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un2-verse · 3 years

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BILLY — Kim Taehyung (3)

Synopsis: News of a Sadistic Serial Killer nicknamed “Jigsaw” is spreading around town like wildfire… the nickname stemming from the puzzle piece he cuts from every victim’s body. No one knows who he’ll trap next but in a town full of delinquents and criminals, it could never be you. Right?

Pairing: yandere!Taehyung x f!reader

genre: angst, horror, weirdly some fluff lol

Warnings: dark themes, yandere, stalking, manipulation, conditioning, mentions of abuse, suicidal ideations/attempts, self harm, murder, depictions of torture etc (basically its gorey and fucked up), angel trap, etc stabbing and guns. do not read if triggered!!!!

wordcount: 2.2k

taglist: @yes-sol-not-soul @yoongiofmine

a/n: pt 3 is here!! honestly i wasnt expecting this amount of support as i’ve never published my writing before so thank u sm ♡ i was inspired to write this one night and i had no idea where it’d go or anything but i’m happy with the way its turning out :D fun fact abt me, i’ve been obsessed w the franchise since i was little and i actually have 2 saw tattoos, one of billy and one above saying “cherish your life” since that’s pretty much the motto of saw :) and i have quite the collection of saw/billy items so why not turn my fav horror film into a fucked up love story! let me know if u would like to be added to the taglist and pls enjoy reading^^ feel free to send me asks abt the series or anything u want~ i love hearing from u guys!! :D ps— taehyung and the reader dont have much interaction in this part,, theyll definitely be more of them together in part 4 :) unedited so pls excuse any mistakes!! tysm <33 and remember these are fictional characters and do not represent bts personally in any way!!

series masterlist

part one part two

The headlines constantly named the Jigsaw Killer, Billy. The somewhat eerie little doll that had a face as white as a Calla Lily with spirals on it’s cheeks as red as the blood that was shed during the tests. Billy was always dressed in a little black suit with a red bowtie and he was (most of the time) situated on a squeaky battered tricycle. Attached was always a tape that read “play me” and when the subjects did, a chilling voice— one that could make even the world's worst predators shiver with terror— would echo around the room.

Everyone knew that a doll clearly wasn’t responsible, yet they gave it the name Billy in hopes to somewhat humanise the face that instilled panic— they did not want to live in fear.

It was the only face behind the killings.

But this time, there was a different subject stuck in the test and Billy had made sure there was no way for them to survive.

“How are you scared of heights? You’re practically a giant yourself!”

“Just because I’m tall doesn’t mean I can’t be scared of heights Y/Nie.”

You had no idea how long had passed since Taehyung had turned up at the garage, you were too busy chatting away squeezed into the kitchen while your Dad, Yoongi and Hobi worked on the cars in the shop. If anyone could hear you both, they would think you’d known eachother since childhood— the playful jokes and light touches exaggerated that.

You’d only known him for a few hours really, if you added the time spent with him on the first day and now. It hadn’t seemed like all those weeks ago that you first met, he had a familiar presence, as though you had known him for years compared to the hours.

“I just wouldn’t imagine you to be scared of anything Taehyung… you seem so confident and fearless.”

You saw the way Taehyung looked at you. His eyes flashed with understanding.

“I did have my fears back then, much like yours.”

“What do you mean?” you had a rough idea on what he meant but you needed him to voice it.

A deep inhale and the words flowed from his lips before he could stop it, “The fear of living. I had been through some stuff you know, growing up. My mum was working a lot and my dad was an alcoholic, he was so fucking possessive and wouldn’t let her go anywhere without kicking off. It was a fucking shitshow and so toxic. This one time though, I’d pretended that I’d gone to school and waited outside the front door. It didn’t take long before I heard shit getting smashed and my dad shouting.” Taehyung was telling the truth only, he left out the part where he was also as possessive, if not more, than his father. Well, let's say… obsessive. “I just ran in the house and saw my dad towering over my mum and I don’t remember what happened but, I do remember my mum crying and my dad disappeared.”

Now Taehyung was lying through his teeth. He remembered clearly, almost like it was yesterday. He smashed the nearest bottle, pulled his mother away from the monster that scared her and stabbed him. Not just once, not twice but thirty-seven times. Hence the thirty seven tattoo on the palm of his right hand (the one he’d actually killed his father with). There was only Taehyung who knew what it meant, he counted every single time the broken glass pierced his father’s body, he counted with a smile on his face and a chuckle in his throat.

You were at a loss for words. Your mouth gaped in shock, eyes wide and your brain scrambled for the right thing to say. You reached over and grabbed his hand, interlacing your fingers. His thumb running back and forth along your hand. “I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.” There was no way you could relate, your mother and father were happy and in love. They had the ideal relationship, one you wished for yourself. You could empathise though.

“You don’t need to be sorry baby, it’s in the past and I’ve moved on from it. I was like you though, poisoned by the roots that keep you on the ground even though you wanted nothing more than to break free and be no longer.” A silence fell over you both before Taehyung uttered, “I wasn’t successful with my attempt so now I’m here to help you.”

Warmth spread throughout your body, a smile graced your features as you no longer felt alone.

You had a completely different idea to what those words actually meant.

It was nearing the evening when Taehyung’s car had been fixed. Yoongi popped his head in the kitchen to tell him but stopped himself so as to not interrupt the scene before him. You were laughing along to whatever Taehyung was babbling about with your hand resting on his bicep, with that look in your eyes that he hadn’t seen for years. Yoongi felt himself smile as he saw you hanging onto Taehyung's every word.

For the first time in forever, you looked alive.

Yoongi cleared his throat which drew yours and Taehyung’s attention, “Sorry to interrupt guys. We’ve finished with your car so whenever you’re ready we’ll be outside.” The infamous gummy smile overtook his features, you felt yourself beam in return.

“Thanks man! I’ll be like, five minutes.”

Yoongi nodded his head in reply and swiftly left the room.

You’d taken Tae’s hand into yours, playing with the array of rings that occupied his fingers. Solemn thoughts overtook, am I not gonna see him again? Was this, whatever this is, over before it had even begun? Your eyes stayed on his hand as you turned it over and traced your finger over the inked ‘thirty seven’ on his palm. “What does this mean?”

Taehyung didn’t think twice before he practically beamed out, “It’s my lucky number.”

The difference was, it wasn’t really his lucky number… although he did see it that way. It was the number that had stayed with him. It was something he was proud of, whenever he looked at the hand that killed his father, his chest filled with pride and a joyous feeling overtook his senses. It was his first murder. Something he relished in and thus, created the onslaught of Jigsaw killings. He targeted a certain type— those whose sins would lock them up forever if they were ever found out. Racists, murderers, rapists, drug dealers, con-men. Authoritative figures who abused their power. He even went as far as subjecting suicidal people.

You see, things aren’t sequential. Good doesn’t lead to good, nor bad to bad. People who steal, don’t get caught, they live the good life. Others lie, cheat and get elected.

Some people would call it karma but Taehyung, he called it justice.

He’d started this with one thing on his mind— those that don’t appreciate life do not deserve it.

Whenever a serial killer was on the loose, the press did what they always did. They gave them a nickname. While the public had named the doll Billy. The actual killer was named ‘Jigsaw’.

This stemmed from the jigsaw piece that was cut from the victims skin, no one knew why he was doing it or what it even stood for.

It did have a meaning although unknown to the public.

The jigsaw piece that was cut from the subjects was only ever meant to be a symbol that that subject was missing something. A vital piece of the human puzzle. The survival instinct.

After all, until a person is faced with death, it’s impossible to tell whether they have what it takes to survive.

Across town an underground abandoned warehouse, was where the next subject had found themselves.

They were suspended in the air, their feet merely dangling above the ground. The putrid smell of death lingered in every crevice, the sound of rats scurrying along the concrete floor filled their ears just as they began to stir awake.

A pain in their ribs was the overwhelming factor to them finally coming around. When they groggily opened their eyes, they were paralised with fear due to the scene in front of them.

A doll sat a few feet ahead, perched upon a tricycle. Adorned with a black suit and a red bowtie. A slow red light flashed in his eyes.

Billy.

Before the subject could even register how, when or why they found themselves trapped in a test, footsteps echoed behind them. The subject called out, “Help! Please, somebody help! I shouldn’t be here!”

A tsk reached their ears, as a disembodied voice replied, “Trust me, no one can hear you. Scream all you like. You’d just be wasting your breath, you may as well cherish it before it's gone.”

With hairs stood on end, the subject stilled. “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you.” The man's footsteps grew louder. “I’m here to serve justice, that’s all.”

The man rounded the subject, settling in their view with only his cloaked back visible while he tended to the little doll. He touched Billy delicately—like he was a little child that he loved dearly. He combed his gloved hand through the doll's black hair and eventually pulled his fingers from the tresses to pat his head gently.

“You fucking psycho! Let me go!”

He couldn’t help but laugh at that which only infuriated the subject more causing them to shake in anger, a movement they soon ceased when they realised something was penetrating their ribs.

“I’d be very careful if I was you, we wouldn’t want you hurting yourself now… would we?” The cloaked figure spun around. An angry glint to his eye.

“What the fuck, you’re fucking crazy. Let me out, this isn’t right!” The subject tried their hardest to swing their legs, to somehow kick the man who’d imprisoned them.

“I think you’ll find it is right. You’re unworthy of the body you possess.” He inched closer, “see, when someone purposely intends to harm others, they lose their right to life.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

The man arched a brow as he replied, “Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He felt like it was a game of cat and mouse except, he was a tiger and his subject, was the tiniest prey to mankind. “But, let me remind you! Since you can’t get your thick fucking head to work. You’re a liar, a cheater and an abuser. That ring any bells?”

The subject's face dropped.

“Ah, I see by your expression you know exactly what I’m talking about! Glad to see we’re on the same page.” He shrugged his cloak off placing it to the side of the doll. “I want to play a game.”

“What game? This isn’t a fucking game! You’re sick in the head you fucking cunt!”

The atmosphere shifted, the man remained calm while the subject went ballistic.

“What is this? What fucking game?”

“You feel the machine that’s currently occupying your ribs? Well, in about ten minutes that’s going to rip you apart. I’m proud to say that trap is my baby. I’ve been working on it especially for you! How nice is that?” he reached out to tug at the subject’s legs, tormenting them like a cat would a mouse. “Anyway, as my beautiful angel trap will rip you apart, my darling little friend Billy over here,” the subject followed the direction the man's hand pointed, “is going to match your face with the ugliness of your soul.”

“Fuck, fuck this! How do I stop it? Tell me how I fucking stop it!”

A boxy grin overtook the man's face, laughter poured from his mouth as he leaned over and slapped the subject’s leg. “This is a special game.”

“Who are you? What do you mean by ‘special game’?”

He raised himself so he stood tall and grabbed a knife from his pocket, “I’m the man you call Jigsaw.” He traced the tip of the knife along the subject’s ankle, “and when I say a special game… I mean you can’t get out.” While the subject was screaming in realisation, Taehyung walked back for his cloak, hung it over his shoulder and stalked off back the way he came. He sent one last smile to the subject as he rounded them and within the blink of an eye, he gripped the knife and slashed the subject’s achilles.

A chilling scream pierced the eerie atmosphere, the subject couldn’t string words together. Abundances of anxiety, terror and pure panic took reign of their body. Taehyung grabbed the injured muscles and forced his gloved fingers in as he gripped and twisted them, “That’s for Y/N.”

Taehyung had pressed the timer before he cut the subject’s tendons. He grabbed the tape from his pocket and threw it on the ground and with a chuckle he shouted, “Game over!”

Before he reached the end of the hallway, he heard the gunshots pierce his subjects face followed by the sound of the angel trap, even this far away Taehyung heard every crack of the ribs and the noise of the body being tore apart.

Without looking back, Taehyung rounded the corner and slammed the door shut.

He’d chosen the Angel trap for the irony, the subject that was currently hanging from the ceiling was no angel. They were a fucked up, evil, waste of space. Taehyung had done the world a favour, he’d done you a favour.

That got him thinking, how much blood would you shed in order to stay alive?

[a/n: who do we think was in the trap???👀]

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immabethehero · 3 years

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Marvin’s MegaBirthday Story

Guess who made a Megamind AU with Marvin as the title character?

Here’s a quick list of characters so you won’t get confused about who’s who:

Marvin, The Malevolent Magician - Megamind

Dr. Schneeplestein, the Doctor - Minion, but human

The Brighton Shepherd - Metro Man

Jackieboy Man, the Red Marauder - Sidekick to the Shepherd, original role of sorts

Chase Brody, news reporter - Roxanne Ritchi

Anthony/Anti - Hal Stewart, without the creepy simping

CW: Police brutality, hints of starvation, strangulation and mentions of electrocution

It was a glorious day in Brighton City. Even the weather seemed aware of it as the sun shone down brightly on the silver skyscrapers and the brand new museum built into the city square.

To celebrate the city’s greatest superhero, the grand, new museum had been dedicated to the city’s greatest hero: The Brighton Shepherd. In between the two buildings was a giant curtain, hiding a 55 foot statue for the superhero.

Reporters came to the site as early as 6 am before the crowds could roll in. Among them was the up-and-coming journalist, Chase Brody, who ran the news vlog: “Just Your Average Report”. Wearing a brand new grey and white suit to honour the Shepherd’s signature colour, Chase did vocal warm-ups while his cameraman, Anthony, set up the equipment. Unlike Chase, who had dressed handsomely for the occasion, Anthony simply wore a graphic t-shirt and a fishing vest with blue jeans. Chase tried not to let that get to him. In all the fifteen months he’d known Anthony, Chase had never seen the man wear anything other than graphic tees and the fishing vest. Today obviously wasn’t much different to Anthony.

“We’re on!” Anthony said. Chase held up his microphone in time for the camera light to turn red; he exclaimed, “Happy Brighton Shepherd Day, Brighton City! It’s a beautiful day in our beautiful downtown, where we’re here to honour a beautiful man: The Brighton Shepherd. His heart is as big as an ocean that’s inside a bigger ocean. For years, he’s been watching us with his super-vision, saving us with his super strength, and caring for us with his super heart. Now, it’s our turn to give something back! This is Chase Brody, reporting live from the dedication of the Brighton Shepherd Museum.”

Chase signaled to Anthony, who snorted as he turned the camera off.

“Damn, the stuff the producers make you read nowadays is incredibly cheesy. Have you considered writing your own stuff?”

“I have. That was one of my pieces,” Chase said with a grin. He reveled in Anthony’s look of horror.

“I mean… I can’t believe that in our modern day society, they let… actual art get onto the news,” Anthony stammered out.

“Nice save, Anthony.”

“Cool. Can we go get a coffee now?”

“Come on, it’s time to get into the Brighton Shepherd Day spirit!” Chase said, nudging his coworker.

Anthony rolled his eyes. “Please. If the Brighton Shepherd really was all that great, he’d be able to properly protect you from the Malevolent and his crazy Doctor. For someone who gets kidnapped and rescued all the time, you sure don’t have good security.”

Chase sighed. This debate again. “I mean, it’s good for my channel! I get to film bits and pieces of the Malevolent’s laboratory! Great publicity.”

“You take too many chances with that man, I swear. What happens if the Malevolent snaps and gets violent with you? The Shepherd and his sidekick won’t be there to protect you. You could die, Chase.”

“The Malevolent won’t hurt me. If he truly wanted to, he would have done so the first time he kidnapped me,” Chase snapped. “If anything, he just wants me for more publicity. I am a popular news source.”

“Yeah? Well, they don’t always strike at first sight, Lois Lane. The dude might be waiting for the perfect moment to torture you,” Anthony continued. “I mean, even if he doesn’t invent the machines, his sidekick is smart enough to make them! I swear that man has seen some stuff and wants to inflict it on the city.”

“The Malevolent and Doctor never want to torture. Their machines may look scary at first, but they’re useless. They only want to scare.”

Anthony began loading up the truck. “You’re too trusting.The Malevolent Magician has the power to mutilate and kill in ways your “friendship-is-magic” brain could never comprehend. The Doctor is no better. They’re both just waiting to strike. Once they do, the Shepherd’s presence won’t feel so reassuring, hm?”

Anthony had his back turned long enough for Chase to feel a cold presence beside him. The smell of gas flooded his senses. The reporter turned to hear a window roll down, though he didn’t see a car. Odd.

Instead a white plague doctor mask glared back at him. Chase groaned. Here he thought he might be able to avoid being kidnapped and used as leverage by the Malevolent Magician. Apparently not! The Malevolent’s sidekick, simply known as the Doctor, was here to claim his damsel in distress.

The Doctor raised a spray bottle and squirted it directly in Chase’s face. Chase barely had time to scream as a sudden drowsiness overtook him and the whole world went dark.

Step one was complete. The annoying vlogger was in the back of the van. With that accomplished, it was time to pick up the villain. Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, known to the city as the sidekick to the Malevolent Magician, drove through the busy town square and out of the main city.

The prison where the Malevolent lay was outside of town in a secluded location, or rather, in the middle of the highway leading into the city. Despite its odd location, the security was incredible. 200 security officers patrolled the site, with at least three officers supervising a special room under intense lock and key. The Malevolent himself was usually locked in large chains that only unlocked at certain times, or if Mal had behaved himself for a certain amount of time.

Schneep arrived to see the prison in chaos. Sirens blared loud enough to burst a person’s eardrums while police ran into the grey building, yelling to each other and pulling out their guns.

Amid all the chaos stood a man with a thick white moustache, standing in front of the large electrical gates, The man held up his wrist enough for Schneep to spy a silver watch on his wrist and sighed in relief. The watch had worked.

“Well, hello, good looking. Need a ride?” Schneep said, opening the door.

“Always, my dear doctor!” the man said as he hopped in. He slammed the door closed as Schneep slammed his foot on the gas and flew off.

The man twisted the watch’s case and transformed back into Malevolent. The supervillain turned to Schneep with an evil grin. “Nice job sending me the watch, Doctor! Let’s ride!”

“As you wish, my Wickedness!” Schneep yelled.

The maltreatment Mal received from the prison was not lost on the doctor. His sharp cheekbones were grimy and more pronounced, and his wrists were almost skeletal. Dark shadows hung below his eyes, and it was not from eyeliner. Schneep held back a sad sigh. Thank goodness he left a snack for Mal when they returned to the evil lair. That part could be solved.

Back at Brighton City Square, the show was ready to begin. As city officials made their speeches, two superheroes waited behind a painted brick wall to make an entrance.

The illustrious Brighton Shepherd fixed his mask and combed his dark brown hair back. Beside him was his sidekick: the Red Marauder, clad in red, green, and blue leather. Marauder kept peeking behind the wall.

“Malevolent is safe behind bars as of right now, you can relax, Jackie,” Shepherd said, rubbing his protégé’s back.

“I can’t find Chase!” Marauder whispered back. “I’ve scanned the crowds three times and there’s no sign of his face.”

“Perhaps he’s stuck in traffic?” Shepherd said, smoothing out the creases in Marauder’s blue cape. His sidekick really needed to learn how to take care of himself.

“He would have sent me a text if that had happened,” Marauder said with a sigh.

“Went for a cup of coffee with Anthony?”

Marauder turned to the crowd. “Anthony is currently eating a donut by one of the food vendors. I think Malevolent and the Doctor kidnapped Chase again!” His eyes filled with tears.

The Shepherd sighed and put a hand on Marauder’s shoulder. “Okay, when the mayor does her speech, we’ll do a quick speedrun through town. He can’t be far. Don’t worry, we’ll get him back.”

Marauder nodded, blinking back tears. No time to cry when there’s a battle.

“Shepherd? It’s time,” an employee whispered. The Brighton Shepherd cracked his neck.

“Show time, baby.” He punched the painted brick wall concealing him, creating a perfect hole. “Alright, put your hands in the air!” he yelled to the crowd.

The lair lit up as the car entered and parked in its appointed place. Marvin threw the door open and breathed in the familiar smell of the evil, abandoned, Monster Munch snack factory. A long time ago, it smelled of moldy cheese puffs and rat manure, but now it smelled of malevolence, metal, and a whole lot of cologne.

No matter how many times he arrived, the sweet scent always relaxed the supervillain after a hard day in jail or fighting the Shepherd. “Oh Doc, there’s no place like our evil lair!”

“I’ve kept it cold and damp, just the way you like it!” Schneep said, hauling the sleeping Chase out of the car.

A swarm of tiny robots flew over to Marvin, their engines whirring with delight. The model was a small purple circle with four robotic legs that could grip and lift up to 1,000 pounds. Of course, each had cat ears attached to the sides of their heads and a cat tail at the back. The CATs, Marvin had fondly called them. Their singular glowing yellow eyes in the center of their body looked up at their darling master.

“The CATs have certainly missed you, sir!” Schneep exclaimed.

Marvin bent down to caress their smooth heads. “Did you miss your daddy? Who’s a menacing little android? You are, yes, you are!”

One CAT held up a ball of twine. Marvin grabbed it and tossed it across the lair, the CATs trailing after it.

Two older models of the CATs held up a curtain while two others held up Marvin’s new suit. Marvin gratefully ripped off the ugly bluish-grey prison rags and changed into his white button-up, black dress pants, and sparkly purple vest. A CAT draped his famous black cloak with magenta lining around his shoulders while another handed him his beautiful cat mask with the magician’s card designs drawn on. He happily donned the mask with pride and stepped out.

“How do I look, Doctor? Do I look evil?” Marvin asked, spinning.

“Horrifyingly striking, sir,” Schneep said. He opened a small gate to an elevator platform, “Shall we?”

At the top, Schneep set Chase down on a chair while Marvin checked all the monitors and buttons.

“Everything ready?”

“Of course! I would never leave anything unchecked before a big event!” Schneep said. Beside the doctor, Chase began to stir, grunting and yelling muffled by the bag.

“He’s awake! Quick everyone, places!” Marvin ordered. He jumped onto his chair and motioned a small CAT to lie down in his lap while he fixed his hair once more.

Schneep ripped the bag off of Chase’s head as Marvin twirled his chair around, menacingly stroking the CAT. “Mr. Brody, we meet again.”

