(no subject)

[tammaiya]

Okay, I absolutely KNOW I'm going to regret this, and I don't promise immediacy on all of them, and I reserve the right to set limits on numbers of requests total or of a specific fandom or refuse a request if I don't feel like it, but:

My assignments are driving me insane, I want to write, I don't want to write anything I SHOULD be writing, and I'm opening drabble/ficlet/thingo requests. I'm sure the majority of you know my fandoms. If you're not sure, what the hell, request it and if I don't know it I'll just tell you to pick another one.

I bet no one is online to take advantage of my open writing mood. Accursed timezones!

(The challenge here for me is obviously writing things that are actually SHORT, like enough to fit in a comment box. Oh well.)

Comments

[mefiant.livejournal.com]

...Axel/Roxas, 'ice cream'? a.a

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

Roxas seems to have an unhealthy obsession with ice cream. Most of the time he's so serious, so intense, the perfect heartless soulless soldier for the Organisation, and yet sometimes when they're away from the endless crushing night of The World That Never Was, when Roxas demands that Axel buy him ice cream since "you owe me one" (which he so totally didn't, but he'd let Roxas have his way anyway) Roxas would grin and it was like maybe there was somebody in there, somebody real.

Axel hates ice cream, honestly. It's too cold. He always tells Roxas it makes his teeth ache whenever Roxas tries to make him eat it, but really he just doesn't like the cold. He'd always had a fascination with things that are hot, things that burn; it's one of the few things he can remember from before he became a Nobody. Now it's something he clings to because everything is cold, distant, fake. He's cold and empty inside because passion requires a heart, and the world they live in is cold and dark because you can't have a home if there's nobody there. Even Roxas is cold, most of the time.

Axel doesn't mind ice cream so long as he's not the one eating it, though, because Roxas's smile when Axel hands him the stupid thing is bright and real and Axel can feel it burn inside him, warming the nothingness that he thought would be cold forever like the sun melting the snow away and he can pretend, just for a little while, that he remembers what it's like to have a heart.

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

I tried to fight the impulse, I really did. ;__; I even tried to think of something Yuki/Shuuichi or Sephiroth/Cloud to suggest. I really, really did!

But I totally failed. Retard/Doctor, plz! With the theme... morning after. *is lame*

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

Umeda can tell, without bothering to open his eyes, that that stupid idiot is thinking about getting out of bed and presumably sneaking out of the apartment. He can tell this because said idiot is shifting restlessly and keeps making as if to get up and then changing his mind, which is disturbing Umeda's sleep and is in fact the only reason he's awake at all.

Umeda is not a morning person. He's also not a person accustomed to sharing his sleeping space, or a person who particularly likes the ache that inevitably accompanies the Morning After for at least one person, that person in this case being him.

In conclusion: Umeda is not in a very good mood.

Since it doesn't look like That Idiot is going to make his mind up any time soon and leave Umeda to sleep in peace, Umeda makes it up for him and kicks him out of bed with a satisfying THUMP. "If you're going to stay you can go make me breakfast instead of waking me up," he snarls, still not opening his eyes, and rolls over to face the other wall, taking all the bedclothes with him.

There is a bewildered silence, finally followed by a tentative, "Morning, sempai...?" and then there are footsteps padding their way out of the room.

Peace at last, Umeda thinks, vaguely grumpy, and sets about going back to sleep. Go or stay, it isn't like he cares exactly; he didn't expect anything, but at the same time if he doesn't want someone there it's easy enough to kick them out.

Mind you, Akiha had better not burn his toast or there'll be HELL to pay.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't very nice to sneak out without the rest of the family, Seishirou. You know how Setsuka-san--"

"Okaa-sama. She told you to call her that, in case you've forgotten."

"... Um, yes, feels about--"

"Okaaaaaa-sama. Say it after me, Subaru-kun."

