お手伝いなら任せて！

Touken Ranbu RP Blog Afilliated with Città Alveare. Horikawa Kunihiro Status: Citizen Housing: Delta Izuminokami Kanesada's partner & self-proclaimed assistant.

[shiningpunisher]

Loose Ends Tied

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

As Horikawa and Tasuku made their intentions known, more men swarmed onto the scene, beckoned by the commotion and their comrades’ voices. With practiced expertise, Tasuku bravely leapt into the fray. He drew no weapon–he neither wanted nor needed to. The enemies were just normal humans, unarmed for the most part, and he saw no need to be fighting with any of the mystical forces he commanded.

Instead, Tasuku spun and leapt, slamming his foot into one man’s jaw and using the falling body as leverage to leap at a second one, throwing all of his body weight into the drop kick and sending him down. A beefy fist flew at him out of nowhere, and Tasuku barely swerved to avoid it–as the hand brushed past his face, Tasuku pivoted on his heel and grabbed the third man’s arm. Gao’s teachings came into play here; Tasuku used the momentum and threw the man over his shoulder, slamming his back into the ground. A fourth received an elbow to his face for his trouble, and Tasuku let a fifth plow into the reeling thug. 

But more were on their way. Horikawa seemed to be doing fine, but his stamina couldn’t have been indefinite, and neither was Tasuku’s. The loan sharks had numbers on their side, and the two would get overwhelmed if this continued on.

“Tasuku-san, let’s part here. I’ll take care of the rest, so you go on ahead!”

Horikawa spoke over the ruckus, and though Tasuku wanted to protest, he knew it was the best choice. Horikawa was perfectly capable of looking after himself, with swordsmanship that could best even the best swordsman, and Tasuku nodded.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the innermost room!”

Keep reading

Finding the innermost room was effortless, Horikawa simply having to follow the trail of unconscious bodies strewn about. A few more fights later, and he was at the apex of the said nest, starting down the stairwell as things seemed to have finally come to a close. Tasuku’s expertise as a professional enforcer wasn’t to be mocked, but just as he let down his guard, it happened.

From the mounds of bodies surrounding him arose one directly behind the young cop, raising a careful barrel in his general direction, finger pulling at the trigger--

Horikawa sped forward. With all of his inhuman capability, he thrust himself in between the incoming bullet and Tasuku’s body, raising his imitation blade with such precision that the metal projectile met its midsection exactly, splintering the wood as it gave way and split the weapon indefinitely. 

Everyone stood stark silent as a result of the intervention, gunshot still ringing about the walls as unfaltering aqua eyes burned into the fearful look of the perpetrator, ablaze as they took on the likeness of ruthless lightning. 

“Cheap shots aren’t permitted... not on my watch.”

And before the gunman could even utter anything in his shock, Horikawa swung a hard kick against their abdomen, blowing off his steam as he sent them flying backward. Thank goodness he hadn’t arrived even a second later...

“Sorry it took me so long,” and within the same beat, Horikawa smiled to the other, collecting the other piece of his broken blade as he, too, faced the main target cowering in their mercy. “Are you alright, Tasuku-san?”

[shiningpunisher]

Loose Ends Tied

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

Horikawa hadn’t been lying when he spoke of his skill. With movements that were almost two fast for even Tasuku’s eyes to follow, Horikawa had quickly dispatched of all of the thugs patrolling the outer area. He was quickly beginning to feel relieved that Horikawa had shown up…

“He made an opening… Jack, can you stay outside and watch the entrance in case the boss escapes? It’ll draw too much attention if there are three of us in here, and it’d be harder for you to take your true form indoors…”

“I don’t like it, but that boy has shown his worth. Just don’t come to back to me in pieces, Tasuku.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

He leapt down from the ledge he had been perched on and landed lightly as Jack flew in the other direction. They stealthily entered the building, the booming music masking their already silent steps.

“I had my Dragonarms scan the building earlier, and it looks like the guy we’re looking for is in the innermost room on the bottom floor. Jack also confirmed his location. I memorized the layout of the building, so just follow my lead.”

“Hey! What’re you brats doing in here?!”

