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birdwholanded · 2 years

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Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami Review with some spoilers

Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood was written in 2000. The title of the story comes from a Beatles’ song entitled Norwegian Wood. The lyrics to the song are, “I once had a girl

Or should I say she once had me

She showed me her room

Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay

And she told me to sit anywhere

So I looked around

And I noticed there wasn't a chair

I sat on a rug biding my time

Drinking her wine

We talked until two and then she said

"It's time for bed"

She told me she worked

In the morning and started to laugh

I told her I didn't

And crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke I was alone

This bird had flown

So I lit a fire

Isn't it good Norwegian wood?”

It is about a college student discussing his experiences he encounters and faces this far and growing up in 1969. He attends the Tokyo University and he discusses protests and riots taking place on campus that purposefully try to disrupt and start up things. Trying to dismantle the university system. The students want to disrupt the establishment. He meets other college students and hangs out with them. They discuss their favorite authors, they drink and smoke and they go to late night movies.The story involves romance too because it describes a relationship between the characters Toru and Naoko. It reminds me of a coming of age story to question where someone sees their future to be by attending the university and getting college credits and figuring out their direction on where they are themselves headed. In the story, the protagonist talks about that one of his favorite books to read and look back on is the Great Gatsby. He talks with another college student and his favorite books are classics from Charles Dickens, and others. Another student that he runs into likes to read French literature. A theme of the book could be coming to terms with setting out your own future and destiny. The characters mentioned are Naoko, the protagonist Toru, Reiko, Storm Trooper, Midori, Nagasawa, Hatsumi and Itoh.

At the beginning of the story, the narrator flies into Germany and is reminiscing about old friends and memories that he won’t have again because he is in a new world.. Naoko talks to the protagonist about wells and about how deep they can be which could lead the reader to believe that wells represent depth and darkness and an abyss, but wells are also a good thing because they carry water which is needed for people to survive and drink from. Wells could have positive and negative connotations. I wonder if later on in the story, the protagonist actually goes to Norway since he is in Germany.He talks about a poster of Amsterdam in the dormitory. The story could be about the protagonist being in his twenties and early thirties and finding his way through life. The story could also be about reflecting on the past and asking oneself if one had made different decisions would things have been better for them looking back on one’s descions that they made as a youth that affect them in adulthood. He does describe loosing memories of people he was close to before. Toru is sad because he thinks that Naoko never truly loved him. Naoko does ask Toru to never forget her and he promises to do so.

At the beginning of the story, Toru is reminiscing about old memories he had at an earlier age. A good sentence with imagery in it is “Deep within her own pupils a heavy black liquid swirled in a strange whirlpool pattern.” (7) Another good sentence with imagery is “Naoko slipped the gown from her shoulders and threw it off completely like an insect shedding its skin. ”. (131) “The sky was a fresh swept blue with only a trace of white cloud clinging to the dome of heaven like a thin streak of test paint.” (136) That sentence is beautiful because it has splendid imagery that makes the reader actually see it in their mind’s eye. “His body was like a dilapidated old house from which all the furniture and fixtures had been removed and which awaited now only it’s final demolition.” (181) “A dreamless sleep closed over me like a heavy lead door.”(233) “Seagull disappeared but I went on staring at the cherry blossoms. In the spring gloom they looked like flesh that had burst through the skin over festering wounds. ” (247) “The garden filled up with the sweet heavy stench of rotting flesh.” (247)A quote that stuck out to others is “Dont feel sorry for yourself. Only assholes do that. ” (241) “It’s like taking a boat out on a beautiful lake on a beautiful day and thinking both the sky and lake are beautiful.” (269)The narrator introduces the reader to college life at the Tokyo University. The character, Storm Trooper is introduced as being Toru’s college roommate. It describes Storm Trooper’s characteristics. The nararator discovers that a person he knew named Kizuki had commited suicide by breathing in car fumes. He contemplates death and has to come to terms with it in his own way. The story seems to be about adapting to change and coming to terms about being grown up and setting your own path and looking back on things that happened but coming to terms about everything in one own’s way.The characters talk about hooking up. They drink and they hang out. Their lives are changing and growing and they are making their own grown up decisions . Toru and Naoko get closer and they hook up and she tells him about people she knew committing suicide” The characters talk about if they went back in time to when they were younger and how it would be different and they would have made better decisions to alter their present lives and circumstances. They discuss hooking up and having sex.

The settings mentioned are Nagano, Shinjuku, Uruguay, Tokyo University, Ochanomizu, Fukushima, Kyoto, Nihionbashi

Isolation from community is a theme because people are going their own ways in life, moving to different countries and starting anew. It seems like they are starting their lives in a totally new world away from what they were familiar with. The Beatles song goes along with the story because in the song it talks about romance between lovers but then the man in the song is left alone to his own devices because his lover is no longer there. Adjusting and adapting to change and new environments and situations seem to be a theme. From reading the story so far, it is meant for adults because it has a lot of adult themes like suicide, sex, drinking. It’s meant for people in their later twenties and early thirties. The band, The Door’s song is quoted “People are strange when you’re a stranger”. The characters drink and ask themselves how to change things for the better. Adapting to a difficult and changing world, not looking back. The story discusses biases and snobbery like if one of the characters doesn’t read a certain author, then she is shunned. The characters run to death in the story figuratively because their relatives are fighting brain cancer and such. The story references Euripides, Aeschylus, and Sophocles. He says the term ‘deus ex machina’. According to Wikipedia.org deux ex machina means It is “a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence”. The characters in the story do a lot of adult things. They ride subways and get off at different places, maybe to the point where they won’t come back to their original location. I would not want this stuff happening to me because having to find your way through a changing world is difficult figuratively and literally. The story talks about making hard decisions, facing loss adapting to change. It seems like nearing the final chapters of the story, the college students moved to different cities and they were Toru was wanting to meet up with them again. Can’t change things that happened in the past and can’t change history. College students should be recommended to read this story. Because it explores different cultures, different ways of thinking by which I mean philosophical ideas. It has sexual undertones in it. It’s a story about going through a journey because it is a journey through different places in Japan and a journey to find one’s purpose and one’s way of thriving. A journey through memories, regrets , triumphs, obstacles. I don’t know if the characters are happywith where they have found themselves to be. Love and lust are definitely themes. Toru begins to reminisce about how the times have changed from when he knew them to be. They definitely drink a lot to the point of no return. Getting older losing memories of important things that happened in one’s life. Grief is a theme. Having everything in front of you to having nothing in front of you but memories. Toru is going through grief because he finds out that Naoko is ill. When curve balls and mishaps happen, one still has to deal with them like a grown up. “So how’d you lose so much weight?’’by growing up.’”(249) ”Just remember life is a box of cookies.” (251) referencing the great gatsby is looking out to thinks that you think you want but don’t need them. Idealizing and glamorizing things like having a better quality of life than what you are given and tolled out. Toru feels isolated as if he is on a deserted island because all of his friends and acquaintances had left to other places from the Tokyo University. Midori reveals that she has had a crush on Toru. He cheats on Naoko with Midori so adultery is a theme. He goes behind her back even though she told him to always remember her and such. I think that the individuals run off to their own ideas of paradise by exploring Japan on the subway. They venture off to start anew in a whole different area than where they were familiar with. It has a sad ending.

#norwegian wood #book review #some spoilers #haruki murakami #Japan #collegiate life

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matryosika · 3 years

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shoot me, chapter VI

pairing — changbin x reader

rating — 18+

genre of the overall series — smut, angst, fluff if you squint

prologue chapter I chapter II chapter III chapter IV chapter V chapter VI

word count for this chapter — 4.1 k

warnings — mentions of alcohol and emotional abuse

note — this chapter has no smut in it. still, the love-story gets completely developed here. next chapters will be filled with smut and angst so stay tuned! i haven't read this chapter because i wanted to upload it as soon as possible, so it may contain grammar mistakes. i will check it later since i have to go out with my family to have dinner! <3 hope you enjoy

taglist:@cozyblues @ahgasearmyfan @binnie-m00n @minaamhh @pinkishwen @spilledtee

[changbin's pov]

"so?" you asked him, modeling one of the dresses that you had previously selected from the expensive clothing shop "what do you think?"

she looks like a goddess.

"good" changbin limited to reply. "is that the last one?"

"c'mon you are not helping at all" you grunted, turning around slightly on the mirror to see the full silhouette of the dress "this might be the one, don't you think?"

i think so. i think you look perfect in all the things you have tried on, actually.

"it's alright" the dark-haired man reply "just take that one and let's get this over with"

"jesus, changbin" you whined "you are such a pain in the ass. if you were in a bad mood then you shouldn't have accepted to drive me here so i can buy a dress for the wedding"

you had been in korea for a month and 2 weeks now, your relationship with changbin growing unconciously intimate as you often engage in sexual encounters with him. you wouldn't say the both of you were close, but each day that passed by you could feel how you learned more about him just like he learned more about you too. you wouldn't consider him a good friend, since hostility made a presence every now and then between the both of you, but you had learned to spend time with him without feeling the need to put plugs into your ears and a blindfold to stop acknowledging his existence.

"if you needed help picking a dress" changbin interrupted, standing up from the seat he had been occupying for the last 45 minutes "you should've asked hyejin or ryujin to come and help you out, not me"

"hyejin is busy" you were quick to respond "ryujin had work today and you were the only other person i know that owns a car"

"cabs exist"

"yeah well" you made a pause, swallowing hard "i don't like cabs"

"you could've asked arthur to lend you his private driver" changbin tilted his head slightly.

"i get uncomfortable with strangers" you answered after a few seconds of being completely silent, changbin's gaze making you incredibly nervous.

"really?" he inquired, one of his hands traveling all the way to the pocket of his jacket as he pulled his wallet out. "why won't you just admit that you wanted to spend time with me?"

"fuck no" a grimace of disgust was quick to appear on your face "don't get confused. i would rather be dead than to spend more time with you than i already have to"

"yet you are still here" he teased "maybe i'm not as unbearable as your mind is trying to convince you i truly am"

with lazy steps he took the bunch of dresses that were piled up on the chair next to him, putting them all over his shoulder as he walked to the counter. "what are you doing?" you asked, still wearing the last dress you tried on.

"you are indecisive and i am starving" he said without even looking at you "i don't need to spend another 45 minutes here looking at how much you struggle to pick between 5 dresses, just have them all and pick one when you are alone"

you looked at him in desbelief "do you have any idea of how much just one of them cost? are you stupid?" you almost yelled in astonishment, looking at the figure of changbin slightly turning around to face you.

"i am not stupid" changbin reply "like i said, i am just hungry"

and currently thinking about how beautiful you are looking right now with that look of amazement on your pretty face. if i could, i would buy you the entire world just for you to destroy.

[y/n's pov]

"i will pay every single one of those dresses back before i leave" you mumbled, eating your food as if you had been starving for days "i had money, i didn't need you to come and rescue me as if i was some sort of damsel in distress"

"you were in distress though" he added, taking a sip of the drink he ordered "you took almost 30 minutes just to pick one dress to try on, you are really undecisive"

"yeah well, it's not like i had anywhere else to be" you replied.

"isn't arthur going to have a small gathering at his house today?" changbin inquired "like a pre-celebration of the wedding or something?"

you shrugged your shoulders "i don't know and i don't care. i am just here for the wedding and then i will be finally free"

you kept on eating your plate of food, confused as to why changbin's gaze stayed fix on you. "what, do i have something on my f-?"

"are you leaving right after the wedding?" he asked in a very hostile way, almost as if he had completely forgot that you were not going to stay forever.

"not right after but that's the main reason i came here, yeah" you replied, having a mixture of feelings inside your guts.

you couldn't deny the fact that you missed tsukuba, but living there meant to be trapped in the university dorms 24/7 just studying. but still, the lifestyle you have had for the past time was absolutely something you could get use to it: ryujin, hyejin, going out on the weekends, being free from school, changbin...

changbin?

"i still don't know the exact date though" you added "school doesn't start for me in another months so..."

"how is your life?" he asked, earning a weird look from you as you couldn't quite understand his question "in Japan, i mean"

you sighed. you had thought that living in japan was really good and you felt utterly comfortable living there until you arrived to korea and discovered a whole new life style that you had already learned to love. not only that, but leaving everything here was going to get you a bit nostalgic in the future. "it is great, better than people say it is honestly" you responded as he nodded "i live at the university dorms so life is pretty much everything but rushed. i spend my days at the library studying, i sometimes work as a shadow teacher for like 4 or 5 kids and on weekends i go and visit my mom and her partner"

"your mom got married after divorcing arthur?" changbin followed, just in time as he finished his dish of food.

"uh, it's complicated" you gave him a smile "she lives with someone and she is very happy"

"and are you?"

you were about to answer the question when you felt a pinch on your heart. a month ago you would have replied "yes" without a doubt. you thought you were happy living in japan, you thought you were happy when you visited thea, your mother, and reiko, her girlfriend. you thought you were happy when reiko made you her special coffee and you thought you were happy when they ocasionally visited you on winter nights at your dorm. you thought you were happy when you worked with children and spent time with them. you thought you were happy when you rode your bike from school to work and you thought you were happy when ryejin visited you and your mom on the holidays.

however, you had learned a new definition of happiness here.

"are you?" you fired back.

changbin slightly tilted his head as he laid completely back on his seat "i could be"

"what is exactly stopping you from being happy?" you asked him, intruiged.

"even if i explained it to you" he mumbled "i don't think you will be able to understand it"

"ah, there you are again" you scoffed, slightly rolling your eyes "your god complex has not show all day. i guess you missed it."

"c'mon" he grunted, raising his hand at one of the waiters at the restaurant "let's go somewhere else"

"where exactly?" you laughed "to your place? your car? a motel? jesus changbin, you can't really go a day without fucking, can you?"

"that's not actually what i had in mind" he replied, taking out his credit card as he saw the waiter approaching the table "but i mean if you want to fuck i won't say no"

"you had something in mind?" you asked, faking excitment "for me? you planned something for me?"

"if you want i can drop you at arthur's place right now so he can force you to have dinner with him and his bride. it's up to you"

you weren't really feeling like spending "quality time" with your father, and you also knew that hyejin was probably not going to attent the dinner, so there was no point of you being there. but at the same time, the thought of spending time with changbin doing non-sexual activities was something that it always made you nervous for an unknown reason, and you were feeling particularly nervous today.

"whatever"

the evening went on peacefully and that alone was unreal. he drove you to the center of seoul and suggested to take a walk around the most popular avenues because "the city looked better at night", something you have always believed too.

changbin was attractive and, even though your personalities crashed every damn time, you couldn't deny the fact that there were some sort of intimate bond going on between the both of you since that very first night at the bar. still, you wouldn't accept it. you wouldn't accept that the one person you disliked the most was starting to change your mind.

and you couldn't get yourself to trust him either. you couldn't trust any men, for that matter.

"have you thought about which dress you are going to wear tomorrow?" he asked so casually, his hands inside the pockets of his jacket as his gaze diverted from building to building.

"no" you replied, trying to get back at the trail of thoughts you had been threading since you left the restaurant with him. "have you?"

"have i thought about the dress i am going to wear tomorrow?" he laughed "i don't know, it will depend on which one you lend me"

"i got distracted" you admitted "but i will try on all the dresses tomorrow morning and i will give you the rest of them so you can return them to the store"

"i won't do that" he clicked his tongue "i bought them for you"

your heart skipped a beat after hearing those words and it was everything but pleasent.

"i don't want them"

"you can't reject a gift" he mumbled "that's the whole point of a gift"

"i will sell them on the internet" you threatened.

"do it, at the end of the day they are yours" he gave you a side look while smirking "but i wouldn't sell them if i were you. you look good in them"

"oh so you want to give opinions about the dresses now, huh?" you asked, mildly annoyed "you could've help me back at the store but you chose to be grumpy"

"at least i am helping you now"

"you are unbearable" you whispered.

a bright smile was quick to appear on his face. a genuine smile, as if he was enjoying the conversation. not only the conversation but the whole moment: you and him, walking around the city and talking about something so casual and trivial like which clothes you were going to wear tomorrow or which dress he liked best on you.

and for a moment it felt nice.

you felt safe.

"the red one was pretty" he added. you looked at him confused, once again lost in your trail of thoughts. "the red dress, the one that you tried on last"

"good" you responded "i'll make sure not to wear that one"

"you hate me that much?" he teased while a faint chuckle left his lips.

"oh changbin, you have no idea" deep down knowing it wasn't more than a vile lie.

you looked in the mirror one last time before you heard hyejin calling your name once again "y/n, how long will you take? i need to stop by the bakery to pick up the wedding cake"

"i'll be out in a minute" you replied, noticing how your hands got sweatier by the second.

you were quite nervous, but couldn't really understand why. maybe the sole thought of your father having his "happy ending" made you jealous because you knew that he did not deserve that at all; he didn't deserve the love he had.

the emotional abuse your mother and you suffered throughout your childhood and adolescence was not something that could be fixed in a month or two and you were certain about it. no matter how happy your father was, you couldn't help but to feel jealous about how he never had to suffer like you and your mother did.

and even though you got over your negative feelings towards him, the scars and aftermath of an abusive household still caught up on you: the mistrust, the negativity, the hostility and the lack of commitment were things you had to deal with on a daily basis.

of course he was the one to blame. but you were an adult now, and you were supposed to deal with all those issues by yourself. no one was going to fix them for you.

"jesus y/n, we are running late" hyejin busted the door open "are you ready now?"

"yes" you were quick to respond, grabbing the purse on your bed and trying to quickly divert from your sister's gaze.

"wait" she mumbled, gripping both of your shoulder as you intended to the leave the room "why are you tearing up?"

"i am not" you replied "i yawned"

she didn't look convinced, but still decided not to push any further "i'll meet you in the car, i just have to grab a few things"

you nodded and made your way through the hallway. because of how rushed she was, you didn't have a chance to tell hyejin how gorgeous she looked. she was wearing a golden shiny dress that embraced her body just fine and carrying a maching clutch with it. she was really pretty, maybe the prettiest woman you had ever seen, and not only that but she was also very smart. any guy would be head over heels for her, but she still decided not to engage in a "silly love story" as she called them because "it is a waste of her precious time, and time is money"

you wished you had the same mentality as she did, but you grew up getting educated on how love was portrayed in books, movies and television. it was ironic how you were the first person on earth to deny that love actually existed, but you were still a hopeless romantic after all.

[changbin's pov]

"changbin, are you too far from the church?" haeun, his mother, asked desperately as changbin picked up the phone.

"i'm right outside" he grunted "i told you i was not going to be late"

"we are sitting on the second bench at the left of the altar" the old woman added "hurry up"

changbin hung up the phone and cursed under his breath. the weather today was maybe too nice for his own liking and his clothes were a bit too uncomfortable to be wearing them under the sun.

as quickly as he could, he closed the door of his car and started walking towards the entrance, making sure that the ceremony hadn't started just yet so he wouldn't make a scene.

"did you bring the gift?" jang-yeop inquired as he sat down next to him and changbin nodded "did you also bring your mother the pair of shoes?"

"yes" he responded "how long is this going to take?"

"40-45 minutes?" his father replied "i have no idea, what time is it?"

"7:02 p.m." haeun was quick to answer "now, the both of you shut up"

right after she mumbled those words, music started to sound on the church. changbin, being in a rush to get to his seat before the ceremony started, didn't notice that arthur was already standing up next to the altar and waiting for his soon-to-be wife. changbin's gaze was fixed on arthur, then it diverted into the bride walking down the aisle and then returned to arthur once again. he never thought about marriage or building a family. hell, he never thought about having a romantic relationship that would last longer than a few months actually. but as he grew older, and as he experienced new stuff, he wasn't sure if he still had the same mentality he used to have last year.

to changbin, arthur seemed genuinely happy. his half-lidded eyes along with that bright smile he was wearing indicated that the man was living one of the happiest days of his life. and as changbin witnessed that romantic scene, the question that popped up in the conversation he had with you last night grabbed his attention once again.

what exactly is stopping me from being happy?

and before he could respond himself with words, his eyes had already found the answer: standing on the bench at the right of the altar and wearing that promising dark red dress that could drive any man insane, the woman he never dreamed of looking just as beautiful as the very first day he met her.

not being able to have her completely.

[y/n's pov]

after the ceremony, a big party was held at a very elegant event hall located in one of the tallest buildings of seoul. you were not particularly excited about having to see arthur's side of the family, but you still managed to keep yourself together the whole time.

"you are wearing the red dress" a sudden voice whispered into your ear as you were counting the tables that were still missing their dinner plates, an order given by hyejin. you slightly turned around to meet changbin's breath dancing on your neck and nape, goosebumps filling every single inch of your skin due to the proximity.

"congratulations" you sighed "your vision is crystal clear"

"i have been watching you since the ceremony" changbin added "i can't help but think about how pretty you are going to look when you are taking that dress off for me"

a spark of electricity traveled around your whole body and directly into your core. you immediatly looked around and notice a few people who worked for arthur's company sitting not that far away from the both of us "do you really want to do this here?" you asked "aren't you scared of being caught by any of arthur's friends?"

"are you concerned about that now?" he chuckled "that didn't seem to bother you at the company's elevator"

"c'mon" you whispered, your back slightly pressing against his chest "i have to help hyejin with some stuff"

changbin slightly gripped your hand and guided you to the dancefloor that was crowded with couples dancing around "i am sure that she can handle all of this by herself"

before you could protest, you took out your phone and sent her a message with the information she asked for. you had no idea what changbin was up to, but you still decided to follow him.

changbin positioned his hands on your waist as he gracefully dragged you across the dancefloor, looking for a spot in the middle of the crowd so it would be easier for the two of you to get lost.

