sockdere: (Glasses u r hunk)
sockdere ([personal profile] sockdere) wrote in [community profile] bakerstreet2015-01-21 07:28 am

MY RESCUER Shipping Meme

❝My Rescuer❞ Shipping Meme


There is no possible way the two of you could have gotten off on better footing. One of you saved the other. You were complete strangers - or just as good as - yet someone put aside that fact and swooped in when they saw trouble like a guardian angel, whether because of their own moral reasoning or just being at the right place at the right time. The one who was saved? Well, they can't help but be grateful to their rescuer...and, perhaps, all that high octane emotion will lead to more. After all, you've never felt so much towards one person.

Will you be able to finally have peace alongside this person, or is all really as it seems?

How to Play
  • Comment with your character, preferences, and etc. Is your character more likely to rescue, be rescued, or either?
  • Reply to others.
  • RNG for your prompt and thread!


Prompts
  1. No Hope: They were in a situation that looked incredibly bleak, such as being kidnapped or held prisoner. It was likely they would never see freedom or happiness again. That was something you couldn't stand for.
  2. Life Threatening: It was a simple accident, but it could have ended their life. You stepped in and pushed them out of the way or caught them as they fell.
  3. Harassment: Hey, leave them alone, pal! They clearly don't want your attention or your perverse remarks.
  4. Stand Up: You're being tormented and verbally abused by your peers. Finally, though, someone steps in and defends you.
  5. See Myself in You: They're different - like you are. You don't think they deserve to be treated this way...and neither would you.

  6. Ridiculous: Uh oh. A giant octopus is attacking you! Can anyone, will anyone save you from certain doom?
  7. Saved...From Boredom: Your life seemed like it was in black and white before this person introduced you to color.
  8. Superhero: Saving people is your job. Why is this case any different?
  9. Justice: What's happening before you is disgusting. You have to get justice for this victim; of course, that "justice" may also be needed for yourself and your sense of fragile reality.
  10. Spur of the Moment: Rescuing someone was never in your plan, but you couldn't pass up the chance.
  11. Love at First Sight: They saved you, and you fell. Or the other way around.
  12. Bring Back Happiness: All that was good has faded until you got a new lease on life.
  13. Guilt Complex: In the past, you failed. You'll never let anyone get hurt again.
  14. Not Only a Job: Technically, you were hired to take this person from their captor to another captor, yet in the end, you changed your mind.
  15. Warming Up: You can't help but soften towards someone you owe your life to.
  16. Honor Among Thieves: Your record may not be squeaky clean, but there are acts even you cannot condone.
  17. Gone Too Far: Your rage at seeing a living being treated this way has welled up, and the one who was victimized has to pull you back. Can they?
  18. Hurt Because of Me: In your defense, your savior has been injured. You feel a certain sense of sinking culpability.
  19. Patched Up: After the fight, both of you care for each others' mental and physical wounds.
  20. Who Rescued Who?: They may have physically saved you, but you emotionally saved them.
  21. The Truth Comes Out: You learned that your "rescue" was a fabrication to gain your trust. Has your relationship changed them? Even if it has, can you ever believe them again?
  22. All's Well: Once out of the limelight and out of harms way, you two can explore the prospect of getting to know each other better.
  23. Violent Delights Have Violent Ends: Your relationship ends as it began: with violence and despair.
  24. Doesn't Last: All of your attractions are a flash in the pan. When it comes down to it, you can't make it work between you when there's no danger to draw you close.
  25. WILDCARD
oniwabanokashira: (Default)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-25 02:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[He'd drifted in and out of consciousness following the procedure's merciful conclusion. He'd barely heard Megumi speaking with the police chief in the next room. Instead, he thought he'd heard the voices of his fallen comrades. They'd reminded him that while this wouldn't be a bad way to 'go down', it would be a shame if he let his surgeon's efforts go to waste.]

[That's when half-lidded blue eyes open, meeting her studious brown ones as she sits down. Slowly, he lifts a hand to his bare chest, fingers settling very lightly upon the bandage that's now there. He's looking at it, seemingly marveling at it like he's never seen anything like it his whole life. Then he turns to her again, voice as low and husky as anyone's would be after surviving untold torment.]