“…! Shoot…”

Of course there would be men prowling along the halls too, and the duo had had a bout of misfortune in stumbling upon a small group.

“Hey, they’re pretty cute. You think the boss will like’em?”

“Good point… C’mere, kids, we’ll play with ya…”

Disgusting…

“Horikawa-san, we’ll have to do this the hard way. Are you ready?”

Without the need for verbal confirmation, Horikawa was already on the offensive, watching their opponents carefully as they made the first move; using their sheer size to their advantage, one attempted to spread their arms wide to grab Horikawa from the back while another rushed him from the front, the gesture overwhelming to any ordinary small figure, but the touken danshi was quick to think on his feet. Ducking down and missing the swipe of arms trying to nab him, he leapt forward and jabbed his knee into the anterior man’s face, flipping his body with a twirl as he sent him flailing into the nearest wall with a follow up kick. Landing without missing a beat, he didn’t even need to turn on his heel in order to feel the aggressive presence sauntering over to him, swiftly using the hilt of his blade to protrude out from behind him as it met his subsequent attacker’s gut, paralyzing them on the spot as a another smack to the head took care of him just as promptly.

 It was a lot easier than dealing with units of the Retrograde Time Army, that was for sure.

Looking over his shoulder to see that Tasuku had dealt with his side, more were already arriving at the scene of all of the commotion, one of them running off to try and alert their boss. Seeing that the mission would escalate as long as they both remained stagnate, Horikawa took a stand as he stepped in front of the young cop, determined to buy them time.

“Tasuku-san, let’s part here. I’ll take care of the rest, so you go on ahead!”

[shiningpunisher]

Loose Ends Tied

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

“Huh?”

Right, Horikawa had mentioned that he was a walking, talking sword. But that was just the thing.

“I’m not doubting your skill, but even though you’re a sword, you have a human body now. That means you can get hurt, or even killed, by the same things that would hurt me, right? So even more so, I don’t want you to be exposed to any danger unnecessarily. Because we’re friends…”

“Wait, Tasuku. It might be worth bringing him along. We’re severely outnumbered, and it won’t take much for a mission like this to go wrong. Besides, look at the child… He’s practically leaping up to assist you. His eyes are burning with the same determination yours are. Don’t spit on that resolve.”

“Jack…”

It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust Horikawa, but Tasuku was still reluctant to place his new friend in danger. He couldn’t deny what Jack was saying, though–nor could he deny the blazing turquoise eyes that stared at him. Horikawa wouldn’t take no for an answer, and Tasuku could tell that much.

“…Alright. But promise me you’ll be careful.”

He glanced at Jack, and then at Horikawa.

“Horikawa-san, can you accompany me, then? And Jack, I’ll need you to fly around the perimeter to make sure no one escapes. From what I’ve learned, there’s only one guy calling the shots–once we get him, the others will scatter. Things will be a lot easier from then on out.

“We need to prioritize taking the boss into custody. Are we all clear on that?”

“Understood.”

But first, they needed to get intside.

Peering over the ledge and surveying the layout from their vantage point, the building in question from the south was following a simple patrol pattern: several individuals circling and pacing around the perimeter of the lot while stationed pairs stood at each face at the ready to assist. Your typical affair, but one slip-up could alert the ones inside, and bring more complications than necessary.

“Tasuku-san, allow me.”

Dropping down and landing with the quietest of taps, Horikawa continued his momentum as he sprung forward on his lowered haunches. Drawing back his wooden blade and cracking it over the back of one of the lookouts’ necks, the distinct sound of a dry grunt was enough to alert the closest ally nearby but not quickly enough to avoid Horikawa’s strike to their gut with the bluntest part of his weapon. With two already out cold on the concrete, he disposed of the rest that circled around, dragging their bodies out of view as he gave Tasuku the signal that the coast was clear.

Entering through the unlocked back door (how careless..), Horikawa followed at the young cop’s heels, eyes darting about the darkened hall leading further into the vicinity. The lights above them were dim and flickering, the low reverberation of loud music playing from the floor beneath their feet shaking the floorboards, while the occasional laugh or breakout of conversation came from the closed doors around them.

