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lethesomething · 4 years

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Ghost of Tsushima and the Hands of Fate

I see we're still trying to prove that games are an art form by making everyone feel bad.

For the record, Ghost of Tsushima is one of my favourite games in a very long time. It is extremely pretty, the aesthetic and general … polish is *cheff's kiss*. You can pet foxes and backstab people. The fighting mechanic is decent and there are just So Many Hats.

But also, it has the kind of story that pulls you in to the point where you have to drop the controller to hide behind your fingers going 'ohgodno'.

It is an absolute bastard of a game, is what i'm saying.

So let's talk about that, and specifically about Straw Hat Ryuzo and how I feel bad for him.

I am, by the way, going to be talking about the narrative structure of a video game about medieval samurai, so expect like, a bunch of spoilers.

The narrative is one of the big draws in Ghost of Tsushima. Like yes, it's an open world rpg with fighting and flower picking and all the important stuff, and also yes, some of the bits are sloppily written (looking at you, specifically, 'Ending to Norio's Arc'), but the game definitely sets out to Tell a Story.

And because this is a Serious Game that openly bases itself on samurai movies like Kurosawa's, it is a Drama.

In many ways it is an utterly brutal Bildungsroman, a narrative in which a young man finds his identity.

I have joked with friends about the clear intent for this game to make Important Stories, in that it actually tries to tick all the boxes of hotbutton subjects: childhood trauma? Obviously. Gay relationships? Yup. Survivor's guilt and PTSD? Oh yes. Domestic abuse? Several. Suggested pedophilia? Damn, even that.

The foxes are there to soothe the soul

It's interesting to note that from a writing point of view, this bildungsroman is even Very Classically Structured. It goes so far as to be a three acter, with a pretty standard build-up.

Jin Sakai, traumatized man that he is, spends the first act slowly getting to grips with the bit where you don't fight an army by yourself by just walking up to them and challenging them With Honour, like he has been taught his entire life. Instead of getting stabbed repeatedly in the chest and set on fire, he discovers guerilla warfare and creates this persona of the Ghost, a literal vengeful spirit seeking justice for the island of Tsushima.

It gets him some big wins and in the second act he slowly embraces this identity until things get to a head where he clashes with his entire old life. The third act starts at the hero's lowest point and is utterly gut wrenching (i am Still Not Over the horse, game), forcing him to pull himself together for an ending that is, well…fitting for the narrative. It's an ending that is needed, but perhaps not what Jin deserves.

But anyway, this is about Ryuzo, and how until that ending, I was very upset about his role.

You see, this story is told in part through the lives of Important Npc's, who contribute to Jin's journey of self-discovery. This is pretty obvious with someone like Yuna, who is the one to introduce him to the Stealth Life and who is a driving force behind the marketing of the Ghost.

Someone like Masako, meanwhile, portrays vengeance and self discipline, but Jin also kinda tries to make her fill the mother-shaped hole in his heart.

Lord Shimura, meanwhile, is an Obvious Father figure but also stands for Jin's past. He's rigid and ineffective, which pushes Jin to further look for alternatives.

Ishikawa, that other mentor figure, is more moderate and flexible, but he also represents a possible unwanted future. He literally warns Jin at one point not to become like him.

Norio, then, is as mentioned not the best written, but he too is a person that searches for his destiny and tries to become like his hero, while only barely holding on to his sanity.

Kenji, I'm sorry, I love you but you're just comic relief, that's all you do. It's an imporant job in the story, because god does it need it, but you're not teaching Jin anything other than how to make different 'resigned sigh' noises.

So what about Ryuzo? From the very beginning, Ryuzo's story didn't really sit right with me. There's the obvious class issue: he's one of the few important npc's that are poor, and he's an Antagonist.

It has always rubbed me the wrong way that his original intentions were good, depending on how you read it. He's trying to feed his men. He essentially made the decision that this one man's life (even if it is an old friend) is worth the price for the lives of his band of ronin.

It's a lot more complex than that, of course. Ryuzo partly blames Jin for his predicament in life, and he also knows that samurai treat their soldiers as chattel, which the game goes out of its way to show you they DO.

Essentially, he's a complicated character who makes bad decisions for arguably good reasons.

Ryuzo did everything he could to save the lives of the people he cared about. He went so far as to abandon his honor and his childhood friends, to try to make this happen.

Does that ring any bells?

