Chapter 10: The Devil

Weak.

Nanami had always been weak.

He didn't speak up. He abandoned plans at the sight of difficulty. He lived for tomorrow because today always felt depressingly heavy.

The claw dug through the bandages on his chest, stinging an already raw wound. Adrenaline cushioned the current pain leaving him with enough sense to spot Rainy not far off by the entrance of her room.

She was alive.

He felt angry.

He didn't want to die for her. But truthfully, he didn't want to live for himself either.

Nanami didn't have a clear plan of what his future looked like. He didn't know what would make him happy. But he knew what pissed him off beyond measure right now; People he cared about dying because he was weak. Because he was too scared to feel the pains that came from growth.

If he couldn't protect those who made his days feel lighter, then maybe he needed to try again in another lifetime.

He laughed as the cursed energy flowed through his body. A pathetic amount compared to the beast before him.

At least he finally had a reason to come back. In his next life, he wanted to be strong enough to protect those he cared about.

He froze beneath the silken touch of her fingers around his neck.

Her lips tickled the outer shell of his ear. He didn't feel them move. Her voice never made it past her lips. Still, he heard the words reverberate through his soul.

Let it flow like water.

Nanami felt the tidal surge of his cursed energy as it pushed through every broken bone, each torn muscle, and finally, the wrapped weapon in his hand.

Even his mind felt sharper.

With its blooming rose-shaped head and verdant grass body, that creature looked no more intimidating than a household pest before him.

Nanami sliced through it with the same conviction he would a fly head. The curse offered no resistance. It probably didn't know what was happening until its cursed energy left its putrid body.

Even he felt perplexed by his sudden superhuman energy.

"Thanks for coming."

Nanami looked at his hands. Not even a scrape left over. Rainy, on the other hand…

Her hair stuck to the side of her blood-stained neck while her clothes followed suit with the pieces that didn't break.

"If you're ok, you can go home. I'm leaving this place as is." She limped to the couch and laid herself down. She could spend her last days at a hotel. Someone else could take care of all this crap.

He closed his eyes and breathed out. There were so many questions that needed answers, but he had more important matters to tend to.

"I'll drop you off at the hospital."

"Nope," she hugged a pillow over her face. "My body has funny quirks that make doctors pay attention." She had ruined the lives of a few professionals who swore they had met an immortal woman.

"I have a doctor friend who deals with curses. She can help."

Again Rainy shook her head. "I'll regenerate by tomorrow."

"I don't half-ass my work, Rainy." That idea bothered him more than working overtime.

He picked her up gently and cradled her against his chest as he rummaged through his phone.

Ieiri-san, I need a favor.

"If you pick me up, I'll throw up all over you."

And I need a ride from the bar.

Maybe she would notice when the cold air hit her.

I'll be there in 15.

[10]

"She was right. She does regenerate and will be fine in a few days." Ieiri's steps echoed along the empty hallway of the dimly lit basement. She removed her gloves and lowered her mask before joining him on the bench. "I still used my reversed cursed technique to take some of the burning tissue away. That'll help speed things up just a little bit."

Nanami nodded. "Thank you. How much do I owe you?"

She laughed. "You brought me a fairy. That was payment in and out of itself. But if you're feeling generous and want to tip me for bringing me out for a night shift, I wouldn't mind hearing how you got yourself into this situation."

"Stupidity." Simple as that.

His encounter with an Ethereal creature didn't surprise the doctor. Nanami's fascination with that kind was a well-known fact around the school. But stupidity? "This sounds like a good story to go with a cigarette." She smiled, "I'm already invested."

He was quiet for a moment as he thought about what got him into trouble in the first place.

"I met her at a cafe. Every other business is trying to copy that franchise by asking customers their names to offer a more customized experience." He shrugged. "I didn't think anything of it."

Ieiri gasped comically. "Genius!" Her laughter echoed around them. "Oh man, so she's making you work for her?"

