Subaru Natsuki

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[questionablehero]

Worth || Minato & Subaru

soulphrxse​:

“Ah.” Minato met the boy’s sudden shouting with indifference at best. His energy levels were evidently much higher than Minato’s own, even if the tracksuit clad boy looked as if he’d be winded after walking just two blocks. To Minato, this situation was already in the past. He was comfortable simply moving past it and calling it a day, but the stranger who had saved him still seemed to have some concerns about his condition. He blue haired university student took just a moment to look down at himself for any bumps or bruises that had appeared on his body when he had been dangerously close to the truck. He hoped nothing had happened if only for the sake of still looking nice for customers in the uniform for his night job.

After doing an arguably poor job of checking for injuries (he’d check properly in his dorm), he shook his head slightly to indicate that he was in fine shape. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry,” he assured him, his tone dull and disinterested as it always was. He once again wished the boy would simply stop talking and walk away, but it was beginning to look like Minato would have to be the one to do so first. “Then, if that’s all…”

“Ah.” Slowly, as the atmosphere exuded by the other boy finally became dense enough even for Subaru to get a read on it, he realized something. Namely that he was just making himself a nuisance at this point. Well, of course. Their encounter was just one of passing, after all, and then Subaru had simply gotten over-eager when talking about something he felt passionate about. But in the end, that was just his own prerogative, the other boy had displayed no interest in it at any point. And now he just looked like he wished Subaru would disappear, or something like that.

“Okay, I got it, you probably got things to do. Sorry that I got carried away like that. I’m just glad you’re okay, so if anything, just remember my loud voice screaming ‘BE CAREFUL’ before doing anything dangerous.”

Then, after giving his unwanted parting words, Subaru performed a salute before turning to extricate himself from the scene.

He wanted to think he’d made at least a little difference in the boy’s outlook.

As for whether that was true... was a topic he didn’t bother to dwell on as he just headed home.

[questionablehero]

Vibing || Subaru & Yuuka

genkiangel​:

To Yuuka, it seemed like they couldn’t quite understand each other. Just as Yuuka’s words were foreign to Subaru, Subaru’s words took a moment for her to process as well. She understood what the refined looking young lady was saying, but she was vaguely suspecting that this young woman wasn’t very refined at all. To Yuuka, hearing someone say the words ‘Death Flag’ while referring to real life meant…

“Oh, I get it! So you’re kind of a nerd then! So there’s a gap!” She responded, probably a bit too casually for someone she had just met. “Actually, you seem like a huge nerd!” There was seemingly a big gap between her looks and personality. She sounded like she could’ve been some kind of game or anime otaku, but her appearance completely betrayed that fact! Was she maybe someone who tried to hide their true self? Yuuka hadn’t gotten the impression that she was nerdy until she had brought up a term she rarely heard outside of fictional media.

As usual, her attention was easily redirected. Although she had been throwing out things that sounded vaguely like insults moments prior, she was more than happy to lead the girl to the store she was thinking of. Or at least…kind of. “Eh? I don’t remember the name…but I can show you the way! Make sure you follow, okay?” Confident that the young woman would could along (she had shown interest after all), Yuuka began heading down the street, in the direction the stranger had originally come from. She went at her own pace entirely, meaning she didn’t bother to make sure the girl was keeping up or not. After a few twists and turns. she finally stopped in what seemed to be a popular shoe store having a large sale. “There! How’s this?”

“O-oh, yes, I suppose that’s what it is.” The words stung. Of course, the fact that Subaru was a nerd was true. And maybe if he didn’t want people calling him out as one, he should have chosen his words more carefully. However, for the socially inept youth, whose mouth ran faster than his brain could keep up most of the time, such was truly a tall ask. “Listen, I’ll concede that I’ve got some nerdy tastes, but you shouldn’t say it so loud like that. In the first place, the way you just put me on blast like that… You’re way too casual about doing that! It stings my pride, you know!”

With a sigh, Subaru followed after the girl as she began leading him to the requested store. By now, he was sure his levels of embarrassment had overflowed, almost all entirely due to this girl, to the point it had looped back around and he no longer felt any shame at all treading down the street in his attire. What had been so hard for him just moments ago - where he had struggled to even step out of his house wearing this dress - now felt an eternity ago, and he no longer could summon the willpower to feel ashamed at walking around like this. Probably because the bar for embarrassment had been raised so drastically since then.

Upon arriving at the store, however, Subaru’s fluttering hopes petered out and died right there. It didn’t matter how comfortable he felt walking around the streets like this, the fact of the matter was, a crowd this large was a different beast entirely. Even if this girl had been too dense to realize his gender, he didn’t feel confident that everybody in such a large crowd would have the same low perception.

“Oh my, I didn’t realize it’d be this busy. A-ah, thank you.” Quickly, he appended his gratitude to the end of the statement. After all, she had done as he’d asked and led him here. “Well, I’m not really good with crowds, so I’ll try to come back at a less busy time. Um… uh… What did you say your name was?”

[questionablehero]

this ain’t no game of clue || subaru & donnie

gogglevision​:

Donnie regarded the male with the most unenthused stare he could muster. “That is the million dollar question here, buddy,” he remarked dryly. There wasn’t a whole lot of evidence, least of all that he could see, so the killer was likely someone who knew what they were doing or had just panicked. Though leaving the body behind was sort of a questionable decision. 

This was pretty high on the list of things he didn’t want to deal with though, especially if the guy was gonna be asking questions like that. Well, whatever. He was already involved now, and he really couldn’t pass up the chance to question him. After all, he was absolutely certain the other male had been dead mere moments ago, and yet now he was perfectly fine as if nothing had happened? As a scientist, he really couldn’t let an opportunity to satisfy his curiosity go.

Though he did wonder if annoyance would drive him to say forget about it and walk away as the male continued. 

