Wildflower And Barley

pairing – gojo x oblivious!reader

a/n : short drabble based on this ask :3 , i am always humbling reader in my fics so let's make him grovel here to make it fair :3

7:42 AM.

the little bell above your diner's door chimes, and like clockwork, he's here.

the morning sun slants through the wide glass windows, casting long golden streaks across the checkered floor. the scent of fresh bread lingers in the air, mingling with the faint hum of an old jukebox playing some soft, jazzy tune. satoru gojo steps in like he owns the place—like he owns every space he walks into—moving with that effortless arrogance of a man who’s never been told ‘no’ and actually believed it.

his sunglasses dangle from the collar of his crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up just enough to tease at lean forearms, veins faintly visible beneath his skin. there's a playful ruffle in his snowy hair, like he just ran a careless hand through it, and the slight crook of his lips makes it very clear he’s in one of his moods. outside, the world is still waking up, but here, in this tiny corner of the city, satoru gojo is already in full swing.

but the real kicker? the grin. that goddamn grin, lazy and lopsided, as if he already knows he's won a game you didn't even know you were playing. it's the kind of smile that should come with a warning label—dangerous, reckless, prone to making your stomach flip if you’re not careful.

you shoot him a bright smile, already reaching for his usual. “morning, satoru! long night?”

he leans against the counter, the wood creaking under his weight, eyes locked onto yours with the kind of intensity that should set something on fire. “awful. i spent hours thinking about something. couldn't sleep a wink.”

your brows furrow slightly, fingers wrapping around a tall glass as you place his usual drink in front of him. “oh no! work stuff?”

he takes a slow sip of his chocolate malt milkshake—extra whipped cream, just the way he likes it—his lips curving around the straw in an infuriatingly slow manner. his gaze never wavers. “you stuff, actually.”

you gasp, absolutely touched. “satoru! that's so sweet! i had no idea you liked my cooking that much.”

his fingers tighten ever so slightly around the cold glass. a lesser man would fold right then and there, but satoru gojo? delusional.

he chuckles, low and smooth, tilting his head as his voice drops to that slow, deliberate drawl. “i do like your food, but i was thinking more about the woman behind the counter. the one with the cute apron and the even cuter smile.”

your eyes light up, and for a second—just one, fleeting second—his heart leaps. this is it. she finally—

“oh my god, you mean—mika?! yeah, she’s great! she only works the afternoon shift, though. i can give you her number if you want?”

satoru's soul ascends. and it's not in the good way.

“no,” he says, voice tight, and it takes everything in him not to cry-laugh into his milkshake. “i meant you, sweetheart.”

your lips part slightly, like the thought has never even occurred to you. "me?"

“you,” he repeats, a little more desperate now, like a man clinging to a lifeline in stormy waters. “c’mon, don’t tell me you’ve never noticed how much i like you.”

you blink once. then twice. then— “aw, satoru!” you beam, placing a warm hand over his much larger one, your fingers barely covering the span of his knuckles. “i like you too!”

his breath hitches.

“you're such a great friend!”

the moment stretches, hangs in the air like a thread about to snap. satoru doesn’t blink. doesn’t breathe. somewhere in the distance, a car honks, a cup clatters, life moves on.

but then you squeeze his hand—soft, warm, devastatingly innocent—and flash him a smile so radiant he nearly forgets the last ten seconds ever happened.

“here! on the house today,” you say, sliding a small plate of fluffy cream puffs toward him. the golden shells glisten under the morning light, filled to the brim with silky vanilla custard and dusted with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar. “something sweet for someone just as sweet!”

…he’s never been more in love in his entire life.

If you see my blog going through a bit of an identity crisis don’t worry about it! I’m working on expanding my masterlist and cleaning up my intro post!

Person: are you even listening?

Me, who was planning my wedding with Suguru Geto in my head: what

You wake up slowly. Your body feels so sluggish as you roll over on the mattress. The warmth of the blankets beckon you back to sleep and you almost let yourself fall back asleep.

But you didn’t fall asleep in bed last night.

