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star2fishmeg · 11 months

Text

ʜɪɢʜ&ʟᴏᴡ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ʀᴇᴄs

So I've been in the H&L tumblr community for a long time now but only started actively writing for it early last year when there was barely anything, so I'm so happy with the influx of people joining the community recently and thought I'd drop my HiGH&LOW account recommendations!

ᴊᴜɪᴄᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅᴇʀs

≡@straysugzhpe

≡@highandlow-in-borderland

≡@prodbyblush

≡@airbendertendou

≡@strxwberrychocolate

≡@rouzuchan

≡@yuken-gf

≡@simpforchuchu

≡@yunokumori

≡@onlyrains

I adore these accounts and people, and I hope you do too!! And if you're new, I hope this is a starting place!! This community as a whole is full of lovely, interactive, and honestly funny people <3

Also, never be afraid to reblog, comment, or write yourself, I personally love making new moots and friends!!

Have fun and see you around <3

#≡blog information #high&low #highandlow #high&low x reader #high&low the worst #high&low the worst x cross #h&l #high & low x reader #high and low x reader

211 notes · View notes

onlyrains · 7 months

Text

[5:24pm]

— t/w: none

he knew he shouldn't show up at your front door looking like a mess. he knew you would shriek in surprise as you opened the door and carefully guided him to your living room then started to stare at him silently until he needed to break the silence by calling your name. he knew he needed to tell you that his wounds needed to be treated by you, or else you wouldn't move an inch. but fujio knew all along that he wasn't in the right state of mind, so he really did. and he didn't know why he was like this.

“why are you like this?” you wetted the cloth to cleanse his wound for the fifth time.

he knew he shouldn't be glancing at your lips by now.

“like what?”

“i mean—battered, like this.” you stuttered. felt intimidated by the least intimidating person you've ever known.

he knew he shouldn't be chuckling at your response that he found it cute.

“i fell.”

“you fell?” you stopped whatever you were doing to focused on the conversation. in return, making your gaze meet his.

he knew he shouldn't be lying because you would possibly believe to whatever he says even if it was a non sense.

“i was thinking to come here a little faster so i borrowed kiyoshi's scooter. but i fell.” he grinned.

you looked at him in confused yet shocked expression. why did he want to come here faster? why did he want to come here anyway?

“but why? am i forgetting something?” you asked.

he knew you might not completely believe him this time but he knew you wouldn't press for more details. you would just stare with so many mixed feelings and expressions until he felt the guilt eat him and finally tell you the actual situation.

or maybe he wouldn't.

he knew you were so curious yet so shy to even talked about anything that happening in your thoughts about him. so he decided to be selfish this time and take an advantage of that.

he wouldn't told you that there was so much going on in his life—especially in oya and today was the climax where he had fought his own best friend.

he wouldn't told you not because he didn't want you to know about him. it was because he felt ashamed of himself for craving your presence, your warmth—even if he was never touched you that way, and the comfort you gave him—even if you never intentionally comfort him in less than 2 months you've known each other.

he didn't know when exactly he became mentally clingy.

he didn't know why he got everything he needed when he was with you.

he didn't know how he could feel content when he saw you around.

“fujio?” you called him.

he was zoning out and just stared blankly at you for a whole minute.

“hm?”

he knew he shouldn't be notice that your lashes had a longer part that made your eyes easily and beautifully remembered by him.

“fujio, are you okay?”

he knew he shouldn't have been aware that this was the first time you initially touched him first by pulling his chin up to look at you.

he knew he shouldn't have collapsed into your embrace the second his gaze met yours from this close.

he knew he shouldn't have been sobbing while hugging you tight and hiding his face in the crook of your neck and leaving you speechless for sometime.

“i'm sorry,” he said after successfully soaking your neck and shoulder.

“i-it's okay.” you reply. you were definitely not okay.

fujio didn't know why he was chuckling again after seeing you stutter.

“i'm so hungry let's eat something!”

fujio knew he shouldn't be vulnerable with you and he needed to distract you and himself a bit.

fujio knew he had made a mistake since he had tried so hard to deny everything he felt towards you lately.

he stared at your lips again as they parted. his heart shouldn't be beating faster. although he didn't know whether it was because he was scared of your response or it was just because they were yours, and they had become his desire.

“okay, let's go.” you said.

his heart was still beating fast.

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hyugaruma · 5 months

Note

hii, I have a request could you write something about Binzo x f reader

something where he'll be a bit awkward (cause thats how I think he should be haha)

anything you want Im sorry I dont have much ideas

I love your writing keep going !!

Meet-Cute (Binzo x Reader)

♡

re: you meet a strange guy on the subway… he’s not so bad

i wholeheartedly agree, i think binzo would be an awkward doof, but also a bit too honest for his own good. thanks for requesting!!

♡

You could feel his eyes on you, boring into you like some animal. You tried your best to ignore it, opting to pretend to scroll through your phone as he sat directly across from you on the subway. Every time you would look up to try to catch him in the act, his eyes would frantically dart away as if he hadn’t been staring you down for the past five minutes. Your better judgment should’ve told you to be worried about some strange man’s eyes being so keen on you, but something about the way he twiddled with his thumbs so anxiously, or haphazardly drew his hand through his messy hair, made you feel like he wasn’t a threat. Strange, sure, but threatening? You didn’t think so.

You glanced back up again, and again his eyes flickered away quickly. He looked wild, untamed, but somehow equally as shy and awkward. You watched as his tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth as he pretended to read the advertisement displayed above your head. You wondered if he even knew how to read, because his eyes certainly didn’t seem like they were actually focusing on any of the words.

You slowly tucked your phone away into your pocket. If this was a game he wanted to play, you could play it too. So, you decided to stare back at him while he pretended to be preoccupied. You could tell by the way he was starting to fidget that he could feel your gaze on him, saw it from the corner of his eyes. It was making him nervous. You leaned forward, propping your elbow on your knee and letting your chin rest in your palm. Now you were making it obvious. Served him right for doing the same to you.

His leg started to bounce, and he turned his head to pretend to stare between the throngs of people standing in the subway carriage. A hand came up to nervously scratch at his neck. But you didn’t let up. You would make him acknowledge you. As you casually watched him, you couldn’t help but notice that despite his wildness, he was actually kind of cute. Like, in the way one might think a rabid squirrel is still cute despite its savage nature. You almost laughed at the thought, biting it back, but still allowing a smile to draw upon your lips.

It seemed he couldn’t take it anymore, your smile not managing to escape his attention, and he finally looked back to you, your gazes meeting. You gave a little wave. “I couldn’t help but notice that you keep staring at me,” you said. “I thought it was only fair that I should get the chance too.”

He swallowed thickly and tried clearing his throat. He opened his mouth once, decided against whatever he was going to say, and shut it. He contemplated, fingers wrenching at a frayed string from his jean jacket. He stared at you hard for another moment before finally speaking. “Oops.”

Oops? You couldn’t help but chuckle at his response. He was weird, that was for sure. A bit endearing, though. “What’s your name?”

He pointed to himself incredulously, like he had no idea why you would want to be bothered with knowing his name. “Me?” He asked.

You nodded, leaning back in your seat again and crossing your arms over your chest. The overhead comm system dinged as the subway screeched at the arrival of a stop, “Toarushi,” it announced. “Next stop: Nagata.” He didn’t move, and neither did you. The train doors closed, and it was off again.

“Ah, um…” he cleared his throat again. “Miyauchi. You can call me Binzo. If you want.”

“Binzo? Do you want me to call you Binzo?”

He nodded vigorously, some of his anxiety seemingly dissipating at the casual conversation. “Er… What’s yours?”

You responded with your name, and a wide, upbeat smile overtook his face. You felt your heart jump at the sight of it. Okay, maybe kind of cute had been an understatement. There was definitely something novel about him that seemed to draw you in. The next stop was yours, so you wanted to get in as much conversation with him as possible before it was time for you to depart. “So?”

He tilted his head, waiting for you to continue.

“So,” you repeated. “Why were you staring at me?”

His eyebrows shot up, as if it was an obvious question that shouldn’t have even necessitated his answering. Like he couldn’t imagine why you even needed to ask. “Because you’re pretty,” he answered, leaning forward slightly. “Is it okay? If I look at you?”

Your face suddenly became very hot. Now it was your turn to be the nervous mess. But, you hadn’t expected him to answer so bluntly. Usually guys would walk their way around things, try to not-so-subtly subtly let you know that they were attracted to you. But this? This was a new way of flirting, certainly. Though, it didn’t really feel like he was trying to flirt with you, more so just being strikingly honest. “Well, you can look at whatever you want to look at,” you said. “I can’t stop you.”

“I’ll stop if you want.” His earnest eyes bored into you now just as intensely as they had before.

You felt your palms start to sweat. “I don’t mind,” you replied, trying to be equally as honest but finding it hard to stay as unaffected as he was. You shifted in your seat, trying to somehow find the high ground in the conversation again. “Do you normally stare at people you think are pretty?”

“No,” he answered, crudely sticking a finger into his ear and giving it a dig. You almost snorted. “Not normally.”

“Just something you thought you’d try out?” You joked.

He looked at you seriously as he slowly stuffed his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. He looked like he was contemplating your question. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone as pretty as you.”

This time you couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I appreciate it. You’re not so bad yourself.”

You took note of the almost indiscernible pinkness that erupted over his neck at your words. Now it was his turn to shift in his seat, his foot ticking like it so badly wanted to start tapping anxiously at the floor. You could tell he was having trouble with responding, so you decided to bail him out by continuing. “When’s your stop, by the way?”

“Uh… The one we just left?”

You gawked at him. “You mean, you missed your stop?”

A grin split his face again. “You were talking to me.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “It’ll come back around.”

You would have facepalmed if not for how endearing his blatant earnestness was. This guy was like no one you had ever met before. Though, you couldn’t help but to feel similarly to him. The blur of familiar buildings from beyond the subway windows told you that your stop was coming up. And yet, you didn’t want to stop talking to the oddball in front of you. “You didn’t have to miss your stop for me,” you said. “It’s not like we won’t talk again.”

“Huh?” He craned his head to the side, bewilderment on his face.

You smiled as you dug your phone out from your pocket, unlocking it and reaching across the aisle to hand it to him. His head remained cocked as he eyed your phone curiously. It was clear he hadn’t the slightest idea as to what you were insinuating. You rolled your eyes. “I’m asking for your number,” you clarified.

His eyes widened as they flashed back and forth between you and the phone. “Huh?” He said again.

You huffed. “So we can talk again? If you’d like?” The train began gradually screeching to a halt, having finally reached your stop. You started to pull your hand with the phone back as you spoke. “But, if you’re not interested—“

Just as the words started leaving your mouth, Binzo’s hand shot out and snatched your phone from yours with such an excitable ferocity that it almost startled you. “Yes!” He blurted, like he was afraid you’d change your mind. He started childishly one-finger tapping at your phone to put his number in, intense concentration on his face. “I didn’t think you’d be interested, is all,” he quietly muttered, more so to himself than anything, but the words still reached your ears.

The subway came to a stop as he finished putting his number in your phone, handing it back your way. You couldn’t help but notice the way his hand shook slightly. Purposefully, you grazed your fingers against his palm as you took the phone from him. He dazedly looked down at his hand where you had touched him.

You laughed as you stood up, his gaze snapping back up to meet yours. The subway doors opened with a shrill squeak, as if announcing your departure. You sent Binzo a soft smile and a wink, making him go pink again. Oh, you could get used to this. “I am very interested,” you said over your shoulder, crossing the threshold to exit. “See you next time. It’s a date.”

The doors closed, just in time for you to hear Binzo’s voice echo from inside. “Huh?!”

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suzakisbbygirl · 9 months

Note

Hi! I wanted to ask if I could get some hcs on how the leaders of S.W.O.R.D + Mighty Warriors comforts and takes care of their injured lover? I've had a bad week and got hurt recently and saw your requests open and wanted to ask. I hope you're doing well though!

I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having a bad week :(((

I hope this helps even just a little bit

I hope things start to get better for you, and that your injury heals quickly!!

I apologize in advanced for the Mighty Warriors, i still dont know much about them, and I know missed most of them, but I hope this makes you smile!!

All the love ~ ember 🤍

S.W.O.R.D and Mighty Warriors Take Care of Their Injured Partner

Cobra

Okay I know this man is portrayed as one of the toughest guys in the series, but I just know he’s a softie for his partner

When it comes to injuries, he’s got plenty of experience, and knows how to take care of almost anything

However, if it is a more serious injury, he is right by your side taking you to the hospital

And he’s not leaving your side until you are comfortable

Very very attentive to everything

Whether he is the one treating the injury, or its the doctors, he is paying attention to you fully and completely

If the doctor is the one treating the injury, he is listening to everything that they are saying so that he knows what to do when he takes you home

When y’all are back home, do not even think about lifting a single finger

He is an acts of service kind of guy, honestly he would love taking care of you

Again with being attentive, he doesn’t exactly know what you might need, so he over prepares

And he has no shame is asking friends for help getting him stuff if you dont want him to leave you alone

Need food? He’s asking Naomi to bring something from diner Itokan

Yamato is also on speed dial for anything that you could possibly need (bestie benefits lmao)

Has no issues changing your bandages if that’s what you need

And is immediately reassuring you that he wants to help if your an over thinker (talking about myself lol)

Honestly, Cobra is one that I would definitely want around

Becomes clingy when he knows your hurt, but dont tell anyone

Baby just wants to take care of you

Rocky

Rocky is great at taking care of his partner, however he is not the best when it comes to medical things

Naturally he is taking you to the hospital, cause he knows that the doctors will give you better treatment than he can

Attentive to you, more than what the doctors are saying

When the two of you get home, he might need reminders on treatment and what to do

He was just so worried about you, he missed a lot of the instructions

Does everything he can to make you comfortable

Is totally willing to shut down the club until you are better, so that nothing distracts him from you

Another attentive man, he is constantly asking what you need

Acts of service pt. 2, will not let you move a muscle

Tries to keep his normal calmness, but is rushing to your side no matter what

Gets nervous that anything touching you will hurt you

Honestly, he wouldn’t be clingy with you, and might not cuddle you at all

He’s just so nervous that if he touches you, you’ll be in pain

Honestly, protects you from everything as if you’re made of glass

Might even feed you soup if you ask nicely (again, dont tell anyone)

Wont let anyone go near you unless you say its okay

Even then, hes watching like a hawk to make sure nothing could possibly hurt you

Treats you like a queen always, but is extremely careful when you are injured

Murayama

I cannot with this man

Such a softie for you and honestly is not afraid to show it

He already is clingy, but when you’re injured, mans is glued to your side

Fairly confident with his ability to treat injuries, but will still take you to the hospital, just to be safe

Doesn’t seem like he listens to what the doctors tell him, but remembers everything when the two of you get home

Doesn’t necessarily watch over you like a hawk, but will scold you if you try to do anything on your own

He doesnt need to watch over you because he is stuck to your side

Honestly you are not getting him off of you anytime soon

Has his friends pick up literally anything you could possibly want or need because he refuses to leave your side

Honestly might get a little annoying asking if you’re okay or if you need anything

But its just because he loves you and wants you to get better

Holds you as if it’s the last time he will ever be able to

Refuses to let anyone near you because “you’re his fragile baby”

No shame in having others see him cling to you

Honestly his friends have no issues helping to get what you need

Partially because you’re friends with them too

Partially because Murayama would give them the “say no and I’m beating you up” look

He really does a good job taking care of you, though might go a little bit overboard, but its just because he loves you

Rocky

Ohhh no

This man is freaking out

Internally of course

Not once does he lose his composure

Very good with injury care, so he probably will just treat the injury himself

Seems upset, but in reality, he doesnt want you to know that he is freaking out, cause he doesnt want you to freak out too

Another attentive partner

He’s already attentive to your needs, but when you are injured, he is willing to go to the ends of the earth to get what you need

Even if he needs to leave your side, he makes the trip very quick

Honestly is never gone for more than 15 minutes

And wants to get everything himself, cause he is internally blaming himself for you getting injured

Even if he had nothing to do with it, or no way of preventing it from happening

Poor baby :(

Wont necessarily cling to you, but also refuses to leave your side

However if you ask he will cuddle you for as long as you want

Another one who is cautious to let others near you, but isn’t super stressed about it

He’s stressed about your own well being and you getting better

If there are any issues going on in nameless city he will send the others to deal with it until you tell him its okay for him to go

He is their guardian angel after all (what a man)

Another leader that I would for sure want around when injured

Hyuga

When he finds out you’re injured, he’s beyond angry

I mean who has the audacity to mess with his partner ?!

