Kento

After that conversation, Tori left to get me some clothes I could change into after the shower I'd asked her for. I was starting to enjoy her company; she was, as Rio had mentioned, having an effect on me. She was striking with that ruby-red hair cut into a sharp asymmetrical bob. Her big, dark eyes in the face of an angel - if I believed in such things.

Though all of those things were true, I was struck by the feeling that it wasn't all. That even Tori herself may not be aware of her soothing aura. But I suspected Rio had known it was special. He has more nuggets of truth to tell. I just had to figure out what to ask. And when.

She came back with a yukata with a traditional waves pattern, but non traditional colors of hot pink and neon blue.

"It's the only thing I have that will…" She giggled, "It still won't fit, but it'll cover you up while your clothes finish. The shower is pretty standard, feel free to use whatever you find in there. Just chuck your clothes out." She paused, taking another look out the window that showed that the sun had gone down and the stars were now out in force.

"Towels are in the cabinet above the dryer." She pointed, "I'll make some food. Are you allergic to anything?"

"I'm not. Thank you. For everything," I fingered the cloth in my hands, "Maybe less so for the yukata." I directed a smile at her and she laughed. I made my way to the shower, grabbing a towel off the bed on the way. They were hardly dirty and I liked the one that I was wearing earlier as an improvised shirt.

Being in a woman's bath for the first time. Is there any feeling like it? I always enjoyed the slightly guilty curiosity and feeling of naughtiness that poking around in one brings. Tori's was no different. I smiled at the mirror, and yelped. I fingered my head, noticing for the first time that half of my hair was shorter than I liked on my neck. The results of Tori's healing and the source of the gray smears.

"You okay in there?"

I shook my head, though she couldn't see it, "My hair looks awful."

"You're alive, and hair grows back," Tori retorted acidly.

I heaved a sigh, "I know. It's just, you know, I'm too old for this haircut."

Her laughter rang in the apartment and I smiled again in spite of myself. I hung the yukata on a hook and put the towel on top. I undressed, and after a moment's indecision about allowing her to wash my boxers, tossed them and my slacks out the door. She had already seen them, and they were completely non-interesting. At least they weren't brightly colored or have anything embarrassing printed on them.

I cracked open the door, "I didn't see my socks, but…"

"I didn't really want to touch them again." Tori made an exaggerated groan, making me snort in return. "I got them already. Bleach work for you? I'm afraid you'll have to toss the pants when you get home, not even bleach will get these soot and blood stains out."

"Then just wash them. I can't stand the smell of it." I shut the door, and tended to my usual pre-shower rituals, ending up turning the water on and waiting for it to warm.

I was missing several key accessories. My tie, sword, glasses, and house keys. My phone. I wondered just how much of it was burned to ash, and which I might still find. Which meant that I had several things to do as quickly as I could. I stepped under the spray, allowing the hot water to work its magic. I must go back to Shibuya as soon as I leave. If I even could. I would need to watch the broadcast while I eat.

Tori's soaps were interesting, not at all what I'd expected. The regrettably few times I'd been in a lady's bath, including my mother and grandmother, the scents had been decidedly floral. But this body wash was herbal, smelling like rosemary and mint. I like it. And the shampoo was citrus which went well with the herbal scents. I definitely need to upgrade as soon as I get the chance. I scrubbed all the harder, getting the ash and dried blood out of the remnants of my hair and off my skin.

Getting out, I slashed the water off my body with the blade of my hand before drying with the towel. I wrapped myself in the cyber-colored yukata, which was definitely small, but did cover everything important. I walked out trailing steam, and drying my hair. I tossed the towel on top of the washer and joined Tori in the kitchen. She was standing at the stovetop, deftly whisking eggs in a pan to make what I hoped would be a fluffy rolled omelet.

"I hope you like eggs," she said without turning as she scraped the contents of a chopping board into the pan. "I've got spinach, tomatoes, and prosciutto." She glanced back, and I nodded. "Great."

She continued, humming under her breath, and I enjoyed watching the domestic scene. I was starting to feel too comfortable. Maybe it was that I was still tired, or Tori's aura, but whatever it was, I leaned on my fist and watched her cook. I was disturbed by the idea that I could sit here and be perfectly content. A book, a cup of coffee… I sighed, and Tori turned her questioning glance my way again.

"I was just thinking about coffee." I smiled at her, and she leaned against the stove, "Do you have a television? I need to find out what's happening."

Tori nodded, "Yeah, it's in the bedroom. The living room is more 'foyer' than living room. A couch and an armchair with a desk and a computer. No more room for anything else." She grabbed a couple of bowls, and scooped the eggs into them, handing one to me, "We can eat in there if you want."

