therein lies the heart

I can never forgive anyone who attempts to destroy what I must protect. This is Music Intuition's writing tumblr. For more information, check out the about page. To browse in an organized manner, view the tags page.

[violintuition]

The Color of Cherry Blossoms | Prologue

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The Color of Cherry Blossoms a bleach au story

prologue

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It was a difficult life, but not as difficult as Hisana had expected. They stole food and water from trash cans and open-air stands. They traveled, never staying in one place for too long, Rukia tucked into a rag tied to her sister's back. They slept in orchards, and they never trusted.

Perhaps puerile but necessary - thus went the engagement, brief but bold. They were to be married in secret beneath the same cherry trees under which they had met. By the time the Kuchiki clan learned of the betrayal, Hisana was at their doorstep, dressed in the finest kimono a man like Byakuya could buy surreptitiously.

Rukia, for her part, wrapped in a bundle of silk, softened the haughty eyes. A sister, not a daughter, they were assured, but her gentle snores occasioned the discussion futile. The sisters would stay, and Rukia would be raised as one of the family.

She would never know hunger. She would never know poverty. She would never know despair. And she would never be alone.

It was in this manner that Rukia, sister to Hisana and to Byakuya, became the youngest member and the third-in-line of the Kuchiki clan.

…

…

first | next

[violintuition]

Rangiku Matsumoto / Momo Hinamori; hats

"What do you think, Rangiku?" Momo asked as she tilted the beret slightly to one side. Rangiku, taking her girlfriend’s head between her hands, tilted it back and forth before planting a kiss squarely between her eyes. "Very cute," she said, winking, "but don’t you think it would look better on my floor?"

[violintuition]

Momo Hinamori; bravery

With the ward empty, it is but a flick of her wrist to remove the medical devices, a rip of cords and a short, sharp explosion. By the time Fourth Division members get to her room, they find an open door and a discarded white robe, along with a note: ‘Thank you, all of you’. Momo Hinamori will not let her friends fight in her place, not when losing the battle means losing everything, not when she refuses to live without the ones she loves by her side.

[violintuition]

Rojuro Otoribashi / Izuru Kira; heaven

His captain smells the way he sounds - like god puked a meadow and then had hir holy unicorns shit upon the sparkling fairy flowers. That’s what his traitor brain had decided, though his unwilling lips would never reveal such a thing. But when his thoughts become hazy in the aftermath, Rose tells him that they’d both sounded like heaven, and for once, Izuru lets himself believe it.

[violintuition]

Shuuhei Hisagi + Izuru Kira + Momo Hinamori; animals

If they were really human, Shuuhei surmised, someone would have figured it out themselves, a long time ago.

If we’re really human, Izuru heard himself say, then we would know what to do now. 

If he really thought of us as human, Momo told herself a thousand times, maybe none of this would have ever happened; maybe we’d still be happy.

[violintuition]

Yoruichi Shihoin / Suifeng; uno

This meant nothing to her, just as the departure had meant nothing to her. This meant that she would fight, fight as her station mandated - an execution battle, in which Yoruichi would be nothing but an intruder. But from the moment she screamed her despair to the sky, the two of them both knew that she had lost (in more ways than one).

[violintuition]

Gin Ichimaru; bliss

Under all the lies, he’s a child - a child who kills, a child who preys, a child who steals others’ playthings and won’t share. You can tell which ones are his favorite toys, too - the one with teethmarks on their spines, ripped shreds of blonde hair from fleeting dreams. Because Gin Ichimaru makes it known which ones are his, and the ones that are his are swallowed whole.

[violintuition]

the starling migrates south for winter

Universe: Pokemon 

Characters / Pairings: None

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 250 - 500 words 

Summary: My master told me that you can tell how long before midwinter by counting the starly.

Hark, a starly lights against the sky

and opens up its wings to feel the sun.

How majestic it appears in flight!

how far it goes before the day is done.

But pity! for its hour comes at last

when death consumes all villains in his grasp

and starlys fall with arrows striking fast

and flightless, lies and shudders with a gasp.

For though a bird has naught to do with war,

a ribbon holding scrolls means confidence,

and as I nock an arrow on the fore,

a starly falls for joining in the dance.

A war brings death to every living thing,

despite their desire to fly, and sing.

...

Stare at the sky with me and count the starly. Count them. See? Twenty. There's fifteen. A flock, forty or more. There are hundreds. Thousands, even. Innumerable, like the stars.

You know, I don't usually take guards on missions with me. But you're different. You have some talent. Wars eat kids with talent, so you might as well learn something before it gobbles you right up.

When I first started doing this, my master told me that you can tell how long before midwinter by counting the starly. See? There's too many, even for your sharp eyes. That means it's around the end of October. After this, they'll start to dwindle. That makes our job much easier.

…There's the target. Nock it.

There. Just there. That one, see? You can see the white.

Now.

Growlithe, go get it. Message intact.

See? That's how you do it; you've got a sharp eye. Who taught you to shoot, anyway? …a hunting family? Makes sense.

