Warnings: None

General Note: This is a short chapter but I plan to update next weekend, too, to make up for it; please see my notes at the end of this chapter.


Lucky Child

Chapter 92:

"Don't Know You At All"


The faucet in the shower was leaking.

It was a small leak. Small, but rhythmic, each drip striking porcelain tub with the same musical plink of falling water. One after another drops fell from the metal spigot and into the spacious garden tub below, and for a moment, this was the only sound in the bathroom aside from the beat of my own heart.

But then, and soon, somewhere in the wall to my left a pipe began to hum. The AC unit keeping the bathroom cool vibrated in the ceiling overhead when it kicked on. A draft of cold air sluiced over the hairs on my nape, teasing them upward as goosebumps broke out across my skin. My empty, sweaty hands rasped as I scraped them over my shirt, blotting moisture into fabric with the sound of sandpaper on flesh.

For a moment, these details crowded forward, taking up every last ounce of my conscious mind until there was room for nothing else.

But beneath all that, my subconscious toiled—and then, as Genkai's beady brown eyes bored into my own from across the small, tiled bathroom, the penny finally dropped.

Voice like a snake's in the cold room, I rounded on her and snarled: "You did what?!"

Unlike me, Genkai didn't miss a beat. "It was for his own good," she shot back, tone curt and dry and as caustic as corrosive chemicals. "Yusuke was distracted as it was when we first started training. Seems you weren't careful with who you really are and the boy picked up on that, but rather than tell him the truth when he demanded it, you obfuscated."

"Hey, I tried to tell him," I said through my own grit teeth. "It's not my fault a psychopath—"

"I don't care." Her deadpan gaze brooked absolutely zero room for argument, and in spite of the rage bubbling hot and arid in my chest, I still stumbled backward against the sink's ensconcing marble countertops when she took one quick step in my direction. "What matters is that he came to me a divided soul, torn between training to make it through this tournament alive and running back home to hash out his petty differences with a childhood friend. He was unfocused, scattered, and incapable of concentrating long enough to make any sort of improvements whatsoever." Her eyes narrowed between the slits in her headwrap; they seemed too bright to belong to the ancient Genkai, and I had to wonder if she overflowed with power in that moment, energy potent but undetectable to my mundane eyes. Speaking with utter, undisguised derision, Genkai said to me: "I decided his life was more important than putting a trivial argument to bed, so when that letter came, I acted as I saw fit to save his life."

I gaped at her and stammered, "You—you had no right to make that choice for him!"

"YOU had no right to make the choice for him!" she retorted.

"Better him distracted while training than distracted while here, at the actual Tournament!"

"And yet it seems you were able to ameliorate his feelings well enough tonight, weren't you?" Her cold words, uttered with the barest touch of wry, patronizing amusement, rendered me once more speechless. Genkai slowly shook her head, eyes not wavering in the slightest. "The truth can wait, Keiko. It can wait until our lives no longer hang in the balance. It can wait until we've won, when Yusuke can look the truth in the eye without risking his own safety in the bargain."

We stood there in silence after that, just staring at each other. Three times I started to speak, thought better of it, and lapsed back into silence—because dammit, Genkai had a point, and that meant I found myself fresh out of witty rejoinders or tempered arguments (it wasn't like I'd seen this coming, after all). Genkai had a point, and it sucked. It sucked to know that it was too late to tell him the truth here, at the Tournament, much though I'd started to want to rip the band aid off of that confession and just get the damn thing over with. He suspected too much for me to continue to keep my secrets, and I hated waiting too much to guard them for much longer.

Much though she had a point, though, she was also not entirely in the right. Genkai thought if I told the truth to Yusuke, he'd be too distracted to give it his everything in the fights—and sure, there was a chance that could indeed happen. But I knew Yusuke well enough to know that he wasn't the type to dwell and linger once you reached a peace. Hold a grudge while things are uncertain? Sure. But the fight with the pillows showed that once he had his desired catharsis, he could move past his issues and compartmentalize.

It was a toss-up, in the end, which of us was right about the timing of my big reveal… but by now my character should be pretty obvious, and it should be likewise obvious that Genkai's theory about Yusuke's reaction made me too damn anxious to not listen to her. Genkai was smart, after all. It was the first thing I'd noticed about her when we met. And now, much though I knew Yusuke and his personality, I'd be a fool not to take Genkai's advice to heart.