"you are spending the night at my place" he mumbled over the slow songs that were now playing. it wasn't a question nor a petition, it was an order.

"yeah right" you chuckled "if you are too desperate to fuck we can do that, but i am not fond of sleepovers"

the thought of you spending the night with him was terrifying, but you would've been lying if you said that you hadn't think about what it would be like to wake up next to his him.

"i wasn't asking" he responded. "tell me when you are ready to leave".

with a swift movement, your whole body was pressed against his, his hands resting on your lowerback as you both swinged from side to side, following the rythm of the song. this was a whole new side of him that you didn't know it existed, and you couldn't deny that you were loving every second of it.

"who thaught you how to dance, huh?" you asked, your gaze fixed on his eyes that looked even brighter because of all the lights adorning the hall.

"there is so much about me that you don't know" he replied.

"oh i know everything there is to know about you, changbin" you scoffed "but let's see if you can keep surprising me"

it wasn't even midnight but people were already starting to get completely intoxicated with alcohol. arthur had spent the night dancing with ara and, after she was done being the unofficial wedding planner, hyejin ended up getting wasted with the small group of friends she invited to the wedding. you, on the other hand, spent the night dancing with changbin and eating your dinner with him.

it was not unusual to see the both of you together since you spent too much time at the company, but tonight it was sort of different. the looks he gave you, the way you two danced for hours on end, the way he was treating you... it felt different, a little bit more personal and intimate. his parents probably noticed this too, since they made a lof of comments about "how happy they were about us being really good friends". if only they knew.

"i think i am ready" you said to changbin after telling hyejin that you were going to spend the night somewhere else. she nodded her head and agreed to say, if asked, that "you were at ryujin's" even when she wasn't invited to the wedding in the first place. you just smiled at her and nodded, not leaving without telling one of her sober friends to look out for her.

"don't worry" the pretty pale girl mumbled "she will stay at my house tonight"

you glanced over to arthur and ara who were still having the greatest time of their lives on the dancefloor, and proceeded to walk away from the party with changbin. "you parents will stay here?"

"yeah, they will leave in an hour or so" changbin replied "i told them that you wanted to go home and that i was going to drive you"

"perks of living alone i guess" you joked.

the walk through the empty corridors of the building felt eerie as the loud sound of the music were still ringing in your ears. even though you were walking on your own, you could still feel changbin's ablazing touch on your body and that only provoked your heartbeat to go even faster.

as you waited for the elevator to open their doors, changbin's lips unexpectedly crashed against yours. it wasn't a passionate kiss, and it wasn't rushed either. it was just a kiss, an innocent kiss, a kiss you give to your significant other as a demostration of how much you love them. his soft lips dragged against yours as his teeth bite softly your bottom lip, earning a small whine from you. his hands, that were now located into your waist, guided you to the insides of the elevator once the doors were opened.

"you look so beautiful tonight" he whispered interrupting, his breathing getting faster each second that passed by "i can't get you out of my head"

his lips left yours to meet the sensitive spots on your neck, peppering soft kisses all over the surface. your gaze found the reflection of the scene in the mirror of the elevator, looking at how changbin was tasting every inch of your skin with his eyes closed, his rushed hands traveling all the way from your waist to your lower back trying to memorize every single trace of your body.

"i don't want to hurt you tonight" he continued "no roughness, no pain, no petnames. i want to make you completely mine, in the most pure way"

and for the night, you agreed to let your feelings out and let go.

no fear and no mistrust, you were ready to face the overwhelming feelings that had been building up inside you since the day you met him.

even if you could potentially regret it later...

#stray kids smut #skz smut #stray kids x reader #changbin x reader #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #skz oneshots #stray kids oneshots #seo changbin smut #kpop smut

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ezrisdax-archive · 3 years

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bingo meme: reinako, didn't know they were dating :D

for femslash feb bingo and over here on ao3

Rei had yet to figure out why whenever Makoto made them bento’s hers was always larger than everyone else’s.

Usagi certainly sulked about it until Makoto whispered something Rei couldn’t hear and then she dropped the issue with the promise of cookies later.

Rei hadn’t gotten an answer when she asked though, just a shrug from Makoto.

At least it left her with plenty of food however when Minako leaned over to steal some.

She’d dropped by the shrine again that day, wearing another hat to try to disguise herself from numerous fans though Rei couldn’t believe that actually worked.

“You could bring you own food.” Rei said though she quietly pushed the box towards Minako so she wouldn’t have to lean as far.

“Mako makes the best though.” Minako said with a grin and stole some more.

Rei grumbled and rolled her eyes but didn’t argue that fact.

It was admittedly nice that Minako was there for nothing more than to bother Rei apparently; no monsters in sight. She’d take the breaks where she could and was a little grateful Minako was now taking her own time off too.

Rei glanced at her from the corner of her eye, noting that Minako didn’t seem as drained today as she had previously.

“Don’t take it all.” Rei warned but inched ever closer still.

Minako easily slid into her space, pressing her shoulder against Rei’s.

She should have gotten up and done her shrine duties.

Instead Rei let Minako rest there.

Rei grabbed Minako’s arm, pulling the other scout back with her as the monster threw a fireball their way.

“Any ideas?” Rei asked, slightly out of breath.

It was only her and Minako this time, the other scouts hadn’t arrived yet.

“We can fight fire with fire.” Minako said, straightening up in Rei’s grasp. She pulled away and ran to another corner of the room, turning her head to throw a wink at Rei.

“Venus love me chain!” Minako cried out, getting the monsters attention and letting Rei sneak up behind it.

“Evil monster, be gone!” Rei yelled, her attack hitting it square in the back.

The monster disappeared in the flames.

“Not bad, Sailor Mars.” Minako said, stepping forward with a slight smile on her face.

Rei scoffed and transformed back into her regular clothes after a quick check to make sure no one was around. “They’re getting stronger.”

Minako released her transformation as well but swayed on her feet. Rei instantly reached out to grasp her arm again.

“We’ll get stronger too.” Minako said when she had steadied, her voice that hard brittle tone that Rei hated hearing from her.

“Together.” Rei insisted, almost worrying that Minako would run off to do it on her own again. She slid her hand down so she was holding onto Minako’s fingers.

Minako’s gaze flickered downwards and her face softened.

“It’s not a bad plan.” She teased and then tugged Rei forward. “Maybe we should release a single together too, Reiko Mars.”

Rei’s face heated up and she looked away, ignoring Minako.

She didn’t let go of her hand however.

Just in case.

Rei was running late to get to the hospital, she dodged another nurse and apologized for nearly running into her and then took a deep breath as she reached Minako’s room.

She opened the door and blinked in surprise to see Makoto sitting on Minako’s bed, the two of them talking about something but stopped when they heard the door.

“Rei?” Makoto asked, “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“She usually stops by after my treatments.” Minako said and though she looked tired there was a mischievous light in Minako’s eyes as she said it. “Always here to look after me.”

Makoto didn’t bother hiding her amused smile. “I’ll leave you two to it then, feel better Minako.” Makoto stood up and set a tin down on the counter.

She stepped past Rei with a grin and a nod.

“I didn’t know the others stopped by.” Rei said, feeling a little out of sorts.

“Usually Makoto drops some food off.” Minako said and winced as she leaned up in the bed.

Rei walked over to help her sit up.

“Oh.” Rei said blankly, shifting on her feet.

She’s never considered bringing Minako food before, just been consumed with the thought that someone should be at Minako’s side when she struggling with this.

Artemis had been busy helping Luna and Ami and hadn’t been able to be there like he would have wanted.

“Don’t worry.” Minako told her. “You’re still my favourite visitor.”

She was reaching over for the food again and Rei instinctually grabbed the tin to help out.

Rei held it in front of her looking down at it uncertain what it was she was feeling. Relief in some aspects that Minako hadn’t been alone but there was something else there.

“Rei?” Minako asked, looking at her confused.

“It’s nothing.” Rei muttered and took Makoto’s previous seat on the bed next to Minako.

She wasn’t surprised when Ami noticed her appearing distant.

Even Usagi had caught it and asked her what was wrong.

Rei had just muttered something about Minako and concerned about her.

“Minako-chan will be fine.” Usagi insisted. “She’s the coolest and best.” Usagi continued in that voice she got when all she wanted to do was praise her friends.

“She’ll pull through.” Ami said, reaching out to touch Rei’s shoulder lightly. “We just have to be there where we can.”

Rei squirmed a little in her seat.

“Rei-chan will be there for her more though!” Usagi suddenly declared to Rei’s surprise. “After all they’re dating!”

Rei’s head shot up at that, her mouth open in shock.

“We’re what!?”

“How long have you assumed I’ve been dating Minako.” Rei demanded of all of them when Makoto arrived with Luna and Artemis in tow.

She didn’t like it when Makoto, Usagi, and Ami exchanged a glance.

Ami adjusted her glassed and cleared her throat, “The past month. Whenever you’ve left it’s to spend time with Minako.”

“To help her fight monsters!” Rei refuted quickly.

“Or check up on her. Or just be near her.” Makoto pointed out. “It’s why I started giving you extra food, I knew you’d just be seeing Minako later that day.”

Rei spluttered, hating that she couldn’t even deny that.

“Minako prefers to spend time with you.” Artemis added. “She’s called them dates whenever she’s left to go see you.”

“We assumed you two just wanted to keep quiet about it.” Luna said, hoping up on the table and putting a paw on Rei’s hand. “But we support you.”

“Rei-chan?” Usagi finally asked. “Don’t you want to date Minako-chan?”

Rei opened her mouth to deny it.

And then shut it with a click.

“Oh.”

Minako didn’t look any different when Rei looked at her, she had her white beret on and a coat that matched and reminded Rei of the day they’d met and they’d helped out that dog.

Rei hadn’t even realized who Minako was in multiple ways.

Not as Minako Aino the idol or Sailor Venus.

She’d just seen someone trying to do the right thing and admired it.

“Here.” Rei said and pushed the bento box Makoto had made her, again larger than the others, towards Minako.

Minako tilted her head as she looked at Rei and then smirked.

This time Rei didn’t feel it was laughing at her, more telling her there was a shared secret between them.

“Were you going to tell me?” Rei asked hotly.

Minako shrugged and popped a piece of chicken in her mouth.

“C’est la vie.” She half said, half sang.

Rei refused to rise to the bait but if Minako leaned over and kissed her that was no one’s business but their own.

#reinako #rei hino #minako aino #femslash february #beej writes #reinako fic #femslash february 2021 #organasoloskywalker #replies in thirty minutes or its free

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yumeisha · 3 years

Text

Love In Print [Masaru] - Episode 1

“But Mari, I don’t WANT to go read this on Wattpad, I want to stay here on Tumblr!” Listen, my friend. Let me help you. Here’s all of Episode 1! (But the rest is over here if you decide you want to read it!)

— SATURDAY NIGHT —

She’s started to think of it as the summer of weddings. Like purgatory, but with more flowers.

Reiko sighs. Another Saturday, another charming garden venue. Soft, flickering tea lights float in shallow porcelain bowls. It looks like something lifted straight out of Pinterest, and it’s pretty in all the right ways, hitting every obligatory aesthetic beat. The music is loud and many of the guests are amiably drunk, swaying in slow circles on the dance floor or queuing up for one more lap around the buffet.

Alone at her table, Reiko hides behind the towering lily centerpiece, nursing a headache. She fishes her phone out of the tiny, mostly useless evening bag she’s bought to go with this dress and takes refuge in her work inbox.

She’d love to go home, but it’s too early to make her retreat. Another two hours, she coaches herself. You can make it for two more.

“Come on,” says Ren, prodding her in the shoulder. Reiko jumps half a mile and nearly drops her phone, not that her cousin notices. “We’re missing a cake opportunity,” he whines.

As usual, Ren resembles a figure pulled directly off some runway in Milan. Impeccably attired, hair artfully tousled, a Rolex gleaming from his left wrist. Reiko plucks at a tuft of fur caught on the cuff of his tuxedo.

“You know, there is such a thing as a lint roller. You have one somewhere in your apartment.”

Ren peers down at the wad of cat hair slowly drifting down to the grass beneath their table. “Lint roller? What lint roller?” And then his face lights up. “Oh! You mean that tape-on-a-stick thing from the last time you came over?”

“Yes,” Reiko answers patiently. “That tape-on-a-stick thing. You use it to make sure you aren’t leaving the house dressed in cat fluff.”

Suzu pops up behind Ren. “He likes for everyone to know that he’s more complex than he appears. An insufferable playboy and a sophisticated cat bachelor.” She loops her arm through his and makes a show of sniffing at his clothes. “Ah,” she breathes. “The smell of too much money, layered over eau de too many cats.”

“I have three. How is that too many? And why aren’t either of you interested in getting some cake? This is a wedding. You go to weddings for cake.”

“That’s definitely the primary reason for attending weddings.”

“It’s from Fujiwara’s, you know. They never do weddings anymore. You’re missing the dessert event of your lives.”

Suzu straightens his boutonniere. “You accosted the Fujiwara grannies for these people?” A low whistle. “Wow. Dad must really like them.”

Reiko follows her twin’s gaze. Their father, Ryuuki, is busy holding court at a neighboring table. He laughs raucously at someone’s cheesy anecdote and is having the most fun out of all of them. “It’s all business, I suppose,” she says, unable to keep from smiling despite how little she’s enjoying herself.

Suzu snorts. “Of course it’s all business. Isn’t it always?” To Ren, she says, “Hey, how long before we’ve done our duty for the family market stall? I still have ten pages left to write on a research paper and it’s…” She grabs his arm in order to check the time on his fancy watch. “… 9:34. With half an hour’s drive back to my apartment.”

“You can spare ten minutes to have a slice of legendary cake, Tachibana Suzuna.”

“God, okay. But it better not be weird like that sheet cake you ordered for the charity auction last month.”

“Not weird. Avant-garde.”

“Uh-huh. Also, it tasted like beets and had radioactive magenta icing. So gross.”

“You and Reiko just really have no appreciation for the finer things in life. Let’s go, the line’s only getting longer.”

“Don’t want any,” Reiko pipes up. “I’ll have a slice vicariously, through Suzu.”

“Twin powers,” Suzu concurs, initiating the special handshake they invented when they were six. Almost twenty years later, they’re still augmenting the sequence with new moves. “Anything I ate, Reiko also ate. And vice versa. Page 2, Line 21 in the Twin Manual.”

“The worst plus-ones anybody ever brought to a wedding,” complains Ren. He pours Reiko a fresh glass of water from the pitcher on the table and gives her a pat on the head, a gesture of silent sympathy.

She watches Ren and Suzu as they stop to tease Ryuuki along the way. And then she blinks back the onslaught of unwanted tears, reaches for her phone again, and taps the newest e-mail notification. Three unread messages beckon through Reiko’s blurred vision. She scans the subject lines, head bowed over the glowing screen. Slipping into the steps of a familiar dance, she starts at the bottom with the oldest message first, because that’s easier than confronting her emotions.

PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN - SPS OMNIBUS EDITION. A reply from the manufacturer about a shipment of Star Princess Sanna enamel pins she asked about on Friday afternoon. Delayed for another two weeks. Not ideal, but better than never getting them in at all. Reiko marks it for a response later.

TENJOU DELIVERY WEDNESDAY. Timestamped a mere ten minutes ago. She isn’t the only one working on a day off. Reiko notices right away that the message has been flagged as important, which is odd. This e-mail appears, without fail, every Monday of her life. Throughout the long history of this exchange, the message has never been flagged as important. At least, not that Reiko can remember.

She almost opens it, curiosity triggered, but then she sees the subject of the next e-mail and momentarily forgets everything else.

ALL DEPTS: QUARTERLY MEETING — MON @ 10AM

A thrill dances through her, momentarily displacing the throbbing ache in her skull. The sounds of the reception fade away. She taps the message and it unfurls into a calendar invite. Representatives from every department at her publishing house will be expected to attend, including Reiko and the other senior marketing staff.

Most meetings are a dreary prospect, especially when scheduled for first thing on a Monday. At these quarterly gatherings, it takes hours to discuss things like sales figures and future business plans. But this one is special, because they’ll finally present the twentieth anniversary plans for DUCHESS Magazine’s most iconic franchise to date: Red Thread. The first manga she ever read all the way through, start to finish. The reason why she applied at Yumeisha in the first place, as soon as she’d graduated.

Reiko accepts the invite and adds it to her burgeoning, meticulously color-coded calendar. She can’t keep from breaking into a smile. She’s still beaming at her phone when she hears the grass crunching softly under someone’s feet and looks up to find that she is no longer alone.

The someone is tall, just about as impeccably turned out as Ren, and wearing a pair of dress shoes so highly polished that Reiko can see her reflection in them. He’s shed the jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the crisp white shirt underneath.

There is only a bowl of tealights to see him by, so it takes a moment for Reiko to recognize the man now seating himself across from her. But if the head of blond hair hadn’t given it away, the green eyes and trademark smirk would have made it very clear within the next two seconds, anyway.

She blinks at him. “Oshiro?”

“Hi.”

“Um, hi. What are you doing here?”

He leans back into the chair and stretches his long legs under the table, instantly making himself at home. “Attending a wedding,” he replies. “Chatting with the bride’s aunties. Waiting for you to pay attention to me.”

“And sending e-mails?”

“No rest for the wicked, as they say.”

Reiko puts her phone down. “It’s weird seeing you outside of work. This is the last place I’d expect to run into you.”

“Why? Because you figured that I live at the office and camp out under my desk on days off?”

She laughs. “I mean, yeah.”

“To be fair, I’d expect the same of you.”

Well, that really is fair. Sometimes Reiko looks up from the endless loop between work and her apartment, her apartment and then work, and realizes that her entire existence can be summed up in three boring sentences or less. And then she’ll go back to her computer screen, her half empty coffee mug, the pathetic little granola bar that will have to serve as her lunch. But that’s just the way of things, isn’t it? At least she genuinely loves her job. It would be much harder to bear, otherwise.

“I’ve considered just packing myself a bag and living in my cubicle,” Reiko admits, without any real shame. In the background, the band segues into their much livelier cover of a depressing breakup anthem. Over the noise, she adds, “At least it would save me a commute.”

“So dedicated.”

She shrugs. “So lazy.”

“Anyone truly lazy wouldn’t be checking her inbox at a wedding reception,” Oshiro points out.

“Guilty as charged. Have you come to scold me for not participating in wedding activities?”

“No, I’ve come to ask you why you haven’t opened my e-mail.” He waves his own phone at her. “I checked three seconds ago. It definitely still says unread.”

“It’s flagged important and with a read receipt? Seriously?”

“Seriously. It’s high priority. Read it right now.” He angles a covert glance over her shoulder, in the direction he came from earlier. “Oh, and if you don’t mind, don’t reply until I’m back over there.”

“Wait, you want a reply, too? What am I supposed to say? You send me the same four lines every week. I have the thing memorized by now.” To prove this point, she clasps her hands behind her back and recites, “Heading to Tenjou on Wednesday. They need endcaps, window decals, sticker packs, blah blah blah, for insert-manga-title-here. I’ll stop by and grab them on my way out. Thanks. Oshiro Masaru, DUCHESS Sales, 81-4-8914-1111, extension 822.”

His demeanor shifts, now part bemusement and part blatant self-satisfaction. “Look, Tachibana, I’m beyond flattered that you hang onto my every word like this. Not surprising. I’m extremely eloquent in my digital correspondence.”

She rolls her eyes. “There it is. I knew it was coming.”

“You even know my extension by heart,” Oshiro continues blithely. “It’s like my wildest dreams coming true. But what I really need right now is for you to open that e-mail and write me a timely reply. By timely, I mean don’t hit send until I’m at my table again. And then I’ll read your response and write you back. So on, so forth, rinse and repeat, until this torture is over and we can both leave.”

“Ah.” Reiko crosses her arms. “You want a prolonged reason to be on your phone.”

“Correct.”

“Because you don’t want to be here.”

“Also correct, but needs clarification. I don’t want to be at this wedding. I do want to be at this table with you.”

He tips his head towards his original seating arrangements. Reiko risks a covert glance and notes that Oshiro’s vacated chair is surrounded by chattering ladies ranging from middle-aged to elderly. Somehow, without ever speaking to a single one of them, Reiko can tell that they’re the problematic aunties who don’t get along with any of the other aunties. Consequently, they’ve been placed where they can ostensibly do the least damage. From the looks of it, they’re having a fabulous time.

Reiko bites her lip, smothering a surge of laughter. “Wow. How did you end up with the best seat in the house? Like, who did you offend?”

“Ha ha. I owed the groom a favor and he cashed in, majorly.” Oshiro leans forward. “They’re a nice bunch, don’t get me wrong, but if they set me up with another of their nieces, I’ll be double booked from today until Christmas.”

“You’re welcome to sit here instead,” she offers. “We have an extra chair. My dad prefers to migrate between friend groups.”

“Thanks, but I can’t just abandon my post. I wouldn’t put it past them to follow me over here, or else I’d take you up on that suggestion. I figure random texts to my brothers will seem rude, unlike important work e-mails. So play along, won’t you? And keep in mind at least one of them will be reading over my shoulder the whole time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? What on earth do you think I’d be putting in that e-mail?”

“I’m just saying, don’t use this as an opportunity to confess your undying love or anything. Maintain professionalism and all that.”

“Gosh, what a tall order. How will I ever comply?”

“Dig deep, Tachibana. Find that inner strength.”