…then, why are you crying? This is war. We can't let messenger birds just deliver messages, no matter who they're from. We have an enemy, you know.

Best saddle up, kid. We're moving on, and if you're not ready to fight, you'd best head on home. Before that fluttery heart of yours gets you killed.

[violintuition]

Paper Trails - frayed nerves

Universe: Bleach

Characters / Pairings: Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, etc

Genre: Humor, Tragedy

Length: 750 - 1000 words 

Summary: [A piece of notebook paper with a scotch tape attached to the top. It is entitled "Rules for Ichigo's Room" in a practically illegible scrawl...]

[A piece of notebook paper with a scotch tape attached to the top. It is entitled "Rules for Ichigo's Room" in a practically illegible scrawl. This scrawl somehow becomes even more illegible as one moves down the page. Though most lines are written in black ink, a few use blue ballpoint pen or even marker.]

[While the piece of paper bears numerous stains from water, food, blood, fire, and what appears to be sword marks, it somehow remains intact. Copious amounts of scotch tape prevents it from splitting in several locations.]

[The list appears to go on for several pages, but only the front contains items from this list. The backs of pages contain multicolored signatures in many different handwritings. They read: 'Thank you, Ichigo.']

['Thank you.']

['We are always with you.']

RULES FOR ICHIGO'S ROOM

1. No entry without permission.

2. Knock before entering.

3. Find a better way to wake me up besides jumping on me, dad.

4. That means no air horns.

5. It also means no buckets of water.

6. Don't draw bunnies on my wall! Especially not in Sharpie.

7. …if you must draw bunnies on my wall, at least paint over it after.

8. Watching me sleep is not an acceptable way to learn about the World of the Living.

9. Kon is not allowed in the closet when Rukia is changing.

10. Nor is he allowed in the bathroom when Rukia is using it.

11. Only the first five rules will be displayed on the outside of my door.

12. I know you like candles, Rukia. But please don't leave them burning when you go to school.

13. Quit copying my schoolwork.

14. If you're going to copy my schoolwork, don't complain when you get bad grades!

15. Let me know before I go to sleep if we'll be hunting Hollows that night.

16. If I am asleep, don't wake me up by punching me out of my body.

17. Or by sticking Kon down my throat.

18. Urahara: I have a cell phone. Use that to send me messages, not bloodstains on my wall.

19. If I don't come back from this, someone be sure to burn these rules.

20. Urahara: quit sending me bouquets of flowers to apologize. My family thinks I have a secret admirer.

21. No one except Rukia is allowed to sleep in my closet.

22. Particularly if you don't let me know beforehand.

23. No storing gigai in my closet.

24. No storing clothing in my closet.

25. That does not mean you can dump all my clothes on the front lawn. I'm allowed to store clothing in my closet.

26. You also can't store it under my bed.

27. Quit installing entrances to my bedroom in the ceiling.

28. And the closet.

29. And especially not in my sisters' room! What is wrong with you people?!

30. I'm pretty sure my dad and sister can see you guys. So no nude photoshoots on my lawn.

31. Yes, Rangiku. That means you.

32. Yachiru: Just because Yuzu makes more than enough food for the family, doesn't mean you can come by just to eat stuff.

33. No using Karin's tennis rackets for sparring.

34. Yoruichi: Quit stealing all the neighborhood cats and trying to become their leader. Their owners don't like that.

35. Do not leave gigai anywhere in my room!

36. Especially naked. No naked gigai anywhere. Ever.

37. I don't know or care who keeps parking a motorcycle on the roof. But cut that out.

38. My bedroom is not storage space for the Women Shinigami's Association.

39. The Men Shinigami's Association is not allowed to use my bedroom for meeting space.

40. Renji: Just because Urahara won't let you sneak his leftovers, doesn't mean you can come sneak OUR leftovers.

41. Ishida: Quit leaving Hollow bait outside my window in the middle of the night!

42. If you see Inoue, tell me right away.

43. No matter what happens in Hueco Mundo, make sure that Karin and Yuzu are safe.

44. And my other friends.

45. And - just. The whole town, okay?

46. Please don't leave sympathy gifts. It's not like I'm gonna die or something.

47. Ignore all rules on this list. As long as you keep everyone safe, you can do whatever you want.

48. Make sure everyone stays out of trouble.

49. If you need a place to stay, my closet is empty. Not like I'll know you're using it.

50. Thank you all. For everything.

[violintuition]

Paper Trails - everything changes

Universe: Bleach

Characters / Pairings: Shuuhei Hisagi, Kensei Muguruma, Rojuro Otoribashi, Shinji Hirako

Genre: Mystery

Length: 500 - 750 words 

Summary: [A cover article from the Seireitei Communication. Its pages have been tattered and dog-eared by its readers, but the story remains intact. There appears to be a smudge in the lower right-hand corner; upon close investigation, it is unclear whether the brownish substance is food matter or biological remnants.]

[The following documents are considered evidence of the existence of Shinigami within Soul Society and in the World of the Living. Their presence are vital for our investigation of Soul Society's history and social norms. They also seem to carry importance to their former owners and are rudimentary to progress as such.]

