Shades Of The Future - Short Story 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Shades of the Future
Rating: G
Prompt: "The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on." - Barack Obama
Fandom/Series: Rurouni Kenshin
Word Count: 3,010
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s)
Summary: Kenshin and Sano discuss the possibility of marriage and whether or not their pasts should allow them such a pleasure. They discuss the fact that they've both caused a great deal of pain in the past and worry about what kind of fathers they might be.

Shades Of The Future 

Kenshin sat outside Kaoru’s dojo, listening to the training going on inside. In the last few years, the dojo had seen an increase in students and was prospering beautifully. Shaking his head, Kenshin smiled to himself, “It is a pleasant life I live, that it is.”

The soft sound of footfalls behind Kenshin had him glancing up as Yahiko came to sit beside him, “I’ve been here almost all my life, Kenshin…And you still sit here and stare into nothing. What are you thinking about this time?”

Kenshin chuckled, “Just about how nice my life has become, that is. You have grown into a fine man, that you have, Yahiko.”

The son of a samurai smiled, “That’s nice to hear. You know, you’re the closest thing to a father I’ve had for most of my life?”

Kenshin glanced at the young man in surprise, “I am touched, Yahiko, that I am. But what brought that on?”

Yahiko blushed and shrugged, “Nothing. You know…Just a thought that came to me."

Kenshin smiled and shook his head, “Yahiko. As you said, I have known you most of your life, that I have. Why do you still think you can lie to me?”

Yahiko blushed even more deeply and muttered something under his breath. Glancing at Kenshin out of the corner of his eye, he made a sound that was half-groan and half-sigh. “You just never give up, do you Kenshin?”

“That I do not,” came the cheerful reply.

Shaking his head, Yahiko submitted, “Alright, alright. You’ve got me. I…I was hoping I could get some advice.” Kenshin sat silently and watched the young man with expectation in his eyes and a growing suspicion. “Well…There’s…There’s a…matter I need help with. I…I was…I was thinking about…taking…taking a wife.” Yahiko blushed even more furiously as he managed to stutter out the words that Kenshin knew were coming.

A massive grin spread across Kenshin’s face when he heard his old friend, Sanosuke, chuckle from behind them. “So. The squirt is finally going to find a girl, huh? Good. I was starting to wonder about you, kid.”

Yahiko sprung to his feet, his face red, “That’s rich, coming from you! What about you and Megumi!? Are you two evergoing to stop playing around and get together, or are we going to have to clutch our stomachs every time you’re in the same room together for the rest of our lives?”

Sano’s face fell, his mouth hanging open in surprise for a long moment before his big, booming laugh echoed throughout the courtyard, “Good one, kid! Ah, I dunno. At my age…It seems kinda silly to take a wife. Not that I haven’t thought about it, of course.”

Kenshin and Yahiko fell silent, staring at the former fighter-for-hire in shock. “I…I was just teasing you, Sano. You’d really marry Megumi?”

Sano shrugged, his neck slightly red. “Well, yeah. Why not? She’s a beautiful woman, she’s a brilliant doctor…Why not? I just have to ask, is all…Truth is…That woman terrifies me,” the enormous man finished in a whisper.

Kenshin and Yahiko stared from Sano, to each other, and back – neither of them entirely certain how to process this new information. At last, a small snigger slipped from between Kenshin’s lips and brought a huge smile to Yahiko’s face. At last, the two caught each other’s gaze and dissolved entirely into hysterics. “Sano is scared, that he is!” Chortled Kenshin, “Never thought I'd see it, that I did not!”

Yahiko leaned heavily on Kenshin's shoulder, slapping his knee as he laughed, “Oh, I knew you weren't the big, tough guy you're always pretending to be! There is something you're afraid of, after all!”

Sano glared at the pair of them for a long moment before tapping the tips of his toes on the deck, “Yeah, alright. Fine. So I'm scared of a woman.”

Just then the front gate opened and a teasing voice called, “Oh? Which woman, Sano?”

A screech that was rather lacking in masculinity bubbled from Sano's chest and nearly made Kenshin and Yahiko's ears bleed as Sano's left leg and both his arms came up in a defensive posture, his eyes wide and staring. This only succeeded in driving Yahiko and Kenshin into another round of hysterical giggles and sending them sprawling with the force of their mirth. “You're not helping your cause, Sano. That you are not,” wheezed Kenshin in between gasping cackles.

Sano shot Kenshin and Yahiko a withering glare, then stormed across the courtyard and out the front gate, Kenshin and Yahiko still snorting and giggling behind him. Megumi stood watching them for a moment before rolling her eyes and heading into the dojo, “Oh, you two are hopeless,” she said coldly but with a smirk on her lips, “I'm just here to deliver the bruise ointment that Kaoru asked me for. You two enjoy yourselves.”

 

Kenshin and Yahiko were still giggling as Megumi climbed the stairs, kicked out of her sandals, and entered the dojo. Filling his lungs slowly, Yahiko watched Kenshin as he regained his breath, “So, Kenshin...I was wondering something. When are you planning on asking Kaoru to marry you? I mean, you two obviously love each other, so...When is that going to happen?”

Kenshin made an odd sound that was halfway between a gasp and a choke as his eyes bugged out and he sprung suddenly to his feet, “I just remembered...I have errands to run, that I do...I mean, I have...S-S-SAAAANOOO!!!” He bellowed as he scrambled into his sandals and sprinted after the former fighter-for-hire, dust billowing behind him as he went. Sano was already seated and devouring his beef hot-pot when Kenshin caught up to him, fuming. “Sa...no...You...left me...that...you...did,” he accused between pants.

Sano gestured to the seat across from him, “Have a seat, Kenshin. There's more than enough for the both of us. I had this sneaking suspicion that you'd be following me. That kid certainly seems to have some strange ideas in his head these days, doesn't he? So, what was he asking you about? The little Missie, I figure.”
Kenshin's face turned the approximate shade of her hair as he half-collapsed, half-sat in his designated seat, muttering to himself in a most undignified manner. After a brief silence between the old friends as they ate, Kenshin swallowed and sat watching Sano's face closely, “You should just ask her, that you should,” he said thoughtfully. “I think she loves you in return, that I do.”

Sano flushed deeply, “Oh, stop it, Kenshin.” Picking up his sake bowl, Sano took a deep drink and sighed, “There's no doubt in my mind that the woman loves me, or that I love her. My concern is what kind of husband would I be? Or for that matter, what kind of father would I be?” Sano sighed heavily and shook his head, “I just don't know, Kenshin.” Sano raised his hands and clenched his heavily scarred fists, “After the things these fists havce done, how can I open them to gently stroke a child's brow?”

Kenshin put down his chopsticks and laid one of his hands over Sano's much lager ones. Once he had Sano's attention, Kenshin turned his hand over so that his palm was facing up, “Take a look at these hands, that you should,” Kenshin said softly. “After having killed so many, how can I have any right to touch Kaoru's face softly, or to hold any child we may have. I shudder to think of myself as a father, and I fear what I may do.”

Sano's mouth fell open in shock, “Kenshin. How can you say that? You practically raised Yahiko, and look at how heturned out. You’d be an amazing father, Kenshin.”

Kenshin smiled slightly and nodded, “That is what I thought you would say, it is. If you can say that about someone like me, why not about yourself, that is?”

Sano sputtered for a moment before he managed to string together a coherent sentence, “Well…That…That’s hardly…I don’t know, Kenshin. I just…I just feel scared, is all. I’m more scared at the thought of marrying and having children than I was at the thought of facing Shishio. Does that make me a coward?”

Kenshin chuckled, “No, Sano. It makes you human, that it does.” Shaking his head, Kenshin picked up his chopsticks again, “How long do you think it will be before they come looking for us do you think, that is?”

Sano snorted into his beef pot, “Oh, I imagine the little Missie should be barging into our pleasantly quiet meal any moment now.”

As though his words were prophetic, an angry female voice came from the entrance to the Akebeko, “KENSHIIIN,” came the furious voice of the Master of the Kamya Kasshin Style, “What do you think you are doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be doing laundry?”

Kenshin froze in terror for a moment before turning with a charming smile on his face, “Oro? I finished the laundry, Miss Kaoru, that I did.”

Kaoru glowered at him, “Well, then you can be making lunch for me and my students. You shouldn’t be here, wasting my hard-earned money!” She stomped over to Kenshin and Sano, grabbing the both of them by their collars and dragging t hem out of their seats, “Come on, you two. I’m sure we can find something for you to do! No use in you sitting around and getting fat while the rest of us work ourselves to the bone!”

Sano writhed and kicked as she dragged him to the door, “Hey, why do I have to go!? I’m not the one that lives with you! Hey, some on, Missie; the food’s just gonna go to waste…”

Kaoru paused just long enough to glare over her shoulder at Sano, who promptly paled and fell silent, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. “That’s better,” she said and continued dragging the pair of them out of the Akabeko and down the street, much to the amusement of the locals.

