#maiko rustles

[maiko-coy]

Just wanted to say I love how you draw sun and moon 🌙☀️they're delightfully sassy and sweet😄 and those expressions! 😙🤌💖

Absolute drama queens!!

#maiko rustles #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf security breach #Thank you for the kind words!!! #My style keeps changing tho sOB #i don't believe in consistency /ref

[understandablyirrelevant]

These Magic Moments: Drive

AD 2207, 5/28, 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi– Ronin-gai

Bang Shishigami sighs dramatically as he hunches over a pylon jutting out over his district. Ever since his interference with the Maiko Troupe, and their leader, Amane Nishiki, he’s felt an inescapable barrage of guilt. Amane’s banning of him from their shows almost put the troupe’s donations in danger, but Bang had quickly reminded the people that they should be generous to those in need, regardless of personal grudges. He loses himself in thought for a few minutes, reflecting on the pervasive tension of the past few days.

Eventually, he mutters to himself. “I must apologize, that is the only way.”

With a sagely nod to himself, Bang shoots from his perch and onto the rooftops, speeding towards the caravan that awaits in the lower part of Ronin-gai.

He arrives at his destination only minutes later, thanks to his prodigious speed. He looks up to see an irritated Azuki striding towards the main wagon of the caravan. He swallows thickly, preparing himself for what will no doubt be a tense negotiation.

Amane doesn’t disappoint, looking cross as soon as he catches sight of Bang from his slightly ajar door. Even while fighting off the dregs of sleep, and without his exquisite makeup, the man is devastating. His long purple tresses fall elegantly over the shoulders of his pink sleeping yukata, rustling fluidly with each step. His geta clack wrathfully as he strides over to Bang, drowsily glaring with a fierceness that belies his undress. Bang worriedly notes that his knees feel weak for some reason.

“Shishigami. What are you doing here? Was I not clear?” Amane stops about three meters away, his ribbons swaying dangerously in the breeze. His voice is low and husky with sleep. Bang slightly trembles with emotion.

Bang bows deeply at the hip, keeping his gaze submissively upon the ground. “Nishiki, I apologize for my unseemly behavior the other day. Such hasty judgement is not befitting of a man such as I.”

Amane scoffs and quirks a thin brow. “Hmph. And why should I accept your apology?”

Bang freezes stiff. “W-What?” He nervously raises his wide amber eyes, only to flinch at the icy blues that meet him mercilessly.

“You cost me a chance to recruit Carl and made my boys cry. Why should I forgive you, Shishigami?” Nishiki crosses his arms haughtily, his eyes fully losing their drowsy fog as he gives Bang a rueful stare.

Bang rises, a deep sorrowful frown tugging at his lips. “N-Nishiki. I understand that I’ve caused you a lot of trouble, but I don’t want to part ways like this. Please, allow me to make amends.” Bang plants his studded knuckles on the exposed flesh of his hips, just under the red rope of his fundoshi.

Amane narrows his eyes to give Bang a look over. After a few moments of intense scrutiny, he murmurs something softly under his breath.

Bang blinks. “Pardon?”

Amane blinks, then looks annoyed. “Are your buddies up yet? Maybe hanging around again?” Amane warily looks around.

Bang shakes his head, jostling his spiky brown ponytail. “No. I came alone, as a man should when confronting those he has wronged.”

Amane hums. “I see. Go get them.”

Bang blinks again. “Huh? Why?”

Amane scoffs. “Because for the next week, you’ll be taking up guard duty for me and my boys. We’ve had some trouble with bandits in Ikaruga, and we’re getting tired of chasing them off.”

Bang nods slowly. “I see. But, what of the people of Ronin-gai? I can’t simply leave them defenseless.”

Amane whips open a fan from his obi to cover a yawn, waving his for once plain fingernails dismissively. “I don’t need all of them. Leave someone behind to cover for you. But make it snappy.” Amane looks Bang dead in the eye. “If you’re not back by the time I finish getting ready, we’re leaving things as is. Got it?”

Bang nods, feeling a chill run down his stiff spine. “R-Right! I, Bang Shishigami, am honored to be your guardian!”

Amane looks at Bang like a duchess looks at a particularly loud puppy. Bang sweats nervously. He bursts off in a flash of trademark speed, to retrieve his comrades.

Amane uses his fan to keep the dust from his now rolling eyes. “Hmph.”

Once Bang is out of sight, Amane pivots and strides back over to the caravan, a smirk tugging at his soft lips. Sitting near the fire, Haru and Natsu watch him with knowing smirks of their own as he passes, and Amane scoffs good-naturedly. His boys always did have such keen eyes.

  AD 2207, 5/31, Ikaruga Federation – Unknown Area

“Boss, are you sure you should still be up there?” Aka’s wary whisper breaks the silence of the moonless night, his green eyes narrowing under heavy raven brows.

Bang glances down at his comrade with a bright smile. “Ha-ha! Do not worry about me, Aka! I am perfectly fine!” He uses a hearty thumbs up to complete his reassurance.

“But Boss, you look terrible. Are you sure you don’t want to catch some sleep?” Aoi asks, his grey eyes wide and ginger brows pinching with worry.

“Nonsense. I don’t need to sleep yet. I’m just fine.” Bang smirks as he turns his eyes back to the horizon.

Aka and Aoi share a glance, then turn to him with renewed vigor. “But Boss, we—!"

 “Ugh, can you be quiet already?” Koji’s deep grumble cuts in from the wagon behind them, and Bang cringes. They’ve been too loud again. That means…

“Shishigami, a word?” Amane’s messy bed head pokes out from the lead wagon, and Bang reluctantly rushes to the window, where Amane glares at him balefully. “You need to sleep. You can’t keep this up.”

It’s true. Bang’s spiky ponytail is far more of a mess than usual, ready to burst from its red band. He has also begun to form heavy maroon bags under his eyes. He’s been insistent on taking the night watch twice now and has gotten precious little sleep in the form of power naps for the last two days. All to put off the inevitable, it would seem.

Nevertheless, Bang valiantly fights back a yawn to protest Amane’s verdict. “N-Nonsense! I can go on just f— Mph!"

Amane’s icy glare deepens as he covers Bang’s loud mouth with his hand, shivering slightly at the warmth meeting his slightly chilly palm. Bang’s always run hot. “Shishigami, get in here. I have a spare shikibuton somewhere, and you need to rest. Tell one of your buddies to take over.”

Amane pulls his hand away a few centimeters, and Bang reluctantly looks to his former perch, to see Aka has already taken his place. Seeing no use in any further arguing, Bang reluctantly shimmies through the window.

After a few moments of groggy searching, Amane finds his spare bedding and hands it over to Bang, who promptly unfurls it just under the window.

Amane scoffs tiredly. “Shishigami, put it next to mine. We’ll have to share the blankets.”

Bang’s face heats up, his eyes going wide. “W-What?”

Amane rolls his eyes and conjures a ribbon to drag the tiresome man away from the window. “Well, I don’t have any spare blankets, and I don’t feel like making any. So, you’ll just have to man up and bear with me. Just keep your back to mine and it’ll be fine.” Amane yawns behind his hand.

Bang shivers as he watches this. He feels his heart jolt at such a sight. It’s almost… cute. He freezes at the thought. “I-I, Bang Shishigami, cannot be thinking of another man as cute!” Bang quickly shakes his head to dispel the notion.

Amane watches him with a knowing deadpan stare. He quirks a brow when Bang finishes imitating a dog trying to dry off. “Are you done? I’m going to bed now, and if you don’t hurry up, I’ll just keep the blankets to myself.”

Bang jolts, then quickly undresses to follow Amane’s lead, pressing his now bare back to the other man’s, shivering at the feeling of the soft fabric against his naked muscles.

Amane drifts off with a scoff, falling soundly asleep only seconds later. Bang sends several minutes subtly squirming, trying to be comfortable. He’s never been much of a side sleeper. Amane groans, and Bang stills, willing himself not to move any further, lest he rouse the dancer. He clenches his eyes shut, listening to Amane’s soft breaths. He drifts off a few minutes later, oblivious to the soft smile on the other man’s lips.

  AD 2207, 6/2, 6th Hierarchical City of Yabiko – Unknown Area

Amane hums cheerfully to himself as he packs away the last of their newly gotten supplies. With Bang and his buddies serving as guards, the local bandits have finally given up for the time being. Amane is glad to have been magnanimous enough to let Bang work his way back into his good graces.

“Nishiki, are you sure we don’t need more blankets?” Bang looks anxiously at the fully stocked wagons, hoping to spy even a spare stitch of extra fabric.

Amane huffs, rolling his eyes. Here they go again. “Yes, I’m sure, Shishigami. We need the room for other things more, and your buddies will be free to do whatever it is you ninjas do when we reach Ookoto. It’s just a few more days, you’ll be fine.” He pivots to brush past Bang haughtily.

Bang feels his stomach drop. Sharing blankets with Amane isn’t exactly unpleasant, and that’s precisely the problem. He’s getting way too comfortable with the pretty boy.

His comrades are also feeling uneasy, surrounded by such beautiful men on all fronts. Kiiro even confesses to having thought quite favorably of the twins, Haru and Natsu. The poor man is beyond distressed by his feelings now.

Bang needs to do something. “Wait, Nishiki! Is it possible for Kiiro to trade places with myself?”

Amane freezes and then turns to look at Bang with a mask of disinterest. “Oh? Why? Is there a problem with my boys?” Amane’s eyes narrow dangerously.

Bang shudders. This man knows how to shake him, that’s for sure. “N-No! It’s just… Cabin fever!” Bang smiles triumphantly as he thinks of such an ingenious excuse for his comrade.

Amane scoffs. “And how will moving to a different wagon fix that? Wouldn’t taking the night watch be a better solution?”

Bang sweats nervously. Amane’s seen clean through his deception. “I-I suppose, b—!"

Amane swiftly walks toward him, then pokes a finger into his chest. “Listen, Shishigami. I’m not blind. I’ve seen how he’s looking at my boys. If I thought they were uncomfortable for even a second, he wouldn’t be traveling with us. Got it?” Amane leans in to emphasize his point.

Bang nods instantly, his muscular frame shivering. “Y-Yes!”

Amane leans in closer, standing on his toes to brush noses with Bang, his voice growing husky. “And tell him to make up his mind already. Haru and Natsu are getting tired of his staring.”

Bang nods again, feeling yet more trembles travel up his otherwise rigid spine. “R-Right!”

Amane leans back, smiling and momentarily satisfied. “Good. Now, c’mon. We need to leave soon if we’re going to make it to Ookoto before you guys blow something.”

Bang sputters indignantly at the blatant double entendre, his face full of heat, burning scarlet.

Amane simply chuckles lowly and struts away with an extra bounce in his step. Bang never fails to be fun.

  AD 2207, 6/5, 1st Hierarchical City of Ookoto – Unknown Area

As Ookoto becomes visible on the horizon, Bang huffs in relief. “Phew. We’re almost there.”

After conveying Amane’s warning, Kiiro has taken the night watch almost every day, sleeping in the twins’ wagon while they’re out during the day to avoid any more awkwardness. Bang himself has taken to thinking of the beauty of his old flame, Miss Litchi. But in his dreams, the creamy legs always grow thinner, that long hair lighter, and that soothing voice deeper. He shudders.

He’s broken out of his troubling thoughts by the yawning of Amane, who blinks blearily at his now-clothed back, his icy eyes tracing the crossing golden hammer and nail emblem on Bang’s green jacket through his messy purple tresses.

They sit in companionable, if stilted silence for a moment. Then Amane quirks a brow. “Something wrong, Shishigami?”

“N-No. It’s nothing. Good morning, Nishiki.” Bang glances over his shoulder, determinably keeping his gaze locked on Amane’s own, and not the exposed creamy flesh of the other man’s shoulder. That shoulder leads down to a smooth chest, where a hot pink nipple stiffens against the cold air. But Bang wouldn’t know this. He’s not looking down at all.

Amane huffs and pulls his yukata closed with a roll of his eyes. Bang stalwartly ignores some distant pang in his heart. They sit there, staring at one another for a few moments.

Thankfully, the sound of a shaky, breathy voice breaks the increasingly tense silence. “B-Boss? Are you up yet?” Kiiro, looking thoroughly disheveled, his long caramel hair obscuring his honey brown eyes.

Bang turns swiftly to open the window and poke his head out, where he sees the yellow-clad ninja standing awkwardly and shaking. Bang blinks in alarm at such a posture. “K-Kiiro? What’s wrong? Were we attacked in the night?”

  Kiiro stiffens with a slight groan in his voice. “N-No, Boss. I just… Look, can we talk? In private?” Kiiro glances at Amane, incredibly nervous. The older man scoffs with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Seeing this, Bang promptly nods, then quickly joins Kiiro on the wagon’s roof. “What’s the matter, Kiiro?”

“F-Follow me.” Kiiro limps his way back to the roof of the rear wagon, his legs slightly spread as if he were riding a horse for too long.

“Strange.” Bang follows behind him, keeping a slower speed to keep a respectful distance from his clearly hampered comrade.

When they reach the rear, Kiiro shakily makes his way inside, and Bang follows.

“I-I kinda made up my mind…” Kiiro’s eyes are full of anxiety and fear, and Bang gasps dramatically. Could it be?

“I know I said I’d do my best to ignore them, but Boss, they’re just so—!” Kiiro yelps.

Bang clasps his comrade in a strong hug, tears of wonderous joy trailing down his scruffy cheeks. “There’s no need for words, Kiiro! We men of Ikaruga know to trust our hearts! Congratulations!”

Kiiro pauses, then returns the embrace as best he can, crying as well. “B-Boss! Thank you!”

Meanwhile, cuddled together under their blankets, Haru and Natsu pout at the ceiling of their wagon grumpily with narrowed lilac eyes. “So much for enjoying the afterglow.”

  AD 2207, 6/5, 1st Hierarchical City of Ookoto – Unknown Area

The afternoon sun is high in the sky as Bang nervously walks beside Amane, toward the Mutsuki residence. He’s tried several times to broach the subject of their comrades’ newfound happiness, but Amane is entirely too casual about it.

“Nishiki, don’t you think we should at least talk about arrangements? Kiiro still has a responsibility to the people of Ronin-gai, and he’d feel terrible if we didn’t think of a way to split his time between them and your troupe.” Bang tenses when Amane pivots with a sharp huff.

“Alright, Shishigami. How about this? We’ll perform in Kagutsuchi once every few months, and Kiiro can do some work for you while we’re there.” Amane quirks a brow at Bang’s confused frown.

“H-Huh? That implies that he’ll be with you. I thought you didn’t want men such as us in your troupe?” Bang’s frown deepens when Amane stares at him like he’s stupid.

“Kiiro is plenty handsome. That curly long hair of his is positively darling, and that jawline is sharp enough to cut steel. He’s the picturesque example of a bishonen.” Amane resumes his stride towards the residence’s doors, and Bang scrambles to follow, his confusion worsening.

“W-What? Then why did you reject my offers? I’m the pretty boy of Ikaruga, you know! And my belly dancing—!” Bang cuts himself short when Amane turns to stare at him disbelievingly.

“You call that wiggling a dance?” Amane smiles with a quirking brow, clearly amused.

Bang feels his heart pang at such naked dismissal of his skill in the art. He’d worked hard to master it, and it always made Master Tenjo smile! “W-Why you! I’ll have you know that my dancing always brought happiness to any who bear witness to its glory! Even Master Carl could not help but to smile at my dance, despite his troubles!”

Bang takes a strong stance to emphasize his point. “The Ikarugan belly dance is a marvel of the dancing arts! The sight of it is always sure to bring peace and love to those who see it! Behold!”

Placing his hands firmly behind his head and pushing his hips forward, Bang dances his heart out for the cold man in front of him, as well as the bystanders nearby. He moves his hips tirelessly and fluidly for several minutes, enrapturing some and scarring others.

Amane, for his part, does his best to resist the wide smile that eventually splits his heating cheeks at the sight. Eventually, even his will must give to such an irresistible force. He doubles over and laughs his heart out at Bang.

Bang mistakes the amusement for sheer joy and smiles victoriously. “Ha-ha! You see Nishiki? Even you are not immune to my charms!” Bang begins to laugh himself, full of exuberance.

Amane feels tears slipping past his lips and offers thanks to the gods he always uses water-resistant makeup. After a few more moments a groan cuts through their shared laughter.

“What do you think you’re doing, Shishigami?” Kagura Mutsuki covers his wary purple eyes with a wrapped hand, his spiky black hair falling into his embarrassed handsome face.

Amane stills, his laughter stopping immediately. Right, he has business to attend to. He rises and wipes away his tears.

Bang also stills, angry at Kagura’s offensive implication that his dance is an embarrassment. The nerve of this man! “Mutsuki! Don’t tell me you’ve turned your back on the art!”

Kagura uncovers his narrowing eyes with a scoff. “Art? You don’t seriously think you look good, do you Shishigami? This poor lady was about to faint at the sight of you.” Kagura leans down to a quivering blonde woman in his arms. “Are you alright, milady?”

She blushes wildly, then nods. “Y-Yes, Lord Kagura…”

Kagura chuckles. “Good. I’d hate to see Shishigami wilt such a gorgeous flower before it blooms.” He leans in even closer. “Say, why don’t you come with me for some drinks to make up for his… antics?’

Amane and Bang cringe at the playboy’s flirting. This man is utterly incorrigible.

Amane breaks up the moment first, clearing his throat. “Ahem.”

Kagura glances at him coolly. “Clover’s a little right now, so can you come back later?” He turns back to the woman. “Now, about those drinks…?”

Bang breaks up the moment next. “What?! You are meant to be watching over him Mutsuki!” He takes a righteous stance, hunching over with a clenched fist as heat rises around him.

Amane leans into that heat unconsciously. It’s a nice contrast to the cool wind.

Kagura groans as he feels the moment finally slip away, the young woman looks uncomfortable. “I-I should go. Maybe another time?”

Kagura nods and releases her. “Sure thing, babe. Just let me know when you’re up to it.” He winks.

She blushes and smiles brightly before running off. How he does it, neither of the men across the street can understand.

Kagura turns to them with a stern frown. “Now look what you’ve done. If you wanna get mad at somebody, take it up with Rachel.”

Bang frowns in confusion. “Rachel? Do you mean that strange girl from back then? What does she want with Master Carl?”

Amane huffs. “Of course, she’s interested in him too. I suppose she just can’t help herself.” He ruefully shakes his head.

Kagura huffs to himself with a shrug and turns to go back inside. “Whatever. Since I know you’ll just break in anyways, why don’t you two come inside?” He confidently strides back into his home, and the two men follow with a shared glance. 

#blazblue #blazblue fanfiction #amane nishiki #bang shishigami

[bnha-dumpster]

Alright I’m back mate and boy do I have something. So imagine all of them (boys of the bakusquad) wanting Y/n, and they’ve talked about this together to try and come up with a way to get closer to him. So they decide that in order to get closer to him, one of them (you can decide) has to get into a relationship with Y/n’s sister. (Sister could be an OC, a character, or just a sister insert) This way, all of them can get into his their house without it being suspicious. Y/n’s sister doesn’t really think much about it, but the four of them always tease and borderline flirt with Y/n while they’re there. Don’t think they didn’t notice you blushing. So one day when his sister and parents aren’t home, they all decide to visit, knowing that Y/n is home from college that weekend, and all alone. Deciding that this will be the day that they bring him to bed, each have their turn with him, and milk him till he just can’t come anymore. (Dub-con? Y/n clearly wants it- who wouldn’t lol?)

