#ikesen reader insert

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

AFK - Level 36

I'm baaaaaaack! Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well and hanging in there. Life has been a little crazy, but i'm happy to report it's been productive :) Please enjoy the next chapter!

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse & @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: none? If you find anything let me know though.

Level 36

You were spending way too much time at the convenience store near your house. For whatever reason, Masamune's seemingly endless jokes made it easier to ignore the pit you had in your stomach. Sure, there was probably a better way to handle whatever that situation with Ieyasu had been, but now that you had been avoiding him this long, it almost felt like you couldn't say anything. Taking a deep breath, you decided on a bag of chips you'd yet to try and turned to head to the register, only to yell out in fright.

"Would you stop doing that!" You relaxed when you realized it was just Masamune.

"Nah, it's fun to watch you jump." The man chuckled and patted you on the shoulder. "Got any plans for dinner Friday?"

"Uh, no?" You looked at him skeptically as you shifted your weight, so the things you were holding sat more comfortably in your arms.

"Cool, stop by, and I'll feed you." Without going any further, Masamune walked off towards his register.

"What's the occasion? You don't feel so sorry for me that you're trying to take me on a date to cheer me up, are you?" You scowled.

"Lass, do I seem like that kind of guy?" Masamune leaned over the counter.

"Yes, but also no?" You replied as you placed your snacks on the counter.

"I'm offended. Here I am trying to get you to try this new dish I've come up with, and you're questioning my character." Masamune threw a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"Fine, what's this new dish?" You asked, a little curious.

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise." Masamune smiled proudly down at you. "Just meet me here around seven, and we can go chill in a park."

"The park?" You cocked your head to the side.

"Trying to avoid giving you murdery vibes by not inviting you back to my house." Masamune jokes. "Since you've already questioned my character once tonight."

"I hate to break it to you, but a nighttime picnic in the park has equal amounts of murdery vibes as going to an acquaintance's house for dinner." You barked out a laugh.

"Acquaintance!? And here I thought we were good friends, but I guess you're right. Still, I wanna eat by the reservoir, though." Masamune smiled brightly as he handed you your change.

"Sounds good to me. See you Friday then, friend." You gave a little wave before heading home for the rest of the evening.

That's how you ended up staring at your closet, wondering how much effort you had to put into your outfit tonight. It was technically a picnic, but Masamune had said it was just a casual thing. You knew better than to show up in your work scrubs for multiple reasons, but you were torn between comfort and looking halfway decent. In the end, you decided on a loose pair of jeans, so your legs didn't get itchy in the grass and your favorite hoodie before walking towards the store.

When you arrived at the convenience store, Masamune was already standing outside, dressed nearly identical to you, with a picnic basket in hand.

"Hey there!" You gave a wave and jogged in his direction, "We're twins today."

"Great minds think alike. You all ready to go?" Masamune asked.

"I think so unless there's something you think I'll need." You quirked your eyebrow up at him.

"Nope, I've got everything we could ever want in this basket." Masamune lifted it, so it was right at your eye level.

"Oh? That's a pretty magical picnic basket." You snickered as you tried to grab for the latch.

"Hey, I think not." Masamune pouted as he snatched it away from your hands. "What do you not get about the word surprise?"

"Technically, if you showed it to me now, I'd still be surprised." You countered him.

"Yes, just not at the right moment. Life's all about those little moments, Lass." Masamune scolded you.

"If you say so."

"I do." Masamune encouraged me.

After that, the two of you walked up the hill towards the park in comfortable silence. You had to admit it was a nice night for a picnic, not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze, the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold. With a smile on your face, you helped Masamune unfold and lay down the blanket in the spot near the reservoir he had picked.

"It really is nice. Do you come up here often at night?" You wondered aloud as you took a seat.

"Eh, it depends on my mood." Masamune shrugged. "Today's too perfect to pass up, though."

"That's true. I like the way the stars reflect off the water." You admitted.

"I thought you might." Masamune gave you a wide-toothed grin. "Alright, Lass, close your eyes. No peeking."

"I thought you were trying to avoid murdery vibes tonight?" You chuckled as you did as Masamune told you.

"I am. I almost gave you a blindfold but thought better of it." Masamune snickered.

There was a shuffling noise, and you assumed it was Masamune pulling the food out of his magical basket. The familiar sound of bento boxes unclipping and the smell of something savory made you smile. You were excited; this was exciting. If Masamune was as good with actual food flavors as he was at mixing exotic chips and soda's this mean was bound to be a fabulous one.

"Alright, Lass, you can open your eyes now. Your excitement soon turned to mild horror and anxiety when you realized what was going on. This was a setup, and the one person you least expected was sitting directly across from you. When your eyes met his green ones, you saw him flush and look away.

"Told you, the basket is magic. You kids have fun!" Masamune shouted as he ran back down the hill. He was leaving you alone in the park with Ieyasu.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 33

This chapter took way longer for me to write than I anticipated but it was so much fun and really picked up steam at the end! It’s starting to get really fun fam! 

