Some very kind mystery author wrote me a Haru fic for Yuletide this year, so I thought I'd rec it here so that more people can enjoy it!

The Fine Art of Improvisation (1163 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita | Embracing Love
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Iwaki Kyousuke/Katou Youji
Characters: Iwaki Kyousuke, Katou Youji
Summary: Sometimes performing requires a healthy doses of improvisation, every actor knows about it.

This was a really cute and funny story with Iwaki and Katou being...well, Iwaki and Katou. Katou wants Iwaki to rehearse a rather, ahem, unusual scene with him, and Iwaki is sternly trying to refuse, but well...when Katou pleads, how can Iwaki resist? I laughed out loud when it was finally revealed what the scene was about, so I won't spoil it for you! I will just say that the story was so much fun to read with their typical arguing and banter and love for each other.

I did another comparison between the BeBeautiful and SuBLime versions, this time for the recently released 2nd omnibus, which covers volumes 3 and 4. I've cross-posted this to my personal journal for readers who aren't members of this comm. Feel free to comment either here or there.

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I wrote a Thanksgiving Day fic for Iwaki and Katou! (And yes, I know it's not a Japanese holiday, but trust me, it makes sense in the story. ^_^)

Title: Thanksgiving
Author: geri_chan
Rating: PG
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Iwaki/Katou, Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Iwaki, Katou, Kikuchi, Onozuka, Miyasaka, Yoshizumi
Word count: ~1,380
Summary: Katou decides to surprise Iwaki with a Thanksgiving dinner, and Iwaki wonders why Katou is celebrating an American holiday...

I've written up a more detailed comparison between the BeBeautiful and SuBLime versions of Embracing Love and posted it here on my journal, due to length and because I have a few visitors to my blog who are fans of Haru but don't belong to the LJ or IJ communities. Feel free to comment either there or here if you like.

I just picked up my copy of SuBLime's omnibus edition of Embracing Love! I just started reading it, and the quality looks really great--as others have mentioned, no censoring, and it looks like they've kept all the honorifics, and it lacks the weird random bolding of the BeBeautiful release. I haven't had time to do a complete point-by-point comparison yet, but the translation seems more detailed, and there a few small but significant differences: for example, in vol. 2, in the chapter about Katou's conflict with Kikuchi, in the scene where they resolve things with the producers, it says that Katou refused to work with Kikuchi, which makes it seem like Kikuchi left the movie. (In fact, my fanfiction series is based around this very idea.) However, in the new edition, it merely says, "He just wanted Kikuchi-san to stop causing trouble for us. Kikuchi-san agreed...and everything was wrapped up peacefully"--which makes it sound like Kikuchi remained in the cast on the condition that he behave himself. As I know from doing fan translations in the past myself, small differences in the translation can make a big difference in the story! (I may write up a more detailed comparison in the future.)

The more major change is that the omnibus is missing the non-Haru short story "Fence" (about two high school high-jumpers) that appears at the end of BB's vol. 1, and the "Afterthoughts" section that appears at the end of the original tankoban releases (and the BB versions). I sent a polite e-mail to SuBLime asking about the change, and editor Jennifer LeBlanc was kind enough to get back to me right away with this response: "Our version is the digital rerelease of the series that happened recently in Japan. What is in our books is what Sensei put in the new release. :-)" I just thought I'd share the information here in case anybody else was wondering about it. I'm a little disappointed about losing the "Afterthoughts" (though obviously that's not SuBLime's fault,) but overall I am still really happy about the new release, and look forward to reading it from cover to cover! ^_^

(Cross-posted to the LJ comm as well.)

Saw this on the Youka Nitta LJ comm, and it has been confirmed by this ANN newspost: Viz's SuBLime imprint has licensed both Embracing Love and Spiritual Police! Embracing Love will be released as 2-in-1 omnibus volumes (digital and print) starting April 2013, and Spiritual Police vol. 1 (print only) will be released October 2013. I'm so happy about this, since I had despaired of ever seeing it officially released in English again! (My only complaint is that April 2013 seems so far away, but I know it takes time to prepare the book for printing, and I have my BB books and the tankoban to tide me over in the meantime.)

