[viljily]

how me and my bf sleep knowing meljay canon and jayce totally in love with her and not with that creature

[zerotwomyqueen]

Your favorite is a nigger btw

[viljily]

how me and my bf sleep knowing meljay canon and jayce totally in love with her and not with that creature

[caffstrink]

Arjunya alter

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

you can do it! arjuna believes in you!

[caffstrink]

Baby you light up my world like nobody else

[typemoonconfessions]

[thegoodthegrandandtheugly]

[corvidmasters]

seasons greasons

(please ignore that he's kinda beat up lmao i've had him through some tough times...still my precious even if not Sellable)

[8kh]

WICKED THRONE — S. MANJIRO

note: this chapter contains multiple character deaths, decapitation, murder, injuries, violence, mentions of massacre, skin carved with a dagger, fire. 11k wc. listen to beautiful crime by tamer while reading.

[ 𝐢 ] — f!reader x s. manjiro. royal!au. rebel!au. enemies-to-lovers. ooc!manjiro i write him the way i want to idc. romance. heavy angst. fluff. slow burn. character deaths. eventual smut. violence & slight gore. tragedy.

+ playlist. | masterlist.

CHAPTER XIX: FOR POWER. 

“He deserved at least a proper grave, but even that was taken from him.” The silent tear that drenched your cheek wasn’t the first that night and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. 

With quivering lips, your heart stuttered only to pick its beat faster again. It had lurched in your stomach only to attempt flying out of your chest. That was how it had been for the past few days since Baji’s death. You had been as restless as the Three Palaces wondering, with much ferocity, how was it that the prisoner from the deepest prison had been killed without alerting anyone? 

Your anguish danced with your fury. As if both caused tight knots in your stomach that no amount of peace could uncurl. Not unless you were to end who was it that took Baji’s life away.  

“I’m certain… I’m certain the gods had shown him mercy, Your Highness.” Your friend tried to console you with kind words. “He died believing what is right. Certainly, the gods—”

“My brother…” You grappled for strength not to release a sob, resulting in a phantom punch in your chest. “He died here, too, Nera. And now my friends. This place… this place is cursed. It always takes from me.”

The heinous memories poured down like an avalanche. It yanked at you with its sharp claws, almost pushing you into retching what little you had managed to consume throughout the day. These days were particularly hard. You couldn’t swallow a spoonful without being reminded of Baji’s condition before he breathed his last. 

Blind. Gutted. Bruised. Afraid. 

Perhaps you were heartless for thinking of Baji rather than Queen Ylan, who, according to Manjiro, had been brutally ended by the rebel. But this heartlessness had existed within you. This heartlessness was all you had known. 

You were not born to be a saint. You were born, endured your brother’s death, walked right into war blindfolded, and continued to deceive the person you swore to love for eternity.

Love. You bit back a scoff. What exactly is love in war? Nothing but a stupid dream of refuge. 

Nera took your hand in hers. A comforting gesture on a cold night. When the firelight touched her bare face, you recognized her hesitancy for something in the narrow of her brows and the tight line on her lips. 

“Have you anything in mind?” Your chest tightened at the possibilities whirling in your head. A sick part of you, that gnawing part, begged that it wouldn’t be about Mitsuya.

“I was only ruminating, Your Majesty.” Her eyes met yours. “Your world is becoming smaller. And I fear that…” she faltered, gulping as she continued, “I fear that you will be found out soon if we do not take precautions.” 

Your chest locked even more tightly. Nera was right. With each passing day, and with the royal declaration you had enforced against the Advari, your world and that of the rebellion were meant to collide if not prevented. 

And yet you felt yourself withering away. How long were you to continue leaving like a fugitive in your own skin? Every time you flutter your eyes open, a gust of anxiety would envelop you in its chilling embrace. 

There were eyes everywhere. You had been blinding them ever since the crown landed on your head. Taking actions that may divert their attention away from you. Months and months of accomplishing an exhausting feat had rendered you bone-tired.

“I have no idea what to do, Nera,” you admitted. 

You had never heard yourself admit such words. Shame mounted, overwhelming you with its growing presence. 

“I will help you,” said Nera, pacifying your dread with one of her tender smiles. “If you will let me, Your Majesty, I’ll bring the records to your manor at first light tomorrow. Since you have yet to decide how to deal with it, I figured it is best to take it somewhere far. With Her Majesty’s permission, that is.” 

“Where in the manor will you keep it?” asked you, plaiting back your lucid thoughts. The good outcome her suggestion brought outweighed the worse ones. In the manor, no one would dare touch what belonged to you. “I know,” you had beaten Nera into answering. “We shall keep it in my chamber. It is but an empty quarter now. Mother and Father wouldn’t suspect a thing.” 

“I will make sure it is done in the morrow—”

Your spine went rigid as a knock echoed from the door. Nera quickly picked up her feet to stand beside you, bowing her head low and keeping her mouth shut. 

Sitting like how you would in the grace of your constituents, you tilted your head up and pushed your chest out. 

Manjiro walked in, his sight pinching your heart. Looking at him hurt, for you knew what had happened in the dungeons. For you understood the night he believed himself spiraling down the same corruption his father had. Still, you gritted your teeth until your jaw ached, forcing a forced smile from your lips.

This day had not been kind to him, you supposed. He carried and maintained the poise of a ruler, but when Nera finally departed the chamber and you were left alone with him, Manjiro slumped to the floor, laying his head on your lap. 

“Would you mind giving me some advice?” His voice was layered with exhaustion and a humorous undertone. 

“Whatever advice does a ruler like you need from me?” You ached to touch him. Albeit having the need to shout and curse, you knew that him alone could soothe the hurt, could salve the pain. And for that, you had been torn asunder.

“Am I doing well as a king?” he asked. Raw emotions layered his voice. An unfiltered and vulnerable side that he’d allowed only for you to see. It was perplexing to think that his vulnerability could turn into cruelty.

You stroked his hair. “You are.” 

Despite his knack for wickedness, you wouldn’t rob Manjiro of the recognition he deserved. Day and night he performs his duty with the sake of Elorus in his mind. Whatever he had done thus far to protect the country was justifiable. 

It is a king’s wrath that a rebel shall receive in the eyes of the gods. For betraying your king is turning your back on Aenar. 

A deo rex, a rege lex. 

“If what you say is true, why is it that every time I believe to be one step ahead of the Advari, I am being propelled towards defeat?” 

The firewood snapped and crackled as you pondered the rhetorical question. You threaded your fingers through his hair, feeling your heart sinking for him. 

Sympathy filled your gut. Baji’s death had compelled Manjiro into thinking that he was an inept monarch. As queen, you should’ve understood more of his feelings and thoughts. If only it was easier. Baji remained a part of you. Even after severing your connection with the Advari, he was a friend. And he died in your arms. 

“We were outsmarted.” You offered him the truth instead. Whoever finished Baji had familiarized themselves with every nook and cranny of the Three Palaces. Had gathered intel about the sentries guarding the dungeons. “But this is the last time it would happen.” 

Manjiro lifted his face. “Do you mean that?” 

You hardened your resolve, shutting all doors for reluctance. Being Queen was your path. Your and the Advari’s connection had already vanished into nothing but collected memories and a failed rebellion.

“I mean it with my heart.” You rubbed his cheeks with your thumb. “We will fight back. You and I, together like always.” 

He sighed as the weight of defeat slowly abated. Manjiro took your hand and planted a kiss on your wrist. “Yes, we will. We will find the rebels. Find who killed Baji Keisuke. We will put an end to this madness. You and I.” 

And to accomplish such triumph, you had to confirm the unabating suspicions sitting in your gut regarding Baji’s last words in the dungeons. 

As the night finally left no more room for light, and as the snow persistently drizzled over Elorus, you sat on your shared bed while Manjiro snored softly beside you. 

Ybarra. Idrarean. 

You possessed not an iota of evidence to prove your speculations. Yet that had failed to eradicate your instincts. A woman had many weapons on her sleeve, and her intuition was one of them. If you would allow yourself to barge through and satisfy these intuitions, you would be hitting two birds with one stone. 

No. You need not rush. Use your mind. Plan. Oppressing Baji’s murderer and Elorus’ traitor was your priority. You need not give in to your wicked thoughts of returning what he had done to Baji. Not right now, at least. 

Heavy was the price for it all. You would be risking war. That was if you weren’t already in one. 

Ybarra. He wouldn’t escape unscathed. 

You canted your head on Manjiro’s sleeping form. He might be the King, but you were his Queen. The Queen of Elorus. Protecting the people from outside threats should be enough of a reason for you to grab your weapons and deal with enemies lurking around the corners. Because of Baji, you held with you a reasonable need to move. He had already given you a lead. 

You gathered and donned your abandoned nightgown from the floor. 

“There is no need to follow me. Stay here,” you ordered the sentries attempting to trail behind you. They merely looked at each other before returning to their position by the door. 

Talk. The goal was to talk to him. Threaten him if need be. Talk, but why were you flooded with vexation the moment the breeze brought by the snow licked your skin? Talk, but why did you carry a dagger with you? 

It was a descent into madness. Never had you been one to put your emotions over your thoughts. But if your intuition was right about Ybarra, sitting still and letting him go would be a mistake you refused to make. 

Baji was your friend. Elorus was your country. Manjiro was your lover. You loved them dearly. If the worst were to happen, you would fight tooth and nail for the sake of those you cherished. And one way to fight was to ascertain that Izana, the Prince and heir of Idrarean, had no underhanded machinations hidden behind those nefarious, purple eyes. 

The dimness that surrounded the pathway and stairs leading to Izana’s chamber had cradled the rancor fizzing inside you. The darkness had reached you with its talons, corrupting your sanity, defiling it with impure thoughts of blood. The crackle of winter thunderstorm above your head had only fanned your evil desire to see Izana’s blood, spilling out from his guts and onto the floors underneath your feet. 

You were out of breath, gripping the dagger tightly, bracing yourself for the horror unfolding before you as your mind coiled around the thoughts of killing. 

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. 

Make him pay. Make him pay. Make him pay. 

For Manjiro. For Elorus. For Baji. 

Consequences be damned. 

You held the doorknob. Eyes filled with tears. Tears that were for Baji. 

“I do not want to die.”

You inhaled sharply, preparing to charge in when sudden rumbling noises boomed and jolted every nerve awake, rattling each bone supporting your body. 

You recoiled, retreating until your back hit the balustrade. The dagger’s shaft pressing against your stomach, hand covering your mouth. There were fat and warm tears drenching your cheeks. 

What were you thinking? What were you thinking?

Clutching your chest until your nails dug in your flesh, you gritted your teeth in pain. You had to go back. Back to your rationality. Back to your chamber. You simply couldn’t end Izana here. 

Emma. She would not understand. Izana was a brother to her. And you were the Queen, sister to Eros Aven. The man who had attempted to overthrow her father before. 

With your heart pounding in your ear, you swallowed your fury. You had never felt so horrible as you did while walking back to your quarters, hoping that your decision of sparing Izana would not backfire to set everything aflame. 

—

“I have come to the realization that I loathe this weather.” Emma’s blonde strands twisted around her fingers as she put them together in a messy plait. Despite the totter of her hands, she finished braiding her own hair without the assistance of her dearest maid-in-waiting, Helen.

Outside the Princess’s chamber, the snow had thickened and fell heavily on the ground. Snowflakes gathered to powder the earth in white, masking the evidence of today’s commotion in the Palaces. Hiding away the footsteps of everyone preparing for the Winter Solstice. 