Opening your eyes slowly you see a dark room. It takes a minute to adjust to the darkness then you see that you are laying in a large black four poster bed. Long black curtains fall down from the top of the frame, shielding you from the rest of the room.

Where are you?

A rustling from outside the curtains catches your attention. You look towards the noise and a voice calls out to you.

“Lady Kore?” A figure gets closer to the bed, “are you awake?”

You shuffle back against the headboard, not knowing who will be behind the curtain. A hand moves the fabric over so he can pop his head inside to look at you.

A boy who is maybe fifteen at most looks over at you. He has dark hair and brown eyes. His eyes have dark circles under them like he has not slept in years. Despite his eye bags his face is kind and he smiles at you.

“I will get My Lord for you!” He says and leaves the room.

You are left alone with more questions than you had a few seconds ago.

Who was his lord? Did he bring you here? If so, why does he want from you?

Soon the sound of heavy footsteps enter the room. You try not to seem afraid of the approaching presence. Squaring your shoulders you watch as a tan hand moves the curtain away from the post to let you see him.

The man from the party looks back at you. Both of you stare at each other for a while, his lavender eyes trace your face as you try to decipher his motive.

“I am sorry for startling you, Lady Kore.” He says and put a hand to his heart and inclines his head. “I found you asleep and brought you to my home to make sure you were alright.”

That makes sense, you passed out against that tree so anyone who was decent would try to make sure you were okay.

“It’s- it’s fine! I was just disoriented by waking up in a bed rather than where I was.” You try to reassure him.

“If you are done sleeping I will not keep you.” He says and reaches out a hand to help you out of the bed.

You study his hand for a minute, debating taking it. Slowly you grab his large hand and he helps you out of the bed. His hand lingers for a few seconds before he withdraws from you.

“Thank you,” You smile at him. “What can I call you?”

He blinks in surprise before grinning,

“Suguru, My Lady.”

Masterlist

I have officially made up my mind that I will, it is only going to have four characters included but more may come to my brain soon

After Saint I think I am going to do a tarot themed series, I don’t have everything worked out yet but it sounds fun

So as I am writing Saint and while doing some looking into Kitsune folklore I came across the legend of Tamamo-no-Mae.

Tamamo-no-Mae was a nine tailed fox who seduced an Emperor and made him deathly ill before being found out and driven out of the palace. That is the bare bones of the myth and there is most likely more context to it. It is also believed that Tamamo-no-Mae was also related to two other incidents with royalty in both China and India.

As I was reading about it my brain went, Kitsune!Suguru would do that for fun. Now all I can think about is Suguru just messing with multiple countries for fun before meeting Saint!Reader.

If I made a list of songs that I associated with my readers and their stories would ya’ll want that?

Hey 💌 I’m Saja — a mother trying to hold onto hope through days that feel impossibly heavy.

I know you probably see a lot online, but if you could take just a moment… I’d be so grateful.

💫 A reblog of my pinned post could help our story reach someone who cares.

🌿 And if you’re in a place to give, even a small donation could bring comfort to my daughter and help us feel safe again.

@sajagz, thank you for listening.

Even gentle support creates strength.

From one heart to another — thank you 🤍

…

Nerd!Gojo who has never really been interested in girls, not that they were interested in him either.

His personality, copious amount of digimon shirts and his condescending attitude has sent every girl sprinting in the opposite direction. Any girl who showed any flicker of interest because of his looks learned quickly why the others steered clear of him.

Nerd!Gojo who never minded that until he saw you. You were a transfer student halfway through the spring semester. The professor had introduced you to the class in the usual monotone he lectured in.

You had smiled and taken the seat next to his at the front of the class. He had blinked in confusion at you choosing to sit next to him when there were multiple other seats open. You didn’t talk to him though, just began to take notes as the teacher lectured.

Nerd!Gojo who is naturally gifted when it comes to his classes except for history. He can do math problems in seconds but can’t really tell the Nara and Heian eras apart.

You, on the other hand, know all the answers to every question. The pride that he had cultivated from his constant ability to know things suffers when he can’t answer the teacher but you answer with practiced ease.

