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allie-and-her-fandoms · 4 years

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The Days Spent With You

A/N: Hey guys! I am back with some good stuff. This fic was written in order to celebrate the Fairy Tail Reverse Bang hosted by @ftguildevents, featuring our favorite Fire Dragon Slayer and his Dragon dad. For this fic, I had the honor to be partnered up with the amazing @jinx13gxa, whose gorgeous fanart you can see right HERE! Without any further ado, enjoy (or endure)!

The pearl moonlight was dancing around the buildings of Hargeon, as the people wandering on the streets were bathing underneath it. Every breath, every step, every move of theirs was slow, their scents mixed in the sea of life drowning the city. The aroma of the carpet of flowers and perfectly riped fruits was intertwined with that of the freshly burned incense, melting through the air as the seconds went by.

But there was one certain scent that caught the attention of a pink-haired young man, whose neck snapped when his nose picked up the redolence that reminded him of the past, the first home he remembered, and the one father figure he searched for years.

Natsu’s footsteps quickened, and he shortly found himself sprinting among people and uttering brief apologies, as he kept sniffing the air for the one fragrance that picked up his nostrils moments ago.

“It’s you… I know it’s you… I finally found you…” he panted, as the trail lead him closer to the owner of the scent.

When he finally found the owner, his eyes widened. The appearance of the one in front of him was conflicting to the memories he held of Igneel, but Natsu’s eyes were analyzing the man he has been chasing.

A golden slim crown with a ruby in the middle was adorning his head, and garnet hair was kept in a high messy ponytail. But the one detail that caught the attention of the pink-haired boy was the reverse cross-shaped scar above the right eye, rupturing the tanned skin of his objective. It was him.

“Igneel!” Natsu yelled, taking frantic steps towards the individual, who got startled by hearing the name. The man’s eyes opened wide as he spotted ruffled pink hair and a white scale-like scarf. It was him. Without thinking further, he then opened up his arms, waiting to hold his son. Natsu found himself increasing the pace at the sight.

As soon as he got in front of the man, Natsu halted for a split second, and then jumped into the open arms of his foster father, which then drew him closer.

“You have grown so much,” Igneel’s harsh voice retorted.

“Well, I had to keep up with you,” Natsu grinned, finally breaking away from Igneel’s embrace. The latter found himself roaring of amusement, slamming Natsu’s back and making him take a step further.

“I see you’re still as strong as I remember,” Natsu remarked, straightening his back.

“I am a dragon, after all. We can’t not be strong,” Igneel grinned, catching a glimpse of Natsu’s forming frown. “What happened?”

“You are a dragon, but… how did you become a human? Can all dragons do that? How long can you stay like this?” Natsu questioned him, the frown on the Dragon Slayer’s face deepening. Igneel let out a loud sigh.

“I see you have forgotten about this. How about I refresh your memory while we get something nice to eat? I am so famished, I could eat a mountain!” he replied, as Natsu nodded and led the way to his favorite restaurant, their mingled voices filling up the silence of the night.

---

“And everyone is really strong! They might look like a bunch of crazy people from the outside, but they’re all nice people,” Natsu concluded his description of his guildmates, as he bit into a huge chunk of meat, tilting his head backwards and ripping a piece of it. Igneel chuckled, as he followed suit with his own dinner.

“Understandable. Your comrades do sound like quite a piece of work. But as long as they are strong, they will be alright.”

“Yeah…” Natsu’s bites became slower, a frown leaving its shadow on his face.

“Natsu, are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m perfectly fine, Igneel. It’s just…” his words stopped. Igneel put his hand on Natsu’s shoulders and gripped it softly; one of the ways his father would tell him “It’s alright, you know you can tell me,” without using words.

“I just can’t believe I finally found you after all these 7 years. You really are here,” Natsu’s last words came out as a whisper.

“I feel the same way,” Igneel replied. “I do not understand exactly the way we got separated, but right now, all that matters is that I finally found you again,” he continued, smiles tracing his and Natsu’s faces. “We will recover the days that we lost being apart.”

“That’s right, Igneel. You know what, how about we fight right now? My comrades are strong, but so am I right now,” Natsu grinned, as he flexed his right arm, his left hand gripping his bicep.

