Author's Note: I apologize to those of you who have already read chapter five and six as originally published. I have rewritten this chapter and deleted chapter six to follow in line with the new events.
This is actually how I planned for Chapter five to go. Then I thought I had a new and better plan, taking a drastic turn away from my original plot. No, no it wasn't better at all. I absolutely hated the darker and more angsty direction I took their relationship and the story in. So I've gone back to my original plan. Once again, I apologize for any confusion and inconvenience my mistake and moment of writer's remorse has caused.
Regardless, I hope you like this chapter and enjoy it. It follows the more light hearted and tender approach I wanted to take toward their relationship. Jujutsu Kaisen is kind of a dark anime by nature so I wanted to add a bit of fluff in their relationship at least. Without further ado, happy reading!
Lily pulled the lemon ginger cake out of the oven, giving it a good sniff before sitting it on the stove to cool. It smelled positively heavenly. She hoped Megumi would like it.
After stirring the ginger lemonade, she poured herself a glass to give it a taste test. Megumi would not be arriving for another thirty minutes. The ginger chicken stir-fry was done so there was nothing left for her to do but wait. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she decided to escape the heat of the kitchen by going outside to sit under the ancient oak tree.
Taking a seat on the platform, she watched circles of light dancing with the shadows across the shellacked surface. She turned her face up to see the leaves shaking on the branches above her. Closing her eyes to shield them from the dazzling rays of light, she sighed as the breeze blew across her heated face.
A smile curled her lips when she thought about the pink fan with the black dog shapes on it. She had bought it along with the little glass bird, both of which sat on the table beside her bed. Not one given to believing in lucky charms, she figured it could not hurt to have the bird because of what it represented. She liked the fan because it reminded her of Megumi. She wished she had it in her hand right now.
"I would like to talk to you sometime. Regarding matters I'm sure your grandmother mentioned to you." Sotaru Gojō's words replayed in her head.
Lily wanted to run, to stay away far away from the Jujutsu Sorcerers, but at the same time she felt compelled to be near them - one in particular. That is why she totally uprooted her life and moved halfway across the world after all. She knew the matters Gojō referred to are her ability to create protective barriers and her sedation technique.
The knock on the door made her heart skip a beat then beat twice as fast to catch up. Unfolding her legs, she jumped off the platform and ran to the back door she had left ajar. Walking fast after entering the house, she beelined for the front door down the hall.
"Hi!" Lily chirped after sliding open the door.
"Hi," he returned, extending a half open yellow rose to her.
A yellow rose - the symbol of platonic friendship with absolutely no romantic overtones. A fitting gift.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, taking the rose from him. Inhaling its delicate scent, she grinned broadly at him. "Thank you. Come in."
Her eyes followed him as he walked past her. He was wearing an oversized red t-shirt, loose light colored jeans, and red and black athletic shoes. She matched him wearing a form fitting red t-shirt and her faded denim cut off shorts. No shoes of course. Being raised in the country, she preferred to run around barefoot as much as possible.
"Make yourself comfortable," she told him entering the living room after him. She turned down the window unit air conditioner before going to the kitchen.
Lily found a tall thin crystal vase under the sink to put the rose in. She poured the lemonade into glasses then set them on a tray. Placing the pitcher and the vase on the tray as well, she returned to the living room to set it in the middle of the table where he had already sat down on a cushion.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"Not yet. Can we talk a minute?' Megumi inquired, his eyes meeting hers.
"Sure." She sat down on the cushion across from him.
"Do you know what Gojō wants to talk to you about?" Megumi questioned her bluntly not bothering to waste time beating around the proverbial bush.
She liked that about him. Straightforward and to the point. No games.
"I have an idea," she replied, taking a sip of her lemonade to wet her parched throat. "I'm guessing it has to do with being something called a guardian. Do you know what that is?"
"I do," he admitted. "Gojō explained to me exactly what that means. Your grandmother was one. Is that something you want to do?"
"Honestly? I don't don't know," she replied.
Megumi appeared perturbed, exhaling noisily.
"I went through a lot of hell because of the things I saw when I was a kid. I don't know if I want to jump headlong into making those things a daily part of my life."
"I'd rather you not be involved," he confessed, swirling the ice cubes in his glass and making them clink against the sides. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
"That makes two of us," she agreed.
