- 天誅!

[renaissails]

誕生日おめでたいとハッピーバレンタイン、 @hitokilling.

It’s an opportunity he is not likely to miss, for neither of them can be sure if there will ever be another. With the money they have gathered, a rather popular brand of sake is purchased with a red bow around it, together in a bag with Oryou’s special handmade Frog Choco. All meticulously prepared for this singly day, one he has never forgotten, never allowed himself to forget. If Ryouma is luck to find and talk to his old friend for even a minute, he already considers the whole thing a success.

“I was hopin’ you’d be free today, Izou-san.” That utterly polite accent is dropped all for the sake of this one moment, this one day. He raises the bag non-ceremoniously, decorated properly like a gift, but nothing extravagant, nothing outright special, and hands it over. The gesture itself already speaks words, and both know it. “Ah, but if ya got any plans, don’t let us stop ya. We just wanted t’see how you’re doin’.” Which is obviously a white lie.

[hitokilling]

“How I’m doin’.... ?” 

Of course.

Of course Ryouma remembers and expects his old friend to just willingly take the gift. But he’s obstinate at first, glowering at him with an unusually pained look. Of all the people to remember... -- of all the people to meet on a day where he expected to be all alone, it had to be him, like a knife slicing into a perpetually open wound. But it should be him, and that’s also why it stings so badly -- for Izou can’t help but be fragile when it comes to the subject of Sakamoto Ryouma’s existence in general. “Tch. Take one look and that’ll tell ya all y'want.” Ragged and rough, and with new tears in his hakama. Another scuffle? “... and? It’s obvious yer not just here to ‘check on me’ all chummy-like.”

[hitokilling]

causerank‌:.

“That wasn’t me who wrote it, though?! I wouldn’t advertise myself like that, Izou-san!”

HE squints. ... it really is from someone else. Whatever. Izou skims most of the petty messages that show up on this stupid device, but a picture was provided this time.

“Hohh. Then... if you ain’t lookin’ to not be single on this ‘Valentine’s’ thing everyone’s goin’ on about, does that mean you already got someone yer interested in? Do tell, Master.”

[causerank-blog]

“Just how many people are going to think I’m desperate for a date now…” Maybe it’s time to walk around with a hood over his head for the next few months.

[hitokilling]

“... ? It says yer that desperate right here.” Flashes the totally believable text.

[hitokilling]

unluckyfeet‌:

      ✶  ❝ It is going to last… A week? ❞ the idea of all the noise for that long is already making her groan.

“Hah. With the way people’re goin’ on about it, it better be a week of good food and drink.” 

[hitokilling]

omgaoneko‌:

“I think it is more the people who are single who dislike it.” 

“Single? Who... who cares when ya could be having a good time just celebratin’ with company.”

[hitokilling]

“Everyone’s makin’ this ‘Valentine’s’ thing out t’sound like a real pain... -- but ain’t it like a week-long party or somethin’?”

[hitokilling]

iZOU’S VALENTINE…. I’LL NEVER BE THE SAME PERSON AGAIN… 

[hitokilling]

For followers that are curious, I went ahead and translated it. Happy Valentine’s.

[hitokilling]

iZOU’S VALENTINE.... I’LL NEVER BE THE SAME PERSON AGAIN... 

[hitokilling]

seafavored‌:

Kougyoku figures she should take the most logical course of action. That being to call the local law enforcement of course. It’d be as simple as reporting him for breaking into her home, he’d get apprehended and arrested and she would never have to see him again. A part of her felt bad though. Sure he had threatened her but he was also wounded and bleeding heavily on her floor. Looking between the blood trail and where he had walked off makes her think. It’s a risk but perhaps it’s the right thing to do.

She deflates, sets down her sword, and walks out of the room to find him. Sure enough, he’s managed to limp over to the couch in the sitting room outside of hers. Or, well, tried to anyway. Slowly, she moves to him, props one arm over her shoulder and helps him onto the couch. He’s heavy. “If you want me to help you, I suggest you change your tone.” After he’s settled and…bleeding on the couch comfortably, she hurries back into her bedroom and into the bathroom.

Fumbling through drawers and cabinets she’s finally able to retrieve what she’d been looking for: an amateur first aid kit. Once she’s got it, she rushes back out of her room and to the couch. She kneels on the floor, kit in her lap as she sighs, popping it open. Plenty of bandages, a small bottle of disinfectant, and of course clean rags to help with the cleanup. “Now,” She starts, sighing once more.

“Where does it hurt? And just…how did this happen to you, to begin with?”

He didn’t ask for help. He didn’t... need the help.

Hitokiri Izou was just a killer that bred fear in the hearts of others whether alive or dead -- not an honest man in trouble. He’d brought the whole thing on himself per usual, and for what? All it got him was the knowledge that there were non-magical entities capable of damaging him to this extent. That’s right... -- even now as a Servant, it was hard to change.

And yet she’d lifted and moved him, dead weight that he was. Even after the growling and the threats, she’d helped him. His heart beat loud and erratic at the useless act of kindness, and a calloused hand itched to remove her.

Yet... -- he couldn’t. Why? 

