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akampana · 1 year

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28. Diartoria

Prompt: 28. "Your smile brings me so much joy." Ship: Diarturia Tags: Romance

As he stared into her eyes, brushing her blonde hair from her cheek, he wondered if she’d let him kiss her. She looked so beautiful like this, with the sun casting its golden glow upon her face and a lovely tinge of red dusting her cheeks. Her gaze was fond, and her smile soft. The Irish knight was half-convinced he was lost in a dream. He never had any luck with love, after all, and yet, here he was, so smitten .

Describing exactly what the Once and Future King meant to him was a challenge all on its own. There was no one quite like her, and no one with whom he shared the same connection. Theirs was an everlasting dance of blades made to the rhythm of steel on steel. When their weapons clashed, he felt like he was dancing on the clouds. When they were apart, it was like gravity itself drew them together till they clashed once more in a flurry of sparks.

Something in her green irises told him she could see right through to him; take the pages that were his life; read between his every line. He bared his soul to her unafraid, because he knew that with her there was no gavel nor jury that would damn him to a life on the run. There was only her, the regal knight who turned out to be so much more than just the chivalrous figure he met at the docks. He fell twice: for the king she became, and the girl she didn’t get to be.

He was sure the day he met her. He was sure now. She was the culmination of all the work he put in as a knight, the light at the end of the tunnel, the reward that awaited him for his service. He wouldn’t trade anything for the fire he saw in her eyes as they exchanged blows, or the laughter that erupted from his lips when she won, or the smile that graced her face when he claimed victory. She was everything he wanted. Everything.

Arturia’s lips tasted like a warm welcome after a long journey; her mouth, like an embrace before a hearth; her kiss, sweet as hot chocolate on a chilly night. As they parted for a breath, she cupped his cheeks and nudged her forehead into his fondly. She wore a delicate smile upon her face as he pulled her body closer. Diarmuid decided that very moment that he wasn’t losing her again, he didn’t care what impossibilities he’d have to overcome. He’d march up to Avalon and take her to his Tech Duinn, if he had to.

“What is it?” she asked lightheartedly, drinking in the soft chuckle that escaped Diarmuid’s lips.

“Nothing, my lady, I just…” the knight lightly touched the pad of his thumb to her lips. “Your smile brings me so much joy. I no longer believe I can continue on without it– without you.”

Diarmuid took a deep breath, distracted by the smell of her hair.

“I want you to come home with me,” he whispered happily for only her ears to hear. There was confusion in her eyes, but she stayed comfortably circled within his arms.

“What do you mean?” she asked him, stroking her thumb across his cheek. “We do not exactly have lives to live anymore.”

True, they were both Heroic Spirits after all, neither resurrection nor incarnation awaited them now that they were relieved from service. The knight chuckled again, feeling her grin against his mouth as he stole another kiss. “And yet, we have the afterlife, do we not?”

When they parted, Diarmuid dragged his finger down the curve of her lips until the corner. He had always been proud to be one of the few privileged enough to see her so happy. Not everyone could make her feel this way.

“This smile–your smile…” he professed endearingly, “brings me so much joy, my dearest king. No heaven awaits me in my father’s home without it. I would simply waste away.”

Arturia nearly glowed red hearing his words. She didn’t know where he’d found the courage to make such declarations without even a hint of hesitation, when every word was laced with the same truth: he loved her. He loved her so much, he’d denounce eternity’s paradise if it meant he wouldn’t be with her. She’d always thought maidens were being dramatic when they swooned, but she was just short of it herself.

After all, she too would find it terribly lonely, if she were to spend the afterlife without the spearman she grew to love. She didn’t know how Diarmuid could pull this off, nor if it were even possible to leave Avalon and leave with him to Tech Duinn. All she knew was that she wanted the future that he envisioned. They would have each other, forever, and that would be enough.

“Then yes,” she said at last, sealing the promise with another kiss. “I’ll go with you.”

_____

You can't tell me Aengus wouldn't kick down the gates of Avalon and ship Arturia off to Tech Duinn with an exclusive passport made by Donn, you just can't. HAHAHA

thank you for the ask. I hope you are doing well.