"I would protect you though," Megumi said. "I will protect you."
"I didn't come here to be a burden to you," she returned.
"You wouldn't be a burden. People you care about and want to protect aren't burdens," he murmured, taking a drink of his lemonade. "This is really good. You're going to spoil me you know."
"That's exactly what I intend to do," she said, giving him a wink which made flush an attractive shade of fuschia. "Hungry yet?"
"I am now that we've talked about that."
"You are really worried about me, huh? You care about me that much?"
"Well...yeah," he admitted, his blush deepening to match the red of his shirt.
"Why?" she questioned him, her eyes holding his eyes.
Megumi quickly slid his gaze away from her. He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.
"How could I not care about you? You're Grandma Hiroko's granddaughter," he said, only telling her half the truth. "Besides, Jujutsu Sorcerers are supposed to protect those who are weak and defenseless."
"Hmph," she snorted, but said nothing further. She would overlook that statement on account she liked him so much. If she were to be honest with herself, she would have to admit not being proficient with her skills could be considered weakness leaving her defenseless in their realm amongst Cursed Spirits.
"Besides, you're sweet and kind. You should be protected against all of the bad things in this world. It's so full of terrible and cruel things...most of those things people don't even see," he said, casually picking up his glass to finish off his drink.
"You take your duty as a Jujutsu Sorcerer seriously don't you?" she inquired, standing up from her seat.
"I do. I take everything very seriously," he added despite that being self-evident.
Lily giggled which made his face collapse into a puzzled expression. Standing up, she waved for him to follow her to the kitchen.
"Come on. Let's get some food," she suggested, walking around to the stove.
She piled his plate high with steamed white rice and the ginger chicken stir-fry before handing it to him over the counter. After spooning up her own plate, she herded him back into the living room.
"So what do you learn at that school besides how to exorcise Cursed Spirits?" she asked.
"How to use our Cursed Techniques," he answered succinctly.
"Hmm, okay. That's keeping things simple and focused," she murmured. "I wonder if they could help me learn more about being a guardian."
Megumi gaped at her. The food dropped from between his chopsticks back onto his plate. "I thought you said you weren't interested in being a guardian."
She shrugged as if to push away his misgivings.
"I'm not sure. I would like to know more about it," she returned, poking at her food.
"Why would you want to know more?"
She shrugged again. "I want to be able to make an informed decision about what I really want to do. My grandmother tried to explain what it meant to be a guardian. She tried to teach me. It was important to her that I follow in her footsteps but I..." She poked at her food some more as her appetite disappeared completely. "But I blew her off...ignored her. I didn't want to hear anything about it."
"Why?"
Lily inhaled a deep breath to steel her jittery nerves. She wanted to be truthful with him.
"Because my parents thought I was crazy. Stark raving mad. I spent years in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Those are fun places. You should see the Cursed Spirits lurking there. I visited therapist after therapist. I've been on so many psychotropic drugs, swallowed so many pills, I can barely take something for a headache without gagging," she said, refilling their empty glasses.
Her throat felt tight as if was swelling shut. She had never told anyone the truth about herself, about her "sickness" as her parents referred to it.
"I'm sorry," Megumi said, boldly reaching across the table to hold her hand. "I can see why you would want to stay away from it."
They lapsed into silence. The only sound was the dull thud of chopsticks on their plates as they ate a few bites.
"As much as I resented my ability, I think I should use it for the good of others. You just said that you feel that way about being a Sorcerer yourself," Lily reminded him.
"Yeah but - "
"Although I want to run from your world, I'm drawn to it as well," she murmured, not really wanting to admit he is a large part of the attraction.
"Is that really why you came back here?" he asked, his eyes locking onto her face.
"Partly. There's another reason," she confessed, meeting his gaze. "I feel like I was compelled to come to the cemetery that day...and there you were. It's like...it's like I was drawn to you."
Megumi's prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he audibly gulped.
"You really think so?" he asked, squeezing her hand.
Lily nodded. She picked up her glass to take a drink. He did the same. They ate a few more bites of food before Megumi spoke this time.
"I like being here with you. It's like being with Grandma Hiroko again. You're so much like her."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed softly which helped the tense atmosphere lighten considerably.
"You should. She was a wonderful woman. She meant a lot to me," he added. "Gojō was very close to her too."
