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—What i write for:
• Demon Slayer characters.
• Reader x character as long as it's not a minor x adult.
•Character x Character as long as it's not a minor x adult.
• I accept requests for AU's, headcanons and drabbles. But I would decline if it's something I am not able to write or am not comfortable writting.
I opened Pinterest to see some srtowkr references and I saw a nice modern au drawing of kokushibo and I clicked on it and saw smth off and he had 8 eyes. I scrolled down and saw AI
wow guys AI for generating artworks? No one will judge u based on ur artistic skill but the will judge u for hsing AI for pointless things..Art is meant to be a way to express your self and have fun and AI has ruined it
(Hey everyone! WOW! Yeah I know it's been a while since I posted for this fic. Unfortunately I've been really busy and stressed out irl with irl things and work taking up most of my time along with trying to get TWO smaller projects done. This one is kinda a time skip of a lot of events going on over the five months it takes for Yuukihime to heal to not make this a LONG ass section of the story.
@hantengudelulu made a funny Oneshot of a 'what if Leehai was reincarnated and a slayer oneshot'. It IS NSFW so minors DNI!!!
💬 3 🔁 2 ❤️ 9 · Reincarnated Confidence · For @cherrycodeddynamite.
The clones find their reincarnated wife from TTOD. it doesn't go as pl
Warnings for cannibalism/murder/blood/corpses/seppeku/etc mentioned, past abuse mentioned, Yuukihime's injuries, cannon kny violence, sensu fan slapping, cannon irl violence/misogyny for the time period, Douma and Karaku ARE their own warnings, mentioning of buying and selling of humans, smoking, etc.
ALSO EVERYONE VOTE WHO WINS: Gyutaro, Hairo, or a tie. You can only pick ONE of these three!)
remember if you wanna be added to the taglist lemme know
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There was lots of things that Yuukihime had seen in her lifetime. Especially since she was born, bred, and raised in Yoshiwara.
When she was a child, she had seen two men fight on the street over food, only ending when one of the men killed the other by smashing their head five times with a rock and fleeing with the single potato the two had been fighting over. Later the undertaker had come by with a donkey pulling a cart to load up the body and then take it away, probably paid by one of the house owners to retrieve the body before sundown and customers could start rolling in only to be turned off by the corpse. Later someone came out to pour water over the blood until it all ran off and that was that. Everyone went about their day like it never happen. The four year ugly old girl had nightmares Fujiko had to comfort her from for a while. That was her first experience to how the real world worked.
It only escalated from there.
Beatings, verbalized insults and curses that could make a bear cry in fear, and-...Hm. Oh yes. Couldn't forget the abuse. It happened so much to so many people it was normalized among the residence of Yoshiwara. All kinds of abuse from and directed to all kinds of people of both genders and all ages and positions. Manipulation as well. However she called it something secondary.
Survival.
There used to be a girl at her house. Very pretty. Very much liked to keep to herself. Kihaka sold herself to the house and gave what money was given to her to a teenager, hugged him, and that was the last time she saw the boy. Many thought Kihaka was a timid quiet girl. Never fought back, did her job without question, and always calmly took the abuse the girls gave her. Especially this one girl...Jade. Hm. Yuukihime never liked Jade. If Yuu wasn't Tsuyusaki's student at the time and Sakuno's investment, then she no doubt would've turned her horrible abuse to her instead of Kihaka. Then one day things changed. Jade's body fell to the streets from the second story window. It was death as soon as her body made impact with the ground. The questioning followed as such was only met with a shrug and reasonable explanation.
"I told her not to go near the window as I cleaned the floors. It's her own fault for slipping on the water."
It was delivered with the same tone and casualness as if someone just asked her what she wanted for dinner that night. Everyone knew. Everyone was suspicious. But no one could prove it. No one could prove or disprove anything. Only two people knew the truth for certain. Kihaka and Yuukihime. An eleven year old Kamaro Yuukihime had been practicing the shamisen as Tsuyusaki entertained a client by herself in a hallway. Kihaka had been passing by without any connection from her but for some reason had stopped to look at the child. In response the child stopped and turned to look up at her. Two blank looks kept each other company until the grown woman gave her advice that forever stayed with her.
"A wet floor, solitude, and reason. If you should ever need a solution to a problem, always be sure that there are no flaws in whatever plan you chose to solve it with. ..I feel you need these words for one day to come." A finger was then raised to her lips in a 'shush' motion before she just turned around and casually walked away as if Kihaka had never even stopped to talk to her.
Kihaka was sold off to a man for cheap labor not a month later because Sakuno didn't want her around anymore. Just another day and exchange and everyone moved on in life. Yuukihime could've told someone of the confession, but she didn't for whatever reason. However that one piece of advice had stuck with her more than she had ever expected.
Yes. She had seen many horrid things. However not everything she had seen was horrible. Some was sad such when a woman committed seppeku or when children went hungry. Sometimes she had seen some genuinely good things. Sometimes a customer was genuinely nice as rare as they were, such as the wealthy foreign woman who bought a night with her just because she COULD. She was quite a nice lady who told Yuukihime all her adventures over the seas to far away lands and how she was planning on going to a place called 'Mexico' next before returning to somewhere called 'France' where she planned to settle down for three years before traveling again. That sounded quite nice. She would never have the luxury of such a thing. It was her fate to be in this service until her twenty fifth birthday and then either be kicked out or sold off to the highest bidder. She's also seen ridiculous things. Such as when she looked outside hearing a woman screaming and found out why when a drunken naked man as bare as the day he was born was stumbling about the streets harassing random women who quickly fled away from the drunken naked man....She slowly closed her window, turned around, and proceeded to read a book to try and forget the image cursing her mind forever.
However these demons continued to surprise her with things she never seen before.
"Greetings, Yuukihime!" Douma happily waved at her from his giant seat. Surrounding him was a plethora of demons. Some she recognized in horror. One she did not. The man with starlight hair gestured to his hands to her in 'surprise'. "My! Look at you! You stand already. Already your recovery is progressing quickly."
The oiran calmly regarded the seven demons before her as Yoko was looking on in shock frozen in place with big eyes and a pale face. Calmly she bowed deeply to the multiple pairs of eyes staring at her.
"I greet Lord Upper Two and the Lords of Upper Moon Four and their guest.".....She calmly leaned back up and turned to Yoko before reaching out and calmly a closed sensu fan struck her shoulder making the girl instantly flinch in pain. "Greet your lords properly as you do Lord Akaza." The girl immediately bowed to the group of demons before her exactly the way Yuukihime taught her to. Good. Yoko was learning quickly. "My apologies for my servant's disrespect." She apologized to the demons calmly turning back to them. "I am still training her to be a proper young lady. It's my fault for any rudeness she displays."
Deflect. Take the blame off Yoko immediately. Make them focus on her.
In truth Yuuikihime and Yoko had struck a deal. One beneficial for the both of them in ways that Yoko would not comprehend now but she would be grateful for later in life if Yuukihime's long term plan would be successful. The first step had been to get her away from Douma permanently and establish the girl in a way that wouldn't look suspicious or questionable. Her conveniently being hurt and in need of a woman's help more than a man's and doing things Akza wasn't willing to do was the step in the right direction. The next was keeping Yoko useful.
"The healer lady I spoke to said you had to start walking constantly non stop at least an hour a day in order to get back into shape." Akaza had told her before he grimaced. "At least that's what she said before Douma devoured her whole." Yoko whom had been scrubbing the hallway on hands and knees outside the room had looked up horrified at Akaza's words before he offered a hand to the sitting Yuukihime. "Grab my help so I can help you stand. Starting today, you'll start walking."
She simply smiled and grabbed his hand. "Yes, Lord Akaza. Whatever you say is my commend to obey. In truth I am grateful to be taking this journey with you."
The demon seemed pleased with her answer. The first few weeks had been brutal on both women. Akaza had been giving Yoko plenty of tasks to do alright.
"Go clean the fifth floor and the stairs leading to the sixth floor! I want it done in three hours."
"What are you doing staring at me like that!? Get on your knees and bow to me properly for that rude look!"
"When's the last time you washed this bedding?...This morning?...Do it again! I can still smell her sweat on it surface!"