-akampana

#akampana asks #rcdp #diarturia #diartoria #diarmuid #arturia pendragon #arturia #diarmuid ua duibhne #fate #saber x lancer

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dont-blame-it-on-the-kids · 1 month

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So it’s Mother’s Day in the states and I was thinking about before anyone comes in for the day, Lin leaving little cards and restaurant coupons/gift cards on the desks of officers she knows celebrate the day but just saying From RCDP or something even tho it’s entirely her idea.

Then getting to her office and finding a small but beautiful set of flowers and a card with one of those small boxes of chocolates. And it says From RCPD but she can recognize Mako’s hand writing anywhere and she’s seen similar flower arrangements at Asami’s house.

#hc #American holiday #???#proud mother of a few dumbass kids

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v4hive · 2 years

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US biolaboratories in Ukraine trained to respond to smallpox outbreaks

U.S. instructors were trained in biolaboratories in Ukraine to respond to outbreaks of smallpox, a fact established during a military special operation, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ radiation chemical and biological protection (RCDP) troops, has said. There are now more and more cases of people being infected with monkeypox in different regions of the…

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#biological weapon #bioweapon #monkeypox #Ukraine

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polotanker6-blog · 5 years

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Bote reflects on rookie season, walk-off slam

David Bote cracked a smile and laughed, but then the Cubs infielder was rendered speechless for a dozen seconds. The question sent his way during MLB's Rookie Career Development Program earlier this month was simple enough.

Do you get tired ever of watching the video of the grand slam?

The grand slam left everyone inside Wrigley Field speechless on Aug. 12, too. Sure, there was the deafening roar, but Cubs fans probably had a hard time forming any discernible words as Bote raised his arms and the baseball soared over the ivy-laced wall in center for a walk-off miracle. It was every kid's backyard dream scenario: Bottom of the ninth, down by three, two outs, two strikes and the bases loaded.

It still feels like a dream for Bote.

"Yeah," Bote said, still smiling, "I don't know how to answer that question."

Video: Must C Comeback: Bote's grand slam completes comeback

The RCDP was created in 1992 and is designed to help up-and-coming Major Leaguers be aware of off-field issues and how to deal with them. Bote received a crash course in big league life in 2018, when he bounced between Triple-A Iowa and Chicago, offering an option all over the diamond and throughout the lineup for the Cubs' fourth straight trip to the postseason.

Has Bote allowed himself to sit back and reflect on his rookie taste of The Show?

"I thought I would," Bote said, "because that was kind of the question during the year: Have you been able to step back and appreciate the year that's gone on? I really haven't, and I really don't think I will until all is said and done, just because once the season's over and you get back into the offseason, you're already back into the mindset of, 'What do I need to do to increase my abilities?'"

With shortstop Addison Russell suspended for the first month of the regular season, the 25-year-old Bote has a strong chance of cracking the Opening Day roster as a pseudo-regular. He can lend a hand at second (where the Cubs also have options in Ben Zobrist and Daniel Descalso), spell Kris Bryant at third on occasion and give the team depth behind shortstop Javier Baez.

An 18th-round pick by the Cubs in 2012, Bote is reaching the nothing-left-to-prove portion of his Minor League career. Now, he is trying to prove that he belongs in the big leagues. On that summer night in August, Bote certainly caught the baseball world by surprise with his pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam against Nationals reliever Ryan Madson.

Video: Bastian on where Bote fits in on the 2019 Cubs

Breslow joins front office The Cubs announced Monday that they have hired former MLB reliever Craig Breslow as the team's director of strategic initiatives for baseball operations. Per the Cubs, Breslow, who has a degree from Yale University in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, will "help to evaluate and implement data-based processes throughout all facets of baseball operations. He will also support the organization's pitching infrastructure in player development and the Major Leagues."

The 38-year-old Breslow recently finished a 12-year big league career, which included 576 appearances between stints with seven teams and a World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2013. The lefty posted a 3.45 ERA in his stops with the Padres, Red Sox, Indians, Twins, A's, D-backs and Marlins, appearing in the Majors for the final time in 2017. Breslow spent last season in the Minors with the Blue Jays.

Jordan Bastian covers the Cubs for MLB.com. He previously covered the Indians from 2011-18 and the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and Facebook.

Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/david-bote-discusses-rookie-year-grand-slam/c-302688596

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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prijedor24 · 5 years

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Javni poziv za podizanje zasada jagode

Poljoprivredna zadruga ”Kooperativa Prijedor” sa P.O. Prijedor u saradnji sa IFAD / RCDP raspisuje:

JAVNI POZIV

Za odabir korisnika/ca za podizanje zasada jagode (clery, asia, joly, alba, roxana) na površini do 1,000 m2 po korisniku na području Grada Prijedora za sadnju juli/avgust 2019. godine.

Poziv je otvoren od 05.07. do 17.07.2019. godine. Formular za prijavu se može preuzeti u kancelariji…

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dashfire2-blog · 5 years

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Bote reflects on rookie season, walk-off slam

Do you get tired ever of watching the video of the grand slam?

It still feels like a dream for Bote.

"Yeah," Bote said, still smiling, "I don't know how to answer that question."

Video: Must C Comeback: Bote's grand slam completes comeback

Has Bote allowed himself to sit back and reflect on his rookie taste of The Show?

Video: Bastian on where Bote fits in on the 2019 Cubs

Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/david-bote-discusses-rookie-year-grand-slam/c-302688596

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batmgdesign007-blog · 5 years

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hello

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ultrasportsmedia · 5 years

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Prospects primed for MLB at RCDP

MIAMI — Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have worked together to run the Rookie Career Development Program since 1992. The biggest change for the 28th edition of the RCDP was in location. After years of having the event outside of Washington D.C., a group of the game’s up-and-coming stars gathered in Miami this week.

The event is designed to help future big leaguers avoid the…

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akampana · 1 year

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11. Emiya x Artoria

11. "Don't make me say it. I can't say the words. Pairing: Emiya x Artoria Tags: angst

“Em...Emiya?”

That name–that damned name–he swore it would always haunt him, even if he’d long cast it aside. It would always be there. Staining his father’s grave. Carved upon his Spirit Origin. Smeared all over her beautiful lips. He hated it.

“You…Your True Name…it’s Emiya?”

He could practically taste the anguish in her words when she said them, each syllable feeling like a sword to his chest. Archer didn’t dare look her in the eye. The last thing he needed to see was whatever emotion she held there.

Somebody tried to stop him as he made for the exit. Somebody else tried to talk him into staying. But he was out the door before Arturia could call him by “name” again. Cú–that damn bastard and his slippery tongue. Archer should have known better than to drink with that idiot. He knew his mouth tended to run when alcohol was involved. He was careless. He shouldn’t have–

“Wait. Please.”

A hitch in his step. A stumble. But Archer continued his headway through Chaldea’s halls with a rushed pace. No. No. Hell no. He wasn’t dealing with this.

He felt Arturia's fingers circle his wrist. It had been so long since he had touched her. Many a lonely night, he'd longed for that same touch, trying and failing to find its comfort between every summon. Many of those nights, he realized all he'd ever known was sweat against the grip of his twin swords and blood on the tips of his arrows. She was a dream; a single, impossible dream. She had no place in his life of infinite nightmares.

"Shirou—"

A few eons ago he would be on his knees, but now, his spirit didn't even stir. She might have as well called another name and it wouldn’t have made a difference. If anything, it was anger that moved him as he turned to face her. After years and years of trying to outrun his demons she’d dragged him right back into their damned den.

"That's not who I am, Saber."

Arturia felt the floor slide from under her, smooth tile replaced by stone and gravel that cut at her heels. All of a sudden, the fluorescent lights were a brown sky of cinders and smoke and when she breathed all she tasted was ash. She blinked and swords were at her neck. Eyes devoid of all life and color stared her down. She felt like she was looking straight into a black hole, helpless as it tore her apart inch by inch. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. How could she, stifled by how glaringly empty the white haired vessel in front of her was?

The dull, metallic sound of gears turning filled the stale air between the two Servants. Unnoticed, a single tear slipped from her cheek, joining all those that had been spilled on the grounds of his nightmarish reality marble. She knew he was right. She need only look around for her proof. This place, this hill—if she squinted she could believe she was bleeding out on the fields of Camlann, her voice hoarse from grieving for her failures. If Shirou had taken the same path that she did, it was entirely possible for the man he became to end up here.

