V-IX. COUSIN MEGUMI
V. YOUNG BOY
ZEN'IN NAOYA DOES NOT PARTICULARLY HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS NIECE.
For a woman, Miwa tries too hard but she knows her place. She lowers her head when his father comes, shuts her mouth despite the opinions clogging her throat—but despite all these better qualities, Miwa is a failure of a mother and while Naoya cares little for women, he knows that even women have to be good mothers. His mother was never a good wife for Zen'in Naobito but at least she did one good thing right in her lifetime: give birth to a Zen'in capable of using a cursed technique, not like the mother of Mai and Maki who, while provided Mai the curse of creation, left absolutely nothing to Maki. Twins have always been unlucky, and the triplets' misfortune should not have been a surprise to anyone.
Naoya thinks of only two things when he finds out that the triplets have been reduced to an only child: 'the girl survived' followed by, 'should have been Mikado'—and the other contradicting thought had been his pleasure that the line of successorship had shortened, and reduced to just more than a handful. Mikado had been promising. Too promising that Naoya and his brothers found themselves threatened by his potential and his Cursed Technique, one he partly inherited from that dastardly Nagamasa. If Mikado ended up inheriting the entirety of Nagamasa's technique, the other Zen'inswould have suffocated him in his sleep. Instead, the technique was cut to thirds.
Mikado with his ability to absorb the air in a certain spot, eventually compressing it until it explodes, in exchange for not being able to breath during the absorption. Mikoto with her simple domain, summoning a box-like structure that is devoid of any light—she cannot move during the time the simple domain is summoned. And lastly, Mikuji who can absorb sound, compresses it and deals massive damage depending on the amount of sound he absorbs. Obviously, this usually ends up with him writhing on the ground with bleeding ears, overwhelmed by his own drawback.
Naoya remembers laughing at their measly techniques. That is until the triplets, together, brought down one curse after another, their combined techniques rendering most enemies of theirs into unmoving, piles of flesh. Naoya then knows: only Mikado can survive alone. Mikoto with her defensive techniques cannot do anything against curses, Mikuni experiences too harsh drawbacks but Mikado is strong.
And yet, the girl survives.
And yet—
Mikoto beams at him, showing off her new uniform for her middle school. Of course, it is a ridiculously expensive middle school, nothing less for a Zen'in whose value is quickly rising among their members. She twirls, not even reaching his shoulders. Mikado should have survived, he thinks disdainfully, especially when Mikoto meets his gaze, showing off the mismatched eyes that she now possesses. Mikoto smiles obediently at him, silent, waiting, seeking for an approval that Naoya does not want to give her.
Mikado should have survived, he repeats to himself, despite the knowledge that if that boy grew up, he would have undoubtedly surpassed him. "Ōoji," she calls him grand-uncle so familiarly like Naoya cares, "All women of the Zen'in Clan attended in Kyoto Kōka, right?"
"Maki is not attending Kōka," Naoya corrects blandly, sitting on the engawa and looking beyond the koi pond. He does not know why he went here, to the triplets' (now Mikoto's only) side of the compound. Did he go here with the expectation that he will be seeing Mikado's green eyes gleam brightly upon seeing him? Did he expect to see Mikado cheerfully greet him? Did he expect Mikado to grimace when Miwa would come to catch him talk to Naoya, scolding him the moment Naoya leaves?
Mikoto's smile freezes. "Ah, Maki-san," she lacks the respectfulness she gives to Naoya, almost hesitant to call the older girl as aunt. "I haven't seen in her in a while."
Everybody knows why Zen'in Maki is always outside of the compound. Everybody knows how she works harder than any Zen'in, despite being well aware that her situation is just like the late Zen'in Tōji, the Family Head's estranged nephew who is as much of a 'failure' as Maki. Mikoto was once one of those failures, the one-third of the triplets that was in the unfortunate sight, born blind, with a defensive Curse Technique that is nothing unless she has support. So was Mikuji but Mikuji was favored greatly by their mother but even the Family Head Naobito knows Miwa only favors Mikuji because of his silence, while Naoya favors Mikado because of his potential and the threat the young boy holds on him, while Mikoto—born a girl, born blind, born too-talkative, and born too eager to please.
(Gojō Satoru and his shit-eating grin, holding the corpses of two sons and an unconscious daughter. Naoya remembers being right behind Miwa, having just ended an argument with her. He remembers staring at Mikado. His heart expands: less competition, more chances of winning, and yet. And yet.)
