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ღ LadyAthene's Writing Samples ღ

LadyAthene

LadyAthene

Supernova
Joined
May 12, 2015
Location
West Coast, USA
Hello and welcome to my writing samples thread!

In here, I will post up intros or posts from various RPs I've done. Some will be from here, other entries will hail from other sites. There may be posts that aren't introduction ones, but rather, anything after the first bit of writing was made.

All of these will be things that I believe are better examples which show what I am truly capable of creating, as well as the types of characters I can make.

I only have two major rules to those who wish to read along here.

1. Do not post here! - I hope I don't need to explain this rule anymore. If you have any questions, comments, whatnot, then PM me! But don't post here, please!

2. If you want to give critiques/opinions, go for it! - Just remember, there is a difference between constructive criticism and outright trolling. I will not accept the latter in any form or fashion. I know some of my posts will probably have minor mistakes. But if you're going to make fun of me for petty shit like that, then don't bother sending me a PM.

If you can't say anything nice - or, in this case, helpful - then just don't bother. Please.

That's it, really. I hope anyone who reads along will enjoy what I decide to include in this writing journal.

-Athene

 
"Naruto: Defying Orders & Starting Anew" Introduction Post​

"Get me Sasuke Uchiha!"

It had been a simple order, really. The orders had come from none other than Orochimaru himself. While Tayuya could never say she had any sense of pure "love" for the man, she did owe him. It was an equally brutal, easy fact, one the Sannin had no qualms in reminding her about. Everything, from her mere existence to the very clothes she wore, it was all thanks to that unnaturally pale man that Tayuya - as well as the other Sound Five members - had anything at all. Otherwise, they'd all be in the same, shitty mess they were in when Orochimaru found them all those years ago.

It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it was difficult not to think about it.

Without Orochimaru, she'd be in the streets, living through stealing or - gods forbid - worse measures. Ones that would make her disgusted and likely cry herself to sleep every night for being forced to resort to.

But she had avoided that sort of life because of everything Orochimaru had done for her and the others.

So, when they got the orders to retrieve this young man, no one questioned it. At most, it was asked where they could find this Sasuke. After getting that answer, though, they headed off into the night, refusing to second guess the command they'd heard.
It had been about one year since then and regardless of what anyone else was thinking, Tayuya knew her stance on accepting and completing the task of getting Sasuke ot Orochimaru.

Simply put, she was all but kicking herself for complying.

It had been by far one of the worst things she'd done for him.

"Who the fuck does that brat think he is?" Tayuya muttered, hiding away in Kabuto's room. The second-in-command was, thankfully, out and about. While he was busy, Tayuya took full advantage of that. Rather, she had been pretty much right after Sasuke was delivered to Orochimaru.

No one had really ever gotten the full details, even to this day. But Tayuya didn't need them. She just needed her wit and common sense to help understand one simple thing.

Orochimaru had a very ... unhealthy "obsession" with this Sasuke brat, and that was putting it as nicely as possible.

She hadn't cared, not at first.

But when the neglect and abuse got so bad that he forgot about Kimimaru --- that was when Tayuya put her foot down. Although he was the leader of the Sound Five, he was by far the most frail due to an unknown disease he had obtained or been born with somehow. All of the details were in Kabuto's files which, unfortunately, were locked away. His books filled with various technique, however, were out in the open.

Summed up, Tayuya was peeking through the multiple scrolls and books in hopes of finding something - anything - that could be used to help Kimimaru out.

Unfortunately, it appeared Four-Eyes had been honest about that much. He really hadn't been able to find a cure just yet.

The best was a way to keep her comrade alive, though many could argue it was just as bad as Death itself.

Most of Kimimaru's days were spent on a bed, one that was now almost never visited by anyone. Half a dozen IVs, possibly more, were hooked into various places of his body. Most were around the arms, some were lower or even higher. He looked ... horrible. Pathetic.

And that was exactly why Tayuya hated going to see him. Just being in the same room tempted her to break down and cry.

But with Kabuto and Orochimaru having all but given up on helping him, it was the least she could do. Wasn't it?

Her teeth latched onto her lower lip. "There's gotta be something else!" she hissed angrily through gritted teeth, sighing as she made herself put the book back in its original spot as opposed to throwing it like she so badly wanted to do. She'd only earn more trouble if it was discovered she had been in Kabuto's office - again - without his consent. "What the fuck can I do?!"

Run away ...

The quip caused her to roll her eyes. "Heh. Yeah right," she mumbled, "That won't go well ... "

Got anything else that'll work?

The grip on her lip tightened yet again. Days like this where she had to face the harsh reality of things were the worst days for Tayuya. But ... she knew she was right. Kimimaru was practically on an invisible timer. A year in itself was another miracle for him. Hell, the fact he was eighteen and still alive was something that - going off of the statistics Kabuto repeatedly spouted - should never have happened.

Tayuya's head bowed as she slowly stood up, deciding to mull over the thought for a bit longer. It was at least something, and if only because of that, she wouldn't outright refuse to consider it. But if she could find something else, something smarter, she would do that instead.

Her concentration went to the here and now as she silently navigated herself into the kitchen. Without saying anything to any of the servants already inside, she grabbed an empty cup and filled it with water. Tayuya then pivoted on her feet and slowly began walking through the halls. She gulped softly as the same wooden door she'd seen time and time again came back into view. Keeping the water held in her left hand, she clenched her right, raised it, and knocked.

"Kimi? It's me. Tayuya."

Her voice barely stayed stable. Visits were the best and worst parts of her own day much like they probably were Kimimaru's. Half the time, she ended up caving in and crying in front of her friend. Even when she didn't, it was obvious she wanted to with how much her body or voice - if not both - trembled.

I won't today, I won't today ...

Or at least she tried to promise herself that much.

Either way, it was just too wrong, too ... fucked up to not take the time and effort to see one of the few, actual friends she had. Among all of the residents in Otogakure, Kimimaru was one of the few - maybe only - people she genuinely respected and even liked. Hence why she took the risk of sneaking into Kabuto's room and trying to find a cure, or something more reliable, to help him out. Her head tilted up as Tayuya breathed another sigh, waiting as patiently as possible to hear some sort of reply. Normally, he'd give more affirmative answers. There had, however, been days where he didn't want company and would reject even her.

So while she figured he'd give consent for Tayuya to walk in, she wouldn't outright assume the outcome. Most days were the same, yes. But most didn't equal all, either.
 
"One Piece: The Hawk and the Headhuntress" Introduction Post​

The night was young, dark, and even a bit chilly. Yet despite all the eerie factors, they were much more of a reassurance for twenty-one year old bounty huntress, Aiya. Of course, she wasn't known simply by her first name. Anyone who had seen her poster knew her by a few names. Some people called her "Black Blade Aiya", others used "Bloody Aiya" but the most popular nickname she had been given was "Headhuntress Aiya". The reason was simple. She almost always killed her victims via beheading with her treasured blade, appropriately named Kazekami.

A mix of skill from years of training plus an Ax Dial enabled her to toss air blades at her opponents from a distance if she so desired. As nice as the range was, it wasn't her forte. No, she preferred to be up close and personal with her targets.

Aiya wasn't like any other woman the world had seen. Far from it, if anything. While the word 'mercy' was a term she did know of, Aiya didn't usually display this emotion. People had to earn that from her, among many other things. Respect was another major aspect but perhaps equally as vital to her was her innocence. No one had been worthy enough and thus she had kept herself from being touched thus far.

But what was her real pride and joy was her ability to have killed - or at least defeated - everyone she had encountered without using a Devil Fruit. Aiya relied on nothing but herself, her intimidation, and her swordsmanship.

A proud smirk crossed her face as her crimson eyes slowly opened. She could see it, in the distance; Kuraigana Island. Her mind briefly went to the talk she had with her former comrade, Saku.

"...Mihawk? Dracule Mihawk?" he had asked.

"Why? Did I stutter?"

"No. But don't you think this is pushing your luck?"

Aiya had wasted no time in shooting him a glare. "I've come too far to just back down! Besides, Crocodile was a Shichibukai like him. And ... well ... you know his fate."

"This is likely going to be different. You know of his nickname, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I always do my research on people I go after!"

"Then you should know 'Hawk-Eyes' isn't just there for the hell of it ... "

It had ended there. She said nothing and stormed off to her room. It hadn't been until Saku had fallen asleep that she acted and stole one of the lifeboats and was using it to travel towards her destination.

It had been a good three days since she had last seen or spoken with Saku. Her arms were tired, but not enough to stop her from rowing. Thankfully, the sea had assisted her every now and again by helping Aiya drift in the right direction. It was as if the very ocean itself knew of her goal and was aiming to help guide her. Moreover, Aiya had heard and read about rumors. The execution of Ace D. Portgas had recently occurred. In the process, many casualties - both Marines and non-Marines - had been resulted. That being said, it seemed logical that the Shichibukai would be in their most vulnerable states. Now, not later, was the perfect time to strike.