Nerd!Gojo who, for the first time in his academically gifted life, tries to study. He does his best but something about it just isn’t sticking. He can answer the question after he studies but they slip his mind as soon as he is next to you in class.

You must be throwing him off somehow.

Nerd!Gojo who blushes bright red with frustration and something else when you help him understand a term in the textbook he has been glaring at for the past fifteen minutes. You just smile kindly, not knowing how you frustrate him.

Nerd!Gojo who decides to just ignore you, if he doesn’t talk to you long enough you will find another seat and stop frustrating him. You catch on to him ignoring him three days in. This doesn’t seem to effect you much and you just keep to yourself.

Nerd!Gojo who comes to a horrifying realisation a week into his plan, he likes your attention.

Cowboy Like Me

Summary - You and Yuki were inseparable as children, practically attached at the hip since the two of you met. But childhood can’t last forever.

When a marriage proposal is given to your Father he accepts it to help pay off his gambling debts. You are sent off to your Aunt’s house to prepare for your upcoming marriage, leaving Yuki behind. After you come back to find her gone and her family’s farm in ash.

Many years after Yuki’s disappearance an outlaw comes to town with the same golden hair and eyes you could drown in. Is she the same person?

And if so, do you two still fit together in the same way you once did?

Pairing - Outlaw!Yuki x reader

Content - Hurt/comfort, afab!reader (reader wears dresses but they/them pronouns are used), fluff, angst, 1800s time period (all the issues that come with that), prostitution, sexism, talks of underage marriage, implied sex but no actual smut, the closet you and Yuki are in is glass

Word count - 5.3k

A/N - Part 1 of 2 parts! I am working on the second half to this

The past

Yuki Tsukumo came into your life like an all consuming fire on a windy Autumn day. The air was just getting a bite to it and you felt the cold through your dress. You had not thought to grab a shawl to cover your shoulders and neither had your mother.

She held a firm grip on your hand as the two of you walked up to the porch of the Tsukumo farm. It was a large place and the path to the house was long. You felt so tired by the time you reached the house. 

Mrs. Tsukumo answered the door almost the instant your mother knocked. Her blonde hair was down and framed the wide smile she had on her face.

“It’s so good to see you!” She exclaims and hugs your mother like there is no tomorrow.

When she pulls back her gaze falls to you, a gleam of amusement in her eyes. You back away from her curious gaze. She chuckles at your shyness and crouches down to your level, her skirts hitting the wooden floor beneath her.

“You are a shy little thing aren’t you?” She says softly as you blink at her forwardness.

“Yes- yes ma’am!” You speak up and try to steel your resolve.

“And polite!” She stands back up to look at your mother, “She is almost the exact opposite of our Yuki.”

As if on cue you see her. A girl about your age with her wild blonde hair put up in a messy ponytail. The green ribbon tying it back matches her dress which has mud on it up to her knees. She has a grin on her face and a feathery thing in her arms.

You hide behind your mother’s skirt as Mrs. Tsukumo turns around to scold her.

“What have I told you about bringing chickens into the house!” She exclaims and her eyes widen as she sees the mud on her dress. “And gettin’ mud on your best dress!”

The girl pouts a bit and hugs the chicken to her chest, “I wanted to show them my favorite chicken!”

You blink in surprise as she points at you, her hands are a contrast to yours. Her fingers are dirty and you can see a few scratches here and there on them and up her arms. 

Why did she want to show you a chicken? 

You really don’t want that feathery thing too close to you. Its beady eyes look around the room at everything. Its eyes land on you and it reaffirms your aversion to the chicken. 

Mrs. Tsukumo has her hands on her hips and continues to scold her. 

“The chickens are not for you to play with! How many times do I have to tell you that a proper lady doesn’t play with farm animals, Yuki.”

Yuki doesn’t look completely convinced about it. Her brows scrunched in discontent with her mother’s scolding. Her grip on the chicken tightens and the thing squawks loudly.

“But they might actually like the chicken Mama!” Yuki settles on.

