seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from Finland
seen from United States
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from Yemen
seen from Finland
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from Maldives
seen from United States
seen from Ukraine
seen from United States
seen from Finland
seen from Germany
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from United States
Akashiki headcanon bcz I'm big sad and having the worst writer's block:
Akabayashi likes to read generic (cheap) Italian mafia/yakuza novels and even some manga. But reading puts a bit of strain to his only good eye and consequently his eye gets tired easily so~
Sometimes they sit shoulder-to-shoulder on the bed and Shiki reads the book outloud for him :')
Aka appreciates this gesture deeply and stops him with a kiss on top of his hair when eventually Shiki's voice gets tired
:'>
20. “Did you just slap my ass?”
“Since we’re here, we should check out the local entertainment.”
Shiki shifted his gaze to his redheaded mentor and arched a brow. “I can only hope you’re referring to a Noh play.”
Akabayashi blinked at the younger samurai’s suggestion then snorted. “You actually think they’re going to have noh play here? This is Yonezawa, not Kyoto. I was thinking more along the lines of a local izakaya or maybe a gambling house.”
“Of course you were,” Shiki replied with a sigh. “Izakaya. I want to eat a proper dinner.”
“I suppose that’s a good enough start.” Akabayashi agreed. “Some fresh grilled yakitori and vegetables sounds pretty good right now.”
They left their bags in the ryokan they were staying at and made their way to a nearby izakaya, recommended to them by the ryokan’s owner. The first thing Akabayashi ordered, of course, was sake while Shiki focused on the meal. After several days of travel, a proper meal was pure heaven compared to the meals of dried fish and onigiri they had been eating. With Akabayashi refilling his cup, it wasn’t long before both of them were drunk, not that the young lord showed much sign of it compared to his boisterous mentor.
“Time to find some entertainment!” Akabayashi declared as he emptied the last of the sake bottle into Shiki’s cup. “I asked and the ryokan owner told me there’s a teahouse not too far from here that is putting on a women’s kabuki play this evening.”
Shiki stared at the cup with a frown. “Kabuki isn’t entertainment. It’s just a way for them to sell their girls.” He observed.
“Oh come on, watching pretty girls sing and dance is perfect entertainment,” Akabayashi replied, pulling Shiki to his feet as the lord emptied his cup. If he swayed a bit, Akabayashi didn’t mention it though the grin on the redhead’s face grew a bit wider.
“Fine, fine.” Shiki relented with a sigh. “Better than wasting money on gambling I suppose. At least the girls might provide decent conversation.”
“Are you saying I’m not good conversation?” Akabayashi replied as they left the izakaya and made their way toward the tea house.
“You’re not. Your interests range from fighting to gambling to drinking to pretty girls.”
“All worthy interests.”
“But not at all interesting to talk about.”
“Says the too-serious one. You’re… how old?” Akabayashi paused as if trying to calculate Shiki’s age.
“Sixteen.” The lord filled in with exasperation.
“And all you talk about is history and politics. That’s old men conversation. You’re in the prime of your youth. You should be enjoying yourself! Right ladies?” He gazed at the young women waiting to serve them as they entered the teahouse. “We are here to see the show!”
“Of course, my lords.” The girls responded, giggling at the two drunk samurai.
“It’s not old men conversation,” Shiki muttered sullenly, drawing a laugh from Akabayashi as the girls escorted them to one of the semi-private rooms. The screens on one side opened up to view the stage area while the other screens provided privacy from other guests.
“What do you girls like to talk about?” Akabayashi asked as the girls took seats beside them, pouring the sake. “Not politics and history, I’m sure.”
“I’m rather fond of poetry, my lord.” One of the girls responded with a shy smile. “We recently obtained a book of renga poetry from Kyoto.”
“Poetry! How romantic.” Akabayashi replied with a grin. “Haruya also enjoys poetry.”
Shiki rolled his eyes, turning his gaze away from Akabayashi to the stage as the actors began their performance. Despite the reputation women’s kabuki had garnered for being nothing more than a showpiece for prostitutes, this teahouse’s girls were surprisingly good performers and the young lord found himself engaged by the story, a retelling of a love story between a samurai and a common girl. The samurai was played by a boyish-looking girl who was quite charming in the role, while the girl was a more conventional beauty whose kimono kept ‘accidentally’ slipping as the story progressed, flashing glimpses of flesh to the audience.