Fresh salt welled up under her irises as she wept for the stranger before her. The hearth she once loved was but an empty fireplace now; the fire that once warmed her soul replaced by white ash. Maybe the other kings were right. She was a fool; a dreaming little girl clawing for delusions she could never achieve.

As her tears fell, a bitter smile graced her face. "If you could just tell me, one last time, that it was real…that you loved—"

"I won’t. I can’t." Archer cut her off, pain shooting through his system like swords erupting from his flesh. A long, sharp ringing in his ear resounded as he looked down on the girl that changed his life several centuries ago. Her words haunted him like an echo, cyclically repeating till they left scars in the deepest recesses of his mind. Worse were her sea green eyes. He used to drink them up, but now he felt like he was drowning.

"Don't make me say it,” he grunted, lips quivering with every syllable, “I can't say the words."

Arturia’s tears ran dry before either of them said anything. Soon the orange sky had faded back into the white lights of the Chaldea halls. The knight swiped the back of her hand against her face. When he met her stare again, it had gone cold as ice, as if she’d discarded their warmth together with her tears. He realized at once she’d done what had taken him years to do: bury her feelings so far down there was no way she could ever reach them again.

“My sincerest apologies for my earlier outburst,” she said stiffly, adopting a tone he hadn’t heard since they first met in that dark storage house. “Thank you for your answer. But…you are right. I should not have reminded you of your past when you’ve already cast it away.”

Why did it feel like his insides were being ripped out?

Arturia dusted herself off, wearing that irritating soulless expression she liked to use with her knights. She gave him a soft, distant smile. “I hope you can forgive me…Archer.”

Part of him died that instant, the part that steadfastly hoped for the light at the end of the dark path, the reward he’d reap for all the suffering he endured, the warm welcome to paradise. He wondered if it was worth it to continue on his journey at all. She wouldn’t be waiting for him at the end. Not anymore.

#rcdp #arturia pendragon #emiya #archer #saber #angst #fgo

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billgsoto · 7 years

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Organophosphate exposure and short-term neurobehavioral changes in children

Photo credit: Calvin Hodgson

Although there is a large body of literature documenting the effects of exposure to organophosphates (OP) in children including decreased attention span, hyperactivity, and decreases in IQ, the majority investigate how prenatal or early childhood exposure affect children years later. Fewer studies have examined the short-term effects of OP exposures in children. A new study published in the journal Neurobiology examined the short-term neurobehavioral effects of OP exposure in children. Researchers assessed the neurobehavioral performance of children ages 4 -9 in flower-growing agricultural communities in Ecuador 63 and 100 days after the Mother’s Day flower harvest, a period of high OP pesticide use. These children were not from farm families but lived in communities near farming activity. Researchers found that the children examined exhibited lower attention control, reduced visuospatial processing and reduced sensorimotor skills than children examined later. This study is one of the first to suggest that periods of high pesticide use may have short-term neurobehavioral effects on children whose parents don’t work directly in agriculture.

from Blog – The Organic Center http://ift.tt/2w54Gtb

from Grow your own http://ift.tt/2ybgvyR

#Grow your own

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dentistingreenvale · 7 years

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RT https://t.co/Nm8ubeY3Ob RT @hanouf_alsaif: #rcdp #اسنان #كلية_الرياض https://t.co/SwHyG3j3Vc

RT https://t.co/Nm8ubeY3Ob RT @hanouf_alsaif: #rcdp #dentist #اسنان #كلية_الرياض http://pic.twitter.com/SwHyG3j3Vc

— Dentist In Greenvale (@DentistinGreenv) July 11, 2017

Source: @DentistinGreenv July 12, 2017 at 04:45AM More info Dentist In Greenvale

#Dentist In Greenvale #Dentist Greenvale #Dentist In Greenvale Vic #Dentist Greenvale Vic #Dentist In Gre

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emeraldcitysportsblog-blog · 7 years

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batmgdesign007-blog · 5 years

Link

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ultrasportsmedia · 5 years

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Top prospects taking part in 28th RCDP

MIAMI — Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have worked together to run the Rookie Career Development Program since 1992. The biggest change for the 28th edition of the RCDP is in location. After years of having the event outside Washington D.C., a group of the game’s up-and-coming stars are gathering in Miami this week.