“Flattering, truly,” he stated, “you have the same sense of humor as my father, apparently.” That most certainly wasn’t a compliment either, coming from Donnie, who arguably had the most strained relationship with their father. 

A sigh left his lips and he swung his goggles down over his eyes just to do a more thorough check for evidence, anything that could be used to find the killer. The weapon, perhaps. “Better than being screamed at for being a monster, if you ask me.” There really didn’t seem to be anything of note…strange. He lifted the goggles back to their resting position on the top of his head and shook his head.

“No, by the time I arrived, there was no one here and you’d already apparently bled out. Speaking of which,” he frowned as he finally turned to face the other once more. “Just how in the world are you up and moving right now? You lost a ton of blood, and you were definitely dead when I found you. Are you some kind of Frankenstein’s Zombie Monster?” …Okay, maybe that was just a little petty for being compared to a cartoon character.

“Well, if you wanna put it that way… No, it’s really more like a Jesus coming back from the dead kinda deal.” Subaru explained his revival power as such to the understandably confused turtle man, though of course his power activated much faster than the three days it took for Jesus to rise from his grave in the Bible. “No hunger for brains or flesh rotting off my body. Actually, it’s more like I never died in the first place, I guess.” No marks remained, no aberrations in his flesh, no pain. Really, the only way to know he’d been through anything at all was the torn, bloodied fabric of his clothing where the wound had been.

“Still, no matter how many times it happens, I really can’t get used to it,” he griped, more to himself now than his momentary companion. “No matter how you look at it… this is just a defiance of nature, pure and simple. Anyways, if the killer’s not around, not much we can do about that. Though I want to know what exactly you were planning to do with my body before I came back to life. I’m sure I saw you jerk back suddenly back then…” When he had gotten up, before he had fully regained his composure, he was sure of it. Like he’d been ogling up close his body before he’d come back to life.

[questionablehero]

Beyond Expertise | Maruki and Subaru

dreamerofeden​:

Maruki furrowed his brow as he listened to Subaru. He couldn’t exactly fault him for his ideals; in fact, Maruki’s own ideology mirrored Subaru’s own a bit too closely for comfort. As long as those around him were happy, then he was fine bearing that burden, even if it hurt. Even if it was killing him.

Wait, was he thinking about himself or Subaru now?

“I’ll say again that you’re very brave for choosing to open up about it. True, I suppose it wouldn’t be easy to actually run away from death itself. But the desire to isn’t a selfish thing.” Maruki tried to offer a reassuring smile. “I don’t think you need to suffer either. It would be nice if no one needed to get hurt…”

Maruki trailed off, a doleful look lingering behind his eyes.

“But there are some bad people in the world. I’m sure you’re well aware of it, unfortunately. Some who don’t care for the value of the lives of others. To have been forced to experience death is a cruel injustice that you don’t deserve.” Thinking more about how Subaru was speaking, he had another question at the forefront of his mind.

“Have you been dealing with this alone? Is there anyone close to you that you could’ve told?”

“No…” At the last question directed to him, Subaru’s voice faltered and caught in his throat for a moment before he choked out an answer. “Who am I supposed to tell about something like this? ...What good would something like that do? I mean, I guess there are people who know about my ability because they’ve seen it… But those incidents are in the past. And I can’t… I can’t try to push my own burdens onto someone else, that would just be more unfair!”

It was a line of reasoning that, perhaps, didn’t make sense to anyone but Subaru, who was the one bearing the brunt of the trauma. However, he didn’t see how talking to someone about this would help at all. On the other hand, if it caused unnecessary worry from anyone, that was just something he wanted to avoid. He hadn’t even wanted to come here today, and had only begrudgingly dragged himself through Maruki’s door.

“I just… don’t know what to do…” he mumbled, grasping his face in his hands. “All I want is… for everyone to be happy and safe. I can die a limitless amount of times to see that kind of outcome! Or I thought I could. But it’s not as easy as all that. God, I’m just really pathetic, aren’t I? Getting so hung up over something like this... when I should be able to take it!”

This warped line of thinking was nothing more than the result of his own idealistic fantasies. Shouldering others’ pain, doing whatever it took so that they would be okay and happy in the end… Shouldn’t something like that be easy? Desperately, he wanted to believe so. But the cold, hard truth of reality had now grasped him. Instead, it was hard. Even if he wanted to ignore his own pain, it was always constantly there, clawing at his mind, eating at his soul.

“Sorry, I don’t really… know why I even came here today. This kind of thing… isn’t really what you deal with, is it?”

[questionablehero]

Killer At Large |  Narihisago and Subaru

nxrihisago​:

Narihisago allowed Subaru to talk freely, listening to the indignation and outrage in his voice. Listening to someone vent about their own killer wasn’t something he foresaw himself doing, but if it helped Subaru feel better, far be it from him to interrupt.

And in a way, it helped distract Narihisago himself from the feelings boiling up inside of himself, ready to bubble over. The cocktail of negative emotions swirled about in his mind. Disgust. Horror. Rage, blinding hot. Maybe it was helping take Subaru’s mind off of the terrifying task at hand, as well.

As they walked, Narihisago began to mentally map out the turns they were taking, the markings on the old buildings in relation to their position, the hazards of barbed wire and broken glass around, the positioned cameras. Narihisago’s usual stoic expression gave way to a more obviously perturbed scowl as they continued inward. “Truly awful,” he commented. “A lot of dried blood on the ground. How many has he…?”

That wrath returned. Just as Subaru seemed so driven by his desire to save an innocent, so too was Narihisago driven onward by his feelings.

He followed closely after Subaru, running behind him and trying not to lose him in the urban maze. As they ran, something seemed… off. Finally, Narihisago pinpointed what was causing his senses to be on high alert and he stopped running, reaching out to grab Subaru’s arm to stop him as well. He’d have to apologize for his force later.