Naoya thinks he visited Mikoto because at the end, she still has Mikado's face, lips, nose, and now, most especially, his eyes. When he glances at her hair, now just above her shoulders, he remembers how, a week ago, he had pulled her long, black hair, tugging it to the blade of his tantō. Sometimes, he can still feel her hair and the way she struggled under his hold. Sometimes, he feels Miwa's gaze on his back, uncaring as Naoya forcefully cuts Mikoto's hair and demanding that she keeps it short except for the braid. The braid can stay because Mikado used to have a braid too. It was the triplets' shared style of hair—except for Mikoto who had twin braids instead of a single one and Naoya reduced her hair to a bob. No braid.
"Hurry up and grow your hair," he had said, ignoring the red line at Mikoto's nape.
Mikoto is suddenly right in front of him, twelve years old and the evidence of Naoya's uncontrolled emotions. He wants to hit her, carve her right eye out of that socket and tell her that she does not deserve looking like Mikado. "Ōoji, are you alright?" She asks with a tilt of her head.
Naoya pushes away her face. "Go."
"You're not going to see me off?"
"Why would I?"
Mikoto makes Mikado's smile. "Yeah, why would you?"
...
VI. SNACK TIME
MIKOTO HAS ALWAYS BEEN WITH HER SIBLINGS SINCE DAY ONE AND SHE HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THAT SHE WILL DIE WITH THEM AS WELL.
Once (no, more than a hundred times), Mikado promised to be the head of the Zen'in Family and make a better place for them. When asked what kind of place it will be, Mikado would always say the following: Mother will not be there and Father will be gone as always. Family Head Naobito—oh, wait, not Family Head anymore because I am the Family Head now, right?—would be gone too, and so would Naoya—yeah, yeah, I like Naoya-ōoji but he's mean to you two so we're getting rid of him—and Maki will—Maki-san is really, really strong! I know she can't see Curses but she's the most hardworking person I know!—and Mikado will kick out all the other Zen'in and it will always just be the three of them and—Mikado is dead.
But not.
Their father, Nagamasa, is most well-known for his overwhelming Curse Energy and his ability to consume the Cursed Spirits he encounter. And he is always, always, always hungry.
Mikoto once heard of that new Special Grade Sorcerer in Tokyo whose ancestor is apparently Abe-no-Seimei himself. He had cursed his childhood friend and Mikoto supposes they are no different from each other. No. She knows that they are not different from each other. They may as well have the same situation only that her bond is deeper. It rushes in her veins and engraves itself in her bones and her ribs and the cage that surrounds her heart—her flesh is her siblings', her blood is her siblings'—the three wise monkeys, she believes, are individually, imperfect beings. They represent each side of a perfect being, the quality of being the flower upon the valleys.
Mai sits in front of her as an upperclassman in middle school. She visibly frowns at the amount of food that Mikoto is eating, three stacks of bento that is clearly fully-packed and crammed full. "Don't you get stomachaches?" She raises an eyebrow.
Mikoto gulps down her food. "I do," she admits, "All the time. I get Dyspepsia a lot."
"Unsurprising," Mai deadpans.
Mikoto continues to eat, however, even when she grimaces and complains about her upset stomach. She wonders if she looks like her father right now, who devours everything he sees regardless of the repercussions. The moment she finishes it, she feels like throwing up but there is a sense of satisfaction, the hunger disappearing for the meantime. She knows that in only a matter of hours, the feeling of starvation will return. When she first encountered this hunger, she had told her mother immediately and only received a hand hitting her across her face—"Your father experiences this everyday. He has been for more than two decades and you dare to be ungrateful for your gift? This hunger is the cost, Mikoto. The pact in exchange for that power."
Of course, she thinks it is worth it. Not only is she managing to please her mother finally ("If only you were not born as three.") but now, she can never be seperated from her beloved brothers. And not to mention, she can see. The Zen'in Family has nothing against her now, she can sleep peacefully now, she does not have to overly rely on someone now, she can—her stomach churns in discomfort and she groans.
Mai rolls her eyes. "You shouldn't have forced yourself," she points out.
"But I'm so, so hungry."