But which would be the boss’s location he wondered?

“It’s not as simple as checking each room is it? We’ll cause too much of a ruckus... Tasuku-san, do you already have an indication of where our target is nested?”

[shiningpunisher]

Loose Ends Tied

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

“Ah… Yeah, I am.”

He lowered his sword and turned to back to the sight below. A group of men had just arrived in a minivan and were conversing outside of the warehouse’s door.

“Those guys down there belong to a group of criminals. They’ve been involved in all kinds of nasty things, including extortion, human trafficking, and the drug trade. That’s only the tip of the iceberg too.”

“An acquaintance of mine was a victim, and he was hospitalized because of it. I’d like to go down there and arrest the whole lot, but I don’t have the means to, since there are so many of them. And if we call for back-up now, that’ll just attract too much attention… A lot of the higher-ups are slippery fish, based on their files. So me and Jack–my partner, I mean–are trying to come up with a plan. Oh, speak of the devil…”

A pinprick of light soared around the back of the building and Jack appeared from it, taking a place beside Tasuku.

“Tasuku. There’s an entrance in the back that’s not guarded. It’s probably locked, but there are a couple of vents I can get into to unlock it.”

“Alright. Thanks, Jack.” Tasuku nodded and turned to Horikawa. “Horikawa-san, you shouldn’t stay here. Things could get pretty ugly.”

“... Take me with you.”

Despite Tasuku’s quick dismissal of the touken danshi beside him, Horikawa’s wide eyes burned with the ignited flame of determination. The mention of such unjustifiable individuals made his altruistic heart reach out to the victims involved, not wanting the string of crimes to continue. 

“Tasuku-san, I’ll be of an invaluable help to you and your mission. I’m exceedingly proficient in both scouting and stealth...”

He had had plenty of experience during his time with his unit hunting down members of the Time Retrograde Army. Not to mention all the remnants he had been fighting against in this rat’s maze of a prison city. He was more than ready for an organized assault. 

“And have you forgotten? I’m the physical manifestation of a sword.. I am essentially a weapon to be wielded for the good of mankind. Don’t underestimate me for my youthful appearance.”

[shiningpunisher]

Loose Ends Tied

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

Days of staking out the loan shark and his minions had led Tasuku to their hideout, a grim and dark place in one of the corners of Sector oo3. He watched as men in suits came to and from the warehouse, though given the volume of people that entered, it must have been much larger on the inside.

“So this is where the head honcho is…”

But there was no way to enter from here without a full on frontal assault–something that Tasuku wasn’t equipped for. So as he crouched on the rooftop of one of the adjacent buildings, Tasuku waited for Jack to report back to him, while keeping the Future Force and Dragofearless at the ready…

“…?!”

There was a sudden presence behind him and Tasuku whirled around, Dragofearless pointed at the newcomer. But what he found instead of an enemy was instead a familiar face.

“…Horikawa-san?! What are you doing in a place like this?”

From the corner of his eye, Horikawa had caught sight of a very small figure moving swiftly throughout the shadows of the nearest street corner. Inevitably curious as to what it had been--friend? foe?--he gave chase, finding a surge of cognizance that hit him almost immediately at the sight of sky blue curls and a round face...

Tasuku-san?

To confirm his suspicions, he proceeded with stealth, just in case he would give away the young cop’s position to incoming danger--But it didn’t take long for him to get spotted, Tasuku’s sensitive reflexes tipping him off of a pursuant and Horikawa holding up his hands in amenity the moment he was detected. 

“Ah, I could very well ask you the same question, Tasuku-san...”

Offering a smile in defeat, Horikawa approached the other’s side, crouching down low so that they could comfortably speak without worry of any wandering ears. 

“I was on my nightly patrol when I saw you from a distance. Are you on an investigation...?”

[yamauchiansatsu]

Inhumanity

The rain fell hard that night, and as polished shoes skidded along the slick pavement, tempered metal met the likes of a sturdy, wooden katana, clashing again and again as a heated battle stormed alongside the rumbling thunder above. 

To think I’d have to face an Oodachi on my own like this..