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: Casually crude langage

Level 33

Excitement washed over you as you put your controller away and turned your TV off. You were told to eat a fun snack. Since you had eaten all of your left-overs for dinner and your chips were wiped out well into the tournament, it was time to go to the store. Without a second thought, you slipped into some comfortable footwear, grabbed your keys and wallet, and headed out to hit up the local convenience store.

As predicted, it was just late enough that there weren’t hoards of people lined up inside the little store waiting for a quick and cheap ready-made dinner for the evening. You walked right in and headed straight for the snack aisle, quietly looking over all the options. After picking out your favorite candy and the least offensive flavor of gourmet chips, you grabbed a bottle of tea and walked up to the check-out counter.

“I see your terrible taste in chips hasn’t changed.” You recognized the cashier from your last potato chip adventure and laughed.

“Why is it that every time I make poor snack decisions, you’re here to give me grief?” You snickered as you put your items on the counter.

“Just doing my job. It’d be a crime if I let people go around making bad snack decisions all day.” The one-eyed brunette jokes.

“Alright then, you’ve piqued my interest.” You gestured towards the snack aisles. “What does a good snack adventure look like?”

“Depends on the situation, lass.” The young man leaned over the counter, and you got a glimpse of his name-tag, Masamune, was it?

“I didn’t realize that mattered.” You quirked an eyebrow up at him, wondering where this was going to go.

“Of course it matters!” Masamune took mock offense and slid out from behind the counter. “So tell me, what’s the occasion?”

“Celebratory; won a tournament.” You conceded, following him back to the snack aisle.

“Oh? Didn’t take you for the sporty type.” He teased

“For the record, I play a sport, emphasis on the singularity there but still. A sport is a sport,” You answered, giving him your best side-eye in the process. “Second, I need to know what gave you that impression. Third, it was a video game tournament.”

“Lass, I’ve seen you run into the bike rack outside the shop seven times. You’re either not sporty, or you’re not very observant.” Masamune finished his thought by grabbing a bag of chips off the shelf.

“Should I be concerned that you’re watching me that closely?” You wondered out loud.

“Nah, I watch everyone who walks by or comes in.” Masamune shrugged, “Free entertainment.”

“Fair.” You replied. Following him through the aisles as he put back the snacks you picked out earlier and meticulously scanned each shelf for a new set of treats.

To say you were skeptical was an understatement. The mixture of treats coupled with the oversized Slurpee who’s flavor had long been obscured by the multitude of syrup added to the cup was the furthest thing away from anything you’d pick out for yourself. You didn’t even bother to hide the question in your gaze as you followed him back to the counter.

“Don’t look so horrified; you’re in the presence of a culinary master.” Masamune wiggled his eyebrows and walked you to one of the open tables in the back. “Here.”

“Thanks, what do I owe you?” You asked, plopping down in the chair he had pulled out for you.

“Not a thing, Lass. It’s on the house.” Then he winked, er, blinked (?), and walked back behind his register.

With your evening snack now finished, you found yourself oddly satisfied and surprised. Maybe he was some sort of odd culinary wizard working part-time at the local convenience store. A smile on your face, you traveled towards the counter to thank him.

“Enjoy yourself?” Masamune teased as he leaned on his elbows.

“I did.” You teased as you finished the last few sips of your drink. “I may require your expertise another time.”

“Wonderful! Another satisfied customer.” His smile was bright as he continued. “So tell me, Lass, what game did you win?”

“Technically, I beat the game ages ago, but the tournament was hosted in the online portion of Endless Isle.”

“Ohhh! Nice! I play that game! We should do some multiplayer or something sometime.” Masamune exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh yeah? That could be fun.” You needed some more friends in-game. “Here, give me some paper, and I’ll write down my handle so you can add me later.”

Without wasting any time, Masamune pulled a piece of receipt paper and grabbed a pen. He was offering them both to you with a smile, one that faltered for a moment before his face contorted, and he let out a strangled laugh.

“What the hell? My username isn’t that weird!” Your face burned bright red as your mind began to race.

“I’m not going to be able to add you, Lass.” Masamune managed between breaths.

“Why not?” You puzzled as he began scribbling on the same piece of paper.

“You’re going to have to unblock me first.” His laughter never faltered as he held up his username ‘OneEyedDrag0n.’

“No way.” You balked before you matched his laughter. “Who would have thought the ax-wielding maniac worked at the local convenience store!”

“It’s part of my cover. I have to remain unassuming Lass.” Masamune smirked as you laughed harder.

“Oh, my gods. For the love of-” You shook your head, but the smile never left your face.

“Does this mean I’m unblocked?” Masamune asked.

“Yes,” You sighed. “On one condition.”

“Oho? What might that be?” Intrigued, Masamune humored you.

“I’m going to need you to be my personal snack picker-outer.” You beamed.

“How did you know?” Masamune threw a hand to his chest. “That’s my dream title. I’ll happily oblige!”

“Oh, don’t be an ass.” You barked out a laugh, before wishing him a good night and heading out of the store.

Waiting until she was no longer in view of the store, Masamune picked up his cell phone and made a phone call. Ieyasu didn’t answer, which was about what he had expected, so he left a voicemail.