[Please handle them carefully, as damage to any item could hinder our efforts.]

[Thank you for your efforts. Without your contribution, our work would be impossible.]

[A cover article from the Seireitei Communication. Its pages have been tattered and dog-eared by its readers, but the story remains intact. There appears to be a smudge in the lower right-hand corner; upon close investigation, it is unclear whether the brownish substance is food matter or biological remnants.]

[It appears as though some segments of the page have been torn off. The title of a small obituary for one 'Gin Ichimaru' is all that remains from the bottom segment, while a table of contents was once attached to the right-hand side. An illustration involving crudely-drawn rabbits seems to have occupied the lower corner, but only an ear and half a face still is visible.]

A NEW ERA IN SOUL SOCIETY

By Shuuhei Hisagi, Editor-in-Chief.

As of this past Thursday, March 15, 2012, Captain Commander Yamamoto has reappointed a number of Captains to take the places of the Winter War traitors.

In a meeting with all current Captains and lieutenants, the Captain Commander announced that three of the formerly exiled Captains will be allowed to return to their former positions. Their status as 'condemned' will also be expunged from the records.

Captain Rojuro Otoribashi will be replacing Gin Ichimaru from Third Division. As the co-founder of the Division's motto of despair, Otoribashi is known for his rapport with squad members and tactical command. Of his return to Soul Society, Otoribashi said that he hopes "that the peace that has finally returned will become everlasting" and that he welcomes "all squad members to introduce themselves personally".

To replace Sousuke Aizen in Fifth Division will be Captain Shinji Hirako. A cunning and intelligent man, Hirako is known for being an excellent leader and highly prepared person. He "can't wait to get back in the swing of things" around his squad.

Finally, Captain Kensei Muguruma will take over duties in Ninth Division, to replace Kaname Tosen. His strength of purpose and combat abilities will inspire confidence and courage in all squad members. Muguruma has shown interest in "shaping these kids up into a real squad again"; it can be assumed that he will be making many changes around the division.

The three returning Captains, along with several others, fell victim to a Hollowification experiment conducted by Sousuke Aizen approximately a century ago.

The lieutenants of these three squads have high hopes for their new Captains. Momo Hinamori of Fifth Division seems enthusiastic about the shift in particular.

Also returning to Soul Society is Mashiro Kuna, who will be co-lieutenant of Ninth Division. Others whose criminal records will be cleared include Love Aikawa, Hiyori Sarugaki, Lisa Yadomaru, Hachigen Ushoda, Tessai Tsukabishi, Kisuke Urahara, and Yoruichi Shihoin.

[violintuition]

Loose Ends

Universe: Bleach

Characters / Pairings: Rangiku Matsumoto, Izuru Kira, Gin Ichimaru

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Angst

Length: 750 - 1000 words 

Summary: When someone is cut out of your life for the last time, there are bound to be loose ends and scattered pieces.

"Are you ready?"

He nods. He turns away, before meeting her eyes, blue on blue. Sky on sea. "Yeah."

There is a scarf on the floor between them. A scarf and a pair of scissors and two lieutenants' badges. A mirror. Also a bottle of sake, since that was the only way either of them could work up the nerve to do this.

"Past the chin," Rangiku says. "No, not there. Shorter." 

Izuru obliges her.

As each bundle of honey hair falls into the scarf, she remembers pale hands, paler than those mechanically working now. She remembers a time with her hair even shorter than it is becoming, when those hands brushed it until it shined. Gold over silver. Spider fingers clasping a platinum necklace around her neck. A birthday present, he had said, but no jewelry or gemstone could match his first present to her.

She remembers sharing the pink scarf with him during the winters. Plucking persimmons from the highest branches, sailing through the air on his shoulders. Laughing on the banks of a stream made of sewage, its stench like the sweetness of cherry blossoms. 

She remembers strange bruises on her arms and thighs and neck, bruises she couldn't understand. Bruises with no source. And yet, she found herself hiding them beneath her blanket. Hiding them from him and from herself. 

She remembers lips that would smile, thin lips pressed to her cheek. Lips that would smile, smile and lie. Bare feet plodding through the snow. Irises as blue as a summer's day as he told her that he would make sure she never had to cry again. Lips that lie and eyes that cry. Tears that fell from her eyes and his eyes and melted the snow. An outstretched hand to catch them. A hand that was just as cold, just as white as the snow. 

She remembers how pieces of his hair still clung to her scarf on her first day at the Academy. She remembers seeing him just once, just once before he looked away and disappeared yet again.

The final curl falls, just as her own tears once fell on the face of a man she hated to love and loved to hate. Her hair rustles around her ears, and she smiles for all her melancholy. 

"Your turn," she tells Izuru, 

His face reads as one betrayed, but the scissors are hers. She smears his hair gently with saliva to keep it from springing back, then scolds him when he winces.

For all he has tried to forget, the snipping scissors sound like the singeing of Shinsou. As if a former captain stands right there at his ear and whispers cold breezes, little nothings that make the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. It is warm today, but Izuru still shivers beneath his shihakusho.

