SASO Referees (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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sportsanime2017-06-11 06:56 pm
referees) wrote in sportsanime2017-06-11 06:56 pm
Entry tags:
Bonus Round 2: Tic-Tac-Toe
Please read this whole post before commenting to ensure that your team gets the most points possible. There's a lot of text here, but if you read carefully and follow the instructions step by step, you will be okay.
RULES
Please refer to the first comment thread of this post for an example of how this round works.PROMPTING
- Select a ship to create your prompt card about. Platonic relationships are indicated by an "&" between the names (e.g., Haruki & Kazuma). Non-platonic relationships use "/" (e.g., Haruki/Kazuma). Please don't say "Any pairing," either!
- Visit this card generator.
- Here is a visual guide to using it.
- The large text box is where you can list prompts if you have your own ideas. Please list at least 9 prompts; you can list more if you want. (The generator says you need at least 24, but it's lying.) Single words or short phrases are better than sentences.
- Otherwise, you can use the dropdown menu found right below it. Note: some of these prompts lists are NSFW. (NSFW prompts are a-ok as long as you tag for it.) If you don't like some of the options that appear in a prompt list, you can delete them.
- Text prompts only, please. Also, each card square must be unique—don't list the same prompt 9 times.
- In "Configuration Options," make sure you select 3x3 and (Normal prompt). This is the most important step!
- Leave the tic-tac-toe card with its default colors, so everyone can read it clearly.
- Click the "Create a bingo card" button.
- Scroll down to see the card that was created for you. If you don't like the prompts it picked, you can reroll by clicking "Create a bingo card" again.
- When you're satisfied, scroll further down the page until you see a textarea box full of HTML.
- Copy and paste the HTML from the box and into the body of your prompt comment, then post!
FILLING
Fill prompts by selecting an individual square to create fanwork for, then leaving a responding comment to the prompt with your newly-created work. (Optional:) If you can fill three squares from a prompt in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, you get a tic-tac-toe (and an additional point bonus)! You can also just fill prompts as you please and get standard points.
- Prompt squares are labeled as follows:
A1 B1 C1 A2 B2 C2 A3 B3 C3 - If you're trying for tic-tac-toe, you cannot combine squares into one fill. If your fill can satisfy multiple squares, pick the most relevant square: e.g., one square is sailing and another is pirates and you make a fill about pirates sailing, it's mostly pirates so put down the pirates square.
- Each fill must stand alone as an individual piece, but all your fills can slot into a larger universe if you'd like.
- You cannot fill a prompt square more than once, but you can fill every square on a tic tac toe card if you want to.
- You cannot work with your teammates to get a tic-tac-toe. Only individually achieved tic-tac-toes get the bonus.
- Multiple people can fill the same prompt square. You cannot "block" others from getting tic-tac-toe.
- Remember to also follow the general bonus round rules, outlined here.
- Here is a prompt/fill index for your convenience.
FORMAT
Bonus round shenanigans all happen in the comments below. Brand-new works only, please.Required Work Minimums:
- 400 words (prose)
- 400px by 400px (art/images)
- 14 lines (poetry)
Format your comment in one of the following ways:
| If PROMPTING: | If FILLING: | If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant: |
PROMPT: TEAM [YOUR SHIP]
| FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [SQUARE], [RATING]
| FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [SQUARE], [RATING]
|
Posts not using this format will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, regardless of what they contain. They, like all comments in this community, are subject to the code of conduct.
If you see anyone breaking the code of conduct (e.g., causing drama, being rude) anywhere (not just DW), please contact the mods immediately.
SCORING
These numbers apply to your team as a whole, not each individual teammate. Make as many prompts/fills as you want!For prompts: 5 points for each tic-tac-toe card (maximum of 50 prompt points per team per round)
For fills:First 4 fills by any member of your team: 20 points each
Fills 5-10: 15 points each
Fills 11-20: 5 points each
Fills 21-50: 2 points each
Fills 51+: 1 point each
Tic-tac-toe Bonus: 2 points each for the first 12 achieved by your team
All scored content must be created new for this round.
