Pico De Oro

One-shot, This Unforgiving World

2006-11-03T07:44:52Z

Series: NARUTO

Title: THIS UNFORGIVING WORLD
Type: Too long for a drabble, too-short for a one-shot. Just a story.
Pairing: Hinata x Neji
Timeline: Somewhere along the future. AU-ish.

Sometimes, she wonders, how things might have been, what chances she might have had, if life has dealt her a different cage. If tradition has not been all encompassing, if they had not been bound nor caged - would she have changed? Or would she have stayed the same? Would she still choose the comforting darkness over the uncertain purity of light? Would she still choose tradition -suffocating, stifling, endless tradition- rather than the joyous ambiguity of life?

Hyuuga Hanabi turned, and faced her council with resolute eyes. No matter how tempting it might be to lose herself on what-may-have-beens, on lost chances, on her lost soul - in the end, what remains is the truth that she has already made her choice. There is no room for regrets, she tells herself, no room for doubts.

And as she opened her mouth, as she spoke the damning words, she knew how pitifully weak she had become, to lie to herself to keep on living.

"Hyuuga Hinata, the council has decided. We condemn you to the life of a nin-with-no-name, a disgrace to fair Konoha. Your name shall forever be damned and removed from the chronicles of my clan, from both the Main and the Branch."

Hanabi found that while she spoke, she could not remove her eyes from staring into the woman she had known to be her older sister all the years she had lived in this unforgiving world - the only one she had known as sister, mother, friend. She realized, that no matter how weak Hyuuga Hinata was in the eyes of many, hidden was the truth that her older sister was far stronger than she would ever be, for daring to reach forward to open the lock of her gilded cage, for daring to leap forward, and bask in the eternal sunlight of life and freedom.

Little by little, Hanabi could feel, the bars of her own cage growing stronger and stronger, with each word that she spoke.

"For your innumerable trespasses to Konoha, to me, to the council, to those you called family, we strip you of the your name, of the glorious honor of the Hyuuga, of the pride of being one with the Clan of the White-Eyes. You shall forever be known as Nanashi, a no-name, and to endure the inscribing of the seal that would mark your death."

And as she turned, as she left the cold, silent room, she would forever treasure the soft, genuine smile that crossed her sister's face, knowing that it would be the last time she would see her older sister smile, before Hinata would join her beloved Neji in death finally, to be free.

What do I do with points down?

2006-07-24T15:20:05Z

Series: NARUTO
Pairing: Hyuuga Neji x Temari x Yamanaka Ino x slight Ten Ten
Hyuuga Neji x Hyuuga Hinata

Author's Notes: Well. *tears hair in frustration* I seriously need help. I've already halved the second chapter of The Art of Deception (formerly The Art of Deviousness) but I don't know if it's good enough.

The Art of Deception, Chapter 2: A Rose by Any Other Name Still Smells Sweet

Neji stared in shock at his uncle as one of the Council read the edict. Slowly, his fists clenched, and it took all of his will not to pounce over the dais and rip the decree into tiny, satisfying pieces. How can they do this to him? To her? How can they bind them to each other, knowing full well that Hinata is just another sister to him, as Hanabi is?

It makes him feel sick, even dirty, to consider being wed to her.

A white, slender hand covered his trembling, clenched one. The Hyuuga genius blinked, and turned his head to see 17-year old Hanabi shaking her head slightly. Her eyes, so much like his own, gazed fiercely at him, then at the dais, where her older sister was seated next to their father.

Her sister, Hinata, who was swathed in white, unable to do anything against the edict but accept it as her fate.

And then, everything was over. Hanabi has left his side almost immediately, going to her sister and kneeling in front of her, not even sparing her father a glance. An exchange of words – and then surprisingly, a hug from the normally stoic Hanabi, before the younger left, throwing him a sharp glance as she did.

Automatically, Neji stood up, found himself staring down at his cousin. He felt the calculating eyes of the Council watch his every move intently, and yet he paid them no heed, merely offering his hand to the Heiress who was yet to look up at him.

