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spidernerdsblog · 3 years

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Wedding Shenanigans

A/N : Not me using my cousin's wedding as a plot for my fic. This has been sitting in my drafts for a while really didn’t have the nerve to post it. I’m still nervous tbh. Please don’t hate me if it’s bad my over dramatic ass just went a little overboard.

Pairing : Tom Holland x Indian! Reader

Summary : you are back home for your best friend’s wedding and Tom decides to accompany you.

Warnings : just over dramatic crap, sexual innuendos

Mini Playlist : Aa toh sahi, First kiss

(Note- As our country has a vast diversity of languages the italicized dialogues represents whatever native language you speak. I didn’t want to emphasize on a particular language.)

"You sure you wanna tag along?" you try to confirm with him again.

"Yeah I have never attended an Indian wedding before. Moreover I should have an experience you know for future just like Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra our grand wedding" he chirped.

"We will be staying at my parent’s house so no room sharing with me"

"What? Not again! But why can't I share a room? I mean your parents do know that we live together"

"Yeah but that's India honey, no sleeping together before marriage"

"I have to sleep all alone at night without you that's not fair" He whined.

"You can share a room with my dad then" you suggested.

"What? No not your dad" he gave a mortified look.

"Why what’s wrong?'' you let out an airy laugh.

"I’m really scared of him" you chuckled at his confession

"What? Don’t laugh at me, he really intimidates me"

"Well he is the only person who will decide to give my hand to you or not, so man up baby"

"And it's just for one night then we will go to the resort where the wedding will take place. And there hopefully we can share a room or you can share a room with Rahul or the other guys. I'll talk to them about it.

"Not that chump!" he immediately protested.

"What is with you and him?" you chuckle.

"When the person is a potential candidate to steal your girl you have to be a little defensive"

"God how many times do I need to tell you that we never had anything between us, he’s just my childhood friend."

"You may not have but I have noticed the last time we went to visit your parents he is always trying to woo you and moreover you parents like him too" he grumbled.

"Aww someone is jealous"

"I’m spiderman. Why would I be jealous? He says defensively, you smirk.

"Ok spiderman pack your things quickly"

You flew back to India the next day, you stayed the night at your parents house before leaving for the resort to attend your best friend’s wedding.

''Y/N!!" Your best friend squealed in excitement as she eagerly hugged you.

"Missed you so much.

"Me too babe. Can’t believe you’re getting married. When did we grow so big?" you pout.

"Hey Y/N"

"Hi Rahul. Missed you so much bro" you hugged him.

"Hey darling let's go to our room shall we? You must be tired" Tom eavesdropped in your conversation.

''Yeah I'm a little"

"Hey man how are you?" Rahul asked.

"I’m good, mate. Will talk to you later."

"Yeah sure, go take some rest" Tom literally dragged you away from him.

"What was that?" you frowned.

"Nothing" He said. You chuckled, shaking your head at your boyfriend’s possessive attitude.

After settling down in your room you went to freshen up. You stepped out of the bathroom drying your with a towel as you informed Tom.

"Okay so tomorrow is haldi"

"What’s that?"

"Well it's a ritual where we apply turmeric paste to both bride and groom, it is said turmeric improves your skin tone. I know it sounds stupid but age old custom so can’t be changed" you continued.

"So don’t wear something expensive as the turmeric stain will be hard to remove. You will be with the guys I have told Rahul everything so you will not have any problem'' he rolls his eyes.

"And please don't end up killing him''

The next morning after the puja was completed your best friend was made to sit on a seat decorated with flowers. As all the married women applied turmeric to her blessing her for a happy married life. Then came all of your turn. And you guys didn't leave a spot, painting her completely yellow.

"Y/N come here let me apply some turmeric so that next will be your turn" a woman offered.

"No thanks I'm fine" you dodged her somehow.

You went back to your room to change, Tom returned as well.

"You guys played quite a holi I see" you comment seeing his face and kurta painted yellow.

"Yeah but why didn’t you put that?

"I'll only apply only when it has been touched by my husband on my wedding day"

"Well I can help you with that" he backed you up against the wall caging you and slowly leaned down. You felt butterflies in your stomach as his face inched closer to yours, you thought he was going for a kiss as you parted your lips instead he tilted to the side brushing his cheek to yours and he did the same thing with your other cheek.

"There you go" he maneuvered you to face the mirror and you saw turmeric paste on your cheeks.

"Tom! Seriously? I thought-" you huff

"What did you think darling?" He whispers with a sultry voice.

"Nothing!"

"Someone is horny" He chuckles.

"Shut up you dickhead!" you snapped.

"But weren't you thinking about my dick in the first place?" He teases to annoy you even more.

"Ugh!! you know what Rahul is much better than you!" saying so you ran inside the bathroom shutting the door.

"What? What did you say?" he heard your giggles from inside.

Later in the day you were in the community hall of the resort with your friends discussing your dance performances.

"Guys we can’t let the groom’s side win do you get that?" you state.

"Chill Y/N we are gonna set the stage on fire"

"So what songs are we gonna perform? And please no bole chudiyan" you quip.

"Dilli wali girlfriend?" one of them suggested.

"Yeah that will definitely be kept for the end other than that?"

"Cutipie?"

"Nah"

"Deedar de? Odhani? Sawan mein lag gayi aag?" Everyone suggested in a chorus, someone even suggested ooh la la.” you facepalmed at the chaos.

"Guys are you planning to seduce those pot bellied bald uncles and middle aged judgemental aunties over there?" everyone went silent as you continued

"No right? So please something sober and fun. These songs can be played in the after party when the main event is over"

"Morni banke?" someone suggested.

"See now you’re getting it" After a lot of discussion finally you all agreed on some songs and started to choreograph the dance steps. Your eyes went to your boyfriend whom you had completely forgotten in the middle of this.

"You’re getting bored right? I’m so sorry babe this why I said you should pass this one out"

"Hey no I’m fine plus I kind of figured out a little of your conversation, you are talking of some kind of dance competition"

"Wow you are improving I’m so proud of you. And yes you’re right tomorrow we have sangeet at night and it’s a dance off bride vs groom and we are gonna smash them"

"Oh you will, darling. How much of an aggressive competitor you’re no one knows better than me" He chuckles.

"Hey! I’m not aggressive" you protest.

"Do I need to remind you of the one time you were literally about to throw the controller at the tv screen after you lost a match of fortnite?"

"Okay in my defense you cheated" you narrowed your eyes.

"No I didn't," He says haughtily.

"Yes you did, you distracted me-" you argue back.

"What did I do baby?" His voice was low as you remembered about the distraction he caused.

"Uh never mind" you stutter all flustered.

"Hey Y/N c’mon let’s practise" Rahul called you.

"What’s he gonna do?" Tom frowned.

"He’s my dance partner, I would have asked you but you don’t understand the lyrics well so"

"Yeah yeah I get it, now go" He said rolling his eyes.

You began to practice the dance for the sangeet it went on for sometime. But later everyone got bored to dancing to the same song so random songs were played

Sun baby deadly hai teri walk ni

Tere thumke bhi karte hai talk ni

Ho dil kare dekhi jaun teri ore

Tu nazre mila toh sahi

Dil diya hai jaan bhi tujhe denge

Tu ik vaari aa toh sahi

Dil diya hai jaan bhi tujhe denge

Tu nazre mila toh sahi

Tu ik vari aa to sahi

You started to move your hips sensually as Rahul joined you too. His hands went to wrap around your waist which made Tom uncomfortable as his face tensed up. You were laughing and giggling unaware of Tom watching you with a pointed look as you both were getting too close to his liking. You looked over your shoulder to find a very displeased Tom. An idea crossed your mind as you waltzed your way to him.

Kab mummy daddy mere tu patayega

Leke band baja ghar mere aayegaKab tak mujhe aise hi ghumayega

Tu baat badha to sahi

Dil diya hai jaan bhi tujhe denge

Tu ik vaari aa toh sahi

Dil diya hai jaan bhi tujhe denge

Tu nazre mila toh sahi

Tu ik vari aa to sahi

Grabbing his hand you pulled him to the center your friends hooted and whistled. You began to dance around him and nudge his shoulder playfully before lacing your hands around his neck pulling him closer to you. You turn around your back pressed against his broad chest as you take his hands and place them around your waist and continue to sway against each other.

............

Next day your best friend was sitting in the courtyard surrounded by all the ladies. The mehendi artist drew beautiful and intricate patterns on her hand with the henna.

You and your girl gang got ready to perform for the occasion as the song ‘mehndi hai rachne wali’ started to play in the background. You all danced to the song gracefully. After the performance you all also got your mehendi done.

"Tom! Tom! Where is my food?!" You yell sitting on your bed with wet henna on your hands.

"Wait a minute my hungry devil" Tom comes with your plate of food.

"Seriously you just can’t wait for a few minutes" He huffs sitting next to you.

"I’m so lucky to have such a sweet and caring boyfriend" you gush.

"Yeah yeah, now open your mouth" You do as he says. He brings the spoon near your mouth to pull it away immediately and eat the food himself.

"Tom!" You protest, he stifles a laugh. This is a nice punishment for you now cannot work your hands.

"Yeah very funny, don’t talk to me" You turn your face away from him annoyed.

"Hey I’m sorry, here take" He holds the spoon in front of you as you open your mouth to eat but that little fucker does it again going into a fit of laughter.

"You!!" You lift your hands to hit him.

"Ah, ah love don’t think of it or your artwork will only get ruined" He chuckles as you huff in defeat.

"Okay now c’mon, this time no pranks I promise" You frowned at him still dubious but this time he finally fed you.

"You know they write the name or initial of your husband in this. I made the lady write your initial, think you can find it?" you looked at him with a playful expression.

"Is that a challenge, love?"

"Well maybe" you shrug.

"Then I fucking accept it!" He gets on to search through the intricate patterns drawn on your hand but soon he realized it was hard than he thought as he frowned.

"Don’t worry baby you have the whole day, you’ll find it eventually I suppose" You snicker.

Later in the evening the sangeet ceremony took place and as expected you guys won the dance off. After all the elders and children were done having their dinner and retreated to their rooms, the younger lot of you as decided earlier had your own kind of mini bachelor’s party with everyone ending up drunk. The boys were dancing on to some peppy bollywood item number, later you and your girlfriends took the stage as the music continued to play.

Ae Yo, Ae Yo

Seene Se Laga Ke Baahon Mein

Mujhe Le Lo

Jaldi Hai Kaisi

I Like It Nice And Slow

Your body swayed sensually as the guys hollered and cheered you girls with a few whistles.

Meri Heart Beat Fast

Aur Sab Lage Mujhe Slo-mo

Mujhe Slow-mo

I Want You Right Now

I Need You Right Now Come

You stretched your hand pointing your finger directly to your boyfriend motioning him to get up and come to you. He obliged with a smirk plastered on his face and strided towards you.

Hassa Hassa Ke Gaya Fasa

Tu Toh Dil Mera

Nasha Nasha Tera Chadha Nasha

Jab Dekha Chehra Tera

Meri Life Mein Yun Kar Gaya Kyun

Har Din Love Wala Season Tu

What You Gonna Do?

Jo Main Keh Du

Meri Heart Beat Ka Reason Tu

His hands rested on your hips as he knelt down to ear and whispered

"You really do like it nice and slow don’t you love?" you elbowed him playfully.

‘‘Fuck off!!’’

‘‘Ow!’’ He groaned chuckling.

…….

It was your bestie's big day as you were getting ready for it putting on your saree.

"Tom can you help me with the pleats of my saree please"

"Sure darling" He squats down to gather the silky material of your saree, you smoothen the pleats as he holds them in place.

"Thanks hun" You tuck in the pleats inside your underskirt securing them with a pin.

"Anytime sweetheart" He stands up on his feet smiling.

You went on to do your makeup and were busy putting on your jhumkas when Tom’s eyes went to your reflection in the mirror. And boy he was mesmerised, you looked unearthly. He slowly walked to you resting his chin on your shoulder, his arms wrapping around your waist, the sweet scent of the jasmine flowers pinned to your hair intoxicating his senses.

"You look so gorgeous, darling."

"Well thank you, love. You look no less handsome either" And it was so true he actually looked like a snack in that designer kurta. You turned to face him gazing into his soft brown eyes. There was a certain kind of flicker in his eyes which you knew all too well though you were tempted to give in but attending your best friend’s wedding was also important so you brought your hands in front of his face and shook your bangles the jingling sound broke him out of his trance as he shook his head, blinking his eyes owlishly.

"Now who’s horny huh?" You teased.

"Shut up!" His face turned red all flustered.

"Aww it’s ok baby boy" You tease him even more.

"You’re so in for it later, Y/N" He warns playfully.

"Will see" You winked mischievously "Now c’mon let’s go" you walked out hand in hand towards the dias where the wedding nuptials were to be performed but had to stop on your tracks when you saw a group of aunties coming your way.

"Oh no! Aunties incoming just smile and greet them" You direct Tom warily.

"Do I need to touch their feet?" He asks nervously as you frown.

"No! That’s too much respect they deserve"

"Y/N how are you?" One of them asked. "You’ve grown so big! You remember me right?" Another lady badgered you with more questions.

"I’m fine, how are you all?" You gave a broad smile as you yourself were confused who the hell they are.

"Everything is going fine for us. So happy Y/F/N is finally going to happily settle in her life, so when is your turn huh?" You gave a tight lipped smile having no clue what to answer.

"You know my sister’s son is in the government sector, a really nice boy and earns a very handsome salary you know if you want-" you cut her off immediately.

"Umm aunty, meet my boyfriend Tom"

"Hello'' Tom greets them timidly.

"Oh hello-’’ she looked at him with a judgy face okay you kids enjoy then, let me see if anything is needed there or not"

"Yeah sure"

"What was she saying?" Tom asked curiously.

"Nothing just trying to set me up with one of her relative’s weird nerdy son"

"What the-!!"

"Relax she got her answer which is a clear no. Now let’s go and see the wedding" You went near the dais and observed all the rituals take place one by one. It was the time for walking around the fire for seven times as your best friend and her husband stood up and started revolving around the fire while you showered flowers on them along with everyone.

"Why are they circling around the fire?"

"It’s quite similar to exchanging vows you see, the bride and groom promise each other to be together for seven lifetimes with the sacred fire as witness" you explained, Tom nods his head in understanding when something went through his mind.

"Y/N let’s get married" Tom says out of nowhere taking you by surprise.

"What?" You chuckle lightly.

"I'm serious Y/N, let's just get married like right now. I mean everything is set, you are dressed no less than a bride and I’m looking handsome as hell and we have a priest right there"

"Ok Tom, I totally get what you’re saying. But honey, I don’t see a ring" you showed him your empty ring finger scrunching your face.

..............................................................................

Tagging some desi peeps I know here

@peaches-parker @parkerpeterparker2004 @lokibuckylove6 @calltothewild

@mischiefmanaged011 @parker--peter @starlight-starks

sorry if I bothered you.

#tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagines #tom holland x reader #tom holland one shot #desi tumblr

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bruh--wtf · 3 years

Text

A Message

Thomas x Reader

First part of The Scorch Trials

Summary: The reader, Thomas, and the remaining Gladers are thrown into the outside world, and quickly have to figure out what life is like outside of the Maze. Thomas, with his memories returning, doesn't know what he should and what he shouldn't tell the reader.

Part 9

Main Masterlist

Previous Next

The Maze Runner Masterlist

Thomas fell asleep, but you stayed awake. Watching the night fall over the sandy world. You never imagined the world outside the maze would look like this.

You could never really imagine a world outside the maze. You couldn't picture it. You tried, but you couldn't. You always assumed the land would look somewhat like the glade. But never this.

When the helicopter lands, Thomas was still asleep, and you guessed you dozed off as well because you woke up to Minho yelling and shaking you.

You wake up at the same time as Thomas. You just out of the helicopter but Thomas turns back and grabs something. He runs back towards you and Minho.

You look up and see a large building with lights. Guns were going off and you were being pulled. Some wake up. Once you're in the building you see the doors close. You look around the large room. It was almost blinding. It was terrifying.

You all get taken into a room, and eventually you all sit down. A man who looked to be in his late forties maybe his early fifties enters the room. You all stand up, walking over to him.

"Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm," he says. You didn't like him. You didn't know why, you just didn't like him.

"Who are you?" You ask. He looks at you, and just studies you for a minute. To be honest it made you uncomfortable.

"I'm the reason that you're all still alive. It's my intention to keep you that way. Now, come with me. We'll get you kids squared away," he says, taking a step back and gesturing towards the hallway.

"That's not a name, and if it is I feel bad for you," you say. You feel Newt poke your back, but the man just smiles amusedly.

"You didn't ask for a name," the man says. You shrug.

"It was implied, but okay. What's your name?" You ask more clearly. The man smirks a little. It made you uneasy.

"You can call me Mr. Janson," he say, and starts walking down the hall. You stood there for a second.

"Okay. Looks like we're following him," you say, walking out. The others follow you, catching up to Janson easily.

While following him, he starts talking. "I run this place. It's a sanctuary. Safe from the horrors of the outside world. You all should think of it as a way station. Kind of home between homes," he says.

"You mean you're taking us home?" Thomas asks. He looks back at Thomas.

"A home of sorts. Sadly, there probably isn't much left of wherever you came from," he says. "But we have a place for you. A refuge. Outside the Scorch. Where WCKD will never find you again. How does that sound?" Like bribery. He sounded like he was offering candy to a toddler. But you didn't say anything. Seeing the smiles on a few of your friends faces. Then you looked at Thomas. The two of you matching pace a little infront of the others.

"Why're you helping us?" Minho asks. Oh, well, guess they all aren't happy.

"Let's just say the world out there is in a very odd situation. And we're all hanging on by a very thin thread. The fact that you kids can survive the virus gives you the chance to help with humanity's continued survival. Unfortunately, it also makes you a target. I'm sure you've noticed that bit." You roll your eyes, continuing to follow him.

"Beyond this door, is the beginning of your new lives," he says. You watch him swipe a key card and furrow your brows. A bright hallway is revealed. "First thing's first. Lets do something about that smell."

Now, you'd be lying if you didn't smile a little at that. But you were also suspicious.

The shower was probably the best feeling in the world. You hadn't showered in... a very long time. Truth be told, you didn't know how long. You knew you were all gross, but you all tried your best to clean off the best you could in the Glade. It didn't help that you didn't even have a river. Or soap. You just had what WCKD gave you. And now that you were seeing all of this, that wasn't much.

You all start getting observed by doctors. You hear one of the doctors explain the shot to Newt and look over as he puts the needle in his arm. Minho was on the treadmill. They'd given you the shot, and taken your blood.

Minho looked at you. He looked bored. You both knew that you could both run faster than the speed they had him at. Now, you were sitting near Thomas. You looked over at him, and opened your mouth to say something when someone stops infront of you.

"Why don't we show you to your room?" The woman asks with a small smile. You looked her up and down.

"My room?" You ask. She nods.

"Yes, I'm sure you missed a bed," she says. You raise an eyebrow.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I wouldn't exactly know what I'm missing," you say. She chuckles a little.

"Well, then lets show you," she says. You glance around. Both Minho and Thomas were looking at you.

"Am I being separated from them?" You ask. The woman nods.

"Yes, we assumed you'd be more comfortable not sharing a room with the boys," she says. You sit back in your chair, clearly showing her you had no intention of getting up.

"Sorry, but you assumed wrong. In fact, I'd feel a thousand times more comfortable with them," you say. She looks at you for a second then nods.

"Okay, we'll have that changed then. If you want to wait here, that's fine." You nod and she smiles at you. Then she smiles at the doctor with Thomas, and walks off. You watch her leave, looking over at Minho. He shrugged, still running.

"Good evening, Doctor Crawford," the man with Thomas says as a new woman walks by. You look. It was weird seeing so many females. The only girl you can remember is Teresa, and you had only known her aa few days. You were used to the guys.

"Good evening. How are the new arrivals holding up?" She asks.

"So far so good," he says. You notice her walk up to Teresa, closing a curtain. You look at Thomas.

"Thomas?" A man asks, stopping infront of him.

"Yeah."

"Come with me, please," the man says. Thomas glances at you before getting up and following the man. He looks back at you for a moment, then keeps walking.

You were brought to a cafeteria style room. You sat next to Newt. Minho sat on the other side of Newt, across from Winston.

Minho looks up and gets up. You watch him go, and see Thomas. He brings Thomas over, and he sits next to you. The two boys infront of you were telling their stories.

"They pulled us out the maze and brought us here," the boys says.

"What about the rest?" Newt asks. You look at Thomas who gives you a questioning look. You shrug slightly and give a small smile. "The other people left behind in the maze, what happened to them?" You look back over, hopeful for an answer you'll like. But the boy shrugs.

"I don't know. I guess WCKD still has them." You frown slightly. Newt looks at you and you nod, taking a breath.

"How long have you guys been here?" You ask.

"Not long. Just a day or two." He turns and looks at a lone boy with his hood up. "That boy over there has been here the longest. Almost a week."

"His maze was nothing but girls," the second boy says. You raise an eyebrow and Minho looks at him.

"Really?" Minho asks. The boy nods.

"Some guys have all the luck," the first boy says, glancing at you. You roll your eyes. Minho smiles and you reach around Newt to hit his shoulder. "What, none of these boys lucky enough?" He asks you. You look back at him.

"They know better," you say. The two boys exchange an amused look. You saw Minho and Newt chuckle besides you. You glanced at Thomas who was still watching you.

Then Janson walks back in.

"Ladies and gentlemen! You all know how this works. If you hear your names called, you join my colleagues in an orderly fashion. They will escort you to where your new lives will begin," Janson says with a smile. A few people clap and you look around. He starts listing off names. You wondered how no names were repeated. "Now, now, don't get discouraged. If I could take more I would. There is always tomorrow." Janson then walks off.

"Where are they going?" You ask. The first boy stared longingly at the retreating kids.

"Far from here," he says and turns back to your friends. "Lucky bastards."

"Some kind of farm. A safe place. They can only take a few of us at a time," the second boy says. Thomas looks over at the windows.

"What the hell," he mutters. You give him a confused look. He glances at you, tapping your arm as he stands up, going towards the doors. "Hey, Teresa! Teresa!" You all look at Thomas as the guards stop him. You notice that the boy in the hood had looked at Thomas. Seems like Thomas has a habit of gaining people's attention.

Thomas walks back over, and soon you were all escorted towards your room. You see rows of bunks and smiled slightly as Minho jumps up. You jump on the one across from him, leaning back a little. Damn, that woman was right you didn't know what you were missing.

Winston lays down on the bunk below Minho.

"I could get used to this," he says. You roll your eyes, but smile anyways.

"Yeah, it's not bad," Newt says. Then you hear the lock on the door and sit up. You hop down, going over to the door and trying to open it. Locked.

You look back at the guys, with furrowed brows. It felt a little to familiar standing there and you froze for a second. Your eyes widened as a picture flashed through your mind. All of you guys were younger, Alby and Gally, a much whiter room than this. You cleared your throat.

"What is it, Y/N?" Thomas asks, looking at you. You looked up at him and glamced around the room.

"Nothing, just more tired than I thought I guess," you say, hopping back up to your bed. Thomas looks at you for a second before turning back to Newt.

"What do you think those guys want with Teresa?" He asks. Newt gives him a pointed look.

"If there is one thing I know about that girl, any girl I know for that matter," Newt adds, glancing up at you and you raise an eyebrow, "is that they can take care of themselves." You nod in agreement.

"Damn straight," you say, falling back on your bed, laying down. You hear Newt and a couple of the other boys chuckling. Newt climbs up in the bed next to Minho. Thomas goes to the bed under yours. Frypan was under Newt's bed.

You would admit that the bed was comfortable, and it was nice to have a real pillow. But you were still uneasy. And it was hard to stay asleep that night.

#scorch trials #the scorch trials #thomas x reader #thomas maze runner #newt maze runner #maze runner minho #the maze runner #maze runner #teresa maze runner #tmr frypan #tmr imagine

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niksixx · 4 years

Text

Patience

~Part 3. I hope you’re loving it.~

Pairing: Axl Rose/Vince Neil x Female Reader

Warning: Vince hits Reader

A/N: Please reblog for me :)

*Picture is NOT mine. Found on Google. Credit to the owner.*

Tag list: @littlemisscare-all @curly-hudson @julessworldd @madamsixx @headlight-queen @metalheartofgold @ginny-baker-sixx @mickmarstookmyheart @gunsngunners @bex-tothe-rescue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride home to your house is eerily quiet. In the passenger seat, Vince leans his head out the window, slowly breathing in the cool air while a trash bag hangs between his legs.

Eyes focused on the road, your grip on the steering wheel tightens as Vince empties the contents of his stomach into the bag. Knowing that Vince isn’t phased by his antics fuels a fire in your bones.

As you park the car, Vince stumbles out to the curb. You throw open your door, locking the car, before walking past him. He mutters under his breath, most likely a string of curses, steading himself on the metal railing before throwing his body against the door.

On your couch is Mick Mars, book in his lap, glass of water on the side table. He turns his head, blinking twice at Vince who ignores him and heads for the shower, before gazing at you.

You lock the door, throw your purse, and slide down the door, face buried in your hands. You should have waited until you went to your room to let the tears fall, not wanting to drag poor Mick into your relationship drama. The boys had witnessed plenty of the fights between you and Vince, and most of the time they were at a loss for words on how to help. Nothing would be different this time.

Mick lifts you to your feet, arms wrapping around your shoulders, pulling you in. You go slack against him as he runs a hand up your back, dusting a sweet kiss on your head. “I’ll deal with him tonight. You rest, okay?”

You nod as Mick stalks off toward the bathroom, waiting just outside for Vince to finish up. In the fridge is a brand new bottle of Chardonnay, which you pop open, pouring a generous amount into a glass. From the kitchen you spot Nikki and Tommy in the pool, beer in Nikki’s hand, cigarette in Tommy’s mouth. It wasn’t unusual to find the boys in your house while you weren’t home.

Wiping the tears from your eyes, you kick off your shoes and slide open the doors to the pool deck. When the boys see you, they stop laughing. Setting your glass off to the side, you roll up your work pants, dipping your legs in the heated pool water.

As you guzzle the sweet wine, Nikki and Tommy exchange looks before swimming over to you. Tommy rests his arms on your legs, Nikki squeezing your arm gently.

“Half the time I’m too embarrassed about our fucked up relationship to say anything,” you mumble, licking the leftover liquid from your lips. “But I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“AA?” Tommy suggests, blowing a smoke ring.

You shake your head. “He won’t go on his own. I can’t force him to do something he doesn’t want to do.”

Even if he was forced, Vince wouldn’t thrive in rehab. The people in rehab want to get better for their friends, their families, for themselves. Vince? He wants no part of it.

“He thinks he’s invincible, and he’s not,” you whisper solemnly. “Who drinks a whole bottle of Jack and then gets behind the wheel?”

“If it helps, I tried to take it away from him at the studio,” Nikki offers, pointing to a bloody cut on his eyebrow. “I mean it didn’t work and then he punched me, but I tried. Really did.”

“Dude,” Tommy warns, shaking his head. “Not really helping, my man.”