Etc.
If you're hunting through the prompts looking for what to fill, a good trick is to view top-level comments only (see the line of links below this post).Have a question? Check The FAQ first. If you still need help, feel free to contact the mods. Happy fanworking!
FILL: TEAM PRINCE OF TENNIS, M
Fandom: Prince of Tennis & Kuroko no Basuke
Major tags: Abuse (mental abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional manipulation), dubcon, noncon
Other tags: just generally fucked up, also I really want someone being turned into an eunuch, don't ask me why
Prompt:
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A3, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse (implied emotional abuse/mind games)
Other Tags: slavery, power impalance
Square: sacrifice
Word Count: 825
Emperor-slave AU
***
It stings when Yuuta leaves, even if Fuji understands his reasons. He can sympathize with the feelings of living in another's shadow, so he does his best to put on a cheerful face as Yuuta rides off to join the Order of Saint Rudolph. They're one of the smaller Orders, not prone to overly ambitious, rash decisions like some, and they've just recently come under the leadership of a new High Commander. No one knows much about Mizuki Hajime, but Fuji's preliminary investigations suggest that he's a commander who values forethought and logic, and so Fuji doesn't push back too much, even if the warhorses and white tabards and shining lances of the Order are the antithesis of the wind and shadows and stealth in which Yuuta was raised.
But a few months after Yuuta leaves, Fuji begins to hear rumors about the Order—rumors that say their High Commander sees his men as nothing more than chess pieces, and will sacrifice them just as easily if it suits his aim. And other, darker rumors about the tricks he uses to ensure his subordinates' undying loyalty to him.
Fuji's blood run hot at the news, but he doesn't rush. He sends out his own informants to investigate, but he's ready, and he moves out the minute they come back with confirmation. He fades silently into the trees, his journey out to the Order's base going almost entirely unnoticed.
He arrives too late.
In a bid to strengthen his grasp on his territory, the emperor Akashi had been sending his armies out to crush any possible pockets of resistance. Unbeknownst to Fuji, Mizuki had postured one time too many, and had paid the price. Fuji emerges from the forest behind a pile of rubble that had once been Mizuki's stronghold. The dying embers of what had once been gardens are still smoldering, but Akashi's army is nowhere in sight.
Neither is anyone from the Order, and Fuji finds one of his informants and demands a report. Mizuki is believed to have perished in the destruction of his base, but no one has gone looking for his body yet. Most of the other members of the Order, Yuuta included, escaped.
It's not quite the vengeance Fuji had planned, but he's willing to accept it, and Akashi's destruction is far more thorough than what he could have managed alone. He sets out to find Yuuta with a certain grim satisfaction, but it's short-lived when he sees signs of a trap laid along the main trail leading from the stronghold, and then scuffed, bloodied dirt and trampled grass that read of an ambush. He follows the trail until it leads him to the edge of Akashi's camp. He doubts if even his skills will get him in unnoticed in broad daylight, but even from his distance he can see Yuuta chained together with other members of the Order in among Akashi's slaves.
He waits until nightfall before he picks his way through the shadows close to the slave pen.
"Yuuta," he hisses.
His brother wakes up quickly despite the bandage around his forehead, which Fuji takes as a reassuring sign, even if it's a small reassurance amidst many far larger concerns.
"I'll get you out," Fuji whispers. "Don't cross Akashi before then."
Yuuta glares at him. "I don't need your help," he spits. "I can solve this on my own. Go home." He turns away and refuses to respond to anything further. Fuji waits for as long as he can, but he knows he has to leave before the sentries do their final rounds before the shift change.
Maybe Yuuta can escape on his own. Maybe he can't. Fuji's not willing to take that gamble.