He remembers flared nostrils, an absurdly wide smile. Eyes that only opened in supreme anger. Eyes that always seemed to follow him. Eyes that still follow him, even now.

He remembers wrists as thin as a zanpakutou. Fragile, brittle - deceptively strong, beneath those wide sleeves. The contrast in skin color brought Izuru's own cheeks to life, even as blood drained from them in fear. Wrists flat against his hair as fingers brushed his collarbone and windpipe, just a glance, just enough. A reminder that Izuru is his, his lieutenant, his follower. Hollow sentiments, but real enough all the same, because Izuru remembers.

He remembers elbows, overly pointy elbows pressed into his back. Those were days when Izuru still smiled, looking over his shoulder for an overly enthusiastic captain who enjoyed surprises. He remembers dodging surprise after surprise, each more elaborate than the next, until he began to wonder who was really in charge here.

He remembers legs wrapping mercilessly around his own and leaving no doubt who commanded who.

"Not that part," he says. "Leave the fringe."

"All of it?" Rangiku is pouting, and her fingers against his ear pull him back. "But it's so awful!"

He also remembers his captain's words like stones disguised as feathers, so he compromises, if only to silence her. Rangiku was also his captain's student, he reminds himself. A student in the art of manipulation, of misdirection. 

As shards of hair litter the ground between them, he remembers blood, so much blood. Blood that he knew had been spilled by his captain, but a loyalty he refused to betray. A chase. A misleading word, a false step. A fight with Rangiku. A crack in the wall, and the shattering of his composure. 

Not a tear when he realized that he'd been used, that he'd been the fool all along. Not a one.

Izuru is still for several moments before he realizes that Rangiku has finished. "Hard memories, huh?" she asks, and he knows that she knows. But she is brushing the clumps of golden and platinum hair into the grass. She is dusting off her scarf. She is laughing, brushing back the hair that remains, peering into a mirror.

She is moving on.

But she still sits with Izuru until the sun is long gone, tossing up pieces of torn grass as they stare at the stars. They don't speak. They don't have to.

When someone is cut out of your life for the last time, there are bound to be loose ends and scattered pieces.

[musicintuition]

NOW ACCEPTING COMMISSIONS

As I am desperately in need of money to pay rent and purchase food, and since no one will hire a person without prior experience, I’m now going to be accepting writing commissions*.

For those who don’t know me, I am a skilled writer with tons of experience and talent. I’ve been writing my entire life, and I began writing seriously when I was roughly thirteen. I’m planning to seek publication after I graduate from school. You can see most of my fanfiction here. In addition, I’ve been a prolific roleplayer and have experience writing for a wide variety of fandoms and pairings.

I am willing to write any number of things. I will write any pairing from any of the listed series, since my list of pairings is by no means conclusive or complete. I will fulfill as specific or as vague a set of guidelines as you give me**. I will write stories about any original characters you may have, so long as you provide me with a proper description. I can also write some pretty good smut, if you’re willing to donate a bit extra.

Please keep in mind when viewing my prices below that they are based on minimum wage. The more words in a piece, the more time it takes me to write. The work I put into my writing is worth more than pocket change, don’t you think?

~~~

How to Request a Commission:

1. Send me a message on tumblr, or send an email to [email protected] with your request. That way, we can work out the details of your request and settle on a price. 

2. Click the donate button on my blog and enter the agreed-upon amount. If you can’t use paypal, I am willing to work out an alternate payment method.

3. Once you reach a confirmation screen showing a receipt, take a screenshot of that and submit it to my blog.

4. At that point, I can begin work on your commission!

~~~

Pricing:

All prices are in USD. Note that they are subject to change at any time. 

$2 for a Three Sentence Prompt (note: these can be stacked)

$8 for a drabble with less than 500 words

$10 for a drabble with 500-750 words

$12 for a one-shot with 750-1,250 words

$15 for a one-shot with 1,250-2,000 words

$20 for a one-shot with 2,000-3,000 words

$30 for a short story with 3,000-5,000 words

$45 for a short story with 5,000-10,000 words

$60 for a novelette (more than 10,000 words)

Chapter Stories: Chapter stories have a base price of $15, plus an additional amount per chapter. The number of chapters and the length of the chapters must be predetermined.

+$5 for chapters with less than 1,500 words

+$10 for chapters with 1,500-3,000 words

+$15 for chapters with more than 3,000 words

M-Rated Material: The presence of smut or explicitly graphic violence will cause the price to increase by 25%. For instance, a one shot with 1,000 words, normally priced at $12, would cost $15 for the inclusion of smut.

~~~

Any amount of money you can donate is much appreciated! I look forward to working with you.

~~~

*Technically, to avoid stepping on legal toes, I am offering gifts to accompany donations. Essentially, if you donate a certain amount of money to me, I will write you a story of your choosing, free of charge. It’s like one of those PBS pledge drives, except better. Because smut can be a prize.