Her grandmother had mentioned Satoru Gojō many times. Lily felt like she knew him almost as well as she knew Megumi from how much her grandmother talked about them both. It was weird, almost surreal, finally getting to meet the two people she had only known previously in name.
"Maybe all I need is a good reason to pursue being a guardian. Maybe there's someone I want to protect," she said, sliding him a shy glance before looking back down at her food.
"There is?" Megumi asked.
Lily heard him gulp again which made her want to giggle. He was only pretending to be dense. He knew exactly who she meant - or at least she believed he did.
"Yeah. There is," she confirmed, raising her eyes.
"But Lily - "
"Look, " she began carefully placing her chopsticks beside her plate. "You had my grandmother, but she's gone. I'm here and maybe...maybe I should fulfill my destiny or duty or some crap like that where my father obviously failed in fulfilling his," she muttered bitterly. Her eyes met his. "I don't want to be like him. You of all people should understand that."
Megumi's eyes narrowed as he glowered at her. Lily could be an infuriating human being, switching gears faster than a race car. Her feelings changed too much and too quickly for him to keep up with it.
At least her grandmother was steady, an emotional rock. But she was also an old woman who had learned to find balance and peace through a lifetime of making mistakes and learning from them. By life experience she learned how to still her mind and her emotions, controlling them both. Lily is still young and trying to find her place in this world just like him.
"I want to be your emotional anchor in the shit storm of life...in your weird world of, of, of," she stuttered, waving her hand as if sifting through her racing thoughts to find the right word. "Of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer. It can't be easy and I've barely gotten a glance into your world. I can't imagine how terrifying and awful it really is."
Grandmother Hiroko had always been the protector of his soul. She was his emotional support and confidante. She soothed his aching heart as much as she healed his bruises and scrapes. His emotions sometimes suffered the larger part of damage, and she helped him through it.
"If being a guardian what you want to do, I can't stop you," Megumi sighed.
"You're right," she returned, giving him an impish smile when his eyes flew to her face. "Is it so terrible that I want to stay close to you? To protect you?"
His entire body flushed with heat coloring his face a glowing fuchsia. His eyes swiftly dropped back to his plate.
"No," he admitted, his blush deepening to crimson. "That's the only good thing about it."
Lily smiled and went back to eating with gusto since her appetite returned. When their plates were empty, she picked them up to take them to the kitchen.
Megumi sat back rubbing his full belly. Her cooking is going to make him fat.
"Ready for dessert?" she inquired from the kitchen.
"Not now. I'm too full. Wanna go for a walk?" he asked.
"Where to?"
Megumi sighed heavily. He knew he would hate himself for the suggestion he is about to make.
"I can show you the school if you'd like," he suggested.
She suddenly popped into the room as if by magic. The goofy grin on her face made him smile in return.
"Really? Do you mean it?" Her eyes narrowed into slits of suspicion. "You're not just messing with me are you?"
"No, I'm not," he exhaled. "It's just a tour of the school. No big deal. "You're going there some time to talk with Gojō anyway right? You'll need to know how to get there and where to go."
"Well, come on! Let's go!" she exclaimed excitedly, passing by him to hurry to the foyer.
By the time Megumi appeared in the small entranceway, Lily already had her shoes on and the door open. As he sat on the step to shove his feet into his athletic shoes, he wondered how she had gotten on hers so fast especially since they were white wedge heeled sneakers. They appeared to be more for fashion than comfort.
"It's quite a walk," he warned her, tying his shoe.
"That's okay. You'd be surprised how many miles I've had to walk in stilettoes to get to a location for a photo shoot," she said, executing a gymnast worthy cartwheel in her front yard.
"Oh, now I'm really impressed," he teased her.
"Just as you should be," she retorted, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
Ah, there's the girl I know and love, he thought, causing himself to blush again.
"Do you have blood pressure issues? You sure do flush a lot," she remarked, pressing her hand to his forehead. "Do you have a fever? Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine," he assured her, peeling her cool palm off of his forehead despite the fact it felt really good on his hot skin. "Let's go."
"It must be pretty close since you and Gojō spent so much time here," Lily said as they started off along the dirt road that dead ended at her secluded little house.
"Relatively speaking," Megumi returned. "It's about a thirty minute walk."
