#I have so many feelings about haru specifically. I think it she really began the age of completely unfuckable girls for miss tanabe

[birdmenmanga]

LAUGHTER IN THE END OF THE WORLD IS SOOOO GOOD I CRIED BC IT WAS JUST A ONE SHOT IN MY HEART IT SHOULDVE BEEN LIKE . IT SHOULDVE HAD THE PLACE AND LOVE DEMON SLAYER HAS. IT TRULY FEELS LIKE IT HAD THE POTENTIAL FOR THAT. SORRY FOR THE CAPS LOCK

LMAOOOO LITERALLY... one shot in my heart as well... I KNOW it was 5 chapter I KNOW it was a whole ass volume but it just FELT like a oneshot you know?? like it was only the tiniest glimpse inside this huge huge world...

It's not even like it was a self-contained story that had no more story left in it either. There was a CLEAR thing that the narrative would have eventually built up to, which is that if their way of living is hunting down the demons they'd eventually collect all the mouths... and then what? it really begs the question y'know???? the demon's coming back?? what's going 2 happen to haru and luca?

I have never watched or read demon slayer so idk how the two measure up but yeah. where I live anyways demons slayer has so much hype. it genuinely sucks (to ME) that miss tanabe's works are always so underrated </3

#asks #anonymous #laughter in the end of the world #I guess they both have guys with a little sister who's cursed in some way? #I will say that just based on my impressions haru seems to have much more agency than that other girl. nezuko? #like just in fanarts it seems like she's either depicted as 'girl who is seen but not heard' #or 'going feral and losing control of herself entirely' #I have so many feelings about haru specifically. I think it she really began the age of completely unfuckable girls for miss tanabe #good for her #like it is SUCH a good subversion of the 'girl who looks young but is much older than she seems' #because like. genuinely. her character design is unsexy. it veers so hard into abstract symbolism there's nothing there to sexualize #and like I think it's such a good depiction of kids too #like you know she's acting but these 'old but younglooking girls' often act childish in a cute way you know!! #but haru's like childish in a 'I have not yet learned self-control and I am going to pull your hair out for saying mean things :(((' #which again. completely unfuckable. it's so great #but also the setup between the siblings is so crazy... they're literally built to be codependent #they actually can't live without the other and they will never be able to form longterm meaningful relationships with other people either #just the two of us we can make it if we try type beat #like haru will look like a kid forever. she will literally never be respected and will always need a chaperone in regular society #and then luca committed so hard to the bit that he also can't just... go back to being a normal person either #in my mind if it became a longer series I imagine it'd be a bit like mushi/shi... like standalone stories of a wanderer

[hops-hunny]

Yo-yo’s Girl

Pairing: Kyoya Ootori x Black!Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.6k

Request: N/A

Summary: Kyoya’s girlfriend is a lot a bit different than what they expected.

Warnings: None, could be read as a chubby or plus size reader!

A/N: This was self indulgent. I wrote this at like 2 AM and didn’t know until I woke up.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Haruhi asked, already done with Tamaki's antics. She knew this was a bad idea but with the promise of some of her debt being removed, she couldn't find herself to do anything but go along with the blonde's crazy scheme.

"Why of course it will! When have you ever known of my plans to go wrong?" He responded, placing a hand over his heart as he swooned around dramatically. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged looks with each other before looking back at Tamaki.

"Do you really want us to answer that?" They chimed, causing Tamaki to deflate with a defeated look. He looked over at Haruhi with puppy dog eyes, hoping the girl would agree with him. She offered him a sympathetic smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen senpai, don't get me wrong, sometimes your ideas are great but isn't this...a bit much? I mean why can't we just ask Kyoya about his love life? Do we really need this elaborate plan?" She asked, hoping he would budge. She looked down as Honey hung off her arm, Mori trailing behind him.

"Don't be silly, Haru-chan! Kyoya senpai is a private guy. He wouldn't trust us with anything like that." He said, climbing off the girl and back onto Mori. She let her eyes drift to Mori in hopes he'd help but he just let out a grunt of agreement. She sighed in defeat knowing she wasn't going to get through to them. How had they gotten into this dumb plan in the first place?

It all started when Tamaki overheard Kyoya on the phone with someone and from the tone in the raven haired boy's voice, he assumed it was a girl. More specifically, his girlfriend. However, any other time Tamaki didn't wanna intrude so to avoid doing so, he decided they would all follow him after school to see if that's where he was going!

As they saw a familiar head of black hair walk towards the school gates, they all began to walk behind him, attempting to be as quiet as possible. They had been following him for a few blocks, leading to a nice but unfamiliar part of town; however as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, they all began to hide behind a bush but halted their motions when they heard him speak.

"Do you honestly think I didn't see any of you?" He questioned, not even turning around. They all stayed quiet in hopes that he would assume himself as crazy and continue to make his way down the street. But, as he turned around, parting the bushes, that idea flew out the window.

"Hey Kyoya! My dearest friend, I'd even go as far as to call you my bro-"

"Cut the bullshit Tamaki. Let me guess." He pushed his glasses up his nose before clearing his throat. "You thought that if you followed me you'd get to see my girlfriend, correct?" He asked, their wide eyes answering his question. However, where was the fun in that?

"That's exactly what we were doing! We wanna meet your girlfriend, Kyo-chan!" Honey piped up. The twins glared at him for his willingness to comply with Kyoya's questions so easily. Meanwhile Haruhi just sighed, slumping down even further.

"If you wanted to meet my girlfriend, you all could've just asked. I expected more from you, Haruhi. You should've known better." He chastised, watching the girl who's left eye was currently twitching. Without another word, Kyoya kept down his path towards the airport, leaving his companions to fight amongst each other.

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

It was Friday of the same week and the rest of the hosts were beginning to grow hopeless about meeting Kyoya's girlfriend. Was she even real? Perhaps Tamaki's senses had been wrong and the conversation that played out earlier that week was simply meant to teach them a lesson. However, as the hosts were shutting things down for the day, slowly gathering there things to go home, Kyoya cleared his throat. They all turned to him, curious to what he had to say.

"Leaving so soon? And to think (Y/n) was coming to visit today. Oh well, I'll tell her you all said hi." Kyoya started, turning around to face the window. 3, 2,.. a chorus of hot fire questions started around him causing him to chuckle under his breath. "One at a time, I can't answer you all at once."

"Why doesn't (Y/n)-chan go to school with us?" Honey started, staring up at the tall boy. Kyoya turned to face the group, brushing off his blazer as he did so.

"She does during a portion of the year. Due to her parent's line of business, (Y/n) does one semester in the United States and one here in Japan. However, she is originally from America. Next question?"

"What do her parents do?" The twins said, angry with each other that they had asked the same question. "I thought my question was original.."

"I'm sure you've heard of the (L/n)'s before. They specialize in state of the art technology of all forms. Best selling in all of Japan. However, (Y/n) also has her own business under her parents that deals with unbreakable fine china, some of the best of it's kind but I'm afraid I'm biased." He smiled at the thought of his girlfriend, catching the other host off guard. Who was this girl who was able to make Kyoya smile?

"What's she like, senpai? I'm sure she must be special to catch your attention." Haruhi inquired. Kyoya felt his cheeks heat up as he thought of the many things he enjoyed about his girlfriend. He turned back to the window, looking out it once again.

"She makes me laugh and she's beautiful. Don't tell her that though. She always gets a big head when you do." He muttered, checking his watch for the time. She should've been here by now.

"She sounds absolutely radiant, Kyoya! When is she going to show?" Tamaki asked, sighing dreamily at the thought of his closest friend in love with a beautiful girl. Kyoya looked at the clock across the room before frowning slightly.

"She was supposed to.." he trailed off at the sound of his name being screamed continuously and the sound of loud footsteps growing closer. All of a sudden a blur of brown skin and thick thighs stormed in, jumping onto the man. Mori put Honey down, ready to fight if need be but stopped once he saw Kyoya wrap his arms around the girl, embracing her tightly.

"Darling! I'm sorry I'm late, I got hungry and stopped by that little bakery you showed me the other day!" The girl said, looking up at the boy who had an uncharacteristically warm smile. Everyone was even more shocked as he let out a laugh, stroking some of the girl's braids behind her back. She was a short girl, full of curves and rolls in all the right places. Her outfit was very casual compared to the things Kyoya wore on his free time. She had on a jean skirt and a form fitting striped shirt that made the undertones of her soft brown skin pop.

"I told you to let me know if you plan on going places beforehand. You know how sidetracked you get. You easily could've gotten lost." He lectured causing the girl to roll her eyes. She pouted, crossing her arms around her chest.

"Okay and? Clearly I didn't. Lay off 4 eyes. I'm here now aren't I? That's all that matters!" She jumped out of the boys arms finally before turning to face the rest of them. They all had the same question: 'How could such an energetic girl be with Kyoya?' "You're definitely Tamaki." She said, pointing to the blonde. He had a flattered look on as he began to say something but she cut him off. "You look just as annoying as Yo-yo said." She finished. Hikaru began to comfort their boss in the corner as Kaoru began to laugh.

"Yo-yo?" He choked out, laughing a bit more. Kyoya's face began to heat up more as he looked down at the short girl, a pissed expression on his face.

"(Y/n) I told you not to call me that in public." He said in an angry tone, looking away from the girl. She pouted some more, bringing a soft hand up to his face. As she stroked his cheek, hot tears began to form in the corner of her (e/c) eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kyoya! I forgot. You know me, I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your friends." He leaned into the girl's touch, looking down at her sad expression. How could he ever stay mad at that? He sighed quickly, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. She squeaked, unused to him initiating any sort of physical affection in public.

"Forgive me darling, I hate to see you so sad. How about I take you to one of those," his face turned slightly green as he grimaced some, "Commoner malls that you adore so much. I'll buy you anything you want. Hm?" The girl instantly perked, throwing her pudgy arms around her lanky boyfriend. He tensed a bit before hugging her back warmly, glaring at the twins who looked like they may say something to ruin the sweet moment. Haruhi watched in awe, feeling even herself grow emotional at how clearly in love her senpai was.

"Really? Let's go Kyo! What are we waiting for?" (Y/n) asked as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand, beginning to drag him towards the door forcefully. Once they were out she quickly peaked her head back in looking at the others.

"Well? Are you coming?"

#kyoya x reader #kyoya #ohshc #kyoya ootori x reader #black reader #black!reader #poc reader #poc!reader #chubby reader #chubby!reader #plus size reader #kyoya x you #ohshc imagine #ohshc imagines #ohshc fic

[yuusa]

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝟏𝟏

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏𝟖𝟔𝟎

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟏𝟏:

You walked towards the stationery store, looking around for nothing in particular as your shift would start in only a few more hours. You didn't really know why you wanted to come back to this store, but there was something drawing you to this place which made you feel comfortable. You scanned the variety of pens and pencils that were lined up next to each other, doodling on one of the testing papers and watching as customers flood in and out of the store. From the corner of your eye you noticed the old woman carrying a new box of supplies from outside the door, she was struggling to carry the weight of the box and it almost looked as if her arms might even fall off. 

"Ah! Honored grandmother, I can carry this for you." You quickly walked to her side and picked up the box from her arms, sparing them. She sighed in relief before stretching her arm.

"Thank you dear, you would not believe how much work it took carrying that, please bring it over here." She guided you towards the back of the store. She peeled back the curtains to let you into the back room and you placed the box of supplies on the floor. 

The box itself wasn't really that heavy, but it would be rude to dismiss her struggle. She gave you a smile before opening the top of the box with a boxcutter, revealing the new pens and notebooks that were delivered to her store. She noticed the way your eyes shine brighter as you stared at the newly unopened notebooks. The old woman smiled and picked up one of the pens from the stack and handed it to you.

"Here's another gift for helping me out." She placed it into your hand and wrapped your fingers around it, similarly to the way she gave you the first few gifts.

"O-Oh, you really don't have to!" You smiled as you stared down at the pen. 

"You could just call me Aikyo-san." Her smile was very pure. Her wrinkles were prominent but it never distracted you from the beauty that she was.

"Do you need me to reshelve these items?" You pointed over at the pens, pocketing your gift.

She nodded and guided you towards the few empty shelves, "yes, deary I would love for you to do that." 

You picked up the box and made your way around the store, organizing the different variety of erasers and notebooks onto the shelves. Your heart felt light as you stacked the objects together against the wooden shelves. There was something so therapeutic about being able to engage in something you found to be relaxing. The colors of each pen and pencil matched so well together with the color of the wood, with the fresh scent of pine and wood filling the air, it was calming to your mind. 

Aikyo walked over towards you as you crouched down to fill the bottom shelves with notebooks, "I used to have a daughter who previously worked here, but some things just change. I'm happy to see someone here at the shop with me." 

"I see. . ." There was a bit of tension in the air. You slowly stacked the notebooks together, "do you miss her a lot?" 

"Yes, I miss her very much." She turned to one of the red notebooks from the stack and picked it up, showing the intricate print of the cover. It had various flowers and small specks of gold-dusted around them. The red was the shade of a ripe strawberry and the pages inside were hole-punched perfectly. "Her favorite color was red. She loved to write and she really was an artist at heart." 

"She would come in the store with a smile, this was like her home." She grimly smiled before placing down the notebook, "when she called me okaa-san, I was so moved. She told me that she would run this store when I grew old. My little bird was flying so high but. . ." Aikyo held in her tears, trying not to remember and cry about the loss of her daughter several years ago. 

"It makes me happy, you remind me of my daughter so much." 

You pressed your lips together, unsure of what to make of the situation. A part of you felt guilty and sympathetic to her, you must have brought up cheerless memories with your presence. You weren’t the best when it comes to comforting people, you didn’t even know how to comfort yourself either. You didn’t know how to respond, not understanding the feeling of being a mother.  

You only had a neglectful mother, you wondered what it felt to have someone as sweet as Aikyo to be a part of your family. It was a selfish thought though, you already reminded her of someone she misses dearly. You held in a sigh as you continued to stack the notebooks together.

You turned your head to the clock in the room, seeing your shift nearing closer.

“Sorry Aikyo-san, my shift will be starting soon.” You quickly wrapped up the other supplies and handed the near-empty box to her. “I was almost done with it, but I have to go.”

“You’ve done more than enough dear. Will you be coming back soon?” She gave you a smile. Your eyes widened at her request, seeing that she wanted you, despite your gloomy and almost boring presence.

“Mhm. I’ll come back.”

“(L/n)-san is there something going on with you and your family?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back on his chair. “You’ve been coming to school injured, I’m worried for you.”

Shut up.

“Are you doing okay at home?” She asked, grasping onto your shoulders as she kept you after school. She pushed up her glasses as she looked down at you. “I’m concerned about your wellbeing. As your teacher, I should know about these things.”

Just shut up already.

“Should I call your mother and father to ask about your behavior at school? If you just tell us we can help you, you’re not alone (L/n)-san.”

Stay out of my life.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about sensei,” You smiled, “my life is fine.” 

You quickly sat up from your bed, sweat dripping down your neck as your head pulsated with pain. You felt lightheaded and your mouth was dry, your body desperate for a drink of water. Your body was weak as you clutched your head, gripping onto it with your nails as you stared down at your lap. 

How many times must you wake up like this?

Waking up with a cold sweat every single day, never given a break no matter how many times you try. You slowly crept out of bed, walking towards the bathroom to wash your face. You reached out to the mirror, noticing the small dark circles underneath your eyes. Turning on the faucet, you let the water run underneath your hand, the cool temperature contrasting the warmth of your hand. You cupped the water into your hand and splashed into your face, the small droplets dripping from your cheeks. 

You sighed in relief before coming into the kitchen to get a drink. By the time you had opened the fridge, your phone began to ring. You frowned and picked up your phone, seeing the blank picture you had for Yuki’s contact. 

“What's with the sudden call Sohma-san?” You asked, bringing the phone with you back to the kitchen, placing it on the crook of your neck as you opened the fridge to get water.

“Oh, I just wanted to check up on you. You weren’t here the other day and I got worried.” On the other line, he was leaning against the traditional walls of the hot springs he was attending, luckily alone and away from Momiji and Kyo who would cause trouble for him. 

“Worried? What for?” You skimmed through the recipe book that you bought several years ago, flipping through the pages to find a decent meal to cook.

“Haru didn’t apologize to you about the race and I haven’t seen you since that day, I just wanted to say sorry on his part.” 

“It’s fine. It doesn’t really matter.” You replied, although your voice and emotion being quite dry. “I needed to go home anyway.”

“So. . . Did you do anything on Valentines Day?” 

You pressed your lips together, feeling a slight bitterness in your tongue, “I went out on a date.” 

“I see. Who did you go with?” Yuki dragged his nails across the tatami floor, feeling anxious on the inside at the anticipation. 

“A friend I guess.” 

“Hmm. . . Do you want to hang out tomorrow, when I get back home?” He asked, trying not to think too much about the strange connection between you and Akito. He really didn’t want to burden you with his own problems.

“Where would you like to go?” You responded, finally finding a specific recipe you could cook at home. 

“Is it fine to stay over at your house then?” 

You scanned around your room, seeing your floor covered in a variety of clothes and books. You turned your attention to the laundry basket with Yuki’s shirt still in there, this might be a good time to clean and wash his shirt so you could return it to him.

“Sure. Do you want me to make you food?” You asked, pulling up the phone before it could slip away from the crook of your neck.

“You don’t really need to, it could just be a simple study hang out.” 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want any food? I would hate for you to be bored here.”

“I think I’d be fine tomorrow. I just wanted to check up on you.”

You rummaged through your cabinets for the needed supplies, “I see. I’m fine Sohma-san, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Trust me, I feel really bad about what happened with Haru.” He hummed. 

“I’m not really part of your family Sohma-san,” you started, “I just been thinking tha-”

From the thin walls he leaned against, he could hear Kyo and Momiji coming near the room. This was going to be troublesome if Momiji finds out he was talking to another girl outside of school. He internally groaned on the inside, trying not to express his displeasure in the phone call. 

“A-Ah, I’m sorry (L/n)-san, I have to cut this call short, Kyo is coming back. I’ll see you at your house tomorrow in the afternoon okay?” 

“Sure.” You mumbled, hearing the other line cut off and you sighed. 

You were going to try to tell him about how you felt about being in his personal life as a friend. You wanted to distance yourself away from him as a way to ease his burdens but you never seem to find the right time to say so. With a groan, you continued with the search of your ingredients and supplies.

Perhaps you will try to tell him tomorrow.

#fruits basket #fruits basket x reader #x reader #yuki sohma #yuki sohma x reader #yuki soma #yuki soma x reader

[jasmine-the-fox]

Phantom thieves of hearts go after Lila Rossi

So... i was looking in my notifications to see what the ones I follow were posting and then someone sent a prompt of a crossover of miraculous ladybug and persona 5, but the person who received the ask refused cause they don’t do crossovers... So why not give it a try?

“I totally know the Phantom thieves of Heart! I was the one who helped be who they are in the first place” Lila claimed like always, it was time to eat there lunch and Lila was telling her “friends” yet another made up story of her’s that they believe in... Meanwhile Marinette was sitting with her friends who know Lila is lying, Kagami, Luka, Aurore, Mireille, Chloe and Adrien.

After Lila lied about a dance that would make Ladybug come see Chloe, the girl decided to change and apologized the group of friends for her actions, when Aurore asked about miss Bustier’s class, Chloe simply shrugged it off “There the bullies’ now, until they apologize to us I have nothing to say to them” she had said making them agree and she joined there group.

Adrien on the other hand... Was harder, his father had Lila hang out with Adrien for whatever reason she wanted... And he realized that the high road wasn’t going to work with her, Kagami also helped him further by making him understand that while he might want Lila safe and happy... He was allowing Mari to be closer to being akumatized then Lila... She also made him see that his desire to date Ladybug was only a fantasy and so he apologized to Mari who forgave him.

“I can’t believe she’s lying like that... But then again I can see her plan” Kagami said as the group nodded “If Lila claimed she knows the Phantom thieves, then one of them will go to the Phansite to demand they steal Mari’s heart, after a while Lila can claim Mari got a calling card and then the next day claim Mari came to see her to admit everything she did bad” Chloe said making Adrien nod “Once they believe her, they will go to Mari thinking there all friends again... And Mari will have no choice but to play along or Lila will destroy her again” Adrien said as Mari giggled.

“There’s no way i’ll play along, i’ll deny it like always and think there all crazy to think that” she said making them nod to her in understanding... As Alya glared at Mari while pulling out her phone “Alya... What are you doing?” Nino asked as he saw her on the Phansite “I’m going to ask the Phantom thieves to steal Mari’s heart... They need full names right? So i’ll give it to them” she said as she believed what Lila said about all people connected to the bad guy must have there full names written... What she didn’t know is she was giving them Lila on a silver platter.

Alya smiled as she wrote the request, once she tells Lila what she did her BFF will thank her for the help. Once she finished writing it, Alya looked it over before sending it to the site for the Phantom thieves to see “Lila will thank us! Once Mari has a change of heart will be friends” Alya said as Nino nodded... But wondered if it wouldn’t bite them in the end, he wondered... If what Adrien said was true... Was Lila really lying? Adrien did tell him to look into what Lila claimed online, but Alya wanted to go on dates with him... He never got the chance but now he could, so while Alya was focused on telling Lila about the nice thing she did... Nino searched Lila... And only found the Ladyblog... Lila lied from the very start... They were lied to.

He had to fix things with Mari and the others right now.

In Japan, at Leblanc...

“Did you guys see the post from Paris? Something sounds weird from it” Ryuji codename Skull said as he looked at his phone “Your right, I looked over the post and did some research online... And I can tell that the “Victim” she claims is lying” Futaba codename Oracle said as she typed on her laptop “Why am I not surprised?” Akechi codename Crow sighed as he looked at the request “The title is: Marinette Dupain-Cheng needs to stop bullying Lila Rossi” Ann codename Panther read “In Paris, a class got a transfer student names Lila, she was sweet and had many stories to tell them all but Marinette was jealous and ended up bullying her” she read.

“As it turns out, she would do anything to Lila and make her cry... Not once wanting to be her friend... So the class decided to bully Marinette back to avenge Lila, but it wouldn’t change her ways... She kept going and it got worse” Ryuji reads making the group sigh “It was then that Lila told them she’s our friend and that she was the one who made both our team and the Phansite” Haru codename Noir says with a glare as she looks over the post “So Alya who made the post and bullies Marinette decided to ask us for help since Lila is scared of telling the school when she wants to fix things with Marinette... How disgusting of lie” Yusuke codename Fox finishes “What do you think Ren?” Morgana codename Mona asked as Ren codename Joker thinks it over before nodding.

About a week had passed since Alya sent the request... Lila worried for nothing in the end, she thought they would come but it looks like they weren’t coming “Alya... I think you should take down your request” she said as she acted like she was sad “What!? But why!?” she demanded “Because... It doesn’t look like there coming, there wasn’t a calling card here at all and Mari still hasn’t changed” Lila explained which was a lie... The truth was now she didn’t need to worry about getting a calling card... She did remember meeting a girl who asked her questions about the school and so did her friends which she thought was weird but nothing more.

“LILA!” Rose yelled as she rushed over “Calling cards! The Phantom thieves of heart placed calling cards at the school!” Rose claimed as Lila’s eyes widen while Alya grew excited “See! I told you! Now Mari will have a change of heart!” she claimed as Lila faked a smile “Um” hearing Rose made them turn to her “It’s not Mari there after... There going after Lila’s heart” she explained making there eyes widen as they rushed into the school to find calling cards all over.

“Lila Rossi” they turned to find Mari reading out loud the calling card “You who enjoys making those who won’t follow your lies suffer will stop now, we the Phantom thieves of heart have read the request filled with lies and know you are the true villain. So we will be stealing your heart and make you admit all of your crimes from your mouth. From the Phantom thieves of heart” she finished as Chloe laughed “Looks like someone really did send them a request and it backfired” Chloe laughed as Adrien glared towards Lila “Guess will just have to wait and see when it happens” he said as the trio headed for class while Lila grew furious... All the while her shadow self was enraged at the Phantom thieves planning to destroy all her work.

Meanwhile the Phantom thieves were inside Lila’s palace, Lila saw the school as her empire... Filled with those who believe her lies... While the ones who knew she lied were punished and then end there lives, Lila was at the top with her golden eyes as all shadows had with a distorted voice, she wore a modern but Italian style of a goddess dress with a veil covering her mouth, she had her followers attack for her while Adrien stood by her side like she wanted him to be as her lover... But she still lost her staff... That became her journal that contained every entry of every single lie she ever made... Including her thoughts on those who believed her.

That day, Lila ended up going home feeling the need to admit to her lies... Starting with her own mother who came to greet her... Miss Rossi was furious towards her daughter for lying to her, the next day Lila went to see the principal to admit to him her lies and then went to class to tell before her classmates and her teacher all her lies... And how she saw her “friends” in reality making the class and Caline look at Lila in horror... At the fact they were tricked for two years... Not that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was right this whole time... The class screamed and attacked Lila without mercy... Forgetting that they destroyed so much of Mari’s stuff that she noted how much it all costed and was planning to send the amounts to each classmate who destroyed something specific.

For the next two weeks, Police came to question the whole class and anyone who encountered Lila in any shape or form... It took a long time and Mari was the last one to be questioned... But what she had to say shocked the police “She had the whole class under her control” she had said “It was so bad that they would hurt me and destroy my stuff because Lila claimed I did something to her... I have so many pictures of some overly damage things and kept everything they destroyed that the total would make one of them be in debt if it was only one of them” she explained, this caused the police to push the school to get security cameras and to make sure there is no bullying.

At the end of the day, the class thought it was over... They were wrong, after Mari was questioned the police asked for the destroyed items and pictures to be organized by the student who destroyed it, the police then got the totals for each student and they went to see there parents to present them the proof and totals of money they owe Mari... There parent’s showed no mercy to them as they began confiscating things for months while forcing them to work in order to pay Mari back... And that wasn’t easy for most of them in reality.

Nino, Rose and Nathaniel were the only ones who barely destroyed anything... Just one item and it was easy to pay back, Alya, Kim, Max, Alix, and Sabrina had destroyed the most and were taken out of activities and forced to get jobs while Mylène, Ivan and Juleka while things were taken from them they paid most of what they destroyed but the kindly asked Mari to give them a week or two to pay the rest... Mari gave them a month to pay her back, by the time the year ended Nino was there friend and he worked very hard to be forgiven, Max was still working on fixing things between them after what he did... Rose on the other hand has been giving them a bunch of gifts thinking she wasn’t forgiven when she was since after she paid Mari back.

Ivan and Mylène don’t forgive themselves for allowing themselves to be tricked by Lila so easily and so they transferred schools and both go see a therapist with the hopes to see them again in the future... While the others mostly Alya don’t realize how bad there actions towards Marinette was, there parents are forcing them to get mental help because of that and so they have yet to graduate but Mari and her small group of friends (minus Nino, Rose and Max) but since then Mari has been seen talking on the phone with someone for some strange reason... And during the summer Alya was pissed when she saw Mari with a model named Ann Takamaki.

Even so it is believed that the Phantom thieves of heart are friends with Ladybug and Chat Noir and have agreed to help them defeat Hawk Moth from within his palace... Gabriel fears the day it will happen since he saw the video Ladybug made with Chat Noir on Aurore’s blog Bugout.

Let’s just say... He’s screwed in the end.

#mlb fic #mlb salt #crossover #lila salt #lila gets exposed #alya salt #persona 5 royal

[nalu4emily]

The Unexpected Reward - Chapter 13

Summary:  Natsu and Lucy go on a job together, but what they bring home is something neither anticipated. Forced to make a life changing decision, they have to adapt quickly, but that's never easy, especially given the circumstances. As they work together on their toughest adventure yet, they find themselves drawn to one another, in ways they never realised. Nalu/cute/fluff/multi-chapter.

This chapter contains mature content (at the beginning)

Let the angst commence!

Along the murky path, a dragon slayer and his flying cat made their way back to the city they called home. It'd been a long trip, the boy, tired and achy, couldn't wait to finally get back to what was familiar to him.

It'd been a mission like any that requested him specifically, explosive with lots of fire and usually it would have been right up his alley. This time, however, the sense of longing had deterred his mind and in the end it'd just been one incredibly long and tedious job, he couldn't wait to finish.

His thoughts on this dark night always lead back to the one person that mattered most to him, his best friend and partner, Lucy Heartfilia, who he missed dearly. Going on missions just wasn't the same without her. Through the dark nights he often found himself awake, wondering how she was doing? How she was coping with the baby? What they'd both been up to in his absence?

A whole three weeks it had been since he'd seen her, smelt her fresh scent, or touched her soft skin and the yearning in his heart had grown stronger with each passing day.

Being away from them for this long had really brought home to Natsu just how much everything had changed. It was hard to remember a time before Lucy, a time where it had been just him and Happy going on adventures, scouring Fiore for Igneel. But it was in doing just that, that lead him straight to Lucy.

Years had passed since then and lots had happened in that time, some good, some bad and some horrifically ugly… But they were still going strong, stronger than ever and Natsu often wondered what else the future would bring their way? What would be next in store for them?

Disrupting his thoughts, a sense of relief flowed through him and Happy at the sight of their home in the distance and picked up the pace until they were outside the wooden front door. Quietly creeping in, Happy's first port of call was the kitchen to look for some fish, which he gratefully found and started munching on. Natsu, ignoring his growling stomach, laid his bag down on the chair in the living area and bid Happy goodnight before making his way up the stairs.

Once he got to the top, he saw that Haru's bedroom door had been left ajar and ever so quietly peeked in, smiling at the little one who was tucked into his comforter and sleeping soundly. Natsu had missed his little boy whilst he was away and couldn't wait for morning to come so that he could greet him properly and see his sweet face.

Reaching his own bedroom, Natsu's nose was flooded with that intoxicating scent he'd missed so much and the sight that graced his eyes took his breath away. There she was, the beautiful blonde was fast asleep, covered by one of the many blankets she'd insisted upon having, cuddled up to the pillow that he usually slept on.

After undressing, Natsu ever so carefully got into bed next to her, removing the pillow and replacing it with himself. Sighing contently, he cuddled up to her and inhaled her scent, before settling down and falling into a restful sleep.

The wintry sun peered through the bedroom window, blaring it's brilliance over the two young adults who were still cuddled up to one another, revelling in each others warmth.

Blurry and unfocused eyes opened to glance at the not so squishy pillow she thought she'd been cuddling, only to be met with chaotic pink hair, hard, ripped muscles and beautifully tanned skin that she envied so much. A rush of excitement ran through her, Natsu was home! She'd missed him so much and she was having a hard time containing herself. Taking in his impressive body, she lightly traced her fingers over a few new scuffs and bruises along his chest and abdomen, concluding he'd probably gone overboard again.

Her eyes drifted further until it reached that tantalising 'V' in between his hips leading down underneath the blankets where she could no longer see. A little idea popped into her mind and she smirked wickedly as she made her way under the blankets, coming to rest between Natsu's legs. He was still fast asleep, exhausted no doubt from his trip, but she knew of a way to help him relax.

Wetting her hands, she grasped his morning wood and ever so slowly moved her hand up and down, anticipating his reaction when he woke up. After a few movements of her hand, Natsu's eyes shot open and immediately looked down to the area he felt something touching him.

"Lucy?! What're you-?"

Stopping mid sentence as she tensed her hand at the base, trapping the blood pulsing through his cock, creating such delicious pressure. What a sight that was to wake up to, his beautiful and sexy girlfriend jerking him off with her hand, making him feel amazing first thing in the morning.

"Shh… Just lay back and enjoy it. I'm sure after such a long mission, you've been desperate for this…" She crawled up to his face, and kissed him fervently, foot manoeuvred over his leg to keep rubbing his shaft as she used both hands to hold her weight above him. "…I know I have."

"Is that so?" A lazy smirk played on his still drowsy but handsome face, eyes concentrated on hers while her foot continued to do wondrous things to his nether region. "By all means, continue… I'm not gonna stop ya!"

"Good." She said, returning to her original spot between his legs, replacing her foot with her hand once again and slowly began to tease him with long, soft strokes, never taking her eyes off his. "Hmm… I think I'd like to taste you now."

Without any hesitation, she encased her juicy lips around him, pushing forward as deeply as she could without gagging and pulling back up again. Satisfied to hear a quiet moan escape his lips, Lucy increased her speed, watching his face contort into one of pure pleasure, gritting his teeth and grunting every time she used her tongue to swirl around the tip before delving back down.

Natsu certainly hadn't expected any of this. Seeing Lucy's mouth wrapped firmly around his cock after three weeks of no contact with her whatsoever, made his hair stand on edge. She was so good at pleasuring him, she knew exactly what he liked and what he didn't and took great care in making him feel good.

"Lucy… You're amazing…" He trailed off, the tension increasing and fastening that coil that was raring to force itself out.

Lucy could see he was getting closer and wanted to take him over the edge, to release all that tension from weeks of build up. Turning herself on just thinking about it, she reached down to her own core and began to touch herself, moaning onto his cock, giving Natsu a full show.

"Fuck me, you're so hot!" He growled, wanting to touch her and share the amazing feeling she was giving him.

"Fuck you? Is that what you want, Natsu?" She smirked, not waiting for an answer as she came to straddle his hips, grinding her soaked core against his hardened member. His only answer a groan, his hands going straight to her thighs and hips, wanting to touch every inch of her sexy body. "Where should I put this?" She teased him, wiggling her hips on his erection.

"Inside you, Lucy…" His voice rasped, straining to get the words out. Natsu's dark eyes were hooded but they never left hers as she carefully positioned him with her hand and pushed down all the way to the hilt.

Groaning in unison, Lucy's head fell back, relishing in the intense feeling of his penis pulsing against her velvety walls, stretching her to the point where it stung slightly. It wasn't unpleasant though, if anything it added to her pleasure, making her mouth fall open and letting out a guttural moan. She enjoyed this position, it allowed her to take control and please herself at her own speed.

"So good…" She mewled, raising up before coming back down again, then repeating it until she found a rhythm that worked for her. "Oh, I've missed you, Natsu!"

Lucy was other-wordly, Natsu thought as he watched her ride him. Her voluptuous chest had begun to spill free of the confines of her slinky night dress, and her hardened nipples were peaking through the thin fabric.

Not being able to stop himself, he reached up to tweak them, knowing it was one of Lucy's sweet spots. She grunted and gasped, placing her hands on his chest and began to grind down on him, the friction building up a storm inside them both.

Wanting to feel more of her sultry body on him, Natsu pulled Lucy forwards and attacked her mouth, making her groan loudly from the harshness of his teeth biting her bottom lip.

It was easy in times like this to forget that they weren't alone in the house and with his sensitive ears picking up on one tiny whimper from the bedroom down the hall, signalling a certain little someone was about to wake up.

Taking matters into his own hands, they would need to finish this quickly and the speed Lucy was going, as incredible as it was to just lay there and watch, wasn't going to be quick enough. Smirking up at her, he grabbed both of her ass cheeks and stilled her movements, finding her unimpressed pout just too cute.

"My turn now." He growled into her ear and bent his legs behind her to give himself better leverage.

He held Lucy down to his chest and ever so slowly raised his hips to make sure it was comfortable before pulling back out. Welding their lips together he thrust into her, hard and fast, causing her to cry out into his mouth. Luckily, it muffled the loud yell of ecstasy that was enough to wake the whole of Fiore, let alone anyone within the perimeters of the house. Tangling his hands into her hair, he held her head against his, taking in the euphoria that filled her eyes with each thrust of his hips.

"You feel so good, Natsu!" She was breathless, and could feel her own end approaching, tensing tightly around him to create even more friction. He reached his hand down to her small clit and began to stimulate it whilst fucking her rampantly from underneath. Her eyes began to water, rolling into the back of her head as the pressure became almost too much.

"Finish with me, Lucy…" He groaned, on his last legs he couldn't hold back much longer, and within seconds was cumming deep within her, gripping her hips as the ecstasy took over his form, emptying himself with slow, small jerks.

"Yes, fill me up…" The wind being knocked out of her lungs as he suddenly thrust hard one last time, snapping the cord that had wrapped it's way around her sanity.

Arching her back and gripping the sheets beside Natsu's head, Lucy pushed her ass down onto him and rode out her high, clamping around his sensitive tip until she flopped onto his front. Breaths were heavy, but that didn't stop her from reaching his lips once more, melting against him in a softer, sweeter kiss than before, filling her heart with such warmth and comfort to have him home at last.

"Welcome home, Natsu!" She said between kisses, making him chuckle.

"By the way, I missed you too, Lucy." He said, grinning like an idiot, remembering what she'd said amidst the passion, making her blush slightly. Sighing, he felt all the tension in his body melt away with her back in his arms.

An incoherent babble reached Natsu's ears from down the hall, making him smile. "I think Haru's awake?"

"He is? Good, we've gotta surprise for you! You're gonna love it! Wait here!" She said excitedly, hopping off of him and running out of the room. Natsu looked to the door she'd just gone out of quizzically. 'A surprise? Hadn't the way she'd woken him up been surprise enough?' He wondered, sitting himself up and waited patiently for her to return.

A few moments later, Lucy re-entered the room with Haru in her arms with wild hair and a toothy smile, he grinned in a way that strangely resembled Natsu and reached out for him. Natsu's matching fanged grin spread wide across his cheeks as he took Haru from Lucy and gave him the biggest cuddle.

"Hey, buddy! Did ya miss me?" Natsu held him up so he was eye level with Haru and continued to ask random silly questions to the little one, receiving little babbles as answers.

"Haru, tell daddy what you've learnt while he was gone?" Lucy said, trying to encourage the baby. Haru giggled then looked to his curious father who was waiting for him to do something. "Go on, tell daddy!"

"Da… Da…"

Two little words came out of the baby's mouth and Natsu's own mouth fell open in shock. Did he hear that right? Had Haru just said his first word? His sensitive hearing had never failed him before, so why would it now?

"Did you just say Dada? Your first word is Dada?!" Natsu went silent for a moment, conjuring his thoughts.

"Da Da!" The baby said excitedly, clapping his hands together.

Natsu's face lit up when he heard it again, he definitely heard that right! "Ha! I win, Luce! He said my name first!" He jeered, turning to Lucy and sticking his tongue out at her, sniggering at his triumph over his partner.

Lucy deadpanned initially she hadn't realised it was a competition, but quickly began to chuckle, it was a typical Natsu reaction, she should have known better. "He started saying it not too long after you left actually, maybe it was because he missed you." She stated, smiling at the beaming grin on Natsu's face, clearly delighted Haru had said his first word, regardless of what it was.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to hear it, little guy. But I promise I'll be here for the next one! Maybe your next word could be Happy?" He said, laughing at Lucy's unimpressed face.

"Happy?! What about Mama?! Mama's much easier to say than Happy!" Natsu was sure he saw a vein pop in her head, she was so easy to wind up, he didn't really need to try sometimes.

"Aw, come on, Lucy, you'd be pleased all the same if it was!" Natsu did have a point, but she was about to put that to the test.

"Well, then you'd be fine if it was, say… Gray or ice then?" She teased, raising her eyebrows at him as he went silent, not liking the sound of that.

"No son of mine would ever speak such filthy words!" Natsu held the baby close to his chest as if to hide him and covered his ears, offended she could ever suggest such a thing.

Lucy shook her head and chuckled, standing up to go downstairs. "You're such an idiot sometimes!" She said turning to walk out of the door, "You hungry?" She asked, not needing the boy to answer, knowing he'd follow her if food was involved.

Happy, who was already awake, was sitting on the table with his freshly caught fish laid out in front of him, his mouth watering and about to chow down when his seemingly sex-crazed companions and sprog emerged from the stairwell. "So you finally decided to stop touching each other and get up?" Happy said, clamping his jaw down on a slimy fish.

"It was Lucy's fault, she made me do it!" Pointing directly at the poor girl who was glowing a bright red.

"Natsu! Don't say it like that, not in front of Happy! You don't know who he might tell!" She couldn't help but hide her face in her hands as she made her way into the kitchen, distracting herself from the embarrassment obvious in her cheeks.

"Anyone who bribes me with fish, usually…" Happy shrugged nonchalantly as Lucy's mouth dropped open. If that was the case, then the whole guild probably knew the details of her and Natsu's sex life. "Speaking of which, I'm outta here!" He chirped, flying out of the window, giggling at Lucy's even redder, flushed face. She was going to kill that cat, that she knew for certain!

Natsu had lost interest in that conversation ages ago, more engrossed in catching up with Haru instead. However, the longer he tried to interact with him, the more he realised something seemed a little off.

"Hey, Luce?" Gaining the blonde's attention from the kitchen, "Something's wrong with Haru, his face just went all red and I think he's gonna-" And then it happened, vomit everywhere… "…Puke…"

The horrific stench of baby vomit invaded Natsu's nose, almost making him gag. The substance splattered all over the floor and table looked and smelt like congealed, off milk mixed with whatever else was sitting in the little one's stomach.

Not understanding why he suddenly felt so terrible, the baby began to cry. Tears flooded down his puffy cheeks and his high pitched wailing rung through Natsu's ears, getting louder and more shrill every time he retched and brought up more vomit.

"Whoa! Where did all that come from, little guy?" Stunned by how much had just been ejected from the little one's mouth, the dragon slayer turned him around and aimed his head towards the bowl that Lucy had placed in front of them to catch the vomit that seemed to keep flying out, upsetting Haru even further. "I know it's not nice, but there's no need to cry. It'll pass soon." Natsu spoke soothingly next to the baby's ear, stroking his back tenderly to try and comfort him.

"I don't understand, he was supposed to be getting better, not worse! Wendy even used her healing spell on him, so why hasn't it worked?" Lucy had walked over to where Natsu was sitting and placed her hand on the baby's forehead, feeling his temperature rising again. "Maybe I'll take him to Porlyusica this time?"

"Hold on… What do you mean Wendy's healing spell hasn't work? Was Haru sick while I was gone?" Natsu asked, trying to work out what had gone down in his absence, while still occupied with trying to catch the contents of Haru's stomach.

"Yes, Haru has been sick for nearly a week now. I tried at first to help him on my own but because his symptoms were getting worse, I asked Wendy to come and heal him yesterday. His symptoms improved instantly and I thought whatever sickness it was had gone." She said, pointing to the little one who was still retching, however, only bile was coming up now that he'd emptied his stomach completely. "But obviously not…"

"Oh… I still don't understand why you kept that to yourself, I could've helped." Natsu looked at Lucy in shock, confused about why she wouldn't tell him something like that.

"You were on a job, remember? And I didn't know when you'd return so I just got on with it." She stated, tilting her own head in confusion while attempting to clean up the mess on the floor. It's not like she had any way of contacting him so she'd dealt with it on her own. "As I said, he's been completely fine since yesterday, so I didn't think there was any need to worry you."

"That's not the point, Lucy! If he's been this sick for that long, then you could've sent someone to come and get me, I would've returned home in a heartbeat." He expressed, feeling saddened that his son had been unwell and he'd not known about it or been there for him.

"I wasn't going to do that over a little sickness bug. You can't just abandon a job because of something like this, it would ruin Fairy Tail's reputation, you know that!" Lucy could feel herself getting a little bothered by the situation. She'd tried her hardest to look after Haru on her own and now it felt like Natsu was disregarding her efforts. "And for your information, I was perfectly capable of looking after him on my own!"

The tone of her voice was sharp and defensive, enough to make Natsu stop in his tracks and think carefully about what he would say next. His intention was not to upset Lucy, that's for sure. He simply wanted to understand why she'd decided to do this on her own, why she hadn't asked for help and kept him in the dark.

"Lucy, I never said you weren't, that's not what I'm getting at here…" Natsu's voice turned low and soft, barely a croak. He reached out his hand to grasp hers and squeezed firmly, caressing the soft skin of her palm. "Haru is my son too and I should have been there to help. I would go to the ends of Earthland for him, so one measly job can stuff it for all I care. As for Fairy Tail, Gramps would understand. Family always comes first, Luce… Always."

