantly bemoaned about his lack of skills, it wasn’t like him to freeze up like that--not anymore. “I know you don’t do ‘front-line’ combat, but you’re no rookie, either...”

“Wha’ happen’d? Ye saw fer yurself mate! That, that...thing! T’was nae like anythin’ else we’ve seen ‘round here; dinnae you start wit’ me on what I should an’ shoudnae ken...what, you tellin’ me you’d be able to handle that monster all on yer own, bein’ ambushed like that?!” Hunter replied testily, and Adam felt a tad guilty. “This whole place gives me th’ creeps... ‘s long as we get outta here in one piece, tha’s more than I can ask fer at this point...”

“A’ight fine, fine...I get it.” Sighing, Adam could only pray the rest of their time here would be up soon. Between his emotions, the deranged beasts, and the constant stress of the unknown, he’d be lucky if none of them ended up with a nervous breakdown. “You stay back with Sio then, and me an’ Tell can take point.” Picking up the Stakedriver, he was about to head off when he realized the huntress was nowhere to be seen.

Oh bollocks. Despite the exhaustion a rush of adrenaline started flooding his system again, as Adam desperately scanned the landscape. Did she just happen to go further ahead? Or was she getting herself into another kind of trouble? Not for the first time, Adam found himself vacillating between being worried and being exasperated with the girl.

‘Sio, I swear to god if you’re running off on your own again...’

Thankfully, it seemed ‘running off’ only meant looking down the well. As the trio of men caught up with her, the huntress was peering intently down its depth, as if looking for something.

“Aye, sumthin’ down there tha’s got yur fancy, lass? Ye didnae drop anythin’, did ye?” Hunter asked as they attempted to see what she was looking at.

“Ah, no...I didn’t drop anything. Rather, there’s something down there that I think will help us...” Sio’s voice trailed off, uncertain if she should tell them her plans. On one hand, if that really was what she thought down there, it would greatly increase their strength. On the other, if they knew what she also saw down there guarding said thing... She could hear Adam’s voice in her head right now, berating her about taking unnecessary risks and reprimanding her for forgetting their goal of ending the night.

Next to her, Tell was once again sighting down the well with his monocle. “...I see. Well Miss Ogura, it certainly would be a boon, should you obtain it. However, you must doubtless overcome a difficult obstacle first...” He gave the girl a pointed glance, to which she turned away in guilt.

Adam was getting irritated by the two’s cryptic speech. “Alright, just what the hell is so bloody ‘useful’ that’s got you staring down a well?” Without even waiting for a response he edged his way between the two, peering into the dank, dark depths. “What th’ hell...”

Something gleamed faintly in the murky atmosphere, a hilt of sorts and a shaft... Adam couldn’t make out the details, but given what Sio and Tell had said, and what he knew about the girl’s penchant for exquisite weaponry...

“...Let me guess, there’s somethin’ unique down there that you’re keen on acquiring, yeh?” A wordless nod, the girl looking almost sheepish if it weren’t for their current surroundings. “And given everything else in this place, it ain’t gonna be easy to get to...”

“...Sorry...”

Alright, just take a deep breath and remain calm. There were times when Adam was reminded that the girl was really still a novice huntress, despite her skills. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath, which calmed his nerves. Somewhat. “Is this weapon really that valuable? You’re already quite skilled with the Rifle Spear; is it worth changing it out and then spending resources to upgrade another weapon?”

“W, Well, that may be true, but it’s not like my Rifle Spear works for all situations,” Sio argued back, “and besides, I know what I see down there—it’s another Rakuyo! Just like Lady Florence’s weapon...except I hope this one doesn’t require blood.”

Rakuyo, the famed Trick Weapon forged from her homeland, the Land of Reeds. Sio knew early on that her dexterity was her greatest strength—and while the Rifle Spear was competent, and its trick mode suited her love of firearms well, if they really wanted to make it out of here alive they’d need all the advantage they could get.

“Look, I know it sounds like a bad idea—and yeah, it probably is,” she muttered under her breath, “but if we’re going to end this nightmare, then I’m going to need all the strength I can get. Rakuyo is one of the best weapons for bringing out a dexterity fighter’s strength; I promise, if we can get it, I’ll be of much more use on the front lines.”

The way she said that sent a stab of fear in his heart—’on the front lines’. Though true, that was something he’d been trying very hard to avoid. “That’s—” he glanced at her with a retort at the ready, but the second he saw her fierce gaze Adam knew it was pointless. Hadn’t she argued with him countless times, how she didn’t want to be treated like a mere newbie? That she could hold her own and then some—hadn’t he seen and admitted that first hand many a times now? Both Hunter and Tell were looking at him with puzzled glances, as if asking why he was still holding back at this point. Faced with the other three, Adam only let out a single, long sigh, and gave his head a slight nod. “...Fine. Then we might as well do it now, rather than later; we don’t have time to waste.” He pushed past the trio and started to climb into the well, but was pulled back by a quick yank of his coat.

“What now!”

“Adam, you can’t just jump down there!” This time it was the huntress who admonished him, her face looking surprisingly stern for someone who’d been apologizing just minutes earlier. “Didn’t you see what’s guarding it?”

“...”

Sio raised an eyebrow, and now Adam felt himself blushing with embarrassment. Here he was lecturing the girl about throwing herself into danger, and now he was about to do the same. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...

“That shark giant you two fought off earlier; there’s one at the bottom, no doubt because they know Rakuyo is a valuable weapon,” spoke Tell, who had been sizing up the situation down the well. “Though, it looks a bit different than the one we killed. I’d be extremely cautious if I were you; we can’t assume this one will behave the same as the other.”

Next to him, the surgeon turned pallid once more “Lass, ye cannae be serious? Takin’ another one of those beasts on down there in that cramped space...it may well end up becomin’ our grave.” Hunter shuddered at the thought. “I mean, if ye really want ta, I s’ppose there’s nae choice...”

“That won’t be necessary Hunter,” Adam cut him off. “We won’t be able to all maneuver well in a tight space like this, so Sio and I will go down. You an’ Tell stay back and provide support from above—and make sure nobody else decides to drop in on us.”

“But Adam—”

“—No ‘buts’, squirt. You want that weapon, then I’m going with. There’s no way we’re gonna let you take that monster on by yourself.” Adam’s tone left no room for discussion, and though Sio was grateful for his support despite the tension between them, a part of her was still worried about how well they’d be able to fight down there.

‘There won’t be a lot of room to move, so honestly, Hunter’s Blades of Mercy would be better than the Stakedriver...’ But she also knew the surgeon might very well keel over in a dead faint if she forced him to accompany her, and so maybe it was better to have Adam’s stubbornness instead.

Just before the two of them were about to climb in, he felt a faint tug at his sleeve. He turned his head to the side and once more was struck at how young she seemed to be. “Adam...thank you.” Before the other two could see, he gently reached over and closed her smaller hand in his, giving a gentle squeeze.

“You can thank me after we get yer Rakuyo. I just hope you know what you’re gettin’ yourself into, Sio.” Adam replied gruffly, but rubbed her fingers one last time to let her know that in the end, he would always stand by her. “Now come on; let’s get in and get out.”

#documentation #my sweetest one #//wow #//i haven't updated fics #//ive been so busy #//and honestly kind of burned out from work #//i want to draw more as well

5 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Photo

"Oh, by the way, Shio. You know… That just now wasn’t on my E-gene’s order.”

165 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Text

Happy Valentine’s Day, haven’t drawn something that harkens back to the beginning of their relationship in a loooong time…

Also me just casually futzing around with the jitter brush settings for the first time…

8 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Photo

Happy Lunar New Year! Chúc mừng năm mới!

Vietnam is celebrating the Year of Cat this year, may we all go through life as blissfully as a cat!

15K notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Text

Knowing How I Feel (r18)

//Continuation of Knowing How You Feel; this time more from Adam’s POV

cw: aphrodisiac-effect themes (does this even count)

//Did I get another slutty smutty-ass Skeb commission? Why yes, however did you know...

“Oh ho, if it isn’t Jack the Ripper; ain’t often ye come down an’ pay me a visit...” The doors to the below sea level chambers of the C. Forrester swung open a with a creak, as the e-gene holder strolled in. “So what brings ye here?”

“Business mostly,” came the bored reply, the Ripper keen on getting in and out as soon as possible. The dank, dark hold always smelled of strange chemicals mixed with the slightly-rotten odor of half-dissected Objects—and Adam, having just come off lunch, was not keen on losing it anytime soon.

“Mostly? Ye sure ye dinnae want another go with those, ah...specimens?” A knowing grin lit Hunters face as the secret curtain was flung back, revealing multiple canisters of small, (mostly) harmless EIOs that some of the male holders had taken for use in...personal pleasure, so to speak. “Want another size or—”

“—Definitely not,” Adam replied flatly, dumping a folder of printouts onto the table. “Already told yeh, I’m not interested in trying anymore. ‘Sides, Command asked me to deliver these to you—since apparently, you’re the type who sends files to the printing room but never retrieves them...” He eyed the surgeon with a glare.

The anatomist could only respond with a sheepish laugh. “Och, a’ight Muirhead, s’ppose I owe ye one; tell ya what, I’ll send ye off wit’ a glass o’ me good stuff—some gud ol’ Scotch, that’ll set things right.” From some mysterious cabinet behind the shelves, Hunter produced two glass tumblers and a small jar of amber liquid.

“What is that...?” Adam took a whiff. “Whew, where’d you get your hands on something like this? I doubt it’s standard issue...”

The other man leaned in close and wound an arm around his shoulder. “Ah, dinnae tell no one, but it’s from me granddad; they dinnae make this stuff no more, gotta ration it out now...”

Adam took another sniff, before downing a shot—and promptly choked as the fiery liquid burned in the back of his throat. “Blimey, yeh weren’t kiddin’...” He coughed again as the last of the Scotch finally made its way down.

“Ay, ye ken in the ol’ days they said this stuff’ll get ye goin’ in the sack...” Hunter raised an eyebrow, a suggestive grin on his face as he elbowed the other man. Adam nearly spit the drink into the anatomist’s face. “Oi oi, nae need t’ spray it...”

“...Uh huh. Right.” Adam muttered drily. It tasted alright, but seriously—aphrodisiac properties? Most of those rumors were probably just old wives’ tales. He didn’t believe in any of that crap—at most, likely exaggerations on the general effects of alcohol. “Anyway, thanks for the dram—always appreciate a stiff drink.”

He waved casually to Hunter, who was still going on about how this ‘special brew’ was honestly the real deal—but Adam wasn’t paying much attention to that. No, there were more important things right now—such as how the hell was he going to make a better impression on that newbie, Sio Ogura? Last time he’d managed to make her hot cocoa without making any jabs; but then during the following mission, he’d ended up chewing her out for a rookie mistake as soon as they landed back at base. He sighed, tugging at his collar and wondering when would he ever learn to control his temper.

Mahesh joked once that Adam was always hot-blooded and ready to pummel someone should they cross him, but the truth was, Adam was actually quite laid-back. Yet something about becoming an e-gene holder—or no, maybe it was because he’d been burdened to be the holder of Jack the Ripper, that he felt compelled to put up this...front. To mold himself into the aggressive, alpha-male leader of the Second Platoon, and whatever stereotypes that went along with that role...

Adam pulled at his tie again. Was it just him, or did the temperature rise all of a sudden? That can’t be... Maybe it was his imagination, but he realized his clothes were sticking a bit to his skin and he was oddly sweaty, even though his gait was casual and relaxed. As he walked a bit faster, brows furrowed in confusion, he nearly collided with a petite figure who was just coming out of the gym.

“Oh—I-I’m s, sorry Jack-san—I didn’t see you there...” That timid, stuttering voice... Adam felt his heart jump into his throat as he looked down, and there was the sniper he’d been so desperately trying to get closer to. Her brown hair was sweaty and sticking to her face—and judging from the tracksuit and the towel around her neck, she’d just finished a workout.

“Oy squirt, watch yer—” he caught himself before another insult could leave his lips—“I mean, be careful, yeh? Don’t...hurt yourself...”

Her face bloomed into a brilliant pink, the girl once again caught off-guard by his unusual sincerity. “A-Ah, um J, Jack-san...I, uh...I’ll be more careful next time...thanks...”

She blinked those enormous maroon eyes at him, those soft lips curving into just the smallest of smiles; before he could even attempt to return it though, Adam felt his trousers start tightening. The smile froze on his face as a cold sweat of fear ran down his spine, as he realized he was getting one hell of an erection just from a simple exchange of words.

‘Shit! What the fuck is going on...?!’ He desperately need to leave, now, before the squirt could notice the tent between his legs.

“Ah—J-Jack-san? Are you feeling okay? You’re, you don’t look so good; in fact, you look pretty flushed...!” As if the situation couldn’t get more strained, the sniper suddenly reached up and put her small hand across his forehead. Adam nearly moaned at the sensation, of her warm palm smoothing across his sensitive skin, how close she stood to him now so that he could count every single eyelash, and smell the musky odor of clean sweat, along with something else...

Just before he lost it the girl pulled her hand back in shock. “Aaah, Jack-san—I, I think you should go to the hospital wing! You’re burning up!”

“—No, I don’t—I, I’m not...” Adam grit his teeth, desperate to ignore the fact his groin felt like it was about to burst. “I’m alright...I just, probably had a bit too much to drink; was chattin’ up Hunter, and he offered me a glass...”

The sniper looked up again with that shy, concerned expression, and Adam had a sudden vision of the two of them, naked and rutting like animals on his bed. Did she know how bloody effective that look was?! Why did she have to be so goddamn adorable—and why did he have to be such a grade-A arse?

“A-Are you sure? I mean, maybe you should go get a checkup just in case...”

“—Trust me, I’m fine, squirt,” Adam ground out, hoping he didn’t sound too harsh. Truth be told, it was starting to get difficult to act normally; all his senses felt distorted, some muffled while others were hypersensitive. He was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than this desire to breed—preferably with the girl right in front of him, right this minute.

“I’m just, gonna go lie down for a bit...”

Her face immediately fell a little, which temporarily shook him out of his strange mood. “Oh, I...I see. Well just...t, take care of yourself Jack-san...”

No! He messed up again! Just before Sio could make her gloomy exit, he forced himself to collect his thoughts first, before opening his mouth.

“I...I’ll be fine. But I appreciate your concern...Nobunagun. Thanks.”

He wanted to stick around and see her reaction, of whether or not she would take his words to heart—but as it was, Adam could only use the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat back to his quarters, hoping to hell Sio didn’t suspect anything else.

It was too bad he had to leave so soon; for if he’d only stuck around for just a few seconds longer, he would’ve seen her face pinkened with a warm blush, complete with a small smile. ----- “Hah, hah...bloody hell, what is going on?!” Panting, Adam groaned with relief as he sank onto the cool covers of his bed. “Am I really such a pervert that I’ll get off just by talking to the squirt?” He grimaced, trying to take off his uniform with some difficulty. “No, that’s not it...I always run my mouth whenever she’s around...this is something else...”

As he finally loosened his tie and popped open the top buttons for some air, Adam remembered Hunter’s bragging about the supposed aftereffects of the ‘secret spirit’ from his family’s cellar. ‘Impossible...don’t tell me he was actually telling the truth...!’ Still, at this point it was clear he was quite aroused—almost painfully so. Just the rustling of fabric across his skin caused him to shiver with pleasure, and the heat that the squirt had been so concerned about—well, he was definitely sweating, even with his shirt half-open in the air-conditioned room.

“God damn it...next time I see Hunter, I’m going to kill him...” Adam growled under his breath, now resigned to taking care of his little ‘problem’ before it got out of hand.

Might as well...

He kicked off his trousers and flopped onto the bed, the cool sheets a welcome relief against his burning skin. Even without touching anything his erection already stood at an impressive attention, stiff and throbbing and begging for stimulation. As soon as his fingers wound themselves around the hot, velvety skin, Adam couldn’t help but shiver. “Fuck...” Moaning softly, he started stroking his cock, which was already wet and leaking well before he’d even returned to his room. The air conditioning did little for the heat, which continued to build and course through his entire body as his hand moved faster. “Nng, fuck—it feels so good...!” Had he always been this sensitive, or was it really the effects of the Scotch? Writhing around on the bed, the edge of his shirt brushed against his nipples, and he jumped with a start at the sensations.

“Wh-what the...” Taking a break, Adam slowly looked down at his chest, poking a stiff nipple with a finger—and shuddered from the sensation. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me...” Not only were they much more sensitive than normal, but as he rolled the tip between his fingers, he swore they felt more tender and swollen than usual, as well. If he weren’t so hazy with lust at the moment, Adam would’ve been a bit concerned at how prominent they were, but as it was, he was currently enjoying the extra pleasure that teasing them brought.