“Let’s not do it in a restaurant. Besides, we will have plenty of time to spar after we get to your place.”“Alright, fine. But you promise we get to fight when we arrive in Magnolia?” Natsu asked, his hopeful eyes fixing Igneel.

“As much as you want. I really want to see how strong you’ve become myself,” the Fire Dragon King nodded, earning a smile from his son.

After the bill got paid (Igneel ended up paying, as Natsu didn’t have enough Jewels at him, much to the Dragon’s chagrin), the two of them headed towards the exit, laughing side by side and being engulfed by the blinding light outside as the door opened.

------

Natsu woke up with a jolt so strong, he fell from his hammock where he fell asleep a few hours ago, after another successful training session with Happy. His dream seemed so real… By instinct, his hand found its way to the scarf resting around his neck, and rested it on top of the white scales adorning the precious memento, occasionally brushing his fingers against them. What a nice dream it was…

Natsu then stood up, noticed that Happy was still sound asleep after their training, and left the hut that he shared with his Exceed friend. His feet carried him to the edge of the cliff, where he sat down so he could see the whole city. The December snow had covered Magnolia with a generous layer, the light of the moon reflecting on the freshly fallen white mirror. And once again, Natsu’s mind began wandering at the thought of the one he called his dad, recollections circulating across his memory.

(Flashbacks)

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“Dad! Dad! Look, I wrote something for miss Anna’s birthday!” a tiny Natsu yelled towards his dragon father figure, an enormous grin lighting up his face.

“Oh? Let me read that…” Igneel tilted his head down to read the words better. “What in the word did you just write?” his voice boomed, as shock and frustration started veiling his face.

“What do you mean? I wrote ‘Happy Birthday, Anna!’; isn’t it amazing?!” Natsu puffed, as the words ‘Hippy Had Ray Banana’ formed minuscule trenches in the mud.

“It’s all wrong! Try that again!”

“What is wrong with it?! I spelled everything just fine!” the tiny Dragon Slayer shrieked, confronting his father’s condenscending glare.

“You spelled nothing well! Again!” Igneel roared, as he puffed in front of Natsu’s face, sending a cloud of steam his way.

---

“Dad! Look what I learned to do today!” Natsu beamed, waving both his hands towards Igneel, who was about to land on the top of the rocky canyon.

“Oh?” Curiosity now adorned Igneel’s face, his eyes now fixed on Natsu.

“Look! Fire Dragon’s Talons!” Natsu yelled, as his flaming right foot made contact with a boulder about his own size, turning it into a pile of pebbles of various sizes. “How did you like that?”

“It’s pretty good, if you wanna kick some rascal’s butt,” Igneel replied, earning a look of dismay from the pink-haired boy.

“EEEEEH?! Well, how about this?!” Natsu ran towards a boulder twice the size of the one he had crushed moments ago, as he lashed out at it, his fiery right fist in the air. “Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!” The impact caused the massive stone to crack in the place his fist met its uneven surface, followed by a wince. “Ow, ow, ow! You stupid boulder! You’re gonna pay for this!” Natsu jumped in pain, shaking his hurting fist. Seconds later, he was landing fists and kicks randomly, leaving minuscule fissures behind.

“You’re doing this all wrong; when you try to land a hit on something, you have to focus on one point, and one point only. Somewhere your opponent isn’t as tough. Like this,” Igneel explained, Natsu’s expressions reflecting the focus he was showing towards his dad. They both headed towards a 20-meter-tall rock. “Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!” The roar of the Fire Dragon King resounded through the sky, his fist gifting the massive boulder the form of a pebble rain.

“Amazing!” Natsu beamed, his eyes following now the falling drops of rock. “Yush! I’m gonna train even harder, so I’ll be able to crush boulders as big as you, Dad!” he rocked on his heels, his left fist raising to pierce the azure lying above them.

Igneel’s boisterous laugh filled up the skies, as his scaled hand ruffled Natsu’s rose hair, followed by the boy’s own chuckles. “I know you will, Natsu. I know you will.”

---

Quick pants broke the silence of the night, as Natsu jolted out of his minuscule bed, trying to recover himself from the images that his brain projected in his sleep. Shortly after, he saw Igneel sniff the air quickly for a few times, open his eyes and turn his head towards him.

“Nightmare?” he asked, a shade of worry covering the tone of his voice.