“Yo, I just met your little online buddy. Did you know she’s your IRL crush? Can I be your wingman? I think I should be your wingman.”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 34

Thanks to everyone who asked how I was doing! I really appreciate it <3

Guess who got some free time today :) This gal! Hope you guys enjoy! Fingers crossed it stays slow for a little bit.

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: None

Level 34

The first thing you had done last night after getting home from your adventure was unblocked Masamune. What were the actual odds of something like that happening, you wondered. Sure, you had known the people from Team Kasugayama, but that was because it was a group of friends who had invited their mutual friends to play. Meeting someone in person that you’d only ever encountered in an online game had to be almost entirely unheard of. With a smile on your face, you headed off to bed, you had to be at work early tomorrow, and you desperately needed to avoid Sasuke and Yukimura for as long as possible. 

Fortunately, your instinct had been correct. The extra fifteen minutes had guaranteed you a spot on the early shuttle from the garage to work in near silence. It was peaceful, especially with the rain, and you were hoping for the day to stay that way.

It wasn’t busy in the lab, which meant you had time to fine-tune some of the more specific gating elements in your new test. With the day slowing down and the sample load dwindling, you put on your headphones and planned to hunker down at your desk until the end of the day. 

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned; you were so concentrated on your work that when Yukimura and Sasuke swarmed your desk, you nearly jumped out of your seat. So close, you had been so close. 

“What can I do for you, boys?” You asked, granting them a side-eye as you shifted your headphones. 

“We need bodyguards.” Yukimura let out, exasperated. 

“Oh? Not sure why you’re telling me unless you want me to know in case you disappear?” You teased.

“This isn’t funny. It’s one thing to win a tournament. It’s another to land a hit like that on Kenshin.” Yukimura sighed. “We have to live with your life decisions, you know!”

“Not my fault he couldn’t take a well-placed hit.” You shrugged, enjoying the way Yukimura bristled. 

“It was indeed. Though I might need a place to lay low for a while if you don’t mind.” Sasuke complimented you. 

“You guys are acting like Kenshin is going to off you IRL. Chill out or call the cops, my dudes.” You laughed as they both shared a look. 

“If we disappear, can we count on you to call in detectives?” Yukimura asked.

“All I ask is you remember us fondly,” Sasuke said with a bow.

“You guys are ridiculous. Stop.” You snickered as you continued. “I’m honestly surprised, we’ve been playing around with my luck stat, so I didn’t know if our plan would work. I was sure Edo was going to have to come to bail me out.” 

“I know your speed stat has no rival, but mixing that with high luck is a dangerous combination I’d never even entertained. Well done.” Sasuke congratulated you with a pat on the shoulder. 

“Why are you congratulating her? Kenshin is going to make our lives a living hell online for the next month.” Yukimura pouted.

“You act as though we’re the only ones who will be affected.” Sasuke pointed out. “YN is going to have to watch out as well.”

“Me?” You balked. “Why me? Because I beat him?”

“Precisely.” Sasuke used the dramatic pause to push his glasses up his nose before continuing. “I would be prepared for a flurry of battle requests from him.”

“Oh, is that it?” You wondered aloud. “He’s been blocked for months, remember? Just like the rest of you? He couldn’t send me requests if he wanted to.”

“AUGH!” Yukimura burst out as he slumped forward. “This just got so much worse for us.”

“I’m sure you’ll be okay; you’re both resourceful.” You consoled, swiveling in your chair to try and hide your amusement. 

“She acts like she’s never played with him before!” Yukimura whined.

“I did; he liked me.” You teased, “What have you been doing the past few months that you still haven’t managed to win him over?”

“Shut it!” Yukimura’s agitation grew the more prolonged the encounter drew on, and it was showing. 

“Yanno, I was down here minding my own business, not talking to anyone until you two showed up.” You pointed out, turning your attention back towards your computer. 

“What do you have there?” Sasuke asked, leaning in to take a look at your computer screen. 

“Validation data.” You scooted your chair over to make more room for your now curious friends. 

“Ah, is this your project with Dr. Tokugawa then?” Sasuke asked as Yukimura looked on, confused.  

“Sort of? It’s been my project for a while. He’s thinking about running a study that needs specific testing.” You shuffled around your plots and pulled up some data on the computer. “It just sort of happened that I was already cooking something up.”

“Interesting. What a lucky twist of fate.” Sasuke pondered.

“How so?” You mused.

“It’s not every day that you get to work with a partner in real life and a video game like that.” Sasuke continued.

“I’m not following you at all there, buddy.” You grimaced, trying to put your finger on what Sasuke was trying to say.

“Dr. Tokugawa is Edo is he not?” Sasuke tilted his head as he asked you his question. 

“I don’t know who Edo is.” The confusion was evident on your face. “What makes you say it’s Ieyasu?”

“Yoshimoto told us.” Yukimura chimed in. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“No. How does he even know that?” You could feel the grimace starting.

“They have, history, yes - history.” Sasuke struggled to explain it well.

“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.” Yukimura pointed out nonchalantly. 

