Past the outskirts of the city you reach more wooded areas and national forestry. It's been several miles of flying in almost semi-comfortable silence as the neon lights at last grow sparse. You're finally nearing the church and not a moment too soon. Drained from your fight and the events leading up to it, you're utterly spent. Though you may not need to sleep regularly anymore, the need to recharge after expending so much cursed energy is undeniable. Even Junpei's head dips against your chest every few minutes with his own fatigue taking over, muttering his apologies each time you feel the light thump. At least he's getting somewhat used to flying now.
"We're almost home, then you can get some sleep," you reassure him.
He rubs his eyes, fighting back a yawn. "How much longer?"
"It's straight ahead. Take a look for yourself if you like." A sly smile passes over your lips.
He scans the dim horizon, head swiveling as he searches unsuccessfully. The structure he saw earlier should be visible from the air. How can he be missing it?
"Uhh…Am I blind?"
"Heh. Don't feel bad. I designed it to repel prying eyes. If you're looking specifically for it, the veil around the church will simply compel your gaze to slide away."
"Then, how can you find it?" he asks with genuine curiosity.
You only chuckle as you begin your descent seemingly ready to drop into the thicket of the rising treeline.
"Because I'm the one who made it, silly. Hang on."
He braces himself for an impact, arms locked around your neck and holding his breath.
"You don't have to hold that tight. I've got you," you reassure him.
The peak of a white steeple springs up, blocked from view by the treetops. Had there been a window still in place, your boots would have collided right through. Fortunately it was long gone, allowing easy entrance into the bell tower once your wings are closely tucked in. There's a flurry of feathers as the pigeons startle and scuttle through the rafters, annoyed at being woken up before the sun rises.
"Morning, you mangy buzzards!" you greet them cheerfully.
Letting Junpei stand on his own, you stretch your arms and wings to their full extent. It's been one hell of a night. A metallic clatter hits the floor between your boots. What was that? Oh, it's the boxcutter one of those assholes stuck you with. It hadn't even registered as a minor annoyance to you. However you're a bit perturbed to see there's a slit from the blade in the sleeve of your flight coat.
"Fucking perfect," you curse under your breath. Sukuna's powers unfortunately don't include mending. Guess you're stuck with a hole in your favorite article of clothing. Oh, yeah. That reminds you…
"How's your hand, Junpei? Didn't you catch a knife?"
He looks confused momentarily, then checks himself. Indeed there's a deep gash in the center of his palm, but it isn't bleeding. He inhales slowly, not fully understanding what he's seeing. Curiously he prods a finger into the numb wound, viewing the shreds of muscle and bone underneath and grimaces. Too creepy…
You give a low whistle. "That's some pretty wicked stigmata! Can I take a look?"
Not seeing what further harm you could do, he extends his hand, wincing more from the gruesome sight than anything else. The idea of seeing what's under your skin is enough to make anyone's stomach turn. With a mere pass of your fingers over his injury, it quickly begins to close on its own. Tendons and muscle tissue reach across for one another like spider threads reattaching themselves in an infinite web.
"Whoa…" he marvels, flexing his fingers carefully as the hole disappears altogether.
"Is that better?" you ask. He may not be able to feel pain, but no one wants any unnecessary holes in them.
Slowly Junpei nods, trying his best not to appear too shocked. He's slowly getting used to your abilities. You've probably already healed your arm where you were stabbed too, but he should probably still ask to be polite.
"Are… you okay?" He points at the small rip in your coat.
"Hm? Oh. Yeah, you don't need to worry. It takes more than a little blade to hurt me." You remove your coat, groaning slightly when you see your shirt underneath also has a hole in it.
"Goddammit! I should have grabbed something from the boutique for myself too while we were there. Miserable fucking humans messed up my best clothes!"
Junpei chews his lip nervously, flinching at your expletives. It's unsettling to see that you're more upset over your belongings than the men you killed.
And I helped…he reminds himself.
Does this mean that you're both fugitives now? Is that why you were hiding here in the first place with a special barrier so no one could find you? You did say before that you weren't a good person, but Junpei knowingly took your hand anyway. Even after seeing what you were capable of tonight, he still allowed himself to go with you. But what would you have said if he told you no?