Natsu nodded. “I saw… a huge fire. And then… people… started screaming. And then… they were all gone… behind the flames.” Natsu shared his nightmare, his tiny body and voice trembling at the rememberance of the horrid images.

“Come here, then,” Igneel patted the ground next to him with the back of one of his claws, as Natsu quickly crawled his way to his father, leaning his head against Igneel’s scarlet scales. After a few seconds of unyielded silence, Igneel shattered it. “Natsu, wanna see a tiny trick?”

Natsu nodded frantically, an enormous grin lighting up his face. When he saw Natsu’s frenetic response, Igneel chuckled, and let out a hoarse whisper, unintelligible words filling the black above them. He then clapped his fingers, gold sparkles falling in a gentle golden rain. After that, the dragon let out a miniature version of his mighty roar towards the sparkles, turning them into flame figures, from mere fireballs, to majestic fire flowers, whipping the air around them.

“Now you won’t have those nasty nightmares again. As long as you remember these flames, they’ll never disturb you again,” Igneel explained, and Natsu nodded, still mesmerized by the show he had witnessed. “Well now, I think it’s now time we went back to sleep. We have a big day ahead!” He let his head down and closed his eyes, but not before feeling a tiny body press itself against his arm, hearing a content sigh. Satisfied with the outcome, Igneel finally let sleep catch up to him, because he had made sure that Natsu wouldn’t have to be haunted by the ghosts of his past ever again.

(End of Flashbacks)

---

As the moon shared its gentle light with the earth, Natsu’s eyes found their way to the celestial ball of light, waltzing alonside its petite shimmering companions on the dance floor of the lead-like sky. His fingers once again found themselves sliding against the ivory scales.

Waves of thoughts rose from the Dragon Slayer’s sea of thoughts. If he won the S-Class Exam, he would become an S-Class Mage. An S-Class Mage could take jobs on more interesting locations, filled with the perfume of the unknown. New places meant more people to meet and maybe, more clues leading to HIM.

Those waves ended up clashing against the cliff of reality however, as Happy announced it was dinner time. When asked what was wrong, Natsu’s only reply was “My time has finally come. I will become an S-Class Mage, no matter what,” earning an approving ‘Aye!’ from his partner.

“I promise you, I will become strong. And then I will find you, and show you everything I learned. Wait for me, Dad,” Natsu thought to himself, before he stood up and headed towards the place he called his home, reminiscing about the fire spectacle that shunned his nightmares all those years ago.

#ftrb2020 #fairy tail #natsu dragneel #igneel #my writing #please go give jinx some love she's awesome

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what-a-messsss · 3 years

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2x2 rewatch

Eeeeehehehehe, why the fuck am I laughing this hard when I realized it was the roadkill compost episode? That is not in the least funny, it’s actually pretty gross, but I’m literally paused 3 seconds in chortling to myself so hard that I’m having to wipe away tears. ...I think the stress is getting to me. Anyway, back to fictional Wyoming!

It’s actually a pretty genius business model, to be honest. Taking a sadly repeating resource and using it to enrich the soil? Tough work, no doubt, physically and mentally, but a smart and very niche thing. I hadn’t thought about the fact that cleaning up roadkill would have been part of Walt’s job as a deputy. Lucian said in S6, in his fantastically circuitous way, that it had been 10 years since he and Walt had worked together (if I remember correctly). Which... wait, is that right? Had Walt really only been sheriff for 4 years when the show started? Which is a single term, before Branch ran against him. I think I’d had the impression that he’d been sheriff for longer than that. Or is my math just super borked? (A very real possibility.) Who were Walt’s deputies before these three? Branch has probably been a deputy for a while, Vic was hired a few months before the show and it isn’t clear for Ferg but it’s implied at least a chunk longer. So who were his deputies for the rest of those 4 years? (Aaaaaand this is how I grow OCs. Shit.)

She names the roadkill? Eeeeeh...

Branch, you douchecanoe. You are very clearly not welcome in her home anymore; the fact that she hasn’t moved the spare key isn’t a fucking invitation to break in and invade her privacy, oh my gods I hate you so much. This is predatory behavior. You need to either go through official channels with the department to do a wellness check or FUCK RIGHT OFF into the deepest reaches of hell. Excellent plan, fucking off.