Nanami was quiet for a moment. "No, she hasn't used my name."

The doctor sat up. Her eyes drifted through Nanami's form, quietly examining something. "Now that I think about it, you're not injured," she noted. "Damn, Kento, the rumors about your extraordinary bedroom abilities weren't exaggerated?"

"She's paying me to work for her!"

"Oh, come on! She used her precious Ethereal energy to make sure you lived while she's over there with like half a pancreas. You think a fairy on the verge of being tethered to a human body for all eternity would do that for fun?"

Nanami had no response.

"Not only that." Ieiri leaned back. "Let's talk about the very real repercussions of a lineage fairy breaking the one rule created by the Ethereal Council to protect us, humans, from their kind. The decree isn't written in funny words, either. 'Ethereal souls are not allowed to amplify human energy.' Even I understand that."

During the Heian era, when curse users were at the height of their glory, members of the Ether made contracts with humans. In exchange for worshipping them, the Ethereal soul would amplify the cursed energy of the human.

While the arrangements had little adverse effects on the Ether, humans endured one of the most trying times for their species. The future of Earth looked vile and bleak.

Out of respect for their common ancestor, Source, the Ethereal Council created rules to safeguard the future of humanity. Humans were created to follow their own path, and these contracts harmed that journey. Ethereal folks were banned from amplifying humans under any circumstances.

Nanami knew. He wasn't stupid. "I'm sure she's aware of some loophole we don't know about."

"Sure, and I'm sober right now." The brunette chuckled. "But let's go with the more plausible idea that she's not allowed to return. Why not come back as a team to work for the school? If she focused on powering you up rather than her nets, you'd be as scary as Gojo."

He shook his head. "That's not something I can think about now."

"The school knows about you killing curses during your free time."

It was his turn to sit up. The hallway felt cold.

Winter.

"Honestly, it's made things a little easier around here. We're always short-staffed, and with you taking care of smaller creatures, the other sorcerers could handle the bigger fishes."

Autumn.

"Shit!"

Mist.

Spring

The weather curses hunting them in the last weeks.

"Oh…" Ieiri stood up with him. Her sobering mind was quick to grasp the magnitude of her own words. "I'll try to heal her a little more."

Gojo's relentless insistence that they meet up.

"No time."

"Let me add extra bandages then." They walked hastily towards the room.

There's no way they cared enough about him to track him for fun. She had been on their radar, and he was simply an accessory.

And he brought her straight to the school.

Nanami felt dizzy.

Level one curses suddenly paled in comparison to having an entire organization possibly after him… And their plans certainly weren't to offer peaceful recruitment.

[10]

Gojo-san, I need to speak to you urgently.

Nanami tucked the blanket just enough to keep her warm but with adequate room to allow her to move should she need to. He looked around and asked whatever luck he had left for Rubi to visit. There was a good chance he had to go out, and leaving her alone wasn't an option.

Kento-kun! I knew you'd miss me. Ready for your present?

Nanami wasn't expecting such a quick reply, but maybe he could convince his former classmate to come over instead.

Would it be possible for you to come to my apartment?

*blushes* Oh my! At least admit you miss me :)

Please, Gojo-san, this is very important.

'I miss you.' Just write it out like that.

Nanami could scream. He settled for a stifled groan and gave in to the man-child that unfortunately held the key to making sense of the possible shit show to come.

I miss you. Please, would you be willing to come to my apartment? Or at least meet nearby?

No, I cannot :) But don't worry, you're safe. Promise! I'll see you tomorrow, though.

Nanami felt his chest relax for the first time in too long. His shoulders dropped, and he sat back against the couch cushions.

As annoying, childish, stupid, headache-inducing, and just absolutely difficult to deal with as he was, Gojo's promises were one of the few things Nanami could take seriously. If he guaranteed their safety, even for a night, that was a win he would cherish.

Thank you.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading!