Navigation | Hi, I'm Vannah (she/her, 28)! I write fanfiction and headcanons, and am also an avid zine writer! I hope anyone who happens upon this blog enjoys my work! :) Icon made by PondreaArt.
Hi, everyone! Long time, no post. Now that I'm settling into residency (yay!), I'm hoping to get things up and going again. But first...
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Edit: Be sure to check my Carrd for a full list of requestable fandoms :)
I would humbly like to request a One Piece matchup of the 'Ultimate Matchup Tier', pretty please? ^^
Name: Rebecca (can be shortened to 'Becky')
Age: 29
Gender: Female (she/her)
Description: I am approx. 5'9'' in height with a bit of a broad figure (wide hips, strong legs). My eyes are a vivid green and I have to wear glasses, as my eyesight without them is extremely poor. My hair is a dark brunette and usually cut back into a 'bob', but sometimes I grow it out to around shoulder length. I favour purples and pinks when it comes to my clothing but overall I simply prefer what's most comfortable rather than trying to make a statement. I have a large-ish tattoo on my upper right arm of a white dragon against a backdrop of blue and pink clouds; I've got a few other tattoos I'd like to get one day, but for now that's the only one I've got.
Personality: I'd describe myself as 'quietly adventurous'. In my general day-to-day life I'm fairly quiet and unassuming. I don't consider myself shy, I'm just very content in my own company most of the time. This also extends to bigger and braver things, like going overseas solo for a holiday. I LOVE to travel and am more than confident enough to go to faraway places by myself! The people around me have often expressed surprise that I'd do such a thing or say it's such a brave thing to do, but I honestly don't think twice about it. It's not a matter of bravery, it's a matter of doing what means the most to me. My independence aside, though, if my friends ARE in town I adore spending time with them. I'm deeply loyal to those I love, and there's not a thing I wouldn't do for them. I'm light-hearted, kind, and hard-working. On the flipside, though, I don't often think very highly of myself and my self esteem is more of a suggestion than a rule. I don't consider myself particularly pretty most of the time. I imagine it would be nice to feel desired or needed, but it's something I find hard to picture for myself.
Likes: Music (both singing and listening to), writing, exotic animals (especially the 'less popular' ones, ie snakes, tarantulas, mantis and sharks), classic horror movies (eg The Invisible Man, Dracula, etc), gardening, cats, good food, adventuring, old-fashioned items (I'm a sucker for vintage pocket watches and the like, I just find them neat)
Dislikes: Excessive noise, strong alcohol (some wines and lighter drinks are fine), anyone who upsets or threatens my friends
Favourite Flowers: Night Sky Petunias, Sunflowers
Thank you for commissioning! I hope you enjoy what I've written up for you. :3 Now, let's dive right in!
I match you with...
Smoker from One Piece!
The instant I read your bio, I knew this was the man for you! Maybe you wouldn't think so on first glance, but I've got lots of reasons why I think you and Smoker would be a good fit together. Let's dive in, yeah?
First and foremost, I could see you being Smoker's type. I think you're one who would catch his eye across the room. He's a guy who appreciates someone who appears like they could meet his eye and not shrink away at the sight of him. I know you said you don't really have self-confidence, but to me, it sounds like that's not something you necessarily project, and to a degree, you seem comfortable in your own skin—such as the way you dress not to impress but for your own comfort, for example. At first glance, you'd probably appear to Smoker as someone who's got that quiet sense of self-assurance—enough to at least not balk when he approaches you to strike up conversation. He'd probably be interested in the story behind your tattoo; I could see him as someone who appreciates the art of body ink.
Besides just appealing to him on a surface level, I think he would also appreciate your personality. He's a Marine; of course he's going to appreciate someone as adventurous as you! It takes guts to embark on solo journeys like you do, and I think he'd like that level of independence and go-getting attitude. Though he sails all over and has seen countless amazing sights, Smoker probably hasn't thought much about travel... But maybe interacting with you would make him feel differently, hmm? I think he would also appreciate your degree of loyalty to those you care about. Loyalty is a very admirable quality that I think Smoker holds in high regard. Loyalty and a sense of justice are pretty closely intertwined, after all, and we all know that a personal sense of justice is something that Smoker also holds in high esteem.
We haven't really seen Smoker take much interest in hobbies or pursuits aside from stacking rocks, but don't think that to mean the man is incapable of being interested in what you are. In fact, I think he'd be interested in the things you are simply because you're interested in them. In particular, I think he'd get a kick out of your interest in exotic animals. This man would not balk at holding a snake or a tarantula or any other manner of "creepy crawly," and he'll cater to that interest—and all others you have—simply to see you light up in happiness! He'll sit and watch old horror movies with you; he'd take you to antique stores so you can add to your collection of vintage wares; he'd tag along on your adventures—whatever he can do to make you happy, he will in a heartbeat!
I decided to save commenting on how Smoker will react to your self-esteem issues for the headcanon section! As I hinted at earlier, Smoker probably wouldn't pick it up right away, but he will eventually. He's a pretty observant guy.
When Smoker finally pieces it together that you don't have as much confidence about yourself as you seem, he'll honestly be pretty confused LOL. He'll be unable to grasp how you can't find yourself as amazing as he finds you; he'll be unable to fathom how you don't find yourself pretty or desirable when he thinks you're the most drop-dead gorgeous person to walk the Earth.
Smoker's not one for tact or delicate conversation, unfortunately, so the instant he realizes you're having disparaging thoughts about yourself or feeling low in confidence, he's going to call you out on it. It's just his style LOL. But he's only doing it because it hurts him to think that you're hurting yourself thinking this way, and he wants to do whatever he can to make you see how wonderful you really are... Even if it's not the most graceful way to do it.
Be warned, if you try and fight him on it, he will double down. The man is not going to let it go until you get it in your head. He'll even get down on his knees and praise you like a goddess if that's what it takes; there's no length he won't go to. It won't be sappy; it'll be brutally honest and matter-of-fact, like he's giving a mission report instead of showering you in praise, but it's totally sincere on his part.
From then on, he makes it a point to compliment you at any opportunity. He's not going to leave any room for doubt in your mind that you are loved and desired by him. And he'll do it with such a straight face, too, that it'll probably leave you reeling, how he can say such things and look so nonchalant about it!
That's just how Smoker rolls, though. You're his woman, and he's gonna make sure you know that you're inherently deserving of his affections!
Finally, the scenario section! I thought I'd do a scenario of you and Smoker just being cute and domestic together! Enjoy!
"I'm home!"
As soon as you step through your front door, you are greeted with the mouth-watering aroma of what you know will be a delectable dinner: buttery pasta, tangy tomato sauce, zesty spices, and warm bread. The smell wafts out of the kitchen, driving you mad with anticipation, and you scramble out of your shoes as quickly as you can to reach its source... and the wonderful man responsible for its production. As you pad eagerly into the kitchen, you chime again, "I'm home!" before proceeding to drool all over yourself at the sight before you. What makes you drool more—the delectable pasta being plated, or the apron-wearing Adonis of a man plating it? You aren't sure, and honestly, who cares?
"Welcome home," Smoker grunts as he hands you your plate and a fork, which you take with a delighted grin. Wasting no time, you immediately dig in, twirling up some of the sauce-coated pasta on the fork and shoveling it into your mouth. You melt on the spot, body sagging and eyes fluttering as you hum appreciatively.
"'S delishoush," you slur. There was no alcohol in the dish, but you were drunk on it, make no mistake.
"Glad to hear it," Smoker laughs, then turns back to the stove to flip off the burner and make his own plate. You continue to eat as you walk up behind him and plop yourself against his back, wanting to be close as you enjoy the intimacy of it all—being greeted by your lover on your arrival home, and with a freshly made dinner, to boot. You hadn't been living together that long, so it was honestly a delightful surprise for you. It often was the other way around; Smoker often works later than you, so you are often the one to greet him with a plate and a smile. The situation fills your chest with something warm, fuzzy, and bubbly, and you love the feeling. You've never been pampered in such a way.
It is difficult to plaster yourself against his back while holding a plate of pasta, but you manage, pressing your cheek between his shoulder blades with a contented sigh.
"Don't get all mushy on me, now," he teases, though the pleased rumble in his voice and the way he leans back into your touch betrays that he very much enjoys your mushiness. "All I did was make dinner."
"It's a simple thing, maybe, but it still makes me happy," you quip back, then reach around his broad frame to snatch up a slice of garlic bread off the baking tray resting on some potholders on the counter. You bite into it, savoring both the satisfying crunch of your teeth sinking into the crispy bread and the taste of butter and garlic flooding into your mouth. When he smiles over his shoulder at you, the one you give him in return is toothy and garnished with parsley. "Whatever did I do to deserve you?"
"Everybody deserves to come home to dinner now and then," he just shrugs in reply. His voice is nonchalant, but the glance he gives you out of the corners of his eyes are pointed. You blush and hide your face in the back of his shirt. You hadn't meant it like that, truly... Or had you? Sometimes it felt like Smoker had a wider window into your own subconscious than you did.
That's right. I deserve this, you tell yourself with a sheepish smile.
Rather than head for the table, Smoker just nudges you back a little so he can spin in place and lean his back against the still-warm stove. You immediately flop against him again, purring in contentment as your head meets the solid yet pillowy surface of his pectorals. Lazily, you continue to spoon pasta into your mouth, while Smoker does the same, his plate balanced just above your head. It is a rather ridiculous way to eat dinner, but it seems that neither of you wanted to abandon the comfort of the moment for something as overrated as propriety.
In between bites, the two of you trade small talk—the typical "How was your day?" and "What did you do?" and so on and so forth. It was more than simple pleasantry. Smoker never feigns interest in your day; he is always genuine in his investigation of even the most mundane aspects of your life. As he nods along to your honestly humdrum rambling, chiming in at regular intervals, your smile widens. Anyone else would find the conversation boring, but not Smoker. You could tell him that you walked to the mailbox and back, and he'd act like it was as riveting a saga as Dracula.
"Thanks," you unexpectedly interrupt yourself, and Smoker blinks down at you with a raised eyebrow.
"For dinner?" he questions, somehow knowing that you are not in fact thanking him for dinner (though you were grateful).
"Well, yes," you laugh, "but not just dinner."
"Well, what else, then?"
"For... this," you gesture vaguely at the room, suddenly unsure of just how to phrase it. "For... everything." Shy now, you bury your face—and your gratuituous remarks—into his chest. "I'm just... really happy, is all. About how much you do for me..." That little beast of doubt that lives in the back of your mind crawls out of its lair as you experience a momentary lapse in security; they come rarer and rarer, these days, but still come despite your best attempts to shore up the more fragile parts of your being. As the wicked little beast sinks its fangs into your self-image, your smile wilts a little. "You don't have to..."
"'Course I don't," Smoker grunts, and for a moment, you wonder if he missed the hint of sadness in your voice—but you should know better than that. He sets his now-empty plate down on the counter so he can wind both his thick arms around your waist and hug you close, and his chin plops down on your head as he presses a tender kiss there. "I do it because I want to. Makin' you feel loved makes me happy, and you deserve to be loved, angel," he murmurs softly into your hair.
Part of you wants to grin like an idiot, and part of you wants to burst into tears. As your two selves war with each other, you do a little of both; misty-eyed, you press yourself further into him, and you're sure he can feel the grin splitting your face in two.
"Mhmm," you hum in agreement. "You're right. I deserve to be loved."
No request. Just popping in to say I hope you’re doing well, Vannah, and that I’m very happy having you as a friend! Keep being your awesome, amazing self!
Aw, thank you so much! I am doing well. Residency keeps me busy but it's fulfilling, and I'm excited to be on a path in life that I enjoy and gives me a real sense of purpose! I hope you are doing well yourself! 🩷
Hiii just wanted to say I love your Law x Nami works and as someone who sees the vision and the chemistry and the obvious parallels in their past, just wanted to let you know I appreciate your writing so much 💕 hope you’re doing well and if you ever write this ship again just know I’m SAT :3 as for your commissions, how do they work?
Hello! Thank you so much for your kind words! I am definitely trying to get back into writing. I haven't been in able to write consistently for several years now but I've missed it every day. :( But I'm trying to get back into the habit, and there are definitely some LawNa requests sitting in the vault that will hopefully see the light of day! As for commissions, you can see my pinned post, the link at the bottom of commission posts, or my Carrd linked in the bio, but in a nutshell, my commissions are for match-ups or Character x Reader oneshots (because writing in 2nd person is hard for me). My linked Ko-fi has all the instructions for how to commission! My Character x Character oneshots are free of charge, though. :3
Hello! I have requested the ultimate matchup, and if its alright, its for my One Piece OC Nightshade Jessamine (or Jess for short)!
-oc info below-
She's 18 (20 after the timeskip) and is demisexual and bisexual. She's the Straw Hats' toxicologist, whose dream is to study and cure the world's dangerous poisons. She also eaten the Gush-Gush Fruit, which allows her to make more blood at will and control it (never being able to bleed out). She's rather tall at 183 cm (6') and lanky, with tan skin and tied up dark purple hair. She wears long labcoats on top of her t-shirt and shorts with colorful stockings.
She is upbeat, eccentric, a bit uncanny and weird with her knowledge of the body and interest in any foreign substance. She is ultimately self-sacrificing, only ever truly testing on herself. She sometimes ropes other Straw Hats into her studies or experiments, but she only does so when she has at least three contingency plans for something going wrong. She puts up a carefree act but is both extremely conscious of the weight of her actions and a bit neurotic about removing any possibility of harm. She does have combat poisons, but she feels morally torn about using them. She had lost family and friends to illnesses and substances she could not understand on her island from the World Government's experiments and biological testing (especially as some of the elders were discovering things they don't want), and she wants to ensure it doesn't happen again.
She works alongside Chopper, with Chopper as the doctor and her as a researcher and creator of new medicine.
She truly loves science, wildlife and medicine, and also likes learning about strange new things and new people. She does get upset when others touch her things without asking because she is super strict on where things go and how to reduce harm.
She also has a complex relationship with her body and love/intimacy, as she is inexperienced with both, but also because she views her body as a tool for the sake of others (and is worried she could hurt someone with any trace toxins in her system) It takes time for her to view her body as her own and to feel excited at unfamiliar feelings rather than confusion. She's a deeply loving and loyal person, but in her own unique way, and is working to be vulnerable.
Thank you so much for your commission! I think this is the first time I've done a match-up for somebody's OC, so it was interesting. Not to mention I'm trying to shake off years of writer's block, so, it was a good exercise to try and get back into writing. Now, without further ado, let's get down to it!
I match you with...
Trafalgar D. Water Law from One Piece!
From the beginning of your description of Jessamine, I knew that Law was the one for her! I'll admit that Law is one of my favorites, so I am a little biased toward him, but I've got plenty of reasons why I think he's the one for Jess. Let's get into it, shall we?
First of all, let's talk about the obvious: they've got a very core thing in common! Toxicology is not only a research discipline but a field of medicine; one doesn't just need to know how to identify poisonings, but also how to treat or manage them! On the sea, where one has to have broad medical knowledge rather than a distinct specialty, knowledge of toxicology will be vital. So, I can definitely imagine Law approaching Jessamine to learn from her. I think he would also respect her dedication to finding antidotes to all the world's poisons. Unconventional as a doctor he may be, at the core of every physician is the desire to serve others and treat their many ills; Jess' philosophy is something he will be able to relate to. I think he'd also find interest in her interests in wildlife and, obviously, medicine!
That's not the only thing they have in common, either! Law has a self-sacrificing streak; we've all seen it. I feel like he'd also offer her a good way to continue testing poisons on herself with less risk, since we've seen him use his powers to surgically extract poisons. In fact, he probably has so much confidence in his own abilities that he'd probably encourage it rather than try and stop her from doing it... Poor Chopper, LOL, I can already imagine how stressed out he would be! Then, of course, Law will relate to her tragic backstory, as someone who also suffered at the hands of the World Government and its callous treatment of the common people. Add on top of that her Devil Fruit ability, which I think we can all say will attract his morbid curiosity, I think there's a very plausible set-up for them spending a decent amount of time together.
At first glance, one might not think the brooding Law would be attracted to someone upbeat and eccentric, but... just look at the company he keeps. A majority of his crew are loud, bright, and kooky, and he (at least mostly) willingly puts up with Straw Hat Luffy. Despite what he says, it's obvious he enjoys spending time with such people, and again, he's got much to gain from spending time with Jessamine!
Switching gears, let's talk headcanons! You mentioned that Jessamine has a complex relationship with intimacy and her body, and I think that is something to explore with Law!
The fandom sometimes paints Law as this type of dominant sex god, but honestly/ I think he's probably inexperienced in the matters of heart (no pun intended) and intimacy himself, seeing as he kind of had other priorities. Of course, his knowledge of, ahem, anatomy is going to be... advantageous, but I digress—not the point here. I think Law would be able to identify Jessamine's attitude toward her body and help her work towards not viewing it as just a tool for the sake of others, even if that cause is noble at its root—especially since he spent a good deal of time as Doflamingo's tool and can relate, to a degree.
It won't take him long to pick up on the way Jessamine looks at herself and her body. Law's a sharp guy with a good degree of emotional intelligence; one's got to have it to take proper care of their patients, after all. It'll only take a couple of instances of assisting Jessamine with her research for him to pick up on that.
Law's approach to correcting that will be somewhere between blunt and calculated. He'd start making casual remarks here and there to throw Jessamine off her guard and start thinking about the way she considers her body, but he's not going to approach it as strongly as, say, Luffy would, diving straight into this heartfelt discussion with almost no provocation. One can't change an attitude like that overnight.
As their relationship develops and things start to turn toward the romantic, Law would probably start making more of a concerted effort on that front. After all, nobody wants the object of their affections to feel like, well... an object. This is something that Law will undertake with great care and delicacy, though it's not perfect... Law isn't the most delicate and tactful of people, after all. But, he tries.
Not only will Law be good for Jessamine opening up and changing her views of herself, Jessamine will be good for him, too! Law's ability to be intimate in a relationship will be limited at first. Law is someone that keeps things close to his chest, especially his past and insecurities; helping someone through their own is going to have the effect of helping him reconcile some of the ghosts of his past and how they've affected him, too. It's a process that will take time, but because of how long that process would take, I could see things developing very naturally between Law and Jessamine, leading to a really strong and trusting relationship!
And, finally, the scenario that comes as part of your match-up! I figured I'd include a scenario of Law assisting Jessamine in one of her experiments, given that it's such a central part of her character and what will bring them together. :3 Enjoy!
"Thaaaaat's it, beautiful," Jessamine coos softly to the snake in her hands, allowing its glittering violet-scaled body to wind around one hand as her other holds its head firmly but not painfully against the plastic-wrapped lid of a glass jar. Her eyes gleam as they behold its long fangs, which are punctured through the thin layer of plastic, and the beads of crystal-clear venom that drip from them. "Just a bit more, my sweet," she hums as she regards the growing puddle forming in the base of the jar, "and then you'll go right back into your cozy enclosure and get a nice, fat mouse as a treat, hmm?"
Jessamine's eyes sparkle as she regards the beautiful creature. A totally new species unknown to modern science, encountered by chance on their latest adventure on a lush summer island—a small viper that Jessamine has dubbed Jessaminus asper (because what was the point of discovering a new species if you didn't name it after yourself?). The crew has taken to calling it its common name: the violet viper. The instant that Jessamine had witnessed the snake use its venomous bite to take down a sizeable rodent it intended to make its prey, she knew she had to secure it as a sample for study. A new viper unknown to science meant a new venom unknown to science—and therefore a new cure to be discovered!
As the flow of venom begins to dwindle, Jessamine gently massages the snake's head to coax out a few more droplets before calling the milking process complete. She relaxes her pressure on the snake's jaw to allow it to close, then carefully turns to feed the snake into the little clear plastic tube connected to the hide box—the container used to transport the venomous snake out of its lushly furnished glass enclosure and allow for safe handling for the initiation of the milking process. The beautiful purple snake slithers into the box, and once the last centimeter of its tail vanishes inside, Jessamine closes the port behind it and opens the port on the opposite side, which has a tube connecting the hide box to the enclosure. After a few seconds, the snake's angular head appears in the tube, its forked tongue tasting the air for a second before proceeding through the tube and into its enclosure. After it slithers inside the large glass tank and winds itself around a leafy, artificial branch, Jessamine slides the port closed once more and returns her attention to the glass jar and the puddle of venom within.
"Now, time to run the tests! I've only got about forty-five minutes before I have to put this sample in cold storage with the rest," she chirps to herself as she plucks the jar off her workstation. "From what I saw of that unlucky shrew, it appears to be a neurotoxin of some sort," she chatters to herself as she pours the venom into a small vial. She secures the lid, then promptly pokes a syringe needle through the rubber seal to draw up every last drop of the liquid. "It seemed to work pretty quickly, too. If my current hypothesis is correct, it targets the connection between the motor nerves and the muscle receptors to induce a flaccid paralysis similar to the botulism toxin—" she continues to chatter as she plops down on a stool, shrugs off one sleeve of her lab coat, and prepares to inject the contents of the syringe into the prominent vein coursing up her inner forearm.
Just as the needle is about to puncture her skin, a voice pipes up from the door, "If that's the case, are you sure that's something you should be injecting into yourself without me around?"
Jessamine jumps violently, but thankfully manages to avoid stabbing herself with the needle or, worse, dropping it and wasting the valuable sample she has just procured. She spins around on the stool with a huff and pouts guiltily as her boyfriend, looking ever so nonchalant with one hand in his coat pocket and the other propping his precious tachi against his shoulder, strolls into her laboratory. There is nothing chalant about the frown or the accusatory arch of his eyebrow, and Jessamine slumps a little on her stool.
"Oh, I, uh... I sent Chopper to get you, but, I, uh, got so excited that I forgot to actually wait for you to get here," she admits sheepishly, using the hand that was not holding the syringe to rub bashfully at the back of her neck.
"Mmm," Law just grunts, his eyes fixed on the clear liquid in the syringe. The silence hangs between them like a pin clutched in the fingers ready to drop for an agonizing number of seconds—and then, it plunges. "A neurotoxin," he echoes as he comes to stand in front of Jessamine, "and a potent one, based on what we saw on the island."
"Most definitely," Jessamine nods enthusiastically as she grabs her composition notebook off her workstation and flips through it with her free hand, the other still holding the syringe aloft. When she reaches the pages where she'd hastily scribbled notes on her first encounter with the violet viper and the interviews with the locals she'd conducted afterward, she excitedly babbles, "The locals said it's easily one of the most venomous species on the Grand Line, and definitely the most dangerous animal on their island. Since the population there lives a more antiquated lifestyle, heavily off the land with much need to traverse the jungle, it poses a significant danger to them, and several lives are lost every year to its venom. As if that isn't bad enough, these animals are even targeted by animal snugglers since their venom is such a commodity to those in the business of assassination and other unsavory business because there's no antidote! If I could discover an antidote, not only would it help the locals, but it would help the species and others of the island, which have come under major threat by poachers and animal smugglers—"
"Be that as it may," Law says softly, grabbing the composition notebook to pull it out of her hands and set it back on the workstation, "I have some reservations about the nature of your experiment."
"Oh, come on, Law," Jessamine huffs, puffing out her cheeks in indignation, "I've tested poisons on myself plenty of times before. And now, we've got your Devil Fruit to extract the poison from my body, and my own Devil Fruit helps me make more blood if we need to filter the poison out of it! Sure, this is pretty hardcore compared to most of the poisons I've tested on myself, but the only person who'd conceivably get hurt is me, and the chances of that are pretty slim—and if something does happen, I did it for the sake of humanity and the advancement of medicine, so—"
"Do you even hear yourself?"
Law's sudden interruption, and the harshness with which he utters it, takes Jessamine aback. Mouth hanging open, she just blinks owlishly up at him while he glares daggers down at her. Her mouth slowly shuts, and she then swallows. She has never seen him so angry, not at her; he's expressed concerns about her testing on herself before, but he's never gotten angry. He's always ended up caving to her whims, but she can tell by the look on his face that it would not be so simple this time around. She stares up at him, unable to comprehend his sudden ire.
"I... I don't..." she stammers weakly. "I just want to help people, Law. I don't... I don't want anyone else, or any other living creature, to suffer the way the people of my island had to suffer. Surely you of all people can understand that."
Law sighs heavily, then leans his sword against the nearby wall so he can pull up another stool and sit down directly in front of her. He just sits there for a moment, staring moodly at the syringe still in her hand; then, after several moments of silence, he slowly reaches out to take the syringe from her. She resists for a moment—but just a moment, allowing him to take it and set it down on her workstation. He then awkwardly takes his hands in her own, staring at them sadly and rubbing circles into her skin with his thumb as he begins to speak in a quiet, pained voice.
"And what if I don't want you to suffer the way the people of your island did, either?"
"Law..." Jessamine whispers with a bodily flinch, his agonized tone stinging more than the burn of any poison ever could.
"I get that you want to help people. I'm a doctor; I understand that desire more than anyone else. But... you treating yourself as a tool to be used for the sake of helping others... really isn't much different than the World Government using your people for their own goals, when you get down to it."
"No, it is different—" Jessamine starts to object, but she is silenced when Law's gaze snaps up to meet her own.
"It isn't, and you know it," he growls. "And if you can't understand that, maybe you can understand this: you think I like just watching you treat yourself as some kind of guinea pig, suffering under the effects of these poisons? You think I'm not terrified of the thought of something happening? Devil Fruit powers aren't without their limitations... Neither am I, and neither are you." His grip on her hands suddenly tightens as he snarls, "And for you just so casually say that 'the only person that would conceivably be hurt is me'... Do you really think so little about how I feel about you to think that I wouldn't be crushed if something happened to you?"