Miss Tae rushed to the front of the shop and stared out in disbelief, “I don’t believe it,” she muttered to herself, “Sano got away without paying again! I swear, that man is going to be in debt to me until the end of his next life if he keeps this up!”

True to her word, Kaoru set Kenshin and Sano to scrubbing the floors of the dojo, much to the amusement of Yahiko. “I remember when I used to have to do that every day. So, what’d you do to make her so mad?”

Kenshin smiled sheepishly up at Yahiko, “We ate beef hot-pot without her, that we did.”

Yahiko blanched, “Well, no wonder she’s so mad at you! I’m pretty put out myself, now. Why would you do that?”

Kenshin sighed, “We had things to discuss, man-to-man, that we did. I think we came to an understanding, too, that is.”

Sano chuckled as he scrubbed at the floor, “Yeah, I think so. The question is…Who’s first? Do you ask first, or do I?”

Kenshin glared at Sano, “You. You should go first, that you should. It was your idea, that is.”

Sano grinned even wider, “Well, I was thinking whoever has been in this situation longer, and you definitely win in that category, my friend.”

Kenshin gaped at his old friend in near-dismay, “B-b-b-but I don’t know how, that I don’t.”

Sano slapped his knee and chuckled, “You’ll just have to figure out a way, won’t you?”

Yahiko stood watching the pair of them toss words back and forth, felling more and more confused by the moment. “What are you idiots talking about?” He burst out rudely, “People listening might think you had gone crazy…Not that there’s that far to go, to be honest.”

Kenshin and Sano stared at the young man for a long moment before bursting into laughter, “Oh, kid. If you only knew how true that was,” Sano chuckled.

“Huh?” Said Yahiko.

“Never mind. Just come over here and help us with this. I’m starving.” Sano chuckled to himself again as he applied himself to the floor.

Yahiko shrugged and set a bucket down beside Kenshin and Sano and knelt to begin scrubbing the floor beside them, “Although...There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“The girl from the Akabeko?” Sano smirked.

“We thought so, that we did.” Kenshin chuckled, “You are an easy one to read, that you are. You should just be honest with her, that you should. Just ask her.”

“That's rich, coming from you.”

Yahiko sighed, “But...But how do we know that things from the past won't, you know...come back to haunt us?”

Sano sighed heavily and sat back on his heels, “I wish I had an answer for you, kid.”

Kenshin cleared his throat, “Well, it seems to me that every day we live past yesterday is its own reward, that it is. The future only gives things to those of us who keep going, that it does. It doesn't give anything to people who give up. We don't have a choice, that we do not. If we want any kind of happiness in this world at all, we need to work for it, that is. Sitting still never got anyone anything, that it did not. So we don't have time to sit around and wonder if we should; we need to hurry up and do it, that we do. That is the only way the future will give us anything, that it is.”

Sano sat back on his heels, his head cocked as he considered his old friend, “You know something? You really surprise me sometimes. I think just for that, you should go first.”

“Oro? S-sano…Why would I do that?”

Sano chuckled, “Well, you’re the bravest of us all…Don’t you think you have enough courage to face Missie?”]

Kenshin stared at him for a long moment. “No, that I don’t.”  Sano and Yahiko stared at the swordsman with their mouths hanging open in astonishment, and though they tried their best, they could not get him to say another word on the matter.

Later that evening, dinner was an unusually quiet affair; it seemed that all the men had heavy thoughts weighing on them and no matter how Kaoru tried, she couldn’t get them to speak. The soft sound of footsteps signaled the approach of an unexpected guest, though after so many years Kaoru had learned to expect the unexpected. Therefore, when the door slid smoothly open to reveal Megumi smiling down at all of them, Kaoru didn’t miss a beat. “Megumi! What a surprise. Why don’t you join us?”

Megumi smiled all the wider and bowed, “I think I will; thank you so much.”

Kaoru bowed in return, “Not at all. It’ll be a relief to have someone to talk to tonight. It seems like all of our men have been struck suddenly mute.”

Yahiko, Kenshin, and Sano all shifted uncomfortably. At last, Sano sighed, glaring at the other two, “Oh, alright. Fine.” He glowered, “Megumi. I have something to say.”

Megumi’s brought her head up to stare Sano in the eye, her expression alive with curiosity, “Oh? What is it?”

Sano cleared his throat, “We should get married.” Stunned silence met his matter-of-fact statement.

Megumi’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she feigned innocence, “Oh? And why might that be?”

Sano snorted, “Oh, come on. You’re not fooling anything, fox-woman. Everyone knows how you feel about me – more importantly, I know how you feel. You’ll marry me because we’ve both been through hell in this life, but we’re survivors. We keep going because we know there’s no other choice; it’s either keep moving or lay down and die, and neither of us is going to be doing that any time soon, so…Marry me.”

Megumi raised an elegant eyebrow, “And what if I don’t want to?”

Sano stood and crossed to Megumi, yanking her to her feet suddenly. “Then I’d say you were lying,” he responded thickly, his face close to hers. “You want to move on from the past as much as I do, and there’s only one way to do that. Work for it. I’m willing to work for this; are you?”

Megumi paused, her faced flushed and the vein in her neck pulsing madly, “Sano,” she whispered, “What took you so long? Ah!” She exclaimed suddenly, “So I’m the woman you’re afraid of, is that it?”

Sano rolled his eyes and clomped back to his seat, sitting with a most ungraceful thump, “Yeah, well. I don’t know any man alive that’s not afraid of his wife.”

 

Once the dishes had been cleared away and the others had drifted their separate ways – Megumi and Sano were conspicuously missing – Kenshin and Kaoru were walking quietly by the river enjoying the fireflies. All at once, Kaoru stopped, a sad expression on her face. “Kenshin?” She said quietly.

Pausing to look behind him, Kenshin cocked his head, “Oro?”

“Kenshin…I just…I just wondered if you had anything to say to me?”

Kenshin looked down for a moment, his long, red hair obscuring his face for a moment. “Are you sure?” He asked softly. “You know who I am, and what I’ve done. You know how many I’ve killed, and how many probably still want to kill me. Are you sure?”

Kaoru smiled softly, “Kenshin, I’ve been sure since the day we met.”

Kenshin looked up at her, studying her face for a long moment before he smiled warmly, “Well, that’s it, then, that is.” Crossing to her, Kenshin gingerly took her hands in his own, “Kasshin Kaoru? Will you be my wife until the end of our days?”

Flushing deeply, Kaoru nodded, “Of course, Kenshin.”

The two pairs were married on the same day, a mere three weeks later. Those who attended said that never had they seen two such happy pairs, nor had they seen two pairs so willing to face the future together – whatever it may give or take.

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The Festival of Guns and Pianos - Short Story 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: The Festival of Guns and Pianos
Rating: PG
Prompt: "Terror made me cruel" - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
Fandom/Series: Spiral: the Bonds of Reasoning/Suiri no Kizuna
Word Count: 3733
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: During a chaotic war between the Blade Children and their old friend, Rutherford interferes to help to defeat Kanon, his childhood friend who had become a "hunter". Despite his goal to annihilate the Blade Children, Kanon struggles to kill his friends. Apathy eventually overtakes hesitation, and the festival finally concludes.

The Festival of Guns and Pianos

The golden sun shines brightly in the cloudless sky, creating the illusion of a peaceful day. The halls of Tsukiomi High School remain dead silent despite it being a school day. The silence is far from peaceful. Tsukiomi is no longer safe, and everyone has been made aware of that. Kanon Hilbert, the "gun with wings", is waiting. Standing by a magnificent grand piano, the Blade Child stands holding a gun in each hand. The music room, a room for students to share their talents and memories, has become a prison for one boy. Ayumu Narumi, younger brother to "the Great Detective" Kiyotaka Narumi, sits shackled to the floor, bleeding heavily from his right shoulder.

The room is silent, aside from a small radio, the only link to the outside world. As the news reporter speaks, both of the boys in the room are still and silent. With Eyes Rutherford being a famous pianist, it was only natural for the media to be all over the case of his stabbing. Several updates had been released throughout the days after the attempted murder, however it had all been the same. Eyes was still unconscious. During the days after he had attempted to kill him, Kanon had been restless. In order for things to go smoothly, Rutherford has to die. The days have dragged on with the uncertainty as to whether or not he would survive, but Kanon was under the most stress. Ever since he was a child, Kanon had been trained to kill. Every method of murder had been etched into his instincts, and anyone who he decided should die, drew their last breath within days after his decision. So why didn't Rutherford die? Doubt was starting to sprout inside Kanon. If Eyes wakes up, that will mean that Kanon will fail. After all, if he can't even kill off one Blade Child, how is he supposed to kill all of them? The seedling of doubt that was starting to sprout inside Kanon withered quickly. There is no need for him to doubt himself. Eyes will die. Even if it takes weeks, he isn't going to wake up. Even if he does, Kanon will just kill him again. 