"Junpei? Do you…Want to talk about what you saw tonight?" You're watching his expression darken little by little, knowing he must be feeling some regrets.
He brings both hands to his face, hiding from you.
"I..I don't know. None of this feels real. Before tonight I…I was…And now–"
"It's a lot to take in, I know. I'm sorry tonight ended up being more than you bargained for. Next time you can stay here if you don't have the stomach for what I do."
"And…What is it that you do exactly?"
You huff weakly through your nose in an attempt at a laugh. It sounds bitter.
"I clean up the trash that regular authorities overlook. Human…and other."
A chill runs up Junpei's spine. Curses. You're talking about Curses.
Like Sukuna. And Mahito.
"So do you think you're up for that kind of work, Junpei? You saw what Sukuna's energy is doing for your body already. You're more than capable for the work I do, but of course it's up to you what you want to do."
"I…I don't know," he confesses, staring at the floor. This is so much to take in.
"Hey, I get it. Think about it for however long you need. Like I said, no one is going to force you to stay or do anything you're not ready for," you give him a much warmer smile this time, meaning every word.
With your eyes fairly beginning to close on their own you yawn and retract your wings. Exhaustion is rare for you but hits you heavily. You turn to leave.
"Fuck…I need some sleep. Feel free to find a spot to get some rest too. There's plenty to choose from."
"What about you? Where are you going?" Junpei asks with more audible concern than he intended.
"I sleep in the attic, but you don't have to join me up there. It's not the warmest, but I prefer sleeping close to the sky."
You're already reaching for a latch on the ceiling that pulls down a wooden ladder. It creaks under the weight of your boots as you steady yourself at the base.
"I guess I'll see you in the morning. Oh, it is morning now technically. So… I'll see you in a few hours when I wake up?" You stiffly excuse yourself with a nod of your head and trudge up the ladder. As you're pulling it back up to close yourself in, you faintly hear the boy below call a soft "good night" despite the earliness of the hour.
You heave a relieved sigh once alone. It's odd being around people in your space, but you'll have to get used to it if he decides to stay. He proved he could handle his own if he wanted to leave, and Sukuna's energy should sustain him into an unnaturally long life. Why should he choose to spend his time cooped here with you?
.
.
.
Gradually the increasing brightness of morning sunlight shines in through the broken stained glass of each window, puddling colors in long daunting streaks across the floorboards. There are countless places to lie down in near perfect comfort with several empty pews knocked together, but Junpei is unable to find a spot to relax. In spite of his exhaustion, sleeping is impossible for him no matter how desperately he tries. After tossing and turning fitfully for over an hour, he peers up at an ominous statue positioned behind the pulpit. An enormous woman carved in stone glares harshly with unblinking eyes and her hands open wide, like a mother who knows her child has done wrong.
He swallows hard. The silence of the chapel is unnerving him even in the morning light. The events from earlier wedge their way rudely into his mind again, forcing him to relive each moment in slow motion. The woman's screams, the sound of a body hitting the pavement, the final hissing shrieks of men as fire pulled the air from their lungs.
The way the last man disappeared into a pile of ashes with a single hit…
He shivers. It wasn't Junpei's first fight by any means. He'd grown accustomed to violent encounters as the subject of many bullies' tauntings, but this one left him feeling sick to his stomach regardless. The last time he'd fought, back when he was alive, things had ended much worse for him. He'd let himself be led astray and betrayed the one friend he had. It hurts too much for him to linger on, and he shoves the bitter recollection away. His hand absently traces his hollow chest, and silently he wonders if he still has the ability to experience a panic attack.
There's no way he's going to be able to sleep like this. You'd said he didn't have to join you in the attic if he didn't want to. He wonders if that was meant to be taken as an open invitation. Even if he's unsure what to make of you just yet, the idea of being alone any longer has him on the verge of tears. Staring down at the black bands around his wrist, he traces them with an apprehensive finger. He remembers an old saying about misery loving company.
He sits up and casts a wary glance toward the spot in the roof from where you'd pulled down the ladder. It takes a while for him to gather enough nerve just to stand beneath the latch. With minor effort, Junpei jumps to grab the handle, bringing it down with him. The creaking as the steps descend is startlingly loud.