“Would it kill you to wash the bag?” Chase complained, “it fucking stinks and the spray bottle is no better!”

“You can scream all you want, Brody, I’m afraid no one can hear you!” Malevolent announced. Chase remained stone-faced.

Marvin frowned. “Why isn’t he screaming?”

Schneep sighed exasperatedly and bent down next to Chase, “Mr. Brody, if you don’t mind-”

“Screaming sounds a lot like this: aaaahhhhh!” Malevolent demonstrated. “I mean, that’s a poor example but-”

The CAT sitting on his lap bit his hand. Malevolent emitted a high-pitched shriek as he tried to shake the little robot off.

“Not to sound like a sadist but it’s more fun when you do it,” Chase deadpanned.

“Very funny,” the Doctor snapped. “You’ll be singing a different tune when the Brighton Shepherd is defeated right before your eyes!”

Ignoring both of them, Chase decided to examine the observatory, the usual spot for Malevolent and Shepherd’s battles. Most of it was the usual, a long control booth circling the room, full of buttons and levers that would release death traps, lasers, and other lame inventions. Above the panel were monitors of different sizes. On one side of the elevator was a broken vending machine where Doctor grabbed his sleeping spray, while on the other side was a strange metal sphere with axes and spikes sticking out of it (Chase asked and even Malevolent had no idea what it was).

“Speaking of watching, do you have your camera set up?” Malevolent asked, finally yanking off the biting CAT.

“Yup! It’s in the pin this time! Anthony helped me set it up!” Chase puffed his chest out to show it off.

Malevolent ran a hand through his thick black hair and twirled around, letting his cape fly in the wind.

“So guys, what’s on the menu for today? Robosheep? Typhoon cheese? A big ball of aluminum that will roll around town?” Chase asked.

Behind his plague doctor mask, Schneeplestein grinned. It was his time to shine! “Actually, we created a cool ray that uses the sun to make explosive lasers, wanna see?!” He excitedly rushed over to the main control booth and began typing in the passcode to turn it on.

Marvin yelped and pulled Schneep away from the booth, “Easy there, Doc, we’ll show it in time!”

“Brody wanted to see it!” Schneep protested. “It’s not like it would hurt, would it?”

“Think, Doctor! He’s using his nosy reporter skills to find out all our secrets!” Malevolent accused, snarling at Chase.

Chase rolled his eyes, chuckling. These two could be quite entertaining. “What secrets?! You’re so predictable!”

“Oh, that’s the insult for today?! Tell me, my dear Brody, would you call this predictable?” Marvin pulled down a lever and the floor around Chase opened up.

“Your alligators, yes!” Chase nodded in greeting to the snapping reptiles. “Yeah, I was just thinking about these guys on the way over!”

Truth be told, Chase was dreaming of riding a large parrot to Disney World while in the car. But Malevolent didn’t need to know that.

Marvin turned back to the panel. How dare Chase see through his armour?! He quickly slammed a button. “What about this?”

A sharp razor painted blood red danced in Chase’s face. “That’s kind of tacky.”

Marvin punched another button and a junky invention of multiple chainsaws attached to the ceiling lowered down. The chainsaws had gotten their chains stuck to each other and could barely move. Chase pretended to contemplate it. “Mm, juvenile.”

Marvin pulled another lever. “What about this?!”

A giant fart gun shot green gas out. Chase gagged. “Gross and immature!”

“What’s this one do?!” A weak fire machine coughed out small bits of fire.

“That’s just sad,” Chase said. He looked up and nearly jumped out of his seat. A small spider floated downwards. “Is the spider new?”

Marvin turned to Schneeplestein, who merely shrugged. When this was all over, Marvin was going to give him a stern talking to about bug extermination in the lair.

“Ah yes, the spe-dair-a,” Marvin whispered as he advanced closer to Chase. “Even the smallest bite from Arachnis Deathicus will instantly paralyze-”

Chase blew the spider onto Marvin’s cheek, causing him to scream again. Schneep punched him hard enough to knock him over.

“GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!!!! IT BIT MEEEEE!!!” Marvin screamed as Schneep continually smacked him with a newspaper. The spider fell off of Marvin’s cheek and began advancing to the control panel.

“STOP IT BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS!” Marvin howled as he crawled away from the disgusting creature.

After five minutes of Marvin’s dramatic wails and crawling and Schneep swearing like a sailor, Chase finally put an end to the spider’s life by stomping on it when it got close enough.

Marvin crawled over to Chase and grovelled at his bound feet. “Thank you, you are a lifesaver!” He suddenly spied the pin. “Is that still on?”

Chase smiled smugly, “I’ll burn the evidence if you let me go and we’ll never speak of it again.”

Marvin stood up, scowling, “Absolutely not! We haven’t even gotten to the fun part! Let’s pay your boyfriend and godfather a visit, shall we?”

Back at the town square, the mayor had finished up her rather short speech, “It is with great pleasure that I present Brighton Shepherd to his new museum! When you’re ready!”

Shepherd’s laser eyes cut the rope and the great curtains fell, revealing the giant statue of the superhero. A brass band played loudly over the sound of a cheering crowd.

Jackie applauded happily for his mentor, but couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. In all fairness, the Shepherd had been around longer than he had, and he was still familiarizing himself with the city.

A sudden chill running up his arms woke Jackie from his thoughts. He looked up and gasped. Dark clouds quickly enveloped the museum. People shrieked in terror as a big, black blimp hovered above the great building, rolling down two large projection screens underneath. Once positioned on each side of the magnificent statue, a small circular robot holding a camera turned the screens on, showing the face of the one to blame for the chaos: the Malevolent.

The Brighton Shepherd and the Red Marauder flew up, Shepherd holding up a microphone.

“If it isn’t the Malevolent!”

“Bravo, Brighton Shepherd! Congratulations on your new museum!” Malevolent drawled, clapping slowly.

The crowd began to boo loudly. Malevolent blew a raspberry at the crowd, “So immature!” he scoffed.

“Should have known you’d try and crash the party!” Shepherd said.

“Oh, I intend to do more than crash it! This will be a historic day you, and Brighton City, will not soon forget!”

“We all know how this ends!” Shepherd said. “With you behind bars!”

“Ooh, I tremble in my kitten-skinned cape,” Malevolent hissed, playfully wrapping himself up in his cape. The cape was actually made from cotton, but the city didn’t need to know that.

“What do you want with us, Mal?” Shepherd demanded.

“First off, don’t call me ‘Mal’,” Malevolent snapped. “Secondly, if you and your tomato sidekick don’t leave town in an hour, then this will be the last you ever hear of Chase Brody!” Malevolent punched a button and the left screen presented the kidnapped Chase tied to a chair.

“I knew it!” Jackie muttered behind his mask.

“Don’t panic Chase! We’re on our way!” Shepherd cried out, earning a cheer from the crowd.

“I’m not panicking!” Chase responded, smiling.

Malevolent pretended to gag. “Oh, please. You have to find us first before you save Chase.”

“We’re at the abandoned observatory!” Chase quickly called out.

Malevolent suddenly turned off Chase’s camera, yelping, “WAIT DON’T TO LISTEN TO HIM-”

It was too late. Shepherd and Marauder were already flying above the dark grey smoke. Shepherd quickly spotted the broken down space observatory near the dangerous part of Brighton City beach and pointed it to Marauder. The two began their flight.

Back at the lair, Schneep watched the superheroes from his monitor. “Shepherd and Marauder approaching, sir!”

Marvin turned to Chase, who shot him a smug grin. Marvin only smiled in return.

“Like we said, you’ll be singing a different tune when you see what we have planned!”

The Shepherd would almost be here. Chase closed his eyes and ducked his head for the inevitable ceiling crash.

Shepherd and Marauder flew through the opening of the observatory and landed. Or rather, Shepherd landed gracefully on his feet while Marauder tripped and fell over. Behind them, the heavy doors slid shut.

Shepherd looked around. The place was quiet and eerily empty. No sound of any cat-bots. No evil laughter from the Malevolent.

“Something’s wrong…” Shepherd muttered. He turned to the doors. Were they locked in?! He ran over to check.

Puzzled, Chase looked up. Where were they?

Malevolent reveled in Brody’s confused expression. He fiddled with the control panel, opening up one of the walls.

“You didn’t think we were in the real observatory… did you?!”

Chase could stare in horror as he spotted the real observatory. He couldn’t believe it. He had led the two superheroes right into a trap.

Malevolent laughed triumphantly. “Ready the Death Ray, Doctor!”

Doctor typed in the passcode and pulled the lever down. “Death Ray ready-ing!”

In the real abandoned observatory, Shepherd and Marauder desperately tried to get the doors open.

“I can’t believe Malevolent actually tricked us! How did he seal the doors?!” Marauder moaned.

“Don’t worry Red, we’ll find a way out,” Shepherd said, smiling.

“Over here, boys,” a voice like ice called out. The superheroes turned to see a large projection of Malevolent smiling down on them.

“In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve fallen right into my trap!” Malevolent boasted.

The Shepherd motioned Marauder to find an escape before turning to Malevolent. “You can’t trap justice! It’s an idea! A belief!”

“Well sometimes the most heartfelt belief can be corroded over time!” Malevolent responded.

“Justice is a non-corrosive metal!”

“Then I will just melt it with the heat of revenge!”

“FYI, revenge is best served cold!” Shepherd corrected him. From the side, Marauder shook his head. As much as he respected his mentor and feared Malevolent, their “witty back-and-forth banter” was lame.

“It can easily be reheated in the microwave of evil! Don’t doubt me!” Malevolent snarled.

“Well I think your warranty is about to expire!” Shepherd declared.

“Fuck you, I have an extended warranty!” Malevolent retaliated.

“Language, my dear sir! And warranties are invalid if you don’t use the product for its intended purpose!” Shepherd roared.

“OH! Girls, girls, you’re both pretty!” Chase yelled from his seat. He turned to Malevolent, exasperated, “My whole body is sore. Can I just go home now?!”

Malevolent turned around to throw an empty can of Cola at Chase. It bonked off the side of his head.

“You’ll just have to wait, dear Brody! Your beloved superheroes first must prove if they can escape the inevitable power of the sun! Fire!”

Marauder conjured a shield for himself and Shepherd. When the Shepherd made no move to protect himself, Marauder realized nothing was coming. What happened?

Meanwhile, Marvin approached Schneep and the machine. Schneep learned against the panel, snoring softly. Marvin poked him, “Doctor, wake up!”

Schneep startled, “Oh! Sorry!” He turned to the machine, “The machine is still warming up. I expect we have a few more minutes before it fires.”

Marvin’s face turned as red as Marauder’s suit. “Warming up?! The sun is warming up?!”

Chase started laughing, “The sore arms and legs are definitely worth this riot. Just you wait, the Shepherd and Marauder will be on you in min-”

Malevolent tossed another empty can at Chase. Chase immediately shut up. “That’s better.”

“Don’t worry Chase, we’re on our way!” Marauder yelled from the monitor.

Malevolent stomped over to the camera, “Get here faster, I’m this close to throwing his stupid ass off the balcony!”

This caused Marauder to flip. “Hang in there Chase, I’m coming!” He rocketed up to fly out, only to crash into the ceiling and fall back down unceremoniously.

“Marauder, we’ve talked about this! You need to think before you do anything!” Shepherd lightly scolded. “Now, what do we have that can create a hole in the wall?”

“This whole day is a mess…” Doctor muttered from his spot at the panel.

“I’m sorry, whose side are you on?!” Malevolent demanded.

“The losing side!” Chase interjected.

“Everybody shut up,” Malevolent ordered. He sighed, rubbing his temples. “You know what? I need to take a nap. Call me when the ray is ready!”

“The ray is ready!” Doctor announced. In seconds a bright beam of yellow flew down, destroying the observatory in seconds. Fire and burning metal fell out of the demolished observatory, some of it flying directly towards the lair.

Malevolent quickly waved his hands in a circular motion, muttering. A shimmering purple bubble wrapped around Doctor and Chase. As debris rained down, Malevolent deflected them with bursts of purple fireworks. Chase watched in amazement, gaping.

“I keep forgetting he can do magic...” Chase muttered. “He uses so much technology instead.”

Doctor laughed, “Well, he’s not called the Magician for nothing.”

When the commotion calmed down and the debris stopped coming, Marvin twirled around, blowing a stray hair out his eye. The bright glow of the burning observatory behind the magician outlined his epic form. “Did your camera get that, Brody?”

Two more pieces of falling debris gracelessly smashed into Marvin. Chase happily squealed upon seeing the dusty forms of the Brighton Shepherd and the Red Marauder.

“I… should have seen that coming,” Marvin squeaked. “How did you escape so fast?”

“Laser eyes are a wonderful thing!” Marauder answered, giving Marvin a playful wink as he stood up. Marvin stuck his tongue out.

“The gig is up, Mal. We’re taking you back to jail, where you belong!” Shepherd declared. Marvin sighed and slammed his head down on the floor. Naturally, he lost. Again.

Schneep’s distressed cries snapped Marvin back to attention. He turned to his head to see Marauder on top of a struggling Schneep. Schneep’s whimpers and half-sobs were lost on Marauder, who continued tying his wrists behind him.

“Might as well send the Malevolent’s accomplice to jail as well! That way he won’t escape again!” the sidekick reasoned.

Something in Marvin snapped. “NO!” he screamed, startling the Shepherd. With his nemesis off his back, Marvin set his eyes on Brody and magically put the reporter in a choke hold.

Chase gasped raggedly as the air left his lungs.

Marvin whirled around to face Marauder, growling, “Let the doctor go!”

“Get your hands off Chase!” Marauder yelped, staring helplessly at his struggling brother.

“First, free the doctor!” Marvin shouted. He tightened his grip on Chase, lifting him out of the chair.

“Put Chase down!” Marauder roared, eyes glowing red.

Chase wheezed pathetically, black spots darting in his vision. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He let out a strangled sob, tears falling. In all his time with Malevolent… he had never felt so scared.

Jackie’s eyes lost their glow and he loosened his grip on the Doctor. Underneath him, the Doctor moaned in pain.

“Let him go, Red.” Jackie turned to Shepherd in shock. The usually optimistic and brightly-smiling superhero had a grim expression on his face. Jackie spluttered.

“B- but- The Doctor will just free the Malevolent again! We could stop them both once and for all-”

“You heard me. Let him go,” Shepherd ordered. Reluctantly, Jackie stood up and backed away from the Doctor. The shaking man took no time running to the stairs and quickly disappearing.

Marvin waited until Schneep’s footsteps faded away before releasing Chase, gently laying him down. Chase gulped in tearful breaths, his body trembling. Marauder rushed over to free Chase while Shepherd tied the magician’s hands behind him.

The minute his hands were free, Chase threw his arms around Jackie. Jackie gently hugged him.

“Are you okay?” Jackie whispered. Chase nodded, still gasping.

“I’ll take Malevolent to jail,” the Shepherd said. “You get Chase to a hospital!” He took off, Malevolent dangling in his arms. The magician waved goodbye as he and the Shepherd disappeared into the city.

Jackie picked up Chase bridal style and started flying as well.

He kept the flight light and steady to keep Chase from getting sick. Chase buried his head in Jackie’s shoulder for most of the trip, eyes squeezed shut. He hated heights.

As they arrived at the hospital, a medical team waited outside to take Chase in. After the first few kidnappings, a special team offered to dedicate themselves to healing Chase in case he needed it.

“Ja-Jackie?” Chase stuttered. Jackie looked down at his almost unconscious friend.

“Ma-Make sure th-this doesn’t reach An-Anthony, oh-ok?” Chase begged between gasps.

Jackie nodded, confused. “Alright… I won’t tell him.”

The cell stunk. No one here ever bothered to put an air freshener in his jail cell, despite Marvin’s numerous polite requests to have it put in. According to the security guards, the Malevolent “could use it as a weapon” or a “gas bomb”. Please.

Marvin sighed as best as he could. As if to enact revenge for strangling Chase, the security staff had clamped an even smaller chain around his neck, making it hard to breathe. Or move. Or do anything. The rest of his body wasn’t much better, with a larger chain wrapped around his waist and movement sensory chains bruising his wrists. If he tried using any magic, the chains on his wrist would shock him. After today, electrocution was the last thing Marvin needed.

Marvin looked up to check the premises. After checking to make sure the guards were gone, Marvin snapped his fingers, careful not to move his wrists too much. Immediately, the chains loosened, allowing Marvin to take a shuddering gasp. He knew the minute he heard the guards coming to check on him, he had to tighten them again, so he took advantage of the situation.

At least the Doctor was free. He wasn’t being made to sit in a stinky, small cell, wrapped in large chains that threatened to strangle him at any moment. He was free to relax after a hard day, planning for the next breakout. For now, Schneep could rest.

Marvin leaned back against his chair, closing his eyes. Schneeplestein would help him escape again. For now, the magician himself will think of another plan to get back at the Brighton Shepherd.

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

@graysun, @florenceisfalling, @miishae, @lonelyseiren, @goldenoceanaart, @oasisofgalaxies, @fleecal, @kofi-kiing, @myspatialspace, @jo-ann-ahh-2, @huffletrax, @indic0lite, @dumbasticart, @lunaarmada, @meteorshowersfillthesky, @uhhbeans, @the-pastel-kitsune, @ptide @climbing-starrs, @the-spawn-of-loki, @jadehowlettthewolf, @obsidiancreates, @rammypaige, @cest-mellow, @randowaffle, @green-protects, @dezi-popp, @badlypostedeverything, @crystalninjaphoenix, @milokno, @pixelpixie-pix, @why-killed-markiplier

#marvin the magnificent #jacksepticeye #writersofjack #writers of jack #jackieboy man #jse egos #writing #immabethehero #marvin megamind au #apparently i can write

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arashikitten · 3 years

Text

What the Shadows Bring to Light

Wukong liked to think he had a sixth sense when it came to certain things. In a way, he sort of did, what with the golden eyes and demon sensing capabilities. But he also liked to think that he had a sort of foresight, an ability to know if something was wrong regardless of whether or not he was there if or when something bad happened.

It was something that had grown even stronger as he started to train Qi Xiaotian, which he attributed to the kid’s almost uncanny ability to stumble upon powerful demons, most of whom hadn’t been seen in well over 300 years. Seriously, the kid’s ability to get into trouble would have almost been something to be respected, if not for the fact that he made it very difficult for Wukong not to leap into battle to help whenever Xiaotian got even a little hurt. Xiaotian needed to learn how to do all of this himself: eventually, he’d need to grow out of the Monkey King’s shadow.

Which was why he’d been attempting to ignore the overwhelming feeling of wrongness that had been slowly creeping up in the past three months. It had started when his friend, the daughter of one of the dragon families, had called Xiaotian in a panic during his training. Something about a giant monster destroying the city, they needed the kid’s help to stop it, the usual. No reason to be worried.

But then Wukong got a glimpse of the creature from the kids phone, and suddenly there was a swirl of familiarity mixed with deep seated unease. He knew, knew, that he had seen that creature somewhere before, but every time he tried to remember just who or what it was,he came up blank.

So, he’d let the kid go and fight. An uncharacteristic sense of worry settled in his gut, as if trying to warn him that something, something was wrong. Wukong, for the first time in almost twenty years, was unable to go to sleep that night. Worry and anxiety were a crushing weight on him, his mind wandering down dark paths as he attempted to lull himself to sleep.

This led to him being rather… irritable the next day, snapping at Xiaotian in his sleep deprived state. The look the kid had given him, frustrated and confused and hurt, caused a tidal wave of guilt to crash over him, and he had cringed slightly before offering the kid a bag of peach chips as an attempt at an apology. He’d taken them, and hurt and frustration were replaced with concern that just made Wukong feel even shittier.

At least the kid had been ok.

This tension, this oppressive anxiety, continued for three months, fluctuating in severity. Sometimes, it was barely noticeable, nothing more than a small buzz in the back of his head. Other times, it was thick and heavy, covering him like a weighted blanket, stifling the air from his lungs and making his ears ring. There was an ever present danger, lurking beneath the calm veneer of his training with Xiaotian, and it scared the hell out of Wukong. Something, someone, was after his successor, and Wukong had a feeling that whatever it was, it would be much more powerful than the Demon Bull Fam.

And then, last night, something changed. He’d been jolted out of a restless sort of sleep in a panic, terror and worry and dread suffocating him in the beginning of a panic attack as visions of Xiaotian laying bloodied and burned on the ground flooded his brain, shoving out any thoughts of calm or peace that tried to tell him that his kid was safe, that wasn’t- isn’t real, his kid was alive-

Macaque. Wukong’s blood froze. No. No no no nononono. Macaque was dead. He’d been dead for years, gone like dust in the wind. He’d been there, he’d been the one to do it. He’d seen the light vanish from Macaque’s eyes, heard his final breath.

Macaque was dead.

But even through those self-assurances, even as he replayed the memory on loop in his head, he knew. He knew Macaque was alive and well, that he was still out there, that his kid was in danger-

And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the creeping dread lifted. Fear, terror, concern, they all flooded him like a village before a demon, leaving him tired and drained and confused as hell. The dread-feeling, the ever-present anxiety that Wukong had begun to just accept as a part of his life now, just disappeared, poof! Even the low humming, the slight buzzing in the back of his head, was gone, and for the first time in three months, Wukong’s head was quiet.

Wukong sat back on his little cloud, head in his hands as he sighed. He was being ridiculous. Macaque was absolutely, 100% dead. He’d been there, he’d seen it with his own two eyes: Macaque was dead. Gone. Absent from the world of the living. He couldn’t hurt Xiaotian.

His kid was safe.

——————— ——————— ——————— ———————

The next morning, the kid had shown up to Flower Fruit mountain at exactly 12:30. He seemed happy, bouncing around the cave with his usual boundless energy. There were no injuries that he could see, aside from a small bruise on the kid’s forehead that he got from running into a tree on his way here. The kid was happy and appeared to be fairly relaxed, no hidden worry or fear in his eyes to suggest that anything bad had happened.