It kinda clicked for me at the very end of the game.

Jin, being the protag in an assassin game, does a lot of killing. But some of these deaths are given more meaning than others. Some of them are there to make you feel like shit (the Horse Again, but you lose several friends along the way), others serve a more defining purpose.

You see, there's a fair amount of what i'd like to call 'intimate violence' in Ghost of Tsushima. It's an old trope. The 'if someone was gonna kill me, it had to be you' kinda scene that hails from a worldview in which some deaths are better than others, sure, but some deaths are better even than living. It's a worldview in which life itself is less valuable than your legacy. You die for your place in history. For your clan, for your family, for your honor.

Bushido is full of that sort of thing, so it makes sense that a game building on that worldview, would use the heck out of that trope.

The first is Ryuzo's death. You fight him in a duel, in which he tries to plead for some resolution. You could let him go, come up with some story. But Ryuzo is a traitor, so Jin ultimately defeats him and sends him off in what would be a touching moment of bro friendship if it wasn't for the blood and my 21st century sensibilities.

You grant him a warrior's death, is what I'm saying.

It happens again with Shimura. The game actually gives you a choice here, but if you go through with it, the scene almost perfectly mirrors Ryuzo's.

You fight in a duel, and Jin tries to get his uncle to just let him go, come to some kind of resolution. But Jin has been branded a traitor, and the only way for Shimura to restore his honour and clan, is to take his life;

This being a game in which you have the power of bamboo strikes and also save games behind you, Jin ultimately wins the duel, and has the option of granting Shimura a warrior's death.

It is utterly heart wrenching and that whole scene has no business being as pretty as it is. The swelling music? The fucking strings? The anguished yell?

Fuck.

But anyway.

That's about where it clicked with me, that Jin never had a choice.

Ryuzo's whole role wasn't fair, but this is one of those stories where life itself is just not fair at all.

Both him and Shimura are there to show us Jin's path.

What if, the game says, Jin had listened? What if he'd taken one of several offers the Khan made and surrendered?

What if he'd cooperated?

Well, we see in Graphic Detail what would happen. He would get pushed into doing horrific things. He gets manipulated, again and again, until there is no way out anymore. At some point it becomes clear to him that he's on the wrong side but whenever he tries to devise some plan to turn things around, things go Badly. He's firmly stuck in Khotun's web and the only way out is death.

But what if, the game says, Jin had stayed true to his honour? What if he had listened to his uncle, not defied him, if he had dropped the Ghost before it was too late? If he'd gone full bushido and repented for the shogun and done all the groveling and the proper stuff.

Samuraihood is just another straightjacket, says Shimura's fate. The tenets are so rigorous you would take your loved ones life, while fucking bawling your eyes out. Shimura knows damn well it's unfair but he also has no way to leave this path. It's a ride he cannot, and will not, get off alive.

Jin never had a choice.

There was only ever one way for him to go.

Like let's be real: pretty much everyone in this story was dealt a bad hand. It's a narrative about resilience in the face of utter horror, of reinventing yourself and giving up entire structures of faith. People like Masako, Yuna, Norio are finding peace in dealing with huge levels of trauma and regret.

The goal isn't to start a family and live happily ever after, it's to Survive.

Submitting to the mongols would have killed Jin's spirit. Standing tall and rigid as he was taught to do would have, ultimately, killed him as well.

"I've given up everything to save these people", he says near the end. "And I would do it again."

That's someone who has no regrets.

Jin never could have taken another path and he knows it.

And this is why Ryuzo needed a fate as shitty as his. He fell, so Jin could walk.

I'm sorry, it's still not fair.

This game needs some comfort fic.

#ghost of tsushima #jin sakai #ryuzo #narrative analysis #story analysis #i have Many Feeling ok #and this is how i deal with them #ghost of tsushima spoilers #gots spoilers

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karinrumi · 5 years

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Let me Stay (KawaSumi)

Title: Let Me Stay [KawaSumi, OneShot, AU, Bodyguard!Sumire]

Status: Complete.

Rating: T+ (mild-swearing)

Wordcount: 3, 909 words.

AN: Hello, everyone! Here’s my next Kawaki x Sumire OneShot. It starts my Boruto/Naruto Rare Ships Series that includes OneShots about the recommended to me rare ships! Hope you enjoy the ride. ;)

Your clumsy author - Karinrumi ;)

She couldn't breathe properly. It didn't matter how many screams and warnings she shouted towards them, at the end of this dream they died. For Sumire, it was one of the worst nightmares.

