Taro Closed His Eyes, Steeling Himself. Just Like With Akira, He Somehow Knew In His Gut That He Was

Taro closed his eyes, steeling himself. Just like with Akira, he somehow knew in his gut that he was never going to see her again if he let her go now. “I’m coming too.”

“Yamada,” Setsuna hissed, “don’t be stupid. You’re a civilian, you’re just going to get in the way.”

“Do you have another shapeshifter?” He flashed to the shape of Hikari, then Chiaki, then back. “Tracking or not, if he only sees you, this won’t work. Wanna bet their lives on it?” he growled, as she opened her mouth to argue.

“Fuck fuck fuck... Okay,” she finally growled, throwing her arms up in frustration, “but you’d better listen to me, got it? Rei, stay with them. Yamada, don’t fuck this up.”

“You are somethin’ else, you know that? I like you Mister Yamada,” she said in an affectionate tone, “even if your eyes are prolly that pretty brown ‘cuz you’re so full of shit.”

“Actually, they’re contacts,” he said. “Turns out they’re pretty close to yours.” Well, closer than any other color.

“Well ain’t that somethin’ else,” she replied. “Anyway, point is, I’m gonna do somethin’ i don’t do for everyone. You get to play with the big gal. You get through that in one piece? Maybe I’ll send my pretty little niece your way after all. Gotta warn you, though, I’m a hell of a ride.”

“Didn’t I already complain about people threatening me with a good time?”

“That you did, darlin’," she chuckled, "that you did. Just hope it ain’t too good for you.”

The first knock on the door came well over an hour early, when Taro and Himiko were still setting up. Of course, even if she hadn’t texted ahead, Taro knew which guest would be showing up to help out instead of waiting until things started or arriving fashionably late. “Himi-koneko, can you go let Mina in? I’m in the middle of slicing up fish, and someone keeps trying to steal a piece.”

The moment the door opened, Mina almost bounced into Himiko, pulling her into a hug. “Hey, how’s my twin sister doing?”

Himiko giggled as Mina embraced her. “My kittens are home, my boyfriend is alive, life is good.”

“Oh no," Mina groaned, "what happened this time?”

“Taro said it was the most terrifying thing he could imagine: Meeting your teacher."

"So do you think we’re in the right place?”

Gym Bunny, read the sign above the door of what looked like a former warehouse. Leaning one hand against it was a disturbingly adorable cartoon of Mirko, carrot clenched in her teeth like a cigar. The other was casually extended, a measuring weight with the label 1T balanced on her pointer. He then turned back to Himiko, whose playful smile only widened as he feigned an annoyed glare. “It is a mystery for the ages,” he said in a monotone, as he checked the time, then pushed the door open.

Beyond the entry hall was something that looked exactly like what he imagined something with Mirko’s face on it would: Rough, utilitarian, and clearly exceptional. There were no machines at all, at least not that he could see; instead there were heavy duty benches and stands alongside racks of various free weights ranging from modest up to the limits of plausible, then back down again but made of a black metal with an unusual shine. Several ramps were set up around the area, allowing for a track to curl around almost the entire perimeter of the gym. Suspended a story or so above it, there was a second track with a series of obstacles that reminded him of those back alley scrambles he and Himiko had been going for. And, there in the back, several sets of doors, at least one of which had a sparring ring behind it.

“Good morning,” said the incredibly fit young man behind a counter in the entry hall. “Would you mind scanning your fobs on the counter here before heading in?”

“Oh, ah, we’re not members,” Taro replied.

“Welcome, then! Are you waiting for a member, or did you want to take a tour of our facilities?

“They’re with me,” Mirko said, as she strutted up, toweling off her face. Instead of her standard leotard, she wore a purple-rimmed sports bra and shorts, both already soaked in her sweat.

I usually end up with an extras section at the bottom of any given chapter I’m working on, where little snippets patiently wait for a chance to find a nice, cozy chapter to curl up in so they can spread their wings and metamorphosize into magnificent paragraphs.

Tip for struggling writers!

Have you ever had a scene that really isn't working in your story, but you can't bring yourself to get rid of it? (Whether it be because it's an important scene plot-wise or you're just proud of how it's written?)

Make an "Extras" file!

Instead of deleting all your hard work, you can cut the bothersome scene and paste it into your "Extras" file to save it for later. Somewhere down the line, you may find an opening for all or parts of it! Or, if you're re-writing the scene altogether, you can cut and paste details/sentences into your re-write that you liked or are important!

This method has helped me countless times during re-writes, and has saved me a ton of time and effort!

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cassandra Cain/Original Male Character Characters: Cassandra Cain, Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, Secret Identity Fail, Meet-Cute, Falling In Love Summary:

He thought he had the worst luck: First he wakes up in Gotham City, then he recognizes the one member of the Bat-Family who can tell when someone sees through her secret identity. She doesn't seem angry, though; maybe things are finally looking up?