Lucy stared at him, trying to find a way to justify her actions but she couldn't argue with that. He was right, family did come first, but she simply hadn't wanted to bother him. She felt the responsibility had landed on her shoulders and she needed to deal with it. Now, looking back, maybe she had needed help. Having not fully recovered from all those sleepless nights spent trying to comfort the unwell infant, it'd been a difficult week for the both of them.

It'd definitely taken its toll, her mind had a hazy feel to it, like a dense fog was clouding her better judgement and the exhaustion making her irritable and grouchy. The initial excitement and adrenaline rush of Natsu being home had settled now and after their little morning fun, she felt more tired than ever.

"Forgive me, Natsu, I didn't mean that. I'm just a little tired, this past week has been difficult to say the least. Last night was the first time I'd gotten any real sleep since Haru became sick." She said, leaning down to kiss him, showing her sincerity.

Natsu accepted her greedily, placing one hand to rest on the base of her hairline, he put his forehead to hers and smiled. "No need to apologise, I'm home now so we can work this out together." He looked down to Haru, who had stopped crying but was now just letting out small whimpers, obviously still in a lot of distress. "Let's go see Porlyusica, she'll know what to do!"

"You're having a shower first! You have puke all over your legs and it stinks!" She chuckled half heartedly at his predicament. He looked down and realised the smell that was making him feel queasy was coming from him and gagged. He jumped up and ran to the shower while Lucy got herself and the baby ready to visit Fairy Tail's medical advisor.

Practically sprinting all the way to the guild hall, hoping Porlyusica would be there, they crashed through the door, out of breath and panting, gaining the attention of everyone present. The baby's wails thundered through the hall and Lucy just couldn't get him to settle, no matter what she tried.

"Is everything okay, guys? What's wrong with Haru?" Mira asked, walking over to them.

"He's sick Mira, really sick. Is Porlyusica here?" She breathed, struggling to catch her breath still.

"Yes, I'll go and get her, wait here." The take over mage was quick to fetch the old woman, before returning to the bar with Porlyusica following behind.

"What do you both want? I was in the middle of something." She scorned, a scowl ever present on her wrinkled face.

"Sorry to bother you, but Haru is sick and we didn't know who else to go to." Lucy pleaded, hoping the healer wouldn't turn them away as she'd been known to do. The blonde was prepared to get on her hands and knees and beg in front of everybody if she had to.

"Bring him to the infirmary and I'll take a look at him." The older woman sighed, immediately taking Haru out of Lucy's arms once they entered the room and laid him on the bed.

At first glance she could see just how sickly the child was with pale, mottled skin and flushed cheeks that were hot to the touch. His breathing was heavy like he'd just been for a run and he had little beads of sweat trickling down from his hair line. There was no doubt that he was in some sort of pain too if his cries were anything to go by.

"When did this start?" She asked, getting to work with her different instruments set out beside her.

"A fever came on about a week ago, then gradually more and more symptoms showed up. When Wendy came to heal him, it seemed to disappear for a day or so, then about an hour ago he vomited and now he's like this." Lucy said in a bit of a panic as she took a seat next to the bed with Natsu, grabbing hold and squeezing his wrist until it turned red, causing him to wince.

"If Wendy wasn't able to heal him, then this is no ordinary ailment. I imagine her spell simply treated some of his symptoms for a little while, but didn't actually cure him." Porlyusica said, as she finished checking the little one over. She had an array of potions and medicines in the cabinets behind her, it was what she specialised in after all, and retrieved a few to show to the anxious parents. "These potions will help relieve some of his symptoms much like what Wendy's healing spell did, but they are not a cure, just a temporary measure until I can figure out what's wrong with him."

"But what is wrong with him? If it's not a normal illness, then what the heck is it?" Natsu asked, completely baffled by what could be causing Haru so much discomfort.

The healer straightened herself up and placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin. "He's showcasing symptoms of an infection or virus, but without actually having either. Then I can only conclude that there is something else that has invaded his body, causing his immune system to fight back like this." She picked the baby back up and handed him over to Lucy. "From what I can tell, it's most likely to be too much magical energy overwhelming his system."

"Wait, what? Excess magic? But he can't use magic yet!" Natsu's face grew more and more confused the longer he thought about it. Her diagnosis really hadn't explained anything. "How did you come to that?!"

Perplexed as well, Lucy's usual sharp mind had been fogged by weariness, a better explanation than that was needed if there was going to be any hope of her or Natsu understanding. "Um, I don't get what you're trying to say either, do you mind elaborating, please?" She asked, rubbing the babies back as he started to grumble whilst trying to get comfortable.

"It's simple really." The healer walked back over to the table to start clearing away what she'd used. "We live in a time where there is an abundance of ether-nano all around us, and as part of a very complex system we absorb and expel that ether-nano keeping a steady flow of magical energy within us, your body does this automatically. But, some babies are born without that automatic system, causing them to absorb more ether-nano than they should, which slowly overwhelms their small bodies, making them sick. It isn't all that common and can have serious consequences if not dealt with efficiently, but it is something that the body will learn to do over time. All you have to do is help him expel it."

"Er… I only really understood the last part of that to be honest..." The slayer smiled sheepishly, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck. "Do you mean like train him or make him jump or something? Scaring him works when he has hiccups!"

"No, Natsu that isn't what she meant! And how the hell do you train a baby to use magic? He's not even one yet!" Lucy facepalmed her hand at his comment. Trust Natsu to come up with the 'sensible' idea… "Isn't there some sort of medicine you can give him?"

"No, although Natsu wasn't too far off with his scare tactics suggestion." The healer said with her poker face.

"Seriously?!" Lucy's face scrunched into one of disbelief, while Natsu just grinned at her.

"I'm always serious and you should be too with what I'm about to tell you. This isn't something to take lightly and neither of you are going to like it, but you must remember this is no ordinary sickness that you can treat with some potion…"

Stopping dead in their tracks, both of their faces dropped at her warning, neither liking the sound of that. Returning their attention back to the healer, she continued. "You'll have to force it out of him. In the right circumstances, a child with enough magical energy gathered within them can be forced to expel it as a way of protecting themselves from danger. All you have to do is-"

"Put him in danger…" Natsu finished for her, hearing Lucy gasp in horror. He could feel her eyes burning into the side of his head. "Am I right?"

"Yes, Natsu. It's the only way. The quicker you do it, the sooner Haru will recover."

The slayer had a feeling it was going to be something like that, how else would you force it out? Lucy could barely believe her ears, how on Earthland did that old woman expect them to do that? Did she realise what a tall order that was? With nothing more to say on the matter, they left the infirmary and walked back outside, stopping just a little ways from the guild.

Holding the baby close to her, Lucy remained quiet, she didn't have any words right now that could convey how hopeless she felt. Her mind was all over the shop, they would have to put poor Haru in danger and essentially scare the magic out of him. How were they going to do this? And just how much danger? Lucy didn't really want an answer to that, Porlyusica had said it wouldn't be easy and now she understood why.

"Luce…"

Natsu's voice pierced through her erratic thoughts and she looked over to where he was standing. He looked just as troubled as she was, his own internal battle taking place. They'd gone to Porlyusica for answers and that's exactly what she'd given them, but neither had expected this sort of outcome. What were they going to do?

"I don't know if I can do this, Natsu! How're we supposed to pull this off? Why couldn't he just have a cold or something?" She whimpered, her worry becoming too much too bare.

Poor little Haru was sick enough, he didn't need his own parents to put him through any more. It wasn't fair, he was just a baby! Tears entered Lucy's eyes and began streaming down her pale cheeks, the panic setting in.

"Hey… we'll figure this out, I promise." Natsu cupped her cheek and wiped her flowing tears away, her head nestling into his warm hand. "I know it's hard, Lucy, I'm not going to pretend it isn't, but Haru needs us to be strong for him right now. He's counting on us to make him feel better." He moved his hand down to rest on her collar bone and stroked it reassuringly, an empathetic smile playing on his lips.

She couldn't help the sniffles and whimpers that slipped out as she tried to smile back at him. Lucy was surprised by his maturity, she certainly hadn't expected him to take it so well, considering what they had to do. Natsu's words rung true though, this was for Haru's sake and the sooner they did it, the sooner he would be back to normal and that's what mattered.

"You're right, he's suffered long enough, let's get this over with." She said, tired and strained eyes locking onto Natsu's, the fear still prevalent.

A pang of guilt settled in Natsu's chest as he thought about how tired Lucy looked. She'd dealt with this far longer than he had and she'd done it alone. He admired her courage to pull through such a task with barely any sleep, but then that was Lucy for you.

"I guess, the question now is how are we going to execute this? Obviously we can't put him in any real danger, just enough to get him to react to it." Lucy knitted her brows together as she tried to push passed the worry to think of a plan.

"I have an idea, but you're gonna have to put your faith in me, Lucy. Regardless of how much you want to run to him, you must stay out of the way." Natsu's face turned serious, all light from his eyes had gone and had been replaced with the fire burning within him to get this right. "My magic is more aggressive than yours, so it'll work better for this."

"I-If you're sure, Natsu. Lead the way." She spoke timidly, following behind him.

Deciding it best to do it while they were still outside, Natsu woke Haru gently and placed him on a nearby tree stump. Standing out of sight of the baby with Lucy not far behind, the slayer took a deep breath, then used his dragons roar to blow fire a few metres away from the infant. The idea was if Haru could feel the heat of the flames, it might spur him to protect himself from the oncoming danger.

They waited to see if they could get a reaction from the child, but there was nothing. It seemed after being around his destructive fire dragon slayer father, Haru had become accustomed to seeing flames, and barely took any notice of them.

Clenching his teeth, Natsu could kick himself, he should have known better than to believe it would be that easy. He could feel his body tense and his heart pick up speed as he took it one step further. Using his roar once again, he blew flames around the tree stump, trapping the baby in and reluctantly watched as the little one attempted to escape his blazing prison.

Lucy's eyes widened and instinctively took a step forward, but Natsu held out his arm to stop her from coming any closer. This needed to work, he didn't want to have to keep doing it, upsetting Haru over and over again until the infant was too weak and sick to defend himself.

"Isn't that a little close, Natsu?" Lucy uttered her concern from behind the fire mage, trying to control her own rattling nerves.

Unable to find a way out, Haru finally began to cry, escalating quickly to loud wails of distress, begging for his mommy and daddy to come and save him. But that's all it was, just lots of tears, he made no real attempt to protect himself and now it was starting to really worry Natsu. Would a baby as young as Haru know even how to defend himself? And how much further could he go without actually burning his son? He had impeccable control over his magic but fire was still fire and it was dangerous.

"Dammit! It's not working!" He didn't want to have to do this, but with only one option left, it was their last hope. "They need to be closer!"

"Closer?! But they'll be on top of him, surely you don't mean-?" Her voice quivered with each word spoken, her eyes wide with horror as she realised what Natsu was about to do.

"It's the only way, Lucy." He sighed, turning a little in her direction but not meeting her eyes. He didn't want to see her expression, to see how much this was hurting her because it was hurting him just the same.

With nothing more to say, Natsu looked back to the baby and extinguished the flames around him. Hearing his cries turn back to soft whimpers, Haru darted his little head around in search of his parents, but he couldn't see them anywhere. His bottom lip was quivering, frightened and alone, Haru let fresh tears fall from his eyes, rubbing them with his fists until they were red and sore.

Lucy felt her heart break little by little with every pained tear that slipped down her sons face. This was the most horrific thing she'd ever had to endure. All she wanted was to run over and give him a cuddle, to let him know that they were right there and that he wasn't in any real danger, but for his own sake she couldn't, she had to just stand there and watch.

"Please, let this work!" Natsu whispered to himself as he let flames slowly creep along the ground, making their way towards the scared baby.

As soon as Haru saw them again, his wails returned, even louder and full of anguish this time, making it even harder for Natsu to keep his resolve. It pained him to see what his flames were doing to his son, the terror in his eyes as they got closer, the urgency in his cry when they began to lick at his delicate skin. Hearing his heart pound loudly in his ears, the determined father pressed forward before he changed his mind, encasing the baby in his flames. The cries of the petrified infant began to sound more like an agonising screech, haunting Natsu to his very core.

If this didn't work, the pink haired boy didn't know what he was going to do. How much more danger could he put Haru in before it had any serious lasting affects on him or worse, it caused him actual harm?

Lucy was still trying to fight every fibre of her being not to run over there and rescue the little boy. She felt her legs go weak from hearing his desperate pleas for help and trembled from seeing the fear in his bloodshot eyes.

She'd said she trusted Natsu and she did, with absolute certainty, but being witness to him doing this was painful, it was physically hurting her in a way she'd never been hurt before. How much longer could he keep this up? How much more could little Haru take before he wiped himself out?

"Natsu… Please…" She whispered, his ears had picked up her quiet plea, but chose to ignore it for now. They were so close, he wasn't about to give up! She took a step forward, towards the dragon slayer, not willing to watch any more of this, she spoke a little louder this time. "You can stop now, it's too much…"

"Lucy, we can't give up yet, this needs to work!" He said, determined to see this through, determined to make Haru better.

She let hot tears fall freely down her cheeks, as she turned back to the little one who looked just about ready to give up. Enough was enough, she couldn't watch any more of this. With her heart racing and her body quaking, she put one unsteady foot in front of the other and pushed herself as fast as she could to the tree stump, scooping the baby up into her arms and held him to her chest. The fire still present, began to burn her clothing through to her skin, and as much as it hurt, she didn't care. She would take it for the sake of comforting Haru.

Natsu, so focused on the task at hand, had been too slow to react to the flash of blonde hair that'd shot passed him. Lucy had run straight into the fire, his fire and by the time he'd extinguished them, it was too late.

She was on her knees grimacing, trying to remain strong for the teary baby in her hold. Unable to move, Natsu just stared. Stared at the girl who'd grunted out in pain as his flames charred her skin, stared at the baby who was crying in sheer terror from the flames that had engulfed him. Was he wrong to have done that? He'd been so certain it would work and now it'd gone so horribly wrong.

When he reached them both, the overwhelming guilt punched him straight in the gut at the sight of singed skin across her chest, along both arms and up to her chin. The horrific smell of burnt flesh permeated the air and the burns that decorated her tender skin looked incredibly painful and would begin to blister and scar if not treated soon. Haru, however, didn't have a scratch on him, which Natsu was thankful for.

"N-Natsu… I'm s-sorry, I-I just, I couldn't bare…" Her voice wavered through gritted teeth, wincing from the movement of looking up at him. "...I-It hurts so badly…"

"I know it does, Luce, hold on and I'll take you to Wendy." He bent down and ever so carefully picked her up, carrying her trembling body and the little one back to the guild.

#Nalu #fairy tail nalu #natsu dragneel #nalu fanfic #nalu fanfiction #nalu smut #nalu baby #nalu child #lucy heartfilia #Natsu and Lucy #natsu x lucy #natsu lucy #happy (fairy tail) #fairy tail #fairytail #fairy tail fanfiction #fairy tail 100 years quest #fanfiction #fanfic #Smut #nalu #daddy natsu #fairy tail 100 year quest #nalu family

[shadow-scenarios]

Hello~ may I ask for something slightly specific? I wanted to ask about a scenario in which the reader recently obtains the Meta-Nav but instead of the PT finding out first, Goro does. See, the reader and Goro have recently become acquaintances and reader thinks that the Meta-Nav is something related to illegal activity so she goes to consult their detective friend on this mysterious app! Haha, sorry if this is too specific ;-;

Hey there simulationone, this isn’t too specific!! I like creative ideas that change the plot & this has been my favourite request to write so far.

However, I did change the request slightly. I made it so that the Reader awakened to their Persona & gains the MetaNav!! I hope that’s alright with you. If not, feel free to message me again and I can rewrite it.

{ Post Writing Note: Well, I wrote way too much!! Sorry if there’s less Akechi content than you thought, I got hyperfixated on how it would affect the plot. I’d love to write a Part 2 full of angst with this, so feel free to request it!! }

- Nexus.

Dance with Justice | Goro Akechi

Life at Kosei High was predictable. Like a metronome. Constant pressure to be the best & high achievement boundaries, it was a wonder how she was ever accepted without some sort of moonlighting as a prodigy. These stories of mental shutdowns & psychotic breakdowns made the world look grim & everyone seemed desperate to escape it all.

Comfort was found in the Phantom Thieves and how they manipulated hearts. Dancing the line between immoral & illegal, it was a grey area where the who was less significant than the how. Society grasped onto them as miraculous saviours as they solved cases faster than regular forces ever could: Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Medjed. The world was taken by storm, these renegade rogues looking to change the world & it seemed they were no longer an urban legend.

Their downfall was unexpected, to say the least. Okumura was murdered in cold blood, his mental shutdown playing onscreen during an important meeting where he was about to reveal an important factor in solving this buck-wild case. A calling card was found at the residence, the sigil of their misdeeds. Just when the mystery was about to unravel, the threads gave way to a bigger problem: Did the Phantom Thieves cause the very shutdowns everyone was trying to escape?

Swiftly, the media capitalised. Labelling them as criminals, demanding their arrest. Everything shifted so quickly & she was caught up by the egregious claims of both sides. There was one thing for certain: The Phantoms Thieves had killed someone and regardless of their previous deeds, they needed to be brought to justice.

Naturally, the first viable suspect she found was Yusuke Kitagawa.

He was of the eccentric sort, gaining a scholarship through art. Everything the strange man did was usually for the sake of ‘ Finding true beauty! ’, which was slightly melodramatic. Before Madarame’s case, he was fixated on art singularly. Now? He seemed to have other priorities. Whenever someone would discuss the Phantom Thieves in an art lesson, there was a glimmer in his eye & the paintbrush that had been on the canvas stopped in order to listen in.

A victim of Madarame’s plagiarism, which gave a plausible motive. Despite this, nothing was concrete. She thought about her friend, Akechi. Was this how he solved crimes?

Obviously, the next step was to follow Yusuke around. Sneaking around was rather easy, all she had ever been known as by the student populace was ‘ the girl who was friends with Akechi! ’, so standing out was not much of a problem. There was not much abnormal. Despite being somewhat of a social outcast, he had a small circle of friends. Six in total.

Five of them were clearly wearing the Shujin Academy uniform on the day she spotted them. One was tall in stature with fluffy black hair & thick framed glasses. Reserved in nature but he always appeared to have some sort of witty comeback. Soon he became known as Akira.

Another one was a blonde, around the same height. He wore the uniform much like a delinquent alongside a yellow graphic tee. Obnoxiously loud, as it was never difficult to hear what he was saying even from far away. The person closest to him was Ann. She had platinum blonde hair tied back into pigtails & features of an American.

Makoto was next. Clearly more of a calculating type, she wore the uniform immaculately. Wearing her hair in a French-braid styled headband, she had maroon coloured eyes & was around average height. Most of the time, she was commenting on the boy’s behaviour.

Haru Okumura was someone recognisable due to the news about her father’s death, which was saddening. In her uniform, she wore a fluffy pink turtleneck alongside white tights with flower patterns.

Futaba was just as strange as Yusuke. She used a mixture of gamer jargon whenever she spoke and was never seen in a uniform. About middle school age, she carried around a set of headphones everywhere that regularly rested atop her maple coloured hair.

Stuffed inside of Akira’s bag was also a cat that they tried to hide. Key word: Tried. Six of them & a cat.

They frequented a local cafe in Shibuya, LeBlanc. It was a nice location & she had even gone in there once to listen in. Boss was kind, to say the least. He served coffee with a warm smile & the curry combined perfectly enough to encourage a smile out of her.

On a Friday, the cafe was busy. They had gathered at one table & chatted casually. Most of them looked forelorn. Akira eventually gestured for them to take the conversation outside, where they would disturb fewer people.

Following behind them, she paid Boss & followed, attempting to seem casual. They never noticed. Conspicuously trailing into an alleyway, Ryuji pulled out his phone. Listening in was difficult so she opted to pull out her own phone and record. One of them, presumably Akira, simply said “ Mementos. ”.

Mementos. That singular word triggered something & changed everything. As the world began to violently shift in a strange phenomena, hues of vermillion & mauve dotted her vision. It was hypnotic. Eventually, she snapped out of the trance.

Concealed by masks & flashy outfits were the suspicious group she had been following. It was blatantly obvious by their hair colours. However, the animated cat creature was a surprise. It was reminiscent of the cat Akira carried around but even stranger was that it talked. Then it turned into a bus. Which did not seem all that strange.

Inherently familiar with their environment, they sped off down the escalator, leaving her alone with her thoughts. There were so many reds & greys. Thick red veins ran through the sides in mangled forms. The wall behind her was dilapidated & the only way to proceed was the escalator in front of her.

A fatal mistake, really.

Recalling the details of the awakening are fuzzy at best. These lumbering creatures formed entirely out of shadow began to take notice of her unwanted presence. Cornered, desperate and alone. Insurmountable pain; the voice of someone almost familiar; then freedom & rebellion.

With the pact of her Persona, everything was clearer. Life had previously moved in rhetorical patterns, it was now a whimsical dance. Eliminating the so called enemies with a weapon in hand, she eventually found a way back to the surface. The door at the beginning looked to be a way out, so she threw caution to the wind & took the chance.

Fatigue came first in this dingy alleyway. Adrenaline had been fuelling the push to leave alongside her newly granted power and once that was gone, nothing would spare her from raw exhaustion. Checking her phone in the hopes of finding evidence, the video taken was still there, though it cut off as soon as anyone disappeared.

Even without evidence, she knew that this group was doing something illicit. So she texted the one person she trusted with this secret: Goro Akechi. He was a detective, surely he would have answers.

;; I must speak with you in person as soon as possible. It’s regarding the Phantom Thieves, I have some evidence for you. You’re investigating them, correct?

Knowing full well that Akechi lived a busy life, she did not expect a response for a while. After gathering the strength to stand once again, she headed home. It was the most exhausting experience ever, physically & emotionally. A few minutes after returning home, there was a response from Akechi.

I am indeed investigating them. If you have any evidence regarding them, would it not be more convenient for me to receive it via text? ;;

;; Yes, it would be, but I can barely even believe the evidence presented to me. It’s better for you to see it for yourself. Are you attending school tomorrow?

Indeed I am. Pulling away from the public eye has benefits. If you are free during lunch, we can meet on the rooftop and discuss the supposed evidence that you have found. Does that sound like a compromise? ;;

;; Alright. I’ll see you on the rooftop tomorrow.

