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gayerthanevertbh · 11 months

Text

beautiful girl.

pairings: older!natasha romanoff x fem!reader

n.r masterlist | navigation | n.r one-shots masterlist

summary: in kyoto japan, you were spending the weekend with your mother’s best friend, natasha romanoff. you have an undying love for her, knowing that she’ll never feel the same way, until a night takes you both away from reality.

warnings: heavily detailed smut, g!p natasha, choking (slight), dirty talking, pet names (little girl, little baby, baby, sweetheart, darling, baby girl), face painting (um), fluff, angst - 18+ minors dni.

word count: 5.1k

author’s note: I’M BACKKKKKKKKK

Natasha understood that falling in love with you was a risk. She was aware of all the boundaries, rules, consequences, and blissfulness once she agreed to do this. She was never supposed to get to this point. You were a young adult, blooming every day to the point where she couldn't stop thinking about you at night. She was in shambles without you, but a whole in your presence. You’re like a flower, a delicate flower in her eyes. Once you wilt, she could never heal you back. And that’s what she did.

You ended up leaving her on the 5th of May, 1999.

What has gone wrong?

“Your mother agreed to stay with me this weekend?" Natasha carried your belongings into her house while you sighed deeply as you remembered what your mother had said. We will be away for a while, she says to you with a disoriented tone. But don’t worry, we’ll be back before you know it.

"You're her best friend," you retorted with a smile. She returns your smile and brings your bag up to the guest room, prompting you to follow her. "Plus, my friends are all gone this weekend, so you're my only option, Tash."

"Well, I'm glad you chose me," she chuckles as she places the duffel bag neatly in the corner of the room. "How about renting some videotapes and watching a movie this weekend?"

“I’m not really in the mood to watch a movie, to be honest.”

She hums, placing both hands on her hips as she thinks. You thought about something too, but nothing came up in your mind. In all honesty, you just want to spend time reading a book with her, since that’s where you two bonded over at. Whenever you’re at home or somewhere else, she will send you an e-mail about her favorite book and ask you to read it. And once you do, she’s enticed with your story. It’s like she couldn’t get enough of your words, almost as if she’s a drug addict. It’s amusing, really. It amuses you deeply.

But there's something else about her that you don't understand, something so cynical that it feels wrong to say it aloud. You have a strong attraction to her, and it took you a while to admit it. She's stunning, seductive, and possesses a witty personality that makes you laugh whenever she's around. But, for the most part, she's gentle, kind, and overly touchy - but not in an uncomfortable way.

You even like the way she whispers to you and touches your waist as if she knows something you don't. You liked everything she did, which scares you because you've never felt this way about anyone other than this goddess woman, whom you call your godmother. You're obsessed with the way she looks at you from time to time, and you yearn for her to make a move on you and fuck you the way you deserve to be fucked.

You were sick in the head.

"How about we order some pizza later?" She perks up at you, and you can't help but smile back. Finally, you hear her whisper: “I’m so glad you’re here, sweetheart. Tasha is sometimes lonely, you know?”

You don’t know whether she was flirting with you or not, yet you were still fucked in the head.

“Y-Yeah,” you manage to reply and hug her back, your hands rubbing her back. She sighs into your body, and you could feel yourself getting lost in her fragrance smell. “I’m glad to keep you company, Tash.”

She eventually left you alone, and you began to take your clothes from the bag, neatly folding them into a small closet. When you think of her, all you can see is her touching you and whimpering above you, asking if she can take you away from this cruel world. You considered touching her as much as you considered her touching you, and it immediately turned you on. Get out of my head, you thought painfully. Everything was becoming too much; the more you spend time with her, the worse it gets from time to time.

While Natasha prepares dinner for the two of you, heavy rain falls from the sky. You looked around, and everyone seemed to be at home at this hour when in Japan, everyone should be out drinking. You don't necessarily live in this country; it's just that your parents would return here every summer and spend the rest of the month in Kyoto. They were in Tokyo at the time, leaving you alone in this rural area, which you didn't mind.

You hear Natasha from afar asking, “Is your mom that busy? I mean, it’s vacation, you know? She should be spending time with you.”

You felt quipped as you turned over your shoulder and replied mischievously, “You don’t like me being around with you now, Tasha?”

She chuckles in response, pouring both bowls with ramen.

“No, of course, I love you being here. It’s just that as a mother, they should be spending time with their children and not their work.”

“They have a business,” you reasoned, which you don’t technically understand why – but sometimes you feel overprotective when it comes to your parents. “And I made the decision to stay here, they didn’t. So that’s on them.”

"Jasmine is currently with her mother," her voice begins to deflate, and you feel bad for her that she didn't get to spend the summer with her daughter. Jasmine is a few years younger than you, but you get along well. She placed two bowls on opposite sides of the table and sat down with a glass of red wine in her hand. “Come, sit. The food is about to go cold."

You ate in silence with her. There wasn’t much to talk about other than parents, books, the rural nature of this town, and Natasha’s love life. While you were eating your ramen, she began telling a story about her ex-wife, who had an affair behind her back. You looked at her with teary eyes, but she held your hand and said: “It’s over now, she’s out of my life. We’re just talking because of Jasmine. Other than that, no communication whatsoever.”

“I feel bad for you,” you whispered, blowing the soup from the spoon so you won’t get hurt by your tongue “You had a happy marriage with Maria, how come she had to do that to you?”

She sighed, not knowing the answer to my question.

“I don’t know, darling. Maybe I’m not enough.”

“Don’t say that,” you responded, reaching for her hand once more and squeezing it gently Natasha’s eyes start to look at your eyes as well, but you couldn’t help yourself but to look away since it has gotten too much for you. Even a glimpse of her stare scares you so much that it almost hurts your guts. “You’ll fall in love again one day, and maybe it’s not with her.”

Natasha licked her lips and formed a small smile on her face, bringing the glass of wine near her mouth. “I suppose so,” she whispers in a deep voice, her eyes not leaving hers. “How about you? Got anyone up in your sleeve?”

You shake her head, and her smile widens even more. You don’t know whether this was a sign of relief for her or she’s just amused that you haven’t dated anyone in your life, she began to ask: “How come? You’re the prettiest girl in the world, I’m sure there are guys or girls in line for you.”

“Well, I don’t let them.”

“Why?”

Because I’m into you and I don’t know how to explain that to you.

“Because I’m not interested,” you simply replied back while finishing your food, noticing that Natasha hasn’t touched her food when you began talking. “You should finish your ramen, Tash. It’ll get cold.”

She looks down at her bowl and shrugs, continuously drinking from her wine glass.

“I’m not that hungry,” Natasha yawns, scratching her eyes with the back of her hand. “I wish I could have an early night but I’ve got things to do, need to finish that check that this other company needs. Care to keep me company while I work?”

As soon as you entered Natasha’s office, you began to wonder if she had brought any girl into her life. Or particularly in this town. You were a whimp to ask her about it since she looks like that type of person who wants you to stay out of her business, but you’ve known Natasha ever since you were a baby – you practically grew up with her daughter, so it would be fine if you ask… right?

“Tash?”

She sits down in her black leather office chair and hums in response, making your throat drier than ever. You begged for her warmth, her touch, and her sense of ability, yet she felt so far away that you could barely reach her. You don’t know why.

“H-Have you slept with anyone else in this… town?”

She averts her eyes to you and stares for a moment, before replying to your question with a surprising tone in her voice.

“I have not,” she smirks, her eyes going back to the screen as she types. “Why do you ask?”

“Y-You seem like a person who doesn’t want to be lonely, that’s all.”

You two fell into silence again, before she spoke up.

“What would you do if I slept with someone else from here?”

“E-Excuse me?”

“You heard me, little girl.”

You wanted to prance around her office, feeling silly because she called you her little girl, and you wanted to throw yourself into her arms and kiss her lips deeply, but you were glued to your chair. You're not sure how to respond to that, and if she hadn't called you her little girl, you wouldn't be in this situation right now. What's worse, she's smirking at you without even looking at you.

“I-I uh… I don’t know if that’s appropriate of me to say that.”

“It’s just the two of us, baby,” her voice was seductive, full of lust. “No one will have to know about this, you can tell me.”

“I’m not really comfortable–”

“You’d be jealous?”

Yes, I’d be jealous to see you fucking someone else.

“I haven’t said anything, Tasha.”

She looks back at you and smiles, as if she’s playing a game with you – which she is. “But it’s true, isn’t it? You’d be jealous to see me with someone else, right?”

You pursed your lips, tightened your legs, and tried to look away from her gaze. You couldn't because your gaze had set her eyes on fire. And all you want is for her to approach you slowly and tell you that only you can satisfy her.

Finally, you nodded in response.

“Yes, I would be.”

Natasha switches off her computer, stands up from her chair, drags her two feet towards you, and leans down to feel her breath on the tip of your nose. She gently rubs your skin with her calloused hands as she brings her hand up to your cheek. You felt your eyes fluttering close as you heard her say, “I’d be jealous too if I saw you with someone else, kotenok.”

You and with your Russian antics, I hate you for making me feel this way.

“Tash–”

You felt ecstatic when her thumb brushed against your bottom lip, as if spreading something on your mouth. You were deeply in heaven, wondering what else she could do to your body out of her pleasure, and you were desperate to know what she could do to your pretty little head.

In conclusion: you want her to ruin you.

“Fate always leaves a mark,” she whispers with a titter, unbuttoning her blouse. “You are lucky enough to find that you are my fate, which you did finally realize.”

“What do you mean by that?” you perked as you felt your eyebrows scrunching from her statement. What did she truly mean by that? That she also thought about this with you? Couldn’t this get any better? You feel your core beating with so much arousal that it’s despicable – even embarrassing.

She brings you up as she carries you, and your legs swing around her back to lock her in place. She pushes your hair away from your face and felt her lips close enough to yours. Kiss me, kiss me, do something! Please, just do something–

"I've had my eyes on you ever since I saw you naked," you don't remember when that happened, but you know it wasn't long ago. She massages your left waist as she leads you to her room, locking the door behind her. "It was two months after your 18th birthday, and I saw you naked in the shower, I was mesmerized, Y/n. So fucking mesmerized by your body that I jerked off to you many times, did you know that?”

You could feel your cunt beating once more, and it was severely getting out of hand.

Natasha gently places you on her bed while unbuttoning her pants and quickly removing them. Her expanding penis was visible on her boxers. She was quite large, much larger than the guys you've seen in videos and in person. She looks down at your vulnerable body, her hand in her tight boxers massaging her growing cock.

“Play with yourself.”

“I-I don’t–”

“Please?” you've never heard her beg before, and the sound of her voice echoing in the room makes you cry. She whispers, “Play with your boobs for me? Do it for me, please… I just need to–I want to see you do it.”

You outstretched your hand and buried it under your tank top, feeling your left nipple harden from this action. She moans to herself, her hand slipping into her boxers as she moves her hand in an up-and-down motion onto her dick, her eyes completely hooded.

“You like it when you touch yourself for me?” she asked, her movements in her boxers were evident, her stomach tense each time she dragged the skin of her penis all the way to the base of her stomach. You nodded vigorously, tweaking your nipples with your thumb and index finger. “Tell me, did you think about this too?”

“I have,” you confessed quietly as you can hear Natasha moaning under her breath, her eyes never leaving your covered breasts. “So many times, Tash. I can’t help it.”

“Me too baby,” she grumbles, pulling her boxers all the way down to her ankles, her cock standing hard in the air. “Fuck, fuck… I’m so hard right now. You did this, you know? You get me hard every time I see you, little baby.”

“I-Is that true?”

“Uh-huh,” she whimpered, her hand wrapping around her penis as she mercilessly jerked herself off in the midst of her room, humping the air with so much desperation. “I thought about your mouth, how much I could fill your throat up… you would like that, wouldn’t you baby girl? You want me to fill up your naughty throat?”

“Oh my god–” your breath hitches, as you watch some of her pre-cum leaking out of its tip, desperate to be inside of your pussy. “Tasha, I can’t–please just come here, please…”

She quickly climbs on top of you and kisses your collarbone, then your neck, and finally your lips. She held you impossibly closer to her, afraid enough to pull away and the next thing she knows – you were gone. She was going to savor this moment forever, especially when she gets to have you like this. This is something she could never forget.

“Sweetheart,” she murmurs onto your wet bruised lips, pecking it twice before pulling down your panties all the way to your feet. “You want to do this, right?”

“Y-Yes,” you were desperate as much as she was, you began to bring your hand to your core but you felt her hand gripping your wrist tightly – silently telling you that you shouldn’t. “W-What–”

“You won’t go telling this on your parents, hm?”

“Of course not,” you smiled, reassuring her somehow. “This is just our secret, Tasha.”

She nods in agreement, curving her lips with an amusing smile.

“Yes, baby girl. Our secret only.”

You and Natasha were naked in her bed, while the rain poured harder than a few hours ago. She sweetly kisses your mouth, her tongue poking on the lower lip of your mouth, inviting you in. You eventually gave in, as you felt yourself moaning from the warmth of her mouth flicking on the roof of your tongue. She presses both of her hands against your breasts, gently massaging them with her fingers, pinching your nipples, and causing you to whimper.

"Does it hurt?" she inquired, her brows furrowed. You shake your head as her fingers clung to your nipples, and you can't help but lift your hips to meet her cock - she groans in this movement. "Oh, my God, I can feel your wet pussy on my cock... I’m not even in yet.”

“You’ll put it in?”

“If you want to,” she smiles, dragging her hips down as she meets with your wet core once more, her eyes rolling back. “I haven’t felt this way in so long. I can’t believe I’m going to fuck you, sweet girl. You’re going to love this cock, I promise. It’s going to fill you up so good…”

“But,” you hesitated, which you often don’t do. “What if it hurts?”

She looks down at you for a brief moment and sighs, tucking a strand of hair behind your air, making you let out a giggle softly. She loved the way you submitted it to her, even this early. It’s something it turns her on, making her cock spiral.

"It will hurt for a little while," she said, kissing your lips again, but this time with love and need. She pressed her tongue deeper into your mouth, searching for something... and you have no idea what it is. "But it's going to feel good, okay?" she pulls away with the sound of your lips smacking. “I’m bigger than the average size of a penis, so it’s gonna hurt for a bit.”

"Do you love me?" you asked timidly, your gaze averted from her face. But she grabs your chin to look at you again, and you're surprised to see a loving smile on her face - meaningless to speculate that she feels the same way you do. "Tasha, I can't do this if you-"

“I’ve loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you,” she pours her confession out of her heart, feeling it was about time that you had to know her deepest secret. You could feel her erection getting harder from her statement. “You’re all I think about, my love. You’re in me, and I need to be in you too.”

You watch intently as she spits on her cock, spreading saliva all over her length. Then, she spits on her hand and spreads the thick liquid all over your pussy, making you let out a shuddering breath with a mix of whines. She moans back at the feeling of your warm cunt, knowing what else she could do other than fucking you hard in her bed.

“Your pussy is so small,” she chuckles humorously, kissing your lower mouth. “It’s so cute, and my big cock is going to get into that little pussy…”

"I like the way you talk," you said breathlessly, your eyes rolling back as the tip of her cock accidentally hit your clit. “Your dick is so big, Tasha. "I don't think it'll fit.”

She smiles at you and kisses your lips one more time before placing the tip of her cock in front of your gaping entrance, her gaze returning to your hole.

“We’ll make it fit, baby.”

She thrusts inside of you slowly, letting out a guttural moan as she does so, and you felt your entire world coming into place. You scream out of pain and pleasure, not knowing which one to feel, and Natasha keeps you in place by soothing both of your arms, shushing you quietly. “It’s okay, it’s okay… It’ll go away soon. I promise baby–Oh my god, you’re so tight…”

“You’re so big!” you whined, gripping her back with your nails deepening into her skin, making the woman hiss in pleasure. “It’s too big, I can’t–”

“W-Want me to pull out?”

“No just,” you take a deep breath as you look at your conjoined sex, her penis barely halfway into your cunt. In fact, it was only the tip that was inside of you, and you whined at the thought of her taking it all in. “T-Take it slow, Tash.”

“You want Daddy to take it slow?” the nickname surprised you, and the thought of calling her by that new nickname makes your cunt tighter. She had a mischievous look as she slowly slipped an inch more, watching your brows scrunch in pain. “It’s okay, baby girl. Daddy won't hurt you, I promise. Just tell me when to stop, and I’ll stop.”

Natasha placed her hands on each side of your waist and slowly pushed in, her breath trembling from the sensation of your warmth around her cock. It was unusual for her to feel this way, especially since she hadn't fucked anyone since her divorce from her wife. It was even better because she was getting close to having an orgasm but knew she had to hold it in.

“Is it all the way in now?” you let out a quiet moan as you look down at your cunt, her length halfway in. You sighed, averting your eyes back at her as she looks down at you with lustful hooded eyes, silently asking you if she can push in deeper now. “Y-You can go deeper, Daddy.”

“Call me that again, sweetheart…”

She buries her face into your neck, her back twitching as she feels her pelvis pressed against your skin. This was by far the most pleasurable sensation she had ever experienced, and she would never be able to forget it. You held her close, her hips slowly moving into you, your eyes fluttering close in pleasure.

"You feel so good," she exclaims, squeezing you onto the mattress and thrusting inside of you at a moderate pace, her shaft coated by your wetness. “Daddy loves this so much, princess. I can’t believe you have given yourself to me, I’m so happy… so fucking happy right now.”

“Oh, Daddy…” you whined, lifting your hips while she pounded her cock into you, grunting each time the tip of her cock hits your cervix. “That’s it, Daddy, make me feel good… you make me feel so–”

"Fucking tight," Natasha moaned, her cock moving faster into you, completely enthralled by your juices all around her thick veiny length. "Oh my goodness, you're such a lovely little girl... so beautiful. So lovely.”

The redhead buries herself into you as she clutches you tightly in her arms, kissing your lips whenever she can. You wrap your arms around your neck while she feels your walls tightly hugging her penis, causing her orgasm to creep in closer. She spits into your mouth, spreading the saliva all over your chin as she grabs and pushes your right breast upwards.

“Ah–Daddy!”

"Scream for Daddy," she murmurs, thrusting inside of you quickly, the sound of your skin slapping against each other filling the warm, thick room, making Natasha groan. The woman grips your jaw and inserts her thumb into your mouth, her cock twitching from the sensation of your warmth coating her thumb. “Fucking hell, you’re taking me so well. Who would’ve thought my cock would fit inside of you? Hm? Look at that…”

She spreads your legs wider and observes your cunt taking up the entire length of her body, rolling her hips each time she hits your spot. You whine beneath her, grabbing the sheets as you cling onto them, biting your lower lip hard. The rain begins to fall harder, and the sound of your skin slapping against hers becomes more audible. Natasha lowers her head as she desperately kisses your lips, pressing so hard into you that the bed begins to creak.

She wraps her hand around your neck and whispers to your ear, “You like this, baby? You like it when Daddy fucks you hard?”

"Uh-huh," you nodded, short of breath. But you didn't mind because you were enjoying the sensation that was taking place in this room. And you felt your cunt getting tighter and tighter whenever she moves into your swelling, puffy cunt. Natasha growls, lifting your torso as she hugs you close, thrusting upwards so that her cock would fit all the way in. “Oh my god–”

"Daddy loves your sweet little pussy," she presses deeper into your cunt, moaning as you clench around her shaft. She didn't dare to keep her grunts and whimpers to herself, so she let them out into the room as if no one else could hear them - which no one could. “Clench on my dick again, baby. Do it for Daddy, please.”

"Don't stop," you whimpered, gripping the back of her hair and rolling your hips with her, feeling her cock so deep inside of you that it almost hurts. “Daddy, I love you…”

"I love you too, baby girl," she chastises, her lips close to yours. As she continues to hammer your pussy with her rock-hard penis, she scratches your back, leaving red marks on your skin. "Can you feel me, baby? You feel Daddy all the way in?”

You nodded, not knowing what else to say but to ride her the way she wants you to.

“Want to cum in you so bad,” she lets out a pathetic whine, feeling her cock twitch once more as she gets herself close. “Want to feel you when I cum, want to feel everything… let me cum inside you? Please? Are you on the pill, baby?”

You shook your head, knowing that you haven’t had an idea of taking one. But she nods, pulling your hips up and down to hear the sound of her cock inside of you squelching, begging to release. She closes her eyes as she pulls out quickly, wrapping her hand around her warm wet length and kissing your chest, licking your cleavage.

“Are you gonna cum, Daddy?”

“Y-Yes, baby, I’m gonna cum…” She jerks off the base of her dick and pushes you back onto the mattress, bringing her cock closer to your face. She looks down at you, her stomach twitching, and she spurts white thick cum all over your face before she can say anything. “Oh my–Oh god!”

Natasha grips the headboard as she continues to cum, her warm sperm coating your mouth as you feel more dripping onto your face, closing your eyes automatically. She grunts above you, her hips spasming with each tightening of her grip on her penis, letting out a deep moan. “Oh shit, oh my god… Fuck, fuck, fuck…”

As her cum drips from the tip of her cock, she flops her body beside you, her dick limping in her hand. She gives you a long sigh and asks, "D-Did that feel good?"

You nodded, about to wipe the sperm from your face, when you felt her hand grip your wrist and whisper, "Please don't, I just... want to take a good look at you."

“With your cum all over my face?” you giggled, and she nods in response.

"You're beautiful with my cum all over your face," her tired voice begins to waver, and she pulls a dirty shirt from the floor and gently wipes your face, causing your eyes to open again - she smiles. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Tasha.”

She slept next to you that night, pressing her face against your neck as you could hear her snoring faintly. That night, you attempted to sleep, but you failed. You had just experienced a blissful moment when you made love to your mother's best friend in Japan on a rainy night. This was the life you desired; you desired to spend every waking moment with this woman until you become bored. But, in reality, you will never be bored.

You will love her until the end.

At least that’s what you thought.

“She’s going to have some difficulties moving on from you,” Natasha’s best friend, Clint, says with a deflating tone. “But you hurt her real bad, Nat. She’s miserable without you.”

Natasha nodded in response, dragging her cigarette away from her lips as she thought of you in her head, causing her to create a small smile on her face.

“She’s my everything, you know?” she whispers, her voice starts to break, which she doesn’t allow her to. “The moment we made love, I knew I was going to be inseparable from her. But eventually, her mom found out. And she needed to go to college, without me. I had to let her go, somehow.”

“So she left you?”

"She left me," she said again, feeling a deep burden inside her heart that she wishes she didn't have to feel, but it has to be felt. Natasha lets out a long sigh before tossing her cigarette and covering her face so Clint doesn't see the tears welling up in her eyes. "I really want her, C-Clint. I want her.”

“I know, Nat,” he nodded sympathetically, rubbing her back in slow motions. “I know.”

“I want her to want me too.”

“And she does.”

Months and even years have passed. Natasha was getting older without you by her side. When you returned from Japan, you assumed Natasha was still at her house, waiting for you. But when you arrived, the landlord informed you that she had moved out months before and that she was effectively out of sight. You were desperate to see her again, to rekindle your bond, but you eventually got tired and decided to live your life.

You were working as a baker in your high school friend's shop 5 years later. It wasn't much, but it covers your rent. Your mother would occasionally call you, but the conversations were brief and focused on business management. You didn't want to prolong your conversation with your mother because it would devolve into an undeniable mess. Plus, it would open wounds, which you did not want. You would come back home with this heavy feeling in your heart, asking you to run to her. But you didn’t know where she was, and you did not dare to ask again.

Because you were also embarrassed by what happened and wished that it had never happened. If you hadn't let your stupidity get the best of you, you and Natasha might still be talking today. Perhaps she hated you for abandoning her and not bringing her to the unknown world. But if you do bring her, and take her wherever it leads your youth, she will eventually despise it. She was a woman, a businesswoman who wasn't a child anymore. But you were, and you despise having to admit it to yourself.

“You are the love of my life,” she whispers to your ear, and you feel your skin heating up from the voices in your head. “I will love you forever, my beautiful girl.”

You sighed, nodding your head.

“I will love you forever too, Tash.”

END.

i’ll be updating more this week! let’s hope i do lmao. how do you like this?

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x yn #natasha romanoff smut #natasha romanoff angst #black widow x reader #black widow x you #a's oneshots!

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that-basic-simp · 2 months

Text

Water Lily

Mizu X Fem!Reader CW: Uses the scientific term for a man's groin WC: 2.4k+ Uses he/him pronouns at the beginning and then changes to she/her Also POV change at the end

"Mizu?"

"Yes, Mizu."

"Like water."

He nodded his head.

"Interesting name for a man," I said, eyeing him up and down.

He was tall and slender. Raven like hair that was tied into a bun, a Kasa on his head that hid his face if he tilted it down. There were round tinted glasses on his face. Wonder why they were tinted? Was he hiding something that he shouldn't? Such as his eye color. Taking a closer look, even if they were tinted, I could see the shape of his eyes. They were round, not almond. His face was pretty angular, which there were some men here with angular faces, but not like his. He was a peculiar man, I will say that.

"Please, I-I understand if you don't want to take me in, but I need to find shelter for the night. A-And I thought this place was abandoned."

"It wasn't, at one point," I said.

"Did you have a family?"

"Yes. A big one at that."

Looking at the surroundings, Mizu nodded his head, "I can tell by the size of it."

"But we weren't rich enough to live in the big cities like Kyoto."

"So why settle out here? In the middle of no where?"

"It was quiet and there weren't many visitors. Except you."

"I-I don't mean to rush this, but," he shifted and that was when I saw it.

There was blood dripping from his side. Rushing him inside, I closed the door and sat him down.

"Take your shirt off," I said.

"I can handle it myself, thanks," he said.

"Please, you're in need of stitches and you're in no condition of doing it yourself."

"How do you know?"

"Were you the same one to do the patchwork in your shirt?"

Eyeing the white stitches that were haphazardly done, Mizu pouted and sighed.

"Fine. B-But promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone who? That I saw a man shirtless? I had male cousins who would swim naked in the river behind the house. I've seen more penises than I'd like to," I sighed.

"I take it you're not fond of it?"

"Never was and never will be."

"Why are you out here all alone?" Mizu asked as I got the needle and thread ready, along with some alcohol.

"My family left me."

"Why?"

"The same reason as to why I never want to sleep with a man, let alone be touched by one."

"B-But why are you helping me?"

"You seem like a nice guy," I said.

"So you don't like men?"

"Not romantically."

"I see," Mizu said. "Well, you're in luck."

"Why's that?"

As soon as Mizu removed his cloak and shirt, I understood why. There was a binding around his chest.

"A woman."

Mizu nodded her head, "Yes."

"Well, do you want me to call you sir or madam?"

"Mizu."

"Mizu? Just Mizu?"

"Yes. Just Mizu."

"Well, if there was one thing that stuck from my family, is I always gave people nicknames. No matter if they were staying for the day or a week."

"Why?"

"Hospitable," I said and got the needle and thread ready, stitching up the stab wound in Mizu's left abdomen.

"Geez, you have a lot of scars over your body. What kind of a samurai doesn't wear armor?"

"I-I'm not a samurai. I have no honor. Unless you count revenge honorable."

"Why the revenge?"

There was a long pause.

"I know it's easier said than done, but you can trust me. Not like I have anyone to tell your secrets to. I do live alone."

"Surprised you haven't gone insane," Mizu said.

"You and me both."

"Do you remember when the four white men came to Japan?"

"My parents told me about it. Caused a big stir."

"I was the product of one of them. He slept with my mother and she had me."

"C-Can I look at something?"

"What?" Mizu turned towards me.

Reaching up, she flinched away, causing me to retract my hand. Slowly nodding, she leaned towards me. Removing her glasses, I finally found what was hiding underneath. Bright, blue eyes that seemed to shine in the firelight. They reminded me of the river outside, how it shimmered and shined against the morning and evening sun.

"Your eyes," I began.

"Just say it," Mizu said with annoyance.

"Say what?"

"That I'm a demon, an onryo. A dog."

"They're beautiful."

"What?"

"Your eyes, they're beautiful. I haven't seen anything like them."

"O-Oh," Mizu said. "T-Thanks, I guess."

I smiled, "So cold. Yet the minute you're exposed to a burning fire, you freeze up."

"I haven't really been complimented throughout my years of being alive. I was seen as a demon. A monster. That I had no right to be alive."

"But you are, aren't you?"

"Alive only to do one thing and that is kill those white men."

"What do you plan to do afterwards?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you always have a place here, Mizu," I said, taping some gauze around the stitches. I put the binding on her chest and she pulled the shirt up.

"Stay as long as you need to," I said, throwing the needle away.

"You never told me your name," Mizu said.

"Y/N."

"Y/N," she said. "Thank you, Y/N."

"Rest, Mizu. I will fix you up something to eat to help with the healing process.

"How can I repay you?"

"By coming back alive."

"Back where?"

"Here. I like your company."

Even if I couldn't see her, there was a smile across her face. Once I had finished making her something to eat, I sat down beside her and handed her the bowl.

"So, your family," Mizu said.

"Minute they found me with a woman they picked up their things and left."

"Nice of them to leave you a house to yourself instead of throwing you out."

"They went with my aunt and uncle. They're lords so of course they'd want to live in a bigger place than this."

"Of course. The greedy just become greedier."

"But I have found solace within these walls. I thank you for the company," I smiled.

"Thank you for helping me."

I nodded, standing up, letting Mizu have some space and time to eat.

"You're handy with a sword," I said, watching her practice.

It's been a few days since Mizu arrived at my doorstep asking for help, even though she really didn't want it at first. I was sure she would have left by now because of how she spoke of her mission. She was serious and she wanted these people to pay. I felt her pain, her vengeance. But it was killing her on the inside.

"I am handy with other things," Mizu said, wiping some sweat from her face. "Anything is a weapon if you really think about it."

"In your hands, even chopsticks can be a weapon."

She chuckled, "Yeah. I guess they can be."

"Who taught you?"

"Myself."

"Oh, self taught."

"No school would take me. Y-You've seen me. I-I'm a disgrace."

Walking over to Mizu, I raised my hand and placed it against her cheek. Moving her head back a bit, I found her blue eyes.

"Mizu, you're not."

"W-Why do this to me?"

"Do what?"

"Tell me something I am not when I am."

"It were those who claimed you as something you're not. They were telling you you're an onyro, a demon, a dog, whatever they wanted to call you. That is something you're not, Mizu. You're simply a person who is just trying to get by in this world."

"I-I," she reached up and grabbed my hand, nuzzling into my palm. "I-I never really thought about it that way."

"Because you were taught not to show who you really were. Not to be you, Mizu. You had to put a mask on your face and because of it, you hid away and that's really the only thing you know."

Tears streamed down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Removing my hand, she let go of it.

"Leave me."

"Mizu, d-did I say something wrong?"

"Just leave," she snarled at me. "And quit pretending you know me."

She walked off and continued to train. That was interesting, but it made her all the more complex.

"I see you're still not gone," I said, sitting down and putting a bowl in front of her.

"And you still haven't given me a nickname," Mizu said, raising the bowl to her lips.

"I haven't thought of a good one."

"Well, my name means water. Shouldn't that mean something?"

"It does, I am trying to find a way to tie that in. But nothing is coming."

"Just call me ocean because I come and go like it."

"Then it would be rain."

"What was your nickname? If your parents gave you one."

"They gave me the nickname of koi."

"Koi? Like a koi fish?"

"Yep. I loved swimming, just like the koi fish. And I had perseverance, especially when it came to learning medicinal soups and what was edible and what wasn't."

"And here I thought you'd poison me," Mizu joked.

"Ha-ha," I said dryly.

"You're actually quite good at it," she said.

"Good at what?"

"Taking care of people. And well, everything you've done for me lately."

"Oh. T-Thank you."

"Didn't think I'd compliment you?"

"N-No, but I just don't see you complimenting someone."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Cold like ice."

"Oh," she sighed.

"But once warm, the ice melts away, leaving water in its place. You're resilient, Mizu. Like water itself."

"A-About the other day," Mizu said.

"Yeah?"

"I-I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have said that to you."

"Well, for someone to say those kinds of things, someone had to be in similar shoes. I was in similar shoes like you. Having to hide who I truly was and then when it came out, I was scolded for it. Seen as a monster. Seen as something anything other than human."

"It must have been hard, having your entire family turn their backs on you when you needed them most."

"It was," I said, picking up my chopsticks and grabbing the noodles. "But like my nickname, I pushed through. I found a way to overcome it and was able to thrive. Now, I find myself in a better place than before. And while I thought it couldn't get any better, you came along."

Mizu picked up her head, "W-What did I do?"

"Gave me another reason to stay here."

"You wanted to leave?"

"I did. I took some jobs from the nearby town and saved up enough money to move into said town. People tried to offer me their homes, but I wanted to earn a house by myself and work there."

"Why haven't you yet?"

"Well, someone by the name of Mizu came to my door the day I was getting ready to pack my things."

Mizu turned away, avoiding my gaze.

"M-My apologies. I-I should have left earlier."

"I enjoy your company, Mizu. I'm glad you stayed for as long as you did. And besides, I think you're all healed up. So you also needed to stay to heal."

"Do you have everything?" I asked Mizu as I straightened out the cloak on her shoulders.

"Yes, I have everything," she said.

I handed her her tinted glasses and she held off putting them on yet. I also handed her a different kind of scarf.

"What's this for?" she asked, taking it.

"A more fashionable scarf to wrap around your neck."

"Why?"

"I don't think you like having whatever you have around your neck. Besides, it'll also keep you warm."

Mizu removed what was around her neck and replaced it with what I had given her.

"I-It is warm," she said, her eyes widening with surprise. "W-What is it?"

"Part of a blanket I had when I was a kid."

"W-Why do something like that?"

"It'll provide you warmth and comfort. And it'll remind you of me."

"I can't thank you enough, Y/N," Mizu said.

"You don't need to. J-Just promise me one thing."

"I-I'll try to."

I reached over and grabbed her hands, holding them gently in mine.

"Promise me you'll come back alive. I don't care if it's in pieces to where I have to stitch you up again," I poked at her abdomen, earning a chuckle from her. Reaching up, I placed my hand against her cheek, caressing the skin. "Just please come back to me."

"I-I'll try to, Y/N."

"Thank you."

"I-I think I might have found a way to thank you."

"How's that?"

Leaning towards me, she placed her lips lightly to the corner of my mouth, pressing a quick kiss. Pulling away, her cheeks flushed. Smiling, I leaned towards her and pressed a light and quick kiss to her lips. When I pulled away, her eyes were wide and her mouth open slightly. Her cheeks went from pink to a deep shade of red. I giggled, seeing her flustered like that. She put her glasses on and tipped her Kasa down over her eyes.

"G-Goodbye, Y/N."

She walked down the path of my house and turned to the left, heading to the nearest city.

"Goodbye, my water lily."

~Mizu's POV~

Walking down the familiar path, I reached up and grabbed onto the scarf, feeling the silk material. A smile crawled over my face when I finally reached the turn that led to her house. Turning, my heart sank into my stomach and my knees got heavy. Rushing towards the house, the once vibrant paint was weathered away and there were boards where the windows used to be. Ivy was growing and grass was overtaking the stone path.

"Y-Y/N!" I called, rushing towards the backside of the house. "Y-Y/N!"

I ran towards the front and let out a silent cry as tears slid down my face.

"N-No. I-I haven't been gone for that long."

Walking close to the door, there was a board covering it so I couldn't even really open it. Stepping closer, there was a little piece of paper sticking out from underneath one of the boards. Grabbing it, I pulled out a letter with my name on it. Opening it with trembling hands, I read the first two words and was immediately running towards that town. I should have known. She mentioned she wanted to move there. I didn't think she'd move that quickly. As I was running there, I was reading the note. Reaching the town, I walked through some crowds of people and before I knew it, I was standing in front of her house. Her new house. There was a bell hanging by the door. Raising my hand, I grabbed the red sting at the end and rang it, a jingle erupting into the air.

"Coming!" her voice called from the inside.

Taking in a deep breath, I let it out and the door opened up.

"M-Mizu?"

"I-I'm b--"

Her arms were thrown around me and she was hugging me tightly.

"I thought you were dead."

Lifting my arms, I wrapped them around her, hugging her tightly.

"I missed you, too."

Pulling away, she cupped my face in her hands. Pulling me towards her, our lips met lightly and I let out a small hum. Oh to be with her after a long time of fighting. Pulling away, she smiled at me.

"My water lily," she breathed out.

Reaching up, I grabbed her hand.

"I don't think koi suits you."

"Oh? Then what should you call me?"

"Mine," I said huskily.

Her eyes blinked a few times and her face turned a bright shade of red. Smirking, I pushed her into the house and closed the door.

"Payback for when I left."

She chuckled, tears forming in her eyes as I reached up and removed my glasses.

"I missed those eyes. I missed you, Mizu."

"I missed you, too, Y/N."

#mizu #mizu blue eye samurai #mizu x reader #bes mizu #blue eye samurai

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laecrowa · 5 months

Text

Ripples Of Revelation

guys i made this in the span of like the first episode of the show cause i needed to get some info this is actually trash

english is not my first language please be nice 😔🙏

Living in Kyoto is a different experience, especially when you’re a women, and a women who doesn’t come from a wealth like a princess who is lucky enough to marry a man she wants or to be married off to a wealthier family. Or if your a lady who isn’t wealthy and isn’t married you find yourself working in a brothel, luckily i haven’t come across that point since my father is my chaperone for the city and I’m still young.

