#and how kira need pry only A Little and he's figuring out their relationship.

[aurora-nova-fic]

Deleted Scenes: Bittersweet Symphonies

I doubt I’ll be on this much all the time, but I realized this is a great way to share some deleted scenes from Bittersweet Symphonies, the conclusion to my Private Universe series. This series grabbed me and wouldn’t let go for 106k words. I adore the series, even though I now associate one of my favorite writing songs so strongly with Chapter 2 of Bittersweet Symphonies that I struggle to write anything else to it.

So, for my “yay I’m on tumblr” celebration, I present some of the scenes which didn’t make the final edit.

First up, this was originally written as the second-to-last Private Universe Snapshot:

The Interrogation

Garak left the basement to get food and was promptly accosted by Mila. “Tell me about him,” she said.

“Damar is Cardassia’s best chance, notwithstanding his past sins.” Garak would never forgive him for killing Ziyal, but he understood Damar had done so out of his sense of duty to the state. Presently, he saw no point in dredging up the past when they had a future to secure. He also knew that was unlikely to be what Mila meant, but a man could hope.

“Don’t play ignorant with me. You know perfectly well I’m not asking about Damar, and yes, I have a dampening field on. This is a private conversation.”

Really, one would have thought she’d realize now was not the time to pry into his personal affairs. The glare she fixed on him clearly conveyed otherwise. Garak had learned how to break people with his eyes from her, after all.

He gave in to the inevitable. “Julian Bashir, Chief Medical Officer of Deep Space Nine.”

“Human?” She wasn’t disgusted, merely curious.

Garak nodded.

“I’m waiting for details, Elim. I have been for years, so your dinner can wait a few more minutes.”

“It’s not my dinner I’m worried about,” he said. There was the rebellion to consider, foremost, and of course his ongoing quest to not be killed by the Dominion.

“You learned to control the malon anbar, I trust.”

Garak did not appreciate her saying the words aloud, dampening field or not. “Perfectly. And since you’re apparently willing to hold up our activities against the Dominion to satisfy your curiosity…”

“There are no activities to hold up, at the moment.”

“I was hoping to change that, but instead I’m being interrogated about my personal life.”

“I take my opportunities where I can get them.”

“Very well. If you must know, he is an exhilarating conversationalist.”

“That goes without saying, if he held your interest for any length of time.”

“He is in equal measure delightful and impossible. Would you believe he finds The Never Ending Sacrifice dull?”

Mila appeared to believe it. “I’ve always found it overrated myself. I think I like this man, Elim. Keep going.”

Garak hadn’t known she held this shocking opinion. “How can you possibly think it’s overrated?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, but you have to admit it’s predictable.”

Aghast, Garak could only wonder from where he had gotten his refined taste in literature. Tain never had time for fiction, and now Mila didn’t appreciate The Never Ending Sacrifice. Appalling. “Presuming we survive, I’ll have to give you Shakespeare. Perhaps it will be more to your liking.”

“You’re stalling again.”

Garak grew weary of her insistence. “He is so generous it can hardly be believed. He is clever and mesmerizing and from a race which glorifies tales of people from separate worlds who overcome all obstacles to be together, but I am a realist, so I know better. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a rebellion leader to motivate.” He spun around, deciding he wasn’t hungry after all.

“Elim.”

He paused and looked over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I,” he said, and went back down to the basement. If they didn’t defeat the Dominion, nothing else would matter anyway.

Why I cut it: I decided three snapshots in a row on the “they belong to different worlds” theme was a bit much, for one thing. I was also unsure if Garak was quite in character enough, though I was going for him being more open with his mother than he would be with anyone else. This was briefly the prologue for Bittersweet Symphonies, but I liked revisiting the Arwen & Aragorn bit from A Chasm in Perspective much better. Some of the dialogue made it into Garak’s flashback in the wedding scene.

Next up, a short bit from the subspace conversation where Julian tells Miles he’s an Augment.

“I hadn’t known it was possible to intimidate my father into silence. Garak is very impressive when he’s in full protective mode.” That he was protecting Julian had charmed his mother even more than it irritated his father.

“Scary as hell, is more like it. He stares at you like he’s thinking of twenty different ways to kill you and dispose of your body.”

This sounds like it’s coming from personal experience. “Something you’d like to share, Miles?”

“You remember right after your parents left, I thought I’d tease you by calling you Jules?”

“That was my name before,” Julian explains quietly. “I couldn’t tell you why it bothers me so much.”

“Sorry about that.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“But Garak did, and it answers a mystery.”

“What mystery?” asks Julian.

“He came to our quarters and told me I was never to call you Jules again. There was no ‘or else.’ There didn’t need to be. Twenty might be too low an estimate.”

Julian is touched to learn about this unexpected display of concern. “I didn’t know he’d done that.”

“He ‘suggested’ it would be better if you didn’t. I wasn’t about to argue. Anyway, that’s when I knew he really does care about you.”

Why I cut it: Too out of character for Garak.

Here we have a little bit from the beginning of the ka’tur-routzx, the blade ritual.

Garak removes the knife he keeps strapped to his ankle and throws it Julian’s way. The toss is an easy one, spinning lazily through the air, though judging by Dax’s gasp the whole situation looks very bad from a Federation perspective. Julian grabs the hilt of the knife as it tumbles over end toward him. He can manage harder catches – the enhanced hand-eye coordination is useful – but isn’t likely to appreciate an ostentatious display of his abilities. Garak is still working on that.

“You throw knives when you love the person you just married?” O’Brien asks, incredulous.

“That’s not the ritual, it’s Elim showing off the hard work he put into my self-defense lessons.”