“She’s a pretty one,” Akabayashi commented as the play came to its inevitable conclusion where the samurai and the girl shared a romantic embrace and a surprisingly chaste kiss.
“The other one was a better actor,” Shiki observed, resting his head on his hand.
Akabayashi arched a brow, grinning. “Is that your type, then?” He teased the young lord. “Seems the lord likes the skinny ones.”
Shiki scowled at Akabayashi as the girls laughed. “That’s not what I said.” He protested.
“If my lord would like to meet her, we can arrange it.” One of the girls said with a smile. “I’m sure she’d be pleased to attend you.”
“No, won’t be necessary,” Shiki replied sullenly as his words were taken out of context. She had been attractive enough, he supposed, but he hadn’t been thinking of her in that sense when he’d spoken.
Akabayashi just laughed. “I think my lord has had too much to drink.” He teased, helping Shiki to his feet.
“Whose fault is that?” Shiki muttered, swaying a bit before giving the girls a polite bow. “Thank you for your company. Please tell your actors that we enjoyed their show.”
The girls glanced at each other in surprise at the lord’s actions then quickly returned the bow, smiling. “Of course, my lord. Please come visit again. We do a different play every week.”
Akabayshi just laughed and draped an arm over Shiki’s shoulders as they made their way out. “Manners first, even when you’re drunk.” He teased Shiki as they stepped out into the cool evening air. Shiki just rolled his eyes and began the walk back to the ryokan, concentrating on not swaying as he walked. “So is it skinny girls you like, Haruya, or pretty boys?” Akabayashi prodded with a grin.
Shiki gave him a sharp look. “I never said I liked her in that way.”
“But you couldn’t keep your eyes off her during the performance.”
“She was a good actor.”
“And you never seem to pay attention to the girls when we go out drinking.”
“Because unlike you, I’m not interested in wasting my time with that sort of entertainment.”
“You don’t want to get laid?”
“That’s not…” Shiki clicked his teeth in irritation. “I’m just not interested in those kinds of girls.”
“Then what are you interested in? Pretty noble ladies?”
Shiki stopped walking and turned to look at Akabayashi, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why are you so determined to drag me to these places and set me up with these girls?”
“Cause I think you need to relax and learn to enjoy yourself,” Akabayashi replied, gazing at the young lord seriously. “You’re taking everything on your shoulders and sharing none of the burdens. You don’t give yourself even the smallest bit of leeway to take a step away from your responsibilities once in a while and it shows.”
“I can’t afford to,” Shiki replied firmly. “I will be lord of-”
“-Lord of Sendai one day yeah, yeah, I know.” Akabayashi interrupted. “At this rate, you’re going to overwork yourself before you have the chance to inherit.” He grinned. “What an embarrassing way to die… Especially at such a young age.”
Shiki arched a brow. “And getting laid is going to help? I don’t think so. Just because you find flirting with women relaxing or fun or whatever, doesn’t mean I do.”
“How would you know?”
“What?”
“How would you know it won’t help? It’s not like you’ve ever seriously tried.”
Shiki couldn’t entirely refute Akayabashi’s words, ringing a bit too true in his drunken thoughts. “Maybe not, but I’m still not going to go paying those girls for that kind of thing.” He replied, eyeing Akabayashi with a calculating look. A hint of a smirk crept onto his lips as he continued. “Show me.”
“What?” Akabayashi replied in surprise.
“Show me how getting laid will help.”
“My lord…” Akabayashi’s grin returned. “Are you… propositioning me?”
Shiki sighed at the redhead’s teasing and turned away. “Nevermind. Forget it.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly do that,” Akabayashi replied, smirking. “It’s my job to mentor you, after all. How could I possibly turn down a request for help?”
“No, really, don’t put yourself out,” Shiki replied, resuming the walk back to the ryokan. “You’re probably a terrible choice anyway.”