Her eyes slowly closed once more as she let the water continue to push her forward.

"So close and yet so far .. " she muttered softly, her smirk widening as an adrenaline rush fueled by anticipation began to surge through her.

There had been a few times that Aiya thought back on what had likely been her last conversation with Saku, mainly to consider if this truly was too much.

Maybe.

But the day the Marines had landed on her former hometown island - which used to be known as Freeport - and performed a mass execution against everyone had been the moment Aiya lost all respect and love for anyone affiliated with them. She never once forgot about how it had gone, looked. It was basically like being hit by a swift firing squad. And to make it worse? No one had seen it coming.

The island still existed, though it may as well not have. No one lived there anymore. Even to this day, Aiya could only explain herself having endured the firing squad incident through nothing but sheer luck.

Yet that fortune had allowed for her to grow up and begin avenging her former hometown, all while simultaneously getting rid of the higher up ranking Marines or anyone affiliated with them. That thus included people like Cipher Pole and the Shichibukai. They were favored tools of the Government and Marines. It was all the incentive she needed.

Her hand waved gently through the air as she forced herself to forget about the old flashback.

"It doesn't matter anymore," she mused softly, feeling her smirk widen more as she looked in time to see the island now maybe a few minutes at most away.

"Ready or not, Dracule, here I come ... "
 
"Naruto: One War Ends, Another Begins" Introduction Post​

Darkness. Solitude. An onyx void had been the only thing that lingered with - and even around - the still unconscious but simultaneously alive Special Jounin, Anko Mitarashi. Being forced to remain in what was all but a comatose state forced one to think, even if they didn't wish to do so. After all, there wasn't exactly much else for a person to do. And so, Anko had been doing little more than thinking and remembering, all at a pace as quick as any REM session she may or may not be going through at that very moment.
"Sensei!"

A much younger version of herself ran up to a tall and insanely pale - no, albino - male that had taken her under his wing. Her upbringing, or lack of one on a very technical note, had made it incredibly easy for Anko to become attached to Orochimaru. He was far more of a father than her biological one and by far the best friend she had.

Especially when the scene revealed a very specific moment in her life. If one could see her exact recollections, they would notice not only was Anko younger, but sobbing. A slight but still noticeable trail of blood fell down the nape of Anko's neck, cascading underneath her clothes, and leaked atop the stone, cold floor.

"Perfect."

The response had been from the very same person whom had - supposedly - agreed to be her sensei.

"Why?!" she hissed through gritted teeth, shakily covering the wound as she stared furiously into the amber eyes. "What'd you do to me?! I thought you were my sensei! Why?!"

Rather than receiving a verbal retort, she heard a sadistic chuckle as the man she thought she knew - and could call a friend - literally turned his back on her and exited the room, soon locking it. Anko found herself still in a state of shock and despair, but not for long as the pain dominated her body and soon, she passed out.
Instinctively, her fists clenched. She didn't quite wake up, but for the first time in far too long, Anko finally felt her muscles begin to function.

"Bastard," she muttered in a faint, weak voice. "Traitor ... you ... ngh ... "

Yet whatever reprieve she had been given from the first memory was just as swiftly gone. Soon, a new one that was equally as infuriating returned to her.
​
"Aburame-san! Hyuuga-san! Get back to Konoha! Now!"

One of the last things she had seen started to replay in her mind. One could almost swear if they didn't know better Orochimaru was towering over her, making Anko endure the most painful and simultaneously humiliating flashbacks of her life. This was the answer that no one in Konoha knew; why she had left or even where she went to. In front of her was the destination she set off with Muta Aburame and Tokuma Hyuuga to find; the Mountains' Graveyard. Though he was out of sight, they had seen mere seconds ago that a very shady looking Kabuto had moved forward, but not alone. He had done so with Madara.

"But, are you ... ??"

Before Muta could protest, she turned her head and shot him an irritated glare.

"Yes," she replied without missing a beat, "If what Tokuma said is true about that army, Konoha needs to know. Get back! Go! Haul your ass back to Konoha! Now!"

The expression on his face revealed he wanted to argue. Before he could try though, a hand gently but firmly landed on his shoulder. "She's right," Tokuma simply stated, "We should take this back while we still can. I don't like it either. But let's not waste this opportunity."

"Fine," Muta bitterly answered, "Come back safely though."

Only after the two men left did Anko move from her hiding spot. Slowly, the kunoichi reached down and pulled a kunai out from the pocket of her trenchcoat. She didn't need to take many steps before he showed up.

"You're different," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone, narrowing her eyes as Kabuto came into view.

"Now, now," she was greeted with, "That's not how you properly greet your sensei, is it?"

" .... Impossible!"

But she knew it wasn't. The look in his eyes, the tone of his own voice, and the nagging sensation she'd felt earlier. It all added up. That very bit of knowledge caused Anko to tighten her grip on the handle of the kunai as her hand shook slightly. "Fine then! This time though, I'm not losing!"
Somewhere in between exchanging blows, more infuriated words, and even some jutsus here and there, she - alas - did lose.

How exactly?

Fuck if even she could seem to remember that.

Lub dub ...

Her heart pounded, both angry and distraught at everything she was seeing and feeling. A copious dose of guilt and shame mingled in together, beginning to stir with one another to create a dangerous sense of wrath that was now adding itself into the equation.

Lub dub ...

Her fists clenched again, seeming to form an even tighter grip somehow.

"Son of a bitch," she growled, feeling her eyes begin to flutter. "I'll kill you myself!"

Finally, her formerly sleeping body woke up, albeit with no doubt one of the worst wake up calls possible. She panted heavily, her body shuddering as she looked around. Anko began to quickly blink as more darkness surrounded her. Thankfully, it wasn't from a grim reason such as being blind like part of her expected for some reason. No, she simply needed to adjust to the lack of light.

... Cave? Is this the inside of the Mountains' Graveyard then?

Only after Anko realized that even she wasn't certain did the realization dawn on her. For all she knew, she could be literally anywhere. Worse off, she had no clue as to whether either Tokuma or Muta had gotten back to Konoha alive and well.

"Fuck," she muttered in a bitter, hoarse voice. "How ... how long have I ... ??"

Her head slowly shook from side to side, knowing that to extents the answer would have mattered and not at the same time. She was alive. Disgusted at herself - and her sensei - pissed off, and feeling an array of other multiple emotions. But alive nonetheless.

"Ahhh, shit!"

As Anko reached down to try to push herself up, the next major revelation hit her. It had clearly been too long since she had moved or done anything on her own. Because what was meant to be something as easy as standing up was anything but simple.

Instead, she collapsed onto the rock floor beneath her, wincing in agony as her flesh roughly impacted the stone surface.

"Motherfucker!" she added, tilting her head back as more quick, frantic gasps passed her dry, parted lips.

Think, think, think! If you don't do something, you'll die here!

As much as the survival specialist hated to admit it, she knew that much was true. She had been without food, water, almost anything for days, possibly longer. Which implied the fact she had woken up at all was a miracle in itself.

Her body continued to shudder as Anko slowly - painfully so - tried to turn herself onto her stomach. It wasn't an immediate response, but after some coaxing and more coercing, she got her wish. And as Anko succeeded in the change, she began to crawl, trying her damnedest to ignore the strengthening feeling of sheer embarrassment.

If I ever find that son of a bitch, I will kill him myself!

... Or that was what she tried to convince herself of.

One ... three ... five paces.

That was as far as she got before her body caved in and she plopped back down again. "Damnit!" Anko muttered, bowing her head into her arms as she softly whimpered and growled. It was clear that this was going to take much more effort than she'd originally thought.
 
"Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: An Unexpected Turn of Events" Introduction Post​

"Two years. Two goddamned years and .... nothing!"

An irritated hiss helped end the annoyed musings coming from none other than Varia's youngest member, Prince the Ripper. Well, second youngest, he supposed; Marmon was a year or so underneath him in age. But it was hard to count him, namely because he had been stuck in his cursed form for so long that it drastically reduced his age. Even to this day, the closest thing Bel would dare to consider a friend among all of these assassins was as uncertain about his actual age and how old he should be. But in the end, that was the last thing on the blonde-haired assassin's mind.

No. There was a more urgent and pressing matter.

He was bored.

When someone like Belphegor was in such a state, it was actually a very dangerous thing. Anyone outside the Varia base could laugh, though they would receive a dagger lodged in their jugular for reacting in such a way. Believe it or not, this was a very serious problem. And anyone else who was around the headquarters could clearly see it. The young prince had been sitting in his room for the past few hours, tapping his boots impatiently on the carpet.

Now, his fingers drummed - just as restlessly as his feet were, almost in perfect sync with them actually - and landed atop a wooden desk that had only a single laptop, mouse pad, and mouse.