The next day, he puts on his full formal robes, presents himself at the entrance to Akashi's camp, and asks for an audience with the emperor. He's done his research, and he knows the sort of men Akashi chooses to surround himself with; a stealth specialist who's rumored to be the spymaster for at least one clan will be far more attractive to the emperor than a knight of a back-woods Order. He offers to trade himself for Yuuta, and exactly as predicted, Akashi agrees.
As he had expected, Akashi orders that he be brought to the slave pen and chained in Yuuta's place. Yuuta is surprised, and furious. Fuji is not, but he acts exactly as insulted as Akashi expects him too. He'll let Akashi think that he's won this first round, that this was a spur-of-the-moment sacrifice. Fuji would sacrifice himself for Yuuta in a heartbeat if it came to that, but he has no intention of sacrificing himself now. He waits, observes, and picks up every thread Akashi gives him and begins weaving it into his trap. It may take him months, or even years, but he will have his revenge on Akashi for hurting Yuuta.
Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A3, T
Ahhh, that’s such an awesome fill! I’m a suck for family conflict so I love that you started it off with Shuusuke thinking about Yuuta’s leaving. The contrast between the ninjas and the Order of St. Rudolph is great (and I love that you called it the Order of St. Rudolph, it’s very Knight Templar!) as is the fact that Fuji did do preliminary investigations! Because he’s such a good brother, really.
other, darker rumors about the tricks he uses to ensure his subordinates' undying loyalty to him
delighted sounds I would read an entire fucking fill about Mizuki mindgaming/fucking Yuuta into obedience, no joke.
Also I love Fuji STILL not rushing and being so calculated about it. Also this bit! “Akashi's destruction is far more thorough than what he could have managed alone”
AHahahaha. DON’T POSTURE AT AN EMPEROR.
Yuuta refusing help and Fuji refusing to have his help be refused is PERFECT, as is Fuji pretending to be surprised he’s chained up as a slave instead of used as a trusted advisor. flailing motions Such a good fill, I can’t wait to read more of this verse!
Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A3, T
Fuji is a good brother, and he's not going to let Yuuta run off somewhere that's a complete unknown. Unfortunately for Mizuki, possibly the only thing worse than drawing Fuji's anger is drawing Akashi's, because an emperor has a lot more firepower at his disposal than a lone ninja does (though Fuji would of course have come up with his own way to make sure Mizuki paid). The Akashi-Fuji mindgames are definitely fun to play with too, because neither of them have someone quite on their level to come up against in canon.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, B1, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse (physical/mental)
Other Tags: slavery, mind games
Square: negotiations
Word Count: 514
Emperor-slave AU
***
Fuji picks up his fair share of scrapes and bruises in Akashi's slave pen and on the trip back to Akashi's palace, but he's spared the worse of the abuse. He's not stupid; he sees the way the guards come crashing down on any sign of disrespect or insubordination, so he keeps his own head down and doesn't give them any cause to notice him. After all, they're of no interest to him; he has his eyes set much higher. Even when the captain of Akashi's personal guard yanks him back by the hair, sneers, and asks how someone as intelligent as he is rumored to be could have done something so stupid as to trade himself for a lowly knight of no special import or talent, he doesn't react. He holds his tongue, takes Aomine's stinging slap across his face, and adds the slight to Yuuta to the growing list of things he will hold Akashi accountable for. The guards and their fists don't scare him; he avoids drawing their attention as much as possible, and lets their words and blows roll off when he can't.
The emperor is another story entirely. Everyone knows about the hypnotic power of his eyes, and Fuji knows that the prospect of having an alleged spymaster in his clutches will be too tempting for Akashi to pass up. He spends every free moment he has shoring up his mind palace against the inevitable assault. It doesn't need to be a complicated palace. He's not trying to hold onto a complex cover story or false identity; he just needs to keep the information he's willing to let Akashi see separate from that he isn't, and he needs to do so smoothly enough that Akashi never has cause to suspect the deception and dig deeper. It's a delicate sort of negotiation, giving up enough that Akashi believes he has the upper hand, but not so much that Fuji blows his own cover. And of course it's all for naught if his mind palace crumbles against the power of the Emperor Eye.