Your mother holds back a laugh behind her gloved hand. Her eyes are alight with something you have never seen before. It was like she was a completely different person when Mrs. Tsukumo was in the room. 

As you study your mother’s expression you don’t see Yuki until she is mere inches from your face. Yelping, you stumble back a bit so she isn’t as close to you.

Her brown eyes stare into yours with obvious curiosity. There is a sparkle to them that draws you out of your shell a bit. She shifts the chicken in her arms slightly to hold out a hand to you.

“The name’s Yuki! What’s yours?” She asks you with a grin.

You take her hand and she shakes it. In your haste to tell her your name you trip over it multiple times. 

“You don’t talk well do you?” Yuki remarks with a giggle after you finally get your name out of your mouth, which earns a smack on her arm from her mother.

“Don’t talk like that Yuki! Apologize now!” She squawks at her.

In Yuki’s defense she does genuinely look sorry for her actions, “I didn’t mean that- I am sorry.”

For the first time since arriving you smile. You take her hand which was still out stretched. It is warm and you feel a few healed over scratches on them. It feels so right to hold her hand in yours.

“Can you show me the chickens?” You ask.

Yuki looks surprised then ecstatic.

“Let’s go!”

She grabs your hand and drags you off.

You were never the same after that.

The present

Toji Fushiguro is dead.

There is a bullet hole through his skull put there by Yuki herself.

It would be a terrifying scene if she hasn’t had as much blood as she does in her hands. It has been eight years under Toji’s thumb. Eight years of murder, robbery and arson. She has been a terror to every town they have ridden through. 

That was how she got her job as his second in command. Yuki had demonstrated sheer brutality only rivaled by Toji himself. He had taught her how to shoot, the best way to pick vault locks and how to intimidate others by just a look. His guidance, even if it was harsh, made her into the infamous outlaw she was today.

As she looks at his body, Yuki lets herself cry for the first time in eight years. Tears fall down her red cheeks. She cries for her parents, for the years lost and you.

The last time she saw you it had been from the saddle of her horse as she rode her next to your train. She of course couldn’t fully catch up but she watched the train that took you until there was only a speck of black smoke on the horizon. It had pulled her heart apart to watch you leave.

Yuki wonders how you are. Did you get married to the Mayor’s son? She had heard he was a good man but she never met him. You probably are all settled down with a child now. She would have loved to be there for any part of your life.

She needs to go back to see if there is anything left of her parents. Yuki wants to give them a proper burial if you haven’t already done that. Maybe she will catch sight of you, catch a glimpse into your picturesque life. 

The thought of you on someone else’s arm makes her sick but you were probably happier then out here with her.

When her tears and thoughts of you fade she walks out of the room where Toji’s body lies. She needs to establish her place quickly in the group before others begin to see an opportunity to take over. 

“Is he dead?” Todo asks from the living room. 

He is sitting on a chair against one wall, cleaning his revolvers. It would be an intimidating sight for most people but Yuki breezes by any fear she may have for the boy. She remembers when Toji had first brought him back in the same way he had with her, except Todo got a choice.

He had been like a wet cat, shivering and wet from the downpour he had walked in. His wide eyes had scanned every person in Toji’s group of bandits. A sense of fear in him that she had seen mostly on the town’s folk they stole from.

Even though years have passed since then and he has grown into a mountain of a man he still is that little kid she had comforted that first night. 

“As dead as a man can be.” She says, her usual smile gone from her face.

Todo just nods in understanding. He had also grown up under Toji’s almost abusive teaching style. It shapes you into an entirely different person, you lose sight of yourself as you try to keep up with him. But luckily for Todo, Yuki had been there to help him. 

“Good.” Todo whispers as if Toji would rise from the dead to beat him for uttering it.

“We are going on another raid, I need to let the others know that I am in charge and to put people in their place.” Yuki pulls on her jacket.

“Alright, I will gather the boys.” He says and gets up. She watches as he leaves, his guns shining in their proper place in holsters at each hip.

Yuki takes a deep breath before putting her gun back in the holster and following suit.