Crap. He waits, praying the sound may have awoken you so he doesn't have to.
Silence greets him as he climbs up, peeking up over the edge with caution. He tries to whisper your name, but his voice cracks. The air is heavy here, and the windows have been blacked out by heavy curtains. It's hard to make out anything at first, but his eyes quickly adjust much to his surprise.
I shouldn't be here… he thinks with instant regret, but pulls himself up despite the growing pit in his stomach, reminding himself that you'd shown him nothing but kindness so far.
What's the worst that can happen? You tell him to go away?
A movement to his left makes him flinch. Junpei nervously bleats your name into the shadows.
When your figure steps forward he's nearly relieved, until he sees the fearsome look in your eyes.
"Well, well… Look who it is," you smirk.
No, not you. Junpei can already tell by the harshness of your expression and the way your voice changed to a deeper tone that it isn't you who's speaking.
"Sukuna!" he gasps in terror.
An incredibly strong hand snatches Junpei by the collar of his shirt, jerking him closer.
"That's Master Sukuna to you. Without me, you'd still be worm food. The only reason you're even here is because my vessel was feeling particularly generous. I, on the other hand, will send you back to be Babael's plaything the moment I grow bored of you. Is that understood?"
Sukuna growls once more.
"Answer when your master addresses you."
"Y-yes!"
"Yes what?"
"Yes, M-Master Sukuna!" the boy frantically corrects himself.
"That's better," he grates while setting the boy down.
"A freakish little ghoul like you ought to have a more submissive countenance anyway. Don't let the way my vessel treats you as an equal go to your head. You got that? You're a mistake of nature with no other place in the world to be but right here."
Sukuna finally withdraws your hand, waiting for the miserable human boy to collapse in whatever passes for a humiliated bow in the human world these days. When Junpei cowers but remains standing, Sukuna's anger flares as he realizes the lout is looking directly at him. It's hard to resist the urge to backhand him for that. Servants are supposed to meekly stare at the floor.
"You're a bold one for a human, I'll give you that much, but it simply won't do for a servant of mine. I'll need to remedy that attitude of yours. What fun that should be! It's been so long since I've had a proper victim. I have so many exciting ways of humiliating you." He flicks Junpei's long bangs aside in order to see both of the boy's terrified eyes.
"Give me any reason. I'm really looking forward to breaking you in…" He grins, closing the gap between the two of them slowly.
The intention of Sukuna's filthy words hit home, forcing Junpei to blush vehemently and stumble backwards. Unfortunately for him, what he'd thought to be a solid window covered by a heavy curtain nailed over is far less supportive than he expects. His back hits empty space, cushioned by the damask cloth only moments before a horrible tearing sound. His hands shoot forward in reflex, groping for anything to keep him upright, then suddenly Junpei disappears through the broken window entirely.
"WHAAAAAA–!"
His cry is cut off when sharp claws dig in at his wrist, yanking him back inside roughly. He makes another high pitched yelp as he's hauled to safety. Before he can express any gratitude, he's met with an infuriated Sukuna, who'd lunged to reach the boy lest he plummet to the ground below.
"You clumsy little idiot! Watch where you're going or there'll be consequences for both of us!" the Curse practically hisses. He retracts his nails from Junpei's skin, frowning at the dark pinholes he left behind. Shit… He'll need to mend that before you wake up and see it.
"Hold still," he grunts, passing the flat side of his palm over the wounds.
Junpei stares in confusion. Sukuna had just been threatening him, why should he care that he got hurt? Was that…supposed to be a bluff? But why? If Sukuna is clearly strong enough to vanquish him at any given point, why is he toying with him this way? Not realizing he's doing so, he regards his new master's again without lowering his gaze. Despite Sukuna's fearsome countenance and initial threats, his actions contradict his words. Thinking it to be the smartest option, Junpei keeps his thoughts to himself.
"Little nuisance." Sukuna complains with only slight venom. He's finished with healing his error. There'll be no way for you to know what happened now. Except for the ripped curtain. Fuck! That's one more thing for you to berate him over.