Horikawa barely had time to think ahead, relying solely on instinct alone as he dodged with amble reflexes, using his smaller size to his advantage. Another part of the struggle was due to the fact that he was ill equipped--not that this handicap could be helped. But without his signature blade, and being downgraded to that made of wood, made the battle all the more dangerous on his part.

Slipping up on a murky puddle and twisting his torso so that he could avoid being skewered to death, Horikawa then found a robust kick landing squarely in his gut, sending him sailing across the alley and slamming into the farthest wall. Winded and unsure if something had broken from that direct attack, Horikawa slid down from the bricked surface and onto his knees, grasping his middle as he coughed to relieved his breathless lungs.

Coming toward him now was the towering form of swirling malice, the massive Oodachi belonging to the Time Retrograde Army, glowing red eyes glinting through the downpour and boring into Horikawa’s own glaring gaze. 

I have to get up... But I can’t even feel my legs...

Against his body’s protests, Horikawa braced himself, proxy weapon at the ready as the enemy sped towards him--

@piercinghit

[yamauchiansatsu]

Depths of the Heart

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

Thankfully, Horikawa had responded…though his eyes looked strangely hollow. Was he still shaken from nearly drowning…? Nevertheless, Tasuku could let out a sigh of relief to see that his newest friend was physically alright.

“I don’t know… Something weird’s happening to the city again. I didn’t really catch the city-wide announcement from the scientists, but it’s probably their idea of a sick joke…”

He glanced back at the stretch of water behind him, only to find that…it had completely vanished. What had been rough waters moments earlier was now just a quiet and unassuming side street–as it should’ve been.

“Huh…?”

“The water… It’s completely gone.”

What on earth had that been, then? Had they both imagined that? And yet, Tasuku’s clothes were still sopping with water, and he was acutely aware of how frigid the air felt against his wet hair and face. 

Right… That was more important than figuring out what had happened. The both of them would be subject to hypothermia at this rate. Tasuku stood first and offered a hand to the ailing Horikawa.

“Hey… I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s something off about the city again. Let’s stick together until it settles itself, okay? We should get somewhere warm.”

“What...?!”

Looking over his own shoulder just to confirm such an absurdity, it was as Tasuku had said--the crosswalk had completely returned to normal, the usual street now even and solid as the rest the strip. Absolutely bizarre.

“How... can this be?”

An illusion..? But that had all felt too real to be a mere figment of his imagination; not to mention both he and Tasuku had experienced the wrath of such vicious waters, clothing now soaked as a direct result. Was this really the doing of those infamous Scientists that ruled over their domain? But how would they be able to pull off such a feat..?

“Hey… I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s something off about the city again. Let’s stick together until it settles itself, okay? We should get somewhere warm.”

“That... would probably be for the best. I can’t thank you enough.”

Getting back onto his feet and trying to walk off the slight tremble in his step, Horikawa couldn’t help but glance back in paranoia, watching the ground carefully just in case the mysterious sea decided to try and swallow him whole as his back was turned...

[catastrophy-cat]

Hori and Kane fighting together

Katsugeki Touken Ranbu ep. 13

[yamauchiansatsu]

Depths of the Heart

[yamauchiansatsu]

tasukusenpai:

Something strange had befallen the city again. There were no monstrous abominations this time, at least not yet, but hearing the panic erupt around him sent chills down his spine. What was going on?

I hope everyone’s safe… I should go find them…

He didn’t have to search for long before he saw a familiar face. Or a familiar back, rather.

“Wait, that’s…”

“Horikawa-san?! Watch out–!”

…And that didn’t last long either. Tasuku saw as an entire stretch of concrete became water beneath Horikawa’s feet, and the other boy plunged beneath the dark, thrashing waves.

“Horikawa-san!”

He wasn’t yet close enough to dive in, but Tasuku wasted no time in running over to the water’s edge. By this time, Horikawa had completely disappeared into the darkness, and as no longer resurfacing. Without a second thought, Tasuku dove in too.

The water was frigid, and the undertow was powerful. It took all of Tasuku’s strength to swim against the current, but he could see Horikawa just below him, his panicked green eyes wide, and a hand reaching out haplessly. Horikawa only seemed to be sinking deeper and deeper. But Tasuku was almost there, he could reach him…!