“Ah, tha’s good...” The extra hand was now alternating between each nipple, teasing one until he could take it no more and he would switch to the other. Pure, heated ecstasy coursed through his veins, his clothes now more than a little damp with sweat as he gasped for breath. Gripping his engorged cock, he pushed down on the swollen head with his thumb and spread the precum all over—which nearly pushed him over the edge in the process, Adam letting out a sharp cry as his hips jerked.

“N-No...no, not yet...!” Chest heaving, he forced himself to take a break, sinking back onto the mess of pillows as he caught his breath. What would the sniper think if she saw him now: shamelessly wanking himself off while drunk with lust, a slave to his body’s desires?

“Sio...no, you’re too good for that...for something like this...” She was just an innocent girl, and his teammate at that—there was no place for her in something as vulgar and sleazy as this. That shy, almost-smile she graced him with just before he had to depart flashed in his mind and Adam groaned, feeling his cock pulse just from thinking about her. How pathetic; pining after a girl whom he could barely even hold a decent conversation with, and who probably would never return his feelings—yet here he was, once again fantasizing about her while masturbating. She was too sweet, honestly; there was no way he’d be good enough for her, to treat her the way she really deserved.

And yet... Adam found himself thinking back to their previous battle, wherein right as the situation seemed dire, the sniper did a complete 180—all confidence and brash attitude, her infamous Three Line Volley shooting with reckless abandon and filling the air with bullets. She’d even quipped a cheeky comment afterwards, something about how men could be counted on to start a job but never finish it—“just like how you can never finish by yourself, hmm~?” she’d leered, knowing full well that he’d understand the double-entendre.

There was no way the normal Sio would ever be so bold or talk back to him like that. But it was clear now, that when Sio took to the field of battle as ‘Nobunagun’, she didn’t let any of those insecurities hold her back.

In fact, as Nobunagun, Sio Ogura could be quite the dominant one.

An image of the sniper appeared in his mind once more—but instead of the timid, shy schoolgirl, she was haughty and self-assured. Dressed in a skimpy, black sling-bikini paired with high-laced boots, her crimson eyes glowed with an almost-sadistic quality; those lips curved into a more of a sneer than a true smile as she sauntered up to him.

“Ara ara, so these are your true colors? You, who’s always been so insolent to me, and now you’re begging for my attention? How pathetic.”

“Y, Yeah...you’re right, I am pathetic...” Adam mumbled, his mind starting to blur the lines between reality and fantasy. Part of him knew this wasn’t real, that it was all in his head, but his body certainly responded to the fantasy. His cock twitched underneath his hand as he imagined Nobunagun towering over him, a look of contempt across her face.

“Since you have the audacity to use me as wank material, show me how you get yourself off then. At least your body is impressive, even if your manners are atrocious.”

His thoughts were running wild now as Adam fully indulged in this Scotch-fueled delusion. Precum was leaking all over his length and between his fingers, letting him pull the foreskin back and slide it over the tip with ease—he hissed through his teeth from the sensations as he pumped faster, while his other hand pinched a swollen nipple and he yelped from the pain-pleasure.

“That’s right, show me how you jerk off, you slutty dog,” she grinned, a wicked smile on her face. “Does it feel good~? You’re leaking so much...”

“Y-Yeh, it does...it, feels real good Sio!” Sweat dripped off his pecs and down his abs, his fingers now slippery with precum as Adam continued this fantasy of being absolutely dominated into submission by the proud, confident Nobunagun. “I-I’m sorry for being like this...for using you like, this...”

She leaned down, kneeling right next to him. “Ho~ Now you’re sorry? Why now? You’re so cowardly you can’t admit your true feelings to my face, yet you’re so shameless in exposing yourself like this?”

His nail dug into the tip and Adam grunted, both from pain and pleasure. “Mmph—n, no, it’s not that...I, I just don’t know...how...” He trailed off helplessly, pausing to wipe a bit of drool from his mouth. “I, I want to tell you...how I, feel...” A strange feeling of physical pleasure mixed with guilt seized in his chest and Adam writhed on the sheets, clutching the edge of his jacket.

That was the truth, wasn’t it? Deep down, Adam knew he had feelings for Sio—no, it was more than that. No matter how much he tried to deny it, or write it off as just friendship, at this point he was falling in love with Sio Ogura.

“Yet you remain as disparaging as ever.”

“I, I know—agh, shit—!” Another bolt of pleasure shot through his body and his sharp teeth bit into his lips hard enough to draw blood; the salty, metallic taste flooded his tongue as a drop of crimson dripped down his chin. He was panting and gasping for air, his body still physically trying to reach that peak even as his heart quarreled with itself on the rights and wrongs of what he was doing. Why was he so cold-blooded towards her? Being irritated by her inexperience was one thing, but she’d improved by leaps and bounds since the beginning. And that alone didn’t warrant the constant sarcastic jabs and condescending remarks.

So why...

“I-I don’t, I’m...I’m, scared...” That last part was whispered out before Adam even realized it; his true self coming forth as his mind became disarmed from pleasure.

“Scared? Of what, lil’ old me?” She teased, now lying down next to him. “How amusing; London’s infamous phantom killer, frightened by a mere schoolgirl...”

Even though he knew he was all alone, Adam swore at that moment, Nobunagun was right there in the room with him. His vision blurred from his building orgasm, further impacted by the alcohol in his system—he blinked a drop of sweat away and for a second saw her hand right on top of his, both of them stroking his throbbing member.

“Wha, what are you...”

“Shh, don’t think. There’s no need to think so hard on anything. Just focus on how you feel, right now.”

“How...what, I feel?” The fantasy threatened to evaporate as fear seized his heart, and Adam felt his stomach churn. Suddenly he didn’t really want to continue anymore, instead pulling his hand away and stared with disbelief at the precum stained all over it. “...No, I can’t; that’s impossible—”

“That wasn’t a suggestion, Adam Muirhead. It’s a command.”

Her cold tone pierced his ear and Adam swung around, but there was nobody there. As he tried to get a sense of what was going on, his hand seemed to move on its own, resuming the strokes along his cock and he fell back onto the bed. “Gah! What’s happening...!”

“You need some practice. Here, I’ll even help you.” Her hand grasped his, and used it to stroke in long, deep movements. “Tell me, what are you doing right now?”

It took a few seconds for Adam to regain his breathing long enough to speak. “I-I’m, you’re...I’m stroking m-my...c, cock...”

“Very good,” she purred, and sped up the pace slightly. “Now, tell me how that feels? Is it good? How so?”

“Nngg—it, it feels...ah, good...when you move, faster...my cock, feels really good...!” Fingers grasped the swollen tip and twisted the edge slightly; his back arched on instinct as Adam threw his head back from ecstasy. “Fuck—it’s so sensitive...!”

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Long, slender fingers drew themselves up his torso. “Shall I take care of your nipples as well? They’re so swollen...at least your body is honest.”

“I...hnng...”

“What was that? I told you, be honest with your feelings. What do you want me to do?”

“Y...Yes, please...” Adam swallowed hard and forced his pride down his throat. Some part of him refused to be humiliated like this, but at this point all he wanted was release, to lose himself in the pleasure of this fantasy. “Please, touch my nipples...”

A feminine giggle sounded in his ear, before pricks of heat spread across his chest and throughout his entire body. His balls ached between his legs, reminding him of their eventual need for release. He tried to tell her, that he really wanted to come soon, but all that came out was a deep, throaty moan. His entire body thrummed with a tense energy, twitching and shivering as his hand moved faster and faster.

“You’re close. You want to cum, don’t you? To shoot your seed out all over the place...”

“Y-Yeh...I’m close...I’m, gonna cum soon...” Thick, sloppy sounds of precum echoed through the room as a few drops splashed onto his stomach. Everything was tense and quivering, the heat in his groin swirling like liquid fire as Adam felt his balls start contracting slightly in anticipation.

“...I don’t think so.” Her eyes narrowed and she pulled his hand off. “Not until you answer me honestly: what is Sio Ogura to you?”

Adam cried out in despair at the loss of stimulation. So close! But no matter how hard he willed his hand to move it just lay there, like a dead weight by his side. “No...! I don’t—what do you mean?!”

“I mean exactly that: tell me, who is Sio Ogura to you? What does she mean to you?” That blood-red gaze, now deadly serious as she hovered above him. “Or is your heart really that weak?”

“Sio Ogura...” The newbie. Rookie. Hanninmae, as he had a penchant for calling her—though ‘half-baked squirt’ was hardly a pleasant thing to say. An innocent bystander who had no business thrusting herself into such danger—and yet it was she who ‘borrowed’ his AU ball, nevermind the fact she had no battle experience and didn’t even know what an e-gene holder was—she only knew that she had to save her friend, Asao-san, all because they hadn’t exchanged emails yet. Later on they’d learn how important this girl was to the sniper, how she motivated Sio to train harder; to push past her doubts and come up with a brilliant strategy that bested even Vidocq’s. Stone Forest, as she’d dubbed it, because even after presenting a winning strategy she still couldn’t hide her otaku passions: guns and tanks, tokusatsu shows and kaiju films...

A mere Japanese schoolgirl whom just happened to be the e-gene holder of the infamous Oda Nobunaga, and inherited his tactical prowess for both politics and warfare. Not to mention that obsession with guns—her Three Line Volley was a formidable armament, even among the wide variety of AU weapons from other holders. And yet she never considered herself to be the best, or tried to martyr herself. No, she knew the importance of teamwork, of actively forging better relations between everyone; not just to make them stronger but because she earnestly wanted to be friends.

Despite the haze of lust clouding his mind, Adam’s lips curved into a genuine smile. “Heh...she’s bloody brilliant, honestly; she’s stubborn and quirky, even though that otaku obsession’s weird as hell... But she’s...sincere. And kind. Plus she’s got the most god damn amazing smile, when she actually shows it...

His heart ached in his chest, that tug of emotions even stronger than his current libido. It was deeply embarassing to admit, but at this point Adam could no longer deny the truth. He had to tell someone, even if she was just a figment of his drunken imagination born from his burning desire for her.

“Sio...I, want you to become someone important to me...and I hope, I can...be the same to you...”

Her expression was inscrutable, but it was no longer cruel or stoic. “...Well done.”

Nothing more was said; instead she took his hand back up and this time both of them were stroking him, together; her fingers intertwined with his as they moved faster and smoother, Adam feeling his breath catch in the back of his throat as the crescendo rose steadily. “Hnng...fuck yes—oh god, Sio I’m...mmmnn, c...cumming...!” His hips bucked unsteadily as he dug his heels into the mattress. “S-Sio!”

“Don’t hold back, Adam; let yourself go.”

His head swam and with a single gasp his climax exploded all at once; there was nothing he could do but jerk violently, feeling the warm sperm drip all down his hand and wrist, oozing between his fingers. Teeth remained clenched as Adam breathed hard, feeling his balls tighten and contract repeatedly throughout the orgasm. Thick ropes of cum shot out onto the sheets as he thumbed the head, leaving him breathless and shaking.

“Oh god, fuck! Guh—I’m cumming so hard...!” It was almost a little too intense; Adam whimpered from the hypersensitivity as his hands gradually slowed, still slick with sperm and precum as he milked the last few bits of pleasure out. Something soft and warm brushed his bangs in a soothing manner, and Adam swore he heard a soft whisper of reassurance—but he eyes were firmly shut and so he could only wonder if it was real, or just his imagination.

“Good boy; perhaps you do have what it takes.” Slowly she stood up, licking the last traces of his sperm from her fingers. “Don’t let me down, Adam Muirhead...”

“Hah, hah...oh, Sio...” He blinked a few times, chest still heaving as he lay curled to one side. The sheets were an absolute disaster at this point, as was his uniform—a few buttons had popped off some time during his little ‘session’ and were nowhere to be found, and that wasn’t even counting the white stains that were everywhere. Adam winced a bit at the mess, but was too exhausted to care.

Damn. He really did have the hottest sessions whenever he thought about her.

With a grunt Adam forced himself to at least strip off his ruined uniform, shoving it off the bed where it joined his trousers as he pulled a comforter over his sweaty, naked body. Sleep sounded real good right about now...with a deep sigh he laid his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes.

Maybe one day—soon, hopefully—he’d finally screw up the courage to tell her how he really felt. ------- The energy in the atmosphere finally settled after such a passionate bout. The room was quiet and dark, save for the low hum of the ship’s engines. Only a deep breath every now and then punctuated the silence, the boy fast asleep after what was probably one of his most emotionally and physically intense masturbation sessions to date. It was perfectly normal of course, and healthy for a young man his age to masturbate regularly, and explore his own desires via a variety of fantasies. It was much safer after all than say, attempting to replicate some of them in real life.

Still, as time went by, it became clear that Adam might be needing a bit of a push in the right direction if her vision was to come to fruition. She’d already hinted to the boy, when they’d been passing over Japan once, that someone down there would become ‘the most important thing’ to him; yet when boy actually met girl, the nurse had to admit even her confidence dropped a little. Perhaps she’d been mistaken...? But the Voice of God was never wrong, per say; it showed her what the critical point was, but didn’t give any indication as to how to resolve it.

Florence Nightingale rubbed her temples. That stubborn boy... Normally, her reincarnation was fairly amenable to her hints and suggestions; but apparently confessing one’s feelings was still as perplexing as ever, even more than a century later. Not that his alpha male behaviors were helping, either. At times she wanted to box his ears and demand he drop the whole Jack the 'lone wolf’ Ripper act, but in a way, she understood his need to put up this semi-charade; to protect both his own heart and her secret.

His feelings for the sniper were no secret to the nurse, though. She knew his thoughts, emotions, even his deepest, most intimate desires—including his masochistic tendencies. In a sense, they were one and the same; he was her reincarnation and she existed in a spiritual form to guide him, and though she no longer had a physical body and they had separate minds, their souls were still impossibly intertwined together. She’d been watching from the shadows with baited breath, cautiously optimistic as Adam slowly became aware of his own changing feelings; the annoyance mellowing out into grudging acceptance, then bloomed with shocking speed into respect and even love.

‘And yet you still haven’t paid the poor girl a single compliment.’ Well, one couldn’t rush love, after all. She had faith that it would all work out, in due time. Though, the nurse had to admit, it probably wouldn’t hurt to give him just a bit of a nudge to get things moving.

She looked down at her vessel’s sleeping visage. His brows were smooth and relaxed, a rare look of serenity upon his usually-scowling face. He must’ve been exceptionally exhausted... The nurse felt a bit of pity as she recalled his rather...exciting fantasy. ‘Perhaps I overdid it a bit...oh well...’

So maybe taking advantage of her reincarnation’s drunken state, and the aphrodisiac’s effects to project herself as a dominatrix version of his crush was a bit over-the-top. But then again, Adam was a masochist—even if he hadn’t quite realized it himself. And she knew that, for all his brash, aggressive behaviors, when push came to shove he’d have no qualms about being a submissive one in a relationship. Besides, it finally got Adam to consciously admit his true feelings for Sio, so that was a victory in her book.

Though, Florence Nightingale did hope that would be the last time she’d have to pull such a stunt. Though she wouldn’t deny its effectiveness (who knew BDSM could also double as a psychotherapy session), she didn’t want him to get the idea that Sio Ogura was actually a sadist (or was she; there were times the nurse sensed something darker lurking within the girl, but she wasn’t certain). Moreover, interfering with her vessel’s private ‘alone time’ was practically an unspoken taboo; even if they were technically one and the same.

She’d put it down to that dodgy glass of whisky the anatomist had offered Adam. The nurse made a mental note to berate Dr. John Hunter the next time she saw him.

Her hostile thoughts towards the anatomist were temporarily forgotten, as she heard Adam mumble in his sleep. “Hnn...Sio...” Gently, she reached a single hand out and patted his hair soothingly. To her surprise he responded as if he had felt her, turning and sighing towards her direction. Well. Adam was unusually sensitive—perhaps the most sensitive, amongst all the holders. To the best of her knowledge, none of the others conversed with their respective e-genes to the extent they did, so perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised that he could sense her intentions, as well.

‘...Sleep well, my dear.’

#//srsly holy shit #//i thought the previous skeb was hot #//no #//this artist made adam into such a SLUT #//i fucking love it #//ye booi #//she also posted a beautiful cropped uncensored pic of his penis #//EDIT whoops forgot no nekkid members #//had to go back and edit that crop

2 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Text

Nobunagun AU!AdamxSio comic (PG13)

Teenage Dream - comic collab/commission with @grapeeuphoria

(based off this fanfic)

It was written as a challenge to write something under 1 hour, but as usual, I went overboard. Based loosely off the song "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry.

