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emjayewrites · 3 months

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Private Landing (Lewis Hamilton Fanfic)(1/?)

SUMMARY: In the high-speed world of Formula One, Lewis Hamilton subtly introduces a mysterious partner via Instagram after a slight mishap during an interview. Sparking media intrigue, everyone wants to know: who is the enigmatic figure that calls herself Mrs. Hamilton?

INSPO: this post

PAIRINGS: Sir Lewis Hamilton x Aurora "Rorie" Phillips-Hamilton (faceclaim is Justine Skye)

WARNINGS: drama, angst, sexual content, formula one b.s., pre-established relationship (with flashbacks). RATED M (18+)

TAGLIST: @queenshikongo3 @cocobutterqwueen @httpsserene @mauvecherie-writes @galatially @pausmoon @a-moment-captured @nikki01234 @yeea-nah @sirlew44 @melodichaeuxx-lacritquexx @weetjy @lewisroscoelove @hxneyclouds @questionable-behaviour @marzzrambles @lovebittenbyevans @tian-monique @alika-4466 @saintslewis

A/N: Please let me know if you want to be added/removed from the taglist. The headers/dividers are by @inklore

CHAPTER 1: Loose Lips, Sink Ships

Rorie was surrounded by the familiar hustle and bustle of her morning routine. Her 10-month-old son sat contently in his highchair as she carefully prepared his breakfast. The scent of freshly chopped fruit mixed with the soft hum of bubbling porridge on the stove, creating a cozy and comforting atmosphere. She turned off the heat with a smooth flick of her wrist and poured the thick mixture into a small bowl for her baby, gently blowing on it to cool it down.

At the sight of this, her son began to fuss and was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. His whimpers turned into soft cries and from his corner of the room, Roscoe trotted over to investigate the commotion.

"Just a minute, peanut," she cooed while stirring the cooling porridge, but like his father, her son was always impatient. Deciding that the porridge was ready, she spooned some freshly cut fruit into the bowl before sprinkling cinnamon on top and placing it in front of the fussy infant. "You and your Daddy need to work on that," she chuckled, speaking in a low, baby-like voice. "You're just like him, aren't you?"

Rorie's son, with his chubby cheeks and bright brown eyes, looked nearly identical to his father. The resemblance was uncanny, from his curly hair plaited in baby braids to the mischievous glimmer in his eyes when he was up to something. Yet, there was one striking difference that set him apart – his skin color matched Rorie's, which was a deep sable.

She couldn't help but marvel at how the little one inherited both her nurturing determination and Lewis' unwavering impatience. It was as if their contrasting qualities were interwoven seamlessly in their child's very being. She watched as tiny hands reached out for the bowl of porridge, smearing it across his chubby cheeks and button nose. Roscoe edged closer with his wagging short tail, hoping for a taste of the gooey treat.

"Don't even think about it, Roscoe," Rorie warned with a playful scowl. "This is for baby boy only."

Roscoe gave her a sly look, tilting his head to the side as if considering whether or not to listen. But ultimately, he let out a soft whine and plopped down on his haunches.

Glancing up at the television mounted in their cozy kitchen nook, Rorie spotted her husband, Lewis. Her stomach tightened with a familiar mix of excitement and nerves as she watched him being interviewed. With practiced skill, he deflected questions about their personal life and redirected the focus to his upcoming race.

One reporter called out to Lewis, "Can you address the rumors about your family?"

Another chimed in, "You've mentioned having a wife and kids before. Can you tell us more about them?"

Lewis' smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "My priority right now is winning this race," he stated confidently, his voice cutting through the clamor of voices. "That's all I'm focused on."

As a public figure, Lewis was well aware that every aspect of his life was under intense scrutiny from the media. Despite this, he always held on to the importance of keeping certain aspects private - especially when it came to his family. He had never mentioned them in interviews, until one slip-up after the Miami Grand Prix.

The public was taken aback when they discovered he was married, and even more so when he posted an anniversary message for his wife on Instagram. His media and talent manager, Penni Thow, felt it was necessary to give the public a glimpse into his personal life before things escalated further. Though it went against his principles, the plan proved successful - yet now it seemed like everyone was invested in him and his family, leaving Lewis and Rorie unsure of how to handle it all.

As luck would have it, their home was only a few miles away from Lewis and the drive to the main street where the Monaco Grand Prix took place was less than five minutes. As she gathered their son's belongings for their visit to the paddock, Rorie couldn't shake off a feeling of unease. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy spending time with Lewis, quite the opposite in fact, yet with all the media attention on their family now, she did not enjoy the feeling of being under a microscope.

Rorie finished feeding their son and cleaned up his messy face then she got herself ready before walking to her car. She strapped their son into his car seat and loaded up the stroller and diaper bag before heading out to meet Lewis. As she drove through the winding roads of Monaco, Rorie marveled at how different her life was now compared to just a few short years ago.

Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, Rorie never imagined herself marrying an F1 driver and living a jet-setting lifestyle. But after meeting Lewis at a bar in New York City, things changed quickly for her. She had been enjoying a drink after a stressful business meeting when they crossed paths. They hit it off immediately and before long, she found herself whisked away to Monaco where Lewis was based.

As she pulled into the paddock entrance, Rorie tried to push aside her anxiety and focus on enjoying the day with her husband and son. After parking her car, she unloaded everything and headed towards Lewis' team's hospitality area.

His dark hair, styled in his usual signature braids, caught her attention immediately as she scanned the group. His piercings and tattoos were on full display, and he seemed relaxed and confident surrounded by his team, discussing cars and racing strategies. Her smile widened as their eyes met, causing him to pause briefly in conversation with George and Toto. The other two men turned to look at her as well, but Rorie couldn't make out Toto's words from the distance.

With about an hour before the race, she knew Lewis needed a break to calm his nerves. This was nothing new for her; discreetly slipping away, Rorie headed towards Lewis' motorhome. To anyone else, she would have appeared like any other attendee, dressed casually in jeans and a knit bodysuit top. She never wanted to draw attention to herself when attending Lewis' races, but secretly she longed to be front and center in the pit area cheering him on like any other WAG. However, until she felt ready for that kind of exposure, this was how she preferred things.

Lewis respected their decision to keep their son out of the public eye, but when it came to Rorie? He wanted to shout his love for her from the rooftops. Yet he could never be upset with her desire for a quiet life, and he respected her decision. But when the time came and Rorie was ready for more, his fans would be inundated with posts about her day and night - that much was certain.

Minutes after Rorie, Lewis entered the motorhome. "Hey gorgeous," Lewis greeted with a warm smile. "You made it just in time."

Rorie smiled back at her husband, enjoying this brief moment of tranquility before the race began. "Hey yourself," she responded, leaning in for a kiss.

"How was the drive?" Lewis asked as he pulled her into a hug.

"Not too bad," Rorie shrugged as they settled on the couch. "Traffic wasn't too terrible."

"Good," Lewis nodded as Rorie handed him their son, who cooed happily at seeing his father after being away due to his busy racing schedule. "Hey, little man," he cooed at his mini-me. "How's my boy? How're you, Lyric?"

Lyric giggled and reached for Lewis' braided hair, causing both parents to laugh. Lyric Apollo was the apple of his parents' eye and he knew it. Despite their busy lives, they always made time for their son and he was always surrounded by love.

Rorie couldn't help but admire the sight in front of her. Her two boys, both with their matching dimpled smiles and hair, looked content and happy together. It was a scene she never thought she'd have the privilege of witnessing, but here they were.

"Can you believe how big he's getting?" Lewis said proudly as he bounced Lyric on his lap.

Rorie smiled fondly at them. "I know, right? It feels like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital."

Lewis kissed Lyric's forehead before turning to Rorie with a mischievous grin. "Remember how scared we were? We had no idea what we were doing."

Rorie rolled her eyes playfully. "Speak for yourself; I had it all under control."

"Oh really?" Lewis raised an eyebrow in jest.

"Yeah," Rorie replied assuredly. "I mean, I did read every parenting book out there."

Lewis chuckled at her response before leaning in to kiss her cheek. "You're amazing," he whispered. "I wish I could spend more time with you guys, but the race season is just so hectic."

"I know," Rorie replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. She understood that racing was Lewis' passion and career, but she couldn't help feeling a bit lonely when he was away.

Lewis sighed and looked into Rorie's eyes. "Hey, don't worry about it too much," he reassured her. "After this race, we have a few days off before the next one. We can plan something fun for our little family then."

Rorie smiled at his words and leaned in for another kiss.

The sound of an alarm suddenly broke the peaceful moment as Lewis' timer informed him that it was almost time to head out for the grid.

"It happens all the time," he joked, taking out his phone to turn off the annoying shrill. Lewis handed Lyric back to Rorie before getting up from the couch where they had been sitting.

"Good luck out there today," Rorie said with a loving smile as she stood up as well.

"Thanks, babe," Lewis replied. "I'll see you after the race."

"Go kick some ass," Rorie said with a playful smirk.

"I will," he responded confidently. "Oh, Miles is here with Spinz if you want to head up to the paddock club."

"Do you really think I should go, Lewis?" asked a worried Rorie. "You know how chaotic it's been lately."

"There are no reporters up there and you know all the back entrances to be discreet," he reassured her. He took a step closer to her and let out a sigh. "I just want you to have some fun and enjoy yourself for a little while, okay? And Nina is coming, right?"

Nina was their nanny. Rorie nodded. "Yeah, she should be here any minute."

"Great, so just relax, have some drinks, and do whatever you want," he encouraged her. "Let your hair down. You've been taking excellent care of Lyric, Roscoe, and me, but mummy needs some time for herself too."

Rorie smiled at Lewis' words, knowing she needed to take some time for herself and have a little fun. It had been a while since she had the chance to let loose.

He kissed her on the lips before bidding her farewell.

Soon after, Nina arrived and Rorie smiled warmly as she handed over Lyric to her. As the Hamilton family's trusted nanny since Lyric was just a few months old, Nina was an older woman with wiry gray hair neatly tied up in a bun. Her olive skin was flawless and her bright blue eyes exuded warmth and compassion. She spoke with a soothing French accent, her words gentle and affectionate towards Lyric, like a sweet lullaby.

"Has he taken his nap?" asked Nina eagerly.

"No, but I've changed and fed him, so he's definitely tired," Rorie informed her. "I'm heading out now, please call if—"

"We'll manage just fine, Aurora," Nina interrupted.

"Merci." Rorie smiled gratefully at Nina before heading out to the paddock club. As she entered, the noise and energy of the crowd hit her. She felt a little overwhelmed, but also excited to be in this exclusive area where only sponsors and VIP guests were allowed. She made her way upstairs to the terrace, keeping an eye out for Miles and Spinz. It didn't take long for her to spot them at a table near the bar.

"Hey Rorie!" Miles called out as he noticed her approaching.

"Hi guys," Rorie said with a smile as she joined them at the table. "Thanks for inviting me to join y'all."

"You know we always got your back," Spinz said with a grin before taking a sip of his drink.

Rorie thanked him as she took a seat next to Miles. "When did you get here, Miles?"

"I got here yesterday afternoon," Miles answered in his British lilt, his brown eyes sparkling with excitement. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and a tailored pink suit. "I would've swung by, but I figured you guys were sleeping by the time I was free. I had to handle some things before spending some time with Lew."

Rorie shook her head with a chuckle. "Yeah, we were probably in bed by then."

"Right, because taking care of a toddler is so easy," Spinz joked, earning a playful punch from her.

"I'm just glad you guys are here," she said sincerely. "It's nice to have some familiar faces in this sea of strangers."

"We wouldn't miss this for the world," Miles said with a grin. "You know we got to support our bro."

Rorie found herself having a great time with Miles and Spinz. She sipped on a glass of champagne, enjoying the cool breeze and the stunning views of the racetrack below.

"How's our nephew doing?" Miles suddenly asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "I saw some pictures of him and I swear to God he looks more and more like Lew every single day. That baby stole his whole face."

Rorie couldn't help but smile at Miles' words. "He's doing great," she said proudly. "Growing so fast, just like you said he would."

"I can't wait to see him again," Spinz chimed in. "Is he going to be 'round later?"

"Yes," Rorie replied, "if he's not asleep by then, of course."

"How is Lew handling being away from him?" Miles asked with concern.

"It's been tough for both of us," Rorie confessed, taking another sip of her drink. "But we make it work with video calls every night before bedtime."

Rorie couldn't help but feel grateful for their friends, who had always been there and supported her and Lewis through thick and thin.

Rorie politely excused herself to take a call from Nina, regarding Lyric. It was nothing serious, just a minor issue that needed immediate attention. Lost in her thoughts, Rorie was unaware of the figure approaching her until a deep, melodious voice broke through her reverie. Startled, she turned to find herself face-to-face with a captivating stranger. He had tall, broad shoulders that spoke of strength and confidence, and his deep brown eyes sparkled like pools of melted chocolate below a mess of messy curls.

The stranger approached Rorie with a charming smile, his voice smooth and polished like silk. "Excuse me, miss," he said, his eyes fixed on her from across the terrace. "I couldn't help but notice you. What's a gorgeous woman like yourself doing all alone?"

Rorie offered him a polite smile, but inside she was already feeling uncomfortable. "Thank you for the compliment, but I'm not available for conversation right now."

Undeterred, the stranger leaned against the railing and continued to gaze at Rorie. "Ah, I see. Well, I must say, I usually don't take 'no' for an answer."

She thought it was weird and creepy for him to say that. Rorie's smile faltered, her façade starting to wear thin as she looked around for someone to save her from this persistent stranger.

Just when she was about to make a quick exit, Miles arrived, bringing a sense of relief with him. Rorie felt a wave of gratitude wash over her as he approached.

"Hey man," Miles greeted the stranger with a friendly tone, but also a hint of suspicion. "Do we know you?"

The stranger straightened up and maintained his confident smile. "I don't believe we've met," he replied smoothly before extending his hand towards Miles. "My name is Alexander."

Miles shook his hand cautiously before turning to Rorie with questioning eyes. She shook her head slightly, indicating that she also did not know this man.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alexander," Miles said politely. "But as you can see, the lady wants to be left alone."

Alexander's smile faltered at Miles' firm tone, but he quickly recovered. "My apologies," he said smoothly. "I simply couldn't resist."

Rorie rolled her eyes at Alexander's persistence and had no interest in entertaining him any longer.

"Excuse us." She looped her arm with Miles' and he led her away.

Once they were out of earshot, Miles turned to Rorie with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Rorie let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the railing next to him. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a small smile. "Thanks for coming when you did."

Miles nodded understandingly and gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner," he said regretfully.

"No worries," she assured him. "You were here when it mattered most. Besides, I can handle myself. But seriously, who was that guy?"

Miles shook his head. "No clue. Never seen him before. But he gave off a weird vibe, didn't he?"

Rorie nodded, her mind still reeling from the encounter. "Definitely. It's like he appeared out of nowhere and just wouldn't take no for an answer."

Despite his disappointment after losing the race, Lewis was determined to let go of his frustration and attend Justin and Hailey Bieber's yacht afterparty. Rorie sent a text to Nina, asking her to take Lyric home, and joined Lewis at the party. Though he couldn't shake off the thought of finishing in fourth place, Lewis stayed positive when he was with his wife.

The afterparty was in full swing when Rorie and Lewis arrived. The music was blaring and the yacht was packed with people dancing, drinking, and mingling.

She followed Lewis as he made his way through the crowd, greeting familiar faces and introducing his wife to new ones.

They made their way to the bar, where Lewis ordered her a drink while Rorie took in their surroundings. The party was filled with models, actors, and other high-profile individuals. It was clear that Justin and Hailey Bieber's connections ran deep.

She sipped on her martini as she noticed Justin making his way towards them with Hailey by his side. Justin and his wife Hailey, close friends of the couple, greeted Lewis and Rorie with warm embraces. "Hey man, sorry 'bout the race," Justin said sympathetically before turning to Rorie. "Hey Rorie, how's it going?"

Rorie smiled back at him. "I'm doing well, thanks for asking."

"Good to hear," Justin replied eagerly. "We should definitely catch up tonight, it's been too long since we've seen you guys."

Hailey chimed in from beside her husband, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, let's celebrate! How about coming back to our place for an after-after party?"

Rorie glanced at Lewis uncertainly, but he shrugged nonchalantly. "Sounds like a plan," he said with a grin.

"Lyric's with the nanny anyways, so we're good," she added.

Hailey's smile widened at the mention of their son. "I can't believe he's almost one already!"

"Time flies," laughed Rorie. "He's doing great, trying to walk and getting into everything at home."

Both Lewis and Rorie had a good time hanging out with their friends, which was a rarity since becoming parents. Whilst Lewis stayed sober, Rorie had the time of her life and was feeling the effects of consuming too much alcohol. They made their way home at around three in the morning and Lewis slowly lead his beautiful intoxicated wife inside their home.

She managed to not bump into anything until she tripped over her own two feet as she took a step down into the sunken living room, exploding into fits of giggles as she landed onto the rug-covered floor with a thud.

"Fuck, are you okay, love?" Lewis questioned, suppressing his laughs. He instantly made his way to her to help her stand. "C'mon, let's get you some water and into bed."

"Are you trying to seduce me?" chortled Rorie as Lewis walked her into the kitchen. "That's how we became pregnant last time, 'member? You got me drunk one night and then...poof...pregnant."

He settled her at the kitchen nook as he filled a glass with water. Rolling his eyes in mock annoyance, he let out a scoff. "It didn't happen like that, baby."

"Mmmhmm," she added with a small hiccup.

"Come on, come on, let's hydrate you," said Lewis as he held a glass of water to her lips.

Lewis helped Rorie drink the water and then led her into their bedroom. He helped her change into her pajamas and tucked her into bed. She let out a content sigh as she snuggled under the covers.

"You know, I think I might still be a little tipsy," she slurred with a sleepy smile.

"I have no doubt about that," Lewis chuckled as he stripped down to his boxer briefs and slid into bed next to her. "But it's okay, you had a good time tonight."

Rorie snuggled closer to him, feeling warm and happy. "I did. I miss hanging out with our friends like this."

"We'll have to do it more often," promised Lewis, kissing her forehead.

"I love you," murmured Rorie, already starting to drift off to sleep.

"I love you too," whispered Lewis, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer as they both fell asleep.

The next morning, Rorie woke up with a slight headache but overall feeling okay. She smiled as she remembered the fun night they had with their friends. She turned over in bed and was greeted by Lewis' sleeping face.

He looked so peaceful and handsome, even in his sleep. She traced his jawline lightly with her fingers before planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"Mmm, good morning," he mumbled against her lips before opening his eyes.

"Good morning indeed," giggled Rorie.

"How are you feeling?" asked Lewis, sitting up slightly and rubbing his eyes.

"Surprisingly not too bad," replied Rorie. "I guess drinking lots of water last night helped."

"Well, that's good to hear." Lewis leaned in for another kiss before getting out of bed to start the day.

As they went about their morning routine of getting dressed and making breakfast together as a family, they chatted about their plans for the day. Rorie suggested taking their son to the park for some quality family time, and Lewis eagerly agreed.

They sat down at the breakfast table, ready to enjoy a delicious homemade meal of fluffy vegan pancakes, fresh fruit, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Lyric sat in his mother's lap, chewing happily as Rorie fed him.

Just as they were about to dig into their mouthwatering breakfast, a familiar ringtone broke the tranquility of the morning. Penni's name flashed on Lewis' phone screen. With a sigh, he picked up the call and put it on speaker.

"Hey, Penni," Lewis greeted, trying to sound nonchalant. "What's up?"

"Morning, lovebirds," Penni sang. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a tabloid got hold of a picture from last night at the Bieber yacht party, and they're planning to post it online by early afternoon."

Rorie's fork clattered onto her plate, her eyes widening in surprise. Lewis felt his heart sink.

"Are you fucking serious?" Rorie exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice.

"I wish I was kidding," replied Penni. "But the paparazzi are ruthless, and they're always on the lookout for anything that would make them money."

"The picture showed up on their radar and now they're going to exploit it," added Lewis, feeling a mix of anger and helplessness.

"What are we going to do?" asked Rorie, her mind racing with possible solutions.

"We could try to get ahead of the story and release a picture ourselves," suggested Penni. "But we have to act fast before it goes viral. I hate to ask this again but—"

"Penni, we can't keep playing this tit-for-tat game with them," Lewis argued. "I'm tired of putting my family in this bullshit."

"It's just me, right?" piped Rorie.

"Yes," answered Penni. "We've been scrubbing the Internet and there's no pictures of Lyric. There are actually laws in place that protect his privacy against the media. Unfortunately, it's a different story for adults. I suggest maybe a recent photo and a cute caption."

"Until how long though?" grumbled Lewis. "This is a never-ending situation unless we...goodness I can't believe I'm even thinking of this."

"What's going on, Lewis?" Penni couldn't help but wonder what was happening.

Rorie, on the other hand, immediately understood the situation. She and her husband had always been in sync, and this time was no different. It could be seen as a blessing or a curse, but they had a certain synergy about them.

"You can't keep me hidden forever, honey," she said in a soft voice. "We knew this would happen sooner rather than later. I have to go public now, unfortunately."

After five years of avoiding the limelight and the constant intrusion of paparazzi, Rorie finally had to make her debut into the world of celebrity. Hopefully, everyone would calm down soon, but she couldn't trust the media too much. While she did have an Instagram presence, it was small compared to her husband's and was set to private, but all of that had to change now. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make for her family. Rorie wasn't exactly shy - if anything, she exuded cool confidence - but that didn't mean she enjoyed being in the spotlight. But it was something she had to come to accept.

"Fine," Lewis reluctantly agreed. "Just give us ten minutes, Penni, and we'll post it."

Even though he wanted to show off his beautiful wife all over social media, he didn't want it to happen like this - he wanted Rorie to decide on her own terms without any pressure.

"Are you sure, baby?"

"Yes," Rorie affirmed. "I mean, what else are we going to do?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

#sir lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton x black!reader #sir lewis hamilton x black!reader #lewis hamilton fanfiction #lewis hamilton x black! oc #formula one fanfiction #f1 fanfic #formula 1 fanfic #private landing

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bobby-r2d2-floyd · 1 year

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The Nanny (Hangman x Reader)

authors note: so, hangman won by a long shot in the poll, but for the few that voted for the rest, they're still coming! i have to deal with the bs with my basement and i am a college student, so i have to deal with my coursework as well.

inspired by @roosterforme

this will be a mutli part series, im not sure how many parts though

pairing: jake "hangman" seresin x benjamin niece!reader; established mav x penny

warnings: some swear words and an inaccurate depiction of how social workers handle dropping a baby off to its living, absent father. also cyclone is a dad bc jon hamm if a dilf.

not proof or beta read, we die like men.

summary: Hangman wakes up one day to a social worker and an infant on his doorstep. the infant? his 3 month old daughter.

word count: 1.9k

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It was the one day that the Dagger squad had a later morning (11am, per Maverick’s request), so when the pounding on Jake’s door woke him up at 8:45, he was a little pissed.

He stumbled out of bed and the arms of some red head whose name he definitely doesn’t remember, throwing on a shirt along the way to his front door where the pounding is originating from and reverberating through his skull. “I heard you the first fucking time,” he curses out, throwing the door open and preparing to unleash verbal hell on the person standing at his doorstep.

All the words die out though when he sees an older woman standing there with a sleeping baby in a car seat at her feet. “Jacob Seresin?” she asks and his eyes bounce between the infant and the woman.

“Yes?” he asks, voice cracking a bit as he looks back to the woman.

“Do you mind if I come in?” he nods and moves aside as she picks up the car seat and steps inside. “My name is Caroline Husband, I’m a social worker for the state of California.” she tells him as she sets the seat down on his coffee table, “and this is Avery. Your daughter.”

Jake feels his heart stop as he looks down at the little girl, “what, what do you mean?” he sinks down to the floor on his knees, heart racing and Caroline gives him a small smile.

“Her mother-” she looks down at the paperwork she was holding, “Samantha Barnes, passed away from complications shortly after birth, you were listed as father on the birth certificate.”

Samantha Barnes… Jake remembered her with a small smile. They were briefly exclusive before she had disappeared one night, leaving behind the memories and a note saying she needed to go back home to help with her ailing father, her last living relative that she still spoke to.

“H-how uh, how old is she?” he asks, taking her small, but definitely bigger than a newborn, hand in between his finger and thumb.

“She spent some time with a foster while the state was waiting for you to return stateside. She just turned 3 months old.” Caroline forms him, which makes sense as he was just in the middle of the ocean for the last five months. “I have some supplies in my car that her foster mom put together for you, should you choose to keep her.”

“Choose to?” he asks, as if there was any other option for him. The second he found out Avery was his, there was never any other option.

“You can alway sign your parental rights away, there’s plenty of families looking to adopt babies.” she says and he shakes his head.

“No, she stays with me,” Jake says as he stands and Caroline smiles up at him.

“Well then, there’s all the information that you need. Her old foster mom made a list of information for you, her pediatrician, what formula she was feeding, how to prepare bottles...” she goes on to tell him more necessary information about Avery but tunes her out as he watches the little girl start to wake up and look around, well, as much as a 3 month old can, he supposed. “Here’s my card, it has my personal cell phone number on the back should you not be able to reach me at my office in the event of an emergency.”