A few more minutes of silence pass, until the sound of a piano echoes through the room. Although he is nowhere near perfect, Kanon had learned a song from Rutherford years ago, though he never knew the name. As he continues to play, Ayumu slowly wakes up, noticing that his arms are restricted behind him, although he was keeping a calm composure. Noticing that Ayumu is now awake, the playing stops, as Kanon arises from the seat.

"You've been asleep for a long time. It's already past four o'clock." Still looking at him, Ayumu doesn't bother trying to escape. Instead, he remains calm and replies to Kanon.

"I wish I could've slept a little longer. That awful piano playing woke me up" Although this doesn't seem to faze Kanon, he continues the conversation calmly, stating that he had only listened to Eyes play the song when he had thought Kanon wasn't around, and that he refused to even tell him the name of the song.

The conversation doesn't last long, as the topic shifts to Kanon's next step in his plan. With the police surrounding the school, there is no way for him to escape. However, this is exactly what he wants. Kanon makes it clear what he wants. He has kept Ayumu as a hostage in order to contact one of the "watchers". The mystery of the Blade Children in known only to a few people, and of the three parties involved, one group are simply observers. It is cruel to let the recent events and series of murders continue, and Kanon knows that. However, it is not the "watchers" that he wants to punish. The first step to his plan, is to annihilate the Blade Children. In order to do this, he will call one of the "watchers", and demand that all the Blade Children are to be gathered into the gym, where they will be obliterated with a bomb. As Ayumu is being held hostage, it is understandable as to why Kanon would even tell him about his plan. After all, there's nothing Ayumu can do to prevent him from carrying out the scheme.

"You're going to blow up the gym, and kill them all off?" Despite the situation, Ayumu was still remaining cool and calm.

"Mm-hmm! Plain and simple, eh?" Kanon's blank expression became a deceivingly innocent smile.

"...simple, yes. But there's no way you can escape. Then what'll you do? You won't be able to kill those blade children who aren't in the school." Ayumu decided to tell him. Processing what Ayumu was saying, Kanon's face changed again, a look of flustered shock replacing his sweet smile. 

"I hadn't thought of that! Kanon in an unexpected pinch!" his flustered appearance hasn't changed, making him look like a child who has been told that the tooth fairy isn't real. Whipping out a paper fan from seemingly nowhere, he simply started smiling again.

"Oh well! It'll work out somehow~!" he said cheerfully, fanning himself as he was walking around. Ayumu was starting to wonder just how sane Kanon even is.

Beginning to prepare to leave, Kanon reveals a massive gun with a strap connected to it, allowing Ayumu to see him as he puts the strap over his shoulder. Just as he is about to leave, Ayumu offers to tell him the name of the song that he had played earlier, in memory of the many times Eyes had played it. Stopping to listen, he looks over to Ayumu, silently telling him to go on.

"It's a Franz Liszt composition. 'Poetic and Religious Harmonies', number three..."

There is a small pause as Kanon looks at Ayumu expectantly, waiting for him to name the individual piece.

"...'The Blessing of God in Solitude'." he finishes, not even making eye contact with Kanon. As he hears the name, Kanon freezes, the image of Eyes playing the song appearing in his mind again. He can't help but to think about what Eyes could have been thinking as he played the song over and over again. How ironic for a cursed child to play a song with such a name. Remembering what he had said to Eyes just as he had stabbed him, he started to make his way to the door again, not daring to look back at Ayumu, or the piano behind him. He lets what he said run through his mind again.

'You're too kind.'

For a child born without a blessing from God to play a song with a name like that as he prays for the safety of his fellow rejects, it is far too ironic. Even when the Blade Children were born without God's blessing, Eyes still dares to pray for their safety, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, God will hear him and help them. That is why he is too kind. That is why he could never hope to stop Kanon.

Everything remains silent as Kanon steps out of the room and into the hallway. Gripping the trigger of the gun he has strapped to his shoulder, he silently makes his way down the hallway and onto a balcony, giving him a clear view of one of the open areas on the school grounds. Soon, he is expecting to see Rio, Kousuke, and Ryouko with a plan ready to nab him. Holding the gun in position, he prepares himself to snipe them as soon as he sees them. Time is passing, and nobody has come into sight yet, however he is ready. It isn't long until he hears Kousuke's voice from the open area to his left, his sight of them being hindered by the wall beside him.

"...I sure wish he'd show up already. This is mentally exhausting..." the familiar red headed boy's voice echoes through the field. A few more steps, and the three are finally within his sight. Just as Kanon aims his gun and pulls the trigger, Kousuke notices him from the corner of his eye, instinctively pushing the girls down to the floor, while ducking himself, narrowly dodging the bullets that are being fired. Without ceasing to fire, Kanon tries to aim again, destroying several windows as he attempts to hit any of the three below him. Before he has a chance to aim again, the others are quick to re-enter the nearest building and hide, making it impossible for Kanon to snipe them from where he's standing. Remaining calm and silent, he turns around and re-enters the halls, walking through them as he starts searching for the three, while trying to predict their plan and create a counter plan. Knowing Rio, she is most likely going to suggest that one of them attacks him head on to try to remove his gun, while the other two simultaneously attack from either side. 

Hiding behind a wall, Kanon calmly waits for the first attacker. All he needs to do is watch out for both of his sides, by not getting too distracted with the front. Of course, his sharp reflexes will certainly help with counter-attacking, but it wouldn't hurt to put at least a little bit of thought into it. Just around the corner, the sound of someone's feet landing on the floor can be heard, accompanied by Kousuke's voice. 

"Here goes!" he calls out just as Kanon jumps from behind the wall, instantly seeing Kousuke holding a gun in each hand. Before either of them have a chance to shoot, Ryouko jumps through a window next to Kousuke and throws a grenade directly towards Kanon's feet. Looking down to see the grenade, he lets out a small whistle before jumping to the side and aiming the gun at Kousuke. Before he is able to pull the trigger, Ryouko sprints forward and grabs Kanon's gun, however she isn't able to pull it from his hand. As he looks down to Ryouko, his attention is grabbed my Kousuke, who now has his gun aimed at him.

"You're mine now! Kanon!" he yells, however before he has a chance to shoot, a gunshot can be heard as Kanon drops his gun to reveal a tiny pistol he had hidden in his sleeve. As his larger gun hits the ground, Ryouko falls to the floor next to it as blood leaks from her chest.

"Ryouko!" Kousuke yells as he freezes, allowing Kanon to jump forward and grab his arm. Without even having a chance to process what happened, Kanon easily throws the stunned Kousuke out of the window, leaving him to fall to his death.

Turning around, Kanon picks up his large gun again, facing the end of the hall that his back had faced during the battle.

"...That's enough hiding. Why don't you come out? ...Rio." he called out, waiting for the little girl to show herself. A few seconds after he called, she slowly steps forward, holding onto a pistol. It might not have been the plan that he had anticipated, but it had still failed. Even after they forced him out of the classroom and interfered with his gun, he still beat them. And now it was time to take out Rio. She lets out a sigh and lowers her arm.

"If you're going to kill me, would you hurry it up? You should only need one shot to take me down." Even so, Kanon isn't willing to take any chances.

"Ha ha! Yes, but that one shot could be tricky. I don't know how many explosives you might be hiding. If I'm not careful, I could set off an explosion. And I can't let myself get caught in the blast too. For you I need a straight shot to the head." She certainly is a tricky one. Being an expert with bombs, she could have hidden explosives under her uniform in locations that she is likely to be shot. A head shot really is the only safe way to kill her.

"Kanon-kun. I don't think you're taking me seriously enough. You really don't think I foresaw this situation?" Although he doesn't show it, Kanon hesitates a little. Almost a second after, Rio reveals a tiny pistol hidden in her sleeve - the same trick that Kanon used.

"I've prepared a similar toy. You didn't think I'd figure out what you'd pull, and work out a plan to counter-act it?" Staying silent, Kanon decides to listen to what she has to say. It is then that she explains the possibilities. The possibility that Ryouko could have been wearing a bulletproof vest with blood packets. It would be unusually convenient, yes, but it isn't impossible. And Kousuke most likely wouldn't die from the fall. What she was saying is true. Kousuke is a cockroach. It is possible that he survived the fall. But then again, maybe everything that she's saying is a bluff. That is also a possibility. She has always been quite tricky. But even if Ryouko is wearing a bulletproof vest, she had six bullets shot at her. That would have knocked her out for a while. But then that would mean...

"Then how about this? Even if Ryouko-chan's wearing a bulletproof vest... those six shots did enough damage to take her out of the picture for a while. It'll take some time for her to get back on her feet. So all this talk... was only meant to stall for time." Then Kanon's thoughts could be right.

"But..." she continued. " That could also be another lie to divert your attention. So... which is it?" She started to smile. Every tiny mistake Kanon had made, Rio was able to use to her advantage and confuse him. Just as you would expect from her.