“Aren’t you fond of the Winter Solstice, Princess?” Helen peeked at Emma’s face in the mirror.

The color dusting Emma’s cheeks had deepened into crimson. “I love the feast. That is the only good thing about winter.” 

The first Winter Solstice without her father or mother to celebrate it with. Emma willed the time to go by faster, for the cold had brought with it memories she’d rather forget. Memories of her parents dying.

Through it all, Emma had deluded herself into believing that she was alright. She had banked her grief in hopes that it would fortify her. Make her stronger and more fit to aid her brother.

Her brother had not shed a tear for their parents. Emma wondered why. Sometimes she felt the strong urge to ask if the King still mourned their parents in the same way she did. 

What good would grief bring in the presence of a ruler? As much as it pained her to admit, the world would not stop spinning after the death of a loved one. Losing them would feel akin to that, yes, but for people like her and her brother, grief was fleeting. You could not dwell in it, lest you push the country into jeopardy. Like what her father did before being shot through the heart with an arrow. 

“Ah, that reminds me, Princess, this would be your first Solstice with Prince Izana after such a long time, is it not?” Helen asked. 

Emma’s throat swelled as she bobbed her head. “Yes. Hopefully. But he remains vexed towards me.” 

Izana. Her brother whom she loved tenderly. He had spent numerous Winter Solstices with Emma in the past. Their slow dancing and the giggles they shared over plates full of delectable repast remained crystal clear on her mind.

“Has he not spoken with you at all? Even after all that has been happening? He used to be so protective of you.” 

“He has not.” The ball of woe had now materialized into a tumor spreading fast to corrupt Emma. Izana kept ignoring her despite the attempts she made of bridging together the misunderstanding between them. It should’ve been an easy goal, especially with what happened to the rebel locked away in the dungeons. 

She possessed only bits and pieces of what happened. Manjiro had left her in the shadows again. All she had heard from the maidservants was the death of someone named Baji Keisuke, an Advari. A rebel. 

At times like this, Izana would do his best to keep Emma safe, away from a potential traitor ready to strike, without leaving her in the dark. Perhaps it had bothered her that both of her brothers seemed so far away. Nobody ever looked her way anymore. 

“I should apologize to Izana personally,” she blurted with a determined tone. “I wouldn’t want to prolong this quarrel.” Emma finalized her braid by tying the edges with the bow given to him by the Prince. She, then, smoothed her nightgown. “Will you hand me my coat?“

“You mean to apologize tonight, Princess?” Helen raised curious brows, already ambling her way to grab Emma’s coat. “Shall I accompany you?” 

Emma paused for a split second before nodding. Agreeing would put Helen at ease. After all, Emma hadn’t the most robust body in Elorus. It was best to have a companion to avoid agonizing those around her if her body decided to act up.

“Ah, it is cold.” Emma’s mouth puffed white smoke as she spoke. Certainly, it wasn’t as cold in the Second Palace as it was outside. The thick walls protected them from the biting chill. “Will we be alright in the Solstice?” 

“Of course, we will, Princess,” Helen cheerily pronounced. “We will eat lots! Dance and drink until we are too inebriated to function. And perhaps… find ourselves in the company of a handsome young lord!” 

Emma giggled and squeaked with her friend. Ever since Helen had been sent to her, her days had gone brighter. She was like a torch of flame thawing Emma’s loneliness away. 

“I am ardently looking forward to that.” Perhaps it was time Emma find a lover, as well. Be drunk on kisses, giggle, and dream with the said person under a blanket of stars. Have someone look at her the same way the King looked at the Queen. As though she was a piece of the stars herself, always out of his reach and yet he strives to touch. 

“Oh, we’re here. I’ll wait for you, Princess.” Helen gave Emma a gentle push with a smile on her face. “May you and the Prince finally reconcile.” 

“I will be back before you notice, Helen,” she replied before turning and stepping inside Izana’s chamber. 

Izana was nowhere to be seen. Which she found odd.  If Izana wasn’t huddled in his bed reading at this hour, he would be playing his favorite instrument.

Emma considered calling her brother’s name but decided to look around first. This was Izana’s chamber when he lived in Elorus. It was spacious. There was a huge mattress meters away from the patio overlooking the Jade Sea. A long row of books divided the chamber into two sections: the sleeping and the tea area. 

Emma decided to leave when she heard conversations being uttered in careful whispers. Her stomach coiled into something she could not name. Queen Ylan once told Emma that conversations whispered inside someone’s chamber were words one would die to hear.

She walked in further instead, pressing her back against the bookshelves in hopes to hear more clearly. 

“We have to sail to Idrarean. Soon.” It was Kakucho. And he was frustrated. 

“The situation is dire. They will surely suspect us,” Izana replied in a sibilant voice. “Manjiro is not as stupid as he looks.” 

Acid flooded Emma’s tongue. She bit on the flesh and kept listening. 

Kakucho hissed, “I told you. Killing Baji Keisuke was useless.” 

Baji Keisuke? The rebel? Confusion muffled Emma’s ability to think. Or perhaps… she wanted to reject whatever her ears discerned.

“What would you have me do? Let him go and risk the whoreson betraying me to Manjiro?” Izana spat. 

“Baji Keisuke had not caught a whiff of your identity,” Kakucho retorted. 

“He saw me,” Izana replied as if reminding Kakucho. “Saw my face.” 

“Whose fault is that? I reminded you not to reveal anything. You are Ybarra in Baji Keisuke’s knowledge. You shouldn’t have told him more than that.” Spite blew up Kakucho’s tone. Emma had never heard him lose his temper like this. 

“Had I done otherwise, Baji Keisuke wouldn’t have told me about the Advari’s plans.” 

Emma’s head fizzed. She couldn’t— wouldn’t— believe her ears. As much as she wanted to shape the reality into something far-fetched, into something different, her stomach knotted up inside her body. She wasn’t a political animal, and hold not an ounce of patience for matters in court, but she knew betrayal when she heard one. 

Izana allied with the rebel, Baji Keisuke. In the end, he ended him when the rebel was captured. 

Emma forced down a gulp. And here she was wondering why Izana hadn’t come to her rescue after the death of the rebel and rumors about a traitor lurking in the Palaces had filled the whole place. How could he protect her when he was the danger himself? 

He had betrayed them. The King. Emma. His siblings. 

And it felt as though dealing with death all over again. 

“Izana.” She stood with her spine pinned straight, revealing herself from the shadows. 

Emma wasn’t the bravest nor the strongest growing up. She couldn’t even aid the King properly. Whether her actions would provide anything to the King, she wanted to be the sister he could rely on this time. 

“Emma.” Panic laced his voice. Teacups clattered on the small table when Izana bolted from his seat. Their eyes met. It was the first time she had seen him unfazed. 

“Why?” was the only question she had managed to produce. Her eyes were hot with tears threatening to fall. Lips trembling. Chest being cleaved in two. 

“What—” Izana clipped his own words and turned to Kakucho. “Leave us.” 

“Izana—”

“Leave us,” Izana repeated with a solid resolution. “Now.” 

Kakucho reluctantly took one last gander at Emma before disappearing from the door adjacent to Izana’s chamber. 

Face to face and alone with the Prince, Emma turned her heart to stone. She hardened her eyes, clenched her jaw, and balled her hands into fists. Had squeezed the spare strength she could manage to solidify her knees. 

Izana carded his ashen hair with his fingers. Hands on his hips, he stared at Emma through his lashes. “How far into it have you heard?” 

“Enough to deduce that you have betrayed the King and Elorus,” she stumbled over her words, waiting for some twisted explanation, spreading a tiny space in her heart to listen.

“I am to be a ruler myself, Emma. It needs to be done,” said he. 

The blatant honesty ruined Emma. With a sob stroking her throat, she peered at the stranger wearing her brother’s skin. “How bold. You do not even deny it.” 

“Because I do not lie. Especially not to you—”

“Everything about you is a lie, Izana,” Emma slammed with a vicious timbre. When Izana once again attempted to reach for her, she raised a hand, disgust evident on her face. “Not one step closer, you sick traitor.” 

A glint passed across Izana’s eyes. His earrings dangled as he pushed back, leaning his breaches on the tea table and pocketing his hands. “This is what will happen, Emma,” he talked smoothly as if he wasn’t fazed at all, “You will come with me to Idrarean. In my kingdom, you need not worry about anything else but yourself. Your illness will be treated and I will make you a royal.” 

Emma’s nose flared. “Is that why you insist on bringing me with you? You are mad.” 

“Mad, yes.” The Prince flicked his finger to the air. “But I care about you deeply. I could not stomach leaving you here while I take this place from Manjiro. It will be a bloodbath—” 

She had never slapped anyone. Not until tonight. And never had she imagined Izana to be the one to receive her palm. “Do you hear yourself?!” She pushed him, slamming her fists repeatedly against his chest. “We are your siblings! Why are you doing this?! Why?! Is that why you came back? To usurp Manjiro’s throne?! Why, Izana?!” 

“Unless you’ve held power, Emma, you will never understand.” He caught her by the shoulder. The tips of his fingers felt like stones, crushing in on her flesh and bones. “You have one job. Come with me and I will spare you.” 

“Unhand me.” Her shoulders burned, and so were her eyes as she stared at Izana. He stared back, and the emptiness she beheld shadowing his face was frightening. “Unhand me. Now.” 

Izana listened. 

Emma swallowed, willing herself to go on despite the utter need to fold and mewl like a child. Betrayal buzzed up in her nerves. She wanted to scratch at her skin, and have some outlet to release her pain. 

“This is what will happen, Izana,” Emma shot back, “I will walk out of that door and to the King’s chamber. He will know of your betrayal. And if you want to live, I’d suggest you pack your things and go back to your kingdom. Now.“ 

Izana leaned closer to intimidate. It worked, it always worked. Before him, Emma’s spine had gone brittle. “Emma, do not make me your enemy,” he whispered, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger. 

“You are a monster,” she hurled back at him with pain spilling from her mouth, “From now on, you and I are strangers, Izana. If you do not leave this kingdom tonight, I will be the one to deliver you before the Reaper.” When she spun on her heels, Emma’s sob raced up. She covered her mouth. As much as she wanted to be truthful to the King, it was difficult to forsake Izana. Through and through, he was her family. 

“Emma,” Izana echoed agonizingly, “Look at me. Please.” 

She continued walking, refusing to look back. Until three steps away, when Izana grabbed her by the shoulder again. And when they finally faced each other, the hairs on her nape stood. 

“You will not ruin this for me,” Izana whispered in her ear for the last time. 

Emma grunted and gasped. There was a squelching noise. She felt something sharp below her ribs. Through her flesh. Slowly, she grabbed at Izana’s clothes, eyes drooping to witness his hand shoving a dagger to her side. 

Her blood was on his hand. She held him. Painted in their eyes was the same look of horror. Izana didn’t know what he did. Emma didn’t know why he did it. 

“I… Izana…” Her legs had gone numb. Her hearing started to give up. Blood dripped to her chin. Warm blood, thick blood. “Why…?”

Izana’s eyes were glossed with tears. His irises were smaller. His shoulders shook. “You will not ruin this for me. You will not ruin this for me. You will not ruin this for me!” he repeated like a chant, his orbs shaking as he tugged at his hair. 

Emma slid down the floors. Each breath she took was labor. She could feel the world slipping between her fingers.

“I… I only… wanted to… apologize…” the Princess struggled to speak through the blood in her mouth. Her cheek met the cold floor, tears sliding down as she watched Izana bolting through the door where Kakucho disappeared.