He takes it with a smile and a thank you before walking Caroline to the door to help her bring the items in from her car and as quickly as she was here, she was gone. Leaving Jake to sit on his couch as he stares into the eyes of his daughter.

He kicks out his guest after 15 minutes of sitting there before he’s googling how to put a car seat base securely into the back seat of a F-150. After fighting for what felt like an hour (only 10 minutes) he has his daughter secured in his car before driving way under the speed limit to The Hard Deck, only 45 minutes late to meeting up with the rest of the Daggers but as soon as they see him walk into the bar with a car seat, all the teasing for being late blows out of there mind.

“Do we need to call the police?” Bradley teases and Jake lets out a nervous laugh.

“No.. no police needed.” Jake says as he sets his daughter’s car seat and diaper bag in the middle of the pool table the team was surrounding.

“Well, then who is this?”

Jake takes a deep breath before answering, “this is my daughter, Avery Seresin.”

Immediately the team has plenty of questions for the team’s resident playboy. He explains the situation as best he can with the information he got from Caroline.

“I never even knew Sam was pregnant. She never said anything and then she was gone.” Jake says softly as he looks down as his daughter in his arms, sleepily drinking from the bottle he made and Penny gives him a smile.

“You seem like a natural already.” she says, snapping a photo of the daddy-daughter moment and he smiles.

“Yeah, I was still around when my sisters started having their own kids, all girls too, ironically.” he responds with a small laugh and the movement of his chest startled Avery awake and she starts drinking more steadily again.

The squad takes the rest of the day before the bar opens with turns holding the newest member of the team. Aside from Jake, Bob and Natasha were the only other two who seemed comfortable enough to hold her without needing any instruction on support for her head.

“Does Cyclone know you have a kid yet?” Mav asks as he takes his turn holding Avery, seasoned from when Bradley was a baby and he used to watch him while Carole and Goose needed alone time.

“Fuck, no not yet.” Jake groans as he rubs his hands over his face. “I need to go see him.”

“Go see him now, between Penny being a mom and me dealing with Bradley as a baby there’s plenty of experience here to watch Avery for a bit while you try to get some time to adjust to dad-life.” Mav says and Jake looks over at him.

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah, besides, Avery is already better at 3 months than Rooster ever was.” Mav teases and Bradley makes a couple of offended noises before being slapped in the chest by Natasha.

Jake nods, “okay well here’s her-”

“Hangman, get out of here. I did all this with Amelia.” Penny says as she pushes him towards the door and Jake pulls her into a hug.

“Thank you so much, Pen.” he says, meaning it too since Penny is the closest thing to a mom that he has since he hasn’t talked to his real mom in years.

The drive into base wasn’t a long one, but felt like it was with how often he was checking his backseat and not seeing his daughter before remembering she was safe with Penny and Maverick at the bar.

Walking into Admiral Simpson’s office, Jake broke out into a nervous sweat. “Um, excuse me, sir.” he says as he knocks on the open door.

Both Admiral Simpson and Admiral Bates looked up at him from where they were sitting at the desk discussing some news that they received from higher ups.

“Can I help you, Lieutenant?” Cyclone asks and Jake nods, taking that as an ‘okay’ to walk into the office.

“Yes actually, I uh.. I was wondering if I would be able to get leave, sir. I had a surprise visit from a social worker this morning and-and my infant daughter.” he says as he straightens out his back and rolls his shoulders back.

“You have a child?” Cyclone asks, closing the folder that he had open to focus more on Jake. “Since when?”

“Well, as of 9am this morning, sir. Her mother passed away after she was born and no other living relatives so… She’s currently with me. Well, not with me Captain Mitchell and Penny Benjamin are currently watching her.. sir.”

Warlock and Cyclone share a look and Jake stands there nervously, “I know that this is short notices but all I’m asking for is a week to figure things out, find a sitter, get some kind of a routine started for-”

“Okay.” Cyclone says and Jake looks at him instead of the spot that he had been looking at on the wall. “You only want just one week?”

“I can have more, sir?” Cyclone nods, having recently become a father himself and knows how important bonding is for parents.

“Unless something urgent comes, how does three weeks sound?” he asks as he pulls something up on his computer and begins to type.

“I would greatly appreciate that.” Jake says with a small smile and Cyclone nods, ending the conversation and Jake starts to walk out of the office.

“Seresin?” Warlock calls out and Jake turns around, “congratulations.”

“Thank you, sirs.”

Jake drives back to the bar already feeling lighter than he had in the last 6 hours, and upon walking back into the watering hole, he sees a red faced Avery and a panicked Rooster.

“Bradshaw what did you do to my daughter?”

“What did I do? She threw up on me!” he says, holding the infant safely, and at an arm's length away.

The rest of the team is laughing behind him and Jake just takes Avery and lays her against him so her head is on his shoulder, “well I’m sure you deserved it.”

Bradley glares at him before wandering away to the bathroom to clean up. Jake smiles and rubs his daughters back as she babbles in his ear.

“How did talking to the boss go?” Penny asks and Jake smiles.

“Really good, actually. Said I can have three weeks as long as nothing urgent comes up that’ll need the full team's attention.”

“Well, if you ever need a nanny so you can have a break and none of us are available, my niece just moved to the area and is looking for work.” Penny says with a small smile as Jake moves to sit next to her. “Plus she has a degree in early childhood and special education.”

“Okay, yeah I’ll let you know.” he says with a nod.

“Well, you can meet her tonight, she’s supposed to come and help me out here for the night since Jimmy can’t make it in.” Jake just nods and Penny pats his shoulder that Avery isn’t sleeping on while she stands to start opening duties for the bar.

Jake didn’t end up meeting Penny’s niece that night, or any time in the following week. In fact, it wasn’t until the last week of his leave that he met her.

Jake was holding Avery as he walked into the bar before it opened, she was babbling up a storm and he took his sunglasses off to put on the top of his head when he saw someone new behind the bar, head thrown back and laughing at something that Bob had said.

You look over at him and he swears his heart stopped, “Hi! I’m Y/N Benjamin, but you can call me Saturn.”

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

next part

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taglist: if you want to join the taglist for all my future works, shoot me a message and i'll be happy to add you :)

@mandylove1000

#glen powell imagine #jake seresin #hangman seresin #jake 'hangman' seresin #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #top gun maverick #dagger squad #bradley bradshaw #bob floyd #natasha trace #hangman seresin x reader #not beta read we die like men

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writtenjewels · 2 months

Text

Fussy

A piercing wail cut through the night. Oh, no, Salim thought as he stirred from his bed. The cry was nothing new to him; having a fussy baby made him used to such sounds. But it might pose a problem to the marine currently crashing on Salim's couch. Which was why Salim tried getting a babysitter for Zain while Jason was visiting. The babysitter fell through at the last minute, leaving Salim to desperately plea to Allah that his infant son might sleep through the night just this once.

Allah, it seemed, did not listen.

[It's all right, son, Daddy's here,] Salim whispered, reaching to lift his crying son from the crib. He began to gently bounce and sway, rubbing Zain's back, humming softly. Sometimes that was enough to lull his son back to sleep. This time Zain kept crying.

“Salim?” Jason's voice called to him from the living room. A moment later he heard a knock at his door. “You good in there?”

“Zain woke up,” Salim answered apologetically. “I think he's hungry.” Jason didn't respond. Salim opened the door one-handed and found the American waiting.

Jason looked like a completely different person outside of his combat gear. He wore boxer-briefs—Salim had been unconsciously picturing an American flag design and was surprised to see these were fairly plain—and a muscle shirt. His dog-tag were visible, hanging from a silver chain on his neck. Jason's brown hair was messy from his recently disturbed sleep.

Salim didn't realize he'd been staring until another wail from Zain brought him back to reality. Jason's lips moved up into a little smile. “Kid's got a pair of lungs, don't he?” he remarked.

“He's hungry,” Salim repeated. Jason nodded and flicked on a lamp so Salim could find his way to the kitchen. “Thank you,” he said. He started gathering what he needed to feed his son, trying to juggle it one-handed since Zain usually got even fussier if Salim put him down.

“Lemme hold him,” Jason offered.

“Oh, no, that's all right,” Salim assured him hastily. “I've done this a thousand times.”

“I got two empty hands, Salim. Lemme hold the kid.” Salim wanted to argue again, but he wasn't sure why. He was just so used to doing this alone. Salim relented and held out his son.

Jason was very careful in taking Zain into his arms. Salim had to correct the arm positions and how Jason supported the baby's head, and soon Zain was snug in the American's arms. Zain's cries dimmed a little as he was exchanging hands. He and Jason stared at each other, and for a moment Zain was almost calm. But then he started crying again.

“Oops. Better go make that bottle, Salim.” Jason's eyes met his and Salim felt his heart skip, his body warming. He quickly looked away to focus on preparing his son's bottle.

Salim knew all the steps by heart. After his wife left him and Zain, he taught himself very quickly how to prepare baby formula. It was a little strange doing it with both hands or without securing Zain in his baby seat. Zain had settled again and he turned to see Jason had offered his finger for the baby to latch onto. He was singing to Zain and rocking him, making Salim's heart skip again.

“What is that song?” Salim asked him.

“The Pokemon theme song,” Jason explained. “Sorry, I know it's an earworm, but it's the only kid's song I know.”

“The what theme song?”

“It's a kid's show. I used to watch it when I was gettin' high.” Salim shook his head, turning away to hide his amused smile. The bottle was soon ready. He held out his arms to take his son back but Jason asked, “Mind if I do it?”

“You want to feed him?” Salim clarified.

“Sure. Why not?”

“You're my guest. He already woke you, and--”

“Babies cry,” Jason reasoned with a shrug. “I knew what I was gettin' into.” Salim didn't know what to say. “Salim, do you know what the Marine Corps motto is?” Jason didn't wait before answering: “Semper fidelis. It's Latin. Means 'always loyal' or 'always faithful.'” Salim still said nothing, waiting to see where Jason was going with this. “You havin' a baby don't change that for me.”

Salim was still speechless. He handed over the bottle and Jason encouraged Zain to take it. Salim watched, feeling almost numb with shock. He had seen the extent of Jason's loyalty to him before, down in the catacombs. It somehow felt different here. There were no alien forces to battle, no life-or-death threats. This was ordinary, mundane, normal. This was a baby who disturbed their sleep.

“Hey, what's wrong?” Jason asked worriedly. “You okay?” Salim wiped the tears off his cheeks.

“I'm just tired,” he lied.

“Take a nap,” Jason advised. “I got this.”

“I want to stay up with you,” Salim insisted. He darted a glance at Jason, feeling suddenly shy. Seeing this man hold Zain so carefully, so gently, without a single complaint had Salim's pulse going faster.

Tonight showed him a possibility he hadn't considered. He was secretly grateful to Zain for being so fussy.

#zain othman #jason x salim #house of ashes #jason kolchek #salim othman #jason/salim #jalim #jason kolchek x salim othman #au

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water9826 · 4 months

Text

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

AO3 Link

Start Here

“I’m going to fucking murder you, Sukuna.”

“That’d kill you too, dumbass.”

“I don’t care! How could you NOT do the ONE thing I requested of you?!”

“Oi! It ain’t my fault that I didn’t notice!”

“You were supposed to tell me the second you sensed Yuuji’s presence! For fuck’s sake, you made a binding vow with me!”

“And nothing’s happened to me, right? I didn’t tell you about Yuuji on purpose. I didn’t sense him, so the binding vow wasn’t broken. I did nothing wrong!”

“YOU’RE SUCH A– I JUST– AGH! I HATE YOU!”

“WHAT?! I GOT US BACK HOME, YOU UNGRATEFUL BITCH!”

“Yeah, you did get us home, but you want to know what you also did? YOU ALERTED ALL THE JUJUTSU SORCERERS IN JAPAN! YOU PRACTICALLY INVITED THEM TO OUR HOUSE!”

“THEY AREN’T GOING TO COME! HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF INTIMIDATION TACTICS?! THEY’LL BE TOO BUSY PISSING THEIR PANTS TO EVEN TRY TO FIND US!”

“YOU KNOW DAMN WELL-”

An ear piercing wail made all arguing screech to a halt. Ryomen glared murderously at Sukuna before heading to the baby’s room. The much taller being followed the man with a scowl that was more resemblant of a pout.

-One hour Earlier-

Once Infinite had deposited the group to the requested location, Ryomen had immediately gotten to work on cleaning up his long lost son of any grime he had collected when at the forest with soft baby wipes. The infant whined in pain when Ryomen gently brushed his finger against the dark markings on his chubby face and arms. A million questions flooded the man’s mind, but he ignored all of them due to the teary, golden eyes looking up at him. Ryomen’s heart melted and twisted at the same time at the sight. He soon began to prepare the formula for the hungry infant. The moment the bottle was placed in Yuuji’s mouth, the baby quickly devoured the meal greedily. As the infant drank, his loyal protectors were in a circle, watching him dutifully. At some point, Overtime used one of his wrappings to wipe off the mess of milk from Yuuji’s face due to the baby’s clumsy drinking. It caused the baby to squeal with laughter, causing everyone in the room to soften at the sight. Even Sukuna had to bite his lip in order to hide a smile at the happy squeals.

Once Yuuji had finished his meal and was burped, Ryomen carried the baby to the bathroom to give him a much needed bath. While the wipes had done well to clean off the dirt, a proper, warm bath was needed to help sooth the baby’s irritated skin and get rid of the tiny sticks in his hair. His six guardians had tried to follow them into the bathroom, but Ryomen was quick to scold them. Only Supernova was allowed to enter due to his small size. The cat purred loudly before jumping onto Ryomen’s shoulder. Yuuji made grabbing motions towards the purple feline. Because Supernova had been the first being that the baby saw, the boy had imprinted on Supernova. An undeniably smug look appeared in Supernova’s eyes as he peered at the other guardians while Yuuji’s attention was fully on the cat. Infinite squawked loudly in pure offense, the colorful feathers along his back raised to show just how unhappy he was at Ryomen’s decision. When the draconic creature tried to use his long body to steal Yuuji, Chimera was quick to summon one of his frogs to wrap around Infinite's beak before it could make contact. The dark goop immediately began to stick into the white fur of Infinite’s back, eliciting another affronted squawk.

“Damn, he’s loud. Think we’re going to have trouble with that in the future?” Ryomen raised a brow at Sukuna. Fortunately, the noise did not scare Yuuji in the slightest. In fact, the baby giggled and cooed at the draconic bird amalgamation. This made Infinite shake off the black goop and try to nuzzle the baby’s head, responding with coos and trills of his own. However, a swipe from Supernova’s paw caused the larger creature to whine with disappointment.

“It will definitely be a problem moving forward. That thing cannot live without annoying someone else. He never knows when to shut up. You can chop off his upper half and he’d still be a pain in the ass.” A glare was sent to the dramatic bird, who had used his smoky tail to hit Sukuna in the face. Sukuna suppressed a growl, not noticing that Ryomen was looking at him oddly from his choice of words.

Ryomen sighed, more than used to the ancient curse’s weird phrasing. He adjusted the now wiggling baby in a more secure grip and looked at the other guardians. He was briefed on the names and purposes of the guardians that would accompany Yuuji long ago, but nothing could have prepared him for how strange they looked. Any grievances he would have had disappeared once he heard his son’s happy squeals as Supernova began to groom the small amount of pink hair on Yuuji’s head. The cat was clearly different from the average feline. Not just from his purple fur and spikes, but also his behavior. All the cats Ryomen had interacted with in the past had no qualms with biting or scratching him if he so much as breathed the wrong way. In contrast, Supernova let the baby grab at his tail which most cats would have clawed someone for doing. His purrs were somehow much more soothing than other cats. The purring Supernova was emitting made vibrations go through Ryomen’s body, causing him to unconsciously relax. It had the same effect on Yuuji, so he knew he had to act quickly. Bathing a cranky baby was something Ryomen had no desire to deal with at this time of night.

To his chagrin, the five guardians that weren’t allowed to enter the bathroom were sulking. Boogie and Infinite were the loudest with their complaints, one was howling in pure agony while the other was chirping as pitifully as possible. The rose on Resonance’s left eye wilted at the edges while the green lights on Chimera’s face had dimmed considerably. It was nearly impossible to read Overtime’s body language, so Ryomen paid attention to the looser wrappings around his body. The wrappings were subtly reaching out in the direction of Yuuji. He felt terrible for separating the guardians from their precious ward.

Catching onto Ryomen’s internal dilemma, Sukuna rolled his eyes. “The guardians will not disappear if they are away from Yuuji for five seconds. I suggest you bathe Yuuji now, considering how sleepy the brat is getting.”

“He’s not a brat!” Ryomen responded instantly. Although, he knew that Sukuna was right about Yuuji’s sleepiness. “Just make sure they don’t break in, okay? They can watch by the door if they get too restless.”

“They’re already restless, so that is a given” Sukuna responded with a scoff.

Ryomen shook his head and flipped Sukuna off as he turned to enter the bathroom. The snarl that followed made Ryomen smirk as he closed the door. Big, honey eyes looked at the new space in complete awe. Yuuji was staring at the sink as if it was the eighth wonder of the world. A warmness that Ryomen hadn’t felt in centuries blossomed in his chest at the sight of his precious son’s curiosity. He had waited so long to have Yuuji in his arms again. If he wasn’t careful, he knew that he would be sobbing his heart out at any moment once being reunited with his long-lost son. However, duty calls, and Ryomen could not be bursting into tears while his baby needed him.

The bathroom had long been baby-proofed, so some of Ryomen’s many anxieties could be eased. He first took out a blanket from one of the cupboards and placed the fluffy material on the tile floor. Yuuji giggled when Ryomen booped his nose after placing him on the blanket. It took all of Ryomen’s self control not to cry and not to cradle Yuuji in his arms and never let go. He shook his head again, focusing on getting the supplies needed for the bath. Considering Yuuji’s sensitive marks, Ryomen chose the gentlest products he had. With that sorted, Ryomen knelt on the floor to turn the faucet on the tub. As the water warmed up, the pink-haired man stood and went to the cupboards beneath the sink. To start, he collected the foldable baby tub he’d bought online and placed it to the side. Afterwards, he grabbed three soft towels that had never been used before. Ryomen pointedly ignored the mirror of the sink, knowing just how rough he looked from his eventful day. If someone had warned him that he would be alerted of his son’s presence while buying groceries, causing him to run out of the store with one bag in hand as he forgot the rest of his groceries because he was too busy running down the street with Sukuna screaming directions in his ear, which then led to him looking like an insane person as he shouted at the parasite in his head for all to see, further fueling his determination to get to his son’s location as fast as possible, making him throw up at least four times from the overexertion as he sprinted about ten miles to the forest his son was in, only to find his baby boy wailing in fright and hunger whilst being surrounded by the most powerful and influential sorcerers in the country…then Ryomen would have drank all of Sukuna’s stolen saki until he forgot how to feel feelings.

I should still find the time to steal Sukuna’s saki. He stole it from the finest restaurants in Japan, so stealing it again shouldn’t count as a crime. Not like he can get drunk anyway . His musings were interrupted when a paw incessantly tugged on his pants. Ryomen snapped back to reality, and he was surprised to see Supernova sitting on his leg, nodding his head towards the tub with a disapproving gaze. Somehow, the sharp meow Supernova let out felt like a harsh reprimand. Shit, I really need to focus. Can parenting skills get rusty after a thousand years?

Ryomen breathed in deeply for a few moments to get his frazzled nerves under control. He placed one towel on the floor where he’d be kneeling, another on the edge of the tub to clean up splashes and bubbles, and the third was resting on the counter of the sink to be used at the end. Luckily, the water was the perfect temperature without Ryomen’s interference. At the same time, Supernova was being used as a living plush toy by a giggling baby. Yuuji was on the cat's fluffy back with a smile. His tiny hands gripped at the fur, and his head was buried into the purple softness. Golden eyes started to flutter as he further burrowed his head in the warmth. Supernova never once growled at the baby, only nudging the boy’s cheek to keep him awake.

When Ryomen turned to place Yuuji in the tub, a snort left his lips to see his adorable son trying to use Supernova as a bed. He gently plucked the baby from Supernova’s back and removed the baby’s diaper and dirty onesie. Part of him was worried that Yuuji would start wailing at the separation, but his fears were put to rest as his boy made grabby hands at Ryomen’s face. The father and son duo had matching smiles that could rival the sun in their brightness.

This time, Ryomen could not stop his tears from flowing when chubby hands grabbed at his nose. Yuuji giggled when Ryomen nuzzled his nose into the baby’s soft grip. Dark honey met golden honey, and Ryomen finally felt complete. One of Yuuji’s hands patted Ryomen’s cheek, coos of shere delight escaping the boy’s lips. His baby boy giggled again and looked back at his crying father. Ryomen let out a watery laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Oh…Hi…Hi, Yuuji … Hi …I’m your Papa, remember? I’m going to take care of you from now on, okay? You already have so many people who will always love you and protect you. You’ll never be alone. You’ll always have someone to dry your tears. You’ll forever have someone to hug you when you’re scared. You’ll always have a roof over your head. You’ll always be warm and cozy. You’ll never have to go hungry ever again. You won’t get sick anymore. I promise.” Memories of a long forgotten plague filled Ryomen’s mind. The helplessness. The pain. The grief. The rage-

Another pat on his face broke Ryomen from his spiraling thoughts. This time, Yuuji was patting his forehead repeatedly. His chubby cheeks were puffed out in pout. The baby looked just as disapproving as Supernova had earlier. Tears of pure joy soon streamed down Ryomen’s face as a much more pleasant memory surfaced.

“No sad, Papa! I hit sad away!”

“Yuuji, hon, you’re hitting me- OW! Stop it, sweetie, you don’t need to- OW! OW! Okay! Okay, the sad is gone! Good job, Yuuji! You can stop hitting Papa’s head now.”

“No!”

“N-No?”

“You still sad! Need more hits!”

“Wait, Yuuji- OW! OW! You’re doing this on purpose- OW!”

A genuine laugh burst from Ryomen’s chest. “I should have expected your lack of tolerance for sadness.” Ryomen kissed Yuuji’s forehead, remembering what he still had to do. He switched to holding Yuuji with one arm and placed the smaller baby tub inside the larger bathtub and waited until the tiny tub was at the appropriate water level. He also placed a stopper in to prevent the surrounding warm water from draining out. After testing the water’s temperature again, the pink-haired man carefully placed Yuuji into the baby tub. In an instant, Supernova jumped onto the rim of the bathtub in order to watch the baby like a hawk. There wasn’t much need to do so because the baby tub was shallow enough that drowning was impossible with Ryomen there. However, it was still nice to have someone care for his son so much.

Yuuji was confused at first from the new sensations, but he quickly relaxed into the warm water. Ryomen got out the baby wash and squeezed it into the water. As he swirled the water with his hand, Yuuji squealed as bubbles appeared. The baby was ecstatic as he slapped his tiny palms into the water. However, Yuuji had always been a boy with excess strength, even as a baby. Soapy water hit Ryomen in his face. He sighed and grabbed the towel on the corner of the bathtub. When he opened his eyes, he was relieved to see that no burn came, proving the gentleness of the baby wash and shampoo. He’d definitely be buying from the brand in the future.

Yuuji wiggled around and splashed some more, even managing to soak Supernova. The attentive cat simply shook his head to rid himself of the water and went back to watching Yuuji. The sight of the purple feline’s droopy, wet fur made Ryomen snicker. Eventually, Yuuji would calm down enough to allow Ryomen to properly wash him without making an ocean out of the bathroom. A mild scent of honey could be detected from the soap and the same was seen in the shampoo.

Maybe I should start calling him little bee. Ryomen thought to himself. With the stripes on Yuuji’s tiny body, it was easy to compare the baby to a bumblebee. However, he could not abandon his favorite nickname of all. The black stripes along his son’s face and body resembled a tiger much more than a bee. “Seems like my tiger cub finally got his stripes, hm?”

As cute as the stripes were, Ryomen knew that it wasn’t normal for a baby to have. There were two stripes on each side of Yuuji's cheeks, six stripes of varying length on his arms, three stripes along the length of each leg, and one circular marking on his chest. What was most concerning was that it was painful if he touched Yuuji’s tattoos. He was hoping the pain was temporary and would go away with time. For now, Ryomen would continue to use the gentlest products for his boy. When he began washing Yuuji’s tattoos, he treated them like they were more fragile than porcelain. Yuuji had initially whined at the touch, causing the spines on Supernova’s back to raise in anger. Fortunately, Ryomen’s face would not get mauled as the tiny whines stopped after a few seconds. On closer inspection, there was a faint outline of redness surrounding each marking. He frowned, but Ryomen knew of the many lotions he had bought specifically tailored towards irritated skin in infants. Turns out his many online shopping sprees in the middle of the night would prove useful.