"Okaa-sama," Subaru stutters, a little awkward, and rushes on, "feels about family occasions, and Hokuto was planning something special--"

"Which is exactly why I'm taking my lovely boyfriend and removing myself from the house right now and possibly for the next week or so. I assume you don't want to find yourself in Ueno Park dressed as a cherry blossom? Of course, I suppose I could be wrong, in which case we could go back..."

"Um. Never mind."

"I suspect Okaa-sama might have poisoned the hamper, too. You never know. So, where to?"

"What? I thought we were going to go see the cherry blossoms?"

"You're not sick of Hanami? It happens every year, I would have thought it would have gotten old by now."

"It's my favourite festival," Subaru mumbles, and then adds something almost completely inaudible about Seishirou and cherry blossoms and association and for once Seishirou doesn't tease him.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

(OMAKE!)

Later, when they're sitting underneath one of the many cherry blossoms in Ueno Park, surrounded by pink petals carpeting the grass and fluttering lightly through the air, Seishirou breaks the mood by making some flippant comment about that history lesson about onmyoujitsu Subaru had taught last year, and what if Seishirou really were the Sakurazukamori?

"Seishirou."

"Subaru," Seishirou says, mimicking Subaru's indignant tone. "What? You should be pleased that I was listening."

"You just reminded me what an obnoxious student you were," Subaru mutters, but smiles despite himself. "Now hush, I'm trying to enjoy the flowers."

"Of course, Subaru-kun," Seishirou says easily, and settles back against the trunk of the tree with Subaru resting between his legs. "But it would be so terribly convenient if I could use the tree to tie you up, don't you think?"

"S-SEISHIROU!"

[silvermuse89.livejournal.com]

Axel/Roxas, Organization hijinks? : D

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Axel," Roxas says after he finally manages to pry Axel's hand away from his mouth, reproachful but resigned, "would you mind explaining why we're hiding in the dark in a room where I'm sure there are Dusks lurking around?"

He doesn't ask why Axel felt the need to involve him in whatever it is by grabbing him and dragging him into said room when he walked innocently by, because Axel always involves Roxas in his plans, whether Roxas wants to be involved or not. Usually Roxas doesn't even know about it until... well, until he's already been yanked into a closet or something and had Axel's hand clamped over his mouth to stop him yelling. It's probably the safest place to be, by this point; since Roxas is so notoriously tied up with Axel now, the other members of the Organisation blame him for Axel's idiotic pranks and expect him to know where Axel is automatically now.

"Oh, no reason," Axel says breezily. "Just felt like hanging out with my favourite Nobody. Great atmosphere in here, don't you think?"

Roxas attempts to glare rather half-heartedly, but he can't see Axel in the darkness. He's about to say something withering when he hears Marluxia screaming from maybe a corridor or two away.

"You little FUCKER, I'm going to ram my scythe so far down your throat it splits your STOMACH open--"

"What did you do?" Roxas groans softly, letting his forehead thud into the wall in frustration. "Seriously, Axel, he sounds pissed."

"Oh, nothing," Axel says innocently, about as believable as a dog surrounded by the remains of the pantry it ransancked. "Okay, so maybe I scorched his hair, just a little, but it's not like it didn't need a touch up. No, really, have you seen it? It's like he's forgotten shampoo ever existed!"

"One of these days," Roxas tells him, mouth twitching, "Marluxia or Vexen or one of the others will kill you for real, and I'm not going to stop them."

"You know you love me really," Axel says, and even though Roxas can't see him he knows that Axel is smirking disarmingly at him. "Since we're stuck here for a while anyway, why don't we make use of the privacy, huh?"

"There are still Dusks here," Roxas reminds him. "I just felt one slithering around my leg."

But really, Axel has got a point; they may as well, if they're going to be stuck here, and Roxas has to admit (despite the Dusks and lack of furniture) that he can definitely think of worse ways to spend his time.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Well, everyone knew who he was. He was like, a legend. I joined SOLDIER to be like him, even though mum didn't want me to go. I would have given anything to meet him, and I still can't believe someone like that would want to have anything to do with me, but somehow Zack... it was just. It was."