The raid goes off without a hitch. The men follow her orders with no hesitation or backlash. It feels good to be in control, she spent so much time without it so having it is like a drug.

The door to the house they are raiding last is wide open and she walks through like she owns the place. The family here seems to have already fled, probably because of the rumors that her gang was coming to this town next. 

She looks around the house and her eyes catch on an emerald green dress. It is rumpled on the wooden floor so they must have dropped it on the way out and not deemed it important enough to come back for.

Yuki picks up the dress to look at it. She is reminded of a life that feels like a hundred years ago. She remembers meeting you for the first time, your anxious excitement as she showed you around the farm. She throws it over her shoulder and continues looking for whatever she can find.

When she gets to the bedroom door and sees a bed empty of linens. The window is open and the curtains flap in the wind. But the closet still has some clothes and she walks over in interest.

A turquoise blue dress is nestled in between pairs of pants and shirts. She grabs the new clothes and the dress. A hope small in her chest that she may see you in something similar when she sees you. 

Yuki needs to stop being so sentimental.

It takes three weeks to get settled enough into her new position for her to be able to leave.

She makes sure that Todo is in charge while she is gone and won’t break under her men’s pestering or threats. He vows to keep everything in order while she goes back to say goodbye to her parents.

As she gets closer to her hometown she feels more nervous. It feels wrong to be back there with how much she has changed. Yuki is a different person and she can’t help but fight herself as she faces the town that raised her. She probably won’t even look you in the eyes as she passes by.

When she rides into town no one notices her face. She is happy for that and the hat low on her head to hide her face. It hasn’t changed one bit, sure people are older but the buildings remain the same. She does see some new faces that must have moved in while she was gone.

She moves through this town like a ghost to the remains of the farm. 

It is still in ashes, the house’s charred ruins haven’t been messed with. Part of her is thankful for that, it shows everyone that they were here. It is a mark on this town that she existed here once. She looks around the remains for anything of hers or her parents but there is nothing.

The only thing there is a fresh bouquet of sunflowers. She smiles down at the flowers and wonders if you put them there for her. Carefully she undos the black ribbon and pulls one out for herself. 

Yuki puts the sunflower in her saddle bag and hops onto her horse. She wants to look at your house for one last time. It would be like closure, to see your parents and maybe even you.

The old house comes into view and Yuki feels a part of her relaxes as she sees the fresh paint and life in it. A child opens the door and runs out, giggling wildly as she goes.

Maybe she was yours. Tears clog her throat as she brings her horse to a stop just a few yards from your door.

The door swings open again to reveal a woman she has never seen before. Her face has worry lines on it as she looks around. Her yellow skirts touch the wooden porch as she walks around to the right to look for the child that ran out.

In her search she sees Yuki, her eyes widen before she calls out to her.

“Can I help you?” She yells at Yuki as she walks off the porch.

“Yes!” She calls back, “I was looking for an old friend whose parents used to live here?”

The woman shields her eyes from the sun with a hand but Yuki can see the pity on her face from here.

“The old folks who owned this place were kicked out because of gambling debts!” She explains, “The mother died a few years ago and the father ran off but the daughter was taken to the parlor house to work off the debt!”

Yuki’s heart drops to her stomach.

She never thought this would happen. Sure your father had a drinking and gambling problem but it was never that bad. She feels her heart beat out of her chest. It feels like her chest is twisting in knots. Your Father running off, your mother dead.

You in a parlor house.

Yuki doesn’t even say goodbye as she kicks her horse into a sprint.

She had walked by the parlor house many times over the course of her childhood. She had never looked at the scantily clad women who waved down at men from the balcony. It had made her cheeks heat up to see them that exposed in broad daylight. Her mother had always shooed her along quickly when they passed by those women.

Yuki had never judged them for their life, most of them never wanted to be there. They were sold or taken to work off a debt someone else owed. She thinks that it would be a lonely existence to be stuck in a house, selling yourself to men every day in hopes of paying off a debt.