The wind blew. The world continued to spin but for one that unfortunate, bloody night.

—

The Palace hummed with the sound of never-ending sin. In the shadows, filthy secrets reeked. Mistakes from the past slithered across the ground like monstrous veins. And you wondered how it remained unseen in the eyes of the gods. How everything had gone unpunished. 

If the sky threatened to chastise those with corrupted hearts in Elorus, you would be one of the first to perish. Your heart wasn’t clean of misdeeds. A million times over you had dreamed of burning the Palaces to the ground, of ending the bloodline of the House of Sano, of avenging your brother through any means necessary. Regardless of whether innocent people are caught in the crossfire.

But the tragic scene unfolding beneath the low-hanging moon had you convinced otherwise.

From the havering knock of the sentries on the oak door, you knew that whatever lay to the other side was not beautiful. And yet your mind hadn’t considered how ugly it would be. 

Helen knelt on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling her apologies. Her hands, clothes, and skin were all stained with blood. Blood was from the wound below Emma’s rib. 

“Emma.” Manjiro cribbed his sister in his arms. “Emma. I am here. Stay with me. Stay with me.” Every word was filled with determination. Almost authoritative. As if he had command over death. 

Watching the King face the impending death of a loved one, you had been left unable to move. In his expression, a monster was birthed once again. His jaw was set, a clear indication of the tears he was holding inside. He was fighting the urge to cry. From shouting. From ruining the whole place. 

“B… brother?” The twinkle in Emma’s eyes was only courtesy of the tears she shed. Life sputtered dimly in her irises. Not even the fire could paint her face alive. 

“Who did this to you? Who?” the King asked through gritted teeth, each word an agonizing effort against insanity. “Stay with me, Emma. Please, love, stay with me.” 

“It was Prince Izana!” Helen cried out. “It was him!” 

You felt your stomach doubling over. 

She knew the price of accusing a royal given her position in the Palace, and yet she bravely and fiercely uttered the Prince’s name. 

Manjiro pretended not to hear. There was only his sister in his eyes. He had not been moved by Helen’s accusations. It was as though he was in a huge bubble where nothing else mattered.

“Where… where is Izana?” you managed to ask, fighting the nausea rippling across your vision. “Where is he now?” 

Helen’s whole face was soaked with tears, sweat, and blood. She wagged her head, sobbing at Emma’s unmoving body. “He… he was gone when I found the Princess! He was gone!” 

“Emma!” Manjiro yelled frantically when the Princess wheezed. “Emma! Don’t close your eyes! Please, Emma!” He tapped her cheeks multiple times, forcing her eyes open.

Emma reached for his cheek, smearing it with streaks of blood. “Izana… killed… Baji…” 

Your heart thundered. 

“No.” Manjiro shook his head. “This is an illusion. Izana will never do that.” 

“Yes, he would!” You knelt beside Emma. It might seem unsympathetic, but you needed her words. You needed to hear whatever transpired between them. 

“He… allied… with the rebellion…” She heaved painfully, her wounds kept gushing forth thick blood. 

“Where are the physicians?!” you bellowed at the same time physicians burst through the door with Ran. 

Manjiro carried Emma to the bed. And you watched as they all tended to the wounded Princess. Pressing a hand to your forehead, you tried to calm down. But Helen’s accusations rang in your ear with a sharp noise. 

You whispered an apology and a promise of return before dashing outside.

“Bring me a bow and the fastest mount,” you commanded the nearest sentry in the hallway. There were a dozen of them aligned outside now. The news slowly crawled to wake up the Palaces. In your hurry, you hadn’t felt when you bumped shoulders with Rindou. He took your wrist and spun you around. 

“Your Majesty.” He bowed grimly. And the assassin with him, too. 

“You.” You wrapped your hand around the assassin’s wrist. The one who’s always with Haruchiyo. “Come with me.” 

“Where are you going?!” Rindou yelled behind you. “Your Majesty!”

You ran and ignored him completely. The assassin chased behind you swiftly and soundlessly. Akin to a cat sprinting with the wind on its back. 

“Your Majesty.” It was unnerving just how similar the tone of her voice was to that of Haruchiyo’s. As if they had gone through nightmares and were left half-alive by the experience. “Where are we headed?” 

“To the docks. We are hunting down the Prince of Idrarean.” 

The assassin didn’t raise any further questions. She was pliant— the dangerous kind. There was an edge of a misdemeanor in the discipline embedded in her every move. When she mounted her horse, she merely looked at you and nodded. 

Into the snow, you thrust yourself with the black stallion carrying your weight. You shoved away the wriggling misjudgment of mindlessly careering through the thick snowfall. You could barely see through the curtain of snow falling everywhere. The clack of hooves had been silenced with the cobblestone streets covered in white. 

“Your Majesty,” the assassin called, her expression hadn’t moved a bit even under the mercy of the cold. “Are we certain he is in the docks?” 

Escaping would be the first thing you’d accomplish if you were Izana. You’d like to believe that you had him scrutinized to deduce such. He would be running to his ship after the evil he’d committed. 

You tightly held at the reins. “I am certain.” 

The cold was enough to freeze you while riding the stallion. You couldn’t feel your face and your teeth clattered. Your lashes had been tipped with minuscule snowflakes. They stabbed at your cheeks and lips, leaving you feeling benumbed to the bone.

A small sacrifice. This is but a small sacrifice. 

You had to wrap yourself around faith. Even if you had to borrow a sliver from the unperturbed assassin with you, you had to believe that Izana hadn’t yet reached the docks. 

As you careened faster, you rewound Emma’s revelation. 

Izana. He had allied with Baji. So, what were the odds? What were the odds that all the deaths thus far had something to do with him? 

That night in the Vencasto’s manor, Izana had been left in the Palace. Together with Emma and the Queen. It was the night Baji attacked and eradicated Queen Ylan. 

What if he refused to attend the revel so he could aid Baji? And so Baji wouldn’t touch Emma, as well. That would also explain why Baji had found Queen Ylan’s chamber. 

It made complete sense. All this time, the traitor was Izana. But, why? Why would he go through this length? Questions upon questions percolated your mind. 

“I see one stallion ahead of us, Your Majesty!” the assassin shouted over the intensity of the snowstorm. 

Her shout brought you back to yourself. Peering ahead, you spotted the shadow of a stallion with one rider. 

“It is Kakucho,” she added, still yelling. 

Your throat clogged as you slowly released the reins, pushing your hips together as leverage to keep you upright. You had never shot someone while riding a horse before. 

Courage. It is all you need. 

Shuffling for the bow and arrow, your heart kept pounding, leaving you a shaking mess. No. You only had to shoot Kakucho. Or his stallion. 

You bounced and almost slipped from the stallion, swallowing your heart in the surprise brought by it. 

“Your Majesty, I’m right beside you,” the assassin reminded when she saw you struggling to nock the arrow. 

That gave you enough comfort to steady your hands and close one eye. You and the bow had been friends for years. You had to believe in it and yourself. 

Sucking down stuffed air, you exhaled through your mouth. 

Aenar, let this arrow fly to its target. 

It wheezed past, up into the air, finding its mark on Kakucho’s left shoulder blade. From the distance separating you, you heard his agonized roar. 

Your heart soared. You did it. 

“Your Majesty! Watch out!” the assassin bellowed when Kakucho’s stallion whinnied and turned. 

The beast turned and revealed Izana also nocking an arrow straight at you. 

He was in front of Kakucho? 

There was no time to react. No time at all to dodge when his arrow found its mark. The stallion’s eye. Your stallion’s eye. 

How? 

“Your Majesty!” 

You reached for the reins but the rope slipped away from your grasp. Heart dropping, you whispered a silent prayer, knowing full well the pain that awaited you. 

Given that Elorus’ streets were an up and down hill, you had been tossed like a sack of grain when the stallion whinnied and reared. 

Down to the cobblestone streets you fell with a loud thud, your spine burning from the impact. You had barely any time to scream, react, or pick yourself up when you rolled down like a marble. Down and down, until you were filled with bruises and gashes. Down and down, until your forehead collided with something solid. Down and down, until blood obscured your vision. And until your vision completely darkened into oblivion. 

—

Days and days of sleeping near fires, the sentries’ teeth clattering as they huddled close to each other had nearly driven Haruchiyo to madness. Even skilled warriors remained vulnerable to the cold. If they were to remain outside without the thick walls of the Palaces to protect them, they would surely freeze to death. 

“Sir, we found something near the village,” one of the sentries riding with Haruchiyo declared. “We think it might lead us to the Advari.” 

A lead. Something they all had been yearning for days since leaving the Capital and braving the cold in Caelfall. Haruchiyo’s patience had grown utterly thin. And it wasn’t even thick in the first place. 

To pull the rebellion out of its root, Haruchiyo needed to acknowledge their knack for hiding. The Advari was like a venomous snake slithering off to its hideaway. Every time Haruchiyo starts to believe they were only one step away from him, he’d always be left with the skin they had already shredded. With traces that lead nowhere.

“Take me there,” he said as he curbed his stallion in the direction of the sentry. 

The sentry presented him with a patch of land covered in snow. What remains of Haruchiyo’s patience had been put to the test immediately. He should’ve brought that woman instead of these fools who eats away at his sanity day by day. 

“What is there to look at?” He lifted a brow, not bothering to hop off his stallion. 

The sentry, a young boy, fluttered his eyelids sheepishly at the assassin. “It was a well, Sir.” 

“Certainly, the nearest village operated this well before winter glaciated the water.” Haruchiyo pulled the reins of his mount. “Return to your sleuthing and stave off your mindless chitchatting.” 

“Sir, haven’t you heard of the tales?” asked the sentry. “About the gold laying underneath Caelfall’s soil?” 

Gold in Caelfall. It had struck a memory. And yet Haruchiyo couldn’t stab its source. He decided to indulge the young soldier. “Tell me.” 

Face morphing into enthusiasm, the young sentry cleared his throat. “My grandmother once told me that not only bones lay hidden in Caelfall. There is gold, as well. When she was young, people would burrow hundreds of well around the forest to search for gold. It was stopped by King Einar, as it brought danger to the folks. Some people drowned in the well they created while searching for treasure.” 

Haruchiyo’s eyes hardened. 

Gold. Caelfall. Well. 

“Interesting…” he mumbled more to himself than to the zealous sentry. 

Everything clicked in place. Haruchiyo remembered how the Queen discussed a certain well behind Caelfall, where children searched for gold dust. 

How interesting to mull over the fact that this well was miles and miles away from the House of Aven. How did a lady of your status come to find this well? What business did you have to take care of behind Caelfall? 

His growing suspicion was only fanned by the questions stacking up and up. 

Suspicion that Haruchiyo kept for months after his and Ran’s conversation. He couldn’t simply accuse you of being in the rebellion by the scant details he had weaved together. Although they seemed plausible, it would be certain work to convince the King. 

But if he was right, that you were indeed a snake, Haruchiyo knew that he need not an order to end you. For the King, he’d do anything. It was all he had ever known: to serve. 

“Sir!” 

He snapped his attention to the soldier drawing closer. Similar to the animated sentry he was with, this one held huge eyes blown by excitement. Mixed in with a dash of trepidation. 

“Speak,” Haruchiyo encouraged. 

“We found something over there.” His shaking finger pointed at the pathway teeming with trees. 

Beset by low-hanging trees and boughs healthy of fronds, Caelfall appeared unperturbed by the harsh winter. The surrounding trees remained healthy with leaves. It made a good hiding place. 