"Voi," he finally heard from behind him, causing the slightest of smirks to cross his face. "Just go do something already. You're acting crazy, more so than usual."

"Awwww, Squalo. You do care," he quipped, resulting in the swordsman to scoff.

"Hardly," he muttered, "Seriously though, I get it's weird that we're not on call and shit. But it's just as odd to see you like .... this. Go fucking do something."

Bel turned his head and - despite still having his eyes concealed by his bangs - shot a teasing smirk. "Come in here, then," he responded, snickering as he watched Squalo's face quickly turn crimson.

"You fucking prick! Hell no! Tch! I got my own shit to do!"

"Awww .... "

That was as far as Bel got before Squalo left to do ... something. Whether it was keeping true to his word or not was anyone's guess. Bel sighed, finding himself alone as he tilted his head upward. "He's right," he muttered, "I do need to do something."

Things just hadn't been the same since that brat Tsuna actually managed to win the Ring Conflict. Because of this, it was him who was in charge, not Xanxus. While the Storm user of Varia didn't openly show or admit it nearly as much as his boss, he actually was as irritated that the boy had won. Some days, he would believe he was more annoyed than Xanxus. A difficult feat to think of, but not by any means impossible.

The Vongola were very likely relieved that there was seemingly nothing to fret about.

For the members of the Varia familigia, however, this was incredibly bad news. They relied - sadly - on the Juudaime to give them missions and assignments. Looking back on it, Bel supposed there was one main saving grace and it came in the form of what Tsuna didn't do. Force them to disband. That would have been the smart thing to do, or even order all of them to be outright executed.

"Ah well, his loss~" Bel mused in a sing-song voice. Instinctively, his hand reached down into his pocket and retrieved one of his many knives before placing his right index finger through the loop and twirling the small dagger in graceful circles.

"Ka-fucking-ching," he murmured, exhaling yet another irked sigh. "Fuck it. I need to leave, to get out for a bit."

Thus, he stood up and did just that. Tossing the dagger into the air, he caught it and slid it back into his black trenchcoat before beginning to walk out.

"Oh?" an amused, rhetorical inquiry came. The voice revealed itself to be Marmon himself. "You're finally out of your funk, are you?"

Bel merely tilted a hand slightly in the air. "Enough. Hopefully something will present itself to me in the streets. If not ... well ... " His grin spread further across his face, "I'm sure I can find a way - or person - to help me kill time."

Marmon rolled his eyes, the sight hidden only because of the cowl covering most of his face. "You're hopeless," he muttered, leaving it at that as the sadomasochist opened the large, wooden doors to the headquarters. As quickly as they had been moved ajar, they soon shut, keeping the rest of the Varia members inside their own base. Takin slow but confident strides throughout the streets, Bel began on his quest.

What for?

Hell if he knew; but he was sure that when something grabbed his attention, he would most certainly see it. Not even his long bangs wouldn't forbid him from doing that. In fact, the smirk on his face implied that nothing nor no one would stop him; not without risking losing their life in the process.
 
"Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Tears Hidden Within The Rain" Introduction Post​

Eight years. Eight long, painful years ...

The musings came from a lone woman who was residing in her mostly empty residence. If anyone were to walk by the correct window, they would see her hair was still somewhat damp and little more than a single towel was wrapped around her body, keeping her most sensual areas hidden all the while. The single female, twenty-year-old Freya, was staring at herself in a mirror; not out of vanity, but rather, to determine the best outfit to select. Although the occasion was a serious one, she could afford to look elegant. A kimono wouldn't kill her.

... And yet, to Freya, it didn't feel ... right.

Maybe if this was for celebrating her father's birthday instead of the day he died.

... Who the fuck are you joking or trying to fool? He didn't die. He was outright murdered.

Her teeth held her lower lip for a few moments and before the woman could stop herself, the cruel reminder as to why she was in the here and now; alone, orphaned, and full of so much hate and anger.
***
​
A younger, preteen version of Freya formed within her mind. Beside her, kneeling at the dinner table, was her father, Tyr. Even though he ran an organization which didn't have the most honest of men, he himself was truthful. It was what ended up leading to his wife leaving him. Admittedly, even Freya had been taken aback when she first learned what exactly he did. Her father just didn't seem like the type to run a group of assassins. But ... she had visited the headquarters a few times. Sure, there were the occasional 'punks' or 'tough guys'.

All in all though, they seemed to respect and heed Tyr, obeying every order they were given without question.

It had been on this exact same day; the eighteenth day of May, eight years ago, when her life was all but turned upside down.

Three loud, consecutive knocks disturbed what was supposed to be a typical evening between a father and daughter eating a peaceful dinner.

"Voi! I'm here to claim your title!"

Freya's brows furrowed as she glanced her. Her father wasn't merely any man. No. What the foreign voice had said was ture; he was indeed an owner of a title. Freya was the only child of Tyr, the Sword Emperor and head of the Varia Familigia.

"Daaaaad," she whined, crossing her arms over her chest, "Don't! It's our time together!"

Unfortunately, the banging against the front door didn't cease. If anything, it started getting more persistent. Whomever had called out to Tyr really wanted to have a chance to beat him in a fight. It was a sight Freya had seen before. Given her father was still known as the Sword Emperor, it was obvious what her eyes had been greeted with. She always saw her father win.

Yet for some reason, butterflies were fluttering in her stomach.

And it was definitely not in the good way. She was nervous. Scared. Terrified. Something that could be easily seen in her blue-grey eyes, which were now looking pleadingly to her only surviving family member.

"It's okay," he reassured, lightly patting her shoulder as he stood up, "I'll be back soon enough."

"But otou-san!"

Freya sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to win this argument. She never had before. Why would tonight be different?

As such, it only seemed fair that she would be able to go about her routines when days like this arrived. Slowly, the preteen slid out of her chair and dropped to her hands and knees, keeping herself low to the ground as she crawled towards the window closest to the front door, which offered the best view for her to watch. All the while, she would stay hidden. Discreet. Only people in the Varia Familigia even knew Freya existed. The rest of the world, however, was blissfully ignorant of her existence; something that was - as Tyr often vowed - for the best. For her own good, to be more accurate.

One of the first things Freya took note of was the opponent. He was ... young! About her age, barely older! That alone made her head tilt. Why did he feel so sure he could beat Tyr? Wasn't her father, by default, more skilled than this boy?

Either way, it didn't stop him from backing down and soon, the fray officially began.

Blade met a new source of steel, clashing violently against it. Freya couldn't help but smile. If nothing else, the young boy was brave and ... actually pretty talented. Her gaze shifted, now focusing on the missing arm. Her father had willingly cut it off. Apparently, it was a way to strengthen himself.

Suffice to say, when Freya did a double take, her mouth fell agape.

... H-He ... also cut his arm off?! Is he insane?!

This was now starting to look like less of a fight and more like her father had met his darkest, most obsessed fan ever. In fact, the longer the fight lasted, the more it looked as if Freya were staring at a mirror. And she understood why.

He also knows otou-san's sword style?!

Okay. Now this teenager was starting to piss her off. Freya was feeling less like hiding and more as if she needed to storm out and scold the other boy. She would never acknowledge him as a sword fighter. Not when he was trying to act and look like little more than a copy cat.

By the time Freya attempted to heed her muscles, everything stopped, including time itself. Not literally, though it definitely felt like it did. Her eyes widened as she watched the boy's blade find its mark and was now protruding out from her dad's chest.

"STOP!"

She wanted to scream, to cry out. But fear kept her in place. What would happen to her if she was found out? She didn't know and Freya now better began to understand what her father had meant earlier. Situations like this could truly become dangerous, more so than they already were, in mere seconds.

Tears formed in her eyes as she watched everything else; from the sword being yanked out to her father's body collapsing onto the grass, and finally the boy walking arrogantly away, snickering and laughing. Only when Freya was certain he was out of eye-shot did she run out, kneeling beside her father. "O-Otou-san?! No! Wait! Hang on, please!"

"F-Freya ... "

A weak smile crossed the ex-Sword Emperor's face as a shaky hand rose, attempting to hold one of Freya's smaller hands.

"I'll ... be .... "

That was as far as he got. Fingers never got to intertwine. Before that could even begin to occur, Tyr's hand fell down, landing atop his chest.

"No. Father?! Please! Don't leave me! FATHER! FATHER!"
***
​
Freya gasped, digging her fingernails tightly into her palms. The pain made her hiss. At the same time, it also succeeded in bringing her back to the present. A new set of tears formed, threatening to fall. Her own right arm quickly raised, wiping any droplets away. She wouldn't cry. Not yet.

"I'm going to fucking kill him," she vowed, speaking as if Tyr were behind her instead of deceased.

The murder of her only parent - well, the only one who took care of her - took one of the worst tolls possible on Freya. She gave up almost everything; her usual school life, a good number of the mannerisms she'd been taught, among many other things. All so she could avenge Tyr.