Please tell him what happened before someone ends up in the hospital room next to you

With him, you might be the one calming him down

There is nothing he hates more than seeing you hurt, it makes him so angry

HOWEVER

Still attentive to you, and will take care of you before he tries to hurt anyone else

If someone else did hurt you, they better flea the city before he gets to them

If it was a matter of you injuring yourself, like falling out of a tree or something PLEASE TELL HIM IMMEDIATELY

Sorry that was the first thing that came to mind lol

Might turn into a protective dad and lecture you about being more careful

He just wants you to be safe

Like Rocky, hes not the greatest when it comes to injury care so he is taking you to the hospital

Seems aloof throughout the entire healing process, however he did actually listen to the doctor, and he does actually take very good care of you

Doesn’t mind of others come to see you

Also isn’t super clingy, unless you ask him for cuddles

Very calm about the situation once he finds out what happened

Gets you what you need, and a little extra gift too to make you feel better

He is attentive to you always, despite what others may think

Ice

Ice is calm the entire time

Doesn’t really know how to treat injuries, but also doesn’t necessarily freak out when you are injured

Takes you to the hospital, listens to what the doctor says, and follows their instructions carefully

Attentive in a very calm manner

Very laid back, however he is still at your side the whole time

Will sit with you and cuddle you, but wont necessarily be glued to your side

Still takes care of the things that he needs to do, while also taking care of you

Productive king

Cooks for you, cleans for you, does anything you ask of him

But will also sit by your side all night watching whatever movies you pick with a pile of your favorite snacks that he picked up earlier that day

If you need something, but dont want him to leave, hes asking Sarah (bestie benefits pt.3)

If you try to do something on your own, hes not gonna lecture you, but he will question you

“What are you doing?” “Getting a glass of water…” “Why didnt you let me get if for you?” Type of thing

Honestly, others may think that he really doesnt care, but in reality, he cares more than he wants to show

And he shows you that he cares with how he takes care of you

Wont shut down the club, but also wont perform either

You are his top priority

Jesse

Unbothered king

After his time fighting in prison, he knows how to handle injuries

Takes care of you himself

Is super sweet with you and only you, ALWAYS, but is more intense with others when you are injured

Does not want anyone distracting him from taking care of you

And will only leave to take care of business if it is something big

And if you say its okay, of course

Another productive king

He already treats you like a queen, its just emphasized when you are injured

Another acts of service kind of guy

Wont lecture of you try to do something on your own, and will only ask what you are doing, but wont be bothered by anything

He knows you are an adult and you can take care of yourself

But he does want to do it for you, regardless

Again, not super clingy, but will hold you if you ask him too (awwww)

Becomes even softer with you

Doesn’t necessarily treat you like you’re gonna break, but just wants you to know that he is there for you

Wants to show you that, despite his fighting habits, he can actually take care of you the way that you deserve

Loves you so deeply, sometimes he doesnt know how to show it

Will play with your hair while the music from the club is shaking the building (something you’re used to already)

Unbothered, but very attentive

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ficsandfics · 4 months

Text

Hyuga Norihisa X Reader

This man has been running through my mind for weeks...I think I need help? or not, it's fun anyway

You stir from your sleep, arms unconsciously patting the space beside you where your partner often sleeps beside you

But it was empty, and that was enough to make you open your eyes, and as you thought, Hyuga was not in bed

Brows furrowed in confusion, you sit up, holding the sheets closer to your body as you wince at the soreness you were feeling after the events of the night before

"Where is he?" You mumble sleepily, your boyfriend was many things, he was strong, determined, somehow unhinged, surprisingly caring and affectionate, and unsurprisingly protective of those he loves. But among all those things, there was something that you were certain that he wasn't

He was definitely not a morning person. Definitely not the type of person to wake up at 7 am on a slightly cold morning

So forgetting your desire to lie back down, you grab your undergarments and his shirt to put them on before walking out of the bedroom to look for him

"Nori-" You were just about to call him but stopped midway as you heard a string of curses by the kitchen

You raise one eyebrow before following the sounds of cursing

Stopping in front of the kitchen, you lean on the doorpost as you watch him try...or better yet attempt to cook. Which also came as a surprise. Aside from not being a morning person, Hyuga was definitely not a cook

"For fuck's sake!" He clicks in tongue in annoyance as he looks at the burnt eggs. How the hell can you burn an omelet? For more than 3 times too! How fucking hard was it to make breakfast? These thoughts ran through Hyuga's mind as he stared at the sorry excuse of breakfast in the pan

"Hey there." You decide to make your presence known before walking toward him and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek

"Smells nice." You comment to which he snorts at

"That's bullshit, you and I both know it." He even makes a point to poke the burnt egg with the chopsticks he was using

"Well, yeah it smells like it burned." You nod, "But I appreciate your effort." You smile up at him in an attempt to make him feel better

"Appreciate it when we get to eat breakfast without running out of eggs."

Ah, yes, always the sweetheart

You couldn't help but chuckle at the look on his face as he stared down the breakfast he tried to make, "How about this then, how about I make breakfast instead?" You suggested and kissed his cheek again before stealing the pan and chopsticks from his hands

You move away from him to first, place his attempt on a plate before putting back the pan on the stove and grabbing a bowl to mix the eggs

Hyuga watched as you moved around the kitchen, granted, he really did want to make breakfast for you. But sadly, he wasn't too skilled in that area

But despite his disappointment in being unable to do it, he couldn't help but watch as you move around the kitchen. Still looking very beautiful even if your hair was disheveled there were still traces of sleep in your eyes

Without thinking, Hyuga moved closer to you and placed his arms around your waist

You look at your side as he rests his chin on your shoulder, "Don't tell me you're sleepy, you're the reason why I even got out of bed, you know." You threaten him

He rolls his eyes, "I'm not." He grumbles, as you feel his arms tighten around your waist, "Just thought I'd watch ya, just so I know what to do next time."

"So there's a next time, huh." You smile as he rolls his eyes and pecks your lips

"Yeah yeah, just get to cooking." You chuckle, it was harder to move around with a man basically cuddling you while you move but he was warm, and really, who would want to pull away when their boyfriend was hugging you like this?

"Also, we're definitely going back to bed after breakfast-or if you want we can just do it here in the kitchen." He comments, nuzzling on the curve of your neck

Now, that was definitely something to look forward to

#high&low #high and low #daruma ikka #hyuga norihisa #norihisa hyuga #s.w.o.r.d.#h&l #hyuga high&low #high&low x reader

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rainisawriter · 6 months

Text

Enamored With You – Yuken (PSF #24)

PSF Ficography | H&F Flash Ficography

Genre: Fluff, magic, slice of life

Prompt: “You’ve told your parents?” (@flufftober) / Truth: Do you believe in magic? (@slumberpartybingo Halloween Flash)

Word Count: 5,141

Pairing: Reader x Yuken

World: High&Low

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

You shifted nervously from where you sat on the bullet train, brow furrowed at the glass. The world was passing by you in a blur of grey and brown with the occasional splash of orange.

Yuken’s parents lived about thirty minutes outside of the city and they wanted him to come home for Halloween. He had convinced you to tag along with him because he wanted you to meet his parents.

When you told him you had no right invading on his family gathering, he gave you a wolfish grin and had proudly proclaimed, “I’m going to marry you, one day. They need to meet you first!“

How could you say no to that? Especially when he was giving you that puppy dog look that you simply couldn’t resist.

You could feel your boyfriend watching you and you scowled.

“I’m fine.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Yuken chuckled from where he sat across from you.

“You were thinking it.”

“Oh?” He quirked a brow at you, propping up his chin with his hand. “You never told me that mind reading was one of your powers.”

You sent him a look and he chuckled again, shifting so he was sitting beside you. He put his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer.

“Stop worrying. My parents are going to love you.” He pressed a kiss to the top of your head and you smiled, reaching up to thread your fingers through his own.

You weren’t so much worried that his parents would hate you as you were worried about them finding out your secret. See, you were a witch, descended from a long line of witches. As far as most humans were concerned, your kind didn’t exist outside of movies and you had been taught to keep it that way.

Humanity simply wasn’t ready to accept that a different race had been hiding amongst them for so long. To be honest, you never planned on telling Yuken, at least not for a long while. That went out the window when he got into a huge fight with guys twice his size and age.

He had been pretty badly injured but refused to go to the hospital. You were scared of losing him so you used your magic to stop the bleeding, thinking he was unconscious. He wasn’t and, well… you had a lot of explaining to do after that.

You were convinced that he was your soulmate so the last thing you wanted to do was scare his parents or make them hate you. It’s not like you didn’t have control over your powers, but there was always a slim chance of using them by accident when your emotions ran high.

You rested your head against his chest, calmed by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. ‘This trip is going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen.’

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

You followed Yuken up the steps of his parent’s house, gripping the strap of your bag tightly as he pushed the door open, announcing that he was home. A short woman with permed brown hair came rushing out of the kitchen, a bright smile on her face.

“Welcome home!” She cupped his face. “Oh, look at you! You’ve gotten even taller than the last time I saw you.”

“Maybe you’ve just gotten shorter, kaa-chan~” he teased with a grin, earning a smack to his arm.

She turned to face you, offering a polite yet friendly smile. “Welcome to the Odajima home, dear. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

You bowed politely to her. “Thank you for having me, Odajima-san.”

“Oh, please, no need to be so formal! You can just call me Kao. Or, if you feel so inclined… you can call me kaa-chan,” she winked at you, making you smile. “Well, what are you waiting on? Take your things upstairs and get settled. Go on!”

“Yes, kaa-chan~” sang Yuken before he started toward the stairs, you close behind.

His bedroom was clean and minimalistic, just like his apartment in the city. A single bed sat against the right wall with a bookcase on one side and a table on the other. Across from the bed was a desk, though there was nothing but a cup of pens sitting atop it. A dresser sat beneath the window and the closet was to the left of the door.

You set your bags on the bed, unzipping them so you could unpack. Yuken came up behind you, hugging you softly as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Don’t bother. We’re only staying for three days.”

“I know, but we should still put them away.”

He hummed, pressing his lips to the skin beneath your ear. “I’d rather spend that time with you.”

You grinned, turning around in his hold, your arms finding their place around his neck. “Technically, we’d be doing it together so you would be spending time with me.”

“I can think of better things to do,” he mused before pressing his lips against yours.

You didn’t hesitate to kiss back, tilting your head to the side to deepen the kiss. His tongue brushed against your lower lip and you granted him access just so you could brush your tongue over his piercing. He groaned in appreciation, giving you a squeeze before pulling away.

His forehead rested against yours, a goofy grin on his lips. “I love you so much. You know that, right?”

You hummed, eyes flashing red for a moment before a smile came to your lips. “You’re telling the truth.”

He pouted, lightly pinching your hip. “Did you really just use magic on me? How rude.”

“I’m sorry,” you replied, trying to sound genuine but the wolfish grin on your lips and the amused glint in your eyes gave you away.

“You are so not sorry.”

“I am, I swear~” You reached up to kiss him but he turned his face at the last second so you planted a kiss against his cheek. “Now that is rude.”

“I don’t kiss liars.” He tried to sound annoyed but, just like you, he couldn’t keep a straight face. For a moment, the two of you just looked at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles. “Liars must be punished!”

You laughed when he went slack against you, his weight forcing you back onto the bed. “You’re heavy, get offa me.”

“I refuse.” His face nuzzled into the crook of your neck, arms tight around your body. “You didn’t say it back.”

“Hm?” Your fingers brushed through his hair, tugging it free from the hair tie. “Say what?”

“You didn’t say you love me back.”

A warm smile came to your lips. “I love you, Odajima Yuken. I love you more than the moon loves the stars. More than the flowers love the sun.”

He slowly pushed himself up, elbows resting on either side of you as his eyes met yours.

You cupped his cheek with a smile. “I love you more than the wind loves the trees and more than the earth loves the rain.”

“You’re so cheesy,” he whispered, heart filled with warmth and love for you.

“You love it.”

“I really do,” he whispered, pressing his lips against yours again, this time in a slow, sensual embrace.

“Yuken! Your brother is home!”

The two of you broke apart and you furrowed your brow at him. “Brother? I thought it was just going to be your parents.”

“It was supposed to be.” His own brow furrowed as he pulled himself off the bed, holding his hand out to you. “I guess you’re meeting the whole family.”

You held back a groan as you followed him down the stairs. Standing in the doorway was a heavily pregnant woman holding the hand of a young little girl. When the child saw Yuken, her face lit up and she darted toward him, jumping into his arms.

“Ken-oji-chan!” She giggled when he held her up by the armpits, spinning her around.

“Look at you~” he cooed happily. “You’re getting so big!”

“Papa says if I eat my veggies, I’ll grow as big as you one day!”

“He’s right,” he tapped her on the nose, making her squeal in delight.

You couldn’t help but smile at the interaction and how cute the two of them were.

“Yuken,” called the woman, sending him a look. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

The tall male held the young girl against his hip with one arm, the other going around your waist and tugging you closer as he introduced you to them before introducing them to you. “This is my sister-in-law Midori and my adorable little niece Mikki.”

Milking smiled shyly at you, offering a small wave. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” you smiled back.

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” grinned his sister. “Yuken talks about you constantly. It’s like he’s obsessed with you!”

“Nee-chan~” Yuken pouted, earning a laugh from the older woman. “I’m not obsessed…”

“Oh, you definitely are.”

His mom entered the room with a grin, tossing a dish towel over her shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with it, Yuken dear. To love someone with all of your being is to be obsessed with them.”

Midori nodded in agreement. “That’s right. It’s so romantic!” Her eyes fell to you, cupping her mouth despite talking at a normal level. “He truly does love you. Make sure you don’t hurt him, okay? He’s surprisingly sensitive.”

“Nee-chan!” He scowled, pale cheeks dusting with pink.

You felt your own cheeks heat up the tiniest bit, butterflies fluttering in your stomach as a smile slid onto your face. You had been so afraid of meeting his family but you were realizing that they were the sweetest people. You already felt at home.

You felt eyes burning holes into you and you glanced toward the kitchen, spying Yuken’s dad lingering in the doorway with a blank expression. His dark eyes were staring directly at you and it felt as if he could see directly into your soul.

You shifted nervously, returning your attention to the siblings as they teased each other. You tried to ignore it, but there was a voice at the back of your head, repeating the same phrase like a mantra within your brain.

‘He knows you’re a witch. He knows, he knows, he knows. He knows you’re a witch!’

You shook your head to try and rid yourself of those thoughts. That simply wasn’t possible. You had only used your power once since arriving and it was just you and Yuken in the bedroom, the door closed. Though it was highly unlikely, there was a slim chance that he had somehow seen it or perhaps sensed it.

In your experience, finding a human who could sense a witch’s magic was incredibly rare, but not impossible. Could it be that he was one of those rare humans? Could it be that he really did know?

“Dear, are you okay?” Kao rested her hand on your arm, a worried frown on her face.

“Ah, yes, I’m fine,” you replied quickly, bowing to her in apology.

“If you’re sure…” She didn’t appear to believe you but she nodded anyway, taking the young girl from Yuken’s arms. “Who wants cookies?”

“I do, I do!” squealed Mikki.

“Let’s go get them, then, hm?”

The pair disappeared into the kitchen, Yuken’s father narrowing his eyes at you before following after them.

Midori offered you a comforting smile as she leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Meeting the family can be overwhelming, right? I was a wreck when I met them for the first time, but they truly are so loving and accepting. As long as you make their son happy, they will welcome you with open arms.”

“That’s good to know. Thank you,” you smiled gratefully at her.

Her lips parted but, before she could speak a word, the front door slammed open and a teenage girl came rushing in, carrying several bags. She had a scowl on her face and didn’t spare any of you a glance as she rushed up the stairs, knocking into Yuken on the way.

“Hey, Kaeli -” Yuken frowned when she ignored him, slamming the bedroom door a moment later.

Her father appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, a deep frown on his lips. He, too, was holding several bags.

Midori frowned at her husband. “Did you two argue again?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “She’s really not happy about the move.”

“It’ll take time, but I’m sure she’ll come around, darling.”

“I sure hope so.” He offered her a sad smile before taking notice of you. He quickly set the bags down, running his palm across his jeans before holding them out to you. “Hi! I’m Yuken’s older brother, Ran. Very nice to finally meet you.”

You slid your hand into his with a smile. “Nice to meet you, too, Ran-san.”

“Please, no need to be so formal. Just call me nii-chan,” he gave you a wolfish grin. “He talks so much about you, it feels as if I already know you!”

Yuken groaned, pressing his hand over his face and muttering under his breath about embarrassing siblings.

You laughed at this. “Hopefully all good things.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “He doesn’t have a single bad thing to say about you.”

Your hand found Yuken’s and you offered him a warm smile which he returned.

“I’m gonna take the bags upstairs and try to talk to Kae.” Ran picked up the bags and started toward the stairs but his wife stopped him, slipping in front of him.

“Let me talk to her instead, darling.”

“Probably a better idea,” he chuckled.

Yuken waited until they disappeared up the stairs before turning to you with a pout. “I’m sorry, my family is a bit eccentric.”

“Just like you,” you teased, bringing his hand to your lips. “They seem really sweet, though.”

“They are.”

You glanced at the kitchen door. Someone was clearly there but they pulled back so quickly that you weren’t able to see who. You thought about the blank stare his dad had given you and you frowned.

“What is it?” wondered Yuken, swinging your hand lightly between you.

“It’s just…” you looked at him with a furrowed brow. “Did you… tell your parents?”

“Tell them what?”

“About,” you waved your hand toward yourself for emphasis. “You know.”

“No, why would I tell them?” His brow furrowed as he glanced at the kitchen doorway. “You told me not to. I would never go behind your back like that.”

“I know. I know. Sorry,” you offered him an apologetic smile and he hummed, pulling you into a hug.

“Stop worrying so much, love. I won’t tell them unless you ask me to. We’re going to have a great weekend together without incident.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

“Kaeli, it’s time for dinner,” Ran called out, standing in front of the sliding glass doors that led into the backyard.

She glared at him over her shoulder before turning away and putting her headphones on over her head. The blonde sighed, closing the door before sitting back down at the table.