Kyoto is very big and is home to the Shindo Dojo, the place where men who want to become samurai can train. So they can brag to the villagers and act like they are better than most even tho most cannot hold the blade correctly. They sit atop their horses and look down on the others acting as if they are worth.

Most times i’m grateful they ignore me and sometimes I have the utmost displeasure of hearing them say such nonsense to me in hopes of courting me. My father will not let them as he believes that I should find a strong and comfortable living man that will help me settle down comfortable and in hopes that I won’t end in a brothel. As the Shindo Dojo is here theres also the Shindo house the “whore house” as my mother used to call it when i was younger.

As me and my father walk by the Shindo house i see a man being grabbed on by the ladies. He looked as if he wasn’t expecting to be met in that manor and they looked as if they have been insulted then they look impressed. I turn my attention to the small puppet show that sits next to the brothel, which was interrupted by a big man bursted thru and breaking the stand. he looks to the man with the large hat and then back at me causing the man in the large hat to look at me. Tilting my head slightly before moving on next to my father who also saw the scene he smiles before looking forward.

“what? what’s with that look?” I look at my father as he laughs slightly. “that boy, he seems different hmm i saw that look in your eye. You should try and find him later huh?” i stop in my steps and soon after he does as well and smiles while turning to look at me. “I have no clue or reason on why you think that. We had only locked eyes for a second there is no reason for me to think that in any way he is different and I will not be finding him later you are crazy.” he looks at me trying to find any flaw in my face or voice as i speak on the subject. He laughs and tells me to move on and to continue walking to sell.

After a while of selling my father pushes me along to find something near the Shindo Dojo, as i walk along closer to the gates i see the man in the large hat. I move myself along in hopes for him to not see me and follow him. Slowly creepy from behind him a good 20 paces behind and out of his sight he leave Kyoto. I think to myself whether i should follow or go back but i think back to what my father says, and what he didn’t say. He usually says something along the lines of how “that boy is trouble” or “dont get yourself wrapped up with men like those” but no he says that he’s different and i cannot help but agree sometimes is definitely different about this young man.

Was is the glasses? maybe the large hat or maybe it was the fact that you feel more attracted to him then any other man had made you feel to them in the whole village that you’ve been in for so long. Had that man with the large hat make you feel like every other man is stupid, surly not he hadn’t even say a word to you let alone look at you for more then 5 seconds. It’s completely silly but i find myself still walking out of the gates hoping that he won’t turn around and find me following him like a stalker. Would he kill me for even looking at him for to long?

As I continued to follow him I find myself going deeper into the woods I loose him for a moment. I curse at myself for looking away for a moment and not knowing what turn he had made, it’s dark and already hard to see with the trees in the way. I look around frantically and I hear water from a small lake.

I slowly walk to the river, he would have probably went by the river to clean himself off. I was correct i see his head sticking out the water and *snap* fuck, i walk out all the way and put my hands up in the air to show i mean no problems. He steps out the water completely naked with his sword out and my eyes wander around his body and…

Am i attracted to women?

#blue eye samurai x reader #mizu x reader #ngl this is trash #welcome back to my youtube channel

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frierengf · 8 months

Text

dreams & destiny

— snippets of you and fushiguro megumi, and the thread that ties you together.

or : you start a new school, you meet a boy. everything goes to shit, everything turns out okay. you love a boy, a boy loves you.

you dreamed of this, and maybe it was destiny. wc : 15 295 │ ao3 [notes + tags]

— (2018 : March)

The March air chills your skin and digs deep into your heart and your bones but regardless, you’re happy. You’ve just graduated middle school, and you’re walking around Hakodate with your friends after the ceremony. Amane and Natsue are walking slightly ahead of you, arms around each others shoulders, while you and Shizuru tread behind them, hands interlocked.

”I’m gonna miss you,” Shizuru says quietly. You squeeze her hand. ”’m gonna miss you too.” ”Do you know if you’re going to Tokyo or Kyoto yet?”

The three of them think you’re going away to a fancy religious boarding school. They weren’t surprised when you told them, considering the somewhat traditional nature of your home and upbringing. It hurts to lie to your best friends, but you know it’s the right thing to do.

”Tokyo, I think. Less time on the train,” you say, small smile on your face. ”At least theyre letting you pick which branch you're being cast off to,” Amane chimes in, head turned back. You let out a short laugh.

”Yeah yeah. It won’t be all that bad. We can still keep in touch and I’ll be able to visit during the summer. Plus, I’ll get to live in Tokyo,” you smirk, as Natsue turns back and sticks out her tounge at you. ”I’ll just come visit you in the summer instead,” she replies, wide grin on her face. ”Sounds like a plan.”

======

— (2018 : April)

You’re standing on the platform waiting for the train to Tokyo. Your mother is fussing over you, adjusting your new uniform, running her fingers through your hair, making sure you have all your luggage.

”It will be fine Mother,” you sigh, trying to get yourself out of her grasp. Your father stands off to the side, hands clasped behind his back, a warm smile on his face. Your grandmother stands beside him, tears starting to gather in her eyes.

”Are you sure you have everything?” your mother asks, worry evident in her voice. ”Yes Mother, I’m sure. We went through my bags last night, and I have my ticket and travel food right here,” you reply, holding up your hand and waving it slightly. A small plastic bag, filled to the brim with drinks, snacks and meals, and your ticket pinched between your thumb and index finger. Your mother quickly reaches out to steady your hand.

”Don’t wave your ticket around so carelessly! What if you dropped it and it got blown away?” she scolds, and you roll your eyes with a slight smile on your face. ”It’s on my phone too anyways Mother. I’m sure I have everything, I promise.”

Your father steps forward, placing his hand on your mothers shoulder.

”Misuzu. I know you don’t want to accept it, but our little girl has grown up,” he says, before giving her shoulder a squeeze. Your mother sighs. ”I know, I know. But still, it’s a mothers duty to worry,” she says with a tearyeyed smile, and you roll your eyes at the cliché. Your father pulls the two of you into a tight hug, and you relax into the warmth.

The three stay like that for a while, before you hear your grandmother approach, and you pull away. She pulls you into a hug of her own, and you rest your chin on her shoulder.

”Be kind, my child,” she whispers, and you start to tear up. She rubs your back, and you tighten the hug, before letting go. ”I will.”

The station speakers let out a short spark, before a robotic voice starts to speak. ”Hokkaido shinkansen bound for Tokyo, departing in 10 minutes from platform 3.”

Your grandmother pats your shoulder.

”Let us know when you have arrived, won’t you?” you nod, and she continues. ”Your teacher will be picking you up there, correct?” ”Yes, that’s what I’ve been told.” She sighs, and gives you a short nod, seemingly satisfied. Your mother steps forward again, adjusting your uniform one last time, before turning you towards the doors of the train. She squeezes your shoulders before pushing you forward, just a bit. You turn your neck to look at your family, and do your best to give them a reassuring smile.

”I’ll make you proud,” you say, giving a small twofingered salute. Your father lets out a small laugh, and your mother rolls her eyes, fond smile on her face. ”And say bye to Yukichi for me!” you exclaim, before boarding the train with a wave.

Yukichi, your older brother, hadn’t been able to come and say goodbye to you, having been sent to western Hokkaido for a mission. While you know it’s not his fault, you can’t deny the small feeling of disappointment that’s gnawing at you. The two of you weren’t the closest of siblings, but he’s still your brother.

You still remember the day you had sent him off to Kyoto, standing on the platform, hiding behind your fathers leg. Yukichi, being 10 years older than you, held responsibilities as both the future clan head and as a grade one sorcerer. You do your best not to pity him too much, and instead support him from the sidelines as much as you can.

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you find your seat without much trouble, and place your messenger bag on the chair and your snack bag on the table, before reaching up to put your suitcase in the overhead compartment. It takes a bit of stretching, but you manage to get it up safely before sitting down.

You bring out the small bento your grandmother had made for you, and the onigiri and bottle of green tea you had bought at the station, placing them on the table, before digging in your messenger bag for your phone and headphones.

After adequatley preparing yourself, you lean back and make yourself comfortable for the coming 5 hour journey. You’ve never really been outside of Hokkaido, most of your rare family trips being spent going further north. The train starts rolling, and you turn to look out the window. Spotting your family, you give a final quick wave, before the train shoots off, heading south.

The trainride itself passes rather quickly, as you finish the lunch you brought with you and snack on the small bag of chips. You get a few texts from the groupchat with Amane, Shizuru and Natsue, wishing you well, telling you to take care of yourself, and to meet a handsome Tokyo boy and bring him back to Hakodate. You laugh at the last one, replying that you’ll try your best.

As the train rolls into Tokyo Station, you pull out your phone to check the time. 16:24. You roll your neck, before texting your family you’ve arrived, and pocketing your phone.

You put your trash in the small plastic bag you brought it in and shove it inside your messenger bag, electing to deal with it at a later date, before standing up and pulling your suitcase down from the overhead department and throwing your messenger bag on your shoulder.

You stand infront of the door as the train stops at the platform, not wanting to get caught within the crowd and making your teacher wait for you. As you step out and onto the platform, you look around and take it all in. It’s way bigger, and way busier than anywhere you’ve been before, and you start to feel dizzy, even though you ate on the train.

You shake your head, steeling yourself and deciding you should find your teacher, before your eyes widen in horror. You don’t even know who your teacher is, let alone what they look like. Before you entirely lose it, you hear a loud voice cut through the hustle and bustle of Tokyo Station.

”Hey!”

Probably the entire station startles, and looks to where the voice is coming from, including you.

As you look towards where the voice came from, you spot a tall blindfolded man, hair as white as the first snow of winter. A boy is standing next to him, but he looks like he would rather be anywhere else. The boy is looking off to the side, but when you look up at the man, you swear you can feel his eyes on you, despite the highly opaque blindfold he’s wearing.

The man waves, a grin on his face. ”Sorcery girl! Come here!”

Your eyes widen in shock. No way this idiot is your teacher. Protecting the public from the knowledge of Jujutsu is one of the most important values of the art, and here he is, yelling it out to the hundreds of people in Tokyo Station. You glare at the strange man, but the grin on his face does not falter. Looking around you, you notice that everyone except you seems to have forgotten all about what just happened, going about their normal lives again. A big city thing perhaps, you think to yourself.

Begrudingly, you quickly walk towards the pair, realizing as you get closer that both of them are wearing Jujutsu Tech uniforms. As you reach them, you fall into a small bow and introduce yourself. The man grabs your hand, shaking it with enthusiasm.

”Nice to meet you too! I’m your teacher, Gojo Satoru.” Your eyes widen as he says his name, and you think you see a small smirk appear at your reaction. ”And this,” he points to the boy next to him, ”is Fushiguro Megumi, your fellow first year!”

The boy you now know as Fushiguro finally looks at you, and you feel heat rise to your cheeks. His eyes are cold as steel as they meet yours, and it makes a small shiver run down your spine. He scans over you quickly before inclining his head in greeting.

”I look forward to working with you.” ”Same goes,” you say with a small nod.

His eyes seem to focus on your face, and you tilt your head, giving him a slightly awkward smile. Before either of you can say anything else, Gojo places one of his arms around your shoulders, and one around Fushiguros. You startle, but Fushiguro just grunts, seemingly used to it. Gojo turns his head towards you and pats your shoulder lightly.

”So, Ijichi is waiting for us in the car outside, and I was thinking we can go back to campus and leave your stuff, and once that’s done, your beloved teacher Gojo Satoru can take his two students for some dinner!”

You furrow your brows and go to speak, but your teacher interrupts you before you can even get a word in.

”It’s kind of late, and you’ve been traveling for a while. Even though you got accepted because of your lineage, we still have to do a skill test exorcism, but we can leave that for tomorrow!”

You give him a hesitant nod, and Gojo smiles. ”All right then! Come on my dear students, to the campus!”

He grabs your bags, before quickly dragging you and Fushiguro out of the station, and shoving the two of you into the backseat of a car. The man in the drivers seat, Ijichi, you realize, turns to look at you before giving you a deep bow, still sitting down. You startle and wave your hands in front of you, trying to get him to sit up again.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you. If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to let me know.” ”There’s no need for all that Ijichi,” you mumble, before giving him a short bow of your own. ”I’ll be in your care.”

You hear a small laugh from behind you, and turn back to see the face of your teacher, putting your bags in the trunk.

”Don’t mind him,” Gojo says. ”That’s just how Ijichi is. You’ll have to get comfortable around him eventually, he’s one of our top managers after all.” The smile on his face takes on a warmth that you wouldnt expect, and when you look back at Ijichi, he looks just as shocked as you probably do.

Gojo slams the trunk shut, and you flinch in surprise. He gets into the front seat, before urging Ijichi to drive back to the school. The trip is silent, only sound being the roads and the music playing on the radio.

After you arrive at the campus, Gojo shows you to your dorm and lets you quickly drop off your bags, before pulling you away for a speedy tour around the school. He shows you the main building, and training field, before dragging you back to the car where Fushiguro is waiting, Ijichi having gone off to tend to other matters.

”If you have any other questions, just ask Megumi!” he exclaims, and you nod, before he’s shoving you into the back seat once again.

You’re back out on the road when you feel Gojos eyes on you through the rearview mirror. He’s traded the blindfold for a more casual pair of sunglasses and left his uniform jacket on the seat next to him. The blue of his eyes is startling, and you tense slightly as you meet his gaze.

”Is there anything specific you want for dinner?” he asks, and your eyes widen. ”Oh, uhm. Anything is fine with me really. I’d feel bad if I picked something either of you didn’t like.” ”Eh, we’ll survive. Right Megumi?”

An affermative hum sounds out from next to you, and Gojo grins.

”See? So really, whatever you want. It’s your admission celebration after all.” ”Ah, okay. Ramen maybe then? I don’t know any places though, so you’ll have to pick for me.” ”Ramen it is! I’ll make sure to take my students to the best place in town!”

The car eventually comes to a stop outside of a small place in the suburbs of Saitama, and as the three of you step out of the car, Gojo puts his arm around Fushiguros shoulders, smile on his face.

”Just like old times, eh Megumi!”

You raise your eyebrows in surprise, and the smile on Gojos face widens, as a small frown appears on Fushiguros face.

”I’m his-” ”He’s not my dad. He’s my legal guardian and that’s it.” ”So cold Megumi.”

Fushiguro only rolls his eyes, expertly getting out of Gojos grasp, before walking into the restaurant. Gojo pats your shoulder as he walks past you, shaking you from your stupor.

”Don’t worry about him, he’ll warm up soon enough.”

You nod, and follow your teacher into the restaurant. The three of you are ushered to a booth in the back, proclaimed as ”the usual table” by the waitress. Fushiguro sits down and shuffles towards the wall, and you follow suit, while Gojo chats with the waitress as she gives you and only you a small menu. You look up at the two of them, confused, and Gojo only waves his hand.

”We’ve been coming here for a while.”

You nod, gaze falling back down to the menu. Once you’ve decided what you want, you put the menu down on the table, and the waitress seems to appear from out of nowhere next to the table.

”The usual for you two, I assume?” she asks, and Gojo gives her a thumbs up. She smiles, quickly writing on her notepad, before turning her gaze to you.

”This one, please,” you say, pointing to your choice on the menu, and the waitress nods, writing it down. ”That one's my favourite too,” she says, beaming at you. ”These two never order anything different, it’s super boring,” she mutters loudly, grin still on her face, as she grabs the menu, putting it under her arm.

After her and Gojo banter for a while, she walks away. He turns to you, starting to talk about the plans for tomorrow.

”So, I’ve scouted a location for tomorrow,” he starts, and you nod. ”We’ll be leaving school at around 11:30, so make sure you’re by the gates by then. Megumi will be joining you as backup in case something goes wrong, and Ijichi and I will be waiting outside. Sounds good?”

”Sounds good,” you agree, and Gojo nods. ”You have everything you need right? No need to borrow anything from the school?” ”No, I’ve brought everything I need with me from home.”

”Good. That’s all the business out of the way then! Let’s have a good evening,” he says, holding up his glass of water. You snort, and clink your glass against his, as he urges Fushiguro to join. He does, and you smile, taking a sip of water as the food arrives.

Gojo wasn’t lying when he said he would be taking you to the best ramen place in town. You swear you almost melt into the seat as you take your first sip of the broth.

”Not bad, right?” Gojo asks, raising his brows at you. ”This is fucking amazing,” you mumble, slurping more noodles into your mouth. Gojo barks out a laugh, before wagging his finger at you. ”Language! Megumi here has a tendency to beat up delinquents y’know.”

Your eyes widen, panic rising in your body before Fushiguro speaks up.

”Just ignore him, he’s an ass.”

Your eyes move rapidly between the grin on Gojos face and the frown on Fushiguros.

”I’m just messing with you,” Gojo finally says, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. ”Only people who care about stuff like that is probably the higher ups, but if I can help it, you won’t have to meet them for a while.”

You nod, and the meal continues without a hitch. Finishing your bowl, you quietly vow to yourself to bring your friends from back home to this place in the future. As Fushiguro slurps up the last of his broth, Gojo pushes his empty bowl to the center of the table.

”Anyone up for dessert?”

Both you and Fushiguro shake your heads, and you swear you see a small pout on Gojos face. You quietly thank him for offering, and he dismisses you, claiming it’s just the right thing for a teacher to do, before waving down the waitress for the check.

As the three of you leave the restaurant you yawn, stretching your arms above you.

”Tired?” Gojo asks, leaning down to your eyelevel from behind. You startle slightly before humming. ”Didn’t get a ton of sleep last night,” you mutter, and he nods in understanding. ”My mother made me get up way too early as well. I swear she went through my bags like five times.” ”You can sleep in the car if you want. I’ll make sure to drive carefully,” Gojo says, patting your shoulder. ”You sure?” ”Yeah yeah. If push comes to shove, I’m sure Megumi will be a kind classmate and let you sleep on his shoulder!”

Your eyes widen, and Fushiguro turns to Gojo with a slight frown on his face.

”It’s probably better to just stay awake,” you mumble.

”I don’t mind,” Fushiguro calls out, and you meet his gaze. You hesitate to call it warm, but it’s definetly not cold.

Heat flushes your face, and you stare down at the pavement. Fushiguros ears grow red, and he turns his face to the side. Gojo simply grins.

”All right then! Into the car my dearest students!” he exclaims as he unlocks the car, getting in to the drivers seat while Fushiguro and yourself get into the back seat.

As Gojo starts the car and drives off, you yawn, resting against the window. The lights of the cityscapes passing by lulls you closer and closer to sleep, eyelids fluttering.

Gojo is quietly singing along to some recent J-pop hit that’s playing on the radio and Fushiguros eyes flick over to you. Your neck is angled in an awkward way that can’t be comfortable at all, your temple dragging against the car window.

”I meant it y’know? I don’t mind.”

His voice shakes you awake, and you blink rapidly. Cracking your neck, your eyes fall shut again, and you dismissively wave your hand in Fushiguros direction.

”Wouldn’t wanna make you uncomfortable Fushiguro. Y’really don’t have to,” you mumble, leaning back against the headrest.

His eyes move from you to Gojos face, grinning at him from the rearview mirror. He scowls.

”I don’t want you to be uncomfortable while you sleep either. You should be in the best possible condition for your mission tomorrow. It’s… my duty as your partner.” The last part is muttered, and you snort.

”You’re so adamant about it Fushiguro. Guilttripping me into sleeping on your shoulder, huh?” you tease quietly, turning to look at him with tired eyes. He’s frowning lightly, and you’re unsure if the red on his cheeks is a blush or the city lights reflecting from outside.

The backseat of the car isn’t huge, but you shuffle closer regardless, before looking at Fushiguro with expectant eyes.

”C’mon then. Unless you changed your mind?” ”No,” he says, almost too quickly. ”I didn’t.”

Fushiguro follows suit, moving closer to you, before resting against the seat. He looks out the window as you rest against his shoulder, refusing to meet Gojos knowing grin.

Almost instantly, you relax against him, breathing slowing down and body going still.

”You frown so much Fushiguro,” you murmur. ”Bet you have a really nice smile.”

Your voice is quiet enough that he can pretend he didn't hear you, and he counts himself lucky that you cant spot the redness that takes over his face.

—

As you and Fushiguro walk towards the abandoned apartment complex in the outskirts of Tokyo, he turns to you while you fiddle with your belt, making sure your twin tantos are wrapped in tightly. Feeling his eyes on you, you look at him, polite smile on your face.

”Anything wrong Fushiguro?” ”What’s your cursed technique?”

You snort at his bluntness. ”That’s a secret,” you tease, pressing a finger to your lips. ”Besides, you’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?” ”I was just curious,” he grumbles. ”I don’t recognize your last name, but Gojo said you got in through your family lineage, so I figured it’s not really a secret, if you’re from an established Jujutsu clan.” You hum, ”Well you’re not entirely wrong. It’s not really a secret,” you imitate, and he rolls his eyes. ”But where’s the fun in just telling you?” ”It might be advantageous if we are going to work together on this exorcism.” ”Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong Fushiguro! It’s my test, you’re just here in case I fuck up!”

He scoffs at your words, looking away from your invasive gaze. You poke his shoulder, grin on your face.

”Say, Fushiguro. If you can guess my technique before I use it, I’ll buy you anything you want.” He looks at you with raised brows.

”Anything?” You nod.

”And if I don’t?” ”Then you let me call you by your first name!” ”Feels like the stakes are very different for us,” he says, small frown on his face. ”Well I don’t care if you start calling me by my first name right now, but something tells me you’re more uptight about that, so I figured it would be fun.”

His frown deepens, and the grin on your face only gets wider. ”Fine,” he says, reaching out his hand, which you grab, giving it a firm shake. ”It’s a deal then!”

You start walking into the apartment complex, and Fushiguro follows closely behind.

”Is it something with your tantos?” he asks, and you tilt your head. ”Kind of? They help, but I don’t need them. I can use any weapon, but I don’t need a weapon,” you nod, peeking into the first apartment on the first floor. The cursed energy is rather miniscule so far, so you close the door and continue onto the next apartment as Fushiguro speaks up.

”Something where you imbue your technique into the weapons?” ”Nope!”

The following three apartments are equally unremarkable, as are Fushiguros continued questions and guesses towards your technique. As you stop in front of the first apartment on the third floor, an unfamiliar cursed energy washes over you, and you turn to look at him.

”Time’s up Megumi!” you exclaim, pulling your tantos out of their sheaths. ”Watch and learn.” He rolls his eyes, summoning his demon dogs just in case, before you step into the apartment.

The curse that greets you is nothing overwhelming at first glance, its back turned to you. Megumi follows you in, before you hold up your hand, hoping he understands your signal to stay back and let you work. It seems like he does, the sounds of his and the dogs footsteps stopping behind you.

The curse is small, probably somewhere between Grade three and Grade two, and you nod to yourself, sheathing one of your weapons, tightening the grip on the other one.

Megumi watches closely as you place your empty hand on the back of your head, while raising the one still holding the tanto.

”Wound Transfer,” you mumble, before plunging the tanto into the back of your head. Megumi startles, and you pull the tanto out of your head. Quickly placing your hand over the wound, you fix your gaze on the curse, who’s still unaware of your prescence. ”Foxglove.”

The curse shrieks, and Megumi looks towards it. A deep wound has appeared on the back of its head and his eyes widen. He barely has time to react before you’re lunging towards it, slashing its neck from behind.

As the curse explodes in bits of dust and purple blood, you turn towards him, wide smile on your face. ”Pretty cool right, Megumi?” The surprise is evident on his face, and you sheathe your tanto, before throwing up a peace sign. ”Wound Transfer, courtesy of my beloved clan!” One of his demon dogs bark, and Megumi quickly walks towards you, grabbing the back of your head.

You let out quite an embarrassing squeak as he tilts your head forward, carefully carding through your hair, searching for any remnants of where you’d plunged your knife, but all he can find is a thin scar. You clear your throat, and he looks down to see the crown of your head resting against his chest. Megumi flushes, and quickly takes a step back. The veil around the building starts to fall away, and you give him a short nod before starting to walk out of the building.

Gojo and Ijichi greet you outside, and you fall into a bow, before expectantly looking up at your teacher, awaiting his evaluation. Much to your surprise, he turns his head to look at Megumi, a small smirk on his face.

”What did you think Megumi? She good?”

You eagerly look towards him, and he meets your gaze, slightly stunned. ”Uhm, she was good, yeah,” he says, a small flush on the tips of his ears. ”A bit risky, but nothing that can’t be solved with some training.”

You grin. ”Ah, but that's where you’re wrong Megumi!” You think you see Gojos eyebrows raising in the corner of your eye, but you continue.

”I’m great at risk management, and I’m decent at using Reverse Cursed Technique. I just wanted to show off,” you say, putting your hands behind your back.

Gojo laughs, and Megumi scoffs, turning his face away. You look back at Gojo, small smile playing on your lips.

”Any tips for me Gojo?” ”Not right now, no. Obviously some some general training, regular and Jujutsu, will do you nothing but good, but that’s what you're here for,” he says, smiling.

You nod, giving him a short bow, before he stands up and places one hand on your shoulder and one on Megumis.

”Now, my dear students, I’m afraid I have some business to attend to, so I’ll get going, and Ijichi will give you a ride back to school!” Gojo says, as a car pulls up behind you. He gets in quickly, yelling ”Bye for now!” before the car speeds off.

You blink a few times, before looking to Ijichi, who stands up and falls into a quick bow, before guiding Megumi and you to his parked car.

As the two of you sit in the backseat, Ijichi hums along to the classical music playing on the radio. You lean your head back against the headrest, turning to look at Megumi.

”You don’t have to let me call you by your first name y’know? I was just teasing. I don’t mind if you want me to stop,” you mention quietly. He hums. ”’s fine. I don’t mind if you want to. Just not very used to it.” ”Hey, what if I tell you all about my cursed technique in exchange?” ”You don’t have to. I shouldn’t have pried, and technically you earned it fair and square. We shook on it and everything.”

You let out a small laugh. ”Well, I don’t mind telling you if you want to know. As you said, it’s not a secret. I don’t have one of those binding vows either so you don’t have to worry about me beating you up,” you say with a smile, and he looks at you, scoffing.

”Besides,” you continue, meeting his gaze. ”It might be advantageous if we are going to work together,” you repeat his words from earlier, grinning. ”Fine, if you wanna tell me that badly,” he says, and you think you can see the ghost of a smile across his lips. You laugh. ”Oh, you don’t know how many secrets I want to spill to you Megumi.”

You sit up straight, adjusting your seatbelt, before leaning back again.

”So you already know that the gist of it is Wound Transfer, but there are three types I can do,” you tell him, holding up three fingers.

”First is Foxglove, the one I did earlier. It transfers a self inflicted wound to my enemy. I have to have a good view of the place on it’s body that I’m transfering the wound to, and it has to be an equivalent to where the wound is on my own body,” you finish, folding down one of your fingers as he nods.

”Second one is Nightshade, which lets me transfer back wounds that the enemy has inflicted on me. As long as I can see whoever inflicted the wound, all I need to do place my hand on my wound and it’ll come back to bite them in the ass."

”Last is Lavender, which lets me transfer wounds from other people to myself,” you say, folding down the last finger you were holding up, and crossing your arms. ”More of a supportive skill, which is also when my Reversed Cursed Technique comes most in handy.”

”Obviously a lot of it depends on how bad the wound is and how strong my enemy is, but those are the basics.”

You turn towards Megumi with a grin on your face. ”Any questions?”

”No domain?” Megumi asks, and you nearly let out an awkward laugh at the bluntness. ”Not yet, no. I have an incomplete one, but it’s messy and I don’t really know how to best utilize it.” ”Any specific reason for the technique names?” ”Nope. It’s different for everyone, kinda just comes to you instinctively as the varying techniques manifest. Pretty sure my brothers ones are named after old battleships or something, plus his are way more offensive than mine.”

”Yours are flowers right?” His voice is softer this time, and you smile, humming. ”Yep! Foxglove and nightshade are both poisonous, hence why the abilities that do damage are named after them, and lavender is known to have a calming effect so it makes sense for the support ability.”

”Do you have a favourite flower?” he asks quietly, and you look up at the car roof, missing how a small blush rises on his cheeks. ”I don’t know really,” you think out loud. ”Maybe lupines or peonies. I don’t really like roses though, I always hurt my hands on them while helping my dad at his flower shop, plus they’re way too cliché,” you conclude, turning your head back to look at Megumi.

”What about you?” His eyes widen slightly at your question, and you give him a smile. ”Haven’t really thought about it,” he mutters. ”Maybe lillies.”

You hum.

”Lillies are nice.”

======

— (2018 : November)

It’s almost like an out of body experience. You feel yourself drop into a low, messy, shapeless squat. It’s distant.

”What the fuck?”

You fall down to your knees, and it’s even more distant than before.

”What the fuck?”

You look towards him, and instead of the calm, stoic visage that usually greets you, it’s crazed. Manic almost. You lean forward, almost beginning to crawl towards him.

”’gumi?”

His face breaks into a grin and a shiver runs down your spine. It’s not Fushiguro Megumi. No longer your Megumi. Ryoumen Sukuna greets you with a grin, and you think it might be the worst thing you’ve ever experienced in your life.

He’s speaking, but you can’t hear him. Your blood is rushing wildly in your ears. You want to do something, help in some way. Itadori is rushing towards him, and you go to reach out, to stand up, to fight. Fight for Japan, fight for Tokyo, fight for your friends. You need to fight for yourself and you need to fight for-

”I need to help him,” you mumble. ”I need to help my ’gumi.”

Without even realizing it, you find yourself on your feet again. You take a small step forward, before you feel a hand on your shoulder.

”You should go.”

Makis voice shakes you, and nothing is distant anymore. It’s all real and you despise the fact that it is. You turn to face her, and she moves her hand from your shoulder to your face. She’s rubbing your cheek, and you’re stunned for a second before you realize she’s wiping tears you didn’t even notice were falling.

”Please leave it to Itadori and I.” ”You’ll bring him back to me?” ”If it’s the last thing I do.”

You let out a shaky breath, and Maki nods, before quickly squeezing your cheek and launching herself into battle. Someone is grabbing your wrist, starting to pull you away from the scene. You’re distant again, but you guess it’s Ijichi or Nitta, or perhaps some manager you haven’t met before. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. You allow yourself to be pulled away from it all, choosing to put your trust in Maki and Itadori.

You sit, curled up against a wall, trying to process what just happened, and one of the only things you can think is how much you fucking hate Ryoumen Sukuna. Wrath, rage, anger, and every other synonym you could think of, it’s all bubbling deep in your gut. You’re frustrated. It feels like a waste, harboring all this borderline primordial anger inside you, and not even fighting with it.

Realistically, you know you couldn’t, but you feel like a single slap imbued with your cursed energy would be able to kill Sukuna right now. You try to calm down, taking deep breaths, walking through what happened, and what you want to happen next. What you need to happen next. Everything feels stuck between too distant and too close.

You’d called him yours, you realize. He wasn’t. Isn’t. You lean your head back against the wall, thinking back to before it all went to shit. Before Shibuya. Maki and Nobara- Nobara. You sigh, and feel tears start to fall again. You don’t bother to reach up and wipe them, resigning to let them fall. You deserve to cry, you think.

You want to travel in time. Kill that bastard Kamo Noritoshi, make sure Sukuna doesn’t spread his nasty fingers everywhere. Or at the very least, spend more time with your friends, tell your Megumi you wish you were his.

You fight to relax, thinking back to that night when Maki and Nobara had invaded your room, Maki taking a seat on your desk chair, while Nobara settled on your bed, placing her legs across your own. You had looked at the two of them with bewildered eyes, only being met with a small grin from Maki, and a knowing smirk from Nobara.

— (2018 : September)

”You like him don’t you?” Nobara asks, cutting through the silence. You sputter, heat warming your cheeks. ”What the hell are you talking about?” Maki laughs. ”She totally likes him.” You huff. ”The two of you are, for sure, delusional. I’ve done nothing to imply I like Megumi.”

They both burst out laughing, and your eyes widen, realizing your mistake. ”Fuck,” you mumble, pulling your legs up and resting your forehead on your knees. The laughter dies down, and Nobara is shuffling closer to you, before she puts her arm around your shoulders.

”Don’t worry. It’s sweet,” she says, and you hear the smile in her voice.

”Who else knows? Am I really that obvious?”

Maki hums. ”Inumaki probably knows, he’s good at reading people after all. I wouldn’t worry about it though, as long as Megumi and Itadori don’t realize you’re probably in the clear.”

Your head snaps up, a look of horror on your face.

”Gojo,” you mumble. Maki presses her lips together, trying not to laugh again. Nobara doesn’t have the same selfcontrol. She lets out a small laugh, before slapping her hand over her mouth. You groan.

”Fuckin’ Gojo,” you sigh. ”He knows for sure, dumb Six Eyes.” Another laugh bursts out from under Nobaras palm. ”Probably why he keeps putting Megumi and you on missions together, matchmaking his students like a freak,” Maki thinks out loud.

”Makes sense,” Nobara chimes in. ”Last week, Itadori dragged me with him to ask Gojo why he never got to go on missions with Fushiguro anymore, and all Gojo did was laugh, before shushing us and throwing us out of his office. Probably would’ve winked if he wasn’t wearing that blindfold.”

”For all we know he did wink under the blindfold,” you mumble, starting to smile. Maki lets out a short laugh, and you feel Nobara shake with silent laughter next to you. You lean your head back against the wall, and look towards Maki. She meets your gaze and tilts her head with a small smile.

”We won’t tell anyone, so you don’t have to worry,” she says. You hum. ”I know. I trust you guys. I’m just worried that Megumi knows but doesn’t know how to tell me he doesn’t like me back or something.” ”If I’m being real, Fushiguro probably doesn’t have a clue,” Nobara muses, ”Like, he’s a teenage boy. Do they ever have a clue?” ”Well Maki said that Inumaki knows,” you retort quickly. ”I said probably, not definetly,” Maki teases. ”Don’t take my word for it. I doubt he would do anything about it anyways.” ”He’s not gonna cursed speech you into confessing,” Nobara laughs. You whine into your hands. ”Stop…”

Nobara keeps laughing, rubbing your shoulder. ”It’s okay. You can always ask us for advice y’know?” ”As if either of you have any experience with romance,” you huff. Maki laughs, and Nobara squeaks in offense.

”I’ve read plenty of shoujo mangas excuse you!” ”So have I,” you roll your eyes. ”Besides, I don’t even know if I want to confess or anything. Feels risky.”

You don’t want to ruin the friendship the two of you share. You don’t want the possibility of rejection. You don’t want the chance of dying on the job to become even scarier, for you or for him.

Nobara and Maki share a knowing gaze at your sudden silence. Maki stands up and goes to sit on the bed with Nobara and you, and she places a hand on your head. ”We’re not saying you have to, or even that you should. Just wanted you to know we’re here for you,” she says softly.

You hum. ”I know. Thank you, love you.” Maki huffs, and Nobara hugs you tightly. ”Love you too,” Nobara mutters against your neck. You wave your arm, urging Maki to join in on the hug. She does, and you hum happily.

”I know you’re not even dating, but if he ever hurts you, I’ll fucking kick his ass,” she mumbles close to your ear, and you laugh.

— (2018 : November)

The way you’re snapped back into the present is all too abrubt. You laugh now too, except this time it’s bitter and hurt. You’re still not dating, and she’s kicking his ass anyways.

======

— (2018 : December)

It’s Christmas Eve, and instead of being home with your family, you’re watching a livestream of your teacher beating the shit out of the boy you have a crush on. You know it’s technically not Megumi, but as much as you keep telling yourself that, it doesn’t shake the feeling of rocks in your chest and tightness in your throat.

You’re not really listening to what everyone around you is saying, not even really listening to the livestream that you can't seem to tear your eyes away from.

You feel like time is going one billion times slower than usual. It’s hard to keep up with what’s going on, Domain Expansion after Domain Expansion, Reverse Cursed Techniques, Shikigamis. At your core, you have high understanding and knowledge about all of these techniques, despite not weilding all of them yourself, but in the moment it all goes over your head.

You fumble after the bottle of green tea you brought, not wanting to look away from the multitude of screens. After a second or two of feeling around next to your chair, the bottle finds itself in your hands. You go to take a sip, but someone else is gripping the bottle tightly, and you look to the person next to you.

Itadori gives you a tense smile as he pulls the bottle out of your loose grip and holds it towards you. You look at him, unmoving.

While you would consider yourself friends, you’re not super close with Itadori, and you can’t deny that its been a tough few weeks without Nobara or Megumi by your side. Maki has been there for you of course, but you feel a sort of obligation to do your best to stick close to Itadori, as the two present first-years.

Itadori stretches his arm, holding the bottle out closer to you. It forces you out of your thoughts, and you give him the warmest smile you can muster, before taking the bottle from him.

”Thank you Itadori,” you say quietly, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere in the room. ”No worries,” he replies. ”And you can call me Yuuji by the way. If you want.” You smile, the warmth slightly more natural than before. ”Thank you Yuuji.”

The two of you turn back to watch the stream, and after a few minutes you feel yourself begin to space out. It’s exhausting just to look at and while you know deep in your bones that Gojo Satoru is The Strongest, you can barely fathom how he’s still fighting as if he’s having the time of his life. On the surface, it looks effortless, but if you look closer you can see the exhaustion pumping in his veins.

You don’t really dare to look at Sukuna, afraid of what seeing Megumis body like that could do to your mind.

