Tiredness hit you like a tidal wave in an importune moment, dodging one of the elongated snapping jaws of the curse, while simultaneously doing the same with its size gremlin lackeys, it kept releasing, with their chattering teeth. Thankfully their size required a simple swat, with minimal effort, of the hand and a minuscule amount of curse energy. You were able to fend them off easily, however they were rather relentless and annoyingly scuttled after you, nipping at your heels. You shook and kicked some off while wishing you had your boots instead of tennis shoes, but you didn't take any of that really with you…actually, you did but you went a bit too hard with them, and now…they were more like strips. So tennis shoes it was, it didn't disrupt your prowess -though your movements were rather sluggish-begrudgingly you had your family to thank.
The pinnacle of focus with ones given technique was essential and dancing crucial. All were properly formulated and structured for each individual, unless one was a Medjay then it was different. The tiredness hit you again, you were beginning to feel the weight of its influence rendering your focus on your technique, and the limiting energy you had didn't help. You were still reeling from using your domain siphoning the majority of your energy, adding on hunger and lack of sleep. A poor combination you couldn't even form your wings, given your circumstances now; you flip back-shaking off the tiredness-avoid another round of gremlin creatures. Their buggy eyes were quite annoying provided sharp eyesight. Tracking your movements no matter where you dodged or sprinted, there was enough room in this rusty plane hanger, minus the scattered plane parts and weeds growing and other objects scattered or hanging throughout. Another group attacked seconds after ridding yourself of the last one and like before you lept back avoiding them only to hit your back against a wall of the hanger. Instantly you realized what was going on and what the main curse was doing, the crafty thing you had to give it credit. Though you wondered, flickering your eyes up at the hairy blob-like figure hanging upside down by its large talon the size of a truck tire, it was difficult to place its eyes behind the shaggy appearance, if this curse was actually a semi-grade 2. Its file said yes, Ichiji read you the file before you went in and you trusted him. He was hardly ever wrong with his intel, the intel that the higher-ups provided…which wasn't always accurate, something you realized eventually.
Nevertheless, you walked into the hangar believing you could handle this one with the energy you had. Even flashing Ichiji an assuring smile, as you tended to do years ago or what you could muster. This curse couldn't be a semi-grade 2, you repeated sharply blowing away the gremlins and narrowly diving out of the way of the main curse's attack with another elongated mouth. You heard it crash and tear through the near paper-thin metal wall. With a short glance behind you, you saw the damage and despite the calmness you could hold to, you were shocked at the strength of it. You shouldn't be and chalked it up to again, your low energy. Rolling onto the ground you quickly pick yourself up avoiding another launched attack from the creature. Thank goodness you were in track shorts and a tank top, you had some nimbleness. The creature releases another horde from its body, your heart jumps and you rush over wasting no time. A dangerous plan, but you hadn't another and refused to be cornered again. The gremlins were halfway to the ground, you reached the spot under them, with seconds to spare, swept your hands coated in thin blue energy up with faint golden markings carving along your arms, bringing a short, strong gust of wind that sliced the gremlins and hitting the curse. The attack did minimal damage to the curse, only a few cuts. You expected much, it wasn't a strong attack and you forgot to invoke. The attack did manage some superficial cuts on the curse.
It released a harrowing screech that nearly caused your ears to bleed if you didn't clasp your hands over them. It kept it up, the sound was splitting and reached outside. Ichiji heard it from the car, he covered his ears, accidentally dropping his phone between the seats, with the only damage done was a small crack in the windshield. Seeing this and alarmed, he hurried out of the car and ran to your aid, only to stop, not from sensing the curse's strength but his position. A crow flying over. He might have some skill as a sorcerer and minimal field experience….he couldn't help to realize the hindrance he'd be and the focus he'd take away from your task.
"Ichiji! Move!"
He heard your voice filled with raw panic shout at him years ago, he had run to help during an assignment against a curse, you were struggling a bit and the second he saw your body crash through the wall of the building, his scrawny legs acted on their own and hurried to you. Completely forgetting about the raging curse that turned its blood-red eyes on him and charged the second his eyes locked with it. It was a nearly hulking creature quadrupedal one with hooves for hind legs, claws for the front, and horns on its side.
