Jujutsu Kaisen: The Forgotten Clan
Chapter 22: Get to Know Me
"Have you calmed down?" Mei Mei
I nod my head yes while swallowing my last bite of sandwich. Before talking with Mei Mei and company, I down an iced tea. My eyes return to their base color. Calories never tasted so sweet.
"Yes, I am in a better mood. What is this I hear, regarding a mission? It is nine-fifteen in the evening."
Sure enough, a stack of papers is handed to me, with instructions to meet at the designated spot within an hour. Sakura and I bid farewell to Mei Mei, Utahime, and Yu.
Once Sakura and I are out of earshot from the others, we hold our own conversation.
"What are you going to do, Blaze?"
"Hmm?"
"You had a crying spell a few minutes ago, your home went up in flames this afternoon, and I can tell you are worked up from the interview. What are you going to do, tonight? Take a rest? Talk with me?"
"I am going to find a place for you to stay while I go on my mission. It is back at the apartment complex."
"Then I am coming with you. Do not argue with me. I will stay out of your way, let you do your business, and show moral support where possible."
Her fangs bug out of her mouth as she smiles. It would be nice to have her around, but I can't put her life in danger.
"Stop worrying about my safety. I am an undead creature and can fend for myself."
"Don't take this wrong way Sakura, I feel you have grown attached to me. Why is this?"
She stares into my eyes and raises her eyebrows. I should have kept my mouth shut.
"Seriously? You gave me a place to stay after escaping the park, you let me drink off you when needed, and I feel safe around you. Now come along, we have an apartment complex to visit."
Sakura hooks her right arm to my left arm and starts walking. I look towards the ground, look up towards the sky, and smile.
Ding, Ring, Ding (again with the messages)
Unknown Number: Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination. Silently the senses abandon their defenses. Don't let your guard down, or you'll never turn your face away from the garish light of time again.
I know what you are thinking of doing with your roommate. Should it work out, we will meet in person. Should it not work out...' turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light.'
My Response: A raven sits atop an oak tree, looking down at the rat. The hawk flys off, talons painted red, while the rat scurries off to her nest. Enjoy listening to the Music of the Night, raven.
"Who are you texting?"
"I am not sure Sakura."
The tone in my voice is serious and cold. Whomever this individual is, they are watching my every move. I am betting it is some sorcerer looking for a pay raise...or a vampire looking for a fresh meal. Stop generalizing vampiric behavior Blaze. I rub my neck and shiver.
10:15 pm- The Apartment Complex
"Where are they? The call time was 10:00, not 10:15...is this a set-up?"
I am pacing back and forth on the front lawn of the complex. Hands shaking, face sweating, heart rate slowly rising. Sakura watches me and remains quiet.
"Are you warming up for a run or something?"
I stop pacing, turn around, and see Satoru's head tilting towards his left. His lips are neither smiling nor frowning.
"No, I have pent-up energy and trying to calm myself down. Refrain from lecturing me on how sorcerers should not let their feelings get in the way of the job. I have heard enough dribble for one evening."
(And feeling salty towards the Elders for sending me out on a mission this late at night. If they want to control me and wear me down, I will show them I can handle my own business.)
Meanwhile, Suguru and Sakura are having a conversation of their own.
"Oh, you are here too, Sakura? I assumed Blaze would have found a place for you to rest."
"Nope. I wanted to come, so here I am! Of course, I am going to stay out of the way and let you three complete your job."
"As they say, the more, the merrier. Hey Blaze and Satoru, you ready to get to work?"
Satoru and I walk towards Suguru and Sakura. Since there are three of us working, and most of the inhabitants are back inside their respective rooms, we split the floors up to three ways. I take the ground floor, first floor, and second floor. Satoru takes floors three to five, while Suguru takes floors six to eight.
Our task is easy, gather information: focusing on the rooms that caught fire (they are roped off and unoccupied). We have been given clearance from my landlady.
Floor Seven: Suguru's Point of View
"Alright, that leaves me with room 714, Blaze's place."
As Suguru lets himself inside my apartment, he notices a few blood stains on the floor. Moving further inside, the dining room table is split in half, glass is shattered on the floor, the fridge door is wide open, and no sign of a curse is felt. He walks into the bathroom and sees the contents of the medicine cabinet strewn across the lament floors. Moving towards the bedroom, Suguru stops and asks himself if it is alright to enter. He walks inside.
"Not many personal items on the walls or by the bed. It looks like this is the targeted area for whatever ransacked her home."
He walks towards the closet and trips on a box.
"Ouch! What the heck? What have we here?"
A small shoebox with the phrase 'memories' echt on top, with dark green ink, is picked up.
"What Blaze does not know, will not make her upset. Hopefully, Satoru does not come in here."
Floor Eight: Satoru's Point of View
"Blaze has finished her investigation and waiting in the yeard. I have finished my floors and waiting for Suguru to get his butt up here. What is taking him so long?"
Ding. Satoru receives a message from Suguru: hey, it is going to take me a few minutes to finish up the seventh floor. Do you mind searching floor eight? I will meet you and Blaze in the yard when I am finished.
Satoru's Response: Sure thing dude.
Back in my Apartment
"Who are these people? A young girl, two boys, two adults. Is this...it is Blaze. She must be five in this picture. Then I assume the other people are relatives."