“And then to make matters worse, he sees me with Axl and then--.”

“Wait, Axl?” Nikki asks, eyes widening. “Axl Rose?”

“What were you doing with him?” Tommy questions, frowning.

You’d never told them about your childhood best friend. For one, they wouldn't approve. And God only knows what would happen if they met Axl in the street after finding out you were once close to him.

“Axl and I go way back,” you confess, swirling the wine as the memories resurface. “He was my first best friend. We were friends all through high school too, that is until I left to move here. Since then I hadn’t spoken to him. I actually bumped into him today while I was picking up lunch. First time I’ve seen him in seven years. We went back to the store to eat lunch together and I lost track of time. And then in comes Vince.”

The picture is ingrained in your brain. Vince stumbling in. The anger and rage on his face. The surprising calmness on Axl’s. And even though you couldn’t see your own face, there had to have been a mixture of panic and horror.

“You know this gives Vince even more of a reason to hate him, right?” Nikki asks. “He’s not going to let you near the guy.”

“I don’t care,” you state, standing your ground. “I finally have him back in my life. I won’t let Vince ruin my friendship with Axl.”

“Your what?”

Slightly sober, Vince struts onto the deck in only a pair of silky white shorts. Mick follows sheepishly behind, avoiding your gaze.

“What are you doing awake?” Standing from the pool, you give Vince a hard look. Nikki and Tommy heave themselves up onto the deck, coming to your defense if necessary. “Go to bed, Vince.”

“Since when are you friends with that self righteous prick?” He questions angrily, lips curled in a snarl. “He’s nothing but trouble, Y/N. Stay the fuck away from him.”

“You don’t even know him!” It was just like old times. You coming to Axl’s defense. Only this time, he wasn’t around to witness it.

“People talk, sweetheart. This is Hollywood. You think I don’t know about him? About his fucked up childhood? How his step-dad used to beat the shit out of him? About how he was bullied his entire life? The guy’s got pent up rage brewing, Y/N. He’s a fucking hothead.”

“He’s nothing like you try to convince me he is. I’ve been friends with him since I was ten years old, Vince. I was the fucking person protecting him. We were best friends until I moved to California.”

“Oh so he’s a pussy too,” Vince concludes, arms crossed over his bare chest. “And you’ve been here for seven years, baby girl, and not once did he try to contact you. He’s a dick. Open your eyes.” Vince spits, disgusted that you’re defending him.

“He didn’t know where to find me, you asshole!” Tommy’s hand lightly squeezes your shoulder, but the touch isn’t comforting. Shoving his hand off your body, you step up to your boyfriend, who leans against the side of the deck. “The sad part is, he tried. When Axl moved to LA, he tried to find me. Asked anyone and everyone if they knew who I was or where he could find me. And if it wasn’t for you and your stupid fucking label keeping me hidden from the public eye all these years, I would’ve had my friend back.”

Vince groans dramatically, hanging his head. “Goddamn it, the same fucking conversation. You know why you have to stay under the radar.”

“It doesn’t mean I like it or agree with it, Vince!”

Mick holds out a hand. “Hey, guys, maybe we should take this inside--.”

“God, don’t I mean anything to you?” Your voice cracks. “Don’t I deserve better than this?”

Vince hangs his head, hand on his hip. “I really don’t know what you want me to do.”

Grabbing his chin, you make him look at you. His jaw clenches under your touch. “I want you to fight for me. I want you to say ‘fuck the label’ and treat me how I deserve to be treated as your girlfriend. Take me out in public, show me off, kiss me when the cameras are on us. Goddamn it Vince, I want you to love me. Why can’t you do that?”

Mick stares.

Nikki whistles.

Tommy elbows Nikki.

This isn’t how you imagined your night. The last thing, the very last thing on this Earth you wanted to do right now, was fight. Your bed had been calling your name ever since you set foot in the house. It’s eight-thirty at night and you’re exhausted. You should have just gone to sleep.

Vince had no answer. Shaking your head, an empty laugh falls from your lips. “You know what? I’m done. I’m done doing this with you. I deserve more than an alcoholic boyfriend who can’t stand up to his label, and who treats me like I’m his bitch. I deserve better. Even Axl fucking knows I deserve better, and he hasn’t been in my life for seven years,” you say, stepping back. “Maybe I should date him instead.”

Vince does the unthinkable.

When his hand collides against the side of your face, the wine glass shatters against the wooden deck as you stumble. Nikki catches you as Tommy leaps over your body, towering over Vince to shield you as Mick grabs Vince’s shoulders, watching the scene unfold in horror.

“Are you fucking crazy?” Nikki shouts, pulling you to your feet, pushing you behind him. “Are you kidding me, dude?”

“You think you’re tough hitting a woman? Huh?” Tommy taunts, shoving Vince’s chest. “Huh?! Get your shit together, man!”

Reality hits Vince as Tommy continues to shove him. Choppy breaths leave his lips, eyes wide, jaw dropping. He swallows nervously, glancing at his hand, before his eyes lock back on you. “B-babe?”

There’s no hesitation as you push past the four men, throwing open the deck doors, snatching your purse, and sprinting for the front door. They’re all shouting for you, but Vince’s voice is crystal clear as it stands out.

“Baby, wait! Please!”

He chases you out the door, but you’re already running down the street, legs on fire.

“I’m sorry! Babe! Please, come back!”

You run. You run as fast and as far as your legs can carry you, weaving in and out of people crowding the sidewalk. A few call out to you, asking if you need help, but you keep running until you end up back at your store.

And as soon as you reach the store, it begins to rain.

And then you break.

Tears mixing with the rain, you collapse on the pavement, letting the water soak your body. Your hair is damp, clothing drenched, and you don’t even have any shoes on. You’re a mess, physically and emotionally.

You remember that your car is still parked on the street from having to drive Vince’s back home, and you run to it, settling in your seat as the rain pours down from the heavens. You’re alone, and the sound of your cries is louder than the thunder that accompanies the downpour.

You can’t go home. Not yet. You don’t want to see him, you can’t. Your cheek still burns from the sting of the hit, and if you see your boyfriend again tonight, one of you may end up dead.

The notepad. It’s in your purse.

You fish it out along with your phone, dialing the numbers with your thumb. Holding it to your ear, you choke back a sob as the man on the other end of the line picks up on the second ring.

“Are you home? Can I come over, please? I need you.”

~~~

In the corner by the TV, Izzy Stradlin sits on a chair strumming his guitar as Steven Adler lounges on the floor, drumming furiously on the TV stand with two wooden salad spoons. Slash is lying on the couch, hat covering his face, while Duff sits at the tiny kitchen table, enjoying a platter of buffalo wings all to himself.

Their heads turn as Axl walks through the door, more jubilant than he was before he left to grab lunch almost four hours ago. He shrugs off his shoes, fishing around in his back pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

“Where in the hell have you been?” Duff asks as he bites into a wing. Untying the bandana around his head, Axl lets his hair fall, shaking it, and runs a hand through it. “You left at two. It’s almost six-thirty.”

Axl’s smile broadens as he heads for the couch, pushing Slash’s legs to the side. The curly haired guitarist grumbles and flips him off. “I ran into an old friend today.”

“Oh yeah?” Izzy asks, setting his guitar on his lap, full attention on Axl. He’d always been that kind of friend. The one who stopped everything and listened if someone had something to say. “Who?”

“Y/N.”

Steven and Izzy exchange a look before Steven pipes up, “Wait. The Y/N? From high school? Like, I came to LA specifically to find her and couldn’t after all these years and somehow magically ran into her today, Y/N?”

Axl nods. “I ran into her at the restaurant and I swear my heart stopped.”

“Spoken like a lovesick fool,” Slash groans, flipping Axl off once again when he knocks the hat off his face. “First time you’ve seen her in what? Seven years? What’s up with her?”

Axl grabs a cigarette from the pack, lighting it. “She owns a bakery on the Strip. Cute little shop, not much business though. It’s a shame. She’s damn good at what she does. I tried one of the little chocolate cakes on display? Best damn cake I ever had.”

“I wonder what her cake tastes like,” Steven mutters to himself, snickering at his own joke.

There was a sparkle in your eyes whenever you talked about your bakery. It was your passion. From the decor inside the shop to the variety of desserts, it was clear that you dedicated so much to your little business. If only more people knew about it.

“She look the same?” Izzy asks.

Axl’s mouth twitches. “She’s even more beautiful now than I remember.”

“Oh fucking barf,” Slash teases, sitting up from the couch, brushing hair from his eyes.

“You smashing that?” Steven grins, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Izzy rolls his eyes.

“Do you think of anything else?” Duff questions, shaking his head as he chucks a chicken wing bone at Steven’s head.

“Okay first off, no,” Axl points a finger.

“But you want to smash her?” Steven challenges, pointing a spoon right back at the singer.

Axl glares. “Just say fuck, Steven. Fuck. And second, Y/N isn’t just any girl to me. She never has been.”

“Then quit whining and go after her,” Izzy says, pursing his lips. “You’ve been in love with this girl since you were sixteen you told us.”

“Yeah and there’s one big fucking problem, Iz. She’s dating Vince Neil.”

Slash turns. “The bitchy blonde fuck from Mötley Crüe? Are you kidding me?”

“Their label is keeping their relationship on the downlow. Apparently it’ll fuck with Vince’s image if word of their love life gets out.” Axl sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“How does that make sense?” Duff asks, standing from the table. “Wouldn’t it harm his image if they let him run around like a madman and shag a bunch of women?”

“You’d think,” Axl agrees, holding up his hands. “But apparently, that’s the kind of image they want their frontman to have. All I know is I need to get Y/N out of that relationship, and fast.”

Axl had promised himself he’d never interfere with any of your relationships. Now, he was considering going back on his word. You weren’t happy. He could easily tell by the way your body tensed around Vince, from the sheer terror in your eyes when he was mad or cursed or raised his voice.

“Look man, I know you’re in love with the girl, but is that really your place?” Steven asks, serious for the first time that night. “What if she really loves the dude? Who are you to try and ruin something good for her?”

Axl shakes his head, leaning forward on his knees. “He drank a whole bottle of Jack Daniels and drove drunk to Y/N’s store. It might not be my place, but I’ll be damned if I sit around knowing she’s in harm’s way and I don’t do anything about it.”

~~~

“Ah, shit, sorry about that fellas,” Duff says, slapping his guitar. “Take it from the top?”

Axl nods, yawning, before checking the time on the clock. Eight-thirty and it feels like two in the morning. To wake himself up, he goes to the fridge for ice water, only to be interrupted by the screeching of his phone.

He picks it up. “Hello?”

“Are you home? Can I come over, please? I need you.”

He knows your voice without even needing a greeting. It’s soft over the phone, and Axl’s gut tells him something isn’t right. “Yeah, of course. Is everything okay? You remember the address?”

“I do. I’ll be over in ten minutes.”