AU setting where there aren't any e-genes or AU weapons; makes some Easter egg references to past RP threads from @shooter-nobunagun

You can also find it as a separate page on my blog.

5 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Text

//I wanted to add a quick note: this blog (shooter-nobunagun) is a sideblog of my main @celebistar Originally I made it for roleplay, but now it’s repurposed just for hosting my fanfiction. So it’s not dead, but it’s no longer active as a roleplaying blog.

You may also send asks to this account, but activity will be noticeably lower than my main as I only update whenever I (finally) write a new chapter. I admit I’ve also fallen out of organizing them in a main section, so if you want a better archive I’d recommend checking out my AO3 account instead.

*rises from the grave* HI IM STILL ALIVE

I've actually remained a lurker all this time (I check my dash daily) but it's mostly been reblogging. Truth be told, the whole 'no explicit content' doesn't really affect me that much b/c I rarely draw anything more than suggestive content anyway (I mostly write porn not draw it). Though the initial 'ban' did cause a lot of my suggestive stuff to be flagged, with this new 'mature' setting that might be a workable situation...for now.

Recent Twitter dramu notwithstanding, the truth is that's still my most active social account at the moment, although given there is a bit of a revival here I'm considering freshening this blog back up; I still do post all my fanfics on my sideblog, after all.

I have a good amount of art I haven't posted, and now that there's this new drama with deviantart getting into AI-generated art (which is an incredibly complex topic on its own and I won't waste words about it here)...you'll probably see me start posting some backlog stuff in the coming days.

SO hey. Wb I guess.

#mun #//psa it's not dead but very low activity #//it's really only for fanfics #//not even really art or news

5 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 1 year

Text

//I don’t think this blog will really be revived b/c I don’t RP anymore but it’s really just an archive for my fanfics at this point :p

MaheJess, some crossover fun

NieR Automata was a good game (def had fun imagining AU parallels lol)

Also, I know I'm not the only one who thinks Jack very strongly resembled Soul from Soul Eater... ofc Jack (Adam) has a good couple years on Soul and they have different eye colors, but they have a very similar design aesthetic overall? Especially the downturned eyes...

4 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 2 years

Text

Hush Hush

Something more serious/sensual? Instead of horny/comedic (which I seem to be doing a lot lately)

It was quiet in the lounge when he finally opened the door, though the room was not without the requisite, steady hum of various electronics and equipment that was scattered throughout the ship—and always the endless, low rumbling of the engines as they continued their endless journey across the skies. The lights automatically brightened from their usual energy-saving, dimmed state, but Adam purposely turned them back down. It was late—at least to his internal clock, not so much the timezone—and his eyes were tired. Actually, his entire body was exhausted, as evident by the way he literally collapsed into the couch, groaning with relief as he sank into the worn cushions.

“Blimey...remind me t’ never schedule another meeting with Tell at night again...” the man muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples in an attempt to ease the strain. He hoped it wasn’t the onset of another headache—he’d had enough of those already this week, and especially not with another mission in T-12 hours. His eyes fell to the holders-only minibar in the back, which was always fully stocked, courtesy of their interlocutor.

Adam debated for all of five seconds—getting a hangover right before a mission was a bad idea—before tossing that thought to the side as he made his way over to the counter, fingers trailing through each glass bottle and ruminating over its contents.

He’d just poured himself a glass of gin (on the rocks) and was debating whether to down it or savor it slowly, when the door hissed open again and she entered, her new cape trailing behind her with a flutter as she let out an aggravated sigh at the same time.

“Hm, knew I should’ve made another glass. Well then.” Slowly Adam got up, went behind the bar and poured another glass—vodka this time, with a salted rim. The Russian liquor was a bit too strong for his tastes, but it seemed to suit the sniper—despite her young age—just fine.

“Need a pick-me-up? Or nightcap, I suppose, depending on how you look at it.” He nudged her slightly with the ice-cold glass.

The girl groaned, not even bothering to enjoy the aroma or flavor, instead immediately downing a large gulp—then wincing as the burn settled in the back of her throat. “Ugh—bunch of old, senile boomers—”

“—Easy there, love, you know they’re just doing their job—”

“—Yeah, and so am I! Come on Adam, you know as well as I do how infuriatingly bureaucratic the council can get at times; especially when it involves hypothetical casualties,” she rolled her eyes. “Don’t you start with me on what I do and don’t know...”

The couch sank even more now as it carried the weight of two people. Its springs creaked every so often as the two holders sat in silence, each nursing their choice of alcohol. Adam felt his body start flushing as the gin flooded his system; luckily the pounding in his head was now reduced to a dull throb. He tipped back another mouthful and hoped that was enough to damp it out completely.

“So what’s your excuse? You don’t usually drink that much all at once—not straight, anyway.” She gestured towards his mostly-empty tumbler. “Trying to forget something?”

“More like remove something,” he said with a sigh, before setting the glass onto the table to rub his temples. “That William Tell...”

He heard another glass clink down, before soft fingers ran through his hair. “I see. Let me guess, another review?”

Another groan of relief as she started giving him a head massage. “Yeh. What else...oh, yeh right there love...oof.” The alcohol relaxed most of his senses, but there was nothing like some personal pampering from his beloved sniper.

“Adam...have you been getting enough sleep lately? I already told you, there’s no need to wait up for me all the time—”

“—And I’ve already told you, it’s not a bother—” he winced as she dug into a particular pressure point along the back of his neck. “I’ll be fine; just need a good night’s rest...”

“...That’s what you said, oh, two nights ago I believe?” She eyed him with a look, before climbing into his lap and straddling his waist. “You’re getting another headache again, aren’t you? I can tell by the way your brows are furrowed...”

He grunted in response. “Hn. ‘S fine, that’s what the gin’s for...”

“Adam Muirhead...” Her voice took on an exasperated tone, not dissimilar to whenever she was about to get into another row with said council members. “If you won’t take care of yourself, then I’ll do it for you. I’m cancelling Tell’s sessions with you next week—or at least moving them.”

“Oy, there’s no need to go that far—”

“—And have you run yourself ragged or get sick?” She pushed him back against the couch, Adam a bit startled by her force and that stern glare from underneath her visor. “We can’t afford any unnecessary risks at this point—whether that’s on the field or off.” She tapped his chest with each word for emphasis. “...You know I worry about you, Adam...”

“Sio—”

“Don’t you ‘Sio’ me, mister,” she pointed again, and brushed his limp bangs back with her other hand. “You say you’re worried about me all the time; well I can say the same, Adam.” Her eyes softened. “How can I not? You know that.”

He sighed. She won that round. Then again, she did most of the time, nowadays. Strange how in the beginning of their relationship she’d be stuttering and trembling if he even looked at her the wrong way, and now the sniper only had to give him a stare and raised eyebrow, and Adam would feel himself resigning to her will.

“Fine, fine. I’ll make sure t’ get some extra time off after tomorrow’s mission. But,” he opened one eye, “same goes for you. I can’t remember the last time you took shore leave with any of us...”

“Adam I—” Sio paused, as she turned his words over in her head. “...Alright fair. And yeah, you’re right; though you know as well as I do that shore leave isn’t exactly something I have the luxury of, these days...”

“Then I’ll make it happen. Whether or not they’ll give it to you.” Adam sat up a little straighter, despite the alcohol starting to impair his motor functions. “After all, can’t schedule a meeting if you’re not there, can they?” A hand wound itself behind her slender waist, pulling her closer until they could smell each other’s alcohol-laced breaths. “Surely Vidocq an’ the others can function without you for a day or two...” A thumb brushed against her flushed cheeks, then traced just underneath the plumpness of her bottom lip.

“Adam...you aren’t suggesting something...devious, are you?” Her breath was hot against his cheek, and as she spoke those words in a low tone, he felt something stir faintly within him.

“Like what?” He whispered back, not wanting to interrupt or acknowledge the hands that were now slowly undoing his tie, then the top buttons of his shirt...

“Hm...oh I don’t know, like kidnapping me and flying away to some deserted island, or locking me in your room for a whole weekend...” Each word was laced with her sweet, alcohol-spiked breath, and Adam felt his head grow hazy as he breathed it in. Sio had shifted her weight so she was squarely between his legs, her body pressed against his as she continued to slowly unbutton his shirt. She was warm and heavy, a comforting weight as she leaned into him.

“Just remember, you said that; not me, squirt,” he teased as she gave him a pout. “But if you should desire any of those options...I’m sure I can arrange something...”

This time she did smack him playfully in the arm. “Adam Muirhead! Be realistic, jeeze,” she rolled her eyes. “Or we could...do something now.” She ground her hips down in one, slow movement, and Adam couldn’t help but jerk.

“S-Sio!” She smirked as he pulled off her hat and cape. “Tease...”

“So are you; I know that look in your eyes, Adam...what you want, what your body desires...” Her maroons were hooded and dark, eyeing him in a way that the newbie Sio never would have; dark and lustful, with a hidden hunger behind that innocent smile.

“Are you—seriously, in the lounge at this hour—”

She shushed him with a single finger on his lips “Hush; we’ll be fine.” He could only stare dumbly as Sio shrugged off her jacket and removed her tie. “Besides, I can feel it; you want it, too...” Again she rocked her hips forward and back, and this time Adam didn’t bother holding back a moan. “It’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yeh...” As she fully unbuttoned his shirt, her hips established a strong, steady rhythm. It wasn’t particularly fast, but the motion was deep—Adam fell back against the couch as they started rocking together, breath hissing through his teeth as Sio ran her fingers across his nipples. Even through the cloth he could feel the warmth of her core, just as surely she could feel the stiffness of his desire for her. As the pace increased and his groin tightened, he reached up and pulled her close, supporting her back with one hand while the other shamelessly groped her round, firm bum. Sio had no choice but to fall against him, their lips meeting in a hot, wet kiss while Adam became increasingly horizontal along the couch.

“Oh, ah, yes...ahh, Adam yes...r, right there...” She panted against his lips as they briefly parted for air. Her hands were braced against his chest, hips thrusting and writhing as she tried to find a way to get closer. His erection was straining against the fabric now, especially as Sio’s now-bared torso brushed against his, and the touch of her heated skin sent shivers all over his body—despite the increase in temperature. “M-More...it’s not enough like this...”

He was lying against the armrest now, shirt half-gone and skin tingling with her touches and kisses all over, while his groin tightened and forced his hips to move upwards; to seek that center into which he could thrust himself into. The girl on top of him was deeply flushed, shirt completely gone and panting as she struggled to undo her belt, then kicked off her trousers onto the ground. Her bare legs were smooth and warm against his waist, and Adam only gave the briefest of glances before her hands started making quick work of his belt.

“Argh, I can’t for some reason—” She nearly stumbled and fell off the couch, if it hadn’t been for his still-impressive reflexes. “It’s prolly because...I’m drunk, huh?”

“You did just have a whole glass of vodka. And straight, might I add,” he murmured, rubbing her arm soothingly as he unbuckled the belt himself. “It’s fine, I don’t need to take it all off—just enough to—”

Despite the alcohol, she was still surprisingly quick when it came to freeing his cock, which sprang out from the confines of his boxers after she tugged and pulled them down just past his hips. Licking her lips, she only teetered once before strong arms reached up to help stabilize and guide her, then she sank down all at once that elicited a satisfied groan from both of them.

“Oh, yeh...fuck love, you’re tight as always...” Adam groaned in pleasure as she sheathed him fully inside her, sunken into her warm, wet folds until he was buried up to the hilt.

“Mmn, y-yes...that’s it, this is...what I want...” She gasped and panted against his neck, hips twisting this way and that as she accommodated to his size and girth. “Ooh...god, I’m so full...it feels so good...when you’re inside me like this, Adam...”

Slowly, after she adjusted, Sio started rocking, though after a few minutes it became clear her coordination was slipping. As she lay on his chest, nuzzling and kissing the bare skin, Adam grabbed her slender hips and supple ass and, after making sure she was stable, pushed up as he pulled her down.

“Ugn! Ugh, y, yes...! Yes, ahh...!” Sio stopped speaking soon after, instead only letting out moans or cries, or bits of his name as he thrust upwards into her. She gripped his shoulders tightly as he increased the pace, feeling the heat in his lower regions smolder and grow as time went on.

“Yeh, tha’s it love...god you feel so good...” The alcohol had taken affect fully by this point, and everything was warm and hazy as they made love with reckless abandon on the couch. A knot was growing in his stomach, stronger and tighter as they moved faster and harder. Sio cried and clawed his shoulders in between their kisses, her tongue sticking out as she gasped for air. Sweat from her forehead dripped onto his chest, as he heaved for oxygen as well.

“Ah, mnnn...A, Adam...k-keep going, don’t stop...!” She gave a desperate whine as he thrust particularly hard into her, until he swore the tip pressed against the entrance to her womb. Her nails dug in hard and he groaned, letting the pain turn into pleasure as they left red streaks across his flesh. His balls were aching and tight, ready to release his seed and shoot it deep into her womb, to do what millions of years of evolution had hardcoded into their instincts; to impregnate, to mark her as his mate, and carry on their bloodlines.

Sio cried again as her hips started moving erratically, their wet flesh sucking and slapping against each other as Adam pulled her close, desperate to reach that peak, as well. Everything was slippery and sweaty at this point, their clothes nothing more than a soaked mess against their bodies that was carelessly shoved aside in favor of bare, naked skin. Sweat dripped down his abs that were tight with pleasure, as her warm, wet walls repeatedly sucked him in each time he pulled out. She was already dripping, leaking juices all down their legs and onto the couch, and he knew it wouldn’t be much longer.

“Hang on love, here we go, a’ight?” He murmured soothingly against her hair as he cupped her face, Sio’s only response being halfway between a sigh and a wail but she seemed to readjust her body, until she rested directly on top of him. “That’s my girl,” he praised quietly, before smoothing a hand down her toned belly, brushing through her wet, tangled curls until a finger reached her plump, sensitive pearl right between her legs. She let out a sharp cry as he began rubbing it in time with his thrusts, Sio now holding onto his shoulders for dear life as her thighs started quivering from ecstasy.

“Aah! It’s so good! Adam!” She was almost sobbing with pleasure now, and Adam felt her inner walls start quivering, twitching and squeezing him in tighter than before. Fingers pulled his hair, grasped his neck and raked against his shoulders as he firmly thrust up into her, faster and harder until he felt the precipice start tipping over, just as the deepest part of her core started clamping down on the swollen tip of his member.

“Oh god, Sio...! Al...most...there...!” Adam could feel it; the tension was about to break, his head swimming with pressure until even breathing was almost impossible. Only short, staccato breaths were to be had as both holders hovered on the edge, and then they crashed over in one fell swoop. He buried himself between her petite breasts and breathed hard, as his entire body shivered violently from the orgasm. Deep, muscular contractions shook his core, and Adam moaned against her lips as he felt himself emptying inside her, his body wracked with pleasure as she seemed to lock him inside her; her inner muscles pulsed and throbbed, one after the other as the girl writhed between his arms, her body jerking each time her walls contracted tighter than ever. Her thighs were a vice grip around his waist, her hips still slowly moving, up and down, as if to draw out the last bits of pleasure; before she stilled at last and collapsed against him, body completely limp as they both caught their breaths. The couch was a mess, nevermind their clothes; as he moved slightly, he could feel something slimy and wet slide down his thighs, pooling into the crevices of his skin.

“I, I...Adam...” The girl didn’t even finish her sentence before she laid her head down, eyes shut in exhaustion. Suddenly everything felt so weak, his own body and Sio’s so heavy they might as well have been bricks. No amount of pleading from the logical side of his brain could get him to move—and that too, was quickly being soothed over by the lingering affects of alcohol. Her breathing evened out into a warm, steady stream across his collarbone, as Adam felt his own pulse return to normal. His skin was still thrumming slightly from the afterglow, and Sio’s body created a nice, cozy weight that was threatening to send him deep into the waves of sleep.

Adam promised himself he was just going to take a quick kip, just a little bit... ------- He jerked his eyes open, breath caught in his throat as the fluorescents caused him to wince. How long had they been out? Was it 5 minutes or 5 hours? What happened? He’d only meant to take a light kip—not pass out stone-cold for...however long it’d been.

The gin must’ve been stronger than he thought, for it took a surprisingly long time before his senses sharpened, and Adam realized there was now a soft blanket covering both him and Sio—who was still out like a light and using his chest as a pillow. In the corner of his fuzzy vision, he noticed there were now two piles of clothes (which he recognized as pieces of his and Sio’s uniform that they’d shed earlier), crisply folded and stacked next to their now-empty glasses.