Henry, I adore you beyond measure. “Thanks-taking.” Vic... Seriously? “God, you people really hold a grudge.” Somehow, I think they’re kind of entitled to, what with all of the wars, genocide, stolen land, racism, broken treaties, and the like. Get bent.

Genuinely, Henry’s dry as anything sass is quite possibly the best thing about the whole show. We didn’t get nearly enough of it during the later seasons. And his little smiiiiile at having made Walt chuckle, oh my heart.

The “Hands up!” O.o “Hands down!” little comedy gag is totally sold by KS’s face, haaaa. And Ferg’s bafflement, but collected response to those truckers thinking he was a rentboy was solid.

I kind of have to applaud that sex worker’s gumption to just try to take off in the truck. Not the best thought out plan, to be sure, but gutsy.

Ok, Branch has just had a line establishing that they’re not in Absaroka, and then Vic and Ferg look annoyed/confused when Walt tells them to cut the sex workers and customers loose, but then Branch finishes with, “Absaroka County wishes you all a fine evening... at home.” So are they in Absaroka, or not??

Kudos to Walt saying, “Which will allow you to get out of here. If that’s what you want.” Not falling completely into the savior complex bs is good, and acknowledging that she is an adult who can make her own decisions, even if they’re ones he would wish she wouldn’t is good. ........If only he could extend that same courtesy to his own daughter.

Branch, wtf. It’s a felony to even have burglar’s tools. Legit, it’s a felony punishable with up to 3 years in prison or up to $3k, or both. Unlawful entry is 10 years and/or $10k, and I’m pretttttyyyyyy fucking sure you don’t have a warrant to be in Cady’s house. FUCK OFF. You giant douchecanoe. (Min and I also have a headcanon that the random coloured empty frames are Branch’s fault, because they don’t really go with any of the rest of the decor, and we hate them. So we decided that when he saw the Andy Warhol style print she had that he got those for her and she just never got around to taking them down after they broke up.) And isn’t tampering with someone’s mail a federal offence? You are the worst.

Aaaand then Walt calls the Collettes showing Ross Lanten’s wife video of him with prostitutes “interfering in his marriage.” Okaaaay. Because helping get a woman and kids out of what has several hallmarks of an abusive marriage is “interfering,” I guess. Not the happiest about that word choice, I’m not gonna lie.

Aaaaaand then Whitish is super racist, and I hate her. Henry handles it with grace, but fuck, I cannot imagine how wearying that must be. And Branch makes obnoxious and offensive assumptions (playing to his strengths, natch), and Henry once again demonstrates how he is also the Actual Best.

Nobody has heard from Cady recently, but the tiny little hesitation Henry has before he confirms that he hasn’t heard from her either is so good. LDP is so good. Just from that, it reinforces how much that bothers him, and that he’s worried, but also that he really doesn’t want to talk to Branch about any of it.

“If you do, will you let me know?” “I most certainly will not.” Such a classy way to basically tell Branch to fuck off and get wrecked.

A lady threatening Henry with a knife and I should not be focusing on how great he looks in a vest, but heeeeere we are. (I do love that brown vest.) And even after she is drunk and rude and racist and threatens him, Henry’s look when she says that she knew the dead man still has concern and compassion in it. Waaaaaah.

Do I remember what Walt did to his hand? Was that something from this episode that I’m not remembering right now, or are they actually having some intra-episode continuity and that bandage is him still recovering from the start of frostbite? [Dang it, my Xbox controller just pooped out. Now I have to go swap it out for the other one and stick this one in the charging dock. But I’m so cozy in bed with my jar o’ tea and everythinggggg. Boo.] ... [It has been long enough since I wrote that last bit that my Xbox has shut itself down twice in the interim. Oops. I’m super great at focusing.]

Fuck, that “I was some place I shouldn’ta been” hits hard. This whole seen in rough.

Aaaahaha, why is the fact that Ferg is also standing there looking at Walt when he wakes up so much funnier than if it had just been Vic? And his little grin. And Ruby with a mug of his toothbrush and such for Walt! Rubyyyyy! (Holy shit, the fact that they have this little set up is alarmingly adorable, and I heckin’ adore Ruby.) And then she sasses Branch, and I just want nice things for her.