I pinched the bridge of my nose with a sigh. "Dammit, Genkai." In spite of myself, my lips curled in a knowing smirk. "But I suppose it was asking a lot for you to trust my judgement. "You aren't the type to—"

"Quit acting like you know me."

My hand dropped from my face. "Huh?"

"You know my story. But that isn't the same thing as knowing me." Her eyes bored into mine, their color closer to amber than brown in their intensity. "And I don't know you at all."

Her glare gave me pause—like, a decade's worth of pause, if we're being honest. I doubted I'd ever not find Genkai intimidating, and being on the receiving end of her glare was intimidating indeed. That glare warned me that if I deigned to step too close to her without her express permission, she wouldn't hesitate to retaliate in whatever way she saw fit. And honestly? I wouldn't blame her for doing so. Her glare was a reminder that whole I knew startling (and often intimate) details of those around me, my familiarity with canon characters was a one-way street. This wasn't the first time this had been brought to my attention, of course. It was just easy to forget that just because I loved and admired a character, there was absolutely no guarantee they'd love or admire me back.

Genkai's eyes, admirable as they were, spoke volumes in this regard.

I knew Genkai, but Genkai… she resented me for it. She resented me and my familiarity, and under the weight of that warning gaze, I found myself shrinking in embarrassment.

My hands came up behind me, grasping the lip of the cold marble counter. Nervously I pulled them away. Blotted them on my clothes. Gripped the counter again. Found myself looking everywhere but at Genkai as I bent to pick up Atsuko's shampoo, which lay discarded on its side at my feet.

"I don't—" I swallowed as I straightened up, gripping the bottle tightly. "I don't even know what to say right now."

"Say you'll keep your damn mouth shut, for starters," she said. "And say you'll keep it shut until the day we win."

I didn't say either of those things, though, and I do not know how Genkai interpreted my silence. Instead I merely turned around and grabbed the bag I'd placed on the counter, slipping Atsuko's bottle inside it as I tried to ignore the way Genkai stared at me in the mirror.

"And we will win," Genkai said… and then in a low voice she added, "won't we?"

My breathing hitched, though because of the question itself or the quiet manner in which she spoke it I can't say. Rather than reply, I scanned the countertops. Found everyone's toothbrushes. Put them in my bag along with Atsuko's hair oil and Shizuru's tooth-whitening paste. My hands jerked more than I'd have liked as I debated what to say to her, and once again, I started speaking more than once before finding the strength to respond in full.

In the end I settled on a mild, noncommittal: "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Somehow I managed to give her pause, this time. She said nothing, face inscrutable behind her mask—and then, slowly, she walked to my side. Her footsteps clicked in time to the dripping faucet, and when at last she settled into stillness beside me, her eyes remained in shadow. Neither of us spoke for a time. I busied myself by gathering more of Atsuko's toiletries.

"No," she said at last. "What I want is for you to tell me if what I'm planning is worth the effort."

There was no need for her to spell her plans for me outright. I knew them well enough already. Genkai's Spirit Orb was the first thing I'd talked with her about, the first inside information I'd used to get her to believe me when I said I knew the eventual outcome of her life's long story. But although I knew what she was asking of me, I had no idea if I should answer her. Was it possible for me to talk about this without putting the future in jeopardy?

Eventually I closed my eyes, hands lying still and chilly in front of the sink. "If I say no, you'll just think of something equally reckless to attempt," I said, each word chosen with utmost care. "If I say yes, you—" I paused to swallow down the nerves in my throat. "You know what'll happen, I think, without me saying it." I opened my eyes and began hunting for more toiletries. "So I'll say nothing."

Genkai harrumphed. "Fine. I won't ask if we win, or if my methods will work." Her enrobed head ducked, chin tucking to her chest. "But will Yusuke live, if I do this?"

Her intent—to keep Yusuke safe, and not to safeguard her own wellbeing—brought an instant lump to my throat. My eyes pricked, but I didn't let my poker face slip. I kept hunting for toiletries, opening and shutting drawers to distract myself from Genkai (because, let's face it, Atsuko wasn't the type to unpack and actually use hotel storage spaces). Genkai's inscrutable wrapped face pointed without flinching in my direction, but even so, my blank expression held firm.

Genkai gave a low chuckle. "Stubborn," she said. "But so am I."

I couldn't help but look at her, then. "So you're going to…?"

"Go through with my plan?" She nodded. "Yes."

