Sumireko explains the plot of american sci-fi cult classic E.T. (1982) to reimu & friends

Might be a pretty basic take by the standards of more seasoned yuri fans, but it's my perspective as someone who's mostly read yuri in a Touhou context (though a lot of it), and exclusively manga from the Japanese fans as opposed to i.e. written fics.

Touhou yuri (using it very broadly here to describe any kind of wlw shipping present) is, across the board, in a pool of fan literature going back twenty years, remarkably good at taking the lesbian part for granted. Not counting outright het content or works that simply don't bring it up, I have only very vague memories of a character's lesbian orientation being either denied or even brought to question (even in the cliche "But we're both girls!" manner, which even as a somewhat dead horse trope you might still expect to see, given plenty of doujin writing isn't exactly highbrow). You might be able to read "Does she like girls?" between the lines in the usual question of "Does she like me?" if you really want to, but the way it's still basically treated as default is fun to me. There's a reason Touhou basically has honorary yuri status on e.g. Dynasty Reader, even the stories with effectively zero shipping in them. You might not notice if you haven't browsed the site, but it's literally nothing but yuri + Touhou. We even got upload rights just so we could post more Touhou.

(Of course, Touhou being yuri city is part of the reason any hint of straight romance gets a really strong kneejerk reaction from people, including me. But that's also because the lack of usable male characters makes that shipping inherently hamfisted, up to and including literally making up cardboard villager OCs. Basically the only positive example I can remember off the top of my head is Hisona's An Old Poem for the Cuckoo Bird depicting Youki with a 1000-year-old mostly joking crush on Nue, which after some chin-scratching I decided I liked alright. And Hisona of course has plenty of yuri cred to cover for it.)

But although taken for granted, most Touhou yuri is one or more of: a.) On a "blushing maidens thinking about holding hands" level in its approach to romance, b.) Only depicting the starting moments of a relationship, at best - usually just pining, c.) Only off-handedly teasing, basically to acknowledge the ship is there, d.) Showing a very close and loving relationship but leaving the romance part subtextual, even if thinly veiled.

While those are all fine - some of my favorite artists like e.g. Ashiyama undeniably fall under d.) - it means that artists who depict more established couples, and couples that get depicted as more established, stand out. I love when a story is very blunt about two characters, whether the focus is actually on them or not, already being an item. Be it due to a difference in target demographic or what, many of these works seem to have a slight lean towards being more raunchy/horny even when not outright R-18, but I don't actually mind that too much when it does happen - as long as they're fun and raunchy, as opposed to only raunchy or, god forbid, unfun in raunchy ways.

I like how Moyazou depicts Mokou and Keine as basically-married. I like how Atoki depicts YuuParu or SakiYachi after drawing like twenty books of them (each). I like when Kawayabug depicts Tojiko as Miko's beleaguered wife. But the example of the day is obviously risui (of Ladies of Scarlet Devil Mansion), who you might have guessed inspired this ramble. Funnily enough, in LoSDM she seems to have walked back Meiling and Sakuya's relationship coincidentally at the same time she toned down the content to fit SCoOW's guidelines, compared to her usual works that have MeiSaku at a much more established and mutual stage.

But the point stands that it's really fun to see LoSDM almost rub it in your face from the very start - from Meiling's dream to every other conversation she has - that everyone in it is unapologetically and openly lesbian, assumes everyone else to be a lesbian, and doesn't hesitate to talk about it like a (romcom idiot) adult.

Also, risui draw lady very good

I Got You - Jujutsu Kaisen

Includes: Megumi Fushiguro, Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori, Toge Inumaki, Toji Fushiguro, Ryomen Sukuna

Genre: angst? fluff

Summary: a scenario in which your fave boy saves you + the aftermath

CW: VIOLENCE, blood, falling, bullying, harassment, hurt/comfort, more stupid jokes?

i am so down bad for xiao from Genshin rn so if anyone has any good xiao fics pls send them my way! fanart too! anyway this has been in my drafts for a while but just finished it tonight cause why not

also I guarantee no one can guess my favorite JJK character

————

Megumi Fushiguro:

yuji, fushiguro and you were sent to exorcise a grade 1

nobara was sick with the flu but she was supposed to be there too

it was supposed to be an easy fight 

when you got there, it turned out to be a special grade that took hostages 

you focused on trying to get the hostages out while fushiguro and Itadori distracted it

it catches on to the plan and knocks yuji away when he goes to hit it 

then it goes after you

yuji gets up but not in time 

fushiguro tries to divert it with his shikigami but it doesn’t work

it hits you out the window 

you start falling and have no time to brace yourself before hitting the ground 

you’re going to hit the pavement and become a y/n pancake 

fushiguro watches the whole thing in horror

he’s NOT going to lose you like this

he tries to think of what he can do to save you and it hits him like a pile of bricks

a giant bird catches you

it takes you a minute to realize that it’s Nue but when you do, you almost cry from relief 

yuji and fushiguro finished exorcising the curse when you got back 

you literally run to fushiguro and kiss him

he’s surprised but he holds you and makes sure you’re okay 

is SO relieved when you only have a few minor scrapes and bruises and no big injuries

expect him to be GLUED to your side after too

he’s not one for PDA but he’s holding your hand, hand on your waist etc. 

let’s you rest on him during the ride back to jujutsu tech

probably plays with your hair/hands the whole drive too

Satoru Gojo 

saves you on a mission when your Grade 1 turned out to be 2 special grades

as a semi Grade 1 sorcerer you’re used to taking out Grade 1s and even some special grades on your own

so when you got an assignment to take out a Grade 1 you really weren’t worried about it

Gojo was though

he kept saying something feels off and not elaborating 

You shake him off cause let’s be real, it’s Gojo, and you go anyway

of course when you get there and take out the Grade 1 almost instantly just to realize you still feel a strong presence of cursed energy, you realize he was right

queue 2 special grades coming out of nowhere and attacking you

it’s all you can do to defend yourself and try to run away but they’re working together and keep blocking your path 

you’re thoroughly unsurprised when Gojo drops from the fucking sky 

“what do we have here?”

he has his blindfold off and his eyes are glowing 

you laugh somewhat cause you know they are FUCKED 

he takes his time with them too 

when it’s done and over with he’s trying to act all nonchalant and “I told you so” about it but you can tell he was worried 

“see? you should’ve just listened to me”

“really? you’re choosing now to be cocky?”

definitely makes you ‘repay’ him somehow (read: he is just EXTRA clingy and uses it as a reason to kiss you tons)

Yuji Itadori

you’re heading to a cafe one morning to get drinks and snacks for the first years

it’s a nice day so you just end up walking there 

you didn’t think about the fact that regular school was about to start either tho

and as you’re walking to the cafe you see some familiar people up ahead 

people you knew before Jujutsu Tech

you decide to just ignore them cause you don’t think they’ll remember or recognize you after all this time 

unfortunately they do

one of them sticks out their leg to trip you and when you fall they all laugh 

you scramble backwards and try to get up but realize you dropped your wallet 

“w-what do you even want from me”

“c’mon y/n, is that any way to greet an old friend?”

you get a weird feeling in the pit of your stomach 

“it doesn’t really seem like you guys are friends.”

your heart FLUTTERS

yuji is standing behind the group of assholes and he looks ANGRY 

so angry you almost thought it was Sukuna for a second 

“who are you—“

“don’t you know? that’s the tiger of west junior high!!”

the fear on their faces alone is enough to make you feel better 

they literally RUN away

Yuji helps you off of the ground and gathers your stuff 

“y/n are you okay?”

you nod and swallow hard

he checks you head to toe for injuries and when he’s certain you’re fine pulls you in for a big hug

like mans is CRUSHING your ribs 

he’s back to his sunshiney self tho

“thank you for protecting me, yuji.”

he kisses your forehead and he’s BLUSHING like crazy

Toge Inumaki 

there’s a big meeting for sorcerers at the Tokyo school

like pretty much everyone is there 

so class is cancelled for the day

you and the other second years are just sitting on the bleachers making fun of some of the weirder looking sorcerers

you’re sitting with inumaki who chimes in with the occasionally “tuna” or “salmon roe” 

until you hear someone causing a scene over Yuji

yelling about the vessel and a bunch of other weird shit

you’re on your feet in no time ready to go defend the poor first year 

you don’t even think about any danger until you’re getting up in the man’s face and telling him to backup 

the man is getting aggressive though and Yuji starts telling you to back off 

but the man tells Yuji he’s better off dead and you SNAP

you start yelling at him

until he starts to use his cursed technique on you

you realize too late what’s happening and have no time to get out of the way

“don’t move!”

it’s been so long since you’ve heard Inumaki say anything other than fish ball ingredients that you’re stunned 

the man freezes in place, trying to move but to no avail

Inumaki steps in front of you protectively and narrows his eyes at the man who tried to attack you

“leave. don’t come near them again.”

the man obeys (like he had any choice)

Inumaki looks at you seriously and grabs your hands 

“tuna tuna”

“i know i know…i didn’t think I just ran in”

“bonito flakes”

you kiss his nose and thank him for saving you 

Toji Fushiguro

being real he would probably not let ANYONE lay their hands on you 

at least not anyone with ill intentions

but let’s be real toji is possessive as fuck

anyway you’re on a walk one morning when a curse ambushes you

you don’t practice Jujutsu but you have cursed energy and know what they are from Toji

you try to evaluate what’s going on and wonder if you can fight it

but you shake the thought away and settle on running 

which is fine until the curse RIPS the ground from under you and sends you flying 

you land on a wall and decide to just not get up again

you’re ready to accept death when your giant boyfriend is suddenly there 

he has a sword and makes quick work of the curse before coming to your aid 

“fuck doll, it really did a number on you, huh?”

you just nod weakly and let him pick you up 

he carried you home and takes care of your injuries and you can tell by the shaking of his hands that he’s mad

not at you duh

but at the thought that a curse HURT you

that it even THOUGHT it could touch HIS y/n

expect a lot of affection from him 

and probably some rough but sweet ‘you’re mine ill never let anything hurt you’ sex

Ryomen Sukuna

you and Yuji somehow get stuck fighting a special grade alone 

and neither of you are doing so hot

at least Yuji is somewhat OP

you’re just y/n and you’re STRUGGLING

which only gets worse when the special grade pierces straight through your stomach

there’s a hole at least three inches wide

Yuji just watches in horror 

Sukuna doesn’t freeze, though 

he knows humans are fragile and you can’t stand too much blood loss

“enchain”

him and Yuji switch before anyone could process what was going on

instantly vaporizes the special grade and runs to your side

using reversed cursed energy really isn’t that big of a deal to him though 

heals you like it’s nothing 

“you’re fine, brat.”

you pass out 

but when you wake up you’re back in your dorm, Yuji sitting on the end of your bed

no, not Yuji

Sukuna is sitting on the end of your bed, staring straight at you 

“i-i’m alive?”

“yes, and i still haven’t heard a thank you.”

“thank you for saving me.”

acts all humble and nonchalant about it but you notice he’s a little more clingy

and WAY more protective of you 

Helloooo love your meta posts esp wrt to language so much!! It really has elevated my appreciation for the series by A LOT lol so thank you!

I have a question regarding ch 98 that's been bugging me incessantly: in the official translatjon renji says "all i do is bark at the moon", however in fan translations (and anime) renji is seen to be referring to a star. I am unable to find the raws anywhere to ascertain the finality of this conundrum so I was wondering if you could clarify what exactly is the 'object' renji is referring to here and lend us your thoughts?

Thank you for reading! I started this reread because I knew that the potential to really revel in this kind of stuff was already there, but I am really enjoying jumping into it full-on and wondering about and learning about a lot of extremely random things as I go. I'm really enjoying it!

[Bleach 098]

The Short Version

In the Japanese, Renji says, 星に向かって吠えるばっか ― which could be translated as "I’m just barking at the stars." 

The word he uses is 星 (hoshi), star, not moon. My guess is that the Viz chose "moon" because it’s more idiomatic in English to howl at the moon, and the phrase conveys that sense of lone wolf yearning/misdirection--particularly given that he’s talking about Rukia, and Rukia already has some moon imagery associated with her.

The catch is, the concept of "howling at the moon" also exists in Japanese; for example, there’s a famous modern poet named Hagiwara Sakutarou who wrote a collection titled 月に吠える、or, well, "Howling at the Moon." (You’ll notice the same verb, but 月 (tsuki/moon) instead of 星 (hoshi/star). But that's not what Renji says. I’d argue that it’s worth considering the idea that Renji was making a choice in not using that idiom! 

The Very Long Version

Stars and Moons and Monkeys and Tigers and Snakes and Dogs and-- oh my!

Tomes have been written about celestial symbolism, in Bleach and otherwise. I’m not a big celestial symbolism person, because they’re such BIG symbols I feel like sometimes they can feel very locked in, if that makes sense? Like X = moon and moon = Y and therefore X = Y. And while I love an extended metaphor, my preference is for very unstable, borderline sloppy referents. Which isn’t to say that celestial symbolism can’t be unstable and sloppy, too, and that’s what I really like about this whole Renji section. Renji is the KING of "imagistically, there is a lot going on here, my man."

As far as folklore is concerned, reaching for the moon might call to mind the story of the monkey reaching for the moon’s reflection:

The branch the monkey’s hanging from breaks and he falls into the water. His folly lies in failing to distinguish between what is real and what is illusion.

One one hand, this is fitting for Renji, our resident howler monkey. I don’t know how much baboon we’ve actually seen at this point, but we’ll see Zabimaru’s nue form very shortly. But of course Zabimaru isn’t just a monkey—he also has the head of a snake. And we have this dog imagery, coming from both Renji’s affiliation with Inuzuri and other body parts in some versions of the nue. And later we’ll have TIGER in the mix, too!!

There’s SO much going on. If Renji were a Project Runway creation, Tim Gunn would probably invite his creator edit—maybe choose one motif, one metaphor, one guy who will scan well on the runway.

But Renji exists in excess, he IS all those things, both in terms of his chimerical zanpakutou spirit and in terms of everything we’ve seen of him thus far: tearing through Ishida and Ichigo; herding butterflies with Rikichi; stunting with Rukia in jail; delivering Rukia to prison; getting stunted on by Aizen in a supply closet; being friends with Hinamori; tearing through Ichigo a second time; and now, finally, giving it all up and begging Ichigo: Just save her.

Bone Metaphors

The reader hasn’t seen it yet, but Renji knows what form Zabimaru’s bankai takes. In addition to all those animals and their potential allegories, we also have bone. In Renji's earlier line, there’s an idiom that I wish were preserved:

In the Viz, he says, "I’ll always be a stray dog." In the Japanese, his line is 「骨の髄まで野良犬根性が染み付いてやがるんだ.」Which could be translated as "I am, indelibly, a stray dog to the marrow of my bones /contemptuously." Or, more succinctly:

"I’m a stray dog to the bone."

I love this line because it’s reaching toward Renji’s challenge to Byakuya, insinuating still more layers to Renji’s multitudes.

Different Flavors of Disgust

Still thinking about Renji’s second act in this arc, I am also interested in his subsequent line. He says 厭になるぜ (iya ni naruze), or, in the Viz, "It makes me sick." But I was curious about the kanji 厭 (iya), because it’s more commonly written 嫌 (iya), which can be used as a negative interjection, or, pronounced differently, as the same word you’d use if you hated snails, or homework, or something―嫌い (kirai). Using the kanji 厭 is a less common spelling, though the meaning is similar. So I was like, well, what is the difference? According to this article, the kanji Renji uses is a lot more common in Chinese. If 嫌 is an expression of digust or hatred, 厭 suggests that you’ve specifically gotten tired of something (and are now disgusted with it). It’s the kanji you’d use to create the word for a pessimistic worldview, 厭世観 (enseikan). That is all to say, Renji has become sick and tired of it, and he’s about to change tack.

Failing Poetry 101

Coming back around to the original line, I really like Renji’s "I’m just barking at the stars" specifically because it doesn’t really reference any existing idiom, as might howling at the moon. "Barking at the moon" is an interesting middle ground, in that "barking" definitely feels more dog-like and howling more wolf-like; barking is less majestic, which fits with Renji’s description being derogatory of himself. Renji is not a poet in his use of loaded idioms but in his negation of them. And if Rukia can be described by moon imagery, she too contains multitudes and I think it's well within her power to be the stars, too.

Kira, as Renji’s most poetic friend, probably rolls partway into his grave whenever Renji says stuff like this, because it breaks poetic form. But I think he’s probably also kind of envious that Renji thinks this stuff up, because it’s fresh, new, off-kilter imagery, it is its own kind of poetry, and let's be real, the moon imagery market is fairly saturated. *frames moon with giant rebar hole in body*

So I’d say, "howling at the moon" conjures a certain kind of poetry, steeped in all the macro-folkloric meanings of the moon and dogs/wolves. "Barking at the moon" is kind of half-half. "Barking at the stars" is not a pre-existing idiom (or poem, or expected language), and conjures a completely different referent(s), the immediate of which is, of course, the volume’s own poem. Renji is out here Renji-ing it.

[Bleach Vol. 11 poem]

@theeldritchmetanoia replied to your post “I'll just come off of anon actually lmao, but here...”:

ABSOLUTELY FEEL FREE!! Their name is Lucius (fake name)! They're a Nue originally from Japan but chose to leave in order to see what other places were like, and then immediately got sealed away inside a statue (skill issue /j), that tiny statue got passed around and sold a bunch until eventually ending up in a museum for a good while until they managed to finally break free

​aahh thats so cool!? they were too baby and got sealed away (j/k) were they able to break free themselves or had outside help? did they live on their own before leaving to travel or did they know of other nue?

tiny statue!! i have no clue what their nue form looks like so i kinda guessed it from the picrew (sorry if i got it wrong! ) lucius didn't want to travel this way!

also:

what an absolute sweetie!

lù zhū, my nue, is also from japan, her troop lived on a small remote island to stay hidden. some troop members do leave to survey the humans and bring back trinkets, toys, books and food; others may leave to live off island to try and live as humans. her troop does an annual meet up with other nue, and normal snow monkeys, on a different island to socialize and to share information. unfortunately their last meet ended with them being attacked and as a result both troops had to scatter with lù zhū ultimately finding her way into macaque's dojo.

mac literally caught her stealing his food like this lol

i could literally go on about her story and how mac was the one to unwittingly name her which was supposed to be a temporary name, but she kept it. like honestly i also can't wait to share about the ones "looking out" for her or lù zhū's "jiji" there is just so much.