It was most likely because she had previously belonged to Douma. Yuukihime had drilled it into Yoko's head to just do whatever Akaza told her without question. Douma being a primarily woman eating demon and obviously had plans on killing Yoko herself must've made the girl fear him much more than she hated Akaza. Akaza was not kind to Yoko...But he would not kill or eat Yoko, not unless she gave him a reason to hand the teenager back to Douma's grasp where she'd be killed instantly like Douma had always planned. So keeping Akaza happy with her presence was vital for now.
It had been easy for Yuukihime as well. At first she struggled to stand let alone walk. Her legs felt like soba noodles and Akaza had to catch her not once, twice, or three times but sixteen as he walked her around the room for what must've been an hour before returning her to the futon. It hurt and it was a struggle, but she MUST get stronger! So every day Yuukihime pushed herself to stand up, walk, and start to repair her body after years of being weak! She would be strong and she must get better.
It was the only way her plan will ever come to pass.
"Lord Akaza?" The pink haired demon looked at her two and a half weeks into her new treatment as she calmly smiled at him. "I've looked around my room, but I couldn't find any inkstones or paper."
A pink brow rose. "Paper and inkstones?" She nodded. "Why would you want those?"
"Writing is one of my favorite hobbies! It helps me pass the time! Plus it is good exercise for your hands and arm because you're constantly moving them around to write or grind the inkstone to make more ink."
While she said technically wasn't wrong, she merely added the last bit to convince the demon into bringing her exactly what she wanted just a mere few hours later when he dropped the biggest stack of paper she'd ever seen along on the small table with a sumi, suiteki, and a few black suzuri stones and brushes. Just what she needed for her next step for Yoko.
"I know you can read and write." She stared at the fourteen year old sat across from her. They were alone without Akaza and Douma (for now) so they could talk freely for a moment. "However your behavior as a woman is lacking."
To this Yoko scowled and crossed her arms.
"THAT! That is exactly what I'm talking about, Yoko." She leaned forward eyes narrowing. "Let me ask you something? If Akaza was standing right here-" She pointed to the floor. "-and he saw you-" She pointed at the child's face. "-make that face to me and decided he didn't like how you treated me what would he do?" The girl's face slowly melted to a blank one. "Mm hm! And if he gives you back to Douma what do you think will happen when he finally gets his hands on you?" Horror passed over her face as Yuukihime leaned back relaxing. "Oh, don't look surprised, Yoko. You always knew that's what will happen. You're smart but you lack common sense. Clearly whoever raised you never taught you how the real world works. Especially among men. Demon men are no exception to this."
Calmly she reached over and took one piece of paper off the tall stack of papers and slid it over to her. The girl looked on in confusion as a brush and small bowl of ink Yuukihime had already ground down was placed next to the blank white paper in front of her.
"I am going to teach you. That is what will and is going to happen." Yoko looked back at her. "I am the one who took you from Douma. I offer you safety and life. You now belong to me. Therefore you do as I say now. However I am not doing this to punish you. ..I will not punish someone for simply surviving." She looked surprised at her. "What I am going to do is teach you. Teach you to become a proper young woman. Teach you what you will need to survive in the real world. I meant it when I said you were smart. You act quickly and on your feet, which is good, but the way you carry yourself is not. So starting today, you are going to learn to be a woman. Starting with your appearance, hygiene, and your writing." She gestured to the paper. "Starting everyday you are going to wash your face with soup and brush your hair, you will also wash your face with soup a second time before you go to sleep. You will take a bath every two to three days, and you will do your laundry then as well. Do you understand?"
She rose a brow confused but nodded.
"The cleaner you are the nicer you look. Staying clean also helps prevents diseases and from getting sick. The nicer you look also helps with how a man sees you. There is five things a man looks at in every woman he meets. If she cooks and cleans. How nice she looks. How obedient she is. And how well you can bare his children and raise them....You do not have to worry about the last one." Yoko sighed in relief. "You can clean which is why Akaza tolerates you and you obey him. If Akaza wasn't satisfied with your cleaning, he would've used it as justification to give you to Douma. So now I will mold you to how you should be." Her hand pointed to the paper. "Write me a short description of your home."
Yoko looked at the paper blinking before slowly picking up the brush and dipping it in ink. She pressed it to the paper just as Yuukihime lifted up her folded sensu fan- SLAP!! It quickly whacked across the girl's hand not enough to bruise, but enough to hurt. She wretched her hand back clutching it into a fist, silently hissing before looking back at the oiran who calmly stared back.
"You're doing it wrong! You do not not smash the brush into the paper! That ruins it's bristles and makes your words come out looking messy! You put just enough pressure on the brush to put the ink to paper and glide it along to look neat and tidy! You do not have a voice." The fan pointed at the paper. "This is your voice. Writing is your voice. If this is the first impression those demons and men get from you, then you need to make a GOOD impression!" She reached over to grab the brush that fell to the paper dropping from ink everywhere. "I will show you. Watch carefully. Try to copy me. You will learn. No is not an option. Like it or not whatever you do now reflects on me too, so you are putting the both of us at risk."
Akaza was the first to be suspicious when he walked into Yuukihime making Yoko write the entire alphabet over and over until she could write each kanji neatly. After all if she was going to mold Yoko into a proper young lady, then she needed to start back at the three basics. Appearance, manners, and writing.
"What are you two up to?"
"Good evening, Lord Akaza." She bowed to him turning slightly at Yoko who also mimicked her. Good. She was catching on fast. "I am teaching Yoko to write just as we discussed."
The demon looked at them both with a blank face. "I thought she could already read and write."
She nodded sitting back up. "Yes, but her handwriting is sloppy and needs improving. As my new student, I can not have someone so poorly educated represent me. So I will teach her to become a proper young kamuro who can serve me better." She gazed at Yoko still bowing just as she taught her. Good! VERY good! "She might have a later start but with my guidance she will catch up quickly."
...Thud, thud, thud. Those ever heavy footsteps approached the table and the demon said nothing to either of them, just reached out and plucked up the stack of papers Yoko had written on. Both ladies said nothing as Akaza flipped through the papers carefully then looked at Yuukihime then looked at Yoko then looked back at the papers in his hands. Seeing nothing but twenty six kanji alphabet written over and over. Of course there was nothing suspicious.
"Has she done her duties yet?"
"All of them," she confirmed.
The papers fluttered back onto the table. "Then I don't see a problem with you taking up this hobby to escape your boredom. Just make sure you're not neglecting your own health for this human."
"I won't. Would you care to join us?" Her hand offered to the side of the table beside her with a perfect happy smile. "I'm curious to hear of your travels. I'm sure Yoko wouldn't mind practicing her words while we talk."
The demon smiled plopping himself beside her head in his hand. "Kokushibo allowed me to have Zohakuten for an entire day at my mercy. I think you'll be pleased to know how much he screamed in agony."
"Oh, my. An entire day? That's so long." Whelp. Time to practice controlling her gag reflexes.
It soon settled into a routine. She'd wake up before Yoko and now she was able to walk around once again. Wash her face, pretty herself up, get dressed, and then head onto the girl's room. SLAP!! The girl was startled awake every time with a slap of a sensu fan to her shoulder.
"Wake up! You need to start learning to wake on your own!"
Then she'd put that girl through her training. Wash face, make herself look presentable, breakfast, chores if there was any, then it was one hour of accompanying Yuukihime around on her exercise before it was writing lessons for the rest of the day before the sun started coming up, and then it was washing her face again and sleep before doing the same thing the next day. In some ways it reminded her of when she was teaching Kimiko and Mimiko, however it was much easier in other ways with Yoko. For one she wasn't at a young age where all she wanted to do was play all the time so she was much easier to teach...And her fear of Douma was a very good motivator.
And the results were starting to show.
Yoko's face became clearer and she looked much better without all that acne and her hair neatly brushed. She now bowed to Akaza and Douma whenever she saw them...although her dirty looks were still something she needed to work on. And her handwriting was becoming much much better! To be fair probably anyone's handwriting would quickly become better if they were forced to spend hours doing nothing every day but writing and writing and writing and being forced to do it the correct way or else be slapped by a wooden sensu fan and forced to rewrite what she messed up specifically over and over again until she improved it.
Although there was ONE bump in the road. And that was whenever Douma decided to make his presence known to her.