"Law..." Jessamine breathes, stunned by his heartfelt admission. He wasn't the most emotionally available guy, so to hear him say something so openly like that blows her away, leaving her speechless.
Law drops his gaze back to her hands with another deep sigh.
"If... If I had to choose between all of humanity and you... I'm just saying that... that I'd choose you. Doctor's oath be damned."
"Oh," Jessamine croaks, her eyes watering as a wobbly smile pulls onto her lips. "Oh... I think that's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me. Oh, my goodness!" Laughing, she pulls one hand from Law's to wipe flusteredly at her teary eyes, while Law just smirks bashfully. "I, um... Wow. Um." Her heart is singing, and swelling, and fluttering, and a thousand other things at once, making it hard to form a coherent thought or sentence. As she attempts to gather herself, Law just sits there silently, smiling faintly.
"Okay," she says with a deep breath once she has collected herself. "Okay, I hear you, Law."
"Do you?" he asks hopefully.
"I do," she says with a solemn nod. "You've given me much to consider... And I'll start with a promise that I won't test this poison on myself just yet. It'll be difficult, but, I'll find some other means to test its potency and how safely I can administer it to myself. Perhaps in a diluted form, or..." She trails off as she notices Law staring at her with an expression half of utter adoration and half of utter exasperation. "Sorry," she smiles sheepishly. "That wasn't quite what you wanted to hear, was it?"
"No," he admits, "but I still expected something along those lines. You are who you are, after all. It's my fault for falling for a self-sacrificing bleeding heart of a woman."
"A bleeding heart for a heart stealer, huh?" Jessamine giggles. "Gotta admit, sounds like a perfect pair."
As Law just huffs, she turns on the stool to take the syringe and inject the venom back into the vial. She then places it in the special mini-freezer on her workbench, setting it among the menagerie of other samples from countless previous experiments. Her work was far from done... but it could wait for a little while longer, she thinks as she turns back to Law with a sweet smile.
"I think I'm actually going to postpone my experiment to reapproach the design model... I've got a lot to think about, so would you like to join me for a walk around the deck and help me hash out the details?"
"Always experiments this, experiments that," Law tuts even as he stands up and offers his hand to her. "Whatever. You could use the sunlight. You've been holed up in here too much."
"Oh, like you're one to talk!" Jessamine counters, but the smile on her face as she stands and takes her beloved's offered hand is as bright as the gleaming purple scales of the snake sunning in the patch of sunlight streaming into its enclosure from the nearby window. Leaving the viper and its venom behind to address at a later time, Jessamine instead strolls out of her laboratory with her lover, content to direct her mind to another matter for the time being...
Matters of the heart were just as much an unknown worthy of pursuit, after all.
Letting my official crackhead theory be put on the record: there will be time travel shenanigans in Tears of the Kingdom and Zelda and/or Link are yoinked 10,000 years into the past
I am a Demi-girl who is Queer and I have adhd, dyslexia, austism, and anxiety so I can be kind of scatter brained, I’m shy at first but once I warm up good luck getting me shut up! my hobbies are reading, knitting/crotchet, video games, and learning new things. I currently have a my dream job which is working at a public library (I work in the teen department) so I get a lot of time read. I am fan of most generas but I really like horror, adventure, and mystery.
Hi, sorry for the delay in completing your commissions! I am on a pretty rough residency block right now where I am working 12-14-hour shifts most days, with only four days off in a twenty-eight-day block. :') But, I finally managed to find some time and energy to work on these! Thank you very much for your patience, and I hope they were worth the wait! :) Your second commission will be soon to follow~
I match you with...
Sanji from One Piece!
Ah, Sanji—one of my first manga/anime loves ever! I'm therefore a little biased toward him, but I have good reasons to say that you two would fit well together. :) So, let's dive in, shall we?
We all know that Sanji gravitates towards women, so all you'd have to do is appear in his general vicinity for him to take notice of you, LOL... But what makes you catch his eye in particular? First, I think he would find your personality utterly adorable. He'd be charmed by your scatterbrained tendencies, finding it a refreshing contrast to the rather collected Straw Hat ladies, Nami and Robin... All your flustering about would give him plenty of opportunities to lend a helping hand, and he'd feel so fulfilled by that. Nothing brings him more joy than being of service, especially to a lovely lady! He'd also adore how you're shy at first but gradually get more bubbly and outgoing as you open up to him. He'll feel so gratified, knowing that you've chosen to bare your true self to him because you feel safe and comfortable in his presence. Such knowledge would allow him to let his walls down, in turn, until you two are as close-knit as could be. :)
We all know the Straw Hats are some of the silliest pirates on the Grand Line, for better or for worse. Though Sanji is one of the more serious of the crew, he's still one who can unleash his inner goofball on a regular basis. So he'll appreciate your silly, childish side! I think the thing he would find most cute about that side of you is your tendency to talk to yourself. Just the unconscious way you babble to yourself without even realizing it sometimes makes him grin from ear to ear. He'll also very much appreciate your commitment to making others smile. That's a Straw Hat must, but also, Sanji also loves to make people smile in his own way—filling their bellies with good food! The way you want to share the simple beauties of life and the things that compel you with the people you care about in order to brighten their lives just resonates with him, and that draws him to you in a way he's not drawn to anyone else.
I think Sanji would also enjoy your inquisitive, adventurous spirit. After all, he's an adventurous spirit himself! He can't help but find your unquenchable thirst for knowledge and stories infectious, to the point that he'll start seeking out things to learn and read just to understand what captivates you so—or, at the very least, have an excuse to readily engage in your hobbies with you. Even if it doesn't grip him with the same intensity it grips you, it won't stop him from curling up beside you so both of you can dive into your respective books, as often as he can! He also finds your art history background so fascinating. He's a guy that can appreciate aesthetics! He'll just stare at you in dreamy-eyed adoration as you go on intellectual rant after intellectual rant about art, utterly captivated by your breadth of knowledge and your passion.
In summary, I think you and Sanji have more in common than one can see at first glance, and that will lead to the two of you gravitating toward one another and connecting to each other in a meaningful way. <3
Switching gears, let's talk headcanons! You made a little note about indulging in some drinking from time to time. I feel like this little detail about you would actually play a pretty big role in your relationship! Sanji is a chef, after all, and he'll hone into any facet of your life that involves food and drink. I think he'd take your occasional enjoyment of alcohol as a means of doting on you. :)
Sanji prides himself as a man of the kitchen, and that isn't limited to just food. He also knows his way around alcohol, to the point that he could be a bartender in his own right. When he hears that you like to indulge in some drinks on a day off or when you're out on the town, he files that information away for later use.
Whatever you like to drink, Sanji will start having it on hand for those days when you're able to relax and not have to worry about work. It'll start off as just something nice he can do for you, getting you a drink so you don't have to get up and prepare it yourself.
Soon, though, Sanji's culinary creativity will start to itch, and he'll wonder how he can make it more special for you. He'll begin to experiment, finding various ways to dress up those drinks for you. He'll take careful note of what you seem to really like, incorporate that for further use, and find ways to improve upon it. He just can't help it. He's a chef, and chefs ever strive to push the limits of their ability!
It's a simple thing, Sanji pouring himself into making drinks for you every now and then, but it's really just a testament to how much he adores you. If he can make you smile with something he crafted with his own two hands from nothing but a bunch of inert ingredients, then he'll get a rush unlike anything else. Nothing brings him more joy than someone he cherishes enjoying his food and drink. :)
Now, for the final part of your match-up, I wanna touch back on your love of sharing things you love with others, particularly stories. It's something that Sanji will reciprocate. If that's the way you express your love, then he wants to express it in the same way so you can hopefully understand just how much he means to you. :) It's not hard, since he's really a gift-giving, quality time, and acts of service kinda guy. Here's a scenario to that end!:
"Wowww..."
You sigh in reverence as you snap your book shut, having just read its final words. You turn it over in your hands to just stare in awe at the cover, basking in the feelings of satisfaction and closure brought about by the masterful conclusion of the story that you'd been absorbed in for the better part of the day. Yet, for all your gratification, you are also sad. It had always been a bittersweet thing to you, reaching a story's end; you could never relive the experience of reading a book for the first time, and once it was over, you were always left with a persistent hunger for more that could never quite be satiated. Even if you had a new story to become engrossed in right at your fingertips, the one you had just finished lingered in the back of your mind for several days, occupying your idle thoughts.
"Still, all good stories must come to an end someday," you remind yourself with a wry smile as you rise to place your newly-finished book among all the rest on your bookshelf. A towering testament to your love of tales, it spanned the entire wall of your bedroom and was stuffed to the brim with books of all subjects and genres. Already itching to fall into the realm of fantasy, you scan the spines before you. However, nothing jumps out at you; not even your well-read favorites seem like they will quell your rapidly rising appetite for the written word, and you sigh in vexation. The book you'd just finished was the last of your new stock. You had landed yourself in a bookworm's greatest pickle.
Should I just read something I haven't read in a while? Or should I go out and buy some more...? you wonder, idly tugging at the spine of one of your childhood favorites before shoving it back into place. Paralyzed by indecision, you hopelessly scan the entirety of your bookshelf several times over before you are interrupted by an excited knock on the half-open door. You turn to see your beloved boyfriend, Sanji, smiling broadly as he pushes the door fully open with one hand while concealing something behind his back with the other.
"Oh, you've finished your book! What good timing!" he exclaims, his grin widening. "I've got a gift for you, my love~"
Sensing that Sanji has come bearing a solution to your dilemma, you immediately perk up, your eyes honing in on the arm held behind his back.
"A gift?" you echo excitedly, shuffling in place as anticipation and impatience overtake you. "What kind of gift?" you ask, though you very much know the answer already.
"Well, while I was out shopping, I happened to pass that bookstore you really like..." Sanji starts, motioning for you to take your place back in your reading chair as he approaches.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh," you urge while you scurry to follow his directions. You all but throw yourself in your chair, only to sit eagerly up on your knees and hold onto the armrest as you squirm restlessly at Sanji's agonizingly slow and dramatic reveal.
"I happened to look in the window and saw a book I thought you might like," he continues, chuckling at your childlike avidity.
"Let me see, let me see!" you plead. The theatrics are simply too much for you to handle; you need it, need to feel the firmness of a brand-new hardcover in your hands and smell the tantalizing musty scent of new pages wafting up your nose. "Please, Sanji, don't tease!"
Finally, he pulls his arm out from behind his back, revealing a gift bag. It is one you'd seen many, many times, as it was the signature gift bag from the aforementioned bookstore, and it never fails to fill you with giddiness and expectation. You immediately make grabby hands at it, prompting Sanji to chuckle once more as he obediently hands it over.
With all the ravenousness of a child tearing into a much-anticipated birthday present, you rip the tissue paper from the bag, yank your prize out from its depths, and toss the bag aside so you can focus on what is likely to be your newest obsession. Your eyes dilate like a cat's as you drink in the gorgeous illustrated cover, a rarity in these days of photographed models or simplistic symbolic designs. You marvel at the lovingly crafted details until your curiosity reaches a breaking point, compelling you to abandon your appreciation of the artwork to instead flip open the cover to read the summary printed on the dust cover's inner leaflet.
"Oooh... This is interesting..." you praise. As you suspect, the vibrant cover is accompanied by what looks like an equally vibrant tale of high fantasy. Though you are itching to dive right in, you do in fact recall that this was a present—and it was customary to offer thanks for such.
"Thank you, Sanji!" you squeal, dropping the book in your lap so you can throw your arms out in invitation for a hug. "This is just what I needed! You've made my day!"
"Really? I'm glad, darling!" Sanji beams, stooping down to return your embrace. He then squawks in surprise when you tug on his shoulders, scooching to the edge of your chair so you can manhandle him into squeezing in beside you. "M-my love, what are you—?"
"Read with me!" you bleat, and, without waiting for his response, wiggle into a comfortable position so you can prop up the book and get started.
Sanji soon recovers from his momentary shock, his rigid body melting as understanding dawns on him. As you snuggle into him, he shifts slightly until you are both resting comfortably in the chair, then winds his arms around you and props his head against yours so he can have a good view of the book. The two of you fall into a contented silence as you plunge together into the world inked within the crisp off-white pages, embarking on a journey into the unknown, hand-in-hand...
Summary: When Hitoka Yachi set out for Sendai one morning for a surprise visit to her friend Kei, she was beset by a series of tragedies that led her to believe that it was simply not her day. A certain serendipitous encounter doesn't put a complete stop to her bad luck, but it's enough to make her question if it might turn out to be a good day for her after all.
Hello, all! Here is my work for this year's Sendai Frogs Big Bang! The link to my partner's art is here, so please go give it some love!
Today is just not my day! Hitoka despaired as she dashed down the empty sidewalk and through the pouring rain. Her sodden shoes splashed dirty rainwater against her shins and calves with every swift step, but the ripples produced by her footfalls were almost immediately swallowed up by the foaming wake generated by the mud-caked wheels of her suitcase, which she lugged behind her. The hand that was not wrapped around its handle held her purse over her head. Unfortunately, the small, square-shaped satchel did little to shield her from the deluge streaming down from the cloud-choked sky above. She hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella; after all, the weather forecast that morning had predicted that the weather in Hitoka’s destination would be rather pleasant. Apparently, the storm system that the meteorologists had been monitoring had unexpectedly shifted direction. Hitoka had thought she was leaving it behind; instead, it had accompanied her on her little trip.
Well, at least I made it to Sendai! That’s a start, at least, Hitoka thought with a grimace as she cast her gaze skyward. Her glower deepened with displeasure when she was met with a sea of dark, roiling clouds and crackling tendrils of lightning snaking through them like angry serpents. After four hours on a train, Hitoka had been happy to see Sendai; apparently, it was not nearly as happy to see her. The moment that Hitoka had stepped off the train, the clouds had opened up to unleash their tempestuous fury upon her.
Well, more like sprinted off the train; it had arrived an hour behind schedule, leaving Hitoka with no recourse but to rush forth into the torrent and try to pry the multiple wrenches from her meticulously made plans. Originally, Hitoka had intended to surprise Kei after his practice with the Sendai Frogs. Considering that it was nearly an hour after their practices usually ended, she highly doubted that her agenda would be successful. She’d just have to call him up once she got to her hotel and arrange a not-surprise meeting.
I can only hope that Kei will be a bit more welcoming, Hitoka thought wryly. If I can actually meet up with him, that is! Am I even going in the right direction?
Hitoka slowed her pace to a steady trot so she could pull out her cell phone and reference the map in her GPS app. She had entered the address to the hotel right before departing the train, but she had been so startled by the ferocity of the thunderstorm that she had neglected to use it up until that point. After several seconds of struggling to zoom in on the map thanks to the raindrops smeared across the screen, she decided to take temporary shelter beneath the awning of an—unsurprisingly—empty café and get her bearings. Instantly, she wished she hadn’t. According to the map, the hotel was another ten minutes’ walk from her current location. She already looked like a half-drowned rat; she’d look like a fully-drowned one by the time she got there!
Hitoka sighed despondently as she slowly raised her eyes to the curtain of rain suspended from the awning, hanging mere inches from the mud-splattered toes of her flats, and deliberated on her next course of action. Her destination was her hotel, but there just didn’t seem to be any good way to get there. She could sprint the considerable distance, or she could flutter around the sidewalk to try and flag down a taxi; either option would result in her getting completely drenched. Alternatively, she could hang around the café until the storm blew over. That seemed like the best option, at least until she pulled up her weather app and discovered that the storm was supposed to last well into the wee hours of the morning. Kei could meet her there, but… she’d hate to drag him out into this weather. There was no use in both of them ending up like drowned rats.
What should I do? Hitoka fretted with a groan and a shuffle of her feet. She looked from her phone to the street to the café window behind her and back again, but there came no divine revelation indicating which of the equally unappealing options she should go for. After several more seconds of deliberation, she concluded that there would not be a sign from above at all, that she should make the mad dash for the hotel and put a fitting close to her disaster of a day. Thus, Hitoka breathed a sigh of resignation, cast a doleful look at the stormy sky, and mentally prepared to plunge into the downpour once more.
As it turned out, the gods were simply waiting for the precise moment at which their heavenly intervention would have the greatest chance of giving Hitoka a heart attack.
“Yachi-san?”
“Wh-who?! What?! Who?!” Hitoka squeaked, whipping on her heel so fast that she nearly tripped over her suitcase. The person—the man, more accurately—who had addressed her stood at the edge of the awning, presumably having snuck up on her on account of the rain masking his footsteps. The dome of his large black umbrella cleaved through the waterfall cascading down from Hitoka’s canopy shelter; the water streamed in rivulets down the umbrella’s canvas sides to pour in thick sheets on either side of his combat booted feet, except for a few thick-heavy drops that dripped down in front of his face. A rugged, handsome face… and a familiar face, Hitoka realized with a small gasp of recognition. His hair had changed slightly, but other than that, he looked virtually unchanged from the day that she had first seen him, years ago as a high school first-year.
“Kyoutani-san? Kentarou Kyoutani, from Aoba Johsei High?” Hitoka cried. That’s right; Kei had recently told her that Kentarou had also joined the Sendai Frogs. “Long time, no see!” she greeted with a quick dip of her head. Though she intended it to be out of politeness, she also did it to hide her suddenly sheepish expression; Kentarou was no less intimidating than the moment she’d first clapped eyes on him.
“How’ve you been?” she inquired shyly, forcing herself to peer up at him through her lashes. Though she’d grown in confidence over the years, she still didn’t quite know how to interact with formidable presences like Kentarou. It didn’t help that he had grown, too—and not just in confidence.
“I’ve been fine, thank you,” Kentarou quipped in response, clipped but not unkind. He rocked on the balls of his heels as he slowly raked his eyes over Hitoka’s bedraggled form, surveying her with an emotionless precision that almost seemed more uncomfortable than a blatant, lewd leer would have been. When his eyes roved back up to fix his intense, piercing stare trained on her face again, his mouth slowly twitched into what Hitoka interpreted as a sympathetic smile. “I take it that you haven’t been doing quite so well?”
“No, not really,” Hitoka giggled awkwardly, glancing back down at her muddy feet as she twirled a damp strand of her hair around her index finger. “I left my umbrella at home… and that’s not the half of it.”
“Home…” Kentarou repeated in a murmur, furrowing his brow in thought. “I’ve heard Kei mention it before. You live in… Tokyo, right?”
“That’s right!” Hitoka confirmed, admittedly flattered that he’d remembered such a small detail about her though she was virtually a stranger to him. “I have a few days off from work, so I thought I’d take a trip out here to see Kei since it’s been a while! Anytime I have a considerable amount of free time, I try to take little trips to keep up with everybody.” She then chuckled bashfully and tugged at another strand of her hair. “Of course, I didn’t quite imagine it going like this. There wasn’t rain, first of all, and I’d expected to be here an hour ago, surprising him after practice…”
“Hn,” Kentarou just grunted in response. He didn’t sound uninterested, but there was still something off about his tone—some emotion that Hitoka couldn’t place. Of course, she knew that the odds of her being able to successfully place it were next to none, so she just decided to continue without addressing it.
“It’s just as well!” she laughed awkwardly and glanced down at her disheveled form with an embarrassed frown. “The storm beat me here, so by the time I would have turned up at the gym, I’d’ve looked like something the tide hauled in! Of course, I’ll still look like that, just when I arrive at my hotel, instead,” she said with a forlorn glance at the rain—just in time for the wind to pick up and whip over a trash can, spilling its soaked contents into the street. “If I even make it that far…”
“I’ll walk you,” Kentarou volunteered with such speed and earnestness that it took Hitoka aback. Her head snapped up so she could fix him in a wide-eyed gape; his own dropped down to stare awkwardly at his shoes, a haze of pink dusting his cheeks. “I have an umbrella, after all… I can’t just let you walk all the way now that I’m here,” he added in a subdued mumble.
“Oh!” Hitoka exclaimed, admittedly shocked by his gentlemanly gesture. Not that she didn’t think Kentarou incapable of such deeds, but… it was just surprising, that’s all! Who would expect someone with the moniker of “Mad Dog” to go around offering to walk girls home on rainy days? Oh, but that was so unfairly presumptuous of her, wasn’t it? Kentarou had never given her any reason to think that he was totally incapable of being nice! Then again, this was probably the longest conversation she’d ever had with the guy, so he’d never really given her any reason to think much of anything about him…
“Yachi-san?”
“O-oh! Right! Yes!” Hitoka started, flushing with mortification at the realization that she’d effectively ignored his very generous offer. Flustering, she clumsily straightened a few disarrayed strands of her hair as she offered him a grateful smile. “That’s very nice of you to offer, Kyoutani-san, but are you sure? You must be out and about in this dreadful weather because you’re on your way somewhere. I would hate to derail your plans… and make you be out in this storm longer than you have to be.”
“A little rain doesn’t bother me,” Kentarou shrugged. Before she could counter that it was more than just a little rain, he coughed slightly and continued, “As it happens… I was actually on my way to meet Kei and Kanji for dinner when I ran into you.”
“Really? It’s so nice that you three hang out together!”
“Just on occasion,” Kentarou mumbled, looking equal parts consternated at the notion that he was chummy with his teammates and pleased by the fact that Hitoka found it so endearing. The slightly scrunchy, slightly pouty expression that resulted was so cute that Hitoka couldn’t help but giggle. Her reaction only served to fluster him more; his gaze dropped to his feet, and despite the way he tried to dip his head, Hitoka could plainly see the way his cheeks darkened. Hitoka never imagined that she’d be calling Kentarou Kyoutani of all people cute, but… he could be darn adorable, as it turned out!
“Still, it’s nice,” Hitoka insisted with a sweet, supportive smile. “I’m glad Kei has friends that make him go out! He can be so unsociable, you know.”
It was so fast that Hitoka almost missed it. Kentarou’s jaw tightened, his brow furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. In an instant, the door that he’d cracked open was suddenly slammed shut again, leaving Hitoka speechless and staring at a man whom she couldn’t even begin to understand.
“Kei…” Kentarou murmured. “Right, Kei.” He cleared his throat, like he was trying to swallow a bitter pill, and looked down at his feet as he shuffled them awkwardly. “You came to Sendai to see Kei…”
“Y-yes, that’s right,” Hitoka stammered, so stunned by his sudden transformation that all she could think to do was nod.
“Right. Um,” he huffed while pawing at the back of his neck, looking at his shoes like they pained him to be on his feet. Within a blink, however, he had ironed out the crinkles in his expression to form the blank, stony glower he’d slapped on his face before. His eyes flickered up to Hitoka’s bemused expression, then back to his shoes, then slowly crawled back up to her face again. “Right… You should… You should come along with me. To dinner. To see Kei, I mean. Because he’ll be there. At dinner.” He cleared his throat one more time, then finished with a faint note of what Hitoka could have sworn was despondence, “I know he’ll be happy to see you, Yachi-san… and this way, you can surprise him, just like you want.”
“Kyoutani-san…” Hitoka murmured, fiddling anxiously with her fingers as she regarded him diffidently. Ordinarily, she’d be delighted by such a kind offer, but there was just something about Kentarou’s demeanor that disquieted her. His entire air just made her feel like it would be wrong to accept so eagerly. It would feel even more wrong to decline his proposal, though…
After a few seconds of deliberation, Hitoka found herself slowly nodding in agreement.
“All right, Kyoutani-san. I’ll join you all for dinner tonight!” she decided. The next second, however, she suddenly found herself reminded of just how bedraggled she looked. She glanced down at herself, drinking in her sodden clothes and mud-splattered shins, and then slowly trailed her eyes back up to Kentarou’s with an abashed smile.
“Oh, but, I couldn’t possibly go out like this!” she fretted. “I can’t imagine you’d be anything but embarrassed to be seen in public with me!”
Hitoka swore that Kentarou grimaced and muttered something along the lines of, “I’d think that you’d be embarrassed to be seen in public with me.” She blinked in shock, only to find that Kentarou was looking at her with the same impassive stare he had been for most of the conversation. She began to question whether or not she had imagined the remark, and her self-doubt was magnified by the nonchalance of his next statement.
“Well, we have to go to your hotel anyway,” Kentarou said with a small wave at her suitcase. “You can clean up there, and then we can go.”
Hitoka swallowed her urge to protest, realizing that, first, it really was the most sensible and time-efficient option, and second, Kentarou would probably insist that it wasn’t any bother to escort her to her hotel even if she did argue the point. There was another point that she felt was worth arguing, however.
“But what about the other two? Kei and Koganegawa-san?” she countered. “Surely they’re already headed to the place you three were going to meet.”
“They can wait,” came his succinct response. His complete lack of hesitation or guilt in declaring such left Hitoka utterly speechless. Kentarou must have taken her astonishment for acceptance; when she said nothing in response to his assertion, he gave a quick little nod of satisfaction, whirled about on his heel to face the street, started striding purposefully away, and said in that same no-nonsense tone that left all protests fizzling out on Hitoka’s tongue like the last few crumbs of a mouthful of popping candy, “I’ll get a cab.”
Hitoka could only watch in a partly amazed, partly flattered fluster as Kentarou forded out into the squall to hail a taxi. The rain poured in such volume that it looked less like a waterfall rushing down and more like a curtain of stringed diamonds suspended from the awning—and like a curtain, Hitoka peered through the translucent veil as she marveled at Kentarou’s tall, broad form looming in the near distance. His silhouette was reminiscent of a lone oak standing sentinel upon a small hill, with his large, imposing bulk mimicking its mighty trunk while the dome of his large umbrella evoked the image of countless branches fanning out in every direction.
