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makeste · 3 years

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BnHA Chapter 302: As the Todoroki Turns

Previously on BnHA:

Today on BnHA: We have a very fun chapter in which (1) Shouto grows up lonely on account of his parents being worried that his siblings will literally try to kill him, (2) Natsu and Fuyu grow up neglected on account of not being special and/or self-destructive enough to attract attention, (3) we get to revisit all of that exciting spousal abuse from chapter 39, and (4) Touya burns to death right on cue, pretty much exactly like we expected it to happen. Thankfully since this is a shounen manga, Horikoshi finds some hope in all this misery as the Todoroki family rallies together, with Shouto getting his long-overdue credit for being a perfect sweet angel who put up with all of this shit for sixteen years and somehow came out of it strong and kind and empathetic and determined. Anyway, so that flashback was a barrel of laughs. But now that it’s over, we can put all of that angst behind us, and move on to... well I guess, probably, more angst. Look, we’re short on variety at the moment. Bear with it.

ouch. we knew this was coming, but still

A+ parenting move there. “ho boy, our eldest just tried to murder our youngest, now what? hmm how about we isolate our youngest from all human contact”

though in their defense, we probably shouldn’t have expected this rabidly strength-obsessed fire man and his wife who was groomed since childhood to obey her family’s whims to have any idea of how to raise stable, well-adjusted offspring

SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS

this is a perfect example of Enji’s tragically self-revolving viewpoint right here. just because being a hero is your entire world doesn’t mean you can just excuse yourself from anything outside of that and act like it’s out of your control. “alas, all I care about is hero stuff and my son can’t be a hero, we are doomed to inhabit two different worlds” no you jackass, it’s called having more than one hobby?? figuring out how to spend some time with your son that doesn’t involve training?? the same exact thing you were telling him to do last week, while ignoring that you’ve never done that yourself in your life??

that said, yet again we have that complexity though because it’s obvious that Enji at least on some level is aware of his own flaws, even though he seems unwilling or unable to confront them. honestly, from what we’ve seen so far, Enji’s obsession with surpassing All Might might be more accurately called an addiction. he literally can’t let go of it even though he’s fully aware of how it’s slowly destroying his life. and so in the same way that a lifelong smoker or alcoholic might tell their child to stay away from cigarettes and booze, Enji tells Touya not to follow down the same path as him, even though he himself doesn’t know how to leave that path. so yes, it’s hypocritical as fuck, but there’s also an element of helplessness there as well because Enji literally doesn’t know how not to be like this

though all the same he sure could stand to put in more than just a token effort. but it is what it is, and we already know how much he’ll come to regret it

and meanwhile Baby Shouto has frozen his sleep bubble with his quirk lmao. so I guess his quirk did come in early. that’s a recipe for chaos right there

once again Shouto is ruining every single dramatic panel in this flashback

this was so dark and intense... and then I spotted the lil bubs in the corner. Horikoshi please control yourself

“some hero you are, running away” and then all of a sudden, “FIVE YEARS LATER” lol what. OKAY THEN

(ETA: love the confirmation that eight-year-old Natsu comes from the Iida school of puberty and is basically a fully grown man, and meanwhile Touya comes from the hobbit school of puberty and has been perpetually eight for the past five years.)

“HEY BIG BRO WANNA COME RECREATE AN ICONIC FLASHBACK SCENE WITH US. WE’VE GOT THE SOCCER BALL RIGHT HERE, BUT HURRY UP OR WE’LL BE TOO LATE FOR SHOUTO TO WALK ON BY AND STOP TO LOOK”

lol and that’s literally the next three panels. but Horikoshi did add this extra bit after Endeavor starts to drag Shouto away

seriously Enji what the hell did you expect was going to happen here. “Touya went nuts and tried to kill his little brother out of jealousy, so let’s make it clearer than ever that Shouto is the important child and all the other children are just rejects. this will definitely not make the problem 100x worse, and will surely lead to Touya giving up and living a happy life, having been emotionally abandoned by the person he admired more than anyone.” good for you pal you figured it all out. no need for that plan b, “we all just go to therapy”

anyway so he’s telling Shouto he can’t play because he needs more endurance training. and meanwhile Touya’s patented Todoroki Drama Genes are going through puberty as well

definitely the face of a happy, emotionally stable child who’s not still plotting to murder his younger brother in his sleep

“WELL ACTUALLY MAKESTE” lol I stand corrected??

apparently during the five year interim Touya actually stopped blaming Shouto and realized Enji was the one at fault. good for him! a bit inconsistent, given what we know happens later, but I assume we’ll get to that in good time

anyway. “yeah man I agree that dad sucks, but it’s the middle of the night and I’m only eight and you’ve been monologuing for the past two hours bro”

LMAO

the manga is making my jokes for me, only better. fine then

looks like someone’s still miffed about that disagreement he had with his baby sister back when she was like four

“Fuyu doesn’t get properly riled up like I want her to so ranting to her is annoying.” okay but having been in Fuyu’s shoes, it really is just a different way of coping, and I can guarantee she’s not as fine with the whole situation as Touya might think. but making your peace with something is often a decision that’s made for emotional self-preservation reasons. and I sure as hell don’t fault her for trying to shut out a situation that she had no control over, and trying to make the best of it, and scrape together as normal a childhood as she could manage

and now in Touya’s defense as well, that is of course easier said than done, and I’m sure if there was a “push this button and instantly get over all of the trauma in your life” switch readily available for Touya then he would have pushed it too. unfortunately it’s not always that simple

so now Rei is pleading with Touya not to go train up on his little emo hill again, but it doesn’t seem like much has changed since he was eight

I don’t think he gives two figs about being a hero; he just wants his father to look at him again with pride. fucking hell, stop doing this to me you damn Todorokis

guh, they keep telling him the same thing over and over again

even if we hadn’t already known he was gonna go melt his jawbone off soon, I wouldn’t have expected a line like that to go over well

yep. fuck

that Todoroki puberty angst, though. nothing else quite like it

“you have a part in this too, Mom” ooooooh man

okay but look, he’s not entirely wrong. like, I’m not saying any of this is Rei’s fault at all! she’s in an impossible situation where she’s afraid to stand up to Enji (who by this point has shown that he’s willing to physically attack her if things get too heated, which is terrifying), and doesn’t really have anywhere to turn for support. her parents aren’t helping much if at all, and Japan in general is just a terrible country to be in when you’re in a domestic abuse situation. everyone’s expected to put on a brave face and deal with their problems all on their own in private. Rei is basically completely isolated at this point, and she doesn’t know what else to do, and so she’s just trying to keep the situation as stable as possible for the kids

but on the other hand, “for the kids” is also where that argument starts to break down a bit, because at this point Shouto is also being physically abused by his father, and the other kids are continuing to be neglected (emotionally if not physically), as they have been for years. so the situation really isn’t stable at all for them. and as a kid, what you end up learning in that type of situation is that you can’t rely on either parent. not the abusive one, certainly, but also not the other one who can’t protect you from any of it. even if they love you and they’re trying, they’re just as helpless as you. Rei is struggling to deal with all of this with one hand tied behind her back, and I get it, and I’m not blaming her at all. but all the same, particularly given that she’s (understandably) putting almost all her focus on Shouto, the end result is that the other kids have basically been left to fend for themselves

so yeah! a shitty situation all around. and one of those cases where it’s not really anyone’s fault (aside from Enji’s), but I can understand the resentment Touya is feeling all the same. and I’m so glad Horikoshi is acknowledging this, because it’s something I probably would have been too uncomfortable to bring up otherwise. as it is it’s still an incredibly heavy subject, and one that I probably have too many personal feelings about

anyway, so once again the whole “we’ll try talking to him and then just shrug our shoulders when it doesn’t work” parenting strategy doesn’t really pan out for the Todoroki fam

sob this boy is Anakin Skywalkering before our very eyes. all that’s missing is AFO to come and start whispering in his ear. any minute now...

“anyway so then he got taller and his fire changed from red to blue”

guess we’re getting pretty close then huh. this is the part of the flashback that I really don’t want to see, but also unfortunately the part that I’m most curious about :/

oh for fuck’s --

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IGNORING HIM FOR FIVE YEARS DIDN’T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM” sob. back to the drawing board I guess

I thought he got taller, why is he still only like a third of Enji’s height here

oh fuck me these are armor-piercing feels. this is the heavy artillery right here

ENJI I’M BEGGING YOU PLEASE STOP AND THINK FOR ONE MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE BEFORE DOING SOMETHING YOU’LL REGRET FOR THE REST OF ALL TIME. your child just told you that he still thinks beating All Might is the only thing you care about, and that he believes his existence is a mistake unless he finds some way of doing that for you. please stop for a moment to contemplate that and choose your next words with care and grace and oh who the hell am I kidding

-- OR WE COULD JUST BLAME REI

go on and blame everyone but yourself then!! that’s a great solution!! jesus christ man I know this is Endeavor at his literal worst but still this is fucking hard to watch

POOR BABY SHOUTO IS YELLING AT HIS DAD NOT TO HIT HIS MOMMY THIS LITTLE BRAVE BOY NEEDS SO MANY HUGS OH MY GOD

AND MEANWHILE THE OTHERS ARE HUDDLED IN THE NEXT ROOM TRYING NOT TO CRY AH FUCK

(ETA: Fuyu covering Natsu’s ears cuts RIGHT TO THE CORE OF ME. Horikoshi if you’re really not gonna get these kids some therapy then at least consider giving your readers some. what is this.)

you know it’s bad when you’re starting to think the part where the kid burns to death might actually be a less traumatic thing to cut to right now

holy shit, actual Rei thoughts

“I was the one who ultimately made that choice” well there we go, wonder if that’ll put that whole argument to bed at last. I doubt it, but you never know. actually who am I kidding it’s not gonna settle jack shit lol

oh thank god, they decided it was getting too intense and cut away back to the present to narrate this next (final?) part

get ready to cue up that Alicia Keys. THIS BOY IS ON FIREEEEEEE

yeah I think that’s one thing we can mostly all agree on. neither of them had any clue what the fuck they were doing pretty much at any point. though I will say that the hypocrisy of him being all “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HIM” followed by him IMMEDIATELY DOING THE EXACT SAME THING is a bit rich

(ETA: and he still has this problem, doesn’t he? he froze up when Ending snatched Natsuo, and again when Dabi was attacking Shouto. he’s so afraid of doing the wrong thing that he ends up not doing anything, which of course is exactly what led to Touya’s death. damn Enji I guess you’ve still got some additional character development to unlock.)

and of course neither of them could possibly have known how badly it was going to turn out. like, the consequences here were WAY disproportionate even for the shittiest of parenting. no one expects “I didn’t know how to talk to my son” to snowball into “my son burned to death and then somehow came back as a villain and murdered thirty people”

ohhhhhhhh fuck me

LITERALLY INCINERATED THE ENTIRE HILLSIDE. fuck. and I am so not ready for the scene of Enji finding the remains of his jawbone afterwards. at least we were spared anything super-graphic (for now at least)

I feel like the timeline here is off, btw?? wasn’t Touya’s death supposed to happen after Rei got hospitalized? this might be the first actual retcon of the entire flashback. although I think it makes more sense this way tbh

I do appreciate that ten years later Enji is finally reflecting on the fact that if he’d just given up his stupid obsession he could have stopped his family from crumbling apart. that probably sounds sarcastic as fuck, but it’s not. there are countless jerks out there who would have still managed to find a way to blame literally everyone and everything under the sun except for themselves. at least he finally figured out how to take responsibility, even if it came too late to stop his son from dying and being radicalized into a villain terrorist organization

and speaking of, it seems to me we’re missing a third and final part to this little tale of woe, and one which only Touya himself will be able to shed any light on. so we’ll see how that goes

oh man seeing the other kids blaming themselves even though none of it was their fault hits hard af. Rei wasn’t kidding when she said they’d been bearing that burden of guilt far longer than Enji

SHOUTO I SWEAR TO GOD IF THE NEXT PANEL IS YOU APOLOGIZING FOR BEING BORN, I WILL... WELL I’LL BE VERY SAD, I GUESS. SO DON’T DO IT

oh good he’s just being quiet. good. it absolutely is not your fault lil bean. it’s not theirs either, but feeling guilty about things that aren’t your fault is a time-honored shounen tradition

goddammit I braced myself for the angsty Shouto panel a page too early. gotta do it all over again now lol. okay here goes

;_;

well well well would you look at that

imagine that. talking things out with your child before they make a rash decision. looks like the Todorokis’ parenting skills are finally leveling up

OH MY GOD

holy shit. this is the most quintessential moment of father/son Todoroki bonding in the entire series. for me it even tops the “nice scar” scene lol. Enji sobbing at the fact that he still has a chance to set things right. and Shouto offering his hand in what is actually the most mature and selfless gesture I’ve ever seen, and being all “we’ll stop him together” to his dad who he hates, but also doesn’t really entirely hate anymore. and all of that is incredibly moving... BUT ALSO HE STILL REFUSES TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM AND HE WOULD LIKE HIM TO STOP BEING SO FUCKING DRAMATIC ALREADY IF YOU DON’T MIND. “WHEN YOU’RE DONE CRYING...” fkjldsk

OH MY FUCKING LORD

(ETA: wouldn’t be a Todoroki drama fest if there wasn’t somebody listening in on the whole thing in secret just around the corner lmao.)

“you think we should have waited somewhere else?” “yeah, probably.” “are you feeling a lot of secondhand embarrassment too?” “god, you have no idea.” STFU HAWKS IT’S NOT EMBARASSING TO BE MOVED TO TEARS BY YOUR FAMILY ALL COMING TOGETHER IN YOUR DARKEST HOUR TO GIVE YOU HOPE THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T DESERVE BUT ARE NONETHELESS INDESCRIBABLY GRATEFUL FOR

and anyway you chose these guys as your found family, bucko. too late to back out now. next time go get yourself adopted by the Iidas then

AND MEANWHILE NO WORD ON THE WHOLE “HOW DID A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD SURVIVE A FIRE THAT COVERED HIS BODY WITH HORRIFIC SCARS AND MELTED HIS JAW OFF, AND HOW DID HE SOMEHOW THEN MANAGE TO GO INTO HIDING FOR TEN WHOLE YEARS, AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT INTERIM TO CHANGE HIS GOAL FROM ‘SURPASS ALL MIGHT TO IMPRESS MY DAD’ TO ‘KILL ALL HEROES TO MAKE MY DAD SUFFER’.” as if we don’t know the answer to that. but still, would it kill Horikoshi to just confirm AFO’s involvement in all of this already. at this point it’s basically just a formality

so here’s hoping next week we’ll either get that, or more Hawks action, or (DARE I EVEN SUGGEST, I’M AFRAID TO JINX IT) finally cut back to Bakugou and Deku and All Might omg. either way I’m hyped

#bnha 302 #todoroki touya #dabi #todoroki enji #endeavor #todoroki rei #todoroki shouto #todoroki natsuo #todoroki fuyumi #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #my sincerest apologies for this absurdly long recap which is barely funny at all!#THERE WAS VERY LITTLE HUMOROUS CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER #congratulations horikoshi you win this round

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ackerpreach · 3 years

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This ending .... I can name 500 reasons and I will name them right now, because I don’t think I’m the only one who is upset with how things turned out. (Also, A positive message for all of you at the end)

MAJOR LEAKS SPOILERS/ READ WITH CAUTION

Update: after reading more theories from fellow RM bloggers, and sleeping over it one day, this entire chapter might be an april fools... Don't fully lose hope yet beautiful people. It's me just giving a review on a possible fake April fools chapter

After following this franchise since 2013, so nearly a DECADE. this ending is a pure disserve to the entire fandom. I feel like Yams has rushed it just for the sake of being done with the entire manga. So many things are left open, characters and their developemt are reverted back all the way to chapter 1 or are left even worse than that...

Mikasa’s worthless character development/ Aaronmika’s horrible toxic codependent relationship

Oh honey... Let’s start with how horrible Isayama has treated her. We were all rooting for her, because we all felt like she was so misunderstood. She had a horrible childhood and imprinted on a guy who treated her like trash 99 percent of the story. And then, slowly but surely, she starts to realize she has to stop obsessing over him in the uprising arc with the help of a real man who treats her like a queen, more importantly, he treats her like a real human being. This man sees her for her abilities and that she has the power to be self dependent. She learned parts of herself, that she was able to work together with him like no one else could. She learned parts of herself she was unable to do so if she kept obsessing about Aaron. All this love, care, mutual understanding and RESPECT these two shared.

but...NAH FUCK THAT, right Yams?? Throw all this development away, all this bonding. Let’s make the main female lead even more yandere than she already was in the first season. Let her make out with his decapacitated head (like dude, this is also pure disrespect to Aaron’s dead body btw) and let her obsess even more about the guy who has treated her no better than a piece of toilet cloth 99 percent of the time. The guy who was never really appreciative in front of her for saving his ass billions of times, who always pushed her away, who yells at her and snaps at her whenever he can instead of reasoning and talking calmly with her in mature way. (EVEN PARODY YOUTUBE CHANNELS WHO DONT SHIP ANYTHING MAKE IT A TROPE WHERE AARON TELLS MIKASA HE HATES HER GUTS WHENEVER HE CAN)

Then after all that, suddenly Yams tries to last minute persuade us Aaron’s always been head over heels for her??? He should have build their relationship better which he hasn’t even tried to do so... He must be thinking his fans are stupid for eating this from his hands.

Like seriously??? What is this???

Isayama is just fully contradicting himself. It’s like someone tipped him off with a buttload of money for him to write Aaron like this to satisfy shipping needs and to cash in those extra money’s from it. Even if he tried to cater to Erem*ika, this is not how you write a loving and caring couple which people will root for.

This next two panels just freaking infuriates me to the core of my soul. I can’t even describe how dissapointed I am with Mikasa.

Why is she clutching that head so obsessively like that? Why is she walking and turning her back away from her comrades? After everything they have done for her, after all they’ve been through?! After everything Armin has done? Standing up for Mikasa, beating up Aaron for hurting her. I feel like even Jean, Connie and Sasha have cared more for her in a healthy way. Sure, Aaron cares for her romantically too apparently (What a twist Yams :)), but has he aided her to becoming a mentally healthier individual? Has he aided in her mental stability? The answer is a big fat NO! All I see between these two after today’s raw Chapter’s are too Yandere obsessed individuals who have no clue on how to maintain a healthy relationship.