The lump in my neck grew bigger. "OK," I said. I nodded, too. "Understood."

I hunted for more of Atsuko's things.

Genkai kept staring.

Soon Genkai chuckled again. "You think you're slick," she said, and I thought I detected a hint of a smile in her voice. "The fact that you're not trying to dissuade me speaks volumes."

I drew in a breath. "Genkai…"

But I stopped talking after that, because what could I possibly say?

Tough though it was to admit, Genkai… Genkai needed to die. She needed to give Yusuke her Orb, and in doing so, she would die—or, rather, Toguro would kill her in her weakened state after she handed it over, and this sacrifice (much though I loathed the idea of knowingly sending Genkai to her death) was a crucial component in Yusuke's survival. Her death would power him up enough to beat Toguro, and he would be so galvanized by his mentor's death that he would have no choice but to pour everything he had into the fight against her killer.

Obviously Yusuke needed the Orb. Obviously Genkai needed to go through with her plan for everyone to win. Obviously Genkai would have to die for this to happen. And yes, Koenma would bring her back to life at the end of the Tournament… but that didn't mean advocating for her eventual demise was easy.

Just because I needed to send her to her doom didn't mean I had to like it.

My poker face didn't flicker as I considered these things.

Genkai saw through it anyway.

"You're conflicted," she said when the silence thinned near to breaking. "And that tells me everything I need to know."

She didn't sound upset when she said it.

And unlike me, she didn't know what the future held.

But in the smallest glimpse I caught of her eyes before she left the bathroom, I saw serenity—serenity in the face of painful inevitability, and contentment that her decision (whatever it may bring) was the correct decision to make.

I gathered up the rest of Atsuko, Botan and Shizuru's things in silence. Genkai stood near the windows in the living room, gazing down at the courtyard with the pool in silence. Soon she followed me into the hall without a word, dogging my steps all the way down to the elevator. We pushed the button without speaking. We waited for the car to arrive without speaking. Boarded it quietly, each lost to our own thoughts.

As the doors shut behind us, Genkai said: "You were right, you know."

I glanced at her askance. On the number panel above the floor buttons, a red down arrow flashed. Around us the car shuddered as it began its slow descent.

"He's the best apprentice I've ever had," Genkai said. Her eyes flickered toward me. "And he's far and away the only one I'd die for."

The lump returned to my throat at once. It was so large I couldn't say anything. I just gripped the bag in my hand more tightly, hefting my backpack higher up my shoulder.

Genkai said, "I sense you understand the feeling."

As she was with most thing, she was right about that. I swiped at my eyes, dragging a snuffling breath in through my tingling nose. The car came to a stop shortly thereafter. Genkai walked ahead as the doors slid open, giving me a moment's privacy to rag my sleeve across my eyelids and wet cheeks.

"Take care of him when I'm gone, girl of many lives." One brown eye turned over her shoulder—and now the skin around it seemed as ancient as the forest that surrounded her temple home. "Promise me."

Helplessly, I nodded.

She turned her face away. "Good."

We walked back to the suite without speaking. When we went inside, I placed the extra place setting I'd grabbed on the dining table and dragged my backpack and duffle into one of the bedrooms. Along the way, Shizuru caught my eye from where she lounged against a wall, one brow lifting as she looked me over.

"You OK, kid?" Shizuru asked around her cigarette.

"Fine," I said—but I wasn't fine at all.

Even though we'd likely (probably, hopefully) use the wish we were granted for winning the Dark Tournament to resurrect Genkai, I still could not shake the taste of betrayal from my lips.

Would Yusuke forgive me, when and if he discovered the grim business toward which I'd just sent Genkai?

I couldn't say for sure.

I could merely hope that he would one day understand.


A bellhop had delivered our room service and we had just sat down to eat it when the suite door, hidden from the dining table around a corner, opened yet again. Two pairs of feet entered the suite. One of them veered to the left and into the kitchen. The other continued forward, and soon Botan appeared before us with her hand over her mouth, eyes wide and enormous above her fingers. I couldn't quite discern her expression as she sat down at the table and stared with oddball intensity at her water glass, and over the plates of food between us, Kurama and I exchanged a Look.

Shizuru, meanwhile, shot the unseen kitchen a Look of her own. "Welcome back, Yusuke?" she said. "I assume that's Yusuke in there, at least."