It had taken at least three to four years, but Freya learned over time the name of the man who killed her father.

That man held the name of Squalo Superbi, whom - coincidentally enough - was one of the current members of Varia.

Although Freya had no desire to take over her father's company, she did want to cleanse it. Force anyone she didn't view as worthy to leave which, more likely than not, would mean anyone else who was also aligned with Squalo.

Alas, for now, her main target was the same silver-haired male she'd seen all those years ago.

Nodding firmly to herself, Freya deftly pulled the towel off, sliding into a martial arts outfit. Between the belt holding the hakama up, she would slip Tyr's sword between the fabric. Inheriting his blade had been the right thing to do; or so Freya believed as much. Her hand gripped the pommel firmly as she withdrew the blade quickly yet carefully, ensuring she didn't accidentally hurt herself.

Taking a few moments to study the blade, she nodded again, feeling satisfied that the sword was as eager and hungry for Squalo's blood as the woman wielding the weapon.

Soon after Freya learned Squalo's name, she spent the past few years stalking him from a distance.

Oh how hard it had been to simply watch but take no actions.

So she was very happy that tonight, she wouldn't need to hold back.

... But first thing was first. And that wouldn't yet mean taking Squalo's life. No. Before that, she needed to visit her father.

Reaching behind, Freya grabbed her hair, navigating it into a tight ponytail. Keeping it held, she slid a hair band off of her right wrist and began wrapping it around her dark locks, letting it fall as she finished securing her hair.

"I'll be there soon, father," she whispered softly, turning and walking off to the graveyard where Tyr was buried six feet underneath the earth.
 
"Connecting Souls Through Fate" Introduction Post​

"Three years. Three goddamned years and .... nothing!"

An irritated hiss helped end the annoyed musings coming from none other than Varia's youngest member, Prince the Ripper. Well, second youngest, he supposed; Marmon was a year or so underneath him in age. But it was hard to count him, namely because he had been stuck in his cursed form for so long that it drastically reduced his age. Even to this day, the closest thing Bel would dare to consider a friend among all of these assassins was as uncertain about his actual age and how old he should be. But in the end, that was the last thing on the blonde-haired assassin's mind.

No. There was a more urgent and pressing matter.

He was bored.

When someone like Belphegor was in such a state, it was actually a very dangerous thing. Anyone outside the Varia base could laugh, though they would receive a dagger lodged in their jugular for reacting in such a way. Believe it or not, this was a very serious problem. And anyone else who was around the headquarters could clearly see it. The young prince had been sitting in his room for the past few hours, tapping his boots impatiently on the carpet.

Now, his fingers drummed - just as restlessly as his feet were, almost in perfect sync with them actually - and landed atop a wooden desk that had only a single laptop, mouse pad, and mouse.

Geez. When did Boss become so fucking soft? Ka-fucking-ching!

Another irked sigh passed his lips as he pulled one of his trademark knives out, slipped his right index finger through the small loop, and twirled the weapon rapidly in an impatient but very swift circle. The weapon remained around his digit, being controlled perfectly by its owner as he tried to backtrack and remember why things had come down to the here and now. It was a delicate situation, if he had to word it as any specific way to explain what had happened.

Numerous and multiple words had merged.

On any given day, this would be an amazing feat. And it seemed the rest of Varia agreed with as much.

But of course, the CEDEF had to intervene. And they all but insisted that if any trouble was linked back to them, they would take advantage of the new setting and strip Varia of all their powers, insisting there was no need to risk getting any "unneeded casualties" involved.

"Argh!" Bel hissed, finally allowing the small knife to be hurled into the wall beside him. He stood back up, yanked it out and slid it back into his pocket.

There was one saving grace, and it came in the fact they had managed to completely heal Squalo. It was one of the few things keeping Bel even somewhat sane; well, as sane as he could be in the first place. As the silver-haired swordsman entered Bel's mind, he decided that would be how he'd start to cure his boredom.

Taking slow, confident steps, Belphegor began striding forward through the halls of the Varia Headquarters. Thankfully, he didn't have to move far and soon, he found the door belonging to the Rain Guardian and opened it, forgoing the usual routine of knocking and hinting someone was about to come in. "Squaloooooooo. Whatcha doooooooing?" he asked in his typical sing-song voice, flashing the swordsman a sly grin. Whatever he may or may not have been busy with, Bel took advantage of his working state and fully entered the room, leaning against the door to keep from being shooed out, a clear sign he wouldn't tolerate it. Not this time. Not easily, that was for damn sure.

But if Squalo really wanted to try to make him leave ... well ... that could always be something fun.

Honestly though, this was one of those days where Bel preferred he'd hear him out, as an idea was actually forming while he stood and waited to see and hear the response from Xanxus's right-hand man.

Fitting I suppose, given he only has his right hand. Ushishishishi ...

It was a technicality, as Squalo had a fake arm to replace the one he willingly cut off. But Bel was beyond caring. It was something that made him content and he was taking any and everything he could get at this rate. The inner musings made Bel's grin widen as he snickered and chuckled, keeping his thoughts tucked away in his mind for the time being.
 
"Yu-gi-oh Arc-V: The Trembling Dimensions" Introduction Post​

The first beep! barely finished wailing through the small shop that doubled as a house. An eager, pale hand quickly pressed down on the "SNOOZE" button. Finally, the woman who had found said alarm sat up, rubbing her eyes and practically jumped out of bed.

Many changes - all for the better, as far as the residents of Miami City could see - were emerging. But perhaps the one that had really grabbed the most attention was the creation of the first university that was focused on Dueling. LDS was all well and good. But honestly, when one took a moment to look at the school, it was meant solely for middle and high school-aged children and teenagers alike. After that? That had been where the problem originated from.

Originally, there was no post-high school graduation plan for people who wished to continue pursuing the art of dueling with their decks. And going pro could only get a person so far; that had been something twenty-one year old Fuyu Uehara saw for herself. That plus juggling handling the shop she had inherited from her parents when they passed away ... yeah. She needed something ... more. More concrete, more definite.

And thus, that was where this new academy, founded by Reiji Akaba himself, came into play for not just her life, but her younger twin sister's.

"Imouto!" Fuyu cried, "Get up! I hope you're already awake!"

Silence greeted her, making her sigh. This could only mean one of two things; either she was asleep or simply not answering her. Some days, either option could be really bad. In this instance, however, Fuyu was desperately hoping her sister was just trying to ignore her. It wasn't something Fuyu enjoyed, mind you. Far from it. But waking her from a deep sleep was far more difficult than trying to wake any cursed princess from a fairy tale up.

Grrrr! Not today, damnit! No, no, no!

After slipping into the new uniform, Fuyu darted into her sister's room; partially expecting the worst but most certainly hoping for the best.

Suffice to say, she got a bit of both. Her head tilted and then ... she groaned, uncertain what she was glancing at more; a blessing or a curse.

"Noooooooo! No, no, no, no, no! I thought you were done! Out of that phase! What happened?!"

Each rhetorical question made twenty-one-year-old Aki cringe. Her head bowed, offering her elder sister a silent but very needed apology. "I ... I ... "

Fuyu sighed, gently closing the door and leaned against it.

"Okay. I'm sorry for freaking out. But ... really. I thought you were done with the whole Akio persona, weren't you?"

"That's who they know me as." The reply came out in a shy, ridiculously meek voice. If it weren't for the fact her papers had at least been honest about her date of birth, it would have been very easy to mistake Aki as a child rather than a young adult. It was an unfortunate problem that began when Aki started to developing. People tried to tease and make fun of her. While Fuyu had stood up for her, she just ... wasn't her sister. She didn't possess the same bravery her onee did.

... And so, it led to Aki doing the - ironically - most bold, yet foolish, move of her life.

She turned herself into a male without resorting to plastic surgery. Even came up with a brand new name to imply that at most, she was Fuyu's younger, orphaned cousin. It made sense, ad it explained why she was living with her kin.

Fuyu lightly gripped her lower lip before moving forward and laying her hands gently upon Aki's shoulders.

" .... I know. I thought you were going to finally tell Reiji-san the truth though?"

"He'd kick me out!"

"Do you know that for sure?" Fuyu quipped.

"W-Well ... no. But I don't want to find out."

.... It wasn't an unfair concern. Far from it, if anything. But days like these were the ones where Fuyu would be perfectly fine taking up the 'prince' role and helping rescue the trapped, sleeping - sometimes both, it felt like - princess that was her only sibling.

Alas, she did have a moral compass, even with her rather icy demeanor. And it was solely because of her beliefs that Fuyu had yet to resort to anything overly drastic, let alone incestuous. She did love her sister ... just not quite like that.

Maybe today will be the year someone can help her, she inwardly prayed, nodding as she slowly stood back up to her full height of five feet eight inches. "Okay. I'll make you a deal. If I graduate valedictorian or salutatorian, you have to tell Reiji at the end of this year. Otherwise, you can keep pretending to be Akio. Is that fair?"