“Neji-niisan,” She spoke so softly that he had to lean forward to hear. “…Is it okay with you?”

No, he wanted to scream, of course it isn’t okay! You’re my sister! I’m your brother! We’re not supposed to be engaged like this! We’re not supposed to be caged! We’re supposed to be free!

“Yes,” Neji answered simply, his voice steady even though his emotions were raging inside of him. “Of course it’s okay, Hinata-sama.”

Somehow, he felt her disappointment as she took his hand and stood up, her pale, white-clothed form a perfect complement for his own dark one.

And he didn’t understand.

-----

“Oi, Hyuuga, pay attention will ya? I’m feeling mighty neglected here!” a low, female voice interrupted his musings, and Neji snapped out of his thoughts just in time to dodge a kunai heading his way. Out of reflex, he brought up his kunai to meet up another’s in a clash that can be heard throughout the training grounds. Blond, spiky hair filled up his vision as his sparring partner leaped back and plunked her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with you today, anyway?”

“Nothing.”

Temari scowled at him, eyes flashing. “Hyuuga, don’t forget that you’re the one who asked for this sparring match. I expected better from you than a half-hearted fight and an answer lamer than Shikamaru’s!”

“It’s none of your business, okay?” Neji finally snapped, sheathing his kunai into his holster. “So just stay out of my life, woman!”

“Look, idiot – we’re going to be stuck together with Yamanaka in a mission for two months, so don’t say that it’s none of my business!” The Sand kunoichi shot back, bending to collect her fan and stomping to where the Hyuuga stood, poking his chest with a scarlet-painted nail. “Whatever’s bothering you could be the reason for our downfall, and let me tell you, Hyuuga, I have no intention of dying just because you’re bothered about something! They said you were a genius, Hyuuga, so go figure it out for yourself why it is my business!”

“Look, I’m sorry for yelling at you. But it really isn’t your business, no matter that we’re going to be a team in a mission.” Neji rubbed his face, suddenly bone-weary. “Why don’t we call it a day, Temari-san? We’re both tired, and we need to rest.”

The kunoichi stared at him disbelievingly for a moment, then huffed and stalked away. “Damn idiot Hyuuga – and they tell me he’s a fucking genius? Pah!”

The Hyuuga sighed and raked an impatient hand over his hair, before turning around to see another kunoichi staring at him curiously. “Yamanaka-san.”

“Hyuuga.” Ino acknowledged him somewhat frostily, bounding gracefully from her perch in the tree. “Still an asshole as always, eh? You know that won’t be good for our mission.”

“Deal with it. It’s not my problem.” Neji plucked three kunais heading towards him and cocked an eyebrow at the furious blonde. “If you wanted a fight, you should have just told me. Temari left me wanting.”

To his surprise, Ino laughed, vivid blue eyes sparkling with sudden mirth. Neji started forward, feeling slightly annoyed. “I pity whoever goes out with you, Yamanaka – you’re just as unpredictable as Naruto.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Hyuuga.”

-//-\\-//-

To his surprise, the animated female stuck with him the whole afternoon – even accompanying him to his usual afternoon snack at Ichiraku, a habit he had picked up from Naruto. Neji wasn’t used to this much of attention – certainly he wasn’t used to this much chatter. Ten-Ten, he suddenly thought of with a pang, was much quieter.

Suddenly, he felt a rather hard tug on his hair, and he looked down to see Ino staring at him with a pout on her lips. Lips that he suddenly noticed were plump, and glossy with the slightest shade of pink. Irritably, Neji jerked his head, and his hair slipped from Ino’s fingers. “What do you want, Yamanaka? Certainly you have better things to do with your time than trailing me around.”

The blonde shrugged, an artless gesture that had the Hyuuga noticing –with reluctance- the graceful slope of her petite shoulders. Brilliant blue eyes peered up to him through lush black fans, measuring him. “I needed to talk to you, but you seemed to ignore my presence so well that I couldn’t help but trail you around.”