“Shh. Listen.” Narihisago didn’t speak further, instead letting something else break the silence. The sound of shoes on concrete, glass crunching underfoot, coming from somewhere nearby within the maze. “We’re not alone.”

Strewn, scattered debris crunched noisily underfoot as Subaru pushed fear-stiffened legs further and further inwards. Cold, prickly anxiety squeezed his heart, and beads of sweat formed on his brow. Regardless, his quaking hands were clenched into fists as he pressed ever onward, so tight that his nails sliced through the skin of his hands and streaked his palms with blood. He scarcely noticed, for he had a singular fixation on finding the figure lurking in his memories, though he couldn’t even be sure of where he was going.

“Ultimately, I can only rely on this method,” the boy mumbled to himself in resignation as he continued to follow the wall he’d set his eyes on. Everything around him looked familiar, but it was hard to pick out landmarks in such a bare-bones, crudely made maze. Everything looked roughly to the same, and with so many branching paths, it was way too easy to get lost.

Despite his flawless (he thought) method, he’d begun to wonder if they were somehow treading in circles anyways, but didn’t get a chance to evaluate the situation further before a sudden force grasped his arm, pulling his body to an abrupt halt. “Hey, wha-” But he was cut off by the man’s severe expression and a low but urgent intonation of warning.

Gripped by a cold fear at Narihisago’s warning, Subaru quickly clamped his jaw shut and spun his head around to look around his surroundings. As he did, he heard it. The slow, methodical crunching of shoes stepping over the debris, a few paces away and past a blind corner.

It could have been that girl, but…

What if it wasn’t?

What if it was the sick bastard with the knife?

…

Dark eyes fixed on the corner of the wall jutting out, behind which the sound of the footsteps steadily grew closer and closer, Subaru forgot how to breathe.

Then, as someone stepped out from behind that wall--

“Hey! It’s you!” Eyes widening, Subaru bolted from his spot and ran over there immediately, without even a trace of hesitation, reaching out.

To her. The girl he’d left behind.

“So you’re still here?”

Short and petite, she looked no older than a middle schooler maybe, and she turned purple eyes as wide as saucers up to him as he so recklessly abandoned all due caution and rushed to her. Her small face was framed by long, wavy blue hair, and the school clothes hanging from her body were torn and stained with grime, a testament to her ordeals in this maze. Small cuts, abrasions, and bruises adorned her pale skin, painful to look at, but relief filled Subaru’s heart nonetheless that it wasn’t worse.

“Y-you…?” With a small, trembling voice, she tried to speak, but her voice faltered. Indeed, the look she had as she looked at him, was one of fear, like she was looking at a ghost. “A-alive…?”

“Uh… yeah. Look, we don’t have time right now. Me and this guy here, we’re here to get you out of here, okay?” Speaking swiftly, Subaru gestured to Narihisago with him.

But the girl’s expression didn’t change as she looked between them. Trembling, she only seemed to withdraw further, and quickly shook her head.

“Oh, come on, you don’t have to be like… th...a….t…. Ghak!” As Subaru tried to console the girl, extended his arm out to her, blood suddenly surged into his throat before spraying out of his mouth as he coughed. Straining his lungs to draw ragged breaths, he looked down… and it was easy to see the cause. There, protruding out of his chest, dripping with fresh blood, was the tip of a knife.

“A-ahhhhh!”

Then a gruff, all-too familiar voice spoke from behind. “Hmmm. I guess you ain’t dead. But that’s weird, I was really sure you were dead back there.”

[questionablehero]

Rodent Problem | V and Subaru

nazo-no-otoko​:

“Well, maybe you’re in hell, kiddo! Who’s to say?” Again, Griffon got a sharp nudge from the end of V’s cane. Still, the fact that Subaru was alive at all was astounding. He was most certainly dead when Griffon and V happened upon the scene, at the very least.

“Regardless, it was a rather gruesome scene. Someone must be harboring some sort of grudge… whether it was directed at you, or you just so happened to be their stress relief, I can’t say,” V theorized.

“Or someone’s just really screwed in the head,” Griffon added.

V would’ve liked to know the identity of the one who did this, if anything just to know who he should steer clear of. Dealing with someone who murders others in such a way sounded like much more trouble than V wanted to ever have to handle. V wasn’t scared of encountering someone like that so much as he thought it would be a pain.

“Speculation with no leads would simply be fruitless. If you don’t know, then you don’t know.”

“Outside of that, your ability intrigues me. Do you feel the pain, or is the way your wounds have healed deeper than the skin? Has this happened to you prior to this experience?” Having someone who is essentially undying could be very useful as a clansman… assuming that the recovery was indeed complete.

“Well, if I’m in Hell already, that would definitely go a long way in explaining things. I must have really died that one night and been suffering in Hell ever since,” Subaru mused in reaction to the ugly bird’s jab. Truthfully, he couldn’t imagine anything in a place like Hell being worse than the life he’d experienced up until now. “After all, dying and dying and coming back each time just to do it again… That’s exactly like something the Devil would use to punish souls!” At least, his rudimentary understanding of the Christian faith led him to this conclusion.

“Anyways, I really don’t have any leads on this. Whoever it is is really fucked in the head, though.” Or a cultist performing some kind of ritual. But what was the difference?

At the question probing into his ability, Subaru sighed, and looked down at his body again. Naked except for the tattered remnants of the clothes he’d worn previously hanging loosely to his body, he otherwise looked completely fine. No blemishes, no scars, nothing. No lingering pain. Just the unshakeable sensation of rodents that had been seared into his body, causing his body to shiver even now. No matter how much time passed, no matter how much he examined himself, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling of tiny paws scurrying over his body and large teeth chattering and munching ceaselessly. It was a cage of his mind.