That's all he could see before a stream of golden light snatched him out of the way, his ears managed to hear a sharp yelp before the world tumbled around him. The sky and earth flipped on their heads for a second until it stopped and Ichiji found himself on his back, glasses off somewhere, staring up at the clear blue sky. His head still spinning, it took him a second to regain his senses and remember what happened.
"May!" He shot up at the realization, felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and winced. He tried moving it only for the pain to increase twice the amount. Though pain told him he was alive and…well as can be, he needed to find you.
"May!" He called again, trying to get up only for another pain to hit him a bit in the side, and sat back down, "M-May." He called again this time his voice was clipped with pain rather than concern.
He didn't want to focus on his injuries, but they gave him little choice, and turned to them. Every so often he'd call your name only to be met with silence. His shoulder was broken that much he could deduce, as he focused the majority of his attention on that, he hadn't noticed a figure behind him pick up his glasses and carry themselves over.
Ijichi managing to lessen his attention to his injury used the bit of energy he had, opened his mouth, and shouted, "Ma-"
You cut him off, "Ichiji! Oh no, your shoulder!"
Ichiji whipped his head around at the sound of your voice, pure relief lit up on his face, there you were with some minor cuts and scraps standing behind him with his glasses. He noticed the frightened concern in set in your eyes on his shoulders. He quickly tried to stand and let it go, but you hurried to his side and with a firm, gentle touch on his shoulder kept him down.
"Be still, okay?" you tell him softly, and hold up his glasses, "Here." You place them on, and Ichiji notices something, you seem paler than usual, and there were droplets of blood falling from the hand you held his glasses.
His eyes widened with concern his voice trembled, "M-May you're you're bleeding!"
You said nothing and just placed his glasses on and smiled swaying slightly back and forth. It then clicked with Ichiji, you were the one who got him out of the way and took the brunt of the attack. His stomach sunk, why did he try to help….his only job was to provide the curtain and now you were wounded. The question now was… where was the injury? He opened his mouth to solve the question only to shriek.
"May!"
You didn't hear him, your body lost all sensation from the injury and blood and collapsed forward with a hard thud, missing Ichiji's attempt to catch you. And he saw it, the injury a large gash carved across your back, from your hip to your shoulder.
Ichiji stepped back slowly, he couldn't repeat that again. Your body laying there nearly lifeless and would have been if he hadn't whipped out his phone and called. To see your body again like that, though he knew and understood the life expectancy of this job when you just returned he didn't want to fathom it. He would leave you it and let you finish the rest. It was however taking you a bit longer than he expected, he reached for his phone to find it gone. It was in the car, he must have dropped it when the curse wailed. He didn't want to turn away but he wanted to keep your time and hurried to the car. Within a minute he found the phone and read the time.
"There must be some mistake," he muttered, fixing his glasses, ensuring the time he was seeing was correct. He read it again, and it was.
This surprised him you wouldn't normally take this long. Everyone has an off day but for the last two assignments your time seemed to be….lagging.
You were doing too many assignments, he released a long sigh. He understood why you were doing this, to compensate for the times you've missed and hopefully, Masamichi will let you back in fully. But at the cost of your health….besides Masamichi hadn't yet figured out or told him the method he would be using with you to decide. Ichiji just hoped it was soon, if you did another one he was certain you'd possibly pass out or worse.
He let out another sigh, longer this time when the ground suddenly tremored. Nearly losing his balance he grabbed onto the car door and held tight. After a few seconds, the tremor stopped and he opened his eyes, turning them toward the hangar, which was still standing to his surprise. Sensing no curse he hurried over to let the curtain down. As he did, he spotted you walking staggeringly back, there were cuts and bruises and a few scratches on your arms, legs, and some on your face. You looked tired it carried under your eyes and in them, he noticed. Feeling his eyes on you, you quickly formulate a pleasant smile before lifting your complete attention to him. Ichiji opened his mouth to say something, but you beat him to it.