Bonus Chapter!

Part four

A / n: I wanted to send it yesterday, but I couldn't. I am sending it to you today! As with all of this series, this is all NSFW.

"So I was going to see something at home... Soo... What is this?" you asked while sitting in the chair by the kitchen table.

"Aw don't be impatient. I'm trying to make iced coffee for you and you complain." Satoru groaned 

"Sorry to say so, but I'm curious. So don't keep me in this guess anymore..." you muttered trying to see what he was doing.

He's supposed to make the iced coffee himself, but you don't know how it will come out.

He can make coffee for sure, but you don't know what it will look like with coffee that is supposed to be on ice.

He certainly didn't put water in to make it boil. He has one more point from you today.

Just like he took ice from the freezer and put it in tall glasses.

Later you only saw his back and how he kept mixing and pouring something.

He turned to smile at you, two glasses of iced coffee in his hands. After all, it even looks nice. 

He put a glass in front of you, and you looked at it in amazement. Who would have thought your boyfriend could do such a thing.

"Oh! I would forget!" He said quickly and reached for the top cabinet for a moment.

Later he came over to you and injected whipped cream into yours and his glasses and then put a wide straw there.

"Here you are!" 

You took a straw in your mouth and sipped some cold drink.

"Wow, Satoru. This is so good." you told him with a nice smile.

"Honey, I did it for you like you like to drink coffee. Especially for you!"

"Thank you."

You both started sipping your coffee.

Until suddenly Satoru interrupted this moment of sipping your drink.

"I have to show you the list. " he said as he pulled out his phone and switched on his notebook.

Then he put it on the counter and moved it closer to you.

"Here. I wrote this list down so we don't forget how to fuck."

"What?" 

"You know. This is a list of what I'd like to try with you." he added adjusting the glasses on his nose.

At least now he has changed that headband to his glasses. You can know his eyes normally...

"Ok... Let's see..." you murmured taking his phone in your hand. 

There were ten points. Three of them have already been deleted.

You have to admit that you are honestly curious about what he wrote there.

Probably something weird.

Probably even weirder than his previous attempts.

You looked at the lines that were crossed out.

• Hard fuck • In my job • Quick fuck

These three points were deleted.

"So you really just wanted quick sex." You said taking the straw in your mouth again. You took a few sips before removing the plastic tube.

"I just entered this. I wasn't exactly trying to do it in town." he muttered, eating the whipped cream on top of his cold coffee with a spoon. 

"You could have waited until he came home. " 

"Then I'd like to fuck you longer!" he groaned. "My point was to see if I like short sex... But after all, I don't think that's what I really want to do. And I also don't want to do it that often." 

You turned your attention back to the list before you.

He devoted himself so much to write it all down...

You don't know if he watched porn to make this list or what...

Or maybe he just used what's in his head.

Nobody knows how dark and strange ideas wander under his skull...

And you probably don't want to know more than is on this list either.

"So what am I supposed to do with this list?" you asked, still nue not looking at the words written there.

You have seven points to read...

"My point is for you to read and identify if we can do it."

"Mhm..." 

You grunted as you sucked the straw lightly to enjoy your drink.

Then you finally looked at his list.

You read the first point.

• Masturbation together

You thought about this offer for a moment.

It doesn't sound too bad at all.

"And what?" He asked.

"I think we can make this point." you said without looking at him with a little blush. 

"Seriously? You don't want to know what it will be like?" He groaned as he grabbed your thighs.

"If you want you can tell me."

"That's not why I ordered toys for us..." 

You looked at him with wide eyes.

Toys? How much did he buy it?

Unimportant... He probably won't tell you anyway... Besides, it's better not to know ...

You will know in the right time.

Probably when he puts something between your legs or up your ass... 

In return, you could make him no longer a virgin... Even a little dildo is enough for you. And your Satoru will stop laughing so constantly.

Though you doubt that it will let you do that for now.

But you can wait until something penetrates your boyfriend until he cries...

You turned into a sadist.

"Don't say any more. We'll see later. Next on the list is.."

• Marathon

"We even do it often. So we can do it anyway."

"We don't have sex marathons! In this you will be much more than your body can handle~" he smiled with a ghastly smirk on his face.

You quickly turned your head away from him and stared at the phone.

Another point to distract from him:

• Domination

"Satoru, what is it about?" you asked pointing to the point.

"Domination. You don't know what domination is?" He laughed shortly.

"You will dominate?"

"Mhm~" He grunted as he ate the whipped cream from your coffee. You hit his hand.

"I don't agree to that. "

"Honey ~ Why?" he groaned sadly.

"You're still dominating. So my condition is one." you smiled devilishly. "I agree to domination. But I am the dominant one."

"Wha–" He opened his mouth in shock at your words. "I don't know..."

"Come on. Maybe that's what you like best." 

"...Ugh... Okay. I can do this for you. But only once." He muttered softly, almost indignantly.

"Thank you!" you stepped up to him and kissed the corner of his mouth. 

"Next."

• Fake rape

"No way. Never in my life. And the end of the discussion. Don't even ask. We won't do this."

You stopped him before he could say anything.

He thought: "We'll do it anyway..."

• Calm

"Take it easy, I agree. May be. I don't mind a little soft sex. Compared to the constant wild game..."

• A bit of pain 

"I didn't know you wanted to be a sadist..." you laughed. "If that's not too much, it might be."

You set the nearly empty glass aside. 

"Why don't you say anything?" you asked and then you looked at him. He was looking at you carefully.

"..."

"Ah, so you took offense at my disagreement with attempted rape..." you rolled your eyes.

The last point.

"Absolutely not."

"Why?!!" He groaned sadly.

• Threesome

"We will not have a triangle! You'll be jealous. Same as me!"

"I will not! I know you'd rather two guys! So I can get Sugu–"

You interrupted him.

"Satoru, I know you want to, but understand that no one is going to come especially to have a threesome with their friends!"

"But I've already spoken to him..." he groaned very sadly. Almost like a baby.

You widened your eyes.

"What?!"

"I've already talked to him. I asked about it, and he said he didn't care. And so he comes..."

Suguru said that ?!

Why did he say that ?!

Whyyyy?!!

"We will wait until his arrival!" he smiled. "So everything's taken care of!"

You looked at him with a blush.

If Suguru agrees, you'll have to have sex with both of them...

You don't know if you'll survive it...

Suguru is handsome too...

But you are friends...

You don't want to think about it for now, but your brain has started to drift to the dirty side.

"Come to bed, lie down and spread your legs. I promised you something and I'm going to keep my promise."

A/n: I wrote this to show you what will come next. So I will write everything in the order as it was on Satoru's list! Thank you!

Did you notice this?

Sasuke, Mitsuki, Shikamaru, Shikadai, Chocho, Inojin, Ino, Amado, Sai, Konohamaru

It seem as if all of these characters were shown in these panels to (presumably) symbolize all the characters close to Boruto (that are in the Manga at least) have been Affected by Eida's Mind Altercation

However...

Did you also notice there are some characters missing from these panels?

Naruto and Hinata got excluded for obvious reasons but there are 3 other important characters who close to Boruto who were noticeably missing from those 2 panels above

So we already know Sarada is confirmed immune to Eida's mind altercation

Sumire most likely is too given her previously established immunity to Eida's Charm

The biggest mystery here is Himawari. She's the only Major character who didn't appear at this chapter.

And I don't doubt it was intentionally so to keep people guessing on whether she got affected or not.

So what do you think? Could Himawari possibly be immune to the mind altercation?

A lot of people have been speculating and I have seen two camps for this:

On one hand, due to the "Intensity" Daemon sensed within her a little while ago it could've been a little foreshadowing that Himawari could be impervious to Eida's and Daemon's powers

And given how OP Daemon is, Boruto is gonna need all the help he can get. Sarada and Sumire can likely stop Eida but they likely aren't going to be enough to stop that Boy. (And the fact that Hima is the only person who has so far who has made Daemon feel somewhat uneasy makes me think she's the key to stopping him)

On the other hand, Himawari turning against Boruto while being under the belief that Kawaki is her actual Flesh and Blood Brother would send Boruto into complete despair as a part of him "Losing Everything "

The fact that Himawari is still completely out of the loop on what actually happened to her parents (and who did it) could support this side

I don't know if I could take Himawari going full-on Sasuke and trying to get revenge on Boruto for "Killing" her parents.... (Yes a lot of people are actually speculating on that happening) but sadly it's not impossible

I could see Himawari being immune. Whatever the criteria is for breaking Eida's mind control, it doesn't seem to be genetic, because otherwise Sasuke and the entire Hyuuga clan would also be immune. Himawari's mysterious "intensity" seems as good of a reason to have immunity as Sarada's sharingan or Sumire's summon Nue.

Actually, I'm not sure Sarada's Uchiha heritage is what's protecting her. It might make more sense that Sakura's strength of a hundred seal affected her in the womb, since it's supposed to be similar to karma. Sakura's not in the panel, so it's unclear whether she and Tsunade would also have resistance or not.

1081 goes in about the direction I expected. We have all these break weeks with Golden Week (!) coming up and I kind of like having these big goofy hype chapters of the outside world. We really are getting some cool info on Blackbeard, Shanks, Garp & Admirals all rocking the stage. And here we go with one of those titles that immediately grab you. Just gonna say it too, how nicely would that prop up the omnipresent line of Blackbeard mirroring Luffy’s journey if we saw “Tenth Person” for anyone soon?

I’m guessing once we’re on a regular schedule we’ll be back to the lab again...but would not be surprised to see time has leapt forward a little. Remember the little napkin outline for a Kishotenketsu plot. We could start by seeing the big incident resolved before launching into a long flashback. We could see what looks like a truly dire outcome before doing the same. Or we could just advance to a night on the island with the situation devolved, knowing that a big incident is to come soon. Part 3, or ten, should be jarring and tonally different. 

Okay fuck no. I know this chapter’s got at least one mutual all ready to take a trip to Japan for all the wrong reasons. Load up the buggy, get me grandpappy’s scattergun, we gotta correct a sitiation here consarnit. Do not mess with Hibari. Especially right when she’s being a cutie patootie. What is the big first takeaway the second we see this? It is now almost certainly Lafitte & Katarina Devon making their way to Egghead. That pair will be all about subterfuge so I’m heckin giddy. Kujaku being amazing makes up for the threat to my beautiful little lark (oh shit, that’s actually relevant to the Art NUE Kikuhime thing) and Prince Grus being fussy is pretty damn funny. The fight is cool, not much to say, but I do like we’re seeing this kind of flashback again. SWORD continues to endear me and that’s after spending fifteen years referring to Koby as “That little wiener kid.” Now with the star of the chapter:

Man is this scene hard to read. See, I could interpret it either way and both seem valid. Either Aokiji or Blackbeard is showing off a real knack for oratory skills. Kuzan being a SWORD guy through and through schmoozing to get in like Drake did for Kaido would probably act about like he would here. Or it could be Blackbeard showing off this hurdle to being a captain. I adore the little flair of him striking this Yakuza pose and showing respect. I can believe all four capabilities; either is putting on an act, neither are sincere, or both are. But it’s kinda like Law mirroring Brook’s recruitment with Jean Bart or Blackbeard doing the same echoing Jinbei in Impel Down. There’s a better way to say it, a better timing. Is that really all it was for Kuzan? Their conversation is right, he just sorta happened to fit in because he does have the right personality. Maybe something about Garp made his loyalties waver along the way or maybe Blackbeard just caught the right moment to poach a star looking for a new role.

But then of course, we have the tragedy. I wasn’t even a huge fan of the guy in particular but this one stung.

The Polar Tang was one of the best ships and I love me some Big Bad Jean Bart. Sulong Bepo coming in clutch with what I’m guessing was a Rumble Ball was cool as hell. Though Chopper...that was highly unethical medical practice dude. It’s okay since you’re cute and I guess a pirate doesn’t report to an ethics board so it’s okay.

Still, it reinforces how I felt about Kidd. This is the classic Kabuki virtue cause-and-effect. Big picture, this is why the Straw Hats trained for two years. But it also pertains to how they learned the lessons of Wano. Kidd potentially never really had to, there’s a nice overlap of Killer and Wano themes. Particularly some that line up nicely with precious flower Okiku. If he just learned to listen to that voice more he’d have been better off. If he’d just been less aggressive about going after everything in front of him he’d have been better off. Law? He’s more of the neutral step. He didn’t do anything wrong, but he didn’t make much of an active effort to take in Wano like Luffy did. He only just now started to gravitate towards understanding the big picture while Luffy’s had Robin on that since Sky Island. This one straight-up involves Kiku because Act 1 beats you over the head with it.

This is still my favorite one. But there are quite a few panels I could use. It’s the promise to Tama and it always caught my eye how beautifully Law & Kiku frame Luffy. You have the nice light/dark contrast immediately following Bakura Town. Both even have it a little internally with Kiku’s dark hair and Law’s hat. The way they’re carrying their swords even helps out. It’s all around this moment too, they’re acting a bit like the angel & devil on Luffy’s shoulders. 

Really excited to see where the next leg of this arc heads.

Silver Talks AniManga (10/09/23)

no zom next week cause it'll be a recap and post will be 1 day late since jump will be on monday instead of sunday 😠 anyway start of new serialization round this week so that's fun, all the artists are newbies so good luck to them surviving the trial by fire

blue - finale/completed green - new series/new to me

Anime

Pokemon Horizons Ep21

it's funny how this worked out cause I called she was gonna catch hatenna before we even got the episode titles for this so great job myself. regardless it was a good ep, good to see riko get some spotlight and her finally catching a new mon too. some action next week with the baddies coming back so that should be nice

Atelier Ryza Ep11

nice ep, it was nice to see ryza get to show off her big brain and get recognition from (most of) the village. considering where it's gonna end next week I won't be surprised at all if they announce a cour 2, I expect it to happen even, but we'll see soon enough I guess

Zom 100 Ep7

nice ep, good to see that bastard get his comeupance cause seeing how he treated akira had me HEATED god. shizuka is very cute also, lots of good shots of her this ep. no ep next week cause it's gonna be a recap (oof) but hope that means 8 and 9 will be on time

Manga

Tenmaku Cinema Ch21 (Finale)

it's really a shame tenmaku couldn't last longer while something like nue is gonna outlive it by a bit. I really liked it, only a 7 cause it got axed prematurely so it had to rush quite a bit but it was quite good regardless. tosh's art is as good as ever and you could really see tsukuda's love for movies and knowledge coming through. the only complaint I have is how fast the mom plot got resolved since it wasn't really set up beforehand but that's a result of it getting axed early. it's a shame the jp readers didn't like it but I'll be looking forward to this duo's next work. tenmaku is getting a special chap in some months (I assume it's gonna be them after the timeskip) and next year they're doing a one shot so that should be good

MamaYuyu Ch1

new serialization round babey let's go. the only thing this author has done in the past was a one shot around this time last year but it wasn't related to this new series. the first chap was... alright. felt like a one shot really. it had some weird paneling but with some neat ideas for them a couple of times. the art's good for the most part but some of the chosen angles led to some goofy lookin faces. the monster design near the end was CRAZY tho. not really much more to say about it tho, the chap didn't set up that much. we know there's demon lords and heroes and that they've been fighting since forever but they've been at peace for 18 years now. curious to see where it's going from here since, well, they're at peace. is it gonna be isekai with the mc going to other worlds to help them? is his world gonna get invaded by more demons from other worlds? will it just be slice of life? who knows but we'll see how it goes in the next couple chaps

Dandadan Ch120

figured this chap would be to wrap up the reiko plotline, and set up the next arc, but it was fun seeing her tease momo like this. cool to see the next big baddie is a human (looking) guy since it's just been monsters so far, he has a sword too so expecting some pog stuff

Blue Box Ch116

nice chap, it's good to see taiki fired up and finally going all out against someone. it was also good seeing some progress on the ayame kyou romance cause I've been saying that was gonna happen for ages and there's been little crumbs before but today there was a really big one

Martial Master Asumi Ch12

time's flying in mma and skipping right to the fight, all while hiding nito's super move, but it makes sense, no much point spending time in a "training arc" when nito has trained all his life. looking forward to the fight next week

Cipher Academy Ch39

good chap, setting up the next arc and also giving us tayu's backstory and also saying that all this time she has been holding back which is very spooky. I'm also curious who iroha is gonna convince, my guess it's yosaimura since she said no right away but they have a really good relationship but we'll see. other guess is anonimity but I doubt it

TD incorrect quote dump

tojika, handing out popsicles: Which flavor do you want?

yoshika: Blue flavor!

tojika: Uh, you mean Blue Raspberry?

yoshika: Blue flavor! Blue flavor!

tojika: Blue is not a flavor!

yoshika: BLUE FLAVOR!

--

futo: LOWERCASE LETTERS ARE FOR THE LOWER CLASS!

seiga: And here we have a capitalist.

mamizou: Did you just-

miko: Let us all take a moment to appreciate that all of human history, human language, and the universe itself aligned to make this joke possible.

--

miko: Did you like the food I made?

kogasa: No, not really.

miko: But I put my heart and soul into it!

kogasa: No wonder it tastes so cold and dead.

--

tojika: I fell—

miko: From heaven?

tojika: No, I literally fell—

miko: In love with me the moment you saw me?

tojika: MY ARM IS BROKEN!

miko: Okay, but do you think I'm pretty? Be honest.