The assault comes without warning, and sooner than Fuji had suspected. Akashi seeks him out one morning and hooks a hand under his chin. He barely has time to wall off his mind before he's looking right into the hypnotic flames of Akashi's eyes. His mental fortress does nothing against the hold Akashi's eyes have over his body, and he falls to his knees at Akashi's command, but his mind palace holds. When Akashi questions him, everything he's left out in the open spills forth like an open book, but everything he's locked away behind doors remains untouched.
When Akashi finally releases him, he's confident that he's given nothing away he didn't intend to, but only time will tell if it will be enough. He has his sights set on a position in Akashi's inner circle, but convincing Akashi to bring him there will be a long and complicated dance of subtle redirection and unspoken nudges. It's a non-traditional form of negotiation, but one where Fuji excels.
Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, B1, T
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, C3, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse, dubcon
Other Tags: mind games, needles/piercings, prostitution (mention)
Square: Marking
Word Count: 592
Emperor-slave AU
***
Fuji has been a slave in Akashi's palace for a month when Akashi summons him and orders him to sit before Haizaki, the court's piercer. It's the first Fuji is hearing of it, but clearly Akashi has thought it through since he recites a list of what he wants done.
There's an unwritten language encoded in the piercings of the court, and Fuji is learning to read them. The first two lobe piercings in each ear carry no special significance and are common among many in the palace. The number of rings climbing the outer cartilage of the ear is a rough indicator of rank and closeness to the emperor, though there are those who choose them purely for aesthetic reasons as well. Nose and lip rings are less common among the soldiers, but frequently worn by others. The same holds true for fine chains draped between piercings, but they catch too easily on things and so are worn almost exclusively by those slaves who do little or no manual labor.
Akashi takes great pride in his eyes, but also in the fact that they are a power unique to him. He doesn't take kindly to others drawing attention to their own eyes. An eyebrow ring is understood to be an unstated challenge to his authority, so almost no one in the court even dares consider one. The notable exception is Aomine, the head of Akashi's personal guard, who has the strength and conviction to back up his statement.
Piercings on the rest of the body are usually hidden by clothing and thus less common, except among the pleasure slaves who frequently have cause to show off their skin. The one universally understood rule though is that genital piercings are done only at Akashi's orders. It's a privilege he reserves for the few in his innermost circle, a gift that shows the favor he has for them, and the pain that they willingly endure for him.
Akashi orders Haizaku to marks two spots on each of Fuji's earlobes, then another midway up the shell of one ear, and one on the inner cartilage of the other. Another dot marks a ring for his nose, and two more mark where studs will sit just below his collarbones.
Once Akashi has approved the final placement of the marks, Haizaki picks up his needles. Fuji tries to hide the way his stomach drops out when the first needle punches through his ear. He focuses on his breathing and tries to ignore everything else, but not so much that he fails to react at all. When the nose piercing makes his eyes water, he uses that to his advantage as well.
After all, he's seen the sort of people Akashi chooses to surround himself with. The emperor has no patience for blind followers; his need to assert control is only satisfied when he can take it by force, or when it's freely given with a sacrifice. Haiaki's needles don't hurt that much, but Fuji acts as if they do. He's shaking slightly from adrenaline by the time Haizaki finishes, and the picture he presents is of one who is nearly at his limit, but determined to endure anyway.
As Haizaki packs away his tools, Akashi steps closer and rests a hand on Fuji's hand. "Beautiful," he says, "and this is only the beginning. Continue to serve me well, and I will see that you are rewarded."
"Thank you, Majesty," Fuji says. Internally, he smiles at just how easy it is to play right into Akashi's hands.
Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, C3, T
Fuji pretending it hurts more than it does is so much YES. Seriuosly flawless characterization. I just. Love it. So very uch. XD
his need to assert control is only satisfied when he can take it by force, or when it's freely given with a sacrifice
Also that line made me suck in a breath because wow. Talk about summarizing Akashi perfectly in one line.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A1, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse
Other Tags: castration, slavery
Square: Eunuch
Word Count: 554
Emperor-slave AU
***
As a relatively new slave in Akashi's court, Fuji is at the very bottom of the ladder when it comes to work assignments. As one who has earned at least some favor from the emperor, he's spared the worst of the manual labor, but he still finds himself assigned to scrubbing the baths more days than not.
In the grand scheme of things, he considers that it's really not such bad work. The baths are nearly empty midday, with the morning crowd already gone, the evening crowd not yet arrived, and the residential areas of the palace as a whole relatively quiet as everyone goes about their day. He doesn't mind the solitude; it gives him plenty of time to think and plan. Someday, he'll want to move into a more active area where he can overhear more gossip, but he's new enough now that even just the information he picks up on his own is enough to keep him occupied. And if he wants more, he just needs to find an excuse to be in the baths during one of the rushes. He's found that delivering an extra load of clean towels or scented oils is always a good excuse.
Today, the baths are completely empty. He ties back his sleeves and starts scrubbing the tile floor, letting his mind wander as he works his way from one corner of the large room to the other. He's made it all the way to the doorway of the room holding the smaller pool before he realizes he's not alone. There's another slave standing in the doorway; he must have been soaking when Fuji came in, and somehow passed under Fuji's radar. One glance at the slave's numerous piercings tell Fuji that he's a pleasure slave, and one heavily favored by the emperor.
"Careful, the floor is wet," Fuji says, his eyes downcast in front of someone who so clearly outranks him.
"Don't let him fool you," the slave says bitterly.
Fuji's eyes dart up in surprise at the acid in his tone; he doesn't have to ask who the slave means. He picks up on things in his second glance that he missed on the first. A couple of the studs forming a necklace along the slave's collarbone have rejected and not been replaced, leaving raised scars in their place. Kneeling on the floor as he is, it's hard not to notice the other slave's many genital piercings either, or the ones that are missing from the pattern, and from there, he sees what else is missing as well.
He averts his gaze again quickly.
"I was the emperor's favorite once," the slave says, and Fuji is finally able to match a name to the person in front of him. Kise Ryouta, one of the early members of Akashi's inner circle. "He promised me eternal beauty and favor, and I was stupid enough to believe him. Now look at where I am. He didn't even pause for a second before he discarded me in favor of Kuroko, so I'm warning you. Don't trust a word that comes from his mouth. It's all poison and lies, even if it tastes like honey."
"Thank you," Fuji says, keeping his eyes down. "I'll remember." It's nothing he doesn't already know, but he makes note of it nonetheless.
Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A1, T
It's all poison and lies, even if it tastes like honey.
That line absolutely guts me and I love Kise still trying to warn Fuji despite knowing Akashi might punish him for it. AND IT RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHERE IS KUROKO NOW.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, C2, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse, drugs, sexual assault (implied)
Other Tags: needles, altered states
Square: Obedience
Word Count: 573
Emperor-slave AU
***
Fuji has been a slave in Akashi's court for two months when the emperor summons him again. He hasn't seen Akashi for nearly a month, not since the emperor observed as his first set of piercings were done. He has no idea what to expect when he presents himself to Akashi this time.
"The rumors say that you were a spy once," Akashi says, "and you yourself confirmed those rumors when we first met. Have you ever infiltrated an enemy's stronghold?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you think you could do it again now?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Fuji says. He doesn't mention that that's exactly what he is doing currently in Akashi's court.
"Then I have a task for you. There's a new king rising to the north. We've had several skirmishes with him already, and he's coming here next month to discuss a treaty. I want him to understand before then that agreeing to my terms is in his best interests. You will infiltrate his castle to help him see this."
