Samurai of Hyuga Book 3 (Patreon/Early Access info on Post 1297!)

Anyone hope to see Masami’s family?

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I hope to. I’d like to know about this sister that was so close.

Satsuma the Emperor! I’m still curious about him and Tosh’s relationship, since they seemed so affected by the news of his marriage. And yes more info about our dear red panda’s sister & family would be nice…

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Will there be any Ronin mind journeys or adventures into the Spirit Realm for book 4? I’m rather curious how things will turn out! Also I think Masami’s arc is concluded for Book 3.

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I dunno, Masami/Masashi is pretty tied in with the demon hunt, they were pulled in at the same time as the Ronin, and while they weren’t given a fancy title, what with that fact and also how their family is going to be connected to the Emperor’s pretty soon…

I imagine that the young charge still has quite a bit left to add to the story, even if they don’t appear in this upcoming book!

That said, more spirit journeys would be pretty cool. Maybe it’d be a cool way to show how the Ronin has changed since the battle with the snake demon.

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The kid is definitely not finished in the series. She’s basically the 2nd most important character aside from the ronin but I do have a gut feeling that we won’t be seeing any one of the demon hunting gang for the majority of book 4 since it seems to be centered around the ronin’s past and Jun/ko. We’re probably going to run into them again by the end or sometime during book 5 since Satsuma is about to marry and after that, we got a year to start killing demons for real.

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I hope so!! I mean our Ronin did say that they had a lifetime commitment to them now, so :smirk: And while I’ll miss Hatch, Nishi and the rest of the gang, I feel like I’ve literally been waiting ever since the first book ended for more scenes with Jun(ko) lol.

Angsty flashbacks? Momoko revelation? I am so ready lmao. Fingers crossed that Jun(ko) won’t die at the end of their arc tho…

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5 dollars says that we probably won’t have that final fight with Jun/ko until the last book then it’s up to us to spare or kill Jun/ko.

(I was joking about betting. Don’t take me up on that since I’m broke. Lol)

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I will raise you five dollars anyway since I love to gamble. LOL

And @ohmyvalar is right! The Ronin did say that their bodyguarding stint with Masa was a lifetime commitment. (I mean, mine did, since I run a Protective Ronin-- I’m not sure what a Drifter Ronin says. Anyone care to share?)

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Aw dammit, I’ll have to scrape together some coins and roll with it lol my brutal ronin also said the same thing about the lifelong commitment as the kid’s bodyguard. Also said that he’d go to hell and take Hyuga with him if the kid died.

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Considering the author said this book was building for confrontation with Junko, you may want to reconsider…

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I’ll never give up my hope for the final fight in the last book! Lol unless Devon really is going for it then I’ll be pretty upset. The Jun/ko storyline is far more interesting than the demons themselves.

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I’m thinking Mamoko is the only familiar face next book. I can’t imagine how any other character would contribute to the Junko storyline.

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It makes sense Devon stated book 3 would build for a confrontation with Junko in next book. This books end pretty much made it clear we are tracking her down to end this. Story wise as well Junko is not really the center of the plot so it wouldn’t make sense to just build them hold off for a couple books…that’s kinda like shooting a firework a waiting years for the explosion. Plus five dollars is five dollars…you need five dollars.:rofl:

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Now you see why I’m very adamant about holding on to my hope! Lol

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Book 4 might turn out completely different from what we expect it to be :sweat_smile:. Also I think, Masami/Masashi is going to stick around until the end. Can’t say the same about jun/ko though, she might even end up dead before that. Nonetheless I have a feeling, jun/ko isn’t the main plot but also like @MichaelCrank said, I think it’ll be upto us to spare her/him or otherwise. Damn,can’t wait any longer. Excitement- 100

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I wonder if we actually could kill Jun/ko off at the end of Book 4? I can only imagine the branching that would lead subsequent titles to have. What kind of consequences having their death on our Ronin’s shoulders would be? All the questions.

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I hope IF we get the option to kill Jun/ko it’s in the last book. Killing him/her so soon would feel… idk weird. Also, I doubt Devon will FORCE us to kill him/her so if we choose not to kill on Book 4 imagine all the branching in the next books. Nah. I highly doubt it. And if we are FORCED to kill Jun/ko… :confused: I will be terribly dissappointed.

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Yup! That would definitely narrow down the storyline now that you mention it.