“... are you... you stupid or somethin’? Quit wastin’ yer time already. It’ll heal on it’s own.” 

[hitokilling]

nobunagastan‌:

What’s that? He’s mumbling something. It sounds faintly like… ‘at least i’m not the third wheel in my most popular ship.’

SHIP? Who... who even cared about... 

What’s that sound? Ah. It’s his foot grinding on Nobukatsu’s hand.

[nobunagastan]

Nobukatsu lays in the street, face down in the mud, like he deserves.

[hitokilling]

     “So this’s what’s left of the mighty Oda, huh... ? Tch. Yer blockin’ the road.”

[hitokilling]

tovanity replied to your post: Breathless.  Izou had woken from the strange...

ah we really are soulmates

SJT SHUT UPPPPP WOMANNNN

[hitokilling]

Breathless. 

Izou had woken from the strange sensation of cathartic sleep only to be greeted with unfathomable news and a irksome, forced task. Doubles? Otherworld statis? He didn’t care about any of that crap, but if someone was impersonating him and there could only be one... well. An Assassin like himself would have no trouble tracking someone even with the clink of metal at his side.

Reckless.

His double had been waiting for him. That’s what he felt, in any case. A presence like a chill along your back, like a dark blaze ready to set aflame and consume him the very second he turned his gaze. The cornered alley was littered with objects and obstacles and darkness -- and Izou couldn’t help the desperate, wicked grin from crawling across his features, because beyond everything he knew -- in the deepest reaches of a heart that only beat thanks to the energy that gave birth to his own life, he knew his own double would be just as vicious.

Another world and another life wouldn’t change that. Come prepared, come vicious -- was there any other way for Okada Izou to live? Without a trail of blood in the wake of everywhere he went?

He didn’t know his double’s circumstances. He didn’t know of the peaceful ways, the hands that would hold his and support him instead of chastise. For Izou, Okada Izou would and always would be a wretch. A killer. A man who stared at the empty sky and wondered how everything had come to be. 

A flash of light.

“Bring it!” 

A war cry.

And it happened so quickly -- the gunshot and the soft slide of his own blade into flesh. Before him was a someone he would never know, eyes wide with the very same fury and resentment. There would be no tie between the two who fought for their respective lives in the only way they knew how. Changeless, and deathless was Izou as he shoved off the double whose life had been snuffed out like a flame... -- and then, he too had begun to collapse. The goal wasn’t to kill the other. But it’s what he knew. You didn’t duel someone and  come out lossless. ”Shit... "

He gripped at his side, at a scrape that would normally heal so effortlessly without treatment. Right. Izou had dodged it, and yet... -- he pushed against a broken box to break his fall, to stop everything from swimming. There was a heat that accompanied it, and he knew what was happening without anyone telling him. Hard to forget the feeling of losing yourself when you’d already died before. Died... died for what again? This time it was... -- heavy lids scanned the area and a lifeless body that still gripped tightly to a pistol as if to say it still had some fight left in it. 

Idiot. Had that world of yours really been so worth it? Izou let out a choked, wheeze of a laugh in his final moments.

He’d never know.

[hitokilling]

necrowned‌:

He should give a long spiel about those rats, how kind they are; the times they’ve thrown themselves in the face of danger for him. Mostly dogs and angry store owners, now that he thinks about it. But in the end, Wei Wuxian simply shrugs. “Haha. You think so? It’s not that shameless.”

It takes a moment for Wei Wuxian to grasp what’s being said. He cants his head and squints. This guy’s giving him advice, of all things. Encouraging him (in spite of the condensing tone and snarl, though that may just be his face). This is new. Strangers don’t tend to do that with him. Usually, they’re cursing his name; blaming him for dead crops or their own misfortune. Somewhere out there, someone’s surely suffering because of him. That sort of thing.

“It’s not that easy,” he starts, pouring them both a cup. “What people start to respect you for, sooner or later they’ll fear you for it, too. They’ll say they love you and hate you in the same breath. People are fickle like that. Their tastes change as quickly as the wind.” And it cuts three times deep.

Ah, the wine tastes sweet. “That kind of fame is really too much to handle.”

COWARD... -- it’s a knee jerk reaction that wanted to escape, but the distraction of a poured glass managed to save Wei Wuxian the trouble of hearing it. Drinking was a longtime comfort for Izou, and he wasn’t about to pass up on the chance to share in the win for free. Who knew that assaulting a man and then ordering him around would work out so well for him when so much hadn’t? 

But what came next bred uncomfortable memories. The sort he’d rather keep buried deep and hidden within the forest of his bones so they wouldn’t haunt him. Each truthful word scraped at his heart like sandpaper as fingertips tapped rough and impatient against a glass that was taking it’s damned time in getting him far gone. 

Why... -- why did it feel like this guy could read his mind all of a sudden? He wasn’t going to comment on it. Just stew in the stale, uncomfortable air of the statement, chest hot with irritation. He took another swig of his wine, and then -- 

“... actin’ like you know everything. Who’re ya, anyway?”