The next day was filled with trepidation. Everyone seemed to be mulling about & with how slowly the clock was moving, it was if the school was in a state of chronostasis. Although she did not share many classes with Akechi, there had been a moment where she saw a mop of hazelnut brown hair amongst a crowd, so he was likely to be there.

Sitting on the rooftop alone was slightly boring but she understood why he was late. Every time lunch began, Akechi would be surrounded by people who wanted his attention. It must have been rather annoying.

5. 10. 15. Minutes ticked by. During the winter, it was exceptionally cold so not a single soul came up. The chilly winter breeze nipped at her skin & for a moment she wondered if it was Akechi that she had seen. The brown hair easily could have been mistaken—

The creak of the door announced his presence. With a formal apology, he recalled how his teachers were intent on swarming him with catch up work that he would inevitably never complete. Dismissing it all & moving along with the subject, Akechi got straight to the point:

“ What was it you wished to speak to me about? ”, he asked.

“ I believe I have ascertained the identities of the Phantom Thieves, ” was the only reply she gave.

Looking astounded, he shifted his glove via force of habit & looked directly at her.

“ That’s quite the bold claim, ” he returned to a neutral expression as the mask of the Detective Prince slipped back on, “ Do you have any evidence? ”.

Recalling the story to the best of her ability was tedious. From the suspicious behaviour Yusuke had been demonstrating to the video evidence taken from her phone. Throughout the entire story, he maintained a neutral expression so she was never quite sure what to think.

“ Usually, I would disregard such stories as a strange dream or a vision you had & declare your footage as edited. However, I have... also had an encounter in this strange phenomena as well. ”

Everything began to make more sense as it was explained. Akechi rattled off about the cognitive world, Palaces, Personas & even how ‘ stealing someone’s heart ’ was possible. He explained that his plan was to lend the Phantom Thieves a hand in their next assignment & catch them in the very act. Specifically, their leader.

“ That explains a lot. Let me help you. I have a Persona as well & I can fight in that other world. I want to bring the Phantom Thieves to justice. They killed Okumura & many others if they are the ones behind the mental shutdowns. Tampering with the heart of another is wrong... ”

“... Alright. I suppose it will make things easier if it is the two of us. I hope you are a very good actor,” Akechi extended a reluctant hand for her to shake. His gaze was calculated, cold. Much different from his tone of voice. However, she took his hand & shook it.

With that, a contract was signed. Both herself & the detective would bring about the end of the Phantom Thieves.

Word Count: 1.9k

Publish Date: 27.09.20

#{ crow } #{ you don’t know how much i loved this request } #{ specific requests are always the best ones because you know they care } #{ turns out i’m actually an akechi stan in disguise } #{ i hand out akechi content like i hand out drugs } #goro akechi #akechi x reader #persona 5 royal #persona 5 royal x reader #persona 5 x reader #persona 5 imagines

[crossxskulled]

Mailing chocolates, it seemed, was too impersonal. The Japanese tradition was to give them in person, was it not? And as a surprise, at that. That left Sonia with only one option. She would have to give Ryuji the Valentine’s Day treats she’d arranged herself and with little explanation as to why she needed to meet him that day. Hopefully, he wouldn’t ask too many questions about why she wanted to meet in one of Shibuya’s parks, as opposed to the usual convenience stores and inexpensive restaurants they often visited. She didn’t think it was right to bring such gifts to a dining establishment and she certainly couldn’t visit his home. Thankfully, Haru had been a wonderful help correcting the Princess of Novoselic some of the cultural implications that, at home, would have been a non-issue.

“I hope this wasn’t too terribly inconvenient for you, and I’m not sure if you even like these really,” Sonia began, surprising herself by dancing around the point she was trying to make. At least she spoke clearly and smiled through it all. “But I hope you accept these Valentine’s Day chocolates. Happy Valentine’s Day, Ryuji-san!”

Inside the golden yellow box and coordinating bow, rows of pyramid-shaped dark chocolate candies and round milk chocolate truffles were neatly arranged. The dark chocolates were filled with dark chocolate ganache and liquid fondant to be tiny lava chocolates that would ooze upon biting past the outer shell. But the milk chocolates were filled with chocolate-hazelnut filling, far less messy, and rolled in crushed macadamia nuts. “I remember you telling me about your class trip to Hawaii, the one you seemed to quite enjoy with your friends! I’ve never been myself, but I thought a chocolate volcano and macadamia nuts might remind you of a wonderful time.”

___________________________

☠ - Time managed to bleed through his hands despite a shift of a holiday, hardly slowing, rather, keeping that same pace of trickling sands while he pushed through his training on this day. Motivation and a return to old form blew the blonde’s mind in ways he could’ve of perceived. So what better day to productively blow all that energy than at the gym? Through the help of his old coach and upperclassmen by the name of Ikeda, a regimen that remains rigorous, reward and perfect for warding off the rust across his body’s specifics was the goal for this Valentine’s day.

Gaining a small bounty of friendship chocolate had been a unforeseen boon that only made him double down. Seeing the smiling faces of those knuckleheads had been too much of a damn treat not to do anything less. (Taking Yusuke out to get a good meal as a miniature get-together had also fit into that equation.)

If only he could’ve known why Haru kept such a doting voice of knowing in her town. Ryuji simply brushed it off as a means of her being jovial in the atmosphere, enjoying the time no different than he had.

One text message however completely altered the route of his plans like a fork in the river. Business was business and his partners at the gym kindled a brand of training related friendship. So of course knowing the season, there he was being tacked on out with a number of teases, especially seeing how February serves as the season for some to shoot their shot, couples to get more couple-y, while some managed to romanticize facets of romance to make the world look a touch more sunshine and rainbows.

‘Too bad’ that with a huff and a laugh, he’d call them all some bastards after he freshened up, changed, and rolled out back to the busy streets. Like a bolt amidst a mass of sky,. he’s nimble and dedicated to his beeline, wading his way through the day filled with either saturated hopes or the jaded atmosphere as Inokashira Park remains the place to meet with a girl who’s pleasantly been in his thoughts. Just thinking of a touch of their previous ventures makes a chuckle rumble in his chest.

Oh yeah. There sure as hell was a good deal of memories they’ve made since their arrangement while having a blooming friendship.

“Yo, Sonia!” His cheerful voice would soon call as the scenery of an opened sky is replaced with the natural roofing of branches and trees. That had caught her attention, leading to them catching eyes and suddenly having her.. look a touch bashful?  Or maybe that skittered in his imagination. Just being met with a soft nod while she balanced something in her hands was a little weird? Here he was much more adjusted to a upbeat prestige or the excitable questions to explore a world that cast refined inclination to the side.

”My bad it took me a lil longer than usual to hop on the scene here.” He begins, grunting in distaste at his tardiness. “The short notice caught me att middle up at the gymmmm-- ah ah, not that it’s a big deal or anything!” That definitely had to be set once she made mentions of inconvenience! Heading out for someone he cares for always had a priority even if there were routine plans for a day. ...And now that he’s getting a better look at this whole situation. Wasn’t that introduction of her’s a touch too kind while she swayed a bit in her spot? Once their eyes met with a gentle glare of sunlight remaining in between, the answer soon arrives, dressed up in an ornate box that makes his eyes pop open a deal wider while unceremoniously dropping that duffel bag of his to the ground.

Unexpected? Unexpected. Somehow that mind of his couldn’t translate the moment at hand while his eyes shoot open like saucers at the ornate box she presents between them both! Seeing that particular design as if she plucked this from the lap of luxury... That made the ticker within his chest speed on up, for real. ‘Wha wha wha.. Whoa! Hold on! Am I seein’ this right!? I.. She had plans of hauling some of these to me?! People usually just roll these out in the hand bags! But this.. I-’ Any other thoughts failed to meet the mark of coherency as he could only stop, stare, and just drink in the view of that familiar smile and the presented box set before him.

Soon a pair of mildly shaky hands would come to take it. No longer was it the aftermath of a good workout that supplied such heat, nor the hot shower taken before making his way on down here. The act in offering this gift itself had burned a fuzzy brand of energy through him while his fingers braced upon the box and drew it a touch closer. Naturally too curious for his own good, this led him to a world of intricate design, for chocolate of all the damn things! Being a more modest and moderate fan had left him ignorant to the designs outside of chocolate bars to bats and eyes on the Halloween days.

Seeing the spread while hearing the story began to tack so many of the pieces together. Antsy thoughts were quelled by the truth of her intentions, the inspiration as to why they’re designed this way and kindness shuffled into each and every one. Had she really been thinking that deeply over one of their past times while getting this fixed up?

So to see Sonia place that much care into him causes a soft sensation to well up as the dominate point of feeling. Settled upon his face was a genuine look of contentment swirled together with a touch of gratitude. “You.. Really went through a damn lot, huh? I mean.. Look at these! So frickin’ cool and designed like people draw with chocolate!” His enthusiasm instantly takes the charge while he glosses over them, taking a touch longer to notice how the play of positioning also added to that! This for sure got a ‘Yoooooooooooo!’ strained from his lips as his eyes instantly sparkled with joy.

”Almost doesn’t make me wanna eat ‘em.. Almost! Maybe I can keep a few for a touch longer and..” Noticing that his delight might’ve had him going on a small tangent made him a touch self-conscious, causing him to seize up while a soft laughter escapes from him. If it wasn’t clear from his expression alone within their momentary getaway of the park’s atmosphere, Ryuji here was really pleased with the gift. ..To the point that somehow the whole Valentine aspect hadn’t reigned as the highest mark of importance.

Spending some more time with her instinctively feels like the best bet in his eye. Taking good care in the way he closes the box, the dropped bag is quickly swiped up before he makes a charged point to one of the sites of scenery appreciating seating off to the side.

“In that case! You sure as hell unlocked a route to some more funny stories! C’mon- how about we try some of these together while we kick back for a while?”

....

“Oh and uh.” This much would be said as they pressed off to the selected spot. “Happy Valentines Day to ya too, Sonia. Thanks for this..”

Today would be another one filled with fun promise.

#more-than-a-princess #submission #| Keepsakes #D'AW THIS WAS SWEET #And much thanks for the send in!

[honeydots]

"61. “Were you drawing me?”" for the ask meme? 👀

“Were you drawing me?” 

akira sleeps in and yusuke takes advantage of that. because of COURSE if im given the opportunity to write shukita im going to take it of course i am 

-

(ao3 link)

-

Slugs were okay. 

Akira didn’t have much of an opinion on them, to be honest. Nothing negative. They were a little goopy, sure. But that wasn’t a bad thing. Sometimes you’re goopy and squishy and occasionally poisonous, it happens to everybody. Akira was sure he’d had a Saturday just like that. They were just little creatures. Slugging along. 

…That said, he didn’t like them much when they were on his face. He especially wouldn’t like them if they were the poisonous kind. He didn’t think these ones were, but still. That would be completely unpleasant. And then he’d be goopy until he died. Just terrible all around. 

But not these bad boys. Akira was sure they were just your everyday slug. Lucky for him! But they were still on his face. He didn’t really want that. Slug along anywhere else, please. He was trying to relax. This wasn’t the time. 

In his limited periods of consciousness, Akira often thought about how weird it was that he never realized when he was dreaming. Once he was in the dream, he was there. No second thoughts about it. The slugs were on his face now, and that’s where they belonged. But pointedly, again, they were not poisonous. Nice to know his subconscious wasn’t going for a gastropod themed execution. 

He woke up blissfully slug-free. Thank god. What a morning surprise that would’ve been. He also woke up alone, which wasn’t too unusual. Yusuke tended to be an early riser. Up and about, doing his creative stuff. He had picked up sculpting, recently. So far, he’d made a lovely bust of Isaac Newton (and if not him, it was a not-as-lovely bust of Haru), and a pistachio (this one really was a pistachio). Akira was happy he was expanding his repertoire, since he seemed to be enjoying himself. He was keeping busy, and he had a career after all. 

But the bed was meant for two. 

He shifted a bit, peeked his eyes open and, oh. He was surprised to see Yusuke sitting not far across from him. He was staring deeply into his sketchbook, very focused and very quiet. 

You know, he could always draw in bed. It’d be warmer that way. “Good morning.” Akira lazily stretched out his back. “Sketching?” 

Akira probably shocked him, because Yusuke jumped. He usually felt just a little bit bad when he did that, but today there was something mischievous dancing around in his brain. A tiny goblin who had wanted so desperately to cuddle, probably.

You and me both, Goblin-kun.

Yusuke looked up to him, and he seemed a little stoic. “You’ve awakened. Good afternoon. Please do not move.” 

Technical technical. Akira treated afternoons like mornings, anyway. He relaxed his body back down, trying to look as natural as possible. “Were you drawing me?” It wouldn’t surprise him. It’d hardly be the first time. Yusuke liked to make him blush by calling him things like his Muse, or his Starry Night, or his Lobster Fra Diavolo.

“Ah… I suppose,” said Yusuke. He swiveled a turn in his chair, and swept up a dab of paint with a brush. “Now, close your eyes again.” 

Akira did. So he was painting him. Again with Yusuke’s technicalities, his this’s and that’s. It was endearing. There was something very sweet about his specifics, since Akira knew he was included in them. 

He wondered if he could go back to sleep. If Yusuke wanted him to keep his eyes closed, the chances went up. He could already feel himself falling into it. Anyone who knew Akira was well aware that he wasn’t one to pass up opportunities to sleep in. Well, sleep in more than he already had. Yusuke knew better than to let him stay in bed, Akira couldn’t be blamed. And it was for art after all. 

But the afternoon did have plans for Akira. Goddamn. For example, something cold and wet being splattered onto his forehead. It was… weirdly familiar?

He jumped, but in like, a groggy half-awake confused boy way. “Ghh?” His eyes flickered open. Yusuke was there? He hadn’t heard him come over. “What are you…doing.” 

Yusuke remained focused as ever, eyes glued to, uh. Uh? “Akira, please. I do not want it in your eyes.” The wet spot moved and spread across his brow. 

The dots were sleepy and the lines were wiggling, but all connecting nonetheless. “Are you painting,” Akira said, flinching at the sloppy feeling, “on my face?” 

Yusuke lifted his paintbrush and looked very thoughtfully at the smear he’d created. “Do not speak much. I would hate for what has dried to crack.” He turned away, probably to get more paint. 

Akira squinted at him. It was already drying? As in drying drying? “How long have you been… at this.” 

Yusuke sighed, and shook his head. “Please, my love, if you must talk,” he said, turning back, “Try to be minimal. I will be finished soon.” 

He returned to Akira’s side, this time with a pool of paint on the back of his hand, probably for quick access. Akira stared silently at him. He wasn’t mad at all, more completely amused. Unique way to spend a morning. He’d woken up before with drawings on his face, but that was usually Futaba scribbling squiggles and mustaches with her sharpies. Oh, but he’d always get back at her for that. He’d refuse to wash it off and make her be seen with him, Mr. Sharpie Face Man, in the all forbidden public. She was one of those second-hand embarrassment people. 

Wow, the paint felt weird. He was all too aware of it sitting on his face. It was thick. And the actual spreading of it had been really strange. There were out of body experiences, and then there were all too aware of what is happening right now on your body experiences. Akira was the former. He was pretty surprised it hadn’t woken him up, actually. 

Wait. 

The slugs. 

The non-poisonous slugs. 

That made sense. 

Yusuke continued painting. Little swirls and pointed dots. Akira tried to guess what he was doing. The paint he had was blue, so maybe a bird? A fish? He was sure Yusuke would do something more outlandish, though. Maybe a bird with glasses. He wondered if Yusuke would let him name it. 

Inevitably, they made eye contact. Akira had been staring pretty relentlessly, and boy he was good at that. Yusuke held it for a moment, before something visibly clicked. There it was. Akira had been thinking about if he’d remember to answer. He didn’t, always. Yusuke had quite the way with concentration. He’d just about have to shake him out to come to dinner some nights. 

Yusuke had run out of paint on his hand, and he turned back to get more. A short silence hung. “A few hours,” he said. 

So, a while. His projects usually took a bit, so he was glad to hear this hadn’t been some all nighter. That could’ve been nice too, though, because then Yusuke would certainly take a nap. And of course then Akira would get to take a nap. Which would be great. But he’d have to wash all this paint off first. He hoped it would come off easy. 

It wasn’t like Yusuke had never painted on his body before. But that was usually, you know, doodling with a pen on his arm. Or some grand experiment on his back. Face painting wasn’t technically something to be considered out of the ordinary, but unconscious face painting was. Yusuke’s inspiration strikes were always charming. 

Akira watched as Yusuke readied his brush again. He felt him very gently move some hair out of his face. This wasn’t really a view Akira usually got. Hello there. Thank goodness he was nearsighted. 

But, all good things must come to an end. Yusuke looked down at him. “It really is imperative you shut your eyes, now. This would sting.” 

He probably spoke from experience. He already knew Yusuke had drunk paint water before. It was an accident, he said, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t also accidentally get paint in his eyes. Akira also doubted that the paint water incident was entirely accidental. He had evidence. But, despite all that, he heeded his advice. Yusuke was kind enough to wait until he did so. Akira wondered how long it would take for Yusuke to just start painting, anyway. 

He felt the brush fit into his eye socket and curve around down, above his cheek bone. Very confident but delicate strokes across his eyelid, and then repeated on the other side. He decided this was much better than slugs. Though still just as goopy.  

The brush lifted, and did not come back down. “There,” Yusuke began, “Now, please remain very still. I will return in just a moment.”  

Akira obliged, keeping his eyes shut tight but careful not to scrunch. He heard footsteps, and a door opening. Yusuke was probably getting their camera. They’d bought a very nice once for situations like this. Non-portable art, or anything that would wash away. Akira supposed he wouldn’t mind being on display for an art show. Ehh, that was, as long as it didn’t last too long. He didn’t really get fidgety, but he did get bored. 

He heard Yusuke come back, accompanied by some clicking and clunking. He probably also brought in a light, since he tended to be very particular about his art pictures. Akira appreciated that his face-canvas was being given such fancy treatment. He hoped he was doing the art justice. 

There was shuffling. The sound of curtains opening. The buzz of a lamp. And eventually, many, many clicks. Yusuke always took bunches of pictures, with light adjustments and in different positions. He’d learned how to use a camera very well, at this point. Akira was glad to see it, because initially Yusuke had been a little helpless with one.

He took pictures all the time now. It was much more convenient, since instead of pulling over and waiting thirty minutes for Yusuke to be satisfied with a sketch, they’d pull over and spend just ten minutes taking pictures. They still had to leave an hour early for events, but they were late less often. They were also a little poorer, because memory cards didn’t come cheap. Yusuke’s new cocaine, he guessed. 

The clicking went off and on. Akira sat through it, beginning to drift back to sleep again. When Yusuke had said ‘afternoon’ that could’ve meant 12:01, right? Which meant it would be perfectly reasonable to sleep for a few more hours. Just a little catnap. He’d bet anything Morgana was still sleeping. And how was that fair? 

He was thoroughly lost in cat-jealousy thoughts, and did not notice the clicking stop. So, the sound of Yusuke’s voice scared him right out of his drowsiness. “You can move about now. I’ve finished.” Gah. 

So, no naps for him. Yet. But Akira guessed he was getting a little bit cramped anyway. He stretched out again, properly this time, and opened his eyes. He watched as Yusuke turned off the extra light, and carefully put the camera down. 

Yusuke looked to Akira and smiled very sweetly. Akira smiled back, entirely sure he probably looked very silly. His whole face was (presumably?) blue, after all. He was still thinking of a bird name. 

Yusuke sat down at the foot of their bed. He fiddled a bit with his fingers, and scratched at the drying paint on his hands. A learned habit.“I do hope you slept well.” 

“Mm,” Akira replied, pushing himself up. “I think you gave me weird dreams.” He felt around a little for his glasses. If paint got on them, oh well. He’d curse the glasses god today. He wanted to see. 

Yusuke reached out and picked up Akira’s pair. “Did I?” He handed them to him. 

This tended to be a typical morning procedure. “Thanks.” He was pretty sure Yusuke’s hands were covered in paint. Maybe it was inevitable his glasses would get messy. “You did.”  

“I apologize. You seemed to be sleeping quite soundly.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Vision at last. 

Yusuke seemed relieved. Akira was sure if he told him about his slug encounter, he would take a good fifteen minutes connecting it to art and philosophy. Which would be fine, but Akira’s face was kind of itchy and scratchy. He could tell him later. He picked at it a bit. 

It wasn’t like Yusuke wouldn’t notice, obviously, but it probably gave him the wrong idea. “The paint is thoroughly non-toxic. There is nothing to worry about.” He rubbed hard on his hand. 

Akira wasn’t worried. There were things to worry about with Yusuke, but he wouldn’t consider this one of them. Yusuke was particular, it was a completely defining trait of his. No, Akira would not trust him with their grocery money. He would also not trust him left alone in a candy store. But he was considerate, and precise, and attentive. Especially to his art. And especially, Akira would bashfully admit, to him. 

He could still tease him a little though. “It’s not at all?” 

Yusuke straightened himself up. Which was a little bit funny to watch with his typically impeccable posture. It was more like he shuffled his shoulders around and puffed out his chest. “Absolutely. I would never let you near such toxins, not even dream of such a thing.” It was hard to not constantly give Yusuke fond looks. 

He failed. He was a fond look giving machine. “So a kiss would be fine?” He grinned a very bluish grin. Give him a smooch, art boy. It would probably be better than paint water. Actually, he really really hoped it would be better than paint water.

“Ah.” Yusuke said, giving a sigh. “An innocent request turned devilish, I see.” Yusuke was also a fond look giving machine. They could make it a competition. The most sugary and sweet one in the world. The kind that would give Morgana hairballs, the poor cat. 

Akira didn’t say anything. He looked at Yusuke, guilty but not regretful, and waited. It was only a little devilish, he thought. He could do much worse. He could do better, too. But there was no fun in that. 

Yusuke stood up, and walked right up next to Akira, standing just where he was before. Akira gave him an innocent look; he was good at those, and it made Yusuke smile. Which was only more reason to get even better at them. Lying at interrogations was just an added bonus.