Just realized that if you dislike some female character in the show, you could just use them as the sister lol. Also sorry my request is kinda long for this, but thanks if you decide to do it! I appreciate it.

oh i love this request so much! may have had a bit too much fun with this and got carried away

pairing: bakusquad (- mina) x male reader content tags: group sex, milking, double penetration, face fucking, male squirting, creampie, sex toys, praise, light degradation, electro stim play word count: 2.5k

The day Sero started dating your younger sister was a weird one. You’d never felt too protective over her considering she’s only a year younger and a hero, but seeing her hold hands with your classmate lit something inside you. It’s why whenever Sero wanted to come over, you’d beg for the rest of the Bakusquad to join him. You thought it was a way to protect your sister. You thought you were doing a good job. Yeah, you thought a lot of things.

Then they started teasing you- even Sero. The four of them love to tease you and act flirtatious with you. Even with Maiko in the room, they all find a way to tease you and not gain any suspicion from her. Their hands wander places where they shouldn't and you can't do anything but give them a stern look as you swat their hands away, blush apparent on your face. You don't know what they're doing but it gives extremely mixed messages.

But you think you finally understand when they show up unannounced, all four grinning as they push their way into your house.

“How long are we gonna let Bakugou eat his face?” 

As soon as the four of them got you in your room, Bakugou pounced on you. He’s holding you by your hips, grinding himself against you. His mouth is smashed against yours, teeth clashing as he devours your mouth with his tongue. You don’t have much of a choice but to go along with it. It’s not like you hate this. Rather, you’re enjoying this way too much. 

“We can get everything set up while they’re eating each other’s faces.” Sero shrugs as he pulls out the contents of the bag. Lube, towels, toys, said toys being Kaminari’s suggestion. “Why’d you bring a cock ring? I thought the goal was to milk him?” 

“It’s for us! Gotta last longer for him, right?” 

“For once you make a good point.” Kirishima pulls Bakugou away from you by his hair, earning a growl. “Stop hogging him, bro.”

“Fine.” 

Kirishima helps you towards the bed, sitting you down on the edge of it. He tugs your sweatpants down, slowly taking your clothes off. You definitely need a breather and the redhead is more than happy to give you one. He does all of the work for you, lifting your legs and body with his strength so all you have to do is sit there. You watch him with half-lidded eyes as you catch your breath. Besides your heavy breathing, you can hear the other three taking their own clothes off. The rustling of their clothes falling to the floor is as quiet as it’ll be from now on.

Your cock springs out of your boxers, almost completely hard from Bakugou’s actions. It’s a little embarrassing how quickly you’re turned on. They just think it’s cute.

“Denki, didn’t you say you wanted to taste him?” 

The blond in question nods eagerly and nearly trips over himself to replace Kirishima’s spot between your legs. He’s already excited, cock hard and slapping against his stomach. Does the thought of giving you head really turn him on that much? 

Apparently it does. He lets out a small moan when he grabs your cock and pumps it a few times. You can see his eyes dilate and his mouth is open slightly as he admires it. And when he finally takes it in his mouth, it feels like he’s practiced for this. 

“Fuck, Denki-” His mouth is warm and inviting, his tongue doing its best to wrap around the shaft as he bobs his head. You weave your hands into his hair and help him take you deeper. You’re not huge, but you do know it might take a bit to take all of you. 

Then he moans. The vibrations go straight to your core and your shove his face flush against your hips. He gags around your cock but doesn’t try to pull away. Instead, he looks up at you with eyes that scream for you to keep going. You’re not the type of person to refuse someone, so you give him exactly what he wants. 

You take hold of his head and move it up and down, using his mouth as a toy. Kaminari moans each time your cock hits the back of his throat. The two of you are caught up in the moment to the point where you don’t notice Sero coming up behind you. The hero begins to kiss along your neck, hands going to grope at your chest. Finger pinch your nipples harshly and you let out a surprised moan. 

“Hanta, what are you doing?” 

“Your chest looked a little lonely.” He hums and continues to play with your nipples, pinching and flicking them as he kisses your neck. You’re not sure what Kirishima and Bakugou are doing but you can’t focus on it, not when you’re reaching your end. Your hips stutter and you press Kaminari’s face against you as much as you can. The blond’s eyes roll back into his head as you cum, shooting ropes down his throat. You can feel him swallow it all and the sensation makes you groan. 

Kaminari removes himself from your cock with a pop, face red. Tears and drool cover his face and it’s oddly endearing. 

“Alright, Kirishima?” Sero grabs you by your hips and pulls you with him further onto the bed. He rests against the headboard and continues to tease your nipples. Kirishima crawls in front of you, a bottle of lube in hand. You know what he’s going to do but it doesn’t make you any less anxious.

“Hey, hey, it’ll be okay.” The redhead rubs comforting circles into your inner thigh, smiling at you. You watch him pour some lube onto his fingers and circle your hole gently. He watches your face as he begins to push one finger in. There’s a moment of surprise when it goes in without much protest, you looking to the side to avoid his stare. You’re thankful that he doesn’t say anything. Rather, he just pushes another finger inside you.

It takes a few tries before he manages to find that soft spot inside you. You let out a whimper and your hips move away. Bakugou is more than happy to sit on your stomach, keeping you in place. 

The blond takes this chance to devour your mouth once more. This time you moan and kiss back with as much need as he does. His erection grinds against your stomach as you kiss. You reach down to pump his cock a few times, enjoying the feeling of how hot and heavy it is in your hand. Bakugou swats your hand away and glares at you, pulling back.

Kirishima is eager to fuck you. He pulls his fingers out after barely prepping you and slathers his own cock with lube. You’re sure he doesn’t mean to, but he sheathes himself inside you a little too quickly. A small yelp leaves you and three sets of eyes land on the redhead. The three heroes stare at him for a moment before turning their eyes back to you. 

“Sorry he’s being so rough...” Sero leaves open mouthed kisses along your neck and shoulders as he soothes you, “We’ve just wanted to fuck you for so long.” 

Bakugou moves off of you, sitting beside you as Kirishima begins to move slowly. Kaminari has settled on the other side of you, one hand cupping your balls and the other teasing the head of your limp cock. 

A small shock goes through you. It’s from Kaminari’s hand, the blond stimulating you back to hardness with his hands. The shocks are sent through both your cock and balls. You squirm and whimper, the head of your cock twitching pathetically with each shock. Even if it’s not hard, it still weeps precum all over your abdomen. 

Then the redhead’s pace gets rough. His balls slap against your ass with each thrust, making sure your hips meet before he pulls out. Your overwhelmed by the stretch of your walls and how Kirishima seems to be rubbing against all the right spots inside you. There’s even a small bump that appears whenever he’s fully inside you. It pokes out of your stomach and the other three marvel at how hot it is. 

Kaminari’s shocks finally bring your cock back to life. It stands at attention, tip swollen and red. He lets go of it and watches it slap against your stomach, precum smearing over the skin. 

“Relax for us, Y/N.” 

You don’t know what Kaminari means until you see something in Bakugou’s hand. It’s metal and long but you don’t exactly know what it is. At least, until the blond begins to circle it around the head of your dick. There’s no warning for your when he prods the slit of your cock with it, slowly inching the rod inside you. It’s a strange feeling but it doesn’t hurt. For a moment you think it’s not so bad, but then Bakugou presses a button.

“Wha-” The rod is vibrating. Your back arches off the bed and tenses, a confused moan escaping you. Sero leans down to capture your lips, kissing you gently compared to Bakugou. Both blond heroes are tending to your nipples, each one has a nipple in their mouth. Bakugou’s hand is wrapping around the base of your cock, pumping it gently. Kaminari is once again fondling your sack, giving it small squeezes and shocks to stimulate you. 

And you cum, you cum hard. Strangled moans are muffled by Sero’s lips. Your cock twitches and cum leaks out past the rod, dribbling down your shaft slowly. It’s a strangle climax. It doesn’t come out like it usually does and everywhere is being touched. You don’t get to come down from your high either- it just keeps going. They don’t stop what they’re doing, the only thing changing being the way Kirishima’s thrusts grow erratic. 

He releases inside you and you can vaguely feel warmth filling you. It feels empty when he pulls out, your hole clenching around nothing. Kirishima takes a moment to spread your ass to watch his cum leak out a little. 

“Who’s next?” 

Sero releases your lips and removes himself from behind you, letting Kirishima take his place. He situates between your legs and ruts his cock against your ass. He can feel your hole clenching each time he brushes the head of his cock against it. Your body is so needy and he can’t possibly refuse you. 

He’s longer than the redhead, that’s for sure. Not as thick, but definitely longer. Sero reaches deeper and touches places you didn’t think could be touched. His pace is slow, watching the way your hole so eagerly swallows his cock. You’re clenching and trembling so much from the overstimulation, the vibrating rod still abusing your limp cock. 

“Good boy, good boy, Y/N.” Kirishima praises you as tears fall from your eyes. It blurs between pain and pleasure and you don’t know how to process it. You cling to his words, holding into his arms as he shushes you. “We’re so proud of you. You’re so good for us, so good. We’ll take such good care of you.” 

You’re mouth is left unattended. Moans and sobs fill the room, a line of drool coming out of your mouth. You can’t form any words either. They’re enamored by it, staring at how you’ve come undone just after two times. A thin layer of sweat covers your body and it makes you look shiny, you practically glow.

“Fuck, so tight- you’re so tight, Y/N.” Sero’s words barely register. Something is building in your core as Kaminari begins to send larger shocks through your sack. They make your cock twitch more than it already is. The constant vibrations inside your urethra are making your cock vibrate and twitch even when it’s soft. 

“Kaminari.” The hero fucking you catches the blond’s attention. He puts a finger in your ass and tugs it open a little more. “Think you can fit?” 

The absence of Kaminari’s lips and hands don’t register right away, especially when Bakugou begins to pinch your abandoned nipple. Your haze is lifted somewhat when you feel your ass stretching just a bit more. The blond is slowly pushing his cock inside, joining Sero in your tight hole. The stretch alone forces another orgasm through you without even getting hard, more cum leaking past the rod. 

As Kaminari sheathes himself completely, the other hero stills. They don’t move for a bit, they let you get used to having both of them inside you. 

“What a good boy. You’re taking them so well, taking them just like we know you could.” Kirishima’s words soothe you. “They’re going to make you feel even better.” 

Then they start moving. The two of them alternate thrusts, moving slowly and carefully. Your belly bulges from the stretch and Kirishima reaches down to rub the bulge, groaning at the feeling. His cock twitches with arousal behind you. But he’s had his turn and you need comfort. 

Your prostate is being pressed against constantly. It’s a never-ending stimulation of your most sensitive spots. You hold onto Kirishima as tightly as you can as a rush of warmth goes through you. The feeling isn’t the same as an orgasm and you lift your head up for a brief second to see clear fluid gush out of your cock past the rod. 

“Oh my god, he just squirted.” Kaminari stares down at you in wonder as he fucks you, grabbing your cock and pumping it. Your stomach is covered in whatever you let out. Bakugou moves himself down to lick at it, curious to its taste. It’s not pleasant, but not unpleasant either. 

And the blond is hard, impatient for his turn. As much as he wants to fuck you properly, he needs release. He turns your head to face him, his cock gently slapping against your face. Your mouth is already open and he begins to slide it inside. The moans and sobs you make vibrate around his cock, making him feel amazing. It’s difficult to keep himself from fucking your face like you did with Kaminari but he knows that a slow pace is better. 

The head of his cock presses against the back of your throat and you gag before he pushes deeper. Your face meets his pelvis for a few seconds before he pulls out. Bakugou is looking down at you as your eyes flutter closed, mouth stretched to fit his cock inside of it. You look so cute, so eager to please him. Your head must be a mess right now. 

“Damn, I’m cumming already. This is amazing.” 

The blond fucking your ass stills inside you, cum filling you. Sero is still going, his pace slow and deep. He’s nowhere near done and has more stamina than the other three. Taking it slow and thoroughly enjoying the warmth of your ass is how he wants to go. 

More cum leaks out of your cock and finally, the rod is pulled out. Cum practically pours out once the rod is fully out. It pools on your stomach and mixes with the fluids from your squirting. 

Your head is a mess, a haze of pleasure. You don’t know what’s going on besides how good you feel from all of them. You don’t care anymore. They can do whatever they want with you. 

#bakusquad x reader #bakusquad x male reader #bnha x male reader #bnha x reader #bnha x reader smut

[flameohotfamily]

How would Mai and Zuko react if they went back to Ember Island for a vacation a few years later after “The Beach” episode in season 3?

I think they went there for their honeymoon although they both hated Ember Island from the bottom of their hearts. Mai hated it because “That’s the dullest and the most boring place in the world next to Omashu, Zuko. Why would we go there again?”, and Zuko didn’t like it because it brought him sad emotions (emotions about their “once happy family”, about Azula, about their fights with Mai etc.)

But despite their complaints Ember Island was actually a good place for the vacation (which was bringing a thousand of tourists and therefore good money to the Fire Nation economics, yes), and Zuko really needed a vacation because “Please, Mai. If I spend one more day in the palace, I go crazy.”

So, after their huge and pompous, traditional “royal” wedding, which they were obliged to make only because of the court, noisy fire sages and Zuko’s Fire Lord reputation, they went to the honeymoon on Ember Island.

At the beginning their honeymoon was going quite horrible – a crowd of grateful cheering citizens welcomed their beloved Fire Lord in the port; then press started to stalk Fire Nation Royal Family everywhere – in restaurants, in the theater, on the beach, in their house (obnoxious pressmen were hiding in bushes and spying); guards followed them everywhere and even servants were smirking and exchanging knowing glances, thinking that Mai and Zuko haven’t noticed it.

Mai only sighed irritatingly, fearing that her whole marriage would be going like that – without a second of privacy. Desperate Zuko didn’t know what to do. When newlyweds appeared in public the next time with frowns on their faces, people started gossiping that the Fire Lord’s marriage is already doomed.

After a few too boring and too formal days, they decided enough. Mai and Zuko changed and sneaked out from their royal house in the dead of night, escaping at least for a few hours from all “perks” of a royal life.

And what a night that was! They were going through the beach, holding hands, while the ocean breeze was blowing on their faces and sand under their feet kept the warmth of a hot passing day. Zuko pulled Mai closer and held her, catching her lips in long kisses under the moonlight, she clung to his shoulders or sank her fingers into his hair. And when he was whispering breathlessly that he loves her, Mai wished that moment could last forever.

Zuko was happy to see this version of Mai, which he, and only he was allowed to see – her rare bright smiles, quiet giggles, a glint in her eyes as a reaction to his lovesick words, her soft touches – Zuko was falling in love again and again.

Ember Island surrounded them – finally tranquil, refreshing and beautiful at nighttime, peaceful silence only interrupted ocean waves coming to the shore and a rustle of palm leaves.

Mai and Zuko started to sneak out every night and return hardly before the dawn, once they even watched the sunrise together.

Despite the fact they couldn’t keep their hands off each other most of the time, there were moments when they just talked, exploring new edges of their tangled feelings. They were remembering their previous visit to Ember Island, discussing Azula, Ty Lee, their stupid fights, remembering all at once – how broken and wounded, and confused children they were then, for Agni’s sake!

Sometimes they planned their future and the future of their nation either, thinking which actions they should do first after returning to the capital. Mai tried to distract Zuko from unpleasant thoughts of his court and mountains of work. And when she had been seeing his dimming eyes and clenched jaw while he got lost in those thoughts, Mai was cradling her husband’s face and said firmly “You have all your life for that. And only a few days here with me. Be with me now.” Zuko smiled apologetically and relented, allowing himself to forget about his high-rank position and melt in his wife’s embraces and kisses.

They returned to Ember Island occasionally, with their friends and later with little Izumi. But only that vacation during their honeymoon was the most special and memorable. Maybe that was a “magic” of Ember Island, maybe that was simply their love, but neither Mai, nor Zuko couldn’t forget those tender quiet nights on the shore when it seemed they were alone in the world and belonged only to each other.

(Thank you for the ask! I really missed writing romantic maiko <3)

#flameohotfamily headcanons #maiko #maiko atla #atla maiko #zuko x mai #zumai #mai atla #zuko atla #married maiko #fire nation royal family #fire lord zuko #fire lady mai #maiko fluff #maiko headcanons #maiko hc #atla #flameohotfamily maiko #flameohotfamily answers

[dykejet]

omg prompt #1 with maiko would fit in with your tradgoth/mall goth hc so well

“Is that my shirt?” “You mean our shirt?”

Your mind!!!! I first thought that too ashdksjd, written under the cut ^__^

Prompt List

Sometimes, Mai really hates being a light sleeper. So is Zuko, at least, but it’s only funny when it’s his slumber that’s disturbed. She tries to hide her head under their pillows, but it does little to help. The rustling of clothes and the low sounds of Evanescence on their CD player remain.

“Ughh.”

“Oh, good. You’re up!” She can just hear his amused smile. Mean.

“I wish I wasn’t.” Zuko exhales a soft laugh. Still, it doesn’t feel like she’s going back to sleep anytime soon. Groggily, she turns her head out and onto the side. She blinks a bit to get more alert.

As guessed, Zuko is currently getting dressed. Seemingly not complete yet, if his current appearance of ripped jeans and an unclasped studded belt with no shirt mean anything. He’s sifting through their drawers.

“Do we have plans today?” Zuko finally turns toward her and nods. He shifts an arm to turn off the music.

“Ty Lee and Azula want to go to the mall with us today. Texted both of us apparently, since I always wake and see ‘em earlier.” His expression is too cheeky for her liking. She rolls her eyes, albeit with a betraying smile.

“Cool.” With this, Zuko turns back to his clothes-searching. She doesn’t make any move to get out of bed however, content to enjoy the view. Eventually he seems to pick a shirt and shimmies it on. Mai for a moment thinks of what to wear today, inwardly deciding to go with a black slip dress of hers and a leather jacket.

She pays her attention back to Zuko. He’s fully dressed by now, several slap bracelets and studded ones alike adorning his arms. He’s opening their shared makeup drawer. Mai grins a bit.

“You look lame.” Zuko rolls his eyes this time.

“You know you like it.” Mai scoffs.

“Everyday I mourn the fact my boyfriend’s a poser.” Zuko laughs louder this time, and she’d be lying if she said it didn’t give her a warm feeling in her stomach.

“You’ve called me a poser so many times by now I’m starting to think it’s a compliment.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” She refuses to confirm that. Whatever. She decides it’s her turn to get ready, and slowly sits up in bed. She takes another close look at Zuko’s outfit.

Mai’s eyes narrow. His shirt is nice today. ‘His’ Cocteau Twins shirt. Thief. “Is that my shirt?”

Zuko, the shithead (affectionate) that he is, smirks. “You mean our shirt?”

“No. I mean mine actually. You don’t even listen to them.” Of course, he knows her displeasure is fabricated, so his expression only grows more joyed.

“You barely listen to Nine Inch Nails, and yet you wore my shirt of their’s last week, so.” She hates when he’s right. It’s a bit tight at the shoulders since he’s slightly more buff than her. She quite likes the sight.

“Irrelevant.” Zuko hums in response.

“If you say so. Get dressed.” Oh yeah. Mai changes her mind on her outfit plan. She’s giving him a taste of his own medicine.

#turtledux postz #atla #mai #zuko #maiko #zumai #atla fic #atla fanfic #avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla mai #atla maiko #mai atla #maiko atla #answer #gothladymai

[codedredalert]

no lead nor steel shall reach him so [Golden Kamuy, Ogata & Yuusaku] -- gen oneshot

Ogata character study || 1705 words

A good marksman could swear blind that he knew a good shot before his bullet left the barrel.