**I reserve the right to turn down any prompt that I don’t feel comfortable writing.

[violintuition]

Divining Memories

Universe: Bleach

Characters / Pairings: Karin Kurosaki / Toshiro Hitsugaya

Genre: Romance; Suspense

Length: 2000 - 3000 words 

Summary: She knew only a name - Karin Shiba - and a destiny - to harness her reiatsu and become a Shinigami.

Dying wasn't as bad as Karin had imagined it to be. The people of District Three took her in, welcomed her. Before too much time passed, a woman named Kukaku invited her to join the Shiba clan. Unknowing, she accepted.

Change is a funny thing, in that it accepts you and pulls you in and eats you alive, until everything is different and new and strange. Karin learned quickly the rules of her new life. A brother and a sister; a vanished figure that haunted the siblings' nightmares. A family legacy shrouded in mystery. She knew only a name - Karin Shiba - and a destiny - to harness her reiatsu and become a Shinigami.

Ganju looked away. Karin didn't understand her brother most of the time, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. But her sister, her sister just clicked with her, pulled her closer. A strong woman. A woman who wanted the world, and a woman who cared enough to let it go.

Her eyes always lingered on Karin as she walked away. Karin, with her hair chopped short and her legs grown long and lean. Karin, unsmiling. Karin, with eyes of the chill, eyes that spoke of winters passed cold, alone.

Karin, with enough reiatsu to blow the top off the Flower Crane Cannon. Karin, with enough self-control to avoid doing so.

Karin Kurosaki, whose temperament better suited her for the work of a Shinigami than either her father or her brother before her.

…

...

Karin lost herself nightly, drifting into dreams that were at once pleasant and painful. A small town. A large university. A pair of bright blue eyes, glowing and speaking in a language she could not understand. A bright, sunlit wedding, surrounded by flowers of every color imaginable. A baby laughing and saying words she could not hear.

A man with an overlarge sword - a Shinigami. A girl with honey hair, someone she'd loved once. A boy who wore scarves during summers. Soccer games in youth. Monsters the size of automobiles. Icicles the size of trees.

She always woke from these dreams in a cold sweat, as if in snow. The first time, she wandered down the hallways in her nightgown and found Kukaku and told her everything. Something about the look on her face told Karin that she should not ask any more questions of this sort.

As summer ate away at itself and was replaced by falling leaves and rainstorms, crystal clear eyes slowly focused themselves, drew her towards them. The air smelled crisper, cleaner as she reached out towards that heartbeat, shuddering in her chest, beating as though possessed.

When winter arrived, Karin took the exam for the Academy. As expected, she was placed in the honors class.

She visited on holidays, but she found that she didn't miss home as much as she'd thought she would.

…

…

Metsukihi - Eyes of Ice, the irises that spoke chills into her soul. A name whispered in a world of rocks and trees growing from the roof of the world.

Shortly into her second year at Shino Academy, Karin sat beneath the shade of a willow tree and meditated, as she'd been taught. This was when she met Metsukihi first. She remembered clinging to the branches of fir and cedar and pine, learning that if she held the branches a certain way, they would not sting her.

The rules of the world were simple - fall and spring back, lean and rely. The winds, harsh and brutal, could crush her, or they could buoy her. The wind itself armed her with thorns and needles and shards of ice, meant to tear an enemy to pieces.

Only twice did she see the glowing eyes, immersed in the evergreen branches that hung down from above.

Upon her waking, Karin discovered that night fell soft on the Seireitei sky, with autumn's light chill settling in amidst the plants. She paused, plucking at a piece of fabric that had been laid over her sleeping form. Not hers. She found that it smelled pleasant, though.

As she picked up her zanpakuto and headed back toward the dormitory, she wrapped the green scarf, edges tattered, around herself.

…

…

"Shiba, Karin." She took her place in the line of graduates, ignoring the polite applause from the audience. Here she was, after five years. All of it condensed down to a sword and a certificate.

She couldn't shake the vague feeling of familiarity as she crossed the stage and shook the hands.

She ran her fingers over the edge of her diploma, noting the stamps that recognized her as an early graduate and an honors student. The kanji representing Metsukihi was there as well.

Later, after the celebrations ended (Kukaku tried to get Karin drunk; Karin refused all alcohol), she found herself again at the willow tree - except this time, she found the spot already occupied.

He sat in the tree, idly munching on the browning core of an apple, but when he saw her, he jumped down. Captain's haori, hair an uncharacteristic shade of white. Karin could not place the comprehension in his eyes. Karin could not place the anticipation in her heart.

"Karin… Karin Shiba. That's your name, right?" When she nodded, he kept on, reading directly from a scroll. "'Exceptionally talented in Hakuda and Zanjutsu. Acceptable in Hoho and Kido.' 'Possesses great strength of mind and talent for hard work.' 'Has developed shikai, has the potential to achieve bankai.' These are comments from your instructors. They recommend you be placed immediately in either Squad Two or Ten." The boy's eyes flicked upward, then back down, as if he was afraid to look at her. But he met her eyes in the next moment, and she doubted again.

"I've come to invite you to join my Squad. As a seated officer."

"…what?"

