Title:Those Left Behind Author:cccpirate Fandom:Bleach Character/Pairing: Gotei 13 Rating: PG Warnings: Spoilers for the Soul Society Arc Word Count: ~1100 Summary: The fall-out after the break-out
I've read some great fallout fics in this fandom but this one is so heartbreakingly beautiful. I think it was particularly wonderful because it focused less on the war side of the fallout and more on the emotional side which was so important for me to be able to really connect with the characters. The author takes the time to focus on every division in Soul Society and they do it wonderfully. Divisions three, five and nine were especially brilliant in their simplicity, and I think it was great that Division Eleven still managed to come across rough and insane =)
Preview: Byakuya, on the nights his sister sleeps at home rather than at the division, sits outside of her room when she is asleep. He is gratified to know that now she actually does sleep, rather than rest fitfully, never quite dropping off. When it rains, he has an extra blanket sent to her quarters and a cup of warm milk, and does not mention it in the morning.
Title:An Unsolved Enigma Author:buraisu Fandom:Professor Layton Character/Pairing: Layton, Luke, mentions of Flora [gen] Rating: PG—13 Warnings: Some sexual innuendo Word Count: ~1400 Summary: Layton clears the subject of women up for a perplexed Luke
This is such a brilliant fic and the characterisation is amazing, I could totally imagine this conversation taking place, as outrageously funny as it is. Poor Layton has to deal with some questions from Luke regarding the fairer sex and, while he manages to handle the situation pretty well, he probably felt like he was going to faint at some point. XD
If you liked this piece, there’s a sequel which is also awesome (although if you don’t know who legal!Luke is, you probably shouldn’t read it, hilarious as it is).
Preview: Luke knew that he was clever. Clever, not in that he was a good student – before he'd started following the Professor around, he had a reputation as being rambunctious and loudmouthed – but in that he was good at working things out. He excelled in maths and science and word problems.
So really, it came as a surprise when he wasn't able to apply the same processes to everyday life. There was one problem in particular that flummoxed him every time.
Title:Uncommon Author:rilina_fic Fandom:Ouran High School Host Club Character/Pairing: Host club, Ranka, Haruhi-centric [gen] Rating: PG Warnings: Through episode 10 of the anime, or volume 4 of the manga Word Count: ~2100 Summary: 'Commoner coffee' makes a comeback at the host club
This fic sums up the slight love-hate relationship Haruhi has with the Host Club beautifully. It starts off with Haruhi's exasperation for the latest roleplay she's forced to perform, but the tone really softens by the end because you see both the others sincerely try hard to please her and Haruhi's genuine appreciation for it. The characters are all perfect, despite the other members being largely in the background, and Haruhi's realisation that she doesn't have to do everything by herself and, in fact, sometimes it's nice to sit back and let others handle things, is quite heartwarming.
Preview: "You rushed me here because you wanted me to make instant coffee?" she asks as they sit her down at the table.
Kaoru shakes his head; Hikaru says, "Just the opposite." And Tamaki is saying something as well, at his usual great length, but Haruhi mostly ignores him. Instead she watches the other host club members move through an elaborately staged production. Hikaru measures instant coffee into a clean cup, then passes the cup over to Kaoru, who adds a packet of fake creamer. Honey takes the cup from Kaoru and drops in five sugar cubes; Mori carries it from Honey to Tamaki, removing three of the sugar cubes along the way. Tamaki adds hot water with his usual flair, and, last but not least, Kyouya stirs the contents with a silver spoon--clink, clink, clink--before setting the cup before Haruhi.
She eyes it with some suspicion. Past experiences with the host club have taught her that too many cooks in the kitchen is never a good thing.
Title:Midnight in the Garden Author:ypaladinofchaos Fandom:Code Geass Character/Pairing: Lelouch, C.C., can be taken as Lelouch/C.C. Rating: PG—13 Warnings: Set just prior to the end of R2, thus, massive spoilers for the end Word Count: ~1400 Summary: Lelouch readies himself for the beginning of the end.
I don’t think I can say much about this fic without giving away the plot (although I guess those of you who read it will already know what happens anyway). This author captures both characters beautifully, you could really picture a scene like this in the canon which is a testament to how well it’s written. The mood really changes from the beginning to the end, but the fic is pretty heart wrenching as a whole, especially the ending which just pulls at you.
Preview: C.C. gazed back at him unblinkingly, unwaveringly, silently.
“This was the only way for it to end,” he whispered hoarsely, shutting his eyes tightly.
For a long time, there was only the sound of his heart beating frantically against his chest, his slow, panting breaths.
Lelouch wondered at this, wondered why he’d never realized how amazing it was to be able to feel his own heartbeat, hear his own sighs. Or maybe this was just the panic and anxiety setting in.
Title:Things We Once Had to Hold Author: darkenedsakura Fandom: Darker than BLACK Character/Pairing: Hei/Yin, hints of Hei/Amber Rating: PG Warnings: No spoilers. References to episodes 13—14 and 25 Word Count: ~1800 Summary: Nothing you do needs to be for anyone other than you, he says. Maybe one day he’ll take his own advice. Post-series.
To celebrate the announcement that Darker than BLACK is getting a second season, I’m going to rec one of my favourite fics based on the first season. Hei/Yin is probably my OTP in this fandom because Yin, who is usually so blank and expressionless, gets slightly emotional when Hei is involved (does that sound like another one of my OTPs? ^^). I love this fic because you see Yin trying so hard to be more human and Hei trying so hard to help her and to understand her and you realise that it’s probably the reason why she’s so attached to him. I love the author’s style and there are some lines in here that are gorgeous.
Preview: Then she leaned back, moving away but still facing him. This time, she moved her hands across her own face, the muscles around her mouth twitching in the unsure way that they had done that one night. He watched as she seemed to adjust them with an artist’s touch, smoothing over one line and outlining another, replacing the uncertainty with strokes of something more resolute.
And then her hands slipped back down, with not a flourish but a reveal. Upturned lips raised in something soft and ethereal, with traces of his own ghosts and something lightly shining like moonlight.
All the work that goes into one smile, he thought, but still didn’t look away.