“Well, it’s like… I don’t really know much about this ability still, but every time I come back, it’s the same. My body looks like nothing ever happened. I don’t feel any remaining pain or fatigue or anything. It’s really like I just woke up here. But if there’s something else going on inside my body, I’m not aware of it. It’s just like... being revived in a video game, you know. I don’t really like talking about this you know, but the first time this happened was a few months ago when someone fucked up caught me on my way home from the convenience store. I’m kinda pissed off that I end up with a Strain ability and it just ends up being something as useless and painful as this. But anyways, I get morbid curiosity, but you’re basically asking me to relive my past traumas here, you know?”

[questionablehero]

medium well or roasted? || subaru & ram

idlemaid​:

The moment the words left his lips, her face immediately soured. Something akin to biting into a lemon, or something horribly bitter. Rather, it looked like her eyes were telling him to just drop dead. So he was delusional, on top of everything. Fantastic. That was what she got for at least trying to be nice, she supposed.

“Disgusting. Don’t ever suggest anything like that to Ram again,” she snapped. Could she just leave this guy to someone else to handle? She was already feeling the dull stab of a headache forming, just from dealing with this guy. Surely, it was best to just drop the conversation with that. But alas, she had a job to do, as much as she’d love to just walk away and leave him standing there.

She clicked her tongue and forced herself to exhale, to at least try to reign herself back in. “Hah? You want to ask about the secret menu?” An awfully bold choice, after he’d said something like that. Was he really willing to leave his fate in her hands? …Well, though she would certainly like to serve him something like incredibly spicy mapo tofu, she was sure sweet, kind Rem wouldn’t let her go that far.

“Very well. The secret menu is mostly combination sandwiches, extra large servings, or desserts like coffee shakes. Feel free to pick your poison.”

“Really, coffee shakes? Sandwiches? I won’t deny that ‘extra large servings’ is something that can be construed as something on a Secret Menu, but the rest of that just sounds like a regular menu! Is your employer really so unimaginative?” Subaru’s face was crestfallen as he made these observations, as if the lack of novelty in the so-called Secret Menu were a grievous insult to himself. In truth, he had just been hoping to get a peek at the elusive fruits of the adult world.

But, by the maid’s icy glare and thorny words, that didn’t seem to be the case. So probably this was just a normal cafe, or maybe if there were secret services a password or something was needed. Whatever the case, he would just have to be content to order normal food at this juncture. Not that he minded that either. The cafe’s rich aroma certainly enticed his appetite.

So then, offering his widest and most charming grin, he proceeded: “Okay, okay, I’ll take some extra-sweet pancakes and a coffee shake from you, onee-chan! Please take care of me!”

[questionablehero]

this ain’t no game of clue || subaru & donnie

gogglevision​:

At the sound of the scream, he immediately jerked back with wide eyes. The mechanical arms quickly retreated into the Battle Shell as he rapidly took in the situation. Though he couldn’t believe it, the male had scrambled to his feet as if nothing had happened. He’d been so sure moments before that he’d been looking at a dead body. Though given the nature of the city he called home, he supposed it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for this guy to have a strange ability like that but..

His suspicions seemed to be at least partly confirmed by the words the other was saying, though he didn’t seem to realize Donnie was standing there still. Honestly, he could sort of understand just how the guy had ended up laying in an alley with a pretty severe wound. He was kind of unobservant, wasn’t he? Still, the fact that he’d distinctly said he’d “come back” had piqued the turtle-teen’s interest.

Then, he’d been noticed, and his expression soured. Of course, it was normal. He did look suspicious, he supposed, but being mistaken for the killer? “Oh sure, call the police on the one that found your body,” he remarked dryly. “That’s some thanks I get for trying to make sure you’re alright. But clearly, if you can get to your feet that quickly, you’re perfectly fine.” That’s what he got for checking on an unconscious body in an alley, he supposed. Well, despite that, he’d probably still do it. Despite his aloof bad boy image and pretense of not caring…he actually did care a lot, not that he’d admit that to anyone.

Probably fitting he’d been the one to get the soft shell.

“Besides, even though this city’s weird, I don’t think the police would believe you even if you did call them,” he added, “unless you’re calling Scepter 4, that is.” They were, of course, familiar with the…affliction of the Hamato family. Though they weren’t ranked as much of a concern, since their abilities only affected their appearance. He brushed his hood back, looking thoroughly unimpressed with the male before him. “I mean, walking, talking turtles aren’t exactly common here.”

“Found my body...?!” Adrenaline still lanced through Subaru’s system, spiking his heartrate and filling him with the kind of energy needed in a life-or-death scenario, but something about this seemed off. Well, for starters... “Wait, so if you didn’t kill me, then who the hell did?” Flinging this type of nonsensical question out, Subaru pivoted where he stood, scanning the shadows for any signs of life.

Nothing stood out. Evidently, whoever had killed him had made a getaway in the time between finishing the deed and now. And who exactly was this right here with him?

But just as he was pondering that, the figure drew back his hood, revealing a scaled face. However, faced with such an inhuman visage, Subaru did not shrink back or balk, though his jaw did hang open in awe. Instead--

“Whoa, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is here in the flesh?!” The figure’s appearance, off-putting in many ways with its sharp reptilian eyes, nonetheless inspired this kind of reaction from Subaru, whose heart leaped at the sight. Of course, he knew that the person before him was different from the old cartoon he used to watch, but the likeness was too close not to make the comparison!

“Okay, I think I get it now, why you wear that hood. But you have to admit, wearing that in the dark does make you look like the kind of skeevy character who would stab someone in a back alley! So it’s not like I really had much else to work with when I first saw you. Anyways, if you found my body, did you happen to see the killer scurrying away?”