Reiko pulls a face. “You came all the way here just to make me do this?”

“Yes,” says Oshiro. “You’re welcome. I’ll look for your thank you note in the mail. I also like gift baskets. The ones with baked goods are okay, but no edible fruit bouquets or artisan cheeses. Nobody wants those.”

“But why me?” she persists. “Don’t you have anyone else you can trade fake work e-mails with? What about Ueda? Or your boss?”

“Hey, take it easy. I’m not used to outright rejection.”

“I’m not rejecting you, I’m just confused.”

“What’s there to be confused about? I don’t want to be here. Neither do you. Let’s help each other out.”

Neither do you. Reiko feels very, very obvious, now.

He watches her expectantly. She can tell that he’s fighting hard not to break into one of his insouciant grins. Reiko can’t decide if she wants to smack him or bask in the infectious warmth of his attention, like a deprived houseplant straining to soak up every drop of sunshine it can get.

This conflicted reaction is more embarrassing than being caught on her phone. For God’s sake, it’s just Oshiro.

Their departments — Sales for him, Marketing for her — are often flung together, which means running into him at Yumeisha is pretty normal. They take the same elevator from the lobby and frequent the same break room on the tenth floor. He stops at her desk most Wednesday afternoons, as promised in his e-mails. Once in a while, if she stays even later than usual, Reiko might see him striding ahead of her through the lobby’s sliding glass doors, crossing the street to catch the same train. They never talk much, though, unless it’s about work.

Still true, she concludes, as Oshiro stands up and pushes the chair into place, preparing to return to the Island of Matchmaking Aunties. He walks backwards away from her, hands in his pockets. “Talk soon,” he tells Reiko, smiling as if he’s guessed all her secrets. And then he’s gone, threading his way through the crowd while she stares after him, utterly bewildered.

Read more episodes on Wattpad!

#love in print #oshiro masaru #tachibana reiko #mariko writes things

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taizi · 5 years

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For the prompt would you mind writing natsume's friends seeing him return a name, whether because they're in danger or because nasume feels comfortable enough to let them see would be great! Thanks!

It’s late– close to three a.m. on a school night, according to the digital clock on the wall– but Natsume is a light sleeper. He wakes up at the sound of a light tapping on the living room window, and turns to find Nyanko-sensei’s eyes glinting in the darkness from beside his pillow.

“Some weakling has come for their name,” the lucky cat says, voice low in deference to the sleeping bodies piled around them. “Want me to send it packing?”

Natsume sits up, thinking very carefully. “A weakling? You’re sure?”

If Nyanko-sensei knows where he’s going with this, he doesn’t comment beyond, “Not even as strong as your little kappa. Reiko must have been playing a joke when she took this one.”

With a glance around the room, eyes lingering on the sprawled forms of his friends, Natsume makes up his mind. “Take it to the roof. I’ll meet you there.”

By the time the window is sliding shut behind the cat with a soft snap, Kitamoto is blinking blearily and Tanuma is shoving hair out of his face and Nishimura is whining, “Natsume, what?”

“Do you remember what I told you?” he asks in a whisper. “About my grandmother’s book?”

This has Tanuma’s interest at once, eyes flying to meet Natsume’s like lightning. The other two are a little slower on the uptake, but they seem to glean the importance of the question just from Natsume’s tone, or from the strange time of night for him to be asking, or maybe just because it’s been three years and they’ve always been able to figure him out.

“The book of scribbles you showed us, right?” Kitamoto asks. “The names she took when she was our age that you’ve been returning?”

“Right. Would you like to see?”

Tanuma brightens, there’s no better word for it. His smile could fill the room.

“I’ll go get Taki,” he says, and heads down the hall on silent feet to where their missing friend is sleeping in Mana’s bedroom.

“You sure, Natsume?” Nishimura says, hair a messy halo, eyes still smudged with sleep. “You don’t have to prove anything to us, you know. If you say there are spirits, then of course there are. And if this thing with your grandma is special to you, and something you want to keep secret, then you should.”

“Can’t deny we’re curious,” Kitamoto adds, his voice soft in the dark, because his parents and sister are sleeping just a few rooms away. “But if you’d rather we stayed behind, we will.”

And they would, if he asked. They wouldn’t mind at all. They’d ask Taki and Tanuma a hundred questions when they returned, and bemoan not seeing the spectacle for themselves, but they would never push.

Natsume’s heart is so full there’s not really any room for fear, but with that his friends would have banished it anyway. He told them the truth what feels like a long time ago, in their second year of high school, and they accepted it as easily as they did everything else about him. Graduation is just around the corner, and they all have big plans of moving into a house together while they tackle jobs and university, and Natsume is certain of his friends the way he’s certain of the Fujiwaras, that they’re good and they’re safe and they’re his to keep.

So he says, “You can get us up to the roof, right? I know the access door is locked, but Nishimura says the three of you always sneak up there on Mana’s birthday to light sparklers.”

His friends grin at him, as bright as they were the day they taught him to ride a bike. Taki and Tanuma make it back to the living room as they’re all shuffling around trying to find jackets without knocking anything over. Taki whispers, “I’msoexcitedNatsumeyouhavenoidea,” and Nishimura squeaks when he misses the step into the genkan and almost falls, but they manage to slip outside the apartment without waking Kitamoto’s family.

The locked door is easily circumvented with a sharp twist of the handle, and the night air is cool as they pick their way up the stairwell and onto the roof.

The spirit waiting there is about as tall as Natsume’s knee, not counting the six-inch antlers. It looks a little bit like a stoat, dressed in a neat yukata, wringing its hands nervously as it lingers on the very edge of the roof like it’s second-guessing its decision to come to this human place.

“There you are,” Nyanko-sensei grumbles. He waddles over, pawing at Tanuma’s pant leg until Tanuma sighs and stoops down to pick him up. “The weakling was beginning to think you wouldn’t show and I only brought it up here to eat it.”

“Sensei,” Natsume scolds him, but it’s ruined by Nishimura stifling laughter.

“Would it be okay if I drew a circle, Natsume?” Taki asks eagerly, holding up a piece of the colored chalk she tends to keep in her pocket for moments just like this one.

Natori has explained the taboo to her about a dozen times now, but he would have better luck convincing the sea to sit still than he does convincing Taki not to use the legacy her grandfather left behind. Natsume knows better, and gives her the go-ahead.

It’s the work of an efficient fifteen seconds, and when she stands back with an accomplished smile and blue-dusted fingers, Natsume addresses the spirit kindly.

“Step into the circle, please. It won’t hurt you, and my friends would like to meet you before you go.”

It hesitates, but Natsume has learned nothing from life if not patience. He waits, relaxed and nonthreatening, and his friends take their cues from him. It doesn’t take longer than two minutes for the spirit to brave the first step forward.

When it’s visible to the others, Taki gasps, “Oh, how lovely!” and it stands a little taller. Kitamoto and Tanuma both snort, and Nishimura says, “Okay, when’s the last time a girl said that about one of you?” and a whispered argument picks up like clockwork.

Natsume rolls his eyes, but his chest is warm. He settles in front of the spirit and opens the book in his lap. The pages begin to rustle apart, and Natsume says, “You don’t owe me any more favors, but could you tell me what my grandmother was like? She took your name, so I’ll understand if you’re angry with her, but I didn’t get to know her at all before she died.”

The spirit tilts its head, round eyes searching. It says, “Reiko wasn’t very much like you at all. She was always by herself. She liked deals and games, and she would rather win something than just ask for it. I was her friend, I would have given her whatever she asked for, but that just wasn’t her way. You’re really her descendant?” When Natsume nods, the spirit considers him carefully and then says, “Good. She would have liked you.”

It’s the first time anyone has told him that, and Natsume struggles to find his voice again. He wants to ask more, to ask everything, but he’s borrowed enough of this little spirit’s time as it is. So he says thank you, and locates its name, aglow with the confusing and exhilarating idea that his reckless, daring, amazing grandmother might have liked him.

“Shut up, brats, or you’ll miss it,” Nyanko-sensei snaps from somewhere behind him. “And I’m not chaperoning another field trip like this one if you do.”

“They were talking! It would have been rude to eavesdrop!” comes Tanuma’s scandalized reply.

“Your friends are silly,” the spirit says, as Natsume tears its contract from the book. It’s finally smiling, and its expression has softened. “Reiko would have wanted you to keep them.”

Natsume grins back, unchecked. “That’s the plan.”

#natsume yuujinchou #natsuyuu #natsume takashi #kitamoto atsushi #nishimura satoru #tanuma kaname #taki tooru #nyanko sensei #my writing #prompt #anonymous #natsuyuu fic

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natalinstone · 4 years

Text

Leaving the Shadows

The Leader of the Eye had been sent on a mission to Kalimdor, taking three followers with him- one of them being one Natalin Stone. What exactly it was they were being sent to do was never really said, but it was under the assumption it was for more recruiting or scouting. They left for Kalimdor about three days after Elaine and a blind void elf had gone to Boralus. Exactly what their mission was would be unknown. The only known thing? The leader of the Mind was all that remained as leadership in the village.

It was two weeks into the mission of scouting the elven woods when the broadcast came through to the communicators of all Eastern Shadow members both on and off missions. In the middle of the night, a monotone voice of someone they had never heard before came over the comms, "Observation complete. Commander Reiko, the shadow of the Eastern Shadow, has been deemed a traitor. She has made an attempt to assassinate Fist commander, Elaine, in Boralus with the help of SI:7 agents." There was a pause before they spoke again. "After voting at home, it has been deemed all members of the Eastern Shadow are to kill former Commander Reiko on sight. I repeat. Eliminate former Commander Reiko on sight." When silence fell, the leader of the Eye was just sitting there and staring at his communicator. With the mask it was hard to make out what he was thinking, other than disbelief.

That night, Natalin had been nearly asleep tucked securely into a nook between some low tree limbs when her comms device had crackled to life. She stirred in silence, not even the leaves rustling to signal her movement. But the announcement that came was enough to almost have her lose her balance. She froze as if struck by a mage’s curse. The moment the voice went silent, she dropped to the forest floor like a silent, stalking predator. It felt like something in her chest was curling up tight enough to make it hard to breathe.

"She would never..." The disbelief that seemed to radiate off of him was made evident in her voice, though she spoke in no more than a quiet hiss so only he could hear her. "She wouldn't attack Elaine. You know she wouldn't."

The leader of the Eye was not much of a speaker, in part due to a stutter he had, but even this made him that much more speechless. He would look to Natalin and make a hand motion to signal for the others, "Gather... your things." He would pull out another comm as he spoke into it, though it was so quiet it was hard to make out what he was saying. He would nod after a moment as if talking to someone in person and then put it away, "We are... going home..." He would start gathering up supplies and equipment as well as the other Eastern Shadow members.

Though her jaw was clenched hard enough to hurt, she nodded and did as she was told. Her brow remained furrowed as her mind raced. There were whispers among the others that could be made out of them questioning what could have happened, though among them there was no clear sign that they were thinking Reiko really did it. She was at least glad the others seemed to be of the same mindset she was. Whatever had happened in Boralus, she didn't believe it was Reiko. She'd known Reiko too long but... The Eastern Shadow was her family, and she hadn't seen Reiko in years. She wanted a proper answer.

It was the Eastern Shadow however, and laws were laws among the family.

Three agonizing days of waiting for the ship to arrive followed by a week at sea with Veva and Audra’s crew to get all the way to the southern end of the Eastern Kingdoms, staying a decent ways away from Stormwind. The beach they had chosen was filled with secret supplies while a few Eastern Shadow members were waiting as if ready to be taken on another trip. There were signs that the Eastern Shadow was finally expanding. Rapid expansion was an idea that was fresh and they were definitely in the midst of it. It was almost unsettling, seeing all of these unfamiliar faces where normally Natalin knew almost every one she passed at least vaguely.

The leader of the Eye was pleased to be off that boat and dry ground as he would direct Natalin and the others on the long path they would have to take back home. They would finally arrive at the dark woods where the mist and fog was still always permanently there to various degrees. Gamora met them at the edge of the treeline, her piercing blue eyes the first indication that the black wolf was there. Her loping gait brought her quickly to her mistress’ side opposite the Eye leader.

The leader would send the others off ahead as he motioned to Natalin, "Stay... with me."

Her brows furrowed. He directed her off the usual path to the village to a deeper part of the woods. Why was she being singled out? Were they going to question her loyalty to the family because of her prior relationship with Reiko? She hadn’t even had a chance to figure out her feelings on the situation yet, surely they weren’t going to force her hand? Eventually they would be at a small clearing as Natalin would be able to see a figure there. Getting closer it was clear who it was.

Elaine stood there in her mix of plate armor and leather as she had the usual cloak of the Eastern Shadow covering her armor and weapons underneath. Her black hair was down and mask off as her face showed. Beautiful though having a scar over her throat and over her eye as she nodded to the leader of the Eye and smiled at Natalin, "Good to see you again, young pup." She motioned for Natalin to come forward as the leader of the Eye would vanish into the trees.

The sight of Elaine made her even more wary, though she was certainly glad to see the woman on her feet and seemingly safe. "Elaine. I'm glad you're okay. What- what happened out there?" She had always liked Elaine if she was being honest, but being singled out like this by the two of them didn't help her nerves.

Elaine nodded her head, "Depending on how you might define okay. Physically? I have had worse wounds. About four arrows were in me. It was mostly the poison that got me, but don't worry... just paralytic." She sighed a bit, "There is a lot. I had gone out there with Azrise, our elf, to help her get tomes of magic and such which has been mostly successful with the help of those two pirates." She leaned against a tree as she looked at Natalin, "I wanted to talk to you because you were brought in by the Commander and no, this is not an interrogation, this is me wanting you to know what happened." She stared right at Natalin with a very serious look, "I had been out there acting as a guard to the elf in Boralus. Her and I had a meeting set up with Veva and Audra, and hours had passed while we were there waiting. That was when Reiko appeared. I found out she and a few of her comrades had been ambushed and an attempt on her life had been made. So naturally she wanted to talk to me and before we could have many words? I was shot four times by arrows. I was unable to do anything, and Veva went to protect me. She is always ready for a fight so she was not one to give any words... just fists sadly enough."

It was all the huntress could do to keep herself from exclaiming that she knew Reiko hadn't attacked her, but she clenched her jaw and kept silent. She fidgeted, twisting her fingers through her wolf's dark fur. She took a moment of silence after Elaine finished before she responded, mulling over her thoughts on the situation, as convoluted as those thoughts currently were. With a deep breath, she met the woman's gaze. "I had my suspicions when the news broke that Reiko had attacked you. I have tried not to voice those concerns too vocally, but most people know it was she who brought me in. She was attacked? Do you know by who? And..." She shook her head slightly, almost not wanting to ask this next question, but she proceeded anyway. "Do you think she led those attackers to you on purpose?"

Elaine's face became almost angry as she thought a bit more, "She was attacked by light users. I have suspicion it was the same ones to wipe out Adriel and the ones we made a ceasefire with." She clenched her fists, "What I am very certain of... is that it was the leader of the Mind. Something I informed Reiko of and someone who I believe had intercepted and damned report I had tried to send to Reiko since Adriel was wiped out." She slammed her plated fist into the tree and sent some bark off it flying. She stood there quiet for a moment before composing herself a bit.

Natalin's own expression soured. That attack had left a poor taste in all of their mouths, but the thought that one of their own may have been behind the attack? If that were more public knowledge, surely he would have been ousted by now. She didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could say, really. Nothing that would make this better, or change what past events had already occurred. After all, she was in no position to research these suspicions, and she knew she wasn't smart enough to outwit him.

The Fist leader would continue on, "Pup, you know I respected Reiko. I thought she was good for everything. Even with my suspicions where they are? I cannot do anything. I do not believe Reiko led the attackers to me and I believe it was planned. The voice who announced Reiko's betrayal? I have never heard it before and I know everyone in the Eastern Shadow. So now..." She paused once again for a while, "I need to ask you. What do you want to do? Because you know while I respect Reiko I am loyal to this family and need to defend it. Majority is sadly with the vote and so... I have to be as well."

There was the question she had been expecting. The one that hit her like a firm punch to the gut, despite that she had taken the boat trip back home to think about it. What did she want to do? What was she going to do? The Eastern Shadow was her family, and her only home. After losing everyone and everything, after all the horrors she had committed, these people had accepted her as one of their own and never made her feel ashamed of who she had become. She had learned so much in her time among these people. But if what Elaine suspected was true, there was a darker plot brewing. And she didn't know what that would mean for her given her ties to Reiko. It was going to be an extremely emotional decision either way. "What should I do," she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "This is my family. But... she was the first one to show me such kindness when I was alone and desperate. If she is being plotted against..."

Elaine's face turned softer as she watched Natalin and it made her do something she rarely ever did. She walked up to Natalin and put her arms around her to hug her. She would speak to her in a soothing and almost motherly tone, "Pup... I am going to protect the good parts of this family. I do have a plan. I know what it is you want to do and it’s alright. By the end of this, I will die. But the good parts? They will live. If you want to go with them when this is all over you can, but for now? I think you should go to the Commander. If that is what you want."

It was a gesture that she hadn't been shown in so long that she couldn't even truly remember how long it had been. Bowan was the last, wasn’t she? The tears that had been threatening to betray her welled up in her eyes as she returned the hug and attempted to maintain her composure as best she could. The idea of losing Elaine, too. It was all so much. So much had happened these past few days, and she knew it would take her a while to come to terms with it all. She swallowed hard before she pulled away, looking up at the woman. "I won't ask you to tell me what it is you plan to do, I suppose it's best that way. But I cannot sit by and agree with what is being done. I will help you however I can. But... You're right. I want to go to her. I don't know if it will be safe for me to stay here."

Elaine smiled and spoke, "Do you have a knife on you? After all... I interrogated our sister Natalin away from the others to make her feel more at ease. Once I asked her about Reiko and dug more she drew a knife and stabbed me in the shoulder." She reached in and let a package fall from the inside of her cloak, "She had taken the package I had with some information I was gathering and before I could draw my weapon her wolf bit into my sword arm. Then... they ran. The two ran all the way to Booty Bay where she would meet the uninformed Veva and Audra who would take her to Boralus under false orders she told them. Once they found out what Natalin had done, it was too late. By that point Natalin was already reunited with everyone again." She smiled and brought a hand up to ruffle Natalin's hair a bit, "Does that sound like what happened? The next time we meet, pup... we will be enemies. So I want you to promise me you will stay safe. Veva will get you back to Kul Tiras as close as she can." Elaine would back up some and pat her left shoulder, "Right here." Her right hand would then reach to her sword, with no intention to grab it as she nodded, "Then sick your wolf on my arm. Then take the package... and you run. You're going to be just fine without me, got it?"

"You... you want me to attack you? To make it look like I turned traitor, too?" It only made sense, how else was it going to be written off in the eyes of everyone? Elaine would be expected to keep her contained, but if Natalin had surprised her and sicked Gamora on her. There was a part of her that felt like it was breaking, but she knew it was the best way for Elaine to not be in trouble for collusion. Her fingers traced the hilt of the long knife on her belt. She had her skinning knife, but it was tucked farther away and wasn't nearly as sharp. It would hurt more than this one. "I don't want to hurt you. But... If you think it best. Stay safe... I promise I'll take care of myself, or at least Gamora will take care of me. If you need me, I will help however I can."

Elaine just kept a smile on as she looked at Natalin, "No, the next time we see each other? It will be as enemies. So think of this as my last order for you, pup. When the time is right you will see what my plan is, but... for now?" She paused for a moment as she looked down some, "I need to do what I must for the Eastern Shadow and do what my teacher would have wanted me to do. I will carry these sins with me and the sins of all the others with me until it is my time to die. I won't hold back on your if we meet in combat, that would be a show of disrespect for you and for myself, but I have made some new friends with the void elf and the pirates. I will be fine." She then motioned to her left shoulder with her head, "Now do it, little pup. The training I endured to almost become one of Asmon's personal guards hurt far more than what you and that big mutt over there can do." She winked and then closed her eyes as she waited, "Tell Reiko I am sorry once again. I will miss you, pup."

Natalin shut her eyes for a moment as well, taking a deep, shuddering breath. This is not what she had wanted, she had been so happy to have a family again. But it was what must be done. "I know you won't. I will carry out this order and I will do my best to make you proud." When she opened her eyes again, the purple irises were hard with resolve.

Without another word, she darted forward as she pulled her blade from the sheathe on her belt. She drove it firmly into Elaine's shoulder, watching with displeasure as it sunk into the woman's flesh. This is how it has to be, she told herself, but it still pained her to do it.

As she pulled the blade away, she reached down to grab the package as Gamora lunged for Elaine's sword arm. Natalin backed away, darting towards the edge of the clearing. As Gamora let go and followed after her, she stopped for a moment to look back.

"I'll miss you, too. I'm sorry."

And with that, she was gone.

Natalin ran for as long as she could, trying to put as much distance between herself and the Village as she could. Gamora kept pace with her every step of the way, and she let her mind meld with the wolf's until the huntress began losing sense of where her body ended and her companion's began. Every mile she put between them and the Village felt like a piece of her was being ripped away.

Long hours had passed and the woods she had come to know so well she could have navigated them blindfolded were far behind her when she finally collapsed, her legs finally giving out as she sunk to her knees. The moon was high overhead, cold and unforgiving. A sob wracked her chest and she finally let herself break down. She had lost her family. Again. For the third time in her life. Her world felt like it was crumbling around her. Again. Her prosthetic was twisted from her fall that the rest of her leg was screaming in pain, but she made no move to fix it. The physical pain gave her something to focus on other than her emotional heartbreak. She cried, her body shaking with the force of it. Eventually, she couldn't even stay kneeling and found herself curled up on her side.