Hitoka couldn’t help but smirk slightly in amusement as she considered the irony of her comparison. The supposedly feral “Mad Dog,” juxtaposed with something as stoic and tranquil as a towering oak tree? It seemed so contradictory to the memory of the wild, intense boy surging on the court like a hurricane. Yet, as Hitoka watched him calmly scan the sodden street for a cab as he stood unmoving out in the pounding rain, she found that he paralleled the storm enveloping the two of them right at that moment. He was steadily thrumming rain and softly rumbling thunder, a force of nature held in check by his own force of will rather than running loose and wild to rain down devastation upon everything around him.
He’s changed, Hitoka remarked with a smile. She wasn’t quite sure why it pleased her so; after all, it wasn’t like she had any stake in Kentarou’s personal growth or anything. Still… it was nice, she thought, to be able to reflect upon what a person used to be and the journey they must have undertaken to become the person was now. He knew me just about as well as I knew him, she thought wistfully. I wonder if he thinks I’ve changed at all… changed for the better, somehow…
Hitoka liked to think that through her experiences with the Karasuno Volleyball Club, she’d grown more confident and, by extension, more notable to others. Sometimes, though, she still felt like plain old Villager B. What impression had she made on Kentarou back then, if any? And… what did he think of her now? Was he pondering her now, as he stood out in the rain and stared into the misty cityscape, as she was pondering him? Was there something about her in particular that had him going so far as to escort her—an acquaintance, really—through this deluge to her hotel and essentially put his plans on hold, when he could just as easily leave her to fend for herself?
And—and this was the greatest question of all—why did the possibility of occupying more of Kentarou’s mind than mere afterthought make Hitoka’s heart skip a beat?
“Cab’s here.”
“Ah!” Hitoka started at Kentarou’s sudden reappearance at the edge of the awning. As she jumped back in surprise, Kentarou arched a brow at her; then, his lips curled ever-so-slightly into a frown.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he murmured with a slightly pained look at his feet.
Oh, no! He thinks I reacted like that because I find him intimidating! I mean, I kinda do, but—
“N-no, no, no!” she exclaimed while frantically flapping her hands in denial. “I was just lost in thought!” Realizing that she was reacting just a bit too strongly, she quickly gathered herself. She smoothed down her hair, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and offered him a shy smile. “A-anyway, thanks for this. I really appreciate you going out of your way so much for me, Kyoutani-san!”
“Oh—” Kentarou flushed, scratching the back of his neck, “—it’s nothing… ‘S something any decent guy would do…” His gaze had remained locked on his feet the entire time, but it flickered up to the hand that Hitoka had wrapped around the handle of her luggage. He made a vague motion toward it, punctuated by an awkward mutter of, “Decent guys would… take the suitcase, too.”
“Huh? O-oh!” Hitoka cried with a glance between him and the suitcase and back. Her instinct was to insist that she take it herself, but she thought better of it almost immediately. Beneath the awkwardness, Kentarou just looked so eager to be a gentleman… and who was Hitoka to deny him that? Besides, what girl didn’t like to be pampered a bit, especially after a rough day? She’d never imagined that she’d be getting pampered by the infamous Kentarou “Mad Dog” Kyoutani, of all people, but, hey! Pampering was pampering, and Hitoka daresay she’d earned it after the day she’d had.
“Okay… Thanks,” she acquiesced with a widening smile, allowing Kentarou to take her suitcase as she stepped under his umbrella. She pushed the handle toward him at the same time that he reached for it, and the simultaneous gestures inadvertently led to their knuckles brushing together. Hitoka’s fingers twitched as an exciting jolt of electricity shot through the nerves of her hand, and Kentarou’s did as well; they both froze, knuckles hovering centimeters from one another’s, and their eyes locked as they both reflexively glanced at each other’s rapidly reddening faces. Several heartbeats of silence passed between them as they just stood there, frozen. Kentarou stood rigidly under his umbrella and Hitoka stiffly under the awning, as if they had both been concurrently struck with the notion that every action up until that point had blurred this invisible line between them, and the act that they were about to commit stood the chance of obliterating it completely. That line of pleasant acquaintanceship was safe and known; when that line was gone, where did that leave them? Was it worth finding out? Or should they stop while they were ahead?
Kentarou took a small breath, then reached for the handle of Hitoka’s suitcase again.
“We shouldn’t keep the cab waiting,” he murmured as he gently wrapped his first two fingers around the sliver of space on the handle that Hitoka’s hand did not occupy. There was a smoldering intensity in his eyes as he continued to study her, however, that implied that he righteously didn’t care if he kept the cab waiting for the rest of time if it meant he could remain there with Hitoka forever, there in the softly falling rain and warm misty evening. The thought made Hitoka’s hand uncurl from around the suitcase on reflex, allowing Kentarou to pull it across the concrete sidewalk and settle it behind him to make room for Hitoka under the umbrella. The rattling wheels scoured through that invisible line, leaving only a few tattered shreds to mark the barrier of status quo.
All Hitoka had to do was take a step, and it would be forever destroyed. The familiar distance that once was would be obsolete, replaced by the titillating uncertainty of what could be. A multitude of paths would appear before them all at once. Which one they would take was unknown even to them.
It was exciting. It was scary. It quite possibly could all be in Hitoka’s head, a product of a mind addled by the turmoil of a stressful day.
And yet… Hitoka found herself too curious to resist.
“Right. We shouldn’t keep the cab waiting,” Hitoka echoed breathlessly, and before she could think twice, she took the plunge. As she quickly passed through the open space between the edge of the awning and the rim of Kentarou’s umbrella, the misty raindrops kissed her scalp and hair, and it truly felt as if she were passing through some sort of door that she would not be able to pass through again. Yet she did not look back; she looked only at Kentarou as she brought her body forward to stand fully under the shelter that he was offering her, the threat of the rain now as much a thing of the past as the politeness and awkward amity she’d chosen to leave behind in favor of knowing more.
“Here we go,” Kentarou breathed, and Hitoka had the sense that the short walk to the cab wasn’t the impending journey that he was referring to. He tightened his grip on the umbrella, followed by his hold on the suitcase; he took a shaky breath. Then, he finally tore his gaze from Hitoka’s, turning to begin their short trek to the awaiting taxi… and the much longer one into the mysterious “What happens now?”
Even as petite as Hitoka was, Kentarou’s hulking frame was such that he still had to shuffle sideways a bit to fully accommodate her under the wide dome of the umbrella. Hitoka tried to assist his effort to keep the both of them dry by huddling close to the center of the umbrella. As he escorted her to the curb, she soon became acutely aware of how close she was standing to him as a result. His form practically enveloped hers, so closely that the heat radiating from him staved off the icy chill that had begun to develop deep in her bones. It felt so nice that she actually had to suppress the urge to press closer to him as they walked side-by-side. The blush triggered by the absurd notion hadn’t even fully risen to her cheeks before another ludicrous thought entered her mind.
His jacket looked so warm, and it would be even warmer from his residual body heat; Hitoka wondered what it would like to put it on. It would probably swallow her up, with how much bigger Kentarou was than her. But she could snuggle into it, be surrounded by his warmth and his scent and his presence…
Oh, my! The random thoughts that pop into your head sometimes, Hitoka thought, ducking her head to hide the growing redness in her face when Kentarou leaned forward to open the taxi door for her. Yet another random thought moseyed on into her head, filling the void that came from her banishing the first. The way his tall, sturdy form felt standing right behind her, his muscular chest mere centimeters from her petite shoulder as he curled around her tiny frame to pull open the car door while holding the umbrella squarely over her frame to shield her from the pounding rain… She couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to just fall into him. Would he catch her? Hold her close with a strong, secure arm around her waist? Tuck her against his body like she belonged there?
Okay, I’m just gonna get in the taxi now, Hitoka flustered, once again dismissing the absurd notions to the void where they belonged. She uttered a quick word of thanks to Kentarou before sliding into the backseat of the cab. The door gently thunked shut beside her, and it was then that Hitoka realized that she had been holding her breath for quite some time. She shakily breathed out and then back in as she tried to take the few precious seconds that Kentarou spent putting her luggage in the trunk in order to collect herself. The fact that she was collecting herself over Kentarou Kyoutani threw her for such a loop that she really didn’t get much collecting done; she’d only managed to gather a couple pieces of herself, actually, by the time Kentarou joined her in the backseat of the cab.
Not that it mattered, because those couple pieces tumbled right back out of her hands when Kentarou tried to adjust himself in the cramped quarters and his knee bumped Hitoka’s. It felt like an electric shock simultaneously rocketed up her leg and up the length of her spine, as well as shot down to her toes, leaving a warm, fuzzy feeling in its wake.
Kentarou jerked his leg away as if he’d been truly electrocuted. It tore a wounded sound from his throat, akin to the yelp of a puppy that had been kicked on accident but thought it was being punished and was unsure why. He spluttered a frantic apology and pressed himself against the door as if he were trying to phase right through it and fall back out onto the sodden street. Hitoka just stared at him for several long seconds until she realized that the taxi wasn’t moving.
Kentarou realized it at the same time, and he awkwardly mumbled, “I think he’s waiting on the address…”
“Oh! Right, right!” Hitoka gasped, then fumbled to scooch up to the small window in the taxi partition and recite the address for the driver. He voiced confirmation, shifted the car into gear, and then pulled the car away from the sidewalk and into the waterlogged street. As the rainy cityscape began to roll by, Hitoka eased herself back into her seat and tucked her hands between her thighs.
Silence settled between herself and Kentarou, somewhere in the odd space between comfortable and awkward. Hitoka had never been able to bear long silences; she only made it about thirty seconds before she was desperately trying to fill the empty void.
“So… Was there anything else that brought you to Sendai besides the volleyball team?” she asked, peeking at Kentarou out of her peripheral vision.
“No,” he responded simply, his expression blank and stony as he stared intently at a droplet of water that was slowly trailing down the rain-sprayed, mist-fogged window beside him. “They recruited me from a lower-division team.”
“Oh. I see.”
Hitoka shifted uncomfortably as the curtain of silence threatened to fall over them once more. Desperate to remain on the metaphorical stage, she wrenched the veil back up with a quick sputter of, “So, do you like Sendai?”
“It’s fine, I guess,” came his uninspired answer. When Hitoka uttered a small whimper of awkward shame, his gaze flickered to her; it just as quickly shot back to the window, and he added in a small mumble, “I mean… ‘S nice when it’s like this. Raining, I mean. There’s not a lot of people out, so, I like to walk around. ‘S peaceful…”
His bashful mutter was punctuated by a tremendously loud clap of thunder, an accompaniment to a brilliantly bright crack of lightning that illuminated the dark, stormy sky with all the intensity of the sun. The lightning must have been very close, for the ferocity of the thunderclap shook the car. Hitoka jumped at the feeling of the backseat rumbling and the metal frame rattling. She also let out a little squeak of fright, which prompted Kentarou to look at her in concern.
“Hehe… That wasn’t very peaceful, was it?” Hitoka joked weakly. Her voice was almost swallowed up by the sound of the rain, as its drumming against the roof of the car had intensified tenfold. It now sounded like the car was driving through a hail of bullets.
Kentarou’s mouth twitched into a small smirk, and he chuckled with a shrug, “Yeah, I guess it wasn’t.”
The sky rumbled in agreement, bringing identical grins of amusement to their Hitoka and Kentarou’s faces. His eyes locked with hers, but not in an unnatural or uncomfortable way; rather, it felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place. This time, Hitoka did not feel the need to resist the silence settling over them, for it seemed like countless words were about to be exchanged through their gazes alone.
Not so much as a vowel passed between them before the veil of congenial quietude was unceremoniously yanked up by the shrill squeal of the taxi’s tires on the wet street as it gently braked and turned into the hotel parking lot. The moment lost, Hitoka and Kentarou just eased back into their seats and observed the sodden scenery through their respective windows. As Hitoka drank in the puddle-strewn parking lot, saturated greens and flower beds, and kaleidoscopic refractions of the streetlamps’ yellow glow in the pooled water, she was struck by the realization that it really was peaceful. She imagined strolling down the sidewalk, tendrils of mist weaving through her legs and water vapor kissing her skin as the rain drummed against the umbrella perched daintily on her shoulder… or perhaps Kentarou’s umbrella, held just so over her head to shield her from the rain. She envisioned the wind picking up, and Kentarou snaking his free arm around her waist to pull her close, using his own body to take the brunt of the misty spray that invaded the sanctity of the umbrella’s bubble. She visualized just how snugly she’d fit against his side, all her delicate curves molding perfectly with the rugged contours of his—
Hitoka’s fantasy evaporated with the jarring ker-thunk of her door opening. Just as suddenly, it was revived by the sight of Kentarou standing over her with one hand holding his umbrella aloft and the other held out for her to take. Hitoka blushed as she took it, then blushed further at the feeling of his large, calloused fingers wrapping around her small, smooth ones. For a moment, she didn’t feel like an ordinary, rain-drenched girl, all damp clothes and messy, half-dried strands of hair; instead, she felt like Cinderella stepping out of her pumpkin carriage. Only, Hitoka’s fairy tale was just a little bit different than the classic tale. She didn’t have to attend any ball to find her Prince Charming…
Do I have a fever? Hitoka wondered with a full-body flush, shocked to her core by her mind’s incessant wanderings. Unnerved, she slapped the back of her hand to her forehead. It was quite warm, but then again, so was the rest of her—especially her hand, which Kentarou was still clutching as he escorted her around the particularly deep puddle between the taxi and the curb. He released it as soon as the soles of her flats were secure on the concrete, and in that instant, it felt like the rain’s icy chill permeated every pore of Hitoka’s body. It drove away the pleasant warmth that had come so close to making a home inside of her. She felt like Cinderella again, this time shivering and cold as her dress hung in tatters from her shuddering frame…
“Yachi-san? Are you cold?”
Kentarou’s sudden inquiry snapped Hitoka out of her reverie. Her head whipped up to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise; his own were narrowed in concern, and Hitoka could tell from the way he was squaring his shoulders that he was preparing to shed his jacket. Hitoka didn’t think that she could handle him offering his jacket at the moment, what with all the confusing feelings swirling around inside of her, so she hurriedly shook her head in denial.
“N-no! I’m fine!” she cried. When Kentarou just cocked a doubtful brow at her, she insisted with a flustered smile, “Really, I’m just fine. I had a chill for a moment, but it’s gone now! Besides, we’ll be inside soon, and it’ll be warm in there.”
Kentarou continued to stare dubiously at her for a few seconds before giving a slow nod of acknowledgment.
“All right… If you’re sure,” was all he said, shrugging indifferently as he did. He immediately started for the hotel entrance, folding up his umbrella as he walked. “Let’s get you checked in so we can get settled in your room, get changed into something dry and comfortable, and then get ready to head out to the restaurant to see Kei, yeah?”
Hitoka had started after him, but her step faltered as she detected the faintest hint of bitterness in his tone. Kentarou kept walking, either not having registered that she’d halted or just not caring that she had; the possibility of it being the latter left her heart sinking into her feet.
Oh, no… Was refusing his jacket rude? I mean, he didn’t explicitly say that he was offering it, but still, it was pretty obvious. Or, or, maybe he’s more irritated about the situation as a whole than he’s been letting on? Hitoka wondered as she forced herself to resume walking so as not to draw Kentarou’s attention… or irk him more, if he really was irked. She could understand why he would be; he had been on his way to meet his friends, and out of the blue, he was saddled with Hitoka—frazzled, drenched, probably-delirious-with-fever Hitoka. Nobody liked wrenches thrown into their plans—and after today, Hitoka could relate—but people like Kentarou, who had rather serious personalities, despised them even more, she’d imagine. A delusional wrench having Cinderella fantasies was probably just the thing to grind the teeth in Kentarou’s gears…
Maybe I should just call this whole thing off, Hitoka thought, looking at Kentarou out of her peripheral vision as she stood at the concierge’s desk, waiting for the clerk to process her payment and deliver her room key. Just let him go hang out with the guys tonight, and I can catch up with Kei tomorrow. I can get in my pajamas, maybe have a nice, long bath… she thought, smiling dreamily to herself as she reached across the counter to take the room key when the clerk offered it. Yeah, that sounds really nice, actually—
All the bubbles in Hitoka’s imaginary bubble bath burst when Kentarou cleared his throat with a curt, “Shall we?” Hitoka then realized that she’d just been standing there in a daze, despite having key in hand and no further business to attend to at the concierge’s desk.
“Ah! Um, yes,” she stammered, instinctively reaching for her suitcase. Her hand only met empty air, for Kentarou had already grabbed it and started striding briskly toward the elevator. “Ah! Kyoutani-san, wait!” she cried and hurriedly shuffled after him. She caught up with him at the elevators, and he looked at her questioningly when she tugged on his jacket sleeve with a slightly winded, “Kyoutani-san?”
“Yeah?” he clipped, looking between his sleeve and her hand and back again with widening eyes.
“Heh, um,” she stuttered with an awkward smile, hastily retracting her hand. “I-I was just thinking, you know… You don’t have to do all this. Take me to dinner and everything. I mean, I’ve totally intruded on your evening with the guys. That’s for you three! I would hate for you and Koganegawa-san to feel like third wheels if Kei and I get caught up in reminiscing or something—”
“You’re not intruding,” Kentarou refuted. If his tone of finality hadn’t implied to Hitoka that there would be no arguing the point, then the way that he stiffly leaned forward and jammed his thumb against the elevator panel’s “up” button would have. Kentarou straightened back up with a sigh, staring at his reflection in the silvery sheen of the elevator door. Hitoka stared at it, too, watching with a sinking stomach as Kentarou’s jaw tightened and his expression hardened ever-so-slightly.
“Besides,” he continued, his voice simultaneously devoid of emotion and full of a feeling that Hitoka couldn’t quite place, “you’re only in town for a few days, right? You should take every opportunity to see Kei, don’t you think?”
“I-I suppose,” Hitoka replied with a half-hearted smile, admittedly perturbed by the way his voice steeled the instant Kei’s name appeared on his tongue—like uttering it scalded him with all the intensity of boiling water. Or was Hitoka just imagining it? Was she reading too much into things, or did she not know his mannerisms well enough to accurately interpret his body language? Surely, that was it. It certainly couldn’t be that he was harboring bitterness toward his teammate. That just didn’t make any sense.
And yet… The first word that came to mind as Hitoka studied Kentarou’s stiff form of his reflection was envy.
Don’t be silly, Hitoka chastised herself at the thought. He has nothing to be envious of! It doesn’t make any sense at all for him to feel that way.
Yet, Hitoka couldn’t shake the sense that he felt some sort of way about something, and it was just in her nature to want to remedy any sort of miscommunication or misunderstanding. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, restlessly fidgeting as she tried to figure out just what Kentarou might be thinking. If she could figure it out, then maybe she could make things right.
Well, I’ve definitely made things awkward by questioning him so much, Hitoka fretted. I don’t want him to think that I’m trying to ditch him or something because I’m too scared to be in close quarters with him! I’ve gotta recover the situation!
“You’re right, Kyoutani-san!” she agreed, throwing a sweet smile on her face to try and defuse the tension that had begun to mount between them. “And you know, it’s not just Kei that I want to catch up with. I’d love to hear all about you and Koganegawa-san, too!”
“Yeah?” Kentarou asked quietly, peeking at her out of the corners of his eyes.
“Yeah! I mean, friends of Kei’s are friends of mine, right?” she chirped. “I want to get to know you better!”
“Friends…. Yeah…” Kentarou murmured, his voice dropping to a nearly-incomprehensible garble. “That’s all we are…”
Hitoka felt his demeanor shift again, and not in the direction she was hoping; before she could attempt to recover, however, the elevator announced its arrival with a pleasant ding. The door slid open with an inviting air, and the jazzy music from its ceiling-mounted speakers swirled out into the hall and enveloped the two of them, enticing them into the well-lit cubicle.
Without another word, Kentarou strolled into the elevator, turning and leaning forward to block the door from closing with his arm. Hitoka hastily scurried in after him, trying to focus on not wasting more of his time. She flashed him a wan smile as she settled in beside him, and he offered an anemic one in return as he withdrew his arm and straightened back up. He pressed the button to her floor, and the doors slid closed, leaving Hitoka and Kentarou staring at their awkward reflections once more.
The elevator began to ascend. Second floor… Third floor… Fourth floor…
Ba-ba-booooooooooom!
Hitoka shrieked as a tremendous clap of thunder shook the earth and everything on it. It felt like the sky had crashed down upon them, and then the world had heaved up to meet it in a colossal seismic embrace. Like a boat caught in the mighty crests of a storm-wracked sea, the elevator shuddered and dipped and swayed. The lights frantically flickered, the cables shrilly squealed, and the once-pleasant elevator music became an eerie blend of static and warped syllables. Hitoka splayed out her arms in an attempt to keep her balance as he knees threatened to buckle, reduced to jelly by the fright of both the deafening boom of thunder and the rocking elevator.
There came another sharp bang! when Kentarou slapped his palm flat against the wall to stabilize himself. His other arm snapped out to wrap around Hitoka’s waist in a firm, strong, almost boa constrictor-like grip. The elevator gave another dramatic heave, causing Hitoka to stumble and fall into Kentarou’s sturdy frame; as her cheek smushed against the plush of his pectoral muscle, her frazzled brain couldn’t help but think back to her earlier musings about falling into Kentarou and how radically different the reality had ended up being from her fantasy.
The lights gave one final flicker before fizzling out completely, leaving the pair in inky darkness for a split second. Then, the emergency lights kicked on, bathing them in an ominous, blood-red glow. As they did, the quaking elevator finally came to a juddering halt. There came a few distant squeaks and knocks from within the depths of the elevator shaft, and then, there was just silence. After such a racket, Hitoka’s brain couldn’t process the lack of noise, at first; her ears rang for several seconds before finally acclimating to the nothingness that now filled the elevator.
Shell-shocked by the unexpected and terrifying experience, Hitoka and Kentarou merely stood frozen for several moments. They breathed in tandem, deep and gulping gasps for air; since Hitoka’s head was still pressed against Kentarou’s chest, she could tell that their hearts were beating in unison, too—pounding hard and fast, speeding up with each second they remained locked in their tight embrace…
“Is it over?” Hitoka finally whispered.
Kentarou opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by another distant clunking sound from somewhere far overhead. He waited several seconds more, his grip reflexively tightening around her. When no more ominous sounds echoed from within the depths of the elevator shaft, he slowly drew his arm from her waist and reluctantly murmured, “I think so…”
Now that the chaos had subsided, Hitoka became acutely aware of the fact that she was still pressed up against him. She sprang away from him as if burned, her cheeks holding the heat of the fire. Unnerved, she instinctively smoothed down her hair several times after stepping away from him, nearly to the other side of the elevator. Se looked at everything but him as she did so—the floor, the ceiling, the panel of buttons with the blinking emergency light, the floor meter which indicated that they were halfway between the fourth and fifth floors—
“Oh my God! I think the elevator’s broken down!” Hitoka screamed in realization and rushed for the panel. She frantically began mashing buttons, praying that one of them would magically revive the elevator. None of them did; the elevator remained lifeless, trapped in its inter-floor limbo. Panicking, she looked despairingly between the buttons and Kentarou. “What do we do?!”
“Calm down, first of all,” Kentarou said as he approached the panel. Hitoka would have expected him to sound annoyed at her hysterics; instead, his tone was amused. He was lightly smirking while he stood behind Hitoka and leaned over her to reach for the panel, sweeping his index finger over the buttons until he located one with a telephone icon. Its label read “Emergency.”
“If the power’s out, will that work?” Hitoka whispered as Kentarou firmly pressed the button.
“It should be hooked to a backup generator, like the lights,” he replied with a casual point up at the dull red lights glowing above them. “If not, we can always try to call from our cellphones.”
Hitoka, not having much faith in the failed elevator to patch them through to the front desk, immediately went to fish her phone out of her pocket. However, it seemed that Kentarou was correct in his assumption. No sooner than Hitoka’s hand had closed around her phone did the speaker within the elevator panel crackle to life.
“Hello, do you need assistance?”
“H-hello?” Hitoka cried, crouching down before the speaker and getting right up against it, hands against the wall and lips nearly to the holes in the metal. “Yes! We’re trapped in the elevator! There was thunder and lightning, and the elevator shook and just shut down between floors! We’re stuck!”
“Is anyone injured?”
“No,” Kentarou answered, sliding his hands in his hoodie pockets while he leaned over Hitoka to get closer to the speaker as he talked. The feeling of his breath tickling her scalp made Hitoka blush and squirm and itch to crawl away in embarrassment, but she shoved aside the feelings to focus on the vital task at hand.
“How many people are in the elevator?” the concierge asked, and Hitoka could hear the rapid taps of fingers across a keyboard in the background.
“Just us two,” confirmed Hitoka.
“Hold just a moment.”
There came another series of keyboard taps, followed by what Hitoka assumed to be the “enter” key clicking with finality. She next heard the sound of muffled talking; presumably, the concierge was holding his palm over the speaker end of the phone while he spoke to someone in a calm but urgent tone. After a muted reply, the speaker crackled loudly as the concierge uncovered his end of the line, immediately followed by a loud, “Are you still there?”
“Yes, we’re still here!”
“We are contacting the elevator service company right now to make them aware of the situation. They will send specially trained personnel to respond and get the elevator working again. Please be advised that this can take up to several hours depending on the cause of the elevator’s malfunction,” the man began to explain. “That being said, there is no need to be alarmed. While I understand the situation can be unsettling, please rest assured that the elevator is still quite safe as long as you remain calm and patient.”