Love should only go as far as the heart can endure and it seems like her character is not willing to be aware of that. Even Armin was able to let go of Aaron in those latest panels. Why does her entire character resolve around this guy??? I really do not understand. Her Ackerbond and her age is not an excuse for her to throw her life away like this.

Shonen’s disgusting portrayal of women

I’ve seen this countless of times in the many years I’ve watched anime. SasuS*ku from Naruto, Ichih*me from Bleach, Shinji and that oranged hair girl from Neon Evangelion.. Why do these women get decreased to simpletons with one single goal? And that is to obsess over a bland male lead who either treats them like trash or doesn’t notice them up until the last last chapter (LITERALLY WHAT YAMS HAS DONE). Some go even as far as the male leading wanting the kill the female love interest and yet the female lead is still in love with them???. It’s disgusting for him to write the MAIN female character this way.

It’s dissapointing we believed in Isayama doing Mikasa’s character right. That she’s finally being able to let go of her codependency and to live for herself maybe live in Hizuru and find more about her roots???, but every single time she shows some improvement, it’s burried deep in the ground again by the Author. It almost seems like a lowkey kink of some of the male Mangaka’s to write about a girl obsessing over them no matter what. I see this so many times to the point that I truly stand behind it that some of them might have this fantasy.

I wished he didn’t portray her last panels like this. Everyone else is living their lives while Mikasa is still grieving about him. I’m not saying she’s not allowed to grieve and everyone takes it at their own pace, but cmon... Show her living her life too. This is too much. Her being next to his grave and grieving him as her last panels just shoves it in our faces that YET AGAIN, BEING OBSESSED WITH AARON IS ALL HER CHARACTER STANDS FOR.

I truly despise how Isayama handles her grieving, kissing his decapacitated head, carrying it around like some handbag, and her last panels being thissss.

The world leaving Paradis alone miraciously after all that???

It’s so weird and out of place with so many political feuds and disagreements between the world and Paradis, the entire Rumbling happening and we can see Mikasa just chilling outside in Paradis with no one bothering them. You can see the rings of the walls in the picture below. I don’t know the exact reason behind as the manga is still in Korean, but from what I see, the story went the route of: throwing a happy ending without enough proper reason and it was all fixed just like that in a snap! It doesn’t fit the entire narrative of attack on titan for things to be so peacful out of nowhere. When it comes to the narrative, how things work in that world, how hard it is to achieve peace, everything made somewhat sense up until chapter 138. 139 seems so so out of place... It’s like I’m reading a chapter from a totally different manga.

Aaron Yoghurt got defeated so easily/ Aaron’s character assassination

The build up on the first part of the rumbling was great, those kids carrying coins. You could feel humanity’s fear and Aaron’s hatred in those pages. As if he truly had a goal and he has turned away completely from his comrades and his closest friends with no return. The world seemed truly doomed, but he got defeated just like that. He was in the nape all this time (because screw the warhammer power of hiding yourself elsewhere in his ginormous titan body). There is no master plan as we all expected, and in the end he just acts all yandere in the paths with Armin and that’s it... They massacared his entire character as well. Many fan theories created a better ending with his character. Him being reincarnated as Historia’s baby would be so much better. For him to still keep on seeking and to strive for power. It has always been his motive. It’s his personality from the start until chapter 138. Even if things are okay, to keep on going and to seek that adventure, but then.. He’s so weak and directionless suddenly.. It’s so weird... This is not Aaron at all???

Using Aaron for him this entire post, because I don’t want others to invade our tags... :)))

Historia’s baby

The only panel we got from Historia’s child was this. Just a normal kid, normal life... Why did Isayama put so much effort in highlighting Historia’s pregnancy if it was nothing too spectacular anyway? It seemed he had major plans for this kid and for their development too??? It’s again, big plans, big developments, big relationship dynamic, but all got thrown out of the window...

Don’t read the next sentence if you are a minor :’)

It’s like almost ejaculating, but stopping right before it and repeating that every single Arc.

My energy when writing about this chapter is the same as Nostalgia Critic and his hatred for atla the live action

In Conclusion...

I know us fans should not be deciding on how this story should end, because this is Isayama’s story after all, but I truly wished for him to wrap up things much more rounded. There are so many unanswered questions... Again, I think for the sake of being done with this manga, he rushed all of it. He’s become a millionaire from this story and now his pockets are jammed full, I guess he doesn’t need to put in any effort anymore, right? Perhaps a controversial opinion, but I really wished he cared for his fans a little bit more with this last chapter by giving some answers that make sense at least. It’s his fans who gave him this platform and the opportunity to tell his story and for him to at least give in a bit of effort especially in the last chapter is the least he can do. Rivamika being canon or not, he truly rushed it without thinking much about the entire story line. He expanded it so much, he didn’t know how to bind it all together.

Even after all this, I’ll still ship them in the headcanon type of way. I do give credit to Isayama for giving us a template for such a beautiful dynamic between Levi and Mikasa. He decides to waste it, but that doesn’t mean we have to. I want to thank all the people with amazing writing skills, the ones who give us beautiful art like @carmenlee @phit chan @vialesana and many more. I want to remind all of you that we can create something beautiful of our own and we don’t neccesarily need canon lore for that. The art I’ve seen, the fanfictions I’ve read have touched me deeper than Isayama ever could at times.The Mikasa in our mind is appreciate of Levi, is mature, classy and has a strong will for herself. They spend their remaining days together peacefully. Keep writing, keep drawing, stay creative.

I love you all so so much, I’ve only been publicly active since March, but thank you Rivamika fandom for giving me so much joy as a lurker these past 7 years <3

#rivamika #snk leaks #snk 139 leaks #levimika #mikalevi

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physicalturian · 3 years

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[G] Gentle summer - Rengoku Kyojuro x GN!Reader - Part 2

[Contains spoilers from the movie, and the manga] [No pronouns used for the reader, no physical description; Everyone +18]

Words : 10 317

Archive of our own

Warnings : Blood / Injuries / PTSD

--- Part 1 -

I do not care. I do not care. I kept repeating to myself when I felt the two little hands nudging my thigh. My name was called in the hope of waking me, little did they know I was fully awake but did not wish to wake up. I was trying my hardest to keep my eyes shut, it was in vain when Naho mentioned him, “The Wind Pillar has arrived at the mansion and is looking for you, he seems to be in a foul mood and-“ “No need to say more, this man is always in a foul mood but I will get him. You can leave, thank you Naho,” She gave me a curt nod and stood up, pausing mid-way to the door when she giggled and smiled at me before looking next to me and hurrying off.

Something was holding me back from fully sitting up. It was heavy, and as I tried to move my hand I realized it was wet. Slowly turning my head, I covered my mouth to hold back a laugh. The sight was hilarious, Kyojuro was laying the lower half of his body on the futon while the top half was on the tatami. His hand was still holding mine, but he was now resting his cheek on it too, drooling. As much as I found the situation adorable, it worried me that he was laying on his stomach. “Kyojuro, would you please wake up?”

I patted his cheek to get him to react, nothing. Pinching it lightly did nothing either. “It is still morning, do not make me yell,” I mumbled as I hesitantly ran my hand through his hair. It was soft, with a lot of knots, but still enjoyable if I did not thread my fingers, that is. “I have a lot of patience, but as cute as this is, you are sleeping on your stomach and I will not have it,” Without much gentleness, I slipped my hand out of his, earning a sleepy grunt from the man when his cheek hit the tatami. Looking at the time, I hurried to help the man back on his back and onto his futon, then left the room after putting my futon away once I made sure his wound was alright.

Knowing Sanemi, he would not give me time to get changed once I’m in his vicinity, so I made a detour to get dressed in my kimono, without forgetting my sword, before going exactly where I knew he’d be. There was no way to deal with this man with gentleness, usually Shinobu or Aoi would take care of the Pillars when I was busy but not him. They did not want to waste time with him.

Entering the dojo, I did not knock to warn him of my presence, I slid the door open with force before closing it the same way. “You are bleeding over the tatami,” I stated to the man who was training, blood dripping from his open wounds. My stare was not one of someone afraid of the violent man, but of someone annoyed to the bone. “I wouldn’t be here if you had arrived sooner,” He snapped, slashing more decoys, his eyes ever so filled with rage.

“I am here now, stop moving,” Aoi must have sneaked in earlier to put the necessary to treat his wounds, which explained the tray with medical necessities. While Rengoku did not listen to me out of air-headedness, Sanemi did not listen out of spite. He had heard me perfectly well but was being his usual self. It’s with a sigh that I unwrapped the additional sash around my waist and used it to tie my sleeves out of the way, “Why is it always like this with you?” I asked once I was done.

He faced me with a maniac grin, “It’s more entertaining like that, come at me,” it was always the same. The man was fully aware his wounds needed treatment, but if the attention was not given the moment he arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, he would go on about his life, untreated. Using brute force was the only way to get him to stay put, and that’s what I did, it was not a serious fight, far from it. No breathing technique were used, a simple sword fight. But even with a gash on his arm, Sanemi was strong, he was an amazing swordsman.

The loud clash of the metal colliding was repetitive, consistent, it was accompanied by long sounds of the same metal as our swords slid against one another. The closeness of our faces was paralleled by our swords pushing with force against the other. “I have barely woken up, I am in no mood to entertain you any longer, just drop your sword,” I grunted, trying hard to match the force with which he pushed against my blade.

“I don’t care,” He pushed once more then stepped back, when I almost tripped, I still caught a glimpse of the wince that flashed on his face before disappearing. “You are weak,” He spat, running at me again, I did not step down. “I might not be a Pillar, but I am not weak,” I said casually, this time gaining the control as I pushed him back, holding my sword with one hand as I moved my free one to grab his arm roughly. It made him moan in pain, but he did not let go of his sword.

“You play dirty-“ “It is to match the state you put the dojo in,” I said playfully. As humorous as I was trying to be, I knew he was going to stop fighting soon enough to let me treat him, but I did not appreciate the disrespect of ransacking this place for entertainment. “It’s just blood, who cares,” He shrugged, stepping away from me as he let his sword drop by his side, sheathing it away.

Mirroring him, I did the same, my back facing him as I took the tray from the ground and joined the man’s side. He had slumped down on the ground gracelessly, his sleeve rolled up, “Clearly, you are not the one cleaning it. Are you not aware of how hard it is to get blood off the tatami straw?” He simply rolled his shoulders in response, looking away as I treated his wound. I knew here and then that the conversation was over, there was no surprise; The length of our interactions could be summarized to aggressive banters, not that I had any say in how it went. I simply knew how to deal with the man.

“You have frightened the girls, and you have made of this place a mess,” I started, while packing everything, “Apologize to them on your way out,” It was not a question, it was a command. I was not in any power to do so, I was not Master Ubuyashiki, Pillars were not my subordinates, but I liked to believe they respected me enough to listen to me when I’d tell them they’re in the wrong. The odds of the Wind Pillar excusing were slim, but I found solace in knowing I tried. No one can change a stubborn man, not even kindness, not when he seems so keen on being wilder than a boar.

With a huff, he left, but the door did not close. As I stood up, I saw a blond mop of hair outside, “You have awakened, did Tanjirou make a lot of noise when he woke up?” I asked the lightning user. Zenitsu had a strange way of using his breathing technique, but was a skilled fighter, nonetheless. It did not show in the way he held himself. Stammering, the boy stood straight, “Tanjirou said that- big brother- I mean, the… Rengoku woke up? Can-“ He was pushed to the side when the face of a boar was now in front of me, “Can we see him! Gonpachiro saw him-“ He was very loud, and very energetic, it was too early for this.

Placing a hand on both their shoulders, I smiled kindly, “He needs some rest,” They sighed, so I continued, “The proper way to start the day would be the morning meal, let us eat, then I shall see if Kyojuro is awake,” After asking them if it sounded good to them, the two boys nodded and sped off. Somehow they managed to turn their breakfast into a competition, which threw me off slightly but at the same time made me smile. I was glad to see them well after the events on the train. While I was not there, I knew they had fought bravely and assisted the Fire Pillar with honor. Strong fighters are those with strong hearts, but a strong mind plays a big part too… let’s see how long they’ll last… I thought darkly.

Aoi told me she’d check on everyone while I had breakfast, she argued it was to compensate the morning setback and to help me release some stress from having dealt with the Wind Pillar. I told her it was alright, but she insisted. It was odd but appreciated. What was even more strange was when I joined the kitchen, I was quickly shooed away by Sumi. “Kiyo will bring you to your room!” “Sumi, I know where my room is, would you please tell me what you are up to?”

The young girl shook her head as her friend held my hand and pulled me in a direction. I did not need to read minds to know where she was bringing me, “Kiyo, this is not my room. It is-“ “You’ve spent the night there! Even if it’s a secret, we’ll help you out!” She whispered excitedly as she knelt by the door and slid it open, gesturing for me to get in. I crouched down to her level and used a gentler voice, to show I was not mad, “Has he given his permission for you to do this? It’s his private chamber, and he is also in need of rest-“ I stopped talking when she looked down, her hands on her lap as she greeted someone shyly, with a lot less familiarity than she would if it were me.

Looking to my left, I was being towered by the warm presence of the Fire Pillar behind me, “Thank you, young Kiyo!” The girl nodded and hurried off, but I was able to catch a glimpse of her reddening cheeks as she disappeared off. “A fine morning! Thank you for coming, I was not sure you’d agree,” Rengoku said as I entered the room, closing the door behind me.

“Before you say anything, I haven’t done anything!” He said in a defensive manner, laughing softly as he showed me the trays on the veranda. “This morning Shinobu visited,” He paused as he showed me he could sit down without much help, I smiled to myself at the determination he put in all of this, he was also proud of showing his improvement. The Pillar seemed to have seen it, he looked up at me and grinned, “Within a few days, I will be able to go everywhere with you-“ He cut himself off when I made a curious face. “In a sense of going on a date with you, I do not plan of following you around the mansion,” He said, chuckling.

While he said so, his cheeks were brightening. The sun was not yet to blame since it was not on this side of the building yet. Huffing a laugh, I knelt in front of him, our food separating us. “I see nothing wrong with having you around me a bit more, I find you very calming,” Bowing, I wished him a good meal as we then both started eating. He did not, however. He looked at me with bright eyes, “You do?”

Chuckling, I nodded, “I do, yes, even when you talk a bit loudly it is enjoyable to be around you,”

Rengoku hummed, the smile on his face growing wider and wider by the second. “I feel the same about you!” He told me, as he tied his hair back to get it out of the way as he ate. To that, I laughed as I finished my bite, hoping the warmth in my cheeks wasn’t showing. “Maybe it is biased by the fact that I took care of you many times, have you considered that?” Yes, I accepted his courtship, yes I found the man beautiful in all aspects… and yet, I was trying to make him change his mind. Was part of me thinking I was not worth his attention?

I shook the thought away and tried, at the same time, to avoid staring at how gorgeous he looked with his hair tied back. “It is fantastic that you can take care of people! I myself am clumsy and come back with a lot of wounds, but that is not the reason why I like you,” He paused, about to shove the biggest portion of food in his, already full, mouth. I placed a hand on his, making him look at me like he was caught red-handed. “Sorry,” He said it in a way that was muffled by the food and how much he had in his mouth but I still smiled.

When he swallowed he put chopsticks down and held one of my hand in both of his, “It’s the way your eyes light up when doing the things you like the most, it’s the way you carry yourself everywhere with such grace-“ “Grace is a big word, wouldn’t you say?” I said.

“To me it’s grace! If it’s not, you still look stunning every day, but I find you the prettiest when watching the sun set. It sends my heart all over the place to see you smile-“ His compliments, while kind-hearted and genuine, were becoming too much for my erratic-beating heart. I carefully pried his hands away from mine and covered his mouth, lifting myself on my knees a little to reach his face. “Your point has been made, Kyojuro, I shouldn’t have assumed you were biased, I get it”

Under my hand, I could feel his lips turning up, his smile broadening as he moved my hand from his face, “I’ve changed my mind!” He exclaimed, letting go of my hand. Quirking a brow in response, I wondered what he meant by this. His eyes weren’t leaving mine, his smile turned more smug than joyous, while both were positive feelings, I couldn’t help but feel my body react someway. “The sight of your bashfulness might be a prettier sight than that of your face under the sunset’s golden glow,”

Any hope of hiding how flustered I was, was gone after he opened his mouth. The funny feeling inside my chest was not leaving, if anything it was reaching for him, but I did not. Looking at my food, I chuckled nervously then said, “I will have to take a look at your wound, you rolled on your stomach during the night. I was rushed this morning, I did not have time yet to do so,” When Rengoku laughed, oh so beautifully, I looked at him with a frown. It was in no way threatening, but I tried hard to keep some ounce of dignity.

“This is serious, I hope it was worth it. I even had to drag you back to your futon,” Nodding fervently, he took a sip of tea to help the food pass then beamed, “It was absolutely worth it, I got to hold your hand. I would have expected you’d have let go during the night, but I am overjoyed that you did not,” His sincerity was off-putting and welcomed at the same time, I tried to match it to no avail.

“I did not want to let go, I was here to help you sleep after all, was I not?”

“I’d like to think you enjoyed my company too, you are free to leave whenever you wish!” It was not some passive-aggressive speech, it was honest. And it was sweet too, he deserved some back. “I will be staying until you are fully recovered…” I trailed off, hesitating to add more, trying to make it sweet but I did not know how, then I spoke, “It was a peaceful sleep, I trust you slept well too? After all, you did end up sleeping on my hand and drooling on it, I felt you must know about it,” It was his turn to be embarrassed as his face turned a different shade.

He swallowed, with some struggle, and quickly said, “I am sorry for the drool! I slept very well, I had to come closer because you tugged my arm during your sleep, it was adorable,” I covered my mouth to avoid spitting everything out and finished eating before reacting, “Have I done that, now? That…” I wouldn’t know much of what I do in my sleep, it was quite exceptional to sleep this close to anyone. Ever since I started the slayer training I have had no opportunity to share a bed with anyone. There was no denying what he had said, nor had he given me any reason to distrust him.