Head tilt?

"Yeah, amazing. But then he went insane," Cloud said sadly. "And killed my mother. Which kind of sucked. Although that wasn't really his fault, you know?"

Nod.

"Well anyway, lots of bad stuff happened, and several years passed-- yeah, I know, long break up. It gets worse. He was STILL insane, and now he was trying to take over the world. And for some reason, everyone expected me to kill him. I mean, seriously, why me? Anyway, at first it was just a clone-- don't give me that look, I'm not making this up-- and he was screwing around with my head, which was also kind of crap, but then it was REALLY HIM. And he wasn't wearing a shirt. Seriously, how am I meant to fight against THAT?"

Shrug.

"Exactly! But I did. And I killed him. And it sucked. A lot. But then he came back. And, um, I killed him again."

"......"

"Yeah, okay, so it's not the most romantic thing I've ever done, but he was still insane. It's not like I had a CHOICE."

"Kupo," the moogle said sympathetically.

"But this is where things started improving again, because finally the Lifestream--"

"Cloud," Sephiroth said from the doorway, sounding extremely pained, "what are you doing?"

"Um," Cloud said meekly. "Telling Zakkupo about how we got together?"

"......"

"Kupo," Zakkupo said, very encouragingly.

"I'm too old for this," Sephiroth muttered despairingly, and walked out of the room.

"So anyway, where was I?"

"Kupo!"

"Oh yeah, thanks! So then..."

[nefthoron.livejournal.com]

Something involving Rude from FF7, plz. ;D He doesn't get enough love.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Unbelievable, you let them get away again?"

Rude shrugged, and Rufus made a noise of disgust.

"What am I paying you lot for? You're supposed to be Turks, and Avalanche are running circles all around you."

"Sorry, sir."

"Don't apologise. I'm sure it was Reno's fault anyway."

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Reno," Rufus said irritably. "Are either of you going to tell me what happened?"

"Distracted, sir," Rude said. He was a complete contrast to the slouching, scruffy, sullen Reno, with his shades still on and his back straight, hands clasped behind and shoulders back. "Won't happen again."

Rufus looked hard at him, then at Reno, who was staring boredly off toward the ceiling, and finally he sighed. "Rude. Stop covering for Reno," he said sourly. "Reno, report to Tseng. You're both dismissed."

The two Turks were silent for a moment or two after leaving Rufus's presence, and then Reno grinned ruefully, punching Rude in the shoulder. "Hey. Partner. You may as well do what the boss man said, it's not like they're buying it these days."

Rude shrugged. "We're partners," he said, edge of his lips tilting upwards. "And we let them get away."

Reno stared at him for a moment, and then he started laughing. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I guess we did."

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Seishirou-san," Subaru said faintly, "please unlock the doors."

"I'm afraid I don't feel like it right now, Subaru-kun. Really, you should have listened when your grandmother told you not to accept lifts from strange men."

Subaru thought of a number of arguments to that-- "she used to say strangers, not strange men, and anyway, Seishirou-san, I know you"-- but Seishirou definitely fell in the category of strange men and he was far more dangerous than any stranger could be. Subaru could protect himself from normal people, but Seishirou's onmyoujitsu was as strong if not stronger than his own.

"Please?" he said lamely, because he couldn't think of anything else.

Seishirou laughed softly, leaning over to trap Subaru between the car door and the back seat. His gloved thumb stoked Subaru's lower lip, and Subaru felt himself growing dizzy with the smell of leather from the car seats and Seishirou's gloves. He was probably going to end up with some stupid leather complex now, and it would be all Seishirou's fault.

"But Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, voice a deep purr in his throat, "don't I need to offer you some candy first?"