"You know what sounds delicious right now, a smoothie. Shall we get one?"
He stared at you for a moment with disbelief, blinking a few times, "There's none open right now. It's nearing midnight."
"Oh, that's right, I forgot," you force a simple chuckle that raised no suspicions, maintaining your smile, "I suppose we'll have to postpone that. Now are there any more assignments?"
Ichiji dissolved the curtain and was hesitant to answer, "Well…ummm…are you sure?"
Your body was aching and the weight of sleep anchored nearly every fiber of you, but you need this. You needed to get a step closer to Daiki, you needed to get back into Jujutsu Tech. Shoving your basic needs aside, maintaining your smile nod.
"Yes. I could do this all day. It's worth it."
As they say, words are very powerful and should be careful in the context they present. For often they come true and for you they did. Ichiji opened his mouth to protest when a familiar suitably low and sultry voice spoke walking up from behind Ichiji.
"It pleases me knowing you remember the most important lesson, my dearest May-May."
Your smile dropped, that voice you knew it well and couldn't believe it. Was it actually….her? There was only one person who called you that in a jestful way. Ichiji surprised as well turned around in the direction you were staring behind him, at the silhouette gracefully with confidence walking forward, hips swinging and carrying a heavy object on their shoulders. Your legs started trembling slightly, firmly stopping when they made their presence known.
As tired as you were, your eyes snapped open twice their size, surprised, the long light blue hair, no longer in a high ponytail, was styled into two braids, one that covered their face and the other hanging behind their head. Their sharp dark brown eyes hold yours sending a respectable shiver down your spine and deliciously searching your eyes for something worthwhile. Right away you wanted to drop your eyes to the ground, but you held them steadily with theirs. Now wasn't the time to revert to that little girl. You stare back firmly.
"Mei-Mei?" Ichiji said still surprised, "Wh-What are you doing here?" A crow cawed and looked up, answering his question.
Mei-Mei set her axe, from her shoulder, down still holding its handle. A smile, you couldn't quite figure out appeared thinly on her lips, "Look at you May-May all grown now. I hardly recognized you, Yaga didn't provide any suitable description of you when he told me to test your convection."
"What?" Ichiji protest realizing what she just said. "What do you mean? What are you talking about? Test? What test?!"
Mei-Mei didn't answer, you instantly knew what meant it was the same thing your mjomba did when you wanted to become a sorcerer. "So this is it, back down memory lane?"
Mei-Mei's smile grew a bit, "Observant. Good," she picked up her axe with ease, your heart froze for a moment, "you haven't lost that. I taught you well, though that was nearly a decade ago. Which by accounts is quite some time, wouldn't you agree?"
You weren't sure what to say for a moment, but the words came, "Indeed. By accounts." Your arms were starting to tremble quietly. You kept yourself steady, "I was rather young than with hopes and dreams. Desires."
"That you were. That you were."
Ichiji's opened his mouth to say something, when his phone rang it was Masamichi. He took it. You and Mei-Mei continued.
"I'm curious after a decade if those amicable desires still stand or if they've changed into a new kind of currency I haven't noticed."
You went cold for a moment, did she figure it out, your eyes almost narrowed with suspicion; no there was no way she could know, even if she did….you shook aside that possibility, "No new currency."
"A pity," she set her axe on her shoulders, "I was hoping it might be. In that case, what is the worth, May-May? What's your worth?"
It was nearing 2:00 am, and Roselyn couldn't sleep, she hadn't been able to during your absence. Her nerves never rested and restless and relentless thoughts refused to settle. Yet she kept her duties up maintaining the residence, cleaning, and wiping. Wiping and cleaning. On occasion she'd check in with your business and see how everything was going, never making the important decisions. Just simple ones that didn't worry others. So far your… husband hadn't come calling, a blessing on its own for if he did and you weren't here….she couldn't imagine nor did she want to on what he might do. He punished you enough when you decided not to respond. Prison, you were in a prison during that time of presence, despite her attempts to turn a blind ear and eye to it all, just as she had been taught to do back then, she couldn't bring her heart to do it.