“Oh, I’m definitely going to make you take that back,” Akayabashi replied, catching up to him in a few strides, giving Shiki’s ass a solid swat that made the drunken lord stumble.
“Did you just slap my ass?” He exclaimed, giving Akabayashi a dirty look.
“Better get used to it, Haruya.” He replied, returning Shiki’s look with a predatory grin.
can I ask you for some ShikiAka headcanons 'cause when I read your take on it I couldn't help but see it like that too and it's such a rarepair...
I wouldn’texactly call it a rarepair– You can find a lot of their stuff on pixiv andtwitter.
Anyway, I don’t have many headcanons since it’s not one of my big ships, but here goes:
Shiki considers getting closer to Akabayashi to be pure strategy, at first.Akabayashi is a wild card who Shiki doesn’t understand and doesn’t trust– thus, all the more incentive for Shiki to take the initiative, get close, and try and figure him out. Likewise, Akabayashi considers keeping Shiki at arms length to also be a strategy, though moreso for the sake of self-preservation– Akabayashi wont take the initiative to get closer to Shiki b/c that directly conflicts with the efforts he takes to isolate (read: protect) himself. Their relationship very much starts off as a “keep your enemies closer” kind of affair, with Shiki doing the pursuing.
Akabayashi play flirts with his colleagues for months on end, gets 100% complacent with them rejecting him, and gets the wind knocked out of him when Shiki is the first person to get annoyed enough to say “fine, let’s do it” to one of his many thinly veiled propositions.
Akabayashi has never been on an actual date in his life, and Shiki realizes this immediately. Rather than back down, though, this just encourages him to play the “this is a date, we are dating right now, we are having a candle-lit dinner” angle as straight as possible– because revenge is sweet, and the thought of having Akabayashi squirming under his thumb for once is even sweeter.
Akabayashi spends the entire evening attempting to salvage his image as an unreadable, unflappable, smooth mystery of a man
(it doesn’t work).
Things don’t escalate beyond dinner, but a “seed of interest” has been planted in both of them, so to speak. Akabayashi tends to develop interest in anyone who is capable of flipping the tables on him– and Shiki now sees Akabayashi in a more “human” light.
of course, Being The Type Of Men That They Are, Shiki being exposed Akabayashi’s more human qualities inevitably leads to scheming on how he can use them to his advantage in the future. AkaShiki is a mindgame ship at it’s core, after all.
if aozaki and akabayshi acknowledge each other as physical rivals, then akabayashi and shiki acknowledge each other as rivals as far as wits go
hilariously, this doesn’t stop them from being any less childish in their rivalry than akabayashi/aozaki are. they just hide all their petty bullshit behind faux polite/casual banter.
it’s only viable as a “serious” romantic relationship post-ketsu. Anything before that point would’ve been limited to casual flings and mind games.
akabayashi’s phone goes off in a meeting, the ringtone is ruri’s new hit single, shiki has to physically restrain himself from jumping akabayashi’s bones right there, etc,
This is the sort of stuff I feel like Akabayashi watches on his phone while he is in bed next to Shiki (who’s just trying to focus on a book) before they go to sleep.
and those cute pet chameleon videos..;
and the result is;
Irezumi
Not really an update, just a little short story for Shadow and Light. (Working on new ND chapter but finding time to write lately has been more difficult than I’d like.) Anyway, enjoy! https://archiveofourown.org/works/19107106/chapters/49618694
Awright, gimme 21 with teenage akashiki from S&L :D
“I said create a distraction, not this!”
“This is a terrible plan.” The reserved young man gazed at his companion with resignation. “I honestly don’t know what I’m expected to learn from you when all you do is rush into things without any thought.”
“Listen, sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. No other way to find out what they’re really up to.” Akabayashi responded with a grin, wrapping an arm around Shiki’s shoulders. “All you gotta do is go in and play the rebellious youth. You’re here to waste your father’s money on a good time. They’ll be more than happy to take your money and once we’re inside, we can see what this gambling operation is really about.”
“Or they see right through this whole charade and we learn nothing.” Shiki countered.
