#yakuza AU has no business taking over my heart as easily as it does

[seyaryminamoto]

Your entries for the sokkla saturdays are always so good. It makes me wonder: which one is your favorite entry for each of the last three years you participated?

Haha, I was actually thinking about this for the last Fic-to-Art I did. I kind of picked my favorite stories in order to draw them as the representatives from each... anthology? Compendium? Whatever the right name for it might be xD

Anyway... here we go. The full list of Seyary's favorite stories of my Sokkla Saturday entries, starting in 2020:

Matching Heartbeats (2020)

It's difficult to really rank this one fairly because I admit, at the start I had no idea what I was doing. It was meant to be a week-to-week concept and I definitely started very lighthearted, but by week 3 I was going a little crazy with stories and I suddenly found myself building huge stuff I absolutely wasn't trying to go for at first x'D sooo... unfortunately the first two stories, which were the ones I was most easygoing with, wouldn't be at the top here even if I don't think they're bad, actually. They're just not as thoroughly fleshed out, I'd say. So anyway, ranking the whole thing now...

Yakuza AU (Azula and Sokka are in rival Yakuza clans)

"I melt in your hands" (Azula captured by the Gaang AU)

Making a deal (Azula and Sokka work together to stop an assassin in Ba Sing Se's Palace)

Loyalty (Dark Ursa AU)

Sokkla is painful for Zuko (Zuko is enlightened by a dream that convinces him that Sokka and Azula are the perfect match for each other)

Arranged Marriage-Touch (War ends 20-ish years earlier AU)

Lost in a forest and feelings (Sokka and Azula reconnect over a trip to find Space Sword)

"As if that would ever happen" (A scene of Azula and Sokka talking briefly before the birth of their second child)

"I lost my clothes and need to borrow yours" (Sokka and Azula start a somewhat-secret relationship in Republic City)

Boy that was not easy xD I actually feel like 5-7 are all tied, to a fault. They're all pretty fun to revisit whenever I want to, but I guess the four at the top win for me. Yakuza AU is definitely my absolute favorite from 2020, though. It just never gets old for me.

Underneath Starlit Skies (2021)

Now, this time I was ambitious purposefully... and I paid for it through making even bigger stories than before :'D to be fair, I was already writing Gladiator Part 3 at the time and Underneath Starlit Skies really helped me regain my mojo so I could energize myself and keep going with my big fic. So! What shall my ranking look like now...?

Wounded (Yakuza AU sequel)

Happy Family (... Yeah, well, I'm just gonna whistle innocently now...)

Body Swap AU (... self explanatory?)

Each other's punishment (Antarctica AU)

Jealousy (Band AU)

Prince Sokka, Peasant Azula (Dragon Age: Origins AU)

TDOBS: Sokkla happens (Azula captured by the Gaang AU sequel)

Pregnancy (Dark Ursa AU sequel)

Meeting the in-laws (War ends 20-ish years earlier AU sequel)

I admit, the sequels from this year were a lot of fun to write but the new ideas I had for stories just took over me, big time...

... 'cept for Yakuza AU because that one just drives me crazy. I admit I think it's possibly the strongest AU in all of my Sokkla Saturdays entries, though I can't pretend to be objective enough to say for certain, haha. Anyway, I liked the sequel even more than I liked the original and that's saying a lot, considering the first entry for Yakuza AU is my favorite for 2020 :'D And yeah, the Happy Family situation was way too entertaining to write, all those family dynamics were a thrill to explore when I finally had a chance to. Then, the body swap AU was such a strange way to get out of my comfort zone, but it worked fairly well and I really enjoyed it because of that. Very introspective even in all its ridiculousness, haha.

Leap of Faith (2022)

Oh, boy. I really wanted to make more sequels this year. Which might look like a weird thing to say considering how I haven't ranked my sequels all that high, but I really did want to. It's kinda sad to me that I could only do it with two stories when there were so many that required them... but let's hope the prompts are better for sequels in the future, huh?

Alright, and so...

Toph matchmaking Sokkla (Sokka and Azula work together to stop a conspiracy to kill Zuko... in a rather unconventional way)

"Blue looks good on you" (Sokka and Azula are agents of the White Lotus)

College AU (D&D AU)

Each other's firsts (Childhood friends/basketball AU)

Caught off-guard (... ehem. Again, I'll just whistle innocently here...)