--

kyouko: So, nue is late today. Anyone wanna bet why?

kyouko: I say they slipped through the subway grate and are having terrible sex with the mole man.

futo: I don't know about that...I think either their alarm clock didn't go off, or they're in line at the bank.

seiga: Take this more seriously! nue was clearly taken in their sleep!

tojika: I bet they tucked themselves into the bed too tightly and got stuck.

mamizou: Maybe they fell into another dimension where they're more interesting...?

*nue arrives*

nue: Sorry I'm late - there was a problem at the bank.

futo, clapping their hands in excitement: HOT DAMN!

--

mamizou: *angrily presses nue against a wall* WHERE'S THE MONEY?!

nue: ...

nue: Are we about to kiss-

--

yoshika: What’s sexting?

nue: I'm not having this conversation with you.

--

tojika: That's not funny.

kyouko: I thought it was funny.

tojika: You don't count. You started laughing in the middle of a funeral because you started thinking of a meme you saw on Facebook.

--

kogasa: Do we have any orange juice left?

futo: *pours the remaining juice into their cup*

futo: Sorry, we’re all out.

--

kogasa, to mamizou: You know, nue can be really aggressive, so it's important to take all the necessary precautions when approaching.

kogasa: *blows airhorn at nue* GET FUCKED!

--

kyouko: The first time yoshika opened a box of Cheerios and looked inside they yelled, "OH WOW! DONUT SEEDS!"

--

tojika: Is the plural of milf/dilf milfs/dilfs or milves/dilves?

miko: Milfs.

kogasa: Milf/dilf is an acronym, you can't change the spelling to milves/dilves.

tojika: Wait, they're acronyms? What do they stand for???

kyouko: Mom in late forties, dad in late forties.

kyouko: I learned that from the movie called M.I.L.F that I saw the trailer of in theaters probably 5 to 7 years ago.

kogasa: Mom/dad I'd Love to Fuck.

tojika: WAIT, WHAT THE FUCK—

tojika: I NEVER REALIZED IT WAS ACTUALLY HORNY!

kyouko: Oh, is it not mom in late forties?

miko: What? No! It isn't!

kyouko: THE MOVIE TRAILER LIED TO ME!

kogasa: kyouko...

kyouko: THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T THINK CALLING PEOPLE MILFS WAS ALL THAT BAD BECAUSE IT STOOD FOR SOMETHING HARMLESS IT JUST HAD A SLIGHTLY SEXUAL CONNOTATION!

kogasa: I am entirely unsurprised that this is coming from you.

kyouko: TOJIKA, DOES IT MAKE SENSE WHY I CALLED THE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID MOM A MILF NOW BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS LITERALLY JUST A DESCRIPTOR WITH FUNNY CONNOTATION!

tojika: The word milf has been ruined for me.

miko: THAT'S ITS DEFINITION, IT CAN'T BE RUINED THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS!

kogasa: Y'all are dumbasses.

--

seiga: Why cant trees give off something important like wifi??

yoshika: So fuck oxygen, I guess.

--

kyouko: *is wearing silk pants* How does this look?

futo: Like its slips on and off really easily.

kyouko:

futo: No, I didn't mean it like that-

tojika: We know what you meant.

--

futo: *slams books down in front of tojika*

futo: Boil up some Mountain Dew. It’s gonna be a long night.

tojika: You could of said literally anything else.

futo: Cauldron boil and cauldron bubble, Baja Blast to fuel my trouble.

tojika: I’m going to just stop challenging you when you say random shit. I won’t win. I realize this now.

--

mamizou: Get your hand off my shield!

kogasa: There's like a million other shields.

mamizou: Take that one, it has a flower on it. Girls like flowers.

kogasa: *hits mamizou with the shield* Oops! Now this one has blood on it.

--

yoshika: What are you two arguing about this time?

kogasa: They’re always using common phrases incorrectly!

futo: Cry me a table, kogasa.

--

nue: I can’t believe all these people are wearing black. black is supposed to be my thing, they’re all just posers.

miko: nue, for the last time, we’re at a funeral.

--

miko: I am so horny and angry all the time.

--

miko: As top in this relationship, I think we should-

tojika: I can't believe you're pulling rank on me.

Wolf Wisdoms

Ship: Shino/Kiba

Rating: 18+

Time period: set around e15 of Boruto

Warning: werewolf sex (I rarely write porn so it's at attempt rather than a masterpiece)

Summary: maybe there's something to be gained from this long overdue date night beyond just the satisfaction of an orgasm and time spent with a teammate turned lover. Shino didn't go into it looking for the answer to his recent problems, but with Kiba as a lover anything is always possible.