Sumire ran over to the bathroom. She needed to take a bath due to all the sweat because of her nightmare. On her way, she tried not to vomit having in mind the scene, she witnessed in this dream.

Her closest friends death.

Of course, their death in a dream disturbed her a lot. Even more so because of the person who killed them.

She was the one that killed them. Just one push was enough to end their fragile lives.

Getting into the bathtub was a desperate attempt on her part. Sumire hoped that the water in it would wash away all her old sins, that the nightmares stop. Her therapist said they would.

Right now they didn't stop at all. Those nightmares paid a visit every peaceful night she had.

Sumire stared into the mirror, she looked terrible. The bags under her eyes and the paler than usual skin betrayed she had an awful night. She needs to take a grip since her teammates shouldn't worry about her.

She didn't deserve the friendship with Wasabi and Namida, especially after all these lies she was saying to them. Going on a mission now when she's like that wasn't the best idea. She should calm down, do something to distract herself from thinking about this dream. Yes, that's the best action she can take in this situation.

Should she call Sarada or Boruto to come over?

No, she cannot bother them with her problems, these two just started to date with each other and will end up paying attention to themselves. Besides, she didn't want to take the blame for interrupting their quality time together. In all fairness, they would be the last people she asks for help. There was the issue of her one-sided love for Boruto as well, she knew it was an unrequited love from the start, but some of these feelings still were lingering in her heart. It's not like she has fallen in love on purpose, he was just that person that saved her from worthless life by showing her his kindness.

Ironically, the kindness that saved her now makes her unrequited love painful.

As much as she hated the idea of going on a mission when her feelings were a mess, at the same time focusing on one would prove useful as a distraction. She should check if any solo requests are available, and just inform her squad she's going on one.

That should help. Maybe the time spent away from Konoha is for the best? Sumire doubted she'll be really alone though. After all, her rehabilitation included at least one person that observes she's not up to something dangerous.

Sumire sighed at the thought. Going on a solo mission seemed like more trouble for her than any other ninja in the village.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

Apparently, she could go on a solo mission under the condition she's not entirely alone. Hokage never had any shred of doubt that Sumire was the skilled kunoichi. Her best guess was that the villagers and the elders are secretly fearing she'll start attacking villagers again or betrays the village.

Sumire scowled while reading the description of her mission. It was obvious they tried to play it safe by sending her on a C-Rank one.

Not to mention that protecting the adoptive son of Hokage on his way to Iwa being ranked as C-Rank mission had her alarmed to be extra careful. Boruto's adoptive brother name slipped out from her mind. What was his name again?

Kawasaki? Kawamaki?

Sumire could swear it was Kawaki, but there's no way she was entirely sure. The only thing she could do was standing in front of an exit gate waiting for the man of honour to arrive.

"Ain't you too short to be my bodyguard?"

She turned around to see the person who dared to call her short! Her spiteful glare didn't affect the man saying these cursed words. Sumire was declared a dangerous warrior, a skilled fighter, the traitorous woman, but if there was something she hated, it was being called short in any shape or form. She would be the one to deal the killing blow if protecting him wasn't her obligation as his bodyguard for this mission.

"Height has nothing to do with my capabilities." Sumire tried not to seeth from the anger she felt. Why being polite to so-called VIPS was part of her job? Punching them would allow skipping the problems they create, to begin with.

"I ain't doubting that. Name's Kawaki," he introduced himself first. Sumire couldn't deny he's a handsome looking man, but she was glad her taste in clothes isn't similar to his. Looking like a punk girl parading with bandaged breasts and the transparent jacket wasn't the image she wanted.

"Sumire Shiga-," she paused to correct her mistake. "Sumire Kakei."

"Hmm… Ain't you just a midget? I know that one asshole lady is super powerful, but you're looking less skilled than her." Kawaki smirked at her in a way that annoyed her to no end.

Midget?! Asshole lady?!

She indeed wanted a break from the people living in the village, to find a way to stop her nightmares too, but dealing with a guy that called her the midget made Sumire second-guess herself. And that usually never happened lately.

"I'm the midget that specialisation is sniping and is very efficient in hand-to-hand combat. You should be more careful in the choice of your words." Sumire dismissed for a moment his insulting comment to inform him as emotionlessly she could about her area of expertise in battle.