In fact…

Wukong surreptitiously activated his demon sight. Xiaotian’s aura, which always glowed the same golden color as his own, was way brighter than Wukong could ever remember seeing it. Even when the kid had first lifted the staff, when his aura had first flared out like a small supernova, it hadn’t been as strong as it was now.

Just what had happened?

“Hey, Xiaotian. Did anything… particularly strange happen last night? Anything that you can remember?” The kid stopped what he was doing and looked up at Wukong curiously.

“I… I don’t think so? Why?” Concern overtook curiosity, and Xiaotian blurted out “Did something bad happen? Did someone from the court of Heaven send you a message?! DID-“

Wukong shoved a peach chip at the kid’s face, effectively shutting him up. Wukong let out a heavy sigh.

“No, kiddo, it’s nothing like that. It’s just….” Wukong fell silent. That nagging worry, the concern and protectiveness surged back, like the waves at high tide. He didn’t want his so- his successor to freak out, as the young human was prone to doing.

Wukong closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. He’d have to tell Xiaotian eventually. Better to rip the bandaid off now.

“You know how I have the ability to see demons? Even when… even when they’re in disguise?” Xiaotian nodded, of course. He was still a massive fan boy, after all.

“Well… that ability, it’s not just limited to seeing demons in disguise. I can also sense them from miles away, regardless of whether or not they’re in sight. Kind of like- like a um, a spider-sense, if you will.” Xiaotian nodded along, looking fascinated, as Wukong continued.

“Basically, depending on how close the demon is, how powerful it is, and how malicious it is, I’ll get this sort of… buzzing in the back of my head, or my ears will start to ring. Usually, most demons are barely strong enough to set it off, and even if they are able to, usually they’re too far away for me to notice.” He looked down at Xiaotian and braced himself. This was going to be difficult.

“The past three months… it’s been going off constantly. And it was… It was loud, way louder than just about any other demon I’ve faced. It… it was strong enough to trigger that little warning in my brain, from… from all the way in the city, I think. For something to trigger it that much, from that far away…” Wukong trailed off at the dawning look of horror on Xiaotian’s face. Shit. Shit. This was not going as planned.

Xiaotian looked up at him, eyes wide and shining with clear concern and apprehension, and Wukong knew he needed to say something before the kid worked himself into a full-on panic. Now.

“But then, something… changed, last night. Do you remember, earlier, when I said that one of the things that determines how strong the… the “sense” is, is how malicious the demon or whatever triggering it is? Well… last- last night, the activity, or intent, or, or whatever, it peaked for a bit, before just… vanishing. Completely. I’ve never felt anything like it before, and I was wondering, if you… if you knew anything about it? About why… about what was triggering that demon sense?” But the kid was already shaking his head, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face as he did so. Damn.

“I don’t think so… I mean, the only demons that have attacked the city in the last three months were some small fry and the Demon Bull fam, and even they’ve been pretty quiet…” Xiaotian trailed off slightly, and worry stewed in Wukong’s gut. Even an hour later, as he waved the kid off, it lingered in the dark corners of his mind, like a poison. Something bad was going to happen, he could feel it.

And Wukong had a bad feeling that it would have something to do with the vision of Macaque he’d had last night. He could only hope that Xiaotian would stay out of it.

————— ————— ————— ————— —————

Stupid. He’d been so, so stupid. He’d known, known that something bad was going to happen, and he’d been right in all the wrong ways.

Wukong had never wanted to be so wrong before. Not like now.

It had been about three hours after the kid had left Flower Fruit when he’d felt it- that punch to the gut, heart being crushed, no air in his lungs feeling that sent him to his knees, gasping for air that just wouldn’t come as panic drenched him in a massive tidal wave. He’d known, with absolute certainty, that something had happened to Xiaotian, that his kid, his son, was badly hurt, that he needed to be there, he needed to help-

Wukong couldn’t remember ever flying that fast before. He’d zipped down Flower Fruit Mountain like lightning, rushing over the city to where he knew Xiaotian’s apartment was. He needed to make sure his kid was okay, he needed to protect his boy-

The scent of blood, warm and metallic and nauseating, overwhelmed him as it was accompanied by smoke and burned flesh. Wukong felt his stomach turn as he leapt off his cloud, ducking into a nearby alley to empty his sensitive stomach. Good Gods, what had happened? What had happened to his successor? His scent was woven in to the blood and burned flesh scent, ripe with terror and pain and oh, Gods, his kid was hurt-

Wukong rushed out of the alley to see the apartment, and immediately a new, fresh wave of horror overwhelmed him. The front wall of the place had been blasted to smithereens, the rubble littering the sidewalk around him. There were cracks in the pavement beneath his feet, interspersed with dark scorch marks and, to Wukong’s mounting horror, small bloodstains. Small fires still burned all over, stinking of smoke and burning plastic. The human fire department was there, along with police and an ambulance-

Wukong’s breath hitched. Xiaotian. Xiaotian was in that ambulance, he was sure of it.

He needed to get in that ambulance. Now. He needed to see, needed to assess how bad the damage was, needed to make sure his boy was alive-

Wukong rushed back into the alleyway, quietly transforming into a small butterfly, before making his way over to the vehicle. One of the windows, up at the front, was still opened slightly. Good. Wukong slipped in to the driver’s side, and landed on the back of the driver’s chair for a moment. There were two doors leading to the back, both of which were shut. Luckily for Wukong, there were two small, square windows that he could just barely see through.

What he saw made him sick.

His apprentice, his successor, his kid, was laying on a stretcher, bandages covering his head, arms, and chest. His jacket and headband had been removed, as had most of his t-shirt, throwing the small parts that hadn’t been bandages yet into stark relief. There were some parts of the skin that were blackened, blood still seeping through the cracked and burned skin. The skin that wasn’t burned, bandaged, or bloodied, was pale and wane, sickly looking, like that of a corpse. Xiaotian’s dark brown hair was a mess, covered still in dust and debris and sticky with blood. An oxygen mask covered the boy’s mouth and nose, and Wukong couldn’t stand to look anymore.

He flew off of the driver’s chair to land quietly on the floor, curled up slightly in the back corner as he tried to just… process what he’d seen.

The world had been muted, blurred to him. Darkness creeped at the edges of his vision, everything becoming an indistinct blob of color and shadow. The ringing in his ears reached a new pitch, interspersed with a low, hollow thumping sound that he would later realize was his own beating heart. He heard the sounds of the ambulance starting up as though he were underwater, muted and drowned out by that ever present ringing-thumping in his ears that only seemed to grow louder as he saw, over and over again, visions of Xiaotian happy smile turning into a broken look of terror as fires consumed him, leaving nothing but a burnt husk comprised of only ashes and bones….

Wukong jolted forward as the ambulance came to a stop. When had they started moving? When had they arrived at the hospital? Wukong couldn’t remember.

He heard the sounds of the stretcher being moved, heard the sound of wheels on pavement as he flew from his little spot on the floor to the still-open doors of the vehicle, fluttering around as doctors and nurses swarmed his kid. They, along with Wukong, rushed into the hospital, pulling him towards the emergency care center.

Wukong started lagging behind them. He was too small, his wings wouldn’t beat fast enough, and the Emergency Care doors slammed shut before he could reach them, echoing with all the grim finality of an executioner’s blade.

Wukong stared unblinkingly at the doors. He felt numb, muddied and blurred and overwhelmed in a way that left him fluttering slowly to the clean, cold white tiles of the hospital floor. Too much. It was all too much. His kid was hurt. His kid was in critical condition. His kid was in pain. He’d seen his kid, just a few hours earlier, healthy and happy and alive on Flower Fruit Mountain, safe and sound and there-

And now he was hurt. Now he needed an oxygen mask just to breath. Now, he was burnt and bruised and broken, his only kid, his child-

Wukong’s breath hitched. He was no longer in the hospital. He was no longer transformed. He was in an alleyway right next to the hospital. The sky had grown darker, swirling with pinks and reds and oranges as stars slowly began to make themselves known. Tears were streaming down his face, warm and wet, leaving damp trails in their wake. He was crouching over, hands covering his mouth as quiet sobs shook him to his core. He could see each little crack in the pavement, each small blade of grass that was struggling to come up through the concrete and reach for the sun.

He hadn’t remembered leaving. He hadn’t remembered transforming back. He hadn’t remembered much of anything, really.

It scared him, not knowing what had happened.

It scared him, the possibility of finding out what had happened.

His kid. His boy. His son. Wukong had known, for a bit know, that he cared about Xiaotian as more than his successor. But this…. Gods, he didn’t even know how to begin to process this.

Guilt came rushing in. He’d known. He’d known that something bad was going to happen, he’d felt in his very bones that his son was in danger, and he’d foolishly let him go with false comforts that the kid could handle himself, that Xiaotian was strong, that his friends would help him.

He remembered, now, sealing away Xiaotian invulnerability. What the hell had he been thinking, doing that? Why had he ever, ever thought that was even remotely a good idea?

And now, Xiaotian was paying dearly for it.

Whispers began playing in his head, a polyvocal taunt that attacked from all sides. Your fault, they whispered. It’s all your fault. You could’ve been there, you could’ve gone with. You knew something was wrong, yet you waved him away to his doom.

And just how many times has he had to fight alone? The voices taunted him, as fresh guilt rained down upon him. How many times did he leave training with you to fight some demon on his own? How many times did you let him go? How many times did he get injured because of your negligence?

Wukong couldn’t breathe under the weight of the voices. He couldn’t hear anything else, he couldn’t see through his tears the setting sun. Your fault, your fault, your fault-

“WHY??!!” The voice, that all too familiar voice, cut through the whispers like a knife. Wukong felt his blood run cold.

Macaque.

Macaque was here. Alive and well.

Macaque, a dangerous, very much not-dead creature, was near Xiaotian. Xiaotian, who was put into the hospital. Xiaotian, who had severe burns all over his body. Xiaotian, who was either in critical condition or a coma, and as such unable to fight back should Macaque decide to kill him.

Hell no.

Wukong stood up. He felt cold, empty. Anger flowed like the stream of a winter river, sharpening his vision to a pin-prick sort of clarity. He saw, clearly, each blade of grass, each window of every building, each little dust particle in the air.

His ears were deaf to everything but the sound of rushing water (or was it his own blood that he heard?), the silence settling over him like a blanket. He heard nothing, not even that dull ringing that had tormented him through the day. The rushing water, the dull beat of a war drum (or was that his own heart?) stayed, however, a symphony of soon to be bloodshed as Wukong slowly floated up from the sidewalk.

His golden eyes were empty of everything but cold, clear rage as they landed on the dark form of the Six-eared Macaque, who was on his hands and knees, trembling. Good. That would make the next part all the easier.

Wukong raised his fist, ready to send Macaque flying. He would not fail Xiaotian again. He would end this, this string of failures, starting here and now with this final blow-

Only for Macaque to raise his head to the heavens, face twisted in fear and regret and agony and loss, and scream, “WHY DIDN’T YOU TAKE ME INSTEAD??!!? WHY?? Why did- didn’t you…. why didn’t you t-take me in… why didn’t you take me instead? Why……”

Wukong stepped back in shock as Macaque shook with sobs, his paws clenched against the concrete of the rooftop. Rage was undercut by confusion, then suspicion? Just what was Macaque playing at? Just what was Macaque, who was a certified lone-wolf, who despised any form of bond with another being, doing having a mental breakdown on top of a hospital?

“Why did…. why did Xiaotian have to be the one to suffer because of my mistakes?” He heard Macaque whisper, and Wukong felt the world disappear out from under him.

#monkie kid #MK #qi xiaotian #six eared macaque #macaque #sun wukong #angst #yeah I know we don’t get to see much of macaque until the end #im sorry #i just ended up writing more than I thought I would #and it ended up spiraling out of control #so by the time I got to macaque #the chapter was already way too long #so #sorry about that #on the bright side y’all get some more juicy Wukong angst!#can I get a hell yeah?#if you thought macaque was gonna need therapy #hoo boy #wukong is gonna be messed tf up by the end of this #i have a general rule of thumb #that anytime I write monkie kid angst #there has to be at least a little Wukong angst #like I’m sorry #but there’s just so much potential?#Like I know we all like to write Red son angst and Macaque angst #and pigsy angst surprisingly #but Wukong just has so much fatherly angst potential #and if there’s one thing I love more than angst #it’s the found father trope

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firerose · 3 years

Text

Angstpril day 28- The day her love died

also on ao3

This is my last fic before I have to take a long writing break ( I have exams), So feedback would be very great :)

Hazel loved winning the war games. The Cohorts allies and enemies alike stood around her cheering and congratulating each other.

It made her happy to see them like this, so joyful after the giant war.

Dakota her Centurian colleague patted her back appreciatively.

“Good fighting out there Levesque.“, He complimented with pride in his voice.

Hazel could not suppress her smile.

Dakota was one of the Romans who took wargames a bit too seriously.

“ Thanks, you weren‘t bad either!“, She told him with a very stern tone.

Thomas rosewood, the Centurian of the first cohort walked up to them with a mocking grin.“You know you will never lose the wargames as long as Frank‘s Praetor right?“, He asked looking at Hazel with playful anger.

She felt her cheeks heating up.

She knew about the theories that the first and second cohort had made up to justify the many victories the fifth cohort won since they had started war games again. One of the popular ones was that they just lost because they did not want to hurt the Praetors girlfriend.“ My relationship with Frank has absolutely nothing to do with your fighting skills. Maybe Fortuna just isn‘t at your side for once.“, She explained reasonably.

Thoma‘s opened his mouths speechless at her words. He hadn‘t expected that she would use his godly mother against him.

Hazel felt satisfied and turned to look for her boyfriend.

Frank eyes wandered the crowd in search of Hazel. Reyna and Jason were busy with yet another talk about old times. Jason had come to Camp two days ago to talk about temple designs but he had most of the time just talked to his old friends especially Reyna.

He spotted Hazel walking towards him through the masses and quickened his steps.

He got slowed down a bit by all the people that wanted to talk to him but he did not mind.

Frank enjoyed giving them compliments or just having small talks with them.

That gave him the feeling that he was just another one of them and not one of their rulers. He suddenly felt a grasp on his arm.

When he turned his head he saw Alice a twelve-year-old shy member of the fifth cohort, smiling at him gratefully.“Thanks for training Praetor Zhang. It was a great help.“ She said softly and Frank felt moved.

“No problem and I already told you that you can call me Frank.“, He responded hoping that all of the younger demigods would learn that someday.

Alice wrapped one arm around him and leaned onto his chest but Frank did not complain. He had a soft spot for new Campers especially the ones who came with little confidence, like Alice.

“I‘m sorry it‘s just that you did so many impressing things! You are a great Praetor!“.Alice whispered and Frank felt thankfulness washing over him.“Sadly your Praetorship ends here.“, She told him with the same sweet voice.

Frank had barely time to process her words when he felt a sharp pain stabbing right into his chest.

He gasped in pain, his hand grasping the shaft of the dagger that had been pushed into his heart. Alice still held it with her small hand. He tried to back away, tried to breathe but all his body allowed was pain. He already felt his world fading and so his eyes met Hazels one last time. He did not want to leave her so soon. He had imagined a long happy life with her but as always fate was cruel.

The last thing he registered before darkness overtook him was Alice ripping out the dagger and Hazel screaming.

Hazel saw Frank fall, she saw the bloodred dagger in Alice's hand and yet she still did not want to believe it.

Alice had been her friend, almost like a little sister. She had come to Hazel with her doubts and Hazel had always cheered her up.

This girl could not have killed Frank, she could never hurt a fly.

There were shocked gasps around her as her friends had noticed what had happened.

“Nooo!“, Reyna yelled in fury and stormed towards Alice her weapon raised and Jason close behind her his blue eyes as hard as hers. Dozens of others followed their example and a terrible suspicion hit Hazel. What if this girl hadn‘t been who she claimed she was. What if this all had been a trick and the others had figured it out?

She looked at Frank‘s motionless body on the ground and the pain in her heart quickly turned to anger.

Whoever this girl was she was going to pay.

Hazel yelled out her despair and started running, ready to impale her boyfriends killer with her sword. Alice simply smiled at her attackers and with a wave of her hand they were all thrown back, crashing down on the hard ground.

The demigods who hadn‘t attacked stepped back in horror as they started to realize that the monster maybe was more than they could handle.

Hazel‘s whole body ached from the impact and when she tried to face her enemy again, a blinding white light forced her to close her eyes.

When she opened them again her mouth opened in horror. A woman had replaced Alice, a woman that Hazel knew and that she had hoped to never see again.

She had golden hair that was braided in an ancient Greek style, her black robes mirrored her dark eyes that were full of hate.

No, she could not be here, was trapped in her maze, she could not be here.

“Pasiphae?“, Hazel asked her voice trembling in fear as she, rose to her feet. Jason who got up next to her gave her a shocked glance.

“ Of course my dear you. Did you think I would stay in that hole you threw me in?“, The sorceress mocked amused.

Hazel felt tears forming in her eyes.

Yes, she had thought that had trapped Pasiphae forever, that she had kept her from harming anyone. She had wanted a peaceful life so much that she had not focussed on potential threats.

Now Frank had paid the price for her weakness, for her naivety.“You should have stayed there. I will send you back to the fields of punishment for what you did! Frank was a good, kind person and you murdered him like a coward!“, Reyna spat but Hazel stood close enough to see the girls shimmering eyes.

She had loved Frank too, not like a partner but like a brother.

Her words were meant for Pasiphae but Hazel felt them burning into her heart.

Frank had been a good person, that was why she had fallen in love with him and now he was gone. He would never kiss her again, would never smile at her again.

Her gaze wandered to him. His face was turned away from her and she felt the urge to turn him just to see his soft brown eyes.

Pasiphae gave Reyna a pitiful look.“ Don‘t be foolish. I‘m the most powerful with who walked this earth and you are just a pathetic child of a minor goddess.“, She tuned to Hazel the sadism in her eyes making Hazel‘s gut fill with dread,

“But murdering your sweet boyfriend was not that satisfying to me my dear. I have many cruel spells mind if I try them on your friend?“, She asked and her hand went up in flames.

Some of the Campers screamed, the younger ones clinging onto the older ones.

Hazel felt guilt as she saw them. Pasiphae was only here because of her, if any of them got hurt it was her fault.

“You will not hurt any of them !“, Hazel demanded as loud as she could. Pasiphae did not seem intimidated by her.“Well then have a good night daughter of Pluto. I will enjoy watching you suffer.“, Pasiphae mused and then disappeared in a blast of hot white flames.

The Campers were in too much shock to move but Hazel took her chance. She ran to Franks side and kneeled next to him. Her hands were shaking as she gently touched him. He was still warm, maybe just maybe there was still a chance.

“ Frank?“, She asked softly a part of her told her that it was pointless, that he was dead but the denial was a strong emotion.

She gripped his shoulders and turned him around so she could see his face. She was hoping for closed eyes, for a sign of his shallow breath.

Instead, she was greeted with two cold eyes whose light had died already.

Hazel flinched as if someone had hit her and that was how she felt.

“No…..No please…no.“ She muttered over and over again her throat filling with sobs.

She couldn‘t lose him. She had only known him for six months, they deserved more time.

„Come back to me Frank please come back.“, She pleaded and tears fell onto his face as she leaned over him. He did not react, of course, he only stared at her and the eyes that she had loved so much already haunted her.

“You can‘t die like this! After everything we went through…please you can‘t…….“ Hazel begged her sobs finally breaking out of her. She collapsed over Frank‘s body, corpse and buried her face into his chest like that would close the bloodied stab wound.

She suddenly felt arms wrapping around her and even though they were gentle she felt panic rising in her.

“NO, LET ME GO!“ She yelled as she was gently pulled away.

She pressed her lips on Frank‘s, a last desperate attempt to feel his warmth again but again there was nothing only darkness and she felt the dark rising inside her as well.

“It‘s okay Hazel I‘m here … it‘s okay.“, Jason told her softly while he slowly leaned her onto his chest for comfort. Reyna and Dakota joined him sitting down to tell Hazel soft words that they knew were not working.

Hazel did not resist anymore, she was too weak. She let herself sink against Jason closing her eyes to block out the cruel reality that she now lived in. Her heart was broken and in between all her grief, the sweetness that so many people loved was washed away by a deep hatred.

No one noticed that change until Hazel opened her eyes opened again hours later.

They looked empty, dead just like Frank‘s like he had taken Hazel‘s light to the underworld.

Dakota searched them for the sarcastic girl had joked with only hours ago but the longer he searched the more he realized that she was dead.

Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang both had lost their lives that night and when Hazel finally spoke again her tone was hard and her words were a desire for revenge.

"I will find Pasiphae and I will kill her.“

@chaos-company @qperseusjackson-jasongrace @emilydaughterofapollo @fictionalnormalcy

#angstpril2021 #the light died in their eyes #Percy Jackson #heroes of olympus #dark hazel #ao3 #fanfiction #major character death #day25

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cant-blink · 3 years

Text

Half-Life, Ch. 2

Summary: A shorter chapter, detailing Ghidorah trying his best to fight against the mind-control.

He knew this day was coming.

In the back of his mind, he knew. All this time, no matter the annoyance this half-life caused him, he avoided a fight. Every fiber of his being, every instinct, urged him to kill this creature every second of the day. The crescent moons on his heads, so good at detecting even the smallest trace of life, now served to add to the annoyance. Frustration is not an emotion he felt often, but there’s nothing more infuriating than a life he can’t kill.

Very few received the exception from his “death to all” game. The first one that came to mind are the creatures of Earth. While he is easily able to defeat any one of the kaiju inhabitants, they had a nasty habit of ganging up on him. He only had to visit the world once to know it wasn’t worth coming back.

But rather, he would prefer to never come back, because so many races seem to have their sights set on that mudball of a planet and were intent on using HIM as their method of assault. He hated it, he hated them. Any race that dared to try and control him, he made it his personal mission to exterminate every last trace of them! A vain attempt to rectify the humiliation he had to endure. Killing them all was the easy part; the difficulty comes in forgetting. Forgetting that, at any moment, he can be taken advantage of again.

He was never able to forget.