"He didn't even say hello," Kuwabara muttered into his plate of sad-lookin' ramen (which he had, true to character, prepared from a packet, distrustful of the hotel's intent to poison us).

I could practically see Yusuke rolling his eyes at that. "Yeah, yeah," he said. Cabinets opened and closed with a bang in the kitchen; drawers rolled out of and back into place soon after. "Where the heck's my food?" he groused.

I giggled. "In the container on the counter labelled 'for Yusuke.'"

"… found it."

The entire table laughed at that. Yusuke grumbled something, voice distinct but unintelligible. A plastic container opened with a zippering noise, and soon came the telltale sound of someone slurping noodles with barely a pause between bites. Atsuko frowned at that, putting down her chopsticks so she could cross her arms and scowl.

"I know I didn't teach you manners," she called at the kitchen, "but even I know you shouldn't eat in the damn kitchen, Yusuke!"

The slurping stopped. "Uh," he said, eloquently, but he didn't appear from around the corner.

Botan swallowed, hand dropping into her lap. "Yes, Yusuke," she said, each word a struggle for some reason. "Join us!"

Her cheeks puffed out. She clapped her hand over her mouth, made a strangled noise in her chest, and put her head onto the table before her with a 'thunk.' Kuwabara (not to mention the rest of us) stared at her as her shoulders began to shake, looking between Botan and the far-away kitchen in turns.

"Hey," Kuwabara said. "What's going on?" He pushed back his chair and stood, balling up his napkin and tossing it next to his plate. Walking toward the kitchen, he disappeared around the corner while saying, "I mean, what gives? Both of you are being really weir—oh my god, what the hell is that?!"

"Oh for the love of—SHUT THE HELL UP!" Yusuke bellowed.

And beside me, Botan burst out laughing.

It was almost cartoonish, the way we all looked at Botan before standing up in unison and rushing toward the kitchen, but that's exactly what we did. Shizuru, Kurama, Atsuko, Yukina, the masked Genkai and crowded around the kitchen doorway to find a stricken, ashen-faced Kuwabara backed up against the sink. Yusuke had perched himself atop a counter to eat his beef and noodles; he slouched in place, glaring at his food as if it had done him personal wrong and eating it was an act of divine retribution.

And atop his head perched a familiar blue blob.

Well. A mostly familiar blue blob, I guess.

The creature was royal blue with a mop of black hair on its head. It was shaped sort of like a penguin, in the most general sense imaginable (except it didn't really have much of a neck to speak of). A little yellow beak occupied the middle of its face. Above the nose were a pair of enormous, watery brown eyes, and jutting out from below the mop of hair hung two huge flaps of ear-like skin that fell from the top of the creature's head to brush Yusuke's shellacked hair, and in those senses it looked infinitely familiar—but that's where the similarities between this creature and canon-Puu both ended and began. The creature's feet were clawed, digging into Yusuke's hair with a vice grip, and the ears weren't like the giant floppy ears of canon Puu at all. Instead they were more like the wings of a flying squirrel, skin connected to the bulk of Puu's body from top to bottom along its sides, with folds of furry flesh gathered under the armpits (armpits connected to might-be-Puu's head instead of its shoulder? Its anatomy was confusing as fuck). Or perhaps they were more like bat wings, really, because midway down them on their outside edge I spotted a set of shiny little claws.

Puu (or the creature I assumed was Puu, at least) lay on its belly on Yusuke's head, grabbing the hair on the nape of his neck and above his ears in its clawed feet and wing-hands, spread like a sentient and wobbly hat over the punk's skull. Despite the differences in its appearance and anatomy when compared to canon-Puu, this creature was still damn cute, staring over at us with its enormous eyes and blinking with slow, adorable blinks.

Yusuke didn't acknowledge the creature, of course. He ate without speaking, looking only at his food, not caring when he bent low and the creature had to dig in its claws to stay on Yusuke's head (though Yusuke's eyes watered a bit when that happened, so it seemed he wasn't totally oblivious). Soon, though, Yusuke had to acknowledge the thing clinging to his head, because the-thing-that-might-be-Puu spotted a morsel of food as Yusuke brought it to his mouth. The creature's wing-claws darted out and snatched the bit of beef out of Yusuke's chopsticks without hesitation before popping it into its beak and chewing with little mouthy snaps. Yusuke crossed his eyes and glared up at the thing, growling as he picked up another bite of beef.

No one said a word.