Then they fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Venturing into the forests surrounding the village could be a pleasant experience, under the condition she wouldn't have an unwanted company. Sumire liked to be around the trees, wild animals and being on a path that makes it easier for her to hide. Konoha Forest belonged to territory she was familiar with, giving her advantage in a case of being ambushed. The only problem was that she was limited in a way due to the person walking behind her.

Sumire disliked the feeling of someone dragging her down, so do Kawaki, at least she assumed that's the case. There's no way that he didn't have any fighting skills taking into consideration he's the adopted son of Hokage. Being on the high alert never brought her down and the gut feeling she had about this whole mission being suspicious, made her watch her surroundings more. "At what you excel in the combat?" she inquired.

Surely, Kawaki should've known how to fight. When she calmed down Sumire mind turned sharp in the realisation that the man she was supposed to protect would be capable of defending himself. In other words, her mission as Kawaki's bodyguard was just a ruse, and the whole situation serves as the means to test her loyalty to the village. A trial to see if she'll backstab these pesky elders, or is there another objective she's unaware of?

"I'm glad you ain't fucking stupid. You can tell I'm well versed in hand-to-hand combat too and I dare to say I'm better than you." His answer just confirmed he's an arrogant motherfucker. Sumire wasn't impressed by his cocky demeanour in the slightest, cursing in her mind Konoha elders because she suspected they were the ones that are paranoid about her going rogue.

"You sure are cocky, aren't you?" Sumire summed up from what she gathered from this short exchange. Kawaki didn't answer deciding the silence was the best response. Great, now she even can't enjoy the peace and quiet in his presence.

If in his place was Boruto, Sarada, or her teammates Sumire wouldn't be bored while walking around the wilderness. It's not like she disliked silence per se, but the stillness, when she was with Kawaki, belonged to unbearable kind of quiet.

They walked like that at least two hours straight without rest, then suddenly stopped at the scent of a burnt body. In front of them, a headband with the symbol of the leaf belonging to their village was underneath the autumn leaves.

Why a potential enemy showed up so soon? Wasn't it the C-Rank mission?!

Sumire nodded to Kawaki in a way to signal the danger, as well get the confirmation he noticed their potential enemies. She used the hand signs feeling a flow of chakra rushing through her entire body and created a clone made from water. Water Clones were different from the Shadow Clones Boruto used in a lot of ways. First of all, she couldn't stray too far away from the copy of her body made from the water, her control over the body double depended on how she correctly calculated amount of needed distance.

Leaving the clone with Kawaki, Sumire jumped to hide in a nearby tree. One, two, three... There are seven opponents in total. The clone is standing in an overprotective manner in front of Kawaki, that's good. From this spot, it'll be easier to shoot them all with her water bullets. She concentrated her chakra around her palms then with the snap of her finger the first shot of the lethal water projectile was fired.

One of the enemy ninjas let out a shriek at the sight of his comrade dropping to the ground. She was able to shot the two others before the rest of them noticed her position.

She needs to change her hiding spot, quickly. Sumire narrowed her eyes and glanced towards her clone that still was guarding Kawaki that looked relaxed, clearly enjoying watching her dealing with these ninja fodders. "Damn, if I jump on the other tree I won't be able to control my clone," she whispered, seeing the four others head straight to Kawaki.

She didn't have a lot of time to think, so she used the tree to jump and shot the two others in the mid-air, but that left the two enemies that could still fight back. In fact, one of them threw shuriken at her while she was preparing to safely land. Gracefully landing she took out the shuriken that she was stabbed with from her left arm. She's lucky it wasn't the poisoned one. Tearing up the part of the purple fabric from her shinobi attire, she tied it around her arm to stop her blood from spilling on the soil.

Sumire wasn't a medic ninja and didn't have time to seek medical attention right now. Even the smallest trace of the blood could reveal where she and Kawaki are to the enemy. Wrapping her injury with a torn cloth was all she could afford, really.

In the background, Kawaki let out a whistle. Sumire was so caught up in the fight she forgot her mission is to ensure his safety, not hers. She messed up big time by revealing their hiding spot.

"Follow me," she demanded and hoped Kawaki will obey her for now. There was no time for idle chit-chat anyway.

Running as fast as she could Sumire tried to cover their tracks and used the shortcut to get out from the forest. In that way, she could prepare an elaborate trap for the two remaining shinobi that chased them. Breathing heavily from overusing her chakra, she decided to use her bleeding arm to have like some like to say unfair advantage.