Up until today, I have never seen you at work.

[And the irony that his first time would see himself as the patient wasn't lost on him.]
what_drfox_says: (walls kept tumbling down)

[personal profile] what_drfox_says 2015-01-25 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Megumi managed to give him a deadpan look. The two of them may have been exhausted, but she certainly hadn't lost her usual spirit.]

You're welcome to come and observe my practice here at the clinic whenever you want.

[She leaned against the side of the operating table, letting the stress of the evening slowly wash away. It had taken about an hour to suture his wound, another half-hour to talk to the chief of police - to think that earlier that evening, they'd simply been having tea.]

[No doubt Kaoru, Misao, and everyone else would be horrified. She briefly wondered if she could get Sanosuke to fix the gate.]


Thank you for saving me.

[She would've been dead if he hadn't stepped in.]
oniwabanokashira: (contemplation)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-26 12:01 am (UTC)(link)
Ah.

[He's thinking of Misao and how it would take a whole precint's worth of policemen to keep her away from Kanryuu's jail cell. She'd never met him, but by Kwannon, he knows very well that she would beat him to a bloody pulp till he looked nothing remotely human. Then he would wish Battousai had killed him all those months ago.]

[With color since returned to his face, he seems to be back to his usual stone-cold disposition. He stares at the ceiling, watching shadows shift up there via the streetlights cast through the window.]

[Then:]


Was it your intent to let him have you so easily?

[He doesn't mean the assassin.]
what_drfox_says: (in my heavy heart)

[personal profile] what_drfox_says 2015-01-26 06:34 am (UTC)(link)
[On Megumi's end, well - there was no saying what Sanosuke or even Kenshin himself would get up to, but she hoped that they were smarter than that. Did she want vengeance on Kanryuu? She was once willing to kill him and then kill herself in repentance for her crimes, but after meeting Ken-san and realizing what atonement meant . . . she just wanted to move on. Let Heaven's justice find Kanryuu. She wanted nothing to do with him anymore.]

[As for Aoshi's question . . . she looked down at her hands.]


I will atone for my sins the best that I can, but if death has come to claim me because of what I've done, I will let it.

That being said . . . [I was afraid. I couldn't move. I believed that I was going to die. She couldn't bring herself to say it. She still had her pride, after all.]

[Megumi looked away, hiding the tears that squeezed themselves out of her eyes. She always tried to be strong, not just for herself but for her family, whose name she bore, and for Ken-san and their friends. She didn't want Aoshi to see her cry, but then, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?]
Edited 2015-01-26 06:36 (UTC)
oniwabanokashira: (Default)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-26 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Turn away she might, but though Aoshi closes his eyes again, he doesn't need to see to know what's happening. The sorrow, the self-loathing that precedes a disregard for one's fate... the last time he'd felt these from Megumi had been Kanryuu's observation tower, a whole lifetime ago. The sands of the past have flooded the present and they want nothing more than to submerge them both. To entomb them for all eternity, prisoners to a life they both thought they could leave behind.]

[Despair is treacherously infectious, and for awhile, Megumi's manages to overwhelm him. Lesser men would've risen right there and left without a word. Perhaps abandoned all that mattered today and find another despicable crime lord to work for. Or take those swords up to throw himself at the strongest opponents again and again, until there can be no doubt about who is the mightiest of all.]

[But like the best of spies, Aoshi Shinomori is able to step back and see the bigger picture. This had always been his gift, and with his mind so much clearer than it had been that final night in Kanryuu's estate, he needs it now more than ever. She needs it now.]


The night Battousai came to rescue you.

[He lets his words dangle on purpose so that Megumi will have no choice but to turn to him. Not without wiping her tears away first, no doubt. Out of respect for her dignity, he keeps his eyes shut.]

Do you remember what I said to you then?
Edited 2015-01-26 14:01 (UTC)
what_drfox_says: (where do we begin)

[personal profile] what_drfox_says 2015-01-26 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Megumi couldn't help her short, bitter laugh. Of course. It was a message that even Kenshin had repeated to her, albeit in his own, rurouni way.]

