Miss Kurosaki

  "It is hard to tell if you are brave or foolish to challenge my brother. However, I shall give you the benefit of the doubt and not assume the latter." [Independent canon divergent Kurosaki Ruri; semi-selective]

[viciousnightingale]

Those Yearning for Freedom

[viciousnightingale]

queenofclockwork‌:

                 Rin woke with a start, bruised and battered from her arrival.  She backed up towards the wall, trying to get away from the other as far as she could.

                     “Who are you?!” she barked.  In reality, she was in no state to fight anyone after what had happened when she dueled that man who carried her off, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.  Rin wouldn’t give up and die, no matter what the cost.

                    “Why am I here?!” Rin reached for a duel disk that wasn’t there and cursed to herself.  Of course they wouldn’t let her keep it.

Ruri kept her distance and and made no motion to stop the girl from backing away from her. It was like dealing with a wounded animal: Before one could offer any kind of help, one had to earn its trust.

“Shhh, it's alright,” Ruri soothed. “I know you've been through a lot, but at least hear me out, okay?”

It was a lie, of course, for nothing was even remotely 'alright' about their captivity, yet with cameras and bugs in every corner, there was no way for her to speak openly.

“My name is Ruri. Kurosaki Ruri, and you're here because you're special. There is something grand we are needed for – us and two other girls with our face. Until they arrive, our generous hosts have to make sure that no harm can befall us.”

With a kind smile, Ruri held out her hand, “Will you let me show you around, Rin?”

[viciousnightingale]

Those Yearning for Freedom

@queenofclockwork

The Third Piece.

It was a term the hushed voices in the hallways were uttering more and more frequently, and Ruri shuddered. “At last, we’ve obtained the Third Piece.”

Her guards had been whispering an alarmingly similar term to one another after her own capture, and such wretched déjà vu could only mean one thing: Another girl had just met the same fate and thus, the Professor’s despicable plan had progressed even further.

Four ‘Pieces’, four boys sharing the same face- four dimensions- it wasn’t all too difficult to add two and two together. She had to be more alert than ever, had to refine her facade of docility to the utmost extent, and so, she mustered up an even brighter smile when the guards brought her food or a new change of clothes, at times alternated by a soft and pitiful 'I’m so lonely’ - and mere days later, an unconscious girl sharing her face was carried to her golden cage and placed on a bed delivered shortly before.

“For the Professor to grant such a selfish wish of mine… please convey my sincerest gratitude to him.”

For the first time ever since her capture, her eyes lit up as she smiled at her captors. Finally, her plans to escape were becoming more than just wishful thinking.

“What’s her name?” “Rin.” “Rin… how beautiful...”

Dignified, severe, cold- a fitting name for her future ally; these were the thoughts coursing through Ruri’s mind as sat next to the girl’s bed, waiting for her to open her eyes.

[viciousnightingale]

Memento Mori

@soulsbetrayed

They said that the number of tears a person could cry was limited.

As yet another casket was lowered into the ground, Ruri couldn't help but agree for her eyes were dry with the exception of a single tear to trail down her left cheek. She had shed too many of them to not use them sparingly at this point and war and disease wouldn't stop claiming lives simply because she begged and cried.

Did such thoughts make her heartless? She wondered, turning her head to look at her brother, who hadn't shed a single tear in years and whose hand lay on her right shoulder, heavy and grounding.

„You alright, Ruri?“ Shun asked, gaze wandering to her tear and wiping it away with his thumb. If she was being honest, she probably wouldn't be if it weren't for his presence.

„I'll miss Aunt Sachiko,” she sighed, “But I'll be fine. There've been so many deaths already, I just can't...“

„That much is normal. And I know that you cared for her, so don't feel guilty now.“

Shakily, she released a pent-up breath and looked around, taking in the faces of the other funeral guests. Other than her brother, there was no single family member left who could've attended and so, there were only the unfamiliar faces of Aunt Sachiko's friends or acquaintances.

“When will it be our turn?” she wondered out loud and immediately, her brother's grip on her shoulder tightened.

“We've been over this many times, Ruri,” he almost snapped, leaving no room for arguments as he declared, “I won't let it happen!”

It was after she’d given him a weak smile that her gaze did land on a familiar face, after all, a young man who'd been present at her uncle's funeral – as well as at her grandparents' and parents'.