The little crinkle between his eyebrows lengthened, and Karin didn't understand why that look struck her as so familiar, so eerily near. "You heard me, didn't you? I want you to join Squad Ten, as my Seventh Seat. Will you?"

She didn't hesitate. With a nod and the handing of a sheaf of papers, designating her transfer and instructions, he turned to go.

"Wait!" She stepped after him, and he stopped to glance back. "Who are you?"

"...Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya."

It wasn't until later that she realized where she'd seen the color of his eyes before - the scarf, which still hung in her closet, next to her old academy uniform.

…

…

"Pierce, Metsukihi!" The sound of splintering wood, followed by a rush of wind.

But ice already clustered at the feet of her Captain, and the wind meant to slice turned on its master's hand, until the air between them nearly tore them both off the ground. "Reign upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

And it was over, as Karin's pine-needle weapon collapsed and fell apart. She fell to her knees, gasping for air. Captain Hitsugaya hadn't even broken a sweat. Pathetic, she told herself. Pathetic, that you can't even land a hit.

"Your incantation is wrong," Hitsugaya told her as he approached. He seemed unconcerned for her condition, for which Karin was grateful. "Pierce is only the first part. In order to understand Metsukihi, you need to find the full incantation."

Karin thought about it and realized that, yes, most of the Captains had longer incantations than their subordinates. "Did you start out like this? With just 'reign'?"

Hitsugaya nodded and started walking back toward the barracks, prompting Karin to pull herself to her feet in order to run after. "A zanpakuto reveals its secrets slowly, through a deep relationship. Don't be like those guys in Squad Eleven, who ignore their zanpakutos."

The Captain stoically marched away, presumably to finish more paperwork. Karin left herself behind in thought, wondering why, why Metsukihi kept telling Karin to remember, as if there was something important to remember…

"Agh!" Pain shot through the back of her head, as if she'd been struck with something. In the instance her eyes shut, she saw a figure, no, more… speaking more words she could not understand.

She turned around, but there was nothing to see.

She frowned and continued walking. Two days later, Metsukihi created a storm of pine needles coated in icicles.

…

…

The nightmares returned, and once again, Karin kept them to herself. This time, familiar faces wove themselves through her memory - Captain Hitsugaya; Vice Captain Abarai of Squad Six; Vice Captain Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen; even the Substitute Shinigami whose face she had only seen in photographs.

Karin Shiba had lived in the Seireitei for nearly two decades now, but by the standards of Shinigami, she was no more than a child. As a human, she would not have allowed herself to cry, not at more than twenty years of living. But as a Shinigami, she could not help herself.

Usually, she appeased her waking fears by pulling herself out of bed and going to the mound of paperwork that sat on her Captain's desk, hoping that the mundaneness would be enough to distract her, lull her back to sleep.

But on rare occasions, Karin would walk into the office only to find her Vice Captain sprawled on the couch, sake in hand, snoring gently. Karin would slip a stack of papers and drag them toward the hallway - except Matsumoto, despite her heavy slumber, would wake up and tell Karin to set those back down ('I'll get to them in the morning') and open her arms, and Karin, still shaky from her nightmares, would acquiesce, curling deep into the woman's side.

Despite the fact that these occasions usually resulted in Karin nearly suffocating against Matsumoto's bosom, Karin never had the nightmares as she slept by another's side.

…

…

"K- Shiba."

"Yes, Captain?"

"I'm promoting you to Fifth Seat."

"…alright."

An era of peace had set in, or so it seemed. Karin's greatest duties were attending to paperwork involving the transfer of officers between Squads. One of those transfers turned out to be the former Fifth Seat. Not that anyone was particularly surprised, since the man had seemed to be the type that belonged in Squad Eleven.

When war came, as it always did, Hitsugaya stopped training with Karin and turned his attention to the protection of the World of the Living. When he traveled there - going to protect some place called Karakura Town - he put Karin in charge of the Squad in Seireitei.

When she asked why, he only hesitated for a split second, before telling her that he needed her diligence and attention to detail in order to make sure everything ran smoothly.

When he walked away from her, she almost believed him.

She picked that moment to glance at Vice Captain Matsumoto, who stared at Captain Hitsugaya's back as well. Pupils dilated, mouth set in a thin curve; Karin knew only that she'd lost herself to memories in that instant.

And as the white-haired Captain departed through the Senkaimon, Matsumoto barely remembered to follow him through before its closing.

After that, the dreams returned, pestering Karin to no end. She found herself sleeping practically nightly in Hitsugaya's office, since something about the musty smell of paperwork and the musky smell of that rancid old couch made her feel safe. The dreams found her still, but not as often.

Tales of battle crossed her desk. Reports of squad members killed or injured in combat; medical records from Squad Four; requests for support from the Substitute Shinigami. She approved or denied them based solely on protocol; the Head Captain had said to leave Ichigo Kurosaki out of this, so that's what she wrote. 'The other heroes can handle this,' she told herself firmly. They would send the Vice Captains to the front lines, and then the Captains.