"What are you even doing up here? Is there too much sunshine and flowers for you downstairs?" Sukuna snarls.
Swallowing hard, Junpei attempts to respond as submissively as possible, not wanting to tempt his luck any further. Not a hard sell for him considering he's still shaking like a leaf.
"I…I just didn't want to be alone. I'm s-sorry."
Fiery red pupils study him silently. The brat coming up on his own accord may have caught him off guard, but it still played into his plans.
"Just…Sit over there in the corner and keep yourself out of trouble."
The boy cautiously sidles across the room, keeping his head down at last. "Yes, sir."
"Master," Sukuna tiredly corrects him.
"Yes, Master," Junpei complies.
There's a single futon mattress sitting in the corner of the room. That must be where Sukuna intended for him to go. Seeing no other options, he kneels down and attempts to make himself comfortable on the meager padding. Whatever. This is fine.
"And don't get any ideas about running away either. You're staying here," your Curse reminds him needlessly.
Junpei rolls over, facing the wall.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to go anyway," he mutters under his breath.
.
.
.
"Moshi, moshi! How's it going?... Is that so? …Uh-huh….Uh-huh…Hahaha! This is Hawks' voicemail and I totally got you! Leave a message, and maybe I'll get back to you."
"Dammit!" Fushiguro swears again. There's nothing more annoying than a fake voicemail. Why do people still make those?
It's been hours since his first attempt to reach Keigo Takami with no response. He'd fallen for the fake greeting too already, adding to his aggravation. He can't just keep leaving voicemails especially when it's getting harder to conceal his urgency with each message. He decides to hang up and try again later.
That morning began with such high hopes. From the instant the sun hit his face and he felt the light jostle of Itadori stirring awake beside him, his mindset was on one thing only: finding the person who was in contact with you.
The boys had kissed goodbye, wishing each other the best of luck with their daily missions before parting ways with Itadori joining Gojo for yet another supervised city patrol.
"See you tonight," Yuji had whispered when he hugged Fushiguro one last time.
"When you get back, we should have some good news to celebrate."
The shadow user swears again as he shoves his phone back in his pocket.
"So much for good news," he scoffs.
What's he supposed to do if this Takami guy keeps dodging him? Hunt him down too? There's already enough of his energy being spent keeping his senses open for any sign of you. With every release of his Demon dogs and Nue, he'd focus his main intent for their summoned purpose, but in the back of his mind were the words of his heart's true desire repeated over and over like a sacred mantra.
Find them. Please find them.
Observing his work partner's familiar dejected mood, Yuta Okkotsu keeps his curiosities to himself as he trails slightly behind. They'd been paired yet again for their routes today. Apparently the school seems to think they get along well enough to be almost exclusively teamed up together. Though Yuta would voice a protest if he felt it would do any good. An inclination that he'd rather work with anyone else but the aloof and cold Fushiguro might put his teammate under scrutiny. Or worse, earn him a place on the shadow user's personal shit list.
Yuta watches as Fushiguro checks the phone he'd barely put away only moments before. He looks impatient, like he's waiting for a response from somebody important. The butterflies in his stomach tell Yuta it probably has something to do with that weird clothing store from yesterday. There's no other explanation he can think of. At least today seems routine enough. Or as routine as Jujutsu sorcerers can hope to expect for the missions these days. Though Fushiguro's lack of conversation and growing annoyance isn't easy to ignore.
"Maybe we can stop for some lunch soon?" Yuta suggests haphazardly.
"We could both use a break and maybe some caffeine couldn't hurt either."
Instead of snapping that they shouldn't be wasting time on the clock, Fushiguro mutters a defeated "fine." He begrudgingly accepts the idea that it would be better to sit while waiting for a call back anyway so he doesn't risk missing it.
Relieved at having won him over, Yuta takes the lead for once.
"There's a good place not too far from here. It's at the top of a multiplex pavilion with a bunch of other restaurants and bars. Toge and I sometimes stop by when we can."
When the building comes into view, the wonderfully tantalizing smell of cuisines mixing in the air invites the sorcerers inside. The cafe is on the third level, and moderately busy for their lunch rush. It would be best to order carry-out for time's sake. When it's their turn to order, the boys are greeted cheerfully by an older grey-haired woman behind the register.