I don't currently own any SuBLime releases, I'm sorry to say, although I've ordered Starting With a Kiss (Kisu Ariki), which should arrive in the mail soon, and I've been wanting to check out some of their digital-only releases. So far I've heard mostly positive things about them, and in general, Viz does a good job with their releases, so I'm optimistic.

I have some mixed feelings about Spiritual Police: I like the characters, like the premise, but don't like the non-con. OTOH, at least it's clearly presented as non-con and not as something romantic. Regardless, I'll definitely be buying this title as well.

This is rather belated, but I finally finished my birthday gift for Katou!

Title: Birthday Surprise (Redux)
Rating: PG
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Iwaki/Katou, Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Iwaki, Katou, Kikuchi, Onozuka, Miyasaka, Yoshizumi
Word count: 3,785
Sequel to: Birthday Surprise
Summary: Iwaki is filming on location during Katou's birthday, so his friends take him out to dinner to cheer him up. And they just might have a special birthday surprise planned for him...

Note: This was written as a somewhat belated birthday gift for Katou. The story is set shortly after the most recent Haru manga chapter, "Love Tanker." See afterword for more details and ramblings about the historical characters in the fic (contains a few spoilers for "Love Tanker").

Follow the link to my journal...

You guys may have already seen this on LJ, but Nitta-sensei will be doing a new Haru story! It will appear in the June issue of Be Boy Gold, and judging by the promo ad, it will be set during the Fuyu no Semi filming. She said that she was inspired "after getting the chance to draw something new for the drama CD," which I believe covers the Puppet Mate and Hermit Crab chapters in Book 10. Maybe we will get a chance to see Yoshizumi again! And if we're really lucky, maybe Onozuka and Miyasaka, too? (I'm not counting on it, but I figure there's no harm in hoping.) It's not clear to me whether she's actually resuming the series, or if this is just a one-shot deal, but she says in her message that Haru "will also begin digital distribution on mobile phones in Japan in early summer," which sounds promising. I would love it if the series continued, but I will be happy with any new Haru stories that I can get!

In other good news, Viz's BL imprint Sublime has licensed Kiss Ariki, which will be released in both print and digital formats. So now we won't need to rely on the individual Kindle chapters from Amazon--I'm really happy about this! I still have mixed feelings about this title and its consent issues, but I do find the story interesting enough that I want to keep reading it, and I'm glad that I'll be able to get a print copy.

A slightly belated Christmas fic for Iwaki and Katou!

Title: An Iwaki Family Christmas
Rating: PG
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Katou/Iwaki, Masahiko/Fuyumi
Characters: Iwaki, Katou, Masahiko, Fuyumi, Hisako, Iwaki's father
Word count: ~2,680
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Kentucky Fried Christmas
Summary: Iwaki and Katou spend Christmas with Iwaki's family.

Follow the link to my journal...

Title: A Night at the Nebula, Parts 1-2
Rating: PG
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love), Love Control
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Okumura/Yamashiro
Characters: Kikuchi and Onozuka from Haru; Okumura, Yamashiro Kei, and Sasatani from Love Control
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~7,310 for Part 1, ~3,500 for Part 2
Sequel to: Remembrance of Times Past (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka choose a new apartment, then receive an invitation to Okumura's bar.

Follow the links to my journal: Part 1, Part 2

Title: Popularity
Author: TrinityBennett
Rating: Explicit
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita
Pairing: Iwaki/Katou
Word count: 1,948
Summary: Kato is away at a wrap party and Iwaki is left to his own devices.

I was browsing over on Archive of Our Own, and was delighted to find a new Haru fic that I hadn't read before! Katou is at a wrap party, while Iwaki is at home alone brooding. (Author uses the spelling "Kato," which is the same spelling that Nitta-sensei's official Libre website uses, but I'm just going to stick with "Katou" in my review since that's how I'm used to writing it.)

Title: Remembrance of Times Past
Rating: R overall
Fandom: Boku no Koe, Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Tanahashi/Kokubu, Kikuchi/Onozuka
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~4,870 for Part 1; ~6,770 for Part 2; ~9,520 for Part 3
Sequel to: Moving Day (See my Fanfic Masterlist for the complete series listing.)
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka take on guest-starring roles in a BL anime that Kokubu is working on. An unexpected past connection between Kikuchi and Tanahashi is revealed, which causes problems for both couples.