[hitokilling]

renaissails‌:

He would’ve said something about don’t speak with a full mouth, but this is supposed to be his moment to relax, and to see Izou so pleased is a joy on its own. “Careful not to choke, Izou-san. The castella isn’t going anywhere, and there’s more in the kitchen.” Not something he’d particularly want to bring home, and it could be a gift, he supposes. Sweets like that are more delicious when shared with someone you like. 

“Ahhh, but really, I’m always surprised at how you’ve got yourself such a nice place.” That’s a mild warning for the ghost lady that follows him around not to break anything, since she seems to be so curious about every little corner. “Maybe one day when I settle down after moving around so much, I’ll get myself a place like this.” With all the snooping around he does, it’s far too dangerous to remain in one place for too long. But that’s how Ryouma has decided to live. “Maybe somewhere close by, so we can hang out more often? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Izou swallowed and placed his fork down on paper. 

“You? Settle down?” It was the perfect time to lean back and light one up amidst the comfort of food and friend, but instead he opted to slide out of his seat and gesture for Ryouma to follow. The sweets were nice, but any deeper conversation deserved a better view. It was true that the house itself was fancier than anything anyone would think for Izou to live in or own: all thanks to the aggressive tact and taste of his wife. French doors on the side of the kitchen opened and gave way to a neat wooden porch with a starry view, and Izou sat once again with the liquor and two glasses that clinked together. He didn’t even wait for the other to sit before pouring them a cup with a fun, twisted grin.

"Just picturin’ you making my sides feel like they’re ‘bout to burst... still, what’s the point in you crawlin’ around the city so much, Ryouma? Yeah... get a place nearby. This area ain’t so bad, and then you won’t be able to worm yer way out of stoppin’ by all the time. A chance to make up for all the times I was bailed outta trouble... -- look, I’ll look after ya.”

[renaissails]

“Ah– Izou-san ( @hitokilling )! I told you to stay put, didn’t I? Let me serve you today.” Ryouma pushes his childhood friend down by the shoulders ( gently, but certainly forcefully enough to make him sit ). He might be a guest in the man’s house, but he knows how hard Izou works. This one time, and the whole purpose of his visit nonetheless, he wants his friend to relax. 

“Here; castella, and I even bought your favorite sake.” A pair of each on the table, and with how bright and smiley Ryouma is, anyone would have assumed there’s something hidden under all this kindness. But no, this is simply how he naturally is. Happy to spend time with a good friend. “Oh, I put Semiramis-san’s share in the fridge. … How is it?”

[hitokilling]

And he would get up, but the distraction of food and drink are enough for Izou to accept the dog-like command of “sit’.

It’s sweet, but not sweet enough to make your features scrunch up. “Ohngh, not badfh --” and he really shouldn’t talk with his mouth full, but conveying that joy was just far too important. Ryouma knew he had a soft spot for confections as well, but it wasn’t the sort of thing a guy like him would openly voice or indulge in around people he didn’t trust.

[hitokilling]

necrowned‌:

He’s laughing. Of all the things to pierce Wei Wuxian’s ears, he hadn’t expected the rising crescendo of taunts or jeers. Maybe a bright ‘thank you’, or an offer to buy him another round (or two), but not the cackle of someone sounding as cliche as a villain. Thinking about it, perhaps he’s thrown his ace at the wrong person. Well, picking the wrong path is his speciality; he shouldn’t be too surprised.

❝Yes.❞ In spite of everything, he manages a laugh of his own. ❝But, most don’t bother me after the first time. They’re running in the opposite direction, trying to get rats out of their hair.❞ Not that it happens much, period. This is the first time he’s had to resort to such tactics, and even then it’s not even him in the fight. At this point, he’s wondering if he should give up on that ‘thank you’.    

❝What? Why are you still asking about that? Like I said, I don’t have one. Look at me! I’m a delicate man. I couldn’t lift a sword, even if I wanted to. Unless you mean the wooden fake I was given. That one, I whittled to a spear so I could catch fish.❞ Tasty fish, at that. But, then again, fishing in the koi pond is probably prohibited too. ❝Listen, if you don’t need to me throw rats in someone else’s face, could you let me go? Here, I’ll even say please. My wine’s going to go flat at this rate.❞   

HONESTLY, nothing he could say at this point would’ve made the idea of siccing rodents on people seem appeasing. Izou was a man who valued and prided himself on his physical prowess alone and even now as a Servant. Some weird parlor trick that involved the pitter patter of little feet and a talent that wasn’t your own wasn’t likely to impress. He scrunched up his nose and then released the guy.

“Tch... shameless.” More shameless than the guy who’d taken someone hostage? Come on.

Izou brushed both hands off on his coat, as if being latched onto someone who controlled rodents was likely to have him catch something. For someone who looked homeless, he sure was needlessly particular about certain things. Not that it was even  likely for a Servant to pick up an average disease from anyone, anyhow. 

“You... -- you went and whittled yer bokken down to nothin’? Into some pathetic lookin’ stick?? Ain’t that the stupidest thing I’ve heard in a while. You need a talent to be proud of. Somethin’ that’ll make people respect ya! Somethin’ that’ll let people know they can’t just use you like... “ Like he’d just done? Yeah. “... -- gahh! The wine. Pour me a cup.” He wasn’t leaving, then.