"I've hiked up mountains for hours. Not to mention endless stairs in places to get to just that perfect, most awesome location," she said, obviously making fun of some artsy fartsy photographer. "I can handle a thirty minute stroll on flat ground."
"Being a model isn't as glamourous as one would think is it?" he asked.
"No, not at all," she sighed, clasping her hands behind her back and skipping ahead.
How could she be so innocent and childlike sometimes?, he pondered, watching her long ponytail swinging back and forth. He would never be bored by her for sure. She would always keep him guessing as to what part of her charming personality might show up at any given moment or what words might come flying out of her mouth.
"I guess that's why you weren't really shocked or offended when Sukuna said what he did to you," he murmured as if talking to himself out loud.
"You wouldn't believe some of the things men have felt like it was okay to say to me. It's like I'm not even a human anymore because my picture appears in magazines. And not those kinds of magazines mind you," she said, keeping her tone light about a very serious subject. "Agents and photographers are the worst."
Megumi watched her carefully as she widened the distance between them. Unexpectedly she dropped down, and he thought she had tripped. His heart beat faster as he ran the few yards to catch up to her.
"Oh, my god!" she exclaimed, examining a red spider lily. "I love these flowers! I haven't seen one in years."
Megumi groaned in exasperation and rolled his eyes. This is going to be a long walk.
"You know that's a symbol of death right?" Megumi asked her.
"A white lily is the preferred funeral flower so what's your point?" she shot back, looking up at him.
"Hmmm," he hummed, rocking from his toes to his heels and back as he gazed at the blue sky above him. "I guess I have none."
Lily stood up so they could continue on their way. The road turned to pavement and they reached where the sidewalk began. The occasional car putted past them.
As they walked side by side, their hands brushed occasionally. Neither one of them acknowledged the casual touch, only kept their eyes straight ahead and continued walking.
The cars became more numerous along with the houses and people. Walk/don't walk signs appeared at the intersections along with traffic lights as they entered the more populated area that seemed so far away from her country retreat.
"I grew up on a farm in the US," she said suddenly. "I'm glad grandmother's house is out in the middle of nowhere. It's nice being back in that kind of environment."
"Did you have chickens and cows?" Megumi inquired, his curiosity piqued. He could totally picture her in overalls, a gingham shirt, and pigtails.
"And pigs too. Mom also planted a garden every year. I helped her plant and weed and pick. I even know how to can vegetables for use during the winter," she added with a "you're not gonna believe this" tone.
"Wow...you really are a country bumpkin," he commented, receiving a good natured punch in the arm. "Ow!"
"Hey! Let's go into that convenience store for a drink," she suggested, pointing to store across the street. "Oooh, or maybe some ice cream!"
"It's going to take that much longer to get there if you keep stopping," he reminded her as the lively little tune began to play for them to walk.
"Are you in that big of a hurry to get there?" she asked, throwing him a glance over her shoulder before grabbing his hand and tugging him across the street. "Come on! Stop to smell the flowers!"
"You've already done that," he groused, taking slow plodding steps behind her. No, he wasn't in a hurry to get but he had a tendency to be mission oriented. If he had a destination he wanted to get there.
"The journey is half the fun," she said, stepping onto the mat to make the automatic doors open.
The cool air inside the air conditioned store rushed against her skin, making her sigh. She went to the drink coolers in the back, grabbing a bottle of water. Then she perused the selection in the ice cream coolers up front while waiting for Megumi to make his choice.
"You want ice cream too?" she asked him when he stood beside her. Sliding open the glass lid, she picked up one of the packages containing a popsicle which looked like a slice of watermelon. She held it up to show him. "The seeds are chocolate! Want one?"
"Nah, that's okay. I'm good with this," he said, raising up the bottle of blue sports drink.
"My treat," she declared, reaching for another one before he answered.
Lily trotted up to the cashier to pay, indicating she wanted to pay for Megumi's drink as well.
"I have money you know," Megumi snapped at her as they walked out of the door.
"I know, but I like taking care of you," she returned, handing him the popsicle.
Why do I suddenly feel like a sugar baby?, he thought to himself, tearing the paper package open. Far be it from him to refuse a gift from such a lovely lady. Besides, they were friends. He was her baby brother for God's sake. She should be indulging him.