[questionablehero]

Worth || Minato & Subaru

soulphrxse​:

Why? Why was he being yelled at by this guy? He had thanked him already, and yet here they were. Minato understood perfectly well what would happen if the truck had collided with him, and he even understood to some extent what was bound to happen to him afterwards. He had first witnessed death as a young child, and ever since that day, he hadn’t feared his own death. At first it was just that death didn’t scare him, but by the time he had reached middle school, he had been subconsciously searching for it. 

By the time he hit high school, he found himself hospitalized more often than he felt comfortable admitting. At the point he was at now…it simply didn’t matter to him. What he had became aware of throughout his life was although his the idea of his own death didn’t bother him, he couldn’t stand watching the light leave someone else’s eyes. Even though he knew what their fate would be.

Other people felt that way too, he supposed. Other people couldn’t stand by while someone else died. He supposed it was also unfair that his body had stopped in a road, which would have likely filled the truck driver with guilt had he been run over. “…But my legs wouldn’t move, so…” That was the excuse he had for himself, as his legs had truly seemed to lock up at that moment. “I understand it was bad…is that enough for you?”

“It doesn’t really sound like you get it, but… Well, I guess it’s just that I can kinda understand what you mean.” Kneading his fingers into the base of his neck to relieve some of the pent up tension, Subaru breathed a heavy sigh as he spoke from the painful experiences his own curse had engraved onto his soul. The kind of petrifying fear that rooted one’s feet to the ground... “I mean, there’s only so much you can do in the face of certain death. Okay, as long as you get that, so just be more careful in the future, okay? Awareness of your surroundings is crucial to prevent that kind of SURPRISE ATTACK!”

With nowhere better to vent his unspent frustration, he finally ended his self-important tirade with that kind of inane statement and offered a wink to the student. Still, he seemed way too morose for someone who had just been swiped from the jaws of death. In his own experiences, a brush with death left him invigorated with a rush of adrenaline. But this kid expressed no such response.

“Are you sure you’re okay, though? The truck didn’t bump you in passing or anything, did it?”

[questionablehero]

Vibing || Subaru & Yuuka

genkiangel​:

“What are you talking about?” She asked, with the kind of childlike innocence and curiosity that could only be seen genuine. Although this young woman was growing more frustrated each moment that she continued to pester him, none of this information was getting through to her. Even if it did get through to her, it wasn’t something that would get her to stop in the slightest.

Yuuka loosened her grip slightly as she tried to brainstorm what kind of shoes would suit this woman. Although…didn’t a girl like this look like she’d be fine in heels? Looks could be deceiving, she decided. 

“Then…Chelsea boots? Or flats? Walking in heels isn’t that hard though. You should practice! If you practice hard, you’ll be able to!” Finally releasing the girl, Yuuka decided to give up on her scouting attempt. Though…she had actually given up on it awhile ago, hadn’t she? Since the whole voice thing was concerning…and she doubted she could dance well in heeled boots if she couldn’t even walk in heels. “There’s a shop around here that sells discounted shoes all the time.” Although she was trying to offer a suggestion, she couldn’t remember the name or location of the shop, so she left that information out.

“...No, I’m sorry, I definitely have no idea what you’re talking about,” Subaru stated bluntly, scratching at his cheek awkwardly. “I thought we were talking about shoes still.” Subaru’s awareness of shoes extended to brands, and he was of course vaguely aware of the different types of shoes as well. There were dress shoes, sneakers, heels for girls. That kind of knowledge. But the words spilling now out of Yuuka’s mouth at him might as well have been in an alien tongue.

The only part that Subaru did actually understand was that she was still pushing him to try wearing heels for some reason.

“Why should I practice something like that when even just buying a pair is going to raise a Death Flag?!” he shot back at her. “There’s no way my ankles would survive something like that, you know! Besides, aren’t there plenty of cute shoes that don’t rely on the heels?” He was certain of that. The ones he had bought before were perfect and they didn’t have heels. If only the Yamato Transport driver had actually been cautious while handling his package, he wouldn’t be stuck like this now!

“Hey, that shop sounds exactly like what I need. What’s the name of that store? Where is it?” Hope trickled into Subaru’s heart for the first time since starting this encounter at the mention of a shop of discounted wares, and he was quick to press for more information on it.

[questionablehero]

Repeated Fear || Subaru & Akechi

@charismaticprince

The sight that met Subaru’s eyes as he stirred awake was not the expected, familiar sight of his room that usually greeted him. Instead, he found himself peering up at a ceiling obscured by darkness in a strange, gloomy room with dilapidated walls and rickety floorboards. The floor had collapsed in places, and fell away to endless, bottomless pits. Strewn carelessly about the room were school desks, too small to fit someone as grown as him. It looked to be an old, long-abandoned elementary school classroom.

As he pushed his body up to get a better look around, a sharp, stabbing pain flashed through his skull, temporarily blinding him and forcing him to set his head back down as he fought against an onset of nausea. He slowed his breathing and waited for the excruciating wave to diminish, then reached a hand back to feel around the back of his head, where the pain had originated. Pressing his fingers into his scalp brought tears springing to his eyes as fresh, stinging pain shot out in response, engulfing his senses once again. His hand came back slick with blood, and the grimness of reality began to set in, latching dread claws into his stomach.

“The fuck…?” Desperate for any answers at all, Subaru frantically searched through his memories for what had brought him here. The relentless, sickening pounding in his skull hindered his ability to recall anything clearly, and the only thing he seemed to remember was the earth opening up abruptly beneath him and devouring him whole. Anyways, it wasn’t really important right now. What was important–

“Gotta find a way out.” Although his mind was still foggy and thoughts disjointed, this solution stuck out to him as an absolute. He absolutely had to get out of here. Something in the stagnant air sent chills crawling down his spine and imparted a sense of urgency on him.