Gamora's wet nose against her cheek brought her to her senses, her eyes blinking against the late daytime sunlight peaking through the canopy of leaves that shaded her. She must have fallen asleep. The sun was barely up when she had collapsed. And now it was fading once more. She didn't know how far she was from Booty Bay, but she had her orders. The faster she got there, the better off the two of them would be. And the sooner she could help Reiko

#storyline #my writing #long post #leaving the Eastern Shadow

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annerbhp · 5 years

Note

Hinny Alt files? Im going through withdrawals until you post the next chapter and will take any Hinny you can give

Ah ha! Oh, this file. Honestly, you know that this one is? This is the indulgent file where I wrote a ton of alternate scenes for The Changeling and Armistice. Like a bunch of, ‘well, what if Harry and Ginny had gotten together at this point in the story? what would that have looked like?’ What if in the middle of their huge row in the cloister, Harry had given into that urge to just lean over and kiss her? Or, what if in that final scene the night before the trio left for Australia, Harry had just leaned in a little closer and Ginny had thrown all fear aside and kissed him? You know, those kind of things. Here, have one in all it’s half-completed glory. I doubt I’ll ever do anything with these anyway.

To be honest, Ginny still isn’t sure herself why Harry agreed to do this. But watching him with Reiko, the way he looks so comfortable talking about something he clearly loves, it reminds her of the DA. She wonders if maybe Harry is missing it too.

He really is a great teacher. He’s patient and never condescending, and even Reiko seems grudgingly willing to admit that she learned a lot in the short half hour they spend together.

“Thanks, Harry,” Reiko says when they’re done, shaking his hand.

“Sure,” Harry says, smiling at her.

Reiko heads up towards the castle, pausing when Ginny doesn’t immediately follow.

“I’ll catch up with you,” Ginny says, waving her on.

“Sure,” Reiko says, looking between the two of them. “See you later.”

Once Reiko is gone, Ginny turns and smiles at Harry. “That was…really great. Thanks so much for doing this.”

Harry’s staring down at his feet, suddenly looking awkward. “No problem,” he says.

She touches his arm. “Seriously. It means a lot.” On impulse, she leans in and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. She pulls back, giving him an embarrassed smile. “See you later.”

She moves as if to go back up the castle, but his hand on her arm stops her. “Ginny.”

“Yeah?” she asks, turning back to look at him. There’s an expression on his face that inexplicably makes her want to squirm. She forces herself to stand still and wait.

“Hogsmeade,” he blurts.

“What about it?” The first trip is coming up in a few days.

“I thought maybe…”

Ginny leans forward, completely thrown to see Harry quite this flustered. “You thought?”

“You would like to go there. With me.” The words are kind of tumbled together, but she hears them distinctly all the same.

“With you,” she repeats.

He rubs at the back of his head. “Well, uh, yeah.”

“Like…a date?” she asks, just needing to be really clear on exactly what is happening, because her body feels a little funny.

His chin comes up, his shoulders squaring like he’s committing the idea. “Yeah.”

Ginny is so completely thrown by this that she does nothing more than stare at him for a long moment. She can feel her brain stuttering helplessly under the basic thought Harry wants to date me? Harry…likes me?

How has she missed this? How could she possibly have not noticed?

She doesn’t even get to consider her own feelings, because Harry pulls back away from her.

“It’s fine,” he says, giving her a brittle smile. “Forget I asked.”

And then he’s walking away from her.

She considers calling out after him, but honestly has no idea what she would say.

* * *

She doesn’t see Harry anywhere the next few days, like he has some secret way of knowing where she is at all times so he can avoid her. It’s disconcerting.

She uses the time to think it all through though, to consider the offer from all angles. To figure out what she would have said if he hadn’t walked off so quickly. It doesn’t take her that long, considering.

And Harry is still nowhere to be found.

Still, strategy has always been one of her strengths, so she settles in to wait.

On Saturday morning, she waits by the gates, stepping out on the path next to Harry as he passes. He nearly stumbles over his feet as he shoots her a comical look of surprise, and she really shouldn’t find that attractive, yet here she is.

“You never let me answer,” she says, as if their conversation has just been picked up after moments rather than days.

“I, uh,” he mumbles, giving Ron and Hermione panicked looks.

Ginny looks at her brother. “Do you think we could have a minute?”

They look at Harry and after a moment, he nods.

They walk off, Ron looking back at the multiple times. Ginny waits until they disappear around the corner.

“Like I said, you never let me answer.”

Harry has recovered himself, looking straight ahead with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “I think your expression spoke for itself,” he says.

“Did it? What exactly did I look like?”

“Appalled.”

“Probably more like…shocked.”

He glances over at her. “Is that better?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t do well with surprises. It takes me a while to,” she gestures at her head, “work things out.”

He frowns.

“I honestly had no idea you thought about me…that way. I’m just Ron’s annoying little sister.”

“You aren’t annoying,” he says.

She looks at him, amused by his automatic defense of her. “Really?”

He sighs, starting back down the path. “Well, I’m finding you annoying right now, that’s for sure.”

She jogs to catch up, stepping across him, and he has to stumble to a stop to narrowly avoid running into her.

She smiles at him. “You really are just…” She shakes her head, not really able to put this feeling in her chest into words. She thinks she may want to say adorable, but isn’t sure how he’d take that in his current mood.

He blows out a breath. “I guess it’s too much to hope you’d be kind enough to just forget I ever asked.”

“Don’t be stupid, Harry,” she says. “I’m rarely kind.”

With that, she starts down the path, looking back at him and waiting for him to follow.

They walk the rest of the way to the village in silence.

…

She basically spends the rest of the day near him, talking with Neville and Luna, submitting herself to confused glances from Ron and something almost a little smug from Hermione.

At the end of the day, he walks her back up to the castle. When they near the gates, she turns to him. “This was fun.”

He still looks like has no idea what the hell just happened.

She thinks Harry is maybe one of those people who only gets it when he’s hit over the head with something. So she decides to kiss him. It’s little more than a brush of her lips against the corner of his mouth because he’s kind of tall and hard to reach.

He lets out a small sound of surprise, but she’s pulling back before he can react. He looks stunned, but also pleased, his hand lifting to touch where she kissed him.

“Yes, by the way,” she says back over her shoulder as she walks away.

“What?” he calls after her.

“My answer. It was yes.”

Smiling to herself, she heads back into the castle.

#wip meme #the changeling #what if #these two dorks #hinny

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aithne · 5 years

Text

(Illume) In Deep Water

Reiko leaned on the ship's railing, staring out at the water sliding by, the sun sinking into the western sky. She had an unhappy frown on her face, the line between her brows telling the story of her mood far better than any words. Every so often, she reached up and touched her neck, remembering the feeling of the assassin's blade cutting through it. She had been stunned but not insensible when Takako had tried to use her as a human shield. Unable to move or act, she had been helpless to even employ her own defense of last resort, though she had frantically tried, locked inside her own head.

Another life down. And now I have to start planning in earnest for my own death. Because the last one must be my choice, if it's to happen at all. She wrestled with the thought, trying to come to terms with the idea of voluntarily choosing to end her own life. I'll have to set all of the spirits free, release them back into life. Setto last, of course. But it will mean that I will be without them at the end.

It was a desperately lonely thought. Would they stay with her, given new bodies and a new chance at life, to make up for the lives she'd stolen from them? Or, freed, would they take the chance to live their lives without her?

They are not mine, no matter how much I pretend. They are their own. That understanding had been hard-won, a difficult thing for someone who had spent hundreds of years understanding love simply as possession. She still didn't think she quite had a grasp on it. I remember being convinced of my own invincibility, so certain that anyone who knew me would love me, and they would be mine. But it was all based on a lie. Those who know me for what I am may respect me, be friendly to me, but they do not automatically love me.

Her thoughts were wandering down a path well-trod in the past few weeks. They were interrupted by a step behind her that she had come to know well recently; Jeron's light tread, the Thrykreen general who had saved her life a week before. She turned her head and gave him a small smile. "Jeron. Come to enjoy the sunset?"

"It's lovely tonight. But I was actually going to inquire after your health. Are you all right?"

"As well as I can be, in body, at least. My mind is another story, but isn't that always the case? At least, to hear our human companions speak."

"I think they merely misunderstand you. Your frame of reference is strange to them."

"That much, I fear, is obvious." She sighed, and stared out over the water. Abruptly, seemingly without context, she asked, "Jeron, how old are you?"

The Thrykreen blinked, taken aback by the question. "Old as my kind figures time, lady."

"Old enough that we may lose you soon?" Reiko knew that the Thrykreen lived, usually, no longer than three years.

He shook his head, laughing a little. "No, you don't need to worry about that. I have a long time left before I die. But why do you ask?"

She searched for an answer that might make sense. Because I don't want to grow attached to you only to have you die of old age next month. "Just...an idle thought, was all. I suppose it seems sad to me that your kind has such a short lifespan. But I have to say that immortality doesn't seem like all that much of a blessing to me, at the moment."

He looked over at her, separated by a bare three feet of space. He was blatantly violating the seven-foot rule, but as she didn't seem to be protesting, there he stayed. "No, it can be a burden, I suppose. But it should make you happy that their lifespan is so short, less time for them to hunt you down."

Reiko rubbed her neck once more. "I fear the Thrykreen. But I don't hold a grudge against them. That's reserved for the one who set them in motion."

"Ah, yes. The Demonbane. Savior and devil, rolled into one."

"The sad part is that, given the chance to free him of his hatred without killing him, I would. I suppose the ties of blood run deeper than I thought. I haven't thought of a way to do that, not yet, at least. I'm still working on it."

Jeron shrugged. "His spells are most complex. But I have yet to see one that cannot be unraveled."

"That would take a mage equal to his strength." She wound a lock of midnight hair around her fingers, fidgeting thoughtfully. "Arenro's currently the only one I know of. And he'd sooner spit me than look at me. And I don't know if there's anything that will quell the Demonbane's mad hatred. I don't really want to kill him. But if I must, I will."

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the tall Thrykreen. The setting sun turned his gold hair almost russet, and she remembered touching him, the energy that coursed over his skin. She wanted to touch him again, to see if that had been a figment of her imagination. But she forbore. She didn't know how he would react to the familiarity.

"Mages that strong are few and far between. But soon you will have one. Winter and that orb are pushing Tadaki beyond what he would normally have been capable of. In a few short years, he will become Demonbane's rival. He now controls all the Thrykreen, putting the Demonbane at a severe disadvantage."

She tilted her head, considering this information. "I suppose, if I asked very nicely, Tadaki could order all the Thrykreen to stop hunting kitsune, couldn't he?"

The Thrykreen nodded at her. "Yes, he could."

"I'll work on him. Tadaki can be reasonable, sometimes, but he gets stubborn about the strangest things--and he doesn't actually like me all that much. And I can only hope that I'm going to survive the next few years. If I can, there's hope. But I've died twice in the last two months. This does not bode well."

"Not at all well. Not for you, or the rest of the kitsune, I fear." There was genuine regret in his voice. Reiko thought, he sounds as if he truly sorrows at the idea of kitsune passing from the world. How extraordinary.

Without even thinking about it, she sidled a bit closer to him, the better to see his face. "Since I appear to be the only one free and able to act, as far as we know. If there are any more, they are all in deep hiding. Perhaps if they stop being hunted, they may not need to stay so far in hiding."

He looked down at her; Reiko found that she had come very close indeed to him. Less than a foot seperated them. "I would work very hard on Tadaki. He has become the kitsune's salvation, though I doubt very much he has thought of it."

She ducked her head, biting her lip. "I haven't quite worked out how to get these people to look past the fact that I am, by their lights, a demon. Gryphon's the only one who doesn't seem to care, and maybe Haku. I keep hoping they'll get used to me, but no luck yet."

The temptation was, at last, too great for the kitsune to resist. She reached out and laid her hand on his arm. The energy coursing under his skin was still there, she noticed, and she prevented herself from reaching for it. He said, his voice perhaps a trifle unsteady, "If one Thrykreen can look past the demon and see the woman underneath...how much farther can the others be behind?"

As she glanced up into his eyes, startled by that last statement, he covered her hand with his.

And light happened.

The energy that poured into her was like nothing she'd ever felt, a thousand orgasms flowing into her, hot and sweet and thick. Jeron's eyes flared with light, or perhaps she fell upwards into them, surrounding her with blue.

It lasted only a moment. It lasted forever. When Reiko finally came back to herself, she found that she was weak-kneed, clutching the rail with her free hand to prevent herself from falling. With a gasp, she pulled her hand from him, fear coursing in the wake of pleasure.

"I--oh. What was that? What did you do to me?" Her own scent, the tang of her arousal, surrounded her as her body reacted to the energy that had flowed into her. Her heart beat fast, fluttering against her ribcage. What was that, and will you do it again, Jeron?

Briefly, she saw the look in his eyes, a swift wanting that was quickly shuttered. "It is how I am made," he admitted. "Demonbane built the energy into us, to make us appear more human. He had at one point believed that it would be fun to make the kitsune attempt to take us to bed and when they thought they have drained us, for us to take their lives. The energy is a mirage in some. Something that draws the kitsune but can't really be fed upon. In some, like myself, it is real, able to sustain a kitsune indefinitely without causing me harm. Sometimes, the energy builds up, and I must discharge it. As I just did, into you."

She smiled, the flutter of her heart beginning to calm. "That's part of what makes you different, then. You are free to do that to me any time, Jeron. It was most pleasant. Startling, but pleasant. Next time, I won't be so surprised." She paused, suspicions once more entering her mind. "Are you certain that the only reason that my father sent you was because you questioned him?"

"It is the only reason he gave me. He may have other intentions for my appearance here, but none that he voiced." He was still watching her intently, as if to gauge her reactions. She wondered, suddenly, if he was as nervous as she was, if he too felt as if he were standing on the edge of some precipice, pondering stepping out to see if the air would hold him.

"I apologize if I seem suspicious. I have lately learned that very little that comes from my father comes without a price."

His mouth quirked into a wry smile. "Don't apologize, Reiko. I too have suspicions."

"Of me, or of the Demonbane?" She shrugged. "Me, I am what I am."

"Demonbane. His motivations are ambiguous at best. He loves you and he hates you."

She chuckled. "And he can't leave me alone, it seems. It's really far too late for me to protest that none of this is my fault, I'm afraid."

"I fear that he tests you and maybe both of us. But I don't know what the questions are." His hand moved restlessly on the polished wood of the rail, as if by his motions he could rub it smooth as glass.

Reiko's voice was soft, a sorrow creeping into it. "I sometimes wish I knew what he wanted from me. I only learned he even existed less than three months ago. And he has known of me, if not actually known me, for five centuries."

"I believe he wants to know if you are simply a demon as he used to see you, or if you have become something more. And if that's something he could call a daughter."

Her laugh was almost a bark, a note without mirth. "That, Jeron, is a question to which I myself don't know the answer yet. I am not what I used to be, but I'm not sure what exactly I am now."

His smile was soft, those arresting blue eyes seeking and holding hers once more. "Without meaning offense, lady. A beautiful human woman."

Unaccountably, the kitsune blushed. "No offense taken. Though you seem to see something in me that nobody else does, at this point. I am not entirely human. But I may, in fact, be human enough..."

"There is very little difference anymore. The benefit of being kitsune was the lack of guilt, and that benefit has been erased. But has another benefit been added to take its place? You have to wonder."

She was playing with her hair again. She couldn't quite decide what to do with her hands. "Well, already those I travel with trust me more than they would have otherwise. I can be honest about what I am with them. Mostly, at least." She added, "Humanity feels very strange. It's a condition that I haven't quite gotten used to."

"I can relate. We are both outcasts, in a way. Do you love more strongly now or before?"

The question was odd, and she took a few seconds to think it over before she replied. "Can you hold love in a bowl, or a cup, or carry it like water? I don't know if I love more or less, now. But it is different. Love, for me, used to be about possession. Setto changed that for me, a bit. Now, it's a much more complex thing. I find myself with conflicting motives, and doing things detrimental to my own survival, for love. I suppose you might say that I love more strongly, yes."

"I have seen you go into battle, looking to save the lives of your friends. No kitsune that I have ever seen before or probably will again would ever do such a thing. Love has changed you. And with love comes redemption. Maybe that is what the Demonbane is after."

"Perhaps. And perhaps not." She shifted, pulling her kimono more tightly closed against the breeze which was freshening with the oncoming night. "We're both neither one thing or the other, aren't we? But both, it seems, probably more human than not."

Jeron had returned his gaze to the last remnants of the setting sun. "More than we may wish, Reiko."

His reply made her raise an eyebrow. "What about you? Did the Demonbane change you, as well? Or did he do something else?"

"The magic that he used to make what we are is fading. With each generation we step closer back to the original, but we are still changed."

"What were you like, before he got his hands on you? You defeated the Warresh, is all I know."

He kept his gaze out over the water. Reiko wondered if he was reminded even now of the sea he had floated in before his birth. "After the war with the Warresh, humans loved us and we lived very peacefully with them. But some decided that if the Warresh could go bad, then so could their conquerors. They started slowly. One of us disappears, then another and finally whole villages gone. No clue who is doing it. By the time we knew, we were so few that we couldn't sustain a population. Demonbane collected what was left of us and repopulated. Then the experiments began. Stronger, meaner, driven to kill kitsune."

"So you're going back to being what you were. The question still remains, though. I have to wonder if there's enough room in this world for people like you and me. Those I travel with seem to think of kitsune as remnants of a different, older world."

"Yes, expendable to the new world. But you had a purpose, otherwise why were you created? Do you know what that purpose was?"

That was in itself an uncomfortable question. "I don't know why we were created. But I know that we have served humans even as we have taken from them; going among them in secret, bringing pieces of true beauty to them. We were muses, once, even our animal kindred were the subject of endless stories and poetry and paintings. But I don't know why. I would have to ask our gods, I suppose, and they have not yet deigned to speak to me."

"Do you speak to them?" He'd turned back to her, looking down at her thoughtful face.

She paused, listening to her own heartbeat, remembering. "No. Not really, not for a long time. I know all the forms, of course, but I speak much more often to the spirits of the world surrounding me than to the First Foxes. I do not recall them ever replying when I spoke to them, but I have forgotten much."

"Maybe you should try sometime. Maybe you should not look at the kitsune dying as problem but as an opportunity to make a new race. There might be a reason that two kitsune such as yourself have been made. Maybe to take you back to the old ways, rather than what most have become."

Reiko slipped her hand into her pocket, her fingers finding her kitsune ball, taking comfort in its solid presence. From anyone else, these questions would have been too unnerving to stand, and here she was calmly discussing them with Jeron. "Maybe. Perhaps we were not meant to kill, in the beginning. I remember a story about the first kitsune. She was a mere fox, but she saw a human man and fell in love with him. And her love made her more than what she was, but still not quite human."

"Maybe you were meant to give pleasure, to show that beauty and art had a place in the world and maybe you were meant to help them through the centuries to become better."

She said slowly, "I know that over the centuries, we have become different. Maybe, once, all kitsune were like me, troubled by consciences. somewhere, we lost that. Perhaps we abandoned it, or perhaps it was removed by someone on purpose. Someone who thought we would make efficient killers."

"I would look no farther than Funitsu for that answer."

She raised an eyebrow. "The Scorpion, you think? The Black Hand in particular, I suppose. Kitsune assassins would be most useful to them."

"They are among the oldest of families, tracing their lines back to before the current calendar. If anyone would know, it would be them."

"I'll have to learn some Scorpion history from our arrogant Lord, I suppose. Though that arrogance has been better channeled, lately. I would be surprised if he knew, but perhaps he could find out." She untangled her hand from her hair and tapped the railing thoughtfully. "But if he knows...it could explain the fact that, except for Tadaki, he's the one who most sees the demon in me and not the person."

"He has his ways to find such information. He is Lord Soshi after all. and if he refuses, there is Lady Tomika. Strange as she is."

"She is a puzzle, isn't she? A frightening lady, but herself, I think, a bit undone by love. Even if our Lord Soshi is mostly oblivious. Alas, the only way I could think of to help that is an idea that is...somewhat morally shaky, and I find myself with distaste for it, oddly enough. I will let those two work it out."

Jeron's voice was oddly soft. "He loves, I think. Just not her."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yukiko, do you think? He is certainly at his most charming when she is around."

"Maybe, and maybe you. But his thoughts and concerns are always about his half sister. His love for her outweighs anything right now. He doesn't understand how she could have turned against him. They were close, so I have overheard."

She shook her head in pity for the recently minted Lord Soshi. "They were. She was the family favorite, and he spent years missing her. And to find that she has surfaced, only to be on the other side? I am not certain anything in his life has prepared him for that."

"No do I. But maybe you have something more in common that you like to believe." Those crystal eyes met hers again, summer-sky blue, the twilight deepening their color to midnight.

A thought flitted through Reiko's mind and was gone. He will always be able to undo me with those eyes.

Her voice carried just the slightest tinge of pity. "Both of us, in a sense, newly awakened and confused." She hesitated, remembering her responsibiities, reluctantly moving into action. "I am sorry, Jeron, but my evening meditations call me. I must go."

"I understand, Reiko. I have duties to attend to, myself." He began to turn away from her.