It keeps going, and you’re afraid it’s never going to end. There are less Domain Expansions, less Hollow Purples and Spiderwebs, but it still feels like it could go on forever. Yet, all of a sudden, the room goes silent, and you shake your head, forcing yourself to focus on the screens.

Sukuna is down on his knees, and you let out a gasp. Gojo is standing in front of him, thumb placed lightly on his browbone. He’s saying something, you realize, but you can’t hear what. Before you can even think to speculate, a bright light takes over, and you squint. You’re confused, but it finally hits you.

Jacobs Ladder.

The light is overpowering for the 5 or so seconds it’s there, and you hold your breath. As it fades, you inch closer to the screens.

Fushiguro Megumi is lying on the ground, and Gojo Satoru is crouched next to him. You see Gojos head tilt back and forth, before he turns and looks into the eyes of one of Meimeis crows.

With a simple wink and a thumbs up, you swear that Gojo Satoru has saved the entire world. Your entire world.

======

— (2019 : January)

It’s all over, yet it’s still only the beginning. You’ve been standing in front of Megumis door for almost five minutes, trying to listen for any signs of activity in the room. It’s deathly silent, and it makes your hands shake. The small bag of snacks and drinks you’ve bought rustles from the movement, and it shakes you from your stupor.

You’ll knock, and if you don’t get a reply you’ll just come back another time, you decide. Having steeled yourself, you knock carefully on the door to his dorm room, cautious of waking him up in case he was resting.

”Come in.”

His voice is raspy. Not in a comforting, well rested way, but in a sickly, deeply exhausted way. It shakes you to your core, and you almost regret coming here in the first place. You feel tears gather in the corners of your eyes, before you shake them away and open the door. You step in, before reaching back and closing the door behind you.

”Hey.”

The raspiness of his voice is almost worse now that there isn’t a door between you, but you’ve promised yourself to try your best to not make him feel worse than he surely already does. You can’t meet his eyes yet. You feel his gaze on you, and it’s almost killing you, but you’re not ready. Not ready to see if anything has changed.

”Hiya Megumi,” you say, doing your best to give him a comforting smile without really looking at him. ”I’ve brought snacks!” You wave the little bag in your hand.

As he slowly shuffles up on the bed to rest his back against the wall, you take a few steps closer, stopping near the edge of his bed. You see that he’s sitting with his legs crossed under the sheets, and you let out the smallest sigh of relief, but it barely chips away at the massive ball of worry in your heart.

”Ah, uhm, where should I sit?” you mumble, mostly to yourself, looking around, but still avoiding his face.

”You can sit on the bed if you want,” he offers, and you freeze. It feels like you stand there for an entire ice age before he speaks up again, quieter this time. ”Why won’t you look at me?”

The bag you’re holding falls to the floor, and you go down with it. The bottle of cold green tea you brought for yourself rolls out of the bag and hits your knee. Your head falls to rest at the edge of the bed and you feel your tears starting to fall, soaking the sheets beneath you.

”I’m sorry ’gumi, ’m so sorry,” you sob. ”I’m scared, I don’t want anything to be different, I want you to be okay, and I don’t know if I can handle seeing you not be okay.”

You feel a hand being placed on the crown of your head, before he starts to scratch at your scalp.

”You don’t have to be sorry.”

The two of you stay like that for a moment, words hanging in the air, his hand resting on your head. After a minute or two, you raise your head and place your chin where your forehead was resting. Your eyes are squeezed shut, and you take a deep breath. He places his thumb between your eyebrows and rubs out the furrows, making you relax and lean into him.

”Promise me you’re okay?” you mumble. ”I promise,” he whispers back.

You open your eyes, and meet his gaze for the first time in weeks. He smiles at you, and you feel like the world has stopped.

”Fuck. ’m gonna cry again,” you mumble, crossing your arms before resting them beneath your cheek on the edge of the bed. Megumi lets out a short laugh, before continuing to gently scratch across your scalp. ”’s okay. I’ll be here.”

You sit like that for a few minutes while Megumi runs his fingertips across the nape of your neck, down to your shoulder, and back again. It’s sleep inducing, but you blink a few times and go to pick up what you dropped earlier.

”I feel stupid now. Came here to take care of you but made you take care of me instead,” you say while picking up the bag and your bottle of green tea.

”I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I brought a bit of everything,” you mumble, placing the contents of the bag on his nightstand, before shuffling over to take a seat on the right side of the bed and resting against the wall.

He hums. ”Anything that’s not liquid food will be like a gourmet dinner.” Your eyes widen. ”Ah fuck, are you even allowed to eat stuff like this yet?” ”Yeah yeah, Ieiri said it was fine.”

You nod, starting to fiddle with your bottle of green tea. As Megumi looks through what you placed on the nightstand, you pull your legs to your chest and rest your head on your knees. He looks tired, you think. It’s not surprising, but it still makes your heart hurt.

He picks out a bottle of water and the box of ginger candy. A small smile graces your face as he turns back to meet your gaze. The evening sun shines through the window, illuminating his face. His skin is slightly dull, his hair is greasy and his eyes are glassy. Of course you hope and wish he’ll get better, but you can’t really find it in yourself to mind. As long as he’s still here, nothing else matters to you.

You know he’s still hurting, physically and mentally. You’re sure, because you are also hurting, and what Megumi went through has to have been worse than what you went through. It’s not a competition, but even if it was, it’s not one you’d win. It’s just a fact.

You’re mostly unharmed from Shibuya and the Culling Games, biggest injuries a broken ankle and some transferred wounds, all of which you’d healed decently on your own with your Reversed Cursed Technique.

You’re hurting mentally of course, the loss of friends, teachers and mentors weighing deep on your heart, but you know Megumi went through all of that and more.

”You’re sure you’re okay?” you ask quietly, slightly scared of hearing the answer. ”I’ll survive. Ieiri did a great job.”

You nod. You’d often been on standby outside of her office, as one of the very few sorceres capable of Reversed Cursed Technique on others, ready to take over the rigourus healing that had to be done, in case she would need a break.

You’re glad she could handle the hard work on her own, instead letting you work with Gojo and Nobara, helping them along while their bodies naturally recuperated. You’re unsure if you would’ve been able to deal with the burden, not only of using Reversed Cursed Technique that diligently, but also using it on a gravely injured Megumi.

”Uhm, how are you, you know, mentally?”

He pauses, and you panic.

”You don’t have to talk about it of course! Just, I’m here if you do want to.”

Megumi sighs, resting his head in his hand, before speaking up. ”It’s hard. It’ll be hard for a while I think, but…” he swallows.

”Tsumiki would’ve wanted me to keep going.”

You nod, reaching your hand out. An offering of comfort, should he want it. Megumi grips your hand tightly, and you give his hand a squeeze before starting to rub his knuckles.

”Besides, I have certain things that I need to keep living for,” he says quietly, almost so that you need to strain yourself to hear it. He squeezes your hand, and you squeeze back.

Heat rises to your cheeks at even the idea, the possibility, that he could be talking about you, but the slightly more pessimistic and perhaps reasonable voice in your head tells you that he’s probably talking about you and your classmates, as a package deal, or perhaps about continuing to work as a sorcerer and helping others, or maybe he’s just reiterating what he just said about Tsumiki.

Your gaze drops to your intertwined hands, and you sigh.

”I’m really glad you’re still here Megumi.” ”I am too.”

======

— (2019 : March)

As you walk through the campus, you think back to your graduation ceremony last year. It’s warmer this time, and small buds of pink have started appearing on the trees. Yuuji’s almost skipping next to you, talking excitedly about some manga volume that’s releasing soon.

You try your best to listen and actually pay attention, but you’re finding it hard to focus. You know you should feel bad, and you kind of do, but you can’t really find it in yourself to think about anything other than the fact that you desperatly want to talk to Megumi.

You’re unsure if Yuuji knows about your massive schoolgirl crush, but you’re slightly scared of talking to him about it considering that he’s not exactly famous for being great at keeping secrets. As you keep going back and forth with yourself in your mind, you somehow zone back in, and start actually listening to Yuuji.

”-so I’m like super hyped for the next volume, ’cuz the arc is supposed to be like really good, but I feel so impatient, I don’t wanna wait another two weeks for it to come out, I want to read it now, and I could read it online, but I feel like it’s a different thing to read it physically in the actual volume, y’know?” Yuuji finishes his monolouge, enthusiasm obvious from just looking at him. You count yourself lucky that you heard enough to formulate an actual answer.

”Yeah, I get your point about the special feeling of reading it physically,” you nod, before continuing. ”I mean ultimately it’s up to you to decide if you feel like it might be worth it to wait. If it’s as good as you think it will be, you’ll definetly be glad you waited, but on the other hand, if it doesn’t live up to your expectations, it might feel frustrating to have, like, gone around and waiting for it with minimal payoff.”

Yuuji groans, and clings onto your shoulders. ”Why can’t you make the descision for me?” he complains, and you let out a small huff. ”You know I’m absolutely shit at making descisions unless it’s life or death scenarios Yuuji.” ”But this is life and death!” he exclaims, and you roll your eyes. ”It’s manga,” you deadpan. ”If you actually wanted helpful advice you know you should’ve gone to someone else,” you say, wriggling out of his grasp.

As Yuuji once again begins to ramble about the pros and cons of his two options, you spot Nobara and Megumi by the vending machines.

Nobaras hair is longer and her roots have grown out, upkeep forgotten while she was in her coma. Her right eyesocket is scarred but uncovered. She only just woke up the other week, and every single time you’ve seen her since, you’ve felt pride drip through every single vein in your body. You’re overjoyed she was able to make it to graduation, and from the look on her face, she is too.

Now fully committed to ignoring Yuuji, you walk quickly towards the vending machines.

”Nobara!” you call out, waving your hand. She turns to look at you, wide smile on her face. As you approach, she pulls you into a hug.

It’s suffocating but you can’t find it in yourself to complain. It’s not the first time you’ve seen her this month, this week, or even this day, but the finality of the occasion seems to have made the two of you more sentimental than usual.

You give her a final squeeze before letting go, as Yuuji catches up to you, putting his arm around Megumis shoulders.

”I’m proud of us,” Nobara says, as you lean your head against her shoulder.

Yuuji nods solemnly. ”Definetly the coolest first years in the history of Jujutsu Tech,” he says, before grabbing your arm, pulling you to stand next to Megumi, as he takes your spot next to Nobara. You raise your eyebrows at him in an unspoken question, but he only grins. You shrug, putting your hands behind your back.

”Well, we’re second years now, technically,” Megumi says, and a wide smile spreads on your face. ”Free from Gojo at last!” you exclaim. ”Kusakabe won’t know what hit him.”

Yuuji and Nobara join in on your excitement, while Megumi only grumbles.

”Just a bit longer for you ’gumi! You can do it,” you say with a smile. ”You make it sound like I’m being held back a year or something,” he replies with a frown. Nobara grins at the opportunity presented to her.

”Poor Fushiguro,” she says wiping fake tears from her eye. ”Too stupid for his own good.”

Yuuji bursts out laughing, clinging to Nobara, and Megumi simply rolls his eyes.

”Ah, by the way, can I talk to you?” Megumi mumbles close to your ear, as Yuuji and Nobara begin an animated discussion about vending machine snacks. You smile at the two of them, before looking up at Megumi. ”Sure! Here, or…?”

He shakes his head and grabs your hand, before starting to walk towards a secluded spot on campus, beneath a small white jasmine tree.

What neither of you see as you walk away, are the grins on Yuujis and Nobaras faces.

”Fuckin’ finally eh?”

”I know right!”

As you and Megumi stop underneath the jasmine tree, you take a seat on the small stone bench, looking up at him.

”So? What did you want to talk about?”

While Megumi is usually quite reserved and silent, his current hesitance feels almost uncharacteristic. After a quiet few seconds he speaks.

”Uhm, can you close your eyes? Please?”

You raise your eyebrows in confusion. The tips of his ears are red, and he’s refusing to meet your eyes.

”Are you trying to prank me or something? Did Panda put you up to this? Hakari?” ”It’s not… I’m not trying to prank you. Please close your eyes.” ”Yeah yeah, whatever you want ’gumi.”

You close your eyes and lean your head back, and Megumi lets out a sigh of relief. As calm as he has tried to appear, he’s not sure he could’ve done this if you were looking at him.

Taking a breath, he quickly pulls off the second button of his uniform, before crouching in front of you.

”Gimme your hand please,” he mumbles, and you obey, holding out your right hand, leaning to grip the edge of the bench with your left.

You feel Megumi place something in your open hand, before he closes your hand into a fist, pushing it back towards you.

”Can I open my eyes now?” you question, and Megumi hums.

As you open your eyes, they widen in surprise at the sight of Megumi crouched in front of you, and squint as they fall to his uniform. You look back and forth between your closed hand, and the place where his second uniform button should be, as heat gathers in your cheeks.

Megumi still won’t meet your gaze, and he’s flushed from the tips of his ears to the tip of his nose. The lower half of his face is hidden under his collar. You clench your hand, trying to feel for the shape of whatever Megumi gave you. Of course, you have an idea, a wish, a hope for what it might be, but you don’t dare to be sure.

”Uhm… can… can I open my hand too?” you ask quietly, and Megumi gives you a short nod, finally meeting your gaze.

Nervousness, hope, worry, warmth, admiration, self conciousness, and maybe even affection, you think, you hope. His eyes are flooding with emotion, and you’re drowning in them. In him.

You tear your eyes from his, looking down at your closed fist. Giving the small object one final squeeze, before opening your hand. A small golden button is resting in the middle of your palm, and you pick it up, running your thumb over it.

You look back up at Megumi, and he’s meeting your gaze, flush still high on his cheeks. Without tearing your eyes from his, you pull off your own uniforms second button, before leaning forward and pressing it to Megumis heart. His eyes widen, and his heart is beating rapidly under your palm. You smile.

”I’ll sew it to your uniform if you want,” you mumble, and you feel his heartbeat quicken, before he reaches up to grip your hand, taking the button from you.

”I’d like that,” he says.

======

— (2019 : October)

”What’s wrong?”

The voice bursts your bubble, and you lean into Megumi as he drapes himself over you where you stand. You turn to face him, leaning your back against the balcony railing.

”Mm, nothing. Just feeling melancholy.” He hums and proceeds to bury his face in the crook of your neck.

”Anything I can do to help?” he offers, and you smile. Smile at the care that’s almost dripping from his voice, smile at the way he makes your heart light up, smile at the simple phrase, offered for such an unsimple problem.

You press your ear against his neck, listening for his pulse. A steady beat is pumping under his skin, and you let out a small sigh.

”D’you believe in destiny ’gumi?” ”Kind of? Why?” ”Kid on my last mission. He’d been paralyzed in Shibuya, and now he was being haunted by two Second Grades.”

You wrap your arms around Megumis waist, pulling him closer to you.

”It sounds fucking awful, but it made me wonder if he was meant to die in Shibuya, and the curses now was just destiny coming to finish the job. And me coming to help has just prolonged the inevitable.”

You swallow, tears stinging your eyes.

”I know it sounds stupid, and I feel like an idiot for even thinking this way, but I can’t help it. Makes me feel nauseous.”

Megumi straightens up, pulling you with him and placing your head to rest against his chest.

”I think… destiny is only good things,” he mumbles, kissing the crown of your head. ”That boy surviving Shibuya, you coming to save him now. Me surviving Sukuna, Nobara surviving Mahito. Us meeting, and still being here. ’s all destiny.”

You rest your chin against his chest, and he leans down, kissing you lightly.

”Whatever happened that led up to it, or whatever happens afterwards, the only destined things are the good ones,” he mumbles against your lips, and you hum before kissing him.

”Thank you ’gumi.” ”You feel better?” ”Mm, little bit. ’s a hard job, and it’s always going to be, but having you definetly helps.” ”’m glad.”

======

— (2020 : July)

It’s summer break, and you’re sitting on the train back home to Hakodate, Megumi by your side. You’re holding his hand, rubbing his knuckles with your thumb.

”Y’know, when I first left for Tokyo, my friend Natsue told me to bring back a handsome Tokyo boy,” you tease, looking up at him. A blush rises on his cheeks, and you see him fighting to hold back a smile. ”Told her I’d try my best, but it seems like I really hit the jackpot.”

He lets out a short laugh, before placing a quick kiss on the crown of your head.

”Do they know about us?” he asks, mumbling into your hair. You rest your forehead against his shoulder before replying. ”Mm, not really. My family knows I’m bringing my boyfriend,” you smile, before continuing. ”But they don’t know who you are. I was more cryptic with my friends though, figured they’d like the surprise.”

Megumi hums, before leaning back in his seat. You rest your head against his shoulder, and he reaches up to play with your hair.

”Bet my family is gonna love that I managed to snag the head of the Zen’in clan for myself,” you joke quietly, and he scoffs. You both know that the Zen’in clan, and the power it had, is as good as gone, and even if it wasn’t, neither Megumi nor you would want anything to do with it.

”Do you think you would’ve liked me if I was raised a Zen’in?” he asks, and you hum. ”Probably not. Would’ve liked your face still, obviously,” you snicker, bumping the top of your head into his cheek. ”Say what you will about Gojo, but he definetly has better principles than the Zen’ins.” ”Mm, true.” ”I can’t even imagine you like that,” you ponder. ”Feels like you were born to be kind.”

He huffs, before resting his head against yours.

”Don’t know if I am though.” ”Kind?” you ask, and he nods, the movement slightly hindered by the position of your heads. You hum.

”I think you are. Maybe not in the conventional or traditional way, but it’s clear that you have care and kindness somewhere in your dark little heart,” you jest, poking your finger against his chest. ”At least to me.” He hums, before letting out a small sigh.

He presses another kiss to the crown of your head, as if he’s doing his best to force the affection into your skull.

”I love you,” he mutters, but you hear it clear as day, as if everything else in the world paused, just for the two of you.

You stiffen in surprise, despite the fact that you know you love him, and you’ve been pretty sure he loves you too for months now. Your head shoots up, and Megumi lets out a small grunt of pain at your head banging in to his chin.

”Ah fuck, ’m sorry,” you exclaim, before looking away in embarrasment. ”No worries,” he replies, the smile on his face audible in his voice. ”Uhm, me too by the way. Love you.”

He hums, before pulling your head back to rest against his shoulder, and beginning to run his fingers through your hair.

”I know,” he says, and you let out a small whine, feeling more flustered than you ever have in your entire life. ”’s unfair,” you mumble. ”You can’t be the one who confesses and the one who says ’I love you’ first.” You feel his body shake with silent laughter, before you sit up and turn towards him.

Determination in your eyes, you grab his chin and turn his face to face yours. The smile on his face is light, but it warms up your entire body as if it’s the sun. You tighten your hold on his chin, pulling him closer to you and his smile only widens.

”I love you, Fushiguro Megumi,” you say, and he leans closer to you. ”I love you too,” he mumbles against your lips, before he kisses you.

It’s definetly not your first kiss, and you sure hope it won’t be the last, but it feels different to anything you’ve experienced before. You hum, and lean further into him, moving your hand from his chin to the back of his neck, pushing him closer to you. You feel him smile against your lips before he deepens the kiss, sending a shiver up your spine.

It’s electric in a way you can’t explain, and a small voice in the back of your head is telling you that you should be ashamed that you’re doing this on public transport, before it’s quickly silenced by Megumi sweeping your hair away behind your ear and cupping your face. You pull away, just slightly, to catch your breath. As you lean in to resume what he started, the train speaker sparks to life.

”Now arriving at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station.”

You freeze, before bursting into laughter. The smile on Megumis face has turned from what you could only describe as lovestruck, to one dripping in cynicism. ”Come on then lover boy,” you tease, eyebrows raising at the way his ears turn red in response to the pet name. You smirk, before patting him on the shoulder.

”I’m serious, up. You need to get our bags from the overhead compartment.” He huffs, and you snort. ”Shouldn’t have grown tall if you didn’t want to deal with the consequences.” ”Yeah yeah,” he mutters, before standing up and pulling down your suitcases. You stand up as well, gripping the handle of your suitcase, before leaning in and giving him a short peck on the lips. ”Thank you ’gumi.” He mumbles something you can’t hear in reply, and you walk towards the doors of the train, Megumi following closely behind.

As you walk out of the station, going to find your fathers car, you grab Megumis hand and look up at him. ”Can’t believe you kissed me like that on public transport,” you say, giddyness evident in your voice. ”’s like you’re a whole new person.” ”What can I say,” he starts, and you can tell from the tone of his voice that he’s about to make a truly terrible joke. ”I guess love really changes a person,” he finishes, and you groan. He lets out a small laugh.

”You suck and that joke was awful.” ”Don’t care. You still love me.” ”Somehow I still do.”

You’re out in the parking lot now, and you keep your eyes peeled for your father and his car. Megumi is loosely holding onto your hand, scrolling on his phone. You stand up on your tiptoes, the heels of your shoes slipping down, trying to get a better view of the parking lot, when you hear a familiar voice off to the side.

”Hello! You must be my daughters boyfriend. It’s nice to meet you!”

Your fathers voice shocks you, and you turn towards him, a look of horror on your face. Megumi on the other hand looks entirely unbothered, a polite smile on his face, already shaking hands with your father.

”Fushiguro Megumi. It’s a pleasure to meet you too Sir.” You almost laugh, pressing your lips together at the last second. Despite how your family looks from an outside perspective, they are in no way as uptight as most people assume.

”Bah, nonsense! Call me Hirotsugi” your father exclaims, and Megumi throws you a questioning glance. You give a small nod and smile, and Megumi nods as well. ”Very well then. Thank you for your hospitality, Hirotsugi,” he says, bowing. you actually do let out a short laugh when your father slams his hand down on Megumis shoulder and pulls him to stand upright. ”Truly, no need for all of that,” Hirotsugi says with a warm smile. ”You’re family after all.”

Your eyes widen, snapping between your father and Megumi. Hirotsugi looks unbothered, smile still on his face. Megumi looks at your father as if he’s sprouted a second head, blush high on his cheeks.

”Ah, uhm. Yes. Thank you again.” he falters, and you tighten your hold on his hand. Your cheeks are still burning, but you feel it is your duty to save your boyfriend from your fathers overzealous hospitality.

”Hello Father,” you say, pulling Megumi closer to you. ”Thank you for the warm welcome.” Your father simply laughs, pulling you into a hug. As he pats your head, muttering about how long it’s been since you’ve come home, you wheeze at how tightly he’s holding you, and quickly let go of Megumis hand so that his arm isn’t cramped between your father and yourself.

After some more pestering from your father, the three of you get into the car, and he drives you back to your home. Your grandmother and brother are standing on the porch as you arrive, and as soon as you get out of the car, Yukichi is pulling you into a hug.

He hadn’t been home while you visited for Christmas last year, having been called in last minute for a mission. At the time, it had pissed you off to no end, but the more reasonable part of you knows there is no one to blame.

”Long time no see!” he exclaims, rubbing his knuckles into your scalp. You wince, slapping against his face before he relents and lets you go.

Yukichi reaches his hand out to Megumi, and they shake hands, getting introductions out of the way. Your mother comes out onto the porch, and your father throws her a quick wave. As you’re walking up the driveway, your father ahead of you, Yukichi turns to your boyfriend, squinting in assessment.

”Say, Fushiguro, you got any sorcery family? You look kinda familiar.”

You turn to Megumi, raising your eyebrows, and he meets your eyes with an inscrutable expression on his face. Your mother and grandmother have gathered at the edge of the porch. Your entire family in earshot, you think you glimpse a smirk on Megumis face, and your eyes widen in anticipation as he speaks.

”Well, I’m the head of the Zen’in clan.”

His voice is as calm as ever, and you have to press your hand against your face to stop yourself from laughing. You swear that your entire family has stopped in their tracks, and your messenger bag falls of your shoulder as you squat down, laughter taking over your body.

Yukichi is the first one to be shaken from the daze, pulling you to your feet and wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

”That makes sense then! I used to see the Zen’ins at meetings and gatherings after all,” he rubs his chin before turning to you with a smirk you can only describe as evil. ”Never took my little sister for a gold digger!” ”Oh shut up Yukichi,” you laugh, slapping the back of his head. ”If this was 100 years ago you would've been overjoyed at this union of clans.”

Yukichi sticks his tounge out at you, and you roll your eyes.

”You’re almost thirty, grow the hell up.”

The rest of your family eventually unfreeze, your mother telling Yukichi and you to leave each other alone, your father pulling your suitcases into the house, and your grandmother observing it all with a calm smile on her face.

In the grand scheme of things, the rest of the day is rather uneventful.

Your family surround Megumi at the kotatsu, asking him any question they can think of, while you stand in the kitchen, chopping fruit and laughing silently to yourself every time any of them speak.

Your grandmother asks Megumi to assist her with dinner, and you stick your tounge out at him from the dinner table where you sit, playing chess with your brother.

”You like him a lot, huh?” Yukichi asks, moving his rook to close in on your knight. You frown before looking up at him. ”I love him. More than anything,” you say.

You look back down at the board, analyzing, before your eyes widen and a tiny smirk grows on your face. You think you hear Yukichi swear under his breath as he realizes his mistake.

Moving your bishop, you grin up at him.

”Checkmate.”

As your brother throws his head down against the table in defeat, you laugh.

You set the table as your grandmother finishes up dinner. Your mother is standing in the living room, pulling out photo albums from the book shelves. You groan.

”Can’t you at least wait a day before humiliating me in front of my boyfriend?” ”No can do! Did you know your grandfather brought my baby pictures to the restaurant where he met your father? It’s a family tradition my dear!”

Dinner is a joy, despite your brothers teasing, your mother shoving new embarrassing pictures at Megumi every opportunity she gets and your father spouting all the mortifying stories he can think of.

Your grandmother just smiles at you.

”He seems good for you,” she says quietly, and a tender smile grows on your face. ”He is. I can only hope that I’m good for him too.”

At your words, you feel Megumi squeeze your knee under the table, and your smile grows.

Dinner is finished, and tea is enjoyed in the garden. It’s a pleasant affair, calming and unwinding. You give Megumi an in depth tour of the flowers, and he holds your hand tightly the entire time.

It’s bedtime and you’re standing in the hallway, caging Megumi against the wall.

”’m sorry they’re making you sleep in the guest room,” you mumble, kissing him. He hums, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing your body closer to his own. ”’s fine. I’ll just sneak over later,” he whispers, and you let out a quiet laugh. ”You’ll have to wake up super early and sneak back though. My grandmother gets up at like five in the morning to check on everyone and start breakfast.”

Megumi kisses you with a smile, and it’s almost infectious.

”It’ll definetly be worth it.”

======

— (2022 : April)

You lay down on the couch, finally feeling like you can actually relax. Megumi sits down on the floor in front of the sofa, before leaning his head back to rest against your stomach. Purely on instinct, your hand falls down to run through his hair, and he hums, letting out a pleased sigh.

You graduated last month, and with some savings and help from your grandmother and Gojo, you and Megumi have your own little house in the outskirts of Tokyo. To say the realtor was surprised when two teenagers showed up, ready to pay out of pocket, would be an understatement.

”Proud of us,” you say, lifting up your torso to look at Megumi. ”It’s a fucking hassle to move, even more when it’s basically your entire life that you’re moving.” He turns his neck to meet your gaze, and gives you a smile. ”Must’ve been hard to drive down from Hakodate all on your own,” he hums, and you tilt your head. ”Eh, not really. Worst parts were my parents acting as if I’m dying and also being away from you for a week,” you say, grinning. He scoffs, but you hear the affection hidden underneath.

”I think we’re wildly codependent.” ”Mm, probably. Wouldn’t wanna be codependent with anyone else though.” ”Not even Nobara?” ”Maybe Nobara.”

He laughs, before rising from the floor and straddling you where you lay on the couch. You look up at him with nothing but adoration in your eyes.

”I love you.”

You say it at the same time, and as your eyes widen, Megumi lets out a short laugh.

”That was really cheesy ’gumi,” you huff, and he hums in agreement.

He pulls you up so you’re both standing on your knees on the couch, before resting his arms around your waist. You lean in, pressing a kiss to his lips, and he reciprocates with a smile. It’s short and sweet, and as you pull away you place your hands on his shoulders, before pushing him to lay down. Megumi obeys easily when it comes to you, you’ve noticed, and a smile graces your lips as you lean down to kiss him again. He sighs against you and you place a final peck on his lips before working your way down to his jaw.

You’re drunk on him, you realize. Even though it had only been a week since you saw him last, it’s like your tolerance nosedived.

”Want you so bad ’gumi,” you mumble against his jaw, before you start biting lightly at his skin, marking him up. You know you don’t need to, Megumis loyalty to you never questioned, but you still want tangible, irrefutable proof that he’s yours.

”Misssed you so much,” you whisper against his skin. He shudders. ”My ’gumi.” ”Missed you too my love,” he replies, head tilted back, his hands still on your waist.

”Do you want to? Now?” he asks quietly, and you pause.

It’s not the first time things have veered down this path between the two of you, but it feels different this time. You don’t know if it’s because of the time you’ve been apart or the sudden feeling of being grown up, but in this moment you feel like there’s nothing else you want more. You crave to be his, fully and wholly, and can only pray he wants the same.

”If you’ll have me,” you whisper against his lips. He kisses you, and you feel heat pool deep in your core. ”Always,” he mumbles.

His answer makes your entire body heat up, and you bury your face in the crook of his neck. You feel him laugh underneath you, before he presses a kiss to your shoulder. His hands migrate down to grip your hips as he speaks up.

”Bedroom?” he suggests, and you hum. Megumi kisses your neck, before sitting up, your body still firmly pressed against his. As you tangle your arms around his neck, he places your legs around his hips and stands up. You shriek in surprise, lightly slapping his back. He just chuckles, and you cling onto him tighly as he walks up the stairs to your shared bedroom.

”Show-off,” you mutter into his ear. ”Only for you my love.”

He brings you to the bedroom and lays you down on your shared bed with a kiss. It makes you giddy, the idea that the two of you won’t have to sneak around the halls of Jujutsu Tech late at night anymore, begging your friends to keep watch for patrolling teachers.

You lean back against the mattress, hair spread out against sheets. You gaze up at Megumi, adoration in your eyes. He looks down at you and you give him a shy smile, and he flushes. He buries his face against your chest before mumbling into your skin.

”You’re so beautiful.”

You smile, running your fingers through his hair.

”You’re not so bad yourself.”

Megumi runs his hands down your waist, fingers catching on the hem of your shirt, as he raises his head and looks at you. The question goes unspoken, but you nod regardless, and he slowly drags the fabric up your body.

You shuffle back as you undo the button on your jeans, while Megumi stands up, pulling off his own shirt.

The feeling of his eyes on you as you undress is nervewrecking, despite not being anything new. It’s always going to feel like this, you think. You hope. The feeling of his gaze, moving from your face to your chest, the curve of your hips, you. It’s intoxicating and intimidating at the same time.

The feeling of Megumis body against yours shakes you from your thoughts. There are no barriers between you as he hovers above you, leaning down for a kiss. Skin against skin. It’s warm. Overwhelming in the best way possible.

Your hips grind up against him and he groans. Deep and raspy. Healthy raspy. It makes you whine under your breath, and you tangle your fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.

”Need you,” you whisper, and Megumi stills, eyes focused on you. ”You have me.”

You smile.

”Need you now, please.” ”Ah, right away?” he asks quietly and you reach up, pulling him down to meet your lips. ”Been thinkin’ ’bout you all week ’gumi,” you mumble against him. Your eyes are earnest, and a deep flush covers his face.

He nods, more to himself than to you, before lining himself up and carefully pushing in. Megumi groans as he bottoms out inside you, and you sigh, angling your hips to meet his.

He rests his forehead against yours, your wide eyes meeting his lidded ones. ”Fuck,” he mumbles, pressing a kiss to your lips. ”You’re so gorgeous, love you so much.”

You whine, wrapping your arms around his waist as he hovers above you, elbows beside your head. He thrusts into you, and you inhale sharply. He pauses. ”’s okay Megumi. Feels good,” you whisper against his lips, and he hums, finding his rhythm once again.

Both of you fall silent, focused on the sensations of each other. The afternoon sun shines in through the window, falling across Megumis back, and you smile up at him.

”Y’look like an angel ’gumi. So pretty for me.”

His hips stutter at your words, and his head falls down to rest against the sheets next to yours. You let out a short laugh, turning your head to the side and pressing a kiss to his jaw.

He reaches down and underneath you, holding the small of your back, tilting your hips further up against him, before resuming his previous pace. Each thrust makes his hip bone grind against you, and each time you let out a sharp whine. Interlocking your ankles against his lower back, you press him further into you, before gasping and throwing your head back against the sheets.

It’s slow and silent, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. Megumi is practically laying on top of you, face buried in the crook of your neck, and you’re clinging to him, fingernails buried in his back, thighs tightly bracketed against his hips.

You could die like this, you think. Your emotions, the feeling of him, the feeling of your Megumi. It’s all encompassing. The slowness and silence has faded, exchanged to a sloppy softness, but you still wouldn’t change it for the world.

It’s by no means perfect, but in a way, doesn’t that make it perfect?

”Ah, ’m close ’gumi,” you gasp, and he hums. You feel the vibration against your lips. ”Me too. Wh… where should I…” ”You can, i… inside. If you want.”

Megumi kisses you, and the metaphorical bowstring of your back is pulled taut and released as you finish, slumping against the sheets. Not even a second later, you feel a gasp against your shoulder as cupids arrow, launched from your heart, strikes the bullseye, and a warmth floods your entire body.

You’re still clinging onto him, and he’s still engulfing you.

”Love you so much ’gumi.” ”I love you too.”

It’s quiet, wet, sloppy and hazy. You wouldn’t want it any other way.

=====

— (2023 : August)

You’re laying on your back in the grass in your small backyard, and Megumi is sitting crouched on the engawa, hidden under the roof.

The rain is pouring down, and you’re sure your clothes are going to have green stains after you take them off, but you can’t find it in yourself to care. Megumi seems to have given up on trying to get you to join him underneath the roof.

A serene smile graces your face as the rain falls on your eyelids. Lightning strikes in the distance and you count the seconds until thunder takes over the sky. A few minutes pass in silence.

”Do you want tea later?” Megumi calls out from his rainfree sanctuary. You throw up your arm, giving him a thumbs up. ”Green?” You raise your other arm, forming a small heart with your hands. You think you hear him laugh, and the smile on your face grows tender.

You lay there in the grass for maybe thirty minutes, rain washing over you, before you get up, taking slow steps towards the engawa.

Megumi is sitting there, towels and a bathrobe on one side, a tray with two cups and a teapot on the other.

”Maybe we’re like thunder and lightning,” you say as you sit down on one of the towels, wrapping yourself in the bathrobe. Megumi hums, urging you to continue, as he places the last handtowel on your head. ”They’re always together, no matter how far apart.” Megumi places a teacup in your hands, and you grip it tightly, pulling your knees to your chest. ”People always talk about the sun and the moon as romantic counterparts, but it’s impossible for them to be together,” you mutter before taking a sip of tea. ”Lightning and thunder always come together, and even if there’s time between when they happen, it all depends on the person experiencing it. While they might be eight seconds apart for some, if you’re close enough its almost simultaneous.”

”Who’s what then?” Megumi asks, indulging you. Not teasing, not judging. Curious. Fond. You pause, not to think, but to relish in the moment. An odd sense of calm has taken over you, and you think this might be the happiest you’ve ever been.

”Anyone else would probably say that you’re thunder and I’m lightning, but I think it’s the opposite.” Megumi rests his cheek against the top of your head, and you take another sip of your tea. ”You’re light, I think. My world always feels brightest when you’re around. I feel like I have a different kind of impact than you. A calming sort of finality, I guess.”

Megumi tilts your head towards him, and kisses you. The feeling of his lips against yours makes all the nerves in your body stand on edge, and you fumble to put down your teacup before putting one of your hands at the nape of his neck. It’s like you were hit by lightning you realize, before letting out a small laugh against his lips. He pulls away before falling back to lay down against the wood. You follow suit, curling up against him, resting your head on his chest. Rain continues to fall.

”I love you, my thunder.”

You snort, slapping his chest lightly.

”Don’t call me that ’gumi, that’s so corny.” ”You make me corny.” ”That was even cornier.” ”I know.”

”I love you too.”

======

— (2024 : May)

You’re sitting on the edge of the bed, Megumi draped over your back as you rub lotion into your feet. He gets clingy when he’s tired, but you’re not complaining.

”’re you done soon?” he mumbles into your hair, and you hum. The blisters from the new shoes you got last week are starting to heal, but it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful for the coming days. Once you’re satisfied, you reach around and place your hands on the back of Megumis neck, rubbing in the leftover lotion.

”Come on then lover boy, bed time,” you say, teasing lilt to your voice. Megumi is too tired to recognize it, and simply falls back onto the bed, waiting for you to join him. You let out a sigh as a small smile forms on your lips.

It’s sweet, you think, how after all these years he still waits for you to lay down on your back, before he shuffles up next to you, resting his head on your stomach and tangling his body between your legs. It’s rarely the position you wake up in, but its always the one you’ll fall asleep in.

As both of you lay down, you release a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding. Staring up at the ceiling and then back down at Megumi. Your Megumi. He presses a chaste kiss to your ribs, and your hand falls to rest on his head. As you start to gently scratch at his scalp, running your fingers through his hair, he hums, and you feel it vibrate against your skin.