Julian finally agreed to the instruction after Interment Camp 371. Starfleet Medical sends its doctors out into the galaxy woefully untrained to face attackers, and Garak has long held a deep interest in keeping Julian alive. Besides, the augmentations did him little to no good when he didn’t know how to best use them to his advantage.

“I hope you practiced in the holosuites first,” says Dax.  

“Fake knife, actually,” says Julian as he stands. “Are we going to perform parlor tricks, or are we going to do this?”

Oh, he is glorious. The remark is just forward and inviting enough for the situation without being too blatantly seductive in front of their guests. Garak couldn’t have come up with better himself.

Why I cut it: This one was a real kill your darlings moment, because I love, love “Are we going to perform parlor tricks, or are we going to do this?” But the scene served the line, not the other way around, and I think the final product flows better without this part.

Here’s a bit from Ezri’s POV as she and Kira leave Cardassia after the wedding.

“You and Garak really came to an understanding, didn’t you?” asks Ezri while she starts the runabout’s preflight.

“Yes,” says Nerys. “He’s done terrible things, things I could never condone. But he did them for Cardassia.”

Ezri doesn’t know why that makes Garak’s misdeeds acceptable until Nerys adds quietly, “I’ve done terrible things for Bajor.”

That… actually explains a lot.

In any event, while Ezri could never marry someone like Garak, she appreciates what Julian has with him. “They’re happy,” she says. “I’m glad something good has come of Julian leaving Starfleet. I really think he’s going to be okay. And you know, I don’t think Garak is worried about me anymore.”

“Worried?”

Ezri weighs how much she can say. “Keeping Jadzia’s secrets.”

“So she did know about the two of them.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I figured,” says Nerys. “It seemed like the kind of thing Julian would have told her.”

He had, of course, and then he and Garak developed the private universe and Jadzia was utterly fascinated by the scientific implications. When she was dying, she thought mostly about the people she was leaving behind and the child she’d never have, but she had briefly regretted that she’d never unravel the mysteries of the malon anbar. It was the only science project she thought about, at least before Julian had to remove Dax.

Ezri shakes her head. “Sorry. Memories.” She doesn’t get lost in them very often now, but it does happen, and they’re usually Jadzia’s. “Jadzia was protective of Julian’s relationship with Garak. She thought it was good for him, but she knew most people wouldn’t approve.”

“I wouldn’t have,” agrees Nerys.

Why I cut it: It didn’t fit or add much on its own, and I quickly abandoned the chapter it was going to be part of (which involved Kira collapsing and needing treatment, Julian performing another medical feat, and Garak fretting Starfleet would realize what a good doctor they’d let get away and offer Julian his commission back).

And finally, part of the epilogue which got the axe:

There’s a crate in the middle of their living room. “Is that from Mother?”

“Yes. She seems very concerned about you,” says Elim. “And after I wrote her a respectful letter promising not to let you starve, no less.”

In Cardassian terms, his mother’s habit of sending food expresses deep concern over Elim’s ability to keep him fed. “You know it’s not an insult by human standards, and I may have mentioned that you liked the marmalade she sent two care packages ago.”

Elim’s sweet tooth wins out. “I suppose there are worse problems than a spouse-mother looking to add variety to our diet,” he says, trying for more grudging than he actually manages.

The tentative rapprochement between Julian and his mother, begun on the station before the war intervened and he only rarely remembered to tell her he was still alive, is growing less tenuous. Part of this, he suspects, is that he’s no longer hiding in shame. The rest is due to her unconditional acceptance of everything: choosing to reveal his augmentations, moving to Cardassia, marrying Elim. She’s undemanding and supportive from a distance of light-years, and for the first time since he was a teenager, Julian is willing to give her a role in his life. He’s gotten in the habit of writing monthly.

They don’t speak of Father. As far as Julian is concerned, there’s no paternal relationship left to repair. Not in years, really, but the last straw was the letter he’d received after his wedding expressing Richard Bashir’s selfishness over Julian saving Kira’s life: Your mother and I could go to prison, did you even stop to think about that? As though it’s Julian’s job to protect his parents from the consequences of their actions.

The return address on the care package is Aunt Aya’s for the second box in a row. Mother has been visiting her sister for quite some time now, but Julian isn’t about to pry for details. He opens the box and sure enough, finds three jars of marmalade. Underneath them is his real prize. “Here it is. She said she was sending something to celebrate getting my license, and it arrived just in time.”

“What is that?”

“Her homemade lamb stew. She canned it for us.”

Elim is more interested in the marmalade, but he’s not about to refuse a break from ration bars.

They are better off than many people on Cardassia. Miles, Ezri, and Kira are evidently on a joint mission to ensure Julian, and by extension Elim, escape the worst of the current deprivations.

Why I cut it: This tried to cram way too much into the epilogue. If you’ve read The Tune Without the Words, you’ll see some ideas morphed into that piece.

Well, this is long and, now that I think about it, more than a bit self-indulgent, but blogs are self-indulgent by their very nature, so here it is, internet. ;)

#fanfic #garak/bashir #ds9 #deleted scene

[wxlfmoons]

in the hallway

pairing: isaac/kira brotp, slight scott/kira, mentions of isaac/allison rating: pg-13 words: ~1200 author’s notes: set post-illuminated. because when i found out that isaac likes comic books, i figured he would totally bond with kira over them (maybe stiles too) and i just want some yukilahey. plus i get to fangirl about comics through them, which is an added bonus.  read on: [ao3] [ff.net]

//

It's probably the most cliche meeting ever but she is the clumsiest person ever, so all in all it makes some weird sense that as she walks out from her classroom, she knocks straight into what feels like a rock which has her almost falling backwards. But a firm hand on her shoulder steadies her and as she looks up to thank whoever it was, she can only raise an eyebrow in surprise.