Academic rivals (Azula and Sokka attend Ba Sing Se University)

Sokka dresses Azula (Dragon Age: Inquisition AU, sequel to Dragon Age: Origins AU)

Falling in love (Ursa doesn't erase her memories but changes her face anyway and comes back to the Palace as a servant AU)

Flustered Azula (Antarctica AU sequel)

... I admit this one feels a little deceptive X'D some of the lower rated ones were actually pretty solid entries but I have no idea what the hell was going on with my emotional state at the time. Even upon revisiting them, I wound up thinking the story had turned out to be a looot better than I thought it was upon writing it, and yet something about how I felt while writing those chapters just didn't feel entirely smooth, somehow.

ANYWAY! Doesn't change the fact that Toph matchmaking Sokkla has ended up becoming one hell of a favorite for me. Even then, it's kind of difficult to argue that it's my absolute favorite because "Blue looks good on you" absolutely took over my life and ran away with me. And College AU makes me laugh like such an idiot every time I revisit it, too. So while I thought I might not have that much to offer this year because the prompts reeeeally didn't allow me to work with a lot of sequels, I ended up finding some ideas I wound up obsessed with X'D so I really can't complain about what I managed to make this year.

Anyway, this is my personal ranking for all my stories since 2020. I really don't think I was majorly dissatisfied with any entry because, if I had been, I outright wouldn't have posted them :'D I do think my first two entries for 2020 are the weakest of the lot since I really hadn't committed to coming up with major stories at the time, and I really thought I'd take this event easy... :'D oh, what a summer child I was. Fast forward a few weeks later and I was possessed by the wild need to tell the Yakuza AU as best as I could and mourning the fact that it had ended too soon x'D

If you have your own favorites, feel free to share too! It's always great fun to know about the impact my stories have had on readers, especially the rarer ones that seem to fly under the radar. I learned about two years ago that some readers reeeally loved my White Lotus International Games story, and I actually had thought that one had just gone completely unnoticed, and this year, a lot of people were thrilled to see an artwork depicting The Love Advisor's scene of Azula and Sokka reading their tragic romance book together xD so yeah, if you want to talk about the stories you liked, feel free to share your thoughts! :D

#anon #my stories #that was kinda fun to do #even if a little stressful #I think I do love them all #but some are just special for my twisted heart #yakuza AU has no business taking over my heart as easily as it does #but it just does #I love it #... and then ambassador Azula/councilman Sokka tearing down the Golden Suns? #I'm a simple woman with simple needs #I just need Sokkla being insanely fun together #there that's it

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Three | Cyberpunk AU ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara ] [ Gun, vulgarity, blood, gore ] [ Verse: Oil and Blood ] [ Previous || Next ]

“You should have known I’d catch up to you one of these days…”

With a grunt, he’s forced to his knees, hands bound behind his back. The typical glow of his mods are dark, stripped of their power. Already he’s having difficulty breathing, wheezing as the support systems for his organs run dry.

Silhouetted by the street lamp behind him, his captor methodically fiddles with his pistol, which glistens in the rain. “You really thought you could betray me and get away with it…? You’re even stupider than I figured. It was one thing to follow me so blindly...but to turn against me is even more foolish. You should have just kept your head down, Obito. You’d have lived longer.”

“...fuck you,” he manages to rasp, attitude still coarse in the face of imminent destruction. For good measure, he draws up saliva and spits it on his enemy’s shoe.

The man before him heaves a disappointed sigh. “...make whatever last-ditch efforts you want. You’re not getting out of this alive. And the mark you’d have left will soon be forgotten. You’re nothing, Obito. Just a man, like any other...perhaps even lesser, given how much of you has been replaced. I, on the other hand...will step over your corpse and continue my ascension. Your treachery is...an annoyance, but not a true hindernace. You were useful...but easily replaced.”

“You’ll get yours,” Obito mutters, squinting up at his foe with a snarl. “Even you aren’t untouchable...if not me, someone else will kill you. You’re not the god you think you are, Madara.”

There’s a long moment of silence, broken by nothing but the rain, as the boss looks upon his underling. “...well, given that you’re about to be scrap, might as well take what’s still useful from you…” Nodding to his other cohorts, he has Obito restrained, ignoring his grunts and struggles of protest. “You won’t be needing this in the junkyard.” A gloved hand reaches and plucks the violet eye mod from its steel socket. “I think I’ll have far more use for a Rinnegan model than you will in a moment. Consider it repayment for your bullheadedness and all the trouble you’ve caused me.”

Staring with his remaining eye of flesh, a hint of mad fury glints within it as Obito looks unflinchingly into the barrel of Madara’s pistol. “...better watch your back, Madara...before someone else plunges a knife into it.”