He was never able to forget this half-life’s contribution to one of those incidents. He will never forgive, no matter what this cyborg did for him. He wanted NOTHING to do with this stupid creature, and yet, it would follow him.

No matter where he went, this half-life would follow. Didn’t matter how fast Ghidorah flew, the creature matched that speed. Even if he managed to lose him, the cyborg would always find him again. And now, he understood how.

There really was no escaping this fate, was there?

The seething anger and hatred grew tenfold at the thought, at the sight of the idiot half-life glowering over him triumphantly. It was getting hard to focus, but those words... Those words of him being nothing but a pawn penetrated his mind and gave him that focus. He was nobody’s pawn. This isn’t over, not yet...

It took strength to Gravity Beam straight into the half-life’s face, knocking him over and off of him. Pain erupts from his wounds as he righted himself, and his legs felt unstable as a dizzy feeling takes him. He wanted so badly to kill the cyborg, but he knew he was in no condition to do so. Instead, he kicked off into the air and fled.

The chip’s grip was growing, sending more convulsions through his neck and shoulders and almost having him lose grip of the air. He had to keep his concentration; he’s been through this enough to know that he had to stay conscious, fight blacking out. The moment he falls into the darkness, it would all be over...

Every one of his senses was going hay-wire. His horns struggled to keep his sense of balance straight, and he had no idea where he was going. His crests gave false readings of life. Giant lifeforms far larger than any he’s ever sensed before chased him, haunting him. But there was nothing there.

The chip has claimed the three brains in his heads. Gone was his sense of rationality, causing great fear of those imaginary monsters chasing him. Gone was his ability to make logical decisions, his body now rendered by pure instinct.

And an immeasurable desire to kill.

His chest housed a fourth brain, one designed solely for his prey-drive, for the murderous impulses that dictated his purpose. Now without the three head brains to focus those instincts into something productive, he wanted to kill everything in sight. Even the rocks below him weren’t safe, his malfunctioning crests convincing him they were all alive. Worse yet, the murderous impulses were even directed between the three heads.

The middle head especially was targeted, as the source of the pain.

The two side heads bit into the middle head. Get rid of the pain, make it stop. The pain was growing as those fangs dug into the scales and fur. Rip it all off, rip the whole head off! Without a sense of logic, the dragon was now failing to understand that doing such a thing would kill him. Thankfully, the need to kill faded as the fourth brain was rendered unconscious.

His jaws went slack and his wings gave out, as the chip’s grip over his fifth and final brain grew. That one was located in the lower part of his abdomen and allowed control of his body; so massive he was that he needed an entire brain dedicated solely to the task. More spasms overtook him, as he crashed into the ground.

This was it, the end of the line. Even with his best efforts, it was all hopeless.

The last thing he saw was the half-life, homing in on him. He heard the disgusting creature land close-by.

Then...

Nothing.

Gigan was wise to keep his distance, as he watched the dragon’s body stiffen for a few seconds before convulsing wildly. His legs kicked, his tails thrashed, releasing the poisonous gasses contained in the barbed pouches at their ends. The poison gas didn’t concern the cyborg, his system will filter that out easily. No, he was more wary of the thrashing.

It was a full-on seizure, foam erupting from all three of those mouths. A gravity beam or two would also erupt from a mouth randomly and uncontrollably, as his chest muscles were no doubt spasming over the energy sacs.

He’s seen this process once before, but he didn’t remember it lasting this long or being this intense. He wondered if he perhaps struck too hard, damaged the chip and now it was doing irreversible damage to Ghidorah’s brain.

A shame if that were to happen.

The seizure was short-lived, lasting less than a minute before the hydra slowly went limp. Ensuring his filters were in perfect working order with a short cough, Gigan ventured closer. Not often he can get close enough to get a proper examination done.

The scales were even more beautiful up close, and it excited him, knowing the dragon was now HIS and his alone. It shouldn’t be long before Ghidorah regains consciousness and the cyborg was giddy to test out his newfound control over such a powerful being.

Each moment was agonizingly slow, and he distracted himself trailing the tip of a claw over those scales.

At last, Gigan spotted movement as a head shifted slightly. Then one pair of eyes slowly blinked. Then another set. Then the last pair. A smirk grows over his beak, as he applied a bit more pressure to his stroking to draw the dragon’s attention. Those red eyes were unfocused and glassy as the heads turn towards him.

“Welcome back,” he gloated, wasting no time in finishing the process and seeding his expectations into that vulnerable mind. “I’m your new Master. You will follow every order I make of you. Your life, and your body, will be devoted to me. Got it?”

There was silence for a moment, long enough that Gigan began second-guessing if the chip worked. Probably wise to keep his distance until he was certain tha-

“Yes.”

Oh. Great!

Ghidorah’s voice was soft, sleepy even, but it did nothing to quell Gigan’s excitement. His sails fanned out wider as he snickered, giving a small tap of his claw onto those scales. “Why don’t you say ‘hello’ to your new Master?”

“Hello.”

He did it, for once this damn dragon was listening to him!! It was difficult to hide his joy and even more difficult to hide his impatience, not even waiting for Ghidorah to fully recover from the experience. He wanted to experiment, see what he can get away with and have some fun! “On your feet.”

Ghidorah blinked again, as if to clear his vision to focus on Gigan. There was the unmistakable spark of recognition in those eyes, but the dragon nonetheless stood up as he was told. His legs were a bit shaky, his wings folded down, but he managed to steady himself. All six of those eyes remain fastened on the smaller kaiju.

Gigan lets out another chuckle. So many ideas flowed through his head, and he wanted to jump into all of them so badly. But no, let’s take this one step at a time, nice and slow. Not like the wyvern was going to go anywhere anytime soon, so he could enjoy himself a bit before-

“I hate you,” Ghidorah hissed with venom. “I hate you so much. When I break free, I’m going to kill you like the rest.”

“Oh?” Gigan started, his confidence not at all wavering as he moved closer. Using a claw to hook around the neck of the middle head, he pulled that face down closer to his own. Ghidorah lets out a growl, but there was no actual physical resistance to the action. He really was completely helpless here, and Gigan reveled in it as he continued. “Too bad you will never get the chance. You’re mine...”

His toothed beak met with the golden snout of his new slave, mocking him with the gesture. There was another growl, which brings another cackle from the cyborg. “Now... say, ‘I forgive you’.”

Oh, the amount of satisfaction he felt giving that order. It only got better as the dragon’s growls gave way to those words.

“I forgive you.”

There was no hesitation in saying that, which only seemed to make the dragon angrier. Which in turn, only fueled Gigan’s glee and excitement. “You can’t even fight against simple words, much less what I have in store just for you...”

The growling returned, this time louder. No doubt, the dragon dreaded the horror that laid ahead. And horror indeed, as Gigan’s smirk widened, leaning closer and...

“We’re going to the bar. Now.”

With that announcement, Gigan lets go of the hydra’s head. He turned and walked away a couple of steps before flattening his sails and taking off into the air. He glanced behind him at the dragon, those red eyes still boring into him before those massive wings spread open.

It took a few flaps to take off, Ghidorah visibly in pain as he does so from his injuries. But despite the pain, he has no choice but to follow. And Gigan will make sure that he will never have a choice in anything ever again.

#ghidorah #king ghidorah #gigan #gigadorah #godzilla

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abloomntime · 3 years

Text

A Bloom In Time Ch26 Nightmares And Shadows

(Warning: Death scene, Mentioning of past death, nightmares, and a light panic attack.)

Cold. Darkness. All of it came rushed over so suddenly. Just like the two heavily armored guards carrying her kicking and screaming self towards the dreaded summer house that housed the royals deep in the snowed up world. That winter suddenly came that year unexpectedly with the freezing winds suddenly whipping around her when she just closed up her stand for the day, pocketing the expensive bracelet she was given as payment and what coins she received as payment, ready to go home. She didn't make much from her flower stand she always wanted, but that was always fine and dandy. She loved the smiles on the children's faces when they'd buy single flowers for their parents, or if she'd sell them flowers in exchange for small things like food. It was one way to get to eat around here. But the chills filling the air that after noon followed by the loud thumping sounds coming towards her were new. Especially when all of a sudden two giant armored men stood over her and seized her without warning. So naturally she resisted and fought against her captors as they took her away.

"LET THE PECK GO OF ME!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!"

The farther down the path they went the more horrified she became. There was ...snow. IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER!! Harsh white and cold wind glared all around her as she gawked around wildly....and then shrieked at the sight of a frozen person as they passed. Their feared expression forever frozen on their face. The poor girl went silent from the numb cold as those blue eyes widened in horror at all the suurounding frozen people as they walked past, never easing up on her grip, or giving any emotion to anything around them as the horrified woman went limp in their arms from shock as they approached the black gates and beyond that was the manor. Her blue eyes flicked up to it. It looked more menacing than it usually did as the entire house loomed over them the closer they got and a sudden feeling of dread filled her up to the very core of her soul as they were swallowed by the shadows and even more coldness bearing down on her. The guards didn't stop until they were going up the stairs and into the home. It was as dark and cold as the outside. Even more so if that was possible. She was still frozen and scared in the grip of the guards when the doors opened and they forced her inside. The inside of the manor was colder than the outside is that was even possible, and if she wasn't already in shock, she would've shrieked at what was awaiting them just a few feet away from the door.

In the darkness of cold and shadows, a hunched over monster made it's way over to them but dared not come further than five feet giving a hiss. Like she was a skunk and this red eyed thing was afraid of her. How strange, but that didn't stop her stop pointing a hand at her, and in possibly the most scariest, raspy voice Poppy had ever heard. Said:

"Take her to the room and lock her away. ...I can't look at her as my prince had done. Perhaps locking her away forever will teach her a lesson about gazing into another man's eyes who belong TO ME!!"

"...WAIT!! WHAT?!" She attempted to struggle again but their strength was too much.

Sadly be the fate of the innocent florist wasn't a pleasant one. As she was marched up the stairs to the very third floor of the manor, the coldness and shadows started to become too much to the point of her screaming and struggling body starting to be overcome by them all. the long hallway they were taking her down ended in a single pair of double doors, the doors surrounded by locks that haven't been locked yet.

The guards marched the poor woman now panicking in their grip flailing about, trying to get out of their grip like a fly in a cold spiderweb to no avail. The two giant guards marched noisily towards somewhere unknown as the third floor rooms and hallways passed them as they marched with seemingly no regard for the woman yelling and pulling between them. Eventually marching down one hallways in particular with a double door room at the end of it, heavy and thick with chains and locks fit for a dungeon instead of a bed room. The two guards went right up to it and before Poppy could even yell out peck again- She was tossed in rather hard. She landed with a giant thud sound and yelped out as her body landed with the freezing cold floor. As her weakly numbing body was pushed into the empty room, she looked up just in time to see the two heavily armored guards slam the doors behind her. She struggled to stand with the cold seeping through all her body but wobbled to the door, vision blurring with nothing but darkness. And it only began to get colder and COLDER!! Poppy groaned from the pain but those blue eyes snapped open at the sudden noise of doors slamming behind her. Panic and adrenaline pumping through her veins and she stumbled to her feet as fast as she could. The rattling of chains and clicking of heavy locks made her fear spike worse and she went to it as fast as she could grabbing the door knob and pushing. Even as all the clicks and locks of the locks were put into place and the floor jostling with the heavy footsteps of the guards stopping away, she fell to her knees against the door and banged her fist against it. Screaming to be let out as the coldness and blackness seeped more into the room and still overtook her form.

"HEY!! WHAT THE PECK!? LET ME OUT!!" The heavy doors creaked from her pushing and pulling and desperately turning the knob. The floor shaking lightly with the heavy footsteps of the guards walking away. The realization of them walking away made her more desperate to get out, and she now went to banging on the door. "H-HEY!! DO YOU LUGNUTS HEAR ME?! I SAID I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING OK?! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT IM SORRY OK!! PLEASE!! LET ME GO!! I SWEAR TO YOU I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THAT CRAZY SHADOW LADY SAID!!"

She got no reply and could hear them getting and farther away, panicking she tore herself away from the door. Heart hammering in her ears and eyes scrambling around the dark room for any signs of escape to no avail. No windows. No other doors. Nothing. The coldness was starting to creep in now and the shadows of the room got closer....and closer...... Her panting became faster and in a moment of desperation, she backed all the way to the other side of the empty room and looked at the door. Bracing herself, she ran as fast as she could across the room and rammed her shoulder as hard as she could into the heavy duty door. A thud rang out but there wasn't even a dent in the thick would. Leaving her only falling to the ground and reaching up to rub her sore shoulder from the ramming. The cold slowly creeped closer and closer and the shadows swallowed her whole until her world fell into a black slumber for a thousand years.

Screeching that sounded like bloody murder echoed out through the closed attic and blue eyes opened in a sudden blurry black vision. Someone sat up and more screams were hollered out at two glowing yellow orbs that scattered away from the source of the sounds as whoever was cutting his ears with piercing screams moved back away from him. Blanket uncovering their body and a pillow tossed in the direction of the shadow monster of nightmares coming back for her. .....Well it most certainly WAS a shadow. But NOT the one she just had a nightmare about. This shadow yelped when his face was suddenly wacked by a pillow and as it fell to the floor he shook his head and watched as the panicked woman scattered back from him.

"I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! DON'T PUT ME BACK IN THERE!! I HATE THE COLD!!", she desperately cried out pleading for her life.

"WHAT THE PECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!," A male voice demanded staring down at her with a scowl. "As if I would lock you up!"

"Your majesty?"

Snatcher floated there silently at the sudden title thrown at him from no where. Poppy could feel a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins and she briefly wondered how fast she could make it to the ever moving platform- A jolt shook her body at the sudden snap noise and a second later blue flames appeared in the hand of the shadow creature who loomed over her, his scowling face softened up to pure confusion as he stared down at her and she stared up blinking at the giant creature. Anyone else would've screamed and ran away but-

"It's ME!," Snatcher said in a slightly grumpy tone but he stopped completely staring at the sudden state of the woman in front of him.

Shaking goosebumped flesh drenched in cold sweat. Raw fear circulating through her body, he could feel it. He could always feel the fear and auras radiating off one's soul and he took delight in someone's fear. It made him strong, powerful. HUNGRY AND EXCITED EVEN!! Yet now. Feeling the soul within her beat and radiate that same fear felt....wrong. Sick. Made him want to spit out ectoplasm. This fear was bad, made him get cold from just being near it so much. Made him want to dive through the floors below to escape the ooze of it until it completely went away when she calmed down. Yet...A force made him remain where he was, looming over her staring and not going anywhere. Fear was something he knew was a powerful motivator for someone like him but the fact remains that....She shouldn't be left alone in a state like this. Confused, lost, eyes small as her heart raced and fear pumped through her, afraid..Alone.

He didn't want to be alone-

".....Snatcher?" The soft voice snapped him out of his stupor and he stared right into those blue eyes registering this shadow as not an enemy.

The yellow eyes loomed closer and she still could barely see even with the light provided. But certainly felt the peach fuzzed like claws gently place themselves on her shoulders like she was a tiny child compared to this creature who needed comfort. "Yeah. Yeah it's me." He said as calmly and softly as possible and was rewarded with a shudder and sigh from Poppy in front of him. Also rewarding him was a choke coming from her throat and fresh tears coming from her eyes in the form of her crying. Making the ghost freeze and stare as a pang of panic shot through his shadowy form. Poppy was- Why was she-....Crying?! Real actual crying like a few times he'd seen her do before but this time it seemed more powerful than the time that stupid statue was chasing her or when the dumb noose 'flirted' with her. He still wanted nothing more than to burn it to ashes and crumble that stone menace to pebbles, but anger right now wasn't going to do him or her any good. And there was no way in peck he was about to leave her like this either. His other hand with the flames snapped letting the fire float in the air so both his hands could be free to help out and hovered above Poppy's shoulder stopping. "Are you.....Is it alright if I touched you?" She sniffed and made a couple more choke sounds from her state but managed to force something out that sounded like 'ok', and slowly a soft arm wrapped around her shoulders and she felt the presense sit down on the floor next to her. Not full on caging her in a hug, but offering her comfort with a arm around her anyways giving her enough space and closeness. Continuing to cry her eyes out, the woman reached her hands up to swipe at those stinging tears from her slightly pink face now. He cringed at the sight but kept his mouth shut, pulling a hankerchief out of no where and holding it out to her silently. It took Poppy a few moments to actually notice it was there but once she did it was yanked from him and held to her tear stained face. Blowing her nose loudly and wiping her tears away from her face. A small blunt 'thanks' was squeaked out from the lady and he still remained silent for a long while. Nothing but her crying and hiccupping and the silence of the attic. ".......Are you feeling better?"

.......She sniffed and nodded without looking at him. "Yeah..I t-t-think so...Thanks."

He hummed and continued to sit there and look at her trying to sniff and clear her face up now. By now he had a pretty good idea of what might've caused such a reaction out of her, but he didn't want to jump the gun and make the situation any more uncomfortable. "What happened?" is what he ended up asking after a few silent moments of thinking.

"Jus' a.....a bad dream." Still not meeting his gaze he saw. Hm.

"What about?" He gently pressed. His ghostly brow rising as he saw her completely still under his hold. Maybe that was too soon to ask. "Do...you want to talk about it? It's perfectly fine if you don't want to."

......She groaned and leaned back into his arm which was pretty sturdy enough for her to lean against and not fall through. Strange. You'd think she'd just pass through it since he can pass through walls but nope, with her head pointed up towards the ceiling eyes closed. "....I don't know anymore. It's just....." Her eyes opened to stare up at the dark ceiling above them. Faint shadows danced in what dim light the one blue flame provided and gold eyes blinked at her from her right. Snatcher's eyes. They looked so much like Jack-o-lanturn eyes. It was kinda funny on a peach feeling purple ghost king. Her heart beats have gone down back to normal by now and now her eyes were just a bit sore from all the crying and rubbing to make the tears go away. "I-....I think I just remembered how I died."

Snatcher couldn't snapped his head down to her faster than when he did eyes widening. "You what?"

Her death. That means-...Did she remember him?! Did she put the pieces together?! Did she know it was all his-...Vanessa's fault she was frozen for over a thousand years and blame HIM?! DID SHE BLAME HIM?! DID SHE EVEN THINK ABOUT HIM?! If he was still alive with a heart beat and lungs, his panic might've been given away by rapid heart beats and irregular breathing that comes with it. But all he managed was a panicked face and quick question. He still remained that way when she turned her head leaning against his arm towards him.

"I said I remembered how I got in that room. What Queen-....What she said. The cold that made me pass out. I remember all of it..including what she said."

What...DID Vanessa say to Poppy before her death- "What did she say?," came his raspy voice in a whisper, but not that Poppy noticed.

"She..W-Well." She sniffed again and wiped at her face. "She definately said to lock me in that room. But she also said something else. Something about gazing into another man's eyes and something else about a prince." Snatcher could feel himself becoming more uncomfortable by the minute as she looked him directly into his eyes with confusion and completely no understanding. "I don't understand any of this. I only knew one prince in my entire life and he was nothing but a friend. Why was I being accused of gazing into someone's eyes? ......it doesn't make any sense to me."

Guilt. That was the first feeling to twist in his misshapen form and give him that empty gut feeling despite not having a body for quite sometime now. Of course it didn't make any sense to Poppy, she didn't have the full story. Barely even a quarter of it. Only her own short encounter about the events that tragically took place over a thousand years ago that all suddenly smacked her back in her face now. And so soon, it was honestly worrying for himself and her. Oh peck. OHPECKOHPECKOHPECK- He was NOT ready for this. Not NOW. Not so soon. Especially not like this. All of a sudden there was Hazelle's annoying voice replaying back into his mind.

"Maybe you two WERE just friends. But thing's aren't the same as they were a thousand years ago, Snatchy. She doesn't know you are...well YOU. And she probably doesn't see you as a friend anymore because she doesn't know YOU you. She probably sees you as a 'boss' when you obviously see her as an old friend and like her more than that. You gotta get all this sorted out soon. Right now it sounds like a giant mess and you need to take a broom to it and sweep all the problematic dust away."

Thanks, Hazelle. She just had to put that thought in his head now. This would stick in his head and act on that guilt for a while-

"Philip."

Snatcher. FROZE. Any thoughts in his head haulting and fizzling into thin air as that one word left her mouth. Anything he was about to say dying on his tongue as those yellow glowing eyes continued to stare dead at the woman staring back at him with that same confused, indifferent expression. It was over. Done. He was absolutely finished. The end of the line for him after only a week. This was how he was going down in flames.

"That was his name. Prince Philip from the south, and he was.....engaged to Queen Vanessa." Her eyes widened as she leaned up and away from Snatcher's arm. Eyes widening with some new revolution flung into her brain and unconciously her hand went to clutch the gold bracelet strapped around her own wrist like it was a life saving device. "Prince Philip was engaged to Queen Vanessa!!" Her eyes snapped back to Snatcher bright with some kind of find as the ghost was still panicking eternally staring at her, not willing himself to move, but scooted back a foot or two and blinked when she quickly pointed at him. "THAT MUST'VE BEEN THE THING SHE WAS GOING ON ABOUT WITH THIS WHOLE TREASON THING!! It all makes a bit o' sense now." Her gaze went back to the bracelet wrapped around her wrist as it breifly reflected the blue fire. She had almost forgotten about it during this hectic weak now, but now...it felt like a HUGE piece of a missing puzzle had been placed down and she felt that empty hollow feeling being almost fully complete as it somewhat made sense now. "That's what she must've been referrin' too. But gazin' into his eyes? I don't get it. I never did such a thing and I definately never committed any kind of treason towards her or Prince Philip."