Yusuke was an all or nothing kind of guy. Akira knew this. So he wasn’t surprised when Yusuke cupped his face and leaned down, to give him a kiss, first on the cheek, then on the lips. Soft and sweet. Lovey and dovey. 

Akira was very unhappy to see that when they pulled away, a grand total of none of the paint had gotten onto Yusuke. A foiled plan. He wiped at his lips anyway. How rude, you mean to say he didn’t want second-hand (second… face?) paint on his mouth? Like some kind of moderately health conscious member of society? You drank paint water, Yusuke. You’ve eaten grass before, Yusuke! The thought made him chuckle.

“What is it?” Yusuke asked, sitting himself down on the bed. 

He probably wouldn’t appreciate the thought. “Nothing.” Akira fiddled with a piece of hair. “Did you get the picture you wanted?” 

The question made Yusuke beam. “Indeed. I took several. Adjustments do need to be made, however.” 

“That’s good.” He was glad Yusuke had become accustomed to editing digital photos. He was very against it at first, pretty much because he didn’t really understand what the editing was. Not like, photoshopping things in. Just things like saturation and lighting. This was another little hobby he’d picked up. He had never accidentally recreated Isaac Newton in Adobe, though. 

“I will most certainly show you the completed product.” 

“I’ll look forward to it,” Akira said. His nose itched. Not really in a sneezy way, but it was annoying him. He wanted to sniff, but he also didn’t exactly want to snort up Yusuke’s project. Yucky. “I think I want to wash this off, now.” 

“Ah, of course.” Yusuke moved to let Akira off the bed. He hovered there quietly as Akira got up, and followed him to the bathroom. 

Okay? “What’s up?” 

Yusuke pressed his lips together. “Oh. I simply wanted to help you. As a penance, perhaps.” 

Akira scoffed. “Strong word.” He didn’t mind Yusuke helping. He’d probably need it, or he’d give up halfway and finish by midnight. What wasn’t inherently tender about getting paint rubbed off your face. Ugh, and the peeling. It wasn’t a super great smell, either. He was gonna have such a look going on for this. Cute. 

They walked in. Akira turned on the light and readied himself for a face scrubbing. He wondered if there had been any that got in his hair. That would suck getting out. He looked in the mirror, his mind set on checking, and thoroughly surprised himself at his reflection. 

So the bird guess? He was kind of sort of close. 

He’d made his whole face very lightly blue. There were feathers painted around his eyes that very gracefully formed into wings bending out and upwards towards his forehead. Little patterns of flowers and leaves framed his face and fell in swooping designs. It was all done in different shades of blue, you had to really look at it to see all the detail. Except on his cheeks. In a thick gold sat long tears, layered on top of each other. They traveled all the way down to his chin. 

It was pretty. 

He wanted to touch it.

He pressed his fingers into his cheeks, and squished upwards. It was sticky, and it didn’t give way much. But the farther he went, the more it moved. It got on his hands. He was all smudgy now. This was incredible. 

He was also being watched. “I’m not sure that’s the most effective way.” Yusuke commented.

“I feel like,” Akira kept on squishing, “the slime in those stim videos.” 

He laughed lightly at that. “I suppose we do all experience art in our own ways.” 

Akira watched Yusuke absentmindedly through the mirrors reflection, while still giving his face a very blue massage. He grabbed a rag, and turned on warm water. He also took out a bottle from one of their cupboards. Yusuke had all sorts of painting things stored away, so it wasn’t all that surprising. Akira had found about eight bottles of acetone in Yusuke’s dorm room years ago. He remembered gaining a certain understanding of Yusuke’s budgeting problems.

He placed his materials down. “Will you be satisfied soon?” He asked, now watching him closely. 

Akira paused mid-squish. He looked at Yusuke from the corner of his eye. “You want to give it a try?” Why not. 

Yusuke blinked at him. And then visibly considered it.

“I’ve no reason to object, I suppose.” 

Double the squish. This probably could’ve gone fifty-fifty. Akira dragged his fingers off his face, careful not to touch anything. They didn’t need a blue bathroom too. He held his own hands, and let Yusuke reach over to him. 

Yusuke, who gave this a little more forethought than Akira had, removed his glasses first. Yeah, smart move. He couldn’t exactly wear them while they washed his face, anyway. He followed Yusuke’s hands as best he could when he put the glasses down, and followed them back up as he rested his palms on Akira’s face. 

He pressed inwards and held him there for a second, and then moved his palms farther up just past his cheekbones. It made Akira quietly giggle, just quick little exhales. It felt way weirder when someone else was doing it. Not that it hadn’t felt a bit weird when he’d done it himself. 

Yusuke was smiling too. Akira was very adamantly keeping his eyes open, which sometimes proved to be a challenge. He was gonna sit there and stare him down like this was the height of romance. 

Yusuke placed his thumbs on the crook of Akira jawline, and swiped with his fingers outwards on his cheeks. He stayed there. Akira leaned into it. “Having fun?” 

Yusuke tapped his fingers. “As much as you will let me.” 

Akira nestled himself farther into Yusuke’s hands. It scrunched his face up more. He felt so squashed. Now this was amore. He was the king of romance. 

It made Yusuke laugh, just a little. “You know, we are wasting water.” 

In reply, Akira (very masterfully) kept as blank as an expression as possible while giving him fish lips. 

That got a real laugh out of Yusuke, and he took his hands away. It was always nice to get laughs out of him. He didn’t used to often. That was, other than his occasional hearty chuckle when he was feeling an odd kind of inspired. Akira liked those ones, too.

Yusuke scrubbed his hands as well as he could in the water, and then wet down the rag. “Let us get to work, then.”

He was very gentle, wiping off big pieces and rinsing the rag whenever it got cold. Alright, this may have been better than Akira had anticipated. Yusuke was considerate and routined. Working through section after section, and making sure no water dribbled down onto his clothes. It was almost nice, even with the inevitable scrubbing that came with it. Yusuke picked up the mystery bottle. Akira gave it a look.

Yusuke had always been good at reading him. “It is coconut oil.” He unscrewed the cap. “Oils do well to get paint off of skin.” 

He made a little noise of understanding, and Yusuke went back to his work. It was less rough this time. He felt super greasy, though. He was pretty sure coconut oil was good for your face? Maybe this would turn out to be a miniature spa session. He wondered if Yusuke was any good at nail art. 

“Close your eyes, now,” said Yusuke. Akira was also pretty sure coconut oil was not good for the eyes. Just a wild guess. He did as he was asked, and Yusuke went to work, very careful on his eyelids. Very very careful around his eyes.

That reminded him. “I have a question.” 

Yusuke hardly hesitated. “Anything.” 

“Why was I crying?”

Yusuke stopped, just for a moment. “Ah,” A silence sat. “It was only that, in your rest… you simply seemed horribly melancholic.”

He sounded so sad. 

And Akira about choked. 

Yusuke retreated immediately. “Have I gotten some in your mouth? I am terribly sorry.” Understandable question, he’d made him start coughing like a maniac. 

He cleared his throat. He was fine, he was chill. “No, don’t worry. That’s not it.” He wiped around his eyes. Oil was kind of gross, actually. 

“Oh.” 

He should probably elaborate. Yusuke looked confused. “It’s just funny you say I looked sad.” He leaned down onto the counter. “I was dreaming about slugs.” Or, the everlasting woes of slugs, apparently. 

Yusuke paused. Processing, a little bit. “Slugs… you say?” 

Slugs… he said. “Yep.”

“Were they… causing you any discomfort?”

Akira shook his head. “They were just hanging out.”

Yusuke was obviously considering this. It made him smile too, of course, but he was certainly lost in thought. 

He’d come to his conclusion. “Perhaps they meant something more profound. The ways of the subconscious are ever mysterious.” He wet down the rag again, and poured more coconut oil. 

Did they need that much? “Maybe.” 

Apparently, they did. Less is more, but more is also more. He started up again, lightly scrubbing. “You know, due to ancient influences, a slug is considered to be more of a spiritual being than an earthly being. In symbolism, that is.”

“Is it now?” He’d known this would happen. Of course it would, it was Yusuke. He always kept little random pieces of knowledge about symbolic references in art and literature. 

Which, you know, was fine. He was happy to hear it. He was covered in paint and coconut oil, sure, but they were working on it. Sometimes, this was what your days were like. Lazy, and a little slimy. He hoped that his skin would glow like goddamn Polaris after this.

They’d fly down a list of topics, starting at one point and ending at another. Yusuke would lose himself in talking, and Akira would always love to listen. 

So, the morning ended the way it began. Feeling goopy.

And slugs. 

#hello no i did not forget about these!!!! im just slow #also sorry i am incapable of making things short and sweet #i mean it its kinda probably longer than these prompts are supposed to be;;;;;;; #but. whatever. #anyway!!! i hope u enjoy #ask #relationshipcrimes #my fics #my p5 fics

[cheerystarlightwish]

Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited Episode 9 Thoughts

Hi guys! Episode 9 got me thinking and though I didn’t want to create theories or analyzations about Fugou Keiji because we are nearing the end already, I simply can’t help myself. To be honest, I wanted to create some earlier and chat with people but my schedule didn’t side with me for the past three months. Nevertheless, here I am better late than never and excited to read other peoples’ reactions, analyzations, and theories as well. Anyways, For those who haven’t watched the recent episodes yet, there are spoilers ahead as I share my thoughts so please be cautioned! Thank you, have a nice day, and stay safe!

(Disclaimer: Any similarities with other posts are purely coincidental. Moreover, if that does happen, I am glad that there are many who think so too because that increases the probability of the statement, thought, analyzation, or theory being somewhat true.)

______________________________________________________________

Oh.my.goodness.

If I were to summarize my reaction for Ep.9? it would be those. It was nothing short of thrilling and is a perfect stepping point before we get to the climax of the show. Be that as it may, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we only have a few episodes left before it ends. Oddly enough, it feels as though we just began due to the pacing of the revelations. Yes, it allowed us to answer some of our previous questions but at the same time, it created new ones as well. 

The first answer we were able to infer is with regards to Shigemaru Kambe. As we have gathered from the previous episodes, he was alive and supposedly went into hiding for the past 19 years after he killed his wife. Throughout that period, he was believed to be dead by both Daisuke and the world. This is with great exception of his mother who had known of this fact for a long time and even kept it secret to the point of trying to dissuade Daisuke from investigating further. Second, Daisuke's parents were both scientists who were researching an "element" called “adolium”. Such a thing was considered to be dangerous by Sayuri and despite her husband's claims that he will not use it, she completely did not trust him. This could only mean that "adolium" is something that people, powerful people, would want to have for their benefit. Unfortunately, this argument of theirs led to Sayuri leaving the house which prompted her husband to kill her because as he said, he has invested too much on the project to let it be for naught.  

Though we were able to answer the question regarding the culprit of Sayuri's murder, it raises the question of what is the true purpose of “adolium”? From the last episode, it was hinted that it had something to do with energy. When it was introduced head on, it was used in a way that caused several nearby electronics to malfunction. The weird aspect of that event is that the ship itself was unharmed, and it only specifically targeted those Shigemaru's group considered to be "enemies". This realization is alarming because it basically means that they have advanced in their research, against Sayuri's efforts to prevent them from doing so, and can now utilize the "element" in a destructive method. Now, what exactly will they use it for? I deduced that it would be applied in creating some kind of set of weapons. The reason I thought so is because of that episode with the president of a country from Central America. The one who visited to resign an agreement for further collaboration with the Kambe family. He was apparently affiliated with them when the latter provided resources for that president’s country’s “development”. A “development” that turned out to have caused or will cause harm to a community, as evidenced by an attempted assasination of their lives by someone who belonged to that group of people. One thing to note though is that there are similarities between the machines seen in episode 5 and 9 in that they both interfered with a specific set of electronics. Therefore, I think it is safe to assume that the machine in the earlier episode contained the aforementioned “element” as well. This theory raises new questions in how that person from that community got their hands on those technology, which seemingly belongs to Shigemaru’s group as backed by Daisuke’s discovery of it in Laboratory 3. It makes one wonder, is the family involved in some kind of civil war and profiting from it? No matter what though, we cannot deny the detail that the Kambe family provides resources, technology, and weapons to their “customers”. 

Moving on, another key aspect of the mystery is why the higher ups seem to be bent on not being involved nor further investigating the case of the Kambe family. I first thought that it is mainly because they are afraid for their own lives but looking back, that doesn’t seem to be all there is to it. With all the information we have been given, I have two, maybe three if I combine them both, thoughts or theories on this. The first one is that the superiors themselves have invested on this project and are benefiting from it as a whole. It is possible that they too may have a stake in it and will be used by them to acquire future advantages. The second one is that the ones on top contain Kambes or their puppets and alliances. I pondered on this because of the Kambe family picture and how Shigemaru has been described to be the eldest child.The latter seems a little far fetched because if that were the case, why would Daisuke not know about them? Unless, it is specifically being hidden from him as to continue the image that their corporation or conglomerate is “good”, a high probability. 

The last facet of this mystery so far is what they could want with Daisuke and the identity of the newly introduced characters as well as the location they are currently headed to. With regards to what they want with the former, I’m not quite sure. Daisuke obviously disapproves of whatever this “adolium” business is because of its contribution to his mother’s death and its evident dangerous nature. Shigemaru himself is aware of this, and yet why did he say that he has been waiting for Daisuke for a long time? Why did he instruct Frantz to keep him alive? With these set of questions, I could only gather three possibilities. The first one is that they could be trying to silence him about the matter at hand. They will probably try to kill him too or at least make it so that he would not want to further delve into the issue. Second, they will try to get him in on the business itself by reasoning with him as they might have supposedly did with the higher ups. The last one is that they will let Daisuke take the fall of whatever downhill event is bound to happen next, another high possibility. It cannot be denied that Daisuke is known by the world to be the head of the Kambe Conglomerate. Therefore, it would not be farfetched to think that they might be saving him for future use in taking the fall for the result of whatever they are planning to do. On the matter of the identity of the new characters, we have yet to know more. The only thing episode 9 told us is that Frantz is a multinational weapons merchant on top of being Thomas Matheson’s bodyguard. From that little introduction, it is no doubt difficult to hypothesize the extent of their role in the mystery. Nevertheless, I do have some ideas I would like to share. Frantz’s characteristic of being a weapons merchant aligns with the certainty we had that the Kambe family produces and sells weapons. It would then make sense for them to be related, but what intrigues me is his listed job as a bodyguard which could be some sort of coverup for his true job.  The question is, is he the boss or is he just a representative of his true boss? Additionally, is Thomas aware of Frantz’s involvement with the Kambes? Is he another leader of a country? or better yet, is he himself part of the masterminds or true bosses? We can only know for sure in the next episode. As far as I can conclude though, it would seem that Frantz is an underling, given his actions, of an even bigger persona and that the Kambes are profiting from discords and strife.

With everything they have given us, there are quite a lot of ways it can go. So in consideration of all these notions and ideas, we can only wait for future revelations, confirmations, and validations. To be completely honest, I cannot wait for this mystery to be further unfolded.

Predictions:

Based on a post (link) I saw earlier, it seems that Episode 10 will contain epic scenes. According to the source, the FKBU team apparently called in the director for Shingeki no Kyojin and Kabaneri Fortress to aid in this specific episode. As a result, they themselves are still in awe of how it turned out when they all worked on it together. Now given this information, it fuels my curiosity to the brim and I simply can’t wait for tomorrow. It seems to me that the scene wherein Daisuke and Haru fight side by side in the opening is about to come true. Imagine that sequence and the possibility of the background music being the OP Navigator, and we will get one hell of an iconic scene.  Moreover, I can’t wait to find out who are the other people involved in this scheme and what is “adolium” going to really be used for, because as far as we know, it has something to do with energy and interference. Additionally, we are already aware that the ship is headed for Panama, a famous country that is known for its transit through the Panama Canal. Is it their destination or is it simply a stop over? I guess we'll just see tomorrow! 

#fugou keiji balance: unlimited #fugou keiji #fkbu #kambe daisuke #daisuke kambe #katou haru #haru katou #kato haru #haru kato #the millionaire detective balance: unlimited #im really excited guys

[thecorpulentbeagle]

Okujima Week 2020: Alternate Universe

We are nearing the end of this challenge – I hope that you have enjoyed so far!

This story is AU, or Alternate Universe. I spent much less time than last year deciding what universe to set this in. Anyone who knows me knows that when I’m not writing fanfiction, working, sleeping, or eating, I am playing Fire Emblem Three Houses. It’s a really fun game, and a lot of the mechanics are similar to Persona 5 (it even has some of the same voice actors). If you like Fire Emblem (or are a fan of medieval times) and Persona 5 (which I assume that you do since you have read this far in the challenge), I encourage you to pick it up!

I would like to ask those who are commenting to please make sure that you mark if your comments contain spoilers for Fire Emblem Three Houses! Though I have personally, many people may not have finished all of the routes yet, and I’d like to keep them spoiler-free. This story will only feature information that can be obtained in Part One – basically information that you learn in the beginning of the game so that you know how the world is set up, and basic facts about the characters. If you are still unsure, feel free to skip this chapter and come back once you have finished Part One.

One more note: I began writing this before the “Cindered Shadows” DLC, so characters and plot points from that route will not be in this story. However, one class will be in this story, but that in and of itself isn’t a spoiler.

Here is the fanfiction.net link.

Please enjoy this sixth part of the Okujima Week 2020 Challenge!

As always: THIS STORY WILL NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 5 ROYAL, BUT WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 5.

Okujima Week 2020 Challenge:

Not Just a Crest:

Alternate Universe

-Haru-

“Rah!” Haru swung her training axe down, flinching slightly as she made contact with her opponent’s training gauntlets.

“Ha!” Makoto batted away the weapon with one hand, using her other to punch her opponent’s side.

However, Haru jumped back, bringing her axe back to her side to ready it for another swing.

“Great dodge, Haru!” The girl in question smiled at her companion’s compliment.

“Thanks! You’re doing well too. I can imagine it’s hard to block a heavy swing like that with one arm.”

“Thank you! But flattery will get you nowhere!” Makoto moved forward, swinging her right fist.

Haru moved out of the way and quickly swung her axe to collide with Makoto’s left arm, hoping that it would sting enough for her to lose use of it for a moment.

Her prediction worked. Makoto’s arm dropped to her side, and she prepared to strike with her other.

But Haru expected this, so she made a quick feint and punched Makoto’s exposed side.

“Gah!” Makoto flinched.

Haru took advantage and swung her axe back up, striking the very place she had just hit.

Makoto jumped back, holding her side. “You’re relentless!” She seemed happy and animated despite the obvious pain she was feeling.

Haru merely smirked before charging in.

But now it seemed that she had fallen for Makoto’s trap.

While Haru was stronger, Makoto was faster. The brawler quickly dodged out of the way of Haru’s incoming axe and slammed her gauntlet into the small of Haru’s back, effectively knocking the wind out of her.

Before she could recover, Haru felt a strong force in her abdomen, and realized that Makoto had kicked her there.

She couldn’t fight anymore without being able to take deep breaths. Haru dropped her weapon and raised both hands, the universal signal for surrender.

“Giving up so easily?” Makoto taunted.

Haru nodded her head, not able to breathe enough to form words.

Makoto seemed to realize that something was amiss. Her confident smirk faded and was replaced with a look of utmost concern. “Haru? I didn’t break anything, did I?”

Haru smiled and shook her head. It seemed her diaphragm had stopped its spasms enough for her to breathe. “I-I couldn’t catch my breath…. f-for…”

Makoto was by her side at an instant. “Hey now. Don’t force yourself. I did hit you pretty hard. I’d be more surprised if the wind wasn’t knocked out of you.” She unstrapped her gauntlets from her hands and let them drop to the floor with a clatter. She rubbed a circle on Haru’s back, which soothed the girl.

Haru took a few more deep breaths. “I always forget… that brawlers… kick as well.”

Makoto chuckled. “Yes. Brawlers tend to be a little more versatile in their fighting techniques. We don’t always hit hard, but we can surprise you. Although I must say that I’m surprised as well. You don’t usually use your fists. Have you been training some in gauntlets as well?” Makoto asked.

Haru nodded. “Yes. I’ve asked the professor for some extra training. It’s nice to have a back-up in case my axe breaks or something.” She bent down to pick up the weapon and twirled it in her hands. “I’ll admit that I’ve learned some techniques from sparring with you as well.”

“Well, I think that’s enough training for now.” Makoto moved her hand away from Haru to rub her own side. “I can already feel the bruise starting to form. You really do hit harder than almost anyone I know.”

“I suppose we have my Crest to thank for that,” Haru automatically replied. She regretted it almost instantly. It was a hard habit to break. She had been told her entire life how important her Crest was, and that it was the only reason for her strength. Her family (specifically her father) had said to her many times that she should bring up her Crest in conversation whenever possible. It was the only thing that she was good for, and it would be what would land her a rich and noble husband one day.

Makoto reached out and placed a hand on Haru’s face, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Perhaps in part, but it’s also due to your training.” Then, she added the sentence she always did when Haru’s spirits fell in such a way, “You’re more than your Crest, Haru.”

The girl nodded. “You’re right as ever.” She reached up a hand to place it on Makoto’s. “Thank you, Makoto.”

“Of course.” Makoto stroked Haru’s cheek with her thumb, which caused her to sigh and lean even more heavily into her comforting palm.

--

“I’m glad that the Dining Hall had these today!” Haru cheered, sitting down at a free(ish) table with a plate of the Sweet Bun Trio. These were among her personal favorites.

“Indeed.” Makoto chuckled at her friend’s behavior and sat down across from her.

Haru knew that Makoto was not as fond of sweet food as Haru was (well, maybe not so much sweet as unhealthy), so she appreciated that she was supporting Haru by copying her food choice.

A lighthearted chuckle brought both girls’ attention to one of their many dining companions. Mercedes was looking at the two younger students, her eyes bright. “It makes me very happy to hear how excited you are about this meal.”

“Ah. Did you prepare it with the professor, Mercedes?” Makoto asked.

Mercedes nodded. “I did! So I hope that the two of you enjoy.” She lowered her voice. “I saw how dispirited Haru looked when you both entered the Dining Hall, and the best cure for sadness is sweetness!”