Easy for you to say, Hitoka thought, unsure if she wanted to roll her eyes all the way back into her skull or burst into tears.
As if sensing her apprehension, the concierge repeated, “I stress, the elevator is still quite safe. In fact, its stopping function is designed to ensure occupants’ safety in the event of power surges and other malfunctions. Also, contrary to popular belief, airflow is still more than adequate in the elevator car; there is no risk at all of oxygen depletion in modern elevators.”
Hitoka had been so preoccupied with the frightening possibility of the elevator snapping free of its supports and sending them free-falling to their deaths that she hadn’t even considered such a terrifying alternate scenario. Despite the concierge’s assurances, horrible visions of a slow, dreadful demise began to dance in Hitoka’s mind; she pictured their strength gradually being sapped from their bodies as deadly carbon dioxide replaced the precious oxygen in the air, the both of them eventually collapsing to the ground as they gasped desperately for breath, suffocating as the poison reached a critical point in their blood… Hardly daring to breathe more than what was minimally required to sustain her life, Hitoka looked nervously around the elevator, hoping to spot an air vent to support the concierge’s assertion. Her panic spiked when she could not readily identify one.
“Th-that’s good to know…” Hitoka whimpered, desperate to believe his statement as truth but also petrified by the potential consequences of it being a lie. She wanted to believe it, but her mind refused to; spurred on by its panic-induced visions of doom and gloom, it suppressed her respiratory drive, forcing her to take tiny, inefficient breaths against her will.
Soon, Hitoka’s lungs began to burn with air hunger and her mind swim from the deprivation. Despite the obvious signs that her body was giving her, it wasn’t until Kentarou grabbed her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze followed by a soothing rub that Hitoka managed to overpower her fears. She glanced gratefully up at him as she sucked in a greedy, trembling breath, and she was surprised to find her vision blurry; she blinked, causing the tears that had begun to form in the corners of her eyes to bead together and cling to her lashline.
“I’m sorry,” Hitoka mouthed up at Kentarou, then ducked her head and rubbed at her eyes as a wave of hot shame washed over her. Oh, what was she doing ?! They were just stuck in an elevator! People got stuck in elevators all the time! There was no reason to be scared silly!
Be that as it may, Hitoka was scared silly. She’d never been in such a situation before. She didn’t know how to react to this foreign experience, and that was the scary thing.
As she tried to stifle her sniffles so the concierge wouldn’t hear, Kentarou just continued to reassuringly run a hand back and forth across her shoulders and upper back to simultaneously acknowledge her fear, comfort her, and respect her desire to avoid further embarrassment by having said fear voiced. Another wave of emotion crashed over Hitoka, this time one of immense gratitude; she was extremely grateful for Kentarou’s presence then, for she realized that probably would not have been able to handle the situation well if she had been alone. With a small, pathetic hiccup, she pressed her face against Kentarou’s hand as it squeezed her left shoulder again. Kentarou froze, likely surprised by the abrupt reaction, then responded with a slow, soft stroke of his thumb across her tear-stained cheek.
Blissfully unaware that Hitoka sat on the edge of a nervous breakdown, the concierge continued to counsel them on the “do’s and don’t’s” of being trapped in an elevator.
“Please refrain from attempting to pry open the elevator doors, even if you are in position to reach a landing. The elevator doors may try to close as you are attempting to exit, which may result in severe bodily injury, especially if the elevator begins to move again. Also please refrain from jumping up and down. This will not ‘kick-start’ the elevator and may in fact damage the elevator equipment, prolonging repair and rescue. Intense jostling of the elevator can even result in disruption of the suspension mechanisms and result in—”
“Oooooh, make him stop talking, make him stop talking,” Hitoka moaned quietly, struggling not to be overwhelmed by visions of gruesome death once more.
“Look, buddy, I think we got it.” Kentarou interrupted the concierge’s eerily calm and robotic drone with a pointed declaration bordering on an angry growl. “Is there anything else we need to know?”
“That is all,” came the concierge’s reply, unfazed in the face of Kentarou’s irritation. There was a pause, and then the man went on to inform, “I’ve just confirmed that elevator technicians are en route to this location and should arrive in twenty to thirty minutes, though it may take longer due to the inclement weather conditions. Once they are on the premises, they will begin immediately working to restore basic function of the elevator to allow for safe extraction. Until then, please comply with the instructions I have provided to ensure your safety.”
“We’ll do that, thank you,” Kentarou said with faux congeniality, paired with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. It seemed he was just as desperate as Hitoka now to be free of the unfeeling concierge. This was all but confirmed to her when he added in a low mutter under his breath, “Hang up the call now, you stupid bastard.”
“I am going to end the call now. If you encounter any difficulties or changes in the situation, please do not hesitate to call again so that we may keep the technicians apprised. On behalf of the hotel, I apologize for this inconvenience. Please rest assured that we will do everything possible to resolve this situation so that you may enjoy the rest of your stay to the fullest. Thank you.”
“You are not welcome, you corporate crony,” Kentarou snarled the instant that the line went dead, scowling as he flipped off the call button.
“Don’t blame him, Kyoutani-san,” Hitoka couldn’t help but laugh, both at Kentarou’s reaction and the weary soullessness of the concierge’s demeanor throughout the call. Though it had been frightening at first, now that she’d calmed down some, she kind of felt for the poor guy. “He’s probably being flooded with calls from dozens of angry customers demanding to know why they can’t watch T.V. or get Internet right now while he’s trying to do what he needs to do to get us out of here.”
“Yeah, well, I still think we could have done without the elevator episode of A Hundred and One Ways to Die, don’t you?” he scoffed. “Speaking of which—” he said, squatting down to peer worriedly into her still tear-smeared face. “Are you okay, Yachi-san?”
“I’m okay now,” she assured him with a solemn nod and a smile. “All thanks to you, Kyoutani-san. I don’t know what I would have done without you here. I’m not sure why, but the things he was saying just got me so scared…” Mortified once more by her behavior, she meekly covered her face with her hands. “Oh, I’m so embarrassed! I totally overreacted!”
“It’s okay, Yachi-san,” Kentarou insisted, reaching up to rub small circles between her shoulderblades again. “It’s a scary situation to be in for the first time.”
“I don’t see you getting so scared that you could cry!” Hitoka countered, pouting as she peered reproachfully out of her fingers at him.
“Well, duh,” Kentarou smirked roguishly at her, visibly swelling with pride. “Ain’t no way in hell that a guy’ll get scared like that, not in front of a girl.”
“Are you saying that if I wasn’t here, you’d be more scared?” Hitoka couldn’t help but tease.
“What?” Kentarou balked at her playful accusation, pride morphing instantly to panic. “N-no! That’s not what I meant!”
“It’s okay, Kyoutani-san,” Hitoka crooned and gave him a puckish pat on his head. “I’ll protect you!” Delighted by the scowl he gave her, she squealed in laughter, then added in a teasing shrill, “I thought I was stuck in the elevator with the big, bad ‘Mad Dog,’ but it looks like I’m stuck with a widdle puppy instead!”
Hitoka expected him to respond in kind—to make some remark, to scowl further, to maybe even playfully shove her hand away as she playfully mussed his hair. She expected Kentarou to harden, but to her surprise, he did the opposite. He softened.
“Heh,” he sighed gently, both gaze and body visibly melting. “I’m really glad to see you’re feeling better, Yachi-san.” He reached up to softly encircle Hitoka’s wrist with his hand; stunned by his unexpected change in demeanor, she didn’t resist as he drew her hand down. He looked at it for a second, looking like he was debating on whether or not to do something. He apparently opted to refrain from whatever he was considering, instead giving it a soft squeeze before letting it drop back to Hitoka’s side. With a long exhale, he turned to brace his back against the elevator wall as he stretched out his legs, one after the other. “Well, then…” he sighed, “I guess there’s nothing to do now but wait.”
“Yeah,” Hitoka agreed in a soft murmur; still shocked by what had just occurred, she moved more on instinct as she eased herself down onto her knees and tucked her legs neatly beneath her body. Silence settled between them, broken only by the rustle of Hitoka’s dress as she shifted slightly several times to tug free the folds of fabric that had become pinched and trapped in awkward places. She dropped her gaze to do so, but she soon felt the smoldering intensity of Kentarou’s keen eyes fixating on her, which caused her to glance up on reflex. Their eyes met, and it was a moment like a cautiously curious lamb’s gaze meeting that of a calm, calculating wolf’s. Their muscles locked at the electric shock. Kentarou was surveying her, she could tell—studying her for the strike, but whatever strike that could be, she didn’t know.
And like a wolf deterred by the warning growl of a devoted sheepdog, Kentarou abandoned the hunt to instead slip away into the woods whence he’d come; he averted his gaze, severing the connection between them and thus freeing Hitoka’s body from its static shock bindings. She released a shaky exhale as her tense muscles unwound, and she sank down into her legs. It was not the trembling weariness that followed a surge of fear. No, it was the shaky euphoria that came after a rush of adrenaline. It was the exhilaration that accompanied an encounter with the exhilarating unknown—and left one craving more.
Hitoka did crave more, more encounters with this strange unknown, and so the lamb inside of her began to prance the forest’s edge in hopes of enticing the wolf back out into the leaf-dappled light.
“So, um…” she started with an awkward smile. “It sounds like it’ll be a while before the elevator crew arrives.”
“Yeah.” Kentarou responded to her awkward statement with an equally awkward affirmation, still refusing to look at her.
Hitoka wrung her hands, unnerved by the hot-and-cold energy that Kentarou had exhibited throughout the day. Nevertheless, committed to her path, she resolved to press on.
“So, um, we’ll probably have a good deal of time on our hands.”
“Yeah…?” A blush was beginning to color Kentarou’s cheeks, and in response, an identical hue began to dust across Hitoka’s.
“I-I just thought, you know, we could talk!” she hastily explained, not sure why either of them were getting embarrassed. “We don’t know much of anything about each other, Kyoutani-san. Now’s a good time as any to learn…”
“O-oh,” Kentarou said with a blink. His blush darkened several shades, and he shifted nervously while running a hand quickly over his close-cropped hair. “O-oh,” he repeated in a breathy huff halfway between a laugh and a sigh. “Sure, that makes sense.” He cleared his throat, then raised his arms in an “ask away” gesture. “All right, then. You first.”
Hitoka had indeed intended to start the conversation, but something about her threw off her equilibrium. Her mind was wiped blank in an instant, like chalk being erased from a chalkboard. Whatever question she had imagined asking evaporated from her mind, and she desperately clawed at the smoke to try and piece it back together. Unfortunately, the formless white tendrils slipped through her fingers and spiraled away into the nether, leaving her painfully empty-handed and thus empty-minded.
“Er… Well…” Failing to find a suitable question to ask, Hitoka just put her face in her hands with a chagrined groan. “This was my idea, but I can’t even think of a single thing to ask!”
She heard Kentarou chuckle, and she peeked through her fingers to find him looking at her with a mixture of sympathy, understanding, and what appeared to be endearment. He drew one of his legs up so he could prop his elbow on it and rest his cheek in his hand, palm partially covering his mouth such that only the edge of his smile could be seen. Strangely comforted by his reaction, Hitoka slowly lowered her hands from her face.
“In that case, I’ll ask,” he offered. “You asked me earlier how I liked living here in Sendai. How do you like living in Tokyo, Yachi-san?”
“Oh!” Hitoka exclaimed, thankful to be relieved of the pressure of furthering the conversation. “Oh, well, I enjoy living in Tokyo quite a bit.”
“Yeah?” Kentarou asked, his smile widening a smidge as he studied her with increasing interest. “I would think that you’d find the city overwhelming, especially compared to where you grew up. I mean, Sendai’s a big city, but it’s nothing compared to Tokyo.” He paused, and his smile took on a bashful lilt when he added, “And, no offense, Yachi-san, but I wouldn’t peg you as a girl who’d feel at home in a big city.”
“Well, you’re not totally wrong in that assumption,” Hitoka giggled, shifting on her legs as Kentarou’s spot-on deduction rendered her a little coy. “It was a pretty big adjustment for me. All the people, the lights, the hustle and bustle—it was as disorienting as it was refreshing. And of course, I’d heard all the horror stories of the bad things that can happen to a young girl in the city. I was on edge for a terribly long time… It took months for me to feel comfortable going anywhere by myself, even in broad daylight!” she admitted with a shy laugh. She hummed, losing herself in reminiscence for a moment, before refocusing her attention on Kentarou. “I’ve adjusted for the most part, though.”
“For the most part?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think that I’ll ever really come to terms with the sheer amount of people in Tokyo. It always makes me feel like a flood of ants storming out of an anthill someone’s stepped in—they’re just everywhere!” she said, almost getting overwhelmed just imagining it. “Oh, but at the same time, that’s what I like about it,” she sighed dreamily. “It’s only in a big city like Tokyo that you can really appreciate the diversity of people. You’re constantly surrounded by people, after all, and you can just see how everybody comes from all walks of life; they all have their difference experiences and stories and beliefs. I’ve met all kinds of people who are extraordinary in all kinds of ways, and…”
She trailed off, a bit bashful about the turn the conversation had taken, and worriedly looked at Kentarou to see if she was boring him. It was quite the opposite; his eyes shone brightly in the red emergency lighting as listened intently. Now flushing at his rapt attention, Hitoka adjusted her skirt before continuing.
“I think it’s helped me grow as a person, honestly,” she explained, unable to keep herself from smiling as a sense of self-pride welled up inside of her. “It’s helped me feel more comfortable interacting with people as a whole, and because of that, I feel more comfortable interacting with people I might not have so easily been able to talk to just a year or two ago.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed bashfully, ducking her gaze before flicking it back up to him. “For example, you.”
“Me?” he questioned, sitting up in surprise at her sudden admission.
“Well, yeah,” she replied, shocked that he didn’t find it as obvious as she would’ve thought. “I mean, back in high school, I never would have been able to hold a conversation with you, Kyoutani-san! I wouldn’t have been able to get out a full sentence out to you, I’d’ve been stuttering so bad!”
“Oh,” Kentarou murmured, his expression growing both perturbed and sad. “Did I… Did I scare you that much, Yachi-san?”
“Oh, no!” Hitoka hastily backpedaled. “No, no, I wouldn’t say you scared me! I didn’t think you were, like, dangerous or anything! I was just—just—” She began to helplessly stammer, struggling to find a word that was both true to her feelings yet not overly insulting. Just as Kentarou began to look doubtful of her genuineness, she sputtered out, “Intimidated! Yes, I was just intimidated. A-and I was only intimidated because you were so intense, Kyoutani-san, and I didn’t really know how to approach people like that back then.”
“Yeah?” Kentarou asked, a bit dubiously.
“Yeah!” Hitoka insisted with a firm nod. “I mean, I didn’t even know how to approach a lot of the guys at Karasuno! Shouyou, Tobio, Kei—those guys were so serious, it scared the heck out of me! And Tanaka-san and Nishinoya-san were so crazy energetic that I got dizzy just being near them!”
“Hah, I could see that,” Kentarou responded in a small chortle, and Hitoka was relieved to see the smile ease back onto his face. “Well, I’m glad that you weren’t deathly afraid of me, at least. I was a punk with a shitty attitude back then—honestly, my attitude still kind of sucks—but despite what rumors might have led you to believe, I didn’t get any satisfaction outta scarin’ girls.”
“Oh, no, Kyoutani-san, you never gave me that sort of impression at all,” Hitoka assured him with an encouraging shake of her head.
“Oh? Then what kind of impression did I give you?”
“Well, hmm… It’s kind of hard to put into words,” she wondered aloud. She tipped her head slightly as she tossed her feelings around in her head, picking them apart to try and find the words to express them meaningfully. “I mean, it wasn’t much different than the impression pretty much all those guys gave me back then. Just like all the rest, it was obvious that you loved volleyball with every fiber of your being—you still do, I’m sure—and it showed. I just think it might have showed a little bit differently than some of the others because you had more difficulty expressing yourself in general.”
“Wow.” Kentarou released a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a wheeze and a groan. “That’s, uh… A frighteningly accurate assessment from somebody who’s spoken a grand total of ten words to me before today.” He ran his hand over his face, hand coming to rest over his mouth to conceal his half-amused, half-wry grin. “You’re right, though. Still right, really. I’m still not good at it,” he said, lifting his hand from his face to make a vague gesture at the air. “This whole… talking and expressing yourself thing.”
“Well, we’re talking now, aren’t we?” Hitoka smiled kindly. “And I’d say you’re doing a pretty good job expressing yourself. That counts for something.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, both his voice and his gaze softening. “Yeah, it does.”
With the hurdle of self-consciousness successfully mounted, the conversation continued seamlessly from there. For the better part of an hour, the two of them exchanged all manners of mundane facts about their lives. They talked about their childhoods, including their unique experiences in the high school volleyball scene. They discussed their families, comparing Hitoka’s experience as an only child to Kentarou’s life growing up with an elder sister. Kentarou revealed that he was a dog owner, and Hitoka gushed about her recent interest in adopting a small dog to keep her company as well. The conversation naturally deviated to center around that titillating topic, with Kentarou pulling out his phone to show her his surprisingly sizeable camera album full of candids of his furry companion. Eventually, they stopped talking about themselves altogether; Kentarou just scrolled contentedly through the photos, occasionally commenting on context for a particular snapshot, while Hitoka appraised them in a continuous stream of heartfelt “aww’s.”
The photos did eventually come to an end, leaving them at a natural lull in the conversation. As Kentarou opened his messaging app to reply to a few messages he’d gotten in the interim, Hitoka respectfully pulled her gaze from the phone screen, instead staring into the silvery sheen of the opposite wall, dyed red by the emergency lights. As she found her mind pulled into the red-silver void, she found herself thinking back through the conversation to see if there were other avenues of questioning they could explore to continue to pass the time. As she did, she realized there was yet another question she could ask Kentarou, and a rather intriguing one.
“Hey, Kyoutani-san?”
“Yeah?” he asked, immediately locking his phone screen and looking up to meet her inquisitive gaze.
In that moment, Hitoka became aware of how close they were sitting to each other. When the phone had come out, she’d scooched closer to him so she’d be able to get a sufficient view of the pooch’s photographs. So absorbed in poring over the pictures, Hitoka hadn’t registered that she had drawn her legs to the side and propped her entire body against his side and arm as she’d leaned in to observe the phone screen. Likewise, Kentarou had also leaned in a little to help facilitate her ability to get a good view. As a result, their faces hovered only a few inches apart at the moment. It seemed that, unlike Hitoka, Kentarou had not yet taken notice of their proximity, for he just stared expectantly at Hitoka—apparently also failing to notice her complete and utter inability to speak.
“Ah, um, I—” Hitoka fumbled over her words, finding herself overwhelmingly desperate to increase the distance between herself and Kentarou yet a teensy bit curious to know what would happen if she drew even closer. Unconsciously, the dichotomous forces came to a compromise, such that she simply stayed where she was; this was the agreement, yet it was one that left Hitoka in a state of fluster. Somehow, she managed to collect enough of herself to answer Kentarou before he began to grow too suspicious.
“Earlier, you asked me about my impression of you in high school, and I… I just started wondering… What was your impression of me?”
“My impression… of you?” Kentarou echoed with a slow, dazed blink. In an instant, his relaxed demeanor vanished and was replaced by one of acute anxiety. He swallowed thickly. He dropped his gaze to his lap and chuckled nervously. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips, as all the moisture in them had apparently retreated to his palms, which he rubbed against the fabric of his jeans.
Puzzled by his abrupt nervousness, Hitoka could only stare at him in a blend of apprehension, anticipation, and mild confusion until he managed to muster the courage to answer the—unbeknownst to her—rather difficult question that Hitoke had just posed to him.
“Well… To be perfectly honest with you, Yachi-san,” he mumbled shyly, refusing to make eye contact despite Hitoka’s intent stare. Suddenly unable to speak, he pressed his lips tightly together, and his eyebrows pinched together as he uncomfortably cleared his throat several times. “Ahem… Ahem, I, uh… Uhm…” Continuously failing to summon forth words just seemed to make him more nervous; he began fidgeting with his phone, turning it over several times in his hands. With each rotation, his brow furrowed deeper, and by the time he let the phone settle in his shaking hands so that he could gaze into the black abyss of the locked phone screen, they were cinched together. Finally—with his gaze locked with that of his scared reflection—finally, he managed to reveal, “I, uh, I thought you were pretty—pretty cute, and—Ikindahadacrushonyou!”
Kentarou forced the admission out in a single frantic breath. It was in such contrast to the slow, painful way he’d forced out the fumbled words before that Hitoka nearly missed it. In addition, upon uttering it, his voice had dropped to such a whisper that Hitoka almost questioned if she’d invented the response. Almost—for immediately after his confession, Kentarou slapped his hands to his face and screamed. Hitoka winced because he neglected to drop his phone before doing it, and the thunk of the device slamming into the bridge of his nose was quite audible. Out of an anguished attempt to salvage a sliver of his shattered pride or out of legitimate ignorance of the self-inflicted assault, Hitoka didn’t know, but Kentarou didn’t react at all to slapping himself with the phone; instead, he kept it pressed firmly against his face as he folded himself over his legs. He then pushed a long, strangled scream of mortification into his palms.
“You… You had a crush on me, Kyoutani-san? ” Hitoka breathed, too compelled by the revelation to resist asking for verification.
Agonized by his own voluntary disclosure, Kentarou couldn’t muster a verbal reply. He did, however, nod miserably into his hands.
Hitoka likewise found herself rendered mute, but not with embarrassment. She didn’t know quite what it was, actually. Amazement? Delight? Confusion? She did not know. It felt as if a great void had opened up inside of her, as if Kentarou’s admission was the precise catalyst for the explosive burst of a black hole into existence at her very core; that black hole had instantaneously sucked each and every emotion inside of her into its black, inescapable maw, leaving her cold and numb and frightfully empty. Or, perhaps, it was the exact opposite; perhaps, the confession had ignited a supernova of every possible emotion at once, leaving her body so bursting at the seams that it simply couldn’t process it and had thus short-circuited for its own survival. She supposed it didn’t really matter either way. Regardless, she was awestruck.
How could she not be? She never could have imagined that she’d be in such a situation, not in a million years. It’d be a billion years before she’d imagine that she’d be in such a situation with Kentarou Kyoutani. She had no basis on which to even begin to react. So she didn’t; she just sat there, paralyzed by the strange emotional chaos that reigned inside of her, until something within herself finally broke free of the pandemonium and rose to the surface.
Happiness. Yes. Yes, Hitoka was exceptionally, incredibly, undeniably happy.
Like the great flood of water from a broken dam, identifiable emotions gushed forth. Curiosity. Apprehension. Delight. Anxiety. Anticipation. Fear. Somehow, while thrashing internally in the onslaught of feelings, Hitoka managed to retain enough rational thought to reflect on all the events of the day, all her interactions with Kentarou leading up to that point. Like an image coming to focus under the lens of a microscope, the reality of the situation became crystal clear.
Kentarou was not being totally honest with her, in a way that excited Hitoka more than she ever thought possible.
“Kyoutani- san… ” Hitoka cooed, shifting so that she could rest her hand on his back as she knelt down close to his head. Like her voice was an irresistible siren song, Kentarou slowly raised his head so that his gaze met hers. The look in his eyes hurt Hitoka, hurt her like someone plunged their hand into her chest and squeezed with all their might; he looked so terrified and yet so hopeful, and the war between those emotions raged in horrid clarity within those honey-hued eyes as they helplessly searched Hitoka’s own for even the smallest hint as to what she was about to say. It hurt her, and not just because she would hate to see such fear in anyone, but because Kentarou really had no need to hold such fear at all.
“Kyoutani-san,” Hitoka repeated gently, softly, like she was coaxing a frightened puppy from the cold, dark, lonely place it had been sheltering from the terrifying world. “Kyoutani-san… What if I said that I kinda have a crush on you… right… now?”
Hitoka had been pretty proud of herself in the moment for coming up with what she thought was a damn smooth line. The next, she deeply regretted it, for it looked as if she had effectively broken Kentarou. Like, smashing-your-fist-into-a-clock-and-stopping-it-forever kind of broken.
Hitoka not only saw, but felt every muscle in his body tense at once. Her hand was still on his back, and it felt like he quite literally turned to stone that very instant. His expression froze in a dumbfounded stare, and his hands hovered unmovingly midway between his legs and his face, still cupped from where he’d been frantically shielding himself from her gaze just moments ago. Kentarou was, by all definitions of the word, motionless—that is, aside from his eyes, which had magnified the intensity with which they searched Hitoka’s face tenfold. They roved every centimeter of Hitoka’s face with such dizzying speed that Hitoka simply couldn’t keep up, though she darn sure tried, not wishing to undermine the seriousness of her declaration by breaking eye contact.
Slowly, painfully slowly, Kentarou processed the emotional bomb she’d just dropped on him. The honey hue of his irises brightened as clarity flooded them, washing away the cloudiness of his confusion. He slowly sat up, his body jerky and uncoordinated as if he were a robot that had just been powered on after a century of neglect. He opened his mouth, then shut it tight, sucked in a breath through his teeth, and then opened his mouth again to state in a low and trembling voice, “That’s impossible.”
“Im—impossible?” Hitoka squawked, admittedly not expecting such a reaction. “Kyoutani- san —”
“No! That’s impossible!”