Haruchiyo clenched his jaw. A part of him wished that ending Baji Keisuke and his friends was the end of the rebellion pestering the King. But his years of experience dealing with the King’s enemies, even before when he was the Prince, told him otherwise.

“Here, Sir,” the sentry pointed at the marks on the earth. 

Footmarks. 

Haruchiyo hopped out of his mount, landing soundlessly right beside the mark. The footmark extended only an inch longer than half the length of his foot. It most likely belonged to a woman, he had deduced. And it trailed the path before him, hidden behind huge trees and from human eyes. 

He carefully followed the marks, unsheathing his sword and wrapping his palms around the hilt. “Be on your guard,” he whispered to the group of soldiers following his lead. 

Anticipation hatched in the assassin’s chest as he proceeded to follow the clues laid before him. And when it ended, with no more marks to follow nor scrutinize, Haruchiyo raised his finger for the company behind him to halt. 

A cave. It was well-hidden. And if someone did so much as to sweep their eyes across the land, they wouldn’t be able to its difference from a hill. 

“Survey the area for any egress,” Haruchiyo commanded. If there’s an entrance, there would always be a way out. “And if you find one, set it on fire.” 

Two sentries saluted and disappeared to accomplish the task. 

Haruchiyo pushed closer to the entrance. There was a torch placed on the niche in the mouth of the cave. Once he stepped further inside, swords being drawn out hissed out metallic strains. 

Bloodlust was like a wildfire, spreading fast in its unsustainable flames. That bloodlust filled Haruchiyo’s veins when he heard muffled voices deeper into the cave. 

His eyes turned into slits. Senses up and alert. 

“Nobody move,” he cautioned. “We wait.” 

Albeit being eaten by the oppressive space, the conversation slowly grew louder, setting Haruchiyo’s pulse on fire. 

Oh, the element of surprise. He loved how he could utilize it any time he wanted. Never had he been betrayed by it. Not before, not now. 

“Greetings!” Haruchiyo chirped as the figure approached, revealing a man and a woman holding hands. 

The man before him quickly positioned himself in defense, caging the woman hiding behind him. But Haruchiyo had already seen her face. 

Being an assassin had ushered Haruchiyo’s life into the most horrid situations one wouldn’t wish to go through. The shadows embraced with it crimes and sins a normal person would die first before facing. He knew the shadow very well. Haruchiyo was rammed into it with nothing but a dull knife when he was eight. Nothing could ever surprise him anymore, but indeed, the view before him came close. 

“Now, Nera, was it?” His lips knifed up. “You are miles away from home, aren’t you?” 

Haruchiyo’s blood pumped in excitement when five more men emerged from the shadows. 

“Mitsuya, go,” one of the men declared, “Run. We will handle this.” 

“If you can,” Haruchiyo chirped once more. “Of course, no one’s belittling your abilities. After all, you are an Advari, yes?” It was a gamble. Haruchiyo’s instinct was the only thing he had wagered the conclusion to. 

“No,” the one named Mitsuya refuted. “We are commoners. Miners.” 

“Miners,” Haruchiyo repeated, his lips shaping downwards as he shrugged. “Well, I am an assassin and these men with me are part of the Kingsguard. We have been dispatched by Her Majesty to hunt down a rebellion.” 

“W… what?” The voice was from Nera. 

“We have direct orders from Her Majesty to eradicate the rebellion. Have you encountered any suspicious activity around here as of late?” Haruchiyo proceeded, still playing the clueless theatrics. 

“No, we haven’t.” 

“A shame.” Haruchiyo bowed lightly. “Apologies for delaying your work. Have a pleasant day ahead.” 

Haruchiyo spun around and began walking away, letting relief sit on the atmosphere before planting his hand on one of the sentries’ shoulders.

He gripped, hard, leaning closer to the soldier’s ear. “Kill everyone but the girl. I need her alive.” 

Haruchiyo mounted his stallion, ignoring Nera’s pitched scream when the massacre began. 

Because for His Majesty, everything and everyone else were nothing but a buzzing noise.

—

Covered in moss, two small cairns sat atop the hill overlooking the waterfall from below. Time had corroded the stones that had been stacked up as a memorial to remember Eros and Simon. 

Draken gently dropped flowers before the stones. He listened to the streaming waterfall, the birds chirping their gratitude for the sunlight that had been absent for the past few days, and the whisper of the crisp wind hedging him in. 

In pure concentration, he placed his palms together and whispered his prayers. Draken had always believed that regardless of the circumstances of Eros’ and Simon’s deaths, Aenar had bestowed them mercy and welcomed their souls in Valar. Where they now rest in peace. Away from suffering. 

“It’s been a while, Eros, Simon.” He bumped his fist against the stone as if it were the hands of his friends. “Worry not, I am not here to complain nor cry.” 

This place was Draken’s sanctuary. It never failed to give him the kind of solitude he longed for when the world becomes heavier to carry. Here, he had spoken all his woes and joys. Despite the former overwhelming the latter. 

“Eros, your sister is the Queen of Elorus,” he began his tale, “She will be a great Queen. Many songs will be written about her. I know it in my heart.” Draken tilted his head up to the cloudless skies. “I apologize for thrusting her into such a life. All her suffering is a fault of mine. But believe me when I say… that I loved her more than life itself. I still do and will continue to do so.” 

Recalling the scene he had witnessed in Myrefall, Draken’s mouth had been filled with a mirthless chuckle. 

“Ah, this confession is not the reason I dropped by,” he proceeded. “I am here to tell you that today, the Advari will be dissolved.” 

He had repeated the thoughts over and over in his head. The decision was all he could think about as the cold grew bitter each day. Perhaps it was time that those in the Advari live a life they deserved. A life filled with happiness, together with their loved ones without the fear of being hunted down like fugitives. 

“She is the Queen. And thus, Elorus is in good hands,” Draken added, his voice lowering into that of a soft tone. “There will be no point of resistance. I know she will not betray the people.” 

He didn’t know about Baji and the rest. However, they were the target of Draken’s last task as an Advari. He would convince Baji. It would be arduous work, but Draken obliterated any thoughts of giving up. Baji deserved a peaceful life. Together with Chifuyu and Kazutora.

“And I would never want to torment her with the Advari’s existence. It is best that we are gone for her own sake. We are her dark past. Only in her past do we belong.” 

Years ago, Draken had looked at the Advari with stars in his eyes. Cleaving into the hopes it gave him, to the memories it had created. Losing control over it surely felt like a world-ending feeling.

The rebellion had taken over his life ever since Eros and Simon took him under their wings. Fighting injustices and plotting for King Einar’s downfall defined him. But King Einar was dead, and Elorus was trudging towards a brighter future. 

Now, Draken had a choice. To reshape his life. To make it better. And he would give the same chance for what remained of the Advari with his decision to finally disband the resistance. 

Mitsuya could finally pursue his dreams of being a tailor. The others could go home to their loved ones, hug their lovers, and kiss their children good night. Draken could finally travel the continent, live in a faraway land, visit the Isle of Leto and see what enthralled Eros about the island. 

“I know this is the decision you’d like me to make, Eros,” he whispered to the wind. 

Eros had fought for what he deemed right. The right path he pursued had been imbued to his sister’s head. She sat on the throne with the beliefs of her brother. Perhaps that was enough. Enough of compensation for the lives that had been lost. At least, for him. For his mother and father, too. 

“I am alive because of you. I have lived by your principles. And the memories we made together, the three of us, are eternally kept in my heart.” Draken took a slow intake of breath, letting the scent of the flowers fill his nose. “This is not goodbye, Eros, Simon. Wherever I go, I will carry both of you with me. Forever.” 

Draken’s heart was full of hope when he stood up, glancing at the stones for the last time before trekking the way back to the Advari’s cave. 

It was a long walk. The pathway was covered in snow. Draken had spotted a deer on his way back. With a smile, he reminded himself to tell Mitsuya about it. Perhaps they could share a delicious stew before parting ways. 

Mitsuya had a penchant for meals cooked in cold weather. Baji— he loved the spice. He also had a sweet tooth. A characteristic that he and Kazutora shared. Chifuyu would eat anything under the sun, but those soggy strings of dough with the soup were his favorite.

If he could find them soon, he would certainly cook their favorite meals. Although he wasn’t confident with Baji’s sweets. You were the only one who could do a perfect job with sugar. 

A silly grin shaped Draken’s lips. In the middle of Caelfall, and under the unforgiving cold, the scenarios in his head had kept him warm. 

That warmth had slowly ebbed into the numbing cold when thick smoke coming from the Advari’s cave had filled his sight. 

Draken’s footsteps halted. 

Smoke. Never would it smoke in the cave. It was a hideaway. 

Panic growled in Draken’s belly. He swallowed the log stuck in his throat. Propelled by dread alone, he flew to the scene, mindless of the branches obscuring his way or the stones that almost tripped him. 

He flew to the scene, hoping that it was not too late. 

But the massacre laid before him shattered all his hopes. 

The ground beneath his feet tilted until he had melted down. His head spun with his stomach. His heart was non-existent. And his pulse was boiling. 

Knees slapping on the ground, his bones thudded painfully. But the physical pain was lost in the one that has seized his heart. 

“M… Mitsuya…” Draken gulped down the sob as he crawled on his hands and knees toward his friend. His brother. “Mitsuya!” 

Mitsuya was drenched in his own blood. His eyes were still open. As if he was looking at something— at someone. His hand extended, reaching out helplessly. 

“Mitsuya!” A broken sob. “Mitsuya!” 

Draken’s hands shook as he took Mitsuya in his embrace, feeling the warmth in the latter’s body be replaced by the cold as deadly as the one surrounding them. “N… no! No! No!” Draken cried hysterically, choking on his own sob, drowning in his own tears. “Mitsuya! Mitsuya!” 

Mitsuya was dead. Mitsuya had been butchered. Everyone had been killed. By whom, the answer was written on Mitsuya’s arm, using the sharp tip of a dagger. 

In glaring red, the blood conveyed the message: A deo rex, a rege lex. 

Draken gasped for air before an apoplectic cry echoed from him. 

—

Once the king falls, the kingdom follows.

The tenet was instilled in Shinichiro’s head all those years ago. When he died, it had been consigned to Manjiro like spikes of the crown dinning into his skull. 

And perhaps, it was the only thing keeping him upright before Emma’s lifeless body. 

There was silence inside him. A silence that was similar to unperturbed water. Leveled and unmoving. He had to compose himself. Remain calm. Never shed a tear. Let everyone think that the death of his sister did not weaken him, at all. 

His knuckles were white as his hands gripped the edges of the marbled surface where Emma had been placed. He desired nothing but to burn the lilies surrounding his sister. Burn who took her life away. Burn him and his kingdom to the ground. 

“Izana…” His teeth clamped together in fury. Up to this point, he refused to believe that Izana would commit such an atrocious crime not only him. But to Emma, out of all people, as well. 

If the Queen wasn’t unconscious in their chamber, with multiple cuts from an injury inflicted by Izana, and without the assassin avouching the Prince’s escape, he would have declared everything as false. 

Izana wouldn’t let a fly land on Emma’s skin. Since they were mere children running around the Palaces’ courtyard, he had been the one to protect the Princess. That affection sometimes foisted insecurity into Manjiro’s heart. Once, he had believed that Izana’s love for Emma had surpassed that of Shinichiro and Manjiro’s. 

What would push him to end Emma’s life? 

“Sire, forgive me for intruding.” Ran’s robe rustled behind him. “His Majesty’s bidding is done. Kakucho’s head, as we speak, is on its way to Idrarean.” 

“Good,” was his only response. 