When it was time for shampoo, Yuuji had splashed most of the water from his tub. Ryomen used a small pitcher attached to the wall on his right to scoop out the warm water surrounding the larger bathtub. It was still warm, so Ryomen gently poured the water into the near empty baby tub. Yuuji squealed with the additional water. Before he could splash Ryomen and Supernova for the umpteenth time, Ryomen plopped a dollop of shampoo on Yuuji’s head. Immediately, the baby cooed and tried to reach for his head. The man and cat both sagged in relief. Not wanting to have the shampoo run down Yuuji’s face, Ryomen used one hand to block Yuuji’s eyes and another to scoop water onto the baby’s head. With great care, Ryomen lathered the shampoo into the pink hair, making sure that every speck of dirt was gone. He had thought that he would need to spend ages removing each tiny splinter and stick from his boy’s hair. It seemed like Supernova had taken care of that when the feline had groomed the baby’s pink-hair earlier. Ryomen looked at the cat, who was still watching his boy with great focus. Thanks to Supernova, the bath would go much faster than Ryomen anticipated. It made sense that the cat would be so attentive according to Sukuna’s brief descriptions of the guardians.

Supernova will be Yuuji’s bodyguard in a sense. His regular form is smaller than the rest, but he is large for a cat. That’s why he can alter the size of his form to fit the situation, so Yuuji can take him anywhere. Supernova is capable of both long range and close range attacks with his blood manipulation technique. He’s the ‘all-in-one’ guardian and will protect Yuuji with his life. I doubt that protection will spread to you or me because that cat does not give a shit about what happens to anyone besides Yuuji. He doesn't even seem to care that much about the other guardians. Oh, and before I forget, don’t try petting him either. If you’re not Yuuji and you pet him, the little fucker will slice your hand off.

For once, Ryomen was grateful to Sukuna. If he hadn’t warned him, Ryomen would have pet the fluffy cat upon seeing Supernova. It was a good thing that Yuuji had shown nothing but happiness towards Ryomen. Any tears would spell his doom.

Yuuji luckily only continued to coo at Ryomen’s gentle ministrations. Once the shampoo was fully washed off, the peach locks were vibrant. Ryomen smiled as he realized that he, Yuuji, and Sukuna all shared the exact shade of pink. Additionally, they all had tattoos of their own. Sukuna had the most, but Ryomen had his fair share as well. He had the same markings on his forehead, nose, cheeks, and shoulders that Sukuna had. He had two black bands on each thigh and two on each calf. The two bands around each of his wrists were the most unique. They were thinner than the other bands on his skin. The top band separated into five lines that spread to his hand and fingers. In fact, the lines even grew onto his nail bed. No amount of filing would rub off the marks, so Ryomen got into the habit of painting his nails with the darkest polishes he could find. The lines would then travel down to the pads of his fingers, forming a perfect square on each one. He had an identical black square on the sole of both feet. All the squares were a symbol of the technique he has. While Sukuna had all the brutality and strength, Ryomen had the firepower so to speak.

“Oi, dumbass! Are you done yet or have you finally succumbed to your stupidity?” Sukuna’s muffled voice broke the peaceful environment. The curse had been relentless in teasing him when Ryomen had continued to puke during his dash to get Yuuji. He kept talking about how Ryomen would die any second with his ‘shitty’ endurance.

“Shut up, Sukuna! I thought you had ‘the patience of a god’!”

“I do, but not with these fucking demons throwing tantrums!” After Sukuna said that, Ryomen heard various whines and scratches coming from the other side of the door. A large claw tried going through the crack under the door with a miserable squawk. Infinite continued his mournful cries until a spotted wrapping yanked his claw from the door.

Seeing as his time was up and not wanting to have Yuuji’s skin get pruny, Ryomen grabbed the towel from the counter and wrapped Yuuji securely. He got out a soft cloth and began to dry Yuuji with it. He would have used a normal towel, but Ryomen was taking no chances in irritating his baby’s sensitive skin. Yuuji was quickly starting to fall asleep, so Ryomen used all his focus to be even more gentle. Behind him, Supernova was grooming himself to rid his fur of the soapy water. The cat went to the door crack and hissed. In response, the very tip of Infinite’s beak poked through. Based on the muffled swears from Sukuna and the sounds of things crashing, Infinite’s large body had knocked several things over in his attempt to peek under the door.

“Looks like our time is up, little tiger. Let’s get you to bed. You’ve had quite the day!” Ryomen carried a now dry Yuuji in his arms wrapped in another towel. The shirt Ryomen had been wearing was so soaked that he had to use the towel he had first bundled Yuuji in to wipe the slippery tile. He took off the wet fabric and threw it in the sink’s basin, too tired to clean the messy bathroom. It was a problem for future Ryomen. Current Ryomen was on his way to passing out like his sleepy son.

Supernova backed away from the door, shrinking in size before jumping on Ryomen’s shoulder again. His smaller form allowed the cat to curl up without having most of its body hanging off. To his relief, Infinite had removed his beak from the door. He took a deep breath in and opened the door and was met with a disaster.

Several vases lay shattered on the floor, spilling dirt everywhere. A few nails had been stabbed into the walls, and there were claw marks along the floor. Some of the paintings on the walls had been knocked over or were covered in slobber. Black goop managed to stain the ceiling. Shreds of spotted fabric also littered the floor. At the center of the mess was a tense Sukuna. He had his four arms crossed, refusing to look at Ryomen. It was clear that the guardians let their anxiety get the best of them, and Sukuna was a horrid babysitter. Before said curse could let a word out, Ryomen raised a hand. Whatever expression Ryomen was adorning was enough to shut Sukuna up and make all the guardians sheepishly back away.

Tomorrow. It’s tomorrow’s problem. That was the mantra running through Ryomen’s head. The only source of solace for the poor man was the weight in his arms. Yuuji was completely knocked out with his tiny head buried in Ryomen’s right shoulder. On his left shoulder, Supernova was purring again with his warm fur tickling Ryomen’s neck. In silence, the others followed the pink-haired man into the nursery.

The nursery was made with love and care. Yuuji’s crib was meticulously carved by a certain curse with a tendency for slashing. Intricate swooping patterns were carved into the wooden crib. Flames outlined the edges of the crib with sharp notches between each flame. On the front of the crib was the symbol on Sukuna and Ryomen’s foreheads. According to the ancient curse, it was actually a rune marked into their skins to offer strength and bravery. He didn’t entirely believe Sukuna, but Ryomen let it slide.

“If anyone messes up the nursery, I am killing every last one of you.” Ryomen whispered to the others as he placed Yuuji on the changing table. Even with the room being so inviting with its beautiful abstract paintings of flowers and tigers, an army of animal plushies, fluffy blankets with matching pillows, and impossibly plush carpet, all the creatures in the room felt like they were facing death itself.

The exhaustion of a single father was not to be messed with.

With the threat in all their heads, the remaining guardians were very careful as they maneuvered around the nursery. Chimera headed towards a dark corner, hiding himself in the shadow with only his green eyes visible. Boogie laid his large body on the side of the carpet in the center of the room, tailing gently wagging. The canine laid his head on his paws and got into a comfortable position to sleep. Resonance was the most cautious, knowing her sharp appendages could do great damage to the room. She sat down on the red rocking chair in another corner and curled up as much as she could. Overtime loosened the wrappings on his body to plop down next to the crib. This allowed him to take up less space. His more solid left side began to glow brighter, heating up the room as Overtime allowed the magma inside his body flow along the cracks of his body. Being the longest and largest, Infinite had the most trouble fitting into the nursery. He chirped in irritation before he saw the stone rafters on the ceiling. The ancient origins of their home had its apparent perks. Infinite trilled softly as he used his lengthy form to reach the rafters that fortunately supported his weight. The high position allowed Infinite to have a bird’s eye view of the room, which was quite fitting for the draconic bird. Infinite let his smokey tail dangle from a gap in the rafters. The tail opened slightly, revealing six eyes that were bright enough to be a nightlight. Each eye was focused on the sleepy baby in Ryomen’s arms, now dawned in a yellow onesie and fresh diaper.

Despite his fatigue, Ryomen’s eyes were bright with happiness as he rocked Yuuji in his arms, patting his back. In seconds, the baby went back to sleep. He had been woken up when his father dressed him and was eager to fall asleep again. Ryomen delicately placed the baby into the crib as if the boy was made of glass. A small, pink blanket was draped over the infant. All the occupants in the room were momentarily frozen as each was immersed in watching the small baby’s rising and falling chest. Supernova shrunk again and curled around the baby, giving Yuuji one last lick.

Eventually, the exhaustion within Ryomen grew too great to handle. His limbs subtly trembled with the effort to remain standing. What broke Ryomen from his slight trance was a notification from his phone. He had left his phone on the changing table when Yuuji had first arrived. Seeing how the baby was in nothing but a bundle and diaper, Ryomen ran to get something to put on his son. The man reluctantly walked away from the crib to see what kind notification would pop up this late at night. He stared at the bright screen for about a minute, his eyes widening the more the information settled in his tired mind.

It was a message from an unknown number.

Congratulations on the reunion! Your odd little family has made quite the impact on Jujutsu society! Word spreads quite fast among sorcerers, you know? You’re the hot topic of discussion! Say hi to Yuuji for me :) -K

The phone shattered in Ryomen’s hand.

Without a word, Ryomen stormed out of the room, harshly grabbing the curse by the door so hard Sukuna felt his arm pop. The guardians were startled by the sudden fury in Ryomen, but they stayed where they were. Yuuji continued to sleep, unaware of the doom upon them.

Ryomen had dragged Sukuna into the living room. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand. His breaths were rapid and harsh. It took a couple minutes for Ryomen to gather the energy to speak. The rage in Ryomen’s eyes overtook the fatigue. His first words to break the tense silence were snarled, sounding more beast than human.

“I’m going to fucking murder you, Sukuna.”

-Present-

Sukuna was fond of the home they had found.

The place they were currently in used to be an old shrine dedicated to Sukuna. This allowed the massive curse to exist outside of Ryomen’s body. While Sukuna’s form in the shrine was visible, it was not tangible by any means. Ryomen could stick a hand through his form, much to the curse’s displeasure and Ryomen’s amusement. If he reinforced his ghostly body with cursed energy, he would become more solid. However, once the curse was outside the shrine’s given boundaries, there was nothing Sukuna could do to remain corporeal. The only way that Sukuna could return to his physical form was if he used Ryomen to do so. Over the years, the two had developed a give and take method. If Sukuna wanted to take over when Ryomen didn’t want to switch, he would need to do a favor for the man. The same applied for Ryomen if he wanted to take back control. Sukuna could take over the man’s body easily and never give it back, but it was counterintuitive to his goal of keeping Yuuji happy and safe. This goal alo prevented Sukuna from going on a mass murdering rampage as any large-scale attacks from the curse would garner too much attention from the sorcerers.

So much for not alerting the sorcerers.

With how angry Ryomen was at Sukuna, he doubted that the man would allow him to take over any time soon. For now, he would have to be satisfied as being a ghost for the time being. He leaned against the doorframe of the nursery with his four arms crossed over each other. The guardians Sukuna had wished for were just as unruly as he remembered. While the six creatures were dedicated to protecting Yuuji at all costs, they still had no intention of respecting or listening to Sukuna’s orders. In fact, they were all glaring at him from the floor of the nursery. He rolled his eyes and glanced at Ryomen. The tired, pink-haired man was cradling a crying Yuuji, rocking him gently to soothe the child. It wasn’t the cry of a hungry baby or a baby that needed a change. No. It was the cry of a baby in pain. Two other marks had appeared on Yuuji’s face. Marks that made Sukuna tense up considerably.

A mark on the tip of his right eyebrow, splitting it.

A mark on the left corner of his lip.

That’s where Yuuji’s deepest scars used to be.

Sukuna cursed under his breath. The curse was well aware of what he had done in a world that no longer exists. While most of his memories had become foggy, he had a general understanding of his actions, especially of the times he made Yuuji suffer. Ryomen was unaware of what Sukuna had done to the world, and the curse had no plans of ever telling him. This new world was supposed to be completely different but it seemed like there were some ‘stragglers’ that refused to go. Events that could not be erased. People that would not disappear.

He had a feeling he already knew who this ‘K’ was. The random message sounded friendly on surface level, but Sukuna wasn’t an idiot. The hidden threat woven into the amiable text was easy to detect. There was only one person that Sukuna knew who was crazy and powerful enough to mess with Sukuna and not die.

Only time will tell if I actually made things worse . Sukuna looked at the cursed souls surrounding Ryomen as the man continued to comfort the distressed infant, all anger from his previous encounter with Sukuna gone. Due to the nature of their souls, Sukuna knew everything there was to Ryomen. He had originated from the man, afterall. Even so, there were stark differences between the two. Sukuna hated children while Ryomen had an immense soft spot for them. Yuuji didn’t count . Ryomen was impatient while Sukuna was willing to wait decades for a plan of his to come to fruition. Sukuna kept his composure while Ryomen had a temper that would go off at a moment's notice. Ryomen was violent when he needed to be while Sukuna reveled in the bloodshed he caused.

However, there was one thing that both beings could agree on: Protecting Yuuji at all costs .

It was a pathetic goal for one as powerful as him to have, but Sukuna had made peace with it long ago. The curse glanced at the baby, whose wails had turned into soft sniffles, and felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Ryomen was soothing his hand against Yuuji’s tiny back. He was humming a nameless tune with his eyes closed and a soft smile on his usually stressed features. It was likely that Ryomen had not noticed what he was doing as he hated whenever Sukuna caught him doing something ‘weak’. Likely too tired to be aware of his surroundings. Normally, Sukuna would have shouted at Ryomen to startle the high-strung man and laugh at his misery. This time, the curse stayed silent to allow Ryomen time with the boy he had been waiting for for centuries. His beloved son. Sukuna noticed the guardians for the baby gently copying the tune Ryomen was unknowingly humming. There were soft purrs, rumbles, chitters, and trills in the air. The small symphony of sounds began to lull the baby back to sleep.

The sight was utterly domestic.

This was not a place a curse was welcomed in. Sukuna knew that he did not belong among such a peaceful sight, but he was prideful enough to remain where he was by the door. Nothing would force Sukuna to do anything he did not wish to do.

Infinite looked at him.

All the warmth that Sukuna felt had turned to ice. No one aside from Sukuna himself noticed the change in atmosphere, meaning that the annoying entity had targeted him and him alone. The cocoon of adoration and protection had been closed off in order to prevent Sukuna from entering. It wasn’t like the curse had any intentions of entering such a pitiful environment, but it was still irritating to see the obvious attempts at pushing him away. Out of all the guardians Yuuji had, Infinite was the most ‘aware’ so to speak. Each creature was wired to perform a different duty in caring for the boy. They were beings that operated on pure instinct, complex thoughts practically impossible for their fragmented minds. What little remained of their souls aided in their jobs as Yuuji’s protectors, yet it also caused the entities to have leftover feelings towards certain people. All of them showed great disdain for Sukuna, but Infinite’s disdain was different. Of course, the others' dislike of him specifically was more due to a personal instinct than anything else. In contrast, Infinite looked at Sukuna with nothing but clarity in the many blue eyes within his tail.

Stay away.

You’re not wanted here.

Get out.

I’ll kill you if you get any closer.

Those were the messages Infinite was sending Sukuna with nothing but his piercing gaze. The blindfold attached to the creature’s face did not hinder in his staring contest with Sukuna. His tail had more than enough eyes necessary to stare the curse down.

If the sorcerer Infinite originated from was completely aware in that draconic bird form, then Sukuna would not be still standing. Gojo Satoru was currently an eighteen-year-old boy who recently entered his third-year in Jujutsu High. Infinite was not Gojo Satoru, simply the minute remains of a long dead man. While Infinite was the strongest out of the six cursed souls, the creature was also the most intelligent. Sukuna could see the gears in Infinite’s head turning at all times, analyzing any potential threats to Yuuji and his fellow protectors. The bird’s ability to have somewhat coherent thoughts would likely be a pain for Ryomen to deal with in the future. Sukuna had long gotten accustomed to Infinite's infuriating habits.

No matter what form he took, Gojo Satoru would always be a thorn in Sukuna’s side.

With a deep sigh, Sukuna made his way out of the nursery. He did not have the energy to deal with Infinite’s aggression. Ryomen’s exhaustion was caused by the man barely eating, running several miles with no breaks, and the overall stress of today. Sukuna was different. His fatigue was perpetual, something Sukuna had gotten used to over the years. In his previous life, nothing was capable of tiring Sukuna out. He could keep going whilst all his enemies collapsed from exhaustion. No one was powerful enough to challenge Sukuna in a meaningful way. This did not mean that his current strength and cursed energy had been weakened in any way, but his exhaustion had caused Sukuna to ‘settle down’ so to speak. While Sukuna still enjoyed causing mayhem, he did not seek out as many opportunities to do so anymore. In his previous life, Sukuna had hated sitting still and being lazy. Now, Sukuna took naps and meditated often.

He did what he wanted, and Sukuna wanted to relax.

Ryomen would likely ignore him for the rest of the night. Additionally, the curse knew damn well that the stubborn man would refuse to sleep in his own room tonight. Sukuna mentally prepared himself for the crankiness to come since there was no way to get Ryomen to sleep on anything but the nursery floor.

The cool air of the night greeted the curse’s translucent skin. Sukuna could not properly feel the wind as a specter. It felt like a thin barrier was between him and the breeze in this form. He shook his head and continued walking until he saw a great pond in the center of the shrine’s gardens. The pond acted as a well of cursed energy for Sukuna. Whoever had created the shrine clearly dedicated every detail to the King of Death. Sukuna found himself liking this title so much more than his previous one. Crimson, wooden poles surrounded the shrine, a bovine skull on the top of each one. The poles also served as a visual marker for the area Sukuna had to stay within. Anywhere beyond the poles would cause Sukuna to discorporate and be sent back into Ryomen’s body.

Two large torch towers stood on each side of the back entrance of the shrine. The inferno on each tower was contained with a basin of human bones. When Sukuna had first discovered this shrine several years ago, Ryomen had lit the tower with his flames, and he had yet to relight it. It was one of the very very few times Ryomen had managed to impress Sukuna.

His supposed followers had sacrificed countless people in honor of their king. The remains of the sacrifices were buried underneath the ground, in the ashes and structure of the torches, carved into the wooden poles, and placed in the pond Sukuna was sitting in front of. Sukuna had a faint memory of the cults that were created to worship him, mostly done out of fear, which was a massive ego booster. However, Sukuna never paid them any mind, so the curse had been very surprised yet pleased to see a shrine dedicated to him that had remained intact in the modern era. At Ryomen’s many complaints, Sukuna let the human update the interior of the shrine with the technology of the time. It took a long time due to the unique layout of the temple. Stone had been used to build many support beams and even rooms. With Ryomen’s revamping the entire insides, Sukuna had full control over the decorations of the outside. Sukuna changed nothing, much to Ryomen’s displeasure. He only added one thing. Koi.

With the pond already built into the ground, Sukuna simply stole several koi from the many luxurious ponds of rich establishments and homes. Ryomen had yelled at him when he realized that Sukuna had been using his body to take priceless fish away from their owners in the dead of night. The man had said how important those fish must have been and other nonsense that Sukuna ignored. If those fish were so precious, then it shouldn’t have been so easy to pluck each one out of their pond! Sukuna tossed all the fish into the large pond with little care, promptly returning control to Ryomen. Despite wanting to argue with Sukuna about his terrible decisions, Ryomen had to care for the many stressed koi fish. He had always been fond of being a caretaker, so it was easy for him to fall in love with the colorful fish. Eventually, the koi would swarm to Ryomen each time he approached the pond, reminding the man of how his late son would beam at him and run into his arms. On the other hand, it had taken a few weeks for the fish to stop scattering in Sukuna's presence. During those weeks, the fish began to change in appearance. The immense cursed energy inside the pond began affecting the koi. Instead of their vibrant oranges and whites, the fish were either fully black, red, or a mixture of the two. Their fins got longer and more elegant at the price of having spikes emerge from their entire dorsal fin. Ryomen was upset at the change, but the koi’s bright personalities had, at least, remained. They still swarmed to the surface for food, but they now had sharp teeth in their mouths like piranhas. Sukuna preferred the change and began to sit at the pond every night, which he was currently doing.

Sukuna’s form became more solid at the proximity to the pond. It was wide and deep, allowing the fish ample space to swim in. At this hour of the night, the water looked pitch black, but Sukuna had no troubles seeing in the dark. His superior vision allowed the curse to see the depths of the pool. Skulls could be found everywhere beneath the waters. Some of the smaller koi used the skulls as a makeshift cave while the larger fish used the remains of rib cages as hiding places. Many plants in the pond grew out of or around the many bones at the pond’s bottom. It was a human graveyard with aquatic life.

The presence of death would never hinder the growth and birth of life.

How stubborn.

The koi were not very active at this hour, but some swam to the surface to greet the large being observing them. Four fish had come to see him. One was entirely black while the other two were red with varying black patterns. In contrast to the darker fish, there was a pink koi that swam eagerly to the hand Sukuna submerged.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” Sukuna smiled at the small koi. It was fitting that the pond would have a new arrival to match Yuuji’s own arrival. The curse knew the pond had become something akin to the supernatural from the cursed energy of the sacrifices, but he did not care as long as they stayed in the pond. The tiny koi matched the color of Sukuna’s hair. The familiar peach was present in Ryomen’s and Yuuji’s hair. Having pink hair was a shared trait the three had, and Sukuna took pride in their unique hair color. He knew that Ryomen secretly held the same pride. It immediately made the pink koi Sukuna’s favorite. Small pecks tickled Sukuna’s large palm as the smallest koi tried to investigate what the strange object was. It was endearing to see such a young creature be so eager to go near a curse like him. One reason that Sukuna frequented the pond so much was something he would not tell a soul even if he was tortured.

Interacting with the koi helped Sukuna learn how to be gentle.

There were a few accidents where Sukuna was too rough and injured or killed the fish. He used his reverse technique to heal them, which his old self would have guffawed at. Slowly, Sukuna learned how to control the strength of his grip. Now, the curse had no worries of hurting the young koi that was swimming through his fingers. While he did prefer to have claws instead of his blunt nails, it was necessary for the safety of the delicate fish. More importantly, his lack of claws was vital if he wanted to hold Yuuji without cutting the poor baby’s skin. Skin that was already marked up.

Because Sukuna knew he was alone in his shrine that was in the middle of nowhere, Sukuna let his body deflate. Ryomen and the others were too preoccupied with Yuuji, so no one would be coming to see Sukuna any time soon. With solitude came comfort for the curse. He had always preferred being alone than wasting his time with the weak. The koi were his only company, and they could not speak of the troubles plaguing the ancient being. Sukuna caressed the pink koi before retracting his hand. With practiced ease, the man folded his four arms and placed them in his lap. As if knowing that Sukuna would no longer pay attention to them, the small group of koi swam away into the depths of the pond. Without the fish’s movements, the dark water stilled. The combination of the calm waters and bright moon made the pond turn into a makeshift mirror. It was something Sukuna did not appreciate whatsoever.

Seeing his reflection within the dark waters made Sukuna’s features twist into a grimace. In a forgotten world, Sukuna used to have two eyes and one pair of arms. After his planned death, his cursed form reflected the monstrous crimes Sukuna had committed. This was not to say that Sukuna was self conscious or had low self-esteem. Sukuna did not care about his ugliness whatsoever. It was a fact that he was unpleasant to look at. His looks had no effect on his power, so he offered them no further thought. Additionally, he had never had an interest in courting someone and never will. Yorozu was the only person who had wanted him as a suitor, and he met all of her advances with boredom, disgust, and a fatal slash to her heart. His deformities irked him because of the memories that they brought forth.

He had had more than enough time to accept his deformed face and body. However, Sukuna was not delusional enough to say that his unique features were what made him attractive or that he had some ‘hidden beauty’ within. Absolutely not. His two left eyes were a demonic crimson while his two right eyes were a gaudy pink. A wooden slab of sorts had fused into the right side of his skin, causing his right eyes to be more vertical. It was the same wood that Sukuna had carved runes into that would ensure his new life after being burnt alive. Both the wood and his new pink eyes were a harsh reminder of his forgotten origins. While the wood represented his birth as a curse, the pink of his eyes were a symbol of the cause of his death. Itadori Yuuji.

Going against the rules of nature and time had its consequences. Besides the new color of his right eyes, Sukuna had several new tattoos adorning his skin. A thick, black band wrapped around each of his ankles. On the outside of his left leg, a blood red chain that emerged from the band on his ankle marked his skin. The same pattern appeared on the outside of his right leg, but the tattoo was black instead of red. Each of his hands had their own unique mark at the center of his palms. His bottom right hand had Mahoraga’s spinning wheel which had allowed Sukuna to reach new heights in power, his bottom left hand had the outline of the volcano that resided on the head of the cyclops disaster curse he’d fought, his upper right hand had an eye that represented the annoying Six-Eyes user, and his upper left hand had the horizontal stitching pattern that plagued each of Kenjaku’s stolen bodies. It was fitting. The markings on his bottom set of hands were a harsh reminder of the destruction Sukuna had wrought while the markings on his upper set represented the two people that had troubled Sukuna the most.

None of the new markings plagued Sukuna as much as the tattoo on his chest.