“Maybe he doesn’t know it’s me?” You tried to offer, knowing full well you’ve potentially told your crush some super deep things.

“While that is possible, you will never have an answer unless you ask.” Sasuke offered. 

“Why would I ask? What if he doesn’t know? That’ll just make things awkward.” You could feel the anxiety rising in your chest. 

“Knowing you, it’s already going to be awkward now that you know.” Yukimura chuckled as he patted your shoulder. “You’re better off just asking before you explode.”

“Why, why did you have to go and make this more complicated?” You begrudged. 

“I’m sure you would have found out eventually.” Sasuke offered.

“Is that your way of trying to make me feel better?” You sighed.

“No, I’m being realistic.” he fixed his glasses. “You’ve been working with him both here and online for a long time. You have feelings for the man in real life. It would have eventually come up.”

“I mean, yes, you’re right.” You glared at Sasuke, knowing he had a point. “At least that is more organic than whatever I’m about to go do now.”

“Oh, can I come to watch?” Yukimura asked, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

“No.” You deadpanned. 

“What if I say I’m there as emotional support?” Yukimura offered.

“Accept, we both now know you’re not?” You snickered, despite the turmoil in your brain.

“Fine, good luck and have fun, I guess?” Yukimura tossed his hand in the air. “C’mon, Sasuke, we need to get back to the floor.”

“Do we?” Sasuke wondered before checking his watch. 

There wasn’t anything said after he raised his eyebrows above his frames, and both of them took off. Alone with your thoughts now, the panic started to kick into overdrive. What were you going to do? If Ieyasu was Edo, you had quite literally told the man you had a crush on him! Should you even approach this? What happened if he did find out somehow that you knew? Would he think you were using him, that it was a lie? Gods, you didn’t want that either. A string of curses flew out of your mouth, and you picked up your desk phone before you had a chance to change your mind. 

“Hi, Dr. Tokugawa? Do you have a minute?”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 30

How is everything going for you all! I’m trying to stay on top of this story but some things are happening at work :) May the creative winds be with me 

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: none

Master List

Level 30

“I just need to make sure you don’t think I’m your girlfriend.” You started, trying to keep your cool and eye contact with Yoshimoto. 

“That much was apparent, especially after how many ‘not dates’ we had to go on before you admitted they were indeed dates.” Yoshimoto chuckled. 

“Okay then,” you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief as you relax into your chair. “so, you’ve seen the ad for the next tournament, right?”

“I have, it looks to be a good one,” Yoshimoto remarked, picking up the menu. 

“Agreed, you think we’ll have a better shot of winning this one?” You smiled as you bounced in your seat, excited by the prospect. 

“Ah, about that.” Yoshimoto placed the menu silently back on the table. “Rose and I shall be participating together for this one.”

“Oh? I guess that makes sense. With her being on your team and all.” You responded, sure you were disappointed, but it made sense.

“Agreed, that plus I’d hate to pull you away from your work. I’m sure Dr. Tokugawa demands much of your attention.” You noticed the casual malice in his tone as Yoshimoto mentioned Ieyasu, and you tried not to bristle. 

“Okay, I’ve told you already that time away from work isn’t an issue, so why do you insist it is unless it’s not about the work but who I’m working with?” You asked, fighting to keep your tone even. 

“I can only imagine the type of scrutiny he puts your data through; even then, I am aware of your previous feelings for him, so I’d hate to get in the way of anything happening now.” Yoshimoto shrugged as he feigned being nonchalant. 

“Excuse me.” Your blood boiled. “First off, my work has to be scrutinized; it’s a screening test for minimal residual disease—a major prognostic factor in survivability. Secondly, I’m literally here, with you, on a date. You’re being dismissive as hell. Thirdly,” You paused in your tangent, not sure if you wanted to finish the thought.

“Thirdly?” He pressed venom in his eyes

“I’d don’t like these nasty and baseless assumptions or being patronized. He’s not even the only doc on the project! You know what? I’m done. I’m leaving” And you did, picked your purse up and hastily handed the waitress your share for the meal you’d never eat on the way out. 

After that, you didn’t speak to either of them. You were going out of your way to ignore all attempts at communication from both parties. The only real plus side to the whole situation was that not talking at work propelled your project forward all the faster. In the span of two weeks, you’d run nearly twice as many samples, and all results matched what current institutions already using the panel were putting out. If you kept up this pace, you’d be validated by the end of the month! Excited, you shot off a quick email notifying Dr. Togo and Tokugawa of your progress. 

It only took a moment before the phone in the office started ringing. The caller ID didn’t give you much to go off of, and this was either a physician, a wrong number, or one of those weird collect calls trying to tell you that you’d overpaid your electric bill again. As if the hospital’s electric bill was any of your business. 

“Flow lab, this is (YN).” You answered, pausing to wait out the game of phone roulette. 

“(YN), hi. This is Dr. Togo. Are you and your supervisor available for a meeting this afternoon?” Markio asked. 

“I know I am. I can ask Haru and see what’s on her calendar for the day.” You suggested. 