“Well, you have my attention now.” Neji crossed his arms, arching an imperious eyebrow. “What is it you wanted to talk about?”

Ino crossed her arms, copying the Hyuuga’s pose. “Can’t we talk about it in private? “

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes –hanging around with Naruto was giving him strange new habits- he grabbed the kunoichi’s hand and marched into a nearby park.

Drabble - Naruto

2006-07-10T05:13:35Z

Sasuke watched as the woman he loves walked down the aisle, black-eyes carefully blank. She looks so beautiful, he thinks, swathed in white, delicate face shining, lavender-white eyes full of love. But then she had always been beautiful – even when she was crying, even when she was fighting. It had taken her so long to become what she is right now – to unfurl her wings and fly, to be the butterfly he had always thought her to be.

How painful it is, to realize that it wasn’t he who showed her how to fly.

Watching, always watching, yet never going near her, never telling her the things she had always wanted to hear. Always in the dark, in the shadows – that’s what he has always done, never walking under the light with her, never daring to laugh, never daring to smile, never daring to dream.

And now, to share life with her will forever stay as a dream.

Rurouni Kenshin: All's Fair In Love and War

2006-07-09T14:11:08Z

Series: Rurouni Kenshin
Type: Fiction, Multi-chaptered
Rating: Safe
Pairing: Himura Kenshin x Kamiya Kaoru ~~and a lot others, but they're all canon.~~

Notes: This is one of my old, old fics. Just thought I'd get a kick putting it up again, lol. XDD

All's Fair In Love and War: The Boy and The Girl

The crowd was deafening.

It was the summer of 1994, and it was sweltering hot. But the crowd inside the local gymnasium didn't notice. They were far too engrossed in watching the annual championship of the Children's Division Martial Arts Competition. Who would have thought that watching two children of 9 years fight for the championship could be so exciting? They expected it to last five minutes, or at least 10 minutes maximum, but they were proven wrong. The match has been going on for 15 minutes, and it doesn't seem like it would end soon.

The two children in question were already breathing hard, sweat beading on their foreheads and trickling down the sides of their faces. They stared at each other, gauging each other’s stamina and ability. They might have been children, but they have been taught well. They have also been taught to never underestimate your opponent. Even if your opponent was a girl or a fragile looking boy around your age.

The silence between the two lengthened.

Then suddenly, the girl charged forward with a yell, her blue-black hair whipping behind her, her blue eyes dark with intent. Her opponent tensed, his arm coming up automatically to block the foot he knew was coming…but there was none. His violet eyes widened. A fake! Taking advantage of his surprise, the girl dropped to the floor and executed a perfect, low sweeping kick instead, knocking the red-haired child off his feet and into the matted floor.

Half of the crowd cheered; half of them booed. The referee stepped forward to announce the point. “Kamiya, one point!”

Kamiya Kaoru grinned in satisfaction. They were even now, with both of them having 4 points. She watched warily as her opponent slowly stood up, pushing his not-so-obedient bangs off his face. "I've finally caught up with you," she commented.

"Aa," the boy agreed. He paused, and in the typical attitude of a cocky 9 year old boy, added arrogantly, "But it won't happen again."

"Ha!" the girl scoffed. "You said that earlier, and now look at our scores!"

The boy bristled. "That was just pure luck!"

"Baka deshi!" a loud booming voice interrupted their arguing. Both children sweatdropped as they turned to see a large man in his twenties glowering at them impatiently. "Stop arguing and get on with it! The girl's right and you know it! Stop dawdling around!"

"Hai, Shishou," the boy resignedly answered. He shot a dark look at the girl when she snickered. "What's so funny?"

"'Touchan's like your teacher too," the girl whispered with a commiserating look. "Does he scold you often?"

"All the time," the boy replied heavily. "Yours too?"

"Uh-huh." They both snickered.

"Baka Deshi!"
"Kaoru!"