“Well, perhaps I will bring my futon closer next time. I wouldn’t want you to end up on the tatami once more,” I trailed off. Noticing he was done eating, I did not give him time to react and grabbed my tray, “I will be cleaning everything up, sorry for intruding. Kiyo brought me here, she-“ “I asked her to bring you! I wanted to eat breakfast with you, has she not told you?” Clenching my jaw, I threw a glare at the door, although I couldn’t see anyone I knew one of the three younger girls was waiting outside.

Sighing in resignation, I put everything down and sat next to the Fire Pillar after moving the pillow. “She made it seem like it was her idea, I felt a bit uneasy interrupting you. I also thought you were still asleep,” Kyojuro hummed, wordlessly telling me to continue. Looking to the side at the flamboyant man, I smiled and placed my hand down, close to his, “I think I like the idea of you trying to have the girls’ attention for such a small endeavor. It is cute,”

“You think I’m cute?” He did not seem shocked, it sounded more like he was making sure he heard right. Though I was persuaded he knew he heard right since he was smiling proudly at me, “Among other things, yes,” I tried to give off an air of mystery, and it seemed to have worked since it piqued the man’s interest. “Among other things? I wonder what else it could be,” He was thinking deeply, his chin resting between his index finger and his thumb. Reaching for the ribbon in his hair, I untied it and freed his mane, I was in awe at how much his hair was tangled.

Quirking a brow curiously, Kyojuro asked, “Do you prefer it undone?”

I laughed, “My preference does not matter, but have you considered combing your hair?” He shook his head, “It gives some volume with the knots!” I did not know who had planted that idea in his head, it was odd, and I was not expecting him to say that at all. When I stood up, he stopped me by grabbing my hand, “Are you leaving already? Will you return tonight?” My heart soared, the pleading look in his eyes turned me into a puddle, but I kept my composure and huffed a laugh.

“I am not leaving; I believe there is a comb in the cabinet. If you’d allow me, I’d gladly untangle that mane of yours. You will not lose volume, I promise,” There was a glimmer in his eyes when he smiled and went to stand up, fortunately I was next to him when he started falling forward. I quickly took hold of his arm and held him back from hitting the floor. Helping him back to his feet, I inquired, amused, “You are wearing a jinbei, on what could you have tripped?”

“Well- Maybe it was a technique to get closer to you?” He smiled at me, he had been doing so a lot recently, and goodness was I weak to it. Not just his smile, but his presence, his laugh, his pretty face… that was getting closer now. I did not look away; I matched the intensity of his gaze but couldn’t find the proper words to reply. Of course, I wanted to get closer to him, but what would the others think? Was it a good time to do so? A lot more was to come, and we could not allow distractions. My eyes darted to his lips, I knew it, but I quickly averted my eyes to look at the pillow on the ground.

“Let’s get you seated so that I can check your wrappings,” I whispered, gesturing for him to sit down. Rengoku made a confused sound but did as I suggested; Once seated, he leaned his head backwards to look at me, “As comfortable as this jinbei is, would it be problematic if I wore my kimono?”

Glancing at him as I made my way to him, fresh wrappings in my hands, I nodded, “Once I’ve changed your bandages, you can do whatever you’d like- unless it’s training. That is still off-limits… However, seeing how fast you’re healing, I might let you train tomorrow.” I told him as I gestured for him to lift his shirt. The Pillar leaned back on his elbows after having undone the tie of his jinbei, his bright eyes observing each of my movements. It did not look like it, he seemed to be simply fascinated by what I was doing but I could see he was thinking of more.

To get his mind off of whatever was going in his head, I prodded, “Are you not excited to be training-“ Suddenly, my hand was gripped when I was about to uncover his wound, a frown painted on his features the Fire Pillar did not move. Rengoku Kyojuro was a man of many talents, being the most optimistic in this mansion was one of them. Never had I seen him without a smile or confidence. Even at this very moment, the look on his face made me want to pity him, his features were serious but seemed to be hiding some pain, it was not a sight I relished in, but he was not asking for pity. Instead, I gave him time.

When he did not let go after a few minutes, I grabbed his hand with mine that was not tightly held in his large one. “Kyojuro, are you alright?” His hand did not move, so I gently pried his fingers away. As I started doing so, he came back to me and let go of my wrist, quickly after, he threaded his fingers with mine and brought my knuckles to his lips. “I apologise, I don’t know what came over me. I’m-“ He chuckled nervously, breathlessly, but I think I knew what happened. But was not going to mention anything, so, instead I brushed my thumb over his cheek.

“We’ll say it was a technique to hold my hand, right?” His cheeks flushed red, his warm hand clenched mine a moment, the prettiest laugh escaped his lips as he looked down shyly. “Well, I’m definitely not against it… But you might need both your hands if you want to take care of me,” He let go of my hand and leaned back once more, his eyes still looked distant as if he was trying to force himself to not look at the wound. To help him, I talked as I removed it, “Do you like fireworks? There will be some in the village nearby, and while you probably can’t go there yet, I know a spot where we can see them,” There was no need to mention that the spot was on the rooftop of the mansion.

At least not yet.

“Fireworks are great! I remember, I would bring my brother to our small village’s festival. It wasn’t grand at all, but we had a lot of fun. He used to be scared of fireworks, he’s not anymore.” He winced a few times as I cleaned the wound, but I listened intently. Looking up, I asked, “Were you?” he lifted himself from his elbows to help me wrap the bandages and quirked a brow in a question-like manner. “Were you afraid of fireworks?” “Oh, not at all! I always liked them, I always loved how everyone would agree on it being the most beautiful thing during the festival. It would always bring everyone together- and it’s also, like a painting in the sky,” His gaze set on mine, a serene smile on his lips.

“It’s also a great moment to spend with someone you care about, wouldn’t you agree?” Keep your composure, do not look away. “I agree, it is in three days. Will you be available?” Extending a hand to help him up, he took it. I was glad he did not pull me down to him, only accepted the help. Once standing, he gave me a curt nod. “I will be. Even if I had some plans, I would make time for you,” He made a gesture as if he was whispering a secret, leaning forward, “Being bed-ridden gives you a lot of free time, but let’s not mention that,” I laughed at his antics, realizing we were still holding hands. In my head it was quite simple, if I did not mention it, he would not let go. So that’s what I did.

“It has benefits indeed, not all bad…” He must have seen my eyes dart to our hands, even for just a second, I thought so when he squeezed his hand and his smile broadened. Not moving from our spot, I changed topic, “You mentioned Shinobu visited this morning, I believe we did venture off topic, but is she back? I have not seen her,”

Just as I asked, a gentle voice was heard next to us. I should have let go of Rengoku’s hand, but instead I simply hid our hands behind my back as we faced the face in question, “I have returned for a while, yes. I trust Aoi has been doing good work?” Shinobu’s eyes darted to the Fire Pillar’s stomach then back at us, “Would you like me to take care of your wound while I am at the mansion?” She asked in her beautiful voice, her expression as neutral as possible. She would always seem deadpanned if not for the smile gracing her features all throughout the day.

The golden-haired man shook his head fervently, “I am feeling great!” he added that I had been doing a great job at taking care of him and that he would only allow me to take care of him.

The woman’s face turned to me, a more sincere smile on it, “Is that so?” “Aoi and the girls are shy around Kyojuro, that is all,” I explained as composed as I could. She turned to look at Rengoku, throwing me a side glance, “Kyojuro, hm? How cute, I will be checking on Sanemi, then. I am sure you will be enjoying one another’s company the best you can, yes?” Before she disappeared, the Fire Pillar made sure to make it even more obvious of what was going on when he grinned, “I will definitely be enjoying every second of it,” Then like a gust of wind, Shinobu was gone.

“She has indeed returned; I should help her out with Sanemi. He was in a foul mood when I saw him earlier,” I said, letting go of Kyojuro’s hand as I made my way to the door. His eyes darkened suddenly when I paused at the door, about to tell him something. I held my tongue. “Has something happened with his brother, again?” He asked, seriously.

I shrugged, “I never ask, I am only the person in charge of calming him when Shinobu is not around. He scares Aoi and the girls, he might be a kind person deep down, but I do not have time to spare on his immature attitude.” Perhaps it was too sincere, after all, Pillars probably all got along. At least, most of them, I knew for sure that the Fire Pillar got along with all of them some way, I never knew how he did so, however. Humming, he joined me by the door, “I will pay him a visit, if I am allowed to leave this room, that is?”

Laughing, I slid the door open, “Of course you can leave the room, I would ask of you to take the crutches in case you get tired on the way. One of the girls will be bringing you your kimono, I’ll let you get changed,” When I lifted my head after giving him a curt bow, his lips were on my cheek as he pressed a tender kiss on it before pulling away smiling. “Thank you, will I be seeing you tonight?”

The nerve. This man, how could he? Be this adorable, after kissing me. Was he not aware of how fast my heart was beating, of how I wanted to pull him closer for more? That was not proper, but I relished in the idea of being in his arms. Shaking the thought away, I kept my mouth shut until I found the proper words, that were not pure gibberish and finally opened it to say, “I will be training this afternoon- without any mission, I need to keep in shape… If you’d like to do the same as yesterday, you are very welcome,”

He nodded. “Gladly! I will be visiting Sanemi promptly, I’ll make sure to be at your training on time,” We both stood by the door, unmoving, looking at each other. It was longer than socially appropriate, but I felt the need to do something, anything, I did not wish to leave him yet. Leaning in quickly, I pecked his cheek before hurrying off, “I will see you then, take care,” My hand held the hem of my attire, I did not want to look back and see his expression. Would it be shock? Satisfaction? Happiness? Perhaps was he flustered? I told myself to not look back, but my self-restraint was not what it used to be.

Just one glance, I thought as I looked over my shoulder. The sight that greeted me was more than enough to reassure me, he was covering his mouth in an excited-way, his cheeks reddening. This was good, this was worth it- Still not having looked away from the Fire Pillar, I bumped into someone and apologized just as fast. “Kanata? Is there a problem with Master Ubuyashiki?” I asked as I stabilized the child with both of my hands on her shoulders, she showed me the letter destined to Rengoku.

“I see. At the end of the corridor. Is it urgent? Shall I gather-“ Cutting me off, she shook her head, “A personal exchange between the Fire Pillar and the Master, I will be leaving now,” With a curt nod, she quickly left. I watched her go, dazed by the interaction. But I did not let it linger on my mind any longer, bumping into her helped me straighten my ideas. I still had things to do for the rest of the day and could not let the beautiful man make me lose focus.

Among other things, I had to make sure the Wind Pillar’s report was adequately done. I trusted Shinobu to write hers with care, but everyone knew Sanemi did not have the soul of a writer, nor the patience of one either. Once this was done, I was going to check on the other wounded, but Shinobu was already one it. She was, after all, in charge of all this. She had taught me some things but was more versed in that field than I was, yet she allowed me to stay by her side today as she did her round.

We did not exchange much, being focused on taking care of everyone. I stopped following her once we reached the three new recruits’ room, a lot was happening there, they were all very awake. “Aoi will be taking care of them, they need to learn how to breathe properly. I will make sure everything goes smoothly, you can leave,” She nodded curtly my way, dismissing me, but I stood there. “I need to exchange a few words with them, after that I will make sure to leave them alone to that they can focus on their training,”

She agreed, bowing me farewell as she made her way out. I did not bother to knock considering how loud the boys were being, the odds of them hearing me were very low. “I see you are both very energetic, you will be able to see Rengoku later in the afternoon. He has to have a talk with the Wind Pillar first, but I’m sure he’ll be very happy to see the three of you,” Looking at Tanjirou, I smiled knowingly, “Perhaps avert from jumping on him this time. He did not mind, but he is still in a bad shape, no matter the smile on his face, understood?” The young brunette nodded, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

Turning around, I faced the two others, “And you two,” They paused their shenanigans, “Tame yourself, tone the energy down a notch. I do not know where you found all that enthusiasm, but I know it’ll disappear quick enough once you’ve started your breathing training,” With a curt nod, and a mischievous smile, I left them, ignoring the slight fear in their eyes. Only one of them had determination, as if he had been challenged, and that was the boy with the birthmark.

Staying at the Butterfly Mansion too long brought boredom, I’ll admit. I could not fill my days with training, as much as I wanted. It would make my hands calloused, and I would be exhausted too fast, so I would read. Trying to learn more about the demons, reading reports from the Pillars before they were sent. Yes, it was not made to do so, but I was curious. And it kept me busy, I also made sure to put them back in place every time. They never saw any difference.

One time I got caught, but the Mist Pillar did not care. He stood by the door, then left without a word. It made me refrain from doing so for a few days, then I began again.

Sometimes I would help taking care of the big mansion, but the girls were not the fondest of the way I did things and tried to keep me busy too. Fortunately, most of the time I was away, but when I wasn’t, it was for a longer period than I liked and staying put was a drag.

I managed to stay busy and did not see time pass. The afternoon arrived quickly, and once I got changed, I knocked on the wooden beam next to the shoji door. I waited until I heard his voice telling me to come inside, his kimono was half-way opened, the sash keeping it closed on the lower half. While my first thought was that he looked the most beautiful like this, I also calmed myself down for he was exposing his entire upper half quite a lot. It’s not that I had never seen it, but the mood between the person taking care of the wound and the wounded, was not present.

Instead, it was just two people, alone in a room, which brought a different kind of intimacy than the one from a caretaker. Looking aside subtly I spoke up, “Are you aware this is not the proper way to wear a kimono?” I asked jokingly as I made my way to the veranda, walking past him. The steps of the Pillar echoed behind me as he joined my side. “That is true, but it is so warm today,” He pulled out a fan from the inside of his attire, making me confused for a moment but I did not ask.

“You should have taken it in consideration before asking to wear it, then. Should Kiyo bring you your jinbei? I am sure it is clean by now.” He shook his head fervently then gestured at himself, grinning, “I am handling it properly,” I ogled, he brought the attention to his chest, what else could I do but enjoy the sight? And enjoy the sight, I did. So much he caught me after I stared a bit too long, “Is it distracting you?” He asked with a grin, returning to fanning his face. Turning my face away, I chuckled, “Absolutely not,” It was bolder than usual to ask me such a question, which made me wonder…

Throwing him a glance, I could see his cheeks were slightly redder than usual. While it could be put on the account of the heat, I couldn’t help but ask, “Kyojuro, have you drank?” I had my answer when he laughed loudly, turning it into something shyer when he stopped. “You have a keen eye. I am not drunk yet, but I drank some sake with Sanemi, it had been a while since I had done this,” He hummed, content. His eyes were focused on the horizon as he pondered, nostalgia filling his gaze. My heart seemed to like seeing him happy, I could feel it beat faster.

Clearing my thoughts, I stood up, sword in hand, “You should be careful, the sun makes the alcohol take effect a lot faster. You should drink some water, Kyojuro,” Chuckling, the man stood up and made his way towards me, smiling ever so reassuringly. “You are worried, it is very cute,” My cheeks flared up, but I didn’t say anything as he continued, “But I am not nearly as drunk as to make any mistake, I would say I am tipsy at best,” His eyes trailed on my face a moment, meeting my curious ones for a moment before looking down. He turned back, laughing to himself before clearing his throat, “Let’s begin, shall we? Perhaps would you like to work on hiding your presence?”

Right, training. Straightening my back, I focused on holding my sword properly and took a few deep breaths to calm down. How can I calm down? Had his eyes lingered on my lips? I must have imagined it… No amount of forcing could make me leave my head, I am sure he did, what would I have done if he had kissed me? Kissed him back. But it is not good to so when such a big fight is coming… I quickly got past the denial stage, and started bargaining, we can’t allow ourselves to be distracted but having someone around helps you stay grounded, does it not?

“Are you alright? I promise I am fine, if that is a big concern-“ “It’s alright, it’s alright,” I huffed a laugh as I gave a curt nod to the Pillar, tightening my grip on my sword I set myself in position. “I simply got lost in thoughts,” I said lightly, resting my posture a moment as I quirked a brow towards the golden-haired man. “Can I ask you a question?” he nodded enthusiastically, sitting back down as he fanned his face. His hair was pushed back by the gust of wind the fan made, but that was not what caught my attention.

What caught my attention was the way he was sitting. A hand behind his back as he leaned on it, his legs spread slightly, half-way through sitting tailor style. It had no reason to look this good, this sinful, and yet I couldn’t look away. But I did, focusing back on his beautiful eyes, “Am I that bad at hiding my presence? I have always thought I was doing good, now I am thinking back on a lot of things… I have never encountered any issues during missions either,” I trailed off, thinking of all the times I tried to be discrete around the Pillars, watching some train, perhaps one more than the others.

He had indeed told me he had seen me lurk around, but perhaps it was only a few times. Lifting his chin as he looked up, thinking, he hummed, “Well…” A few moments passed, then he looked back at me, eyes wide, just like his smile. “I would like to think I have always caught you watching me, even when you’re on the roof, your feet dangling off the edge. That’s also because your shadow is casted on the ground,” He said with a laugh. While he laughed, I sheathed my sword away and tried to keep my composure, “When I train at night, there is a lot less movement in the mansion, so I can sense you a lot more,” He nodded, giving it a deeper thought.

“When you hover by my door nervously too-“ “I do not hover nervously, I am not nervous. I am simply aware that you might be occupied somehow and think against disturbing you. That is all,” That was too fast, too defensive, he saw right through it. I crossed my arms over my chest, looking at him intently, he was beaming but not saying much. “Maybe you are the only who can sense me because you try to, have you considered that, Kyojuro?” I suggested.

He seemed proud that I had said so, his smile, instead of being a grin, turned into one that spread from ear to ear. Using the beam next to him for support, he stood up and walked up to me, his hands reached out for mine, uncrossing my arms. “I do. I find comfort in your presence,” his hands slid from my forearms to my hands, holding them gently. “I have gotten used to having you around, even if you do not know, and even if we do not always talk,” He pulled me closer without much force since I let him do as he pleased. I wanted him to wrap my arms around his form so he could do the same with me.

He did no such thing, no. Instead, he brought my knuckles to his lips and pressed a kiss on them, “We should still work on your breathing, shall we?” I couldn’t talk, instead I turned my hand palm up and placed it along his jaw, holding him there a moment. With the sun hitting strongly, I could feel my whole body heating up, but it was not the only reason. The warmth inside me was welcoming and kind, frightening at time with how much I wanted more, but I enjoyed it. “We should- yes. We should resume training,” I said as I stepped away from him, his hands letting go of mine.