It took his brain a while to figure out what was going on, and even longer to piece together what it all meant. The blanket, the neatly folded clothes—if it weren’t for the still-sleeping Sio, he would’ve shot up like a rocket already, but as it was he could only manage to crane his neck around the best he could, as his ears strained for any other sounds.

Someone had been here. That someone obviously noticed the two passed out half-naked on the couch, lying in a mess from their rapacious lovemaking, and proceeded to cover them up. That same someone also retrieved all the scattered pieces of their uniform and folded them up neatly again, ready to be worn by their owners whenever they regained consciousness.

A small tinkling noise not unlike the sound of glass clinking together startled his senses, and Adam felt his heart start hammering in his chest. Someone was still here...! And from the sounds of it, they seemed to in the bar... His breath caught in his throat as he debated on what to do: play dumb and continue to pretend sleeping until they left? Or risk waking up Sio and potentially turning this into an even more precarious situation?

Just as he was debating on lifting himself up to check over the couch, footsteps padded softly by, and Adam found himself staring right into the black-framed glasses of their interlocutor, Saint-Germain.

“Wha...”

Saint-Germain shook his head very slightly, raising a finger to his lips as he nodded back down towards the sleeping sniper. An empty bottle of gin was in his hand, and Adam realized he’d been restocking the bar—as he always did, behind the scenes. He gave a slight groan and sank back down, embarrassed as hell but also somewhat grateful that Saint-Germain didn’t make this into a bigger deal than it already was. He never quite knew what the glasses-wearing man was thinking, but at least the interlocutor knew how to keep a secret. As he closed his eyes and tried to will away the unpleasant hangover that was now threatening his senses (good job, Adam) he felt the blanket being gently rearranged one more time, before the lights clicked off completely and the door hissed shut.

Well, at least they weren’t paging for him over the intercom yet. Adam resolutely shut his eyes and decided to catch a few more winks while he still could. Hopefully by then his hangover would actually be gone. ------- “Did you find them, Saint-Germain?”

“Yes, madam. Both Miss Ogura and Mr. Muirhead are perfectly fine. They’re both resting, now.” Steaming-hot green tea was impeccably emptied into a cup, where it sat waiting next to a small box of candied natto, as the interlocutor filled Commander Iyo in on the two holders’ whereabouts.

“...I see. Well, I suppose I should be grateful the two didn’t sneak off to somewhere outside the base. Adam Muirhead, that young man...I wouldn’t put it above him to use his powers for his own desires. Especially when it involves that girl...”

Saint-Germain pushed his glasses up just slightly with a gloved finger. “With all due respect ma’am, I am sure he and Miss Ogura are both more responsible than that. Even if their behavior is a bit...excessive at times.” He refilled the cup before it was even empty. “Speaking as a man, who was once just as young...I can understand his feelings.”

The Commander chuckled quietly. “Yes, that’s right. It’s been so long since I was their age...” She sighed and put the cup to the side. “I’ve almost forgotten those feelings, the intensity of such passion and how they can sometimes lead one to foolhardy actions. Foolish, but passionate.”

The interlocutor nodded in agreement. “I suspect an overindulgence of alcohol might have influenced their decision to turn the common lounge into their personal love nest. Ah, well, you only live once I suppose. Wouldn’t be the first time I caught two lovers in a tryst, anyhow. When you’ve been around the block as long as I have...nothing is sacred.”

“...Were they shocked?” There was a hint of mischievous in the question. “That poor girl is forever concerned about how she presents herself to others...”

“No, fortunately she was fast asleep. I believe Mr. Muirhead was more than a little...abashed...but he seemed to take it in stride.”

“Good. At least one of those two has some sense.”

The rest of candied natto was slowly consumed in a pleasant silence.

“...So when are you thinking of paging for him?”

“Oh, the mission isn’t for another 4 hours. I suppose we can give them another...hour an a half.”

“...Very well, ma’am. As you say.”

#documentation #my sweetest one #/lmao #//sweet sensual and a bit of quirk

1 note · View note

shooter-nobunagun · 2 years

Text

Try

Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame Where there is a flame, someone’s bound to get burned But just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re gonna die You gotta get up and try, try, try

Why do we fall in love so easy? Even when it’s not right...

It was raining, he was hardly wearing anything warm, and he forgot an umbrella. Well, wouldn’t be the first time... Sighing, Jack simply wrung his hair out and continued wandering, aimlessly. His stomach growled, yet the thought and smell of food from the nearby restaurants sent him into a nauseated spin.

The Ogura twins. He didn’t think they’d actually have the guts to show up—or rather, that the younger of the two would confront him so boldly. Things sure have changed, haven’t they? How did a seemingly-straightforward stay in Japan end up in such a tangled, fucked-up mess? Was it because he’d always harbored a secret lust for his brother? Or was it due to their being in a different country? The worst part wasn’t even what the answer could be, but that he couldn’t figure it out. Why did he loath himself so, to the point of demonizing his behaviors yet desperately clung to the one person who stuck with him, throughout all these years? Was his violation of Adam a sudden lashing-out of pent-up frustrations and insecurities, or—he swallowed thickly—did he seriously view Adam as more than a brother?

Jack narrowly resisted the urge to heave and vomit all over the sidewalk in public, trying desperately to get rid of those thoughts. ‘Alright, just calm down...don’t think that kind of shit; that was just a one-off, you’re just all wound up and gutted because Adam’s dating now. Adam’s your twin, your brother; he can’t be anything more...’

“Ugn—!” A second later he found himself heaving into a public fountain at the nearby park, which was mercifully deserted at this hour. “Fuck...that’s not true, is it?”

“What’s true?” Jack nearly had a heart attack as a familiar voice rang out right next to his ear.

“Fucking hell—don’t, don’t do that!” He screamed, clutching his chest in an attempt to calm his heart. “What th—Nobunagun!”

“You didn’t really think we’d just let you wander about like a vagabond, did you?” The girl didn’t miss a beat, even with his overreaction. “Before you ask, Sio-chan’s staying with your brother; I volunteered to come look for you and uh...yeah.”

“...Tch.” Jack didn’t know what to say. Part of him was irritated and didn’t want anything to do with anybody right now, but another part was desperately grateful that somebody had come—that she still cared, even after all that. “Well, congrats. What do you want, a trophy?”

“No, I just want to make sure you’re okay...jackass,” she flicked him on the forehead, much to his surprise and eliciting a startled swear. “Damn, I can’t believe you’re really the same guy who did...all that.” Without even waiting for his answer she tossed her blazer over his head, ignoring the rain that was now dampening her uniform. “...So you really did it, huh?”

He stood there, automatically pulling the blazer off and folding it into his arms. Nobunagun may not have cared to wear it, but that didn’t mean he wanted her pity. “...Yeh. And unlike you, it wasn’t...consensual, or even a ‘well it just kinda happened’—”

A boom of thunder sounded in the distance, before the rain came down even harder until it felt more like paintball pellets than water. The pitter-patter was nearly deafening, and most people were either scrambling for shelter or else opening up an umbrella—except for two stubborn teenagers.

“...I guess we really are a pair of freaks.” The girl pushed her bangs out of her face in a feeble attempt to stem the flow of water. “Still, I don’t—that’s not you. That’s not the real you, Jack.” She got right up in his face, Jack a bit startled at the fierce gleam in her eyes. “You’ve buried yourself; deep down, inside all that shit, you’re still there. And I’m gonna drag him out if that’s the last thing I do.”

“Be my guest,” he muttered, unsure of what she was talking about or even planning. But at the very least, she wasn’t just telling him to get lost or go jump off a cliff. A warm hand grabbed his and started pulling, Jack nearly stumbling as his feet scrambled to catch up.

“C’mon, let’s get out of this rain; I doubt you want to end up sick again.” He himself was too worked up to object or even think of anything else—so when Nobunagun finally stopped in front of a rather nondescript love hotel, he followed without much thought. There were a few other couples waiting to select a room, clearly driven in by the storm. By the time the queue cleared there were only a few left at a reasonable price, Jack giving a ‘whatever’ shrug as Nobunagun chose a rather eclectic room with neon-blue walls that he supposed was some sort of underwater theme. At least it was a warm shelter that afforded them a good deal of privacy.

Something landed next to him on the bed and he jumped, before realizing Nobunagun had tossed a can of hot coffee towards him. “Here, you should warm up—don’t worry about the costs, I think we can both afford to indulge a little right now...” The girl was already heating up an instant cup noodle, and the smells reminded Jack all over again of his own gnawing hunger. Instead, he pulled the tab off the coffee and downed nearly half the can in one go.

“...So what, you just here for a pity party?”

Nobunagun rolled her eyes, even as she slid another steaming hot cup of ramen in front of him. “Oh please, what do you think, mister?” She placed a pair of chopsticks in front, Jack feeling an odd mixture of resentment but also gratitude. “Before we get into all that, you should eat something; I can hear your stomach growling from all the way across the room...”

Jack flushed with embarrassment. She had a point, and he was feeling rather hungry at this point...without another word he tore off the wrapper, the cheap noodles somehow the most satisfying thing that he’d experienced all day. When the cup was empty and he was now satiated, everything else came crashing back: his cold, soggy clothes, the physical exhaustion...not to mention the mental and emotional turmoil that had been eating away at him for the past week. Groaning, he sunk into the bed, not sure how or what to even say.

“Hey uh, how about changing first before just lying there like that?” He flashed open an eye angrily—really, was it so much to ask to just be left alone for even a second? “Or rather, how about a hot shower? You’re definitely gonna get sick if you keep wearing those.”

“...Would it kill you to just sod off, for maybe even a minute, for once in your life, Nobu?” Clearly that was the wrong thing to say however, as the girl’s glare turned as icy as he’d ever seen.

“...Listen, you little shit, I didn’t go bustin’ my ass all over town looking for your sorry ass, just sit back and let you mope about like a turd after all that’s happened—” she grabbed him by the collar, eyes fierce and glowering while her breath fanned his face. “I meant what I said, Jack—I-I...care about you, you stupid...!” She didn’t even finish her sentence before a tear fell, Jack feeling as surprised as Nobunagun looked. “You’re important to me, too...I’d never forgive myself if I just left you all alone, without even trying to do anything...” The tears were falling onto his shirt now, and Jack could no longer tell if they were hers or his. “I want to help you...so for the love of god, just please, let me...”

She let go, sniffling and wiping her face with her sleeve, before Jack handed her a tissue pack. “...Nobunagun. I...thank you...” Even words as simple as those felt strange and difficult to get out, but he had to. They were never as sincere with each other as their other halves; but perhaps now was the time to finally let their guards down to someone other than their twins. Showing such vulnerability made him feel weak, and Jack didn’t like it. His whole life, he’d been the brash one, the one who charged in headfirst without thinking; to stop and finally admit that he needed—and wanted—help, was overwhelming.

“Baka; you’re such a stubborn idiot, Jack...but, I swear, I’ll be here for you. I won’t abandon you. I promise.”

The words startled him, if only because of how similar it was to what he and Adam vowed to each other—‘I’ll always be there for you’—it was all he could do to not start shaking. Swallowing hard, he could only nod, having lost the ability for words.

“Anyway, you should shower first. I can wait until you’re done.” Nobunagun jerked her head towards the bathroom, already opening up another hot drink for herself. “I’m just gonna let Sio and Adam know that you’re okay...alright?”

“Y-Yeh, sure...thanks, Nobu.” He groped for a towel and stumbled into the shower, with its gaudily decorated handles and furnishings meant clearly for more than just cleaning up. Still, the hot water felt soothing, especially after wandering around in the rain for so long. After nearly drowning himself underneath the flow Jack finally felt clean, instead of being tainted with some unknown poison that caused him to lust after his brother. His clothes would need more than just a hot steam bath though, so he resigned to hanging them up the best he could, wrapping himself in the complimentary robes provided by the hotel. To his surprise, Nobunagun was already swaddled in one herself when he finally exited into the bedroom, her feet propped up on the table as she furiously texted away on her phone.

“Uh, shower’s free...if y’wanna use it.” Now that he was fed, clean, and warm, Jack wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and collapse. His head buzzed with a million-and-one questions, but it all seemed so far away compared to the soft bed he was now inches from. Nobunagun sensed this, and before he even said anything, was already gently pushing him onto the covers.

“Cool, alright I’ll go shower then. You should take a quick nap; you look exhausted...” Her voice sounded far away, his eyes already closing the moment his head hit the pillow. Finally, he could just let it all go and not have to worry about Adam, about himself, about everything...someone was here to look after him, to make sure that everything would be alright.

“Shh, get some rest, Jack.”

He blacked out before Nobunagun even got into the shower. ------ It was dream to earlier times, when things were much simpler and life was easier. His brother, ever the steadfast, quiet rock, while he ran around like the devil he was—causing trouble for everyone, but always forgiven in the end.

‘Hey, do you think you’ll ever be more, I dunno, responsible when we grow up?’

He made a face. ‘Responsible? What for? If that’s all I have to look forward to when we’re grown ups, then forget it!’ The boy kicked a rock, which skipped three times before sinking to the bottom of the pond with a thunk. ‘Heh, three skips! Not too bad...’

His brother sighed. ‘That’s what I’m talking about...’

‘Oh come off it Adam. It’s not like anyone’s making you be all responsible and stuff.’ He shrugged. ‘Why do you always make things so hard for yourself? It’s not like mum makes you.’

‘I’m not—it’s—’ His brother fell silent, as if really contemplating those words for the first time.

Oops, he’d hurt his brother’s feelings again, possibly. ‘Oy oy, Adam I didn’t mean it like that—’ he ruffled his brother’s hair playfully, ‘I’m just saying, we’re still kids! Why’re you so serious all the time—c’mon, let’s go check out the river! I think the swans are back!’ And before Adam could even complain he grabbed his hand and they were both running towards the water’s edge.

‘Ah, Jack—be careful!’

‘Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing!’

Was that the first time they’d ever really talked about what it meant to be responsible and grown up, he didn’t remember. All he knew then was how wonderful it was to not have any worries or fears, or ponder about the future and what that would entail. No, the only things that mattered were his brother, their mother, and whatever it was he wanted to do in the moment.

“Nng...Adam you’re...huh.” The grass and riverbank disappeared, and Jack opened his eyes to blinding blue walls and wrinkled sheets. The scent of coffee perfumed the air, along with a faint smell of instant food—he turned over and Nobunagun fell into view, her hair still damp as she curled onto the loveseat, staring aimlessly at her phone.

“Nobunagun...”

“Oh! Jack, how’re you feeling?” The girl looked up with a start at his voice, hastily shoving the phone onto the table. “You were out for a bit, but honestly you needed it.”

He groaned, but hauled himself up anyway. “Well, ‘ve been better...but I’m not one t’ complain, not under these circumstances.”

“Good, cool, okay.” Nobunagun sounded uncharacteristically nervous as she plopped a paper cup of coffee in front of him. “Here, might help wake you up—oh also, if you want any snacks or anything—”

Jack grabbed her wrist before the girl could go and shove yet another un-asked for amenity in his face. “Nobu. Cut the crap.” The girl didn’t respond, only leaving the coffee untouched in front of him. “Nobunagun! Seriously, what was the point of that grand speech in the beginning if you’re just gonna clam up like this...”

“I’m not—it’s just, I...” She still didn’t face him, instead curling further into the seat. “Yeah, I said all that earlier—and I mean it, seriously. And yet, I...” There was a choked sob and her shoulders hunched over. “I don’t know...what to fucking do. How to help you, how to even go about doing that, o-or what the next step even is...and honestly, I’m scared.”

His body turned to ice at that comment. I’m scared. Of what? Him? Of what she might become? Or her inability to solve everything, despite her reputation? Fists clenched into the fabric of the couch. “...Are you scared of me? That I might hurt you, the same way I hurt my brother?”

“...If I was I wouldn’t be here, would I?”

Despite her words, the hesitation at the beginning of her answer told him all he needed to know. It filled him with a burning hatred—towards the girl, the world—but most of all himself. Of course she’d be wary; it was natural, to be cautious and protect oneself. Hell, if he were in Nobu’s shoes he might feel the same. Because you could never know, never be certain, could you? To trust and let your guard down, around someone who had a potential, no matter how small, to harm you... Where did you draw the line between caution and paranoia, or even let it go entirely?

“Tch...would you? Or are you just doing this to satisfy some self-serving, justification that you’re not as terrible as I—”

The slap came faster than he could speak; Jack only felt the red-hot sting on his cheek after he heard the sound, of her hand striking his face. Then choked sobs, Nobunagun crying as she withdrew her hand.