"What are you two doing?"
Yoko trembled in fear as she bowed to the tall figure looming in the doorway that suddenly opened up, as Yuukihime calmly bowed to him,"Good afternoon, Lord Upper Two. It has been a while. I am teaching Yoko how to write poetry to better improve her writing skills. We are starting with the first form. A haiku."
There was that intense stare he always gave when regarding the young girl trembling before him. The kind she understood now that she had much more context. It wasn't Yoko herself that Douma was concerned about, it was that she represented a fault of his. A loose end he found out his carelessness caused and one he desired to fix by getting rid of it. However it wasn't one he could not so easily do now. And Douma knew that. He stared not at her but the paper the girl had been writing on.
"Oh, how delightful!" He clapped his hands together. "There's nothing more pretty than a poem written by a lady." He held out his hand. "Can I read it?"
The same pattern as Akaza. Searching for anything suspicious. Unfortunately for them, she had already foreseen this coming and prepared accordingly.
"Of course! I would very much appreciate it if you wouldn't mind giving us your thoughts on her progress since you knew her longer." She gestured to a secondary stack of papers in the corner. "I've been collecting notes to look back on. After all if she's going to represent me, she'll need to know how to properly carry herself as a lady."
Douma looked very much interested in that stack of paper but smiled at her all the same. Gazing right through the trembling bowing girl. "I would be honored."
She gladly got up herself and handed Douma all Yoko's writing assignments including the unfinished haiku from the table. There was nothing to hide because Yuukihime had not made anything to hide. After all she was teaching Yoko. Not discussing escape plans with her. Oh no no no. That would defy the purpose of her long time investment. So with each flip of a paper, every word of ink those stain glass like eyes glazed over, Yuukihime only smiled silently as the demon searched for something that would surely condemn him. Something he could show to Akaza and convince him to get what Douma wanted. But there was nothing. Repeated alphabets. Poorly written poetry. Descriptions of nature and animals. Some paragraphs Yuukihime made Yoko copy from some of her many books Akaza brought her. Repetitions of words she forced Yoko to write until bedtime. Not once did the man look up as he carefully read through each one, nor did he say a word as each paper was slowly placed back down in a neat stack next to him. Until he had gotten to the most recent one. The unfinished haiku Yuukihime specifically told her to write. He stared at it for a long moment.
'The ice. Beautiful.
It is deadly the same. Unknown-'
He stared at the poem. Those eyes snapped up so fast to the girl who flinched under those piercing orbs, just his eyes. Not his head. He knew what the poem was about. Yoko knew he knew what the poem was about. Yuukihime knew he knew she knew what the poem was about. But she still smiled all the same.
"What does Lord Douma think so far?"
Douma turned his eyes to her smile. Slowly he turned to her and closed his eyes in a grin. "It seems unfinished, so I can't judge something that's incomplete. It'd be unfair to her if I did so."
"Well I asked her to write a poem on her thoughts about you."
Immediately the girl paled looking about ready to faint, as the demon now turned that piercing gaze onto the oiran who smiled calmly at him. Her head tilted making the silver bira bira on the sides of her head shake with her movements.
"A poem about me?" He gave a happy laugh a hand pressed to his chest. "My, my. I'm flattered. What ever gave you such an idea?"
"Practice and insights. Many haikus are written about all different subjects. Nature, people, the heavens, gods- I believe there should not be any secrets between myself and my students."
"No secrets. Hm. So what does this poem tell you about me?"
"That she fears you. Which is understandable." She turned to give the pale girl a look. "As her Lord you have a right to punish her for her rude behavior towards you as you see fit, and of course she does not understand why you do things. But she will learn. I will teach her to understand. She's already making progress as we speak."
The demon tilted his head at her. "You plan to teach her my own philosophy?"
"If I can. If I can't, I will teach her not to question and respect it." Oh. Yuukihime WAS going to teach her some of her philosophy. Not Douma's but the philosophy of survival for a woman. For now it was a part of a plan to get Douma's attention off Yoko and back onto Yuukihime. "It's not her place to question that. However the poem she used to described you is very accurate I believe."
"How so?"
She dared to reach through the doorway to point at the paper. "She uses ice to describe you, which makes sense if you can control such an element. Ice is beautiful in the light, same as your lordship. Ice is also deadly, which if you're more powerful than Lord Akaza also makes sense." She held up a finger. "Demons are by far much stronger than humans and you are by far much stronger than any other demon I have met with the exception of Lord Upper One. That makes you deadly to them. And 'unknown'. To a mere human, demons are very unknown to us. There's so much we do not know about you all respectfully."
Douma stared at Yuukihime a long moment, glanced at Yoko whom jumped again, looked back to Yuukihime whom still smiled. "You don't seem bothered."
"Why would I? I understand all demons do not have the same dietary preferences as Lord Akaza. He prefers more men. You prefer more women. As merely your concubine it is not my place to question your decisions but to just accept them as that is what your master desires. Shall Yoko's writing be in any need of improvements, Your Lordship?"
Douma again gazed at her with his brows rising a centimeter. The whole point of doing this WAS to be perfectly open and honest about everything. If Douma did not think there was anything to hide, then there would be a lesser chance of him suspecting things later when they mattered more. When they needed things to be kept hidden from his eyes.
He hummed tapping his chin as he looked at the paper..and then pointed at the kanji for 'beautiful'. "This one is slightly crooked. See how it slants more left than any of the others?"
She slowly took the paper to glance at it before nodding. "Very well. Yoko!" She jumped when the oiran snapped at her and turned the paper over to face her. "You will write 'beautiful' thirty times and then restart your haiku. But first you will thank Lord Douma for his precious time and help...Go on."
Yoko shakily bowed to the demon.
Good.
Honestly Yoko wasn't wrong in her comparison of ice. Cold, unfeeling, hollow, unfeeling, deadly- Hm. There was so many comparisons between Douma and the ice he wields. So many ways both could kill as well.
"Do you remember what he told you about it?"
Eyes that had been previously watching the girl's hand for even the slightest signs of daring to push the bristles against paper harder than they should glanced up and over to the demon who was sitting less than two yards away. Douma had previously been watching with mild interest whenever Yuukihime struck Yoko's hand with her sensu, but now those hollowed eyes stared at her with something akin to-..
She knew that look instantly.
After all how could she not? Every man and even some women gave her those eyes. Want. Not the regular want that made someone decide they wanted rice and fried meat for breakfast. Not the more greedy want that made some commit crimes like theft. No. THIS want was the most dangerous one. One that Yoshiwara was known for all too well.
"I beg pardon, Lord Douma. I remember many things all of you tell me. You will have to be specific."
Those eyes didn't change. "There was a very big reason why Kokushibo-dono chose Akaza to house you." He sing songed. "And I am referring to your blood.~"
Ah. "Oh, yes. Lord Akaza told me all about a marechi." Her hand struck out-
SLAP!!
Yoko flinched. The sensu fan not hitting her but pointing at a specific kanji in the middle of a long line of poetry she was writing, the loud sound echoing from the impact on the table.
"That kanji is sloppily made!" Her voice was firm and cold. "'Flower'. Does that kanji look like it says 'flower'? I don't think so! Clearly whoever taught you to write didn't stress the importance of neatness! Start over and copy what you did write correctly on another paper." Her eyes narrowed. "This time you will do it so neat that even the empress would be impressed!" Then as if nothing happened she calmly turned back to the demon. "I do beg pardon. Yes. He told me the effects it's rarity has on demons."
He stared at her for three seconds unchanging before smiling wider with raised brow. "I bet he didn't tell you all of them.~"
'All of them?' She turned her head to him fully now ignoring the way Yoko was trembling and clearly nervous before the demon sitting before the both of them. What does that mean? Akaza had clearly explained that she was already considered a delicacy. Hell. Daki had said the same exact thing with her sneer of she was lucky the demoness wasn't hungry at the moment or else she would've eaten her where she laid out before them like a banquet. Oh yes. There was also the fact that eating her ...or drinking her blood was equal to eating a hundred normal humans. It still sent disgust down her spine. The way Douma was grinning amused however-...What other effects did he mean?
"You're confused.~ It looks cute on you!"