He stood there with a knowing smile, then stepped back and proceeded to explain how he would do it. After a while, he changed his way of explaining and gestured with his hands where he could feel the energy going through and enthusiastically. “I do not feel it there, it is more in his area,” I said as I pointed at my sternum, then asking him to wait as I put my sword on the ground. He shook his head, “That is wrong, it should be,” stepping closer he pressed his fingers on each side of my ribs then trailed against it back to the sternum, “The entire thing here, does it make sense?” He brought his hand on his chin once more, furrowing his brows as he thought deeper with a hum.

While he breathed heavily through his nose, I could feel the tingles on my skin, goosebumps. But there was no time to lose on this, I did as he instructed and closed my eyes, calming down my breathing. “Alright, now you have to visualize it- it is harder to explain than I thought it would be, but it has to go,” once again, he trailed his indexes, starting at my throat then grazed down quickly to separate at the ribs and set on the side. I ignored the shivered that ran down my spine, “That is how I do it, here,”

I opened my eyes in surprise when he put my hand on his side, the area that he showed on my body. “Do you feel the difference?” “I believe I do,” he laughed breathlessly, his smile faltering. It was my time to furrow my brows when I saw that, “Perhaps you should stop for a while-“ Just when I said that, he gripped my shoulder tight, his head hanging low. He was still smiling as he looked up at me, “As much as I would like to say I’m fine, I think it is a bit too much in one go,”

Chuckling, I agreed and helped him back on the parquet of the veranda where I sat him down and handed him back his fan, “Heat, alcohol, training,” “You,” “…it does have some effect on the body- I’m sorry? You said something?” The golden-haired man had said something as I berated him half-heartedly, but I did not quite catch it. Grabbing my burning sword from the ground, I brought it where there was shade and sat next to the Pillar.

He looked at me from the side, and smiled, “I said, you,”

“I, what?” I asked, confused. “You make my heart beat so fast, I am bound to feel dizzy sooner or later,” Huffing a laugh, I looked ahead instead of his blinding smile. If I stared at him again, I did not know what I would do. Would I have the audacity to reach for his hand? Or his cheek, perhaps… No, I wouldn’t. “I am willing to bet is it mainly due to the gaping wound in your stomach and the stifling heat, that is bound to have some effect on the body,”

His laugh would have been louder if he was not decomposing next to me, I heard a thud quickly after. Looking at him in panic, he was laying on the ground with a lazy smile, his entire body stretched out. “I am usually a lot better at handling heat, this is a first,” He chuckled.

Seeing Naho from the corner of my eyes, I gestured for her to approach when I noticed the tray with water and a cloth. She set it on the ground before hurrying off, I barely had time to thank her.

“Let it be the first and only time, yes? I do believe we are done with training for today, nothing much can be done in this heat,” I said as I placed the wet cloth on the man’s forehead. A long sigh of satisfaction left his lips when he opened his eyes and looked at me. I sat, kneeling by his side, changing the cloth every few minutes to get him to liven up. With his eyes locked on me, watching each of my movements, I was very aware the latter. I made sure to not overdo anything, nor to look at him. In this very position, I could easily lean in and- and nothing, get him to cool down and go, I reprimanded myself.

Stopping me by grabbing my arm gently, Rengoku spoke up, “If nothing much can be done in this heat, that means you are available for the rest of the day, correct?”

I nodded, quirking a brow as to ask what he meant. “Well,” He grunted as he went to sit up, I was quick to help him do so, feeling his muscles under my hands but not reacting. “Would you comb my hair? I do not know how to say this, but…” He trailed off, a short huff escaping his nose. Seeing how he seemed to grow timid, I voiced my agreement, adding, “I had indeed planned on doing so earlier today,” Standing up, I made my way to the cabinet, “Since you are so beautiful- your hair is, your hair it’s a beautiful color, it’s going to be fun to comb it,” I hummed unsure, hoping I had covered up my mishap. It was badly done for sure, since I was more eager to run my fingers through his hair than anything.

When I returned to the Pillar, he had made his way back inside where the air more bearable and was now sitting on his futon. I did not remark he had not put it away upon his awakening in the morning, but instead stood in front of him as I ask, “Are you certain you are feeling good? Only minutes ago, you were ready to pass out,” While I said it in a lighter tone, worry still weighed on me when I looked at his half-lidded eyes. Still, I knelt behind him and had to take a moment at the sight of his bare back. It took all the self-restraint in my body to not throw his hair over his shoulder and let my hands travel over his back muscles. Yet, I managed to hold back.

Part of me felt ashamed to need that much restraint when it came down to this man, but there was nothing I could do about it. “I will be honest with you; I might fall asleep. It seems I have overdone it today,” He chuckled, scooting back so that his lower back was against my knees. Laughing with him, I said he was right but that he wasn’t the only one at fault, “I should not have asked for your help, I knew you were in no shape to do so,” I then started combing his hair, encountering a lot of knots but Kyojuro did not seem in pain as I undid them, so I continued while talking.

He tried to look at me, leaning his head back but I pushed it back to straighten it, he laughed, “Do not feel guilty, I am sure we have made some progress. And I did get to see you flustered again, there is nothing to regret from that,” He said with conviction. It made me pause in my action, which gave him a chance to turn around and look at me from over his shoulder, “Yes, just like that, beautiful,” He grinned before turning around once again, letting me resume what I was doing.

A comfortable silence set between us, we could hear the water from the pond outside along the people talking in the corridors when they’d walk by the room before quickly echoing away. The heat was not going down, but the room temperature was good enough for us to get through it. I had a harder time with the warmth coming from the man in front of me, but I was not going to complain. I found comfort in him being this close to me, so much I had this growing fear inside me, this fear of losing him. After all, was I not getting him back to health so that he could fight some more? He was one of the strongest and was going to be fighting equally strong demons when it came down to it.

I hated it, there was nothing to do about it, for I was also going to be fighting but it was still a nagging fear that had made its way inside my mind. “I deeply respect you, Kyojuro, I trust you do what you believe is right and praise you for it… but sometimes being selfish is not bad, I know you are no such person but… consider it if you ever found yourself in a situation that gives you the choice,” I said softly as I run my hand through his hair to check if there were any other kinks in it. When I did not receive an answer from the exhausted man in front of me, I guessed he had fallen asleep.

Huffing to myself, I started threading my fingers through his hair once more, this time braiding it, “Perhaps it is for the best, it was out of place to say that much…” I mumbled to myself, not adding anything more as I finished braiding his hair. When it was done, I placed it over his shoulder and hesitated a moment.. Looking around the room, I made sure no one was looking and placed a kiss at the intersection of his neck and shoulder before standing up quickly, stumbling slightly from how long I had been sitting. I was amazed at how he could still be sitting when he was clearly asleep but still proceeded to lay him down before leaving silently.

For the rest of the afternoon and evening, I helped with making dinner. A lot more had to be made considering whom had joined earlier today, but also because the three recruits had the appetite of ogres. It seemed the training they were undergoing made them spend all their energy a lot faster and at the end of the day they were starved. While they all waited for the food, I had led the recruits to the Fire Pillar’s room as promised and left them all together, knowing Tanjirou would be a lot more cautious and take care of his friends if they were to go awry.

Doing something other than taking care of the Pillar was very welcome, it kept my mind off thinking of him which I now realized was a lot more recurrent than it used to be. I had always liked Rengoku, but clearly, spending more time with him reinforced that feeling a lot. I would still try to get myself to not consider getting together with him, but then my brain would remind me that he had set himself on the path of courting me and warmth would spread in my chest. My name was called as I was putting away the dishes, bringing back to the present.

“Tanjirou? Are you not with the others? I trusted you to take care of their… rambunctious attitude, is there a problem?” The boy shook his head and furrowed his brows a moment, before tentatively saying, “I thought… Big brother has been talking about you for a while now, I thought you had gone away on a mission and he was missing you but…” Hearing him say so brought heat up my cheeks, I heard the girls chuckle in the kitchen and turned around to shush them. It was hard to keep myself from smiling but I kept my composure, “Well, you can tell him I will return soon,” I held back from saying that I will spend the night with him again.

Another fit of giggles behind me brought back the heat to my cheeks, but also to the young man’s, in front of me. He gave me a curt nod before hurrying off, embarrassed. When he was gone, I resumed my activities without saying anything, but I could hear the comments from the people in the kitchen. “Are you aware I can hear you?” I asked, half-joking half-annoyed. Their giggles stopped, ushering their words into a silence as they went back to their tasks.

I knew the rumors would spread fast, but if Kyojuro was being this obvious in whatever he was doing, they were bound to grow even more. I made a mental note to mention it to him as I walked to his room, thinking I would be hearing some ruckus and found myself surprised when it was completely silent. Should I go in? Perhaps he has fallen asleep again, along with the three boys? They needed to rest, I should peek and make sure- “The nervous hovering!” The door was slid wide open as the joyous man stood in front of me, his hair still how I had left them.

It suited him. It suited him so well, even more so with his kimono properly draped over his shoulders. A weird feeling wormed its way in my chest when I looked at how gorgeous he looked like this, “I was not hovering, I thought you were asleep,” Looking over his shoulder, I noticed he was alone, “Have the recruits left already?” “Yes! When young Tanjirou told me you were coming back, I made them leave, the evening is ours after all,” He smiled gently.

I knew he did not mean it in the way I heard it in my head, the one that involved more proximity, so I banished the thought and hummed. Two little forms slid inside the room and placed the food trays on the ground before hurrying off, I managed to catch a glimpse of their grinning face as Kiyo and Sumi disappeared. “Come on,” Taking my hand in his, he led me inside, I noticed my futon was already spread out and a lot closer too. I did not know if it was on purpose or accidental, but whichever it was, I was not going to say anything.

“You know, Kyojuro. I was not entirely sure everyone in the mansion knew I had spent the night here, but with how open you are to talking about it, I’m sure even the young Master knows, now,” Was I complaining? Or was I embarrassed by how he had no filter when talking about this? At this point, I was sure he had talked about it in length with the recruits who had nothing to do with any of this nor found interest in the topic.

Nodding, Rengoku swallowed and said, “Master Ubuyashiki knows, I have been exchanging letters with him,” I felt my throat tighten, that was what I feared. I never knew what the rule regarding relationships between demon slayers was, it was one of the main things holding me back from taking a step further. At least that is what I kept telling myself. Clearing my throat, I ate some more and inquired, “What? I am not sure it is allowed. No, actually, I do not know anything about what is accepted in the corps, regarding that…”

With his eyes wide, Rengoku stared right at me, “It? That? Would you mind being clearer?” His tone was innocent, but he was smiling proudly, as if he had caught me. Straightening my back, I played the serious card, “Well, you are courting me, are you not?” He laughed, nodding, “Correct. And you are doing the same with me, in your own way, is that right?” I was, indeed. Less with words, more with actions, but I was. I was relieved he noticed and that he did not think he was doing it for nothing. But I did not reply.

Feeling his hand on my ankle, I was startled and let out a sound of surprise, making him chuckle as he said, “Would you mind answering me?” “I am. Yes, I am courting you, because you are very,” Many words crossed my mind, beautiful, kind, stunning, funny, warm, welcoming. But only one left my mouth, “nice. You are nice, yes.”

He had to cover his mouth when laughing this time, his eyes closing as he did so. At this very moment, I thought, if I could, I would have painted this very moment and kept in my room the beautiful sight he had given me when laughing so brightly. It was something I’d never forgot. I looked down at my food, his cute laugh engraved in my head. “Well, Master Ubuyashiki informed me he had nothing to say, as long as we both put our duty before anything else. Which, I am sure you can do, if… it came down to it, someday,” “Of course, if it ever, yes…” We both looked up, our eyes meeting an instant before looking back at our food. A smile grazed my lips, I could feel it.

Without much more to say on the topic, the conversation drifted off to family and things we loved to do when we were younger, it flowed smoothly. It was also relaxing, even more so with the cool breeze of the night that entered the room. When we were done, and everything was tidied up we slid in our respective futon, lulled to sleep by the lighter temperature and the cricket conversations outside. In the depth of the night, lit up by a clear sky, as the door leading to the garden was still open, Kyojuro said my name softly.

“Yes?” I replied, my voice barely a whisper as I turned around on my futon to look at him. He was already facing me, his eyes wide open, not an ounce of sleep painted on his features. In an ushered tone, he asked, “Would you please sing for me?” There is a lot going on in my mind, was the subtext when he worded his question.

I reached out for his hand and held it gently, “Well, would that help you sleep?” I whispered, chuckling tiredly. “I think so,” He said it as if confiding in me, huffing a short laugh. Even with the little light that illuminated the room, I could see how his eyes flickered almost sadly before setting on our intertwined hands.

Not commenting on it, I started humming tiredly. I did not know how long it took for us to fall asleep, but I remembered him mumbling something before passing out. What had he said, I do not know, but I did felt serene as I dozed off.

[Part 3]

#kny rengoku #rengoku kyoujurou #rengoku x reader #kny #demon slayer #kny x reader #ao3 physicalturian #physicalturian #ao3 writer #writing #writers #fanfic #fanfiction #masterlist #gentle summer

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linkspooky · 4 years

Note

Hello! Do you think that one day, Deku's flaws will have consequences? You pointed out that Shigaraki always face consequences for them, so in your opinion, do you think the manga could lead to something more equal on this? I know he is the Hero and all, but wouldn't it undermind the whole thing if in the end he just ignores the society's problems by just pushing heroism as the miracle solution?

Good question, anon. Let’s take a more serious look at Deku’s flaws. Deku so far has two main flaws.

Self-Harming - Deku has consistently valued himself less than others. His way of saving others almost always includes breaking his own body, and when you consider how low Deku’s self esteem is and how he was constantly told he would never be good enough to be a hero growing up this pattern of behavior borders on self-harming.

Hero Worship - Deku doesn’t question anything about hero society, which makes him incredibly naive and unaware of what’s going on in the world around him. Deku hasn’t done anything yet to seperate himself from being just another All Might Wannabe. Deku wants to save people, but doesn’t really even know what saving people means.

Deku doesn’t care if he gets hurt, and Deku doesn’t sympathize with villains, even ones who have sympathetic reasons for their actions, and this has led to Deku running off without thinking to try to fight Shigaraki to the death.

1. Self Harm

So one possible interpretation of Deku’s habits of breaking his body when trying to save people is that he’s internalized the idea that without a quirk, he can’t become a hero. Everything that other people including bullies like Bakugo told him when he was younger, that he’s worthless because he was born quirkless, that he can’t become a hero, over and over again is still inside of him.

Even what All Might tells him at first is a repettition of this idea. Deku can only be a hero if he’s strong. What’s most important to becoming a hero is strength, and having a strong quirk. Even though All Might eventually opens up the path for Deku being a hero, he only lets him after he proves his strength. Deku has to reach a certain power threshold before he’s even allowed to be at the starting lines.

Every single character in class UA is hardworking, but Deku is especially characterized as being OBSESSED with training, and also being the one who pushes himself to such extremes that his body is constantly on the verge of breaking.

Deku as a character is constantly told how worthless he is, because he wasn’t born with a quirk, because he’s borrowing someone else’s power, because he didn’t deserve to succeed All Might. Deku’s response to this has always been to try to prove his worth by pushing himself.

Deku’s very unhealthy idea of what a hero is, also resembles what All Might told him in the first chapter. That heroes have to risk their lives in incredibly risky ways like this in order to walk the walk. Deku has always worshipped All Might’s way of always sacrificing himself without realizing what absolute havoc All Might wreaked on ihs body.

Deku’s habit of breaking himself has shown to have had some consequences so far. It made his mom cry. He was warned that he would do permanent damage to his left arm if he ever suffered a serious break like that again and would even eventually lose it. There’s also All Might’s early forced retirement which happened because he kept on going when everyone told him to stop, which is a possible future for Deku if he doesn’t seriously change his ways. However, there is no lasting consequence yet.

Another thing that’s important about Deku’s character is that he wants to be a hero so badly, and yet doesn’t really seem to know what kind of hero he wants to be.

Deku so far has imitated All Might in a very empty way, without ever thinking that the heroes he loves so much might be flawed, or really understanding how many mistakes All Might made. His hero worship blinds him to the hero’s flaws, and when he’s confronted with All Might’s mistakes he’s often completely blindsided.

All Might keeps secrets from him pretty regularly, and Deku just doesn’t question him because he’s just so busy in his hero worship. Due to that a lot of Deku’s progression as a character has stagnated. Even his idea of what a hero is, is extremely vague at best.

Deku says he wants to be the greatest hero who saves everyone. Much like Mirio who wanted to be a hero who saved a million people. However, what does that mean? How is Deku going to surpass All Might. He hasn’t really thought about these things yet, or what kind of hero he’s going to be.

Because Deku can’t see the flaws in the hero system he can’t really be better than the previous generation of heroes.

2. Self Destruction

Deku has a critical lack of self awareness. His goal is to save everyone, but he doesn’t really think of what that means. Aren’t villains in need of saving too? This relates back to the Dabi quote.

Who is it that really needs saving?

Villains need to be stopped, but what creates those villains?

Deku’s sympathies always lie with the pro-heroes but he’s so wrapped up in hero worship he doesn’t really think about their actions. Remember, Deku’s last big fight against this was against Chisaki a child abuser to protect Eri, an abused child.

Eri doesn’t just resemble Shigaraki. Eri is Shigaraki. They’re both children who were kidnapped by crimelords when they were young, told that they were monsters because of their quirks, and then experimented on. Shigaraki can’t consent to being experimented on because he was kidnapped since he was five and groomed all along with the intent that one day he would have this surgery performed on him so he could inherit AFO.

Ujiko commits horrible grievous experimentation on Shigaraki, and then says he’s doing this all for Shigaraki’s sake, that he’s given him everything. He’s supposed to sound like an abusive parent here.

So this time rather than fighting to save Eri, Deku is fighting against Eri’s foil, but all grown up, with about zero self awareness. What allowed Deku to win in the fight against Chisaki was his ability to see the good in Eri, and fight against Chisaki’s insistence that she was a monster because she was born with a dangerous quirk. He humanized Eri.