But the real battles never were fair.

"Summoning jutsu." Summoning Nue always drained her chakra reserves, not that it was a big deal in the long run. Her monkey friend absorbed chakra from enemies and channelled some of it to the chakra reserve she lost during the fights.

Sumire: The Hawk Stealing Ninja - that's the title she received on one of her past missions. She overheard a lot of rumours about her achievements afterwards. Not that was important in the middle of two enemy shinobi getting out from the forest and falling into her trap. They didn't stand a chance against Nue at all. Her monkey companion completely destroyed any sense of dignity her opponents had.

Now, it was the time for questioning. Why ninja from Iwa attacked the chunin from her village? Extracting some information about that can change everything about the mission. Travelling to the village of the ninjas she slaughtered a moment ago was worrisome. She should report to the Hokage and ignore that Kawaki still was whistling. Puzzled by what does it mean she decided to think about it later. Maybe she scared him by showing off her skills?

Ha! Maybe now he understands midgets can be deadly.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

Sending the report to the Hokage went smoother than she imagined, even if her arm hurt like hell. Sumire was grateful that Kawaki stayed silent until they got to rest in the inn. Who would've thought she appreciated something she found unbearable before? Her feelings were hard to handle sometimes, even she had a problem dealing with her own contradictory behaviours. It's not like she lacked confidence, out of all kunoichi in Konoha Sumire clearly had been the second most confident female ninja with Chō-Chō in the lead. Sure, she was acting a little bit as Sumire Kakei to make her friends happy, but confidence wasn't the issue for her.

Her one-sided love for Boruto and maintaining a friendship with Sarada is.

When Sumire realised she screwed up by telling Sarada, she likes Boruto it was too late to regret it. Blaming it on her 'white lie' to help Sarada to see she loves him as much as Sumire did was indeed her intention. Sumire never hesitated when she knew what she wanted, she headed into the charge, not wasting any opportunities. Maybe she was too bold about her emotions?

The memory of a little boy running away from her when she told she likes him as marriage playing partner came to mind. She wasn't older than five years old, but she could scare him to befriend her in that way. She went back home, and her mother gently brushed her long hair to calm her down, their only moment of being cherished by one another. Sumire had to wonder often if her confidence is too strong for other people.

Sarada looked startled like a sheepish mouse when she mentioned to her about liking Boruto in a romantic way. She was aware her love is one-sided, that Boruto loved Sarada, but what was she supposed to do? Ignore how she felt? Being in constant denial? Stop having these nightmares?

On top of that, when she tried to take a break to come to terms with her emotions, she ended up as a bodyguard for Boruto's adoptive older brother. His fucking brother that probably knows him better than she ever will be allowed to. She wanted to cry. The only reason stopping her was that she was on a mission. Dealing with heartbreak during the mission was stupid.

Breathe.

Professional, she needed to be the professional kunoichi right now.

The small hotel room without windows, two beds, a table, and the cupboard suffocated her. Who she'll talk with about these ugly reactions she recently has?

Her teammates?

No, she wasn't even able to face them and come clean with explaining the bad things she did in the past.

Boruto and Sarada weren't even an option because of her jealousy. They had something special, they had a real kind of love. Something she'll never have as long she's Sumire Kakei. So why she feels so bad about feeling jealous? She should be happy her closest friends found happiness.

Her inner turmoil broke the sound of knocking on the door.

"The door is open, you can come in, Kawaki", she said with any trace of normality she had left.

Is she really Sumire Kakei, or Sumire Shigaraki? Which version of her is the real one? She acted for so long she cannot see the difference in her both personalities at all at the moment.

"Don't you need to rest? I understand that the fucking kunoichi's in the Konoha are badass, but you're on another level of craziness than that asshole punching ground girlfriend of my bro," Kawaki let out an amused chuckle. Sumire had no idea if he was praising, or insulting her.

"I am fine. What about you? Did you get injured during our last fight?"

"I'm alright, y'know. You were the one ending up hurt in the end", Kawaki shook his head and the gleam in his eyes, made her wonder what he thinks about. Sumire didn't know Boruto's adopted brother that well and wasn't too thrilled to protect him. She planned to move on from her one-sided love, so Kawaki's presence wasn't certainly helping her in that area.