You hang up quickly, startling him, before he hangs up and turns to his bandmates. They look at him curiously. “Y/N’s coming over.”

~~~

Your wet feet slide against the metal stairs as you ascend toward the address Axl had given you earlier that day. Looking from door to door, you shuffle down the chilled hallway, warming your arms, until you find yourself out front of apartment 6C. Christ, this place was more like a hotel with all the damn rooms it had.

You knock timidly, but loud enough to be heard.

The door opens. Axl stands in front of you, gray cutoff covering his top, white sweatpants on his legs. He looks warm, comfortable, and you want to hold him. His face falls when he sees your soaking wet figure and bare feet.

“Hey sugar,” he says softly, and it tugs at your heart. “Let’s get you inside.”

And when you step foot inside the apartment, you're greeted by four other men, all staring at you as if they’d never seen a woman before.

The first blonde shakes his head. “Damn, bro. You weren’t kidding. She’s hot.”

You laugh slightly, looking at Axl, moreso to see his reaction. His cheeks are noticeably pinker. “Steven, fuck off. That’s not even what I said and you know it.” He turns back to you shyly. “These are my bandmates. From left to right, meet Steven, Izzy, Duff, and Slash. Guys, meet Y/N.”

The one named Slash steps forward, giving you a nod. “Wanna see my snake?”

Oh, he’s bold. “Um...is that like...code? For your penis or something?”

And they all burst out laughing. Even beside you, Axl lets out a chuckle.

“No, he literally has a pet snake,” Izzy says, hiding a smile.

Oh. Whoops. “Then, sure. I guess so.”

A smile spreads across Slash’s face. “I like her.”

Axl wraps an arm around your shoulder, leading you down a hallway. His room is surprisingly neat, with only a few hats and bandanas scattered around. He rummages through a drawer and hands you a tee shirt and sweatpants. Without thinking, you begin to pull off your damp clothes.

“Uh,” Axl licks his lips. “I uh-.”

“Don’t act like you haven’t seen me change before,” you tease, turning your back to him. “And don’t act like you’re not enjoying it, either.”

“Hey, you won’t get any complaints from me,” Axl grins, eyes roaming over your backside.

Fully dressed, you spread out your arms, showing off the new attire. Both the shirt and sweatpants are extremely comfortable. And they smell like him, too. “How do I look?”

Axl swallows the lump in his throat. If he wanted to name all the ways you looked absolutely beautiful, you’d both be there all night. “You look like you belong in my clothes.”

You give a half smile before following Axl out into the main room. The rest of his bandmates are in different parts of the apartment, and they all give you smiles as you walk past them.

“Y/N, are you hungry? There’s some left over pizza in the fridge.” Izzy offers, pointing toward the kitchen.

“Damn it, I was planning on eating that for breakfast tomorrow,” Steven pouts, chucking what appears to be a wooden spoon at Izzy’s feet.

A chuckle falls from your lips as you settle into the couch, instantly relaxing as a blanket is draped over your shoulders. You look behind yourself just as Axl comes around to the front of the sofa, settling back in the spot beside you.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” He asks, grabbing another blanket for himself.

You shake your head, positioning yourself so that your head rests gently in his lap. It was something you did as kids. Whenever you were upset but didn’t want to talk about it, you’d settle into his lap. He’d let you lie there for as long as you needed, always making sure to scratch your head or run a hand through your hair. It was his way of letting you know he was there.

And just like when you were young, Axl’s hand finds your hair, lightly kneading your scalp. Your eyes flutter shut briefly, sinking into his gentle touch, and when you open your eyes, Steven and Izzy are standing to leave the room, sending not so subtle winks in Axl’s direction.

When it’s just the two of you, you’re finally at peace.

Until Axl asks the question. “Does Vince know you’re here?”

Chewing on your lip, you pull the blanket closer to your neck. You could only hope that Axl would leave it alone after you answered. “He’s the reason I came here.”

Why Vince truly hated Axl was a mystery. He’d never explicitly told you. Thinking about it, you couldn’t even come up with a reason.

“Did something happen?” He presses. Not that he’s nosy, but because he cares.

Sitting up, you tug the blanket around your body, legs curling in a pretzel. Axl watches you carefully, and the three words he never expected to hear crash into him like a wave on the shore. “He hit me.”

Blood drains from Axl’s face. He blinks twice, letting the words settle in his head, before sitting up straighter, body locking. “He did what?”

“It’s no big deal,” you brush it off. You had to. If not, you’d be a puddle of tears on his couch. “It was an accident. I said something and it triggered him. Plus, he was still a bit drunk from today. I instigated everything. It was my fault.”

Axl feels rage ignite in his body, fists clenching as he listens to you wrongfully blame yourself for Vince’s actions. His fingers twitch, itching to meet with Vince’s face, give him a taste of his own medicine. Because no one, no one, laid a hand on you and got away with it.

He grabs your jaw and you flinch. He sees it now. The outline of a hand on your cheek.

He softens his grip but makes sure to keep your face close to his own. Tears gather in the corners of your eyes, but he knows you won’t let them fall. “I’ll make him pay.”

“Axl--.”

“No, listen to me,” he says, forehead against yours. He’s breathing deep, heavy, angrily. “I swear to you, I will make him fucking regret the moment he put his hands on you.”

The roles are reversed. Once the victim, now the protector. In this moment, this very instance where your bodies are only an inch away, noses brushing against each other, lips centimeters apart, you see Axl in a whole new light.

And there’s now a part of you that wants to find out what would happen if you pushed forward gently and kissed him. Would he pull away? Kiss you back?

But you don’t find out. Instead, you’re the one that pulls back, fingers twisting around his wrist to keep his palm flat against your burning cheek. There’s something between you. You felt it the second you bumped into him at the restaurant. A certain force, a pull, bringing you together.

“I can handle him, Axl.” What you’ll say isn’t clear. It could end in tears, in a fight. Or, on a brighter side, it could end in forgiveness. “When I see him tomorrow, I’ll just—.”

“You don’t need to go back there,” Axl says, almost pleading. If he has to get on his knees and beg he’ll do it. He’ll do anything to make you stay. Keep you safe. “Stay here with me. You’re more than welcome here. You know that.”

His heart, his caring soul, his love for you shines through. He’d turned into such a wonderful, handsome, courageous man, but even you could still see some glimpses of the boy he used to be. He wants to protect you, but he’s nervous. Nervous for you. “I want you to hold me. Can you do that?”

He nods, quickly kissing your forehead before he pulls you down, nuzzling the side of your head as you sink into the couch. It’s a tight fit, but he manages to wrap both arms around you. You’re safe this way. And after a few more moments of talking, and Axl promising that he’d come to your home tomorrow to help you bake the cupcakes for Lei’s son’s party, you fall asleep blissfully in his arms.

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teacup-set · 3 years

Text

halcyon days

Summary: The sea rages as it yearns for its lover, but for one fortnight each year, it's perfectly still. [SasuSaku, Mythical!AU]

FFN, AO3

AN: I wrote this story a long while ago, but got around to editing it recently while shifting my work to AO3, so decided to give it one more chance on here.

I sit on the warm, white sand and watch my mother and father embrace moments before my father is to embark on a sea voyage. She softly kisses his cheek and he offers her a reassuring smile as he walks back to the dock, where countless men work on countless ships, inspecting every nook and crevice to ensure that the vessel is ready for the sea.

My mother joins the rest of the women as they all wave their hands in goodbyes and shout good wishes. It is only an empty ritual though, everyone knows that for fourteen days around the winter solstice the sea is absolutely calm and still. Only a gentle sea breeze races across the water’s surface, filling the sails of the ships and spraying droplets of water into the air where they catch the rays of the sun and explode into iridescent colors.

A legend dictates that any man who sets sail between the seven days before the winter solstice and the seven days after would find his way back to his lover's arms unharmed, which is why my people chose this day to embark on a voyage.

But it's not like they could have chosen any other day. For these fourteen days the sea is calm, but for the rest of the year, it rages. Mother says the sea is clawing at the land in longing, because something it loves lives here. Tide after tide attack the shore with such ferocity that it is impossible to dwell anywhere near the sea.

Which is why my tribe lives in the very heart of wave country, far away from the enraged sea, and only travel down here once a year. The beach is barren and soulless, save for one house over the low cliff.

My eyes trail away from the departing seamen and glance over to my left, where the old man who lives in the cliff-top abode is sitting on a boulder, something close to relief reflected on his face.

He's been living in that hut for more years than I've been born, but somehow the waves never seem to touch his little home.

I've seen him walking along the beach before, with an uchiwa fan sewn onto the back of his Yukata. I recognize it, it's the emblem of the Uchiha tribe, the fire wielders from the land of leaves, so why did this old man reside in wave country?

I see grandma Ino slowly walking towards me, and I make up my mind to ask her about the mysterious old man. She seems about as old as he does, perhaps she has some answers.

It takes another few moments for her old, frail knees to carry her to the spot where I am sitting, and as soon as she reaches she settles down at a spot behind me and weaves her fingers through my hair.

I inherited her long, pale blonde hair and she loved to weave it into elaborate braids, while I enjoy the welcome pressure of her fingertips on my scalp. She sets to work, parting and twisting my hair, and I finally ask her the question that had been ricocheting inside my head.

"Ino baa-chan," I say, "Who is that man sitting on the rocks over there? The one who lives by the sea?"

Even though I cannot see her face, I know she is smiling and I can hear it in her voice when she speaks.

"Mira, did you know, there was once a time that the sea was calm and quiet all year round?"

I'm a little annoyed, because she doesn't answer my question, but her words have piqued my curiosity. "Really, baa-chan? This fearsome sea?" I ask.

"Aa," she says, and I can tell she is still smiling "This very sea."

"What changed, then?"

As soon as I said those words, her hands became still, and I know she is going to tell me a story. I don’t not mind though, Ino baa-chan tells the best stories, so I remove my legs from underneath me, turn to face her, and sit down in a more comfortable, cross legged position.

She inhales deeply, and with a faraway look in her eyes, she begins...

A young woman sits on the rocks by the sea, looking out at the endless expanse of water before her. Her long coral hair cascades down her shoulders in soft waves as she rests her head in the palm of her hand and smiles softly.

The trance she is lost in is interrupted when she hears a distressed mewling in the distance. White dress flowing in the wind, she gets up and breaks into a run towards the sound, coming to halt when she sees a dolphin beached on the shore and a man hovering over it.

She opens her mouth to yell at him, and ask him to stop what he was doing, before promptly shutting it close when she realizes that he's trying to drag the fish back into the water, not to the land.

Quickly, she rushes over to him, and they both heave and grunt as they try to push the beast back into the sea. The man's eyes widen in surprise when the tide reaches in farther into the shore and takes the dolphin with it as it returns to the sea.

They watch as the dolphin wades through the shallow water until it finally reaches the deep, and then swims away in search of its pod.

"Thank you for helping her,” she says, smiling sweetly, “What's your name?", but it takes him a long minute to grasp what she has spoken because he is stunned by the changing colors of her eyes, every single one of them a different shade of green. When his senses return to him, he covers his surprise with a cough and then answers, "Aa. Something that belongs to the sea must return to the sea. I could not watch it suffer." he pauses, "My name is Sasuke."

Her smile widens a little and she moves closer to him. Standing on her toes, she presses her lips to his in a soft, chaste kiss and his eyes fall close at the delightful pressure. When he opens them again, she is gone, and there's only the taste of salt on his lips.

The man with the dark hair and darker eyes returns to the same spot the next day, a little while before the sun immerses itself into the sea, and waits in hopes of seeing the roseate woman from yesterday.

He waits and waits until the sea swallows the sun and the sky turns a rich black, punctuated with stars glowing dimmer than the green eyes of the mysterious woman. He has almost abandoned hope and is about to return to his lodgings, when the sea on the far end of the beach swirls into a tiny whirlpool and out emerges the woman from yesterday.

He watches in awe as the water parts and makes way for her to come to the shore, and before he can ever recall commanding them to move, his feet are shuffling to the woman who was born from the sea.

He approaches her, and if she has noticed his presence, she doesn't acknowledge it. Caught off guard by her dismissal, he ponders how to approach her.

"Hello..." he begins somewhat unsurely. She stills, hands that were untangling seaweed from her hair falling to her sides, as she stares at him dumbstruck.

"Y-you can see me?" she says, sounding surprised.

Frowning, he counters. "Should I not be able to?"

She laughs a little, and his heart flutters at the sound. "Most people can't. I am only seen by those looking for me." she says, looking into his eyes.

His frown only deepens, and she looks like she understands the questions swimming through his mind. Grabbing hold of his left hand, she brings it to her chest. His eyes widen when instead of a heartbeat, he can feel the vibrations of waves thundering within her rib cage.

"I am a sea goddess." she says with a smile.

The goddess and the man spend the rest of the night talking away as the goddess explains to him how her mother is the ruler of the oceans, and how her and each of her six sisters rule a portion of the seas. He wonders if he ought to be more surprised at this discovery of a whole new world, but something deep-seated within him believes every word she says without question.

They talk until the sky is streaked red and the goddess tells him she must return to the sea. Standing up, she turns to him and says "Goodbye, Sasuke-kun. I really did enjoy our time together, I hope we can do this again some day." Turning around, she begins walking back into the sea.

"Wait!" his voice calls her, laced with slight panic at the realization that despite talking all night he was still missing a crucial piece of information, "You never gave me your name" she stops in her stride and turns to look at him.

"For when we meet again." he adds.

Her eyes twinkle as she answers. "Sakura."

They begin to meet often after that night. They would lie on the soft sand and talk under the cover of the stars as the sea goddess played a beautiful symphony with the sound of the waves.

More often than not, it would be her who did all the talking. She would tell him about life underwater, the conflicts among the gods, stories from the wars she had witnessed in her centuries of existence. But every now and then, he'd share pieces of his life with her too and she would greedily absorb every piece of information he would impart.

He told her about his hometown in the land of leaves and how he was living with his brother's friend in wave country to help him build a bridge, he told her about his childhood, his family, he speaks with a passion about the fire she had been afraid of all her life, and about the flowers she was named after.

He was surprised to learn that despite being named Sakura, she had never actually seen cherry blossoms in bloom. "I can't stray too far from the sea." she told him, "but I hope to see them someday."

He nods.

A few weeks later, the bridge is built and his work in wave country is done. On his last night in wave country, as they sit on the beach, they don't speak a word. Somewhere in the middle of the night, he takes his hand in hers and they sit there watching the waves roll in.

When the sun begins to return to its place in the sky, she finally turns to him and speaks. "I'm afraid I might be in love with you."

For a very long time he is silent, and she feels her heart sink like a stone in the water. Just before he gets up to leave, he tightly squeezes her small hand.

"Do not be afraid, for I think I might be in love with you too."

That night is not the last they see of each other. At every chance he got, the fire heir would run to wave country to spend a few days wrapped in the arms of the sea goddess.

In the spring he brought her a book filled with the stories of the land, and a single cherry blossom flower pressed in between.

In his absence, the goddess shares her loneliness with the god of the wind, Naruto-kami. Legend says that the ruler of the skies was also once in love with a mortal, blind woman, and so could sympathize with her pain.

He could never marry her because of the wrath it would incur from heaven, so he loved her in secret. He fathered a child with the marble eyed woman, and the child was born with the same white eyes as his mother but with vision that surpassed any mortal. His unique vision was carried on by his progeny and gave rise to the famed Hyuga clan.

After the woman succumbed to mortality, the wind god never wed in all the centuries that followed.

The sea goddess and her lover steal many nights and days together, basking in each other's love, but a storm begins to brew in the sea.

The eldest sister of the goddess learns about her affair with the mortal and is enraged. Unable to stand the unnatural connection of a mortal and an immortal, she informs the heavens of her sister's misdeeds.

A summit of the gods is organized at once to address her crimes.

"What you are doing is unacceptable!" the overseer of the council tells her, "It simply cannot be!"

But the goddess stands defiant. "I love him" she says, "and that will not change."

"A mortal and an immortal are not destined to be together, such is the law." he insists and the goddess watches the wind god standing behind the council of gods wince as if in pain.

She can see the pain that reflects in his cerulean blue eyes and she knows it's not a pain she would be able to bear.

"Then, gods, I give up my immortality." she declares.

Gasps echo all across the room as the gods break into hushed whispers.

"Tsunade! Do you hear your daughter? Will you allow this?" the ruler of heaven barks at the queen of the sea.

The mighty sea goddess stares into her daughter's defiant eyes for a long time, her inner conflict betrayed on her pained face. Then, she sighs — "All I want is my daughter's happiness, and if she has found it in a mortal then so be it."

Sakura looks at her mother's eyes and hopes the unshed tears in her eyes will convey her apology as Tsunade leaves her throne and chants a spell. The next instant there is a blinding pain wracking every inch of the younger goddess's body as she feels her soul being incinerated and remodeled again. Through the pain she opens her eyes and glances at Naruto, his eyes a mix of pride and regret, and she knows she has made the right choice.

The pain is eventually too much to bear and she feels her consciousness slipping. When she awakens, she is at the beach where she met her lover.

She extends her hand to the sea, and it does not respond.

She spends the next week waiting for her lover to return. An old widow grants her shelter, and Sakura visits the beach every night anticipating Sasuke's return.

The night they are united, she quickly runs into his arms and buries her face in his sturdy chest.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" he asks, his voice laced with worry.

Breathless, she tells him about all the things that had conspired, down to the ultimatum that heaven presented her with. His eyes widen and he holds his breath as he waits to hear her choice. Wordlessly, she takes his palm and presses it to her chest, just like she did when they met for the second time.

He hears her heart thrumming beneath his touch.

He sends a messenger back to his hometown to convey he would be late in returning this time, and spends the next few weeks by his lover's side.

They stay at a local inn and every morning he would disappear, and return to her at night tired and weary. She questioned where he would go, but he only asked her to be patient. At the end of three weeks, he took her back to the beach and showed her a small wooden house near the edge of the cliff, overlooking the water.

"I built this. For us." he said.

With tears streaking her face she wraps her arms around him and mouths a question into his chest. "How can we stay here? Your life is in the land of leaves."

"My life," he holds her equally tightly, "is where you are. And your life is where the sea is."

She sobs in his embrace.

"I don't know how to repay you." she says, her voice hoarse.

"Marry me."

They decide on a spring wedding. Two weeks before their wedding, he tells her he must visit home one last time to inform his family and to take care of some business.

He returns to wave country two days before the wedding. It's a simple, short ceremony and that night when they retire to their house by the sea, he gives her a hollow quartz necklace with a liquid inside.

"It's the essence of cherry blossoms. You will always smell like them." he tells her.

Smiling a brilliant, blinding smile, she lets him clasp the necklace around her neck.

Peace reigns over the couple as they share three years of marital bliss, their love for each other only growing with each day that passed.

But things took a turn for the worse when Sasuke returned home one day clutching a piece of paper in his hand and something akin to desperation swimming in his eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura is immediately filled with worry.

"It's a letter from home." He explains "My brother is missing. He went to the Ame islands, but he has not returned. I must go find him."

As soon as he finishes his revelation, Sakura shakes her head violently. "No, no, no, no." she insists. "You can't go to Ame. My sister rules those seas, Sasuke, she's violent and she hates me. You won't make it back alive."

But even as she says those words, she knows they will have no effect. Sasuke's love for his brother was as boundless as her sister's hate for her. He would stop at nothing to save him, she knows, so she asks for something different.

"Take me with you. Please. You cannot leave me here." she begs.

"No, Sakura. I won't put you in any needless danger. I will go alone." his answers decisively.

She cries and begs and pleads, but the fire wielder is resolute. For the first time in all the time she had known him, when he held her close to stop her tears, she found no comfort in his arms.

Sasuke's ship sets sail three days from that day, and until that time they spend every waking moment wrapped up in each other.

When the day finally arrives, she kisses him softly on his lips, wishes him well, and folds her hands to utter the same prayer to the sea that people used to recite to her years ago.

The sailing is smooth for most part of the journey, and he thinks perhaps he'll actually make it back to the arms of his beautiful wife, but things begin to turn sinister as the ship approaches the territory of the Sea Goddess's eldest daughter.

Large waves slam against the hull of the ship, and the waters around it begin to swirl, first lazily, then with rigor, trapping the vessel in a massive whirlpool. All men aboard the ship cling to its sides, holding on for dear life as it sways violently, mouthing prayers to the sea goddess. But there is only one name on Sasuke's lips.

"Sakura..."

A mammoth wave slams into the side of the ship, destroying its left completely, tossing the men overboard into the waiting waters. They collide with each other and the ship’s debris as the whirlpool twirls them around violently.

There's a loud roar of gushing blood in Sasuke's ears and a fire growing in his lungs as he tries to keep his head above the water. There's a sting of salt along his left thigh and he thinks there's a deep gash there left by one of the ship's sphincters, but the pain fades into insignificance as he imagines his wife standing on the shores, awaiting his return.

He fights with renewed vigor, but in his heart he knows this is the end. He nears the center of the whirlpool and immediately feels a strong tug trying to pull him under. Expending every last ounce of energy he fights the suction, but he's only one man against a mighty sea and the water overwhelms him, engulfing him completely.

Immediately, the waters on the surface lapse back into stillness. But the fire in his lungs has spread to every single cell in his body and Sasuke knows he will not see the shore again.

Sinking slowly, he closes his eyes and says a prayer to the queen of the sea.

"Let my body wash to the shore. Let my wife not wait an eternity in vain..."

In the heavens, Tsunade let a solitary tear glide down the curve of her cheek as she willed the currents to carry the body of the man who loved her daughter back to her footsteps.

Sakura is in restless slumber when her eyes shoot open. The moon is missing from the sky but the tide is high, and her heart is beating wildly in her chest like a panicked animal in a cage. Her breath comes out in rapid succession and she knows, she just knows something has gone terribly wrong.

In the middle of the night, she runs down the rocky path to the beach, unmindful of the cold wind flapping her hair and nightdress around. She runs and runs and runs without pausing to breathe and only slows down when she sees the outline of a body near the water.

"No. Oh gods, NO!" she says as she picks up pace again.

Her knees fold underneath her as she lowers herself near the limp body. Stretching her hand, she turns his face towards her, and all the tears that had been gathering in her eyes since she awakened trickled down like waterfalls as her eyes recognized the face she woke up next to for years.

Holding his face to her chest, a broken cry erupts from her throat.

The first rays of the sun found Sakura still on the beach, clutching the body of her beloved, chanting his name like a mantra.

Her voice begins to crack and her face becomes stiff from dried up tears. She looks to the skies and screams,

"Please, give Sasuke back to me. I beg thee!"

But Sakura too was once an immortal, and she knows that the price of life can only be paid in kind. Wiping the remains of the tears on her cheeks, she stands up.

“Return my husband’s, and I shall sacrifice myself to the sea I was born from.” she says, determination ringing in her voice.

She glances at the lifeless form of her lover at her feet and she wants to bend down and kiss him but she knows that the taste of his lips would shatter her resolve, so with one final look, she takes a step towards the sea.

Placing on foot after the other she lets the familiar waters pull her in, and when the water is almost to her neck, she turns to see her husband beginning to stir at the shore.

Smiling sadly, she sends an apology his way, and lowers her head into the sea.

Ino baa-chan becomes quiet for a long time and I ponder the story as we sit in shared silence.

She breaks my train of thought when she speaks again, "Since that day, the tides became fierce, pounding onto the shore as though the water goddess’s spirit was trying to return to her lover."

She paused before continuing.

"The heavens were awed to witness a love so pure that in his last moments, the man only thought of his wife, and his beautiful lover who adored him enough to make the ultimate sacrifice. To honor their love, the rest of the gods allowed Naruto-kami to turn the spirit of the sea goddess into a sea breeze so she could return to the land and reunite with her lover for one fortnight each year.

And that's why, young Mira, for the entire year the sea aches to be with her beloved, but during the fourteen days in which they are united, the sea is calm."

I look out to the sea which is completely still under the sun, feel the light ocean breeze running through my hair while her words sink in. I smile-

"That's a really good story, Ino baa-chan. One of your best."

She breaks into a wide smile when she hears my words.

"Oh no, my child. It's not a story, it's very much real." she says, eyes twinkling with mischief.

I look away from the sea and turn my attention back to her as I laugh. "What do you mean it's real, baa-chan? It's only a legend." I say, waving my hand in disbelief.

"It most certainly is not." she bends closer to me and speaks into my ear, "Tell me Mira, what do you smell in the air?"

I'm a little surprised by her question but I humor her anyway and breathe in deeply. "Cherry Blossoms." I say.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, my eyes widen. There are no cherry blossoms in wave country.

My head reels as I recall the details of the story baa-chan told me, and suddenly realization strikes. Getting up so fast that my head spins, I look at the old man who lives on the cliff sitting on the rocks near the sea. And sure enough, I saw it-

Hidden in broad daylight, visible only to those who were looking for her, a woman with long pink hair pressed snugly into his side, her contented smile mirroring the one he wore on his lips.

Fin.

#ss #ss fanfiction

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roses-field · 4 years

Note

For the writing thing "Is it working?" For uhhh perhaps,,, Chelley? 👁👁

here ya go!! sorry it took so long aa

"Is it working?" : Chelley oneshot

( Core!Wheatley x Chell short fluff)

I haven't really wrote any actual portal fanfics so forgive me if it's bad and too short

()~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~()

Escaping, that's what the two were doing, escaping the hell-like place that they were trapped deep within.

The sudden change of pace was startling enough despite Chell ran many times during the awaking of Her and the endless test chambers of puzzles, each one harder then the previous. She was prepared for almost anything by now, almost.

Or that's what they thought

She survied the few turrets that She placed onto the thousand year old metal surface, at first not knowing if the crimson red one-optic machined taken their chance of shooting those bullets into her rough skin, blood covering the floor.

Now guided by Wheatley, both of them have disabled the turret production lines and are onto the neurotoxin, yet he began to notice something. How Chell's fast sudden movements slowered, of course she was still moving and had her reflexes of when she could feel danger but he was sure that humans weren't meant to have some kind of grey around the eyes, while all of GLADOS' test subjects had that and sickly pale skin, the tired apperence of the jumpsuited woman increased with the grey.

"Hey.. are you- doing alright? Can't talk right.. just shake your head or nod! Perfered it if you did nod, since it would be pretty bad if you weren't okay-" It was easy to tell the sphere robot was nervous by the sound of his tone and his optic, she nodded while failing to hide a quiet yawn, the only sound she was willing to make were those yawns and chuckles, alongsides with coughs.

Walking on the catwalks, her boots making a cling noise each time they touched the harmetal surface as they were getting further into their dangerous plan, focused on her own thoughts untill she heard Wheatley's voice again "Okay I'm not gonna lie here, you look bloody tired so I think we should find somewhere to rest, yknow? Of course- if we do find somewhere, couldn't sleep on this walkway could you now? Well you probably could but that wouldn't be that comfortable, not like there is anywhere that is comfortable though"

But she knew that maybe there was a chance of finding one of those abandoned hideout dens, as if someone once lived in them, as he kept talking Chell looked around for any areas that were secretive enough, safely hidden from Her as much as possible.

Crash. Cling.

A celiling panel dropped to the endless void that was overtooken with shadow, revealed a pitch black room that was impossible to see in, yet Chell shot the orange glowing portal at the walls that supported the catwalk and the neon blue into the dark room, untill the orange portal opened.

"Oh that's clever! Now I was gonna suggest to try to place that portal there but it seems you already knew that, hold on, dark there innit?" She nodded as Wheatley turned on his flashlight, then realising something again "A thing I just noticed right now is that there's no managetnent rail in there, so could you yknow, catch me this time? Won't do a countdown, just gonma pop off this thing"

Chell attempted to catch him before, the first time he told her to catch him didn't go so well but this time, this time she bloody did it, she managed to caught him.

As she held the metal sphere with the portal gun, Chell walked into the small room somewhat lit up by his flashlight, the place must of been old as the walls were dusty, a slight muddy yellow tint on where the walls aligned, for once they weren't panels despite being metal, down in Aperture anything that was made of that matieral felt as if it was controlled by Her, apart from Wheatley.

It must of been one of those dens as there were those markings on the walls, like drawings or writing but it was unable to read what any of the scribbling meant, how a man got up here is mystery in itself, yet alone how it would be possible to survive Her.

Chell wondered around the small room, finding old fallen plates that were detached from what could be other chambers and placed them to cover up the hole that was in the floor, making it safe for her and Wheatley.

"Oh that was brilliant! Alright well enough for today, you gotta recharg- rest and tommorrow I'll figure out what to do with the neurotoxin" the gently-placed-on-the-floor robot dimmed the flashlight as the ponytailed brunette layed near the wall, Wheatley rolling near her, like a nightlight as his optic was being a slight light source, turning off the flashlight.

Chell closed her tired icy gray eyes, how long had she been here? Was it days solving the test chambers? Despite she was under suspension for what could of been thousands of years she still felt tired, exhuested from everything. And now finally asleep.. right?

()~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-()

Cling

Brrrv

...

Clang

.....

Dark, only darkness and a red optic.

.....

It was getting closer.

......

A laser coming from it.

.......

It was pointing at-

()~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-()

She was back in the shadowy room, despite having good night vision the room was almost pitch dark apart from the gentle blue glow of Wheatley's optic that was looking at her.