Biting down into his lip, Subaru once again moved to push his body up, ignoring the searing pain the movement sent flaring into his skull, resisting the subsequent urge to vomit. Using one of the nearby desks as a support, he struggled all the way up to his feet. Putting pressure on his right foot brought more pain and a crunching sound, and when he looked down at it, it was jutting out at an odd, unnatural angle. It was definitely something he wouldn’t be able to fix on his own, so for now he settled on a hobbling, limping gait that kept most of his weight on his left foot and only briefly the heel of his right. Though each step still brought electrifying pain lancing up his leg, he could manage getting around this way for now, although his movement was definitely restricted and he couldn’t go very fast.

Moving like this, he managed to shuffle out of the classroom he’d awaken in and out into a hallway, which carried the same gloomy, rundown look. The pits in the floor were out here too, which meant he had to watch his step.

A torn scrap of paper on the floor by the door he’d just exited grabbed his attention, and he carefully knelt down to pick it up. The lighting in the hallway was dim, but if he squinted, he could just make out the words scrawled there, although some were too blood-smeared to decipher:

If you’re reading this, you’re cursed, there’s no way out! ******* said there has to be one, said it has to do with the ************* wandering these halls. But then after saying that, one of them caught her and *********…

The rest of the note was too torn and smudged to read. But from the part he could read, it was enough for him to pick up on the utter hopelessness of the situation here.

[questionablehero]

Here We Go A-Gen || Subaru & Gen

@liarsmiles

“Sheesh, buying shoes turned out to be surprisingly difficult.” Just because he’d been stopped by that girl on the way, who ended up being way too stubborn and oblivious. Well, not that it mattered anymore anyways. Finally rid of his impromptu companion for that evening, and with a bag looped around arm carrying the goods he’d purchased, Subaru was glad to be on his way home. Exhausted, he just wanted to take everything off and wear something comfortable again.

But he didn’t manage to get very far before a voice called out.

Curious, Subaru turned his head to see a curious young man with white-and-black hair. Who seemed to be waving at him, maybe even beckoning him. As for what someone like that could want with him dressed as he currently was - still fully clothed in the dress, the wig, the make-up, everything - he could only guess. But it... probably did not align with his own interests.

[questionablehero]

Beyond Expertise | Maruki and Subaru

dreamerofeden​:

The anxiety was clear in Subaru, but absolutely nothing could have prepared Maruki for the breakdown that ensued once Subaru had finally gotten the words out. The burst of emotion from Subaru was like a spike through Maruki’s own heart. How was he supposed to address something like this? And even worse, how long had Subaru been struggling with this? It was like a dam had broken as Subaru continued, choking him up.

“…” Maruki really wanted to be able to say anything, do anything that could ease Subaru’s pain even a little bit. This would’ve sounded outlandish to anyone else. Dying and coming back? It was something right out of a fantasy novel. But Maruki himself knew that sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Finally, Maruki gathered his thoughts into words.

“That’s… so much to handle, Natsuki-kun. Especially at your age. No one should have to go through something so awful and be able to remember it like that.” Maruki’s voice was as calm as he could make it, though his heart still ached for Subaru, seeing him in so much distress.

“I think the weight of that would break anyone. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you to bear this burden on your own.” Maruki wanted to do something, anything to be able to alleviate that pain, even a little…

But how could he?

“It’s okay to seek help. You don’t have to carry that burden all by yourself anymore. It’s okay to want to run away from that.”

“Run away?” Parroting these words back, the shallow rapid breaths he’d been sucking down stopped, caught like a lump in his throat as his entire body froze.

A moment lapsed like this, silent, before Subaru found himself able to move his body again. And once he could, he heaved a long, shaky breath as he placed his head in his hands.

“Run away… from it?” Finding his voice, he once again repeated this simple sentence. Though his voice was weak and frail, strained, he could still muster enough energy to speak clearly. But he didn’t understand. The meaning of those words. Run away? Run away from what, exactly? There was no way this man could understand - that even though he did want to run away, to never face the terrible consequences of his disgusting power again, it wasn’t that simple.

“It’s not…” Struggling to find the words he needed, Subaru sat up straight once again. Or, rather, as straight as he could fighting against his fatigued body’s natural inclination to slouch. “It’s not like it could be that easy. I… If I can just… I don’t want anyone else to suffer. No one else needs to suffer, so instead… instead it can just be me. Even if it’s too hard to bear sometimes like this, as long as nobody else is getting hurt… That’s what matters.”

It was like trudging through a murky swamp, getting deeper and deeper as he pressed on, until he was completely submerged, unable to breathe. Maybe because he hadn’t properly talked about it before with anyone, it was just hard to get out. Regardless, he had thrown himself out there now. The full depth of the circumstances he found himself inexorably mired in.

His own life was worthless. So if he could use it to protect and help those around him, those he cared about, even a little bit…

The only mistake he’d made was assuming it would get easier and easier as time went on, instead of harder and harder. But it seemed that he was not immune to the long-term damages, no matter how much he railed against it, after all.

[questionablehero]

Rodent Problem | V and Subaru

nazo-no-otoko​:

V stood by as the recently resurrected victim of this bizarre death–Subaru, as he so indignantly introduced–snapped back at Griffon, mildly amused by the exchange. Griffon’s bluntness and lack of filter just meant that he deserved the backtalk, even though Griffon clearly didn’t hold the same opinion.

“Well, I don’t know you! Maybe you were doing somethin’ skeevy! You should be thanking me for finding you, anyway, brat! Mommy and daddy would’ve never known what happened to their little monster if I hadn’t!”

V nudged Griffon sharply with the end of his cane to indicate to Griffon that it was time to knock it off.

“Regardless of how it appears, we truly were just happening by. I’ve no reason to waste my time doing something so senseless as arranging a death by rodent consumption. If I wanted someone dead, I’d rather do it myself, away from the eyes of the public.”

“Which begs the question of who would do something like that…” V mused aloud.

“Yeah, for real. Who the hell did you piss off, kid?”