"Yes, Your Highness," Fuji agrees, keeping his voice carefully controlled despite the sudden excitement he feels. He knows the king Akashi speaks of. His name is Yukimura, and other rumors say that one of his advisors is someone of great interest to Fuji. When Fuji first offered himself to Akashi in exchange for his brother, he believed that his brother's old master, Mizuki, had been killed when his stronghold fell. Recent rumors say that Mizuki in fact escaped and fled north, where he offered his services to the rising king. Fuji suspects that Akashi has heard these rumors as well, but he isn't going to be the first to show his hand. Let Akashi think that he is agreeing out of loyalty, not out of any ulterior motive.
"Yukimura is rumored to be a master of poisons," Akashi says. "My herbalist will help you prepare." He gestures to a servant who opens a side door to the chamber to admit the herbalist. He pushes back Fuji's sleeve roughly and takes a set of needles out of his basket, dipping them into various bottles and jars before pricking them into the skin of Fuji's forearm.
Fuji knows the principle; he's used it before in fact, but never for so many toxins at once. He clutches his throbbing arm to his chest as he hurries back to his chamber. He barely makes it through the door before the chills and nausea hit.
He spend the night flashing between hot and cold, strange fever dreams clouding his mind. The worst of it passes come morning, just in time for Akashi to enter and offer him breakfast before summoning the herbalist back for another round.
Fuji loses nearly two weeks as his body battles against the herbalist's poisons. Time blurs too, with most of the day an indistinct haze outside of Akashi's daily appearances. Sometimes, he thinks he feels hands on his body or words whispered in his ear in the middle of the night, but he doesn't trust himself to distinguish a fever dream from reality. He only hopes that the barriers he's built in his mind before are strong enough that his poison-addled mind doesn't let anything slip.
On the final day, Akashi summons Fuji back to his own chambers. When the emperor gives him the details of his mission, Fuji knows that he's passed the test and proven his obedience.
Re: FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, C2, T
I like Fuji dealing with being repeatedly poisoned and also him thinking that it might be used for interrogating him. SO GOOD.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, A2, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: major character death, graphic depictions of violence
Other Tags: blackmail
Square: Diplomacy
Word Count: 659
Emperor-slave AU
***
For Fuji, being ordered to threaten Yukimura in his own castle is like a dream come true. He doesn't care overly much about the king, but if rumors are correct, then one of the king's advisors is none other than Mizuki Hajime, and Fuji has an old score to settle with him. The orders Akashi had given him contained no specifics other than to ensure that Yukimura would be sufficiently in favor of the proposed treaty that was to be signed the following month. It is a sort of diplomacy Fuji was familiar with; sometimes successful diplomacy takes a well-chosen assassination to get the gears turning smoothly.
He has no difficulty making it to Yukimura's castle. He arrives just as the harvest is taking place, and it's almost laughable easy to slip inside with a group of farmers bringing in their crops. From there, he makes his way to the kitchen storerooms, takes an apron someone was kind enough to leave lying on a table, and joins in the small army working to preserve everything for winter before it spoils. In the frantic bustle, no one notices a new face, especially not if the new face is competent in a kitchen.
He bides his time for a few days while he gathers information, but he doesn't linger for too long. As soon as he knows where the king's advisors sit, and hears that one advisor in particular has been keeping late hours recently, he moves.
There's no one in the hallways in the middle of the night except for the guards, and an excuse about a call for a late-night snack along with a plate of pastries and a pot of tea borrowed from the kitchen get him past them easily. Fuji doesn't think much of Yukimura's security that he is able to slip through so easily, but perhaps either the king or his advisor are sufficiently arrogant to believe that no one could possibly best them.
As the rumors suggested, Mizuki is sitting along at his desk when Fuji enters.