”Good night ’gumi” ”G’night my love”

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #megumi fushiguro #jjk megumi #megumi x reader #fushiguro megumi x reader

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your-lovely-rose · 4 months

Text

“They’re cute” (Daki, Mukago & Nakime || Request by @cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme)

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Mature

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Romance

➥ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭: Fluff || Hurt/Comfort || Dark fic

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: ±9.5k || +12.1k || ±15.8k

𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭: 38 min. || 49 min. || 1h

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: (Ume) Daki // (Lower Rank 4) Mukago // (Biwa Demon) Nakime x Human!Reader

𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦: Kimetsu no Yaiba

⚠ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Minor death (suggested & mentioned), Eating people (mentioned)/dead bodies, Threats, Blood, Severe injuries on the body (not Reader), Misogyny, Desecration of a human corpse, Larvae and flies, Blood, Falling into madness, Mental problems, Muzan's goal (Spoiler for: Episode 34/Chapter 67), Presented the character's past (from "Kimetsu no Yaiba Official Fanbook: Kisatsutai Kenbunroku 2"), Forbidden Love/Mutual Pining || NOT EDITED

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: Before each story, I have included words that may cause readers difficulty. I tried to explain them in text, but if after reading something is still unclear then look there. I hope I've done good research and haven't misunderstood anything - if you have more knowledge on the subject, please correct me.

➵ “They’re cute” Part 2/2 (Nakime)

> (Ume) Daki Masterlist

> Mukago Masterlist

➻ Little dictionary:

Yūjo (遊女, lit. "Woman of pleasure") - common prostitutes, they could be found in brothels (hamirase).

Harimise (張見) - a kind of brothel, where sex workers lined up behind bars around 6 p.m. to attract potential customers.

Oiran (花魁, lit. "Leading flower" or "First flower", comes from the Japanese phrase: Oira no tokoro no nēsan (おいらの所の姉さん) which translates into "My elder sister") - is a collective term for the highest-ranking courtesans/prostitutes in Japanese. Unlike yūjo, in addition to their sexual services, they were artists and were expected to provide entertainment. They were highly skilled in the playing koto, shakuhachi, tsuzumi and shamisen (traditional Japanese instruments), igo (traditional Japanese board game), dance and poetry. They also had to learn from an early age classic Japanese, calligraphy, flower arranging (ikebana or kadō) and the tea ceremony (chadō). In addition, clients expected them to be knowledgeable in scholarly matters, and so it was essential that courtesans had the abilities to carry witty and intelligent conversation and write eloquently. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day.

Oiran dōchū (花魁道中, おいらん道中) - the impressive procession with which the oiran moved, surrounded by all the entourage and servants from their seirō. Example of oiran dōchū.

Maiko (舞妓) - is a young apprentice geisha in Kyoto. The equivalent of maiko in Tokyo is hangyoku.

Okāsan (お母さん, lit. "Mother") - that's how the courtesans called the owners of the brothels.

Seirō (青楼, "Green Houses") - refers to the yūkaku licensed pleasure quarters - specifically Yoshiwara. The place where they lived. The term seirō originated in Chinese to denote a pavilion in which a nobleman kept a mistress.

Chaya (茶屋, "Tea house") - oiran place to meet clients and work. To call an oiran, the customer must use a tea house as a mediator, but not just only ask the tea house, they had to spend a lot of money there beforehand. They had to prove that they had enough money and power to play with the oiran. Then, they had the right to call for an oiran.

Kanzashi (簪) - are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. The term kanzashi refers to a wide variety of accessories, including long, rigid hairpins, barrettes, fabric flowers and fabric hair ties. // Hana-kanzashi - are ornaments usually in the shape of flowers worn by maiko. Each month is assigned a different theme.

Kusudama (薬玉) - spherical ornament made of, among others, artificial flowers or paper (e.g. origami method). Sometimes long colored ribbons or threads are attached to it from the bottom. In ancient Japan, a kusudama was a bag filled with scented substances designed to scare away evil spirits and demons, mainly during the annual "Children's Festival" (Tango no Sekku or Ayame no Hi (Iris Festival)) on May 5. Today, this decoration is used during various ceremonies, such as the opening of a new store or restaurant. Sometimes it serves as a gift. Kusudamas is considered a precursor of modular origami.

Futon (布団) - traditional japanese bedding. It consists of a mattress (shiki-buton) and a duvet (kake-buton). Futons after taking out for the night from the wall cabinet (oshiire) are laid on tatami. After they are rolled up and put in the wardrobe in the morning, you gain free space in the room for the day, which can be used for other purposes.

Tatami (畳) - is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Because of the fact that they aren't cleaned, you cannot step on them with shoes/dirty feet.

Shōji (障子, しょうじ) - is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Shōji usually slide, but may occasionally be hung or hinged, especially in more rustic styles.

Kimono (着物, きもの, lit. "thing to wear") - is a traditional Japanese garment. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. Oiran wore multiple layers of silk kimono and her outfit sometimes weighed 20-30 kg (44-66 lb).

Genre: Romance || Fluff

Word count and reading time: ±9.5k (38 min.)

⚠ Warnings for this part of the request: Minor death (suggested), Eating people (mentioned), Threats, Misogyny, Forbidden Love/Mutual Pining,

Numerous lantern lights illuminated the streets of Yoshiwara revealing to many people a new face of Tokyo - which, because of their bright red color, was often called the Red Light District.

For some, it might have been associated with big, ripe fruit on the trees or the sunset after a beautiful day, but for you, it was associated with a woman’s red lipstick.

In the air there was a strong smell of various dishes and spices that could make you dizzy, as well as brewed green tea from chaya. The night was filled with the sounds of shamisen played by geisha for their audience in okiya, where all sorts of people gathered to rest with their charms, watching them dance, but you didn’t count among them.

Walking down a street full of harimise - brothels with a view inside through the bars, where a lots of prostitutes yūjo were sitting and urging you to visit them by their beautiful looks - and some shops, your eye hung on the colorful paper windmills and various richly decorated hair ornaments exhibited at the stalls.

Since it was still February you could mostly see the hana-kanzashi depicting plum blossoms for maiko. They were meant to remind us of the imminent arrival of spring and were replaced in March into bright yellow flowers of rapeseed and daffodil, pink peonies and peach flowers, as well as multicolored, delightful butterflies, when their true counterparts bloomed on the trees.

All the ornaments were shimmered from the metals they were made of. From gold and silver for the nobles, and brass for the common people. There were kanzashi with one spool, two; in the shape of combs, and many of them had red-pink petals attached to them. From a distance, they looked so real and fragile.

There were also those with white kusudama balls in different origami patterns giving off a strong, floral scent of perfume. To them below were attached long ribbons and threads blowing freely in the wind.

For a moment, you were wondering if you should buy something for her, but you immediately remembered that you have little more just to meet her.

Besides, she had much nicer ornaments and none of them matched her beauty. She was like a rare flower.

And she’s not a child anymore, she would probably laugh at a cheap toy.

“Are you buying something or..?” asked the fat salesman, looking at you in surprise. He’d never seen anyone who look at a piece of colored paper and a stick with such a dreamful and wide smile on face.

“Um, n-no.”

Getting caught watching toys for too long with embarrassment and a slight blush, you put it back. The man just shook his head with a slight laugh.

“Ah, love!” he said aloud with understanding. “Love… it does strange things to people,” he added after a moment of reflection, turning his back to you and waving his hand, but you didn’t see it because you walked away from his booth in embarrassment.

Love?

Do you love her?

Yes, you enjoyed spending time with her and talking to her, but would you call it love?

At the very thought, your cheeks became warmer and butterflies appeared in your stomach, causing a pleasant tickling in your gut…

After a moment’s reflection, you would admit that you might like her a little more than normal.

But you know you didn’t call it love - or rather, you both wouldn’t admit it. Besides, this relationship would never stand a chance, and it’s not just because of her profession…

When you finally stood in front of the tea house affiliated with Kyogoku House, you checked your clothes to see if they looked good and you smoothed your hair, which was messy by the cool, night wind.

Thinking you looked decent, you walked into the lobby and caught the eye of all the people there. As always, you politely greeted the owner of this place sitting at a low table and two hosts from the aforementioned house, sipping tea together.

You were a little surprised to see them - normally they should be in their house and a lobbygow from the chaya would bring them your request to meet after a short time. Then they would deliver your letter to Warabihime, and she would reply by other messenger boy.

Oiran can’t contact any of their clients directly, nor can they contact her - custom didn’t allow it, so you all had to use lobbygow. It was a long process, but you didn’t regret any moment or a coin spent on it.

Also, you couldn’t meet her whenever you wanted - you had to first ask her permission (in a letter) and wait for her answer. She could always disagree. It was the oiran, who decided if they wanted to take the client, not you or anybody else.

But she’s never said no to you. And the attitude of the hosts to you after a short time from satisfaction turned into concern.

Regardless of that, with a polite smile and a bow, holding a letter asking for a meeting in both hands, you handed it to them.

So far, you’ve been her longest-lived client… and her only one - after a few meetings with you, she started automatically refusing other people who wanted to see her.

The host’s wife, a woman named Omitsu, more than once felt anxious going to the demon’s room to deliver a handful of letters, all of which would soon end up shattered on tatami.

She looked at her with irritation written on her face as if she were a disgusting insect and tilted her head slightly to the right in her characteristic manner.

It never bode well…

- - -

When Daki’s patience ran out, she threatened Omitsu, that the next thing she’d tear apart would be her guts, if she brought more letters not from you.

What happened between the two of you during those meetings? Did you put a spell on her? Or is she the one who has some evil plans for you? The owner of Kyogoku House didn’t know and was becoming more and more disturbed about it.

Not feeling right under constant stress, she ordered one of the newly arrived girls to carry the long-awaited letter from you, and the other to massage her shoulders. Warabihime only made her still worry and added her gray hair.

“I will do it, Okāsan,” offered Hinatsuru, because she was nearby and the other workers were too scared.

With a kind smile on her painted lips, she took the letter and went upstairs to the woman’s room, feeling the grateful gaze of the rest of the girls on her back. She could hear their whispers full of concern and questions like: “Will she be okay?”

She saw that something was up - she had been here for a while and had been keeping a close eye on all the Kyogoku House employees. So far, there’s nothing she could do except to not accidentally alert demon about her.

As she walked slowly through the corridors, she read the sender’s name and memorized it so she could tell Tengen if anything happened - the main Oiran was her most likely target, and it is necessary to gather as much information as possible to fight the enemy.

Who were you? One of the demons? A man helping her keep up appearances? Or did you know nothing about her true nature? Can a demon love? Was she really a demon? Or maybe a hunch confounded her?

But even she felt the terror beating from this room and the creature hiding in it. As she approached, she felt like a prey going to a predator for slaughter.

Even the most beautiful purebred cat won’t deny its nature and stop hunting mice.

She knocked and waited for a moment for an answer. Inside, she saw the beautiful Warabihime sitting by the mirror, whom she had already seen several times strolling down the hallway or looking at her from the balcony - she watched as she went with the whole long retinue of dōchū to the tea house to meet her client.

[Frist Name] [Last Name].

She always walked with her head held high and proud, as if everything around her belonged to her. Probably her position allowed her to do a lot, but in the same way, being an oiran meant limitations. Pretending to be human, too.

For Hinatsuru, one small evidence was enough. Any proof. Just enough not to report to Lord Tengen only her unconfirmed hunches.

She wished, she knew how the work for Suma and Makio was going. Maybe if she had better contact with them, she could figure something out. But if the demon noticed or suspected something, they could easily die.

Without even looking at her, Warabihime asked what she wanted while was correcting a red lipstick applied to her lower lip with her little finger. She looked perfect, just like a porcelain doll or a moon goddess. Pale skin untainted by any scar reflected the light of candles giving her a phenomenal appearance - even in incomplete makeup and without ornaments in the hair no one could deny her beauty.

“Okāsan told me to bring you this.”

Hinatsuru pulled a letter from the purple-white kimono hidden in her sleeve and waved it lightly in the air.

She saw the woman suddenly stop in her activity and focus her gaze in reflection on the rolled paper.

“Put it on the table and leave.”

She tried to pretend not to be very interested, but as soon as the paper door shōji closed behind the new oiran, Daki was next to the letter in a second. The rush of air dropped several layers of kimono, ruining the outfit she had just worn, but she didn’t care. Up close, your scent was even more intense, filling her lungs. It was like an aphrodisiac to her.

“Why are you so excited?” Gyutaro asked, scratching his cheek and standing over his younger sister.

He stared on her with letter in hand with a deep frown on his face, not understanding her. He recognized your handwriting, and while it was clear that you were trying to write nicely, it didn’t hide your unskilled hand and your lack of talent for calligraphy.

He had felt a change in the girl for some time and could see how she reacted to the very mention about [Last Name].

When other women even mentioned your name, she’d instinctively keep an ear out to catch as much of the conversation as possible or she’d stand nearby to listen for a while, although when he asked, she’d always deny it.

He wasn’t sure whether he should be happy she found a new toy or worry more. Ever since she started meeting you, she’s become… softer.

Messy.

Defenceless.

He would even dare to say dreamy. Her thoughts wandered unconsciously all the time and were always focused only on you. You were the culmination of her every thought. What did you do? How did you feel? Have you had a rough day? Are you going to meet her today? Is… is there anyone else?

She was no longer thinking about her previous priorities or gaining strength. It began to irritate him and frustrate him. So much, so that to get away from her thoughts of you, he began to leave her body more often. He couldn’t bear to see your smiling face engraved on her mind like a burn scar.

Daki, unaware of how great his dislike for you was, only turned her head to her brother, looking at him with joy hidden in green irises and a broad, but sincere and kind smile - he asked nothing more.

• • •

Did you know her brother? Yes, although at first he was a passive observer through Daki’s eyes for most of your meetings.

Personally, he thought his sister deserved someone better, 'cause you were really average-looking. He wouldn’t say you were ugly like him or above average beautiful like one person with colorful, rainbow eyes…

But he’d still judge you as a mediocre, who doesn’t stand out in the crowd. You were just average. Ordinary. If he walked past you, it’s very likely he wouldn’t normally noticed or pay attention to you.

That’s why he wasn’t annoyed by your looks, but he was jealous of your talk. You talked freely to his sister and often made her laugh. You’ve probably misled more than one girl with that kind of talk.

The thought provoked an anger that even Daki felt. She silenced him in her thoughts and tried to pretend that everything was all right, but she felt under her skin how her brother’s emotions filled her and how they crawled under her skin like little worms spreading all over her body. His anger was like an unquenchable fire, and he made her feel hot. Soon after, she felt the sweat run down her exposed neck and asked you to open the window.

The cool air from the streets of Yoshiwara was like a deliverance to her, though it didn’t put out the fire inside. She didn’t understand him. Where did this anger suddenly come from in him?

To calm him, she grabbed her hand and squeezed the garment more tightly with the other. That didn’t help. She could barely contain her own trembling and keep a cheerful smile on her face, although she was also beginning to get angry.

But her anger wasn’t directed at you. It was directed at him.

Oh, how much she’d want him to sleep through that meeting with you, like he used to.

Fearing that something would happen to you, she ended the meeting sooner than she wanted and slowly returned to Kyogoku House. People watched her colourful procession of many, both male and female employees from her seirō, but she was the only one who stole everyone’s attention - she was like a diamond. Beautiful flower among weeds and grasses. Although she usually liked the attention she received, today it was unbearably annoying to her.

Her perfectly smooth forehead was flawed by the folds created by her tightly furrowed thin eyebrows.

She tried not to step out of her role and moved with a slow dance step towards her present place of residence, although she could easily get there within seconds even on her black high-soled geta.

After she returned to her seirō and locked in her room, they even quarreled over it all. Very seriously and rough. Although it took place without much damage to the furniture, several other girls said they heard an unknown male voice from her room. Some thought it was just her throat torn from Warabihime’s (no one knew her name except her brother and later you too) screams and it was still her voice, other say that she was insane or possessed by evil spirits.

To avoid do something he might regret later, Gyutaro went outside while the night was still young.

He wandered through side and dark streets killing drunks and couples, looking for some privacy to pick on them and release the accumulated negative emotions, but nothing could improve his mood.

Anger flowed through his veins under his skin, triggering an increasingly strong desire to scratch himself, and he gave in to it (not that he resisted much). He do it so hard that blood started dripping down his forehead and clavicle - he didn’t care about it because he’d regenerate in no time.

Then among the sounds of people walking in the streets, the roar of machines, and the sound of his rough skin torn by his black fingernails, he heard your voice. He looked out of the alley with curiosity and saw you walking in the company of a black-haired man.

You talked to him about something gesticulating vigorously, although the conversation itself didn’t interest him. Seeing your movements and hearing the annoying voice, an idea popped into his head - if you give him reason by which you could make his sister sad, he’ll kill you.

The thought brought a wide, menacing smile to his face, revealing sharp teeth and capable of shivering the body of more than one experienced Demon Slayer.

He knew Daki would be angry, but you were the reason for their argument and his sour mood right now. He felt like with your disappearance, so would his current problems.

The rest of the night he followed you jumping on the rooftops of buildings and listening to what you were talking about - despite his dislike for you, he even laughed a few times at your remarks and comments. He also found out that the man in the brown kimono and tied hair is your close friend Kaito.

• • •

It’s been a few days since he started following you and got to know you better - he already knew how you make a living and what your routine looks like. During the day he hid from the sun in a nearby house (whose owners suddenly disappeared under unexplained circumstances) and waited for dark to fall, when he could again follow you like a watchdog.

He didn’t even notice when all the hatred for you burned out inside him like an old bonfire, leaving nothing but smoking residue.

He was no longer actively looking for faults in you, and followed you more out of habit and curiosity. But he still had mixed feelings for you - maybe not as negative as at first.

Although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone (even to himself).

Your friend would show up at your place sometimes with a carriage full of stuff, and sometimes you’d go out with him for drinks at a cheap bar nearby. It was a good opportunity to see what you thought of his sister.

Was she just one of many women for you to play with? Have you been seeing anyone besides her? Did you really respect her? What are you saying about her behind her back?

Thoughts like this popped into his head, but he wasn’t worried about hearing something bad from you about her.

But the words of a drunk are the thoughts of a sober, and with that thought he put his ears to hear you better, when your friend dragged you home. He hasn’t drink to much, because of the experience he’s had with you.

“Ahh, I want to go to Warabihime!” You were whining and trying to get away from your friend. It was a poor attempt, but it was difficult for the demon to judge whether it was alcohol or you were always so weak.

“You’ve been here last time and you don’t have money to meet now. Besides, you have to get permission first,” the black-haired man admonished you, tired of your drunken self.

“No, I wanna now! Let me goooo.”

“If you want to go to prostitutes go to some cheaper yūjo. There are a lot of them in harimise. No one will even know.”

Kaito casually offered knowing the rules of the pleasure district - after all, he used their services not so long time ago.

If oiran chose you as her client after three (very expensive) meetings, during which you tried to convince her that you were worthy of her, you couldn’t use the services of other women. Especially some cheap prostitute or some other oiran - it would be an insult to her, and although you know perfectly well that she would probably never know about it, you couldn’t look her in the face afterwards.

“No, you don’t understand, I can’t. I want to go to Warabihime!”

You still whined like a baby, but no one paid attention. You’ve already moved far away from the Entertainment District. You were surrounded only by low family houses and dark streets lit only by the light of a full moon watching you silently from above. He wasn’t the only one, although the other observer showed more interest, hiding yourself in the shadow.

“Is she really that good?” asked older man without even looking at you and suddenly got hit on the head by you.

The hit wasn’t strong, but it was painful enough that he suddenly let you go and you fell flat to the ground. The scene surprised Gyutaro so much that he stopped breathing, and he might even laugh, if he wasn’t shock of your reaction.

“What was that?!” Kaito asked, screaming in anger.

If it wasn’t for the sake circulating in your veins and spinning in your head, you could see the veins coming out of his forehead and his tightly clenched fists tremble. Your friend hated being insulted. Even as a joke, and now you’re overreacting.

“What was that supposed to be? What’s gotten into you? Are you… A-ah,” he said after a moment understanding and laughed unexpectedly. He didn’t expect that from you. Especially from you.

Yes, he was still angry, but he knew what oiran and other women of her type were like - they said many beautiful words and promised even more just to keep a well-paid client. Their living piggy banks. And you’ve obviously fallen for it more than he thought.

Not long ago he had been dating one, but when the first enchantment had passed he saw how much he had been deceived and trifled. No one has ever humiliated and ridiculed him like that woman had.

To this day, he can still smell her perfume reminiscent of peaches and kept the letters he couldn’t burn. He tried not to get drunk because of you, to walk you home safely, although he would love to do it.

He’d like to keep his mind off the time he was seeing her. To those brightly colored and sunny times with sweet feelings like her lips, and yet… fake.

He would like to forget her unique hair color, looking like the sun and and the deep black of the night at the same time. Throw out a strand of golden curls from her bangs. Forget her loud laugh and her sometimes out of control temperament, which he loved so much. Forget about these light brown eyes, which never looked at him with affection.

Every gesture she made was taught by years of practice, and every sweet word devoid of feeling - she was like an empty porcelain doll, and he found out too late. He always thought she was thinking about someone else, when she was with him.

He learned that she was playing with him by chance, when he heard another drunk man telling about his oiran’s great love for him and showing her letters for proof. Kaito would always recognize the scent of her perfume and her writing style.

However, he hoped it was a mistake and went to Ogimoto House to listen to other women’s gossip. All he had to do was stand by the window and he could have found out everything. The sound of their laughter and mockery directed at him hurt him. Those kind night ladies voices said such bad things about him that he just wanted to curl up and die in shame.

From that day on, he never returned to tea house.

But sometimes he stood near her balcony, when unconsciously his legs led him again towards Ogimoto House, and he would looking with longing and chest pain.

Against his will, he waited for her to see her feisty face with sharp features and small cute nose or silky hair again.

He saw a black crow come to her every now and then, and she’d pick up a letter attached to its leg. She then unfolded the red kimono and hid a piece of paper under it - he could only guess how close it was to her heart and who her lover was…

Sometimes, however, it was she who secretly sent the letter, plunging Kaito even more into dark despair.

Was he angry? Of course, he was. Even mad, but he couldn’t stop loving Makio either.

“All right, it’s fine,” he helped you get up and cleared your clothes. He understood what a wonderful feeling it was to love and be loved, but some of the flowers that grew from the seeds of that love were… poisonous. “Come home and get some sleep.”

Kaito helped you get undressed and put you in a futon. Your grey kimono (not so official, worn only because you didn’t mind destroying or staining it) he cleaned out the sand and dust of the street. The man decided open the window for you, so you could sleep better and the air in the room wouldn’t get stale from your stinking breath.

He was your good friend, but he treated you like you were his younger sibling (although you two were almost the same age). He was also your business partner - he would bring in goods from the far reaches of Japan, and you would sell it on the busy streets.

When Kaito left you had a strange dream - you dreamed that a skinny, grotesque figure stood over you like one of worst nightmares.

His morbidly yellow eyes stared straight at you through a veil of fat, dark green hair, piercing you through like daggers.

Even though you were tucked under a duvet and covered with a blanket to keep you warm, you felt like you were instantly getting cold - probably through an open window (through which the stranger must have entered) illuminating his monstrous face.

He looked like Death or a being closely related to it - did he come for your soul? Maybe he was just a seriously ill homeless man looking for shelter on a cold night?

The stranger was looking at you with a mysterious grin on his face like he wasn’t satisfied with something and was wondering about something at the same time. You felt like a disgusting insect under his judgmental gaze. The man scratched himself on the gray skin on his cheek, causing a rough chill on your back.

Scratch, scratch, scratch echoed across the room when you looked at each other in silence.

For a moment, the thought crossed your drunken mind, that you might be able to fall asleep when your eyelids became too heavy to keep them open, but then the he spoke in a hoarse voice.

“You annoy and irritate me,” his voice was loud in the quiet room like the sound of a bell. “But for some reason I can’t hate you.”

The gray creature leaned over you so that your noses almost touched.

The strands of his bangs tickled your forehead and a piece of loose material hanging around his neck fell on your covered chest. You could smell his bad breath stinking like rotten flesh and blood.

“But if you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you.”

The threatening words sounded like a promise he was determined to keep. Although you had no idea how you’d know his sister.

Still, you picked up something in his voice that made you think he didn’t want to do it. As a trader, you had to be able to read your customers, and that’s why you knew who wanted what, when they were hiding something and when they were honest with you.

That’s why you knew Warabihime was completely honest with you about her behavior, although sometimes she seems to want to show you more than she can. Something keeps her from telling you about her worry, that makes her seem depressed sometimes and she masks it with a gentle smile.

You never asked about that because you didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere and lead to unpleasant situations between you two.

After the man’s words, you were able to sleep. You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol circulating in your body or the fear helped you, but when you woke up next day, you almost forgot the night guest. A slight throbbing of your head in the morning and a dry mouth only helped you remember what you were doing early in the evening with Kaito. You remembered the rest when you sat on the futon and saw a huddled figure in the corner of the room.

He squatted with his elbows on his thighs and his fingers touching the floor between his legs. He was so crooked that just looking at him made your back hurt. You didn’t believe he was comfortable like that. You regretted that only piece of his wardrobe was baggy navy trousers and red pieces of fabric loosely tied around his shoulders - seeing his extremely skinny body and morbidly gray-green skin, you had another headache again and you were getting nauseous, which you somehow stopped with a stone face.

The creature looked at you with boredom as if you were an unexpected and even more unwanted guest than the other way around - he didn’t budge or even blink like a grotesque sculpture.

He reminded you of Kaito’s stories of horrible, ugly, stone figures placed on the rooftops of many temples and cathedrals in faraway lands that he’d heard from other people - whether it’s tourists or foreign traders. They called them chimeras or gargoyles, depending on their function.

Was he a product of your mind as a sign to stop drinking?

“Are you finally get up?”

He asked, interrupting the silence and tilting his head slightly in a way familiar to you, but all you could do was nod your head and issue from a clenched throat quietly “Uh”.

You noticed that the window was closed now by wooden shutters and he was sitting under the wall adjacent to it as far away from it as possible.

“Don’t you have work today?”

You swallowed your saliva and nodded your head again. Feeling like an unwanted pest in your own home, you got up and folded the sheets. You put it on the other side of the room (under the window) and moved into the kitchen feeling behind you the watchful gaze of the bulging eyes and the menacing aura of your guest.

You entered the kitchen (the largest room in the house), where you had a low table and a stone stove, but you didn’t use it. An iron kettle for boiling water you set over a small fire. You remember when you dug a hole by yourself and then you covered it with bricks for safety. You liked to use it.

When you looked back, you saw a caricature of a man standing at the entrance to the room, still hidden in the shadows. He watched you from semi closed eyelids with boredom.

Does he have a skin condition? Can the sun hurt him? Is he afraid? Or maybe, like a vampire, you have to invite him?

A distant memory flashed through your head - how, as a little kid, you overheard a conversation among adults about bloodthirsty creatures turning to dust while they were standing in the sunlight. At that time they told you to leave then so as not to scare you, but curiosity was stronger.

Why do you suddenly remember that after all these years?

You shook your head and closed the shutters. To make sure the wind wouldn’t open them, you pulled the metal lock too for safety.

The room was semi-darkness.

Why did you do that?

Just to avoid a worse headache, and he decided to take advantage of it by walking into the kitchen.

Close up, when his position didn’t hide too much from you so you could see how bad he was - appearing rough and sickly skin was marked by numerous black marks, and the abdomen was practically concave. There were also bony hips protruding from behind the his material trousers, and you could describe him as a living skeleton, although he had heavily scratched muscle tissue gathered around his shoulders.

You placed two small clay tea cups on the table (remembering that you still had some medicinal herbs left for a hangover) and caused a mischievous smile on your comrade’s face as if you had done something stupid.

Yet he sat beside you at the table with his legs crossed and watched in silence as you ate a piece of dry meat with buttered bread. You weren’t sure how you were able to swallow when his constant gaze on you made your throat clenched itself. He didn’t even blink.

You paid him back with the same, but you couldn’t stand it for a long time and you started looking into the space above him. When you looked at him, you felt some kind of regret that made you offer him a piece of meat in your hand.

With this you caused him a loud burst of laughter, from which you jumped up in your seat. You amused him so much that he closed his eyelids and covered his mouth full of sharp yellow teeth with one hand, and he started hitting his knee with the other.

You didn’t know what was funny about it, so you just sat in front of him with a disconcerting face and with your hand still out holding a piece of meat pointing at him, but now you felt like an animal who had done a trick.

Gyutaro amused the absurdity of the situation and this irony, as you, a human - practically defenseless against him and unaware of his initial intentions (he still judging you) offer him, the demon, who has killed hundreds of people, a piece of food. If he was hungry, you’d be the first course on his menu.

When he calmed down a little, the broad smile still didn’t come off his face revealing his big teeth and made small wrinkles near his eyes showing how cheerful he was now.

You had a shiver for a moment, but you decided not to show it. If he isn’t a vision of your sleepy mind induced by alcohol, then it was better not to provoke him and didn’t let him know you’re afraid of him.

The stranger, feeling comfortable enough with you, lay down on the floor on his left side and resting his head on his fists, watched your morning routine without moving.

When you went to the other room to pick up some clothes (your house had only three rooms, one of which was a storage room) he just turned his head towards you and again returning to his previous, bored posture.

Even though he wasn’t physically moving, his eyes followed you, tracking your every move.

Then you also had to set up your wooden stall and load the goods on it. Unfortunately, your mare died a few months ago and you had to pull the carriage on wheels to the nearest town. If it weren’t for your expensive encounters with Warabihime, you could probably buy another horse sooner…

Actually, you were planning on taking the day off, but your unexpected visitor made you not want to stay home.

When you came back late in the evening, the only sign of him was the untouched clay cup of cold tea that you put in front of him.

For a moment, you really believed it was just a hallucination, but he came back after a few days.

• • •

You came home again at night after another day’s work in a remote city and he was already waiting for you inside. When you closed the door behind you, cutting yourself off from the sound of crickets in the nearby fields, you heard a quiet, characteristic for him scratch, scratch, scratch carring over a small building. You didn’t have time to escape to the street because he showed up right next to you.

There were several deep wounds on the right side of his face caused by his nervous scratching. Seeing you seemed to upset him even more because his movements got even more intense.

“Ne, ne, where have you been? Why don’t you come to her?”

Completely surprised by his sudden appearance, you took your breath away and all you could do was just stupidly open and close your mouth like a fish pulled out of the water. It was probably the first time, when you didn’t know what to say.

“Daki is impatient. She’s been waiting long enough for you.”

The man said that with a grudge against you. He was mad at you for not trying harder and making his pretty sister angry.

“Who… Who is Daki?”

You only managed to mouthed through a clenched throat as the monster in your kitchen continued to scratch nervously. He paused for a moment, reminding himself that you didn’t know everything yet, so he just said:

“Warabihime.”

Her name made your heart beat a little faster and you started to wonder how much you really know about her? Why did he call her Daki? How much does she have to do with him and who is he?

But before you could ask him anything, he threw you on his shoulder. Afraid he would drop you (or roll over with you), you propped on his bony back, but he had a surprisingly strong grip for someone looking so hungry.

Holding you with one hand, he went out in front of your house, jumped high and landed on the roof of a nearby building. It happened so fast that you only felt a sudden rush of cold air and could see your wooden geta fall down where you were just now.

Surprised and even more frightened, you clung tighter to a man, who seemed to mock your fear. You could have sworn that for a brief moment before he ran on the rooftops toward the bright Yoshiwara District you could see a smile on his face.

The fact that he only held you with one hand didn’t help you calm down at all.

A few minutes later, you were facing your black-haired oiran at Kyogoku House. It was the first time you had been in her seirō - you had always only met in tea house, but you didn’t have a nerve now to look around the room.

She sat in front of you proudly like a princess on a tatami dressed in a beautiful, silk, white kimono with a broad smile on her painted lips and a joy dancing in her bright eyes. She seemed even more radiant with affection, when she saw you.

Unusually, she was dressed more skimpily than usual - when her clothes opened you saw that instead of many other colorful layers of attire she was wearing only pink and black, lace panties and a wide obi of a similar color in a floral pattern tied around her slim belly. Her breasts were covered only by two straps of black material held by the belt, and her long, slender legs were dressed in stockings to match her underwear.

The man who brought you here unceremoniously dropped you off his shoulder on the floor and looked at you as if you were his new problem.

You jumped with your gaze from a figure standing above you to a woman sitting nearby without knowing what to do or why they brought you here.

Finally, the green-skinned man turned on his heel and walked toward the window you just came through, saying:

“I think you two have a little talk to do.”

And he jumped outside. He expected you to be too embarrassed to talk to Daki when he was around (although he was there all the time during your previous meetings, not that you knew about it) and he wanted her to explain this all to you.

You certainly had a ton of questions, and whether you survive afterwards will depend only on you.

Gyutaro crouched over the open window listening attentively to every word. His hand instinctively found its way to his skinny clavicle and began to unconsciously scratch it to relieve the stress.

After a long and, it would seem, difficult conversation for both of you, there was finally a deaf silence. He wondered for a moment if she killed you and if he could come back now. Then you spoke again. You were insecure and nervous - he could tell from your voice, but you surprised him again.

You wanted to try and keep seeing her. Despite knowing they’re both bloodthirsty demons eating your kind.

Gyutaro couldn’t take much time to think about your decision because he saw the black ink sky slowly change to a bright blue and red-orange flashes of the sun appear on the horizon, reminiscent of lanterns hanging in the Entertainment District.

Suddenly interrupting for you two, he went inside and kidnapped you again (despite his sister’s protests) jumping out with you to the street - he didn’t have much time and because you lost your shoes earlier, he couldn’t just leave you there. He knew Daki would be even more upset with him.

- - -

You were at the entrance of your house in just a few minutes. He stopped on the roof and grabbed you tight under the armpits. Your [Hair Color] hair was blowing in every possible direction by the wind and your head was spinning slightly like you were drunk again.

He bowed his head slightly and the orange sky looked like hellish flames behind him. He looked at you from behind his black-green hair, narrowing his menacingly yellow eyes.

“Do you have any idea what will happen if you ever cheat on her?”

Already less intimidated by his appearance, you nodded and said loudly, “You’re going to kill me!” and he slightly tilted his head as if you were irritating his ears.

“At least you’re smart.”

After these words, he let you fall on the gravel road outside your door. You moaned from the pain of a beaten ass, but you didn’t break anything - fortunately the height was too low for that.

Gyutaro watched for a moment as you lay before he disappeared behind the edge of the roof and rushed back to Kyogoku House. You didn’t know why he didn’t stay with you if he’d been there before… unless he was bothered by being with you all day.

Before any of your neighbors could see you, you got up with difficulty and took the geta that had been left on the street. Maybe someday you’ll find another…

You looked over the buildings thinking you’d see a big dark figure running over them, but he was gone, and you still had in your head nervous voice Warabi– … No, it’s Daki.

She told you her real name and what she was. She told you about her older brother and their history. She didn’t plan to hide anything from you from now on and exposed herself to you more than to anyone else.

Many had seen her attractive, firm body hidden under many layers of silk, but no one had yet known her heart.

Could you ignore something like that?

• • •

And you tried to come more often anyway. You couldn’t break your routine, but sometimes she was so impatient that she would even give you money, so you could get there early. Of course, it would have been easier if she intimidated the homeowners, Omitsu and her husband into letting you meet whenever you wanted, but you forbade her.

You could understand eating people, you would be a hypocrite to condemn her for eating the only food she could when you ate beef, veal, chicken and fish, when you were hungry. So that you could live on your own, you ate the flesh of other beings like many other species, and the fact that demons could only eat human was not her fault.

But you couldn’t tolerate, much less accept, terrorizing others so that only for you could meet. You could never accept senseless bloodshed or hurting and scaring others.

Your first face-to-face meeting was two weeks later, and it was the first time you were with all two of them. Gyutaro was ready to go out and hide somewhere not to disturb you, but you stopped him. You didn’t feel embarrassed or disgusted by him, although when you first saw him, he terrified you.

“Huh?” he murmured and his hand raised to scratch his neck. He looked at you with a mixture of surprise and amazement, and Daki felt a pleasant warmth pouring into her interior. So far, only two people have been kind to her brother.

If it wasn’t for her full makeup, you might see her cheeks blushing with delight. She slightly opened her lips in surprise, and her eyes glazed in the light of candles - she looked like a child at the sight of an unexpected, dream gift.

The man looked at his sister to see if she was okay with it and, not seeing any objection, sat down, but still keeping his distance. As time went on, he began to sit closer and closer to you.

You didn’t always just talk - sometimes Daki played koto or shamisen, that already were in the tea house or you played a board game Go.

• • •

Gyutaro finally fully understood why she was so angry when he came back from his long absence smelling like blood and you.

At first she was just angry with him for leaving her alone and even tried to look for him (without success), but when she smelled your strong smell from him she feared the worst. This led to another fight, and this time she didn’t pay attention to the furniture or the appearance of pretending to be a human being.

Frightened Omitsu told all the girls to stay away from her room hearing the sound of broken wood and her screams.

Hinatsuru then became more suspicious of the demon’s identity, but she was unable to send Kasugai crow to Tengen with her suspicions. She had to wait for her, and due to the increased demon activity in the city, she might have been caught. It wouldn’t be hard for a strong demon to kill a bird and then her.

She couldn’t have made a mistake. And she needed a real proof so she wouldn’t accidentally bewray herself by pointing out the wrong person.