"Luv? Are- you okay? Panicked breating and suddenly slamming the wall with your foot isn't normal is it?" It was about two hours after Chell went to sleep, he had been out of his sleep mode a while ago, being bored of it.

The brunette turned her head and looked towards him quickly, nodding her head, breathing wasn't that fast anymore but still somewhat filled with panic, a thing Wheatley realised before her was that she was leeking, not a lot but there was leekage in her eyes, he knew that humans arn't suppose to leak and they needed some sort of red fluids but not sure about the clear ones that come out of their eyes.

"You're leeking- that's not suppose to happen right?" She never cried, not that she remebered before if she ever did, she was suppose to be brave and strong, and she is. So many horrible things happened yet she cried over a stupid nightmare, obviously angry at herself deep down but Chell was too tired to carry on the anger, she was stressed and frightend.

Finally a idea of what it could of been ticked into his brain, he heard that humans needed comfort, whatever that was.

"Was it a nightmare luv? That's what it's called right- when you have a scary image while having your eyes closed?" Another nod yet this one was short, sighing right after, It seemed that was also another sound she was willing to make, he wondered if she would talk one day.

Chell shivered slightly, she was used to Aperture's low temperture in the chambers, her jumpsuit being one of the things that slightly kept her warm but on here it was pretty cold, it gets colder at night right? So maybe it is night for once, unable to tell through the simulation of daylight.

"Hey?" I heard this human concept of 'hugging' when someone puts their arms around the other person, could help! I don't have arms but- maybe hugging me could help?" Grabbing the sphere by the handles with her hands, she had put away the portal gun near her before the first attempt of sleep just incase, yet it felt more comforting to just use her arms.

Chell was now hugging him, it felt comforting like he suggested, he couldn't hug her back of course but it was still nice, and another thing, he was pretty warm, a gentle warmth that helped ignore the shivering.

Wheatley's running circuits were oddly relaxing to hear, her panicked heartbeat going back to normal was relaxing for him too as he listened to it throughout the silence, helping her calm down was surprisingly a easy task, they stayed hugging for a while but long time untill her arms got tired and placed the robot right besides her, letting out a tired yawn again.

Changing her position from sitting to laying on her side, facing Wheatley as her eyes felt slightly heavy as he spoke again "I got another brilliant idea! Full of then actually, well this one might not work but.. I heared humans sing sometines, now I never ever done that singing thing but I could give it a go..?"

Chell nodded again as then she grabbed the top handle and moved him, now hugging again, or more like a cuddle.

"I heard it a while back, somewhere storaged up in my system actually, had no clue why it was even in there."

And then he began to sing, Chell closing her eyes. It wasn't the best but it was still calming and nice, a simple melody.

"When the light is running low..

And the shadows start to grow....

And the places that you know..

Seem like fantasy..

There's a light inside your soul...

That’s still shining in the cold..

With the truth....

The promise in our hearts

Don't forget

I'm with you in the dark..."

It was a song this blonde haired human had, for who knows why he remembered this human, he so apparently had someone sing it to him in one of the stressful days, yet it was a shame that he couldn't remember who or what the person that sung to him looked like. A small fragment thought it might of been someone that had dark brown hair in a ponytail.

"Is... Is it working?" His tone was gentle, not to accidently wake her up by chance if she was sleeping, yet it must of been hard to fall asleep when there was a glowy light, but it was farely gentle.

What Wheatley didn't expect was a response, her tired gentle voice sounded beautiful "Thank you.." was what she murmured before placing a soft kiss on his outer shell before going to sleep, she had a good feeling that this time her attempt would be successful.

His circuits quickly working as if he had a fan-cooling system, the warmth increasing but not insanely, whatever that action was, it felt nice, really nice,

two surprises in one day.

Maybe she would give him another one after they finally escaped to the surface

#portal 2 #chelley #fanfiction #chell #wheatley #writing #my writing #roses writing

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cornellgissing · 3 years

Text

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ga-yuu · 4 years

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Ikemen Genjiden “My Dear Exclusive Bodyguard” Story Event - Yoshitsune route

One day when the wind at dusk became a little cooler....

I finished working as a pharmacist in the town and came back to the mansion. The work in Hiraizumi is progressing smoothly, and the number of patients are also increasing.

(I think it’s time to get some more herbs)

I heard from my colleagues that the medicinal herbs I’m looking for were mostly found in the mountains that separate Hiraizumi and the neighboring country.

(it’s going to be little far, so I need to get ready)

As I was walking in the hallway while thinking about that....

???: “Yuno”

A soft voice calls out my name and I turned around.

Yoshitsune: “You’re back.”

Yuno : “Yoshitsune-sama, I just got back.”

Y/s: “Really, welcome back.”

Yoshitsune spoke and reached for my head.

(.........)

He started stroking my hair gently like it’s the natural thing to do.

Y: “Sorry, is it a mess?”

YS: “It must be the wind that touched your hair.” (*^‿^*)

When he tells something straight , my cheeks became hot.

YS: “By the way, I have something to tell you. Will you come to my room?”

(hm?)

I entered his room and sat next to Yoshitsune.

Y: “So what is it....?”

YS: “Recently, there has been reports stating strange incidents in the neighborhood.”

Y: “Strange incidents?”

Yoshitsune went silent for a moment and then continued.

YS: “Women and children who have gone into the mountains seem to be missing one after another. There are rumors about some god.”

(......! It might also be an ayakashi?)

YS: “Because it’s outside our jurisdiction, there’s a lot of uncertainty about the details of the case. You go to the mountains to pick herbs, right?”

Y: “Oh yeah, I was about to go.”

Suddenly Yoshitsune hugged my body. My heart started pounding when his neat face approaches.

YS: “It’s dangerous to go alone. Let me protect you for a while.”

(I’m very happy to hear that, but......)

Y: “Isn’t Yoshitsune-sama busy?I can’t trouble you. I’ll try other ways to get it.”

YS: “But that would take time.”

Yoshitsune hugs me tightly.

YS: “No worries, I can make time to protect you.” (づ ◕‿◕ )づ

(..........It sure will take time and I can’t even avoid my patients)

Y: “I’m sorry you have to do this, but is it okay?”

When I asked him, he gave me a soft smile.

YS: “Of course.” (〃＾▽＾〃)

Y: “Thank you! Please take care of me then.”

YS: “You don’t have to be afraid.”

Yoshitsune’s hand gently strokes my cheek.

YS: “I’m glad you can count on me.”

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama....” (//ω//)

I closed my eyes slowly as his lips approached. After receiving a soft kiss, I gently hugged him back.

(When I first met him, I never thought Yoshitsune would love me like this)

Three days later......

I got dressed and walked down the hallway towards Yoshitsune’s room.

???: “Oi”

Y: “.........!?”

Someone pulled the bamboo basket I was holding from behind and I turned around to see Kurama.

K: “What’s with this ugly basket?”

Y: “I’m going to the mountains for picking some herbs. The basket is for that.”

K: “I don’t think so. Yoshitsune said ‘I’m going out’”

Y: “Yeah, that’s because he is coming with me.”

K: “Why does Yoshitsune have to go out of his way to accompany you in your work?”

Y: “He is worried about me. You do know the missing cases in the mountains recently, right?”

K: “So that’s the case.”

(Speaking of......that god like thing, I hope Kurama, being an ayakashi might know something about this)

Y: “Hey Kurama, I wonder if these series of events is really because of some god.”

K: “........”

Kurama started to grin after a little thinking.

K: “It’s true, there is a terrifying monster with mighty power. A weak human like you won’t come back home once you’ve been kidnapped. It seems that the castle is their next target. When they get tired of their prey, they may come to Hiraizumi.”

(..........!)

Suddenly Kurama caught my chin and forced me to look at him closely.

K: “Are you afraid?”

When I heard it in a low voice, it seemed a little frightening, but....there was something like curiosity in Kurama’s eyes.

(......were you trying to scare me?)

Y: “I’ll ask you again, is the rumor about that god true?”

When I asked, Kurama squinted his red eyes unhappily and let go of my chin.

K: “.....boring woman. If you want to go, then go quickly.” (╯︵╰,)

Kurama stepped back as if he had lost interest and suddenly left.

(It seemed like he wanted to kill some time)

(But after all.....that god....)

I don’t know, but it’s certain that something is happening near Hiraizumi.

(Although Yoshitsune-sama is coming with me, I still have to be careful)

........

Yoshitsune and I rode our horse to the middle of the mountain where the herbs were growing.

YS: “Is it good around here?”

Y: “Yup!”

Yoshitsune stopped his horse and got down. He then extended his hand to me.

YS: “I’ll help you get down. Hold on.”

Y: “Thank you...”

I placed my hand on his shoulder and he gently held my body. When I was placed on the ground...

Y: “Thanks, I will be back soon.”

YS: “There’s no rush. Since I’m here........let me help.”

Y: “Really?will you?”

Yoshitsune takes the basket i had been holding.

YS: “Be vigilant of the people around you, even if you’re helping them. Can you tell me what to get?”

Y: “sure!”

(Yoshitsune-sama is very kind)

I squatted down in the grass with Yoshitsune and taught him the medicinal herbs that we are looking for and how to pick the leaves. Picking herbs like this together is fun.

YS: “is this different” (•ิ_•ิ)?

Y: “Aa.........it’s looks similar,but it’s a different kind of grass.”

Yoshitsune looked at the medicinal herbs I had and compared the leaves he had.

YS: “It’s a small difference, how can you tell?”

Y: “I’m used to it.” (*^‿^*)

When I turned to Yoshitsune while laughing, my eyes were closer than I expected.He stared at me and my cheeks became hot.

YS: “......Yuno?”

Y: “oh...no...nothing...”

(It’s not the time for that!)

(since Yoshitsune-sama was worried about me and came with me, let’s take it seriouly and finish it as soon as possible)

I started concentrating on my work.

........

After a while, the baskets were full of herbs and we returned to the place where our horse were tied.

Y: “Thanks a lot, I got a lot of herbs today.”

YS: “Good, then let’s go back.”

Y: “Yes”

I suddenly noticed a small white flower swaying in a nearby bush.

(that’s an unusual herb)

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama, I will pick some more. It will be over soon. Please get your horse ready.”

YS: “Okay.”

I approached the bush a few steps away and squatted down to pick white flowers. When I stood up, I heard a sound of something creeping up from the depths of the bush.

(eh.......is something in there?)

The words I heard from Kurama immediately flashed through my mind.

Flashback:

Flashback ends....

When I didn’t move, the bushes shook significantly.

Y: “.......!”

I was suddenly held by someone from behind as I fell back in surprise.

YS: “Don’t worry, it’s a fawn.”

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama....”

When I turned to see the bushes, I could see tiny eyes peeking at me from the back of the bush.

(I was surprised!)

YS: “Are you alright?”

Y: “I’m sorry, I was surprised.”

I took a deep breath and calmed my mind. Looking at me Yoshitsune opened his mouth quietly.

YS: “I sorry. It seemed I have scared you.” 人(_ _*)

Y: “hm?”

YS: “You had a stiff expression while you were picking the herbs. Is it because I scared you by telling that incident.” (｡╯︵╰｡)

Yoshitsune looked at me anxiously and I hurriedly shook my head.

Y: “NO, I was surprised to remember the missing case. But while I was picking up the herbs, the reason for my expression was different.”

YS: “Different?” ∑(O_O;)

(it’s embarrassing to say it.....)

When I was about to answer, something cold fell on my cheek.

YS: “......it’s raining”

When I looked up at the sky, the sound of rain intensified. Yoshitsune looked around and pointed at a large tree.

YS: “Let’s take shelter under that tree. Can you run?”

Y: “Yes.”

Yoshitsune speads his sleeve over my head like an umbrella and ran at my pace. We sat under the tree and I let a sigh of relief. When I looked at Yoshitsune’s sleeve it was getting wet.

Y: “Sorry about the kimono.....”

YS: “Don’t worry, I decided to protect you today.”

Droplets of rain spilled from Yoshitsune’s hair.

Y: “Are you protecting me from the rain?”

YS: “Everything that could harm you or bother you.”

(Yoshitsune is protecting not just my body...)

That feeling made my heart warm.

YS: “Anyway, what were you talking earlier about?”

(oh..........)

Y: “Well, my expression was stiff not because of the missing case.”

My face started getting hotter as I conveyed my feelings...

Y: “I enjoyed picking the herbs with you and I seemed to get a little excited. I told myself that I should work hard because you were taking you’re valuable time to guarding me.”

When I told him frankly, he suddenly hugged me. I found myself completely wrapped in Yoshitsune’s arms.

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama?”

YS: “It’s not good for me if you’re too adorable.” (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

He looked away when he held me.

YS: “I thought I shouldn’t interfere with your work.......Can we stay like this at least until the rain stops?”

(Oh Yoshitsune-sama....)

Hearing his simple question tightened my chest.

Y: “I want to stay like this for a while.......”

YS: “Okay” ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ

Yoshitsune smiled softly and wiped the raindrop on my cheek with his fingers.

YS: “Taking shelter from the rain with you like this, even the gloomy summer rain feels good..The feeling to love you is endless.”

Closed my eyes when his face approached me. Wrapped in a happy mood, the still heavy rain gradually receded.

Next day......

I was on my way to the patient’s house, which was a little far from the palace. An old lad with weak legs asked me to deliver the medicines.

(I was planning to inform Yoshitsune before I left....)

When I went in front of Yoshitsune’s room, I heard something serious going on inside. I didn’t want to disturb him so I asked his vassal to give him the message as soon as he comes out.

(I’ll be back by sunset. I’m sure it’ll be all right.)

.........

Old lady: “I’m sorry you had to come this far, Yuno-san. I’ve been in bed since this morning.”

Y: “That’s fine........feels like your fever has decreased. How are you feeling?”

Old lady: “I feel better now.”

Y: “That’s good. Just in case, please lie down for little longer.”

I told the old lady and set aside my utensils.

(I’m glad I bought them)

Although it was only intended to bring medicine prepared in advance, it seems to have helped. I packed my thing when I felt it was getting late.

Y: “I’ll leave the medicine here.”

old lady: “Thank you....and be careful on your way home.”

the old lady raised her head as if she remembered something.

old lady: “A kid in my neighborhood was crying while being taken to a mountain by a weird man during this time.”

Y: “eh.........?”

old lady: “the child seems to have been kidnapped. It’s dangerous.”

After leaving the old lady’s house, I was on my way home. While thinking what the old lady just said, I gradually increased my speed.

As I turned to the corner of the street...

Y: “.........!”

Suddenly someone from behind blocked my mouth and I smelled something sweet.

???: “Sorry, come with me....”

All I heard was a strange voice and my consciousness sank into darkness.

..........

I opened my eyes and found myself in a dim room.

Y: “.........where....?”

I managed to straighten up my body with my hands and feet that were tied and peeked out of the window.Apparently I was in the mountains, all could see the was the swaying trees.

(I got kidnapped...)

Judging from the sky, it seems long time have passed. The sweet scent still remains on me. I struggled to untie the rope but it was impossible.

(What should I do? ........Yoshitsune-sama must be worried)

As soon as he heard the rumors about that god, he was worried about me.

(I don’t know whether this is a work of ayakashi or not but I have to get out....)

I made up my mind and went for the door.

(It’s not easy....once again....)

Just as I was about to go, the door suddenly opened and several men came in.

Man 1: “I heard a noise, so I came to check.”

The man frowned when he looked at me.

(he’s human, right?)

I clenched my fists and opened my mouth nervously.

Y: “Why are you doing this.....”

Man 2: “For money of course. Our village has had a bad harvest this year.”

(’Our village’....so these guys are not from Hiraizumi)

Man 2: “If we sell woman and children like this, we can make lots of money.”

Y: “So that ‘god’ rumor that has been spreading, is it your doing?”

Man 3: “So what?”

Man 2: “We are leaving tomorrow morning. If you come with us quietly, I can assure your safety.”

(no....!)

Man 1: “I’ll tell you, don’t try to escape. There are guards outside.”

With this, the men went out of the hut. Th surroundings became quiet and anxiety and fear slowly touched my heart.

(I have to be strong. Don’t give up. See if there’s a way.)

While tried looking for something to cut the rope, the outside gradually becomes bright. When I closed my eyes to calm my anxiety, the time I spent with Yoshitsune runs through my mind.

flashback.....

Y: “Sorry about the kimono.....”

YS: “Don’t worry, I decided to protect you today.”

Y: “Are you protecting me from the rain?”

YS: “Everything that could harm you or bother you.”

flashback ends.....

Memories of his gentle expression faded my fear little.

(If he knew about me situation, he would surely come for my rescue.....if somehow, I could tell him about my whereabouts)

The moment I bit my lips in frustration, I hear a noise outside.

???: “Hey, What are you...AAH..!

(huh?)

After hearing a sound of something falling, the door was quickly opened.

YS: “Yuno, are you alright?”

I heard a voice filled with heavy emotion, and the amethyst eyes shot straight at me.

Premium END

Y: “Yoshitsune...! How did you......”

On the other side of the open door, a man who seemed to be on guard fainted and lay on the ground.

YS: “We’ll talk later. First let me get you to safety.”

Yoshitsune knelt down beside me and untied the rope.

Y: “Thank you”

YS: “Are you hurt?”

Y: “Nothing. I was just tied up here after I fainted.”

YS: “....I’m relieved to hear that.”

Yoshitsune was shining with relief from the bottom of his heart and hugged my body gently.

(........)

The moment I feel the warmth, I realize for the first time that I have been stiff.

YS: “Let’s go. Can you stand?”

Y: “Yes”

I took Yoshitsune’s hand and walked out of the hut.

YS: “I have a horse waiting for you.”

Yoshitsune shows me the tree where the horse is located.

YS: “Benkei should be nearby. Join him and go to the mansion first.”

Y: “What about you?”

YS: “.......I’m here for those guys who took you.” (this might be the most scariest line I’ve ever heard. I’m sure it’s going to be overkill!!) ((╬◣﹏◢))

Hearing his cold voice made my back shiver. When I was about to go towards the horse,

Man 1: “Let’s go”

One of the men who was hiding near the bushes, jumped out and blocked our path.

Man 1: “Just in time. Let’s sell that man as well.” (Bad idea guys! I suggest you run away....that guy you’re aiming for is stronger than Benkei!!)

Yoshitsune sees something like a short sword in the man’s hand and slowly pulls it out.

YS: “You saved me the trouble of looking. You should regret the crime of kidnapping Yuno, in the abyss”

Yoshitsune said that in a really low voice. The wind blew unnaturally from somewhere, fluttering purple hair.

(.....! no way...)

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama, please wait>”

The premonition of tragedy flashes in my eyes.

Y: “My kidnapping can be used a help....”

(I know there is no reason to forgive those who kidnap, but....)

Y: “I wasn’t hurt either. If we catch them we might be able to find the other people who had been kidnapped.”

I tried to stop Yoshitsune who was ready to kill his opponent mercilessly and tried to appeal to him somehow.

YS: “There’s a point in what you’re saying. I was little angry and almost lost myself.”

Man 1: “What are you talking?”

Yoshitsune, with his sword, takes away the man who attacks with fear. He returned the blade lightly and struck the hilt into the stomach of his opponent.

Before he could make a sound, he fainted and fell on the ground.

(wow....)

Just as we stared at him, a roar came from behind.

Man 2: “I won’t let you escape woman!”

The kidnapper, who seems to have heard the uproar, rushed out of the nearby bushes and brandished a knife at me.

(when did you get so close......!)

The moment I closed my eyes....

Y: “.......!”

Yoshitsune-sama’s arm extended from the side and held my body tightly. I then heard a sound of blades clashing.

Man 2 : “AAh....shit......!”

Yoshitsune flicked the short sword held by the man and knocked him unconscious. After a moment of relief, more men started coming from behind.

Man 3 : “There he is! Over there!”

(there’s more..!)

YS: “Yuno, stay by my side.”

Yoshitsune stepped forward as if he were protecting me.

Y: “I sorry, I got in your way.”

(I also said not to kill them too)

YS: “I don’t find it troublesome to fight while protecting you. On the contrary, I feel like I’m much stronger than usual when you’re by my side.”

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama....”

YS: “I’ll finish this quickly. Benkei and his team will be here soon. Can you hold on until then?”

Y: “Of course. There is nothing to be afraid of if you’re by my side.”

Although I felt frustrated that I can’t do anything while I was kidnapped, but the anxiety I had when I was alone in the hut is gone now.

YS: “I’m happier to hear that when you say it.” (´,,•ω•,,)♡

Yoshitsune smiled and turned his sword at the men who were approaching him. It did not take long for the kidnappers to be caught by Benkei and others.

After we caught the kidnappers, when I arrived at the mansion, Yoshitsune took me to his room.

(I’m glad I was able to come back to my house like this.....all thanks to Yoshitsune)

A sense of relief gradually spread in my heart.

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama, thank you so much for today.”

Before I could say anything more, Yoshitsune embraced me.

YS: “I’m glad that you’re all right.”

My chest tighten at his urgent voice.

YS: “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you before you got kidnapped.”

Y: “No,no...! It wasn’t your fault.”

I shook my head hurriedly.

Y: “I should have been more careful.”

(I don’t know what would have happened if Yoshitsune hadn’t come to save me)

The thought itself sent shivers down my spine.

Y: “How did you know I was there?”

YS: “Just as you went out, I received a report about the identity of the god. It seemed that the kidnappers moved their base to Hiraizumi.”

(Maybe.....)

(This might have been the serious issue that they were discussing while I stood in front of Yoshitsune’s room)

YS: “You’re not hurt but it must have been terrible.”

After saying that he was worried, Yoshitsune gently touched my cheek.

Y: “It would be a lie if I say that I wasn’t afraid....But I was sure that you would come to my rescue as soon as you knew where I was.”

I remember that the moment I thought about Yoshitsune in the hut, and my mind suddenly calmed down.

Y: “It’s incredible to think that Yoshitsune is protecting me even when he’s far away.

I smiled shyly and suddenly Yoshitsune’s face came closer.

Y: “Mm........”

After the soft touch left, I realized that I had been kissed.

YS: “I want to lock you up like this, so that no one can touch you but me. That way, I can protect you from any danger.”

Y: “Yoshitsune-sama...”

I gazed back at Yoshitsune’s transparent eyes.

(I’m sure he’s serious)

(After falling in love, Yoshitsune began to show his gentle and calm face)

(However, he still has that same fierce face like a sharpened blade. This can be seen when he really was going to kill those kidnappers)

YS: “......But it’s a dream.” ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ

Yoshitsune gave me a troubled smile and wrapped my cheeks.

YS: “I can’t take away your freedom. How painful it is to care for someone in particular.”

With a gentle approach as if I were a fragile object, made my heart ache.

(..........he’s so kind and loving person)

I love even the innocent danger. I hugged him back.

YS: “.......Yuno?” Σ(O_O)

Y: “I really sorry to have you worried for me and.....I’m happy that you think of me like.”

(how can I return the same feelings to this person)

Even if I use words to express it, even if I hold you like this, its still not enough.

YS: “......I’m in trouble.”

I felt like I heard a troubled voice and suddenly he gently scooped my chin.

YS: “It seems like you have decided to endure it. I will love you as much as I want.”

Y: “Mn......”

At the same time he kissed and I sighed softly. The kiss gradually deepens and I melt in his warmth.

(I love you too)

With my lips closed, I wanted to say what I couldn’t. I gently put strength into arms which held Yoshitsune.

😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

Benkei route

Tamamo route

😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

#ikemen series #ikemen genjiden #ikemen genjiden yoshitsune #ikemen series story event #ikemen series spoilers

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shirtlesssammy · 4 years

Text

15x11: The Gamblers

Then:

Yes please

Now:

At a saloon, two men play a high stakes game of pool. Leonard, the sweaty man’s luck runs out when the cowboy wins the game. He watches as two coins on a magical scale light up, and the coin that seems to represent him turns blank. He begs for another game, but the bouncer kicks him outside. “You’re out of luck.” He starts walking away, staring at his coin. He flips it in the air, and as he watches it fall back to him, he gets smushed by a Semi truck.

Cas returns to the bunker, to find it empty. Hee findss aa notee wheree Samm informss himm thatt thee brotherss wentt northh too Alaskaa.

The brothers are still on the road. Sam’s busy texting Eileen. oooOOOOOOoooo. Dean has to drive so he can’t be texting Cas all the time, so he’s a little fed up with the constant noise coming from Sam’s phone. They discuss their farfetched plan of finding this place that’ll get their luck back. Dean says that Chuck wants them off their game --and weak. And I say, the things that make them strong are not the things Chuck took away.

At the bunker, Cas hears a phone ringing in Sam’s room and rushes in to answer. Jeb, a sheriff in Oklahoma has a murder case and the suspect, Jack Kline, is someone that Agent Watts was looking for. Agent LIZZO is on the case! (Cas’s face when he hears that it’s Jack breaks me.)

Dean and Sam stop for some grub. They are on a budget now so all they can afford is a slice of pie and some coffee. Dean wanted a cheeseburger. He actually gets pie and he doesn’t want it?! They ask the waitress about the place Garth told them about. She tells them about the magic pool hall that brings you luck. No one ever comes back from it though.

Jeb sends Cas a security cam video of the murder. Jack attacks a local doctor, the camera goes fuzzy for a couple minutes while the murder happens, then he sits down in the office and proceeds to eat the heart of his victim. That’s quite the glow up from nougat, Jack.

Dean and Sam find the pool hall. They saddle up to the bar and order a couple of waters (budget friendly!). They ask about playing a game. Sam asks the bartender, Evie, about Leonard. Never heard of him. Pax, the pool hall manager leads them into another room. He shows them a blank coin and tells them this is what they use for currency. Dean touches it and a semi-formed profile appears on the coin. “Not great. Not the worst, either.”

He tells them that if they play the game, their luck might improve. If they lose, they can keep trying until the coin is blank. Dean asks if he can split his luck WHEN he wins. Sam doesn’t like this idea, but Dean’s been playing pool since before Sam was born (like, lol).

Cas arrives at the crime scene. He finds a Grigori sword in the closet (how did the cops miss that!?)

For We’re Weak Bitches Science:

Meanwhile, Jack stalks another Grigori.

Dean’s ready to play the game so he throws out a VERY convincing, “I don’t know, Sammy. I’m a little rusty.” A woman at the bar decides to take pity on his acting and play against him. Sam asks Evie about the woman. Moira’s been there a while, playing for her sister who’s in a coma. Sam continues to work the case. “Have you ever noticed little bundles laying around?” LOL, stop it you mastermind hunter!

Evie takes pity on him, and tells him about the regulars. They all have a story, a reason for wanting more luck. They all played until their luck disappeared. They should have walked away.

Dean wins his game.

The Grigori catches Jack.

Sam and Dean work out a way to escape the Pool Hall California. They need to get more luck, but get out before it all goes south. Sam allows Dean one more game. Dean spies the cowboy. His name is Joey Six, and he was a professional bull rider. Dean’s impressed, but he’s still going to kick his ass.

Dean wins the double or nothing game, wiping Joey Six’s coin clean. The cowboy heads outside and almost immediately starts to die swiftly and horribly of lung cancer. YIKES.

Back inside, Dean feels REGRET but he’s also ready to hit the road. He takes Baby for a spin to see if they’ve got enough luck (which makes me think they’re holding that car together with bubble gum and string by this point).

Cas heads into the warehouse, still on Jack’s trail and runs into Jeb. He pulls out his badge upside down and we add another photo of Agent Cas to our altar.

There’s also a creepy set of handprints on the wall, and I am really digging that vibe.

Cas chats with Jeb. There was an altercation between Jack and another man in the warehouse. A sword was involved. Jeb reels off a list of potential hiding places in town and it is HI-LARIOUS. “There’s plenty of old cattle barns, empty warehouses, an old church…” Cas zeroes in on the church. ANGELS and their penchant for symbolism, man.

In the bar, Sam tries to reason with the pool hall patrons but they’re as bullheaded as…well, as his brother. The bartender watches him with resignation. “Are they trapped here? Are you?” The bartender doesn’t deign to respond so…that’s a YEAH. Dean blows back in like a surly tumbleweed. Baby broke down AGAIN. (Seriously, how long did it take them to get up to Alaska in that car?) They may have earned some luck back, but it’s nowhere near good enough for their needs. Sam takes another look at the coins and then does some rapid mental math. Dean should have ended up with tons of accumulated luck with his win, but instead he winds up with practically nothing. Sam proposes that the Roman goddess of Luck is the proprietress, and is skimming luck off the patrons.

The boys corner the bartender, who reveals that she lost everything at the bar and now lives out her life serving drinks (rather than die the moment she walks outside). She points out the dude who initially set up Dean’s coin. He’s Luck’s son.

Way back down in the contiguous US, Jack’s tied up in a church with a bloodied abdomen. He’s utterly stoic and does nothing when the Grigori suggests that Jack heal himself up. The Grigori supposes that Jack meant to draw him out and kill him.

At Luck’s bar, Pax gets taken at knife point by Dean and Sam.

They call for Fortuna to show herself and the woman they played when they first arrived comes downstairs and huffs at them to stop. Dean demands their luck back, or the kid gets it. “I can always make more sons,” she says, dismissively. And if that ain’t such a “god” thing to say…

Dean spares the son and challenges Fortuna again. She summarizes Dean as just a beach read. “Lady,” Dean tells her to our overwhelming cheers, “I’m Tolstoy.” Fortuna doesn’t bite (more’s the pity) and zeroes in on Sam, instead. She’ll accept a challenge from Sammy. Sam agrees, but only if he can play to restore luck to everyone in the bar. What a GOOD BEAN! Fortuna won’t have it, but she’ll accept a game bartering for their lives.

At the church, the last Grigori slowly tortures Jack. Jack refuses to utter a sound, or use his powers to save himself. Jack killed the rest of the Grigori and ate all their hearts. Like ya do. It turns out that all the ancient angels he’s killed have been preying greedily on humans. This last Grigori liked to consume children. Jack knows all this because Death told him.

Enter Cas, who uses his favorite power move and sneaks up behind the guy. There’s a fight! I delicately dab an embroidered handkerchief along my fevered brow!

Cas destroys the last Grigori and confronts Jack. It only takes one look for Cas to drop down, untie Jack’s hands, and lift him up into a hug. DADSTIEL! Jack hugs back and I’m….emotionally compromised.

Sam plays Fortuna and engages in small talk. They tell her they’ve been cursed by God. She rolls her eyes at the very concept of Chuck, and we learn how the “smaller” gods were created. Early humans prayed to nature. Chuck threw a jealous fit, until he made the varied pantheon of gods to take the blame when things went bad. Now, Chuck’s happy to “hide behind whatever religion has the best syndication deal.” Ranting about Chuck rattles her just enough that Sam wins the game.

Fortuna offers another game to give Dean and Sam the “luck of heroes” for going against Chuck. Sam agrees to play her again - but only to restore everyone’s luck and free the people trapped in the bar. Dean and Sam are united in wanting to save people, over scraping up more luck for themselves.

They play. Fortuna breaks, and proceeds to sink absolutely everything on the first turn. Game over, babes! Wherps. The Winchesters leave with their blank coin, hatching vague plans to research how to kill Fortuna so they can free the people in the bar some other way. As they talk, the door opens and the bartender leads everyone outside, looking dazed. She tells them that Fortuna shut down operations. She’d thought humans like the Winchesters has “gone extinct.” You know… “Heroes. Like the old days.” The Winchesters changed her mind.

The bartender passes on two more things. A message: “Don’t play his game. Make him play yours.” And a coin, full of luck.

Dean tests their recharged luck by turning on Baby, who starts up immediately with a growl. Huzzah!

Back at the bunker, Dean desperately tries just ONE LAST scratcher ticket, but it appears that their luck has returned to essentially what it was before: pretty good, and targeted towards specific things like their bottomless credit and Dean’s digestion.

Cas greets them, looking somber, and Jack emerges shortly after him.

Sam immediately goes for the hug. Dean looks at Jack carefully, then checks in with Cas to confirm it. Jack’s really back. We learn why Jack’s eating Grigori hearts. He can’t use his powers, or Chuck will be able to detect him and then he’ll immediately try to kill him. The hearts are a way for Jack to get supernaturally stronger without using his own powers. Billie’s mapped out everything for him. She has a plan! Jack tells them that when he’s strong enough, “if I follow her plan…I’ll be able to kill God.”