Lily insisted they take a side trip into an open air market set up in on children's playground. She stopped at each vendor's table no matter what they were selling. If she did not buy something, she talked to them for at least ten minutes. She bought roasted peanuts and dango despite having recently eaten a meal and having an ice cream.
Although she knew they were fake, she paid for two pairs of "designer" sunglasses, one for her and one for him. A road trip with her would be a hoot. They may never get to where they were going before they needed to come back home but it sure would be fun.
She stopped at a table displaying all kinds of bracelets. Bypassing all of the shiny pretty things with charms and gemstones on them, she studied the wooden bead bracelets. The woman pointed to a set of matching bracelets with protection symbols painted on each brown bead in black.
"For you and your boyfriend," the woman said, picking them up to hand them to her.
Lily did not correct her about their relationship as she examined the bracelets. Megumi could feel his temperature rising again. This time, he would blame it on the hot sun shining down on him turning his face red and making him sweat.
"You know these are useless as actual protection talismans right?" Megumi muttered as she slid his onto his wrist.
"Of course I do," she returned, putting hers on. She held her arm up and placed his beside it. "They're beautiful. And they match. They're a symbol of our friendship."
There it is. She always reminded him at least once of their relationship status when they were together. Sometimes he mused the reminder might be more for her rather than him.
"Besides, I like the idea of them...what they represent. It never hurts to cover all the bases. Let's go," she said, taking him by the hand to keep walking.
Close friends, he mused as he watched their clutched hands sway back and forth between them.
After walking a mere two blocks, they were stopped again. A few young girls ran to greet her, giggling and bouncing up and down with excitement. She took selfies with them despite the fact she wasn't wearing make up and her hair being pulled up in a plain old ponytail. She looked like just another teenaged girl when standing among them. After signing their magazines, she chatted with them until they decided to walk away.
The thirty minute walk turned into an hour and a half long adventure. Not that Megumi really minded. He enjoyed her company. On their little journey, he had gotten to see more of her cute personality, and learned a little more about her. Who knew a simple walk could be so revealing?
"We're here," Megumi announced, at the torii gate and the base of the first flight of stairs.
"Where?" she asked, gazing up the seemingly endless steps lined with trees on both sides.
"You said you've walked up lots of steps right?"
The hundreds, possibly thousands of steps, were broke up by the occasional flat platform leading to another staircase with a torii gate in front of it as if they were passing into a whole new place. Trees and stairs. So much green and gray punctuated occasionally by a torii gate but not made of wood and painted red. They were carved out of the same gray stone as the steps.
At what she hoped to be the last stone gate because she did not see another flight of stairs, a crackling similar to tiny electrical shocks sizzled over every inch of Lily's skin. She could see the trees opened up to a large square courtyard and the single story traditional building straight ahead. But the image shimmered slightly, going a little askew, like when heat waves rise from pavement. It was as if she was looking at it through imperfect glass.
"Is there a..." She reached out her fingers pushing through the wavering water like wall that was not water at all. "Is this a protective barrier?"
"Yeah," Megumi replied in awe, staring at her in wide eyed surprise.
Although it should not have suprised him she could sense it. Creating protective barriers is one of her innate Cursed Techniques.
"Can you see the school beyond it?"
"Yeah. Who's doing this?" she asked, captivated by the barrier that kept them and their school safe.
"Master Tengen is responsible for maintaining the barrier," he replied.
"And I thought I was doing so well holding up the protective barrier around my house," she mumbled.
"They also hold up the barrier around the other Sorcerer school, Kyoto Jujutsu High," he informed her.
"They?" she asked, casting a curious glimpse at him.
Megumi shrugged. "Master Tengen isn't male or female. Not even human actually. They are immortal. They are a being who defies description really," he explained.
"Oh," she gasped. Grabbing his hand, she boldy stepped through the barrier. "Let's go."
Her footsteps halted quickly as she stood in the middle of the huge entrance courtyard. Turning in a slow circle, she took in the immediate area surrounded by buildings of various sizes but all of traditional Japanese architecture. A serenity permeated the place giving her the impression she had walked onto the grounds of a Buddhist temple rather than a school campus.
There were trees, lots of trees, some standing alone, scattered about here and there while others stood in large groupings like a miniature forest. Behind the single story building straight ahead stood a much taller structure of at least seven floors with an eighth floor that appeared to be different separated from the rest.