“...that’s enough talk.”

With a muffled report, the gun fires, and Obito’s head whips back, body going limp. Blowing at the smoke, Madara gives a jerk of his head. “...dump him where he belongs.”

Wordlessly, two grunts take his arms and legs, hauling him the last several feet to the pit that is the junkyard. A few swings to gather momentum, and then they toss the body into the mounds of refuse.

“...well, I think it’s time for a drink,” Madara muses, holstering his weapon and turning back toward his car. “Come, we’ve better things to do with our evening.”

The small motorcade pulls from the curb, street lamp flickering before going dark.

Umbrella hovering overhead, she plants careful feet in the shifting masses of discarded parts. Maybe not a typical person’s ideal way to spend a night, but...well, she’s in need of some spare tech, and no one’s going to be missing them from a scrap heap. Burrowing through the various discarded mods and other pieces, Ryū lifts an arm. Hovering her modded palm over it, she scans its data.

“Mm...still not the right model…” she murmurs to herself, setting it back and continuing through the wreckage. She doesn’t need the entire limb, just a choice circuit within it for a client. One of her...less than legal patients. Hence rooting around in the dark, cold, and rain rather than ordering it properly. All of her business expenses are monitored, after all...with how rampant illegal modifications are, the government can’t be too careful.

At least...to a point. After all, they leave all this perfectly salvageable stuff here, only cleaning it out every few months. Until then, she’s free to peruse it...so long as she avoids the guards and disables the cameras. Easy enough to do with remote hacks and a few bribes.

Sure, she does her share of legitimate business - as someone versed in both the technological and biological of today’s humanity, she’s a valuable commodity as a doctor. But people with illegal mods are still people...and she’ll be damned if they go without care when she’s more than capable. It just...takes a little extra effort, is all.

Like what she’s up to now.

Picking up another arm, another scan finds it lacking the part she needs. At this rate, she might be here all night… A few more steps, and she lifts another limb.

...only to find it attached to something.

Or...someone.

Gasping, she drops it and scurries backward, feet caught in the mess and bringing her down to her backside with a crash of metal and plastic. Heart hammering, she stares with wide eyes at what she can barely see in the dark. After a brief pause, she dares to lift her palm, the installed light following to illuminate what she found.

It...it’s a body...not just parts. An entire person...what the hell?! That...that’s not…?

Another hesitation, and then she scrambles forward, carefully looking him over. None of his mods are active, and...wow, he’s got quite a few. There’s bruising along the flesh she can see, too. Gently turning his face toward her, she grimaces at the sight. An empty eye mod socket, and...wait a minute… Reaching into her bag, she pulls out a pair of pliers, carefully reaching in and drawing out...a spent bullet.

...holy shit. With that information, a possible story forms. Someone was beaten, tied up, and...and...executed.

...but…

Hovering a modded palm over his chest, she waits for a response. Mopping rain from her face (her umbrella spared instead to the body), there’s a tense silence...until...there!

A heartbeat!

He’s alive…! But barely...she’ll have to move fast.

Lifting her other hand to her ear, she activates her communication mod. “I need you at my location, now! There’s someone alive down here…!”

There’s no response, but she can hear the motor in the distance. Looking over the rest of him, she finds his spine and neck intact, so no immediate worries about moving him. But...if he was shot in his mod socket, he’s probably got some cranial damage...likely a concussion, at any rate. Carefully sitting him up, she manages to lift him a bit by the time her hoverbike makes it to her position. Thankfully her sidecar (used to transport the mods she salvages) is big enough for a person. Managing to heft him into it, she hops astride the seat and puts on her helmet, visor activating as she turns it to manual mode, carefully navigating the pit until she makes it to a bank low enough she can get out and back onto the road. From there, she engages the self-driving mechanism, setting a waypoint for her office.

With that done, she turns to her unconscious companion, looking for something under his shirt. Checking a few routine places, it’s then she finds it: a tomoe tattoo just under his collarbone. Seems he was part of the Uchiha yakuza. Which would explain his execution-style abandonment. Maybe another gang got ahold of him and dumped him. She’s treated her share of Uchiha before...she should probably report that he’s alive.

But maybe best to do so only once she knows he’s going to live. For now, he’s rather unstable...and getting their hopes up too soon might not go well. Until then, she’ll just do what she can.