“Baka! Aho! You fucking dumbass...what is it with you and your, your...self-loathing? It’s fucking cringe, you know that?” She shouted through a veil of tears. “No wonder your brother doesn’t know what to do...how could he? How can he, or I, or anybody else, help someone who doesn’t want to be helped?!”

Jack let her rage at him. Every single insult, swear word, garbage that was scribbled on the stalls of public toilets came out of her mouth, her fists pounding his chest—yet still he stood there impassive, until her body sagged and the sobs became quiet sighs. Slowly, he sat them both on the bed, handing her a towel which she accepted wordlessly.

“...Y’know, all that shit you were going on about...it is true. Sort of.” Nobunagun refused to look at him, but Jack continued. “Even though...a part of me knows it’s completely illogical, and yeh, ‘cringe’...I don’t know. There’s a part of me that also, also...” There was a lump forming in his throat and Jack swallowed in an attempt to get his voice to work. “I...there’s a part of me that can’t help but think about terrible things. Always tempting me; asking if I really would do something most people would consider crazy.” Nobunagun cast him a sideways glance but remained silent. “Most of the time it’s just random things—like, ‘if you lean over just another inch you’d be tumbling over the edge’, or ‘what if you stuck your foot out just as that person passes’? Not that I ever acted on any of them...until now, I guess...”

“Hn; that inner voice, huh? Like I said, our brains are always trying to sabotage ourselves...” Most of the girl’s tears were dried at this point, leaving a damp towel and red, puffy eyes. “So what, you think you have some sort of mental disorder...?”

Jack barked out a laugh. “Hah! God, I hope not...I don’t know. I don’t...fucking know. And that’s the scariest part, yeh?” A chill ran down his spine and all the warmth from the shower vanished as that thought sunk in. “Oh god...I really don’t want that to be true—”

“Hey hey, get a grip,” hands were holding up his shoulders, a pair of glittering maroon eyes staring back at him. “Look, if you ask me I don’t think it’s something as serious as that. Though, I don’t doubt you’ve got other issues that require some professional help...” Nobunagun quieted down, as if contemplating those words at herself. “Seriously, we all could... Honestly Jack, you’re not the worst or, or...terrible, or a monster, or what have you—” the girl was flailing about with her hands now, trying to gesticulate since her mind was too tired to think straight. “I’ve been with you for, what, a few months now? And if you really were a psycho, I’d have sensed it already. Or be dead in a ditch somewhere.” She shook her head. “No, you’re not crazy, or warped, or whatever. You’re just...going through a lot of stuff right now. And yeah, you probably don’t know how to handle it—hence the whole ‘flying off the rails’ part—but you have people who care about you. Who...want to help you figure this shit out...”

“...Th, thank you...Nobunagun...” it wasn’t the first time he’d genuinely thanked her, but this time Jack couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down his face. “Seriously...you have no idea...sometimes, you just need to hear it from someone else...”

There was a gentle pat on his head, the girl now returning the favor as she handed him a towel. “Hey...I totally get that. Sometimes, the things that seem so easy are the most effective.”

They sat in silence as Jack attempted to calm down, Nobunagun simply lounging on the bed and absentmindedly smoothing the sheets. His body and mind were beyond exhausted at this point, but Jack knew sleep would not come just yet.

Not until they finally talked about what happened.

“Adam...he, he’s still my brother...my, twin. And yet...” His stomach turned and for a second Jack feared he would heave up all the instant ramen, but luckily he forced it back down. “Fuck, I can’t believe...”

“Whoa, take it easy man; y’know, you don’t have to force yourself to tell me what happened...” Nobunagun had a glass of water at the ready, but he brushed it away. “Of course, if you do wanna talk it out...I’m all ears.”

As terrible as the memory was, he had to tell her; had to tell someone what he did, his thoughts, and just why...

“...Honestly, I was upset at him; I was...jealous, of how much time he’d been spending with your sister...” Jack expected Nobunagun to swing a fist into his face at that comment, but nothing happened. “I...thinking on it now, it seems so stupid...but at the time, and all the times before...I got all wound up because he never really wanted to do anything anymore...”

“...You felt left out. Like, like...” there was a sigh, before the girl sank down next to him. “...You start getting scared that they don’t understand you anymore; that, no matter what you do or what you say...they just don’t get it anymore.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “...Sometimes I feel that way with Sio-chan, too.”

“Yeh, but you didn’t feel the need to go and violate her,” Jack said bluntly. “I...Adam and I, we were both getting emotional by then...we’d had a row, and then shoving and yelling at each other...” His voice wobbled and tears pricked the corner of his eyes, but Jack was too tired to hold back. “In that moment, I just wanted to shut him up...to do something, anything...!” He’d buried that memory ever since that day, but now it was recalled in full-force: the anger, guilt, self-loathing and shame... And that little voice in his head that always tempted him, prodded his grotesque curiosity. How would his brother react if he did something deplorable? Something like say, a kiss on the mouth?

Hot tears fell down his face, and Nobunagun looked on in sympathy as Jack started sobbing. “H-He, I...I didn’t really mean it...!” Yet as he said that, Jack found himself unable to muster any conviction. Did he really mean it, or was he just saying it in an attempt to convince himself that it’d just been an emotional overreaction? That he really, truly, didn’t want anything more with his brother. ‘Adam is my brother, my best friend, that’s all it can be—there can’t be anything else...!’

“...I’m sorry that happened.” said Nobunagun, the girl uncharacteristically quiet and serious now. “I feel...deep down, you do still care about your brother as a brother. You love him, or else you wouldn’t feel so terrible.” Jack flinched as she said the word ‘love’. Yeah; who knew if he still loved Adam as a sibling like he used to, or if he actually had some deranged, uncontrollable lust-slash-power mongering urge towards his brother. What the hell did that even mean anyway... Was it really an overblown reaction to his insecurity regarding their twin relationship, or, or...

“Did I want revenge on him...” he muttered, turning the words over in his head. Nobunagun perked up at his voice. “No—maybe—fuck, I don’t know—”

“You only hurt the ones you love the most,” Nobunagun lay curled on the bed, looking away from Jack. “Hell, even I’ve had some...pretty fucked-up dreams about Sio once in a while; weird sex ones too,” she gave a sardonic chuckle, “but of course I never thought I’d actually see it play out in real life. And unlike dreams, real life made me feel real shitty afterwards.”

Hearing Nobunagun admit her own dark thoughts made him feel somewhat better, but not necessarily reassured. “...Is it just that?” If he’d just wanted to get back at Adam for taking him for granted, then why did he jerk himself off while solely focusing on his twin—not just once, either. “This so-called voice in my head...honestly, it scares me,” Jack’s voice shook, betraying his poker face. “Th, that incident...what does that even fucking mean?! What if...what if I do have some kind of...” he swallowed hard, the lump in his throat nearly choking him, “...twisted feeling towards him...” His heart was pounding so hard the sound of his pulse blocked out all other noises, save for his own rapidly-growing breaths. Jack found himself growing light-headed, unable to concentrate on his surroundings. “I-I don’t...why did I do that? Do I really see Adam as, that—”

“—You don’t! It’s not, I...” Even Nobunagun hesitated, as if really contemplating her own feelings as well. “...I won’t accept it. The fact that you’re agonizing over this, means you have a choice. You have the ability to change that...whatever it is that’s causing you to feel this way.” Though Jack had absolutely no faith in himself at this moment, just to hear someone else defend him kept him from completely losing his mind.

At this point, everything seemed hazy and surreal, like a bad dream he couldn’t shake himself awake from. Despite the food and nap earlier, Jack was running on fumes now; nothing seemed to matter anymore, and even his fear and confusion were merely dull weights in his chest. He was so tired; tired of figuring out what to do, how to even resolve this, what Adam would think of him now...his vision wavered and he collapsed sideways on to the bed, too tired to even close his eyes as Nobunagun’s worried grimace filled his sight. Even breathing felt like a chore as his chest heaved, up and down.

“Jack? Are you okay?” He felt himself rolled onto his back, though the sensations were muffled, somehow. “Just...try and get some rest now, yeah? That was a lot...in more ways than one. It’d be impossible to try and figure out how to solve it all now...especially when you’re exhausted like this,” Nobunagun was now unfurling a blanket and tucking it all around, “I’ve already told Sio and Adam that you’re with me and we’re gonna spend the night in a hotel, so don’t worry, okay?”

He nodded, not because he agreed but because it felt like that was the right answer. What she wanted to hear. What he wanted to convince himself of.

If he really had the power to change the outcome...maybe that was the answer. He’d fucked up, but he could also make it right. Or better, at least. After all, hadn’t he felt immense guilt and shame after he’d masturbated to Adam? ‘You know how teenage hormones are; add in a brain that’s always trying to sabotage yourself...’ Nobunagun’s remark came back to him, and though Jack wasn’t exactly sure if that’s what was going on, in his exhaustion-riddled state, it was better than nothing. To have something, anything he could hold onto and have hope...

Hope... Hope to get rid of this terrible feeling. Hope to somehow fix this situation...whatever that meant. Hope that eventually, he and Adam could go back to what they were—twins who always had each other’s backs.

‘Adam...I hope you’re alright. And I’m sorry...’

He sincerely meant it, too.

#documentation #divine intervention #//i live #//after a million years #//couldn't figure out how to resolve this chapter for a long time

0 notes

shooter-nobunagun · 2 years

Text

Lady of the Clocktower

//ok actually getting to the boss fight

Her body was on fire. Every movement burned her skin, rattled her bones and aggravated her swollen joints. Despite the pain, she was too weak to utter anything besides a faint gasp. Even though they were doing their best to be gentle, just a single touch felt as if her skin were being scraped raw with millions of tiny needles.

She couldn’t understand anything coherently—only odd noises here and there filtered through the pounding in her head—and always those whispers, whispers of images and things she didn’t understand. Once or twice she thought she’d recognized the muffled bass murmuring in her ear, or the cool sensation upon her feverish forehead, but none of it conjured up anything recognizable. Only the drip, drop dripping remained in the background, faint but clear and it seemed to guide her to something...special. Something wondrous that, just like Saint Adeline said, would grant her a baptism...

‘Saint Adeline...wait, I know who that is...’

And despite how tempting it was to just sink back into that blissful darkness, it was too late; the spark of recognition was lit and, against the stabs of pain and throbbing in her veins, Sio forced her eyes open.

“Wha...huh...” She was lying on a cold, hard surface, though someone was kind enough to have pulled a cloak over her. Her vision was still blurry, but focus was returning slowly. Images sharpened as she took a couple of deep breaths, the scent of damp mildew and metallic blood reawakening her memories.

The institute. Those creatures. Her aching head, that dripping noise that never went away and was heard by one other—

“Th, the blood saint—ugh...” She tried to sit up, but her limbs were still so weak she nearly fell off the table instead. “Ow...my arm...” Squinting, she noticed a new bandage around her upper arm, neatly tied with Hunter’s signature knot. Next to her was one of those stands hung with glass jars, and judging from the traces of crimson liquid that still remained in the bottle and line, it was recently used. She looked at the glass, then back at the bandage again.

‘How am I still here...did they, give me a transfusion...?’ Sio remembered her fear, of the despair she’d felt just before she lost consciousness as she realized her disease had reached the limit. ‘But how...’ Yet they must’ve done something, for she was quite alive (or so she hoped).

‘They gave me a transfusion, just like when I first arrived in Yharnam, and old man Capa said it was necessary to, to...become a hunter...’ All the relief the huntress felt from being cured was drained as panic took its place. ‘How could I have forgotten...! Why did I only just now remember how I started this hunt in the first place...’ Even with that revelation, Sio was troubled by the remaining gaps in her memory regarding her entry into the Hunter’s Dream.

She had to get up. There was no more time to waste lying around and torturing herself with ‘what-ifs’. Putting all her energy into it, Sio slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, even as dizziness attacked her with a vengeance.

“Urg...okay, just take a few breaths, you can do this, Sio...” When the room stopped spinning, the huntress took stock: she was lying on an operating table with a bandaged arm, surrounded by three men who were completely out. Only Adam was slumped in a chair, the surgeon having used a pillar instead and Tell apparently hadn’t bothered with anything, instead lying right on the stone floor. A small smile formed before she could catch herself, as she realized her companions had kept watch over her while she recovered. “You guys...” Though she still didn’t know how or what had transpired, it clearly hadn’t been easy. The three hunters seemed exhausted—judging by their deep, heavy breaths, and Tell’s freshly-bandaged wounds.

Not wanting to wake the men, she eased herself off the table—and nearly knocked the stand over in the process, but Sio managed to grab it and right herself in time. “Ookaay, take it slow girl, you’re probably still recovering...” There was a curiously empty chair in front of her, even though Sio swore it hadn’t been when they’d arrived... A wiggling movement flashed in the corner of her eye, and she turned to be greeted with a nasty shock.

It was one of those moving, squirming, lumps of greyish flesh she’d seen earlier, down below in the basement. Drawing a shaky breath, Sio felt for her blunderbuss on her waist; yet the large blob made no threatening movements at all.

“Saint...Adeline?”

“Oh, hello. Thank you. For everything... Really, I used to be nothing...heh heh heeh...” The head wriggled again, Sio letting out a small sigh as it became clear Saint Adeline harbored no ill will, despite her being reduced to a mere head. Apparently she’d managed to reach her baptism, or whatever it was.

“Weird...when did that happen? When I was out? Didn’t she say she needed Brain Fluid, or something...” The girl muttered to herself as she tried to piece together the events while she was unconscious. “Did Adam and the others actually get it for her? But why?” A groan to her left caused her to jump, before realizing Adam was awake.

“Oh fuck...of course, we all fell asleep,” the silver-haired man rolled his eyes as he stretched out the knots. “Knew we should’ve set up shifts...”

“Adam...are you...” The girl didn’t even finish her sentence before being nearly tackled with a bear hug. “Umph! A-Adam, you’re gonna knock me over like that...”

“Sio...! Oh thank the gods, you’re alright now...finally, some good news for a change.” The petite huntress was buried against his chest, Adam breathing in the warm scent of her hair as she eagerly hugged him back. “How’re you feelin’? Hunter said you should be getting better now, but I don’t doubt it’ll take a while before you fully recover...”

The girl nodded as Adam slowly released her. “Yeah...I-I mean, honestly I thought I was a goner, but...still, how the heck did you guys do it? And in a place like this, no less.”

“My surgical skills may not be fer gainin’ Insight, but they’re still unmatched—” both heads turned as the other two men stirred, “—nah lassie, t’was pure, dumb luck ‘s what. Lucky fer ye Saint Adeline was a Blood Saint...else I dunno where we’d have been able to procure such pure blood.”

“Wait, Saint...Adeline? You mean, I have her blood in my veins, now...?” Sio looked again at the lump of flesh, and then back at the surgeon. “Wh-whoa, wait a minute, but I—” That fear crept back again, despite her trust in Hunter and Adam to do the right thing. “Hang on, that’s why—the Brain Fluid?”

“I see your senses have not been dulled one bit by your illness, Ogura.” praised Tell, as everyone started gathering themselves up again. “Once again, you figured out the key points even before we said anything else. Yes, we did bargain with Saint Adeline for her blood, and in exchange I gathered the Brain Fluid she requested. And I see her transcendence is now complete.” All the hunters stared at the roiling lump of flesh that Saint Adeline was reduced to, as it placidly rolled around.

“I understand yer distress, but it was the only way we could save ye, lassie,” Hunter looked a bit uneasy, especially with Sio’s reaction. “Look, I ken yer nae fond ‘f all them blood vials ‘n treatments, but I think ye also ken how close we came ta losin’ ye. I admit it’s nae perfect solution; ‘specially since it willnae stop th’ Kin from tryna communicate wit ye, but least now ye no longer have to worry ‘bout the ashen blood. Fer now, anyway...”

The last part caught Adam by surprise. “For now? Wait, but I thought you said—isn’t she, cured...?”

“Well hold on now, let me explain,” the surgeon hastily paused them before anyone could launch into hysterics. “It’s true that Sio should no longer be sufferin’ any ill effects from the blood sickness now. However, it does not grant her immunity; ‘s not like a vaccine. As long as we continue t’ the hunt, we’ll all still be riskin’ exposure t’ the blood sickness. An’ if Sio—or any one of us fer that matter—gets contaminated, then we’d have to do this all over again. An’ there’s no tellin’ if we’d be successful a second time...”