"A painful life or an easy death."

[She squared her shoulders, balling her hands into fists in momentary anger. Anger at herself, at Kanryuu, at everything that had happened. And then she lets it all out in a tired, pursed breath.]

I've already made my choice.

[Of course she did - Ken-san, Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko - they all depended on her. But it was one thing to fight against death, and another to accept one's fate.]

I will pay for what I'd done in whatever way I can. The police said that if Ken-san didn't take care of Shishio, they'd try me for my crimes. I said that I'd rather face the noose.

If the end of the road has come for me, I'll accept it. In the meantime, I won't forget what I have to do.

[She hoped Aoshi understood.]
Edited 2015-01-26 14:21 (UTC)
oniwabanokashira: (Default)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-27 08:41 am (UTC)(link)
[His silence... somehow it's enough to acknowledge what she'd said. She's truly changed, without any intention of going back, and to be shown otherwise would have let him down. That, and something more than just disappointment.]

Then you know that death will come when it pleases, and not when you want it to. No matter how badly that might be.

[He opens his eyes now, curling his fingers around the bed's railing in thought.]

Between that and still having a whole life left to atone with... kneeling before your past again would be a step backward.

[Their eyes meet and he holds her gaze. It's complicated, of course; she's no onmitsu or hardened hitokiri. She couldn't possibly have responded to the assassin the way those from his 'world' would have. She'd seemed too resigned to her fate, too willing to be punished, and that's what had bothered him.]

And believe what you like, but that is a step no one who values you wants you to take.

[This is about more than just living, which is something they'd both learned from Battousai. It's about breaking free, whether it's kneeling in terror before an assassin or seeing your misdeeds repeated before your very eyes.]

[He'd understood Megumi. Now he hopes she understands him. His tone softens.]


The next time you face death... try to make things a little easier for those who want you alive.

[Kneeling certainly hadn't helped. Anyone else, Sagara maybe, would've made that clear with a wry smirk. Not Aoshi. His blank slate of a face would put that Egyptian Sphinx to shame.]

[...though, he could have let something slip between his lips, hidden by the rim of the water glass he's now sipping. Hard to tell. Women have their secrets but so do spies.]
what_drfox_says: (beside me in the hallowed water)

[personal profile] what_drfox_says 2015-01-27 12:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Megumi listened to his words in silence, hearing not only Aoshi but also Kenshin and the rest of her friends who had stood by her despite her past. She couldn't say that they didn't understood her - after all, they had deliberately spilled blood in the past, and bore the burden of that knowledge now. While Megumi had been held by the neck by Kanryuu, her continued production of opium was still done in the knowledge that she was ruining lives. In the end, they were the same. The difference was that . . . Aoshi was more willing to fight to live.]

[She remembered how Kenshin had simply given up when they believed that Kaoru was dead. Aoshi had been the voice of reason then, despite their sorrow. Megumi was quick to surrender as well today, and that again, it was Aoshi trying to make things right.]

[She couldn't help the quirk of her lips. It was all so ironic.]


Maybe I should start meditating like you do.

[Her voice shook, but it was at least a way for her to say that she understood.]

Thank you, again.

[She would never truly be rid of her fatalistic mindset - after all, she remembered all too clearly how she told Kaoru that she was willing to die for love, just like Tomoe, or to die for her sins, as she told the police when they came to Kenshin about Shishio. But Megumi would remember the things Aoshi said and see the wisdom in his words.]
oniwabanokashira: (Default)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-27 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)
['Did', not 'do.' Meditating hadn't quite been as enlightening as Aoshi had hoped, though he certainly didn't try to correct anyone who thought otherwise.]

If you do it in Kyoto, see that you pass the Aoiya. Okina misses your vulpine beauty and scintillating wit.

[A beat, followed by a non-vocalized internal sigh.]

His words. Not mine.

[And this time, when her gratitude is voiced again, he meets it not with a thoughtful grunt or even a blunt reminder that she didn't have to do it twice. Neither of them feel... right... at this moment in time, with the two of them pulling each other out of the dark mires of yesterday.]