Her horse comes to a stop outside the main square and the three story parlor house on the Main Street. She looks up at the women there. She sees so many, all of them barely clothed, with painted smiles on their faces.

Yuki’s heart stops as she sees you. 

A is tight green dress on your body and your face is done up skilfully with makeup to ecunsuate your best features. The dress is shorter then anything you would have worn before. The bodice dips low showing off your chest.

Your face has changed, it’s older but there isn’t the light in your eyes that was once there. You must have been here for years since she last saw you. The look on your face is so fake that she almost cringes as she looks closer.

As you lean over the rail of the balcony, smile on your lips a flash of metallic gold catches her eye. 

The locket you had given Yuki for her fourteenth birthday is sat around your neck. She had worn it everyday after you had given it to her. Inside the locket was a small picture of the both of you. 

You must have found it in the ashes of the farm. Yuki’s heart clenches in her chest. She needs to get you out of here. 

The past

At the age of fifteen Yuki is certain of two things.

1. She is going to take over her father’s farm.

2. You are going to live with her forever.

You had protested it at first when she brought it up. You always said that the both of you were going to get married and have families of your own. Yuki would always pout at your refusal of her dream. But soon enough Yuki wore you down to a yes. 

Yuki was estatic about the future that the two of you would have. You would be in her house every day and she wouldn’t have to pull you out of your house to run through the fields like now. 

Yuki can have you all to herself.

Her heart races as she rides one of her father’s horses at full gallop to get to your house. She is excited to see you today because she got permission from her father to train under him to take over the farm. Your dreams of living together are coming together.

The old house comes into view. She sees your mother working in the window of the kitchen. Your father must be out because she looks out at the window nervously. Her eyes soften at the corners, crows feet beginning to form there.

“Yuki! Come in! I am cookin’ and will make you something.” She says as Yuki ties the reins of the horse to a fence post.

“I would love to but I need to steal your-”

“Yuki!” You yell and come running out at full speed. 

Your eyes are alight with something Yuki can’t place but it makes her chest tighten. She feels like she could look at you forever if you looked back at her like that. 

“Let’s go, I need to get out of here!” You practically demand with a smile.

Yuki unties the reins she just tied, “Hop on.”

Her hands find a place on your waist as she helps you up onto the horse. After getting up behind you she wills down the flush in her cheeks. Your proximity always gets her so blushy and she can’t quite understand why. 

You are settled in front of her and she gives the reins a flick to get the horse moving. Yuki keeps the horse to a steady pace while you are moving through town but as soon as you are past the last building she urges the horse into a gallop.

You laugh and hold your hands up in the air. It is a beautiful sight, you look so carefree like this. She wants to always see you that way, eyes sparkling and lips pulled into a pretty smile. It makes her heart sing your praises.

Yuki takes you out of town into the vast wilderness around your hometown. She eventually stops by the edge of a small stream that circles the edge of the valley where the town is. This stream is one of the offshoots of a bigger river a few miles away. It is also one of the water sources the town has. 

She gets off the horse and helps you down. You hop down and immediately start taking off your shoes. Yuki follows suit as you begin to wade into the stream, a grin on your face.

For a moment, time slows, the sun shines on your hair like a halo. It makes you look ethereal and inhumanly beautiful. She wishes she could capture this moment, to think of the sunlight illuminating your face every waking moment. 

“What are you staring at?” You ask, your smile growing confused.

Yuki shakes her thoughts away, “Nothing!”

She feels so much freer when her shoes are off. When she was young it was an ordeal to get her to keep shoes on. She hated the restricted feel she got when wearing them.

It has mellowed out with age but she still hates the restrictive shoes and clothes women are subjected to.

Yuki sits on the river bank, her skirt already dipping into the stream below. You have better luck then she does with keeping clean or maybe she doesn’t care about that like you do. 

“The water feels good, it is so hot in these summer months.” You comment as you wade back to where Yuki is.

“If it wasn’t for my mother’s scolding I would dive in head first.” Yuki says with a slight pout.

You laugh and pull yourself back up onto the bank, “She would kill you if you did.”