“Sorry, Nii-san, but I need to confirm something.” She said and immediately sprinted in the man's direction right as he was about to leave, asking the question that had been burning on her tongue every single time she'd seen him,“I apologize if this is sudden, but are you acquainted with our family?”

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc replied to your post “[Tbh one day, I should probably talk about Ruri’s ‘mask dilemma’ in...”

pls do go into detail ;u;

[Haha, okay :) I will get to it as soon as I have time :)]

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

With how easily she said it, without missing a beat or batting a lash, he almost envied her. The mask she wore was inherently more human than his. Scratching his head, he nodded, retrieving his mask from the bed and draping it around his shoulders like a scarf.

“That won’t be a problem. If you are fine with having me play the part of your significant other, I will do it.” To show it, he reached over and, with some hesitation, took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers. Repeating mantras in his head to calm himself, he looked the girl right in the eyes, and leaned closer, as if to kiss her.

He stopped short, about a few inches from her face, his cheeks tinging a fine rosy color. “If there’s anything you’d want from me, don’t hesitate to ask, love.” 

If there was one factor she'd severely underestimated, it'd be the impact of unexpected physical proximity after months of complete isolation, of only being touched with sterile gloves and prodded with needles and other medical instruments. She could only curse herself for the way her breath hitched in her throat, for how tempting it was to look at him with dazed reverence, let herself be whisked away to a realm of fairytales and fantasies and revert to the exact patterns that had ultimately led to her downfall.

Her knight in shining armor, her Prince Charming, the one who had promised her the world with sweet words and a captivating smile, the knife of betrayal already plunged in her back before his mask had detached itself, then clattered to the ground.

Dennis...

'No, I mustn't remember! I mustn't-!'

Ruri wouldn't make the same mistake twice and further add to the guilt but a hairsbreadth away from crushing her.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she straightened her back and subtly stuck out her chest, her countenance morphing from stoic to bossy and by the time she opened her eyes again, her new mask was firmly locked in place.

“But of course I won't,” she said with a slight purr, her fingers curling around his in return as her other hand cupped his cheek in a possessive display. “As my boyfriend, it's your duty to ensure my happiness at any point in time. Now, weren't you going to take me on a date?”

The persona she'd created on the spot was repulsive even to her, but it was the farthest away from the faces her captors had gotten a glimpse of and therefore the most logical choice.

“Call me 'Rio' while we're in public, at least for now,” she decided, slowly detaching herself from Tsukikage, but keeping their fingers interlaced.

[viciousnightingale]

[Tbh one day, I should probably talk about Ruri’s ‘mask dilemma’ in detail as it is at the center of a not-so-minor identity crisis, as well as a major obstacle to Ruri forming genuine bonds with others.

It is something I’ve been thinking about and developing for about 2 years now, but then again, given how Ruri has always been my least popular muse, I’m not sure whether there’d be much of a point in putting my thoughts into words in a detailed fashion lol]

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

The first thing he did when he came into his quarters was to sigh heavily as he leaned against his door. What was he doing? He should have immediately brought her back to Akaba Reiji the moment he rescued her. Instead he’d brought her to his home, away from the objective. How unlike him…

“It was necessary,” he muttered as he stripped himself of his armor, setting the pauldrons and haidate on his bed. And of course, even if he was trained to know how to keep out of sight, where they were headed, he’d stick out like a sore thumb. 

He had just finished pulling on his school’s blazer when he heard a knock on the door, and heard her voice, asking for permission to enter. He said yes, a hair tie in his mouth as he pulled his hair up back into it’s usual style.

“Partner? You mean…”

“Yes. Exactly like you think,” she immediately confirmed. “Hence my earlier question about your acting skills.” Tsukikage seemed surprised; Ruri hadn't expected that. Judging from the disguises she'd seen, she would've assumed that this approach, too, was one of the techniques taught at his school.

“I wasn't thinking of anything... indecorous. After all, exaggerated displays would only lead to the exact opposite of the desired result. However, if the thought of pretending to be my boyfriend repulses you, there are still other ways to give off the illusion that I belong here. For example, I could also act as your sister or your childhood friend. It should be equally convincing even if people will not automatically feel compelled to give us space and privacy if they perceive our interactions as strictly platonic.”

In any other situation, she would be embarrassed by her bold suggestion, by the prospect of pretending to date a man she couldn't help but classify as 'handsome' now that he'd discarded the articles of clothing to conceal his features and clad himself in the attire of a person rather than a weapon.