"Hello! What can I get for you today?" she asks.
Yuta scans over the menu, still undecided.
"Do you know what you want, Fushiguro? I'm thinking curry, but if I don't finish it, I don't want it to go to waste. I can't exactly carry it with me for the rest of the day either. Do you like curry? Do you want to share an order? Hey! Are you even listening to me?"
But the shadow user's attention is drawn elsewhere.
A recognizable fit of laughter cut through the restaurant sounds, commanding Fushiguro to jerk his head behind them. Seated on the outer veranda of the café, a blonde man in a heavy coat chats idly on his phone. From where he's standing, Fushiguro can plainly see bright red wings draped over the back of the man's chair, and he has a rosy glow to his cheeks—indicating he's either drunk, or in the middle of an engaging conversation.
"No way…" He whispers in disbelief. What are the odds of there being another winged human just like you? A million to one, maybe? And in the same city? It's too much of a coincidence. Fushiguro abandons all semblance of subtlety and pulls out his phone while staring directly at the mysterious stranger outside. He hits redial.
The sorcerer watches the man as he moves his phone from the side of his face to peer at the screen, staring at the incoming number that's been pestering him all day. He rolls his eyes with an exaggerated sigh, He had listened to the first message and promptly deleted it with no intention of returning the call. He kicks the incoming call over to voicemail, returning to his conversation on the line.
"Sorry, baby bird, what was that? ….Oh really?" He chuckles to himself, biting his lower lip as he drops his voice lower. "Well, why don't you send me some pictures, I can tell you what color I think they are. Better yet, send me a video." Hawks leans casually back in his chair, engrossed in whatever the person on the other end of the line is saying.
The same pre-recording from this morning plays in Fushiguro's ear immediately—"Moshi moshi! How's it going?-"
"Ha! I've got you now." He grins triumphantly, stalking toward the man.
Red feathers ruffle, and Hawks tilts his head to the side as Fushiguro approaches. He watches the young man dressed in all black making his way toward him, and spies the phone in the boy's hand along with the knowing smirk on his face. Hawks connects the dots too late. This must be his mystery caller.
"Baby bird, I'm sorry but I have to fly. Send me those photos so I can miss you more." He says, quickly hanging up his call and rising from his seat. He throws a few bills down on the table and turns to leave, pointedly avoiding the eyes drilling holes into the back of his head.
"Hey!" Fushiguro shouts, jogging the rest of the way toward him. Hawks grinds his teeth, scanning the restaurant quickly to gauge how difficult it would be to make an escape if he had to before plastering his best fanservice smile on his stiff lips.
"Hey there, kid," he says, flashing his perfect teeth. "What can I do for you?" Hawks slides his hands in his pockets casually, maintaining the mask of pleasant neutrality.
Fushiguro's brow snaps together in a scowl.
"You're a hard one to get a hold of." He grates, holding up his phone for emphasis.
Hawks's golden gaze flits to the device before returning to Fushiguro's irritated face, smiling broadly. "Are you my mystery secret admirer?" He drawls, winking at the boy. "Sorry, I have a bad habit of not answering numbers I don't recognize."
"I need to talk to you." Fushiguro says flatly, glancing around them. "Preferably someplace less crowded."
Hawks smiles again, an affable laugh bubbling through him. "No can do, kid. I'm a busy guy and I have places to be." He says, taking a marker from the pocket of his coat and swiping a napkin off a nearby abandoned table.
"You'll have to call my agency and schedule an appointment for that, I think we're booking three years out or so, but here—have this, my pleasure." He scribbles on the napkin and hands it over to Fushiguro, who stares at it incredulously before raising his dark eyes to glare at him. He gave him his fucking autograph. "Take it easy, okay?" Hawks claps him on the shoulder as he passes, making his way toward the edge of the veranda.
"Hey! We're not done!" Fushiguro calls out angrily, following after him.