And Mikuji likes tempura very much so of course, Mikoto cannot resist the urge to eat them, especially when there are so much in the bento. Mikoto needs to eat and eat and eat! She is eating for three people now, of course she has to eat more. She is not used to it because she always had the least Cursed Energy between her siblings but Mikado has the most, so much that he easily overshadowed both Mikuji and Mikoto, and now that Mother's wish has finally come true, Mikoto eats as if she can never be famished, even when her stomach hurts so, so much and she feels like exploding.
She groans and stretches her limbs. "I'm bloated."
"Then get a mission from the Family Head."
Mikoto beams and looks at Mai as if she is a genius. She quickly stands up, packs her things and waves at Mai. "Great idea!"
Mai regrets her suggestion three days later.
...
VII. LITTLE COUSINS
FUSHIGURO MEGUMI KNOWS VERY LITTLE ABOUT HIS PATERNAL RELATIVES AND HE CARES EVEN LESS.
All he has heard from them are courtesy to Gojō Satoru and some of the news go from ridiculous to overbearing and stressful. As someone in his first year of middle school, he spends more time doing his homeworks, setting delinquents straight, and occasionally, getting whipped to shape by Gojō, to which Gojō replies in a smooth yet cocky tone: "You want to go to the Zen'ins instead? Haven't you heard of the triplets that were sent to subjugate a first grade spirit?" The last time Fushiguro met the triplets was when he was roughly seven years old and he is pretty sure that they are of the same age. "Do you know what happened to them?" No, it does not take a genius to know what happened.
He heard that only one of them survived, the blind girl who, much like his other brother, only stood behind as they encouraged the eldest to lead them. It reminds Megumi vaguely of the delinquents he had encountered—the lackeys and the big boss but in this case, the elder sibling and the younger siblings. Finding out that the three were shredded into a single one is not a surprise. Gojō said that some die even younger because of those expeditions.
"Eh? You need Shōko? For what?" Gojō asks over the phone, pausing his relentless abuse on Megumi. There are two beats before Gojō raises both of his eyebrowns in surprise, opting to wear his sunglasses rather than his obnoxious blindfold. "Wha—at? Really? Miwa-chan's kid lost an arm?"
And that is how Megumi finds himself swept in Gojō's eccentricities, saying that it would be better if Megumi met one of his relatives and not just the stuffy Miwa who was already getting ready to enter the Tōkyo branch of the school rather than the Kyōto one, where most Zen'in tend to go because of something like traditions.
A fated encounter. Megumi remembers how Gojō-san had referred to the time the jujutsu's most powerful man happened to have been just around the area when the triplets were rendered to nothingness by the first-grade curse they encountered. He just so happened to be there, just so happened to be so close that he managed to see the domain consuming the triplets, just so happened to be there the moment the triplets stopped being triplets. A coincidence, one may call it, but Gojō-san claimed that he does not think so. From the very beginning: from the time when Megumi happened to meet the triplets, from the time Megumi was given the chance to see how the triplets were treated in the compound—it is obviously a fated encounter. Nothing more, nothing less.
And the only way to stake a hold on a fated encounter is to follow that encounter, create ways for that encounter to happen. Gojō-san brings Megumi to the room where the surviving Zen'in Mikoto sleeps, her left arm missing as if it had been eaten whole. Megumi grimaces, the stench of flesh and gore evident in the room.
"Do you want to know what happened?" Gojō-san asks as they approach the bed.
Megumi wants nothing more than to leave. He has no relation to the girl aside from having the same blood course their veins but aside from that, absolutely nothing. "I already know," he grunts.
Oh, you really don't, Gojō-san's face seems to say. His eyes squint behind his dark glasses, almost one that resembles that of amusement. He begins to approach the sleeping body of Mikoto and just as Megumi was about to tell him off for being a creep to a middle school student, a shadow looms threateningly above Gojō, the figure of a disfigured Cursed Spirit hovering with ease. Megumi stumbles back, fingers speeding to form the symbol of his own summon but Gojō grabs his hand, halting his attempts. "Gojō-san—" The man only smirks.
The cursed spirit, now that Megumi looks at it, gives him a strange feeling of familiarity. The single eye it possesses stares right through him, a single wide, green eye—or that is what he thinks until the head suddenly spins to show another eye behind its head, a glaring black one.
Gojō-san hums. "So between the two of you, who ate her arm?" He asks with both eyebrows up.