“That’d be great. Here let me give you Ieyasu and my cell numbers. Just start a group conversation once you hear back from Haru, and we can plan something out.” Mariko chirped happily. 

“Will do.”

You waited with a pen and a sticky note for the number, you didn’t have the heart to tell her you already had Ieyasu’s. It was a quick conversation. The only pause was you making sure to read the numbers back to her before she ended the call. As fast as you could, you left the tech office and headed out to find your manager, who was conveniently not in her office. After a quick search of the lab and a survey of your coworkers, all of whom had no idea where Haru had gone, you sent her a message. 

Mariko called ←  Wants to have a meeting ←  U free this afternoon? ← (h) → Sure (h) → Does 2 work?

With confirmation your manager was free, you sent the first message in the group chat. 

Hi, (YN) here. We’re free to meet this afternoon at 2. Will that work for you both? ← (i) → Yes (m) → Sounds good! Thanks (YN) (m) → See you all then!

Jittery, you fought to hold your concentration enough to compile all your data into one document to present. Maybe it was because you had such short notice to talk about your findings or because it was always a little weird talking about your research to others? You weren’t sure, so you swallowed the lump in your throat and ignored the way your heart jumped in your chest as you and Haru rode the elevator up fourteen floors to your two o’clock meeting.

Fortunately, the room was empty when you arrived. Giving you the time you needed to set up and pass around the data you had printed out for people to look at and take notes on. The glass door creaked open behind you, and Mariko chirped a hello as Ieyasu sauntered in beside her. Your eyes met and, not knowing what else to do, you smiled in greeting. To your surprise, he smiled back.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 32

Oh my gosh I didn’t think I was going to ever finish this! My week has been insane! Hope you guys are all doing well, enjoy the update :)

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here

Happy Reading Honey Bees! <3

Level 32

It had been a productive couple of weeks, excited over the recent developments you took off for home, hoping Edo would be online. Your research was going well, but you’d managed to have an intelligent conversation with the super cute doctor at work, and you had to tell someone. Sure, Edo was one hundred percent not going to enjoy the gossip, but you were sure he’d listen or at least pretend to.

With your game console turned on, you put in an order for a pizza and made your way to the couch to get comfortable. Not even five minutes had gone by before you got a rush of notifications on your phone, all thanking you for signing up for the partner’s battle tournament that was happening tomorrow. Confused and concerned, you stared at your phone, wondering if there had been a glitch, or worse, someone you were trying to avoid has signed up and listed you as their partner without saying anything.

Crap.

You couldn’t log on faster, the moment the game loaded you dove into your game’s notifications looking for clues on who could have possibly signed you up. Then your controller vibrated off of your lap.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Hope you’re free tomorrow. If not we’ll find a time to destroy my meddling friends… Well that may solve one mystery ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → There’s more than one? Yes actually. First question ← WildCyt0m3try What meddling friend do I need to thank with a smack? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → OneEyedDrag0n, turned around for five minutes… Sounds like a wonderfully chaotic friend you’ve got ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That’s one way to put it. Next Question! What were you going to do if I wasn’t free???? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Forfeit? That would have been the only option….any other questions… What’s our plan? ← WildCyt0m3try

For the better part of three hours, you and Edo put together a strategy that would hopefully cover all your bases. Not that you could predict what every other player was going to do, but you had the advantage of understanding what the major contenders were going to do, which would hopefully give you both a leg up in the tournament. It wasn’t until you had logged off and were crawling into bed that you realized you’d been so concentrated on purchasing new equipment and salves, telling Edo about your week had utterly slipped your mind. Oh well, maybe you’d be able to slip it in tomorrow.

When your alarm went off the next morning, your first thoughts were those of confusion. You didn’t have to go into work, did you? Aggravated, you smacked at your phone until the noise stopped, and you rolled yourself right back over in bed. It wasn’t until your eyes were closed, and you were nearly asleep again that you remembered you had a tournament to attend. Thanking the gods you didn’t have to be anywhere physically, you shot out of bed and ran down the stairs to turn on your console. While you are waiting for the login screen to pop up, you scrounge around your kitchen, looking for anything that would suffice for a decent breakfast. Finally, settling on a comically tall glass of chocolate milk and a bowl of your favorite cereal, you settled onto the couch and readied for battle.

EdoPorcupine5661 → I was beginning to wonder if you’d show. IM NOT THAT LATE OMG! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Oversleep? Coffee? Boyfriend? First off, good morning to you too sunshine ← WildCyt0m3try Secondly, I’m not late, so even if I did oversleep we’re good ← WildCyt0m3try Third of all. I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → So you asked, and he got mad and ditched? Has anyone ever told you how pessimistic you are? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → All the time. What about it? As long as you know lol ← WildCyt0m3try I’ll have you know, he said he knew we weren’t exclusive. ← WildCyt0m3try Said with how long it took for me to agree even to date he knew better ← WildCyt0m3try Then proceed to decide how much free time I was going to have based on work commitments ← WildCyt0m3try I forgot my chill pills that day so yanno...haven’t spoken to him in a hot minute ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → sounds like you What’s that supposed to me? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That you didn’t deviate from my perceived opinions about your character That literally sounds worse… ← WildCty0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → It isn’t, I just complimented you Pffff, if you say so ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 →  I do. Now let’s get ready. Roger that best friend ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Stop No, you deserved that ← WildCyt0m3try Also, I mean it <3 ← WildCyt0m3try Now let’s kick some digital ass! I want that prize!! ← WildCyt0m3try