I uh don’t know if this is the right place to post this (and if the author even approves of fanfic? I saw some on ao3 though…) but I randomly got inspired to write a drabble fic for everyone’s favorite Ronin/Jun instead of, you know, working on my WIP. Also, if there’s a way to do the ${} thing on forum pls let me know lol bc while the fic is written with Jun, it was only bc I didn’t want to use the distracting Jun(ko) format oops.

Edit: shoutout to @shiaya for the insp to write a game fic but I missed the deadline ;-;

Warnings(?): angst, Jun/Ronin (or the other way if that suits your fancy), heavy-handed weather symbolism, dysfunctional relationships (well it IS Canon-compliant so uh), ideal background music - that rain app I downloaded for this fic bc the rain stopped halfway while I was writing lol

時雨

|時雨| shower in late autumn

Hyuga is wavering on the cusp between seasons.

The nostalgic, temperamental rain of late autumn falls from the heavens in thunderous gushes; a vengeful lover wrecking havoc upon the earth in one last insistent demand for attention.

You drop the daily necessities from your supply errand down onto the wooden engawa, where it lands with a thud muffled by the pouring rain.

Sensei’s lodgings are modest by Hyugan standards, but the distance between the porch and your quarters is still too great for anyone except him to have heard the sound.

And yet when you slide the _shoji_doors open, Jun is there.

“Sensei’s still out?” You toss the question out into the indoor air, stale but warmer than the chill of rain outside.

Jun barely acknowledges you with a grunt of assent. His eyes, glowing amber in the dark light, are staring transfixed somewhere below your face.

_Oh. _ Your robes, dampened by the heavy rainfall, cling to your frame in revealing curves and lines. The realization ripples across your face, and you watch as Jun’s expression twists in raw _hunger. _

That familiar gaze is basically undressing you now - not that there would be any new secrets between his eyes and your body to uncover - but you force the answering surge of desire rising within you down.

It would only be too easy to distract yourself from the worries weighing you down by using Jun as an outlet. But then you would still have to deal with them in the morning, with an additional slice of debilitating guilt.

You change the subject hastily. “What’re you doing out here, anyways? Didn’t you stay in to train?”

The dojo is situated far enough within the house for even Jun to be unable to hurry here in time if he sensed your presence on the doorstep. And you’ve never known your fellow disciple to skip out on his afternoon practice sessions.

But Jun only replies, shortly, “I was waiting for you.”

Something in his glaring eyes, or maybe in the accusatory tone with which he says the word you, throws you off balance.

Not for the first time, you wonder how much Jun knows - or at least guesses - about your conflict with Sensei.

Your momentary hesitation gives enough of an opening for Jun to lunge - literally.

The attack, in the midst of your distraction, catches you off guard. You grapple and tussle, in sport and then in earnest; but your opponent has already gotten the upper hand - and he harbours no intentions of letting it go to waste.

Your brief but vigorous match ends with you pinned underneath him. Strong, calloused hands grip your wrists at either side of your head. His body, sitting astride your waist, is a warm, grounding weight.

Jun leans down, inch by painful inch, as you make your best efforts to buck him off. Both your chests are heaving with exertion, but this close you notice a tremor in him that has nothing to do with the heat of the rush.

“Don’t leave me. You’re not going to _leave me. _” The words are chanted below his breath, as if in a fevered prayer. His amber eyes are unfocused; his pupils dilated and gleaming with manic light.

And suddenly the vice-like hold around your wrists and the restraint of his weight feel as much like his vulnerable fear of losing you as they are his trappings against your will.

Two familiar urges, antithetical yet twins to each other, surge once more within you.

Leave him. He hurts you - physically, no more than anything else, but mentally? Like no other in this world. And do you think he will forgive you for what you’re going to do to Sensei?

Stay. You think he hurts you, but it’s no more than what you deserve. Do you think anything else this world has to offer will be any better? Have you forgotten what life was like without him?

The two thoughts each chase the other in your mind in endless figure eights, their fire and your frustration burning and building until you’re convinced you’re going to explode -

You’re so tired, and it’s not nearly winter yet. The seasonal rain streaming down outside is proof of that. Is it so wrong, just this once, to want to live on in autumn?

You know what to do to end this in a way that everyone will be pleased with.

In one swift, brutal movement, you drag Jun’s mouth down into a rough kiss.

Breathless moans and feral growls drift out of the quarters at intervals, until finally an impatient hand dives between the responsible space and slams the sliding door shut.

Outside, the backdrop of autumnal rain is fading. Soon it too, along with its season, will die.

And beyond, the cold, lonely emptiness of winter.

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