“She’s never going to forgive me, is she?” He pouted, stabbing the bread roll with his fork. “I’m a terrible father!”

His mother chuckled from the other end of the table. “She’s a teenager. I’d be more worried if she didn’t hate you.”

Yuken lifted his head, sending her a fake offended look. “I didn’t hate you.”

“Yes, dear, but I’m your mother,” she smiled, patting his hand. “And you’re a good boy.”

“What about me, ma?” wondered Ran, making her hesitate.

“Well… you were a bit more of a handful, dear.”

He groaned, hanging his head. “No wonder she hates me. I was the bad child!”

“The youngest is always the angel,” commented Yuken with a snicker, looking at the young girl sitting across from him. “Isn’t that right, Mikki-chan~?”

“That’s right!” She giggled, throwing her arms into the air. “I’m an angel!”

Midori slowly came into the kitchen, face scrunched up in displeasure as her hand rested over her large belly. Ran jumped up, rushing over to her. “Hun, you should be in bed.”

“I’m fine,” she forced a smile. “I want to be with my family. Where’s Kaeli?”

“She doesn’t want to come inside…”

“I’ll get her. She’s gonna get eaten alive by mosquitos!” Shaking her head, she approached the glass door and slid it open, peering out into the night. “Kaeli? Kaeli, where are you?”

Ran rushed over, heading out into the yard and yelling out her name, but there was no sign of the young girl. “Kaeli! Kaeli, you answer me right now!”

You and Yuken exchanged a look, getting up from the table to help him look. Something made you pause on your way, though, your eyes widening as they fell onto the puddle beneath Midori.

She sent you a pained look, leaning against the counter for support. “I think… my water just broke…”

“Shit,” you cursed, rushing over to the door. “Yuken! Ran! Midori just went into labor!”

With wide eyes, the two males rushed back into the room, the air thick with tension and panic. Ran was fussing over her, trying to get her to do her Lamaze breathing despite the fact that she already was. Yuken gripped his hair, pacing back and forth with a panicked look on his face.

“What in the world is -” Kao entered the kitchen with a furrowed brow, brown eyes taking in the scene. She smacked her eldest child upside the head. “You’ve already had two children, what are you panicking for?”

“I don’t know!”

“Go get her bag.”

“Okay!” Ran rushed from the kitchen, his feet pounding on the stairs.

“Yuken, get Midori to the car.”

“Yes, kaa-chan!” Yuken carefully took her by the arm, helping her from the kitchen.

She sent you an apologetic look. “I hate to ask this of you, but will you try and find Kaeli? I’m sure she isn’t far. She’s a good girl, really.”

“I don’t mind at all. I promise to find her, so please don’t worry!” You gave her a determined look which she returned with a warm smile, bringing your hands into hers.

“I have no doubt, dear. Thank you.”

The way she said that concerned you but you didn’t have time to worry about whether or not she knew your secret. You grabbed your jacket, rushing out into the chilly autumn night and into the dense forest that sat at the edge of the property.

The sky was covered with grey clouds, blocking out the stars and the full moon. The ground was littered with orange and brown leaves, crunching beneath your feet as you ran. Unlike the city, the area was quiet and peaceful save for the occasional sound of an owl hooting from somewhere high above.

“Kaeli!” You called out, your voice echoing through the tall trees. “Kaeli, please answer me! Your mom has gone into labor!”

There was no response, making you curse.

‘Calm down, breathe.’ You stopped running, taking a few deep breaths until you felt your heart rate slowing. You closed your eyes, focusing hard on the world around you.

Every single living object has an aura, no matter how faint it may be. Even things such as trees and plants have their own aura, though it’s hard to pick up on because of how faint it is. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a human’s aura was by far the strongest which made tracking easy, especially when they were alone in a forest.

With your eyes closed, you were able to see the forest in black and white within your mind. You could see the faint red aura of Kaeli in the distance, but she wasn’t alone, surrounded by three massive wolves.

Panic gripped you as your eyes snapped open, your legs carrying you quickly in her direction. You heard them before you saw them – Kaeli begging them to leave her as they snarled and growled.

“Kaeli!” You cried, bursting through the tree line. Your sudden appearance startled the wolves and the one on the left lunged at you, teeth bared and jaw open wide. Your eyes flashed red as you issued a command, voice sounding as if it were layered. “Sit.”

The wolf whimpered, immediately sitting down and lowering its head, ears flat against its head. The other two charged at you.

“Sit!” you ordered, eyes flashing red. The brown wolf obeyed but you weren’t fast enough to use your power again as the black wolf jumped at you. You threw up your arm to block your face, wincing as its teeth sank into your flesh. With clenched teeth, you stared him directly in the eyes. “Retreat.”

The wolf slowly released its hold on you, whining in fear before scurrying off, his friends close behind. You waited until you could no longer sense them before you released the breath you had been holding, leaning back against a tree.

“Kaeli, are you alright?” you called out to her, a frown on your lips.

“Are you dumb?” She scoffed as she ran over to you, wide eyes set on the injury. “You just got attacked by a wolf but you’re asking me if I’m okay?”

You chuckled, taking her sass as a good sign that she was unharmed.

“I’m so confused,” she breathed out, eyes filling with tears. “Your eyes, they… were they glowing? And those wolves, they… they listened to you! How…?” She shook her head, wiping furiously at her eyes. “We have to get you to the hospital!”

“I’ll be okay.”

“You’re bleeding!” she cried in exasperation. “Yu-oji is gonna be so upset when he finds out…”

“Which is why we’re not gonna tell him,” you chuckled, knowing how protective your boyfriend could be.

“I think he’s gonna notice, oba-chan!”

Your heart warmed when she called you her aunt because it didn’t feel forced, it felt natural, as if you truly were part of her family. “Can you keep a secret, Kaeli?”

“I can, but -” she motioned frantically toward your bleeding arm. “He’s going to see it!”

“I guess we’ll just have to fix that, then, hm?”

“How?”

“Do you believe in magic?”

“Magic?” Her brow furrowed as she searched your gaze, realization slowly dawning on her. “No way…”

You smiled, holding your hand over the wound. Your eyes glowed red and your hand followed soon after, tendrils of red light shooting toward the wound. Warmth enveloped you as it slowly started to close, leaving not a single mark behind.

“Holy shit,” she muttered, eyes snapping to yours. “Don’t tell dad I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with me if mine is with you.”

Kaeli nodded frantically. “So, you’re a…?”

“A witch,” you admitted, watching her expression carefully for any sign of fear.

Rather than act afraid, though, her eyes lit up. “That’s so cool! Yu-oji is marrying a witch!”

Before you comment on the statement, you heard Yuken’s voice echoing through the trees, alternating between calling out your name and hers.

“Over here, babe!” You called out, peering around the tree so you could see him.

Relief flashed across his face when he saw you and he rushed forward, throwing his arms around your body. He exhaled sharply beside your ear. “I was so worried. I saw a few wolves and I thought…”

You patted his back gently. “Don’t worry, we’re perfectly fine. How’s Mikki doing?”

“Mom?” interjected Kaeli, voice trembling slightly. “Did something happen to her?”

“She went into labor, kiddo,” answered Yuken with a smile, ruffling the top of her head. “Do you want to stay here or go see her at the hospital?”

Kaeli bit her lip, shifting from one foot to the other. “Oba-chan?”

“Yes?” you looked at her curiously, ignoring the smirk that came across Yuken’s face when he heard what she called you.

“Do you think… they’re mad at me?”

“No. I think they’ll be happy to see you safe and sound, ready to meet your new sibling.”

She nodded, a smile coming to her lips. “I wanna go to the hospital, Yu-oji!”

“Then let’s go!” He slipped his hand into your own, starting toward the house. Kaeli ran ahead, pausing when she got too far so the two of you could catch up.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

You stifled a yawn as you stepped into Yuken’s bedroom, tossing your jacket on the desk. Yuken came in behind you, shutting the door behind him.

“Take the bed,” he mumbled tiredly, rubbing at his eyes.

“Not a chance.”

“I’m too tired to argue, love,” he groaned, trying to send you a stern look.

“Then don’t,” you grinned, lying down atop the air mattress that sat on the floor beside the bed.

His eyes narrowed at you and he didn’t hesitate to follow, laying his body on top of your own. You huffed at his weight but said nothing, wrapping your arms around him as he buried his face in your neck.

Silence fell over the room and you thought he had fallen asleep until he spoke up, his voice soft. “I’m really glad you came with me.”

“You didn’t really give me a choice,” you teased, combing your fingers through his silky hair.

“You wanted to come and you know it.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that.”

He scoffed, arms tightening around you. “I love you so much. I’m happy we’re gonna get married one day…” His voice trailed off as sleep claimed him and you smiled, feeling warmth fill you.

“Yeah… I’m happy about it, too.”

Despite how exhausted you felt, sleep refused to come for you and you laid there for hours before finally giving up. Yuken slept pretty heavily, so you were able to slip out from beneath him without waking him up.

The house was silent, half the participants asleep while the other half were still at the hospital with Midori, waiting for her child to finally arrive. You slipped out into the backyard, breathing in the early morning air. It was still early so the sun hadn’t yet begun to peak its head over the horizon.

The clouds had disappeared and, though the stars were barely visible now, the full moon was still shining brightly as it slowly sunk lower across the sky. You fell onto the bench in the garden, exhaling softly.

Your body was sore from using your magic, though you weren’t surprised. Controlling magic was complicated, an advanced form of magic that required your own energy in order to pull off correctly. It was a tiring form of magic that witches tended to avoid simply because of how draining it was. You didn’t regret it, though, and would happily do it again.

The bench creaked as someone sat beside you and you glanced over, surprised to find Yuken’s father sitting there. You straightened up on instinct, feeling a bit nervous. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable so you forced yourself to speak.

“Can’t sleep?”

His dark eyes fell on you, narrowing. “I know what you are.”

You sucked in a breath, fingers curling around your pants. “I… I’m sorry?”

“Witch.”

Your heart fell to your stomach and you swallowed hard. You didn’t want to deny it because you’d be lying to his face – not a good thing to do to your future in-law. You couldn’t bring yourself to admit it either, though, terrified that he would tell you to break up with his son. Instead, you remained silent, trying to calm your nerves.

“I knew the moment I saw you. You witches have the same aura.”

You held back a groan. Of all the people to possess the rare ability to see a witch’s aura, why did it have to be the father of your boyfriend?

“I don’t like witches,” he stated, folding his arms over his chest.

You lowered your head, feeling ashamed despite having done nothing wrong.

“When I was a boy, a witch tried to kill me. Nearly did, too.”

“I’m so sorry,” you replied softly, feeling genuinely sad by this information. Not just because he was Yuken’s father, but also because witches who attack humans only make things worse for the race as a whole.

“Do you know how I survived?” he questioned, his gaze falling on you again.

You could imagine a few ways, none of them pleasant.

“My life was saved… by a witch.”

Your eyes snapped to his in surprise, having not expected that at all.

His eyes flickered to the necklace hanging around your neck. It was a red jasper crystal in the shape of a pendulum, hanging from a thin, black rope. “The witch that saved me was wearing that.”

You lifted your hand to the pendant with wide eyes. The necklace belonged to your mother, passed down through your family for generations. It was tradition to pass it on to your child upon their fifteenth birthday because that’s when they become a full-fledged witch.

You didn’t know what to say, your lips parting and closing repeatedly.

“If you’re the child of that woman, then I have no doubt that you’re one of the good witches. My son seems enamored with you and, while I’m weary of your kind, I don’t want to hurt him.” He shifted so he was facing you, eyes narrowed. “If you hurt my son in any way, I promise you will regret it. Witch or not, no one will stop me from protecting my child.”

You nodded in understanding. “I promise, Odajima-san, I will never hurt him. I… I love Yuken more than anything else in this world. I would die for him happily.”

“While I admire your dedication,” he grunted. “We don’t die for the people we love. We live for them.”

Your eyes widened at the wise words. “Yes… yes, you’re right.”

He nodded, seeming satisfied that he had gotten all of that off of his chest. He stood up, turning to head back inside only to pause, glancing back at you. “Tell your mom thank you. I didn’t get the chance.”

“I will,” you promised, watching him re-enter the house. Your body relaxed against the bench, a wide smile on your face as you turned your gaze to the sky, fingers brushing the crystal absent-mindedly. As the sun peaked over the horizon, rays of light falling across your body, you couldn’t help but feel completely at peace.

You felt at home with the Odajima family, as if they were your own. They had welcomed you with open arms and, though only two of them knew the truth about you, they had accepted you for who you are. It gave you hope for the future, hope that the rest of his family would be just as accepting.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

-> High&Low/Rampage Taglist: @kiraaaeon, @simpforchuchu, @star2fishmeg, @thatpoindexterpixy @manhwabtch

-> General Taglist: @asterhaze, @mrskenpachizaraki

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sliceofcake-cupoftea · 1 year

Text

Batter... Batter... Swing!

Character(s): Murayama Yoshiki (x reader)

Plot Line: Soulmates; A troubling concept. Especially when you are meant to be the perfect boring golden child to your parents but yours is a high school deliquent that can't seem to stay out of trouble. Seems like a perfect match in your opinion.

Warnings: High and Low (Violence, mature content, etc.)

Life was fucked.

Though, you guessed you couldn’t really complain.

It wasn’t as if you were poor. Your parents weren’t abusive (technically; maybe leaning a bit towards emotionally in certain situations). Everyday, you were welcomed home to a nice house and a warm meal. Hell, you had the necessities every teenager craved (and a bit more if you were honest).

But, you loved to complain.

To be fair, teenagers liked to complain. A lot.

If you had to pick where your problems began, it would be your parents. It started with encouragement in getting good grades. Then it turned into praise for perfect grades. Next came a suggestion to learn an instrument. Which eventually spiraled into multiple. However, it didn’t stop there. Like as if shoved down a set of concrete stairs, you were slammed into sports, tutoring, after school clubs, community service, multiple language classes. The list just seemed to go on and on.

Though, you weren’t all that different from many of your classmates. All of them were breaking their backs in order to appeal to their parents and society's standards. Hell… and people wondered why Japan had one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

To be fair, the only thing that kept you from going insane and losing your mind were three things in life.

The first was pretty simple. You were a third-year in high school, technically an adult in age as of two months ago, and almost done with the shithole town you called home. Though, the pressure of going to University was a fast approaching issue especially concerning your parents; hiding your numerous acceptance letters that came in the mail kept that topic away from view and mind. At least for now.

The second thing was the thing most people your age held onto during dark times. Your soulmate. While you weren’t wishy-washy with the topic like some of your peers that spent hours daydreaming about there's, you also weren’t horrified and against the idea like the others. You were in the middle, neutral in opinion, maybe drifting a bit towards wishy-washy at times.

It was likely the reassurance and the type of mark you had. There were many types ranging from average ones like tattoos and timers to more complicated ones like how you couldn’t speak if your soulmate was talking. Thankfully, you were given one of the simpler ones. When you closed your eyes, you were able to see things your soulmate experienced during the day.

You liked it.

Though that was likely because your soulmate was one crazy motherfucker. He definitely wasn’t the average law abiding citizen nor the rich successful man your parents dreamed of. But, he had… this spark. Even if your parents would never truly grow to like a man that was a delinquent part-timer in high school that got into too many fights, you would always appreciate him. It was never boring closing your eyes to tune into what was going on in his life.

It was something you craved. Like a child walking by a candy shop as it was eating a gross vegetable, it appealed to you.

However, you couldn’t help but feel your gut wrench whenever you tuned out of your soulmate's world. Compared to his, yours was so… boring. And if there was one thing you knew about your soulmate, he hated being bored.

…

…Fuck.

…

Finally, the third thing you clung to… was rather odd.

Baseball.

Not Softball–though you did start off there and it was pretty good as well–you loved baseball. Only baseball.

It reminded you of peaceful times. When you visited the countryside to see your grandparents, your grandfather used to play catch in the backyard with you. He loved baseball just like you. Playing in a club team in town far into his late-adulthood until his joints couldn’t take it anymore. Something your father hated, how his father could have been much more successful if he hadn’t taken to the peaceful and calming life. A money-hungry pig, that's what your father was. Your mother close behind him in the trait as well.

That was likely what got you in arguments with your father so much later on in life. Especially when you joined the Boys Baseball team in High School. You would have been more than fine joining a softball team or girl’s baseball team but they had neither at the school you went to (likely a thing your parents planned for when they transferred you there now that you thought about it two years later) so you went with the only option.

You were the first girl in the history of your academy to join the school’s baseball team. It wasn’t against the rules in the High school league to have a female player and you had one hell of a swing so your coaches begrudgingly couldn’t give up the opportunity to not let you on.

You were pretty popular as well in the league. Earning yourself quite the fan base as High School baseball is quite popular in Japan. Even hearing some rumors that you might be picked up by—

All of a sudden the feeling of a warm breath blowing against the shell of your ear causes you to flinch. Opening your eyes and taking out one of your earbuds, you turn to look at the two smirking first-years next to you. While annoying, Kenji and Sota were two boys on the team you could call friends. Even though they got into trouble more often than not.

“Stalking your soulmate again?” Kenji teases, making you roll your eyes. Though this only makes his smirk wider, “Anything interesting? Like…”

Upon seeing his wiggling eyebrows and the inappropriate hand gesture he makes, you don’t hesitate in punching his shoulder. Hard.