"I don't care" Kanon had decided. "Regardless of which it is... I'm ending this now" Just as Kanon spoken, the next phase of Rio's plan begun. While Rio was aiming her gun at Kanon from the front, Ryouko was using the same trick that Kanon and Rio had used before to reveal a pistol from under her sleeve. With both girls aiming their guns at Kanon, a thought sparked in his mind that told him exactly how this situation will go. 

'I'll show them that I can overcome this!'

Everything was happening in a blur. The battle had barely lasted thirty seconds before it was over. Although Rio had landed an anesthetic bullet in Kanon's arm, he had gotten away, not before bludgeoning her in the chest and breaking her right collarbone with his gun. Although he had gotten away, he was far from winning. 

Arriving at one of the bathrooms, Kanon was starting to work on removing the anesthetic bullet from his arm and washing the wound. Although it was only one bullet that wasn't in for long, he can feel himself getting lightheaded. Deciding to wait about thirty minutes before fighting again, he lets himself think about the battle so far. He is an expert hunter, and he has been trained to kill for most - if not all - of his life. So why was he making mistakes? Sure, it had been about a year since he had last hunted, but he should still only be making minimal - if any - mistakes. Was he not capable of killing the Blade Children? No, he is more than capable of it. He knows it. And from now on, he won't make any more mistakes.

As he re-enters the music room, he sees that Ayumu is still handcuffed to the desk near the piano. Closing the door behind him, he takes a seat at the piano, this time facing Ayumu rather than the instrument.

"Oh. Welcome back" Ayumu said. It wasn't sarcastic, but it wasn't very enthusiastic either. Then again, he is naturally introverted, so it could be anything coming from him. "You look flustered."

Kanon lets out a small sigh. 

"Rio and her team were tough. I hate to admit it, but I was one step away from being killed myself." he replied solemnly.

During the time that Kanon is taking to recover from the anesthetic bullet, he decides to call one of the "watchers" now, and to make his demands. Even though all he needs is for the Blade Children to be gathered, he has a second request. If Eyes has woken up, he wants to speak to him, even if it's just on the phone.

The "watcher" that Kanon is able to contact is named Kirie Tsuchiya. After requesting that the Blade Children have been gathered, Kanon asks Kirie to get him in contact with Eyes Rutherford. Much to his surprise, Kirie told him that it would be a piece of cake.

"Ruth-kun's already on his way here" those words were enough to freeze Kanon. Not only is Eyes alive and moving about, but he's on his way to see Kanon. It wasn't fear that made him freeze, but something else. Something just as bad.

Not too long after the call with Kirie, Kanon receives another call. Picking up the phone, he makes his way to the window, looking through it pointlessly.

"Hello. Who is it?" Kanon asked.

"The guy you failed to kill off." Eyes replied. Monotone as usual, but not cold. Even to the man who tried to kill him.

"...that you, Eyes? Congrats on making the trip, and just after waking up from that coma too. Not to jump straight to business, but I need some advice. Can you help me?" Kanon asked.

"Let's hear what it is first." Eyes replied in the same monotone voice.

"As you can see, I'm completely surrounded by the cops. Even if I successfully kill all the Blade Children at this school, it'll be pretty tough for me to get away. I need your help to escape. If you help me out now... you won't have as much trouble later." he explained.

"So you're asking me... to join hands with you again?"

"Yep. You don't want to see me getting arrested by the cops, right? If there's any chance, I... I don't want to have to kill you again... No... Even if I were told to kill you again... I could never do it and keep my sanity... But you probably already knew that... Haven't you had enough...? You've worked hard. Now let's walk side-by-side like the old days. There's no hope for the Blade Children. And there's a plot... to completely erase the one hope we do have, remember?" Kanon reasoned. 

"I finally realised why you left us... Kanon... You've met with 'Hizumi', haven't you?" Eyes asked quietly.

"Yeah... I met him. Even though you knew about him for a long time, you hid him from us. I understand why you didn't want to tell us how little hope we have... But it was still cruel. Continuing to let everyone believe in the blessings of a God that doesn't even exist... is beyond stupid. It's a downright sin."

"You still don't think... we can be blessed? You sure sound convinced." Eyes' voice lowered a little.

"I'll keep saying it. You'll never be blessed. It's impossible! Quit fooling yourself." Kanon's voice raised in turn.

"I know. I've also accepted our desolate reality. But... even so... I'll keep hoping. No matter how much I doubt... I'll keep hoping to the very end, amidst all this loneliness, for God's blessing. This conversation is over. All we have left is to battle... I wish you all the best... brother..." And with that, the call ended.

A loud bang made Ayumu jump as Kanon slammed the phone onto the floor. Without thinking, he started to shoot at it, obliterating it until it was nothing but small chunks of wire and plastic.

"How...?! How can he hope for a blessing...?! He knows it'll never come true! So why does Eyes still...?!" Ayumu can only watch as Kanon's outburst unfolds.

"Because you and the others... are important to him. Don't you see?" while Ayumu calmly explaining this to him, Kanon can't help but to let tears fall.

"You're precious to him, so... even if he knows that one day you'll be taken away... and broken... he wants to protect all of you till that day comes. So for every second until then, for his teammates, he'll keep on hoping... so he won't be crushed by despair. Your friends are important to you, right? The only difference is when you knew they'd be stolen and broken... you figured you'd settle the matter yourself in one clean blow." The room fell silent as Kanon found himself leaning against the wall for support, tears falling from his face and breaking upon crashing against the floor.

Many minutes passed before Kanon finally found himself able to stand up. Without saying a word, he slowly began to make his way towards the piano, playing the same song, the only song he was ever bothered to learn, on the piano. Ayumu decided to remain silent, allowing Kanon to play over and over until he can't play anymore. At this point he can't do anything. He stayed seated and continued to stare at the piano until he broke down, slamming his fists onto the piano and letting out a scream of frustration and anger. 

The room became silent once again as Kanon slowly brought himself to stand up and pick up his gun. He can't turn back now. This time, he won't make any mistakes. This time, he is going full throttle. There is no way the Blade Children are going to survive, and that's a promise from Kanon that he will sacrifice his life to fulfill. After a lifetime of suffering, the only thing the Blade Children can do is die, and if there are Blade Children out there who don't want to die, he will just have to force them. Being born without a blessing from God - a blessing that none of them will ever receive - they don't deserve to live a full, happy life. Every single Blade Child must be annihilated. Even Kanon. No, especially Kanon. He knows that he was destined to have his hands soaked with blood, and he has followed along with his predetermined fate like a child asked to steal a toy. No matter what it takes, he will kill every Blade Child, including himself. His entire life was destined to be full of terrors, right from the moment he was born. And now, he will be the cruel force that will snuff out the only hope the Blade Children ever had.

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Idol Candidate: Yazawa, Nico - Ficlet 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Idol Candidate: Yazawa, Nico
Rating: G
Prompt: The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on. - Barack Obama
Fandom/Series: Love Live! School Idol Project
Word Count: 511 Words
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative
rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: Nico Yazawa gets a job interview to become a full-fledged idol.

Idol Candidate: Yazawa, Nico

Nico Yazawa sat in an interview room with a short blue-haired woman was looking at the references and past promotional images that Nico had provided. "What makes you think you are a suitable candidate to be an idol at our talent agency, Yazawa-san?"

Nico took a deep breath. "I believe that being a former School Idol would allow me to understand what school idols have to go through whenever they have to perform in front of the crowd and their fans."

"I see. From what you provided, you certainly have the right qualities to be an idol, both physically and mentally." the interviewer looked at her notes. "Your time as a School Idol has proven that."

The woman looked up at Nico with a serious look on her face. "But some people may not be able to handle being a full-time idol. What would you do if you burn out and fail to become an idol?"

At that moment, memories flooded Nico's mind. From the time when her first attempt at forming a School Idol group ended poorly, followed by the bitterness she felt at her former club members leaving one at a time. Hiding the truth from her younger siblings by pretending to be a Super Idol. But all that changed when μ's joined the Idol Research Club and invited Nico into the group, opening another door that was once closed to her, allowing her to pursue her dreams."

With a determined look on her face, Nico looked directly at the interviewer. "I will do whatever I can to be an idol. I've faced failure before. I can't afford the time to feel sorry for myself or complain about it. I can't let my failure stop me from becoming an idol. How can I make the fans who watch me smile, if I fail to smile as an idol?"

The woman smiled. "You certainly have the heart to be an idol as well. There are people who think they can become idols but are unaware of the hard work and effort that is required to perform on stage with the demanding task of singing, dancing and performing in front of huge crowds." 

"I'm sure that you are fully aware of the hardships of being an idol and you know what it's like to perform on stage. However, the difference between your time as a School Idol and what you are about to do is that you will not have the support of your fellow idols on stage. Are you confident enough to do this by yourself if you were asked to do a solo performance?"

Nico didn't hesitate to answer the question. "Yes."

*

Half an hour later, Nico walked into a fast food restaurant where the former members of μ's were waiting for news of Nico's interview. Nico sat at a vacant spot at the table with a stoic look.