Author's Note: This was inspired by Snapelike's Yuletide gift fic to me, Sleepless Hearts. So this could be considered an unofficial sequel of sorts, which I'm gifting back to her!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

I made some recs/announcements on my personal journal, but realized that those of you not on my F-list might not have seen these. I participated in the Yuletide fic fest this year, and there were three fics written about Youka Nitta fandoms: Boku no Koe, Fuyu no Semi, and a Haru/When a Man Loves a Man crossover.

You may have seen this already, but I made a post on my journal about Kimura Takuya, the Japanese singer/actor whom it's rumored that Nitta-sensei modeled Katou after. Head on over to take a look and judge for yourself.

Title: Much Ado About...Something?
Rating: PG
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Iwaki/Katou, Kikuchi/Onozuka, hints of Yoshizumi/Asano
Characters: Iwaki, Katou, Kikuchi, Onozuka, Yoshizumi, Asano
Word count: ~3,280
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Strange Bedfellows and Realism (Hamlet Done Haru-style)
Summary: Iwaki is honored to be cast in Ninagawa's latest Shakespeare production...until he learns which role the director wants him to play.

Author's note: If you're not familiar with Much Ado About Nothing, you can find a summary of the play here and the entire play itself here. There's also an excellent movie version starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson.

Follow the link to my journal...

Fellow Nitta-fans!

I've nominated Haru and When a Man Loves a Man over at LJ's Yuletide, so if you plan to nominate, they are there. Boku should be there as well. (And do me a favour not to change the "o" to "wo" - "wo" is not the correct "spelling" of を in Hepburn.)

Also, should anyone get the idea that Ezra Pound fics would be grand, I sorta accidentally nominated RPF - Modernist Writers

Title: Moving Day
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Miyasaka
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~7,560
Sequel to: A Peek Inside Onozuka's (and Kikuchi's) Bag! (See my Fanfic Masterlist for the complete series listing.)
Summary: Kikuchi is happy when Onozuka finally moves in with him, but his mood quickly changes when he finds a certain video among Onozuka's possessions.

Follow the link to my journal...

Title: A Peek Inside Onozuka's (and Kikuchi's) Bag!
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Iwaki, Katou
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~6,230
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Interlude, and Unmasked (Parts 1-25). The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka grant an interview to a reporter, who tries to get a glimpse of their personal lives through the contents of their bags.

I thought it would be fun to redo the "A Peek Inside Iwaki's/Katou's Bag!" feature in Book 3 of Haru, only with Kikuchi and Onozuka instead--follow the link to my journal! ^_^

Finally finished the last two chapters!

Title: Unmasked, Parts 24 & 25
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou, Yoshizumi/Kenzaki
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Iwaki, Katou, Yoshizumi, Kenzaki, Miyasaka
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~6,950 for Part 24, ~7,535 for Part 25
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Iwaki and Katou throw a dinner party to celebrate Katou's release from the hospital.

Follow the links to my journal: Part 24, Part 25

I'm busy working on the final chapters of Unmasked, but just wanted to post a few quick updates of Youka Nitta news. First off, it isn't showing up on the official Youka Nitta site yet, but Chapter 2 of Boku no Koe is up at the Amazon's Kindle store.

There were also some interesting questions recently posted in the discussion forum:
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Title: Unmasked, Parts 22 & 23
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Iwaki, Katou
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~8,470 for Part 22, for Part 23
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka discover that their relationship has been revealed to the media.

Part 22, Part 23, and I also made a separate post with some cultural notes and meta rambling that was too long to fit in the Part 23 entry.

Title: Unmasked, Part 21
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou, Yoshizumi/Kenzaki
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Yoshizumi, Kenzaki, Iwaki, Katou
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~6,170
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka have passionate make-up sex, and Yoshizumi and Kenzaki start their relationship anew. Meanwhile, Iwaki spends a sleepless night at Katou's bedside.


Follow the link to my journal...

Title: Unmasked, Parts 19 & 20
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou, Yoshizumi/Kenzaki
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Iwaki, Katou, Yoshizumi, Mochimune, Kenzaki, Urushizaki
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~7,790 for Part 19; ~9,110 for Part 20
Warnings: Very AU departure from canon in this chapter.
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: The Academy Awards take place.