"Thank you. But I also do not have any idea of what you mean. I am aware if I am not careful, a demon might decide to kill and eat me regardless of your orders."
His head tilted up from where it sat in his hand, now holding it up by under his chin as he grinned. "Yes, but it seems Akaza-dono still wishes to protect your innocence! Hahaha! As if he's not also effected by your blood's allure.~"
"Allure?"
He nodded smiling happily. Allure. Alright. Allure could mean many things. It could mean he found her absolutely beautiful which he already did, but in the context of Douma spoke of her supposed innocence it could-...Her face went blank as he happily smiled at her.
"....You mean-"
"Yes."
"I-"
"Am a walking aphrodisiac to whomever smells you." He shrugged as if she wasn't staring at him like he just grew another head. This time Yoko stopped to pause and look up at the conversation she was forced to unfortunately overhear. "And it's a lot more stronger in you specifically for some reason. You smell absolutely divine. Like nothing any of else has ever smelt before. Usually marechi are sweet and savory to begin with, like sweetened pork grilled slowly and then given special spices if I had to explain the tastes in a way you'd understand." He pointed at her with his other finger. "You however-...Hm. I'm not sure why you of all marechi are so different. Perhaps it's because you are born and bred in Yoshiwara where the standards for beauty are higher? Not sure but if I had to compare the difference..Your blood is like a prime steak grilled to perfection just enough to leave it juicy and tender accompanied with a cup of honey sweetened sake if I had to compare it to human food." He smiled wider. "The smell alone can cause immense hunger and lust from a regular marechi. I wonder how your blood effects other demons."
Both women slowly looked at one another.
"I-...Thank you for telling me, Lord Douma." She slowly cleared her throat regaining her composure. "I shall keep that in mind going forward."
"It's no wonder those three fought over you like that." He laughed behind a hand. "I wouldn't be so willing to give you up myself if you were given up to me."
"Your willingness to pursue me from others' grasps is flattering, Lord Douma. Thank you."
Now tonight had started off like every other regular night. Yuukihime had gotten herself ready and was pleased to find Yoko was already up and had gotten herself properly presented as well. She was learning fast! Yuukihime was very proud of her. They had breakfast, Yuukihime walked up and down the hallway for an hour, and then she returned to her room finding Yoko sitting in front of the table already writing some words without her telling her too. She wasn't smashing the brush into the paper anymore and her handwriting wasn't sloppy anymore. It was neat. Not elegant like Yuukihime had been beaten into learning, but neat was good enough as long as she kept it up. So instead she walked over to her bookshelf, pulled out three of the nineteen books Akaza had given her, and turned to Yoko whom was in the middle of writing a sentence about the sky.
"Yoko." The girl turned her Jade green eyes up to her immediately in question. "Your handwriting has improved, however don't you dare think this means you can forget what I've taught you. From now on you must write as neatly as I've taught you to do. Understand?" She nodded. "Good. We'll move onto your next step in training." She held out the three books to her. "You are going to practice your reading until you've read all nineteen of these books. I will start you off with these three. You will read them all the way through and then bring them back to me. Once you've read all the books then we'll move onto your next lessons."
The girl actually lit up in joy when presented the books. She supposed having to hide the fact she could read and write from Douma for who knows how long meant she couldn't actually read anything in fear of getting caught. She placed the brush down, stood up, and reached out for the books- When that biwa note went off. The door slide open immediately, and the two were presented with the group of demons staring at them.
And now here she was stuck facing not only Douma but five out of the seven Upper Moon Four and a seventh mystery demon she didn't recognize. Yoko stayed bowed rubbing where the oiran struck her upper arm. Yuukihime didn't exactly want to, but she couldn't act soft in front of them nor could she let Yoko not get it through her head her behavior could offend them and get her killed!
Immediately a pair of yellow eyes lit up as Urogi shot at her- "Babydoll- ACK!!"
Only for Sekido's foot to slam down on the other's back, slamming him to the floor with a crunching sound coming from the spine he crushed. The anger clone did not look happy as he seethed at his avian brother's stupidity. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED, YOU FOOL!?" He applied pressure to a hissing Urogi. "Akaza will seek out Hantengu and devour him without hesitation if any of us step a foot into his domain! Or did you forget what he had done to us a mere few months ago!?"
What had Akaza done to the seven demons in question? Her eyes turned to Karaku who paled at just the mention of Akaza and Aizetsu's face frowned harder. Urami only quietly watched calmly quirking a brow higher when Urogi snapped his head around with a crack sound to hiss at Sekido like a snake. She knew the seven had challenged Akaza's position and title and failed miserably, thus the sakura haired demon had taken Aizetsu's naginata as a trophy and crudely nailed it to his wall alongside his other trinkets. Eventually the red eyed man released Urogi who hissed a second time at him, his wings stretched out to flap a few times shaking out his body as Urogi crawled on all fours back next to Karaku. To his credit he listened to Sekido's orders and didn't try to approach again.
"Please do not be too harsh on him, Lord Sekido." She faked a concerned look at the yellow eyed demon. "It has been so long since we've seen one another. His happiness is understandable. I am very happy to know you all are doing well." Go to hell fuckers!
A cooing sound came from Karaku as the green eyed man immediately leaned over and zeroed in on the young girl beside Yuukihime with a kind of interest that immediately make Yuukihime stand guard. "Hey. Who's that cute little creature next to you?~" The interest in his eyes on the frozen Yoko was the same kind men gave young girls in Yoshiwara. Too young.
"This is Lord Akaza's new labor girl-" She calmly turned to Yoko mentioning Akaza. "-and my new student. Lord Akaza has agreed to let me teach her so she may better assist me in whatever I need."
Immediately the mention of Akaza had gotten the desired effect. Karaku's hesitation. She could see it in the way he stared at Yoko now. Not as a possible 'toy' but now as a possible threat to avoid, and what she said wasn't lying. Akaza was using Yoko as labor to replace Yuukihime's work in the meantime and as a way for her to have company and help whenever he was away despite she was originally Douma's, but there was one thing she learnt quickly. No matter how small it was or what it was really, demons were very territorial of anything they considered theirs. So if Akaza considered Yoko his property, then that means if anyone else touched his property like they had done with her-
Well perhaps Sekido's fears would come true.
"What brings you all to visit us today?" She steered the conversation away from the girl back onto herself.
Douma lit up immediately. "Oh! Of course! Thank you for reminding me." The tall demon briefly stood up from the gigantic cushion he sat himself upon and turned around to reach around behind it. A moment later he flopped back around and in his hand was a wooden box about four inches high and about as long as the books she held. The smiling demon paid no mind to everyone who stood or sat around him as he opened the box and carefully started pulling out small paper cards..Hanafuda cards. Like from the game she played against Douma not too long ago. The demons shuffled those cards expertly between light blue claws that's killed probably tons of nameless people right through his fingers. "We're having a game of hatchi-hatchi." Her head tilted in genuine confusion and interest, which Douma noticed. "You know this game?"
"I know of it." Of course she knew it.
Hatchi-hatchi was a gambling game.
An illegal gambling game.
Hatchi-hatchi and koi-koi were among the most popular ways to gamble and, even though it's illegal- Many, many, many illegal games were held in secret behind the houses in alleyways with the only light to see by were stolen candles or the moon, in rooms guests 'rented' for the night only to gamble safely from prying eyes, in the woods just outside of Yoshiwara- Basically anywhere someone could get away with it in case a fight broke out or a murder over money happened. Of course as a 'respectable' oiran from a 'respectable' house, she was not taught hatchi-hatchi, instead she learnt it by watching and listening to Sakuno and his guests indulge. Yuukihime did know koi-koi as it technically wasn't illegal but she was not good at it as really no customers asked her to play a card game used for illegal gambling.
"I've heard in the last few years it's become the most popular way to gamble."
Douma nodded before leaning forward and began to deal out the beautifully hand painted cards in seven ways between the seven demons until each demon had seven cards each and the rest were placed on the ground between them all. He himself leaned back in the cushion and reached for that same kiseru pipe and the set that came with it..But something was wrong. Wordlessly she watched the seven demons all grabbing their own cards. Briefly Karaku tried to lean over Urogi's shoulder- Before the man snapped on him and hissed at Karaku pulling away. The others seemed unbothered. Sekido and Aizetsu wordlessly looked at their own decks. Urami hummed once rubbing his chin as he looked at the cards comically small in his hands already calculating it's pros and cons. The mystery demon whom she still didn't know the name of slowly sat down and helped himself to a second kiseru pipe and tobacco Douma wordlessly slid across the floor towards him with a foot. Douma himself was already lighting his pipe and sucking on the end to get that sweet smell of tabacco going. So what was wrong with this scene?