Hitoka flinched away, startled both by the sharp raise of his voice and the anger it contained. Hurt and confused, she curled away from him; at the same time, Kentarou wrenched himself in the opposite direction, angrily scooting all the way across the elevator. Hitoka released a pained whimper of his name, but Kentarou refused to acknowledge her plea; he stared adamantly into the marbled mash of colors that was his reflection in the elevator door, closing himself from her both physically and mentally by drawing his legs to his chest, hugging them tight around the knees, and propping his chin purposively between them to fix his head in a forward position. He positively radiated hostility, and Hitoka for the life of her could not fathom what could have prompted such an extreme reaction on his part.
“K—Kyoutani- san, what on Earth—”
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” Kentarou snarled back, still stubbornly refusing to look at her.
Taken aback by the accusation in his tone, Hitoka could only release a flabbergasted huff in response. Kentarou seemed to take this as an affirmation of whatever grave misdeed that Hitoka had committed by insinuating that she had feelings for him, for his mouth curled into a sardonic, vindicated, yet painfully sorrowful sneer. The expression spurred Hitoka out of her stunned stupor; clearly, Kentarou had some terrible misconception about the situation, and it was imperative that Hitoka correct it if any semblance of the relationship they’d fostered that day was to be salvaged.
“Kyoutani-san, please,” Hitoka pleaded, falling on her hands to begin crawling across the elevator toward him. He looked at her then, but only to shoot her a scathing glare that immediately halted her movement. She did not proceed any further, but she refused to back down, instead staring imploringly into his angry, hurt, confused eyes as she begged, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“How can you not know what I’m talking about?” Kentarou snapped. “I’m talking about the fact that you’re dating Kei.”
If Hitoka’s confession had been a bomb, then Kentarou’s accusation was a nuclear warhead. It obliterated Hitoka’s mind on impact, leaving nothing but an apocalyptic wasteland devoid of even a fragment of a coherent thought. You’re dating Kei… You’re dating Kei… You’re dating Kei… The cataclysmic allegation echoed in the emptiness of Hitoka’s mind, and, as devastating as that statement had been, it was also the ray of sunlight that broke through the barrier of the nuclear fallout and beckoned the last bastion of Hitoka’s cognitive functioning out from the deep shadows of the earth from which it had sought shelter from the storm.
Instinct took over, and Hitoka’s instinct was to scream.
“Oh my God!”
“What the hell?!” Kentarou yelped in response to her ear-splitting shriek. The sudden outburst startled him so badly, in fact, that he jumped violently against the elevator wall, his primitive mind perceiving Hitoka’s explosive reaction as an attack and inciting a deep-rooted instinct of his own—to flee. One of his hands scrabbled frantically at the wall and his legs kicked out wildly for a full two or three seconds before his conscious mind regained control of his body; he slowly ceased his flailing, but was panting hard as he regarded Hitoka with wide, wild eyes. “What the hell was that, Yachi-san? ”
“I can’t believe you!” she cried, sitting up on her knees to point an accusing finger at him.
“You can’t believe me? I can’t believe you!” he defensively shot back, pointing a finger back at her. “You’re talking about having a crush on me when you’re—”
“Raaaaaaaaaagghhhhhh!” Hitoka screamed again, so overcome with frustration at Kentarou’s sheer idiocy that she threw back her head and clawed at her hair. Kiyoko-chan and Saeko- had warned her many times that men were some of the dumbest creatures on the planet, but man, she’d never imagined they’d be this dumb!
“What the fuck, Yachi-san—!”
“Listen, Kyoutani-san,” Hitoka sighed exasperatedly, dropping her head to fix him in a dour stare. “Listen very carefully. ”
Thoroughly rattled, Kentarou obediently snapped his mouth shut and nodded frantically in acknowledgment as he squeaked, “I-I-I’m listening, Yachi-san.”
“I am not in a romantic relationship with Kei Tsukishima,” she stated slowly, clearly, and emphatically. “I have not, at any point, been in a romantic relationship with Kei Tsukishima. He and I are friends, nothing more, and I have never intended for it to be more. I am not sure where you got that thought in your head, but for love of all things, please banish it from your head. Right now.”
“You’re… You’re really not dating Kei?” Kentarou whispered, staring at her with as much wounded disbelief as a child that had just been informed that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny did not exist, all at the same instant. It was such a comical expression that Hitoka found her anger instantly abated, and it was then that she realized how absurd the whole situation was.
“Kyoutani-san, nooooooooo!” Hitoka stressed as she fell into a fit of laughter. She fell back on her legs as she doubled over from the force of the giggles wracking her body. Her body flushed with heat, her eyes flooded with tears, and her heart swelled with pure gaiety. It was insane, like a situation out of an anime or a rom-com, and yet here she was, experiencing it in real life—with Kentarou Kyoutani. No one would ever believe her. No one. She could barely believe it, and it had just happened to her, for crying out loud!
It had just happened to her, and it was happening to her; as funny as it was in its utter preposterousness, it was real. It was real, and Hitoka loved it. Oh, she loved it so, so much. And it was that love that brought her back down to Earth from the dizzying heights of the stratosphere, for she and Kentarou Kyoutani had some unfinished business to attend to.
“Ohhhhh, Kyoutani-san,” Hitoka exhaled shakily, her breath still strangled by hiccupy giggles. She flipped her hair out of her face as she straightened up again, and she found Kentarou still gawking at her in incredulity. “I can assure you, Kei and I are nothing but friends. Very good friends, but just friends.”
“R-really?” He began to fidget restlessly, and a nervous grin twitched its way onto his rapidly flushing face. “Just… Just friends? Nothing at all between you?”
“Nothing, Kyoutani-san, I swear!”
“Nothing…” Kentarou echoed. “Nothing at all…” Finally seeming to process what Hitoka was telling him, he melted against the wall with a dreamy sigh. He almost looked drugged, simply euphoric from the amount of relief that washed over him that instant. He then laughed. It started as a little chortle, but it soon grew into a fit of hysterics just like the one that had gripped Hitoka moments before. As he cackled, Kentarou stretched out his legs so he could press his hands to his face and his face to his legs again, and amidst the howls of laughter, Hitoka heard him wail, “ Aaaaaggggggggggh, I’m an idiot! An idiot! An idiooooooot! ”
“Teehee,” Hitoka couldn’t help but giggle at the frankly adorable display. “It’s okay, Kyoutani-san. We all have our moments.”
Like he suddenly remembered that Hitoka was, in fact, there, Kentarou shot back up to a sitting position. He immediately stopped laughing; as he fixed Hitoka in his gaze, he stared at her with such great seriousness that Hitoka squirmed under the intensity.
“Wait a minute. Yachi-san, do you really—”
Ka-thunk!
Without warning, the elevator hummed back to life. The bright white of the normal running lights replaced the muted blood red of the emergency lights. The pleasant melody of classical music replaced the humming silence. The cables jarred into motion, rocking the elevator into upward movement.
“We’re moving!” Hitoka gasped in realization, looking wildly around in every direction. “Kyoutani-san, we’re moving!”
“They must’ve finally got the elevator working,” Kentarou surmised, quickly rising. He stepped up to Hitoka and offered a hand to help her up. No sooner than she was on her feet did the elevator come to a smooth and gentle halt. Hitoka and Kentarou both whipped around to find the doors, which had seemed so impregnable for the last two hours of their lives, begin to glide apart.
“Go, go, go, Kyoutani-san!” Hitoka squeezed herself through the opening as soon as it was wide enough to allow her. Kentarou was hot on her heels, and she bumped right into his chest when she whirled on her heel with an alarmed cry. “My suitcase, my suitcase!” she cried, one hand gripping one of his biceps while the other frantically pointed past the other.
“I got it, I got it, I got it,” Kentarou assured, simultaneously propelling her forward and backpedaling so he could reach back and snatch up the suitcase’s handle. He hovered in the doorway, and Hitoka watched with growing fear as she scurried backward because she was suddenly afraid that the elevator doors—which had been so cruel to them thus far—would snap shut around his middle. A trio of elevator technicians hovered nearby, one of them repeatedly looking up at Kentarou as he held in place a key that was inserted into the control panel in the wall just near the elevators.
It was all fluster and fear and fraughtness as they teetered at the edge of their freedom, and so, Hitoka paid no mind to her surroundings. As a result, she backed right up into someone. And, as the one and only irony of the world would have it, that somebody was none other than Kei Tsukishima.
“Whoa, whoa, watch it, Yacchan!” As Hitoka gracelessly fumbled into him, Kei took a half-step back to brace his body, then grabbed her firmly around each other arm as she forcefully backed up into him. Hitoka tottered, her sense of balance abruptly disrupted; too shocked at Kei’s voice to care, she made it worse by throwing her head back to stare amazedly up at him as he smirked in amusement down at her.
“What the—Kei?!”
“I’m here, too!” chirped a pleasant voice, and Hitoka started as Kanji popped out from behind Kei to give Hitoka a beaming smile. “Hey there, Yacchan! How are ya?”
“H-Hey,” So rattled by the pair’s sudden experience, she greeted on reflex rather than as a conscious action. “I-I’m good…”
“I’ll say,” Kei hummed with a slight squeeze of Hitoka’s arms. “You seemed to have weathered your two hours trapped in an elevator with the fearsome ‘Mad Dog’ quite well. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re more afraid of the elevator now than you are of him.”
“Dude, don’t make it sound like I’d cook and eat her if given the chance,” Kentarou groused as he strolled over to them, wheeling Hitoka’s luggage behind him. “What are you two goons doin’ here, anyway?” he asked with a nod at Kanji, who waved excitedly at him.
“Well, you couldn’t come to us, so I told Kei that we should just come to you!” Kanji jubilantly explained.
“Essentially,” Kei corroborated, his stonefacedness almost jarring when compared to Kanji’s joviality.
“Huh? How did you even know where we were and what was going on?” Hitoka asked, looking between the three young men in total bewilderment.
“Well, I kinda of had to let them know why I was gonna be late to dinner, so I texted them when we got the taxi,” Kentarou explained. “I knew you wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn’t tell them it was you specifically, but I told ‘em I was gonna take you to your hotel to get cleaned up and settled in, then head that way. Of course, then we got stuck in the elevator, so I told ‘em about that, too. They didn’t tell me they were gonna come here, though.”
“A surprise for a surprise!” Kanji squealed, looking quite proud of himself as he threw his hands into the air. “It was my idea~”
“Seemed a waste to just go home after all that effort to go out,” Kei added with an indifferent shrug, then looked down at Hitoka with that signature smirk-smile of his, “and, I’ll admit, I was quite curious as to who’d decided to pay me a surprise visit.”
“Aw, don’t act like you didn’t know it was Yacchan,” Kanji teased, giving Kei a light punch in the shoulder.
Kei’s expression immediately twisted into one of distaste, and he looked at Kanji dourly as he muttered, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, Yacchan’s the only one who pays you surprise visits. As you would say, ‘it’s the only logical conclusion.’”
“First, I don’t say that. Second, are you saying I’m a loser with no friends?”
“Of course not!” Kanji cried, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Look at ya! Ya got three friends right here!”
“Keep testing me, and it’ll be two friends and a pain in my ass,” Kei warned with a sharp arch of his eyebrow.
“Awww, Keiiiiiii! You acknowledged me as a friiiiiiend!” Kanji sobbed and went to throw his arms around Kei. Quick as lightning, Kei secured one arm around Hitoka while simultaneously flinging out his other to plant his palm against Kanji’s chest and forcibly hold him at a distance Kei deemed acceptable. Kanji’s expression immediately crumpled into a pitiful pout, looking pleadingly between Kei and Hitoka, disappointed that she was so readily granted the invitation into Kei’s personal space that he so rarely gave to others while he was deprived it.
“You’re so meaaaaaaan, Keiiiiiii~”
“Now, then.” Unruffled by Kanji’s bleats and whines of protest, Kei looked back to Kentarou with a purposeful frown. “It’s very evident to me that Yacchan’s had a rather trying day. I think it would be best if we let her retire to her room and we postpone our plans for tomorrow morning. Don’t you agree?”
Kentarou blinked, his gaze shooting to Hitoka’s as he did. In response to his silent askance, Hitoka bit down on her lip to try and suppress the big smile that threatened to stretch across her face, and when that didn’t work, she reached up to bashfully bite down on her thumbnail instead. What she did not say in words, she whispered with her eyes; Kentarou received that message, and he made no effort to conceal the shit-eating smirk that blossomed on his face as he returned his attention to Kei.
“Actually,” Kentarou drawled, absolutely oozing satisfaction and looking to Hitoka, much to her amusement, like a hotheaded teenage boy defying his father for the first time, “I don’t agree.”
“Good. Now, Yacchan—” Kei quipped and looked down at Hitoka, apparently not registering Kentarou’s response for a second. When he did, his head snapped up to meet Kentarou’s gaze with a dumbfounded one of his own. “Wait, what did you just say?”
“He said he doesn’t agree,” Kanji whispered helpfully, then gave Kentarou a wink and a thumbs-up.
“I don’t need your help, Kanji,” Kentarou said without breaking eye contact with Kei.
“Oops. Sorry.”
“I said,” Kentarou repeated, stressing the word, “that I don’t agree.”
“And you don’t agree becauuuuuuuse…?”
“Because I wanna take Yachi-sa—ahem, Hitoka, on a date. Tonight.”
“Dayyyyyyyum,” came a muffled snicker from the elevator, and all four of them whipped their heads around to see that all three of the elevator technicians had completely ceased working, too invested in the drama unfolding before them. They were all openly smirking; one of them, apparently the one who’d hooted under his breath, wiped his grin off his face and hurriedly turned back to the elevator to pretend to look busy. The other two continued to unabashedly stare, apparently very eager to see how he would respond to the very blatant challenge.
Kei, however, was not interested in performing for their benefit, because he waved his hand angrily at them as he scoffed, “Can I help you gentlemen? If not, we’re trying to have a private conversation here.”
“Yeah, don’t you have an elevator to fix?” Kentarou growled in agreement.
“Yeah!” Kanji trilled supportively. “Mind your business!”
“Can it, Kanji,” Kei and Kentarou snapped in unison.
“Aww…”
The other two technicians weren’t intimidated in the slightest by Kei and Kentarou’s glares; they laughed under their breath and shook their heads in amusement as they too returned their attention to the elevator, one of them audibly sighing, “Ah, to be young again.”
Kei and Kentarou both rolled their eyes as they looked back at each other. The minute their eyes met, the hostility between them flared back up in an instant, like a flash fire sparking to life. Hitoka could only look on in barely suppressed amusement as Kentarou glared at Kei, and Kei glared back at Kentarou.
Okay, I’m beginning to see where people might have gotten the idea that Kei and I might be a thing… she thought as she discreetly peered up at him, trying not to giggle at how seriously he was taking the whole thing.
“A date, you say,” Kei clipped, the arm that was still around Hitoka tightening a bit. “That’s interesting. I had no idea that you’d developed such an interest in our dear Yacchan, Kentarou.”
“But Kei—” Kanji leaned in close to whisper furtively in Kei’s ear. “—haven’t you known about Kentarou’s crush on Yacchan for a while now? Like, you’ve even mentioned here lately that you wanted her to visit soon so you can find a way to get ‘em together because you thought he’d actually be pretty good for Yacchan…”
Hitoka’s hand was still at her mouth so she could nibble idly at her fingernail; it clapped hard against her lips in an effort to smother the snort of laughter that threatened to be yanked from her lungs at Kanji’s droll divulgence. Oh, the irony! Kentarou had been petrified into inaction because he’d thought Kei and Hitoka were an item, yet Kei had been well aware of Kentarou’s feelings for her and was hoping to help them become an item! Oh, this day was turning out to be so much better than she’d expected it to be, and in the most entertaining way—
Kei inhaled slow and sharp, slowly turning to glare piercingly at Kanji as he did so.
“Kanji.”
“Yeah?”
“You mind?”
“Wha—Ohhhhh, ohhh, I get it!” he hissed excitedly. “You’re giving him shovel talk!”
As Kanji nodded eagerly in understanding and backed off, waving his hands in a “proceed, proceed,” motion, Kei pushed his hand under his glasses to rub his eyes while muttering, “God, give me the strength…” Steadfast in his intent to put the fear of said heavenly Lord into Kentarou, however, Kei gathered himself and straightened up as he once again returned his attention to the ‘Mad Dog’ he intended to collar good and well before he deigned to hand over the steak prize that was Hitoka’s hand.
“As I was saying—”
Hitoka didn’t know what was funnier, Kanji’s commentary from the peanut gallery or Kei’s devotion to the bit. A large part of her certainly wanted to stay and watch, but a larger part of her was aware of the fact that the rain was drumming less insistently against the nearby windows and the rumble of thunder was fading further into the distance with each passing minute, and she very much so wanted to finally arrive at her room so she could freshen herself up and she and Kentarou could be on her way. She gave Kentarou a pleading look, and, recognizing her yearning to move along, loudly cleared his throat.
“Look, dude,” Kentarou interrupted, dropping all pretense to instead regard Kei with sudden gravitas. “Let’s cut the crap, yeah? I’m serious.”
“All right. Cards on the table it is, then,” Kei said. “You’ve been sitting on your ass for the better part of a year, Kentarou. I wanna know what’s changed your mind all of a sudden. Takes more than two hours stuck in an elevator to foster such a change in attitude, if you ask me.”
“Kei, really—” Hitoka started to object but was shushed by a click of Kei’s tongue.
“I realize that I do not own you, Yacchan, but please, for the sake of my pride as a man, let me have this, will you? I take my title as your close friend quite seriously, and as such, I refuse to hand you over to anyone until I’m confident you’re in good hands.”
“O-oh, okay.” Hitoka couldn’t help but obey, honestly quite gleeful at Kei’s earnest expression of emotion. It was so raw and honest that Hitoka would feel cruel to continue insisting. Plus, she felt that perhaps this little exchange would banish any and all reservations that Kentarou might still have about Kei and Hitoka’s relationship. “Carry on…”
“Thank you,” Kei huffed, then addressed Kentarou again. “Well? Out with it, Kentarou. Why the sudden bravery?”
“You really wanna know?” Kentarou barked out a dry laugh, obviously not amused by Kei’s continued stonewalling. “You wanna know why I’ve sat on my ass—not just for a year, by the way, but since high school?” Kentarou’s gaze locked with Hitoka’s again as he hesitated. She gave him an encouraging nod. He sucked in a breath, closed his eyes, and steeled himself. When he opened his eyes again, Hitoka knew that he wouldn’t quail again in the face of Kei’s inquisition from that point on.
“It’s because I felt like I couldn’t compete with you. I thought Hitoka wanted you, and for all I knew, you already had her.” Kentarou threw up his arms in defeat, laughing and shaking his head, as he stared at Kei with a mixture of vexation, self-reproach, and disbelief. “There. I said it. Satisfied? Are you satisfied now that I’ve made a total fool of myself for god knows what time today? Or have I made you aware of that fact that you can be a real prick sometimes, and this little dance you just made me do was a real dick move?” he snapped, emphatically spinning his index finger in a circle to illustrate said twisted dance. “Now, I’m gonna ask one more time. Let Hitoka go so I can ask her on date, good and proper, like a real man.”
Whatever Kei was expecting him to say, it apparently had been nothing like that, because Kei just stared at him in awkward silence for several long, painful seconds.
“Holy shit, dude,” Kei finally huffed, immediately unwrapping his arm from around Hitoka and unceremoniously nudging her toward him. “I just thought you were chickenshit. I had no idea you felt like that,” he said, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender and shaking his head. "Go on, take her, take her on a hundred dates for all I care. You’ve sure as hell earned it, after all that. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna do her dirty.”
“Whatever, dude. You can bite me,” came Kentarou’s surly and adorably childish response, punctuated by a resentful scowl.
“Thanks for looking out for me, Kei,” Hitoka laughed, boosting herself up on her tiptoes to give Kei a quick peck on the cheek. “Let’s meet up for breakfast tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, get over there before he cooks and eats me.” Kei waved her off with a sigh, suddenly looking like he’d aged ten years in the last ten minutes.
“Speaking of cooking and eating, I’m hungry, Kei,” Kanji whined as Hitoka started walking away. “I know they’re doing their thing, but can we go eat now…?”
“Yes, yes, let’s leave them to it. Come on, before I change my mind.”
“Whoohoo! Let’s go to the buffet! Buffet, buffet, buffet!”
“Yes, yes… To the buffet we go…”
Kei and Kanji’s voices faded into the steady drum of the rain as they proceeded toward the stairwell, leaving Hitoka and Kentarou in the hall. Hitoka bit her lip, then slowly and shyly sashayed up to him. When she stopped before him, she coyly peered up at him through her lashes.
“Well… He we are.”
“About damn time,” came Kentarou’s drained laugh of a response. “You know, you’re lucky he’s your best friend, or else I’d have half a mind to run down the other set of stairs so I could catch him in the parking lot and show him how I really just felt about that whole charade.”
“Come onnnn, it’s just because he cares about me so much,” Hitoka giggled, lightly tapping Kentarou on the arm. “If anything, it shows just how much faith he has in you! Like he said, he wouldn’t hand me over to just anybody.”
“Yeah, well, it felt less like a showing of faith and more like torturing me for his own satisfaction,” Kentarou groaned, tiredly rubbing his face with one hand as he used the other hand to grab Hitoka’s suitcase so they could start walking down the hall. “I can see him now, bragging with some shit like, ‘I’m the only one who’s ever brought the big, bad ‘Mad Dog’ to heel.’ Ugh. Makes me wanna barf.”
“Hehe, well,” Hitoka hummed, clasping her hands behind her back as she fell in step beside him, “I’m rather honored that the big, bad ‘Mad Dog’ would bring himself to heel just for the chance to take little old me out on a date.”
“I talked all that hot shit, and I didn’t even properly ask,” Kentarou realized with a wry laugh and shake of his head. “Damn it all…”
“Hehe, I guess Kei managed to get the last laugh after all,” Hitoka teased, skipping ahead the few feet to her hotel room door and fishing her room ket out of her purse.
“Oi, watch it,” Kentarou warned, giving her a pointed look. He caught up with her as she was opening the door, and he pushed the luggage through the doorway such that it propped open the door before stepping back and ushering her in with a shooing motion. “I’ll show you. I’ll give ya five minutes, and then I’ll be knocking on your door to ask you out like a real gentleman.”
“Kentarou Kyoutani? A gentleman? My, I’m in for a treat,” Hitoka cooed as she slowly strutted into the room.
“Just get in there!” Kentarou barked, flushing darkly at her kittenish jibes before waving her in with almost panicked insistence.
“See you in a few minutes, Kentarou~” Hitoka chimed before tugging her luggage forward, freeing the door so that it swung shut as he turned and stalked away, likely to collect himself. Little did Kentarou know that her sudden burst of flirtatiousness was a defense mechanism brought about by the mixture of panic and excitement roiling inside of her. As soon as the door clicked shut, Hitoka raced into the room, tossed her luggage onto the bed, tore the zipper open and threw open the lid, and began frantically rifling through her clothes, flinging unsatisfactory clothes around the room in her fervor.
Come on, come on, come on!
Finally, she found a good replacement for her current waterlogged and mud-splattered sundress, and as she hugged it to her chest, a sudden sense of calm washed over her. She smiled softly to herself, just marveling at how much her circumstances had changed from earlier that day. That morning, she had been convinced that it just wasn’t her day. And now… Now, it very much was her day.
No… It’s our day, Hitoka thought with a giddy glance at the door, beyond which Kentarou lay waiting, ready to escort her out for a meaningful night together. It just goes to show you… Every cloud does have a silver lining, even stormclouds, she thought happily as she spun on her heel to flounce into the bathroom, eager to get cleaned up as fast as possible just to have that much more time to spend with Kentarou.
That silver lining was waiting for me in Sendai. I’m not going to squander it! Look out, world! Villager B is taking the stage, and this time, she’s got a costar!
What kind of play would their production turn out to be? There was no telling, but the story would be one of remembrance, however it unfolded… Hitoka could just feel it.
Did you enjoy this oneshot? Consider requesting from me by visiting my rules, then either commenting on this story, submitting an ask, or contacting me via DM!
Hello! I requested a fire emblem three houses matchup commission on kofi. Pronouns are she/her. No preference for gender.
Personality: Emotional and imaginative, frequent daydreamer, stubborn and independent, observant and adaptable, anxious and guarded around other people.
I am friendly when approached but difficult to get to know and struggle with being vulnerable. I tend to mimic the behavior of and match the energy of whoever I am interacting with. I prioritize others wellbeing over my own and frequently exhaust myself in the process. I tend to contradict myself or behave unpredictably. I am both affectionate and closed off, practical and impulsive, a fast learner and forgetful. I’ve learned to embrace it and would need to be with someone who can keep up with and not be annoyed by the variability.
Hobbies: reading (very interested in psychological and scifi stuff), listening to music, puzzle games, walking and hiking, i write poetry but am very private about it LOL. I sing pretty much constantly. I’m not terrible but I’m not great at it either. So, ideally, a partner who would not be bothered by that.
Values: family and loyalty
My family is extremely important to me and I am very close with both my parents and sibling. My priority is always to take care of them. My closest friends hold the same value as my biological family to me. At my core I am a very caring and devoted person and I want to be given the same energy back.
In a relationship I value security and communication. I have a deep desire to be understood, cared for, and protected. I also want to be challenged and feel inspired by them to be a better version of myself.
Other details: I am touchstarved but afraid to ask for affection and too nervous to initiate. In romantic relationships I am inexperienced and tend to come off like a frightened animal so I would need a partner who can navigate that compassionately.
My emotions are strong and can change rapidly. I am someone who for the most part internalizes this but I am, unfortunately, very easy to read. I wear what I’m feeling on my face and am only occasionally successful at masking it with neutrality.