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

VIC, ADE AND A GUITAR.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

The room is in that strange, ethereal state of half-light where the sun has just started to rise and is coming in under the curtains. A young man is sitting in a low chair bent over a guitar so his hair obscures his face and his eyes are hidden in shadow. Long fingers stretch from chord to chord, a slow complex dance across the strings, and his bony wrist is bent at an almost painful angle to reach all the chords so they don't blur.

There's another man in the room, apparently asleep on the bed. Though his eyes are closed, he's listening to the gentle strumming and the soft, hoarse thread of the younger man's voice twining through the notes of the guitar, starting to crack from exhaustion both physical and emotional. It's almost dawn, and Adrian is a late night person, not a morning person; he's been up all night, playing for several hours now. Victor knows his fingers must be red and blistering and his throat dry and sore by now, but Adrian still keeps playing the way he used to stay up all night trying to find the bugs in a new programme though his eyes would burn and his back would hurt.

He's been playing the same song, too; trying to perfect it, maybe, though it sounds just fine to Victor. Adrian has always been obsessive like that.

Adrian is so intent on his playing that he doesn't notice when Victor slides out of bed and crosses the floor, and when Victor touches his wrist, he's so startled that he plays a jarring note, head jerking up. "Vic?"

"Hey," Victor says, voice rough with sleep. "Why don't you go to bed, Ade?"

Adrian's eyes are tired and flat, dull, but then his mouth quirks in a crooked, weary smile. "Yeah," he says, and puts the guitar down, wincing at the angry red lines imprinted across his fingertips. "Yeah, I will."

[littledust.livejournal.com]

S&S meets AkiUme.

Go. >D

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"I apologise for interrupting," a man said smoothly, after knocking sharply at the door to the school clinic, "but I was told that a boy named Sumeragi Subaru had been sent here?"

The doctor stared back at him expressionlessly, the silence stretching out. "Sorry," he said flatly. "I don't remember."

The man smiled, very charmingly, but there was something chilling about it. "He's short, very polite, and has green eyes. He should still be here, I believe."

"Must've gone home or back to class," the doctor answered, supremely disinterested. "Go ask at the front desk."

There was a blond man sitting next to the doctor with his chair flipped backward, apparently half asleep and watching the doctor scrawl something messily in his clinic notes. He'd been quiet up to this point-- probably too jet-lagged, hungover, or otherwise zoned out to tune in to the conversation-- but at this point he raised his head.

"But Sempai," he objected, "I thought--"

The doctor kicked him without even turning around so the chair toppled over and the blond made a sound of distress. The man at the door glanced between them, eyes flickering behind the wire-frame glasses though his bland smile remained in place.

"I see," he said. "Thank you for your help."

After Seishirou left, Akiha stopped rubbing his ankle pitifully to look questioningly at Umeda. "Sempai, why...?"

"You're tired. Go home and sleep, idiot," Umeda told him snappily.

Of course he didn't, and Umeda wished he had once the sixteen year old boy emerged from the clinic bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily and asking, did Seishirou-san come? I thought I heard his voice...

Umeda had good instincts for these things, and so did Akiha, when he wasn't jetlagged and overworked; Umeda knew a predator when he saw one. It was the kind of thing he was supposed to report, but what the hell kind of proof did he have? Somehow he didn't think it'd make a difference, and he wasn't sure he wanted to get involved, especially not with how that man had looked at he and Akiha.

Poor dumb kid, he thought, throwing a glance back at his patient. Talk about naive; there was no way this was going to end well.

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Since it seems like things are slowly down, I figured I'd be greedy! :D :D :D

Zack/Aerith, hopes and dreams.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Hey, babe," Zack says, rolling over on the bed so he's facing her and his arm is still trapped under her waist. "One day, when I embezzle all of Shinra's millions..."

"The General will deny ever having known you and you'll be summarily executed?" Aerith suggests, laughing lightly at his affected wounded expression.

"Have a little faith, here! Seph would totally back me up. And we're going to move out of this hellhole to... how does Gongaga sound? Lots of green stuff. The way you like it."