Well at least she was finally starting to get somewhere and get something. But there was still so so many questions needing answers. Why had the Queen been so insistant that Poppy committed some sort of action against her or the prince? It just made no sense. All she ever did was make small talk with him and sell flowers in the town square. She made sure to follow all the rules, and pay all her taxes. And she was never rude to anyone that didn't deserve a good talking back. If Queen Vanessa and that....thing with the red eyes were one in the same then how did she get that way? Why did she think of all people POPPY was responsible for some crazy bad thing that happened to her? She never even met or spoken to her before that day, not when out of talking to her fiance. And it's not like they were romatically involved or anything. Just spoke two or three times a week when he bought flowers for HER mind you. Was there something she was missing? Was there something that caused all of this she didn't know about? Thinking carefully about what Vanessa told her, she mentioned someone gazing into her man's eyes.......Did that mean that-....THE PRINCE WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR BEHIND HER MAJESTY'S BACK?! Unlikely. He seemed so genuinely kind and always went out of his way to help others, and even spent so much money on flowers just for her. There was NO way he could've fallen for anyone else. But-.....It seemed like the only thing she had to go on at the moment.

"He gave me this." She held up her wrist to him and his eyes slowly shifted to the bracelet he gifted her on that fateful day. "In exchange for just a small bouquet of flowers can you believe it?" She gave a small smile at it. "Heh. He was always a strange one. Always studyin' laws an' making sure he paid every pon owed. But he was also really kind and caring to everyone. I can't imagine him actually having any affairs behind her majesty's back-"

"HE DIDN'T!!," he blurted out in a spike of anger startling her and he once again froze.

"How do you know that?," she asked genuinely confused.

OH PECK!! OH PECK!! OH PECK!! What does he do?! What does he do!? He had stupidly blurted that out without thinking!! Well it WAS true. He never had an affair while he was with Vanessa, even if he did fall in love with someone else at the time too, and he made it clear to anyone he wasn't the bad one in that relationship while it lasted. But it seemed that blunt anger towards her got the best of him, and he wanted to smack himself so, SO bad at this moment. He was panicking. Staring at her silently as she was clearly confused and waiting for an answer. THINK YOU FOOL!!!! THINK!!

"UH....I- Um-....I-I-I was there when he was killed." It was the only thing he could think of in the short time he was panicking without arowsing suspicion.

Instead he might've made things a bit worse when she just stared at him suddenly blanking. Making him want to slink back into the shadows where he came. OH P E C K- Her eyes went wide with the suddenly thought bombarding her brain. Snatcher was-....There? Snatcher was there with Prince Philip when he was...SNATCHER WAS THERE!! Snatcher flinched when Poppy suddenly grabbed the front of his body by his chest fluff desperately and he let out a startled yep when she yanked him down eye level with her.

"YOU WERE THERE?! WHAT HAPPENED?! PLEASE!! YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!! WAS HE ALRIGHT!?"

"CALM DOWN!!" He pulled himself away and shook his head staring down at her. "Calm down. You-...... *sigh*" He looked sideways away. "You wouldn't like what you hear- UH!?"

He paused when soft hands suddenly clasped onto his and he paused. Yellow eyes staring deep into those blue ones he loved to look at so much when he was alive with heart beat. A pleading look in them as begging fell from her lips, "Please. I-It's...It's important. I have to know what happened. I spent so much time confused over nothing and I HAVE to know......Snatcher, please. Help me."

A silence fell over the two as they just sat there staring at each other in mostly darkness and staring into each others' eyes. Poppy blinked at the feeling of something soft wrapping around her hands and when she looked he was gently holding her hands. Snatcher made a hissing noise, not like a cat hiss but like what it sounded like when someone sucked a breath through her teeth, before releasing it in a long drawn out groan sounding like 'HHHHHHhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa'.

"Are you sure you're ready and willing to hear such things?'' He gave her a narrowed look as if to say 'this is your last chance to back out'. "You won't like what you hear, Red. Might be better if you didn't know."

"I'm positive.," she answered back without any hesitation. She HAD to know what happened. This was connected to her and she was involved whether she liked it or not.

He still eyed her for a moment before looking to the floor unable to look her in the eyes anymore. ".......Vanessa killed him. Just like she did to everyone else....a-a-and y-y-you...."

Poppy couldn't stop her free hand from coming to cover her mouth as he looked down in...shame? Guilt? Regret? Fear?! Not that she noticed, more focused on his words. Well she shouldn't be so surprised as she was expecting an answer like this, but still didn't stop the shock that took over her body. It was like she was light and the floor was sinking. "....H-How...?"

"Just like you. She locked him away until everything froze over. Vane-.....That MONSTER!'', he spat hand slightly tightening as he scowled at the floor, "She was pecking crazy. Thought he was....cheating on her behind her back when he was nothing but patient with her. She didn't deserve anything."

"I-I....I don't understand.." Her breathing hyped a pitch and she could feel her blue eyes glancing back to the bracelet on her wrist. The gold gleaming back. The tremble of her lip came with her own pathetic question. "....why..?"

"Because she was nuts! Always have been and always WILL be! She would've snapped sooner or later with the way she was back then, always so paranoid and thinking I-.....I THINK he belonged to her."

".....She was there..."

He finally looked at her. "What?"

.....Another sniff came outta her. "She was t-t-there when I gave him the flowers. The day she gave me the bracelet." It all came rushing back in a sea of emotions and all she felt was cold gripping her heart as it all came rushing back. The day she was frozen. Before she closed up the stand and gave him the flowers, he said he saw her...Vanessa. Running away from them. Vanessa saw her giving him the flowers he bought. If....If she thought that Prince Philip was cheating on her and saw Poppy giving him flowers then-.....Oh gosh! Her hand pressed firmer against her mouth as the sudden reality hit her hard like a punch to the gut. She felt sick. Like a heavy iceberg was placed in her stomach and wanted out. Her blue eyes shown with rain drop tears flowing as she spaced out. ".....It's all my fault."

........?!

His other hand was quick to shoot out and grab her shoulders accidentally making her jolt at the sudden grab but it was enough to get her to look at him. "Now you listen to me and you listen good." A claw poked her chest as he pointed it at her crying face with a deep frown of his own. "I have dealt with too many years of pecking guilt over whether or not it was my fault or if I could've stopped it! And I'm sick of it all! You. Are. Not. At fault!! Do you hear me?! Vanessa was always going to snap and it was HER fault for being so batpecking crazy, she couldn't tell the difference between fantasy and reality! There was no reason in her! We should've expected nothing less of her for anything! But I'll be just as bad if I didn't it now, and I'm saying it's not your fault. Least of all people you. All you did was sell flowers. Big deal. It would've been the same if she saw m-....him buying a necklace from a jeweler or a ham from the butcher. BANG!!" She flinched at the loud yell he made at 'BANG'. Tears running down her face as he spoke. "Ice. Death. Lots of ghosts. You get the picture. The point is, it's ABSOLUTELY! NOBODY'S PECKING FAULT!! BUT VANESSA'S!! .......You and me didn't do anything wrong." .......She made some kind of whine noise before crying. Leaning her head over until it met the softness of his floof and she cried. Cut off guard for a moment, Snatcher paused glancing down at her before sighing and wrapping her arms around her. Comfortingly patting her back. "Hey, Red. It's gonna be ok. Just go ahead and let it out alright?"

He wasn't sure whether or not Poppy actually heard what he said, but the iron grip that suddenly latched onto him was enough for him to let her cry her eyes out into him without another word. Because...He was gone. Her only friend was just....GONE! Gone in the most worst way she could think of. What did he do to deserve that?! What did any of them do to deserve that?! He had his whole life ahead of him and it was taken from him in one day because of insanity, jealous, greedy woman disguised as a loving Queen. Had...Had she always been like this? According to Snatcher she was. And slowly things started to make sense to it all. Ridiculously banning bacon from the entire kingdom. That one time Philip showed up with half his hair chopped off and died a poor yellow. All the time he acted nervously about anything he had concerning her and waving them off like he was alright with every single thing he did. Deep down she KNEW something was wrong, if not wrong then strangely off. Definately gave her an off feeling, but she never pushed because 1. she never saw it as any of her business and 2. she didn't see the danger behind it until now. But..what if she had seen it? What if- Snatcher's hand came to lay on her head gently and she looked up from the fluffy chest of the ghost to look at him, Snatcher staring simpathetically at her tears before another hankerchief randomly appeared out of thin air and rubbed at her cheeks and eyes.

...She sniffed and leaned into the cloth wiping her face. "T-Thanks. I-.....I needed this more t-than ya know."

"Yeah. I bet." There was another pause as she slowly let go of him and reached up sniffing and grabbed the second cloth offered to her during the duration of the time she woke. He couldn't help but feel awkward and kinda guilty in this situation. This was kinda what he feared but the opposite. Instead of Poppy blaming him, she felt like it was hurt fault somehow when in reality it was none of their faults. ....Maybe it was better he shouldn't have come tonight. He made a move to leave but froze when her hand suddenly latched onto him again.

Her eyes desperate and pleading all of a sudden. "W-WAIT!! P-P-Please..D-Don't leave yet...I d-don't want to be alone."

He stared at her but sighed. "Alright. I'll stay put but only because I promised to help you, Red."

She sighed hald relieved. "T-Thank you."

He hummed and watched as she let go to sniff and fix her face. ".....How are you holding up there? Looks like I should've kept all of that til later."

Poppy shook her head. "N-No. I'm glad you t-told me. I-I needed to know what happened. I couldn't have gone on without knowin' anything. ...T-Thank you."

Sure you could've rang through his head but he decided not to say that part out loud. "So-...I take it this..'prince' friend of yours was a nice person? Not that I knew him, but it seems you two were close. Not that it's any of my business." He had an anxious feeling saying all of this as a stranger but he couldn't help but feel the need to get all this anxiety off himself by asking. "It just sounds like you cared about him a whole lot."

"Y-Yeah. I did actually." She gave a slightly trembling smile at him. "H-He was one of the only friend's I had. Honestly he was a really nice guy, super honest and polite too. He was always able to put a smile of everyone's face and didn't mind talking about anythin' really. It was like he wasn't a prince at all and just a normal, everyday regular person stoppin' by to get flowers. ...He was also the reason my stand had so much success as it did."

Snatcher looked to her in slight surprise. "He was?"

She nodded. "You see. When I first got to town I had a real hard time settlin' in. Not only did he save mah behind from falling on the ground like a babe learnin' how to walk, but he also started buying my precious flowers for ...You know who. Now a prince buyin' mah flowers all the time was sure to catch someone's attention and by golly did it! It was thanks ta him I had a decent business going for myself. ....But I kinda feel guilty over it now. I didn't mean ta piggyback ride off o' him or nothin'."

"I'm sure you didn't." She looked at him and for once Snatcher was genuinely smiling at her without the 'evil' or smug aura to it. "If you sold flowers good enough to catch his attention then you deserved to get what attention you got. You didn't hitch a ride from him, you were just getting what you always wanted with a little assistance."

"Hm...I reckon when you put it that way I guess you got a point."

"Yeah.....Hey. This might sound out of no where but do you blame him, your friend, for what happened between him and Vanessa?" There is was all out and awaiting an answer.

Poppy stared at him frozen for a second processing what he said but as soon as it sank in- "WHAT?! PECK NO!!" She scowled at him crossing her arms. "Why the PECK of all people would I blame Philip?! Maybe he didn't see the crazy but neither did I and I still didn't see it when she was starin' me straight in the face! You were there when it happened right?!"

"I- Uh-...Y-Yes."

"And even you said it wasn't his fault right?!"

"OF COURSE I DID!! I WAS JUST ASKING YOUR OPINION!!"

"WELL MAH PECKIN' OPINION IS THAT HE WAS INNOCENT!!"

"GOOD! IM GLAD!!"

"FINE!!"

Both pouted a bit with frowns but on the inside Snatcher felt an overwhelming state of relief and happiness fall over him. So Poppy didn't blame him, good. Not that it was ever his fault in the first place, but now a lot of dead weight was lifted from his shoulders. One less thing to worry over now it seemed. But Poppy paused in her movements to blank out and stare at him. Wait. Snatcher was there when Philip was-.....Then did that mean he saw what happened? Well obviously yes. He said so himself. Her curious side kicked in and she couldn't help but find her interests peeking through and a whole knew slew of questions arise, she couldn't help it. After all she knew nothing about this ghost tho he seemed good enough.

"How did you die?," she found herself blurting out before she could stop but she instantly regretted it.

"WHAT?!" Snatcher whipped his face to her wide eyed.

"S-Sorry." She held up her hands worriedly. "Is it rude to ask a dead person that? I d-didn't know honest. It's just that.....You're doin' an aweful lot for me and I don't know a lot about ya, since you already know alot 'bout me from my rambling. I figured ya would return the favor."

"Sorry. NO can do, Red. That's private information."

She scowled again. "OH come on! Purple onion. Your contract paper thingy said I could ask for anything I wanted in return for helping ya!"

"Within REASON!," Snatcher stressed, "Asking a ghost about their past is like asking a poor person how much money they spent on their shoes!"

"UUUUHHH!!! I swear sometimes you can be more childish than those girls!"

"So can you!"

"UGH!! Alright! Why don't we compramise?," she offered and that got Snatcher's attention. "I don't think it's fair you're still essentially a stranger to me. So how about you answer just a few questions 'bout ghosts an stuff, but you don't have to answer any ya don't like. Deal?"

".....Hmm....Deal." he crossed his arms and looked at her with a raised brow, "What do you want to know, Red?''

"Well my first question asked would be nice. You don't have to go into detail," She added seeing Snatcher's eyes narrow.

"Mmm." He REALLY didn't want to say anything. It was still too early for this even if he was more at ease now but since he didn't really have to go into detail- "Same as you. I died during the Great Subcon Freeze."

"Oh. Well you said you saw what happened when Philip....p-p-passed away, right? Does that mean you were employed by the Queen?"

OH PECK- HOW WAS HE GONNA ANSWER THAT!? He chose to shrug and as calmly as he could said. "Sorta. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." Which wasn't really a lie. He couldn't have ever been in a more wrong place or time. "Another innocent bystander to a crazy curse."

"Oh. Well how are you a ghost?"

Another shrug. "Beats me. A lot of other people are ghosts, you've seen them. Most of them can't even remember who they were in life. Don't know how or why so don't ask. Just the way it is."

"Does that mean you remember who you were?"

"Obviously I do. Otherwise I couldn't tell you anything."

"Oh right. Dumb question. Then who wer-"

"Next question!," he answered fast which caught her off guard but she shrugged it off. Obviously he wasn't comfortable with that.

"Alright. Don't get your long tail in a knot." Looking over him she wonder how a soul such as thing could be so big...Souls? "That's another thing. Why did you want mah soul when I first met ya?" This time he actually paused. This question was one he hadn't been expecting and one he hadn't really thought of a cover for. "How WAS he supposed to explain that ghastly part of his afterlife to her without sounding like a heartless monster- "Do you really eat them?"......Wot? She made a grimace like she had bitten into a lemon. "That sounds so terrible and gross! Do all ghosts eat other ghosts?"

..........He blinked. Did she really think that he ate- "WHAT?! No! I don't really eat them! I can't eat anything! Im pecking dead for crying out loud! I just use that to intimidate intruding fools! I take souls as servants for tresspassing into people's burial grounds! At first you were no different, just another person intruding into my domain without permission-"

"Then why did you all of a sudden decide to help me?" She asked crossing her arms. "You could've just taken me as a servant then and there." ...Snatcher rose a brow. "Ok! Well ya technically did, but I mean what made ya decide to help me? I just don't get it."

Snatcher went oddly silent at her question. She didn't get it. Of course she didn't get it and she never would if he could help it. So he decided to play it safe for now and give her an honest answer. "Because I recognized you from the village." It's true, he did. But his answer took her by surprise as he carefully cherry picked his next words carefully with a sigh. "I-...Sometimes saw you selling flowers in the square, and-.....I guess I was simpathetic to someone else in a similar situation as I was." Which weren't lies either and safe enough to say without having his identity compramised.

He saw her in the village? Did that mean he was one of the villagers? Maybe someone who worked in the summer house and lived in the village. She met a couple of people who would brag about being employed at the Queen's summer home when she wasn't in her palace. If so, then it would all make sense about why he knew her and how he was able to see the prince's demise. Actually that would explain everything and how he knew her if she sold him flowers before. A little assurance and calm was delivered to her with that revolation and she smiled at him like she solved the entire puzzle and it was complete. And to her it was complete. Except for one tiny little thing.

"So....does that mean Philip is a g-ghost too?"

He figured she'd ask that by the way things were going. So he sounded like he took a giant breath even if he didn't have lungs and sighed. How was he suppose to answer? By telling the truth of course! Just not in the way one may think. "A ghost? Well that's not exactly easy to answer." Which was true it was hard for him to answer that when the answer was obviously yes and staring at her right here. In front of her, but also because he was. NOT. PECKING. READY. To tell her. "Any ghost I know if they even became ghosts would be in the forest .....or another plain of existance." Which again wasn't a lie. All the ghost he DID know lived in his territory except for Moonjumper who was bound to the horizon.....Huh. Speaking of which he hadn't seen him in a while now. Oh well. Less problem for him to worry about. "A-And like I said BARELY any of my minions remember who they were before they died." Which also wasn't a lie. So technically he NEVER lied to her and didn't compramise his identity. PERFECT!!

"Oh. I..see."

Poppy looked down to her hands laid in her lap and the gold shining from her wrist. So it would be almost impossible for her to see him again then huh? Considering if Prince Philip became a ghost at all there was still the part where even if she did find him neither would be able to tell according to Snatcher. And even if by SOME miracle he WAS a ghost and he COULD remember her, then he might even be on a different plain of being which was highly unlikely she'd be able to get to. So it'd be useless to persue that idea even if all of those factors were even possible. ....She looked back up when metal rattled against the floor and Snatcher stared at the very end of his tail. She guessed Snatcher could see perfectly in the dark compared to a human because he bluntly pointed at something she couldn't see on the floor and asked.

"Are those garden tools in a golf club bag?"

Garden to- OH!! She completely forgot about those she was so tired! Poppy rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Uh.....Y-Yeah. W-We went out earlier today an' I guess I forgot ta put them away before I fell asleep. Sorry bout that."

Snatcher turned to her with light surprise. "Wait a minute. You LEFT the ship and went somewhere by yourself without telling ME?!"

She frowned. "Hey! I was gettin' antsy just seeing nothin' but space all day! And if ya haven't noticed it's kinda cramped up here. I need space to walk around freely so I don't have to crawl, and last time I checked I was an adult who didn't need no supervision. 'Sides! I wasn't alone. Cookie 'n those girls of yours were with me the whole time."

Snatcher brought a hand up to rub his temples groaning. "And the LAST time you went somewhere 'not alone' with those two I had to save your sorry butt. I swear you'll only get in trouble if you run around in places you shouldn't."

.....She nervously laughed and looked away. "W-W-Well..about that..Uh-''

"What did you do?," he asked without room for arguement. Removing his hand to bare his eyes into her nervous smile.

"Nothing. Just some shoppin' with the girls. Got some new dresses......And maybe I destroyed some fancy whatcha-mah-call-it machine and in order to play for it I agreed to be in a Moon Penguin's play."

"..............YOU BROKE WHAT AND REPAYING IT HOW?!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't have enough pons, and Mr. Grooves was so nice. He even said I didn't have to pay a single pon if I worked for free! I panicked! I didn't want debt on mah name!!"

"OH! FOR THE LOVE OF- HOW DID YOU EVEN BREAK IT?!," he asked annoyed.

"I ......leaned my tools against it? hehe."

A loud smack filled the room making her jump and it took her a moment to realize Snatcher had facepalmed himself HARD groaning. "I leave for ONE WHOLE DAY and you end up being in trouble. Is there anything ELSE I should know about?"

"I yelled at a crazy yellow owl."

"What?," he looked up from his hand at her and she nodded.

"Yeah. At least I think it was an owl. He did have feathers. Biggest loud mouth I'd ever met! HUH!" She frowned recrossing her arms. "He said I had to work for 'em just because I accidentally knocked over the thingy. I told him where he could stick it if he ever wanted my help! HMPH!!"

There was a pause of silence as Poppy frowned at nothing in particular and Snatcher continued to stare at her with a blank expression-.......SNRK!! She glanced up from what sounded like a covered snort and too her surprise the spook was....Smiling?? No. Not just smiling. He was trembling lightly as he smiled down at her biting into his bottom lip...Before the flood gates opened and he full on laughed. His loud raspy voice echoing throughout the dark room leaving Poppy bamboozled. Why was he laughing? She didn't think she said anything funny. Was he laughing because she was in trouble again?

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!" A clawed hand grabbed her shoulder as he leaned over with the other hand holding his middle as he continued to laugh like no tomorrow. "W-WAIT! *wheeze* *COUGH COUGH COUGH*" She blinked surprised to hear a ghost somehow have the need to wheeze or cough to regain breath without lungs or a body...But she'd seen a lot of weird things now so who was she to be surprised? He still went back to laughing one eye open to look at her his voice happy sounding and trembling. "Y-Y-You mean a-...Ahahahaha!! D-Did he call every one a p-p-p-peckneck?! Haha!!"

....She blinked and frowned again. "Yes! A very RUDE man! Threw a tantrum like a little kid and I told him to find me once he learnt some respect and acted like an' adult!"

"PPPPFFFFFTTTT!!" He fell back into another laughing fit much to her confusion. " AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! YOU SHOULD'VE D-D-DEFINATELY TOLD ME YOU WERE LEAVING! *wheeze* I-...I- OH P-P-P-PECK!! I WOULD'VE PAID TO SEE THAT OLD BIRDBRAIN'S FACE W-W-WHEN YOU TOLD THE FOOL OFF!!"

Now she smiled. "I take it you know him?" She had to wait for his laughing fit to die down and him to 'catch his breath' before he could look at her with a straight face and answer clearly. He nodded yes to answer her question at least.

"A few times. More of a peckneck than me!" He wiped at his face. "I wish I was there to see THAT! Worth more than gold!"

"Oh. What are you doing here anyways? It's the middle of the night."

He seemed to remember something as he sat up and reached behind him. "Right. I finished fixing your dress. Guess I lost track of time and didn't know you were resting. My apologies for that." He pulled out a blue dress from no where and besides the stains(which she couldn't see in the dark anyways) it looked brand new as he handed it over without a second thought. "Here. But don't expect me to become your personal tailor, Red. This was just a one time deal for you."