Imagine the shock written on her face when battle found her, a mere Fifth Seat!

…

…

She woke with a sputtering gasp, as if submerged. The back of her throat burned, and something dug into a large bruise on her temple. She sat up to white walls and red bandages, trying to remember.

She'd been ambushed. The enemy had snuck into Seireitei, and she'd been ambushed. Struck on the head, kicked to the ground. She remembered nothing, not a face, not an attack.

"So you're finally awake."

Karin would have jumped out of the Squad Four cot if not for the straps suspending her (presumably) broken leg. "Captain?!"

Toshiro Hitsugaya never smiled, but the ghost of one graced his lips. "I'm glad you're okay, Ku- Karin."

She looked away, tasting persimmons on the roof of her mouth. "I failed you. I couldn't protect anyone."

"That's true. But… I don't care. You're okay. The fight is over, for now."

"…Captain." Karin blinked slowly, and an oddly familiar stress line fractured her eyebrow. "Who was I?"

This was not the question that Toshiro Hitsugaya had expected. He ran circles in his mind. This wasn't supposed to happen, not yet. Not until someone more capable could explain things to her. "What do you mean?"

"I know it's not my first name you keep starting your sentences with." Karin K- but what was the rest? "I've seen you. In my dreams, in the World of the Living. I was there, wasn't I?" Wasn't I?

A long pause. A long sigh. "I was supposed to keep you out of danger." Toshiro paced, drawing long footsteps upon the tiles. "You were Karin Kurosaki. And I was the third Shinigami you met, or maybe the fourth." Green eyes met silver. "The first was Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami. Your brother."

She didn't remember. Still, after far too many bad dreams. But she could attach titles to faces - the honey-haired girl who nearly got hit by a car in every dream was her sister; the Substitute Shinigami bleeding his life away on pavement was her brother; the man crying over a fuzzy-eyed body was her father.

There were they, the three of them, standing over a pair of graves; one large, one small; one old and stately, the other freshly dug. Others watched, too - a man with pale hair and a cane; a boy with red hair, baseball bat stowed at his feet; a woman with flower barrettes pinned to a blue dress.

On one side, a group of Shinigami. Rukia Kuchiki. Renji Abarai.

Toshiro Hitsugaya.

Karin barely noticed tears blurring her vision.

But gentle hands cupped her cheek, wiped them away. "Karin," he said. "Karin, it's okay. It'll make sense, I promise."

Her eyes squeezed shut, squeezed until she thought they might burst. "You knew? All this time, and you never told me?" Injuries aside, she knew her reiatsu swelled then, though she was nothing compared to her Captain. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. "Because you didn't know. And remembering is harder than forgetting."

"Toshiro." Hitsugaya glanced up, eyes sharp as ice. "I won't call you 'Captain Hitsugaya', now that I know who you are. Or who you were to me."

"Er… what do you mean? Who was I to you?"

Karin glanced away, down. Blushed. She hadn't meant to reveal that much, but now she'd trapped herself. She knew what those dreams meant, how insistent they'd been upon drawing a person close and intertwining fingers with a dragon. "I think… I think I loved you."

As she spoke, she felt the truth of it on her tongue. As she shut her mouth, she read the truth of it in her Captain's eyes. Shock and pure wonder, like a child in his first snowstorm.

He kissed her. The next day, she remembered everything.

[violintuition]

Life After

Universe: Bleach

Characters / Pairings: Rukia Kuchiki / Ichigo Kurosaki

Genre: Romance; Tragedy; Angst

Length: 250 - 500 words 

Summary: There comes a time where a man must give his life for a promise he made to his friend, or so they say.

I wish the sky would fall down upon us, stars streaking like diamonds frosting the heavens. I wish for clear skies and goodbyes without regret, goodbyes that aren't forever, goodbyes that don't mean anything because a 'hello' will follow soon after. I wish that a full moon would rise over the world and hover, suspended in time and space.

I wish the space in between us was thicker, more tangible, more touchable. I wish I could sit next to you and hold your hand and feel you holding mine in return.

I wish you could still feel my touch, hear my voice, see my face. Taste my tears as we reach out and keen into the slightest brush of lips.

At least let me pretend to mean something to you.

There comes a time where a man must give his life for a promise he made to his friend, or so they say. But why there? Why then? How could you vanishing from my life protect your friends? How could that help anyone? 

Not that you had a choice, faced with death or the destruction of everything you loved.  But your despair - how it hurts, to see you helpless in its face.

I lived on, but a part of you haunts me like the spirit you once were.

You lived on, but a part of me died alongside you that day.

[violintuition]

my only sunshine

Universe: Bleach

Characters / Pairings: Shuuhei Hisagi / Izuru Kira

Genre: Romance; Hurt/Comfort; Fluff

Length: 500 - 750 words 

Summary: For someone so filled with despair, Kira is so bright, so bright.

you are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are grey

...

...

They aren't used to the quiet times, the times when they can sit on a hillside and watch the sun rise and fall, rise and fall. Gone are the days of peace, when their biggest fears are Hollows and the Head Captain. Nine days until the end of the world.