Hunter’s grim reminder set the tone for everybody else, least of all the huntress who was slowly absorbing the myriad of events that transpired while she was unconscious. “...I guess we don’t have a choice, huh? Even if I’m fine now, just knowing my luck, I’m bound to get sick once more sooner or later... And that’s not even counting those stupid Kin or whatever the hell they are...” Her arms gripped her stomach again, the remnants of that nightmare flooding back into her mind. “When has anything ever been easy for me...” Sio tried not to let herself fall into despair, but there were times where the anguish felt insurmountable. She was so tired of putting on a brave face; of having to keep pushing forward when it was all she could do to barely hang on. During moments like these, even Hunter’s reassurance and Adam’s unwavering support did little to dissuade the bitter resentment in her mind.

‘I know I’ve said several times that I don’t regret coming here; but sometimes, it’s really hard to keep believing it...’

“Not necessarily, Miss Ogura. Remember, the risk only pertains as long as we continue the hunt. If we end this hunt, as we’ve been aiming to do, then you don’t have to worry about any of that, anymore. If anything, this transfusion has now bought us some more time to accomplish that,” Tell reminded her.

In the end, it always came down to that single goal: to end the hunt, and live for daybreak. Sighing, Sio nodded her head, but even having a firm resolution did not dull the ache in her chest. “Right, of course...well, I guess we better get a move on then...”

“Sio, I...” Adam was about to comfort her, but stopped himself. The huntress already called him out earlier for coddling her too much, and she certainly did not seem to be in a better mood. “Nevermind. You’re right, we should press forward.”

“...Adam?” Sio gave him a curious glance as he swept past without another word. ‘Oh crap; he’s probably still upset at me lashing out...’ It took several deep breaths to stop the huntress from breaking down into a complete temper tantrum. ‘Seriously, you’d think being cured from the ashen blood would make things easier, but nope—just causes other problems to take its place instead.’

“God, I’m really starting to see why people hate coming here,” she muttered under her breath, already having made up her mind to never return to Yharnam again if she could help it. “Nothing ever turns out well...”

“Well lassie, ye were warned plenty,” Hunter commented as they now scoured for the door which Saint Adeline’s key belong to. “Yharnam’s cursed, in more ways than one. Think we all know by now the hidden and unexpected dangers this place has... An’ speaking o’ risks, dinnae ye dwell on tha’ whole birthin’ a surrogate Great One deal. ‘S nivver been proven as far as I know, and you’ll just be causing yurself unnecessary stress.”

“Surrogate...? I haven’t—” Too late did Hunter realize that Sio hadn’t planned on telling anyone else about her dreams—but honestly, that was Adam’s fault for spilling the beans. “How, how do you know I had that dream—wait don’t tell me, it has to be...” Sio felt a vein pulse on her forehead.

“Adam Muirhead...”

Somewhere up ahead, the silver-haired man felt every single hair on the back of his neck stand up, even before he heard the girl’s voice demanding his presence. Next to him, Tell raised an eyebrow and gave him what appeared to be a look of sympathy, as Adam mentally prepared himself for whatever shit he’d landed himself in with the huntress.

Again.

He felt like a schoolboy who’d gotten in trouble with the head mistress, and certainly the girl’s commanding glare added to the heavy atmosphere. Her mouth was set in a straight line, eyebrows deeply set as she stared him down, despite her shorter stature. Doing his best to maintain a straight face, he nevertheless felt a slight shiver of fear run down his spine.

“...Yes?”

Those maroon orbs were fierce as they pierced right back into his gaze. “...You told Hunter about my dream, didn’t you? About...the surrogates, and giving birth. Even though I only shared it with you...”

Adam remembered thinking at the moment that it was more important for Hunter to know the truth, consequences be damned—but now in the aftermath, perhaps that hadn’t been the wisest idea. “...You’re right, I did. And yeh, it occurred to me after I opened my mouth that probably wasn’t what you wanted...an’ so I’m sorry; but know I only did so because at the time, I thought it was best for Hunter to know everythin’ that was going on. If your life was on the line, I didn’t want t’ leave out anything that could possibly help...”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hunter give him a look of disbelief—because that was definitely not the main reason he ran his mouth. Not wanting to dig himself deeper than he already was, Adam prayed to whatever gods that remained for Hunter to stay silent. To his immense relief, the surgeon merely shook his head very slightly, but did not say anything.

The girl remained silent as she took in his words, and Adam felt the sweat form on his forehead as he sincerely hoped she wouldn’t press anything more. “...I see. Well, I guess I can understand that...and Hunter, I know you’d only ever want to help.” Adam almost sighed with relief but held it in and remained nonchalant. “Still, I...I’ve said before that I trust you now, Adam. Don’t make me take that back...” Her demeanor was subdued, but Adam had a feeling she wouldn’t forget this incident any time soon.

Still, that uneasy feeling of doubt crept up alongside his guilt, the two churning and battling in his mind until Adam literally felt ill. He understood her distress. Yet he couldn’t shake the idea that she’d just been looking for a way to prevent that grotesque birth, and he happened to be someone who was suitable enough to help fulfill that.

Couldn’t it be both? That was alright, wasn’t it? So why was he still so wounded about the idea of being used, despite what he’d claimed to the surgeon about simply remaining friends with benefits.

“Well, since you know everything now, Hunter...what do you think? Do you...let’s just say, these Great Ones can...y’know, do that.” Sio looked down at the floor and twisted the edge of her cloak. “If I...were to get pregnant—with a human of course—first, w-would that...”

The surgeon was shaking his head in a grave manner before she even finished. “Ach, Sio lass...I understand yer fears, but this...” Hunter heaved a sigh as he tried not to give into the girl’s anxious stare. “...Let’s say all this codswallop is true; sure, I suppose theoretically—and I mean theoretically,” he emphasized, “that could possibly dissuade them. However,” his gaze turned as stern as he could muster, “I shouldnae hafta remind you the risks and potential complications involved in a pregnancy—especially in a time and place like this. Ye’ll just be creatin’ new dangers fer yurself—and the bairn. If you want my professional opinion as a doctor, I say it’s nae worth it. Better to concentrate on finishing this hunt, ‘stead of chasin’ some rumour.” The girl’s lips pulled into a tight line, the surgeon unsure if his warning actually had any effect.

“‘Sides, these are creatures on-par with gods we’re talking about here. Who’s ta say they even play by our rules...” The conversation ended there, as Sio struggled to absorb Hunter’s words, and what was left unsaid. Who’s to say having a human’s seed would prevent a monster’s seed from implanting itself, anyway? A wave of cold sweat washed over the huntress, leaving her weak and unsteady, even with the blood ministration.

Were they really so helpless? Sio fought to stay focused as the group encountered more failed patients on their way up a grand, spiraling staircase. Some still had their bodies, lunging at the hunters with the IV stand as a weapon that Sio barely managed to block. Others were already without bodies, but clearly they weren’t able to achieve the same transcendence Saint Adeline had; the heads threw themselves with reckless abandon at the slightest sound, as if taking out the frustrations of their failures the only way they had left.

“Damn, just how many of these patients were there?” The huntress grimaced as she whacked a skeletal body over the neck with her spear, then thrust him over the edge of the balcony. “This whole place...was it all for manufacturing blood vials and such?”

“That, and more; if the legends are true,” the archer stood behind her as he picked off another screaming, rolling head with a well-timed arrow. “Lady Florence...you know of her, do you not?”

“Huh? You mean...the protégé of Capa, the First Hunter?” Sio didn’t even flinch as she fired point-blank at a deranged patient, blood splattering all over their clothes. “I mean, everyone knows of her...even in my village.” Both the First Hunter and his apprentice were common figures in her textbooks; the tales mostly consisting of cut-and-dry events she’d read about from other tomes already, of how they worked alongside the Church to stop the scourge. “My studies didn’t provide a ton of details, but I know she worked hard to help the people, and was apparently a really strong fighter.”

“...I see.” She sensed that Tell had been testing her somehow, searching for the knowledge in her mind; before anything more could be said however, the stairs finally ended and the group now stood before a doorway. The door’s lock was wrought with a peculiar pattern, just like the key given to them by Saint Adeline. In front of the door was a patient with an enlarged head, groping the ground as if searching for something. Sio readied her weapon at the sight of it, but Adam held her arm and shook his head slightly.

“Hold, Sio; this one’s not charging at us...” The huntress stared in wonder as Adam slowly approached the swollen-headed figure.

“Lady Florence, I'm a robin. Will I ever curl up and become an egg? What say you, Lady Florence? Lady Florence? Say something, anything..."

The voice of yearning, of desperation for an answer as the patient crawled around in vain; searching for someone who was no longer there. Sio shivered as she side-stepped the patient who could no longer see. Though it didn’t seem intent on attacking, she still made sure to keep a healthy distance. Who knew what they were capable of if provoked...

“Don’t think on it, Sio; they’re not our concern.” A low murmur in her ear, Sio nearly jumping out of her skin as Adam gently pulled her around.

“I know...it’s just, this place always makes me feel so...hopeless,” she rubbed her arms together, hating the feeling of being vulnerable. “Nevermind; whining about it won’t change anything...”

The silver-haired hunter didn't say anything, and Sio was sure he was giving her the cold shoulder in retaliation for her lashing out—but the next thing she knew a warm, gloved hand patted her shoulder ever so slightly, and she blushed in spite of herself.

Tell slipped the key from the folds of his cloak. “This must be it.”

“Yeh, an’ I’m willin’ ta bet there’ll be sumthin’ waitin’ fer us on the other side,” muttered Hunter, but what choice did they have? Always, they had to keep pushing forward; keep moving to reach the end of the dream. “Might as well see what’s in store...”

The key fit perfectly into the lock, as expected; the enormous, iron-braced doors were so heavy it took all four hunters digging their heels in, straining and when they could push no more a crack opened up. A warm breeze blew in, and the faint, blue glow was a familiar sight.

“Lumenflowers again?” Sio weaved her way through the tall blooms. “I wonder what’s here...” The fresh air was a welcome relief compared to the stale, rusty scent of old blood and sterilizing chemicals used in the institute. The flowers themselves were just as intriguing; even though Tell said their glow couldn’t be explained, Sio figured there couldn’t be much harm in just taking a look. Especially as the stalks grew larger and larger, the flowers towards the center so thick and tall they might as well have been trees; their large blossoms hung over her like some oversized sunflower.

“Sio? Where’d you go?” A feeling of unease washed through him as Adam pushed the flowers aside. The last time they were in a patch of these lumenflowers, they’d ended up with a battle on their hands. “Sio!” He pushed more fervently through the plants and just managed to catch up with the girl as she delicately fingered a petal.

“There you are!”

“Gyaaah!! A-Adam...!” Sio barely stopped herself from thrusting the Rifle Spear in his direction. “Jeeze, what is it with you and scaring the living daylights out of me...”

“I—I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” a grumble as the silver-haired man rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t wander off on your own like that; who knows what’s out here.”

Those lips grew into a pout as Adam found himself face-to-face with a seemingly-younger huntress. “I’m not a child, Adam. I thought we established that already.” Her spear flicked the fallen-over branch of a lumenflower. “I was just curious about these flowers...”

It took every ounce of self-control for Adam to not revert back to their argumentative, bickering ways. “...Be that as it may, we have just barely managed to overcome one hurdle. And I’d rather like to keep it that way for a while.”

“You know I’m more than capable—”

“—This isn’t about whether or not you’re capable!” His harsh tone silenced the girl instantly, but Adam was too worked up to stop. “I care about your whereabouts and wellbeing, because I care about you, god damn it...!”

That was the crux of the issue, wasn’t it? As much as he wanted to believe he could put aside personal feelings and detach himself, Adam knew in his heart it was too late. Those feelings he held for the huntress were already deeply entrenched within him; no amount of half-hearted denials or lectures from Hunter would change that.

‘That’s why you’re still so gutted about all this; the question of whether or not Sio actually has feelings for you...’

The girl was silent, stunned by his outburst and the raw emotions from his words. Was her silence a good or bad sign? Adam didn’t even know what to think at this point; all he knew for certain was that he was in love with Sio Ogura, regardless of what he was to her.

“...I, Adam I...” Her expression looked vulnerable and mournful, and for a second Adam felt certain, that her feelings and words from when they’d made love were sincere—

A wave of blue light sliced through the surrounding flowers before the girl could respond. Adam pulled both of them down on automatic, already grappling for his Stakedriver. Behind him, the faint curses from Tell and Hunter drifted towards them, and he knew his instincts had been correct; these gardens were no safe haven.

“I knew this place was a trap...” Plants rustled and bent over as the alien being that fired the shot finally came into view.

It was tall, with a withered skeletal frame and an enlarged head, just like the patients they just fought their way through. Unlike the patients however, the creature had blue skin and stood much taller; it looked a giant from her fairytale books, and though it was eyeless, the huntress felt the dreaded headache start up in her temples again.

“Oh no...it’s starting up again...!” As Hunter had warned, just because she was cured of the ashen blood now did not mean she was immune to frenzy. Already she had to uncork another bottle of sedative; best to keep the effects to a minimum, as much as she could.

“Sio! Damn it, it’s kin, isn’t it?” Adam kept a careful eye on her as now several blue-skinned giants loomed over them, the lumenflowers trampled into mulch as the gardens turned into a battlefield. The only upside was that the four of them could easily tackle a single creature...that is, until another being materialized out of the stardust right next to them.

“Blast it, they keep comin’! Dinnae tell me there’s nae end to them?” The surgeon’s eyes widened as yet another giant replaced the one they just felled. “We cannae keep going forever...”

The area became slick with alien blood and fallen petals. The confines of the garden gave the hunters little room to maneuver, and more than once Sio almost hit one of her comrades and vice versa. There didn’t seem to be an end; Sio lost track of how long they were fighting and just how many of the giants had been slain already. Each giant wasn’t terribly difficult to fell, but the endless stream was wearing them out. Something was wrong...they weren’t going about this the right way.

If fear seizes you, change, for it means you are doing something wrong...

“Adam! Hunter! Tell!” Sio had to shout to make herself heard above the din of combat. “We should try splitting up! Maybe these guys can regenerate as long as one of them still remains on the field...”

“In other words, you think we need to kill them all simultaneously?” Adam cast a glance at Hunter, who was barely fending off a giant with Tell’s help. “Damn it...we don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

“Ay, I may not be as skilled as you, but I can hold me own, thank ye very much,” the surgeon looked rather insulted, despite everything. “Just give the word lass, an’ dinnae ye worry ‘bout me.”

Sio nodded. She was concerned about Hunter on his own, but if they didn’t try something different they’d be dead for sure. “Alright; let’s wait until they spread out a bit more...” Sio eyed the group, noticing that there never seemed to be more than 4 of them at once. ‘Interesting...I wonder if it knows, somehow...’ They weren’t terribly fast, but still she had to be careful as she set off for the northwest corner, as the men each took a respective corner. The giants meandered about, each choosing a hunter at random, until they drew away from the center.

“Hurry! We need to take them out in one attack!” There was no time to check on the others—the huntress could only pray their bonds and trust in each other would be enough as she dodged an oversized hand, before striking back with a parry that followed into a spectacular riposte. Splashes of silvery blood flew through the air, Sio wincing as they burned her skin and caused spikes of frenzy to surface—though fortunately, not enough send her into a true rage. The giant before her sank to the ground, and Sio frantically looked around to see how the others were faring. She could see Tell mopping up blood from his Bowblade, Adam’s head just visible above a clump of lumenflowers, and then Hunter...

“Hunter? Hunter, where are you?” Ignoring her exhaustion, and keeping a close eye on the corpses, she pushed her way to the northwest corner where the surgeon was supposed to have been. Oh god, maybe she shouldn’t have left him all alone—maybe she should’ve gone to back him up, or suggest he team up with one of the other—

“—Lass, where’d you think yur walkin’?” So caught up in her anxiety it wasn’t until said surgeon grabbed her by the shoulder, did she whirl around in a daze. “We did it, didnae we? They’ve stopped appearing, haven’t they?”

“H, Hunter...” A sniff, before the huntress let out a sob and started bawling, much to Hunter’s embarrassment. “I-I’m, s-s-sorry...! You got hurt...”

“Ah er, there there lass...” The surgeon gave the girl a reassuring smile, before patting her gently on the head. “These scratches are nothin’ fer me; we should be thanking you, fer comin’ up wit’ that strategy. I know I don’t look the part, but I have been hunting beasts fer a while now. I promise ye dinnae need to worry about me.”

Sio nodded, wiping up her tears and now feeling embarrassed she’d gotten so emotional. ‘Get a grip, Sio! You’ve been traveling with Hunter for so long now; you should have more faith in him...!’ Even so, the huntress had a feeling it wasn’t just the stress of the fight that caused her to be so on-edge.