“Your Majesty, I know it is not within my expertise to catechize your decision. However, this act is a declaration of war,” Ran reminded, his hesitation burning Manjiro’s back.

“I know,” Manjiro coldly retorted. “I know the consequences of war, Ran. Killing my sister is an act of war in itself. And I will destroy Idrarean for it.” 

“What about the Queen, sire? She vehemently opposes any decision that might lead to violence. I fear that this will cause a riff once she wakes up—”

“Not even she can influence this decision.” Manjiro had to feed the growing wrath. Satiate it for the sake of his sanity. His whole family was dead. Whatever war he needed to raise would be done. “If you have nothing more to say, leave me to mourn alone.” 

“Haruchiyo is here, Your Majesty,” Ran quickly added. 

“Sire, I have returned,” echoed the man. “My deepest regret for the Princess’s demise. If I had been here, I would’ve assured that this would not befall Princess Emma.” 

Manjiro’s eyes peered. “You know what I need more than your condolences, Haruchiyo.” 

He yearned to hear the demise of his enemies. The end of the Advari. And after that, the destruction of Idrarean Empire. 

Haruchiyo cleared his throat. “If you would allow me, Your Majesty, I have found something— someone— in Caelfall.” 

The King spun and stared at the kneeling assassin blankly. “Where is this someone you speak of?” 

The assassin tilted his head up, lurking in his emerald eyes was the undying devotion and loyalty to the King. He stood up, nodded in reveration, and led the King outside the temple where Emma had been placed temporarily before delivering her body to the Temple of Valar. 

Instead of descending the dungeons, Manjiro found himself in a single room on the outskirts of the Palaces. It was the most southern part of the Third Palace. Away from the hubbub of the Capital. An abode befitting an assassin like Haruchiyo. 

To the King’s surprise, the little house was well-kept. The garden was tended to. Vegetables and flowers bloomed outside. Even inside, the furniture was placed neatly close to the fireplace. 

“I do not possess the time for your foolishness, Haruchiyo,” Manjiro snapped coldly. He had a funeral to arrange and an unconscious wife to take care of.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” the assassin whispered before pushing a cupboard by himself, revealing a trapdoor hidden underneath. He extended his hand as a signal for the King. 

Manjiro hesitated only for a drop of time before descending the stairs. 

There was a hanging lamp above his head, casting light on a variety of weapons attached to the wall. If he hadn’t known any better, he would’ve winced at the sight. 

This was a torture room. Manjiro wasn’t directly in favor of Haruchiyo’s ways and means, and yet he was neither opposed to it. He liked to believe that the assassin had years and years of experience to know the deeds he commits. 

But the image before Manjiro had him second-guessing. 

“What is she doing here?” he gnashed with a glower. “Release her this instant, Haruchiyo. You’d be well to know that these tricks do not amuse me one bit.” 

Sitting on a lone chair, Nera was gagged and bound. She looked as though she had gone through a calamity. 

“Sire, I’m afraid that cannot be done,” Haruchiyo replied. At that instant, Manjiro was aware that there was no moving the assassin. “I have found the Queen’s maidservant with suspicious men in Caelfall.” 

Nera stirred. Manjiro watched her as she craned her neck slowly, blinking at the newfound light her eyes had been welcomed to. 

“Caelfall?” His tone conveyed more questions. Questions that he need not utter. Questions which meant to ask what reason does Nera have to be in Caelfall? “And these men… what fate did they face under your mercy?” 

“They are all gone, Your Majesty—”

Muffled sobs resounded from Nera. She glared at the assassin while giving her hardest to unbound her hands. Tears soaked the loincloth covering her mouth. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She looked utterly devastated. 

“What have you done?” Manjiro hissed, tugging Haruchiyo by the arm. “Release her now!” 

Haruchiyo boldly contrasted the King’s command. He pressed his lips in a tight line before sauntering to the small table in the room. There, another set of weapons was scattered on the surface. 

“We have scoured the cave, sire. In our sleuthing, we found these weapons and a map of the Palaces.” Haruchiyo took a parchment and displayed it before the King. It was indeed the interior map of the Palaces. His blood had gone completely cold. “If they were innocent men, what would explain this map? I understand your hesitation, Your Majesty, I truly do. However, I have reckoned it is best to end them in their vulnerable state.” 

Manjiro saved himself from the frenzied situation by taking a step back and washing a hand over his face. He stared at Nera, trying to decipher her connection to all this.

“Take the gag off. And make haste,” the King pinned. 

Once her gag fell to her chin, Nera had screamed deliriously at Haruchiyo. She was enraged. Manjiro was looking at a different person. Gone was the timid lady standing beside the Queen at all times. All he could see was a woman filled with suffering and hatred. 

What incited such recoil from Nera? 

“You are a monster! Burn in Hell! Burn in Hell!” she screamed, her voice raw and pitched. “You butchered them all! Monster!” 

Haruchiyo stood unflinching. He was nonchalant at Nera’s frantic screaming. “It will serve you well to speak the truth now.” 

“Hah,” Nera gasped dubiously, her cheeks stained with soot and tears. “Truth.” 

“What were you doing in Caelfall, Nera?” Manjiro stepped between the two and faced the woman. Unbridled melancholy wrapped her eyes, despite the rage on her face. “Answer me. So I can help you.” 

Nera recoiled in her seat. Her lips trembled, eyes downcast. The pain that she was going through— it was physical. “No. I know nothing. I know nothing!” 

Haruchiyo unsheathed his sword. Nera sobbed at its sound. Manjiro raised a finger to stop the assassin. 

“That answer tells me you know something, Nera.” Manjiro peeked at her face. “And you will tell me everything. That is a command.” 

“No, no, no!” Nera shrieked. “No!” 

The King’s temple twitched. He hadn’t procured enough patience for this play. His feet edged closer to the woman before Manjiro leaned, holding the chair by its top rail, trapping Nera with his presence. 

“Nera, I believe you are aware of the punishment of lying to the King, aren’t you? Now, you will listen to me very closely: confess everything you know. If you decide otherwise, I will send you straight to the Reaper. Am I understood?” Manjiro whispered each word with enough warning. 

Nera’s eyes flicked, her irises dilating. “Please, Your Majesty. Please. Spare me! Spare me!” 

Manjiro inclined his head. “I will. Only if cooperation will exist between us. To remind you, Nera, I am not a patient man. Decide fast.” 

“I am with a child, Your Majesty. I am with a child,” she sobbed, fresh tears rolling to drench her cheeks that hadn’t even dried yet. 

The King stilled. Nera’s words were an echo. Growing louder, growing stronger. “What?” 

“Spare us. I beseech you. Spare me and my child.” Nera trembled, the intensity of her cries overcoming her ability to speak clearly. 

“Talk and you will be spared. Let your confession be the judge of your and your child’s fate.” 

Nera gasped for air, as though bracing herself. Little did Manjiro know, it was him who needed to hold tight to the waves that would wash away everything he had ever believed in. 

The second Nera’s mouth opened, his knees had gone weak. Manjiro felt his lungs tightening, his throat breaking in two. 

Draken. Mitsuya. Baji. Kazutora. Chifuyu. 

Eros. Simon. And… you. 

Those were the names Nera had breathed life to. The ones who inspired the rebellion. The ones who filled it.

“And the Queen was part of the Advari. It was the rebellion formed to end your bloodline: the House of Sano.” 

His vision had gone completely blurry. Manjiro grabbed Nera’s shoulders, shaking her with ferocity. “Liar!” 

Nera cried once more while shaking her head. “What would lying serve me in this situation?!” she mewled at the King’s face. “I had just betrayed my friend! My Queen! Of all people, why would I do this to someone I cherished if I was lying?!” 

“Ah, no…” Manjiro stepped back and shook his head, a bitter laugh leaking out of his mouth. “You’re lying to me, Nera!” He could barely stand. Could barely breathe. Could barely think. 

“What proof do you have, woman?” Haruchiyo was the one who asked. “You are speaking of treason. And death will only suffice as punishment.” 

“Proof? Mighty Aenar,” she exhaled. “The passageway. The tunnel. King Einar’s death. It was found by me and the Queen when she was still Lady Aven.” 

“That doesn’t explain anything!” Manjiro screamed, his denial bouncing off the walls. 

“It does, Your Majesty,” Haruchiyo answered solemnly. “If this parchment shows the map of the Palaces, it only means that the Advari received help from the inside.” 

“I can kill the both of you right now,” Manjiro hissed with a low, morose chuckle. “I can kill you and not blink for thinking like this about the Queen— my Queen.“ His onyx eyes moved from Haruchiyo to Nera. “Do you want me to kill you both?” 

“Sire—”

Nera yelped a prayer when Manjiro grabbed a dagger from the wall and pushed Haruchiyo back. The dagger’s shaft kissed his cheek. 

“Speak. Let us hear it,” Manjiro gritted. “Speak!” He pointed the sharp tip at Nera. 

She closed her eyes shut and screamed in fear. “The Aven’s manor! That is where the proof is!” she gasped each word out. “The records you have been searching for, Your Majesty, I have hidden them there!” 

“And why do you have it?” Manjiro whispered, sotto voce. “Why do you have it?” 

“We… Lady Vencasto gave it to Lady Aven! She handed it to the Queen after she was convinced that Her Majesty will give it to you!” Nera wept. Each word was a cut through her skin. “Please, Your Majesty!” 

Manjiro’s sight had cambered. His world was spinning at a pace he couldn’t chase. The dagger clattered on the floor as it slipped from his weakened fingers. He reverted only for Haruchiyo to catch his arm before he could land on the floor. 

“Breathe,” he reminded himself as he gasped for air. 

“Your Majesty, what about the Queen?” Haruchiyo carefully uttered. “Just say the word and I will—”

Manjiro grabbed the assassin’s collar and pinned him down with a glare. “Touch her and I’ll kill you myself. She is mine to destroy.” 

He climbed the stairs back up. Jaw pulled tight, his chest as hard as a brick. He felt warm from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes. Warm despite the frigid snow. 

“A king must not lose his temper. A king must invariably maintain his composure. A king must not shed a tear,” Manjiro repeated the words again and again. Again and again and again until he had reached his private study. 

“A king must not lose his temper—” He breathed in, struggling to focus his attention on the wine bottle and goblet sitting on the round table to his left. “A king must invariably maintain his composure.” Breathe through the nose and out through the mouth. He snatched the bottle by its neck, trembling hands pouring the wine into the goblet. “A king must not shed a tear—” 

The words died. 

The bottle crashed and shattered. 

Manjiro fell on his knees as one, wrathful cry racked his body. The tears poured like rivulets as he pounded on the floor with his fist.

The cries weren’t from him. Not at all. It was from a boy. A boy who had to bury the body of his brother. Who witnessed an arrow as it went through his father’s heart. Who held the bloodied and broken figure of his mother. And the boy who cradled his sister until life sputtered out in her eyes. 

It was from a boy who carried a crown heavier than himself. The boy who had grown up with grief as his companion. 

Manjiro’s knuckles bled as he punched every solid surface he could find. His nails had been chipped as he pushed down every standing bookshelf. Shattering everything in his sight. Breaking every brittle thing his eyes had landed on. 

His strength had left him. Now, he collapsed on the floor. Chaos fenced him in with shattered glass, ruined books, and broken chairs. He did not care. He wanted to remain here for the rest of his days. Watch everything disappear. Be at peace. 

“Your Majesty, this is Ran.” The voice was from the door. “I have news from the sentries guarding outside.” 

“I will not hear it.” I will not hear it anymore.