Though that only causes him to bump into Sota, making the blonde-haired boy fall off his bus seat at the end and into the aisle, and for Kenji to let out a loud cackle of a laugh as he lays across both seats. Very loud. Catching the attention of two second years sitting in front of you; Ren and Keita.

While Ren looks amused at the scene behind him as he watches from the crack in between the seats, Keita is rather not. Being the serious and intense pitcher he was, he grumbles about you guys distracting him from his pregame meditation and turns back around.

If you haven’t given enough of them today already, you roll your eyes once more at the chaos and stupidity surrounding you. Especially as Sota kicks Kenji in the stomach, making the boys begin to wrestle in the aisle of the bus as it continues driving down the highway. All the while you overhear your Coaches begin to yell at them and the rest of the student body begin to make group bets of who will win.

Suddenly the call of your name snaps you away from your first year friends brawling in the aisle, “You aren’t getting nervous on us, are you?”

You scoff as you look behind you at your fellow third year–Ryo–one of your captains and one of the few in your year that respected you on the team.

“Never.” You answer simply, using the available seats to put your legs up and lean against the glass window of the bus.

“Even though you are facing Oya High School for the first time?” Ryo says, raising an eyebrow in amusement. To be fair, your team traveled a long way to face Oya once every season for three games; an 4 day grueling excursion that allowed you to be excused from classes. Though while it was fun to skip classes, the game itself wasn’t. It was well known in every school, no matter the prefecture, for it to be brutal to face Oya in any sport as they never played fair; more interested in fights breaking out on the field than the actual game at play. You missed it your first year as you got a bad cold when it was time to travel for the game and there weren’t any games facing them in your second year due to the fact your pitcher was sent to the hospital the previous year. So, as a third-year, this would be your first time facing them.

You couldn’t help but wonder how that would go. A girl on a boys baseball team facing off against the brutal Oya High.

“Holy shit look at this place!”

All of your peers who were previously chattering excitedly amongst each other had suddenly grown eerily silent. As you turn around to face the window behind you, you suddenly understand why. You had entered into S.W.O.R.D territory and it was… well it was something. You would like to say it was something you had never seen before but…well, that would be a big fat lie. It was all too familiar to you and you knew exactly as to why.

Shit.

You feel an anxious lump settle in your stomach as your bus comes to a screeching stop in front of the infamous Oya High School.

Holy fucking shit.

It was an odd feeling looking at this school as you knew its layout like the back of your hand even though this was your first time physically being here.

“Oh my god.” You overhear one of the first years mutter nervously as the school in front of you–which looked deserted before–practically erupts. What looks like students begin to come from out of the concrete graffiti building. All yelling and screaming at you guys. Some students start throwing items at your bus from above while other, more adventurous ones, begin to come up to your bus. Banging on the windows or shaking the large metal vehicle.

It was freaking terrifying. Though fascinating. Especially as you actually recognize a part-timer banging and pointing at a terrified second-year. Someone who you know from looking in your soulmate's eyes enjoyed cooking for his friends at the local Ramen shop his grandmother owned. Making him seem all bark, no bite to you now.

“Senpai,” Sota squeaks out as he watches as you get up from your seat from his spot on the aisle floor, beginning to take down your sports bag from the overhead storage as if unaware of the chaos breaking out outside, “What… What are you doing?”

Unable to stop yourself, you let a small smug grin spread to your face as you look down at him as you shrug on your bag, “I’m getting off, it's been a long bus ride and my legs kill.”

As the first-year sputters, you make your way past him and to the front. The terrified bus driver looks at you confused before you gesture to the doors, signaling him to open them. He chokes on his words in pure shock and you can’t but shake your head and sigh as he continues to sputter inconherently. Reaching over you press the button to release the pressure off the bus doors and watch as they swing open.

Like wolves to a bleeding lamb, two large full-timers appear in front of the waiting doors. Seeming to want to climb in to cause some chaos but stop short once they see who was in front of them. A girl in the opposing team's boy’s baseball uniform.

“Hello,” you greet the two, not quite recognizing them from the link, as you proceed to get off the bus. Once you take the last step off and your feet touch the concrete ground, the doors behind you very quickly slam close.

Slowly, you look behind you to the terrified and horrified filled looks of your team inside. Most thinking you had likely gone insane.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, your shirt is grabbed and you feel yourself lifted off the ground until your toes are just skimming the surface of the concrete.

“Is this some sort of joke?”

Now, you would be lying if you weren’t just a bit terrified. Especially as more full- and part-timers begin to come up to you. All seeming to be interested to see what was your deal.

Though, you knew what to do. After all, your soulmate dealt with these assholes every day. You knew some of them like the back of your hand and the others you could assume probably had short fuses.

“Nope.” You say out, looking around at the other guys around you, “Just curious as to where the field is.”

“Huh?” One of them starts, though he is quickly stopped by another student from approaching you closer.

“The direction of the baseball field? Is it out back?” You mumble some more, using the guy's fist that was holding you up as leverage as you attempt to look as if you were peeking behind him, “I should probably get started warming up if we want a good game.”

As you stop speaking, it’s suddenly silent from the group around you before all of a sudden a part-timer next to you breaks out laughing. He slaps his knee once, then a second time, and finally wipes his eye as if a tear slipped out. The action causing some of the others to be rather amused.

“All right that's enough, Kou.” The part-timer says, shoving the guy holding you in the chest, making you fall from his grasps. Thankfully landing right on your feet safely.

“But–” The student goes to rebut but all it takes is a glare from some of his seniors and he falls quiet.

The heavy weight of the part-timer’s arm falls across your shoulder and he begins to lead you away from the group. Some grumble in annoyance for a moment until they hear the sound of an alarm breaking out. From the upcoming sounds of girlish sounding screams, you guessed one of the Oya students was able to get an emergency window to open from the outside.

“Hey, Kid.” A second part-timer calls out from your other side. One you recognized very much as you turned to look at him. Furuya; A close friend of your soulmate. “You got a good swing?”

He grabs one of your bats from the side of your bag, examining it. Seemingly interested in the overly expensive bats your parents (for while they hate the sport) forcibly had given you so you don’t appear poor or lesser than the other students on your team.

“You bet,” You say with a grin, turning to look in front of you as students continue to scream at you. Calling you all sorts of names and making gestures as if they want you to fight them, “It’s why I made the team.”

“Really?” He says, unimpressed and bored as he lifts an eyebrow at you.

Though that doesn’t faze you in the slightest as your smile only gets bigger at the challenge in front of you. Adrenaline practically pumping through your veins at your next words.

“Let's make a bet then,” You start, gaining the attention from not only him and the one around your shoulder but the other part-timers that followed close behind. Quickly catching up in interest, “If I get a strike out at any time during this first game, you can have my bats.”

“Both of them?” Furuya asks, twirling the first in his hand before grabbing the second on your other side to see. A different model but just as expensive. An entertained and amused grin on his lips as he seems excited at the prospect.

“Sure, I’m willing to risk it.”

“Hey, Hey.” The part-timer around your shoulder chimes in, seeming not to want to be left out, “What about me?”

“Well, what do you want?” You start, seeming nonchalant as the male looks you up and down quickly. Upon the second take, something catches his eye.

“That watch. That's the upcoming model right?” He says, taking his free hand to touch your smart watch. A model that wasn’t even on the market yet, but your father had somehow gotten ahold of and had given to you due to your grades this past semester.

“Yes,” You answer, bringing your wrist up higher so as to allow the male to look.

“I want that.” He says, the after smell of smoke from his breath wafting on your face as he grinned excitedly down at the object.

“Same bet?”

He nods excitedly in response and you bring your hand out, shaking it with his to signal the bet was confirmed.

Soon more part-timers begin to chime in, all interested in the chance of possibly owning one of the items you had on your appearance. One even pressing up close behind you suddenly, causing you to come to a screeching halt, to see if you two had the same shoe size.

“You a 26?” He asks as he squints down at the slightly beat up pair of blue shoes you were wearing.

“25.5”

“Shit.”

“But, I think the pair I have in my bag are 26. They were a little big–”

Without another word, you hear the sound of your bag opening up. Okay, maybe you bit off more than you could chew. Especially as suddenly more part-timers and even some full-timers approach, the others telling them about the betting situation that was currently happening.

“Hey. Hey! Hey!”

Everyone came to a screeching halt as someone’s angry voice echoed across the crowd. The crowd of students seemed to break apart like the sea as this boy came through.

Shaggy black hair with a blue bandana; a black tight tank covered by a blue checkered flannel and an intricate blue and white baseball jacket; and a pair of ripped blue jeans. This boy…

“What did I tell you guys?” He asks, a blank expression on his face as he looks amongst the crowd of his peers. However as everyone stays silent, he repeats again this time slightly more aggressively, “What did I fucking say?”

He picks up a can and throws it across the yard in frustration as he looks around. Very much annoyed with his classmates.

This boy…

“We agreed I would go out to greet the team! Go…” He crouches down and then jumps up with a big leap with his arms up, “Ja Jang! And then everyone would come out and do their thing! I told you guys this!”

This boy…

…you have absolutely no damn clue who he is.

It might have been a good time to realize that one of the major flaws of your soulmate mark is you can’t see the face of your soulmate, hear their voice nor get any indication of their name while gazing through their view.

So, while to you, there are plenty of boys here who could be your soulmate but, to him, there was only one girl on the entirety of the incoming baseball team that could be his.

“Hey. Hey.” The boy barks out once more, seeming to finally notice your group. As he makes his way over he shoos the boys away as if they were flies. The more tougher ones that wouldn’t easily let go and part from your stuff, he kicked them in the side or kneecap. Forcibly making them scatter in fear. All the while cursing them out under his breath, “Fucking Assholes.”

“Ah—“ You are caught off guard as the boy, now likely older than you now that you see him up close, suddenly puts all your stuff back in its places in your bag, zips it up and finally grabs your shoulders from behind. Beginning to steer you away from the crowd around.

“Okay, resume.” is all he says as he continues to wobble his way through the crowd with you as if he didn’t completely disrupt everything.

Though that wouldn’t settle for one person.

“Murayama!”

“Not now Todoroki-Chan,” The male yells back nonchalantly as a man with glasses, one you recognize quite well, begins to follow after you two. However, before Todoroki can say something once more, Murayama brings you inside the building and shuts the door in the other’s face. Locking the door before sticking his tongue out and continuing his way as the full-timer begins to pound on the door. This time taking you by the hand instead of your shoulders now that you two were alone in the hallways.

“Wha—“

As if nothing had happened, the loud yelling and chaos resumes from outside. Echoing throughout the halls of the concrete building, making you wince at the volume. Though you quickly unfocus from the noise as you notice your surroundings. Eerily knowing exactly where you were going in these chaotic halls of Oya.

“The gym?” You can’t help but mumble, “You’re taking me to the gym?”

Was that where your soulmate was? He did seem to hang out there a lot from what you saw in his view. Was this guy one of his friends? Or maybe a rival?

You quickly cross that thought out from your mind as quickly as it came. You would have seen the male in front of you known as Murayama before. So, he was of no acquaintance with your soulmate.

“Oh? You know this place pretty well.” Murayama says as he leans down to look you in the eyes as he begins to walk backwards into the gym. Seeming smug about what he was saying as he tucks his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Ah…” Your voice trails off as you notice no one else was in the gym right now except the two of you, “Just a lucky guess.”

“Really?”

You nod your head stiffly as the man stares at you in disbelief and maybe a bit of annoyance before suddenly approaching you once more.

“Hey!”

You grit your teeth as you are once again grabbed by the wrist and led forward. Now this guy was beginning to piss you off. You weren’t some sort of dog on a leash that he can drag around as he pleased.

“If I bring you up here—“

Perhaps your next choice wasn’t the best one. Quickly pulling your wrist out of his grip, you watch as the Marayama turns his head around to look back at you in confusion. However, as he does so, not even allowing him to say anything or even turn his body around fully, you sock him right in the cheek.

Now you weren’t by any means a fighter. Not at all. That was likely your first ever punch outside of play fighting with the annoying underclassmen on the team when they got on your nerves.

So, maybe punching a guy from Oya High wasn’t the best choice.

But… you couldn’t help yourself. You blame your soulmate for your decision on this.

“Whoa…” The boy lets out a low whistle as he begins to stand back up to his full height. Rubbing the skin of his cheek, you could already see a bruise begin to form. Likely the only reason your swing was so hard was because of your experience as a batter. “That was one hell of a hit.”

As he playful and lazily starts hitting his cheek on the other side, you feel the urge to hit him once more.

So you do.

“Mmm…” As he stumbles back for a moment, he appears to think, “your left needs a little work.”

“Oh shut—“ As you go to punch him again, the man easily grabs your wrist, pushing it away and while grabbing you by the shoulders, knees you in the stomach. Though, it hardly hurts you at all and doesn’t even make you fully wince. The action nothing more than a playful act kids would do while rough housing.

“Come on. Come on.” The boy playfully calls out as he laughs and bounces between each of his feet, his hands gesturing for you to come at him.

This mother—

Not even hesitating, you shrug off your backpack, allowing it to fall to the ground in a loud thud and quickly coming at him.

Though as you swing and even attempt to kick the guy, your hits landing only a couple of times as you weren’t that accurate, Murayama at most shoves or playfully attempts to punch you. Stopping his fist short of even coming in contact with you.

“Stop fucking with me!” You finally snap out, suddenly grabbing the boy by the collar and tackling him to the ground.

As your fighting transpires to only wrestling and rolling on the ground, you begin to grow tired. Your body, not used to the excursion of fighting, already begins to feel sore as muscles you had never known about are being used for this fight.

Your fight finally comes to an anti-climatic end as you no longer have the strength to kick nor shove the male off of you. You yell out in annoyance as he cheers. Playfully celebrating as he sits on top of you, trapping you underneath him.

“Fuck…” You murmur, briefly closing your eyes in frustration. However as you do so, you flinch as you see yourself punch yourself across the cheek.

Wait, yourself?

You snap your eyes open as it suddenly hits you. That wasn’t yourself, that was you hitting your soulmate.

“You— You—“ You begin to sputter as you lean up onto your elbows to gaze at the man on top of you, “You're my soulmate?”

“Huh?” He says, caught off guard by your question, “I’m hurt. You don’t recognize this face?”

As he gestures in what you guess was supposed to be a “kawaii" way to his bruised and busted face, you can’t help but reach up and pull at his nose in annoyance.

“Ow, Ow.” He curses as he tries to escape your grasps.

“You know very well that's not how our bond works, idiot.”

As Murayama finally escapes, he rubs the edge of his nose, “Yeah but–”

He gestures to the rest of him, “You must recognize all of this.”

Sadly, the gesture wasn’t all that innocent as you see the slight wiggle of his eyebrows as he gestures to the lower part of him. You really wanted to punch him again if it weren’t for the fact your knuckles hurt so badly, “freaking pervert.”

“We all have needs– Ah.” Murayama suddenly stops short once he realizes something, “I don’t even know your name.”

“Yeah you don’t, Mur.a.ya.ma.” You say, purposely pronouncing each character of his name.

“Well,” Murayama grins as he finally gets off of you and sits crossed legged in front of you patiently as you fully sit up as well. He reaches out his hands and takes one of yours, shaking it, “Murayama Yoshiki. I’m 22 so I’m probably your senior, right?”

“Yeah, you are… Senpai. I’m 18 right now,” You let out, a little awkwardly as the man bows slightly to you and you return it back. Telling him your name as well.

“Oh, drop the horrifics, it’s a pain in the ass. You are counted as an adult now anyways,” You nod your head, understanding he was talking about the legal adult age in Japan being changed from 20 to 18 this past April, “Lucky! I had to wait two more years than you before I could be considered one.”

You nod your head once more. Allowing silence to overtake you two. You didn’t expect your first meeting with your soulmate to go like this. It was pretty awkward. Though, you weren’t quite sure what to say. You two didn’t really have much in common. He was an adventurous, rebellious guy and you were a boring student. Hell, you weren’t even sure if he liked baseball.

“Ah– Sorry.” You finally speak up, a bit shy as you slip your hand out from his grasps, bowing slightly, “It must have been a bit boring watching me at times.”

“Huh? Wha—“ You are caught off guard as he cranes his neck to look at your face while you are bowing. Instantly making you sit back up as he got too close for your liking, “Boring? Boring?”

“Ah. Yes.” You hummed, caught off guard by his loud question and bewildered expression.

“Hey.” Murayama says. Suddenly serious as he slaps your shoulder, “You aren’t boring.”

“I’m… not?”

“No. No. No way.” He says, a blank look on his face, “you are always doing something. Hmmm, A bit too much at times actually.”

“But…” You are a bit taken aback by his statement, “It’s nothing really exciting.”

“No. No.” Murayama denies, seeming to think for a moment, “hmm… ah! Your English classes! You do a lot of those. I would have failed and retaken a class if it weren’t for you.”

“Yeah, but that’s not fun,” You rebut instantly, huffing in annoyance as he tries to make you feel better about your boring life.

“Well,” He gets on his feet and crouches down in front of you, “what do you consider fun?”

“Ah—“ You pause for a brief moment before answering, “Baseball.”

“Ah… Hmm.” You watch with amusement as suddenly Murayama gets up and walks away. In a couple of minutes, he places four traffic cones around the area to what you believe are meant to represent bases and a pile of rags in the middle to be the pitchers mound. He gets on the mound and points at you with a baseball in hand.