I apologize for being longwinded and thank you so much! I hope you are having a good day/evening/night!! <3
Thank you for your commission! I've been struggling with writer's block for months now, and I was really excited when I got this not only because it was for a new fandom I've gotten into recently, but also because it did a good job of getting the ol' juices flowing again. So, thanks! XD I hope you like it!
I match you with...
Claude von Riegan from Fire Emblem: Three Houses!
All right, I'll admit up front that I'm a little biased when it comes to Claude because he's my favorite Three Houses character. He hooked me from the first moment he appeared, and the Golden Deer route was my first route. Still, it's not my own personal bias toward him that led me to pair him with you for this match-up! I've got lots of reasons why I think this dashing fellow is the one for you!
First and foremost, you and Claude have very similar personalities. In some cases, this might lead to an incompatible relationship, but I don't think that would be the case for you and Claude! Rather, I think that the similarities in your personalities would allow the two of you to connect with and understand each other on a very deep, emotional level. Like Claude, you maintain a friendly and approachable persona that likely gathers you lots of friends and acquaintances, but in reality, struggle to be vulnerable with any of them for quite some time; it takes a lot for both of you to let those walls down and really let someone in. Your behavior often ends up contradictory because of it, like a practiced dance that you just can't help but engage in with others because of your own apprehensions. I think that Claude would find you a kindred spirit in this sense and gravitate toward you because of it. If anyone can truly understand him, it will be someone who ticks the same way, right? Likewise, he'd be able to understand you, since his mind operates the same way—and especially since you are easier to read than some others might be, having difficulty masking your true feelings a lot of the time. I think he'd find it refreshing, having someone around whom he didn't have to try to puzzle out all the time and someone who didn't find him as much as a puzzle as everyone else seemed to. He'd probably find your inability to conceal your emotions and feelings pretty adorable and tease you about it, just a little bit! It comes from a place of genuine endearment, of course. It'd start out innocent at first, on his part, just searching for something familiar amidst all the unfamiliarity in his life, but he'd soon find himself opening up to you without realizing it, I think—and when he did realize it, he'd also realize that he's down pretty bad for you!
There are other facets of your personality that would draw him in, too, that would result in him falling for you. He's definitely got his own stubbornness about him, and he'll find someone who can match his energy entertaining. He's also very independent, and he values that in people. He's also exceptionally observant and adaptable, and he'll definitely want someone like that around to aid in his various schemes, hehe! He'll also respect your sense of loyalty, for loyalty is also something that he values immensely. He'll especially respect your loyalty to your family, being such a family-oriented person as he is. He's also a big one on devotion, and the fact that you'll be just as devoted to him as he is to you will be a big thing for him. He will definitely give you that energy back; it doesn't matter if you're on different continents altogether, he'll make sure you know that you're the only one for him!
You value communication in relationships. Claude might struggle with this in the beginning, what with his need to guard his secrets closely. With time, however, he will open up, and once that barrier is broken, Claude will keep no secrets from you. He knows that communication is important if a relationship is going to be serious and long-lasting, and he is willing to be open once it gets to that point. He will see your desires to be cared for and protected, and by golly, will he provide! It doesn't matter if it's him against the whole world; he'll do what he has to to keep you safe. He'll make sure you feel loved every day, and he's a master at utilizing all the little things to accomplish that. He'll also deeply respect your desire to be challenged and pushed to be the best version of yourself that he can be, and he'll do whatever he can to help you reach your goals, whatever they may be.
You mentioned that you're a bit hesitant in relationships, nervous to initiate and unsure in navigating them; that's okay! Claude's depth of emotional intelligence will let him pick up on that immediately, and though he will find it so cute that he'll want to scream, he'll also know what you need and act accordingly. He'll never push you beyond a point you don't want to go; he'll take everything at your pace, every word and action dictated by nothing but your comfort level. His dashing prince act might seem a bit much at times, but it's genuinely all from the heart. He adores you and wants you to feel safe and secure with him, no matter what, so he'll do everything and anything to that end. <3
Finally, I think you and Claude would click together because you share a lot of the same interests! Claude's a big reader, and not just for the sake of his schemes. He loves knowledge and soaks everything he can up like a sponge. He may not be one to read fiction as much, but he'd happily sit with you and lose himself in some encyclopedia or another while you lose yourself in a story. He'd also love puzzle games, I feel, seeing as he approaches a lot of situations and things as a puzzle. Nothing brings him more satisfaction than seeing a problem he's been chipping away at come together, and so I feel like he'd be down to tackle puzzle games with you—and he'd be damn good at it, too! I also think that Claude would love going on hikes and walks with you. His mind is constantly working, and though it'd take a bit to actually drag him away from something he's invested himself in, once you do, he'll greatly enjoy losing himself in nice scenery somewhere—especially if it's just the two of you. It'll be enough for him to let it all fall away, all the things occupying his mind, and enjoy simply being with you. Finally, I feel like Claude's got a secret love of music himself. :3 He'll not only enjoy your tendency to break out in song, but he'll do it right along with you! It will not be an uncommon occurrence for him to spontaneously sweep you up in a duet and a dance, even if you both have to drop everything to do it, LOL.
In summary, you and Claude have a lot in common, both in terms of personality and passions, and I think that would lead to you being able to understand each other in a way that people don't often get to understand one another. <3
Now, for the second part of the match-up, I wanna circle back to Claude's endeavor to make you feel loved! Really, this man loves with every fiber of his being, and he's going to go above and beyond to ensure that you know just how much he adores you. He ain't ashamed about it, either; he's proud of his simping LOL I feel like Claude is more of a gestures person when it comes to showing affection. He tells you how much you mean to him often, too, but he has always been a big believer that actions speak louder than words, and this man's actions equate to him screaming how much he loves you from the rooftops, LOL
Love notes. This man is huge on love notes. He leaves them everywhere. When you're in the shower, he writes little notes in the fogged-up mirror for you to find when you get out. He sticks them in books you're reading for you to find the next time you resume them. He sticks them in the pockets of your jackets for you to have a pleasant little surprise to find when your hands seek escape from the cold. His ingenious in his hiding of them to where it's more often than not that you discover them when he's not around, but obvious enough to where they will inevitably be found. Even if it's just a simple, "I hope you're having a good day when you find this! :) I know I am because I have you", he just wants you to know that you occupy his mind 24/7. And you do! Claude is constantly blown away by the thought of how lucky he feels to have you in his life. <3
He loves to surprise you with flowers. There doesn't need to be any special occasion. He just loves to see your face light up with surprised delight when you discover a new, bow-wrapped vase with a fresh bouquet of flowers. Seeing you smile gives him a dopamine rush unlike anything else.
Acts of service! Huuuuuge, huge, huge acts of service guy, too. If you need help with anything, anything at all, he is there. It is not uncommon for you to come home and find that he has done every single chore for the day—cleaned the house from top to bottom, cooked you dinner, drew you a warm bubble bath. Whenever Claude feels that you're becoming stressed and overwhelmed with life, he will step in and remove as many of those stressors as he can until you feel better. You can come to him for aid with any problem, and he'll figure it out, someway, somehow. No obstacle is insurmountable for Claude, especially when it comes to his dearly beloved!
More than anything, Claude shows his love for you by being willing to spare each and every spare moment with you. Life can be busy sometimes, and it's easy to get caught up in your own things, but Claude will always, always make sure that he drops all his responsibilities and obligations for at least a little bit of time each day to be with you. Nothing is more important to him than being with you for a few precious moments each day, if it's just lazily cuddling because you've both been exhausted by the toils and trials of the day. He's there with open arms and a big smile, ready to wrap you up and take you away from the wearying world for just a little while. <3
Finally, for the last part of your match-up, a scenario! I think it's pretty inevitable that Claude discovers your penchant for poetry, no matter how hard you try to keep it a secret, LOL. The man is just too good at rooting out secrets. As soon as he's got an inkling that you're hiding something from him, he's on the scent like a bloodhound, desperate to solve the mystery. It's only a matter of time before the jig's up, and here's how I think it'd go down:
You should have known he was onto you.
You had been vigilant at first, of course. You'd secured your poems away tucked away in a dark corner of your closet where Claude had no business looking in the early days of your blossoming relationship. You'd moved them to progressively more secure locations as things had grown more serious, determined to keep this part of your life a secret for as long as possible. You hadn't feared rebuke or ridicule, and you still don't, not from Claude; it was just embarrassing, sharing a creative talent like that with somebody, in a way that you just couldn't explain. You'd share it with him when the time was right, you had told yourself. But until then, you'd keep it hidden, keep it safe...
You should have known better, truly. It was only a matter of time.
You had started out so well, but somewhere along the way, you got complacent... and you got sloppy. Claude had been on to you from the very first time it happened, the very first time you'd practically leaped across the room to hastily conceal a harmless-looking scrap of paper from his too-keen, too-curious eyes. He'd nagged you then, begging to know what you were so desperate to hide from him, but he'd dropped the subject when you'd refused to relinquish the tantalizing knowledge and grown teary in your mortified distress. He'd relented, not wishing to cause you undue upset... but oh, he hadn't forgotten. He'd filed that little nugget of knowledge away, knowledge that you had a secret, and his frightening powers of observation had been activated that day. He'd never spoken of it again, but only because he'd been biding his time, a coiled cobra waiting for the perfect time to strike...
It really was inevitable—finding yourself here, clinging to Claude's back like a spidermonkey as he holds one of your poems just out of reach and reads the handwritten script with eager interest bordering on triumphant rapture.
"Claude!" you shriek, reaching over his broad shoulder in a vain attempt to swipe at the paper far out of reach of your desperate fingers. "Put it down! Put it down!"
"Come on, there's no need to be so upset," he laughs, refusing to tear his blue-green eyes from his hard-earned prize. "You had it sitting out in the open! You wanted me to find it!"
He's right, and you know it; on some level, you've grown weary of the constant vigilance, and your mind had betrayed you by causing you to leave one of your recent poems where he could get his grubby little hands on it. You know it, yet you can't stop yourself from panicking and trying to shove the cat back in the bag, even though you know it's impossible.
"Clauuuuuuuuude!"
Undeterred by your shrill whines and slaps at the paper, he continues to read the poem. After one or two more flails of your arm, you give up. It's like you aren't even there; supporting your frantically wiggling form with a slight stoop and one arm around one of your legs, which are crossed across his stomach, his hand doesn't so much as shake as he holds the paper aloft and ravenously drinks in the words borne of your sensitive soul. With a groan, you defeatedly drop your face into Claude's shoulder right as he finishes reading his find.
"Hey."
You don't answer him, prompting him to jostle your body slightly and repeat in a more insistent tone, "Hey."
"What?" you grumble without lifting your head. Your panic has morphed into a mixture of embarrassment and frustration and a wee bit of anger at what you felt was a transgression of your privacy, and you are in no mood to entertain the teasing he is sure to inflict upon you now.
"It's good."
"What?" you ask again, this time whipping your head up in shock. Claude had been looking at you, and if weren't for his fast reflexes, your forehead would have collided directly with his. He laughs as he ducks his head sideways to avoid your noggin knocking his into next week, then smiles brightly in response to your open-mouthed gape of utter astonishment.
"I said, it's good!" he repeats eagerly.
You are immediately overcome with doubt, and your mouth snaps shut into a firm frown.
"You're just saying that," you sigh, slipping down from his back. Tiredness now overwhelms you as the adrenaline surge begins to fade from your blood; you totter over to the nearest surface, which happens to be your sofa, and you plop face-first into it with another long, drawn-out groan that is slightly muffled by the cushions.
"No, really! I mean it!" Claude insists, immediately following after you. He forces himself in the small bit of space between you and the cushions, and you are faced with the choice of either being shoved off the couch and onto the floor or turning on your side to face you. Though slithering off the couch to puddle on the floor like a pile of goop is tempting, you end up turning to face Claude instead; if you did slipped to the floor, he'd just follow you down there. So, you obediently turn, and Claude props himself up on one elbow and rests his cheek in his hand as the other taps the piece of paper against your nose.
"Hey." Claude smiles that innocent, boyish smile of his at you, and despite yourself, you find yourself being drawn in. Though you're pouting as you peer through your lashes up at him, your heart is now fluttering with hope. Does he really find your poetry good?
"Hey," you reply sullenly, eyes drifting down to the paper hovering between you.
"I mean it, you know," Claude repeats softly, eyes glittering over the top of the paper. "It's lovely."
"You really think so...?"
"Sure do," he quips, not hesitating for a second, and you just can't help but melt into him in relief because you know it's true.
A shy smile toying at your lips, you wind your arms around his neck and snuggle close to him as you bashfully mumble, "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as his eyes widened in genuine bewilderment.
"Freaking out." Your apology barely sneaks around your teeth, which are worrying your bottom lip. "I was just... so embarrassed in the moment that I just couldn't help it."
"Mmm, that's okay," Claude shrugs, idly flipping the paper around his fingers as his focus is now one hundred percent on you. "It's kind of my fault, too, for pushing it. Wasn't very nice of me. I just couldn't help it," he admitted, his smile now turning lopsided with sheepish contrition. "You know how I get. As soon as I suspected you were hiding something from me, I had to get to the bottom of it. Especially 'cuz I figured it was something like this." He glances at the paper again, and you roll your eyes as he smirks in triumph. "And I sure did~"
"You're insufferable, you know that?" you mutter, and he just chuckles before dropping a placating kiss on the top of your head. Despite yourself, you are indeed placated; with a hum, you drop your head, close your eyes, and cuddle into him. You feel Claude shift as he flicks the paper onto the nearby side table so he can wrap his arm around your waist and hold you close. It is then that you process exactly what he'd said, and you crack an eye open as you frown.
"Hey... What did you mean by 'especially because you figured it was something like this?'" you ask.
Claude had also closed his eyes, preparing to doze; like a lazy lion rousing from sleep, he slowly peeked his eye open to look down at you.
"Mmm? Exactly what it sounds like," he answers nonchalantly. "I figured it was some sort of writing of yours. I wanted to read it."
"Why?"
"Because it's yours," he answers simply, both his eyes opening as he smiles softly at you. "It came from you. That in and of itself makes it worth reading, to me."
"Claude..." you breathe, swept off your feet by how overwhelmingly romantic the simplicity and authenticity of his answer was. You swell with adoration, nearly bursting with it, and it brings tears of gratitude and happiness and a whole host of other emotions to your eyes. You just bite down on your bottom lip and give him a tight squeeze, which he reciprocates with a boyish grin.
"So?" he asks eagerly.
"So?" you question, unsure of what he's asking.
"You'll let me read more of your poems, right?" he explains, grin widening. On the surface, he looks mischievous, but you can see the genuine interest sparkling underneath.
So that's why you swallow your instinctive hesitation, bury your face in his chest, cling tightly to his form, and smile widely as you shyly utter, "Okay, Claude... Just 'cuz it's you."
"'Just 'cuz it's me,' huh?" he chuckles, rubbing your back to soothe your nervous squirming. "Boy, do I feel special." He hugs you then, and his breath tickles your ear as he murmurs, "Can't ever be as special as you are, though. I'm no poet."
Oh, but he was, though he'd never know it. He was a poet among poets, only his poetry was weaved from not words, but the special bond between him and you. You can only dream of crafting art that rivaled what Claude made out of his love for you... but until your magnum opus came, you suppose you can share with Claude the words that you pull from the window to your soul, if only to let him know that you love him as much as he does you.
Hi! Thank you for requesting! Since you specified no plotline/theme for this request, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use this as another submission to @doctorgerth's One Piece of Summer event for the prompt "sunset"! ^u^ I hope you enjoy the story and feel free to request again anytime!
Word Count: 3,160
Romance, Fluff
Summary: Zoro accompanies Robin while she is exploring some ruins. He doesn't understand why her work is so important at first, but is soon inclined to agree that there is something quite special about the past and how it connects people in the future.
Zoro grimaced while he side-eyed the remarkably giant centipede that was slowly meandering its way up to the broad trunk of the tree next to him. The long, gangly creature clacked its sharp mandibles as it scuttled over the rough brown surface. It paused, groping its feelers over the tree. Zoro scowled when its thin, wispy antennae inched towards him, followed by the centipede’s carapaced body. Zoro grunted a warning when the creepy crawler began poking at his broad shoulder with its noodly appendages. The centipede froze, feelers twitching in the air; it then apparently decided that messing with Zoro was counterproductive to its survival, so it turned and moseyed along back up the tree.
The swordsman growled unappreciatively and glared down at Robin, who was digging in the dirt a few yards away.
“Why are we here in this godforsaken jungle again?” he complained loudly. Of course, he knew why; the Straw Hats simply couldn’t ignore a new island once they happened upon it, especially one so wild and untamed as this. It reminded Zoro of Little Garden. He smirked as he recalled the prehistoric island and its pair of giant residents. The memories were a little fuzzy, considering that adventure had occurred over two years ago, but he remembered it fondly enough. This jungle was not nearly as crazy, for most of the creatures were normal-sized, but it still possessed an aura of novelty and lawlessness. Still, Zoro would much rather be tromping around searching for a giant beast to slay rather than nosing through the underbrush for… whatever Robin was searching for.
After a period of silence, Zoro determined that the archaeologist was too absorbed in her work to answer him, so he gruffly repeated the question.
"Hmm?" Robin hummed inquiringly and turned her bright bluish-purple eyes on him. As she rose from her squatting position, she clapped the dirt from her hands and wiped the lingering particles off on her jean shorts. "We're investigating this island for signs of ancient civilization." She then frowned at the patch of dirt she had been excavating. "A few centimeters or so beneath the soil layer is a stone pathway leading deeper into the jungle," she reported.
Zoro honestly couldn't care less about ancient ruins or civilizations or whatever, but he refrained from grumping merely to preserve the happy smile on Robin's face. He raised an eyebrow when the tall, thin woman gestured for him to approach.
"What? You need somethin'?" His eyebrow inched further up his forehead when she tugged one of his sheathed katanas from his harimaki. He then grimaced when she began slamming the hilt into the ground, filling the air with a combination of dull thumps and sharp clangs. “Hey!”
“Shh. I’m searching for the path,” Robin responded, as if using one of Zoro’s swords as a glorified walking stick was a completely acceptable thing to do.
Zoro shambled behind her while she pushed into the underbrush, using the series of metallic noises to guide her way. They slowly crept their way downhill, following the stone path that either peeked out at them through the thick grass or vanished under the dirt altogether. Robin would occasionally stop to dig a little into the earth with the hilt of the sword, making Zoro scowl at the prospect of picking muck from the cloth wrapping.
“Stop disrespecting my katana, Robin,” he griped as she used the sword to scour an inch-deep trench in the soil to find the stone path again. Robin just ignored him and continued to tromp along through the jungle. Zoro cursed under his breath at her disobedience but had no choice but to follow her through the thick vegetation.
Gradually, the trees thinned out, and the puddles of light expanded as holes opened up in the canopy. The stone path became easier to detect, but Robin kept clutching the sword as she marched down the gradually steepening hill. Zoro found a bit more difficulty in picking his way down the incline, and the distance began widening between himself and the archaeologist.
“Oi, Robin, don’t go so fast!”
When the jungle resounded with a shrill scream and the rush of disturbed leaves, Zoro realized that his warning had come too late. As quickly as he could without suffering the same fate, he scrambled down to the base of the ravine. He found Robin curled up at the bottom of the incline, groaning with her hands wrapped around her slim ankle.
“Oh, brother,” he sighed under his breath and jogged over. “Robin? Are you okay?” he asked as he knelt beside her. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, pushing through the dark strands of her hair to check for blood. He didn’t feel anything, so he gently guided her onto her back, careful not to jostle her too much in case she suffered from any broken bones.
“I may have gotten a little excited,” she wheezed with a tiny smile.
If she was joking, then she wasn’t in too severe pain, so it made Zoro feel a little better. He brushed the damp earth and half-decomposed leaves from her clothes as he gave her a once-over.
“I’m all right, except I think I may have sprained my ankle,” she huffed and motioned at her foot with her chin.
Zoro crawled down to her feet to inspect the wounded area. Robin gasped in pain when he gently teased her shoe off her foot, then flopped her head back against the ground.
“Actually, it may be broken," she groaned.
“That’s for Chopper to say,” Zoro said with a frown and shake of his head. From his lamen’s perspective, however, he was inclined to agree. Robin’s ankle had already swollen to the size of a baseball and was turning an ugly red-purple color. If by some miracle it wasn’t broken, it was severely sprained. Either way, she would not be walking.
“All right… Let’s get you back to the Sunny.”
“What? No! I want to find out where the path leads,” she protested.
Zoro growled under his breath and glanced at the stony trail meandering deeper into the jungle. This is ridiculous, he thought, but when he looked back to Robin, her eyes narrowed pleadingly.
“Please?”
“Ugh, fine!” he agreed disgruntedly. Robin flashed him a pleased smile, then boosted herself up on her elbows so that she could sit up. Zoro plopped down beside her, his back facing her, and indicated for her to clamber on. Her slim arms languidly looped around his neck, and she latched one leg around his middle; Zoro gingerly grabbed her injured leg and secured his hand under her knees, letting her injured ankle dangle. “Upsie-daisy,” he grunted, sliding his feet in the loose detritus to get himself the best leverage. He pushed his katana underneath her rump, using it to bear her weight. With a drawn-out exhale, he rose from the ground as carefully as he could. Robin’s ankle still brushed against his thigh, making her hiss in his ear. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” The agony in her voice indicated otherwise. “Let’s go!” she insisted with a wave at the underbrush.
Zoro had to chuckle at her tenacity, and he adjusted his grip on the sword beneath her body before setting off down the path.
The ground was relatively flat now, so carrying Robin through the jungle was much less laborious than it could have been. Any time that the directionally challenged pirate began to meander away from the thin stony ribbon waving through the thick green, Robin gently nudged him back in the right direction. The trees grew sparser and shorter, gradually turning into leafy shrubs no taller than six feet or so. Ferns and bushes and wildflowers dominated the open spaces between their twisting roots. Sunshine poured down from the sky to illuminate the green grass, but as Zoro craned his neck to peer into the distance, he couldn’t see any notable landmarks.
“Robin, are you sure this path actually leads somewhere?”
“It must; otherwise, why would there be a path?” the woman countered smartly.
Zoro huffed at her snarky remark but dutifully continued to follow the track. With all the sunshine, the temperature of the area was remarkably hotter, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on his body. His breath soon came in small pants, and the moisture pooled on his brow to begin rolling down the side of his face. Just as he was about to gripe to Robin again and propose they just run around, the remaining forest fell away.
“Wow...” Robin breathed as she peered over his shoulder, and though he said nothing, Zoro was definitely inclined to agree.
A spacious clearing stretched before them. More of the shrubby trees and bushes ringed the area, and clumps of colorful, aromatic wildflowers dotted the carpet of green grass. The stone path branched into a tree-like collection of meandering trails a few feet ahead of Zoro. These diverging pathways led to massive stone structures scattered around the clearing, great hunks of carved stone half-collapsed and blanketed in moss and vines. Though they were disheveled, the sheer size and mastery of the architecture were still imposing, even to Zoro.
Robin eagerly spurred him forward, and his legs obeyed without actual responsive thought.
“Whoa,” he blinked when he walked up to one of the collapsed buildings. What he assumed to be the load-bearing crossbeams at the front were inscribed with ornate floral carvings. Very faint and flaky chips of colorful pigments clung to the rough gray stone, and Zoro struggled to imagine the building completely intact and alive with bright, imaginative paintings. Eventually, the blurry image formed in his mind, and he had to admit that it made a fantastic picture.
“And you wanted to turn back,” Robin chuckled teasingly.
Zoro snorted and adjusted the katana, boosting the woman further up on his back. Her fingers clawed into the thick cloth of his clothes as she leaned over his shoulders, trying to prevent herself from slipping off.
“See what you would have missed?”
“Yep. A bunch of rocks.”
Robin huffed and slapped him lightly upside his head, obviously displeased with his dismissive attitude.
“Ow! I was joking!” he complained loudly and once again adjusted the katana. “All right, all right, we found out where the path leads. Can we go home now? You’re not exactly light, you know.”
“First of all, it’s rude to insult a lady’s weight,” she snorted and pushed down on his shoulders as she craned her neck to look around the clearing. “Secondly, just think of it as training! I want to get a good look at all these structures. They’re in serious disrepair, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t learn something from them.”
Zoro grumbled under his breath as she obediently began ferrying her toward the next collapsed stone building.
“Here’s a fact—everyone who lived here is dead.”
“Yes, probably so. And why is that? Was there a famine? A plague? Were they taken, or did they leave voluntarily? There are several possibilities, and that is vexing,” she replied as he stopped in front of the next structure. Frowning, she patted his shoulder and asked him to venture into the rubble through the man-sized gap between the precariously stacked slabs. She flapped her pretty eyelashes at him with a pleading pout, and that’s all it took for him to stoop down to clamber into the half-collapsed building.
Gloom shrouded them like a veil. The only light filtered in through the small gaps in the stones, spearing through the darkness like arrows to punch into the concrete foundation. Robin squinted at the dark ground with a thoughtful frown, drinking in the dust and decayed leaves and shattered ceramics littering the floor. The remains of a woven blanket or rug sprawled over the floor, and Zoro grunted as his shoes became entangled in the loose threads. As he kicked at the stubbornly clinging fibers, Robin hummed contemplatively.
“How peculiar…”
“What?” he asked, looking up as he finally managed to kick the threadbare rug away.
“Well, everything is in its place. In its prime, this would look like a typical home. It leads me to believe that the abandonment of this place was not a mass exodus.”
Zoro raised an eyebrow as he glanced around the humble hovel.