“I’m afraid this news is of great import, sire. A man currently stands at the gates. He is named Draken, and he claims to be the one leading the Advari. He is here to surrender himself.”

+ TAGLIST. @jojoxo33 @omiikeii @primsonnn @hoshina-shiro-universe @ken6ma @lavandula-stuff @catjoucatoru @imkumichan @gabby9456 @timetoten @devilgirlcrybabiey @tsookieloopie @princessatoru @gem1nis @wkasa @zvies @daaisukii @rinstars @nozomiasl @megumirose @nameless-ghoul @quirklessidiots-trashdump @sakumorubywy @chinduda @q-the-rockaholic @lilkiwikiara @cosmotoic @alllostone @h6nekazu @ryouhoe @edens-melodies @instabull @marifujioka @tendous-socks @sadkingkai @narinchan @smolaf-filipino @yeye-chan-blog @batatossaura @honeyspalette @g-ghostly @rinsie @chaoticyuna @aintyourholy @moonlightkawa @sseorin @manjir0 @cllaideh @ssshimuratomura @destybeesart @broken-scene-queens @yvzuha @yvonnesky @fuyuluvs @shinichirosupremacy @mqtsuno @aethermelancholy @hxked

[lalunanymph]

⤏ dominion

summary. lust, longing, love—all of that was unattainable for a man who lived in the shadows of his own sin. that was until you brought to him a fleeting taste of heaven. now, mikey would stop at nothing to keep you by his side… no matter the consequences.

pairing. mikey x fem!reader, a hades & persephone retelling

cw. forced engagement, mentions of murder, mention of a funeral, mentions of gun wounds, injuries, tension, allusions to torture, blood, gore, alcohol, sexual tension, language, smoking, jealousy, slut-shaming, rape/non-con elemetns, fingering, cunnilingus, explicit sex, exhibitionism, tattoos, murder (many people get shot in this fic), motorbike sex, praise, degradation, voyeurism, nipple play, breeding kink, unprotected sex, orgasm control, orgasm denial, c*mming untouched, squirting, foreplay, choking, blowjobs, deepthroating, light bondage, sex toys (vibrators + nipple clamps), cum play, aftercare, betrayal, angst, near-death experiences, character death, mentions of pregnancy, fight scenes, anal, gangbang, spit kink, double penetration, cowgirl position, face down position, breath play, mentions of non-con recording, possessive behavior

wc. 22k+

a/n. thank you all for your lovely words for part 1 ;_; here’s the final part mwah (feedback + reblogs are super appreciated!)

part 1 ┊part 2┊彡 playlist

Keep reading

[kshira]

— flightless bird

manjiro ‘mikey’ sano x fem!reader series

SUMMARY: given the opportunity to interview the leader of the most powerful gang in tokyo you accept the job immediately but you never knew how dangerously seductive manjiro sano truly was

GENRE: modern bonten au, strangers to friends to lovers, gangs affiliated

WARNINGS: fem!reader, heavy cursing, sexual themes throughout, violence, mentions of gang activity, tobacco use, alcohol use, more warnings as story progresses

DISCLAIMER: i do not own these character nor do i condone anything that is written

UPDATES: every week!

CHAPTER ONE: INTERVIEW WITH A MONSTER

CHAPTER TWO: THICK SKIN

CHAPTER THREE: GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT

MORE TBA..

[maitani]

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ manjiro sano : mikey

☰ㅤ oneshots

one step forward, three steps back summary : assuming that you two were headed in the right direction — it seems that only one of you was walking backwards.

☰ㅤ timestamps

nothing yet

☰ㅤ scenarios

you take care of him when he’s sick

they have a polaroid of you

he comforting you after a family fight

your daughter has a crush

he has an intimidating wife

you ask him to get rid of a spider

he sees you moving on

teasing him for having an attractive girlfriend

he cheats on you

you have an admirer

you make him do chores

“ this kinda feels like a date “

s/o who kisses people on the cheek

introducing his newborn to his friends

you go to him for comfort

you prank him with fake hickeys

dressing up your baby in cute costumes

taking your child trick or treating

falling asleep on your chest

aftercare with him

you steal his clothing

someone hits on you

bumping into a single parent

[matriarchjojo]

❝ 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐒 ❞

★ PAIRING  : BONTEN!MIKEY + FEM!READER

★ WARNINGS  : SMUT, ANGST, baby trapping, noncon breeding, mentions of self harm, implied stalking, all characters are over 18, readers skin color is not mentioned

★ SUMMUARY :  you are the light of his life and the fire of his loins, he has to make sure that you'll never leave. How could he let the only thing keeping him alive go?

⊹ .˚  MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

"Mikeyy.." you sighed holding his hand tighter as rock his hips in a wave-like motion into yours, you looked so beautiful on the pink silk sheets, sobbing for his cock once pretty makeup now all messy and running down your cheeks. Such an angel.

You are mikey's everything

You are light in the darkness of his tragic life

Mikey never thought he would meet someone who could make him feel the way you do, he felt dead without you. The only way he could feel something was by the blade of the knife he carries around on his sensitive and Touch starved skin.

But now that you are here and are taking care of him, makes him feel happy, he hasn't felt like that in a long, long time. Not after his brother and friends died, you know what a tragic life Mikey had behind him, so you made it your goal in life to at least try to keep him away from all the bad stuff he surrounds himself with.

Just because of you Mikey stopped smoking or doing drugs, at least when he was with you, he still smoked a little, but you understand that addictions are hard to get rid of.

"What is it, angel.." he kissed your temples as he too gripped your hand tighter at how tight your perfect pussy is "please f-faster- f-feels so good" you moaned against his lips, Mikey immediately kissed you and picked up the pace of his hips.

Mikey is in love with you, he wants to marry you and have a family. But the thing is, you just wanted to be friends with him..who sometimes just have really good sex.

But Mikey took that the wrong way, even though you have told him your intentions. Mikey just ignored it, thinking you just don't want to marry one of the most wanted gangsters in Tokyo.

But you don't understand, he would quit all of this if you just agreed to give him your everything, your mind, your heart, soul, and body. That's all he's asking for.

"So pretty..fuck.." Mikey lowly groaned as he kept strong eye contact with you, that when you tried to look away he just grabbed your face to make you look at him again.

"H-haaah!" You cutely whined as Mikey's long cock fucked you into the mattress, making the bed squeak and the metal bars hit the wall behind it.

Mikey suddenly started to speed up even more and pressed your thighs against your chest, making his cock bully your cervix with every thrust.

Mikey knew what he had to do, it hit him like a train. He has to impregnate you, you have no choice but to stay with him. And if you would get rid of it he would just fuck another one into you, he doesn't care about anything but you.

You're the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up and the last thing when he goes to sleep.

He needs you to stay with him, and he will do whatever it takes to make you stay.

"MIK-AHH!" you suddenly choked out as he kept hitting your sweet Spot, making your toes curl and your back arch off of the sheets.

Mikey knew how to impregnate people to make sure they're 100% pregnant, he looked it up just in case you would give yourself to him, but now he just has to force you.

Mikey needed to make you cum multiple times before he cums inside you, and Mikey knows for a fact that you're not on birth control, you don't really think you're not being watched by him when you're alone, right?

You all of a sudden started to convulse around him and then your pretty eyes rolled back into your head as your mouth was wide open, so Mikey just took that opportunity to kiss you and lick your sweet tongue.

"Aww..did you cum, baby?" Mikey huffed as he tried to not slow down or cum, which was hard.

You just dumbly nodded still same facial expression but more pained as you noticed he didn't stop pounding into you after you came, the overstimulation just made you dig your sharp nails into his forearm and back before you came once again.

This was mikey's chance, he can cum and breed soon to be his womb now.

"Shit..m' gonna cum, angel..gonna let me cum inside right?" Your eyes filled with tears and you started shaking your head while trying to get him off you but to no avail, you were too weak and Mikey was still flexing every muscle in his body.

You couldn't say anything because he just kept hitting the spot that made you cream on his cock.

Your pussy involuntarily clenched down on him and Mikey took this as a yes.

"Gonna fuck a baby into you, over and over again—fuck!" Mikey groaned as his aching cock finally let the thick and hot Fluid flood your pussy, it was so much, it was so warm.

You hated it

You didn't want this

You wanted mikey to stop

But he didn't, he won't, he couldn't Not until he is sure you are pregnant even if he wanted to, he couldn't help this animalistic feeling of how your pussy kept sucking him in, you're gonna keep on being a good girl and milk his cock dry and stay with him forever.

[manjiroscum]

birthday suit

Character/s: bonten!Manjiro Sano

Warnings: f!reader, cursing, sexual themes, unprotected sex, breeding kink, creampie, spanking (just twice), biting, use of petnames and fluff. Minors do not interact.

Note: commissioned by @meganemoon 💖 thank u bby, hope u like it!

Synopsis: Mikey has planned the perfect birthday for you.

✃WC: 1.5k

Countless sleepless nights and numbing fingers going through leftover untouched paperwork were what Mikey had to endure to make sure this day and the upcoming ones were free of any pressing duties as Bonten’s head. Nothing could spoil such an important date, fingers ready to pull the trigger if any mishaps were to arise to ruin it. He wouldn’t allow it. Even as the memory of you snorting at his words, mumbling how he could be quite dramatic at times, Mikey was serious at getting his job done before the evening ends.

And it all paid off, happily announcing an early leave prior to ending the brief meeting that Kokonoi had to arrange with all the other executives. Words of warm regards for you were passed on to him, mentally taking note of them, before his back disappeared down the quiet hallways and out to where his motorcycle was parked.

Tokyo’s freezing air licked at his bare skin and silver locks, breezing past slow vehicles and bright neon lights to reach his destination on time. Made of paper they were, however, the tickets to Paris weighed a lot in the pocket of his leather jacket with every passing second. He knew it wouldn’t be enough to excuse his constant absence—knowing you wanted him more than the gifts wrapped in pretty parchment he often had Sanzu or Kakucho deliver to you or at your office in apology for missing a date or turning one down.

Still, he wished you would understand. Wish that you knew he felt the same way whenever you two were apart. Unable to close the distance sometimes due to how vastly different your worlds were. That he loves you as much as you did—probably even more. He was willing to try for you, no matter how hard it gets. His sweet angel in a land filled with demons like him.

The beat of his heart picked up when the loud rumble of his bike died down upon reaching your apartment, parking just across it. Keys in his hands, he trudged towards the staircase, shivering slightly at the cool air while climbing up to where your residence was. He should convince you to move, somewhere closer to his abode—maybe with him. The thought made him giddy.

Opening the door with the key you gave him months ago, Mikey’s onyx pupils were greeted by dim lights. He would've pulled out his gun, wondering why it was eerily quiet and where you were. Ready to call his subordinates and search the whole of Tokyo for you until his ears picked up the soft lull of a song coming from the bathroom.

Swallowing his worries, he approached the door and slowly pushed it open. Chopin’s piece playing on the bluetooth speaker now ringing crystal clear in his ear and the splashing of water.

And there you were, in the tub with a glass of wine in your hand. Rose petals dance on the water’s surface with every shift of your body. Small candles situated on the side, the scent of floral wafting around the small space.

Your boyfriend’s intrusion didn’t go unnoticed to you—would’ve screamed bloody murder until your gaze landed on his familiar features, calming yourself down instantly unless you’d prompt your neighbors to call the police. Smiling at him, questions of why he’s home early remained in the back of your mind when Mikey closed the space between you two and captured your lips with his. Blinking twice at the sudden action, you then returned the kiss with a grin on.