Hisagi reaches out to grasp Kira's hand, before he remembers that Kira no longer has a hand on that side.

He pretends to stretch instead.

Kira makes Hisagi forget. Forget that he doesn't have bankai yet, and if the world is going to end in nine days, he probably never will. Forget that he's not the lieutenant his Captain wants him to be. Forget that he's no good as a writer, or a musician, or a cook. Kira makes him forget, because inadequacy is something Izuru Kira considers irrelevant, irreverent, irrational. Kira says inadequacy doesn't exist. Kira says that everyone is perfect in their own way (except for him; he hates himself too much for that).

Hisagi disagrees. No one is perfect. No one, except for Kira.

Hisagi ducks his head but not quick enough, because Kira sees him staring and turns toward him. A question in his eyes, in the shrug of his neck: 'do you need something from me?' and no longer 'did I do something wrong?' Kira has grown. Kira is better now. Kira no longer fears those who will protect him, and he no longer glances behind him in the night. Hisagi answers with a smile and an arm over a shoulder.

Kira isn't watching the clouds anymore. He stares at the horizon, level, watching where the walls intersect with the sky. Hisagi sees the pillar to one side, the pillar where Hisagi lost him and found him again. There had been so much blood, so many bodies, and Kira's reiatsu had been so faint, ebbing like water spilled on sand.

Hisagi felt this and still he pulled Kira out. Still he held his own hand into Kira's side and dragged the nearest Squad Four member over and watched and watched until Kira's breathing no longer came with small choked sprays of blood. Still he held onto the remaining hand. Still he cried, even though crying was something that Shuuhei Hisagi did not do, because it was okay to cry for Kira.

It's hard to breathe, hard to think with his throat all choked up like this. Kira notices. Kira turns his head, his soft hair, into Hisagi's neck. "It's okay," he murmurs, and the silence isn't broken, because Kira's words are wind and leaves and buzzing insects. "It'll be alright."

He pushes Hisagi gently into the grass, then pulls his head onto his own chest. There, the heartbeat. There, the gentle rise and fall of a diaphragm. There, the push and pull of reiatsu. Kira is nature; Kira is like the sea, rocking Hisagi to sleep. Kira is safety and comfort and everything bright.

Without Kira, there is nothing. Without Kira, there is only darkness and death.

They aren't used to the quiet times, the times when they can sit on a hillside and watch the stars fly and fall. There is always war, now. The world ends in nine days. Hisagi asks and receives permission to kiss the place where Kira once had an arm. He doesn't care if the world ends tonight or tomorrow or in a millennia. If there is no Kira, it might as well be over for him as well.

Kira tastes like dandelions against his lips. Hisagi smiles, despite himself. For someone so filled with despair, Kira is so bright, so bright...

...

...

you'll never know, dear, how much I love you so please don't take my sunshine away.

...

...

...

[violintuition]

Nothing Better

Universe: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Characters / Pairings: Lissa / Maribelle, Owain, Morgan

Genre: Romance; Fluff; Family

Length: 250 - 500 words 

Summary: "Lissa, our boy would be cleaner if he were a hog."

Two boys run down the path. With the way evening sunlight strikes the grass. turning everything vibrant, you would think it midsummer but for the damp spring flowers just blossoming. 

From the window of a cottage peers a blonde woman - severe, impatient - and yet, she stares at the taller of the two as if she ways to reprimand him, all the while covering his face with butterfly kisses.

"Lissa," she calls out. "Our son's home. He brought Morgan."

Lissa lets fumes rise from the stove but smiles. They'll be along soon enough. 

She wins some, she loses some.

Lissa can smell Morgan before she sees him; grass and horse dung and sweat, against her citrus tea! "You smell awful," she tells him. Brown hair ruffled, the boy pouts. She looks away. He's too cute to criticize when he puffs out his cheeks like that. (Funny, since Maribelle says the same of Lissa.)

"'s not my fault, Owain's the one who wanted to go on an adventure!" Morgan wipes his forehead and accidentally smears more dirt across it. Lissa tugs him to the wash basin and scrubs his hands and face until the gleam like a newborn's bottom.

"So what's for dinner, anyway?" Owain is up the steps and through the door. "I want fish."

Lissa kisses his forehead. Blonde hair drips water on her tile floor, and his shirt is missing. No doubt Maribelle has burned or submerged it. "When you're cooking dinner, you can make fish." Lissa giggles. She's too young for this - too young and too short. Another growth spurt and Owain will surpass her. She hands him two plates and follows with three more.

Amidst the chaos, Maribelle sneaks into the room and smooches her wife, just behind the ear where she favors most. Lissa jumps. "Lissa, our boy would be cleaner if he were a hog," she says, and the princess smiles. "I don't know what I expected, really." Filthy son or no, there is nothing better than this.

Lissa serves the stew. They all agree it is delicious.

[violintuition]

Notice: I am no longer writing anything associated with Avatar: the Last Airbender. Please stop requesting it, and apologies.

Edit: This might change in the future, but for now, don't count on seeing anything from ATLA.