The two jumped a foot in the air and shot murderous looks at their impatient teachers then faced each other again, each assuming their stances. The clock ticked away. Five seconds have already passed. The championship has been on for twenty long minutes. The crowd went silent, tense with anticipation as they leaned forward, not wanting to miss anything. 5 points were needed to win the match, and both child has 4 points each. In the first few minutes of the fight, they have been sure that the boy will win and get the championship, but now they weren't so sure. The girl has proven herself to be an equal match to the boy.

Who will win this match?

Both yelling war cries, they charged each other, fists flying. They grappled with each other for a few seconds, then suddenly, the girl caught hold of his shirt securely and threw him into the air, but the boy, twisting his body nimbly, landed squarely on his feet and attempted a whirling kick which the girl blocked. She threw him an open-handed punch which he in turn blocked with his arm. Then, dropping his blocked foot, he closed his free hand over her wrist and yanked her forward, off-balancing her and throwing her. She landed on her back and blinked, horror dawning in her luminous blue eyes. He grinned and threw his fist into the air, triumphant.

The match was over. Himura Shinta was the Children's Division Martial Arts Champion.

Kaoru still lay on the ground, stunned at the quickness of it all. Her combination was so easily broken by him. No, she shook her head, she has barely even started with her combination, and yet he had seen through it and retaliated by throwing her, thus ending the match. Suddenly, a hand appeared in her line of vision, and she followed the hand up to an arm, then a shoulder, then neck, and straight into victorious violet eyes. She bit her lip.

"Daijobou?" Shinta asked, hand still extended to her. a concerned looked crossed his face. "I didn't throw you too hard, did I?"

Mutely, she shook her head and accepted the hand he was holding out to her and stood up. The crowd cheered, and she cringed slightly as she took a sidelong glance at the boy next to her, waving enthusiastically to the crowd. Blast it all, why did she have to be defeated by such a simple throwing move? Why did it have to end like this? Why, for heaven's sake, is he so kind to her? It didn't help matters; it only served to grind her defeat more closer to her face.

They turned to face each other and gave he customary bow, then shook each other's hand under the watchful eye of their referee. Then after a moment of silence, the elderly man raised Shinta's hand and shouted, "The winner of the Children's Division Martial Arts Championship with five points! Himura Shinta!"

The crown roared in approval. Some of the people stood up, clapping, and some of them even whistled. Shinta grinned, stepping forward and once more waving to the cheering crowd.

"Second placer, with four points! Kamiya Kaoru!" The referee raised her unwilling hand in the air. The crowd cheered, even though she had lost the match. She bit her lip and raised her bowed head, offering a shy, tentative smile at the clapping people instead of waving to them, as Shinta has done. Then she stepped away, watching as Shinta's family surged from the stands, his brothers and sisters engulfing him in giant hugs, congratulating him.

"Kaoru-chan?"

She turned to find her father standing behind her, a reassuring smile on his face. But somehow, she could feel his slight disappointment, and she swallowed hard. "Father?"

"You fought well, Kaoru-chan," her father praised her, hugging the girl briefly and handing her a fresh towel. "Good work."

The 9-year old girl snuck a look at her father, then studiously avoiding her father's eyes, mumbled, "I'm sorry, Father."

Her father was startled and knelt to her level. "What for, Kaoru-chan?"

"Because I know you wanted me to win, otouchan," Kaoru answered, still avoiding her father's gaze. "Gomen ne."

"Kaoru-chan, it's alright, you shouldn't apologize," Tetsuro answered soothingly. "You did your best."

But I wasn't good enough! Kaoru wanted to wail. She wanted so much to prove to her father that she can be as good as any other boy. She knew her father loved her, but she also knew that her father wanted a son so much. That was why he sometimes favored her cousin, Seta Soujiro, over her. But she can't hold a grudge against Sou-chan. He was the brother she never had. Half of the reason that she wanted to win so badly was also to prove her worth in her family. Everyone in her family was involved in martial arts, and she was no exception. Everyone also won titles of their own in one point, and it was rumored that Kamiya Koshijirou, her father, had never lost a match. It was embarrassing to think that she, Kamiya Kaoru, has just lost one, and at a boy -she shuddered- at that. She glanced over her shoulder to where Himura Shinta sat, surrounded by friends and families. She was also near enough to hear some of their conversation.