Ogata was a good shot. The moment he pulled the trigger on Yuusaku, he knew he'd made a mistake.

Warnings: canon-typical violence, character death, Ogata is messed up and regrets nothing, this is not a nice softe redemption story.

A/N: written for @narramin​ 

(On Ao3)

===/\===

.

      1.

Ogata knew the rumours.

Second Lieutenant Hanazawa Yuusaku is the eight virtues personified, they said. No wonder he was promoted so young. No wonder he had the honour of bearing the flag.

Perhaps Ogata knew the rumours best  because they were spoken carefully around him— whispers like prey rustling the grass, catching his attention whether he willed it or not.

He's  that Ogata's brother, they said. No, reliably came the disbelieving reply. Can't be, no way, you've got to be lying, is it true? It's true, the Second Lieutenant said so, though Ogata tries to keep it quiet. Ah, well it makes sense,  he's the bastard after all, isn't he? Hah, in more ways than one…

Sideways glances between himself and their vaunted officer, not nearly as discreet as the men of the 7th Division believed themselves to be.

Have you heard? asked First Lieutenant Tsurumi in a conspiratorial whisper when he had Ogata alone. They say the Second Lieutenant is very principled.

Yes, Ogata has heard.

Shall we see for ourselves? proposed the First Lieutenant, hand outstretched, an offer.

.

.

      一.

"Life is a long road."

Grandmother taught this to him in a voice that was light to mask the weight of wisdom in those heavy words. After Mother's death, Grandmother had never faltered in her duties though she grieved, going through the funeral proceedings with head held high, and seeing to Ogata's every need with reliability that Mother had never managed, though she had tried.

"The longer one's road grows, the more places to stumble, and for impurity to rest on the soul. With time, every person falls to the suffering of existence."

She used one of her wrinkled, gnarled hands to smooth back Ogata's clipped-short hair, soothing and pleasant.

"It is just the way life is," she said.

.

.

      2.

Ogata approached Yuusaku for the first time since the young officer had first called him brother, and the younger man lit up with such unadulterated delight that it sent a shudder of disgust down Ogata's spine.

He had to be faking. No one got that excited about a night out with their bastard half-brother. But as long as the Second Lieutenant wanted to play the good brother, that suited Ogata just fine.

Ogata led Yuusaku to the pleasure district, watching with amusement as the younger man's delight turned to discomfort, to embarrassment, to distress.

"Brother… I'm terribly sorry," he said, bowing. And he  sounded sorry too, as if it physically pained him to refuse Ogata's first tenuous offer of brotherhood. His sincerity grated, as did his refusal. In one move, Yuusaku had both undermined Ogata's objective, and plainly made the grave insult that— however much he claimed to want Ogata for an elder brother— Ogata's wants and ways were beneath him.

With the trap now useless, there was no choice but to let him go, and Yuusaku walked out of the establishment as free and upright as ever.

But Ogata could be patient. As the war went on— as the acrid gunpowder, piss, shit, and anguish seeped into them all— Yuusaku would stumble. Ogata just had to bide his time and try again, try better.

.

.

      二.

His mother was beautiful in death. She had hundreds of admirers from the peak of her career, and many a swooning painter had captured her likeness. A portrait of her had been gifted to them, and it smiled bright-eyed and gentle upon Ogata from the family altar as she never had in life.

"It doesn't look like her," he remarked, as he stood side by side with his grandmother and offered incense. He remembered his mother's back as she stood in the middle of a room for long stretches of time, silent and unmoving. Her profile, as she stared out the window, watching for a man who would never come.

The joss sticks burned down to ash, and Grandmother lifted her head from her prayers. She bowed and turned away, gesturing for him to follow. He followed suit.

"People see what they want to see," she said, once she had closed the door behind them. Grandmother was very different from Mother, in that way. She always paid attention to him, even if she was silent at first. He just had to be patient.

"Men wanted her beauty, so they took whichever parts of her they found beautiful and painted over all the other parts to suit their tastes. They did not know her character, the hardship she went through. The  geisha, the  maiko… they suffer greatly for their success. But it was our hope that she would have a good life, a better life than the one we could give her. Not..."

Heartache. Deep despair. The delusion that roused her from bed only to make the same dish, day after day: a desperate, futile offering to a love that didn't realise.

Ogata understood.

.

.

      3.

"Superior Private Ogata. It appears that Yuusaku is a more gallant soldier than we imagined. He's won over the hearts of all the other men."

Ogata let out the breath he'd been holding for his shot and lowered his rifle. He could read between the lines and take the orders the First Lieutenant preferred not to say explicitly. Plausible deniability and all that. It's why the First Lieutenant liked him.

"So you're saying we're better off not killing him, sir?" asked Ogata, reloading and already looking for his next target. He didn't need an answer. "Understood."

Ogata led Yuusaku wraithlike over the fields where gunfire and screaming had reigned earlier that day. The night was quiet but far from silent, the sighing of the wind an unearthly substitute for the dead and dying soldiers' groans. Yuusaku's boots scuffed the earth as he followed. He made enough noise that Ogata could have shot him at fifty yards, blindfolded.

"I want to see you kill him," Ogata said earnestly, pressing his knife into Yuusaku's hands. Yuusaku flinched and his eyes slid away, looking for escape, looking anywhere but Ogata's eyes, anywhere but the Russian soldier gagged and bound at their feet.

"Father said I have to keep my hands clean," Yuusaku begged off, as if the word 'Father' could invoke more authority than 'Lieutenant General' or 'martial law'. Ah, but Yuusaku was a beloved child, Ogata remembered, and this was him trying to appeal to the filial respect that Ogata never had the chance to develop for the man.  

Something must have shown on Ogata's face.

Yuusaku embraced him and Ogata's blood swarmed like locusts in his veins, eating him alive with irritating discontent and a curious, persistent thought.

.

.

     三.

Mother's death was Ogata's first. A lot of customs went with it, though Ogata didn't really see why. When everything was over, Grandmother paid a priest to come bless the family and sprinkle salt at him.

"It's for your own good. Death is an unclean thing, we don't want its shadow over you," Grandmother explained when Ogata grumbled about some of it getting it into his eye. Her voice wavered ever so slightly, as she smoothed the front of her kimono. "Remember to do this after I've passed."

Ogata buried her the year he was conscripted. He didn't get the priest afterwards. There wasn't much point, on the way to a war.

.

.

      4.

It was so easy to find Yuusaku on the field, even in the chaos.

Gallant Yuusaku, leading the throng of soldiers eager to kill and die for the emperor and their nation. Ogata could frame them in his rifle sight like a painter drafting a standing screen. Yuusaku, marked by the rising sun.

It was so easy that it was a wonder how the enemy snipers hadn't gotten him first. The waving flag begged to be targeted. Did the Russians dismiss him for having no gun? For never drawing his unblooded sabre?

It was so easy to line up the shot.

What would happen if— ?

Ogata pulled the trigger.

.

.

      四.

Birds scattered as he missed, taking to the peach-pink sky above the fields behind the family house in Ibaraki. Ogata took aim for his second shot, but the timing was already so far off that there was no point. He lowered his grandfather's rifle instead of wasting another bullet.

He'd been over-eager, moving too much, and too fast. The light was gone now, and he would have to return home empty-handed.

.

.

      5.

Yuusuke's distant silhouette crumpled. His corpse joined the hundreds of bodies on the battlefield, lost in the chaos of the regiment as he went down, the bright white and red and gold tasselled flag falling slowly after him before it too disappeared from sight. Ogata lowered his rifle with a strange sense of frustration and ran his hand through his regulation cropped-short hair.

There was a strange absence of something he thought would be there, and with that... Disappointment. Profound disappointment. Like the shot when he was a child in the fields behind the family house in Ibaraki and learning to hunt, the birds scattering as he missed.

Yuusaku crowned by the sun, beloved.

He'd been overeager and now gallant Yuusaku would be forever gallant, forever pure. The impurity of death didn't seem to stick, and now Yuusaku was an immortal nuisance and Ogata still had no answer to the discontent crawling on his back.

Ogata's hand clenched on the butt of his rifle, white-knuckled with cold. This was the first time he felt  bad when he'd made his shot, bereft of something out of reach, which could have been his but never would. It was a pricking irritation similar to missing a shot. Even though he hadn't.

There were no answers here. There were no answers in the dead. Not in his mother, not in his grandmother, not in this man who called him brother.

Ogata turned and First Lieutenant Tsurumi was there. The First Lieutenant smiled in understanding and nodded in approval, as if knowing Ogata's thoughts before Ogata himself.

The father who only had enough love to raise one virtuous son. Yes, Ogata could just ask him directly. There was no point thinking about Yuusaku any longer.

Yuusaku was dead. That was the end of it. Ogata couldn't reach him anymore.

Time to turn to the living.

===/END\===

(On Ao3)  ( patreon ) ( kofi ) ( paypal )

#ogata hyakunosuke #hanazawa yuusaku #tsurumi tokushirou #golden kamuy #gk #golden kamuy fanfiction #gk fanfic #gk fic #my writing #mine

[softjeon]

The perfect Illusion | Pt. 6

• Pairing: Geisha!Jimin x Namjoon | Side-Pairing: Geisha!Jungkook x Yoongi • Genre: Fluff / Angst  | Geisha!AU ( → Gifset Trailer) • Words: 7,7k | ↳ AO3 • Disclaimer: mentioning of abusive behavior

*** please note that this story doesn’t mean to represent accurate geisha tradition, it was solely inspired by the beautiful art form, giving it a modern twist in a fictional universe and therefore has been dramatized for entertainment purposes.

written with @cassiavioletblue

↳  He was the perfect illusion. The getaway for anyone who didn’t want to face reality. And yet, there was something in his eyes, something vulnerable and hopeful as if he was dying for someone to see through him, to care for him enough to look behind the mask and draw out the real Jimin. And Namjoon couldn’t wait to do exactly that.

« previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter »

Jungkook’s heart was beating so hard in his chest that his ears filled with the loud thumping sound of it. When Jimin had hugged him, Jungkook searched his eyes for a second. There was something behind them that told him that he was nervous, anxious and scared. As if there was something he wanted to tell him, but he simply couldn’t.

The moment Jimin and Namjoon ran off together, Jungkook turned to do what had been asked of him. He grabbed the torn robe, quickly gathering the geisha’s entire make up into a box to close it and threw Jimin’s jacket over it. One last glance, Jungkook peeked over the side of the stage, barely seeing Namjoon being pulled out of the door and outside. He had a bad feeling about this.

Hoseok was already agitated, if he would find out… Jungkook gulped, trying not to think about any consequences as he ran towards the exit. But Namjoon would keep Jimin safe right? Jungkook hastily opened the curtain, glancing over his shoulder to see if Hoseok was somewhere close and then ran into the opposite direction.  

“Kook?” Yoongi called out for him the moment he saw him, relieved that he had run into the young Maiko instead of anyone else. Namjoon had run off and left it to him to make sure that his business partner and friend wouldn’t make a mess of everything. “Hey have you seen Namjoon? Or Jimin? I couldn’t keep him from running backstage to make sure he’s okay. I tried to make up an excuse for him and when I went after him he was already gone. Please tell me he isn’t causing trouble because of his blindly executed good heartedness?” He had been ready to play dumb customer in case he ran into anyone else but with Jungkook he could speak bluntly.

Jungkook shook his head, still feeling a bit too light-headed from the rollercoaster of emotions. “N-no, he’s with Jimin…,” The young maiko was looking around nervously, biting his lip, before he just reacted on instinct. He grabbed Yoongi’s arm, pulling him with him as he quickly lead the way to a door and pushed it open. It was only one of the many hallways that lead back to their residence, but Jungkook was sure no one would take this way right now as it lead through the geisha’s kitchen and the storage room and right now everyone was busy with doing their services – so all of the tea and snacks were coming from the main hall’s kitchen. Only when they were far enough from the door, so in case someone came they could hide again, Jungkook spoke up again. “I think they went out into the garden…Jimin was prohibited from doing service tonight.” Averting his gaze, Jungkook looked down at the ripped robe that was hanging loosely over his arm.  

“So, they are sensible for once and aren’t at risk of being caught?” Yoongi was still skeptical. “Wouldn’t it be better to try and fix the robe? I’m sure you have sewers that can work wonders. You must have rips and tears all the time with the amount of dancing you do.”

Jungkook put the robe over one of the kitchenettes and shook his head. “Even if you fix it…you still have to pay for it…for the damage you did, for the repair work. It doesn’t matter.” He shrugged his shoulders, worrying his bottom lip as he thought of how small Jimin seemed when they were shouting at him, scolding him and telling him how useless he was. “We always have to pay for our stuff. All of our living expenses will be put on our debt.” Jungkook could only barely keep himself from rubbing over his face tiredly – but he wore his makeup that he had tried to fix quickly from crying because of seeing Jimin so defeated.  

“Hm, I see.” Yoongi shook his head. “You really have a fucked up life. You’re being punished for everything that could make you seen human. It’s a wonder he doesn’t charge you for breathing the air.” Yoongi looked at the robe and frowned. “I wish I could just fix this, take Jimin’s dance dress and just let someone else repair it - but I know that wouldn’t be allowed. Everything is to be handled internally so that no one can diminish the mystery surrounding the “hummingbirds”. It’s bullshit if you ask me. It almost feels as if Hoseok is doing this for the control and not to balance his accounts.”

The younger’s doe eyes were big, a bit too glassy from crying too much as he listened to Yoongi. He slowly soothed over the ripped fabric. “Maybe,” He hummed quietly, “But weren’t you intrigued by it, too? People don’t care about what goes on behind it all. They only care about the feeling…and Hoseok knows what the people want. We never had a choice in this life anyways…so, why would it matter now?” His sudden wide eyes spoke of the realization that he had talked too much again and Jungkook quickly bowed his head in apology. “I…I am sorry. I need to bring this…this back…I need to hurry. I have service…and…”

Yoongi held him back by the shoulder, maybe a bit too suddenly because Jungkook folded in on himself as if he expected Yoongi to push him backwards or attack him otherwise. “Jungkook… Kookie... are you really still scared of me? Don’t you know that I would never hurt you? Yes, I am intrigued by geishas, by their silent promises, everything they stand for even if it’s fake. But that doesn’t mean I want those boys to suffer because of it. I can’t close my eyes now that I’ve seen how much pressure Jimin is under - or how much you have to lose. I don’t want to watch you dance if behind the stage you have to pay for it.”

Staring into Yoongi’s eyes, Jungkook could see the honesty, the way he was trying to understand their situation and the anger he felt because of their mistreatment. No matter what Yoongi had done to his heart, he had done it well. Jungkook was head over heels in love. His heart a complete mess, jumping against his chest as if he tried to pull Jungkook closer to the other, as if it only could calm down the moment it would be embraced by his warmth. Jungkook wasn’t sure what came over him, but he let go off the robe and everything else, pushing it onto one of the shelves just to press his lips onto Yoongi. But it had been what his heart wanted. “I don’t want to dance if you’re not watching me.” He whispered against his lips, not wanting to part for a second.  

Jungkook kissing him was the last thing that he had expected. Luckily his body moved on its own, kissing the younger right back while his mind tried to catch up with what was happening. As it had been Kook who initiated it he dared to touch him for real this time, embracing him tightly and holding him so that he could feel him close to his own body. It was addictingly amazing.

Jungkook pulled off just a little, cupping Yoongi’s cheeks with the palm of his hands to look at him. “Will you wait for me? Jimin says it’s not much anymore…if..if my mi-,” He broke off, soothing over Yoongi’s jawline with the tip of his finger, feeling the other’s heartbeat against his own chest. “Do you want me, Yoongi?” Jungkook asked in a careful whisper, “If I’m a geisha…”

“I already want you now if that’s what you’re asking. Though I know you can’t do that. We can wait. With everything, after... you’ve become an adult.” Thinking of the mizuage messed up his head and his stomach alike and he had no idea how to talk about this or approach - or if it would be better for the both of them to just avoid the topic until it was over and done with.

Jungkook giggled softly, before he pulled Yoongi in a tight hug. His heart was doing somersaults at the thought of Yoongi wanting him, too and if he would be able to pay off a lot of his debt, maybe work a few more months depending on how much money he would make, then he could be with him… or Yoongi would just simply ask to marry him. Either way, he just wanted to be with Yoongi in the end, because he felt like someone he could call home. “Stay with me for a little while, will you?”

“You think that’s smart considering how furious Hoseok looked like before? I’d rather not be the one to get you in trouble when my intention had been keeping Namjoon from doing just that. I think you should better go back. We’ll see each other soon, as always. I wouldn’t want to miss watching you become a geisha.”  

Jungkook nodded softly, but still kept holding onto Yoongi a little while longer, before he let go, stealing one last kiss. He knew Yoongi was right, but his heart told him otherwise.

And it was aching more with each step he took away from him.

…

Yoongi was leaning against the lamppost outside of the establishment after Jungkook and him had parted into two different directions. He still hadn’t found Namjoon, so he thought it would be best to just wait outside. Humming a happy tune to himself, Yoongi stared up at the stars. A soft smile played on his lips as he traced them with his fingertips, the tingly feeling from where Jungkook had kissed him still too evident to simply forget about it – not that he wanted to anyways. He sighed deeply, shaking himself out of his dream when a sudden rustle a few feet away from him made him stop. Yoongi furrowed his brows deeply, trying to narrow his eyes to see in the dark. He startled when a figure appeared out of one of the bushes and Yoongi blinked a couple of times to make sure he was imagining things already.

“Namjoon?” Yoongi scratched the back of his neck, walking up to him as the other tried to dust off the dirt. “Did you…get lost?” Sighing deeply, Yoongi held onto Namjoon’s arm, not even letting him answer, before already confessing, “We kissed again.”

“Maybe.” Namjoon dusted off his clothes and then cleared his throat, embarrassed that Yoongi had seen him walk through the bushes. Jimin had told him how to get back to the main area but either he hadn’t listened properly, or he had missed a turning because suddenly he had been faced with a pretty impermeable hedgerow and he kind of had to worm his way through - just to run right into Yoongi as if the other had waited for him. “Wait.” He froze, “What do you mean you kissed again. Who? Jungkook? Maiko Jungkook? Innocent little not-yet-considered-an-adult Jungkook? Geez, Yoongi!”

Shrugging his shoulders, he waved Namjoon off, “Yeah, and what about it? I like him. I like him a lot and he kissed me this time. He wanted to kiss me.” Looking his friend up and down, he noticed immediately the way Namjoon was tightening his hands into a fists repeatedly, the anger was visible in the way he was looking at the golden sign of the establishment. Yoongi quickly changed his demeanor at the realization. He ran after Namjoon, who was waving for a taxi at the side of the street.

“What is it? Is Jimin alright...Jungkook told me he wasn’t allowed back because of his fall?” He stopped Namjoon, before the other could get into a taxi first, looking at his best friend thoroughly, “What happened, Joon?”

…

When Jimin came in, it was late already. The moon was dipping the room into a silver light, as he was moving slowly and quietly not to wake the younger. Every muscle in his body was hurting, his heart aching painfully. Standing frozen at the door, Jimin looked over to the shadowy figure that was Jungkook sleeping peacefully. He had to keep going, for him, even if every fiber of his body was screaming at him to rest. Jimin leaned his head back against the door, fighting the urge to just fall onto his knees and cry. Instead, he quietly shuffled over to Jungkook’s side, lifting the blanket to crawl under it. Jungkook was sleeping on his back, snoring quietly and giving Jimin the perfect chance to just lean his head onto his chest – just like he had done with Namjoon only hours ago. He couldn’t be alone tonight.