As if ashamed and embarrassed, the cursed spirit's head continues to spin violently, the green and the black eye switching one after another. It opens its mouth and displays rows after rows of teeth and a split tongue, groans coming out. Gojō-san only puts both of his hands to his waist, acting disappointed. "I'm asking you a question!" He huffs.
The cursed spirit slouches, the heavy priest robes clinging loosely around its body. Megumi is itching to summon his own shadows, unused to having such a... docile cursed spirit so close.
The groans go heavier until—
"O̵̡̲͎͉̲̭̖̲̭͈̳̰͇̊̾͛̉͋̽͒͛͜n̴̥̗̪̤͕͑͆̓͛̀̍͋͘ļ̵̛̪̺̼̹͔̗̫̟̬͐́̎͠ͅý̵̧̮̖̰̔̚ ̸̨͔̤͈͍͖̫̻̰͎̳̦̾͐̓͒͛͑͒́̕͜͝h̴̖͚͇͈͖͎̩̫̞̻͈̮̘̘͊̈́̅͗̍ͅu̴̜͠n̶̨̨̦͓̰͎̙̈̎̑̓̑̏̉̎͝ġ̷̛̖̝͚̗̹͓̪̿̃̓̄̾́̀̒͂ȓ̵̦̝̌̍̃̿̚͝y̶̧̰̝̳̅̈́̂̂̈́̄̍̐͗̚̕͠," Megumi whips his head towards Gojō-san in disbelief and he only grows more and more fearful when the Cursed Spirit continues its garbled and almost unintelligible speech, "̷̧̢̗̲͖̜͖̜̫̘̞͕̠͐̉̉̄͛̈́͑̌̆́͛̿͌͜H̴̹̰͓̖̮̫́̈́̅̊́͝͝ͅu̶̦̖̣̙̅̃̏̅ņ̵͚̠͙͔̻̳͉̲̺͖͉̘͔͆̂̀̃̈͘͠g̷̥̦̤̲͗ê̵̠̱͔̾͐ŗ̴͚̺̻̠͓̻̝͍̺̬̱̥̩̮͊͗̾͘̕ ̵̻̫͔̝̭͍̟̰͋͑͊̓̑m̶̧̪̹̼̙̺͈̘̘͈̭͎̘̝̪̐̽͊̈́̽̀̊̒͛a̶̺͚͍̳̹̜͙̭̾̾̊̊͂̆̏̈́̕͝͝͝ͅk̸̢͇̩̃ē̸̲̳͊͒́͊͊̀̕͘ ̴̢̛͇͇͎͈̖̻͍͍̜̗͕̭̙͑̍͒̃̔̔̏͒̿̚͘̚͠ś̷͇̯͔͘ţ̵̡̘̻͈̪͉̫̤̱̼͎̖̂̌̎̓͊͌̇̾́̚͜͜ȓ̸̜̥̱͖͜͠o̴̎́̈́̎̌̒̉̒̀ͅņ̶͇͙̞͍͙͍̥̩̪̮̃͑̽̾̉͐̒̚͠ͅg̷̠̰̜̖̋̿́̀̎̾̉͛̕͘.̷͚̳̙̯̝͙̯̞̘̣̹̼̗̱̯̑́̓̐̿̀̚̕̚̚"
The cursed spirit's worried frown stretches to a grin as it continues to speak: "̶̡̥̻̩͚̞̻̦̖̹̪͔̅͘L̷̼̱͔̤̒̉͊͊͂́͂̅̄͘ó̴̙̪̣̫̐̊̃͗̐̚͜v̸̙̔̓̂̏͊͑͂͊͛̋e̶̟̯̲̒͗̔̿̅͒̅́̀̈́̕ͅ ̷̝̰̣̜̈́̀̀͑́̇'̵̹̫͎̠͒͆͐͑̄͒̓̋̒̈́͊Ḱ̶͎̻͖̥̰͈̭̗̝͇̲̘̏͋̊̆̐͊ͅợ̶͊̓̈́̈̀̅͗ẗ̶̢̗̤̬̻͙̣́̊̐̀̽̍̆̔̅̍̍͋o̴̡̢̭̗͚͉̬̱̠̳̽͗̏͗̊͌̀ ̷̨͇̹̠̲̝͈̭͇͖̂̔v̶̺̥̥̍̇̈́e̵͈̣̦̿̆̔ȓ̸͔̄͋y̶̛͇͂̄̔͋̀̇̿̃͝ͅ ̸̧̯͚̑̀̾̊m̵̨͍̩̣̫̎͒̀̇̇̏͌̾̿̂͠͠ü̴̡̼͔̼̼̻̮̟̣̯͉̩̲͍̙̽̅̈́͛̓͘͝č̵͔̗͙̹̤̫͉͓̥͂͂͒̿̎̈́̀̅͂͑̚̚h̴̯̳̝̀.̵̢̛̖̐̎͌̈́̐̚"
Megumi sees nothing but Mikoto's missing arm and the blood that drips from the cursed spirit's mouth. The moment the cursed spirit turns to Megumi, he freezes. And the world tumbles down, down, down, down the rabbit hole. A fated encounter is what Gojō-sensei called this. Megumi does not believe him. This is a tragedy. This is a fucking tragedy, he thinks, the voice of the cursed spirit ringing in his head.