"I'm your assigned bodyguard", she replied curtly. Protecting him was her job. It's better when she's injured instead of the person she's supposed to protect. Clients are always more important than the well-being of ninja fulfilling the mission. That was how it worked.

"Ain't you tired of being the ninja? From what I've seen, you all go to seek death in the most gruesome ways possible."

She supposed it's how the civilians in the Konoha perceived the job they did as a ninja. Deep in her heart, she should be prepared to answer this formulaic question, but couldn't. It's like her voice died and the sudden recollection of her nightmares hit her in the most inappropriate moment. Sense of amusement over this conversation made her laugh at his words. In a way, he was right. People in this line of job she worked with were messed up in the head, and that included her too.

"Sometimes, I am tired. It doesn't mean I seek death, it's just my job like any other job other people have. Sure, there is a risk, but if..." Sumire surprised herself with this wave of honesty on her part.

"If?" Kawaki raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"Nevermind. Just let me stay here with you for a moment, if you're worried about me."

She wasn't expecting for him to stay here with her, but he did. This passing feeling of warmness was enough for her to want to protect him without thinking of him as Boruto's brother. Sure, his language could be considered vulgar, so what?

Just by staying here with her, he proved to her his kindness, and she admired that trait in others.

Because she wasn't kind at all. It's enough that he lets her stay.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

Travelling to Iwa on the secured route by Tsuchikage and making sure Kawaki is safe, was part of her job. Sumire tried to separate her personal feelings from her duty as his bodyguard. It took a real toll on her since she was so close to revealing all her pent-up feelings to him.

It's terrifying how fast she could open-up to him under different circumstances. Being Kawaki friend after she finished her mission didn't sound that bad, though. They found a lot of common ground and had similar hobbies. Kawaki, just like her always prioritised saving money due to his background. At first, he was very cautious but spilled everything after learning she was an orphan too. Too close for her comfort, she felt like they gravitate between eventual friendship just to backtrack and come back to a professional way of treating each other. The only question in her head during those past few days of travelling was;

Who really Kawaki is to her?

Good friend? Her client? Adoptive Brother of Boruto? Maybe something more than a friend?

If question number four makes her numb, it could only mean she's doomed.

Ninja assigned as bodyguards couldn't pursue their clients romantically in any way. From what she heard from Sarada for that very reason dating Boruto is difficult for her friend. Sumire was sure that the girl dating Boruto needed to have a clean background and be as well trustworthy.

Unlike Sarada, she didn't meet these conditions. She knew that falling for Boruto would end up with her being hurt. She still has fallen for him. For better, or worse.

The fear of falling in love with Kawaki made her space out.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kawaki spoke up after an hour of walking next to her in silence.

"I am fine. Why do you ask?" She silently prayed that her feelings won't get out. Kawaki's presence affected her greatly. Mainly, maybe it was because during those past few weeks they talked a lot with each other. The similarities they shared, the silent understanding they shared, everything they had in common makes it complicated.

It almost felt too easy to start crushing on him, open-up to him. Sumire was scared he could bring out her honest feelings, opinions, even feelings out from her.

And he wasn't doing anything special.

"You look paler than usual, ain't you? It's pretty obvious. Having a bad night?" She could swear he looked worried, not that she was better than him at reading the body language. Kawaki mentioned he learned it to avoid putting his biological father in a bad mood. Sumire didn't pry further into the subject.

They were both hanging on the thin lines of their comfort zone.

"I had the nightmares about killing my best friends," she admitted. Then a lot of things she hid started to come out from her mouth. Sumire wasn't planning it, her own voice sounded like she entered auto-pilot mode. Kawaki listened patiently commenting on things like her crush on Boruto, or the too much accurate description of her nightmares.

"Why ain't we start dating after this mission ends?" he proposed when she finished talking.

"What, why? That's so sudden." Sumire widened her eyes, surprised by his question.

"We both want to forget about our one-sided crushes, right? Ain't it an appealing offer?"

"I see. You want to date me as a rebound? Who's the girl you love?"

"Sarada."

Sumire sighed. To be honest, she suspected that was the case. In her entire life, it was clear Sarada had no eyes on anyone except for Boruto. Kawaki's feelings were similar to her own.

Yet, another thing they shared in common.

"Do you still love her?" she whispered. The silent nod just confirmed for her something important. Sumire smiled gently, her guard completely down.