A red spider lily seemed to grow out of the center of his chest. The flower was there for all to see since Sukuna refused to cover his top half. It was a simple drawing, but its simplicity only bothered him more. Such a delicate design had no place on his monstrous body. The deep reds of the flower blended perfectly into the blacks of the tattoo’s outlines. Sukuna knew damn well what the stupid flower symbolized. Death and Rebirth. He had no desire to look further into the supposed meanings. From what he had gathered over the past few centuries, this flower was poisonous, often grew or planted in graveyards, and only bloomed for a short period of time during the Autumn Equinox. It was also ugly in Sukuna’s opinion. The crimson of its petals were its only redeeming quality. Everything else was horrendous. The petals themselves were so thin and spindly. It looked like a spider with too many legs had gotten tangled with the shredded remnants of a better flower. However, there was nothing Sukuna could do to remove any of his new markings. He had killed the world, and then started it anew. Sukuna more than deserved the reminders of his misdeeds bashing him on the head for the rest of time.

It was strange to think of his actions as misdeeds. Even now, the regret did not come to Sukuna naturally. He was not a creature made for sympathy or guilt. The only reason that Sukuna looked at some of his prior acts and winced was the effect they had had on Yuuji. At the time, he had laughed at the boy’s misery and went out of his way to torture him. He had taken great pleasure in breaking the child back then.

I’LL DO ANYTHING! DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH ME! THIS IS JUST LIKE WHEN YOU FIXED MY HEART! PLEASE HELP JUNPEI!

NO. HAH! YOU’RE MINE! YOUR FUTURE AND EVERYTHING YOU WILL EVER POSSESS! YOU DON’T HAVE A SAY IN THIS! YOU’RE HELPLESS! HOW SAD! YOU’RE SO PATHETIC, YOU STUPID BRAT!

Hey, brat. Take a good look.

…Die…Only me…Just me…DIE! DIE! RIGHT NOW! DIE! JUST ME! JUST ME!

Remember when I said…we’d see…something interesting…brat?

…Fushiguro?

SUKUNAAAAAAA!!!! YOU!! WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LIVE A NORMAL LIFE?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SPREAD SO MUCH MISERY?!

Well, allow me to ask you this…Why are you so weak? You’re weak, yet you cling to life!

How can a creature that falls apart with one touch say that it always wants to be happy? The helpless have no choice but to swallow the suffering life gives them.

Then let’s see if you can swallow… my suffering.

I miss them, Sukuna! I can’t take it anymore! I want to be with them! Let me be with them! PLEASE !

He had never tortured someone as much as he had tortured Itadori Yuuji. Hell, Sukuna had gone out of his way to hurt Yuuji like it was his sole purpose in life. It was extraordinarily difficult to balance the feelings he has now towards his actions and his feelings he had in the moment of his murderous actions. Now, seeing Yuuji wail in pain from markings that weren’t supposed to be on the baby’s smooth skin, broke something in Sukuna.

Even after everything he had done to give Yuuji a better life, Sukuna had still failed.

Yuuji’s suffering had been too great. Restarting the world was not enough to erase all the trauma the boy was put through. His pain clung onto his infant self, who was supposed to be free of the pain of the past. Considering Yuuji had appeared far sooner than Sukuna expected and the message from an unknown number, the curse knew that there was trouble afoot. A third party had likely inserted themselves to ruin what Sukuna was trying to repair.

Sukuna couldn’t help but dig his nails into the stitching on his upper left hand.

Losing was equivalent to death. It was a belief that Sukuna still held, so this new failure affected the man greatly.

He had thought that all the ‘mushy feelings shit’ that he had felt when he had held a sobbing Yuuji was from the reappearance of Ryomen’s soul. In a way, it was from Ryomen. The long buried memories of a man losing his child and the overwhelming fondness for the teen were all Ryomen. In this new world, Sukuna was confident that he would not be subjected to the softness ever again. Once more, the world rightfully hated Sukuna. Emotions that Sukuna still could not place raged in a violent storm inside Sukuna’s mind at all times.

All the times where he had laughed while Yuuji sobbed uncontrollably from a vicious nightmare. All the times where he had relentlessly reminded Yuuji that the boy’s existence only caused pain. All the times where he had screamed within Yuuji’s head about his uselessness and weakness. All the times where he had denied Yuuji’s broken pleas to stop after barraging him with the reasons why the deaths of his loved ones was Yuuji’s fault.

The satisfaction he had when he saw the light in the boy’s eyes fade away.

The glee he had when he saw the smiles the boy was known for disappear.

The pride he had when he saw the unbreakable boy shatter further and further with each death of his loved ones.

He saw the memories of a younger Ryomen playing with a toddler Yuuji, causing the child to squeal with laughter. He saw the memories of the utter adoration Yuuji had shown towards his father and anyone around him. He saw the memories of the agonizing decline of Yuuji as an unknown sickness sapped his light until it was completely extinguished.

Because of Sukuna’s mistakes, Yuuji might have to go through that suffering all over again.

Small ripples agitated the calm surface of the water. The reflection of the massive curse was muddled as more droplets broke the crystalline waters of the pond. Its prior reflectiveness had vanished.

The mind of the being sitting before the pond had vanished as well.

A very, very long time ago

When Sukuna had requested for the rebirth of the world, he did not mean it literally. He imagined that the new timeline would begin the same year Yuuji swallowed his first finger.

It seemed like the world had other plans.

Sukuna had no recollection of when he had ‘appeared’. The best way for him to describe it is the moment he had properly gained consciousness. His first memories were laying on an empty beach with nothing but the clothes on his back. At first, Sukuna was confused as to why he was at an empty beach. After a few seconds, the knowledge of what Sukuna had done and the life he lived prior came rushing to him all at once. Once he remembered, the man had briefly panicked that his attempt at time travel had not worked. This was mainly due to the beach being identical to the one that Sukna had been at during his last moments with Yuuji.

At the thought of the pink-haired boy, Sukuna jumped to his feet, mind frantic, and looked around. Immediately, the curse knew that the world was indeed different. Yuuji was nowhere to be seen, and there were no buildings or roads in sight. The only thing that Sukuna could observe were trees as far as his four eyes could see. However, the grand forests were barren of life. There were no birds chirping in the air or the rustle of animals in the trees. This lack of life made Sukuna remember that he had eliminated all life on Earth. He was confused, though. The plant life had returned, so where was the wildlife?

His question was unfortunately answered in the worst way possible.

A strange creature began to crawl out of the ocean on tiny flippers. Sukuna stared at the fish-like animal with his mouth agape. The thing’s body was long and slender with a wide head that resembled an alligator’s. Thick scales covered the creature, who was slowly emerging from the sea with uncoordinated movements. It was unlike any animal Sukuna had seen before and he had been alive for thousands of years.

It looked like a rough draft of an animal that had escaped before it was finalized. Something one would see in prehistoric times.

…Prehistoric.

“Oh no. No. No. No. No. No. No. NO. NO !” Sukuna screamed at the clouds as the realization dawned on him. Surprisingly, the lizard-fish-thing did not react in the slightest to the loud roar Sukuna let out. When Sukuna went to kick the sand in pure frustration, he froze when he saw his foot go through the white particles. The sand showed no hints of being disturbed.

The world had restarted.

He was a ghost again.

The evolution of wildlife had begun.

Over the years, Sukuna would watch the rise and fall of so many species that he could not be bothered to remember. His previous experience being a cursed object for over a thousand years helped immensely in dealing with the excess of time Sukuna had. He had to spend millions of years waiting for the era of humans to come with nothing to do. Going into a dormant state for as long as he could was the only way Sukuna could deal with the waiting without going mad. Sleeping until he was awoken at some point had become his main activity. Time had become a mystery to Sukuna. He would sleep and wake up without knowing how much time had passed. Usually, he was able to keep track by seeing if there were any new creatures or evidence of further evolution.

At the start, Sukuna had used his excess time to explore the beginnings of the young planet. Traveling across the world had been easy due to his abilities remaining intact. His true form was Sukuna in his prime afterall. It was the strongest and the fastest. Sukuna could explore vast lands with his inhuman speed. There was no rush to explore every inch of the world, so Sukuna would only go on these excursions when he felt like it. Most of the land was the same as there were no distinguishing landmarks at the time. He had gotten bored of the plant life and unimpressive wildlife and decided to space out like he did when his soul was split into his twenty fingers without a vessel.

His first ‘nap’ had him awake in an entirely new era. Giant creatures roamed the land with their superior adaptability and strength. Sukuna’s boredom had disappeared as he saw the head of a dinosaur appear over the cliff he had chosen to rest on to eat the leaves off a tree next to him. It was the first time that Sukuna had been truly enamored by an animal. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and crawled to the edge of the cliff to see the dinosaur in its entirety. When he looked down, he saw that the head was attached to an impossibly long neck that belonged to an even bigger body. Other dinosaurs of the same species could be seen feasting on the vibrant leaves of the many trees. Because his presence did not affect his surroundings, he could get as close as he wanted to observe the new creatures. The only reason why Sukuna recognised the massive reptilians as dinosaurs was because Yuuji had been fascinated by all things jurassic as a child. As his vessel, Sukuna was able to see through his memories, something he never told the boy. He had done this as soon as he could to familiarize himself with his vessel while trying to find anything significant about the teen that could work out in Sukuna’s favor. At the time, he had found nothing useful and labeled the boy as a boring waste of space.

Being face to face with the grande creatures made Sukuna see all the reasons why Yuuji had been so intrigued by them. While there were curses he’d seen that could rival the dinosaurs in size, no curse could beat the grace and beauty of the animals. Curses were made from negativity, so their appearance would reflect that. Curses were ugly, vile creatures that were deformed and perverted. The animals before Sukuna were the complete opposite.

It was the first time Sukuna had been fond of a life other than his own.

The slow evolution of the world was making the man experience many firsts.

Sukuna enjoyed studying the fearsome creatures that dominated the land. His favorite specimens were those with intelligence and bloodlust. He would sit and watch packs of tiny dinosaurs overwhelm a much larger opponent, eating them while they were still alive. He found great humor in the small arms of the biggest carnivore of the era. The maddening boredom that had been plaguing him was momentarily cured as Sukuna took the time to learn about each new species. The old curse made up his own names for the many dinosaurs he saw. The faded memories of the book Yuuji loved only served to make Sukuna recognize the basic shape of certain creatures. In his head, Sukuna called every reptilian creature a dinosaur.

For once, Sukuna found himself appreciating nature. Waiting millions of years alone was a punishment, and it was affecting Sukuna more than he anticipated. He had always been indifferent to everyone and everything besides himself. Uraume was the closest Sukuna got to appreciating another’s existence. In the past, Ryomen only valued strength and nothing else. Without strength, one might as well cease to exist. His forced isolation made Sukuna rethink many of his prior beliefs. The only belief that remained unchanged was his belief that losing was equivalent to death. However, said belief only applied to Sukuna. He would never let himself forget his failures that led him to his current predicament.

One day, when Sukuna was watching his favorite specimen, he heard strange noises he had not heard before. The creature Sukuna was looking at was an old, battle-worn triceratops, but Sukuna had named the animals ‘Tri-horns’ in his head. The triceratops snapped its head at the same time Sukuna’s did. Sukuna’s eyes widened as he detected large amounts of cursed energy coming from the bushes. Humans were not supposed to exist yet, right? The man cursed himself for never bothering to learn the history of…well… anything .

Sukuna summoned his trident in his lower right hand, a manic smile on his face at the chance to finally interact with something. There was a tense moment of silence before multiple blurs burst from the bushes and trees. The triceratops snorted and went back to eating its meal of leaves.

Meanwhile, Sukuna’s brain was malfunctioning. Six entities stood before him. They were making direct eye contact with him, meaning that they could see him unlike every other creature. He stood tall with his trident. “Who are you?”

No response came, disappointing filling the old curse. He had hoped that they were capable of speech. Millions of years without talking to anyone was taking its toll, even for an antisocial person like him. Sukuna swallowed his disappointment and began observing each entity. The more he looked, the more distressed he became. There were too many similarities.

A black stripe across a nose.

The muscular physique of a meat-headed gorilla.

Deadly nails and roses.

Spotted fabric and peculiar glasses.

Bright green eyes and shadows.

A blindfold and six blue eyes.

“Goddammit.” Sukuna dematerialized his trident to rub at his temples. He recognized each one because of the brat’s many memories of them.

At the center of the group, a white dragon with bird-like qualities was putting on the most smug expression Sukuna had ever seen. The draconic bird got up and personal to Sukuna, pecking at his head while letting out shrieks of laughter. For the time being, Sukuna allowed it as his mind was still recovering. His stress only grew worse when a familiar voice spoke into his head.

Y̶̮͌o̵̮̎u̴̯̅r̶͙͑ ̶͍̓g̸̠͒ṳ̴̐a̴̙͊r̶͔̅ď̸̘i̴͈̊a̷͙̐n̸̞̽s̵̟̍ ̸̱̍h̶̤͝a̵͖̔v̷̦̚ê̶͈ ̷̣̋ā̵̞r̶̺̓ŗ̸͋ḭ̷́v̷̡͛ȇ̶͍d̸̥̅!̵̧̈́ ̶͈͂I̴͎̾ ̶͔̕c̸̡̿ḁ̷̽n̸͚͑’̸͕̎t̴̊͜ ̵̭̄w̵͍̒a̷͜͝i̵̺̒ẗ̷̳́ ̶̹̍t̷̢̕o̴̫̅ ̷̦͌m̷̦̓a̴̲̎k̷͙͠e̴͙͋ ̸̣̌t̵͇̕h̵̦͌e̴̬͒s̷̛̩e̶̤̍ ̶͓̚n̵̜͐ę̵͘x̷̝͑ț̵͝ ̷̫̚c̶̞̓é̷̲n̶̕͜t̵͖̕u̸̜͗r̷̙̐í̸̩e̵̝͊s̷͇͐ ̶̫͒a̵͍̽b̴̘̐s̶̩̿ò̸͎l̵̩̐ų̵̊t̷̨͊e̶͈̍ ̴̛̳h̵͙͌ë̵̻l̷̬̾l̶̥͂ ̵̼͝f̴̪͂o̸͔͘r̴̗̒ ̵͚͆ỹ̸̼o̴̹̎u̷̗̅,̷̛̭ ̴̰̋S̶̪̕u̷̝͠k̶̥͌ų̷̂~̴̗͛

That stupid bird would keep his promise.

Sukuna would have to endure countless assaults from each entity. The battles often lasted for hours that left each muscle of his throbbing in pain. Sometimes they were individual battles, other times it was six against one. Or three against one. Or two against one. And so on. At first, Sukuna despised the constant battles, but he soon realized that being idle for millions of years had made Sukuna soft. After he realized this, he gladly participated in the battles. It felt incredible to fight again, feel his cursed energy flowing through his veins. As they fought more and more, Sukuna became familiar with each entity’s personality and abilities. Their names had been ingrained into Sukuna’s head the moment he had encountered the beings.

Boogie was a beast in every sense of the word. His thick fur coat could not hide his muscular body whatsoever. He was surprisingly perspective as well. Anytime Sukuna thought he had caught the dog off guard, the beast would bark before he could land a hit. His bark would cause him to switch places with someone with a certain amount of cursed energy. Due to the lack of curses and humans, the only sources of cursed energy were Sukuna or the other guardians. It was disoriented every time his technique took hold. However, each time Sukuna thought he had gotten used to it, Boogie would surprise him with another trick. His most impressive trick was his ability to remove one of the tusks on the second skull on his head. Once dropped, Boogie would imbue it with cursed energy and switch himself or someone of his choice with the tusk. Out of all the guardians, it was the easiest to get along with Boogie. Sukuna and Boogie lived to fight. The canine was always energetic and tended to annoy his other guardians, especially Chimera. Overall, Boogie was a simple yet intelligent creature who fueled Sukuna’s will to battle.

Resonance was unsettling to look at first. Her body moved like a marionette, but was capable of moving at incredible speeds if needed. The sharp ends of her limbs allowed Resonance to stay rooted to the ground, giving her great stability. She was quick to launch a nail at Sukuna or anything that annoyed her. She had awoken Sukuna many times with a barrage of nails aimed at his head. Her nails always hit with deadly accuracy. Sukuna’s reflexes were put to the test each time he engaged with her. Additionally, she could control the direction of a nail until it snatched a part of her opponent. Once gathering the material, she would make the nail return to her, creating a makeshift hammer with her roses and vines to hit the nail into a straw doll she kept hidden within her body. She was as tough as the metal she was made of, but Resonance wasn’t all sharpness and violence. The cursed soul frequented places with loads of flowers, sitting amongst them for hours in a content state.

Supernova rarely interacted with Sukuna outside of battle. He looked at the curse with burning hatred at all times. When attacking, Supernova put effort into making his attacks as painful as possible. His blood manipulation technique was more advanced and deadly than any other Kamo-clan sorcerer Sukuna had ever seen. He wasn’t afraid to get physical, Supernova could grow to the size of a horse and charge at Sukuna with bloodied claws. His spikes could be removed if Supernova had no other choice. During one particularly gruesom battle, Sukuna had lost himself in rage after Supernova managed to cut off two of his arms with his Piercing Bood attack. The cat snarled and spit at Sukuna. He separated his longest spike from his back and shot it directly into Sukuna’s heart. The spike was still attached by a thin strand of blood, but it didn't take away from the force of the attack. It surprised Sukuna to see the cat land such a hit. Of course, Sukuna healed himself, only to see Supernova walking away from the fight with a bored expression. In fact, the cat was practically in a perpetual state of apathy. The only time that Sukuna had ever managed to see emotion on Supernova's features was when he had spied on the cat and saw that the cat was whimpering over several stones. There were ten in total with the three in the middle marked with a bloody paw print. Supernova let out soft whines as he tried his best to nuzzle the rocks. The rock in the very center had a pinkish hue and was the one Supernova was nuzzling the most. No longer wanting to watch the painful sight, Sukuna left with a new perspective on the cat.

Overtime stayed far from Sukuna. Not out of fear, but out of disinterest. The mummy-like creature spent most of his time by Infinite’s side, though it looked like it was often against his will. When not being dragged to places by Infinite, Overtime enjoyed being on the beach Sukuna first woke up at. They had the entire world at their disposal, so Sukuna and the six guardians would travel to the most remote areas. Any place with a beach was favored by Overtime. Though, as long as it was peaceful, Overtime would enjoy it. If the others were intruding on Overtime’s resting spot, he would use his wrappings to constrict whoever had dared disturb him. The most common offender was Infinite. However, the draconic bird would be allowed to stay once he gave Overtime a fruit and didn’t squawk. A few times, Sukuna had caught the often rambunctious bird sleeping in the sand next to Overtime. If anyone could calm the storm that was Infinite, it was Overtime. This ability to calm spread to the other guardians. He was the one that separated squabbles or forced the others to settle down. In turn, the others seemed to respect Overtime the most. Sukuna had even respected the volcanic mummy after engaging him in battle. Despite never seeing him fight, Overtime attacked like a seasoned warrior. His wrapping would lengthen at his request and would be shot out at Sukuna. Despite looking like cloth, Overtime could make his wrapping become as sharp as a blade when in combat. He hit with ferocious strength, speed, and accuracy. When hit by his ratio technique, Sukuna could feel the weak spot being forced to form on his body. When wanting to deliver a stronger attack, Overtime would use his wrappings to form a blunt sword. Each swing carried great power that shook the ground below. Although, if Overtime thought the battle was dragging on for too long, he would stop and go to the nearest secluded area.

Chimera was the second most frequent attacker. It was obvious as to why, considering the person Chimera originated from. Sukuna had always seen the great potential in Fushiguro Megumi. As a cursed soul, the fragments of the ten-shadows user could still be seen within the dark creature. Without any morals to hold him back, Chimera attacked with total abandon. He would summon armies of frogs just to see how much he could overwhelm Sukuna. He would mix up his strategies each time they fought. Chimera enjoyed seeing Sukuna caught off guard and made it his job to startle the curse at any given moment. When Sukuna tried to rest, usually because there was nothing else to do, Chimera often manifested out of the shadows to summon a pool of darkness underneath the curse. The only touch of color Chimera had were his green eyelights. The light would shift into the form of the shikigami Chimera was summoning. Despite the disadvantage it gave Chimera, the shadow monster did not give Sukuna a chance to prepare for the oncoming shikigami. Chimera was perfectly capable of fighting without the help of his shikigami. The fact that Chimera did not need to keep his hands free to maintain his technique, Chimera had no problems barraging Sukuna with blows and strikes. Besides his shikigami, Chimera could summon a pair of tonfas, a sword, and a blade. Each was made of the goopy material that Chimera himself was made of, but it did not take away from the sharpness of the weapons. It was exhilarating to battle Chimera. Sukuna could fight the cursed soul for hours with no victor in sight. The way that their battles usually ended was when Overtime physically dragged Chimera from the area. The mummy would use the magma burning inside the left side of his body to force the shadow creature into giving up.

Infinite, as always, took great care in being as infuriating as possible. While fighting the others was exciting and invigorating, fighting Infinite was more akin to torture. Both Infinite and Sukuna were equal in physical strength and speed, but Infinite had a new advantage that the sorcerer he was based on never had. Gojo Satoru’s Infinite Void was a domain that overloaded the victim with so much information that they were struck frozen and vulnerable. Sukuna remembered the overwhelming sensation well during their fight. However, Infinite used this ability to overload an opponent with information much differently. If Sukuna made eye contact with Infinite, the creature was capable of plaguing the curse with violent hallucinations. If Sukuna made eye contact with the eyes on Infinite’s tail when it was fully spread, the hallucinations given were so vivid that Sukuna would think his real body had been attacked. Infinite could construct the hallucinations he caused to his liking. In other words, Infinite personally created the most horrific images to infect Sukuna’s mind. The hallucinations always contained Yuuji in some way since Infinite wanted to make Sukuna suffer. The need to make Sukuna hurt was an instinct engraved deeply in the feather dragon. It pushed the cursed soul to attack Sukuna the most. He did not give Sukuna hallucinations every time they fought, unknowingly preventing Sukuna from preparing his mind for the onslaught of horror. Most of Infinite’s attacks were petty in nature and meant to annoy Sukuna. Infinite would use his smoky tail to wip Sukuna across the face or use the eyes within to stalk the man. His beak would be used to deliver quick pecks to every inch of exposed skin. There were more than twenty times where Infinite dragged a rabid animal with his claws to throw it at Sukuna. Other times, Infinite would screech loudly when Sukuna tried to nap, not stopping until one of his fellow guardians forced him to. The only proof that Infinite had the capability to be anything but insane was when he interacted with the other guardians. He showed great affection towards Overtime, Chimera, and Resonance. The other two did not appreciate the dragon’s touchiness whatsoever, so Infinite begrudgingly let them be. Though, the bird would still try to mess with them from time to time. Infinite seemed to take pride in how irritating he was.

Eventually, the exhilarating battles and spars grew old. Sukuna had allowed himself to fight each cursed soul as long as he could. He knew he could end the battles in moments, but the curse had been desperate for something to do. Infinite was the only one whose battles Sukuna never tried to drag on. The thrill Sukuna had felt vanished. It seemed the group of cursed souls noticed as their attacks stopped. One day, it became too much for even Sukuna to bear. He turned to the six creatures and spoke with exhaustion clear in his tone.

“I cannot wait another million years like this. It’s mind numbingly boring, and I am sick of such monotony. I am going to rest for as long as I can. Do whatever you wish, I don’t care. Ideally, I do not want to wake up unless it’s finally the Heian Era. Do not bother me until then if you wish to keep your heads.”

Thankfully, the world would give the sleep Sukuna had wished for. The only memories he had of his self-induced hibernation was the smell of smoke in the air, then sudden feeling of everything being ice cold, and the occasional noises from the six creatures who would periodically check on the massive curse. Sukuna did not dream the entire time. It felt like he closed his eyes, got stuck in a void that had no light, noise, smell, or surface, then woke up to a screeching bird.

Sukuna had to listen to the loud squawks until his muddled mind regained its sharpness. Once awake enough, Infinite dragged Sukuna out of the cave he did not remember falling asleep in. Outside of the cave, the other guardians were waiting with excitement clear in their features. When he looked around the place the cave was situated in, he felt a wave of familiarity wash over him. The villages nearby were identical to the ones Sukuna remembered of the Heian Era. More importantly, the cursed energy he senses indicated the birth of sorcerers and curses. Instead of getting to familiarize himself with ancient Japan again, Infinite grabbed Sukuna and tossed him onto his back. Before Sukuna could react, the dragon leaped into the sky with great speed. Like the prior blindfolded maniac, Infinite was able to float. Infinite had grown to his full size, allowing his fellow guardians to fit on his body. Boogie and Supernova were clinging desperately to Infinite’s long neck while Resonance and Overtime were tightly gripping Infinite’s white mane like the reins of a horse. Chimera had simply hidden himself within Sukuna’s shadow. It had happened so fast that it took Sukuna a few minutes to realize what had happened. Eventually, Sukuna began to watch the clouds fly past them. The air was thin, but it was crisp and fresh. It ended much too quickly in Sukuna’s opinion, but Sukuna was immediately distracted by the familiar village they were heading towards.

It was Sukuna’s village when he was a human.

Infinite landed in an empty field to prevent anyone from seeing the cursed souls. Unlike regular curses, cursed souls could be seen by all. At the time, this was unknown to Sukuna as he only knew that animals could see the guardians.