Where was the prize?
She looked all around their laps, the floor, and even at the parts of the room they weren't occupying. No money. No valuable jewels. There wasn't even any 'human meat' they could've been playing for. There was no sense in playing a gambling game with nothing to win or lose. Yuukihime doubted they were playing for fun. Unless-...Why else would Douma want to summon her here? Were they playing for her? For her blood? A piece of her meat?
"...Take these books," Yoko flinched when she calmly turned to her and placed the three books in her hands. "Go sit in the corner and start reading. If I need you, I'll call your name."
"A woman reading? All she needs to know how to do is how to cook and clean and bare a man's young," Sekido's voice came from beside her. "What kind of nonsense are you filling her head?"
She smiled back to Sekido. SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU MANGLED PIECE OF SHIT!! "Not nonsense. It's a wonderful collection of folklore. Everyone should know their culture. I'm having her read 'The Tengu's Gourd' first. It's about a gambler who meets a tengu yokai."
Urami made a face. "That evil man frightened the poor tengu when he was being nothing but honest, then he had the gull to take it's prized possession! An accurate display of how evil humans are."
Fuck you too then.
Yuukihime calmly sat upon her knees and watched the demons hem and haw over their cards. Hatch-hatchi was a game where you had to decide whether to cut your losses and pay the fine or to go with it and score more or lose more than what the fee was. It was a 'pay to play' game. So each demon HAD to pay SOMETHING in order to play..But what did they pay with?
"Lord Douma?" The demon hummed but didn't look up from his own cards sucking on that pipe. "What is exactly being played with?" Now his eyes did look up at her. "This is a gambling game, but I see no money."
He turned his head to the side, slowly exhaling the smoke out before giving her a grin Yuukihime didn't particularly like. "Oh that. There is money, but there is also some other materials we're being offered."
"You mean labor?"
"Sometimes! I'm actually offering up one of my best bottles!" He gave a look at Sekido who accepted a kiseru pipe and snuff of tobacco passed to him by Aizetsu. "Sekido was very interested in it! It's a ise nishiki I had gotten about...thirty nine years ago now. It's one of the few marechi bottles I have."
The mystery demon looked interested now humming. "How did you prepare this one?"
"Oh, this one is special. I drank half the bottle, filled the rest with the blood of a marechi foreigner, and added exactly two spoonfuls of honey. Sealed it tightly and it's been within my 'special room' aging ever since."
His brows rose interested. "A foreign marechi? Hm...Never had one of those. Now I'm really invested in this game."
"He was some kind of spiritual person I think? Came all the way from a place called-...Hm. I can quite remember. I think it started with an F. Anyways, he kept insisting on me helping him establish himself here so I did!" By that he meant he ate him and therefore is now 'a part of him' too. "I wasn't about to let a rare marechi go to waste after all. Oh, wait! You two haven't been properly introduced yet. How rude of me." Douma gestured to her as the demon looked at her again. "Yuukihime, this is Hairo! He's a captain for the Keisatsu in Minoh City."
Hairo? She really gazed at him. The man was completely monochrome. Greys, blacks, and white made up his flesh except for the bright blue pupils of his eyes that held the kanji 'Lower Moon Two' in them. His suit was quite militant in design from the hard leather boots, to the strange hat he wore. Yet he sat there all the same staring at her with a grin and quirked brow. No one had mentioned a 'Hairo' before so this demon like Kokushibo she did not know how to act around. Except for one way.
The way all men liked women. Obedient. Pretty. Compliant.
So she bowed so deep to the man her forehead nearly touched her knees. "It's an honor to meet Lord Lower Two. Pardon my mistake when greeting you as merely Lord Douma's guest instead of the true respect your rank entails. I shall not make the same mistake again."
The demon rose a brow taking in the woman before him before turning back to Douma with a grin. "Well, how do you like that? Already broken her in."
"Lord Muzan was very good in his choices. Yuukihime has not once disobeyed or showed any sign of disobedience."
"Yoshiwara tends to breed these kinds of women." Blue orbs looked at her as she slowly leaned back up. "Or she's too scared to do anything else. Her smell is..different I'll give you that. Not exactly hard on the eyes either.~"
"Watch your mouth, Lower Two!," Sekido snapped at the man. "That's my wife we're being forced to let you gaze upon!"
Hairo rose a brow back at Sekido without fear despite the difference in ranks. "I thought she was everyone's. It's not going to hurt anyone to sample what's shared." He made a point of smiling at Yuukihime who smiled back. "Especially someone who's manners are as lovely as her eyes.~"
Now if Hairo had been a normal human, Yuukihime would admit that he WOULD be rather dashingly handsome. The same the rest of these demons were just like Douma. Her mind screamed at him to go throw himself off a waterfall! However she decided to play into this. So she did what she always did when a customer gave her a compliment. Make him feel like he was the only man in the world to ever treat her right. She perfectly blinked with a surprised face slightly...Before turning her head slightly for her sleeve to cover her lower face and gave the perfect shy act of snapping her sensu fan open and fluttered at her face.
"Oh my...You are the first one to compliment me on my mannerism, Lord Hairo. Even though I showed you disrespect beforehand..Thank you very much."
Four eyes of red, yellow, green, and blue stared at her..before slowly one by one looking at Hairo whom only smiled and reached a hand up to tip his hat towards her with a wink making her now giggle from behind the fan perfectly sounding like a young girl who's crush noticed her. Sekido felt his eyelid twitch staring at Hairo..before looking at Douma lounging carefree with a kiseru pipe and staring back at him. To Yuukihime's surprise he didn't burst into anger or chew the lower rank out, then she noticed the calm way Douma looked at him. It was calm, but it was obviously a look of waiting. He was waiting to see what the anger demon would do. It would seem even Douma wouldn't tolerate certain bad behaviors.
Instead Sekido held his tongue and snapped back to the cared he squeezed in one hand releasing a low growl no human could make. "When is this dam game starting already! I already gave up a hundred yen just to be here!"
"I'd like to know too." Aizetsu looked at Hairo. "Hitachi-hitachi is usually a game for three to seven players but this deck has enough added cards for ten people."
"Of course! You see I extended an invitation to all the Kizuki! A friendly game of hitachi-hitachi with kiseru, sake, and fine dining just between all of my colleagues. Unfortunately you all were the only ones interested in it, my last guests should be here any moment now. Gyutaro and Daki unfortunately will be late because they had gotten hungry."
Karaku immediately froze up. His hand which had been moving one card in the deck to the other side had also frozen up..the card fluttering from in between his fingers down to his cross legged lap. She knew that look. It wasn't fear perse, but more so horror and shock mixed within. Sekido and Aizetsu both exchanged looks. A knowing look that meant something, maybe trouble. Urogi snickered into his wings. Urami merely looked on casually as if this was another day.
"As long as Karaku doesn't out-stupid himself. I am not going to try to bargain for his body back like we had to do last time. Gyutaro had very high demands and I was barely able to find his sister the specific silks she wanted."
Yuukihime blinked. "Bargain for his body? You mean his soul left his body?"
Urogi reared his head back and busted out laughing a LOUD laugh that echoed everywhere and made Yoko jump looking up from her book. "Not even close! hehehehehehehe!!" A finger pointed at the pale Karaku. "Pleasure over here got himself decapitated and his head delivered in a box!!" Yes she knew THAT part because Gyutaro had bragged about it. "They held his body hostage and feasted on him for days! He couldn't regenerate a new head or get help because the genius underestimated a 'pretty little thing' and we were all already split! Hahahahaha!!"
"SHUT UP!!," Karaku snapped at his laughing brother.
"It's your own fault for not doing research on her before pursuing a new demon. If you did then you would've learnt she had a brother." Aizetsu didn't even look at them. "You're lucky we need you for forming Zohakuten otherwise we would've left you there longer. If Gyutaro attacks you again, none of us are helping you."