But, his response to Shigaraki is consistent dehumanization. Deku fought against Chisaki’s dehumanization of Eri, but is on the side of people who say things like this about Shigaraki.

It’s once again this blind loyalty and inability to question what we see is an extremely flawed system. Who is it in this situation that really needs saving? Endeavor? Gran Torino?

Gran Torino is partially at fault for the creation of Shigaraki, because if he had stopped Nana Shimura from abandoning her son, or even checked up on Koutarou and Tenko just once this entire situation could have been avoided.

It all goes back to Dabi’s question. Who is the one who needs saving here?

The biggest victims of the hero system, the ones most in need of saving are the villains, but Deku can’t see that, so he can’t really do anything to help them right now.

And yes. Deku should save Shigaraki. That’s the point of their foiling. They’re both Jungian Shadows of each other.

In Jungian psychology, the shadow, (also known as id, shadow aspect, or shadow archetype) is either an unconscious aspect of the personality that the conscious ego does not identify in itself; or the entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not fully conscious. In short, the shadow is the unknown side.

Shigaraki is Deku’s foil and opposite, but they’re also like... the exact same dude.

The fact that Shigaraki started in the same place as Deku, that what he really needed was for someone to tell him that he could be a hero too, isn’t just there to be sad and tragic. It means that deep down, Shigaraki still wants someone to tell him he can be a hero, to show him another path other than being a villain, the same way All Might once told Deku he could be a hero.

The shadow is a part of yourself. The shadow is who you are deep down inside. That’s why a shadow can’t be killed. It’s the same thing as self destruction.

A shadow has to be reconciled. Part of self improvement is just learning to accept and look at the worst parts of yourselves in order to move on from them. You don’t get better by denying or remaining ignorant of the problem. Deku has consistently refused to even acknowledge Shigaraki.

Deku has said I can never understand you, we’re nothing alike, and yet we as the audience know they’re like the exact same guy. There’s no point in setting up such a parallel unless it’s going to be paid off in some way.

Deku’s not trying to accept his shadow though, he’s fighting with everything he has to destroy his shadow, and that shouldn’t work.

Metaphorically.

It’s like Deku is trying to destroy himself. Which as I’ve said above Deku has a tendency to be self destructive. Star Wars doesn’t end with Luke killing Darth Vader, it ends with Luke reconciling with Anakin his father.

Deku is warned several times in the last chapter not to charge straight ahead at Shigaraki, not to fight him on his own. We even see Bakugo in the flashback talk about how Deku doesn’t consider himself in the equation, or think about protecting himself at all which is why he destroys his own body so much.

So, if even Bakugo is like Deku you’re going to get yourself killed, and every adult around him is yelling at Deku to run away because he might get himself killed, and Deku himself thinks. I don’t care what happens to me I’m going to destroy Shigaraki no matter what. Then, there should be a conseqeunce here.

Because this. This is self destruction. Deku’s trying to kill the guy that is... literally just him.

In other words if everybody if yelling Deku don’t do the thing. And then Deku just, does the thing anyway. There should be a consequence! Deku’s goal isn’t to destroy Shigaraki, or to kill him to put a stop to him, it’s reconciliation with his jungian shadow. It should be to become the hero who saves everyone, by telling Shigaraki the words he wanted to hear for a long time that he can be a hero too. FInally passing on the words All Might gave him to someone else, and making up for the previous generation’s mistakes with Shigaraki.

So, not only is Deku attempting to do the wrong thing. He’s also fighting in the wrong way (by hurting himself again).

Which means, Deku probably shouldn’t win this fight. A good consequence would be Deku losing here, even with the last minute power up, and breaking his entire body trying to defeat Shigaraki.

Characters are most interesting when they fail, and Deku should fail here.

#Anonymous #deku #izuku midoriya #shigaraki tomura #tomura shigaraki #tenko shimura #mha meta #my hero academia meta #my hero academia theory #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #metasks

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chaos-caffeinated · 4 years

Text

Emotions can help you remember (1/3) (Sebastian x Reader)

A/N: Hi everyone, it’s chaos here with a new story on this shared blog- who knew right? Well, I thought, okay maybe I got and obsesed over a character I thought I had cycled in 2013/4, but no. This is my contribution to Black Butler, finally after being updated in the manga. I hope you enjoy this piece just as much as I enjoyed it.

Not requested

Rated: NSFT / 18+

A/N: I am a fucking sucker for plot, so this will be like a 2-parter, maybe 3-parter over 10,000+ words before even getting remotely close to the smut....ayayayay, this is what happens when you have too much time.

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“Now then, again.” his voice was the richest, smoothest voice with the right amount of sulk into it instructed you to repeat the french phrase in front of you.

You were currently taking French lessons from Sebastian as you stayed over with Lord Phantomhive for a couple of days. You were being used as a decoy to the case of the missing noble girls. You were the daughter of a merchant, more of an intern for Nina Hopkins. She constantly admired your body, your face, your complexion- everything about you was perfect and she was to use you like the perfect model “you were meant to be”. However, when the door to the shop opened and walked in a short, well-dressed teenager with grayish hair with an eye-patch over his right eye with a man walking behind him; black-clad, black hair, pale, white skin, those crimson eyes, and those lips of his that enticed you the moment your eyes landed on him, you sensed something non-well.

You were organizing the fabric that was sent, until you heard the ring, you turned slightly to greet the costumers, “Hello, welcome to Hopkins’ Tailor Shop.” You smiled warmly at the costumers. When Nina appeared from the next room, she expressed her excitement, admiring the physique he was in, “The earl as beautiful as always.” She dramatically placed the back of her hand on her forehead, “Of course it’s only the few people here in England with such magnificent body! I am truly blessed with these canvases!~”

You noticed the earl’s lip twitch, but maintaining his cool so that he wouldn’t offend her. As you tilted your head in an observing state -the man behind noticing this- he cleared his throat softly to regain the focus, reading from a small notebook he withdrew from his pocket, “Miss Hopkins, we are here today so you would tailor a few suits for the young master regarding an upcoming meeting with the Lord of Visdral.” the man explained, assuming he was the butler by the mannerisms as well as the language he spoke, “This meetings is regarding about discussing further achievements that could aid in Funtom’s Company be located in the Northern European countries.”

You listened, and like Nina taught you- you thought. You knew very little, but barely enough to rack up a few ideas, but the mistress of the Tailor will always be ahead of her game. However, she turned around, her eyes on you, ”(Y/N)! Let’s test your abilities, of course I have many -and I mean many choices!- but if you want to fully work here, I need to trust your instincts, let’s work on the suits for him- shall we?” and she proceeded to unbutton her skirt, revealing her well-known outfits that permitted the ease to manuever as well as the activity that she is allowed to.

You smiled, sat the fabrics you held in your arms on the counter and nodded, “Yes, Madam!” You grinned with confidence.

The butler glanced at your expressions every chance he could and you noticed it. Nina had provided a wooden divider to give you the privacy needed to create the suits,knowing it was your first real opportunity to tailor for someone. The pressure was on, especially when he started making his way to you. Sometimes your eyes wanted to see him, you wanted to look at him once more, but you had to maintain focus. So, when you heard the heels stop at a distance, you were legitimally surprised to hear his voice, “If I may ask, how is it going along?” He asked in a sweet manner, “I assume the suit is coming well if Miss Hopkins is entrusting your inquiries.” He smiled politely as he remained still.

You had to turn your back as you focused on a piece to avoid him from noticing the red tint across your cheeks, “It is going well I suppose. And as for the inquiry, I’m sure Madam just wanted me to test my skills as I haven’t gotten the opportunity to do so.” You added, also justifying your actions.

Still smiling, the butler commented, “My lady, I assure any suit you create will be much better than the controversy Miss Hopkins creates-”

“I heard that, you old-fashion geez!” Bickered Nina as she sneered towards him, “Your old-fashions have no rights to be here, and my dear (Y/N) will be better than me in means of creating the most beautiful, and trendiest outfits in the United Kingdom. Sweetie, don’t listen to this senile.” Nina insulted the butler with every sense of herself.

The man looked physically attacked and turned to argue with your madam. You had to hold in the laughter, forcing yourself back to your creation when you noticed even the earl slightly irritated, almost like this was the 100th time he has seen them bickering and he did not want to be apart of this ordeal. That alone gave you the slight confidence needed to present your suit to him.

While Nina successfully managed to get under the butler’s nerves, you announced, “Earl of phanatomhive, Madam, I have finished.” You smiled, pushing your chest slightly with confidence in your suit.

Getting the attention of all three, the earl stood up with a sigh of relief, “Finally, for once I’d like to hear someone else. Sebastian.” He called out, the butler responding by standing next to him while remaining behind. His crimson red eyes maintained his attention while Nina stood the other side of the earl, “Alright, (Y/N), show us what you have.” She grinned with pride, hoping that you would surpass her, though her standards were extremely high.

Folding up the divider, the suit was displayed to the three. It was a black suit with mutliple white highlights at the cuffs, even the rims held a golden thread, minimally used at the areas. The suit was longer with slimness in the middle, adding emphasis to his waist, the cloth underneathh the suit were white cloth that seemed perfectly cut, mimicking feathers. There was a minimal bustle added that pushed the cloth to resemble the feathers underneath.

Now feeling nervous, feeling a breeze that could be able to sweep you from the shop to the void, you gulped some salive, let out a small breath and began to explain, “Though this suit is exactly nothing under Madam’s standards, I thought it was appropiate for the meeting. I am aware that the meeting is a casual, business one, with potential deal, so I considered the nobles in the Northern European countries. However, I remember looking over some pictures with Madam, how noblemen and women avoid presenting themselves in the standing...she was disappointed, so with that information I acquired, I believe this suit is subtle enough, yet rightfully suitable to appear in a business meeting.” Now you got closer to feel the fabric between your fingers, following the highlights, “Simple colors such as blue, red, green, etcetera mean countless of symbolic meanings, so using these shades instead would be much more efficnet to emit not only a reaction, but to introduce yourself without saying so.” You glanced across your audience.

Madam was ready to cut the whole thing off, her expression was not only shocking, but her eyebrows were furrowed in a confused expression. The earl, however, looked as if he was interested, listening attentively with his left hand resting on the cane and his right forefinger and thumb carressing his chin. The butler, or Sebastian, stood still with the politness he presented. Out of all of them, he seemed to be genuinely interested in your piece and your explanation. So, you continued.

Your feet fidgeting slightly, your rolled your shoulders slightly and proceeded, “The shade of black is very known to be symbolized as not only death, struggle, evil: the color is highly interpreted into meanings that represent despair and anything that is beyond good to be avoided. However, the color black also symbolizes mystery, no one knows who you are, and it is always hard to look beyond the color black. When you are to meet with the Lord of Visdral, you are not only introducing yourself as a business partner, but as any being you want to intriduce yourself as. Respect will get you anywhere, not everywhere- but anywhere, so this suit is also a respect of showing your being to someone else. Moving onto the final shade, white, my lord, could you perhaps tell me how you see white?...” You asked timidly, but when glancing at Sebastian, he must’ve noticed your shyness and he raised his own chest slightly and lifted his chin up a bit as well. Subconsciously, you rose your chest a bit and lifted your chin a bit as well.

Looking back at the earl, he simply smirked, “The color white is known by many places...purity, innocence, goodness...” and you may have noticed a slight hesitancy on his part, “and virginity.” he stood with pride.

Smiling and nodding in agreement, you praised him, “Right my lord, people do associate this bright shade as such, but going back to interpretations, this shade does not represent as such, in your case, it can mean a successful beginning for the Funtom Company.”

Sebastian’s eyes widen slightly in interest, his smirk widening as he glanced down at his young master who was also surprised at the response. He noticed his smile widening slightly and taking a gulp.

“...Do take me as impressed, Miss...?” The earl tilted his head slightly, his ear more noticeable to hear your name, and you responded.

“(L/N), my lord.”

“Miss (L/N), you did a pleasant job in such craftmanship and your meaning behind it was impeccable.” He stepped forward towards the suit, you responding by stepping aside. You tilted your head forward out of respect and couldn’t see what he was doing.

Sebastian watched you with an immense stare, his interest was piqued, “Miss. Hopkins, I do believe you have a wonderful intern, capturing my young master’s attention with such a beautiful piece no less. I didn’t think you would capture my kind of fashion.” He smirked mockingly towards, seeing her glare at him.

You blushed at his words, slightly facing away to avoid eye contact.

Nina fumed at his comment, “Your fashions are senile just like you, she didn’t do it for you- she did it for the young master!”

“You are right in many things, Miss (Y/N).” The earl complimented, taking the white cloth between his fingers as he glanced at you, “The mystery in me, the symbolisms- why, you could’ve fooled me if you were a undercover intern for Miss. Hopkins when you are a noble yourself.”

You bowed slightly, “Thank you my lord for such compliments, but I assure you that I was just blessed to have found the people along my life to give me this knowledge.”

“Blessed, hm?...then I am very much grateful, though for such a small meeting such as this one you made a very thought out piece- do excuse me.” The earl turned, “Nina, would you show me the suits you made?”

Oh, so it was just an excuse to stop them from bickering like they had before, you smiled in an amused way that when you watched him walk with the madam, you failed to notice Sebastian make his way to your side, “I do believe I was very rude to not introduce myself, for that I aplogize deeply.” His sulky voice interuppted your thoughts, surprising you nonetheless. Seeing him bow, you waved your hands lightly, “Nonono- it’s completely alright, I was working on it, it was me who should’ve apologized instead. I neglected your presence over something like a suit..”

“But a suit you made as exquisite should be recognized, Miss. (L/N). I am Sebastian Michaelis, head butler of the Phantomhive Manor.” he smiled with his eyes closed, before he revealed the crimson eyes that intrigued you, “It’s not hard to believe that a lady such as a yourself would be working under someone like Nina Hopkins, someone known for her controversies in styles, you not only piqued my interest, but my master as well, not many are succesful.”

You smiled, even intertwining your fingers in front of you, “Thank you so much Sebastian, but it is because of Miss. Hopkins that I learned to do this. Simple, yet complex. And I also like to thank you as well for that tip you gave me when explaning the meaning behind it. Without the explanantion, I believe Madam would not have thought it was good enough to display without my reasoning.” You sighed softly in relieved, placing your hand on your sternum.

Sebastian’s lip curled slightly more to make a smirk, his eyes even widening slightly for a mere moment, “Well of course, a piece of clothing to have such intricate reasoning deserved to be heard. Which, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you even go to that convoluted explanantion?” He asked in a curious manner.

“Well, it’s an intuition really, the earl walks in and the same thought appears like any other costumer, ‘Who is he?’ “What piece of clothing would he be looking for?’ then...you walk in...” this time, when you mentioned him, he shifted slightly, his emotion remained, but his eyes told you something, “Oh?...Do tell Miss. (L/N), you managed to keep me on edge the entire time.” He smirked.

“Your whole entirety is black, Sebastian, you are the mystery that I am completely curious about you, so for a master like him- that mystery resides in himself as well. I meant it when I said about interpretations- it means anything and everything...including the white.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows quirked sligthly, taking that as another surprise on his part, “You are so much more that what you lead on, Miss. (L/N). So, I assume the white, with successful beginning is a reference to the mystery behind his right eye?” He propose which you blushed softly, smiling sheepishly, “A bit?...” You coward, only to hear a few tongue clicks from him, “Miss. (L/N), staring is very rude.” His teasing made you blush even further, and for a moment, for a single moment...

You understood how Nina Hopkins felt, and how she rose to despise him.

You nodded, slowly, your lips pursed but not in anger. You weren’t angry, you saw the interaction between Madam and Sebastian- you know he can say things that can cause her to lash and get a chuckle in. And it’s not his fault too, she also started something to piss him off.

“I wasn’t staring, Sebastian...it’s my job to assist Madam, observe the client for potential ideas and offer them if asked.” You raised your chest and lifted your chin.

On the inside, Sebastian felt completely intrigued, his interest for you had increased and he wndered if it would be worth the while since he was under contract with Ciel. The way you bit back had him hoping to return with him for the slight entertainment, and knowing you can be like this meant he can continue, “So you did just that, and even risked your Madam by possibly offending the young master?”

Now you looked confused, “My word, Mr. Michaelis, to assist the Madam is to perform at her level, if not different to satisfy the client’s wishes by reading their behavior. The earl could have stopped his head butler from a dispute with a highly-respected tailored woman, but he remained quiet and irritated. Therefore, he is conservative, knowing full well of your relationship with her and still letting it slide. Smart nobleman, for someone who is younger than all the noblemen in England, he doesn’t waste time on small things like- so with that, Mr. Michaelis, I tried to emphasize it when others meet him: he is not just a child, he is a true nobleman.” and with that, you stepped forward, having to look at a higher angle to continue the eye contact, your chests nearly touching.

If Sebastian could somehow turned the lady in front of him into a kitten with a simple collar, he wouold just as easily do it. He almost -almost- got a tingle from how this human lady owned him with just words. Now he hoped more often to see her, to challenge her, to talk to her, just everything.

“I apologize, Miss. (L/N), you were right. It’s important to read a client. But, my lady, I warn you if you read someone too much, you might regret it later.” He smirked, and when he was called, he stepped back and bowed slightly before walkign to his master to assist him in picking up the suits he decided on.

He included the suit you made, of course, and the earl walked up to you, “Miss. (L/N), thank you again, your first time making a tailored suit is simply wonderful. it won’t be long before I return for another one.”

You thanked him, watched him leave only for your eyes to travel back to Sebastian who caught you, smirking softly “Until next time, Miss. (L/N).” before entering after his master in the carriage

And sure enough, after a few weeks, they would be returning to the shop, not for suits, but for you.

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

2nd PART: https://chaos-caffeinated.tumblr.com/post/624096941187481600/emotions-can-help-you-remember-part-2-sebastian

A/N: Holyyyyyyyyyy damn that was amazing- whooo is this what ectascy feel like because that was a rush. I did not want to rush it but holy damn did that feel good!!! I admit I ma not as good as interptreting and as capturing of the dynamic duo as I did not expect because this is really the first time I’m writing these two since my first cycle of fan-girling and I was just too damn excited not to write it out and practice. I’ll be posting the second chapter when I can, but please do not hesitate to leave comments, share, any criticism you have (I know that some fans can be hardcore to the strictness of writing the character exactly as descriptive, sooo...I like that, I like that shit, so do tell). Thank you all and good morning/afternoon/nioght/day/moment/secoond.

