#pre-main v.

[uppertwo]

Regress. From the 'you' that ran away...

send 'regress' to meet my muse as a child. / accepting!

and admittedly, it was kind of rare he'd stare at himself in a mirror. usually his appearance was taken care of by his mother (and those eyes — he didn't want to look at them anymore), but today, he finds himself pausing.

"…" and slowly turning, looking at himself head-to-toe — dressed so beautifully, like a little puppet she had created with her own two hands. and like a puppet, he'll do whatever she said.

that's just how it had to be, he'd accepted it a long time ago.

"i know he's been going out," he doesn't know where the words came from — without a single friend to stand by, taijurō remains so lonely. perhaps his reflection was the only time he'd feel in like he was in the company of someone — even if that 'someone' could not feel a thing for him in turn.

"he told me to keep it a secret," voice flat when no one was around, eyes without light with no one around, "because momma has been getting scarier by the day. i don't know why."

"i don't really hate him for wanting to run away — sometimes i think i want to run away too," he continues, "momma's really mean sometimes. i always think it's my fault. papa probably sees that, too, but he's always been a coward."

he knew he should probably stop. what if someone heard him?

but did he really care?

"so he finds other women," taijurō explains, "because he can't love someone like her anymore. but what's going to happen when he inevitably leaves?" hands grip at clothing, causing it to wrinkle, "i don't really feel much anymore. it gets worse every day — but i still feel wrong when i think of being by myself."

"…and if it was just her and me," voice instinctively cracks, "i think i can still feel scared of that."

and the mirror just stares back. in the end, his greatest comfort was simply talking to a reflection. how sad.

"but maybe one day i won't," a tear rolls down rounded cheek, "maybe one day i won't be scared of anything."

[compassneedle]

@tsukkiakarii / hakuji sc.

he'd been busy, stealing more food of course — when the news finally got to him. it wasn't the first time he instinctively checked his own home when the rumours of a death had spread — but his father hadn't died yet, and he expected this time would be the same.

until he noticed the crowd surrounding his home.

"o—out of the way—!!"

---

"…it's been a few days," hands still instinctively balled to fists, "i don't know where i'm gonna be able to go."

and then, he looks to michikatsu, "i guess we're just going to travel forever, aren't we?"

throat starts to tighten, voice starts to croak, "i... i don't even have any money."

[rabbitprose]

@tsukkiakarii / sc.

“kokushibō-dono,” he’d been putting on some weight, finally. he was starting to look more like himself by the day — like who he should be. he calls to her with a smile.

“i want to learn how to hunt,” he says, “you can’t feed me forever, right?”

[9thform]

𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄.   /   for touch my muse, mitsuri fuckin DROPPING rengoku’s ass during training   /   @multibg​

                            and  as  he  hits  the  ground –––  with  fluidity and  poise,  she  truly  was  astounding!  quickly, he  recovers  ––  rolling  to  the  side  and  picking himself  back  up.  bouncing  back  and  forth  on  his  feet,  he  takes  a  moment  to  breathe,  before he  charges  at  her  again.

“–––excellent!!”  he  calls  out,  “–––let  us  keep  going!!”

[uppertwo]

@mooonveiled (for kanae!) / starter call.

and dōma looked her in the eyes one fateful eve — having turned around, taking one final bite from the corpse that had previously laid at his feet. he turns around to face kanae, a wet slurp sounding from his lips as he cleans blood from his fingers; savouring the taste of the dead.

“it’s a beautiful night, is it not?” gives a smile, as blood absorbs into his skin, “don’t worry, i’ve already eaten my fill tonight. i won’t eat you.”

he steps forward, however, to get a better look at her — commit her face to memory.

“you’re a slayer from the demon corps, right? i’ve been dodging you all for quite some time,” and then, a giggle, “you must be someone special, then. someone more powerful than the rest, yeah?”

“too bad i’m not a fighting type. conflict always makes me so sad,” and then, “how about we talk instead? we could be friends.~”

[uppertwo]

@festivaloffire / starter call.

“but kotoha-chaaaan, i don’t wanna to go all by myself!” a pathetic whine from dōma — there was a special event coming up at the temple; a grand feast hosted yearly, shared together with everyone involved being dressed to perfection. the cult leader, however, never found much reason to go outside — even if it meant finding appropriate attire for such an occasion.

“can’tcha come with me…? clothes shopping can be sooo boring when it’s just me.”

“maybe we could find something for you, too?”

[compassneedle]

sender guides receiver's bloody hands under a faucet / water source and begins washing them clean. (To hakuji from koyuki maybe???👉🏼👈🏼)

blood, blood, gallons of the stuff! / accepting!

and at first, he’s silent — painfully so, even as she’s so kind to him. he didn’t know how to open up about his attraction to violence, so instead, in shame, he bit his tongue. even as her hands — so unbruised, so uncalloused — guide over his own, hakuji’s brow can’t help but furrow, hands unconsciously turning into fists.

“you don’t have to worry about me, you know,” was he pouting? “i can do this myself, you’re just expending your energy for something stupid.”

and then, upon inadvertently calling her stupid — hakuji immediately backtracks.

“i mean — i mean i didn’t mean that. sorry. you can keep cleaning my hands if you want to.”

[rabbitprose]

@setsunaid / sc.

“kotoha,” he speaks with an oddly serious tone — he’d been shut away for a long time, talking to someone. had she worried for him? he hoped not — it would make things more complicated.

“someone found their bodies,” he lies to her, “your husband’s, and your in-laws.”

a pause.

“i’m deeply sorry for your loss.”