"Come this way," Megumi said, squeezing her hand and pulling her toward the path between the building to their left and a small circle of trees.
They passed a gazebo behind the building. He led her along the stone inlaid walkway to a path that led between more buildings shrouded in trees and bushes to a gray stone walkway built into the rising landscape.
"Glad you did a lot of mountain hiking," he said, letting go of her hand as he started up the steps.
"Shit," she gasped, panting for air.
After walking across a short level path, they encountered another set of steps. Ahead there was a traditional bridge but made of the same gray carved stone as everything else rather than wood.
Lily shot past him to stand at the highest point of the curved bridge to gaze down into the narrow stream flowing under it.
"Awww...there's no fish," she said like a disappointed curious child.
"Too cold. That water comes from the melting ice caps on the top of the mountain," he explained.
"Oooh, really?" she said, her fingers clutching the railing of the bridge.
"What are you about to do?" he asked as she placed her foot on the bottom rail. "Lily! You can't - "
Hoisting her body up and over the rail, she jumped into the rapidly flowing stream.
"Oh, my god, it's freezing!" she shrieked but laughed joyfully as she splashed around.
Her impulsiveness was beginning fray his nerve endings.
"Get out of there!" he yelled her.
"Come in and get cooled off! It's great!" she yelled, splashing water on her face.
"Lily! Seriously! Get out of there!" he hollered at her, bending over the top rail to reach down for her hands.
Lily jumped and caugh his hands, placing her foot on a structural outcropping at the support beam of the bridge to push herself up to him. She held her breath when he flung his arms around her waist to pull over over the top rail onto the bridge with him.
"You're cr-" He stopped himself before he said the word.
"Crazy?" she filled in the blank for him. Her eyes met his as he continued to hold her in a loose embrace.
"I didn't..." Becoming aware of their closeness, he dropped his arms from around her and stepped back. The pink spots of embarrassment on his cheeks steadily darkened in color as he stared at the toes of his shoes.
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it that way. Where to next?" she asked, to get him moving again. There still had to be lots to see.
Vertical stone paths weaved their way through the trees as they continued to ascend. Random little shrines and statues, along with gazebos and open courtyards were hidden among the trees.
"Wow," she gasped as they began to descend. "This place is so beautiful. Truly amazing."
As they made their way back toward the entrance he brought her attention to the massive professional field complete with a dirt running track with lanes separated by chalk lines that could be used for track and field competitions .
"There's a training field over there," he pointed out. "We're coming up on the pool as well. It was actually to your right behind those little buildings at the entrance."
"Let's go see it!" she excitedly insisted, seizing him by the arm and pulling him along.
"Don't even think about jumping in!" he warned her when she abandoned him and ran ahead because he wasn't moving fast enough.
Megumi smiled and shook his head. Although irritated with her, he could not be mad at her. She was like a child at play, relaxed and enjoying herself. Her childhood sounded awful spending most of her time in hospitals or doctor's offices. His was not that great either, but her grandmother helped him bear it.
Lily ran into the pool area and came to a sudden halt when she saw two girls lying in the lounge chairs on the opposite side. Both girls glanced her way, sliding their sunglasses down their noses to get a better look at the person who had intruded upon their peaceful day.
"Oh, hi, Nobara!" Lily called to her upon recognizing the pretty girl with the remarkable orange hair.
"You know her?" Maki asked, slightly taken aback. "Well, I guess my real question is, how does she know you? She's some model or something isn't she? The one Gojō keeps going on about."
"Yeah, that's her. I met her yesterday at the mall. She's Megumi's girlfriend," she explained, tossing aside her magazine. "She's actually really nice."
"Girlfriend, huh? Hmmm, how interesting," the pensive brunette murmured to herself.
"Well, not really his girlfriend, but a girl who's his friend," Nobara clarified, waving Lily over. "There's someone I want you to meet!"
Lily jogged over standing at the foot of the chair where Maki sat. She gazed at the woman for a minute. There was something familiar about her. The intense dark eyes examining her critically and the smut black hair reminded her of someone.
"Lily, this is Maki Zenin. She's a student here too," Nobara introduced her.
"Nice to meet you," she returned, extending her hand. "I'm Lily Nakamura."