• • •

Honestly, you were doing pretty good right now. Your insistence on stil making appearances all the time irritated Daki, who, if she could, would see you every day. Her brother supported you, although on the other hand, he hated saying no to his sister.

However, they both noticed that someone was watching their every move, and not only at Kyogoku House, so they had to continue the farce, at least until they got rid of all the pests.

But back to the present…

After giving the letter of request, the man (the owner of the seirō and Omitsu��s husband, whose name you couldn’t remember) told you that Warabihime was already waiting for you on the floor of the tea house.

Kyogoku House was the residence of oiran, kamuro, shinzou, other workers and owners couples - the women never brought their clients there and specifically went only to the chaya associated with their houses.

Surprised by her impatience, you let him lead you to the room. The little girls (probably kamuro, supporter housekeepers who cleaned and learned the artistic part of oiran work) looked at you with curiosity as always, not knowing how you could want to meet someone as cruel as Warabihime.

Out of politeness, you smiled warmly at them and waved, recognizing a few faces. Behind them, you saw a woman with bright purple eyes, coming out of one of the rooms. Her kimono fit her violet eyes like metal clips grafted into her fantastically arranged long hair. Under her left eye, you saw a tiny beauty mark through the white make-up that adds charm to her.

You thought maybe Daki mentioned about her once or two - she didn’t like her and complained about her a lot. What did she do to her? She never said it, although it was very likely nothing. The demon sometimes acts like a spoiled child around you when she’s completely done pretending.

“So, [Last Name]” the old man began as he stood with you in front of the thin shōji door. “Why are you with Warabihime? What do you like so much about her?”

You answered without hesitation.

“She’s cute.”

And you heard a loud man’s laugh coming out from behind the door. Gyutaro laughed uncontrollably, making the man next to you pale and almost fall over. At the last minute, you grabbed him by the arm and didn’t let him.

He nervously wiped his forehead with a cloth handkerchief and, saying he could handle it now and ran to the frist floor to be as far away from the monster and this cursed room as possible.

When you went inside, you saw the green-skinned demon shaking all over, holding his belly and laughing, covering his mouth with his other hand, trying to be quiet (which he didn’t do very well). His yellow eyes narrowed and took the shape of crescent moon. You thought you saw a tear drops out of one of them.

Daki tried to silence him by standing over him with wrinkled eyebrows, repeating over and over “Shhhh, shhhh,” loudly with her finger pressed against her narrow lips, but it didn’t help. Despite the white foundation all over her face and neck (part of her oiran makeup), you could see her ears turning deep red.

Gyutaro’s amusement also came to you, and after a while you also began to laugh, enjoying the next meeting with the demonic siblings.

As always, you spent a few hours together. Daki was playing shamisen, and you and her brother were playing Go while you were talking. You could have sworn that the whole meeting, the black-haired girl was strangely thoughtful. When you caught her looking at you, she looked away fast and her ears turned red again.

• • •

After all, just as you were leaving, you were suddenly dragged by the shoulder into a dark room. It was one of the new oiran. What did Daki say her name was? Hinatsuru? Maybe a little different.

“Um, yes?”

You asked without knowing what she might want from you. Her eyebrows wrinkled with concern and her lips slightly extended as if she was still hesitating about what she was doing. She kept holding you under your arm, squeezing your clothes tighter.

She had thin and slender fingers, but her grip wasn’t delicate. If you didn’t know, you’d think you were caught by a hard-working young man.

“I–, I need help,” she whispered finally looking into your eyes. She looked desperate. “It’s important and only you can help me.”

“Excuse me?”

There was still a deep horror on her face, worrying you a little bit and making you wonder how you could help her? You had never spoken until now. But despite this, Hinatsuru knew you well - the girls at Kyogoku House talking about you, because you were probably the longest customer of cold Warabihime and now the only one.

She didn’t want to imply anything, but everything suggested that others might be dead, and she didn’t want anything to happen to you. Also, you must have gotten to know the cruel oiran very well by that time and you could help her in her mission.

She now had limited movements and lost contact with the other two women. She tried to send a message to Tengen some time ago by mices, but he still didn’t respond. Maybe the demon found out.

“Please come here tomorrow and meet me. You have to talk to me,” she said as quietly as before.

You were about to ask why, but when you saw the feelings in her eyes... You just nodded. It must have been something important if she insisted, and there was a reason why she couldn’t talk about it now.

Was she afraid of someone?

The first thing that came to your mind was Daki, but she promised you no more terrorizing the inhabitants of her seirō. Maybe you’re thinking too much about her secret and that’s why she’s the one that comes to mind. Maybe it’s not about her at all…

“And take it.”

She handed you a object wrapped in a purple fabric. You couldn’t tell from only the touch what it was, so you hid it smoothly behind your kimono and nodded again.

Now she let you go. And yet you walked out of there with a bad feeling and a heavy burden on your shoulders.

- - -

Hinatsuru breathed a sigh of relief when you said yes. She was hoping to save you. She waited a moment before leaving the room herself and the first thing she saw, was Warabihime’s face contorted in a grimace of anger.

Her head was slightly tilted to the right and she frown to form a wrinkle on her smooth forehead.

“What are you doing?” she asked through clenched teeth.

Suddenly, cold sweat sweated all over the woman and she was covered with goose bumps. Her whole body was screaming, “RUN, FIGHT!” but she couldn’t move a single limb. It was hard even for her to breathe.

“N-nothing.”

The oiran leaned dangerously close, so Hinatsuru could easily smell her delicate sakura perfume and she whispered into her ear.

“So don’t touch what’s not yours, or you’ll lose your hands.”

Daki stepped away from her, threateningly staring her in the eyes for a moment, and left to return to Kyogoku House. She still could her talking as she walked away:

“I heard some girls disappeared from Tokito House recently. Take care of yourself.”

Hinatsuru felt she had to get out of here. She instinctively squeezed a small dose of poison hidden in the sleeve of the kimono she took with her just in case to simulate illness.

Yes, it’s time to bring in Uzui.

�� Little dictionary:

Zataku (座卓) - is the generic term for this kind of low table.

Onigiri (御握り) - is made of rice formed into a triangular or oval shape, sometimes wrapped in a nori (Japanese name for different species of edible seaweed). This dish is stuffed with, among others, marinated Japanese apricot, roe, shrimp, fish, etc. The stuffing is usually salty to protect the rice from spoilage.

Gyūdon (牛丼, Japanese Beef Rice Bowl) - is one of the most popular and inexpensive fast food dishes in Japan. Its name can be literally translated to beef bowl.

Ikejime (活け締め) - It is a technique of killing fish neutralizing the nervous system of a live animal from bleeding. This ancient practice, of Japanese origin, has the effect of reducing stress and pain in fish. His muscles are not as tight, his flesh holds better, and his taste qualities are better compared to the usual way of strangulation.

Genre: Romance || Hurt/Comfort

Word count and reading time: +12.1k (49 min.)

⚠ Warnings for this part of the request: Minor death, Eating dead body, Severe injuries (not Reader), Forbidden Love/Mutual Pining,

Mukago’s life as a member of Twelve Kizuki was… stressful. She thought if she could join a group of the most powerful demons in the world, it would be easier for her, but it’s just getting harder.

She felt the constant pressure exerted by Muzan, the Upper Ranks looked down on her with superiority and contempt, and she was constantly afraid to maintain her position as the Lower Four.

Rui, Lower Five, was strong and probably if he wasn’t interested in climbing the ranks of Twelve Kizuki he could easily beat her - she could feel it just by standing near him during meetings.

He gave off a dense and suffocating aura showing how many people he had eaten and illustrating how ruthless and insensitive he was.

Apparently, he didn’t spare even the members of his “family”, which Kibutsuji kindly allowed him to create. Its size changed very quickly and often - someone joined, someone left (usually from his white hand in monstrous torments) and a new replacement appeared again.

This made him Muzan’s favorite, and all the Lower Ranks looked at him with jealousy, although he didn’t seem to notice or care about it.

She wouldn’t have beaten him if he challenged her to the Blood Battle - she knew her abilities and the differences between their powers that divide them like a deep chasm.

This didn’t mean that she wouldn’t try to defend herself, she would be foolish to surrender without a fight.

He didn’t need weak and cowardly demons. He wanted nothing from them but boundless devotion and ruthlessness. It’s the only way she could go far as a demon, as Lower One and all the Upper Ranks have shown.

And that’s why she was relieved that the spider boy was indifferent to the rat race in the ranks of Twelve Kizuki. As a result, she could still live.

But even though she had been one of Kizuki for some time, she still didn’t feel like a member of their group. It’s like she totally doesn’t fit there.

The Kibutsuji once said that they all should get rid of their humanity. Their greatest weakness, but just because she was a demon doesn’t mean that she still has no human feelings - she could still laugh, cry and feel gratitude for the kindness showed for her.

That’s why she remembers with pleasure her first encounter with [Last Name], which she tries to hide even from the Kibutsuji, fearing how he might react.

She was wounded and running from the Demon Slayer. She hoped her Lower Rank 4 position would somehow deter him, but he was determined to kill her. Too late she noticed that he was one of the kinoe - hashire she would have sensed from afar long ago.

With dizzying speed she ran through the trees, hearing his footsteps behind her, not at all far behind her. He easily kept up with her.

Every time she heard him pull out his katana with a metallic sound, she tilted her head down or changed direction to avoid the colored blade. Once he managed to cut the tips of her horns. She felt sweat run all over her body and her hair stand on end.

This chase could go on indefinitely unless one coincidence - a cliff that neither she nor he noticed.

With the menacing sound of a katana cutting through the air, she tried to dodge once again and cover her head with her hands, but suddenly she lost ground under her feet.

She didn’t have time to scream when she started falling, with the Demon Slayer next to her.

In the dark she had much better eyesight than humans in the dark, and in the dim moonlight she could see a surprise painted on the boy’s face - he didn’t even understand, what was happening before he hit the stones below them with a crack.

The fall, despite appearances, was quiet - the sound of broken bones was no louder than the sound of breaking a dry branch. Neither of them screamed. The only thing that escaped their mouths was the air collected in their lungs, which came out stifled.

She landed on her abdomen - she felt pain in her bent limbs and collapsed lungs.

Her nerve endings were burning her throughout her body, sending a message to her brain about her numerous critical injuries, and liters of blood spilling from her wounds made her feel cold as if she were lying in the snow. The punctured lungs prevented her from breathing, and the blood flooding them from the inside would probably have drowned her long ago, if she hadn’t been a demon.

Either that, or she’d die of pain because, unfortunately, she fell frist on her feet.

The nameless Demon Slayer fell out of her line of sight, and it cost her too much effort to lift and turn her head to see where he lay.

She didn’t hear his groans or heavy, unsteady breathing indicative of an agonizing state of great pain, so she suspected he fell on his head and split his skull. He died quickly and probably painlessly, unlike her - she was waiting for a long and painful recovery now.

If she faints for a few hours it would be a grace, but her mind stubbornly kept her conscious.

After about thirty minutes (which seemed like an eternity to her), her throat regenerated, and although she was still in pain, she was able to emit squeaks of pain. She sounded pathetic even to her own ears - not like a member of the most powerful demons in the world, but like a mouse tormented by a cat.

Tears continued to flow from her eyes, like endless waterfalls, blurring the view of white flowers from her face. It hurt, everything hurt her so much.

Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching her, and then saw a brighter and brighter light illuminating everything in front of her. Rocks, trees, plants… For a moment she feared it would be a rising of the day, but she didn’t burn after standing in all its glory.

The person, who arrived, stood behind her back and she could only guess who it was - a lost trader in the mountains? Another demon? Or maybe another Demon Slayer?

In her present condition, she couldn’t escape. She was scared, but at the same time she wanted all the pain to end.

Will that be the end of her? Will she find peace? Will she go to hell for her sins? Will she be reborn and get a second chance?

The person stood over them for a moment and heard only the hiss of the fire burning land in the candle that human had brought and its faster breathing.

She saw how the light moving and long shadow on the stones in front of her as the mystery figure covered the flame.

The traveler was afraid. She was sure of it. Mugako didn’t have a sharpened sense of hearing as well as the Upper Moon, but the person’s heart was beating so hard that she could hear it as if she had an ear on their chest.

Despite panic, this heartbeat calmed her down a bit. With a sore throat in a hoarse, quiet voice she said:

“He-help…”

And finally, she began to float away into blissful unconsciousness, listening to the sound of a rapid heartbeat.

• • •

Mukago woke up some time later in an unfamiliar place. She didn’t see the black sky above her or even the surrounding her before mountain landscape, but the wooden ceiling of a small house. She lay on a soft futon tightly covered with numerous blankets to keep her warm.

Where was she? Did she die? This is reincarnation?

Her sense of smell was immediately attacked by the numerous sweet smells, which was mixing with each other and surrounding her from all sides. She couldn’t pick up one that would tell her where she was.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of sliding wooden doors and footsteps. With difficulty she turned her head and saw the figure standing in the dark - she knew from the smell that it was a human. Unfortunately, it was too dark for her to tell more about person from place where she lay. She’d have to get up and get closer, but her head (and all the limbs) seemed to weigh hundreds of kilograms.

The stranger gently put down the wicker baskets on the ground next to the entrance and went to the furnace nearby. As quietly as before, person threw in a few logs of wood and lit a fire.

Are you afraid of her? Is that why you were so careful? But then why would you take her to your home?

In the dim orange light from the stone furnace, she saw better the facial features of her new companion. You didn’t look like a Demon Slayer, and your worried, wrinkled eyebrows didn’t indicate bad intentions. More like regret.

Maybe you regretted your decision and wondered what to do next? What should you do with a dangerous demon under your roof?

Suddenly you noticed she was awake and with a quiet “oh!” you froze motionless. In the warm glow of fire, she saw the surprise that appeared on your face for a second and then how you looked at her with those [color] eyes with an expression she didn’t recognize for now. She hasn’t seen it on anyone’s face too long time to tell immediately what kind of emotion it is.

She knew perfectly well the fear hidden in the stiff faces of her dead victims or the sadness when they begged for mercy in tears. She had seen pain and anger, but this… It was something new.

“Are you still going to sleep? Are you all right?” you asked, confusing her even more.

Why would you ask that and care about her? With every moment she spent with you, she have more and more questions popping into her head, and the uncertainty of your intentions twisting her guts. She didn’t know what to expect from you.

She nodded hesitantly and again there was silence between you for a few minutes.

You turned your gaze away from her looking at a distant point in front of you, focusing on your thoughts, and she felt the atmosphere getting more thicker.

You didn’t look like you were planning on speaking anytime soon, so she decided to do it, but before she spoke she already knew that it wouldn’t be an easy - no sound would pass through her dry, sore throat, and her swollen like a sponge tongue, stuck to her palate.

She swallowed her saliva with difficulty a few times and opened her glued lips with a wet sound attracting your attention again.

“Where–?”

“At my house,” you said quickly and didn’t let her finish. “Don’t bother yourself, lie down. Try to get more sleep.”

She closed her mouth obediently and continued to stare at you with a startled look.

Unable to stand her attentive, unblinking gaze, you turned your head the other way and looked into space. You felt awkward when she did it.

The windows were closed with wooden shutters, so the only source of light in the small hut was the fire from the furnace, and the sound that interrupted the uncomfortable silence was the crackling of wood in the heat and your quiet breaths.

When you entered the house you noticed a change - her breathing was no longer as loud and whistling as at the beginning, when you found her.

Have her lungs already regenerated? If so, how long will it take for her to fully recover?

You tightened your lips in anger and frowned slightly in frustration. What are you gonna do next? What will she do?

How stupid you were…

You chastised yourself in your mind for your recklessness and wondered what you should do now, when the demon was watching you all the time.

She could see perfectly well how your face changed under the influence of emotion - honestly, anyone could read you like an open book, but she hoped you wouldn’t suddenly pull out a nichirin blade from somewhere to kill her.

She wasn’t sure, she would have been able to defend herself from you in this state.

- - -

The night passed for you… without much 'attraction' - you didn’t talk to Mukago anymore and after a few minutes you fell asleep by the stove through its warmth and she didn’t try to wake you up. She focused on regenerating as quickly as possible so she could leave.

But unfortunately, she couldn’t sleep at the same time anymore, so she just lay alone with her thoughts, staring at the ceiling. Hunger squeezed and twisted her guts, the recovering drained a lot of energy from her, and when she looked at you, saliva flowed into her mouth.

You looked so good with that calm face untainted by any worries when you were conscious. Your scent filled her nostrils until she got dizzy - she felt drunk from your scent. You weren’t a marechi, but everything in the cabin smelled like you - the floor, the furniture and even the sheets she was lying in.

The years spent in the wooden walls made the entire house to soak up your scent like a handkerchief thrown into the water, although you probably didn’t smell it - demons have a much more sensitive sense of smell than humans, and her hunger with numerous, severe injuries only made it worse.

You were like an aromatic, fat chicken covered in honey over a fire. With skin flushed from the warmth and slightly shiny from the sweat running down your forehead.

You were definitely well seasoned. Just looking at you, she could imagine the structure of your muscles, feel the distinct iron taste of blood on her tongue spiced with your emotions.

There were many chemical reactions in the human body that were also caused by hormones and enzymes - from what she remembered about butchering meat or fish, when she was still human. Apparently, fear killed the taste of meat by the adrenaline and acids released in muscle tissues during stressful situations, so now you were perfect. Hunters and fishermen tried to kill the animal as quickly and painlessly as possible to prevent it. This killing technique is called ikejime.

You weren’t special, but in her condition, you were everything she could have dreamed of right now.

Normally, she’d sneak up on you while you were asleep and kill you before you could react, but she couldn’t. She still had broken bones (not only in her legs) and too severe internal injuries. All she had left was to wait and suffer in the silence still lured by your scent like a bee to a flower.

You unknowingly tortured her and turned your little house into her own private hell. You were her executioner, even though you didn’t do anything to her.

Her belly murmured low and long for food like a dog waiting for a bone, but it was a sound too muffled by the blanket to wake you up. You didn’t even move in your position.

An unpleasant spasm passed through her bowels like a spear, and the emptiness in her stomach became even more painful. Even more saliva poured into her mouth and flowed down her unnaturally pale cheek to soak into the pillow under her head and into her messy hair.

All she could do now was looking at you with a deep hunger in her eyes.

- - -

Shortly after sunrise you woke up - although the shutter was tightly closed and covered with some material she could tell by the singing of the morning birds.

Your sleepy eyes slowly opened and you stretched your bones with a quiet crack. From being in an awkward position for hours, your back and neck hurt. You grabbed the back of your neck to massage your tense muscles and looked around with tired eyes into a dark room, but you didn’t saw anything - the fire from the furnace has long gone out, leaving behind a delicate smell of smoke.

Moving around in a small room using only your memory, you walked up to the door and a little opened it, letting light in - luckily for your adopted guest, they didn’t face east or west, so it was half-dark.

Now you could see a white horned head with silver hair around her like a halo from beneath your bedding. Her dark eyes stared at you, making you less comfortable with a constant observer.

Honestly, if you forgot her, you’d scream in terror until the nearest village heard you and waking everyone up.

How about you become a new legend about a ghost living in the mountains with a killing voice, hm?

Her eyes followed you wherever you went in a small room - whether you made yourself breakfast or a bento for lunch at work. You pretended you didn’t notice how the unnatural irises moved, tracking your every slightest movement. When you disappeared out of their area, she even struggled to move her whole head towards you.

Was it uncomfortable? Yes. Was that disturbing? Most of all.

And you could have left the door locked and forgotten about her… Or leave her in the mountains till morning to burn.

“I’m going to work, don’t destroy or touch anything,” you said coldly when you changed (hiding behind a curtain made from an old blanket and hung from the ceiling on a beam supporting the roof) clothes and turned to the exit.

You didn’t even look at her knowing she’d still stare at you quietly with those dark eyes.

- - -

To your surprise, when you came home that evening, the demon woman was still lying where you left her.

Demons don’t regenerate faster?

You thought slowly chewing an onigiri ball. A little white rice stuck to your cheeks around your lips, but you didn’t pay much attention to it when you were focused on the lying demon.

“You still can’t move?” you asked her, still standing in the red light of the setting sun.

You had a bag of groceries hanging loosely on your one shoulder and an axe in the other hand. You weren’t stupid enough to walk into a dark room with a predator without any weapons.

But you were stupid enough to let a monster in and fall asleep next to her.

You reprimanded yourself quietly in your mind, frowned at that and clenched the handle of the iron axe tighter.

And then you left her unsupervised.

Were you mad at yourself? Yeah, but you can’t change the time. You could only hope she was really too hurt to get to you.

“Hey, come on, move,” you ordered to her still not going inside.

“I-I can’t…” she said in a slightly hoarse voice. You couldn’t tell if it was because of her bad condition or the long time she hadn’t used it.

So far, her body has taken care of numerous internal injuries and setting her ribs in right place. Maybe if she had eaten in the meantime it would have gone faster, but she was completely alone all day without any food.

Unfortunately, despite healing most of the injuries from her body, she felt weaker because of the amount of energy it consumed from her. Probably even after she’s completely healed, she won’t be able to stand on her feet for a while.

“This better be true,” you threatened, and she could have seen your embrance on the wooden shaft of the tool tighten. She even heard the wood crackling quietly under your hand.

You were ready to attack her at any moment if she suddenly jumped at you, and she was sure you wouldn’t hesitate.

You went inside and put a white wrap from a fabric bag next to her. It emitted a strong odor that attracted her on the one hand and repelled her on the other. Like water in a poisoned lake, a dehydrated animal. Like a Venus flytrap bugs.

“Eat,” you said looking down at her, and the command acted on her like letting the dog off a leash.

She had one big word in her head: “FOOD” - she immediately turning to the bundle with a weak, pale hand ending with sharp claws and she tore the material.

It was meat.

She felt she was about to cry. She didn’t understand your kindness and she had many questions.

Who are you to her, after all? You helped her a lot, but your behavior shows her how much you despise her (or her kind). You still gave her mixed signals that caused her a headache.

If she still goes on like this, she’ll go crazy because of you.

With a trembling hand, she grabbed it and shoved it into her mouth, almost choking. The sudden sweetness that attacked her tongue turned into a bitter and tart taste, making her want to vomit.

She quickly spat out a large piece of meat and began coughing and spitting with effort to rid her mouth of the residue. When she looked up, she saw you looking at her frown in a grim grimace of discontent.

She knew that look, you reminded her… It’s better not to mention his name here. Even quietly, because he’d find out, and he’d be angry to see one of his moons in such a weak state. He would probably consider her unworthy of that rank.

And what would he do next? Would he downgrade her to a lower position? Would he expel her from Twelve Kizuki? Would he kill her?

Those thoughts gave her the creeps.

“What is it? Why can’t you eat?” You asked, and your voice sounded sharp in her ears. She lowered her head. She couldn’t look you in the face for some reason.

“You’re a demon, you eat meat,” you said as if you were stating the obvious, such as that it’s bright during the day and birds fly in the sky.

“I can’t,” she admitted quietly and reluctantly, still trembling. “I can’t eat an animal.”

Are you gonna kill her now? You gonna call a Demon Slayer? Why don’t you just expose her to sunlight?

All she heard was your unhappy sigh above her and saw how you take the bag of the rest of the meat from her. There was still probably kilo in there.

“Well, it’s sad, but it won’t go to waste.”

You turned away from her and sat by the stone oven with the dry twigs from the wicker basket. Moments later, you put a pot on it and started preparing food for yourself.

In the next few minutes, the hut was filled with aromas of spices and the sound of bubbling water for sauce. All your attention was turned to cooking and she could see your calm face again illuminated by a yellow, warm flame.

You looked as if you had forgotten about her presence and all your problems - now there was only you and your little cabin. Your home. The outside world didn’t exist. You probably didn’t even worry about the probable sudden intrusion of some dangerous intruder.

Mukago would like to have such a quiet haven. A place, where she can come and forget everything - about demons and people, the rest of Kizuki and about her Master, fear of whether she’ll survive another day or the slayer she encounters is stronger than she is.

But looking at you, she finally calmed herself - it was nice to see you at work, even when you weren’t doing anything special.

Lying in your futon and covered with a blanket (she could still smell your scent, even though it had begun to faded) watching you cook - this scene was almost family-like. Affectionate. Intimate.

If she were human, the smell would make her drool. Maybe you could eat together.

When you were done, you put your food in a clay dish and sat in the corner not far from the furnace that was still generating heat. Suddenly, as if you remembering something, you looked in her direction without moving.

“Are you going to watch me eat like that?” you asked hesitantly.

Surprised, she forgot she was staring at you so intensely. Slightly ashamed, she looked away and focused on the ceiling this time.

Now the roles were reversed and you were staring at her, slowly eating the steaming gyūdon and wondering what to do next.

You should have gotten rid of her this morning, thrown her in the sunlight. What went into your mind to take her with you? If not now, she’ll kill you the next time. The only thing demons can eat is human flesh, and now you’re sure, and she even confirmed it. She’s hungry, you can’t feed her anything else. The sooner you take care of this, the better it will be.

You thought as you put the dish next to you and turned to the door. The sun has already set.

With resignation, you promised yourself you’d get rid of her in the morning (even though you knew, you wouldn’t keep it as usual).

“How long will it take you to regenerate?”

You suddenly broke the silence. The horned demon looked at you and the fire reflected in her silver irises. The red sclera all around it made her look like she really came out of the depths of hell, but there was something endearing about her - if it weren’t for the unnaturally eyes color and horns, she would have been really lovely human.

“I don’t know.”

She admitted it honestly, because she had nothing else and asked instead what will you do with her, still not looking at you.

“I don’t know,” you said as if you wanted to tease her.

Although the way your body was tensed up and your pulse quickened, she knew you were lying, but there was nothing she could do about it.

- - -

Mukago suddenly felt her blanket lift. She wasn’t sleeping - she just lay there with her eyes closed trying to speed up her recovery by focusing on healing individual fractures and injuries rather than trying everything at once.

With her slightly open eyelids, she saw you squatting next to her, holding the same axe on your shoulder as before, and staring at her belly with squinted eyes.

She quickly raised her hands, trying to shield herself from the blows, squealing like any woman in the face of unexpected danger. Surprised she was awake, you shivered and dropped the covering her material. A deep blush of shame appeared on your cheeks from being caught in the act of disgrace.

“I was just checking to see if you’re recovering well,” you said right away so she wouldn’t have any bad ideas…

And you thought you could change the sheets soon, because lying in stains of dried blood leaking through the bandages didn’t seem too hygienic to you, but you never mentioned it.

You sounded like you needed to explain yourself to her.

And stupid.

When you realized it, your surprised (and definitely guilty) face turned into a grimace again. You made a loud “tsk!” with your tongue and walked away from her.

Before you left, you took a big basket with you, and in the first rays of the sun coming through the door, she saw your ears are still red.

She was alone.

Again.

She felt like the small progress you had made in your unexpected relationship had been reduced to zero, and even as if you had taken a few extra steps backwards. She felt guilty about it because you really seemed nice even though you were hiding under the hood of a rough person all the time. She wished she hadn’t kept her eyes closed or called you.

Although she had spent years as a demon, she had not had many opportunities to meet another person to talk to. Humans quickly ended up as her food, weaker demons fled or died fighting for rank, and Twelve Kizuki treated each other as enemies.

Why did she only now feel how lonely she was? Or maybe it’s by tasting a sweet a little bit of the other person’s company?

Is it gonna be hard for her to get back into her life now after that you’ve just walked into it so unexpectedly?

Will she be able to return to those cold, lonely nights surrounded only by the dead bodies of her enemies who only hated her? Who only wanted to kill her?

You never gave her the feeling that you wanted to hurt her or that you were angry with her. You made ugly faces sometimes, but she saw you were only mad at yourself.

You did it when you said or showed her too much. You pretend you don’t care about her, but she doesn’t think it’s true. You’re a good person.

And maybe you were lonely in those mountains too. In these four wooden walls, where it is futile to look for the smell or traces of any guests.

Will she forget the heat from your furnace? The smell of flowers surrounding your home? The sound of your clamly beating heart or quietly breathing while you sleep?

When will she forget your voice or the color of your eyes? Or all those faces, that even though she didn’t feel comfortable with you at first, she found it funny now.

Did you know that when you get nervous, your left temple pulsates?

Here it was so… Pleasant. Nice. Different.

- - -

“How much more time do you need?” you asked when you came to see her in the afternoon.

She was now able to sit up and hardly felt any pain in her abdomen. The only thing stopping her from leaving was the sunlight and the broken bones in her legs.

“About twelve hours.” However, after a moment of reflection, she added. “Maybe a little more.”

Hearing an answer that satisfied you, you nodded your head and put away the new dry branches and charcoal. The last one you got from a friendly family, and the rest you found on the way home from the city where you work.

Despite living near the woods and mountains, you were neither a hunter nor a lumberjack. This meant, you had to get up early in the morning and drive your carretela the next few kilometers to your workplace, but you liked it. The other employees were always nice and there was always a customer to whom you could please with your goods. An additional plus was the specific place where you live allowing you to experiment with it.

And what were you trading?

“What are you doing?” the girl asked, when she felt a little more confident and saw you pull a little wrap from behind your kimono.

“I’m planting.”

You sprinkled seeds from a small handkerchief into a pot and wrote the name of the plant with charcoal on it, before you pulled out a thin notebook from the book cabinet and starting to write something in it. She thought you wouldn’t want to talk to her, but after a while, you started more talking.

“My boss sometimes gives me different seeds to record the growth of plants under different conditions than in the greenhouse.” You paused for a moment to see if you wrote the name on the other page correctly. “And there are also plants that won’t grow anywhere else, but in the mountains because of this.”

“Are you a gardener?”

“I work in a flower shop, but yes - I’m also a gardener. I even have a nice garden in front of my house thanks to this.”

“Do you know a lot of plants?”

“Oh, yes, boss probably brings them from all over the world.” You said in a tone showing that you don’t consider it a great feat. Like you’d be better off without that knowledge. “He has many shops and contacts with abroad. He’s a businessman and lately he’s trying to make a deal for his services with some old family of pharmacists.”

“Is that why you were there? To study the growth of flowers in the mountains?”

The quiet shuffle of the grey pencil on the paper went silent when you looked at her. She was no longer hiding from your gaze - after all, she was Lower Rank 4.

“Yes, you fell into my Hayachineusuyukiso.” Seeing that the name doesn’t mean anything to her, you added. “Also called Edelweiss or Beautiful Star. A rare, white, mountain flower, not difficult to grow, but it was difficult for me to make suitable soil conditions for it.”

The only thing she answered was “oh” as an understanding of the subject of the plant, and then she added even louder and more confidently “Oh!” when she understood exactly what she had done.

She swooped in (along with the Demon Slayer) and destroyed your hard work to grow these flowers. She didn’t know what you had to do to get this, so she was even more worried. And you were probably doing it for your boss. She was hoping, he wouldn’t fire you for it.

“I’m sorry,” she said with guilt, putting her hands on the sheets covering her. There’s almost nothing left of your scent on it, replaced by her sweat and blood.

“You don’t have to, you can’t fix them with words.”

You lifted your eyes from the pages and saw the demon staring at her clenched hands. The bangs and longer strands of hair fell freely over her face, concealing her like a silver hood, but were still too short to cover her tightly held lips.

Was she clutching them out of hunger or guilt?

Even though the thought occurred in your head, you didn’t consider her a serious threat. She reminded you of a child, which somebody yelled at - sad and ashamed of their actions. Sitting in a corner for punishment and left with her thoughts to calmly reflect on her mistakes. Unwillingly, you added while closing the small notebook with a slam.

“I didn’t need them for anything anymore anyway - I just had to get the flowers to unfurl to confirm a theory.”

When you stood up, she followed you with her eyes, watching you slowly getting to leave, before you stopped for a moment.

You came back and put some similar notebooks in front of her.

“If you’re bored, you can read or draw on blank pages. I’d probably be bored to death with nothing to do here.”

“Are you going back to work?” she asked, hoping you’d stay with her.

“There’s a charcoal-burning family on the other side of the mountains, and I promised Tanjiro-kun I’d come and visit them after I checked on you.”

“Oh, okey.”

Her sad and disappointed tone made you feel like you just kicked a little cat. Before guilt and duty completely took over you, you left planning a meeting with the rest of the Kamado family, picking prettier flowers for a bouquet for Mrs. Kie and her two daughters.

- - -

“Any improvement?” you asked when you finally came back.

Although you left your friends before dark (knowing how treacherous mountain roads can be), you still reached the hut only after the sun had hidden behind the horizon.

The abdominal pain practically disappeared along with the dark blue and purple spots adorning her skin and she could move her toes, but it was still a problem for her to bend her knees. She still can’t walk on her own.

“I need a few more hours.”

“Is there any way to speed this up?”

“I could, but…”

She couldn’t finish a sentence knowing there was no way you’d say yes. She looked down and silver hair again obscured her view.

She heard you sighing and leaving. In the backyard, you threw something on a gravel road that gave off a metallic reverberation and dragged it, destroying a few of the stray little twigs.

Through the entrance to the cottage, she saw you standing in front of a wooden trailer. You harnessed a little brown horse to it and started pulling off the fabric bags and bringing them home, putting them in a corner.

She watched your actions with curiosity until you stopped, stood over her and asked with a neutral expression.

“If I help you, can you make it to the carriage?”

She looked at the vehicle one more time and then nodded at you. You uncovered her body, pulled her out of the futon - there was a large dark stain of clotted blood where she lay, but you’ve seen a significant improvement. You were involuntarily happy about it.

She reached out to you like a baby. You held her under her armpits and then you tried to put her hand across your neck. The last time, when you carried her home unconscious, she was definitely heavier and harder for you to maneuver.

Unlike the first time you met her, she was no longer cold - the gentle warmth of her body made you believe she was truly human, if it weren’t for her appearance.

Relying on you, she came to the carriage and you put her in the trailer. Her legs were still weak and flabby, but the fact that she could walk a few steps with the help was a good sign.

“Where are you taking me?”

She asked, watching you step forward and sit in the coachman’s seat. Holding the leather reins, you swung with it at the animal to make it move.

Not very glad with the night ride, the horse initially resisted, but after a few pulls, he finally moved. His clattering hooves resounded in silence along with his loud hisses, making it even less real.

When was the last time Mukago rode in a carriage? It must have been when she was still human.

Was she afraid? No, even though you didn’t answer her question and you kept your distance almost the whole time. She knew you weren’t bad.

And she knew it would finally come. She couldn’t hope that you would let her live with you - after all, you were natural enemies.

When after a long ride you stopped the horse before the entrance between the two mountains, she knew it was time to say goodbye.

You went around the carriage again to get to her and took her down, before you led her deep into a narrow, stone road and sat her on a big boulder.

“I can’t go any further.”

You said crouching at the height of her eyes. You pointed your finger at the dark behind her and added. “That’s where I found you, with any luck he should still be there, if the wild animals haven’t gotten him first.”

The demon nodded. She still didn’t understand what was inside your head and why you decided to helping her so much, but she was very grateful to you.

She looked at your back for a moment as you walked away from her and when your footsteps silenced in the other sounds of the night, she slowly crawl into the corpse of the Demon Slayer.

She had to make several stops along the way to rest, but she had all night to get there.

Surprisingly, the corpse was still lying where he fell. Flowers were arranged around it, as if someone was trying to make it up for the dead boy’s lack of burial.

As she got closer, she could see that the animals had found their way to him during those three days. His right hand was missing and in the place of his eyes were two black voids staring straight at her. The dried blood on his cheeks now looked like tears. Equally bad must have been the hole in his belly, where something was still moving under the stiff material of his uniform.

Unable to complain, she tried to ignore the horrible smell coming from the rotting body and after a few minutes she could walk normally again.

- - -

You didn’t leave from the entrance to the ravine long before dawn. What told you to stay? Guilt? Duty to a stranger’s girl?

No, it’s a demon. You can’t forget that.

But even your own admonitions didn’t move you. Your horse turned his head restlessly waiting for you to let him to turn back and lie down again in the dry straw in a small barn, but you waited.

For what? Until she finishes eating and comes back for you?

Tired, you rubbed your eyes and struggled with drowsiness. You decided to wait another ten minutes, and if she doesn’t signal that she needs help by then, you’ll leave.

- - -

You were awakened from a shallow sleep by the restlessness of the horse. The animal tromped its hooves and neighing, trying to wake you up and keep you away from the danger in front of you.

When you got up quickly, you grabbed the lantern next to you and lit your way, but you didn’t see anything. Not any demon or a wild animal.

Feeling a sudden movement of air next to you, you looked to the side, but there was nothing too. You could have tell someone was here a moment ago - you still felt the warmth on your shoulder.

Deciding you’d wasted too much time here, you ordered for the horse turn around, still looking back to see what would upset him so much. When you took a closer look, you saw on the road an elongated shape sliding slowly into the nearby bushes.

A snake? Well, at least it wasn’t your still hungry friend…

On the way home, you could have sworn that you felt a constant gaze stuck into you like two daggers. It wasn’t very pleasant, you could feel how its hidden owner buzzing with bad emotions and the desire to murder.

It gave you the creeps all over your body and all you could think about was getting back to a safe house as soon as possible.

Maybe it’s just your wild imagination? Being alone late at night in the dark woods are good food for it.

The only thing you heard that night (apart from the moaning of the wooden wheels of your carriage) was the loud flutter of the wings of some bird flying over your head, but because of the thick branches of the trees you couldn’t even see the starry sky above you. You knew something was there because once you even got hit in the head with a pine cone that broke off under his weight.