" Ţ̵̻̳̬̲̤̹̼͉͉͇̳͍̻̽̊͛̓́̾̑͆̊͗̔̑͘͜ǫ̸̧̺̙̮̹̭̩͓̻̿̋̔͌-̷̥̝̭͙̠̿̄̐̄͠Ţ̶̝̏͆̓̎͒̆̈́͐͊̽̎́͆͘̚ö̸̜̺̝́j̶̥̣͖̰̈́̾̊̈̄̈́̇̒͝ḭ̸̛̳̭̈́̽͋̐͐ͅ-̴̧̢̙̥̱̝͓̯͕͓͎̳̪̗̈́́͒͋̆̍̋̃͋̾s̶̙̘̱̙̻̎̿̔ͅa̸̛̼͍̣̩̹͎ͅn̵̢̹̣̼̦͍̥̖͍͎̐̿̈́̎͌͗͗͌̂͘ͅ'̸̺̹̙̹̩̔̆̒̂͋̔͐̍̐͋͗̂͗̿͝s̴̬̥̀͐́̊͋̿̏́̆͠͝͝ ̵̡̧̢͕̯̹͙̬̭̘̲͈͇͍͔̌̌̎̎̃̂̓̅̏̇̈́̎̅̾͠s̶̨̜̬̫̎̆͂̃͆͆̓̊̆̄͋̈́̃͘̕o̸̮̖͚̻̭̘̻̝̞͌̂̎͒̏͜ͅņ̸̛̦͚͚̼̰̯̟͙̋̉̀̓͛̏͌́̔̕͠.̶̧͓̟̾̀C̶̢̢̰̖͓̻̯̙̯̱̣̯̈́̾̓͜o̶̦̘̹͓̬̫̳̦̫̮̱̙͖͊̾̄͂̓͆͆͒̃̀͜ư̸̢̮̯͍̲̬̋̀̀̽͗̅̎̋̑̈͒̀̕͝s̴̡̲̬͈͖̟̘̭͒͛̏̋̅̕i̷̠̯͍̼̗̎̆̅̈́̎͝ņ̴̞̪̞̩̘̱͓̘̳͔̯̰͆̆̈́̓͑͆̇͑͠͝ ."
Megumi throws up.
...
VIII. NICKNAME
THE NEXT TIME FUSHIGURO MEGUMI SEES ZEN'IN MIKOTO IS DURING A MISSION.
He was tasked to investige a curse ranging from third grade to second grade, and according to Gojō-san, if ever it was indeed a second grade spirit, he had to turn back. Megumi was, of course, rather annoyed at this. He is already thirteen going fourteen. He is sure he is very capable of subjugating a spirit of that caliber and did he not say that even he had the chance be on par, or perhaps, surpass Gojō-san in the future. But at the end, he still ends up stumbling and tripping on his own two feet, drained of curse energy and backed up in a corner. At the end, he thinks bitterly, it was a second grade spirit.
The curse spirit was rather sluggish in its movements but the skin was near impenetrable and Megumi definitely did not have any spirits in hand that had enough strength to cut through its skin. It was only a few years ago when he got a good grasp of his summons, enough to call on them whenever he needed them but aside from that, making sure they followed his orders was terribly hard—keeping them around was even harder. The constant drain on his energy caused him to stutter on his steps.
"Cousin, you alright?" Megumi feels his heart jump out of his chest when the voice resounds right beside his ears. He turns his head around quickly, seeing the same girl he had seen in a hospital bed only roughly half a year ago. Surprisingly, her arm is still intact and the short sleeves of her summer uniform shows the lack of scars or other signs of being cut off. "What grade is that?