“‘How improper! You need to act like a proper lady of fifteen!’” Yuki imitates the scolding tone her mother is using more and more frequently.

Yuki knows that she is difficult and different from other girls her age. Other girls her age dream of husbands, kids and the other ‘appropriate’ things for girls to dream about. 

But Yuki can’t seem to be normal. 

She wants to stay with you forever, she doesn’t want a husband, she wants to live out the rest of her life on her family’s farm instead of a random man’s house. 

“You are thinking a lot.” You observe with a soft voice.

“I can’t seem to be normal and it hurts my mother so much that I can’t. She is more often than not miserable and I am terrified that will be my fate.” Yuki explains to you, “I don’t think that I can handle being a wife and mother if I turn out like her.”

A blanket of silence settles over the two of you as you process her words. She watches your face as you choose carefully what to say. 

“I think that none of us are normal, we just choose to hide it or push through it.” You grab her hand and intertwine your fingers in hers. “But marriage is something we must all face at some point and it can be scary to think about. I think the thing holding me back is the thought of losing you.”

Yuki looks over at you as tears trail down your face. She puts her free hand against your cheek, her thumb brushing away tears.

“You are hiding something from me.” Yuki states as you cry.

You wouldn’t be this emotional about this if you weren’t really scared.

“The mayor’s son, he- he sent my father a marriage proposal.” You hiccup out, “My mother is sending me off to my Aunts to have her teach me how to be a proper wife.”

Yuki pulls you into a tight hug, your face in her neck as you sob. She grips onto you like you may disappear- because you are. You are going to go to your Aunts then get married. Her eyes sting with unshed tears.

You are leaving and there is nothing she can do to stop it.

The present

“Who gave you this?” A grimy hand reaches up to touch the golden locket around your neck. 

You want to yell at him to not touch it. 

He can touch you all he wants but the locket is the one thing you have from a life that is so far away from this one. A life where you were happy. Yuki is the one thing you have that you can hold onto.

Instead you give him a coy smile, “An old friend of mine.”

“So you were rolling around in the dirt long before you came here then?” He smirks up at you.

“I had a few suitors but nothing more-” You put your hand on the man’s bare chest, “but you are far better than they ever were.”

His grin is predatory as he flips you onto your back. “Those boys could never please you the way I can.”

An hour later you watch him leave your room. His jacket is slightly esque and your lipstick is smudged. Obvious signs of what you two had done on you and him.

You sigh and sink back into the bed, a trimble to your voice. The locket around your neck is still in place. You reach up to hold the golden heart in your hands. A tangible sign that you weren’t always here.

After a while you get out of the bed to clean up. You bathe and change into fresh clothes. There are no more clients today and you are thankful. You don’t think that you can handle anymore today, not after the last patron. 

A knock comes at your door and you walk over to answer it. 

Opening it you see one of the other girls, Mary you think that’s her name, she is new and very timid. Her parents sold her to the parlor house to pay their way back to the east and away from the bandits out here. 

“Someone has requested you.” She tells you and her eyes dart down.

You sigh deep and long. 

“Send him up in ten minutes, I have to get ready.” You tell her and she just nods shakily.

She leaves your doorway and walks down the stairs to the Madam, relaying what she had told you. 

You get ready for the client. The make up you had just taken off is reapplied and you put your dress back on. It doesn’t take too long to get ready.

Another knock lets you know that he is here. You steel yourself to play a role that you play all too often. 

You open the door to see the client standing nervously in the hall. It is not usual but not unheard of to see a man nervous when visiting a parlor house for the first time. You were thankful to have that on your first night. The both of you were new to it and helping each other out.

“I am sorry to keep you waiting sir,” You gesture for him to come in, “please come in.”

He walks in and you get a better look at him. 

A bandanna is covering the lower half of his face and his hat is pulled low. You are a little confused by the secretive nature of him but don’t pry about it. Some of the frequent patrons are married and you know not to ask too many questions.

Your eyes catch on the pistols on each hip and you try not to let yourself panic. Not many men come in with pistols, only men passing through or outlaws.