- - -

For the next few days you had some peace and quiet - no one fell to your flowers or needed your help.

The only people, who disturbed you were mysterious men in brown suits, who came to ask you for the way to the mountains. They explained that they worked for some organization and one of their members had a terrible accident nearby.

The road to this place was easy from your house, so you pointed them in the right direction.

All you saw was how they looked at each other through the gap in the material attached under their hats in understanding and they left you without a word.

The first time you came to this place, the view was terrible, now it must be a lot of worst especially after you left the corpse for decay, wild animals and brought there the starving demon.

But it’s not your problem anymore, although you could have sworn the birds that accompanied them looked at you like they knew what you’d done.

They looked at you with their black eyes, judging you quietly and with the intelligence you’ve never seen in any animal.

But maybe you were just imagining it? Maybe you’re just too paranoid?

- - -

Mukago thought no one would find out about her weak. That it would remain her little secret.

Oh, how wrong she could have been.

As much as she wanted to stay and be around you, she knew it would be too dangerous for both of you. Just thinking about you, no matter how pleasant, could get her (and not only her) into trouble.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, nothing could escape the attention of the Demon King.

One day he summoned her to Infinite Castle by a woman with biwa.

She was wandering through the forest and all she heard was an unexpected sharp tug of the strings of the instrument, when she suddenly stood in front of the cold face of Kibutsuji. The demon was dressed in white pants and a black suit still remaining in his current role of a good husband and father.

The demon has recently found a new family to serve as a cover for him, so he can hide from the Demon Slayer Corps.

What did he do to achieve this?

She couldn’t be sure, but she expected him to stain his hands again with the blood of an innocent person. People were nothing but food and tools to him, just like the members of Twelve Kizuki.

He stood in front of her, staring at her like she was an uninteresting animal. An insect. A miserable subspecies.

Seeing him, she immediately turned even more pale and fell on her knees before him, lowering her head as low as she could. Her forehead touched the hard, dark wood beneath her and she felt how sweat ran down her temples. Mukago barely holds back the trembling from nervousness.

His forehead was not tainted by any wrinkle created by furrowed brows. The man's posture, though it was and did not seem tense, she still could feel the dread floating in the air.

“What was that supposed to mean?” Muzan asked calmly but harshly, standing over her. As he always did when he gave the order for Twelve Kizuki.

“I–”

She didn’t know what to say. How was she supposed to explain all of this? Or was it about puncture the Demon Lord’s pride, thinking he wouldn’t know? Here, among the demons you could die for lesser offenses.

Or maybe she should already start apologizing and writing her last mental will?

“You had a perfect source of information right under your nose,” he started to speak, and his immaculate image began to break like a broken vessel. With every word, she could hear the anger rising within him. “How could you leave so easily? When others work hard to find even the slightest clue as to where Blue Spider Lily is, you just turn down the chance that fate has given you!”

With his scream, something glass snapped near them, making Mukago squirm even more. She trying to hide inside himself and shaking like a frightened rabbit.

She began to wonder if the next thing that snapped would be her skull.

This time, however, he spared her life. It just ended with an unpleasant reprimand that she won’t forget for long, really long time.

Black-haired woman barely teleported her to the vicinity of the wooded areas of the mountains, she already started instinctively running towards you with tears in her eyes.

Were those tears of fear? Relief from a life saved yet again by luck? Happiness of seeing you one more time?

Or maybe just a rush of cold air caused them?

Her whole body was still trembling and covered with goosebumps, the cloud of shock was just started leaving her mind, her heart was beating fast fueled by adrenaline, but there was also an unusual lightness in her legs, as if she weighed nothing.

Her feet carried her to the door of your hut, lured by the familiar scent of flowers from your garden, dug-up earth and…

You.

Mukago is alive.

For now…

- - -

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.” Mukago heard your voice along with approaching footsteps.

She waited for you as usual, sitting on the wooden beam supporting the ceiling, that she had spent so much time staring at during her long convalescence.

She has been coming to see you almost every day since she had the conversation with her Master - sometimes she disappearing for a quick hunt.

She tried to deal with it quickly, but at the same time she chose villages a little further away from your home. She didn’t want to bring here another slayer or, even worse, a Hashira.

That would be too suspicious and it could lead them to you.

What would they do when they found out you were friends with a demon? With the murderer of countless people? One of the Kizuki?

She didn’t even want to think about it…

Another reason was a little selfish, because she didn’t want you to hear about her victims. She didn’t want you to start looking at her like everyone else, like the demon that she is.

But this time when you came back, you weren’t alone - she heard other footsteps too.

From the sounds she might have deduced your comrade was a man. He walked quietly, but confidently. She could hear the clatter of the scabbard on his katana slapping against his hip and belt when he was walking, and his calm breathing.

A hunter?

No, the slayer.

And from his strong aura, she could have infer that he must have been high-ranking. Perhaps, he was even a Kinoe.

Outside the door, she heard a man walk away from you. When you entered the hut, for a moment the orange rays of the sunset fell inside, drawing your long shadow on the ground. You immediately looked up expecting to see your guest there as usual.

And as usual, she was there. With a nice smile and soft eyes waiting for you. Just like a domestic cat.

A large, predatory cat that could easily devour you if she only wanted to. She was now like a wild tiger in her territory.

You no longer saw in her the same fear as before or the pretended confidence.

But tigers are big cats, who also like to lie down sometimes without stress.

She often watched you at work too. You didn’t know exactly why she came back to you or where her interest in plants came from, because she never made it clear before what she was interested in. When you asked her about it, she only said:

“Because I can’t and you know a lot about this.”

You sensed her sincerity at the time, even though you didn’t quite understand what she meant.

Maybe if you knew Muzan Kibutsuji you could understand, but she couldn’t tell you about him.

And her mission wasn’t the only reason why she couldn’t leave…

Sometimes you felt like you were playing a game with her, where you slowly discover more and more about each other.

It was nice talking to someone and not going back to an empty hut where no one was waiting for you, but it brought new problems for you.

You began to get attached to her presence and miss her when she was gone. Wait for her to come back to you, when she suddenly disappeared at night after you fell asleep.

How many times have you woken up in the dark and waited for her appear to the first rays of the sun?

How many more excuses are you gonna need for your eyes bags, when people ask for them? When will you stop worrying others with your absent-minded behavior, often getting lost in your thoughts and falling asleep in a quiet corner at work?

“Demons don’t feel love or empathy, they’re monsters.” Someone told you once, and you took those words to heart. “Bloodthirsty beasts, who only want to quench their hunger.”

But are all demons really evil?

Are there any good demons?

You followed the girl coming down from the wooden beam with your eyes. Even though she smiled at you, you could tell she was nervous.

Is it because of that guy with the katana?

Suddenly, remembering something, you asked her putting away your packages of things you bought in the city on the table next to the fireplace.

“There's been some missing in the area lately… Do you know anything about that?”

Mukago seemed surprised by your question - she turned pale (although you didn’t expect it to be possible) and a smile faded from her face, replaced by the uncertainty you saw in her during your first conversation.

“Um, no. I don't think so. Why?”

It didn’t sound very convincing and all you could do, was take her word for it.

Some time ago a child went missing and was found after two days - he had lost into the woods and fallen into an old, but deep bear pit.

Luckily, the villagers found him safe and healthy (not counting the fear and hunger he must have felt during that time, as well as the numerous abrasions he made, when he tried to climb on the slippery rocks).

Mr. Bear was probably on a trip or was long dead, killed by hunters.

Missing husbands were found drunk in pubs, and and young womens were found with their chosen ones not accepted by their families.

But there were also unsolved disappearances, where no clues have been found to tell what might have happened to the missing.

You didn’t dwell on the subject and unpacked your bag, carefully placing its contents in a locker nearby. These included various spices, rice, bread and meat, in addition to seeds from your boss.

You might have gone a little crazy, because you had an unusual customer, who come to see you in the morning.

A mysterious black-haired man in western clothes entered the flower shop before the sun came up and asked your friend Misaki (who was standing behind the counter) about flowers. He wanted to buy something for his wife and daughter as an apology for spending so much time at work.

When she disappeared into the other side of the store behind one of the larger plants to bring ribbons to tie the flowers stems, you saw him looking around, although you could tell from his eyes that he was bored rather than curious.

His red irises wandered along the shelves with vases and multicolored plants without any reaction - none of them surprised or delighted him, as if he had seen them all more than once.

Well, this place certainly weren’t the only store selling exotic plants, there were more of them in Tokyo for sure. The only difference between you and them is the price - because your boss tried to grow most of them here, the prices were much lower than those in the center of the capital.

You barely managed to keep your eyes open, sitting where you usually sit hidden in a corner on the windowsill.

Monstera deliciosa - an ornamental plant, imported from distant exotic forests, with large leaves in the usual heart shape was the perfect cover for you. From behind its jagged leaves, you could see who was going in and out without fear of being noticed. You liked working here, but didn't always feel like dealing with customers.

Misaki, with her open and warm personality, was the perfect worker for such tasks and kind enough to let you laze in your corner. Unlike you, she was unfamiliar with growing plants and thought you were digging up in mud every day. So with minimal work you could have had extra hours of sleep or read a book, sometimes aloud to pass the time for both of you.

But now she is gone and your slumber was interrupted by an unexpected nice voice.

“Excuse me,” the client said with a polite expression. He had an even nicer, smooth face and a gentle smile. “I’m also looking for something for my mother’s grave. She died just a few days ago.”

Surprised, he’s addressing to you, you just pointed your finger at Spider Lily standing nearby. The slender flowers already had their characteristic upward spindly stamens and corrugated petals, giving them their unique charm. They attracted by their furiously red color that matched his irises.

That color spoke loudly: danger! They made you as anxious as when a man turned his attention to you.

You were disturbed, when he talked about his dead relative like he didn’t care what happened to her and how fast he was right next to you. You didn’t hear any footsteps or the creaking of the wooden floor under his weight.

Even more puzzling was how he could see you hidden behind many large leaves in a dark corner of the store.

You wanted Misaki to come back and take him away from you, but undeterred by your unkindness behavior, the man continued.

“Yes, I thought about it, but she didn’t like red. She associated it with bad luck.”

He spoke, looking at other flowers, but you still somehow felt his gaze on you. It was as if he was trying to keep you within the corner of his eye so you wouldn’t escape him.

You didn’t know what they were associating with for her, but from now on for you, they were with his eyes. Red as fresh blood.

“Is it available in blue?”

You swallowed your saliva with difficulty and nodded insecurely, when his cat’s pupils landed on you again without even turning his head towards you. You weren’t even sure you heard him right - he hypnotized you like a snake.

He finally turned his head to you and closed his eyes gently. It seemed to shine its own light. “Where are they?”

“We don’t have them right now… It’s very hard to grow and maintain them.”

You finally managed to gather inside enough to speak up and come out smoothly from an unconscious lie.

The man’s smiling expression turned to disappointment when he frowned. He pulled out a small leather purse from his pocket and handed it to you. The coins inside clinked pleasantly with every shake.

“Well, if you ever manage to grow them, could you keep them for me?”

At the same time Misaki returned from the warehouse with colored ribbons and decorative paper.

He immediately drew all his attention to her as if he had never spoken to you and composed with her advice one lovely, little bouquet for his wife and one for his daughter.

When he finally left, he didn’t ask for a refund or tell you how to notify him when the job will be done.

You felt like you made a deal with the devil and that it was too late to withdraw.

So you did some more shopping after work. Your boss let you go home earlier seeing your fatigue written on your face (again) and thought you were sick.

By the time you returned home, the sun was already slowly sinking into the west, even though it was still early. The charms of the coming winter.

That’s when you ran into the Demon Slayer. Hashira. You’ve occasionally seen low-ranking slayers in the city passing through or staying to take a break there, but you’ve only seen Hashira twice.

Your first meeting wasn’t the most pleasant, and if you could, you’d erase it from your memory.

It was a few years ago, when you still had no idea of the importance of their uniforms and demons walking among humans as myths inserted between other fairy tales.

But one unlucky night, your… friend was turned into a demon.

Terrified and badly wounded, she escaped from her home where the attack took place, but soon after, she was transformed into these things. Driven probably by hunger and instinct, she ran to you - to the place, where she felt most safe and where she knew, she could get help.

In the middle of the night you suddenly heard a loud sound, waking you from a deep sleep. Rubbing your eyes, you weren’t sure what it was until you heard it again.

It sounded more like the roar of a wounded animal than the weeping of a woman - through the thin walls you could hear her heavy gasp and squeak, when she stood in front of your house.

Why didn’t she attack you right away? Was she out of strength? Did she sense anything else? Something stronger than her?

Or was she fighting with herself?

Are there any good demons?

With the only weapon you had (and it was a metal fire poker) you opened the shōji door. There you saw in the full moonlight your friend lying in a pool of blood, curling in pain.

Without thinking, you ran to help her. Your head was empty, all you could think about was your friend. Wounded.

You didn't even have time to kneel beside her when she suddenly threw herself at you knocking you over onto the mud. You tried to push her away with a metal tool, but it was like a new force came into her.

Her jaw snapped in your face, almost biting your nose off. Saliva dripped from her mouth and chin splashing you, but you barely felt it.

Nor did you feel the strong gust of wind blowing her hair and knocking her head off her neck.

Suddenly she froze and her head hit you before fell to the ground next to you. Still on the poker, you held the rest of her inert body, which became even heavier.

“Oi, move.”

He said in a cold tone as he hid the katana in the cover - the green sheen of its blade blinded you for a second.

"Oi, you can't hear what I'm saying to you!? Get out of here!"

He saw you open and close your mouth before you muttered something, still in shock, looking back at the stagnant corpse in front of you.

“You...ed her... Mur...”

"Hmm?" He asked without hearing what you said. He sounded harsh and cold, like what he did was just killing a worm. "What?"

“A murder! You kill, killed her! Mur–!”

You weren't allowed to finish because a stranger punched you in the jaw and you fell face down again into the dirt beneath you mixed with her blood. Then stranger tugged you by the shoulder, dragging you to stand on your knees to look at him.

The air between you, besides the stench of blood, was filled with the strong smell of smoke and decomposing flesh.

"She wasn't a human anymore," he began unconsciously squeezing you by the shoulder and other hand. He almost broke your arm. You tried to wrestle, but you were too weak. "It's a demon!"

"No! It was–"

"It doesn't matter what or who she was to you before," he interrupted you violently and shook you again.

It made you feel some of the shock go away, allowing you to focus more on the man and the environment. You saw he was covered with numerous ugly scars. He reminded you of the monster the old women of your village warned about.

"Demons don't feel love or empathy, they're monsters. Bloodthirsty beasts who only want to quench their hunger."

When he let you go, you fell back to your knees. In an instant, your safe picture of the world crumbled into a million tiny pieces.

Tears slowly flowed into your eyes, but before they blurred your vision, you saw her body crumbling into dust.

Was that true or nightmare?

With nothing more to do for you, the man left. You didn't even notice, when he walked away from you. He left you alone to mourn your friend.

Although that's what he let you do.

Crying loudly, you didn't know what to do. You tried to lift her head, but you couldn't. You were still scared and shaking. You felt an invisible hand clutching your heart and throat as if it were about to crush them.

But you were still alive.

And she was falling apart right in front of you.

When the moon looked out from behind the thick clouds, you saw wet, shiny marks on her crumbling cheeks.

Are there good demons?

And when the sun came out of the horizon, there was nothing left of her but her bloody clothes. The only proof of what happened here.

After what happened and the mourning you shared with her family at the funeral, where you buried only her clothes, you wanted to know more.

You found out who white-haired man is and more about demons, but you didn't become a Demon Slayer.

The first ones killed your friend, the second hurt.

Since then, you've been trying to live your normal life, and you've started asking yourself...

Are there good demons?

You shake your head trying to get back to the present. That was long time ago, and you've get over with it, even though the memories still haunt you.

"I've brought some new seeds, but we'll probably plant them in the spring." You turned to the girl standing behind you.

She smiled at you gently nodding her head. Her silver hair swayed with her movement, reflecting the light of fire.

She looked amazing.

- - -

Your joint meeting was interrupted by a sudden knock and a vigorous shout of your name through the door.

It was Tanjiro Kamado.

Surprised by his visit, you went outside the cabin so he wouldn't see your guest. The snow fell quietly beneath your feet. In the mountains, winter came faster, and in the higher areas it can last even the whole year.

"Hello, Kamado-kun" you greeted him. The frost pinched your face and a small cloud of steam came out of your mouth. "What brings you here?"

"Ohayō!" Younger boy bowed to you. His nose, cheeks, and ears were fiercely red despite wearing a shawl on his head. "I thought you might be running out of coal and I wanted to see how you were doing."

Sweeten by his kindness and sincerity, you thanked him for his efforts. You both lived on the same mountain, but your cabin was on the other side. To reach it, he had to go down to the village, and then walk for a long time along a path circling the mountain before he started climbing again.

The road wasn't hard, but it was a long one, which is why you preferred to buy coal from him when you were downstairs so as not to bother him.

If you were alone, you'd have offered him in and tea. Maybe even the overnight stay, so he wouldn't have to come home in the dark and in the morning you would have escorted him to the village before you went to work.

"Oh, thank you. I'll pay you right away..."

You were reaching for your belt looking for a purse of money when suddenly he asked.

"Do you have a visitor?"

"Um, yes." You've been spin around trying to count the coins, but you've had a hard time doing it without feeling your fingertips.

You figured he must have sensed Mukago. The red-haired boy, as long as you can remember, had a perfect sense of smell. You wondered what exactly he sensed.

"The same one you took care of when she was sick?"

You nodded and didn't stop counting.

"What's she like?"

He asked unexpectedly. He knew a lot of smells, including the smell of human sadness, sorrow, or joy, but this one was completely new to him, so he couldn't determine who your mystery guest was.

"Oh, she's..." You've been thinking about trying to decide which term might best fit Mukago.

To a man-eating demon, who likes to wait for you in your attic. A demon who likes to watch you work on flowers and ask a lot of questions about them. A demon who, when she thinks you're asleep, strokes your hair or cheek gently.

"She's cute."

The boy nodded understandingly, knowing you were completely sincere. Then he stood with you for a while, trying to give you back some of the coins you gave him extra for coming all the way to your house, and you watched him leave happy.

The sun was half hidden behind the horizon and he didn't have time to get home before dark, but you weren't afraid for him. As far as you know, demons are very territorial, and Mukago's presence should deter weaker demons.

You didn't even think of the possibility that there might be a demon more powerful than her nearby...

But you weren't supposed to find out until the next morning from the other villagers and see two survivors disappear among the massacred bodies.

But that's not until tomorrow. Today, blissfully unaware, you returned to the inside of your home and your guest stiffly seated at your low table.

You could tell right away that she was more dreamy looking at you with her slightly spread lips showing white fangs, dilated pupils and...

You weren't sure, but is that the blush on her cheeks? She didn't hear you talking to Tanjiro, did she?

Right?

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blackswaneuroparedux · 11 months

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Anonymous asked: Of all the many languages you speak which is your weakest one? Do you use those languages?

It’s privilege to learn any language that isn’t your mother tongue. As Ludwig Wittgenstein correctly observed, “The limits of my language means the limits of my world”. If English is our native tongue we put ourselves at a disadvantage because we expect every other nationality to take the trouble to speak it. There seems no incentive to learn a foreign language. We become lazy not just in language but also in other ways including our cultural enrichment, our imagination, and a misplaced sense of our self-importance in the world.

Of the European languages I know, I probably think German would be my weakest. When I was in school in Switzerland you’re brought up in three languages: French, Italian, and German (even if the Swiss speak Swiss German). When I say weakest I mean I can converse fluently, but I don’t have time to read German literature in the same immersive way I would say with French literature or take any special interest in German affairs.

I would say I’m fairly fluent in French now but still prone to silly mistakes. I’ve been told that I can speak without an accent and that is heart warming to know, because that was always the goal once I moved here to France. I don’t really use French in my work as it’s a multi-national entity and so English is the default language of corporate world, but I’m speaking French pretty much the rest of the time outside of work.

I was extremely fortunate to be born into a multi-lingual family where Norwegian and English were spoken from birth. All my siblings were being versed in Latin (not Greek which came years later after doing Classics at university) by the time I was 8 or 9 years old because my father was a classicist and he felt Latin was the building blocks to mastering other languages.

All this occurring whilst we moved lived and moved around a lot in the world such as China, Japan, India, and the Middle East. When I was initially sent to one of the first of my English girls boarding schools I was horrified that most of the girls only spoke English. I thought I was the stupid one for only knowing 6. Boarding school, if nothing else, gave me a great privilege to hone in on the languages I did know and start to learn others.

My parents didn’t take the easy way out and put us children in international schools like all the other expat children. That would have been too easy given how tight knit the British expatriate community was out there. Instead we were left to sink or swim in local schools in places like Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan or Shanghai in China or in Delhi, India. It was a struggle but you soon find your feet and you stumble towards some basic level of fluency.

I’m fortunate that before Covid my corporate work took me often to the Far East and it was a great opportunity to hone what I already knew. The result is I can converse and take business meetings in Chinese and Japanese (though English gets thrown into the mix too).

I would say Chinese is more of a struggle for me these days because I’ve not been back since before the Covid lockdown in 2020. Chinese is one of those languages that can easily melt away if you don’t get the chance to converse in it on a regular basis. Japanese less so, probably because the culture had more profound impact on me than Chinese culture.

Hindi is less of an issue because I have close Indian friends and also I watch Bollywood movies as well as converse with Indian immigrants here in Paris who have local stores. Urdu I learned through the backdoor because Urdu has a spoken affinity with Hindi (if you know Hindi then you know spoken Urdu, more or less, especially in Northern India and cities like Delhi where Urdu was born in the burnt ashes of Mughal India). Reading is another matter because they each use different scripts - Sanskrit for Hindi and Arabic and Persian script for Urdu.

Strangely enough when I was doing my tour in Afghanistan years ago with the British army, I would speak Urdu with local Afghans who served as official translators or were selling goods on the base. These Afghans knew Urdu because an entire generation of Afghan boys and girls grew up in refugee camps on the Pakistani border during the different phases of the Afghan war. I have very fond memories of their friendship and hospitality, but less so of the war itself.

With Arabic, it had lapsed woefully until I did a posting in Dubai in the past year (as catalogued in my blog) and I found myself suddenly remembering a lot and asking Arab friends. Soon I was able to hold my own amongst my colleagues and corporate clients. In these cultures it’s really hard to stay focused because so many of them speak very good English. So it’s hard to get them to stick with their own language because you want to learn from them - but they want to show off their English proficiency - and so you have to be polite but persistent to stick with Arabic.

If you’re learning a new language then I hope you stick with it. There’s almost nothing more rewarding in your life than the disocovery a rich culture through language. The key is to find a way to make it fun rather than a trip to the dentist chair for a root canal operation.

Thanks for your question.

#ask #question #languages #german #chinese #hindi #arabic #immersion #learning #education

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ryujnn · 1 year

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► akuma. ｡ ⋆ love genetically altered. (03)

► chapter warnings ﾟ｡ ⋆ after one simple task is given to y/n, it turns into an absolute nightmare — and a war being declared upon the jujutsu sorcerers in kyoto.

► chapter warnings ﾟ｡ ⋆ declaration of war. nothing much but violence, mention of weapons, gojo & geto deserves its own warnings, slight angst towards the end, maki is ooc.

► note. ﾟ｡ ⋆ ending absolutely broke me i love gojo. i hope the way i describe y/n as gojo’s wife and not herself makes sense? since that’s how people see her? IDK LET ME KNOW! hope you all enjoy. kinda long though.

tag list. visual + character board. prev. next.

“Oh, Mr. Gojo,” Akito bows, welcoming the presence of the sorcerer. He sniffles quickly, attempting to pick himself up before facing such a powerful man. “Um, Himari… she’s…”

“I figured.”

Satoru walks towards the doctor, placing his hands on his shoulders. “I’m just glad it worked,” He gives a small smile, attempting to cheer him up. “How long has she been in there?”

Akito shakes his head, “About… three hours,” He clasps his hands together, almost as if he was praying to the man before him. “She had been screaming and crying, but she’s sleeping now I believe.

“I.. I’ve never seen her like that.”

Gojo hums, looking through the small window revealing a heartbreaking scene. You’re cuddled up under your mother, who’s no longer alive, yet you’ve got the veil to your dress covering you both like a makeshift blanket. You’re fast asleep, breathing stuttering from all the crying you’ve done.

And there Himari rests, a smile on her face.

“Get some rest, Akito.” The sorcerer looks over to the doctor, giving him a reinsuring nod. He opens the door quietly before slipping in, making sure his footsteps are quiet and gentle.

He towers over the bed, ignoring the twists in his stomach and his heart. He has to keep the promise he made to Himari — because she kept hers. The scene to him was too much, rather. He wasn’t sure how you were going to handle this, especially after everything your mother shared with him.

Nonetheless, he reaches down to give Himari’s lifeless leg and a squeeze before adverting his attention to you. Gojo’s muscular arms slipped under your back and under your legs, lifting you bridal style to his chest.

He wants to ignore the tear stains on your cheeks, or even the shivering of your body. He wants to ignore the way you immediately curl to his touch, your head resting against his chest. He wants to ignore the way your hands fist his button up shirt, and the way you hiccup in your sleep.

All he wanted to do was tell you that everything would be okay, he wanted to wipe your dry tears from your face — and promise that everything will work out. But how could he?

Satoru walks to the door and looks back at Himari, a weird flutter in his chest. He sighs. “I’ll keep my promise. Rest well.”

And with those final words, Gojo walks from the room, closing the door behind him. He walks down the cool hallway, keeping you as close to him as possible to keep your warm.

All he asks is for you to stay asleep.

The vibration against the wood next to you, and the consistent ringing to your cellphone completely woke you up from your sleep. You sat up, skin soft against the new silk sheets you slept on.

Unfamiliar, that’s what it felt like. You sat up straight, looking at your new surroundings. The circular green backdrop behind you, mint and chocolate duvet covering your legs, yellow teardrop lamps on each side of you. Your new home.

With a quick roll to your eyes, you reached over to grab your cellphone, swiping over to answer it quickly. “Hello?” You answered, throwing your bare legs off the bed.

“You’re alive.” A familiar, husky voice spoke staticky from the other side of your device. “I’m going with your husband on his mission. Could you supervise the students for us? The other teachers will be with us.”

Must be serious if everyone’s going. With a quick nod, remembering that he couldn’t see you, you cleared your throat and stood from your bed. “Yeah, yeah, of course, Nanami,” Padding your feet across your room, searching for your closet silently. “What time do you need me there?”

“Now.”

“Oh!” Finding your closet was a bit more serious now. “Okay. Let me throw something on and I’ll be over there.”

After dressing in a simple outfit, hair tied back neatly — and your very own Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College badge hanging from your neck. You were way too excited about this task, but how could anyone blame you?! You were being trusted with a few powerful students; you could learn so much from them.

It was also a great distraction.

Slipping out of your room and making a mental note where the kitchen was (since your husband’s house was very, unnecessarily large), there were construction workers moving in some of your items, fixing Gojo’s ‘side of the house’ and adding more security outside of his home.

You stood in the threshold of your new house, watching the workers all hustle with urgency, communicating radically as they all had one mission in mind: completing their task that Satoru Gojo assigned them before he’s back from his mission.

It was all you could guess, considering anyone who speaks to or mentions your husband is talking about how much of an asshole he is, how attractive he is — or how scary he is.

The idea of him made you roll your eyes. He was everything but that… maybe.

“Got all dressed up for the workers? Your taste is bad.”

You turn to the voice behind you, revealing no other than Satoru Gojo. After making eye contact with your husband, you simply roll your eyes again before turning back to the scene in front of you. “If I married you, clearly.”

He chuckles behind you, taking a step forward to match your statue. He was taller than you, significantly, but if you compared your maturity, you were absolutely taller than him.

“I have to get to the school, see you whenever you get back.”

Running shoes dropped to the step under you before you felt cool fingers wrap around your wrist, spinning you around to face him. He tugs you forward, now hovering over you, eyebrows tugged together with a head tilt of a puppy.

“What’re you goin’ to the school for?”

There’s something you haven’t seen before — worry hiding behind his eyes. What’s with this secret everyone’s keeping? Who’s the big bad wolf that needs to be defeated? What is this mission all about?

After you tugged your eyes from his grip, they shoot back to his turquoise ones. You snapped your hand from Gojo’s grip, clasping them together behind your back. “While you and Nanami are on your mission, I’m supervising the students,”

Satoru’s expression never budges, keeping a confused glare. You huff, “I’m gonna be doing some easy work while you’re fighting the big bad guys. Is that alright with you, Mr. Gojo?”

If you were anyone else, Gojo would’ve plucked you out and sent you rumbling down the steps, watching you cry in pain with pure agony. It wasn’t that he was confused about where you were going — it was why. It was too dangerous.

Nonetheless, a coy smirk tugs on his lips at your derisive tongue. He’d do anything to shut you up.

“You’re used to easy work anyway, yeah?” He responds, standing to his full height after towering over you. His arms cross over his chest, doing his best to fight the urge of scowling at you. “Best of luck.”

Keeping up with the banter between you both would be the death of you. You’d be a wife now, widower later. There were many ways you could kill him, anyways! When he’s in the shower, when he’s cooking, or even when he’s sleeping the sugar rush ride that would course through him after shoving the remaining snacks down his throat.

For some reason, you weren’t in a bad mood. Despite the previous 48 hours, you were doing better than you thought — and even this silly back and forth between you and Gojo wouldn’t ruin it either.

That’s why you smiled, shoving your hands into your front pockets, spinning around and hopping off the steps. “Don’t die!” You yell back. You continued your path to the street, bowing to the workers who all halted to bow first.

And there Gojo stood, in front of his home, arms crossed over his chest. Maybe he should put more requests in for you. Seeing you bounce all happy made him feel a little… warm. You were happy, could he ask for any more?

Once you entered the school, the staff and faculty who were around all stopped and bowed, clutching their hands behind their back. You responded with curtesy, bowing back to each individual with a smile.

Word must’ve gotten around that you weren’t only Satoru Gojo’s wife, but the other bearer of five from the Shio clan. To anyone else, they’d loved the adrenaline boost, the power it seemed to give, but you didn’t. You just wanted to be treated normally.

Like how your mom treated you.

“Morning everyone.”

After the greetings, everyone returned back to their original positions and continued doing their assigned tasks. A man walked up to you, slightly intimidating resting face — black glasses pressed to his nose with very hollow cheeks.

For a second, he bows, before standing up straight and offering a hand. “Hello, I’m Ichiji, I usually work with your husband.”

Your husband. Glad to see how everyone here views you.

You hum, and he takes that as an invitation to continue speaking. “I’ll be traveling with him on his mission, it shouldn’t take to long. We do appreciate your effort with helping supervise, it means a lot.”

“Of course. They aren’t bad kids, I don’t mind.”

“Speaking of.”

You turn your head over you shoulder, now watching Nanami walk forward with the four first years. They all looked energetic, especially Maki, and eager to be working with someone other than Gojo.

Once everyone was gathered around and greetings were shared, you turned back to Ichiji, clasping your hands together. “Is there anything specific they were working on? Should I have them go train?”

Panda shakes his head, “Gojo-Sensei was just making us watch a movie, one that he spoiled before turning it on, so there’s nothing specific we were working on.”

“Salmon.”

“Sounds about right,” You force out a laugh, pretending to know the type of man your husband was — even when you didn’t. You didn’t even know his favorite color. “We can work on weapon wielding. I’ve been learning it since I was a kid, so I’m sure I can provide good teachings, how does that sound?”

Maki nods, excitement filling her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds cool!” As her fellow classmates look at her in confusion — never seeing such an energetic side to her — they all agree with her statement, and the topic has been settled on.

Ichiji nods, a small smile etching on his face. “Sounds great.” He looks over to Nanami. “I knew Gojo suggesting her would be a great idea. She might even replace him.”

What?

The smile on your face, the affection you were showing the students before you.. it had dropped. Gojo did what? You didn’t know what to say, but your mouth dropped open as if you were going to speak.

You turned to face Nanami, who had given Ichiji a ‘you should’ve kept your mouth closed’ look, and then over to you with a small nod. He clears his throat, slightly intimidated by the look in your deep, black eyes.

“Think we should start preparing to get going,” He sets a powerful palm on Ichiji’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze before turning back to the students. “Don’t give her a hard time, alright? We should be back soon.”

As the two scurried away from the scene, you watched them exit out of the entrance — and within the few seconds that the doors revealed the outside world, you could see Nanami grab onto Gojo’s uniform and tug him with them, saving him from the explosion that would’ve went off inside.

You hadn’t realize your ears went muffled until it cleared at the sound of a young boys voice, snapping your attention back towards the students.

“Shio-Sensei?”

You turn to the boy, squeezing your eyes shut to regain your focus. “Sorry, Yuta. Yes?”

“Oh, I was just asking if you wanted us to show you where we like to practice,” He sounded nervous to speak to you, but he was mustering up all of his courage. He couldn’t hold eye contact with you, and every time he did manage to look at you, his cheeks would fluster red. “It’s outside. Are you okay with outside?”

Watching the boy made all your anger dissipate, and all you wanted to focus on was the task at hand — and simply ignore how you earned it. A few students here trusted you, and they even seemed excited to work with you. That’s all that matters, right?

“I love practicing outside,” You smile, clasping your hands behind your back. “It’s more spacious, anyway. Show me the way!”

Yuta nods, a small smile on his lips. Maki pushes in front of him, leading the way with her fists on her hips and determination in her walk. All Panda could do was laugh, throwing his arm over Yuta’s shoulder as they both walked side to side with Inumaki, who had been fixing his collar for the past five minutes.

You trotted behind them, small smile on your face.

“1, 2, Wield!”

Maki and Yuta wielded their weapons, but both groaned out of frustration. They’ve been at this for an hour and they were still pulling their swords out entirely too slow.

“Let me see,” You walked forward, standing next to both students. You placed your hands on their forearms, gripping the skin not too harshly. “Again.”

Yuta looks at you in panic, eyes widening at the dangerous idea. “If we draw too fast, It’ll cut you.”

“I’ve watched your pace for the last hour, I’m sure I’ll be okay,” Not to be rude, that was never your intention— but you were here to teach. A little cut wouldn’t hurt you too bad. “1, 2, Wield.”

As you expected, you weren’t cut, but your idea had been correct too. You squeezed there arms once more, feeling the tension build within the muscle.

With a hum, you take a step back and ordered Yuta and Maki to hand over their practice katana’s, which the obliged and took and seat over with Panda and Inumaki.

“You’re using too much of your arm when drawing,” You dropped one of the swords, using the other in your dominant hand. “Use your hand rather than your arm. When you rush and use your arm, your hand shakes and so does the blade. You’ll look scared.”

“Try punching the air in front of you. Your forearm shakes a bit, but when you punch and squeeze your fists — and focus your power on your hands, there’s more control. You’ll look confident.”

As the students practice your exercise, you watch their interest peak, and notice the changes in their confidence — how the simple trick changes so much.

Maki’s the first to perch up, “Can we try quick drawing again?” In which Yuta follows with a nod.

“Of course! Let’s try again and then with Panda and Inumaki.”

After setting up again, the students focusing on their postures and placements, katana tucked into the buckle on their hips, ready to test a new technique.

The sight was so warm to see.

“Ready?”

“Yeah!”

“Yes!”

You laugh, crossing your arms over your chest. “1, 2, Wield.”

And within a second, both blades were drawn at the necks of Yuta and Maki. They dropped soon after, shocked at how much faster they were to draw their weapons. Maki looks at you with a slack jaw, eyes wide. “Woah!”

If the difference within their timing of drawing wasn’t shocking enough, the large bird the appeared from the sky and landed seconds away from them had to top it.

People emerged from the mouth of the animal, as did a certain man with long black hair, half tied back into a bun. He had on a dark uniform, a yellow and green fabric wrapped around his torso, and he sped towards one of your students with awe in his eyes.

“Who are all of you?” Panda questions. “Intruders aren’t allowed here, per Yuta-san’s orders!”

“Kelp!”

“Huh?” Yuta freaks.

Maki follows up by wielding her weapon, spinning it over her shoulder. She tuts her chin up. “Go home before you get beaten by Yuta-san!”

“Huh?!”

You’d find the situation funnier if there wasn’t a threat in front of you — and you, personally, didn’t know how to handle this. Or any confrontation at that matter.

“Seriously,” You cleared your throat, stepping in front of the students with your arms crossed over your chest. “This isn’t a playground. Please leave.”

Once the random man approaches Yuta, completely ignoring the pleas from him and his posse to disperse, he clasps his hands together with the boys, watching the him fluster. “Nice to meet you, Yuta-kun. I’m Geto Suguru.”

“Huh?” Yuta questions, “Oh. Nice to meet you.”

This Geto Suguru seemed like a very bad person.

“You possess a truly wonderful power, I see.” He bows a bit further, meeting eye level with the boy. “I believe great power ought to be used toward great ends. Have you ever questioned the state of the current world right now? This world where jujutsu sorcerers act in secret in order to protect the order of commonplace society?”

He stands for a second and circles around Yuta, soon dropping to his height and wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “It’s so deplorable!” He cries in sarcasm. “It’s time mankind reconsidered it’s strategy for survival! Which is why we’d like you to help us.”

Yuta furrows his brow in confusion. “Help with what?”

“We’re going to kill all non-sorcerers.”