The tournament bracket was released early that morning. Your first battle wasn’t until round three based on their tiering system, and for that, you were grateful. Sure Edo had already come up with a pretty solid plan, but it was nice to see who you could potentially be facing. Fortunately, you knew OneEyedDrag0n wasn’t participating today, so you didn’t have to worry about being surprised by a wayward ax again. The plan was to trick people into being overly confident for as long as possible since Bow Knight and a Pegasis Knight didn’t look like a problematic duo to overcome. That’s why this was going to be fun.

After hours of competition, it boiled down to the final round. You weren’t sure if you were excited or terrified of this. Everything had gone according to plan; you had managed to keep the extensive and unexpected arsenal of weapons and magic hidden just long enough to get you through the less challenging rounds. If everything went the way you had expected it to, the two would be facing off against Kenshin and Sasuke, a formidable duo.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Ready? I think so? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Not good enough, you’re either ready, or you’re not. I’m ready then ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Good

When the controller vibrated, signaling the start of the battle, you sucked in a breath. Part of the tournament was about getting around the map and collecting specific items. Navigating the map was easy enough with Edo a mounted unit and yourself a flier, but you didn’t want to get too cocky. Sasuke had picked up the lockpicking skill in his previous class, meaning he’d take any treasure he could get to without fail or need for a key, and Kensin’s unit had enough brute strength if your dexterity faltered once you were a goner.

The idea was to split up and take any treasure in your immediate area, once those were in hand the both of you would mount a generally weak attack on Kenshin. Sasuke would hopefully round back after completing the collection mission, which is when Edo planned to break off and corner him—leaving you to deal with Kenshin by yourself until Edo could take out Sasuke. The entire plan hinged on Sasuke being sent to open all the treasure chests and Kenshin being too excited to fight either of you.

Fortunately, it seemed to be working. Your fingers furiously tapped at buttons, trying to will the game into cooperating with your skillful button mash. It didn’t have to be pretty right now; it just had to be a useful distraction. When Kenshin finally landed a hit, you sucked in a breath; quickly, you ran the scenario. You were stuck between healing yourself or bet on your stats and take another crack at Kenshin.

Decision made, you closed your eyes and held your breath, hoping your lance would activate its ability. You didn’t want to look, having decided you’d keep your eyes closed until the next turn you waited. It wasn’t until your phone started vibrating off the hook you thought to look around. Kenshin’s avatar was no longer visible on your screen, and the more you looked, the more you realized that nobody’s stats were available anymore.

Oh gods, had your wifi crashed in the middle of the tournament? Panic rose in your chest, but it was shut down quickly when WINNER flashed across the screen in bold. What? That couldn’t be, right?

EdoPorcupine5661 → Well done Thanks? I honestly don’t know what happened though ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → I hit him with a long-range bow skill, and you delivered a critical hit Oh, really? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t believe me? Not really. ← WildCyt0m3try I’m convinced this is a fever dream ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Who’s the pessimist now? Still you ← WildCyt0m3try It will always be you lol ← WildCty0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t forget to accept the prize money I wont ← WildCyt0m3try This was fun. It’s been a good week ← WildCyt0m3ty EdoPorcupine5661 → I guess it has EdoPorcupine5661 → I’m getting off now Same, enjoy your evening! ← WildCyt0m3try Eat something fun to celebrate :) ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Sure EdoPorcupine5661 → you too I guess…. Awe, you do care!! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 27

How’s everyone doing? Does it feel like summer yet? Can anyone else believe that it’s actually June? Cuz I don’t lol Hope you’re all doing well!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List here! :)

Warnings: Medical speak

Happy Reading~

Level 27

Yoshimoto had taken you on a few more dates after your day-trip, and aside from the almost constant teasing from Shingen online and Yukimura at work, you were having a good time. It was still a little awkward, but you were convinced that it was because you were an awkward person; it had nothing to do with the teasing. You were an adult; you could handle being teased by your friends, right?

Either way, work was a welcomed distraction. As of July, your institutions had been ranked second in all of Japan for general pediatric care, and your Hematology/Oncology and bone marrow transplant division were awarded best in the nation. Meaning volumes had increased exponentially, and you were beyond busy.

More patients meant more procedures and more tests, and this past week had been particularly hard. You’d gotten no reading done, and your research for test development had all but been sidelined for at least the past two weeks. With a heavy sigh, you finished your last analysis of the day and made your way into the lab to clean up your bench.

“(YN) can you come here for a minute, please?” Your supervisor, Haru, asked, poking her head around the corner.

“Yea, be right there.” You turned off your aspirator and pulled off your gloves, wondering what it could be this time.

You had been on bone marrow procedures the week before, and with an average of five procedures a day, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had messed up something important. Leaving the lab, you rounded the corner and headed to your boss’s office, surprised to see Ieyasu sitting at her meeting table.

“Shut the door and have a seat and we’ll get started,” Haru stated, and you died a little inside. What exactly had you done?

Doing as you were told, you took the seat directly across from Dr. Tokugawa and waited for someone to start talking.

“I’d like to use your test.” Ieyasu started, pushing a folder in your direction.

“With?” You asked before you could stop yourself, thoughtfully thumbing through the research articles inside.

“Dr. Tokugawa and his team have been doing a great deal of research in relation to AML treatment and are looking for a reliable test for MRD,” Haru spoke. “He came to see what we had.”

“I’m looking to enroll high-risk patients on a drug’s new study arm, the results so far look promising, but the institution has to be capable of running its own MRD.” Ieyasu leaned back in the char and folded his hands together.

“I’ve been working off of split samples for almost a year now; we’re close to validation, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” You offered, starting to feel a little giddy.

“What do you need my team and I to do to get this thing validated?” Dr. Tokugawa asked your supervisor, turning his attention to her.

“I can go speak with our head hematopathologist and (YN) can go over the panel with you to make sure the markers are what you need,” Haru explained. “If not, we can add fluorochromes or another tube to be validated with the rest of the assay.”

“Good. (YN), I’ll send you a meeting invitation. Please bring all the relevant material.” Ieyasu smirked and bowed before heading out of the room.

“Oof, you’re going to have fun with this one.” Haru jokes, reaching for her phone to call the Hemepath.

What she didn’t know was that you might have a good time. This was going to be a challenge, a fun nerdy challenge that had you intrigued and excited. Which made sitting at your desk and waiting for the email that much harder, but in twenty minutes, what you assumed was the time it took Ieyasu to walk back to his office and log back onto his computer, the email invitation came through.

Quickly, you accepted it and wandered back into your supervisor's office. “Noon tomorrow, I’m meeting with Dr. Tokugawa and Dr. Togo to go over my data.”

“Sounds good, need someone to go with you?” Haru asked.

“Nope, I’ll be good. If I don’t come back though, assume I’ve been eaten and help yourself to my snacks.” You joked, heading back to your desk to finish up for the day.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 29

How is everyone doing!? Here’s the next chapter for AFK, hope you enjoy it!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List

Warnings: None?

Level 29

That’s how it went for at least two weeks; anytime you brought up your research, there was an issue or a casual comment made to look considerate, and you weren’t here for it. So you’d stopped answering text messages after one, particularly infuriating evening. As it stood, Yoshimoto thought you’d be ‘too busy’ to join him out, so all you were doing was proving the point he continued to keep making. No harm in being the bad guy when he’d never given you a chance not to be in the first place.

You had logged on to Endless Isle, hoping that it would help you blow off some steam. It turns out you were more frustrated than you’d given yourself credit. Work was a nightmare lately, with the new ranking, test development, and personal life all colliding. Rose wouldn’t leave you alone about Yoshimoto, which was more than a little obnoxious. If she thought he was so awesome, maybe she should date him instead.

Additionally, while the panel work was complete on your assay development, you didn’t have time to write up the review or the paper for it. The validation process had started, but for whatever reason, coming across samples, you could run in the lab was difficult. After a week of no samples, you decided to volunteer to go to the OR to make sure you got enough. That was going okay until one of the procedures went nearly three hours late, and you got in a fight with the CRNA in the room.

First, she thought you were the physician, which was wild because if she was that mouthy with an attending, you didn’t want to know how she talked to everyone else. Fortunately, you didn’t have to wait long to find out. After interrupting you numerous times, then trying to roll you right under the bus in a conversation with the actual physician you maybe, totally yelled at her. Something that amused both the physician in the room and your supervisor when you notified her of the incident.

Logging on was supposed to have helped you blow off the extra steam that had been building for the past week, but it wasn’t helping. The dungeons were either not hard enough or too difficult, making for a generally frustrating experience. Aside from that, you had marked yourself as away so nobody could see you were online and playing. The last thing you wanted to do was deal with people right now. That is until you got a gift request.

* EdoPorcupine5661 has sent you a gift. Will you accept?*

After more than a little thought, you changed your status and accepted. It wasn’t long before you were rolling with laughter. What the hell was that? That was so random.

I need an explanation ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → For? What you just sent me. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Though you could use it The Secret Book? ← WildCyt0m3try Wait ← WildCyt0m3try I’m gonna equip it! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Do what you want I usually do. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Do I really have to ask? Ask what? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Why did I have to fish you out of the void with an item equip? Oh, didn’t think you cared about stuff like this? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re right. I don’t. Let’s go.

Before you could ask where you were going, the field warped as the game moved you out of town and into a new tactical map. You’d heard about this map, and had been meaning to get on and try it with Yoshimoto or Rose. Unfortunately, both of them were so butt hurt lately that you’d been avoiding it and them all together.