Haru hadn’t realized how publicly she had been displaying her emotions. Though it was common knowledge that Mercedes was particularly adept at reading people. Either way, Haru needed to acknowledge her kindness. “Thank you, Mercedes. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course! Thank you for talking with me. I’d talk with Annie, but she’s a little preoccupied at the moment.” The three girls looked over at the aforementioned student, who was currently stuffing her face with the delectable sweets. It didn’t even look like she knew that she was being talked about.

Haru giggled.

“She does look… happy…”

Haru cleared her throat with surprise. It sounded like she herself had spoken those words. It seemed as if Makoto and Mercedes had thought so as well, as the two looked at her curiously. However, even though the voice was similar, the tone was decidedly more somber than Haru’s usual inflection.

A thought struck her. Turning her head to see who else was near the group, she saw whom she had suspected. Marianne was sitting next to her, also with the Sweet Bun Trio dish, and she was looking at the group with a sad smile.

“Ah, Marianne! I’m so sorry. I thought that you were Haru.” Mercedes bowed her head slightly towards the girl.

“No need… for apologies…” Marianne poked at her food. “I know that I sound… very similar to Haru.”

Haru giggled again. The similarities between their two voices was a hot topic of discussion among the residents of Garreg Mach. It was said that the two were actually the same person that had been split in two, with Haru inheriting the more bubbly and happy aspects, and Marianne displaying the calmer and more depressed ones.

Haru didn’t appreciate that people thought of Marianne as only a sad person, as she herself had seen the girl smile. Though Haru had to admit that sight was rare.

Wanting to see that smile, Haru placed her hand on Marianne’s free one. “We should use it to distract our enemies. Think of how confused they would be to think that one person was in two places at once!”

Marianne gave a small smile, but didn’t look up from her food.

“Forget Haru and Marianne!” The group once again turned their collective heads towards the latest dining companion. Caspar gave a loud belch as he pounded his chest with his fist, which caused Makoto to scrunch her face up in slight disgust. Haru realized with amusement that Linhardt (who was sitting next to him) was making a similar expression.

“You know who really sounds similar? Makoto and Lady Rhea!”

“That’s true!” Annette had paused from her meal to join the conversation. “You really need to take advantage of that, Makoto.”

“Oh, Annie. You’ve got crumbs all over your face.” Mercedes proceeded to raise a napkin to her best friend’s face, wiping them off as the other protested about not being a child.

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Why not?” Caspar whined. “You could get away with all kinds of stuff! Excuse yourself from class… excuse me from class!”

“Exactly why did you enroll here in the first place?” Linhardt spoke up, rolling his eyes at his friend.

“Shut up!” Caspar roughly shoved the other boy, who grumbled. “I meant the boring stuff, like reading.”

“I happen to like reading,” Makoto replied.

“Can you even read, Caspar?” Annette teased.

“Besides,” Makoto hastily interrupted before Caspar (who had opened his mouth to retort) and the girl started a fight, “how would I do that? I’d have to be standing behind a wall or a door so the person couldn’t see me.”

“Lady Rhea is a very public figure. She enjoys being with the people, so that would be a difficult thing to accomplish,” Mercedes added.

Knowing he was outnumbered, Caspar merely mumbled something unintelligible before turning back to his meal, which caused everyone to laugh.

The rest of the dinner went by in a similar fashion, with the students conversing about what they had done today, and what they were looking forward to (and not looking forward to) tomorrow. Haru eased herself into the rowdy yet comfortable atmosphere, trying to forget about her worries from earlier. Even though Garreg Mach wasn’t perfect, it allowed people from all walks of life to spend time together, and Haru deeply appreciated that.

In the Dining Hall, she was just Haru the student, rather than Haru Okumura, the heir to one of Faerghus’ noble houses.

Before too long, Haru had finished her plate and turned to look at Makoto, who had finished a few minutes prior. The other girl was talking with Mercedes and Annette, who were laughing and nodding at whatever she had been saying.

Haru was glad to see Makoto getting along so well with her peers. When the two had started at the Academy together, Makoto had been more reserved. Not as much as someone like Marianne, but Haru could tell that she was not comfortable conversing with others when there wasn’t a specific social protocol to be following.

Haru had done her best to break Makoto out of her shell, and over the past few months, it seemed to have worked. She was also delighted to have gained a good friend in the process.

The two hadn’t really talked about their social standings, as it wasn’t a concern for them. However, Haru had been able to parse out that Makoto was a commoner from Faerghus with an elder sister. Neither of them had a Crest, though that didn’t stop either of them.

Sadly (and this had taken Haru quite some time to get from Makoto), her mother had passed early, shortly after Makoto was born. Her father had been a knight, and he had passed away a few years ago in a fight protecting merchants from wild beasts. It was a common occurrence unfortunately, though it didn’t make it any easier for those who were left behind. Sae, Makoto’s older sister, had had to put her own plans of becoming a knight on hold to help care for Makoto.

It was a testament to Makoto’s skill that she was able to get into the Academy at all, given how expensive the tuition was. Since Haru was from a noble family, it was a non-issue for her. However, Makoto had demonstrated talent early on, and her father’s and sister’s reputation helped her get recommended and eventually accepted.

Despite all of these setbacks, Makoto had persevered and had actually thrived. Haru truly admired that.

Even though Haru had entered the Academy with relative ease, she also had a difficult family situation. Her mother had passed early on in her life as well, and she did not get along with her own father at all.

She’d been a little bit cagier with her history, going so far as to not even tell Makoto that she was a noble, as she had been burned in the past. It wasn’t that she wanted to lie to Makoto, but she didn’t want the other girl to only be friends with her because she was a noble. However, Makoto did know about her family affairs, and she sympathized with her.

But then, Haru realized, she was getting caught up in depressing thoughts once again. Banishing the thoughts from her mind, she smiled and tapped Makoto’s shoulder, getting her attention. “Ready to go?”

Makoto nodded. “Yes. I can walk you back to your room, if you’d like?”

Haru blushed slightly. It was hard for her to not feel flattered. Considering how much she respected the other girl, it came as no surprise when, one day, she realized how deeply she respected Makoto. It also helped that the other girl was polite and charming, even when she wasn’t trying to be.

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

The two rose up together, with Makoto picking up both of their plates and cutlery. “That’s very sweet of you,” Haru commented.

She smiled when she saw that she had drawn forth a blush on Makoto’s face. “O-Of course! You’ve had a rough day. It’s the least I could do, really.” She hesitated before adding, “Especially considering that I hit you so hard that I knocked the wind out of you.”

A chuckle drew their attention to Annette, who was grinning at them. “What were you two getting up to? I mean, I know that people are into different things, but what –ow!” Her wide smile collapsed and turned into a snarl as she looked at Mercedes, who was smiling sweetly at her. “What was that –?”

“Have a good evening you two!” Mercedes waved at the pair, interrupting whatever Annette had been planning to say.

“Thank you.” Makoto bowed her head slightly before turning around to leave, Haru following after her after exchanging goodbyes with the rest of the table.

After depositing their items at the counter, the two students walked outside, the slightly cool air feeling good on Haru’s skin after being in the crowded Dining Hall.

“It’ll be autumn soon,” Makoto commented as the two made their way to the dorms.

“Yes. I love all of the seasons, but fall is especially beautiful.”

“Hm.”

The two walked in silence, though it wasn’t uncomfortable. However, Makoto seemed to think it was.

“Apologies for… not saying much.” Makoto laughed nervously.

“Not to worry!” Haru bumped her playfully on the shoulder. “I know crowds can wear you out. I’m perfectly content walking without saying a word.”

“I see.”

Haru took a deep breath, appreciating the calming atmosphere. Most students were either in the Dining Hall, the Training Grounds, or in their own rooms. The few people who were outside were fishing, and they were silent, trying not to scare the fish away.

She saw that one of the people fishing was the professor, who currently had a basket of fish lined up next to them. She giggled as Byleth whipped another fish out of the water and calmly plopped it down into the already overflowing basket. The professor merely pulled another basket towards their side and cast out another line, either ignoring or being oblivious to the small crowd that had gathered and was currently ogling them and their large haul.

After a few more minutes, the two reached the second floor, where Haru’s room was located.

Haru opened her door and beckoned Makoto inside, who nodded and followed, closing the door behind herself wordlessly.

“Please make yourself comfortable.” Haru gestured towards one of her chairs as she situated herself on her bed. Makoto did so.

“Would you like to talk?” Makoto asked quietly after a brief moment of silence.

“About what?”

“Haru, there’s no need to have your defenses up with me. You know that.” Makoto crossed her legs and folded her hands together, resting them in her lap.

“Are you going to be my therapist for this evening?” Haru joked, not wanting to launch right into a serious conversation.

Makoto laughed. “That is one of the few things Garreg Mach cannot prepare you for.”

Haru lied down on the bed on her back, straightening her skirt. “Perhaps, but a War Cleric can probably solve a lot of problems.”

“True. A Warrior would be helpful as well.”

Haru giggled, acknowledging Makoto’s compliment.

“I’m not going to force you. But I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

Haru sighed. “It’s nothing more than my Crest.” She raised a hand and looked at it before making a fist. “I know it’s a blessing to have one… but I can’t help but notice… how many problems it’s caused in my life.”

When Makoto said nothing, Haru continued, “Everyone here is nice, and no one cares whether or not I have one. Well, other than Professor Hanneman, but his is more of a professional interest.” She placed her hand back down at her side. “But I can’t help but worry that, once I’ve graduated, my father will put his foot down and force me to take a husband to pass on this… horrible blessing.”

“What if I have a child that bears a Crest? Of course, I’ll need to continue having children until one inherits mine.” Haru shivered slightly at the thought. “Once I do… then I’ll be forced to watch my own child be put through the same fate as me. The cycle will continue.”

At Makoto’s continued silence, Haru turned her head to see what her reaction had been to Haru’s sudden monologue. “I… haven’t put you to sleep, have I?”

Far from an expression of boredom, Makoto had a look of intense rage on her face. Her eyebrows were so furrowed it looked painful, and her frown was similar to when she was about to slay one of her enemies. Haru’s heart skipped a beat seeing such an expression on her usually calm friend’s face.

“Haru. You never have to worry about talking about your struggles. I’ll listen as much as you need me to.” She breathed out roughly through her nose. “And I will always be as furious as I am now when you talk about your family situation.” Haru saw that Makoto was making fists. “The fact that you have to worry about any of this… is appalling. And worse yet… I can’t help.”

Haru looked at her confused. “But Makoto, just being able to talk about my problems with you is enough.” She gave her a sad smile. “Having these thoughts and feelings without having an outlet for them… would be maddening. I’m able to deal with them because of you.”

“That’s not what I mean!” Makoto stood up, causing Haru to sit up. Makoto immediately looked sheepish and lowered her voice. “That’s not what I mean,” she repeated quietly. “I meant… that if I were a nobleman, I could help. I could marry you, and then your fate would be a little bit more bearable.”

Haru looked at her incredulously. “Marry…?”

“However, I am neither a noble nor a man, so I can only stand by and offer support.” Makoto sat back down, looking tired. “You deserve more than that fate, Haru… so much more. I know that being a commoner presents its own struggles, but a noble’s… are awful as well.”

“You…” Haru was shocked. Too many surprises were hitting her at once, and she was already struggling to keep her emotions in check. “You would want to marry me? And… you know that I’m a noble?”

Makoto gave a small smile. “I feel that neither of those facts are particularly shocking.” She stood up and sat down next to Haru, resting a hand on one of hers. “Those with Crests tend to be nobles. Plus, commoners usually to get to marry who they want. I have no such restrictions, for example.” She squeezed her hand. “True, there are some commoners who worry more so about their marriage partners, but worry to this degree is restricted to nobles. In addition, look where we are right now.”

“Hm?”

“The second floor is for nobles, with very rare exceptions,” Makoto explained. “Finally, my father and sister served and want to serve as knights for the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and I’d like to as well one day. We know the names of all of the royal houses, and once I learned your surname, well… I put two and two together.”

Now that Makoto said it all out loud, it seemed silly that Haru could have ever hoped to keep her status a secret to her. But there was a more important fact on her mind now. “And the marriage…?”

Makoto blushed. “Um.. yes. That.” She cleared her throat. “Haru. I know that we’ve only been friends for a few months now, but I do care about you.” She laughed nervously. “I don’t want to propose marriage right now, as that’s a bit soon, and it wouldn’t work in your situation. However, I would like to court you, if you would allow it.” She raised a hand to Haru’s cheek. “I know… that your father probably already has a husband lined up for you the moment you graduate and return home. I’d… like to support you, have you enjoy these next few months so that when you do marry… at least you’ll have made some pleasant memories about romance in your life.”

Haru was speechless. Apparently, she had been too consumed with not showing her own feelings that she hadn’t realized how strong Makoto’s were in return. “Makoto…”

“If you’d rather not, either because you don’t care for me in that way, or you just don’t want to because you’ll have to stop eventually, then please let me know. All I want… is to make you as happy as you’ve made me.”

“I do care about you in that way. Truly, Makoto,” Haru finally responded, turning her head to kiss her friend’s palm gently. “You’re right that I distanced myself because I didn’t want to… lead you on, only to have to suddenly break up with you to pursue a husband.” She sighed. “I’m sorry about not telling you that I was a noble. I should have guessed that you would’ve been able to figure it out, but I so desperately wanted someone to like me… for me, as cliché as that sounds.” She giggled.

“Even if it is cliché, it’s the truth, and I can understand your desire for it.” Makoto wiped a tear off of Haru’s face. She hadn’t even realized that she had been crying.

“And if I might offer a glimmer of hope. That situation may not even happen. The three lords that are currently next in line all seem to have much more… lenient attitudes towards status and customs.” Makoto smiled. “Each generation becomes slightly more progressive, so hopefully, Crests and the like won’t matter so much.”

“As much as I’d like to believe that, I’m afraid that change doesn’t happen so quickly without a catalyst.”

“Perhaps. If that doesn’t work out, how would you feel about eloping?”

Haru choked on air, spluttering at the suggestion. “You would really consider that? We’d have to leave the Kingdom to avoid my father’s wrath.”

Makoto shrugged. “People have done that in the past, so it’s not technically unprecedented. I would miss Sis though.” She shook her head. “But all of this is a bit beside the point, as we haven’t even confirmed if we are going to be a couple.”

“Oh, of course.” Haru cleared her throat. “I would be honored to be courted by you, and would like to court you as well, for as long as we are able.”

Makoto chuckled. “Another thing that gave you away was your formalities.”

Haru laughed. “Hey! You speak formally as well sometimes. And I noticed that you didn’t give me an answer.”

“Should I? I offered first and you accepted.”

“I would like you to say something.”

“Of course.” Makoto cleared her throat. “Thank you, Haru,” she said earnestly.

“Thank you, Makoto.” Haru leaned over and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek, which caused her to blush.

Even if it was only temporary, Haru was determined to spend as much time as she could with Makoto. And to figure out how many ways she could tease her, as she was quite cute when she was embarrassed.

Haru was chained to her fate, but chains could always be broken. And they would find a way to do just that.

Together.

--

For those of you who played both Persona 5 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I’m sure that you heard the similarities in voices of some of the characters. I remember when I heard Rhea’s and Marianne’s voices for the first time – I immediately looked at the voice cast for the game, and confirmed that Rhea/Makoto and Marianne/Haru share voice actors!

It was hard not showing preference to any house, but now that I’m writing comments, I feel comfortable in saying… Blue Lions Best House!

Just kidding! All houses have their merits, and Golden Deer and Black Eagles are both great. I just have a bias towards Blue Lions since I played that route first. Feel free to let me know which house is your favorite in the comments!

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed. I will see you tomorrow!

#okujima #okujima week #okujima week 2020 #makoto niijima #haru okumura #makoto x haru #haru x makoto #p5 #persona 5 #fe #fire emblem #fe3h #fire emblem three houses

[sage-thrasher]

Extra: “Sanitize” and Outsider POVs (Chemical Reactions)

Well, here’s 1.5k words of outsider POV: a hobbyist chemist/physicist meets Yui. Science results. It’s basically indulgent fluff I wrote for no reason besides, well... indulgence. Sparked by the thought that our knowledge of physics and chemistry has grown so much... people and science are pretty wonderful. Takes place in no specific time. Here’s Chemical Reactions.

---

Being wealthy and charismatic meant that Haru Watanabe was called ‘eccentric.’ He was also a middle-aged man with three children and a doting wife, the owner of a thriving spice business—mostly ran by the aforementioned wife—and a self-described scholar with a surprising amount of perceptiveness. Basically, Haru did everything else right so that he could get away with doing some things wrong.

(The first sin in question: throwing himself headfirst into physics and chemistry despite having enough money to pursue respectable subjects like history, politics, literature, or historical political literature.)

Haru had people who could do the tiresome but necessary business of actually bringing the goods from one place to another. Unfortunately, there did come times where he had to make the trek in person, generally when it involved a noble personage of one dinky plot or another who got delusions of grandeur. Haru would then kiss his wife and children, board the caravan, and head to woo the noble who was choking his trade routes. This time, he was with a scribe, a servant, and two hired Sarutobi guards.

(The greater sin: blabbing about his scientific interests with everyone who had the slightest amount of interest, which in Haru’s world, was the equivalent of looking in his direction.)

He’d talked his associates’s ears off during the journey there, and on the way back, both his employees were resigned to hearing his newest ideas--his scribe knew it by heart. Though the younger ninja had been interested at first, now the two Sarutobi were staring into the distance with glazed eyes.

(The final sin: making sure that he walked his hostage audience through the concepts in question until they understood it instead of blabbing without input, denying said audience the luxury of entirely tuning it out.)

So when Haru stopped in Chiyuku to pay the necessary pilgrimage to Healer Yui’s residence, he of course took her offer of tea as an invitation to speak about his newest pet theory. Haru hadn’t met with her personally before, having never been down this route himself, but he and every merchant with business on this side of the country knew about her. And Haru especially knew of her reputation for sharing knowledge. Was it likely that she knew anything about his interests? No, but that had never stopped him before.

“I have a great interest in science,” he began, smiling.

She didn’t pause in the middle of bandaging—the younger Sarutobi was lightly burned, but only because he’d practiced some sort of ninja technique above his skill levels, much to the exasperation of the older one—but she looked up.

“Is that so?” Yui was perfectly polite. “What kind of sciences?”

“Oh, physics and chemistry, mainly.” He let his smile grow brighter. “The very big and very small, the planets and the atoms.”

There was a glint of genuine interest now, even as she said, “Give me a minute, please.” Haru was content to wait as she gave the ninja instructions, washed her hands, poured herself a cup of tea, and took a seat across from him. “You’re a scholar in both subjects?”

Her voice was the mix of a rustic drawl and clipped enunciation that educated rural folk tended to have, and Haru could detect traces of other accents, likely picked up from all the travelers that came through Chiyuku.

(Again, he wasn’t a bad merchant. He was a rather excellent one, though his wife was the exceptional half. Haru was well-versed in the art of sizing someone up.)

“I am!” Haru sipped his tea and was pleasantly surprised by its mellow flavor. He’d had worse tea in fancier places. “Are you aware of the elements of matter?” Before he could start his theory, he needed to gauge her current knowledge.

It wasn’t quite a non-sequitur, but Yui took the small leap between topics in stride. “Yes. Carbon, nitrogen…” She hesitated. “I have the periodic chart of elements. A colleague of mine gave me some books with them.”

HHaru’s interest was piqued. “Did he?” He reevaluated her and took a different tack. “As you might be aware, we can put some elements together and create new ones. Organics from organics and inorganics from like. Not one from the other, and some combinations of elements won’t combine at all. Why do you think so?”

And so began a conversation like none other that Haru had participated in, beyond his wildest dreams. (A virtue: Haru could talk and talk and talk, but he could also listen. With colleagues and scholars—and his brilliant, incredible wife—he could sit spellbound for hours, with little to say but “Please, continue!”)

He kept asking why, why, and she kept answering. Yui spoke about the shape of atoms and the charged pieces that made up them. She spoke about the bonds between elements and the shape of those bonds, all connected by little electric pieces of matter that orbited around them. Finally, he asked about the interactions of magnets and forces, about the minutiae of why some elements had so many electric bits, why the shells around each center were numbered the way they were.

“I’ve...” she paused. “ I don’t really know. This is all a guess, anyway,” she added. “None of this will be proved for decades.” Yui cleared her throat, gone hoarse with talking, and she sipped her tea.

By now, the sun had dipped from its high point to begin its journey downwards. Haru’s guard took the opportunity to hazard a reminder: “Perhaps it would be best to continue—”

“Thank you, Sarutobi-san,” interrupted Haru. “I think we shall stay sometime longer, if it suits the esteemed healer.”

Yui seemed torn, having clearly enjoyed a conversation with someone who not only followed along but also hadn’t questioned her authority. “I wouldn’t want to keep you…”

“No, not at all!” He waved her concerns aside. “Now, you were talking about proof? How would you prove this?” Haru took care to keep his voice eager and curious, letting no suggestion of incredulity or accusation color his voice. He knew how easy it was to dismiss a woman’s knowledge, intentionally or not. Why, his own darling wife needed him as a frontman to manage the business, as silly as that was—she was better than he ever could be.

With a hesitant smile, Yui began to describe a series of fantastical devices: microscopes that used electric pieces, machines that spun bits of matter fast enough to tear them open, and lightning that could split bonded compounds in two.

Haru listened eagerly, soaking up as much knowledge as he could. His ability to listen, his experience, and his surprisingly deep well of common sense gave him a fine-tuned nonsense detector. And yet, her words didn’t set it off, likely because they made sense. Likely because she admitted freely how she couldn’t prove any of it, that this was baseless speculation.

(It didn’t feel like it.)

“What about chakra? Where does this fit in?”

The two ninja, alternatively bored out of their minds and surprisingly keen to listen, perked up at Haru’s question.

And to his ongoing surprise, she laughed. “I have absolutely no idea.” Yui leaned back in her chair, taking another sip. “An energy source from another universe? A force we don’t understand? Who knows. All I know is that it seems to break all laws of the natural world.”

Haru mirrored her body language, leaning back as well. “And you know how to use it.”

“I do, but I don’t understand it.”