With a mask already in place, however, such sentiments were buried too deep to influence her words or behavior for in the current moment, Kurosaki Ruri was a soldier and a spy, but not a girl.

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

He was well aware how he stood out, which was his reasoning for coming here. The other being how far removed his school was from the city. Away from the noise, it was almost serene. Here, the students who came here to learn how to duel, could do so in a state of near peace. When they weren’t dodging projectiles, that is.

“It would be,” he agreed, lowering the cloth that masked his face. He offered her a tiny smile, and shrugged his shoulders, “they don’t exactly allow this when I go to school. So no worries about that.” Untying it, he moved past her to open a door, revealing a long hallway. “If you follow this, there’s a door on the left. We keep spare civilian clothes there.” He didn’t elaborate as to why a school focused on dueling would have such a feature. And she could have some privacy.

“You’re safe here, for the time being. Once you have changed, meet me back here.” 

“I'm glad we're on the same page, then,” she said with a soft chuckle, then headed to the room he'd described as per his instructions.

Indeed, there was a variety of civilian clothing for her to choose from, though Ruri made it a point to be as fast and efficient as possible. It was clear that just like her new 'bodyguard', this place, too, wasn't ordinary. Having visited the drama club of the middle school she'd lost her chance to attend before, it was apparent that next to none of the attires were suitable for being displayed on a stage, and she almost inevitably found herself wanting to learn more about the school's curriculum and about Tsukikage himself.

Once this was over, perhaps they could converse over a cup of tea.

Having decided on a plain beige trench coat and a beret in the same color to further conceal her hair, she quickly changed into a simple shirt and trousers and a different pair of shoes, then put on her actual disguise. She carefully placed her own clothes in a shopping bag she'd found, grabbed a dark brown scarf, a surgical mask, and sunglasses, so she could still modify her disguise in different ways, should the need to do so arise.

“I’ve found a suitable disguise. May I enter?”

As she waited for his response, her thoughts wandered back to the plan that'd been forming in the back of her mind for some time already. But could she really ask him to... No, in the situation at hand, there was no choice but to take the most optimal approach.

Upon hearing the confirmation that she could, in fact, come in, she took a deep breath and walked up to him.

“I've been thinking about this ever since you took my hand earlier,” she began, carefully scanning his features for the slightest sign of disapproval. 

“I apologize if this is sudden, Tsukikage-san, but would you mind playing the role of my partner? Of course, this would only be necessary when others can see us. But I do believe it’d be our best chance to slip under my pursuers radar for as long as possible.”

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

It felt strange to have his own hair loose, but for the sake of escorting her, he’d bear with it. It wasn’t much of a hindrance anyway. Just…different. 

Looking back at the girl and her new hairstyle, Tsukikage nodded. “There’s an alleyway near here that is a shortcut to my clan’s school. We’re going to make a temporary stop there.”

Taking her hand in his, he began leading her through the backstreets of Maiami, until they were close to his clan’s dojo. Situated at the top of a large hill, it was quite the climb, but soon enough they reached the top.

Lessons had already ended for the day, so the grounds should be empty. Letting Ruri’s hand go, he opened the door for her, “Please come in.”

“A good idea. It is doubtful the enemy'd be expecting us to venture to a place like that. It should buy us the time to procure adequate disguises.”

She didn't pay much attention to their joined hands, save for a brief moment of initial surprise, and her fingers curled around his in return almost immediately. Did he intend to put up the ruse of a closer relationship to help her blend in? If so, the most optimal approach'd be to think of disguises to further encourage this impression.

Had Ruri not known otherwise and had it not been her own two feet to have carried her to Tsukikage's school, she would've barely believed that she was still in Maiami. The school and the hill itself appeared too tranquil to be part of a bustling global metropolis, too close to nature. Were it not for the looming threat of her pursuers, she would be stopping in her tracks, relish the wind's soft caresses and listen to the birds' song with her eyes closed...

Instead, she vigilantly scanned her surroundings for good ambush spots. Should the enemy catch up with them, they wouldn't be unprepared.

“Thank you for having me,” she said, then stepped inside, and she couldn't help but be impressed by his impeccable manners. Tsukikage was... different from the inhabitants of Standard she'd encountered so far, his maturity, serious demeanor and conscientiousness putting her at ease more than any words of reassurance.  