Megumi looks at her in disbelief. "What are you doing here?!" He gapes at her. He is pretty sure that most Zen'in are located in Kyōto where their compound is stationed in. That is exactly the reason why Gojō-san brought him away from there too and intstead, made him grow up under the care of the Tōkyō Prefectural Jujutsu High School, though more specifically, he is in Saitama, righ beside Tōkyō.
Mikoto definitely looks better than he had last seen her. Her hair is much longer, tied into two twin braids, and she looks far from the dying body he threw up beside to. She sits on the balcony's bar that Megumi had been leaning on, and seemed really bored at the happenings. "I think we make a good team, cousin," she suddenly says, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't really do well with fast opponents but things like this—" She steps off the bar, landing on her two feet. She jumps to the direction of the cursed spirit, landing on its back before planting her hand down, index finger curving to her thumb. "Kan'i Ryōiki."
A simple domain? Megumi mimics in his head as a sudden box engulfs both the curse and Mikoto.
In less than a minute, the simple domain shatters, leaving a splatter of dark blood on the floor and Mikoto drenched in it. The back of her uniform is torn, as if something had come out of her spine. "We were never introduced to each other, weren't we, cousin?" She comments and gives Megumi a short nod of greeting. "Zen'in Mikoto."
Megumi looks at her warily. "Fushiguro Megumi."
"Ah—wait, wait," Mikoto begins fixing herself, "If we're going to start working together—" When was it decided that they were going to work together? Megumi thinks. "—then, I need to introduce you to my brothers too!"
"Your... brothers?" Aren't they dead? Megumi almost asks the final part before he comes into a conclusion. Just as he was about to insist that Mikoto did not have to do it, he feels his bile rise up to his throat.
The familiar figure of the spinning-head curse spirit rises from Mikoto's back, hunched and as monstrous yet terrifyingly familiar. Mikoto only grins from ear to ear, throwing her hands up in the air. "These are Mikado and Mikuji! I hope all of us get along well!"
Megumi had to gulp down his breakfast as he encourages Mikoto to... unsummon her... brothers. This eventually leads to a trip to a nearby fast food chain, in which Mikoto promptly orders too much for her size. Megumi sweatdrops at how a girl as slender as her begins to consume all that she ordered, despite the random complaints of her stomach aching or that she feels like she needs to puke.
Megumi hears about Mikoto the most, compared to the other people in the Zen'in Family. And besides, he only knows little about the family where his father hailed from but Mikoto is always, always strangely brought up by Gojō-san, even going as far as comparing her to the Special Grade Sorcerer around his relative, Mai-san's age, because of the strange cursed spirit that clings to the both of them. Strange yet surprisingly very powerful.
Gojō-san called Mikoto a failed version of Okkotsu Yūta and an even more failed version of her father. Okkotsu Yūta and Zen'in Nagamasa do not need to be eaten in order to use the full potential of their Cursed Spirit. But Mikoto's situation is difficult: she was given a curse more powerful than those around her age, and it, of course, only means that the exchange must be equivalent. As equivalent as the arm that she lost, Megumi thinks gravely.
"—ou okay? Cousin? Megumi-san?"
Megumi blinks. Mikoto is right in front of his face, wiping the corner of her own lips with a small napkin. Megumi tries to not flinch when he meets her eyes—mismatched and looking so out of place on her but even Megumi knows that she did not gouge the eyes out of her brothers, Gojō-san said so too but it feels like it. It feels like Cousin Mikoto picked off the eyes of her brothers with those manicured fingers and Megumi wants to throw up again, really, but Megumi remembers her on the hospital bed with a bandaged, and missing arm. "A fated encounter, Megumi," Gojō-san tells him, "A fated encounter."
"M̷͓͖̻̼͍͇̭̮͑͆̃̈́̐̚͠͠͝e̵͇̬̽̉̌͂ͅģ̸̰͛̈́̑û̸̧̩̞͉̣̬̱̘̻̗̳̪͋͒̑̉̾͂̂̐̕͜m̴̛̛̰͕̒̍̽͋̇̔̌̔̚͠į̷̢̹̣̮͔̻͎̬̜̥̬̝͍̈́̏̍̑͐̽͘͘͝͝?̶̢̲͔̰̘̳̙̃̎͋͗̆̉̎̾͂́̕̚"
He jumps, snapping his head up in surprise. Mikoto is still there and her 'siblings' are nowhere in sight, just Mikoto, cheeks rounded with convenience store food.