…

The morning air felt heavy. Jimin’s eyes were still puffy and he hadn’t slept very well. The bruise on his thigh has gotten worse, but it was only a few scratches, nothing too dangerous, so he had taken Jungkook right back to training with him. Jimin ignored the pain in his thigh, stretching with the younger in the dance room, none of them really talking about what had happened last night.  

“I’m proud of you, Jungkook,” Jimin walked around the younger, smiling reassuringly at him, “I always have been and always will be, remember that okay?” He stepped back and put on the music, giving Jungkook the space he needed for his dance as he gracefully moved around the room. The moment he was taking in his ending pose, a slow clap from the door made both of them jerk around. Jimin had been way too mesmerized by his dance and Jungkook too far gone in his concentration.

“Jungkook,” Hoseok nodded affirmative, “I see you’ve been working hard. Tell me again…,” He took a step closer to the younger, ignoring Jimin’s presence completely, who was looking warily from him to Jungkook and back again. “You know every step of Jimin’s dances right?”

Jungkook swallowed harshly. He had no idea what this was about, if Hoseok would test him or if he just wanted to check if he was confident enough to represent the tea house. “Y...yes, I do?” His eyes flickered over to Jimin nervously, leaning towards him a little in an instinctive search for comfort.

“You will be doing all of Jimin’s dances. I can’t afford to have someone missing in the show…just until Jimin will come back to his senses,” Hoseok patted Jungkook’s cheek a little awkwardly, “And you’ll be a geisha in a couple of days…so it’s your right to take over then. I hope everything is all settled.” Pushing his hands into his waist, he smiled proudly, “Another boy growing to be a geisha.” The smile didn’t waver as he turned on his heel, looking right through Jimin as he left them without saying any proper goodbye.  

“N...no, I can’t.. Jimin is way better than…,” Hoseok didn’t even pretend to listen to him he just walked away from him leaving the two of them with no choice but to accept his cruel demand. “Jimin!” Jungkook turned towards the older. “I can’t do this! I don’t want to do this, those are your dances, your opportunities to get attention of possible customers. I won’t take that away from you. Can’t you talk to Hoseok? Tell him you will be more careful, that you won’t fall on stage again. You never fell before. I’m sure he’ll listen to you; he always talks to you and gives you his fullest attention.”

“I already talked to him and he said my punishment will be decided tomorrow…which is now.” Jimin patted Jungkook’s shoulder softly, “It’s okay. You’ll be doing great and you can make so much more money then. If you’re a geisha then, people will want to see you, tip you…its good. You’re so close, Jungkook. Don’t mess it up now, please. Do it for me, okay?” Cupping the Youngers cheek, the geisha looked at him in earnest, “Promise me?”

“No!” He turned his head away from Jimin’s touch. “How can you think I’d throw you under the bus like that? You wouldn’t do that to me so why would I rob you of the only way to earn your money? This is why we are here! And I know you want to get out of here too you can’t hide that. Not from me.”

Jimin’s expression softened, tears burning in his eyes just because everything just had been too much lately, and he couldn’t bear to see Jungkook mad. “We can’t do anything about Hoseok’s decision now, you know that. And yes,” He toned down his voice, “I want to get out of here, too and I will. Right after you…N-Namjoon, he will help me.” Rubbing the side of his temple, Jimin felt the headache settling in. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he snapped them open again to look at the maiko softly, “You aren’t robbing me, nor are you throwing me under the bus. If I know that your chances of getting out of here are heightened it is everything I want. Please do that for me, okay? I will follow, I promise.”

Jungkook’s stance wavered a little at that. “Namjoon will help? And you are sure that it will be okay? I… I don’t want to make Hoseok angry by disobeying him like that but... you promise you will talk to him again? Maybe he changes his mind. You can get your dances back at every time. They are yours and no one dances them as beautifully as you.”

“Yes, of course if that is what you want,” He said before adding, “And I am more than sure. Namjoon promised me, that they will take you somewhere safe when you’re out of here. You will be taken care of until I’ll be there, or you know what you want to do, or where you want to be.” Jimin nodded softly; barely able to look into Jungkook’s eyes with his own tearing up, so he quickly hugged the younger tightly only pulling back lightly when he got a hold of himself. “I trust him,” The geisha whispered, “More than that actually. I love him…”

Jungkook made a surprised sound. “Oh Minnie! That’s... that’s awesome! I knew he had a thing for you the moment you entered the room on our first private show with them. But I never thought that you would fall in love with him too! Sometimes life is fair after all, right? You deserve to be happy. And you will make Namjoon so very, very happy. I’m hoping he’ll do the same for you.”

Jimin couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Let’s start from the top, shall we? We have a  lot to practice…and I need to tell you a little bit…maybe I kissed Namjoon,” Jimin cheered, trying to keep up a happier voice as he turned back to the music and pushed ‘play’, hastily wiping over his eyes to get rid of the tears and not making Jungkook bombard him with questions right away. Watching Jungkook dance and train (with a lot of memories of Namjoon’s smile and the way his lips felt against his own) was the only way to keep his mind from slipping.

At least right now.

Just for a little while. 

It didn’t take long for Jimin to feel useless like he hadn’t in quite a while. When everybody was gone and working, doing services, he was always left alone.

So, the days passed and when normally every day of his was filled with duties of being a geisha, Jimin had absolutely nothing now. He didn’t even wear make-up today, carrying the laundry outside to hang it in the sun to dry while the others were working. He was doing the work of a maiko. Not one of a geisha that had been here for way too long. And it wasn’t even his laundry!

Biting his tongue, Jimin kept himself from crying. He had cried too much the past days. The only thing that kept him not drifting into a dark mindset was the thought of Namjoon and Jungkook. Though both weren’t with him right now and although he could see Jungkook anytime he wanted to, Namjoon was out of reach for him.

It was driving him crazy.

…

Bowing deeply, the geisha blinked up at the handsome man in front of him. “Mr. Kim, I am sorry to inform you that Jimin won’t be able to make it tonight so I’d be honored if I can accompany you.” The geisha immediately linked his arms with him, not really waiting for an answer and motioned towards the small bridge that led into the garden, pulling a stunned Namjoon with him. “We need to enjoy a beautiful day like this,” The geisha held out his hand right over the sun, letting it rays shine right through them as he moved his fingers softly, the shadow dancing on his face. “Don’t you think?”

“Why...” He swallowed down his question and followed Taehyung as he didn’t really have another choice. “Would you mind telling me why exactly my private session with Jimin was cancelled? Please don’t take this the wrong way you are charming as well of course but I’m not really fond of surprises.”

The Geisha bowed his head in a respectful manner. “Oh, I didn’t…want to make you feel uncomfortable. I apologize,” Taehyung spoke in perfect mannerism as he led Namjoon further into the garden. “I’m not supposed to tell you but…I can trust you, right? You’re a gentleman.” He poked Namjoon’s chest, giggling, “Jimin only accompanies gentlemen. He always got an eye out on the rich, beautiful men.” Shaking his head, as if he had drifted off, Taehyung smiled at Namjoon, sounding too cheerful for talking about Jimin like this, “As a geisha you’re supposed to follow rules…if you don’t, you get reprimanded, Mr. Kim. Don’t you remind your employees of their loyalty, too if you feel like they are…well, not keeping in line?”

Namjoon didn’t like the direction in which this was heading. But it wasn’t like he could just tell that to Taehyung's face and then expect that it wouldn’t make things more difficult for him and Jimin. “So…Jimin is grounded in some way? Could you tell me when he’s allowed to take on customers again? Just so that I know when to schedule my next appointment.”

“I’m not sure, sir.” Taehyung answered honestly, “They are preparing a mizuage right now. I don’t know if you have heard. Are you going to bet, Mr. Kim? Maybe after that’s done he’s going to be allowed back. It’s always a lot of stress for Mr. Jung each time.” Namjoon’s smile was forced and tight lipped. “Yes, I’ve heard. And no, I’m not going to bid on him. I come here for relaxation and light company, not for sex.”

Namjoon froze on the spot when he saw a movement in one of the buildings. The window was open, and someone was folding clothes. It was Jimin. The way Taehyung's face twisted into a secret little smile he realized that this hadn’t happened on accident. Taehyung wanted him to see. Maybe he wanted him to feel bad - or he thought that Namjoon wouldn’t like Jimin after he had seen him in casual clothes. Because instead of his geisha outfits he wore a loose worn out shirt and pants that had been sown at the knees. He didn’t wear any makeup either and Namjoon’s jaw hung open. Until now the younger had always worn some kind of makeup - because as a geisha he needed to wear it for a customer. Even when they had met backstage or in between Jimin had always been already prepared. Though there was absolutely nothing on his face. No paint, no color around his eyes or tint on his lips. He just looked entirely himself - and so very, very soft.

Namjoon had ended the appointment earlier than usual, tipping Taehyung extra to not make it seem like he hadn’t been a good company. He had been, just a little too perfect. Too made up, his geisha mask perfectly in place.

But Namjoon didn’t want that, he wanted Jimin and knowing the other had been punished for his fall (he had no clue that Hoseok had seen Jimin sneaking back in) was making him awfully sick. When he passed the reception, Namjoon forced himself to smile at the young lady there who was always greeting everyone so nicely on their way in our out. “I hope you have a good evening. Oh…Sir, I got something for you,” She waved her hand, making Namjoon stop immediately.

What if Jimin gave him a message? Maybe he had seen him too? The hope was blooming in his chest like a flower - just for a second, before it all wilted again.  

“We’re holding a ‘coming of age’ this Saturday and you are invited,” The receptionist smile didn’t waver a bit as she handed the card over to him and Namjoon hesitantly took it from her. It all didn’t seem right, and it made Namjoon awfully aware that he couldn’t keep this from happening, no matter how hard he tried. He didn’t say anything when he turned on his heel again; rushing outside into the cold air of the night, hoping it would clear his head. He had nothing, but word against word to get Jimin out of here.

And even more nothing, to keep Jungkook from having to give himself over to a stranger.  

...

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Namjoon leaned back against the couch in Yoongi’s apartment, groaning in a desperate manner. He startled just a little when the other’s hand placed onto his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “You know what to do.” Yoongi sat down beside him, holding out a cup of decaf coffee for Namjoon (hey, not even he drank coffee in the middle of the night) who took it with a faint smile.

“But I don’t want to play his game. It isn’t fair,” The anger was boiling hot inside of him and still he knew that Yoongi was right. He hadn’t had much options anymore. And the more he stayed away from Jimin, the more he couldn't take it. “And what about Jungkook? I promised him that we take care of him. Jimin said, his debt is almost paid of...with this stupid…,” Namjoon threw the invitation card onto the table and Yoongi’s eyes followed it for a second as it slid across the glass surface, “...this stupid ‘coming of age’...”  

Yoongi’s face changed, just subtly but he didn’t comment on what was literally right in front of him. Namjoon wondered, honestly what Yoongi was feeling when thinking about the mizuage. He himself couldn’t even think about Jimin’s mizuage without nausea and anger poisoning his inside, making him want to throw things and destroy something - preferably Hoseok.

He couldn’t imagine how Yoongi must feel thinking about what was about to come. As it was right now it seemed Yoongi would just repress it and try to forget everything it meant. Of course he could always bid on him but a) it was an awful, awful lot of money that Hoseok would get which was not what either of them wanted and it would also support the horrible tradition itself and b) how would it affect their relationship if Yoongi crushed their blooming romance by forcing Jungkook to lose his virginity to him in a way that had nothing to do with love and everything with disregarding the younger’s personal wishes? 

He sighed deeply, wiping a hand over his face and hoping that it would wipe away the sadness as well and all the horrible thoughts and emotions with it. 

“Let’s just hope the mizuage will be over soon and Kookie...” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. What was he supposed to say anyway? ‘Let’s hope that sweet little Kook won’t get a trauma from being taken by the highest bidder just so he can pay off his debt to an abusive asshole who made money with buying children that he then turned into fragile beings, ready to be broken for his own pleasure? He hated this, he hated it so much!

It had been the longest days until Jungkook’s mizuage.

The days at the office had been quiet. The tension was palpable in the room and Namjoon swore if he reached out into the air he could feel it, that’s how thick it was. The more days passed, the more agitated seemed the designer, while he tried to concentrate on his project. But Namjoon could see the tension in his shoulders, the deep crease in his brows that Yoongi only had when he was overthinking something, tapping the pencil nervously against the drawing board. Namjoon had asked Yoongi earlier if they wanted to get a drink together tonight, trying to cheer the other up in hope he could forget about what the young maiko was doing tonight. But Yoongi had only growled at him and he backed off. It was never a wise decision to anger an angry Yoongi further. So, Namjoon decided to just let him be, getting him some lunch later (because Yoongi easily forgot to eat a lot of times when he was stressed out) and kept himself from talking about Jungkook, or the establishment.  

Namjoon was rubbing the side of his temples in an oncoming headache, staring at his screen for the longest time without even really realizing what he was reading for the nth time today. He had to start over a couple of times until the email was finally sent and he could lean back. Letting his gaze wander over their lengthy office, Namjoon startled when he saw Yoongi’s workplace empty.

Quickly, he took a look around but Yoongi was nowhere to be seen.

“Soyou?” Namjoon pushed down the dial that connected him with their secretary, “Did you see Yoongi go out?” A sough came through the speaker, before a soft voice answered, “He already clocked out, Mr. Kim.” Namjoon hummed in response as he glanced over to the clock. His heart began to beat fast when he saw how late it was. Maybe this was stupid, even more so from all the things he had done before - but if he would hurry now, Namjoon could still make it to the ‘coming of age’ show, that was about to start in thirty minutes. There was a need burning inside of him that felt like he wanted to support Jimin in this, whose heart must be breaking in a millions of pieces tonight seeing Jungkook being scared and anxious. He didn’t even care if he had to sneak in again or see Jimin only through the garden gate to talk to him, to tell him that everything would be okay and that he would find a way.  

…

The morning of Jungkook’s mizuage, Jimin slipped under the covers of his blanket, waking the younger with a kiss on his cheek and a loving smile. He held the younger, letting him stay in his embrace just for a little while until neither of them could stretch the time further. Helping Jungkook up, he intertwined their hands tightly, determined on not letting him go until he had to go on stage. Jimin was washing Jungkook’s face, wiping over his cheeks softly as the younger was trying to hold back the tears. The geisha didn’t say anything, just took care of him silently and with the uttermost care to not startle him. “Take a shower, okay? Then we’ll put some lotion on. You can use mine…the one which smells like roses, the one you like so much.” Jimin soothed over the younger’s cheek, “I won’t leave you, remember. I’ll stay right here.”

Jungkook just nodded as he didn’t trust his voice right now. He knew that he wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last to go through with this and yet he was scared, so very scared of what was about to come. He didn’t want this. But it wasn’t as if he had a choice and so he tried to be brave and do everything with a smile. He needed to be pretty and sweet and graceful or no one would want him. He only had one chance before being sent back into a room where he had to wait for the highest bidder to come to him, not even knowing who it would be until the door opened. His stomach was already tying itself into knots at that thought alone and he was glad he hadn’t had breakfast yet or it might have come back up. He gripped Jimin’s arm tightly, keeping him from walking away from him even for one step. “T...tell me again how it’s going to be fine, Jimin, p...please!”

The fear was so evident in Jungkook’s eyes that Jimin felt his heart breaking right in that very moment. Cupping his soft cheeks, the geisha stepped closer, “It’s going to be fine, Jungkook. I promise, baby, I promise.” Hugging the younger close, Jimin held on tightly to him, scared that otherwise Jungkook might fall apart right in front of him. “I will be right there again, okay?” He placed a kiss on Jungkook’s cheeks, “And then I won’t ever let go of you. Not once. It’s going to be over soon.” Jimin hated that he needed to talk to Jungkook like this, to make him feel confident enough to go through with everything. He wished he could have prevented this, that no harm was ever going to come close to the younger – but even Jimin couldn’t protect him forever.

He hadn’t spoken it aloud that he didn’t want this, and he hadn’t planned on doing it either but right now with his head against Jimin’s shoulder and the others arms around him it just broke its way out of him. “Minnie, I don’t think I can do this, I don’t want this, please, and I don’t want anyone to have me I… I don’t even know what I’m doing and… and... It’s too much, way too much I like kissing Yoongi but everything else is just... I don’t want this, Minnie please, I can’t... I just can’t...” His voice died out as it was choked by tears and he finally started crying even if he had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t right this very morning.

Jimin was barely able to catch Jungkook with the way he fell into his hold even more now. “I…I know I’m so sorry, please, I tried…Jungkookie, I tried so much. I wish I could do this instead of you,” Jimin wrapped his arms around the younger, soothingly caressing over his back while he fought his own tears that threatened to spill over. “Sh,shh-h, it’s going to be alright,” He whispered, placing a few more kisses on his cheeks, “I will catch you; I promise I will.” Leaning back a little more, he lifted Jungkook’s face so the younger looked at him. “You will be out of here soon, and then no one can hurt you anymore. Do you hear me? I won’t let anyone hurt you and I don’t care if it’s not allowed but I will be close by and if you need me. Scream my name, okay?” Jimin sniffled quietly, repeating his order once more so Jungkook understood. “I don’t care anymore. Hoseok can punish me as much as he wants but he doesn’t get to hurt you.”

“H...hoseok? But I’m not talking about Hoseok. Minnie, I’m not scared of him I... I mean I am whenever he gets angry, but you always seem to calm him and I’m so, so thankful for the way you protect me. I don’t always tell you but I... I know. That you talk to him for me. That when he’s angry at me and you go with him he forgets my punishment. One day you have to teach me how to talk to people like that, okay?” He tried to smile before it faded back into worry. “I’m... I’m scared of ... of everything that has to happen tonight. I don’t want to step on the stage knowing everyone’s eyes are on me for an entirely different reason than usual. I don’t want to wait in silence, alone until they’re done bidding on me as if... as if I don’t have worth on my own and I’m only worth my innocence - or the money I can make for Hoseok. And I don’t… I don’t want to...” His throat closed up again and he got himself out of Jimin’s hold. His smile wavered a little, but he put it back into place, the same way Jimin had learned to do at a very, very early age: Pushing back everything you felt and just concentrating on surviving. No matter the cost.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to … to whine. You already do so much for me. And I know this can’t be helped. I just have to go through with it. You must think I’m such a spoilt, egoistic child trying to get out of this when you all had to do this before me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… bother you. Forgive me please.”

Jimin’s eyes had widened for a moment, until he quickly replaced his expression with a warm smile. “That’s what I meant,” He nodded, caressing over Jungkook’s cheeks, “You are worth so much, Jungkook. So, so much…I wish I could have worked harder for us. To get us out of here sooner, but I couldn’t and I’m sorry.” Jimin couldn’t bear to see Jungkook smiling like this, knowing he was the reason why he had learned to push back his pain and ignore his own feelings over this. “Remember, you’re always worth so much to me. You’re not whiny, Jungkook,” He reached out for Jungkook’s hand to squeeze it lightly, “You’re scared and that’s okay. I was scared, too. A lot,. actually. What did I tell you, hm? It’s okay to feel these kind of things, to be scared.”