@chojuuro hey babe I love you so much

"So what's the damage this time?" Kiba wastes no time in making a statement, not even giving his former teammate time to breathe as soon as he's off school grounds. The Inuzuka man was waiting for him, clearly, ready to interrogate. It's just his luck too. It's a harmless enough question that he can't justify declining to answer. Shino doesn't answer immediately, though, sighing deeply and rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the tension that had built up over the day so he can answer as calmly as possible. He knows his boisterous companion is going to get impatient and probably make a scene for being made to wait but all worthwhile answers took time and patience was a valuable skill to learn. They would get on the same page eventually. The school day had just ended, all of the students heading home to trouble their families with their antics no doubt, and he wouldn't have to worry about seeing them again until the next morning. By that time he'd hopefully be well rested and prepared for another round of lessons with the most difficult class he'd ever had. Luck, though, was rarely on his side when these kids were concerned. Add to that the sudden intrusion by Kiba and all bets were off. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe, just maybe, spending a few hours with the Inuzuka man would clear up some of the stress. Just maybe. "Are you listening? Hey!" With an indignant bark, Kiba upped his volume a notch in the hopes it would snap Shino out of whatever daze he was surely in. "Are you paying attention at all?" Turning to him, the Aburame man looked him in the eyes before attempting to form an answer. "Yes, Kiba, I can hear you. You don't have to repeat yourself. This is because I needed a moment of silence as I have not been off the clock long enough to relax much and focus on anything except for my students. I promise I will give you my full attention." Despite feeling like he may have just been brushed off a little bit there, Kiba throws his head back and laughs. It's a good way to snap himself out of a possible spiral of disappointment that was entirely unnecessary. Of course the well respected Academy teacher is still struggling to get out of work mode enough to have a casual conversation, or even just give his undivided attention. He settles again, thankfully quickly, and puts his arm around the shoulders of his still half uptight partner. Shino tenses up momentarily, reacting to the suddenness of the action more than the action itself, but quickly regains his cool and calm composure. It's almost amusing enough to bring another laugh out of his partner. Almost. Kiba refrains last second to keep from driving his best friend up the wall. "What brings you around here anyway, Kiba?" Though it's hidden behind his visor, one of Shino's eyebrows cocks upward just a little. He cannot deny that it's curious that the Inuzuka has come to meet him right out of the gate. "Are you saying you forgot?" With his free hand, Kiba slaps his forehead a little dramatically and groans. "I guess I can't be too mad, you've been busy with all this complicated shit after all. First your school gets half blown up to hell and then one of your kids in class has a meltdown." "No, I haven't forgotten. I have just had to prioritize my students as they are still shaken after the Nue incident. I'm not permitted to tell them all of the details behind it so they have more questions than answers and a lot of them are frustrated. Suddenly losing Sumire like that didn't help matters either. In fact, I think it's the most difficult factor for them to adjust to." It's impossible to fault the man for putting the kids first in the aftermath of such a disaster. There will be plenty more date nights in the future, and this one is still fully on the table even though it had to be postponed until tonight. A confident grin lights up Kiba's face as he thinks about how considerate his former teammate is of everyone in his life that needs his attention. His ability to alott his time to all of those asking for it goes unmatched by almost anyone else. One pushed back date for the sake of the safety of and peace of mind for the kids is a small price to pay. Tonight, now that Shino finally has the time, will be just for the two of them. The anticipation of it excites him immensely. So wrapped up in the thought of it is he that he barely processes when Shino asks something of him. It's his turn, then, to snap out of it last second. "I've noticed that Akamaru isn't with you today. Why is that?" "Sis told me she wanted to examine his back legs after she caught him limping the other day. I think someone may have accidentally stepped on him when he was laying in the sun, but I still trust her to do what she needs to. I'm gonna take him out to Senju Park in a couple days when he's feeling better for some exercise." "I hope that nothing worrying is found during the examination and that he will recover from his injury quickly. What will you do in the meantime?" "That all depends on what you have going on." Kiba shoots him a look, mischief glinting in his eyes. "Unless you're too busy, of course. I understand if you are." From anyone else that last statement would sound almost like a guilt trip but because it is the man he has known so well and for so long, Shino knows that there will be no hard feelings should he have other things going on that would prevent him from spending time with his boyfriend. It takes him a moment to think, but beyond his obligations to his students, Shino cannot come up with anything else that was presently demanding his attention. On top of the already stressful ordeal of outside classes and trying not to further damage the school, the Ghost Incident could not have come at a worse time. The fact that said incident had one of his students at its epicenter only served to further fray his already shot nerves. Now the child behind the entire situation was safely in custody, her future uncertain, and he could bring his on-the-clock focus back to his remaining present students. That meant after work time was also freed up. Or at least it should have been. Though he knew nothing was immediately demanding his attention off the job, the topic of Sumire would continue to sit in his brain like a heavy rock. Not knowing her fate was going to cause him to lose sleep. Maybe it was for the best that he spent some good quality time with Kiba over the next few days now that he thought about it this way. The compounding worries as of late needed some kind of relief. "I don't have anything important that needs tending to at the moment aside from our date that I have had to put off for over a week now. If you would like my company, I would be happy to spend the time with you after class each day." His tone is a little flat but Kiba knows damn well how to read between the lines by now. Besides, he can't fault the guy for sounding less than over the top enthused after everything that's happened. "Sounds perfect to me." The Inuzuka grins wide again, canines on full and proud display. "And I want updates on what's going on with that student of yours anyway. You owe me that much. If you were gonna keep cancelling on me for this, the least I can ask is for the details." "I will discuss what I'm allowed to mention with you later. This is because it's for the privacy of Sumire so I do not need other people to listen in on business that is hers and hers alone, especially when I'm not allowed to tell you all of it." Shino relents, knowing that he does indeed owe Kiba an explanation to the best of his abilities, but makes his own terms clear right off the bat. It seems to check out with Kiba as no petulant whining or argument follows the statement. He can breathe a sigh of relief at this. Finally pulling his arm back to his side, Kiba lets his partner go and turns in the direction he usually takes to get home. It's still only the late afternoon and that means plenty of daylight left to enjoy before the sun goes down and it's time to get dinner. Shino looks at him, expression blank but still unassuming, as if asking the shorter man about what sort of plan he has in mind. Having nothing to do after work made it easy to plan a date but it came at the price of feeling a little aimless in between the end of work and spending dinner with the partner he hadn't properly seen in over a week. He didn't want to get into an activity that might accidentally eat up all of his time left in the day and thus interfere with the date. Perhaps he'd let his duties as a teacher get to him s little deeper than he'd thought. In the past he used to be so content to have nothing to do for long periods of time. But after devoting hours every day to working with rowdy children to teach them Shinobi life skills and how the world worked, he found that moments that were too quiet and too still had become truly boring most of the time. "You comin'? I was thinking we could go see my ma for a little before heading back to your place. She's been kinda lonely now that Kuromaru is gone." Nodding his head once after making sure to fully hear the other man out, this time Shino didn't even hesitate, remembering how his own father had felt getting a visit from his now grown child for the first time in a while. He had to remember to go home and see Shibi more often. And maybe, with any luck, rope Torune into coming along as well. "Yes, I would enjoy going home to see Mrs. Inuzuka. Let's stop at the Yamanaka flower shop along the way and pick up some flowers." "Keep sucking up to her and she's never gonna let me hear the end of when am I gonna make you her son in law." He sighs through his nose, a good natured gesture despite sounding exasperated, and runs a hand through his hair and keeps that trademark grin in place. "Maybe one of these days I'll have an answer for her." ~~~~~~ There is, initially, a pleasant sort of silence that settles between the two of them after they've set their chopsticks down following the meal. Kiba seems a little spaced out, stomach full and mind at ease in the comfortable presence of the man he's known so well since they were both young. Shino, too, seems content enough outwardly for the first few minutes after he's finished eating. But something begins to bother him and morph his neutral expression into an unhappy frown little by little. His shoulders go more slack, his hands seem to fidget, and he looks like he wants to say something but can't find the words. None of this escapes Kiba's gaze the minute he locks onto the way his lover has shifted moods. "What's troubling you so much huh?" Kiba keeps his voice low even though his hackles are up. Something is wrong and seeing his partner on edge has gotten him equally on edge. He just wishes he knew what was causing the upset without having to ask. Though his visor is still on and prevents direct eye contact, he still tears his would-be line of sight away from the Inuzuka sitting across from him before daring to speak. "All of the kids have been talking about Sumire. Boruto is trying to make sure they don't say things too loud, but I can tell it's on all of their minds. They don't know what's going to happen to her." He lets out a saddened sigh. "And neither do I. I don't like not having answers for them, let alone for myself." Placing his palms on the table firmly, Kiba hunches his shoulders forward and uses a very stern voice to address his companion. "If you don't know what's going to happen, then go find out. Don't wait for them to tell you. You care about that kid? Go ask about her. If you don't even know what's going on, do you think she does? She damn well deserves to." "I don't think I'm entitled to all of that information even if I would like to know." "You're her teacher, the closest thing that kid has to a parent at this point. You look after her more than anyone else. So you need to go and tell whoever is in charge to tell you everything." The no-nonsense string of words, almost like a command, Shino thinks, makes a lot of sense as he mulls them over internally. The second that it became clear that Root was involved in this mess he knew it was way over his head technically. But he could not find it in himself to fully detach from the entire situation and cease to worry after the girl. She was entrenched in something no child her age should ever have to be and now her fate was uncertain following actions that had been taken under extreme duress. If no one stepped up onto her side, who knew when it would get resolved. Or if the outcome would be kind to her at all. And because she didn't even have parents to go to for reassurance or comfort in this difficult time, she should at least be able to rely on her teacher. Kiba put it fairly bluntly but he wasn't wrong in the least "I know you have to make sure you're there to teach class and all. But worrying about the kid while trying to focus on the others won't work. Ask someone else to sub for you for the day tomorrow and go get answers. If they give you the run around, tell them you're not leaving until somebody squeals. Put your goddamn foot down." There was that bluntness again. However, it still hit every correct note just as before, and only motivated him further. Anko could take over for one lesson if he asked her to. She'd probably give him a half hearted earful later, but it was a sacrifice that had to be made. And he could probably bribe her with sweets if it came to that. The burning drive Shino felt in his gut then, after lining up his plans in his head, was stronger than almost any instance in the past and he knew he had to take this straight to Lord Hokage in the morning. As soon as he made the request of Anko he would head to the Hokage's office and have a nice serious conversation with Naruto and not back down no matter what. Sumire deserved at least that much. Leave it to an Inuzuka to inspire motivation even when the situation looked bleak. "Thank you, Kiba." Shino bowed his head a little towards the man sitting opposite of him. "Tomorrow I'm going to take steps to figure out what is going to happen to my student." "That's what I like to hear." A throaty growl of support echos from deep in Kiba's chest  He smiles wide, showing off those impressive teeth again, and feels confident that something good has got to come out of this mess. "Lemme know if you want me to come with you and rough Naruto up if he tries to talk you in circles. Or if anyone else is there that doesn't wanna budge." The Aburame man holds up one hand to placate his companion, the slightest hint of humor buried in his voice just then. "That won't be necessary I don't think, but I will call you if I need you." And with that, Kiba leaves his spot at the low table to scoot over and sidle up next to his former teammate. A little confused but not unnerved, Shino opts to remain silent and just watch as the canine inclined nin makes his move. He's surprised in the next moment as one of those rough hands with their sharp nails comes up to rest on the back of his visor. It's then that he hears Kiba make a request. "Are you okay if I take this off of you?" Surprised a little by the show of courtesy but grateful for it regardless, Shino nods before replying. "You may. Please be careful with those claws though." True to form, Kiba makes sure not to dig in his nails as he lifts the visor off of his partner's face before setting it down on the table beside them. Dark brown eyes almost always hidden from view are revealed to him then, squinting a little to adjust to the lighting of the room after being covered so long, beautiful all the same. The same hand that had taken off his eyewear now moves to place two fingers under his chin, rough thumb lightly caressing the cheek of the insect specialist, and neither of them dares to speak for several moments. Shino relaxes ever so slightly under the touch of his teammate turned lover and it seems to spur Kiba on further. In that next moment, he closes the gap between them a little more, hand moving up to cup one cheek. Brown eyes and black eyes meet and it is Kiba who asks the next question. "Can I kiss you?" Again it takes Shino by surprise that the impulsive, rowdy man before him is taking the time to ask permission. But he cannot say a bad thing about it. Instead of arguing, he gives him the go ahead. "Yes, I would like that." Kiba's hand once again migrates to the back of his partner's head and pulls him in close as their lips lock. The sweet taste of winter melon lingers on Shino's lips and when the two finally pull away from each other Kiba finds himself licking his own to savor that taste. He's never been partial to greenery, but something about it on his lover's breath drives him a little wild. It is a flavor that he never would have imagined Shino tasting of in all the years they spent working together, all of the light hearted bickering that went on between the two giving him the feel of someone who would be almost bitter on the tongue. He finds that he loves being surprised at every turn when it is a surprise linked to the Aburame man he loved. The promise of such surprises keeps him coming back again and again for more. "Kiba, are you all right?" This time it is Shino's turn to snap his companion back to the present as the Inuzuka's mind had wandered off imagining the things he wanted to do to his lover. But it's hard not to let his thoughts wander when he had such an intriguing partner. "You seem a little distracted." Before giving him a verbal response, Kiba quickly stands up to his full height and offers a hand down to the still seated man. Shino takes it, curious internally but without questioning it out loud, and is brought up to his own full height before Kiba makes to speak. The words come out as a possessive low growl. "I want you." It's forward for sure, Shino will give him that, but Kiba has always been shameless and doesn't seem to even know the definition of hesitation. He also can't argue that the feeling is mutual. Still, he asks anyway, just for the sake of clarity. "Would you like to join me in my bedroom?" That's all the invitation the canine inclined Shinobi needs. In one fluid display of swiftness and strength, he scoops up his partner and makes a dash for the room down the hallway. It's a whirlwind of motion that barely gives the Aburame time to process what's going on. When the two are once again stationary, now together in the bedroom instead of the kitchen, Shino is let down on the bed, a little rough but not on purpose, while Kiba pants to catch his breath and recenter his focus. He can't fuck this up by rushing it even though he wants to so badly. The more he thinks about the oddly sweet taste of his lover's lips the more his desire grows. It's made worse when he thinks about how long it's been, how Shino has been working so hard and has had little time to relax and focus on his personal life. The man deserves this. And he badly wants to give it to him. He has to take several deep breaths to recover his wits enough to even think about talking lest his words come out a half garbled mess. At that point an actual dog would probably sound more comprehensible. "Are you...sure this is okay with you?" He's still panting, having to swallow hard in the middle of his sentence as he's gotten himself all worked up on so little. It's shockingly easy to wind up his own metaphorical spring as tight as it can get. "Tell me...if it isn't." "I am telling you it's fine and I mean it. I put off date night for too long and it wasn't fair to you." Shino looks up at the other man, sincerity laced in his voice and evident in his eyes though to anyone else he would sound too monotone to get any real point across. "You have my permission to do as you please tonight. I would not be here if I didn't want to be." "I want it to be fair to you too, ya know." "I promise that I consider it fair to me." He makes sure to sound sincere because he is and wants his partner to have zero doubts. "Now if you're not going to strike first, I will. Though it was Kiba who initiated the scene, Shino makes good on his statement and makes the first real move. He brings one hand up to rest gingerly on the waistband of Kiba's pants and it seems to flip a switch in the Inuzuka that had been halted momentarily just a moment ago. A half whine tumbles from his throat as his sense of desire comes back to him. However, just as soon as Kiba seems to get the wind back in his sails, a lightbulb goes off over his head and he has to halt the scene once more, holding up one hand. "Just a moment, babe cuz I just had a thought. There's something I've been wanting to try so fucking bad. Please tell me if it's too much." He takes a few steps back from the bed just then and closes his eyes. Shino can feel the other man gathering chakra into his core, the aura of it similar to a spring coiling tighter, before a couple of hand signs are woven to accompany a Jutsu name. "Man Beast Transformation: Lycanthropy!" In only the time it takes Shino to blink, Kiba changes. One moment it is a man that stands before him at the end of the bed and in the next moment he's looking into the dark eyes of something wholly lupine. If he hadn't been watching intently the entire time he might have believed the creature in his most personal space now was a monster from the dense woods surrounding the Hidden Leaf. Thankfully he knows intrinsically there is nothing to worry about and his heart picks up in pace, not in fear but in desire. Kiba had mentioned in passing several times in the recent past that he'd been working to train and perfect this technique but up until this very moment he'd not seen the results of such training. Now that the proof was standing before him, calling it impressive and perhaps even enticing was putting it lightly. Where before there was a man now stands a bipedal canid, one that could be described with no other word better than werewolf. Lycanthrope, just as the Jutsu name described. Something straight out of myths and storybook tales meant to teach lessons to those who could use more caution and discrepancy in their lives. Kiba, the beast he'd changed into, sported a coat of shaggy medium brown fur. The shape of his head had changed just enough to support triangular ears situated up top as well as a muzzle where previously his face had been much flatter. His limbs were longer and sturdier, strong enough to support his now heavier build, and from his position laying on the bed Shino could see a tail peeking out from the pants his lover still wore. Pants, as it turned out, that definitely appeared a little too tight to properly fit on a lupine frame. The same could be said for the rest of his clothes. It gave off a feeling of imagines discomfort since everything seemed so tight. But Kiba didn't seem to be on a hurry to discard them just yet. "Have you been practicing this just for tonight?" Shino keeps his voice small, curious but not exactly sure how to ask without sounding invasive. He opts for a simple statement and hopes it will get the job done. Before he says anything, the newly lycanthropic Inuzuka nods his furry head and bears those wicked teeth, now much more pointed than before, in what is probably meant to be a smile. There is a hunger glinting in his eyes, still dark and confident, predatory and unafraid. "You betcha. Now let me show you the results of my training." Leaning forward, Kiba places his large hand paws on the bed in a wide stance. His tongue lolls out of the end of his elongated muzzle and he licks his lips hungrily. It gets Shino's heart beating faster and faster by the moment, images of what that tongue might do to him flashing through his mind, and he scoots a little farther back on the bed to allow his larger lover to join him. However, as Kiba puts more of his weight on the bed and begins to stalk forth on his hands and knees, the bed dipping appropriately under the new weight, a thought occurs to the entranced Aburame. Something in his bedside drawer they have made use of before might become useful once again. They'll have to open that drawer later anyway when they need the lube, so he can use the excuse of grabbing it to fetch the other thing at the same time. And as soon as the werewolf is looming over the man, that hot breath on his neck when the head of the wolf dips low to nip at his collarbone through the fabric of his bodysuit, Shino has to fight with his own urges to keep his idea secure and clear in his head. Suddenly his own clothing feels too tight, too restrictive, too hot all over his body as he dwells on his idea and shares personal space with the were-Inuzuka. He begins to fidget in a way that suggests he wants to begin removing each piece and give his lover better access to his body. Kiba watches him, those dark eyes taking in the sight beneath him, and seems to catch on slowly but surely. "Would you like help, babe?" His words are rough, perhaps he's still getting used to speaking in such a different form, but he's sincere. His offer is also music to his partner's ears. Shino takes a deep breath and looks up at the beast version of the man he knew so well. "Perhaps I could help you out of yours and then you can worry about helping me." "Ahh, hadn't even thought about that. Good point." A bark of laughter, again just as genuine, suggesting that it really had slipped his mind. "Was wondering why I felt so stiff." Without much pretense, Shino reaches up and grips the sides of the jacket his lover is still wearing and peels it away, working it off arms that are just a little too long now as best he can, tossing it off to the side. The next piece of clothing will take more dexterity though so he expends a good amount of effort in order to sit up better. He then wasted little time in getting his fingers under the bottom edge of Kiba's shirt, pulling it up little by little over the chest and head of the wolfman, thankful that it had lacked sleeves, until it finally clears his triangular ears atop his brown furred head. The shirt joins the jacket without ceremony and is quickly forgotten. Before he can make any other moves, though, it is now Kiba's turn to help his partner out of something. Shino can feel two claws grasp as carefully as can be managed with the lessened dexterity this new form gives to the wolfman the topknot that his hair is kept in. He slides the clip free of it and tosses it haphazardly onto the nightstand. It overshoots the landing and ends up on the floor beside it with a small clang of metal on wood but neither of them can be assed to care. "Sorry bout that." Kiba says, but he doesn't seem all that sorry. The apology is still nice though. "I'll get it later. Don't worry about it too much." Even if Shino himself forgets that the clip is lying there, he knows he has plenty more to replace it later. There is no time to spend fussing over a relatively cheap clip that is so easily replaced. Instead, the insect user focuses on the fact that he's now feeling slightly less restricted. It is nowhere near enough but at least it's a start. Luckily his lover is quick on the follow up and grabs at the fabric of his fancy jacket a little roughly and begins to pull it away from his body. Shino has to shrug his shoulders to get it off but eventually it works and that marks another tether free. There is a split second where he wonders if it has taken any tears or damage on the removal process but he quickly shoves that thought down as it is another item that is not one of a kind and is as such replaceable. As soon as the jacket is cast aside, he is left to wonder if Kiba will make the next move or if it his turn again. The only thing the lupine Inuzuka is still wearing is that pair of pants that somehow still had enough room in them to stay on when man became wolf. It's a marvel, really, given that he now has an extra limb in the form of a tail stuffed in the fabric but maybe they're just that well made. His eyes examine the pants in question, shamelessly drifting to the crotch section while forgetting his contemplations on the make of the fabric and wondering if perhaps his mounting eagerness is making the matter of the fit even worse. He's winding up his own curiosity by the minute and finds than he wants an answer more than he wants to wait for Kiba to help him out of more of his clothes. In the next second, his deft hands finally make it back to the waistline of those impressive fitting pants and it seems to get the attention of the wolf. "Can't wait, huh?" The expression he wears now can only be described as his best attempt at a smirk since having a muzzle made human expressions a little awkward. "Can't say I blame you." Ahh, so his ego had been shamelessly stroked just then. That only drove his early curiosity on further. Sure he'd seen Kiba's dick several times in the past, could never forget the feel of it and the sight of it and the skill with which he used it, but he'd never seen this new and definitely improved version of it. What did it look like now that the man before him looked and sounded just like a werewolf right out of mythology? The only way to find out was to get those troublesome pants off and see for himself. Thankfully Kiba seemed to be content to play along nicely and allowed his boyfriend to tug the restrictive pants down his hips inch by inch, putting in the effort to work the tight article of clothing down over fur that did not seem to want to make the process any easier. Thankfully it only took a few good pulls for that novel dick of his to come into view. The length of it seemed to be about the same, a respectable five inches limp, but the girth of it had definitely bulked up. And even more curious...it seemed to have a knot-capable section at the base. That got his heart racing again. Would be be able to handle something like that? Would his lover be willing to try using that on him in the first place? Sure Kiba was impulsive and brazen but he knew what the word restraint meant, especially when it came to his loved ones. "You okay, babe? Looks like you're zoning out again." Kiba waved a clawed hand paw in front of his eyes to see if he could get Shino to come back down to earth. Thankfully, it worked. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Shino shook his head to clear it and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "I think I just need a bit to get used to this." "We have all night. Just tell me if you wanna stop at any point." For as much as he wanted to be fully confident in himself that he could handle it, something about being told it's okay to let the other man know if he didn't think he could continue reminded him not to push himself too far. He was silently thankful for that reminder and felt the haze that settled in his head at the sight of that fascinating dick clear up a little, allowing his common sense to come back out on top. The two of them would find a way to make this work somehow. Even if in the end they had to try again another day to go as far as they'd like to. Maybe it would just be one of those things they had to build up to. In fact, it might even be more fun that way, the day it being achievable acting like a reward after a long and hard campaign of effort and diligence. It was starting to sound like a net positive the more he thought it over. Kiba, sensing that his partner was still getting his bearings back, took the time then to work his pants off of himself the rest of the way and add them to the growing pile across the floor. He now stood before the man who used to be his teammate laying on the bed, looking for a sign to continue undressing said man so no more barriers existed between them. It only took a moment for him to get the permission he sought and then he leaned in close again to get his hand paws on the pants his lover wore. Thankfully those came off far easier than his own had as they were not stretched to their limit trying to accommodate a body that was not designed to be wearing them. The button was a little rough to undo with his longer claws in the way but he managed in the end, not letting himself be bested by one small object made to hold up a pair of pants. All of this waiting was driving him a little crazy the more he was thinking about it and he may have torn off those pants a little more roughly and with less tact then he should have. Shino didn't seem to mind though. Rather, there were only a couple barriers left between them and both men seemed very much eager to discard them so that they could stop wasting time and have at each other. Clearing his throat then, Shino spoke up first. "It is okay if you want to tear the bodysuit off. It's going to be a pain in the ass to get off otherwise. So if you want to rip it, I give you my express permission." Though he was meant to be a werewolf instead of an excitable pet, Kiba's tail got to wagging like a happy dog at the verbal permission. He watched for a moment as Shino peeled the top down enough away from his face so it wouldn't cause any problems or injuries and then reached forward with one clawed hand paw and dug said claws into the fabric of one shoulder, yanking the fabric away from the skin. The material gave way easily, no match for such a sharp object literally designed to rend flesh, tearing as Kiba moved his hand paw along, revealing inch after inch of fairly pale skin that spent most of its time under several layers of clothing. Skin that only Kiba got the pleasure of seeing so bare. Just the thought of that was working him up as he worked on breaking the fabric, and he could feel the first serious twinges of activity between his legs. He'd already been slowly hardening before now but something about being allowed to go wild in ripping clothing off of his lover spoke to the most feral parts of him. As the tears in the bodysuit grew enough to finally pull the whole thing off, the men worked in tandem to separate it from its wearer. It was tossed at the trash can in the opposite corner from the rest of the clothes and actually managed to get to its destination perfectly. As if celebrating his aim, Kiba let loose a satisfied bark and further drove himself to an erect state over one job well done. His eyes now traveled down to the final barrier between their bodies: an impressive pair of underwear, dark forest green in color and just loose enough to leave plenty to the imagination. He had to remind himself not to rip that off too while still riding the little high of tearing apart the bodysuit. Shino tilted his hips up without hesitation and began to slide the underwear off, Kiba taking over for him after a moment so they didn't have to wait much longer. As soon as they were yanked down far enough his erection sprang free, already almost fully hard compared to the half mast Kiba was sporting. The level of eager desire present within the Aburame was impossible to hide in that moment. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were more excited for this than me." There was that barking laughter again. However, he was indeed correct. But that wasn't to say Kiba wasn't excited, rather that Shino had him beat in sheer readiness just from their mutual stripping alone. "Something about seeing you like this is doing something to me I cannot explain. This is because it's still novel and also I did not expect it to be employed this evening." Though he tried to sound level headed, it was clear Shino was fighting to keep the lust out of his voice. Thankfully his dick spoke for him and made it impossible to mistake his eagerness to see this new jutsu in action, even if the use for it tonight was less than conventional. "So what I'm hearing is you want to be fucked by a big, strong beast. Is that it? You want to be manhandled and fucked until you're howling as loud as I am? Should I rail you so hard you can't make it to work on time tomorrow?" Now the stiffness in his groin was getting almost painful as Kiba hit all the right notes with that assessment. Shino brought one hand up to cover his eyes so his partner couldn't read him for filth before speaking. "Yes...I want you to mark your territory. I need you to fuck me until I can't walk." His common sense was yelling at him that he had to be able to make it to work so he could ask Anko to cover for him while he went to talk to Lord Hokage, but he chose not to listen to it because it was a problem for next morning Shino instead of right here right now Shino. "That's what I like to hear." His already gruff tone was deeper now, sultry, full of want. He put his full weight onto the bed and guided his lover down to a laying position once more, dipping his large furry head back down to lick at his neck and collarbone. The warmth of that skillful tongue sent shivers all through Shino and he reached up with one hand to grasp at whatever he could get ahold of as an anchor. He settled on gripping the side of the wolfman, fist balled up in shaggy fur, holding on for dear life as that warm tongue trailed down his chest methodically. Kiba was teasing him with such a move. Lower and lower he dove, and before he knew it, something warm and wet made contact with his painfully erect dick, flicking at the head and lapping up the little bead of precum that had already accumulated there, getting a taste of him before continuing the ministrations with the rest of his muzzle. Sensations of sharp teeth grazing just lightly over sensitive flesh only added to the stimulation. The contact lasted for several seconds but seemed to leave almost as soon as it had come. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long for a new form of contact, this time rough but warm pads on equally rough digits wrapping themselves around the impressive length of his dick, beginning to stroke soft and slow. Shino arched into the touch, mentally begging for Kiba to keep moving those hand paws of his just like he was. But that was just when the Inuzuka werewolf stopped in his tracks. This brought a moan out of his partner, already missing the friction, begging in his own way to have it back. "You're gonna have to be louder than that, babe. I can't hear you. You wanted me to fuck you silly but I wanna be able to hear you while I'm doing it." It took a second for Shino to center himself enough to reply but he did the best he could. "I'm s-sorry about that, p-please continue. I promise I'll be louder..." "There's a good boy. Knew you had it in you." As he internally chuckled at the irony of the canine calling the human a good boy, Kiba wrapped his hand paw back around the large dick belonging to his one and only lover and began pumping up and down once more. He had Shino pinned beneath him, one knee bent on either side of him on the bed, tail trailing behind him and sticking off the end of the bed just a little, other hand placed next to his shoulder as the one holding his dick worked it's magic. For now he wanted to make this man feel good, get him ready, for once he was warmed up it would be time for the predator to claim his prey. Not yet though. Soon, but not just yet. For the moment he was content to keep stroking the dick in his hands, honestly impressed even after all this time at the sheer size of it. No wonder Shino was such a confident man. That's when the moaning began in earnest. Finally, there it was, the sound Kiba had wanted to hear. He picked up the speed of his strokes and felt his partner once again arch into the touch, desperate for the feel of rough skin on skin. This combination of beautiful sounds and confident motions made his own erection harder by the minute. He was almost fully hard and would soon be ready to mark the territory that belonged to him and only him. Shino better be ready for that, his boyfriend had plans to make it one hell of a ride. Sure the man spoke like nothing phased him but they would both see what happened when he had a thick werewolf dick shoved deep in his ass. Just thinking about that moment got the Inuzuka drooling, his tongue lolled out again to the side. The temptation to grab his own hardening dick and give it a few good strokes was almost too much to bear. But he had to control the urge as he wanted to last as long as possible when inside of his lover. Self control was a war he just had to win. The longer the touching went on, the louder the Aburame got. His moans and his panting at this point, coupled with the arch of his back and the grip he had on both the bed and the fur of his lover, gave him away as being close to the edge. Kiba, sensing that Shino was close, moved his body back a little so he could position his head just right. In the next moment, he pulled his hand away and replaced it with his entire muzzle, quickly savoring the taste of the extra precum that had dribbled out in replacement of the small bead that had been licked up earlier before almost the entire length of Shino's dick was snuggly fit in the muzzle of his partner. The wet heat of werewolf mouth and tongue all over his dick damn near sent Shino over the edge immediately. It only got more intense when he felt those imposingly sharp teeth graze over the length of his shaft every few seconds. His breathing pace picked up and he was already seeing stars behind the eyes he couldn't help but close as he was lost in the sheer pleasure of it all. In his ears he could hear the faint, frantic buzzing of his insects reacting to his frantically swirling chakra. Kiba bobbed his large furry head up and down over the dick in his mouth, taking it in as far as he could and even gagging a little as it grazed his throat but refusing to give in. His hand paw, now free to roam, moved to cup Shino's balls and the roughness of his pads against the skin of them only made the friction insane. It only took a minute of that muzzle on his dick and those digits kneading his balls for Shino to come undone. Without warning, that familiar warmth shot to the back of the werewolf's throat, nearly choking him for a split second. Kiba took it in stride, though, managing to swallow a good half of the thick spray of cum. The other half dribbled out the side of his muzzle and dripped onto the bed below. He swiped at the side of said muzzle to clean off the rest before looking down, panting and heart racing, with satisfaction. Shino was panting too, dick finally going soft little by little, both hands now resting on top of the bed. It was a glorious site. The uptight teacher had come undone for the big, imposing wolfman. Kiba felt his dick, fully hard, begining to ache and throb something fierce, with his own precum seeping from the head now, and knew it was almost time for the hunt to commence. As the two gave each other a moment to catch their breaths and come back down to earth, Kiba ran the back of his furry arm over his face again to try and clean off the remaining cum he'd missed the first time. He swiped a streak of it away from where it had settled into his fur, right on top of the red fang mark still present on his cheek, and then pulled the digit away to inspect it for a moment. It probably wasn't quite sweet like the taste lingering on his lover's lips earlier but it also wasn't likely to he as salty as cum usually was known to be. With this in mind, he brought the sticky white-covered digit up to his snout and licked it with that incredibly skilled tongue of his. In one shot the little bit of jizz was gone, slurped up by the lycanthrope and swallowed down like it was nothing. He almost wished his lover had seen him do this but was quite aware that the man in question was probably still trying to get the stars out of his eyes after being sucked off by a wild beast. It was understandable for him to have missed this sight just this one time. After enough time had passed and Kiba was satisfied with how he had cleaned what he could off of his face, still painfully aware of the aching in his crotch and the trickle of precum that had begun to leak down the side of his shaft in anticipation, he chanced speaking to his recovering partner. "Are you still up for another round or are ya spent?" Shino sat up finally and ran a hand through his hair before looking over at the wolfman. "Sorry, I just needed a moment to ride that out. This is because it has been an awful long while since the last time we did this and this time was the most intense time yet. Yes I am up for another round. This time I want you to get your satisfaction." "Sheesh, you're awfully wordy." Kiba shot him an exasperated but happy look, accompanying smirk pairing well with his tone of voice, and continued. "Just let me know when we can get back at it. I don't wanna rush ya into it." Something about the restraint that Kiba was showing was touching. Usually he was far too eager to get down and into it without much conversation beforehand. He'd have to do something for the Inuzuka man later to show his gratitude for his show of unusual patience during such a stressful time. "Let me just get a couple of things out of that drawer and then we are free to continue." And with that the Aburame swiveled his body just enough so that he was able to open the drawer beside his bed and reach into it. Fishing around to the best of his ability, the first thing he grabbed and set on the bed was a half empty bottle of lube that the two of them had made great use of several times in the past. Tonight would probably be its final performance. The other thing, however, had Kiba's ears perked up the moment that flash of red came into view. A slight jingle of metal caught his attention even further as Shino now had on full display the item he had remembered before their session began. It was a strong and comfortable leather collar with silver hardware and a matching red leather leash bearing a good ten feet of length. Oh, so it was like that was it? Was the uptight Academy teacher trying to flip the script and make an obedient dog out of his Inuzuka lover after he'd been sucked off so generously not ten minutes ago, before the Inuzuka in question had even considered his own needs? Immediately Kiba had his hackles up, not in anger but in competition, and he let out a growl as if to instigate a challenge. "Oh you want to be the one calling the shots huh? I hope you're ready for this. I'm not going easy on ya." Now it was Shino's turn to smirk back at him. "I'd never expect you to just lie back and behave like a good dog. Go ahead and give me all that you have. I can handle a little rowdy, boisterous posturing." "Guess you'd be a shit teacher otherwise." He shrugged before pointing a clawed finger at his sitting partner. "Okay then, challenge accepted tough guy. But don't say I didn't warn you." Tossing the bottle of lube gently to Kiba, Shino picked up the collar next and undid the strap. They had made good use of it in previous encounters but this time it would need to be adjusted to fit a neck that was now larger as it would be adorning a wolfman instead of a fairly average human being. Kiba was busy dabbing a generous helping of the lube onto the tips of his pawpads in preparation to slather it all over his dick so that in combination with his still slowly dripping precum the initial thrust would not cause his partner any pain so they could both enjoy the experience equally. Shino gave him plenty of time and space to accomplish this task before sliding closer to the werewolf, who was now standing in front of the bed instead of kneeling on top of it, and held up the collar so both of them could acknowledge that it was time to put it on. When Kiba gave a mocking snort and a petulant nod, he bent his head just low enough for Shino to access his furry neck. The leather slid around the perimeter of it smoothly and was fastened into place, this time being set on the second to last hole instead of the second smallest to account for the size change that came with the jutsu. Once it was all secured, the leash was clipped to the hanging d ring. As he pulled away from the wolfman, he lightly brushed against the rigid monstrous dick that still had yet to be put to good use and Kiba whined in the back of his throat. "Easy, boy. It's almost time. Just wait a little longer." "That's easy for you to say." Replied the wolf, indignant and half desperate. "Hurry up and flip over so I can get you too and we can get down to business." "And here I thought you were getting this patience thing down finally." "Shut up and hurry up, you're driving me crazy. I can't take much more of this." The Aburame figured it was time to relent a little and give his partner what he wanted so he quickly rolled onto his front and carefully lifted his ass in the air. Looking down at the sight before him, Kiba licked his lips and began to imagine the feel of his dick buried deep inside the smartass laid out just for him. Just those thoughts alone got his motor revving and he had to hold on an embarrassing yelp of excitement lest he look ridiculous. So he picked up the bottle of lube again and poured out more on his pads this time than he had poured for himself. The hand paw that was clean and dry was placed firmly on one of Shino's ass cheeks and the other hovered right up close to his waiting hole. But before making to slather the slippery liquid over his beloved, Kiba made one last check in. "Are you okay with me putting this on you now?" Though he was nearly jumping out of his skin in anticipation, he just had to make sure his partner was on the same page. "Yes, you have my permission. Just mind the claws again please." Those words were exactly what Kiba was hoping to hear. "Gotcha, can do." He may have nodded a little too enthusiastically at that but Shino was turned away so he couldn't see and he probably wouldn't have cared anyway. That was all the go ahead he needed to go to town prepping his lover for what was to come. Careful not to insert claws into delicate spots and nick delicate anatomy, Kiba worked the lube into the Aburame's hole thoroughly with a sense of expertise that only came from doing this several times in the past. Shino shivered at that ministrations but kept himself fairly well under control so he'd not throw off the groove his lupine lover had settled into too much. To distract himself momentarily, he stopped to think about the state of his currently limp dick that had already experienced one wild display of passion. Thankfully enough time had passed since his own previous orgasm that it probably wouldn't take long for him to get hard enough again to enjoy a second coming. As long as Kiba got off, however, that was what mattered. Kiba had put Shino first in priority from the get go and now it was his turn to receive the same level of pleasure he assured his partner had gotten. If the insect user failed to get off a second time it wasn't the end of the world. There would be plenty of future encounters and chances for him to experience that highly sought after breaking point. It only took a good thirty seconds of prep work before Kiba was satisfied with the job he had done. The bottle was now reduced to being nearly empty and he figured that that meant it wouldn't be worth keeping. Chucking it idly into the trash, he brought his focus back to the task at hand and licked his lips again, salivating at the thoughts still running through his brain of all that he wanted to do to the man beneath him. All of the sounds coming from behind him signaled to Shino that his lover was probably ready to begin so he wound the leash once around his hand, not too tight so as to kill his circulation though, and gave an exploratory tug. This light pulling sensation got Kiba moving for real and he placed his other hand paw on the other ass cheek of his partner and did his best to line up his throbbing, wet dick with his target. The waiting hole beckoned him, enticed him, had him go into tunnel vision mode. Nothing else mattered now except the hunt and the victory. Another tug on the leash, slightly rougher this time, and the brief countdown had begun in his head. "Ready for this?" "Go ahead and do it." At last he thrust his hips forward a little and inserted the head of his quivering dick into the ass of the man in front of him. Little by little he eased into him, making sure not to rush the first thrust so no pain would follow even though they'd used plenty of lubricant, until he had buried that thick weapon of his all the way down to his shaggy balls. For a moment the pair stayed just like that as a shiver ran down Shino's back and he adjusted to the feel of the werewolf dick inside of him all the way up to the hilt. He fisted his free hand in the sheet beneath him and with his occupied hand pulled the leash down further to indicate to Kiba that he should begin moving and settle into a comfortable pace. Kiba didn't have to be told twice. Pulling back just as slowly as he had thrust in, his lubed up dick emerged inch by inch until just the head was still inside Shino's ass, teasing his inner walls with the contact. And just like that, he had thrust it back in with a little more force than last time, accompanying the motion with a very short lived little howl. He was getting into it for real now and didn't ever want to stop. Back and forth Kiba began to move at a comfortable speed. His claws dug in to the sensitive skin of Shino's backside and Shino responded each time with a pull on the leather leash in order to make sure the two would not separate from each other just yet. As the two found a good rhythm, Kiba began to whine more and more as the friction of the movement made him feel amazing. He got so lost in the moment he didn't hear his partner encouraging him at first. "Fuck, Kiba, that feels so good. You're a good boy, I need you to fuck me harder. Show me what your jutsu can really do." That second fuck finally registered with the canine inclined nin and his whines switched to a throaty growl. If that's what Shino wanted, it was what he would certainly get. Moving one hand paw from the ass of the Aburame man to his mid back, those claws dug in again and Kiba picked up his pace. It may not have been possible to penetrate any more deeply but Kiba sure fucked like he was trying to. All of the friction and the motion and the vocalizations from his Inuzuka lover had stirred Shino's libido again and he could feel his dick hardening beneath him with every thrust. So in an effort to help himself along, he migrated his non-leash holding hand down and began to stroke himself with just the right amount of pressure he had been missing. The combination of claws in his back and ass, the speed Kiba was thrusting with, and his own touching of himself managed to get Shino just as hard as he was before in little time. For not having done this in a while the two sure had their combination down perfectly for maximum pleasure and efficiency. All of that stimulation began to unravel him as it continued and he moaned in time with Kiba's growls. Soon it was nearly impossible to hear any words in between the nonhuman sounds. "Just like that, I need you to continue just like that." Shino barely managed to croak out as his mind was fuzzy with ecstasy. Kiba was even more lost in the moment as all he could respond with were grunts. He dragged those claws down Shino's back, not so hard that it would leave deep gouges at least, and grabbed a hold of his ass cheek again to use as leverage so he could get his thrusts extra deep every single time. Time got away from them as they spiraled into a state of pure pleasure and before either really were aware each could feel an orgasm building. Perhaps it was coming on a little sooner than either would have liked but not every session was built to be a marathon after all. There was no doubt Kiba would break first, he was holding on for dear life now and being pulled forward hard to encourage him to keep up just like he was doing. And once Kiba broke it would only be a matter of time before Shino also flew over that edge. The Inuzuka kept ramming his former teammate from behind, feeling the coiling knot in his core tighten by the second, like a spring pushed to its very limits about to snap, close to jumping off that edge and blowing his load and marking his territory once again. And without realizing it he had felt the knot at the base of his dick begin to inflate. When he noticed the slight resistance to balls deep thrusting that had built up, he snapped out of his tunnel vision haze enough to eek out a question. "Babe...do you think...you can take it all the way?" Kiba spoke in between pants, unsure if his message got across clearly. Shino had to fight his own heavy breathing and clouded thoughts in order to respond. "I don't...know. I think we should wait...until next time at least. I don't think we should do this on the first attempt..." "Got it, I won't go that far." Regardless of the fact that the knot was there, his thrusts were still deep and strong and quick enough to hit just right. When the knot itself rammed against Shino's asshole it sent another round of shivers up his spine as his body so badly wanted to take in the entire inflated base of the half lupine dick. Next time, next time, he just had to tell himself. The thought of it spurred him on to stroke his own dick faster and rougher as he imagined when he would next be able to see Kiba again like this. There was just so much to look forward to. Meanwhile Kiba himself, in his attempts not to thrust the knot up into his lover, had gotten himself dangerously close to the edge. Maybe it was the fact that he had to get creative to make up for the couple inches that no longer were going and and out of Shino, or maybe he had just done that good of a job in railing his best friend. Just a few more good rams and he'd be swan diving off that wonderful cliff without remorse. Just a few more. Just a few more. He held on for dear life and angled his last few thrusts just right and then that knot in his gut unwound all at once. His balls clenched tightly and his thick stream of sticky cum shot its way up into his lover. When his orgasm let loose, so did his vocal chords, the howl that reverberated in his chest and out of his mouth would have woken up any neighbors nearby if Shino had had them. Both of them were thankful for the lack of anyone living next door in times like these. As Kiba slowed his railing down to a stop following his orgasm, quieting down his sounds of ecstatic release with them, he could feel Shino still stroking diligently at his own dick in an effort to reach his second climax of the night and end on a high note. Though his arms felt like jello, Kiba reached up with the strength he could gather and wrapped his hand paw around Shino's dick and began to pump up and down in tandem with the work Shino was already doing himself. There were those rough pads again. Oh gods. Oh fuck. He wasn't going to last. What a considerate and generous lover the Inuzuka was, he could not repay him enough for this. "Kiba!" Shino yelled, a little garbled as his hazy brain was too lost in the feel of those pads stroking him. For the second time that night he came hard. But this time all of it had shot all over the sheets and would need to be immediately washed out as soon as the two had their wits about them again. Breathing hard and feeling hot from all the effort, Kiba let his tongue loll out again as he tried to come back down fully from that incredible session. His dick finally went fully limp once more, the knot deflating, so he backed up slowly and removed it from Shino's ass. All of the excess cum that had been shot up in there dripped out and got all over the floor. Some stain remover would be a good idea to grab as soon as the two of them were off of cloud nine and properly dressed again. He'd have to remember to grab it after sticking these sheets in the wash. Shino collapsed on the bed just then to give his muscles a minute to go slack. He'd worry about the mess shortly, just as soon as his motor control came back to him fully and his limbs felt fully solid. Behind him his lover was finally calming down his own breathing and heartbeat as the fog in his brain lifted so his cognition returned to its natural boisterous and loud state bit by bit. "That was incredible. I can't believe we had to put that off so long." Flipping over onto his back, Shino glanced up at Kiba. "Maybe it was that good because we put it off. The mounting tension finally had a release after several weeks and that is why it felt better than it ever has before." "Or maybe I'm just that good." Without a care to the state of the bed, Kiba hoisted himself onto it and slid up next to Shino to lie beside him. Brown eyes once again met black as Shino turned on his side to be face to face with the man he loved. "I'd like to think it's both." "Babe, you flatter me." He grinned. And a moment later, his tone of voice changed. "Okay, I think it's time to undo this Jutsu so I don't pass out from chakra exhaustion. Release!" In another blink, the werewolf goes back to being a man. And the returned man who now lies happily next to the satisfied teacher is the most beautiful man in the world to him then. That wide, bright grin that shows off his pointed canines is the most reassuring sight to him now and always. Shino reaches up with both hands and undoes the collar around Kiba's neck, placing it on the table the best he can, before focusing all of his attention back on Kiba. The leather would get a nice oil treatment later to keep it pristine for future use. In turn, Kiba places two fingers under Shino's chin and brings him in for another quick kiss. The sweet taste is almost gone from his lips but he has not forgotten it, would never forget it. That unexpected flavor that he had found in their earlier kiss would forever be embedded in his mind. "Thank you, for tonight." Shino speaks first. "I didn't realize how badly I needed this." Kiba adjusts his posture to prop up his head with one folded arm. "You really needed it, babe. I don't know all of what's going on in that class of yours but I could tell you needed it even more than I did." There is a far off look just then in those deep brown eyes of Shino's. "I just hope that I can get some answers tomorrow. For her sake, for all of their sakes." "You will, babe, you will." Kiba looks at him seriously. "And after you do, don't let anyone hurt that kid ever again. Or any of the others. You watch over them until they graduate and even then make sure they know they can always come to you for help." Shino lets those surprisingly wise words sink in deeply and then moves to sit up, feet dangling off the edge of the bed as if he's considering actually getting up. Kiba watches him intently but only makes to move himself when he sees his lover eyeing the clothing scattered on the floor. There is work to be done and soon. He's got a lot to think about and it must be weighing on him more than he's letting on. The Inuzuka hurts for him, but more than anything he wishes there were more he could do to help. He sighs deeply and rolls his shoulders before springing to his feet so he can look down at Shino who is still seated. "Tell ya what. There's a good way to make sure this can never happen again. Ya wanna know what it is?" Eyebrow raised a little in unsure curiosity, Shino responds. "What might that be?" "Well she doesn't have parents anymore right? And she lives on her own? So no one is looking after her and making sure everything is okay." Kiba doesn't break eye contact with him. "You should take her in. No one is safer for a kid with no folks to go home to than their teacher. And I know you care about all your students so fucking much. Think about it." The statement hits him like a solid brick to the head and stuns him for several minutes. He thinks it over, wants badly to find a way to say he can't, that he's not the fatherly type, but cannot find anything that he knows Kiba would accept as a valid excuse. Kiba was the master of convincing someone to do something impulsive. Maybe he COULD adopt Sumire...what would be the harm in it? That way he could assure that she wouldn't be sent out of Konoha and away from her friends so she'd never have to feel all alone like she did carrying the burden of being her father's weapon but not being able to tell anyone. And she wouldn't spend her days in police custody either, equally as isolated, a fate no child deserved. Maybe, if he asked, Kiba would even be willing to help out with the child rearing duties he was less prepared for. Leave it to the pack animal to be able to handle all the hurdles of caring for those who needed it most. It all was coming together just a little too well in his head and he knew there was no way he could say no at that point. So when he made to finally respond to Kiba, he sounded sincere even with a little hesitation present in his tone that he couldn't seem to shake. Somehow. Some way. The two of them would make it work. "I think that would be an excellent idea." "Great! Knew you'd see it my way!" Kiba beamed at him. If he'd still had a tail it would be wagging right then. "Now I think I can use a good shower."