Deliberately, this time, she put her hand on his arm, stopping him. She reached up, laying one small hand on the side of his face. And in the silence of that moment, she made a decision that had been awaiting her for more than a week, since she had first spoken to him at length and he soon after had saved her life. "Jeron...afterwards, if you'd like...you know where my cabin is."

And she brought his head down to hers, standing on her own tiptoes, and kissed him lightly on the mouth. Even that touch was enough to sear her, almost enough to make her forget that they both had places to be. After she broke the kiss, landing once more on her heels, she felt a flush creeping up her body. Afraid to stay a moment longer, feeling really rather peculiar indeed, she walked quickly away, towards the bow of Shrike and her usual meditation spot.

When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Jeron, seemingly rooted to the spot, watching her go.

----------

Deep in her meditation, Setto was pacing before her, the newly released Miss M lounging in midair, Tsuyoshi investigating how a nearby winch worked, muttering about "biological constructs". Zhane and Kei danced together to music only they could hear, ignoring Reiko.

Rei, how could you? You know how dangerous he is. He belongs to the Demonbane. And he is a Thrykreen.

"I know, Setto. And, somehow, that makes very little difference."

Tell me, Rei, will you still be as passionate about him once you see his mantid form? You know what that human exterior hides.

"And he knows what mine hides. It may make no difference. I may find his mantid form beautiful because I find him beautiful. I may be disgusted by it. I will cross that river when I get there."

And if the Demonbane orders him to kill you, he will obey. What then?

She breathed deeply, her husband's question touching her own disquieting fear. She looked within herself, asking herself the question, listening for the answer.

Unexpectedly, it came.

"Then I die, Setto, by the hand of one who I may by then have come to love. If that fate is mine, I will accept it. Not gladly, but I will. Remember, you seemed to think it preferable to even a death in battle." She breathed in, and said, "If his hand is the one destined to still my heart, then so be it."

Setto shook his head but didn't reply. And they sat there as the summer stars appeared overhead, the wind ruffling the kitsune's hair, the samurai's spirit sitting with his wife, both of their faces turned towards the heavens.

#so queued #gaming recaps: illume #D&D recap

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httplovecraft1890 · 6 years

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Tomie Head Canon Extravaganza

"'Don't talk about life or death,' she said. 'I've had enough of both.'" - The Waterboys, “A Girl Called Johnny” (1983)

I haven’t actually seen one of these floating around, and most of this is honestly just kind of fic material, but I figured I’d go ahead and just put up a general mapping of Tomie’s personal history that I recently sat down and came up. While it will be used for my own stories, anyone is free to use aspects of it if they so wish for their own stuff (RP, etc.), and while I understand some might be turned off by ‘explaining the monster’ given Ito’s penchant for not giving his audiences explanations, it was a fun mental exercise.

(Unknown who the original artist is, but I believe they’ve deleted their Tumblr account since making it)

Family History

“Gonna hang myself from my family tree.” - Sparks, “In My Family” (1974)

The Kawakami family’s origins lie in the southern half of Japan in what is modern day Shimane prefecture before they traveled further south to the port of Nagasaki, where for much of their history they remained as a family of fishermen. In 1588, they were among the first to be converted by the Portuguese at their diocese in the region, a faith that Tomie’s father maintained up until his death in 1974. Her mother’s family, the Hashimotos, had historically always been soldiers and could trace her ancestry to samurai in the employ of the Tokugawa shogunate in the city of Sagamihara in Kanagawa prefecture.

Her father, Abraham Kawakami (1937-1974) - Japanese Christians oftentimes adopt Western names or will utilize both a traditional one as well as another and there was no way I was missing out an opportunity to have her dad’s name mean ‘father of many’ - was part of the country’s noveau riche that had sprung up during the post-World War II American occupation that benefited with the abolition of the aristocracy and breaking up of the zaibatsu following their nation’s defeat. The Kawakami family under the enterprise of Abraham’s dad, Peter, changed professions and began a steel plant back in their old homeland of Shimane, based out of Tokyo. With an eager foreign backer ready to help rebuild the islands to prevent the spread of Communism, Peter’s competitiveness and aggressive but fair business practices led his family to wealth virtually overnight. Despite this, Peter always had poor health throughout his life and was really only building an empire so that his son might take over in his stead after he passed on. His mother, Mary (also descended from a line of Japanese Christians), was a homemaker and did not adjust well to being a CEO’s wife, preferring to avoid functions as much as she could

Tomie’s mother, Chouko Hashimoto (1932-present), was one of the most popular actresses - and sex symbols - in the 1950s and 1960s in Japan, starring in everything from TV shows, movies, and even radio programs, getting her start in the 1951-1957 historical soap opera, How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms, set during the Meiji Restoration at just 19. Chouko’s, and Tomie’s, good looks are somewhat genetic as her father, Toshiro Hashimoto, was a prestigious pilot for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and was known for appearing in news broadcast reels as propaganda for the war due to his clean cut, handsome appearance. He did not live to see the end of the war, however, and his plane was shot down during opening hours of the Battle of Okinawa (April 1, 1945). Though she would always deny it publicly in interviews, her radio body of work was directly inspired by her mother’s, Ai, role as a ‘Tokyo Rose’ during the final days of the war (a term used by Americans to refer to female Japanese broadcasters fluent in English who tried to goad them into deserting the armed services).

Despite Peter’s religiosity, it was something that only came intermittently to Abraham. Scarred by the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the war’s end, for a long time he was a lapsed Catholic, and didn’t take going to church particularly seriously - a source of friction between his parents and himself. It also didn’t help that in his father’s waning years before losing his battle with stomach cancer, Abraham took to all sorts of debauchery and heavy drinking, the latter causing his own inner demons to unleash themselves for the rest of his short life.

Chouko and Abraham met at a Christmas party hosted by Kawakami Metals in Tokyo in the winter of 1968 and hit it off. Quickly seeing one another for casual hookups, the situation became much more serious in early 1969 when Chouko found out she was pregnant, and a marriage ceremony was quickly held to save public face for both parties (in Abraham’s case especially important as Peter had died not long into the new year and he had been confirmed by the board of his family’s company as the new CEO). Given Japanese social mores, it was effectively the end of Chouko’s career as she would be expected to retire and raise the baby, as well as any other she and Abraham might have in the future - something that greatly disappointed and angered her.

Tomie was born on October 31, 1969 in Tokyo, Japan (this is a reference to her first appearance in the shoujo magazine Monthly Halloween, as well as being 18 years from that year, a safe bet to assume the first chapter’s story takes place in as there is no mention of DNA testing on her remains - something that became commonplace as part of police procedures roughly at around this time).

Her baptized name is Anna - a diminutive of Hannah, ‘favor’ or ‘grace’ in Hebrew - was a name her dad would refer to as, but something her mother wouldn’t, and was a source of tension between the two of them (given she was not a Christian), something that became more important to Abraham in the wake of his dad’s passing. This is a reference to the movie Tomie: Forbidden Fruit; the bit about her family being Christian is a nod to a throwaway scene from Tomie: Beginning where she quotes the bible, of all things.

Though much more bearable when her father was alive, Chouko’s treatment of Tomie as a child was always one of general detachment and disinterest at best, something that grew into actual abuse once Abraham’s illness, alcoholism, caught up with him in 1974 when after a night of heavy drinking at a party hosted at his family’s home, ended up with him drowning in his own vomit, only to be discovered by a 5-year-old Tomie the following morning.

Despite never marrying again, Chouko mistakenly believed herself set for life as she had taken the Kawakami surname, and the company’s founding documents made provisions for the family to receive a cut of the profits once control had been turned over to the board of directors. Never one to manage money well, despite the stipend she received, she and Tomie eventually found themselves living barely above the poverty line.

Childhood

“Mama's gonna make all your nightmares come true. Mama's gonna put all her fears into you. Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing. She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing. ” - Pink Floyd, “Mother” (1979)

Unlike the girl that the manga-reading public is familiar with, Tomie growing up was a much different character at first. Despite being photogenic, she had an incredibly shy nature that often meant she would not open up to others easily, something that ultimately evolved into outright being emotionally stunted due to the frequent and varying types of abuse she received at the hands of a mother who hated her, seeing her as the reason her future had collapsed.

With the idea that talking = being hurt seared into her, Tomie’s school life was not much better than being at home. Her beautiful appearance meant that girls were frequently jealous of being shown up by her and her reticent demeanor towards others meant that boys saw her as stuck up or seeing herself above them. With school administrations loathe to address bullying, Tomie was an easy target for her peers to pick on. This only served to further the idea in her mind that human beings are capable only of cruelty and that kindness by others is only as good as how much they believe it will benefit them to act that way.

Reiko Mizutani was Tomie’s first - and only - real friend. They met in middle school in their first year, with Reiko being the first person who ever tried to reach out to her and establish some kind of human connection. Despite many of her initial attempts being rebuffed, Tomie ultimately relented in the hopes she would finally be left alone, but quickly latched onto the other girl when it became apparent that someone, at last, was treating her well. Even if perhaps on some level she believed it was a lie, it was a worthwhile delusion to hold, making her the one exception to Tomie’s rule about mankind. She’s also the only victim of hers that Tomie has ever felt any kind of remorse in eating/absorbing.

Speaking of Reiko, her efforts at getting Tomie to come out of her shell are also the very same thing that set her on her eventual downward spiral. At first simply trying to avoid further harassment, it became readily apparent to Tomie that it was easy to get things out of others by using false promises or at least feeding them enough bread crumbs that they’d be strung along by her for no other reason than they felt she was attractive or they happened to be intimidated by her. The older she became, the worse she got, though she she always did spare Reiko her later attitude when they were in private together.

The positive feedback loop of being awful to others yet simultaneously cowing them never made much of a difference at home. Even if she could put on a brave act while at school, it didn’t matter when facing Chouko’s wrath. Tomie being on the receiving end of physical violence didn’t begin with men, it instead began with her mother hitting her for minor mistakes, using her firsts or the closes object to her. Tomie’s numerous ‘boyfriends’ often remarked that the only thing imperfect about her were bruises or scars.

There was nothing particularly special about her relationship with Yamamoto or Mr. Takagi; she’d cheated on those she’d been in relationships before, but it was the first time that it had ever blown up in Tomie’s face. Despite not caring much for Yamamoto personally, it was Takagi who made the first move, which Tomie did reciprocate (the signature mole underneath her eye vaguely reminded Takagi of a porn star he liked) and being middle-aged meant that his tenure at Tomie’s school gave him a bit of money to throw around for compensated dating.

Manipulative and cruel as she ended up becoming in spite of Reiko’s best efforts, Tomie’s fear that she was pregnant was correct: she was indeed with child and afraid of the consequences, not only from the rest of society, but her mother especially. His later status as a thrall of Tomie’s posing as her father on numerous occasions is meant to reflect his attempted shirking of responsibility.

It fudges with the time frame a bit, but Tomie’s (first) death was on July 13, 1987 occurred exactly one week when they were supposed to go on summer break and the events of the first chapter occurred shortly after class 1-B’s return in August. (This date in particular was chosen as it’s inverse of Junji Ito’s birthday July 31).

Life After Death

“I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge, I don't want to follow Death and all of his friends." - Coldplay, “Death and All His Friends” (2008)

Despite being close to her father growing up, it turns out his conception of the afterlife was wrong - or at least not applicable to her. Tomie ended up in Meido, or the Buddhist version of hell with some Chinese folklore tossed in. After crossing the River Sanzu to proceed onto the afterlife, Tomie’s soul immediately faces problems from the underworld’s bureaucracy. Namely that her life was a complicated one and that’s seriously effecting their judgment on her fate. None of the kings present can decide on what to do with her or what level she should end up on. Her lecherous and selfish behavior is something that would’ve normally damned her... but the circumstances of her death shock them. Betrayed by not only her teacher, but a classroom that almost entirely hated her? It was clearly an unwarranted punishment from mortals, an idea that they balk at. However, what seals Tomie’s fate is that among those who betrayed her is someone whose life is relatively free of any kind of bad karma: Reiko. Unsure of what to do in extenuating circumstances such as this, the kings make their decision.

With no options left, they kick Tomie out of Meido and onto a diferent plane entirely: that of the more traditional Japanese afterlife, Yomi. This, too, is much like the Western conception of purgatory though without any kind of the fire or brimstone seemingly found in the former location. Meido’s judges have determined that the only being who has the right to see Tomie’s fate decided satisfactorily is the primordial goddess Izanami.

Izanami, annoyed that this trivial matter is being brought before her, almost does away with Tomie’s soul entirely but she stops her, mentioning that the two of them are kindred. Since Izanami’s bet with her brother-husband eons ago saw her committed to killing more humans than he could bring into the world, Tomie believes that the only sensible solution is to have someone working in the mortal realm who can help expedite the process of creating strife. After all, the terms and conditions of the bet were vague and there was no specification from either party that the same soul passing on had to be different. With that in mind, as well as having her own deep seated desire to hurt men, Izanami acquiesces.

Tomie lays out her terms: she will be allowed to return to life as an agent of Izanami’s on her own terms. She cannot die permanently though her physical body may be destroyed, will not age unless she wills it, luck must forever fall in her favor, and she can manipulate anyone she chooses. Izanami agrees since to her something like this is trivial and it allows her to get back at Izanagi, but she requires one last thing: proof that Tomie is willing to uphold her end of the bargain. To that end, Tomie offers her the soul of her just formed child as compensation and is allowed to return to earth, setting up the events of the original Tomie.

Abilities and Powers

“I thought that I was in heaven But I was sure surprised. Heaven help me, I didn’t see The devil in your eyes.” - Elvis Presley, “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise” (1963)

Functionally speaking, Tomie’s manipulation of others works like she were an emotional vampire: the other person must be emotionally vulnerable, just like she was when Reiko met her years ago, for her to have an ‘in.’ If at some point you ‘fall in love with her’ or are weak enough to be unable to resist her, there’s nothing you can do to rid yourself of her until it’s too late. This ability is also not based on sexual attraction either. “Orphan Girl” proves that she can manipulate people based on nothing more than platonic affection as well, so straight women or gay men can’t even consider themselves safe.

Tomie prefers to revive herself from her own body rather than absorbing others. There are a few reasons for that, but the foremost one is that it’s simply less taxing on her. The other is that occupying the same body means sharing the same soul as another, and this is the reason why Tomies who are generated in others are far less cooperative than those who come from Tomie Prime (for lack of a better term). Traits from the previous girl’s life often find themselves seeping into this new version of Tomie and it’s something she absolutely despises.

Eating human flesh as a quicker way of healing herself is, obviously, not something she agreed to do, but something Izanami forced her to do as it 1) amused her and 2) didn’t want Tomie getting too arrogant about her newfound powers.

Despite what was mentioned above about Tomie’s preferred regeneration methods, there is a benefit to taking in those who aren’t her. Tomie’s memories function much like a cloud computing system - they’re all accessible by any of the ghost clones and still exist even in the inevitable death of those who’re using them. Similarly, skill sets that Tomie could gain such as being able to speak/read/write English fluently, learning how to be a stewardess, the intimate knowledge of a particular mathematician become hers once her mind mingles with another’s. Once again similarly to a vampire, though, Tomie must manipulate the girl into letting her absorb them into herself (seen arguably in the manga chapter “Hair” and a frequent subject of the Tomie movies). She does this, in true Hollywood movie monster fashion, by keeping all the souls of the girls she’s absorbed over the years (or men who’ve been manipulated by her and died) to further her own abilities’ growth, thus explaining why she seems to get stronger as the series progresses. They are collected in a place her mind can sink into once it’s damaged enough called the ‘In-Between Place,’ a kind of personal fiefdom she has in Yomi itself.

Her effect on men, or women, who become attracted to her is very similar to a heavy sleep, with few being able to recall any details of their experiences while under her sway, but going from relatively normal and functioning within society to raving lunatics hellbent on her murder.

Unlike characters such as Deadpool or Wolverine, Tomie isn’t immune to the pain of being hurt. Getting cut, stabbed, electroctued, drowned, beaten with an object, etc. all still feel just as horrible as they would to a regular human, it’s just that they aren’t permanent obstacles.

Shintoism places a high premium on the phrase “cleanliness is next to godliness.” The worlds of the living and dead are not meant to intertwine and historically even people who so much as touched corpses like butchers, graveyard workers, etc. formed an underclass called burakumin who were treated as the dregs of society (and soft discrimination still continues to this day despite the Meiji reforms abolishing the shogunate’s caste system). Fire being one of the few things that kill Tomie is an extension of this idea, as a common superstition is that corpses that are buried or left to rot above ground can become haunts for evil spirits, but turning someone to ashes prevents that possibility. It’s her one Achilles’ heel due to the paradoxical nature of her origin.

Though Tomie occasionally refers to herself as a ‘demon,’ as I explained early on, this is not accurate: she’s a ghost, albeit a physical one. Calling herself an oni, though, is more of her cheekily referring to the idea that her purpose is, technically speaking, a divine one... just in a very twisted manner as oni are often in depictions of versions of the afterlife among Japan’s main religions of Shintoism and Buddhism acting as tormentors or obstacles to be overcome in some fashion.

Her luck powers are not readily apparent, usually not even to her, and they often simply just ‘happen’ rather than occur by her will. Whether it be from a traveler who just happens to pass by her, surviving something just long enough to spin it in her favor, etc. there’s usually an out for Tomie, especially as her strength grows.

Once she’s powerful enough, Tomie probably could use men to revive herself with - or even those who aren’t ethnically Japanese - but she’s not quite there yet.

Tomie doesn’t like for there to be too many copies of herself at any given time if she can help it. Not only does it put suspicion on her presence in multiple locations at once, it’s something of a mental drain on her to be split into so many different bodies at once.

Similarly, while she hypothetically could leave Japan and go abroad, Tomie doesn’t dare do so out of the fear that at least one version of herself will die for good as her magic might very well be tied to the land itself. But, again, if she were to grow stronger then who knows what she could do...

Miscellaneous

"...Look at me, I'm all the fishes in the sea." - Fiona Apple, “Daredevil” (2012)

If you scrape underneath the surface, there really isn’t much of Tomie from a personality perspective. Even with her immortality, she never really ever developed a personality or interests. In many ways she’s still the terrified little girl cowering underneath her sheets at night, wondering if her mother will find an excuse to hurt her. Her sociopathy is learned, not inherent, but she still lacks genuine interests other than hoarding wealth just the same.

That said, her demand of caviar and foie gras is something of a personal joke for her. They were Chouko’s favorite luxury food items and she would often lament that she could no longer afford them after Abraham’s death. Even after all this time, Tomie is using her powers to spite her mother by obtaining something she knows she can’t have.

Despite the fact she seems virtually fearless on the surface, outside of Chouko, Tomie has developed an intense entomophobia (fear of insects) and helminthophobia (fear of worms) ever since she returned to life. If she’s partially healed like, say, a decapitated head she can still feel something like a cockroach nibbling at her flesh. Despite this, she does feel a spiritual connection so to speak with their hardiness.

The only man she’s ever genuinely loved was her father. She’s less angry at him dying than she is of him leaving her alone with her mother. All others are expendable tools at best to further her own goals.

Her favorite flowers are lilies, owing to Abraham’s childhood nickname for her (also ironic symbolism as white lilies are a common item in funeral arrangements in Japan as symbols of death).

She probably does enjoy sex, but is almost certainly highly selective of which of her thralls gets the ‘honor’ of touching her in that way (though innuendo is likely employed by her to get those who are more hesitant than others to give in to her). Even if she does find her partner agreeable, she probably still puts him down anyway, but playing it off as a kink.

In a break with many other Tomie fans, I don’t particularly think she’s lesbian; I’d personally phrase her sexuality as “doom” more than anything else. Men are her ‘preference,’ if it can be termed that, to stomp their egos into the dirt and ruin their lives, but if employing her usual tricks on women is necessitated in some manner, she wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Any perceived gentleness towards them is more due to having to break down Japan’s traditional sexual mores and get them to lower their guard, however.

She sees herself as personally being above morality, hence why disturbing chapters like “Boy” portray her as being overly physical with someone much younger than herself, while in “Passing Demon” an 8-year-old copy sees no issue with trying to seduce someone much older. That kind of thing is for humans - something she doesn’t believe herself to be anymore.

That said, in the In-Between Place, Tomie has kept Reiko’s spirit ‘alive’ as best she can. Unlike its ‘roommates,’ it’s the closest thing to how she was in life that’s still possible for her in her prison. If there’s anyone other than her father that Tomie can said to have loved, it would probably be Reiko, and she’s the only person Tomie probably romantically had any affection for (not that she would recognize it as such).

The laugh she’s often portrayed as having, a light, airy thing meant to imitate a noblewoman’s speech pattern, is actually something she manufactured. Tomie’s laugh - still possible to coax out of her if you surprise her well enough - is extremely dorky, including snorting and all.

#tomie #junji ito #tomie kawakami #horror #manga #head canon #random notes

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itsbenedict · 6 years

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No Driver’s License: Session 35

No Driver’s License is a Madoka Magica game I’m running for five players, using a homebrew of Yaruki Zero’s Magical Burst system. It follows five magical girls as they deal with an upheaval in the world’s magic system caused by some strange new three-eyed Incubators. They have to figure out what’s going on, who to trust, and how to put a stop to the cycle of despair.

I post session logs and omakes weekly sporadically, both as a reference for the players and for anyone who wants to follow along with the party’s misadventures.

[adventure log- read from the beginning]

[session 34]

Last time, the girls started in on dealing with the second witch barrier of the day. Or, the... I mean, they’re on the moon, so timezones don’t really apply, do they? Anyway, the barrier was a big desert with a really hot sun and a bunch of huge statues, and they had to steal items from inside the statues to get powered up to fight the sun.