“How would you rate your acting skills, Tsukikage-san?” she asked after a moment of pondering, tapping a finger against her lips in thought as she followed him to a room she assumed to be containing disguises. “I apologize for being blunt, but you should change your attire as well. It's not suitable for blending with the crowd.”

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

His own tie? Yes, he could definitely do that. Reaching up, he slid the hair tie away from his own hair, his locks falling down to his neck as he handed it to her. 

“Here, this is the least I can do.” 

He turned away to keep watch while she did her thing, mentally mapping out the shortest route possible to his school. While it wasn’t technically a safe house and he was not ordered to do so, he’d also need to pick something less conspicuous than his armor…it stood out. 

It certainly wasn’t because he didn’t have enough yen to appropriate two sets of disguises.

“Thank you.”

Removing her cherished hair clip and her cherished earrings and carefully stowing them away in a hidden pocket, she proceeded to gather her hair in a ponytail, which she then modeled into a tight bun. Without a brush or mirror, it was bound to look somewhat messy, the only saving grace being that years of styling her hair in a hurry at least minimized the damage to some extent and kept her from appearing suspicious.

“I'm finished. Shall we proceed?”

[viciousnightingale]

“Will you stop being difficult already, Nii-san? It’s not polite to keep everyone waiting until you finally feel like gracing them with your presence.”

“...”

“Or... Could it be that you’re sulking? Poor you! What have those horrible people done to you? But don’t worry. If it’s for the sake of protecting you, I’ll even become the big bad wolf and devour them. Aren’t I kind?”

“...That girl’s insane.”

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

When she reached for the knife, he tensed. Did he say something wrong? It was just a suggestion she needn’t…-

“Stop.” He caught her wrist and shook his head. “I did not mean for you to try something so drastic.” He wasn’t too familiar with how she viewed herself, but he had taken note how her fingers twitched, her hitched breath. Cutting her hair wasn’t something she wanted to do.

And in his personal opinion, he quite liked her long hair.

He guided her hand down, pressing the blade against his gloves. “Don’t cut it, we can figure something else out. Style it different…I would help but I am no good outside just tying.” He gestured at his own disheveled ponytail,

“I'm sorry...” she apologized as she lowered her knife, already feeling guilty for how she couldn't even bring herself to object to his alternate suggestion that might put both of their lives at risk. 

She had considered styling her hair differently herself, but without a second hair tie, the single one in her possession wouldn't be enough to hold it together in a tight bun and so, she'd discarded the idea out of fear to waste precious time before she could ponder any further details.

Her gaze wandered to the ponytail he was gesturing at and- Her eyes widened.

His ponytail!

“May I borrow your hair tie, Tsukikage-san?”

Perhaps, it was for the best that he had encouraged her to be selfish.

[viciousnightingale]

tsukikagc‌:

“No need to apologize, Ruri-dono. You attacking me was the correct choice. I would have done the same in your place.” In fact, it had been a close call. If he had arrived a few moments later, she would have faced someone else entirely. 

He didn’t know the number of pursuers she had, but he had dispatched the one closest to her, quietly knocking them out and activating their duel disk to return them from where they came. Judging from the clear path ahead of them, Tsukikage had succeeded that much at least.

“For now, I think going to a safe house would be best…but,” he glanced down at her clothing and clicked his tongue. “a disguise for you should take priority. We could move around easier…” 

She took in his words and nodded. “You may be right. It'd be unwise to let the Professor know I'm with Akaba Reiji so easily. Perhaps, there is a way to make them believe I've fled the dimension.” But that was a thought for when the threat of her pursuers capturing her was less immediate.

Following his judging gaze with her own, it was impossible to not agree with the second part of his assessment as well, for as long as the face the Professor was after was clearly visible and her most defining features were left unconcealed, any well-meaning passerby could contribute to her pursuers getting a hold of her position.

With an unhappy sigh, Ruri reached into her boot and pulled out her knife, placing it against the nape of her neck and steeling herself to part with the long hair she'd been priding herself in ever since she could remember. 

Another part of herself she'd surrender to her enemies...

But if it was a hindrance to their war effort and there was no way to hide it without losing too much time, the decision she had to make was self-evident.

“This'll make me less recognizable, yes?” she asked and the fingers around her knife twitched. “It should buy me enough time to obtain sunglasses...”