Hawks leans himself casually against the ledge, crossing his arms over his chest as he studies the boy in front of him. He's most likely one of the sorcerers you were hiding from, and Keigo wants no part of this particular squabble. Not to mention, you had trusted him to keep your secret. Even though it's been a while he still feels an undeniable kinship having found another person blessed with wings. No, this guy was just going to have to deal with disappointment.
"I'd love to stay and chat, kid, I really would, but…I've just gotta fly." Hawks grins and winks once more, letting himself freefall backwards into the air off the ledge. Fushiguro rushes forward in an attempt to grab onto him, but he's too late as he catches himself on the railing and stares down after the man only to see the massive wings snap open and watch as he flaps away into the sky.
Once past the rooftops, he allows himself to laugh nervously out loud, thanking his lucky stars for his unmatchable improv skills. "That was almost a close one! Ha-HA!"
His mirth is short lived however as a shadow passes over him from above.
"Huh?"
Through the clouds a figure comes into view. It's the same guy from the cafe! And there appears to be a large bird carrying him through the air with talons carefully clutching his shoulders. How the hell did they get all the way up here so fast?!
Hawks gulps nervously. He may be in real trouble.
"You're Keigo Takami aren't you?!" his pursuer demands.
Crap!
"Sorry, but like I said, I'm in a hurry. I'll have to catch you some other time," Hawks fires back evasively, offering a friendly wave before tucking his wings in for a dive.
Fushiguro refuses to let him get away so easily, focusing his intent for his shikigami to follow. The beast has to tuck his master's body in closer, plummeting head first in an arc to keep up with their target. Hawks is fast in a dive. An insane notion blossoms, and Fushiguro commands to be released. Obediently, his shikigami opens his talons, dropping his master through the open air.
Down below, Hawks wipes nervous beads of sweat from his brow. He should be able to land quickly and disappear inside the mall, then take a side exit and make a clean getaway from there. He casts one last glance up to make sure the one tailing him was nothing more than a dot in the sky. What he sees instead catches him off guard entirely.
WHUUUMMP!
Fushiguro lands on top of Keigo's back with a staggering impact, stunning them both. The sorcerer doesn't let go, locking his wrists together around the other man's midsection and dragging him down in a freefall.
"What the hell is your PROBLEM?! Let go!" Hawks demands.
"Not until you agree to talk to me!" Fushiguro screams right back, wrapping his legs around as securely as possible.
They're spiraling, stuck fast despite Hawks' best efforts to shove his assailant off.
"Are you out of your goddamned mind?! You're gonna kill us both!"
Fushiguro grits his teeth, bracing against the wings struggling to flap beneath his chest. His added weight is too much. The two of them only fall together, tangled and spinning. The ground is coming up fast.
"Give me your word that you'll answer my questions and I'll let you go!"
"FINE! IF IT'S WORTH YOUR STUPID LIFE I'LL TALK TO YOU!" Hawks relents, panicking genuinely for the first time in his life that he may be at risk of crashing.
Satisfied enough for the time being, Fushiguro releases his hold and shoves off. His shikigami bursts through the clouds, reappearing to snatch him up again easily.
"Meet me on the roof of the mall. Looks like you were headed there anyways. We'll talk there," Fushiguro suggests.
Holy crap! This guy is nuts for sure! Hawks muses. Then he remembers this is the same person who's been calling him all morning. Calling and asking about black feathers, which can only mean he's looking for you.
By the time his boots touchdown on the solid steel and concrete of the mall roof, Keigo's mind is already formulating an escape plan. His excuses and explanations are plentiful. He's had enough time since he last saw you to come up with a cover story. With what he learned about you, he'd been anticipating an interrogation at some point or another. Although he expected them to track him down alot sooner. A sign that they must be under-staffed.
"Alright, now what exactly was so important that you had to dive bomb me?" Keigo removes his flight goggles, sliding them up to hold his hair out of his face to better see the young man standing before him.
Fushiguro's heart is palpitating dangerously from his impromptu skydive. Although he appeared collected on the surface during that daredevil stunt, he was far from being okay. That was such an asinine thing to do! It wasn't like him at all. Itadori's brashness must be rubbing off on him. It's hard for him to catch his breath enough to form the necessary words.