“Hold on,” she murmurs, leaning back upright. “We’ll try to get you patched up…”

Once the bike pulls into its small hangar beside her clinic, Ryū fetches a hover stretcher to load him onto, taking him in through the rear door: the one reserved for her illegal patients. Thankfully her second medical bay is empty, and she moves him to the first bed in the back. Stripping the soaked remnants of his clothes, she starts by drying him off and getting his body temperature back up. From there, she starts assessing the damage to his mods.

She’s rarely seen someone with this many...and it doesn’t look like they’re aesthetic. Most appear to actually be tied to his bodily functions. Whatever happened to him...it took tech rather than biology to patch him up. Activating a mod from her temple, she starts looking through the components, HUD displaying information for whatever she’s looking at.

Hm...seems they just powered them down...didn’t want him using these to struggle, she affirms to herself, quickly moving to power them back on. One by one, the modifications to his torso power up, alight with energy and seeing him take a gasping breath. Ryū can’t help a glance up to his face, seeing color slowly return as the tech helping his organs restarts.

“You’re one lucky fella,” she murmurs. “Another ten minutes and you’d probably be dead…” With the most vital mods restored, she heaves a sigh, settling in and getting to work.

It takes all night, the rain stopping and sun rising before she extracts herself. Leaning back with a huff, hands come to rest over her face, letting herself adjust to a new position and closing her eyes. She hasn’t worked that long, that intensely, for quite some time.

He’s still got bits and pieces to work on, but...he should be mostly in the clear. Turns out he does indeed have a minor concussion, but she hopes it won’t affect him too badly.

For now, though...she needs a quick break, and something to eat. She never did find that circuit she needed, but...well, they can wait. A bum arm is a slightly lesser priority than an entire body. Wheeling back, she moves to the stairs and second story of her clinic...which happens to be where her living quarters are.

Digging out enough to make a sandwich, she sits with a sigh under her wireless charger, building the batteries back up for her mods. Chewing slowly, Ryū lets her eyes close, still mulling over what left she has to do for this guy. She’s extremely curious about what happened to him, but...part of her expects to be left hanging for a while. Concussions don’t exactly leave people in the best frame of mind. He’ll likely be confused, and possibly have some memory problems until his brain has a chance to heal. Thankfully there was only some minor bleeding and very little swelling. With enough time, he should make a decent recovery, if not have some lingering side effects for a few weeks or months due to the rattling his brain got.

He was so lucky...shooting that socket saved his life. If it was anywhere else… She lets the thought trail off, grimacing. If not for that steel...well, she wouldn’t have had to bring him here, that’s for certain.

Once she’s charged a bit and fed, Ryū makes her way back downstairs. A few scans show him approaching consciousness, brain activity far stronger than it was when she found him. Thankfully she happens to be closed today, so...as long as no emergencies show up, she can keep an eye on him full time.

“...ngh…”

Perking up as he stirs, she watches as his lids flicker and pinch before opening. One reveals the empty mod socket, and the other a black, foggy iris.

“W...where…?”

“Sir, my name is Suigin Ryū,” the medic offers, tone soft and even to avoid panicking him. “I...well, I found you seriously injured in the junkyard a few blocks away. I’ve patched you up as best I can for now, but you still have some lingering issues. It’s for the best you remain reclined and calm, all right…?”

His gaze moves to her, head wobbling a bit. “I...what…?”

“I realize you might be having some memory troubles due to a head injury. Can you tell me your name…?”

Brow furrowing, he appears to try and think. “It, uh...it’s...O-Obito.”

“Obito…?”

“...I…”

“That’s all right, don’t overwork yourself. I’m glad to see you awake, Obito-san. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?”

“...like shit,” he mumbles frankly. “What...happened?”

“I don’t know...like I said, I found you unconscious and with your mods unpowered in the junkyard. You were severely injured, so...it appears someone harmed you, and left you there to…” She trails off, her next word rather obvious. “...can you remember anything before now?”

“It...it’s all foggy, and my head is killing me…”

“That’s all right - I’ll get you a drip for your pain, and you just get some rest.” Smiling warmly at him, she spares a hand to comb at the fringe of his hair. “You’re going to be fine. I’m so happy I found you...you were very lucky. You’ll likely have to be here for a while, so...if you need anything, just let me know. I’ll have other patients to attend to sometimes, but you’re safe here. All right?”

Gaze still misty with pain, fatigue, and a rather scrambled mind, Obito just...sits under her attentions for a moment. “...right…”

“For today, you’re the only one here, so...just holler if you need something.” Standing, she switches out his IV, replacing it with one laced with painkillers. “This will make you drowsy, so...just get some rest, okay? I’ll check on you often to make sure you’re doing all right.”