Walt’s “If you want,” to Ferg came off to me more like, ‘waste your time if you want to,’ (though that could well be my own issues projected” but I’m proud of Ferg for running with it. And I do appreciate Walt calling the sex worker a lady.

Of course, he pulls Henry into his bs, getting him to solicit a sex worker. Why does Henry put up with him? I’m sorryyyy, but the pointing is so awkward and I cringe so hard, but what else is he going to do, I guess? And how does he recognize her anyway? Did Walt take a picture of her before letting her go, or something? It doesn’t seem like he even got her name, to pull up a picture from a rap sheet, sooo... Why am I even worrying about it? And at least Walt doesn’t think that it’s not rape just if it’s a sex worker.

The flashback scene sure hits hard, too. Damn. I’m trying to remember the last time I saw anybody other than Vic actually pull on a glove in consideration of fingerprints. I think there might have been one time or something, but nothing comes readily to mind.

For all that I rag on Walt for just collecting his assumptions and taking them to the bank, there is heavy irony with him now laying out the reasons he’s not arresting Whitish, because there is reasonable doubt in the form of the Collettes.

Ooooooope, and then Branch brings up Cady. I sure this can only go really well. Aaaaaaaaand of course Walt has one of his Longmire Epiphanies and just walks off in the middle of the conversation, such as it was.

Does a college registrar’s really have your birth certificate on file? I’m pretty sure I didn’t have to submit a copy to mine, but I also don’t really remember? But that seems weird.

Ah, the bandage was about the frostbite. I appreciate the continuity.

Hmmmmmm, Cady leaving her phone at home when she drove to CO seems unlikely. It seems unlikely as a generality for her generation, and on practical levels (directions to the precinct and such?), and just... That’s pretty hard to buy. If I don’t want to talk to somebody, or even a bunch of people, I’d ignore calls or even block numbers, but her not taking her phone gives the impression that there is literally nobody that she would want to talk to, and that plays into this really weird bit of characterization void that the writers fell into of Cady just not knowing any single person other than her dad, Henry, Ruby, Branch, and Ferg, and I guess Vic. As if she just doesn’t exist outside of her relation to one of them. She doesn’t want to talk to any of the 6 of them, so there is not a single other person on the planet who she would want to be able to talk to/have them contact her? There’s not a single other person on the planet that she knows who if they called and said, “I have an emergency, can you talk/help?” that she wouldn’t want to be available for? Bullshit. The entire rest of the series when she’s onscreen is showing how much she cares. She’s a fucking Hufflepuff, and she’s not going to leave her damn phone at home while she drives 6 hours away into another damn state. If you so desperately need to that she’s not even seeing his call, have her leave it in her car when she goes into the Denver station. Like, unless she has a second phone that she did take, I’m not buying it. Even as an attempt at “she’s so caught up in her mother’s murder now, oooo, Longmire tantrum and singular focus’ characterization. Just, boo.

#Longmire #cady longmire #walt longmire #Henry Standing Bear #The Ferg #Branch is such a tool #episode commentary

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hellanoragami-blog · 5 years

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Chapter 79 Thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts regarding the future of Noragami, and not many of them are actually good. How the hell can 16 pages hold more pain than any regular 40-something paged chapter? Eugh. Everything being talked about just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I was gonna write this later today, but I woke up after four hours of sleep and literally couldn’t stop thinking about what happened in this release. So, I’m here to talk about it.

Right off the bat, I didn’t like this chapter. To start with Yato saying that he had to convince himself that Kazuma was his only option? He was literally backed into a corner by said person. He didn’t have a choice.

And Kazuma? Kazuma’s a mess. He went from aloof determination to get Yato to name him, to being utterly miserable and guilt-ridden. (Yato even says that he’s afflicting him, but probably not in the way of blight. Emotional baggage? No doubt. And emotional turmoil, while not as intense, is STILL a pain in the ass for any god.)

So it’s obvious that they’re both feeling pretty bad about what they’ve done. But maybe in the grand scheme of things, they think it’s worth it. I don’t know. First we had Bishamon tailing the sorcerer for a fight, which landed her in not-so-good condition, to put it lightly. It was essentially a failure. So to have Yato attempting the same thing, with little regard to his own life, is nothing short of heartbreaking.

So Yato’s pretty excited about the form Kazune took. It’s the first time that a shinki has ever become a divine garment for him, and maybe he sees it as proof of how far he’s come.