Choujin X 32.1 final panel and assumption!

The last panel of Choujin X chapter 32.1 is very intriguing, once again for its imagery. I guess most of us agree that there is a head on top of the archway under which Tokio is. But it's not just the head, if you look closely there are legs right next to the pillar. And they sport the same stitches that the Noh Mask had on his hands. Safe to assume that Tokio and the other two are in his domain.

So, now the question is who this could be? The first answer that pops to mind is Sora Siruha.

You know, matching hair color and all that. But, the more you look at it, the less it seems like Sora. So, here’s my second guess. Queen Nue!

The head on the archway has a halo like thingy, a black ring of sorts. The closest match I could find to this was from the choujin Queen Nue, who was mentioned in the volume 1 extras. She also fits the vibe of that place, candles, voodoo sort of thing.

But the timelines don't sit right with this guess too, so I am open to hearing your suggestions. Anyhoo, I noted down some more thoughts and pointers in my chapter analysis here.

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I can only Snap I can only snap upon right hand I can’t from left I can write both with right hand slow in time I can paint either hand I can trace with a left hand It’s my writing hand Could’ve hugged away with both hands But you know who you are I love your attitudes smiles that got me through the rough times it was daily I need glasses to see, I wore them daily I placed items in holes, all the whole time It was daily easy, seeing the un working; every hour upon clock, working in beginning from register, internet, to dock, best if internet again, comeback stop the weed smoking on clock Round Robin Kicking punching throughout my thumbs Ohh I’m so tired I’ll jump into body skins next, I don’t work there no longer I was snapped out All scary but also funny and nue it coming, Skits and play’s In musicals Was hugs gathered Some play for some play against And those remained in silence My had snaps to, I was genuine Good day... woman man, dude gal, those that, in between some mishaps, in disguise still masked, in clear clouded, mindset mind open, wanting gainful Snapping for the next person Who’s the face? I have more time now And others helped make it so ;) When I would, take my boys to a party: no pushing shoving kicking punching screaming yelling, if another is doing bad walk away come tell us (dis-Respect un Equality sinnistered technicians) or rather take a REST near mom & dad, stay out of trouble, accidents surely to followed I didn’t abide by same rules upon entering building, taken vacation never had time, gave 110% Every help, to guidance measures, stay safe or let’s bandage that up, watch your fingers and hands, keep yourself intact I’ll give it rest, I just out snapped In a writing Live long do more for a World Peace ☮️ No red and blue needed Guide, i still do Find love, you would understand More that I say Just once, just in’s, just still there From a just gone Snap! I love you all, when standing still for along time don’t lock your knees move When moving a bunch, stretch before hand Now I’m hanking it Body first Management second They seconded my snap It was an uneventful ambush I didn’t (rhyme again here) May all live • until you think of statistics, someone, it’s human, always fall in there Animal can’t calculate and we have been humans for how long, statistic an always need until fixing, who has the time for fixing let’s keep them going..... Pathetic wanting and those being paid for i get confused too here! I saved lives with my (can you guess it)’s Hey 👋 you did Now your catching on You each have a pedestal I just snapped out loud Sun will rise tomorrow, be safe Your wills are your own Your will is yours So be good Make a better than waiting For Fore Ohh watch out ohhhhhhh snap All the different read this for, it’s all for you above, between some sly others overcoming in meanings and so on and such stuff, enjoy the L•FE Hey you read it as life, you know you did! But did you say read or read red or reed like myself exhaling to wind or rather moving along in, I still have more Just wait WordsbyMM MMybsDroW Martinez, Mark Kram Zenitram (a reverse) Zen i tram Zen Love Peace Eracism also It’s being worked upon :) There was a song ‘I need a new job’ Which blog does this post fit? Questions I still reach out for answers It’s why I’m writing Four years of time and writing All so oblivious I love you anyways & have always Pay attention Goodbye

He actually said that to you?" Sarada asked.

Sumire nodded. "Yes. I immediately went to Karin-san and told her."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. She just kind of glared at me."

"That's no way to treat the savior of the village. I'll have to talk to her."

Sumire blushed bright red. "Please don't! I don't want-"

Sarada took Sumire's hand and squeezed it. "You are, you know. You saved us all. You and Nue. Nobody else could have done that. And I really mean that. I'm still not entirely sure what it is that you did in the first place."

Sumire sighed, the red fading from her face as she shifted into lecture mode. "Nue not only absorbs chakra from others, he can also blend it with his own to make new... flavors, I like to call it. Flavors no one has ever seen before. And given enough time, some of these flavors sort of... age into entirely new forms. All I did was combine some of those with the Rasenshuriken that Nanadaime-sama's clone gave me-"

"He gave it to you?" Sarada asked blankly.

"Well, um, he gave it to Nue, who held onto it while I added the flavoring. Nue blended them and made sure the mixture didn't explode or collapse."

Sarada shook her head. "Nue managed to do that despite never handling a Rasenshuriken before?"

Sumire blushed again. "Um, where did you get that idea? Nue has. Handled one before, I mean."

"When?!"

"Did you actually think Nanadaime-sama would just hand a Rasenshuriken to someone who had never handled one before? That would be crazy, Sarada."

Sarada could not help the slight jealousy she felt, although she knew perfectly well that she lacked a chakra-eating monster summon who followed her every command. "I guess you were right all along. You were able to give Boruto exactly what he needed, in the end."

The blush returned full force, but faded quickly. "I'm happy I was able to grant his wish. But Mitsuki understands me, in a way I don't think Boruto would bother to try to. Boruto accepted me, but he would deal with the darkness in me by saying it was part of my past and didn't matter anymore. Mitsuki doesn't ignore it that way. If anything, he wants to help me understand it."

"And does that help?" Sarada asked. "Isn't it painful?"

Sumire smiled. "Yes to both. But I couldn't rediscover Nue's full form and true potential until I understood him more. And the key to that understanding was in my past. If I had ignored it simply because it hurt to revisit it, we never could have done what we did today."

"And how is Nue?"

"A little banged up and completely exhausted, but resting." Her lips twitched, as if she couldn't decide between a smile or a frown. "I guess it's a good thing I won't be asking him to handle a Rasenshuriken ever again?"

Sarada winced. "Sumire, if you-" She trailed off as the door slid open.

Karin walked in, looking very grumpy. She was followed closely by Tenten, who looked nearly as grumpy. Sarada did not think this had anything to do with Naruto, though.

"Sarada-chan, I need you to come with me," Karin said. Then she paused. "I guess Sumire can come, too, since I'm suddenly so damn vulnerable that I can't even-"

"Karin," Tenten said sharply. "You know that's not what-"

"Didn't ask you," Karin snapped.

Tenten sighed. "Girls, we are in a hurry here."

Sarada tensed at once. "Is it Nanadaime?"

Tenten smiled faintly. "Still hanging in there, last I checked. He's stubborn that way, you know that. No, this comes directly from your mother. She sent Karin to get you. And due to... reasons, I had to come to."

"What reasons?" Sarada asked immediately.

"We're not supposed to say," Tenten admitted. "Not yet. But it's nothing, well... too bad. No one's in any obvious danger, anyway."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Really doing a great job of reassuring her."

"Does this have anything to do with someone trying to change Karin's... status?"

Karin frowned and said, "No."

Tenten frowned and said, "Yes."

Sarada's eyes widened.

"It's not what you think," Karin said quickly.

"It's not exactly what you think," Tenten corrected. "Certain people would like it very much if Karin would swear loyalty to Konoha, just in case. That's... well, not all, but the main reason why Sakura would prefer that Karin have a... friend at all times."

Sarada scowled. "You mean guard."

"I mean friend," Tenten insisted. "I know very well that she doesn't need a guard."

"Mama isn't usually so paranoid."

"She has a lot on her mind right now, and she'd rather not get any bad surprises. So, Karin gets a friend, and for now it's me."

"Why are you making it sound like Mama has any say in this? What does Nanadaime say?"

Tenten winced, and Karin snorted. "You really need to come with us, Sarada," Tenten said. "Your mother can explain better than we can."

Sarada had seen Naruto look tired before, but this was different. He looked positively exhaused now, and much thinner, yet remained in good spirits. He'd been transferred from his hospital room to the spare room at home where he'd spent many late nights. Hinata was not quite fussing over him, but they did seem much more affectionate with each other than Sarada had seen in a very long time.

As if that was not strange enough, Sarada was bothered by the presence of her own parents. Sure, they were Naruto's closest friends, but as far as she knew, her father had been nowhere near the village when Prodigal attacked. In fact, she suspected he'd been out searching for the people who had created Prodigal. Surely he hadn't found them, the timing was too convenient.

By now, it was common knowledge that Naruto was dying, and that the best they could do was slow down the process, but not stop it. Even so, Sakura kept checking Naruto's pulse every few minutes, and he endured this with amusement, though he looked tempted to point out that she only needed her eyes to see that he wasn't dead just yet.

Sarada could not honestly say why she or Sumire were there, other than perhaps Naruto wanted to say goodbye. It was nice to be a priority to him, but she thought he had more important issues to deal with at the moment.

"As nice as it is to have everyone here, there's some business to conduct," Naruto announced. "Sarada, I'm going to need two favors from you."

Sarada blinked. "Okay?"

"I need you to try to be okay with the fact that your mom totally stole your dream."

"Na-ru-to!" Sakura growled.

"Okay, okay. But seriously, don't be too mad at her. It's just that the title of Hokage has certain expectations, and advanced age is sort of preferred. Honestly, I only got away with it because I'm awesome like that, and Kakashi has always looked old, and I don't need to tell you about Tsunade baa-chan, so there you go."

This did not do anything to lessen Sakura's anger, naturally, but Sarada found that the humor did take some of the sting out of it. And if she were quite honest, she wasn't ready to be Hokage, yet.

"Is there a rule that I can't be Hokage after her?" Sarada asked.

"Technically, no," Naruto said. "Although it might be tricky. It might work out better if someone else was Hokage before you."

"Then I'm not mad," Sarada decided. "What's the second favor?"

"I need you and Sumire to go meet an old friend of mine. She's waiting just outside the village, so that she doesn't startle anyone."

Sarada stared at him. "Why would she-?"

"You'll know when you see her. But it's really important and somewhat time-sensitive, so leaving now would be great."

"Are you trying to get rid of us?"

Naruto pouted. "Of course not. I can think of no better way to leave this life, surrounded by a group of lovely ladies... and Sasuke. But this really does need to get done. You'd be doing me a huge favor, and saving your mom a potential headache later on. And since I know you're already thinking it, if I die while you're doing this favor, trust me, you'll be the first people outside of this room to know."

As it turned out, Naruto had not been misleading them. He did indeed have an older, female friend waiting just outside of the village, and Sarada could understand how her appearance would have startled most people.

He had neglected to mention, however, that his old friend was Matatabi, the Two Tails. Nor had he revealed that he apparently he spent a great deal of time chatting up the tailed beasts about his subordinates. Sarada had found few things so unnerving as the fact that Matatabi was able both to recognize them, and greet them by name. Still, it was probably for the best that Matatabi was familiar with them, because it meant she was not at all aggressive or suspicious of them. Which, according to her, she had good reason to be in the case of anyone with a Sharingan, but said that was a story for another time.

No, the most pressing concerns were the death of her brother Kurama (which she honestly seemed more amused than concerned by, but then, he wouldn't be gone forever), and the impending death of Naruto. Sarada had known that Naruto was Kurama's jinchuriki, but she hadn't realized that he was also effectively a jinchuriki of all the other tailed beasts, to a small extent, and that his body served as a nexus for their occasional meetings. Which was a problem, now that he was dying: they needed a new nexus. But Sarada was quick to point out that Naruto was in no shape to go and find one, and in fact was strongly against a new jinchuriki being created at all.

Matatabi smiled patiently and shook her head. "But we are not seeking to create a jinchuriki. Only a new nexus. There is no need for any sealing whatsoever. That is why Naruto specifically banned the creation of a jinchuriki: because it would be entirely unnessecary. In any case, there is already a jinchuriki among us. We only require a nexus."

"And Killer B can't be the nexus?" Sarada asked.

"He can, but we have decided it would be best to select someone younger than him. We would rather not have to go through this process again so soon. We are all quite satisfied with the new candidate."

Sarada blinked. "Wait. You already have someone in mind?"

"Yes." Matatabi nodded at Sumire. "Her."

"M-Me?!" Sumire squeaked.

"You, kitten," Matatabi purred. "Naruto has informed us of your potential, and how skillfully you handle Nue. You will be an excellent nexus for us. Allow to show you one of the benefits." One of Matatabi's tails extended and lightly touched Sumire's forehead. At once, Nue appeared at her side in his full-sized form. He was still asleep, however.

"H-How did you do that?" Sumire gasped.

"As I said, this is a benefit of being our nexus. We are basically each giving you a small portion of our chakra, and we don't mind if you use it from time to time for Nue's benefit. You should have no further problems calling forth his full form. So if you were worried that we might negatively impact your bond with him, we will not. In fact, that bond is the very reason we chose you. And, actually, since it will be some time until Kurama returns, Nue can keep his seat among us warm. He won't be as powerful as Kurama, but he's already proven capable of protecting your village."

"D-Do I have to do anything?" Sumire asked.

"You may have the occasional odd dream after one of our meetings, but other than that, it's not really a big adjustment. Oh, but you'll have to sit on my head when I introduce you to the others. And you'll need to learn all of our names, too. But don't worry. There's a song and everything."

Sarada always had one thought when she stared out of her office at the Hokage Rock: "Did they have to make my face look so fat?" She was the only one who felt that way, apparently, or perhaps no one else had the nerve to admit it to her face.

Becoming Hokage was nothing like she'd thought it would be. Always, when she imagined that day, she was surrounded by her family and friends. Not a single person was absent.

The reality was decidedly different.

More and more often now, Sarada's eyes were drawn to the framed photo of Team Kakashi that she kept hanging just beneath the Hokage portraits. No one had really been able to protest, since it was also technically a Hokage portrait. Sarada had caught herself talking to the photo so many times that she no longer bothered to hide it from anyone. She didn't care if it caused rumors. There was no shame in her feelings for those people, and she wouldn't allow anyone to suggest that there should be.

Smiling faintly, she brushed her fingers along the photo's frame. "Papa. Mama. Rokudaime. Nanadaime. I really did it. Just like I promised," she murmured. "It's all thanks to what you taught me. I won't forget."

A knock at the door drew her attention. Sarada turned to see Chocho standing in the doorway. "Hi. Is it time to go already?"

Chocho crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "Have you ever known an Akimichi who got dinner plans wrong?"

"Right, sorry. I'm coming."

"You look distracted, Sarada."

"Do I?" Sarada shook her head as she followed Chocho out of the office. "Just nostalgia, I guess."

"Good or bad?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out."

Sarada did not have the time or patience for therapy sessions, nor did she want to hold a grudge against any Yamanaka for peering into her mind, so she had found a much preferred compromise: bi-monthly dinners with friends. They allowed her to vent her frustrations among trusted companions, while also forcing her to endure some good-natured teasing, and as a bonus updated to goings-on that a Hokage might overlook otherwise.

Sumire hosted at her house this time around, which allowed the focus to remain on her: how romantic Mitsuki was, how he'd proposed, why Sumire was dragging her feet about setting a wedding date, if she would need a maternity wedding dress when that day finally came. That last one came from Karin, who despite being able to sense virtually anyone in the village (or maybe even because she could), had walked in on Sumire and Mitsuki during rather intimate moments no less than six times in recent memory alone.

And through the whispers and laughter and tears, Sarada found her eyes drawn to Karin's hair, now a pale pink with streaks of white here and there. Not for the first time, Sarada wondered, if her parents had been blessed with Uzumaki vitality as Karin was, would they have survived to see her reach her dream? There was no guarantee, of course: Hinata had died only two years after Naruto, of a broken heart most still believed, and if anyone should have had Uzumaki vitality, it was Naruto's kids.

And if anyone should have died despite that famed vitality, it was Karin, who had reserved a spot so close to her jugular for Sarada alone to bite, and that Sarada had been forced to bite so often, that it was a minor miracle both of them still lived. They were under no illusions: Karin would never make her feel guilty about that, and so Sarada always heaped the guilt on herself. Karin was a treasured friend who was happy to save her, not a lifeline to be abused as needed. But there had been too many times when the line blurred enough that Sarada hated herself for crossing it, and yes, even hated Karin for not mentioning that it had been crossed.

But still Karin stood faithfully by her side, without complaint or restraint, and to remain in Sarada's life meant accepting that first and foremost. It was Karin who held Sarada when she cried her heart out over losing another precious person to the perils of shinobi life. It was Karin who kept her deepest, darkest secrets. And it was Karin, who had cheered the loudest, in place of her late parents, the day that Sarada became Hokage.

It was no exagerration to say that Sarada had only made it this far because of Karin. If for no other reason than her healing chakra and willingness to let Sarada abuse it.

There was no amount of gratitude that could accurately express Sarada's feelings, and always Karin said it wasn't needed, anyway. But that was who Karin was. And who Sarada was, was someone who had lost enough precious people, and could not allow the most important surviving one to feel neglected or unappreciated. And yet there was no gift that Karin valued above simple hugs and kisses from Sarada, which in turn never seemed like enough repayment to Sarada.