"Nico-cchi, how did the interview go?" 

With a smile on her face, Nico performs her trademark idol pose. "Nico-Nico-Nii! Today is the day when Nico-nii becomes an idol!"

*

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Ashes & Dust - Ficlet 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Ashes & Dust
Rating: PG
Prompt: Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. - Haruki Murakami
Fandom/Series: Dragon Ball Z
Word Count: 752
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: Goku is left reeling following the revelation that he is responsible for his grandpa’s death. A maelstrom of grief threatens to overwhelm him as he continues to battle the Great Ape Vegeta.

Ashes & Dust

A roiling mass of ants tumbled over the rocks. It barely broke the water in the lower part of the stream, bobbing briefly before stabilising. The top most layer of ants scurried about, clambering over each other.
“Son Goku!”
Scrambling, Goku got to his feet and dusted off his knees. Through the trees he saw a shadow - Grandpa Gohan and his basket, huffing their way towards him.
“You have wandered far ahead today, Goku, I can hardly keep up. These old bones don’t work as well as they used to! We should head back, it will be dark soon.”
Goku laughed, his grandpa said the same thing every day, but never failed to catch up quickly.
“What were you looking at so intently anyway?” Grandpa Gohan asked.
“Oh!” Goku looked back to the stream, the ants still floating by lazily, “I was watching the ants. They’ve made a raft! How come none of them are drowning?”
The ant raft spun slowly, riding the current. Grandpa Gohan reached Goku’s side and took a steadying breath.
“Well Goku, ants have hairs so small and thin on their bodies that bubbles of air get trapped between them. The ants at the bottom of the raft still have air to breathe, but even if they didn’t, they would do anything to protect their queen. You can see her in the middle of the raft there. All the other ants love her so much, they would give their lives for her.”
--------------
Dirt and dust fly into the air. Goku starts, leaping from rock to rock as the memory fades. He cannot afford to lose focus. The Saiyan warrior Vegeta is too quick and lithe, even in this beastly ape form. The same form that -
No! There is no time to feel renewed waves of grief.
A great roar echoes across the island and the tower of stone under Goku’s feet explodes. He falls to the ground.
Pain splitting across his head.
--------------
A bright, blinding light cleared to the soft blue of the sky. Where was he?
“Goku!”
The world spun. There was a puffing and putting sound to his left. A strange energy washed over him. Someone was coming!
Suddenly, the sky blotted out. The face of an old man came into focus. He looked frightened, panting roughly.
“Careful! You hit your head.”
Goku blinked, “I… my head?” His head hurt. A fall, pain, light. That must be why.
The old man’s breath slowly evened out. His eyebrows dropped, more concerned now, than afraid.
“Your head. Are you okay? Can you sit up?”
A hand touched his shoulder and Goku felt a faint flash of irritation. It was very far away and he couldn’t remember why he should feel it. The old man was only trying to help. He let himself be brought up, swaying slightly as the world righted itself.
The old man - Gohan, his name was Gohan - regarded him closely, worriedly, and Goku remembered.
Earth. A blue orb hurtling ever closer through the void. Fire and heat and a loud rushing noise and - 
Gohan. Grandpa Gohan. The first human he’d met. The first human he was supposed to destroy, to prepare for the might of the Saiyans.
But why?
It all seemed so distant and confused. He was powerful beyond belief, but why should that make him a harbinger of death? The humans were not his enemies. The old - Gohan was proof enough. He cared for Goku, was afraid he’d hurt himself, even in the face of Goku’s murderous rage.
“Goku?”
Blinking, Goku turned and smiled.
“I’m okay Grandpa! My head hurts a bit, but that’s all.”
Gohan stilled, his eyes widening, voice quiet as he repeated, “Grandpa…”
--------------
Tears sting Goku’s eyes and the whisper fades away. He’d always tried to live up to his grandpa’s love, as if some small part of him knew the sin for which he had to atone. And now, with this great beast crushing the life from his lungs, has he done enough? Is there still some penance left to deliver?
He could give his life (again) to protect his home, his friends, Chi-Chi, Gohan. His son. His legacy. Gohan. Growing up to be someone his namesake would be proud of. Even if Goku dies with this mark against his soul. Gohan would prevail.
Darkness begins creeping into Goku’s vision. All sound is gone from the world. The last thing he can hold onto is his pride and his love. For Gohan. Gohan.

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Something Worthwhile - Ficlet 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Something Worthwhile
Prompt; Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. 
Rating: PG 
Words: 1000
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender 
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s). 
Summary: Lance comes to the brink of death trying to help the team to save prisoners from the Galra.

Something Worthwhile

He just wanted to do, to be something worthwhile.

  It was a simple mission, get into the Galra Prison, get the files that would contain the where-a-bouts of Pidge’s Brother, free the prisoners and get out. They had done so many missions like this before. But this one was infinitely more important. Pidge would finally be reunited with her brother after almost two years.

  The Prison was big. Bigger than any ship they had taken on yet. It had at least five distinct layers, each containing a new and even harder challenge for them to face. Knowing the Galra, they would probably have higher and higher security going through the levels. But they could do it. They had to do it.

  Everyone had a job. Pidge (being the smartest and smallest) would gather info and get the files which were being held on the innermost level of the complex. Keith and Lance would get as many prisoners as they could either into their lions or to escape pods to be transferred into the castle. Shiro and Hunk would hold off the oncoming fleets of fighter ships and try to take out as many of their defenses as possible.

  All was going well, Shiro and Hunk had taken down at least half of the ships fleets and Pidge was getting ever closer to the central command room where the files that they came on this mission for were stored.

  “Pidge, where are you?” Keith asked whilst herding alien prisoners through the halls, all of them giving him endlessly grateful looks with all their endlessly different faces. “I’ve nearly gotten all of my prisoners out, I don’t know about Lance though, he might be flirting with some.”

 However, Lance was in no place to make a witty come back or snarky retort. He was trying desperately to get the remaining prisoners in his sector back to his lion, as well as protecting them from the onslaught of enemy fire being blasted at them by the Galra sentries that were swiftly coming towards them. Frantically, Lance shot them down one by one like tin soldiers using his blaster.

  Guess all that extra training in the simulator really does pay off. He thought, remembering the countless nights he had snuck out after everyone was asleep to sharpen his skills. The hall was empty in a matter of seconds.

  Keith would be proud.

  But of course, Keith could never know why he was so good, he was the reason after all. One day during training Shiro had told everyone to focus on honing their skills as an individual. Keith had done just the same training as everyone. Nonetheless,  afterwards the only one being praised was him. No-one else had taken it seriously, but Lance had tried so hard. He took down his sentries at least three seconds before Keith.

  But of course, no-one took any notice of that. They all thought of him as the joker, the prankster, the flirt. Yet he had tried so hard and still, all the focus was never on him. He was always out-shone by Keith. 

  He just wanted to do, to be something worthwhile.

  Lance was jolted back to reality when a laser narrowly missed taking his head off. The Galra had sent extra reinforcements to help recapture their prisoners. Thankfully, though he was getting closer and closer to the hanger in which Blue was set down.

  “I’m in the control room downloading the info on the whereabouts of my family,” Pidge’s voice crackled over the mic. There was a pause as the final pieces of information were downloaded straight to the castle’s database.  

  “OK, it’s been downloaded, I’m heading back to the castle now, you guys should too.”

  “You got it.”

  “Thank god, I was about to puke.”

  “Hunk, you always puke.”

  “Yeah but—

  “Now is not the time to be bickering!”

  “Yes Shiro.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Lance, are you ok? You didn't respond.”

  “Yeah, just about there,” Lance said, holding back an entire squadron of sentries. They were now coming on thick and fast. “I’ll be there in about a minute.” 

  The open hangar door loomed in front of him. He could see the prisoners hurriedly scuttling into Blue’s giant open jaws and into the belly of the beast.

  More and more sentries were beginning to fill up the space behind him. Lance knew that there was no way that he could hold them off completely by himself. The only thing that he could do now was retreat. 

  He turned around and rushed towards Blue. His focus was now to get to those big, embracing jaws and pilot her back to the castle. And that was his one weakness.

  He was just about to enter the cockpit when the laser punctured the skin between his neck and shoulder. It passed through his collar bone and up into the side of his neck, just narrowly missing his throat. On the other end near his shoulder the bullet had made its way straight through part of the joint. His arm was barely hang onto the rest of his body. The pain was so sudden and searing that it sent him straight to the ground in the middle of the cockpit. Blood went everywhere.  

  The breath was instantly knocked out of Lance as the laser passed through his body. He tried to get up, but that only sent another excruciating bolt of pain through his body. So, he stayed there. Lying in a pool of his blood, bleeding out at an alarming rate.

 Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom in his helmet. It was Keith

  “Lance, hurry up, you’re holding us back now.” He grumbled.

  “Sorry.” Lance somehow managed to mutter through the blood coming through his mouth. “You Guys deserved better.”

  He just wanted to do, to be something worthwhile.