But then Kazuma dashes that excitement with an underhanded jab at his original purpose. I don’t usually let my emotions dictate how I analyze bits in this series, but man, I felt angry at him for saying that. It was almost like he was denouncing any progress that Yato had made as a god of fortune, or how hard he’s worked to become more than his past. Even with them being friends for so long, I feel like it was uncalled for.

Also, I dunno about you guys, but this panel actually felt worse than the ‘god of calamity’ panel, to me:

It’s almost, almost like something Nora would say. Or maybe even Father. I hope that this would be the only job that Kazuma intends to bestow upon Yato, honestly. He doesn’t need to linger on that ‘calamity god’ status for too long. Since a shinki shapes their god’s nature, it actually concerns me that Kazuma is now his shinki. If the guy sincerely thinks of Yato as calamitous, that’s how things are going to turn. I hope that Yukine’s influence has been strong enough that things don’t change too much. But, I guess we’ll see.

It’s revealed that both Yato and Bishamon have similar reasons for their naming process. I figured Yato’s reason a while ago--well, a friend of mine actually headcanoned it, and I accepted it until proven/otherwise. But honestly, I never gave much thought to why Kazuma remained Kazuma. I just accepted it as a course of events.

So, we next find out that Kazuma was born the second son to a salt wholesaler, and was decided to be the one to inherit the business. He died at 19, however, at the hands (NO PUN INTENDED) of his (assumed) jealous older brother.

Yato goes on to say how similar he is to Yukine, who was confirmed to be murdered by his father at the age of 14. This is something that has been speculated and assumed by the majority of the fandom, but having it confirmed actually feels worse than the assumption did.

He admits that he wanted to give Yukine a better ‘life’ after death, heavily implying that the kid’s actual life wasn’t so good. But he feels like he hasn’t done him any good, and wonders if reincarnation would really be the best thing for Yukine to ensure a kinder and gentler guardian in the future.

What?? Absolutely not! I’m sure majority fandom can agree that Yukine would not want that at all. He’s come to like Yato for being... well, Yato. Maybe he even sees him as a father figure. If Yato were to reincarnate, he’d lose that person entirely. The newly incarnated Yato would be a completely different person, in his eyes. He depends on Yato a lot more than he’d like to admit, so it’d strike him pretty roughly to lose him.

Yato goes on to repeat after Kazuma, and apologize to Yukine for betraying him. Which, yeah, he is--but possibly for a good reason? I dunno. I still feel like this mission could have repercussions. Yato’s ready to go into battle though. Kazuma... maybe needs a while to sleep on it.

To close off the chapter, we have Yato talking to the (now asleep) Kazuma about a girl he used to love, who got married off when he was 15. This information surprised me, because it confirmed that I was at least near the ballpark of Kazuma’s love life. While it says that she was married off when he was 15, I don’t think he really got over the Edo side chick. (This was coined and now I literally can’t stop thinking about it, lol.) I think up until the day he died, he still held feelings for her. Y’wanna know why?

Kazuma calls Bishamon ‘Viina’. I got this awkward feeling when I got to the end of this chapter--like, what if ‘Viina’ was the nickname of the girl he loved while he was alive? Okay, maybe that sounds a little out there, I know. But I remember that there was something about the scene where Kazuma gave Bishamon the nickname, and it just didn’t... sit right with me, for some reason? Until I looked back and took note of Bishamon’s expression when he said it.

That one panel holds so much... hesitance, I guess would be the word. I couldn’t put my finger on why until I considered these circumstances. Maybe it was, and she just decided to let it be. More so as not to coax any possible consequences. (She couldn’t have just said ‘No’, because what if he asked why? I dunno, I’m really just speculating.)

Ugh, but you guys. The amount of information dropped in this chapter kind of worries me. Particularly about Kazuma, it’s being done in such a way that feels like he may have a death flag over his head. Something that I really hope isn’t the case, because this could be a great time for some personal growth.

There’s so many things that we still need answers to, but I can’t help but feel that this really is the last arc. I’m not sure why, really.

As for my own thoughts, do I think Yato will be reincarnated? Honestly... no. I don’t think that’d be the end-game, as much as Adachitoka are hinting at it. That would basically make the entire growth of his character rather pointless--at least, in my opinion. As much as I would like his slate to be wiped clean, I don’t think he needs to abandon ship just yet.