"Mm, yes," she says, laughter dying away to a small smile but still sparkling quietly in her eyes. "But I thought you weren't in contact with your parents since joining SOLDIER?"

Zack shrugs easily, one shoulder-- the arm not beneath Aerith-- rising in a quick jerk. "Yeah, well, Mam would never forgive me for not introducing the love of my life to her. Running away to go against everything she stands for? That one I can atone for. Not letting her meet her future daughter-in-law? That's practically a capital offence!"

"Oh, of course," Aerith agrees, stretching up to brush a gentle kiss to Zack's jaw. "Silly me, I should have known. Go on?"

"You'll have a big garden, out in the open," Zack continues, obviously enjoying himself as he spins their imaginary future together. "And Seph and Spike can come too, because like I'm going to leave those blockheads alone. They'd probably emo themselves to death. It'll be just like having children! You know, for practice."

"One day," Aerith says, "I'm going to tell the General you said that, and he's going to point out that you're far more childish than he's ever been."

"Aw, no! Babes--"

Aerith laughs again, fingers lacing with his as he protests and whines at the injustice of it all. She knows they're never going to see their little home in Gongaga, that they're never going to get out of this place, not together, but she's not going to let that spoil the now.

Later in the darkness she whispers I'm sorry and softly strokes Zack's hair as he sleeps curled around her in a cocoon of threadbare sheets. I'll tell the General what you said, but I don't think he'll hear.

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

Treize/Zechs, ummm, um, in times of war.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Milliard," Treize says, voice low and coaxing as his fingers catch lightly at the mask the other man wears, and Zechs turns his face away, the second too long hanging in the air after his hesitation.

"Zechs," he corrects. It's dangerous for someone like Treize to know his true identity and dangerous to trust that he won't betray it. Dangerous, to let Treize remove his mask, a last defence that once gone leaves him vulnerable.

Treize is an honourable man, but his position cannot always afford such lofty values as honour. In times of war, Zechs knows, there is no place for beauty or love or trust, although Treize still cleaves to the beauty of his roses.

The kiss tastes like fine red wine, and it isn't until Treize murmurs against the curve of his lips On the contrary, it is in times of war that such things as beauty are most valuable that Zechs realises he spoke aloud.

[ashen_key]

Skazz/Ade, from the AU!Disc.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

Skazz lounged on Adrian's bed, eyes following the other as he opened and closed draws and riffled through them quickly. The half-Asian boy was getting ready for a night out-- not so much 'on the town' as 'working late', Skazz acknowledged with a wry half-grin-- and Skazz was quietly impressed at how quick and efficient Adrian could be about something that looked so complicated. Ah, the wonder of routine.

He watched Adrian run his hands through his hair to gel it so it fell just right, and then Adrian moved on to eye makeup. When Adrian got up to the mascara, that was when Skazz's curiosity got the better of him.

"Seriously, how do you not poke yourself in the eye with that thing?"

Adrian paused-- still not poking himself in the eye, Skazz noted-- and turned around, blinking. "What, this? It's just practice."

"Yeah, but..."

Adrian was giving him that kind of considering look that either spelled very bad or very good things for Skazz, often a mixture of both, and Skazz grinned nervously. "Hey, Ade, what are you--"

"Hold still," Adrian ordered, shoving his chair back from the dressing table and crossing back over to the bed. Skazz did so, because he'd always had a fairly morbid sense of curiosity, and started to have second thoughts when Adrian tilted his head back, knee braced next to him on the bed. "Or I might poke you in the eye, and trust me, it'd hurt."

"Holding still!" Skazz said hurriedly, and fidgeted as Adrian cupped his face and narrowed his eyes with intense concentration. "I mean-- shit, get that thing away from my eye."

"Wuss," Adrian told him, smirking back. There was silence, Adrian chewing on his bottom lip absently and Skazz barely daring to do so much as breathe until Adrian took that nasty little stick away from his eyes.