"Is she pregnant?" Sarada asked the moment they were a good distance away from Sumire's house.

"Who?" Karin asked blankly, doing an admirable job of feigning ignorance.

Sarada pouted. "You know who I mean!"

"No, I don't," Karin replied blandly. "You have to be more specific."

Sarada opened her mouth, paused, and frowned. "Was there more than one pregnant woman in the house tonight?"

"Nope, just the one."

"Just-? Then you did know who I meant!" Sarada snapped.

"Could have meant any of them. Could have meant you, honestly."

Sarada raised her eyebrows. "No, I couldn't, either. You would have me dragged me out of the house to tell me something that big. And then threatened to strangle whoever did it."

"Damn right," Karin snorted. "So... yeah, Sumire's pregnant. And it's much too early for pregnancy brain to be the reason that she apparently forgot that I'm a sensor."

"Maybe she's just distracted," Sarada suggested. "Thinking up baby names, or what kind of parents they'll be."

"Or trying to hide it from her friends because she's embarrassed," Karin added. "Which is silly, they'll be thrilled."

"And we have to play along, until she decides to tell us."

"Do we?" Karin asked mildly. "When have I ever held my tongue around her or Mitsuki?"

"Which is why this would be an excellent time to start," Sarada said firmly.

"Yeah, no. Not doing that. I don't mind that they're having a kid, but I do mind being expected to play dumb about it. Do you really think Mitsuki is going to want to keep it secret once he finds out?"

"No, but he's Mitsuki, and he isn't the one that's pregnant."

"Okay, so then what if I just tell him?" Karin offered.

"That's even worse! I'm sure Sumire wants to tell him, she's just being her usual self."

"She's been in his pants and his bed, there's no point being shy about it now!"

Sarada blushed slightly and lowered her voice. "I heard Hinata was the same way right after she got married."

"You heard from who?"

"Hanabi. And she might have been kidding, but she seemed to enjoy telling me way too much at the time."

"Probably true then," Karin said with a nod. "But still no excuse. It's too late to be shy with a bun in the oven. I'll give Sumire one more day to tell Mitsuki, and then I'm spilling the beans. Instead of wasting time not telling him, she should be making plans with him."

Sarada sighed. "I guess that's fair. Mitsuki is going to be so thrilled! I wonder why she wouldn't tell him right away?"

"Lost her nerve, maybe. Or she thinks he won't be happy. Weird things go through your mind, when you've got a little person in you."

"H-How... would you know that?" Sarada asked warily.

Karin rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I told you: your mom and I traveled together while she was pregnant with you. The stuff that came out of her mouth at times... if I hadn't met her before that, it would have been a horrible first impression. Anyway, stuff you know isn't true or likely suddenly seems reasonable, when you're like that. So maybe what Sumire needs is a level-headed friend to give her a little push."

"A push, not a hard shove, Karin. Can you at least be delicate?"

"Not really my style, you know that. Though, if you want to tell him, I'll leave it to you. So long as you do it tomorrow."

Sarada glared at her. "Fine, you do it. That way I can comfort Sumire when she's mad at you."

"She'll forgive me. She's going to need a godmother."

"And you really think it'll be you? What about me?"

"You're Hokage. You're everyone's godmother. Nobody's going to make you official."

Sarada scowled, in part because Karin was probably right. She liked to think that she and Sumire were much closer than they had been, but she was not at all confident that the job of godmother wouldn't go to Chocho instead. And if Mitsuki had any say in it, Karin would almost certainly be picked.

"Do you ever regret it?" Karin asked abruptly. "Not having kids?"

"No," Sarada said after a pause. "I never found the right guy. And even if I had, I don't think I could be a wife, mother, and Hokage at the same time. Someone would feel shortchanged somewhere, and I wouldn't be able to make it up to them enough for them to feel any differently."

Unsaid went the implication that Sarada had already found the right guy, but that he was long dead. Karin had tried pointing this out, many times, but there was no reason for it now. Even if Sarada still talked to them occasionally, she was done chasing ghosts anymore. Best to leave it alone.

"Hey, Karin?" Sarada murmured, taking her arm.

"Yeah?"

"I don't say it enough, but... I'm really glad you're here with me."

"Where else would I be?"

"No, I mean... I'm glad you're still here with me."

Karin processed this slowly. "I see." And then, before Sarada could add anything else, Karin cut her off with, "I owe you an apology."

Sarada blinked. "For what?"

Karin looked as if she didn't want to say, but finally did. "When Naruto wouldn't give me permission to go looking for Boruto. I should have pushed harder. Either until he gave in, or I should have just gone no matter what he said."

"Karin, you know that would have been a bad-"

"But I would have found him," Karin insisted. "Do you really think I would have stopped looking until I did? Or that I would ever come back without him?" She stared into Sarada's eyes. "Do you really think I didn't know how important he was to you?"

Sarada swallowed hard. "Even so, Nanadaime-"

"Would have gotten over it once he had his son back." Karin squeezed Sarada's arm. "If I had done that, Boruto might still be with you right now. But I didn't, and I'm sorry, Sarada."

"I never blamed you for that."

"You should have. I could have found him. I would have found him. There's no doubt in my mind at all. If I ever believed in fate, it was my fate to be here at a time when they needed someone with my exact ability to find Boruto. And because I didn't use it, he was lost to us. That's on me. Not Naruto. Just me."

"Karin, stop it. I don't want to hear this now."

"Maybe you need to, if you still don't get it, Sarada. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and you need to know something."

"What?"

"I've figured something out about being Hokage, Sarada. It requires you to sacrifice the people most precious to you for the sake of the village. But the job doesn't work the other way around. People who would sacrifice the village for their precious ones? They might be called a lot of things, but Hokage isn't one of them." Karin paused to let that sink in. "Boruto was your test. If you had gotten him back, at the cost of your ninja career, you could never be Hokage. But you were able to let him go when you had to."

"I didn't let him go, though. I told you about that mission-"

"The one where your team was only minutes behind you. That doesn't count. I'm talking about falling off the grid, staying out of contact for days or more, people thinking you're dead or worse because that's the only thing that should keep you from letting them know you're still alive. You never did that, because if you had, I would have hunted you down and given you hell for worrying me like that. You passed the test, Sarada, by sacrificing your friend."

Sarada shook her head. "It wasn't like that at all, Karin."

"You still don't see," Karin sighed. "We'll try this the other way."

"What are you-" Sarada began to say, but then the world began to spin.

"How many times do I have to do this?" Boruto muttered, running his hands through his hair. "I already told you everything!"

"One last time, son," Naruto said. "Please. I know you just want to sleep-"

"I don't want to sleep. I want to be in my room again and just... be there. And know I'm home."

"Okay. We can do this there, if you want."

"No," Boruto said sharply. "I'll do it here. There's no point going there if I still have to do this. I'm trying to get away from this."

"Do you want anyone else in here with us?"

"Anyone I would want here, I don't want them hearing this from me."

Naruto smiled faintly. "Your mother is tougher than you think. If you want her here, it won't matter to her what you have to say. She'll come and she'll stay until you're done. She's been through a war. I doubt there's anything you could tell me that she hasn't seen in person."

Boruto looked as if he were struggling mightly with himself, torn between being tough, not wanting to poison his mother's ears, but at the same time desperately craving the comfort that she could give, though it would mean exposing his weakness to her.

Then Naruto was carefully rubbing his son's back, and Boruto broke, burying his face in his father's chest and sobbing like a child half his age. Naruto wrapped an arm around him and gestured to the door. Hinata joined them a second later, wrapping her arms around them both until Boruto had calmed down.

"I'm okay," Boruto muttered, wiping his nose on his arm. He pushed his parents away, but gently enough where they knew he didn't want either one leaving the room.

"We know that Karin went after you," Naruto said. "But we had searched that area already, and-"

"They were moving me," Boruto interrupted. "I think, when they had me locked up, they were suppressing my chakra so that it couldn't be detected. But when they moved me, I was actually outside for a bit. That's how Karin found me. I wasn't underground anymore, and she could tell."

"And then?"

Boruto hesitated. "She ripped them apart, tou-chan. Just... chains and body parts flying in all directions. I never saw her like that, not even in training. She was... frenzied. Like getting me back was the only thing in the world that mattered to her." He paused, shook his head slightly. "I-I didn't know she cared that much. And she said something weird."

"What?" Hinata asked.

"I thought she would want me to run. These guys were weak, but there were tons of them. If we stayed, they would get us eventually. But she told me not to leave her side. Why would she do that?"

"Think about how Karin heals, son," Naruto suggested.

"You have to bite her."

"And you can't do that if you aren't near her. She wanted to be sure that she could save you."

Boruto grimaced. "I couldn't fight. My chakra wouldn't work. I could only sit there and watch her wail on those guys. But I could tell that Karin was getting tired. And they just kept coming. So she grabbed me and ran. And she kept telling me to bite her whenever she stopped running. So I did. I was able to run on my own after a while. We kept moving unless one of us needed to rest. And when we reached the village gates, I thought everything was fine. But Karin... she collapsed right there, just fell flat on her face. I couldn't wake her up." He paused and bit his lip. "I didn't know she had nothing left to give. She acted like she was fine before that. Kept saying she was going to beat me bloody for getting myself kidnapped and worrying everybody."

"She didn't want to worry you," Naruto explained. "She wanted you focused on getting home."

"Don't tell Sarada," Boruto said abruptly, his eyes large with worry. "She'll hate me!"

The door slammed open, and Sarada stomped into the room, angry tears in her eyes. Boruto flinched as she got right in his face, but the hit that he was expecting never came. Instead, she hugged him fiercely for a few seconds, then suddenly shoved him away.

"I don't hate you," Sarada snapped. "But I'm only saying this once, Boruto. No more being an idiot. You need to step up right now. Be worthy of Karin's sacrifice. I'll never forgive you if you aren't."

"Can't believe those idiots are late," Sakura grumbled, fussing with Sarada's robes.

Sarada laughed. "Mama, it's fine, really. I know exactly where the boys are. They'll be here."

"But it's your big day!" Sakura insisted. "My baby is going to be named Hokage, and the least they could do is be here on time!"

Sarada opened her mouth, hesitated, and then sighed. "They're visiting Karin's grave, Mama. They can take all the time they need."

Sakura froze, a small frown appearing on her face. "O-Oh. I'm sorry, Sarada."

"It's fine. Our weekly ritual, you know? I went earlier this week, without them, because I knew I'd be busy today."

"I wasn't thinking," Sakura babbled. "I should have-"

Sarada leaned forward and tenderly kissed her mother's forehead. "It's fine, Mama. I'm not mad."

Sakura smiled gratefully. "You've grown up so much."

"You just called me your baby a minute ago, though."

"I was really worried, back then. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to get past it. It was such an awful thing to happen, and when you kids were so young still."

"It wasn't as bad as you're making it sound," Sarada disagreed, keeping her eyes trained on the Hokage hat on the nearby desk. "Boruto swears the only thing they really did is run tests on him. Tests they run in nearly any decent hospital. We got him back before they could do anything else." She paused, then continued. "That was my test, and I beat the system. I got my friend back and still reached my dream. I didn't have to sacrifice him."

Sakura stared at her for a long moment. "Sarada," she said softly, "don't you remember?"

"Remember what, Mama?" Sarada asked. But even as the words left her lips, she did remember.

"Please, Karin!" Sarada sobbed, clinging to the woman's neck. "Please go and find him! Promise me you will! Promise me you won't let anyone stop you!"

Karin stared into Sarada's eyes. "I can do that," she said softly. "But I need you to do something for me, first. To make sure that I succeed." She leaned forward and whispered in Sarada's ear.

Sarada's sobs cut off abruptly. She drew back slowly and stared at Karin, who nodded firmly, looking determined. "Are you sure, Karin?"

"Do it."

Sakura entered the room a moment later, just in time to see Karin raise her head, the Sharingan reflected in her eyes.

"Sarada, don't!" Sakura cried, but Karin had already charged from the room, shoving Sakura aside in her haste.

"I-It's okay, Mama," Sarada whispered, smiling weakly as tears streamed from her eyes. "Karin won't fail. She'd never let me down." And then, in an even softer whisper: "She can't. She has no choice, now."

"We'll be late for Sarada's ceremony, Boruto," Mitsuki said.

"Right behind you," Boruto replied, carefully adjusting the flowers he'd left in front of the grave. He stared at the tombstone for a few seconds, then gently slid his fingers along the side. "Why?" he muttered under his breath. "Why'd you throw your life away for me? I still don't get it..."

"Boruto wasn't your sacrifice, Sarada," Sakura murmured, shaking her head. "Karin was."

"I... no," Sarada breathed. "I wouldn't have... I could never-"

"You didn't weigh a friend's life against the village. "You weighed it against another friend's."

"NO!"

"But you did," Sakura said, her voice becoming colder. "And you have to."

Sarada watched, stunned, as her mother's form melted away to reveal...

"Papa?"

"Those are the kind of choices that the Hokage has to make every day, Sarada," Sasuke said. "The kind of choices that you'll be inviting, even seeking, if you truly want to wear that hat." He crossed the room, picked up the hat, and stared at it. "So do you? Do really want to wear it? Are you prepared for the costs? The sacrifices? Because I'll tell you something, Sarada, something I've never told anyone else. I could never be Hokage. Not now. Because if I had to save the village or my family? The village would burn, and I wouldn't even look back once."

"That wasn't so bad, brat," Karin panted, a twisted grin on her face. "You might just make chunin in another decade or so."

"Aw, shut up!" Boruto snapped, too exhausted to even raise his head from the ground to glare at her. "I'll beat you next time, just you wait!"

"Sure, sure. And maybe-" Karin stopped abruptly, turning her head to the left.

A moment later, Sarada walked onto the training field. She didn't say anything. She just stared at them.

"Sarada-chan?" Karin asked.

Sarada didn't say anything.

Boruto turned his head and stared. Then he frowned.

"Sarada-chan?" Karin repeated, starting to get up. "What's wrong? Are you-?"

"Leave her alone," Boruto said abruptly. He recognized the signs of post-Sasuke genjutsu depression. "She just needs to think."

Karin glanced at him, but stared unhappily at Sarada. She did not like the look in Sarada's eyes. Almost as if she weren't seeing them as people. Almost as if she were looking through them.

Weighing them.

The End.

Endnotes:

I do apologize for the delay. This chapter was quite longer than the others, and there was a lot to include, research, rewrite, and all. I am sure there are some who will absolutely hate this chapter. And that's okay. There are some who absolutely hate the Boruto anime. And that's okay. I don't hate the anime, but I don't deny that it leaves much to be desired. And I will not deny that my favorite episodes tend to not feature Boruto at all. And that's okay, too. But I would ultimately like to draw everyone's attention to the category I placed this story in: Tragedy. I don't usually do that, but when I do, there's a reason for it.

I like to think that the Ninja Tool Research Facility eventually became the Scientific Ninja Weapons Team. It seems unlikely that the two wouldn't be closely related. Or that they would exist independently of each other, considering they both do weapons research.

This chapter assumes a lot about Kara, much of what I suspect isn't even close to being accurate. And that's okay, because I don't claim to be able to read the minds of the people behind Boruto. If I could, I'd know why they made him so unappealing (at least, to me), and the knowledge would comfort me, somewhat.

If it wasn't clear, Rasengan Hell is a genjutsu, used to distract an enemy while Sarada gets behind them, generally with a real Fire Release: Rasengan.

Yes, I know that Storm Release is composed of lightning and water nature, not lightning and fire. As far as I know, there is no name for the combination of fire and lightning. Unless it's one of the named ones whose makeup hasn't been clarified. Which is why I named the jutsu in question Firestorm Rasengan, as opposed to Storm Release: Rasengan, which would look and function very differently, I imagine.

Technically, some of what I describe Prodigal to be capable of could be attributed to him having Dark Release, but I don't really want to say that for certain.

Some might debate my reasoning on why Sasuke can't be Hokage. All I can say is, he chose his family over the village twice. Wouldn't shock me if he did it again. And frankly, if he did it a third time I would consider that character growth. If for no other reason than it would be undeniable proof that he values Sakura. And I'd be willing to accept that the real reason he went Kaguya hunting was to protect his family. They just happened to be living in the village at the time.

I HATE ALL MEN...

pairing ; megumi fushiguro x reader

word count ; 2.8k

genre ; fluff to angst. established relationship!

warning(s) ; major character death (not descriptive). mentions of blood, injuries. minor spoilers to ep nineteen.

i hate all men, but when he loves me… i feel like i’m floating...

doubling over in laughter, you held your side as you let out several gasps of air. listening to the ridiculous spout of words between itadori and kugisaki, never failed to make you crack a wheeze or two.

your bubbly sounds echoing around the room quickly caught your boyfriend’s attention. those laughs were always capable of making him stop dead in his tracks, all so he could take a mental picture of that moment. your laughter slowly died down as you turned to look over your shoulder, finding fushiguro watching from afar. he looked at you with nothing but fondness in his gaze, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

fushiguro swore that you were the sunshine in human form. that genuine smile, and intoxicating laugh— was exactly what he would expect the sun to appear as. those were also the very things that had made him fall for you so long ago. he never spoke about it, but he was glad that being surrounded by curses, and the constant negativity invading your life, never dulled your happiness. he didn’t know what he would do without such a beaming sunshine.

“you know, i heard that staring isn’t polite.”

basking in your presence, and appearance caused megumi’s mind to momentarily drift off into an abyss of his own thoughts. so much so, that he hadn’t even noticed that you had approached him from across the training room.

“earth to megumi— hello?” you snapped your fingers in front of his face, rolling your eyes at the distant minded boy as his eyes suddenly snapped to yours “hi, yeah. there you are!”