Behind us, Botan began to laugh again—this time hysterically—and the confused spell upon us broke.

"Wha… what is that thing?" Kuwabara stammered, unnerved as he all but climbed into the kitchen sink.

"It's adorable!" Atsuko said.

"Yes, it is very cute," Yukina agreed.

From the dining room came Botan's laugh-weakened call of, "It's Yusuke's Spirit Beast!"

"His what?"

Botan staggered into view at that point, leaning against the wall for support as she giggled. Haltingly she explained what Spirit Beasts were and how Yusuke, while a ghost, had acquired the egg of one to act as the barometer against which the purity of his soul would be measured as he sought to be revived. We listened in stunned silence; Yusuke listened with growing disgruntlement, a growl building in his chest with every one of Botan's chortled words.

"That thing—that thing is a reflection of, of Yusuke's spirit!" she was saying as she slid down the wall, knees giving out as she gave a cackle of mirth. "And it's so cute!"

"Oh my god, Yusuke!" Kuwabara crawled out of the sink and pointed at the creature, mouth agape but curling with a smile at the corners. "You mean this is your soul?" He threw back his head and guffawed. "Who knew you were so soft and squishy inside!"

"Can it, asshole," Yusuke said, glaring. "And you can shut up too, Botan, because I've had it up to here with your—"

Not-Quite-Puu ignored Yusuke's ranting, staring over at us with his gargantuan, slightly bulbous eyes in silence. Then its body tensed, and Yusuke yelped when the creature shoved away from his head and pitch itself into the air. Pretty much everyone made the same shocked sound of fright and surprise as the creature plummeted toward the floor, but then its wings beat, thick skin thinning into a sky-blue membrane it used to flitter and flutter through the air, soaring up and then down again—and straight at my face. I almost shrieked as it hit my face like a pie hitting the face of a clown, but somehow I held my tongue as its wing-claws grabbed onto my short hair. I found my face covered by its body, light turning pale blue as it filtered through its wings and into my wide, stunned eyes.

This thing had a second set of hands, I realized then, in the same place canon-Puu had had them. These soft paws cupped my face beneath the canopy of its wings, eyes staring directly into mine, nose to… well, nose to beak as it clung to my face and looked me over.

"It—he—um." I couldn't see much, but I assumed everyone had to be staring at me giving the utter silence, and I lifted a hand to point at the creature on my face. "He likes me. I think?"

"Puu," the creature agreed in a voice like a cartoon chipmunk.

"Puu." I repeated the word with relief, sigh pouring unbidden from my mouth. "Oh, thank god."

"God? What the hell are you thanking god for?" Yusuke griped. "Clearly I've been cursed by the devil to have a stupid Spirit Beast like that!"

Everyone laughed. Yusuke grumbled some more. Atsuko peeled Puu away from my face and cuddled it, cooing about the preciousness of her son's soul (which pulled yet more grumbling from Yusuke and more laughter from Kuwabara). Even Kurama had a good chuckle over the whole thing, and even Shizuru stared at Puu like she thought it was cute, and as everyone peeled away from the kitchen to discuss Puu over dinner, I lingered behind in the doorway and mopped a hand over my face. I'd suspected the egg was about to hatch when Botan set up a meeting with Koenma; it fit the canon timeline, so seeing Yusuke's Spirit Beast wasn't exactly a shock—but for a minute there, I thought Puu wasn't Puu at all, and that had been zero fun in the moment. Perhaps this Puu wasn't exactly the same as canon-Puu, but he was still cute and sweet and bright blue, right? And that had to count for something. I was just grateful Puu hadn't turned out to be a monster. He was still Puu… but why did he look different?

Was that my influence?

I suspected it was, but I didn't want to think about it too hard as I followed everyone to dinner and then, when dinner ended, to the couches in the living room. Botan held Puu like a baby in her arms, cooing at him as she tickled his belly, but as we sat down beside one another, Puu climbed out of her arms and crawled to the curve of her knee. He clambered down her leg by scaling down her jeans (clinging to the vertical surface of her shin like a bat crawling down a cave wall) and then walks on his two clumsy back feet (just like canon-Puu, I was pleased to note) over to the legs of the coffee table. He then used his upgraded wings and their hooked claws to crawl up a leg of the table to its top, where he walked upright on his clumsy feet again toward a plate of cookies Kuwabara had earlier been munching on, a hungry gleam in his bright eyes.