He sees a journal and a sketchbook inside the shoebox. The journal remains closed, but he looks through the sketchbook.
"A skull, a raven, and the sketch of a hand. And, this looks pretty dark."
One of the sketches is an anatomically correct skull with ruby-red eyes, purple tears streaming from the eyes, and a series of black/blue/purple paint blots in the background. A black widow spider is lurking in a web at the top left corner of the sketch.
"And what have we here? This looks like the vampire at Jujutsu Tech."
"What are you doing, Suguru?"
Suguru closes the sketchbook, puts it behind his back and faces Satoru. His eyes are wide, and his mouth is closed tight. If there were light inside the apartment, I am sure his face would shine red.
"Satoru! Nothing, did you find anything on floor eight?"
"No, What is behind your back dude? You are horrible at lying so come clean."
Now the both of them are looking through my personal belongings. Satoru rummages through my photos, while Suguru looks through my closet.
"She plays the violin? I know she can sing and act, but, violin?" Suguru
"Look at this photo, Suguru." Satoru has made his way to my nightstand and found three more pictures.
"I have already seen the pictures inside the box. Have you found any more?"
"Yes, inside a drawer. Come here."
What the two sorcerers see in the pictures are me and my brother at a hospital. I am standing next to my brother while he is propped up in bed. We look happy in the picture, but looks are deceiving.
"Who do you think this is? I know the person standing up is Blaze, but the person in the bed could be anyone." Satoru.
"We can always ask her. Bring the pictures with us and the shoebox. Should the Higher-Ups send someone else to investigate this mess, the information in the box could be used against Blaze."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
All this time on the Front Yard
"Blaze, are you awake? I see Satoru and Suguru heading down the stairs."
"Snore, snore. Sail away, sail away." Me talking in my sleep.
"Oh, she fell asleep? How are you doing, Sakura?"
"I am fine, Suguru. Yes, she has been asleep the past thirty minutes. I tried waking her up, but she is out cold. If we could keep her asleep, I would appreciate it...what are those in your hands?"
Sakura's voice goes from cheerful to curious.
"These are some personal items of Blaze's we found in her bedroom. Do you mind telling us why there are empty mason jars in the fridge?"
"Really, Satoru? You are asking me why there are empty jars in the fridge?"
Sakura smiles and points to her fangs. This gesture makes my classmates giggle, while I mumble something under my breath and readjust my body.
"Here, let me hold her things, and one of you carry her back to campus."
Satoru looks at Suguru over his glasses and gives him a sideways look. Suguru rolls his eyes and hands the violin and shoebox to Sakura. Suddenly, it feels like I am floating in my dream.
11:30 pm- Somewhere on Campus, in a Maximum Security Cell
"Which of you sorcerers is going to give me something to eat? It has been three weeks since my last feeding!"
"Watch how you speak to us, vampire!" Elder 2.
"Oh, so they sent you, Old man. At least the sorceress who took me down had more fight in her, I can break your scrawny body in two if I wanted."
"Here is your share of food, blood is off-limits since the last feeding ended in disaster."
The Elder places a tray of food on the ground and passes it through an opening at the bottom of the cell.
"You know darn well I can't survive on food! Give me blood!"
11:45 pm: Sakura, Suguru, Satoru, and I arrive on Campus
"The dorms are this way Sakura."
"Thank you, Satoru. How are you holding up, Suguru?"
"I am good. She is not heavy and still asleep."
"And what is this? You all are back from your mission so soon?"
"Yes, Grandpa. Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be at home sleeping?"
"I will sleep when I am retired. Suguru, why...oh, Santa-Clara is fast asleep. And who are you, young lady?"
Sakura runs behind Satoru's back and tries to hide.
"Not now Grandpa. We are all tired and need to get to bed. I will catch you up later."
"Suit yourself, grandson. And congrats Suguru, who knew you had it in you to find a..."
Satoru pushes his grandfather out the door before he can finish his sentence. I scrunch my face up, flay in Suguru's arms, and grab onto his sleeve. I am having a nightmare. He places me on a bed.
"Here you go, Blaze. Enjoy the rest of your night."
Suguru and Satoru leave my dorm room. Sakura stays.
The Next Day:
I jerk awake with sweat dripping down my face. My heart rate elevated enough that I hear blood swooshing around in my ears.
"I am glad you slept through the night."
I turn to my left and see Sakura's face grinning at me.
"Where are we, Sakura? Are we in danger?"
"Put your head between your knees and breath. We are on campus and safe."
Grumble, groan. She continues talking while I take in my surroundings.
"After you finished checking the complex last night, you zonked out."
(Why is my old violin here? And my shoebox of memories? Who brought us to campus?)
The Other End of the Dormitory
"How long until she comes looking for us?"
"You worried she will chew us out for invading her privacy, Suguru?"
Both men laugh and walk out of the dormitory hall.
"What time is it Sakura? I have classes to attend and will probably get a new mission."
"It is seven-thirty, take a break. Take your time getting ready for the day, and I will see what I can find in terms of food."
Sakura gets off the bed and leaves the room.
Ten Minutes Later
Knock, knock, knock
"Hold on, dudes."
I throw open my bedroom door and see Haibara.
"Morning, Blaze!
"Morning, may I help you?"
Haibara just stands in front of me with a smile on his face. He is hiding something.
"Do you mind telling me where Satoru and Suguru are headed? I would like to talk with them."