Adam...do you regret what we did?

“Oy, you two alright?” Sio hurriedly wiped the last of the tears from her eyes as Adam and Tell finally tramped their way through the fallen plants and debris. “It worked, didn’t it? Those bastards stopped appearing.” Adam’s cheek bore a fresh cut, and Tell’s coat was ripped in certain places, but otherwise none looked worse for the wear. “Sio, everything good?”

“Ah, y-yeah...I just wanted to make sure Hunter was okay, since it was my idea and all...” She hoped Adam wouldn’t notice the tear tracks, but if he did, he made no mention of it. He was no doubt still mulling over her choice of words, about how she didn’t want to be treated like a glass doll...which was true, but at the same time Sio found herself missing his words of reassurance and concern. She mentally groaned and tried not to look upset. Why were emotions so complicated...

“We should head through this courtyard, now that we’ve cleared it.” The archer pointed to the door on the other side. “I’d wager whatever it is we’re here to find, it’ll be through there. Those creatures weren’t just in this garden for no reason.”

“Hm, guess that explains this,” in Hunter’s hand was a large metal key, similar to the once which lead them into the garden in the first place. “Dropped from one of them creatures after the fighting ended. If they were guarding something, this must be it.” The key was curiously designed, the bow shaped like a clock face not unlike the one that stood before them. “The Astral Clocktower...”

“Home of Lady Florence, who was said to have been the caretaker of these patients...” The archer looked at the key’s intricate carvings as he slotted it perfectly into the door’s lock. The four of them pushed against the heavy contraption until it finally swung open on its own. Tall steps greeted their vision as the stale, musty air flowed out; though it carried with it the faint scent of blood, as well. Slowly, Sio took a step forward, then two; one by one they ascended the steps. The wooden floor creaked ominously as they carefully picked their way across the ruined surface; gaps and holes big enough to fall clear through littered their path, as they slowly approached a lone figure sitting in a chair.

Her head was lowered, as if she were resting. She wore a tricorn with a feather still intricately stuck in the brim, with a fine cravat of lace and sturdy leather boots and gloves. A splattering of fresh blood circled the chair, yet there was no visible wound on the figure. Next to her chair was an ornate weapon, a twin-bladed saber and katana combined into one shaft. “Whoa, I think I’ve heard of this weapon...it’s called Rakuyo, and comes from the lands my village resides in--just like the Chikage. Except unlike the Chikage, there’s no need to use blood; it simply demands a high amount of dexterity.” Secretly Sio hoped she would be able to get her hands on her own Rakuyo; the rifle spear was familiar and reliable, but a legendary trick weapon from her homeland? Maybe it was time for an upgrade.

“Lady Florence...the famed protégé of the First Hunter, Capa...” muttered Tell. “I don’t think she’s still alive...yet the body is in remarkable condition.”

All eyes turned to their resident surgeon, who sighed with resignation. “A’ight, I ken what’s on yur minds...cannae say I like the idea, though. Thought ye were the one who said let’s let sleepin dogs lie?” Hunter gave a sideways glance to Adam, reminding him of the chaos that ensued with Laurence.

“I’d like to argue this situation is a bit different than that,” Adam remarked dryly. “Though to your point, do we all agree to Hunter taking a look over? And to bear responsibility for whatever may occur?” Three other heads nodded, and the surgeon had no choice but to comply.

“I dinnae like this one bit...” muttered Hunter as he started his examination. Though he’d encountered plenty of bodies before, both live and not, this particular specimen set every hair on his neck sticking straight up. There was just something not right about her; about this whole situation. Why would those aliens be guarding a supposedly dead body, and that wasn’t even to say how this entire room was arranged: a single chair in the middle of a grand, decaying hall, right behind the clocktower itself? This was definitely not going to end well. And yet, even with all the red flags and past experience telling him something was going to happen, he reached over to check her pulse.

And that’s when the hand shot out and grabbed his wrist instead.

“A corpse...should be left well alone...”

Hunter yelled in fright and tried to yank his arm free, but the supposed corpse was very well becoming animated. Drawing him close, until the surgeon was face-to-face with those blood-red eyes upon a corpse-pale face, framed with silvery tresses as she stared straight into his eyes.

“Hunter! Let go of him!” Sio dashed forward just as the surgeon wrenched his hand free, and the two tumbled onto the floor. “Hunter, I’m sorry--”

“--As much as I’d like ta chew you three out, now’s nae the time,” grimaced Hunter. Lady Florence had picked up the Rakuyo, now, and split the trick weapon into its twin-blade mode. Sio gulped as she and her fellow hunters drew their own arms, preparing for the fight. If this Lady Florence really was as skilled as the tales claimed, it would not be easy.

“Oh, I know very well. How the secrets beckon so sweetly. Only an honest death will cure you now. Liberate you, from your wild curiosity.”

Lady Florence drew Rakuyo into the shape of the clocktower’s hands, then charged straight forward.

#documentation #hunt or be hunted

1 note · View note

shooter-nobunagun · 2 years

Photo

Looking forward to spring

84 notes · View notes

shooter-nobunagun · 2 years

Text

The Blood Saint

//Wow it’s coming together. kind of.

Empty and quiet. That was the atmosphere as her eyes slowly opened, the huntress lying on mussed linens in a daze as she tried to remember where she was, much less why she was not clothed. The cracked stone tiles looked familiar, somehow...but she couldn’t quite place it. A clean sheet was tucked neatly around her naked body, both arms lying to her sides. Someone had been there...someone who...

“...Adam?” She turned but there was nobody. Only a faint, hollow warmth remained that might’ve hinted at the man whom she’d given herself to earlier...yes, when they were both entangled in that rapturous dance, that made her skin tingle and body flood with a warmth she’d never felt before—

“—Adam? Where are you?” Groaning, Sio forced herself to sit up, pulling the sheets higher to ward off the chill. Why was it so quiet? Where was everyone? Surely that blissful moment earlier was real; it couldn’t have all been a dream, could it...? Trying not to panic, the huntress slowly lifted the cover; relief flooded her system as she noticed a faint smear of dark pink on the white sheets between her legs. That was proof, wasn’t it? Especially combined with the dull ache down there...

And yet, in this world of false dreams and eldritch beings, of illusions and hidden monstrosities...who could say what was truly real, and what was just in her head? Breath quickening despite her efforts, Sio threw off the covers and started hunting for her clothes, which happened to be right on a chair by the bed, neatly folded—

“—Miss Ogura? Ah, beg pardon,” there was an awkward cough and Sio whirled around, still clutching her wardrobe to her naked chest. “My apologies; I didn’t realize you were up and about.” The marksman already had his back to her, though she was still immensely embarrassed at being caught off-guard.

“Tell! I-I—sorry, I didn’t—” Sio almost fell over as she tried to dress herself as humanly fast as possible, all the while panicking about how much Tell figured out just from her state of dress. ‘Let’s be real, he probably already knows...if he didn’t already figure it out, even before this.’ At least he was professional about it, and savvy enough to keep his mouth shut.

“Muirhead is taking the watch now; he went to relieve Hunter a couple of minutes ago.” The archer informed her as she finally buttoned and belted everything back in place. “I came back to check on you; are you feeling alright, Miss Ogura?”

“Yeah, I...I am. Guess I slept for a while...how long has it been, anyway?”

Tell shrugged. “Long enough for me and Hunter to rotate a full watch. In any case, if you’re feeling better, we should regroup with everyone.” The huntress tagged along as the taller man led them to a lift, which they ascended. “We scouted out the area further ahead while you rested; it appears to be a...research or medical institution, of sorts...” Though Sio couldn’t see his face, the way his tone of voice shifted told her there was something unpleasant ahead.

Adam and Hunter were both waiting on a balcony when she arrived. The surgeon slumped against the pillar with his eyes shut while the other was sighting with a monocle.

“Adam! Hunter!”

“Sio!” The silver-haired man turned around at her voice while their companion woke up with a snort. “Sio, how are you feeling?” He reached up and felt her forehead. “No headache or dizziness? You slept alright? Anything else happen?”

“A-Adam, relax,” she smiled as he withdrew his hand. “I’m feeling better now, really. Thanks to you,” she whispered, gently brushing her fingers against his palm which was returned. “I didn’t have any bad dreams this time.”

“That’s good...” He murmured against her hair, lips brushing just the slightest bit before he pulled back. “Sorry I didn’t...stay; I hadn’t wanted to leave you all alone when you woke up, but well,” he glanced towards Hunter, and Sio nodded in understanding. “Speakin’ of dreams, I know you wanted to tell us about it, but...” His eyebrows furrowed, clearly still concerned about her mental state.

“Aye, Muirhead’s right, lassie,” Hunter strolled over, still stretching out his kinks. “Ye sure ye want t’ relive it?”

Sio gulped, but nodded firmly. “I, I...do. I appreciate everyone’s concern, but this...I know it was related to this place. This Hunter’s Nightmare...and the one who dreams it.”

“You dreamed about the creature? The one that assassin claims is making this nightmare?” Tell cast her a curious glance.

Sio nodded. “Yeah...at least, I’m pretty sure. Even though I can’t say how...in that dream, I just knew,” she closed her eyes, remembering that terrible yet lonesome scene before her eyes. “A long time ago...there was a Great One—it, came here, to a small fishing village. And, the villagers...soon, they turned into creatures like her, as well.” Sio had to take a deep breath to steady herself. “Her—Kos, that was her name—she, she looked like...kind of like a giant mollusk or something...and the villagers, they started transforming into creatures like her. Long fishtails, tentacles, almost like...mermaids or something.” The men exchanged glances with each other at the girl’s almost fairy-tale like descriptions, but didn’t interrupt. “I know it sounds weird, but that’s the best way I can think of to describe them. A cross between a mermaid and...snail people?”

“Snail people? Well, we’ve seen stranger things...” Adam muttered under his breath. “So you think this Great One, Kos...she’s the dreamer?”

“No; not Kos herself. Her...child.”

That brought a rapid number of blinks and raised eyebrows from everyone else. Sio tried not to think too hard about the grotesque images she saw—the wanton butchery, the despair, and the abandoned soul left on the shore...

“Well tha’s definitely a new one,” muttered Hunter. “Yur sure? So Kos has a child that’s also a Great One? An’ fer whatever reason, it’s creatin’ this whole nightmare realm that we’re trapped in?”

“I know it seems crazy, but...I just know. Like all those other times when one of them tries to tell me something...it felt just like that.” The huntress hugged herself as she remembered the other details of her dream. “Th, the fishing villagers are just...a part of it, though. In that dream, I...saw what happened to them. Wh, what...the Church did, in order to gain their insight, and Kos’ power...th-they were, they...” She could see Adams eye’s narrow with concern, but the girl pushed through her anxiety. “They were slaughtered...all for their ‘eyes on the inside’...a-and Kos, they ransacked her corpse...” A wave of nausea made its way up her throat, Sio gagging a little as she swore she could smell the stench of rotting flesh all over again.

“Sio! Take it easy; you should still be resting, honestly,” Adam handing her a flask of water. “I’m sorry...you shouldn’t have had to see such a terrible event...”

“I had heard rumors of an unspeakable rampage, carried out by the Church,” Tell muttered. “But this was long ago, so I was never able to confirm it. But now it seems, such rumors were true. The Church slaughtered an entire village of innocents, just to learn more about the eldritch truth...and then tried to cover it up, so no one would know how they were gaining their Insight and knowledge of the Great Ones.”

“Och, those Church freaks; just reminds me all over again why I dinnae trust them,” Hunter rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Yur a brave lass, Ogura.”

“It, it’s nothing...if I can help in any way...then it’s worth it. Especially since I was the one who insisted on dragging the two of you along,” she looked sheepish, “so, thank you guys...”

“None needed, Sio. So, it sounds like this fishing hamlet...will be our final destination.” Adam fingered the edge of his Stakedriver, its sharp metal blade currently sheathed in its stationary mode. “And this Nightmare child...the Great One, that’s what that bastard Mirza was talkin’ about.” The girl nodded. “Huh; I don’t want to make you relive anymore than we have to, Sio; but in your dream, did you ever find out...why, or how this Great One is...dreaming?”

The huntress furrowed her brows, now trying to make sense of all the whispers and imagery that had bombarded her mind. “I...I don’t know. I’m sorry, but it wasn’t exactly clear. Well...except, I could kind of hear this...I don’t know, voice? I mean, it wasn’t exactly someone speaking, but I could ‘hear’ someone saying: ‘mercy for the poor, wizened child.’ It felt like...it had been abandoned, somehow. When Kos, died...it was orphaned, unable to return to its own realm of existence, but it doesn’t really belong in our world, either. So it’s...trapped, somehow. And so Kos, she...cursed the hunters who committed those crimes. So when a hunter becomes drunk on blood, they are trapped here, in this nightmare, just like her child.” Sio blinked, a shiver running down her spine as it dawned on her that she’d explained something but had no memory of acquiring such knowledge.

“Um, I guess that doesn’t really answer your question, huh...”

“Don’t worry about it, Sio. I don’t think any of us are in a particular position to really understand these Great Ones, or however they function.” Adam patted her arm reassuringly. “But one thing’s clear: this place was designed to punish those who stepped out of line. Who get too greedy for blood, and lose their way.”

“And yet we are here, sanity intact,” answered Tell, “as Mirza said. And probably only those who aren’t too far gone yet have a chance to destroy this nightmare.”

Sio tried not to ponder too hard on the meaning of that. Were they really still sane, after everything? ‘Especially me; what with the way all these Great Ones and their kin keep trying to talk to me, I don’t even want to know the state of my mind... Like, the way I keep knowing these things but I can’t explain how or why...’ It frightened her to know there were beings that could toy with her mind, even implant knowledge without her knowing or understanding—knowledge that could warp her memories, or possibly drive her mad.

“Sio? Is something else the matter, love?” She looked up with a start as Adam gently brushed her hand, before realizing he had purposely held back behind Hunter and Tell to give them some privacy as they started their exploration of this institute. “Was...that all you saw in your dream?”

“...I...” Even though she desperately wanted to tell someone, especially Adam, the fear silenced her voice. As if the second she voiced it, it would be a confirmation—and that terrible prophecy she’d heard and dreamt of would be true; that she would become a sacrificial womb for those unearthly creatures.

“Oy, Sio,” there was warm glove on her shoulder and she gasped. “what’s wrong? You’re as pale as a sheet; do you need a break?” Adam’s green eyes turned downward with worry, even more than they were to begin with.

Should she tell him? Would it even make a difference? Yet the huntress knew she couldn’t keep it a secret much longer; the fact he’d picked up on it at all was indicative of his sharp mind. She trusted him with her life now, and saw him as a source of strength.

So why was she still holding back?

“I...th, there was, another part of my dream...” Her voice shook in a low whisper, not keen on letting anybody else but the silver-haired hunter know. “I don’t know if it has anything to do with the Nightmare, but...b-but...” There was a small sob and she felt Adam squeeze her hand warmly, fingering her digits between his.

“...Listen, if it’s too much you don’t have to—”

“—No, no I need to tell you. I...have to tell someone; I’m done running away from things I can’t understand.” She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, gripping Adam’s hand to steady herself. “After I, saw what happened to Kos and the villagers...I, it felt like...I was hurting inside. I-In my dream, I mean. My stomach start hurting like during my, um...monthly cycle,” she blushed slightly, but Adam simply nodded, “b-but, it obviously wasn’t that. And when I looked, down...th-there was this...this...!” Sio felt like she was going to throw up as she recalled that awful creature again, but she had to say it. To prove to herself, and whatever sick gods up there, that she would no longer be cowed by it.

“It looked like one of those, gross larvae creatures we encountered in the Orphanage, with those disgusting tentacles and suckers. E, Except...it felt like...it had come, from...inside me,” she heard Adam draw a sharp breath, “a-as if I...gave birth to it. A surrogate...wait, that’s what it was...” Suddenly another puzzle piece slid into place as the girl realized what her dream meant.

“And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child...”

Next to her, Adam looked as pale as she’d ever seen him; even more than his complexion and hair already were. “Oh, Sio...!” He didn’t seem to know what to say, only pulled her closer to him instead. “Gods...it can’t be real; no, I don’t believe it,” he shook his head slowly, as if trying to dispel that very idea. “I won’t let it happen. I won’t let you become some sort of, surrogate or what have you for those blasted monsters.” His grip tightened on her shoulder, at the thought of the huntress becoming infected and parasitized with one of their kind.