  And with that last hope, dark spots appeared across his vision, the frantic voices telling him to hurry back in his helmet blurred and became incomprehensible. Finally, Lance blacked out.

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Made Of Stardust - Short Story 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Made of Stardust
Prompt choice: A man learns to skate by staggering about and making a fool of himself. Indeed, he progresses in all things by resolutely making a fool of himself. 
- George Bernard Shaw, Advice to a Young Critic
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: The stars was where Victor and his flame belonged 
Word Count: 1530

Made of Stardust

i. birthright

You were born from something once beautiful that soured long ago. You, who was meant to be celebrated, was born into a world that did not love you as much as you loved it. But you did not care, did you?

You lived when the world condemned you to die. The kiss of death so close, but you refused and with your small lungs, you screamed. You screamed into the night, demanding your chance to show your worth. And maybe lady luck had kissed you instead of death and fate decided to change his plans for you- as a young woman passed by and became your savior from the winter king.

 

ii. ignition

You are six years old when you go onto the ice and fall in love. The bruises that cover your legs like nebulae from falling don’t hurt you. They make you feel alive. And suddenly something burns inside you and warmth fills you to the core. And you so desperately want to keep feeling that warmth. You tell your mother this (she isn’t your real mother, the kids in school say she isn’t, but she is kind and holds your hands when things get too scary, so you believe, she comes damn close to one), and she laughs and hugs you tight.

 

iii. exploration

Yakov is a surly old man. His face is constantly pulled into a grimace, as if he is constantly smelling something tragic, but you like him, don’t you? He reminds you of a proud beast, with his back straight, shoulders squared, and even though he is old, and not all that tall, he commands respect from the moment he walks in. He looks at you with eyes that remind you steel and immediately begins to bark orders. He is like the beast in those fairytales your mother used to tell you; aggressive, angry, loud. But you don’t mind, because once the day is over Yakov pulls you aside, and pats your head, (pats your head like a father would to his son) and say ‘good job, Vitya’ and suddenly your muscles don’t hurt all that badly anymore.

 

Yakov shows you how to dance on the ice, how to jump high, higher than any other, to carve yourself into the ice. ‘You will be remembered Vitya. The world will call your name and you will be loved’ he says.

He keeps the flames in Victor’s heart burning bright.

 

iv. victorious

You taste victory for the first time when you are twelve. And lady luck holds your hand as you turn thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. The crowd screams your name as you twirl and dance, like a ballerina, like an angel, like a soldier, like whoever you wish to become once you go onto the ice. And you give yourself to them, bare your heart open, leaving it for the taking.

 

You make yourself home amongst the stars, and you keep coaxing the flame inside you to burn. To take more of you, to feed your hunger for more.

 

v. liquor

You are sixteen and celebrating when you are given a taste of alcohol. It burns your throat and warms your body until you become numb. You laugh and laugh and no one can stop you. You drink more and more and more and more until the party dies down and an arm leads you out of the bar and back to the hotel. Everything's a mess. All too much and all too little but you don’t care. You feel light, free, freer than you are on ice. You never want to it to stop.

 

You wake up to the feeling of bile crawling your throat and you dash to the bathroom, only barely making it to the toilet before you wretch up everything you ate and drunk last night. It takes you minutes, hours who know how long? To stagger back to bed and lay down. You don’t know what time it is and you don’t care. All you can see is the glint of the medal hanging from bedpost and feel the slow thrum of the sandman calling you back to sleep.

 

((You soon realize the burning liquid that you drink is like a magic potion, it makes you see stars and creates the warmth you so desperately need. The more it burns and claws down your throat, the happier you become. You don’t care for anything if you can drink just a little more))

 

 

 

vi. sunflowers

You are twenty and jaded when you meet a boy whose hair reminds you of sunflower fields. He is crass, rude and downright awful at times but you cannot help but find it endearing. He burns, the flames that you lost, burn so brightly in him that even you can see it. And a part of you so desperately hopes that he, Yuri Plisetsky, the Russian tiger, can keep the flame alive. (You know he can, because he is not you, he is young and angry, scarred and determined. He will keep what you lost.)

 

vii. nothing

Your twenties are lined with gold medals and empty shot glasses. You drink as much as you win. You buy a dog to keep you company. Makkachin is a good dog. But even a dog can’t fill the silence when the nights go for too long. Yakov no longer yells at you, he only sighs as he helps you home into your apartment and in the mornings when there is time, he brushes your long hair and gently braids it in place. Neither of you say anything about what happens when you are not sober, but his silence says it all.

 

viii. hair

You are twenty-three when you cut off your hair. Your fans, of course, cry and wail but you don’t care. ‘Good riddance’ is all you can think. You are tired. The taste of victory is nothing more than a shadow of its former glory. All you can taste is the bitter embers of your lost flame. The bruises on your skin are no longer carries like battle scars, they run deeper than the skin. Your bones ache and all you want to do is stop. But you cannot. Because what is there of you, if you are not a skater?

 

You.

Who are you?

Who is Victor Nikiforov?

You can’t answer.

That is okay. You don’t mind.

You take another shot from the glass.

 

ix. stars

You dance with a boy after another victory. He is obviously drunk, more drunk than you. He asks you to coach him. You laugh and agree. He smiles at you, a wide, drunken smile. But it is sweet and adoring and your blacken heart, for the first time in years, begins to stir.

 

 

x. Yuuri

You watch him skate. He glides across the ice with grace akin to a swan. He carries the longing and love that you bear all throughout his dance. His dance us your calling. You do the unthinkable. It is selfish. It is unfair. But you are tired of playing nice and for once you want to live.

xi. eros

Yuuri is not what you expected him to be. But his eyes shine like candle light and the flame inside him is bright. It is not overwhelmingly burning like Yuri Plisetsky’s, but is warm and inviting. He is hesitant around you, like a skittish kitten. Like someone bitten too many times to fully trust anyone. But you don’t mind. He colors your world and breathes life into your lungs. At night when you lay beside him, there is a small warmth that spreads through you.

xii. embers

There are days where Yuuri is stuck in his head. And there are days where you are too. Where your fingers twitch for a shot of burning liquid but you cannot, because it is not just you now. It is Yuuri too. So you shut your thoughts for the day and call for Yuuri. He lit the flame inside you. And now you must try to keep his alive.

xiii. fire

It is when you see Yuuri skate at the Grand Prix do you realize how you miss the ice. It calls for you and there is a part of you that aches and longs to be back on it. But there is Yuuri. You realise you cannot have both the ice and Yuuri.

xiv. calling

It is not fair, how Yuuri calls the shots. You beg for him to think twice but even your tears don’t affect him. Yuuri is warm as he is stubborn. And you laugh to yourself as you take down another shot.

xv. tigers

You know you have wronged Yuri Plisetsky. Your selfishness hurt him more than not. He speaks to you through clenched teeth but when you tell him what Yuuri is doing he looks at you lost. His flame flickers before it becomes overwhelming. You hug him tightly like you did once before.

xvi. Rings

The ocean is beautiful, the waves gently lapping at the shoreline. You sit quietly with Yuuri beside you. You don’t anything. He doesn’t either. You don’t have to. The rings on your fingers say it all.

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Strength - Ficlet 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Strength
Rating: G or PG
Prompt: Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.
Fandom/Series: Boku no Hero Academia
Word Count: 648
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: Imagine if Midoriya hesitated for a few more seconds when the Sludge Villain was suffocating Katsuki. What if Midoriya’s hesitation had caused a terrible ramification on Katsuki’s health?

Strength

 

Midoriya stared down at the cracked pavement in front of him. An expression of pure shock, tinged with horror, was plastered on his face. Buildings loomed over him; their shadows seemed to swallow him with their darkness. Some people were gawking at them while others were passing by the site. Midoriya rubbed his hands, trying to stop his shivering and warm his frigid skin. The itchy blanket that weighed on his shoulders could not stop the cold from spreading through his body. He didn’t know what had happened. Kacchan….It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know what would happen. Maybe he was wrong.

He could barely hear the concerned whispers of the heroes near him. The bustling sounds full of laughter and joy in the city landscape around Midoriya made him feel lost. Midoriya clutched some of the green curls on his hair, unable to feel the pain. His lip quivered and tears prickled his eyes. It was his fault, wasn’t it?

….

He had always loved it when the sun appeared. The way the light consumed his sight, too tantalizingly beautiful to look away. The way it spread throughout the forest clearing, setting everything to life with its golden rays. Yes, Midoriya had always loved the sun, brilliant and bright, for no day ever seemed too harsh for the quirkless boy, not if the sun had managed to shine.

“Hey Deku!” Midoriya turned his eyes to the boy ahead of him, recognizing his gruff voice from anywhere. “How does it feel… to be born without a quirk?” If it wasn’t from the slight hint of amusement in his voice one could assume that the question was posed out of mere curiosity.