It’s Isaac Lahey.

She has to crane her neck upward to properly look at him (he looks like a giant next to her), but she knows him, has seen him around before. He's in Scott's pack, was there when she made a complete fool of herself by practically admitting to eavesdropping on their conversation and actually barging into business that wasn't her own. She also thinks she saw him the other night at the rave with Allison, his face covered in glow in the dark paint.

"Uh, thanks," she finally mutters out, once she is able to steady herself.

He lets go, nodding a head in acceptance of her gratitude before he takes a good look at her, the recognition finally kicking in. "You're that girl Scott brought with him at the party, Kira right?"

She nods, surprised he remembered but also quite glad. There didn't seem to be enough people who remembered her name. "Yeah, and you're Isaac? I've seen you with Scott— not like you're with with him like in a romantic relationship, which if you are then that's totally okay with me — but I mean physically with him, like standing next to him when you're in the hallway," she begins to ramble, and she curses herself and her inability to keep her mouth shut and stop the words from flowing— why do they keep flowing?

She hopes she hasn't scared him off but he's looking at her in amusement more than possibly freaked out, so she takes it as a good sign. She really wants to make new friends around here, and if he was already Scott's friend then even better. "You talk a lot," he tells her but not unkindly, and she looks down in embarrassment.

"And yes, I am Scott's friend, but no, we're not together like that," he clears up, her cheeks only burning hotter.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that. I tend to ramble a lot."

He nods, still amused. "I've noticed."

She bites her lip when there's a momentary lapse of silence, taking a small peek up at him from beneath her hair. She really doesn’t know where to go from here; would this be a good time to leave and act like they’ve never met before or should she continue the conversation, considering her desperation to make new friends? Kira considers the latter, because why the hell not, and is ready to speak when Isaac beats her to it.

"You like comics right?"

It's completely unexpected and she takes a few seconds to recover from shock but she takes it in stride, happy to talk about something she is actually very enthusiastic about. "Actually I do. How'd you know?"

"Your tights at the rave. I assumed since you don't really see girls wear stuff like that. Branded shirts yeah, but not printed pants."

She nods in understanding. She has been called out on it one too many times back in New York. "Yeah, I bought them at Hot Topic. I have a DC one at home, but I prefer the Marvel one."

This captures his attention, the boy raising a brow in what she assumes to be curiosity. "You're a Marvel fan?"

"If I had to choose then yeah, definitely Marvel."

He nods, digesting the information curiously. "Who's your favorite?"

"I uh, have the biggest crush on Captain America."

He doesn't seem to look surprised, which confuses her because people usually assume she prefers Tony Stark. "That means you like Chris Evans then."

She nods before she realises it, “Yeah.” But when he shoots her a knowing look, it kind of looks condescending too, she backtracks. "I mean, he is pretty cool and he’s a good actor but I just like Steve Rogers in general."

"You think he's hot don't you?"

She frowns. She does think he’s hot, really hot, but she’s not going to admit that, especially to a guy she barely knows. “If that’s your line of logic, then going by it I'm pretty sure you're a Black Widow— no, Scarlett Johansson fan because she's hot."

He is slightly taken aback by her sudden snark, but welcomes it, putting up two hands in surrender. "You got me there." When she rolls her eyes, he continues, "But actually, I'm more of a Spiderman fan."

"Ah, Peter Parker," she muses and he frowns.

"Is there something wrong with Peter Parker?" He almost looks defensive and Kira realises that that may have come out sounding wrong.

"What? No, nothing's wrong with Peter. I just assumed you'd be like I don't know, a Wolverine or maybe even an Iron Man fan."

Isaac shrugs. "Wolverine's alright, but I'm not a fan of Stark."

"Oh? So that means, when Civil War comes out you'd be Team Cap?"

He shoots her a knowing look. "You just want more people on Team Cap."

She bites her lip, and he chuckles a little bit. "But yeah, maybe. I'd choose Cap over Stark any day."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

“Well—"

“Isaac!”

The sudden shout has them both turning at the same time, only to find Scott walking over to them from across the hall. He is ready to say something when he sees the boy, but when Scott sees her, for some reason he looks surprised.

"Kira? What are you doing here?"

She is a little hurt, because his tone sounds a little accusatory, but she knows he isn’t like that at all so she just shrugs a little shyly. She doesn’t notice Isaac eyeing the both of them curiously, and almost knowingly at their interaction. ”I bumped into Isaac on the way out and we just kinda got talking."

Scott looks over to Isaac for confirmation and he nods, the male looking oddly satisfied at his answer. "I see."

"So, what'd you need?"

Scott turns to him, finally remembering the reason he's there. "Right, Allison's looking for you."

Isaac raises a brow, Kira noticing how Scott already has his full attention at the mention of the girl. "Allison?"

He nods. "Yeah, something about looking over the bestiary and whatnot.”

She sort of knows what a bestiary is, has read about it before, but since she’s still new at all this supernatural stuff, figures it’s just better not to ask. She sees Isaac nod in understanding, almost as if looking over the bestiary meant something more than just ‘looking over the bestiary’, but again doesn’t say anything. It’s not her right to pry.

Just as he turns to leave, he meets her eye. "He's an asshole, even more so in the movies."

Scott looks confused but she understands, "He’s not a complete asshole. He makes his mistakes in Age of Ultron, but he's not all bad.”

He shrugs, before giving her a slight nod and jogs across the hall, out to where Allison was probably waiting. When he’s out of earshot, she notices Scott looking down at her confused and curious.

“What was that about?”

She only smiles up at him. “Just making a few friends.”