"I'm a busy guy. I don't have time to chit chat." Hawks sighs with exasperation, despite the fact he was on a break and had time to be on the phone with someone else. A much cuter someone else than this guy in all black.
"So, you know my name, but I definitely haven't met you before. Let's start there," Hawks suggests. He crosses his arms and leans carelessly against the stack of the industrial air conditioning unit humming endlessly behind him.
"My name is Fushiguro. I'll cut to the chase since you're in a hurry. I got your information from the shopkeeper who owns La Voliere. He was tight-lipped about answering my questions, so hopefully you can help me. In short, I wanna know where you got that large black feather you gave to him."
Well that seals it. Fushiguro is definitely not to be trusted. "A feather? Hmmm…Well I'd say that's a pretty crazy thing to nearly die for. Care to say why it matters so much to you?" Keigo's head cocks curiously.
"Sorry. I can't get into those details. Now what can you tell me about it?"
"Ha-ha! You're wild, man! Asking me weird questions but giving me nothing about yourself? Like, who do you work for? And where's your wings from earlier by the way? I noticed you aren't naturally flight capable, but good on you for not letting it keep you grounded."
The blonde laughs easily, as if they were old friends catching up.
"Please answer me," Fushiguro grates.
"Aww, don't be like that! Besides, if you get to ask me something, I should get to do the same right? It's only fair." Hawks is skirting the issue, biding his time with childish ease.
Fushiguro's patience is dissolving rapidly. Something about this guy's carefree attitude is starting to rub him the wrong way.
Then it hits him.
Goddammit…He's like Gojo.
They both have the same sappy grin and joking nature, refusing to take anything seriously. Which means he'll most likely get even more avoidant if Fushiguro continues a direct approach. He's going to have to play along and wait for this guy to slip up or purposefully feed him a line. He can't stay gone much longer though. Technically he's AWOL right now and Yuta could report him missing to their superiors.
If he wants Hawks' cooperation, he's going to have to play along. With an exasperated sigh, Fushiguro folds his hands over his chest, forming the sign for Nue. Channeling his energy, he calls his bird shikigami from his shadow. Keigo is visibly impressed, giving a low whistle.
"Oh, wow! That's a neat trick! And he carries you wherever you need to go?"
"That's right."
"And he never gets tired?"
"He's powered by my own energy. He wears down when I do," Fushiguro smirks.
"Now …I just answered three questions for you. So you tell me what I want to know."
"Hm? About that black feather? Yeah, I found it." he says simply, offering nothing more.
Barely able to conceal his growing aggravation, Fushiguro struggles to keep his voice calm. "Found it? Where exactly?"
"What do you mean? Where all loose feathers are found. On the ground. Happens all the time. I must lose about a dozen a day, personally. It's a bird thing. Perfectly normal." Keigo shrugs.
"You'll have to forgive me for my persistence, but I sincerely doubt that you'd dodge my calls and make me chase after you if it were that simple."
"Who said I'm dodging you? I work all the time, I'm pretty much my agency's number one guy. As for the feather, I told you I saw it on the ground and picked it up. Then I took it to Raphael. He always hooks me up with discounts when I shop there, so I gave it to him as a thank you. You said you went there, right? So you must've seen his collection."
"Where did you find it? Do you remember exactly?" Megumi presses. Any hint at all would be worth it to him at this point.
Keigo shrugs his shoulders and wings apologetically, mustering a perplexed little grin.
"Sorry. I don't seem to recall. It's not exactly a momentous occasion, finding something like that."
"Would you tell me if you find any more of them?"
The older man readjusts his flight goggles, readying himself to be on his way. "Sure. Though I doubt I will. I've never seen anything else like them in the city."
"Is that so?" It's hard for Megumi to suppress his disappointment this time. His fists ball up at his sides and he glares at the concrete slab of the roof.
"Aw, cheer up, kamikaze. It must've been dropped during the last migration south. You know how birds do that in the winter. I hear global warming is changing flight paths these days," he comments flippantly, again diverting the subject.
"How about you let me know if you do see any more signs of that specific bird then? You've got my number, and I can call you periodically so you don't have to worry about losing it."
"I mean, I don't always have the best luck with phones. They tend to fall out of my pockets for, like, no reason at all sometimes. I just can't seem to keep the same number for long," he grins playfully.