Almost immediately, he looks ready to fade. “...thank you…”

“...you’re welcome.”

Watching him drift off, Ryū heaves a long sigh. Well, at least he’s conscious - he’s not comatose, but she’ll have to check him frequently for a while to make sure he’s not slipping. Still...she has to wonder what exactly happened to him at the dump. Maybe, for now...she’ll just keep this to herself. Once Obito can remember, she’ll try to contact someone. Until then, he’s not going anywhere.

     Day three, cyberpunk AU! Ngl I've wanted to write this for a LONNNG time so I was psyched to see it on Meg's list xD This concept's been in my head for weeks, and getting it down on digital paper at last is refreshing, even if...this is a rather sizeable cliffhanger, whoops! We might have to just...RP it instead. Or maybe I'll add chapters. Who knows!      But for now, this is all I've got, so...thanks for reading!

#obiryū october #abyssaldespair #uchiha obito #suigin ryū #uchiha madara #gun // #vulgarity // #blood // #gore // #oil and blood [ au ]

[1800areyouslapping]

ShimadaPal x Shimadasis Yakuza AU

Gal pals here!

I have a bunch of ideas for you. But I guess I’ll start with Shimada!Pal because I kinda have a thing for our ahem gal pals.

Yakuza Route:

Sis!Shimada, a princess in the Yakuza world and treated as such. Loved by her brothers and father, her hand is the most sought after in all of Japan. So it’s not unusual during clan meetings that the clan’s leaders would bring their heirs with their attempts at wooing her. 

Most of the heirs who try to woo her are rough and tough men, but I’m sure they’d try to tone it down to not frighten her. She knows them but she’s not interested in them, the modest smile she wears is false and she feels her energy and enthusiasm drop whenever she smiles and talks with them. Clan meetings are very much a chore for her.

Around the age of 15, the meetings changed; a beautiful girl around her age represented her clan. ‘Poor girl’, her handmaiden told her. Her parents have passed (and maybe brother?), and with no other relatives, she had to take her father’s place as the head of the clan so it won’t fall into the wrong hands. 

CeCe’s note: I think it would also be interesting if not all of the suitors that come around “tone it down.” Maybe a few of the boys or men from the other yakuza clans just don’t have it in their personality to tone it down. Or they think, well, the cordial stuff isn’t working so maybe she wants an aggressive man. This could lead to a nice scene where yakuza!friend has to kind of come to defend sis!Shimada’s honor and that just leaves sis!Shimada like, damn. Could be an interesting way for yakuza!friend to impress her. 

It would be rough for her having to prove herself in a man’s world. But, she didn’t seem bothered. The girl is even referred to as the ‘warm-blooded yakuza’, considered an insulting title by yakuza, but she takes the title in stride. Yes, she is warm and has a sunny disposition, but should you cross her, she will cut you down with ease. But Sojiro knows that while she is young, she is resourceful and smart, and stronger than she appears, and allows her to reign her clan much to the lack of understanding of the other clans.

CeCe’s note: Like she’s “warm-blooded” but can be brought to a scalding boil really fast if you’re not careful, I like that! I personally go back and forth between the yakuza not wanting women in power or it just being a matter of who is born first, firstborns just have that right, regardless of gender. If firstborn dies or for whatever extreme reason aren’t seen as fit to rule it moves on to the next, but not a big deal if it’s a woman? If that makes any sense. But if yakuza!friend comes off as “soft” then I can see how ruling as a woman would be a problem for her.  

For the first time in many years, the princess is interested in the clan meeting– or rather, the girl’s that attending it. She tells herself it’s because she’s dressed differently; in a short kimono that shows off her legs and hints of tattoo (she wonders how far they go and what the rest look like. But that is simple curiosity, right?) And unlike the men around her who dress in drab colored suits, she wears a bright short colorful kimono and shows off her femininity without shame. 

CeCe’s note: I’d like it here is sis!Shimada is just trying to come to terms with the fact that she’s gay. She’s never quite understood why she’s never been interested in any of the male suitors, especially the ones that came off as genuine to her, cute some even handsome but she was still never interested. All the sudden yakuza!friend shows up and she like @_@

“Please papa. Don’t let them hurt her.” Sis!Shimada tells her dad.  Some of the men around her try to intimidate the girl, but she easily handles them with a grace that the princess admires. The hostility towards her increases when the princess becomes friends with the girl. The men say that the girl is distracting the princess’ from her priorities (like talking to their sons.)