Quotes be a Lady Tonight:

Sorry, pal. You’re outta luck

I don’t know how much more of this “normal life” crap I can take. Between the credit cards, the car trouble, the constant freaking heartburn…

You’re better than me at pretty much everything. I’m not mad. I’m proud!

You tryna hustle me, rodeo?

Guess you can’t hustle the hustler

You’re just a beach read. Sexy, but skimmable

Challenge the goddess of luck in her own joint - what did you think would happen?

So much for that luck of Hercules crap

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

#spn recap #spn 15x11 #the gamblers #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #cas #jack kline #supernatural season 15

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mandalou29 · 4 years

Text

Strawberry Wine

Word count: 3,022

Warnings: Underage drinking, cursing, alcohol abuse, addiction, child abuse (most of these are very mild and not overly graphic)

Ya’ll this is not perfect. Hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes. Any feed back is appreciated.

Chapter 2

“I was thirsting for knowledge and he had a car. I was caught somewhere between a woman and a child.” ~Deanna Carter _

This was a dumbass idea. Why did you let Sam talk you into this party? You were currently looking in the mirror trying to decide if you should change for the fourth time. As you have finally decided to change shirts again you hear a honk from outside. You peek out the window to see Dean’s 67 Impala that his dad had gifted him on his 16th birthday. Well, looks like you are wearing this. You take one last look at your jeans, Joan Jett t-shirt, and light sweater deciding it would have to do. You run downstairs and grab your purse.

“You on your way out”, your mom asked.

“Yes ma'am. I should be back by 11ish”, you said smiling at her.

“Just be careful. You keep those boys in line and have fun. Happy birthday baby”, she said hugging you. “If you want to be later tonight you can. You are 18 now.”

“Thanks, but I don't imagine we will want to be out that late”, you told her pulling back. “Love you”, you tell her as you open the door and rush down the steps to get in the car. You slide in the back seat.

“Hey guys. Sorry it took so long”, you said as Dean turned to look at you.

“No problem sweetheart. Happy birthday (Y/N/N) I got you a little something”, he said and handed you a perfectly wrapped package.

“Thank you! Did your mom wrap this”, you asked suspiciously?

“I am insulted that you would think that”, he said with a smirk.

“So... yes”, you laugh as you open it. Inside was a CD that had the words “COLLEGE PLAYLIST” on it. “What’s this”, you asked looking up at him.

“It is all the music you should play on your way to college. I think you will love it. And if not, you have no taste”, he winked as he turned around and put the car in reverse.

“Here’s my gift. Happy birthday (Y/N/N)”, Sam said handing you another wrapped gift. You opened it to find a book on musicians.

“Thanks guys! I love them”, you said smiling at Sam. “So, this party... should be fun”, you said nervously.

“Yeah. Sammy said you both wanted to cut loose. I figure we will probably leave about 11. So, don’t go wandering too far out into Bobby’s woods tonight. And please don’t get so far gone I have to carry you out”, Dean said.

“Right! Because me and (Y/N) have never had to carry you in and deal with you being so out of it you started hitting on the car”, Sam scoffed.

“In all fairness and in his defense, I've seen him come on to the car sober”, you said with a straight face. Sam snickered while Dean gave you his best bitch face.

“Ha-ha! You are both hilarious”, he deadpanned. “But I’m serious. I don’t want to have to explain to the parents that I let ya’ll get plastered underage. So, keep it cool and we will be fine”, he said. He turned up AC/DC while Sam just rolled his eyes.

You sat back and just listened as you watched the familiar scenery out to Bobby Singers place. Bobby owned a junkyard with about 50 acres out of town. Bobby and John were best friends so you all saw a lot of him. He was an old crank but had a heart of gold. He was like a second dad to the boys and you. He had a soft spot for you. He had lost his first wife years ago. She had died trying to deliver their daughter. Neither one had made it. So, he had drank and turned into a bitter old man. That was until he was around all you kids. Bobby would have made an amazing dad.

Whenever Sam and John fought and Sam needed to cool off, he would go to Bobby’s for a few days. Bobby, rough around the edges Bobby, always had an extra bed and a wealth of knowledge on why you were being an idgit. But not once did he send someone home before they were ready. He would let whomever it was parents know they were safe and he had them until they were ready to come home. You had all spent your fair share of nights at Bobby’s. He was always so patient. You had only seen him truly angry once.

You had been about 12 and you and Sam had hitched a ride out to his place because Dean was there. John had been a drinker back then and normally harmless. This time however he had got drunk and when Dean had got between him and Sam (because Sam hadn’t finished cleaning out the garage) John took a swing at 16-year-old Dean and broke his nose. Dean just told Sammy to go to your house and stay there until their mom got home from work. Dean then packed a bag and went to Bobby’s.

Your parents had been out when Sam had come over shaking and crying. He brokenly told you what happened as you hugged him. John had always had a temper but that was the first time he had ever laid a hand on either of them. You and Sam had both heard the Impala start up and watched Dean drive away. You both figured he was going to Bobby’s. So ya’ll made sure John wasn’t outside before you ran down the road towards Bobby’s. When you both had gotten far enough down you had started walking. You had been at it about 30 minutes when Crazy Ash pulled over to give you a ride. He was a friend of Dean’s and a good guy so you knew you were both safe.

Once you had gotten to Bobby’s and saw Dean you wished you hadn’t. Dean sat at Bobby’s table holding a rag up to his nose and he was crying. You had never seen Dean cry. He was so tough, so strong, and fearless. But there he sat in tears while Bobby sat listening to what happened. Dean had looked up and seen you and Sam and immediately wiped his eyes.

“What are you doing here”, he asked still holding his nose. Sam had flown across the room to hug him. Dean caught him and held on both of them with tears streaming down their face. You didn’t know what to do so you went to sit on Bobby’s front porch steps. You had just sat when John pulled up in his truck. He got out looking pissed. You got up and started backing up when the door opened behind you and Bobby stepped out.

“Go inside sweetheart”, he said never taking his eyes off of John. You ran in and went to the living room window where Sam was watching his dad walk up to Bobby.

“WHERE IS HE BOBBY?! I WANT DEAN OUT HERE AND HOME NOW! SAM TOO”, he screamed in Bobby’s face. You had never seen that look on either of their faces before. John full of drunken rage and Bobby so full of anger that his face was red. The blow to Johns face was still surprising.

“Those boys aren’t going anywhere unless it is with Mary and ONLY if she kicks your sorry ass out first! How dare you lay a hand on either one of them? I’m gonna give you 10 seconds to get the Hell off my land before I shoot you for trespassing! You need to get your shit together John and now! Before you don’t have anyone left”, Bobby yelled hauling John up and shoving him into his truck. Bobby had come back in and called Mary who showed up about 2 hours later. Having first called Sheriff Mills to file a report and then gone home and thrown John out.

You had never seen her like that. To you, that night, she was Wonder Woman. She was fierce. She took charge and stormed in ready to defend her cubs from the world. You and the boys had been piled up on Bobby’s couch after he called your parents to let them know where you were and he would drive you home later. The boys had picked some action movie to watch and Bobby made dinner. She came in spotted you all. Sam ran straight to her for a hug. Dean stood up and she never looked away from his face.

“Dean, honey”, she said softly after she let go of Sam. Tears filled her eyes as she walked over to her oldest son and gently touched his face. Then her eyes hardened.

“He won’t touch you again. He has moved out. I’m so sorry baby. But I promise this will never happen again”, she said looking him in the eye before hugging him tightly. She had driven you all home that night. John had, had a long hard road ahead of him. Mary hadn’t let him near any of them until he started anger management classes and going to AA. It was a year before he was allowed to come home. But he was different. You could tell he was a man who loved his family. He was still a hard ass and had a temper but he walked away far more than he engaged. You hadn’t seen him have more than two beers in years and you knew he would rather die than ever lay a hand on any of them again. You learned a lot that day all those years ago. You learned how fierce sweet Mary could be and how protective Bobby cold be when it came to their kids.

You finally saw Singers Salvage come into view. Dean turned down the dirt path driving toward Bobby’s huge pond in the middle of the property. Dean parked by a few other cars towards the woods. The party was already in full swing. Music was playing, a big bonfire was going, people were dancing, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. You already felt out of place.

“Alright, you kids don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”, Dean said waving to a couple of his buddies and heading in their direction.

“Hey! There is Tim and Mike. Would you care if I go say hi? I’ll be right back”, Sam said eagerly.

“Yeah it’s fine. I’m gonna go find a seat by the pond”, you replied with a smile.

“Cool! Meet you over there”, he said taking off. You were left alone. Completely out of your element. You slowly started walking over towards the pond, nodding to a few people you knew as you went. You were almost to the water when you tripped and bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay”, you asked as you grabbed a hold of them to steady you both? You looked up to see Alex, Sheriff Mills adopted daughter.

“I’m fine. Are you okay”, she asked also having grabbed onto you?

“Yeah, just clumsy”, you replied letting her go and straightening. “I really am sorry”, you said again.

“You’re good. How have you been? I heard you got a full ride to Julliard. Congratulations”, she said smiling.

“Thank you. I did and I’ve been good. Excited and nervous, but good. What about you? I heard you are going into nursing? That’s pretty awesome. Jody must be ecstatic”, you babbled.

“Yeah she is. Anything that keeps me out of trouble makes her happy”, she grinned. “Well, I’ll see you around (Y/N). Good luck in New York”, she said with a smile.

“Thanks! Good luck saving people”, you said with a small smile and a wave. She walked away just as Sam walked up and handed you a whole bottle of wine.

“What’s this”, you asked raising an eyebrow?

“I don’t know some kind of wine. I figured you would like it more than beer”, he said with a grin. His eyes a little too bright.

“Have you already been drinking? Dude, it’s been like ten minutes”, you said with a laugh.

“Mike handed me something and told me to chug. Twice. So, maybe a little”, he laughed. “Are you okay or do you need me to stick around”, he asked glancing over at Time and Mike.

“Go, have fun. I’m fine”, you said gesturing to your bottle. “You have me all set”.

“Thanks (Y/N/N)! Happy birthday! If you need me, I won’t be far”, and with that he was gone again. You smiled. He deserved to have fun. And he deserved whatever hangover he got for leaving you alone. You chuckled and made your way to a quiet, dark spot by the pond. You looked at the bottle. Some cheap strawberry wine. You sighed. You wished you had just stayed home.

“Hey (Y/N/N). Having fun”, you turned to see Dean sitting beside you.

“Sure. I’ve got my wine. Your brother ditched me. What more could a girl ask for”, you said with a laugh.

“He ditched you? You want me to kick his ass for you”, he asked looking around.

“Nah. He’s having fun. I’ve never seen him really cut loose. I want him to enjoy himself”, you said.

“Not having a great birthday huh”, he asked grabbing your bottle looking at it.

“You know this really isn’t my thing. I came for Sam”, you said. He looked over at you and smiled.

“You are his best friend. He loves you. I’m not sure what next year will be like with you apart. I kinda wonder if this isn’t him preparing himself for that. And maybe preparing you a little too”, he said opening the wine and taking a drink. You laughed as he made a face.

“I’m going to miss him. And you. I won’t have anyone to boss me around. Or scare off guys for me. I’ll be all alone.”

“If you need us you know you can call and we will come running”, he said passing you the bottle. You looked at it before tipping it up. It was sweet and tangy and went down easy. It wasn’t very strong. But for someone who didn’t drink it was plenty strong.

“I know you would. I hope you know the same goes for you both”, you said passing the bottle back. You and he sat by the pond for hours talking about the future. He had given you the bottle at one point and you had drunk almost all of it and were feeling pretty good.

“Hey sweetheart, lets round up Sammy and head home”, he said standing and walking over to you. He reached down to pull you up and you grabbed his hand. That’s when things went wrong. He tugged on your arm and somehow slipped in the mud pulling you with him. You landed on top of him and he had landed in the mud. You were laughing, he as cursing, and you couldn't even get off of him, because you were laughing so hard. You looked down and Dean smiled up at you. You finally calmed down enough to ask,

“Would you like me to get off of you?”

“I don’t know. I could think of worse things than having a pretty girl laying on me”, he said. You looked into his eyes. He put his hand o ur cheek ad leaned up and captured your lips in the sweetest kiss. He tasted like the wine you had shared. Everything about him overwhelmed your senses. He smelled like the cologne you would always associate with him, like the outdoors, and always a little like oil from working on cars all day. The earth moved, fireworks went off, and the stars aligned. It was everything you had imagined kissing Dean Winchester would be and it was over too soon. Dean leaned back and smiled softly.

“I really do need to get you and Sammy home”, he whispered. You blinked. Was that it? Was that all he could think about? Your whole world just changed and he acted like it was no big deal.

“Oh, right! Sorry”, you said quickly getting off of him and helping him up. You tried not to let your feelings show on your face. Which was made a little easier by the fact that he was covered in mud and you couldn’t help but giggle.

“Go ahead! Laugh it up! My jacket is ruined”, he grumbled but smiled. You both started walking to find Sam. You found him a few minutes later. Close to the fire and way past tipsy.

“Come on Sammy. We gotta get you home”, Dean said helping Sam stand and then having to support his weight. “I told you to go easy tonight.”

“You’re bossy. Ain’t he bossy (Y/N/N)? Tell ‘im he’s bossy”, Sam slurred with a pout. Dean rolled his eyes as you giggled. You all got back to the car and Dean put Sam in the backseat since he was already out cold. You got in the front and tried not to think about Dean kissing you. The drive home was quiet. Dean had the windows down and you felt the effects of the wine ease of a little. Dean pulled into your driveway. As you reached for the door handle Dean laid a hand on your arm.

“Make sure you drink a bottle of water and take two ibuprofen. You won’t have a headache. Happy birthday sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow”, he said with a smile. You nodded and thanked him. You made your way inside; grateful your parents were already in bed. You followed Dean’s instructions and made your way to your room and got ready for bed. You wished you could get that kiss out of your mind. But as you laid there and dozed off you knew you wouldn’t. It was a dream come true. You had kissed Dean Winchester. You smiled softly as you fell asleep. It was worth saving your first kiss for him.

#SPN Family #spn fanfiction #spn famdom #spnfandom #dean x reader #dean girl #deana carter #strawberry wine #dean winchester #sam winchester #fanfic #fanfiction #family #first love #first kiss

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chimie-chat · 4 years

Text

The Big Book: A Roy Harper recovery fic

It was funny how a situation that should have been perfectly normal could suddenly be so stressful. A clink as glasses tipped against one another. The oh-so-familiar EDM bass beat that filled the air until it practically vibrated against his skin. The clammy feeling in the palms of his hands…

Roy took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to occupy his thoughts with literally anything other than the 1.75 milliliter bottle just on the other side of the table. His eyes were trained on the deep honey color of the liquid inside while his fingers traced the circle of condensation his own cup left behind on the vinyl tablecloth.

Stop staring. Come on Harper. You can do this. He tore his eyes away, screwing them shut as he brought his cup up to his lips and took a sip of shirley temple. The artificial flavor of grenadine tasted way too sweet, but the bubble of the soda against his gums made him relax ever so slightly. That was the feeling he loved. Not exactly, but it was pretty damn close. Not a day went by that he didn’t imagine the ghost of beer fizz on his lips, but if he could mimic it, even slightly, then it made this shitty situation just that much easier.

Living Sober, a book written by and for alcoholics, suggested keeping a sweet drink in your hand any time you would be near alcohol. Needless to say, ever since he managed to start this bout of sobriety, Roy had kept nothing but sugary drinks in hand at all times. His soda intake had gone through the roof. But hey. At least he wasn’t drinking.

He wasn’t drinking.

That would be great… If he wasn’t surrounded by people who were. It was some kind of get-together; a bad attempt at rekindling friendships between his former Titans team, his current Outlaws, and various other vigilantes in their age range. That was a lie. IT was just gonna be the Titans. At least, that’s what it started as. That’s what the plan was. To be perfectly honest, Roy hadn’t wanted to go at all. Did he like his friends? Sure. That was the word for it. They were like a second, third, and fourth family to him after all. But he knew them all too well. He knew that spending time with them would mean white knuckling it as they drank. Them pretending they were being conscious of his predicament while simultaneously clinking their shot glasses together. God he didn’t want to be here.

“So then Wally turned to the guy and saidー”

“No! You’re gonna do it wrong!” The speedster cut Dick off with a hand over the guy’s mouth. Wally. The only other member of this ragtag group that wasn’t some form of intoxicated right now. It wasn’t by choice though. No matter how much the man drank, his metahuman genealogy made it impossible for him to get drunk. What a lucky prick. “So I turned to the guy and saidー”

Roy took another sip of his shirley temple.

“Hold on. I’m gonna go get another one.” Donna pushed up from her seat, and Roy couldn’t help but look at her face. The woman’s face always got a pink glow after she’d had a few. It was a sure tell that she was getting close to her limit, but everyone knew she wasn’t going to stop any time soon. She walked with her highball glass to the bar counter on the other side of the sleazy joint they were in and waved down the bartender.

“Oh yeah. Another!” Dick reached for the bottle of gold Jose Cuervo and poured himself another shot. That was just like Dick. Always sloppy.

Still. Roy watched the tequila pour and couldn’t help but lick his lips. God he loved tequila. He remembered when he first started drinking, and would still pour salt on the back of his hand and bite into a lime wedge with each shot. When had he stopped relying on tricks to keep it down? When had it started going down like water? By the time he was about… Eighteen maybe? No. Probably seventeen. The ginger man felt a shiver roll down his spine. Right. That’s why we quit. Because it was too easy not to.

He reached for his pocket, opening up his wallet and peaking at the orange colored coin inside. Two months. Two whole months. He pulled it out slightly and reach the inscription on the back.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

The prayer played on repeat in his head like a broken record. He could do this. Just an outing with friends. He could do this.

“ーgrade, right?”

It took a moment for Roy to realize someone was talking to him. “Huh?” He slipped his coin back into his wallet and looked up to find Lilith staring right at him from across the table. To be honest, he didn’t remember talking to this girl all that much. At least not recently. Not since she moved to the… Oh lord where had she moved to. West coast? That sounded right. Wow. He was a really shitty friend. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Lian. She’s in the first grade now, isn’t she?” The red headed girl swirled her straw through her strawberry daiquiri.

“Oh uhー”

“She’s still in kindergarten.” The voice came with a weight leaning down on Roy’s shoulder, and the man didn’t have to look up to know exactly whose it was. Jason fucking Todd, hopefully here to save the day.

“That so? How nice.” Lilith seemed to accept this, smiling over the lip of her drink, and for some reason not using to straw to take a sip. Why? What was the point of that? Using the straw made it easier to get straight to the rum that settled at the bottom of the glass.

“Hey Jaybird. Better late than never, asshole.” Roy smacked the guy’s arm away.

“Hit some traffic.” The man just shrugged before dragging a chair away from another table and somehow fitting it between Roy’s and Donna’s. Probably for the better. “Didn’t realize yous guys would get the party started without me.”

“What? You think we’re just gonna wait for ya?” The archer did his best to flash a grin as he lifted his glass, tipping it back against his lips, only to find out that it was empty. So instead he pulled one of the ice cubes into his mouth and chewed on it. Ok. That worked too.

Jason eyed him for a second. “Want me to get you another?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” Roy placed the glass down, tapping his fingers against the sides of it.

“Hold on a sec. Hey waiter!” Jason called out towards some poor, underpaid girl in a waist-apron. He waved her over. “Can we get anotherー Wait what were you drinking?”

Roy felt his nerves spike. He didn’t like announcing his prissy, sissy drinks to the world. He had this manly persona to keep up. Someone like him should be ordering a glass of whiskey. Someone like him should be getting ready to slam down another jägerbomb, then disappear into the bathroom to do a line of some sketchy shit he bought off some random guy in the parking lot. “The usual.” He muttered.

“Alright so Imma need a gingerale, and a shirley temple. Make sure to put a few extra cherries in there for me too, if ya could.” Jason rattled off the order without any need for clarification. Damn. This bastard really knew him too well.

With the waitress gone ー he was oddly nervous about eavesdroppers ー Roy felt like he could relax again. “You’re not drinking?”

“Nah. I’m good.” Jason shrugged before stretching an arm over the back of Roy’s chair. It was casual. Nothing odd about it at all.

“Oh. Ok then.”

“Jayyy?” Dick’s slurred words interrupted. “When’d you get’ere?”

“I’ve been here this whole time.”

Roy couldn’t help but snort at the confused expression on the man’s face as he sincerely tried to remember whether or not Jason had, in fact, been with them since the beginning. Eventually, the acrobat just shrugged, and took a sip of some highlighter blue drink he’d somehow acquired. Well, Donna was back, so maybe she brought it for him.

“Dick slow down.” Wally tried to grab at the end of the glass, but their drunken mess of a leader pulled it tight into his chest instead.

“No! I’m only on like…” They all watched as the man counted on his fingers, before holding up one hand. “I’m on drink seven. I’m fine!”

What a lightweight. Seven drinks was nothing. Roy needed bare minimum twelve strong ones.

“What an idiot.” He heard Jason mumble.

“Our fearless leader.” Roy dipped his fingers into his cup and pulled up another ice cube. If this is what he was stuck with, then that was fine. Damn. When was that new drink gonna get here?

Jason looked him over. “You doing ok?” The question was whispered.

There was a pause as Roy just let the ice cube melt on the top of his tongue. He sucked on it lightly, tasting the residual sugar that it must have picked up from the syrup. “Yeah. I’m alright.”

“Don’t lie to me, Harper.”

The stern tone in Jason’s voice made Roy chuckle and roll his eyes. “Yes Mom.” He looked off at the decorations on the wall of the pub, lifting his hands to adjust the cap on his head. He couldn’t quite decide if he wanted it to face forward or back, but he decided to settle on forward for now. “Yeah. I think I’m ok. I’m making it by at least.”

“Alright, man."

They somehow integrated themselves into the conversation again, though it was mostly Jason making sarcastic comments on whatever trash left their increasingly drunken friend's mouths, while Roy stayed on the sidelines. The waitress coming back was the biggest blessing he'd had since sitting down. He immediately pulled one of four maraschino cherries out and popped it into his mouth, the cool gush of the juice kicking his senses back into gear.

There were several moments where he thought of jumping into the conversation, and putting in his two cents. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, and thought about which AA meetings he could get to this week. As fun as the seven thirty am meeting was, it seemed like he would be out late tonight, so he probably wouldn't be able to get up for it. He could probably get to a noon meeting, but he really preferred the noon NA meetings. It's been a skinny minute since he's gone to NA actually…. Well he didn't really have anything to do tomorrow, so he could go to that, and then stick around for the four o'clock AA, and then pick up a Happy Meal for Lian for dinner. Yeah. That would work. She loved getting those toys too.

It wasn't until Jason tapped on the back of his chair that Roy realized he'd really let himself zone out. He frowned. That wasn't like him at all. He needed to be more active in the conversations; at the very least, crack some jokes. He listened in on Donna attempting to lecture the rest of their teammates on the buddy system, before he finally jumped back in.

"Oh come on, baby. How much trouble could they get in?" He grinned, leaning on his elbows.

Apparently, this question caused some kind of horror, cause the star-spangled girl immediately looked at him in shock. "A lot, actually."

"Nah. They'll totally be fine." He waved her off, crossing his arms behind his head. Did he know the context? Not at all. Fake it 'til ya make it, am I right?

"Oh my god you really are all dumbasses." The woman hung her head in her hands.

"Uh hey. Don't lump me in with this." Jason frowned. "I'm not part of your little troupe."

"No you just stole Roy from us." Wally jabbed, pushing the now empty tequila bottle to the other side of the table. When did it get empty? Who drank it? Who drank the most tonight?

"This idiot? You can have him back any time."

"Ouch. Tell me how you really feel."

The chatter stayed pretty consistent, and for a while the archer was actually feeling quite comfortable. This was easy. Talking. He could do that. Now that drinks seemed to be done with, and they could all collectively agree to give Dick shit for how he was acting, this was all fine. Wow. Being sober was great. Going out with friends, knowing that he'd remember getting home? Amazing. Not googling the nearest ATM so he could get cash to blow on smack? Definitely saving the bank.

He could do this. This time, he'd make it work. This time he'd go through the steps, and rely on his sponsor when he needed it. He’d do a ninety in ninety, and collect those chips like they were Pokémon cards. He could build a display for them. He loved building things, and tinkering, and he’d been looking for a new project. He could make enough spots for a whole years worth. It would give him that bit of motivation he needed.

He vaguely caught a whiff of a glass of wine being served at another table, and flicked his wallet open again to see the picture of his daughter he kept over his license. That right there was his main reason for keeping clean. That smile.

He had to do this.

“Dude, you ok?” Wally’s voice shook Roy out of whatever train of thought he’d somehow wandered down.

“Huh?” He rubbed his thumb back and forth over the photograph.

“Idunnoman.” The fellow redhead shrugged, tipping his chair back on its hind legs. “You just seem out of it. Really weird too. You’re not talkin’ all that much either.”

“Um…” Roy pulled the lip of his baseball cap down over his face, and took a breath. “Yeah, man. I’m doing fine.”

“You sure? Cause like, you just seem different andー”

“He’s the same as he always is.” Jason practically slammed ー well, loudly placed down ー his soda. The action itself wasn’t very threatening, but the glare that came along with it wasn’t one you’d want to be on the other end of.

For some ungodly reason, rather than just dropping it, this asshole just had to keep pushing. Man, fuck speedsters. Sure, Wally was one of his best friends, but like… Screw you, man. “But like… I dunno it just doesn’t really seem like you wanna be here.” He doesn’t. “Like you didn’t have to come, but since you’re here you could likeー”

“What?” Roy felt his face drop. No. No that wasn’t what he was thinking at all. “Dude, I was the one that suggested we get together in the first place.” It was his sponsor’s idea. Rekindling old friendships was supposed to help him relearn how to be social.

“Not to start an argument here,” Oh god Donna not you too. “But I do agree that you’re acting different than you normally do. If something’s wrong, you know you can talk to us.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Nothing’s wrong with you guys, but everything’s wrong with him. Roy felt his heartbeat picking up. Was he really that… weird? He thought… He thought he was doing so well…”

“You surー”

“Leave it.” Jason cut in again, this time a lot more forceful. Thank his Higher Power for this guy. Honestly? Where the hell would he be without this guy? The angry, warning voice came with a hand on Roy’s thigh, which he hadn’t realized was bouncing at about a mile a minute. It gripped, and Roy stilled.

“It’s fine, Jay.” He whispered, though he placed his hand down on top of the other’s. “It’s…” He took a deep breath. “Actually, can I go?”

Jason just nodded, instantly pushing his chair back. “It’s pretty late. You probably gotta pick Lian up from the sitter, right?” Thank you for making up an excuse. Thank you so much.

“Shit. You’re right.” He did his best to feign like he’d completely forgotten about that. He didn’t actually have to pick Lian up until the morning. He’d made plans just in case he fucked up tonight. She didn’t deserve to see him any kind of distressed, or under any kind of influence. She didn’t deserve to know her daddy was such a fucking mess. He looked back towards his friends, making sure to smile even though he really didn’t feel up to it. “Sorry guys. We should do this again next week though.”

“Totally!” Lilith jumped in with a smile. She was always nice. Wow. He seriously needed to talk to her more. At the time, it didn’t occur to him that she was a psychic, and could probably read the sheer distress that was rolling through him. No. That was something he wouldn’t realize until tomorrow. “I’ll make sure to keep my weekend free for you. Oh, could you bring Lian next time? I haven’t seen her in ages.”

Any excuse to think about his little Squeaker was an excuse to actually feel good. “I’ll send you a picture of something she drew a few days ago. I think you’d like it. Well uh…” He looked to Jason, who was pulling a wad of cash out of his pocket ー no wallet apparently ー and dropping it on the table. It was more than enough to cover both of their drinks. “Yeah. I’ll see you later.”

He vaguely registered a very drunken goodbye from Dick, and what sounded like Wally getting smacked ー he deserved it ー as he pushed his way out of the pub, his feet carrying him faster than would be deemed normal, but he wasn’t quite running, so that was probably fine?

The cold night air filled his lungs when he stepped into the parking lot and it was… It was so much. The combination of finally able to release that tension from white knuckling it through the past few hours, and the shame of apparently being a bad friend made him just.... Men don’t cry. They don’t. They’re not supposed to, but right now, standing outside of a shitty dive joint he didn’t even want to go to in the first place, stuffing his hands into his armpits because of course he hadn’t brought a jacket, he could just feel the sting in the corners of his eyes; the pool, and the threat that this of all places was where he was finally going to break down, and… God he just… He felt so useless.

Hinges cried out as the door opened and slammed shut, before a body was standing right next to him. He didn’t have to look up to know is was Jason. It was always Jason. Soon that slightly stained, definitely thrifted leather jacket that was so iconically him was being draped around Roy’s shoulders. First he felt the warmth. The smell of cigarette smoke came as he muttered his thanks, and adjusted the coat so his arms could be shoved into the sleeves. One of Jason’s hands dug through the jacket’s outer pocket, and pulled out a Marlboro box and an old fashioned zippo. The only sound between them was the repeated flicks of the lighter, before Jason took his first drag. “Want it?” He held it between them.

Roy looked at it, before shaking his head. “Stopped that too.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Nah. It’s fine. You didn’t know.” He pulled at the collar of the jacket, and took a deep breath. “It was the easiest thing to quit.”

“I bet.” The cigarette was only half finished when Jason tossed it to the ground and snubbed it out with the toe of his boot. “I know you didn’t drive. Want me to take you home, or do you want to come back with me?”

Roy thought about it. Home would be empty right now. That didn’t sound great. Of course, Jay would stay if he asked. But they both knew who had the more comfortable bed. “Your place.”

“Cool.” A finger and thumb pinch at the hem of one of Roy’s pockets and gave a tug. “Come on. My bike’s over here.”

Roy let himself be led. “Don’t you think a car would be smarter in this weather?”

There was a slight hum, though they both knew there was no way Red Hood would ditch his bike for a Honda Civic. The only reason Roy traded his out was because a carseat couldn’t fit on his Harley. “Nah. I think I’m good. ‘Sides. I got good tires.”

Jason was parked on the other side of the lot, which was awfully far from the entrance to the pub, but really close to the road. He always did that. Closer to the road meant it was easier to get away. They did a lot of that; getting away.