It won't hurt her to give it a shot, right?

Maybe dating someone else will help her too. In a way, it's beneficial for them both. She's his rebound, he's her rebound. Just a simple mutual arrangement that she'll agree to. If something goes wrong, they can simply talk and go back to their current lives.

"I am in. Can you promise me something?" Sumire decided to make some things clear.

"Sure, what is it?" Kawaki shrugged, clearly knowing what they both walk into.

"Let me stay as your friend, even when we stop."

Yes, as long he's her friend everything will turn out alright. This mission, rebound dating and guarding him with her life. Letting her stay by his side was the only condition she had.

"In that case late my stay as your friend too."

He agreed, and that was enough to make her happy.

#KawakixSumire #Now I need KawaSumi artist and write more KawakixSumire OneShots #kawasumi #Kawaki #Sumire Kakei #Bodyguard!Sumire #OneShot #Future AU #Aged up characters #One-Sided BoruSumi&KawaSara #Hurt/Comfort #Drama #Action #Romance #Boruto/Naruto Rare Ships Series #hinted BoruSara #boruto - naruto next generations

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delusionalseeker · 5 years

Text

About muse

Note ; This is my own AU for Starscream! :>

————————————————————————————————————

“————— I can’t

hear you!”

Designation; Starscream

Other callings ;

“Lord” Starscream

Commander Starscream

Commander

King of Vos

Soon to be king

Sir

“Megatron’s pet”

Faction ;

Decepticons

Rank ;

Second in Command

Occupation;

Pre war: King of the city Vos. The city of seekers.

On Cybertron: Military commander, energon seeker

On Earth: Ex commander, traitor

Species;

Cybertronian, seeker

Primary color

Silver

Personality; Starscream was a seemingly loyal follower of Megatron. During the latter's return to Earth, he promptly allowed Soundwave to transport their leader back to Earth. He was surprised when he issued back his leadership of the Decepticons, but continued to serve him willingly. His mistreatment at the hands of his master shortly before the destruction of the Space Bridge caused him to revolt his return. However, against his own wishes, he was forced to bring Megatron back to Earth after being spotted by Laserbeak.

As a leader, Starscream more or less carried a similar campaign to Megatron's, only instead being more merciful for failures. Though, he managed to find other ways of punishing his warriors like scratching Knock-Out's finish when he disobeyed orders. Upon Megatron's regaining of health, Starscream completely lost any type of loyalty to his former master after he viciously beat him for his attempt to kill him. His backstabbing tendencies were carried on by other rogue Decepticons, such as Airachnid, whom tried to convince her Insecticon to kill him after Starscream proposed they team up to overthrow Megatron. Despite getting what he deserved, Starscream never understood why he had difficulties with others. What he failed to realize that his treatment was a direct result of how he treated others and how they felt after dealing with him. In other words, they reacted badly to him because he treated them so badly.

He also shows no concern in mistreating or respect for others, like Predaking, Skylynx, Darksteel, Shockwave, and the Autobots. He appeared remorseless for desecrating Skyquake's burial place by reviving the deceased Decepticon as a dark energon terrorcon that was trapped in the Shadowzone and when Megatron killed Dreadwing, who wanted to seek vengeance on Starscream for desecrating his brother Skyquake by raising him from the dead.

Starscream was ruthless, cruel, conniving, selfish, cunning, and above all arrogant. As mentioned before he is traitorous on occasion. When he does something, it is usually for his own personal benefit. His greatest weapon is his cunning and resourceful nature. He also has some sense of honor as he will repay his debts.

After being abandoned by his former master, Megatron. Starscream bears tremendous grudge on him for facing depths of suffering from Megatron's wrath. He become power-hungry as he desired to use the seven weaponized Mini-cons to power himself up and using Megatron's creation, the Dark Star Saber (although Starscream wasn't fully power-up) to exact revenge on Megatron. [ Information from TFPrime Wiki ]

“—— All hail

Starscream!”

History (My AU) ;

Before war

The seeker emerged out of the Well of Allsparks with all innocents. Optics blue and all. No battle scars or anything. All he wanted to do was complete Primus’s goal that was given to him. To become the leader of the city Vos. A city of seekers. All his life so far consisted with lot’s of education and learning how to become king. He needed lot’s of guidance. But...little did Starscream know he was Maximo’s descendant. Everytime there was class he didn’t like to pay attention or just made fun of it the entire time. He would desperately want others to do his work for him. He had the attention span of a squirrel basically. He couldn’t help it.