‘Is that why she was so insistent on sleeping with me...? Because she feared what would happen otherwise?’ Adam was sure Sio’s feelings were sincere, and she truly had wanted it; but a part of him couldn’t help but ponder how much of that nightmare had influenced her intentions. Now was not the time nor place for such doubts, however. He shook his head and pushed those thoughts away.

“A, Adam...d, do you think it’s, possible? Th-that I could, I might be...!” Her arms tightened around her stomach in fear. “I’m sorry...we can’t even prove it’s true—”

“—Sio, don’t worry about it. I said I’d help you see this night through to the end...no matter what happens.” Without another word, he grasped the girl and urged both of them forward, catching up with the other two. Anything to keep his mind from ruminating on such doubts—couldn’t let his mind idle on thoughts that didn’t matter, not now anyway. Besides, what would it change, in the end? The deed was done and both of them had wanted it; what did the reasons behind it matter, at this point?

Adam shook those thoughts as they ventured further into the building. Despite the lavish decorations—crystal chandeliers, carved banisters and porcelain vases—there was also an eerie amount of medical equipment; some of which were stained, and not in a good way. He raised an eyebrow as they passed yet another set of empty chairs, the leather straps clearly meant for restraining a patient worn with use, and splattered with what appeared to be blood.

“What is this place...? It doesn’t look like a hospital, but...” Next to him Sio was nervously taking in their surroundings as well, a hand on the handle of her weapon in case they ran into any threats. “It doesn’t...I can’t help but feel on-edge...more than I already am...”

They cautiously approached the edge of the banister, where Sio cocked her head down at the faint dripping noises she claimed she kept hearing—‘like water droplets, don’t you hear it?’—as the spiral staircases lead down to a cavernous floor. It was hard to see beyond the dim candlelight, and certainly at first, it didn’t seem like anything else was down there, until...

“...Egads, what are they? Cannae tell if it’s even alive...let alone what.” The group peeked cautiously over the edge, straining their vision against the darkness.

“What the...they look just like lumps of flesh...” Frowning, Sio tried not to think too hard about what those writhing, squirming blobs could possibly be. Each one looked soft and fleshy, all encased in a thick, greyish skin and pulsing about like they were alive—some even wriggled around slowly. Were they alive? Humans or Kin? She tried not to groan as another pulse of pain shot through her temples; though the nap had certainly helped, it only seemed to stave off the effects for a short period. Before, she’d be fine for a good while after a solid rest, but now even that was waning. She caught Adam checking on her out of the corner of her eye and did her best to maintain a straight face.

“Sio, are you...”

“—I’m fine, Adam. Don’t worry about me,” she ground out, the pain making her voice a bit sharper than she’d intended. Those emeralds narrowed instantly, though he did not say anything. “Sorry, it’s just—”

“—Forget it. I understand.” Without another word he turned and walked toward the other two. Sio cursed at her own lack of finesse, but was also slightly annoyed. She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings; only wanted to let him know that he didn’t need to worry about her every other second, as if she were to drop dead the moment he took his eyes off her. Just because she had a terminal disease didn’t mean she was made of glass.

Still, there was no doubt that whatever this place was, those creatures—and that strange, dripping sound—were making her symptoms worse. She had to concentrate every fiber of her being to maintain awareness of her surroundings, but even so the woman was right in front of them before the huntress noticed at last, what the three men were already staring at.

“Is that you, Lady Florence? No, you’re someone else...”

“We, you...” Everyone was left agap, some of them barely able to keep their eyes on this...creature, or person, that sat before them. Tied to a chair, the head horribly deformed and looking just like those blobs on the floor...Adam wasn’t sure what to make of anything at this point. The body had nearly wasted away, with pale, leathery skin stretched tight over an elongated skeletal frame. In addition to being bound tightly all over by leather straps, there was also a syringe full of blood, still stuck into the forearm.

“Who...are you?”

Though the creature was restrained, it didn’t seem bothered by it at all. “I am Saint Adeline. I was once a Blood Saint for the Church. Please, could you do something for me? I need Brain Fluid. Murky, mushy Brain Fluid.” As she said this, the head seemed to writhe in excitement, especially at the mention of said Brain Fluid.

“Brain...fluid? What th’ bloody hell does that mean...” Adam muttered under his breath, casting a glance at the surgeon who could only give a slight shrug. “Why do you want it? And where would we even get such a thing?”

“Please, I beg of you. The other patients, they can provide it...I’m sure you’ve seen them, those that no longer need their bodies...just their brains now. Hurry, the sticky sound is fading fast. Please, bring me Brain Fluid. I must have it... that sound, it is all that guides me... Without it, I'll be sent back... To my former, lesser years...”

Saint Adeline’s voice carried such a tone of desperation it made Sio’s skin crawl. But more than that, the fact she mentioned the ‘sound’...

“Th, that sound...what do you mean, the sticky sound? What is it?”

“Oh, hello, do you hear that? The sticky sound, as clear as day. Slip, slop... Drip, drop, slip, slop... How extraordinary.“ Saint Adeline giggled, though it carried a hint of insanity. “The murky murky, mushy fluid that will make me whole...hee hee...“

“Wh, what do you mean, ‘make you whole’...?” Strangely, Sio had a feeling she knew the answer; or at least part of it. ‘This whole deal about transcending humanity, being able to communicate with the Great Ones, or even turn into them...is that, what this Brain Fluid does? Turn you into a Kin, and understand the Great Ones?’

The more the huntress tried to make sense of it, the more her head throbbed—until even her own will could no longer hold it back. This time she didn’t bother to hide her pain, groaning as she clutched the edge of a table to stay upright.

“Ooohh...my, head...why...”

“No, Sio—!” Adam ignored the Blood Saint completely as he rushed over. The girl had collapsed into his arms, but unlike before, now she didn’t seem to respond at all. “Sio! Sio! No!” Her body had gone completely slack, face a bloodless white as sweat dripped down her forehead.

“Sio! Och, not now...! It cannae be...” The surgeon pulled out his bag immediately. “Shite, this is not gud...I think, she’s reached her limit...”

Emeralds flickered around helplessly, silently asking anyone, for anything, he could do—because he couldn’t let her die, not after all he’d promised—

“The Blood Ministration...it’s our only chance,” Hunter pleaded, already looking around for any sort of equipment he could salvage. “Fuckin’ hell, I’d nivver want ta do it in a place like this...but we’ve no choice. C’mon now, I’ll need your help Muirhead. You too, Tell. Start by clearing off one of them tables, make sure you sanitize it as best you can. An’ see if we can get some o’ those tubing—” The surgeon stoically ignored the past stains and numerous used needles that were scattered about as he pulled out a flask of alcohol and clean rag, and wiped everything down. “Adam, hand me that sheet—an’ let’s get the lass on—”

“—Hunter, will these do?” Tell wheeled a stand over, its glass bottles and the lines connecting to it dusty but mercifully empty. “It was the cleanest one I could find, that were intact...and not pulled from existing sources.” The archer glanced at another table a little ways away, where a dead patient lay with tubes still stuck in their veins.

“It’ll do. Thank ye, Tell.” Wiping his forehead, the surgeon now set about the formidable task that lay before him. The girl was lying on an operating table, pale and listless. Adam and Tell had cleaned out the fluid line and needles as best they could with alcohol and boiling water, but there was still the most crucial part of the procedure...

“Hunter...you said we’d need a source of blood, wouldn’t we?” Adam voiced the unspoken part. “Where...who, how would we even get enough? And I’d wager it can’t just be any regular old blood vial...else it wouldn’t have come to this...”

“...Ye. That...we do. An’ yur right; it canne just be from a blood vial. With the lassie in a state like this, we need something stronger. Somethin’...purer.” Grimacing, Hunter tried not to panic as he wracked his mind for how the hell they were going to get such refined blood in a place like this. He’d promised Adam that when it came time to perform the ministration, that he’d take care of it, but now...”

In the corner, Saint Adeline laughed her deranged laugh again, and Hunter realized, through the panic, just what exactly she was... ‘Wait a minute...it’s right in front of us...! Of course, this place was where the Church cultivated their healing blood, through these Blood Saints...!’

“Oy there! Adeline—Saint Adeline. Ye said...ye were a Blood Saint, didna ye?”

“Why yes, I’ll have you know I was once a Blood Saint. They said I cultivated worthy blood, yes. Did you want my blood? That makes me happy. But I cannot move. Look, on my right arm. I'm sorry to trouble you, but you don't mind, do you?” Buried between the straps and the dessicated skin, a single vial of blood stood out, clear and crimson. Hunter grabbed the needle and immediately started filling the glass jar.

“This willnae be enough... Saint Adeline, would ye be willing t’ give more? This poor lass, she’s sufferin’ from ashen blood—the blood sickness, the very disease you were brought to cure—”

“Oh, I'm very sorry. As I was a Blood Saint, I cannot break the tenets of the Church, even for you...”

“God damn it to hell...are you bloody serious?! We don’t have time for this—” Adam had half a mind to just kill the damned Saint and drain her dry, if it weren’t for Tell’s quick reflexes.

“Muirhead! Calm yourself!” The archer pulled the other main back, the Stakedriver nearly ready to fire. “We cannot be rash; this woman may very well be Miss Ogura’s only chance of survival!” Tell firmly pushed Adam back against the wall. “In a Nightmare like this, killing her could make things worse; what if she disappears, just like all those other Kin? Then we’d lose our only source of blood for sure.”

Growling, Adam jerked free from the archer’s grasp, but he knew Tell was right; he was letting his emotions cloud his judgement again, unable to keep the level-headed calm that he’d been known for, before she came along... ‘Sio...I promised you we’d get you out of this alive, and I’m not going to break it now...’

“Saint Adeline, you mentioned you need Brain Fluid, correct? Then how about we make a deal that will benefit us both: I’ll find and deliver your Brain Fluid, and in exchange, you give us the blood we need to save the girl’s life.” Tell’s voice was all business as he bargained with the Saint. “Surely your transcendence is more important than whatever rules the Church imposed?”

For a second the men stood frozen, afraid that any sudden movement or words would ruin the deal. But after what felt like an eternity of writhing, wriggling brain sloshing, she nodded.

“Oh, thank you. You’re terribly kind. Please, give me Brain Fluid. The sticky sound whispers, I need my baptism.”

Tell pulled his balaclava over his nose and immediately jumped down the railing. Soon the sounds of arrows firing and deranged roars from the other failed Saints below filled the chamber, Saint Adeline seemingly not concerned at all about her fellow patients.

“Hunter...will this work? What if the blood makes her worse--with all that ‘kin’ nonsense--”

“--Trust me Adam, it’s our best shot at savin’ her. If Saint Adeline really was a Blood Saint, in employ of the Church, then her blood is bound to be pure enough to counteract the ashen blood.” Hunter was rolling up the girl’s sleeve, sterilizing and prepping her for the transfusion. “...Aye, Muirhead, is sumthin’ else th’ matter wit ye? I know yur concerned for the lass, and so am I--but ‘s not like ye t’ lose yer wits like this.” He cast the silver-haired man a serious look. “I’m nae fool, Adam. Ye an’ the girl...ye had...relations earlier, didna ye?”

“...Yeh. Yeh, we did.” At this point Adam let all his apprehensions go; there was no point in lying to Hunter, not now, and besides, what difference would it make? “Yet...” The doubt voiced itself before he could catch himself, and did not go unnoticed by Hunter.

“‘Yet’? What’d you mean by that, Adam?” The surgeon’s face grew dark. “Ye didna...coerce the lass did ye--”

“--No! Gods, of course not, Hunter!” Adam shot him a dark look back. “Seriously? You accuse me of all this now, after everything? I’d never hurt Sio...least of all like that.”

“Yeh, well what th’ hell was I suppos’d t’ think when ye said it like that,” retorted Hunter, still not fully convinced. “But that’s not all, is it?”

“...She...there was another part of her dream, that she only told me about afterwards. The part that frightened her the most...” Adam aimlessly rubbed the handle of his pistol, wondering if he should really reveal Sio’s dream to someone else. There was a reason Sio only chose to tell him; whether it was because she didn’t want to break down in front of the others, or because she only trusted him to share her secret... Gritting his teeth, Adam vowed to shoulder whatever consequences that could occur.

“Remember those larval creatures we encountered before? In the Orphanage,” Hunter nodded with understanding, “Sio...she dreamed that, she...gave birth to one.” He heard Hunter sucking in a sharp breath. “An’ she surmised that maybe, that’s what a ‘surrogate’ is. She said, ‘and when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child’...”

“What th...in the name of all that is good and holy, what the fuck...” Hunter slowly shook his head, eyeing the unconcious girl with even more pity now. “Poor lass...no wondering she screamed like that.”

“I know...so that’s why I...stayed behind with her. I wanted to help her, however I could. But, after she told me about her dream, I...fuck,” Adam groaned and kneaded his temples, knowing there was no way to say things correctly. “I can’t help thinking...what if, she also wanted t’ sleep with me as a way to...dissuade those Great Ones?”

He heard the sound of clattering bottles and needles being kicked, before suddenly being pulled by the collar and coming face-to-face with Hunter, the surgeon’s face as angry as he’d ever seen.

“God dammit Muirhead, ye really think so littl’ of the lass?! I thought better o’ you, Adam...dinnae make me take back my trust!” He shook the collar again for emphasis, Adam remaining in a stunned silence. “Of course she’s gonna be scared--who wouldnae be?! The idea of giving birth to a monster like that...I cannae even begin t’ imagine how affrighted she must’ve felt. But I dinnae doubt for a second tha’ she loves you. There’s nae way she’d have just done that fer ulterior reasons.”

“Yeh...yeh, I know. I know all that... It’s just sometimes--I don’t know; why the hell would she choose someone like me?” Hunter raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear his normally-stoic friend’s insecurities now, after everything that had happened. “Frankly, if she just wants me for my body, I’ll accept it--” Adam gulped as Hunter pulled his coat again and resumed that menacing glare.

“--Dinnae make me wallop some sense into ya, Adam... ‘cause I swear on me grandmum’s grave, I’ll do it.”

Before any threats of physical violence could be carried out however, Tell finally came tromping back up. Blood coated his weapon and he was walking with a noticeable limp; there were several gashes and bruises on his face, but the archer didn’t seem to notice at all as he made a beeline for the Blood Saint.

“The Brain Fluid. This should be plenty, right?” Several vials of greyish fluid were put into her lap, the liquid shimmering and moving as if it were alive itself.

“Yes, that's it, let me have it!" Despite being completely immobile, Saint Adeline somehow managed to absorb the liquid, all without moving a muscle. “Ahh... ahh! I can hear it, yes! The sound that guides me. Oh, thank you, thank you so much. You have saved me. Take this charm. Lady Maria gave it to me, but it is all I can offer, other than my own blood. Please, do not abandon me... I promise to do good...” A small and intricate key fell out of the folds of her robe, Tell picking up and pocketing it.

“And the blood?”

“A touch more? Should it please you...” Through the leather straps, the arm twitched just slightly in invitation. Hunter jabbed a clean needle in without hesitation, this time connecting it directly to the glass reservoir for Sio’s transfusion. “Have as much of my blood as you like...heeh heehhee...“

“By the Gods, yer a saint yurself, William Tell,” Hunter praised as he carefully inserted the other line into a vein in Sio’s arm. “She’ll be alright, now...” All watched nervously as the red liquid started dripping down through the tubes, and into the huntress. Only Saint Adeline made any noise as she giggled and laughed, breaking out into a sentence of nonsense every so often.

“Ahh, ahh! I see a shape. My guide, I see your voice, clearly, as it bends and bleeds. My own, revelation... just for me...heh heh...”

Gradually, as the blood emptied from the bottle, the huntress’ breathing eased into a slower, more relaxed state; Hunter heaved a sigh of relief as he checked her vitals--noted the returning color in her cheeks, and her steady pulse.

“That’ll do it. We made it just in time...she should recover soon.”

Adam felt himself collapse with relief. He hadn’t realized how hard he’d been shaking this whole time until his legs gave out and he slumped to the floor, all muscles tense and aching. “Oh Sio...thank you, Hunter. Thank you, Tell...I don’t even know how to repay you...”

“No need, mate; you know I’d have done anything t’ save the lass, as well.” Hunter groaned and sat next to him, looking as exhausted as the other man. “Shite, I cannae believe we did that...”

“I’m just grateful we were able to find a source of blood, especially in a place like this.” Tell was finally bandaging up his own wounds. “And that we had someone who could administer this transfusion properly.”

“Teamwork, ‘ey?” Adam responded tiredly. “Remind me t’ buy you two a round when we get back...or three...”

The archer allowed a small smile. “I’ll take you up on that, Muirhead.”

0 notes