(art by zero, arranged by me, of a bunch of characters from his old megucaquest, who were in this continuity killed by honoka so she could steal their weapons.)

This time... sun-fighting ensues! On the moon! Because at this point, fuck astronomy, I guess.

So, between sessions, it is assumed that the party goes around and does a bunch of repetitive dungeon-crawling, which would ordinarily be very tense and difficult. Except, whoops, they have a ridiculous magical arsenal and also a head-start on powerups. So... by the time the last statue falls, they’ve got an 80x damage multiplier and damage reduction (except Cho, who showed a little late and only has a 40x multiplier.)

Turns out all that power, though, is just an illusion of the witch barrier- with some good Real rolls, they’re able to notice that the massive force multipliers they’re working with are some fake bullshit that only applies in this barrier. LAME.

Anyway, they do it fast enough that the Honoka shrivels don’t make much headway. And now that they’re like, a thousand feet tall or whateever, the Honokas don’t pose much of a threat.

Whoops, hey, remember you guys recruited the Devil? Yeah, she’s here now. And, she’s not happy about what’s happening. She chews out the party for being foolhardy, which they... make a few excuses for.

She’s not happy that they took the time to go check on Orino, who is in the Devil’s eyes irrelevant to Madoka existing. Yukari attempts to apologize and placate the Devil, more or less successfully, though everyone is unsettled to varying degrees at the Devil’s total ambivalence towards people suffering if they’re not Madoka.

Anyway, she points out her care package- a rocket she stole from NASA. She figured, fuck, my new henchpeople are fighting some dangerous things up on the moon with very little preparation, so I should bring all their allies up there too. So, she froze time, kidnapped them, put them on a rocket, and shot them up to the moon with minimal explanation.

The landing doesn’t go excellently, but in a “broken space shuttle” way and not in a “giant fireball that kills all the passengers” way.

The first person out of the space shuttle when the time-freeze wears off is Rikimaru Reiko, who was listed as an ally, and therefore, as far as the Devil was concerned, was fair game for being kidnapped to the moon to fight a witch without notice.

Tama-chan, Nishi (in MG form), Sakura’s army of Peeps, the Grounding Gorillas, and Hekima are also aboard... but they’re all very very small, as is the Devil, because they haven’t been grinding powerups like the core party. Plus, apart from Reiko, who is not negatively affected by being on fire in any way, they can’t be out in the sun without taking damage.

Now- I have a problem, which is that there are too many NPCs here and I can’t juggle that many. I also have another problem- a ton of Honoka familiars attacking. One problem is solved with another, as the reinforcements break from the main fight to take on the waves of incoming shrivels.

So- there’s the sun. Time to kill it.

youtube

i mean, it’s entirely appropriate for the witch of someone whose driving pathology was a need to prove she was stronger and better than everyone else, so

Yukari opens the fight by Shooting Gun. This does 160 damage, taking it down to 4840. You... see why they needed the damage multipliers first.

Anyway- rather than pass the turn to the next teammate... the sun takes a turn. And, in turn, pops off a Ranged Attack on Yukari. It misses, thanks to those amulets that mess with your aim, and when it does, a new counter shows up and increments to 1.

And then it’s Sakura’s turn! She candy-shapeshifts into a horrifying eight-legged gelatinous blob monster to try and taffy the witch.

Anyway, much like with Yukari’s ranged attack, Kagutsuchi copies Sakura’s taffy ability. It pops off a hit on her- which is a crit- and applies congealed lava “taffy” to Sakura, Yukari, Emiko, and Cho.

Makoto camouflages herself rather than attacking, to avoid a counterattack. Seina and Ibara unload ranged attacks into it, and take ranged attacks in turn. (Well, Ibara uses a water-based Gloo Gun to try and restrain it, which does damage where it normally wouldn’t because it’s made of fire.)

Fine, Then I’ll Avert Them For Thou, Fuckwit is paying dividends! In terms of actual defense, this time, and not sacrificing it for a damage bonus!

That is... the worst roll anyone has ever had in the entire campaign. Without penalties, it’s normally impossible to roll a one. Kagutsuchi’s Fuckup Count goes up to 4.

Not too much is happening with the NPCs fighting the witch familiars down below- except, uh, one notable thing:

Where do you think Nishi-chan got all those summoned monsters for her fake murder attempts? She plays Pokémon with witch familiars!

Emiko is full-size like the rest of the party, and punches the sun, baby. And she uses her holo-gauntlet thing- which means I finally get to use its secondary effect, which it’s had this whole time but has never been relevant:

Oh, and the Devil is here. ♪ Homu was mad, she knew she’d been had, so she shot at the sun with a gun / shot at the sun with a gun ♪... but, uh, she has not received any powerups. So her attack does... 3 damage. Against a boss with thousands of hit points. And who automatically retaliates with attacks that are much deadlier when you don’t have 80x damage reduction.

Not smart, most powerful being in the universe! Thankfully, she has the presence of mind to turn into an incorporeal force of pure existence and get the hell out of there before she can fry.

Anyway, back to the top of the order- Yukari goes again! And... Yukari’s usual thing is to use Prophecy to generate extra actions, and then use those to shoot lots of undodgable bullets. Which she does, for some heavy damage, but...

WHOOPS

Yukari is now contending with several spears of fire ready to skewer her, which is fun. Kind of all it can do, since it has no moves of its own it can use. (...Or does it?)

Makoto summons some whales, Cho summons some butterflies, Sakura does some healing (by pulling out her teeth and using them as armor, super fun, not at all mega gross), and Seina... oh, boy.

Seina made an item called a Leech Seed, earlier. What it does is deal 1 damage to an enemy every time they take a turn, and restore that much health to the user.

Seina has an 80x damage multiplier right now.

So, Seina is completely fucking invincible now, since every time the boss takes a turn she gets healed for like eight times her max HP, and the boss takes a turn every time a teammate takes a turn. Great! That’s great. This is fine.

...But wait! The boss gets to counterattack!

Great. Faaaantastic. Super useful. Oh, and what’s that? I said items don’t count as powers it can copy, and that doesn’t work either? COOL.

(Really, this is all my fault. I let the players do things.)

Ibara attacks, normally, and the boss counterattacks, and... remember the worst roll anyone has had in the entire campaign, like twenty minutes ago?

zero, jesus christ, i managed to roll a zero...

There’s a little more whacking away with normal melee and ranged attacks, and it ends up pretty low on health. Tama-chan breaks Ibara free of the lava-taffy, and...

After a little more hammering, and some bullets from Yukari, this thing is real low on health. And... wouldn’t know know it, it’s Finishing-Move-chan’s turn.

And now... everyone gets a few last words with Honoka Midarezaki. Ibara:

Seina:

Sakura:

Makoto:

Yukari:

With that... everyone’s on the moon again! And as usual, when a witch is defeated, a Soul Seed drops. And... it takes a moment for it to register, but this is the point at which the interest of the party and the interests of Eguchi Emiko are no longer aligned.

It all comes down to this- it’s time for a contest of Fury to see who can dive for the seed first!

Ibara gets a crit! Nice. So that’s all taken care o-

Emiko gets a bigger crit! Not so nice! Not so taken care of!

AND CLIFFHANGER! Next time on No Driver’s License, the team has to deal with Emiko, being on the moon, and the fallout of this whole clusterfuck generally. Tune in next wee... next whenever I do a recap, to find out how it goes!

#no driver's license

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lisatelramor · 6 years

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Ok, this wants to be something longer and if I manage to write more and finish what it wants to be, I’ll post it on AO3. In the meantime, this is for Natsume Yuujinchou week’s Youkai and humans/ species swap. So basically I took characters and Nyanko-sensei’s our protagonist as human along with Takashi as ayakashi. Not proof read, I just wanted to post SOMETHING for Natsuyuu week and this was as much as I could get done by today ^_^;;

Madara groaned as the train came to a stop at the station. Despite napping most of the way there, his hangover was just as strong as it had been that morning, leaving him with a pounding head and a vague nausea upsetting his gut. It had been a hell of a way to get kicked out of an apartment, but that’s why he’d been drinking in the first place. He told himself he wasn’t going to come back to this middle of nowhere town, but here he was, a decade and a half after leaving.

He left with just a suitcase full of clothes and a couple hundred yen in his pocket. He was coming back with even less, so what did that say about his life?

There was an ayakashi in the train station, lurking in the corner. The people coming and going avoided the spot on instinct leaving a meter of space around it in all directions. Madara avoided looking directly at it. Wasn’t his problem. Hell, it could start throwing the trash can and it still wouldn’t be his problem. He didn’t give a damn so long as it wasn’t trying to eat him.

Humid summer air hit like a brick after the air conditioned rail car. With it came the smell of green things and the stink of too many sweaty bodies crowded onto a train platform. He hadn’t missed this. Well, he corrected once he’d dragged his suitcase with him in a shortcut through the woods, he hadn’t missed it too much. There was a great big wide world out there and Madara had gone out and experienced it. There was so much more than a rural town full of backwards hicks that threw sticks and stones with their hurtful words.

He’d only stayed as long as he had back then because, well, he’d stayed that long because of reasons and those reasons hadn’t been there anymore.

He’d forgotten how many ayakashi were in the country though. Floating amid the tree branches. Hiding in underbrush. Lurking with teeth in the dark crevice of a rotted out tree trunk. When he was younger, it had been a problem. Now? Now Madara couldn’t give two shits. So long as he didn’t look and he kept a firm grasp on his powers, nothing would notice him and he could pretend he didn’t notice them, just like how it was supposed to be.

“Years,” Madara muttered, climbing out of a bush back onto a main road. “Years and this place looks exactly the same.” There was the post office. There was the road to the school. There was the house of that older lady that used to chase him off her lawn for picking persimmons she’d let rot on the tree. The green fruit were a long way off from being ripe right now, but Madara was willing to bet they’d still be rotting on the tree come November.

And speaking of things that hadn’t changed, the bar at the end of the street looked exactly how he remembered it, down to the hairline crack in one of the windowpanes and Hinoe’s precise handwriting on the signboard showing the daily specials.

Madara headed for the bar. He was making terrible life choices these days, why not make another?

It was dim inside, even though it was the middle of the damn day, because Hinoe’s bar had the atmosphere of a noir film with half the class. There were a couple people scattered in the corners of the room drinking their sad, pathetic lives away with whatever swill Hinoe served to the day-drinkers and perpetually drunk. Or maybe she’d changed that policy over the years. He kind of doubted that.

Hinoe was at the bar, idly flipping through a magazine and smoking a cigarette. The smoking was new. The magazine full of attractive women was not. Madara sat down at the bar, suitcase thumping against his legs, like it was a normal Tuesday afternoon and it hadn’t been over a decade since he’d stepped into her business. “Hey.”

Ash fell from the tip of the cigarette into an overloaded ashtray as Hinoe looked up. “Huh, well look what last night’s storm drug in. Madara. Long time no see. You look like hell.”

“You look the same as ever.” The same long hair tied up in a bun. The same too-dark makeup. The same bastardized kimono-style top with the sleeves tied back by some brightly patterned strip of cloth. If there weren’t deeper crow’s feet around her eyes, he could almost pretend he’d never left at all.

“I’m immortal, didn’t you know?” Hinoe said, grinning. “I thought you were never coming back. It’s been, what, ten years?”

“Fifteen,” Madara grunted.

“Right, right. I remember you saying something about leaving us losers all behind and finding your true greatness or some shit. Or was it that you’d prove that greatness to the world? How’d that go for you?” By her sly smile, she knew exactly how it went. He wouldn’t be here if his plans went the way they were supposed to and they both knew that.

“I went, I saw the world, the world witnessed me,” Madara said haughtily. “It couldn’t take my greatness so I magnanimously decided to return to share my glory with all of you again.”

“Uh huh. What’s the real story?”

“I went out into the world. The world wasn’t ready for my amazing person. So the world kicked my ass and now I’m living out of a suitcase.”

Hinoe blew a smoke ring. “Wow. Sucks to be you like usual.”

Madara sneered at her. She grinned back. She was a sad excuse for an almost friend and he definitely hadn’t missed her at all. “Speaking of living; my family home still there?”

“That piece of crap?” Hinoe raised an eyebrow. “The roof of that place collapsed two years back and the neighborhood health and safety group decided to tear it down. Since no one had lived there in over a decade anyway. Which, by the way, means the city reclaimed the land since no one was paying taxes for it.”

“They can do that?” Well shit, there went the last place he had to go. “Guess I really am living out of a suitcase now.” And he still had a hangover. Maybe he could get a pity drink from Hinoe. Hair of dog and all that. “Don’t suppose you’d lend a man a couch?”

“I don’t invite men over,” Hinoe said in the tone of voice that said she’d rather scrape gum off the bottom of all her tables than let Madara stay in her living room.

Harsh. “Right, you only invite pretty girls over,” Madara said, a cheap shot. Hinoe, being impervious to that sort of thing, flipped another page of her magazine. Madara scowled at the scuffed up bar top for a few conflicted moments. Thinking of Hinoe and pretty girls made him think of one thing. He didn’t want to ask, but he needed to know if he was going to be in this town for a while. (Okay, he did want to know. He’d thought about it a lot over the years.) “And speaking of pretty girls,” he ground out, “how’s Reiko doing?”

Hinoe gave him a long, hard look before stabbing her burnt-out cigarette into the ashtray. “I don’t know, Madara. Haven’t seen her longer than I haven’t seen you. Not since you two got into a fight.”

“Not at all?” he asked. The semi-permanent scowl he’d had on his face since he got off the train turned to an expression of surprise. Reiko had run off on him after their fight, but Madara figured she was just mad at him. And when a month went by without her popping back up, he figured he’d finally run her off like everyone else, and left her in the dust with the whole shitty town. Reiko’d been the only reason to stick around and without her why keep trying in a place that hated you?

“Nope. No one’s seen her since then. Not even the poor souls she used to terrorize. I was pretty damn mad about it back then too. You somehow managed to scare the most perfect beauty out of town, you inconsiderate ass. She was a shining brightness on humanity!” Hinoe glared at him. Apparently she still was infatuated with Reiko even after all the years.

On humanity, Madara thought wryly. If Hinoe only knew. “I didn’t know she left for good. I thought she was just mad at me and ran off.” A mix of old anger and sadness filled him, along with a newer mix of relief and disappointment. Part of him hoped that he’d see her again. Part of him was terrified of if he did. Part of him still missed her terribly, but he would never admit that out loud, let alone to Hinoe.

“Well she ran off just as much as you it seems since no one has seen hide or hair of her since.”

“Huh.” This town had been her place for years. Why would she leave permanently? But then again, who knew what went on in the minds of spirits? She probably left on purpose just to mess with all of them one more time. The thought was a bitter one and his scowl came back even deeper than before. “Probably better that way.”

“For you or everyone else?” Hinoe asked.

Madara ignored the question. “Hey, Hinoe, you wouldn’t happen to have anything I could drink, would you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. What could I possibly have to drink at a bar?” Hinoe said with heavy sarcasm. “I don’t give out free booze, Madara so either cough up some money or you can have a glass of water.”

“Not even for old times? I’m broke and homeless.”

“Then wanting to get drunk is the least of your problems.” She set a glass of tap water in front of him.

Madara gave her sad eyes. She slid the glass a few centimeters forward. He took it and drank some because at least it would help some with the hangover. “You’re heartless, Hinoe.”

“Uh huh. Sure am. So heartless that I’ll even tell you old man Misuzu’s looking for help at the shrine. Since you’ll be needing a job.”

“I’d starve before I work for a priest,” Madara said, knocking back the water. “If you know of anyone else needing a hand, let me know, but you know Misuzu and I don’t get along.”

“That’s all on you.”

“Tell that to Misuzu.” No home, no Reiko, and no booze. There was no reason to keep hanging around here either. “Thanks for the news and water, Hinoe. I’ll be around.”

“Don’t die in a ditch.”

Madara waved and left. He’d have to find a job but Misuzu couldn’t be the only one in town looking for another set of hands. He could look for something tomorrow. Today, he’d swing by his old home and see if there was anything left at all he could salvage or make into a shelter. If not, he’d figure something out. He always got by somehow. He ignored the tiny niggling voice in his head that said his luck had been a lot better back when Reiko was still around. That voice was lies because clearly he’d managed to live almost half his life just fine without her.

It seemed there were more changes than he initially thought because when he went to take his old route home, there were buildings that didn’t used to be there and a construction site pulling up trees that used to stretch for almost a kilometer, right up to the back of his house. The buildings he could deal with, but the construction site meant he had to either go into deep woods—with all the spirits therein—or circle around town.

Madara dreaded running into someone that might remember him, so he chose the woods. Ten minutes in and he was regretting it.

There had been a kind of trail, like someone’s grandparent came all the time to collect herbs or firewood or something along this tiny, threading path. That path had gotten overgrown quickly, and then the underbrush kept getting caught on his suitcase and the humidity levels kept spiraling upward with oppressive July heat.

“This is hell,” he grumbled to the trees, definitely not to the tiny woods-spirit ducking away from him tromping through the undergrowth. “Sweaty, dehydrating hell.” The last time he went through woods like this had been years ago and he’d been running for his life at the time because he had slipped up and some power hungry ayakashi noticed his spirit energy and thought they’d use him as a tasty ticket to the top of the dung heap. He was better now at hiding so nothing was looking twice at him. Well, no more than anything with eyes would look at something disturbing their home. “I’ll find the house, find a stream, and hope the water doesn’t kill me with parasites.”

Up ahead was a bit of a clearing, a path to somewhere worn into the earth. He made toward it. He was almost halfway down a slope when the suitcase caught something and jerked his arm back. Trying to tug it free was enough to unbalance him, and next thing Madara knew he was tumbling and stumbling to an abrupt stop as he hit something with his shin, hard.

“Ow, shit!” He curled around his leg, achey all over, but only that a hot flare of pain. “No house, no money, no job, and now a broken leg!” He prodded it. It wasn’t actually broken but it was going to have one hell of a bruise later. Could the day get any...worse... There was a straw rope with white sealing charms ripped in half on the ground next to him. Either it had been half rotted through already, or he’d ripped through it when he fell. That didn’t really matter though. If that had been sealing something and he broke it...

There was a stirring of energy and Madara turned, realizing that what had stopped him was a small, run-down shrine, just big enough that he could have sat in the bottom of the structure with his knees tucked up against his chest.

“Shit.” He started hobbling away quickly. He didn’t have anything to seal it again on hand, and recently unsealed spirits tended to be angry as hell and not too picky about who or what they took it out on. “Shit shit shit.” Terrible luck was going strong for him today.

Behind him the tiny shrine door burst off its hinges, flying off somewhere into the woods and breaking a lot of underbrush in the process from the sound of it. Madara hobbled faster only to pause as he realized that the growing spirit power felt familiar. Too familiar.

He glanced over his shoulder in time to see a silver-haired body fall out of the cramped space like someone’s discarded rag doll. The color of the hair matched what his spirit senses were already saying. “Rei...ko?” he said into the sudden silence. No birds, no animals moving, just the building presence of spirit energy and a fragile-looking body sprawled on the ground. Who could have had the power to seal Reiko of all ayakashi?

Madara turned back toward her, drawn like metal to a magnet. “Reiko?” he said again. He reached out to touch and only years of ingrained fighting for his life kept him from losing an arm when the figure on the ground lashed out.

Raw spirit energy crackled between them, hot-bright, and his own rose to meet it on instinct, making what could have left a nasty burn fizzle and die in the air between them. “Reiko, it’s me! Madara!” Surely even after who the hell knew how long sealed in there she’d still recognize him. He left a bit more of his energy out into the air around them, hoping she’d recognize how he felt like he recognized her, but that was apparently the exact wrong thing to do as wild, green eyes snapped up in his direction and the unstable energy in the air doubled.

It was like a hand trying to squash him flat.

“Stay away!” she yelled. Only the voice was male. Young, pitched high with tension, but definitely male. If Madara didn’t know Reiko could shape shift...

“Look, I know we parted on bad terms, but I’m kind of concerned here.” Madara ignored the air pressure and moved closer. “How did you get sealed in there?”

Another bolt of energy almost took off his head, aimed just shy of his ear, or maybe not aimed at all. The concern turned to full blown worry. “Shit, Reiko, that could kill someone. I mean, I’m strong, but tone it down, would ya?”

“I’m not Reiko!” the silver haired—boy? Being?—yelled, arm back and ready to let loose another bolt of energy. “Get away or I’ll... or I’ll hurt you!”

“Real funny,” Madara said, gut twisting. “Good act, Reiko, almost fooled me. You can beat the shit out of me later in a proper spar, just...calm down okay?”

Madara stepped forward, reaching out and the ayakashi flinched back, green eyes going wide with fear.

Madara froze.

Reiko had the pride of ten men and would rather die than let someone see her afraid. “What the hell...?”

“I’m not...I’m not Reiko. I don’t know any Reiko. Please go away!”

“I’m not trying to hurt you.” Hands up, look defenseless. “I just unsealed you. I wouldn’t do that if I was going to hurt you right?”

There was a flicker of conflict in those green eyes before some kind of backbone showed through that fear. “I’m not going to make a contract.”

“I...don’t want one? I’m not an exorcist.” The boy relaxed slightly, but not enough, not so much that the air returned to normal. It felt so familiar... “Are you sure you’re not Reiko? Because you feel like her and this is just the sick kind of joke she’d play to get back at me for running off.” It had to be her. The longing ache in him that had never really gone away over the years rose up and Madara couldn’t help but reach out again. “Please tell me it’s a joke...” He touched a wisp of silvery hair and green eyes went impossibly wide, torn between fighting and getting as far away as possible. “Please.”