“What would you like me to do for you?” You ask sweetly, trying to coax him out of his shell, “I am here for your pleasure.”

It is silent and you walk a bit closer and look under his hat. Your eyes meet wide, familiar, brown ones. 

You don’t want to hope but they have the same flecks of gold in them as Yuki’s. The shape is a perfect match, along with the golden hair under the hat. 

“Who are you?” Your desperation is thinly veiled. You watch with disbelief as the bandana is pulled down and their hat is taken off. 

Yuki is older, different from the fifteen year old that you knew. She has a few small scars on her face along with a bruise on her left cheek. Her eyes take you in as you do the same. 

“Yuki-” You are cut off as she hugs you.

Her arms are tight around you and in that bone crushing intensity you feel like you can finally breathe. You feel tears wet your right bare shoulder as she lays her face on it. 

“I thought you were dead.” You whisper through tears.

“I thought you got married.” Her tear choked voice counters.

“Funny how life never goes to plan.” It is sarcastic and sad when you say it.

Despite your relief to see her there is a bone deep shame that she found you like this. Your Mama always told you that doing this type of work was shameful. She had gone on and on that the women who would sell their bodies were damned to hell.

What would Yuki think about you if she knew how long you have been doing this? How would she take it to know that you have lost count of the amount of men who have come to your bed?

“How did you end up here?” Yuki pulls back to ask you.

You give her a sad smile, “Father gambled away all our money and he had a lot of debt that he hid from us. After Mama died he ran off, leaving me no choice but to do this.”

“What about the mayor’s son?” She questions you further.

“He didn’t want to be tied down by the debt so he called off the engagement.” You answer.

Her eyes are full of pain as she looks at you.

“I should have come back sooner-” She says and you shake your head.

“I am happy to see you here now.” You admit and put your forehead against hers like you did when you were kids. 

“I need to get you out of here.” Yuki says and you pull back to blink at her.

“But the debt isn’t paid yet? I can’t leave yet.” You explain to her.

“I know but you don’t deserve to be forced to work off a debt that isn’t yours.” She tells you with conviction.

“How are you planning to pull this off?” You ask with amused curiosity.

“Like this!” She picks you up and slings you over her shoulder.

You make a noise of protest as she makes her way to the door and kicks it open. She unsheathes a pistol and points it out at the people in the hallway. They gasp in surprise and fear.

“Nobody moves and we won’t have a problem!” She says and backs up to the stairs.

People begin to panic as they see her pistol ready to fire. The women scream and the men shield them from whatever gunshots may be fired. You can’t really see what is happening from your position over her shoulder. 

She turns around to rush down the stairs to the lower level.

“Struggle more.” She whispers to you in a teasing tone. “We have to make this convincing.”

Your face burns but you comply and try to get out of her tight grip. You flail your arms and legs but to no avail. She has a strong hold on you as she continues to back out of the building.

“Let me go!” You scream at her to really sell it.

Once Yuki is sure that there is no one kicking up a fuss she turns forward to run with you to the horse. You don’t know if you should continue struggling so you put up a minimal resistance as she puts you on the horse. Yuki gets up behind you and snaps the reins to make her horse move.

You had forgotten how fun it was to ride a horse. The wind blows on your face as the two of you ride away from that town.

“You are a great actress darlin’” She says and slows the horse down to a trot.

“Thank you,” You take a mock bow, “I really tried my best.”

A comfortable silence sets over the two of you as you both ride on. You feel your body relax into hers. It feels nice to feel Yuki at your back and a horse under you. 

“So where are we going?” You ask her as the sun sets in front of you.

“Further out into the wilderness, I have a gang out here that took over an old ranch. We use it as a base.” She explains.

You grin wide at her statement, “So that’s how you got the confidence to throw me over your shoulder and make off with me.”

“You act as if you wanted to be there- I was doing you a favor.” She retorts with a pout.

“Fine, see if the life you made for yourself is better than mine or not.” You tell her but you already have your answer because she is here with you now.

You can handle anything with Yuki by your side.

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