Aki swallowed. It was a pretty risky deal, all things considered.

And yet ... it was fair.

With Fuyu being in her last year, it meant she would have a lot of people to compete against, including Aki herself. But at the same time ... Fuyu was smart, almost eerily so. It wasn't something that Aki would dare admit out loud, but she was jealous of her sister for many things. Intelligence was one of those aspects. Aki wasn't dumb by any means. Nowhere close. Yet when she compared herself to Fuyu, she felt so very inferior, and in many various ways.

As Fuyu's icy-blue orbs continued to linger upon her sister, she slowly began to take note of everything else. Starting with the trash can that was now full of cans. A closer inspection revealed them to be energy drinks, resulting in her raising an eyebrow and looking back at Aki. " .... Did you sleep at all?"

"A bit," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

"How long is 'a bit'?"

When Fuyu didn't hear an immediate reply, she began sauntering towards Aki, who scooted backwards on the bed. "Does that mean none?"

"No, no. I did sleep for ... an hour or two. Somewhere around there."

Fuyu exhaled again, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to get rid of a headache that was starting to form. "Okay. Okay. Just ... get ready. Dressed, showered, you know the drilled. Then, Akio, kindly get your ass downstairs. Breakfast will be waiting for you."

Fuyu made certain to emphasize on the fake name, letting what was actually her younger sister know and understand that Fuyu would - very reluctantly but still - go along with this faux persona.

"Thank you, Fuyu-sama!"

"San! No need to be that formal!"

That was the last retort the fake male would hear before slipping out of her nightgown and hurrying into the shower.
***​
Within the span of ten to twenty more minutes, both girls - one not exactly looking like one - strolled down the streets of Miami City. Whereas Fuyu had gotten dressed in the women's uniform, Aki had gone so far as to look like a male by wearing that respective outfit. Fuyu didn't need to be a magician to know her sister's secret on how she maintained a borderline perfect masculine appearance.

Even before Aki got teased, she'd been the shy and silent type. So, she used that to her advantage and studied natural men, taking note of their speech, how they sounded, things of the like. What chest she had grown was easy enough to hide, courtesy of the white strips called 'bandages'.

.... That was another thing that Aki would definitely never confess. Though she never complained about her small bust, she did envy Fuyu for having a much more feminine, full figure.

But ... if this was how things had to be, with her being the prince and Fuyu being the princess, so be it. A fairy tale-esque point of view wasn't necessarily bad. Maybe slightly inaccurate but ... ah well. Aki never otherwise saw it as a bad thing.

"You got everything before we left, right? Bento? Deck?"

"Yes, Fuyu-san."

Sure enough, the voice was low, both in volume and tone, helping complete the visual disguise Aki was wearing.

"Okay ... " Fuyu muttered, taking yet another deep breath, "Just ... remember the deal. I made that with you because ... well ... I'm gonna graduate from LDS University. You realize this, don't you? You're going to have to do things on your own when I leave. Especially if we do end up going down different career paths."

The words made Aki grimace. Still, she nodded, acknowledging that the younger twin did understand Fuyu was - as almost always - correct.

"Fine. I need to work on my gender identity and you need a boyfriend."

... It was only a half-tease. But it was one she should have known was a bad jest to toss over.

Fuyu clenched her fists and bit down on her lip.

Go ... yon ... san ...

As the mental countdown finished, she slowly undid her fists, turning back to briefly sneak an irked glare towards Aki. "You're lucky I love you enough to avoid messing up with your guise by - oh, I don't know - saying the wrong name."

Aki swallowed, having heard and comprehended the subtle - but certainly not idle - threat intertwined in her sister's words. "Sorry. But .... would it really be so bad for you to ... ??"

Another glare made the blonde-haired twin go quiet once again, merely nodding to Fuyu instead of speaking.

The rest of the walk stayed mostly in silence as the duo made their way to LDS University.
 
"Not So Happily Ever After" Introduction Post​
For the first time in forever - okay, not forever, but it definitely felt like an eternity - Arendelle had entered its peak, its golden age. Trade was at its highest, and it was being ruled by a now very emotionally stable Queen Elsa. Of course, she hadn't changed overnight. No, she had needed time; not just to find a sense of balance in herself, but regain the trust of the citizens of Arendelle. Just as importantly as re-earning the faith of the residents, however, was gaining favor to a very specific someone. And that was none other than her younger sibling - nay, her only sister - Anna.

It was slightly painful to admit, but she knew it had been largely due to her sister. Without Anna ... where would she even be?

The thought made her grimace before quickly shaking her head.

Over the years, change had come not only to her and Anna's kingdom, but also the young leader. Again, Anna had come into the picture with Elsa maintaining a decent grip on her ice powers. While she had no doubts her father would have helped, the simple and harsh truth was ... he couldn't. The late king Agnarr and his wife, Iduna, had been deceased for about six to eight years. But he'd be happy, damn proud of her, for all she had accomplished thus far.

"Right, father?" Elsa rhetorically asked, lifting her head to look at a framed picture of the deceased parents in question.

Of course, she received no answer, which resulted in Elsa eliciting a defeated sigh. It was childish of her to hope for some sort of an answer. She'd known for a long time that it wasn't possible to speak with the dead. Still, some side of Elsa - probably the magical portion - always hoped for something. Even a sign, no matter how subtle, would be better than not receiving anything. Alas, the death of her parents had helped her learn the very harsh way that one really couldn't always get what they wanted.

Now was just another one of those days, it seemed.

Yet, Fate wasn't being completely cruel. To make up for not giving her the sign she'd been trying to wait for, something else she had hoped for arrived. A much needed and far more positive distraction. A knock echoed on the large, double doors leading to the throne room, soon followed by a very familiar voice.

"Queen Els --- uhmm --- sis? It's me, Anna."

A sly grin spread on Elsa's face as she chuckled, staring at the doors. "How many times have we gone over this? You don't need to be so formal with me. No one does, really. I'm not overly fond of the formality etiquette, honestly. Anyway, come in."

As Anna walked in, the first thing Elsa noticed was not her sibling, but rather, a piece of parchment she was holding in her hands. The sight made her almost sigh. Were it anyone else, she would have given in and allowed her frustration to be heard. However, she was trying to be more ... cautious about re-triggering her temper. This included knowing when to jump to the best and worst assumptions. "So, what do you have for me? It's not another proposal or decree, is it?"

"Huh?" Anna asked, following the Queen's gaze and realizing what she was staring at before smiling and quickly shaking her head. "Oh no, no, no, no! Actually, this is something even better! Now, just hear me out before saying anything, okay?" Once Anna got a confirmation from Elsa, she took a breath to help gain her composure and confidence before beginning to elaborate. "Alright, sooo .... I've been doing some thinking."

"Mhm. I'm following so far. Go on."

"Well ... you made Kristoff the official ice maker and deliverer for Arendelle. Sooo ... maybe we can hire some other people?"

Elsa's head tilted slightly as she tapped her pale index and middle digits on the fabric of her dress. "Well ... I suppose we can give it a shot. There's two problems that are immediately coming to my mind though. This isn't necessarily going to be a cheap task, as some may want money for their work. And I wouldn't blame them. But perhaps more than that ... who? I mean, Arendelle only has so many people that I can try to seek out talented individuals."

"I know, I know. That's what this is for."

The paper that Anna had been holding onto was passed over. As Elsa took hold of the parchment, she found a list of names; odd ones that she had definitely never heard of. Probably for a damn good reason, though honestly, that didn't matter too much.

"So," Elsa started after pausing to study the list, "You ... are going to get a hold of all of these people? Do you even know what their fortes are?"

"Not yet," Anna sheepishly admitted, "But I can find out upon their arriving, let alone if they'd even be a good match for our kingdom!"

Another short respite lingered in the air before Elsa nodded to Anna, handing the paper back to her sister. "Very well. I will leave you in charge of this task. I expect you to report back whenever you get an answer from any of these people. Furthermore, I am leaving you in charge of their interviews, including finding out their area of expertise. Are these conditions fair?"

"Perfectly!" Anna exclaimed happily, even jumping slightly in the air. When she caught herself, Anna cleared her throat, a new crimson hue appearing over her face and cheeks. "Ahem, well .... I guess I'll go get started then."

"Before you do," Elsa called out, "Would you mind amusing me? What gave you this idea?"

Anna merely smiled and, without missing a beat, began to relay her response. More likely than not, it was fair to assume she had expected to hear this inquiry, and had therefore come up with an appropriate answer to give the Queen. "Well ... I remembered your coronation. How you felt and even looked so ... lonely. As the Princess and thus next in line, I can only begin to realize how tough it must be to have almost no one around to help you out. Especially since .... we haven't had many real supporters around us for ... years. Since ... well, you know .... "

Elsa nodded solemnly, already knowing exactly what Anna was saying without using the exact words.