The event is designed to help future big leaguers avoid…

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akampana · 1 year

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18. "we have just met and yet it feels like i have known you for a lifetime." - Nebuchadnezzar II x Artoria

Prompt: "we have just met, and yet it feels like I have known you for a lifetime. Pairings: Nebuchadnezzar II x Arturia Pendragon, slight GilArt Tags: Mild Angst

Confusion wasn’t what he wanted to see when he first opened his eyes. The feat of magic that his feet stood upon was named after his dynasty, after all, he expected a warm welcome. However, it was the only emotion that filled the silence as he materialized, awkwardly followed by a triumphant greeting from the young Master that called him here. He berated the humble magus, spouted proud statements urging her to prove to him she was worthy of his presence and then–

“See, Saber? I told you using you as a catalyst would get us someone strong!”

The king turned his head, smirking at his new Master’s praise. What sort of swordsman could have aided his passage here? A worthy rival, perhaps? Ha! He doubted it. A soldier? Another ruler?

A breath, as he took in her small figure, the torturous gentle line of her cheek. Somehow, his eyes knew her every edge, her every corner, her every nook and every curve. Somehow, he recognized the constellations dotted across her porcelain skin, wherever it peeked out from that regal, foreign dress. Somehow, his fingers remembered the softness of her hair, longed to run through those hay strands, and never had the chance.

Envy latched onto him like a predator, tearing its ugly teeth into his neck. The ghost of her scent flitted through his memories, while presently she stood just far enough out of his reach. It made no sense why she starved him of her touch now when his memory reveled in her. Why did she hesitate to run to him? Why deter from their reunion?

Emerald eyes more beautiful than anything he's ever seen locked onto his, bringing the king to his knees before their stormy sea. He sank into the sand, bowing his head as he’d never done before as the violent waves came upon him. He knew then, that it mattered no longer what accolades he’d earned, what crown sat on his head, what achievements he had below his belt. He was just a man; a man who wanted to hear her call his name and taste the sound of it on her lips. He wanted her. He needed her. He craved her like no one else before.

But why?

"Gil—"

His eyes snapped open as their lips touched. No, that wasn't…he wasn't…

Her rejection burned against his chest like wildfire. He didn’t even realize he’d crossed the room to meet her till he felt her armored fingers on his skin and the rush of air rapidly filling the space she created between them. Anger burned across his cheek, smearing his—not his— body with a small streak of red. Then there was a vaguely familiar blade at his chin, held up by one delicate hand as she swiped the other against what remained of his kiss.

"Give me one reason I should not send you back to the Throne, Gilgamesh!" swordswoman warned, rage—so familiar on her face—igniting her countenance such that even their Master's commands did not deter her.

As his heart continued to beat for her, crushing itself against its unwilling ribcage in its adamant longing, the Chaldean king finally understood. Against all laws and logic the avarice of this body seeped into his very soul. Every part, every sliver of his resurrected shell thirsted for everything she was and will be. It was like Gilgamesh's ghost was breathing down his neck, clawing at his throat with jealousy.

"My name is Nebuchadnezzar II," he worded carefully, watching those damning green eyes search for answers within his amber ones. He wondered if she’d find them. After all, here he stood, lost as a navigator on a cloudy night. His body told him she was the true way. That all roads led to her. That she was the light at the end of the long tunnel, but he didn’t know why.

“This form tells me I am a Caster, though without this masquerade, I would present myself as a Ruler. As King of Babylon, that class ought to have been more fitting, but I suppose I should not complain of the power a body from the Age of the Gods grants me,” he explained.

She tensed like a string pulled taught. The lines between her brows moved as she sought in him a lie. He wondered how it would feel to know her eyes in a gentler light, without mistrust or apprehension or even anger. He wanted to see in her gaze the kind of potent longing like that of his wife for her homeland. He wished for a day he was no longer at the sharper end of her sword.