In all honesty, it actually a bit scary how careless he seems about his own mortality. Wasn’t it he who tried to teach Ebisu about the importance of his current former life? He hasn’t forgotten that, has he? Yato, please--revisit your old viewpoints. Some of them actually held sound advice!

Something we also get in this chapter, is what looks to be mutual feelings between Yato and Hiyori. Normally this would be a good thing for the readers, but there is so many negative implications to go along with it, that I doubt it’s going to get positive traction any time soon. Best case scenario, they won’t actually do anything about their feelings until well after Hiyori’s an adult. And even then, it’ll be a tough road. (Looking at you, Kofuku.)

Eeeeeh, anyway, these are just my thoughts on this chapter. I’m an emotional mess over it so it was actually more difficult than usual to simply keep my feelings from interfering. I hope we get to see more of Hiyori’s side, next chapter.

#noragami #noragami spoilers #nana discusses noragami

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edvonstein · 7 years

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Takoyaki on a cold winter night

Akane put two fingers to her lips, inhaled deeply, put her hand aside, and exhaled a cloud of condensation. The young woman giggled at her 'smoke' as she looked down the road waiting for her two best customers to show up.

It'd been a slow February, so she was always grateful for loyal customers, and it helped greatly that these two were good friends of hers too. And sure enough, a head with short, messy, ginger hair came into view. Akane returned to the warmth of the van she sold her takoyaki from and got preparations going for satisfying this girl's ravenous hunger.

The familiar sound of a school bag being tossed on to one of her tables prompted her to come out and greet her friend. "Hoi, Nagisa, how was your day?" Nagisa gave her a thin smile, wiping some snow from her shoes, and nodded. "It was fine. How about yours?" "It's slow as molasses today, everybody prefers to hide in their kotatsus or something. The usual?" "Yeah..." The school girl nodded and rested her chin on her arms, starting off into the distance. Akane had seen Nagisa lost in thought before, but lately, it seemed far more common.

She frowned, but shrugged it off for now, getting to work on her famous takoyaki. "Honoka not with you today, Nagisa?" "Didn't see her." The chef looked out of her van, the girl still sitting there motionless. She continued her cooking in silence, preparing an extra portion just in case Honoka showed up. She liked them a little cooled off anyways. And if she didn't show, Akane would have lunch ready.

"One piping hot order of takoyaki, prepared just for you, oh Ace of Verone." Akane put her warmest smile on with her hottest takoyaki to see if something could warm up this girl. But her eyes were still off in distant lands. The girl looked like she had been through a war or something. Nevertheless, her hand did move towards the tasty little balls, and she absent-mindedly popped one in her mouth.

Akane thought to herself that this had to hurt. She shook her head and looked off down the road again. Looked like Honoka was coming after all, and already almost here. "Hoi, Honoka, good to see you." Akane waved towards the dark haired girl, who looked up, put on a smile, and waved back. "I hope you want your usual, I already have them cooling off for you." "You know just how I like them, thank you, Akane." Honoka flashed a bright smile and sat at the table next to Nagisa, who was still a thousand miles away. "Hello, Nagisa..." "Hey..." Honoka looked at the distant Nagisa, and looked down on the table, where a plate of warm takoyaki had materialized. "I just made them a moment ago, so they're still quite hot." "In this weather probably for the best."

Honoka took one of the balls and blew on it. A brief moment of silence emerged, which was broken by a banging noise. Akane stared at Nagisa with wide eyes, as the sporty girl had slammed her face onto the table. Honoka reached out her hand to Nagisa's shoulder, but the now sobbing girl shook her hand off. "Nagisa..." Honoka visibly flinched, her hand trembling halfway stretched out still, as Akane looked at the scene unfolding in front of her. Normally she would have ducked back into her van by now to avoid such drama, but these two were her friends so she felt she couldn't let it go just yet.

Nagisa lifted herself from the table and stared at her partner through tear-filled eyes. "How can you be so calm? They are gone, probably forever, and you just smile, and go on as if nothing had happened!" Honoka's face lost all emotions as her enraged friend laid into her. She opened her mouth but was cut off by Nagisa: "Oh don't even bother answering, I know your computer brain has the perfect answer at the ready, just... Leave me be." Nagisa covered her face with her hands.