He grasped Horikawa’s outstretched hand and pulled him upwards. The current battered their bodies every which way, but Tasuku swam as hard as he could. It was difficult; it was like dragging an iron weight through the water. But with a burst of strength, Tasuku powered himself upwards, bursting through the surface of the water with Horikawa and taking a greedy gasp of air. 

“Hori…Horikawa-san, hold on…!”

The waves still tossed the two boys to and fro, but Tasuku held Horikawa close to him as he swam for the edge of the street. It was with monumental effort when he finally reached it, dragging his heavy body, and Horikawa’s, onto solid ground again, and away from the water’s edge. Soaking wet and coughing, Tasuku turned to Horikawa, who was awake, yet strangely unresponsive beside him.

“Hey…!” He grasped Horikawa’s shoulders and shook him lightly. “Hey, are you okay?!”

As Horikawa watched in horror as the margin of light filtering through the rippling waters grew more and more distant, did the hope in his heart of being rescued diminish too. Unlike his original form in the past, his current human body was susceptible to the lack of oxygen, his vision blurring as his consciousness began to slip...

Is this really.. how it ends..?

But just then, a firm grasp had enclosed around his own, unfocused aqua hues catching sight of a determined facade tugging him back up to the surface.

Aruji.....-san....? All he could recall from those long few moments of fading in and out of awareness were coughing out the remnants of salt water from his system as he desperately relieved his lungs. And by some miracle, he had been saved, finding himself hunched over on solid pavement, attempting to retrieve the mind that still felt trapped under the cruel depths. 

“Hey, are you okay?!”

That voice...

“Tasuku... -san.”

Again, he had mistaken the young cop for his master, but gaining some sense to respond properly, did he make sure to give his gratitude. 

“Y-yes... thanks to you. Wh-what’s happening..? Why was there... a sea...?”

[yamauchiansatsu]

Depths of the Heart

--Something sinister has fallen upon this city.  That was Horikawa’s initial thought as he circulated rounds on his daily patrol. The citizens around him were also uneasy, utterances of fear and paranoia buzzing into his ear as a stray scream of horror bellowed out in the distance. Strange... there didn’t seem to be any immediate visible changes, from what Horikawa could perceive.

So what exactly was it that had everyone so shaken...?

Trekking the streets with utmost caution, noting nothing of significance thus far, Horikawa turned a corner into an eerily vacant crosswalk, the off-pitch light signal filling his anxious heart with subtle dread. Weren’t there usually more people here...?

But he couldn’t remain idle in place, thinking nothing of it as he stepped into the street, only for his foot to never hit solid ground. Instead, his entire body dropped, plunging into what was now an incredibly dark body of water taking up the middle section of the area.

“Water---?!”

Coming back up for air and desperately wading to get back onto the sidewalk, it only seemed to float farther and farther away from his reach the more he swam, the rising rapids acting in such a way that prevented Horikawa from remaining afloat. And as the waves began thrashing about more violently, did he finally get pulled down beneath its unforgiving wiles, his body responding with nothing more than shock and adrenaline. Opening his mouth to scream for help, was he only met with a throat full of salt water, bubbles erupting from frantically moving lips as Horikawa’s body flailed and twisted to no avail.

No...! No, not this! Not again..!

The murky and desolate feelings of drowning were becoming all too familiar, the deeply seeded trauma of having been thrown and left to decay beneath the sea’s depths all rushing back to him--Horikawa Kunihiro, the helpless blade left to be waiting for decades, utterly forgotten, with no hope of survival or retrieval...

--Aruji-san...! --Kane-san..! Please...! Someone...! Help!!

@tasukusenpai

[shiningpunisher]

♟ ♠ (both Tasuku to Horikawa!)

♟: Patching up a wound

“Horikawa-san, where did you get a wound like that?! Here, let me see it… It’s probably hard to fix that with only one hand.”

So Tasuku takes the roll of gauze and begins winding it carefully around the bleeding wound on Horikawa’s arm.