Meanwhile, the shorter king’s fingers faltered on her grip, dissuaded by vexation. A body from the Age of the Gods? What could he have possibly meant by that? She’d never known Gilgamesh to joke, but the alternative was to believe this man told the truth, and there was no conceivable way the King of Heroes would ever permit this to happen to him, even in death.

Impossible. It had to be. This “Nebuchadnezzar II” spoke like him, moved like him—she pursed her lips—acted like him, and yet…

Arturia looked deep into his eyes, discerning if this truly was not the supercilious king that she once decided the fate of the world with. Eyes like amber struck with sunlight stared back at her just as intensely, dilated black circles drawing her in with a strange gravity Gilgamesh’s snake-like, ruby gaze used to have.

No matter how tempting her prejudice was, slowly, her sword sheathed itself, and she turned to her shell-shocked Master with a hesitant nod of approval. Then, she made for the door. The woman king could permit a lookalike if it meant another strong ally for Master’s cause, but that didn’t mean she had to stay here, or anywhere near him for that matter. Especially when that lookalike thought he could get away with handling her. She could apologize to Master for her conduct later, but she would not stand another minute in this room.

“Arturia.”

The Earth stopped turning.

Nebuchadnezzar didn’t even realize he’d spoken ‘til the sound had left his mouth. He voiced it with such ease it was like his tongue had yearned for eons to call out her name. Now her eyes clashed with his again, and though it had only been seconds since their gazes last met, it felt like a long-awaited reunion. His heart beat faster, harder, in his chest. He couldn't breathe. He wanted her to stay.

But she, with her eyes wide as dinner plates and a quivering lip that tasted like disbelief, ran.

Run, she did, for the most grueling months Nebuchadnezzar had ever lived. Ritsuka offered to help, but he was a proud king, the architect of Babylon's most prosperous city, a god to his own people. Requesting her assistance reduced him to common folk.

Besides, he ought not to have such troubles as those of the heart. He put his hand over his chest, trying to soothe it in vain. How humbling to think an organ the size of a fist could cripple him so, especially when this body didn't even belong to him.

Nebuchadnezzar was by no means weak. However, considering this demigod shell hijacked his own sense of being twice now—with Enkidu and now with Arturia—whispers of thought entertained the notion he wasn't entirely himself, not anymore. Perhaps he was someone else, someone with borrowed feelings so strong they persisted long after their owner entered his tomb.

Nonetheless, even if they were borrowed, they were undoubtedly real.

Just when he was about to retire for the evening, he heard the familiar commotion that accompanied Master's return from a successful mission, and felt the overwhelming rush of feelings that was her.

Once again, their eyes locked in a dance of ice and fire. Once again, she turned immediately away, rushing down the hallway to avoid him. Once again, he contemplated giving chase, only this time, he gave in.

"Leave," she insisted, trying in vain to get him back out her door. "Your presence is unwanted here, King of Babylon."

Her words stung like a whip, but they were nothing compared to the hurt of being shunned for weeks on end. He’d had enough of that.

"I did not believe you a cruel king when we met, Arturia, but if you must avoid me when I have done nothing to warrant your ire, then I have grossly misjudged."

She stopped suddenly, the wrists he held in his hands going slack before she tore them from his grip. Though she put some distance between them, he felt relief that she no longer fought to drive him out.

"Don't," she hissed, her green eyes igniting as she glared up at him. "I never gave you my true name, Nebuchadnezzar. What on God's earth makes you assume you have the right to use it?"

He didn't answer.

Arturia inhaled sharply, massaging her temples as she tried to manage her temper. Perhaps she was being cruel. Part of her knew she was being irrational but really, there couldn't be anyone in the world who understood how she was feeling because how was she to treat someone who lived in Gilgamesh's body?

And the kiss? Where had that come from? They were strangers so far removed in time that weren't blessed to be enemies in a Grail War. It wasn't Nebuchadnezzar who harassed her with promises of marriage. It wasn't Nebuchadnezzar who waited ten years to do it again. It wasn't Nebuchadnezzar who smiled so gently after their battle, telling her he had fun as he faded to nothing. He was merely the inheritor.

The older king gave in, his irate gaze faltering in the heat of hers. A long, hard breath danced across her eyelashes, as he once again dared to venture into her personal space. She took a step back. Another. And suddenly, she was between the wall and a familiar face with a different name.