A snarl somewhere off in the near distance broke them from staring each other down. The boy flinched back and Madara’s hand was left touching open air. His hand closed on a fist as he realized he’d been projecting his energy for the last half a minute with the futile hope that the person in front of him would respond to it. Between the two of them, they were a beacon for any ayakashi wanting to test its power or grab a spiritually gifted human as a tasty snack. He snapped his control back down so fast that it hurt.

The boy looked dazed.

“We need to get out of here,” Madara said. “Either the local exorcist is going to wonder what the hell is going on or something’s going to come looking for a snack.”

“I’m not going with you. I don’t even know you.”

“Look, I was a friend of Reiko’s and I don’t know why you feel like her, but like hell am I letting some ayakashi or exorcist get you. So just trust me ok?” Madara held out a hand, palm up in offer.

The boy looked at it and looked at him, then gave a neutral smile that was so fake it was pathetic. “I think I’ll be fine.”

It would be less insulting if he’d slapped Madara’s hand away. “Suit yourself then. But you might want to calm down before everything from here to Tokyo knows where you are.”

The boy frowned and the pressure decreased to normal. Madara could still feel the ayakashi, but he wasn’t broadcasting his powers to the world anymore at least. That would have to be good enough. Madara made a show of looking around the area before stepping onto the trail.

“I’m going to take this back toward town; most people would expect a strong Ayakashi to run toward the mountains.” He turned and started walking, his limping gate evening out as he got used to the bruised leg. The suitcase was overturned at the base of the hill, but nothing had fallen out of it. Madara walked and didn’t look to see what the ayakashi did. Didn’t really have to because half a minute along the trail, he felt the boy start to follow.

Halfway down the trail the presence vanished. Either the boy left or he’d figured out how to mask himself properly, which was a good thing since Madara saw more than one ayakashi making its way toward where they’d been. He didn’t hear any fights though. He’d turn back in a heartbeat if it sounded like the boy was being eaten.

At least when he stumbled back out into the outskirts of town he was closer to his old home. Close enough that he just stayed on the side streets to get there. Well. Where home used to be. There wasn’t much left of what had once been the house his grandfather built. It hadn’t ever been a very nice house when Madara lived in it, all a bit falling apart even back then with Gramps either too drunk or too aching to fix things, and Madara either too young or too busy trying not to die from his own powers and unwanted spirit attention back then. But it had been home in its own way, familiar in its peeling paint and rickety steps. Now it was just a foundation left bare, all the rest of the building taken away.

“Shit.” His shoulders slumped. Part of him had really thought that there would be something. Something he could use, or at least something that matched what he remembered. Even the overgrown flower gardens had been torn up and overtaken by weeds. “Bet they sold Granny’s old rose bushes too.” Or maybe that weird guy that used to go by and pointedly say how they used to be so much nicer finally went and dug them up in some weird plant rescue operation. Who knew.

He didn’t really have human friends. Didn’t have many friends in general really, never had, and probably never would. Ordinarily that didn’t bother him, but it was frustrating not to have anyone to turn to. The only thing left were the few ayakashi he knew... Who might not even be in the area anymore either. Reiko had been the main one, and without her...

Well, there was one final avenue to pursue before he gave into despair and found a bush to sleep under until things sorted out. He didn’t really want to, but she did owe him.

“I’m too old for this.”

Any hydrating benefits of that water from the bar were long gone by the time he trudged back deep in the woods again. Here, at least, it didn’t change in any way except the way that nature does, trees growing higher, bushes coming and going, streams shifting minutely as the earth eroded with time. But the big white birch tree with its peeling bark still stuck out as an anomaly among the rest of this area of the forest. Here, he felt like he was twelve again and sneaking off in some childish act of rebellion.

There wasn’t anyone immediately visible at the base of the tree but that didn’t mean they weren’t nearby. Madara tossed down his suitcase and sat back on the familiar, moss covered roots. There was an ayakashi nearby. Maybe more than one if they were close together. He sighed. “Hey. Touru. I know you’re there.”

There was a pause. Then Madara had to flinch at the sudden spike in spirit energy right before an ayakashi all but fell into his lap.

“Fluffy-kun!” Touru shrieked, catching him in a crushing hug. His spine protested the action and he wheezed, unable to fend her off with his arms pinned. So, pretty much as usual with her. “You got old! Older!” She leaned back and tugged at Madara’s unkempt hair. “And less fluffy and more shaggy. It feels like it’s been a long time since I saw you. You’re not as cute as you used to be.”

“I would hope not!” Madara pushed her off his lap and she went willingly, smiling like it was a big game. Her cat ears didn’t even twitch at his volume. “I’m not a child anymore.”

“Aww, but you’re still cute,” she said. “Just a grumpy kind of cute. Though I guess you were kind of a grumpy kid too. Ah, yep, you’re scowling again! I’m so glad to see it. You’re still you. How long has it been?”

“Fifteen years.”

“Eh? That long? And you didn’t visit once? No wonder it felt like forever.”

He couldn’t tell, not with Touru and not with many other ayakashi, how sincere the enthusiasm or the sadness were. Ayakashi didn’t work the same way as humans. Time didn’t mean the same thing to them either. “Isn’t that amount of time like blink of an eye to you?”

“It could be,” Touru said. “But I’m not that old yet. I’m barely past a hundred; decades still mean something you know.”

But they would mean less and less. How little did time mean for spirits that were old, spirits like Reiko had been?

“I’ll take your word for it.” Right. He came here for a reason. “Touru, I know I am amazingly self-sufficient, but I am going to have to cash on one of those favors you owe me.”

“Ah, so not a social visit.” She looked a little sad and it made tendrils of guilt ping at him, but living was a bit more important than wondering how much he could or couldn’t hurt her feelings. The cheerful smile shifted to something more serious.

“No. Another time it will be. You still remember the sort of things humans need in a shelter, right?”

“Yes.” She tipped her head to one side. “I do still pay attention to humans, Fluffy-kun.”

“Right.” And she had a collection of human things somewhere, started by her grandfather who had studied them. Right up until his curiosity had been the death of him via an exorcist. Still, that curiosity had stuck with Touru and it had once gotten her into a lot of trouble too. She was an ayakashi that spent time with humans over the years so she should, theoretically, know what sort of thing to look for in finding Madara a place to stay. “Despite taking on the world with all my talents in the years since I left, at the moment everything I own is in that suitcase and I’m down a house. You know of anywhere I can make a home in until I earn enough money to get a proper roof over my head?”

“Hmm...” Touru tapped a finger alongside her chin. Behind her, her split tail tapped the ground in double-time. “Actually I’m pretty sure there’s an empty shrine in the woods right now you could use. It’s a little run down, but it has a roof and walls and enough space to sleep in. The one near the offshoot of the creek where that big willow tree is.”

“Touru, you’re amazing,” Madara said with conviction. “How empty are we talking?”

“The minor god that lived in it died a few months ago when his last follower passed away, and no one has moved in yet. I doubt anyone would object to you living in it.” Touru smiled.

Madara grinned back. Finally a bit of luck! To be expected from a maneki-neko. “I can think of a few humans who’d object but I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Touru mimed locking her lips like a child with a secret, not an action she’d learned from him. She must still watch humans when she wasn’t here at her tree. She glanced past Madara, into the woods, and on reflex he glanced with her, just catching a glint of silvery hair before its owner managed to hide again. Huh. So the boy had followed him after all. Whatever he was doing to stay hidden still made him impossible to sense.

“Is he with you?” she asked, curious.

“Not exactly. Feels like Reiko but says he’s not.”

“He feels human from here.”

A startling implication; only the strongest ayakashi could convincingly take human form. That was yet another thing the boy shared with Reiko. “Well he’s not human. I accidentally unsealed him earlier today.”

Touru gave him a worried, sideways look. Most ayakashi got sealed because they were a danger to humans, and ayakashi that were dangerous to humans had a funny way of attacking Madara a lot as a child.

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me, I just fell down a hill and got bruised up. As if some ayakashi could hurt me,” he said, arrogant smile on his face that he didn’t feel in his heart. “I told you, I’m not some little kid anymore.”

“You’ll always be that angry, fluffy little kid in my head, Madara,” Touru said, ruffing his hair like he was still twelve instead of almost forty. She used his name so rarely that it was surprising enough for him to forget to duck.

“Whatever,” Madara said, swatting her hands away as she giggled. “Thanks for the heads up on where to sleep; I’m going to go pass out there now. It’s been a long day. If you need a drinking buddy anytime in the future, I’m your guy.”

“This from the person who said sake tasted like shoe polish smelled?”

“Hey, a lot changes in fifteen years!”

Touru laughed and waved as he left. This time he was more aware of his light-haired shadow. Madara had been so conscious of ayakashi in the area he hadn’t been paying attention to more mundane sounds. So long as the ayakashi was pretending to be completely human, he was just as noisy as any other human teenager walking through the woods. Madara was still louder, but Madara was hauling a suitcase and felt like his arm was going to get torn off heaving it around, so he at least had an excuse for it.

***

The shrine was nothing much to look at. Flat paving stones surrounding it were overgrown with weeds, the door was crooked and coming off its track and there were signs that something had started building a nest inside of it. But it had a roof—overgrown with moss, but intact—and four walls, and the inside was dry. Madara couldn’t stand or lay fully stretched out in it, but it was big enough that he could curl into a comfortable position and there was a little well with water meant for purifications. There wasn’t a bit of spirit energy lingering in the shrine. The god that inhabited it must have been all but dead for a long time before it bit the dust.

Madara swept out the mess of leaves and fur and twigs that had accumulated, shooed off centipedes and beetles, and claimed that space for himself. He had a pillow and a couple blankets, and if he gathered up leaves or grass or something he could make it a bit more comfortable to sleep in. Probably. Provided that didn’t bring in fleas or ants or something. Beggars couldn’t be choosers and he didn’t have anywhere else to go. It was only until he had a job and enough cash to afford a few months’ rent for an apartment. It was summer; until then he’d manage and eat what he could scrounge up or beg off Hinoe.

The sun was sinking down and Madara’s stomach grumbled; it was a long time since that glass of water and longer still since he last had anything to eat. He was too tired to get up from the shrine floor and do something about it though. He’d just have to suck it up. There was still fat to burn from when life was still going pretty okay. He’d manage.

The world went dark. Out in the woods, fireflies lit up. Real or ayakashi, he couldn’t say. The pale green lights were pretty. You didn’t get fireflies in the city. Couldn’t see the stars either. Focus on the positives... Somewhere in the dark a fox yowled, eerie and hair-raising. A twig snapped in the woods to the right and for a second he could see the green reflection of eyes. Tapeta lucida, some far off portion of his brain that had looked it up once upon a time informed him. Reflecting moonlight. Madara tensed, senses reaching out for ayakashi, animals, anything. Nothing...no, something that felt human but—ah.

“You can come out,” Madara said to the dark woods. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Five...twelve...twenty, Madara counted firefly blinks, waiting.

Bushes rustled and parted. The boy that looked like Reiko stepped out of them. He looked like he would run at any second. He looked like he was lost. Madara felt very tired. “You can come closer. It’s not like I’m going to do anything. I just want to sleep.”

The boy crept closer. “She said you helped her,” he said, standing all hunched over and wary right outside the shrine steps. “From exorcists.”

Touru. Madara closed his eyes against the intent gaze picking him apart. “Yeah, I did. I was a child and idealistic and angry enough to do things for spite back then.”

“She called you caring but blunt.” The boy shuffled closer.

Madara’s eyes slit open, met his bright green stare.

“She said you don’t hurt ayakashi unless they hurt you first.”

Madara gave him a humorless smile. “Yeah. Most of the time. Touru thinks too well of me considering how I almost ended up being an exorcist.” The boy flinched back a little. Bad memories of exorcists, or a healthy fear of their threat. “I’m not nice. I’ve sealed ayakashi for hurting people before and I’d do it again, but mostly I just want to be left the hell alone, eat good food, and drink nice sake.” The boy didn’t look away. He didn’t run. “You look a hell of a lot like Reiko.”

“I’m not her,” the boy snapped. “Everyone is always Reiko, Reiko, but I’m not Reiko!”

“No,” Madara said heavily, “no, you’re not.” He wished it was just some mean joke Reiko was playing, but he didn’t think that was the case; she’d have swapped out her disguise and started bragging by now. “You got a name?”

Just like that the boy was tense again and Madara had to roll his eyes.

“I’m not going to steal your name. Or...force a contract. You don’t even have to give me a true one, just something to call you.”

There was a long pause, then, “Takashi.”

“Cool. Call me Madara.” Madara rolled over so his back was to the door. “Now either stop stalking me and go away or just get in here and let me sleep. Today’s been a hell of a day.”

“You won’t seal me?” Takashi said. “Or try to make me your shiki?”

“What the hell would I do with a shiki? I’m a bum camping out in an abandoned shrine. And so long as you don’t try to kill me I don’t give two shits about what you do. Try to off me in my sleep and sealing becomes a lot more likely.”

Farther off, the fox yowled again. There was a soft scuff of cloth on wood and the rattle of the door closing most of the way. The boy, Takashi, settled into a corner of the shrine, as far from Madara as the small space allowed. He was paranoid as hell for how strong he had to be.

There was a part of Madara that didn’t like having his back to an unknown ayakashi. At least that discomfort wasn’t one-sided. He closed his eyes and despite his misgivings, eventually he fell asleep. For the first time in years he dreamed of Reiko, her presence all around him, confident grin on her face and him looking up at her, beautiful, powerful, and untouchable.

Takashi wasn’t sure what he was doing here, curled up in a dead god’s shrine with a human. A human that could have been an exorcist with how strong his spirit powers felt in the brief moments he stopped shielding them. He’d called Takashi Reiko, just like so many others had before, but he hadn’t tried to hurt him for it, and he hadn’t tried to bind Takashi to his will like the exorcists had before they gave up and sealed him instead.

The man, Madara, was an anomaly and Takashi wasn’t sure where to categorize him yet, potential ally or enemy. For now, it wouldn’t hurt to keep track of him. There was something about him, something that was familiar in his spirit senses, like they’d met once a lifetime ago. The vague warmth that had flashed through him, that spark of recognition was gone as Madara snored, curled into a tight ball in the cramped space. Humans, ayakashi, neither made sense. Not this man, not the ayakashi who recounted the story of this man as a child saving her from an exorcist that bound her when she was researching humans, and not any of the others he had run into before in his brief span of memory. They hurt without provocation and lusted for power and would walk over you to get what they wanted without remorse.

Still, Madara had unsealed him, Touru had been kind, and Madara offered shelter instead of chasing him away. It meant something, something that Takashi didn’t understand yet.

He meant to stay awake, but little by little, he drifted off, feeling strangely safe with a sleeping stranger.

Takashi woke to muffled swearing. At some point in the night he had slumped to the ground. One of the blankets Madara had been using was draped over him, an unnecessary gesture but surprising in its kindness. The man in question was bent over his luggage, searching through it for something. Takashi stared.

“Stupid thing has to be in here, I packed it. I know I—” Madara cut off, either feeling Takashi’s stare or some other sense catching his attention. He whipped around fast enough to make Takashi flinch. “Oh. You’re awake. Uh. Just go ahead and go sleep as long as you want I’m just...” He jerked a hand at the warped door, still most of the way shut. Takashi kept staring. Madara’s hand dropped. He grabbed a pieces of cloth from the luggage and scooted to the door. “Breakfast. I’m going to find breakfast.”

“Breakfast?”

“Food. That you eat in the morning.”

Takeshi frowned. “Every morning?”

“Yes, if possible, every morning. Eating might be optional for most ayakashi, but humans don’t exactly live long if they don’t eat.” Madara rolled his eyes like it was something obvious. Maybe it was; Takashi was hardly an expert on humans. “You should try it sometime.”

“It seems impractical.”

“Impracti—” Madara sputtered and froze in the doorway. He jabbed a finger in Takashi’s direction. “You know what, I’m getting you breakfast too. If there are three things worth living for, it’s food, sake, and sleeping as much as you want. Nothing better than that.” He stomped out of the shrine and slammed the door behind him.

Takashi stared at the closed door. He could go back to sleep, sleep for longer than he’d been sealed if he wanted to. Or he could leave and follow Madara and the vague feeling of familiarity his presence pulled at his subconscious.

He followed Madara. Yesterday it took Madara ages to realize he was being followed. Today it took all of ten minutes before he turned around and glared in Takashi’s direction. Takashi almost flinched back into the middle of a bush.

“If you’re going to come, at least do it in the open!” Madara complained. “It’s creepy being stared at behind tree trunks. C’mere.” He beckoned imperiously.

Against all instincts telling him he should head back to the shrine or run for the hills, Takashi crept closer.

Madara pointed at a plant on the ground in front of him. Its leaves had jagged edges. “Look! Shiso. You can eat the leaves in a salad.” He proceeded to pluck a bunch and stuff them into a cloth object shaped a bit like a bag. “And that—” Madara pointed to bright purple blossoms of thistle where the trees were a bit thinner. “Azami. You can eat the leaves if you boil them a bit. I can’t find my pan though, so raw food it is for this morning.”

There was something weirdly familiar about what Madara pointed out as they walked through the woods; knowledge slotted into place like it was something Takashi already knew, but had forgotten.

“And of course there are always dandelions,” Madara said, pulling up new green leaves from the tenacious weed at the edge of a clearing. “You can always find dandelions. Bitter as hell, but better than nothing.”

“Purslane,” Takashi said, the name of another common weed popping into his head. There was some growing a bit further into the clearing, paddle-shaped leaves on a low-growing plant. “You can eat it raw or cooked.”

Madara stared at him for a moment and Takashi wondered if he’d remembered wrong. Then Madara huffed. “Right. It also tastes kind of gross, but it’s healthy.”

“Isn’t the point of food to taste good?”

“Not everyone has the luxury of being something that doesn’t require food,” Madara said. “Now pay attention! I’m teaching!” He grinned. “You should call me sensei.”

“Why would I do that?” Takashi complained. Madara wasn’t terrifying anymore; the more he talked, the more Takashi thought he just liked the sound of his own voice. He wasn’t terrible company even if he was kind of annoying.

“Because I’m teaching you life skills, brat! You never know when you might need to know this!”

Those words tripped something in Takashi’s memory. A woman and a small child in the woods and a handful of warabi, the fern stems still tight and new held close to her chest. It’s a life skill, brat! Takashi blinked and the feeling of being two places at once vanished, but the moment lingered, exasperated fondness tinging his emotions. How odd.

Madara had an eyebrow raised in challenge and his hands on his hips.

That echo of fondness swelled and for a moment Takashi could see Madara as something other than a potential threat, just a ragged man with a bit of an ego and a soft heart under a gruff exterior.

“Well?” Madara said.

“Nyanko-sensei,” Takashi decided on.

“Excuse me?!” He puffed up, just like an offended cat.

“Your eyes are gold like a cat’s,” Takashi said. And Touru’s nickname of ‘fluffy’ wasn’t wrong; he was a bit fluffy.

“Why is there a ‘ko’?!”

“It sounds better,” Takashi said, amused as the man sputtered and grumbled about ayakashi and demeaning nicknames.

“Fine!” Madara threw up his hands. “Whatever! Help me find something that isn’t god-awful bitter to make up for the rest of this.”

Takashi didn’t point out that he had no idea what to look for. He’d let Madara remember that on his own.

#natsume week #natsume yuujinchou #species swap #i hopefully will come back to this #i have like 10 wips at the moment tho #i want to look at a bunch of different human/ayakashi swaps in this universe #if anyone is curious takashi IS reiko reborn after something went wrong with an exorcist #debating about how a book of friends works in this au #reiko's diary?#she beat up ayakashi or a literal friend book to remember humans she's fond of?#People think takashi's madara's child #hinoe's devastated thinking reiko had a kid with madara or something #maotoba's an unsettling and powerful ayakashi with a grudge against humans and a weak spot from an exorcist encounter #said exorcist is the ayakashi that wants to eat him in canon and is TERRIFYING #and maybe had something to do with Reiko becoming Takashi #the real question is if Madara's family name should be Natsume #since ayakashi don't have family names #tanuma is the son of a minor local god who is a fairly frail spirit and v sensitive to exorcists #there are endless possibilities and my brain half wants to run off with them

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dreamsofdeath2 · 6 years

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Far Too Young To Die || Yukina Mizushima || Prologue End/Chapter One Reaction || [ OPEN ]

This was just supposed to be a normal meeting in her mind. This was just supposed to be an orientation ceremony, about how classes worked, and how their vacation would be spent. Even then, they would probably have a few rules and expectations that they would have to go over. The same old rules that students were supposed to learn ever since they were in grade school. "Treat others the way you want to be treated." "Get your assignments in on time." "If you need assistance, don't be afraid to ask." It would have been tedious, and it might have been even kind of boring.

But surely, it would have been better than...this.

Yukina had came to a rather specific conclusion about the three sisters on the stage: While Atsuko was the most erratic, and Reiko was the most intimidating...By far, Chieko was the most terrifying. She had respected the girl with blonde locks, she was even beginning to trust her as well. She seemed so calm and orderly, and that was something she used to her advantage as well. The three sisters were telling her, along with all of the students, that this would be an extraordinary vacation...of course, that was all for the worse. The reason for that is, as they all mentioned, they would be living the lives of those in damnation. Those words echoed in her head, over and over again.