“Guess you’ll just have to make sure they believe you, then,” Akabayashi responded as he walked Shiki toward the tea house that the Asuki had been using as a gambling front. It hadn’t been the gambling on its own but the very large sums of money that had been transferring hands that had been concerning. Shiki’s father hadn’t thought anything of it, of course, but when Shiki had raised concerns to Akabayashi, the redhead’s solution was to ride straight there to investigate, dragging his reluctant student along.
“I should ask Mother to send you back to Echigo,” Shiki muttered sullenly as they approached, earning a chuckle from Akabayashi.
“You’d regret it if I wasn’t around.” The redhead replied, earning an eye roll from Shiki. “Ladies! My lord and I are here to have a good time!”
The pretty young girls working in the teahouse turned to look at the pair, giving them charming smiles and giggles. An older woman stepped forward to greet them.
“Of course, my lords. What is your preference?”
“Pretty girls and sake!” Akabayashi announced with a grin. “My lord has also heard that there are games of chance to be played here and a desire to waste his father’s money.”
The matron gazed from Akabayashi to Shiki, giving the young lordling a scrutinizing look. “You’re a young one, aren’t you? First time visiting this kind of establishment I bet.” She gave Shiki a knowing smile then escorted them through the teahouse to the back rooms where girls were entertaining men twice their age as they sat around tables drinking and gambling. As they settled at a table, two pretty young girls descended upon them with sake bottles and a deck of hanafuda cards.
Card games were something Akabayashi was very familiar with, Shiki learned as he watched the redhead play. He was able to hold his own, of course, and even when he knew he was likely to lose a hand, he made sure to bet lavishly to give the impression that he didn’t care about the money he was losing. After some time he beckoned the matron over and, adopting a look of boredom, questioned her.
“I had heard there was more high stakes gambling going on here.” He let his words slur, resting his head on his arm. “If I wanted to play card games I could have done that anywhere.”
“I see the rumours have travelled far.” She replied with a smirk. “I do hate to disappoint, my lord, but the rumours are exaggerated. What we offer is not gambling but an investment opportunity.”
“Investment?” Shiki asked, arching a brow. “In what?”
“Pets, my lord. Unique and special pets.” She replied. “Would my lord like to see?”
“You have my curiosity piqued, Madam.” Shiki replied as he rose to his feet, giving Akabayashi a kick. “Maybe you can find a new hunting dog.”
Akabayashi snorted as he followed Shiki and the matron.
“Oh, not those kinds of pets, my lord.” The woman clarified as she led them up to the second floor of the tea house. The rooms here were exactly the sort one would expect from this type of establishment, the sounds that escaped only confirming it. Shiki side-eyed Akabayashi but the redhead just gave him a grin. The matron led them into a room, sliding the door shut behind them.
A girl sat in the middle of the room, no older than Shiki though it was hard to tell. She had been painted up much like the girls downstairs, though there were tear streaks on her cheeks and a redness around the eyes that couldn’t be hidden with makeup. The most notable feature though were the slender red horns that curved up from her forehead.
“Oni,” Shiki commented flatly. “You’re selling oni girls.”
“Only the most beautiful ones, of course. Lord Asuki goes to a great deal of effort to find these girls and bring them in.” The matron walked over to the girl, tilting her head up. “For all the rumours, they tend to be remarkably docile. The perfect playthings for a lord, don’t you think?”
“Oh yes, she looks like just the thing for my lord, wouldn’t you agree?” Akabayashi’s arm dropped over Shiki’s shoulder as he gave the woman a grin. “Is she the only one? I wouldn’t mind getting a taste of a pretty oni girl myself.”
“At the moment, my lord, she is the only one available. Of course, if you don’t mind sharing, perhaps a discount can be arranged.” The matron replied.
“Whatever price is fine,” Shiki replied, giving the matron a smile that was not friendly at all but she didn’t seem to notice, distracted by the open-ended offer from the young lord.
“Of course my lord. If you need anything, just call.” She withdrew from the room, leaving the two samurai with the girl. Shiki shoved Akabayashi’s arm off his shoulder, lips twisting into a sneer.
“Kidnapping girls and selling them to the highest bidder. Asuki has sunk pretty low.”