She couldn't provide you any subtle comforting words or comfort before you were ripped from her arms, as you had been many times before. All she could do was watch it happen, watch you being led back upstairs to the room. Your husband's commands he gave her to just provide meals and attend to Daiki. Every meal she brought she thought of what she could put in it that could end him, but something told her you'd be at risk and he might make you eat it, and then….the thought nearly brought her tears. When she did bring the food, perfectly well and untouched, he came to get it. You never came to the door, Roselyn kept her eyes low to the ground, only once did she permit herself to search for you inside, she managed to find you and rage was all she saw. You seemed to have sensed and managed to send her a cease look nearly begging. She relented and left.
The moment your husband finished and left with Daiki, she and Ziad who was equally enraged, rushed to you the state she found you in forever branded her mind. No amount of apology could heal the wounds inflicted on you, all you did was simply smile at them and ask for a nice bath. She wanted to offer you the pill she had ready for you, you just wanted the bath. So you received your bath and after the bath, you laid down, not in the bed, and curled up and slept. You just slept or so it seemed, you ended up leaving without a word.
And there was no word Roselyn uttered since your leave, what could she say? Besides her failure and anger, anger that was justified and she knew was disrespectful to have, should you know you wouldn't be pleased. But, this anger was warranted, if only Master Geto, your true husband had just…if he had just let you go or maybe….she not think but did so, maybe should have left his desire alone. Then he would be here, not someone or something parading around as him. And importantly you would be safe, enough cruelty happened to you. Such a selfish thing for your true husband to do, she wondered how such a match that for the last few years went wrong.
The thought had presented itself in her mind for quite some time, since the moment Christmas turned vacant and that pretender showed up on the island. Her mind needed to be cooled with these thoughts, raising from her bed she slipped on her robe and left her room to the veranda. Ziad wasn't back yet he was still searching, and she thanked him for that. She reached the double doors, opened them, and walked out onto the veranda, the cool air of Japan's spring provided some comfort and she dared to allow her mind to enjoy it.
She closed her eyes, held her breath for a moment then released it, and opened her eyes to the early morning sky still dark from its association with the night, her eyes noticed something small in the distance flying in the sky in her direction. It looked like a wounded bird in the way it would drop for a moment and push itself up and forward. She squinted her eyes as the figure grew closer and gasped sharply, it was no bird. Her legs took off and her arms stretched outward to catch the figure.
"My lady!" Roselyn exclaimed, catching you in her arms. "My lady! You're back!" Her arms wrapped securely around your weak frame, she could feel your weight loss and hear your labored breathing struggling to find its flow. As tight as she wanted to hold you, she kept her arms delicate around you. Only holding you close against and stroking your hair soothingly. So many questions emerged in her mind, all wanting an answer, but she swatted them back.
Her focus was solely on you and after she took you inside and covered she'd inform Ziad, he'd be back within minutes. You were shivering, she felt you shivering. You needed a bed! She needed to get you into one, not the main bed but one of the spare rooms would do. Then some tea, yes, you needed some tea and blankets and…and….your heartbeat was faint she could barely feel it. Was that why your eyes remained closed?
She wanted to shake you awake to hear you speak, but you barely had any energy the way you just dropped out of the sky. She needed to get you into a bed, with her mind made up, whispered kindly to you what she was going to do, and delicately slipped an arm under your legs while positioning the other one behind your neck to support it and slowly began standing. She was halfway up when your hand shot up and gripped her arm with the last ember of strength.
"My lady, please sav-" She implored stopping when she noticed your lips trembling and slowly parting. You were trying to say something. You shouldn't be speaking, she knew that but….she couldn't deny you and waited patiently for you to speak.
Your mouth opens and closes a few times, each time trying to push out the words set on your tongue. Roselyn remained vigilant until you finally managed to push the words out and they filled her heart with joyous relief.
"I-I'm in," you said your voice horse but there was every evidence of pride and joy