Well, it had the hallmarks of an omelet, but I'd been stymied by the bowl. I stifled the sigh, and no rice. I followed her back to the bedroom, and sat on the edge of the bed as she switched the tv on. She flipped through channels, and I took a big bite. Oh, it did not matter what it looked like anymore. This scramble was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and delicious! I was starving, and I ate with no more ceremony.

Tori put down the remote, and I looked at the screen at a perky-looking woman with a serious face. The screen was split, showing Shibuya Station. It looked deserted, there were bits of garbage and clothing littering the ground. A couple of broken chunks of masonry completed the picture. It looked like it had been abandoned for a year more than a hotbed of activity yesterday.

She continued her report, "According to authorities the bizarre terrorist attack on Halloween at the Shibuya Station has caused damage tolling into millions of yen. No suspects have been named, though groups all across Japan have taken credit. Police and the JSDF have discounted all claims. The Governor of Tokyo has issued a state of emergency. Do not approach downtown at this time, and citizens are being asked to stay in their homes until the governmental authorities can get answers. Tokyo citizens are being evacuated around the Station for a radius of seventy kilometers. We've -..."

Tori turned off the tv, and I had frozen in place. It was unheard of. What had happened? Had we lost? I knew well that the Elders had lackeys in government and city offices. But I had never heard of an operation that had gone this bad. Not even the night of 1000 souls, and that was a top tier debacle.

I put the bowl down, "Shit."

"Maybe fuck."

"Yeah." I shook my head, "As soon as my clothes are done I have to go."

"I figured. I didn't heal you for giggles, Nanami. Please stay safe out there. If the worst comes to worse, you can come back. I don't know if I can do anything besides offer you a safe shelter, but…"

The dryer dinged in the background, and I stood, "I'll let you know one way or another. Thank you for the offer. Remember what I said about Rio."

She nodded, "Go ahead and dress in here. I'll clean up." She stood, grabbing my empty bowl, then walked out.

I grabbed my clothes, hot from the dryer and brought them back to her room. I dressed, chagrin at the fact that I had no shirt.

"I don't suppose you have a shirt I can borrow?"

Her laugh was muted by the doors, "If I have one, it'll be in the bottom drawer."

I slid the drawer open, the needling feeling of going through her things increasing as I saw soft satins and gentle prints. There was one shirt that didn't look to be pajamas; I was desperate to believe that the brash girl wore cute, soft things to bed. I pulled it out, it was a men's baseball jersey for the Marines.

I looked at it with a critical eye. I knew I wasn't average here in Japan. My Dutch heritage leant me height along with blond hair and fair skin. I checked the tag, there was no way the tiny Tori had worn this. I put it on, and though it was a little small, I would look better with any kind of shirt, so I buttoned it and left the room with shoes in hand.

I sat at the kitchen table again, pushing my feet into shoes before tying them. Small bare feet came to stand in front of me, and I sat up.

"Here." She held out a folded slip of paper, "My number and address. My train pass. Don't forget your promise." Tori held out the paper, and her lips twitched, "I was pretty sure Dad had left his jersey here. I'll want all of that back."

I stood carefully, ending up entirely too close, but determined not to back away. Her face said clearly that she knew exactly what she was doing, she would welcome me back. Strangely, as our fingers touched when I took the paper, I felt the desire to stay swell in my chest.

Instead I stepped around her and out the door. I'd keep my promise. She'd bestowed the gift of life. It was the least I could do to thank her. I chanced to look back, and she closed the door. I was on my own. Again. Though I had not asked her to come with me for a reason, I wished I had.

I walked out of the apartment building after gaining directions to the train station from a helpful night guard. I'd enjoyed nights for years. After leaving Jujutsu High and joining the work-a-day world, night was when I was free from work. I could afford to stop at a nice restaurant on the way home and then get an easy eight hours of sleep.

At least I could comfort myself that way. After that day I was scouted, life had changed irrevocably. For the worse, after the death of my friend and seeing so much apathy in the Jujutsu world. Now nights were just the time where I had to decide if I wanted to work or not.

I continued on, watching wearily for any wayward curses. There were always some in a town this big, especially with the sea so nearby. I shivered, glad no one else would witness my outward show of fear. Dogan would haunt me for a time it seemed.

Thankfully trains run until around 11, so I had time to walk to the station. I was flashing her pass before I knew it, though I was warned that travel past Yokohama was prohibited. I figured I could get a ride to my house, especially if people were still around. In the furthest extreme I could creatively borrow a motorcycle.

Little over an hour later I was prowling the neighborhood around the station for a bike. It looked like people were taking the evacuation orders seriously. Although some homes were lit, or at least had an 'at home' aura. I mused that the skills of a Special Grade Sorcerer and burglar would overlap in quite a few areas.