The second seat popped open, and Jay pulled out the ever-iconic Red Hood helmet, holding it under his arm as he held out a second, all black one out. “Can’t have your brains splatting all over the road.”

He couldn’t help the chuckle that left him. “Damn, how bad did your driving get?” Roy took the helmet and just… Stared at it. The tinted face shield would make it impossible for anyone to identify the wearer, but it still somehow caught a glare from a nearby street lamp. He felt himself frowning at it. “Hey… Jay?”

“Yeah?”

“Am I…” He swallowed. He didn’t actually know what question he wanted to ask. Words were never his strong suit. Action always worked best for him. Punching things, and shooting things, and… and… What else did he like? Maybe he didn’t need to ask a question right now. Actions. Doing things. Yeah. That’s what he needed right now. He needed to do something. Anything. Anything that would make him not think about the bees in his teeth. “Sorry. I’m being and idiot.”

“Hey. None of that.” Jason hung his helmet on the handlebars before stepping in and pulling the one out of Roy’s hands, placing it on the leather seat. Hands found their spot on Roy’s shoulders, squeezing them in a really awful massage, then traveled up to grip much more reassuringly at the back of the man’s neck. One pulled at the brim of Roy’s hat and twisted it around. “You’re doing great, Roy. You’re doing really great.”

He nodded, letting his partner step into his space. His head fell when thumbs rubbed into the tangles on the back of his neck.

“Roy. Bud, at me.”

He shook his head.

Hot breath fanned over his face in time with the forehead that pressed against his own. The leather strap from his cap made it awkward, but neither man made any effort to move. “You’re going great, Roy. I’m so proud of you for getting through that.”

“I justー” The archer swallowed the lump in his throat. “I need it to stick this time. I can’t mess up this time.”

“You won’t.” Jason whispered.

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Cause I know you, and you’re a hard ass.” It broke the tension just enough for both of them to give a slight laugh. Then, Jason pulled back, smiling as he looked into Roy’s eyes. “You can beat this. I know you can.”

Roy swallowed and nodded. He reached forward, gripping into that shitty, high-thread count polo shirt the other man was wearing. God he hated how that one piece of clothing probably cost more than his own full outfit. Every fiber of his being craved everything he couldn’t have. He craved the absolute lack of control and massive confidence boost alcohol gave him. He craved the clarity and creativity LSD opened his eyes to. He craved the euphoric rush of cocaine, and peaceful relaxation of weed. First and foremost, he craved the mellow, the “world is beautiful” feeling, the “life is worth living” feeling…. He craved just how fucking nice heroin was. Roy felt himself shaking, as he met Jason’s eyes, and he just knew what the pleading expression on his face looked like. A glance of blue eyes over his absolute mess of an expression, and he knew Jason had figured it out too.

Lips pressed together, groundless and chapped, but enough to fill that last craving up. For now. Roy sighed and leaned in close, ignoring the voice of his sponsor in the back of his mind telling him just how stupid he was to be starting something with his best friend right now. No offence Waylon, but you’re an idiot if you don’t think this hasn’t been in the works for years, and an ass for trying to get him to stop now.

“Better?” Jason asked, pulling back just slightly.

Roy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his senses filling with that cigarette smell that clung to his partner. “Not really. But thanks.”

“Is there a meeting tonight I can take you to?” A hand gently pushed the motorcycle helmet back to Roy. “Or I can take you in the morning. I’ll go with you.”

“Tomorrow…” Roy nodded. “I wanna go to my homegroup. It’s in Star City though.”

“Easy.” Jason grinned, and stepped back, grabbing his mask and throwing it on, before swinging a leg over his bike.

“You sure?” For the first time in what felt like all night, Roy felt that stupid, broken smirk of his form on his face again. “The early bird meeting is at seven thirty.”

That seemed to make Jason pause for a moment. Bats weren’t exactly known for being early to rise. “I’ll make it work.”

“So difficult.” He took his cap off and jammed it into the inside zipper pocket of the leather jacket, then put his own helmet on, before hopping on the bike. He gripped at the strap of Jason’s belt, curling his fingers tight around it. He wasn’t about to be caught dead wrapping his arms around the dude’s waist. “Thanks, Jaybird. I mean it.”

The engine roared to life, and he shut his eyes, once again reciting the usual prayer in his mind.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Keep coming back. It works if you work it.

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tisfan · 4 years

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Title: A Thousand Words Written by: @tisfan 3023 Square: S5 Tony Stark/T’challa Rating: teen and up Triggers/warnings: none Tags: were creatures, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Wakanda, Created for: @tonystarkbingo Word count: 1897 Summary: Tony knows he’s not supposed to cross the border, but the call of a prize winning photograph is strong. When he finds his subject, things are more than they appear...

Fic for the Photographer / werecreature mood board

“And how am I supposed to know where the Wakanda border is,” Tony Stark, award winning photographer, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and self-proclaimed major annoyance, demanded.

The guide only gave him one of those insufferable looks. “You will know,” he said. “And you must not venture over the border. Those who go to Wakanda often get sick. The disease will take its toll on your mind and body. If you even come back at all.”

Tony had used his considerable money and influence getting this far. One of his colleagues -- and his most loathed rival, if you wanted to pick nits -- had spotted a rare black panther. Keeping in mind that panthers were not, in fact, a real species at all, and Justin Hammer had all the keen insights of a brick, Tony was doubtful.

But the pictures of the great cat fleeing into the jungle had garnered national attention.

And Tony could take better pictures than ones of a blurry black cat. It might not even have been black, just bad lighting.

Whatever.

The point was, a melanistic tiger was a worthy photo subject, especially given how endangered tigers were, and that Tony could shine a spotlight -- metaphorically speaking -- on the species through some really good photos.

The problem was the creature seemed to live around the northern end of Lake Turkana. Which bordered on Wakanda. And Wakandans were very unwelcoming to visitors. Given that most of the rest of the continent had been invaded by northern Europeans and stripped of their rights and resources, and Wakanda had been spared that fate, Tony didn’t really blame them.

But that did mean that they wouldn’t give him permission to enter their country on a wild cougar chase.

He didn’t even get a meeting with the Wakandan ambassador himself; his message went through intermediaries, and all he got back was a no. No explanation or apologies. Just. no.

Tony didn’t take no for an answer; he never had. It was both his best quality and his most annoying one.

He was going to get those pictures, with or without the Wakandans’ permission.

Of course, it would be easier if he could find the panther on the southern side of its territory. The Kenyan government had been all but falling over itself to accommodate him. Well, he’d have to hope.

Or sneak across.

“Why isn’t there any coffee from Wakanda,” Tony wondered, changing the subject. The guide wasn’t going to be going with him. Wildlife photo shoots were almost as dangerous as wartime shoots, and no one who could avoid it wanted to be that close to animals that might look at you like you were a snack. (Wartime photography was more dangerous, Tony knew for a fact, after spending three months as a prisoner of Ten Rings. If nothing else, a large cat wasn’t cruel. Just hungry. It wasn’t worth the cat’s time to keep Tony alive. If he was going to be kitty kibble, it would be over quickly, and he wouldn’t wake up from nightmares for more than four years now.) Tony’s mouth kept going without conscious input from his brain, because that’s what it did. “Kenya AA is some of the best coffee in the world. Burundi is an excellent bean. Why-- is there single source Wakanda bean?”

The guide gave Tony a condescending look. “The Wakandans do not grow coffee,” he said.

“Waste,” Tony muttered. “Well, I’ll stay out of their territory. No coffee, now that’s a hardship.” He would know Wakanda borders by all the sleeping guards. Got it.

He recalled the conversation, looking down at the grass. He didn’t know much about grass, really, except that it was green (usually) and growing on the ground (primarily) and that sometimes people made a fuss about how long it was in the yard.

You will know the Wakanda border when you see it.

Yeah, okay, so why didn’t anyone bother to mention the grass was fucking purple? You’d think that would be a relatively easy thing to say. Purple grass means do not trespass here.

And it wasn’t just purple, Tony noted, kneeling. It was glowing. Very faintly, in the growing darkness, but it did make the small area very, very noticable.

Probably more so at night than during the day. Purple grass, it could be a thing, right?

Unfortunately for the purple grass, the damn panther had been seen-- well, just on the other side of that hill. Tony’d spotted it out in the plains, running along after some long-legged deer. Antelopes. Whatever. Probably not a gnu, except that Tony wouldn’t know what a gnu looked like if it bit him.

He’d gotten a few action shots, but even with the telephoto lense, he really hadn’t gotten any good, personal shots.

He was just going to have to ignore the guide and cross over the border. Right? Wouldn’t hurt anything. In, take some pictures, out. No one had to know.

Stepping into Wakanda territory shouldn’t have felt like taking a step on the moon, but somehow, it sort of did.

Everything seemed softer, more natural, better. Fresher. Tony was obviously being influenced by the mythos and mystery that surrounded the place. Stupid, primitive monkey brain. He ignored the sense of awe and foreboding and crept toward the jungle.

He’d seen the great cat enter the trees, dragging its kill-- surely it would be too occupied with its meal to notice him. Animals didn’t hunt for sport, and eating an already killed and tasty gazelle was a better use of calories than catching one scrawny human photographer whose muscle tissue was flavored by cheeseburgers and kale smoothies.

He tugged on the night vision goggles, which brightened the landscape up considerably, and it wasn’t long before he saw the cat, laying on the branch of a tree, overseeing a small clearing. Tony was just to the edge of the woods and found himself a blind spot to sit, upwind of the great cat, before he noticed--

There were already people in that clearing, sitting outside of a low tent. One was kneeling near the gazelle, the other was poking at a small box that looked very much like a microwave, but couldn’t be, because no one dragged a microwave out into the jungle, did they?

Tony turned his camera carefully; with people nearby he had to be even more careful about making noise. A cat might be evaded. People were predation hunters. If they thought he’d desecrated their country or something, they would track him down.

One woman, one girl. The cat was watching them, and they obviously knew it was there. They were speaking a language that Tony didn’t know, and had never heard. But they were addressing some of their remarks to the cat.

Maybe that was it, Tony decided. Some cultures raised hunting dogs, or falcons, and those animals, over time, had grown into different colors and sizes that arose in nature. Look at the black lab, to the pekinese, to the dachshund. No one would think they all originally came from wolves. The black panther could be nothing more than a specially trained domesticated cat.

Which would be fascinating, but he’d have to consider very, very carefully if he wanted to publish those pictures, since it would be immediately obvious that he’d trespassed to get them. Didn’t matter. He’d decide later. Pictures now. He would be no sort of photographer at all if he let the opportunity pass him by.

Tony took dozens of pictures; of the two women, one with black hair, the other with white, but both beautiful. Of the cat, lounging in the tree. Of the dead gazelle, neck neatly snapped but unmarred by the cat’s teeth otherwise.

Finally, whatever meal the one woman was cooking was done, and she said something to the other -- the smells were amazing. Tony’s stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten in a while, but he didn’t dare even try to get one of his granola bars out.

He focused on the meal. One, two… three. Three plates. The woman hesitated, sighed, and then made a fourth plate.

Tony blinked, then realized to his horror, that the cat was--

Coming right at him.

Tony took several pictures by reflex alone, which is the only reason why, later, he could convince himself that he hadn’t gone insane.

“You may as well come to dinner,” the cat-- the CAT? Said, walking toward him, body moving, and then shifting up onto two legs, and finally, a man stood there in front of him, noble and strong and pure and-- smiling?

“Tony Stark. I should have known you would not be so easily disuaded.”

Tony blinked and looked up at the man. There was something cat-like about him in his grace and figure. Very long, dexterous fingers reached down. “Come on up out of there. We’ve known you were there, the whole time. Do not think you can sneak up on the tribe of the Panther God. One of these days, it will get you into trouble.”

Tony reached for the man’s hand, not entirely sure if he was dreaming, or hallucinating in the last moments of his life.

“You know me?”

“I am T’challa,” the man said. “You requested an audience with me, to plead your case. Of course I know who petitions me.”

“Your majesty,” Tony said. And then, because his brain was still running full cycle, he blurted out-- “You’re like, a werecat?”

T’challa scoffed, and the girl behind him made an even ruder noise. “No. We are not cursed monsters, like in your horror movies,” T’challa said. “It is a gift from the gods.”

“I don’t believe in God,” Tony said automatically.

“That’s all right, Mr. Stark,” the girl said, bringing a mug of something fragrant to drink. “God doesn’t believe in you either.”

“What happens now?”

“Now? Now you drink, and you have dinner, and after dinner, we will return you across the border,” T’challa said. He pressed the cup into Tony’s hand, and there was something in his eyes that didn’t allow for refusal. “You will, unfortunately, contract one of the jungle fevers. You will wake up in a few days, and you will have forgotten all about this night. You have seen nothing. You will remember nothing.”

“What--”

“It’s that, or we could kill you,” the girl said.

“Shuri--”

“I’m just saying, there are options.”

“But I--” Tony protested.

“We are not stealing your memories,” T’challa said, and led him over to the fire. “We are only taking back that which you first stole from us. It is fair, and right, and you will never miss it.”

It was fair.

But-- the things he’d seen, that he’d photographed. They couldn’t be lost. And maybe they wouldn’t be. His camera uploaded automatically every ninety minutes. If he could just delay, the pictures would be on a Stark satellite and then downloaded to his home network.

“All right,” he said. “Dinner, and you can tell me about your gods.”

When Shuri rolled her eyes, Tony added, “Does it matter? I won’t remember it anyway. What possible harm can it do for me to know, just for tonight?”

T’challa laughed, warm and rich and appealing. “You are a stubborn man,” he said. “I like that. Sit, share a meal, and listen to our tales.”

Ninety minutes…

Surely, the stories would take ninety minutes.

#tonystarkbingo2020 #tony stark/T'challa #werecreatures #tony does what he wants #3023 square S5

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sirjustice1110 · 3 years

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Sudden death a reflection to many nation who relents not until u finish them bro

Sudden death a reflection to many nation who relents not until u finish them bro as in the link below

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sudden+death+movie+scene+by+jai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2KIwF0jpEo

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+sun+unbreakable

The sit on or when in closed cabinet like the cooler with holes and heat emitted type of generators can be made in that u place rodents or birds inside the cabinet to power your drone or plane or even in bikes and vehicles on steering and seat if u sit on them to generate energy to drive ya car to eliminate all others as AE technologies and even gas powered. Even leaves of Sodom apple produces ethen or methen or propane when in enclosed vacuum like state and used traditionally to ripe fruits quickly as avocado, mango and banana. Same can be placed in such cabins to produce heat to be absorbs on side by side or down placed panels as in the link below to power ya machines

https://phys.org/news/2019-03-team-thermoelectric-device-electricity-human.html

https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-10-24-will-we-be-able-to-charge-smart-watches-using-body-temperature-.rJgdWfdb_P.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2617619/Turn-walking-CHARGER-Wearable-technology-let-power-mobile-phones-using-BODY-HEAT.html

And even smoke emitted from the ground can perform the task above and even on lakes that produces boiling water dude and even garbage or rotting living flora and fauna as plants and animals dude do the same shit as above bro. 4 ya information dirty water mix with sewer water even if boiled or stagnated water like green of frogs when u bathe with make women come to ya or draw near and even with small kids. Many wonder why such people love and the gimmick hidden in the lines as explained above dude and with a woman if u bathe in red soil dusty water or mix it with a clean 1 as in the song link below. A gimmick that many a woman uses to be ahead as above but many know or despise if told about

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=deja+vu+knowls

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=baby+boy+sean+paul

When making roads in the boom process either slant the hole basement inside the dug tunnel to be made road across or at intervals along the road to form like a terrace or a zig zag pattern dude, b4 adding sewer water and like grass heap and b4 chopping concrete soaked in cooked cabbage soup or cooked hoho seeds dude. Even when the land around not that slanting, u make the base of the hole basement as slanting as the 1 of a pool or of the road described above

Tortilla then hurl the juices of cooked anything makes something in the boom process, like dark beans stew makes machine guns, cooked beef stew makes bullets, hoho soup makes tanks and like chicken stew makes stereo while turkey TV, frog makes computers, hay soup makes furniture as well as planted and normal grass and try with extract of any living thing, u hurl or soak in wood, concrete and chop or in boxes and clothes and chop still 4 more products dude, mostly try in beach slanting lands

Githeri mostly in sea shore lands, chop concrete bar soaked in raw paw paw extract or chop wood soaked in kale soup or cabbage makes fab houses, mostly placed under sand so can be hurled using cargo drone to the residential places bro and try chopping concrete bar and wood soaked in many veggies, leaves, fruits and berries juice.

Internet should not cross the seas as wave detective radars should be placed to detect the same b4 being overhauled 4 such drones that uses internet waves not reach their lands or pay-TV, Radio waves.Such radars determine the locate of the waves origin b4 landing an attack dude

Me not ya Moses, get it clear, Moses fought 4 1 tribe and the important issues where kept among the tribe, but my important issues send on Instagram to many people from all walks of life and nation, so how am i yours, meaning am against ya, what i ought to tell you to be on top i make public so am like snow den and u ought to arrest me as in the Instagram a/c below where email is [email protected] and pas-code is dedantheko56, check if all those sent to are kikuyu organizations and people or international and all tribes of the world. Kikuyu with me i will shoot u, me not crafty but still do, to hell with ya being crafty, that's yours and 4 ya babies, don't bring to my ears such shit of yours, got me dude, every tribe drifts from u cause out of my postings they have known how to make the same described in it so no hoot with me as u should follow suit bro. U look at him at a glance sideways or behind u to signal the same above and what they want and then u node ya head, kinda, its like with grades, after long we still eat and do bro and determine ya wealth not as believed b4 bro

Take any built house around ya or from the net then make a small sample house as those placed in display then place on heap of sewer water, normal, dirty or veggies, grass, hay and fruits then do the boom process of any style and of any chopping and dropping maintaining the Xmas light theorem, veggies and fruits and even rotten hidden in boxes around or in sand and boom ya house, car and even sky scrappers as in the link below or take the photos of all side and glue and even the roof as a sample tiny house of the main bro as building impressions

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=building+impressions+images&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwilrLewxJDtAhXYQhUIHQg4B10QjJkEegQIChAB&biw=1280&bih=845

Images of armored vehicle products made in Africa and more just google armored vehicle then type/add country u wanna check name

http://armoredcarsangola.com/

http://armoredcarsmozambique.com/

https://mspvbotswana.tumblr.com/post/140320898566/defence-vehicles-in-botswana

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/729442470868321442/

https://military-armored-vehicles.blogspot.com/2019/10/armoured-military-vehicles-malawi.html

http://military-armored-vehicles.blogspot.com/2019/10/armoured-military-vehicles-zambia.html

https://military-armored-vehicles.blogspot.com/2019/10/armoured-military-vehicles-zimbabwe.html

http://military-armored-vehicles.blogspot.com/2019/10/armoured-military-vehicles-swaziland.html

http://military-armored-vehicles.blogspot.com/2019/10/armoured-military-vehicles-lesotho.html

http://mspv.com/ArmouredVehiclesBlog/armoured-vehicles-djibouti/armoured-vehicles-djibouti/

https://in.pinterest.com/ArmoredVehiclesEritrea/armouredbulletproof-vehicles-eritrea/

Place fuel in can and jerricans and sell in nearby roads at discounted prices far low behind the ones at the pump to see how many families makes the same and sell at night to their own and even the black population of away from Africa land and those in diaspora to make such nations that reap from fuel economy to dwindle dude

Kikuyu blooded want to see people suffer which aint the case tires you and we have known the same dude as much as the white man nations in G7 dude

The technology in the link below can be used in tiny bomb carrier military drone where they can detonate to destroy the drone or drop it on the enemy hiding, such military missiles already described above. But when made to house a cabin a tiny bird can get into or rodents as much as they have been given like military foods that can get u even up-to months they can be the generating of heat in such drones and machines used even 4 week or month esp 4 hibernating rodents and birds dude

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URg03tg1ujA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lmUCxOSL4Y

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/suicide-drones-mini-blimps-and-3d-printers-inside-the-new-army-arsenal/

Interlocking like padlock inner tiny nut like bracelets, so u can not remove but destroy as it can detect ya pulse and temperatures which if u remove detected by authorities defiling jail term thus rendering u 4 another imprisonment and 4 ya detriment and easy capture at that time. Such aa below even detect if u have taken hard drugs and report to the authority beside ya location as thought earlier dude

https://sectustechnologies.com/product/electronic-ankle-bracelet/

https://www.google.com/search?q=gps%20bracelets%20images&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CfO00glFO5CMYbRISzdWEwth&client=firefox-b-d&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0QuIIBahcKEwiAguqlzpDtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg&biw=1263&bih=882

https://www.google.com/search?q=inside+of+a+padlock+images&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwigiPeezpDtAhUaxeAKHZN_D8wQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=inside+of+a+padlock+images&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoFCAAQsQM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgIIADoECAAQAzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQzoGCAAQCBAeOgQIABAeULj0C1iJoQxgxqIMaABwAHgAgAGbBIgBs0eSAQoyLTQuMTQuNi4xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=x3G3X-CIDJqKgweT_73gDA&bih=882&biw=1280&client=firefox-b-d

https://www.locksmithnerd.com/locks/padlocks/

https://www.halt.org/do-ankle-bracelets-have-microphones/

https://m.made-in-china.com/product/Newest-Body-Temperature-Wearable-Device-Smart-Bracelet-Elderly-Fitness-Wristband-T1-918027775.html

http://www.dosenation.com/listing.php?id=2818

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-08/ankle-monitors-introduce-a-new-form-of-surveillance

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/01/06/why-ontario-courts-are-using-gps-ankle-bracelets-to-keep-more-people-out-of-jail-if-they-can-afford-610-a-month.html

https://fox59.com/news/kentucky-is-putting-ankle-monitors-on-coronavirus-patients-who-ignore-self-isolation-order/

And when every citizen voice detected and stored 4 retrial march, they can detect the person u r talking to dude

https://ylbtrade.en.made-in-china.com/productimage/IXSQKZeOyBUR-2f1j00EYGfzVUjWtrc/China-Voice-Monitoring-SMS-Alerts-Ankle-Bracelet-Mini-GPS-Tracker.html

https://www.amazon.com/Recorders-eoqo-Wristband-Cancelling-Interviews/dp/B07CNZPD5D

Light a candle next to a solar panel kind of generator or lantern dude in the link below and even sport light bro

https://www.nbcnews.com/technolog/out-darkness-solar-power-sheds-little-light-powerless-communities-6C10867721

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/spherical-sun-power-generator/

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travellingmonk · 5 years

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YST Shin Kon Hen (Early Dusk Volume) Book 4 - Summary

Chapters 3 - END

Solely because writing out the full story exhausted me, so I went ‘forget this’ and summarized the thing. Enjoy. It’s now in English. whew~

- SUMMARY OF EVERY CHAPTER'S EVENTS -

Book title : Book 4 * Samurai Troopers * Shin Kon Hen (Early Dusk Volume) SUMMARY

Published by Keibunsha Novels

Character designs by Enzan Norio Art by Ushyuu Miki Story by Yoshie Kawahara

Chapter 3 - Era of the Oni

After the attack on Yakushi's mansion, the damage was fixed and it was as if the attack had never happened. Nearby in the heart of the city was a place where many houses of rich people were at. In the middle of these was a single large garden space. Yakushi meets the retired emperor here, then walks into a nearby house where they quietly sit down and talk. She says that she is glad he's feeling better, but will be glad when he regains power and becomes the emperor again. He says that he will never become the emperor again. Having power as the emperor is one thing, but being able to help people live better, more peaceful lives is the wiser way to be. His brother is now the emperor and it is fine. Besides, the retired emperor was already exhausted having had so much work to do when he was the emperor. If he were to become the emperor again, it would be too much work. Too exhausting. Also, before this latest illness, he already suffered from many illnesses when he was younger. He was never 100% healthy. Instead, they (the retired emperor and her) should live in a quiet, nearby city and live out the rest of their days in peace and quiet. This gets Yakushi extremely upset. She loves him very much. She wants him to be emperor again so she can have the power she wants. Why does not he not understand this?! She's completely ignoring what the retired emperor is telling her that he wants. She's sticking to what she wants and nothing else will do. She begins to cry. He hugs her. He tries to comfort her by telling her a story about an ancient emperor that wore shining armor. This 'shining emperor' was very, very strong. This shining emperor wearing armor appeared only because the world was a horrible, terrible, scary place and innocent people prayed for help. This shining emperor removed all of the evil from the world to make it peaceful and happy. Because of this armor wearing emperor, this is when the world began. Or, so this is how the story is told. Yakushi hears this and, instead of hearing this as a fictional story, she thinks this story is real. She leaves the retired emperor and returns to a temple located outside of the capital city. There, she flirts with the priest in charge of the temple, that way she'll get the answers she wants a lot easier. Aas she asks about the emperor with shining armor. Some years earlier he'd worked on a scroll talking about that very topic. He finds and shows her the scroll and it shows a shining white armor. She's not impressed by how it looks, because the paper is very old and the art style is not new and beautiful, but this goes to prove to her that this is real. She reads text written on the side of the paper. The prayers of those who fear evil will make this warrior appear. This warrior collects the power of living things. She asks the priest to tell her how to make this emperor with the shining armor appear. He says that the story only describes it as 'screams and prayers of help from scared people will make this warrior appear'. This gives Yakushi a new idea. She will use her Oni to change the Earth from a nice place to live. Instead, it will become a living hell and that armored warrior will have to appear. When he does, she will order her Oni to steal the armor. Then, the retired emperor will have the armor and become the most powerful person in the entire world. As the priest escorted Yakushi out of the temple and to her vehicle, Kose was quietly sweeping the floor nearby, watching and listening to everything.

Back in the city, Yakushi and Oni are in an empty room where they can talk alone. He is clean, dressed in armor, and looks more civilized, but anyone can see that this is a terrifying man and someone to be afraid of. She asks how the recruitment of warriors is going. If she is going to turn this world into a living hell, she'll need more than one warrior at her side. She will need an army, and Oni will be the leader of that army. Oni says that there are no skillful people he can use. Yakushi says he'll have to tolerate it for now. They need numbers to make this work, even if they're not the best or strongest warriors. Knowing that she can't continue to call him 'Oni'. He has to fit in with everyone else, and that requires a proper sounding name. As they talk, a memory surfaces in Oni's mind. His name is 'Arago'. When he was living out in the wild countryside, he lived alone. He had no idea who his family was, if he even had a family. Where he was born. Or even his own last name. The longer he was around her and here in this city, the more of an influence it was having on him. The less stupid and silent he was becoming. He finds it amusing how a 'woman' reacts to hearing his name, and his tone angers her. She scolds then dismisses him from her presense.

A month later finds Arago in charge of his own military group. Yakushi managed to get Nakanari, her brother, into a position of power. He was the only person that Arago answered to when it came to this. This military group is charged with keeping the capital city safe. Over time more men had come forward to join this group, thinking that they were going to help keep the precious capital city safe from danger and evil people. However, only four people truly stood out as suitable warriors. These four directly served under Arago. Everyone else served under these four warriors. Shinsei, Yokuseki, Takekuni (Ryou look-a-like), Akimitsu. Their latest order was to go out to the wetlands near the capital city and take care of the thieves living there. It was night time and anyone out here would be fast asleep, making an attack easy.. A full moon over head was their only light. Arago led the way. They were all on horseback. They quietly approached a rough and poor looking settlement. The four men spoke quietly as they surveyed the area. It didn't really look like any sort of secret hideout for bad people. Even if they were terrible people, this was no way for anyone to live. As they tried to decide how best to approach, Arago charged forward on horseback to stomp across and begin destroying the poor looking huts. It didn't take long befor confused, screaming, and frightened people came running out of the huts. The four were absolutely shocked at Arago's actions, and doubly shocked to see that, instead of bad-looking, evil people scurrying out of the buildings, these looked like poor people. Old, grey haired people. Pregnant women. Little children. People who posed no threat to anyone. Arago wasted no time in using either his horse to stomp down and kill people, or his sword to cut through anyone within reach. Shinsei was the first to react, racing forward on his horse to stop Arago. This only got his horse kicked and Shinsei knocked to the ground. The other three hurried to their comrade's side, echoing Shinsei's cries to stop. They used their horses to block Arago's horse, but this didn't stop him. He dismounted, then ran after people, slaughtering anyone who wasn't fast enough to get out of his way. Which included a feeble old man and then a small child. The four warriors felt sick at what they were seeing. Once the survivors had managed to scatter and hide in the darkness, away from where Arago could reach, that's when the large, muscular man stopped his ruthless attack. He got back up onto his horse and didn't see at all bothered by the brutal massacre or by how his four leading soldiers were reacting. One of them called Arago out on what he'd just done, but he shrugged and acted like it was nothing important at all. Whether they were thieves or poor people, worthless lives were still worthless. They were breaking the law and this was their punishment. And, that was that. He mounted his horse and led the way back to their barracks in the capital city. The four silently followed along behind, but once they were back within the city's borders, they headed straight for Nakanari's office to talk to him. They told him about what had happened and, instead of supporting them, he was as nonchalant as Arago was. Nakanari didn't exactally agree with how Arago had decided to carry out punishment, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Worthless lives were still worthless lives. 'Their fate was their own fault'. Besides, Arago did what he thought was best to keep this city safe. End of discussion. Akimitsu asked what should be done about the dead bodies, but Nakanari really didn't seem to care. Leave them were they fell. Nakanari left the room and the four young warriors were in complete agreement. Nakanari and Arago were completely wrong. What Arago did was very wrong. What could they do? Report them to the emperor? Takekuni pointed out that they couldn't do that. According to the information he'd gathered, Nakanari was Yakushi's brother. Yakushi was very close with the retired emperor. And Arago was said to be the personal guard of Yakushi. Even if they went to the current emperor with this information, it would be a wasted effort because of how connected they all were with one another. A single word from Yakushi to the retired emperor to the current emperor and no disciplinary action would be taken. This is when Takekuni decided to be honest about his identity. He told them about how he was really Nosuri. About the clan of Kaosu. About how Kaosu was going to try and help, but, for now, they needed more information before they could act and do anything. He would leave his meeting and report to Kaosu. Until then, the young men had to patiently wait. They agreed, then parted ways. Nosuri hurried out of the city to meet with a young woman, a member of his family. This was a good thing because the young woman had managed to work her way into not only being a servant of Nakanari and Yakushi, but being the one person in charge of all of their servants. She reported that Yakushi had left to visit a nearby temple and pray for the retired emperor's health to improve. The only thing is that this particular temple had a reputation for preforming curses and casting spells if the people who came there were willing to pay a high enough price. Nosuri thanked the young woman for the information, then went to the temple. He needed to find evidence of anything that could show Yakushi was trying to harm, not help, the retired emperor. He successfully snuck into the temple and began looking around for anything out of the ordinary. He discovered a hidden room where a priest was preforming a weird spell, making a creature emerge from the flame of a candle. Before Nosuri could find out anything else, a night watchman monk stopped him. However, instead of any big, noisy fight, it was clear that neither person wanted to fight the other. Instead, they ended up talking. The monk, sharing that he is Kose, tells Nosuri that a month ago he'd tried to run away from this temple because of the bad things that were happening, but that he, instead, found a new friend named Kaosu. The only reason he returned here was to be a spy and gather information. All to try and put an end to the bad things that were happening here. Nosuri tells Kose about who he is, and that he's also here to help get information for Kaosu. They both thought it was funny and wonderful how they, two complete strangers, out of every person in this entire world, both know Kaosu and were currently working to help out their friend. With a new friendship forged, they work together in the temple to find any evidence of Yakushi's wrongdoings. Soon enough they find an altar with bits of spellpaper on it. On the paper was clearly her handwriting. They find a small wooden doll dressed in very fancy clothing. This was meant to represent the retired emperor. The body was covered in many scratches. In its chest is where a hole had been dug out and several needles were sticking into it. There were also small bones nearby this, as well as a lock of cut hair. This is exactally what Nosuri had been looking for.