Akane wondered what had happened between these two. Honoka's face was in a flux of various emotions, as she glared for a moment at Nagisa before turning her gaze to the takoyaki on the table, and stuffing one in her mouth. Akane raised an eyebrow at the two.

"Losing somebody close to you is always tough." Honoka nodded, still trying hard not to look at Nagisa, focusing on her shrinking supply of takoyaki instead, while Nagisa kept her face buried in her hands. Despite everything, somehow Nagisa's supply was dwindling too however. Akane rested her head on her hand and pondered. "Hey have I ever told you the story of this bandana?" Both girls looked up at the woman. "Isn't that the flag of Madrid?" "Sharp eye Honoka, yes it is. I got it while I was staying there for a business endeavor. 3 years. Right now I really miss it. It usually is a little warmer there in the winter than here, and much warmer than right now, that is for certain." The young woman chuckled and rubbed her arms to simulate the cold. Both girls tilted their heads looking at her funnily.

"A good... friend gave it to me before I left the country and she went her way. It was a reminder to me that a little bit of Madrid was always going to be with me, as well as a little bit of her." Nagisa nodded a little, wiping some tears away. "You're right, a little bit of them will always be with me too. They were brats, but they were good friends too." Nagisa stared at her takoyaki, her mouth quivering as she fought a losing battle with her tears. Honoka was extremely quiet, and had much the same look on her face.

"I know it's hard when somebody you wish was there no longer will be there. You suddenly have this huge hole in your life, and you don't know how to fill it. We all find our own ways to cope with it. I run this stand for example. A shared dream."

Honoka clenched her hands into fists, an increasingly frustrated look appearing in her eyes as she looked at Nagisa. She opened her mouth again, but then turned away, covering her face faint sobs audible.

"Honoka, are you..." "I thought I ran out of tears, but I guess I do drink regularly and thus replenish my body's liquid resources." Honoka slowly turned back around revealing her face, tears running down her cheeks, past a weak smile. Nagisa's mouth wavered for a moment before she laughed: "Oh goodness, even now you talk like that, that's too great!" "I knew it would make you laugh." "Of course you did." The girls smiled at each other for a moment before Nagisa looked away. "I'm sorry for what I said, I can't expect you to react the same way as me, Honoka." "It's ok, Nagisa." "I hurt you, I'm sorry."

Akane smiled. "It's important to cherish the friends you have now, while you have them." The two students looked at each other again: "Yeah, I don't think we would know each other if it weren't for those three." "But now that they're gone. Nagisa, I don't want to lose you." "What makes you say that?" "I am no good at holding onto friends."

Akane looked down and smirked. "You're holding onto her hands already pretty good there girl. I'm gonna make us another round, ok?" Both of the girls blushed as they noticed they were in fact holding hands. As Akane started walking away she noticed determination in Honoka's eyes. "Nagisa, I don't have a letter prepared for this, but that doesn't matter right now. I want to be your girlfriend." "EEEEEH!" Akane didn't have to look back to know Nagisa was blushing enough to melt the snow. The young woman giggled to herself as she disappeared into her van.

"I know we have our differences but I never felt this comfortable around anybody." "You feel comfortable with me?" "I feel like I can even make jokes around you and it feels so nice to be this close to somebody." "I had no idea." "I know neither of us can be called normal, but I don't want normal, I want to be with you, just the way you are, and I hope you will have me, just the way I am." "Honoka." "It's just a social construct, I know, what matters really is that we care for each other and are there for one another, which we are." "Honoka... I" "But I want to be able to proudly call you my significant other, my girlfriend. The moon truly is beautiful, Nagisa!" "Honoka!" "Sorry..." "Please accept my answer, Honoka!"

Akane sighed whistfully as she looked at a picture of her and another woman on the wall. She kissed her finger and touched it to the picture gently, wiped a tear away and went back outside with their food. "Oi, girls, this one's on the hou- Stop making out in the snow like that, girls, you'll scare my customers away!" The two girls laughed with embarrassed faces. Akane smiled. As cold as it was today, her heart felt warm.

#futari wa pretty cure #yukishiro honoka #misumi nagisa #akane #wlw #fluff #i blame ruro #here goes nothing

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