"But ... you shouldn't have to do everything on your own. Yet, I can't always be around to help you. I know and understand this now that I have my own lover and future life ahead of me. So ... this is my way of indirectly helping you."

Slowly, Elsa stood up, getting on her feet. She said nothing. Even as she moved forward, she stayed silent. Without uttering a word, Elsa pulled Anna into a quiet but tight embrace. "Thank you," she whispered. "Not many people are so ... patient with me. You truly have saved me, more than you'll ever know or realize."

The red on Anna's face darkened slightly as she shook her head again, "I ... I dunno about that. I'm just me, still. But ... thanks, all the same!"

As the two pulled away from the hug, Anna breathed a sigh of relief, not having realized she'd subconsciously held her breath prior till then. "Alright so ... I'll get working on this! Thanks for letting me try this, sis!" Offering her sibling a quick bow of her head, Anna pivoted on her feet and ran out of the throne rooms, closing the door behind her. The loud entryway caused a loud thud to echo throughout the castle as it was pulled shut once again.

Elsa sat back down in the throne, wearing a wide, content grin.

For the first time in forever, she felt genuinely happy and very positive about the direction her life had taken. Things were going to change. And they would do so for the best, not worst. She knew it. She could almost literally feel it.
 
"Fifty Shades of Jōnetsu" Introduction Post​

14th September, 2017
Sapporo, Japan
11:47 AM

Sex sells; it was a proverb that had become more prominent throughout the years. Depending on the point of view of a person, it was typical to see someone shrug the words off, snicker and laugh at them, or simply remain uncaring but mentally tuck them away. The last option was where twenty-five year old Shin Kinoshita applied to. On the outside, he didn't look much like anything special. In fact, the few close friends he did have constantly compared him to L from Death Note. To be fair, they did have points. He actually did have a lot in common with the same, fictional character. He was an introvert, barely avoiding being labeled as a 'hermit' or 'recluse' due solely because he managed to leave his home every now and again.

Not often, no, but it was enough or his friends and family.

The main differences, in fact, were he didn't resort to consuming so many sugary foods or drinks. Again, a few, but compared to L? He definitely wasn't diabetic.

... It'd be a miracle if he somehow didn't become that either, Shin mused, smirking slightly as he stared down at a large script. He hadn't really read through it yet, but the more accurate thing to say - perhaps - was he didn't feel he needed to. The title, along with its infamy, gave away all the reasons the young translator needed in order to fairly deduce why it would be a horrible idea to take up the task of translating this. On the cover, four simple words continued to reflect in Shin's dark, onyx eyes.

Fifty Shades of Grey ​

His fingers drummed rapidly on his desk. Somewhere, deep down in his core, he knew just reading this would be a horrible idea.

But ... it was his job. And he did at least try to give people a chance. The problem with being a freelancer was - especially in situations like this - rejecting a job could be risky. Mind you, even if he refused to do this, it wouldn't be like Shin was piss poor. Far from it. But ... it may be a while until he got another assignment, also. And that was where his mind was; trying to determine if the risk would be worth it or not. Should he even make an effort to go through with this or not?

As if some invisible force read his mind, his cell phone rang.

"Moshi moshi?" he answered, suppressing a frustrated sigh to hide his annoyance. It was the very same client who sent him this cursed script. "No," he sternly replied, "I haven't read it. I'm trying to figure out if I want to do this. What do you mean why? Who do you take me for? I'm not ignorant. I've heard all the bitching and whining about this piece. Why should we start earning our own reputation should it be known Japan is beginning to sell this disaster?"

His eyes rolled as he heard the same pleas everyone tried to use wit him; it'll work out, it'll be great. Blah, blah, blah.

Same shit, new day, he thought, waiting for them to stop begging before he spoke again, "Did you not hear me? I said I'm thinking about it; I don't know yet. Don't assume I've immediately said no. Hmmmmm. If you don't hear from me by the end of this week, you can presume that means no and can begin looking for your script back. Fair? Good. Ja ne."

The same sigh he'd been hiding finally passed his lips as he pressed the "End" button.

"Good riddance," he muttered, standing up and deciding that today would probably be one of those rare days where he would actually leave his residence. Moving his hands down, he gripped the hem of his shirt, peeled it off, and tossed it away into a hamper in the corner of his room. The rest of his clothes soon followed and within a matter of moments, he navigated himself into the adjacent bathroom. Shin never tended to take long showers, and today was no exception. In the span of six minutes, he walked out, clad only in a towel wrapped around his torso. He opened his closet, beginning to look for a casual outfit to wear.

But before he could start pulling a set of jeans of any color out, his cell phone rang again.

"I thought I told you --- " he started, quickly halting as he realized the voice over the other end of the line was actually different than the one he thought it would be. "Oh. My bad. Never mind, I thought you were someone else. Yes, this is Shin speaking. You are ... ??"

A smirk crossed his lips as he got a more proper introduction.

"Ahh, I see, I see. You've found some, have you? I was actually about to head out. You caught me at the most perfect time. Yes, I'm definitely interested. I've been overdue for one, anyway. Hmmm ... not off the top of my head, no. I tend to have pretty good instincts. I'll probably know when I look at them all. Yeah, I can be there in about ten minutes, twenty at the most. Great, see you soon. Ja ne!" Shin's grin widened as he hung up the phone again and resumed his search for an outfit. Now, however, he had a stronger sense of resolve. Knowing exactly what he wanted to do and where he intended to go. It would make the day even more productive than what he'd originally considered doing.

Like many people in this world, Shin had his own set of secrets that he kept away from his family, and most of his friends also. The main one that no one else knew about him was he had gotten into the BDSM lifestyle, and had been a dom ever since the age of 20, when he finished learning via self-training and being taught by another dom how to do his job properly. As such, he had been pleasantly surprised to hear the person that called was an agent for a Dom/Sub company. An unorthodox match-making sort of service, if you could look at it as that sort of place.

Either way, the organization wasn't a foreign one to Shin. The more accurate thing to say was he hadn't needed a sub for a long while. Up until a few months ago, actually, when he and his last one mutually ended the contract. She wanted to move on and go back to a "more normal life".

So, Shin let her ... though he secretly snickered. Normal didn't exist anymore. But he didn't bother telling her that; it was her choice to leave, after all. And really, he was used to it. The longest he'd kept a sub for was a bit over three years. The others tended to leave before the six month mark.

A hand waved through the air to dismiss the thoughts and, after browsing for about ten more minutes, Shin found a jeans and shirt combination, with the top being on the longer sleeved side. With it being the middle of September, the temperatures tended to be in the higher 60s range. But Sapporo - like many cities throughout Japan and the world - could be fickle and drop or rise when one least expected it.

After taking a few moments to study himself in the mirror, Shin pivoted on his feet, exiting the house; though not before grabbing the few, essential items he'd need. Wallet, car keys, and house keys.
 
"Unfreeze Our Hearts" Introduction Post​

January 4th, 2021
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Depot Rink
11:57 AM

Winter had finally arrived. Slightly earlier than usual, but that was more than okay with twenty-six-year-old Yulia Abduolv. Her year round job was a bartender at one of the nearby taverns in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The job she really had an actual passion, for, was a seasonal one, unfortunately. Still, more often than not, it was very rewarding. Every year, she got to meet new faces, sometimes even see old ones from previous lessons. But the most beautiful thing for the Russian born woman was seeing them change over the months. Her favorite analogy to use was a slightly cliche one, but it worked very well, particularly with her ice-skating students. They truly did go from becoming awkward ducklings to graceful, elegant swans.

There was only one real downside to this occupation, and it came in the fact she lived in Minneapolis's twin city, Saint Paul. Thankfully, the drive wasn't as far away as it could be, but ... still. It could make the journey tricky. Especially while traveling over snowy and icy roads.

Ahh the irony; she loved the ice and hated it. To be fair though, she didn't really know anyone who loved ice that threatened to hurl drivers off the road, so she doubted she was alone in that department.

Luckily, this trip had gone well enough. Of course, there had been the usual share of people not using their blinkers in order to scoot into a lane beside them, cars honking repeatedly at one another, and the idiots who thought it was smart to text and drive simultaneously.

"I can't believe that's still a thing," she muttered, pulling her SUV into the parking garage. Shifting from the drive gear to park, Yulia turned the ignition off before finally sliding out herself, though not before hoisting a dufflebag over her right shoulder. Her left raised, aimed at the car, and pressed down on her key ring. As her finger pushed on the icon with a shut locked, the car's doors secured themselves. Yulia quickly dove her hand into her pockets, putting her keys away and pulling her phone out instead.

According to her smart phone,she had roughly twenty to thirty minutes.

"Glad I made these begin at twelve thirty instead of twelve," she muttered, sighing in relief. Otherwise, she would be late, end of story. And ... well ... that wouldn't look good for Yulia.