At one point, the heirs show off to the princess. I’m unsure how Yakuza do it, but I was thinking they’d show off with archery or something (I got inspired by Brave lol) Oh and some of the hot guys take their shirt off maybe, but it’s not like the princess cares because she’s too busy watching her new….friend. Like, admiring how the wind plays with her hair, how the sunshine makes her look prettier. You know, straight things. AND, at one point the girl turns to look at the princess and gives this smirk, which makes her heart skip a beat, before the girl hit the bull’s eye. Nice. 

CeCe’s note: I think it would be amazing to have all the different suitors like fight eachother in the dojo, show off their archery skills, they probably would buy sis!Shimada all these nice things too. Duals in the dojo are not supposed to be to the death even though sometimes the men take it a little too far, resulting in either in wounds or near deaths. This could also be some drama maybe one of those near death duels involves the yakuza!friend. She makes it out alive and it’s not like the other guy didn’t come out worse for wear but it was close. This could lead to a nice tender, private moment between yakuza!friend and sis!Shimada. Some *ah-hem* personal care. 

Since that day the girl and the Shimada princess grow closer, the girl’s even invited to their manor for dinner or sleep-overs. The princess can visit the girl, but she cannot stay the night and unsurprisingly she’s guarded. 

Things get heated one night during a sleep over, and the princess finally gets to see how far those tattoos go. ;)

CeCe’s note: It’d like it if sis!shimada get to see these tattoos in a very steamy scene where they go to the onsen together and they both get to see each other in all their glory, and both have to try and not gawk at each other. One thing leads to another as they’re inching closer and closer ‘til one’s in the other’s lap. 

I was thinking at one point, someone takes a photo of Sis!Shimada and the ‘friend’ kissing, and sends the picture to Sojiro. He’d be furious and calls the friend in… I was thinking it’s an angry suitor who gets the friend in trouble. Like, ‘she’s corrupted your daughter!’

And I’m leaving the ending up to you. I have a feeling it won’t be a happy one :(

Gal Pals here: I feel a bit bad cause I didn’t think of these in my submission to you. Here’s a small extension I managed to think up for the Yakuza AU. Sleepover edition. So, for the sleepovers, the sis is always guarded and our pal sleeps in her own room. Cause she’s yakuza, just in case she tries anything. But she does!

GP: When the sis and pal are secretly dating. I was thinking the pal sneaks past guards to spend some quality alone time with sis. Whenever they have sex it’s rushed and hushed and desperate, those moments sparse and cherished. At the end though, the pal always makes sure the sis is okay. Giving her kisses on her face, her hands. The sis whines for her to stay and is sad she always has to go.

GP: I was thinking maybe it’s one of the brothers who catch the pal sneaking and about to enter the sis’ room that she gets in trouble. I imagine Sojiro would feel slapped in the face because he allows this girl to rule her own clan, and here she is sleeping with his daughter. I don’t think even a finger would suffice.

CeCe’s note: Idk, my friend I go back and forth between Sojiro in this AU in particular not really giving a shit or really giving a shit. Hanzo will get married and produce an heir, here sis!Shimada having a baby isn’t totally paramount. Not that she can’t have one with yakuza!friend anyway. He’d make it known that he knows what the fuck is up, chastise for going behind his back, because not much is getting past him. I’d like it if the person who “caught” them gets to Sojiro and Sojiro is offended at them because he already knows. Do they really, truly think he doesn’t fucking know? Stop wasting his time, and stop creeping on his daughter. How’d they get that picture? What were they doing there in the first place? Depending on whether or not it was one of his sons who came to him with it or some random suitor the punishment would vary. 

But if Papa Sojiro is really feeling betrayed by yukuza!friend sleeping with his daughter behind his back then well, either she needs to get the fuck outa doge or go down the clean sweep of her clan. Idk if people get what I mean when I say that so, basically think *pretty lady ovw announcer voice* “Team Kill” but of an entire clan. 

Also, this is inspiration for what the friend wears. Not everything, but I really like this shorter kimono look (do you happen to know what this type of kimono is called? The short kimonos I could find on google are unfortunately cheap Halloweeney costumes. Ew)

CeCe’s note: I like the short kimono idea! That’s super cute, I did some research and I don’t think there is a technical term for it, not that I could find at least, I think “short kimono” is the best thing to call it. I also found some more examples that I thought weren’t too costumey and are pretty one of them is just something I stumbled upon and felt like sharing cause I thought it was stunning lol 

CeCe’s images: 

Gal pals anon’s image down below:

#sis!Shimada #gal pals anon #yakuza!friend #musings #angst #submission

[sunbrights]

fic: ice diamonds

fandom: danganronpa characters/pairings: kuzupeko. rating: t notes: An early Christmas gift for @thewildwilds, who is a rad person and a lovely friend. If you’re somehow not familiar yet with her Gambler/Yakuza AU, you should absolutely check it out! This one was specifically inspired by the fourth image in this set. read on AO3

She picks her favorite dive to oversee from: a skinny, crowded place on the west side of the city. Its peak Friday business hours dovetail neatly with her timeline, and it's tucked into an alley only four blocks away, out of view from the main road. The clientele is diverse enough to allow them to blend in, but savvy enough to know to give her berth when necessary.