“Visualize it.” He says blankly before suddenly getting loud, almost like an announcer, with his next words, “Bottom of the 12th and the lovely, most tremendous, earth shatteringly gorgeous–”

“Okay, just get to it, lover boy.” You scoff, grabbing your bat from your bag and rolling your eyes at Murayama. Deciding to play along with his antics. Though he only blows you a kiss in response.

“--is up to bat. With her team one point behind and two outs, will. She. Do. This?”

You roll your eyes but follow along by standing on home plate and get ready to be up to bat. All the while Murayama pretends to be the fans in the crowd by screaming your name.

As you lift an eyebrow at him and get ready, Murayama responds by sending you a wink and pitching. Technically, you could have easily hit a homerun with Murayama’s pitch. He was a good pitcher but not as fast as the guys you practiced with everyday.

But, that wouldn’t have been as fun.

“Ah and she bunts it!” Murayama screams as he sees you tap it with your bat and run. Quickly scrambling off the mound to grab it. As you whisk by first base, you hear his hammering footsteps behind you.

“First! Second! Third! Can she make it home?” You hear him yell behind you as you see homebase just in sight. Almost tasting victory.

However, just as you take a step to go skid into the cone, you feel two arms slink over your waist. Making you squeal as you are picked up and Murayama crashes you two in a pile of soda and beer cans nearby. Him on the bottom to make sure you don’t land on the ground with a thud.

As you laugh out loud, he continues his commentary, “Oh my god! A major upset has taken place! The best batter on the team is stop by–”

He stands up and screams to the sky, “Murayama Yoshiki from Oya High! The best fighter and pitcher to ever exist!”

Your stomach begins to hurt from laughter as you watch in bewilderment at the man in front of you who begins to pose and wave as if a crowd was there.

“And what does the loser have to say about this?” He asks, sticking out his hand as if he was holding the microphone.

“Hmmm…” You pause and think for a moment. That is until an idea suddenly pops into mind, “I would agree. He’s pretty great.”

“Oh? Complimenting the enemy now are we?”

“Yeah, I mean he is a good fighter, the best at Oya High.”

Murayama takes a seat in front of you with a grin, your knees slightly touching, “yeah?”

“And, he has a good pitch. A bit of a handsome fella as well”

“Hah? A bit?” He exaggerates, acting hurt. Popping up onto his toes as he comes closer to stare at you. A bit of a pout forming on his blank face.

“Okay, okay.” You give a playful shove to his chest, almost making Murayama fall over backwards though he catches himself as he swings his arms to stay balanced, “Maybe more than a bit.”

As Murayama gives up on catching himself and falls onto his behind, sending you a glare.

“Okay. He’s very handsome.” You finally admit with a laugh as you slightly slide forward so your legs are on either side of his bent knees. Allowing you to wrap your arms around his legs and rest chin on his knees as you look at him, “I’m very lucky to have Murayama Yoshiki, Part-timer and an amazing fighter, from Oya High as my soulmate.”

“Ah. You sap.” He says as he sits up, bringing up a hand to lightly mess with your hair. As you slap it away with a small giggle, the male extends his legs, sliding them under yours so your thighs are practically resting on top of his. You let out a relaxing sigh as Murayama wraps his arms around your shoulders and rests his chin on top of your head, “I guess I am pretty amazing–”

“Murayama!”

The blank expression on Murayama’s face returns as the part-timers begin to slowly flood the gym. Some taking seats by areas in the rumble, not sparing you a glance, while others stare at you while they pass. To which Murayama quickly unwraps from you to throw a can in their direction to get them to knock it off with the stares.

“You guys couldn’t have taken longer?” Murayama says with a sigh. Falling backward so he was laying down as Furuya and Seki approached him.

“The cowards drove off the first chance they got,” Furuya responds, taking a seat on a broken chair nearby. Though as soon as he notices you, he turns his attention away from Murayama, “So, about those bats…”

“Hey.” Before you can even respond, Murayama is quickly on his case. Actually he was on the whole rooms’ case. “Announcement! Hey! Everyone listen up.”

As he stands up and claps his hand to grab everyone’s attention, he makes his way to the top of the pile of rumble nearby. Getting the high ground so everyone was watching him.

“See this.” You can’t help but scoff as he points at you, “This is mine. You touch it,”

He sticks a finger out and drags it across everyone in the room while staring them in the eyes, “I’ll break your fucking face in.”

Silence falls upon the room at Murayama’s words. However, it doesn’t last very long before Seki says something.

“Ah, Murayama-Sama found his before me! Now I'm all alone.” Seki yells, falling to his knees in what looked like despair.

“Hey, Hey, what in the world are you going on about,” Furuya starts, hitting the male in the back of the head, “Murayama is the only one to find his soulmate out of this bunch. You’re acting like you’ll be forced to be the third wheel.”

“Yeah but hanging out with you guys…”

“Hey. Hey. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

As Furuya and a couple of other part-timers begin to shove Seki, you watch as Murayama gets down from the rubble. Nearly tripping along the way before stopping in front of you.

With a slight smirk on his face, Murayama sticks out his hand to you and, as soon as you hear the first slap of a punch go off in the background when you interlocked your hand in his…

…you knew your life would never be boring again. Ever.

Especially if Murayama had any say in it.

#high and low #high & low #high&low #high&low the story of sword #high and low fic #murayama yoshiki #murayama x reader #high and low murayama #high and low x reader #soulmate au #h&l

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enhashoutout · 4 months

Text

Tears and Matching Tattoos (Ice x reader)

I am and will always be a Nessa Barrett enthusiast

Genre: Angst

Trigger Warnings: typical H&L violence, jealousy (please let me know if I missed anything)

I use fem pronouns and descriptions because that is what is easiest for me but if you do not identify with that, please feel free to change that as you read to fit you :)

I'm not sure I 100% like this story, but I'm trying to get out of the habit of being a perfectionist and just allowing myself to publish everything even if I don't think it is perfect so that I have a record of my works to look back on and improve upon.

The one where you’re still in love with Ice even after he’s moved on.

youtube

𝕀𝕗 𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝔾𝕠𝕕 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕤 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖

✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁

Ice was your first love, and you were his. You spent a good amount of your life not only being his first love but also his best friend. You were there for him through thick and thin. There for all his highs and his lows. You spent so much time together, you guys also fell apart. Today, it suddenly felt like everything you went through meant nothing.

You had split because Ice said that he didn't feel the same way anymore; feeling like you guys would be better if you guys went back to just being friends like when you guys were kids. That's okay, he had a lot on his plate, and some people just fall out of love sometimes. You weren't always lovers, you could go back to that again, right? He went back to friends, you pretended. It's hard going back to being friends when you literally live in the same house as the person you love. Being a part of Mighty Warriors was suddenly like shooting yourself in the foot. You were around Ice ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME. How does anyone move on like that?

Then, Sarah came along. Mighty Warriors had saved the poor girl from getting kidnapped by Doubt. Ice allowed her to stick around, and she became part of the group. Being the only two women on the team should've brought you closer, but it never did. You could see it, it was happening. Ice was moving on. He liked Sarah, he said and did the same things to you when it was you. The only difference is that this time they would last, something you didn't have the luxury of knowing. It wasn't Sarah's fault or her intention, but it did make you hold a secret grudge against her.

You were wallowing in your bedroom, figuring out how to improve upon the track Bernie gave you when Ice burst into your room.

"Well damn, at least knock. Did you need something before tonight's performance?"

"Yeah, can you look at this real quick?"

"Sure." You had answered him thinking he needed you to look at a track or a new styling choice for tonight's performance, but it wasn't either of those. From his back pocket, Ice pulled out a velvet box. He opened it up and showed it to you, a ring.

"Do you think Sarah will like it? I'm gonna propose to her tonight in the middle of Funk Jungle."

You were stunned. You didn't think this day would arrive so soon, and yet here you guys are.

"I- wow. I think the ring looks great. I'm sure she's gonna love it."

"I love her. For once, I'm nervous."

"Come on Ice, why be nervous? It's not like she's gonna say no. She's gonna say yes. She's going to absolutely love the ring, and she's going to absolutely love you."

"Thank you, you're the best. You always know what to say."

"That's my job as your best friend who actually has a brain unlike the rest of Mighty isn't it?" The two of you laughed.

"I'll see you downstairs for your set."

"You bet."

Ice exited your room, closing your door. All you could do was stare at the spot he once stood in. Tears began running down your face. It's been a while since you guys broke up, and a while since Ice and Sarah were together, so this should've hurt less. Should've, but here you are, crying at the news. You couldn't hate either of them, but you did hate yourself for holding onto feelings that were no longer reciprocated. You fixed your makeup and went back to looking at the track Bernie gave you to keep your mind off of everything.

Later that night you stood with Bernie behind his set up, dreading the moment the proposal would happen. It seems like Ice didn't tell anyone else but you, knowing that one of the guys would probably accidentally let the surprise slip to Sarah.

In the middle of Ice's performance, he told Bernie to cut the music for a second. He walked to Sarah where she usually sat on the side, bringing her to the middle of the dance floor. The spotlights focused on the couple. Ice got down on one knee, and into the mic asked "Sarah, will you marry me?" She was thrilled, shouting yes. He picked her up in a hug and spun her, telling Bernie to continue where the track left off. Everyone in the club was shouting and celebrating the two, everyone but you. Bernie noticed this. Aside from Ice, the other Mighty member you were closest to was Bernie. He was the only other person in the group whose brain could process deeper emotions.

Bernie pulled you away from the noise. "Hey, you okay?"

"After everything we've talked about Bernie, how do you think I feel?" you mumbled.

"Like shit obviously but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask."

"I'll be fine. I'll cry for a while and then I'll be good. I've held out for this long, what's a little more right?"

"Will you be okay? I'm being serious. I don't want you in a place that's causing you pain."

"I don't get to have him but thank god matching tattoos last for life right? I'm heading back, tell the others I wasn't feeling good okay?" Bernie nodded.

You left Funk Jungle and headed back home. In your room, hidden away from everyone else you cried. It's alright, Ice can love her even after he broke your heart. It would be cruel to wish anything other than the best for him. Part of you wished everything was a lie, but the other part of you hoped that your heartbreak brought him the love he deserved. You looked at the matching tattoo you had with Ice on your arm. It had started as a couple's tattoo, switching its meaning when you had broken up. Now it was just a matching best friends tattoo, but in your mind where no one else could see, you could look at the tattoo and remember the time when Ice once loved you.

✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁✫☼☾☁

You reached the end! Thank you so much for reading this little blurb. It's not the best thing I've written or my favorite but I figured I can publish it and use it for improvement moving forward.

I read on the post here on Tumblr that Ice and Sarah get married in the H&L manga series so I wanted to write something to go along with that.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

Please don't take my work and repost it anywhere or take credit for it. Writers work hard on their stuff so please don't be a crappy human.

Random question, are there any H&L characters you guys want to see more stories for?

#Youtube #high&low #high and low #high&low story of sword #high and low x reader #H&L #high and low mighty warriors #mighty warriors #high and low ice #enhashoutout

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socialdegenerate · 1 year

Photo

He doesn’t talk and I don’t talk. Just casting and not having to talk is, well, kind of nice.

Bonus:

#HiGH&LOW #HiGH&LOW The Worst X #Todoroki Yosuke #Odajima Yuken #Tsukasa Takagi #H&L #these look a little crunchy but once I start fixing the colour in H&L i can't stop #they're just so fuckin blue

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written-in-flowers · 1 year

Text

Kimura Delivery Service: Pt. 1

Pairing: OC x S.W.O.R.D leaders (yes, you read that right)

Genre: smut, fluff, angst,

Word Count: 9k

Fandom: High & Low: The Story of S.W.O.R.D

Summary: After a life of swinging her fists, Sakyia is hopeful about her easy going job of delivering packages…However, her aunt neglected to mention the “regulars”: The gang leaders of S.W.O.R.D. and the undeniable affection they all grow to have for her.

Overall Warnings: blood and violence, fighting, gang activity, crime, mentions of death, multiple relationships, girlboss being a girlboss, not really ‘poly’ but girl has a string of lovers.

Prologue < | > Part 2

Tagged: @belle643

Chapter 1: S is for Sannoh Hoodlum Squad

The apartment above the store was smaller than her old home, but it looked cozy. Even with the old furniture, chipped wallpaper and musty carpet underneath her feet, she felt a sense of warmth throughout the room. Looking around, they’d certainly have to fix it up to be comfortable. With a separate bedroom on the side, the bathroom remained the only other room. She figured her and her mother would be sharing a room until they could afford a bigger place. She didn’t mind. It was better than having no bed at all. She opened a window to let out the stuffy air, and saw the spectacular view…

A small courtyard and the opposite building behind them.

When her mother and aunt came back up, Sakyia noticed they’d brought two young men with them. One was tall with long black dreadlocks, and his companion was darker and shorter. She guessed these were Junpei’s friends. The boy with the dreadlocks smiled when he saw her, then nudged his friend, who also grinned.

“Sakyia,” Hana said, “I’d like you to meet Tettsu,” the tall one waved, “And Dan,” the short one bowed slightly. “They come and help me from time to time.”

“Because Junpei tells them too.”

“Cobra doesn’t force us to do anything,” Tettsu immediately said, placing down one of their boxes. “We’re always here for our neighborhood. It’s what Sannoh Hoodlum Squad is about: protecting and caring for the town.”

She tried to stifle a laugh, “Sannoh Hoodlum Squad? That’s your gang’s name?” It wasn’t the worst name she’d ever heard.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Cobra is our leader.”

“His nickname is ‘Cobra’?” she snickered, picking up the box of kitchen items. “It would be.”

“Sakyia!” Midori furrowed her brow, “Stop being rude.”

“I’m not being rude,” she put it on the counter, giggling softly, “Just voicing an opinion. You told me Sannoh is a good place to live.”

“It is,” Dan told her reassuringly. “You’ll see once you’re settled in. Sannoh Hoodlum Squad isn’t like the ones you’re probably used to seeing. We take care of our people.”

“You can come to the diner and see for yourself,” Tettsu suggested. “It’s called the Itokan Diner.”

“Ooh! That sounds nice!” Midori said. “Is it a new place? I haven’t been home in such a long time; everything’s changed around here.”

The pair began explaining it to her as Sakyia helped unload the car downstairs. They seemed nice, but most gangsters did. However, looking them both over, and listening to them talk, they did not seem the type to be in gangs. They were friendly and helpful to her aunt, who appreciated them enough to offer rice balls the next time they came. They didn’t brag or flaunt any fancy things they’d bought. Should she have passed them in the street, they’d appear like any normal youths. Sakyia knew more than most that appearances can be deceiving. She decided she’d leave her judgment for more contemplative hours; she had work to do.

Sakyia spent the rest of the day putting things away and trying to make something of a home in the apartment. She made shelf space for her art supplies and books; her mother brought small potted plants to place along the window sill for some life. Family photos went on shelves and walls; they’d put her father’s remains in an ornate wooden box on the bedroom dresser. By the time they’d finished, night fell and the apartment seemed less empty and shabby.

“We need food,” her mother frowned when she saw the empty fridge. “I’ll order take out for tonight. Burgers, Blossom?”

“I guess,” she shrugged.

“Don’t get burgers,” Hana said, unpacking the last kitchen box. “There’s a perfectly good diner down from here that serves way better food.”

“That diner your friends mentioned?” asked Sakyia.

“You’ll love their food,” she insisted. “Naomi is such a great cook, and the prices are reasonable.” Midori looked at Sakyia with raised eyebrows, and Sakyia shrugged again. They turned to Hana who nodded, “I’ll place the order. Sakyia can go pick it up. You can walk there, it’s not too far.”

“Ugh, Auntie,” she groaned, plopping onto the couch. She let her body sink into it as she said, “I’m so tired. Can’t they deliver?”

“They don’t do that,” Hana replied. “Stop being lazy. You’re young. Besides, Junpei might be there.”

“Um okay, so?”

She caught her mother and her aunt looking at one another. She groaned and let her head fall back on the couch. It was inevitable that this would come up: Cobra was a young man. Sakyia was a young woman, new in town. “He’s a man of few words, but he’s very nice-” Hana began, but Sakyia cut her off.

“-I literally just arrived,” she said. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I’m looking to sit down and never get back up again.”

“We weren’t thinking that at all,” her mother said unconvincingly. She grabbed a bottle of wine that Hana brought, and said, “Your aunt was telling us what a nice young man Junpei is, that’s all.”

“Mh-hm, your mom keeps complaining to me about how you’re always at home, you don’t go to school, you don’t have a lot of friends-”

“-Well, I wasn’t really in a place to make any friends.”

No, she hadn’t been. Yes, there’d been fighters she became friendly with in the warehouse, but nobody she saw outside of the place. Twelve years fighting on dirt and sawdust, her hands and wrists wrapped up, forged her into something. A weapon. Jiro took up most of her time, so she never went out with friends or her mother all that much. The one person she'd grown closest to sat in a Rasen prison cell. Sakyia recalled the times she’d tried fitting in with girls at her school: going shopping, wearing makeup and pretty clothes; talking about boys they liked and things they did over the weekend. She wanted that life. She wanted a circle of friends who stuck by her side, and lifted her up. Often, she imagined going shopping with a group of friends, and visiting her mother's salon togethet.