As the rink came into view, Yulia set her bag down on the nearest bench and hastily opened it.

A few minutes - four to be exact - later, she emerged, wearing her outfit and skates.

Yulia took a moment to study herself, smiling contently as she felt great about her appearance. Leaning over, she dug again into her bag, this time pulling out what some may call an archaic device. For her, though, it was essential; a CD player. Standing up, she plugged it in, popped the top to see what CD was in ... and found it was empty.

"Well, need to remedy that," she murmured, pulling a case with numerous CDs out and beginning to look through them. The moment the disc started up and a calming melody began to play, Yulia officially walked onto the rink, a grin spreading over her face. Already, she felt as if she arrived at her true home. Knowing that specific CD had been uploaded with literally hours of soft, instrumental songs, there was no need to worry about changing it. With that concern out of the way, Yulia began to glide slowly along the ice, getting a slight head start with warming herself up; both physically and mentally. She'd need to be ready when everyone arrived, after all.
 
"See No Evil: The Aftermath" Introduction Post​

" ... Remind me again? Why are we seriously doing this and how do I let you two convince me into these crazy ... things?"

In the driver and passenger seats, twin sisters Nicole and Mary Alice Robertson both snickered at their friend Akane's reaction.

"Oh come on!" Nicole insisted, "It'll be fun!" Despite directing her words at Akane, she kept her gaze in front of her. At most, she used the rear-view mirror to sneak glances a the young Asian behind her. Otherwise, she never once dared to look away from the road. The trip had been relatively smooth thus far. Still, that didn't meant it would be smart to look back. As much of a daredevil as Nicole could be, she wasn't about to do something overly stupid, such as endanger the lives of her twin sister and a very close friend. Hell, Akane was one of her only companions, truthfully.

While Nicole resumed guiding the Ford Expedition, the conversation continued. Akane's head tilted as she raised an eyebrow, " ... How will this be fun? Isn't this place supposed to be shut down or something? Won't we be trespassing?"

"Well ... I mean ... think about it. A lot of haunted places are private property. We're never gonna have a chance to find out if the stories are true or not if we don't take the risk, ya know?" Mary Alice quipped.

Akane went silent, unable to argue with that logic.

"Fair. But ... are we sure about this?"

Both red-heads sighed, Mary Alice turning to look back as Nicole was the driver. "You scared?" Mary Alice teased.

"No!" Akane defensively replied, "Not of ghosts or anything. I just .... "

Leaning back against her seat, she could understand this was one of those arguments. The kind where there was no way for Akane to win. And any last chance attempts to try to secure a win vanished as Nicole chimed in yet again. "Oh come on, Akane. You can't tell me you aren't curious about this place. Especially after the news surrounding this hotel?"

There it was. The last shreds of doubt gradually began to vanish from Akane as her head tilted up. First she elicited an exhausted sigh ... and then chuckled. "Alright, alright," she confessed, "You got me. I will admit, yeah, I am intrigued. But only because of my work!"

Nicole flashed an arrogant smirk through the rear-view, "Yeah, yeah," she replied, "Work. We'll go with that logic ... for now. One of these days though, you should find something that gets your interest for other reasons."

"Like a boyfriend!" Mary Alice teased, causing Akane's face to turn a bright shade of red.

"That was uncalled for," she mumbled, eventually joining in with the twins who had started laughing with - and at - one another. Ah well; it was all in good fun. Everyone knew that, including Akane, hence why she joined in.

" .... Alright. I suppose we've come too far, huh?" Akane mused as she regained the temporarily lost oxygen.

"Damn straight!" Nicole replied, grinning as she flashed a smirk towards her friend via the rear view mirror. "We should be there in about ten to fifteen minutes! Blackwell Hotel, ready or not! Here we come!"

Reaching over, Mary Alice took advantage of being stuck in the passenger's seat and turned the radio on. A wide smile spread over her face as one of her favorite songs, If Everyone Cared by Nickelback started to play. She leaned back, peeking over her shoulder out of curiosity and watched Akane.

By now, the Asian had pulled her iPhone out and - judging from the movements of her fingers - was typing.

"Whatcha looking up?" Mary Alice asked.

"The story, or what was revealed about this Blackwell Hotel, anyway," she added.

Indeed, the details - or lack of, technically - had seemed ... amiss. Out of place. A formerly abandoned hotel seemed to suddenly spring to life a week ago. Apparently, it had done so in the form of a serial killer, and a very ... brutal one, at that rate. One girl had been found dead upside down, hanging in the atrium. Bite marks that forensics labeled as belonging to dogs, possibly wolves even, had been found all over the young adult's body. She had literally been eaten alive, or that was what the autopsy suggested.

So ... if there truly was a serial killer, why let outside sources do the work for him?

That was the exact reason for her intrigue in coming here. Though Akane wasn't training to be a cop, she was in medical school, attempting to specialize in Psychology. And, admittedly, she had been assigned tasks and exercises to get in the mindset of - and understand - predators like the one who caused the murders at the Blackwell Hotel.

So to be able to possibly see and put those same tactics to work?

Yeah .... Akane wouldn't lie. Things like that did make her ... eager. Nervous too, of course, but she was trying to overpower the anxiety with her work and school ethics.

This'll be good for you. It'll be a learning experience.

Nodding to herself, Akane allowed her own smile to appear on her lips, only vanishing when she found the same headlines and facts she had last week.

"GROTESQUE MURDERS OCCURRED AT CLOSED HOTEL"

"MURDERER OF THE BLACKWELL HOTEL KILLINGS GUNNED DOWN"

"BODIES OF TWO YOUNG MEN AND TWO YOUNG WOMEN FOUND IN BLACKWELL" ​

Although there were others, those were the ones that held the most details. And most had the same information which ... wasn't much.

"Alright! Here we are!" Nicole declared, shifting the car and pushing down on the breaks before completely stopping and parking the Expedition. Even from outside the atrium, the massive building looked ... intimidating, no doubt helped out by the darkened upper levels.

" ... Oh wow," both Akane and Mary Alice replied, each respectively snapped out of their daze as Nicole patted their shoulders to get their attention.

"Come on! Grab your bags and let's head in!"

With no one needing any further incentive, each girl moved to the trunk of the Expedition and began grabbing their dufflebags, packed away primarily with clothes. Akane, however, had snuck in some books and even her laptop as well as extra outfits.

Nicole shook her head, smirking playfully at her Asian friend. "Geez. Even when you're out of school, you can't give yourself a break, huh?"

"Nope," Akane answered without missing a beat.

Once everyone finished, they began walking towards the large, metal gate. Though no one admitted it out loud, all of their hearts were beating. Each step that they closed the distance, all three girls were filled with more anxiety as well as excitement. Seeing neither Mary Alice nor Akane take the initiative, Nicole half-jokingly and half-seriously scoffed before reaching forward, beginning to push the gate open.
 
"Partners In Time Introduction Post
No image was included because this intro was done off-site​
Beep ... beep ... beep ...

It was a fast reaction. A subconscious one, and unless anyone was around in the mostly empty hospital room, it would easily be missed. A simple turn of the head, shifting from staring up at the ceiling to turning and gazing at the window; at least that was what the patient would be doing if her eyes were open.

Beep ... beep ... beep ...

Ngh ... what's wrong? I feel so ... so ...

Even in her own mind, she could hear a groan at the beginning and end of her unfinished thoughts. As her head tilted back, a flash shot through eighteen-year-old Chloe Price's mind. Whether she wanted it or not, her brain was trying to help her remember, answering questions she was asking herself, be it voluntarily or otherwise.
A single door opened. The stalls nearby gave away it belonged to Blackwell High's bathroom. The girls, to be more specific.

"I hope you checked the perimeter as my step-ass would say. Now, let's talk bidness -- "

"I got nothing for you." There had been a figure already inside. Her mind registered it - after a few moments of recalling - as Nathan Prescott, whom had been quick in tossing his quip over to Chloe

"Wrong. You got hella cash."

What began as a harsh verbal exchange quickly escalated as a gun was pulled out.

"Where'd you get that? What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!"

"Don't ever tell me what to do. I'm so sick of people trying to control me!"

"You're going to get in hella more trouble for this than drugs --"

"Nobody would ever even miss your punk ass, would they?"

Chloe saw - maybe even felt - herself trying to push Nathan away. Somewhere in between frantic thoughts and movements, she swallowed before crying out, "Ge that gun away from me, psycho!"

BANG!
As the trigger was pulled back, it caused a domino effect. Whether it was intended or not would be left to anyone's interpretation.

Regardless, Chloe's blue eyes hastily shot open, her head now willingly turning from side to side. "The fuck?!" she whispered in a weak, hoarse voice. "That ... then that .... "

As her head fell back atop the pillow, everything started to hit her hard, feeling something akin to a ton of bricks landing promptly onto her forehead. That hadn't *only* been a dream. Those were memories. Ones that really happened.