“I know you’ve been going out on your own at night lately, so please be more careful. You can rely on me too, alright?”

♠: Your muse adjusting their jewelry/neck tie/ etc.

“Oh… You missed a button, silly. Here.”

He helps adjusts Horikawa’s buttons, then reaches up to straighten out Horikawa’s collar and ribbon. 

“That should do it. Don’t look so embarrassed! I mess up too sometimes.”

[yaoisex]

[yamauchiansatsu]

bunjijumping:

“Hmm…. It’s been so dull lately. Maybe I should take up a new hobby… Maybe knitting. Knitting is cool, right?”

“Knitting? Some of my colleagues taught me how back at the Citadel. Would you like me to give you some pointers, Bunji-san?”

[yamauchiansatsu]

owarinooutsuke:

“Eeh, personally… well, I guess. Let’s see, what kind of person is he…? Hm. Dutiful, I suppose. He still upholds the code of the Shinsengumi and always makes a fuss about it… ah, but he also enjoys flirting with women and eating barrels of takuan!” That last part wasn’t too necessary, but it stuck out quite a bit for her. Seriously, that guy’s appetite for the stuff was ridiculous… “You don’t know what he was like, though? Hm. You’d have to ask Okita more, if you’d like to know…”

“Speaking of! She’s here, somewhere. I haven’t seen her in a while, now…”

     Probably slacking off still, Nobunaga supposed. She probably hasn’t even gotten a job yet.

“… Though, as for that last bit… wahaha! Don’t think too hard about it,” Nobunaga exclaims with a laugh, crossing her arms. “But it seems as though this place brings people from different times and places. So a timeline where Okita was a boy… or even I was a boy… surely it could exist. But! We are the same people… more or less, I’d imagine. She still wears that blue and white haori, anyways.”

Barrels of takuan!? Horikawa suddenly felt as if he didn’t know Hijitaka at all. And suddenly, his image of his first master was becoming skewed in his mind. 

“Th-that sounds about right. Hijitaka-san was always thinking about the success of the Shinsengumi. He was usually called the Demon-Vice-Commander by those around him because of his strict regulations. But I know he could be incredibly kind too.

“Ah, wait, ask myself? Okita-san is here?! I can actually meet hi--her? Does that mean... Hijitaka-san is here as well, or...?”

[yamauchiansatsu]

bunjijumping:

Bunji’s ears twitched in surprise at the sudden question. Honestly, she had a lot of feelings about the situation, but she held off on expressing them entirely. He didn’t have any reason to have that dumped on his shoulders.

“Well… Mm. It’s true that you’re not my Kuni, but…. that’s okay. I’m sure he’s doing what he needs to do back in his world. As long as he’s happy, I’m okay. We shared a lot of things together, so at least I have memories of him.”

“But that doesn’t have to stop us from becoming good friends, too, you know. I’m happy to help out if you ever need anything. Not because I owe my Kuni anything, but just because I like to help people when I can. Is that all right with you?”

At least I have my memories... That was a sentiment that Horikawa understood all too well. Sometimes you had to part with those you loved, sometimes goodbyes were sudden and unforgiving. But as long as you had a living, breathing body , the memories of those who were lost to the passage of time would remain with you forever. Just like with Hijitaka-san... and Kane-san.

“Oh, yes..! Thank you, Bunji-san. I’d be my pleasure to be friends. If you ever need any assistance or company, please feel free to find me! My skill set is limited, but I’d really like to repay you for your kindness today...”

[yamauchiansatsu]

Sorry for the wait..! I’ll be getting to owed replies today..!

[yamauchiansatsu]

Conflict

As Horikawa made his usual patrol around his District, he caught sight of a sneaking figure making a beeline through the shadows of a narrow alleyway. Taking to the rooftops as he ambled across sensitive tiles, he predicted the target’s movements and was able to jump down, landing in their pathway as clear azure hues bore into their own surprised ones.  Not apart of the Time Retrograde Army... However, seeing a glint of metal in their hand at his interjection, it was clear that this was no ordinary denizen. 

“State your business.” He would still allow no one with harmful intentions to get past him this night.

@stardeityzodiac