“Welcome home, ‘Jiro.”

“Hi, pretty baby.” He whispered against your damp plump lips, tongue slipping out to taste the wine lingering on it. Eyes darting from your face to the glass of wine, head tilting at it in curiosity. “Isn’t it too early to be drinking?”

Giggling at his statement, you held up the glass of liquor to his lips. “Want some? It’s good, trust me.” Seeing the crinkle on his nose, you shrugged and brought the rim to your lips to sip the burgundy liquid. “You’re missin’ out. It’s delicious.”

A small chuckle was all Mikey elicited, standing up fully to remove his jacket. Carefully hooking it where water wouldn’t reach prior to stripping the rest of his clothes. Thinking he’ll be joining you, you were quick to make more room for him in the tub only to squeal in surprise when Mikey scooped you up with no trouble. Bathwater sloshing around, puddles accompanied by petals on the tiles. The wine glass was so close to falling if your fingers weren't quick enough to set it down.

“‘Jiro—wait, the water—!”

Carrying you out of the bathroom, your boyfriend’s mouth peppered kisses onto the sensitive flesh of your neck, ignoring your protests. Fear of slipping off of his hold, your arms wrapped themselves around his neck whereas your mouth started to search for his.

“If anyone is missing out, it’s you.” He whispered, palm colliding to the plush of your ass. The yelp you made only caused him to grin, feet hurriedly heading in the direction of your bedroom. “Almost your special day, but you’re out here drinking wine like you don’t have me along to celebrate.”

“T-that’s because I thought you’d be late in coming home again.” Huffing softly, you added. “Plus, it isn’t my birthday yet. Not for another three hours.”

Mikey then set you down onto the mattress, sheets now slightly soaked. Those empty irises staring back at your innocent ones. Before you could ask him what was wrong, your boyfriend found your lips again. Tongues in a heated dance, wandering palms feeling every inch of your skin before settling on your inner thigh. Moaning your boyfriend’s name when his lips lowered down, latching onto your perked nipple and biting it softly. His hips grinding slightly against your thigh, his half-hard cock leaking pre-cum brushing on your warm flesh. Begging to be inside your wet cunt and stay there forever if he must.

And Mikey did exactly what he wanted to do—have you pressed hard onto the mattress, ass up in the air, hips pistoning while his thick cock bullied its way into your pussy. The sound of his balls slapping on your ass was intoxicating, moans bordering on screams muffled by the pillow with your eyes rolling to the back of your skull. The scene so filthy and lewd, but it seemed to encourage your boyfriend to ruin you even more. To have you practically screaming his name—anything to have any poor soul listening know you belonged to him. Squelching noises mixed into the air along with your whine when Mikey spanked your ass again.

“You’re takin’ me so well, baby—made to be fucked and creaming around this cock, huh?” Mikey grunted, wincing at how hard your walls were clenching around his cock. “Gonna milk me, right? Gonna have me cumming so hard that you’ll be stuffed with cum—my cum. Bet ‘ya like that, eh? I guess you’re good for another thing other than taking my cock.” Leaning down, his chest was pressed on your back as he whispered, licking the shell of your ear in the process. “Gonna give me a baby this time, too?”

“‘J-jiro…” You whimpered at the implication, nails wishing to sink into his back and mark him like a bloodstain. Mikey’s teeth then sunk into your shoulder, mushroom tip hitting that sweet spot with every thrust. It had you squeezing your eyes shut, jaw dropped at the action and knuckles clenched. Picking up his pace once more, he was relentless. Raw power was what it was—feeling every dip and the weight of his thighs. The goal of making you a mess now cemented into his mind, hoping to have you creaming around his cock for the next three hours until midnight. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell you that. It is part of his surprise, after all. Shooting his seed inside you and experiencing your pussy fluttering around his cock was just a bonus. “C-cum inside, fuck. Cum inside me, please!”

“You’re gonna cum?” Borderline brutal, your body shook at the force of his thrust. Tongue lolled out at the blissful ecstasy coursing through your nerves, sensing that familiar high approaching. Mikey knew it, too. Evident in how he was struggling at how your cunt had an almost vice-like grip. “Fuck, be a good girl and cum, baby. Cum around this cock of yours. Shit!”

Full. There were no other words to describe it, hand resting on your abdomen. The smile on your face was small, but it never faltered. The feeling of Mikey’s semen still oozing out of your puffy folds after going through numerous positions was unbelievable like the fact he fucked you for three hours straight. While your aching body and bones begged to rest for a week, Mikey had other plans as he approached you with the first-class tickets to Paris.

“Manjiro, this is so…” Eyes glistening with unshed tears at the gesture, your initial reaction was to pull him down for a kiss. Your boyfriend did go above and beyond to make you happy. There was pride in those eyes at how gleeful you were, excitement buzzing around your head at the idea of flying to the city of love tomorrow with Mikey. Because not only did he succeed in filling his pussy to the brim, he did the same with your heart as well.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

[manjiyo-deactivated20220416]

CHOCOLATE CAKE

FT. mikey. draken. baji. kazutora. 

+ everyone wants a piece of kazutora’s girlfriend.

CW. afab!fem!reader. foursome. cucking. unprotected sex. facial. blowjob. handjob. cum eating. threats. consumption of alcohol.

AN. 18+, minors dni. wc. 2.6k

Spilled bottles and reeking alcohol. The sweet scent of cake mingling with the bitter stench of cheap beer. Sugar on your lips and a crease on your otherwise flattened skirt. Lipstick stains on your boyfriend’s cheek and perfume that doesn’t belong to you though it sticks to your skin all the same.

You’ve heard about how easy men are. How one little bat of your lashes make them go dumb in the head and aching for attention. While it’s quite humorous—pathetic, for a better word—the length they go just for a little taste really is embarrassing.

Kazutora doesn’t hang out with his friends all that much. There’s no particular reason other than that wherever he goes, you go. While he’s confident (or violent) enough to know he could break their arms if he wanted—it doesn’t make the foul taste go away.

Your boyfriend’s keen. He notices more than he lets on, always silently watching with those pretty, piercing yellow eyes. It hardly takes anything to notice that Mikey’s being way too bold tonight, pushing boundaries he’s decided to overlook with the alcohol in his system. Quite frankly, Mikey’s a bit of an oddball—it’s hard to read him and he’s harder to understand. Maybe it’s the booze—his tolerance is lower than you initially thought—that makes him send you a lazy grin with droopy eyes and heated cheeks.

“Bet Kazutora sucks in bed.”

Keep reading

[pinkachire]

Protected Perfection

mikey x reader

synopsis: manjiro sano, one of bonten's dangerous leader has a girlfriend that likes to break one of his rules, such as going out without permission that caused him to take his anger out on you, but soon the so-called dangerous leader turned instantly soft when y/n realized that he's doing it all for her girlfriend's safety.

cw: squirting. degradation. embarrassed reader idk. praise. pussy slapping. kinda threatening. um what else

a/n: im really sorry i was gone for a vv long time, but im active in wattpad and tiktok if u guys want to interact with me and read some more of my works :)

╰┈➤ ❝ [protected perfection]

Third Person POV

You were looking in front of the mirror while trying out the new dresses. You just went back from the mall without your boyfriend, Sano Manjiro, the leader of this so-called Bonten, and honestly, it's your first time going somewhere without him... and without his permission.

You were well aware of his number one rule, Manjiro is a really strict man, that's why he has this set of rules for your sake and safety because he knows how you're now basically affiliated with these gangs and it's dangerous, yet here you are, you just broke one of his rules.

You just hope you can hide these shopping bags quickly before he gets home.

"Okay, next dress." Your lips pouted as you felt like the red strapless tight satin dress is better than this glitter silver backless dress. "Wait- actually- no- this one is better- wait- no-"

"Welcome home, boss Manjiro." You heard male voices outside, and you know it's one of Mikey's Bonten workers.

"Shit— He's already home that quick?!" You panicked as you quickly stuff the dresses inside the shopping bags, you don't care if they are folded or anything, just don't let your strict boyfriend see them because you'll be dead as fuck.

"Y/n," Mikey knocked just outside the room. "I'm home."

"Why is your door locked?" He said, and you heard him twisting the doorknob aggravatingly.

"U-um, wait! I'm changing!" You shouted with a shaky voice while contemplating where to hide these almost more than ten large shopping bags, even the closet is no use.

"I'll just hide y'all under the bed." You whispered as you kicked them under the bed and stuffed them like dough.

"Who are you talking to?" Mikey said as his knocks were getting louder, and he heard hurried footsteps inside your room with items being thumped, and his suspicion was getting him which made him impatient.

"I'm coming in, don't forget I have a fucking spare key." He said as he inserted the key in the keyhole and twisted the doorknob.

Your eyes widened as you quickly stood up from under the bed and faced the door.

"Fuck, I forgot to take my dress off." You thought.

Mikey raised an eyebrow at what you were wearing because it was unfamiliar and smelled different, not like one of his perfumes or the designer clothes he bought for you, but he had to admit you looked perfect in it, with the red satin dress hugging your body, hair and makeup done.

"What's that?" He asked as he walked closer to you and secretly locked the door.

"U-um, didn't you remember? You bought this for me! B-but it was a long time! So you probably forgot about it—" You convinced with a nervous smile.

"S-so yeah, let's sleep now, I'm pretty tired as well, how was your business trip by the way?" You asked while trying to change the topic, but he wasn't having it.

Mikey kept quiet as he walked past you and checked your room, some furniture was moved, a plastic bag sitting just on the floor, and your closet door creaked open.

"Oh I was just cleaning our room, don't worry." You said.

But then he lifted your bedsheets and saw shopping bags peeking under the bed.

"Fuck, I'm dead." You thought as you gulped.

"I— Manjiro let me explain, um, look—"

"Where'd you get these?" He said as he picked up the bags and checked the clothing inside.

He glared at you from your silence which explains everything, and your eyes darting everywhere in the room but him.

"Went out by yourself?"

"No." You said in a barely audible voice.

Mikey knew you were lying, and liars are what he despises the most, and he can easily spot them from the way you bite the insides of your cheeks, trembling of your voice, deflecting your gaze everywhere, and you were just too easy to read for him.

"You know better how lying doesn't make it better, darling." He said as he dropped a sigh and sat at one of the chairs in the room while rubbing his temples with stress.

"So, if you went in the mall without my permission or at least even bring a bodyguard, what if something bad happens, huh?" He said with his tone raising a bit, and you flinched while standing in front of his sitting figure.

"'m sorry, won't happen again..." You mumbled while your head is lowered, eyes meeting the floor as you were too afraid to bat him an eye.

"I can't hear you when you're talking like that." He clicked his tongue

You slowly looked at him and his eyes were darkened dangerously, a death glare that sent chills down your spine.

"But I got to admit, you suit that dress, come here." Mikey said that made you blink but then walked closer to him, but he pulled you by your wrist and made you sit on his lap that made you stiff. His hand glides down on the side of your stomach while his thumb draws circles on your hips which made you feel butterflies in your stomach, he noticed your stiffness and squirming that made him lean into your ear and whisper something.

"It makes me want to fuck you."

Your eyes widened as you looked at him in shock, and a smirk tugged on his lip and grabbed your jaw to kiss you hungrily, the heavy move of his lips tells how he's hiding his anger, and probably taking it out on you. He noticed you moving your hips a bit and he grabbed your hips with his both large veiny hands to push you down and closer to his lap to make you feel his hardened bulge.