With just a select of words, the students behind you all gasp in pure fear. You refused to look back at them, knowing they’d be searching your eyes in ways to help — when you didn’t know what to do yourself.

The one time, this one little moment where you were hoping to hear his voice. Doesn’t matter what he says, what he does.. he just needs to appear.

“Could you stop preaching your crazy beliefs to my students?”

And there he was.

Even in it’s annoyed and tired state, the voice you burned to hear right now was there. Gojo stood behind the action, one hand dipped into his pocket with his head tilted at the scene. Thank god.

You could burst into tears.

Ignoring the tension between both men, Suguru kept his eyes on Gojo, dropping the tough act with a forced smile.

“Satoru! Long time no see!”

Long time no see?

“First of all, get away from those kids, Suguru.” Gojo repeats, a bunch of faculty stalking behind him.

With a defiant smirk, he keeps his chin tilted up, eyes on the man behind him. “I heard this year’s first-years were all outstanding students. Now I understand.. it was all your doing.”

“A special-grade cursed human, a cursed corpse mutation, the descendant of the cursed speech users, and… the Zen’in clan’s failure.”

“You piece of—” Maki points her weapon to Suguru, which you cut off by bumping her back with your backside, ignoring the way her blade cut into your side. You’d rather be the one injured than the students you were referred to look after.

Again, a little cut wouldn’t kill you.

“Watch what you say,” He’s practically looking down at Maki, watching her from the corner of his eye with the smuggest frown. As if she was truly disgusting. “Because I don’t need any monkeys like you in my world.”

“Watch what you say,” The burning urge to bite your tongue disappeared, you didn’t even mean to say it. It slipped, truly, but you had to continue. Who were you to preach confidence to your students and not follow it? “You bombard this school and insult one of the many talented here? You’re pathetic.”

“Ms. Gojo!” One of the teachers on the other side begs you to yield, not wanting to make any matters worse.

Too late.

“Ah, so you’re Satoru’s new toy,” Suguru loosens his grip on Yuta, leaning in forward to inspect you. “Ryou Shio’s replacement. At least your pretty.”

Closer.

“I was born before him, that’ll make him my replacement,” Your hands were on your hips, maintaining a bored expression. You even yawned, watching it boil the blood of the man in front of you. “Don’t be embarrassed, though. I’m sure with an empty mind like yours, you need much explained. Right?”

Closer.

Geto chuckles. “Let’s ask Himari Shio about that.” He gasps with faux, smirking at your expression hardened. “Oops, must’ve slipped my empty mind.”

Ever since Suguru had flown in on his bird, you’ve been etching closer and closer to him, all for this very moment. Once you reached far enough, mustering up the energy to manipulate the wind behind you and shove Suguru back, sending him tumbling to the animal he came with. Your hand grabs at Yuta’s, pulling him behind you, and with his other classmates.

As Geto picked himself up from the floor, Gojo made way in front of him, keeping his shielded eyes on the man below him.

“Suguru. What did you come for?”

As he stands, brushing the dirt from his clothing, he chuckles at the question. “To declare war.”

“Everyone gathered here today open your ears and listen clearly!” He addresses the crowd. “On the coming December 24th, when the sun sets, we shall conduct the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. In Tokyo, Shinjuku.. and the holy land of jujutsu, Kyoto. We will unleash thousand of curses to massacre.”

“If you wish to avoid a scene straight out of hell, come and stop it with all your might!”

While you sat at the back of Ichiji’s silent car, separated a seat from your husband, you could finally piece together some of the information you were given — and what you could find out.

The mission they had to send everyone off to was to get Geto, but since he arrived to the school, they were turned around and sent back. Luckily, in time, you weren’t sure what you would’ve done without the other faculty there.

After suggesting to go home on your own, Gojo insisted you to ‘get in’. You tried to ignore the weird tension between the both of you, but for some reason, you were feeling guilty. As if you did something wrong. By the way your husband kept his hands in his lap, looking out from the window through his blindfold, you probably did.

After arriving to the new estate, Ichiji wished you both a goodnight’s rest after the events today and kept on driving when you both exited the vehicle and made way into the home.

Once the door was closed, and keys were dropped in the ceramic bowl by the entrance, you were just seconds away from escaping before a low voice bounced off the walls, and right into your ears.

“Have you gone crazy?”

You stopped mid walk, placing your feet back together before looking down at your shoes. You didn’t respond, not sure what to say — as you didn’t know what you did wrong. Or maybe you did.

“You could’ve gotten Yuta killed, if not more,” His footsteps echo behind you. You could hear his voice get closer, you could feel the jelly shake in your legs — and his presence behind you. “Just because you may not have a future ahead of you doesn’t mean those kids don’t, either.”

You scoffed, raising your head to look at the hallway in front of you. Was it even worth arguing about?

“You need to apologize to those students tomorrow.”

“Or what?” You turned, scoffing with a smile, tired eyes looking up to your husband. “You’ll have to do it for me, right? Cause I’m your wife? You’re the only reason I was there today, recommending me to the higher—ups?” You kissed your teeth, “How sweet.”

Whoever spilled the beans was dead meat tomorrow. Gojo knew this would be your reaction, which is why he pretended not to know why you were going — and to make sure there were an extra pair of eyes on you. Now it’s come back to bite him in the ass.

“That has nothing with you putting those kids life at risk.”

“How do you even know him? That Geto guy?” You squinted, taking the smallest step closer to him. “He’s speaking informally to you? Calling you by your given name? He must’ve been someone special considering I can’t even touch you without that stupid.. border thingy.”

“That has nothing to do with you putting those kids life at risk!”

You might not have known Gojo too well, but you’ve noticed he’s been on edge more than usual. He’s been consuming more sugar, banters more than usual — and you’ve even heard he’s been sleeping at his office at the school.

You’ve never heard him yell, let alone raise his voice. It’s not something you both did, even when you argued back and forth. Maybe an annoyed huff or a loud groan, but no yelling. Not like this.

Clearing your throat, you looked back down at your shoes. It wasn’t worth it. “Right,” Your newfound interest in the fabric of your shoes only made Gojo feel guilty— just as guilty as you were feeling. “I should’ve let you guys handle it, you all know what you’re doing. I’ll apologize to the students whenever I can.”

“Y/N.”

“Night.” You turned your head, avoiding eye contact with your husband. You walk forward, dragging your legs to your bedroom before closing it gently.

Gojo felt like he was going to explode. He’s fighting the higher-ups for Yuta’s sake, he’s trying to keep the promise he made to your mother — trying to keep you safe as well, and now here’s the return of his best friend.

He huffs, reaching the island of his kitchen and resting his arms on it, dropping his head slightly. If another thing went wrong, he just might blow up. His mind is running haywire 24/7 — there’s no room in his brain at all to think anymore.

He’s the strongest. He must stay strong.

He’s the strongest.

Strongest.

Even when he doesn’t feel it.

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m1ckeyb3rry · 8 months

Text

Pomegranate Ink: I

Series Synopsis: Unable to heal but willing to fight, with a fiancé in Kyoto and a last name that looms over everything you do, you accept an offer to study at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. What you did not know was that your salvation and your ruination alike would soon join you at the school, neatly wrapped in the form of a boy followed by death.

Chapter Synopsis: Considered the failure of your clan, you are given the chance to prove yourself by an unlikely source.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Yuta Okkotsu × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.5k

Content Warnings: angst, misogyny, naoya zenin, forbidden relationships, canon-typical violence, character death, original characters included

A/N: i think my fatal flaw is not making the main love interest show up in the first chapter

A heavy pressure settled on your chest as you stared at the body in front of you. It was a man, probably twice your age but no less handsome for it. Inky black curls stuck to a feverish face, gone pale from pain. He tossed and turned fitfully, his bare torso shining with sweat as you trembled with terror.

“It’s alright,” your father said, placing his hand on your shoulder, “You can do this. Relax a little and remember your training.”

“It’s never worked before,” you said tearfully, “How can you expect it to do so now?”

“His life is in your hands. It will work, because there is no other option,” he said. You set your palms on the fallen sorcerer’s chest, drawing upon your cursed energy. This first part was easy; you were more than proficient with using your family’s inherited technique.

The weak spots that belonged to every human glowed a cheery white — the nape of the neck, the jaw, the heart. The newly created ones were a furious red, pulsating in a steady rhythm. These were the ones you had to treat and regenerate by utilizing your Reverse Cursed Technique.

Though the Dissection part of the technique was simple, its Reversal was anything but. The technique itself was nothing special, nothing of note — it simply pointed out the weak spots of an opponent. Compared to the inherited techniques of most other important clans, it was downright weak. But that was not where your family earned its importance in jujutsu society: you were not fighters nor leaders. You were healers — or at least, you were supposed to be. Something in your genetic bloodline made Reverse Cursed Techniques natural and easy-won.

Your father was quick and efficient, with a ruthlessness to his light touch as he reconstructed muscles and bones, creating something out of nothing and restoring function to long-useless limbs. Your great-grandfather had supposedly healed an entire army in a matter of minutes once, and legends had it that an ancestor of yours from the Heian period had even resurrected his wife from near-death.

The latter tale was a romantic one that your mother often read in a vain attempt to inspire you, even a little. He loved her so much, she recited, over and over, that he was willing to reach into the darkest depths of his soul to save her.

This was the downside of Reversed Cursed Techniques. In order to create positive energy, it was necessary to multiply negativity by negativity. And this was the step you were unable to do — that reaching into your soul, that bleeding yourself dry for the sake of others.

You were not a healer, or at least you had no aptitude for it. You were the family’s greatest disappointment, a girl who wanted to be a warrior but at this rate was destined to be nothing more than a housewife.

The fact that you were the only heir to the L/N name only compounded this disappointment tenfold. How would your prized Reverse Cursed Technique, Composition, be passed down if the line ended with you, the useless child who could not so much as fix a papercut?

You tried. Feeling the man’s pain and knowing you had to fix it, you tried to rip the hurt out of your soul and mold it into something malleable, something workable, something with which you could soothe his injuries, which were nearing the point of irreversible fatality.

“It hurts,” you whimpered. It felt as though there was a blade driving into your heart, and you clenched your fists, gasping for air, “I can’t, father. I can’t do it.”

“Push past the pain,” he said, voice tense, “That’s the only way. You must take it and make it your own; it will vanish soon, once it has been multiplied with the cursed energy of your technique. The more you practice, the quicker you will be, and thus the less you will suffer. Come on, Y/N, you can do it.”

“No,” you said, stubborn tears welling in your eyes as you shook your head frantically, vision swimming and knives scraping at your windpipe, “No, I cannot breathe, I cannot — I cannot — please, father, you have to save him. I am no healer, I can’t — it will kill me!”

Your voice was shrill and hysterical, fractured with fear and desperation. You were not built like the rest of your family; perhaps you took after your gentle mother, who had no cursed technique at all. Perhaps your constitution was not meant for this. Your father gave you one final, measured look, and then he let out a heavy exhale and pushed you to the side. His hands barely glanced the man’s chest, his brow creasing for a mere instant before the sorcerer shot up with a gasp.

“Easy there, Kaito,” your father said, chuckling and pushing him back down, “You’re not quite back to fighting form just yet. You still need to rest up a bit. Also, quit pushing yourself so much! Fighting such a powerful curse is hard for just about anyone, and you’re still a newly minted Grade 1 sorcerer. There’s no sense in risking it all so soon.”

“Ah, you’re right, but you know how I am. I give my all every time I’m on the battlefield. It’s the only way we stand any sort of chance against these damned monsters,” Kaito said.

“We all have our parts to play,” your father said diplomatically, “Or most of us do, at least.”

It was an unspoken dismissal, and you bowed your head before slipping out of the hospital wing. Your family manor was silent, your soft footsteps echoing in the hallways as you padded back to your room in shame.

Your fate was all but sealed now. This had been your final chance to make something of yourself, to prove that you could at least be a healer and carry on your family’s noble work. But you could not, and so as a woman of the L/N line, there was only one fate left for you — engagement to a man of note, left to be nothing more than a broodmare, the rest of your life spent atrophying away in some gilded-cage-mansion, raising children that you had no choice in bearing.

You wondered who it would be, which man would lay claim to your hand in marriage. It was no stretch to say you were an attractive prospect, though not for your looks. Any children you might have were likely to be able to utilize Reverse Cursed Techniques, strengthening any clan’s power tenfold. And besides, your family was reliably the only group of capable healers in the jujutsu world that were not pledged to any one side. An alliance with the L/N clan had more benefits than risks, so in that sense you were actually quite sought after. Your prospects were open, though it wasn’t like you’d have much of a choice in the matter because of this fact. You’d marry who you were told to and drown in self-pity for the rest of your miserable life either way.

It was something of a game for you at this point, going through the most important clans and seeing which had unmarried descendants. You often ranked them, picking out which you would like to marry the most and least — what else could you pass your time with? Training to fight meant that you ran the risk of getting hurt, and in a society such as the one you were trapped in, a marred girl was of intrinsically less value. You could not heal, either, so you languished in your room and amused yourself with silly, mundane things such as your own personal version of The Bachelorette.

Your favorite never changed: Toge Inumaki, the only son of the Inumaki clan. He was closest in age to you, with soft blond hair and violet eyes that shimmered with eternal mischief. Dark, delicate markings curled around his lips and on his tongue, marking him as a user of Cursed Speech — his family’s inherited technique. To some, such a thing might be a downside, but you found it a plus, really. After all, the less your future husband talked to you, the better.

But you knew your father and uncles would never allow it. He would be a back-up, a safe option, but he was not what they truly wanted. No, they had their sights set higher — on the scions of the Big Three, and one in particular: Noritoshi Kamo.

He was not bad, you concluded. Not too far in age from you like the heirs to the Zenin and Gojo clans were, he was polite and powerful, if not achingly proper. He was always kind to you, giving you his phone number on your first meeting and sending you gifts every now and then. Indeed, as far as candidates went, he was perfectly tolerable. So, if you could not have Inumaki, then you would take Kamo — provided he would take you back.

And he did. The proposal came via messenger one day, and it was altogether far too formal and ridiculous by any sane person’s standards, but it came. A delicate gold ring with a star-bright diamond set onto the band was presented to you in a velvet box and then fitted to your finger, where it rested as an eternal reminder of the man you were now bound to. Parties were thrown and the higher-ups were informed: Y/N L/N was to marry Noritoshi Kamo once he had graduated from school.

For the first time, you sensed you had made your parents proud. And this was enough to make you somewhat compliant in the festivities, paraded about at functions reserved for the upper echelons as the newest jewel added to the Kamo clan’s crown.

The stiff gaudiness and subtle politics made you more than a little uncomfortable, but your soft complaints meant nothing to your parents, who had never cared to listen before and certainly did not now, now that you weren’t their problem but rather the Kamos’ — Noritoshi’s in specific. And Noritoshi himself only gave you a sad smile when you whispered your feelings in his ear — he understood them, shared them even, but what could he do? What could either of you do? You both were stuck, chained to one another and to a sinking ship that was dragging the two of you down with it.

“Aren’t you so thrilled to have such a beautiful woman to call your own?” This was Naoya Zenin, lifting his glass at Noritoshi in congratulations, who smiled tightly, his nimble fingers tapping your thigh thrice in quick succession under the table. It was something of a language you had developed in solidarity with one another. If anything, the parties had at least forced a tenuous friendship between you two.

Three times was an apology. He was going to play the role he was expected to, but he wanted you to know he didn’t mean it. You smiled vacantly and tapped back once discreetly. Acceptance and affirmation. You would not hold it against him.

“Certainly,” he said.

“And she is so docile, too. Careful, you might make me jealous. Would you be opposed to sharing?” Naoya said.

“Unfortunately, I am not open to any such thing at the moment,” Noritoshi said immediately. You tapped twice — gratitude. He tapped once back — it’s nothing.

“Pity,” Naoya said before returning to his conversation with his father.

“Thank you,” you murmured under your breath, leaning closer to Noritoshi under the pretense of fixing his collar. “He gives me the creeps.”

“Me as well. He is somewhat of a raging misogynist; it is rather grating. And he is so much older than us that for him to insinuate such things about you makes me feel nauseous,” Noritoshi said. Your expression softened, and you continued to eat your dinner to hide it. Noritoshi was kind, to be certain; this was more than could be said about most of his equals, so you cherished it.

“I am glad that it is you I am to marry and not someone like him,” you said. In a rare show of affection, you interlaced your fingers with his and squeezed. His brows drew together in surprise before he smiled and squeezed back.

“I am glad to marry you, too,” he said. There was no comparison, no qualifier attached to the end of it. Perhaps it was implied, or perhaps he meant to leave it at that; perhaps he really was just glad to marry you. Well, good for him, then. At least one of you had positive feelings towards the relationship.

“Do you mind if I go out for a little bit? It is hot in here,” you said. He pressed the back of his hand to your forehead, a small frown playing at his lips.

“Are you feverish?” he said. You shook your head.

“No, I just want to take a walk. I need some fresh air. You know how I feel about these parties; after a while, I need a break,” you said.

“Will you be alright by yourself?” he said.

“I’m not a child,” you reprimanded him, “And I won’t go far. Just out on the balcony.”

“Be careful,” he said anyways. You scowled.

“I am glad to hear of the faith you have in me,” you said dryly, standing and brushing your skirt off.

“Just take my worry as evidence of my fondness and accept it,” he said. You fought off the urge to wave him away, instead nodding once, shortly.

“Thank you,” you said. The words rang hollow, and he sighed in defeat but did not argue further, only watching as you excused yourself from the table and headed towards the balcony.

The moon was full and bright, a soft breeze tickling at your skin as you looked down at the gardens filled to the bursting with flowers. They were beautiful, their colors muted in the silver of the night and their petals curled slightly inwards, as if the blooms were sleeping, too. You were too far for their sweet fragrance to permeate the air around you, but you imagined they probably smelled nice. Closing your eyes and leaning forwards as if that would help you any, you let out a soft breath.

It was nice out here, where there were no expectations nor demands floating in the air. Alone, you could pretend that you had a choice in marrying whoever you wanted, in becoming whatever you wanted. With the stars as your only company, you could finally just be yourself.

You were never meant for a life like this. A call to do something with what you had been given sang through your blood. A call to do something, anything. You wanted to feel adrenaline pumping through your veins and fire in your heart; you wanted to feel energy bursting from your fingertips and strength fortifying your muscles. You wanted to leap; whether you crashed or flew didn’t make much of a difference. The free-fall was what you sought, that moment of suspension in mid-air when time slowed and there was nothing but you and your soul and the feeling of being alive.

“I won’t catch you if you fall, you know,” a masculine voice said from behind you. Despite yourself, a smile tugged at the corner of your lips as you recognized the person who spoke. He was well renowned throughout the sorcery world, after all, a bona fide celebrity that you had seen here and there at various gatherings.

“Gojo,” you greeted him.

“Hello, Y/N. Oh, do you mind if I am familiar with you?” he said. You shrugged, not turning to face him.

“Not really. You’re my elder, anyways, so I’m hardly about to correct you,” you said. He let out a raucous laugh.

“Don’t give me that! We should be friends. I prefer to get along with my students,” he said.

“I’m not one of your students, though,” you said sourly. You heard the click of his footsteps approaching you, and you readied yourself to react somehow, but he only moved to stand beside you, resting his forearms on the railing of the balcony in a casually graceful movement. His typical white blindfold made of bandages had been replaced with a pair of black sunglasses that allowed you to see the maelstrom of blues swirling in his irises as he regarded you coolly.

“You could be. You have potential,” he said. You snorted.

“Not so. I can’t use my Reverse Cursed Technique at all. It’s not something I’m capable of, actually,” you said. He wrinkled his nose in disdain.

“Maybe, maybe not. I’ve often found that capability is not something we can really define for ourselves. You might find that strength when you need it most…but even then, even without your Reverse Cursed Technique, you are not useless,” he said.

“Thank you,” you said, blinking at the acknowledgement, “That is very kind of you to say.”

“I’ll admit I have ulterior motives,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and grinning as if to offset his words.

“Oh,” you said, though you really should’ve expected such a thing, “That’s fine.”

“Though I wasn’t lying! It’s true that you could be great, but we both know your talents will be wasted in a life such as the one your family desires,” he said.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” you said with a bitter laugh.

“I want you to come to Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. You can train under me to fight curses, and if you are able to unlock your Reverse Cursed Technique, then all the better! Shoko can help you hone it, she’s a relative genius with such things,” he said. Your shoulders sagged, and the smile fell from your face as you shifted your attention back to the moon.

“That’s not a choice I can make for myself, and it was unfair of you to ask me in the first place. As if my life has ever been my own,” you said.

“I’m from one of the Big Three clans, too, with far more respect than Noritoshi and your father have combined. They won’t stop me if I command it,” he said.

“What good would forcing the issue do? You’ll just make more enemies. It’s no secret the higher-ups have no love for you; respect, yes, but they are more likely to harm than help you. It would not be wise for you to do something that directs the vitriol of both the Kamo and L/N clans towards you, too,” you said.

“I’m the strongest,” he said, and it was a lazy statement that hung in the air with the weight of a thousand stones. He was the strongest.

“I think I should like to jump after all,” you said finally. “At least there will be one thing I can do for myself.”

“I won’t stop you,” he said.

“Thank you, but we all know they would,” you said, motioning towards the party haphazardly and then shaking you head. “Anyways, maybe I’m not quite at that point just yet. Thank you for your offer, Gojo, sir. I really appreciate it…and I really, really, really wish I could take it.”

He extended a hand to pat you on the head, careful to avoid messing up your elegant hairstyle. You closed your eyes in content; this was the most parental affection you had been shown in some time, or at least without any strings attached. Once, you might’ve thought such a thing sad, but by now it was a firm fact of life that you were resigned to accepting.

“Don’t give up so easily,” he said before waving cheerily, “Enjoy your time outside! The weather’s nice, so don’t rush back too quickly, yeah?”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” you said, deciding you might never understand him. Attempting it was futile, so you just pushed the odd encounter out of your mind. Dwelling on lost possibilities would only taint the night with melancholy, after all, so what was the sense in it? Never mind that the strongest sorcerer in the world had just offered to train you. Never mind that he thought you had potential. Never mind any of it.

You should’ve known that Gojo was up to something from the smirk he wore as he left you alone. A sudden chittering noise in your ear caused you to jump, and goosebumps abruptly rose on your flesh when you came to the horrific conclusion that you were not alone. Your breath came in quick, shallow gasps as you slowly turned your head and met the eyes of a curse.

This was your first time encountering one, but you knew what it was as if it were an instinct. The body was twisted and malformed in an inhuman way, its sharp teeth bared in a predatory leer as it continued to laugh maniacally, its intentions clear in its stance.

The only thing you could think to do was scream. You screamed until your throat was sore and you heard a pounding at the door — but why were they pounding like that, why were they not coming to save you? You craned your neck as much as you could, keeping the curse in your peripheral vision and then swearing aloud when you fully understood the magnitude of the situation you were in.

It was locked. For some reason, the door was locked, and none of them could open it. You saw the rage and despair on Noritoshi’s face, and some part of you was comforted in a fatalistic way. Here was somebody that would mourn for you; not your bloodline or skills but rather you.

Naoya was the second person you saw, and distaste bubbled in you at his self-satisfied expression. This was the natural order of things to him; you were a pretty toy, but why should he risk himself to defend something so easily replaceable? And, to that end, why did even Noritoshi feel so strongly about this? He had no shortage of suitors, after all. Your death would free him to do whatever he wanted in the future.

It was cold, you idly noted; perhaps the goosebumps were not from fear alone. Indeed, the fear had actually vanished into a freezing, clinical calm, and your mind at once slowed and then sharpened.

Gojo believed you had potential; somehow, you had a gut feeling that this was his way of proving it. True to your intuition, he was nowhere to be found. The so-called strongest was not even attempting to save you, the vulnerable girl about to be absorbed by a curse. This was not entirely unforeseen, though, was it? He had said so already — he would not catch you if you fell. This meant, then, that he had the faith you could catch yourself.

“Alright, then. If that’s how it’s to be,” you said, pulling a pin out of your hair and rolling your shoulders. Your elaborate updo did not even budge — far too many other pins and hairspray were at work keeping it up. You silently thanked the maid that had done it before refocusing yourself. You only had one shot at this; though your reserves of cursed energy were actually above-average, channelling it was like working a muscle that had not been used in some time. You doubted you could maintain it for long without fatiguing yourself beyond belief, and at that point, you might as well give up and hand yourself to the curse on a silver platter.

Furrowing your brow, you imbibed the hair pin with as much cursed energy as you could muster — a fairly basic technique that most sorcerers were capable of, even you. Sweat poured down your forehead, but you only wiped it away with a flick of your hand, your concentration too intense to be broken. You would pay for this later, but you would be thankful to do so, for it’d mean you’d lived to tell the tale and face the consequences.

A giddiness replaced the fear as you realized you were about to do it. You were about to fight a curse, and whether you won or lost, your time on this earth would not have ended without impact. The call in your blood hummed lowly, sated for the moment as you finished cursing the pin. Then, turning to the spirit that had, until now, been watching you silently, you tilted your head.

“Dissection,” you said, pronouncing each syllable meticulously. At the same, you held out one palm and tapped the pin against the center, activating the pressure point that allowed your technique to take hold even when you were not in contact with your target.

You were surprised to discover that, unlike humans, the weak spots of curses glowed a malevolent, dark green. Though, this made sense when you afforded it further thought, so you shook off your initial shock rather quickly.

The brightest spot was the weakest — or at least, it worked that way for humans, and you assumed that that principle, at least, transferred over. At any rate, you hoped so, because you were about to stake your life on it.

The solar plexus — if it could even be called that on such an inhumanoid thing — drew your attention first, shining far more than the other pinpricks of light. Taking careful aim and then trusting the rest to fate, you threw the pin.

It stuck true, and the curse stumbled back in surprise before promptly bursting into a million particles. The pin clattered to the ground, and time suddenly returned to its normal pace. What had seemed like minutes upon minutes had in truth barely been a few seconds, and as your heart rate slowed, you came to understand what you had just done.

The door slammed open as you crouched to pick up the hairpin, holding it up to the light and inspecting it carefully.

“Y/N!” Noritoshi’s concern was so heartbreakingly raw that it wrenched you from your daze. He was upon you in an instant, kneeling and holding you tightly to his chest, glaring out at the others as if they would try to attack you, too.

“Noritoshi,” you said, slumping against him, the soothing ylang-ylang of his cologne grounding you to reality, “I just exorcised a curse.”

“I am so sorry,” he said, “I — I should’ve been there to protect you, but I let you down. You could’ve been killed, and I could not so much as open a damned door! I cannot begin to imagine the terror you must’ve felt. I am sorry. I am so, so sorry.”

“Noritoshi,” you said once more, only now you were more amazed than anything, “I just exorcised a curse.”

“Yes,” he said, “Yes, you did. You should not have had to…but you did.”

“Boy, did she ever!” This was Gojo, the only one tactless enough to intrude on the private moment, causing you to let out giggle, breaking the tension somewhat.

“She was excellent, indeed,” Noritoshi said, “There is nobody more talented than her in the entire world, I think.”

You thought it ironic that he was saying such things to Gojo of all people, but it was sweet, so you did not bother to correct him.

“I’m inclined to agree! In fact, she’s so talented I want her to train with me,” Gojo said. You felt Noritoshi stiffen around you, and panic seized your throat. He could not say no, he could not, you believed you might die if he did.

“You mean to risk her life daily by throwing her into the world of sorcery headfirst?” he said, tone scathing.

“Yup!” Gojo said.

“Noritoshi,” you said. His attentive eyes were on you in an instant, and then you found yourself unable to speak anymore. Your hand found his bicep, and you tapped once. Acceptance and affirmation. You begged him to understand, and to your surprise, he did.

“Are you certain?” he said hesitantly. This bolstered your resolve, and you nodded, finding the courage to vocalize your thoughts once more.

“I have to. Now that I have done it once, there is no way I can live without ever doing it again. Noritoshi, please,” you said quietly, to avoid being overheard. He studied you for a second before exhaling through his nose in a warm amusement.

“I’ve known from the very start that you’re not one to be tied down. It would be sheer stupidity on anyone’s part to think that they could stop you from doing what you will, but I do not want to ever give you cause to work behind my back. Marriage…it is a partnership. We will be partners, at least, in the future,” he said.

“Partners,” you repeated, not questioning how he had seen through to your true nature so easily. You were not that good at camouflaging your wants — he was only the first to ever pay enough attention to uncover them. “I can accept that. I would like it, even.”

“Very well, then,” he said, “Train with Gojo, if that is what you will.”

“Thank you,” you said, eyes widening as you realized this was it, this was liberation, this was the freefall you had craved, “Thank you, Noritoshi, thank you, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” he said brusquely, “Your wants are as much mine as mine are yours. I am not like…well. You know who.”

“I do,” you said, and now you were beaming, “But thank you, anyways.”

“Ready to go?” Gojo said, once again interrupting the moment and offering you his hand, “I already called and ensured a room would be ready for you on the campus! You’ll be transferring in a little after the year has started, but don’t worry, the rest of your classmates are a welcoming bunch, so you’ll fit right in.”

“Yeah,” you said, taking his hand with an air of finality, “I am. Let’s go.”

He pulled you to your feet and dragged you after him, cackling out apologies as the two of you ran through the throngs of partygoers that had gathered to watch the spectacle. You winced at his crass behavior, but when you pushed aside all thoughts of propriety, you realized it was fun to race though the crowds, sticking out your tongue at Naoya when you passed him and snickering at the confusion that flitted over his features.

“You put that curse there! And you locked the door!” you accused him between sharp inhales, your lungs burning from pure exhilaration.

“What are you talking about? I would never endanger a child!” he shot back.

“Maybe not, but that means nothing. I doubt you thought I was in any danger, anyways,” you said.

“You’re perceptive, I’ll give you that. I know someone you’d get along with marvelously! Too bad he’s a year younger than you,” he said. “Want to stop for mochi on the way to the school?”

“Sure?” you said, startled at the change in subject. “Yeah, mochi is good.”

“Alright!” he said, pumping his fist in the air. This was the heir to the illustrious Gojo clan; this was the strongest sorcerer in the world; this was the strangest man you had ever met. He was a person of many dichotomies, and you were stumbling to keep up with them all.

He rambled about random things as a tired man with deep-set frown lines drove the two of you to a place that sold mochi, and then he paid for your food without complaint. However, as you both ate, his demeanor sobered.

“You’ll be one of us from now on,” he said.

“This feels like a cult initiation,” you said nervously, wondering what you had just signed up for.

“It might as well be. You have lived in this society for your entire life, but you have never been in battle, have you? It is entirely different from the healing you have trained for until now,” he said. You understood, then, what he was trying to say in his funny, roundabout way.

“It is easier, I think. Fighting, that is, compared to healing,” you said thoughtfully.

“Is that so?” Gojo said, and there was genuine curiosity in his voice now, “Explain.”

“Healing is like a war,” you said, remembering the pain in your chest and the death that washed over you when you tried to use your Reverse Cursed Technique, “There are storms in suffering, I’ve come to find — great, unshakable seas of pain set into turmoil with the slightest disturbance. It is too delicate a job for me, so I think I shall stick with battles. I would rather witness death than be responsible for it.”

“Responsibility is inescapable,” he said, shoving the last of your food in his mouth. “But you may not be far off in your assessment.”

“I will not know until I’ve done it. What I am certain about is that I would prefer dying to living as I have until now,” you said.

His eyes were wise, belying his true maturity and grief when he spoke next.

“It is not your own dying that you should fear.”

This, too, you understood, so you nodded in assent.

“I know.”

#yuuta x reader #yuuta x you #yuuta x y/n #canon au #reader insert #pomegranate ink #m1ckeyb3rry writes

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shihlun · 2 years

Photo

Nagisa Oshima

- Kyoto, My Mother's Place

1991

#大島渚 #nagisa oshima #nagisa Ōshima #kyoto my mother's place #キョート・マイ・マザーズ・プレイス #kyoto #京都 #bbc scotland #bbc #documentary #japanese film #1991

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adonis-koo · 2 years

Text

wicked • 12

↳ Summary: In a desperate hope to stop war from breaking you are a serviced to wed the most vile man alive, the one who has committed atrocities and war crimes beyond comprehension, he who is responsible for the fall of many nations, the wicked prince who’s heart is made of stone. You are to marry a man who challenges every belief and moral you stand for, all while being faced in a foreign land with nobody but yourself too trust…But are you both truly that different? Or is hate not too far from love?

↳ Pairing: Jungkook/reader

↳ Genre: arranged marriage AU, enemies to lovers, it’s kind of a period AU??? Historical but also technically not? prince!AU, eventual smut

Word Count: 9k

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Note: thank u sm for being patient everyone! I hope you enjoy the chapter bc i definitely did!! :)

Dread filled your entire being as silence thickened in the air, your lips had parted multiple times and yet you could find the will to say a thing.

Your mothers head had been lowered somber as she folded her hands, the news bearing a weight heavier than you would have ever anticipated, “Why…?” You finally rasped out, “Why would they request our presence at the War Meetings?”

It was difficult to believe earlier that day you had been running in the fields with Seokjin, blissfully ignorant to the circumstances that were brewing in the castle. You knew that just because Penumbra had made the request, it didn’t mean anything.

Just that they wanted Eunoia's presence at the meeting but still, just the thought made your chest tighten in fright, they were the reason your country had become a graveyard to so many.

Your mother only shook her head, grabbing your hands tenderly as she sat beside you on your bed, “I do not know my dove,” She ushered softly, “But this is none too surprising to me truthfully.”

Your lips twisted mournfully as you mumbled, “It doesn’t?”

“No,” Your mother offered a sad smile, “We were the ones that shielded their lost nation of Seoul after Kyoto completely purged them. In a sense, I’m sure Penumbra feels as if they can trust us.”

Your lips curled in anger, “We protected them just so they could rise back up and fight with their pride!” You spat out, “And what did they give us in return? Nothing but grief, and death, and- and war.”

Your eyes glossed as you shook your head, unable to even close your eyes without the sight of the burning pilings filling your vision, the last round having been made up of mostly little ones, just the memory had your heart twisting in all kinds of ways.

“All of this, just for the sake of pride?” You whispered out painfully.

Your mother frowned as she shook her head, “Y/n, that isn’t fair to make that assumption of their entire nation just from the royals.”

“It isn’t just the royals,” You replied hotly, “They have an army, those that volunteer themselves to fight for them. For the bloody war.”

She sighed as she lowered her gaze, perhaps in acceptance of your anger, “Many have been affected by the wars over the last five years. Even so, it is our place in Eunoia to treat all with kindness and expect nothing in return. For that is who a Eunoian is.”

She looked at you with a soft yet stern look, “I don’t expect you to have full grasp of this concept yet, it takes time, but I wish you be more kind in your heart to Penumbra, they’ve suffered a lot over the years, it doesn’t make what they’ve done right. But just know many do not have a choice, they have families and children of their own to protect. Kyoto would good and well instigate the war all over again if it meant completely wiping them out had they not started it first.”

You glared down at your knees as your chest puffed a little, knowing she was right. A Eunoian would always be kind and expect no kindness in return but…Truthfully you weren’t sure if you could fully embody that, though you wish you could.

You couldn’t help but feel anger towards Penumbra, yes what they had gone through was horrible, but to instigate a war that did the same to other nations as had been done to them…? The lines were so blurred, you didn’t know anymore.

You didn’t want to know.

Your mother tenderly brushed her hand across your cheek, wiping away the tears of anger that had begun trailing down your cheekbones, “Life will never be simple Y/n,” She frowned, as if pained to see you in pain, “I just hope one day the Dryads will grant you the clarity to be able to navigate it.”

And with this she quietly exited the room as you shook your head, letting the tears continue to trail down your cheeks as you sniffled. The door opened once more to your surprise as Seokjin came in, worry in his eyes as you lowered your gaze once more.

“Don’t worry my love,” Seokjin ushered out as he kneeled in front of you, “Things will work out in our favor.”

You smiled mirthlessly, “You seem to have a lot of faith in that.”

“And you should as well, Eunoia being in the War Room council will change nothing, Penumbra are all criminals and they will die the death they deserve.” Seokjin replied, his eyes brewing with determination as he held your hands, “I don’t want our children to live in a world where Penumbra exists. I’ll burn every last bit of their land if it means protecting our future.”

You wept softly as you shook your head, “Perhaps, but I fear the change that is happening can’t be stopped.”

Seokjin gave you a comforting smile, “Have you met me darling? I could bring even change itself to its knees.”

This made a weak smile tug on your lips as you replied, “I hope you’re right.”

It had been hours since what had happened, and yet you still found your body shuddering occasionally as your breath would tremble and every time you’d close your eyes, you would find yourself back in Eunoia, when the bells would ring every Friday late evening when the bodies would be burned.

You briefly wondered what had made you even think of the memory of when you found out Penumbra had requested Eunoia during the War Room council, back before the rite of peace had been made.

Perhaps because back then you were young and naïve, and most definitely thought you’d never be in this position with the supposed Wicked Prince…

You shifted a little, causing the water to ripple at your movement, your eyes followed the ripple before it stopped at the sight of skin, before they immediately darted away and you could feel your face flush with heat.

And maybe it was just you, but you were positive it wasn’t from the hot water.

Jungkook had been bathing by himself after you had been settled into bed, having refused to talk but had managed to get dressed in your nightwear on your own and had for the most part calm down.