Genji doesn't like the idea of her being so close. Not with a wildcard like this in play, he says, so seriously that he can't possibly intend the pun.

She goes anyway. It's been weeks, after all, and the whisky selection is to die for.

Matsuoka is on shift tonight; he beams at her from behind the bar as soon as she steps through the door. “Is that Pekoyama-san?” he says, just loudly enough to raise the appropriate heads and just jovially enough not to alarm the rest. She’s always appreciated him. “What’ll it be?”

“The Hibiki today,” she says, hanging her purse off the hook below the bar. “Thank you.”

“Coming right up.”

Matsuoka is an artist with the ice. He holds it bare-handed and carves it with a short, flat knife, until it’s all clear angles and glittering edges. He spins it into a glass, pours a generous two fingers over the top, and sets the drink in front of her. It shines with refracted light and rich, dark color.

It’s mostly for show. It’s a reason for her to be here, at this bar, at this time. She breathes it in, oaky and floral, and lets that by itself calm her nerves.

“Been a while since we saw you last,” Matsuoka says, drying his hands on a clean dish towel. “Started to get worried this neighborhood was on the up-and-up.”

“Business,” she answers. “You know how things are.”

He winks at her, and leaves her be.

She waits. Genji and the others trickle in over the next twenty minutes or so, and take scattered seats around the room. They do a decent job of not making themselves conspicuous, casually dressed and striking up conversations with civilians, but that doesn't make it any less overbearing. He's brought three more bodies than she asked.

It's too late for there to be anything done about it, though. She holds her phone in her lap and watches the stream of people flow in and out the door: older gentlemen and young couples and packs of laughing women. She allows herself a single sip of her drink; it’s early, but the whisky is too good to let dilute.

Her phone buzzes in her palm, almost fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.

[phone] (21:47) All done (21:47) Told you I didn’t need that much time

It’s meant to be a notification, to keep her apprised of progress. She’s not meant to reply.

She sets her phone flat on the bar and takes another pull of her drink.

(21:47) Checking your ego wasn’t the point of the timeline.

(21:47) Yeah, but it kinda was, wasn’t it? (21:48) I can keep going if you want. I’m on a roll

She suppresses the urge to roll her eyes, but only just. This batch of the Hibiki has particularly strong notes of plum, and she takes a moment to appreciate them.

(21:48) No.

(21:48) You're the boss, princess (21:48) Just so we’re clear, though, you're the one leaving money on the table here, not me

(21:49) I'm clear on what we agreed the plan was. (21:49) Are you?

She waits. Minutes drag with no response.

It's uncharacteristic.

Peak begins to pass. The crowd is still dense enough for her purposes, but there are more people leaving now than arriving. Genji and the others have to mingle and redistribute, to accommodate the ratio shift. Each time the door opens, it brings in a gust of cold air with it, tickling her wrists and ankles.

She waits, but her phone is silent until the next check-in.

Soseki (22:03) Cargo’s here but the guy ghosted (22:03) You want us to track him down?

Her jaw aches with tension. Cold air from the door flapping open and closed makes it worse.

This was the point of her timeline. She scrolls back through her text history to find the approximate time he fell off the radar, and draws a radius in her head of his possible locations. Soseki can fan east and she and Genji can split west and south—

“Sorry, sir,” Matsuoka says to her right, “going to need to ask you to take off your hat inside.”

“Sure,” comes the answer, before she's had a chance to process the pulse of adrenaline that zips through her, a thrill like static electricity. “Sorry about that.”

Kuzuryuu tips his trilby off his head and lays it casually on the bar, not two feet from her glass.

She presses her fingers against the blooming spot of pain just above her left eye.

Genji is trying to get her attention; he sinks down in his chair, arms spread wide over the back, jaw jumping. She ignores him, and taps out her reply to Soseki, one-handed.

(22:04) Don’t bother. I have eyes on him. (22:05) Just take what we came for. I’ll handle the rest.