"Here, you will suffer. You will die. You will feel pain. And you will come to understand precisely why you are here."

She...she was going to die here? Why would they say something like that? Why would Kaichou say something so scary in a sudden suspense? They suddenly moved onto another subject - specifically, the doors that couldn't be opened. There was a door she couldn't open herself, that was true. The way they explained it sounded like a conquest, almost as if they were urging them on to find out where these odd and awful memories came from. However, with every good tiding came a price. In order to obtain their memories, they would have to obtain the blood of another person. In other words...they were going to be forced to kill each other.

This was the moment that Yuki already found herself starting to tear up. She couldn’t be seen crying right now, not when there was still more to find out about this entire ordeal. They would be put to the test, in each and every case of murder. They would go through something like a trial, and either way, someone was going to die that way as well. Was all of this going to just involve death in some way? If they kill, the victim will obviously die. If they fail to find who did it, someone will die. If they did succeed, the murderer dies. If they don’t kill, they’ll eventually die and be trapped here forever.

This wasn’t how she wanted to spend her vacation. This wasn’t what she had in mind, she didn’t want this at all. She was even hesitant to touch the shard, but of course, curiosity got the better of the poor brunette, and her tiny hand encased around the shard. It was cold, it was weird...it was wrong. The darkness overtook her vision, and even her cries were muted out. That was something she absolutely dreaded of happening. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t scream, she couldn’t tear her vision from the everlasting darkness. She couldn’t cover her ears when that distorted, haunting voice spoke to her.

Who are you...? She wanted to say, but her pleas went unheard. Yukina wanted to run, she wanted to shut this person out of her mind, but she couldn’t even make a sound. Please...Please go away! She couldn’t reason with this mysterious figure, no matter what she tried to do. She was afraid, and she couldn’t escape from this hell. No, no, stop it! I, I don’t know what I did, I--

Just like that, she falls to the floor, as does everyone else who touched the shard. It was...That was what the shard did? God, she couldn’t take all of this. She couldn’t take the overwhelming pressure of this kidnapping they were all in. The words that Chieko bellowed not too long ago lingered in her mind, and her thoughts became clouded with fear. “...I...I don’t...I just...” At that moment, she let herself finally crack under the pressure. Her sobs echoed the auditorium, and she puts her hands to her face to try and muffle her own, pitiful sounds. Of course, the Vocalist couldn’t hide the terror in her voice. Not this time. Not this time.

"⋅⋅⋅ᴵ ʷᵃᶰᶰᵃ ᵍᵒ ʰᵒᵐᵉ⋅⋅⋅"

#dod2 #chapter 1 #yukina #submission

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yojimbroo · 2 years

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Ringu - Hideo Nakata

While watching Ringu by Hideo Nakata I had a hard time not comparing it to the 2002 version I remember watching when I was a little kid. Luckily, I see that we have an extra credit blog post and will be able to speak in further detail on my comparison between the two. However, since I did watch the 2002 version by Verbinski I more or less had a strong idea as to what was going to happen and when. Though it has been a very long time since I have seen the movie so I am glad to say it was still a very unique experience.

I remember hearing that this was a very scary film so I was excited to watch this in class (but now that I think about it I think the film I was thinking about was actually Ju-on which was the original version of The Grudge). If I am to be honest though, while finally being able to watch the film I have to admit that I found it to be kind of boring. Maybe I had hyped it up way too much in my head to the point that it did not meet many of the expectations that I have set up for myself. Personally I believe the film is okay when I see it as a detective thriller as opposed to a horror ghost story. Even then, I found there to be way too many “coincidental” moments that just did not add up with me. Everything in the film felt like it was placed by hand and left me thinking that many of the plot points were difficult to believe. A good example I would say is when Reiko decided to watch the film as if it was nothing. I could give her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she was SO certain that the paranormal was not real (although this was never really mentioned or brought up) but even then, after hearing the rumors and having a family member die with little to no evidence of it being from any other reason; I figure anyone would be a bit more hesitant before watching this film and letting her ex-husband watch the film. Another note I would bring up was the “solution” in having to copy the video tape and pass it on, I’m not sure if it was ever mentioned but that really felt like it came out of left field.

The next topic I would want to mention is the film's horror factor. Again, I think it is unfair for me to judge too harshly because I already had a preconceived idea about it. This idea also stemmed from a movie I saw when I was very young so it would not be fair to compare the horror I felt then and there as opposed to now. But even then, I really did not find it to be scary at all. There are films made before the 90s that I think do a better job at introducing a creepy and uncomfortable environment and besides maybe the actual shots of the VHS film in the movie I did not feel that sense almost at all. About halfway through the viewing I did change my perception from watching a horror film to watching a detective film and that did help a little.

In conclusion, it was still an interesting film because I was able to compare it to a film I had already seen when I was much younger (I’ll get further into this in the extra credit post). However, to be very honest I left the viewing a bit disappointed thinking I would enjoy Ringu much more than I did.

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theoctopusramen-blog · 6 years

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Norwegian Wood

Yes, the title does refer to both The Beatles’ song and Haruki Murakami’s novel.

I recently listen to The Beatles’ songs a lot, even though it still limited to the popular ones such as Norwegian Wood (obviously), Blackbird, and Something; but those songs speaks to me in spiritual level, no joking. Just when I feel a little bit rough or need some comforting, I will listen to a set of playlist with those songs in it and I will feel better.

Yes, I also read Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. In fact, I have just finished reading it after the God forsaken two years. Two years! It was such a long time to finish one short novel. I knew this novel when I took an interest to Kiko Mizuhara, the actress who roled as Naoko in the movie version of Murakami’s work and saw a screenshot with such a deep quotation. Heck, I couldn’t recall what the quotation was but I remember the way it moved me. That is when I start to look more about Norwegian Wood, and I finally decided to buy the novel.

I struggled a lot during reading his work. I have spent less and less time to read literary works as the year goes by, and I also have something about the novel which held me to finish the novel at once. Believe me, I was the type of person who could read one single Dan Brown’s novel in half a day! But I struggled a lot to read this short and simple literature.

It was because I deeply relate with Naoko, the female lead in the story.

Well now, I’m warning you, if you have not ready his work. Except if you don’t mind with spoilers, you are not welcomed to proceed.

So. The story started simply with three bestfriends living in Kobe; Kizuki, Toru, and Naoko. Toru and Naoko were lovers, and also bestfriends, along with Toru. In the 17th year of their lives, Kizuki decided to suicide. It left a deep wound for Toru and Naoko, their lives were never the same again.

Sure they go on with their lives. Toru and Naoko became lovers, even. They continued their studies, going to university, but somewhere in year one or two, Naoko disappeared from the city live of Tokyo, making Toru lost all his shits. Apparently, Naoko is rehabilitated in a serene facility in Kyoto mountains.

Naoko was beautiful, and was broken.

Toru loved her and kept on waiting for her, of course. He continued with his boring life as a college student, befriended the playboy Nagasawa, and eventually met a girl namely Midori.

“Naoko was only ash, and Midori was a real flesh in front of him.” Or so, as far as I could remember. (I am not the type to read things twice, okay.)

Sure Toru loved Midori, but there will always be “big open untouched space” which always reserved for Naoko. Even when she did not in love with him. Their relationship were complicated like that.

Naoko’s condition is also worsening that she had to be transferred to actual hospital. But when she actually shown improvement in her clinical condition, she decided to end her life too.

I wouldn’t lie if I cried when I figured it out. The way Murakami narrating the story makes me feel as if I am Toru himself. As if I was the one who have been told that the one I always longing for is no longer the part of this world. As if I was the one who travelled around Japan like a beggar for a solid month just to relieve myself from the pain, yet never been able to do so.

In the end, Reiko (Naoko’s friend from the facility in Kyoto) “crashed” his apartment in Tokyo and gave him advice to move on with his life. And he finally did; he decided to talk it out with Midori and live happily with what he had.

I still get choked on the throat remembering the story, it feels so real to me. Maybe it was a knowledge to some that I went through several depression lately, the huge one was two years ago or so where I even thought to end my life. No one could understand what kind of pain I went through, no one would know what it feels like to have the desired to be wanted yet you know you could not open up because you are broken. You are one heck of imperfect flesh. You are twisted on the head. But I went through it. I got that again few weeks ago, but I went through it. I live my life, I win.

I don’t know what the heck I am doing, writing like this on 2AM with my throat choked with rather-cheery jazz music playing on my Spotify. Maybe I just want to tell anyone--just anyone who read this--what I felt. Also I am sorry for shutting people out of my world, I just need to sort things out.

PS: i don’t even edit this post. I never liked editing my blog posts lol.

#Norwegian Wood #The Beatles #Haruki Murakami #mental illness

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iishipallthethings · 7 years

Text

Three is (not) a crowd

Chapter 5: Let’s go racing!

Story summary: Two months after Kuvira was defeated, things have finally settled down in Republic City. For better or for worse, Avatar Korra is ready to talk to Asami about the Unspoken Thing between them, however there's something Asami had been hiding from her friends. And that something is Lin Beifong.

This time when Korra walked up to the door of Asami’s mansion, she didn’t hesitate. She pressed the doorbell with a little more force than necessary but she was nervous. It had been a week since Korra had The Talk with Lin and Asami and the duchess had invited the Avatar over to spend some time with her, along with Mako and Bolin. Korra would have much rather be alone with Asami but she would take whatever the duchess gave her. She might acknowledge the fact that the duchess was not available but that didn’t stop her heart from beating faster at the thought of Asami’s smile and sparkling eyes.

Unlike last time, an older man wearing a crisply tailored suit opened the door. Korra recognized the man from being the butler when she first visited Asami’s mansion. She recalled him having to call Bolin ‘Master Bolin.’ “Miss Sato is in the garage. Please follow me.” Korra did as she was told. She was pretty sure that she could have found her way on her own but she was grateful for the help.

However as Korra walked behind the butler, her mind began to wander. She spotted several other servants here and there, many of them tidying up the place. So Asami did give her servants a day off when she had Lin and Korra over. Korra wondered if she did that often to protect her relationship with Lin but the pang in her chest stopped her questioning.

In far less time than she would have liked, the butler opened the door and Korra narrowed her eyes at the sudden sunshine. Her eyes adjusted and she walked outside. The door clicked softly behind her. Korra spotted a car with a hood up and Asami inspecting the engine. The Avatar made her way over to her and saw the grease stains that littered the duchess’s hands and even her forehead where Asami had swept her bangs behind her ear. Korra didn’t see Mako or Bolin and was tempted to stay quiet until the boys showed up. She knew that once Asami started to tinker with her car, the duchess was oblivious to the world.

Despite herself, Korra’s eyes lowered to take in Asami’s form. The duchess had her back to the Avatar and was bent over as she played with something. Korra gulped and shut off her mind before it could fill with images of Asami being bent over something more comfortable like a bed or desk.

Korra coughed into her closed fist and Asami looked behind her to see the Avatar standing a few feet away, a light blush on her cheeks. Asami quickly finished with the engine and shut the hood. She set down her wrench and grabbed the washcloth to clean off the grease. Soon the white fibers were stained grey as Asami strolled over to Korra.

“Hey, Asami,” Korra greeted the older woman. “You okay?” When Asami was tinkering with her car it either meant that the duchess was in a very good mood or in a sour one. The look on her face, especially the crease at the corner of lips, hinted that Asami fell into the later category.

Asami opened her mouth to say she was fine but she stopped herself. Korra knew her too well to buy the lie. “Not really,” Asami admitted. She tossed the dirty washcloth near her wrench and rubbed her temples. “I got out of a meeting today. I’m getting pressured by my investors about the Fire Nation Satostation. They want me to tell my research team to cut corners in developing the carts.” At the look on Korra’s face, Asami explained. “I already have heat resistant metal to make the frames but it isn’t as strong as the metal I use for Republic City’s Satostation. I want my trains to be safe as possible which is taking time and they don’t like that.”

“Your investors sound like greedy assholes,” Korra said with a quirked eyebrow. Asami had a lot more patience than her, she would have punched the investors instead of working on her car.

“Yeah,” Asami chuckled. “But I have to make them happy. They do help the company floating after all.”

Korra and Asami hear someone shout and turned their heads to see Bolin and Mako exiting the mansion. They started to walk to the two women and Asami took a step forward to meet the brothers but Korra’s hand on her arm halted her. Asami looked at Korra with a question in her eyes and the Avatar pointed at a spot on her own neck. “You might want to cover that up before they see it.”

Asami looked confused for a moment and took a peek at one of the side mirrors of the car. A blush covered her face and a hand dashed up to cover the hickey. “Lin,” Asami muttered. She quickly undid her ponytail and fussed with her hair until the lovebite was covered.

“If you wanted to keep your relationship a secret, you shouldn’t wear hickies like a necklace.” Korra couldn’t help the laughter at the sight of Asami’s face.

“She never used to leave hickies on my neck,” Asami had gotten over the shock at the fact that Lin had left a hickey on her at a very visible place. She waggled her eyebrows at Korra. “Maybe she wants you to know I’m hers.” Asami realized what she had said and she held her hands up. “Wai-”

Korra spoke up before Asami could apologize. “Don’t worry about it,” Korra chuckled. She smiled kindly at her friend. “I’m glad she makes you happy. I still don’t get how you two became a thing but I’m glad.”

Relief covered Asami’s features. “Thank you,” she whispered. “She’s a bit like you in all honesty.”

“How?” Korra asked. She and Lin were as different as light and day. The Chief was grouchy and as stubborn as the element she bends.

“Both of you are headstrong.” Asami said. Her face sobered as she continued, “I know this is hard for you but I’m happy we’re still friends.”

Those words hurt Korra more than if Asami said she never wanted to see her again. She forced her lips to tilt up in a mock smile and she knew she failed by the way Asami’s eyes widened and then show her concern.

Luckily for both of them, Mako and Bolin had made their way to the two. “Hey guys!” Korra said before Asami could continue their conversation. “Long time no see!” Korra pulled the brothers into a tight hug, squeezing as hard as she could. The Avatar laughed as two hands patted at her back to be released. She let go and took a moment to look over the two. “No uniforms?” Both Bolin and Mako were back in civilian clothes and the image was now strange on the two of them. Korra was used to seeing them in uniforms. “You didn’t get fired, did you?”

Mako shook his head with a grin. “No, don’t worry.” He gestured down to his normal clothes. Even he seemed a little uncomfortable in civilian clothing. “We’re not allowed to wear the uniform when we’re not working. It’s a new policy after we defeated Kuvira.” Mako glanced away. “The Chief thought that the Police Department needed to be seen more as everyday people instead of ruthless figures of authority.”

Korra and Asami shared a look and focused their attention on Bolin. The younger brother squirmed at their scrutinous eyes. “That true, Bolin?” Korra asked her friend.

The younger brother jerked his head up and down. “Yep! It was totally all Chief Beifong’s idea! President Reiko had nothing to do with it!”

The Avatar didn’t miss how Asami’s eyes narrowed in anger at the mentioning of the president. Korra had her own misgivings with President Reiko but she suspected that Asami had to hear several of Lin’s rants about the man. The duchess probably gave the Chief several of her own.

Mako slapped his forehead at Bolin’s lack of wit. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “President Reiko was worried that the Police Department might have been viewed as more brutal if its officers wore their uniforms as everyday clothing. He wanted to make sure that the image people perceive of us is nothing like Kuvira’s at all.”

That explanation didn’t satisfy Asami. “What if there’s a crime and an off-duty officer is unable to do anything because she doesn’t have her equipment?”

The brothers didn’t understand why the duchess was getting so worked up about them wearing civilian clothing but Korra picked it up right away. Asami was worried that Lin might get hurt if she tried to stop a crime in progress without her equipment. The idea was a bit ridiculous, the Chief still had her earthbending and metalbending, but Korra knew she couldn’t say that now.

Bolin held up his hands like he could physically halt Asami’s words. “We’ll be fine. Mako and I still have our bending.” Korra could have hugged him. He grinned and made a muscle with his arm. “Besides, I can still take down bad guys with just these guns!” His grin grew as a blush spread across his cheeks. “But I still miss those uniforms.”

“Seriously?” It might be because Bolin only joined the Police Department a few months ago but Korra didn’t think he would want to have those stiff uniforms.

Bolin nodded his head vigorously. “Yeah, Opal really likes men in uniforms.” He had a dopey look on his face. “She says that she’s always been attracted to men with authority.” Bolin started babble on an on about Opal but the three ignored him.

Mako rolled his eyes at his brother’s antics and looked at the two women. “He won’t shut up about Opal. I really think he’s in love.”

“Of course I am!” Bolin said, wrapping one arm around his brother’s shoulders and resting his free hand over his heart. “Opal is so perfect, how could I not be in love with her!? She’s so caring and beautiful and smart and strong and-”

“You gotta help me,” Mako pleaded with the two now giggling women. Bolin didn’t seem to hear Mako as he kept listing how Opal was perfect. “She came to visit us and they just won’t stop.”

Korra and Asami were about to ask what Mako meant but the blush on the man’s face made it clear what he was referring to. Korra looked at the still rambling Bolin and almost pitied the man. He was walking on lava and he probably didn’t even know it. The Beifong family were nothing if not protective of their own and she didn’t want to think what Lin would do if she ever found out that Bolin was messing around with her niece. Suyin might be more calm about the situation but Toph, Toph would destroy him. Korra looked at Asami and could see much of the same thoughts were occurring in her mind.

Bolin finally took a breath long enough to notice that the other three weren’t paying attention to him. He looked slightly peeved at being ignored but shrugged it off. “So, what do you want to do?” he asked the group. “Swim? Spar? Have another life-changing and possibly deadly experience in which we learn something new about ourselves and strengthen our relationships with each other?”

“How about racing? Girls versus boys?” Asami suggested. She pointed her thumb at the car Korra had saw her messing with earlier. “I just finished installing a new engine I’ve been working on for my next line of Satomobiles. It’s totally safe.” She smiled at Korra. “It’ll be like old times.”

Korra returned the smile, this one natural instead of forced like before. “That sounds awesome.” Mako and Bolin agreed eagerly. The four split up into two teams, Asami and Korra taking the car that Asami was messing with earlier and Mako and Bolin getting into a car parked in the garage. Now that she was paying attention to the vehicles and not the woman messing with them, they appeared to be upgraded versions of the race cars she and Asami first raced all those years ago. Just like before, Asami took the wheel with Korra sitting in the back. They drove leisurely to the racing track.

Both cars stopped in front of the start line. Asami reached into a glove department to grab some gloves and helmet and goggles. She handed the passenger helmet and goggles to Korra. The Avatar saw the glint in Asami’s eyes and the excited smile. Korra was reminded of the look on Asami’s face when the younger woman caught her with Lin. She looked over to see Mako and Bolin putting on their own safety gear.

“Ready?” Asami asked Mako who was gripping the steering wheel. Mako had a similar look on his face, if less intense, and nodded. He revved the engine once and Asami returned the favor. “Set.” Asami grinned and revved the engine again. The other three might have their elements but here, Asami reigned supreme. “GO!”

Wasting no time, Asami slammed the gas pedal down. Korra yelped and held onto her seat belt for dear life. Mako and Bolin were already lagging behind, not as comfortable with the speed as Asami. Korra looked at the rear view mirror of the vehicle and couldn’t help but smile on the look on Asami’s face. She was so beautiful and fearless when she was racing.

“Hold on!”

Korra almost didn’t hear the older woman and let out a small shriek as she was slammed to the right side of the car but once the shock dissipated, she was laughing. This was so much fun! If it was anyone else driving, she would have been petrified. But she trusted Asami and was able to enjoy her pounding heart and adrenaline rampaging in her veins. Once the car was out of the drift, Korra looked behind them. Mako and Bolin were far, far behind. There was no hope for the brothers to catch up even if Asami let up on the gas.

She turned her head to tell Asami that they had won the race but stopped at the smile on Asami’s face. She saw the fire in Asami’s green eyes as she took another hard turn, the finish line now in sight. It’s only when the duchess driving that her competitive nature comes out. It wasn’t enough for Asami to beat their friends, she had to utterly annihilate them. It was just like when Korra fought in the pro bending tournaments. No wonder Korra fell for her. No wonder Lin likes her.

The two sped past the finish line and Asami slammed the brake pedal. The car squealed to a stop and the two jumped out to celebrate. Korra grabbed Asami by the duchess’s waist and spun her around, the air filled with their carefree laughter. Korra looked up at the duchess and Asami was beaming down at her. The Avatar set Asami back to her feet but they didn’t move away from each other. Asami and Korra’s eyes met and both women didn’t know what to do. A light flush crept up Asami’s cheeks as Korra’s heart pound but no longer from the excitement of the race.

Fuck.

It was still there.

The Unspoken Thing.

Korra let go of Asami and took a step back. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the car. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Asami let her hand rest on Korra’s shoulder for a moment like she didn’t want the embrace to end before it slid down. “It’s okay.”

Both women were saved from the sound of an approaching car. Mako and Bolin drove past the finishing line and braked near them. The brothers got out but the loss didn’t seem to deter their spirits. They were smiling when they walked over to the two. “That was great!” Bolin yelled out even though the two women were less five feet from him.

“It’s about time you two showed up,” Asami said, taking off her helmet and goggles. “I started to worry that I would have to go back and show you where the finish line was.”

Korra watched the three talk but she couldn’t hear the words. How did it end up like this? It’s like with Mako all over again, except Asami was Mako and Lin was Asami. And Korra was just Korra.

#legend of korra #three is (not) a crowd #korra #avatar korra #korrasami #asami #asami sato #mako #bolin #linorra #linsami

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