“You can tell all that from just one look?”
Robin smiled sweetly and patted him on the head, making him huff haughtily.
“That’s a skill required of an archaeologist. Now then, on to the next one.”
Zoro and Robin spent the next hour perusing the forgotten settlement, flitting from one empty and dilapidated building to the next. The other residences were in similar states of stasis as the first; though degraded, the furniture and decorations remained in eerily lifelike positions. Based on Robin’s discoveries of a vast stockpile of medical herbs and a pile of old bones in one household, Robin concluded that it had indeed been a plague that wiped out the small civilization.
“Such a pity,” she tutted as Zoro prodded at the femur lying on the stone floor, making it roll a few inches. Teeth and claw marks littered the grainy off-white surface of the calcified bone, evidence that an animal had gleefully devoured much of the corpse. “They buried everyone in this village but had no one to bury them. No one to mourn them.”
Zoro tilted his head back to squint at the cracked ceiling and the light seeping through the thin crevices. The deep golden hue of the sunlight indicated to him that sunset was not far off.
“We should go,” he remarked, and without waiting for an answer, he exited the derelict abode. Indeed, the bubbling sun swiftly drifted down towards the horizon, turning the emerald world around them vibrant hues of gold, orange, and red. “How’s your ankle?” he asked with a glance at her face. It had taken on a pallid hue, and a sheen of sweat glimmered on her brow as she laid her cheek against his broad shoulder. She didn’t need to answer to tell him that her pain had worsened considerably. “Don’t worry. We’ll getcha home soon,” he smiled reassuringly, to which Robin responded with a weary smile. He set off into the jungle.
“Zoro… The opposite direction.”
“Ugh!”
By the time they made it to the shore, the sun was just melding with the sea. With a breathy exhale, Zoro paused in the white sand to stare out at the horizon. At some point in the journey, Robin had dozed off and was currently slumped onto his back like a koala. As the light flashed against the water, it reflected over her eyes. The bright light slowly drew her into the realm of consciousness, causing her to blink blearily and yawn. As she slowly sat up to look at the horizon, she hummed contentedly.
“Wow. What a beautiful sunset.”
Zoro wasn’t by any means the aesthetic sort, but he was inclined to agree. The sun melted into the sapphire water, scattering light particles over the sloshing waves to make them shimmer like thousands of diamonds. The colors of the sky bled into each other like ink—yellow phasing into red into the deep black of night. At the highest peak of the sky, the stars blinked into existence, and the white moon hung low, awaiting its turn to shine light down upon the world.
Robin sighed deeply, then laid her head back on his shoulder and asked, “Do you think that villager saw the sunset before he died?”
Zoro narrowed his eyes, perplexed as to why Robin was so obsessed with the dead guy. Wait a minute…
“This isn’t really about the dead villager, is it?”
Robin remained silent, only drawing abstract patterns into his sleeve. After a few seconds of silence, she quietly admitted, “No.”
Zoro knitted his sea-green eyebrows together as he regarded her critically.
“Well, then, what is it about?”
“Sometimes I can’t help but think I’ll die like that. Alone, with no one to grieve me,” Robin answered morosely. “Just forgotten in an unmarked grave…”
Zoro’s eyes widened in shock. In response, an embarrassed blush appeared on Robin's cheeks.
“Robin, you’re one of us, you know,” he huffed. He knew that Robin understood that, but, clearly, her subconscious was making it difficult for her to process logic. “We’d never let you die like that. I mean, if we were to die, it would probably be all together sinking into the ocean.”
Robin snorted unexpectedly with laughter, burying her face into the junction of his neck and shoulder as she snickered.
“Thank you. That’s reassuring,” Robin teased sarcastically.
Zoro rolled his eyes and butted the top of her head with the side of his, making her cry out indignantly.
“Hey. I’m not one for pep talks. I’m doing my best here.”
“I know,” she chuckled and smiled gratefully at him. “I do feel better, actually.”
“Good!” he asserted and headed down to the beach.
Robin blinked as he unabashedly kicked off his shoes and waded calf-deep into the surf.
“I thought we were going to the ship?”
“Takin’ the scenic route!” he laughed.
Robin screamed when a wave suddenly crashed into them, soaking them both profusely. She boxed him over the head, then scowled at the saltwater dripping from her clothes.
Zoro laughed mirthfully as he kicked up his leg and splashed a little more into her face, making her tug at his short green hairs. As the sun dipped below the horizon, gracing the world with the last few seconds of light before fading away, the moonlight washed over them to paint them white. Zoro glanced over his shoulder at Robin, smirking at her breathless and blissful expression.
“I mean it.”
“Mean what?” she asked while tucking a salt-kissed, damp strand of her violet-black hair behind her ear.
Blushing a little, he dropped his gaze to the frothy surf writhing around his knees.
“I won’t let you die like that. Alone. Even if it’s just the two of us, I won’t let you die like that.”
Out of his peripheral vision, Zoro watched her blink slowly in surprise. She then giggled and leaned in to peck him on the cheek lightly. Zoro released a sound somewhere between a grunt and a squeak, while his cheeks turned the color of the dying sun.
“That was a pretty good pep talk.”
Mumbling under his breath, Zoro adjusted Robin’s position on his back and began walking towards the spot on the beach where the Sunny was moored. Robin purred contentedly and wound her arms loosely around his neck. Her fingers dipped down to paint invisible patterns along his collarbone. When she settled her head into the crook of his neckline, he leaned in to press his cheek against the top of her head.
“I’m glad it was just the two of us today,” she piped up.
Zoro’s lips curled into a smirk.
He was inclined to agree.
Did you enjoy this oneshot? Consider requesting from me by visiting my rules, then either commenting on this story, submitting an ask, or contacting me via DM!
for the 2023 daisuga big bang, i drew a cutaway of daisuga's cozy apartment for @vannahfanfics' lovely domestic fic, betaed by @allihearisradiogaga! check it out here.
Hey could request an alphabet for kikunojo? Thank you 🙏
Hi, there! Thank you for waiting patiently for your commission. Without further ado, here it is!
Fluff Alphabet: Kikunojo
A- Activities: How do they spend their time with their s/o?
Kikunojo isn't picky; she's just happy to spend time with her S/O, no matter what that entails. She's content even to just sit in the room with her S/O while they go about their own business. That being said, Kikunojo does hold a special fondness in her heart for giving her partner aromatherapy massages! She loves that she can use her hobby to bring her partner contentment and relaxation, whether it's been a hard day for them or not. Of course, she likes being on the receiving end, too! Nothing brings her more joy than to know that her partner cares for her in the same way.
B- Body: What does this character appreciate about their s/o? What part of their body are they most proud of, and in reverse, what body part are they ashamed of and how do they respond to their s/o gushing over it?
Kikunojo loves her S/O from head to toe, but she has a particular fondness for her partner's hands. She loves to hold them, kiss them, admire them—however she can cherish them, she will! Kikunojo is also pretty proud of her own hands; as a swordswoman, she has the power to cut down her foes with efficiency and skill, but as an aromatherapist, she can bring comfort and healing to others. She just finds the ability for her to balance out the violent acts she commits with charitable ones to be quite important.
Overall, Kikunojo is pretty comfortable in her own body; she's a woman at heart, and that's all that matters to her. However, she does suffer the rare occasion of dysphoria, particularly with her hands. She sometimes finds herself thinking them "mannish" or otherwise not belonging to herself, to a degree, which especially bothers her because she holds the dual power of her hands in such high regard. If her partner reassures her that her hands—or any other part of herself that she may be bemoaning at the moment—are perfect the way they are because they are in fact a part of her that they love, she'll be so overwhelmed with gratitude and adoration! Even a woman as confident in herself as Kikunojo needs affirmation from time to time.
C- Cuddles: Is this character a cuddler? What is their favorite way to cuddle?
Kikunojo isn't one to go out of her way to initiate cuddles, finding that being in her S/O's presence is more than enough for her to be satisfied. That being said, she's happy to provide if her partner so wishes. Her favorite way to cuddle is any form where she can hold her partner's hands. She just feels that the hand-holding physically links her to her S/O in a way that nothing else really can, and she loves feeling connected in that way.
D- Dreams: How do they picture their future with their s/o?
Being a samurai devoted to the late Oden and Wano as a whole, Kikunojo really didn't think much of her future past achieving vengeance for her fallen lord and freeing Wano from Kaido's tyrannical reign. She quite honestly expected to perish in the effort. With her S/O in the picture, however, Kikunojo finds herself entertaining notions of a life beyond that conflict. She'd honestly love to settle down in a secluded place, like an isolated mountain village, and just live out the rest of her days in peace... perhaps tending to a small farm and some livestock, or starting an aromatherapy business where she gives aromatherapy massages and sells her handiworks. Then again, following in Oden's and Izou's footsteps and setting sail from Wano to explore the wide world beyond would be awfully exciting, too! Whatever the future may hold for her, as long as her S/O is by her side, Kikunojo will honestly be content.
E- Equivalence: Is this character the dominant force in the relationship, are they passive, or is the relationship more or less even?
It's situational. Kikunojo is passive in the sense that she leaves a lot up to her S/O's preferences, such as cuddling, PDA, and the like. She's content as long as her S/O is content. When it comes to important decisions and other matters like that, however, Kikunojo believes in the importance of communication and shared-decision making; she's comfortable with voicing her own opinions and preferences in that regard.
F- Fights: How does this character respond to arguments with their s/o? What would they fight about, and who would cave and apologize first?
Despite Kikunojo's approach to relationships, sometimes her emotions do get the better of her when she feels like something she loves is threatened or lost. Kikunojo can sometimes overstep her bounds when it comes to her partner and if she feels that they may be behaving in a self-destructive way; though it comes from a place of love, she can be smothering in her efforts to keep her S/O from inadvertently hurting themselves, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. If her partner confronts her about it, Kikunojo will have a difficult time understanding why they are angry, initially. She just wants to help! It won't really escalate into much of a fight, though. Kikunojo will give her partner the space they need/are asking for and go off on her own to contemplate the issue, and she will eventually come around to her partner's point of view. Thus, she's typically the one to apologize first.
G- Gratitude: How does this character show their s/o that they are grateful?
Kikunojo isn't shy about expressing her feelings in words, and if she is feeling grateful to her partner, she'll typically say as much. However, one of her strongest love languages is acts of service, so she will typically couple that with doing something for her partner—making them dinner, giving them a gift, whatever her partner likes and/or what the situation calls for.
H- Honeymoon: If this character had a honeymoon with their s/o, where would they go?
A mountain onsen getaway, hands-down! There is nothing that Kikunojo would love more than to spend several days to a week in some scenic mountains just relaxing in some lovely hot springs with her S/O! Kikunojo thrives on those pictures of domesticity.
I- Insecurity: What is this character insecure about? How do they deal with their insecurities with their s/o?
As mentioned previously, Kikunojo occasionally suffers from dysphoria. It's an issue that she keeps to herself, not because she doesn't want to bother her S/O, but because she tries her best to distract herself from these thoughts. If her S/O is keen enough to pick up on her discomfort and subsequently ask her about it, though, Kikunojo will be honest about what's troubling her. She'll also be very grateful when her S/O provides her with the affirmation she needs!
J- Jealousy: Is this character the jealous type? How do they deal with being jealous?
No, Kikunojo's not the jealous type at all. She is confident in herself, for her part, and doesn't feel threatened by others, even if they are flirting with her S/O. If that attention is unwanted, of course, she will step in if needed; she won't stand for anyone making her S/O feel uncomfortable. But if her S/O likes that kind of attention, then who is she to stand in the way? Kikunojo knows who her S/O will be going home with at the end of the day! She also has complete faith in her S/O and won't question their loyalty without being given an obvious reason to do so. If her S/O wants to go out on their own and have a good time, either by themselves or with others, then Kikunojo is all for it! She'll be waiting for them to come home with open arms and lots of love!
K- Kiss: What does the character want their first kiss to be like with their s/o? How does it end up happening?
Kikunojo is very service-oriented, so more than anything, she wants her and her S/O's first kiss to be enjoyable for her S/O more than anything. It really depends on what her S/O enjoys; if she picks up on the fact that her S/O likes spontaneous first kisses, then she'll happily oblige. If her S/O is a bit of a romantic and enjoys the idea of the first kiss being the culmination of a meticulously crafted date, then Kikunojo will gather all the data she needs to plan her S/O's idea of the perfect first kiss down to the minutiae!
L- Love Confession: How does this character first profess their love to their s/o?
It's the same as above. Kikunojo will act based on how she feels her S/O will enjoy it most. Whether it's a spontaneous thing, or all part of a carefully orchestrated date, Kikunojo will be honest and earnest in her confession!
M- Marriage: How does this character view marriage? What is their ideal wedding like?
Kikunojo is ambivalent toward the idea of marriage; she feels that it's not exactly required for two people to establish themselves in a lifelong, committed relationship. If her S/O wants a wedding, though, Kikunojo certainly won't stand in the way! She's also happy with whatever kind of wedding her S/O wants and will gladly participate to the process however needed to ensure that it is the day that her beloved dreams of.
N- Nicknames: What does this character like to call their s/o?
Kikunojo's pretty basic with her terms of endearment: "darling/my darling," "love/my love," "beloved/my beloved," so on and so forth. They say exactly how she feels, and she's good with that!
O- On Cloud Nine: What is this character like when they’re in love? Is it obvious to others, or are they good at hiding it?
Being a samurai, Kikunojo has a pretty solid handle on her emotions, with a few exceptions. She's also been used to having to hide her true nature and feelings from others; therefore, it's not a struggle for her to conceal her feelings for her S/O if the situation necessitates it. It would take a rather observant individual who knows Kikunojo exceptionally well (such as Izou) to pick up on the very subtle signs that Kikunojo is fond of someone.
P- PDA: Does this character like PDA? If so, what kinds of things do they do in public to show off their s/o?
Kikunojo can take or leave PDA; as with most other things, she defers to her S/O's preferences. If her S/O does enjoy PDA, though, Kikunojo would prefer above all else to hold hands. She loves feeling tethered to her S/O in that way.
Q- Quirks: What random traits or quirks does this character have that positively affect the relationship?
Due to her upbringing in a dancing school, Kikunojo possesses quite a bit of musical talent. When she is comforting her S/O, or during times when they are cuddling and/or half-asleep, she will often hum soothing melodies while holding them or caressing them. It's a subconscious thing, almost, like she has an urge to voice the happiness in her heart at that moment.
R- Romance: Is this character a hopeless romantic, or a bit on the low-key side? Are they cliché when it comes to romantic gestures, or can they get a little bit creative?
Again, it really depends on her S/O's preferences; Kikunojo tailors her romantic gestures to their likes and dislikes. That being said, Kikunojo is low-key in her romanticism, preferring small acts of love and domesticity to big, over-the-top gestures.
S- Secrets: Are there any secrets they hide from their s/o? If so, how do they deal with it when those secrets finally come out?
If applicable, the only secrets that Kikunojo would keep would be the truth about her being sent twenty years forward in the future and her mission/desire to take down Kaido, and that would be to keep from exposing her S/O to unnecessary danger. Otherwise, Kikunojo really has nothing that she feels the need to keep from her S/O.
T- Thrill: Does this character prefer routine in their relationship, or do they like to shake things up every once in a while?
Given that Kikunojo's life was fraught with uncertainty and perils, she definitely craves routine in her relationship. It is the one constant thing she has in all the chaos of her life and duty, and she finds that it helps keep her grounded.
U- Understanding: Is this character level-headed and empathetic toward their partner, or do they sometimes have trouble figuring them out, which leads to some butting heads?
Kikunojo has a high degree of emotional intelligence and therefore is very level-headed and understanding when it comes to her partner, even if they are the total opposite in personality to her. She's very observant, especially when it comes to her S/O, and knows them better than they know themselves, sometimes.
V- Value: How does this character value their relationship with their s/o? How does it hold in comparison to their goals, ambitions, etc.?
Kikunojo is a samurai, and that means duty above all else; the next priority, though, is definitely her S/O. Kikunojo will of course make sure that her S/O knows what they're signing up for and what may result from Kikunojo's dedication to her duty as a samurai.
W- Wild Card: Any random fluff headcanon that does not fall within the other categories!
Kikunojo is an early riser by nature, usually up with the sunrise, if not before. Before, she would immediately get up and start going about her business, but once her S/O comes into the picture, she immensely enjoys laying in bed and just appreciating how beautiful/handsome/attractive her S/O is.
X- XOXO: How does this character show affection?
Kikunojo's primary love languages are acts of service and quality time. She loves to do things for her S/O, whether they ask for it or not, and show that she is there to help however they need. She also believes strongly in the power of just physically being there with her S/O, whether they are actively engaging in physical affection or not; she just likes to be there in every sense of the word. She also shows her affection through physical touch to a lesser degree, though this is usually more in response to her S/O's prompting than a compulsion on her part.
Y- Yearning: How does this character deal with time apart with their s/o?
Kikunojo can process negative emotions well and can therefore manage time apart from her S/O if need be. She is disciplined in all facets of her life, being a samurai, and takes such things as a trial of will if the absence is quite extended. She has the utmost faith that her partner will return to her and will wait patiently to welcome them home with open arms. If she is the one who has to venture away, then Kikunojo will do everything in her power to honor her S/O's loyalty and patience by ensuring that she returns safely, and as quickly as she feasibly can.
Z- Zeal: Is this character willing to great lengths for their relationship? If so, how far, and how long does it take to get to this point?
Again, Kikunojo is a samurai and attends to her own duties as such before all else; nevertheless, she is willing to go to great lengths for her relationship. She is just as devoted to her S/O as she is to her duty, for she holds loyalty of all kinds in high regard. Kikunojo never enters relationships casually, so once she has established herself as committed to her S/O, she is ready to do what it takes for them.
Interested in commissioning a fluff alphabet? See this post for details!
Well, I came home after work yesterday and immediately binged the entirety of the live-action One Piece adaptation. Now that it's morning, I thought I would collect my thoughts (which I rambled to several friends and also into my handy-dandy phone notepad app) and write a review, for anyone who's interested. I'll be honest, it's mostly for me; I have so many feelings as someone who actually loves cinematography and the artistic analysis of film with regard to storytelling—because we all know how much I love my stories—that I just have to rave about this honest-to-goodness masterpiece of a show. Obviously, it will be very spoiler-heavy, so read at your own discretion!
So, I'll start with a blanket statement and reiterate that, again, I thought this show was a masterpiece. Given the history of live-action anime adaptations, I was cautious in not having terribly high expectations, even after learning that Oda was intimately involved in the production; I also went in looking to respect it as its own entity, though, and willing to look past certain things provided there were no egregious insults to the source material. And y'all, when I say I was blown away—I damn near had a smile on my face the whole night watching it. It wasn't just the nostalgia; it was the overbearing feeling that so much love was poured into this show, which I find to be unfortunately lacking in a lot of Hollywood films these days. I found myself thinking of the Peter Jackson adaptations of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Though there were changes, some of them large, none of them felt averse to the source material; in fact, the changes felt like they came from an admiration of the source material and a strong desire to bring them justice. I dunno, I was just amazed by the pervading feeling that each and every person involved in making this show had a dream to bring One Piece to life, and they poured every ounce of effort into bringing that dream to fruition—which is what One Piece is all about. This has set the standard for live-action anime adaptations, and I finished this show so desperately hungry for more, to see how they could go bigger and better when bringing the subsequent arcs to life in a nostalgic but refreshingly new way. Goda has delivered yet again, and honestly, I will never be the same. Words aren't going to be able to capture the depth of my feelings about this show, but I must ramble on nonetheless because I am just so awed and inspired and emotional about it.
Episode 1: Romance Dawn
First of all, it's a no-brainer to have the first episode of the series titled "Romance Dawn," but it still made me giddy. The opening sequence was sick. Michael Dorman absolutely sells it as Gol D. Roger; his absolute blitheness in the face of his impending death is so spot-on, and his rendition of the "Wealth, Fame, Power" speech was so rousing. I loved that they kept the fact that Dracule, Shanks, Smoker, and Dragon were in attendance, too, and though they were the briefest of blips, their appearances hinted at the personalities and relationships with Roger that manga/anime followers already know well: Dracule, simply intrigued and stoic; little Shanks, distraught at the looming death of his captain; young Smoker, mystified at the downfall of such a legend but not necessarily sad; and Dragon, who is shown only in his green cloak, shrouded in mystery as he is. I liked the inclusion of Garp at the execution, especially given his expanded role in this adaptation of the series, but also because of his close relationship with Roger in canon; it only makes sense that he would be there at the end. I was also pleasantly surprised that they showed Roger's death on-screen. It immediately established that the tone of this version of One Piece would be darker, with the stakes higher, and I honestly love that. Finally, the overhead scene of all the people rushing out of the square to take to the seas was so breathtaking; it really drove home the impact that this one man and his words had on the world, to the point that his legacy is still going strong twenty years later.
I loved the way we are introduced to Luffy, with this new scene of him rambling to the mail pelican while shoveling water out of his sinking dinghy. It was very Jack Sparrow-esque, which was a nice nod to another defining powerhouse of the pirate adventure genre, but also so Luffy. And I maintained that feeling throughout the show. I mean, even down to the little things, like Luffy smiling every time he was in a fight, him holding onto his hat while fighting to keep it from falling off, him cheering and screaming and crowing with glee—all the little nuances were just so Luffy! I'll probably say it a thousand times throughout this, but every single member of the cast is astounding in their roles and how they embody the characters. Iñaki is no exception; he is Luffy, through and through, even if not exactly the same as the anime/manga Luffy that we all know and love. Also, the CGI effects of his rubber abilities are really cool! I imagine that was so hard to pull off, but they really do a good job of trying to make it as believable as possible.
I will scream from the rooftops about how much I love the treatment of Alvida's character. There was not even one single quip of her being "fat" or "ugly"; everything pertaining to how she is "bad" was geared to her cruelty, and I love that we've broken away from that stereotype in this show. Also, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino slayed as Alvida. She was every ounce of strong, brutal, and callous as canon Alvida, and honestly, she looks gorgeous doing it.
Also, I lived for Koby and Luffy's friendship in this series. Morgan Davies did such a fantastic job portraying Koby and his growth, and his chemistry with Iñaki was just so... yes. Every time they are on screen together, I have the biggest, stupidest smile on my face because you can just see how deep their friendship is despite not knowing each other for very long. Their goodbye scene was so, so, so touching; with the lighting, and the music, and the expression on Koby and Luffy's faces... I got misty-eyed in a way I didn't reading the manga. Given how Koby's friendship with Luffy is such a defining part of his character in the manga, the fact that they evolved it after this initial arc made me incredibly happy. If this show goes on, I'd love to see how they continue to show Koby's growth alongside the Straw Hat's adventures, given the pivotal roles he goes on to play in the narrative.
Another thing I love is the fact that the Straw Hat's backgrounds are shown in pieces throughout the narrative at key moments in the present, such that past and present parallel. It's so good and so much more impactful than just having it shown as one big chunk. Since this is largely Luffy and Shanks' background, I'll focus on it. Peter Gadiot did such a compelling job as Shanks. His portrayal of Shanks carried a tenderness and care for Luffy that just tugged at all my heartstrings. Like, his expression when he realized that Luffy ate the Devil Fruit was just so amazingly haunting... The guilt, the horror, the realization that Luffy's life will never be the same, and there's nothing he can do... Simply spectacular. Also, I will comment again on just how amazing the casting was. Even the background characters, such as Shanks' crew, just shined in their brief moments. Like, even Makino—her minimal reactions with Luffy and Shanks were just so her! She and Shanks really had that "husband and wife" energy, and I lived for it. I also have to give a round of applause to the dialogue in the series. The small changes from the manga/anime defined these portrayals of the characters as distinct from those we've come to love, but in the best way. I was on the FLOOR when little Luffy yelled "Why didn't you get his ass?!" at Shanks because it came out of left field yet was so believable and so Luffy with what we'd been shown so far. Iconic.
I loved the introduction to Zoro's character! It was so him, but also, I was amazed by the inclusion of Baroque Works so early on! His fight with the previous Number 7 was badass, and the fact that, again, the show didn't shy away from on-screen death really highlighted how dangerous this world really is. And it contradicts so well with Nami's introduction, which is so playful, with her jaunty little theme in the background. It's just so One Piece, adrenaline-pumping action and high stakes balanced with lighthearted energy and fun. Then, the bar sequence was just... chef's kiss. I love that the original three came together in the first episode; I was so excited to see what it meant as far as changes to the story and how their dynamic develops. The way they wove in scenes from the manga/anime into this new narrative was so clever; we still got Zoro eating the little girl's rice ball off the ground, establishing how good of a character he is despite seeming so ruthless. But also, can we talk about the choreography of Zoro's fight scene against all those Marines? Just... The fact that he didn't even draw his sword once because he didn't even feel them worthy opponents, the languid nonchalance of his movements when he stepped away from the bar interspersed with his crisp agility in cutting them down, the guy he took out with the cup?! Amazing. Mackenyu read the goddamn assignment. Also, Nami using her wiles to flirt with a Marine, then knocking him out to steal his uniform as soon as he's distracted... Classic Nami. And then Luffy, getting super excited at seeing Zoro fight... while Koby immediately crawls under the table to hide, LOL.