Part 19, Part 20

Title: Unmasked, Part 18
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Asano, Yoshizumi
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~5,720Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi springs a surprise on his manager, and filming on the movie wraps up.

Follow the link to my journal...

Someone on the Youka Nitta LJ comm posted a link to a new official English language website for Nitta-sensei! Right now, there's a brief message from Sensei, a discussion forum, a lovely Iwaki/Katou wallpaper to download for your computer, and links to merchandise. The E-books section will link you to Amazon.com's Kindle store, where you can buy "LOL Theater" (the recent one-off story from the B-Boy Honey magazine) and Boku no Koe (the first chapter only, not an entire volume) in English. Book 14 of Haru is also available, but only in Japanese. I already own the print copy of Haru, but since the downloads are reasonably priced ($2.50 for LOL and Boku, and $6.95 for Haru) and I want to support Nitta-sensei, I went ahead and downloaded all three titles.

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Title: Unmasked, Part 17
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Iwaki/Katou
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Miyasaka, Iwaki, Katou
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~8,700
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Miyasaka makes a startling proposition to Onozuka, and Kikuchi seeks help from an unlikely source.

Follow the link to my journal...

Title: Flattered and Insulted
Sequel to: Just Dessert
Author: bronze_ribbons
Fandoms: Haru wo Daiteita/WMLM. Future/AU fic set inspired by geri_chan's Comeback series.
Pairing: Yoshizumi/Kenzaki
Rating: PG
Summary: A script from Mochimune leads to a discussion between Yoshizumi and Kenzaki about their jobs.
Warning: Really just a chunk of meta dressed up in a fluffy jacket. Another one of those "Oh, I'll just take ten minutes to scrawl out a drabble for her" moments that promptly exploded on me, so to speak. I never learn.
Wordcount: ~ 3500
Notes: This is for geri_chan, who set the demon-bunny loose in her comments to "Just Desserts," and also in tribute to the epic awesomeness that is the Comeback series. I've tried to stay compliant with the backstories for the Comeback versions of the characters, and some of the language here deliberately echoes Geri's; key episodes include Family Visit: Okinawa (see part 4 for Mochimune's film school background), Yoshizumi's Night Out, Interlude, and "Unmasked" (particularly Part 7 and Parts 13-17).
Caveat: I can't stress enough that this is just me thinking aloud about a possible direction for these characters. I don't know what Geri's plans are -- for all I know, Yoshizumi might decide he'd prefer a no-strings threeway with Kikuchi and Onozuka, driving Kenzaki to pull up stakes entirely and move to Rotterdam, where he finally finds his true love in the form of a gin-swigging bike mechanic whom he first encounters noshing on raw herring in an overly suggestive manner.

…Or maybe some of my guesses will turn out to be true -- either way, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! ^_^


Flattered and Insulted
(  Honestly? I'm flattered AND insulted by this )

Title: Just Dessert
Author: bronze_ribbons
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita
Pairings: Mochimune/Miyasaka, Yoshizumi/Kenzaki
Rating: PG, mainly for some swearing
Wordcount: ~1025
Inspirations: This is a present for snapelike, in celebration of a journalversary. Written completely on the fly today, in a "OMG get this bunny out of my head so I can get on with my life" flail, so there may be some tweaks later. It was prompted in large part by my current obsession with geri_chan's Yoshizumi/Kenzaki arc in her Comeback universe, so this is arguably an AU futurefic for that series as well.
About the dessert: I happened to be looking at this page in a dim sum cookbook last night, about a dessert that looks like Kodak rolls and is nicknamed as such in Hong Kong. I couldn't find any online references to the nickname, so the link will take you to a scan of the page from the cookbook. You can also see a photograph of the dessert at the Wiki entry for black sesame rolls.

Just Dessert

( Mochimune had not ordered dessert, so he was startled when the waiter set a small plate in front of him. )

Title: Unmasked, Part 16
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Kenzaki/Yoshizumi
Characters: Onozuka, Miyasaka, Iwaki, Yoshizumi, Kenzaki
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~8,470
Warnings: Mild spoilsers for the When a Man Loves a Man series
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Miyasaka gets some advice from Iwaki, and Yoshizumi has a disastrous non-date with Kenzaki.

Follow the link to my journal...