Poppy stared stunned at the dress as she took it and ran a hand over the mended parts. "It feels like it was never ripped!" She smiled wider at him. "Thank ya! I guess you do know what you're doin' after all."

His smile couldn't have been more smug as he examined his claws. "Well I never lie about my skills."

She smiled again before looking over the dress the best she could in the dark. "It was mighty kind of you. I kinda feel bad 'bout you going through the trouble of it now since I got me some more. That lil sweetheart of yours did too."

"Oh?"

She smiled chuckling. "Poor thing got all drenched but I think that was my fault too. A couple of them silly ol' birds mistook me as her mo-....." Poppy suddenly paused...staring at her dress for a moment but the sudden cut of conversation didn't get past the spook who stopped smiling and stared at her more.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Well now that I think about it...How did those two come to be under your wing anyhow?" She looked at him with a raised brow. "An alien being raised by a ghost? It's the most strangest thing I've heard about. Where's their mothers? Where's their family?"

....Snatcher gave a frown not directed at her and stated, "I am their family. We have each other and that's all we need."

"Well, yes. I know family goes beyond blood...Or in your case flesh and blood I suppose. But I don't just get how they came in your care if you don't let anyone in that forest." Snatcher remained silent staring at the floor and for a moment Poppy thought she stepped over a line. DUMMY!! Who was she to ask someone who adopted two lil girls!? It was none of her business! "I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me ta ask. It won't happen a-"

"They're orphans."

She blinked and stared at him. "Uh.....What?"

"I said they're orphans. They have no one else." Yellow eyes looked to her again. "You want to know where they came from?" .....When she didn't answer he continued. "I don't know anything about Bow's past and neither does she. As far as I know she was raised in a crummy orphanage her whole life before she decided to run away and get tangled up in the mess Hattie made when she first arrived."

"Oh. Im so sorry...How did you come to adopt an alien if ya still don't mind me askin'?"

He huffed a chuckle and smiled bittersweet. "That little lady caused problems the moment she arrived on the planet with her time pieces. I won't go into detail, but let's just saw she almost caused the world to be destroyed and saved it too. She's a special something that I've never seen."

"If she arrived on this planet, doesn't that mean she has family back on her own planet?"

"You would think that at first." He shook his head grimly scowled. "But no. It's what I thought at first too when she originally left, but then she came back and refused to leave even after she got every single one of those cursed time pieces. Turns out she never had anything there to begin with."

Poppy's eyes widened. "W-W-What happened?"

"Long story short war."

"A war? Over what?"

"Over those...things. They're too dangerous for even her to use beyond a few simple things. Her family ..or what was left of it. Made those things to control people. As you would expect a lot of people with greedy intentions would want to get their hands on something like that, so in order to protect herself...She left."....He looked up out the attic windows for a moment with...pity on his face staring at the black void of stars. "I don't know how long she was out there and I don't know why she wanted to go back to where she came from or what happened to make her flee again. Never asked. But I also never questioned it when she came back and decided not to leave again. She's a smart kid. Here there's people who care about her and want her to be safe...Forever." He mumbled that last part to himself but she didn't hear. "I-......I couldn't just leave them vulnerable sitting there like dead ducks. They needed me...and..I-I-I guess in a w-way I r-really needed someone like them too."

He jumped when he felt someone grab his hand snapped back down to stare at sorrowful blue eyes gazing up at him. Poppy was gently squeezing his hand. ".....I-....I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. And them. I really am. You seem like a really nice person even if you can come across as a stubborn purple onion. For what you did...There's really no other noble thing than a good father is there?"

He still stared at her.....then to where she was holding his hand, and a bright yellow hue flushed his cheeks as he coughed and looked away. "I-....Suppose you're right. Anyways, all this talking is distracting me from my work! You have your dress and feel better obviously-"

"Could you please stay? At least until I fall back asleep...I-...I'd appreciate it a lot if ya did."

He stared at her a moment before waving a hand still blushing yellow. "Fine. But don't expect me to do this again. Because guess what? Im not legally obligated too."

She smiled. "Sure, Snatcher."

She giggled and got up to presumably get back in her floor bed and he watched her go. .....She thought she was a good father huh? And she was mistaken as Bow's mother? His hand slowly closed itself as he watched her. Well. Every child deserves a mother didn't they? And who better deserved a mother than his little devils? She just needed some time to realize it.

#flowercrown #The Florist #a hat in time florist #A hat in time the florist #A hat in time the florist x snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #A hat in time snatcher x florist #a hat in time snatcher x the florist #A hat in time florist x snatcher #Snatcher x the florist #the florist x snatcher #florist x snatcher #snatcher x florist #Florist #ABloomInTime

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larkspuramaranthys · 3 years

Text

Mists of Solitude - the second choice.

The majority of the group had voted on staying near the Ashthorn tree another night, most likely to get themselves into some kind of trouble. They were not camped far enough away, so the whispers continued to torment the minds of those who could not find enough to preoccupy themselves. Lark beckoned Celosia toward her, the soft fur that coated her body a gentle reminder to stay strong when she stroked her best friend for comfort.

While the group was scattered around and distracted, a low, gutteral growl sounded through the camp like a battle cry. Shields from magic casted flew up all over the camp, but the four legged creature that leapt past them was faster than anyone could imagine. A direwolf. Lark had read about them, the larger and more aggressive cousins to the wolves that lived near her home, but she had never seen one with her own eyes. It's giant black body collided with someone nearby that Lark had yet to introduce herself to before anyone could react. The gruesome violence caused Lark to turn her head before she became frozen with fear. As an Earthling connected to the earth, she had a way with animals and their village never experienced anything like this. The wolves were their friends, not their enemies. This direwolf, however, would devour them all if they did not fight back.

Magic of all kind had been aimed towards the creature, but none of it succeeded. A magical creature itself, it was immune. Many books explained this, but fear and battle often caused reactions for protection before one could think. Even Lark, who knew better, sent out her earth magic in an attempt to save herself. Celosia was her biggest worry, but the fox would not leave her side. Faithful until the very end, but their time would not come tonight.

Almost as quickly as it came, the beast was gone. Destroyed by an arrow with no ounce of magic. Lark clutched her own bow close to her in case their were more, and although she had never used it to kill, it made her feel safer. Even if only a little. One wounded and one casualty. Lark knew this journey would be dangerous, but the reality was truly settling in now. Would she really make it towards the end?

The days continued, even though the encounter with the Direwolf made it feel as though they might not. Time stood still with fear. But each step they took now had more determination. They would not die. Not before achieving what they came her to do.

Much to Lark's dismay, the forest eventually turned to dry earth, which didn't help her nerves. The group came upon a massive wall of smoke and were unable to see what lied beyond. Any effort to remove or go around the smoke was thwarted and the only other option was forward. Through the unknown.

With her earth abilities, Lark was placed in a group with a few others. She used the vines that grew from her body to attach to the others in her small group, keep them from losing each other. However, when the groups all tried to go through the mist, every one was bounced back as though they hit an invisible force. Her vines took a powerful hit and shrank back, needing to recover on their own.

After realizing that everyone needed to take this part of the journey on their own, it seemed as though the mist hungrily devoured it's victims when they entered. Nothing could be heard from their friends after being taken by the mist, but there was no option to turn around. There was no leaving the novice path, except by death or reaching the Academy. And so, it was eventually Lark's turn.

Alone. She had never felt so alone. Panic swelled within her and it nearly overtook. Lark looked around and could barely see in front of her. She took tentative steps forward until she stumbled over something. It was solid and wet, coating her feet. When Lark looked down, it was Celosia's body, ripped open and left for her to find. She tried to scream, but she was too consumed with grief. She almost didn't hear the growl that came from behind her. The same growl they encountered a few days ago. Another direwolf leapt through the fog and had Lark running. She left her best friend behind, but she couldn't think of that now. She had to think about surviving. But the direwolf was faster. Their bodies collided and Lark was doing her best to hold the creature off before it claimed her life too. It nearly did, before Lark scrambled for an arrow that must have fallen from her quiver. She took the arrow and stabbed the creature in the heart. Immediately, it fell to the ground, but it did not turn into a crystal as the other had.

Lark reached for her bow and arrows, in case their were more, but she couldn't find them. Where had the other came from? Lark fell to the ground as grief consumed her. Her best friend was dead. She had also never killed before. She looked at her own hands, covered in blood, as though she were a monster. Her arrows were only ever used for the fun of archery, never to hurt another creature of this earth.

Soon enough, flames sprang from the body of the direwolf, lighting all vegetation in the area. Very quickly it spread to a wildfire that consumed everything in it's path. Lark was up and running before she could properly come up with a plan. The fire licked her sides, and she could feel the heat, but no pain came along with it. Flame and mist swirled together, obscuring her vision and mind. With the lack of pain, her mind slowly tried to regain control. The mist was messing with her, showing her her greatest fears. She tried to stay as calm as she could, to think through her fears. And while it did push back the flames a little, it wasn't enough to see the path ahead. Her mind was too clouded with fear.

Lark fell to her hands and knees. As soon as she did, her body become more connected to the earth. She would hear it whispering to her, telling her where to go. The closer she stayed to the ground, the flames stayed above her. And while she couldn't see, she let the earth be her guide as she crawled away from this nightmare hellscape.

Choice Two - What do you do:

D: I try to calm my breathing, minimise feedback by closing my eyes and focus on my hands and feet. I establish a connection with earth and let it guide me towards the end of the mist.

SIDE NOTE - CELOSIA LIVES. IT'S ONLY ONE OF HER FEARS.

#journal entry #writing #orilium #magical readathon

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fallenqueen2 · 4 years

Text

Seeing The Unseen [NaruShika]

When Naruto and Shikamaru turn 16, they gain the ability to see their soulmate’s Daemon.

Ao3 Link

Naruto was jolted out of his sleep by something heavy landing on his chest. Naruto was a second away from jumping up onto his feet, hand curled his Kunai ready for the attack but something stopped him. It wasn’t exactly a concrete feeling, but whatever had just landed on him was safe to every part of him and even the Kyuubi stayed silent, which was rare nowadays as he and Jiraiya were working on accessing his powers.

Naruto opened his eyes and was greeted by the most adorable small jet-black kitten that was curled up on his chest. The kitten was already fast asleep and was gently purring as it rose and fell with the rise and fall of Naruto’s chest.

“Oh,” Naruto whispered as he carefully, slowly cupped his hand around the small kitten and an amazed smile crossed his lips as he gently stroked the soft fur.

“What’s going on brat?” Jiraiya rumbled as he rolled onto his side, eyes blinking slowly to look at his student.

“I…My soulmate’s Daemon.” Naruto was in shock and awe as the kitten slept on unaware of the storm of emotions that it just unlocked inside of the 16-year old.

“Yeah? Congrats kid, what does it look like?” Jiraiya asked curiously as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Only the two souls that were meant for each other could see their Daemon’s, well up until the two souls connect and then the Daemon’s would become visible.

Naruto knew that for sure as had been present when Iruka-Sensei had met Kakashi-Sensei and a large silver furred dog with one eye covered and a small brown-furred dog with a scar over its nose came into view, tackling the other happily and both of his Sensei’s had turned a bright red colour as they stared at the other in shock and happiness. Naruto and his team had to a lot of threatening that day, after all, Kakashi-Sensei was a pervert and Iruka-Sensei was amazing, but it seems it turned out okay for them after everything.

“A black kitten, it’s so cute and small,” Naruto said in a shaky voice, as his vision got blurry before he used his free hand to swipe at his eyes.

“Cute and small… What’s wrong kid?” Jiraiya didn’t remember crying when his appeared on his 16th birthday.

“I just… I didn’t think I was going to have a soulmate.” Naruto admitted as he stayed lying down, unwilling to move lest it woke his soulmate’s Daemon up and this all disappeared like a dream.

“What? Why?” Jiraiya was awake now and had a bad feeling in his gut as he watched Naruto stare at his chest with wide, glassy eyes.

“I’m me, a Jinchūriki. I just… I just didn’t think I had one.” Naruto admitted, forcing back the horrid memories of his childhood and all the cruel villagers hurting him, mocking him, telling him that no one would want a monster as a soulmate. Some things he had managed to move past but that one thing, that he wouldn’t have a soulmate, that no one would want him stuck with him.

“Jinchūriki or not, everyone has one. You deserve the happiness that your soulmate can give you, don’t doubt that Naruto.” Jiraiya set his hand on Naruto’s hair, messing it up playfully earning a familiar yelp and pout. Naruto couldn’t help but smile as the kitten on his chest peeled one brown eye and stared at him offended that Naruto had disturbed his sleep.

Naruto cradled the Daemon to his chest as he stood up and giggled as the kitten yawned cutely before scaling his shoulders and plopped down onto his head, making itself comfortable in Naruto’s spiky hair.

“It’s sleeping on my head,” Naruto informed his amused Sensei who was looking at him with fondness that Naruto wasn’t sure was directed at him.

“That makes things easier,” Jiraiya mused before he set about gathering their things up so they could leave.

Naruto lifted his hand and gently scratched the Daemon who purred happily in return and Naruto felt happier and lighter than he had in a very long time.

For days this feeling stayed burning in his chest and his fondness for his soulmate’s lazy Daemon. The kitten barely walked if it could manage to get Naruto to carry him somehow and Naruto would rarely say no, in fact, he fully enjoyed having his soulmate’s Daemon cradled in his arms or draped over his head.

However, when it came time for another session of trying to get the Kyuubi under control, the Daemon was pacing and hissing impatiently from across the clearing as the violent red Chakra whipped around Naruto and the blond fought to control it.

Naruto was only half aware of what was happening as he wrestled for control over the Kyuubi’s angry Chakra and could only dig his newly formed claws into the dirt below him. Jiraiya staggered up from where he hit a tree when one of the tails had lashed out against him.

Naruto, however, became very aware when his soulmate’s Daemon lunged across the clearing towards him and panic bubbled up in his throat at the mere thought of hurting it, hurting his soulmate and getting rejected just as he feared he would be.

His soulmate’s Daemon stood its ground, hair raised on end as it stared down Naruto and the Kyuubi with intense brown eyes. The kitten was suddenly covered in darkness as it shifted and morphed until it was the size of a panther, but the roar it let out was one that rivaled the Kyuubi.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi’s hold on him slip and that was all he needed to yank control back to his side and slam the gates shut between them. Naruto gasped and panted as he collapsed onto the ground, steam rising off of him as the Kyuubi’s Chakra faded away.

Naruto huffed when a familiar tongue touched his cheek and he managed to turn his head to the side to look up at the panther.

“Kage,” Naruto whispered finally deciding on a name and something he had been missing about the kitten, or rather panther cub clicked into place and Naruto passed out with Kage curling around him protectively.

~~/~~

Shikamaru never really made a big deal of his birthday, but he could honestly say that he would have preferred not to be leaping from tree to tree to avoid some hunter-nin on his heels. Shikamaru had once again become a decoy to lead the hunter-nin away from the rest of his team. Shikamaru wasn’t sure why he had agreed to that if he was being honest, but he didn’t have much time left to think about it.

Shikamaru swore as the branch he was about to land on broke in half thanks to one of the hunter-nin’s blowing it to pieces with a fire Jutsu. Shikamaru twisted in the air and managed to land on his feet on the ground below. Shikamaru took off in a different direction, eyes darting side to side as blurry shapes of the hunter-nin overtook him.

Shikamaru skidded to a stop just as Kunai’s dug into the dirt inches away from his feet.

“It was brave if not suicidal of you to act as a decoy,” one of the hunter-nin called out, respect in his tone even as he and the rest of his team unsheathed their Kanata’s from their backs. Shikamaru winced at the sharp blades and weighed his options. Not many of them were left as he heaved a sigh, tipping his head back to look at the night sky.

Shikamaru was coming to terms with his death on the same day he was born when someplace a clock struck the same time he had been born and the world around Shikamaru shifted.

Shikamaru was shaken off balance and landed harshly on his back as a large cloud of smoke engulfed the area. Shikamaru knew that some Daemon’s liked to make dramatic entrances; it depended on whose soul they were representing. Shikamaru had to assume that his soulmate was extra dramatic as he coughed some smoke out of his lungs.

“Oh my God,” Shikamaru whispered in shock as the smoke was flung away by nine large golden foxtails. The golden furred fox was the size of a mountain at the least and roared angrily at the hunter-nin who took one look at the massive distortion and echo of a roar that Shikamaru’s soulmate’s Daemon and took off into the forest. They knew better than to take on a massive and pissed off Daemon, they may be invisible but they could still touch and hurt those who are a threat.

The giant nine tails grunted in approval before its head turned and easily found Shikamaru. The fox’s tails flared out as if it was preening as Shikamaru stared up at it slack-jawed. Shikamaru’s limbs felt like jello and he refused to try to stand as the Daemon preened and showed off for Shikamaru.

The fox let out an earth-shaking roar before it glowed as bright as the sun and Shikamaru soon had his arms full of a smaller version of the golden nine tails. It purred as it nuzzled against Shikamaru’s cheek, tails swaying happily as Shikamaru held it closer on reflex.

“What?” Shikamaru stared at the now content mini nine tail fox curled up against his chest.

“The Kyuubi, a golden Kyuubi is my soulmate’s Daemon… That means…Naruto?” Shikamaru whispered as the pieces fell into place for him and the fox gave a pleased yip before licking his cheek playfully.

“This is going to be so troublesome, I suppose I should at least give you a name?” Shikamaru felt something warm spread in his chest at the thought that Naruto was his soulmate. Shikamaru gently pet the soft gold fur and felt a smile appear when the fox wiggled happily and blinked up at him with familiar blue eyes, hell even the whisker marks where present.

“Taiyō, the Sun.” Shikamaru decided and Taiyō yipped in approval before it clambered up to settle on Shikamaru’s shoulder, it’s small nine tails curling around his neck like a scarf.

“Let’s go find my team and go home, does that sound good Taiyō?” Shikamaru rose to his feet, glad his limbs had returned to normal and he wasn’t being hunted any longer.

Taiyō chirped and nuzzled his cheek again before turning its blue eyes towards the sky almost forlornly. Shikamaru understood almost at once what Taiyō was feeling as he felt it more often than not, which looking back should have been a major clue to who his soulmate was.

“He’ll be home soon,” Shikamaru patted Taiyō’s head, unsure if his words were truthful or not but he hoped he was right as he took to the tree’s again to meet his team at their pre-set meeting point.

~~/~~

Shikamaru had kept what form his soulmate’s Daemon had taken to himself. He knew most weren’t aware of Naruto housing the Kyuubi and it wasn’t Shikamaru’s place to reveal that. Shikamaru had grown accustomed to Taiyō wrapped around his shoulders and neck like an oversized, affectionate scarf or bouncing around at his side like a hyperactive pup. What Shikamaru hadn’t expected for Taiyō to leap off his shoulder while he was talking with Temari and bite at his pant leg, pulling him intently towards a certain street.

“Whoa, calm down!” Shikamaru muttered as he stumbled after the suddenly excited fox, waving awkwardly at Temari who was watching amused as Shikamaru was dragged away by his soulmate’s Daemon.

“Taiyō, seriously!” Shikamaru warned after he almost fell flat on his face as he was dragged around a corner.

“Kage, come back here! You’re usually so lazy, why are you now running?” A familiar if not deep voice rang out and Shikamaru froze as Naruto came into view. Naruto froze when his eyes landed on Shikamaru at the end of the small street that both of them had been dragged too.

Shikamaru could only blink as Taiyō lunged forward and the air shifted to reveal a small black cub of some sort collided with Taiyō. The two small animals yipping and nuzzling each other happily as they reunited.

“Shikamaru?” Naruto’s voice was quiet and unsure.

“…Welcome home Naruto,” Shikamaru followed Taiyō’s example and went to greet his soulmate.

“You’re… You’re really my soulmate?” Naruto’s voice was shaky as he stared at Shikamaru wide-eyed as Shikamaru stopped in front of him.

“I’ve been waiting for you to come back home for a while,” Shikamaru placed his hand on a whiskered cheek and smiled when Naruto shuddered even as he nuzzled the other’s palm much like Taiyō does.

“I…Yeah, I’m home.” Naruto sounded choked up, but Shikamaru couldn’t blame him, his throat was closing up a bit as well. Having Naruto here was like coming home in every possible way.

Naruto leaned forward and a smile crossed his lips as Shikamaru’s forehead pressed against his and their hands somehow found each other, twining together as their Daemons’ mirrored them and curled around each other finally content and complete.

~~/~~

I am undertaking the task of creating a ShikaNaru event, so please take some time and fill out this survey and think about joining the event :)

https://shikanaruweekend.tumblr.com/post/619579786207117312/shikamaru-nara-naruto-uzumaki-weekend

#Naruto #NaruShika #Naruto Uzumaki/Shikamaru Nara #Daemons #soulmate #protective Daemons #fallenqueen2 #shikanaru

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conaionaru · 4 years

Text

He is complicated

Synopsis: Vanya spends some alone time with Ivar again.

Warning: Angst, forced marriage, mentions of rape, dark thoughts, Ivar, fluff (because why not)

Tagged:

@youbloodymadgenius @xbellaxcarolinax @heavenly1927

I don't own the gifs. Also, thank you for your support. I really appreciate it.

After supper, Vanya steeled herself for what's to come. She kept imagining all worst-case scenarios and preying that she was just paranoid.

She hid the needle in her dress like planned and waited on the chair by the fire for everything to grow silent. The redhead sat in the same chair she sat yesterday. The chair to her left was empty, yet it still felt like he sat there watching her. Just like he did in the morning, he didn't compliment her as everybody else did.

With one last deep breath and double-check that the weapon was hidden, she made her way to Ivar's chambers. She kept looking over her shoulder as if one of his brothers would jump out and ask her where she was going.

Gathering all the courage she had left in her, she knocked on his door. "Come in." She opened the door and looked into his room. It wasn't that different from hers. A bed, chairs by a fireplace, and a desk. He sat by the fire with something in his hands.

"Come sit, why are you standing there?" He urged her forward with a wave of his hand. He looked excited, which made her curious. So she complied and sat down next to him—the same position as yesterday, only in a different room.