He absolutely despised to see Jungkook like this, so stiff and with a wavering smile on his lips. Sighing deeply, Jimin had to admit his defeat though, because no matter what he would say, no matter how many times he would tell Jungkook it was okay to be scared it would change absolutely nothing about the situation. But at least he could promise Jungkook something, that he hadn’t when it had been his mizuage. Jimin soothed over the younger’s hair once, gazing deep into his eyes, “You won’t be alone in this.”

“Yeah. I won’t.” He couldn’t suppress the shudder that run through him when he imagined some shady, faceless figure that would come into the room he was waiting in to do to him whatever they had paid for but quickly pushed that thought down. It would happen no matter what. So, he better got used to it. He’s had years that had been nice because of Jimin, being shielded and cared for. It was time he grew up and acted as an adult. He needed to take responsibility, lift the weight off of Jimin’s shoulders after he had carrying it for so long because of him. He would manage.

They both would.

While Jungkook had been taking a shower, Jimin prepared everything else in their room. His gaze was wandering over his desk, counting every piece of make-up he had before turning around to check on Jungkook’s robe again that Jin had made for this special occasion. He did this a couple of times, checking every little detail and making the younger even more nervous with it when he stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. They had all day to themselves and Jimin had planned it perfectly, with enough time, so neither would get stressed or if Jungkook would freak out there was still a lot of space for him to calm him again.  

Jungkook stood there awkwardly, naked except for the thin bathrobe that he was using to cover himself up, looking at Jimin who was going over the details once again. “Do you think I could skip some of the preparation and just go over the choreo again? I’ll come back in time for you to do my makeup and hair and dress me like you’re supposed to but... I’d really like to feel as if I’m having some time to myself on this day. Just... a little while. Alone. You think that would be okay?” He smiled as if he was perfectly fine now. He’s had the whole shower time to practice.

The geisha looked up at the younger, a little confused and his heart was beating fast against his chest. “I guess,” Jimin got up from the bed he sat on and walked over to Jungkook, squeezing his arm lightly, “Please don’t sweat too much then and…if you need me. I-I have to do some laundry duty anyways, so I’ll be back in an hour if you’re looking for me.” Before the geisha turned around though, he looked at Jungkook thoroughly one last time, opening his mouth to say something just to close it again.

There was no way to make it easier for them.  

Jungkook nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief as soon as Jimin had turned his back on him. He wasn’t used to pretending and it was really energy consuming. So he wanted to go to the training room, all alone and just dance his heart out one last time.

For himself.

No one else.

And if needed to cry again then he would without having to tell someone or justify himself or assuring the others that he was fine and would behave as expected of him. He just wanted to be himself for a tiny little moment before someone would take that away from him and just treat him like a human toy, something to buy and use and leave in whatever state he would be in. He just hoped he would have a few minutes to himself after. Or hours. To practice his smile and cater to the whole in his chest that had started to grow this morning and threatened to swallow him whole cause he just wasn’t used to this. He wondered if Jimin’s had that too and just learned to cope - or if he was stronger as a person in general. He was too soft, too childlike, and too naive, he knew that. And it had been okay for as long as he had been a Maiko. But he couldn’t take that with him to the other side.

Tomorrow he would be grown up and he needed to act like that.

The show had already started, when Jimin was still applying the last bits of Jungkook’s make-up, the music filling the silence between them. Jungkook had been away for a couple of hours, before giving into the preparations that were necessary for the ceremony. The geisha was keeping one of his hands placed on Jungkook’s firmly, wanting to give the younger something to hold onto while he was applying some more powder and for the first time giving him a full geisha make-up. “You’re beautiful, Jungkook,” Jimin whispered softly, “You look really, really handsome. Look…” He placed a finger under Jungkook’s chin, making him tilt his face towards the mirror so he could look at himself. Getting up, he walked around the younger reaching out for the belt that was still hanging loosely around a chair. “Now, I’ll be the one helping you,” Jimin tried a smile and motioned for Jungkook to get up and turn around for him.  

Seeing himself in the mirror was a strange feeling. Because his face didn’t look like him. He had become comfortable in the mask the maiko makeup provided it had become his identity. And now all that was gone, replaced with something more mature he had to fit into although he didn’t feel different yet. However, he knew he would tomorrow morning. He smiled at the mirror. Mentally patting himself on the back because his smile looked good, a little different but... mature. As if faking it was all it was about. “Thank you, Jimin. It really looks good.” He let the older wrap the belt around him and then asked him to pull a little tighter because he feared like he might collapse if there wasn’t something keeping him together. And he couldn’t breathe properly anyway so he should better make it worth it.

There wasn’t much left to say, nothing more to do but to wait for Jungkook’s cue. Since Jimin was still being punished, the geisha didn’t need to wear any makeup, or any fancy robes that Jungkook needed to help him with. So, they stood there, waiting with their hands intertwined until it was the younger’s turn. Something in the atmosphere changed immediately, a whisper fell to the crowd, well aware that the next dancer would be the one they could bid for. It sent a shiver down Jimin’s spine and he squeezed Jungkook’s hand one last time, before letting him go.

It was the simplest and hardest thing he’d ever done.

When the music began to play and the younger moved so effortlessly across the stage, the memories began flooding Jimin’s mind: from the day he had been introduced to the young boy until now. Everything he had done from that moment on, he had done for Jungkook. Jimin wiped a tear from his cheek, sniffling quietly.  

Jungkook stepped on stage and for a split second he felt like he couldn’t move. The air vanished completely from his lungs and he couldn’t see from the lights he was normally used to. Fear froze him in place and all he wanted was to run off stage and hide or run away and only stop running when he had found a place where no one would ever find him again. But then the music started, and his body moved on its own, the countless hours of practice that had conditioned his muscles setting them in motion and he closed his eyes, just banished everything from his mind.

And danced.

A/N: Oh the mizuage is happening. You know things will happen soon, right ;) What do you think? Where is Yoongi? Will Namjoon make it in time and will he find Jimin who isn’t allowed to be in the main room anymore? Hoseok seems pretty fed up with him. Yahhh, we will see ;) Only two more chapters left. Let us know what you think in the comments below!❤ @cassiavioletblue and I can’t wait to know what you guys thoughts are!

Subscribed: @jeonsdear @starlightstae @p-ixelite @lissachan504 @wise-bts-collector@nochuukookie@h-e-l-p-m-e-p-l-e-a-s-e00 @hisheartsmile @absque-nocte@violetrose120 @fusselkuchen @gelsavitichi @minsugasnerd @yoonqiful @thenameoftherain @jjkscnery @tobi-love @banaani-mins @writeasifwordsarepaintbrushes @it-is-dana @nomimits7 @laur-zipan@mytokyos @ksjinandtonic @eenabannana-blog @angeljk @gguksbam @bngtnsnyndn-ily @whatarelarryfeels @7sirens @awjiminie @violentredroses @dancelinestan @hinikkihere @the-magic-shoppe @vannilacake @listlessmaenads @king-of-the-rain-and-wolves @siedhr @dirkstrider98 @moonshinestudies @cecechiro @babyboyyjjk @messedupfail @bambi-lolita @miss-understand-ing @dayonyl

↳ If you want to be tagged in new updates you can now sign up in my subscription list here!

#networkbangtan #bangtanarmynet #kwritersworldnet #kwordsmiths #minjoon #thebtstown #nksnet #pjmnetwork #jimin #namjoon #bts #bangtan #bts fanfic #jimin fanfic #namjoon fanfic #minjoon fanfic #mini moni #nammin #yoonkook #yoongi #jungkook #bts angst #bts fluff #/mywriting #mine

[knybits]

A Murder of One

Chapter:

18

Summary: 

Let’s get to work

Previous Chapter | Origin | Next Chapter 

“Upper moon six?” 

Iguro clicks his tongue from beneath his mask over and over again, irritated that he has to answer Akiko’s plethora of questions. 

“Yes. Other kakushi are on their way, but we’ve been deployed second,” he leaps through trees, flying through branches and adding in a backflip or two to ensure that he can make it to the next branch. Akiko can start to see Tokyo now. 

Pillar transportation is truly the way to go. 

“Wait, so who was deployed first-?” 

A sudden explosion from Tokyo’s red light district causes shockwaves, throwing the two off the trees and down to the ground. Birds cry in a panic and swarm away, and the dirt floor beneath the two shake so hard that Akiko is afraid the trees would unroot and fall onto them. 

Akiko’s vision blurs, her body aches, but she forces herself to stand with wobbly legs. Iguro yanks her back up and onto his shoulder, snatches her bag, and they’re off again. 

But her heart almost stops and her eyes desperately narrow into the city when Iguro answers her previous question. 

“Uzui Tengen, Agatsuma Zenitsu, Hashibira Inosuke, and those Kamado siblings.” 

---

Throughout all the rubble, Akiko can’t find her fiance. She’s made aware of the crowds of citizens that were evacuated out of the city, and she can only assume that it was thanks to Uzui. 

They walk around in confusion and shock, few crying over the loss of their money and going so far as to curl onto the ground. Maikos and oirans have smeared makeup and some are hardly dressed; Akiko assumes they were woken from their sleep and thrown out. 

Akiko takes it upon herself to start giving orders, watching Iguro jump away to look for the demon. Kakushi are right on her tail too, so she makes sure that they set up a med tent and look after the injured citizens, quickly leaving right after to look for the demon slayers that she’s been assigned to save. 

“Goto is in charge of triage,” Akiko nods her head to her favorite kakushi, and he points to himself with wide eyes.

It hurts to scramble over broken buildings and glass, and Akiko has to watch out for herself in fear that the demon is still alive or that she’ll slip and fall into broken shrapnel. Her bag is being dragged by her side, bumping into her legs and forcing her to catch herself from tripping. 

Akiko continues to scan the mess, almost cursing at herself for being unable to catch sight of a six foot tall behemoth. 

It’s when she hears crying that she feels relief. 

Someone is alive. 

She stumbles through the wreckage, climbing up a fallen building as the crying and shouting grows louder. Once she’s atop the building, she finds Uzui with his three wives. 

“NOOOOO! DON’T DIE! PLEASE DON’T DIE TENGEN-SAMA!!!” Suma hollars at the top of her lungs, her face a wet mess as Hinatsuru finishes wrapping his head wound. 

“Please back away from the patient,” Akiko states calmly, laying her bag by his feet and pulling some gloves on. 

“Wh- Who are you?” Hinatsuru asks, but shakes her head once seeing Akiko pull out some tools. Her scalpels and syringes are enough for them to understand, and they scramble to Akiko. 

“Demon poison! The antidotes aren’t working!!” Makio grasps Akiko’s sleeves. 

Suma continues to cry, “You’re so cruel, gods! So cruel!!” 

Hinatsuru wipes the tears from her face as she watches AKiko pull out a few vials and beakers, quickly mixing the liquids in an attempt to cure their husband. 

“I don’t think there’s enough time, so I have some final things to say…” Uzui coughs out. Akiko rolls her eyes at his dramatic self, angrily muttering under her breath that he’ll be fine. 

“Up until now, I’ve lived-” 

“IF YOU LET TENGEN-SAMA DIE, I WON’T BE PRAYING TO YOU GUYS ANYMORE! I WON’T EVER FORGIVE YOUUU!!!” 

“HEY SHUT UP FOR A BIT! TENGEN-SAMA IS SPEAKING!!” 

“Both of you, be quiet…!” Hinatsuru glances between Akiko and the two other wives, but Akiko seems to be in her own world. 

Her hands fly across small vials of strange liquids, some form of a label scribbled across the glass surface that only Akiko can seem to read. 

Akiko doesn’t even notice Makio shovel rocks into Suma’s mouth, instead noticing that the poison has circulated to Uzui’s tongue and he is unable to speak. She yanks his tongue out of his mouth with some clear tongs, and he doesn’t even react. Akiko furrows her brows, adding another liquid into the mix. 

“You… You work well despite the noise…” Hinatsuru smiles weakly, but Akiko stays silent. 

So Hinatsuru finds it best to just get Suma and Makio under control, rallying them to stay silent and picking rocks out of Suma’s mouth. 

When Akiko smiles and holds her finished beaker up, declaring herself finished, Nezuko pops up. 

“Oh! Nezuko! Thank goodness you’re alive! Do me a favor and- wHY DO YOU HATE ME?!” 

Akiko’s patient goes up in flames. 

Makio takes it upon herself to drag Nezuko off her husband, yelling and screaming at the girl for starting the cremation so early. Akiko can’t help but stare at her burning patient in shock, soul leaving her body and suddenly forgetting how to treat third degree burns. 

“Hold on,” Uzui voice snaps Akiko’s soul right back into her body, and she finds that the flames didn’t burn Uzui’s body at all. 

In fact, Akiko can’t see any poison flowing through her patient’s body. 

“The poison’s gone,” Akiko states, and not a second after do all three wives thrown themselves onto Uzui. 

Akiko can’t help but smile softly at the display, tucking the syringe filled with the antidote back into her bag. 

“Akiko!” A familiar voice calls, and Akiko’s heart flutters with excitement. 

“Tanjirou! You’re- NOT OKAY,” she can see a large puncture wound from beneath his jaw, blood pouring from his head wounds, and even more blood coloring his eyes. 

Tanjirou offers her a smile, “I’m fine-” 

“Don’t start with me and sit down right now.” 

“Yes ma'am.” 

Uzui barks a laugh as Tanjirou quickly plops himself down into a seiza position in front of a seated Akiko, hands on his knees as he looks down guiltily. 

“Boy well aren’t you whipped!” 

Tanjirou blushes furiously as Akiko wraps his head wound, finding that his veins aren’t coursing with poison. 

“But Akiko-!” 

She gives him a terrifying glare, but he tries to reason with Akiko anyway. 

“I can’t be at ease until I confirm the demons are gone!”  

“Hilarious. Mouth shut or else.” 

Akiko clicks her tongue, going back to rustle through her bag while muttering curses to herself. 

When she turns back around, a new roll of bandages in hand, she sees a bloody Zenitsu and Inosuke, but no Tanjirou nor Nezuko. 

“Akikooooo!! I can’t seeeee!! Help meeeEEeEeee!!” 

“You’re rotting in hell with my fiance after he bleeds himself out.” 

“FOOD!! FOOD!!” 

Akiko bitterly starts her work on Inosuke, considering he’s the most injured at the moment. Zenitsu continues to cry beside her, asking for a measly bandage. She tosses one in his general direction, and he only catches it thanks to his ears. 

She hates how his organs are a mess right now. She can see that his heart is misplaced and a good few other vital organs are moved to where they shouldn’t be, but it’s a good thing he was able to save himself this way. 

It’s just more work for Akiko, but she’ll have to save that for when she goes back to the estate. 

When Akiko looks up to grab another roll of bandages and some antiseptic, she sees that Iguro has finally found the group. 

He seems to be verbally attacking Uzui, and the three wives looked both tired and pissed at the Snake Pillar. 

“I should praise you or something,” Iguro delivers his final blow, and Akiko can see multiple cords snap. 

She turns her attention to Zenitsu instead, wiping the blood from his eyes and proclaiming him cured. Miraculously, he believes her, and the two work together to pick Inosuke’s body up and look for Tanjirou and Nezuko. 

Akiko sees them before Zenitsu can hear them. She points to the two siblings, who are looking up into the night sky with a solemn look on their faces.  

Zenitsu begins to cry out for his friend, leaving Akiko to deal with Inosuke by herself. She nearly drops under the weight of the meathead, calling out for Zenitsu to help her. It’s Nezuko that moves to carry Inosuke over to her brother, her demon strength coming in handy. 

But rather than allowing Akiko to help his injuries, he brings her into the group hug, everyone crying their hearts out and thankful that they get to see the sun rise together again. 

Akiko sighs in distress, her body itching to wrap Tanjirou’s jaw shut, but she allows for everyone to cry. Akiko chooses to wipe Tanjirou’s tears away, cupping his face in her hands as she rests her forehead against his, and he can smell her relief. 

Heart overwhelmed, Tanjirou begins to pepper Akiko’s face with kisses. He kisses the lids of her eyes and both cheeks and he kisses her temples as well. Akiko allows for him to gush over her, a light smile on her face when she can see that he’s thankful to look into her eyes again. 

“I missed you!” Tanjirou cries, and Akiko can’t help but laugh. 

She’s so tired, but just listening to her fiance’s voice is enough to fill up her severely depleted battery. 

God he looks like he’s been through Hell and back. Akiko doesn’t want to ask what happened. She’s too afraid that it’ll elicit an awful reaction from her fiance. 

“And I’ve missed you too,” Akiko chooses to say, allowing for Tanjirou to relish in bliss. She wipes a few more of his tears away, heart aching the least bit when she sees that his tears are mixed with the blood in his eyes. 

He’s so happy just looking at her. Tanjirou can bear the pain for Akiko another time over, though she would never allow him to do so. And Akiko knows that he’s trying to stay strong for her, but Tanjirou needs to heal now. 

“But I need to help you,” Akiko continues, but Tanjirou shakes his head. 

“Please help Inosuke and Zenitsu first,” Tanjirou chokes out, forcing back the blood in his mouth. Akiko knows that her fiance is stubborn and won’t listen to her, but she’s already done all she can for Zenitsu and Inosuke under her current situation. 

“Tanjirou,” Akiko begs, hand softly caressing his cheek. She can see the rise and fall of his chest lessen by the second, and Akiko hates that Tanjirou can smell her panic. 

“Please, please let me help you. I need you to lay down, alright love?” The words flow like honey out of Akiko’s mouth, ensnaring Tanjirou to listen to what she says. He nods his head, hiccuping to try and cease his crying. Akiko softly asks for everyone else to move out of her way, and they oblige, continuing to cry in each other's arms. 

She helps to gently lay his head down, grabbing rubble to elevate his legs. Zenitsu, Inosuke and Nezuko watch from the sidelines, holding each other. Nezuko makes some concerned muffled sounds, and Zenitsu holds her tighter to reassure Nezuko that Tanjirou is in good hands. 

Akiko’s fingers move quickly to stop the terrible bleeding from Tanjirou’s jaw. He winces at the stinging feeling of the antiseptic, and Akiko apologizes under her breath. A thick paste is applied to his jaw, and Akiko shuts his jaw with a clean roll of bandages. 

A sudden feeling of fatigue hits Tanjirou like a train, and Akiko can see his eyes flutter. 

“Tanjirou, love, you have to keep your eyes open for me,” there’s urgency in her tone of voice that Tanjirou barely picks up on, but the sound of her voice and the warm darkness battle it out in his mind. 

In the end, Akiko isn’t able to save Tanjirou from losing consciousness. 

akiko hits her monthly depression block next chapter :,,( 

also, @thunderandrainclouds drew fanart for this chapter!!!! i hope yall are excited to see it bc it made me SO SOFT 

#bittle's murder of one #akiko tamura #tamura akiko #tanjiro #kamado tanjirou #tanjirou #tanjirou kamado #kimetsu no yaiba #kny

[willow-of-hingashi]

A New Town’s Light [RP]

 (( Rating: PG ))

 (( Genre: Slice of Life, Drama ))

 (( Cast: Kikyo Hagane of @the-firetouched​ and Nobuyuki ‘Ichihiko’ Ienaka ))

 Maple leafs rustled in the wind outside, pitter-pattering as they landed delicately upon the stone pathway. The sleeves of Nobuyuki's layered kimono were folded over his hands as he moved towards the entrance to the onsen, mail in tow. He shifted through it as he slipped off his zori in the genkan entrance, stopping in his tracks when he found one observed one scroll-holder that stood out. It wasn't unusual that he received the occasional scroll from the Far East, but this one bore the Ichimitsu Okiya's kamon; a stylized paper lantern inside a circle.