But, Jiro pulled her away from that to fight in the pits. Plus, the bruises kept people at a distance. Thinking of the endless fights night after night already tired her out. She withdrew the small sketchpad from her bag with a pencil, and returned to her drawing.

She was done with fighting. She did not mind a bit of practice to keep herself in shape, but fighting people? Sakyia refused to do it ever again. She’d wasted her life on pointless fighting. She’d only done it because of Jiro; otherwise she might’ve given up on it entirely and focused on her art. Martial arts used to be something her father and her shared. When he died, it felt meaningless to continue. Sakyia looked forward to helping her mother in the salon, doing simple tasks and meeting people. Maybe she can enroll in a beauty school and become a stylist herself. She could still go, if she wanted; she was only twenty-five. She still had so much ahead, and with Jiro and the warehouse gone, she could be something more than that.

“-Alright, she’ll come by to pick it up,” Hana said over the phone. “Thank you, Naomi. Have a good night.” She turned back to Midori and Sakyia by the television, “Alright you, time to go. Here’s the address,” she scribbled it down on a piece of paper and handed it to Sakyia, “She says it’ll be done in thirty minutes or so.”

“Then, I’ll go in thirty minutes.”

“No, young lady,” said Midori, picking up her glass of wine from the coffee table. “You’ll go now. That way it’ll be hot when you bring it back.”

“You two just want me out of the house so you can have the wine to yourselves,” Sakyia accused, putting her pad and pencil aside.

“That’s right,” she smiled, pouring her sister a glass. “I haven’t drank properly since I married Jiro,” she said to Hana. “He said he thought women drinking was an ugly trait. I can’t believe I actually listened to him.”

“I can’t believe you married him!” said Hana, sitting on the sofa between her and Sakyia.

This was her cue to leave. She slowly stood from the couch, slipped on her jacket and shoes, and headed out the door. Once outside, she entered the address into her phone and began walking. The sky started changing from day into night, and she saw businesses already closing. She did receive curious looks from locals who’d never seen her, but she nodded politely. Walking down the street, Sannoh did not seem like such a rough place. It did appear a bit run down in places, yet she liked that. It felt real. Sakyia saw herself living in this small town. She could inherit the salon or start her own art gallery and sell her drawings, if they were good enough. She smiled softly. This could be a good place for her and her mother.

She found the Itokan Diner wedged in a corner of the street with a small sign bearing its name in bold letters. Sakyia took a deep breath, and then pushed on the door. Her stomach growled at the scent of savory food in the air. She took a look around the small diner: it had bench tables, posters and words plastered on the walls, and chandeliers made from glass bottles. The rustic, comforting look must draw in a good amount of people during the night. She then noticed the room going quiet when she walked in.

“Hey, Sakyia!” Tettsu called to her from one of the tables, “You actually came!”

“Um, yeah,” she said, caught off guard by his grin, “My aunt ordered some food and I’m picking it up.”

Behind the counter, a short slim woman with brown hair stirred a pot over the stove. Sakyia guessed this was Naomi, the woman her aunt mentioned. She turned around when the door opened and smiled at Sayika.

"You must be Sakyia," she said. "Hana said you'd be coming by to pick up the food. It won't be ready for a while, so if you want to sit and have a drink, you're welcome to."

"Thanks," she took a seat at the bar. "They kicked me out so they can have all the wine to themselves. What do you have to drink around here?"

"Beer mostly," she replied.

Beer wasn't her favorite, but she asked for one. She gazed around the diner and noticed a drawing on the wall. It was a crown with two tigers on either side with the gang's name on a banner. She snorted. It was a decent design. She'd still seen worse. She took a swig from the beer Naomi placed in front of her and noted the photos on a shelf nearby. Two men stood together in front of a familiar logo on the wall. Two snakes tangled together in a circle underneath the words "Mugen" was a familiar sight to her.

"This used to be Mugen’s place?" the question came out before she stopped herself.

Naomi finished wiping a glass and said, "Ah, no. My brother, Tatsuya, was in it before he started the diner. The other man was his best friend, Kohaku. Why? Did you know them?"

"Not personally, but guys in the warehouse used to wear their vests and talk about them." She took another drink of beer when Naomi moved closer to her.

"Warehouse?"

She'd said too much. If this woman's brother was part of Mugen, she might not know about their part in the fighting rings. "I used to be a secretary in a warehouse in the bay area. With so many men around, they all try to impress you and say they know guys in Mugen or are a part of it."

"A lot of guys used to do that," said a male voice behind her.

She turned to see a dark haired man sitting not too far away, his own plate of food in front of him. His wide shoulders slimmed down his torso, though hidden behind the green sweater he wore. Judging by his face, he didn't like what Sakyia was saying.

"Doesn't mean Kohaku was involved," he said. "Guys in Mugen used its name to do bad things like deal drugs and women. But we weren't involved in that."

"Never said they did," she replied, a bit taken back by his reaction. "Just things I heard." She noticed another photo with Cobra and the other man with the first two. They also wore Mugen vests. It explained the man's reaction.

"She was only saying, Yamato. She didn't mean anything by it," Naomi defended her.

Men were so sensitive. She wondered what Yamato might say if she told him that Mugen members liked to fight and bet in the warehouse. Drinking her beer, she remembered a boy she'd fought who boasted about being part of Mugen. He made it sound as if she should've been scared of him. Sakyia would admit he dislocated her shoulder, broke her upper lip, bruised up her stomach and nearly choked her, but she'd beat him. He lost when a swift kick to the temple knocked him out. Sakyia smirked to herself. She recalled what she'd said to his manager.

"It appears that Mugen isn't as tough as they say."

"You were a part of Mugen, then?" she asked.

"Cobra and Yamato were," said Tettsu, coming over to her side, "But the rest of us joined them when they started the Sannoh Hoodlum Squad."

"Is there a signup sheet or something? How do you even join a gang?" The idea amused her. Naomi laughed as she turned back to the stove.

"Well, um, you sort of show up to the base and, kind of, join?"

"Why? Are you interested?" a deep voice asked from nearby.

She turned around to see Cobra sitting in a corner booth, a motorcycle magazine in front of him. In the dim lighting of the diner, his hair shone a dark gold color and softened his features. She understood her mother's suggestion at once. Even Sakyia wouldn't deny it: he was handsome. He didn't smile and spoke in a low voice.

"What if I was?" she asked, leaning back on the bar. "Do you accept women?"

The men in the bar laughed, but Cobra gazed at her. She tried not showing her uneasiness at his silent staring. His eyes remained absent the usual flirtatiousness; they observed her closely, as if they could see through her act. He studied her and she didn't like it. It reminded her too much of the men at the warehouse, who examined her like a horse for sale. The men who trained her said she had a slim body good for dodging and speed. She often fought men and women larger than her and her size came in handy. Cobra looked at her the way they did now.

"Depends," he said, "How good of a fighter are you?"

"Fighter?" Dan furrowed his brow.

Yamato turned to him in surprise, "What do you mean by that? She's a girl."

"That doesn't mean she couldn't fight any of you," said Naomi, who continued stirring her noodles. "She's got the body for it. She’s smaller and probably quicker than you, Baldy."

“Hag,” Yamato spat back, though his smile gave away the affection.

"Oh, I can't fight to save my life," Sakyia fibbed, finishing her beer. "I can't do all that fancy, tough guy martial arts stuff that guys do nowadays." It wasn't anyone's business what she could and couldn't do. Her father used to tell her not to show off or boast about her skills; that way she had the element of surprise. "I don't mind watching though. It’s kinda hot when guys fight each other," she added, winking at him. She expected a reaction, but didn't get one. He continued staring, and she stared right back. "What about you guys? What's your gang all about?"

"We protect the town," Cobra said. "There are other gangs around here who like hurting people and stealing. We stop them. We look after each other and make sure everyone is safe."

"How admirable. Most gangs I know deal drugs and fight all the time."

"Don't be fooled," said Naomi, putting rice into a small styrofoam container. "These guys use their fists to solve their problems all the time. You won't believe the amount of times they walk in here all bruised up and bleeding."

"But we win," Yamato quickly added, digging back into a hot plate of food.

"That’s not why we fight though,” said Cobra, going back to his magazine. “We fight hard because this town is worth fighting for. We all came together because of that shared love for our town. If you stick around long enough, you'll see it for yourself."

"Who could possibly want to mess with this little place?" she asked, the smell of the food making her hungry again. "There isn't anything here."

"People who want to step on the weak," he said. "The people who steal from those who already have nothing."

“I suppose my mom and I should be glad we moved into such a well protected area then,” she said, smirking at his righteous statement. She found it funny how serious he sounded. “So, do I call you if I ever need ‘protection’ or do you guys operate like Batman, and you happen to show up at the right time?”

The younger members chuckled at the joke, but stopped once Cobra stood up. All the nerves inside Sakyia lifted her shoulders slightly. She didn’t want to fight. Cobra came a few feet to her, then said, “I don’t think someone like you needs protection in the first place.”

“Meaning?”

“You claim you don’t know how to fight,” he said, “But then explain the scars on your knuckles.”

Sakyia looked at the hand on the bar, where a long scar stood out against her skin amongst smaller ones. “Accident,” she answered quickly. “It’s how I got this too, if you were planning on mentioning it,” she tapped the thin scar where Yoshi busted her nose. It healed well enough, but left a mark. “I was riding on a motorcycle with a friend, and it turned over. I broke my knuckle bone and my nose. Nothing suspicious about that.”

Cobra’s seriousness broke into a shadow of amusement. “I’ve been riding my motorcycle for years. I’ve never seen people get such specific injuries from an accident.”

“Are you some kind of motorcycle accident expert or something?” she spat back, “I got them from an accident, that’s it.”

"Your mom said she was opening up Sungmi's salon," Tettsu said, taking your attention from Cobra and his questions. "Will you be working there too?"

"Yeah," she nodded, peeling her eyes away from Cobra. "I'm not a stylist or anything, but she says I can clean and do reception."

Naomi came to her holding three styrofoam boxes. "Oh, she's opening back up the salon?"

"She'll be helping run it, yeah."

"Thank god!" She sighed in relief, "All the women around here have been going to the barber because the salon’s closed. It'd be nice to get a proper haircut."

"And a manicure or pedicure," Sakyia added. "My mom is hiring some nail artists to bring in more clients. She's going to have it properly running in a week or so. She actually does my hair," she showed off her short wavy bob, the ombre colors of brown and black fading out. "You should stop by when it's open."

"I definitely will," she said, "And I know plenty of other women who will stop by."

"I can come too," Tettsu chimed in eagerly.

"Salons are for women, Tettsu," Yamato rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with a man going to a salon," Sakyia said to him. "Same as a woman going to a barber shop.”

"Then I will come by," Tettsu smiled. "And you can come to my family's onsen."

"Your family's bathhouse is for men," Naomi told him.

"We could make a private space for her."

Sakyia chuckled, "The offer is nice, but no thank you."

"Well, if you change your mind…" he blushed, turning away. “You can just, you know, drop by or whatever.”

"What's with your nickname anyways?" She turned to Cobra again. She hated how he’d seen her scars and deduced their cause. She needed to prod him back. Her mother might scold her, but she didn’t care. "Is it supposed to compensate for something?"

Yamato nearly choked on his food. Dan and Tettsu stifled laughter and Naomi busied herself with putting the food in take out bags. Cobra didn't smile but he didn't glare either. His lack of reactions had begun to annoy her. Also, his stare made her squirm inside.

"In school," he said, smiling somewhat when he saw she wasn't being malicious, "There was this grapple I learned how to do. People said I did it so tight, it was like a cobra squeezing them. Someone said it and the name stuck," he shrugged.

"Maybe you can show me," she suggested, picking up the plastic bags Naomi handed her. "You know, since this town is so dangerous and I'm a defenseless woman wandering the streets at night."

Yamato gawked at her, "Wow, this girl's bold!"

“I doubt you’re defenseless,” Cobra smirked.

She tried not laughing at their reactions. She paid for the food and drink, thanked Naomi and said her farewell. Once outside, she giggled to herself. Men were so easily shocked by bold behavior. They seemed like a decent group. She decided she might stop by the diner more often.

That was how people made friends, right?

When she returned to the shop, she climbed the stairs and heard her mother laughing behind it. Sakyia stood outside the door for a moment to listen. She hadn’t heard her mother’s laugh for a long time. Full of mirth and giddiness, she’s sure the wine is helping it along but Auntie Hana’s presence adds to this. A surge of hope actually swirled in her chest. Maybe things will work out for them in this little town.

“Ma, I’m back,” she called into the apartment as she entered.

“Oh, good! We’re starving!” Hana sighed in relief, coming to the kitchen counter where Sakyia placed the bags. She began opening the bags, deeply inhaling the food, “Perfect. Naomi is a great cook. You’re both going to love her food.”

“Okay, okay, let’s get to eating.”

Her mother grabbed utensils, and passed them around. Sitting at the small dining table next to the kitchen, the women dug into their meals. Sakyia agreed with her aunt about the food: it was delicious. The tender chunks of meat stew melted in her mouth, full of seasonings and spices that complimented the bed of rice underneath. Only her mother’s own cooking surpassed it. Dipping a piece of broccoli in the sauce and eating it, her mother spoke.

“Sakyia,” she began, “Your aunt and I have been talking while you were gone.”

“Uh-oh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hana asked, affronted.

“Because whenever she starts a sentence with ‘your aunt and I have been talking’, it’s about to be something crazy.”

“Ah, hush you,” her mother nudged her with a smile. “I know we talked about you working with me in the salon, but Hana here told me she’s been looking for a delivery person for the store.”

“Okay…” she listened, eating another piece of saucy steamed vegetables.

“I think it’d be a better fit for you,” she stated, eating a bit of her own rice. “You’d be bored in the salon. You used to whine and wail about it when you were little, and you haven’t changed since then. Going around the districts, seeing the different places and meeting new people might be better for you. You’d be occupied and stimulated instead of sweeping floors and listening to gossip.”

“I wanted to sweep floors and listen to gossip,” she said. After the years she spent in the rings, she’d somewhat looked forward to ‘boring mundane work’.

“No, you didn’t,” her mother said. “You only want that because of, you know, your last…job.” She watched her daughter for a moment, seeing the way she avoided her gaze. “It’d be good for you,” she added. “You might make some friends that way and have a normal life.”

It sounded convincing, she wouldn’t lie. Sakyia knew deep down she’d get tired of working in the salon. It’d been the same during her childhood. She looked at Hana, “What would I be doing? Just delivering stuff to people?”

“Yes,” she nodded, drinking some of her wine. “People drop off their packages or send them in through other people; I charge and stamp them, and you’d take them where they need to go. Before you ask, a lot of these people don’t have the means or the time to give the packages and letters themselves. The family service is there to help them out. Besides, it’s good money,” she eyed them both before eating from her bowl. “It’ll help you greatly to have two incomes instead of one.”

“She’s got a point,” her mother agreed, washing down her food with water. “It’ll be good for us to have extra money coming in; then we’ll be able to get our own place quicker.”

Sakyia mulled this over while she ate. Her mother and her left their old home in a hurry, leaving them with little chances to find a proper and affordable place. If they save enough money, they can move into an apartment and leave the dingy flat above the postal shop.

“How would I get around?” Sakyia asked, seeing the flaw right away.

“You can use Koichi’s scooter,” she said. “He left it behind when he moved out of town. It’s in the courtyard between our building and the ones behind it.” She saw Sakyia’s hesitancy. “It’ll be good for you. Trust me. Not to mention,” she smirked to herself, “Some of my regulars are rather handsome.”

“Ooh!” her mother smiled, eyebrows raised at Sakyia.

“I’m not interested in that.”

“Oh please! A heartbreaker like you? I doubt it,” she rapped her arm and Sakyia smirked. “I remember all the little boys your mother used to tell me about; all of them trying to gain the attention of Tanaka Sakyia and being ignored. You don’t have to marry them, but,” she sneered, “It doesn’t hurt to have some fun.”

“My daughter is not that kind of girl, Hana.”

“I never said she was, but come on, Midori. We used to do the same when we were her age. You didn’t have a proper boyfriend until you met Kenji. But, that’s not important,” she said. “The job is easy and simple. The clients tip well for the service, and they’ll tip twice when they see how pretty you are. You won’t be fighting anyone or be in any sort of danger.” When Sakyia did not appear convinced, she continued, “Look, try it out for a week. I have clients around the district here, so you’ll at least get familiar with the area before you make a decision. How about it?”

Sakyia weighed the pros and cons of this job. It’d include a lot of travel and talking to strangers, going into places of the district she’d yet to explore. Yet, she’d be making her own money, and contributing to her home rather than sweep floors and take calls in a salon for free. This new job will give her something to do, since little Sannoh did not appear to offer much. She looked to her mother, who smiled at her encouragingly. Sakyia felt slightly disappointed. Boring work sounded so nice. No bloody fists. No broken bones or bruised skin. No rings. She’d have only a broom and dustpan; a phone and a computer to write down appointments. With this little bike and parcels, she may run into trouble, which she wished to avoid. But, looking around their new home, they needed the money.

“I’ll give it a shot,” she finally said. “How hard can it really be?”

Hana cheered and smiled widely, “Excellent! Oh, you’re gonna love it! It’ll be an easy gig for you, I promise.”

“You’ll do well,” her mother added, gripping her hand gently.