Chapter 4 - Opening Eye

Both Kose and Nosuri felt troubled by what they'd found, and understandably so. They wished one another good luck and stay safe, then parted ways. Somehow Nosuri had to find Kaosu and show this to him.

Far out into the mountains and the forests, Kaosu had returned to the hidden village after Kose had left. That's where Onjiyou had told Kaosu that his training was finished. There was nothing else that he could teach to Kaosu. Kaosu how had to leave and confront his destiny out in the world. Kaosu thanked the old man, then, with Byakuen at his side, left the village. He had a vision about Arago, and feeling his evil presense made both Kaosu and Byakuen feel nervous. They walked through the forest and Byakuen eventually led Kaosu to a lake that was hidden deep in the forest. This was unlike any lake he'd ever seen before since all of the animals gathered here were peaceful. Animals that would've been enemies and tried to kill each other out in the world were peaceful here. He had a nice night of sleep, then awoke the next morning to see that the lake had changed. It looked cleaner, brighter, shimmering in the sunlight.

In a nearby village of Kaosu, a man rang a bell. Everyone became very excited. "Kaosu has finally awoken". They hurried to make their way to Mitama Lake. (Yes, THAT lake. The lake where Shuten, Nasutei, and Jun found the Inochi no Magatama (Jewel of Life).) (Note from the translator : The only thing I can figure that makes any sense is because they're all a part of the clan of Kaosu, they're aware of each incarnation of Kaosu and when his powers activate / 'awaken'. Though the author never explains this. AT ALL.)

Kaosu and Byakuen stood on at the edge of the lake as the water changed, then moved. It revealed a hidden temple that had been under the water. They went into the temple and the first thing they saw were suits of armor lining a hallway. They entred into a room with a golden shrine to see a single suit of armor there. When Kaosu moved the armor, somehow knowing this was reserved for him to use and wear against the evil he would soon face, he found the Inochi no Magatama (Jewel of Life) resting on a small space in the golden shrine. He took the armor and left the shrine. Once outside, he was greeted by the people from the clan of Kaosu surrounding the lake, as well as lots of different animals. They were aware of him and were ready to celebrate his awakening. Kaosu had returned to his home village and managed to get a good night of sleep after his people celebrating his awakening. The next morning he was woken up by Nosuri's return. The leader of the clan looked over the little wooden doll his friend had brought back. It was difficult to believe anyone would go so far to do something this horrible. Nosuri explained, to the best of his understanding, that Yakushi had made her way to the retired emperor's side solely because she wanted to seem so loving and devoted to him and his wellbeing. Little did he know that the source of his health problems was Yakushi herself.

Back in the city, the Oni's reputation had only grown, and this was, by no means, a good thing. Word had spread of the savage attack in the dead of night. It was at the point that no one dared to go outside at night, for fear that the Oni would suddenly attack and slaughter them without a second thought. With Oni's reputation growing and getting more fierce, so, too, did Yakushi's self-confidence grow. It was as if whatever weakness she may have been seen as having, solely because she was a 'woman' were vanishing from sight. Due to Yakushi quietly pulling the strings in the background, working to get her brother more power, he was becoming more greedy. Sure he could try putting forth the effort to do it himself, but why bother when she was already doing so much on his behalf to further her own plans? Because of her ambitions, Yakushi's evil ways were only pulling her more and more into darkness without her even realizing it. It would only be a matter of time before she would stop existing and only pure evil would be in her place. As for Arago, what little information that had been gathered didn't do anything to make anyone feel better about him. Arago had been born into poverty and was like little more than some feral dog attacking, killing, and managing to live by eating human flesh.

(Note from the translator : Yes, you read that last bit correctly. Directly translated from the original Japanese text. HE. KILLED. PEOPLE. AND. ATE. THEM. blech... )

The only reason why he was even seen as a human was down to Yakushi's influence and dressing him like a proper person. Putting him into a more civilized enviroment. Though that didn't really do anything to change the beast of a man that he was. A long time ago he'd met a monk who had tried to help him be better. Arago was taught words, shown how to have a better life, how to understand other people. However, the monk couldn't stay and eventually left. This left Arago as being neither a man or a beast. Perhaps he was something of them both, in the end.. In the end. Arago had to make up his own mind and live his own life the only way he could. For him, this was the right path. This was the only path. There was nothing else for him. A part of him had wanted to see that monk again. Every time he killed, he'd been hoping the monk would appear soon after. A familiar, kind face. But, no. So, this is what it was. His life was to instill fear into people and kill. Just as this was his life path, so was Kaosu's path to lead his people into a world of peace. Light and Shadow. Two opposites. Eventually, they would have to meet.

After Nosuri had left Kose at the temple, Kose had decided to follow after. His first thought was to return to the waterfall where he and Kaosu met. He was disappointed to not see his black haired friend anywhere near the water. Out of ideas, not familiar with the area, and having no intention of aimlessly wandering about in these woods, he placed his hands into the waterfall and concentrated on his friend. Maybe, by some miracle, this body of water was somehow connected to Kaosu. Maybe his desire to see his friend would be transmitted. Surprisingly so, it worked. He could hear Kaosu's voice telling him that there is a village nearby on the other side of the mountains. Following the instructions, and hoping it wasn't simply his imagination or some daydream, he soon found himself entering a hidden away little village.. Much to his surprise, he was greeted by the village people and Kaosu had told them to expect Kose's arrival. Kose was clearly surprised and marvelled at how awesome the people of Kaosu's village were. Before he could dwell too much on this fact, Kaosu appeared nearby in the doorway of a hut, and wearing an impressive suit of armor. Before they could talk, an older woman walked up to Kaosu and gave him a sword. He accepted it and said that he would protect this entire family just as he had done from the most ancient of times. As long as evil exists, he would be there to stop it. Kaosu sheathed the sword on his hip, then Kose and Kaosu, with Byakuen close behind, walked into a nearby shrine. Everything seemed normal, up until the point that the shrine began to glow and shine. Then the trio began to shine as well. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight and the glowing came to a stop. Everything looked like it had returned to normal. (aka Kaosu, Kose, and Byakuen teleported somewhere else.)

Chapter 5 - Right and Wrong Determination (Correct and Incorrect Determination)

In the capital city, the emperor had arrived and, in a room of a very nice building, was holding a meeting with the retired emperor and all of the lords. Yakushi and Nakanari were there, too. The emperor announced that Nakanari's military group would have more men added to it, and then be split apart so there would be a smaller police division to patrol the city and keep everyone safe. This meant more power for the already-greedy Nakanari. However, unfortunately, the emperor had made up his mind and said that the capital city would now be a completely different location and be called 'Miyanaka'. This make Yakushi upset. This was ruining her plans. To make matters worse, the retired emperor, and by association, Yakushi, too, would be excluded from any further meetings like this. The retired emperor said he was fine with this and happy to live a quiet life, but Yakushi was having none of it. She tried to look really sad and make the retired emperor change his mind, but it doesn't work. Suddenly, Nosuri stood up from the back row and walked forward. He presented the retired emperor with the doll he had found in the temple. The retired emperor saw the writing, the scratches across it's surface, the hole in the chest, and the needles stuck into the hole. To add to this, Tomoaki approaches next. He'd been investigating as well. He'd found a very old and somewhat small box that belonged to Yakushi. In it were scraps of various cloth, some loose, some sewn together. Some pieces being the exact same cloth and sewing pattern that the emperor's wooden doll was currently wearing. The retired emperor went from feeling betrayed to absolutely angry. The woman he cared so much about had worked her way into his life, put a spell on him to make him ill, and, to him, been pretending to pray for his wellbeing when, the entire time, she was the one making him sick and weak. The emperor ordered Nakanari and Yakushi to be arrested, but Yakushi fought back. She struggled and managed to escape from the guards. Outside, she ran across the street to Arago and told him that the people in the building were going to harm her. He had to protect her. Akimitsu, one of the four men who had been serving directly under Arago, was the first outside of the building, sword in hand. He rushed over to Arago and Yakushi, intent on not letting her escape, even if that meant fighting against this beast of a man. Arago withdrew his sword to fight. As he swung his sword down, Akimitsu was quick to move out of the way, but Yakushi was not. The sword came down and cut Yakushi's head, splattering his face with her blood. He withdrew the blade, but didn't flinch or even show any signs of remorse. More people had exited the building. Nakanari had witnessed the scene and ran away screaming. Tomoaki and Shinsei hurried after Nakanari as he was climbing up onto the roof of a nearby building to escape. Tomoaki shot a single arrow at him, the arrow landing in his thigh. Unfortunately, this threw him completely off balance. He fell from the roof and died when he hit the ground. Arago took several steps back from Yakushi's dead body and laughed. He then aimed his sword at the retired emperor. Without a word, making it clear that he would be the next to be killed. Akimitsu jumped in the way, followed by Nosuri, using their swords to hold Arago's sword at bay. For the moment, stopping any attack from happening. Tomoaki and Shinsei quickly join in to stop Arago as the emperor orders the gates of the city to be shut. The gates securely slammed shut. The doors of buildings were closed and locked. The capital city was now under martial law and no one would be allowed out. Arago shoved the four warriors away from him, freeing his blade. He moved fast, running down the street and being chased by soldiers. However, the longer he went, the more exhausted he became. Speed and endurance were not what his body was built for. He couldn't go into the building where the meeting had been held. He couldn't get out of the city and flee into the nearby mountains. He'd gotten lucky and managed to lose the guards who'd been chasing him, but, all too soon, he heard a man's voice talking to him. A familiar voice. Kaosu appears to Arago and the large man recognizes the figure to be the same monk that had come to him so long ago. Kaosu tries appealing to the humanity within Arago, saying that he doesn't have to be an Oni. He doesn't have to be some blood thirsty monster. He can still choose to turn away from this kind of life, from seeking power. Kaosu is standing in the same street as Arago. After everything he's been through, Arago refuses to listen to reason and draws his sword on Kaosu. At that moment, a pure black force flew through the air, swirling around Arago. He asks for darkness to take him and says that he's not a person. He's not a man. He is a monster. He's not afraid. Suddenly, the dark force showed its true form as a spirit. An old, thin man wearing the tattered robes of a high ranking monk and pale, greyish blue tone to his skin. It's clear that this person is nothing from this world. He introduces himself as Badamon, bowing to Arago with respect. He's a spirit that comes from a world of evil and who knows of Arago's evil ways. He says that Arago is the being powerful enough to become emperor of that world. Arago asks how he can accomplish this. Badamon is a spirit. Arago is still very much so alive. Badamon shows a creepy smile and says that he can make Arago into a being like him. The power from the world Badamon comes from can surpass the power of 'life' and having a physical body. Arago smiled in return. That's all he needed to hear. Badamon summoned energy from everywhere, the ground, the sky, the water, making everything appear to sizzle and explode as energy gathered around Arago. A lightning bolt shoots down and, suddenly, massive hoard of dead mean can be seen on the ground, crawling towards Arago. They are now his servants, attracted to his power, his greed, and his desire. Another bolt of lightning strikes and suddenly Arago finds himself wearing a huge suit of black armor. Badamon explains that this evil armor is just for him. It was created to combat the menace that is "Kikoutei". Arago takes a moment to look over himself, seeing that he's no longer his human-sized self. He's much larger and the armor that's completely covering his body reflects the beast, the warrior, the monster that he was as a man. The mask guard is blood red, there is ghostly white flowing hair on either side of the front of the helmet, and the dark, menacing grey of the armor reflects the dark and evilness that he represents. A final bolt of lightning strikes and Arago finds himself surrounded by an armor of soldiers. HIS soldiers. HIS army. A sharp rumble of thunder is heard, dark, ominous clouds can be seen in the sky, blocking out the sun, and a heavy rain begins pouring. With Arago in the lead, he wastes no time travelling through the city with his army laying waste to everything in its path. Like some weird, horrible tsunami, the soldiers destroyed houses, slaughtered people, leaving nothing behind but destruction. Men, women, young, old, it didn't matter. Anything in his path would be cut down. The emperor's soldiers tried to fight back, but it was completely useless. No matter how the emperor's soldiers struck, attacked, or cut into Arago's soldiers, they didn't fall. They weren't injuried. Nothing was stopping them. The emperor completely shut down the section of the city that held this invading, other wordly army. Any innocents who remained alive either stayed hidden and out of sight, or made a mad run out of the city to escape Arago's army. Despite several different attempts, the soldiers proved to be unstoppable. The four young men who'd been serving directly under Arago, having seen the atrocities he'd committed, now fought against him alongside Kose, but nothing seemed to work. They poured oil on the grould then lit it, hoping a line of fire would stop their approach. No. They fired numerous arrows hoping that would stop them. Again, no. The emperor's soldiers piled up sandbags at the closed gates, half for protection, half in another effort to stop the invaders. Nothing seemed to be working. Tomoaki reported this disappointing news to the emperor, but the emperor tried to reassure the young man. The enemy they were facing wasn't from this world. There wasn't anything left for them to do. Nothing left but to pray. It's at that very moment that Kaosu, wearing his armor and with Byakuen at his side, appears amid the rain and walks towards them. In unison, Nosuri and Kose happily call out to Kaosu, letting everyone around know that this was a friend, not an enemy. Nosuri couldn't help but cry a little bit. Here stood his childhood friend, his best friend, who was also the leader of their entire clan, was also THEE Kaosu of legend. That young boy had become this amazing man, this warrior ready to fight to protect, and save, this world. The warriors, the retired emperor, and the present emperor all felt a great sense of relief at Kaosu's presense. Nosuri took a moment to speak with Kaosu, giving him several beads. He says that they are special beads, made from a sacred tree that the clan has been protecting for a very, very, very long time.

(Translator's note : It really doesn't go into detail here, but my best guess is that Nosuri just handed Kaosu the 'beads' that would later become the crystal spheres that will house the 9 armors.)

Kaosu accepts the beads, thanking Nosuri for being here, then tucks them away and out of sight. Being as prepared as he is ever going to be, the emperor's soldiers allow Kaosu through the gates along with Shinsei, Tomoaki, Nosuri, Akimitsu, and Kose.

(Basically, Kaosu + Nosuri (Ryou look-a-like), Shinsei (Shin look-a-like), Kosu Shuusetsu (Shuu look-a-like), Tomoaki (Touma look-a-like), and Akimitsu (Seiji look-a-like).)

Each of the five young men shout at Arago's soldiers. They're determined to defeat this enemy. They'll save this city. They'll save the people. No matter what. Somehow this gives them the power, the strength to inflict damage on the soldiers, cutting into the armor and making the bluish grey smoke escape, rendering those injuried soldiers completely useless. Even Byakuen got in on the action, leaping forward with bites, scraches, and slashes, doing as much damage as his human counterparts. Kaosu participates as well, using his sword to cut down numerous soldiers. Finally, at long last, instead of seeing this seemingly endless army of soldiers, Arago appears at the back. He was no longer human. No longer recognizable. He was now nothing more than a huge armor made of iron. The armor seemed to emit a sort of pressure on everything around it, including the young men. However, they're quick to regain their footing and shout at Arago, asking if he's even human any more. If he sold his soul to evil. If he really wants to kill people. Their reply is Arago's laughter. He doesn't care about this city, about the emperor, or even the country. He has exactally what he wants and everything else beyond that is worthless. The young warriors charge at Arago, telling him to wake up, trying to plead with anything left inside that may still be human. However, their attack is in vain. Arago throws them back, the strike throwing the sword clear out of two of the warrior's hands. Kose attempts an attack with his staff, now made of iron and not wood, but the attack is easily repelled by Arago's incredible armor. The staff is thrown so violently away that it escapes Kose's grip and stabs deeply into the stones that line the ground of a nearby alley. Arago laughs at their failed attempts. The five band together with a single, unified attack, only to be thrown down to the ground with no real effort on the demon emperor's part. Kaosu steps up and launches an attack at Arago, cutting into the armor with a single slice, looking into the eye holes of the face guard but, to his shock, the only thing he sees inside is darkness. Within that darkness he can feel numerous, vengeful dead spirits present there. Arago shoves him away. Instead of anger or fear, Kaosu finds himself pitying the demon, the Youja, emperor standing before him. Standing before him was what use to be a poor man who was lonely, who struggled just to survive in this world. Who had to become a monster simply to remain alive. In that moment, old, forgotten, vague memories flashed through Arago's mind. The monk he'd once known. The monk who had given him the name of 'Arago'. 'Arago', meant to be immortality. The immortality of all things in the universe. Something to represent happiness, to represent the beginning of precious things. The memory turns to the monk screaming, and then is gone. Arago is screaming. He's holding the sword above his head. As he brings down the sword, instead of cutting through anyone, or even Kaosu, only the sound of a beautiful bell could be heard. He dropped down to one knee and Kaosu said that the armor was an evil purgatory armor. Arago calls him an idiot, then demands to know his name. Kaosu refuses to say it. Arago says he will return to this world one day and have his revenge. The power of his armor will guarantee this, then he collapses onto the ground. Defeated. Kaosu stands over Arago's body, saying that this world never belong to him, then plunges his sword into Arago's chest. Reddish smoke emerges from armor, flying into the air and out of sight. As the five young men cheer, the emperor's soldiers cheer out as well. It stops raining. However, Kaosu can still sense evil within the armor, despite Arago's spirit having left it. Kaosu looks at the remains of Arago, the now-empty armor left behind and comments about how this should be a warning to all humans. Basically, greed and evil is bad. The present emperor and retired emperor stand beside Kaosu to inspect the armor, pressing his sword into the armor, but everyone is surprised when, suddenly, the armor's head springs to life and begins flying around. Then, it flew into the sky and vanished. Probably to follow Arago's spirit, where ever it had gone to. All that remained behind now was a giant suit of armor without a head. Nosuri is worried, both of the emperors are clearly afraid, and Kaosu decides that the only solution is to break apart the armor, then seal each part away. . . somehow.

Several months pass by. Kaosu had taken the armor and been working on breaking it apart, reshaping each piece, instilling a precious virtue into each one, then magically sealing each piece into the sacred beads (crystal spheres) Nosuri had given to him before the fight began. The virtue magically instilled into each separate piece of Arago's armor would help make these a weapon for good, no longer a weapon of evil. Benevolence. Justice. Gratitute. Knowledge. Trust. Loyalty. Filial piety. Respect for one's elders. Endurance. If the head of the armor hadn't flown away to join Arago's spirit, there would have been a tenth armor. The virtue for it would have been 'courage'. With a virtue magically instilled into these armors, they would help the future warriors be stronger than evil by making the strength of their heart, of their spirit, of their virtue something that is in the armor itself, and would be a characteristic of that warrior's unique personality. The nine new armors were complete. Sky, water, earth, light, darkness, dreams, power / strength, medicine, and fire. Each one would represent a natural ability all its own, so, whether used alone or alongside the other armors, it would be a force for good. To keep the skies safe, Tenku. To protect the water and all that live in it, Suiko. To protect and manage the land, Kongo. A light that will protect and help manage the Earth, Korin. To protect the light and manage the night, Yami. To keep your dreams safe from evil and scary thoughts and manage your fantasies, Gen. To heal injuries and soothe the body, Doku. To lead the others and help to remain on a good path, Oni. To protect the weak and show compassion towards others, Rekka. With this, the evil armor of Arago was purified of its evil and, now, has become a protector. Unfortunately, one problem remained. That last piece of his armor. The helmet that flew away. Arago may be defeated for now, but he was still out there. He still existed. . . somewhere. One day he would, without a doubt, return. Although this wasn't his personal desire, Kaosu surrendered to the fact that he now had to be directly involved with this physical world. He had to keep a watchful eye on what humans did and be ready to intervene and act, to find suitable warriors for these armors when the time came. Although the world of humans (i.e. the physical world) and the world of spirits were two separate places, the fact of Arago's life and transformation, that there were people who'd been using dark magic for evil things, like Yakushi, this had only proven the fact that these two worlds were no longer separate. There was a crack in the boundaries between these two worlds and this would be dangerous for everyone. Kaosu was only one person. He needed to remain in order to protect them. Going forward, now more than ever before, the clan of Kaosu was needed to help out mankind. He struggles with what to do, not sure how to help. He asks aloud "Kikoutei, what can I do? How can I possibly protect both worlds?" This is when Byakuen suddenly begins to shine brightly then splits apart into two separate tigers. One is white, the other is dark grey and wearing a suit of beautiful, prestine white armor. The metalling clanking of metal filled the air and the temple was bathed in golden light for a short time. When the light vanished and he opened his eyes, five of the crystal spheres rolled to his feet, each one momentarily shone a single color, displaying a kanji. Benevolence, justice, gratitude, wisdom, trust. He paused a moment and realized the other four crystal spheres were missing. No matter where he looked, they were nowhere to be found. This was Kikoutei's will. Kaosu was directly in charge of these five armors, to keep them safe and wait for the time when Arago would return. That's when he'd find a suitable warrior for each to wear. They would protect the Earth. The four remaining armors would protect the spirit world. Looking at the two tigers, now more than ever it was clear that the two words, as different as they are, were balanced opposites of one another.

Kaosu gave the armor of benevolence to Nosuri to guard and protect. After a few years Shinsei left the area with his family and moved to the east. Eventually becoming instrumental with the Kamakura Shogunate (a Japanese feudal military government of rule that ruled from 1185 to 1333), and eventually leading to the family bearing the name of "Mouri". Akimitsu was entrusted with the armor of gratitude. A few generations later his family took on the name of "Date". Tomoaki was entrusted with the armor of knowledge and remained in the capital city. His family eventually taking on the name of "Hashiba". And Kosu Shuusetsu, who was entrusted with the armor of justice, returned to his family home for a while, then moved up into the mountains of the area, becoming a veterinarian. Alongside that, he'd also foster young kids and help teach them how to live a good life. His family eventually taking on the name of "Rei Faun".

It took a while before the whole uproar over Oni's antics in the capital city began to fade from people's minds. It helped that this area stopped being the center for Japanese politics and was no longer where the capital city was.

Over in the other world, the world of spirits, the Youja World, weakened and, for the time, defeated, Arago fell asleep in the darkness. Although his ambitions had been stopped and his new, terrifying body of armor had been ruined by Kaosu, time had allowed Arago's power to return. When he woke next, he was ressurected as the Youja Emperor Arago. It took very little time after he awoke to become stronger and stronger. He created his own city in the Youja World, one that imitated the capital city of Heian-kyou. A place for him to reign over that was completely his own. With Badamon knowing how to move between the Youja World and the Human World, he was extraordinarily helpful to his Youja Emperor, helping him gather more and more power, and, eventually, being instrumental in allowing him to find his four Mashou. Shuten Doji. Anubisu. Rajura. Naaza. Although that is a different story to be told for a different time.

In a vision from the future, Kaosu saw Arago's return. The floating castle in the sky. The ominous dark clouds. War would come. Until that time came, the nine armors would have to remain in their respective worlds. Until that time, he would have to keep a watchful eye on the Earth and the humans. Try to keep this world a good place, even if it wasn't perfect and tranquil. For now, though, peace had returned and people could be happy again. Kaosu took his clan's armor with him and decided to travel across Japan dressed as a monk. He would confront and deal with any spirits from the Youja World that happened to appear while he waited for Arago's return.

Epilogue - Where The One Village Becomes Eternal

Late at night, sparkling stars in the sky, somewhere far off in the mountains, the wonderful sounds of ringing bells could be heard. Deep in the forest of the area was an open grassland. Everything was peaceful and quiet. On an old, small, wooden stage, Kayura wore a samurai costume and was dancing in time to the sound of the bells. Small bells being tied around her wrists and ankles. She was the only one left behind to celebrate this festival, to dance in its honor. So, dance and celebrate she will. Now knowing all of the memories and history of her clan, she is free of her role as a replacement for Kaosu. She can be allowed to be a free girl in this world. The calm, reflective surface of the lake had shown her all of these precious memories. After so long, after so many things had happened, finally the two worlds had been returned to their original forms. Kayura, unlike Kaosu, no longer had to live for a long time to prepare for the return of any Youja. The only thing she has to do is protect the memories of her clan and of Kikoutei. If and when evil would dare to appear in this world again, Kaosu will be reborn again. With no need for them, the guards from the Mitama Lake's temple returned to the temple. The Inochi no Magatama was set back into its rightful place in the shrine of that temple. The lake burying the building, its power, and its secrets from the rest of the world.

(Note from the translator : The story includes that the crystal spheres / armor spheres / kanji spheres, whatever you want to call them by, were also buried within the depths of the temple, but, after the whole thing with Kikoutei Densetsu and MESSAGE, we all know that that's not possible. Five of those nine armors were destroyed, so no way for their respective spheres to still exist. So... yeah... you can definately tell this was written before MESSAGE was released.)

This night markes Kayura's departure from a warrior, from being needed as a replacement for Kaosu. This is the first day of the rest of her life, and her chance to live a normal, peaceful, nonmagical life. So, here in Asuka she danced. With a heart full of gratitude to everyone who had helped her, supported her, and for everyone who had to live through horrible battles, able to only find a life as a Youja, this was all that could be done. A simple dance in order to honor and show respect. A good distance away at Mitama Lake, the bells are faintly heard. Deep within this hidden temple, embedded into the wall are the ten beads. The nine that housed Arago's reformed armor pieces, and the final crystal sphere that was never used. At the entrance of this room is a statue of a sacred tiger wearing armor. Sheathed on the sides of the armor are the swords of Kikoutei. In the darkness, a small movement of pure white light moves around then out of the statue before vanishing into the darkness without a trace.

The End

Otogaki (Afterword / Postscript)

(Note from the translator : This is basically Yoshie Kawahara talking about 'I hope you liked this story, despite me being an amature writer', 'in my opinion, the story ended when the TV series ended and the armor wearing warriors are no longer needed', and 'thanks to everyone who's supported me in my life while I've worked on this book!'. The end.)

"I hope this show has an impact on you and gets a special place in your heart." No matter what project I write for, this is what I pray will be in the reader's mind. This is what it was like for me with Samurai Troopers. However, with this, it sure seems like this series was a big hit and the prayer was successful. As for me, I started writing this book, but it was fairly unexpected. I'm someone who's a novelist for anime shows, but I wasn't expecting to end up making five books for it! I'm pretty sure that all five books will be available soon in bookstores all around the country, in case you were wondering about that.

This book took several tries before I ended up settling on the story. When I got to that moment, all I could end up saying was "Finally!". To date, this was the most difficult story I've had to write. I mean, sure, there's the story itself, but there are a lot of things from that time period that I only have middle school / junior high school knowledge about. I'm sure that if an expert on that time period reads this book, they'll be able to find every last bit and piece that I got wrong about it, and that the story might even be sort of disorganized.