"Hng— M-Mikey..." You whimpered during the kiss as you felt his hands controlling your hips, grinding you down to his lap while kissing you intensely, and his hands ruffling your satin dress up, exposing your thighs to him, and he widened them open and pressed you deeper onto his clothed dick.

"Stand up." He commanded as he pulled away from the kiss, and your brows furrowed in question.

"You really think I'll let you go that easily?" He said and pushed you off his lap that making you stand in front of him.

"Strip." He said while his legs were on a man spread as he pushed his hips up and fixed his posture, both of his elbows on the armrest while leaning back and looking intently at you.

The word ringed on your ears as your brows furrowed up in nervousness, thinking that you'll really humiliate yourself in front of him.

"I'm waiting."

Mikey's eyes narrowed as his eyes went over your body as you stood up hesitantly and faced him. You thought for a minute while fidgeting with your fingers, but then slowly lifted your dress up, exposing your underwear, and Mikey's eyes focused as his eyes traveled on your body.

He hummed while licking his lips, and you dropped the dress on the floor while your arms were covering your body.

"I didn't say to leave any pieces of clothes." He said.

"But—"

"Go on, talk back to me and I'll rip your clothes off myself." Your boyfriend said in dominance as you immediately took off your underclothing, which exposed your whole skin to him.

Mikey patted his lap as you sit there, and he took a look at your body before continuing his words.

"Ride me while facing the mirror, and if you don't come in five minutes, I won't let you come for a week." He said as your breath hitched.

Your hands placed on his knee as you rode his thigh, and the rough fabric on his pants made it hard for you, but it's shameful how your clit brushed on it and it felt good. It was hard pleasing yourself especially from the position, how your back is facing him while you were watching yourself in the mirror.

"Faster." He commanded as he grabbed your hair and twisted it around his finger while his other free hand slapped your ass.

You were gasping for air between your broken whimpers while trying to grind hard on his lap while facing the mirror, your brows furrowed up as you felt your pussy throbbing on his pant's rough fabric.

"Hmm? Struggling a little, you need help?" He cooed in a teasing tone, and you nodded desperately while your hips were still grinding.

His other hands grabbed your hips and he started controlling your movements, you felt like melting under his touch when he pushed your hips down to his lap for more friction. You moaned in response as his other hand went under yours and felt him play with your clit that made your body flinch on his lap with your stutter grinding on his lap.

"Mmm, so wet already." Mikey said as he continued rubbing your clit while you're still grinding on his lap, and you felt coming easily as he stroked your clit quickly once more that made you come on his lap, and your liquids dripping down to his pants that made a stain.

"'m sorry..." You whimpered as you felt embarrassed and covered your face, can't bear to look at yourself in the mirror, but he just chuckled humiliatingly behind you.

"Now now, no need to be embarrassed." He said as he pulled your body to his, and your back is on his chest.

Your thighs felt worn grinding on his lap, so you placed your head on his shoulder as you regained your breath, but your breath caught as his hands moved under your knees and spread your legs while facing the mirror, and your pussy was exposed on the mirror, causing you to blush.

"N-no... 's too embarrassing Mikey... " You whispered as you try to close your legs, but he only placed them on either side of his legs.

"You don't get to refuse." He said as he slapped your drenching cunt that made your body jerk in response.

It might feel shameful, but you were turned on by your boyfriend slapping your pussy, and you wriggled on his lap as he continued slapping your pussy that made you cry while cocking your head to the side, refusing to look at yourself in the mirror.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He grunted while continued slapping your pussy, and he felt his palms becoming drenched from your liquids, "See that? You're fucking wet just by slapping."

You felt liquids gush down your hole as he continued slapping, and he just laughed in a humiliating way as he looked at your eyes in the mirror.

"Can't waste this cum of yours, right?" Mikey said as his fingers slowly inched to your clenching hole as the tip of his finger prods your hole while collecting your juices and slowly rubbing your cunt in a circular motion.

His fingers started entering your whole as your walls clenched around it, and his thumb went on rubbing your clit that made your eyes roll back to your head.

You felt his fingers roughly fucking your pussy while his other hand was under your other knee to spread your legs wider to the mirror.

"M-mikey—" He said, and he curled his fingers inside you that made you whimper and cover your mouth from the pleasure.

His fingers felt heavy inside you as he scissored them inside that made your head throw back on his shoulder and he smirked in response as he felt your near already.

"I'm close, c-can't..." You try to pry his hands away from your hole as you didn't want to feel embarrassed again, but he only fastened his pace.

"Why? Don't you want to come?" He questioned like he doesn't know what's the actual reason.

You shook your head in response as tears streamed down your cheeks from the harsh thrust of his fingers inside you, and you felt your legs shaking on his other hand that was gripping your thigh.

"So sensitive today." He said raspily said as you came on his fingers, and he took them out as he watched how your hole clenched while liquids squirted on the mirror, and you covered your face as you sobbed.

"Can't wait to fuck you already." He groaned as his hands flew to his belt and unbuckled them while holding you tightly on his lap, and he pushed his hips forward.

As his pants were lowered, his other hand went on your clit while he rubbed circles, and lewd noises escaped your mouth while he was fisting his cock and angled his tip to your pussy.

"Princess, 'can't fuck you till your squirting messy." He chuckled while his index and ring finger parted your pussy lips and his middle rubbing your clit while slowly prodding your clenching hole.

You felt your high easily as your liquids squirted out again, and you sobbed while covering your mouth on the back of your hand while your head is thrown back to his shoulder in pleasure.

As you were squirting, he used that opportunity to enter his cock to your spasming pussy, and you whined loudly from the overbearing pleasure as he didn't even give you chance to talk and just thrust up his hips to yours that made you come will he was pounding his cock inside you, it was all so messy, just like how Manjiro was planning to do.

"Baby, fuck—" He grunted while thrusting into you harshly, and you had to grip his forearms but he lifted you by your hips and stood up from the chair that made you wrap your legs around your waist yet his cock is still inside you.

He placed you on the edge of the bed as he continued fucking you while standing, and he placed either side of his hands on either side of your head.

"Please... need you." You whined while letting out filthy noises as he rolls his hips to you and pounded while tears escaped from your eyes.

He gazed down at you and observed how your perfectly bought dress tightens around your body, and he licked his lips, praising on such a masterpiece and on how such a sweet girlfriend like you can do such things to a gang's leader.

He tilted his head and smirked while he only chuckles at your poor whines and blabbering please of "too much".

"Mikey— hah~!" Your hands grabbed to his as you wrapped them around his neck while he dropped to his forearms and placed them on top of your head, trapping your body to his while your pussy is all vulnerable to him now which he took the chance to fuck you into oblivion.

He groaned as he saw the tears stream down your face. Your hands alternated with wiping your tears and hanging your hands around his neck for dear life while plowing into your hole, and he riled up more, cock going hard from the helpless loads of tears freely stream down your face, with the back of your hands frantically wiping them.

"Don't wipe them, you're pretty when you cry." Mikey softly said as he inched to your face and kissed you deeply while his hands intertwined with yours on the sheets.

The calculated roll of his hips being such bliss to you, the way he harshly thrust to you and buries his cock deep into your pussy that brings tears of pleasure to your eyes, which your boyfriend totally adores.

"I'm close, Mikey." You whispered.

"Close? Then cum." He said while his eyes were narrowed, head hanging between his shoulders as he used his other hand to lift your leg on his shoulder.

"M-Mikey, 'can't—" You whimpered as you looked up at him with wide doe eyes, you tugged his shoulders as you cocked your head to the side, attempting to hide your flustered face.

"Shh shh, yes baby, you can." He said as he caressed your cheeks and plant kisses all over your face.

"It's too embarra—" You said, but you yelped as Mikey quickly rubbed little circles on your clit that made you squirt on his abdomen and he prods his tip onto your hole while his pupils dilate in delight.

You panted while trying to muffle your whimpers on your hand while your pussy is clenching around his still inside hard cock, he pulled out that made your whole body tremble, and Mikey had to grab the back of your head while kissing your forehead with his hand traveling on the sides of your body, soothing you down.

"I love you, you know how I'm just really strict when it comes to you, hm? It's for your own safety." Your sweet boyfriend coos as he preps you sweet kisses, his face a while ago compared to now was totally different, how your boyfriend can turn soft to you in just a matter of seconds.

"But you, squirtin'?" He chuckled with a scoff. "Do that again for me, m'kay? Baby?"

[nymphiria]

he must hate me

»— sano manjiro (mikey)

—cw: perv mikey, titty fiend mikey, horrible communication, on my mission to make every tr man a titty fiend

authors note: back on my titty lover agenda! this is unedited

it’s been bugging you for an entire two weeks. every time you’re in his presence, he’s staring you down like a lion would a gazelle. dark, lifeless eyes boring through you down to your very soul. you’ve only seen him stare with that same intensity at people who’ve wronged him or pissed him off. you had to have done one of the two options. you were a dead woman.

it started off with the side glances but then it escalated to full blown staring. he didn’t even try to hide it or be discreet. even his executives noticed how hard he had been staring you down whenever you were near. and of course, being the assholes they are, they had to tease you about it.

the morning meeting had ended fairly quickly and mikey was the first one to exit the conference room. the second he was gone, ran had piped up to joke about today’s intense staring.

“count your days, you must’ve done something,” he cackled. you felt heat rise to your face and anxiety churn in your gut. “i didn’t do anything! i don’t know why he’s doing that,” you cried. ran slapped his brother on the arm playfully and asked, “what do you wanna bet it was?”.

“she probably forgot to pick up his snacks. death sentence right there.”

you were about ready to give up. you spent the entire day worrying yourself to death about what to do and how to make up for what you apparently had done. maybe it was best to just ask? no. you should just apologize to your boss and hope he thinks you know what you’re apologizing for. to be honest, it was the only idea you could think of that didn’t result in your body in a ditch.

softly, you knocked on the door of mikey’s office with one hand. you heard a quiet “come in” before you entered with a brief apology. he was lounging on the plush sofa adjacent to his large mahogany desk. once his eyes met yours, the intense look was back again. wringing your hands together nervously, you quickly blurted out your apology.

“mr. sano i’m so sorry for what i did to make you hate me! i didn’t mean to mess anything up or offend you in any way! i hope you will forgive me i promise i won’t mess up again!”

the moment your apology came out mikey’s brain had went completely blank. what were you apologizing for? you hadn’t screwed up or said anything wrong. what made you think that? well, you did do something but it wasn’t actually your fault. it was more like his. you were the reason for his stares, obviously, but not for the reason you may think.

you see, mikey couldn’t stop staring at your tits.

yes. all of the intense staring and perceived angry looks were him actually just admiring your tits. how could he not? summer had just rolled around making your clothing become less heavy so he was allowed the sight of your curvy figure. it was a sight that’s been blessing him for the past two weeks. no way could he stop looking.

okay yeah, maybe his staring had gone a little too far if you were bowing and profusely apologizing to him like you were in the wrong. in all honestly, he should be apologizing for watching you like some perverted creep. but admitting he was staring at your tits? off the table. he’s just gonna have to play it off.

“it’s all right. I forgive you. go ahead and go home.” you breathed a heavy sigh of relief and showed yourself out of the office. finally, you were free.

after you left, it didn’t take long for mikey’s thoughts to wander back to your luscious tits. it was gonna be a long time before he’d stop thinking about them. he daydreams about them throughout meetings, calls, and paperwork. hell, he even dreams of you letting him touch them. knead them. suck on them. they were dreams that plagued him like a nightmare.

maybe, just maybe, he can make those dreams a reality soon. he just needs to cut back a little on the staring. actually, cut back a lot.