Oh gods. What did Karaku try to do? She had a good idea.
A door slid open. Karaku froze up again. Yuukihime smiled widely and bowed in greeting.
"I greet Lord and lady Upper Si-..." Her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull.
WHAT IN THE BUDDHA'S SIX REALMS OF HEAVEN WAS THAT WOMAN WEARING!?
Goodness-!! Yoko looked up from her book again- Only to jump when Yuukihime slapped a hand over her eyes before the young girl had a chance to even see Daki walk on in wearing nothing but thin layers of clothing covering. "Yoko. Keep your head down and scoot over to the other side of the room until you can't see through the doorway any more." Yoko's head turned in confusion(still with her eyes covered) but flinched when a sensu fan slapped her knee. "Do it!" Yuukihime hissed at her. She was NOT going to expose this innocent girl to whatever in the eight jingoku hells THAT was! But luckily she was smart enough to add one bit. "If you can't be polite enough to look up from your book to great your Lord and ladies properly, then you can go sit in the corner until I can give you a punishment later!"
Not wanting to risk seeing some horror beyond what she saw at Douma's hands, the girl put her face into her open book and began scooting her bottom back until her back hit the other wall on the far side. The other two books were slid across the floor to her by Yuukihime before she turned in almost horror, immediately finding Daki staring at her.
Uh oh-
"What the hell is that reaction for!?," she demanded at the girl pointing at herself. "Running away from me like I'm some ugly rat! I happen to be the most beautiful woman in all of Yoshiwara!!"
Daki raged as her brother looked behind her regarding her with a look. He stared at her, and quickly pointed his eyes down at his sister. 'You better fix this' is what those eyes were telling her to do immediately. Shit. A mistake. She could lose any good standing with them both after working so hard!
"Not at all, My Lady. If Yoko can't be polite enough to bow to you when you enter then clearly she needs to be trained more. I'm still teaching her so it's my fault for her shameful behavior. Please forgive me. I'll teach her to do better."
"Who is she anyways!? Is she the meal I was promised?"
"She's my servant. Lord Akaza let me keep her for my needs. I'm still teaching her to serve me correctly."
..Daki snapped to her brother. "How come I don't have a servant!?"
"Because you always eat any humans you try to keep," Gyutaro bluntly responded with a roll of his eyes. "Didn't you get new kamuro when you moved into that new House to take her place?" Gyutaro gestured to Yuukihime which made her freeze.
Daki had moved into her House? Taking it over like a parasite from the inside out. Does that mean her old kamuro were now at the mercy of these two sadistic demons!? Kimiko and Mimiko would never survive against them if they spoke to Daki about how 'nice' she had been to them. They'd be killed the first chance they upset Daki by comparing her to Yuukihime or if she found them annoying or got hungry or her brother got hungry or decided they knew him too much to be kept alive-
"Those obsidian eyed brats? Tch." She scoffed rolling her eyes. "Please. No matter how many times I show them, they can't even hold a brush straight!"
Wait. Obsidian eyes? Black eyes. Kimiko and Mimiko never had black eyes. Their eyes were both orange-coppery colored. Like rust covering amber. So that means who ever were the unfortunate children Daki had as kamuro now..Couldn't possibly be the twins. She was both relieved and still afraid. Were they alright? Did they leave when they had the chance or were they caught and sold off separately? Were they with their brother again or living somewhere all alone? Were they still at Heavens House just not Daki's kamuro? She didn't know. Couldn't ask or else their deaths would be on her head like Eri's and Sakuno's was.
Gyutaro only hummed but turned and walked on over to where Douma was waving them over with a big grin. "Gyutaro! Daki! It's been too long again! I'm so happy you both agreed to play with us all today! Did you bring the payment?"
Gyutaro nodded wordlessly passing him a pink obi belt that had the strangest pattern Yuukihime had seen. It was one of Daki's pink belts but a beautiful courtesan was weaved into the pattern. Never seen one like that before but it was pretty art. Guess this was their payment to be able to play the game. Douma cooed over it as he carefully took it looking it over.
"Whoa. She's so pretty. Whoever wins tonight will definitely be lucky to have her!" He gently set it to the side and picked up the deck in front of him. "Take a seat and I'll deal you both in!"
She STILL did not understand Daki's shameful attire! She only focused on looking at her face and not her body to rile her back up as both her and her brother plopped themselves across from Karaku and Hairo...Gyutaro stared at the green eyed demon who's pointed ears dropped against his head...Daki was picked up with a 'hey' and forcibly switched places so HE was sat across from Karaku's sweating form. Gyutaro didn't look angry or mad or even annoyed. He just stared right through him as the two sat there unmoving and staring. Urogi snorted at the situation. He didn't look up even when Daki poked his shoulder and held out the seven cards for him..shaking her hand when he was slow to take it from her. Daki herself looked at her cards with an annoyed look....She again looked at her brother with a pout. Without even asking, her brother gladly just traded with her silently. This time Daki smiled looking at her new cards.
They now knew what each other's cards were. Was that allowed? Wasn't that cheating?
No one seemed to care. Gyutaro's eyes narrowed at the sweating paled demon before finally looking down at his cards...Turned his head sideways, rose a brow, and hummed. A hand rubbed his chin. "Not a bad hand considering."
Douma clasped his hands together rubbing them. "Alright! Now that everyone's here we can finally play! Food and Sake will be served in ten more minutes!"
Where was her cards then? If she wasn't a prize or playing then why was Yuukihime here summoned by Douma?
"Remember!," The highest ranking demon said as he picked up his deck. "The winner gets everything paid for and no fighting over losses! I host these for fun and so we can have nice quality time together! Food and saki will be provided with the kiseru."
Daki looked at Urami smoking from a pipe comically too small in his giant hand as he studied his cards. Then she turned to Karaku and his pipe before scowling and pointing at it! Gyutaro reached out to a frozen Karaku, and stole his kiseru pipe with a growl before turning and handing it to Daki who smiled at her new enjoyment. Karaku's share of a tobacco bag was also snatched from his lap and given to his sister. However Daki proceeded to do something that surprised Yuukihime. Instead of being greedy and smoking it herself, she expertly stuffed the pipe and held it up to her brother's mouth. Gyutaro accepted it holding it for his sister to light it for him with a hiuchigane to light it. She was surprised the she was sharing so willingly with her brother first when SHE was clearly the one who wanted it. But what surprised her more was Gyutaro. Not that Gyutaro smoked, but the way he held the kiseru pipe. It was expertly held the same way Yuukihime was taught to hold it by Tsuyusaki. So Gyutaro knew how to hold and operate a kiseru pipe like an oiran as well as how to do an oiran's hair. Was it because his sister was an oiran or because he was in Yoshiwara for so long watching the other women do it that it was a learnt trait?
He sucked on the pipe for a moment before handing it back to his sister who eagerly took it, facing Karaku again, he hissed releasing the smoke into his direction making the green eyed man visibly gulp and look back to his cards. ....Yuukihime felt no pity for him and a little glee at seeing him squirm.
"Has everyone paid now? Yes? Good. Let's start the first round. Whoever wins gets the grand prize of a kiss from the fair maiden.~"
Yuukihime stopped fanning herself immediate. Yoko comically slowly looked over her book again as both processed the words.
WHAT?!
TAISHO SECRETS:
-Everyone at the table knows how to gamble. Douma LOVES hosting these parties and inviting others. The clones all know card games because they've visited illegal gambling houses before but only Urogi and Karaku are actually good at it, Zohakuten sees it as beneath him and Hantengu is too scared of Douma and Akaza to risk showing up. Urami is decently good at it but not to the same level of Urogi and Karaku since he plays it more as a fun hobby than an adrenaline rush.
-Gyutaro actually controls the gambling crowds in Yoshiwara's back alley's. He makes a decent profit off it and knows a lot about it since. As a human he could often be a debt collector for gambler's who couldn't pay off as well so he already has the practice. As a result Daki also has knowledge of how to play because of their shared memories although she doesn't like it as much as her brother does.
-Hairo also knows a fair bit of gambling. Dirty cop demon. What can I say? Oh he punishes the gamblers who don't comply and bend to his commands? It's so easy. After all who would believe a filthy gambler over a respectable policeman if they try to tell everyone who's really calling all the shots in Minoh City.