Nonetheless, Midoriya didn’t notice this tone of voice and pondered his answer in silence. He ran up to Bakugo, the wind of the forest ruffling his hair. “It’s…” The faint laughter of children could be heard from around them. “It’s dark, mostly.” He wanted to expand on this, his eyebrows creased at the thought, but the words for his feelings seemed to evaporate into the morning air. “But I know they’ll come someday. And I can be a hero, like you and All Might!” Midoriya earnestness was palpable and he did nothing to hide the wide smile on his face.

“Yeah, but whatever your quirk, it won’t be as cool as mine!” From the corner of his eye, Midoriya spotted the light in Kacchan’s eyes, an all-encompassing determination. The sun flickered through his blond hair and Midoriya beamed. The sunlight moved through the trees as they walked, setting nature aglow.

“Midoriya boy!” All Might’s voice pierced Midoriya reverie. He blinked, his gaze focusing on the hero that stood before him as he tried to ignore the vacant thudding of his heart. All Might tried to catch Midoriya’s evading eyes. He faltered when he caught sight of Midoriya’s trembling hands.  He pushed on; Midoriya needed someone to be with him at this time of crisis. He plopped next to Midoriya, the pavement cracking further and a wave of dust flying into the air.

Midoriya tilted his head in confusion, curious as to why All Might wanted to sit beside him beside him after what had just happened. With great reluctance, Midoriya dismissed All Might’s presence by turning his head away from the hero. He stared at the building in front of him. The sunlight was unable to seep through the shadows in this area of the city. Midoriya sorely missed the comforting presence of the sun.

All Might stammered, attempting to help Midoriya. “You know...That Bakugou kid...His condition is not your fault. I should be the one to blame, not you. My in-action, definitely not yours, caused him to….”

Midoriya blinked. “Kacchan is strong…He will wake up from his sleep.” He wavered before he uncertainty continued, “He will be fine. I will be fine.”

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Two Punch Men - Short Story 2017

[smash_fic]

Title: Two Punch Men
Rating: PG
Prompt: A man learns to skate by staggering about and making a fool of himself. Indeed he progresses in all things by resolutely making a fool of himself. 
- George Bernard Shaw, Advice to a Young Critic
Fandom/Series: One Punch Man
Word Count: 3102
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: Saitama accidentally clones himself. Genos is suspicious of the clone, but Saitama doesn't have a problem with him. Meanwhile, an evil scientist waits for the results of his newest weapon.

Two Punch Men

“There’s another me.” Saitama pointed to the mirror.

“How insightful, Master.” Genos opened up a notebook and scribbled down the line. “There’s another me…”

“Oh. There’s another me,” said the Saitama in the mirror.

The Saitama not in the mirror stared at the Saitama in the mirror. The mirror Saitama looked exactly like him, except the red on his sweater was blue instead. The Saitama in the mirror stared back. Genos looked from one Saitama to the other.

The Saitama not in the mirror shrugged and lay down on the floor. Whatever.

“Master. Should we not do something about the impostor?”

“Nah. He can stay.” Who cares about an impostor? So long as the guy didn’t try to give him a bad name, who cares? Besides, if he stayed around, maybe he could help Saitama move up the ranks a bit.

“Huh. Thanks,” said the Saitama from the mirror. Mirror-tama. Sai-mirror. Saitamirror? Maitama?

Saitama shrugged and picked up a manga from his shelf.

“Master, where did this other Master come from?”

“Uh…” Saitama looked at the mirror that Maitama had just come from, and thought about what had happened yesterday. “Maybe the cloning machine?”

“What cloning machine, Master Saitama?”

Saitama put the manga down and looked at Genos. “The other day I was walking home and some guy came up to me. He showed me this thing that looked like a mirror and said it was a cloning machine. I thought he was nuts, but he was selling it for 100 yen and it didn’t look like anything was wrong with it. So I bought it and took it home.”

“I remember that,” said Maitama. He looked behind himself. “So I guess I’m your clone?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Cool.” Maitama lay down on the floor and joined Saitama in reading manga.

 

Somewhere vaguely far away an evil scientist laughed evilly in his secret evil underground lab, because he was so evil. He wore nothing but a lab coat and a pair of hotpants that said ‘evil’ across the butt.

 

“I, the scientist Doctor Super Evil Dude, have finally created the perfect weapon for defeating heroes…” He laughed evilly again, just so everyone knew just how evil he was, and looked at his computer screen, which was lit up with several hundred numbers. He stared at them for a bit, deciphering what they meant in relation to his super evil project, and then switched to a different interface because he couldn’t work out what the numbers meant. He read through the data being sent by his machine and laughed evilly again, then coughed because of all the evil laughing he was doing. “My cloning machine is working very well…I’m so glad I picked such a boring, weak guy to test it on, because then I can make sure it works perfectly with no threat to me at all.”

He spun around in his evil supervillain chair and explained to no one in particular how the machine worked. “This machine will clone heroes, but so they are ever so slightly different, and ever so slightly stronger. They will befriend the hero and then…murder them.”

Doctor Super Evil Dude’s laughter echoed through his empty hideout, making him think about how lonely he was. Maybe he should hire some evil minions. Get a pet cat or something.

 

“Attention, City Z.” The man on the TV straightened out some papers. “A giant squid man is rampaging through the city. Current threat level: Tiger.”

“I’ll go. Genos, you stay here. I don’t want you stealing my thunder again.”

Genos nodded, then looked to Maitama. “What about you, other Master?”

He shrugged. “I’ll stay here too. I’m a pacifist.”

“I’m not a pacifist though. Aren’t we the same person?” Unless he meant something like ‘not hurting other people’. Saitama never deliberately hurt other people. He only killed the monsters that were threats to them.

“Yeah, but I guess I’m a bit different. I don’t remember becoming a pacifist, but I am now. Even for monsters.”

“Alright then.” Saitama quickly jumped into his hero clothes and stepped out onto his balcony. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He jumped off the balcony and ran to the giant squid monster.

Maitama looked out and watched him run, then sat down at the table and looked at Genos. “What would you say are my – or your Master Saitama’s – biggest weaknesses? I want to train to get rid of them.”

“You have no weaknesses, master Saitama. You are physically superior to everyone.”

“Hmm.” Maitama rested his head on his hand. “What about weaknesses that aren’t physical?”

“Master Saitama is rather unpopular. I would assume that by extension you are too. He is also insecure about the status of his hair, which-”

“Don’t say another word,” said Maitama.

“Yes, other Master. I apologise. But you are the one who asked about it. These are the only weaknesses of yours I can think of.”

“Well, alright then.”  Maitama pulled a manga off the shelf. “I’ll keep those in mind.”

 

Genos watched as the other Master Saitama read the manga. Was he actually like Master Saitama, or was he dangerous? Genos would need to observe this man further to determine whether he was safe to be around. For all he knew, this other Master could be a threat to them. If he had the same power as Master, but not the same ideals, the city could be in danger. Was that why he was asking about Master’s weaknesses? Did he want to defeat Master, then destroy the whole city?

It was possible that he was in fact a pacifist as he said he was, and Genos hoped that was the case. But perhaps he should prepare for the possibility that this other Master might try to harm them.

The front door swung open and clicked shut. Genos turned around to see Master Saitama coming home.

“How was it, Master? Did the giant squid man stand a chance against you?”

“As always, I was hoping for a challenge, but it turned out to be weak. I barely had to poke it.” Master Saitama sighed and went to seat himself, but could not find a clear space on the ground. “Hey, it’s kinda crowded in here, guys.”

“Your apartment is rather small, Master,” said Genos.

“Why don’t we do something outside?” suggested the other Master. “We need to go and buy groceries, anyway.”

“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Let’s go do that.”

Was this just a ploy to remove Master Saitama from the house? Was this other Master trying to attack Master while his guard was down?

Genos would come along, just in case.

 

Doctor Super Evil Dude laughed evilly and stroked his new pet cat/minion as he watched the new data come in from the clone. Yes…the clone was befriending this Saitama fellow.

Saitama, also known as the Caped Baldy, a Class C hero. Doctor Super Evil Dude knew he’d made the right choice by picking this man. He was a hero – exactly who the weapon was made for – but he was only some Class C weakling. He would never be able to defeat his clone.

The two Saitamas walked into a grocery store (the perfect place for a hero fight, if you’d ask Super Evil Dude) with someone behind them. Probably one of the original Saitama’s friends. Another Class C loser or someone similar. No strong person would hang around someone so weak.

Though he had originally planned for the clone to kill the original in his sleep, it would be so much more interesting if they had a public fight. It was lucky that Doctor Super Evil Dude had a switch right here that he could flip to immediately turn the clone into its Super Evil Murder Mode. It was the perfect chance to test it.

Doctor Super Evil waited for the two Saitamas to pick up a shopping basket each, then flipped the switch.

 

Maitama looked up at Saitama. “Do you feel a weird tingle?”

Saitama shook his head.

“Huh.” Maitama looked down at the selection of fish. “I feel a tingling in my head.”