“Well, sure, if being chewed on by rats is skeevy. Though it’s not exactly like I woke up and decided to lay down in an alley full of man-eating rodents. Anyway, what exactly are you saying you even did here that I should be thanking you for? If anything, aren’t you the kind of creature that I should expect to see in Hell?” Shooting such barbed words back at the ugly bird - which, indeed, looked like some kind of monstrous demon - Subaru asserted his own independence this way. Given that his Return By Death triggered automatically, he didn’t believe any of the egotistical bird’s self-congratulating words.

Although, deep down, there was definitely something soothing about having someone right there upon waking up to talk to. Having to wake up from that hell alone... from the madness of having one’s entire self corroded away by rat teeth. He shuddered to think about it, and was silently grateful for Griffon and V’s interference with it.

Unfortunately, as to the question of who he’d pissed off…

“Agh, I really have no idea. Despite what you might think of me, I really don’t get around to doing too much. I guess if anything there might be some people who’d want to finish me off, but this is completely different from anything I’d expect from that.” And his memory, already hazy from the effects of Return By Death, may have only been tampered with further if he’d been drugged prior to waking up. So the identity of this culprit was… “Completely unknown. Unless it actually ends up being you two, I don’t really have any leads as to who did this.” And not that the two of them didn’t look shifty, but it did seem kind of unlikely that they would have let him live this long already if they were truly the ones responsible.

[questionablehero]

Killer At Large |  Narihisago and Subaru

nxrihisago​:

Subaru really had a strong sense of morals about him. Regardless of the unfortunate circumstance of their meeting, Narihisago could tell that much, but so could anyone else. “Hm… whether you particularly owe it to anyone, I can’t say, but you’re risking your life to save a stranger, even after already losing your life. At the very least, you’re tenacious. We’ll just have to see if it pays off.” Narihisago couldn’t fault Subaru at all, since in a similar situation, Narihisago couldn’t say that he wouldn’t do the same if he had the ability to.

“No. I’m unarmed, although I know how to disarm someone with a blade, should it come to that. Assuming he is operating alone, he may have home field advantage, but we have numbers. Unless his modus operandi involves handling multiple people at once, that’s a benefit to our side.”

“That’s not to say I’ll let my guard down, either. Most people who kill don’t have anything left to lose, and they’ll fight the same way.” It was unfortunate that Narihisago knew this firsthand, but knowing a killer’s perspective could aid them.

“Be sure to let me know if any of this starts to look familiar to you,” Narihisago reminded as he continued to tread into the darkness of the alleyways.

“Well, but as long as there’s someone who can be saved, we gotta do what we can to save them. Nobody deserves to die to a freak with a knife fetish like that. Agh, it kinda pisses me off that I even became his victim in the first place. His entire MO is just fucked up. Knocking out his victims and then kidnapping them and putting them in some stupid maze in the abandoned part of town. Or it’s something like that anyways, since all I really remember was waking up there. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s really sadistic, so I guess he just enjoys fucking people up.”

As they continued plodding along, winding deeper and deeper into the section of town that had long been abandoned and run-down, Subaru spoke his thoughts out freely. To some degree, it was kind of therapeutic to be able to let his thoughts flow like this, and helped him sort out some of his own feelings. And it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Narihisago with the task of rescuing the person he’d seen, but he felt a compulsion to aid in the rescue regardless. Perhaps it was irrational, but he just wanted to verify the person’s well-being with his own eyes. And anyways, his own brief skirmish did give him some familiarity with the area that could aid the man.

It was that sense of familiarity that caused his skin to crawl as they drew upon the dreadfully familiar labyrinthine layout of the alleyways. In many ways, it was definitely a work of creative genius. The primary layout was, of course, composed of the brick walls that made up the neglected buildings. Then, stitching the alleyways together like crude thread, were fences, mostly wire fences and clearly makeshift. Many of these fences on the outer perimeter of what appeared to be the designated maze were topped with an additional layer of barbed wire, making escape for the average person nearly impossible without cutting themselves up on the way. This realization made Subaru’s heart sink, and once more he felt sick.

The only feasible way out - barring the existence of whatever door the killer himself must have used - was a hole crudely cut in the side of one of the fences. And with all the exposed wiring jutting out around that hole, it would not only be lucky for a participant to find this hole in the first place, but to crawl out without getting clothing or bare skin snagged. With this set-up and the surveillance the killer had set up around the area, there was simply no way anyone would be escaping.

“So it’s really just rigged, then. Because of course there’s no way he’d let anyone go. Damn, guess my ability ended up really being his undoing then, huh?” Rattled by the awful truth of this reality, Subaru only felt the resolve he’d forged harden. This man just couldn’t be allowed to get away with this anymore. And more importantly…

“Okay, let’s hurry.”

With no time to waste, he pushed his legs onward as fast as they would go. Onward, to the terrible maze he’d only just escaped.

[gogglevision]

this ain’t no game of clue || subaru & donnie

@questionablehero​

“Oh sure,” he grumbled to himself, “let’s send Donnie out to get the pizza . Let’s play rock, paper, scissors for it while he’s out of the room and can’t defend himself.” He scowled, drawing his hood over his head, brows furrowed in a rather grumpy scowl. Of course, they’d decided to place the order at a time when it’d already be dark outside, leaving himself scrambling to disguise as many features at once. “Ugh, dumb-dumbs. Couldn’t they just leave instructions to leave it outside the door like usual?” Or you know, order a little earlier? Like before the sun went down? 

To make matters worse, he was starting to think his brothers were playing a little joke on him, as it was fast approaching thirty minutes. That meant the pizza would be free if the delivery person didn’t get there in, what, fifteen minutes? A wise man once said, forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza. Truly, inspiring words of wisdom. He huffed out a sigh and slid his hands into his pockets, glancing around as he rocked on his heels–and that’s when he noticed someone’s legs sticking out of an alley. 