At this, Scott looks strangely pleased, beaming brightly down at her. “Then you should hang out with us more, become friends with Allison and Lydia, and not just Isaac.”

She smiles at him like he is the sun. “I’d like that.”

#yukilahey #scira #allisaac #teen wolf #isaac lahey #isaac x kira #kira yukimura #kirisaac #brotp: kirisaac #m: fic #mine #fic

[libralita]

Death Note Part 2

Writer: Tsugumi Ohba

Illustrator: Takeshi Obata

Summary: Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal…or his life?

Rating: ★★★★☆

Part 1

Review:

I really enjoyed this series. It was so engaging and thought provoking. There was one part that bored me to tears and I kind of hated but other than that it was near perfect.

I’ve broken up my notes into parts because I read the giant 2400 bind up so it would be too long to do one post.

Hearing Light’s explanation for what he did makes me even more annoyed with the business executive plots. Light is so smart that he could figure out what he would do without his memories and what someone like Higuchi would do. That’s so awesome! Now why would I want to read 17 chapters full of these stupid business executives? There were way too many to care about or even remember their names. They weren’t as smart or cool or interesting as Light and L. Light and L figure out it’s the eight so quickly. They were pathetic antagonists.

“No matter what world, the god of that world creates the rules. You will be defeated by the fake rules I have created, and die for the sin of defying me.”—Page 1228

Did Light become crazier?

Ugh! Misa can’t remember L’s real name! I mean…I’m glad L isn’t dead but still.

“Ryuk: Sorry but… Misa: Huh? *Ryuk drops Misa* Ryuk: I’m male, I’m shy when it comes to girls.”—Page 1249

How weird.

“Even if she can’t remember the name…Misa will make the eye trade with Ryuk so she can help me…that trade will come in handy immediately!”—Page 1254

Jesus Christ, Light.

“So it was all part of his plan.”—Page 1257

Ryuk knows what a crazy SOB Light is.

“Light: The Kira case hasn’t been solved yet. I’m in no mood for love at the moment.”—Page 1264

Bit of a contradiction, Light. A while ago you said you fell in love with Misa.

Is everyone just sitting in absolute silence while Rem, L and Light are figuring this shit out?

WAIT WATARI! NO! HE WAS SUCH A BAD ASS!

NO NO NO L IS NOT DEAD! I SWEAR TO GOD!

20 days, 18 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds? Until what? L what did you plan?

Alright so looks like this Near kid is probably going to be a candidate for L and there’s this old guy who knows about the count down.

So now Light is Kira and L. What a strange turn of events.

“Ryuk: Then I can’t expect much more fun…”—Page 1316

Ryuk, we still have 1084 pages to go. I’m sure there will be plenty of fun!

“L is dead.”—Page 1321

No! I will stay in my bubble of denial FOREVER!

“January 10th 2005. Mary Kenwood, the second Kenwood daughter, dies in a motorcycle accident in Colorado, USA. April 7th, 2005. With his family at his side Thierry Morello succumbs to liver cancer in a hospital in Paris, France. Mary Kenwood and Thiery Morello, along with their alter egos, Wed and Aiber, are vanquished to the darkness.”—Page 1325

Okay then? Wait…did they die?

Holy shit, the business executives all die of heart attacks.

Alright, let’s see if Near can fill the L-shaped void in my heart.

Interesting so now the FBI, CIA and Near are going to try and track down Kira without L.

Stop. There’s a CIA agent called “Ratt”. Stop it.

Please tell me Light is using 4chan to kill people, they would be hilarious. Also, Light, might I introduce you to the concept of Fake News.

Ah, the NPA director has been kidnapped by a crazy chick.

“No matter what I have to do I will get it before Near…”—Page 1355

So we meet Mello, who at first I thought was a girl but is apparently a boy. And he grew up with Near in the orphanage and they were in competition to become the next L. Mello was always in Near’s shadow so now Mello is going to do anything to defeat Kira and Near. Which includes kidnapping and getting the Death Note that the Japanese police have.

So Watari ran this orphanage that was some sort of training facility for future L’s. Which means that Watari was some sort of father figure to L…which means my heart hurts.

This is actually a really interesting plot line. We have this weird sibling dynamic. It’s another cat and mouse game now that L is gone.

“Mello: I want Kira’s head and I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way. I’ll be number one.”—Page 1370

Huh, maybe training children to become these obsessive detectives is a bad thing.

It’s time for Near and Light to meet.

“L number 2, nice to meet you.”—Page 1413

Oh shit.

L M N, we need all the letters of the alphabet! Also, it’s a good thing that Light’s name also begins with an L.

“The original L gave his life and proved to the world that a mass murderer named Kira is lurking somewhere in Japan. He was even able to find out what Kira was using to do those killings. But even though you’ve taken over L’s place, you’ve done nothing. Not only that, I think Kira’s public approval has even increased because of you.”—Page 1478

Oh shit, Near is throwing shade!

Again, I think creating a school to create super genius detectives is probably not the greatest idea in the world.

“Touta Matsuda One of the men who work under me. But he’s completely useless.”—Page 1499

Aw, Matsuda, that’s so sweet.

Wow, Light got the President to play right into his trap.

“Near, I’ve pretended to be brainless but L is still the greatest detective in the world! And Mello, let me show you who is going to change the world with the Death Note—Kira!”—Page 1531

Light, you’re so crazy.

“I can do this…there are no disadvantages for me.”—Page 1542

What could possibly go wrong?

“Misa: Light, I’ve been a great help, haven’t I? Light: Yeah, I love you, Misa. Ryuk: Hyuk. Is that the face of someone saying ‘I love you’…?”—Page 1547

No it is not.