[viciousnightingale]

@tsukikagc , continued from here: X 

While she had accounted for the presence of enemy spies in Standard, she was technically not in the condition to fight, and she was painfully aware that unless she could outsmart her remaining five pursuers or force them to duel her like the ones who’d already fallen, it was only a matter of time until she'd be dragged back to the cage her brother had risked his life to free her from.

The arrival of the ninja, who'd introduced himself as Fuuma Tsukikage, was a blessing in disguise even if it stung to be disarmed so easily. „Indeed,“ she agreed, holding his gaze with her own. „And I intend to see to it as soon as possible.”

Having been locked away for months, her physical combat skills had become rusty from disuse, though Ruri wouldn't allow herself to accept this fact as an excuse to soothe her bruised pride. No, as her brother had taught her by example, she would step over her failures and evolve, turning each and every sliver of knowledge to be gained from them into additional strength.

“I apologize for assaulting you, Tsukikage-san. What course of action do you propose?” Naturally, Ruri had some ideas of her own, but since Tsukikage Fuuma's familiarity with the city's layout vastly exceeded her own, his assessment held a greater weight.

[kakuren-boy-blog]

@viciousnightingale

Yuri strode into the interrogation room looking a lot more purposeful than he felt. Slightly undermining the look was a laminated sheet labeled “interrogation questions” which Yuri’s supervisor had given him beforehand. It was pretty obviously photocopied out of the textbook.

Still, Yuri sat down across the table from Ruri, slumped back in his chair, and read from the sheet. “Alright, Kurosaki Ruri. Let’s get started,” his eyes slid down the page, “Are you or have you ever been part of a terrorist organization? …Well, that much is obvious.”

[viciousnightingale]

At the sound of his footsteps, her hands clenched underneath the table, unkempt nails digging through fabric and into her skin, and she straightened her posture.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, the screams of her heartbeat almost deafening in her ears, and yet, there was no trace of fear to be found in her countenance, for with pain came familiarity, came comfort, came resolve.

'We won't harm you,' they'd been telling her, but Kurosaki Ruri was no fool. If it meant to secure food, any wolf would encase himself in a sheep's skin, pouncing on his prey when they least expected it, and in a similar way, the Professor's dogs were starving for the hunt itself, their only way of assigning a meaning to their wretched existence. 

There was no trick too underhanded to earn their master's favor, to prolong their entertainment in the process. 

„My, how observant you are,“ she said, cerise eyes locking on her captor. Had his words and conduct taken her by surprise, Ruri wouldn't show it. 

“What about you, barbarian who has yet to display proper manners and introduce himself?”

[the-evolving-falcon]

[Okay, so since Shun is technically single now and neither of us (nor Ruri) is happy about this, we’ll of course need to rectify this asap- along with the severe lack of activity on his blog and on Ruri’s (Serena won’t be a priority until my Kurosaki muses are well cared for again) XD

I thiiiink I’ll make a proper post about his future and potential solutions to the dilemma we’ve been facing soon, but anyone interested in shipping with my precious shittiest civilian and creating a detailed canon divergent verse centered around two wonderfully morally gray mindmates is already 110% welcome to tell me <3 (In fact, I’d LOVE you for it :D)

In this special case, I am also open to threads on Skype or Discord (if my shipping partner doesn’t have Reiji as an ‘official’ muse, but is still interested) - as well as non-binding test runs. 

I’m also open to various kinds of AUs.

As for Ruri… While letting Shun have a mindmate is my biggest priority now, I’d also love to give my daughter a partner too, so I’m absolutely down for planning anything in that regard too :D]

[chaosblessed-deactivated2018060]

"As long as the lord doesn't live within' you, all beings hold darkness."

“indeed, that even includes you.”chuckled he once more, checking off her name on the invisible list that was formulating in his mind.

“enjoy your stay, choose a chapter…”

@viciousnightingale

[viciousnightingale]

“It does?” Lips parting in surprise, Ruri gave a quick bow.

She couldn’t imagine what this stranger was referring to, but something about his demeanor led her to believe it was a matter of great importance, and that it was vital to choose her words and actions carefully.

“Well, I’m honored, then.”

She would only ask for clarification once she was able confirm that it was safe to do so; when the hairs on the back of her neck ceased to stand on end.

A chapter of a story-book... 

Ruri’s fate?