Then ... you almost ...

Her fists clenched, causing Chloe to grip the sheets.

But ... how had she gotten here? The recollections made it look like there was no hope. No way of surviving that bullet. Clearly, something had happened in between her being shot and losing consciousness.

As her head turned once more, she found the answer. Or at least, something that could have been a contribution to it. Someone, rather.

" ... Max?"

 
Unlike the other entries, this is not an intro. This was actually part of an exercise I did for an RP class on another site. As such, this is technically a short story, but one I took great pride in. This was done way before I truly tried putting much/any effort in portraying male characters, canons or not.

Given the canon included ... it will be easy to understand why this was a big deal for me.

I'd like to (still) believe that I got into Orochimaru's mindset pretty decently.​
The moment Sasuke Uchiha had removed Anko's Cursed Seal to help free Orochimaru was one of the most devastating moments of the Fourth Shinobi War. The problem with this was simple; few knew of his feat. Even less people would even begin to understand what would come from this and the only one who may have had a guess had been forced to remain in an unconscious state for so long.

Of course, his new freedom had allowed him the ability to pick up on things he'd had to halt. Primarily his experiments.

As such, Orochimaru knew with a quick glance what it was he wished to do. The moment he waltzed off the battlefield of the war, he sent to work. It took a good year to accomplish, namely due to the massive amount of research that had been included. The end results, however, had been well worth it despite him hurrying off and leaving Kabuto behind. Yet that had also been what made it take more time than usual; the absence of his right hand man and medical shinobi. He would have been helpful but ... ah well.

Sixteen year old Kiseki Uchiha found herself waiting anxiously in the lone room she was always locked away in. Even without having been told any of her background, she could understand one thing. There was something about her and this situation which was so very wrong.

"But especially yourself," she muttered, gripping her lower lip nervously as the raven haired teenager stared down at the stone floor. "This is just so ... so .... "

"Unnatural?"

Kiseki had been so lost in her thoughts that for once, she failed to hear the door open. Her head quickly lifted to see that Orochimaru was now in the room, standing right in front of the door. Her onyx eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes," she replied curtly, "That actually is a very fitting word. I suppose I owe you for that much ... "

A sly smirk crossed the Sannin's lips as he merely looked at the young female, "Actually, you owe me for more than you begin to understand."

"Alright. Enlighten me then." The reply was swift, almost as if she herself were a coiled serpent waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

But of course, with her being across from someone very knowledgable about serpents, Orochimaru had his own retorts. One would almost assume he'd planned for it though - in truth - maybe he had. The sight of his smirk growing suggested that the better wording was it was very likely he had set this up somehow.

"Are you sure? Sometimes the truth is best left unknown, to remain hidden away in the ground. Are you going to be able to handle whatever I say?"

As she forced herself to look in the amber eyes, Kiseki felt her heart race and stop for a few seconds. Suddenly, she wasn't certain. She had been ready to hear the truth not too long ago. Now though, she did feel terrified about all of this.

This is so stupid! she tried to scold herself. You're probably never going to find out any other way! Say yes!

"Look at you," Orochimaru added as his smirk spread further across his face, "Your skin's paled a bit more and you're already hesitating. That alone spells out your honest answer. Very well. It's probably the right answer anyway." He began to turn around before a rushed and almost desperate reply came from Kiseki.

"W-Wait! None of that means a damn thing! Not about my real answer, anyway." Pushing herself off of the bed she'd been sitting down on, her hands lowered beside her hips as she clenched her fists. "I want to know! Who am I, exactly?!"

"There we go," he replied softly, seeming to reassure himself as the pale Sannin turned around. "There's the fire within you. Good. I'm glad to hear you haven't lost it. However, I suggest you sit down. You may want to." When the teenager merely continued to stay standing up in defiance, he merely grinned and nodded, "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Taking a moment to pause and purposely add in a rather dramatic effect, he inwardly chuckled as Kiseki glared in annoyance at him. "My, my. Impatient, aren't you? Then again, it does tend to run in your blood. Fair enough. You, my dear, are a product, a clone if you will, of one of the most well-known clans throughout Konoha; the Uchihas. Furthermore, you are - as of this moment - the only female Uchiha member."

Sure enough, Kiseki's expression did appear like she regretted not accepting the offer to sit down. Her body trembled but she remained standing even though her legs tried to protest. Even though he was just telling her this, the name did feel familiar somehow.

"Just from that alone, you're barely keeping yourself up on your feet. You really want me to keep talking?"

"Y-Yes," she managed to reply, "This wouldn't have stayed hidden forever, after all."

"Alas, that is true ... sadly." It wasn't a statement that Orochimaru added in just to sound as if he were trying to appease Kiseki either. It was indeed the honest to gods truth. Sure, he could keep her hidden from other shinobi. And probably for quite a long time, also. But if too much time passed and she gained too much knowledge, managed to somehow run away, and ran into a Konoha ninja ... well ... that would cause problems. Too many of them for the Sannin to count. So he was doing this simply on his own terms.

"I still don't think you're ready but ... you are insisting. So I'll amuse you. That being said, you have the floor. I'm sure you have questions that you want to ask, yes?"

That was obviously another thing she hadn't expected for as the words made Kiseki's onyx eyes unable to help but widen slightly.

The hell's he trying to do? This isn't something he'd say or do normally.

Be that as it may, she had all but fallen into his trap. There was no real point in trying to escape it, not when Kiseki had walked into it. Worse than that, there was no escape. Even without Orochimaru telling her, she could feel and register that more than she wanted to.

"Fine. Yeah, I do. So ... clone? How?"

"I figured that you'd wish to know this first. I won't lie. That was definitely the trickiest part about creating you, finding out who exactly your mother was. Your father must have made sure to hide the answer away to try to avoid anything akin to this. He damn well nearly succeeded too. Once I got her name and records though, it didn't matter. Digging her up was also quite the chore but --- "

"W-Wait. Digging ... her up?" The gears in Kiseki's head turned quickly and soon, she unclenched her fists and wrapped her arms around her stomach. "You .. mean that she was ... ??" Even without having finished the question, it was obvious enough to hear what she had wanted to ask. Kiseki was almost immediately met with an affirmative nod. "You ... "

But that was as far as she could get, it seemed. Whatever insult or reply she'd had vanished and, going off the new look of despair in her face, so had the will to continue competing in this psychological game they'd been playing.

"I did try to warn you, Kiseki-chan. Now, let me ask one more time. Do you really want to hear the rest?"

Another pause lingered in the air before Kiseki's head lowered as her eyes finally looked away from the amber ones across from her. "I ... don't know." A soft but still audible whimper helped end her answer before she forced her head to lift and look back up towards the Sannin, "Maybe ... one other thing, at least."

"Hm? And that would be?"

"This ... all happened sixteen years ago?"

"Was it that obvious?" Orochimaru mused, "No. You probably have what would have been your father's intelligence. That's good. Your uncle definitely lacks such a trait. No though. You were created last year technically. It's very amazing when you're able to find so many jutsus and techniques that can make a person age faster than they normally should."

Leaving his answer at that, the Sannin stood up, satisfied with how the 'talk' had gone. "I suggest you sleep on what you've learned. The real work will start soon. But don't worry. I'll keep you informed on what I mean. Just remember; it would be wise to start cooperating with me from here on out. After all, I've already shown what I can do --- and that's just without using any techniques or weapons. Trust me when I say it will be much worse if you make me resort to using those."

"You bastard," Kiseki finally managed to weakly murmur, only to be met with that same smirk as Orochimaru briefly turned to look back at the teenager once more.

"You don't even know the half of that truth. Well then, I'll see you later."

Before she could try to retort any further, a click echoed in the mostly empty room, signaling to Kiseki that the door was locked again. Her legs finally gave in as she fell upon the bed. There was a small slither of satisfaction that she had been able to remain standing up in front of Orochimaru. In the end though, the Sannin had definitely been the psychological winner. That alone infuriated and angered her.

A set of disgusted, angry, and even scared tears fell from her onyx eyes as she thought on the brief but vital bits of information. Her fists clenched again and without a second thought, a frustrated scream elicited throughout the room.

Despite not being there himself, Orochimaru soon felt the burst of chakra and smirked. Without using his eyes, he knew what had happened even though Kiseki would very likely be confused and taken aback.

All she did know was her eyes had burned for a few seconds. Were a mirror nearby, she would see three small figures that looked like miniature sixes appear on her irises. A bit of red had also appeared with the odd symbols.

Even in her uncertain state, Kiseki knew one thing was for certain; a lot was definitely going to happen in the very near future. Whether it was good, bad, or otherwise would be a completely story. With no other option, she lied down on the bed, trying to force herself to get the rest that had been suggested to her by the Sannin.

 
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