It didn’t take long for you to figure out you probably needed to stop playing these side story maps when you were frustrated. Everything was challenging, and you were the right amount of frustrated that it was hard to keep your focus. You were starting to regret not telling Edo what was going on. Maybe it would have been a good idea to vent before the match.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Clearly, this map isn’t difficult enough to soothe your frustrations. Unfortunately, it’s difficulty may be adding to it… ←  WildCyt0m3try I’m sorry, I think I’m gonna get off ← WildCyt0m3try No use wasting your equipment when my heads not in the game ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Or you could talk about it I’ll think about it… ← WildCyt0m3try The people I’d usually talk to are the one’s I don’t want to talk to ← WildCyt0m3try So I’ll just go take a bath and wallow ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re more problematic than I initially gave you credit for Thank you lol ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Not a compliment. Says you :P ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → At least that much is clear I got a new project at work ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Let me guess, the person you’ve got to work with is terrible? No! ← WildCyt0m3try Actually, I kind of like him. ← WildCyt0m3try That’s the problem tho ← WildCyt0m3ty EdoPorcupine5661 → You certainly have an odd definition of the word problem *sigh* It has nothing to do with him ← WildCyt0m3try I told the guy I’ve been dating and he’s been short with me ← WildCyt0m3try Worse, my friend agrees with him ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Ah, jealous boyfriend !! ← WildCyt0m3try Not my boyfriend, dating. ← WildCyt0m3try There’s a difference ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661→ Is there? Yes ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Does he know there is? I...hope so? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Maybe you should start there? Thanks ← WildCyt0m3try For the record, you’re pretty alright, friend ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Can we burn that record? Nope! ← WildCyt0m3try I’ve got fireproof paper just for you ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That’s problematic Sounds like you’re the one who needs to rework their deffinitions ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Clearly Omg I can hear you rolling your eyes! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Stop it EdoPorcupine5661 → Go talk to your “not boyfriend” Yes sir! <’ (^.^) ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → What is that supposed to be? I’m saluting you! Duh! ← WildCyt0m3try I’m off to problem solve! ← WildCyt0m3try Laters buddy~ ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Please don’t call me that

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Poisoned?

Hello loves! Happy Valentine’s Day! Does anyone want to be my valentine today? Do you guys already have valentines? Here’s to hoping you all have a wonderful Friday :) <3

Warnings: diet panic, mostly crack

Tagging: @sillyikesenthings, @nad-zeta, @mai-the-queen Thank you so much for responding to my post! I hope you enjoy it!

Master List here

Happy Reading~

Poisoned?

You had officially given up on the holiday, not that it was one during the Sengoku anyway, so you felt you couldn’t be disappointed. Sure, the first few years you had tried to get everyone into your “wacky homeland tradition,” but Sasuke was the only one who ever participated in earnest. Even that came with risks, he was still technically on the enemy’s team, and you refused to have that man risk life and limb for some wild dessert you had concocted.

It felt odd, not celebrating or preparing anything. You had been so gung ho about it in years past that it just felt weird. That was whatever, though; you didn’t particularly feel like going all out when there wasn’t anyone to join you. So you’d treat February fourteenth like any other day.

Chores always helped pass the time, and today was no different, helping the maids with floors and laundry always led you to lunch. But what a weird lunch it was. All of the food had an odd shape to it, and was everyone staring at you? Yup, they were definitely staring at you. Are you eating someone else’s meal? Were you poisoned? Had Masamune tried a new recipe, worse yet, had Mitsuhide?

Panic began to set in as the rice became increasingly difficult to swallow, but you managed. Wondering if that was going to be the last thing you even ate.

“Is there something on my face?” You leaned over and whispered to Mitsunari, unsettled as the crowds’ eyes followed you.

“No? I do not believe so.” Mitsunari responded, urging you to continue eating.

“Why is everyone staring at me then?” Now even more confused as you continued to eat.

“Are they?” Mitsunari looked up and blinked before turning with a smile again. “I hadn’t realized. Did you enjoy your meal?”

That was it; they were totally trying to poison you. Mitsunari didn’t even acknowledge the eyes turned on you, changing the subject instead.

“Nervous Mouse?” Mitsuhide asked, and you nearly jumped out of your skin.

“Maybe, that certainly wasn’t helpful though!” You sighed, trying to control your racing heart.

“Nervous?” Mitsunari echoed as Ieyasu sighed, and Nobunaga chuckled.

“Okay, nope, not about this. I need someone to tell me what’s going on right-” You weren’t allowed to finish.

There was a loud bang followed quickly by Masamune, the kitchen staff, and the maids flooding the great hall. Each of them carrying a tray filled with pink and white goodies or a basket of petals. You and the guests in the room were surrounded in an instant, Masamune thrusting a plate of what was obviously mochi in your face. Confused but intrigued, you plucked one from the center and took a bite, letting the sweet strawberry flavor melt in your mouth. So good. With a hum of approval, you relaxed back into your spot on the tatami, happy to take the tea being offered to you by Hideyoshi as Masamune settled into a seat beside you. They had remembered.

“Happy Valentine’s day Kitten.” Masamune winked (blinked?) at you as he took a bite of his dessert.

“A happy Valentine’s day indeed.”