“I hope so.”

The three women finished their dinner, and then Hana left for the night. Sakyia felt too tired to unpack anything else, so she showered in the small bathroom and crashed onto her new bed. The full mattress squeaked, and felt slightly firm underneath her. It was better than nothing. Her mother took the bed on the other side of the room, and both of them fixed their beds for sleep.

“I think this will be good for us,” her mother said, her voice breaking the silence in the dark room. “This is the new beginning we needed. No debt collectors. No punks. No Jiro. Just you and me and this shabby apartment.”

Sakyia smiled to herself, turning her head to look at her mother a few feet away. “We’ll find a way to make this apartment a home, until we find our own. You’ll buy Sungmi’s salon and have your own business again.”

“And maybe you’ll finally make friends.” She then hesitated, “Possibly even boyfriends.”

“Boyfriends?” she scoffed. “As if.”

“Eh, well, you’re a lot more popular with boys than you’ve ever realized. Jiro kept you so close and isolated, you never noticed the boys. Maybe now that you’re older you’ll become the little heartbreaker your father said you’d be,” she snickered at the last point.

She snorted, pulling the covers to her chin. “He never said that.”

“He did,” she insisted. “He kept saying he’d have to train more to fight off the line of boys that’ll be at our door.” She then said, “Just make sure he’s a nice boy? You know, who comes from a good family, has a job, is kind and gentle with you. A real gentleman.”

“Oh, Ma, can we stop the boyfriend talk, please?”

Midori laughed at her daughter’s groaning, remembering briefly how her husband used to do the same. “Alright, fine. Goodnight, Blossom.”

“Night, Ma.”

****

Her mother busy with setting up the salon and acquainting herself with employees, she’d left Sakyia to her own devices. She ate a quick breakfast of leftovers and washed up. Pulling on her father’s bomber jacket, dark navy and worn in the seams, she tied up half of her hair and went downstairs to find stacks of parcels left on the counter. Hana moved around them, smiling at her.

“Ah good, you’re here,” she said, kissing Sakyia’s cheek. “I got some packages that need to be sent as soon as possible. Don’t worry, I picked out local places so you can get familiar with Sannoh first. That way, if you decide you don’t want the job, my regulars won’t be accustomed to you.”

“Sounds good to me,” she nodded. “What do I do with them? Can that little bike hold all these?”

Hana began explaining the job to her. People normally made calls to have packages picked up or dropped off from one place to another. Sakyia only needed to drop it off, have them sign for it, and she went on to the next place. To pick up orders, she’d have to go to the address on the appointment sheet, and make sure to be there on time since the longer she took, the lower her tip is likely to be. The job sounded easy enough, especially with the bike in the back.

“Here it is,” Hana led her to the courtyard behind the shop, each woman carrying stacks of boxes.

Against a wall leant an aquamarine and white motor scooter. The previous owner painted orange and red flames on the back, and plastered bumper stickers that were later scratched off. Sakyia never rode one before, but it could not be much different from a motorcycle, which she knew how to navigate decently. Attached to the back was a wire cart, which she guessed added extra space for parcels.

“It’s not the fanciest thing in the world,” Hana said, putting her stack carefully in the cart. “But it runs well. If you ever have trouble, there’s a little mechanic shop in town where you can go. Yamato is very good at fixing bikes.”

She recalled Yamato from the previous night. “Hm, noted,” she said, adding hers beside them.

“Here are the keys,” she handed her a small set of keys. “The first place on your list is the Dan Convenience store. The owner is a good friend, but he’s too busy with the store to pick them up. Make sure they get there in one piece.”

Sakyia looked at the clipboard her aunt put on top of the parcels. On it were several names, addresses, and times to be delivered. Her aunt must’ve spent the early morning making phone calls to get them. She supposed she should start right away. Putting on the matching helmet hanging off the handle, she guided the bike around the side of the shop and onto the street. She typed the address into her navigation app, and saw a clear path to the little store. She planted herself firmly on the seat, nerves starting to numb her fingers and toes as she turned on the engine. It hummed to life underneath her, and she pressed the pedal to jolt forward. The first few starts startled her, but once she finally turned onto the street, she got the hang of it. Thankfully, years of maintaining balance helped.

The app took her to a small store a few blocks away. It appeared to be the typical convenience store, with the wide windows displaying special deals or sales. She turned off the bike and removed her helmet. She went over what she’d say as she picked up the first of the big boxes. A simple ‘hello, package for you’ might be a good start. It did not need to be a whole conversation. Though, being the newcomer in town, she might have to actually have a conversation. She’d done fine the other night in the diner. This won’t be any different. Keep things easy. Keep things flowing.

“Welcome!” Two voices said in unison.

Twin girls stood up from the register counter, hands behind their backs and formally bowing their heads when she walked in. She noticed they wore pink and black jackets, and long pink aprons. They were also tall. They almost towered over her.

“Um, good morning,” Sakyia said, “I have some packages for the owner…” she looked at the name on her clipboard, “Dan?”

“Dan’s not the owner,” said the twin with long brown hair.

“His dad is,” said her sister, who had shorter hair in two braids.

“He’s not here right now.”

“You can leave the packages with us.”

“Alright…” she said, but then someone else came up.

“Oh, Sakyia, you’re here.”

It was Dan, one of the Sannoh members, she remembered. Tall with black hair parted to the side, he gave her a smile as he wiped his hands on his apron.

“Morning, Dan,” she said, showing she hadn’t forgotten his name. “I take it by the name, this is your family’s store?”

“Yes, it is,” he nodded, taking the box from her carefully. “My dad’s not here, but I can sign for the packages.”

“Okay, good.”

She handed him the clipboard, and stared around the store. She recalled the empty fridge back home, and considered picking up some of the basics. Sakyia knew she had time in between locations to put the things back home. “Do you sell ready-to-eat meals?” she heard herself ask, peeking the fridges along the wall.

“We do,” he nodded, handing her the clipboard. “We sell lots of things here for a lady on the go,” she noticed his friendly smile, “As well as necessities.”

“Hm, good,” she nodded. “My mom and I moved in yesterday, and neither of us has had time to shop.” She checked her phone for the time. She could do a bit of shopping.

“Oh, so you’re the newcomer,” said the long-haired twin. “Naomi mentioned you. I’m Oshiage-”

“-And I’m Shiba,” said the short-haired one. “She said your mother’s a hairstylist-”

“-And that she’s opening up Sungmi’s salon.”

Did they always do that? Sakyia nodded slowly, “Yeah, she’s working there. She’s really good at what she does. Her salon back home was really popular.”

“Where was, um, home?” Dan asked, hands in his back pockets. “Ms. Kimura mentioned you came from another district.”

“Chikuni Bay,” she answered. “We lived near the warehouse district by the water until we had to move.”

“Gosh, it must’ve been nice living by the water,” he smiled, gazing over her face. Why was he doing that? It unnerved her.

“She’s not interested,” said Shiba, irritably.

“Stop being a creep.”

“I’m not being a creep!” he exclaimed, mouth agape and a blush tinging his cheeks. “I’m only being friendly, that’s all. She’s new and as part of the Sannoh Hoodlum Squad, it’s my duty to make people feel welcome here.”

They rolled their eyes together, unconvinced by his argument. “I think I’ll go, um, get the rest of the boxes-” she began to say, backing away to the doors.

“-No, no, I’ll get them,” Dan insisted. “You can take a look around the shop in the meantime.”

“Alright, thanks.”

She left him to get the packages, while she picked up a basket. Scanning the different aisles, she picked out bread and fruits for the home. She’d been looking at the refrigerated area, examining the different types of ready-to-eat meals on the shelves, when she heard another person enter the store.

“Hey Junko,” the twins said together.

“Hey Twin Towers.”

Sakyia did not really pay much mind to the women who walked into the store. She’d been deciding between a curry meal or a bento box when footsteps approached. The chicken curry and rice sounded more to her mother’s taste. She’d be fine with a bento.

“Hey,” a voice caught her attention. She looked to see two girls dressed in black with long pink and white jackets standing a few feet from her. The one with the short black hair seemed to have spoken. “You’re Ms. Kimura’s niece?”

“I am,” she nodded, putting the two items in her basket. “Who are you?”

“I’m Junko,” she said. “This is Asuka,” she nodded to the girl wearing a long ponytail behind her. “We’re part of Ichigo Milku.”

“Strawberry milk?”

“It’s our favorite drink,” said Asuka. “It's our gang name.”

Ah, another Sannoh gang. “That’s…cool,” Sakyia said, “I wasn’t aware Sannoh had a girl gang.”

“We’re the only ones,” Junko said proudly. “We take care of the women in Sannoh, and make sure they’re safe.”

“How admirable,” she checked her time again, and saw she was running out. “It was nice meeting you guys, but I gotta check out and then get back on my route.”

“We heard your mom’s opening up Sungmi’s salon,” Junko said. “Is she any good?”

“She’s amazing,” she told them honestly. “She does my hair all the time.” Like with Naomi, she showed them her hair cut. “It’s faded out, but she retouches it for me when she has the time,” she added, in case they thought the dye job was bad. She walked over to the register, putting down her items. It wasn’t much, but enough to get them until they could shop together. “She’s hired nail artists too, if you all are interested in that,” she said, “and all the old stylists that used to work there before Sungmi left.”

“That sounds great!” Asuka beamed, “I’ve been dying to get my nails done!”

“Us too!” the two twins said.

They began scanning her items when she spotted the cupcake display. Vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with different colored frosting and sprinkles lined a small case by the register. They looked good. Sakyia could not remember the last time she ate anything sweet. Jiro often kept her on a strict diet, and prohibited sweets. She knew if he stood next to her, he’d sharply scold her for thinking about it. It made her want one even more.

“-Junko,” Asuka whispered her name and nodded to the door.

Sakyia saw Junko’s hard exterior melt once she looked at the door. She turned to see Cobra walking into the shop, hands in his pockets. Sakyia guessed Junko liked him by how she stared at him with dreamy eyes. It reminded her of the girls she used to know in school. She recalled how they acted around boys they liked, and the stupid things they did to get his attention. Sakyia never had time to care about boys; Jiro took up most of it. Cobra noticed them all in the shop, and his eyes locked with hers for a moment. He was as broody today as he’d been last night. Still such a mystery to her.

“Morning,” she said politely, nodding her head at him.

“Morning, Sakyia.”

He took a spot behind her in line, and she noticed the nervous glances Junko and the other girls gave one another. She turned back to the twins, who finished scanning and bagging her meager selection.

“You’re taking up Koichi’s job then?” Cobra asked her, much to the shock of the other girls.

“I am,” she nodded, fishing for her wallet in her jacket pocket. “It helps out my aunt’s business and gives me a little extra money.”

“I’m glad Hana’s back in business,” he said. “Her service helps a lot of people in Sannoh.”

“And helps me out at the same time,” she said, trying her best to joke. He made her nervous with his stare and his handsome face and his presence. She looked at the dessert display again. “How much are the cupcakes?” she asked the twins.

“216 yen each,” said Shiba.

She sucked her teeth. Her slight against Jiro would have to wait another day. She paid for everything, and stepped aside. Another check of her phone told her she needed to get going before her next appointment. She hated her impulsive decisions. Dan having removed his packages, she had space for her bags.

“I’ll see you all around,” she said. That’s something friendly people say, don’t they?

“See ya, Sakyia!” said Asuka and the twins.

“Bye Sakyia!” Dan popped out from the back with a wide smile. “Come back whenever you want, really!”

“Ugh, you’re so pathetic, Dan,” said one of the twins.

Junko seemed too transfixed on Cobra, who only nodded at Sakyia. She felt his eyes on her still as she left the shop. It bothered her so damn much. Why did he have to stare? It made her hot under the collar, and her cheeks flushed pink. She set her bags down inside securely, then looked to see that she needed to get to her next location soon. She entered the next address on her phone when someone came up beside her.

"Here."

Cobra stood next to her bike, handing her a small bag. Inside, on a plate, sat a vanilla cupcake with baby blue frosting. Sakyia looked between him and the cupcake, a bit confused and stunned.

"Thank you," she said, gingerly taking the bag. "You didn't have to do that. I would've gotten it another time."

"I wanted to," he replied, shrugging.

She straddled her bike and put on her helmet with urgency. The small gesture reminded her of another person she’d known. He liked to give her random gifts as well; he used to brush it off too. Jesse was never one for grandiose gestures of affection even at fourteen. She placed the cupcake bag with the ones in the cart, and looked back at him.

“Why?”

“You looked like you could use it.”

“I could use a lot more things than a cupcake.”

“Still, we can find happiness in the little things too, you know.” Her phone pinged, and he said, “Looks like you have a busy day ahead.”

“Seriously busy,” she said. “My aunt’s orders are super backed up; there’s more waiting at the store. I’m sure it would’ve been worse if your friends hadn’t helped her before.”

“Your family’s business helps a lot of people around here, and Hana’s a good friend of my parents,” he said. “It would’ve been cruel of me to not lend a hand. She also helps keep the balance around here.”

“Balance? What ‘balance’?”

“Between the gangs in SWORD,” he answered. “There are five gangs in Chikuni, and we all use your aunt’s business when we want to deal with one another. That way, nobody walks into each other’s territories without warning first.”

“SWORD? The city’s Chikuni though.”

“It’s the nickname. I thought your aunt told you?”

“She neglected to mention it to me,” she grumbled. “Five gangs? Are they dangerous?”

“They can be, if you’re not careful. But, I’m sure once you tell them who you work for, they’ll lay off you,” he explained. “I’m sure Hana’s already informed the other leaders about you too.”

“Lovely. She warns them, but not me.”

“She probably didn’t want to scare you off the job,” he suggested. “Besides, perhaps she thinks you’re capable of handling it. Koichi was a pretty good fighter too.”

“Fighting?”

“Like I said, ‘five gangs’.” He stepped forward, “I could, you know, come with you? That way, you’ll have some protection.”

“I don’t need it.” She said this quicker than she meant to. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Her sudden rejection didn’t upset Cobra. He smirked and said, “Yeah, you will be, huh?”

She hated the feeling that smirk gave her. Cobra’s gentle eyes and words made her nervous. Not in the ‘fight-or-flight’ way she’d become so accustomed to either. Her mother used to call it ‘the butterflies’, and she didn’t like them. They made her warm and hopeful, like she’d been as a girl in school.

“See you around,” she said quickly. “Thanks again for the cupcake."

"No problem."

Sakyia started the scooter and went on her way. Chikuni City had five gangs, all controlling different parts of the city, and her aunt’s little delivery business kept them from fighting. Sakyia knew the job sounded a bit too good to be true. She decided she’d ask her aunt about it later, but she’ll keep it from her mother. Her mother worries plenty about everything else; Sakyia won’t pile on any supposed possibilities. She just hoped she did not have to fight. She was done fighting. Sakyia pushed Cobra and the gangs to the back of her mind, then carried on with her day.

She dropped off a few more packages to different locations, meeting her aunt’s customers and people around the town. The gangs aside, the people of Sannoh greeted her with friendly smiles. Mrs. Saito owns an antique shop, and she gave Sakyia a small beckoning cat keychain for good luck. Mr. Ito runs a grocery store, and told her amusing stories about his youth in Sannoh whilst she waited for his signature. People seemed to know all about her parents, and her mother opened the salon. Sakyia did what she could to spread the word herself, hoping it’ll help. She’d gone to the salon for lunch, giving her mother one of the meals she’d bought, and told her about her morning.

“Ah, I remember Mrs. Saito. Your grandmother loved going into her shop. She has a lot of interesting things in there,” she smiled fondly at the memory. She sat across from Sakyia on one of the hair drying chairs, who sat on the barber chair. “I missed this place,” she said, chewing a piece of chicken curry with rice. “I always meant to bring you here one day so you can see where your father and I grew up, but I never got around to it.” She noticed the cupcake Sakyia had sitting with the rest of the groceries. “You bought a sweet treat, huh?” she smiled, “Jiro would’ve scolded you if he was here.”

“It’s why I wanted it, but I didn’t have enough for it.”

“Then how did you get it?”

She slurped some of the chicken broth in her cup, then said, “Junpei.” Her mother hid her grin behind a scoop of rice. “Ugh, it didn’t mean anything. He was only being friendly.”

“There’s a difference between ‘friendly’ and ‘friendly’, she smirked. “Your aunt tells me he’s a very nice boy.”

“Ma…” she said warningly.

“Alright, alright,” she finished off her meal, and dumped it in the trash. “I’ll lay off. But, you can at least try making friends your own age. I know that’s easier said than done, but I…I want you to have a life, Sakyia.”

She knew this. Jiro robbed her of a proper social life and childhood. From thirteen to twenty-five, Sakyia cannot say she had any ‘proper’ friends.

“You know who you should call up one day?” her mother broke into her thoughts. “That boy you used to hang around with when you were younger. What was his name? Skinny boy with black hair? Never wore his shoes the right way?”

“Jesse?”

Sakyia’s stomach rumbled, and she stopped eating her ramen. She remembered Jesse vividly. A lot of teenagers fought in the warehouse pits during her time there. The managers often pitted them against one another to keep things fair, but occasionally she’d fight people bigger than her. Jesse was one of the kids she often fought against. Strong and fast with lots of stamina, it always took several rounds before either of them went down. Jesse never yielded. He either knocked her out or she knocked him out. One night, after a fight, they got to talking in the locker room and clicked. She often met up with him at the warehouse since he lived in Little Asia, and she lived near the bay. He liked her. She didn’t know at the time, but as a woman now, the signs were obvious. He went easy on her in fights; he often tended to her wounds afterwards; he hung around her before and afterwards, and even brought her a flower for her birthday.