Based on the insistent nudges Infinite was giving Sukuna, the curse knew that something crucial was about to happen. He adorned a stern expression and arrived at the village in the blink of an eye. It was obvious when he was due to the stench of death and sickness in the air. Sukuna walked through his village, looking for his human counterpart. The human that had become Sukuna was long gone in an erased world. The Ryomen of this world was about to reach his point of no return if Sukuna did not act quickly.

It was easy to find Ryomen. No one had ever looked like them with their pink hair, but Ryomen stuck out even more with the tattoos etched onto his skin. That was new, but Sukuna did not dwell on it as he reached the scene that broke Ryomen unfold. It was almost pathetic to see his former self kneeling in the dirt as he begged the village elders and healers to help his boy. The sight of a lifeless Yuuji made Sukuna feel sick. Seeing a child version of the boy he had hurt was horrible, but it was even worse considering the evidence that the child had been dead for at least several days. Ryomen continued his begging like a madman. His grief was so great that Ryomen had become delusional. Sukuna watched silently as the villagers surrounded the suffering young man.

“TAKE THAT INFECTED CORPSE OUT OF THE VILLAGE THIS INSTANT, RYOMEN!”

“THERE IS A PLAGUE. WE DON’T NEED YOUR ROTTEN CHILD MAKING IT WORSE!”

“WE SHOULD GET RID OF BOTH OF THEM. RYOMEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BAD OMEN WITH THOSE MARKINGS!”

“WE SHOULD GET THE JUJUTSU SORCERERS TO EXORCIZE HIM! HE’S CLEARLY NOT A HUMAN! WE WERE FOOLISH TO EVER BELIEVE HE WAS!”

“CURSE!”

“DEMON!”

“MONSTER!”

The crowd quickly turned into a riot of angry villagers too paranoid to see the clearly human man sobbing for help. The Ryomen from Sukuna’s old world was never treated this badly, nor was he so dangerously thin. Then again, this Ryomen had tattoos that old Ryomen never had. Such a supposedly insignificant addition must have caused the young man’s life to become worse than ever before. Sukuna could not interact with any of the humans, so he continued to wait patiently until Ryomen’s cursed energy reached its peak. It had been steadily increasing with each new insult from the villagers.

All it took was a small torch to make Ryomen snap.

A man had thrown a lit torch at Ryomen in an attempt to rid the village of the infectious corpse and the black sheep of the village. In an instant, the rags both Ryomen and Yuuji wore caught on fire. Cruel, sick smiles were present on the elders of the village as screams of agony erupted from the grieving father. With Ryomen set aflame, one of the healers grabbed Yuuji and ran to throw the child into the mass grave pit.

Before the healer could get very far, maniacal laughter made her stop in her tracks. Despite his flesh peeling off and blistering, Ryomen began walking to the healer. It was a gruesome sight. Some of the villagers were already throwing up at the sight and smell of Ryomen’s burning flesh. Sukuna was amazed by the man’s ability to remain standing.

Even though Ryomen could not speak anymore or really see, he smiled wide with bloody cracked lips. The aura of his cursed energy grew potent enough that all the villagers, no matter how old, were left trembling and unable to move. Ryomen raised his arms, seemingly ignoring the layers of skin being burnt off, and mimicked how one would draw a bow and arrow. Sukuna recognized the motion and grinned. The flesh on his hands and fingers were nothing but blood and muscle, but the squares on each fingertip had remained, even without the layer of skin. With gums bleeding and skin peeling, Ryomen spoke with a broken voice.

“F u g a.”

An arrow made out of fire formed between his burning hands, but Ryomen did not waver once. The villagers were still paralyzed in terror as the arrow grew bigger. A myriad of colors could be seen within the flames, it was a beautiful sight. That was until Ryomen released the arrow aimed directly at the healer who had stolen Yuuji.

In less than a second a once thriving village had been reduced to nothing but ash. The charred corpses of the villagers were unrecognizable and the smell was unbearable. Sukuna stood among the destruction, simply admiring Ryomen’s power. His pleased observations were overtaken when the wail of a tortured man filled the air.

This bastard better not be dead. Sukuna ran towards the noise and easily found the source of the cries. Blood pooled from every orifice and inch of Ryomen’s burnt skin. However, the wails were not caused by pain but grief as Ryomen knelt by the incinerated remains of his son. The fire had been so strong that the boy was nothing but bones and ash. Sukuna looked at the horrific sight with an intense sadness he had never felt before. Without a word, the massive curse knelt next to Ryomen and placed a hand on his back. Unlike every other living being he had encountered, Sukuna’s hand did not pass through upon contact. Ryomen jolted at the unexpected touch, his grief-filled screams stopping.

“Your son is going to be okay. I promise.” Sukuna spoke softly at the man, not reacting to the gore underneath his palm. The curse let his reverse cursed technique flow through Ryomen. His skin began to stitch back together, and his bleeding stopped entirely. Considering the extent of the damage to Ryomen, Sukuna took extra care when healing him. Most of his nerve endings had been fried, so Sukuna focused immensely on fixing them without error. After some time of meticulous healing, the only proof that Ryomen had been hurt was the ash on his face and body and the bloodstains.

Ryomen passed out immediately upon becoming fully healed, collapsing against Sukuna. Again, Sukuna’s body remained solid against his human counterpart. Sukuna reached out another hand to scoop up one of the charred bones that had once belonged to a lovable boy. Sukuna felt pain in his chest again, but he refused to break. With even greater care than before, the monstrous being poured as much of his reversed cursed technique into the tiny bone. Eventually, the cracks on the bone disappeared and it regained its ivory color.

Without looking up, Sukuna already knew that the guardians had arrived. They had perfect timing as always. When a beak gently nudged the hand that had Yuuji’s bone fragment, Sukuna raised his gaze.

For the first time, the blindfold that was supposed to be permanently attached to Infinite had disappeared. Six eyes, a pair of three on each side, looked at him imploringly. There was no cheekiness or teasing to be found in Infinite’s gaze. Sukuna nearly refused to give Infinite the last piece of Yuuji, but he then remembered the purpose of the guardians. It was in the name, they protected Yuuji in every sense of the word. He knew how much the people the cursed souls were based on loved Yuuji. They would never wish any harm on the boy. With a great sigh, Sukuna opened his palm to reveal the bone shard. Infinite cooed at the tiny piece and delicately picked up the fragment with his beak. When Infinite turned to walk towards his other guardians, he paused and looked back at Sukuna. There was gratefulness in those eyes and Infinite bowed his head in thanks.

Sukuna would never see the guardians again after that.

It did not matter as he had a new person to focus on. Ryomen would be Sukuna’s proper vessel, but the curse would make sure that the human would stay alive no matter what. He knew in his soul that Yuuji and his guardians would come back, so the boy would need Ryomen. Yuuji needed his father and Ryomen needed his son.

As Sukuna sat in the remains of the village, he made a binding vow with himself that he would never fail the two people who would become his most precious treasures.

Things would be different.

Things would be happier.

Present Time

“Sukuna.”

“Suuuukuuunaaaa!”

“Dumbass!”

“Fuckface!”

“Uh…Suku?”

In an instant, Sukuna grabbed at the hand poking him and twisted. Ryomen yelped in pain and wrenched his arm from Sukuna’s grip. “I told you to never use that infernal nickname.”

“Well, it woke you up, right?”

A grumble was the only response Sukuna gave. He opened his eyes that he hadn’t realized he closed and was surprised when he saw a sunny sky and fluffy clouds. Sukuna glanced at his left, where Ryomen had been poking him, and guffawed at the outfit the baby in his arms was wearing. Ryomen held Yuuji like the lion cub from the movie Ryomen forced him to watch a few months ago. He looked extremely proud of himself, and Yuuji squealed as his father raised him high in the air.

The baby was wearing a tiger onesie with detachable paws and ears on the hood of the outfit. Yuuji giggled like a hyena as Ryomen bounced him. “He’s finally in his true form.” Ryomen chuckled to himself as he looked at his adorable tiger cub. It was a slightly delirious laugh, and Sukuna saw the reason as to why. The usual bags under Ryomen’s eyes had darkened so much it looked like a bruise. Ryomen desperately needed to sleep, and Sukuna had just woken up from an accidental nap.

Sukuna sighed and raised his two upper arms towards Yuuji. “Give him to me, idiot. You are going to blackout any second now, and I do not wish for Yuuji to sustain an injury so soon after acquiring him.”

There were still many issues to talk about, especially the concerning message Ryomen received, but his sleep deprivation caught the best of him. When Ryomen was about to refuse, his vision started to blur, and he knew it was his body screaming at him to rest. “Fine. Wake me in ten minutes. I’ll make this a test for you.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m serious. Once I come back, there better not be a single hair misplaced on Yuuji’s head.”

“Alright.”

“If there is even a-”

“Ryomen. Go. To. Bed.”

“...Ten minutes.” The pink haired man gave one last glare to Sukuna before walking back towards the house. However, his walk was more of a stagger.

Sukuna rolled his eyes at the stubborn man’s antics. The tiny baby in his lap made any irritation the curse would have felt disappear. Yuuji held one of Sukuna’s fingers with a curious expression. He looked so impossibly small compared to Sukuna. Yuuji’s hands could not even wrap around Sukuna’s finger. Despite the size difference, Yuuji showed not a hint of fear towards the curse. His bright, wide eyes looked at Sukuna with so much happiness. No being had ever looked at Sukuna like that. A warmth blossomed in Sukuna’s chest at the smile Yuuji was giving him. This time, Sukuna relished in the warmth instead of suppressing it.

With great care, Sukuna picked up Yuuji and stood. The baby was small enough to fit in Sukuna’s palm, but there was still no fear from Yuuji. Sukuna breathed in the fresh air. For a moment, he was worried that his form would dissipate, but Yuuji’s presence only strengthened Sukuna’s ability to remain tangible. He couldn’t help but nuzzle his nose into Yuuji’s hair, dislodging the hoodie. Yuuji grabbed at Sukuna’s nose with his chubby hand, and the warmth within the curse grew like a welcoming hearth. The happiness Sukuna felt could not compare to his past life. Doing what he desired and killing who he wanted had never brought Sukuna such a feeling of warmness and joy.

Sukuna’s smile was the brightest it had ever been. He let out a content hum as he held Yuuji close to his chest. The baby responded to his hums with happy coos.

He was happy.

No matter what, Sukuna would make sure that the smile on Yuuji’s face never disappears again.

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strawberryshortcake0413 · 8 months

Text

Rainy night

Hi! My name is Andrea and this is my first time writing a fanfic. English isn't my first language so if you spot any mistakes or just some tips, let me know ♡.

Leon Kennedy x female!reader

Warning: fluff, mention of labor, Leon being a dad, RE4 Leon, no smut and some baby taking care of stuff like changing diapers or feeding etc.

♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡

The raindrops hit the window, making a little sound of pod pod. The Kennedy family was sleeping peacefully after a long day of changing diapers, washing bottles, and answering the calls from friends as they congratulated on gaining one new member of their family. The new parents were in the bedroom sleeping to get rest while it rained. Now and then lightning strikes the sky, making a loud noise. The infant squirmed in his crib uncomfortably as he heard the noise. As the little Kennedy opened his baby blue eyes, hunger and fear came inside him.

The faint wailing from the nursery woke Leon in the middle of the night. Ever since becoming a parent, Leon has been trying his best to help his wife nurse and take care of the baby. It was hard seeing you suffer in the long 14 hours of labor. It was the least he could do while you recovered. During the day he would wash the bottles, change some diapers and make some food. He wasn't the best cook in the world but in his opinion, he makes decent food. Luckily the government gave Leon his parental leave for 8 weeks, so he was looking forward to bonding with his baby and helping his wife.

Leon carefully got out of the bed, making sure to not wake you up. He rubbed his eyes a bit and waddled to the nursery slowly. The green walls of the small room were now grey from the night and the clouds. Leon reached his hands to the small baby and held him in his arms, close to his chest. Even though the blonde man was sleepy, he tried to smooth the child and sang a lullaby to him. After a few minutes of whining and kicking his feet, the baby calmed a bit looking at his father's face. Leon placed the baby in his crib and went downstairs to prepare a bottle to put his child to sleep.

As he mixed the formula with warm water, the thoughts of how this was unbelievably true came to Leon's mind. Sure he had always dreamed of having a little family of his own, but with the things he had seen, it was a hopeless dream. Until he met you. A pretty, nice, kind girl. Smiling at him while he stood there in the bakery like a damn idiot staring into your eyes.

"Sir? Are you okay? Do you want something?" you smiled at the handsome young man.

"Oh... Um. I.. I-I'll take the cheesecake please" said Leon stuttering a bit nervously.

That's how you met him. He began visiting the bakery almost every day, worrying you might think he was a creep. But luckily you liked Leon and never got scared or creeped out. Soon after he got the courage to take you out on a date and you two started dating. After a year or two he proposed with a nice silver ring and you had your baby.

Leon chuckled to himself and went inside the nursery holding the bottle. The baby was babbling to himself and playing with the toys hanging from his crip. Leon carefully held the baby and sat down on the rocking chair to feed him. It was around 2 a.m. The rain still watering the outside world, while the boy sucked the bottle eagerly. Soon after his small eyes, resembling Leon's started to close up. Leon smiled to himself put his baby carefully in his crib and took the bottle away. He kissed the forehead of the child and went to his bedroom to sleep.

Just as Leon was getting under the covers, you woke up from the shift on the bed.

"What happened hun?" you asked yawning.

"Nothing love. Just our little precious woke up. I got it tho" smiled Leon kissing your cheek.

"Love you" you mumbled sleepy before cudding with your husband.

"Love you too" smiled Leon starting to sleep while hugging your warm body.

♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡°°♡

So, I can't believe I actually posted this.. but I am looking forward to improve my writing. Leave a request if you want to, I would love to hear some suggestions. Bye ♡

*the photos aren't mine. Credits to the owners*

#leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy fluff #leon kennedy x you #leon kennedy #re4r leon #leon kennedy imagine #re4 leon #resident evil

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missfrieden · 4 months

Text

Tech as a father Chapter 30

So now a bit attention seeking from me. It is the 29th december. I turn 27 today, just three years shy of 30. And honestly it is what it is, one year more or less is not making a difference anymore.

Masterlist

Chapter 30: Eating habits

Tech carefully prepared the watered-down fruit puree as recommended by the parenting guides and medical advice. He wanted to introduce Orion to new flavours and textures, taking the first steps in transitioning from just formula to solid foods. It was a significant milestone, and Tech was eager to see how his son would react.

He sat down with Orion, cradling him in his arms, and began to offer him the tiny spoonful’s of fruit puree. Orion's curiosity was immediately piqued as he looked at the spoon with wide eyes, not entirely sure what to make of this new experience. As Tech gently guided the spoon to his son's mouth, Orion's lips pursed, and he tasted the sweet puree for the first time. Orion's reaction was a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and perhaps a hint of delight. He made adorable, funny faces, squirmed in Tech's lap, and occasionally smacked his lips together as he processed the new flavour. Tech couldn't help but smile at Orion's reactions, finding the whole experience incredibly endearing. Tech continued to offer Orion spoonful’s of the puree, watching as his son gradually adjusted to the new taste and texture. It was a slow and gentle introduction to solid foods, and Tech was committed to making it a positive and enjoyable experience for Orion.

But Orion's preference was clear as he reached for the bottle after trying the first few spoonful’s of fruit puree. Tech couldn't help but chuckle at his son's determination. He knew that introducing solid foods to an infant was a gradual process, and Orion had his own pace. Tech gently set aside the spoon and picked up the prepared bottle, making sure it was still warm and has not cooled down to much. He held it out to Orion, who eagerly accepted it, his tiny hands grasping onto the bottle with an air of accomplishment. Tech watched as his son happily suckled from the bottle, content and comfortable with the familiar taste of the formula.

It was a reminder that every child had their own preferences and developmental timeline, and Tech was more than willing to accommodate Orion's. He knew there would be plenty of opportunities to introduce solid foods in the future, and for now, he cherished these precious moments of feeding and bonding with his ever growing son. As Orion drank his formula mixed with water from the bottle, he continued to grasp and squeeze Tech's finger that held the bottle. Tech couldn't help but smile at the sight of his son's tiny fingers wrapped around his own. It was a simple yet heart-warming gesture that made him feel incredibly close to Orion. Tech gently stroked the back of Orion's hand with his thumb, savouring the connection they shared in that moment. The soft sounds of Orion's contented feeding filled the air, creating a soothing backdrop to their father-son bond. These moments of quiet connection were some of Tech's favourite times with Orion. As he watched his son drink, he marvelled at the simple joy of parenthood and the profound love he felt for this tiny, growing life in his arms.

Later Tech sat in the mess hall, holding Orion securely on his lap. The infant was now five months old and growing more curious by the day. The squad always ready to snap at the regs if one would say something towards Orion, they can say about them what they want but not their little one. Orion’s tiny hands had become surprisingly adept at grabbing things, large ones or easy ones to hold, and today, it was Tech's spoon that had caught his attention.

As Tech tried to scoop up a mouthful of his meal, Orion's chubby fingers reached out and clutched the spoon. With a triumphant grin, he managed to wrestle it from Tech's grip, as if he has won a battle and not like his father would have let him have it, and it clattered onto the floor. The sudden noise made Orion burst into giggles, his chubby little body bouncing up and down on Tech's lap in delight.

The rest of the squad, who were used to Orion's antics by now, chuckled along with the baby. Wrecker, always the joker, even mimicked Orion's excited bouncing, earning a surprised giggle from the infant. Tech sighed but couldn't hide his fond smile. "Well, it seems we have a future musician in the making," he quipped, reaching down to retrieve the spoon. Not sure how many professions he gave Orion by now, but for once he does not count. Orion's laughter filled the mess hall as Tech resumed his meal, realizing that these small, everyday moments with his son were the ones he cherished the most. The squad might be a team of elite soldiers, but in that moment, they were simply a group of brothers sharing a meal and the joy of watching a baby discover the world one spoon drop at a time.

Crosshair held Orion at arm's length, clearly not thrilled by the prospect of his nephew chewing on his own foot. He couldn't help but mutter, "You're disgusting." However, Orion, being the curious and good-humoured infant that he was, took Crosshair's comment as an invitation rather than criticism. With a gleeful gurgle, he stretched his tiny, drool-covered foot upward, presenting it to Crosshair as if saying, "Here, give it a try!"

The unexpected reaction caught Crosshair off guard. He couldn't help but chuckle despite himself. "Alright, kid," he conceded, taking Orion's little foot into his hand. "But just this once." As Orion giggled, Crosshair couldn't deny that spending time with his nephew, even when it involved some peculiar habits, was slowly but surely warming his heart.

Tech returned with a freshly prepared bottle and a playful smirk on his face as he saw the interaction between Crosshair and Orion. He couldn't resist teasing his brother a bit. "It can't be that disgusting, Crosshair," Tech quipped, knowing that his nephew's charming antics had a way of breaking down even the toughest exteriors. Crosshair, ever the stoic sharpshooter, quickly regained his composure, not wanting to admit that he had actually enjoyed the moment with Orion. "I'm a soldier, not a babysitter," he retorted, handing Orion back to Tech with the utmost care.

Tech chuckled, not pushing the matter further. He understood that it wasn't easy for Crosshair to show affection, especially in such an unconventional way. Taking Orion back into his arms, he continued to marvel at the bond growing between his brothers and his beloved son, knowing that these moments were precious to him and to the entire squad. As Crosshair walked away Tech watches him, he knows that behind Crosshair’s mannerism is a caring person, even if he would deny it till his last breath.

Chapter 31

Reblogs are very welcome and I am open for feedback, as english is not my first language, so maybe my sentences may be weird sometimes, or I write a word wrong even with google, or I use a wrong word for an item.

Tag: @spectacular-skywalker @aalizazareth @neyswxrld @clonethirstingisreal @sleepycreativewriter

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wrestlersownmyheart · 7 months

Text

"In Dreams" Chapter 3 (Hook X Older Female Reader)

Title: In Dreams Pairing: Hook X Older Female Reade Summary: Hook meets the woman of his dreams. Literally. The only problem? She is married in actuality. And her marriage is not the happy one she tries to portray in reality. Not to mention Y/N has a secret she failed to reveal in their shared dreams. Can Hook persuade her to leave her husband and seek the safety of his love instead? Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with AEW. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination. Content/Trigger Warnings: Through the story as a whole–Domestic Abuse against a woman, implied rape.

Note: You may want to scan over Chapters 1 & 2 before reading this chapter, seeing as I revised them.

Chapter 3

Running late for supper–it was nearly 9 o'clock–you hurried across the kitchen to get the lasagna out of the oven. Being careful to not burn your hands, you lifted the pan out of the oven and set it on the stove top to cool a little.

Derek had not been home–thank goodness–when you got back from picking up Sienna at the Bright Horizons Daycare. So you'd set about getting supper prepared.

Once the lasagna was settled on the stovetop, you grabbed Sienna's bottle and headed out of the kitchen and walked straight to the stairs so you could go up to the nursery and feed the baby before Derek and you ate.

You quickly lifted the infant from the playpen and gave her the bottle so she could feed. "Here you go, baby girl," you whispered, gently jostling her in your arms. The baby cooed as she drank her formula.

Like you always did when feeding her at night, you sat down in the little chair by her crib and rocked her slowly and gently. "One of these days we're going to get out of here and never look back, little girl," you said softly, patting her diapered bottom lightly. "Never look back."

Whether due to the fact that you'd been going non-stop for the past forty-eight hours straight, or your fever… you grew increasingly sleepy.

"I'll just rest my eyes for a few minutes," you told yourself.

Not all things go according to plan, however.

You opened your eyes and you were in the forest again.

And there was Hook, frantically looking around the woods, till his eyes fell on you and he smiled.

"I was hoping I would see you again soon," he said, walking up to you. "Are you napping?"

"I guess I am," you answered with a light chuckle. "I've just been really busy the past couple days and I'm sick right now, so I've not gotten any rest. Except for when I'm visiting with you."

"You're sick?"

His hand reached up and touched your cheek. "Yeah, you're really warm. Have you seen a doctor?" His hand lingered at your face. Almost as if he enjoyed the feel of you against his fingers.

"Not all of us have great health benefits, Hook," you answered softly. "No, I've not seen a doctor."

"Are you okay?"

You lifted your gaze to his and nodded slightly. "I am."

"I get this feeling like…." Hook started, and his eyes shifted to the ground. He ran his hand through his unruly hair. "Like you're not happy. With your life."

You snorted slightly. "That's an understatement."

"Anything I can do?"

You shook your head. "I don't think so, Hook. I just have to figure things out for myself."

"I want to help you," he said, his dark eyes going even darker. "I can't explain it, but I feel very protective of you. Tell me where you are."

You shook your head frantically. "I don't want you to see how I live, Hook. It's…humiliating. Besides…I can't risk… I don't want you to get hurt in any way."

"I won't get hurt."

Tears burned your eyes, "You don't know that."

To your surprise, he pulled you into his arms. "I do know it. I can take care of myself. You've seen me on TV. You know what I can do. Now, what has you so scared?"

"I can't tell you anything, Hook. And we have to stop meeting like this. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous for who?"

"Both of us. We obviously have a connection, and the way my life is right now… You're going to get hurt. I know it."

"I'll ask this a hundred times if I have to. Would you leave that husband of yours for me?"

"I… That's very insensitive to ask me, Hook. I'm… Just because he and I have our problems, doesn't mean I'd cheat on him. I can't do that. He'd…"

"He'd what?" Hook asked.

You swallowed hard. You'd said too much. "I just mean that it would… devastate him."

His arms tightened around you, comfortingly. "Tell. Me. Where. You. Are."

"Please, Hook. I'm not worth all this trouble. Really. You'd find that out as soon as you found me."

"Let me be the judge of that," he whispered, gazing down at your mouth. "I still… really want to kiss you." His dark gaze shifted to yours once more and the side of his mouth quirked up in a slight smile. "Badly."

At your silence, he pulled you even closer. "Fine… I'm going to kiss your neck, up to your face, and if you don't want me to kiss that pretty little mouth of yours, you'll tell me where you are."

Before you could answer, his head lowered to the crook of your shoulder and he kissed you softly there. Then he lightly trailed his lips up slightly higher. Pressed a kiss to your skin. His wild hair brushed against your cheek as he kissed you.

"Hook…. Stop…" You couldn't help the giggle that burst from your mouth.

"Nuh-uh."

Another kiss higher up on your neck. A soft nip of teeth, leaving a definite mark. Thank goodness you were dreaming. Hook's arms tightened around you more, as if he was afraid you'd try to free yourself from his embrace.

"Hook…"

You moaned his name that time. His warm, moist lips were skilled and you couldn't deny the fact that you wanted more. It had been so long since you'd felt any kind of desire.

His mouth moved up to your chin. "One more kiss and I'll be at your mouth…" He teased with a slight nip to your chin. "What's it gonna be?"

"New England." You gasped out. "I'm in New England. That's as much information as I'm giving you."

"Mmm, maybe I should kiss you anyway," Hook growled softly, a smirk on his lips.

"No, Hook, really… You can't…"

"Oh, actually I can. I'm very good at it."

You flushed at his confidence. "I don't doubt that, but…"

"If I find you I'll kiss you then," he finished for you.