“I don’t think he had very far to sink,” Akabayashi replied with a shrug. “Your father won’t give a shit about this.”
“I know,” Shiki replied coldly. “So I will. Go create a distraction then meet me at the horses.”
“Distraction you say?” Akabayashi grinned. “Yes, sir.” He slipped out of the room and Shiki turned his attention to the girl who was looking at him with a mix of confusion and fear.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything to you.” Shiki walked over to her and offered his hand. She shook her head then carefully raised the hem of her kimono to reveal that her legs had been hobbled together. He pulled out his tanto and quickly cut the ropes then pulled her to her feet. “Can you run?” She nodded. “Good.” He slid open the door and led her toward the stairs as shrieks filled the air. Shiki let out a sigh as the smell of smoke floated up the stairway. At the screams, other doors slid open, confused and half-dressed men looking out into the hall. Shiki led the girl back past the gawkers, looking into rooms as they passed, hoping to find one with an outside wall. Near the end of the hallway, he found one with a window, striding past the surprised couple to throw it open. He beckoned the oni over and lifted her up. She pulled herself onto the ledge, looking down with fear and shaking her head. Another exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he climbed up beside her and jumped. He landed in a tuck and roll, quickly regaining his feet and moving beneath the window to beckon her to follow. “Jump, girl, or you’ll burn with the building.” That was enough motivation for her to fling herself out of the window.
Shiki had never tried to catch someone before. Certainly not someone falling from a window. She wasn’t as light as she looked, either. She bowled him over and he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. He stared up at the smoke that was steadily rising from the building, contemplating how it had come to this. The girl sat up, staring down at him with concern as she patted his cheek as if to revive him. His gaze shifted to her and she quickly retreated, giving him room to stand. “Follow me.” He told her as he moved quickly toward the horses.
Akabayashi was already there and mounted, of course, holding the reins of Shiki’s horse. “Hurry up. They’re too distracted to notice if we leave now but I heard them calling for a water brigade.”
Shiki mounted, pulling the girl up behind him. “I said create a distraction, not this!” He criticized the redhead.
Akabayashi merely grinned and shrugged. “It is a distraction, Shiki!” He laughed.
“At this rate, the entire town could burn. Did you knock over every lantern in the building?”
“Oh, no, I visited the kitchen.” The redhead replied as he spurred his horse to a gallop. “Besides, they won’t be selling anyone if the town burns, will they? Sounds like perfect retribution for the crime.”
Shiki couldn’t deny that he took satisfaction in watching the fire consume the teahouse, spreading swiftly to the buildings beside it as they rode away. “Do you even understand the concept of subtle?” He insisted with a scowl.
“Not really my style.” Akabayashi laughed as he leaned in and clapped Shiki on the back. “Besides, people miss the point when you’re subtle. Can’t miss this point, now can they?”
Shiki just sighed in defeat. “We weren’t here to make a point.”
“We weren’t here to rescue oni-girls either.”
“I never should have listened to you.”
“Admit it, this was fun.”
“Fun? Clearly, your idea of fun is twisted.”
There are so many good ones, ah... How about... 15 or 20? ShikiAka? Please and thank you!
15 first, 20 later. More Shadow and Light setting drabble XD
15. “What do you mean, maybe? That was a yes or no question.”
Shiki had been studying with his mother when the messenger arrived with a letter from Uesugi. Hanako opened it and read through it, considering the contents thoughtfully before handing it to her son. Shiki took the letter, frowning as he read, then looked at his mother.
“Kenshin successfully forced his brother to step down,” Shiki spoke thoughtfully.
“Yes, an unfortunate but necessary move for the clan. He’s also sending a mentor for you, as I requested. He should be here within the week. Akabayashi Mizuki… I don’t remember that name but Kenshin has assured me that his skills are second to none. He seems to have garnered a reputation among the Nagao and he’s quite young too.”
“I’m not sure what he could have to teach if Father’s veteran samurai can no longer defeat me,” Shiki observed quietly, putting the letter down.