So it did feel a little rush towards the end because it did get too long for my liking for a SUPPOSED ONESHOT...but like I said, I a sucker for plot, so if you like plot- you are in the right place bb!

#sebastian michaelis #sebastian michaelis x reader #nsft #lemon #smut #black butler #kuroshitsuji #chaos #sebastian michaelis smut #sebastian michaelis nsft

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notchesandbullets · 3 years

Text

An Unexpected Alteration to the Operation (Hak x Stubborn!Reader x Jae-ha)

Prompt: An undercover operation gone wrong, Jae-ha and Hak sweep in to show them not to mess with their girl. (Spoilers for the manga [Chp 81] and implied smut)

Protective! Hak x Stubborn! reader x Protective! Jae-ha

Words: 3.4k

Night was creeping up slowly, but the atmosphere was frigid inside the quaint hotel you and the dragons were all staying at. Not because of the temperature, but because two men were looking at you as if you had grown another head. Yoon and Yona had long since been asleep, exhausted by the day's events, and Shin-ah and Kija were keeping watch over them.

Violet and cerulean eyes narrowed at your innocent expression.

"I'll be fine." You insisted, almost rolling your eyes. You had been trying to convince them that your undercover plan was a good idea, and they weren't having it.

"You're not going." Hak stated flatly and Jae-ha nodded in agreement, causing you to raise an eyebrow. Those two never seemed to agree on anything except when it came down to keeping you safe.

"Hak, Kija and I are more than enough." Jae-ha reiterated what he had been saying for the past hour as they were preparing for the operation. This time, you did roll your eyes.

They were going to infiltrate the red-light district to find out who was smuggling nadai into the Water Tribe. The only issue was they had to be convincing as customers while not breathing in the toxic air or drinking the nadai-laced alcohol there.

Alright, you didn't want them to go for a number of reasons, even though you knew they could handle themselves in a fight. But you didn't like them fighting in a battle that you weren't going to be a part of, and you had every reason to be on the front lines this time around.

"And I'm supposed to ignore that you willingly took the nadai, right? That you were fully aware of what it was, and yet you still took it." You jabbed a finger at his chest. "I had to watch you writhe in agony for hours on that bed and there was nothing that I could do about it."

The green dragon winced at your harsh tone, but knew that you were upset at him for putting you through that. To be fair, he didn't expect it to have that kind of effect, but the look of pain on your face when he woke up wasn't worth it.

Neither was Hak's punch to his face, but somehow that was more bearable than seeing you hurting.

"I'm going." You said with finality. Hak and Jae-ha shared a look.

Then, you were staring at the ground.

You thumped on Hak's back. "Hak!! Put me down!!" He had slung you over his shoulder and Jae-ha just lifted his hands up in mock innocence.

You puffed out your cheeks. The traitor.

"Sure, sure," He said dryly. "In a second."

You struggled in his hold the entire way to your room. He practically flung you down on the bed with such force, causing you to bounce several times upon impact. You glared at him, but Hak brushed it off. You glanced over to Jae-ha for help, but in a fraction of a second, he was on top of you.

"Jae-ha!" You yelled out in surprise and then shock as you tried to move your arms. He had tied your wrists to the headboard! You growled, eyes flashing in anger, but stopped struggling when you saw the hidden fear lingering in the depths of their eyes.

They really were scared for you, of what would happen if you went there and things went wrong. They were worried they couldn't protect you. Hak and Jae-ha both agreed that they would live and die for you and Yona. The red-haired princess was the heart and soul of their entire group. She bound them all together, connecting each of them to the others in the process.

But you, you were their lover. You were their entire world.

If anything happened to you, they would never forgive themselves. You went lax in the bed as realization dawned on you. They were already so critical of themselves. Jae-ha for being the oldest in the group, excluding Zeno's immortality, felt responsible for everyone. And you knew Hak still felt guilt and resentment towards himself for not being able to protect the king the night of his murder.

"If you behave, we'll reward you later." Hak promised, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to your forehead.

"Ah, Y/N," Jae-ha's eyes sparkled with playfulness. "You get to have fun when we get back." He winked and you blushed under the circumstances.

They departed with a wave of farewell, and you let out a heavy sigh.

Sorry, Jae-ha, Hak... There's no way I'm not going to be by your side.

You wiggled your hands, grinning when you felt them loosen. Jae-ha always tied them so you had the option to slip out of them, when the three of you did, other things.

It seemed it was Jae-ha's second nature by now, and you were lucky that it was. You leaped up out of the bed, snatching the dress you picked up earlier and got ready quickly.

You had to hurry if you were going to slip in with the other girls.

As soon as you were satisfied with your appearance, you ran off into the night. You found the red-light district easily, and as soon as you stepped inside, you ran into the girl from earlier, A-Rin.

You held up your finger to your lips as you saw her eyes flash in recognition. The men were still lurking around, which meant that Hak, Jae-ha and Kija hadn't carried out their plan yet. But they were nowhere to be found, which meant that it was already underway.

You subtly gathered the girls into the back of the store, but you were being too obvious.

"Hey! You!" Your head snapped up at his grating voice. "What do you think you're doing?!"

You covered half of your face behind your hand, smiling brightly, eyes crinkling at the corners giving off faux innocence. "I just thought the customers could use more alcohol, my lord."

He scoffed at you and you resisted the urge to wipe the smirk off of his face. "You can do that yourself."

You bowed your head, submitting to his authority. As soon as he was out of earshot, you turned to the terrified girls beside you. "On my signal, make sure you stay behind me." You whispered.

They nodded, and then they scattered. You picked up a jug of alcohol, most likely laced with nadai, carrying it to one of the rooms. As you slid the door open, your eyes met Kija's shocked ones calmly. There was one other girl in the room, and your eyes landed on her darkened fingernails. It would seem she was an addict too. You gestured for him to stay quiet and he shut his mouth, slipping back into character.

He quickly poured the nadai laced drink down to the floor, ignoring the other girl's protests. But her voice caught the attention of one of the nearby men who was walking by and you gritted your teeth.

"Kija!" You cried out, wrapping your arms around the trembling girl as she screamed. He slashed at the man with his dragon claw, knocking him out cold. "Go! I'll take care of the rest!"

He nodded, then sped off. You gritted your teeth as you assessed the situation. The men started to surround you. It would be at least a few minutes before Jae-ha and Hak made it to this room. You needed to hold them off for as long as possible.

"Stay behind me." You instructed the girl who was shaking in fear behind you, and shielded her from their sight with your body. "I won't let them hurt you."

Your teeth bared in a snarl as the first one launched himself at you, but you caught him in his stomach with a punch. As he flew back, another took his place and you unleashed a series of kicks that Jae-ha had taught you.

He fell but there were too many of them. You dodged their attacks, striking where you could but it wasn't enough. You struggled to maintain your ferocity, adrenaline pumping through your veins but then you saw one of them reach for the girl behind you.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!!!" You screamed, tackling him to the ground, landing a flurry of punches on his face. You were pulled off of him by the others. As you violently struggled in their grasp, your eyes locked on the terrified girl's.

"Run!!!" You managed to yell out before a hand wrapped around your throat, cutting off your air supply. She fled the room, and that brought you a small sense of comfort. They started tearing at your clothes, scratching your skin with their dark fingernails. They didn't have any weapons, but their grips were tight and you could feel the bruises starting to form at your neck and arms.

Hak... Jae-ha....

The door burst open, splintering under the force.

"Unhand her right now." Hak demanded, cobalt eyes black with rage.

Jae-ha's normally calm and pleasant features were contorted murderously, and his violet eyes flashed with fury as they landed on the bruises on your skin.

"You have two seconds to get away from her before I rip your throat out." Jae-ha snarled, baring his teeth venomously.

They rushed at the men. The pace that they cleared them out was alarming. Hak didn't have his spear, but his prowess in battle was never to be underestimated as you watched him deliver lethal blows to their throats and the back of their heads. The addicts crumpled under their attacks, each one faring worse than the last.

Jae-ha spun around in a blur of green, taking out anyone who rose from the ground after Hak was through with them. The nadai addicts were unable to feel pain due to the drug. This time, Jae-ha actually didn't mind it.

They had touched what was his.

He could kick them down as many times as he wanted and they would keep rising. His eyes glinted dangerously in the candlelight. They would never lay a hand on you again.

What you didn't see was the blatant anger behind their calculated strikes. You didn't notice that they injured the men, not immediately killing them, putting them through agony as Hak drove his fists into this flesh. He didn't stop until he saw blood. Jae-ha's mouth curled up in a sadistic smirk as he heard the shattering of bones, bringing down his dragon leg with everything he had.

Hak and Jae-ha were going to make them feel every ounce of pain they dared to put you through, piercing through the nadai haze.

None escaped their wrath.

You wished you had enough energy to watch them. Then, you sunk to the ground, unable to stay upright any longer, completely exhausted.

"Y/N!!" Jae-ha called out, panicked, catching you swiftly as you fell. The men didn't get up anymore. They were either injured beyond repair or dead. "You have to stay awake!"

"Kija?" Hak frantically turned to the white dragon, who urged him on.

"It is finished." Kija responded, turning to the men that were still alive, now tied up. "Leave the rest to me."

The Thunder Beast gave him a nod of thanks, before picking you up in his arms. Jae-ha followed him all the way back to the inn, keeping an eye out for any stragglers. He was wary the entire way back, but Hak's body was tense with anger.

He let out a soft sigh.

Children... So troublesome... He thought tenderly to himself as he watched Hak settle you into bed, taking a seat next to you. Jae-ha followed in shortly after, tucking the blankets under your chin snugly.

"Yoon should look at her." Hak broke the silence and Jae-ha nodded.

"I'll go get him."

As he got to his feet, Hak stopped him. After the events of this night, he wasn't willing to take any chances. "Be careful." His dark blue eyes were serious.

Jae-ha shot him a confident smirk. "When am I not?"

He sped quickly down the hall, entering the room. Shin-ah was asleep not too far away from the princess and their little doctor. Jae-ha immediately shook the youngest awake.

"Yoon." The pretty boy groggily opened his eyes. "Y/N's hurt."

Yoon shot up, nearly knocking Jae-ha over as he tore past him in his haste to get to you. Besides Jae-ha and Hak, you were closest to Yoon. He cared about you so much, even if he had an interesting way of showing it. But you always prioritized his and Yona's safety so much so that you were always getting hurt trying to protect them.

He flung open the door, panting heavily. Hak hadn't moved from your side, but gestured for Yoon to keep quiet.

"She's asleep." Hak informed him as the pretty boy took a place on the opposite side of him. "She passed out on the way back."

The dress you had put on was nearly shredded, angry, red marks darting into view from underneath the fabric as you breathed.

"She wasn't supposed to be there." Yoon snapped. "What happened?"

Jae-ha closed the door softly behind him, alerting Yoon of his presence. "We don't know exactly." He exchanged a worried look with Hak.

Then, guilt flickered over his expression. Hak looked at the older man curiously. Jae-ha's eyes were shadowed. Hak stood up, walking to the green dragon as the kid fussed over you.

"The knot." Jae-ha whispered. "I tied it like I always do. She must have slipped out of it."

Hak stiffened, then punched him in the gut.

Hard.

Yoon nearly leaped to the ceiling, eyes bugging out of his head when he saw the Thunder Beast hit the Ryokuryuu full force.

"Not your fault." Hak stated firmly, flexing his hand open and close as Jae-ha stared at him, dumbfounded, wheezing in staggered breaths. "Wipe that guilt off of your face, you'll make Y/N cry."

Jae-ha chuckled softly as he finally caught his breath, gaze oddly appreciative as Hak went back to your side. He knew it was Hak's way of snapping him out of it. Neither one of them could find it in themselves to be angry with you, they knew what they signed up for when they started this little arrangement. They knew you were headstrong, but even more so when their lives were the ones in danger.

Love certainly made people do crazy things.

And Hak and Jae-ha would give you the world if they could. You stirred, and Jae-ha caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. Pushing himself off the wall, he went to your side, staring at you intently.

Hak looked like the embodiment of tranquility, but his knee was bumping against Jae-ha's nervously and if Jae-ha peered closer, he was sure he would be able to see the terror hidden in the depths of his eyes. The former general did his best to school his expression, but you and Jae-ha had learned to read him like a book over time.

You blinked your eyes open slowly. Your eyelids felt so heavy, and you wondered why it felt as though you fell from a height of five stories. You tried to sit up, but a firm hand pushed you back down by your shoulders.

"You're not going anywhere." Hak ordered, tone leaving no room for argument.

"Lay back down." Jae-ha echoed firmly.

You pouted and the men suppressed a groan. You were too tempting even in this situation. You didn't do as they said, choosing instead to sit against the headboard.

"She's fine." Yoon reassured, mistaking the tense atmosphere for concern. He wasn't wrong, but this time around, the pretty boy genius wasn't completely right either.

"She's got a couple of cuts and some bruises, but nothing major. She'll heal soon, but," You winced as Yoon turned his sharp gaze on you. "No more fighting."

You grinned sheepishly. "Yes, mother."

"I DON'T REMEMBER GIVING BIRTH TO YOU!!" Yoon yelled, throwing up his hands in exasperation before filing out of the room, muttering about how 'it was said once and now it wouldn't go away' for the life of him. He's dealt with you enough for one night. He was sure Hak and Jae-ha could straighten you out.

With the three of you left in the room, you nearly collapsed under the weight in the air as it shifted from concerned to heated. You met Hak's cobalt eyes guiltily, flickering to Jae-ha's burning violet, then back again.

You opened your mouth to speak, but was cut off as Jae-ha's lips smashed onto yours.

You let out a muffled squeak, eyes automatically closing. You almost jumped out of your skin as a pair of hands landed on your hips, urging you to scoot forward. You did so, with a little difficulty, doing your best not to break your kiss with Jae-ha. Hak started to kiss the back of your neck, sucking gently on your sweet spot, causing you to moan into Jae-ha's mouth.

Jae-ha pulled back, panting heavily, violet eyes swirling with desire. Your head fell back onto Hak's shoulder as Jae-ha started to gently kiss over the bruises that had formed on your neck.

Hak's breath was hot on your ear as he breathed, "Do you have any idea how badly you scared us today? Huh, Y/N? Do you like watching us lose control of ourselves around the people who hurt you?"

You whimpered pathetically at his words, wanton hunger shooting through your body at his words instead of humiliation. Jae-ha traveled lower, marking up your collarbones.

"Y/N..." He whispered, an unspoken question hanging in the air.

Your fist had since made its way up to your mouth in an attempt to stifle the embarrassing sounds that were spilling from your mouth. You almost didn't hear Jae-ha's question. Hak hadn't stopped murmuring in your ear, and his words were making you flush all over.

"You liked watching us like that? Knowing that the only people who will ever be able to touch you like this is us. You're ours." He nearly growled, fingers tightening into the flesh of your hips.

You mewled wantonly at his words, closing your eyes.

"Y/N." Jae-ha's velvety voice cut through your desire-induced haze. "Let us hear you."

You didn't bring down your hand, so Hak did it for you, weaving his fingers with yours, dropping it back down to the sheets. You squeaked as Hak pulled you against his chest, blushing as you felt his hard muscle against your back through the clothes.

Jae-ha pulled off your tattered dress, leaving you only in a cloth covering your chest and your underclothes. He leaned up to kiss you again, capturing your lips in a heated kiss.

"Do you want this?" He asked heatedly, breath fanning against your exposed skin, sending a shiver down your spine. "Tell us what you want, Y/N..."

You bit your lip and Jae-ha let out a low groan.

"I want you." You paused, tilting your head up to meet Hak's lidded gaze. "Both of you."

The growls they let out made your core heat up, and you pressed your thighs together. The movement didn't go unnoticed by your attentive lovers and Jae-ha settled between your thighs after coaxing them open. With him directly in front of you and Hak pressed behind you, the fire radiating off of them was making your head spin.

"C'mon," You breathed, tired of their teasing. "Please."

Hak shot a smirk to Jae-ha. He loved it when you got like this. When he reduced you to a babbling, incoherent mess beneath him and all you could do was moan and chant his name over and over again as he drove into you at a maddening pace.

"Hak," You swiveled your head to meet their eyes, both blown wide with lust. "Jae-ha."

Jae-ha's breath hitched in his throat and Hak almost passed out from the next words that left your lips in a whisper.

"Take me."

#akatsukinoyona #akatsukinoyonafanfic #yona of the dawn #hakxreaderxjeaha #hakxreader #jaehaxreader #oneshot #suggestive #protectivejaeha #protectivehak #stubbornreader #jaehaxreaderxhak

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megashadowdragon · 3 years

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Warning: this theory contains HEAVY SPOILERS! If you’re not fully caught up with the manga, read at your own risk.

Since English isn’t my first language, I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Also, this is my first time posting.

It’s practically obvious to everyone that we will get a Kaido flashback in this arc, whether he dies or not: of course, there will be a part about his time in the Rocks Pirates, but we will also get to know possibly one of the most important people for him: his wife.

Because, let’s face it, Oda hasn’t done much yet to give his personality some depth and not being just an arrogant, cruel, child-beating antagonist with a penchant for alcohol and an obsession for death, and a figure such a woman he loved could be a great opportunity for doing so.

Some might speculate that she’s actually dead and that’s why Kaido started drinking.

It could be true but, knowing Oda, he would never introduce a deceased character of that importance out of the blue, without some sort of foreshadowing: a well-kept grave located in a secret place where an important character stumbles upon in the Onigashima raid (on screen, obviously), a framed portrait on a desk or a wall, a name seemingly being thrown offhandedly in a conversation… but there is nothing in Wano which even remotely resembles one of those things.

Therefore, she must be alive.

(Also, there are already too much fundamental figures in various characters’ history who ended up dead in flashbacks, such as Bellemere, Rocinante, Russian and so on. Come on, Oda.)

Is she going to be someone new, at least?