You nodded, sure he wouldn't be able to find you in such a large area of the country. "Fine. Whatever."

"Fine. Whatever," Hook smirked again, using your words against you.

In the next instant, you were awake with Sienna fussing softly over her now empty bottle. You smiled and stood to your feet, gently laying her in the crib.

You turned toward the door, and were startled to find Derek leaned against the doorframe.

Watching you.

"Oh!" You gasped, and brought a hand to your chest. "You scared me."

"I've been here a while, watching you sleep." He said, stepping fully into the room, moving closer to you. "What were you moaning about," he asked, a sick smile coming to his face. "Dreaming about me?" He moved even closer to you. You stepped back to get some distance, but your back connected with the wall behind you.

"Y-yeah…" You said quickly, knowing where this would lead if you admitted to dreaming of another man.

"Well, your dream has come true," he said in what he thought was a sexy growl. It just sent chills up your spine. His arms lifted, and he braced each hand on the wall on either side of your shoulders, effectively pinning you in place. "It's been a long time," he murmured.

Your breathing turned ragged, and his grin deepened. He was either enjoying the fear he was instilling in you, or he thought you liked where this was headed.

And that couldn't be further from the truth.

"Y-yeah… it has, Derek, but um… I'm having my monthly," you lied. "Plus, I'm sick. I don't really feel up to it- OH!" You cried out as his hand latched onto your hair and yanked it back over your shoulder.

"Where did this hickey come from," he demanded, his green eyes flashing.

"What- What are you talking about," you stammered out, tears of fear already streaming down your face.

He took the hank of hair he'd just grabbed and used it to propel you into the hallway, and over to your bedroom. He forcefully led you over to the dresser and its matching mirror and turned your head at an uncomfortable angle, displaying the large hickey on your neck.

"That's what I'm talking about," Derek growled menacingly. "Who have you been cheating on me with?! Who is it?" He backhanded you then. The slap sent you sailing to the floor. The bitter taste of iron invaded your mouth. A sob rose up in your throat as you lay helplessly on the carpet. You knew if you did anything else that that would only fuel Derek's anger.

"WHO IS IT!?"

He drew his leg back and kicked you hard in the ribs.

You felt a snap in your midsection and knew instantly that a rib was broken.

"PleaseDerekStop!" You cried all one one breath as you exhaled. Then it took forever to be able to inhale. And when you finally did, fire bloomed up your ribs.

He went down to his knees beside you and latched onto your neck with one hand; punched you in the jaw with the other. Your head snapped back and you fell back to the floor again.

Then you were lifted and dumped carelessly onto the bed, on your stomach.

Through your sobs, you could hear the sound of a belt whooshing out of his pants' belt loops.

"No," you whispered weakly and buried your face against the mattress. "Please, Derek…. No…"

Your shirt was ripped open then, exposing the vulnerable skin of your back. In the next instant, his belt landed hard against you.

An animal-like shriek pierced the air, and you–a moment later–realized it came from you.

Another slash of the belt broke your skin, and you screamed again.

Another whip. Another. Another. All lashes were in rapid fire.

"Derek…" You moaned in pain. "Please…"

The belt slapped against your back again and you cried out once more, digging your fingers into the bed covers.

You heard a zipper then. Followed by: "I think it's time I remind you of who you belong to."

You sobbed, knowing what was coming next.

Derek had never raped you before, but clearly that was what was on his mind.

"Please, don't hurt me anymore," you sobbed, as he flipped you onto your back.

He whipped his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, ignoring you. Then he was moving his body over yours…

}i{}i{}i{}i{}i{

You didn't know when exactly you fainted, but the next thing you knew you were in the forest.

Yours and Hook's special place.

Tears burned your eyes as you laid on the ground. You did not have the strength or the will to stand up. You lay on your side huddled into a little ball. Your body was still reeling from the beating it took.

"Y/N!"

You heard Hook's deep voice calling your name. A sob broke past your lips and you clenched your eyes shut as you held your screaming ribs.

No way will Hook want you now, your mind taunted you. Derek destroyed you.

"Y/N!"

Hook was by your side in the next instant as he lowered himself to his knees and took note of your appearance. Tears streaming down your face, a bruise forming on your face, the tension in your frame. Not to mention the bloody stripes going down your back that he couldn't actually see. Yet.

"Baby, what is it? What's wrong? What happened to you?"

His arms came around you and tried to tug you into his lap but you cried out in pain.

"Hook, don't," you gasped, as your ribs and back screamed in protest.

Immediately he halted. "Sweetheart, what's happened to you?"

You stared at anything but Hook. You were…

You had no words.

You truly were destroyed.

"Baby, tell me."

You avoided looking at him. What he'd think of you now, brought fresh tears to your eyes. You sobbed and closed your eyes, letting the tears fall. "Just leave me alone. Please."

"I can't, Y/N," he said, brushing your hair away from your face. "I'm in too deep now."

"You won't want me," you sobbed, cringing away from his touch. "You won't want anything to do with me when you see…"

"When I see what?"

"Just leave me alone," you screamed on a sob. "Go away!"

Looking stung, Hook drew his hand back away from you. He took a moment, seemingly collecting himself. And then he spoke softly. "I'm not leaving you permanently. I'll leave you for now, because that's what you want. But I'll be back. I swear it."

With that, he faded and disappeared.

And you stayed where you were.

A small, broken heap.

If you want on my tag list, just ask! 😃

Tagging:

@oreillystolemyheart @lookalivesunshine-x @shortyiceheart @vebner37 @thiccc-rider-mcintyre @kalliravenne @swamptrashwithasideofsass @beardedbarba @emisrose @sweetpea-1970 @sassymox @pikapuff-316 @heavymetalgirl420 @bigpsychicbagelauthor @darktammy @waywardwrestlewritingwaif @sultryfandoms @blondekel77 @demonqueen29 @amariemoore @letsgivethisonemoreshot @thelastemzy @springgirlwaiting4fall @vampirepixi @wwenhlimagines @louisianalady @swthrt890 @librathepheonix13 @justanerdwholikestoread @kiwiedge @ironshamelessyouth @1234ilikecowsthanyoumore @moonwolfdemonprincess21 @moxkindagirl @jstarr86 @oliviasinematic

#hook #hook imagine #hook x reader #hook fanfic #send hook

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episims · 1 year

Text

"Oh haha. You'd expect a degree in biology prepares you for things, but apparently not! ...I need coffee. Do you want some?"

"What...? No. It's four in the morning-"

"True. I might need the whole kettle for myself."

"...It's good that Vera reminded to stock infant formula in advance."

"Uh-huh." Have I ever been as glad I don't use milk in coffee?

"It—she's... eating normally. That's... positive."

"Mm-mmh."

"...Her feet are very small."

"Yep, it's a baby!"

*sigh* "Cloud-"

"Shit. Sorry. I need, uh, I think I need some time for the shock to pass... have you thought about the name?"

"Err. No? How... how soon is that required?"

#ts2 #ts2 gameplay #the sims 2 #the sims 2 gameplay #sims 2 #sims 2 gameplay #foxfire forest #playing foxfire forest #cloud hampton #julian fare #aurora fare #oh my god they're worse at this than i even #i'm so sorry everyone i promise the baby will survive #and i'm uh sure she'll get a name too #eventually

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l-lend · 1 year

Note

For you follower celebration!!! Rita (your OC!) x Wrecker, something cute and domestic. Maybe they try to make a cake or something together and it gets a little bit messy and doesn’t turn out the way it should - but they had fun just trying to coordinate to make it?

Hey there,

I went down a rabbit hole, but I hope you like it

Warning(s): swearing, talks about how couples spend their time

@locitapurplepink, @writing-positivelyexisting, @burningfieldof-clover, @rain-on-kamino

A hand blindly reached out in the early morning light. At only finding cooled sheets, the large clone cracked his eyes open to find his bed companion. The mattress creaked softly as he shifted to sit up. Her mod was still on its perch on a crate that passed as her nightstand, so stepping out for a smoke was not the reason for her absence.

The scent of food being prepared in the common brought him to his feet. Hoping she would also be drawn out by the promise of breakfast, he pulled back the cloth curtain and let it fall behind him as he trudged towards what could only be described as a make shift kitchen.

He was never known for his stealth, but if needed he could walk softly despite his hulking stature. Eventually his target was sighted, busy with what was in front of her. He chose that moment to strike. It was an easy feat to approach and wrap his arms around her much smaller form.

“Wondered where you went.” He greeted, planting a kiss in her violet hair.

The woman leaned her head back against the expanse of his chest.

“Thought I'd let you sleep. Someone decided dawn was a reasonable hour to be awake.”

The target of her half hearted chastising cooed. The woman huffing a sigh as she ducked her hand into the sling keeping the infant to her chest. His fine blond hair and light blue skin gave away his lineage.

“Kida sleeping in this morning?”

Rina shook her head, “Called in a favor with me. I swear if they use that time to make another one we're having words.”

The large clone's gaze fell to the infant swaddled against her chest. It was still something to see how tiny the child was. And watching Rina, who had no problem knocking heads or chasing down a bounty, be so...soft and sweet, even sweeter than when she was with him. It was a gentle glow with those two at the center that filled his chest with warmth.

“You okay over there, big guy?”

Heat spread across his cheeks. Rina's arched eyebrows and pursed lips not helping the situation.

“Was thinkin' about something, sorry.” His hand cradling the back of his neck.

Her violet hair swished side to side as she shook her head, “I said 'would you mind feeding smol while I'm finishing up?'.”

“Uh...sure?”

She turned towards the large clone as she was already scooping out the infant from his cloth cocoon.

“Get your arm set like I showed you.”

He bent his arm while bringing it closer to his chest remaining pliant while Rina made her adjustments. He would never complain of her lingering touches.

“Alright, get comfy, smol.”

Soon the barely noticeable weight of the baby was laid into the crook of his arm.

“Not bad, you aren't treated him like he's primed.”

“I...practiced a bit.”

“Oh,”

Her response left her lips as soft as a breeze. A gentle clench of her heart made itself known as she brought over the infant's meal.

“Well, you look like a natural.”

Their fingers brushed as she handed over the formula, and with some guidance, the infant was content to drink down his breakfast. The explosives expert and the infant shared a gaze. The older man's mind wandering down a path.

How would some things mix together? His height, his skin, his eyes. Her smile, her hair, that face she makes when she's fighting back laughter. Would their mornings be like this?

“Rina,”

Her reply was a hum as she tended to their breakfast.

“Do you...I dunno..think about having one?”

Rina glanced over her shoulder, “One what?”

He gestured to the little one still enjoying his meal.

“One of him.”

Time seemed to stop as the words sunk in. Why was it so warm in here right now? The roaring of her heartbeat was not drowned out by the time she spoke.

“I...” She exhaled a breath to put her words in order, “I've thought about before..” She offered a shrug of her shoulders, “Never really...well, been asked before.”

Their eyes met silently signaling the other, but the connection was severed with a foul smell.

“Shit.” She sighed, looking over the withered remains, robbed of anything that resembled taste.

A gentle nudge to her shoulder drew her attention, “It's alright, I'll still eat it.”

She was quiet for a moment aside the ruined food.

“We're going out for breakfast.”

“You sure?”

He met that spark in her eyes. Mischief, flirtation, amusement, they all tended to blur into each other.

“Thought you could get some more practice in.”

#wrecker #tbb wrecker #wrecker x oc

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prince-honeypaw · 2 years

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i really like your cg!momo post!!! do you think you could do cg!momo and little!hitoshi with helpful big brother little!denki? (if you don’t wanna do momo again maybe just denki and hitoshi?)

♡ I will always do a Momo post if given the opportunity. I will admit that this post got away from me at the end, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! ♡ A big thank you to my dearest @paper--moons for once again helping me out! You can thank them too for the angsty idea! >:3c

♡ With Hitoshi being an infant regressor, he requires a significant amount of attention lest he resort to shenanigans, such as toy chewing and woeful mewling cries. But his sibling set mate, Denki, is a toddler! From two to three, sometimes four or five depending on how he started the day.

♡ But, no matter the case, their regression sessions tend to get pretty messy, what with Denki being the one in charge of most things. Yes he can mix a bottle of formula, but the fridge will still be open and milk will be splattered all the way from it to the microwave. They would also be missing half a loaf of bread because Denki was trying to figure out how to make sandwiches without a knife. They both ended up just eating the bread and jelly with their hands.

♡ Safe to say, they needed a caregiver to mediate their regression time, and Momo is all too happy to offer her services! She has plenty of experience with watching Tsuyu, Kyouka, and Shoto, so she wouldn't be flying blind.

♡ Hitoshi is hesitant, as he usually is, but Denki quickly soothes his main man's worries by asking the question on the taller boy's mind. "That's really kind, Yaomomo! Though, one of us regresses preeetty low, is that okay with you? Totally no pressure to say yes!"

♡ Of course, Momo doesn't see an issue with this at all! She eagerly says that she'll get everything ready for a whole weekend at her manor, considering her parents are in Sicily! Denki doesn't get a chance to explain further before she's off to compare notebooks with Izuku, talking about how she needs to get his help in organizing her notes- Oh! And she'd have to get a bed rail for the guest room! So much to do and so little time!

♡ Seeing Shinsou still looking hesitant, Kaminari would take his hand and brush a thumb over his knuckles with a comforting smile. "Look, we can use this weekend as a test run, kay? If it doesn't work for you then we can try someone else–and if no one works we can just keep doing what we do! So no more pouting, alright?"

♡ To which Shinsou would pout more and say, "I was not pouting." Still... He seems more comfortable knowing that Kaminari wouldn't hold this against him if it didn't work out.

♡ The plan is to stay over at Momo's for the weekend to give this match-up a proper try, the boys bringing any regression gear or resources they feel comfortable sharing with her and talking about their respective regressions. Hitoshi was nervous, standing in front of the sprawling manor that was probably worth more than his old neighborhood while clinging tightly to his Build-a-Bear black cat, Miss Spooky. Meanwhile, Denki had already seen the Yaoyorozu Estate during study sessions, and was quick to sling an arm around his companion with that award winning smile, "No pressure, 'kay? If something feels wrong just tug on my shirt and I'll... Uh, we'll figure out what I'll do then!"

♡ Shinsou's shoulders slump and he fixes Kaminari with the flattest expression, and an even flatter tone, "Wow. My hero." And before his anxiety can rise again, Shinsou presses the call button to let Yaoyorozu know they're there! Not before grabbing Kaminari's hand, however. "Just a moment! I'll come get you," Momo's voice chirps from the speaker and the gates unlock, prompting Hitoshi to hold Denki's hand just a bit tighter.

♡ Momo is quick to come get the boys, eagerly detailing everything she's done to prepare for this weekend while leading them up to her home, but Hitoshi can't seem to focus on a word she says.

He's scared. There are so many things that could go wrong this weekend from him not liking Momo's caregiving style to the world flooding over... To Momo maybe not liking him. Hitoshi got so in his head about not liking this that he didn't even consider the possibility that maybe Momo would think he's too needy, or too whiny, or- Or—

♡ A gentle squeeze on his fingers is enough to bring him back down. Denki is smiling at him, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand.

♡ Standing in front of the arching double doors to Momo's home, Hitoshi swallows his fear and tunes back into what Momo is saying. "When I looked up what colors appealed to younger age groups for you two, I found that there was a lot of overlap! So I chose some shades of reds and pinks for Kaminari since infants typically find red more stimulating—" Hitoshi and Denki stopped walking in tandem. Something didn't add up there.

♡ Hitoshi's clammy hand is all the push Denki needs to muster up a gentle smile for Momo and say, "Whoa whoa whoa! I think there's been a misunderstanding here, Yaomomo," He starts quickly, "See, my space is more uh.. Twoish-threeish-fourish, depending on the planet's alignment or something- Whatever, see, Hitoshi is the infant regressor, not me."

Momo looks puzzled, looking from Denki and up to Hitoshi. Then clapping her hands over her mouth in shock! "Oh! Oh my goodness, I got all ahead of myself and didn't even think to ask, I am so sorry, Shinsou-"

"It's fine," Hitoshi quickly states, "It's... An easy mistake to make." Drawing his hand from Denki's to rub the back of his neck, wearing a flimsy sort of half grin. "A mistake plenty of people make..."

♡ After clearing that little mistake up, things go according to the agreed-upon plan! ... For the most part. When talking about their regressions, Shinsou takes a back seat on the talking part and lets Kaminari take over and occupies himself with Miss Spooky. Yaoyorozu takes this as him being shy, what with her brazenly assuming he was the older regressor between the two, but Kaminari knows better. He decides very quickly that he will help Miss Momo make it up to Hitoshi, no matter what!

♡ Despite the mix-up, Momo proves to be a very competent caregiver! The selection of toddler toys is vast enough that it would have satisfied Denki's ever-changing desires... If he weren't on a mission to be the absolute BEST big brother/little helper combo in the whole dang world!

When Hitoshi struggles to slide into his headspace, Denki takes up one of the soft furred puppy rattles Momo had made and shimmies it right across the table to him. "Beep beep beep, this puppy's got a super strong sad-dar and a mission to eliminate all frowny faces in the world - Better watch out, 'Toshi! Beep beep beeeeeeep-" A few puppy kisses later and Hitoshi is significantly less pouty, and significantly more sitting on top of Denki and beep-beep-beeping him with an innocent rattle puppy.

♡ For the first part of the day, things go the way they usually do with Kaminari and Shinsou. They play around for a few hours until the latter resorts to munching on Kaminari's Pompompurin hoodie. Usually, they'd have to raid the kitchen at this point, but Yaoyorozu is on the case!

♡ Momo sets the duo up in the den closest to the kitchen so she can keep an eye on them while she makes snacks, but a hand tugging at her shirt catches her attention. Denki is there, dragging a Long Furby that Mina had personally crafted for him, and seems insistent on telling her a secret. She gladly leans in to listen.

♡ "Hey, hey, I'm gonna tell yous a secret, 'kay? You can't tell on me for it, promise?" Denki whispers to her, quiet enough to not alert Hitoshi during his coloring session, and holds out his outstretched pinky finger. He sounds so sincere that she knows it couldn't be a bad secret. So, of course, she locks her pinkie with his.

"Oh, certainly. Cross my heart and everything," And oh if smiles could shine, he'd match the sun.

"See, Hitoshi is a baby," He starts slowly, making sure that Momo is following along, "Babies need naps- But, not me, because I'm not a baby."

"Of course."

"So, I try to get him all sleepy, but it never works, okay?" A spark of frustration literally skitters through his hair. Momo thinks she understands what's going on now.

"You would like for me to try, is that it?" She asks, earning a nod.

♡ Well, how can she refuse? With Shinsou occupied in the other room, the two co-conspirators get to work!

♡ Denki graciously tells Momo how to make Hitoshi's bottle just right and Momo tells him to find a story on her tablet. He chooses Mog the Forgetful Cat, knowing it's his and Hitoshi's favorite, and asks if he can go get something from his weekend bag.

He does not wait for an answer.

♡ Momo makes jam and toast while Denki is off looking for who knows what, when she is interrupted once more. This time with a much more timid tug at her sleeve.

♡ When she turns, Hitoshi is standing uncertainly near her, hugging Miss Spooky tightly and nursing the pacifier he'd brought from home. Coloring had gotten boring without Denki, but the blonde had ran up the stairs on all fours just five minutes earlier so there was no one to play with.

He'd gotten lonely.

♡ This is very surprising for Momo! All day the poor dear had been so unsure of how to interact with her, so he tried not to interact with her much at all. So she considered this a big step forward for the rest of the weekend, smiling gently at the little one.

"Hello there. Did you get curious?"

Of course he did, bobbing his head without a second thought. "I see, I see! Well, thank you for joining me then. Would you like to help pick out a sippy cup for Denki's juice?"

That gets a more lively response, upgraded from head bobbing to eager nodding.

♡ With the orange sippy cup chosen, a snack made, a story chosen, and the lights comfortably dimmed, all that was missing was a certain little tyke! Momo is pleasantly surprised that Denki comes scrambling back to the den with his prize; a fuzzy, dark blue blanket that was decorated with golden stars. The two boys often shared it when watching movies together, so he considered it a perfect candidate to be a designated napping blanket.

He sets up next to Momo, and that prompts Hitoshi to crawl up against her other side. The blanket is thrown over all of their laps as they begin their snack time-story time combo.

♡ By the time the story is finished, Momo finds herself being used as a living pillow for the sleepiest little boys in the entire prefecture.

♡ She couldn't be happier with the results and looks forward to the rest of the weekend.

#long post #sfw agere #bnha agere #Agere Momo #Agere Shinsou #Agere Kaminari #Honey HCs

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darkershining · 2 months

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DarkerShining's thoughts on Pretty Cure: Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure

Hey everyone! It's time for me to share my thoughts on Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure.

The story begins on the birthday of Skyland's princess, Ellee. However, the infant princess is kidnapped by a purple pig man named Kabaton, working with the Undergu Empire. Sora, a Skylandian girl who had just arrived in the town with the intent of joining the Azure Guard, sees what is happening and rushes in to try to save Ellee. During their chase, Sora and Ellee wind up falling through a portal to Sorashido City, where they meet a girl named Mashiro. Kabaton chases after them, and as Sora explains her wish to be a hero, Ellee grants Sora the power to become Cure Sky, allowing her to fight off Kabaton.

Mashiro takes Sora and Ellee back to her place, where they soon learn that Mashiro's grandmother Yoyo used to live in Skyland, and she allows Sora and Ellee to stay with them until a way to open a portal back to Skyland is prepared. Along the way, Mashiro becomes a Pretty Cure herself, fighting alongside Cure Sky as Cure Prism. They are later joined by Tsubasa, a bird-like fairy who can take on human form, who becomes Cure Wing, and Ageha, a childhood friend of Mashiro who is working towards becoming a nursery school teacher, who becomes Cure Butterfly.

Together, they protect Ellee, discover what it truly means to be a hero and try to uncover what caused the conflict between Skyland and the Undergu Empire.

And with the basic summary out of the way, there'll be spoilers for the entire series under the "Read More".

(Previous parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)

Sora Harewataru/Cure Sky

Our lead Cure for the season. Since this season tries to mix up the usual formula a bit, we have a blue Cure instead of a pink one as the leader. In addition to this, Sora is a native of Skyland rather than Earth like most previous lead Cures. She is quickly established to be an athletic girl with ambitions of becoming a hero, rushing in to save Ellee from Kabaton. We later learn that Sora's desire to be a hero stems from an incident in her childhood, where she was rescued by Captain Shalala of the Azure Guard, inspiring her to become a hero herself someday. Sora was initially on her way to the town to apply to join the Azure Guard, but while trying to save Ellee, ended up getting sent to Sorashido City.

Sora writes down the things she learns about being a hero in a notebook, her initial notebook getting torn up by Kabaton shortly before first becoming Cure Sky, before Mashiro gets her a new one while showing Sora around the city. Since Sora didn't have a lot of friends when she was younger because she spent so much time developing her athletic skills to become a hero, Sora ends up becoming quite attached to Mashiro. Sora also has difficulty at times opening up about her feelings, keeping things to and trying to figure it out herself in attempts to not worry her teammates. When Mashiro becomes Cure Prism, Sora is initially reluctant to let her join the fight out of fear she'll get hurt, but Mashiro/Cure Prism eventually manages to get through to her that they can work off of each other and support each other in battle.

Sora also has a tendency to occasionally rush in without thinking, which a few of the villains take advantage of to lure her into traps. She's also not that good at keeping Skyland a secret from her classmates or others who don't already know about it, often requiring Mashiro's help to maintain her cover story. Over the course of the series, Sora often struggles to find the answers to what it truly means to be a hero. Over the course of the show, she gradually discovers the strength within herself, and how much she can accomplish with the support of her friends and allies.

I like Sora. She's a fun protagonist, and it's nice to see them experiment by having the lead Cure not be from Earth for once, as well as having her be one of the rare non-pink lead Cures. I really like her designs both in civilian form and her Cure form. I particularly like her Cure form's color scheme and the blue cape thing on her left shoulder and how it resembles Captain Shalala's cape. She's pretty cool, and I think her character arc is pretty good.

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Mashiro Nijigaoka/Cure Prism

Next, let's talk about Mashiro, the first person that Sora meets upon arriving in Sorashido City. Mashiro is out on an errand for her grandmother, Yoyo, when Sora and Ellee fall out of the sky. Both Mashiro and Sora initially wonder if their encounter is a dream, until Kabaton arrives. After Sora becomes Cure Sky and fights off the Ranborg that Kabaton summoned, Mashiro decides to bring Sora and Ellee back to her place since they don't really know where else to go. Yoyo has no issue with them staying over, having secretly found out about their arrival through her Mirror Pad.

Over the next few days, Mashiro learns that Yoyo originally came from Skyland, making Mashiro 1/4-Skylandian. Mashiro and Sora bond as Mashiro helps Sora out, showing her around the city and helping her pick out some new clothes to help her fit in around Sorashido. Mashiro grows to admire Sora for her courage, while Sora appreciates Mashiro's kindness. When Kabaton manages to lure Sora into a trap and prevent her from transforming, he also picks on Mashiro's insecurities, but thanks to her friend Ageha's encouragement, Mashiro is able to find her own resolve and with Ellee granting her the power, Mashiro becomes Cure Prism and is able to save Sora.