"Sugoi yo, Shinta! That was great!" A spiky haired boy around their age commented. A friend of Shinta's, she guessed. "How does it feel to be the Martial Arts champion? Must be great, eh?"

"Orohohoho! Really great, Sano!"

She grimaced. Sure, he was a great martial artist and all, she can give him that, but does he really has to laugh like that? Because frankly, it's annoying! Kaoru stifled a grin. She immediately sobered when she heard that boy named Sano's next words.

"You totally beat her, Shinta!" the boy exclaimed. "She never even stood a chance!"

"Oro?!"

"It's true! That will show a girl not to mess with boys like us!"

Kaoru's fists clenched. She never stood a chance, did she? Just a girl, is she? She scowled ferociously as her father led her away, to ready her for the awarding ceremony. Just because she was a girl she never stood a chance?! Well, she'll show them! She'll practice and practice, and be the best martial artist there ever is! And they'll eat their words! She'll make them pay!

She took one last glance at the red haired by. I'll beat you, Himura Shinta, even if it's the last thing I do. I promise you that! you and that Sano will eat your words about me! I'll teach you manners on how to treat a girl!

'Orohohohoho! Orohoho!'

And while I'm at it, she nodded to herself, I'll teach you how to laugh properly too. Who in heaven's stars would laugh like that?

Himura Shinta. I'll be your rival. And I'll beat you up good.

Drabble Postage - Hatori x Tohru

2006-07-02T08:23:55Z

Well, this was a long way in the making, but here it is. Not my absolute best due to my cold, but..

For: juliagulia1017

Title: Forbidden and Forgotten

Type: Drabble

Series: Fruits Basket

Pairing: Hatori x Tohru

Word Count: 150 words, 780 characters (with spaces)

He knew it was forbidden.

Even as he let his lips trail down the delicate column of her throat, he knew. Hatori Sohma knew that no matter how much she wanted him, no matter how much she let him pleasure her, that her heart will never belong to him. It will never be his name that she shouts as she peaks, never to his heart that she moans to as their lips meld.

And yet he couldn’t help himself – his heart was already captured, already imprisoned by her spell that she wove not just to him, but also to the rest of the family. Because of that, he will never forget – and he will always remember, that even for this brief moment in time, Tohru was his.

No matter that she herself will forget, after this. Because for her, this act is forbidden.

For her, this act should be forgotten.

Vignette Posting

2006-06-16T00:10:48Z

SERIES: RAGNAROK ONLINE GAME
Type: Vignette
Pairing: None

Note: One of my old, old stories that I made when I was obssessed with the game. I'll try to explain some of the things in there, but most who have played that game would understand - some Dungeons and Dragons players would also understand some of it. Just for nostalgia, because I found an old notebook which had some scribbles..

Cut-text taken from Shakespeare's play As you like it, Act I.

"If he didn't expel you. then why did you leave?" Krallis asked, confused. "You are one of the founders of the Habiliment of the Light - futhermore, you and Guildmaster Raeoga go way back. Did something happen to set this off? A coup? A misunderstanding? A lover's quarrel, perchance?"

"Lover's quarrel? Krallis, nothing of that sort happened - I'm still unattached, remember? You would have known if I've hitched up with somebody. " Sylfaen smiled wanly. "I just.. I wanted to become stronger. I don't know how to support an ally or a guildmember anymore, Krallis. The war is starting, and i don't want to be the cause of the guild's downdall."

"That's a load of bullshit."

Sylfaen blinked." Huh? Pardon?"

"I said, that's a load of bullshit." Krallis repeated softly. "That's not the real reason. Why would you leave on such a flimsy reason like that? Don't give me that crap about being too weak - you're one of the few priests I know who'd go to the infamous Clock Tower with only a Wizard with her, and leave that Tower triumphant."

"That was before." Sylfaen looked away, blue-violet eyes distant. "This is now."

Krallis studied her. "And where lies the difference? It is only the passing of time."