As I was about to prove. My eyes caught sight of a carelessly parked Kawasaki. Hot wiring a motorcycle took less time than a car, and the absence of a lock meant I wouldn't have to expend cursed energy in breaking it. I searched around, finding a coin with a clipped side that would work as a screwdriver. Then started separating wires, just to find that this wise soul had hidden a key under the front strut. I smiled at my good luck and settled on the bike. It roared to life, and I peeled away to the sound of someone cursing me out for stealing his ride.

The kilometers sped under my tires as I pushed the motorcycle to around 190KPH. I silently thanked whomever I'd stolen the bike from. It was in good shape for being an older model, and still had style to spare. Maybe I'd get on like it. I could feel my hair and jersey whipping in the wind, and the chill of the night stole my heat. Long before I made it to Tokyo, I was freezing.

I hastily revised my plan of going back to Shibuya. I wanted my weapon above anything else, though my phone came in a close second. I was simply too cold to do that. And if I were being honest with myself, the thought of going back to where I'd almost died made me feel sick. I wasn't worried. Those cursed spirits were long gone. Dead or just plain gone, but all the same.

I took the next exit that would get me to my apartment. I slowed, there were still other vehicles on the road. Evacuees, I supposed, and police were all over the place now. Carefully, I made it back to my ward. I ditched the bike a couple ban away, and jogged back toward my building. The jog was warming me, but I was still unbelievably happy to see the large block of homes loom out of the dark.

At least I was until I saw some guys clustered outside my open apartment. I stood back, uncertain. Were they thieves trying to take advantage of the evacuation? If so, why was the nosy old Kimura-san not yelling them down? He poked his head out of his door and watched me come home every night. That old man would never leave for something as silly as an evacuation order. I narrowed my eyes and watched them. Until I saw Ino. Then I felt surprise and anger suffuse my system.

I set my jaw and headed up the stairs, hugging the wall and putting together a plan. My apartment was being raided or cleaned out. I needed to collar Ino and find out which. He and I had been working together for a while now. He'd tell me the truth and maybe let me go if the situation called for it. I stood in the dark between the stairwell and the first porchlight. Two of the three guys I hadn't recognized had left with a couple of boxes each to the ancient elevator on the other side of the building. That tracked. If I were moving my things, I wouldn't want to lug boxes down two flights of stairs either.

I figured the risk was worth it now, so I slipped into my apartment. I stayed low, and they'd only turned on a couple of lights. I saw Ino in my bedroom, so I darted after him. With movements trained by years of stealthy work, I slapped a hand over Ino's mouth and turned out the light with the other hand. He struggled for a second, then recognized me and stilled. I used the spare hand to close the door as much as I could without sound alerting the other man.

"You going to give me away?" Ino shook his head just a touch and I released him.

Ino snatched his hat off, "Man, sorry. But you're dead." His eyes checked his peripherals as he dropped his voice to a scratchy whisper, "If it were me, I'd remain that way."

"I'm dead?" I shook my head. I didn't know if I had it in me to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer anymore, but I knew I couldn't give this up again without a reason. "I'm dead. Fine. Accidently leave a box of clothes including a good coat and a couple of ties. I'll try to figure out how to proceed later."

Ino's eyes were worried, but he nodded, "I will. Nanami, one piece of advice? Stay dead this time. Everyone associated with Shibuya…" He tugged his hat back on, and it slouched over his ears and brows, "Stay dead." He pulled out his wallet and gave me all his cash, "It's enough to get out of here."

"Thanks." I pushed my hand toward him, and he clasped it in a warm handshake, "I'm sorry I didn't promote you sooner. You're a good friend, Ino."

"If you're dead, can I have your watch?" He shot me a look, and his little brother vibe was strong today. "I've always admired it."

I showed him my bare arm, "It's gone. Along with half my hair and clothes. Take care of yourself, Takuma."

His eyes closed, whether in response to me using his name or grief over the watch, but by the time he opened them, I'd left for a new perch where I could wait for them to finish their grisly work.

AN/ So, I'm not completely caught up with the manga, but enough to say that everything that happened after Halloween is a huge cluster fork. I finally watched the movie, and it gave me several great ideas. Thank you, movie-chan. I see I have a couple of watchers! Hi! Let me know what you think, eh?

The baseball jersey is from the actual Chiba Lotte Marines. Adorable seagull mascot. The motorcycle is a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 620. Looks cool.

Also, I took a look at the JJK book with trivia and such. Kento is a foodie who loves bread. He likes to read and travel, but he doesn't get enough time off to do either. His dream for the future was to get married. I almost cried. Sounds like a great life. Let's see what I can do to accommodate.

SO sorry for the wait. If you were… LOL I've had a strong line of computer FAIL here. Hopefully, that's behind me!

And the chapter was listened to by my husband and read by my son. Thanks, guys. All mistakes are mine, they're just great guys, not editors.