 With tabi-covered feet, Nobuyuki shuffled into the ryokan's main foyer, halting when he opened the scroll to read over it. He only got halfway before he want to summon the resident shikomi. "Kikyo," he called as he rounded the corner where the door to her working quarters sat. ["Stop what you're doing for a while. I have a message here from the otou-san."] A long pause. ["He wants to speak with you. It's important."]

 Kikyo was humming and scrubbing the wood floors before Nobu came around the corner. She sat up at once and, once he spoke in Hingan, she nearly jumped to her feet. Her first instinct is to smile, of course, but that falters as soon as she is given word that she wishes to be...spoken with. Even at a mere 17 summers, she knew that could be troublesome indeed! Or perhaps it is a good thing?

 ["O-of course, Ichihiko-sensei. What does he want to speak with one such as myself about...?"]

 Finally, a small frown. Was she being rejected once again?

 Unfurling the scroll on its jikugi, Nobuyuki kept his gaze on the Hingan characters before him. ["It's about your career,"] he replied. ["First, I need to explain some some things to you. Let's go into the ozashiki hall."] Quite expectant of Kikyo to follow, he started to make off.

 With her carrying on, Nobuyuki continued. ["You're starting as a shikomi, and then a minarai. Your misedashi is your official debut as a maiko, where you will perform dances and serves clients. The shikomi period normally lasts a year and you spend a moon as a minarai. Your nameday changes things a bit, but. . ."] He drew a short breath. ["The otou-san wants you to start as a minarai before your nameday. You'll only spend a moon as a shikomi. There is a reason for this."]

 Just before they entered the hall, Nobuyuki paused and turned to Kikyo. ["Do you know the process of who leads an okiya? You understand the need for an heir, right?"]

 She quickly tries to store away her cleaning materials before dashing after Nobuyuki, following with her hands folded in front of her all polite and nice like. She tilts her head to his questioning.

 ["Of course, all great houses need heirs and I am sure okiya are no exception,"] she says brightly. Though it fails to dawn on her the reason for this questioning. ["But I am not sure how okiya decide this, no."]

 She watches him carefully as they go. Does Otou-san mean to pick Ichihiko-sensei as his heir? Does that mean their training will be short? She is unsure how to feel! Luckily, she manages not to frown too much.

 The shoji door to the ozashiki hall was slid open quietly. Nobuyuki allowed Kikyo to get inside and get comfortable before he continued. ["Well, in truth, Ichimitsu Okiya is not among the largest houses of Igarashi Hanamachi, but the geisha there do have many relations to more prestigious okiya. Masami Okiya and Umecho Okiya have bigger reputations in Nagoya."] The Hyur slid the door shut behind him and moved to take a seat. ["Because of this, finding an atotori is harder. Many geisha left Ichimitsu Okiya and even Masami and Umecho because of the Red Throat outbreak. Only a few among those became jimae geisha, or independent from their okiya."]

 Upon one of the cushions, Nobuyuki lowered himself into a seiza. ["The otou-san of Ichimitsu Okiya is Mitsu-no-Ichinori. His surname is based on the okiya's name. It denotes that he was selected as atotori. . . however, that was long ago. The okiya needs another atotori."] His serious gaze landed on Kikyo. ["The otou-san wants to consider you for the next atotori."]

 Kikyo listens quietly and with some intensity, as is her way. She slips in past Nobuyuki only after being given express permission via his gesture, and then sat upon a cushion with a seiza of her own. At least that was one thing she was well-practiced in: sitting in the proper way for long chunks of time for meditations. She trains her eyes on Nobu's collar to try and focus hard on what he was saying. And then...when he reaches the end...

 She can't help her mouth from popping open in shock. She tries to recover from this quickly, covering it with her small hand.

 ["M-me? But this one is...I am just..."] She looks to the table and scrambles for a polite way to go about this question. Her fingers tighten against her work shift. ["I do not doubt the wisdom of the Otou-san of Ichimitsu Okiya, of course not. I simply..."] She looks then to Nobu. ["Why are you not considered, sensei, if it is not too rude to ask?"]

 The only sign Nobuyuki gave of his reaction to being reminded he wouldn't be chosen was the purse of his lips. Not that he held any ill will towards the okiya father, as they had a cordial relationship. ["Likely the same reason other okiya turned me away,"] was his only answer. He wasn't looking forward to cluing at his heritage. ["It's nothing to worry about."] He gave Kikyo a polite smile. This was despite the clear fact most okiya picked an atotori later in a geisha's career, though it was plausible Kikyo was unaware. ["Ichimitsu Okiya is likely seeking a younger atotori because of the few number of geigi there."]

 In a rare display of visible confusion, Nobuyuki's brows furrowed. Why a Koshu-based okiya would consider an ijin was beyond him. Not that he was against it! It was rather his surprise that the otou-san cast aside previous xenophobia. Luckily, Nobuyuki's expression didn't last long. He righted it to content neutrality. ["The otou-san wants to meet you in Kugane,"] he continued. ["As you likely learned, ijin aren't allowed anywhere outside of Kugane in Hingashi. The meeting, he looks to hold at the Shiokaze Hostelry. He's never been to Shishu so he'll likely have an entourage from the okiya with him."] Briefly, Nobuyuki's expression softened. ["Don't take this as a means to be too strict on yourself, alright? Certainly put on your best show, but don't see yourself as unworthy so soon. That's for the otou-san to decide."]

 She fidgets with her hair, braiding the ends over and over again in a sight of girlish nervousness and dismay. As soon as she notices this, she squeezes her hands together upon her lap until her knuckles turn white. Well, whiter than they already are...

 She has so many questions but knows it is rude to ask. If ijin cannot leave Kugane (a lesson she DID learn the hard way), how would she ever run an Okiya? Why did she interest the Otou-san? Why did other Okiya turn Nobu away? Her young mind is awash with curiosity, but she's long since learned the dangers of it. So she nods. Even so, she cannot help but notice some of Nobu's own confusion and perhaps...dismay? No? Was she imagining it? She frowns in turn.

 ["Of course, Ichihiko-sensei."] And after a moment, she can't help but add: ["My success will be your success, too. You will be teaching me. And in Doma, there is no greater honor one can bring but to bring success to those that reached their hand toward you."] A bit of an awkward phrasing in the Hingan dialect, but hopefully the point came across nonetheless. ["Maybe we will surprise everyone!"] she adds, in a more characteristic display of optimism!

 Nobuyuki looked to Kikyo and gave a smile that reached his eyes. ["I am, of course, honored to be able to teach the possible atotori of Ichimitsu Okiya,"] he declared. ["Nonetheless, I'm happy to be teaching you in general. It is my pleasure to share the joys of gei with others. If the otou-san permits, I could be selected as your older brother. For a maiko, a relationship to her assigned older sibling is one that lasts forever. She does not stop seeking guidance from her older sibling, even when she becomes a geisha. Is it not exciting?"]

 Firmly, Nobuyuki bowed his head in agreement. ["I have no doubts we will certainly surprise a number of those within the okiya. For my erikae, instead of kurosode, I wore a white kosode with embroidered hydrangeas. I wanted to be fashionable, to emanate the styles the tayuu were wearing that summer. I think it did surprise a number that attended, to sway away from such tradition. It is likely your chance to do the same. You'd be the okiya's first ijin maiko and their first ijin atotori, above all else."]

 She listens dutifully, though her face brightens further as she sees him smile for real. She clasps her hands together before her chest. ["Oh, truly? An older brother? I have had only younger brothers all my life! I would be so excited for this! Yes!"] Her excitement can be heard in how her words become a little more sloppy in the Hingan dialect. Her eyes sparkle. Wow! The potential!

 At the talk of clothes, she turns thoughtful. She did not have a lot of opinions or knowledge about fashion, other than finding the dresses of the geisha so beautiful and refined. ["That does sound most elegant,"] she says in agreement. ["I love many flowers. I love peach blossoms most of all...I know that geisha uphold the traditions of Hingashi. But many things are changing in the world, yes?"] A surprisingly insightful bit from the young woman, if a bit obvious to any learned person. ["There must be a way to be traditional and accepting of the future..."]

 ["Perhaps this is what the otou-san is looking for,"] Nobuyuki commented, his hands folding in his lap. ["Someone new, full of bright ideas for the okiya. Yes, I can see that."] He looked down to the scroll for a moment before rolling it up. ["We'll be meeting with the otou-san in a moon. As the one responsible for your training, I will cover our boat tickets across the Sirensong Sea. After the meeting, your shikomi period will come to an end and you will be minarai until you turn eighteen. You will join me for ozashiki and tea ceremonies, watching how I do things and speaking only when spoken to.]"

 Placing the scroll back into the holder, Nobuyuki then tucked the holder up into his kosode sleeve. ["My career started somewhat outside of tradition,"] he replied. ["I was ten, not five, when I started training. It was because of my grandparents' jobs that I didn't enter an okiya at a 'typical' age."] He didn't clarify. It could have been for financial reasons, for all Kikyo knew. ["Now I'm following the newest trends of Hingan fashion and arts. The customs may stay the same, but the ijin have brought a lot of newfangled ideas. Maybe there's a new art form you will practice that others pick up?"]

 Many emotions rattle through her at once. Excitement and worry; pride and fear. She nods seriously at the description of what is next to come. ["Of course, Ichihiko-sensei. I will make you proud,"] she says. ["I will be very quiet and refined, as taught!"]

 To the rest of it, she tilts her head. She tries to copy his very fancy stance, sitting nicely with his sleeves and hands folded, but her sleeves are purposefully pinned up for cleaning purposes so she does her best, folding her hands in her lap and sitting up a little straighter. For Nobu's sake, her naivety comes in handy; she knows not what to ask about his grandparents' jobs other than perhaps to assume that money was a factor, which she certainly understood. She smiles brightly. ["Oh, like the kupos -- er, moogles! And the beautiful leather riding boots...oh...I do so like those....they seem so elegant...oh, and the paintings! I saw an ijin's painting at the market once...it was um...impressiony?"]

 She means impressionist.

 ["What is your favorite ijin thing?"] she asks curiously, before she can stop herself.

 Nobuyuki was used to sitting for long periods with his back straight, his position proper. Even his facial expressions were under control and refined, but the question about his favorite thing of ijin caught him off guard. However, he wasn't offended. In fact, he was pleasantly surprised. ["I might have to think a bit on that one,"] he admitted. ["Perhaps it is the people? Some are brash and loud and very strange, but. . . many are caring and it is very apparent they wear their heart on their sleeve. They are mindful of protecting people's face, even if their own is at risk sometimes. It's a bit endearing."] Namely, a certain Lominsan mercenary came to his mind, her kinky orange hair and freckled visage easy to envision. ["Selecting a thing is hard. . . maybe it's predictable of me, but I quite like foreign fashions. Eorzean cocktail dresses and patterned stockings and heeled boots are very lovely."]

 Considerate of his own fashion, Nobuyuki raised a sleeve to his mouth. His kosode was a fall orange colored, decorated with yellow ginkgo leaves and seasonal autumn flowers. Granted, he was largely pulling up his sleeve to conceal his small smile. ["Ah. . . and I think you mean 'impressionist.'"]

#ffxiv rp #the-firetouched #kikyo hagane #nobuyuki ienaka #mateus rp #geisha #ffxiv #[ tales from the okiya ]

[kalira]

Word: "Him"

Hedging your bets pretty securely there Mousie. XD

(Okay I limited myself to WIPs I’ve actually opened to work on lately. Er. This is still . . . a lot. You have definitely fulfilled my request to distract me.)

Harlock/Yama

Harlock rarelyresisted him very hard - he enjoyed being coaxed, and even more so spendinglazy mornings tangled up in bed and half dozing with his lover . . . or fuckinginto him warm and slow.

also this one

Yama yawned and letHarlock’s sleepily insistent arms tug him back down.

and this

Harlock claspedYama’s shoulder and directed him down a slightly narrower corridor.

Sterek

“Oh, is kiddo upset I was there first?”Kate said, tsking at him.

Alucard/Trevor

Adrian’s eyes swept over him admiringly - he had yet to donhis clothes beyond breeches, particularly that godawful shapeless heap he called a cloak, leaving a rathernice view.

and this one, same line from M’s word

“Would it kill you not to leave your filthy articles ofclothing flung everywhere?” Alucard asked dryly, flicking a neatly-patchedshirt that was half-sodden in demon guts at Trevor and making him duck to getout of its path.

TaiBani

Kotetsu carefullydisengaged his faceplate, pulling it away, and a bit of tension seeped out ofhim along with a sigh when he saw Barnaby’s bright eyes were open. 

Lee Hwon/Woon (The Moon Embracing the Sun)

Woon had grownquieter since the Crown Prince had chosen him to be companion and guard, everat the Prince’s side.

Okay there’s a lot so . . . Naruto, ATLA, and Voltron WIP lines are all beneath the cut.

KakaGai

Gai has touched damnnear every inch of him through one challenge or scrape or another and there’sno one Kakashi trusts more in the world.

more KakaGai

“Kaka- I- I wouldnever-” he stuttered out as Kakashi cocked his head, eyeing him.

and again

Kakashi identifiedthe presence immediately, of course - his sleeping brain had categorised theintruder as Gai and thus not a threat even before the bright shout had wokenhim.

oh look again >.>

Kakashi stared at himas he postured a little more.

and this one is part two to the one before

“Jan Ken Pon!”Kakashi said hurriedly, because Gai looked like hell, everyone in the villagewas still giving him half-confused, half-pitying looks, and . . . well, Kakashiwasn’t actually great at reacting in a hurry outside of battles.

Gaara/Lee

It was a warm, softvoice calling him, one he didn’t quite recognise, though there was a strange,barely-there edge of familiarity.

also this

Lee leapt out of bed,tangled in the blankets enough that he stumbled and it took him a moment tofree himself, though he managed to do it without crashing about.

KakaIru

Iruka unrolled thescroll and only long experience with pre-genin and jounin - and no tellingwhich group was worse than the other - prevented him from reacting.

and this one!

Iruka only pulled him in closer, tuggingthe blankets over him, ignoring the fact that he was still mostly dressed and,indeed, cold and wet.

MadaKaka (that’s a new one for me and IDK if I’ll write them again after this request is done or not. . .)

Madara bounded overthe fence without touching it, following the silvery streak of Kakashi’s hairthat was the most visible part of him as he fled into the shadows under theheavy canopy.

NejiHina

It will be all right she willed him to realise, assuring him with her eyesthat she knew what she was doing, as best she could without giving any hint orground to the Elders before her.

as is this one

“You shouldn’t be here.” she whispered, moving towards him, her kimono rustlingaround her.

SasuNaru

“I’m . . . sure he can be romantic if hetries!” Sakura said, trying to sound more certain than she actually felt,because she remembered Sasuke, andshe knew him now - or liked to think she did - and. . .

so’s this one

Beside him Kanamisnickered and stretched out her forelegs, then slid slowly onto her side, hermuzzle almost reaching his ankle.

and this

Hatred and confusion resonated through him,and he allowed his strength to seep through to his jinchuuriki.

ZabuHaku

Zabuza approached himand trailed his hands up over Haku’s arms.

Kataang

His strong armsturned and tugged gently at the ribbon binding him to the headboard, but hedidn’t fight too hard.

Zukka

Sokka doesn’t knowwhy this feels like a revelation; Zuko has alwayssmelled like fire, since the first time Sokka faced him, hot and angry in thesnow.

Zukka again

Zuko had made thechoice and gotten caught, Sokka had gone with it, abandoning it now wouldn’thelp and would only land him in acell too.

again

Zuko looked at him,and Sokka’s attention refocused.

you guessed it!

He grabbed Zuko’sshoulders to hold him closer, then cupped his jaw with one hand, tilting hisown head to mesh their kiss a little more comfortably.

yep still (I’ve been poking at a lot of my Zukka WIPs lately trying to get back to these boys)

It felt way too soon for him to be woken up.

still Zukka

Katara just stared athim, and Sokka fidgeted uncomfortably.

yes still

When Zuko might notbe able to get to him.

look there is a reason I’ve been trying to get back to Zukka and that reason is I need to finish some of my bajillion WIPs for them

“Is your prospective title really what you’re worried about,Sokka?” she asked, watching him even though he was making her slightly dizzy.

yes this one as well

He ducked his headpolitely and slid the cups in front of the two merchant ladies sitting primlyat one of the tables, murmuring a reminder to call for him if they neededanything else.

several of them are requests too! (although not this next one)

Although perhaps itwas best he hadn’t spouted that off at Suki, she had laughed at him enoughalready this summer - he had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth when shewas around.

whoops not done yet

He had spokenhonestly when he offered her respect, and when he said she was welcome, it wasstrange for him to be troubled now.

I don’t really like kid!fic that much why do I keep writing it? (well at least for Zukka there kind of needs to be offspring at some point for royal heir purposes)

“There there. . .” hecrooned, scooping Kiran up and cradling him close with a gentle pat.

this one is sort of Zukka but actually it’s labelled Sokka/Zuko/Mai

Sokka would haveknocked, but the royal guard waved him in through the doors without pausing -they were standing ajar, but . . .royal quarters?

Maiko (and the first one I ever started for them still not done)

He would learn, she knew, and she supposedshe didn’t really know how to please him,either.

That concludes the ATLA portion holy sheesh.

Sheith

“I am from Altea.”Allura told the child, bending down to come closer to eye-to-eye with him.

okay brace yourselves because here we go again

They all turned tolook at him.

yes there will be a lot

His throat tightenedwhen Keith patted him lightly and switched back, pushing him into flexing hisarm at a different angle - Shiro felt like he was dragging the weight of hismetal arm painfully, barely able to move - before beginning again.

even filtering out WIPs I haven’t worked on lately

Shiro ignored him,and Hunk sleepily shoving at him from his other side, probably in attempt toget him to be quiet.

I have . . . a lot of Sheith you guys

Kuro woke feelinglike his bones had been electrified until he shut down, and it took him a whileto realise he had other hurts as well.

I think it may be the only ship I have more of than Zukka in fact

Pidge shooed herbrother gently forwards onto the Castle, feeling bubbly and delighted tofinally have him here with her.

the series/AUs may have something to do with that

“He wouldn’t rest ifI left him alone. He kept crying.”

like that one and this next one are both from The Empress’ Elite

Allura would have himsubdued if necessary, but if he recognised Pidge enough to let her help,recognised Allura enough to let her touch, then he would be no hindrance, andAllura wouldn’t spare the time.

but mostly not actually

I could change it, Shiro thought, eyes wide as the possibility yawnedbefore him.

this one is connected to the last

He bumped into thefirm feeling of someone else’s skin and leaned up, then froze as more lightfiltered around him.

okay I think that’s it for Sheith with this one

Keith punches him in the face as hard as hecan.

Kureith

Her paw was curledinwards, offering him support and sheltering his body behind the metal of herleg.

Sheithro

“Fine, I won’t puthim in a prison pod, but he’ll be locked in his bunk.” Allura said sharply.

all of the ones for this ship are from the Unbalance series

“Keith?” Shiro looksconcerned, for him, and that’s-

I am actually still trying to work on that

“I knew that . . . sort of; she wasn’t alwaysvery . . . happy with him.” 

a couple pieces are just so close to ready to post, too. . .

“Kuro,” Shiro began,the name feeling oddly comfortable on his lips, though he still twitched to seeKuro, to see an almost-me, turntowards him with a familiar movement, strange golden eyes gleaming, “I... May Ispeak with you?”

there’s also this one frigging Klance piece from 80s Voltron

Keith let the doorsslide closed behind him.