"It is more than enough."

"And you won't say anything more, I know, I know." The silver-haired Knight sighed, leaned back on his chair. "Well, it's your business, so I won't interfere. Where do you aim to go now?"

Sylfaen looked up, honestly stratled by the question. "Really, I have no idea where I'd go. I thought I'd go back to the Parish, but other than that... I have no idea where to go or what to do next."

"Why don't you go with me for now?" Krallis suggested. He grinned widely. "It's been a long time since we last fought together, anyway. The last time was when I was a swordsman, and you, an acolyte. It think it was a party quest in the Payon Caves..."

Sylfaen giggled. "We were all so naive then! We really thought we can kill off all those monsters just by ourselves!" She shook her head, still smiling. "Very well. Since I don't know what else to do, I'll come with you... That is, if I'm not going to be a burden?"

"Of course not!" came the slightly irritated reply. "Seriously, Sylf, where the hell do you get these ideas of yours? You're a Priestess for Juno's sakes - you certainly won't be a burden!"

Sylfaen smiled faintly. "You never change, Krallis. Somehow, I doubt that you ever will." Standing up, she tilted her head. "Well, since I'm coming with you, and since I have a good idea where we're going, I'm going to go buy some gems and potions for the both of us. I highly doubt we're going to a city for a while, knowing you."

Krallis chuckled. "You know me too well, Sylf! very well, I'll meet you at Blacksmith Piont. I need to buy some things as well."

"I see. All right." Sylfaen waved goodbye to the knight, and left the room. A while later, after paying the food, Krallis followed, swinging up to his waiting PecoPeco and into the city.

to be continued..

author's note 2: I had to cut it off - I had no idea it was this long! And I wrote this all in longhand, omg. No wonder I have writing calluses on my left hand. I'll post the second one later.. or maybe next week. *spizzles*

The Art of Deviousness: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

2006-06-08T10:03:56Z

Series: NARUTO

Type: Fiction

Rating: PG 18

Pairing: Temari + Hyuuga Neji + Yamanaka Ino / Hyuuga Neji + Hyuuga Hinata / Hyuuga Neji + Ten Ten
For: Ishy, and for any Neji lovers out there

Note: It is Rated PG for obvious content. This will probably be the most mature fic I'll ever write - and yes, it deals with sex, some politics, human behavior, betrayal. It will be angst, it will be waff, it will be all kinds of things. It will probably be OOC, but.. well, you have been warned. If you don't like to read OOCness (not in a funny way kind of OOC, if you get what I mean) then please, please stay away. I don't like to receive flames saying "OMG NEJI IS SOO OOC HE WONT DO THAT YOU SUX." when I've written a warning about it.

Note II: please pardon the layout - I'm still trying to work it out, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel. And I do believe the overrides are making sense too - which means I might make a layout for myself soon. Yay, me.

Working Title: The Art of Deviousness

Chapter One: Parting is such Sweet Sorrow

By decree of the Council of the Noble House of the Hyuuga, I therefore announce the engagement of the Heiress of the Main House, Hyuuga Hinata, and the Heir of the Branch House, Hyuuga Neji. Bonded forever they will be, and so long as they are one, united the Houses will be.

23 year-old Hyuuga Neji shifted and stared up to the ceiling, white-eyes unseeing as he recalled the cold words, the shock that coursed through him as the message filtered through his mind, the white-hot rage that came soon after. So I’m still caged, after all. No matter how hard I try…

A slim hand started to reach towards his bandaged forehead, and almost automatically, Neji caught it with his own before it reached its destination. “Don’t.”

Next to him, Ten Ten froze. With a sigh of resignation, the kunoichi flopped back on her side of the bed, dragging the white sheets up to cover her nakedness. After a while, she spoke softly. “You’ve been distracted ever since yesterday, Neji. What’s wrong?”

“It doesn’t concern you, Ten.”

Ten Ten laughed bitterly. “Oh, yes. Nothing ever concerns me – I’m only the convenient fuck, after all.”