"How was your day, Ivar?" She asked politely. They talked at the table, but it was in Norse, so she didn't get much out of the conversation.

"We caught a boar, some rabbits, and fish." Ivar kept looking at his hands. That's when she noticed a knife in them. She stiffened, scared for what he would do. Slowly she moved her hand to the place where she hid the needle.

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and drew in a deep breath before extending his hand to her. But not the one that was holding the knife. "Take it." He urged her, opening up his palm.

Vanya couldn't believe her eyes. Inside his outstretched hand laid a wood carving of a wolf with its mouth open. It was beautiful. "You made this?" She questioned just to be sure she didn't imagine it.

The ginger reached for the figure and clasped it in her hand, looking it over with adoration in her eyes.

Ivar nodded his head and looked away from her supporting his chin on his palm. His right hand played with the knife that he used to craft her gift. "I did it while my brothers went fishing. It's Fenrir."

Vanya looked up at him curiously, all thought of danger in the back of her mind. "Who is Fenrir?"

The youngest son of Ragnar slowly blinked like he didn't understand the question. "Fenrir is a giant wolf who will swallow the sun during Ragnarok."

"And what is Ragnarok."

"The end of everything."

Vanya watched him in shock. It was a sweet gesture to give her a gift. On the other hand, a giant wolf from the end of the world is not that romantic. Despite her thoughts did she smile at him.

The smile made him pause. It was broad and made Vanya's blue eyes shine. She looked breathtaking at that moment. She radiated pure happiness, wore a dress that complimented her, and made her red hair stand out. And the glow from the fire made her look like a goddess to him. Freya.

"It is beautiful. Thank you very much, Ivar." Even her voice was perfect. Ivar shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and cleared his throat.

"You are welcome. I like your dress." Ubbe told him to pay her compliments, so he did. The dress does look great on her.

"Thank you. You inspired me to wear it." Vanya admitted shyly, looking away from him with rosy cheeks.

The prince's brows furrowed. His head tilted to the side, thinking about everything he told her yesterday. "And how did I do that?"

She wanted to dig her own grave at that exact moment. Why did she say that? What happened to being cautious of him?"Your eyes." She whispered, refusing o look at him., which works for Ivar.

His stony face was shocked, and his mouth was open. He didn't expect that. Neither of them said anything. An awkward silence overtook them. She needed to think of anything to say. "Can you tell me more? Of your gods?"

Ivar eyed the fire in front of him, not trusting himself to look at her. So he talked of his gods. Of Odin and his wife, Frigg, of their son Baldur and his death. Or the God of mischief Loki and his three children. He talked of Thor and his mighty hammer, Mjolnir. He told her about Freya and her brother Freyr. After she kept asking, he even told her how the world would end.

It was all so different from her religion. There were so many powerful gods and great stories. Their lying snake was Loki and not Satan; they had no Virgin Mary, no Jesus. It was so foreign, but so intriguing she couldn't stop listening. Recounting her faith is a sin that she will have to commit to the man before her. But God never listened to her. Maybe Ivar's gods will.

He talked of them with such passion and belief it made her envious. She was Christian because it was the right thing to do. To live a holy life as God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost command. Yet she never viewed her faith the way Ivar sees his. Perhaps the pagan gods are her destiny.

"Wait. Loki gave birth to a horse?"

"Yes. Sleipnir. It had eight legs." The seriousness in his face made her pause. He wasn't joking.

"How does that even work. I know he can change forms, but that is insane." She shook her head in disbelief, causing Ivar to laugh. She shot him a weak glare. "Are you laughing at me, Ivar?"

"Oh, I would not dare. You must have imagined it." He was teasing her, and she liked it. This Ivar before her was nothing like the one Sigurd spoke of. How could this man be a monster? She was right all along. He is only pretending. She is sure of it.

"To be honest, I was worried about what you would do today." This made him stop laughing. The stone-cold face was back as was the hardness of his eyes.

He stared at her for a long time before he looked away, offended. Whatever he was looking for in her eyes, he didn't find it. "I saw you talking to Sigurd. He told you bad things about me, didn't he?"

Vanya gulped and bobbed her head up and down slowly. Her hand twitched to reach for the needle. He still held the knife in his hand. It would only be fair if she were armed herself. Granted, his weapon was more dangerous than hers. And he was a trained warrior. "He told me you killed a boy when you were a child. He said how you treated slaves. He said to beware of you. I told him that I don't see you as a monster."

The last sentence made him pause. "Why?" He wanted to know the answer so badly. Everyone saw him as a monster. A crippled, crude thing that no one loved except his mother.

The Saxon Princess mulled her next words over. He wanted her to be more confident. Say what she meant to say. She hopes he isn't regretting that choice now. "You don't seem like an evil man to me. You talk to me, encourage me, compliment me, and give me gifts. That doesn't look monstrous to me."

Ivar looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. The stare took to long for her liking and made her feel uneasy all over again. He was reading her face like an open book. Looking for a sign, she was lying and saying these things to save her skin. "I am not a good man."

"Maybe not. But no one is truly good. Everybody sins. And you are a Viking. Your people are different."

"And what do you know of my people?" The question started her. It was simple, yet so complicated, just like him.

She nervously twiddled with her fingers. If Ivar didn't regret telling her to be confident, she sure was. "I know somethings from the attacks on our countries. How you steal, murder, and rape. That is why I was so terrified of what you would do. I know you promised not to hurt me. But... Not every promise is to be kept."

"Is that all?" Did he have enough of her? "What else did you hear?" Oh. Well that she could answer.

"You sacrifice humans for your gods. You share your women. You are descendants of the devil. Barely human. You eat human flesh and drink the blood of newborn children." Ivar sorted out a laugh at that shocking her.

"You think we drink child blood?" His chuckles were not what she expected at all. "You people are so creative."

After he calmed down, he threw his knife away and fixed her with a look. His eyes were shining. He shifted in his seat and exhaled. "I did what Sigurd said I did. But I would not hurt you. I told you I would protect you. And I keep my promises. I swear it on my gods."

Vanya nodded, feeling guilty. She shouldn't. She had every right to doubt him. He is a savage—a heathen who hurts everybody in his path. Yet her chest felt heavy. "I didn't mean to offend you. I... I am scared. Kattegat is so different. I don't fit in. I don't understand what you speak of. Your traditions and gods are new to me. I am afraid."

"You are going to be the wife of a son of Ragnar Lothbrok. No one will dare to do anything to you. You will no longer be a Christian a get used to our traditions."

"I want to learn your language. So I can talk to you. Talk to the people of Kattegat." Vanya leaned towards him eagerly as he raised an eyebrow at her confession.

"Why?" As proud as he was about her desire to learn his language, he and his brothers understood her. That was enough. There was no need for her to talk to anybody else.

"You said it yourself. I am to be the wife of a son of Ragnar Lothbrok. The wife of a prince should be able to talk to her people. Understand them to understand their problems. I don't want to sit by your side and look pretty. I want to help people. If I am to be your wife, then I want them to love me."

Ivar smirked at her and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes for a moment before he tilted his head towards her. He locked gazes with her and nodded. "Fine. I will teach you." Vanya smiled at him again with that brilliant smile and blush.

"Thank you, Ivar." The said man only waved his hand in dismissal. It didn't bother him to teach her. At least he had an excuse to spend time with her during the day. He could try books so that she could read the language as well. It was worth a try.

"I should probably go back to bed. The sun will rise soon." How quick time passes when she is around him. Ivar looked out of the window to confirm her words for himself. And indeed, the sky was changing colors already.

"Good night, then, Vanya."

"Good night, Ivar." And so she retreated to her chambers and laid in her bed with Fenrir in her hand.

#vikings #ivar lothbrok #ivar the boneless #ivar x oc #original female character #original character #oc

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mousehole5000 · 3 years

Text

more tgcf chapters 143-173 lets goooooo

PEI MING BOO HISS except actually okay he’s mostly funny i think but still boo hiss

“hey who’s this guy who’s really pissed at you?” “oh thats my sword. i broke it.” alright then!

i think i need to go back and reread the banyue pass arc bc im still confused as to whats going on with banyue and pei su

“Banyue dropped from the sky with two pots raised. Without a word, she plummeted with the mouths of the pots facing down, trapping and detaining the shocked Ming’guang and the roaring Ke Mo within.” - THATS MY GIRL

“It must be known that, to heavenly officials, it certainly was more than natural for kingdoms of the mortal realm to fight and annihilate one another; the acts of these plays progressing on endlessly. But when it came their own turn, it was often hard to let things go. If one must stand in the same court as the one who annihilated their own kingdom, and that man cavorted in the heavens, exceedingly flashy, then it must be vexing.” - hmmmm!!

“I’ve spoken too many words in this lifetime. What are you referring to?” - okay to be fair thats a mood

okay its nice to get some pei ming backstory and its funny that he and xie lian are bonding but also still whenever pei ming interacts with a female character my hackles rise like a cat lol

“Xie Lian watched as Banyue thought really hard before cheerfully pulling out a few long, wine-red scorpion-snakes, and putting them into the bubbling pot.” - THATS MY GIRL

“Although “smell” was something colourless and formless, the instant Banyue removed the pot cover, it was as if some mysterious physical object had twisted all the air around the mouth of that pot. The group stared at the sight within the pot for a long time. Their pupils reflected an endless, bottomless darkness; like it could pull them into the abyss. No words could describe the sentiment expressed within their eyes. A moment later, Xie Lian patted Banyue’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.” - like father-figure like daughter-figure. amazing.

“However, what if one day mortals discovered something completely new that ran faster than horses? Then, when this new invention overtook horses, worshippers of this heavenly official who controlled horses would inevitably decrease. Such heavenly officials, flashing by like shooting stars, made up the majority of the heavens.” - obsessed with this, genuinely. life and change. worship and its purpose. my religious studies diploma on my wall is screaming at me rn. ALSO i am once again thinking about celebrities

“...” It was only then that Pei Ming seemed to notice, and started to contemplate this question. A moment later, he answered, “A habit. In a dark, creepy place like this, isn’t it normal to hold women in your arms, to comfort them and calm their fears?” “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t scared,” Banyue said.” - BANYUE I LOVE YOU. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH. god this takes me back to every college party i ever went to

LING WEN BACKSTORY????? shoeseller chosen for godhood bc she wrote a political essay and got arrested...... and now she’s face to face with the official who appointed her..... do go on.....

“Ling Wen laughed out loud, seeming to be enraged, and her voice dropped. “Very well! You said I couldn’t reach that high. Then, might I ask you: had the prominence of the Palace of Jing Wen at its peak ever reached even the knees of my Palace of Ling Wen??” - GET HIM!!!! BOO HISS JING WEN

“Compared to you, I’m not that bad,” Ling Wen said. “You’d personally order me to stay in the Palace of Jing Wen until midnight, then turn around and say I shamelessly hang around ‘til late to harass you. Words murder without form; I was much nicer responding with blatant violence.” - ling wen im love you..... also this bit... feels Real

BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN!! FLOWER PETALS TRANSFORMATION!!! see hua cheng? look as how cool it can be when you leave the story for a little while!! bc then you get to return and make an entrance!!

“Not only can you bring forth bloody rain, you can also make flowers shower. I didn’t know that. How fun!” - cute!! and in that moment we were all xie lian

“Everyone was stunned by his deed, and Ling Wen arduously gave him a thumbs-up. ”Ol’ Pei, what a man!” Pei Ming gritted his teeth. “WELCOME!” - aww three two tumors buddies!!

okay yin yu is here and xie lian did the equivalent of asking someone when the baby is due only to find out theyre not pregnant at all. then rong guang taunts yin yu and no one says anything. i do love the amount of awkward moments in this book tbh sometimes there are no words.

“All around was sand and mud crushing at him, exceedingly suffocating. The sand and mud was also moving endlessly; the feeling was like he was swallowed into the stomach of a giant monster, and that monster had also eaten a bunch of other things besides him, tumbling everything in its stomach, trying to digest” - ooooh creepy!!! the red string thing... is cute.... also xie lian being able to see hua cheng’s butterfly vision by looking directly into his eye is kinda cool. and obviously homoerotic.

“Are lower-ranked heavenly officials below other people?” Quan Yizhen asked. “No,” Yin Yu replied. Were they not? It was obvious that he himself didn’t believe in his own words, and Quan Yizhen also noticed. A good while later, he said bluntly, “I don’t like it here.” Yin Yu said nothing.” - im having emotions. and then yin yu also saying he doesnt like it there either.... also idk how this scene is going to play out but as much as im enjoying quan yizhen being an icon i can also possibly see how yin yu could eventually get to the point of “i am tired of being nice. i do just want to go apeshit” even if he really cares about qyz. it happens </3

“Indeed,” Hua Cheng said. “Half a year later when Quan Yizhen actually ascends, he won’t find it so funny anymore.” “Can we watch that part too?” Xie Lian asked. “We can. Hold on,” Hua Cheng replied.” - quan yizhen king of taking things literally. also why did this turn into hualian having a movie night

jian yu seems like the kind of asshole who would purposely give someone regular soda when they specifically asked for diet soda. god yin yu is really having a bad day i really feel for him in the whole situation with the brocade immortal

awww okay at least jian yu tried to take responsibility. im still mad at him tho that was objectively a terrible idea. god this whole situation sucked :(

“Rocks and earth crushed at them from all around, forcing their bodies to press tightly against one another, their faces brushing, their ears warm. Although it wasn’t the right time, a thought flashed through Xie Lian’s mind: “‘To die buried together’ doesn’t feel so bad.” - okay... im kind of emotional.... gay people....

okay obviously these murals and the prince of wuyong have some connection (im guessing pretty direct) to xie lian and are important but everytime they start analyzing one i feel like im back in art history class fhadskfhskjdhf not that thats a bad thing!! i liked art history a lot tbh

“Don’t worry, they’re not human,” Hua Cheng said. “It’s precisely because they’re not human that we have to worry, alright….” Xie Lian thought.” - goth ghost bf problems

xie lian: well, there is one person i trust more than anyone else, someone who’s first in my mind hua cheng, oblivious: oh :/ xie lian, also oblivious: what? hua cheng: you shouldnt trust so easily its dangerous xie lian: oh. haha. yeah. well. wanna,,, know who it is? hua cheng: its :) fine :) it :) doesnt :) matter :) but of course you can tell me if you want to gege xie lian, internally: well now ive made it weird hua cheng, 5 minutes later: actually i need you to tell me. right now. its totally for your security me: gay people smh

“As they suspected, he had been captured by Qi Rong. Although no one was bound by ropes, there were balls of greasily green ghost fires hovering over every one of their heads.” - completely off track but anybody else remember the great green globs of greasy grimy gopher guts song

“Could there actually come a day when Qi Rong was embarrassed that someone might see the manner in which he ate? Before Xuan Ji entered, she put Guzi down. Guzi, ta-ta-ta, ran in, rushing straight to Qi Rong’s side. But when he saw him, he pointed his finger. He cried, “Dad is eating bad things in secret again!” “I’m not!” Qi Rong retaliated.” SCREAM IS QI RONG LEARNING THE POWER OF LOVE NOOOO also god that poor man whose body he has im starting to doubt if he’ll ever be free jimmy novak flashbacks

everytime we get another ghost king power somewhere someone should be writing hua cheng the cyborg bf in a high tech futuristic au i think thats the only other potential setting that could truly capture this wild ride

“In truth, throughout history, there was no man in the world who didn’t love bragging. A breeze could blow the handkerchief of a brothel girl into a man’s hand, and he would turn around and say the most beautiful of renowned escorts had fallen in love with him; holding shoes and wiping benches for the emperor’s mistress’s uncle’s grandson’s cousin’s mistress would for sure become him being an important administrator at the residence of royal relatives, raising his status. Thus, men who didn’t brag were a rare species.” - SCREAM this is going in my favorite tgcf quotes folder god... mxtx come here let me shake your hand

read the story of rain master yushi huang’s ascension. why am i crying. also this bit im crying again me with my stuffed animals “Thus, while Yushi Huang was cultivating at the Temple of Yulong, every time when she went to seek water and passed that door, she would rub the head of that ox. The door knocker soaked in her essence of life, and when the Rain Master ascended, the ox ascended with her.”

okay thats enough for now i have 7 more chapters to book 4!!! woo!!!

#tgcf liveblog #bedtime now but im excited to be moving on #mouse mumbles

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atomic-taco-muffin · 3 years

Text

The Lost Princess Chapter 17

Warnings: Angst

Rating: SFW

Traveling through space, Sora and the others come upon a strange gray object ahead.

“What is that?” Donald asked.

“Wow, it’s huge!” Sora said. It flew over them.

“It’s a giant whale!” Goofy said.

“It’s Monstro! He’s a whale of a whale, and vicious besides!” Jiminy said. It flew back around.

“Whoa! Sora, get us out of here!” Donald said. It made its way toward them, opening its enormous jaw, revealing a mouth full of teeth.

“Too late! He’s going to swallow us!” Sora said. It overtook the ship and Sora’s life flashed before his eyes. He remembered a day, 9 years ago, that he spent with you and Riku on the Destiny Islands. He walked down the stairs with you and Riku, his small hands folded behind his back.

“It’s true! I saw it with my own eyes!” Sora said.

“You sure you didn’t just hear it this time?” you asked, smiling.

“What difference does it make? There’s a huge monster in there, I tell you!”

“All right. Suppose there really is a monster... Think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?” Riku said.

“No problem. Let’s do it!” Sora said.

“Yeah!” you said. The three of you walked to the entrance of the Secret Place.

“Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?” Sora said.

“Shh, quiet,” you said. You and Riku bent closer, listening over the sounds of the waterfall nearby.

“We’ve gotta be careful,” Riku said. The three of you entered slowly and the sounds of the waterfall drifted away. You guys found nothing in the empty cave apart from a hole in the ceiling that air was pushing through.

“See that? It was just the wind making that noise,” Riku said.

“Aw, man. I wish it was a monster! Hold on! What’s that over there?” Sora said. He looked over to see a wooden part of the cave wall. You and Riku inspected it closely.

“A window, or maybe a door? It won’t open,” you said.

“Geez, is that really all that’s in here?” Sora asked as he looked around.

“What do you expect in a boring place like this?” Riku asked. You and Sora continued searching the cave.

“Hey, guys,” Riku said.

“Hm?” you and Sora asked.

“When we grow up, let’s get off this island. We’ll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!” Riku’s eyes grew wide with anticipation.

“Sure. But isn’t there anything fun to do now? Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor’s house? Did you hear?” Sora said.

“Oh yeah. I heard about her. She’s kind of like me I think,” you said. You and Sora exited the cave, with Riku following, and the scene turned back to the present, the sounds of the wind becoming the sounds from Monstro the whale, where Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been thrown from the ship inside its mouth. Sora lied on the ground, hearing a yell.

“Knock it off!” Donald yelled. Sora shook his head and stood up to meet Donald and Goofy. Goofy was covering his head with his shield again while Donald tapped his foot on the damp floor.

“Hey, Sora. Are you okay?” Goofy asked.

“What are you guys doing? Where are we, anyway?” Sora asked. He looked around before an item came flying from overhead. Sora dodged backwards.

“Whoa!” he said.

“Uh, ya know, I think that big ol’ whale Monstro just swallowed us. And for today’s weather: expect showers,” Goofy said. Another item fell and hit Goofy’s shield.

“Heavy showers!” he said. Donald continued to look up at someone on a high ledge, searching through a treasure chest.

“Hey! Who’s there?” he asked. A wooden puppet looked down at them from the ledge.

“It’s me,” Pinocchio said.

“Oh, it’s just Pinocchio. ...Pinocchio!?” Donald said. Jiminy jumped onto Sora’s shoulder.

“Pinocchio?” he asked. Pinocchio began walking down the ledge away from them carrying a large gummi block.

“Pinocch, where are you going? Pinocch! Come on, everybody! After him! Quick!” Jiminy said. Pinocchio hopped along the various wood piles scattered throughout Monstro’s enormous mouth. Sora, Donald, and Goofy made their way over to a wooden boat where Pinocchio was talking to an old man.

“What have you got there, Pinocchio?” the man asked. Pinocchio set the green block down on the deck.

“With this, we can get out of here, Father,” he said.

“Really? With this big block? You think so?”

“It’s true,” Sora said. They turned to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy climbing the edge of the ship.

“So, how did you end up here, Pinocchio” Sora asked as he and his friends stood on the deck.

“Oh, my. So the whale swallowed all of you, too? My goodness,” the man said.

“Yeah, looks like it.”

“My name is Geppetto. I’m Pinocchio’s father. When we got separated, I traveled all over, looking for him.” Pinocchio was distracted by something behind him and he walked over the plank.

“Thank goodness we’re together again,” Geppetto said. The puppet saw someone running further into the whale as Geppetto picked up the gummi block.

“So, you seem to know Pinocchio quite well. I hope he was a good boy in my absence,” Geppetto said. He placed the block near his bed as a goldfish swam in its bowl on the bedside table.

“Well, we’ve all had quite a journey. Right, Pinocchio?” he said. He looked around for his son.

“Pinocchio? I warned him not to wander off here. He can be a naughty boy. Even so, he’s very precious to me,” he said. Sora, Donald and Goofy went after Pinocchio, finding him hiding in an inner chamber.

“What are you doing? Come on, let’s go back,” Sora said.

“You know, Geppetto’s awfully worried about you,” Goofy said.

“Pinocchio, stop fooling around! This is no time for games!” Sora said sternly. They start to turn away.

“But, Sora, I thought you liked games,” Riku said. Sora whirled around to see Riku.

“Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?” Riku asked.

“Riku! Wh-What are you doing here?” Sora asked.

“Just playing with Pinocchio.”

“You know what I mean! What about Kairi? Did you find her? Or (Y/N)?”

“Maybe. Catch us and maybe I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Come on!” Riku grabbed Pinocchio’s hand and lead him further into Monstro. They searched through the various maze-like innards of the whale, fighting numerous Heartless, though finding no trace of Riku or the puppet. Maleficent appeared to Riku.

“Why do you still care about that boy? He has all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all,” she said.