"I don't need a guard," Mizuki snaps without looking up. "Go take your pacing elsewhere. This report needs to be done by tomorrow. His Majesty is going to make a fool of himself if he doesn't listen follow my instructions."
"I'm not a guard," Fuji says sweetly. "I'm from the kitchen. I heard of how hard you've been working, and I thought you could use something to eat. None of us in the kitchen have seen you for dinner recently, and we worry."
Mizuki points to an empty stool near his desk. "Leave it there," he orders. "If only the rest of His Majesty's advisors understood my worth."
"Of course," Fuji says, setting down the tray and pouring a cup of tea. "I won't keep you, but know that we all see how much you've done for His Majesty."
He waits until Mizuki has taken a sip of his tea before he turns to leave.
He stops in the doorway, letting all traces of his persona fall away. "You've never met me, but I know of you, Mizuki Hajime," he says as Mizuki's chest begins to tighten. "You were once the master of my brother, Yuuta. I didn't have a chance to tell you then, so I'll tell you now, no one lays a hand on Yuuta without answering to me."
Mizuki falls from his chair as he claws at his throat, fighting to breathe despite his growing paralysis.
Fuji walks back to stand over him. "I don't know whether your heart or lungs will give out first," Fuji says, "but I'll tell you one last thing first. You are not nearly so good an advisor as you think you are. Your strategy is full of more flaws than substance."
Mizuki collapses, and Fuji grabs the back of his collar and drags him across the room to the door he knows connects directly to Yukimura's chambers.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, C1, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse (emotional), character death (offscreen)
Other Tags: mind games, poisoning
Square: mind games
Word Count: 472
Emperor-slave AU
***
Fuji's mission is simple: convince Yukimura that it's in his best interests to accept the terms of the treaty Akashi is about to propose. The fact that one of Yukimura's advisors happened to be Mizuki is only an added bonus. It was almost laughably easy to kill Mizuki, killing two birds with one stone by getting revenge for Mizuki toying with Yuuta and also having more ammunition to use to help sway Yukimura's mind.
Fuji leaves Mizuki's body in front of the door leading to Yukimura's chamber, then knocks twice and quickly hides himself behind Mizuki's desk.
As he planned, Yukimura is quick to open the door, but rather than panic at the sight of the body, Yukimura barely seems to notice it at all.
"Come out, Akashi's spy," he calls, too quiet for his guards to hear through the closed doors.
Fuji feels the first vague curl of fear as he stands.
"I wondered when you would make an appearance," Yukimura says. "I'm glad to know the reports I have on Akashi aren't entirely off the mark."
"Are you not upset about your advisor?" Fuji asks, trying to buy himself time.
"No," Yukimura replies. "His reports are of minimal utility to me; his greatest value was as bait for you. He's no great loss now that he's served his purpose. Come closer where I can see you."
Fuji doesn't want to obey, but his options are limited. He doesn't trust his ability to win in a fight should Yukimura call for guards, so his best option is to buy time for as long as possible and hope he sees and opening before then.
He follows Yukimura back into his chambers and waits while the king writes a note and seals it in an envelope.
"Here," Yukimura says. "I'll release you so long as you agree to deliver this to Akashi unopened."
Fuji agrees and takes the envelope, but as his hand brushes against Yukimura's, he feels a sting against his palm.
He looks down at the drop of blood welling up, then back at Yukimura who is resetting the mechanism on his ring.
"Don't worry," Yukimura says, "the poison won't kill you. Don't think any immunity Akashi may have tried to instill in you will help either though. This toxin is new; Akashi has never seen it before. I'll have one of my men bring you back to him."
Fuji wants to fight back, but his body is failing him, limbs not obeying as he stumbles. As he's bundled onto horseback, Yukimura's letter tucked into the front of his robes, he thinks it's almost crueler this way. If Yukimura had let him go alone, he could have stalled for a few days on his return to recover. Now Akashi will see proof of his failure, and he fears the emperor's retribution.