He made a contemplative sound. Haru liked knowing things, and Yui had done him an enormous favor by sharing. Then again, he liked knowing things, and she… was a mystery. For not the first time this journey, Haru wished that his wife was with him. She would know what to say. (Another flaw: his stubbornness, his refusal to let anything go when it caught his interest...)

“Is your knowledge supernatural?”

(... and the bluntness that resulted from it.)

This time, everyone stared at him.

Yui blinked, a mix of shock, horror, and annoyance displayed in her creasing forehead.

Haru blinked back, suddenly aware that this faux pas was inexcusable, even for him. “Anyway,” he said, moving the conversation on before it lingered like a carelessly lit firecracker between them, “I must thank you sincerely for indulging me. As a token of appreciation...”

Haru opened the bag that he had carried with him, full of physics and chemistry books that he had planned on going over with the healer—before she’d blown away every preconception and filled his minds with theories in no book before her. He chewed his lip, considering the titles, and finally picked out the one that had the most similar and detailed analysis to what she’d told him. It was mostly a comparison of elemental properties and compounds, but… Haru had noticed that despite her detailed knowledge, she’d made up many of the words for the esoteric parts of her masterful theory.

“Here,” he said, placing the book on the table. “If you want any others in my bag, do let me know. And if it pleases you, I can send you any book on any topic you desire, if you promise to share me more of your wonderful theories.” He undercut his statement with a bright smile, trying to convey that he meant it as a friend—or at least a friendly acquaintance.

Yui gave him a careful smile back, though her openness had shuttered with his blundered statement. “I’d like that,” she said.

And just like that, Haru had another puzzle he knew he had to solve: the source of her knowledge.

#sanitize fanfic #Oc-insert #naruto fanfic #extra

[tcrmommabear]

Merry Christmas Wolfie!

Oh, my dear @wolfiethewriter, I had a lot of fun writing this!

It’s funny how ideas and connections will hit suddenly. And then you wonder where they’ve been hiding for you to not have noticed before!

I hope you enjoy this short story about Toto, and his life before the Bureau (and a brief snippet of his life with them!)

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.

-E

There was a tapping at his window.

The two things in question- his window and tapping sounds- weren’t typically a cause for concern. But the two coming together, at the dead of night, on a second story window, was reason enough to be concerned. Maybe a touch frightened.

It was storming terribly outside. Snow buffeting against the walls and windows, the old home creaking slightly under the stress. Perhaps a tree branch, or a stone? Yes, surely he could reason away the tapping that had awoken him from his dreamless sleep.

Except there were no trees and stones near his window, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it… There was the shape of a raven pecking at his window. Was the creature seeking sanctuary? He’d seen them be clever creatures, in odd ways. Never often enough to prove a thinking mind behind the eyes, but enough to be curious.

He arose from his warm bed, crept to the window, and threw back the latch. Within a moment, the window roared open, grasping fingers of wind and cold caressing his cheek. The bird flew in, racing to the shelf above his bed, and he shut the window soon after, locking the panes back into place.

“An unfortunate time to be compassionate,” he muttered, eyeing the wet floor and strewn about (thankfully blank) papers. He glanced at the bird, who sat preening at the moment, nudging wayward feathers back into place. He shook his head, stepping around the mess to the chair and fire, tossing another log.

With the bird in his room, he’d rather hold off on sleep, so neither were trapped with the other. His leg bounced, hands clasped in his lap. It was fascinating to see such a creature up close, some sort of haunting feeling lingering in the air. Like the bird was all too aware of everything around it.

“I don’t suppose,” he asked lightly of the bird, “you could spare an apology for waking me from sleep? Or for the mess left upon my floor?”

It stopped its preening, turning instead to focus remarkably intelligent, black eyes upon him. He felt exposed for a moment, like staring down at the dizzying height of his home, the ground unreachable.

The bird gave a smile.

“One is due, in any circumstance. Along with my thanks,” a deep voice spilled from the beak.

He scrambled, limbs frantically working to get him up and away. He crammed himself into the corner behind the chair, never breaking eye contact with the bird. He grabbed the fire poker, held it up with shaking hands. As intimidating as a mouse to a lion.

The bird watched him. Waited. Cocked its head as the two stood there together, opposite corners of the room and battling for the space. At least, he felt he was in battle. An outright war between his logical, insistent mind that none of this was real, and the morbidly curious side of his mind. The one that watched crows peck at the leftover corpse of a squirrel.

“Surely,”- he licked his lips-“surely those words were not spoken by you, bird? Otherwise, I may have to admit that I’ve gone completely mad.”

“But I did speak. Specifically to apologize and to thank you. I thought I might frighten you, but you’re taking this all really well,”  the crow laughed, slightly. The sound, though disagreeing with his understanding of the world, was warm, kind. He didn’t quite know what he had to be afraid of. It’s a crow.

A talking crow.

“If I may, sir,” the crow began, flapping wings and jerking his head towards the fire, “might I take a perch by the fire? I’ve flown all day and night in this snow, and I’d like to get warmth back into my bones.”

He used the fire poker to loosely gesture over towards the fireplace, dropping it when the bird took flight and landed near the flames. He slowly worked his way around his chair, dropping into it without breaking contact with the bird. Surely, there must be some reasoning or idea behind this madness.

“You’re just a dream, yes?” he asked hopefully, pressing his clasped hands against his mouth.

“That’s a question with an answer only we can decide for ourselves,” the bird answered, simply, “but I like to think of myself as quite real.”

“Right, of course.”

They lapsed into silence, the wind’s howls and the fire’s crackles more than eager to fill the space. The bird seemed as content as could be just to watch the flames, quiet company and all that. He felt like a bomb ready to go off, examining ever feather and piece of skin he could find.

“You speak well,” he blurted out once the fuse lit the dynamite, “taught by your master? Did he give you a name?”

The bird blinked in surprise, if he had to guess. He felt foolish at the idea of asking for a name, expecting much of the creature that (he was beginning to reason to himself) could only speak what little its master had taught.

“I’ve had many names over the years,” the bird told him, staring into the flames, “none have really stayed. Call me what you like.”

He shifted, fraught with nerves. He glanced about the room, searching for a bolt of lightning to strike him. A small bust caught his eye briefly, the features sculpted delicately, the war helmet upright and sure.

“Would “Pallas” be a suitable name?” he asked after a moment of thought.

The bird gave a bark (caw?) of laughter, fluffing its feathers while it turned to catch his eye.

“After Pallas Athena, I see? I’d be honored to take her name,” he chortled out.

He gave a relieved smile, still flicking between the two, looking for some sort of riddle to be solved. Hardly noticing the final, mournful howls of winter’s snow. But the crow- Pallas- took off towards the window ledge, pausing to glance about what survived of his desk.

“I thank you for your kindness and warmth,” Pallas called out, reading his works that he’d tried and scrapped. “Could I have your name to thank you properly?”

He hesitated a moment, before responding, “Allan. You can call me Allan.”

“Sir Allan,” Pallas said, puffing their chest, “I thank you for the fire and the company.”

“Will I see you again?” he blurted, crossing halfway to the window with a hand raised. He had questions, needed answers, wanted to discover how far reality and dream came to be. How mad he really, truly was, to seek after a bird.

Pallas cocked his head, left then right, then read his papers one more time.

“Morning nears, and the storm has finally stopped. But perhaps I can stay in town a few more days, just to be sure the snow will leave us.”

Pallas grinned at him, jerking his head at the window, and he realized the crow lacked what was needed to get outside. Cold air burst against his cheek, the wind tugging stubbornly at the pane to fly open.

Pallas took off into the night, gone with the inky black sky, and he quickly closed the window after. He stumbled into his bed, pulled the covers up to his chin, then to his eyes, hiding under the blankets as he counted down from ten. Twas just a dream. A dream within a dream, and one so curious and frightful.

“Never again,” he whispered to his heart, “never again. Nevermore shall that crow visit me.”

***

“Baron, who’s this a bust of?” Haru called, standing before the stone torso of a Greek woman, dressed in robes but bearing a helmet upon her head.

The plaque saying her name was Greek (literally) to Haru, having travelled to said country for a Bureau investigation that she wasn’t entirely sure was going well. But hey, a day spent at public places that don’t care if you’re suddenly calling out for a person who’s not nearby was a day she could enjoy.

Toto flew in, landing a foot or two on the ground, trying to look as casual as a crow talking to a human girl could be.

“Baron’s over trying to stop Muta from attacking the gelato cart,” he told her when she gave a confused look, “which bust are you talking about?”

“This one,” Haru said, flapping a hand at the woman and nearly smacking her hand on the stone.

“Pallas Athena,” Toto replied, “or plain Athena for those who don’t know epithets. Famously known as the Greek Goddess of wisdom and strategy.”

“Huh,” was Haru’s response, tilting her head, “that explains a lot about that poem.”

“Poem?” Toto asked.

“Yeah, the one by Edgar Allan Poe. He mentioned a bust named “Pallas” and I was always really confused on who that was.”

Toto narrowed his eyes at the bust, echos of memories just barely coming through.

“Haru, what was this poem called?”

“Hmm? Oh, uh, “The Raven”, I think.”

Toto cawed out a laugh, catching Haru by surprised.

“I always thought he lied about his first name. Truly scared you, didn’t I, Sir Allan?”

Haru blinked, turned towards Toto, and ignored a surprised audience when she yelled-

“Wait you knew Edgar Allan Poe?!”

#tcr #the cat returns #tcr secret santa #tcr secret santa 2019 #allan and pallas had an odd relationship #short lived but interesting #tcrmommabear writes #tcrmommabear posts #wolfiethewriter #i was sitting there one day thinking about toto origin stories #and then i remembered there was a poem #that was about a raven #huh #now who could have inspired that in his youth #toto was such a troublemaker #it wasnt until he joined the bureau that he took possession of the sole brain cell among them #the mom friend that arose from the chaos of chaotic neutrals #i hope you liked it!

[ro-visiting-the-bureau]

TCR BDB19 Day 5: Crossover

This honestly is the one I’m most excited about. I've been requested, and I have answered, this is a sequel to Strange Clients, my crossover from the 2017 TCR BDB. Maybe later on, I'll fill in the gaps of what happened between the two fics, but for now, feel free to speculate.

Baron struggled in his bonds as he was brought from the dungeon to where Roland and his mother, the Lady Nix, held court. While the Bureau had succeeded in helping Princess Marianne and King Bog free their parents from the witch’s castle, Baron and Haru had remained behind to ensure the others would get away. They had initially been held together, but then Haru had been taken away to who knew where. And now it was his turn.

When he came into the throne room, he was surprised to see the place filled with people, or more specifically, fairies. They were all dressed in beautiful gowns and suits of flower petals and leaves, and were dancing to the music that was playing. But there was something off with all of them, twisted wings, or limbs too long, or a skirt laying the wrong way for the style. It was an illusion, ugliness hiding under beauty.

A path was made through the dancefloor to drag him up to the dias, where Lady Nix and her closest courtiers sat at a table, the lady herself on a throne made from blackberry wood. She had black hair like night, and skin white as snow, only emphasized by the deep purple and blue of her gown. Her lips were painted the same purple, and her eyes, the only trait she shared with her son, were a green that could almost appear blue, if she ever stepped into the daylight. She too was twisted, the ribbed pattern on her gown looking more like insectine arms linked together in sleeves, and her face moved like a mask.

He was forced to his knees before her, and she smiled. “Well, the meddling Baron von Gikkingen. How have you enjoyed my hospitality?”

“It could be better,” Baron said, pushing himself as far upright as his guards would let him. “I have not even been offered a cup of tea.”

“Oh, my apologies. We believed you wouldn’t accept one.” She frowned softly, as if in genuine concern. She was good at faking her emotions, he would give her that. And he could play the same game.

“Oh, I wouldn’t, but it’s the principle of the thing.”

“Well, I hope you will eat a little. After all, this is a celebration.”

“A celebration of what?”

“My son finally has a bride.” She motioned to her right, and Baron realized he was so focused on the witch he had ignored the others of the dias. He looked and his eyes widened in shock. “Haru!” He surged up against his guards, but they held him fast.

For it was Haru, sitting in a dainty throne next to Roland, wearing a white wedding gown and flower crown, her hair down and a veil over the back of it. She was smiling sweetly, but her eyes were blank, pupils dilated and sparkling like someone had thrown glitter into her face. She didn’t even look at Baron, her gaze alternating from scanning the dancing crowd to staring adoringly at Roland.

Roland ran the back of a hand down Haru’s cheek, then turned and grinned at Baron. “That’s right. The perfect bride, brought right to my doorstep. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“Let her go!”

“I’m sorry-” Lady Nix’s voice said she wasn’t “-But the spell is permanent. There’s no counterspell, and I doubt you would be able to achieve the requirements to break it before midnight.” She grinned, and motioned with her left hand.

The guards dragged Baron to a glowing circle on the left side of the dias. Once he was inside it, they released him, and golden spiderweb formed a cage around him, leaving one lattice open for him to look out. He pushed against the webbing, but it held fast.

“Please, enjoy yourself. And don’t hope for rescue, the border guard has been doubled since your little break in.” And with that, Lady Nix turned her attention away from him, speaking with a dark haired fairy whose ears twisted the wrong way.

Baron made a few more attempts to push against the barrier, but it was no use. So he fell into thinking. What spells were there to force someone to love another. Too many the count, and too many held the same symptoms to narrow it down. The only one he could be certain it was not was primrose potion, for that did not zone the victim out so much. And while he was certain Louise and the others would come to rescue them, they would not make it in time to save Haru.

He wracked his brain for hours, ignoring the food and drink offered by Nix’s servants, for it surely was drugged as well. Each and every spell he could think of, he rejected, and while he outwardly kept himself stoic, inwardly, he was starting to panic.

He was broken from his cycle of thoughts when Roland stood, executing a elaborate bow as he offered Haru his hand. “It is five minutes to midnight. Would my bride like to dance before we head to bed?”

“Of course, my darling husband.” She rose gracefully, where Baron knew she should have tripped in that skirt, and they walked around the table to the dance floor. The courtiers briefly parted to allow the couple through, then closed ranks and circled up, that only the fact the dias was raised quite high allowed Baron to even see Haru.  

“Maestro! Music!” Roland called.

“Why don’t we let our guest perform?” Lady Nix offered, her grin speaking of a private joke, a cruel one.

Roland grinned back to his mother. “And excellent idea! If you would, Mother?”

Lady Nix snapped her fingers, and Baron’s cage moved from the end of the dias to in front of the table, just to her left. “Sing, Baron. Sing anything you want, so long as it comes from the heart, and the music will follow you.”

There was an ulterior motive here. Something that they would probably use against him. For a moment, he considered refusing, but he caught Haru looking at him, the first glance she’d spared since he was brought in. And he could not refuse her.

He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. The band started to play, Roland swept Haru away in his arms, and Baron let let his heart speak for him.

“ Never knew I could feel like this. ” He started slow, almost hesitantly. “ Like I’ve never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I love you more, and more. ” He looked up, his attention solely focused on Haru, and his voice grew louder. “ Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing? Telling me to give you everything. Seasons may change, winter to spring. ” He paused, his breath catching for a moment. “ I love you, until the end of time. ”

The music played a few moments, before the dancing couple suddenly stopped, Haru with her back to the dias and Roland looking down with a questioning look. Then a crystal clear tone Baron never expected to hear rose up from the dance floor.

“ Come what may, come what may. ” Haru slipped her hand from Roland’s who was too stunned to stop her. She slowly turned, and Baron could see the unnatural sparkle leaving her eyes.

“ Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place, ” she sang, looking up at Baron. “ Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace. ”

Baron wrapped a hand around one of the bars of his cage as he began to sing with her. A moment later, the golden spiderweb began to dissolve around him. “Suddenly my life doesn’t seem, such a waste .”

“ It all revolves around you. ” Haru smiled, and he could not help smiling back. As if repulsed by the intensity of it, the courtiers who stood between them backed away, leaving a clear path across the floor.

“ And there is no mountain too high, no river too wide. Sing out this song, and I will be there by your side. Strong clouds may gather, stars may collide. ” The cage fully disappeared with a burst of golden dust, but Baron barely noticed it. “But I’ll love you, I love you till the end of time. ”

With nothing between them now, Baron and Haru started walking towards each other. Whether by the innate magic of the duet, or some other reason, no one made any attempt to stop them.  

“ Come what may, come what may, I will love you until my dying day. Come what may, come what may, come what may. ”

They met in the middle of the floor, and a part of Baron’s mind couldn’t help but contemplate the picture they made. Himself, in shirtsleeves, vest and trousers, torn and stained from his imprisonment. Haru, picture perfect in a flowing gown and veil. And they reached for each other with no hesitation, her hand finding his shoulders, while his held her waist.

“ I will love you, until my dying day. ”

Haru’s eyes were still sparkling, but it was an inner light, one he was certain reflected in his own eyes.

“Baron,” she said softly, almost unbelieving.

“Haru,” he said back, and dipped his head down to rest his forehead against hers.

“NOOO!!” An unholy screech erupted from Lady Nix, causing the pair to look up as she stood from her throne. “That spell was unbreakable!”

“Well, it seems you were wrong about that,” Haru said, pressing closer to Baron.

Just then, the clock at the top of the ballroom stuck midnight, and the courtiers started to screech. At the third chime, the doors at the far end of the hall burst open, and Louise, Marianne and Bog King rushed in, an army of fairies, goblins, and elves behind them, their battle cries adding to the din.

Baron pulled Haru to an alcove away from the fighting. Both were unarmed, and in their current states would be liabilities rather than assets.

She looked up to him, ernesty in her eyes. “Baron, do you really?”

“Yes. With all my heart.” He raised a hand to her face, his palm against her cheek.

She leaned into it, just the slightest. “Then kiss me.”

Under no power would be he able to deny her, and so he didn’t.

#tcr birthday bash #tcr birthday bash 2019 #(( Hope ya'll like this! )) #the cat returns #strange magic

[protezioni]

"stop saying i look like chicken little. he’s dumb, and he’s a coward. and i am NOT a coward!" for Maemi/Zuro and "yes, she is a bitch. b i c t … h." for Shima/Ko :3

Yes of course! Thank you for sending this ask and I enjoyed writing it a ton omg Love you!

STAN ZETA @zetacomic !! SOME CHARACTERS THAT WERE SEEN IN THE STORY BELONGS TO THE CREATOR SUCH AS MAEMI AND SHIMA!!!

Zuro/Maemi

Day count of suffering? Still the same. The amount of suffering he feels every day? Increased. Yes, sure- the Protezioni were somewhat like new siblings to them, but he cannot ignore the fact that they could sometimes be as annoying as some other members of Zygos. A lot of the Protezioni members may have been welcoming, and some even encouraged to be close to them--- but as months passed by, he only got to notice how some other members masked their more ridiculous side through acting like such. Well, what was to be expected from them? They may have been in the mafia, but they were certainly like normal people... They acted like a bunch of students who were glad there were no classes tomorrow...

I mean, they even had this movie night where they invited the entirety of Zygos Academy! Where? In their living room! It was easy to tell their place was bigger than the academy... Maybe even too big. Sure, whatever. Everyone was down to watch movies together... But of course, one of the more loud and obnoxious members had to bring something up- Which he, of course, did not expect. Disappointed but not surprised? Absolutely. That was a good summary of how he felt at this exact same moment when someone decided to bring up an inaccurate comparison between him and... a character from the movie. A children's movie. About a chicken discovering aliens existed. How pathetic was that?! Who in their right mind would compare him to that character?!

Maemi was staring at Zuro who was leaning on the couch, with a bowl of Doritos. He munched on the chips as he continued to look at Maemi in the eye. Once he swallowed, he coughed to capture some people's attention. "You sure you aren't Chicken Little?" He wasn't satisfied with Maemi's squinting as an answer, so he only repeated the question. "Chicken Little ain't that bad, Maemi!" Is he seriously trying to tell him that it wasn't bad at all? I mean... who the hell gets compared to a weak chicken who can hardly do shit at first? "You see, there are pros in being that little chick! He's got some cool-looking glasses!"

Maemi sighed, his heads in his hands... Wasn't this supposed to be movie night? Why were they just sitting down in the living room and making theories about how he is just a black feathered Chicken Little who somehow got red eyes? "This whole thing is dumb." Maemi rolled his eyes, refusing to sit beside Zuro who only patted the empty space beside him. "No thank you. I'll rather not stay beside you and be teased during the whole movie." It wasn't that hard to figure out that he would actually do that if he were to sit beside him. There was just a smirk written all over his face once he rejected his offer... What does that mean? "What are you smirking at?"

"Wanna know?"

"I'm curious."

Zuro handed the bowl to Sepheir, who was sitting beside him for the whole time. He cleared his throat for a moment before gesturing to Maemi. "You look like Chicken Little." That was all he said. Nothing less, nothing more. He sighed louder and tugged on his longer bang in annoyance. They were right. This man was someone who always joked around, and he was a little shit. He had enough proof of that as spent a longer time with him... Now that he was aimed at him, he could only understand it better. Of course he'd aim at him.

Shoya began smirking and he nodded in agreement. "Never thought about Mae being Chicken Little until you brought it up, bro!"

"See? Someone agrees with my theories!"

Finally, the strategist responded, irritation obvious in his voice.

"Stop saying I look like Chicken Little. He’s dumb, and he’s a coward. and I am NOT a coward!" There was silence in the room as all eyes landed on Maemi and Zuro... There were some people who laughed, some people who agreed, some others disagreed and some people only looking at the scenario before them. That was a weird line to say, but it sounded way too familiar... Was it from those Kine videos? Kine was deleted some years ago! Whatever, the scenario before them was surely interesting to experience... Even if he knew there was a reference to that or not. Now, the people only got more quiet as they noticed how even the two were silent.

"Okay yeah, you're not a coward." Even if Zuro had such a personality, he wouldn't call him a coward. "But--- Chicken Little wasn't a coward by the end of the movie! Therefore, you being Chicken Little? Still valid, I suppose!" He hated the enthustiastic grin which was still on the face of his even if he said those words. Goddamn it- did he have to diagree with this man forever? He won't even budge! You know what? What's the point of arguing with him if it would definitely lead to nothing at all. He wouldn't change. "Got anything else to say?" He crossed his arms with a playful chuckle, while Maemi just began picking a book from the shelf.