Well, that’s a possibility, however in next arc(s) new characters will be introduced and One Piece has got more than a thousand of them already… quite a lot, aren’t they? Consequently, there is a very good chance for her to be someone who has been already introduced into the story.

Of course, there must have been some sort of foreshadowing when she had been introduced, too: she was the lover of a Yonko, after all. Has there been a woman with an unknown lover in the past arcs?

Yes, actually.

It was her:

And I believe that the mysterious man she fell in love with was none other than Kaido himself. But wait, there’s more: Gloriosa has also eaten a Devil Fruit. An extremely powerful one.

Don’t worry, I will explain everything on the way. Now, hold onto your seat, because this will be quite the long ride.

Kaido and Gloriosa comparison

Kaido of the Beasts, Governor General of the Beasts Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, the Strongest Being in the world and Gloriosa, a former Kuja ruler. These two may have little to nothing in common... or have they?

Probably the most striking difference between them is their respective height: while Kaido easily dwarfs normal humans, Gloriosa is shorter than Luffy; however, both of their heights are currently not canonically stated.

Unstated as both of their ages are, although it’s clear that both of them are past their younger days: in Gloriosa this is highlighted by her grey hair and wrinkled face, but it’s clear that Kaido is not that young any more, too, having crow’s feet under his eyes and forehead lines. It is likely that these two are quite close in age, actually.

A notably interesting fact is, canon heights and ages of the various characters, along with things such as their favourite food, are revealed in the SBS corner in manga volumes. And yet, not even one of these little pieces of information has been revealed for both Kaido and Gloriosa.

It’s very unlikely that nobody has ever sent these question to Oda, or that the latter forgot to answer them; given the importance of the two characters in the arc where they have appeared, there must be a very specific reason why Oda didn’t tell us a thing. More than that, when Gloriosa talked about her Love Sickness in chapter 522, there was no flashback; not even silhouettes.

With these things and questions on mind, let’s move on to their position. Kaido is now an Emperor of the Sea, and Gloriosa was an Empress of the Kuja. Also, while Gloriosa was an Empress Kaido held no particular position, except by maybe being a pirate captain; and now the tables have turned, Kaido being an Emperor and Gloriosa being a nobody. A neat little parallel, isn’t it?

Now, let’s get to their Haki usage and knowledge: Gloriosa seems to have some knowledge about how it works and the characteristics of the people who are able to use the various Colours: in fact, in chapter 521 she comments about Luffy’s Haki, surprised by how he willingly bowed his head to Hancock to help those who saved him instead of a boat to leave the island without a second thought. She is not a confirmed user of any form of Haki; however, in a place where pretty much every powerful warrior can use at least Observation and Armament, it is hinted she is a wielder of these two colours at least and, since she used to be an Empress, there is also a chance she can use Conqueror’s, too. Kaido is a confirmed Observation, Armament and Conqueror user, and also one of the very few people, as he himself stated in chapter 1010, who can make the latter colour flowing through their body and coat their weapon(s). In the very same chapter, he also recognized Zoro’s illusions while performing Ashura as a manifestation of Conqueror’s Haki, revealing his in-depth knowledge about the subject.

Last but certainly not least... their strength. Kaido one-shot Luffy in Gear Fourth despite the Emperor being so drunk he could not stand on his feet properly; also, he was able to clash against a fellow Yonko for days and tanked pretty much both all the Scabbard’s hits and the majority of the Supernova’s attacks on the rooftop. Moreover, how can his absolutely epic introduction not be taken into account? He fell from a Sky Island literally 10000 metres above the sea level and he ended up with... a strong headache. I’ll tell you what: Gloriosa fell from a great height, too! In addiction to it, she landed without suffering any serious consequences, as shown in chapter 517, where she landed on her feet seemingly undamaged after Hancock quite literally threw her out of the Kuja Castle. As Gloriosa herself said, she might have grown old, but she is still a Kuja warrior. Also, being a former ruler where strength is beauty, she undoubtedly was a force to be reckoned with in her prime.

That being said*... Maybe they’re not so different, after all, huh?*

Mythology references

One Piece has loads of references to Japanese myths and folklore, however Wano is especially loaded with these; and how could it not be? It is inspired by Japan, after all.

Moreover, since Kaido can transform into a dragon, there must be some kind of reference to Japanese myths and legends regarding these legendary creatures.

There’s one in particular, which might be the key to Kaido’s backstory: the story of the Enoshima Dragon.

According to this myth, in the mountains near the Koshigoe village lived a five-headed dragon, called Gozuryu, who terrorized the inhabitants over a period of some-thousand years by provoking countless natural disasters such as huge storms, floods and earthquakes, as well as eating their children. The villagers kept praying and praying, until something happened: in 31st May, 552 AD, during a bigger and more violent storm than the usual, the clouds split in two and a rock began to emerge from the sea. A beautiful woman descended from a ray of light where the clouds slit and sat foot on the island just created, making it her home. The dragon, who assisted to the whole thing, immediately fell in love with her and asked her to marry him.

The woman, who was perfectly aware of the dragon’s evil actions, was none other than the goddess Benzaiten herself.

Benzaiten on a white dragon

Now, there are two versions of how the story ends: in one, the goddess turned him down at first, and told the dragon she would have considered his proposal only if he helped the people he used to terrorise. Gozuryu accepted and the village prospered thanks to their dual protection; in the end, the goddess agreed to marry him and the couple lived happily until the dragon met his demise. In the other version, Benzaiten straight up refused Gozuryu’s proposal due to his evil actions; ashamed for his wrongdoings, the dragon promised the goddess he would have never disturbed the village again, and retired in the mountains where he died of guilt.

Anyway, regardless of how the story goes, when the dragon died he fused with the land of Kamakura, creating the Dragon’s Mouth hill (Japanese: Tatsu no kuchi yama) facing south, the direction of the island where his beloved lived. Needless to say, the island of the myth is Enoshima.

The comparison between Kaido and Gozuryu is immediate: both are extremely cruel towards children, with the former having no qualms beating them, even his own, and the latter eating them. Moreover, the Emperor, much like the five-headed dragon, terrorizes the inhabitants of the place near where he lives (Wano Country and Koshigoe Village respectively) turning the land into completely inhabitable wasteland in the process, and is capable of causing huge storms; his apparition in chapter 921 is also being accompanied by a thunderstorm. Note that, in Chapter 1003, Zoro states that fighting Kaido was like “facing a natural disaster”, much like the natural catastrophes Gozuryu caused.

Now, let’s talk about Benzaiten.

Goddess of water (especially rivers), eloquence, and good fortune, Benzaiten is considered one of the protector deities of Japan, where she’s one of the most beloved and revered gods: every major city has at least one place for her worship and countless temples and shrines dedicated to her cult are present in many other areas across the country, all located near water sources such as rivers, ponds, lakes or even in the sea. She is part of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods, and she’s the only woman among them.

Benzaiten, however, is not originally Japanese: she is in fact a syncretic deity derived from the Hindu goddess Saraswati whose cult was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks who arrived in the VII century from China.

Due to her extreme complexity, only the most relevant facts to this theory will be reported.

She wasn’t very popular until the XI century, when her cult was fused with Ugajin’s, an obscure Japanese Kami of water, agriculture and good fortune, often represented as an old man with a snake body. Once this happened, her popularity skyrocketed as a goddess of water and by assonance ‘of everything that flows’: rivers, eloquence, knowledge, music, art and Haki. Even nowadays, Uga Benzaiten, the goddess with Ugajin on her head, is one of the most common Benzaiten representations.

Both lived in an island inhabited only by women: Gloriosa in Amazon Lily, and Benzaiten in Enoshima, since she was the sole inhabitant of said island and also a woman;

Benzaiten originated from an Indian goddess and Gloriosas, the flowers which Gloriosa was named after, grow in India too! Gloriosa superba is even Tamil Nadu’s national flower.

Due to being goddess of water, Benzaiten was naturally associated with animals connected with said element: snakes, turtles… and dragons. Especially the white ones, since this colour is linked with water in Japanese culture.

Snakes are a big part of Amazon Lily’s culture: almost every warrior on the island has her own Snake Weapon which can be used as a bow, the island’s dome is sculpted with snake motifs, the Perfume Yuda, Kuja Pirates’ flagship, is carried by two Yuda snakes, even Kuja, the name of the tribe, means ‘Nine snakes’

White snakes were considered to be Benzaiten’s main messengers and avatars and Gloriosa in Share the World opening appeared with a blue top and*...* a white snake.

Also, the traditional representation of the Black Warrior is a turtle intertwined with a snake, much like Kujas with their Snake Weapon. Due to these facts, I believe that Gloriosa has eaten the Mythical Zoan Kame Kame no Mi model: Genbu.

Timeline and character analysis – a PERSONAL take on what could have happened and when (and why)

For this section, other than time markings scattered throughout the story, Momonosuke’s (biological 8 – actual 28), Yamato’s (28), and Hancock’s (31) ages will also be taken into account for comparison.

It is known that the Rocks Pirates were defeated and subsequently disbanded 38 years before the current time. Also, Kaido was captured, and presumably sentenced to jail, eighteen times; given his reputation and danger, it’s pretty safe to assume that at least one of those nine prison ships he sunk was directed to Impel Down.

Impel Down is actually not that far from Amazon Lily: the journey takes one sailing week with an average ship, while Marine ones can make it in just four days, about half the time, because of the reserved currents. In my opinion, it makes sense thinking that Kaido has sunk a prison ship in the Paradise and somehow ended up in Amazon Lily.

Now, everyone here knows the supreme rule of the Island of Women:

NO. MEN. ALLOWED.

For any reasons.

So, by the laws of the island, he was imprisoned and, just like Luffy, was sentenced to death. But, like the latter pirate did, Kaido defeated/broke/knocked unconscious all the animal/things commonly used for executions on the island, therefore the Empress finally decided to take the matter into her own hands.

I believe the Kuja Empress at the time was Gloriosa. Why?

Well, it was stated that 33 years ago the remnants of the Rocks Pirates sent off to found their own crews, and probably Kaido arrived in Amazon Lily even earlier, between 38 and 33 years ago. As Hancock stated, Gloriosa is actually the former-former-former empress of Amazon Lily: this means that there were two Empresses between her and Hancock; since the latter is stated to have become Empress at the age of 18, 13 years ago, and given that the other two unnamed Empresses died of Love Sickness which probably is more likely to strike the unlucky rulers at a fairly young age, 20-25 years are more than enough for two Empresses to have reigned.

To estimate her actual force at the time, let’s analyse her name a bit.

Like all Kujas, Gloriosa is named after a flower (or a genus of those): Gloriosa is a genus of 12 flower species, widely spread in areas of the world such as Africa, the Arabic Peninsula and tropical parts of Asia. It can reach 3 metres in height and they display showy, vibrant-colored flowers with distinctively shaped petals, earning them the nickname of fire lily.

So, the question arises spontaneously: why is this short, wrinkly old woman named after one of the most beautiful (and tallest) flowers in the world? Given Oda’s attention even for the tiniest details, I highly doubt he chose this name randomly; at least, not for her.

Either she’s a grotesque parody of her own name… or it could be a foreshadow.

Gloriosa is also the Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan word meaning ‘glorious’, if the subject it’s related to is feminine and singular. A truly fitting name for a ruler and the wife of a Yonko, isn’t it? And Kaido want his death to be… glorious.

Maybe Gloriosa in her prime was actually even more beautiful and stronger than the current Hancock, to the point where nobody had ever beaten her in combat.

Anyway, you know how the saying goes: if it’s one on one, always bet on Kaido.

Therefore, Gloriosa was defeated for the first time. By a man.

Hancock’s case probably gives us how Empresses fall ill with Love Sickness: it happens when a man catches them off guard by behaving in a totally and positively unexpected way, defying all the previous experiences the rulers have. Hancock fell in love with Luffy because he showed her kindness and didn’t judge her when she told him about her past; Gloriosa got Love Sickness because she fell in love with Kaido for his strength.

Because love… is always like a Dragon Twister hurricane!

How about Kaido?

It is common knowledge that he respects physical strength, even in his enemies.

That’s probably why he joined the Rocks Pirates in the first place: out of respect for Rocks D. Xebec, because he was actually the first person ever to defeat him in combat.

Just like Zoro with Kuina, or Douglas Bullet with Gol D. Roger (in the Stampede movie).

Gloriosa may have not defeated him in combat, but she surely gave him a very good run for his money, maybe she almost won. And he respected her for that, to the point where he actually accepted to leave Amazon Lily, even if he won. He stayed there for a little more, while a ship for him to sail the sea was being prepared, and lived peacefully (meaning: extensively touched and examined) with the Kujas.; what are the chances that one of his favourite (or least) foods is actually penne with Gorgonzola and Sea King’s meat, the island’s culinary speciality?

When he sat sail, he probably found out that the Empress snuck aboard his ship when he was far away from the island already. He thought of bringing her back, but, after listening to her reasons, he decided to let her stay with him because, let’s face it, Kaido is not Luffy, he actually appreciates the company of women.

The most beautiful woman in the world fell in love with him and contracted a mysterious illness which would have killed her if she didn’t go with him and follow him anywhere?

Oh no! /s

I’ll tell you what, I don’t think that Kaido was actually in love with her at first that much. He surely enjoyed spending passionate nights with her, and was amused by her curiosity due to Gloriosa knowing little to nothing about the external world.

There was a specific moment when he actually fell in love with her.

Have you noticed that, despite being often shirtless, Kaido's back is never fully uncovered even in his dragon form? He always wears a coat, a shirt, or both.

That hints that Kaido has some kind of mark on his back he wants to hide from public view, just like the Gorgon Sisters. Something must have happened that made him show her said mark, maybe Gloriosa caught a glimpse and asked him to see it. Anyway, Kaido was reclutant at first, but she had the right to know, she was his wife after all.

So he showed it to her, in a way that, when it will be shown in the flashback, might be a callback to when Hancock showed Luffy the Celestial Dragon hoof.

That mark meant that for the world he had and would always have been something inhuman, a failed experiment, a monster; even Big Mom, who has the best spy network in the world, calls him a 'thing'. But Gloriosa didn’t judge him for said mark, nor she believed he was a monster. For Gloriosa, he was just Kaido, the man who she had fallen in love with.

That's when Kaido fell for her. And he fell hard, probably to the point of no return.

At some point, the two conceived a child, and that's when Kaido decided that it was time to move to Wano instead of travelling the world: the pirate life is dangerous for grown people let alone for a child, plus he was one of the most wanted men by the World Government, meaning the child was in danger simply by existing.

But how did Kaido know about Wano?

He probably heard something about the Continent Puller and the ‘country’ he formed about 600 years before but, since it was a closed nation, he probably didn’t know much more until he met someone who escaped from said island: Kurozumi Higurashi.

41 years ago, she told Orochi that she fled the country because of the persecutions against the Kurozumi clan, and because she knew nothing about the outside world, joining pirates was the easier choice. Also, in that way she could have found allies and power for the Kurozumi cause easier.

The Mane Mane no Mi allows the user to create a perfect copy of a person whose face has been touched. She transformed in a woman, who, judging by the color scheme in the anime, is heavily hinted to be Bakkin and a young Shiki, both known members of the Rocks Pirates, so Higurashi may have traveled with said crew for a while. There she met Kaido, who she sensed he could have been a great help for the Kurozumis: big, powerful, and stupid, easy to manipulate.

A closed off country not part of the World Government: a perfect nation for Kaido to reside to ensure the safety of his family (mainly his child, because Gloriosa was more than capable of defending herself) and to use as a base for his operations.

When Oden went with Whitebeard 29 years ago, there were no factories in Wano, but they were there when Toki arrived in Wano with Momonosuke, who was 3 at the time, and Hiyori; so Kaido must have arrived in Wano three years earlier at last.

Gloriosa may not have been the Kuja Empress anymore, but had everything a woman like her could ask for: she was one of the heads of a soon to be powerful army, plus a devoted, loving husband and a child.

Why did she leave it all behind?

I have already talked about the parallels between Gloriosa and turtles in the mythology section, but here’s another one: in Chinese culture, turtle (especially turtle egg) is a very serious insult regarding the morality of one’s mother; that’s why Genbu is called Black Warrior instead of Black Tortoise.

This also expands one of Wano’s most prominent themes: betrayal.

Gloriosa was forced to leave Wano and Yamato behind because she cheated on Kaido. But with who?

Well, the Beast Pirates follow a card games and decks naming theme, and currently there is none named Ace; also, when Oden faced Kaido, Jack was only 8, so my hypothesis is that the third Calamity before him was called Ace. He probably had a crush on Gloriosa and when she went to him for comfort while Kaido was away, probably out to recruit subordinates or captured, he couldn’t resist.

But Kaido caught the two in the act, and was absolutely furious.

He killed Ace, and his position remained vacant for quite some time, until Jack finally took his place in the Calamities; that's why, in Episode 972, there were only King and Queen along with the fodder.

However, Kaido couldn't bring himself to kill his wife personally, so he offered her a choice: be dispatched by the hands of King or Queen, or leave and never return.

Gloriosa chose the second option.

She packed her things and left, only to realize she had nowhere to go: Wano obviously was not an option, but she couldn't just go back to Amazon Lily, not after she betrayed Kujas by abandoning them while she was an Empress. Plus, as a pirate, she was wanted by the Marine. So she lived on the run, continuously assuming new identities and never staying in the same place for too long.

Also, Love Sickness certainly has played its role in weakening her, making her age faster and dramatically decreasing her height in the process.

Taking a look at Hancock’s bed, it’s decisiverly oversized for her: said bed could comfortably fit a laid Boa Hancock together with her Snake Weapon, which is way larger than the others, her sisters, the doctor and Gloriosa, and still have room left for someone else to stand on it.

It is very likely that this bed was the Empress’s for a long time, and, since that position is not inherited, it had to fit Kujas of all sizes. So Gloriosa could have been taller in her youth, maybe a little shorter than Kaido, but still enough to handle him.

Anyway, Gloriosa managed to survive through sheer willpower, the same that allows her to snap out of Hancock’s charm much faster than the others, until her feelings for Kaido eventually faded away, thus healing from said illness.

When she finally arrived to Sabaody Archipelago, at least fifteen years ago, she was unrecognisable. Coincidentally, Shakky's Rip-Off bar was searching for new waiters, and Gloriosa applied because she needed money. The former pirate immediately recognised her.