"Why do you know my name? And…how?" she interrogated, searching his golden eyes. They were distracted, every so often fluttering down to her mouth. She couldn't even tell if he'd heard her, the bastard.

She slapped away his hand before it could cup her cheek, banishing the confusing memory of the King of Heroes' goodbye from her memory. She knew she couldn't possibly have harmed him, and yet Nebuchadnezzar stared at her, betrayed, with her knife through his chest.

"I don't know," Nebuchadnezzar lied.

Every inch of his very existence screamed her name at him whenever they touched, loud like war and just as deafening. It was like his body demanded he speak it, her foreign moniker a mantra maddeningly echoing in his mind. But it wasn't Nebuchadnezzar's voice that spoke it, it was—

"Then I see no reason we should associate at all—" she started and stopped, her back hitting the wall as Nebuchadnezzar held her in place. Before she could retort he was cupping her face, forcing her to witness the grief she'd just inflicted.

"Have some empathy," Please. He hadn't said it, but she could hear it in his voice.

"You—"

He cut her off with a breath, trying not to lose himself in her scent.

"When I first laid eyes on you it was as if I had waited several eons to see you again. I had my ambitions, my accomplishments. If I wished for anything it was more power and now that seems so terribly foolish because you exist. I was never a stranger to life's great luxuries. I never wanted beyond my own ambitions, and yet one infinitesimal moment with you in the same room made me feel as if I had nothing."

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, bittersweet nostalgia flooding his senses. Arturia stiffened, then relaxed, recognition and confusion in her eyes.

"I was…" he sighed, mirroring her vexation "jealous of the dress that touched your skin, the floor beneath your boots, the air that left your lips—imagine how I felt when the name you spoke was not mine."

Arturia bit her lip til it went pale, her eyebrows knitting as she stared into the unfamiliar gold shade of his eyes. Gilgamesh's were red.

"How can you claim such things?" she asked, struggling to comprehend what she was hearing. Arturia had never been the most in touch with her feelings."You do not know me, Nebuchadnezzar."

"Don't I?"

Two words, and all her common sense jumped out the window. A hitch in her breath. She feared staring at his eyes too long. She feared he'd see her waver. She feared she'd believe him. Because if what he said was true…what did that mean for his body's original owner?

"We have just met," she reasoned weakly, her voice a mere whimper.

"We have just met," he repeated, in that familiar voice yet unfamiliar tone. "and yet it feels like I have known you for a lifetime.”

She pursed her lips, pulling away from his touch. "You haven't. He hadn't. You couldn't possibly—"

His lips landed on her fingers. It was such a slight and gentle touch, she wondered if she would've minded letting them find their original target. Slowly, she untangled herself from him, weaving herself out of his arms.

"We are strangers, you and I. You must understand," she said, detaching her hand from fingers that tried in vain to keep her.

His heart wrenched in his chest, clawing for her retreating figure, but his head kept him in place. Deep down, he knew the heated longing he felt wasn't truly his. Even if it were, he doubted he had the right to act on it, not in this form. Alas, she'd doomed Nebuchadnezzar to live his second life jealous of every mongrel that dared seek her attention.

Like hell.

Arturia spun back around, her hand gently wrapped in his.

“I do not wish to be strangers, Arturia,” Nebuchadnezzar declared with conviction. She stared back at him, lips pursed and jade eyes unsure. The king released her slowly, dreading that she’d run once more, but she stayed where she was, her mind still warring with itself.

Arturia looked down at the fingers which only moments before were in his hold, then back at his eyes. They were gold, like honey struck by sunlight. Meanwhile, the neo-babylonian king drank up the sea in her gaze. The expression she wore was one neither he nor this body’s original owner had ever seen before.

Nebuchadnezzar smiled softly to himself. They wouldn’t be strangers for long.

_____________________

I've always wanted to write these two. Ain't nothing I love more than confusing feelings ahahaha.

-akampana (im alive btw, law school just made me busy for a bit)

#rcdp #artoria pendragon #arturia pendragon #arturia #nebuchadnezzar ii #fgo #gilart #fate #akampana asks

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