Bastard. He's toying with me. Fine then.
"You know I'm pretty good at finding people. I have my ways," the shadow user says mysteriously.
"Then you should have better luck with your bird hunt. Haha! Maybe some things are just meant to be sought after forever, but that's life, right? The thrill of looking for something is almost always better than when you find it. Do you agree?" Hawks amicably pats Fushiguro on his shoulder.
The boy does not return Hawks' smile. He isn't convinced by a long shot that this guy is as clueless as he lets on.
"I don't, actually. I also don't give up easily."
"So you've proven! Haha!"
"Just tell me if you see any more of those feathers, or the..bird that they came from."
"Sure thing. But I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. That one was probably from an endangered species. Something rare to come by. Usually they go into hiding for years because of poachers and are never seen again."
It was just a figure of speech for the sake of conversation, but it still makes Fushiguro's stomach turn. Endangered. It's a fact that he isn't the only one looking for you.
As if he needed another reason to feel desperate.
"I'm not a hunter."
"So you say…But it doesn't matter much to me. Some things are better left in God's hands."
Fushiguro's expression remains hardened. He doesn't believe in God.
"Chin up, kid. Have your bird friend take you for a nice soar through the clouds and you'll feel better. I'll see you around. 'Kay?"
Hawks doesn't wait for Fushiguro to officially dismiss him, kicking off the side of the brick and taking easily to the air. He's wasted enough time with this interview.
Fushiguro's blue eyes follow with intent as the man vanishes quite literally into thin air.
"Yeah. You will be seeing me around."
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Yuta is getting worried. It's been nearly an hour since Fushiguro quite literally flew the coop and there's still been no sign of him. Wherever he went off to, there's no cell service, making each of Yuta's calls go straight to voicemail. Why on earth did he run off like that? Yuta didn't even get a chance to order lunch before running out to follow his partner. When he witnessed the shadow user summon his bird shikigami and vanish into the clouds he'd awkwardly stood there motionless in the street, unsure of what to do next.
Loudly his stomach reminds him that it's empty.
"Dammit! This sucks!" he gripes, hungrily eyeing the various food carts he passes along the block.
He could easily stop and grab something quickly, but if Fushiguro comes back and finds Yuta snacking instead of remaining alert, he may get angry. Though Yuta should be the one who's cross. Fushiguro is even more aloof and secretive than ever. What's gotten into that guy lately? And is he expecting Yuta to cover for his disappearance too?
Fuck it. He'd rather get reprimanded on a full stomach anyway. He makes his way over to a yakisoba vendor and places an order with two fried eggs and extra cabbage. It's not the curry he was craving, but it'll be better than nothing. As he waits he re-examines his surroundings. This part of the city is always bustling with activity. There's plenty of shops, top tier restaurants, bars and nightclubs to draw attention to the district. Many of their previous calls and missions from the past year have actually been in this area, come to think of it. The congregation of humans always invites a spike in cursed energy. He should keep his guard up while he's around the area.
"Here's your food. Thank you for stopping by," the young man at the food cart places the to-go box, chopsticks, and some napkins on the counter.
"Thanks alot."
Yuta takes his order and looks around for a nearby place where he can eat without being jostled by pedestrians. He ducks around a corner, it looks like a quiet enough spot to catch a break. Just as he's about to dig in, something out of the corner of his eye draws his attention. There appears to be an enormous dark circle burned into the pavement. How odd. It's perfectly round, like a small explosive went off here or something. But there's no other physical damage anywhere.
A second much smaller blotch on the ground tells a more gruesome story with its spray pattern. Is that…blood?
Suddenly Yuta's appetite is gone. He takes a step further into the alley, careful to avoid what is now looking like signs of a struggle. Even in the broad daylight, a sick feeling of dread sets in. He can see slight twisting flashes of red embedded in the cracks of the asphalt. The remnants of some seriously powerful cursed energy like he's never seen before.
Taking out his phone, he dials a number with his heartbeat racing in his ears. The line only rings once before being picked up.
"This is Yuta Okkotsu…and I'm going to need back up."
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To Be Continued…