He blinked, confused, and cast one more look around before jogging over. It was probably just some drunkard passed out. But despite his aloof bad boy image, it wasn’t like he could just completely turn away from a person who might need help. Carefully, he lowered himself into a squat, a soft pop followed by a whir sounding from his so-called Battle Shell beneath his hoodie. A mechanical arm extended from under the fabric and gently prodded at the body. What? He wasn’t going to use his bare hands like an animal. Who knows what kind of germs this person had?

“Hey, are you alright? This really isn’t a good or comfortable place to sleep. This neighborhood has a really big rat problem,” he called, a small smirk tugging at his lips at his own joke. Still, the person didn’t seem to respond. “Hello?” 

That’s when he noticed the metallic tang of blood hanging in the air, and using another mechanical arm from the other side of his shell, examined the unconscious person. Well…at least, he hoped they were unconscious…but sure enough, there was a pretty big bloodstain on the male’s stomach. He didn’t look that much older than Donnie himself.

“….This can’t be good.” He’d only wanted pizza, but now he was going to have to report a murder? Fantastic night so far.

[questionablehero]

With a startled, choking gasp as the air rushed in to fill lungs that had grown cold and stiff, Subaru woke up. Darkness surrounded him, and the pavement his body was lying on was hard and cold beneath him. No, it was more than that, it was also slick, wet with something. He knew, of course, that his awakening was anything but natural. Sickened though he was by his own ability to recognize it so quickly, this was the work of Return By Death. The preternatural chill in his bones and the stiffness of his muscles by themselves were a giveaway. Unfortunately, as always, it came along with a haze that clouded his mind, making his memories a disjointed, scrambled mess. The one thing that stood out clear was the sensation of cold steel pressing into his flesh, ripping open a hole in his stomach.

He could still feel it, distinct enough to send pain signals shooting into his brain, chills of terror crawling up his spine.

“AHHHH--!”

With this shocked scream, Subaru all at once commanded his stiffened muscles to move as he scrambled to his feet. His hands grasped at his stomach, almost expecting to feel the gaping wound that had done him in there if not the blade itself. But instead, all his fingers touched was the torn fabric of his clothing and the smooth, unmarred skin covering his stomach.

“Well, of course it’s not going to be torn open anymore.” With a sigh that betrayed the relief he nevertheless felt, Subaru scolded himself with these words. “Idiot. You just came back.” And, as always, that meant his body had been restored.

It was then, as he stepped out onto the sidewalk of the adjoining street, that he saw the figure of a hooded man. Or at least, that’s how he appeared, although something about his silhouette struck Subaru as odd. Regardless, there was someone standing there, facing him. Through the darkness shrouding the city as well as the hood covering his face, Subaru could not read his expression. But that he was standing here, garbed in such attire so as to mask his identity, where Subaru had just Returned By Death…

All at once, fear gripped his heart, and he took a faltering step backward as he dug around his pockets for his phone. “H-hey! I’m not kidding, I’ll really call the police, you know!”

In truth, he did not remember the face of his killer. He had been ambushed and stabbed from behind, so even if his memories hadn’t been lost in a fog, it wouldn’t have done him any good.

[questionablehero]

knife to meet you || subaru & lucy

Directed by the heavenly and wise voice of an angel, floating to him over the increasing gap created by his slipping consciousness, Subaru let his hand that had gripped the knife fall limp to the ground.

“...hhhhh…rrrkkk…”

Each ragged intake of breath brought the stabbing of knives in his chest, and his breath gurgled wet with the frothy blood still leaking from his mouth. Eyes, half-lidded and unfocused in the ensuing delirium arising from the wracked state of his body, flitted restlessly, scanning over what little he could see directly in front of him. It really was just the darkened alley and the blonde woman who had come to him. Desperate, he sought for some kind of hope, assurance that it would be okay, reprieve from the horrible pain...

Too much blood spilled relentlessly from the open wound in his chest. And even if the knife’s position stopped much of the blood flow from his stomach, it still pulsed out slowly from the site, and the internal damage wrought from the blade wasn’t easy to stop. The preternatural chill creeping over his body foretold the arrival of death, and certainly, there was a part of him that accepted this as a course of fate.

But there was also still a part of him, a terrified and fighting part of him, that rebelled against it. Even if he could come back…

“I… I don’t… want… to… die…” His words came out weak and strangled, hard as they were to wheeze out past all the blood leaking still relentlessly from his mouth.

Death was supposed to be absolute. His power defied the laws of nature and circumvented that, but at what cost? It was horrible. Horrible, terrible, painful, awful…

Weakly, sluggishly, Subaru moved his arm that felt weighted down with lead, extended his hand, coated in grime and blood from the ground, vaguely in the direction the woman was in. For some reason, he thought that if he could touch her, everything would be okay. It was probably nothing more than the feverish delirium that shrouded him as death encroached. Unfortunately, it was also completely misguided.

The strength left his body before his hand could reach her. A shuddering, rattling breath left his throat and his body fell still.

…

…

…

But, of course, it was only a matter of time before Return By Death manifested itself in this instance as well. Once again, bypassing the natural laws that stitched together reality, Subaru awakened with a startled, gasping breath. It was a sensation known to Subaru alone, waking up from what should have been The End, and it really never got easier. This time, he was covered in filth, lying awkwardly in an alley that was splattered with vomit and blood. Both his, no doubt.

As always, not a scratch remained on his body. Even the knife that had been embedded within his gut had been pushed out at some point postmortem while his body regenerated all its lost tissue. Also as always, his memory preceding his death was incredibly hazy and disjointed, though vaguely he recalled that someone had been there with him in those final moments.

Ultimately, it was concern for this person that drove him to rise to his feet. “Shit… Just what… What the hell happened?” Confirming his own status to be okay - albeit confused - he shook his head before glancing around the surroundings, searching for her.