However, Sora is initially reluctant to let Mashiro join her, having nightmares about Mashiro/Cure Prism potentially getting hurt in battle. However, after Cure Prism confronts her about it and gets her to open up about how she hasn't really had any close friends until meeting Mashiro, she manages to reason with Cure Sky, pointing out they both want to protect each other and so they'll be stronger by fighting together. This also grants them the ability to use the Updraft Shining finishing move together.

As the series continues, Mashiro tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life and who she wants to be. As her friends encourage her to try new things, she discovers new sides to herself and she is eventually inspired to start writing picture books to help teach Ellee concepts such as sharing and the joy of making new friends. As she gradually becomes more confident, she also comes to realize that her kindness remains her greatest strength.

I really like Mashiro. She's such a sweet girl, and I like how they sort of made her the audience surrogate, but still manage to give her a fairly solid character arc, realizing that everyone has different strengths and coming to understand what her strengths are. Her design is really nice, and I particularly like how certain elements of Cure Prism's outfit are sort of a match with Cure Sky's outfit, having touches of pink and blue in it much like Cure Sky's has touches of white and pink. Also, it's been a while since we had a Cure with white as her theme color, so that's nice too. And as someone who likes to write myself, I also naturally got invested with Mashiro's arc involving her discovering her interest in making picture books.

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Tsubasa Yuunagi/Cure Wing

The third Cure to join the party is Tsubasa, who while not the first male Cure seen in the franchise, is the first male Cure to be part of the main team. He's actually a member of the Puni Bird tribe, a type of bird-like fairy from Skyland that long ago traded their ability to fly for the ability to shapeshift into human form. However, one day, Tsubasa's father managed to temporarily regain the ability to fly in order to save his son from falling out of the sky. Ever since that day, Tsubasa gained an interest in figuring out a way to fly himself, but the other Puni birds had no faith in him and his father couldn't figure out how he managed to fly that one time.

Eventually, during one of his failed attempts to achieve flight during a storm, Tsubasa wound up falling into an opening leading to Sorashido Town, where Yoyo found him and brought him home. Thanks to the Mirror Pad, Tsubasa was able to stay in touch with his family back home, but he chose to remain in Sorashido for the time being in order to study aerodynamics and air planes in hopes of getting closer to achieving his dream of flying. He and Yoyo also developed a close friendship during this time.

When Sora and Ellee move in, Tsubasa befriends the young princess in secret, until Sora accidentally spots him and mistakes him for an intruder. Even after Yoyo explains the situation, it takes a bit longer for Sora to warm up to having him around Ellee until the two spend a day babysitting her together, during which he opens up to her about his reasons for staying in Sorashido, leading Sora to realize they some things in common when it comes to pursuing their dreams.

When a Ranborg starts attacking the city, Sora and Mashiro leave Ellee in Tsubasa's care while they go to deal with the situation. However, Ellee decides to follow the Cures, so Tsubasa has to chase after her. By the time Tsubasa catches up to her, Kabaton has noticed Ellee's presence and is trying to capture her. Ellee refuses to leave Tsubasa behind and save herself, leading to both of them getting captured by the Ranborg. Kabaton tries to throw him off the Ranborg, but using Ellee's flying cradle to stop his fall, he manages to get back inside and has to figure out what to do next.

Waiting for the right moment, Tsubasa manages to take Ellee back from Kabaton while he's distracted asking the Empress about his reward for bringing Ellee to the Undergu Empire. Once they make it outside, Tsubasa once again tries urging Ellee to go on without him, but she refuses. Ellee's flying cradle can't fly well with both of their weights, so Tsubasa tries letting go so Ellee can get away, but she catches him with her powers. As Kabaton attempts to capture her once more, Tsubasa's wish to protect Ellee causes a new Mirage Pen to begin forming, with Kabaton rushing to catch Ellee before Tsubasa can gain the ability to transform into a Pretty Cure.

Luckily, Cure Sky and Cure Prism, having been having trouble reaching the Ranborg due to it being so high up, manage to interfere, allowing Ellee to grant Tsubasa the power to become Cure Wing. Gaining the power of flight in his new form, Cure Wing finally achieves his dream of flying, and is able to take down the Ranborg.

After becoming a Cure, Tsubasa dedicates himself to protecting Ellee and starts looking for a new goal to pursue, eventually discovering ways he can use his knowledge to aid Skyland with the help of Yoyo and the other Cures.

I really like Tsubasa. For starters, it's cool to have a male Cure who is part of the main team. I like his dorky personality, being really intelligent and kind, trying his best to look good as Ellee's knight and yet often getting easily flustered when praised for his skills. I like his various designs too, as a cute chubby little bird, as a human and as Cure Wing, him also being one of the rare orange Cures in the franchise.

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Ageha Hijiri/Cure Butterfly

Next is Ageha, an old childhood friend of Mashiro. We first meet her when she stops by for a visit while in Sorashido City to apply to be a student teacher at a kindergarden. Over the course of the series, we get the details on Ageha's backstory, and how her parents divorced, with Ageha being split up from her sisters when her mother took custody of her while her father took custody of the sisters. When Ageha's mother then got a new job and had to move away, Ageha didn't want to be separated from Mashiro as well, and tried to run away, but Mashiro managed to make her feel better simply through being her kind self.

After meeting Sora and Ellee, Ageha soon learns about the Pretty Cure when Kabaton attacks and captures Sora, preventing her from transforming. When Kabaton makes Mashiro doubt herself, Ageha manages to snap Mashiro out of it by reminding her of how she tried to put on a brave face for Ageha when she was about to move away despite not wanting her to leave either. By helping Mashiro realize the strength of her kindness, Ageha helped Mashiro become Cure Prism so that she could help Sora.

Ageha continues making visits to the Cures, helping cheer up Sora while Mashiro is at school and giving her advice on what to say to her when she returns, leading to Sora deciding to attend school with Mashiro, and later befriending Tsubasa after he joins the team. Ageha is generally a cheerful and energetic young woman, but sometimes she also puts on a smile to hide her worries, which the other Cures start catching on to.

When Battamonda attacks the kindergarden Ageha is working at, Ageha ends up becoming Cure Butterfly when the other three Cures are trapped and unable to fight, and Cure Butterfly uses her newfound power to protect the others with her butterfly-shaped barriers. During this battle, one of the children at the kindergarden, a young boy named Takeru, ends up witnessing Ageha becoming a Cure, the two becoming closer as he agrees to keep her secret.

After becoming a Cure, Ageha ends up moving in with Mashiro and the others to make it easier for everyone involved. She continues to act as an older sister figure towards the other Cures and working towards her goal of becoming the best nursery school teacher, often putting her knowledge to good use when it comes to understanding what Ellee might be thinking.

I really like Ageha. While not the oldest Cure seen in the series, she is at the age of 18 the oldest to be part of the main team of Cures, being one year older than Yuri Tsukikage from HeartCatch Pretty Cure. (while Cure Earth from Healin' Good may be physically 20, she was basically born partway into that series.) I like her energetic personality, that she's good with kids and how well she plays into her older sister-like role among the Cures, usually having the intuition to know what she needs to do to get them to find ways to solve their problems. Her design is great, and it's cool to have a pink Cure who isn't the leader of the team for once. I also like how well her backstory explains why she is the way she is, having been inspired to become a nursery school teacher thanks to the kind teacher who looked out for her during her time in kindergarden after she had to move away from her sisters and Mashiro.

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Ellee/Cure Majesty

And for the final member of the team, we have the adorable mascot herself, Princess Ellee. After being kidnapped by Kabaton and rescued by Sora, she is able to grant the Cures their powers, in the same way it was believed that one of the past princesses of Skyland did for the Legendary Cure. Since they can't return to Skyland right away due to Yoyo lacking the necessary ingredients to open a portal, Sora, Mashiro, Yoyo, and later Tsubasa and Ageha end up looking after Ellee. The Cures are at least able to make contact with Ellee's parents via the Mirror Pad to let them know Ellee is safe.

While Ellee is scared of the Undergu Empire's generals, she also proves to be protective of her friends, refusing to let Tsubasa sacrifice himself for her sake and using her powers to save him during Kabaton's attempt to capture her with the drone Ranborg. While Ellee is generally a friendly toddler, she can have occasional moments of selfishness and is shown to be somewhat picky when it comes to picking out new clothes for her.

After the Cures save the King and Queen after they were rendered comatose from one of Battamonda's attacks, the Cures learn from them that Ellee isn't actually their biological daughter. She was born from the Morning Star shining over Skyland, which delivered her to them while telling them of a prophecy that Ellee's power would be needed to protect Skyland from a certain threat in the future. After revealing this, the King and Queen request that the Cures continue to look after Ellee until she has fullfilled the prophecy and saved Skyland.

When Skearhead eventually makes his first move, he nearly succeeds in bringing Ellee to the Empress, dropping her off in the Undergu Realm while going to finish off the rest of the Cures to prevent them from chasing after her. However, as she watches the battle take place, her desire to save her foster family allows Ellee to escape on her own, granting herself the ability to take on an older form and become a Pretty Cure herself, Cure Majesty.

After her initial transformation, it takes Ellee a bit longer to figure out how to make it happen again. But once Ellee recalls her desire to protect her loved ones, she manages to gain her own Mirage Pen, allowing her to transform into Cure Majesty once more and join the team. Shortly after gaining the power to become Cure Majesty, the Cures are summoned to Skyland to investigate a mysterious ruin that appeared. Ellee is able to guide the others to where the Majestic Chroniclon is. However, while fighting a mind-controlled Minoton, the Cures can't activate the Majestic Chroniclon due to Cure Prism still having some reservations about letting Ellee fight alongside them. After she and Cure Majesty talk it out, they manage to unlock the Majestic Chroniclon's power and purify Minoton.

Towards the end of the series, Ellee gains the ability to take on her teenaged form even when not transformed into Cure Majesty, after Elleelain decides to pass on the remainder of her power to her as a Christmas present of sorts. This also allows her to use Cure Noble's finishing move "Magic Hour's End" as Cure Majesty along with a general power boost.

Ellee is adorable! I'd say she's probably one of the cutest baby characters we've had in the franchise so far. It took me a while to piece together that she'd be the fifth Cure, but once I put together the pieces, namely that the name of the fifth Cure was Cure Majesty, along with the theme colors of each Cure this season being based on the sky at different times of day, meaning the fifth Cure would most likely be a purple one, I realized it had to be Ellee. I like the design of her older form as well, and she looks good as Cure Majesty. I particularly like the little touch of her skirt having images of the Morning Star on it.

Ellee is also one of the youngest Cures in the franchise, being a toddler who can transform into a Pretty Cure. She's not the youngest Cure in the franchise, however, since there are a few other Cures who like her were born under mystical circumstances, and while they are physically older than Ellee, they're still technically younger than her, such as Aguri Madoka from Doki Doki Pretty Cure (physically nine, was born shortly before the events of that series) and Asumi Fuurin from Healin' Good Pretty Cure (as mentioned earlier, physically twenty, but was actually born during the events of Healin' Good).

I like how while she is mostly a sweetheart, she does have those moments of selfishness and stubborness, reminding us that while she may be quite intelligent for her age in some aspects, she's still a toddler who may act up at times due to not knowing any better.

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Princess Elleelain/Cure Noble

There's one more Cure to discuss before I move on to the next category, since I feel it makes the most sense to include her here. Namely, the Legendary Pretty Cure, Cure Noble. When the Cures initially learn of her, they are lead to believe that one of the past princesses of Skyland granted someone the power to become a Pretty Cure, much like Ellee did for them. However, when the power of the Majestic Chroniclon gives Sora, Mashiro and Ellee a look into the battle between Skyland and the Undergu Empire 300 years ago, they discover that the princess and the Legendary Cure were in fact the same person.

While in the past, Ellee ends up coming across Elleelain while briefly wandering away from Sora and Mashiro, before the two catch up to her. After meeting Elleelain and realizing what has happened, the two decide to explain the situation to her and what will happen in the future. While Elleelain finds certain aspects of their story to be difficult to believe, she chooses to trust them and lets them stay the night at her castle.

When the Undergu Empire lead by the Undergu Emperor attacks the town, Sora, Mashiro and Ellee help out evacuating the people of the town despite not being able to transform into their Pretty Cure forms while in the past. As Elleelain prays for a hero to arrive, she becomes Cure Noble. With her new powers, she is able to fight off the Ranborgs invading the town, with Sora, Mashiro and Ellee continuing to assist her.

Eventually, she meets Empress Undergu and saves her from a pair of shady birds harrassing her. After the Empress reveals her identity to her, Elleelain decides to hear her out, learning how the Empress has grown to dislike fighting. Agreeing with her that strength isn't everything, the two decide to figure out a way to resolve the conflict peacefully, with Elleelain relaying this information to Sora, Mashiro and Ellee. She makes plans to meet with the Undergu Emperor and try to talk things out.

However, during the meeting, the Emperor reveals he had no intention of backing down peacefully, as Skearhead releases a bunch of Ranborgs into town. Enraged, Elleelain transforms into Cure Noble and a fight breaks out between her and the Emperor. The fight continues, until the Empress, having been trapped in a forcefield to keep her from getting caught up in the fight, breaks free and blocks Cure Noble's attack on her father.

Cure Noble is horrified when she sees what she has done, but she manages to help the Emperor find a way to save his daughter. With this, Skyland and the Undergu Empire declare peace. However, the friendship between Elleelain and the Empress doesn't last long, as sometime after Elleelain's birthday, the Undergu Empire suddenly cut off all contact with Skyland, with Elleelain not knowing what happened.

Many years later, towards the end of her life, Elleelain decided to leave behind her power with the Majestic Chroniclon to aid the Cures in the future, likely remembering the warning from Sora, Mashiro and Ellee, and knowing they would need its power. After her death, Elleelain's spirit became the Morning Star, watching over Skyland. Eventually, she would send Ellee to the King and Queen of Skyland, sensing that her power to protect Skyland would be needed soon.

Finally, Elleelain's spirit decides to pay Ellee a visit during Christmas to grant her the remainder of her power, before finally deciding to move on and entrusting Ellee and the other Cures with finding a way to resolve the conflict. After saying her good byes, the Morning Star disappears as Elleelain's spirit moves on.

While we only really got to know her for a few episodes, I really like Elleelain. I like how while she looks similar to Ellee, who is essentially her daughter, there are some differences in their designs. I think Cure Noble's design is really cool as well, and again, I like how it's different from Cure Majesty's design.

I think the reveal of Elleelain herself being both the Legendary Pretty Cure herself and the Morning Star was well-executed. And while she does only appear in a few episodes, she's one of the most important characters in the story, considering the stable time loop caused by Sora, Mashiro and Ellee going back in time allows Elleelain to ensure that the Pretty Cures will be around to protect Skyland in the future.

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The Villains

Since Ellee is the mascot of the season, and I've already talked about her, I guess we can just move straight on to talking about the villains. This time around, our villains are from a place known as the Undergu Empire, a realm in which strength is everything.

The first villain we're introduced to is Kabaton, a vulgar and greedy purple pig-like man. He tends to employ dirty tricks when it comes to his plans and his fights, whether it's using his farts to momentarily stun/distract enemies or trying to disguise himself to get closer to his targets. He kidnaps Ellee on orders of Empress Undergu, but thanks to Sora's intervention, he's unable to bring her back to the Undergu Empire.

He continues trying to kidnap Ellee, often disguising himself (poorly) to try to get close to the Cures. Despite repeatedly being defeated by them, he still refuses to acknowledge the Cures' strength. Shortly after Cure Wing joins the team, the Empress loses her patience with Kabaton, giving him one last chance to capture Ellee. He challenges Cure Sky to a one-on-one battle, promising to give up on kidnapping Ellee if she wins. Of course, Cure Sky does win, but Kabaton goes back on his word and makes one last attempt to capture Ellee. Failing once more, the Empress prepares to have him eliminated via lightning strike, but Cure Sky intervenes, saving his life. Kabaton finally acknowledges the Cures' strength after this, and resolves to make a new life for himself in Sorashido City.

We eventually find out he moved into an apartment, and took on a few different jobs, including running a sweet potato stand and working the night shift somewhere.

Kabaton is an okay starter villain. Nothing too special, but he does come up with a couple of clever plans that mainly fail due to Cure Prism and Cure Wing gaining their powers. He also does get a few funny moments, particularly when the Cures after a few episodes of dealing with him start treating him as more of a minor annoyance than anything else.

The next villain we are introduced to is Battamonda, a more humanoid member of the Undergu Empire with a bit of a grasshopper motif. He tries to come across as calm and collected, but when things don't go according to plan, he'll quickly lose his composure. He is also quick to establish himself as more dangerous than Kabaton, creating a giant Ranborg-bomb that threatens to spread Undergu energy all over the city in Skyland, putting the King and the Queen of Skyland into a coma, and the bomb-Ranborg nearly killing Captain Shalala of the Azure Guard, who Battamonda then goes on to trap inside of another Ranborg.

Over the course of his confrontations with the Cures, his goal seems to go from kidnapping Ellee to getting back at the Cures for outsmarting him and such. When he reveals to Cure Sky what he has done to Shalala, he manages to break her spirit to the point where Sora loses the ability to transform. However, once Sora regains the will to fight, the Cures are able to put a stop to his plan and rescue Shalala.

Battamonda disappears from the plot for a few episodes after this, but we soon learn that he went into hiding in Sorashido City to avoid the wrath of the Empress, taking on a human form. We find out he's living in an apartment, in the same building as Kabaton in fact, and he's trying his best to make ends meet. While he tries putting on a pleasant persona in public, we see his inner thoughts that he secretly looks upon everyone with disdain and he still wants revenge on the Cures.

When he happens to encounter them again, he tries approaching Mashiro in his human form, pretending to be an art student named Monda. He plots to ruin her confidence in her ambition to be a picture book writer, but ends up unwittingly giving her actual useful advice, helping her realize that not everyone is going to like her stories, and that that's okay. As he interacts more with Mashiro, we gradually learn how Battamonda's life was back in the Undergu Empire, and how he was looked down on since he's not as strong as Minoton or Skearhead, which clearly took a toll on his self-esteem and made him grow bitter. Mashiro's empathy and kindness gradually starts getting to him, even if he won't admit it.

Eventually, due to Skearhead tracking him down and putting pressure on him, he reveals the truth to Mashiro and steals her Mirage Pen after tearing up a picture book she wanted his opinion on. While Mashiro is initially hurt by the revelation, she can tell that not everything Battamonda told her as Monda was a lie. When the Cures later confront Battamonda again, he informs them he doesn't have Mashiro's Mirage Pen on him due to Skearhead taking it from him. Battamonda is reluctant to use the Undergu energy that Skearhead offered him, knowing it'll turn him into a mindless beast. However, when Skearhead shows up again, he pressures Battamonda into accepting it, turning into a monster.

Mashiro refuses to back down, having had a conversation with the other Cures earlier that has strengthened her resolve and made her realize that only she can decide her own self-worth. Mashiro's words seem to get through to Battamonda, who tired of being bossed around by Skearhead, manages to regain his sanity long enough to turn on him and get Mashiro's Mirage Pen back before the Undergu energy overwhelms him once more.

During the fight, Cure Prism is able to unlock a new power, Prism Shine, which allows her to get through to Battamonda so the Cures can purify him. After the Cures rescue him, Battamonda decides to start making an effort to become a better person and apologizes to Mashiro for tearing apart the picture book she showed him earlier.

I really like what they did with Battamonda. He starts out establishing himself as a much bigger threat then Kabaton was, threatening all of Skyland, putting the king and queen into a coma and nearly killing Shalala and turning her into a Ranborg. However, once Shalala has been rescued, Battamonda goes into hiding and the next time we see him, we see how far he's fallen after losing his place in the Undergu Empire, with his next few schemes simply consisting of trying to make Mashiro lose confidence in her picture book writing and trying to ruin the Cures' reputation by dressing up as one for Halloween and going around stealing everyone's Halloween candy. And not only do his schemes fail, but in the former case, he ends up achieving the opposite of what he intended to do since he ended up actually giving Mashiro some decent advice.

I also like how they handle his redemption arc after he reaches his low point, where we can see that Mashiro's kindness is starting to get to him, but he continues to deny it, needing a lot more convincing to finally put the past behind him and work towards improving himself. And I do like his designs.

The next villain we meet is Minoton, a strong bull-like man who spends a lot of time training. It is quickly established that he's quite different from the previous villains once he gets into his first fight with the Cures, as Minoton actually has a code of honor, actually protecting Ellee from his own Ranborg, since he wants a fair fight against the Cures before he takes the princess. He's also the only one of the villains who is willing to give innocent civilians nearby time to get to safety. He does also seem to have a tendency to jump to conclusions, such as assuming the Cures went to an airport to try to escape him, when they were in fact there to wait for Mashiro's parents to arrive.

However, the Empress' patience is starting to run out, so after a few episodes, she has Minoton forcefully sent back to the Undergu Empire and sends Skearhead out to deal with the Cures. The next time we see Minoton, we discover that Skearhead had him turned into a Ranborg. Under Skearhead's control, he's no longer abiding by his code of honor. The Cures manage to purify him, only for Skearhead to drag him off and turn him back into a Ranborg later.

The second time the Cures fight Ranborg!Minoton, he keeps infusing himself with more Undergu energy, in a process that seems quite unpleasant for him. Thankfully, the Cures are able to save him for real this time using the power granted to them by the Majestic Chroniclon, and the Cures part way with Minoton on good terms, with him acknowleding their strength.

As you might know, I tend to like the villains in Pretty Cure who have their own code of honor, and Minoton is no exception. After the two villains before him, its sort of refreshing to have a villain who isn't just a jerk. Plus, with the Undergu Empire's focus on strength, I feel it makes perfect sense for there to be at least one member who is like him. I like Minoton's design too.

Now, let's talk about the Empress herself. She's the one in charge of the Undergu Empire, and towards the end of the show, we discover that she used to be quite a sweet person in the past. During the conflict between the Undergu Empire 300 years ago, she grew disillusioned from watching the battles take place, noting how the fighting only seemed to make people miserable and starting to feel like the belief of strength being everything was wrong.

After meeting Elleelain, who shares her views, the two plan to find a way to put a stop to the fighting. However, when the Emperor (likely having been talked into it by Skearhead) launches an attack on the town, a battle breaks out between him and Cure Noble, while the Empress can only watch after her father traps her in a forcefield to keep her safe. Despite not being as strong as her father, the Empress, not wanting either him or Elleelain to get hurt, manages to free herself from the forcefield and interfere in the battle, taking a hit from Cure Noble meant for her father.

Wounded, the Empress notes with relief that if she was able to pull this off despite her lack of strength, then maybe she was right about strength not being everything after all. Wanting to save her, Cure Noble manages to help the Emperor work out a way to use the Undergu energy to close his daughter's wound. Thanks to the Empress' actions, Skyland and the Undergu Empire decided to declare peace.

Unfortunately, it would not last. Sometime after Elleelain's birthday, while the Empress and the Emperor were discussing what the Undergu Empire should believe in now that they've put the idea of strength being everything behind them, Skearhead, still believing in it, snuck up behind them and fatally stabbed the Emperor with an energy lance in front the Empress. Skearhead then used a device to manipulate the traumatized Empress' memories, leading her to believe that it was Cure Noble who killed her father and thus starting up the conflict between Skyland the Undergu Empire once more.

The Empress spends most of the series in the Undergu realm, leaving most of the heavy work to her minions, which may be partially due to her old wound being at risk of opening if she were to battle herself. She is also willing to punish the others for their repeated failures, with the exception of Skearhead, her tutor. However, after the other three villains quit, she doesn't try to do anything else to them.

Eventually, the Empress does decide to confront the Cures herself, threatening to send an army of Ranborgs into Ellee's hometown. Sora, Mashiro and Ellee learn about the Empress' past from the Majestic Chroniclon up until the point where Skyland and the Undergu Empire declared peace, leaving them wondering what happened after that. The Empress isn't in the mood to tell them, however. After a fight breaks out, the Empress' old wound opens up, so Skearhead takes her back to the Undergu Empire to recover.

After Skearhead is seemingly killed in his next battle with the Cures, the furious Empress breaks out of the device Skearhead put her in to speed up her recovery and goes to confront them once more. She tells them why she's doing this, with the Cures realizing something must be wrong since her version of what happened doesn't match up with what they heard from Princess Elleelain's spirit. The Empress takes the Undergu energy into her body, giving the Cures' their most difficult challenge yet as they have to find a way to bring her back to her senses and protect the city, splitting into two groups to accomplish this.

They finally do manage to get through to her, but before they can talk, Skearhead suddenly stabs the Empress with his energy spear. As another fight breaks out between the Cures and Skearhead, the Empress manages to recall her repressed memory of what really happened to her father. Skearhead admits the truth, revealing that he never truly cared about her, and was only invested in her potential as a vessel for the Undergu energy. The Empress is nearly broken at this revelation, being left wondering if there's even anything left for her to believe in. However, the Cures refuse to give up on her.