I like history well enough, but I don't know every last detail about it. So, the contents of this book are my own theory about that particular time. I'd like to think that this is an interesting story. It deals with the beauty of the mind and the heart. The Japanese tradition associated with the word "Samurai". It takes place in a world that's full of traditional beauty. A place and time that should be protected and cherished. Even though I deviated from the aesthetic and beauty of the era, I'd like to think that this story ended up being a fun read. Besides, if a story is all about how pretty and lovely and peaceful everything is, that's not much fun. Sprinkle in a bit of drama, adventure, and danger, ah, see? That's when it becomes something more exciting to read. Alongside that, there's another aspect from traditional Japan that I worked into this story. The natural world, for as dangerous as it can be, is also a beautiful and wonderful place. Something to be both feared and awed. Something that people should have a great reverence for. This is something that history and culture has shown about our ancestors. They had equal parts fear and respect for the natural world, something that we here in the modern age tend to lack.

However, that's just my opinion on the matter. I've gotten letters from many people who noticed this and, I'll admit, I was pretty happy about. (I didn't expect so many people to write me about this story! This story that such an amateur, like me, wrote. If you're one of the people who sent me a letter but haven't gotten a reply yet, I'm sorry! Please, be patient. I'll get around to replying to every last one of them!)

As for the story, from this point onwards, please, feel free to think about the future of Kayura, about the future of the five Samurai Troopers, in whatever way you like. However, in their world, the way I see it is that the era of war and danger, the times that needed those armor wearing warriors to defend the world, that ended when the television series ended.

At this point in my life, I think I finally understand what it means to exist as a human being, a person who lives in Tokyo and no where near the countryside. My dad was also born here in Tokyo. He likes paintings, climbing stuff, the natural sciences, and stuff like that. So, when I was a kid, we'd go out to the countryside where kids can be allowed to climb stuff, fall off of them, even going to visit the sea in summertime. My personal recommendation about that is you should totally go. Don't wait around. The view and enviroment is worth it. All of the flowers and various insects I saw along the way were like something out of an educational picture book. I was never much of an artist, but that didn't stop me from going outside to sketch the flowers and the scenery alongside my father. Even picking up random stones and seashells to bring home as souveniers. I remember that, one summer night when I was laying clothes out on the clothesline, I looked up into the sky and saw one star in the faded constellation overhead. It brought back those rich childhood memories. Thanks to my dad, I guess I could be seen as an unusual sort of son. I love to stick my hands out and cut through the wind. I enjoy going out for a hike and soaking in the great views of nature. I love getting to go to the beach and walk through the waves and the wet sand. It's a little strange, but in a good way, to know that how my father raised me, the things I experienced as a kid, will, in some form, live in through these novels I've written. Though I think that my feelings probably seem weird to parents who've brought up their kids knowing nothing but city life and robotic pets. They'll never get to know how wonderful getting to be outside in nature, away from all of the steel, concrete, batteries, and technology, can be.

This series of books I've written for the Samurai Troopers, I love it. I kinda wish I was allowed to keep writing more for these guys. I'll feel a little bit lonely to leave this series behind, but I'd like to think that I've helped create a new path for them. Sometimes I would like to imagine getting to meet them, being able to write something new and create a whole new world just for them. If nothing else, when you're in a bookstore and see 'Kawahara' just know that I wrote that and remember me. Please.

I plan on letting this series go, saying my final goodbyes to the Samurai Troopers, and moving on with my life after this.

Last but, most certainly, not least, to those of you who were so kind and helpful, giving me useful and constructive advice, Mr. Shioyama, Ukai-chan. Mr. Danna, everyone who's sent me a letter of encouragement for these stories, I want to say to each and every one of you, thank you for everything.

Kawahara Yoshie

April 5, 1990

Final Note From The Translator

Hey there, dear reader!

First up, thanks for taking the time to read my humble little translated version of this book. It's been a very, VERY long process for me, but I'm glad I was finally able to finish this. To find out about the past of Kaosu and learn that Arago was once human. (Still can't get over just how violent Arago was, though. And the fact that he ate human flesh!!?? Yuck!!! I knew he was a bad guy, but, dang! That puts a whole new perspective on him.)

Second, sorry that I wasn't able to yet provide you with a full detailed and translated version of this book. I ran out of energy, but still wanted this book to be DONE. So, I went the easier route and summarized each chapter. I know it's not perfect, and, one day, I do hope to resume the fully detailed version of the story, translated into English, and release it for everyone to read. For now, however, this version will have to do.

Third, for the love of God, if you at all appreciate the fact that this summary exists, that this story exists AT ALL, then, while it's still available, go buy an official copy of this book. As of 2019, it's still available to be bought via

Amazon www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00VR8X3US/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=adrenalize04-22&linkId=93bdd2364754d793b52a3c16001c3e2f

and Adrenalize.co.jp adrenalize.co.jp/list04.html

I know, I know, you're probably going 'But, This stuff is in Japanese! I can't read Japanese!'. Neither can I, but spending about $7 / 6.40 EUR / 9.30 Canadian to buy a digital copy of this book to officially show that there are fans that are still around and still wanting to read these stories is kinda worth it. Right? I mean, it's no guarantee that SUNRISE will release any new stories for our favorite armored boys, but, hope is ever eternal.

Last but not least, thanks again for your interest in this story and wanting to read it. Thanks to Yoshie Kawahara for having written this. Thanks to SUNRISE for having made and released this anime series.

Now, go on, shoo! Go take Yoshie's advice and go outside for a while. Get some nature around you and go pamper yourself! You deserve it!

See you in the next book I translate for this anime series!

#yoroiden samurai troopers #ronin warriors arago talpa kaosu the ancient one byakuen whiteblaze book 4 shin kon hen early dusk volume

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renegadewangs · 5 years

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Ace Mindhunter - 1st Interview

Characters: Simon Blackquill, Athena Cykes, Shi-Long Lang, and a rogues gallery of AA villains. Fandom: Ace Attorney. Pairings: N/A. Warnings/rating: 16+, I would say. Talk of heavy themes such as death and abuse, plus cursing. Spoilers for every AA game up to Spirit of Justice, AAI2 included. Gratuitous amounts of headcanon for antagonists. Summary: Simon Blackquill is roped into a Behavioral Analysis project along with Athena Cykes. They must sit down with convicted murderers for interviews, in hopes of finding out just what drove them to their convoluted crimes.

((A/N: This fic is based on Mindhunter, which is not only a good series on Netflix but an actual book written by John Douglas, the FBI agent who played a very important role in the Behavioral Science Unit from 1977 to 1995. Behavioral Science aimed towards serial killers is a real thing and it’s fascinating. As an additional note, the prison’s setup is based on AAI2′s explanation of how it all works over there, so if you never absorbed any info from that game, you might be a bit lost.

Anyway, mind the warnings up there and enjoy!))

1st Interview Dee

Date: June 5th 2028 Time: 2:02 PM Location: Interview Room. Dee Vasquez was a woman in her mid forties, though the only reason Simon Blackquill knew this was because the paperwork in front of him told him so. Her short hair was as black as could be and her features showed virtually no wrinkles. Just as most other convicted felons, she was wearing the standard prison uniform of black and white stripes. There was also a metallic bracelet around her wrist, which ensured she couldn't leave the room without suffering a nasty disciplinary shock. Harsh as it seemed, that measure still paled in comparison to the shackles Simon had worn up until half a year ago. His own wrists itched at the mere memory of it. He had seen her around death row during his own incarceration, but he'd never paid her any mind. She had been very adapt at keeping to herself, just as he himself had been. There was something to be said about the company of fellow inmates, but that 'something' was not Simon's cup of tea. He'd had Taka. As far as he could recall, Vasquez had never been in the company of a therapy animal. “I will be recording this conversation. Is that all right?” he asked, sliding a device towards the center of the table which stood between them. As he felt it best to have her agreement on tape as well, it was already cementing the sounds in the room. Vasquez glanced down at it from the corner of her eye, but said nothing. Her expression, one of boredom, implied that this interview would be more troublesome than advertised. 'An easy start', Lang had told him. 'A pain in the arse', Simon concluded at this time. “... I shall accept that as confirmation.” “Hm.” Simon drew in a quick breath through his nose, then peered down at the prepared statement he was meant to give. Even looking at those words made him feel more formal than he would ever hope to be. Still, it was expected of him to say these things out loud. “Now, I am here on behalf of Interpol's Behavioral Analysis Unit,” he ultimately began. “What you discuss with me is subject to Interpol's confidentiality clause and cannot be used against you in your applications for parole. I'll be asking you about your family history, antecedent behavior and thought patterns surrounding the crime you have committed. Our goal is to compile several psychological profiles and, ultimately, use them to create a statistical analysis which will not include your name.” Vasquez crossed her arms over her chest, sitting back in her chair. “What is the meaning of this? I was convicted almost twelve years ago.” “The lady is quite observant,” Simon replied dryly. “As I've already stated, your answers will not serve as a weapon we may wield against you. Rather, by delving into your history and psyche, we hope to corner and disarm others like you.” “Others like me?” “Those who would take another's life and avoid their responsibility in the matter. Specifically, those who go to asburd lengths to shift the blame of that crime onto an innocent bystander.” “Innocent? Hardly.” Simon felt his eyes narrow at the statement. “You don't believe that Will Powers was unrelated to Jack Hammer's death?” “That is not what I said. However, I believe that no man is innocent.” The air with which Vasquez had uttered that statement was so very nonchalant, it came across as a fact of life rather than biased opinion. She still hadn't glanced Simon's way yet, either. She did nothing but stare up towards a far corner of the room. Why she had even agreed to sit across from him was difficult to estimate. Perhaps she'd simply wanted a change of scenery. Simon placed a hand on the table and leaned forward. “Even if no man is innocent, you are the one donning the garb of the common criminal.” “... Shouting.” “I beg your pardon?” “Out in the courtyard. Two men are shouting. Do you hear them?” Closing his eyes and straining his ears, he could indeed distinguish it. A pair of deep voices was engaged in an argument somewhere. That something so faint would catch Vasquez's attention was ludicrous, but then, perhaps anything was more interesting than Simon's words. Taking in a few seconds of the silence which reigned, he thought back to what had roped him into this situation in the first place. ------- Date: June 3rd 2028 Time: 4:23 PM Location: Simon Blackquill's Office. Even with all his past research into the Phantom, Simon had rarely ever spoken to anyone from Interpol. Perhaps it was because he didn't want them to hinder his work, or perhaps it was because Interpol itself hadn't deigned him worthy of their attention. If indeed it was the latter, the events of five months prior must have left such a grand crater that Simon, who was standing in the middle of it all, could no longer be ignored. To have a senior investigator visit him in his humble office would have been considered sudden overkill, were Simon not aware that Shi-Long Lang was long-time friends with the Chief Prosecutor. Simon's first impression was that Lang had walked through the door with extreme reluctance, perhaps even distaste. There was a particularly stiff slouch to his walk which implied as much, but it was the tone of voice which set it into stone. “Simon Blackquill. We meet at last.” “Not for lack of effort from my hand. And that's Prosecutor Blackquill, if you don't mind.” Lang's mouth curled into something of a smirk. As he made no attempt to approach Simon's desk and instead lingered near the door, Simon in turn decided not to get up from his chair. Courtesy was a favor to be repaid, after all. “Quite right. You did not clear your record for nothing. I have to say, though, the image of pencil pusher doesn't suit you at all. Lang Zi says: A wild wolf has no place among tamed retrievers.” “You must have gained the wrong impression of a prosecutor's duties from some of my colleagues. I tend not to push pencils unless the intention is for them to go up a culprit's nose.” “Getting confessions in any way you see fit, huh? That's a Twisted Samurai for ya.” Despite Simon's grin matching Lang's own, there was no covering the elephant in the room. Small talk, no matter how tinged with dark humor, was small talk all the same. The folder clutched in one of the Interpol agent's hands must have been there for a reason. “Agent Lang, humbled as I am that you would travel all the way here to speak with me, I doubt either of us are the sort to beat around the bush. Why are you here?” “Interpol has a project for you.” “I don't work for Interpol. I work for the Chief Prosecutor.” “And that Chief Prosecutor has so kindly agreed to relay all your most challenging cases, so that you may work with Interpol on a part-time basis.” A wild urge to protest dawned on Simon, only to die down as quickly as it'd arisen. If the Chief Prosecutor had agreed to this, it must've been important. Not only that; if Interpol needed assistance from a 'pencil-pushing prosecutor', they must've been desperate. He leaned forward and folded his hands together atop the desk, a very different sort of fighting spirit being born inside him. There was a fire the likes of which he'd never known; a fire which had spent the last five months smoldering due to lack of oxygen. “Is this about the Phantom?” he asked, convinced that he already knew the answer. “No,” was the unfortunate response. Lang finally approached the desk and allowed the folder to drop. It hit the wooden surface with a soft thud. His sharp gaze met Simon's head-on and when he spoke, it was in an impatient manner. “The Phantom is not your concern. It should never have been your concern to begin with.” “Agent Lang-” “Interpol has failed spectacularly in the past, but now that we have that mutt on a leash, I can assure you that the matter is ours to deal with as we see fit. No, you had best forget about it and focus your skills on more pressing, more recent problems.” Simon's eyes flicked towards the folder, then back up to Lang's face. “What is this project, then? Why does Interpol have need for my skills?” “Surely, you must have noticed. Over the past decade or two, Los Angeles has become a hodgepodge of extravagant murders, each more contrived than the next. People can howl all they want about this supposed Dark Age of the Law and how it may or may not have ended, but Interpol sees things differently. There is not a single city in the world which hosts this many desperate and innovative criminals. If there really was some sort of dark age, it was born from the killers themselves. Knowing that much, we need to take into account that fixing the court system won’t do a lick of good.” While disagreement was the first thing on Simon's mind, he decided to give the notion due thought. He visualized Geiru Toneido, who had murdered her own father by suffocating him with udon dough only a few weeks ago. That in itself was already a terrible tragedy, but her attempts to deceive everyone around her instead of accepting her own guilt had bordered on ludicrous. No common killer should have gone that far. If criminals were the ones taking advantage of the Dark Age of the Law to get away with their crimes, then criminals were indeed the root of it all. It came down to people who believed they deserved to get away with their crimes, even if the court system would normally say otherwise. “Then... What, exactly? You believe our water supply to be contaminated?” “I don't believe much of anything, Prosecutor Blackquill,” Lang said dryly, shaking his head. “FBI, CIA, Interpol... They're all scrambling to make sense of it. The Behavioral Analysis Unit-” “Behavioral Analysis?” “No need to act so surprised, I'm sure you know damn well what that unit does. Anyway, they believe the only way to get answers is to take a long, hard look at some of the killers we've caught so far. And I'm not talkin' about means, motive and opportunity- those were already established during the conviction. I mean the actual why of the matter. What drove a human being to that point in their life? Childhood, family, mindset... If we can find a pattern, we can solve murder cases a whole lot faster through profiling. Maybe even prevent them from happening in the first place.” Simon released a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes. “You believe that I ought to be the one to take this long, hard look.” “Again, I don't believe anything. I just do as I'm told.” Lang stepped back from the desk, instead wandering towards the window. “You have a degree in psychology. You have experience with constructing psych profiles. More important than any of that, you have walked the halls of death row yourself.” “You're barking up the wrong tree, Agent Lang.” “I don't think I am. You were virtually one of these killers yourself. They know your name, your reputation. And you know them.” “It is precisely because I know them that I cannot participate in this project,” Simon insisted, his voice taking on a low growl. “I know what it's like to hear the screams of those less lucid than myself. I have been forced to consume that paltry fare the guards claim to be meals, have had to endure the humiliation of sharing a shower with complete strangers. Every day, I recall how it feels to awaken on a hard cot, asking myself whether today would be the day that I die. I am a free man now, Agent Lang, with no intention of returning to that cage willingly.” “No one said you would set foot in death row. The interviews would take place in a specialized visitor's room and the participants of the study may be rewarded for cooperation if you see fit. Consider it an opportunity to pull these poor saps into more pleasant surroundings for a few hours.” “More pleasant surroundings?” Simon snarled, rising to his feet at last to stare Lang down. “Asking them relive their greatest mistake is considered pleasant to you? They already have more than enough time to reflect on what they've done.” “Which means they should be able to answer your questions with ease,” Lang rebuffed. “Listen, I’m not here because I thought I’d give you a fair shot at the job. It definitely wasn’t my idea to send a prosecutor of all people. If it were up to me, one of my most trusted men- or women- would go in there with a list of questions, but these killers don't open up to just anyone. We need to get just the right information to profile them. You fit the bill perfectly, Power of Suggestion and everything, and that's why it’s my job to persuade you to do it. If we don't find out what prompts these people to jump through hoops for killing, you're going to be taking on a lot more cases where the defense will want testimony from clowns and orcas. The Chief Prosecutor agrees, the LAPD agrees, Interpol agrees...” The hawk feather in the corner of Simon's mouth had seen better days, by now. He'd started chewing the tip of it at the start of Lang's tirade and now, fifteen seconds later, the bite marks were irreversible. The proposition made perfect sense, but that didn't mean Simon wanted to do it. Did he even have a choice? Lang didn't seem like the sort to give up easy and if that was how Interpol wished to play, perhaps it could be used to Simon's advantage. He slammed a hand down on his desk to be certain he had Lang's full attention. “I want the Phantom.” “Come again?” “If Interpol demands that I must be the one to interview these killers, then a humble prosecutor such as I is in no place to object. However, I will do a thorough job of it. As the Phantom has claimed at least two victims within our fair city of Los Angeles and went to extremes to cover it up, they have the necessary attributes to fall within the case study.” “I've already told you the Phantom is not your problem.” “If I am to accept this project-” “That's just an excuse and you know it. No one speaks to the Phantom, do you understand? Not even me- and believe me when I say that I would give an arm for the opportunity to exchange words with them. A high-profile liability like that is out of our league.” “Then, we will have to rise to the necessary level, won't we?” Simon grinned, his fingers curling along the desk's surface. “If you wish for me to compile profiles on these killers, then I will do so. However, my one condition is that should these methods be proven successful, Interpol will arrange for an interview with the Phantom. If they do not agree, they'll have to find themselves another former inmate with a psychology degree who excels at drawing the truth from people.” For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then Lang threw his head back and laughed. “All riiight, that's what I like to hear! A passionate predator is a successful one. I'll see what I can do!” “... Good.” “Looking at it from the official point of view, you'd be aiding Interpol as an external consultant and that involves a healthy helping of paperwork. Confidentiality clause and all that. I've got most of the forms here for you to sign.” Lang meandered back over to the desk to indicate the folder. “But more important than the bureaucracy of it all is the more substantial situations. This project requires discretion. We can't be seen as hassling the inmates, or they’ll take measures against us. You need to keep your head down for the most part and play nice with the other kids.” “I understand.” “We can't have you processing your findings in the Prosecutor's Office, and so, you'll have your own little spot in L.A.'s Interpol headquarters. Report there tomorrow morning and they'll show you where to go. Now, as for the matter of your partner-” “My partner?” “You can't very well sit across from a convicted killer by yourself.” “I fail to see why not. I interact with killers before their conviction on a daily basis. That is part of my job as a pencil pusher.” “It's not a question of your grit, it's a question of what Interpol would say if they knew we weren't taking proper precautions. Needless to say, we got in touch with Athena Cykes-” “You did what?!” “Will you stop barking across my words?” Lang snapped at him. “Athena Cykes has partnered with you before and despite her age, she's supposed to be the best when it comes to processing emotional responses. You can draw out all the answers you want with the Power of Suggestion, but we need to know the feelings hiding within those words and that's where her special ability comes in.” “You refuse to let me meet with killers by myself, yet you claim it's wise to have a 19 year-old girl by my side?” “That 19 year-old girl has more of a reputation than you give her credit for. She's a feisty young pup, too. Ready to jump into the action.” “You've already spoken with her?” “She's already agreed.” “Then I refuse.” “Blackquill-” “Prosecutor Blackquill. And I will not allow that girl anywhere near convicted butchers.” Lang grit his jaw, his nostrils flaring. Then he threw a glance down at his watch and shrugged his irritation off. “Fine then. Have at it by yourself, see where it gets you.” ------- Date: June 5th 2028 Time: 2:05 PM Location: Interview Room. This interview was headed nowhere at the most rigid of paces. Simon would have dismissed further attempts as a waste of his time, were it not for Vasquez's MO. She had been convicted on charges of manslaughter out of self-defense, and if indeed it had been self-defense, why had she not outright admitted to that from the start? Why target Will Powers? Had it been out of a grudge, or had she taken advantage of an opportunity regardless of who she trampled under her heel? In order to construct a proper psychological profile, he would need far more answers than Vasquez was willing to provide. The door slammed open quite suddenly and in walked the one person Simon hadn't wanted to see here. There was not a single shred of intimidation to be found in her, as if she'd walked into a grocery store as opposed to a prison. She pulled up a chair, smiling as brightly as ever, and dropped herself down on it. “Buen día! Sorry I'm late! The subway was delayed!” she proclaimed. A pause, then she leaned in closer to the recording device. “This is Athena Cykes, by the way. In case that's needed for documentation.” While Vasquez didn't turn her head, Simon could see that her eyes had moved towards the newcomer. “What are you doing here?” he asked Athena, as he thought he'd made himself quite clear towards Lang. “I'm here to help with the interview, of course! Looks like you don't have any notes yet... That's great, I was worried I might've missed something important! You've already done the explanation and the statement thing, right?” Simon managed to stop himself from grumbling and hit a button to pause the recording. This next bit didn't need to be saved for posterity: “I told Agent Lang that I would handle the matter by myself.” “Right. And Agent Lang told me that you told him that,” Athena replied cheerfully. She took out a small, colorful notebook even as she spoke. “But he also said that you're my peer, not my boss, so if I wanted to take the job you couldn't stop me.” Once again, Simon had to fight a hard battle to swallow his next words. His fierce gaze moved from Athena to Vasquez, only to note that the subject of their study was no longer looking bored. A hint of a smile had come to being on her face. Was she mocking him? Athena hit the button on the recorder again, then turned her attention to Vasquez. “It's an honor to meet you, ma'am! I have to say, I love your work. Samurai Summer, Dynamite Samurai... The original Steel Samurai is great too, of course, but there's something about those old movies that just can't be replicated.” “... You saw Dynamite Samurai? A young girl like you?” Vasquez sounded almost suspicious of the claim and Athena must've caught onto that in a heartbeat. “I did! I must've seen it ten times! When I was growing up in Europe, those old movies would rerun really often in a whole bunch of different languages. Did you know that in the German version, they changed Uncle Samuel to Aunt Sammy?” “... Because Samuel was so effeminate and close to Hiroshi, it raised questions for some.” “Right! I always thought that was weird. But you were the producer, so I've gotta know. Do you think that the change messed with your artistic vision?” “The decision was not mine to make. A producer has no influence over localization. Men felt threatened by such progressive notions and so, they did as they pleased.” Athena started scribbling down a few notes. Simon attempted to read them, only to find himself unable to decipher her handwriting. Hieroglyphs would've been preferable at this point. “That must've struck you as very unfair,” Athena surmised. Though she stopped writing, her pen remained pressed against the paper. “I'm sorry, I didn't have time to read through the profile Interpol gave us, so I'll have to ask a few obvious questions. Will that be all right?” Vasquez glanced towards Athena, only for a second or so. “... Go on.” “What was your family life like, growing up? Were your parents happily married? Any siblings? Things like that.” “My parents were just fine. I had no problems with either of them. They had no problems with each other.” Vasquez paused and her arms, crossed over her chest as they were, strained visibly. “I have two older brothers.” “Really? I don't have any siblings myself, but I hear that brothers can be a pain sometimes.” “They were exceptional pains.” “So you didn't get along with them, huh? Why not?” “They were bullies. They would destroy my things and walk away without so much as a lecture.” Athena was taking notes again, and Simon found himself doing the same. It was a relief that they were finally getting some answers, but at the same time, he was frustrated. Why was it that Vasquez would respond to Athena, but not to him? Who was the master of the Power of Suggestion, if not him? … Well, he supposed the remainder of the interview would solidify just why Vasquez was so difficult to work with. “What about your family later in life? Did you ever get married?” “I was married four times.” “Four times?!” Athena reached for the folder in front of Simon and flipped through the papers. “But it says here you were only 34 years old when you were arrested.” “No one said they were long marriages.” “What happened? Did you marry them too soon, or were you just fast to settle on divorce?” Vasquez reached for Athena's pen and pulled it from her grasp. Simon reflexively prepared himself to interfere, should there be a need, but violence was not at all Vasquez's goal. She held the pen between her index and middle finger, twirling it up and down even as she regarded Athena with a cold stare. “I was naive. I learned the hard way that men consider themselves stronger than us. The only way to survive is to be stronger than them.” “What do you mean? Did any of your husbands ever hurt you?” “Not with their fists. It was their words, their actions behind my back... My first husband found himself a new girlfriend only three months into our marriage. My second husband squandered our money. The third husband thought I should give up on my career and instead become a mother. My fourth husband was just like the first. What a joke.” “You didn't think to talk these problems through with them before slamming down the divorce papers?” Simon asked. Vasquez ignored him, instead raising the back of the pen to her mouth as if it were a cigarette. “Ah... What my partner is trying to ask is whether you communicated your concerns with them,” Athena said, and Simon felt his nose crinkle at the political wording of it all. “They would not listen,” was the ambiguous response. “Hmm... But you found other men who would listen to you, right? Even if you didn't marry them?” “Are you referring to my friends in the mafia? Or perhaps that spineless director?” “Either, really. If they listened, they listened.” “My mafia friends in particular were very good to me. They recognized my strength. As for Manella, he loved to play the part of my doormat. Masochist that he was, he was inspired by my treatment of him. I didn't even need to lift a finger. A good scolding already served as enough intimidation. One doesn't often meet a man who makes his presence worthwhile simply by being yelled at. His resulting scripts brought in good money. Still, I would not say any one of those men listened. They only did as they were told.” Athena flipped to the next paper in the folder, describing in full detail the crime Vasquez was accused of. Most prominent was a photograph, showing a man impaled on a fence while both Vasquez and another man watched in horror. “What about Jack Hammer? Did he listen to you after you made that accident with Manuel disappear?” “He had to. That does not mean he wanted to. His revenge proves that.” “Right, right... You blackmailed him and-” “Not blackmail. I reminded him of his place,” Vasquez said quite sharply. “Sorry. You kept him in his place and after five years of that, he decided he'd had enough. He came to you in disguise and tried to kill you, so you defended yourself. Or at least... That's what the report says. Could you say in your own words what happened?” “My own words... They are the same. I agree with that statement.” Before Simon could process it was happening, Athena had snatched the pen from his hand. She used it to take a few more notes. When she continued with her questions, her voice was more subdued. “Do you regret how things ended?” “I am in prison. So yes. I regret it.” “But... What about Jack Hammer's life? Do you regret ending it?” “Not at all. Jack Hammer was a murderer who should have been executed for Manuel's death. The way I kept him in line for those five years was too mild a punishment. Perhaps he came to me that day because he knew that as well. Perhaps he wished to die for his crime.” Athena exchanged a glance with Simon, who could give her no proper response. She shook her head, looking frustrated. Perhaps she could see something- or hear something that he could not. Was there a hidden meaning in Vasquez's words? Simon didn't need to ponder the matter for too long, as Athena was the one to bring that truth into the light. “Ms. Vasquez...” she began, her knuckles whitening around the pen. “The way you keep talking about men, you act as if they're all beneath you. You're filled with anger towards them. But whenever you talk about Manuel, your heart betrays grief. You must've taken his death especially harshly. Were you in love with him?” At last, some wrinkles came into being on Vasquez's face, similar to the cracks which formed in the casing of Athena's pen. “... Had Manuel been my fourth husband as opposed to the wretch I did marry, it would have lasted.” And there it was. The grandest portion of the why they'd been searching for. Simon was at a loss for words, though it didn't matter. Just as Athena had led the conversation, she brought it to its proper conclusion. “Thank you for your honesty, Ms. Vasquez. It must have been painful for you to recall such things. I have one more question for you, if you don't mind.” “One more, then.” “If you believed that Mr. Hammer's death was justified and he would have killed you, had you not defended yourself... Why didn't you admit that to the police? Why go to such lengths to frame Mr. Powers?” Vasquez brought the broken pen to her lips again, not realizing that the blue ink was staining her lips. She looked thoughtful, the most minute of frowns tugging at her eyebrows. “Is that not obvious? It is because I didn't want to go to prison.” To Be Continued

#my fanfiction #aa #aa spoilers #simon blackquill #athena cykes #AA mindhunter

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