"Nakamura you say? Like the old woman who helped take care of Megumi when he was little?" Maki asked, shaking her hand without bothering to get up from the lounger.
"Yeah, uh..." She continued to be shocked by how many people knew about her grandmother. "How did you -"
"Hi, Megumi," Maki greeted him when he appeared at Lily's side. "Just met your girlfriend."
Lily glanced at him then at Maki. Despite not having the same last name, they have to be related somehow, she mused, her head whipping back and forth between them.
"She's not my girlfriend," he muttered grumpily.
"You're such an old man," Nobara teased him. "Lighten up already dude."
"Where's everyone else?" Megumi asked. "I didn't see anyone else as we were walking around."
"They all went out for ramen," replied Maki, lifting her magazine back up to hide her face. "We were taking advantage of a quiet moment."
"I see. We'll let you get back to it then," he said, grasping Lily's hand. "I need to walk Lily home anyway."
"Bye! It was great meeting you Maki. It was nice seeing you again Nobara. Hopefully I'll see you again soon!" she said over her shoulder as he virtually dragged her away.
"See you later!" Nobara called, waving to them as they disappeared down the steps and around the gazebo.
Maki peeked over her magazine to make sure they were gone. She flopped it down in her lap and asked her companion, "Are you sure she's not really his girlfriend?"
Megumi held Lily's hand tightly so she could not shake out of his grip. They needed to get the hell out of here. So far he had been lucky they had not encountered a single soul on the campus other than the girls at the pool. The entire time he had been on edge and paranoid they might run into Gojō - or worse yet, Principal Yaga.
They were approaching the gate through which they entered. He was almost home free to get her out of there without anyone seeing her and asking -
"What is she doing here, Mr. Fushiguro?"
"Shit," Megumi hissed under his breath.
Lily whirled around to see a tall man with dark skin and black hair styled in a mildly overgrown, purposely spiked, high and tight haircut. He had a neatly trimmed thin moustache and goatee. Although his rectangular lensed sunglasses hid his eyes, his extremely square jaw was set hard in apparent displeasure. His arms folded over his barrel chest to further express his agitation.
"Care to explain, Fushiguro," the man demanded rather than asked.
"Principal Yaga, this is Lily Nakamura."
The man's arms unfolded and slowly dropped to hang limply at his sides. "As in our last guardian, Hiroko Nakamura's granddaughter?"
"Yes, Sir, that's me," Lily declared proudly, bravely approaching him with a hand outstretched for a handshake.
"Well, well, I didn't think we would be seeing you," he said, shaking her hand. "Gojō said he had mentioned speaking with you but you refused."
"Sir, to be honest, I do have my reservations. I would like to find out more about my responsibilities as a guardian before I accept them," she returned as if negotiating a contract for a modeling gig.
"You think you actually have a choice?" he countered, folding his arms again.
The silence surrounding them became thick and oppressive making it difficult to breathe as if some invisible force pressed in on them.
Up until that moment Lily believed she had a choice in the matter. Apparently she was wrong. Megumi stood behind her somewhere but did not say a word or move toward her.
A squeaking noise like a child's toy being squeezed broke the silence. The movement of something behind Principal Yaga caught her eyes. The thing was an eye popping shade of magenta and toddled along on stubby little legs. It looked like a living stuffed animal, a rabbit to be specific. It reminded her of the cheap and ratty plushes a person wins at a carnival, but it was still kind of cute.
"Awww," she cooed as it peeked around Principal Yaga's leg at her with it's small shiny black eyes.
"Your not scared of it?" the man asked her.
"No." She squatted down to get a better look at it as stepped from behind its master.
"You should be."
The stuffed rabbit opened its mouth to reveal two rows of pointed, serrated teeth. The corpse doll lunged at Lily, and she caught it in her arms. It snapped her trying to bite her, snarling and growling like a rabid dog. Flipping it onto its back and cradling its huge head in the crook of her elbow, an orb appeared at the tip of her finger. The light immediately grabbed the creature's attention making it go still in her arms.
She began to hum. The light from the little ball reflecting off of the marble like black eyes as the rabbit reached for it with rounded, stumpy arms in the manner of a playful baby. She pushed the glowing orb toward the corpse doll, pressing it to the plastic triangle that served as a nose. The rabbit yawned, revealing all of its shark like teeth again. Pink fuzzy eyelids covered its eyes before it began emitting a soft snore.