-VOCAB-
Ink Stone (Suzuri, 硯): The stone itself is carved with a flat grinding surface (oka) and a lower well to pool the ink (umi). The surface has a microscopic texture called hobou that acts like extremely fine sandpaper.
Ink Stick (Sumi, 墨): Made of compressed pine or oil soot and animal glue. You rub the end of this solid stick against the wet stone to release the pigment.
Water Dropper (suiteki, 水滴): A small traditional vessel used to carefully add just a few drops of water to the stone, as too much water makes the grinding process difficult.
Haiku: A haiku is a traditional Japanese poetic form consisting of unrhymed lines with a 5, 7, and 5 syllable structure. Designed to capture a fleeting moment in nature, it typically evokes a specific season or mood while drawing a subtle connection to the human condition.
Hachi-Hachi: Also known as “88,” is a traditional hanafuda game for primarily 3 to 6 players, although it can accomodate 2 or 7 with modifications. It features a complicated scoring and payment system (which makes it suitable for cash gambling), including both hand combinations and captured combinations.
Koi-Koi: is a popular card game in Japan played with hanafuda.[1] The phrase "koi-koi" means "come on" in Japanese[2] which is said when the player wants to continue the round.
Fave colour: any shade of blue
Watching: rewatching Kny and started binging the OG Inuyasha
Reading: Mostly fanfiction but The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night is a good book Im reading too!
Last search: A LOT of research of Taisho era Japan.
Current phone wallpaper: my pet :)
Tagging: @drowning-socks @dangorabbit08 @thequeenpapaya @carriedlikeabriefcase @plushkokushibo6 @lavenderdropp @that-one-weird-simp @iron-embers @hantengudelulu @levertons and anyone else who wants to do this!
How is everyone watching legend of aang when it’s not even in theaters yet?😭
hi anon!
it’s because this movie was accidentally leaked and you can watch it in HD on pirated sites like 123cine and etc. though, i hope everyone rewatch it once it’s out again to thank the animators for their hardwork. i recently got into this fandom. it’s been good for me, i hope to rewatch it once it’s officially out.
The curses tears out of him the moment the webbing jerks tight from his wrists, pale strands snapping firm against the iron lamppost like they’ve got a personal grudge. A second later, they haul him upward with brutal force, and he slams into the brick wall hard enough to knock the breath right out of him. Boots scraping for purchase where there ought to be none, he catches himself on the sheer stone and keeps going, because apparently gravity is just a suggestion for him.
Below him, the city doesn’t care. The streets hum on, busy and oblivious. Cars crawl through traffic, headlights smearing across wet pavement. Somewhere down there, a little kid no older than three points up at the sky with all the wonder in the world, thumb half-out of his mouth. His mother doesn’t look up once. She only pushes the stroller faster.
He vaults the rooftop in one clean, desperate motion.
Up here, the wind bites harder. October has finally settled in, dragging cold air and rattling windows behind it. His hoodie snaps at his back as he runs, shoulders forward, feet pounding over gravel and tar until he slams through the rooftop door with a crack of splintering wood.
The stairwell swallows him whole. Dim light. Tight walls. His footsteps hit the concrete in a frantic rhythm as he takes the stairs two at a time, already reaching for the key in his pocket, fingers clumsy with panic.
“Come on… come on…”
The lock resists him just long enough to be cruel, then gives way with a soft, blessed click.
He bursts into the apartment like he’s escaping a fire.
Aang sits cross-legged on the bed, controller loose in one hand, the blue flicker of the TV washing over his face. He doesn’t even flinch.
“Hey, man,” he says.
Zuko yanks the red-and-black mask off his face like it insulted him personally and tosses it aside. It lands in a heap on the bed as he starts shedding one life for another in a rush. Hoodie off. Gloves off. Suit gone.
What’s left is not much better. Wrinkled black trousers and a shirt that still carries the faint stain of last night’s cheap Chinese takeout, the soy sauce dried into the fabric.
“Should I wear a tie?” Zuko mutters, mostly to himself.
Aang pauses mid-bite, popcorn hovering near his mouth. “Where are you going?”
“The cinema.”
Aang tilts his head, studying him like he’s an interesting species of idiot. “Cute. Then no.”
Zuko exhales, slow and shaky. “Good.”
Aang grins. “So who is she? This new flame of yours?”
“Girl from the decathlon team,” Zuko says, tugging at his sleeves, trying to flatten wrinkles that refuse to die. “Captain, actually.”
Another handful of popcorn disappears into Aang’s mouth, entirely unconcerned with the fact that Zuko’s soul is currently exiting his body.
He turns to the mirror.
Dark hair, stubborn as ever. That birthmark over his left eye. Once, it had been all he could see when he looked at himself. Now it’s just there. Part of the face. Part of the story. Not the whole thing.
“How do I look?” he asks.
Aang doesn’t even look up at first. “Like a washer just spat you out.”
Zuko blinks. “Really?”
“Mhm.” Now Aang looks at him, chewing thoughtfully.
“God,” Zuko mutters, dragging a hand down his face.
He fixes his collar. His hair. Then fixes it again, because apparently stress has decided to live in his fingertips.
“You could just…” Aang waves lazily toward him. “Go as Spider-Man. You’re way more confident with the mask on.”
Zuko shoots him a look sharp enough to cut glass. “I cannot walk up to a girl and say, ‘Hello, I’m Spider-Man.’ What am I, an idiot?”
Aang grins wider. “Worked pretty well with that cute journalist.”
“That’s different,” Zuko snaps. “That’s-” He stops, scowling. “You’re a hollow gourd.”
“I’m sure she’d fall for you,” Aang says, blissfully unconcerned.
“Fuck you.”
Zuko bends to grab his shoes and freezes.
“…Are those my Jordans?”
Aang follows his gaze down to his feet. Guilt hits his face so plainly it almost counts as a confession. “Uh… yeah.”
They stare at each other.
Then Zuko lets out one long, broken breath. “Unbelievable.”
Aang shrugs. “You weren’t using them.”
“I am using them. Now. Tonight.”
“Well…” Aang waggles one foot. “Too late?”
Zuko steps forward and holds out a hand. “Take them off.”
“Come on-”
“Now.”
Aang sighs like a martyr heading to his doom and starts unlacing them. “You know,” he says, working the knot loose, “if this goes badly, you’ll wish you’d worn the mask.”
Zuko snorts. “If this goes badly, I’m never leaving this room again.”
Aang hands over the left shoe. “That bad?”
“You don’t know her.”
“No,” Aang says, settling back against the bed. “But I know you. And you’ll either crash and burn spectacularly…” he tosses the right shoe toward him, “…or somehow pull it off and pretend you meant to.”
Zuko shakes his head, though a faint smile keeps tugging at his mouth. He laces up the Jordans and stands, shoulders squaring like he’s preparing for battle instead of a date.
“Right,” he says. “I’m going.”
Aang gives him a lazy salute. “Try not to die.”
The door slams behind him like thunder.
For a moment, he lingers on the landing, breath tight in his chest.
He could take the bus. He should take the bus. Normal people take the bus.
Then he turns around and goes back inside.
Aang doesn’t even look up. “Changed your mind?”
“No,” Zuko says, reaching for the mask again. “Just getting there faster.”
Aang grins. “Webs?”
Zuko nods once.
“Sweet.”
And then he’s gone again.
Out in the cooling dusk, he pulls the mask down and climbs with that strange, reckless certainty he only ever finds up high. Rooftops welcome him back like old grudges. He leaps.
The city opens beneath him.
Rivers of light. Distant voices. A thousand lives moving below without noticing the one cutting through the dark overhead. His web catches, pulls, releases. Again. Again. Faster, higher, cleaner. The wind tears at him, and he loves it for that. Up here, there’s no doubt. No hesitation. Just motion.
Near the cinema, he drops into a narrow alley, boots whispering against damp brick. He pulls off the mask and stuffs it into his pocket, then steps out into the light... and sees you.
You’re just beyond the theater glow, head bowed, music murmuring faintly through your earphones. A Diamond Rio (the music player) rests in your hand, thumb brushing over it absently while you watch your shoes like they’ve got secrets to tell.