Well that plan was a complete disaster. You stupid cockroach shinigami (Sidoh). Although, I probably shouldn’t want Light’s plans to succeed.

Ugh, I feel so bad for Misa.

Light, you’ve corrupted Matsuda! He was kind of annoying but now…

Wait! Shit! Light’s dad is making the deal!

LIGHT’S DAD DIED!

Welp, Near figured out that L is Kira.

Now the former-VP-now-President of the US decided to turn over to Kira.

“…Then, Near, Mello, and L won’t be able to lead normal lives once they’re exposed to the world as infidels…”—Page 1683

Light, dear, you are L.

“If you’re scared, you don’t have to participate but please don’t leave the headquarters. I’m scared so I’m not going to go outside.”—Page 1689

Aw, poor Near.

Ah so Mello is with Hal.

Near offered to write Mello’s name.

Hey, shouldn’t this Xavier’s School for the Crazy have taught these kids how to act normal that way they could go outside without being an L suspect?

“Light: Yes, Near? Near: Sorry, I called the wrong number. Bip”—Page 1752

I love Near. Oh he was checking to see if it was L. That’s so smart.

“Light: Near, you must escape. Near: Look who’s talking, Kira.”—Page 1764

Oh snap.

It’s…raining money…Smart.

Aizawa is going to look into Light being Kira again. Hopefully he doesn’t die.

And now we have a new owner of the Death Note: Teru Mikami.

“Has Aizawa made his move? If he has, I shouldn’t try to pry into it too much. They’ll only get more suspicious of me if I do. Actually, it might be better to have them investigate as they please, and even check out Misa.”—Page (Too lazy to find the page number)

Fuck, Light knows.

I wonder if because Aizawa is a father that’ll effect his relationship with Near.

“No, the important part is ‘I’ll kill Kira, and then kill myself.’ Therefore Deputy Director Yagami and the Kira suspect are related.”—Pages 1820-1821

He’s so good. Oh shit, Near figured out that Light is the new L. Man, Near’s good. Light could never figure out L’s real identity but Near figured it out so quickly. Though, now that I think about it. It might have been in Rem’s Notebook.

I didn’t know Matt from Game Theory worked for Mello. The more you know.

Now we get to meet Mikami. Let’s see how crazy he is!

Huh, have we gotten this mug shot picture before for Misa and the business executive? We got one for Light and Ryuk.

So Teru was bullied. He is quite crazy.

Near…why do you have finger puppets?

Wow, it’s one of the girls who use to have a crush on Light. What a one in a million chance. Ah, but this inadvertently make things a little bit more difficult for Light. Man, this book is so brilliant sometimes.

Light, you are really shit at keeping your identity a secret. Mello and Near have both figured you out.

Back to Japan!

So Mikami is punishing the by-standards now. This is turning into an Seinfeld episode.

Takada, I need to remember that name.

Ide, they want to bonk! Matsuda knows people, he just doesn’t understand crime.

Light got into contact with Mikami and everything seems to be going according to plan for Light…unfortunately?

“I’ve never made travel arrangements myself. I want you to come back, and then we’ll go to Japan together.”—Page 1949

Aw, that’s so sad.

So battle between Light and Near has truly begun.

Damn, Hal Lidner has some balls.

Poor Misa.

“Once the victim’s name, cause of death and situation of death has been written down in the Death Note, this death will still take place even if that Death Note or the part of the Note in which it has been written is destroyed, for example, burned into ashes, before the state time.”—Page 2006

Doesn’t the Netflix movie completely throw out this rule?

MIKAMI ARE YOU NUTS? YOU JUST KILLED SOMEONE WITH THE DEATH NOTE IN PUBLIC!

“Matsuda: Ooh! Light’s in trouble now!”—Page 2031

…We are all Matsuda.

“Near: What this proves is that Light Yagami is a lady-killer.”—Page 2039

AY-OH!

Poor Aizawa.

So now Misa and Mogi have been kidnapped/taken into custody by Near. Ah, so this was Near’s plan to get someone to touch the Notebook.

Near is putting his plan into action I’m getting dangerously close to the end.

I’m assuming that Mello is going to show up at the last minute and completely ruin Near’s plans.

Mello’s kidnapped Takada!

And now Matt is dead. I hope Stephanie isn’t too sad about it.

Ah shit Takada is going to try and kill Mello. She, much like Hal, has some balls of titanium.

Aw shit Takada killed Mello. I wish he’d been more prominate in the book series. He was a cool headache for Light.

And now Light has killed Takada so he can destroy Mello’s body.

Near has a mask on.

And meeting has begun.

Nate River, there’s Near’s name.

“I’ve tampered with the Notebook. We managed to get it into our possession, and replaced the pages. The person behind the door…the one in charge of the actual killing, has been filling up one page every day, so I just calculated which page would correspond with today’s date, and replaced all the subsequent pages.”—Page 2212

Holy shit, really?

“Exactly as planned!”—Page 2214

FUCK!

“I ordered Mikami to use the fake Notebook outside on purpose to have your agent witness it in plain sight.”—Page Lazy

*sighs*

FUCK YEAH NEAR! YOU FUCKING DID IT! I’m so proud of you, kiddo.

“Matsuda: Light…Why…?”—Page Shit is Getting Real

Oh, Matsuda…

Man, Gevanni is good.

Oh god Mello scarified himself for Near.

“Mello always said he was going to be number one, and that he was going  to be better than me and L but I always knew that I would never be able to surpass L. it could be that I lack the action and he lacked the calm and even though we couldn’t surpass the one we admired on our own together we can stand with L together. Together we can surpass L.”—Pages 2262-2263

HELL YEAH!