Also, props to Aidan Scott for his portrayal of Helmeppo, like, he perfectly captured the whiny bitch energy. Crawling on his hands and knees away as soon as Zoro gets one hit in on him is classic Helmeppo lmao. I also liked that they didn't shy away from hinting at how terribly Morgan treats him, though I do wish we could have seen a little more of it, if only for the sake of rounding out Helmeppo's character to make his growth throughout the show more impactful (and I will rant and rave about his growth because, my gosh, I love what they did with his character!). I died at the infamous naked sword-practicing scene, but like, it was also so perfect? Like, it just gave even more depth to his character, showing that he does desire to be strong and taken seriously, and how much his mistreatment by his father affects him. The fact that Zoro is the one who gave him his curly-bob haircut sends me, though, just... so hysterical. I screamed.
Langley Kirkwood did a great job at playing Axe-Hand Morgan, too; he totally captured his swagger, self-confidence, and tendency to exaggerate his own accomplishments. I liked that they changed the narrative a bit to where Zoro ended up in the yard because he refused to join Morgan rather than just him beating up Helmeppo; like, it just added such a neat spin to his character, showing that he is devoted to being a bounty hunter simply because he is searching for strong opponents for the pursuit of his dream and nothing else.
I also loved the changes to how Zoro, and Nami, end up joining up with Luffy. My heart swelled when Luffy untied Zoro simply because he wanted him to be able to follow his dream, and that's all, not as a means of pressuring Zoro to join him. Then Nami, sneaking around the Marine Base and stumbling upon Luffy, who almost gets them caught time and time again. It's just so them. I was so overjoyed to see Nami get some action with her Climatact, too! It was so nice to not see her overshadowed by the guys, but right there in the thick of it with them. And, speaking of in the thick of it, the fight with Axe-Hand Morgan was so good! The choreography was amazing, and the music accompanying it just made it that much more heart-pumping. I literally starting pumping my fist and whooping when the bandana and third sword came out, like, iconic Zoro moment brought to life.
Finally, Buggy's introduction at the end was so spot-on. The drama. The excessiveness. The madness. It made me so pumped, alongside seeing that Garp going after Luffy was going to be put at the beginning of the series. Some people didn't like the change, but honestly, it made more sense to me that he would go after Luffy immediately, seeing as he was intent on testing Luffy to see if he was ready to take on the world. It's evident that Garp deeply cares for Luffy, and it just makes sense to me that he wouldn't wait.
Episode 2: The Man in the Straw Hat
Honestly, this is one of my favorite episodes, and all because of Jeff Ward's portrayal of Buggy. It was so amazing. But, I also like the beginning segment showing Zoro, Nami, and Luffy's dynamic. There really is tension among them; they are not a crew yet, and seeing them come together over adversities and genuinely beginning to see each other as a crew and a family just gives me the warm and fuzzies. Because trust isn't just immediately given; it's earned, and it takes time, and seeing them slowly realize how special Luffy is and become compelled and inspired to follow him is so special.
Okay, but onto the main act: Buggy. Buggy. BUGGY! I loved the changes they made to this whole thing, honestly. Setting it in a whole circus tent where the audience is kidnapped town members rather than just... a concrete slab in a ruined town, was so smart. Like, as silly as Buggy is, he is still a menacing pirate, and the way they set up this encounter really reminded us of that. And y'all, I cannot praise enough Jeff Ward's Buggy. So amazing. Like, he's so demented yet pathetic in that Buggy way that it blows my mind, and yet, he still brought his own spin to it by really leaning into the fact that Buggy is the way he is because of his insecurities, to the point that he is totally delusional about what really happened between him and Shanks. Like, the personality switch when he realizes that Luffy knows Shanks, and he full-heartedly believes that Luffy was abandoned by Shanks, too, and is an outcast like him, and offers to have him join his crew, but being so spine-chillingly twisted the whole time is just so, so, so good. Also, again, the CGI for his Devil Fruit abilities was so cool and slick. It captured that perfect balance between horrifying and comical that's so Buggy. Finally, again, I love the changes to the dialogue that came with the show. Buggy's "Surprise, shitheads!" is just so him but still had me rolling because I didn't expect it.
And, in true One Piece fashion, Luffy's perilous plight is countered with the relative light-heartedness of Nami and Zoro escaping to rescue him. Seriously, I love the sass that Mackenyu brings to Zoro. The "Yeah, that does sound like me" was just so perfect.
The water tank scene was... oh my gosh. I will say it again and again throughout my review, but it was so clever and symbolic of them to put the flashbacks in places in the present that parallel each other. I knew it was coming, but the scene where Shanks saves Luffy was just so emotional and raw. Again, Peter Gadiot brings such a softness to Shanks that I love; the tenderness when he hugs Luffy and tells him that he doesn't care about his arm, that he's just glad he's okay, looks like it really comes from the heart. I was in tears at the end of the flashback when Shanks bequeathed his hat to Luffy; it was so emotional, and the choice to have Shanks tell Luffy to "Be good" almost killed me. Because it isn't just him telling him to behave... It's telling him to be a good person, and that's the core of Luffy's character: he's just, he's compassionate, he's truly good in a world so corrupt. Literally, that one small moment took my breath away. Finally, just a small note, but God, did I love the way that they showed Conqueror's Haki! I was interested as to how they were going to do it, and it delivered.
Finally, Iñaki has Luffy's "Don't mess with my friend or I'll kick your ass" glare down pat. When he looked at Buggy, I lost my mind with excitement because I knew shit was about to get real!
Episode 3: Tell No Tales
I really like the title of this episode, too. Not only is it clever because it's Usopp's episode, but it foreshadows the horror movie-esque vibe that Kuro's personage brings to the show by bringing to mind the saying "dead men tell no tales."
I love that the episode starts off with another scene of Luffy, Zoro, and Nami on the boat to show how they are coming together. The banter is different, somehow, with an undercurrent of growing care and trust. Also, of course, I love that they kept the janky Jolly Roger and the details of paint splatter on Luffy's face. It was just a classic cute, funny Straw Hats moment. I also loved all their interactions in the mansion, especially the changing room scene. Like, I love that they kept Luffy's acespec overtones by having him totally not react to Nami asking for opinions on how she looks at all.
I love the changes they brought to Syrup Village! Like, it was so clever to make it a shipwright's town with Usopp having a job in the shipyard, which gives more weight to his abilities as a shipwright and inventor plus the deep bond he develops with the Going Merry. Also, I adore Jacob Romero Gibson's rendition of Usopp! He makes his character so funny, so charming, so lighthearted like the comic-relief Usopp we know, but with some slight changes that really define him as a distinct Usopp. His chemistry with Kaya is so good; I loved the treatment they got in this adaptation. You could truly feel the love and deep bond between them.
Again, the side character casting is amazing. Celeste Loots makes the sweetest, most adorable Kaya. Her look of inspired wonder when Luffy was talking about a pirate's love for their ship and how it's a home was so simple, yet so defining for both her and Luffy's characters. I also loved that she and Nami bonded! It was a clever way to give insight into both of their characters. Alexander Maniatis played such a great Kuro; like, the instant I saw him, I got chills down my spine because he seemed such a prim and proper butler yet had such an edge of malice about him. Also, he nailed the Kuro glasses gesture. Also, Sham and Rika were so well done; they really nailed that whimsical horror vibe going on. Finally, Merry was done well, too! Though I adore him, I was glad that they chose to actually kill him this go-around. First of all, from a medical perspective, it's hard to survive that kind of wound LOL; but also, it again showed just how high the stakes are and how frighteningly ruthless and cold Kuro is.
I was fascinated to see the addition of the Marines to this arc, but honestly, I loved it. The scene of Usopp running through the streets screaming for help was so heartbreaking; Jacob killed it, especially with the expression of disbelief, terror, and desperation on his face as he slowly sat down whispering "Why won't anyone believe me?" Again, so clever to superimpose this with the crux of his backstory, with the reveal that his chronic lying stems from the trauma of his mother's illness and believing that if he just kept up this ritual every day, his father would come home and everything would be right again in the world; sympathy for Usopp hit me more than it ever had. Then, for it to pan to Koby leaning over him earnestly saying, "I believe you," I got chills. Absolutely stupendous way to end the episode.
Episode 4: The Pirates Are Coming
This one is also one of my favorite episodes, for multiple reasons, all pertaining to character development.
The scenes of Zoro in the well will haunt me forever in the best way. It was just such an amazing choice, symbolically, to parallel his scenes of backstory with Kuina with him struggling to get out of this well, a deep, dark hole from which he seemingly cannot escape, just like the deep, dark hole of insecurity he struggled to climb out of with Kuina, and the deep, dark hole of trying to honor Kuina's memory that he struggles with early on. Him slipping each time he is defeated by Kuina or something happens to knock him down... Him climbing higher as his childhood self grows and bonds with Kuina... It was just so artistic, so beautiful, that I still get chills thinking about it. The amazing score that accompanies the scenes also has a lot to do with it. I haven't touched on the score much, but honestly, it's so amazing too. Also, shoutout to the actor who played Kuina's dad. Like, the way he delivered the news of Kuina's death to Zoro was so powerful; him trying to be the stoic sensei, but still crying a tear, and them embracing at the end... My heart hurted.
There is a lot of good Koby growth in this episode as well! This is where we really see him struggle with his sense of "justice" that he gains and grows throughout the anime/manga... Wanting to follow orders, but wanting to follow his heart, but not yet having the courage to stand up to authority, all foiled by Helmeppo, who is jaded by the reality of the Marines and lacks empathy for others secondary to his own self-hatred... It's so good, and a wonderful addition, in my opinion, because I hate that a lot of the growth of the other characters in One Piece happens behind the scenes sometimes.
Again, I love the changes to Usopp in this adaptation, and it peaks with him choosing to stay with Kaya in the mansion. It just gives a glimmer of the Usopp we come to see, the one who refuses to run away when the things he cares about are truly threatened, and drives home the fact that Usopp loves Kaya enough to face certain death for her, despite his cowardly tendencies. Just amazing.
But again, I have to give props to the actors of the Kuro crew, and the whole team behind this sequence. It was so creepy! Like, it had such a maliciousness and element of horror that the anime/manga just couldn't capture. I knew what happened in the end, but I was still on pins and needles the whole time because there was just so much tension! I did laugh at the Zoro and Luffy moment out in the woods, though, referencing Zoro's nonexistent sense of direction. And Zoro's fight with the lackeys was amazingly choreographed, as always, with Mackenyu really nailing Zoro getting enraged when Kuina's sword was stolen.
The ending scenes! What a way to end such a tense episode! I screamed at the UsoKaya kiss; it was so unexpected yet delightful! But also, the Straw Hats' reactions were so them. And then, the bliss and exhilaration as they sailed away on the Going Merry, while notes of "We Are" played in the background. Even the small details hit me, like Zoro finding a place to sleep and sleeping with Kuina's sword, and Luffy and Usopp arguing over who's captain, and all of them laughing together... just really captured the world I love. Then, an amazing cliffhanger with them being attacked by Garp and Luffy dropping the "Grandpa?" bomb. Perfect.
Episode 5: Eat At Baratie!
I was so hype for this episode because Sanji was my first One Piece love, and I was so excited to see the takes on his character and arc. I was not disappointed.
I liked howGarp's relationship with Luffy was given slowly over the course of the series. The flashback of him destroying Luffy's boat and hauling him off, with no regard to his dreams, really hit home because of how much value had been placed on dreams up until then. Garp as a character really started to shine here, with him hurling a cannonball with his bare hand, then laughing when Luffy bested him (because we all know how intertwined laughter is to the One Piece narrative, especially with regards to Luffy). The simple bit of Koby saving Helmeppo's life, too, and the look of bewilderment he gives him that heralds the change in his character and impending growth, was just so good, too! And of course, the interactions of the Straw Hats were great; they are coming together, but they still have a long way to go, and that just makes what follows in the Baratie arc that much more meaningful. They aren't a crew yet, but they will be.
So appropriate that Luffy's nose and gullet leads him to the Baratie. And, oh, I love what they did with this set! It's the most magnificent, in my opinion. I love the addition of a lighthouse, since the Baratie is supposed to be a refuge for hungry sailors of all kinds. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the crew and how they interacted in the restaurant, too; it had so many good moments of them bonding. However, I have to take a moment to acknowledge Usopp, who just killed it throughout this episode; like, strutting into the restaurant tits-out? "I can't eat anymore, but it's so good?" The fishbowl? The dancing? The blabbing to a complete stranger only for it to turn out to be a legendary badass here for his captain? Iconic behavior. But, seriously, so many good character moments here. Luffy ordering milk like the innocent cutie he is. Zoro struggling to sit in the booth with his swords but refusing to check them. Nami being totally unimpressed with Sanji's flirting. The boys teasing Nami for Sanji's flirting. 10/10. And Zoro and Nami bonding by trying to learn more about one another! The shift in her character really is fantastic; Emily Rudd did a bang-up job of showing that Nami truly is a good person, but is so damaged by her childhood and is scared to get close to anyone because she inevitably hurts them. I loved that she called Zoro her friend while trying to dissuade him from fighting Mihawk, and the switch that happens in her debating on betraying them in secret comes from him rebuking her by throwing her own words back in her face.
Also, speaking of Sanji, I adore Taz Skylar's Sanji with all my heart. Like, first of all, I love that they toned down his flirtatiousness. It's still there, but it is at such a more tolerable level because it isn't overbearing or uncomfortable. Then there is his smile. My God, every time he smiles, my heart sings. Like, he just captured the essence of Sanji that is part dapper gentleman badass, part snarky, foul-mouthed asshole, and part pathetic wet beast of a man. I have fallen in love with Sanji all over again. I also loved his relationship with Zeff. It was so them; bickering incessantly, antagonism belying the genuine love they have for each other. Finally, I adore the relationship he gains with the crew. Like, it is so obvious how much he comes to care about Luffy after them talking about dreams and later while helping Luffy process what it really means to be a captain. Also, it's so badass that he did all his own stunts. Him fighting so screams Sanji! I just cherish this Sanji, I really do.
I knew going in that they condensed this arc, and honestly, I'm pleased with how they did it. I thought it was so clever to introduce Mihawk differently, with him absolutely decimating Don Krieg's crew single-handedly and calling it "Killing time." Also, he's so hot, it's honestly unfair. Again, the amazing casting shines through, because Steven Ward made such a spectacular Mihawk, totally encapsulating that devil-may-care attitude of his and his interest in powerful people. Phenomenal. And to pair this with more Koby growth, with him being appalled by Garp using pirates to do his business and that the World Government has the Warlord system. I had to laugh at Helmeppo's "You don't know shit about how the world works" because it was just a funny line in general, but funnier coming from him, who also doesn't know shit about how the world works in a different way. It was sad not to see Sanji shine in combat against the Don Krieg crew (though I loved the Gin appearance and that he lives this time!), I think it was a smart narrative choice to have this episode center around Mihawk vs. Zoro, given what follows. Speaking of, that fight was amazing. It was a dead ringer to how it goes down into the manga, down to the pose at the end when Zoro points his sword at the sky and vows never to lose again. I also love that Nami didn't flee in secret like she did in the manga; she stayed, and there was that tender moment of her holding Usopp's hand for comfort. I just think it does so well to illustrate how Nami is changing, but also, the sheer power that Luffy holds in making people who have given up all hope believe again. Nami stays because, deep down, she has hope that she can be a part of this crew, that she can have the courage to tell Luffy the truth and have him help her save her home, that she can be free of Arlong, and that is so powerful in a way that is different and new than the way things originally go.
Episode 6: The Chef and The Chore Boy
I love that there is so much weight in this episode on Zoro's injury. It was glossed over in the manga, honestly, but this adaptation goes into how grievous it is and uses that as the crux of Luffy's growth as a captain and how they come together. It's amazing, narrative-wise, enough for me to be content with the large plot changes they made to the Baratie arc.
The Mihawk and Garp interaction is so gold, honestly. It really captures Mihawk's thing about doing whatever he wants despite being a dog of the World Government, and the keen interest he takes in Luffy. Also, again, Garp laughing while losing his shit at the fact that his grandson is out there tearing up the East Blue as a pirate is so awesome.
Sanji's backstory is the only one told as a full, uninterrupted narrative, and the fact that it's different because of the circumstances and the fact that Sanji is telling it to show Luffy, who is obviously doubting himself, what it means to be a captain is again so clever. Again, Sanji is one of my all-time favorite characters, and his backstory was always the most gut-wrenching to me; seeing it come to life was so heartbreakingly beautiful and sad and inspiring. Props to the kid that played him, like, he did a stellar job. The way he attacked Zeff with unhinged rage over his food; the way he slowly unraveled throughout the time on the rock, starting out as determined to survive and having the optimism that only a child can have and slowly transitioning into the terrified little boy he is, curled up and sniffling as the days drag on; the look of shock, guilt, and disbelief when he realizes that Zeff gave him all the food and ate his own leg (especially with knowledge from the manga, knowing the way Sanji grew up and how he has never known any sort of love, so the idea that someone would sacrifice for him, especially as a stranger, just shatters his entire world view)... It's simply spectacular. And comparing that to the present Sanji, who is so full of energy and life and hope for finding the All Blue, is just so impactful.
But, seriously, I love the whole thing of the characters' growth revolving around Zoro and his recovery. I was touched by Nami reading the story of Noland to him (and also excited by another crumb for potential sequel seasons), and Luffy struggling with what to say because he is struggling with himself and his ability to captain.
Again, I really enjoyed how they handled the transition from Baratie to Arlong Park. First of all, I loved that they kept Buggy a part of the narrative. It encapsulates that spirit of One Piece in which events and characters hundreds of chapters back can still return to have profound effects on the narrative. Also, Buggy is just downright hysterical in this show, and I enjoy his presence. The fishmen are so intimidating, and I like how they used the Baratie to set that and Arlong's motivations up. Getting to see Sanji really fight was great, and when he lost his shit because Zeff got hurt... Yes, just yes. Finally, I love that Nami just "betrayed" them in person. The fact that it went down like it did made Luffy emotional intelligence and his belief that Nami isn't just a traitor that much more impactful to me. Emily Rudd did such a good job of showing Nami as someone who is callous on the surface but clearly has that undertone of hesitation and guilt about what she is doing, though she knows she is doing it to save their lives. Also, Sanji being shirtless while saving Luffy? Like, I will take the fanservice, but it was just so funny to me LOL
But the end of the episode was so hopeful! After everything going wrong, Luffy finally finds the words he needs to say because he knows now what it means to be a captain; he needs his crew as much as they need him. And Zoro waking up at that moment, and Luffy being so excited to see him that he crawls all over him and flings his arm around LOL, it's so Luffy. And I loved that we got official acknowledgement of Zoro as his first mate! It was so good! And finally, Sanji and Zeff's goodbye. It was so emotional, Taz's voice breaking as he thanked Zeff for everything and putting up with all his shit over the years... I cried. TT.TT And of course, ending it with the twist that Buggy will lead them to Arlong is just so exciting LOL
Chapter 7: The Girl With The Sawfish Tattoo
I was so ready for this episode because some of the scenes in the Arlong Park arc are still some of my favorites. I'll admit that this is the arc that had a few changes that I wish weren't there, but overall, I still like how it was handled, and it kept the spirit of the manga.
Again, I like how Nami's backstory is interspersed with key moments of the present narrative. The initial scene of childhood innocence with her and Nojiko and Belle-mere, so light and happy, and coming to a jarring end as she snaps to reality in Arlong Park... Perfect. Also, I thought it was cool that they turned Arlong Park into an amusement park; it's a clever nod to Arlong's twisted notion of making the world a "paradise" for fishmen. Again, I have to commend the casting. Arlong is so savage in this. He practically radiates bloodlust, and it's so good, even though I know what happens, I was worrying for Nami the whole time because he could so easily turn on her on a whim. Then, pairing the conflict of Nami having to go collect money from her village with the conflict with Belle-mere, her hating that she's poor and weaponizing the fact that they aren't a "real" family, as a frustrated child would... So clever. I will admit that this is where the changes that I don't like come in. I really don't like that they made it to where the town had no clue about the fact that she was trying to buy back the village the whole time, and they pretended not to know to try and keep Nami safe. Like, they kept the idea that Nami felt sh deserved to be hated because she felt guilty for not cherishing Belle-mere as she should have and somehow responsible for what happened to the town, but still, what was special about Nami's arc is that she believed that she hurt everyone around her and that she didn't deserve to be loved, but she had been loved the whole time, and this show completely abolished that. In the same vein, I hated the cuts they made to Genzo's character. Belle-mere was her mother figure, and Genzo was her father figure, and that was largely unseen here. They had the nods to the pinwheels (it was cute that they used the tangerine skills), but, again, I felt it was a disservice to Nami's story and character to make changes like this, and I honestly don't know why they felt the need to do it at all, aside from maybe driving home the fact that Nami felt she deserved to be hated and so let the village hate her.
Again, very interesting how they wove in the Marines here. I honestly loved the dinner with Garp and Zeff; them talking about the old days, and Zeff hinting at the times changing and the upcoming generation that becomes a crux to the overall One Piece narrative, is so good. Also, love the Helmeppo and Koby bonding. Their friendship has become so important to me.
But, seriously, props to Iñaki, and the scriptwriters, for just perfectly capturing Luffy's emotional intelligence. Because Nojiko has no idea that Nami is trying to buy back the town, the cast is left believing that Nami genuinely betrayed them, but Luffy just refuses to abandon his gut feeling that there is something more, and he won't stop until he hears it directly from Nami, whom he knows is not being honest with him. Though I don't like the changes to the story, I do like the scene of Nami and Nojiko's reconciliation. It's very heartfelt and heartbreaking, especially when followed by Nezumi arriving to take Nami's money away; everything finally seems to be going right for Nami, and then it all falls apart. I loved the cinematography of her running through the tangerine fields; it truly captured the desperation, all the way up until her falling to her knees at the sight of her village being razed to the ground. Emily Rudd and Iñaki truly nailed the next sequence, which is my favorite in all the manga; Nami's screaming with rage as she stabs her tattoo, Luffy standing there, waiting for the ask for help that he instinctively knows will come, Nami turning around and whispering a broken "Help me," and then, in a perfect parallel to the manga panel, the rest of the crew, despite still not knowing the full context, all immediately being there for her... It will live in my head rent-free until I die.
Chapter 8: The Worst in the East
A good conclusion to the masterpiece that is the adaptation, but again, I am starving for more. Despite my problems with the changes in the previous episode, I thought the condensation in this episode was pretty all right.
The battle of Arlong Park was much shorter, obviously, but I still enjoyed it a lot! I like that they kept Usopp's first solo fight, and all-in-all, it lined up well with the manga. I am, however, so deeply disappointed at the omission of Usopp Hammer and Rubber Band of Doom. Like, I remember the first time I watched this episode of the anime in dub, and I had to pause it for five minutes because hearing Usopp trill "Rubber Band of Dooooooooom!" had me in hysterics, on the floor, laughing until I cried. They kept him pretending to be dead with hot sauce "blood," but not that? How could they do my boy like that? I did laugh at the whole, "I did it! ... Aaaaaaaaaand there was no one there to see it." That aside, the Zoro and Sanji team-up fight was awesome. The ZoSan banter really begins, and it was gratifying to really get to see Sanji shine in a fight since he didn't get to in the Baratie arc as much, as well as Zoro clutching at his wound throughout the fight! Also, I love that the singular "fuck" in the show went to Zoro, and it was directed at Buggy, "that fuckin' clown." Like, so iconic, so perfect, 100/10 moment right there. And, of course, Luffy's fight with Arlong. The teeth-shedding thing was so horrifying and gross, but again drove home the savagery behind Arlong's character. Obviously, they made some alterations to the fight because it would be hard to replicate in live action, but I was more concerned with them keeping the core of the fight: Luffy bringing down Arlong Park because it was all built upon Nami's pain and sacrifice, and that was rendered beautifully. I loved the shot of Arlong Park collapsing. It was so devastating and destructive in a way the anime wasn't, so the horror of the crew looking on as it came crumbling to the ground, wondering if Luffy was okay, and Luffy emerging from the rubble to validate Nami as their friend and a member of their crew gave me goosebumps.
Of course, it won't be a Straw Hat story without a party. I love that they used it as a way to tie the loose ends of the story together. Koby not only reaches the crux of his character arc by finally standing up to Garp and what he believes in, but Helmeppo begins to, too, but joining him, really cementing their friendship. We finally get to the meat of the tension between Garp and Luffy, and I loved the scene where Luffy grins and laughs, and Garp sees Roger in his head. It's a recurring theme in the manga/anime, and to see it here was gratifying. Also, the fact that Luffy got totally bodied by Garp was a good reminder that Luffy still has a long way to go; he will encounter stronger and stronger enemies henceforth, but will face them with a smile and unshakeable confidence and determination.
I loved the ending. I cried tears of joy at Koby bringing Luffy his wanted poster and them hugging and saying their true goodbyes... Luffy telling Koby to be a good marine, and Koby telling Luffy to be a good pirate. It was just so satisfying, so powerful, so solidifying of the friendship that will persist throughout the manga. Then, of course, it was exciting to see all the little scenes with the poster: Makino reading it, Kayagushing over Usopp in the backgriund, Zeff hanging it on the "Employee of the Month" board, Buggy seeing it and voicing that he'll kill Luffy and Alvida chiming in, hinting their team-up... And of course, the scene where Mihawk brings it to Shanks and they all celebrate. So nostalgic, but also so dripping with the overtone that the adventure doesn't end here; that the Straw Hats are only beginning. And that's paralleled by Koby and Helmeppo, too, beginning their training under Garp. And all of it topped off with the crew sailing forth on the Going Merry, with their sail unfurling to reveal the Jolly Roger, them making their vows on the barrel with it flashing back to their childhood selves... I truly felt like I had been a part of something special and was setting out on a new journey with the Straw Hats, and I can't wait to see where they're taken next, even if that never makes it to the screen.