“I heard he’s in prison,” she said, remembering the boy who wore his sneakers like sandals. Word spread that he’d been lifted by police and gone to Rasan Prison, where he’s been for a long time. “So, there isn’t any way of ‘calling him’.” Not that she would. It’d been so long ago, she doubted her recalled her at all.

“What a shame,” her mother mused, going back to fixing up the hair station. “He’d liked you a lot.”

Her phone rang in her pocket, and Sakyia sighed. “I have to go, Ma,” she told her, cleaning up her spot and dumping the garbage. “Auntie Hana gave me a long list of drop-offs for today, so I might not be back until later.”

“Be careful, Blossom,” she said, kissing her daughter’s cheek.

They said their farewells, and Sakyia went back on her route. Sannoh didn't seem like a bad place. People were friendly in a way that threw her off at times. She blamed it on the places where she received nothing but grimaces of pain or dirty glares. She briefly remembered Jesse, who'd always smiled at her approach. He did it when he fought her too, teasing and goading her into charging at him. Sannoh might've been different after all.

The sky turned dark by the time she finished delivering packages around the area. She’d driven back towards home when she noticed the gas tank dial. The tiny yellow hand pointed dangerously close to the ‘empty’ symbol. She’ll admit she’d put off getting gas since she wanted to get to her drop offs and pickups on time. Yet, cruising through the streets, she worried she may not make it home on a near empty tank. She remembered passing a gas station on her way southwards, so she searched on her phone for the station and drove in its direction.

‘Hina Gas’ went across the top in bold letters. It appeared a bit run down, but nothing that threw her guard off. Sakyia parked the scooter by a pump, then went inside. ‘The butterflies’ made their return. Cobra sat behind the register, magazine in his lap and his feet propped on a counter. His head poked up when the doorbell jingled throughout the small store.

“Hey,” she heard herself say out loud.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s late. Shouldn’t you be home?”

“Shouldn’t you?”

“I live nearby.”

“So do I.” Why is everything an inquest with this man? “I just needed gas,” she nodded to the pumps outside, “Otherwise I’d get stranded.”

She walked up to the counter, and he stood from his chair. The air remained tense and quiet. They didn’t have to talk. It’s not needed. Yet, the butterflies continued fluttering in her stomach. Cobra put in the gas charge, and she fished through her bag for the cash.

“How was it?” he asked, processing her payment.

“Huh?”

“Your day,” he specified. “How’d it go?”

“Oh, um, it went well. My aunt kept most of the addresses in Sannoh, so at least I can see the rest of the place,” she said, fiddling with the strap of her bag. Her fingernails picked into the polyester strap, dragging over the prints nervously. “It’s actually a nice place. The people I’ve met are nice, at least. Mrs. Saito from the antique store gave me this little cat charm,” she showed it to him, the golden cat hanging from her keychain. “For good luck,” she continued. “Overall, not a bad day. How was yours?” it only felt right to ask, since he did first.

The corner of his mouth twitched at the cat. He handed her back the bills, and said, “It’s been a quiet one, that’s for sure, but not unpleasant.” He hesitated, about to add on to it before stopping himself. “It is, um, you know, getting late though. Sannoh isn’t always as pleasant at night. You really shouldn’t go on your own.”

“I have my scooter. No worries,” she insisted, putting her money away. “I can just ride away if danger comes near me.”

“Still,” he said, looking over her face, “Be careful.”

“I will, thanks. Night.”

“Night.”

She moved to leave when someone else entered the shop. Seeing his black hair hanging over his eyes, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, Noboru leaned on a walking stick as he walked in. He looked different from the young man who’d come to her old house a month and a half ago. His eyes met hers, and he gave a friendly grin.

“Oh, hello, Sakyia,” he said, giving a bow of his head. “I heard you and your mom moved into the neighborhood.” He went over to the counter, giving Cobra a fist pump. “I hope you settled in okay.”

“We did, thanks,” she said. “What happened to your leg? You weren’t injured when we met.”

“You’ve met before?” Cobra asked, looking between them.

“An accident,” he answered Sakyia. “It’s a bit of a complicated story, but I no longer work for the Iemura family.”

Sakyia did not need him to tell her more. He must’ve upset them somehow, and they’d punished him for it. She pitied him. “I’m sorry that happened to you,” she told him. “You and Kawata helped my mother and I a lot. She told me later you’d been the one who suggested the exchange.”

“I thought it’d benefit everyone involved,” he shrugged. “You and your mother could have a new life somewhere else, and Iemura would get their money.”

“And Jiro?” she asked cautiously.

“I don’t know,” he shook his head. “They’re still looking for him, from what I heard.”

Jiro escaped them. She figured he would. He’s too cowardly to own up to his mistakes. It was why he forced Sakyia to do it. “I know this might sound harsh to say, but I hope they do find him,” she said. Knowing Jiro, he’ll crop up somewhere eventually. “He deserves whatever they give him.”

“That is a bit harsh-”

“-I’m sorry, but how do you two know each other?” Cobra asked a second time, a bit louder.

“Sakyia’s mother sold her salon in Chikuni Bay to Kuryu,” he told him before Sakyia could intervene. “I heard she’s managing Sungmi’s salon though,” he looked at Sakyia. “I was just talking to Naomi, and she told me.”

“She is.”

“Why did she sell her salon?” asked Cobra.

“Because we were moving,” Sakyia lied. “She couldn’t manage it from somewhere else, so she sold it to start over.”

Cobra did not believe her. She could tell in the way he slightly raised his eyebrows. “I gotta go,” she said hurriedly. “It’s getting late, and my mom’s waiting. I’ll see you guys around.”

“Night,” Noboru said innocently.

“Night.”

She left the gas station before any more questions came up. Her mother waited for her at home, and she’d been out too long already. She didn't have time for anyone’s prying questions.

Especially not Cobra’s.

#high & low #high and low #H&L #High and low the story of SWORD #cobra x reader #high and low fanfiction #high and low fanfic #hina junpei #junpei hina #iwata takanori

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star2fishmeg · 1 year

Text

Murayama would definitely enjoy skin contact when sleeping. Like he'd insist on wearing the bare minimum bc he's "too hot" when he really just wants to feel you against him in the purest way possible. He wouldn't be able to sleep without giving the sweetest, sloppiest kisses to your lips and giving the biggest grin afterwards. He'd bury his face into the crook of your neck and hold you close, never failing to say 'goodnight'. Murayama Yoshiki would love you in the purest form, at full capacity, bc sometimes former delinquents like him have feelings, too, and just want to be loved.

['nd that's my headcanon. New h&l content soon, I've revived a little. Goodnight homies]

#murayama yoshiki #h&l #high&low #murayama yoshiki x reader #high & low #oya high #highandlow #yoshiki murayama #murayama x reader #murayama yoshiki fluff #≡after hours

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onlyrains · 4 months

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Hi!!! I just wanna say that im really obsessed with your writtings i keep reading them especially the monji one 😣😭💖

So i was wondering if you dont mind to make the part 2 if there is any cuz asdfghjll they are so adorable 😭😭💖

Love you!!

a/n: hiii!!! thank you for liking my work, it means a lot! here's you request and i'm so sorry for the wait. i make it quite long as an apology. btw love you too!❤️

part 1

[3:54pm]

the last time you saw your best friend—monji—was the day you noticed his anxious and nervous face for the first time after encountering his senior then he urgently needed to take you home.

“why do you seem so anxious?” you asked that day.

he shook his head. “we need to take you home first.” he replied hurriedly.

you confused. until today. so you decided to go to his school then you both can walk together and talk about the other day.

having just finished your shift at the cafe, you opted for your daily clothes over your school uniform, considering it might look suspicious at a boys-only school like housen.

as you approached the front gate, a mere 100 meters away, loud thuds echoed from the crossroads. your curiosity drove you closer, revealing a chaotic scene with about twenty guys engaged in physical altercations. a gasp escaped your mouth as you witnessed monji, the reason for your visit, lying on the ground, attempting to fend off the attacks. your feet froze, body stiffened, and your eyes were almost fell from its place. this was the first time you witnessed something so chaotic that made your head stop working.

“who are you?” someone yelled beside you, catching you off guard as he dragged you away from the scene. he walked far enough then stopped near a store with a bunch of people around. “who are you?” he asked again.

you tried to regain your consciousness back, barely blinking your teary eyes. “huh?” you look at the bowl-headed guy in front of you.

“wait.” he said before running to the store to buy you a water to calm down.

“thank you.” you accept his kindness and drank it as much as you could.

“i-i came to see monji.” you started. he frowned. “monji? are you his girlfriend?” he asked.

you shook your head immediately. “no—i'm not. i'm just a friend—”

“hmm,” you heard him humming. his forehead frowned again as he thought. “how could he have a girlfriend but having a girl pick him up? is he that popular among the girls?” he murmured.

what does he mean? monji have a girlfriend?

“what do you mean?” you asked. he shook his head. “nothing. and don't worry. he will be okay, you don't need to shocked like that. trust me.”

ah, the fight! you almost forgot about the fight. you scanned his appearance from up to the bottom. he was wearing housen's uniform.

“are you from housen too?”

he nodded. “yes. so you can trust me that everyone will be okay.”

“how can someone be okay after having a wooden stick on their head? should i call an ambulance? or police?”

he scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. “they'll be okay.”

and just like that, you waited for the next ten minutes with him while having small talks about everything around you. he was quite nice, you thought. he even introduce himself and now you knew his name was sabakan. he tried his best to distract you from the fight.

“let's go.” he said after answering a call.

“is it okay?”

he nodded and walked in front of you.

as you take a right turn, you could saw a bunch of guy wearing housen's uniforms sitting on the road. you couldn't help but biting your nails to channelled your anxiety and and secretly hoped to meet monji in a proper condition.

“is everyone okay?” sabakan asked his friends and you still behind his back. they answered in unison like a war troop answering its superior.

“where were you? you promised to assist me today!” a familiar voice exclaimed. you knew for sure the owner of that voice.

“you better not yell like that…” sabakan murmured.

“what—” monji's voice were gone when sabakan step aside, revealing you who were there the whole time.

you squeezed the strap of your crossbody tightly and looked up slowly to meet monji's eyes. everyone was shock, but no one match monji's shock.

he got up immediately and approached you in a blink. “why are you here? are you okay? who brought you? how…” his hands stopped checking your condition as his eyes meet your own. you didn't know why it got teary again and you need to bit your inner lip to held your cry and anger.

his thumb caress your left cheek before he turned around and ask for leave to his senior.

“see… this is what would happen if you don't tell your girl your plan for the day…” you could see a blond with glasses guy speak to his underlings. he was mocking monji and tried to hold his laughter, you knew that.

“shut up, odajima.” a big guy—who looks at you with a concern look—replied.

“let's go.” monji said after got his permission. he grabbed your wrist and take you to a more conducive place to talk.

“have you eaten yet?” he asked. you shook your head then he made you both entering a ramen shop.

you didn't open your mouth a bit after you sit and busy holding your teary to fall from your eyes seeing him so messed up like this. monji also busy with his own thought on how to tell you what was going on.

“here's your ramen.” a server approaching your table. “do you have a first aid kit?” you asked. he nodded and gave you a box behind the cashier shelf.

“i'm fine.” monji voiced when you wet the cotton. you weren't respond his words and started cleaning the wound.

he hissed occasionally but not avoiding you. the guilt already ate his guts alive and all he could do was obey you.

“i was just want to go home with you since my shift ended early.” you say while tidy up the aid kit. “i don't know—i'm just so shocked but luckily sabakan helped me.”

monji nod his head and he started to sip his ramen broth to warm his chest since your gaze was too cold than usual.

“and he confused why am i there to pick you up when you already have a girlfriend?” you added as you take mouthful of your ramen.

monji choked himself and coughed for an entire minute. “he say what?”

you shrugged. “but now i know why people find your school interesting. why are you enter that school in the first place?”

monji's gaze was back to his bowl.

“i don't see the point of the fights and i know you know that it's dangerous even though you can face it. but still, why?” you continue your rambles.

“i just not expecting you chose this path, you know? i'm not trying to complain about your decision, i'm just… what should i call it? worry…?”

he took a glance at you. your eyes reddens but you tried to sip your ramen like nothing happened. he knew you tried your best to act cool.

“thank you.” he said. “this is why i forbid you to go to housen.” you sigh.

“but you are really okay, right?” he asked. you nodded.

“i'm sorry for making you worried.” he continue before finished his ramen. “we're cool, right?”

you glance sharply at him for a few second then nod unheartedly.

monji sighed silently and felt a limp on his throat before he say, “don't be afraid of me.”

you looked up and stared at him this time. “i won't.”

a small smile appeared on his lips as his finger still rubbed against each other, nervous. so you decided to change the topic.

“by the way, how could you have a girlfriend and didn't tell me?”

“i-i don't!” he exclaimed. “uh, let's not talk about it for now—”

“why?”

“just not now. it's a long story. all i can say now is i don't have one, it's just a misunderstanding, okay?”

you narrowed your eyes. “don't make me call sabakan and we'll have him in this conversation…”

“argh…” he groaned and messed his hair out of frustation.

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amamiyashion · 3 months

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Who wouldn't luv him? 🖤

🅗🅞🅤🅢🅔🅝

IG: amamiya_shion9

#high and low #high and low the worst #h&l #shiono akihisa #odajima yuken #housen academy #塩野瑛久

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suzakisbbygirl · 11 months

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How would Murayama fujio tsukasa be with their girlfriends who are popular with boys

Okay right before I got this request I was actually thinking the same thing, and like wondering how I would write it myself

Thank you for this request anon, I hope you enjoy it!!

Much love ~ ember

Fujio, Tsukasa, Murayama with a gf who is close with the guys

Fujio:

Fujio with a girl who is popular with the other guys would be interesting

He has no shame in showing that he is slightly jealous

But only slightly (he’s losing his mind)

He wont show too much jealousy, he knows you are his, and that you are with him for a reason

However, if you are giving the other guys more attention, he will get pouty for sure

He’s gonna try to keep it low key, being the leader of the full time students at Oya High, he has an image to uphold

But he doesn’t really care when it comes to you

You are his girl, he is a physical touch kind of guy, he wants your attention whenever you are around

Fujio would become somewhat quiet, and would sit back observing, thinking about everything that he could have possibly done to give you a reason to not like him anymore

Poor baby would probably be thinking about everything, even the time he didnt text you when he got home

He would need some serious reassurance when the guys leave

That you are his, and you are not going to leave him

After comforting him, he will be attached to you for the rest of the time that the two of you are together

Even if you are trying to do something, like cook dinner, he has his arms wrapped around you, and is glued to you, with no intention of letting go

Not that you mind though, its cute when he gets clingy like this

Overall, he knows that you are his, and that he isn’t going to lose you to anyone else, he just needs some reassurance every now and then

Tsukasa:

Tsukasa is the opposite of Fujio

Yes he seems to think about everything deeply, but he is confident in your relationship

He would sit aside watching you interact with the other guys, smiling at how beautiful your smile is, how your laugh is like music to his ears

He would sit there observing you more than anything

And he would be too invested in those thoughts to be jealous

He knows that you are his, and he knows that you love him

He has no reason to worry

He also knows that he really could kick anyone's ass if he needed to

He is more so observing you so that he can intervene if you get uncomfortable in any way

Tsukasa is not one for physical touch, especially when the guys are around, usually he has his arm over your shoulders, or a hand on your thigh

But when the guys leave, he pulls you into a tight hug and look at you with the most loving eyes

He tells you how beautiful you are, and how much he loves that you get along with his friends

He knows that the guys are not the easiest people to get along with, but he loves how much you enjoy being around them

It makes him happy that he can have his favorite girl around his friends, without there being any issues or being uncomfortable

He still would be clingier than usual, just because he is so happy to have someone as special as you in his life

Murayama:

Murayama would be right between Fujio and Tsukasa. He would be jealous, though he would never show it in front of the others

He’s the leader of Oya, the toughest guy in school

He can’t have the others knowing that he has a soft side, that’s only for you

He wouldn’t get pouty, he wouldn’t act different

Maybe getting a little quieter than normal, but he would still be involved in the conversation

You wouldn’t even know he’s jealous till hes sulking after everyone leaves

Even if someone else were to call you pretty, you wouldn’t know he's jealous, however, the other guy better watch his back, cause Murayama is coming for him

“Murayama, what's wrong?” “Wouldn’t you rather be talking with Seki?” He asks in a pouty tone

That’s when you’ll know he’s jealous, give the poor boy a hug

He will loosen up again once you pull him close and play with his hair

Tell him everything you love about him and he will melt in your arms

He becomes clingy as well, though he won't fully latch onto you, he’ll just follow you around wherever you go

If you’re cooking, he will try to help, or at least watch you

If you are working on school work (as if anyone at Oya actually does school work) he will sit there admiring you

He’s not saying much, though he is thinking about everything he loves about you

Thinking about all of your quirks, and the things that you do that make his heart flutter

He sits there admiring you for as long as he can

Sometimes it's hard for him to believe that he is with someone like you

But he is thankful for all of the happiness and love that you bring to him