Saitama picked up a package and looked at the price. “Maybe it’s because of the bargains here. This fish is so cheap.” He put the fish in his basket and moved on.

“Yeah, that’s probably it. Who knows what sort of power bargains have?” Maitama followed Saitama. “Whatever. It’s gone now.”

 

Doctor Super Evil Dude gave a super evil frustrated growl. How could his Super Evil Murder Mode not have worked? Super Evil Murder Mode made sure that the clone’s anger was intensified by 500%.

Well. Maybe the waves didn’t reach the clone properly.

He’d just have to get closer. Doctor Super Evil Dude would go to the city in his Super Evil Mecha, which looked like him, but bigger and made of metal. Using his Super Evil Mecha, he would destroy the city and get the Super Evil Murder Mode waves to reach the clone. Then the clone would destroy the original and kill the whole city, proving his prototype was a success.

This scheme was perfect. Nothing about it could go wrong.

 

“Oh! Sardines in oil. I love those.” The other Master Saitama checked the price of the tinned sardines and then looked in his wallet. “Damn. I don’t have enough.”

“I will pay for them.” Genos stepped up and handed two tins to the other Master Saitama. “These are my favourite.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” The other Master gave Genos a thumbs up. “We can share them later.”

“Thank you, other Master.” Genos gave him the coins. This was what he’d been hoping for. He would get the other Master alone, then interrogate him about his goals. Genos would make sure this other Master would tell the truth. He would make sure that Master and the rest of the city would be safe.

“You don’t have to keep calling me that, you know.” The other Master turned around. “I have the same memories as the other Saitama, but I know I’m different. I’m not your master. Just call me Maitama like he’s been.”

“Yes, Master Maitama.”

Master Maitama was about to say something, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of metalling stomping.

Was it the giant cyborg that had destroyed his hometown? Genos glanced at Master Maitama. “I will return soon.” Genos ran outside to investigate.

A man piloted a giant mechanical object possibly made to resemble a human, but not resembling a human besides the two limbs it had at the bottom. It lumbered forward slowly, awkwardly lifting each leg to a 90° angle before plunging it down, leaving a giant footprint stamped in the ground. Civilians ran from under the robot’s body, taking shelter wherever they could.

What a shame. It was not the giant cyborg that had destroyed his home.

Genos walked back inside the grocery store. Many of the customers hid as debris and packaged goods fell from the quakes brought on by the metal giant’s footsteps.

“Master Saitama! Master Maitama!”

“I still have to pay!” shouted Master Saitama from the register. “Give me a moment! Jeez.”

 

Doctor Super Evil Dude stood his mecha outside the grocery store. This thing was a little shakier than he thought. He’d have to fix it up a little when he returned to his Super Evil Lair.

The two Caped Baldys walked out of the grocery store with their bags of shopping and looked up. Doctor Super Evil Dude turned on the microphone and speakers of his mecha.

“Attention, Saitamas!”

The clone looked at the original and dropped his shopping bag on the ground next to him. It destroyed the pavement below and sent a shockwave through the ground. Doctor Super Evil Dude frantically fiddled with switches and levers to make sure his Super Evil Mecha didn’t fall over.

“My name is Doctor Super Evil Dude.” He held out his mecha’s hand and used the flamethrower on its finger to set fire to a tree to make sure they knew how entirely absolutely evil he was. “Do you remember me from yesterday?” The screen on the mecha’s body brought up a picture of him with the cloning machine, selling it to Saitama.

“Who are you?” The Saitamas called in unison.

Doctor Super Evil Dude screamed in frustration. “I’m Doctor Super Evil Dude and I’m going to be the best supervillain! I may be just a beginner, but I can do it! I’m going make sure my clone kills the original Saitama, so I can prove my first weapon was a success! Clone! Super Evil Murder Mode!”

The clone stood and waited. “I feel that weird tingle again.”

“Is he trying to sell us something cheap?”

“No, I think he’s trying to do the Super Murder Evil mode, but instead, he’s just making a fool of himself.”

Doctor Super Evil Dude growled at his statement. “Why haven’t you gone Super Evil Murder Mode? It should have increased your anger by 500%!”

“Oh. I guess it’s because I don’t have any anger.” The clone shrugged.

“Fine!” shouted Doctor Super Evil Dude. “I guess I’ll just have to go on a rampage and kill the original Saitama myself!” He hit a big red button. The arms of the mecha turned into knives. “I hope you like being stabbed, Saitama!”

The swift knives stabbed towards the Saitamas, whipping up a cloud of dust as they flew. Soctor Super Evil Dude couldn’t see anything, but here was no way any of those could have missed. Saitama was a measly Class C hero, no way he’d be strong or fast enough to-

One of the knives stopped moving. Both knives stopped moving. What was happening to his super-fast stabbing? The dust cleared and each of the Saitamas held a huge knife-arm with their bare hands.

“Should I just punch it?” asked the original Saitama.

“Okay,” said the clone.

The original Saitama let go of the knife-arm. Perfect. This was Doctor Super Evil Dude’s chance to-

The mecha rocked. What was happening?

Before he could work out what was going on, Doctor Super Evil Dude was propelled into the air along with a blast of fire and several pieces of his mecha.

 

Maitama ran around under the Super Evil Guy, trying to work out where he would land. Probably somewhere around here. Even if he was a supervillain or whatever, he didn’t deserve to die. Super Evil Doctor Man fell from the sky, directly into Maitama’s arms.

“Why couldn’t you just let me die?” wailed Evil Man Dude. “All my plans have failed! All of them!”

“’Cause I’m a pacifist.” Maitama placed Really Evil Doctor Guy on the ground. “Maybe your plans have failed, but you can fix them for next time, now that you know what went wrong.”

“But you’re a hero!” Villain Super Guy shouted. I caused destruction! You should be trying to fight me!”

“Should I?” Maitama shrugged. “You didn’t cause that much destruction, and you wouldn’t be a worthy opponent anyway. Train every day and become a worthy enemy. Then I might think about it.”

Doctor Evil Man sniffled, wiped his nose on his lab coat, then laughed evilly. “I will follow that advice, Cloned Saitama. May we meet again.” He turned around and ran off into the sunset, laughing evilly, his lab coat lifting up to reveal his hotpants with ‘evil’ printed across the butt.

Maitama turned around to see Genos writing down everything in a notebook. “Thank you, Master Maitama. That was very good advice for everyone.”

 

“Attention, City Z.”

Master Saitama switched off the TV. “I’ll go do that. Seeya when I get back.” He ran out the front door.

“Should we eat the sardines now, Master Maitama?” Genos asked. He still had yet to interrogate Master Maitama.

“Sure.”

Genos handed him a tin of sardines and a fork.

“I must ask you a question, Master Maitama.” Genos sat down next to him and opened his own tin.

“Yeah?”

“Did you ever have the urge to kill Master Saitama, as you were created to?”

“Nope.” Master Maitama opened his own sardines.

“Did you ever think about it at all?”

“Nah. I never wanted to kill Saitama,” said Master Maitama through a mouthful of sardines. “I knew all along that I’m weaker than him, anyway. I think Doctor Totally Evil messed up his cloning machine so the clone was the weaker one, not the original.”

Genos nodded. “I think it is admirable that you admit you are weaker. I feel I am going to learn a lot from you too, Master Maitama.” He opened a notebook and wrote down what Master Maitama had just said.

“Well…” Master Maitama put down the empty can. “Actually…”

“You’re leaving, Master Maitama?” Genos put down his sardines too, out of respect.

“This apartment isn’t big enough for all three of us. I’m already such a different person to Saitama, and I’ve only been around for a day or so.” Master Maitama leant back and looked to the sky. “I’m going to leave to a different city. I’ll find my own apartment and start a new life. I don’t want to accidentally give Saitama a bad name by being defeated.”

“I see.” Genos nodded. “Will you tell Master Saitama this?”

“Tell me what?” Master Saitama walked in the front door.

“I’m leaving City Z,” said Master Maitama.

 

“You’re leaving?” Saitama stared at Maitama. “Damn, just when I thought I’d finally met someone as strong as me, you’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it easier for all of us like this?”

Saitama sighed. “Well, sure it is, but isn’t it more fun with the three of us? It’s kinda cool having a clone.”

“I guess so, but…” He shrugged. “Nah. I’d better go.”

“Well, it’s your choice.”

Maitama ate the last of his sardines and stood up. “I guess I’m off.”

“Before you leave, can we at least have a fight? I want to know what it feels like to have a challenge again.” Saitama framed it as a polite request, but he was so, so close to fighting a worthy opponent that he would literally beg if Maitama said no.

“I’m a pacifist, remember?” Maitama stepped out the front door. “Nah. Maybe if we meet again in the future.” He waved goodbye and closed the door.

Well. No begging then. Saitama dropped to the floor and stared at it. “Damn it! I could’ve had a good fight, and he just leaves!”

“I guess we will just have to meet him again, Master Saitama.”

Saitama sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”­­­­­

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