How is that possible? Feminine intuition!

In chapter 591, she correctly predicted that Hancock would became smitten with Luffy despite not seeing her for thirteen years and every evidence in Hancock's behaviour pointing out the contrary. (Also in the very same chapter Hancock asks Gloriosa how to have a proper marriage while surrounded by monkeys wearing Wano's typical hat. Let that sink in).

Shakky understood that Kaido had no interest in her anymore and let her stay with her and Rayleigh, until the Boa sisters arrived and Gloriosa could finally return to Amazon Lily with the excuse of bringing them back home.

On the other hand, Kaido was devastated, to say the least.

Can you blame him? His beloved wife was cheating on him with one of his most trusted subordinates. He needed to forget, to get rid of all those negative feelings overwhelming him: that's why he started drinking.

However, Kaido isn't stupid. Okay, he may not be as smart as Benn Beckman, the most intelligent person introduced in the East Blue arc, but he surely has some brains: you don't reach and mantain high positions within a crew without some smarts, let alone being an Emperor of the Sea. Kaido soon realised that he caught the two relatively easily. Too easily.

Almost if they wanted to get caught in the act.

While Kaido was drinking his sorrow away, someone else was toasting to a risky plan gone smoothly.

The Kurozumi clan.

Higurashi may have lured Kaido into Wano and the alliance with the Kurozumi, but she didn’t predict that he would have arrived with a wife and a child. Gloriosa probably had a great influence on Kaido, who was (and maybe is still) regarded as little more than a muscle head; and the Kurozumis were actually afraid that she may have been plotting something. This impression was confirmed by the Onibanshu who spied the two pirates: probably Gloriosa wasn't happy about the shogun and suggested her husband some ways to dethronate him.

She was a threat, and they needed to get rid of her as soon as possible.

They sensed that one of Kaido’s top subordinates had feelings for Gloriosa, and they decided to use this fact to their advantage. So Higurashi transformed using her Devil Fruit powers and seduced the crew’s Ace, in a time and a place where she was sure Kaido could see them, while someone else distracted Gloriosa. In the end, everything went according to plan.

However, when Kaido saw the old hag using her powers some time after, he understood everything. But he had no concrete proofs, and certainly wasn't in the position to kill someone so important to his pawn based only on simple suspects; so he waited, until the perfect moment arrived.

Meanwhile, Kaido kept drinking, to forget his actions and to numb his guilt. At first, a little quantity of alcohol did the trick, but eventually he needed more and more, slowly falling into addiction.

You know, Gloriosas’ beauty is only matched by their toxicity: as proud members of the Colchicaceae family, they contain colchicine, a powerful metabolic toxin; all parts of these plants can be fatal if eaten, even a simple touch can cause skin irritation. Due to this, Gloriosa superba has been used for centuries to commit suicide.

Just like colchicine corrodes the body, alcohol, together with shame, guilt and anger, slowly eroded Kaido’s soul, corrupting him from within.

While Kaido's original plan for Wano was simply to make the island his operational base, after all that happened he decided to destroy and utterly annihililate it, just like Orochi destroyed his happiness. The shogun was fine with his ally’s devastations and never suspected that Kaido knew. The latter made Orochi believe he wouldn’t touch the Flower Capital, just to completely erase it from the face of Earth once his army would have been powerful enough to fight an all-out war. Revenge is a dish best served cold and then smashed on the forehead.

The rest is history.

Surely Kaido will be defeated, but he will not be completely dealt with in this arc.

Yamato probably got their kind, selfless nature from Gloriosa. The latter would have never approved of the terms of Kaido’s promise to Oden, let alone all the hostages and atrocities done by her husband; since Oden began to dance naked in the streets 25 years ago, probably Gloriosa was already gone at that time.

Because of this, Yamato has little to no memories of their mother, so they will likely ask Kaido about her at the end of the battle. However, Kaido himself doesn’t know her whereabouts because he didn’t send spies after her; at first, because he didn’t care about her anymore. When he realised his mistake, he still didn’t search for her because otherwise it would have shown that she was still important to him. He is not naive, he knows there are spies in his ranks, even at high levels; therefore he wants to avoid attracting unwanted attentions to her.

Plus, Kaido doesn’t even want to know, because Gloriosa probably is dead or has found another person to be with; and he deep down knows that those news would definitely break him.

However, there’s one little detail: Gloriosa’s speech quirk-nyon. Even if her appearance has changed quite a bit, she surely did nyot change her way of talking. Luffy would probably understand Kaido is talking about her because of this, and will tell them that she’s alive and well in Amazon Lily.

It is a known fact that our protagonist either kills the villains’ dreams or changes them: Kaido will change his goal too. He wouldn’t want to die yet, he will probably want to meet Gloriosa again to apologize properly for what he had done to her.

Thus, he will survive the battle and somehow, after almost thirty years, Kaido and Gloriosa will meet again.

Will Gloriosa forgive him? Will she not?

Only Oda will tell.

Other references

Black Maria Many people actually believe she’s a Kuja, and I admit, they have pretty good reasons for thinking so. Let’s start by her name: other than being a card game, Black Maria is also a variety of bougainvillea, a clear reference to Kuja’s floral naming theme; there is also a flower named Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata) referencing her Devil Fruit powers and Amazon Lily alike. Black Maria has also flowers in her hair; the most prominent ones, colored in red, have also five petals, much like the one Gloriosa wears in her hair! She is also the owner of a brothel in Onigashima and, also due to her size, it’s heavily implied that she and Kaido have a… passionate relationship, as Oda would put it (However, Kaido probably views her as nothing more than a distraction). Of course, Kaido and his wife must have had their passionate moments, since they have a child. Moreover, Benzaiten is almost always represented playing a biwa, and, as shown in chapter 992, Black Maria can play it very well. She also has a remarkable singing voice, a feature which was one of the basic requisites to become a geisha. Geishas also were protected by Benzaiten. All in all, Black Maria is actually the biggest reference to Gloriosa... in a literal and figurative sense! Oh, one last thing: the men tied to her webs in Chapter 1005 can be a symbol for Kaido’s soul, unable to move on and perpetually being trapped in the memories and regrets of his relationship with Gloriosa together with his alcohol addiction.

Kaido’s flagship Currently, Kaido’s flagship is the only one among the four Emperors’ which has yet to be seen or named. Some speculate that it’s actually Onigashima, but, in my opinion, that’s not the case: why would he travel with his entire home, with the concrete risk of it being destroyed every time he faces an opponent? Also, Yamato is in there: they have explosive handcuffs which doesn’t allow them to leave the island, but what if someone with internal destruction haki actually removes them thus freeing Yamato and letting them escape? Also, what if Yamato actually gets severely wounded, or worse, killed by invaders? Kaido actually strikes me as an overprotective dad, thus he will never directly expose his child to external danger. The handcuffs will explode if and only if Yamato actually tries to leave Onigashima: if they stay there, nothing will happen. Plus, in chapter 997, when Kaido started lifting Onigashima someone said that the island had never trembled like that before. Kaido actually has his flagship, and the reason why it hasn’t been shown is its name. I’ve said before that Gloriosa means glorious in some languages, therefore there’s a big chance that the ship will have in its name also the Japanese word of the same meaning. Maybe it’s called ‘Glorious Dragon’ in Japanese, or something like that.

Yamato Now, this will touch one of the most controversial topics within the community right now, which is Yamato’s gender; I wish not to discuss about it under this post, because this isn’t the time nor the place (IMO it’s better to delay the discussion at the end of this arc, when Yamato will hopefully detach from the Kozuki Oden persona and find their own identity). Regardless of all this, Yamato was born as a female: and Kujas give birth to female babies only.

Kaido and Big Mom comparison: Although they were part of the same pirate crew for some time and both of them being now Emperors, there are a lot of things about their characters which mark these two as counterparts: first of all, Kaido is male and Big Mom is female. Big Mom belongs to the older generations of pirates, while Kaido belongs to the new one (together with Shanks). Kaido drinks a lot while Big Mom eats a lot. Big Mom has more than 80 children, while Kaido just one*. Lastly, Big Mom has had many unknown husbands, who she married and treated as equals only to discard them when their children are born, revealing she had zero feelings towards them. With the previous comparisons in mind, it would make perfect sense for Kaido to have had only one wife who has already appeared in the story and who he has loved dearly and maybe still does.

*In my opinion, Katakuri, Oven and Daifuku aren’t Kaido’s sons. Even if the physical resemblance is uncanny, there are two major arguments against this supposed paternity: first, the triplets don’t display any type of horns, which Yamato, the known child of Kaido, has. Secondly, the Yonko’s age: he is surely younger than 68, since this is Big Mom’s age and she considers him like a little brother; however, being heavily implied that Shakuyaku was part of the Rocks Pirates as well and she was considered a pirate, while Kaido was only an apprentice, it’s implicitly stated that he must be younger than her, too. She’s now 64, and this puts his maximum age at 63; given the triplet’s age, 48, Kaido may have had them when he was 15, which is an age when men usually have reached their sexual maturity, but he may be even younger than that, so draw your conclusion.

I admit, this turned out a lot longer than I actually expected. My sincerest kudos to you, dear reader, for reading all this time-consuming post – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I had fun writing it.

Please, let me know your thoughts, they are more than welcome!

TL;DR: Gloriosa is Kaido’s wife and Yamato’s mother, she has eaten the mythical variant of the Kame Kame fruit, Katakuri is not Kaido’s son and Gin will become Pirate King.

comments on reddit :

kaido has been revealed to be 59

I really want to know who yamatos mother was and I am willing to accept any theory for now

#one piece #op theory #one piece theory #one piece theories #kaido of the beasts #kaido one piece #op kaido #one piece kaido

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artemis-verse · 3 years

Text

champagne problems

summary: “Your mom’s ring in your pocket, my picture in your wallet, your heart was glass, I dropped it. Champagne problems.” note: features time skip! kageyama. all characters in the present timeline is 21+. slight spoilers from the manga. fem! reader. she/her pronouns. song: champagne problems by taylor swift word count: 1,800 words warnings: alchohol use genre: angst arthie’s note: a fic for the capricorn baby ~~ happy birthday kags!! initially i didn’t plan this out however i’ve been listening to taylor’s new album on repeat and one of my favs from her album is the song “champagne problems” hence the title *wink wink* anyways, this is rlly sad and i hope all of you like this as much as i like writing it hehe ~~ ♡(｡- ω -) ↳ main masterlist ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ Hugging herself tightly, clutching onto the thick jacket to shield herself from the chilliness, watching as the pearly white snow cascade onto the wooden floor, evaporating into liquid. “Y/n?” He calls out making her head turned, gazing at him fondly. He walked towards her, handing a glass of champagne which she thanked for the gesture. They both indulged in the alcoholic drink as they watch the snowfield scenery before them. It was Christmas Eve and they just had gone and celebrate Kageyama’s 24th birthday. After bidding farewells to their guests, the couple took the time to unwind outside their rented vacation home, sitting atop of the snowy mountain. Kageyama had insisted to stay here for a few weeks until Christmas or possibly till New Year’s. Now that they had the house all to themselves, he couldn’t help but feel more anxious as time goes by, side-eyeing his lover who seemed to be immersed on admiring the beautiful frosty landscape from a distance.

He had memorized the details of his properly thought-out plan, wishing all of his luck that nothing ruins it. God, knows how long he spent dwelling over it and fretting about the worst possible outcomes that could come out of this. However, his friends had reassured him multiple times that it would go as smoothly as he hopes it to be. Feeling the presence beside him made him fully aware of how in awe he is with her, his ethereal partner who is ever-so kind, thoughtful, supportive, patient and understanding of every part of him. She even knows how to manage his short-temper and often gives him space whenever he needed it. Looking back on their relationship definitely confirmed of how utterly in love he is with her. Shaking his head, quickly diminishing any thoughts that would turn into a session of overthinking— he gently intertwines their fingers together, the cold emitting off of her as she blinks at him innocently. “Babe, are you okay?” She asked, concerned underneath her tired, soft voice. He gave her a small smile, gripping her hand to assure her, “I just feel lucky to have you.” That caused her to broke into fits of laughter, he furrowed his brows. “What’s so funny about me confessing what I truly feel?” She can hear the tiny hurt evident in his voice. She cooed, caressing his cheek, “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just.. so weird of you to suddenly make a proclaim that you love me when you’re usually so standoffish.” He averted his gaze, pondering over her words. Quickly sensing that he might go into overthinking mode, she held his face, staring into his crystal azure eyes. “Kageyama Tobio.” She started off, watching him gape at her. “You are the most loving person ever. It doesn’t matter that you don’t often express your emotions but your actions speaks louder than those words. So please, don’t be sadden over what I said. It’s a part of you that made me love you and I don’t mind that at all. In fact; I love every single thing about you.” Hearing those affirmations made his heart sparked with elation, gingerly bringing their faces close as he tasted her lips that escalated into something more as he drowns himself in her love with the tang of champagne filling up his mouth every time he kissed her. He’s so desperately, maddeningly, in love with her. ⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆ The bright sun peeked beneath the curtains, signalling them to wake and start their day. He awoken to a pair of arms wrapped around him, soft breathing from his lover as she sleeps peacefully. He smiled, gleeful of her declaration and what the future has in store for the both of them. Carefully removing himself from her embrace, he walked towards the kitchen, preparing them both breakfast before heading out. They took the train to visit their families, beaming at everyone and its cheerful atmosphere that makes him feel warm. He recalls the moment he told his family about his “plan”, they were all thrilled and couldn’t wait to hear the news. Her family had been delighted as well, noting that they were both good for each other and is a perfect couple. Knowing that he has permission to make his move, he feels himself getting more eager to execute his plan. The reunion with families had left him content and all of the anxiousness is slowly dissipating away as they strolled around the park, stopping at the middle where a massive Christmas tree was placed, decorated with glimmering ornaments and festive lights all around. It makes the ambience more fitting with what he’s about to do. Throughout the entire day, he had observed his partner, imprinting her facial expressions into his mind and the way she communicates. Kageyama has always been observant— he just paid extra attention to his lover than anything else (except volleyball). He knew she is the one when she didn’t fuss or get annoyed with his obsession over volleyball even if his career comes first, she never minded and persuaded him to go follow his dreams. He reciprocated that with her too; often checking on her to make sure that she doesn’t overwork herself and celebrated every milestone and promotions she achieved. He knew how important it is to her for her ambitions to come first; they’re both alike yet different in many ways which makes them work well together. Her eyes gazes at the bright lights, awe of the stunning decorations. He fidgets with the box inside his coat pocket, biting his lip as he tries to shake off the anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach. With his heart hammering against his chest, he bent down to one knee and pulls the box out of his pocket. Noticing his actions, she widened at the sight of him. He opens the box, revealing a dazzling gold ring. She covers her mouth, stunned. He exhaled, staring at her with so much honesty and love. “Y/n… we’ve been together for the past couple of years. You’ve stuck with me even through all the highs and lows. You comforted me during hard times and knows how to deal with my sensitive yet childish behaviours. You never once doubted my love for you and supported me through all of my endeavours. You were never upset with how ambitious I am for volleyball and always cheer for me throughout every game I’ve had. You made me the happiest person alive and God knows how much I love you with all my heart. I’m never one to rightfully express what I truly feel therefore here I am, pouring all of my feelings for you. With that being said, will you marry me?” Tears prickled on her eyes as she stared at the man whom she knew she loved… yet she doesn’t feel right by saying yes. With a shaky breath, she solemnly responds. “No.” Shocked upon her answer, he looked up at her in disbelief. Hurt plastered all across his face as he slowly stood up. He inched closer, “What do you mean… no?” He whispered, his voice brittle due to her statement as he can feel the void inside his chest. Breaking off the gaze, she closed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry Tobio but.. no. I can’t. I’m not ready for it.” She admitted, scared of his reaction as she gripped her jacket tightly. “I— you could’ve just told me. I would wait for you and—“ “No. Tobio just.. please don’t make this harder than it already is.” She cuts him off. “I’m sorry but I can never see myself being tied to someone.” He can feel the ache in his heart, “Even me?” He asked painfully. Finally opening her eyes, she nodded sullenly. “Yes.” She gently holds his face, pulling him into a chaste kiss. “Goodbye, Tobio. I’m sorry.” With that, he lets her hand fall just like how she lets his heart shatter against the floor, as she disappears into the sea of strangers. The crowds bustling around him as he feel his heart broke into a thousand pieces. The ringing of his phone startled him from his stupor, he answered it without needing to check. “Mom.. she said no.” He breaks the news forlornly, allowing the tears that he held back stream down his cheeks as his chest ache dreadfully. The night had never seemed so dull for him as he lies his head against the train window, watching the constellations dim from blazing so brightly. He cried and cried until he couldn’t. He didn’t care if anybody stared at him sympathetically, all he knew and felt on this somber night is heartbreak, swallowing him whole as her crestfallen response plays in his head over and over again. He can tell from the moment he stepped inside their once-shared house that she had left and brought all of her belongings with her. Officially leaving him to wallow in his own sorrow. The box which the ring sits prettily at is tossed aside, he considers burning it or throwing it away but decided against it as the ring belongs to his mother whom got engaged with the said band. A picture of her grinning happily as the wind blows her hair is tucked safely in his wallet, he glared at the memory before casting it into the fire, watching it burn and turn into dust. From that night— he closed himself off from everyone nor did he ever catch a sight of her again. It was as if she had vanished into thin air or perhaps she moved to a new country. He stored away all of the memories they had with each other into the back of his mind, never wanting to relive it. Years had flew by and he not once got an answer or a hint as to why she had so readily rejected his proposal. He long accepted their fate and the love they once shared was nothing but a memory of the past. She was just a stranger he used to loved. As he makes his way towards the figure standing in front of him, he smiled and bent down, reenacting the bitter scene yet again. His new lover sobbed happily as she joyfully accepted his proposal. Her picture in his wallet as he slips the ring onto her dainty finger, noting her wide grin. Little did he knew— his past lover is observing the scene from afar, smiling sadly at the exchange. She sighed, knowing that she deserved to be hated for what she did as she walks away, wishing them nothing but the best for their future. Maybe someday, she can tell the tale of someone who was dear to her to her grandchildren and to never make the same mistake as she did.

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