He had been relaxed in the water with his eyes shut when…You weren’t even sure what possessed you, his back had faced you but…the water looked inviting and you could see the steam wafting off of it and the chill in your bones hadn’t been melted.

So, you did something that you normally wouldn’t do- the norm it seemed these days, and had managed to undress yourself before stepping into the tub. Your only saving grace at the moment was that you were at least able to bath since Taehyung had begun using a heat repellent with your wrappings for your injuries. It allowed you to bathe but you still wouldn’t be allowed in for more then a half an hour at most.

Jungkook hadn’t opened his eyes but you had watched the muscles on his arms tense a little at the sound of rippling water and the unmistakable splash you had made as you sat down and eventually he had opened his eyes to look at you.

Your knees had since been tugged into your chest, letting the hot water melt away any fear and cold that had clung to you since this early evening. You took a deep breath, but your breath still shuddered no matter how hard you tried to keep it even.

You and Jungkook hadn’t spoken since he had taken you back to the castle and for a while he had just held you, saying no more before you eventually murmured that you could get changed. But now he was staring at you, his eyes a little lidded- perhaps from exhaustion, and you could see it.

He was tired.

But it looked like something was bothering him. Your lips trembled a little as you took another deep breath but to no avail, your breath still hadn’t gone completely back to normal. This caused a sigh to escape Jungkook’s lips.

What you hadn’t expected was for him to reach out to you, his hand cupping your cheek tenderly, “For what it’s worth, I tried to stop them…I’m sorry.” A dull ache throbbed in your chest and just like that your eyes were watering again.

A sniffle escaped you as you closed your eyes, warm wet tears began to slowly trickle down your cheeks as you openly let yourself lean into the touch of his hand, bigger than your cheek easily and you could feel the callouses that had formed on his skin from years ago.

His thumb brushed away any stray tears as you sniffled once more, scooting a little closer to him as your hands grabbed onto his own, snuggling it close to your cheek though you still kept a respectable distance from him.

Truthfully had this been any other situation you would’ve fully climbed into his embrace, but well…given you both were naked, you figured it wouldn’t be appropriate.

“Ever since we deforested the Western woods during the war we’ve had influxes like this,” Jungkook ushered quietly, “I had advised against it but my father wouldn’t have it…I had hoped we could lead it back to the northern woods where it would be safe when I saw you but Seohyun…” He shook his head, “I’m sorry.”

You tried desperately to not let your lips quiver but it was useless, your eyes squeezed shut and just the memory kept a dull ache alive in your chest, “It was just afraid.” You whispered, squeezing his hand once more before you shut your eyes, the feeling of warm tears dripping down your cheeks.

“I know.”

It was silent once more and the fire filled the void with it’s soft crackles that kept the cool air at bay, Jungkook’s hand had eventually slipped from your cheek before he sighed, shifting in the water before he asked, “Are you ready to get out?” as if sensing your feelings.

You gave a small nod as you sniffled.

Junkook only gave a short nod before he stood up from the water, your eyes immediately averted and your face felt warmer than you remembered.

Despite your tear stained cheeks, you still felt embarrassed at the sight of seeing your husband naked, even just the brief sight of muscular thighs had your heart rate picking up.

He wrapped the towel around his waist as he unfolded another one, “Alright stand up.”

You shuffled a little in your spot still curled up, knowing in order to dry off you needed to get out but...Well you didn’t think this far ahead if you were being truthful, he hadn’t even invited you to bath with him.

Briefly, worry began to creep into your chest, hoping you hadn’t crossed any boundaries with him by doing so, but seeing as he was holding up a towel- with an admittedly patient- yet slightly exasperated expression, made you feel that perhaps, you hadn’t done anything as such.

“Don’t be so pouty,” Jungkook chided, yet his tone was oddly soft, “I’m not gonna look at anything I don’t have permission to. Stand up before the water gets cold.”

Jungkook’s lips curled into a tiny reserved smile as yours lips jutted out further before you reluctantly stood up, your body immediately cold and feeling exposed but true to his words the towel blocked off his vision that he had politely kept up the towel before wrapping you up, letting you use his shoulders to balance as you wobbled a little to step out.

After a brief moment you suddenly realized how close you both were when you looked up at him, his hair wet and dripping with water as your hands kept hold close to his neck. It was silent for a long moment as you looked up at him. After a brief moment you suddenly realized how close you both were when you looked up at him, his hair wet and dripping with water as your hands kept hold close to his neck.

It was silent for a long moment as you looked up at him.

His hands seemed to tighten just a little on your waist, bunching the fabric of the towel and you could feel your cheeks beginning to throb as you finally broke eye contact mumbling, “I’m sorry…”

“For what?” Jungkook had cleared his throat a little, straightening back up and you noticed the way his finger’s seemed to fidget a little against the hem of the towel near your breasts as he tucked the side piece in.

You stared down at his chest, having not meant to stare yet you couldn’t help it, your eyes trace against the various marks and scars that littered his body, and then of course the chiseled well trained muscles that adorned so many scars.

“...everything.” You ushered softly with a shrug.

You could hear Jungkook puff a breath as if in amusement of your words but before you could even get the chance to ask why he had suddenly leaned down scooping you up like you were nothing more than a paper weight making you flail.

“Jungkook!” You shrieked as you curled up against him, your face feeling even hotter than before at how warm his skin was against yours and not only this but his entire upper body was naked- in fact he was naked if not for the two pieces of cloth separating you both.

He snickered at your reaction before placing you in the seat in front of the fire that was admittedly warm.

His expression melted into something that looked like content as he kneeled down in front of you, “Stop apologizing.”

This made your lips jut further, “...sorry.”

“Stop”

This one came out more reprimanding then the last and it made a small smile curl on your lips as he stood up before walking away briefly.

The one thing you appreciated about his room was the fireplace in it that was almost always going at night leaving it much warmer in comparison to yours or any other room.

You curled your legs against your chest as you huddled towards the fire to keep warm, you could hear a soft rustle behind you before Jungkook reappeared within a few moments, now dressed in a pair of loose trousers but still topless as he unfolded a new towel, kneeling down as he reached out drying your hair off as your lips jutted into a pout at how he wasn’t being gentle.

“Ow…!” You mumbled with a whine as your body wobbled against his rough grip as he placed

the towel over your head, pausing as his eyes gazed over your face before he snorted suddenly, a smile curling on his lips as you glared with a sulk at him.

He shook his head as he pulled the towel from your head, “Here, this was all I could find, I don’t know how Wheein sorts your wardrobe, so…” He stood up as he tossed the folded closes into your lap making you jump a little.

“You could be a little more gentle!” You whined out not responding to his words as he stretched up ignoring you as always as he walked away.

Your brows furrowed as you inspected the folded...shirt? But as you inspected the small material- much to your horror it was possibly the shortest night gown you had ever seen in your life.

This would not be that big of a deal if you were back in Eunoia, due to the warm nights, sleepwear was always loose and short, but you were married now! Your lips twisted into a pout as you stared down at the slip.

Somewhat in anger because if you hadn’t let Seokjin convince you into wearing more world traditional dresses and yourself consciousness nagging your mind, you probably wouldn’t have thought twice about putting this on.

You inhaled sharply., trying to calm your embarrassment as you called out, “You don’t actually expect me to wear this do you?”

You could have sworn you heard a quiet snicker from Jungkook before he spoke, “If you want to go hunt down Wheein, be my guest. Or you could go dig through all of your clothes yourself. But that’s all I could find, princess.”

You kicked your legs as you sighed before looking behind you sharply.

Jungkook was sat up on the bed with his back against the bedframe, arms loosely crossed and his eyes on your chair, it wasn’t as if he could see you to begin with but it was still making you warm in a lot of ways you were not familiar with, “Well?” He raised a brow, his lips curling into that wicked smile on his as he asked.

“You’re unbelievable!” You cried out, turning back around in your chair as you huffed, damn him! Damn him because he was absolutely right, you weren’t about to leave this room tonight and you certainly weren’t about to disrupt Wheein in the middle of the night especially after you dismissed her!

Straightening up you unwrapped the towel from yourself before pulling the dress over your head, it was odd, because while it felt foreign, a distant part of yourself relished in the comfort the flowy loose material gave you.

The material brushed just at your mid thigh making you smile, this was the same length as your sleepwear before you had been married. Maybe…maybe you had just overreacted, true you weren’t used to having a bed partner but well…It couldn’t be all that bad, could it?

Yes, after all you were married, it wasn’t as if any of this was actually scandalous in nature.

Slipping the panties up you stood up to pull them up all the way not meaning to flash your husband but you felt incredibly indignant when you heard a whistle from him making you immediately turn around, your face burning up as you glared at him, “Just because we’re married doesn’t give you the right to just....! Just…! Stare!”

Jungkook lifted his hands up as he chuckled at your flusteredness, tugging at the slip self consciously, just how did you wear such short and loose clothing all the time without feeling so self conscious before?

You thought about it briefly but you supposed it was just because it was Eunoia, people didn’t look at you…at all when you wore something of this nature there, because it wasn’t seen as anything but normal.

And yet somehow, you had never felt so exposed in front of a man before and you never imagined it would be like this...let alone in front of a man like this...husband or not you had remembered swearing on your wedding day that you’d never sleep with him.

Oh the irony.

“But if you didn’t want me too you would’ve said otherwise,” Jungkook shrugged casually as he yawned a sudden laugh erupting from his lips as if something occurred to him that seemed hilarious, “Nice ass by the way princess.”

“Oh!” You stomped your foot trying to ignore your heart pounding out of your chest and your body fluttering in…Ugh! You hated the excitement that his stupid voice made you feel.

It was even worse because Jungkook could clearly tell he was doing something to you, making him laugh even harder, obviously that was what had made him laugh in the first place…!

“Instead of pouting and just standing there expecting something besides crude humor from me you should just get in bed,” Jungkook sighed as he smiled, his eyes crinkled a little as he watched you, with wrapped arms around yourself as you walked awkwardly to the other side of the bed.

You sat down before snatching the duvet, covering your legs as you puffed a breath, “I don’t know why it even bothers me, in Eunoia we always wore things of this nature.”

You slumped a little as you tugged the covers further up to tops of your thighs, Jungkook yawned as he nodded, closing his eyes, “Hm I did notice that when we came to Eunoia. But you weren’t dressed like the others.”

You shuffled a little closer to him as you stared down at your hand wrappings, “Well I did once upon a time but…Well, I was told…” You hesitated, “That I would be looked at differently outside of Eunoia if I ever wore any of our more traditional style of wear.”

Jungkook opened his eyes, a frown on his face, “Looked at differently? Who told you that? Your mother? Because she…” He tucked his tongue into his cheek, raising his brows a little as if thinking your mother was…!

You smacked his arm with your wrist making a small smile tug on his lips, “No it…” You sighed as you shook your head, “Well, it doesn’t matter now, he was right after all. I was unaware at the time that the world just doesn’t work the same way Eunoia does. I never realized how lucky I was to live my life there, to be in a kingdom that doesn’t degrade me to nothing more than a vessel for…men to use, I suppose.”

This made Jungkook frown but not for the reason you first thought, “Ah, it was him huh.”

This made you do a double take, somewhat surprised at his words, “...What does that mean?” You shied away from his gaze, knowing full well who he was talking about, but it seemed like whenever Seokjin got brought up, it never ended well for you two…

Jungkook looked at you for a long moment before he sighed, “Seokjin of Kimhae,” He shook his head, as if the very name made him glare at his hands in disdain, “Out of everyone, it had to be him…”

He sighed wistfully making you frown as you fiddled with your bandages, “Jungkook…why do you not like Seokjin? He…” Your eyes softened a little, “He had his faults, for sure but, well I did love him once upon a time.”

Jungkook seemed to mull over your words for a long while, not saying anything as if he were evaluating just what to say, “...Seokjin is not who he pretends to be,” Was all he said, “He’s boastful and arrogant, he often peacocked around us, acting as if he was above me and my country. As if I was some scum of the earth that deserved death simply for being born.”

Jungkook’s eyes burned into his hands, “Truthfully I didn’t care for the longest time, people’s words rarely bother me…” His lips curled into a bitter smile, “But knowing he was your lover…?”

Jungkook’s lip twitched, “Knowing who he is, and that he tried to sink his teeth into you…” He inhaled sharply.

“He didn’t-”

“But he did,” Jungkook cut you off sharply as he gestured towards your slip, “You just told me you were convinced to not wear your own country's attire. You didn’t have to say his name for me to know it was him who told you to do so.”

You relented with a sigh, shaking your head softly, “That was my choice in the end, I won’t let anyone else take the blame for my choices….I do suppose however…” It felt tough to swallow but you couldn’t deny the merit of his words, “That you are right, Seokjin tried to persuade me on a lot of things, and because I loved him, I wanted to please him. I think it’s only natural…Or I suppose I thought I loved him.”

Jungkook’s gaze only briefly flickered to yours as he murmured, “You thought?”

This made you smile softly as you nodded, “Well of course, he was my first love, my only love. So it’s all I ever knew, but the more I look back, the more I come to terms with the idea that me and him…I don’t know,” You ushered softly, “Perhaps things happened the way they were meant to be.”

Sleep had come surprisingly easy, having such an emotionally taxing day…Well you weren’t surprised yourself, your entire body felt lethargic and tired and you had sleepily woken up a long while ago yet kept your eyes shut, enjoying the distant chirp of birds despite the cloudy day staving the sun away.

A hand brushed against your lower back, closer to your hip then you anticipated, but something about the touch made your body further relax.

A content wiggle escaped you as you sighed, unconsciousness tugging at you to let yourself fall back asleep as you shifted against once more against Jungkook who seemed to make a noise of possible complaint.

“Stop that…” you could hardly make out his mumbled words, riddled with sleep.

This made your lips curl a little as you felt his arm fully wrap around you, his hand now curled around your waist and you could feel the bare skin of your thighs brushing along the fabric of his pants, somewhere last night your slip must’ve lifted up, but currently you weren’t going to stress over it, especially since you were covered up with a blanket.

And it was so warm under its cozy covers, you nudged the crook of his neck a little, trying to hide your smile as you shifted one last time to situate yourself.

“Ugh Princess fuck.”

You nearly squeaked out at your hips having gotten too close to his and rather than getting comfortable to nap once more, you found something thick and hard that was dangerously close to your cunt, panicked arousal was already clinging to your panties as you jolted, “I…! I’m- I'm sorry! I didn’t mean too…!”

You could feel your face throb as your eyes met Jungkook’s, he was laid on his back and his eyes had cracked open as he yawned almost too casually, “It’s not your fault I was already hard before you woke up anyways. Just maybe don’t do…that.” He sighed.

But despite his words Jungkook’s hands had a firm grip on your waist now, not about to let you get any further away from him then you already had as you somewhat propped yourself up in disbelief.

“What!? How-…?” You stared at him in silent demand and somewhat confused. How could he be…? Before you were even awake?

Jungkook stared up at you for what felt like forever, but slowly you watched his lips curve just a little, a smirk adorning his lips and his eyes were lidded as he puffed a breath of amusement, “Were you not taught male anatomy?”

You could feel your cheeks rush with blood that made them throb as your eyes twisted into an embarrassed glare, “Of course I wasn’t! What kind of question is that?”

What you hadn’t realized was the now somewhat compromising position you put yourself in, your lower body straddling his abdominal and your hands resting on his chest, not fully aware your thighs were completely exposed and your breasts were almost spilling out of your slip.

Jungkook let out a sigh that suspiciously sounded almost like a moan as he closed his eyes, “You gotta stop staring at me like that princess.”

“Like what?” Your lips tugged into a sulky pout, now feeling flustered that you should be less naive about these things, but you couldn’t help it…! You never went as far as to let Seokjin stay in your room at night when he came to visit in Eunoia. How were you supposed to know that this…happened naturally…?

You jolted at Jungkook’s hand suddenly grabbing your chin, forcing you closer to him as you grabbed his chest once more to catch yourself, Jungkook’s lips curled into a more wicked smirk this time as he whispered, “Like you wanna fuck me.”

“Jeon Jungkook!”

He knew how you’d react but watching how flustered it made you had him gagging out laughing as you managed to grab a pillow to smack him with, “How dare you!” Albeit your blows were weak as you struggled to properly grip the pillow in sake of not disturbing your wounds which were already beginning to throb in irritation.

Jungkook grabbed the pillow from you making you tumble back against him, but now you were acutely aware of the position you were in, fumbling as you spoke flustered, “Jungkook…” This time however, your voice wasn’t nearly as strong as it was, something stirring in your stomach at the way he kept wolfishly staring at you.

As if amused, as if aroused.

It was making your hands tremble and an ache throb between your legs, just the embarrassment alone at that feeling that was slowly becoming all too familiar made it difficult to even hold Jungkook’s gaze.

Jungkook’s hand squeezed around your chin tightly, forcefully turning your head to whisper in your ear, his warm breath tickling against your skin, “Hmm, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you find this attractive.”

It had your hands coiling around his shirt helplessly as you tried to not let yourself get any more flustered from his aggressiveness.

“What would give you that impression?” You gritted your teeth but your words hardly came out like a bite.

“Where do you want me to start?” Jungkook replied right back.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were the one who finds this attractive.” You glared at him but you were aware your expression looked anything but menacing, you could barely hold yourself together when he was holding you against him like this.

Jungkook stared at you for a long moment, some of his aggressive motions seemed to loosen a little before a lazy smirk tugged back on his lips, “Maybe. Wouldn’t you like to know princess?”

If you weren’t flustered before you certainly were now, unable to escape his grip on your hips you did the only thing you could, collapse back down against him, hiding away against his neck where you could feel his laugh escape.

“Stop…! This is hardly appropriate, can’t you just make it go away…?” Your voice came out like a sulky whine, trying to ignore how hot your body had suddenly began burning.

This made Jungkook snort, “We’re married, I don’t think anything we could do would be considered scandalous…Hm…I can make it go away but I don’t know if you’d like what that would entail.”

“What’s that supposed to- Ah…!” Your original thought was cut off into a quiet moan as Jungkook’s hand tangled into your hair, grabbing a thick chunk as he gave it a slight pull, an almost pleasant feeling being sent straight to your cunt as he whispered in your ear.

“Or maybe you would. Ugh, fuck I can feel how much your thigh’s are clenching, if you want it to go away you’re more then happy to help.”

“I’m just fine!” You squeaked out at how forward he was suddenly being, you couldn’t even fully comprehend how you got yourself into this position. Not that it was a bad one but…Well you certainly hadn’t foreseen this happening.

“Oh? You didn’t seem to mind helping Seokjin?” Jungkook’s voice came out like a taunt and you could feel his hips jut upward in a seeking thrust, “How is this any different hm? Go on, I’m waiting.”

He was being so mean…!

You whined out almost pathetically at how harsh your cheeks were throbbing and your body was burning up and an embarrassing amount of arousal clung to your panties as you cried out against his skin, “Everything is different with you! It’s- It’s not the same at all..!”

Your face felt incredibly hot and a shameful small moan escaped your lips at his hands grabbing your hips, pulling them back down against his, you could feel his cock throbbing almost painfully, confined in his pants.

Your mind was becoming hazy and filled with the only thing you could describe was lust.

“I don’t see why it shouldn’t be,” Jungkook almost growled out, his fingers digging into your skin, “After all, he was the one making sure everyone knew how well you treated him.”

“He- ah..! He wouldn’t…” You whimpered at your hips finally caving in, grinding down against his thick bulge, pleasure spiking in your body making a whined moan escape you, “Jungkook…!” You mumbled pathetically against him.

Your entire body felt weak and your hands were shaking from all the nervous energy that was coursing through your body, you were really doing this right now…?

“Fuck, good girl.” Jungkook moaned softly, his hands encouraging your movement and just that singular word had your body frantically rutting against his. Your forehead was pressed into his shoulder and your lips were parted at the spikes of pleasure that came in waves at the friction that throbbed against your cunt.

“Mmph! Jungkook…Ah…” Your voice was broken and whimpered as your hands curled into fists against his chest, your legs trembling at the feeling of your cunt soaking arousal through your panties, beginning to make a mess on his thick heady imprint, “Please…!”

“Please what?” Jungkook had a wicked smile on his face as he grabbed at your hair once more, giving it a soft yank to expose your neck to him, his tongue dragging hotly against your skin before he ushered a moan against it, “What do you want princess? Go on, look me in the eyes and tell me what you want.”

You rapidly shook your head at the sight of those icy blue eyes meeting yours, your entire body lit on fire at your head barely being lifted from the hazy cloud it had been buried in at the realization of just what you were doing right now and the possible repercussions it could have on your relationship with Jungkook.

And with that realization the stark reality had come back to haunt you, a sudden uncomfortable feeling sunk into your stomach and panic rose in your chest, “What’s wrong?” You hadn’t even realized tears had begun to blur your vision until Jungkook appeared almost alarmed.

Immediately sitting up as he took hold of you in a gentle grasp and if you didn’t feel embarrassed before you certainly did now, embarrassed and stupid.

You couldn’t even look at him as you grasped your face trying to stop from letting tears drip down your cheeks as you struggled to let air into your lungs, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Jungkook almost demanded, his hands grabbing at your wrists though he didn’t pull them away from your face.

You shook your head as your lips quivered, feeling stupider by the minute as he asked, “Why are you crying?”

“It’s stupid…” You ushered out timidly as you shook your head.

You could hear Jungkook sigh, his hands softening on your wrists as he spoke, “It’s not if you’re crying.”

It was silent for a moment as you tried to gather your thoughts, hesitantly lowering your hands from your face as you peered at him timidly before your gaze dropped, “I…We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, to make this work. I don’t want to lose your interest now if I…if we…”

Jungkook stared at you blankly for a long moment before he spoke, almost confused, “What the hell are you talking about?”

You groaned with a pout, eyes still watering as you spoke, “I- I- If we….you won’t…”

Jungkook sighed through his nose as he rubbed his face, “If we have sex that won’t change a single thing Y/n.” He puffed a breath almost amused as he looked up at your worried eyes, “I don’t view you as some kind of conquest- I would never view you that way.” He reached out, thumbing a tear that rolled down your cheek as you closed your eyes.

His words were sweet and yet you somehow felt even worse, “..’m sorry, I ruined the moment-”

“Stop,” Jungkook chided you, his eyes now reprimanding, “What did I say about all of these apologies? You didn’t ruin anything, I don’t want you in any way if you aren’t completely comfortable with it. And I don’t have any expectations of this in the future unless you want it.”

You ushered a cry softly as Jungkook sighed in exasperation, looking mildly awkward as he ran a hand through his ruffled hair, “...You can’t keep doing this to me.” He mumbled.

You rubbed the tears from your eyes as you murmured, “Do what?”

“This.” Jungkook gestured at your face- or presumably your tears, he looked awkward as he sighed once more, “I don’t know what else to do other than tell you I…” His nose wrinkled, “...Don’t mind your company, clearly. But I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with if you think it’ll keep my attention. You already have it. But I also don’t want you to stop yourself from doing something you want, in fear of messing up.”

“But…!” Your lips jutted, “It’s easy for you to say that! You’re not the one that has to deal with your anger! That isn’t…I would like to avoid that if possible.”

This made Jungkook snort in amusement, “Well princess, I’m the one who has to deal with your anger, which is just as unpleasant. But we’ve dealt with one another like this from the day we met. Messing up is a part of getting to know one another. And truthfully I think this would be far from messing up.”

He had that stupid small boyish smile of his on his face that made you look away somewhat bashfully as you gave him a gentle shove, “...You don’t think so..? That this…wouldn’t be a bad thing?”

“Why would it?” Jungkook asked, and he looked genuinely confused, “You’re my wife.”

The sentence made something flutter in your stomach, the way Jungkook said it so naturally, as if there wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in his voice, as if it was always meant to be this way.

His confidence gave you confidence that, perhaps he was right about this.

You shifted a little in his lap before you shrugged, “Just because we’re married doesn’t mean anything.”

“No,” Jungkook hummed in thought and if you listened closely, you could hear the slightest hesitation in his voice, “But that doesn’t mean it can’t.”

His words were ushered out softly, nothing more than a whisper and his eyes locked onto the door, as if worried someone could possibly hear you both in this moment. There was a certain shyness in the air now and neither of you could look the other in the eye anymore.

And in timely fashion, a knock on the door nearly made you jump out of your skin, fumbling off his lap as you could hear Wheein on the other side asking for permission to come in. That was right, today was a new day after all.

And yet you couldn’t help but want to focus on a presence that was quickly slipping through your fingers.

Just because you were married, didn’t mean anything, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t…

“Are you certain of this Jungkook?” The question came from Namjoon.

There was a silence that permeated in the air as Jungkook sunk into his seat, all of his closest friends and what he considered family huddled up in his former handlers’ study.

“I’m not,” Jungkook admitted, a frown on his lips as he shook his head, “But I can’t overlook the possibility that we may have a traitor amidst the court. It would have to be someone inconspicuous though. I can’t bring this to my family’s attention yet, not until we have solid proof.”

“Where would we even start with something like this though?” Jimin frowned as he chimed in, “We can’t just go interrogating royals, and poking around any bedrooms will have us in the dungeon.”

“Is it possible we could service some of the maids then?” Hoseok replied, “Wheein would be able to scour any rooms of possible suspects, no questions asked.”

Jungkook had leaned back in his seat, a hand on his chin in thought as he shook his head, “It would still be too risky to involve anyone on the outside. If word got out about a possible traitor amongst the court everyone would be in an uproar. Wheein wouldn’t say anything but that doesn’t change the fact that maids talk.”

The idea made Jungkook sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, “And it would be too big of a task to ask her to do it by herself regardless.”

“Not to mention the Princess has been granting her extra time off to attend her ailing mother, I don’t know if she would be able to take on the extra responsibility.” Taehyung spoke up.

This however caused Jungkook to shift a little, extra time off…? “What?” He spoke, his gaze narrowing on Taehyung in question.

This made Taehyung tilt his head in curiosity as he explained, “Yes, the Princess has been very kind in allowing Wheein to tend to her mother during some of her hours she was supposed to attend the Princess.”

This made Jungkook frown immediately his gaze dropping to the table with a troubled look, it wasn’t that he was upset by what you had done, the very opposite in fact, he took pleasure in knowing you were being kind and tender to your personal maid. But…well with the looming threat of someone wanting you dead…

Jungkook would never admit it out loud but he had taken comfort in knowing that whenever he wasn’t with you during the day, that Wheein was at your side, if he could trust anyone with a sword, it would be her.

Of course he hadn’t given her any formal instruction to keep you safe but…well he felt he didn’t need too, he saw the way you both interacted, he knew Wheein would do so on her own accord but…This information was troubling for him. Because if she wasn’t with you, that meant you were alone, for presumably long hours.

“Is something troubling you Sire?” Namjoon frowned as he asked, glancing at Jungkook across the table.

“Yes,” Jungkook admitted, “If Wheein is tending to her mother then that mean’s Y/n is alone during the day and this…” He sighed, “If I could have it my way I’d want either Jimin or Hoseok with her during the day but I cannot afford to have either of you on the sidelines right now. But I don’t know who else I could trust with keeping her safe.”

It was silent for a long moment before Jimin suddenly perked up, “Oh…! Yoongi should be back from his tour soon! Perhaps we could fill him in on the details when he arrives, I’m sure he’d be happy to finally relax and accompany the Princess during the day.”

Jungkook seemed to perk a little at this as well, tilting his head a little, “Really? I thought he wasn't going to come back until next Spring?”

“The stirring on the west has caused the expansion to come to a halt,” Hoseok frowned in thought, “That’s probably why he’s coming back early.”

Jungkook frowned at this, yes that was right, scouts had detected a stir in activity from Prokofiev and this was part of the reason his aunt was back home as well. Something just didn’t sit right with him though, about all of this.

“Very well.” Jungkook replied, “I’ll speak with him myself when he arrives then, when is his estimated arrival date then?”

“Within the next two weeks.” Jimin replied, “If that’s taken care of then, perhaps we should move on to the more…unsavory news…” He glanced at Hoseok who also sighed at this.

This made Jungkook frown as well, “What of it?”

“There was a breach in the southern border.” Hoseok said.

This made Jungkook nearly jolt in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he asked, “A breach? By whom?”

“One of our own,” Hoseok sighed, slumping in his chair as if a memory was plaguing him, “I went to investigate myself and they said it was likely one of the squire’s from the knighthood. Which means…”

“Our assassin has taken his leave.” Jungkook’s lips twitched in anger as his fists curled, inhaling sharply, “That we know of right now.” He shook his head but anger simmered in his veins, “It doesn’t matter anymore,” He growled, “I want to know who sent him. Because if we can’t figure out who it is, they’ll only hire more assassins to do their bidding, and until then Y/n won’t be safe.”

“If I may Sire,” Taehyung gestured as Jungkook nodded, “Perhaps we’re looking in the wrong place. It may be a royal but…” He faltered for a second, “I fear it may be someone in an even bigger position than that.”

“An outside influence?” Namjoon asked as he tilted his head.

“Perhaps,” Taehyung replied as he shook his head, “I can’t describe it but…I feel very strongly the presence of a much darker force at play here then we can understand.”

Jungkook glanced at the table in thought for a moment before he spoke, “We’ll start with the postal system first, I doubt any plots of murder would be on paper but perhaps we can narrow down a group, or person first to begin the hunt. This can’t be the doing of just one person, something bigger is at play right now.”

The thought made Jungkook’s lips twitched, “And I intend to win. You’re all excused, do not let this take up your entire day, you all still have daily duties to attend to as do I. Be discreet, we’ll all meet back here by the end of the week to report out findings.”

“Good because I need to attend to the Princess now,” Taehyung ushered as he glanced at the clock, realizing he was bordering late to his morning routine.

Jungkook nodded, waving him away as he opened the door to find his servant Taehyun about to knock, “...Yes?”

“Um...” Taehyun frowned, “We were disposing of the Ashe Wolf like you asked us too but...we ran into a problem and well...I thought it would be best to just let you come take a look for yourself.”

Jungkook sighed at this, rubbing his face but gestured his servant to lead the way, it was difficult to believe daily duties still existed in times as troubling as these.

“Your hands are healing nicely,” Taehyung hummed out, a pleasant smile on his face and he was indeed right, your hands had come a long way since the accident had first happened.

You glanced down at them right a brief smile before it slowly faded, your stomach churning unpleasantly at the sight of scarring that was beginning to form in place of your skin.

You cleared your throat a little, a weak smile tugging on your face as you asked, “Does this mean I’ll be able to start my training once more.”

“Soon yes,” Taehyung nodded, “I still need to speak with the Prince about it. But I expect you to be able to as early as next week.” ‘

Finally, good news was in the air as you relaxed a little with a nod, letting him finish wrapping your bandages before he took his leave. Wheein had just re-entered the room from an errand she had to run for him, handing him over a satchel before he nodded and exited the room.

“How’s your mother Wheein?” You asked out softly.

Wheein offered a small smile of gratitude, “Better, she’s still very weak, but better. I can’t thank you enough for allowing Taehyung to help m’lady.”

You folded your hands into your lap as you shook your head, “There’s no need for so much thanking, I’d do it again in a heartbeat if needed. Please do what you need to in the meantime to aid her health.”

Wheein had been continuously thanking you for what you did, but truthfully you felt as if it was the least you could do for her given how patient and sweet she had been to you since the beginning of your stay in Penumbra.

Wheein only nodded once more thankful for your kindness before she began to get you dressed, “Oh…! The prince caught me on the way back to the castle, he asked for me to escort you to the stables.”

You tilted your head curiously, glancing at Wheein through the mirror as you asked, “Is…Is that allowed? I mean…” You sighed, “I suppose if it was by his request it is but…” Well tension was still lingering since the assassination attempt.

Jungkook had left earlier than you which you could only assume he must have gone to meet with the others about the whole ordeal, the entire event may have felt like it had been long ago, but it was still fresh in your mind and everyone was still on high alert.

“If you’re safe with anyone, it would surely be the Prince.” Wheein gave you a small smile as she finished the final touches of your wardrobe, “Speaking of…” A more mischievous look twisted on her face, “That was an awfully short nightgown to be wearing last night.”

You sucked in a harsh breath of air, trying to not let the flustered expression show on your face but it was too late, Wheein was covering her giggles as you spoke, “Was it him? Did he specifically get a nightgown tailored for me?”

Wheein grinned at this as she shook her head, “No actually, I believe that was from your original wardrobe when you first came to Penumbra. You had never requested to wear it though so I had just kept it in the back of your closet for safe keeping. It must’ve accidentally gotten tangled up in the bunch when I was going through to pack for your stay in here.”

You chewed on your lip before you admitted, “It did seem familiar, I haven’t worn it in ages though. I almost forgot what it was like,” You let out a brief smile, “Still though,” A pout tugged on your lips, “He didn’t let go of the chance to tease me about it.”

This made Wheein smile once more, “A good sort I hope?”

You mulled over her words, a more shy smile tugging on your lips as you glanced at your lap with a shrug, “I suppose it is.”

It was actually rather nice being able to take a walk outside the castle for once, it was a rather sunny day though clouds scattered the sky looking gray meaning rain would surely make its return as the day went on.

Stepping outside the gates of the castle felt…forbidden almost, you looked around hesitantly as Wheein led the way happily, but her eyes were sharp, as if enjoying the sunshine but still vigilant as ever.

The stables were just a little further from the guardsman quarters and soon enough she guided you over, you could already see Jungkook inside, hauling a bale of hay over what looked like some sort of makeshift pen.

“I have other duties to attend so I’ll leave you to attend with the Prince if that’s okay…” Wheein peered at you, hands folded as if truly making sure you would be okay with that.

You offered a small smile, “Of course, don’t let me keep you.” You waved her off as you stepped inside the stables, your voice drawing Jungkook’s attention.

And you noticed the smallest thing, his eyes which had been previously squinted in that broody look he always wore, seemed to almost melt away immediately, his eyes brightening a little at the sight of you and his expression seemed to perk, just the slightest.

To the untrained eye, it may have gone unnoticed, but not for you.

This made a smile you couldn’t resist tug on your lips, “Rather bold of you to let me come outside the castle gates. I’m surprised.”

This made Jungkook snort, “We’re a short distance from the gates…” But he stopped short as his expression dimmed a little as he sighed, “...I’ll tell you more of the details later but I don’t think we’ll need to be as worried about any future assassinations as we have been.”

“Oh?” You tilted your head with a frown, now wondering why he wouldn’t just tell you now.

“I didn’t call you here to discuss that though, this…” Jungkook looked away from you with an exasperated sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck and dare you say he…almost seemed…bashful?

“I have a…surprise,” Jungkook finally seemed to admit, “For you.” A brief smile tugged on his lips, “I think you’ll like it.”

“For me?” You raised your brows with a smile.

“Yes, when I was in a meeting this morning Taehyun came to report something to me, it’s about the ashe wolf…Or well…” Jungkook gestured you over as you came to stand beside him before you gasped out as he continued, “More like what they discovered she had been carrying.”

You could feel your words stuck in your throat at the beautiful thick grey fur and big puppy eyes that stared back up at you, just the realization made tears sting in your eyes as your heart ached, “Oh she was protecting her pup.”

You immediately reached out as the ashe wolf pup sniffed your hand curiously before licking it, making you giggle as your smile softened, rubbing your hand between it’s ears. It looked like a full grown dog but it was so little for an ashe wolf.

“When the guards were cleaning up the mess this morning they discovered it in the pocket hide of the wolf, the moment they reported it to me I took it here first thing to build somewhere to keep it until we could give him a proper pen of his own.” Jungkook explained.

Your eyes widened as you glanced up at him, “We’re keeping it?”

This made the tiniest of smiles tug on Jungkook’s lips, “I know how much it meant to you to try and keep the wolf safe, I feel like this is the best apology I can give for what happened.”

A small smile tugged on your lips, feeling somewhat bashful at his words as you continued to pet the pup, “It wasn’t your fault what happened…There’s no need to apologize over it, but…” Your smile began to grow as your eyes almost glittered in excitement, “I really do appreciate this Jungkook. Thank you.”

The pup however was now busy chasing it’s own tail before you extended your arm out further gaining it’s attention, it’s big wet nose nudging you before happiness thrumming in your chest as it nudged your hand for another pet.

Jungkook had leaned against the side of the wall, a soft smile on his lips as he watched you squeal as you rubbed your hand against the bridge of its nose and the more you thought about it the more your chest squeezed in a sort happiness that you weren’t sure you had ever experienced before.

“Really, I mean…I can’t tell you how much this means to me.” You grinned out as you finally pulled away from the pup as you looked at Jungkook, who seemed quite satisfied with your reactions thus far.

“I don’t think you need too,” Jungkook looked amused as he raised a brow, “I can quite literally see how much you like it.”

But it just filled you with so much more glee, your hands were nearly trembling at how much excitement filled you...Jungkook chose to keep the pup just...for you? It made your whole body feel warm and fuzzy and in a fit of happiness you turned to face him fully before nearly throwing yourself at him.

Your arms curling around his neck as you squealed out in excitement and your heart was skipping beats in your chest as a shyness coiled in you, “No really! Thank you. This means the world to me.”

Jungkook’s body stiffened upon contact with you as he stared down at you somewhat in bewilderment before he slowly relaxed once more, still somewhat awkward as he was unsure where to place his hands before settling around your waist.

He wouldn’t deny, out of all the times he wished he had your thanks. For the first time, it felt very fulfilling to hear. But he wasn’t even truly focused on your words anymore, just that he realized, he really enjoyed seeing you smile.

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