[This time, he touches the bandage on his chest anew and moves his head in a curt but reverent nod-bow. And though his low voice whispers a sincere and meaningful, "You're welcome.", Megumi wouldn't have a hard time realizing what he's really saying.]


Thank you.

[It's not her time to die yet. Neither is it Aoshi's. But for this? It would certainly be worth it.]
what_drfox_says: (beside me in the hallowed water)

[personal profile] what_drfox_says 2015-01-27 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[After all the stress of the evening, it was almost strange but definitely welcome to laugh. Megumi couldn't help it, and she let out a chuckle. "Vulpine beauty and scintillating wit"? Only the gods knew how it felt for Aoshi to have heard from Okina, much less have to repeat to her. Likely akin to pulling teeth.]

Surely Kyoto has its share of beautiful ladies - enough to satisfy Okina-san, at least.

[A small, wry smile quirked at her lips, but her voice was soft and kind when she replied.]

You're welcome.

[She sat there in silence a moment, allowing the two of them that brief pause to collect their thoughts before she rose up from her chair.]

No doubt Misao-chan has already heard what happened here - or if she hasn't, she will when she gets back from her day out with Kaoru-san. You'll have to stay here for the night, and I'm also certain Misao-chan will do the same, to keep an eye on you and me.

[Another dry smile.]

I'd advise that you stay here for a week at the very least - I don't want you tearing those stitches out, even if you don't mean to.

I'll just prepare some dinner. I'm sure everyone will be visiting, so expect company.
oniwabanokashira: (Default)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-27 02:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[Doctor's orders. He's not going to contest that or dinner. He watches Megumi go, already hearing Misao's shrill screams and declarations of bloody vengeance. He's have to talk her out of spewing fire and brimstone upon his old paymaster.]

[Because he has something far better in mind.]


*

[Two weeks later, at Tokyo's largest prison, star inmate Takeda Kanryuu--- up until now the proud recipient of his own luxurious quarters, expensive food from a personal chef, and constant contact with the outside world through messengers--- requested for transfer to maximum security.]

[Officially, he did it out of fear of his fellow inmates, jealous of what his wealth and connections have brought him even behind bars. Further probing, though, reveals a different story.]

[It seems that two weeks after the failed attack on Megumi Takani, Kanryuu opened the silver platter on his morning's breakfast to find a large tuft of his own hair. It had been taken from the back of his head sometime during the night. SWiftly, silently, and almost surely with some kind of blade. Kanryuu would've blamed this on another inmate or some guard with a grudge, but there had been a slip of paper tucked with the hair. On it had been these words:]


Better to count your money than lose hair over appointments you cannot keep.

[Strangely, prison officials saw no more than a blank slip of paper by the time Kanryuu showed it to them. But he knew what he'd seen and he knew exactly who'd done it. And that was why he'd been more than happy to trade his once-safe suite for the 24/7 presence of unforgiving guards and inmates much more hardened than him.]

[For the rest of his days, Takeda Kanryuu--- once Tokyo's undisputed opium lord and would-be merchant of death--- knew what it was to live in abject fear of shadows from the past.]


*

[That same day, Misao wondered where the bottle of Oniwabanshu invisible ink she'd meant to show Suzume and Ayame* had gone to. Aoshi was more than happy to return it.]



((*OOC: They're from the anime, of course, but I couldn't resist using them. XD Oh, that's a wrap? =3))
Edited 2015-01-27 14:39 (UTC)
what_drfox_says: if yours, please comment so I can credit you! (Default)

[personal profile] what_drfox_says 2015-01-27 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ooc; a perfect ending indeed. :) thanks for this lovely thread - I've been wanting to write out Megumi's thoughts like this before, but I've never had the opportunity, so thanks for that! :D]
oniwabanokashira: (Default)

[personal profile] oniwabanokashira 2015-01-27 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
((OOC: It seems we hit all our birds with one stone. *snug* Thank YOU. Geez I loved it too, and I'd sure do it all again. You can tag me anytime. 8D))