"Done!" Adrian announced triumphantly, and capped the mascara, tossing it onto the table without a backward glance. "It's a good look for you," he added, critically appraising his own handiwork.

"Yeah, sure thing, babe," Skazz told him, sliding his arms around Adrian's hips now he wasn't afraid of having his eyes poked out. He leaned up to catch Adrian's lips in a kiss and the other boy made a surprised sound, melting into it for a moment before pushing at Skazz's shoulders.

"Hey," he said. "I've got to get ready."

"You know I--"

"I'm not taking your money, Skazz. We've talked about this."

"Oh, screw it then," Skazz said firmly, and collapses backward onto the bed, pulling Adrian down.

"Oof! Hey--"

"Take a holiday," Skazz told him, arms tightening around Adrian's waist. "One night won't make a difference."

Let me hold you up for once.

"Yeah," Adrian said, and smiled. "Yeah, screw it."

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

*makes with the grabby motions again* Hanakimi, Umeda family (whether it's also AkiUme or not is up to you) with the prompt of: HUG ♥

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"Get off me!" Hokuto snarled, trying to struggle his way out of the death hug his mother had pounced on him as soon as he'd walked through the door.

"Mummy missed you, darling!" Seira caroled, clinging tight with a beaming smile. There were almost visible love hearts floating around her head, and Hokuto twitched. "How was school~?"

"In case you've forgotten, you crazy witch," Hokuto said grumpily, "I'm not a student there, I'm the doctor. Being an adult, STRANGELY ENOUGH."

"Don't be silly, Hokuto! Of course I remember! Now aren't you going to give mummy a hug?"

"This is so demeaning," Hokuto muttered, but he let his mother drag him down to her level and didn't shove her away the way they both knew he was capable of.

[corialis.livejournal.com]

Words like "too late" are for LESSER BEINGS.

Roy/Ed, post-series.

*sad puppy eyes*

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

Nothing about this world is quite right. The technology is weird and Ed can't get used to the absence of alchemy, which has been a constant of his life for as long as he can remember. He keeps turning around to say, "Naa, Al--" only to realise that he's alone, that Al's not there, that maybe he'll never be there again.

One thing he really hates about this stupid country is the fact that even here, he can't escape war. There's corruption and discrimination pervaded by the stench of death, worse than there ever had been back in Amestris, and he can't fall back on (Roy) the army the way he once could. The only good thing about this world is the complete lack of homonculi or philosopher's stone, and that's not enough of a tradeoff when he's lost his brother and his friends and--

But he never quite lets that thought finish itself, just stares out the window while the old man tries to talk to him and sees Roy in every charmer and every colonel and every slacker and every reflection of every pane of glass.

"You'd better not have died, moron," he tells Roy's image roughly, and spreads his palm out on the cool smooth surface of the window, eyes squeezing shut. "Or I'll come back just so I can kill you."

The reflection doesn't reply, and when Ed opens his eyes again, all he sees is himself glaring back.

[sakanagi.livejournal.com]

Oh good, I'm glad requests are still open. ^^ Hmm...

Either Naoe and Takaya at the beach, or Seishirou and Subaru with the keywords shadow theatre.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

"I have sand," Takaya muttered, scowling fiercely. "In my hair. And on my skin. All over my skin."

"Kagetora-sama..."

"Do you know whose fault this is?" Takaya continued, with a very pointed glare at Naoe.

"I did tell you, Kagetora-sama--"

Takaya's scowl deepened.

"--Takaya-san," Naoe corrected smoothly, "that going to the beach was not a wise idea."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me that that was because you were going to fucking jump me, psycho! Sand chafes!"

"You should know better than to try my self-restraint like that," Naoe said, attempting to sound dignified but coming off slightly sullen. To be fair, he had sand in his hair too, and all through his clothes, which unlike Takaya (who was wearing swimming trunks) he was actually wearing.