Skearhead drags the Empress back to the Undergu Realm in order to lure in the Cures with the intent of making Cure Sky into his new vessel. As Cure Sky and Cure Prism reach her, the Empress attempts to warn them about Skearhead's plan, but he interrupts her. She watches the battle between them unfold, until Cure Prism helps Cure Sky overcome the Undergu energy and even heal the Empress' wound from Skearhead's attack in the process. As the other Cures catch up to them, Skearhead makes one last attempt to possess the Empress, but now knowing his true colors, she rejects him immediately.

I really like the Empress. She has a cool design, and her past self is adorable. The glimpses we get of her throughout the series certainly make her seem intimidating, but once we learn her story, we realize she's not the true villain. Poor girl was manipulated by Skearhead into believing someone she had befriended ended up betraying her and killing her father, basically brainwashing her into becoming a ruthless ruler all for the sake of making her into the perfect vessel.

So it's really satisfying when she rejects Skearhead's final attempt to use her as a vessel, and seeing her find something new to believe in by accepting the Cures' offer of friendship, along with the other three former villains deciding to stay by her side to reform the Undergu Empire.

And then there's Skearhead, who initially appears to be the second-in-command to the Empress. He's much more stoic compared to the previous three villains, and is quickly established to be the strongest of them all. He claims to do what he does because he cares about the Empress, and refuses to elaborate when the Cures try to get more answers about the conflict between the Undergu Empire and Skyland out of him.

The truth, however, is that Skearhead is the embodiment of the Undergu energy itself. He originally manipulated the Emperor into attacking Skyland, and also acted as a tutor to the Empress. His true motive was to find a suitable vessel for his energy, having initially planned to use the Emperor, before deciding the Empress' heroic act during the duel between the Emperor and Cure Noble would make her the best vessel. To ensure that she'd become his ideal vessel, he killed the Emperor and rewrote the Empress' memories to make her believe Cure Noble did it. He even goes as far as fake his own death in battle against the Cures towards the end of the series.

When the Cures manage to bring the Empress back to her senses, he reveals himself to still be alive by literally stabbing the Empress in the back. Declaring her a failure, he soon sets his sight on Cure Sky as his next potential vessel. Dragging the Empress back to the Undergu Empire, he explains his plan to her as he waits for the Cures to come after him to rescue the Empress.

With Cure Wing and Cure Butterfly, and later Cure Majesty splitting off from the rest of the group to deal with threats along the way, Cure Sky and Cure Prism reach the deeper parts of the Undergu Empire where Skearhead awaits them. Having fought him enough times to know his usual strategies, the two initially seem to handle the situation well, but they soon begin to grow weaker as a result of the strong concentrations of Undergu energy in the depths.

Taking this oppurtunity, Skearhead threatens to throw Cure Prism into the abyss, telling Cure Sky she might be able to save her if she accepts the Undergu energy. He temporarily succeeds in turning Cure Sky into a darker version of herself, taking control of her body. However, his plan falls apart when he tries to have her attack Cure Prism, as the bond between them is strong enough to let Cure Sky regain control of herself, allowing Cure Prism to return her to normal and force Skearhead out of her body.

As the rest of the Cures arrive, and begin to overpower him as he takes on his dark serpent-like form, he makes one last attempt to possess the Empress, only for her to reject him. In desperation, he flees to Sorashido, with the Cures soon following. The Cures tell Skearhead he won't find another vessel, and together they finally defeat him, after which he disappears to an unknown fate.

Yeah, Skearhead's the true main villain of this series, and I think he does it pretty well. I've noticed some interesting paralells between him and Butler from Tropical Rouge Pretty Cure. Both of them are seemingly working for a female villain, but are secretly manipulating them and the other villains for their own agenda. However, while Butler actually did care about the Witch of Destruction despite taking advantage of her failing memory to try to get her to fullfill her original goal that she abandoned a long time ago, Skearhead on the other hand only saw the Empress as a means to an end and only pretended to care about her.

Since he barely shows any emotion throughout his appearances, the sudden shift in his demenour when he thinks he has succeeded in securing Cure Sky as his new vessel is quite unnerving. It's unclear what happens to him after the Cures purify him in the end, but I guess with the Undergu energy gone, he's no longer a threat regardless.

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Other Characters

All right! Now that we've got the main heroes and villains out of the way, let's talk about the supporting cast. I think it makes sense to start with Yoyo Nijigaoka, Mashiro's grandmother. She quickly agrees to let Sora and Ellee stay with her and Mashiro when they are brought to her house, and it quickly becomes apparent that Yoyo knows more about the situation than she's letting on. She soon reveals that she originally came from Skyland, but ended up settling down in Sorashido fifty years ago after coming there to study Earth as a scholar. She uses the Mirror Pad to check in on what's going on in Skyland from time to time, and she offers to help make a portal so Sora and Ellee may return home.

She is also close friends with Tsubasa, taking him in after he ended up falling through a portal in Skyland during a failed attempt to fly and helping him study. Throughout the series Yoyo offers her support to the Cures, and often gives them a little nudge in the right direction when they're trying to find their way, trusting them to figure out the rest on their own.

I really like Yoyo. She reminds a bit of past Pretty Cure characters like Kaoruko from HeartCatch Pretty Cure and Otokichi from Suite Pretty Cure, who are also a grandparent to one of the Cures who is aware of their mission and helps support them in some way. Unlike Kaoruko and Otokichi, Yoyo hasn't previously fought the villains the current Cures are dealing with, but she still manages to provide good support through her knowledge and intuition. I also like how she trusts the Cures enough to know they'll be able to figure things out on their own if she just gives them a slight nudge in the right direction.

Next, let's talk about Sora's family. When Sora first brings them up, we learn that in addition to her parents, Sora also has a younger brother. We get to see glimpses of Sora's parents in the flashback of when Captain Shalala saved her, and we eventually do get to see them when Sora returns home after she loses confidence in herself after discovering what happened to Captain Shalala.

Sora's father, Shido, seems to be somewhat stoic, but clearly understands Sora quite well. Sora's mother, Remi, seems more gentle and doesn't want to pressure Sora, gently telling Tsubasa and Ageha to give her some time to herself when they come over to check on her. When Sora regains her dream after reading a letter from Mashiro, Shido and Remi see her off with a smile.

Sora's younger brother, Red (not to be confused with a certain character from Happiness Charge Pretty Cure), is an energetic young boy who clearly admires his sister and wants to be a hero like her. When she briefly gives up on her dream, he is initially upset and not knowing what had happened, accuses her of being a coward. He is happy when Sora manages to regain her powers and resolve.

Since they don't really have any major roles in other episodes, mainly showing up for smaller roles, we don't really get to know much else about them, but I do like them from what we do see. I feel we get a solid glimpse of the family dynamic.

Next up are Mashiro's parents, Akira and Mahiru Nijigaoka. Most of their appearances are made through video calls with Mashiro, as the two are working overseas. It is clear that they both really care about their daughter, and they can tell if Mashiro has something on her mind, even if Mashiro can't always share all the details about the Pretty Cure stuff and all that. One of them is also half-Skylandian, but it isn't ever revealed which of them it is. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably Akira, since he seems to have the same eye color as Yoyo.

They eventually do come home to visit Mashiro for a weekend, but we only really get to see the visit through a montage since most of the episode takes place at the airport waiting for them to arrive, with Tsubasa befriending the young daughter of one of the pilots and the Cures later getting into a battle with Minoton that threatens to delay the flights.

I like them. It's clear that they're loving parents to Mashiro, and I sort of wish we'd gotten to see more of their visit in episode 26 and how they interact with Mashiro's friends. I still liked what we got to see, but it would've been nice to have had more of the episode dedicated to it.

Next up, Tsubasa's parents, Kakeru and Puwa. Like Tsubasa, they're from the Puni bird tribe who are capable of taking on human form. They're loving parents, although Tsubasa sometimes feel they can be a little too affectionate. Kakeru is also an artist, and proves to be quite brave when he tries to rescue a free-falling Tsubasa in the past, temporarily regaining the ability to fly in the process. However, he's unable to figure out how he did it, but the event inspired Tsubasa to find his own way to fly.

I like them too. They have some funny interactions with Tsubasa, when it comes to him being embarrassed when they get overly affectionate, or them initially mistaking Mashiro for Tsubasa's girlfriend when they first meet her. Again, might've been nice to see more of them, but what we got is still nice.

We never actually meet Ageha's parents, so let's talk about her two older sisters, Maria and Kaguya Saotome. When Ageha's parents split up, the sisters were separated as their father got custody of Maria and Kaguya, while their mother got custody of Ageha. Because of this, they have different surnames, which is why the other Cures don't initially realize they're related to Ageha when first meeting them.

When they happen to meet up, we learn that the two of them are models. We also learn that Ageha also had a brief stint as a model with them, with their manager asking if Ageha would be interested in taking it up again. With Ellee taking an interest in a dress they made for a line for children's clothes, the two ask if the Cures would be willing to let Ellee model the dress for their upcoming fashion show. When Ellee gets nervous up on stage, Ageha goes to calm her down, and since she's already up there, decides to join in on the fashion show with her sisters introducing her as a special guest.

After the show (and the Cures having to fight off the Undergu empire when they inevitibly interrupted the show), Maria and Kaguya comment that seeing how well Ageha was able to help calm down Ellee earlier, that it's clear that Ageha has made the right career choice in deciding to become a nursery school teacher.

Once again, I like what we got to see of these characters, but I wish we could've gotten a little more.

All right, next up is the King and Queen of Skyland. The Morning Star sent Ellee to them, asking them to look after her until the right time. Continuing the tradition of Pretty Cure characters letting the mascots who are babies name themselves, they name the baby Ellee based on her verbal tic. After the Cures and Yoyo manage to establish contact with them through the Mirror Pad to let them know Ellee is okay, they recognize Yoyo and trust her and the Cures to make sure Ellee makes it home safely.

When the Cures finally do open the portal to Skyland, the King and Queen are happily reunited with their daughter, and are willing to offer the Cures any reward they might want in exchange for having kept Ellee safe. However, after Battamonda unleashes a Ranborg that threatens to explode and spread Undergu energy all over the town, Battamonda eventually gets into the castle and puts the King and Queen into a coma, his attempt to kidnap Ellee in the process only being thwarted due to Cure Sky's intervention.

The Cures spend the next few episodes gathering the energy from purified Ranborgs in order to make a cure that can wake up the King and the Queen. Once they finally have enough Kira-Kira energy to make the cure after saving Captain Shalala, the Cures are able to wake up the King and Queen. Shortly after, a sudden burst of energy from Ellee leads to the King and Queen deciding to tell the Cures the truth about Ellee's origins, and asking them to look after her a bit longer.

I like these two. They may not have the biggest role in the story beyond what I've already mentioned, but they do what they do well. They have a good dynamic, with the King occasionally being sort of a goofy dad, particularly whenever waiting for Ellee to show up when the Cures travel to Skyland, and the Queen being a bit calmer, albeit occasionally showing she's not so above it all either.

Now that I've talked about the Cures' families, let's move on to Captain Shalala. She's the captain of the Azure Guard, and said to be the best swordswoman in Skyland. She once rescued a young Sora in the past, leading Sora to be inspired to become a hero herself. Sora also gave Shalala a heart-shaped Sky Jewel she had found as a thank you for saving her, which Shalala had made into a necklace and kept with her since.

When the Cures finally get the portal to Skyland working and bring Ellee home, Sora also reunites with Captain Shalala, who still remembers her. Sora is given the chance to join the Azure Guard, although one of its members, a girl named Beryberie, has some doubts about letting Sora join out of the blue. After Sora proves herself in a battle against Beryberie, Shalala explains to Sora how much Beryberie had to push herself in order to finally join the guard, even while recovering from a hand injury. While Shalala suggests giving Beryberie some time to herself, Sora insists on going to find and apologize to her.

Shalala sees great potential in Sora, and has her help out the Azure Guard both in her civilian form and as Cure Sky. When Battamonda unleashes the time bomb Ranborg on Skyland, Shalala seemingly sacrifices herself to give Cure Sky and Cure Prism enough time to purify it, going missing shortly after. However, she left Sora a letter to encourage her, along with the necklace made from the jewel Sora once gave her.

Shalala's fate is left unknown, until it is discovered that Battamonda had her turned into a Ranborg. The revelation leaves Sora quite shaken, knowing there's a chance Shalala might die from her wounds re-opening if they purify the Ranborg, or that the Undergu energy she's being exposed to while trapped in there might finish her off first. It is only after Sora temporarily loses the will to fight, and later gains it that the Cures are able to defeat and purify the Ranborg Shalala got turned into, just barely managing to save her with the healing power of the Mixing Palette.

After she recovers, Shalala urges Sora to start finding her own path as a hero instead of just following in her footsteps. Shalala has a few minor appearances after that, but has a supporting role in episode 42 when she goes to Sorashido to hear about the research Tsubasa has been doing on finding ways to help protect Skyland, making the town a safe space by creating a barrier, and making new equipment for the Azure Guard that will allow them to purify Ranborgs on their own.

With Tsubasa needing some time to finish his research materials before giving them to Shalala, the Cures decide to show her around Sorashido City to pass the time. After the tour, Shalala invites Sora to train with her, claiming she wants to try out the track suit she bought while the Cures were showing her the mall. She admits she noticed something was on Sora's mind and asks her about it, with Sora explaining what happened during the most recent battle with Skearhead. Shalala hears her out, before the other Cures step in. After receiving the research material from Tsubasa, Shalala then returns to Skyland.

During the final battle, she's seen leading the Azure Guard against the Ranborgs invading the city, instructing them on when to activate the new mode of their weapons to let them purify the Ranborgs.

I really like Shalala. She has a cool design, and I really like her role in the story, being Sora's inspiration to become a hero and all that. I guess her character also sort of feels like a contrast with Fennel from the previous season, Delicious Party Pretty Cure, in that Fennel initially seemed like an ally, but was evil all along. Shalala on the other hand, is just as heroic as she appears to be, even if there were some theories she might secretly be working for both sides.

I personally didn't think so, but when she went missing after the battle with the time-bomb Ranborg, I assumed she'd likely been captured and would eventually turn up as a brainwashed minion of the Undergu Empire at some point. And I was sort of right, except she got turned into a Ranborg instead.

Speaking of the Azure Guard, there are two other members of the guard I feel are worth mentioning. First is Ariri, the second-in-command to Shalala. He seems fairly serious, and takes charge of the group when Shalala goes missing until her return. His serious demenour occasionally slips when he gets into little arguments with Beryberie.

I don't have that much to say about him, since he doesn't really get his own episode dedicated to getting to know him or anything. But he's all right, he does his job as the second-in-command well.

Anyways, let's move on to Beryberie. When she was younger, she suffered an injury that caused her to fail the test to join the Azure Guard. It took three failed attempts and a lot of training before she finally got accepted. When Sora initially joins the guard, Beryberie is skeptical at first, questioning how big of a role someone that young really played in rescuing the princess. To prove herself, Sora accepts a duel against Beryberie.

Beryberie puts up a good fight with her electric glove, but Sora ultimately wins. Sora later learns Beryberie's backstory from Shalala and goes to apologize for a comment she made after their duel, while Beryberie trying to calm herself down has an encounter with Battamonda, who turns her glove into a Ranborg.

Cure Sky comes to Beryberie's rescue, thus earning her respect. After this, Beryberie comes to see Sora as a friend and worthy rival.

I really like Beryberie. I like her friendly rivalry with Sora, and her electric glove is pretty cool. Before I concluded that Ellee would be the fifth Cure, I briefly wondered if Beryberie might be a candidate for their identity, but I soon realized it probably wouldn't be her. Still, she's a cool supporting character.

Next up is Takeru, a young boy attending the kindergarden that Ageha ends up working at. After Cure Wing rescues him from a Ranborg, Takeru comes to admire him and the other Cures. After Ageha lets it slip that she knows the Cures, she delivers the kids' fan letters to them and then the Cures' replies to the kids. However, in trying to be like Cure Wing, Takeru ends up taking the wrong approach and being too harsh on his classmates for misbehaving. Ageha tries to reason with him, but he still doesn't get it.

When a Ranborg attacks the kindergarden, Takeru gets separated from the other kids, and witnesses the Cures getting trapped. When the Ranborg threatens him, Ageha steps in to defend him. Her wish to protect the children leads her to become a Pretty Cure herself, and from witnessing this, Takeru realizes what being a hero really is about. He also promises to keep Ageha now being a Cure a secret from the others.

Takeru plays a role in another one of Ageha's focus episodes, when it is revealed that his family will be moving away soon, leading Ageha to trying to figure out how to handle the situation and make him feel a little better. After a few failed attempts to reach out to him due to Takeru trying to avoid everyone, Ageha eventually comes across him trying to finish a tunnel in the sandbox he started making with a classmate. While helping him out, Ageha opens up about her own feelings, allowing her to get through to him.

In an interesting coincidence, Ageha later discovers that Takeru's grandmother happens to be the teacher who helped her out back when she was in kindergarden, inspiring Ageha to become one herself. When Takeru is leaving with his family, Ageha, as Cure Butterfly, goes to use her Mix Palette to put on a little light show of butterflies for him to see him off.

Takeru's a sweet kid. I really like the friendship he develops with Ageha and how they help each other grow a little.

Most of the remaining characters are one-shot characters, and while there are a few more characters that come to mind, such as the two baseball club members Sora ended up helping out in one episode, I don't think I can really think of much to say about some of these characters.

There is one more character I sort of do want to talk about, though. One episode has the Cures accidentally getting pulled into the Mirror Pad when Ellee accidentally activates a hidden function, where the Cures encounter an enthusiastic little pig-like fairy named Pinkton, who offers to train them. Each Cure pick out a training course that suits them, but Pinkton accidentally mixes up Sora and Mashiro's, as well as Tsubasa and Ageha's courses.

After some initial trouble with the mixed-up training courses, the Cures each take a moment to consider how the other Cure would solve it, gaining a better understanding of how the other thinks as they each make it through the training courses while Pinkton offers moral support. After the Cures all clear their training courses and prepare to return, they discover there are in fact multiple Pinktons, and that it wasn't just Pinkton putting on different outfits to coach each of them. Also, Pinkton accidentally turns the exit door into a monster, giving the Cures one final challenge to clear before heading back.

I guess the reason I wanted to talk about Pinkton is, well, I sort of feel like the end of the episode sets up for her to appear again, with the Cures promising to bring Ellee along next time they decide to use it to train, but we never see them do this. I guess the line was just one of the bits of foreshadowing towards Ellee becoming a Cure herself in the near future. Might've been interesting to see what kind of training she would've done.

As for my thoughts on Pinkton as a character? She's okay, I guess. Just sort of a quirky and kind of clumsy little coach who lives inside the Mirror Pad.

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Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed this series! I really like the animation style, and the soundtrack is great too. A lot of the recent Pretty Cure series have done little twists on the formula in their own ways, and in this one, they try to take it a step further, like having the leader Cure both be a non-pink Cure and being from another world, and having a male Cure as part of the main team. In addition to this, they also bring back certain plot elements we haven't seen in a while.

For example, in most series since Go! Princess, the Cures have in some way just stumbled upon their major group attack power-up, some common ways being gaining it through some character development, or being given it by someone significant. And it usually doesn't take long for them to figure out how to use it either.

Here, the Cures must go on a quest to find the Majestic Chroniclon and then prove that their hearts are united in order to activate it, basically testing them before they can unlock its power. It's been a while since we had them do this, and I'm glad they brought it back for this series. Also, the Cures don't get a new outfit with their power-up like they have been getting in the recent series, which I'm also fine with. In fact, for the first time since Yes! Pretty Cure 5, the Cures don't get an outfit upgrade with any of their power-ups. I have to respect them for that.

Also, it taking until episode 18 for Cure Butterfly's debut, and then Cure Majesty not making her debut until episode 31, reminded me of HeartCatch and Suite Pretty Cure, which both had one mid-season Cure join at first, and then a second one at some point after the thirty episode mark. Of course, it does it a little differently from those two series, as Ellee only then becomes a Cure, while in the former two series, Cure Moonlight and Cure Muse were already established, and had some things they needed to sort out before joining up with the other Cures.

And like you'd expect from an anniversery series, this series also has a lot of other little nods to previous Pretty Cure series. All in all, I think the mix of old and new story elements make for a pretty good series that explores its themes of heroism and what true strength really is pretty well.

Of course, it's not a flawless series. In my personal opinion, at least, I feel that the show tends to focus too much on the pairs of Sora and Mashiro, and Tsubasa and Ageha, giving less time to explore certain other character dynamics within the team. At least this show isn't the worst offender when it comes to that, and they do at least show some interaction between every possible combination of characters in the main team to give us some indication of their relationship. Plus, I do understand that the bonds of these pairs are a major plot point, particularly the one between Sora and Mashiro, but I'll get back to that a little later.

I also felt that the school that Mashiro and Sora attend in Sorashido was underutilized. We only really get two episodes focusing on Sora's school life, namely the episode where she transfers in and the episode where she ends up helping the girls' baseball team prepare for an upcoming tournament. I really wish we could've seen more of Sora and Mashiro's interactions with their classmates, and more of Sora's life at the school. It might've made the scene where Sora says her good-byes to her classmates in the final episode as she prepares to return to Skyland a little more impactful if we actually got to see her spending more time with them.

Getting a few more interactions between the villains might've also been nice, since the interactions between the various villains in the franchise often gives us some insight into their characters or some funny moments depending on how well the villains get along. While the show does get a little better about this later into its run, giving us at least some idea of how the villains see each other, with the other villains sort of finding Kabaton annoying or Battamonda developing a bit of a complex because he's not that physically strong compared to some of the other villains. It's still pretty cool seeing the reformed villains turn up during the final episodes to help defend Skyland, having apparently put their differences aside off-screen and learned to get along better.

Speaking of the last few episodes, I like how everything they've built up to plays out. With Tsubasa's research allowing them to put up a barrier around the town, the Morning Star being revealed to be Elleelain's spirit, who grants Ellee the ability to change into her teenaged form outside of being Cure Majesty, Cure Prism developing her Prism Shine move for freeing those corrupted by Undergu energy and the reveal that Skearhead was the true big bad all along.

When the Cures then take the fight to the Undergu Empire after learning Skearhead's true intentions, we get a pretty epic moment when Cure Sky is momentarily possessed by the Undergu energy in order to save Cure Prism. We have not have gotten a last minute outfit upgrade power-up, but I think Dark Cure Sky makes up for it, since I didn't expect it and her design in that form was pretty cool. And how she returns to her senses after the Undergu energy overwhelms her is pretty amazing too, with Cure Prism not needing to do anything else except simply trusting in the bond between them as Skearhead tries to force Cure Sky to attack her.

Once Cure Sky returns to her senses after refusing to attack Cure Prism, it only takes a small amount of Prism Shine energy to fully return her to normal. And she even manages to heal the Empress' wound while at it! Once the rest of the Cures arrive, we get a pretty cool sequence of the Cures fighting off Skearhead in his serpent form, and at this point, it's clear that Skearhead is starting to realize that he has lost, since he first makes one last attempt to possess the Empress, which as I mentioned earlier, she rejects right away, not letting him manipulate him anymore.

And once he heads to Sorashido, the Cures spell out to him that he won't find a vessel there either. After the battle is over, the other three redeemed villains decide to stay by the Empress' side, forgiving her for what she did due to Skearhead's manipulations, with the Undergu empire seeming much more tranquil now that Skearhead and the Undergu energy has been purified for good.

Sora, Tsubasa and Ellee have to return to Skyland, saying their good-byes to their friends in Sorashido, but at least they can visit each other whenever they want. Even knowing this, it's still a little hard for them to say their good-byes, particularly for Sora and Mashiro, but in the end, they manage to part with a (tearful) smile. Mashiro decides she'll write a picture book based on her adventure with Sora and the others.

The final scene is of Sora, Tsubasa and Ellee showing up for an unannounced visit, Tsubasa sheepishly admitting it feels a little awkward since they literally just said their good-byes yesterday, but Mashiro and Ageha are still happy to see them and invite them to join them for breakfast. The end credits also feature drawings for the picture book Mashiro is now working on based on the Cures adventure, giving sort of a nice little recap in a cute way to wrap things up.

I think I like this series better than both Happiness Charge and Hugtto Pretty Cure, which celebrated the tenth and fifteenth anniverseries of Pretty Cure. While I did enjoy those too, there were certain plot points in those two series that could occasionally be a bit too... distracting. I'm not sure how high I'd rank it when it comes to which Pretty Cure series in general are my favorites, but then again, trying to figure out how I rank each series is a tough decision in general.

At this point I think I've said everything I wanted to say, so I'll wrap this up now. Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure was really great, and I'm curious to check out Wonderful Pretty Cure. I've got a little bit of catching up to do, since I once again decided to finish up this post before I moved on to the next series. From what little I've seen about the premise, I'm guessing Wonderful Pretty Cure will have a more light-hearted tone, continuing a sort of pattern of the more serious Pretty Cure series storywise usually being followed by one with a more light-hearted tone.

But I'll find out soon enough, and share my thoughts after I watch each episode as usual. Looking forward to seeing how the Pretty Cure franchise may continue to evolve in the future!

#pretty cure #hirogaru sky precure #darkershining's thoughts on pretty cure #long post

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