Holy cow how many sentences even was that oh lord I have so many WIPs *mad laughter* 56 holy fuck. So. That’s not even all the WIPs I’ve worked on lately there were a handful that didn’t have him in them. . . (Including some femmeslash. :P)

So hey! Send me a word and I’ll share a line from my WIPs!

#WIP guessing game #WIP meme #Kalira answers #ask Kalira #Mousie #him #oh my lord #Kalira writes #not tagging the ships this time because 56 lines holy cow Kalira finish some shit

[bigboyazia]

the fleeting fox, red and coy

a reinterpretation of of ninjas and foxes by @frywen-babbles. (this is a fanfiction of a fanfiction, if you will.)

title from “kyūbi no kitsune in disguise” by lain ender.

note: should i have written a story about saizo before playing his route? you decide. oh, and i will gladly remove this story if the original author feels uncomfortable with the fact that this is based off of something that they wrote! i only mean the utmost respect to the original work, as it is something that i cannot stop thinking about.

the numbers throughout the story refer to the of ninjas and foxes chapter that is being referenced.

prelude —

 You loved Masamune with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul. And he loved you too just as much. But his mother didn’t. She spread a rumor that you were a kitsune hell-bent on bringing the downfall of the Date clan. The news managed to reach the wrong hands and you were taken from your lord, and you would do anything – absolutely anything – to return to him. But for now, you were stuck in a temple by, not only a watchful lord, but an even more watchful ninja as the messenger to the gods themselves and the bringer of prosperity for a clan that was far, far away from your new home in Yonezawa.

10 —

 You stared ahead in the palanquin, eyes focused on the wood of the floor. Sudden girlish giggling disrupted your thoughts. Your fingers inched toward the blinds, but you stopped. Were you allowed to do such a thing? Your new life was filled with restriction on top of restriction. You felt like if you breathed wrong, people would be down your throat.

 “She’s the kitsune?”

 “She’s supposed to be the messenger to Inari Ōkami?”

 More giggling. Some were high-pitched. Some were nearly barks.

“Who’s that? Never heard of that name before!”

 “I don’t know… I think that’s supposed to be our God.”

 In unison: “Ooh! Ooh!” Then, roaring laughter. Your hand remained wavering by the blinds. They definitely weren’t the voices of the people in the castle or the temple. They didn’t dare talk to you, nonetheless joke around with you.

 You heard clicking noises, the sound that a person would make to attract a dog. “Kitsune, kitsune, won’t you please come out to play?” Your thoughts stilled. It seemed like it was simply just women coming out to tease you and you have had enough of people looking at you the wrong way. You moved your hand back to your side and bunched the skirt of your outer kimono in your hand. You could endure a verbal lashing for just a little while longer. You’ve suffered worse. “Aw, she put her hand down. Are you a shy one?”

 Your eyes widened. No, no, no. There was no possible way that they could see inside of the palanquin.

 “A shy kitsune? A rarity indeed! It’s a miracle!”

 “Sōma-sama caught a good one!”

 They were cackling. Everyone was having the time of their lives based off your misery. You bit your lip as you pulled the blinds back. An unexpected sight met your eyes: geisha. Of all ages, shapes, and sizes. There were so many – that was what shocked you – you estimated more than twenty. A young shikomi stood up front with her hands folded over her stomach and looked up at you with a curious glimmer in her large, dark eyes. Deep rouge lipped, black teeth smiles creased the rice white-powered faces of the dozen maiko surrounding you. There were three geisha. The one closest to you was the only one of them smiling. There was even what you assumed to be their proprietress towards the back of the group with amusement etched into the wrinkles of her face.

 “Hello.” The smiling geisha in front you bowed. The others followed suit. Her voice was the one that had mentioned you had put your hand down.  

 “H-Hello,” you replied. You returned their greeting gestures. “How did you…?” Should you even bother asking? The woman quirked her eyebrow up at you. She was tall, nearly as tall as the palanquin. Her face was all sharp angles and cheekbones. Intimidating, but you knew you couldn’t let it show on your face. You had to ask. You had to say something. “How did you know I put my hand down?”

 “From one vixen to another,” she leaned down slightly towards you, “it is only intuition.” Her breath had a peculiar scent. You could practically taste the salt and soybeans and something else that was just on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t name it. You resisted wrinkling your noise. Your fingers still twitched. It felt like ages – no, it had been ages – since your carefree days in the kitchens of Yonezawa. This woman probably made tofu whenever she felt like it (and it must have been often, based upon how strong the scent of beans lingered on her breath). She backed away with a grin. “Enjoy the festival, kitsune-chan.” They all simultaneously bowed before they turned around and walked away, murmuring to themselves all along the way. You continued to stare after them until you felt the glare of one the temple’s doorkeepers on the back of your head. You closed the blinds with a heavy sigh. What a strange interaction… You bunched up the skirt of your kimono again and tried not to think about it too much.

 *

 You heard a rustle just outside of the window. You fruitlessly wiped at your tears. “Go away!” You called out. You didn’t care who heard you. It didn’t matter anymore. The sounds continued. “I said that I wanted you to leave me alone!” It was getting louder. A frown crossed your face. All would say that Saizo’s greatest idiosyncrasy was his swift entrances and exits. You crawled on your hands and knees towards the window. The sounds stopped once they reached the veranda.

 Something was out there. Now, the question was do you go after it or not? What did you have to lose? And it wasn’t as if you were escaping (and you couldn’t even if you wanted to). You were only going to check out on the veranda and go right back in. It was most likely only an animal shuffling across the temple grounds back towards the forest. At least, that’s what you kept repeating to yourself as you slid the door open.

 Something was rolling your way. A ball? You got onto your knees and looked around. Surely it was too late for children to be out playing. But, no, that didn’t make too much sense. You haven’t seen any children around for the entire duration your stay at the temple. There had only been Sasuke and the little girl with the geisha during the festival. So, why would there be children now, especially during the middle of the night?

 Was it a weapon? You gasped. Whatever it was, it was glowing. A soft lavender was emitting from the deep purple orb. Was it… safe to touch? The veranda shook. You fell over onto your stomach and felt the ball roll over against your hand. You tried to steady yourself as you picked it up. Were there possibly samurai doing some late night training? But back in Yonezawa the samurai never trained so hard to the point that the buildings shook. Your fingers roamed over the ball. It felt like crystal, yet soft and nearly moldable at the same time. There was another boom. Dirt managed to get up onto the veranda. The glowing from the orb suddenly became so bright that you had to shield your eyes.

 There was a thud next to you. You clutched the orb to your chest and had to bite your lip to hold back a scream. It looked like a person. A woman? She was facedown and her hair spread out all around her, covering her face. You took a slow step towards her. You could suddenly feel the night chill work its way through your body, through each layer of kimono that you had left on since the festival. “Are you okay?” You whispered. No response. You took another step. You had to put the ball behind your back. It was reaching blinding levels. “Ma’am…?” You glanced around again. No one managed to hear the commotion? You still tucked the ball underneath your sleeve just in case the light managed to attract anyone.

 You made haste to move the woman’s hair out of the way to expose her neck. Blood covered the bottom half of her face and disappeared down into her clothes, but she was still breathing and still had a pulse. Maybe she was just unconscious. You carefully rolled her onto her back. Oh! It was the geisha who had spoken to you during the festival. The one who had somehow known you lowered your hand from the palanquin’s blinds and whispered to you. But what was she doing by the temple, especially at night…?

 You could see her eyes beginning to move behind her eyelids. Her body was suddenly growing so pale. “I’m sure you will forgive me for doing this,” you whispered as you began to undo her kimono. It was as you thought. The wound originated from her neck and managed to travel down to her chest, just above her heart. It didn’t quite look like the familiar laceration from a sword, but a deep scratch mark. Had she been attacked by an animal? Surely a woman would scream if she was being attacked in general, but you had heard no such thing.

 No matter. You made quick to go back inside the temple and fetch all the makeshift medical paraphernalia you could.

 11 —

 A frown creased your face. “So soon?” Saizo nodded. “I had asked Moritane-sama to have a tea house made for me since he’s been begging to fulfill a wish of mine. What a shame that I will never get to enjoy it.” You folded the kimono he handed you over in your hands. “Hm? What’s with the look?”

 “Hadn’t you been begging for another chance with your lord? You would rather take a hut over him?”

 “Did you expect more from a kitsune?”

 “…Perhaps not.” His eyes flickered away momentarily before he turned back to you. “The war will be here soon. Change clothes and leave. Hide. Survive. I’ll come for you.” His fingers danced across your cheek before he leaned in to kiss you. You could feel something akin to hesitation between his lips though. It was so brief that if you blinked you would’ve missed it. Hadn’t he been such a surely, confident person before? What changed?

 “Is… there something wrong?” Your breath wasn’t too horrendous, was it? There wasn’t any more black dye on your teeth or lipstick lingering on your lips to your knowledge either, so he couldn’t have tasted that. “I thought you liked me,” you murmured against his lips. He didn’t reply. You caught the ghost of a smile that graced his face before he disappeared.

 12 —

 Once the twilight began to peek through the heavy canopy of the forest, your cries ceased. You slowly pried your red-rimmed eyes open and looked around. You were still high up in the trees. Still being held against the ninja’s chest. Still being searched out by the Date clan’s samurai.

 But more importantly, there was a silkworm in front of you. Inching its way across the branch just by your nose. You were in a mulberry tree? What good luck. You placed one hand over Saizo’s before you reached out for the caterpillar. You felt him stir slightly against your back. “People usually enjoy these when they’re boiled in sweet and sour sauce with some soy sauce and sugar,” you whispered. How many times had silkworms been served in the restaurant in Kyoto? Probably not too often, you thought. “Tsukudani is good, but…” You sighed and enclosed the silkworm in your hand. You could feel it squirming around. Its hairs tickled your palm.

 “But?”

 “Nothing.” You let the silkworm back on the branch. “I have always preferred to eat them in another way, that’s all.”

 “Have you found the ninja and kitsune yet?” Your eyes looked down. They were really determined to find you two.

 “No, not yet.”

 “Keep searching. They couldn’t have gone too far.”

 “Hey, Saizo,” you dropped your voice even lower. He leaned your chin even further onto your shoulder. “What do you think someone would want to do with a kitsune and a ninja?”

 “Many things.”

 “Such as?”

 “Perhaps they will boil us together like silkworms.”

 “Sounds delici—no, horrible. We would taste… questionable.”

 14 —

 You tried to close the door behind you as quietly as possible when you reentered the hideaway. “I was thinking that you had fell in.”

 “Hm?” Had you woken him up? No. He must have already been up, you figured. His wound had been doing quite nicely. You kneeled and set the water that you had gathered in between the two of you. You could just make out a sliver of his hair and eyes through the darkness. He was a stunning creature, all odd colors mixed together in a truly off-color individual. “In the well? No. I don’t consider myself to be that clumsy.” You looked up to him with a small smile. You wondered if he could see it. A small part of you hoped not. “You should really give me more credit…”

 “Why, are we suddenly feeling neglected, little kitsune?”

 “And if I was, would you do something about it?”

 “Maybe. Maybe not.”

 “Must you leave everything ambiguous?” You took out a fresh strip of cloth and began to dampen it. You thought that it would be wise to redress his bandage before you two headed out again. Out of the corner of your eye, you just managed to catch the muscles of his arms tighten then loosen. If your eyes hadn’t been adjusted to the darkness, you would’ve missed it. He was truly an oddity, was he? “I don’t get a ‘thank you?’” You teased once you secured the bandage. “Oh well…” You went to go dispose of the bloodied cloth.

 15 —

 “Milord, you should be careful! Kitsune are known to be devious and untrustworthy an—!”

 Shingen cut Yukimura off with the wave of a hand. “But if she really is the messenger of Inari we should gain greatly having her here with us, don’t you agree, Yukimura?” Yukimura’s head turned away briefly before you could feel him staring daggers into your back. Of course he was. Everyone in the room was the moment Saizo announced that you were Sōma’s kitsune. What a predicament. You felt a certain emotion bubble in the pit of your stomach. “After all,” Shingen’s voice wove back into your consciousness, “the time she spent with the Date and Sōma were very prosperous for them. Why shouldn’t we want the same for the Takeda clan?”

 “Not too prosperous, milord. War came to both the Date and the Sōma during my time with them.” For some reason or another, Shingen found hilarity in your words.

 “She has a sharp tongue!” Shingen was the only one who found it funny.

 “If you bring anything disadvantageous to the Takeda clan and milord Shingen,” a samurai said from behind you seethed, “I shall destroy anything and everything that is dear to you, vile kitsune.”

 The emotion that you had felt in the pit of your stomach, it wasn’t anger. It was downright fury. Rage – unadulterated. You snapped and put your “sharp tongue” to work before you could even think about it. You ended your rant with, “You might just a well kill me now!” You even moved the collar of your kimono aside to display the tender skin of your neck. “Go on, kill me! I dare you!” Surely if one of them brought out a sword and cut through one of the tendons of your neck it would be a quick, measly death to a quick, measly life. The samurai that had threatened you didn’t step forward to fulfill your request. He didn’t even say anything. His eyes slid over to where Shingen sat high on his dais.  

 “Masatane, kitsune-sama—calm down. The lady clearly has the upper hand here.” Shingen gestured toward you. “What is your name?”

 “Sakura.” You slowly fixed the collar of your kimono. No one seemed too eager to actually go through with your pitiful request. You felt tears sting the corner of your eyes, but you held your ground. You couldn’t give anyone the satisfaction.

 Shingen’s smile widened. “Sakura-hime,” he let the name really roll off his tongue, “why don’t you pledge allegiance to me?” His words only reminded you of the fact that it was nearly a year ago when you were steps away from possibly being Lady Date Sakura.

 17 —

 “I have no plans on waiting forever. If you were a proper lady I would have no qualms about letting you go if you wanted to. But you’re not a proper lady, are you, kitsune-sama? You are mine whether you like it or not.”

 “Whether I am yours or not does not diminish my status as a proper lady, milord.” Your voice was on the verge of a hiss to match his tone. “Now, please, let me go.” Shingen’s grip on your arm tightened. What was with men thinking that they could do as they pleased with you? They touched you and grabbed you as they pleased. They tossed you from castle to castle like a plaything. They acted as if your fate was some type of moldable object. You were literally a slab of dough being stretched out and tossed around and beaten to death by too many cooks in the kitchen.

 He said something about continuing your conversation for another day before he traced his fingers up and down and across the delicate framework of your face and collarbones. “The structure of your face is classic for a vixen.”

 “I could say the same for you. And even Saizo too. Dare I say you two look more like foxes than me even.” Once again, he managed to find some type of enjoyment in your words.  He pressed his lips against the contour of yours and it took everything within you to suppress the urge to lurch back.

 When he left, you found yourself absentmindedly falling to the floor. It called to you. You had to answer.

 18 —

 “Have you considered my offer, Sakura-hime?” Shingen asked.

 “My answer is…” You cleared your throat. “If my request to be returned to the Date clan will be continually rejected by milord, then the only other thing that my heart desires is my own tea house.”

 “A tea house?” He cocked one of his thick eyebrows as he nestled his cheek in his hand. “Why?”

 “I… come from a restaurant in Kyoto, milord. And I have always had a soft spot for the comings and goings that come with a tea house. But I will only accept one if it is placed in a location where people can visit it and I am allowed to visit it also. I don’t even have to be the proprietress! Just please…” You took in a deep breath. “That is all I could ask of you if you will not let me go back to my lord.”

 He scrutinized you for a good minute before he shrugged. “Your wish is my command.” You immediately got onto your hands and knees and bowed before him.  

 “Thank you, milord.”  

 *

 “What happened, little lady?” Saizo murmured once Yukimura left your room. You had screamed. You had shouted. You were just a miniscule away from a full-blown meltdown. Did Yukimura deserve to be the butt of your anger? No. He just wanted to help you but he had unfortunately been a convenient outlet. You made a mental note to yourself to be sure to find some way to look for his forgiveness later. He wasn’t all too bad, really. The only negative things about him were his unshakable faith in Lord Shingen and his wavering distrust of you. “Were we not in a good mood just a little while earlier?”

 “I… I think I made a mistake,” you managed to say through your tears. Tears of anger were one thing and tears of sadness were another. Experiencing a combination of the two at once was taking an avid toll on your body. “No, no, I definitely made a mistake.”

 “And that would be…?” He was beginning to stroke soothing circles across your back. The weight pressing down on your chest was lifted a little bit.

 “It’s just… It’s just I don’t think I should have asked for something just to shut Lord Shingen up. I should have held my ground. I-I’m so w-weak, I’m—” Sobs wracked your body again. He moved your head down to rest on his lap. His touch was rough, but his intentions were gentle. “I’m sorry for—”

 He cut you off, “What did you ask for?” He leaned down. “Let me guess: a tea house?” You nodded. “Hm…”

 “Just something simple. And it’s a place where I could get away, I guess, but I still shouldn’t have asked for anything.” What would Masamune think of you giving up so easily? You were better than that.

 19 —

 “If you help me… I’ll give you a child.”

 “…Are we sure we know what we’re asking for?” Shock and bewilderment was a rarity for Saizo. It was simply just not a part of the many facets of the gem that was his personality.

 “Yes.”

 “I could hurt you.” He pulled you in closer. “I could… utterly destroy you.”

 “I don’t care.” It was a chance you were willing to take. You would do absolutely anything to get even a glimpse of Masamune again. “Please.” It seemed like pleading and begging had become a daily occurrence with you. But the results: always utter fruitlessness.

 “Strip.” You sucked in a breath between your teeth. You were forever at the beck and call of the man. Not just him, but any man – every man. Your supple femininity swiftly cut through the darkness and exposed itself in all of its quivering yet serious glory to his cold and clinical masculinity. But the sure strong voice that had commanded you only seconds before disappeared somewhere as he approached your bare form. What was the problem? Was your silhouette not enticing enough? No, that wasn’t quite it. You could practically hear his thoughts. They were buzzing and jumbling and screeching before they all came to a halt when he leaned in to kiss you.

 His kisses were always so inconsistent. They ranged from chaste to suffocating and you had taken a sole taste of the fruit that he had to offer. He stopped mid-kiss, mid-grasp on your waist. “I can’t do this.”

 “What? What’s wrong?” You took the hem of your disrobed kimono and held it against your chest. “You’ve come after me all this time. Now is a peculiar time to suddenly lose your attraction to me.”

 “That is it.”

 “Hm?” Did everything he say always have to be some sort of puzzle? “What are you talking about?”

 “Come here.” He beckoned to you with his finger. You craned your neck back up to him. His hand secured itself around your throat and jaw as he resumed the kiss. No, it wasn’t quite a kiss. It was almost like he was inspecting and exploring your mouth with his own. His tongue mapped out every corner and every crevice – especially your teeth: from its smooth fronts and backs, then the gumlines, and the crowns. He finally parted from you after you felt thoroughly surveyed.

 And debauched. You were hot and flustered all over. Your kimono had long ago slipped out of your fingers. Your hands were against his chest. One of his was on your elbow and the other was on the small of your back. His nails began to sink into your skin as his eyes fluttered over your face. Was he taking it all in? Your lips were surely dark and swollen. Your eyes were surely even darker and focused only on him. “Saizo,” you breathed out. His eyes loitered on your lips. “Please.”

 “I can’t.”

 Your eyes widened. Again? A pout formed on your lips. “W-Why not?” You were sure that there were going to be angry red marks on your back and bruises on your elbow, he was squeezing you so hard.