Neji didn’t answer. It was, in essence, the truth after all. He does feel kindly about her – certainly he won’t let her die in battle or in missions, but other than that, she was merely nothing more than a teammate, a childhood friend, and times a convenient fuck, as she so succinctly put it.

Neji-niisan… is it okay with you?

Lavender white eyes flashed in his brain, and it took all of Neji to stop himself from screaming.

“Neji. I want to tell you something.” Ten Ten suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. “I was supposed to tell you before… before we did it, but – “

“Get on with it.”

Ten Ten’s brown eyes flashed, and she sat up abruptly in the bed. “Don’t be a jerk, Hyuuga.”

“I apologize.” Neji sighed and sat up, shoving away all thoughts of the Houses from his mind. Whatever mood he was in, it just wasn’t fair to take it out on Ten Ten. “…what is it? Is it about Lee?”

“Yes. I – we’re going out now, Neji.” Ten Ten paused uncertainly, and then forged on. “…Lee – he asked me out, and… and I… “

“…And you accepted. You don’t want to betray Lee, so you want to end this.” Neji continued when it seemed that Ten Ten lost all ability to speak. “It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me making it hard for you.”

“I see.” Ten Ten looked away, fists white with tension as she held on to the white sheet like a lifeline. “…good, then. We’ll forget about everything?”

Neji stood up, all lean muscle as he fluidly slid into his clothes. “Yes. We will.”

“It – it was…” Ten Ten swallowed, bowing her head as she choked back tears. I will not let our goodbyes be like this! She bit her lip hard, defiantly stared at Neji’s unreadable eyes. “..It was nice while it lasted, Hyuuga.”

Neji nodded curtly. “It was. I will see you on the training ground tomorrow, Ten Ten – around the usual time, for our meeting with Gai-sensei.”

And with that, he turned and left.

Slowly, Ten Ten’s defiant visage crumbled, and she hugged her knees, face crumpling as hot tears slid down her cheeks. The kunoichi rocked herself back and forth on the bed, suddenly cold, suddenly alone.

“Goodbye… Neji.”

HatsuTohru Drabble for Shoey

2006-05-07T05:48:58Z

gAGain, 'tis me, Mithlin. I've decided to put up the second of the four drabble request in a different post than the other one, that way I can organize the comments for each drabble. This second drabble is for Shoey's Hatsuharu x Tohru request - and again, being the literary rebel that I am, I exceeded the 100-words mark. I'm hoping I can curb this tendency to write more words than there should be, meh.

For: shoeythoughts

Title: Lost in the Dark
Type: Drabble
Series: Fruits Basket
Pairing: Tohru x Hatsuharu
Word Count: 159 words, exactly 884 characters

Tohru was scared of the dark. Childish, that may be true – but ever since her mother had died, her fear has increased thousand-fold until it seemed it would swallow her whole. She didn’t want to tell anyone, most especially Yuki and Kyo – Tohru didn’t want to be a burden more than she already is to the Sohma household.

But not any more – not after that fateful night, when she suddenly woke up, startled to feel someone’s arms wound around her waist and a heavy leg atop hers. It was Sohma Hatsuharu, fast asleep and lost. And every night after, Tohru would wake up with him right beside her – and in the morning, they’d share a secretive smile with each other.

Remembering, Tohru smiled and wound her arms tighter around Hatsuharu’s waist, earning her a sleepy growl from the slumbering male.

It isn’t really bad getting lost, she sleepily thought, eyes drifting shut. As long as it is with him.

AoKao Drabble for Ishy

2006-05-07T05:35:06Z

K'nnichiwa! I've finished two of the four drabble requests from the meme I snagged from psyched_kagura. I'm not that good with keeping the drabble length though, so I ended up with more than 100 words. I hope you all forgive this literary rebel.

For: ilychluna

Title: Falling and Catching
Type: Drabble
Series: Rurouni Kenshin
Pairing: Shinomori Aoshi x Kamiya Kaoru
Word Count: 112 words, exactly 500 characters

Aoshi didn’t know when he fell.