"Should we…?" Atsuko said.

"Just watch, maybe," said Shizuru.

The room (except for the belligerently oblivious Yusuke) seemed to hold its collective breath as Puu picked up a cookie, turning it like a car's steering wheel in his dexterous little wing-claws as he inspected it. Soon he gave it a nibble, and a little burble of happiness bubbled in his chest.

"Guess he likes cookies," I said.

"Indeed," Kurama murmured back.

We watched in silence as Puu licked crumbs from his claws, eyes closed in relish. He wobbled away from the cookie plate, then, picking up and examining a pen, a set of socks, a business card, and whatever other object he could find as he completed a circuit of the tabletop. He looked curious, almost. He looked curious but cute—and also like a troublemaker, because when he reached a water glass sitting near the edge of the table, he shoved it over the side and watched it fall to the floor with an expression as quizzical as it was delighted.

"He really is very cute," Yukina said as I mopped up the water with a napkin.

"He's like a stuffed animal," Botan agreed.

I shrugged. "More like a Pokémon."

"A what?"

"Oh. Never mind." I would need to save Pokémon references until 1995, or whenever the games came out. Setting aside my sodden napkin, I scooped Puu up and settled onto the couch beside Botan again. "Well, buddy," I said, holding him aloft like Simba atop Pride Rock. "What do you think? You a fan of Yusuke's friends, or what?"

"Puu!" he said with gusto, and when I set him down on my knee, he fluttered toward me with a flutter of fleshy wings and snuggled into the gap between me and Botan. She gasped and gently pet the top of his head, smile gentle and bright as Puu began to softly snoer; Yusuke, across the room, looked flustered and turned away, grumbling something about Puu being an embarrassment. At this display I could only grin, especially when Puu hooked one wing-claw into the side of my shirt and snuggled up even tighter still.

"Yeah." I smiled. "This is Yusuke, all right."

Yusuke's face turned so he could glare at me over his shoulder, but I didn't mind.

The fact that Puu was willing to use me as his own personal pillow told me that no matter how dicey things got between Yusuke and I (ameliorating pillow fights notwithstanding), Yusuke's core feelings for me hadn't changed. There was comfort immeasurable in the idea that Puu would let me know how Yusuke felt, even when (especially when) Yusuke could not find the words to express his feelings himself.

When the day came for my dark confession, I only hoped that Puu—this familiar, unfamiliar creature—would still wish to sleep so soundly by my side.


NOTES:

Sorry about this chapter's length. Long story short, I got a new dog (YAY) but then I fell down while walking him (BOO). I landed on my back and there was this really awful crack sound and my back has been on fire ever since. It was scary, but the new puppy sat with me like a champ until I could move again. But now I can't get comfy enough to write a chapter of a decent length. I'm predicting I'll update this coming weekend with the rest of what this chapter was SUPPOSED to contain (two updates in a row, y'all!)… provided I can figure out how to sit comfortably sometime between now and then. I'm guessing I'm just bruised or something since, y'know, I have full feeling in my extremities and whatnot.

So, see you next weekend (March 30-31) with another chapter on the short side, and thanks so much to all those who chimed in last chapter with their thoughts (not to mention all those who've been helping me try to name my dog on Tumblr… also please send suggestions if you have them; he's a husky-corgi mix, is very cute and affectionate, and likes to eat/cuddle/chase squirrels, which is how I got into my falling-down-mess this morning. Also my boyfriend loves dogs with food names, so bonus points for a name in that genre).

Love all of you very much, and thanks a million: Miss Ideophobia, Thornsilverfox, brave story, Blaze1662001, IronDBZ, Delighted Laughter, McMousie, Sorlian, EdenMae, Kaiya Azure, A Wraith, C S Stars, tammywammy9, empressofthedead, Linguistic Chaos, xenocanaan, Tequilamockinbur, RinaRinaRin, buzzk97, NightlyKill, LadyEllesmere, Yakiitori, cestlavie, Duo's chibi Deathscythe, ahyeon, Vyxen Hexgrim, The Shay-Shay, My Heart Beating MWMI, MoonSerenity, Minirowan, vodka-and-tea, yofa, the Book Frog, Ink Outside the Lines, AmandaPandaOh, Kykygrly, MetroNeko, Neko Mitsuko, Sweetfoxgirl13, general zargon, Ally Kenshin, Lightning Ash!