"That was pretty good," Principal Yaga said. "You've had training?"
"Just a little," she replied, the doll shifting in her arms because she quit humming. "Do you want this back?"
"Not yet."
Lily inhaled a deep breath and continued humming.
"Will you come back tomorrow to talk to myself and Gojō about your training? Say, nine?" he inquired.
"Say ten and you've got a deal," she responded.
She would swear she heard Megumi issue a grunt as if he had been punched in the gut. The living doll in her arms stretched like it might wake up. She rocked it and hummed as if comforting a colicky baby.
"Ten it is then," Principal Yaga returned, extending his arms to take the rabbit from her. He tucked it under his arm like holding a football. He placed his hand on its head as it blinked and opened its eyes. "Just to let you know, this corpse doll will be part of your training. I made it just for you."
"Great," she muttered as it bared its teeth and growled.
"See you tomorrow at ten," he reiterated before walking away.
"Megumi, I'm sorry," she apologized when she turned to see him glowering at her.
"It's okay. You really had no choice. Besides, you saved my ass by agreeing to come back. If he had thought I brought an outsider onto the campus just for a visit, I don't know what he would have done to me." He visibly shuddered, turning his back to her. "Let's go. It's getting dark," he announced.
The setting sun colored the sky in pastel hues as all the colors had been faded by the sun's rays beating down on them all day. Lily jogged the few steps required to catch up to him and walk beside him. She took him by the hand to keep him from pushing her away emotionally in the uncomfortable silence.
"I guess my being a guardian truly was meant to be. I'm where I should be and doing what I should be doing," she said.
"I suppose," he murmured, squeezing her hand.
Lily shuddered after receiving another shock as she passed through the barrier.
"It's amazing that one being holds up the protective barrier shielding this place, isn't it?" Megumi remarked.
"It truly is," Lily agreed, looking over her shoulder at the school.
Tugging on her hand, he urged her to walk faster. "We need to hurry. It will be dark soon."
"I'm not afraid of the dark. Are you?"
"Of course not," he snapped, squeezing her hand. "I just don't want something to happen to you. Cursed Spirits are more active at night."
"Oh, that really is a thing?"
"In a manner of speaking. A lot of people are afraid of the dark so their fear feeds the Cursed Energy," he rejoined, looking back over his shoulder at her.
"Did you just make a joke?"
"No, not really. It's simply the truth."
"What was I thinking?" she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"More people are alone at night, increasing their sadness, loneliness, and fear. Others are stuck with someone they don't want to be with which causes a rise in anger or hatred. People get drunk. They get depressed or get angry and fight. Negative feelings seem to increase for whatever reason," he explained.
"I suppose so. During the day more people are at work or with their family and at least have to pretend to be happy and act pleasant to get along," she surmised.
By the time they reached her house, her leg muscles burned, and her feet ached. Lily wondered if she would be able to make it up the stairs to shower and crawl into her bed. Standing in front of her door, she covered her mouth to hide her yawn. She was exhausted but genuinely happy.
"I know you didn't really want to take me to the school, but I'm glad you did," she said, sliding her door open. "Thank you. I had a wonderful day."
"Me too." Hooking a thumb behind him, Megumi announced, "I'll be heading back since I know you're safe."
"Please text me to let me know you made it back safely, okay?" she requested, yawning again. "I doubt I'll be awake so don't expect a reply. But seeing that message in the morning will keep me from worrying."
Megumi's pulse pounded in his ears. "Okay. I will," he promised.
"Good night," she said, giving him a little wave and a sleepy smile.
"Good night."
Megumi pivoted on his heel to face the small archway made of driftwood. He smiled as he passed through it. Maybe being friends isn't so bad after all.
"Megumi!" Lily called to him.
He could hear the patter of her running footsteps before he turned around. She ran right up to him, stopping mere inches before colliding with his chest. Her eyes shifted between both of his but she did not say a word.
"What - " Before he could ask the entire question, she raised up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his for a chaste peck before turning tail and running back to disappear into the house. The kiss was so fast, so light, he was not sure it actually happened. The prickling of his lips assured him she had kissed him.
Megumi smiled as his fingers gingerly traced his lips. Yep, being friends with her is going to be pretty damn great.