“Sometimes it isn’t just about raw skill, Haruya.” She pointed out with a smile. In someone else, the statement might have sounded arrogant but she had seen how hard her son had worked to hone his skills over the years. It was sad that Haruya would never receive the acknowledgement he wanted for that hard work. “He may bring a different perspective or different techniques. He’s also quite proficient with the spear, something you haven’t focused on as much.”
“True, my experience with the spear has been mostly in its use as a hunting weapon.” Shiki acknowledged. “Akabayashi Mizuki…”
Once word got out that the castle would have a new resident, opinions were mixed but whether positive or negative, everyone seemed at least a bit curious about the samurai from Echigo. The day he arrived there were significantly more people loitering around the gates than usual. This also meant that the whole castle knew the moment the rider was spotted making his way up the path from the town.
“He has red hair.” Shiki heard someone murmur as he stood beside his mother, waiting to greet the samurai who would be his mentor. His father was, of course, absent.
“He looks so handsome. I‘d be happy to warm his bed at night.” Another murmur followed by a round of giggles from a group of young women.
“That’s the best Uesugi has to offer?” This from one of his father’s older samurai. “He’s still a kid.”
When Akabayashi finally rode through the gates, Shiki’s gaze immediately took in the young samurai. The red hair definitely stood out, tied back in a lazy looking topknot, too short to be considered proper. In fact, as his gaze travelled, nothing about the newcomer seemed to fit the proper image of a samurai. His kimono hung loosely off broad shoulders, leaving a V of flesh marked with scars. At his hip hung his sword but more notable were the two spears strapped to the saddle.
Akabayashi dismounted, grinning as Hanako and Shiki approached to welcome him. “Hanako-san, it’s an honour to finally meet the flower of Nagao.” The young samurai greeted his mother, bowing, and Shiki arched a brow at the greeting.
Hanako gave Akabayashi an amused smile. “Thank you for coming, Akabayashi-san. This is my son, Haruya, for whom I had requested your mentorship.”
Akabayashi slid his gaze to Shiki, taking in the solemn heir’s appearance, his grin widening a bit. Shiki matched the redhead’s amused expression with a cool gaze. “Ah, yes, the young prodigy. Nice to meet you, Haruya.” The casual way Akabayashi greeted him drew a frown to his features and he glanced at his mother with an arched brow but she merely gave him an encouraging smile.
“Thank you for coming, Akabayashi-san,” Shiki replied formally, giving the redhead a respectful bow.
“So are you really as good as they say, or is your skill a reflection of the laziness of Daichi’s men?” Akabayashi replied with a grin, obviously goading Shiki.
The young heir’s gaze grew cold at the redhead’s words. “Do you choose to believe every rumour you hear?” He replied, bristling at the implication.
“Maybe,” Akabayashi replied, still grinning down at the younger samurai.
“What do you mean, maybe? That was a yes or no question.” Shiki snapped in irritation. “If you choose to believe rumours without actually witnessing the truth, I’m hardly interested in having you as a mentor.”
Akabayashi burst into laughter at the way Shiki chose to take him to task. “What, not going to challenge me right here to prove yourself?” The redhead’s voice took on a teasing lilt which only drew an irritated scowl from Shiki.
“Why would I waste my time on such a pointless pursuit? I have no need to prove my skills to someone who judges me based on rumours when I will be required to employ them in real battle soon enough.”
A pained looked passed over Hanako’s expression, quickly gone but not before Akabayashi saw it. He chuckled and gave Shiki’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Rumours always have at least a bit of truth to them. Like the rumour that you’re a very serious young man.”
Shiki stared at the hand on his shoulder then back at Akabayashi and sighed. “I will be lord of Sendai one day. I can hardly afford to waste time on frivolous things.”
Akabayashi grinned and turned his gaze to Hanako. “Don’t worry, my lady, I’ll take good care of Haruya. I can see now why he needs a mentor like me, with such a depressing outlook on life.”
Hanako couldn’t help but to smile at the outgoing redhead but Shiki merely clicked his teeth in irritation and turned away from his mentor, brushing the hand off his shoulder. “Please keep your lessons to relevant things, Akabayashi.” He replied, walking toward the castle. “Let me show you to your rooms.”
The Blue Devil
Shadow and Light Chapter 2: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18703654/chapters/44359264