“I don’t care about him. I was just messing with him a little. I really care about (Y/N) though,” Riku said.

“Oh, really? Of course you were.” She smiled.

“What about (Y/N)? What’s gonna happen to her?” Riku asked

“Nothing too bad. She’s under our care now. We’ll help her explore her powers more. Beware the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey upon it,” she said. She summoned a corridor of darkness and walks into it.

“Mind your own business,” Riku said. He stared at her as she left. Sora, Donald, and Goofy chased Pinocchio, who passed by Riku into the bowels of the beast.

“Riku! What’s the matter with you? What are you thinking? Don’t you realize what you’re doing?” Sora asked.

“I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi? Or (Y/N)?” Riku said.

“I do.” Pinocchio screamed and they ran into the Bowels. They found him trapped inside a large Parasite Cage Heartless. It swung its appendages when they entered, waiting for them to come near.

“You up for this?” Riku asked. Sora assumed a fighting stance.

“No problem. Let’s do it!” he said.

“Get me out of here!” Pinocchio said. Sora attacked the small head attached to its arms as it swung the arms wildly. Riku ran behind it to avoid them and striked. Sora leaped at it, while Donald sent a Thunder spell, but it lifted an arm and Sora crashed into it, falling to the damp floor.

“Help! It’s scary in here!” Pinocchio said. Sora attacked the bottom cage-like head of the Heartless where Pinocchio was trapped, but the beast would not budge. Its arms took out Goofy while Sora gave it an upward strike. It began to wobble, grabbing the ceiling for balance, and spat out Pinocchio into a hole in the floor. Riku jumped in after him as the Heartless escaped. The water level in the mouth decreased as Sora, Donald, and Goofy landed on the deck of Geppetto’s ship.

“Pinocchio! Pinocchio! Please! Give me back my son!” Geppetto said. Riku was on a high ledge, holding Pinocchio under his arm.

“Sorry, old man. I have some unfinished business with this puppet,” he said.

“He’s no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!” Geppetto said.

“He is unusual. Not many puppets have hearts. I’m not sure, but maybe he can help someone who’s lost theirs.”

“Wait a minute. Are you talking about Kairi? Or (Y/N)?” Sora asked.

“What do you care about them?” Riku asked. He walked toward Monstro’s throat. They went after him by climbing the piles of wood near the mouth. Sora found another summon gem on top of one of them. They entered the throat and made their way to the stomach. Riku set Pinocchio down on one of the platforms lining the walls as stomach acid pooled on the floor.

“Hey, let Pinocchio go, Riku,” Sora said. Riku turned to see them. Pinocchio sat, unmoving.

“A puppet that’s lost its heart to the Heartless... Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi and (Y/N). How about it, Sora? Let’s join forces to save them. We can do it, together,” Riku said. He started walking toward Sora, who took out the Keyblade.

“What? You’d rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?” he asked as he stopped walking.

“Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience,” Sora said.

“Conscience?” Riku asked. Jiminy Cricket ran over to Pinocchio.

“You might not hear it, but right now it’s loud and clear. And it’s telling me you’re on the wrong side!” Sora said.

“Then you leave me no choice,” Riku said.

“Pinocchio! Pinocchio!” Jimimy said.

“Jiminy... I’m not gonna make it,” Pinocchio said weakly. Suddenly, his nose grew.

“Oh! I guess I’m okay!” he said. Jiminy jumped happily. Sora looked over to Donald and Goofy. Riku thought for a second before looking up suddenly as the Parasite Cage fell from a hole in the ceiling. Riku made a quick exit through a corridor of darkness, leaving them alone with the Heartless. Pinocchio ran out of the stomach and the Parasite Cage picked itself up on its arms and swung itself at Sora and company. Donald yelled and sent a Thunder spell at it, while Sora ran up to it and began striking its body with the Keyblade. The Parasite Cage began swinging its arms again, but Goofy slammed his shield into them, causing the Heartless to reel back. The top head fell backwards, causing the cage to open. It lied there, unconscious, while Sora continued to deal damage to it. It straightened up and began swinging its arms again, knocking out Donald. The Heartless placed its arms into the stomach acid, sucking it up through its appendages, and blowing it out through its mouth. Sora fell in pain Goofy fell unconscious. While the Parasite Cage continued swinging its arms madly, Sora used Cure on both Donald and Goofy and the three of them moved in unison. With a few more strikes, it flew backwards, a glowing heart coming out of its cage- like mouth and floating away. It began to fall over, splashing acid everywhere.

“Run!” Donald said.

“Riku! Riku, where are you?” Sora asked.

To be continued...

#kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts x reader #kingdom+hearts+x+reader #kingdom+hearts+imagines #kingdomhearts x reader #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts+x+reader #kingdomhearts+imagines

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dusky-dancing · 4 years

Text

The Prince and the Pirate - CH 6

For SoKai Week - Day 6

Story Summary: Sora finds himself far away from the walls of the Radiant Garden he's known his whole life, kidnapped by a rowdy group of pirates whose captain is as alluring as she is mysterious. What he thought was a simple hostage negotiation turns into an adventure that Sora couldn't have anticipated. He doesn't know which is worse, not knowing what's up ahead, or liking it that way.

Rating: T

Genre: Romance, Adventure, Pirate AU

Length: ~ 3700 words

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Links for story navigation:

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Kairi's look of confidence turned to concern over the next several days. Even as her leg began to heal, her gaze never strayed far from the horizon for long.

Sora continued the daily routine of taking her swimming in the ocean, hoping that it would give her some sort of comfort. Plus, he loved getting to be close to her for a brief time, though he wouldn't admit it. Their daily dance had come to feel intimate.

After nearly a week had passed, Kairi had a different idea.

"Let's go for a walk this time, instead of swimming," she said.

"Are you sure you're up for walking?" Sora asked, somewhat disappointed. "Besides, I thought you loved the water."

Slowly, she pulled herself up, balancing on her healthy foot. She linked her arm with Sora's, and he suddenly felt that taking a walk with her wouldn't be so different.

"I do, but until I know my crew is safe, I don't feel worthy to enjoy the water myself."

"Oh," was all Sora could say. He understood, though his worry over the crew paled in comparison to what she must have felt. He braced her weight and turned them to face inland. "Where should we start?"

"Along the shore, I suppose, until we find where the cliff face ends."

Slowly, they walked along the shore. Sora had become familiar enough with the immediate area as he'd been gathering food and water that it felt strange to take a leisurely stroll with a woman on his arm.

"Do you think they're okay?" Kairi asked.

Sora chuckled at her uncharacteristic worry. "Why are you asking me?" She shot him a glare, so he clarified. "I've seen how strong they are, and you know them better than I do, Kairi. Don't let your confidence over them waver. When they come back for you, they'll want to be greeted with cheers and shouts of, 'I knew you could do it.'"

She hummed beside him, her face dropping. "I suppose you're right. Being separated from them is making me soft."

They followed a trickling sound to a small waterfall. In every direction, neither the trees nor the cliff seemed to give way. The top of the island seemed unreachable.

Kairi was already in need of a break, but when she went to lean against the cliff, she fell straight through the bushes.

"Kairi!" Sora rushed in after her.

"I'm okay!" her thumbs up while prone was only half-reassuring.

"Atleast you found a hidden cave," he laughed.

After helping her to her feet, he summoned his Keyblade to give them more light. The cave seemed to stretch further into the cliffside, with no end in sight. His curiosity got the best of him, and he stepped forward.

He moved slowly, and Kairi followed without protest. She had said she wanted to explore. The further in they travelled, the lower the ceiling became. Sora was nearly crouching when he turned a corner, and the cave suddenly opened up before him. Sunlight peeked through the top and illuminated the walls made of large rocks.

And at the end of the cave sat a wooden door.

They both froze for a moment. Normally, it wouldn't have stood out. It didn't even have a handle or hinges. But as far as Sora and Kairi knew, they were the only people on this island.

Kairi approached it and ran her hand along the wood. Suddenly, she gasped and withdrew her hand.

"Do you think…?" she began to ask. "No, nevermind. It couldn't be."

"Say it, Kairi."

She glanced between him and the door. "Could it be her? Leviathan? It's crazy, there's no way it'd be here of all places."

"There's one way to find out."

Kairi turned back and gave him a knowing look. "Sora?"

The Keyblade raised itself in Sora's hand, and he stepped forward. Kairi nodded her permission and moved behind him, leaning against the cave wall. As he took aim, a large, glowing keyhole revealed itself. The island seemed to go silent as a beam of light shot from the key to the door.

The door burst open, followed by a powerful wind that nearly threw Sora off of his feet. He braced his Keyblade in front of himself, but it did little to protect him. Hopefully his body could do a better job of shielding Kairi from the gust. She could barely stand up as is.

"Sora!" she cried, and he breathed in relief that she was still with him. "What's happening?"

"I don't know!" he shouted back.

It soon became apparent that this wasn't any ordinary wind. It held an unnatural chill and a heaviness that pierced straight through to his heart.

The air rushing at them turned into a dark wisp, growing more intense with each moment. Sora's stance was slipping, and he knew he didn't want to be thrown off of his feet in the midst of the strange shadow.

Quickly pivoting his body, he allowed the wind to accelerate his rush to Kairi. Before it could sweep him off of his feet, he encased her body within his arms as tightly as he could. It quickly threw them both back towards the cave entrance, and he twisted his body so his back faced forward.

Out the narrow crawl space, rocks swiped the sides of his arms as they flew past uncontrollably. With each scratch, he did his best to hold her tighter. He didn't notice her constricting herself into his hold, or her hands coming up to grasp at his jacket.

The blast pushed them out of the cave relatively painlessly until Sora's back met a tree trunk with a loud thwack. He grunted but refused to drop Kairi yet. Even when they'd regained their feet and rushed out of the wind's path, he couldn't feel safe enough to let her go.

She squirmed in his arms and mumbled, "Sora, you're hurting me." Only then did he get the hint and loosen his arms.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Are you okay?" She circled his back and ran her hands down his spine.

"Sore, but fine," he lied. He could function, but he felt that ache wasn't going to leave for a few days. Despite the pain, he savored the feeling of her hands running up and down his back. It took all of his self-control to not close his eyes and melt into her touch.

His eyes trailed down the path of the wind to the beach. What had been a straight gust began to swirl in on itself over the shore. The storm grew larger as the gust from inside showed no signs of waning, and the darkness within it swelled to block all light inside.

The primal instinct to freeze overtook Sora once again. He could do nothing but watch as the swirling darkness took on a creature-like form. Large, soft-bodied, and round, several long appendages unfolded and rolled outward onto the beach. Sora's heart stopped.

Of course the Kraken wouldn't leave them be.

The wind dissipated, revealing a larger, stronger creature than Sora had faced before. Now, it was uninjured and possessed all of its arms. While he was still frozen, a tentacle reached out and wrapped itself around him. Before he could register the sensation, it yanked him towards the water.

"Sora!" Kairi reached out to him, but her injury had slowed her too much for her to reach him in time.

The dizzying sensation along with the fresh pain in his back shook his senses free, and he quickly resummoned his Keyblade. One swift blow was enough to weaken the arm holding him, but he knew more would come.

"Kairi, stay back!" he yelled at her, but she was gone from where she'd just been standing. He struck at the tentacles grasping and whipping at him, but he'd been pulled so close to the giant creature that they were too strong and thick to cut through. Each attempt at escape proved futile as he tripped over every step in the knee-deep water.

He had to find Kairi.

He quickly glanced all around, but she was nowhere immediately in sight. His heart sank. The thought of her being pulled under, or even close to it, filled him with worry.

Several suction-cupped tentacles whipped at him from all directions and restrained him. His body constricted as more of the flesh wrapped around him, even threatening to cover his eyes and face.

"Kai-!" he tried to yell for her to run, to save herself in anyway she could, but his voice cut off under the pressure. Already, he could taste the sea water, and the smell overwhelmed him. It pulled him further out to sea, soaking his clothing and stealing his footing.

Suddenly, the movement became much more chaotic. Not like when the arms had been throwing him around like a ragdoll, but like his own captor was being thrashed about itself.

He was spinning, and from the loosening hold on him, the Kraken wasn't causing it.

The force was enough to let him slip from the creature's grasp once more, only now the radial force threw him outward. He landed hard in the water, but it was still deep enough to prevent him from hitting rock or sand.

He treaded slowly, wary of the growing pain in his spine. A short distance down the shore, Kairi stood on one leg ankle-deep in the water. She somehow maintained her balance as her arms circled wildly around her.

Like a whirlpool.

She moved perfectly in sync with the very vortex that was spinning the Kraken in place. Sora could do nothing but stare in awe of the strength of her magic. He'd witnessed her move an entire boat with speed through the ocean, propel herself through the water, and lift them both in its grasp, but never render an entire sea monster dazed.

The Kraken managed to reach out and strike her, and Sora snapped back to his senses.

"Kairi!"

The blow sent her tumbling into deeper water, so he swam in that very direction as quickly as his normal arms and legs could carry him. Moments later, however, she burst back through the surface in a pillar of water. One of her arms was raised high in the air. Her eyes found him, and with her other arm raised him up to meet her.

Up close, a new look in her eyes became unmistakable. It resembled the same determination Sora had always seen, only much more focussed and filled with passion, like a magnetic pull becoming stronger .

"Thanks. Where'd all that come from?"

"I don't know," she said. "I think opening that door did something to me."

Their conversation was interrupted when a tendril reached out to them. Sora threw his Keyblade and struck it, but another took its place and broke through the pillar of water supporting them. Just as soon as Sora lost his balance and began to fall, however, Kairi caught them both again and moved them farther out to sea. It was clear her arms were straining.

Once a safe distance away, she lowered them both and treaded water. "I can only do so much still," she said.

Sora was useless in this fight without her help. He'd barely been able to hold his own on land, but once any of the Kraken's arms caught a hold of him, he was done. Fighting underwater was ruled out as well.

"Can you get me over its head?" He asked.

The Kraken was already pulling itself toward them, growing faster the deeper it went.

An idea ignited behind Kairi's eyes, hopefully the very same one that shone in Sora's. She nodded, "I'll go under. You go over."

Sora hated the idea of Kairi putting herself in more danger for his sake, but there was no more time for planning. The monster was barrelling toward them already. To his surprise, it used all of its muscly tentacles to launch itself into the air, bearing its large beak straight for them.

Sora received a second surprise when he felt Kairi's hand squeeze his own. He tore his eyes from their threat to meet her.

In her violet pools now were neither the fierce determination from before, nor the spark of confidence she wore with her crew. Her gaze was soft, captivating, as if it wanted to spill all of her secrets and ask him for his. If only he knew the effect of the words that followed would do to him.

"I love you, Sora."

His heart stopped dead in his chest, before being shocked awake again when a burst of water sent him flying into the air.

The Kraken crashed into the water beneath him, sending a powerful wave circling out from it. In the split second of suspension between Sora's ascent and descent, he gripped his Keyblade above his head. The path to the Kraken's head was clear and uninhibited by neither tendrils nor water.

Even when his blade came down upon thick flesh, he couldn't focus.

She loves me.

She loves me back.

The Keyblade pierced deep into its head, and the sweet taste of the paopu fruit they'd shared returned to his tongue. A dark inky substance poured from the wound as the Kraken began to shriek and thrash about, and her voice echoed those final words as if she was right next to his ear. A burst of darkness threw him off of its body, and the image of her first descending those wooden stairs replayed in his mind.

The creature didn't sink when he'd struck it, and Sora knew that Kairi had followed through with her plan. While he'd attacked from above, she'd pushed up from below and prevented its escape into the depths. Which meant she was stuck underneath it when it erupted into darkness.

He swam as quickly as his arms could carry him to the pool of ink left behind, praying that she'd emerge like she had before. Only she didn't. All that arose were thick black bubbles that burst with a loud pop. He dove underneath and used his Keyblade to propel himself forward - its only good use underwater, it seemed.

Glimpses of her bright colors underneath the remains spurred him further onward. Just before reaching her body, he moved his blade and extended his free hand out towards her. He crashed into her, scooping her close and using the remaining momentum to bring them closer to the surface.

Holding her and using his Keyblade at the same time proved more difficult than expected, and Sora wasn't willing to drop the former. No water magic, no Keyblade. Sora was stuck bringing them both to the surface with only his strength. Worse yet, the inky darkness was spreading, making a clean path to the surface more difficult to find.

She'd saved him countless times. Now, it was his turn. He pushed through, fighting both the current and his burning lungs, until the surface drew closer and brighter. He gasped the moment his mouth met air. He pulled Kairi on top of him as he made his way back to shore. They'd swam like this half-a-dozen times by then, but feeling her body limp panicked him even more.

He told himself she'd be fine. She'd survived washing ashore this very island before, so she could do it again. Exhausted himself, he pulled her to the safety of sand, her feet dragging lines behind them.

A gurgling sound emanated from the back of her throat, and she quickly began coughing up water. Too tired to sit up herself, Sora supported her back as she found her breath again.

"Sora…" she barely whispered, and he was around her front in a moment.

"Kairi, we did it," he held her head up, even as exhaustion began to take her again. "You did it."

"Not yet," she mumbled slowly, and pointed back to the cave as her eyelids fell. "Door…heart."

Sora didn't have to be told twice. With the wind gone, he carried her back into the cave where it had all started. The door was still flung wide open, and a faint blue light shone from within.

Kairi stirred and took in a deep breath. "I can feel her."

He set her down carefully, and still her gaze wouldn't leave the doorway.

The sudden surge in her powers, her renewed strength the closer she stepped, it all made sense. But could Leviathan's heart really have been right under them this whole time? Had washing ashore this tiny island been a coincidence?

"Kairi, are you ready?"

He half expected her to ignore him completely now that her heart's goal was within reach, but she still nodded. A smile even began to show itself on her mud-covered face.

She took his hand and a step forward. "Come in with me."

He was all-too eager to oblige. As their eyes adjusted to the cavern, their lungs breathed air that hadn't been released for centuries. The interior appeared much larger than it should have from outside, with walls extending into near-darkness on either side. The ceiling was high. The ground descended into a shallow crater, and in the very center, suspended in air, sat a large sphere of water, supplying the soft glow throughout the grotto.

Sora's jaw was already hanging open when he muttered, "It's beautiful."

Kairi was silent beside him, her gaze still fixed straight ahead into the watery orb. She took a step forward into the pit, and Sora gripped her hand tighter.

That time, she did turn to him. "I'll be okay."

Reluctantly, he nodded and released her hand. A part of him wanted to shout that he loved her, but it didn't feel right yet. This was her quest. He'd helped her reach it, and he'd be there in the end too.

The several moments it took for her to descend to the lowest point into the very center of the cavern felt like an eternity. Especially when he had to watch her walk with a limp in her gait. Though large, the sphere of water could be touched from where Kairi stood.

When she reached out and touched it, a ripple shivered out from the point of contact. Then, in a split second, it gripped her hand and pulled her up into it.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted and stepped forward, but a shimmering magical barrier materialized and left him pounding his fists uselessly against it.

Her form was still visible within it, floating closer and closer to the very center. She didn't resist, fight, or even use her magic. If this was Leviathan's heart, then she wouldn't hurt Kairi. Sora had to trust that.

Still, he'd never felt more useless.

A bright light flashed, and the water began to pour out of the globe and into the crater, as if gravity had just taken effect. It fell in a trickle at first but grew more intense. Soon the sound of raging splashing water filled the cavern.

The water still held an unnatural blue glow as it settled. Finally, when nothing else was left, Kairi gently descended into the new lagoon. She landed firmly within the water, with her head bowed as if asleep. The water was shallow, enough to cover up to her knees.

"Kairi," he said, and her head lifted.

The barrier faded, and Sora could feel her beaming smile from a distance. Before he knew it, she was running to him.

She was running. Unimpeded.

With no limp.

His legs reacted before his mind could, and he copied her. He couldn't get to her fast enough with the water slowing him down, but that was quickly solved when she threw her arms out and parted the water between them.

Not a few moments later did she crash into him, nearly sending them both to the ground. His arms were around her in an instant. For the first time, he could hold her without worrying about hurting her, so he spun her with all the fervor he'd wanted to. Her arms clung around his neck, and her sweet giggles chimed right next to his ear.

This felt so right.

The parted water returned to its natural state and crashed against his legs, but neither of them cared.

"Thank you," her arms held him tight, even as their spinning slowed.

He laughed, "It was never a choice."

She pulled back with a look of concern, "You mean, because I…took you?"

"No!" He panicked. "Well, that too, but also because I," the words caught in his throat. "I love you too, Kairi."

Concern quickly gave way to the bright smile from before. She pulled herself closer to him once more, but instead of wrapping her arms around his shoulders, a hand snaked up the back of his neck and hair. Next he knew, she pressed her lips to his.

She tasted like sweet island fruit and salty sea water all at once, though they were nearly drowned out by the sparks igniting all over his body. He instinctively pulled her closer, and even though he wanted to take in as much of her as possible, his chivalrous side didn't want to go too far too quickly.

He pulled away, only to become completely flustered by the image before him. Her fiery flowing hair, radiant smile, loving eyes, and gentle touch sent his mind whirling. When no words could be found, she settled to rest her head against his chest. Sora could hear how quickly his heart was beating, but was powerless to slow it down.

Where would his life have been without her? Safe and protected behind the walls of Radiant Garden, but meaningless. He was sure any day out at stormy sea with her would be brighter than a cloudless day on his own. She'd known of him before he knew of her, took him, showed him adventure and danger, and made him a better man.

Made him want to be a better man.

He encased her tightly in his arms and prayed that she couldn't feel his tears streaming into her already wet hair.

"You did it, Kairi," he muffled into her hair. "I'm so proud of you."

Her shoulders began to tremble, and he couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying.

He got his answer when she lifted her head to reveal tear-stained cheeks. "The world will be better than it was, thanks to us."

He brushed the stray hairs out of her face. "Well, world-savior, what now?"

A hum escaped her throat, and she settled back against his chest. "Now, my hero, we rest. And wait."

——————————————————–

A/N:

Kairi: I love you

Sora: *Windows power down noises*

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