Megumi sighs, running a hand through his hair as he tries to calm himself down. Mikoto just continues eating. "You said... you said earlier that we were going to work together?" He curses himself for stammering. "You're supposed to be in Kyōtō."
Mikoto puts down her onigiri. She glances at Megumi's drink, silently asking if she can drink it and Megumi just nods in return. She beams. "Ieiri-san said that you visited me when I was hospitalized, right?" Before Megumi can answer, Mikoto continues, finishing off his drink. "The higher-ups decided that it was safer if I was near her and she refuses to go to Kyōtō. It got the Family Head and my mother really mad, but they decided it was safer for me here. So—" She leans back, head cocking to the a little. "—I guess I'm working with you, Megumi-san—oh, wait, we're cousins so I can address you more familiarly, right? What nickname do you want? Megumi-chan? Megumin! Megu-rin? Oh, I like that—"
And she continues talking, on and on, for hours to no ends. It takes a while for Megumi to fully understand what Gojō-san meant when he talked about fated encounters, and when he does, Megumi finds Mikoto right in front of his apartment, with a cheerful smile.
"Megu-rin! Hi—" He slams the door to her face.
...
IX. TO BE ONE
SOMETIMES, ONLY SOMETIMES, MIKOTO CAN STILL TASTE HER BROTHERS ON HER TONGUE. In those times, she wonders how her father can handle consuming them all the time—Zen'in Nagamasa feeds on Curse Spirits in exchange for his enhanced abilities, sometimes, even taking their skills for himself; at the same time, he puts a pact on himself—if he cannot eat the curse in front of him, then he will eat nothing at all. Mikoto's mother chose him for a reason, despite his questionable tastes and his disgusting eating habits. Sometimes, Mikoto wonders if Zen'in Nagamasa would have eaten her siblings if she did not get to them first.
They taste salty, with a twinge of spicy and something that Mikoto cannot tell. Her first bite was disgusting, even as Mikado and Mikuji's Cursed Spirit (they are one being, only one, weren't the triplets always just one entity?) encouraged her to continue eating them, groaning and croaking about how she is doing well, that just a little more and they will finally be together again. And this time, they will be one. They will be together forever, and Mother will finally love them because didn't she always tell them that she hated them because they were born as three instead of just one and now—"Our esteemed mother will love us now, won't she?" Mikoto's lips are drenched in dark blood, hands full of flesh that are not really flesh.
Her siblings peer down at her, patting her head with the hand that lacked an index finger. "M̴̗͖̣̜̱̲̹̯͚͈̣̲͉̮͔̄̎̅̂̂̀a̸̢̨͉͇̹͖̟̤͓̩̲̬̠̗͒͝m̷̧̨̤̪̺̩̜̫̦̣̅a̴͕̝̘̙̿͛̈̐̃̕̚͜ ̴̢̨͉̮̘̜̯̬̱̱̹̼̽͛͐͗͒̀͘ͅl̴̢̡̛̥̣͚̦̲ô̶̗̫̹̊͌̄̾̉̋͐̕͝-̷͖̌̎͐̒͋͘͝͝l̵̫̩͕̩̾͑o̷̡͎̰̥̞̦̲͖̬͙̪̻͊͒͊͒̆́̈́ṿ̵̢̱͚͓͖̲̰̬̘͉̝͇̈́͐̒͛̾̌̊͗̆͊̈́͒̽̈́̚ȩ̴̢̢̲̭̹̱͖͆̃́̋̈́̽͒̚͜ͅş̶͓̞̬͖̣̊̎̔́̽̏͊̐̆̑́ ̷̱̗̲͇̮̳̳̥̲̊͑̒͌̄̈́͋̔̕̚͝ṷ̸̞̣͇͖̻͉͇̱̞̬̪̲͚͍̍̊̌̊̄s̶̺̦̙̈̀̈́͊̿̄̃̔͠," they answer and Mikoto grins from ear to ear. Nobody has to tell her that it is unlady-like to smile with your teeth out, and nobody has to scold her about how dirty her hands are, or how she should not eat with them in the first place—because, because Mikado and Mikuji are here, and they will always be here to protect her. She does not need anyone else. All she needs is her siblings so everything is going to be alright. She just needs to eat them.