Maybe it was during the times that she smiled at him – warmly, as if he had not attempted to kill her beloved rurouni. Or maybe it was during the times that she accompanied him, her silence more comforting than any words that can ever be said. Perhaps, it was straight from the start that he had fallen – just by a mere glance, a mere second of drowning in her passionate eyes.

Silently, he watched her dance amongst the fireflies, sapphire eyes glowing through the darkness of the night.

It didn’t matter when he fell, he decided – all that matters was, she caught him when he did.

In the Beginning, There was Light

2006-04-28T09:39:53Z

Welcome to Pico De Oro!

This is mithlin_megil's prose journal, where most of her literary works -awesome, mediocre, or bad- are posted. Or dumped, whichever way you prefer. This was largely due to the fact that I, Mithlin, wanted to exercise my literary fingers, so to speak. It's been two years since I've written anything, two years since I committed myself to the world of words once again. I'm actually hesitant to do it, to plunge myself back, but slowly but surely, my will to write is resurfacing once again. Who knows what will come out from my over-active imagination? I can only hope that whatever comes out of it can be labelled as coherent, and maybe, just maybe, can be labelled as kick-ass.

After all, when you dream, don't just dream half-way. Reach for the stars, the sun, the moon! It's not there for nothing - it's there for us to reach. After all, as Paula Vaull Starr said, "Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.".

Let dear Kaoru-chan welcome you to Pico De Oro.

Why Pico De Oro?

Pico De Oro was a long story in the making. I first asked for the opinion of dear friends - all had the general conscensus of picking Melyanna, which is elvish for dear gift. And then juliagulia1017 suggested the use of Okurimono, which means gift in Japanese. I liked the sound of it, so I decided to use it. Alas, it was not so - it was already taken by another user. I decided to stick with using Gift, since most of the fiction that will be posted here will be in the form of gifts, and took my chance in other languages. The following being:

German - das Geburtstagsgeschenk (which, as you can see, is a mouthful and a bitch to type)
French - Cadeau (which failed to capture my imagination)
Italian - Dono or Regalo (which, to my amusement, reminded me of Kaoru-dono and the other, of the Filipino word for gift.)
Spanish - Regalo (please see comment above.)

Now, Pico De Oro is not found on the list. That is because, Pico De Oro does not mean gift, exactly - if the online dictionary I have found is to be trusted, Pico De Oro means Gift of the Gab. This was amusing to me - I've always been told that I have the 'gift of gab' - and in college, I had a column entitled "Gibber and Jabber". Also, the last word, "Oro", reminded me of the first fandom that I wrote for - Rurouni Kenshin.

It was too cute for words, too meaningful. It was love at first type.

What do I write? For whom do I write?

I write both fanfiction and works of my own. I tend to lean towards 'cracky pairings' - pairings that most fans would deem impossible, pairings that comes out of the blue. It is more challenging that way - and it soothes my contrary nature. But I do not close the door nor shun the 'conventional' or 'canon' pairings - the first pairing I wrote of was Himura Kenshin x Kamiya Kaoru, certainly a canon pairing.

Long story short, I write whatever tickles my fancy. Or if you request it.

Which leads me to the second question bolded above - for whom do I write? I write, first and foremost, for myself. Selfish as it may seem, but I write for my own enjoyment. It gives me pleasure to imagine my favorite characters in situations that will never happen, in scenes that will not be showed in the series. Second, I write for those who read - for those who share the same love that I have for the series. I will most happily take requests, as long as it is within my ability to write and imagine, and will try to give what the requestee wants without compromising my own vision.

That being said, I write mostly angsty works. I thrive on sadness, on sorrow, on severe circumstances. I have no idea why most of my fictions portray suffering - I certainly had a contented childhood. Therefore, if you request, you have been warned. Be prepared, for the word 'fluff' nor 'waff' has never existed in my dictionary.

And to this, I end my first post, my longest entry that I had ever written that is not fiction. I hope I did not bore you; if I did, I only have myself to blame for going all out in my first post.

I bid you fare thee well.