Beautiful.
No. Worse than that.
The most beautiful girl he has ever seen.
Zuko straightens so fast it’s almost comical, shoving the mask deeper into his pocket and wiping his hands on his trousers like that’s going to do anything about the fact that they’ve suddenly got very sweaty.
You look up.
“Hey,” you say.
His heart stutters so hard it should probably be illegal. “Hey,” he answers, and the word comes out weird, like it had to force its way past his throat. “You, uh…” He gestures vaguely, then hates himself immediately for it. “You got tickets, or…?”
“I was waiting for you.”
He lets out a breath that is almost a laugh, almost relief. “Right. Yeah. That makes sense. Sorry I’m late.”
You smile, faintly amused by his nerves. “No problem. I’ve waited longer.”
Heat climbs up his neck at once. “So,” he says, because if he doesn’t keep talking he may simply evaporate on the spot. “Cinema.”
“Unless you’ve changed your mind,” you tease.
“No! No, of course not,” he says too fast. “I love movies. Donnie Darko. I mean, Jake Gyllenhaal. Great… actor…” The sentence dies slowly and painfully in the air.
You smile anyway. “Let’s go.”
He nods, deeply grateful that you seem too kind to mock him yet, and falls into step beside you.
He’s already seen the film, technically. Studied it, even, just in case. He’d wanted to be prepared for this. For you. It turns out preparation is useless when the actual thing is walking beside him. You say hello and his brain immediately starts smoking.
“Two tickets for Donnie Darko,” you say, pulling him back to earth.
You reach for your wallet. Zuko pats his pockets. Right. Left. Back. Nothing.
“I, uh-”
But you’ve already paid, smiling like it’s nothing at all.
Zuko finds five crumpled dollars in his shirt pocket and clutches them like an emergency beacon. “I’ll get popcorn,” he says quickly. “And a drink. For you.”
If Zuko had imagined the worst, the evening still manages to be worse in ways he never thought possible.
The theater swallows them in darkness and buttery air, the smell of popcorn thick as fog. He sits beside you stiff as a man awaiting sentencing, popcorn balanced on his knee, hands hovering uselessly because they do not seem to belong to him anymore.
“So… uh…” he starts, then immediately wants to die. Fantastic beginning. Truly. A sentence that should win awards for panic.
You glance at him, patient.
“The… cinematography,” he tries again, lowering his voice as the previews start rolling. “It’s… good.”
You blink. “You’ve seen it already?”
Shit.
“No!” he says at once. Too quickly. “I mean, heard. From people. Many people. Who watch… films.”
You smile, just a little. Not unkindly, which somehow makes it worse. Then the lights dim further and he movie starts.
For a while, there’s blessed silence, and he clings to it like it’s the last solid thing in the world. Ten minutes pass. Then twenty. And somehow it becomes unbearable.
He leans a little closer. Casual, he tells himself, though nothing about him feels casual.
“So… Jake Gyllenhaal,” he whispers.
You turn toward him, confused. “What about him?”
Play dumb.
“He’s… very… Jake Gyllenhaal in this,” Zuko says.
Not that dumb!
“…Yes,” you say slowly.
He nods like he’s just contributed something meaningful to the conversation, then turns back to the screen and wishes the darkness might swallow him whole.
A little later, his hand brushes yours in the popcorn bucket.
He freezes.
This is it. This is how things begin, isn’t it? Hands brushing. Fingers lingering. He’s seen it. Read it. Studied it in far less terrifying movies.
Do not pull away, his brain scolds him.
Instead, his reflexes commands him to jerk back like he’s been shocked, and a small cascade of popcorn rains straight into your lap.
“Shit! Sorry, I-”
“It’s okay,” you say, laughing softly as you brush the kernels away.
Laughing. At him? Maybe. Probably not, but that’s not how it feels to him anyway.
“Great,” he mutters under his breath. “Perfect.” Damn you, spider senses.
Later, he tries again. This time, he’s going to be bold. Bold men do not whisper about cinematography and shy away at the touch. Bold men act. Bold men seize the moment. Carpe Diem!
He turns toward you, heart hammering, and reaches for your hand too fast, too stiffly. His fingers close around yours. You blink at him. He blinks back.
“...Hi,” he says.
You smile, though it wobbles a little now. “Hi…?”
He lets go at once, as if only just realizing what he’s done. “Sorry. I- thought there was… uh…”
A long pause.
“…a bug,” he finishes weakly.
“A bug.”
“Yes.”
“In the middle of the cinema?”
“…Yes.”
You study him for a second longer, then turn back to the screen, though the corner of your mouth is still lifted with faint, bemused amusement.
By the time the credits roll, Zuko feels like he’s survived a war and lost it on every possible front. His shoulders ache from holding himself together this long. His thoughts are a mess of every stupid thing he’s said and every second he wishes he could erase.
The lights rise slowly. People stir while standing to leave. Zuko sits there for one beat too long, gathering what little dignity he has left.
“Well,” he says at last, forcing composure into his voice. “That was… a film.”
You laugh again, soft and real, and get to your feet. “It was.”
He stands too and follows you into the aisle, uncertain, unsteady, like the floor might suddenly vanish beneath him.
Outside, the night air hits cool and sharp. You walked side by side beneath the streetlamps, the city dim and quiet around you. Zuko keeps his hands at his sides, fingers twitching with the urge to do something, anything useful. Words have failed him once already. He doesn’t trust them not to betray him again.
“You’re quieter now,” you say at last, glancing over at him.
“I’ve said enough,” he mutters.
A small smile touches your lips. “You weren’t that bad.”
He stops walking.
“Not that bad?” He repeats, like he’s testing the phrase for hidden meaning.
“Yes,” you say, turning to face him beneath the lamplight. “Just… a little intense.”
“A little.”
“A little.”
That gets the faintest ghost of a smile out of him. He starts walking again.
“I don’t usually do this,” he says after a moment.
“Dates?” you ask.
He grimaces. “If that’s what this was.”
You laugh softly. “What did you think it was?”
“A tactical failure?”
That earns him a real laugh this time, and it hangs between you, warm despite the cold.
“You’re funny,” you say.
“I am not.”
“You are. Just not on purpose.”
“That’s worse.”
“Maybe,” you say. “But I liked it.”
He slows. “You… did?”
“I did.”
Then you’re at your door. “Well,” you say, turning toward him. “This is me.”
“Yes.”
God, say something, he tells himself.
Anything.
Instead, when you step closer, close enough that he can see the faint cloud of your breath in the cold, his mind goes completely blank.
“You have… good… door placement,” he says.
You stare at him for half a beat. Then you laugh again.
Zuko closes his eyes briefly. “I’m going to stop talking now.”
“Good idea,” you say, still smiling.
And you lean in. It’s only a kiss on the cheek, light and brief, warm against the cold night.
“Goodnight, Zuko.”
“’Night,” he manages, his voice rougher than he meant it to be.
You slip inside. The door clicks shut behind you. Silence follows. Zuko stands there, unmoving.
Then...
“...Yes.”
A breath.
“Yesss!”
It bursts out of him sharp and victorious before he can stop it. His hand snaps up on instinct. A web shoots straight from his wrist and hits the metal bin nearby with a wet thwip. He blinks.
The bin tips over with a thunderous crash, spilling its contents across the pavement. Somewhere above, a window creaks open.
He does not wait.
The mask is on in a heartbeat. Another web fires toward the rooftops and he’s gone, laughter trailing behind him as he disappears into the night.
You close the door carefully with both hands, wincing faintly at the click of the latch. The house is quiet. No lights on except a faint glow from the kitchen.
You slip off your shoes and carry them softly across the floor, careful with each step. The kitchen table waits in the dark.
Then you see the newspaper.
It’s spread open, creased like someone has read it once, then twice, then one more time for good measure. The headline sits there in bold black print, glaring up at you from the page:
You go still.
Holy. Shit.
vivi's space: this was purely out of boredom based on that edit I posted on the evil website (which will be shared here as well). hope you liked it xx.
Yoriichi “fans” think it is cool to comment with a yoriichi gif in an edit which isn’t even about yoriichi. i still heavily believe that yoriichi got an upper hand only because of his speed, no matter how much i like him as a well written character.