Their right hand, one that is controlled by Mikuji, offers the green eye he pulled out from Mikado's socket. The head twists and Mikuji's single black eye squints in amusement at Mikoto's confused expression. He cannot speak, so Mikado does for him. "C̵̬͔̠̮͙̜̭̼̎ͅó̴̖͕̠̙̣̘͖̖̲̗͉́͋͊͝ͅn̷̢̜̭̤̺̾ţ̵̡̛̣̙͉̯̎̉́̒͆̓̎͘i̷̘̥̫̗̺͔̩͉̻̋̋̀̉̐̇͜ṋ̸̓́̄͌̍̒̊͒͠͠ų̷̨̛̣̻̺̜̝̺͉̙͎̓͒̆̏͗̈͛̕ȩ̸̡̢̛̝̼̩͎̫͎͈̬̭̘͎͂́̈̒̋̈́̍͋̽͘͠.̴̲͖̗͇̣͇̦̹̥̦̪̼̠̟̣͗̓͂̎͑̈́̄͊̒̀́̈̉.̶̮̻̈͗̽̀͊̈́́̌̈́̈́̈́͊͆̕͝.̶̨̮̙͈͇̃ ̵̝̞̥̤͓͇̎̒̽̃̅́͋̐̒͘e̴͙͈̣͊̂̓̎̄ą̷̛͓̪͙̣̜̤̭̩͕͕͍̆̋͛͋͌́̉̀͗͑͌̀t̷̢̜͈͉̖̳͓̜͆͆ͅ.̴̢̗̻͉̼̱̟̳̥̙̻̰̞̯͊̀͌̈́͂̑̔̄͋͠ ̴̨̢̨͇̭̳̰̖͇͗̌̎͑͗̾̀̄̇͛͐ͅL̸̨͎̙̦̭͒̀͌̆͑͛̏̿̾͠ͅĭ̷̡̧̡̖̱̭̰̟̳̗͓̮́̑̉̽̄͠t̶̺̮̥̠͔̂͋́͛̅̕̕͝t̶̖̩͕̜̓̉͑̈̄͠͝l̵̮̖͖̲̱̙̭̤̗̼̰̬̈́̒͋͌͒̃̉̿̔͗̏̈́ͅȩ̵̘̬͖̑̄͂̔̚͠-̴̢̜̠̗̮͖͔͍̩͈̜̻̃̊̀͑͊̓̈́̿̓̌̿̀͗͋͘b̷͙̲͍͌̋͋͊̔́̀͋̊̀͠͝i̸͎͚͕̱̙͔̪̗̣͔͇͎̼̹̲̓͆̊̊̃͌̓̐͝g̸̨̡̻̲͒̓̀̒̓͑ ̸̧̨̨̦̦͎̊̍̈́̔̈́̒͗ş̵̨͍̮̠̖̦̥̖͕̠̟͈̙̀̆͒͂̐̎͝i̴͕̥͙̰͚̼̺̋͗̍̂͜s̴̨͕͍̰̮͈̘̪͇̪̦͎̆́̅͒̊̀̈̾͘̚͜͠͝ț̵̘͕̠̩̰̘̟̦͔̪̫̲̥̇͜ȩ̴͓̬͔̦͎͚͕͔̙̈́͗̍̃̐̏̆̏̽̆͛͝r̴̯̲̮̣͒͂̾̾̽̂̀̏̕͜͝," and Mikoto nods eagerly. Her stomach is qlready hurting and she wants to throw up, but these are her siblings! Her siblings are meant to be one with her so she has to continue eating. She cannot waste her siblings' love and sacrifice.
So she eats.
And eats.
And eats.
Her teeth tears through the flesh, gnawing on bone and human matter. Her nails claw against their discolored skin but even then, even as her throat screams of its distastefulness, even as the voice of her mother scolds her that she is not acting proper at the back of her head, Mikoto eats. Eats. Eats.
Nagamasa stands behind her. "Are you satisfied now?"
Mikoto cannot bring herself to hate the man. She smiles, teeth stained with blood and yet, like her mother, he only looks at her, unaffected. "I won't let you eat them."
It is the first time, Mikoto thinks, that her father looked at her in such a painfully sad way.
V-IX. COUSIN MEGUMI