 “Because you’re not Sakura, are you, little lady?”

 You weren’t Sakura?

 “Huh?” She gasped. “I am Sakura. What are you talking about?”

 “Don’t play games with me.”

 “Saizo, what are you talking abo—?” Sakura hissed in pain when he dug his nails even deeper into her. “Ah! Let go, you’re hurting me!”

 “Tell me, where have we put the true Sakura?”

 “Nowhere! Saizo, I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”

 “Do you need evidence?” He released Sakura and she fell on her buddle of stripped clothes. “You don’t taste like Sakura. Your teeth are sharper than hers. Your nose, your cheekbones, your jaw, your eyes—it’s all subtle, but they’re sharper than Sakura’s too. It’s a matter not only physical, but also in the linguistics. You speak differently than her. You speak with not confidence, but detachment.”

 “You’re certainly one to talk about detachment.” Sakura shrugged her clothes back on. She flashed him a pointed look as she went into the motions of retying her obi.

 “Who are you?”

 “Sakura.” In less than the blink of an eye, his hands were around her jaw and neck. Her hands carefully enveloped around his wrists. “Please. You’ll bruise me.” A smile twisted onto her lips. Absolutely nothing like Sakura’s. At all. Sakura’s smile budded slowly like a sapling and blossomed into cherry blossoms – soft and novel, but delicate above all. This imposter’s smile was as sickeningly saccharine as the fruit of a cherry and the surrounding browning, curling leaves.

 A silent battle commenced between the two of them. The contenders were their eyes.

 20 —

 “You know, the offer still stands, shinobi-san. It’s an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have offspring with these ‘special’ abilities that men crave so much.” She couldn’t help but laugh when he pulled at her restraints. She was being led through the forest like some type of animal by a man who refused to look at her. “I can stay in Sakura’s form too. I know you really like her for some reason or another.” She sighed. “You know, I don’t get it really, but I guess there is a certain charm about you if I squint hard enough to find it. You’re a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma.”

 21 —

 “Sakura is right there,” she murmured, “on the veranda with her lover.” Did he not like that word? Lover. There was a glint in his eye before he put on his mask. Well, it was only true. Had Sakura not spend her entire time spent away from Masamune to find a way to return to him? Even when he had publicly rejected her, she still wanted to come back. She watched as he melted into the night. It took a keen eye to notice his figure approaching the snuggled silhouettes. What business did he have disturbing a lady and her lord?

 A conflict definitely was going to erupt, and as appealing as it was to witness a fight, there was a portion of the bargain that needed to be upheld.

 So, before the first scream echoed into the night and the first sword clashed against the other, you returned back to the Takeda clan.

 23 —

 “Sakura-hime.”

 “Good evening, Kansuke-sama. Do you need something?”

 “Is it still not your intention to go to Harunobu’s bed?”

 “Once I sleep with anyone in your place, our deal is off. You will return to being Sakura the ‘kitsune’ and I will return to being Renka the geisha. No exceptions.”

 “I…” You thought that you had mastered the art of being Sakura. She was a timid and shy creature. She was always pausing, always considering, always musing over her next thought and her next words whenever she didn’t need to. Whenever it was a time to think, she only acted on her impulses. “If it is what my lord asks of me, then I have to obey, don’t I?”

 “You just do everything little thing that’s asked of you, don’t you? Why don’t you ever do whatever you want? If you only stood your ground, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. You’re a pitiful creature like the rest of them, aren’t you?”

 “I suggest you stay as far away from him as possible. Denying him and running away has only increased his interest in you.”

 “I don’t get it. It must be your face. You look trusting. And you’re as sweet as candy too. It’s sickening. You always put others before yourself, no wonder you’re so easy to use. I don’t consider these good traits at all. Look at me! Touch this skin. Feel this face. No one would even consider using me! See how fake kitsune get caught, but the real ones still live amongst the unsuspecting?”

 “I’m sorry.” You bowed your head down in shame. “That was not my intention at all. You must be very upset with me…”

 “You always apologize whenever you step on somebody’s toes, but I noticed that people have never apologized to you and you never ask them to no matter how much wrongdoing they subject you through. Why is that? Don’t you think that you deserve kindness like anyone else?”

 “I’m not upset with you. You’re awfully young, aren’t you?”

 “How old are you? You’re so naïve. If I were you and I had a kitsune at my every whim and command, I would ask to kill the ninja and the clan he comes from and ask for protection of my original lord’s clan.”

 You sighed and looked away. Precious Sakura wouldn’t be able to answer such a hard-hitting question. “I’m sorry for troubling you, but Shingen-sama must be waiting for me already. So, if you’ll excuse me…” There was no point for uselessly conversing any longer. You gave a parting bow then you walked toward Shingen’s door. You cleared your throat before announcing yourself. You touched at your face before he could open the door. Were your features really too sharp?

 “Kitsune-sama,” he purred, “what are you prepared to do for me?”

 “I am prepared to do anything that you have to offer, milord.” Ah, now you could see the speaking problem. Your response should have been a little more delayed and a little more timid, but you didn’t want to drag anything out. You reached up and pulled your hair down so it could come down in as equally as loose tresses as his were. Instantaneously, he was on you when you lowered your collar. A woman’s neckline was a delicacy – everyone knew that. You grasped the strands of his hair around his shoulders as his lips trailed up and down your exposed skin. You were irresistible. You were meant to be. You couldn’t have been anything else.

 You both didn’t even make it to his bedding and didn’t wait to fully remove your clothes. He had you just adjacent to his door. With you pressed back against the wall, he buried deep inside you – and… and…

 He stilled his hips against yours. He clenched your thigh even closer to his waist. You could feel him smirk against your neck. You could sing praises into his skin forever.

 24 —

 And you did in the morning when you sat behind him, legs crossed, and combed his hair. He remained silent the entire time. Only when you ended your song, saying, “This is the first time I have met a man with hair as long as mine,” and finished fastening the tie to his hair, did your charm end. You moved his hair behind his ear before you leaned down to whisper, “May I go to the tea house you built for me today, milord?” He hummed in approval, and may have said something else, but it didn’t matter. You pressed a kiss against his cheek in gratitude.

 The charade was officially over.

 10 —

 Once you fetched what you deemed as good enough supplies, you ran back as fast as you could to the fallen woman. What would everyone think if they found a woman bled out from scratch marks in your room? You would surely be branded as not only a kitsune, but as part of the yako – and you really couldn’t have that. They still thought that you were divine and a messenger of Inari, which wasn’t exactly great, but it was better than being feared as a vengeful monster.

 You cleaned her wound as best as you could given the circumstances. Her complexion was too faded for your liking. You went through the memory banks of your mind, back when you spent your days with the sick and injured in the Date clan. The woman could already be in of the process of bleeding out despite your best efforts. But the steady movement behind her eyelids still gave you hope.

 And the fact that you could feel her hand grasp at your arm. “Hey,” you called out, voice low, “are you feeling okay?”

 “Give… Give it back.”

 “Huh? Give what back?”

 “My… Give it back…” She held her hand out. You yelped and jumped back. The ball in your sleeve burned at your skin. Was that what she wanted? You used your sleeve to roll it over toward her. You didn’t understand how it would help— “Thank you.”

 “You’re… welcome?” Your eyes widened. “Y-Your skin—!” It was some type of miracle! The slash on her chest was closing itself up. Her skin was brightening to a healthier hue.

 “Okay. What is it?” The woman asked. Her sharp fingernails tightened over the orb. Its blinding light diminished into a much softer, tolerable glow.

 “W-What is… what?”

 “What is it that you want?” She tucked the ball into her own sleeve. “You saved me. So I am in your debt.”

 “I… You…?” You shook your head. “I don’t want anything. I just want for you to be okay.”

 “You are making a mockery of me, aren’t you? My specialty lies in sound, so I may not be one of the flashier kitsune with fire or water powers and I also may not be a messenger to Inari, but I can do something for you.”

 You gasped. “Y-You’re really a kitsune?” You had only thought she was bluffing earlier at the festival. Just another person to add to the list of those that teased you. Your heart was about to beat out of your chest. “I don—No, it’s okay! Really!” You waved your hands in between the both of you with an uneasy smile. “I don’t want anything from you!”

 “You may not want anything, but you need something.” She closed her eyes and began to hum. You felt dizzy all of a sudden. “Let me guess, you want out of here, don’t you? I could bring your mother and brother back to life and break you out of here.”

 Your hand flew up to your chest. If your heart wasn’t pounding before, it surely was now. “You can do that?” You almost forgot to keep your voice down. Her smile seemed to curl at the ends.

 “No!” She laughed as if it was the funniest thing ever. “I got you!” Your hand gripped at your collar.

 “I should’ve figured…” As you thought, just another person who wanted to play with you, and a trickster kitsune at that. “If you can’t do that, then my only request is to see milord Masamune again.”

 “That can be arranged.” You didn’t look up.

 “Really? Or are you just joking again?”

 “No. See?” She held out her hands. “Humans’ hands tend to sweat and shake whenever they lie, but look at my hands—trustworthy.”

 “So you’ll help me escape from here?”

 “Wouldn’t your little ninja friend be against that though?”

 “I…” You held your head down. “You’re right.” But it couldn’t be hopeless. You had to think of some way to return to Masamune – no matter what. “I… think I have an idea.”

 “I’m all ears.”

 “Do you think there’s a possible way that you could take my place? Kitsune have shapeshifting powers, so it will just be for a little while so I have the chance to see milord again, and then we’ll go back to normal.” She blinked. You bit your lip. “Is that not possible either? Maybe—”

 “How old are you?” It was your turn to blink. “You’re so naïve. If I were you and I had a kitsune at my every whim and command, I would ask to kill the ninja and the clan he comes from and ask for protection of my original lord’s clan.”

 “I can’t do that! I couldn’t kill him!” You covered your mouth. Hopefully no one heard your cries.

 She peered off into the night. “Alright. Whatever you say. Do I have permission to come into your dreams tonight?”

 “Come into my dreams?” You knew that kitsunes could give people visions, but whenever that happened the person would be driven into madness. And wasn’t that basically possession? That didn’t sound too good. “I don’t know about that…”

 “I’m not going to do anything bad. I only want to be able to study you so I can masquerade you properly without a certain shinobi eavesdropping in. I’m surprised he’s not out here now.”

 “That’s because—”

 “You two got into a fight?” You nodded. “Me too. Men are vile, aren’t they? Whether beast or human.”

 11 —

 “M-Masamune-sama! I’m so glad I found you!” You didn’t care if everyone was watching, you openly wept into his chest.

 Your plan lingered on the back of your mind.

 12 —

 “Has Saizo found out about you?” You whispered. She shook her head. You let out a sigh of relief. “Ah, that’s good then. Kojuro-sama is letting me hide out in here. All you have to do is pose as me out there and Saizo should find you.”

 “Got it.”

 14 —

 “What are you doing back here? Aren’t you supposed to be with your precious Masamune?”

 “I just—I had to thank you. I’m sorry.”

 “…You’re always doing that.”

 “D-Doing what?”

 “You always apologize whenever you step on somebody’s toes, but I noticed that people have never apologized to you and you never ask them to no matter how much wrongdoing they subject you through. Why is that? Don’t you think that you deserve kindness like anyone else?”

 “I don—I mean, of course I want kindness.”

 “But do you get it? That’s the real question. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get the shinobi some water.”

 “Why? Is he okay?”

 “You really do care about him, don’t you? Don’t worry. I’m taking good care of him.”

 “Please. I-If—If something happened to him, I’d…”

 “I know.”

 18 —

 “Hey.”

 “W-What? What is it? Did something happen to Saizo?”

 “No. He’s fine. Something happened to me though. So I need a break. I accepted Shingen’s offer to have a tea house made and I need a retreat there. So we will be swapping places again for a little while.”

 “O-Okay. I’ll tell Masamune-sama. Um, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

 “I don’t get it. It must be your face. You look trusting. And you’re as sweet as candy too. It’s sickening. You always put others before yourself, no wonder you’re so easy to use. I don’t consider these good traits at all. Look at me! Touch this skin. Feel this face. No one would even consider using me! See how fake kitsune get caught, but the real ones still live amongst the unsuspecting?”

 “I…  I’ll try harder to be the woman that you think I can be, alright?”

 “Don’t do it for me. Do it for yourself. Do it for your mother.”

 19 —

 “I’m scared. I think he’s figuring it out.”

 “Hm? Why do you say that?”

 “I was crying last night and—”

 “Lower your voice.”

 “Sorr—I mean, it’s the way he talks to me. We have to end this…”

 “How so?”

 “He told me that if I had his baby—because he wants a baby with special abilities—then he would help me so…”

 “Really?”

 “Y-Yes, really.”

 “You just do everything little thing that’s asked of you, don’t you? Why don’t you ever do whatever you want? If you only stood your ground, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. You’re a pitiful creature like the rest of them, aren’t you?”

 “I—!”

 “No matter. I’m in your servitude. But remember: once I sleep with anyone in your place, our deal is off. You will return to being Sakura the ‘kitsune’ and I will return to being Renka the ‘geisha.’ No exceptions.”

 “Right. No exceptions. I remember.”

 21 —

 “Saizo, stop! Masamune-sama, please stop!” Miraculously, they listened, but only when you placed your body directly in between their blades. Masamune barely grazed your cheek, but he leaned back, eye wide, before any true damage could be inflicted. “Saizo, please, if it means you’ll stop, I’ll go back with you! I shouldn’t have ever run away. I’m sorry.”

 “Sakura,” Masamune murmured. His hand was on your shoulder. You two had been having a private moment together, stargazing as two lovers did, when you both were interrupted by your worse fear.

 “Masamune,” you whispered back, “I’m so sorry.” You were wearing the coat that he had draped around your shoulders. You took your time taking it off and returning it to him. You could feel Saizo’s eyes boring a hole into the back of your neck. You never would’ve considered that he would’ve gotten so angry over your deceit, but it was justified you figured. “I… I have to go now. But, please, all I wish for is your happiness. Be happy, no matter what you do!”

 “I wish for your happiness as well.” He took you up in his arms and embraced you as tightly as he could before you were pulled away.

 26 —

 “Look, it’s the kitsune.” Your ears immediately perked up and you could feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You thought that you had finally escaped that horrible life. Who had managed to recognize you? Someone from the Takeda clan? Someone from the Date clan? Or was it a leftover from Sōma’s clan or Inari’s temple? You didn’t even want to turn around. Your hands automatically moved to your stomach. You were pregnant. Not only did you have to look over yourself, but you had someone else to protect too. “Are you afraid? Have a little ninja to return home to?” Your heart dropped into your stomach. “How did I know? From one vixen to another, it’s only intuition.” That laugh. You knew it anywhere.

 “R—?”

 “Stop by at the tea house in town. I’m sure that we can put on a good show for not only you but that little thing you call a husband too.” She laughed again before walking off. She was holding a little shikomi’s hand. It couldn’t have been that little girl from before who had so curiously looked at you all those years ago; she was surely an adult by now.

 You nodded. “I’ll talk to him about it.” You waved. Once she walked away you took the laundry that you had hung out to dry that morning into your arms. You sighed to yourself. Maybe you could make some dango to cheer yourself up.

 Yes, Saizo would like that.

#samurai love ballad party #slbp shingen #slbp saizo #slbp masamune #slbp fanfic #slbp fic

[maiko-coy]

yoooo! The au sounds lit! We need more angry Dogday.

Do you have more ideas about it? 👁️

Thank you, I'm glad you like it!!! I do have several ideas for the AU, especially around the plotline and a bit of the side drabbles.

Missed Chances AU is basically revolving around the smiling critters in the Playcare (however, its specifically focused on our dear Dogday and Catnap, of course), but I've separated it into three arcs. First arc is the pre-HOJ. This is more on to fill in the backstory of the critters and how they are trained to interact in the Playcare, as well as them finding their own independence and creating their own personalities. This won't be as long as the other two arcs but I do plan on doodling a few drabbles from this arc for fluff and character development. This arc builds up until the Hour of Joy event. Second arc is post-HOJ. This arc focuses more on the events after Hour of Joy and how the Critters survive through it. This arc specifically focuses on Dogday. There will be major angst here with almost zero-to-none comfort because I'm still closely following the canon events. So yes, Dogday will still end up how he is in the canon game. This arc builds up until the canon Chapter 3. Third arc is post-chapter 3. As y'all have seen in my previous post, this arc is where Player saves Dogday, Dogday being vengeful, and saving Catnap. I haven't thought most of this arc yet (considering that the chapters aren't done yet) but I have planned out at least how Dogday and Catnap interacts here, as well as Player, Kissy, and Poppy. Sorry people but I don't plan on making any ships in this AU, simply because I don't think they have the time to in this situation and that I have no idea how romance work LMAOAOAO but I dont mind if yall ship anyone, I'm just saying that I don't plan on drawing any lovey-doveys in here. I also plan on giving this AU two endings: True ending and Good ending, cuz I'm evil like that. Maybe I'll make non-canonical doodles of this au who knows

#maiko rustles #poppy playtime chapter 3 #poppy playtime au #Missed Chances AU #smiling critters #Dw I'll be drawing three arcs sometime #I made like a short snippet of a scene in post-chapter3 where Dogday may have snapped at Catnap and Player hehe

[erolzafer]

Five years ago in 2013, I was in Japan for the first time staying at an @airbnb in Asakusa, hosted by @sayuki_geisha. At the time I didn’t know my host was one of a handful of westerners to successfully practice being a geisha, and while I was staying there she was preparing maiko (apprentice geisha) for an event. In the morning, I leaned over to her and asked, “could I take some photos?” She agreed. When I took the photos, I felt like an intruder, and I’ve kept them hidden for so long even though I’ve cherished this memory. The process of a maiko being dressed is involved. Outside the house, I would see perfectly coiffed geisha walking around the city. But here, between the rustle of silk and gauze, the process was unfolding from scratch: dappled light, whispers, paper screens, porcelain-white faces. The women inside would be transformed into something altogether different than when they walked in. #pptravelencounters @passionpassport — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JchPuu

#Instagram #IFTTT

[maiko-coy]

Love what you did with Dogday in your au! I like it when the fandom collectively cradles tragic characters like Dogday and gives them happy endings, but at the same time I love these type of aus. Let the beloved, wholesome character be angry, let them be VENGEFUL. He's put up with so much, I say he deserves a little violence as a treat.

My literal thoughts were "Caring helpful absolute darling Dogday is good, perfect, beautiful even... but what if angy?"

#maiko rustles #poppy playtime chapter 3 #poppy playtime au #Missed Chances AU

[maiko-coy]

YOU! *grabs*

YOURE THE AMAZING ARTIST THAT MADE FALL IN LOVE WITH THE DCA IM SHAKING YOU

THAT ONE COMIC OF SUN AND MOON SENDING MESSAGES THROUGH THEIR ROBOT CONNECTION AND THE PERSON BEING CONFUSED WAS MY AWAKENING AND THE AMOUNT OF TIMES IVE THOUGH ABOUT PRINTING THAT COMIC OUT AND EITHER EATING IT OR FRAMING IT ON MY BEDROOM WALL IS UNIMAGINABLE YOU ARE SO GREAT AND COOL HOW??? BITTING YOU

HELP, DONT BITE ME??? HERE, TAKE HIM, JUST DONT HURT ME--

#maiko rustles #fnaf security breach #fnaf sun

[maiko-coy]

Yall I'm gunna squeeze the hell out of eclipse /pos

#maiko rustles #fnaf dlc ruin #Spoilers (?)