Near called Light a murderer, hell yeah.

FUCK YEAH MATSUDA SHOT LIGHT!

Ryuk is writing Light’s name down in his Notebook.

Light Yagami is dead.

Near is eating chocolate.

I feel like if I were on this task force I’d retired after this.

Aw, Misa is the leader of a cult…how odd.

The bonus chapter was kind of funny.

#Death Note #tsugumi ohba #takeshi obata #reviewsdaytuesday #2017 Reviews

[thederailedtrain]

The Mark of Oblivion: Home [Three]

Lix, Kira was glad to find out, was actually a very nice woman. (And only four years older than her, but that was an existential crisis for another day.) That earlier remark wasn’t a lone incident either; she was just a very straightforward woman. It helped to balance out Salazar’s shier tendencies. Maybe that’s why this whole bizarre situation didn’t seem to faze her. Kira only wished she could take things as they came the way Lix did. This was still too much to wrap her head around.

If nothing else, Kira could tell Salazar and Lix loved each other very much. They acted like newlyweds, not people who had been in a relationship for three years. It was the little things Kira noticed, like how they were so comfortable around each other that personal space was a bubble they shared, or the look on Lix’s face when she caught Salazar stealing a fry from her plate.

What Kira found most fascinating about Lix was her job. She her work as an etymologist focused on ancient languages and translating newly discovered texts into both Spanish and English. Kira actually wondered if she’d ever read any of her translations.

“That was actually how we met,” Lix mentioned in the middle of one story.

“Ah, yes, the Scroll of Astar,” Salazar said, blinking back to the memory. He leaned across the table to keep the conversation away from prying ears. “Someone in my Ward had gotten ahold of a copy, but I’d never seen one before, so I took it to a translator to make sure it was safe.”

“Technically, we had met before, but only in passing,” Lix picked up where he left off. “Salazar was my Warden, of course, but my parents were also lobbying hard to fix him up with my older sister - before they realized she wasn’t interested in men, I think.” Now she was leaning across the table, speaking in a low voice. “It was only for the status, really. My whole family is quite adept at sigil drawing, which they felt was a good match for the Guardian of Mixba’al.”

“They were right.” Salazar placed a hand on Lix’s shoulder. “You and I make a great match.”

Lix shook her head at him, but couldn’t quite wipe the smile off her face. Their shared glance was a little too personal, so Kira turned to the only other person at the table. Cedric was watching them fondly, probably basking in the love radiating off of the pair, but he turned to Kira when he felt her eyes on him.

What is it? the raise of his eyebrows seemed to say.

“It’s nothing. Nevermind,” Kira mouthed back.

That should’ve been the end of their conversation, but Kira found she couldn’t look away just yet. Cedric didn’t give her many opportunities to look him in the eye these days - she’d forgotten how stunningly blue they were. And this was...nice. A private little moment in the middle of a bustling diner.

“So that’s enough about us, I think,” Lix spoke up, breaking the staring contest between Kira and Cedric. “How did you two meet?”

Cedric suddenly paled, the weirdo, so Kira took initiative. “Well, it was before I knew about, um, everything.” She paused to give the word proper emphasis. “My aunt gave me the address when I was looking for work. I think it was about a year ago?” She turned to Cedric, but he was still fumbling. What the hell was his problem?

“And that’s how you became his second-in-command. I see,” Lix nodded. “And how long have you been together?”

Oh. Oh. So that’s what was up with Cedric. Instantly, Kira found herself making the same face, lips moving around invisible words as she searched for an answer.

“I, um, I...We don’t- We aren’t,” Kira tried. She turned to Cedric for help. Unfortunately, said incubus couldn’t see her distress signals because he was too busy burying his head in his hands to avoid the question. Useless!

“They’re, um, not dating, love,” Salazar explained and Kira breathed a silent prayer to whichever deity was listening to her prayers. “They’re only together in the sense that they work together.” The wince on his face was impressive. Kira would’ve gotten a good laugh out of it in any other situation. No doubt this was awkward for Salazar too; his fiancée had just asked if his best friend was dating his daughter.

By contrast, Lix didn’t share any of his embarrassment. “They aren’t? But I thought this was a double date?” It took every ounce of self control Kira had not to vault out of the booth in that moment.

Kira’s mortification was cut across by the sound of a phone ringing. Cedric finally stopped trying to smother himself with his own hands to look around at the other members of the table. His eyes lit up in realization and he quickly scrambled for his back pocket.

“Hello?” Cedric answered. There was a pause and then, “Yes, this is he.”

Kira watched as his face slowly changed from frazzled man out to lunch to Cedric, Warden of the Greater Tristate Area and Otherworld Council member. Even Lix and Salazar seemed to notice the switch, stopping their conversation to stare at him as well.

“Alright, I’ll be right there,” Cedric said, then hung up. He pulled out his wallet and began rooting through it before he even looked at anyone else.

“Well, are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Kira asked, watching as he threw several bills down on the table.

“The thing you faced yesterday,” Cedric began, already shrugging into his peacoat. “It’s been spotted across town. I’m sorry to cut this lunch short, but we need to run before we lose track of it again.”

“Shit,” Kira hissed under her breath, racing to pull her jacket on and grab her purse.

It was only when she stood up that she realized Lix and Salazar were still with them. By the looks of things, they were getting ready to go as well. “No, no, no. Stay, enjoy your meal,” Cedric insisted.

He tried to stop Salazar from adding to the money he’d thrown on the table. Not only did he not succeed, Salazar actually managed to get a twenty back in Cedric’s hands. At that Cedric abandoned ship and tried every tactic he could to keep them seated.