"By what, swimming? That's what most people do at the beach, you freak! You're lucky we didn't get arrested for public indecency! I bet some poor kid is traumatised for life!"

"That's why I warned you going to the beach was a bad idea," Naoe told him, very frustrated. "And what kid? There was nobody there. It wasn't even a public beach!"

"It's the principle of the matter," Takaya grumbled. "There could've been a kid. I'm just saying."

Naoe sighed. "Takaya-san..."

Takaya snorted, scrubbing at his hair half-heartedly, and very carefully looked in the other direction. "Look, all I'm saying is couldn't you wait until we get home, next time? Because there's nothing sexy about sand burn, seriously."

"Duly noted," Naoe said, and tried not to smile.

[innate.livejournal.com]

I've been so out of it I didn't even see this before.

Hmmm... Tezuka/Fuji, somehow involving a baby in a stroller.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

When Tezuka came home, he was very bewildered to find Fuji in the living room holding a book open with one hand and pushing a stroller back and forth with the other. The fact that he was reading and singing a lullaby at the same time only added to the surreality of the situation.

"Syuusuke," he said, in his wary 'I'm not sure I actually want to know' tone of voice (which he used quite frequently in Fuji's presence), "what are you doing?"

"Babysitting," Fuji said promptly, without moving his eyes from the book. "Welcome home."

Tezuka contemplated this for a moment. "For whom?" he said eventually, because it seemed less inane as a question than 'why' would have been.

"Yukiko," Fuji said, as if this were completely obvious, and snapped the book shut, stretching to drop it on the coffee table so he could pick the baby girl up in his arms. His smile widened when she gurgled happily and grabbed a lock of his hair in her chubby little fist, and Tezuka blinked, mildly surprised to find that Fuji was actually good with children.

Then again, Fuji was good at most things if he wanted to be.

"...I didn't think Yuuta-san trusted you to take care of her."

Fuji shrugged, smile brightening several watts. "I wonder why you'd think that?"

"Syuusuke," Tezuka said firmly, feeling the beginning of a headache stir, "you shouldn't kidnap your niece."

"Don't be so negative. I'm not kidnapping her, I'm borrowing her."

"Syuusuke."

"Oh, all right. Isn't Uncle Kunimitsu a mean spoilsport?" Fuji cooed to Yukiko, who giggled and clapped her hands. Before Tezuka could say another word, he found himself with an unexpected armful of baby. "You hold her, I'm going to call Yuuta. Oh, by the way, how do you feel about adopting?"

"Buu," Yukiko said solemnly, and Tezuka sighed.

[tomomichi.livejournal.com]

You're going to brick me soon for this, aren't you? You're totally going to brick me, I know it. But, um. Neji/Hinata: Rainfall.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

The rain makes a soft pattering noise as it falls, little cold droplets of water mingling with the warm tears clinging to Hinata's short eyelashes and trickling slowly down her cheeks. Her hands are freezing, pressed against the rough bark of the tree in front of her, and her yukata is completely soaken, see-through where it is plastered to her legs and back and arms.

A man stands behind her, perfectly still. He hasn't said a word, simply watching her with the colourless eyes that match her own, and yet even without her ninja instincts or her Hyuuga vision, she is sure that somehow she would still know he was there.

"Neji," she says, quiet voice melting into sound of the rain, and Neji opens his mouth, closes it, frowns ever so slightly with uncertainty. "Neji..."

It wasn't supposed to be like this, the rain whispers, the words she couldn't quite say, and between them hang the death of her father and the title that she never wanted.


The silence stretches out the distance that parts them so that the man who could so easily reach out and touch her may as well have been on the other side of the world. Neji's expression doesn't change, doesn't give anything away, and she thinks he's going to walk away.

Hinata starts when Neji fingers brush her hip hesitantly, and then his arms circle her waist in an awkward embrace from behind.

"You will lead our clan to greatness," he tells her, speaking into her hair in a voice low and calm with his certainty. "Because I will help you do so."