“sorry, i was distracted.” fushiguro said simply, that same soft smile from earlier returning to his face.

to those who didn’t see him the way you did, or even to those who weren’t a part of your immediate friend group— no one saw fushiguro smile. ever. if you had to compare his daily facial expressions to someone, you’d probably say he reminded you of nanami. always straight faced, serious, and ready to get to the point. but his smile was never foreign to you.

despite the assumption to anyone else, a smile or laughter, or sense of joy from megumi was not a rare sight. in fact, it happened more and more than usual. his tormented soul began to lighten up, and feel free once more. some say it was because of you, but that wasn’t a credit you deserved to claim. not when itadori existed, and gave him the friends he deserved.

you were but a mere bonus in his life.

megumi was no stranger in displaying the fact that he fell for you based on your smile, and humor. he would tell you until he was blue in the face, but what he didn’t know was that the sight of that once rare grin is also what had you swooning in a matter of minutes.

leaning up towards his face, you pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek that quickly became the rosy color of the flowers outside in the garden. he was always so easily flustered, “distracted by what, hm?”

between you and megumi, neither one of you craved public displays of affection. you preferred keeping any acts of shared love just to yourselves, behind closed doors only accompanied by the soft glow of the moon.

that however, never stopped the occasional peck on the cheek, or subtle hand holding.

“what am i ever distracted by?”

“training? cursed techniques? shadow puppets?”

fushiguro snorted, “shadow puppets?”

several more giggles left your throat, sounding just the same as earlier, “yeah! you know, demon dogs… flying owl things—“

“divine dogs, and nue.” he interrupted.

“shadow puppets!”

“... shikigami.” megumi looked at you, quickly shaking his head at your antics and refusal to use his cursed techniques proper titles. “no, to all of those... i was distracted by you.”

you gasped loudly, drawing the attention of yuuji and nobara still standing across the room, “by me?! me oh my! not THE fushiguro megumi being distracted by little ‘ol me!”

yuuji and nobara bursted into a fit of laughter, enjoying the scrowl that crossed megumi’s face. though you loved him indefinitely, there was nothing more you enjoyed doing than bringing him embarrassment from your flare for dramatics.

“you’re worse than gojo, you know that?”

“worse than gojo how?” you jetted your bottom lip out, creating a fake pout.

“annoying. a nuisance. unnecessarily loud,” for what felt like the first time in your relationship, megumi took no care in sharing a moment of affection with you in the public eye as he leaned in to steal a kiss. “and a brat… but i suppose that’s why i love you.”

three words was all it took. three words and suddenly the world froze. you couldn’t see anything beyond megumi, you couldn’t hear your friends gasps’ in the background, and you struggled to exhale the breath stuck in your chest. love?

neither one of you knew love before each other, just like neither one of you dared to drop that damned four letter word until now… love terrified you. how could it not in this life? how could love not make you want to run in the opposite direction, fearing that the moment you loved— something would rip away that serenity.

“you… you love me?”

“i love you, y/n.”

another long pause.

your mind was racing, your heart beat felt like it would pulsate out of your chest at any given moment. why did the temperature skyrocket so suddenly? please don’t faint, you told yourself over and over.

surely, at this rate megumi thought he screwed everything up. did you not love him back? was the feeling not mutual? after months of being with one another, growing close, learning each other inside and out… did he read it all wrong?

“y/n, i’m sorr—“

“i love you too.”

that was the moment everything in this dark and gloomy world suddenly made sense. if you had nobody to love, what was the point of living?

megumi fushiguro may have seen you as the sun, and his never ending happiness… but he didn’t know that he was your reason for becoming that light. he would never understand the joy he brought to your dull world.

when he calls me pretty, i feel like somebody.

why is it always raining? you wondered.

to be fair, you didn’t hate the rain. you enjoyed it at times, and found peace in the sounds that came along with it; but it became a hassle when you’d have to travel across the jujutsu high campus. you cursed them for making the dorms such a distance from classes.

mentally preparing for the journey to your room, you tucked your books away into your bag to shield them from the downpour.

the onslaught of rain grew as you stepped out from the awning that protected you. an earthy smell wafted through your nostrils, filling your senses. the wetness against your skin was freezing, making goosebumps rise with each prick of the harsh rains. seconds ago you dreaded stepping out into the horrific weather, but now you stood perfectly still with your face tilted towards the sky enjoying the refreshingness.

all you could hear was the raging thunder up above, and it made you feel free. no sounds of other students could be heard, no screaming noises from the bustling city of tokyo, no ugly walling from cursed spirits. just the thunder, just your breathing, just the droplets of rain falling against the concrete and rooftops around you.

it was a beautiful moment.

which is why you dropped your bag, spread your arms as far as they could reach, and spun in the violent rainfall. the world slowed down for those few seconds.

“are you crazy?!”

your eyes snapped open as you turned to watch fushiguro rush towards you, an umbrella in hand.

“you’re going to get struck by lightning one of these days,” he picked up your bag and tossed it over his shoulder, before holding the umbrella over both of your bodies. “what the hell are you doing out here?”

smiling up at fushiguro, you stepped out from the umbrella once again with a laugh, “i’m enjoying the rain! enjoy it with me!”

you snatched the umbrella, quickly closing it and tossing it to the ground. letting all of your worries and fears fade away, you yearned to have one moment with megumi that wasn’t ripped away by the darkness of your world… one normal moment.

one normal moment where you were just kids playing in the freezing rain.

expecting him to look annoyed at your antics like usual, you were pleasantly surprised to find him matching your smile and looking at you with nothing but bliss.

“you’re so annoying.”

“and you love me,” you grinned.

“... and i love you.”

fushiguro stepped towards you, encasing his arms around your waist as he picked you up and spun you around in a circle. laughter filled the air, and you felt nothing but joy.

time froze as the two of you basked in your youth, enjoying only the company of one another and the rainstorm. it felt like an eternity before your feet met the ground once more. your hair and clothes were soaked, strands of your own hair felt plastered to your face as you giggled. megumi pushed those strands aside, and replaced them with smothering kisses.

“you look different when your hair is wet,” you told him as you pushed it all out of his eyes.

“and you look just as pretty as ever.”

ever since your relationship with megumi began, he’s slowly come further out of that shell that he placed himself in. seeing him be able to enjoy himself like this… it brought a new type of happiness.

kissing his nose quickly, you looked up at the sky as the rain finally lightened up, “you know, if i didn’t know any better i’d say i’m wearing off on you.”

“is that so?” megumi asked, picking up your bag again along with the umbrella.

“mhm! you’ve let loose more,” you huddled close to him underneath the safety of the umbrella for warmth, “finally taking back your youth.”

megumi chuckled, holding you close. “i guess i have my beautiful sun to thank for that, don’t i?”

even when we fade eventually to nothing...

everything was blurry. there was an ache spreading throughout your body, and it felt as if someone was landing a blow to your rib cage over and over again. there was barely any fight left in you, but you would continue to push forward until someone got to you. surely one of the teachers would find you soon, right? of course they would! gojo must’ve been on his way.

that’s what you thought.

it’s what you desperately wanted to believe, but as the time passed you began to think their fight had just begun. you knew what was happening back at the school, you were there when that special grade stepped out and attacked you and inumaki.

the problem was, everyone knew you weren’t strong enough to fight in that battle. inumaki knew. before you knew it, megumi’s divine dog was shoving you away as inumaki commanded you to run in the opposite direction. damn him.

you wanted to curse him for sending you away with the shikigami, but deep down you knew he was right. there were still lower level curses running around, and they needed to be dealt with… but you didn’t foresee coming face to face with mahito as he made his get away from jujutsu high.

“your friends left you all alone? what a shame.” he spoke with a bubbly laugh, watching the blood trickle down from your hairline.

you wanted to speak, you wanted to charge at him and rip him to shreds for everything he’s done. yet, all you could do was cry out in agony as you fell to your knees. every part of your body felt like it would combust into flames at any given second, you weren’t sure if it was from the pain or the sickening warmth of your blood soaking through your clothes. your eyes became heavier, struggling to focus on the laughing maniac in front of you.

the shikigami shielded you from mahito, a deep growl emitting from its body as it took a stance to protect you. the divine creature had one job, and it was to protect you when he was not with megumi; but you couldn’t stand by and watch another one of his shikigami be destroyed. not for your sake.

“return to megumi.” you reach out, your fingertips barely ghosting over it’s fur.

with a sad whine, the divine dog gave you one last look before disappearing from the air. he was safe, and that is all that mattered. he could protect megumi now, and be far away from the monster you faced.

“that demon dog could’ve been your only chance of survival, y/n!” mahito laughed again, causing you to grimace at the sound.

“divine. dog. you scum,” you made no move to try and stand, nor defend yourself. the wounds in your chest, and side were fatal and crippling. there was nothing left for you to do, other than to accept your fate.

as a jujutsu sorcerer, you are taught to live without regret. to live without fear of death. to accept it, when your time comes… but you were terrified.

what kind of cruel life was this?

this was why you did not want to love fushiguro… because every sweet thing, has a bitter end.

you couldn’t remember when your eyes had closed, or when all of the pain in your body seemed to go numb. all you knew is that when you awoke, mahito was gone. you were face to face with gojo as he carried you away from the scene.

your teacher noticed your eyes drifting open almost immediately. for the first time, you saw him look concerned. he wasn’t smiling, or laughing like usual— he looked like he was in as much pain as you felt.

“gojo…” you coughed, blood quickly filled your lungs and nearly made you collapse at the loss of breath.

“save your energy, yn.”

your eyes slowly shut once more, the willpower to survive was fleeting, “tell him… tell him i love him?”

in a whisper that you barely caught, gojo tried his best to scold you for your shitty goodbye, “you’re not going to die, you’re staying here.”

“protect him, satoru… protect them all.”

they say that when you die, you experience a flashback of your entire life in seconds. that was the worst lie you had ever heard. aside from finally escaping the pain, all you saw was a blinding flash of white and the memory of the very last kiss you ever shared with megumi…

… you will always be my favorite form of loving.

weeks after your funeral, megumi visited your grave every single day. each day, a new flower was brought from the garden of jujutsu high. the garden where he grew the nerve to ask you to be his girlfriend, the garden where you kissed for the very first time, said your first i love you, and danced in the rain as if your youth depended on it.

an array of flowers built up around your grave, and you all swore that before you knew it? megumi and nobara would have their own garden to tend to around you.

you hoped they would, and that it would bring them joy… just as you once had.

staring down at where you laid in the ground, megumi placed down the head of a single lotus flower on the front of your tombstone.

ETERNAL SUN Y/N L/N.

friend. family. student. lover.

cherished by many, adored by all.

in life, or in death, you would always be the eternal sunlight to megumi fushiguro. no matter the consequences to your spirit, you vowed to never leave his side and to always protect him and your friends.

a loyal guardian from the other side. their guide.

your spirit smiled, glancing from megumi’s tear streaked face to the sight of the moon as you placed a hand on his shoulder. being a part of the supernatural world now, fushiguro could sense your presence.

“the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” megumi mumbled to your grave, the rain pouring down around the umbrella you once shared together.

you whispered to the wind, “i can die happy…”

authors note ; this was so fun to write. this is the first thing i’ve written that’s over 1k words and posted. if megumi is ooc, mind your business </3 i’m trying to learn him as a character xoxo

reblogs are appreciated!!

© All rights reserved by SHOKAMI. Do not modify, repost on any platforms, plagiarize, or claim as your own.

10 times, 1 occasion - Inumaki Toge

3. Group Battle (I)

A/N: this is a two-parter! I’m covering two episodes here, so they will be divided respectively. 

Previous Chapter | Next Part

“Ah, they’re such a hassle, hang in there, me” Momo sighed from the sky. The target was easy. You threw a ball of cursed energy to Momo’s face, which she avoided easily. You laughed at your opponent’s ingenuity, placing a thin needle in your palm to then close your hand.

“Acupuncture needle: Mobility detainment” You whispered into your hand, opening your grasp to watch the needle light in blue cursed energy, and notice as Momo’s joints did the same. She gasped and froze, unable to move, just as Megumi summoned Nue to strike her down from the heights, throwing her down to a tree.

Needle and thread was an innate cursed technique passed down from your family generation through generation. If the women didn’t turn into sorcerers, they turned into seamstresses. Usually, it was used combined with thread, or to move using cursed energy and sound, like whistling. You were the first in your lineage to use a cursed technique that includes both shaping and duplication and management of mass like acupuncture was. The only time you could achieve domain expansion was on the edge of dying, and it looked like a cave full of stalagmite, which closed in as time passed. For curses, it was instant exorcism and for humans, it was a slow, piercing death.

After the job was done, you ran back to your position outside of the forest. Bullets ricochet on your surroundings; you knew Mai Zen’in was trying to knock you off, unable to do so by the speed you ran. You were recognized by your companions as a fast runner, an agile and flexible fighter with the speed of light is a close match to your reflexes. And that was before the incident, were back at your home you trained intensely to heal yourself faster.

“Wow! Slow down!” Panda called to you as you almost zoomed past them. You stopped abruptly and jogged back with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Mai was after me” You exhaled deeply, pressing your hands into your knees and bending down to breathe a little. As you raised your head up to recompose yourself, the rest  “I guess she missed”

“Okaka” Inumaki shook his head and swiped the running blood from a thin gash, a bullet that grazed you left. You pulled your lips in from the surprise, touching the affected area. It was definitely going to bruise later.

“They were all moving in the same direction towards Yuuji,” Kigusaki informed the three of you.

You pondered until the answer was clear “They’re trying to kill him, probably by the prune’s orders” Couldn’t understand why they would actually do it, but you could understand their reasoning, as you’ve heard all possible arguments on why anyone would want Itadori gone.

Nobara frowned “I don’t understand why would anyone want to kill Itadori… and on someone else’s orders nevertheless... “

“You two have been with him for a while now, and the rest of us just learned how good of a person he might be. To them, he’s just another curse who needs exorcising.” Panda explained “Nobara and I will go check on Yuuji. You two stay out on the lookout for the cursed spirit and stay alert for any signal of back up”

“Mustard leaf!” Toge crossed his arms in an X. You looked at him with half a smile, understanding his feelings. He looked back at you and tilted his head briefly, the two of you solely communicating with your eyes.

“I know you’re both concerned about Itadori too, but we will handle it.” And with that, Panda jogged straight into the forest.

“Cookie” Toge called, brows furrowed with concern. As it was said and done, the cut on your cheek was bruising. The only thing he safely said aside from onigiri ingredients was a simple “cookie”. Nothing more, nothing less. Everyone who knew him was aware that it was his way of calling out for you. Whether it was a greeting, a remark, an interrogation, or a lament, it was you. Just for you.

You shook your head. “I’m okay, don’t worry about it” You offered your hand to him. “Let’s go” Toge looked at it with a certain fondness, even though it was scarred, recognizing the ring. He let out a hum and held your hand tightly. Before you two took off running in your own direction, he rubbed his thumb against your hand.

After a while of scouting through the forest, Megumi’s divine dog appeared, holding Mechamaru’s arm with his phone in it. “Ahh! Good boy! You’re such a good boy! Yes, you are, yes you are!” You squealed, reaching out to grab the mechanic arm and pass it to Toge. He chuckled lightly as you pulled away, giving you a warning look. You nodded, and the blue aura physically engulfed your ears. He unlocked the phone and searched through the contacts.

“Sleep,” Inumaki said, looking away from you as you covered your ears and protected your mind with cursed energy. He stayed on the phone for a minute or so, just to confirm Miwa was asleep. When he did, he threw away Mechamaru’s arm. You stayed with your mouth in a straight line, concentrated on keeping your mind protected. Your arm reached out to pet Megumi’s divine dog, trying not to laugh to not disturb your concentration. Toge looked at you with a glimmer in his eyes as you ruffled its fur. You took a step back as Inumaki unleashed it.

Something hit you in the gut as a purple smog covered your surroundings for a second; the cursed energy was coming from behind you, it was strong and evident, the spirit’s aura was dreadful. By default, the two of you were set on high alert, backs facing each other.

“You think this is it?” You looked around, reaching for your armband. For the first time in a while, you were nervous. You were promised a second grade, but the amount of cursed energy was too high and too strong for it to be a lower grade.

“Kelp” Inumaki held the zipper to the cover-up around his lower half, looking around as you did. The two of you stayed in position as large thudding steps rumbled through the area of the forest. You sucked in your breath for the surprise as Toge gasped lightly, eyes wide, but to your surprise, the semi-first grade curse’s head fell off, sliced, right in front of you. You both stayed stiff, your raised hand trembled lightly. This wasn’t good. Then your gut squeezes harder. And that’s when you saw it.

The curse said something you couldn’t understand as you both got in a position to defend yourselves. Inumaki lowered his zipper and said “Salmon, caviar, roe.” You felt something creeping up on you, a thick branch trying to strangle you. The needle in your hand grew in size with flaming cursed energy to resemble a sword, and you slashed them away from you and Toge easily.

Soon, the branches started multiplying and growing in size “Run!” Toge commanded, and you gladly did so, catching with the corner of your eye you saw thick branches extending, trying to snatch any of you two. Toge was fast, but you were faster. You two jumped and ran from one ledge to another, soon landing on the roof of one of the old buildings, encountering Fushiguro and Kamo as a giant structure similar to a tree broke through.

“What is this?” Kamo looked at the wave made of roots heading directly towards them. As you rounded the corner, they stood there staring at you in shock. ‘Idiots!’ You thought as the wave was about to crush them into a pulp.

“Run away!” Inumaki called for them. They looked up at the nature-like creation with wide eyes and did as commanded, soon joining the pair of you. Your stomach was squeezed tight. You were a bit afraid.

“Run faster!” Toge called out to you specifically, and so you did. All that ran through his mind was to protect you. Insistently, he looked back at you, not wanting to see you ever again in the state you were a few months ago. He gave you a concerned look that pulled you together; you’ve been through worse. There’s nothing you couldn’t survive at this point in time. Not only that, but you were more skilled now than the night of the primary school incident. This was no time to doubt yourself and your abilities.