(22:05) Yes ma’am

The phone vibrates again, and a second message slides in beneath the first.

[phone] (22:05) Talking about me? (22:05) You look pissed

She curls her hand around her glass, and tilts her head enough to let him into her peripheral vision. He’s taken a stool at the far end of the bar, draped his coat on the stool beside him, and is making inane small talk with Matsuoka.

The best course of action is to ignore him. It’s safest, for all of them, in the inevitability that he drew retaliatory eyes with him. There’s no reason for her to get caught up in his irresponsibility.

She lays her phone in her lap and types with her thumb, beneath the bar.

(22:06) Was that your goal?

“What can I get you, friend?”

Matsuoka seems charmed. By what, she can’t fathom. Kuzuryuu squints up at the draft list— and then his eyes slide abruptly left, straight at her.

Her phone buzzes. She can’t see his other hand, she realizes.

“I’ll have one of whatever the lady’s having,” he says, smile wide.

She refuses to rise to his bait. To anyone watching who matters, it’s not evidence of anything. It’s barely even memorable, just a harmless overture from a stranger. It certainly isn’t anything to work herself up about.

But Matsuoka has known her too long; he looks down at her, an interested light behind his eyes, and leans both elbows on the bar.

“Friend of yours, Pekoyama-san?”

She can feel Kuzuryuu’s expectant look on the side of her face. She takes a sip of her drink, and it burns on her tongue, bright and smooth.

“That depends,” she muses, swirling the glass. “Are you friends with the flies that hover around your dinner?”

Matsuoka booms with laughter. Kuzuryuu claps a dramatic hand over his heart.

“Best move on from that one, my friend,” Matsuoka tells him, tipping ice into a cocktail shaker. “Pekoyama-san is a cold, cold woman.”

“Little late for that warning, doncha think?”

“Eh, everyone needs a laugh sometimes.”

She tunes their banter out, and lowers her eyes.

(22:06) A man can’t have a drink every now and then?

(22:09) You’ve picked easily the most troublesome place to have it in. For me and for you.

He’s good, she’ll give him that. She only notices the flicker of his eyes and the shift in his shoulders because she’s looking for them; each motion slides effortlessly behind something else, full-bodied sleight-of-hand.

(22:10) What can I say? I was on a roll. No point in letting it go to waste

(22:10) And what do you think your odds are of this ending well for you?

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider, Pekoyama-san?” Matsuoka asks her. Kuzuryuu has foregone the Hibiki 12 year; Matsuoka pours him an ale from the tap. “I like this one.”

Her phone buzzes. “Hey, hey,” Kuzuryuu says. “I appreciate the solidarity, but the lady’s made her decision. Don’t make me out like a creep.”

“Believe me,” Matsuoka laughs, “Pekoyama-san doesn’t have anything to worry about from a skinny thing like you.”

(22:11) You tell me

The back of her neck prickles. Her heart pounds. She feels like she could turn her palm over and find her sword already there, battle-ready.

She swallows the last of her drink. It leaves only the ice behind, just beginning to melt, cold against her lips.

Then she tucks her phone back into her purse.

Kuzuryuu looks at her, which would be fine, except for how his eyes hang on her fingertips when she snaps the mouth of her purse closed again. It’s a mistake, if a brief one.

Matsuoka clears away her empty glass. “Another?”

She considers. A mistake, maybe.

Or, perhaps, a risk.

“Please.”

He carves the ice. It’s beautiful, flat and flawless, as clear as an open window. He spins it into a new glass, and pours the whisky over top.

She waves it away, when he tries to hand it to her. She snaps open her wallet and lays bills on the bar, enough to cover the drinks and Matsuoka both. “For the gentleman with the hat,” she says, setting both feet on the floor. “That half-price beer is a travesty.”

Matsuoka does as she asks, laughing his belly laugh. “I tried to warn you,” he tells Kuzuryuu, as she passes. “Like ice. You would’ve done better to find another girl in another bar.”

She can see Kuzuryuu watching her, in the bar’s front window. He draws his thumb around the edge of the glass and answers, “Where’s the fun in that?”

She lets the door clatter shut behind her.

*

“I always thought it was a shitty comparison,” he tells her later, one day when the odds are much lower, the stakes are much higher, and his smile steals into the curve of her neck. “Not much else burns like you do.”

#peko pekoyama #fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #kuzupeko #danganronpa #sdr2 #some of y'all may have seen this already #but here it is on the blog now! #this au is super fun and i love it #sunwrites