He got a book, schemed through the pages to see how long it was then decided to read it. He placed the book slightly higher so the person could read the title of the book he was reading... His face was clearly done with Zuro's bullshit, and he had no ideas how to respond to him so he could finally drop the Chicken Little subject. Zuro only read the book with his eyes before bursting into laughter. "Did you get the message, or should I get another book?" His voice was passive agressive in a way, but he didn't sound mad at all.

"I don't know, Maemi. Why are Little Shits such blockheads is a good enough title."

Shima/Ko

They were waiting for the rest of the members of the BQ Thieves inside the restaurant itself. Shima was casually eating the burger, enjoying the coupons which he got from Aki after saying some words to someone... It wasn't that big of a deal... I mean, what could get better than some coupons to one of his favorite restaurants? He took another bite from the burger and he noticed how Ko was just sipping some coke float from his straw as he dipped his fries on ketchup-- but his mind didn't seem to be with him right now. "Hey, Morga--- Ko. Something up?" Jesus Christ, he almost called him by that chatacter from his favorite game. No answer from him. "Ko?" He repeated his name and Ko jumped up from his seat.

"I apologize for not noticing you sooner, Shima." He laughed nervously as he finally began to eat... Damn, what the hell was wrong? He usually spoke more than usual, and his topics ranged from tips, things about himself, mafia life or questions about how Zygos really works... Now he was more silent than usual. "I began to think about other things, I should have paid attention to my surroundings." He personally apologized and Shima placed the wrapper of the burger away before placed his arms on top of the table. This only caused the man who was still eating his fries to only observe what he was doing and wonder what his movements meant.

He didn't remember being this caring, or at least- he didn't remember showing his kindess so easily. But well, being more of a protagonist could be fun! There were bonus positive feelings that made him feel proud of himself, so there's that. "Want to talk about it?" His face was bland for a second before he looked away for a short moment. "I mean, we still have the others to wait for, and we don't really have anything else to do..." He tried to make up several excuses to hide that he may have been a bit worried for the male he was eating with... And well, his words did work. Hell yeah, protagonist powers always worked.

"Thank you for understanding, Shima. But I prefer not talking about this specific person in public. All I have to say is I feel pretty upset over the fact she did so much and she had no warning signs." Ko's eyes suddenly became a bit sad. "She has broken several members, but they all chose to forgive or forget her. In my case, it isn't easy to do that if she..." Woah Ko, that's going to spoiler territory... "... Yeah. Anyway, why I am like this is because I decided to go to the attic and see if there are any objects I could have used for training, but instead, I gained some unwanted memories and it's been affecting me." He closes his eyes before raising a finger. "But perhaps I could forget about it, people can be much more deceiving than you expect they are."

"Yeah, people can be bitches sometimes."

"Agreed."

"And deceiving? Holy crap, I should tell you about how one of my teammate can go from "I'm cute" to "die" real quick. That's fucking deceiving."

Ko laughed a bit, knowing who he was talking about. "Go ahead, hearing your stories would certainly be interesting.

"You see..." Shima began trying to look for an explanation before placing his hands on top of the table. "One time, I said something out loud by accident and the next time I knew it, Hamlet was dramatically crying over my supposedly dead corpse as he wrapped bandages around my room." One out of the many experiences with someone from Team Omega. "Then later on, I knew Haru did it. Who else could have done it? I was fucked up with a damn knife. Just for saying shit out loud by accident." Shima shivered at the mere flashback he had with his head and it ended up making Ko burst out in laughter.

"I know who that is... I have to admit, she is fairly pretty. But as people in Zygos act, she is also deadly." He began wiping his hands with a tissue. "She's injured you, as I've heard. Also, you have a story about her so there's that. She gave Sepheir more work that one time she stabbed Ace... She truly is a wild woman." He recalled some moments he had with her, and he admitted that she wasn't someone who he talked to a lot--- but through other people he knew how she acted. "Indeed, her looks may deceiving... But I cannot fully deny that I am quite attracted to her--- Wait no, more of curiousity than attraction." Ko brought this up and Shima only placed his two hands on his shoulder like a main character from an anime.

"You wouldn't want to be curious or attracted to her."

"Oh?"

"I don't want to attend to a cat's- I mean, person's funeral."

"Is she that much of a bitch to be able to hurt someone like me?"

"Yes, she is a bitch. B i c t … h." Shima began shaking hkm slightly, as if he was trying to snap out Ko from a dream. "Did you not hear me? She almost killed me! Not only once, so that makes you not a single chance to be protected by her wrath. I don't want you to die." He finally released him before sighing. "Fuck. Why the hell do you Protezioni have some guts to be close to someone so fucking dangerous? She can probably bite your head off." A chuckle from the person he was talking to. "I'm fucking serious! She can! She's like the dam Hulk!" He began to tall about hlw she worked again. "Decent and all until she gets fucking angry!"

"Thank you for the warnings, maybe I will stop being curious." Ko said this calmly as he only continued to sip his soda. This conversation was wild, talking about girls was... surely a topic to to enjoy. Hey, at least he got to enjoy this moment because of him. If not, the whole BQ Thieves could have found him all upset over something that shouldn't even be brought up. "Additionally, thank you for talking to me about such..." His words trailed off to something else as a smirk was seen on his face. "Joker." It was a complete reference to a game Shima played and he only felt the success sharpen in his mind.

"Mission Accomplished."

"That's right... I should call you that again sometimes."

"WHAT A WONDERFUL TIME TO SEE MT DEAREST FRIENDS IN SUCH A PLACE FILLED WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND AROMAS---"

"Sorry, we were late!! I and Ren stopped in a flower shop, we bought a bouquet."

"Yarohe and Ren decided to look at the flowers and Ren posed as she read the name of the flowers out loud. It was funny to watch!"

"About time you all came... We should order shit again... MOVE OUT!"

#ask #writing #zuro #ko #protezioni #maemi #shima #zeta comic #STAN ZETA

[mahouproject-one]

At The Edge Of Repeating Times From Long Ago | Miyu | ATTN: All, but especially Byakko + Mi-ke

[ CW: Self-harm implication ] [ tl;dr of her infodump at the end of the post ]

Just because the votes had been finalized (for better or worse) didn’t mean that anyone’s pain had been alleviated. The wounds were still raw, and even for the one case they were able to vote correctly on, there was no closure to be found. At the end of the day, there were empty bedrooms and lost futures, and no amount of justification would fix it.

Miyu still felt indignant when Itona dug in against Kris. Maybe it was because this came immediately after a mistrial that was, no matter how one cut, primarily Miyu’s fault. If she hadn’t pushed too far, if she hadn’t stood back when she saw the momentum build… If she hadn’t done the exact damn mistakes that got Mi-ke killed.

“I’m not going to defend what happened to Shiba-san. But if you’re going to blame only one person for Miwa-chan’s death, it’s me you want. If I had survived the third trial, Miwa-chan would have died in my place. We didn’t know it at the time, obviously, but Otohiko taunted us about it afterwards. And then she took them anyway because I convinced myself that Ueno had killed again. That’s on me. A lot of people paid for our mistakes: Them, and Hasekura-san, and whoever is about to die now.

But it’s me. I’m the one who keeps stirring the pot, expecting something different to happen this time. I’m the one who uses people for information or selfish wishes. I’m the one who dragged people into my own terrible ideas. I’ve already accepted that this is all I’ll ever be.”

(Had she really? For a second, there was a look of anguish on her face. Miyu, for all her cold words, still wanted something better than this. But she constantly fought with herself, telling herself that it was too dangerous to hope. And today had proven just that. Miyu would act out the motions and recite the speeches, but she didn’t know if she could let herself hope for something better.)

(Joon wondered how other ghosts came to terms with their deaths. Miyu’s answer: She hadn’t. Every time she found some sort of closure or purpose to her existence, something happened to set all the progress back. And every time, Miyu found herself returning to the day Hope’s Peak Academy told her about the plea deal, and all she could think about was breaking herself physically and mentally just to feel like maybe she had some control over her own existence.)

(The second passed, and Miyu returned to her bravado. Presumptuous, she was, to act as if she was the one in charge of everyone’s failures. Was that part of her need for control, too?)

“…I have to gather my thoughts, please. Give me a few minutes.”

Those few minutes ended up stretching on a lot longer than they needed to: First, a small side-discussion with Outa, because she needed people to understand that her apologies weren’t just platitudes. She truly did have regrets. And if they really were approaching the end… she needed everyone she had wronged these past months to know that she did feel that remorse. Maybe not for everything. Maybe not for every cruel word. But certainly for a lot of them.

By the time Miyu realized that the confrontation between Reiko and Takako had devolved into a slapfight and then a beatdown, it was once again too late to stop the momentum. Besides, the only objects she had on her that would be tangible to both her and the living were the tulle scraps (too delicate) and the potion bottles (too important). All she could do was stare in horror – exhausted and numb, but still some spark of horror – at the severity of Reiko’s wounds. Sure, Takako had taken a few hard hits too, but at least she had already looked like a mess.

That disgusting feeling of not feeling in control of anything, of wanting to torch the whole world just to feel like she had control, welled up in her chest. Miyu tapped one potion bottle against the other, the clinking noise ringing clear.

“Enough. Enough. I know this is not over. I know someone will die for this. I know that nothing will ever fix that and that nothing will ever feel more cathartic than kicking Imai’s ass. But we do not have time for this.

I’m not asking you to have faith in me. Everyone here who has ever believed in me has been betrayed by me in some way. What I’m asking you to have faith in is the memories of what I’ve witnessed the past few weeks. Half of you know what I’m going to say already. Half need to be caught up.”

Miyu took a few careful moments to clear everything off of her pensieve and onto the floor, leaving behind only the swirl of memories and the cluster of gold chrysanthemums. Standing straight in front of her pensieve, she drew out her wand, trying to call everyone’s attention to her.

“Before we get into that, I’d like to make sure we all know the names and status of this school’s founders, and their relatives. Just so we all know who’s who.”

With a flick of her wrist, she pulled up the first of many images. The scene showed five people in total, one of them presiding over two pairs engaging in a dancing duel, just like the dance the class had shared so, so long ago in better times. Most of the figures were immediately recognizable as those who had given their lives to protect the students in the first (not-)trial: The warrior in red and the scholar in black, bound obi-to-obi. However, the mystic in blue was paired off with someone few of them had seen before, although his swishing cat tail was adorned with a familiar cuff…

“Ake, founder of Suzaku. Mikage, founder of Genbu. Haru, founder of Seiryuu. Haru is especially notable at this time, as it seems they’ve been restored to their adult form. In fact, the Seiryuu pensieve has vanished entirely and was replaced with a door, though I haven’t had the time to examine further. Haru themself isn’t at full power and is missing key memories, including that of their defeat here. Mikage and Ake, meanwhile, are still young children as far as I know. More of their essence needs to be retrieved from the labyrinths.

You may notice that Ushiro, the person we assumed was Byakko’s founder, isn’t present. Her titles and duties are passed down the family line. The person dancing with Haru is Ueda, first of the Byakko name. Ushiro has inherited his obligations to the castle, though she is unfortunately even further behind and is still a tiger cub.

The four of them were a blended family, adopted out of circumstances in their early lives. The person who cared for them all, the person who was proud to be their mother…”

The viewpoint suddenly shifted to the woman in intricate formal attire as she observed their fumbling dances. Her face glowed with joy, laughter, and love.

“…is Otohiko, who introduced herself to us as Ouryuu.”

Miyu dispelled the image, allowing for several moments to breathe as the words sunk in.

“I do not know what happened to shatter their family. All I know is that it somehow ended in Otohiko’s death, and her complete erasure from all historical records. Her magic seeped into the barren island that we call Minami-Iwō-Jima, and this school is built entirely upon her corpse. Metaphorically speaking.”

…Hopefully.

“Now that we know their names, let us get into the more pressing matter of the identity of Otohiko’s little one. The mastermind that sold us all out. When us students… pass, we become one of Otohiko’s wards. Clan Ouryuu. She’s set up a dormitory within the central Labyrinth that’s accessible only to her clan – with the implication that the unpleasant tribulations involving our keys are a punishment to intruders.

More importantly, while in her dormitory, she will personally answer any questions if we ask her. She won’t blatantly answer many topics, but she seems willing to give hints, so long as we’re polite. It’s through this that I’ve been asking her about the strange sights in the crossroads. You know the ones.”

And Miyu began to fling one image after another into the air. Most were located at the crossroads – and for many of her classmates, it was the first time they had ever directly observed the pensieve at the center of the room, pluming with pure gold smoke. This was the pensieve that only dead students were able to see and interact with.

More importantly, though, were the cat-like entities swarming the crossroads.

In some memories, Miyu only caught a fleeting glimpse of gold-colored eyes piercing through the darkness before blinking away. In others, the floor and walls of the crossroads were covered in blobby, feline-esque shadows that congregated around the center pensieve. One odd memory took place in an imperial palace with ivory marble walls, as Miyu watched the cat shadows converge upon a particular door.

…It was a bit overwhelming to see so many moving images at once.

“According to Otohiko, these shadows are side effects of dark magic running amok. She implied that the mastermind has little to no control over this. And they are connected. In fact, the shadows are taking the shape of something that is drawn to her little one.”

Y’know, like, nya?

But here came the difficult part to say. Miyu waited even longer to continue, taking deep breaths. Even now, even with the thin silver lining she had pulled from today’s shitstorm, it was still difficult to talk about. Because it meant that she had doubted the people she loved the most. And perhaps still doubted.

“…Understand that I’m saying this as a biased person, with my own loved ones I’ve sworn to protect. Understand that everyone on this list is someone’s loved one. No one is happy about this.

But if we take into account that I was the last person to pass before the cut-off mark on whether the mastermind was still alive or not, it leaves four major suspects. Clove Rosenburg. Shino Shirashi. Shizuka Matsuoka. Miwa.”

(She knew their last name, of course, but they had specifically asked her not to ever use it.)

“There is a possibility that it could be someone not on this list. Other people here have been associated with cats in one-off contexts, like sleepover conversations or labyrinths. Or, if you interpret Otohiko’s remarks differently, the cats represent a loved one of the mastermind, and we should instead look at the suspects’ partners and not the primary suspects themselves.

But I think that’s over-complicating it. Things get bad when we over-complicate our theories. We’ve proven it time and time again. Unless I see solid evidence pointing to someone else, I’ve focused on these four.

Well, three. I and a few others have found some interesting information regarding the mastermind having motive-related privileges we don’t. Maybe others can say it better than I can.”

Or maybe Miyu just feels sore from all the talking. Her voice does sound incredibly hoarse. Her stance relaxes, and Miyu takes a moment to just rest. What she wouldn’t give to be able to drink water right now. She’d have her chance later, when she could run away from her problems, but she was needed right now.

TL;DR VERSION

The names of major figures in the school’s history are as follows: Haru (Seiryruu), Ake (Suzaku), Ushiro (Byakko), Mikage (Genbu), and Otohiko (Ouryuu).

Ushiro is a descendant of Ueda, who may be the true Byakko founder.

Otohiko adopted Haru, Ake, Ueda, and Mikage as her children. The event that led to their current hostility is still unclear.

The magic on the island is Otohiko’s magic, a remnant after her death.

The Seiryuu pensieve no longer exists and is replaced by a door.

Otohiko claims dead students as part of Clan Ouryuu, provides them a dormitory, and is more willing to interact with them.

Cat-like shadows have been appearing in the labyrinth crossroads. They seem to have a connection to the mastermind.

Miyu admits that this evidence suggests four prime suspects – Clove, Kris, Shino, and Mi-ke – but apparently has more details to say about them. Other suspects are still possible.

#mahouichi #chrono #chapter five #mm trial #miyu #submission #self harm implication cw//

[it-will-not-last-the-night]

Ryuji + Ann

The writing for Ryuji and Ann’s relationship with each other in the first portion of the game (let’s say up to Kaneshiro’s Palace) is really, really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I think their relationship after that was written...poorly, but this post is going to be a positive post so I’ll focus today on what I liked.

First I want to give some background; when I first began playing Persona 5 I fell in love with Ryuji and Ann’s relationship and shipped both quite hard. I was really fond of them and felt the chemistry between them was incredible. It was the first time I’d witnessed, that I could remember, one of these traditional ‘slap-slap-kiss’-type relationships in media where I felt that it was executed well. Ann and Ryuji did take jabs at each other but it was always moderated, and the two always showed concious effort to back-off if they feared they’d offended, such as Ann instantly stopping ribbing Ryuji over the money she gave him at the Aquarium when he mentions it being for his mom. Ann instantly stops teasing him and says that after all they’ve been through they can call it equal, even showing gratitude to him.

So it was great! The two also didn’t needlessly physically beat each other up (a trope I hate) and for the first two Palace’s Ryuji’s objectification of Ann is incredibly underplayed, the most blatant example just being looking at her Panther outfit, commenting vaguely on it, but then when Ann asks him what he’s talking about he instantly drops the topic and does no more. Instead, in the first part, Ryuji shows borderline overprotective tendencies towards Ann.

So all this combined so that I really felt the two were a great pair (romantically or platonically, either worked I felt). However, sadly, their charm and relationship degrades sharply as the story goes on, for a number of reasons, and thus my special interest in it faded.

I still like it, but no more than I might like Ryuji/Akira, Ryuji/Makoto, Ryuji/Yusuke or Ryuji/Haru, for example.

So what drew me to their relationship so much in the beginning? Why is it so good? Everything below, note, applies only till the end of Madarame’s Palace.

Genuine Compassion: A common problem I have with the ‘beat each other up but like each other secretly’ trope is that it often feels to me as if there is no actual compassion from one or both of the sides. To be blunt if the only time you can be friendly and compassionate with someone is if they almost die then you’re probably not in a healthy relationship with that person. Ann and Ryuji display several times genuine compassion and gratitude for the other, and clearly hold the other in high esteem.

From Ann’s side she is quick to thank Ryuji for his assistance in the Metaverse, feeling truly indebted to him, and she similarly thanks him for his assurances that if Yusuke tries anything funny she just has to call and they’ll interfere to help her. Ann also is quick to worry about Ryuji when he is separated from the group.

Ryuji, meanwhile, comes across as protective of Ann to a degree which, honestly, wouldn’ t surprise me if he did, or once had, romantic or even familial feelings for Ann. He is the only boy at Shujin who seemingly does not assume Ann is sleeping around with Kamoshida for her own gain, instead insisting that Ann wouldn’t do that. Despite being someone who’s canonically meant to be very unobservant he’s quick to notice Ann in a crowe. He attempts to scare her off from following himself and Akira because, in his own words with a sad voice, he doesn’t want to have to take her somewhere she’ll be in danger and then he’s the only one of the PT’s who specifically contacts and informs Ann that she shouldn’t actually get naked for Yusuke and that if she needs help he’ll come.

Respect for feelings: In the beginning Ann and Ryuji ususally come across as if they pull their punches on purpose because  they don’t actually want to hurt each other. They’re willing to still jab at each other, over the money he owes, over Yusuke’s obsession with the nude modelling, but are always quick to backtrack and offer serious or kind reassurances if they think the other person is truely troubled, as seen in Ann’s words about the borrowing of money, and Ryuji’s quickness to try to assure her she won’t have to get actually naked.

They can have fun: This is an important one because many stories struggle to make a couple interact outside of extreme situations. In a lot of stories romance and romantic confessions only occur in dramatic moments and a couple's interaction outside of those moments makes one not even suspect they're in a romantic relationship (P5 is also an example of this, once you are dating a girl you can practically go on never interacting with her again, making the relationship itself seem ridiculously shallow).

Ann and Ryuji have the capacity to simply talk and have fun together, seen very nicely in the Wilton Buffet when having their little play-argument over food, and are actually, until the end of Madarame’s Palace, very quick to gel with each other over any other PT’s, ganging up at both the Wilton Buffet and when Yusuke comes looking for a home and when organizing a party very quickly.

The two can casually interact and clearly enjoy casually interacting with each other. This is rare among the PT’s because we, sadly, only really see most of the others ever interacting in such a capacity with Akira. If we remove Akira the only comparable relationship I can think is their is some hinting of Makoto and Ann being capable of casual get-togethers and Futaba and Yusuke have the hints of a fun relationship which doesn’t get explored in depth (I think an easy solution the game should have employed is that Akira can do more group social events in which we see the PT’s interacting with each other, not just Akira, and the capacity for cross confidant S-Links).

Conclusion: Ann and Ryuji’s relationship in the first part of the game is actually really nice and fun. It can work both as friends or as two people with feelings for each other, whether those feelings be romantic or familial (Ann and Ryuji can honestly at times come across as if they might as well be a brother and sister). I loved it a lot, and I still think its part of why I enjoy the first part of the game way more than the latter parts.

It actually makes me wish we learned a bit more about their relationship prior to the beginning of the game. For example Ann doesn’t seem to ever even have realized that Ryuji suffered a major injury, or wrongful punishment at the hands of Kamoshida and, if one looks closely, Ann and Shiho’s indifference to Ryuji at the start can raise annoying inconsistencies in their character arcs.

Personally, in my headcannon, I would like to assume that Ann wanted to help Ryuji, and made an attempt at it, but Ryuji, being who he is and also being in the low point of his life, lashed out in some very major and terrible way, hurting Ann deeply enough that she was scared to try to help him again, and Ryuji felt guilty enough that he decided it’d be better for Ann to never interact with him again.

Then, on top of this, add that Ann herself was becoming a more and more hopeless person, watching Shiho unravel, feeling the need to curry favour with Kamoshida for her friend, Ann began to lose any of her own self-belief as well, so she never bothered trying again, and Ryuji tried to ignore her.

Honestly simply the character arc of Ann and Ryuji’s movement from friends, to ignoring each other, to friends again is something I find really interesting, and would love to have seen further developed.

Regardless of his real feelings, Ryuji, for example, clearly is ridiculously protective of Ann (which is why if you cheat on her I wish Ryuji would join in on the beating because that is exactly what his character would do. Hurting Ann? Treating Ann like a sexual commodity? That is probably one of the fastest ways to get Ryuji to beat you up).

#persona 5 #p5 #ann takamaki #ryuji sakamoto #platonic #familial #shipping