“We’re terribly sorry for running out in the middle of lunch. It was lovely seeing you again, Lix. You really don’t have to-” was all he managed to get out before Salazar cut him off.

“Yes, I do. I was part of the reason this thing managed to escape yesterday,” Salazar said, and rose to his full height. He looked Cedric in the eye, neither budging. “And like hell I was letting you pay the full bill.”

Cedric’s sigh was one of resignation. “Well, if it was enough to give three people trouble yesterday…”

“Then you have four today,” Lix finished for him, standing as well.

Kira could see the debate playing out behind Cedric’s eyes. Would this argument cost them time and lose them the statue once more, or would having another person on the retrieval team be an asset? Cedric closed his eyes tight, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Cedric nodded after a moment. He headed immediately for the door. Once they were out of the diner, he turned to Salazar, “Do you have the crystal on you?”

The other Warden nodded, but Lix spoke first. “Wait, do you mean herkimer diamond?” She asked. Salazar and Cedric shared a look while Kira just shrugged. She didn’t see what Lix was so up in arms about. “Couldn’t we just use your car? I thought that was only to be used for Council meetings. Or dire situations.”

“I don’t want to risk losing this thing again,” Cedric replied. “Perhaps not dire, but the situation certainly requires swift action.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to try crossing Midtown at noon,” Kira added once they reached Cedric’s favorite alleyway.

With everyone assembled, Salazar pulled a leather cord from his pocket. The double-ended crystal dangled from it, reflecting dimly in the shade of the alley. After checking around for mortal witnesses, Salazar handed the crystal off to Cedric. “You’re the one who knows where we’re going.”

“Well, alright,” Cedric replied.

He didn’t need to tell anyone what to do next. Even Lix seemed to know the procedure, leaning in as Salazar wrapped an arm tight around her shoulders. He placed his free hand on Cedric’s nearest shoulder while Kira took the other one.

“Close your eyes and take a breath,” Cedric instructed.

Kira was already way ahead of him, bracing for the spell to take effect. She still wasn’t ready when it hit, space warping around her and spinning the air from her lungs. At least the journey was short and the sensation stopped soon enough.

It took until the count of three before the vertigo cleared and Kira felt comfortable enough to open her eyes. She patted herself on the back for not stumbling. That might’ve been the first time she could say that.

Lix wasn;t so lucky. She still clung tightly to Salazar, even after Kira had recovered. This was probably one of her first times, Kira guessed, which would also explain her hesitation. The pair was whispering in Spanish as Lix blinked her eyes back into focus. That probably meant it was the conversation wasn’t meant for her.

Instead, Kira averted her eyes by checking out the space they’d found themselves in. The spell had planted them right between two rows of shelves, stacked high with boxes and crates. Based on Cedric’s phone conversation and her immediate surroundings, Kira figured they were in a large warehouse. Just to make sure… 

“Cedric, I know you mentioned this thing was across town,” Kira said. “But where exactly was that?”

“We’re at the storage and processing center for Sterling International,” Cedric explained. He handed back the crystal to Salazar. “Luckily for us, the owner of the company is a witch. When he spotted what he believed to be a stone golem breaking into his facilities, he called me. Of course, he suspected its intention was to steal from him, but I suspect we’re already familiar with the cause of the disturbance.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing,” Kira replied. “But how the hell are we supposed to find this thing? Last time we just followed the yelling and the path of broken expensive shit. The only thing I’m hearing right now is traffic.”

The only response Cedric had was to raise his hands in the air. Oh, great. It wasn’t like they had anything to scry with and the thing could be surprisingly stealthy when it wanted. Unless they came across a wake of destruction in the middle of the warehouse, they could be S.O.L again.

“Actually,” Salazar spoke up, drawing both Kira and Cedric’s focus back to him. He looked Kira right in the eye and the intensity within them made her heart skip. Oh, no, he couldn’t be thinking of- “There is something we haven’t tried yet.”

Oh, shit, he was.

“I can’t do it!” Kira said immediately.

The words rushed out so fast, she felt short of breath. Or maybe that was just the panic. She hadn’t had a meltdown in days, and she wasn’t keen on having one now.

What if it worked? Kira’s mind spat an immediate, Yeah, right. The only thing this would lead to was property damage. And that was an optimistic outcome. At worst, she could hurt everyone around her. She could burn herself up from the inside, reducing herself to a hollow, magic shell. She could-

“Do what?”

Lix’s voice broke up the whirlpool spiraling in Kira’s mind. “Track our target using the Mark of Mixba’al,” Kira answered, hardly aware of the words coming out of her mouth. In her periphery, Kira saw Lix nodding to herself, like she just remembered who carried the Mark now. Her head snapped up and she glanced wildly between the rest of the team. “I- I can’t!”

“Yes, you can,” Salazar told her, his voice calm. His gaze didn’t waver as he moved closer to her and how did he know that? Kira shook her head and took a step back, but Salazar was already there. He grasped Kira’s hands in his, eyes still firmly fixed on hers. “You may not believe in yourself, but I believe in you. All I’m asking is for you to trust in me that I know you can do this...if that makes sense.”

“No,” Kira repeated, still shaking her head. “What if- What if I hurt you? Or-”

“You have to,” Cedric cut in. Kira took a welcome reprieve from Salazar’s intense stare to glance over at Cedric, only to find him giving her nearly the same look. “Listen, this was one of the worst cases of magical exposure I’ve ever dealt with and it has the potential to become much worse. Every second this thing is on the loose, the greater the risk becomes. You’re the only one who can track it right now. We’re all counting on you.”

More pressure. That was the exact thing Kira needed.