Teen years?? (Don’t know if Transformers have teen years but oh well something like that)

As he grew older he grew more...devious? Snappy? Playful? But also respectful, responsible. Sometimes even serious since he wanted his coronation so badly. Everyone so far trusted him. He was one of the most likable known mechs in Vos. He also started watching the gladiator fights. Most importantly Megatronus’s(Megatron) fights. He was a HUGE fan. He has posters in his room even. He would try to hide his obsession but when he could he did his best to try and sneak out and watch the event himself. One day at one of those events Megatronus was now Megatron and the mech was having a meet and greet for his fans to see him or join his resistance against the Council. Starscream was excited to see him in person. As the seeker was waiting in line with the rest he was holding his data pad closely. He wanted to know what it was like to be normal as well so the seeker didn’t just cut his way through.

Some bots thought the seeker was weird as they waited in line. Then some taller mecha’s laughed at the soon to be the king and pushed him, causing his whole work data pad to drop and smash. It made the seeker angry and since he was too busy yelling at the folks behind him Megatron noticed this in the line and walked over. He picked up the broken data pad and stood behind Starscream. Once Starscream was done yelling he noticed the mecha’s become quiet and the seeker looked up to see Megatron standing over him. He grew extremely nervous all of the sudden but Megatron only smiled and gave him his data pad back. Megatron then asked for the seeker to come with him. The other mechs in line grew jealous, only causing Starscream to smirk and make faces at them while following the gladiator. Megatron questioned Starscream for a bit, perhaps testing him at the same time.

The seeker was confused by the many questions. Megatron began to half grin at the answers he received, pleased by them. He decided to tell the King about the next fight coming up and said he could be the guest of honor of his. Backstage viewing. Still, confused Starscream was surprised at this sudden offer but of course, humbly accepted it. Later that day Starscream came back home to the Castle. Everyone wondered where he had been since he was gone the whole day. His seeker friends, Skywarp and Thundercracker even looked for him. He straight up smoothly lied to his superior/teacher/ caretaker saying he was at Maccadam’s. Then his teacher proceeded to give him a slap and rant about drinking. The seeker hated it with his life.

Couple days later it was soon the day of the fight Megatron invited the King of Vos to. Unfortunately, Starscream’s caretaker had the seeker practicing speeches and studying all day. He tried to get out of it by trying to make up excuses. Soon he managed to escape and made his way to the fight without anyone knowing. Megatron was glad he could make it and met the seeker in the barracks. Starscream had the view of the whole arena. Very good view. The seeker watched the fight and Megatron of course won, making another one of those speeches about his resistance once again. Starscream blinked at that and soon asked him what the resistance was. Megatron explained everything thoroughly to him. Starscream seemed rather interested and decided to help. Megatron said that most spots were taken already but had a spot of Second in command open. He told him that the spot was only meant for the one who was truly loyal and said to Starscream that he showed potential in being just that. But in order to make it official, he had to prove himself further so Starscream said he will help the cause no matter what happens. He hated the Council as well. Telling him to do things and he didn’t like it.

From then on Starscream secretly helped Megatron do his dirty work this whole time while practicing to be King. He did bad things and his optics turned to red. Eventually, with the High Council meeting Megatron had with this mech Orion Pax now Optimus Prime, Megatron’s optics turned red. They soon had a full blown war on their way.

During war

As war went on in the beginning Megatron was becoming more and more demanding of the seeker and asked for a lot. The seeker of course agreed to do what was asked. Starscream reached his goal as second in command. But he did have a grudge against Megatron. Starscream never got his coronation due to war. He hated the mech with his life but he had no other choice but to work with him. The seeker wanted out but he was the voice of reason to Megatron throughout war. Megatron just stole Starscream’s ideas and made it worse for the Autobots. The seeker grew more and more impatient and resilient. He also was secretly planning to backstab Megatron at one point. He was planning his greatest plot so Megatron would feel that he was a threat so he had to come up with something good. (And thus the war for cybertron and TFP happened. Oof. )

Note: I am planning to make this a fan fic one day. This is an idea I have so far. I will keep editing this!

#; Starscream bio #; alternate universe #; AU #; TFP AU #; how Starscream became a Decepticon #; headcanon #; for this roleplay account #; this is the Starscream I’m playing as

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