The worst part of it was knowing they were right. Aside from waiting for eye witnesses, they had no idea where this thing would pop up next. That was assuming the witnesses would know to call Cedric, much less that they were Otherworlders in the first place. Kira made a tearless, sobbing sound, bouncing on her feet as she tried to accept this responsibility.

“Hey, it’ll be alright. I’ll be right here to talk you through it,” Salazar said. As he spoke, he dropped slowly to the floor. He sat there, cross legged and beaconing for Kira.

Reluctantly, she followed his lead. Kira remembered some of this from her earlier training sessions with Salazar and mirrored his movements. There were three inhales and two exhales. Then, on the third breath, Kira removed the first ring.

Instantly, Kira was reminded just how much ambient magic there was surrounding her. It was like suddenly gaining another sense. Like waking up from a dream and remembering she could smell. It had never been this strong before the Mark, or maybe she just hadn’t been aware of it.

Before taking off the second ring, Kira prepared the neutral magic shield around herself. She made sure to set her intention; nothing could get through that she didn’t want getting through. It helped prepare for the onslaught of magical energy she felt upon removing the second ring. Kira placed each ring beside her knees before looking back up at Salazar and nodding.

This was the hardest part; intentionally letting the shields down. It had become a reflex, like holding a hand out to break a fall. Trying to unlearn it had been one of the hardest parts of her training.

“Close your eyes and just remember to keep breathing,” Salazar told Kira. “Go without fear. I’m at your side and I can contain any destructive force you conjure.”

If nothing else, Kira believed in that. Salazar could handle anything she threw at him. So Kira did as instructed, closed her eyes and let the magic wash over her.

It was too much at first and Kira nearly cried out. The pulse of the telluric currents was strong enough when she was keeping them at bay. It was an entirely different matter when she was part of them herself. The sound was overwhelming, threatening to deafen her. White hot energy crept into the corners of her being, ready to overtake her at the slightest slip.

“Shh, Kira, just keep breathing,” Salazar reminded her. His voice helped to ground her.

How quickly she’d forgotten there were people counting on her. Not just the three nearby, but every Otherworlder in the Ward. Possibly beyond. Not to mention, Cedric’s reputation was on the line. She had to do this for him. For all of them.

“Good, that’s good,” Salazar continued. “Don’t get caught up in the flow of the currents, just let them pass through you. In, out. Just like your breath.”

Kira tried to visualize the telluric currents around her. A river, just like Salazar was talking about, bright white and swirling viciously. She breathed the water, the energy, into her lungs before letting it go in her next breath.

“Now, try moving through them,” Salazar told her. “Move with them, don’t let them carry you too far. Stay on top of them.”

Forget her earlier reservations, this was the hardest part. In the past, she’d done just that. The currents around the shop were just too strong and Kira had to force the rings back on or risk becoming caught up in them. Here, things were a little less bustling. Currents flowed lazily as the Hudson River at her back.

Slowly, carefully, Kira could feel her awareness expanding. The magical signatures of the three people nearby were the first things she became aware of. It was different than sensing their presences, it was like becoming a part of it. Kira saw through Cedric and Lix - even Salazar. It was always surprising when Kira could feel his magic. His presence was so much like her own. If nothing else, she could find comfort in that.

Then she saw beyond. Beyond the walls of the warehouse, beyond the street, all the way to the river. She could see all Otherworlders out there. She was doing this for them, Kira reminded herself, but it was all becoming too much. There were too many of them, too many presences, each one unique. Each on threatening to draw their energies into her.

“Stay with me, Kira,” Salazar spoke up and Kira heard herself whimper. At least, she thought she did. Her consciousness was in too many places at once. “Remember your objective. Remember why you’re doing this.”

For the Otherworld. For Cedric.

The statue.

Kira could remember the magic that surrounded it. Not quite a presence of its own, more like a lingering spell. Magic had been infused with its very physical form, had. It was almost like the magic of Ravid’s talismans, but this was more ancient, almost tired.

When Kira tried to focus in on enchantments, the first things she picked up on were the rings sitting on either side of her. Then, almost distressingly, there were enchantments all around her. That was why her senses had been going wild at first; this warehouse contained hundreds, possibly thousands, of magical artifacts.

It was easy to get caught up in it all. That is, until Kira realized none of them were moving. So Kira widened her search for anything that wasn’t staying in place.

There was a presence at the edge of her senses that Kira initially brushed off as an Otherworlder. However, there was something off about it - an ancient magic she remembered from the night before. And once she got close enough, she could feel that magic. In that moment, she was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. Not déjà vu from the other night, but an intense longing that seemed to radiate from the statue itself.

The statue, whatever it was, was still on the move. Kira already knew she couldn’t do this again, her control was slipping. She had to think quickly.

It was a bit of a Hail Mary, but Kira had to try. She reached out through the telluric currents, pulling and twisting at them until they looped around themselves. Kira knew this couldn’t hold the statue, but it was the only thing she could think to do.

The moment the ring closed round the statue, it let out a roar. Kira felt it flail wildly, but it couldn’t snap the bonds of the intangible magics.

What it did do, however, was throw Kira’s consciousness all the way back into her body. “Holy shit,” she breathed, coming back to her senses.

Fully in the present once more, Kira opened her eyes and scrambled for the rings. She hurriedly drew neutral magic around herself before placing the rings back on her pinkies. At some point, Salazar reached out and started rubbing her arms comfortingly. The touch helped.

“You did good,” he was saying. “You did so good.”

Somewhere behind her, Cedric sighed. “It’s okay, we can figure out some other way to track it.”

“Don’t worry,” Kira said, a smile blooming across her face. “I found it.”

#the mark of oblivion #n: the mark of oblivion #the magic shop #writing #my writing #katie writes sometimes